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<DATE>2013-03-18</DATE>
<RESPSTMT>
<NAME>Colm MacCrossan</NAME>
<RESP>MURP</RESP>
</RESPSTMT>
<ITEM>Proofed and reviewed.</ITEM>
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<IDG S="marc" R="OX" ID="A73521">
<STC T="S">3129.5</STC>
<STC T="C">S124641</STC>
<BIBNO T="umi">99900320</BIBNO>
<VID>150798</VID>
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<TEXT LANG="eng">
<FRONT>
<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="1" MS="y">
<P>THE ENGLISH VSVRER; <HI>OR</HI> VSVRY CONDEMNED, <HI>BY</HI> The mo&s;t learned and famous Di|uines of the Church of <HI>England,</HI> and Dedi|cated to all his Maie&s;ties Subiects, for the &s;tay of further increa&s;e of the &s;ame. Collected By IOHN BLAXTON, Preacher of Gods Word at <HI>O&s;mington,</HI> in <HI>Dorcet-&s;hire.</HI></P>
<Q><BIBL><HI>Caluin,</HI> Epi&s;t. de V&s;ura.</BIBL>
<P><HI>Ade&ograve; plus qu&agrave;m rarum est eundem e&s;&s;e hominem probum et faeneratorem.</HI> It is more then rare, (or it is very &s;eldome &s;eene,) that one and the &s;ame per&s;on, &s;hould be both an hone&s;t man, and an v&s;urer.</P></Q>
<P><HI>LONDON.</HI> Printed by IOHN NORTON, and are to bee &s;old by IOHN LONG, in <HI>Dorchester.</HI> 1634.</P>
<PB REF="2" MS="y">
<PB REF="2" MS="y">
<PB REF="3">
<PB REF="3" MS="y">
<GAP DESC="duplicate" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 page">
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="emblem">
<PB REF="4">
<LG>
<HEAD>The Illu&s;tration.</HEAD>
<L>THe <HI>Couetous wretch,</HI> to what may we compare,</L>
<L>better then <HI>Swine:</HI> both of one nature are,</L>
<L>One <HI>grumbles,</HI> th' other <HI>grunts:</HI> both gro&s;&s;e and dull,</L>
<L>hungry, <HI>&s;till feeding,</HI> and yet neuer <HI>full.</HI></L>
<L>Re&s;emblance from their <HI>habits</HI> may be had</L>
<L>the one in <HI>Furre,</HI> th' other in <HI>Bri&s;tles</HI> clad.</L>
<L><HI>Rich men</HI> by others &s;weat augment their pounds:</L>
<L>the <HI>Hog's</HI> &s;till rooting in the neighbours grounds.</L>
<L>They neyther of them vpward ca&s;t an eye,</L>
<L><HI>both</HI> downeward looke, and pray on what they &s;pie,</L>
<L>Nor differ they in <HI>death,</HI> The <HI>Brawne</HI> nought yeilds</L>
<L>till cut tn <HI>Collers,</HI> into <HI>Cheekes</HI> and <HI>Shields,</HI></L>
<L>Like <HI>him</HI> the <HI>V&s;urer</HI> how&s;oeuer fed,</L>
<L>Profits none <HI>liuing,</HI> till him&s;elfe be <HI>dead.</HI></L>
<L>Both with the <HI>Chri&s;tmas-boxe</HI> may well comply</L>
<L><HI>It</HI> not hing yeilds till broke, <HI>They</HI> till they dye.</L>
</LG>
<PB REF="4">
<P><FIGURE>
<FIGDESC>depiction of a man or userer seated at a table on which is laid the paraphernalia of his trade: coins, measures, books, etc.; beneath his seat is a strongbox; on the back of his chair, at his shoulder, is a black demon or devil</FIGDESC>
<HEAD>The Engli&s;h V&s;urer.</HEAD>
<LG>
<L>I &s;ay I will haue all</L>
<L>both V&s;e &amp; principall.</L>
</LG>
</FIGURE></P>
<P><FIGURE>
<FIGDESC>depiction of two pigs, one standing with its snout in the earth, the other lying on its back</FIGDESC>
<LG>
<L>Mine is the <HI>V&s;urers</HI> de&s;ire.</L>
<L>To roote in earth, wallow in Mire.</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>Liuing &s;pare me,</L>
<L>and Dead &s;hare me.</L>
</LG>
</FIGURE></P>
<Q><BIBL><HI>Caluin Epi&s;t. de V&s;ura.</HI></BIBL>
<P><HI>In repub. ben&egrave; con&s;titut&acirc; nemo foenerator tolerabilis e&s;t, &s;ed omnin&ograve; debet &egrave; con&s;ortio hominum reijci:</HI> An V&s;urer is not tolerable in a well e&s;tabli&s;hed Common|weale, but vtterly to be reiected out of the com|pany of men.</P></Q>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="to the reader">
<PB REF="5">
<PB REF="5">
<HEAD>To the Reader.</HEAD>
<P>_THere are &s;ome commit v&s;ury,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Why &s;ome are v&s;urers.</NOTE> not knowing it to be &s;inne: eyther be|cau&s;e they haue not the Word, or they v&s;e not the Word for the en|lightning of their hearts.<NOTE PLACE="marg">See M^r. <HI>Mo&s;&s;e,</HI> Treati&s;e of v&s;ury Epi|&s;tle to the Reader.</NOTE> Tho&s;e that bee ignorant for want of the Word, are much to be pitied; and yet is their want that way, the iu&s;t puni&s;hment of &s;inne. Tho&s;e that are ignorant for not v&s;ing the Word, are &s;harpely to be reproued, as tho&s;e who&s;e ignorance accrewing from their owne negligence, is meere &s;inne vnto them.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Augu&s;t. ad Sextum Rom. pre&s;by Ep. <HI>105.</HI></NOTE> <HI>In vtri&s;que non e&s;t iu&s;ta excu&s;atio, &s;ed iu&s;ta condemnatio,</HI> &s;ayth <HI>Augu&s;tine,</HI> Neyther of both can iu&s;tly be ex|cu&s;ed; nay eyther of both is iu&s;tly to be condemned. Others commit v&s;ury, and &s;tand to excu&s;e it, alead|ging for them&s;elues the authority of men: to the&s;e I an&s;wer, as <HI>Lactantius</HI> did to the Gentiles, who grounded their religion vpon the authority of their Ance&s;tours, <HI>Id &s;olum rectum e&s;t, quod ratio prae&s;cribit,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Lact. de Origine er|roris, l. <HI>2.</HI> c. <HI>7.</HI></NOTE> not that which men &s;ay, but that which rea&s;on war|ranteth, is right and to be approued.</P>
<PB REF="6">
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">Exod. 23.2.</NOTE>To them that alleadge <HI>examples,</HI> I an&s;wer with the ancient prouerbe, <HI>Viuitur preceptis non exemplis:</HI> we mu&s;t liue by precepts, and not by examples. And with that of <HI>Mo&s;es, Thou &s;halt not follow a multi|tude to doe euill.</HI> To them which iu&s;tifie v&s;ury to be lawfull, I &s;tand not heere to make an&s;wer: for to that end &s;erueth the treati&s;e following. One|ly,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Cyprian. De Simpli|citate prae|latorum.</NOTE> I applie vnto them, that which <HI>Cypri|an</HI> &s;pake of &s;ome Teachers of his time, <HI>Am|bulantes in tenebris, habere &s;e lucem exi&s;timant:</HI> walking in darkene&s;&s;e, they &s;uppo&s;e they haue the light.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">Di&s;tru&s;t in Gods pro|uidence the V&s;urers &s;in.</NOTE>To them that pretend, they cannot otherwi&s;e liue, I replie: that they may accu&s;e them&s;elues of &s;loth and idlene&s;&s;e, of infidelity and di&s;tru&s;t in Gods Prouidence: which is indeed the V&s;urers &s;inne.</P>
<P>Others yet there are, who knowing the prac|ti&s;e to bee euill, and them&s;elues not being able to excu&s;e it, they turne their no&s;e vpon the very winde,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Simile.</NOTE> like the weather Cocke, and like mad men rage at tho&s;e that would binde them for their benefit: and are like the Swine of which Chri&s;t &s;peaketh in the Go&s;pell,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 7.6.</NOTE> who when they haue Pearles throwne before them, turne againe, and all to rent tho&s;e that ca&s;t them. God bee mercifull vnto the&s;e kind of V&s;urers, and con|uert them,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Simile.</NOTE> (if it bee his will,) for their ca&s;e is de&s;perate. They are like vnto a fooli&s;h pa|tient, who is ready to flie into the face of the Chirurgian, when hee &s;earcheth his wound vnto
<PB REF="6"> the bottome, for the curing of it. What will follow hereupon? But the ruine of the V&s;urer?</P>
<P>Others, when the Mini&s;ter preacheth again&s;t V&s;ury, encourage them&s;elues in their vnchari|table cour&s;e of life, by this conceit: that it is but his priuate opinion. This treati&s;e will make it euident, that, <HI>V&s;ury to bee vnlawfull,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">The mo&s;t iudicious Diuines condemne V&s;ury.</NOTE> proceeds not out of the mouths of &s;ome few <HI>Humori&s;ts</HI> in the Country, (for &s;o the V&s;urers account them:) but it is the iudgement of tho&s;e who &s;it at the Helme, and de&s;eruedly are accounted pillars in the Church of God.</P>
<P>As for the Author of this Treati&s;e: vnder|&s;tand, that hee neyther lendeth, nor taketh vpon V&s;ury: for hee followes his calling,<NOTE PLACE="marg">V&s;urers vile per&s;ons P&s;. 15.</NOTE> and doth not bu&s;y him&s;elfe much with the affayers of the world. As for profe&s;t V&s;urers, hee e&s;teemes them as vile per&s;ons, in who&s;e eyes they are mo&s;t iu&s;tly contemned, but hee honoreth tho&s;e that feare the Lord. which the V&s;urers do not. And therefore be|ing free from the guiltine&s;&s;e of this &s;inne, he may the moore freely giue &s;entence vpon the vngodline&s;&s;e thereof <HI>Iudicet ille de alterius errore</HI> (&s;ayth S. <HI>Ambro&s;e) qui non habet in &s;eip&s;o quod condemnet: iudicet,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Ambro&s;. &s;u|per, beati im|maculati.</NOTE> <HI>qui non agit eadem quae in alio putauerit punienda.</HI> Let him iudge of another mans default, who hath not the &s;ame fault to condemne in him&s;elfe: let him iudge of another who committeth not the &s;ame thing which hee deemeth worthy the puni&s;hing in another.</P>
<P>Know moreouer, that he is a thorough conformable
<PB REF="7"> Member and Mini&s;ter of the Church of England. And for the Scope of this Treati&s;e, it is for the information and &s;aluation of thy &s;oule, and his owne &s;oule. Take the Treati&s;e, and<NOTE N="(a)" PLACE="marg">Si quid ex v&s;u tu|reperias, iuvame pre|cibus tuis apud deum; aliam mer|cedem non defidero. vale.</NOTE> giue pray|ers, for</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>Thy fellow member in Chri&s;t Ie&s;us, <HI>John Blaxton.</HI></SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="table of contents">
<PB REF="7">
<HEAD>A Table of the Contents.</HEAD>
<LIST>
<LABEL>CHAP. 1.</LABEL>
<ITEM>VSury defined by Bi&s;hop <HI>Downam,</HI> and Mr. <HI>Fenton.</HI></ITEM>
<LABEL>CHAP. 2.</LABEL>
<ITEM>The di&s;tinction of v&s;ury into mentall and actuall. Where actuall v&s;ury is di&s;tingui&s;hed from other contracts: as <HI>1</HI> From liberall contracts. <HI>2</HI> From all lawfull buying. <HI>3</HI> From lawfull Location or letting to hire. <HI>4</HI> From the contract of Partner&s;hip. <HI>5</HI> From aduenturers v&s;u|ry. <HI>6</HI> From liberall v&s;ury. <HI>7</HI> From recompencing v&s;u|ry, which we call Intere&s;t.</ITEM>
<LABEL>CHAP. 3.</LABEL>
<ITEM>The te&s;timony of &s;ixe learned Bi&s;hops prouing it &s;imply vnlawfull.</ITEM>
<LABEL>CHAP. 4.</LABEL>
<ITEM>The te&s;timony of the learned Diuines of the Church of England condemning v&s;ury.</ITEM>
<LABEL>CHAP. 5.</LABEL>
<ITEM>Cleare and apt Similies to which v&s;ury and v&s;urers are re&s;embled.</ITEM>
<LABEL>CHAP. 6.</LABEL>
<ITEM>An&s;wereth the obiections which are commonly made in de|fence of v&s;ury.</ITEM>
<LABEL>CHAP. 7.</LABEL>
<ITEM>That v&s;urers are bound to repent, and to make re&s;titu|tion.</ITEM>
</LIST>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="list of authors">
<PB REF="8">
<HEAD>The Names of the mo&s;t Reuerend <HI>and learned Bi&s;hops, and of the mo&s;t learned and</HI> Iudiciall Diuines v&s;ed in this Treati&s;e.</HEAD>
<LIST>
<HEAD>Bi&s;hop</HEAD>
<ITEM><HI>1</HI> Sands <HI>&s;ome|times Archbi&s;hop of</HI> Yorke.</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>2</HI> Iewell <HI>&s;ome|times Bi&s;hop of</HI> Salisbury.</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>3</HI> King <HI>&s;ome|times Bi&s;hop of</HI> London.</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>4</HI> Babington <HI>&s;ome|times Bi&s;hop of</HI> Worce&s;ter.</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>5</HI> Downam, <HI>the hammer of v&s;urers, Lord Bi&s;hop of</HI> Derry <HI>in</HI> Ireland.</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>6</HI> Lake, <HI>late Lord Bi&s;hop of</HI> Bath <HI>and</HI> Wels.</ITEM>
</LIST>
<LIST>
<HEAD>Doctor</HEAD>
<ITEM>Pic.</ITEM>
<ITEM>Willet.</ITEM>
<ITEM>Sclater.</ITEM>
<ITEM>Tayler.</ITEM>
<ITEM>Smith.</ITEM>
<ITEM>Pre&s;ton.</ITEM>
<ITEM>Williams</ITEM>
<ITEM>Web.</ITEM>
<ITEM>Sutton.</ITEM>
<ITEM>Wil&s;on.</ITEM>
</LIST>
<LIST>
<HEAD>Mr.</HEAD>
<ITEM>Wilkin&s;on.</ITEM>
<ITEM>Smith.</ITEM>
<ITEM>Wheatly.</ITEM>
<ITEM>Dod.</ITEM>
<ITEM>Bolton.</ITEM>
<ITEM>Perkins.</ITEM>
<ITEM>Adams.</ITEM>
<ITEM>Powel.</ITEM>
<ITEM>Wil&s;on.</ITEM>
<ITEM>Scudder.</ITEM>
<ITEM>Rogers of</ITEM>
<ITEM>Wethersfield</ITEM>
<ITEM>Rogers of</ITEM>
<ITEM>Me&s;&s;ing</ITEM>
<ITEM>Rogers of</ITEM>
<ITEM>Dedham.</ITEM>
<ITEM>Northbrooke</ITEM>
<ITEM>Philips.</ITEM>
<ITEM>Robrough.</ITEM>
<ITEM>Mo&s;&s;e.</ITEM>
<ITEM>Fenton.</ITEM>
<ITEM>Dyke.</ITEM>
<ITEM>Bayne.</ITEM>
<ITEM>Brin&s;ley.</ITEM>
<ITEM>Silue&s;ter.</ITEM>
<ITEM>Withers.</ITEM>
<ITEM>Quarles.</ITEM>
</LIST>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="poem">
<PB REF="8">
<HEAD>The Charitable happy, the V&s;urers accur&s;ed.</HEAD>
<L><HI>O!</HI> thrice, thrice happy he,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ble&s;&s;ed are the mercifull. Math. 5.7. P&s;al. 37.19.</NOTE> who&s;e free de&s;ires</L>
<L>To charity a holy feruor fires:</L>
<L>Who onely minds Gods glory, by his gift,</L>
<L>And neyghbours good, without &s;ini&s;ter drift;</L>
<L>Famine (familiar vnto rogues that range)</L>
<L>Shall not come neere his garner, nor his grange:</L>
<L>His fields, with Corne, abundant crop &s;hall couer,</L>
<L>His vines with Grapes, his hedge with Ro&s;es ouer;</L>
<L>His downes with &s;heepe, his dayery grounds with Neat;</L>
<L>His mounts with Kids, his moors with Oxen great;</L>
<L>His groues with droues (increa&s;ing night and day;)</L>
<L>His hils with Heards, his &s;miling meads with Hay;</L>
<L>His fens with foule, his pils, and pooles with Fi&s;h;</L>
<L>His trees with fruits, with plenty euery di&s;h;</L>
<L>Content and health (the be&s;t of earthly bli&s;&s;e)</L>
<L>Shall euermore remaine with him and his;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Phil. 4.11.12. 1 Tim. 6.6.</NOTE></L>
<L>Him, pride or enuy neuer &s;hall molest;</L>
<L>Or cor&s;iue care, foe to repast and re&s;t.</L>
<L>For, th' all-&s;ee eye still carefully re&s;pects</L>
<L>The <HI>Almner's</HI> hou&s;e, and euer it protects;<NOTE PLACE="marg">E&s;ay 58 8.9, 10, 11, &amp;c.</NOTE></L>
<L>Till finally, when iu&s;tice endeth all,</L>
<L>Sweet mercies voyce him to heau'ns Kingdome call.</L>
<L>But th' V&s;urer (how-euer here he thriue</L>
<L>In heards and hoords) already dead aliue</L>
<L>(No heat of loue, no heart to giue a mite,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Cur&s;ed are the v&s;ures. P&s;al. 15.5.</NOTE></L>
<PB REF="9">
<L><NOTE PLACE="marg">Ezek. 18.13.</NOTE>Except to gaine and gather double by 't)</L>
<L>Him, in that day (to him a day of woe)</L>
<L>The <HI>Holy-one</HI> the all-knower, will not know.</L>
<L>Shame and confu&s;ion &s;hall be-&s;pread him ouer,</L>
<L>Wi&s;hing the holes to hide, and hils to couer.</L>
<L><NOTE PLACE="marg">Iames 2.13. Reuel. 6.15.16</NOTE>Eternall fire &s;hall fry his thir&s;ty veines;</L>
<L>Immortall dying in eternall paines.</L>
<L>His eyes, &s;o nice to looke on Lazarus &s;ore</L>
<L>Shall &s;wim in &s;ulphury teares (tortur'd the more,</L>
<L>To &s;ee aboue, in bli&s;&s;e and glory rife,</L>
<L>Whom ruthle&s;&s;e here, he would not &s;ee, in life)</L>
<L>His eares here deafe vnto de&s;tre&s;&s;ed ones;</L>
<L>Shall there heare horror of the damned grones;</L>
<L>Nor &s;hall the voyce of mercy him &s;alute,</L>
<L>Who, in effect, to needy moane was mute:</L>
<L>Millions of ma&s;&s;es cannot him redeeme,</L>
<L>Nor all Church-trea&s;ure euer ran&s;ome him,</L>
<L>From all-thought-pa&s;&s;ing pangs of wretchednes;</L>
<L>As, endle&s;&s;e, ca&s;ele&s;&s;e, and remedyle&s;&s;e.</L>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>IOSVA SYLVESTER.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="poem">
<PB REF="9">
<HEAD>On V&s;urers.</HEAD>
<L>OF all men vs'rers are not lea&s;t accur&s;t;</L>
<L>They robbe the Spittle, pinch th' afflicted wor&s;t:</L>
<L>In others griefe they'r mo&s;t delighted in;</L>
<L>Whil&s;t Giuers &s;uffer for the Takers &s;inne:</L>
<L>O how vniu&s;t a trade of life is that,</L>
<L>Which makes the lab'rers, leane, and th' idle, fatte?</L>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>FRA. QVARLES.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 LANG="lat" TYPE="poem">
<L>FAEnere qui lucrum facit, e&s;t homicida Catoni,</L>
<L>Furti dupla, huius quadrupla mulcta fuit.</L>
<L>Non facit heredem, priuatur honore &s;epulchri</L>
<L>Qui tenues lucro faeneris auget opes.</L>
<L>Sermo &s;acer, patres, pius omnis damnat, at vna</L>
<L>(Quae docet errores) Con&s;uetudo probat.</L>
<CLOSER><SIGNED><HI>Iohannes Garbraudus</HI> Oxonien&s;is.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="dedication">
<PB REF="10">
<HEAD>To the V&s;urer.</HEAD>
<EPIGRAPH>
<Q><L><HI>Mors tua, mors Chri&s;ti, fraus mundi, gloria caeli,</HI></L>
<L><HI>Et dolor inferni, &s;unt meditanda tibi.</HI></L>
<L>Thy death, the death of Chri&s;t, the worlds tentation.</L>
<L>Heauens ioy, hells torment, be thy meditation.</L></Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">Three profi|table helpes of a godly life. P&s;al. 119.57 58, 59. See Bb. <HI>Cowper</HI> in Rom. 8.1.</NOTE><HI>_THere bee three mo&s;t notable helpes of a god|ly life, deliuered to vs by</HI> Dauid, <HI>in three ver&s;es of the</HI> 119 <HI>P&s;alme,</HI> 57. O Lord, I haue determined to keepe thy Word. 58. I haue made my &s;uppli|cation in thy pre&s;ence with my whole heart. 59. I haue con&s;idered my wayes, and turned my feete vn|to thy te&s;timonies. <HI>Determination is the fir&s;t: It is a good thing by &s;etled re&s;olution to conclude with thy &s;elfe that thou wilt liue godly. Supplication is the &s;econd: ex|cept by continuall Prayer thy determination bee confir|med, and &s;trengthned by grace from God, thy conclu&s;ions which thou take&s;t to day, &s;hall vani&s;h to morrow. Con&s;ide|ration is the third, and it is profitable to reduce thee a|gaine into the way of God, &s;o often as of weakene&s;&s;e thou
