A SERMON, PREACHED AT THE CHAPEL IN GREAT QUEEN-STREET, LINCOLN's-INN-FIELDS, On
SUNDAY,
MARCH 20, 1774, FOR THE BENEFIT OF Unfortunate Persons confined for Small Debts. PUBLISHED BY REQUEST OF THE SOCIETY. By THOMAS FRANCKLIN, D. D. MINISTER OF QUEEN-STREET CHAPEL, AND CHAPLAIN IN ORDINARY TO HIS MAJESTY.
LONDON:
Printed by
J. Millidge,
in Russel-Street, Covent-Garden; And Sold for the Benefit of the CHARITY, By
T. Davies,
in Russel-Street, Covent-Garden;
T. Cadell,
Strand;
S. Leacroft,
at Charing-Cross; and
E.
and
C. Dilly,
in the Poultry.
At a General Quarterly Meeting of THE SOCIETY FOR THE DISCHARGE AND RELIEF OF PERSONS IMPRISON'D FOR SMALL DEBTS,
Craven-Street,
April 6, 1774.
RESOLVED,
THAT the Thanks of this
SOCIETY
be given to the Reverend Doctor
FRANCKLIN,
for his Sermon, recommending this
CHARITY,
and that he be requested to
PRINT
it.
L. D. NELME,
Sec.
TO THE
RIGHT HON. LORD ROMNEY, PRESIDENT,
RT. HON. LORD CHIEF BARON SMYTHE,
RIGHT HON. LORD BEAUCHAMP,
HON. MR. JUSTICE NARES, AND
JOHN THORNTON, ESQ.
VICE-PRESIDENTS.
MR. JAMES NEILD, TREASURER,
And the rest of the GOVERNORS of, and SUBSCRIBERS to, THE CHARITY FOR THE Discharge and Relief of Persons Imprisoned for Small Debts, THIS SERMON Written, Preached, and Published, at their Desire, Is, with all due Respect, INSCRIBED,
By their obedient, Humble Servant, THOMAS FRANCKLIN.
Great Queen-street, Lincoln's-Inn-Fields,
April 14, 1774.
A SERMON.
O THOU WICKED SERVANT, I FORGAVE THEE ALL THAT DEBT, BECAUSE THOU DESIRED'ST ME: SHOULD'ST NOT THOU ALSO HAVE HAD COMPASSION ON THY FELLOW-SERVANT, EVEN AS I HAD PITY ON THEE?
MATT. xviii. V. 32, 33.
WHEN we seriously consider the frail, corrupt, and distrustful state of human nature, when we reflect on the general lot and portion of mortality; when we call to mind how few things there are in this life which can impart real and substantial happiness; and, on the other hand, how many are pregnant with misery and sorrow, we are naturally led to imagine, that it must be the business as it is the interest and concern of every individual to lighten as much as possible the general burthen: That every office of tenderness and humanity to our fellow-creatures would of course be duely and punctually performed by every one of us; well-knowing that all the poor aid and assistance which each particular could lend, would still afford but small and insignificant preservatives against universal affliction and calamity; as the most that we can do is but to soften that distress which we cannot prevent, and to sooth those sorrows which we cannot remove.
And yet the general conduct and behaviour of mankind is directly contrary: It is indeed a melancholy truth, that for the most part we employ our wit and sagacity but to over reach, our ingenuity to torment, our riches and power to persecute and oppress each other.
In the parable now before us, our blessed Saviour, who applied it solely to the purpose of inculcating mutual love, charity, and forgiveness, informs us, that the benevolent king had generously, on the humble petition of the poor insolvent, withdrawn his just claim to the whole debt, which was no less than ten thousand talents; and yet this very servant would not afterwards forgive his fellow-servant one hundred pence, though most earnestly solicited by him, but cast him into prison: Then it was, says our Saviour, that his lord called him, and said unto him,
O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desired'st me: Should'st not thou also have had compassion on thy fellow-servant, even as I had pity on thee?
The consequence of this cruel and inhuman treatment of his unhappy brother was such, we are told, as the offender well deserved:
His lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him.
The behaviour of the king's servant on this occasion, as related by our blessed Saviour, was not, we have reason to suppose, recorded by him as any thing singular or remarkable, but as a circumstance that had frequently happened in times past, and probably would but too often happen also in times to come; he well knew and foresaw that the same unforgiving temper and disposition, the same rancorous malevolence and inhumanity which had actuated the mind of one man, might afterwards corrupt the breasts, and influence the conduct, of thousands; and of this there have been but too many evident proofs, in every age and nation, from the days of our Saviour and his Apostles even unto our own.
For the honour of that nature which we partake of, for the interest and advancement of that virtue which we admire, and that holy religion which we profess, most seriously and devoutly it were to be wished that some method cou'd be found out effectually to preserve and secure the property of individuals, without sacrificing the liberty of one man to the arbitrary will or caprice, the anger and resentment, the oppression and insensibility of another: But human laws must partake of human imperfections: even in the most polished and refined nations, (for the grievance is by no means confined to our own) punishments are often inflicted which are very inadequate to the crimes committed; and this is doubtless a hardship, more particularly to be lamented with regard to the
Insolvent Debtor.
