A Treatise of Self-Denial, Treatise · Chapter 68
CHAP. LXVIII. Enemy of all Society, Relations and Common good.
6. MOreover, this ſelfiſhneſs is the enemy to all Societies, and Relations, and conſequently to the common good. And it is not only indirectly and conſequentially, but directly that it ſtrikes at the very foundation of all. For the manifeſting of this, conſider in what reſpects this ſelfiſhneſs is at enmity with Societies.
1. The End of Societies is eſſential to them: and this End is the Common good of the Society: and therefore a Republick hath its name from hence, becauſe it is conſtituted and to be adminiſtred for the Commonweal, or the good of all. Now ſelfiſhneſs is contrary to this common good which is the End of all Societies. Every ſelfiſh perſon is his Own End; and cares not to hinder the common good if he do but think it will promote his own: And how is that Family, Church, or Commonwealth like to proſper, where moſt (alas, moſt indeed) have an End of their own, that is ſet up againſt the End and being of the Society? For though the real good of particular perſons is uſually comprehended in the common good, yet that is but in ſubſerviency to the publick good, and is not obſerved uſually by theſe perſons who principally look at themſelves. And it commonly falls out that the publick welfare cannot be obtained but by ſuch ſelf-denial of the Members, which theſe men will not ſubmit to; though they incur a greater hurt by their ſelfiſhneſs. Little do they think of the common good: it is their own matters that they regard and mind. So it go well with them, let Church and Commonwealth do what it will: They can bear any ones trouble or loſſes ſave their own. They are every man as a Church, as a Commonwealth, as a world to themſelves. If they be well, all is well with them: If they proſper, they think it's a good world, what ever others undergo. If they be poor, or ſick, or under any other ſuffering, it is all one to them as if calamity had covered the earth: and if they ſee that they muſt die, they take it as if it were the diſſolution of the world, (unleſs as they leave either name or poſterity behind them in which a ſhadow of them may ſurvive.). And therefore they uſe to ſay [when I am gone, all the world is gone with me.]
2. Moreover ſelfiſhneſs is contrary to that Diſpoſition and ſpirit that every Member of a Society ſhould be poſſeſſed with. The publick good will not be attained without a Publick ſpirit, to which a Private ſpirit is contrary. Men muſt be diſpoſed to the work that they muſt be imployed in. The work of every Member of a Society, is ſuch as Mordecai is approved for, Eſther 10. 3. [ſeeking the wealth of his people, and ſpeaking peace to all his ſeed] Every true Member of the Church muſt have ſuch a ſpirit as Nehemiah, that in the midſt of his own proſperity and honours is caſt down in faſting, tears, and Prayers, when he heareth of the affliction, reproach, and ruines of Jeruſalem, and ſaith [Why ſhould not my countenance be ſad, when the City the place of my fathers ſepulchres lieth waſte?] Neh. 1. 3. & 2. 3, 4. And as the captivated Jews, Pſal. 137. that lay by all their mirth and muſick, and ſit down and weep at the remembrance of Zion. A private, ſelfiſh diſpoſition is quite contrary to this; and is buſie about his own matters, and principally looketh to his own ends and intereſts, what ever come of the Church; and falls under the reproof that Baruch had from God, Jer. 45. 4, 5. [Behold that which I have built will I break down, and that which I have planted I will pluck up, even this whole Land; and ſeekeſt thou great things for thy ſelf? ſeek them not.] This Private diſpoſition makes men ſo fooliſh as to loſe themſelves, by ſeeking themſelves; looking to their own goods or cabbins when the ſhip is ſinking in which they are; and to their own rooms, when the Houſe is all on fire. But a Publick Spirit ſaith [If I forget thee O Jeruſalem, let my right hand forget her cunning. If I do not remember thee, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth, if I prefer not Jeruſalem above my chief Joy] Pſal. 137. 5, 6. His love is to the Church as the Spouſe of Chriſt, and as to the body of which he is himſelf a member, and his Prayers and endeavours are for its proſperity and peace, Pſal. 122. 6, 7, 8, 9. [Pray for the Peace of Jeruſalem, they ſhall proſper that love thee: Peace be within thy walls and proſperity within thy Palaces: For my Brethren and companions ſake I will now ſay, Peace be within thee: becauſe of the houſe of the Lord our God, I will ſeek thy good] The body of Chriſt, is all animated by one ſpirit, that it might aim at one end; and it is ſo tempered by God, that there ſhould be no Schiſm in it, but that the members ſhould have the ſame care one for another, that if one member ſuffer all the members ſhould ſuffer with it, or if one member be honoured, all ſhould rejoyce with it] 1 Cor. 12. 13, 24, 25, 26, 27. There is no ſerving Publick ends with a Private ſelfiſh ſpirit.
