not require so much gain as they wold haue but if you would borrow an hūdred pound they will giue you wares worth three score pound and you shall answere them an hundred pound for it These are the Vsurers generall which lurke about the the Citie like Rats Wesels and Fulmers of whom may be said the same which is said of the diuels they seeke whom they may deuour There be other Cosins to vsurers which are not counted vsurers such as take money for that which they should giue freely such as take as much for a counterfeit as for the best such as take a fee of a Client do him no pleasure such as take money for Masses Dirges and Trentals and Pardons such like drugs which do no more good thā fire out of the chimney This is a kind of vsurie and deceit beside which one day they will cast away as Iudas did his thirtie pence Now you haue heard the kinds of vsurie you shall heare the arguments which are deuised for vsurie Sinne is neuer complet vntil it be excused this is the vantage which the diuell getteth by euery sinne whensoeuer he can fasten any temptation vpon vs we giue him a sinne for it and an excuse to boote as Adam our father did First he sinned and then he excused so first we sinne and then we excuse first an vsurer and then an excuser Therefore euery vsurer wil defend vsury with his tongue though he cōdemne it with his conscience If the Image makers of Ephesus had not liued by Images they would haue spokē for Images no more than the rest for none stood for Images but the Image makers so if the vsurers did not liue by vsury they would speak for vsurie no more than the rest for none stand for vsurie but vsurers It is an easie matter if a man be disposed to speak somthing for euerie vice as some defend the Stewes some defend treasō some defend Nonresidēcy some defend swearing by my faith some defend bowling vpon the Sabaoth and some defend vsurie But will you pleade for Baal saith Ioash that is will you plead for sinne which wil plead against you A sinne is a sinne when it is defended nay a sinne is two sins when it is defended for he which breaketh one of the least commandements saith Christ teacheth others to doe so is the least in the kingdome of heauen A Squire of low degree is a Squire of no degree so the least in the kingdome of heauen is none of the kingdome of heauen Who thē is the least in the kingdome of heauen not he which breaketh the least of the commandemēts but he which teacheth others to do so that is he which by defending and excusing minsing and extenuating his sinne incourageth others to sinne too To defend Vsury they distinguish vpon it as they distinguish of lying as they say there is a pernicious lye and an officious lye and a merry lye and a godly lye so they say there is the Merchants Vsurie and the Strangers Vsurie and the Widdowes Vsurie and the Orphanes Vsurie and the poore mans Vsurie and the biting Vsurie and the charitable Vsurie and the necessarie Vsurie As God said yee shall dye and the woman said peraduenture yee shall dye and the Serpent said ye shall not dye so there be three opinions of Vsurie some say like God thou shalt dye they thinke that Vsurie is vtterly vnlawful because God hath vtterly forbid it some say like the woman peraduenture thou shalt die they doubt whether Vsurie be vtterly vnlawfull or no because it is so much tollerated some say like the Serpent thou shalt not die they thinke that Vsurie is lawful because it is gainfull as Saul thought that the Idolaters beasts shold not be killed because they were fat But as he was commanded to kill the fat beast as well as the leane so we are commanded to kill fat sinnes as well as leane sinnes gainfull sinnes as well as prodigall sinnes They which plead for Vsurie obiect these arguments First they say God doth allow some kinde of Vsurie for in Deut. 23. it is said of a stranger thou mayest take Vsurie I perceiue no scripture speaketh for Vsurers Of a stranger saith God thou maist take Vsurie but thou takest Vsury of thy brother therfore this cōdemneth thee because thou vsest thy brother like a stranger Here stranger doth signifie the Iews enimies whom they were commaunded to destroy therefore marke how much this maketh against Vsurie which they obiect for Vsurie God doth not license the Iewes to take Vsurie of any but their enimies whom they might kill They might not be Vsurers vnto any but to them of whom they might be destroyers whom they might slay of thē only they might take vsury shewing that Vsury is a kind of punishmēt and such a kind of punishment as if we are to kill a man it were a verie fit punishment for him and therfore the Iews might take Vsurie of none but them whom they might kill I hope Vsurers will alledge this scripture no more Secondly they say that they lend for compassion so make Vsurie a work of charitie This were