<PB REF="10"> thou wanders from it, contrary to thy fir&s;t determination. The&s;e are three helps to keepe thy heart in the way of God: &s;o nece&s;&s;ary, that if without them thou do&s;t any worke, it is not pos&s;ible but thou &s;halt be &s;nared. Fir&s;t therefore determine to for&s;ake thy V&s;ury, and to make re&s;titution. Secondly, &s;trengthen this determination by Prayer, &s;ay with</HI> Dauid, create in me a cleane heart, O God:<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 51.10. P&s;al. 119.36</NOTE> and re|new a right &s;pirit within me. Encline my heart vnto thy te&s;timonies: and not to couetou&s;ne&s;&s;e. <HI>Thirdly, con|&s;ider thy former cour&s;es when thou wa&s;t a theeui&s;h V&s;urer, and &s;ay with our ble&s;&s;ed Sauiour:</HI> What is a man pro|fited, if he &s;hall gaine the whole world,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Math. 16.26</NOTE> and lo&s;e his owne &s;oule? Or what &s;hall a man giue in exchange for his &s;oule? <HI>Say with the holy Apo&s;tle</HI> S. <HI>Paul,</HI> they that will be rich, fall into temptation and a &s;nare, and into many fooli&s;h and hurtfull lu&s;ts,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Tim. 6.9.</NOTE> which drowne men in perdition and de&s;truction. Finally, doe good,<NOTE PLACE="marg">v. 18, 19.</NOTE> be rich in good workes, ready to di&s;tribute, willing to communicate, laying vp in &s;tore for thy &s;elfe a good foundation again&s;t the time to come, that thou may&s;t lay hold on eternall life. <HI>Con&s;ider what I &s;ay,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Tim. 2.7.</NOTE> <HI>and the Lord giue thee vnder&s;tanding in all things, Farewell.</HI></P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>Thy remembrancer, <HI>I. B.</HI></SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
</FRONT>
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="text">
<PB REF="11">
<PB N="1" REF="11">
<HEAD>THE ENGLISH VSVRER.</HEAD>
<DIV2 N="1" TYPE="chapter">
<HEAD><HI>CHAP. I.</HI> Of the definition of V&s;ury.</HEAD>
<P>_THe contract of V&s;ury is nothing el&s;e but illiberall mutuation,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Bb. <HI>Downam</HI> in P&s;. 15. p. 151. V&s;ury defined.</NOTE> and may thus brief|ly be defined: V&s;ury is mutuation, or lending for gaine. This briefe defini|tion doth fully &s;et forth the true nature of V&s;ury, and &s;ufficiently di&s;tingui&s;heth it from all other contracts what&s;oeuer.</P>
<P>FIr&s;t I &s;ay it is mutuation or lending,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Subiectum v&s;urae mu|tuum.</NOTE> which is al&s;o pre&s;uppo&s;ed in the Scripture, <HI>Exod.</HI> 22.25. and the &s;ame if need were, might be proued by the other relatiue, which is borrowing: for lending and borrowing are relatiues: And if he which taketh vp mo|ney vpon v&s;ury, be a borrower; then he that giueth or putteth it forth vnto v&s;ury, is a lender.</P>
<P>The contract therefore of V&s;ury is a contract of len|ding: now in the contract of mutuation or lending,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Idem p. 152.</NOTE> diuers
<PB N="2" REF="12"> things concurre, which al&s;o belong to the nature of V&s;ury.</P>
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. That it is of &s;uch things as are &s;pent in the v&s;e, and con&s;i&s;t in quantitie, that is to &s;ay in number, weight, or mea&s;ure, as Money, and Victuals, Corne, Wine, Oyle, &amp;c. which are particularly mentioned, <HI>Deut.</HI> 23.19. <HI>Leuit.</HI> 25.37.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. And therefore is alienation not onely of the v&s;e, but al&s;o of the propertie, from which the v&s;e (of &s;uch things as are &s;pent in the v&s;e) cannot be &s;euered.</ITEM>
<ITEM>3: As the property is transferred to the borrower, &s;o the borrower &s;tandeth to the hazzard of the thing bor|rowed.</ITEM>
<ITEM>4. That it is not a perpetuall alienation of that which is lent, but for a time, which time being expired, the bor|rower is bound to re&s;tore the principall.</ITEM>
<ITEM>5. Becau&s;e the thing borrowed is to be &s;pent in the v&s;e, therefore the borrower is bound, not to re&s;tore the &s;elfe &s;ame particular which he borrowed, but &s;o much in the &s;ame kind, or the &s;ame valew.</ITEM>
<ITEM>6. It belongeth to the nature of lending, that it be free and liberall. And this is that which followeth in the definition, as the difference to di&s;tingui&s;h it from free lending, that it is for gaine.</ITEM>
</LIST>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">V&s;ury is for gaine.</NOTE>By gaine is ment any addition, ouerplus, or in|crea&s;e, ouer and aboue the Principall, whether it bee money, or money worth, required not for the indemnity of the Creditour,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Idem p. 153. What is to be e&s;teemed gaine.</NOTE> to &s;aue him harmele&s;&s;e, but for his aduantage, to make him a gainer by lending; for that onely is to be e&s;teemed gaine, which is an ouerplus,
<PB N="3" REF="12"> clearely gotten aboue the Principall. And whereas I &s;ay it is eyther money, or money worth: this money worth reacheth farre, not onely to goods and wares, but al&s;o to labours and &s;eruices, and what&s;oeuer el&s;e being va|luable by money, may lawfully be let or &s;old for money. And when I &s;ay that v&s;ury is lending for gaine, it is ment, that in the fir&s;t act of lending vpon v&s;ury, or after|wards in the forbearing, whereby that lending is con|tinued, gaine is, if not couenanted for, yet at the lea&s;t intended. So that where there is a couenant or intent of gaine by loane, whether it be in the fir&s;t act of len|ding, or afterwards in the forbearing, it is v&s;ury: and contrariwi&s;e, where there is neyther a couenant nor in|tent of gaine in lending or forbearing, there is not v&s;ury, though there be an ouerplus, or encrea&s;e receiued ouer and be&s;ides the Principall.</P>
<P>The Hebrew word <HI>Ne&s;heh,</HI> is the ordinary name to &s;ignifie v&s;ury, as <HI>Foenus</HI> in Latine, or <GAP LANG="grc" DESC="foreign" RESP="OXF"> in Greeke,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Idem p. 154.</NOTE> or V&s;ury in Engli&s;h. For the money which is lent vpon v&s;ury, is called <HI>Ne&s;heh,</HI> a biter, or which biteth:<NOTE PLACE="marg">The names of v&s;ury.</NOTE> and the Hebrew phra&s;e, which &s;ignifieth to be lent vpon v&s;ury, is to bite, as appeareth plainely, <HI>Deut.</HI> 23.19. <HI>Thou &s;halt not lend vpon v&s;ury to thy brother money or meat, or any thing el&s;e, A&s;her I&s;hak,</HI> which biteth, that is, which is lent vpon v&s;ury. For what&s;oeuer the V&s;urer lendeth, it hath teeth, and iawes to eate and con&s;ume the &s;ub|&s;tance of other men; his Corne or victuals which were made to be eaten, doe eate, and his money which was made to be &s;pent, doth wa&s;t the &s;ub&s;tance of others, and therefore Hebrew writers doe teach, that in the name of V&s;ury is encluded an admonition, not to bor|row vpon V&s;ury: for hee which taketh money vpon V&s;ury, taketh as it were a &s;erpent into his bo&s;ome.</P>
<P>This is confe&s;&s;ed by <HI>Caluine</HI> him&s;elfe, that whereas
<PB N="4" REF="13"> V&s;urers auoyd the name <HI>Ne&s;heh,</HI> which &s;ignified biting, as they doe the name V&s;ury among vs, as being odious, and therefore alledged, that they tooke not <HI>Ne&s;heh</HI> but <HI>Tarbith,</HI> as among&s;t vs they will not be thought to take V&s;ury, but con&s;ideration, v&s;ance, or intere&s;t: therefore the Lord forbideth as well <HI>Tarbith</HI> as <HI>Ne&s;heh,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">In Exod. 22.25 Levit. 25.36..</NOTE> whereby he condemneth generally <HI>Quamlibet &s;ortis acce&s;&s;ionem</HI> (&s;ayth <HI>Caluin</HI>) any addition or increa&s;e aboue the principall. And vpon <HI>Ezekiel</HI> chap. 18. he &s;ayth the Prophet condemneth not onely <HI>Ne&s;heh</HI> which &s;ignifieth biting,<NOTE PLACE="marg">God forbids biting v&s;ury and increa&s;e.</NOTE> but al&s;o <HI>Tarbith,</HI> which he tran&s;lateth <HI>incrementum,</HI> increa&s;e: <HI>hoc est</HI> (&s;ayth he) <HI>quicquid lucri &s;ibi avari homines conciliant ex mutuo;</HI> that is, what&s;oeuer gaine couetous men doe get to them|&s;elues by loane.</P>
<Q>Actuall V&s;ury is de&s;cribed by <HI>D^r. FENTON,</HI> to be pactum ex mutuo lucrum.
<LIST>
<ITEM>Lucre for loane vpon couenant; or</ITEM>
<ITEM>The couenant of lucre for lending: or</ITEM>
<ITEM>Lending vpon couenant for lucre.<NOTE PLACE="marg">D^r. <HI>Fenton</HI> Treati&s;e of v&s;ury, p. 15.</NOTE></ITEM>
</LIST></Q>
<P>So that the&s;e three words, <HI>mutuum, pactum, lucrum,</HI> doe define and circum&s;cribe the entire nature of that V&s;ury whereof the maine que&s;tion is made, whether it be lawfull or not.</P>
<P>And to the&s;e de&s;criptions of V&s;ury, agree tho&s;e of our mo&s;t reuerend, and iudicious Diuines: <HI>vide.</HI> D^r. <HI>Willet</HI> vpon <HI>Exodus,</HI> p. 509. D^r. <HI>Smith</HI> in <HI>Willet</HI> vpon <HI>Leuiticus,</HI> p. 625. <HI>Perkins, Com^t.</HI> 8. Mr. <HI>Smith,</HI> 18. Sermon vpon V&s;u|ry. D^r. <HI>Pie,</HI> V&s;uries Spright coniured, p. 4. <HI>Powels</HI> po&s;itions of V&s;ury, p. 4. Bb. <HI>Iewel,</HI> vpon 1 <HI>The&s;.</HI> p. 113. <HI>Ame&s;ius de con&s;cientia, lib.</HI> 5. <HI>cap.</HI> 44. D^r. <HI>Wil&s;on,</HI> Di&s;cour&s;e vpon V&s;ury, p. 85. M^r. <HI>Mo&s;&s;e,</HI> Arraignement and conuiction of V&s;ury, p. 31.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="2" TYPE="chapter">
<PB N="5" REF="13">
<HEAD><HI>CHAP. 2.</HI> The di&s;tinction of V&s;ury.</HEAD>
<EPIGRAPH>
<Q>V&s;ury is eyther Inward and Mentall, or Outward and Actuall.</Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<P>MEntall V&s;ury is a lending for gaine without co|uenant, that is,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mentall v&s;ury. Bb. <HI>Downam</HI> in P&s;. 15. p. 168.</NOTE> when the creditor onely inten|deth and looketh for gaine by lending and for|bearing his money, but doth not indent or co|uenant with the borrower for gaine. And this may be called, the V&s;ury of the heart:<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 7.14.</NOTE> for the law of God being &s;pirituall, doth not onely re&s;traine the hands, and out|ward man; but al&s;o the intent and purpo&s;e of the heart: in&s;omuch, that morall actions though in &s;hew good, are to be iudged euill, if they proceed from an ill intent, and tend to an ill end: for he that intendeth euill, hath the like euill will with him that worketh euill: and he which by lending onely intendeth his owne gaine, he lendeth for gaine, and therefore, if actuall V&s;ury be euill, then the intent and purpo&s;e thereof is al&s;o euill.</P>
<P>Outward and actuall V&s;ury is, when the creditour doth not onely intend certaine gaine by lending, but al&s;o co|uenanteth for a certaine &s;umme to be allowed him at a certaine time, or times. This in the Scriptures is called im|po&s;ing of V&s;ury, <HI>Exod.</HI> 22.25.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Idem p. 170.</NOTE> <HI>Thou &s;halt not impo&s;e V&s;ury vpon him:</HI> Wherefore in actuall V&s;ury, a couenant is made for certaine gaine, and in that couenant the very forme of actuall V&s;ury con&s;i&s;teth: for which cau&s;e
<PB N="6" REF="14"> &s;ome doe call &s;uch a contract, formall V&s;ury. And this couenant v&s;eth to be confirmed by obligation, eyther ver|ball, as bils and bonds, or reall, as pawnes, or mortgage; or per&s;onall, as &s;ureti&s;hip; whereby the creditor is &s;ecu|red for the receit, and the debtor bound for the pay|ment, both of the principall and al&s;o of the V&s;ury.</P>
<P><HI>Let vs now &s;ee how by this definition V&s;ury is distingui&s;hed from other contracts, and al&s;o other things which may &s;eeme to haue &s;ome affinity therewith: for of the rest it is needle&s;&s;e to &s;peake.</HI></P>
<P>It is therefore di&s;tingui&s;hed</P>
<LIST>
<ITEM><NOTE PLACE="marg">V&s;ury di&s;tin|gui&s;hed. 1 From all li|berall con|tracts. Idem p. 157.</NOTE>1. From all liberall con|tracts, as that of donation or free gift, of mutuation, or free lending to &s;pend, of commodation, or free lending to v&s;e, becau&s;e they be free and liberall, but V&s;ury is illiberall and for gaine.</ITEM>
<ITEM><NOTE PLACE="marg">2 From all law|full buying</NOTE>2. From all lawfull buying: becau&s;e in buying there is a perpetuall alienation of money, in V&s;ury but for a time.</ITEM>
<ITEM><NOTE PLACE="marg">3 For letting to hire.</NOTE>3. From lawfull Location or letting to hire: which is the rather to be ob&s;erued, becau&s;e &s;ome imagine, that money and other things which are lent vpon V&s;ury,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Idem p. 158.</NOTE> may as well be let as other things. But there is a great difference betwixt V&s;ury, and the lawfull contract of Location or letting. And fir&s;t they differ in the &s;ub|iects.</ITEM>
</LIST>
<P><TABLE>
<ROW>
<CELL>V&s;ury is in tho&s;e things which are &s;pent in the v&s;e, and con&s;i&s;t in quantity, &s;tanding in number, weight and mea&s;ure.</CELL>
<CELL>Location, is of &s;uch things as are not &s;pent in the v&s;e, neyther &s;tand in number, weight and mea|&s;ure.</CELL>
</ROW>
<PB N="7" REF="14">
<ROW>
<CELL>The &s;ubiect of V&s;ury, are &s;uch things as haue no fruitfull v&s;e in them&s;elues, but the gaine which is to be rai&s;ed by imployment of them, is to be imputed to the indu&s;try and skill of the imployer.</CELL>
<CELL>The &s;ubiect of Location haue a fruitfull v&s;e in them&s;elues naturally.</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>The v&s;e of things lent vpon V&s;ury cannot be &s;euered, or reckoned apart from the property and domini|on, becau&s;e they are &s;uch things as are &s;pent in the v&s;e, and therefore if you v&s;e them, you &s;pend them.</CELL>
<CELL>The fruitfull v&s;e of things lent, may be &s;eue|red and reckoned apart, and is valuable by it &s;elfe, as of Lands, Goods, Hou|&s;es, &amp;c. which remaine in the v&s;e vn&s;pent.</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>In the contract of loane, whether free or vpon V|&s;ury, the lender granteth to the borrower, not onely the v&s;e, but al&s;o the proper|ty of the thing lent, from which the v&s;e of that, which we lend to be &s;pent in the v&s;e cannot be &s;euered: hence it is called <HI>mutuum,</HI> becau&s;e by lending it is made <HI>ex meo tuum.</HI></CELL>
<CELL>In the contract of Loca|tion, the letter granteth to him that taketh to hire the v&s;e onely of the things retaining the property to him&s;elfe.</CELL>
</ROW>
<PB N="8" REF="15">
<ROW>
<CELL>Becau&s;e that which is the &s;ubiect of loane, and V&s;ury, is &s;pent in the v&s;e, and is lent to be &s;pent; therefore the borrower is bound to re&s;tore, not the &s;ame particular which he borrowed, but &s;o much in quantity or full valew in the &s;ame kind, without any impairing, or diminution.</CELL>
<CELL>Becau&s;e, that which is the &s;ubiect of commodity and Location, is lent, and let, not to be &s;pent, but onely to be v&s;ed: therefore he that taketh the &s;ame to v&s;e, is bound to re&s;tore the &s;elfe &s;ame particular, which for the mo&s;t part is impay|red and made wor&s;e in the v&s;e.</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>As in mutuation, and V&s;ury, the property is tran|&s;lated to the borrower, &s;o with the property al&s;o the hazzard wholy appertay|neth to the borrower: for the very contract of mutu|ation includeth in it an obligation, binding the borrower, that what&s;oeuer becommeth of this particu|lar which he borroweth, he &s;hall re&s;tore the full va|lew thereof at the day ap|poynted, in the &s;ame kind. And to this purpo&s;e the borrower maketh promi&s;e, either by word or writing, entreth into bonds, and &s;tatutes, laying his goods to pawne, or his lands to mortgage, giueth &s;ureties, to a&s;&s;ure and &s;ecure the creditor for the principall.</CELL>
<CELL>As in Location the v&s;e is communicated to the Hirer, but the Letter retai|neth the property: &s;o the thing, if it &s;hall mi&s;carry without the default of the Hirer: belongeth to the Letter, and not to the Hi|rer, becau&s;e it came for his hire, <HI>Exod.</HI> 22.14. And it is a rule in law, to whom the hazzard appertaineth, to him the fruit and profit belongeth.</CELL>
</ROW>
</TABLE></P>
<PB N="9" REF="15">
<P>Where there is a Couenant to beare part of the lo&s;&s;e, as well as to reape part of the gaine,<NOTE PLACE="marg">4 From the contract of Partner&s;hip.</NOTE> and this con|tract, is neyther v&s;ury, nor loane: but a lawfull con|tract.</P>
<P>Which in Latine is called <HI>Nauticum,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">5 From aduen|turers v&s;ury.</NOTE> or <HI>Maritimum Foenus,</HI> and is a gaine or allowance made for money which is tran&s;ported beyond the Seas, at the perill and hazard of the Creditor. This is not vnlawfull, prouided,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Idem p. 164. 165.</NOTE> al|wayes, that there be an aduenture or hazard in truth, and not in pretence onely; and al&s;o that the gaine be pro|portionable to the hazard.</P>
<P>Which is a gratuitie or free gift,<NOTE PLACE="marg">6 From libe|rall v&s;ury</NOTE> when the borrower finding him&s;elfe much benefited by the lenders curte&s;ie, doth of his owne accord in te&s;timony of his thankeful|ne&s;&s;e, freely giue to the lender, who neyther intended when he lent, nor expected whiles he forbore, any gaine; and much le&s;&s;e couenanted for it.</P>
<P>From that which is called <HI>V&s;ura compeus &s;atoria</HI> re|compencing v&s;ury, which we call intre&s;t:<NOTE PLACE="marg">7 From recom|pencing v&s;ury. Bb. <HI>Downam</HI> in P&s;. 15 p. 166. Dr. <HI>Smith</HI> in <HI>Willet</HI> vpon Leuit. p. 631. <HI>Powels</HI> Po&s;it. of v&s;ury p. 14. Bb. <HI>Iewel.</HI> 1 The&s;&s;. p. 135.</NOTE> which is no|thing el&s;e but a iu&s;t recompence which the Debter, ha|uing through his default beene the effectuall cau&s;e of the Creditours hinderance, doth owe vnto him by the Law of nature, and that hinderance may be two fold, <HI>Damnum emergens,</HI> lo&s;&s;e ari&s;ing, or <HI>Lucrum ce&s;&s;ans,</HI> gaine cea&s;ing: but this cea&s;ing gaine which mu&s;t come into e&s;timation, mu&s;t not be vncertaine and doubtfull, but certaine: or at lea&s;t very probable.</P>
<LIST>
<HEAD>Here are certaine cautions to be remembred.</HEAD>
<ITEM N="1"> Fir&s;t, that intre&s;t bee e&s;teemed not according to the gaine or benefit which the borrower hath had by the im|ployment of the money, but according to the hinderance
<PB N="10" REF="16"> or lo&s;&s;e which the creditour &s;u&s;tained through the bor|rowers default.</ITEM>
<ITEM N="2"> Secondly, that Intere&s;t is not to he required <HI>ni&s;i post moram,</HI> but onely after delay and default committed by the borrower.</ITEM>
<ITEM N="3"> Thirdly, that not alwayes after delay it is to be requi|red, but onely then, when the creditour hath indeed &s;u&s;tained lo&s;&s;e or hindrance by the borrowers delay.</ITEM>
<ITEM N="4"> Fourthly, that he doe not voluntarily incurre any lo&s;&s;e, meaning to lay the burthen thereof on the borrower, but doe his true endeauour to auoyd it, eyther in whole or in part.</ITEM>
