The True Christians T est, Part 2 · Meditation 8 – Meditation 9
MEDITAT. VIII. Some Suggeſtions to the Quakers.
AND now I ſhould paſs on to ſuggeſt ſomething to the Quakers, whereby they may examine themſelves and their ſincerity in this matter, when they fanſie themſelves to be the onelyonly Deſpiſers of the Honours of the World, and ſo comfortably infer for themſelves, That they are the Lovers of God. But when they pretend ſo much to an irreſpective and impartial Behaviour, they quote the Apoſtle James for their Patron, James 2. 2, 3, 4. Who ſeems to ſpeak ſo plainly for them, and quite to cut the Throat of all Carnal Mannerlineſs and Compliment, that I ſhould not be true to them, nor my own Reaſon neither, if I did not take that Text into conſideration.
Firſt, then, I will confeſs that the Texts do condemn Partiality, and Reſpect of Perſons, and the Preference of one before another, upon a meer Worldly Account in our Judgment or Affections: And do declare, That the greateſt Honour is to be given to men upon an Evangelical account; and that it is this day a ſhameful ſin among Chriſtians, that they eſtimate men by their Eſtates, Parentage, Apparel, Retinue, rather than according to the Example of God, who values men according to the reſemblance to himſelf, and honours them that honour him.
That the perſons of men are not to be accepted, but all judgment to be adminiſtred exactly according to the merits of the Cauſe.
But what ſhall we ſay to the Text? Does it abſolutely forbid the giving of any Honour, or ſhewing any Reſpect to men upon a meer Worldly Account?
Shall I ſit down with the Engliſh Annotators, and confeſs, That it is a Fault, and that this Fault is found amongst us too commonly at this day.
Shall I content my ſelf to ſay in general with the Dutch Annotators, That Partiality, or Reſpect of Perſons, is here forbidden.
Is there no way to reſcue the Text out of the hands of the QUAKERS, and keep it from Patronizing an Irreſpective and Unmannerly Behaviour.
Dr. Hammond has found out one way, by interpreting the Aſſemblies of the Courts of Judicature amongſt the Jews, amongſt whom it was a Law, That if a Rich man and a Poor had any Matter to be judg'd by the Court, they ſhould both have one and the ſame uſage, and the like place and poſture ſhould be allow'd them both: So that according to that Learned Commentator, the ſenſe is no more than this, That Judgment ſhould be indifferently adminiſtred to … men, according to the merit of the Cauſe, without ſuffering our ſelves to be ſway'd with the perſon; that is, with any thing Extrinſ…cal to the Cauſe, as Moll…r…s expounds it on Pſal. 82. 2. Such as Power, Parentage, Riches, Affinity, Apparel, Acquaintance, or the like, according to that ſaying of Cato in Plutarch, foreign ▪
Or elſe the Text may be interpreted of any other Aſſemblies, but then the rich and fine man m…ſt be underſtood with his Adjunct of Wickedneſs, and the poor man with his adjunct of faith and piety; and ſo the ſenſe is, That a Wicked Rich man ought not to be reſpected or preferred before a Godly Poor man. And it ſeems by the Context, that the Apoſtle ſpeaks not of Rich men and Poor men ſimply as ſuch, but with their Adjuncts of Good and Bad: For preſently after he tells us what kind of Rich men they are whom he would not have reſpected, Even Contentious, Oppreſſive, Blaſphemous, ver. 6, 7. And what Poor men they are whom he would not have diſreſpected, Even ſuch as have Faith and Love, ver. 5.
And now I could heartily wiſh, That the Quakers were as ſincere Contemners of the Worldly Honour, as their Homely and Uncomplimental Behaviour does pretend to; and that all Chriſtians were in that ſenſe as much Quakers as they. But notwithſtanding all theſe Pretenſions, I will ſuggeſt a few things to them worthy, perhaps, of their moſt ſerious Conſideration.
A man may be a predominant Lover of the World in other Reſpects, though he ſeem to himſelf perfectly dead to the Honours of it.
A man may be as true a Lover of Worldly Honour… ▪ though he ſeem to neglect, and do indeed neglect the Modiſh Expreſſions of it, as another man; and take as carnal a Pleaſure in Thee and Thou, as in Sir and Madam.