The cruel confinement of a loathsome dungeon, with all the horrors generally attendant on it, is doubtless by far too severe a sentence on the unhappy delinquent; to be cut off at once from all the comforts and conveniencies of life, to be separated, perhaps by brutal force and violence, from all that he holds dear, to be deprived of light and air, the common benefits of nature, is surely a dreadful and melancholy transition; even when his incapacity of discharging the debt is the consequence of imprudence, solly and extravagance; how much more pitiable is his condition when it springs from unavoidable poverty and misfortune, from a total inability of providing for the exigencies of nature, and the necessities of human life! Perhaps even sometimes, and it is a circumstance not uncommon, from the baseness, fraud or imposture of those with whom he is connected, who take advantage of his easy nature to delude and impose upon him: how many have been immured for their whole lives in a prison, from their imprudent readiness and alacrity in serving those whom they most lov'd and esteem'd, by becoming surities for their friends and relations! how many have procured the peace, happiness and liberty of others, at the dear expense of their own!
When we add to this, what must frequently be the case, that the unhappy sufferer is burthen'd with a numerous and helpless family, that the tree which is thus blasted is at the same time bent down with the weight of its own branches; when the innocent are thus inevitably involv'd in the same punishment with the guilty, when at the very crisis that the wretched parent wou'd most wish for the power to assist his children, he is deprived of every means to support them, when the fountain of industry, that only source from whence the waters of comfort cou'd flow, is dried up in a barren wilderness, how doth the melancholy scene swell with complicated misery! In this dreadful situation he is left, delivered over, as the king's servant was, to the tormentors; confined perhaps within the same walls, fed with the same scanty pittance, and doom'd to the same ignominous treatment as the ruffian, the felon and the murderer.
Their
fate, indeed, is more eligible than
his,
guilt alone excepted; their confinement is short and determined, and death is ready, like a kind friend, to finish their days and their miseries together; whilst the unhappy debtor, who languishes for years in a dark and dreary dungeon, dies a lingering death, and drags on a wretched being, in lengthen'd shame and protracted misery.
When indeed we consider the variety of evils arising to individuals, as well as the many inconveniencies felt by the community from this single circumstance, we are utterly at a loss to account for the small degree of attention which hath hitherto been paid to it; more especially when we call to mind that there is scarce any species of distress, which the benevolence of this charitable age and nation hath not already endeavoured to relinquish or remove, we cannot but wonder that amidst all the complaints brought to the ears of the great, the
sorrowful sighing of the prisoners
did not sooner
come before them;
that, where there are so many good
Samaritans,
these
wounds
were not
bound up
and
healed.
The only probable cause to be assigned, perhaps, is, that what we ourselves do neither see nor feel is seldom the object of our enquiry or consideration; the cries of poverty are every day heard, bodily pains and diseases, accidents, and misfortunes of various kinds are frequently seen, and sometimes experienced by persons of the highest rank and fortune; these therefore the hand of charity hath been stretched forth to soften and relieve; but few, very few amongst the rich and great, have followed the unhappy debtor into his captivity, or visited those mansions of grief and sorrow which he is doom'd to inhabit; the evil which was not generally known, could not be generally attended to, nor could it be expected that the afflictions and calamities which were not seen, could be so speedily or so effectually removed.
The time, however, is at length come, thanks to the great inspirer of every good word and work, when the groans of the oppressed captive have reached the ears of the merciful, and pierced the hearts of the benevolent. To take away that reproach of carelessness and inattention which I just now mentioned, to counteract the malevolence of some, the hardness of heart and insensibility of others, to free the captive and save the wretched; for these noble and truly glorious purposes, was framed that humane and truly excellent institution which we this day meet to encourage and support; a laudable and generous design which calls for our warmest zeal to recommend, and merits our heartiest endeavours towards the furtherance and improvement of it.
Already hath this our age and nation been sufficiently distinguished by its numerous acts of goodness and beneficence: as the many schools, hospitals and foundations in it do most abundantly testify: There wanted, as it were, but this one wing to finish and complete the great temple of Charity; that superb and magnificent structure which will immortalize our name, and transmit British compassion and humanity to the admiration of future ages. With regard to the particular institution I am here to recommend, whether we consider the benefits resulting from this charity to individuals, or the advantages that will arise to society, whether we consider it as dispensing private happiness or promoting public utility, a more truly pious and useful work, the good, the benevolent and the charitable could never be engaged in.
The distinguishing characteristic of this excellent plan, and which seems to gild it with a superior lustre, is, that it is at once an act both of justice and of mercy; whilst it imparts its welcome bounties to the unfortunate
debtor,
it satisfies the legal claims of the
creditor