<ITEM N="5"> Fiftly, that when he &s;u&s;pecteth lo&s;&s;e or hinderance by the debtors delay, he de&s;cend not into extremities with tho&s;e who haue broken day, not through negligence or vnfaythfulne&s;&s;e, but through want and nece&s;&s;ity, which they did not fore&s;ee: and let him remember, that where is no fault, there ought to be no puni&s;hment.</ITEM>
<ITEM N="6"> Sixtly, that the e&s;timation of the intere&s;t be not referred to the creditors owne arbitrament, but committed to the iudgement of &s;ome other hone&s;t and di&s;creet men: which conditions being ob&s;erued, it is lawfull for the creditour to require an ouerplus be&s;ides his principall: which ouer|plus notwith&s;tanding is not v&s;ury.</ITEM>
</LIST>
<P>How v&s;ury di&s;covers it &s;elfe in &s;elling, in buying, in let|ting, in partner&s;hip and exchange, vnder pretence of the ad|uenturers v&s;ury, vnder the colour of recompencing v&s;ury, <HI>vide.</HI> Bb. <HI>Downam,</HI> vpon the 15 P&s;alme, p. 173, 175, 182, 183, 188, 191. D^r. <HI>Fentons</HI> Treati&s;e of v&s;ury, p. 21, 22, 23, 24, 25. <HI>Powels</HI> po&s;itions of v&s;ury, in his Epi&s;tle Dedicatory. M^r. <HI>Mo&s;&s;e,</HI> in the Arraignement and Conniction of v&s;ury, p. 62. to p. 68.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="3" TYPE="chapter">
<PB N="11" REF="16">
<HEAD>CHAP. 3. The Te&s;timony of &s;ixe learned Bi&s;hops of the Church of <HI>England</HI> concerning v&s;ury.</HEAD>
<DIV3 TYPE="part">
<HEAD>The Te&s;timony of Bi&s;hop Sands.</HEAD>
<P>THis biting Worme of V&s;ury,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Sermon vpon 1 Sam. 12.23, 24. V&s;ury a biting worme, a can|ker.</NOTE> that deuowring wolfe hath con&s;umed many, many it hath pulled vpon their knees, and brought to beggery: many &s;uch as might haue lived in great wealth, and ho|nour not a few. This canker hath corrupted all England: we &s;hall doe God and our country true &s;eruice, by taking away this euill; repre&s;&s;e it by Law, el&s;e the heavy hand of God hangeth ouer vs, and will &s;trike vs.</P>
<P>God &s;ayth, Lend freely, and looke for no gaine:<NOTE PLACE="marg">Idem Sermon vpon Luke 1.74.75.</NOTE> but will the V&s;urer, who&s;e money is his god, remit his Inte|re&s;t becau&s;e of this; becau&s;e the Lord hath &s;o charged him? No, he will not let goe his ten or twenty, or thir|ty, in the hundred. To him the glory of God,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Note. Nothing pre|cious to the V&s;urer but money.</NOTE> yea and his owne &s;oule is vile, nothing is precious but onely his money. What the Prophet &s;peaketh of putting forth money to v&s;ury, he full little regardeth, but &s;eedeth &s;till vpon his ma&s;t, and ble&s;&s;eth him&s;elfe when he waxeth fat, not perceiuing that God hath already plagued him with a plague of all plagues, the obduration of his heart. And although that God hath giuen him ouer into a dull and &s;encele&s;&s;e minde,<NOTE PLACE="marg">V&s;urers haue hard hearts.</NOTE> his eares being &s;o damned vp that nothing can haue enterance to moue, or touch his hard heart, yet he &s;till ble&s;&s;eth him&s;elfe, and his accur&s;ed &s;oule. Thou V&s;urer, thou idolater, that do&s;t glory in thy &s;hame,
<PB N="12" REF="17"> in thy euill gotten gold:<NOTE PLACE="marg">Their wealth pro&s;pers not.</NOTE> do&s;t thou not know, that thy wealth &s;hall melt like &s;now before the Sunne? Thinke&s;t thou &s;till to hold it? O foole, this night &s;hall they take away thy &s;oule, perhaps this in&s;tant, and then who&s;e is all this? After that <HI>Zacheus</HI> fell to the &s;eruice of Chri&s;t, and that Chri&s;t entred into his hou&s;e, he pre&s;ently for&s;ooke the &s;eruice of Mammon, made a large re&s;titution of that which he had gained by &s;uch vnlawfull meanes, and then began to be liberall: and not onely to lend freely, but to giue for nothing. He gaue the one halfe of all his goods to the poore. If God would at this day worke thus in the heart of one Zacheus, a rich V&s;urer, how many poore might be relieued by &s;uch a re&s;titution? He might maintayne many a needy man, and &s;aue his owne &s;oule. Well, this one thing we know, the word that proceedeth out of Gods mouth again&s;t v&s;ury,<NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;. 55.11.</NOTE> &s;hall not returne in vaine, if it cannot worke reformation, it will worke confu|&s;ion.</P>
<P>Euery man is to his neyghbour a debtor, not onely of that which him&s;elfe borroweth,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Idem Sermon vpon Rom. 13.8, 9, &amp;c.</NOTE> but of what&s;oeuer his neyghbour needeth: a debtor, not onely to pay that he oweth, but al&s;o to lend that he hath and may conueniently &s;pare; to lend I &s;ay according to the rule of Chri&s;t, <HI>Luke.</HI> 6. <HI>Lend looking for no|thing thereby.</HI> So that the&s;e ouer-payments, the v&s;ury which hath &s;poyled and eaten vp many,<NOTE PLACE="marg">V&s;ury the can|ker of the Common|wealth.</NOTE> the can|ker of the Commonwealth, is vtterly both forbidden to man, and abhorred of God. To bargaine for Lead, Graine, or Lea&s;es, with &s;uch as haue neyther Lead, Graine, nor Lea&s;es to pay, neyther any &s;uch matter meant, but onely vnlawfull gaine of money, the party to forfeit his obligation, becau&s;e he ney|ther can, nor meaneth &s;uch payment, and the lender not content to receiue le&s;&s;e aduantage then thirty at the hundred, this is but a patched cloake to couer this
<PB N="13" REF="17"> vild &s;inne withall.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Note.</NOTE> What&s;oeuer thou receiue&s;t vpon condition, or by what meanes &s;oeuer thou receiue&s;t more then was lent, thou art an v&s;urer toward thy bro|ther, and God, will be a reuenger again&s;t thee. He whom thou &s;hould&s;t obey if thou wilt be &s;aued,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ezod. 22 25. Levit. 25 27. Deut. 23.19.</NOTE> doth in expre&s;&s;e words command thee, not to lend thy money for v&s;ury. This Word of God, man can|not di&s;pence withall, and it &s;hall not returne in vaine; if it cannot be a conuerting commandeme it, it &s;hall be a confounding iudgement. The rea&s;ons of men for v&s;ury mu&s;t giue place to the precepts of God again&s;t it.<NOTE PLACE="marg">The rea&s;ons of men for v&s;ury, mu&s;t giue place to the precept of God again&s;t it.</NOTE> What man art thou that wilt be wi&s;er then thy Maker? Hath God condemned it, and dare&s;t thou defend it? is it in his iudgement iniurious, and doth thy iudgement thinke it e|quall? Hath he &s;eene rea&s;on to prohibit it, and do&s;t thou &s;ee rea&s;on why thou may&s;t v&s;e it? &s;uch rea&s;ons with the makers and v&s;ers of them, the Lords iu&s;tice &s;hall de|&s;troy. And yet in truth all Nations, at all times haue condemned it, as the very bane and pe&s;tilence of a Commonwealth:<NOTE PLACE="marg">The old Ro|mans condem|ned v&s;ury</NOTE> whereof the old Romane both Hi|&s;tory and practi&s;e is an often witne&s;&s;e. The&s;e &s;ecret &s;hifts are &s;eene of God, and abhorred, and will be re|uenged: well may&s;t thou e&s;cape the hands of man by thy coloured delu&s;ions, yet can&s;t thou not e&s;cape the &s;harpe and &s;wift iudgement of God:<NOTE PLACE="marg">Note.</NOTE> who accordingly as hee hath threatned, will exclude thee out of his Kingdome, interdict thee his Tabernacle, and hurle thee into Hell: Where thy euill gotten money can neyther redeeme nor helpe thee, a iu&s;t reward for thy vniu&s;t v&s;ury. Our Apo&s;tle requireth that we pay vnto euery man the thing that we owe, and we are as much debt+tors to lend freely, as others faythfully to pay the thing which was lent.</P>
<P>The bowels of compa&s;&s;ion are in &s;ome men &s;o mar|ualou&s;ly dryed and clo&s;ed vp,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Idem Sermon vpon Micah. 6 8 p. 100.</NOTE> that they turne away their
<PB N="14" REF="18"> faces from all men, that de&s;ire any thing at their hands, though they aske it not of gift,<NOTE PLACE="marg">V&s;urers wor&s;e then Iewes.</NOTE> but of loane, vnle&s;&s;e they aske to buy the loane with V&s;ury. The Iewes euen till this day will not lend vpon v&s;ury among them&s;elues, but lend freely to their brethren and without gaine. <HI>Iudas</HI> him&s;elfe that &s;old his Ma&s;ter for money, was not more cruell hearted I &s;uppo&s;e then the&s;e men are, who for money deuoure their brethren: their hearts are iron hearts, they haue no &s;parke of pity or compa&s;&s;ion left in them, let them not thinke but that one day their gaine &s;hall be their exceeding lo&s;&s;e.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Note.</NOTE> If <HI>Chry&s;o&s;tome</HI> thought that one euill got|ten groat, layd vp among&s;t a che&s;t full of money, would be a canker to fret out and eate vp the re&s;t, what &s;hall become then of &s;o much gotten by &s;o vnmercifull and vn|godly meanes? Where is loue, where is mercy, when lending of money is become merchandize? Enough hath beene &s;ayd in this place of this matter, which if it be not amended, be ye a&s;&s;ured that the Lord God in his iu&s;t wrath will plague you both in your &s;elues, and in your po|&s;terity for it.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 TYPE="part">
<HEAD><HI>2</HI> Te&s;timony. Bb. Iewell.</HEAD>
<P>MAny liue in v&s;ury, a mo&s;t filthy trade, a trade which God dete&s;teth,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Sermon vpon Rom. 13.12.</NOTE> a trade which is the very ouerthrow of all Chri&s;tian loue: <HI>But their gaine &s;hall be to their lo&s;&s;e, and their money to their de|struction. He that giueth his mony vpon v&s;ury, &s;hall not dwell in the Tabernacle of the Lord, nor re&s;t vpon his holy Moun|taine.</HI></P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">Treati&s;e vpon the Sacra|ments.</NOTE>Deceiue no man by wrongfull dealing, increa&s;e not thy goods by extortion nor by v&s;ury. <HI>He that giueth his money to v&s;ury, &s;hall not enter into the Tabernacle of the Lord. He that taketh v&s;ury of his neyghbour, killeth him without a &s;word, the Lord will auenge it.</HI> He will not ble&s;&s;e ill
<PB N="15" REF="18"> gotten goodes, they cannot pro&s;per: they will neuer con|tinue, nor remaine vnto the third heire.</P>
<P>V&s;ury is a kind of lending of money, or corne, or oyle,<NOTE PLACE="marg">vpon 1 The&s;. p. 113. V&s;ury defined.</NOTE> or wine, or of any other thing, wherein, vpon couenant and bargaine, we receiue againe the whole principall which we deliuered, and &s;omewhat more, for the v&s;e and occu|pying of the &s;ame: as if I lend 100 pound, and for it co|uenant to receiue 105 pound, or any other &s;umme, greater then was the &s;umme which I did lend:<NOTE PLACE="marg">No good man an V&s;urer.</NOTE> this is that which we call v&s;ury: &s;uch a kind of barganing as no good man, or godly man euer v&s;ed. Such a kind of barganing as all men that euer feared Gods iudgements haue alwaies ab|horred and condemned. It is filthy gaines,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Note. V&s;urers &s;ay, Lord increa&s;e our fayth, and then make &s;uch a confe&s;&s;ion of it as Bb. Iewell doth in this place.</NOTE> and a worke of darkene&s;&s;e, it is a mon&s;ter in nature: the ouerthrow of mighty kingdomes, the de&s;truction of flouri&s;hing States, the decay of wealthy Cities, the plagues of the world, and the mi&s;ery of the people: it is theft, it is the murthering of our brethren its the cur&s;e of God, and the cur&s;e of the peo|ple. This is V&s;ury. By the&s;e &s;ignes and tokens you may know it: For where&s;oeuer it raigneth all tho&s;e mi&s;chiefes en&s;ue.</P>
<P>Whence &s;pringeth V&s;ury? Soone &s;hewed.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Idem p. 115. The cau&s;e of v&s;ury.</NOTE> Euen thence whence theft, murder, adultery, the plagues, and de|&s;truction of the people doe &s;pring. All the&s;e are the workes of the diuell, and the workes of the fle&s;h.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Iohn 8. V&s;urers of their father the diuell.</NOTE> Chri&s;t telleth the Phari&s;ees, <HI>You are of your father the diuell, and the lu&s;ts of your father you will doe.</HI> Euen &s;o may it truely be &s;ayd to the V&s;urer, Thou art of thy father the diuell, and the lu&s;ts of thy father thou wilt doe, and therefore thou ha&s;t plea&s;ure in his workes. The diuell entered into the heart of <HI>Iudas,</HI> and put in him this greedine&s;&s;e, and couetou&s;|ne&s;&s;e of gaine, for which he was content to &s;ell his ma&s;ter. <HI>Iudas</HI> heart was the &s;hop, the diuell was the foreman to worke in it. They that will be rich, fall into tentation and &s;nares, and into many fooli&s;h and noy&s;ome lu&s;ts,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Tim 6.9 10.</NOTE> which
<PB N="16" REF="19"> drowne men in perdition and de&s;truction. For the de&s;ire of money, is the roote of all euill. And S. <HI>Iohn</HI> &s;aith, <HI>Who+&s;oeuer committeth &s;inne is of the Diuell.</HI> 1 <HI>Ioh.</HI> 3.8. Thus we &s;ee that the diuell is the planter, and the father of v&s;ury.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">Idem p. 116. The fruits of v&s;ury.</NOTE>What are the fruits of v&s;ury? <HI>A.</HI> 1. It di&s;&s;olueth the knot and fellow&s;hip of mankind. 2. It hardneth mans heart. 3. It maketh men vnnaturall, and bereaueth them of charity, and loue to their deare&s;t friends. 4. It bree|deth mi&s;ery and prouoketh the wrath of God from hea|uen. 5. It con&s;umeth rich men, it eateth vp the poore, it maketh bankrupts, and vndoeth many hou&s;eholders, 6 The poore occupiers are driuen to flee, there wiues are left alone, their children are hopele&s;&s;e, and driuen to beg their bread, through the vnmercifull dealing of the coue|tous v&s;urer.</P>
<P>He that is an V&s;urer, wi&s;heth that all others may lacke and come to him and borrow of him:<NOTE PLACE="marg">Idem p. 120. Our forefa|thers abhorred v&s;ury.</NOTE> that all others may lo&s;e, &s;o that he may haue gaine. Therefore our old fore|fathers &s;o much abhorred this trade, that they thought an V&s;urer vnworthy to liue in the company of Chri&s;tian men They &s;uffered not an V&s;urer to be a witne&s;&s;e in matters of Law. They &s;uffer him not to make a Te&s;tament, and to be&s;tow his goods by Will. When an V&s;urer dyed, they would not &s;uffer him to be buried in places appointed for the buriall of Chri&s;tians. So highly did they mi&s;like this vn|mercifull &s;poyling and deceiuing our brethren.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">Idem p. 121. All profe&s;&s;ions of men con|demne V&s;ury.</NOTE>But what &s;peake I of the ancient Fathers of the Church? there was neuer any Religion, nor Sect, nor State, nor De|gree, nor Profe&s;&s;ion of men, but they haue di&s;liked it. Philo|&s;ophers, Greekes, Latins, Lawyers, Diuines, Catholikes, He|reticks; all Tongues, and Nations, haue euer thought an V&s;urer as dangerous as a theefe. The very &s;en&s;e of nature proues it to be &s;o. If the &s;tones could &s;peake, they would
<PB N="17" REF="19"> &s;ay as much. But &s;ome will &s;ay,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Idem p. 124. The V&s;urers obiection.</NOTE> all kindes of v&s;ury are not forbidden, there may be ca&s;es where v&s;ury may &s;tand with rea&s;on and equity, and herein they &s;ay &s;o much as by wit may be deui&s;ed, to paint out a &s;oule and vgly idoll, and to &s;hadow them&s;elues in manife&s;t and open wickedne&s;&s;e. What&s;oeuer God &s;ayth, yet this or this kind of v&s;ury, &s;ay they, which is done in this or this &s;ort, is not forbidden. It profiteth the Commonwealth, it relieueth great numbers, the poore &s;hould otherwi&s;e peri&s;h, none would lend them.</P>
<P>By like good rea&s;on,<NOTE PLACE="marg" TYPE="runSum">An&s;wer.</NOTE> there are &s;ome that defend theft and murder, they &s;ay, there may be &s;ome ca&s;e, where it is lawfull to kill or to &s;teale: for God willed the Hebrews to rob the Aegyptians, and <HI>Abraham</HI> to kill his owne &s;onne <HI>I|&s;aac.</HI> In the&s;e ca&s;es the robbery and the killing of his &s;onne were lawfull. So &s;ay they.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Some pleade for V&s;urers, as Papi&s;ts for whores.</NOTE> Euen &s;o by the like rea&s;on doe &s;ome of our countreymen maintayne concubines, curti|zans, and brothel-hou&s;es, and &s;tand in defence of open &s;tewes. They are (&s;ay they) for the benefit of the Country, they keepe men from more dangerous inconueniences, take them away, it will be wor&s;e. Although God &s;ay, There &s;hall be no whore of the daughters of <HI>I&s;rael,</HI> neither &s;hall there be a whore-keeper of the &s;onnes of <HI>I&s;rael.</HI> Yet the&s;e men &s;ay all manner of whoredome is not forbidden. In the&s;e and the&s;e ca&s;es it is not ami&s;&s;e to alow it.</P>
<P>As <HI>Samuel</HI> &s;ayd to <HI>Saul,</HI> &s;o may we &s;ay to the V&s;urer?<NOTE PLACE="marg">Idem p. 126. God cares not for V&s;urers excu&s;es.</NOTE> thou ha&s;t deui&s;ed ca&s;es and colours to hide thy &s;hame, but what regard hath God to thy ca&s;es? What careth he for thy rea&s;ons? the Lord would haue more plea&s;ure, if when thou heare&s;t his voyce thou woulde&s;t obey him. For what is thy deuice again&s;t the coun&s;ell, and ordinance of God? What bold pre&s;umption is it for a mortall man to controule the Commandements of immortall God? And to weigh his heauenly wi&s;edome in the ballance of humane fooli&s;hne&s;&s;e? When God &s;ayth, thou &s;halt not take v&s;ury, what creature of GOD art thou which can&s;t take v&s;ury? When God maketh