Plato thought Diogenes as proud in trampling upon his fine Bed, as he thought him to be in having ſuch a Bed.
It is an evident Argument that they do not chuſe Thee and Thou for Humility, or as a denying of the Honours of the World; for they contend hotly, That this is the moſt proper Grammatical way of ſpeaking, (it is not a Caſe of Conſcience, but of Grammar;) and they alſo give the ſame expreſſions to God himſelf, when yet they intend to honour him as we do.
As for giving and receiving Honour, let them examine themſelves, Whether they be not deſirous to be well thought of, well eſteemed of, when they think they deſerve it? Whether themſelves can take it well, to be ſlighted and neglected by thoſe of whom they deſerve well.
To advance ones own Righteouſneſs, to be Righteous in ones own eyes, as the Phariſees were; and to ſtand upon our own Juſtification by the perfection of our own Holineſs, is as proud and legal a Spirit as any, and the higheſt kind of Self-honouring. To have mens perſons in Admiration, to value them as having any thing of themſelves in them, is a carnal way of giving Honour to men.
MEDITAT. IX. foreign Or, Publick Benefactors
ANother ſort of Pretenders to a juſt Contempt of the World, and a predominant Love of God, are thoſe Rich men of the World who … a great part of their Eſtates in Publick Works; Buildings, or Indowings of Churches, Schools, Hoſpitals, Work-Houſes for the Poor, or the like.
This Charity is very Commendable, eſpecially when we conſider, how moſt Great Men ſpend their Eſtates.
But it's more highly Commendable in thoſe that have Children of their own, and who in their Lifetime part with ſo conſiderable a ſhare of their Eſtates to Charitable Uſes.
But yet even amongſt theſe, the Love of the World may be found predominant. A Worldly Heart may be found not only amongſt them that ſquander away their Eſtates prodigally, and all they have in Riotous Living, Luke 15. 13. But even amongſt them, that beſtow all their Goods to feed the Poor, 1 Cor. 13. 3. It was a plauſible Argument that the Phariſees uſed to our Saviour, when they argu'd, That a certain Gentleman loved their Nation, becauſe he had built them a Synag…gue. But I do not think it to be a concluding Argument, to prove the predominant Love of God: For this, as well as Building and Garniſhing the Sepulchres of the Prophets, may agree to an Hypocritical Generation.
How Plauſible and Commendable ſoever therefore the Charity of theſe great Benefactors may be, yet if any ſuch Benefactor deſign, and provide for the Celebration, and Perpetuation of his own Name, more than the Advancement of the Name of God, and the Propagation of Religion and Virtue in the World, he will be found ultimately to ſacrifice to that great Idol Self-Intereſt, and not to God.
If any ſuch Benefactor build up Churches of Stone, and at the ſame time, hate, demoliſh, or neglect the Living Temples of God, and love not his Saints above all other men, it's but like the ſilly mockery of thoſe whom the Goſpel expoſes to Contempt, that honor'd the Dead Prophets with many outward Shews, and in the mean time perſecuted the Living to death. Or if any rob Peter, to gratifie Paxl; Build Almſ houſes, out of the Alms that they have kept back out of the gain of Oppreſſion and Uſury. It's poſſible a man may build and endow Schools for the Inſtruction of others, and yet himſelf remain in a ſtate of Ignorance not caring to know, not ſo much as the neceſſary things that belong unto his peace. That a man may build Work-houſes for others, and yet ſit down careleſs and ſlothful in the matters of his own Soul, nor take pains to work out the ſalvation thereof. That a man may provide comfortably for the future ſtate of Widows, and Impotent in this World, and yet make no proviſion for his own Eternity in another, and ſo (if I may allude to the Apoſtle) be poor, whil'ſt he makes many rich; or at leaſt, relieves their poverty.
All External Acts of Charity and Benificence, as well as of Devotion, are competible to the Animal Life, as well as the Divine, and may be acted over as plauſibly to a pur-blind Obſerver, by a Self-lover, or a Lover of the World, as by a Lover of the Father.