charitie not to be partakers in our gaines but to be partakers in our losses but Vsurers wil be partakers in our gaines but not in our losses nay though we lose yet they will gaine is this charity it is Vsurers charitie Thirdly they say if he gaine and I gaine too is not this well may he not consider my friendship and be thankfull yes he may be thankfull but no man is bound to be thankful but when he hath receiued a good turne then he is tried whether he will be thankfull or no and if he requite thy curtesie then he is thankfull but if thou bind him to requite it then thou art couetous Fourthly they say Vsurie is necessarie for Orphans and Widdowes and Straungers which haue no other way to get their liuing and therefore some Vsurie must be tolerated If Vsurie be necessarie for vs how did the Iewes without it Did God thinke it good for the state of their common weale to be without Vsurers and is it good for the state of our common weale to haue Vsurers this is wisedome against God Fiftly they say If I may not gaine by the money which I lend I will lend no more but keepe my mony to my selfe nay that is as bad to keepe thy money from them which need as to lend thy mony for Vsurie For Christ saith from him which borroweth turne not away thy face Therefore thou art bound to lend As he hath a cursse in Prou. 11. which keepeth his corne when he should sel it to thē which hunger so he hath a cursse in Eze. 18. which keepeth his mony whē he should lend it to them which want Sixtly they say because Vsurie comes of biting the biting vsurie is onely forbidden none but the
To the Reader HEre thou hast the Sermons which haue bene often desired because of the matter fit for this Citie One saith that he would neuer speake to Vsurers and Bribemongers but when they be vpon their death-beds for he which liueth by sinne resolueth to sin that he may liue But when he goeth to hanging Iudas himselfe will say I haue sinned If I speake not to Vsurers vpon their death-bed yet I speak to Vsurers which shal lie vpon their death-bed Three things do giue me hope One is that all hearts are in the hands of God to call them at what houre he list and therefore Saul may become an Apostle The next is that the third crow doth waken mo then the former and therefore after the crowing of other this crow may happily be heard The last is that there is no sinne but some men haue bene reclaimed from it and so may Vsurers from their sinne Therefore go my booke like Dauid against Goliah and fight the Lords battels against Vsurers The Lord giue that successe to his doctrine in these leaues that it may consume Vsurers as Ioshuah droue out the Chananites before him If I could take but this one weed out of the Londoners Gardē I were answered for my health and my strength spent amongst them Reade with thy best mind thou shall profit more Thine H. S. The Examination of Vsurie in two Sermons The first Sermon Psal. 15. vers 1. 5. Lord who shall dwell in thy Tabernacle Who shall rest in thine holy mountaine He that giueth not his money to Vsurie THese two verses must be considered togither because one is the question and the other is the aunswere Dauid demaunds who shall come to heauen and God tels him that vsurers shal not come thither as if he should say they go to hell Therefore as Paul taught Timothie to warne them which are rich as though they had more need to be warned than other so this sentence seemeth to be penned for a warning to the rich because it strikes vpon the rich mans vice I haue spoken of Bribery and symonie and now I must speake of their sister Vsury Many times haue I thought to speake of this Theame but the arguments which are alleaged for it haue made me doubtful what to say in it because it hath gone as it were vnder protection At last you see it falleth into my text and therefore now I cannot bauke it any longer Therefore if any here haue fauoured this occupation before let him now submit his thoughts vnto Gods thoughts for I will alledge nothing against it but that which is built vpon the rocke Vsurie is the sinne which God will trie now whether you loue better than his word that is whether you wil leaue it if he forbid it for if he flatly forbid it and yet you wilfully retain it then you loue Vsurie better than Gods word Therefore one saith wel that our Vsurers are Heretikes because after manie admonitions yet they maintaine their errour persist in it obstinatly as Papists do in Poperie For this cause I am glad that I haue any occasion to griple with this sinne where it hath made so many spoiles and where it hath so many patrōs for it is said that there be mo of this profession in this Citie than there be in all the land beside There be certain sinnes which are like an vnreasonable enimie which will not be reconciled to death this is one of those euerlasting