<PB N="18" REF="20"> it vnlawfull,<NOTE PLACE="marg">They are of a de&s;perate mind.</NOTE> what art thou, oh man, that &s;ay&s;t, it is law|full? This is a token of a de&s;perate mind. It is found true in thee, that <HI>Paul</HI> &s;ayd, the loue of money is the roote of all ill. Thou art &s;o giuen ouer vnto the wic|ked Mammon, that thou care&s;t not to doe the will of God.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">Idem p. 144.</NOTE>Thus much I thought expedient to &s;peake of the loath&s;ome and foule Trade of v&s;ury, I know not what fruit will grow thereby, and what it will worke in your hearts. If it plea&s;e God, it may doe that good that I wi&s;h. I haue done my duety, I call God for a record vnto my &s;oule, I haue not deceiued you. I haue &s;poken vnto you the truth. If I be deceiued in this matter, O God thou ha&s;t deceiued me. Thou &s;ay&s;t, <HI>Thou &s;halt take no v&s;ury.</HI> Thou &s;ay&s;t, <HI>He that taketh increa&s;e, &s;hall not liue.</HI> What am I, that I &s;hould hide the words of my God, or keepe them backe from the hearing of his people? The Learned old Fathers haue taught vs, it is no more law|full to take v&s;ury of our brother, then it is to kill our bro|ther. They that be of God heare this, and con&s;ider it, and haue a care that they di&s;plea&s;e him not. But the wicked that are no whit moued, and care not what God &s;ayth, but ca&s;t his Word behind them: which haue eyes and &s;ee not, and eares yet heare not: becau&s;e they are filthy, they &s;hall be filthy &s;till: their greedy de&s;ire &s;hall increa&s;e to their confu&s;ion, and as their money encrea&s;eth, &s;o &s;hall they encrea&s;e the heapes of their &s;innes.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Note.</NOTE> Pardon me if I haue beene long or vehmeent, of tho&s;e that are V&s;urers I aske no pardon.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">Idem p. 145.</NOTE>I heare that there are certaine in this City which wallow wretchedly in this filthine&s;&s;e, without repentance, I giue them warning in the hearing of you all,<NOTE PLACE="marg">V&s;ury a cruell and dete&s;table &s;inne.</NOTE> and in the pre&s;ence of God, that they for&s;ake this cruell and dete&s;table &s;in. If otherwi&s;e, they continue therein, I will open their &s;hame,
<PB N="19" REF="20"> and denounce Excommunication again&s;t them,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Bb. <HI>Iewel</HI> threatneth excomuni|cation again&s;t V&s;urers.</NOTE> and publi&s;h there names in this place, before you all. That you may know them, and abhorre them, as the plagues and mon&s;ters of the world: that if they be pa&s;t all feare of God, they may yet repent and amend for worldly &s;hame.</P>
<P>Tell me thou wretched wight of the World, thou vnkind creature which art pa&s;t all &s;en&s;e and feeling of God, which knoweth the will of God,<NOTE PLACE="marg">V&s;urers im|pudent. 1 Becau&s;e they come to Church. 2 Becau&s;e they read GODS Word. 3 Becau&s;e they come into the company of good men. They cau&s;e Gods wrath to fall vpon their children.</NOTE> and do&s;t the contrary? How dare&s;t thou come into the Church? It is the Church of that GOD, which hath &s;ayd, thou &s;halt take no v&s;ury, and thou knowe&s;t he hath &s;o &s;ayd. How dare&s;t thou read or heare the Word of God? It is the Word of that God, which condem|neth v&s;ury; and thou knowe&s;t he doth condemne it. How dare&s;t thou come into the company of thy brethren? v&s;ury is the plague and de&s;truction and vndoing of thy brethren. And this thou knowe&s;t. How dare&s;t thou looke vpon thy Children? Thou make&s;t the wrath of GOD fall downe from Heauen vpon them. Thy iniquity &s;hall bee puni&s;hed in them to the third and forth Generation. This thou knowe&s;t. How dare&s;t thou looke vp into Heauen? Thou ha&s;t no dwelling there: thou &s;halt haue no place in the Tabernacle of the highe&s;t. This thou knowe&s;t. Becau&s;e thou robbe&s;t the poore, deceiue&s;t the &s;imple, and eate&s;t vp the Widowes Hou&s;es: therefore &s;hall thy Children bee naked, and begge their bread: therefore &s;halt thou and thy riches peri&s;h together.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 TYPE="part">
<HEAD>The third Te&s;timonie, Bi&s;hop King.</HEAD>
<P>HOw long will the V&s;urer and oppre&s;&s;or of others who&s;e Lawes are as kniues,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Vpon Ionas p. 90.</NOTE> and who&s;e teeth be of iron, &s;leepe in his bed of mi&s;chiefe, as the P&s;almi&s;t calleth
<PB N="20" REF="21"> it, and in the contemplation and &s;olace of his ill gotten goods?</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">Idem p. 444. Lecture 32.</NOTE>How long haue we cried again&s;t oppre&s;&s;ions, and &s;mitten the oppre&s;&s;ours with the rod of Gods vengeance, as <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> &s;mote the Rocke? And yet what one drop of remor&s;e haue we euer wrung from their &s;tony hearts? How long haue we clapt our hands at the &s;hamele&s;&s;e v&s;ury of this place?<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mini&s;ters mu&s;t preach again&s;t v&s;ury.</NOTE> If v&s;ury bee too &s;tiffe to bee moued, yet we mu&s;t free our &s;oules, and if it were po&s;&s;ible, we would al&s;o free them that are wrapt in their &s;nares. If they little e&s;teeme the warning of the fif|teenth <HI>P&s;alme,</HI> that giue their money vpon v&s;ury, let them at lea&s;t take heede that receiue it. Let them not trie to beare an Oxe vpon their &s;houlders, when they are vnable to beare a Goate. That is, if pouerty be burthen enough vnto them, let them not adde the burthen of v&s;ury. They aske what they &s;hall doe? Do&s;t thou aske? Saith <HI>Plutarke.</HI> Thou ha&s;t a tongue, begge. Thou ha&s;t hands, worke. Thou ha&s;t feete, walke. Thou ha&s;t an heart,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Plutarch de v&s;ura. <HI>Nihil tam mole&s;tum quam red|dere.</HI> Idem p. 504. Lecture 37.</NOTE> thinke.</P>
<P><HI>Nauiga, renauiga,</HI> &s;ale forward and backeward, take any paynes, rather then to fall into the mercy of an V&s;urer. There is nothing &s;o bitter as to re&s;tore.</P>
<P>I would our V&s;urers would marke this, that of all tho&s;e grieuous offences whereof <HI>Nineueh</HI> had labour|red a long time, the re&s;t are held a &s;leepe, and their names &s;pared, as not worthy in compari&s;on to come in &s;peech with their farre &s;uperiour iniquity; onely the wickedne&s;&s;e of their hands,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Nam&abque; meos nec aequos mihi nec ra|puere iuven|cos Plutar. de uitando aere alieno.</NOTE> which is not lea&s;t in bi|ting the poore, is remembred and reported in &s;pe|ciall wordes. Spake I of V&s;urers? There are none: neyther is there a Sunne in the Skie. For mine owne part, I know them not. For they haue taken ney|ther Hor&s;e nor Bullocke of mee. But for my bre|threns &s;ake both in the City and Country, I wi&s;h that
<PB N="21" REF="21"> their billes and bonds were all heaped together in the Market place, and &s;et on fire, as they were &s;ometimes at <HI>Athens,</HI> that wee might all ioy and &s;ay, as <HI>Alcibiades</HI> then did, we never &s;aw a clearer fire.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Nunquam vidi ignem purionem.</NOTE> But becau&s;e we cannot ea&s;e our hearts &s;o &s;oone of them, nor by &s;uch meanes I will tell them for their owne com|fort what they &s;hall tru&s;t to among&s;t other things that although they labour in the fire to get riches, yet the time &s;hall come, when there &s;hall nothing re|maine vnto them but this, that they &s;hall be able to know and recount with them&s;elues, how many debters they haue quite vndone: As for their trea&s;ures of iniquity, let them plainely vnder&s;tand that they put them into a bottom|le&s;&s;e bag which could hold nothing.<NOTE PLACE="marg">De mal&egrave; quae&s;itis, &amp;c.</NOTE> Ill gotten goods ne|uer de&s;cend to the third heire; perhaps, not to the &s;econd, nor fir&s;t, not to benefit him&s;elfe, who thinketh he hath mo&s;t handfa&s;t. <HI>She gathered it of the hire of an harlot,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Micah 1. V&s;urers goods &s;hall not pro&s;|per.</NOTE> <HI>and it &s;hall returne to the wages of an harlot.</HI> They gathered their wealth by v&s;ury, and v&s;ury or &s;omewhat el&s;e &s;hall con&s;ume it. <HI>Gni|pho</HI> the V&s;urer as <HI>Lucian</HI> reporteth, lieth in hell, bemoaning his hard e&s;tate, that <HI>R<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">docares</HI> an ince&s;tuous &s;pend thrift &s;hould wa&s;te his goods: &s;o may the&s;e, but I leaue their iudgement to God, to whom it belongeth. For vengeance is his, and he will repay it. Yet dare I giue &s;entence again&s;t it, as far as the ancient Romanes lawes did: wherein be|cau&s;e a thiefe was bound to make re&s;titution of double, the V&s;urer of foure fold. Their meaning is plaine enough,<NOTE PLACE="marg">V&s;ury double theft.</NOTE> that they e&s;teemed v&s;ury a double theft, and that at the lea&s;t is my iudgement. And therefore as <HI>Alexander Seuerus</HI> made an Act, that none &s;hould &s;alute the Emperour,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Note.</NOTE> who knew him&s;elfe to be a thiefe, &s;o let our V&s;urers, take them|&s;elues warned,<NOTE PLACE="marg">V&s;urers not to &s;alute Chri&s;ti|ans.</NOTE> and di&s;charged (&s;o long as their hearts accu&s;e them of their double and treble theft) from &s;aluting Chri|&s;tians, and much more from eating, drinking, conuer&s;ing, mo&s;t of all from praying, fa&s;ting, communicating with Chri&s;tians.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 TYPE="part">
<PB N="22" REF="22">
<HEAD>The <HI>4.</HI> Te&s;timony, Bi&s;hop Lakes.</HEAD>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">In his workes vol. p. 343.</NOTE>THis is no &s;mall difference betweene God and the di|uell. The diueil in &s;hew, biddeth vs, loue our &s;elues, doe all for our &s;elues, and we are &s;o &s;imple as to beleeue him,<NOTE PLACE="marg">The diuell the image of V&s;u|rers.</NOTE> and thinke that we doe &s;o; whereas the euent proues that we doe all for him, and to our owne ruine: for he is the plaine image of V&s;urers, who liue by the &s;weat of o|ther mens browes, and cunningly grow rich by vndoing others with a &s;eeming reliefe.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">Idem vpon P&s;. 50.21. God will re|proue V&s;urers.</NOTE>God him&s;elfe &s;ayth it in the clo&s;e of this P&s;alme, <HI>Heare this all ye that forget God.</HI> Iewes, Gentiles, what&s;oeuer you be, if you be adulterers, drunkards, V&s;urers, bla&s;phemers, any way wicked liuers, <HI>Con&s;ider this</HI> (&s;aith God) <HI>lest I &s;uddenly take you away, and there be none to helpe you.</HI> For if we be guilty of &s;uch &s;innes, and encourage our &s;elues in them by ba&s;e conceits of God, God will not faile to re|proue vs, and mar&s;hall &s;uch wickedne&s;&s;e before vs, to con|uict vs thereof, and to confound vs therewith.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">Idem Sermon vpon Iohn 2.16. V&s;urers fill the land with poore.</NOTE>While the Gentleman depopulates the Countrey, and the V&s;urer and Victuler are become the chiefe Trade&s;men of Incorporations, what wonder if contrary to Gods Law, and the Kings, the whole Land be filled with mi&s;erable poore.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 TYPE="part">
<HEAD>The fift Te&s;timony, Bi&s;hop Downam.</HEAD>
<P>This most reuerend and learned Bi&s;hop proues v&s;ury to be vnlawfull by diuers arguments.</P>
<DIV4 N="1" TYPE="argument">
<HEAD>1 <HI>Argument.</HI></HEAD>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Propo&s;ition.</HI> vpon P&s;. 13. p. 250.</NOTE>What&s;oeuer peruerteth and ouerturneth an act of ver|tue, e&s;pecially &s;uch a nece&s;&s;ary act to humane &s;ocieties, that is to &s;ay, free lending: it is not onely a vice, but a de|te&s;table vice.</P>
<PB N="23" REF="22">
<P>But v&s;ury peruerteth and depraueth this nece&s;&s;ary act of liberality and charity, (free lending:<NOTE PLACE="marg">A&s;&s;umpt.</NOTE>) turning it into an act of &s;elfe loue, couetou&s;ne&s;&s;e and cruelty.</P>
<P>Therefore v&s;ury is not onely a vice,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Concl.</NOTE> but a dete&s;table vice.</P>
<P>The propo&s;ition is proued, becau&s;e nothing is oppo&s;ite to vertue but vice. As for free lending, it is a commendable act of liberality, and a nece&s;&s;ary duty of charity.</P>
<P>The a&s;&s;umption is cleare and manife&s;t. For whereas by the ordinance of God and by the Law of nature, lending is free and charitable, intending the good of the borrower, and not of the lender; v&s;ury hath made it illiberall and vn|charitable, intending the lenders profit chiefly, if not one|ly, and &s;eeking, yea couenanting for the lenders gaine as well out of the lo&s;&s;e of the borrower as out of his gaine. The property of charity is not to &s;eeke her owne, but the good of others, and whereas other vertues &s;erue for the good of the &s;ubiect wherein they are, the acts of charity and liberality are referred to the good of others:<NOTE PLACE="marg">Note.</NOTE> lending therefore being an act of liberali|ty and charity, ought to re&s;pect the good of the borrower, if not onely, yet chiefly; but lending by v&s;ury is made an act of &s;elfeloue, wherein the good of the borrower is &s;ought either not at all, or but in a &s;econdary re&s;pect,<NOTE PLACE="marg">V&s;urers coue|nant ab&s;olute|ly for gaine.</NOTE> as it &s;erueth to further the lenders gaine. For indeed the len|der by v&s;ury couenanteth ab&s;olutely for gaine, which hap|neth &s;ometimes out of the borrowers lo&s;&s;e, and &s;ometimes al&s;o out of his gaine, which the V&s;urer will pretend to &s;eeke and re&s;pect, but the truth is, he will neuer looke after his neighbours profit, vnle&s;&s;e therein he may be &s;ure to find his owne gaine.</P>
<P>The v&s;urers lending therefore is an act of &s;elfeloue,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Lending pro|ceedeth from 3 fountaines.</NOTE> and it is al&s;o an act of couetou&s;ne&s;&s;e. For whereas lending pro|ceedeth from one of the&s;e 3 fountaines, either from Chri|&s;tian charity, or from ciuill loue and humanity, or from couetou&s;ne&s;&s;e: he is &s;ayd to lend in Chri&s;tian charity, who
<PB N="24" REF="23"> lendeth for the Lords &s;ake to his needy neighbour, looking for nothing againe: in ciuill charity or curte&s;ie, who len|deth to plea&s;ure his friend, looking for his owne againe: in couetou&s;ne&s;&s;e who lookes for more then his owne. For indeed what is <GAP LANG="grc" DESC="foreign" RESP="OXF">, that is couetou&s;ne&s;&s;e, but an vn|lawfull de&s;ire of hauing more.</P>
</DIV4>
<DIV4 N="2" TYPE="argument">
<HEAD>2 <HI>Argument.</HI></HEAD>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">Idem p. 310.</NOTE>V&s;ury cannot be practi&s;ed with a good con&s;cience, be|cau&s;e it cannot be done in fayth, that is to &s;ay, in a &s;ound per&s;wa&s;ion out of the Word of God, that it is lawfull: and what&s;oeuer is not of fayth is &s;inne.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 14.23.</NOTE></P>
</DIV4>
<DIV4 N="3" TYPE="argument">
<HEAD>3 <HI>Argument.</HI></HEAD>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">Phil. 4.8. Rom. 12.17. 1 The&s;. 5.22:</NOTE>That which is not hone&s;t and of good report, is not to be practi&s;ed. For the Scripture teacheth vs, that we &s;hould doe &s;uch things as are hone&s;t, and of good report, proui|ding for hone&s;t things, not onely before God, but al&s;o be|fore men, ab&s;taining from all &s;hewes of euill.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">Improban|turij quae&s;tus qui in odia hominum in|currunt vt faeneratorum De Off. lib. <HI>1.</HI></NOTE>But v&s;ury is a very odious thing, and of ill report: the very heathen by the light of nature dete&s;ted it. <HI>Tully</HI> &s;aith, &s;uch things are to be mi&s;liked which are odious, as namely that of V&s;urers. <HI>Columella</HI> &s;ayth, that v&s;ury is odious euen to tho&s;e whom it &s;eemeth to helpe. <HI>Aristotle</HI> &s;ayth it is hated mo&s;t worthily, &amp;c. As for Chri&s;tians, v&s;ury in anci|ent time was &s;o odious among them, that if any were but &s;u&s;pected to be an V&s;urer, his hou&s;e was counted the hou&s;e of the diuell, no neighbour would fetch fire at his hou&s;e, or haue any thing to doe with him, children would poynt at him in the &s;treets: yea, by the lawes of Chri&s;ti|&s;tians they are diffamed per&s;ons.<NOTE PLACE="marg">vid, Cent. 12. cap. 4. The v&s;urers hou&s;e called the hou&s;e of the diuell.</NOTE> The Scriptures cen&s;ure v&s;ury as an abomination; that is, as a &s;inne to be abhorred. and P&s;. 109.11. the holy Gho&s;t v&s;eth this interpretation again&s;t the wicked: Let the exactour (meaning thereby the v&s;urer, as all Tran&s;lations, almo&s;t, be&s;ides &s;ome Engli&s;h doe read) en&s;nare all that he hath. Whereby it may be ga|thered, both that to be an V&s;urer is an odious thing, and that it is a cur&s;e to fall into his &s;nare.</P>
<PB N="25" REF="23">
<P>Seing therefore v&s;ury is and alwayes hath beene a thing &s;o odious and of &s;o bad report,<NOTE PLACE="marg">The V&s;urer denies the conclu&s;ion.</NOTE> no Chri&s;tian can practi&s;e it with a good con&s;cience.</P>
<P>The V&s;urer &s;innes again&s;t God, his neighbour, and him&s;elfe.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t again&s;t God by impiety and vngodline&s;&s;e.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Leuit 25.36. Neh. 5.9.</NOTE> For the V&s;urer wants the feare of God.</P>
<P N="2">2 He di&s;obeyeth the Commandements of GOD,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Idem p. 270.</NOTE> &s;traightly commanding free loane, and &s;harpely forbid|ding v&s;ury, and contemneth the threatnings of God denounced again&s;t the &s;ame.</P>
<P N="3">3 He &s;innes by infidelity,<NOTE PLACE="marg">V&s;urers in|fidels.</NOTE> in not beleeuing the gra|cious promi&s;es of God made to tho&s;e who lend freely: for as <HI>Chry&s;ost.</HI> hath well &s;aid <GAP LANG="grc" DESC="foreign" RESP="OXF">, v&s;ury is the ofspring of infidelity.</P>
<P N="4">4 By diffidence, ending commonly in prophane&s;&s;e. For the Lord would haue our faith concerning &s;pirituall ble&s;&s;ings in heauenly things,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Page 271.</NOTE> to be excerci&s;ed and con|firmed by our affiance repo&s;ed in his goodne&s;&s;e for tem|porall ble&s;&s;ings in earthly things, as may be gathered by the order of the fourth and fifth petitions of the Lords Prayer.<NOTE PLACE="marg">The v&s;urers dare not tru&s;t to Gods pro|uidence.</NOTE> &mdash; But the V&s;urers whole endeuour is to &s;ettle him&s;elfe and his e&s;tate as it were out of the gun&s;hot of Gods prouidence: he will not deale by husbandry, or traffique becau&s;e of the hazards whereunto eyther of both is &s;ubiect: that is to &s;ay, becau&s;e of his diffidence in God, to who&s;e prouidence he dare not tru&s;t his goods: and therefore he will make &s;ure worke for him&s;elfe, that he &s;hall not neede to &s;tand to Gods courte&s;ie. The practice of v&s;ury &s;hall bee as a Tower of <HI>Babel</HI> vnto him,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Note.</NOTE> that whether GOD do ble&s;&s;e the traffique of men, or not, or whether it goe well or ill with Husbandrie, hee will bee &s;ure both of his Principall and of his gaine. All is one to him, whether the Marchants gaine or loo&s;e, &s;inke or &s;wime, whether there bee Fammine or plenty faire.
