We may take this interesting observation to Timothy by the Apostle Paul to interpretation in two ways. One is: God appoints persons to be leaders (in positions of higher honor), or followers so as to be in positions of lesser honor (servant status). We may use the analogy of the honored receiving mansions as the place of honor, and the toilet rooms of servants as places of dishonor. One is less impressed by the second pattern than the first. God knows that when a person needs the place of physical relief and human requirement, the reception hall for eminent guests is not the desired context. Our services to mankind are not limited to honored places. Whatever is needed for the good of mankind is noble work in the service of God. Christians are called to help God carry creation’s context – through good and ill. Those who do carry them will be evaluated by God, not on the basis of the nature of the service but in faithfulness to it.
The secondary interpretation of the passage is our interest for this day’s Page. When one has done something good and it is evil spoken of we may accept the ill treatment as a matter of poor human conduct, but we also address the matter as an issue of truth (1 Peter 2:19-20). For example, John Newton, the eminent Christian minister of the 18th Century in England, was a near constant companion to William Cowper, the eminent poet. The two men were, in the biblical pattern, true friends holding admirable love for one another, perhaps in the tradition of David and Jonathan. They were gifts to one another in enlargement of education for Newton, and integrity of spiritual life for Cowper. True friendship prevailed. Cowper’s horrible life-long declensions into darkest depressions, leading to suicidal thoughts and attempts to it by Cowper, challenged the faith of those close by. The gossip about the bachelor Cowper, and concerns for his welfare by Mary Unwin, created undeserved gossip in the community for Cowper and Unwin (who commonly had family members accompanying her) – all occupied some of Newton’s time in defense of his friends. There is no doubt, when one has viewed the evidence, that Newton saved Cowper’s life and was Cowper’s hinge to life for some years. Together the two men authored the Olney Hymns that included the most popular English hymn of all time from Newton: Amazing Grace. Cowper ultimately died as a recluse ministered to by both the Newton family and Mary Unwin – she aided by other family members. The story is an excellent model of the concern Christians may show for others. Day or night Newton was summoned to minister to Cowper. Events would require hours of time and anguish.
In addition to these problems, Newton, in his success with the people, was put down by many pastors and people of the established church for his enthusiasm which was related to splinter Protestant groups like the Methodists and Baptists. Persons investigating Newton’s ministry were sometimes so taken with its success, and innovation that they openly cheered him on. He was not greatly troubled by the attitudes, although, having been ordained in the established Church, he was sometimes belittled as a renegade in that he did not wholly follow the Anglican style and the emerging liberal views. The whole matter was not unlike the liberal and conservative conflicts of American church bodies from the Revolutionary War and given velocity after the Civil War – to the vitriolic exchanges of the first half of the twentieth century. Southey, the eminent British poet, somewhat younger than Cowper and Newton, disliked evangelical Christianity. He interpreted good as evil in Newton’s ministry. He blamed Newton for Cowper’s dark malady. He insulted the concerned Newton, and implied that Newton had also taken advantage of Cowper, likely to up his own stock and diminish Cowper’s. This interpretation was carried by other anti-Christian and some neutral authors. Even today, the Southey viewpoint is reported by some historians as the Newton/Cowper relationship. It behooves the Christian seeker of truth and order to investigate some alleged scholarly studies – especially when they relate to the history of the church and the biographies of persons of faith. We have referred to this issue in earlier Pages on the faith and work of George Washington, which is often reported incorrectly. God’s purpose is for us to press on, doing the right as we are instructed, and seeking truth for mankind both here and hereafter. It is remembered that a person may be genuine in belief, but wrong in fact. Sincerity is important, but not the test of truth. *Mark W. Lee, Sr. — 2016, 2020