3. Moreover ſefiſhneſs is an Enemy to the Laws of Societies, whether it be the Laws of God or man. For it would have them all bended to their private intereſt, and fitted to their ſelfiſh diſpoſition. And therefore for the immutable Laws of God, which they cannot change, they corrupt them by miſinterpretations, expounding them according to the dictates of the fleſh, and putting ſuch a ſence on all as ſelf can bear with. And what they cannot miſinterpret, they murmur at and diſobey. And for the Laws of men, where ſelfiſh perſons are the makers of them, you ſhall perceive by the warping of them, who they were made for. Hence it is that Princes and Parliaments have lookt at the Laws, and Church, and Miniſters of Chriſt, with an eye of Jealouſie as if they had been ſome enemies that they ſtood in danger of, and all for fear leſt the perſonal, ſelfiſh, fleſhly intereſt of Noblemen, and Gentlemen, and others, ſhould be incroacht upon by the Laws and Government of Chriſt. And hence it is that ſo much endeavours and hopes of a Reformation have been ſo long fruſtrated, and even among wiſe and Pious Lawmakers there hath been ſo much pains to keep Miniſters from doing their duty in Governing the Churches, and laying ſuch reſtrictions on them, that Paſtors might be no Paſtors, that is, no Guides and Overſeers of the Church in the worſhip of God. And when good Laws are made, they have as many enemies as ſelfiſh men. If the Law were not hated, the execution of it would not be hated ſo much.
4. Alſo ſelfiſhneſs is an enemy to the very being of Magiſtracy, and to all publick Officers and their work. For the very End of the Magiſtracy is the Publick benefit, as I ſaid before of the end of a Commonwealth: and therefore this ſelfiſhneſs is contrary to this end: and ſuch men will not value a Magiſtrate as a publick Officer, but only as one that is able to help them, or to hurt them; which is but to fear him as a potent enemy, and not to love or honour him as a Ruler. They look at Magiſtrates as at Tyrants that are too ſtrong for them; and as a Cur will crouch to a Maſtiff Dog, ſo they will crouch to them to ſave themſelves: and this is their love, and honour, and obedience; (even ſuch as Hobbs hath taught them in his Leviathan.) But they do not reverence that beam of Divinity which God hath communicated to them in their Authority; nor love their Governors as the Fathers of the Church and Commonwealth, for the common good and the honour of God which they are appointed to promote.
5. And this ſelfiſhneſs is the deadly enemy of all right Adminiſtrations of Juſtice, and the due exerciſe of Authority in Church or Commonwealth. If a Miniſter be ſelfiſh, he will be ſhifting off the troubleſome part of his duty, and will over-rule his underſtanding to believe that it is no duty, becauſe diſ-believing is eaſier than obeying. He will be forward in thoſe duties that are neceſſary to his maintenance and applauſe, and are impoſed on him by the Laws of men, but out of the Pulpit it's little that he will do: As if it were the Pulpit only that were Gods Vineyard where he is ſet to labour. Fleſh and blood ſhall be conſulted, and men ſhall be pleaſed and all that the intereſt of ſelf may be maintained.