<PB N="26" REF="24"> weather or foule, hee feareth no flouds In a word, his chiefe endeuour is, that in re&s;pect of worldly things hee may haue nothing to doe with God; and &s;o at length of a faithle&s;&s;e man hee becommeth al&s;o pro|phaine,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ezeh. 22.12.</NOTE> hauing forgotten God, as for this &s;inne the Lord chargeth <HI>Ieru&s;alem,</HI> neyther is God, I meane the true God in all his thoughts; for his god <HI>Mammon</HI> doth wholy po&s;&s;e&s;&s;e his heart.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">V&s;urers idola|ters.</NOTE>The V&s;urer &s;inneth by Idolatrie. For &s;eeing the roote of v&s;ury is couetou&s;ne&s;&s;e (which is the roote of all euill) it cannot bee denied; but that euery V&s;urer is couetous; and euery couetous man is an idolater <HI>Eph.</HI> 5.5. And a Seruant of <HI>Mammon, Mat.</HI> 6.24. And there|fore no true Seruant of the Lord, now you mu&s;t remem|ber, that for couetous per&s;ons and idolaters, there is no inheritance in Heauen.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">Idem p. 232. The V&s;urer is both vniu&s;t &amp; vncharitable.</NOTE>Secondly, the V&s;urer &s;inneth again&s;t his neighbour for whereas there are two duties e&s;pecially to be practi&s;ed towards our neighbour, that is to &s;ay, Iu&s;tice and Charity: Iu&s;tice, to giue euery man his owne, and Charity, not to &s;eeke our owne but other mens profit Iu&s;tice: to do no wrong, Charity, to do good to all; v&s;ury offendeth again&s;t both, as being both vniu&s;t and vncharitable. Which copulation is duely to be marked. For whereas &s;ome alledge,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Note.</NOTE> that v&s;ury is not again&s;t Charity, when ney|ther the lender nor borrower is hurt thereby, it &s;hall hereby appeare, that if at any time it may &s;eeme not to be oppo&s;ed to Charity as an hurtfull thing, yet it is alwayes oppo&s;ed as an vniu&s;t and vnequall thing. For fir&s;t, the generall Law both of Iu&s;tice and Charity is this, as you would that men &s;hould do to you, &s;o do you to them likewi&s;e.<NOTE PLACE="marg">See the an&s;wer to obiect. 2.</NOTE> But when you haue neede to borrow, you would that Men &s;hould lend you freely, and not impo&s;e V&s;ury vpon you: there|fore in like ca&s;e, when others would borrow of you in
<PB N="27" REF="24"> their nece&s;&s;ity, you ought to lend them freely, and not im|po&s;e v&s;ury vpon them.</P>
<P>Thirdly, the V&s;urer &s;inneth again&s;t him&s;elfe by de&s;perate folly.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Idem p. 272. The v&s;urer &s;in|neth again&s;t him&s;elfe.</NOTE> For as euery notorious Malefactor may truly be &s;aid to ca&s;t away him&s;elfe, and is guilty of &s;elfe-murder, as it is &s;aid of <HI>Korah</HI> and his complices, <HI>Num.</HI> 16.38. &s;o the V&s;u|rer likewi&s;e pulleth vpon him&s;elfe the fearefull iudgements. of God, and is guilty of his owne ouerthrow. For the Lord hath threatned not onely the tran&s;lation of their goods from them in this world, <HI>Pro,</HI> 28.8. but al&s;o, as touching the world to come, that they &s;hall not dwell in the Moun|taine of Gods holine&s;&s;e (as may be gathered out of the 15 P&s;alme) but that they &s;hall die the death, meaning therby the death of the &s;oule.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ezeh 18.13.</NOTE>) and that you may know to whom the cau&s;e of the V&s;urers damnation is to be imputed, it is added, and his blood &s;hall be vpon him. And that is it which <HI>Leo</HI> &s;aith, <HI>Poenus pecuniae, funus e&s;t animae,</HI> the gaine of v&s;ury is the graue of the &s;oule.</P>
</DIV4>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 TYPE="part">
<HEAD>The <HI>6.</HI> Te&s;timony, Bi&s;hop Babington.</HEAD>
<P>THere be great &s;lyes, and tho&s;e be great men,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Vpon Exod. Ch. 8. p. 203.</NOTE> that ty|rannou&s;ly rule, not &s;hearing but &s;hauing to the very skin, if they take not skin and all. And there be le&s;&s;er flies, and tho&s;e be V&s;ures, and other biting binders, who with their <HI>Nouerint vniuer&s;i,</HI> make an vniuer&s;all ruine of many a mans e&s;tate, and doe fetch him in &s;till with The conditi|tion of this obligation, that in the end his condition is wo|full, and his heart breaketh with the bitter griefe of Be it knowne to all men: Surely the&s;e are cur&s;ed flies indeed, the &s;uckers of our &s;ap, the bibbers of our blood,<NOTE PLACE="marg">V&s;urers be cur|&s;ed flies.</NOTE> the pinchers of our hearts, and the &s;tingers and wringers of our very &s;oules. The Aegyptian flies was nothing like vnto them, but yet you &s;ee was a great plague of God, &s;ent to puni&s;h the &s;innes of men. But let them remember that the&s;e flies of
<PB N="28" REF="25"> Aegypt had but a time, God &s;ent them in wrath, and tooke them away in mercy, vpon intreatie. Some <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> or other &s;hall &s;tand vp, and the Lord &s;hall &s;end a &s;trong We&s;t wind, to take the&s;e canker wormes away, and ca&s;t them into the red Sea, that in our coa&s;t they may torment no longer. <HI>Amen.</HI></P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">Idem vpon the Commande|ments p. 69. 70.</NOTE>If a man (&s;aith the Law) borrow any thing of his neighbour, and it be hurt or el&s;e die, the owner of it not being by, he &s;hall &s;urely make it good. If it be an hired thing he &s;hall not make it good, for it came for his hire. In which Law, if we well weighe it we may fir&s;t &s;ee, that if we haue that thing which our neighbour would borrow, and we be able, without our hurt, well to &s;pare it him, we are bound to do it, or el&s;e we &s;inne again&s;t this Law of GOD, and we euen &s;teale from our brother, that which in right is his. For God would not euer haue made a Law for recompence of the lender,<NOTE PLACE="marg">It is a nece&s;|&s;ary duty of loue to lend when we may.</NOTE> if his thing lent receiue any harme, vnle&s;&s;e it had beene a nece&s;&s;ary duty of loue to lend when we may: therefore this narrowne&s;&s;e of heart, and vnkind di&s;po&s;ition, to grudge vnto any that good which by lending wee can po&s;&s;ibly do him, it is hatefull in the eyes of God, and a plaine breach of this Commande|ment.</P>
<P>Secondly, in this Law, (as one hath very well noted,) wee may &s;ee a great light giuen to that hard controuer&s;ie concerning v&s;ury of money. For marke I pray you, how he &s;aith in plaine termes, that if the thing were hired, and though it peri&s;hed in the v&s;e, yet &s;hould it not be made good by him which hired it, for it came for his hire. The money which V&s;urers giue out, is hired as you know. Therefore if it were a thing that might be hired, you &s;ee the &s;entence of God, though it peri&s;hed.</P>
<PB N="29" REF="25">
<P>Secondly, marke againe how the Lord &s;ayth, though a man lend of meere loue freely without any hire, yet &s;hall his recompence be nothing more, then good will againe, vnle&s;&s;e it die, or be hurt which he lendeth. Now money neyther dyeth, neyther commonly is any whit hurt, but re|turneth euery way as good as it came.</P>
<P>Thirdly, con&s;ider how the Law will haue an apparent hurt of the thing lent, or el&s;e it alloweth no recompence,<NOTE PLACE="marg">V&s;urers haue con&s;ideration for likely lo&s;&s;e.</NOTE> but V&s;urers wil haue con&s;ideration for likely lo&s;&s;e: for, &s;ay they, If I had had my money, po&s;&s;ibly I could haue gai|ned thus much with it: yet are they not &s;ure they could haue done it, for God could haue cro&s;&s;ed their expectati|on, and being not &s;ure that they could haue gained, it is not apparent that they haue beene hindred: but this Law of God prouideth in equity onely for apparent harme, and therefore nothing for them.</P>
<P>Fourthly, the equity of this Law is onely this, that good will be no lo&s;er,<NOTE PLACE="marg">They will haue certaine gaine.</NOTE> and therefore proui&s;ion is made for recompence, if the thing lent receiued hurt. But V&s;u|rers will haue their good will, as they call it, certaine and an exce&s;&s;iue gainer.</P>
<P>Fiftly, in this law of God, the borrower is re&s;pected, that he &s;hould haue helpe of his neyghbour,<NOTE PLACE="marg">V&s;ury regar|deth wholy the lender, V&s;ury plaine iniury voyd of loue.</NOTE> and not pay for it, vnle&s;&s;e he hurt the thing which he borrowed, but v&s;ury regardeth wholy the lender. Wherefore it &s;ee|meth that if this Law of God had euer any equity, this V&s;ury of money had euer plaine iniury, and that this kind of lending is voyd of loue, and therefore apparantly a breach of this Commandement.</P>
</DIV3>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="4" TYPE="chapter">
<PB N="30" REF="26">
<HEAD>CHAP. 4. The iudgement of our mo&s;t Learned and Orthodox|al Diuines concerning v&s;ury.</HEAD>
<DIV3 TYPE="part">
<HEAD>The fir&s;t Te&s;timony, Doctor Willet.</HEAD>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">vpon Exodus, p. 509. v&s;ury defined.</NOTE>BEfore the &s;euerall poynts belonging to this que&s;tion can be di&s;cu&s;&s;ed, fir&s;t we mu&s;t &s;ee what v&s;ury is 1. <HI>Plus ex mutuo velle, qu&agrave;m mutuatum &s;it, iniquum est,</HI> to de&s;ire more by lending, then was lent is wicked, <HI>Caietan.</HI> 2. <HI>V&s;ura e&s;t lucrum quod accipitur, &s;olius mutuationis cau&s;a.</HI> V&s;ury is a gaine, which is taken onely for lending. <HI>Vr&s;inus. Quic|quid lucri praeter &s;ortem dabatur,</HI> what gaine &s;oeuer was giuen be&s;ide the principall: whereupon it is called in the Hebrew <HI>Tarbith,</HI> that is, encrea&s;e of the multiplying. <HI>Cal|uin.</HI> 3. After the &s;ame manner was v&s;ury defined in former times; as <HI>Carthag.</HI> 3. <HI>c.</HI> 16. <HI>Nullus clericorum amplius acci|piat, quam cuiquam accomodavit,</HI> that none of the cleargy &s;hould receiue more then he hath lent. <HI>Augustine</HI> thus de|&s;cribeth an v&s;urer, <HI>Si plus quam dedi&s;ti, expectas accipere, fae|uerator es,</HI> if thou looke to receiue more, then thou ha&s;t gi|uen, thou art an V&s;urer.</P>
<P>That this kind of v&s;ury is vtterly vnlawfull, and not to be practi&s;ed among Chri&s;tians, it &s;hall appeare by the&s;e rea|&s;ons.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">V&s;ury condem|ned. vnlawfull to the Iews.</NOTE>Fir&s;t, the Hebrews were forbidden to take any v&s;ury at all of their brethren; of the Gentiles they might: but now <HI>diruta e&s;t maceries,</HI> the wall of partition is taken away, there is neither Iew nor Gentile, but all are one in Chri&s;t. <HI>Caluin.</HI></P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">Of it &s;elfe hurtfull.</NOTE>Secondly, <HI>V&s;ura ex &s;uo genere nociua e&s;t,</HI> V&s;ury euen of it &s;elfe is hurtfull, becau&s;e it is called <HI>Ne&s;heh,</HI> biting, <HI>Caietan.</HI> And the law of nature teacheth: that we &s;hould not doe that to another, which we would not haue offered to our &s;elues.</P>
<PB N="31" REF="26">
<P>Thirdly, v&s;ury was dete&s;table among the Heathen,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Dete&s;table a|mong the Hea|then.</NOTE> much more odious ought it to be among Chri&s;tians: as <HI>Cato</HI> being asked what it was to play the V&s;urer, an&s;wered, <HI>Idem quod occidere;</HI> all one, as to kill: and further hee &s;aid, that in former time, they v&s;ed to puni&s;h a theefe but in two fold, an V&s;urer in foure fold. <HI>Caluine.</HI></P>
<P>Fourthly, v&s;ury is again&s;t the fir&s;t in&s;titution of money,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Again&s;t the fir&s;t in&s;tituti|on of money.</NOTE> <HI>Pecunia inuenta est, &amp;c.</HI> Money was inuented, and found out, that thereby things nece&s;&s;ary for the maintenance of this like might bee prouided: but now it is per|uerted and abu&s;ed to couetou&s;ne&s;&s;e, that money may en|crea&s;e money.</P>
<P>Fifthly,<NOTE PLACE="marg">V&s;ury again&s;t Scripture.</NOTE> the Scripture ab&s;olutely condemneth v&s;ury <HI>P&s;.</HI> 15.5. <HI>Ezeh.</HI> 18.17. And <HI>Chry&s;o&s;tome</HI> &s;ayth, <HI>V&s;ura|rius &s;uper omnes mercatores maledictus,</HI> the V&s;urer is accur&s;ed beyond all Merchants and trading men.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Hom 38. &s;up. Math.</NOTE> And hee further v&s;eth this compari&s;on, like as when one &s;ifteth Wheate or any other graine in a &s;ieue,<NOTE PLACE="marg">V&s;urers ac|cur&s;ed.</NOTE> all the graine by little and little &s;lippeth thorow, and &s;o, <HI>Solum stercus remanet in cribro,</HI> onely the &s;oile and durt remaineth in the &s;ieue:<NOTE PLACE="marg">An excellent compari&s;on.</NOTE> &s;o of all the &s;ub&s;tance and ill gotten goods of V&s;urers, <HI>Nihil remanet praeter pec|catum,</HI> nothing remaineth be&s;ide &s;inne, &amp;c.</P>
<P>If it be Obiected,<NOTE PLACE="marg" TYPE="runSum">Obiect.</NOTE> that God permitted the He|brewes to take v&s;ury of the Gentiles, therefore it was not &s;imply vnlawfull: to this it may bee An&s;wered,<NOTE PLACE="marg" TYPE="runSum">An&s;w.</NOTE> that they were tho&s;e &s;euen Nations of the <HI>Canaanites,</HI> of whom they might take v&s;ury, which Nations they were commanded to de&s;troy: and &s;o by this meanes they might weaken their e&s;tate, and empoueri&s;h them: whereupon <HI>Ambro&s;e</HI> inferreth, <HI>Ab hoc v&s;uram exige, quem non &s;it crimen occidere.</HI> Exact v&s;ury of
<PB N="32" REF="27"> him, whom it is not vnlawfull to kill.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg" TYPE="runSum">Obiection. p. 511, 112.</NOTE>But Dr. <HI>Willet</HI> hath certaine con&s;iderations, which make the receiuing of &s;ome gaine by the loane of money, not vnlawfull.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg" TYPE="runSum">An&s;wer.</NOTE>Ob&s;erue his con&s;iderations dilligently, and thou wilt vtterly di&s;like thy v&s;urious practi&s;es.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, if thou lend thy money vpon v&s;ury, thou mu&s;t not be &s;uch a one as maketh it thy trade to liue by letting of money.</P>
<P>Secondly, thou mu&s;t not lend money vpon v&s;ury to tho&s;e of the poorer &s;ort: for to &s;uch it is &s;imply forbidden to lend vpon v&s;ury, <HI>Exod.</HI> 22, 25, and that which he allowes, is pro|perly no v&s;ury, (as he &s;ayth:) but rather a gratuity, that he which hath gained by anothers money, &s;hould, to &s;hew his thankefull mind, make him, which was the occa&s;ion thereof, a rea&s;onable partaker of his gaine, <HI>Gratitudo animi lege naturali mandatur:</HI> this gratitude and thankfulne&s;&s;e of mind is commanded euen by the law of nature.</P>
<P>Thirdly, the intere&s;t which thou receiue&s;t mu&s;t be mo|derate not exce&s;&s;iue.</P>
<P>Fourthly, this con&s;ideration which thou receiue&s;t for the loane of money, mu&s;t not be <HI>ex pacto,</HI> it mu&s;t not be agreed vpon by any certaine compact or couenant: as the words here are,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Note.</NOTE> <HI>lo te&s;imun, non imponetis ei:</HI> you &s;hall not impo&s;e or lay vpon him v&s;ury. It is not lawfull to couenant with a man certainely to pay &s;o much; he may loo&s;e by v&s;ing the money, he may be in hazzard al&s;o of the principall; for the lender then to receiue a certaine gaine, where the borrow|er is a certaine lo&s;er were not iu&s;t.<NOTE PLACE="marg">What &s;ay you to the&s;e v&s;u|rers.</NOTE> Such indifferency mu&s;t be v&s;ed, as that the borrower be contented, as to be made pertaker of the gaine, that commeth by his money, &s;o al&s;o proportionably to beare part of the lo&s;&s;e.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 TYPE="part">
<HEAD>The &s;econd Te&s;timony, Dr. Smith.</HEAD>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>In Willet</HI> vpon Levit. p. 625.</NOTE>THis is the full definition of v&s;ury: <HI>Quando aliquis ac|cedit v&s;us rei grati&acirc; interpo&s;it&acirc; pactione:</HI> When as any
<PB N="33" REF="27"> things commeth for the v&s;e of money aboue the principall,<NOTE PLACE="marg">v&s;ury defined.</NOTE> by way of contract, or compact: for &s;o it is &s;ayd in the law <HI>lo te&s;imun, non impones,</HI> Thou &s;halt not put vpon him v&s;ury.</P>
<P>That opinion which condemneth all v&s;ury,<NOTE PLACE="marg">v&s;ury condem|ned. 1 By Scripture.</NOTE> is groun|ded vpon euident te&s;timonies of Scripture, <HI>P&s;.</HI> 15.5. <HI>Pro.</HI> 28.8. <HI>Ezek.</HI> 18.13.17. &amp; 22.12. and the&s;e places haue &s;omewhat in them more generall, then to be re&s;trained to the poore: as that in <HI>Ezek.</HI> 22.12. In thee haue they taken gifts to &s;hed blood, in thee haue they taken v&s;u|ry and encrea&s;e, and thou ha&s;t greedily gained of thy neighbour by extortion: the&s;e kinds of oppre&s;&s;ion may be committed as well again&s;t the rich as poore, though more again&s;t the&s;e then the other.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Argu."> The &s;econd Argument again&s;t v&s;ury, is from the decrees, of coun&s;els, and te&s;timony of Fathers, which generally forbid all v&s;ury. <HI>vide locum.</HI></P>
<P>It is an&s;wered to the&s;e, and the like te&s;timonies,<NOTE PLACE="marg" TYPE="runSum"><HI>Obiect.</HI> Idem p. 627.</NOTE> that the Fathers &s;peake again&s;t cruell and vncon&s;cionable v&s;ury: <HI>Quae omnibus &s;eculis plus &s;atis obtinuit,</HI> which preuailed too much in euery age.</P>
<P>But &s;urely they condemne all v&s;ury what&s;oeuer:<NOTE PLACE="marg" TYPE="runSum"><HI>An&s;w.</HI> in p&s;. 36. con. 3.</NOTE> as <HI>Augu&s;tine</HI> &s;ayth, <HI>Si plus quam dedisti expectus accipere, fae|neratores:</HI> if thou ex&s;pect to receiue more then thou ga|ue&s;t, thou art an v&s;urer. And <HI>Bernard</HI> &s;ayth, <HI>quid e&s;t v&s;u|ra? venenum patrimonij: quid e&s;t v&s;ura legalis? latro prae|dicens quid intendit,</HI> what is v&s;ury? the poy&s;on of ones patrimony: what is legall v&s;ury? a thiefe fore&s;hewing what he intendeth; <HI>inter praecept. familiar.</HI></P>
<P><MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="Argu."> The third generall Argument again&s;t v&s;ury is, from naturall rea&s;on: as <HI>Aristotle</HI> thus rea&s;oneth again&s;t it.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, from the vnprofitablene&s;&s;e of it:<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP LANG="grc" DESC="foreign" RESP="OXF"> Polit. 1. c. 9.</NOTE> for he that is rich in money, may oftentimes want nece&s;&s;ary food.</P>
<PB N="34" REF="28">
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP LANG="grc" DESC="foreign" RESP="OXF"> ibid.</NOTE>Secondly, from the infinitene&s;&s;e of the de&s;ire of money: all men that are de&s;irous of money, doe encrea&s;e it infinit|ly, whereas euery laudable act, hath a certaine and deter|minate end.</P>
<P>Thirdly, they peruert the end for the which money was appoynted, which was for commutation, and to be a meane to the end: but they make money it &s;elfe the end.</P>
<P>Fourthly, the manner of the gaine &s;heweth it to bee vnnaturall: for it is according to nature to reape profit from the fruits of the earth, or from Cattell: but it is again&s;t nature to reape gaine from men, from one another: and whenas money begetteth money; whereof v&s;ury hath the name <GAP LANG="grc" DESC="foreign" RESP="OXF">, of begetting.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg" TYPE="runSum">Obiect.</NOTE>To the&s;e rea&s;ons &s;ome an&s;wer, That although money be barren of it &s;elfe, yet by money one may purcha&s;e grounds which will bring him fruit:<NOTE PLACE="marg" TYPE="runSum">An&s;w.</NOTE> But &s;till the argument is good for originally this encrea&s;e commeth out of money by mans indu&s;try: and &s;o by two things not apt to bring fruit, gaine is had: by men, and money: and be&s;ides this an&s;wer &s;erues not, but onely for profitable v&s;ury: but where one taketh vp money to &s;upply his want, and nece&s;&s;ity, there ari&s;eth no &s;uch fruit.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 TYPE="part">
<HEAD>The third Te&s;timony, D^r. Williams.</HEAD>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">The true Church. p. 438.</NOTE>THat you may perceiue and vnder&s;tand, how odious and how dete&s;table this biting theft is, I be&s;eech you to con&s;ider. Fir&s;t, how vniu&s;t he is, e&s;pecially in the&s;e two things:<NOTE PLACE="marg">V&s;urers vniu&s;t again&s;t all laws 1 Of nature:</NOTE> 1 In &s;elling that which he oweth vnto the poore, for the law of nature tels thee, that he which hath, &s;hould lend and helpe him which hath not, as we &s;ee the floud, finding the emptine&s;&s;e of a poole, will not pa&s;&s;e vntill it fils it;<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Of Mo&s;es. Luke 6.35. 3. Of grace.</NOTE> the Law of <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> bids the &s;ame thing; and the law of grace confirmes it, &s;aying, <HI>Doe good and lend ho|ping for nothing againe:</HI> and yet the couetous man &s;els that which God commands him to giue: and he lets that for
<PB N="35" REF="28"> v&s;e which the Lord inioyneth him to lend for loue.</P>
<P N="2">2 In eating that which he neuer laboured for;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 3.19.</NOTE> for the Lord &s;ayd, <HI>In the &s;weat of thy face thou &s;halt eate thy Bread:</HI> but the V&s;urer eateth the labour of other men,<NOTE PLACE="marg">The v&s;urer ea|teth what hee neuer labour|ed for.</NOTE> and for the v&s;e of his money he v&s;eth to get vineyards which hee planted not, Hou&s;es that hee builded not, and many other things that he neuer laboured for.</P>
<P>Secondly, how cruell he is;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Hee is mo&s;t cruell.</NOTE> becau&s;e he eateth and drinketh that with ioy and laughter, which the poore man hath gotten with griefe and teares.</P>
<P>Thirdly,<NOTE PLACE="marg">3 Hee is the wor&s;t of all Theeues.</NOTE> how for his theft hee tran&s;cends all other kind of Theeues what&s;oeuer: for as there is not a more effectuall plague to hurt a man then a familiar enemy: &s;o the V&s;urers, being dome&s;ticall foes, they doe im|poueri&s;h and di&s;inherit more men then any other Theeues can doe; becau&s;e other Theeues &s;teale &s;ecretly and in the night time, but the V&s;urers follow their trade manife&s;t|ly, though cunningly, day and night: and therefore, when the Romanes enioyned other Theeues to make double re&s;titution for their theft, they compelled the V&s;urers to re&s;tore fourefold for their tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion.</P>
<P>Fourthly,<NOTE PLACE="marg">The puni&s;h|ment of v&s;u|rers.</NOTE> how fearefull is the puni&s;hment of &s;uch theft; becau&s;e, as they haue &s;poiled others, &s;o they &s;hall be &s;poyled them&s;eues; and their &s;poyle will bee the greater: becau&s;e that as the Dog, &s;natching the Bread out of the Childrens hands,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 In this world</NOTE> &s;natcheth the hand withall; &s;o V&s;urers, &s;eeking the wealth of the poore,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Idem p. 439.</NOTE> are thereby become the vtter ruinne of the poore, and therefore their wealth &s;hall be &s;oone taken from them.</P>
<P N="2">2 As they haue puni&s;hed the poore on Earth more then many others,<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 In Hell.</NOTE> &s;o their puni&s;hment in Hell &s;hall be greater then mo&s;t &s;inners.</P>
<P>And in this there infernall puni&s;hment,<NOTE PLACE="marg">How the v&s;u|rers and their children doe cur&s;e one ano+ther euerla|&s;tingly in hell</NOTE> it is ob&s;erued that the v&s;urers and their children &s;hall perpetually cur&s;e each other, the father &s;aying, cur&s;ed art thou, O &s;onne, be|cau&s;e that for thy &s;ake I am tormented in this flame; for I