also: Whilst the light strikes upon, and is directed to, one object, the reflection as it were illuminates another; it not only, as common flowers in the garden of Charity, delights the sense by the grateful odour peculiar to it, but, like the perfumes of the East, diffuses sweetness and fragrance on every side of it; not only doth the unhappy prisoner recover his freedom when assisted by us, but whenever it happens, as it frequently doth, that, on a strict and careful investigation of every circumstance, the creditor is himself found to be in an indigent and distressful condition, the whole debt is generously discharged; thus the relief of
one
is made subservient to the happiness of
both,
and the blessing is doubled by the mutual participation of it.
But, moreover, whilst this excellent Charity is so instrumental to private relief, it isno less subservient to the public welfare: The want of hands in every branch of commerce and manufacture is every day felt and lamented by us; and yet we suffer numbers of the most able and vigorous to waste away their youth and strength in a prison, where, like withered boughs, they are
hewed down,
as it were, and
cast into the fire:
How meritorious then, how praise-worthy is that benevolence which reflores these useful members to society, which enables them once more to exert their powers and abilities in their several callings and professions, and to become profitable servants of that community to which they belong:
When thus we cast our bread upon the waters, after
not many
days it returneth unto us.
In opposition to this humane and benevolent institution (and where is that good work which hath not met with opposition) it hath been suggested by some, that it may afford encouragement to the idle and unprincipled to contract such debts as will thus kindly be discharged for them; that the relief thus constantly administered, will diminish the apprehensions and lessen the terrors of a prison, and consequently render men more careless of their behaviour; that it even lays itself open to fraud and collusion between the vicious and immoral, and that debtor and creditor may connive together to share the advantages resulting from these charitable donations: But these are false, weak and ill-grounded suggestions, which every day's experience, since the institution of this charity, hath enabled us to gainsay and confute. It is impossible, perhaps, for human wisdom to guard against all the arts which may be practised by the cunning and deceitful to counteract its benevolent purposes: Every caution, however, I will venture to assert, hath been made use of to prevent fraud and imposture, and in the relief of objects the strictest attention always paid, and the fullest bounty always bestowed on those who were most deserving of it. It is very easy for men of affluent fortunes, who never felt the griping hand of penury, to boast of their punctual and regular discharge of every just and legal demand upon them, and no less easy is it for such (as is too often the case) to deal forth liberal invectives against the wretched insolvent, who is deficient in that duty which they have so constantly performed; but little, alas! do they consider what the ruthless command of that tyrant Necessity might have obliged them to; little do they reflect how hard the struggle may sometimes prove in the honest and conscientious mind, between the powerful plea of pressing indigence, and the stinging reproaches of forfeited justice and integrity.
On the most strict and candid examination into the merits of those who are intitled to the assistance of this charity, it must be acknowledged, to the honour of human nature, that amongst all the miserable objects confined in the walls of a prison, many are indebted for their wretched situation there, to unavoidable misfortune; many to venial errors, folly and imprudence; many, most of them indeed, to the cruel and unfeeling disposition of their merciless creditors; but few, very few, to what is too often ascribed as the cause of it, a total want of principle and common honesty: This heighth of depravity and corruption, to say the truth, is generally the portion of those who figure in higher life, of those, who, though they have never been condemned to
suffer
the miseries of a prison, have notwithstanding most amply
deserved
it.
Our laws, we know, have been said (and there is perhaps but too much truth in the comparison) to resemble those nets or toils which entangle the smaller beasts of prey, but are at the same time too weak and feeble to hold fast the strong and powerful which are driven into them: How else, indeed, could it happen, that the poor, destitute and friendless Insolvent Debtor is torn to pieces by the cruel fangs of justice, that he suffers all the rigor which an unrelenting creditor can inflict upon him, for a small and inconsiderable debt; whilst the insolent and fraudful bankrupt, who has ruin'd thousands, shall stalk in open day-light untouch'd and unabash'd, laugh at his oppressed, helpless creditors, and bid defiance to law, justice, and humanity.
But let us leave these infamous plunderers to what is worse than prisons or death, the reproaches of their own conscience; to those
tormentors