And if the People be ſelfiſh, they will rebel againſt their faithfulleſt Guides, and kick againſt their Doctrine and reproofs, and fly from Diſcipline, which ſeems to their diſtempered minds to be againſt them. Let but one moſt notorious, lamentable inſtance ſuffice. The greater part of our Pariſhioners in moſt places of the Land are lamentably ignorant and careleſs in the matters of their Salvation, and all that we can do is too little to bring them to underſtand the matters of abſolute Neceſſity: and yet almoſt all of them are ſo much wiſer in their own conceits than the ableſt of their Teachers, that if we do not humor them, and be not Ruled by them in our Doctrine and Adminiſtrations, about Sacraments, Prayers, Burial, and the reſt, yea if we obey them not in geſtures and forms, they turn their backs upon Officers, and Ordinances, and the Church it ſelf, and pour out their reproach upon their Teachers, as if we were ignorant in compariſon of them (even of them that know not ſo much as children of ſeven or eight year old ſhould know.) See here the wonderful, bewitched power of a ſelfiſh diſpoſition.
And in matters of the Commonwealth, what is it more than this! nay what is it beſides this, that maketh Princes become Tyrants, and Rulers keep under the Ordinances and intereſt of Chriſt, or fearfully neglect them, and look after the Church in the laſt place, when they have no buſineſs of their own to call them off, and to begin to build Gods Houſe when they have firſt built their own, not imitating Nehemiah's labourers that had the ſword in one hand, and the Trewel in the other, and builded in their arms! what elſe makes them give God but their leavings who giveth them all! And what elſe could make them ſuch enemies to Truth, as to ſide with thoſe parties what ever they be that ſide moſt with them, and promote their intereſt?
And alas what work doth ſelfiſhneſs make with inferior Magiſtrates? It is this only that opens the hand to a Reward, and the ear to the ſolicitations of their friends; and its this that perverteth the judgement, and this that oppreſſeth the poor and innocent, and this that …yeth the tongues and hands of Juſtices, ſo that abundance of them do little more than poſſeſs the room, and ſtand like an armed ſtatue or a ſign-poſt, which hurteth none; Alehouſes do what their liſt for them, and drunkards and ſwearers are bold at their noſes, and they are no terror to evil doers, nor revengers to execute wrath upon them, nor Miniſters that uſe their power for much good, but bear the Sword almoſt in vain, contrary to the very nature of their Office, Rom. 13. 1, 2, 3, 4.
And it is ſelfiſhneſs in the people that cauſeth the trouble of faithful Magiſtrates: Every man would do what his liſt. The worſt offendor abhors him that would puniſh him: And thoſe that will commend Juſtice, and cry down vice in the general, yet when they fall under Juſtice themſelves, they take all that they ſuffer to be injury, and will do all that they can againſt Juſtice and the Officers of it, when it is to defend themſelves or theirs from the execution of it: ſo rare a thing is it to meet with a man that is a friend to Laws and Juſtice, when themſelves muſt ſuffer by it.
6. Selfiſhneſs alſo makes men withdraw from all thoſe neceſſary burdens and duties that are for the preſervation of Church or Commonwealth. Such wretches had rather the Goſpel were thruſt out of doors than it ſhould coſt them much: and had rather have the unworthieſt man that would be their Teacher for a little, than allow the beſt that maintenance that the Goſpel doth command, or give them what the Law hath made their Own. They would venture the ruine of Church and State, and let all fall into the hands of the common enemies, rather than hazard their perſons, or lay out their eſtates for the common preſervation. So that if the hand of violence did not ſometimes ſqueeze thoſe Spunges, and force theſe leeches to diſgorge themſelves, they would but impoveriſh the Common-wealth by their Riches, and weaken the body like wens or impoſtumes by drawing to themſelves.
