The True Christians T est, Part 2 · Meditation 20 – Meditation 21
MEDITAT. XX. Of Landlords and Tenants.
THe Holy Pſalmiſt ſomewhere ſayes (Pſal. 115. 16.) The Heavens are the Lords, but the Earth hath he given to the Children of Men; which is not to be underſtood according to the ſenſe of the prophane Poet, Jupiter in Coelis, Caeſar regit omnia Terris, as if God had thrown the Earth out of his Hands, and would take no more care of it, or had committed it wholly to the Arbitrary Government of men: For ſtill it is true that, The Earth is the Lords; and however he have granted the poſſeſſion of it to men, yet himſelf ſtill keeps the Propriety, and the Rich are his Tenants, and the Poor his Under-Tenants. Now amongſt thoſe children of men to whom God is ſaid to give the earth, ſome have ſo little a portion of it, that they may ſay with him that was rich, but for our ſakes became poor, That they have not where to lay their heads; or at beſt they can challenge no more of the Earth for theirs, than where they may lay their dead bodies. But yet in this unequal diſtribution there is no iniquity neither: For although God dividing the Earth amongſt Men, do not proceed by the Law of Gavel-kind; yet he has made proviſion for his poor Under Tenants, having charged his Landed Tenants, (which we more improperly call Landlords) to ſee that they be not ſtarved▪ nor ſo much as oppreſt. It is true and proper ſpeaking to ſay, that God has appointed the rich, all the rich to be Overſeers of the poor, and has declared that he accounts them his enemies, whoſoever are not their friends.
If any of you have this worlds good, and ſee his brother have need, and ſhut up his bowels againſt him, how dwelleth the love of God in that man, 1 Joh. 3. 17? God has not left it at the liberty of the rich, whether they will adminiſter to the poor or no, but has as much oblig'd them to charity towards them as to Juſtice towards one another: And it is not to be doubted but that the poor have as good a right to ſome part of our Eſtates, as we have to the reſt. And for ought I know this may be one Principal reaſon of that ſaying of our Saviours (call it Propheſy or Promiſe) The … have always with you, that there may be an opportunity for the exerciſing of Charity, and that they that have Mammon may not want a way of doing good with it, and making themſelves friends of it. If it be ſo, that the firſt Worldly Bleſſing is to be Rich, I think the next is that there are Poor about us.
The nobleſt uſe that can be made of riches is to give them away (according to that Golden Sentence that it ſeems our Savior was often wont to uſe, Beatius est dare quam accipere;) And I am ſure the propereſt Object of Giving, are thoſe that have Little or Nothing of their Own.
But who can perſuade the Mammoniſts of this world, that this is good Divinity? Alas, how few live and act as if they believed it! Oh wretched and barbarous Guardians, that in ſtead of putting on Cloaths upon the Naked Skin, pull off the Skin from the Fleſh; that live in all manner of Pleaſure and Wantonneſs, ſpending profuſely upon their Luſts of Playfulneſs, Intemperance or Uncleanneſs; and in the mean time Exact the Money of their poor Tenants, whereby theſe Proviſions may be made for the Fleſh.
How dwells the Love of God in that Man, whoſe Hounds and Horſes, and it may be Whores too, are Fat and Fair-liking, and in the mean time his poor induſtrious Tenants, and their Children, ſo nearly related to their Landlord, are almoſt ready to periſh for want of Bread. The Poor in general, as Men, are nearlier related to us by the Law of Nature, than Dogs and Horſes; as Chriſtians, they are ſtill nearer A-kin to us; and as Tenants, ſeem to be related to their Landlords in a Political Capacity, and to be, as it were, of their Family. For who can think otherwiſe, but that God in diſtributing the Kingdoms and Lordſhips of the Earth, intended that Kings ſhould take all their Subjects to be their Children, as to Paternal Care, and Landlords ſhould eſteem their Tenants as their Ward, and conſtituent Members of their Family. In the diſtribution of the Holy Land, God gave no lot to Levi, whom yet he loved as well as any of the reſt, intending that the Levites ſhould be maintained at the Charge of the reſpective Tribes amongſt whom they reſided. It is partly thus in the diſtribution of the World; where God could eaſily have made proviſion of Land for every man, and have made all the Inhabitants of the Earth Freeholders; but he has past by one Tribe, even all the Poor of the Earth, on purpoſe, as it ſeems, to employ the Care and Charity, and Pity of their Brethren about them. It is a reaſonable Maxim in Law, Cujus est lucrum, ejus est damnum; That he that receives the Gains, ſhould bear the loſs, according to the Cuſtom of the Holy Commonwealth, that he that bought the Land, ſhould alſo charge himſelf with the Widow, and content to have Ruth for his Wife: ſo ſhould every man who inherits or purchaſes a Lordſhip, conſider with what ſtock of poor Tenants it is charged, and take care that by ſome honeſt means or other they be maintained.
But how dwells the Love of God in thoſe Landlords, who never conſidering the Charge that God has laid upon them, nor the Relation wherein their Tenants ſtand to them, exact the utmoſt worth of the Land, by their good wills allowing nothing for the labor and pains of the Tenants, nor for their Hazards nor Loſſes neither. It is a Prerogative competible to God alone, to do what he will with his own: For all men are Stewards, and ought to eye the Will of God more than their own. It is true indeed, every Landlord may, yea, and ought to make the beſt of his own: But then if it muſt be conſidered in what ſenſe his Lands are his own, (ſure I am they are ſo his own, that he muſt give an account of the management of them to a higher Landlord;) And it muſt be conſidered what it is to make the best of ones own. He makes the beſt of his Eſtate; Not who improves it, and racks it to the utmoſt Penny; Not who ſtudiouſly adds Land to Land, and Lordſhip to Lordſhip; Not he who lays up Goods and Monies for many Years: But he who puts his Eſtate to the beſt Uſe, and improves it to the beſt Ends; that does moſt glorifie God with his ſubſtance: who loves to give, rather than to receive. Go now Gentlemen, and in God's Name make the beſt of your own.
