Part 3: Welfare
When the Jewish people were thrust into exile in Babylon, God spoke to them through the prophet Jeremiah, that they should ‘seek the welfare of the city’ where he had sent them. The church had sought to do this before the Reformation, particularly through the monastic movements. Sadly, corruption sprang up even there, to such an extent that a ‘Beggars’ Summons’ was nailed to the doors of the Scottish monasteries by the reformers on 1st January 1559, calling for the friars to hand back the hospitals and properties illegally obtained by them, which had originally been designated for the poor. Knox tells us in The Reformation in Scotland that the placards were addressed to the friars as if by ‘the blind, crooked, bedrells [bedridden], widows, orphans, and all other poor, so visited by the hand of God, as they may not work.’ The reformers’ demands to the friars were clear: ‘we wish Restitution of wrongs past, and Reformation in times coming.’
When the Scottish Parliament ratified the Scots’ Confession in 1560, the reformers got to work putting together the First Book of Discipline. In this Christian manifesto the vision for the welfare of the poor and needy was laid out for the nation: ‘Every several kirk must provide for the poor within itself,’ it declared,‘for the widow and fatherless, the aged, impotent, or lame, who neither can nor may travail for their sustenance, we say that God commands his people to be careful. And therefore, for such, as also for persons of honesty fallen in[to] decay and penury, ought such provision be made that [of] our abundance should their indigence be relieved. How this most conveniently and most easily may be done in every city, and other parts of this realm, God shall show you wisdom and the means, so that your minds are godly thereto inclined.’ Thus, the foundation for the Scottish national welfare system was put in place through the church. We should not think that it was a free-for-all handout, but for those in genuine need, with safe guards in place against idle scroungers.
With the wealth stripped from the corrupt Roman Catholic system, Knox and the reformers were hopeful that their vision for education and the welfare of the nation might be financially cared for. Unfortunately, the Scottish nobles, eager to get their hands on the lands and properties, swooped in as vultures to the carcass. After the Roman Catholic clergy had been pensioned off, the nobles gorged themselves on much of the rest. Having previously supported the Book of Discipline, they now ignored it in their greed for advancement, leaving Knox and the reformers broken hearted as they saw the money depleted. ‘I see,’ said Knox. ‘Two parts [are] freely given to the Devil; and the third must be divided between God and the Devil.‘ Despite the setbacks Knox and the reformers experienced, their vision for a Scottish society being cared for was carried as a burning torch to the subsequent generations, through whom the welfare system became a reality and a model for many nations.
‘But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare’ (Jeremiah 29:7, ESV).
Image: Fernando Fantova, Social Consultant, 2014