ew his relationship to God as a Deist. Franklin believed there is a Supreme Being and it is our job to discover our own reality by reasoning. In his autobiography, he notes several epiphanies that changed his lifestyle. For example, he regretted his leaving Miss Read for England without pursuing their relationship further. He calls these regrets or wrongdoings "Erratum" (Lauter 788). The spirituality of Franklin and Edwards is distinctive, and their writings reflect their experiences and growth of improvement. Franklin as a Deist felt that he created his destiny by the decisions he made. His autobiography illustrates his faults and accomplishments. This openness aims to the audience, the American, in order for them to reevaluate themselves and improve from their weaknesses. Franklin wanted Americans to become better Americans. With Edwards' beliefs, he felt that god predestined every man, and only the "elect" entered in the afterlife to heaven. He focuses his writing to the Christian audience. His goal is to prepare them to become candidates to be "elect" and show how the "elect" can set an example for the rest of the congregation. These men felt the responsibility to live a better life and set the example for every man in their community.As individuals, they constantly contemplate and self-evaluate there position in life and community. In Early American Literature: A Collection of Critical Essays, the editor Michael T. Gilmore writes in the introduction, "[the Puritans] in their minds the Bible was the book of history, and typology revealed the developmental pattern of events by finding correspondences between the Old and New Testaments" (2). Edwards constantly places his life according to the bible. He believed like Winthrop, that his community needs to prepare and become "a city upon a hill" (Gilmore 2). Through his contemplation and goals seen in "Resolutions," he constantly seeks to improve himself, so he can fulfill God's plan for...