<PB N="36" REF="29"> became an v&s;urer, le&s;t I &s;hould leaue thee a begger; I gathered wealth, that thou &s;houlde&s;t not be poore, and I was contented to be poore in grace, that thou mighte&s;t be rich in goods; and therefore I am now poore in all things, but in torments. And the &s;onne, on the other &s;ide, &s;aying vnto his father, nay, rather cur&s;ed art thou, O father, <HI>Quia ni&s;i mal&egrave; congrega&s;&s;es mihi diuitias, non mal&egrave; congregatas con&s;erua&s;&s;em;</HI> becau&s;e thou gathere&s;t thy wealth with iniquity, and lefte&s;t them vnto me with a cur&s;e, which hath con&s;umed them and de&s;troyed my &s;oule.</P>
<P>That Seraphicall Doctor <HI>Antoninus,</HI> Arch-bi&s;hop of <HI>Florence,</HI> after he had heard the confe&s;&s;ion of a wretched V&s;urer,<NOTE PLACE="marg">The forme of an ab&s;olution which Antoni|nus v&s;ed to an v&s;urer.</NOTE> gaue him no other ab&s;olution than, <HI>Deus mi&s;ere|atur tui, &s;i vult, et condonet tibi peccata tua, quod non credo: et perducat te in vitam aeternam, quod est impo&s;&s;ibile:</HI> God be mercifull vnto thee, if he plea&s;e, and forgiue thee thy &s;innes, which I doe not beleeue, and bring thee to eternall life, which is vnpo&s;&s;ible: that is, <HI>Rebus &s;ic stantibus,</HI> if God doth not wonderful|ly worke a &s;trange conuer&s;ion in his heart, and the Lord him&s;elfe threatneth, that he which robbeth or giueth to v&s;ury, and receiueth the increa&s;e into his bags, he &s;hall dye the death, and his blood &s;hall be vpon him.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 TYPE="part">
<HEAD>The fourth Te&s;timony, Dr. Sutton.</HEAD>
<P>THere is no &s;inne, be it neuer &s;o prodigious and foule but his ma&s;ter hath &s;ome plea for it,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Lectures vpon Rom. 11. p. 296: v&s;urers excu&s;e their &s;innes. p. 476.</NOTE> and &s;ome rea&s;on to vphold it. Some haue Scripture, as couetou&s;ne&s;&s;e hath 1 <HI>Tim.</HI> 5.8. V&s;ury hath, <HI>Deut.</HI> 23.20. <HI>Vnto a stranger thou may&s;t lend thy money vpon v&s;ury, though not to thy brother.</HI></P>
<P>Many per&s;wade them&s;elues that they haue lawfull callings when they haue none; &s;uch as liue by v&s;ury, carding, dicing, playing, the&s;e haue neyther the Author, God, nor the end, the common good.</P>
<PB N="37" REF="29">
<P>No calling is lawfull,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Idem p. 477</NOTE> when the action plea&s;eth not God, as 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 10.31.<NOTE PLACE="marg">V&s;urers haue no lawfull cal|ling.</NOTE> By this I hope &s;ome will learne at la&s;t to giue ouer their calling, whereby they bring not honour, but di&s;honour vnto God: tho&s;e that liue vp|on v&s;ury, by dicing-Hou&s;es, by penning and acting of Playes, let them all remember this, mine heart trem|bles to thinke, what calling the&s;e men haue, my Soule wonders how they glorifie God in them, I maruell how the&s;e make for a publicke good: How God is honoured, a kingdome bettered, the common good promoted by them I know not, I beleeue not.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 TYPE="part">
<HEAD>The fifth Te&s;timony <HI>M^r.</HI> Wilkin&s;on.</HEAD>
<P>LEt tho&s;e who plead this cau&s;e con&s;ider,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Debt booke p. 61. 62. All v&s;ury for|bidden. V&s;urers do not as they would be don vnto.</NOTE> that God di&s;penceth with no v&s;ury, when <HI>Ne&s;heh</HI> the bitting: and <HI>Tarbith,</HI> which they call the toothle&s;&s;e v&s;ury are both condemned. <HI>Ezek.</HI> 18.8.13. That the lender, for eight or fiue in the hundred, deales not as he would be dealt withall, for he him&s;elfe would neyther giue eight, nor fiue, nor two, if hee could borrow freely; and the rule of loue is, to doe to all men as we would they &s;hould do to vs, <HI>Mat.</HI> 7.12. Let them con&s;ider how v&s;ury is cried downe, among other oppre&s;&s;ions <HI>Neh.</HI> 5. &amp; <HI>P&s;.</HI> 15.5. How it is condemned by the Councell of <HI>Nice</HI> in Clergy men, as a matter of filthy lucre, (if filthy lucre in Mini&s;ters, then no righteous dealing in others.<NOTE PLACE="marg">V&s;ury the ruine of thou|&s;ands.</NOTE>) how it hath beene the vtter ruine of many thou&s;ands in our Nation; how in the Church of Rome at this day), all V&s;urers are excom|municated monthly; how no man of note in all antiquity <HI>Iewes</HI> and <HI>Manichees</HI> excepted) none I &s;ay of hone&s;ty and learning,<NOTE PLACE="marg">No hone&s;t lear|ned men defen|ded v&s;ury for fifteene hun|dred yeeres af|ter Chri&s;t.</NOTE> for fifteene hundred yeeres after Chri&s;t hath euer vndertaken the defence thereof: wherefore as <HI>Ioa&s;h</HI> &s;ometimes &s;ayd to the men of <HI>Hophra,</HI> when they &s;tood for <HI>Baal</HI> again&s;t <HI>Gideon,</HI> Will you contend for <HI>Baal?</HI> let him plead his owne cau&s;e: &s;o &s;ay I to the patrons
<PB N="38" REF="30"> of v&s;ury; will you contend for Mammon? let him plead his owne cau&s;e.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 TYPE="part">
<HEAD>The &s;ixt Te&s;timony, M^r. Smith.</HEAD>
<P>VSury is vnlawfull, for:</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">V&s;ury is a|gain&s;t charity. Sermon v&s;ury.</NOTE>Fir&s;t, It is again&s;t the law of charity becau&s;e cha|rity, biddeth vs to giue euery man his owne, and to e|quire no more then our owne: but v&s;ury requireth more then her owne, and giues not to other their owne. Charity reioyceth to communicate her goods to other, and v&s;ury reioyceth to gather other mens goods to her &s;elfe.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">Again&s;t the law of nations.</NOTE>Secondly, it is again&s;t the law of nations, for euery nati|on hath &s;ome law again&s;t v&s;ury, and &s;ome re&s;traint again&s;t v&s;urers.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">Again&s;t the law of nature, and of God.</NOTE>Thirdly, it is again&s;t the law of nature, that is the natu|rall compa&s;&s;ion which &s;hould be among men: the rich &s;hould di&s;tribute and doe good.</P>
<P>Fourthly, it is again&s;t the Law of God. <HI>Exod.</HI> 22. <HI>Leu.</HI> 25.36.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gaine makes v&s;ury lawfull.</NOTE> <HI>Deut.</HI> 23.19.</P>
<P>Some thinke that v&s;ury is lawfull, becau&s;e it is gainefull as <HI>Saul</HI> thought that the idolaters bea&s;ts &s;hould not be killed,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Note.</NOTE> <NOTE PLACE="marg">&rindx;</NOTE> becau&s;e they were fat: But as he was commanded to kill the fat bea&s;ts, as well as the leane, &s;o we are com|manded to kill fat &s;ins, as well as leane &s;ins: gainefull &s;ins as well as prodigall &s;innes.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 TYPE="part">
<HEAD>The <HI>7.</HI> Te&s;timony, M^r. Wheatly.</HEAD>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">Caueat for the couetous. p. 71. V&s;ury a noto|rious iniu&s;tice. 3 &s;orts of bor|rowers.</NOTE>VSury is a notorious iniu&s;tice: when a man makes a gaine of lending, and binds the party borrowing, with|out con&s;ideration of his gaines or lo&s;&s;es, to repay the prin|cipall with aduantage. For whereas there be three &s;orts of men that v&s;e to borrow, either poore men, whom nece&s;&s;ity driues to it, or vnthrifts, whom prodigality driues to it; or &s;ufficient men, that hope to make a commodity of it: it is apparent by the confe&s;&s;ion euen of tho&s;e that would &s;eeme to &s;ay &s;omewhat for this v&s;ury, (as if it were not a needy
<PB N="39" REF="30"> &s;inne &s;imply that it is wicked to lend on V&s;e to the poore needy borrower, for God hath &s;tately commanded to lend vnto him freely. And for the vnthrift, it is al&s;o certaine that he &s;hould not be lent to at all;<NOTE PLACE="marg">V&s;urers gaine mo&s;t by vn|chri&s;ts.</NOTE> for that is to feede his i&s;&s;ue with ill humors, and to put a Sword into his hand wherewith to de&s;troy him&s;elfe: and thus the V&s;u|rers mo&s;t accu&s;tomed and greate&s;t gaines are cut of. Now for the third kind of men, of them to exact gaine vnconditi|onally, not re&s;pecting their loo&s;ing or getting, is altogether again&s;t the Law of Charity, and equity both for the light of nature will not &s;uffer any to deny this principle of Equity, that he which will haue part in wealth, mu&s;t al&s;o haue part in woes; and he that will diuide the &s;weet, mu&s;t al&s;o diuide the &s;ower: he that will take of the good &s;ucce&s;&s;e, mu&s;t al&s;o take of the bad. And the light of Religion will not &s;uffer him that hath any of it, to deny this prin|ciple of Charity; that Chri&s;tians mu&s;t &s;erue one ano|ther in loue, and not them&s;elues alone in &s;elfe-loue: both which principles are directly contrary to the very trade of the V&s;urer;<NOTE PLACE="marg">The V&s;urer &s;erues him|&s;elfe alone, not al&s;o his brother.</NOTE> for he makes &s;ure for him&s;elfe to haue a part onely and infalliably in the profit, and therefore &s;erues him&s;elfe alone, and not al&s;o his brother: and for this cau&s;e the V&s;urer is &s;et among tho&s;e that cannot come to dwell in the Mountaine of God: which hee &s;hould not be, were he not vniu&s;t. So then the V&s;urer, whether he do it plainely, or vnderhand, as men haue a thou&s;and policies to couer their &s;inne in this re&s;pect, mu&s;t vndergoe the imputation of liuing by wrong and iniurie.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 TYPE="part">
<HEAD>The eight Te&s;timony M^r. Dod.</HEAD>
<P>IN the &s;ame colourable theft is that common &s;inne of V&s;ury, which is of euill report, and hurtfull effect among&s;t men and is forbidden of God in the Law and Prophets. It is euident in <HI>Leuit.</HI> 25.35.36.<NOTE PLACE="marg">The cau&s;es of v&s;ury. 1 Want of Gods feare.</NOTE> That the feare of God, and a louing and mercifull regard of
<PB N="40" REF="31"> our brothers life,<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Loue to our brethren.</NOTE> be the pre&s;eruatiues to keepe men from this V&s;ury: therefore the practi&s;e hereof doth grow from the want of the feare of God, and of compa&s;&s;ion to our poore brother. Adde hereunto, that v&s;ury is not a calling appointed of God, but a humane inuention, deui&s;ed by worldly men to gaine filthy lucre to them|&s;elues,<NOTE PLACE="marg">V&s;ury not a calling appoin|ted of God.</NOTE> whereby they liue of the &s;weat of other mens brows, and doe many times adde affliction to the afflicted, and build vp them&s;elues in the ruines of their poore neygh|bours, whom they ought freely to &s;upport.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 TYPE="part">
<HEAD>The ninth Te&s;timony, Mr. Bolton.</HEAD>
<P>OVt of the widenes of the con&s;ciences of wicked men, proceed much mincing and excu&s;ing, many interpre|tations,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Di&s;cour&s;e of true happines. p. 55. All v&s;ury con|demned.</NOTE> fauourable con&s;tructions and di&s;tinctions of &s;inne. As for example, that v&s;ury is of two &s;orts, biting and tooth|le&s;&s;e; when all kind of v&s;ury is pe&s;tilent, and mo&s;t certain|ly damned in the booke of God.</P>
<P>Mini&s;ters may tell the mercile&s;&s;e v&s;urer that he is infa|mou&s;ly guilty of that &s;inne,<NOTE PLACE="marg">V&s;ury condem|ned by the be&s;t Diuines. Idem p. 183.</NOTE> of which a conuerted lew, an hone&s;t Heathen, a tolerable Turke, would be a&s;hamed and remor&s;efull: &s;tigmatized by ioynt-con&s;ent of charitable hearts, and &s;tronge&s;t current of be&s;t Diuinity, with a brand of extraordinary hatefulne&s;&s;e, hard-heartedne&s;&s;e and cru|elty:<NOTE PLACE="marg">It is a fretting canker.</NOTE> which at this day doth &s;hrewdly &s;hake the &s;trong &s;i|news of this great Kingdome, like a fretting canker, with a plau&s;ible inui&s;ible con&s;umption, doth daily wa&s;te the &s;tates,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Note.</NOTE> &s;ucke the blood, and eate the liues of many poore di&s;tre&s;&s;ed ones in this Land, fils townes and Cities with vnprofitable per&s;ons, and the country with mi&s;eries and inhumanities. Nay, and let carnall rea&s;on, couetous hu|mours, &s;upercilious, ob&s;tinate imperiou&s;ne&s;&s;e fret, and con|tradict, rage, and reclaime as long as they will; to &s;et a&s;ide prouocation of Gods plagues, and con&s;ideration of piety; euen in the &s;en&s;e of nature, and morall con&s;cience, it ca&s;ts
<PB N="41" REF="31"> an a&s;pertion of inexpiable &s;hame and di&s;honour vpon the ancient glory of this incomparable City.<NOTE PLACE="marg">v&s;urers bee Harpies and vultures.</NOTE> It is very &s;trange that &s;uch rauenous Harpies and v&s;urious Vul|tures, (for &s;o euen Pagani&s;me &s;tiled them by the light of rea&s;on,) &s;hould audaciou&s;ly rou&s;t e&s;pecially on high, in the Eagles ne&s;t, this Imperiall groue and Seat of Ma|ie&s;ly.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 TYPE="part">
<HEAD>The tenth Te&s;timony, M^r. Adams.</HEAD>
<P>THe V&s;urer is a priuate theefe like <HI>Iudas,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Adams workes p. 55. The v&s;urer like to Iudas.</NOTE> and for the bag like <HI>Iudas,</HI> which he &s;teales from Chri&s;t like <HI>Iudas,</HI> or rather from Chri&s;tians, that haue more need, and therefore wor&s;e then <HI>Iudas.</HI> This is a man made out of waxe: His <HI>Pater no&s;ter</HI> is a pawne: his Creed, is the condition of this obligation: his Religion is all religati|on: a binding of others to him&s;elfe: of him&s;elfe to the Deuill,&mdash; infinite colours, mitigations,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Note.</NOTE> eua&s;i|ons, di&s;tinctions are inuented, to countenance on earth, heauen-exploded v&s;ury: God &s;hall then fru&s;trate all, when he powers his wrath on the naked con&s;cience. God &s;ayth, <HI>Thou &s;halt not take v&s;ury.</HI> Goe now &s;tudy pain|tings, excu&s;es apolegies, di&s;pute the matter with God: hell fire &s;hall decide the que&s;tion.</P>
<P>If V&s;urers will not re&s;tore by them&s;elues,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Idem p. 120. v&s;urers &s;hall re&s;tore by their po&s;terity</NOTE> they &s;hall by their po&s;terity. For as <HI>Pliny</HI> writes of the Wolfe, that it brings forth blind Whelpes: &s;o the v&s;urer light|ly begets blind children, that cannot &s;ee to keepe what their fathers left. But when the father is gone to hell for gathering, the &s;onne often followes for &s;cattering. But God is iu&s;t. A good man leaueth his inheritance to his childrens children: and the wealth of the &s;inner is laid vp for the iu&s;t.</P>
<P>An v&s;urer is knowne by his very lookes often,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Idem p. 454. The v&s;urer knowne by his lookes.</NOTE> by his &s;peeches commonly, by his actions euer: he hath a leane cheeke, a meager body, as if he were fed at the Diuels
<PB N="42" REF="32"> allowance: his eyes are almo&s;t &s;unke to the back&s;ide of his head with admiration of money. His eares are &s;et to tell the clocke; his whole carca&s;&s;e a meere Anatomy. Some V&s;urers haue fatter carca&s;&s;es, and can find in their hearts to lard their fle&s;h: but a common meagerne&s;&s;e is vpon all their con&s;ciences. <HI>Foenus pecuniae, funus animae.</HI></P>
<P>Nature hath &s;et a pitch or terme in all inferiour things, when they &s;hall cea&s;e to increa&s;e. Old Cattell breed no longer: doted trees deny fruit; the tired earth becomes barren; onely the V&s;urers money, the longer it breeds the lu&s;tier;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Note.</NOTE> and a hundred pounds put out twenty yeares &s;ince, is a grandmother of two or three hundred children; pretty &s;triplings, able to beget their mother againe in a &s;hort time.</P>
<Q><L>EAch man to heauen his hands for ble&s;&s;ing reares;</L>
<L>Onely the V&s;urer needs not &s;ay his prayers.</L>
<L>Blow the Winde Ea&s;t or We&s;t, plenty or dearth,</L>
<L>Sickne&s;&s;e or health, &s;it on the face of Earth,</L>
<L>He cares not: Time will bring his money in:</L>
<L>Each day augments his trea&s;ure and his &s;in.</L>
<L>Be the day red or blacke in Calender,</L>
<L>Common, or holy, fits the V&s;urer.</L>
<L>He &s;tarues his Carca&s;&s;e, and true money &s;laue,</L>
<L>Goes with full che&s;ts, and thin cheekes to his graue.</L></Q>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">Idem p. 455.</NOTE>The V&s;urer &s;hrinkes vp his guts with a &s;taruing dyet, as with knot-gra&s;&s;e: and puts his &s;tomacke into his pur&s;e. He &s;els time to his cu&s;tomers, his food to his cofers, his body to langui&s;hment, his &s;oule to Satan.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 TYPE="part">
<HEAD>The eleuenth Te&s;timony, M^r. Perkins.</HEAD>
<P>VSury is a gaine exacted by couenant, aboue the prin|cipall,<NOTE PLACE="marg">vpon Com. 8. v&s;ury defined.</NOTE> onely in lieu, and recompence of the lending of it.</P>
<PB N="43" REF="32">
<P>v&s;ury being con&s;idered as it is thus de&s;cribed, is quite con|trary to Gods Word, and may very fitly be tearmed byting lucre. <HI>Exod.</HI> 22, 14.15. <HI>Ezek.</HI> 18.8. 2. <HI>Cor.</HI> 8.13.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 TYPE="part">
<HEAD>The twelfth Te&s;timony <HI>M^r.</HI> Fenton.</HEAD>
<P>LEt euery one who de&s;ireth to re&s;olue his con&s;cience for this matter by Scripture (the onely true ground of a Chri&s;tian re&s;olution I t him con&s;ider, I &s;ay,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Treati&s;e of v&s;ury p. 48.</NOTE> how ney|ther v&s;ury nor intere&s;t,<NOTE PLACE="marg">V&s;ury con|demned in Gods Booke.</NOTE> biting v&s;ury nor increa&s;e is euer once named in the Booke of God, but it is condemned; condemned among&s;t &s;uch abominations as bring a cur&s;e in &s;tead of a ble&s;&s;ing: an eternall cur&s;e vpon the Soule of the V&s;urer, and a temporall cur&s;e vpon his wealth and po&s;terity.</P>
<P>Let &s;ome of the&s;e tender con&s;ciences,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Is it not a &s;hame for me~ to deny knee|ling at the Communion, and to be pro|fe&s;t V&s;urers.</NOTE> who are &s;o vrgent to call for warrant out of the booke of God, for euery ceremony and matter of forme in the Church, &s;eeke a warrant for this their practice, which &s;o neerely con|cerneth them; and let them &s;eeke it at the Oracle of God who hath not left it, as he hath many other things, ey|ther to the di&s;cretion of the Church, or wi&s;dome of com|mon-wealths, but hath vouch&s;afed to determine it in his owne booke to our hands: to &s;et downe an expre&s;&s;e Law again&s;t it in <HI>Exodus:</HI> to renew and reuiue that Law againe and againe in <HI>Leuit.</HI> And <HI>Duter:</HI> to ratifie and confirme it with no other words then him&s;elfe v&s;ed at the publi&s;hing of the whole Morrall Law; to &s;pecifie the onely limitation which he meant to tolerate for a time; to adde the promi&s;e of ble&s;&s;ing to the keepers of this Law: and to denuonce &s;uch fearefull iudgements again&s;t the tran&s;gre&s;|&s;ors of the &s;ame: vpon their wealth and po&s;terity in this world, vpon their owne &s;oules in the world to come.</P>
<P>The V&s;urer hath great gaine and certaine:<NOTE PLACE="marg">Idem p. 101. V&s;urers haue certaine gaine out of lo&s;&s;e, &amp;c.</NOTE> &s;ometimes out of little gaine: &s;ometimes out of no gaine: &s;ome|times out of lo&s;&s;e; alwayes out of vncertainties; alwayes
<PB N="44" REF="33"> out of labour and paines, out of care and co&s;t, out of ha|zard and perill to the borrower. Commeth all this on Gods Name?</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">Idem p 142, No writer de|fended v&s;ury for fifteene hundred yeeres after Chri&s;t, Note.</NOTE>There was neuer any Church or Churchman, carrying the name of a Chri&s;tian, who hath defended in writing any branch of v&s;ury, for the &s;pace of fifteene hundred yeares after Chri&s;t. Neyther was this for want of occa&s;ion gi|uen; for it hath beene both practi&s;ed and written again&s;t in all ages. Neyther can we with mode&s;tie impute it to the ignorance of the Church: for as &s;hee is acknowledged to be mo&s;t Eagle-&s;ighted in the time of her purity; &s;o when &s;he was ouer&s;hadowed with &s;uper&s;tition, her wri|ters in ca&s;es of con&s;cience, for matters of morality were mo&s;t exact: as by their &s;choole Diuinity is euident to be &s;eene. Yet where &s;hall we find any one, for &s;o many ages of the Church, who could euer deui&s;e a di&s;tinction to &s;aue an v&s;urers &s;oule.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">M^r. <HI>Fentons</HI> Treati&s;e of v&s;ury ii able, to &s;atisfie tho&s;e that be not de&s;perately minded.</NOTE>He that de&s;ires to be fully &s;atisfied concerning the vn|lawfulne&s;&s;e of v&s;ury, by Scriptures, Fathers, the latter times of ignorance: by the te&s;timonies of the Church a&s;&s;embled in Councels, by the te&s;timony of Diuines in reformed Churches, by the te&s;timonies of Philo&s;ophers, Hi&s;torians, by the three Lawes, 1 Canon, 2 Ciuill, 3 Common: by &s;trong and conuincing arguments: finally, he that de&s;ires to haue tho&s;e motiues an&s;wered, which per&s;wade &s;ome to the lawfulne&s;&s;e of v&s;ury, let him read with diligence the learned Treati&s;e of v&s;ury, written by M^r. <HI>Fenton,</HI> read his Treati&s;e with a &s;ingle eye, iudge of what thou rea|de&s;t without affection: and conforme thy affection to right iudgement.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 TYPE="part">
<HEAD>The thirteenth Te&s;timony M^r. Rogers, of Weathersfield.</HEAD>
<P>THe&s;e being the mo&s;t v&s;uall kinds of contracts, do &s;hew the nature of the re&s;t,<NOTE PLACE="marg">7 Treati&s;es vp|on 8 Comman|dement. v&s;ury vnlawfull</NOTE> which are in v&s;e among men, and doe leaue no place to that oppre&s;&s;ion in the world,
<PB N="45" REF="33"> called v&s;ury, or any other &s;uch &s;eeking of mens priuate profit in their dealings, without regard of the common benefit of both: that is, when both parties are not pro|uided for, to their contentation and &s;atisfying according to equity, and to the meaning and proui&s;ion made by God in that behalfe: which is, that the one without the other &s;hould not be benifited or inriched; but the one to haue care and con&s;ideration of the other,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Regard had of both parties is no v&s;ury.</NOTE> and the Com|mon-wealth of both (as I haue &s;ayd) re&s;pected which if it were regarded betwixt both parties, could in no wi&s;e be iu&s;tly complayned of: neyther is &s;uch dealing of the na|ture and kind of v&s;ury, whether it be in hiring and letting, or in any other kind of contract what&s;oeuer; but that common dealing for 10 in the hundred, or 9, or 8, or any &s;uch like, which is without due con&s;ideration of the Common-wealth, and vpholding of both, is vtterly to be condemned.</P>
<P>Which if it be well and duely con&s;idered, will &s;oone an|&s;were all con&s;cionable men,<NOTE PLACE="marg">No v&s;e of v&s;u|ry in Church or Common-wealth.</NOTE> about the que&s;tion of v&s;ury and oppre&s;&s;ion, that there can be no v&s;e of them in the Church of God, nor the Chri&s;tian Common-wealth: the Law-maker hauing &s;ayd of both, as of witchcraft and Ido|latry, there &s;hall be none &s;uch in I&s;rael, that is, among Gods people. And as for teaching others their duty, (e&s;pecially in money matters) who haue not giuen them&s;elues in full re&s;olution to be guided by Gods Word,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Why Prea|chers prauaile not with v&s;u|rers.</NOTE> Preachers may &s;ooner weare their tongues to the &s;tumpes, then they may preuaile with them.</P>
<P>If thou de&s;ire&s;t the iudgement of other diuines, be&s;ides the&s;e before mentioned; read, M^r. <HI>Bayne,</HI> his directions to a godly life, p. 172. M^r. <HI>Philips,</HI> vpon <HI>Math.</HI> 4. p. 198. Mr. <HI>Dyke,</HI> vpon Repentance, p. 143, 144. Dr. <HI>Sclater,</HI> vpon the 2 <HI>The&s;.</HI> p. 277. M^r. <HI>Robrough,</HI> Balme from <HI>Gi|lead,</HI> p. 35, 176, 225, 285, 320, 325. 432. D^r. <HI>Pre&s;ton,</HI> Reme|dy again&s;t couetou&s;ne&s;&s;e, p. 33. M^r. <HI>Wil&s;on,</HI> Theologicall rules for the vnder&s;tanding of holy Scriptures, p. 70.