let us deliver them, and turn our eyes towards objects far more deserving of our attention; towards the meek and humble, the sober and the diffident, the wretched and the oppressed, who stretch out their hands to us for succour, and pray unto us for light and liberty: Those, alas! who are possessed of this glorious treasure, seem, as it were, insensible of its worth; and the true value of this, as of almost every other blessing, is seldom known 'till we feel the want of it; it is scarce credible, my brethren, to how many, in so short a time, we have already, by means of this excellent institution, been able to dispense this great and noble gift; but true Charity, like true beauty, to be admired need but to be seen, the closer it is examined and with the nicer scrutiny it is enquired into, the more lovers and followers will it always attract: It will not surprise you, therefore, but it will give you infinite pleasure to hear, that within the short space of twelve months last past, upwards of twelve thousand pounds hath already been paid or compounded for from the benefactions of this Society; whole families rescued from want, misery and despeir, and a number of useful and industrious members restored to the community. Must it not, my brethren, expand your hearts with benevolent chearfulness, to reflect that you have spred joy and happiness over the minds of so many of your fellow-creatures? are you not thus amply repaid for all the trouble of your solicitous enquiries, for all the expense of your collections, and all your labour in the distribution of them?
The power of life and death is doubtless a truely great and noble, and therefore a
Royal
prerogative; and yours, my brethren, who contribute to this charity, deserves the next place in honour and dignity: To dispense the greatest blessing of this life to our fellowcreatures, is almost as distinguishing a privilege as to prolong life itself, which indeed without this is scarce worthy of our acceptance. By contributing to this excellent charity, by taking upon you, my brethren, this kind, this benevolent, this pious office, you resemble a superior order of beings; you resemble, in the noblest of their perfections, those ministers of the Almighty, the holy angels of God, who came to deliver his chosen Apostle from captivity: as soon as you enter into the gloomy regions of slavery, the darkness gradually recedeth from them, the
light shineth in the prison,
the iron doors open of their own accord, and you say to the wretched and despairing captive, who looks with wonder and astonishment upon you, as the Angel did unto Peter:
Gird thyself, and bind on thy sandals, cast thy garment about thee, and follow
US.
Upon the whole then, in whatever light we view this amiable institution, which ever side of the building we turn towards as, it strikes us with fresh pleasure, and rises upon uswith redoubled lustre: Shall we not endeavour then to rest it on a firm and solid foundation? Many miserable and distressful objects have already been relieved; but more, many more, are every day and every hour appealing to our compassion, and soliciting our bounty; shall we not listen to the cries of the poor, and hear the voice of the appressed?
Let us then, my brethren, like the
Nil actum reputans si quid superesset agendum.
Roman conqueror of old, think nothing yet
done,
whilst any thing remaineth
undone;
any thing at least which it is in our power to perform. Those who are blessed with affluence, health, and prosperity, are bound by every tie of gratitude to consider the wants and sorrows of the sick and needy; and those who enjoy the blessings of ease and freedom, should look with an eye of tenderness and compassion on the pains and miseries of captivity.
Consider then, my brethren, I beseech you, the wretched condition of the unfortunate debtor, more particularly, my beloved, consider and reflect upon it at this
This Sermon was preach'd when the weather was remarkably fine.
genial, fertile, and benignant season, when every ray of light diffuseth joy and gladness, when every gale is impregnated with health and pleasure; at such a time shall we not cast a thought towards the poor confined prisoner, shut up from that refreshing air which we breath, and deprived of that reviving light which we rejoice in; shall we not willingly abridge ourselves of any little superfluous sensual gratification to promote a fellow-creature's freedom, to communicate that pleasure which we possess, to impart that happiness which we ourselves enjoy.
This, my brethren, is, as it were, the last, the youngest offspring of British Charity, let us treat it as a darling favorite, nourish it with more than ordinary tenderness, and foster it with peculiar care; if from the amazing growth and improvement of its infant state, we may judge of its future size and perfection, it will rise to a noble height, when arrived at its maturity.
Hereafter we trust, (and may the observation be prophetic!) it will rise
in stature, and grow in favour with God and man:
This little rivulet, shall one day swell into a wide and copious stream, that shall diffuse plenty and prosperity on every side of it: It shall
abound like Euphrates, and like Jordan in the time of Harvest;
this
grain of mustardseed,
to conclude with the image made use of by our blessed Saviour himself, which at present, indeed, is the
least of all seeds,
shall one day be the
greatest among herbs, and become a tree, so that the birds of the air shall come and lodge in the branches thereof.
Which God of his infinite mercy grant; to whom, &c.
FINIS.
Debtor.
The
GENERAL STATE
of the
ACCOUNT
for the
DISCHARGE
and
RELIEF
of Persons imprisoned for
SMALL DEBTS.
From the Commencement of the Institution, the 23d
February,
1772, to the 30th
March,
1774.
1772.
£.
s.
d.
Feb.
23. To the Rev. Dr.
Dodd,
collected at
Charlotte-Street
and
Bedford Chapels
—
81
1
0
May
27. To Benefactions in three Months—
326
12
0
Aug.
12. To Ditto—
194
5
6
Nov.
25. To Ditto—
131
13
3
Dec.
30. To Ditto in one Month—
287
7
0
1773.
 