And how dwells the Love of God in thoſe Landlords, who purchaſing or inheriting open Lordſhips, (where from Generation to Generation many poor Families, partly by their Labour, and partly by their Right to Commons, have lived comfortably) do incloſe them to their own proper uſe, without any juſt reſpect to the meaner ſort, that have ſome ſmall intereſt there, or any charitable reſpect to the pooreſt of all; and ſo drive thoſe away from them, whom Chriſt has foretold they ſhould always have with them. Job ſpeaks ſomewhat Rhetorical of the Firſt-born of the Poor, whom he would have diſdain'd to have ſet with the Dogs of his Flock; this is, he would not have them his Shepherds. But theſe men, by a barbarous Metamorphoſis, turn the Poor of the Land into Dogs of the Flock, a Shepherd and his Dog ſupplying the place and employment of many Families. It was a grievous Complaint when they cry'd,
—Jam Seges est ubi Troja fuit.
The Complaint is as juſt, though the Poetry be not ſo good,
—Jam Canis est ubi Seges erat.
And how dwells the Love of God in thoſe Landlords, who, when by their ſevere Uſage they have made their induſtrious Tenants poor, or when ſome extraordinary hand of God hath touch'd them, and made them uncapable of punctual payment, preſently cry, Let all that they have be ſold, and payment made; of cast the inſ…fficient Tenant into Priſ…n, let him not come out thence, till he have paid the utmoſt far…hing; and let his Wife and Children ſeek their Bread in d…ſ…late places, or ſtarve the wh…le. Good God, thou haſt not dealt ſo with prod…gal Mankind, who have ſpent their prim…ive ſubſtance and ſtock in riotous living, and by their own faul… reduc'd themſelves to Husks, but …ſt provided a Ranſome for them, and put a freſh Stock into their hands to trade with. And what mercy can be expect, who ſhews no mercy to his F…ll…w-ſervant? He ſhall have judgment without mercy, &c.
But on the other hand, as Landlords do too frequently offend through Pride, Luxury, Covetouſneſs, or Cruelty; ſo the Tenants, through Idleneſs and Knavery, do no leſs demonſtrate themſelves to be Lovers of the World, more than of God. It ſeems by the Prophet Malachi, That God himſelf may be Rob'd; ſure I am, Landlords are often defrauded; and many by the Idleneſs and Careleſneſs of their Tenants in not paying their Rents, or by the Greedineſs and K…avery of their Tenants, in impoveriſhing and dilapidating their Lands and Houſes, are very much wronged, and perhaps by frequent ſuch Abuſes, ſtraitned, and made leſs capable of paying their Debts, keeping Hoſpitality, or befriending their other induſtrious Tenants that deſerve well. For the Poor to oppreſs the Rich is not ſo uſual, but it is as certain a Symptom of a Worldly Mind, as for the Rich to oppreſs the Poor.
MEDITAT. XXI. Of Tradeſmen.
SOme are of Opinion concerning Trades, as the Apoſtle ſpeaks concerning the Law, 1 Tim. 1. 8. That they are all good, if a man uſe them lawfully: Which, for ought I know, (if it be meant of the Trades that are allowed by Law, concerning which the Law has made Rules, and to which the Law has annext Priviledges) is very true: But yet theſe two things muſt be confeſt, That all Trades are not alike ſelf and laudable; nor may every Age and Temper be committed to any Trade indifferently.
Tradeſmen are a very ſubſtantial and uſeful part of a Nation; and their way of living, ſeems preferable to the living of Gentlemen or Husbandmen; as requiring more Induſtry than the former, and more Ingenuity than the latter. The All-wiſe God doth inſtruct them to diſcretion: Beza…l and Aholiab did receive the Spirit of Architecture from him, as well as Saul the Spirit of Government. But yet, as if they were not beholding to him, how great a part of them do prefer the World, that great Anti-Deity before him. So do all they that make the getting of Wealth, and the raiſing of themſelves, or their Friends or Children, to a ſingular and unwieldly Greatneſs, the main and higheſt end of all their Occupations; little or nothing reſpecting Charity to the Poor, or the Good of the Publick.
And ſo do they, who by making falſe or unſerviceable Wares, put a Cheat upon Mankind, and elude the Neceſſities of the World, inſtead of relieving them. What can be more directly a preferring of Private Gain, before the Publick Good?
And ſo do they, who by Lying, or Equivocations; by dark Shops, or falſe Weights or Meaſures; or by a Yea and Nay Simplicity, impoſe upon the Credulous or the Ignorant; who ſeek to buy cheap, by unjuſt diſparagement; or ſell dear, by undue commendation.
So do they, who take Apprentices, with promiſe to inſtruct them in their Myſtery, and upon terms that may well challenge it, and yet through Ignorance or Idleneſs, or Jealouſie, do not do it, or do it by halves: or elſe through Covetouſneſs, employ them and ſpend their time in Services and Offices Alien to their Vocation: ſo that at the end of Seven Years Apprenticeſhip, inſtead of being skilful enough to ſet up of a Trade, they only underſtand how to dreſs an Horſe, or tend a Child, better than they did at firſt.
And indeed all thoſe Tradeſmen are Lovers of the World, more than of God, who do not ſubordinate their Trading to the Glory of God, Gain to Honeſty, and their Private Inriching to the Publick Weal. That are more ſollicitous to ſecure and advance their Worldly Callings, than to make their Calling and Election ſure: And take more pains to work out their Fortunes, than their Salvation.