<PB N="46" REF="34"> and in his mi&s;ticall ca&s;es and &s;ecrets of Diuinity, p. 180. Mr. <HI>Brin&s;ley,</HI> in the third rule and watch of life, p. 97. M^r. <HI>Ro|gers</HI> of <HI>Dedham,</HI> Treati&s;e of loue, p. 235, 236. D^r. <HI>Web,</HI> on A|gurs prayer, p. 323. 147. read al&s;o the 3^d. part of the Homily, again&s;t the perill of Idolatry, p. 70. where v&s;ury is ranked with gro&s;&s;e &s;ins, and condemned for vniu&s;t gaine. Read the 2^d. part of the Sermon or Homily for Rogation weeke, p. 225. where v&s;urers are &s;aid to haue their goods of the di|uell, to be wor&s;hipers of the diuell, to kneele downe to the diuell at his bidding. See al&s;o M^r. <HI>Scudder</HI> vpon the Lords Prayer, p, 276,</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>M^r. Fenton,</HI> of v&s;ury. p. 2. V&s;urers not ea|&s;ily per&s;waded to leaue their &s;inne.</NOTE>It is now time to draw to the conclu&s;ion; it hath beene ob&s;erued by wi&s;e men, that v&s;urers will not ea&s;ily be per|&s;waded to for&s;ake their &s;inne; their gaine of V&s;ury is a &s;weet gaine, without labour, without co&s;t, without perill; let it be granted that they will not for&s;ake this &s;o plea&s;ant, and &s;o profitable a &s;in; yet by the&s;e Te&s;timonys, they may be conuinced in their iudgements, of the vnlawfulne&s;&s;e of v&s;ury; and &s;o they &s;hall be made without excu&s;e at the la&s;t day, when Chri&s;t &s;hall come in flaming fire with his migh|ty Angels to render vengeance to all di&s;obedient per|&s;ons.</P>
<P>As for you that make a trade of v&s;ury if you &s;hall thinke your iudgements to be of &s;uch waight,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Idem p. 77. The iudge|ment of the&s;e reuerend Di|uines &s;hould make the v&s;u|rers to que&s;ti|on their trade.</NOTE> that all the&s;e toge|ther be not able to ca&s;t the &s;cale again&s;t you, yet I hope they will &s;o much moue you, as to bring the ballance to a &s;u&s;pence, that you will thinke v&s;ury very que&s;tionable at the lea&s;t; and if it be que&s;tionable, then it is vnlawfull to be done. But if all the&s;e reuerend Bi&s;hops and learned Diuines, will not &s;o moue your vnder&s;tanding, to make it que&s;tionable; then I will &s;ay no more, and I can &s;ay no le&s;&s;e, but that you V&s;urers thinke that you know &s;ome|what.<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 8.2.</NOTE> And then S. <HI>Paul</HI> maketh vp the re&s;t, that you know nothing as yee ought to know it.</P>
<P>To him who knoweth v&s;ury to be a &s;inne, it is a &s;inne, becau&s;e he knoweth it. To him that doubteth, it is likewi&s;e
<PB N="47" REF="34"> a &s;inne, becau&s;e he doubteth. And to the re&s;t it is a &s;inne of ignorance, but of affected ignorance: who&s;e eyes are blinded eyther with pride, becau&s;e they would be &s;ingu|lar, or with lucre and gaine,<NOTE PLACE="marg">V&s;ury a &s;inne of affected ig|norance.</NOTE> becau&s;e they would not di|&s;turbe their con&s;ciences by examining or di&s;couering that &s;inne wherein they haue &s;o &s;weetly &s;lept, and doe &s;till re|po&s;e them&s;elues. But &s;uch ignorance doth neyther excu&s;e nor extenuate the fault, but rather agrauate the &s;ame, be|cau&s;e it is wilfull.</P>
</DIV3>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="5" TYPE="chapter">
<HEAD><HI>CHAP. 5.</HI> Similitudes to which v&s;urers, and v&s;urie are re&s;embled.</HEAD>
<P>VSury is a thriuing occupation.<NOTE PLACE="marg">V&s;ury like the Per&s;ian tree. Adams workes p. 503.</NOTE> V&s;ury is like that Per&s;ian tree, that at the &s;ame time buds, blo&s;&s;omes, and beares fruit. The moneys of intere&s;t are euer|more &s;ome ripe for the Trunke, others drawing to maturity, the re&s;t in the flowre approaching, all in the bud of hope. But the v&s;urer is mad; for his &s;inne at once buds,<NOTE PLACE="marg">V&s;urers mad.</NOTE> blo&s;&s;omes, and brings forth the fruit of vengeance. Euery Bond he takes of others, enters him into a new obligation to Satan: as he hopes his debtors will keepe day with him, the diuell expects no le&s;&s;e of him&s;elfe. Euery forfeit he takes &s;cores vp a new debt to Lucifer; and euery mor|gag'd land he &s;eizeth on, enlargeth his dominion in hell.</P>
<P>Money lent vpon v&s;ury to a poore man to &s;upply his need,<NOTE PLACE="marg">V&s;ury like new cloth vpon an old garment. Bb. <HI>Downam</HI> P&s;. 15. p. 206.</NOTE> may not vnfitly be compared to a peece of new cloth &s;owed vpon an old garment; for that, although it couer the rent for a time, and &s;eemeth to haue mended the gar|ment, yet after a while, the new cloth fretteth the old, and bringeth away a part of it, and &s;o maketh the rent much wor&s;e.</P>
<P>Though the v&s;urers &s;ometimes doe vaunt, how kindly they deale with their debtors,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Idem p. 254. Note.</NOTE> in forbearing them from
<PB N="48" REF="35"> yeere to yeere: yet the truth is, the longer they forbeare, the greater is their gaine, and though they deferre the borrowers mi&s;ery,<NOTE PLACE="marg">The V&s;urer compared to the greedy Cat.</NOTE> yet in deferring it, they do increa&s;e it: and therefore by &s;ome are not vnfitly compared to the greedy Cat, which though for a while &s;he plaieth with the &s;illy Mou&s;e, yet in the end &s;he will bee &s;ure to de|uoure it.</P>
<P>The V&s;urers money is like the biting of the A&s;pe,<NOTE PLACE="marg">V&s;urers money like the bit|ing of the A&s;pe.</NOTE> for euen as he which is bitten of the A&s;pe, goeth to &s;leepe, as if he were delighted, and through the plea&s;antne&s;&s;e of his &s;leepe dieth; &s;o he which borroweth vpon v&s;ury is de|lighted for a time as one that had receiued a good turne; and &s;o through the plea&s;ure of the imagined benefit hee doth not perceiue how he is taken captiue. For euen as the poy&s;on of the A&s;pe,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><P>V&s;ury di&s;per|ceth it &s;elfe through all the borrowers goods.</P>
<P>It is like lea|uen.</P>
<P>Apud Chri&s;o&s;t. 3. Homil 12. in fine.</P>
<P>Bb. <HI>Downam</HI> P&s; 15. p. 258. V&s;urers drones <HI>V&s;ura est quae&s;: tuo&s;a &s;egniti: es.</HI> V&s;ury is gaine|full idlene&s;&s;e.</P></NOTE> &s;ecrety conueying it &s;elfe into all the members, corrupteth the whole body: &s;o v&s;ury di&s;|per&s;ing it &s;elfe through all the borrowers goods, con|uerteth them into debt. And euen as leauen which is put into meale, infecteth the whole lumpe, and drawing it to it &s;elfe, turneth it into the nature of leauen: &s;o when v&s;ury entreth into any mans Hou&s;e, it draweth all his &s;ub|&s;tance vnto it, and turneth it into debt.</P>
<P>The Philo&s;opher matcheth the V&s;urer with the baud: and to the &s;ame purpo&s;e ob&s;erue the coherence, <HI>Deuter.</HI> 23.18.19. It is a wonder therefore, that in the hiue as it were of the Common-wealth, &s;uch drones are &s;uffered, which liue of the &s;weat, yea blood of other men: who out of other mens labour attaine ea&s;e, out of other mens hazard gaine &s;ecurity, out of other mens lo&s;&s;e reape gaine.</P>
<DIV3 TYPE="part">
<HEAD>Similes.</HEAD>
<P><HI>LVther</HI> &s;ayth, an V&s;urer is a blood-&s;ucker of the people:<NOTE PLACE="marg">In decalog.</NOTE> and as a Worme in an Apple or Nut con|&s;umeth all that is within: &s;o an V&s;urer deuoureth the &s;ub&s;tance of the City by wonderfull and &s;ecrete meanes.</P>
<PB N="49" REF="35">
<P>The V&s;urer,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mr. <HI>Wilkin&s;on</HI> Debt booke p. 99.</NOTE> who&s;e trafficke and trade it is to make men mi&s;erable, and to rai&s;e his gaine out of other mens aduer|&s;ity, hee is &s;aith <HI>Chry&s;ostome, Qua&s;i manum &s;u&s;cipiens et in naufragium impelleus.</HI> As a man taking one by the hand to pull out of the water, but kicking him backe againe to the Shipwracke of his &s;ub&s;tance, and of him&s;elfe, which is a rude and a barbarous part in any, to hurt infallibly,<NOTE PLACE="marg">The V&s;urer hurts tho&s;e whom hee pretends to helpe.</NOTE> whom hee pretends to helpe. This is one of the bitter Potions which the world reacheth forth to ouer pur|cha&s;ers, and ouer-traders, which they are forced to drinke to the very dregges, when they cannot bee content to walke within their compa&s;&s;e.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Note.</NOTE> As a man cannot touch Pitch but bee defiled therewith: &s;o hee cannot deale with v&s;ury without detriment, <HI>ip&s;o facto,</HI> the fir&s;t moment.</P>
<P>When the V&s;urer &s;aith that he lendeth for compa&s;&s;ion,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mr. <HI>Smith.</HI> 1 Sermon vp|on v&s;ury. The V&s;urer like the luye.</NOTE> he meaneth for compa&s;&s;ion of him&s;elfe, that hee may gaine by his pitty. The V&s;urer loueth the borrower, as the Iuye loueth the Oke; the luye loueth the Oke to grow by it, &s;o the V&s;urer loueth the borrower, to grow rich by him. The Iuye cla&s;peth to the Oke like a louer, but it cla&s;peth out all the iuyce and &s;ap, that the Oke can|not thriue after: So the v&s;urer lendeth like a friend, but he couenanteth like an enemy, for he cla&s;peth the borrower with &s;uch bands, that euer after he dimini&s;heth, as fa&s;t as the v&s;urer encrea&s;eth.</P>
<P>The V&s;urer is like a Butlers box:<NOTE PLACE="marg">The V&s;urer like a Butlers. box.</NOTE> for as all the counters at la&s;t come to the Butler: &s;o all the money at la&s;t commeth to the v&s;urer, ten after ten, and ten after ten, and ten to ten, till at la&s;t he receiue not onely ten for an hundred, but an hundred for ten. This is the only difference,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Idem.</NOTE> that the Butler can receiue no more then he deliuereth: but the V&s;urer receiueth more then he deliuereth.</P>
<P>He is like a Moath;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Like a Moath.</NOTE> euen as a Moath eateth a hole in Cloth, &s;o V&s;ury eateth a hole in &s;iluer.</P>
<PB N="50" REF="36">
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">Adams works p. 1058. V&s;ury a &s;harpe thorne. Note.</NOTE>The gentle&s;t v&s;ury is a mo&s;t &s;harpe thorne, and pricks the &s;ides of the Country till the blood followes. An V&s;u|rer with his money, is like a man that hath no worke of his owne, yet keepes a &s;eruant to let out: and takes not onely hire of others for his daily labour, but chardg|eth him to &s;teale &s;omewhat be&s;ides, and neuer to returne home empty.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">An v&s;urer wor&s;e then all &s;inners. Wor&s;e then a Theefe. Then Hell.</NOTE>An V&s;urer is wor&s;e then all &s;inners, he is wor&s;e then a Theefe: a Theefe robbeth but in the night, but the V&s;u|rer robbeth day and night.</P>
<P>He is wor&s;e then Hell; for in Hell onely the wicked &s;hall be puni&s;hed: but the V&s;urer puni&s;heth; and &s;poileth both good and bad and &s;pareth neyther holy nor vnholy.</P>
<P>He is wor&s;e then a <HI>Iew,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Then a Iew.</NOTE> for one <HI>Iew</HI> will not take v&s;u|ry of another: but the V&s;urer will take v&s;ury of his Chri|&s;tian brethren.</P>
<P>He is wor&s;e then death,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Then death.</NOTE> for death killeth but the body, but the V&s;urer killeth body and Soule.</P>
<P>He is wor&s;e then <HI>Iudas,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Wor&s;e then Iudas.</NOTE> for <HI>Iudas</HI> &s;old Chri&s;t but once for thirty pence, but they &s;ell Chri&s;t continually, as often as they take v&s;ury: <HI>Iudas</HI> re&s;tored the money againe, but the V&s;urers neuer re&s;tore the money againe,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Norrbbooke</HI> poore mans gardan f 270. Idem p. 2706. An V&s;urer like a Pigge.</NOTE> that they vniu&s;tly haue taken.</P>
<P>The V&s;urer is like a Pigge, for while he liueth, he is good and profitable for nothing, for he will be euer root|ing vp the Earth, running through, and tearing of hed|ges: eating and deuouring vp good Corne, Beanes and Pea&s;on, &s;o likewi&s;e doth the wicked &s;wini&s;h V&s;urer whil&s;t hee liueth: but when the Pigge is dead, then there commeth profit by him to many: &s;o the V&s;urer, when death taketh him, then the poore may haue &s;ome profit.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">V&s;urers like the Worme in timber. <HI>Powels</HI> po&s;its of v&s;ury p 48.</NOTE>The Worme <HI>Teredo</HI> is &s;oft to touch, but it hath &s;uch hard teeth, as it deuoureth and con&s;umeth the hard tim|ber: So the V&s;urer is a &s;oft bea&s;t at the fir&s;t to handle, but in continuance of time, the hardne&s;&s;e of his teeth
<PB N="51" REF="36"> will eat a man vp, fle&s;h and bone, if he haue not an e&s;pe|ciall regard to &s;hune him.</P>
<P>The V&s;urer is like the <HI>Beuer,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">The V&s;urer is like the Beuer.</NOTE> which biteth &s;o &s;ore, as that he neuer loo&s;eth his teeth, vntill he haue broken the bones. It may be truly &s;ayd of the&s;e,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Note.</NOTE> de&s;olation and de&s;truction is in their path: where&s;oeuer they &s;et foot, they make hauocke of all.</P>
<P>The Prophet <HI>Ezekiel</HI> doth hedge in this &s;inne betweene Bribery and Extortion. And in another place we &s;hall finde,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ezek. 22.12.</NOTE> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Exod. 22 25.</NOTE> that it and oppre&s;&s;ion is made both one: thus by Gods owne te&s;timony the&s;e are oppre&s;&s;ors.<NOTE PLACE="marg">The V&s;urer compared to the neather mil&s;tone. How he &s;pends his time. Note.</NOTE> Not vnaptly may we compare the v&s;urer to the neather mil&s;tone, which is &s;low and &s;turres not; he &s;its at home, and &s;pends his time in a de|uilli&s;h Arithmeticke, in numeration of houres, dayes, and moneys, in Sub&s;traction from other mens e&s;tates, and mul|tiplication of his owne, vntill he haue made diui&s;ion bet|weene his &s;oule and Heauen, and diuided the earth to him|&s;elfe, and him&s;elfe to hell. His Broker we may compare to the vpper mil&s;tone (without which the neather mil&s;tone may &s;eeme vnprofitable) that is quicke &amp; &s;tirring, &amp; runs round: the poore (like Corne) who betweene both the&s;e is grinded into powder.<NOTE PLACE="marg">V&s;urers &s;uffe|red for our &s;innes.</NOTE> Surely it is for our &s;innes that God &s;uffers v&s;u|rers among&s;t vs: it may be he &s;uffers the&s;e a while; as he did the <HI>Canaanites</HI> in <HI>I&s;rael,</HI> le&s;t the wild bea&s;ts &s;hould breake in vpon them; le&s;t pride and a full e&s;tate &s;hould &s;pill mens &s;oules. Yet we may &s;afely &s;ay of the&s;e, as <HI>Io&s;ua</HI> did of tho&s;e, they are prickes in our &s;ides, and Thornes in our eyes. Now the mercy of God rid vs of them: let them bring what ex|cu&s;es, apologies, mitigations, eua&s;ions, or di&s;tinctions they, po&s;&s;ibly can inuent: let them reply, v&s;ury is no &s;inne, many learned men are of this opinion: yet what are they the better if,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mr. Rogers Strange vine|card p. 312. 313.</NOTE> God him&s;elfe be not of the &s;ame mind tho&s;e lear|ned men are of? and let them tel me if their con&s;ciences can be &s;o &s;ati&s;fied. Would not the greate&s;t V&s;urer willingly giue an hundred pound bag to be &s;ecured in this point? It is not &s;afe wading farre in a que&s;tionable water.</P>
<PB N="52" REF="37">