 
 
March
31. To Ditto in three Months—
1606
13
1
June
30. To Ditto—
562
2
4
Sept.
29. To Ditto—
328
7
6
Dec.
31. To Ditto—
636
15
0
1774.
 
 
 
March
30. To Ditto—
639
5
6
Annual Benefactions—
140
14
0
 
4934
16
2
Discharged from the Gatehouse
92
Brought over
1500
King's Bench—
90
Newgate—
150
New Gaol—
11
Fleet—
54
Marshalsea—
499
Norwich—
5
Borough Compter—
317
Horsham—
1
St. Catherine—
6
Ipswich—
7
Whitechapel—
162
Bristol—
1
Ludgate—
17
Birmingham—
1
Poultry Compter—
115
Maidstone—
2
Wood-street Compter
191
Dover—
1
Carried over
1500
 
1722
per Contra. Creditor.
1772.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Debtors.
 
Wives.
 
Children.
 
£.
s.
d.
March
11.
By the Discharge of
34
—
—
—
—
—
81
1
0
May
27.
By—Ditto
—
81
—
50
—
143
—
222
16
2
Aug.
12.
By—Ditto
—
121
—
68
—
131
—
292
12
10
Nov.
25.
By—Ditto
—
58
—
32
—
94
—
141
18
3
Dec.
31.
By—Ditto
—
118
—
68
—
177
—
235
0
11
1773.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
March
31.
By—Ditto
—
472
—
324
—
837
—
1677
10
5
June
30.
By—Ditto
—
225
—
165
—
471
—
540
1
10
Sept.
30.
By—Ditto
—
159
—
97
—
263
—
356
5
7
Dec.
31.
By—Ditto
—
262
—
155
—
497
—
603
2
5
1774.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
March
30.
By—Ditto
—
192
—
131
—
389
—
472
7
8
 
 
 
1722
 
1090
 
3002
 
4622
17
1
 
 
 
 
 
 
Balance
—
311
19
1
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
4934
16
2
1722
Debtors Discharged
1090
Wives
3002
Children
5814
Souls benefited; Besides the Advantages derived from this Charity by the several Creditors, many of whom were in very necessitous Circumstances.
N. B. The Sum expended is at an Average about £. 2. 13
s.
8
d.
for each Debtor, including EVERY EXPENCE incidental to the Charity.