7. And then the ſelfiſh are ſuch cauſes of Diviſion, that if they did no other harm, they would break both Church and State into pieces, if their humor were predominant, and not reſtrained or purged out. And in this regard ſelfiſhneſs is the direct enemy of Societies, and is always at work to diſſolve them into Independant individuals. A Society is a Political Body which muſt have but one Head, and one Intereſt, and one End: But when ſelfiſhneſs prevaileth, there are as many Heads, and Ends, and Intereſts as Perſons: If they be in a Church, every one is the Teacher and Ruler: and every one muſt have his opinion countenanced, and his humor ſatisfied; Every one muſt have his way and will: And how is this poſſible, when their minds are ſo various and contrary to one another; and their Intereſts ſo inconſiſtent, and there are as many Rulers as perſons: when every man is drawing to himſelf, and there is no center in which they can unite, what work is there like to be in the Church? What progreſs could be made in the building of Babel, when no man was ruled by another, but every man ran confuſedly after his ſingle imagination? what an Army will it be, and how are they like to ſpeed in fight, where every Souldier is inſtead of a Captain and General to himſelf, and one runs this way, and another that way, and one will have one courſe taken, and another another courſe, and every one fighteth on his own head: ſuch work doth ſelfiſhneſs make in the Church▪ It is this that hath broken it into ſo many parcels, and would crumble it all to duſt if it ſhould prevail.
And it is this alſo that cauſeth the Diviſions of the Commonwealth; Faction riſing up againſt Faction, and Prince and people living in jealouſies of each other as having contradictory intereſts; which would not be if the Pleaſing of God, and the common good were the principal End and Intereſt of them all, and ſelfiſhneſs did not prevail.
And this is it that keepeth Chriſtian Princes in moſt ungodly wars, to the ſhedding of Chriſtian blood, and the weakening of the common intereſt, and the ſtrengthening of the common enemy, whom they ſhould all joyn together to reſiſt.
This alſo keepeth up ſo many parties on Religious pretences to ſeek the undermining and ruine of each other, when they ſhould all joyn together againſt the common prophaneneſs of the world; and all their conjunct endeavours would be too little. Thus ſelfiſhneſs is the grand Enemy that by Diviſions and Subdiviſions is ſtill at work for the Diſſolution and Ruine of Church and State, and the Confuſion of the World, and the diſturbance and deſtruction of order and government.
8. Yea Selfiſhneſs makes men falſe and treacherous, ſo that they are not to be truſted, and are unmeet materials for any Society. For what ever they promiſe, pretend, or ſeem, they are all for themſelves, and will be no further true and faithful to the Society, or any Member of it, than ſuiteth with their own Ends: Never truſt a ſelfiſh perſon, if it be your own Brother, further than you can accommodate and pleaſe him, and ſo oblige him to you upon his Own account. It is the Complication of Intereſts, that makes Husband and Wife ſo much agree and love each other: becauſe that which one hath the other hath: But if their Intereſts fall out to be any whit divided, it is two to one but ſelfiſhneſs will divide their affections. One would think that the bond of nature ſhould be ſo ſtrong to conſtrain a Son to love his Father, that nothing could diſſolve it: And yet ſad experience telleth us that even here, it is an unity of Intereſt that doth more with many children than either nature or grace: and that when they have no more dependance upon their Parents for their commodity, their affections and reſpects are gone; and if they ſhall gain much by their death, they can bear it without much ſorrow, if not deſire it. So potent is ſelfiſhneſs, that it makes not men unfaithful only to their friends, and treacherous to their Governors, and falſe to all they have to do with, but alſo unnatural to their neareſt Relations.
And therefore (next to true Piety which leads up all to an Unity in God, and therefore is the moſt perfect Polity) the chief point of humane Polity, for the preſervation of Commonwealths and all Societies, is, a Complication of Intereſt: when the Conſtitution makes the Governor and the Governed as Husband and Wife, that have nothing dividely as their own, but all in common, and take each other for better or worſe, and know they muſt ſtand or fall together, and that the good or hurt of one is the good or hurt of both, and that there is no manner of hope that either of them ſhould thrive by the ruine of the other. If Politicians had the skill and will to make ſuch an union of Intereſts between the Soveraign and the Subject, and to make it viſible that all might underſtand it, their Republicks would be Immortal, till either the wrath of a Neglected God, or the Power of a foreign enemy ſhould diſſolve them: For nothing elſe but ſelf could do it; and ſelf wil not do it when it ſees its own intereſt lie in the preſervation of the preſent State.