sinnes which liue and die with a man For when he hath resigned his pride and his enuie and his lust yet Vsurie remaineth with him he saith as Naaman said Let the Lord be mercifull vnto me in this let me haue a dispensation for this as though this were a necessarie sin he could not liue without it There be three sinnes which are coūted no sins and yet they do more hurt than all their fellowes and those are Bribery Nonresidencie Vsury these three because they are gainfull are turned from sinnes to occupations How many of this citie for all that they are Vsurers yet would be counted honest men would faine haue Vsury esteemed as a trade whereas if it were not so gainfull it would be counted as great a sinne as any other so it is counted of all but thē which liue by it This is the nature of pleasure and profite to make sins seeme no sins if we gaine any thing by thē but the more gainfull a sin is the more dāgerous it is the more gainful vsurie is the more dangerous it is I will speake the more of it because happely you shall not heare of this matter again First I will define what vsurie is Secondly I will shewe you what vsurie doth signifie Thirdly I will shew the vnlawfulnes of it Fourthly I will shew the kinds of it Fiftly I will shew the argumēts which are alledged for it Sixtly I will shew the punishment of it Seuēthly I will shew you what opiniō we should hold of thē which do not lend vpō vsurie but borrow vpō vsury Lastly I will shew you what they should do which haue got their riches by vsurie Touching the first Vsurie is that gaine which is gottē by lending for the vse of the thing which a man lendeth couenanting before with the borrower to receaue more than was borrowed therefore one calls the vsurer a legall theefe because before he steale he tells the partie how much he will steale as though he stole by law This word more comes in like a sixt finger which makes a monster because it is more thā should be Another defining vsurie calleth it the Contrarie to charitie for Paul saith Loue seeketh not her owne but vsurie seeketh anothers which is not her owne therfore vsurie is farre from loue but God is loue saith Iohn therefore vsurie is farre from God to Now all the Commaundements of God are fulfilled by loue which Christ noteth when he draweth all the Commaundements to one Cōmaundement which is Loue God aboue all things and thy neighbour as thy selfe as if he should say he which loueth God wil keepe all the Commaundements which respect God he which loueth his neighbour wil keepe all the cōmādemēts which respect his neighbour therfore to maintaine loue God forbiddeth all things which hinder this loue and among the rest here he forbiddeth Vsurie as one of her deadliest enemies for a mā cānot loue and be an Vsurer because Vsurie is a kinde of crueltie and a kind of extortion and a kind of persecution therfore the want of loue doth make Vsurers for if there were loue there would be no Vsurie no deceit no extortiō no slaundering no reuenging no oppression but we should liue in peace ioy and contentment like the Angels whereby you see that all our sinnes are against our selues for if there were no deceit then we should not be
which was instituted against theeues Restore it again the reason of this law is because the sin is not remitted vntill the debt be restored for as humilitie is the repentance of pride abstinence is the repētance of surfet and almes is the repētance of couetousnes and forgiuenesse is the repentāce of malice so restitution is the repētance of vsury as he which is not hūble doth not repent his pride he which doth not abstaine doth not repent his gluttonie he which doth not forgiue doth not repēt his malice so he which doth not restore doth not repent his vsurie For how cā he be said to repent for his vsury which liueth by vsurie still Therefore Daniell saith to Nabuchadnezzar breake off thy sinnes by righteousnes shewing that nothing but rightuousnesse cā breake vnrighteousnes As diseases are healed by the cōtrarie so pride is healed by humilitie gluttonie by abstinence malice by forgiuenesse couetousnesse by almes vsurie by restoring This Paule calleth The reuenge of a Christian whē he takes reuenge vpon his sinnes punisheth his lustes so that he maketh thē do contrarie to that which they would doe Therfore you must restore that which you haue got by vsurie or else you doe not repent of your vsurie As a Camell whē he comes home casteth of his burthē at the doore that he may enter into his stable so they which are laden with other mēs goods when they go to heauē must leaue their burthen where they had it least they be to grose to get in at the narrow gate But as the disciples of Christ sayd This is a hard speach so to thē which haue got most that they haue by vnlawfull meanes this is a hard speach to bid thē restore it againe there be two great rubs in the way First the losse which they shall sustaine if they restore agayne all which they haue got vniustly Then the difficultie to restore it agayne to the right parties If you aske me as Amaziah asked the Prophet How shall we do for those hundreth tallents How shall I liue when all is gone that I haue got wrongfully I can say no more than the Prophet sayd to him The Lord is able to giue thee more then this Zacheus did not feare how he should liue but Zacheus did feare to offende so thou shouldest not feare to restore other mens goods but thou shouldest feare to keepe other mens goods and as Zacheus liued when he had restored so thou shalt liue when thou hast restored He which sayth Trie me if I will not powre downe a blessing trie him whether he will not powre downe a blessing for he hath promised to blesse the lender as well as the Sacrificer He which is the Lord of all can giue thee more thā thou needest but if you cannot restore to the owner nor to his heires then giue it to the poore for they are the next heires and repent that thou hast kept it so lōg but in no wise thou mayst keepe it to thy selfe because it is none of thine When Hezekiah was like to dye Esay sayd vnto him Set thy things in order before thou dye That which he aduised him he aduiseth all set your things in order before you dye What is this to set things in order but to restore vnto euerie one his owne When thou bequeathest thy bodie to the earth then thy bodie is set in order when thou bequeathest thy soule to God then thy soule is set in order when thou bequeathest thy goods to the owners thē thy goods are set in order therefore if thou dye with other mens goods in thy hand then thou dyest before thou hast set things in order and then thou dyest in thy sinnes and then no promise in all the Scripture appertaineth vnto thee because nothing is promised vnto sinners but vnto penitent sinners Therfore that you may not dye in your sinnes it is necessarie to make restitution before you dye or else you dye in your sinne and are crossed out of all the ioyes of heauen Wherefore as Abner said to Ioab Knowest thou not that it will be bitternesse in the latter end So remember whether this course will be sweete or bitter in the end If they be condemned which giue not their owne goods to them which neede like the rich glutton how can they be saued which draw other mens goods from them that haue more neede of theirs Thus you haue heard the definition of vsurie the deriuation of it and the vnlawfulnesse of it and the kinds of it and the punishment of it and the arguments which are alledged for it what may be thought of them which do not take vsurie but giue vsurie what they should do which haue got their liuing by vsurie Now seing you may not be vsurers to men let euery man hereafter be an vsurer to God which promiseth If thou leaue father or mother or wife or children or house or land for him not ten in the hūdreth but an hundreth for ten may an hundred for one in the world to come life euerlasting that is a thousand for one That we may receiue this vsurie let vs pray that the words which we haue heard out of this Psalme may dwell with vs till we dwell in heauen FINIS Mat. 27. 4. Act. 9. 15. 1. Sam. 17. 51. Iosh. 5. 1. Vers. 1. 1. Tim. 6. 17. Vsurers Heretikes 2. King 5. 18. Three sinnes counted no sinnes The contēts of this Treatise The definition of Vsurie Vsurers steale by law 1. Iohn 48. Mat. 22. 37. Luke 6. 35. Ezech. 18. 22. Nehe. 2. 5. Deut. 15. 10. 2 Galat. 5. 15. Because it signifieth an aduersarie Neschec The vnlawfulnesse of Vsurie A similitude Deut. 15. 4. Iohn 13. 34. Vnderstand that his Sermon vpon the mount is an exposition of the Commādemēts or else the text will not seeme to implie this Luke 19. 8. In some kind of theft Exod. 22. 2. Chron. 25. Gene. 3. 19. Gene. 1. 28. Gene. 36. 24. Mat. 5. 46. Mat. 5. 20. Mala. 1. 3. Vers. 5. Mala. 3. 10. Deut. 25. 10. The kinds of Vsurers 1. Pet. 5. 8. 10 Vsuries Cosins Obiections made by vsurers Gen. 3. Act. 19. 25. Iud. 6. 31. Matth. 5. 19. Gen. 2. Three opinions of Vsury Gen. 3. 1. Sam. 15. 9. Obiections for Vsurie Matth. 5. 42. Iohn 19. 7. Gen. 3. Matth. 19. 7. Luk. 16. 14. Ezek. 2. 5. What the vsurer is like 1. King 21. 7. Luk. 16. 4. Luk 23. 34. 1. Cor. 7. 10. Act. 9. 22. The punishments of vsurers Prou. 28. 8. Prou. 13. 22. Ezec. 22. 13. Note Luke 19. Note Whether it be vnlawfull to giue vsurie Iere. 15. 10. 1. Sam. 21. 6. Luke 13. 10. Gene. 31. 53. Gene. 21. 31. Mat. 17. 17. 2. Reg. 5. 18. Rom. 14. 23. Diuers kindes of borrowers Note What Vsurers should doe with their gaines 1. Sam. 12. 3. Luke 19. 8. Iosh. 6. 18. Exod. 22. Dan. 4. 24. 2. Cor. 7. 11. Iohn 6. 60. Two obiections 2. Chro. 25. 9. Iuke 19. Mala. 3. 10. Deut. 15. 10. Esay 38. 6. 2. Sam. 2. 26. Mat. 19. 26.