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">Mr. <HI>Perkins.</HI> vol. 3. p. 220.</NOTE>The V&s;urer may pretend he plea&s;ures the poore, but his helpe is no better then his is, that giues a draught of cold water to him, that is in a burning feauer, which &s;eemes plea&s;ant at the fir&s;t, but after turnes to his great an|noyance.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">Bb. <HI>Iewell.</HI> vpon The&s;&s;. p. 116. Idem p. 117.</NOTE>V&s;ury in the midde&s;t of a Citty worketh &s;uch good, as fire doth, when it is &s;et to the roofe of a Hou&s;e: or as the Plague doth when it is taken to the mide&s;t of the body and toucheth the heart.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">An V&s;urer wor&s;e then a Theefe.</NOTE>An V&s;urer is much wor&s;e then a Theefe. For a Theefe is driuen by extremity and neede: The V&s;urer is rich and hath no neede. The Theefe &s;tealeth in corners, and in places where he may be vnknowne: the V&s;urer openly and boldly, at all times, and in any place. The Theefe, to releeve his Wife and Children: the V&s;urer to &s;poyle his neighbour,<NOTE PLACE="marg">The V&s;urer a Theefe at all times.</NOTE> and to vndoe his Wife and Children. The Theefe &s;tealeth from the rich, which haue enough: the V&s;urer from the poore that hath nothing. The Theefe &s;leeth, and will be &s;eene no more: the V&s;urer &s;tandeth by it, continueth, &amp; &s;tealeth &s;till: day and night, &s;leeping and wa|king,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Note.</NOTE> he alwayes &s;tealeth. The theef repenteth of his deed, he knoweth he hath done wrong and is &s;orry for it: the V&s;urer, thinketh it is his owne, that is well gotten, and neuer re|penteth,<NOTE PLACE="marg">See Dr. <HI>Wil|&s;on.</HI> vpon V&s;ury p 95.</NOTE> but defendeth, and maintaineth his &s;inne impu|dently. The Theefe, if he e&s;cape, many times becommeth profitable to his countrey, and be&s;toweth him&s;elfe paine|fully in &s;ome trade of life: the V&s;urer leaueth his mer|chandi&s;e, for&s;aketh his husbandry, giueth him&s;elfe to nothing, whereby his countrey may haue benefite. The Theefe is &s;atisfied at length:<NOTE PLACE="marg">The V&s;urer ne|uer &s;atisfied.</NOTE> the V&s;urer hath neuer e|nough, the belly of the wicked will neuer be filled: as the Sea is neuer filled with water, though all the &s;treames of the world runne into it: So the greedine&s;&s;e of an V&s;urer is neuer &s;atisfied, though he gaine neuer &s;o vnrea&s;onably. The Sea is profitable: the V&s;urer is hurtfull and dangerous. By the Sea we may pa&s;&s;e and come &s;afely to the Hauen:
<PB N="53" REF="37"> but no man pa&s;&s;eth by v&s;ury without lo&s;&s;e or Shipwracke.</P>
<P>V&s;urers are in wor&s;e ca&s;e, then common &s;trumpets,<NOTE PLACE="marg">V&s;urers in wor&s;e ca&s;e then harlots. Dr. <HI>Wil&s;on,</HI> of v&s;ury, p. 138</NOTE> or harlots be; for a drab is not bound to make re&s;titution of that &s;he hath gotten vnlawfully, by abu&s;ing her body in filthyne&s;&s;e, but onely to doe penance: and yet an v&s;urer mu&s;t re&s;tore his euill gotten goods, becau&s;e he hath &s;tolne them, or el&s;e, he cannot be receiued into the Church a|gaine.</P>
<P><HI>Tully,</HI> in his fir&s;t booke of Offices, compareth v&s;urers to vile artificers, that get their wealth by lying deadly,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Idem p. 147.</NOTE> and vttering fal&s;ehood to &s;aue them&s;elues from famine. And with the v&s;urers, he reckoneth tole-takers, cu&s;tomers, and &s;uch money Officers, that pille and polle both Prince and people. <HI>Aristotle</HI> &s;ayth, that v&s;urers and bauds may well goe together, for they gaine by filthy meanes all that they get.</P>
</DIV3>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="6" TYPE="chapter">
<HEAD>CHAP. 6. An an&s;wer to all &s;uch Arguments as per&s;wade &s;ome <HI>to the lawfulne&s;&s;e of v&s;ury.</HI></HEAD>
<DIV3 N="1" TYPE="argument">
<HEAD>1 Argument,</HEAD>
<EPIGRAPH>
<Q><BIBL><HI>from the Parable,</HI> Math. <HI>25.27.</HI></BIBL>
<P>Thou oughte&s;t therefore to haue put my money to the Ex|changers, and then at my comming I &s;hould haue re|ceiued mine owne with v&s;ury.</P></Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<DIV4 TYPE="answer">
<HEAD>1 <HI>An&s;wer.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Dr. <HI>Sclater</HI> vpon 1 The&s;. 5 p. 392. 393.</NOTE></HEAD>
<P>IS it not a worthy argument for v&s;urious contracts: drawne from the parable? worldlings looke for their owne with v&s;ury; &s;o the Lord for aduantage of his glo|ry, by his gifts. Approues he their practi&s;e? or rather vpbrayds our negligence, by compari&s;on drawne from mens cour&s;es in euill? They were be&s;t &s;ay, they may imbeazle their ma&s;ters goods, becau&s;e Chri&s;t,
<PB N="54" REF="38"> by that worldlings wi&s;edome, would teach vs prouidence for our &s;oules: or becau&s;e he re&s;embles his comming to a Thiefe in the poynt of &s;uddenne&s;&s;e, thence inferre the law|fulne&s;&s;e of theeuery. Compari&s;ons are borrowed from things &s;infull,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Compari&s;ons why borrowed from things &s;infull.</NOTE> and vnlawfull, to teach truth, and admoni&s;h of duety: the v&s;e of them is, not to iu&s;tifie their euill, but to remember vs of duety, or to explaine his truth.</P>
</DIV4>
<DIV4 TYPE="answer">
<HEAD>2 <HI>An&s;wer.</HI></HEAD>
<P>Similitudes and Parables v&s;ed in Scripture doe not hold in euery thing but wherein they are compared.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Dr. <HI>Smith,</HI> in <HI>Wilet</HI> vpon Leuit. p. 627. 1 The&s;. 5.2. Reuel. 5.5. 1 Pet. 5.8.</NOTE> As Chri&s;t, for his &s;udden comming, is likened to a thiefe in the night, yet hereby is not theft iu&s;tified: and as Chri&s;t is re&s;em|bled to a Lyon for &s;trength and courage, &s;o the diuell for cruelty; and &s;o here, the &s;pirituall increa&s;e of Gods gifts is likened to v&s;ury, for the thing, that is, the encrea&s;ing, not to iu&s;tifie the manner. 2. And further, here the word v&s;ury, <HI>Metaphoric&egrave; accipitur pro &s;uper excre&s;centia bonorum &s;piritu|alium:</HI> is metaphorically taken for the encrea&s;e of &s;piritu|all graces, <HI>Aquin.</HI> And &s;o &s;piritually, the Lord receiueth v&s;ury from vs in the encrea&s;e of his gifts,<NOTE PLACE="marg">in P&s;al. 36. Con. 3. Commenda|ble v&s;ury.</NOTE> and we v&s;ury from him, as <HI>Augustine</HI> &s;ayth, <HI>Si vis foenerare, foenera deo, foene|rator minus vult dare, et plus accipere: hoc fac et tu, da mo|dica, accipe magna, da temporalia, accipe aeterna,</HI> if thou wilt be an v&s;urer, put out to v&s;ury to God: an v&s;urer will giue le&s;&s;e, and take more, doe thou &s;o, giue &s;mall things, and take great, giue temporall things, and receiue eternall.</P>
<P>If the&s;e an&s;wers will not giue thee &s;atisfaction, as what will &s;atisfie a re&s;olued v&s;urer, whom the god of this world hath blinded? then con&s;ult with other Diuines of &s;ound learning and &s;incere iudgment, as: with M. <HI>Fentons</HI> Treati&s;e vpon v&s;ury, p. 14. p. 137. M. <HI>Dyke,</HI> of the deceitfulne&s;&s;e of mans heart, p. 209. Bb, <HI>Downam,</HI> vpon P&s;. 15. p. 285. Bb, <HI>Iewel,</HI> vpon 1 The&s;. p. 140.</P>
</DIV4>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="2" TYPE="argument">
<PB N="55" REF="38">
<HEAD>2 Argument, for the lawfulne&s;&s;e of v&s;ury.</HEAD>
<EPIGRAPH>
<Q>I would willingly pay ten in the hundred, if I had need, and therefore I may take &s;o.<NOTE PLACE="marg">I. M.</NOTE></Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<DIV4 TYPE="answer">
<HEAD>An&s;wer.</HEAD>
<P N="1">1. THat royall rule, Doe as thou would&s;t be done by,<NOTE PLACE="marg">M^r. <HI>Boltons</HI> directions for a comfortable walking with God. p. 208. 209. <HI>Fenton</HI> of v|&s;ury. p. 137, 138. Dr. <HI>Pye,</HI> of v&s;ury, p. 9. Bb. <HI>Downam</HI> P&s;. 15. p. 233. 234. <HI>Powels</HI> po|&s;itions of v&s;ury p. 90.</NOTE> mu&s;t be vnder&s;tood and expounded, according to to the grounds of a good con&s;cience, dictates of right rea|&s;on, and directions of a iu&s;t and rectified will: not out of the mi&s;ts and mi&s;eries of a depraued and exorbitant iudg|ment. Otherwi&s;e <HI>Abimelech, Saul,</HI> and other of that de&s;pe|rate ranke and re&s;olution, might conclude, that it were lawfull for them to kill other men, becau&s;e they were wil|ling to be killed them&s;elues, See <HI>Iudg,</HI> 9.54. 1 <HI>Sam.</HI> 31.4. for they might &s;ay, they did but as as they would be done by. It would al&s;o follow very ab&s;urdly: the Magi&s;trate be|ing in the malefactors ca&s;e would gladly be pardoned, ther|fore he mu&s;t pardon the malefactor: &s;ome &s;onne of <HI>Belial</HI> would be content villanou&s;ly to pro&s;titute his wife whom he cares not for him&s;elfe, to others; therefore he may a|bu&s;e another mans wife whom he loues better: the&s;e, and the like abominable and ab&s;urd con&s;equents, demon|&s;trate the vanity of the v&s;urers inference, and that Chri&s;ts rule is not &s;o generall, but re&s;traineable to that will, which is orderly,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Note.</NOTE> and hone&s;tly guided by the light of nature, and Gods Law.</P>
<P N="2">2. We mu&s;t then haue recour&s;e to this generall foun|taine of the &s;econd table,<NOTE PLACE="marg">D^r. <HI>Taylors</HI> Circum&s;pect walking, p. 163. 164.</NOTE> and fetch light and direction thence: when we haue no expre&s;&s;e and &s;peciall word in Gods Booke; but the Scriptures haue clearely and direct|ly determined and re&s;olued the poynt of v&s;ury.</P>
<P N="3">3 If the v&s;urer were in the borrowers ca&s;e, he would not willingly, as he pretends, giue ten in the hundred. I meane with an ab&s;olute and free will, but of force and con|&s;traint, becau&s;e without paying after that rate,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Note.</NOTE> he could not
<PB N="56" REF="39"> haue it. If a man would borrow vpon V&s;ury, to buy land, ingro&s;&s;e, fore&s;tall, or compa&s;&s;e &s;ome vnlawfull matter; that were a corrupt will, and no rule: but if his de&s;ire &s;o to borrow were iu&s;t and lawfull, as in &s;ome ca&s;es it may be, then it is no intire will, but mixed and forced by &s;ome ne|ce&s;&s;ity, for the auoyding of a greater euill: and therefore denyed in the eye both of law and rea&s;on, to be any will at all.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Note:</NOTE> He that would borrow, &s;hould haue need to borrow, for a needle&s;&s;e de&s;ire is vnlawfull, and an ingenious man who hath need to borrow, would not willingly borrow but for need, much le&s;&s;e would he pay v&s;ury. Therefore the will of the borrower, in this ca&s;e, is eyther corrupt, or no will at all, and &s;o con&s;equently without the compa&s;&s;e of Chri&s;ts rule.</P>
<P>The will of the borrower in this ca&s;e, is like the will of an hone&s;t traueller,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Simile.</NOTE> in giuing his pur e to an arrand thiefe: for the feare he &s;hould loo&s;e both pur&s;e and life. Is &s;uch a man willing, thinke you to loo&s;e his money? or like the will of a man, who&s;e hou&s;e being on fire, pluckes downe part thereof to &s;aue the re&s;t: willingly indeed as the ca&s;e &s;tands with him,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Simile.</NOTE> yet not &s;imply, but vpon nece&s;&s;ity. So the borrowers will is not free, but forced, and &s;o a will again&s;t a will.</P>
</DIV4>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="3" TYPE="argument">
<HEAD>3 Argument.</HEAD>
<EPIGRAPH>
<Q>Some Diuines haue vndertaken the defence of &s;ome kind of v&s;ury, e&s;pecially to the rich, and &s;o haue animated &s;ome in that cour&s;e.</Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<DIV4 TYPE="answer">
<HEAD>1 <HI>An&s;wer.</HI></HEAD>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">Dr. <HI>Taylers</HI> Progre&s;&s;e of Saints p. 96.</NOTE>This Doctrine brought to his tryall will not hold, &s;ee|ing it is &s;uch a con&s;umer of mens e&s;tates, and &s;o vncharita|ble, as the Lord would not admit of it in <HI>I&s;rael,</HI> but a|mong his enemies whom he would haue quite con&s;umed. Be&s;ides, men deceiue them&s;elues in their di&s;tinction: for
<PB N="57" REF="39"> God in the ca&s;e of v&s;ury di&s;tingui&s;heth not betweene the rich and poore of <HI>I&s;rael,</HI> but betweene the <HI>I&s;rae|lites,</HI> and the <HI>Canaanites,</HI> betweene &s;trangers and brethren. The poore indeed are mentioned,<NOTE PLACE="marg">The poore why mentio|ned in the pro|hibition of v&s;u|ry.</NOTE> but onely thus: 1. Becau&s;e they haue mo&s;t neede to borrow 2. Becau&s;e they are mo&s;t liable to wrong and op|pre&s;&s;ion. 3. The Commandement of loane is made e&s;pecial|ly for their good. 4. V&s;ury on them is a more grieuous &s;in and crying, <HI>Exod.</HI> 22.21.</P>
<P><HI>Ob.</HI> But if it were vnlawfull, God would forbid it to the &s;tranger. <HI>Sol.</HI> 1. The Morrall Law forbids it to all. 2. It is by God di&s;pen&s;ed with, by a iudiciall, for the hardne&s;&s;e of the hearts of the <HI>Iewes,</HI> for the vniu&s;tice of the Gentiles, who exacted it on the <HI>Iewes,</HI> and for the ouerthrow of the <HI>Canaanits.</HI> The word is <HI>Deut.</HI> 23.20. Not <HI>Lemicro</HI> but <HI>Lamicro, Extraneo huic,</HI> that is, to this &s;tranger, meaning the <HI>Canaanite.</HI> 3.<NOTE PLACE="marg">See <HI>Fenton.</HI> of v&s;ury p. 46.</NOTE> It is no more law|full then Poligamy or a Bill of diuorce, which was a|gain&s;t the In&s;titutor. 4. When the <HI>Canaanites</HI> were de&s;troyed, all v&s;ury was afterward ab&s;olutely forbid|den; <HI>P&s;.</HI> 15. And <HI>Pro.</HI> 28.8. <HI>Hier</HI> on <HI>Leu.</HI> 18. In the Law V&s;ury is forbidden onely to brethren, but in the Prophets to all ab&s;olutely: and in the Go&s;pell much, more, becau&s;e all are now brethren.</P>
</DIV4>
<DIV4 TYPE="answer">
<HEAD>2 <HI>An&s;wer.</HI></HEAD>
<P>If any learned men do allow that v&s;ury, which is pro|perly &s;o called, and practi&s;ed in the world,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Bb. <HI>Downam</HI> on P&s;. 15. p. 310.</NOTE> I oppo&s;e to them the iudgements of many more worthy and learned men in this Age, the te&s;timonies of all the learned in former ages, both Chri&s;tians and heathen, the cen&s;ures of Councels, the authority of the Word of GOD.</P>
</DIV4>
<DIV4 TYPE="answer">
<HEAD>3 <HI>An&s;wer.</HI></HEAD>
<P>If tho&s;e Diuines that &s;peake or write for v&s;ury proper|ly &s;o called, be V&s;urers them&s;elues;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Dr. <HI>Sclater:</HI> vpon Romane p 122.</NOTE> may not this &s;inne winde it &s;elfe into their affections, and thence creepe into
<PB N="58" REF="40"> their iudgements, and vnder&s;tandings, till it haue eaten out all &s;oundnes of iudging and di&s;cerning betwixt good and euill? Doth not adultery creepe from the body to the affections bewitching them? Doth it not blind the iudgement: to thinke and cen&s;ure it but a tricke of youth? Drunkenne&s;&s;e what an inward thir&s;t of the de&s;ire workes it? And how ea&s;ily inclines it to iudge it no wor&s;e then good-fellow&s;hip, yea &s;o good as a poynt of manhood.</P>
<P>This aduantage hath the diuell gotten again&s;t vs in the practi&s;e of this &s;inne,<NOTE PLACE="marg">D^r^. <HI>Fenton</HI> of v&s;ury p. 3. V&s;ury why a bewitching &s;inne.</NOTE> that v&s;ury being a trade &s;o gainefull in re&s;pect of others, &s;o ea&s;ie, &s;o cheape, &s;o &s;ecure without all labour, co&s;t, or perill, being al&s;o &s;o common, behouefull, and requi&s;it in the&s;e times for all occa&s;ions; it hath bewit|ched euen the con&s;ciences of tho&s;e who are mo&s;t tender in other matters. For if the heart and affection be once won and po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed, it is an ea&s;ie matter euen by &s;light proofes to turne the braine. <HI>Quod nimis mi&s;eri volunt, hoc facil&egrave; cre|dunt,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Seneca.</NOTE> &s;trong affection giueth great credit to weake argu|ments: whereas indeed it ought to be contrariwi&s;e; that our naturall pronene&s;&s;e, and the generall inclination of the world to this practi&s;e of v&s;ury, &s;hould moue a well tempe|red iudgement the rather to &s;u&s;pect the lawfulne&s;&s;e of it, and the &s;oundne&s;&s;e of &s;uch rea&s;ons, as are brought for it. <HI>Perit omne iudicium, cum res tran&s;it ad affectum.</HI> Men loo|king by affection looke through a mi&s;t or a painted gla&s;&s;e; to whom nothing appeareth in his natiue colour and due proportion.</P>
</DIV4>
<DIV4 TYPE="answer">
<HEAD>3 <HI>An&s;wer.</HI></HEAD>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Powels</HI> po&s;it. of v&s;ury, p. 52, 53.</NOTE>Neuer any Diuine, that euer I could &s;ee or heare of, euer allowed v&s;ury, but with &s;uch caueats and le&s;&s;ons, as alter the quality of v&s;ury, and make it indeed no v&s;ury at all.</P>
<P N="1"><NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Caluin</HI> in Ezek. 18. <HI>Wilet</HI> vpon Exod. p. 511.</NOTE>1 All Diuines condemne it, as when men make a trade of it. <HI>Qui&s;quis ex profe&s;&s;o foeneratur, ille omnino debet ab ho|minum con&s;ortio reijci.</HI> Thus al&s;o Dr. <HI>Willet,</HI> he that lendeth his money vpon v&s;ury (&s;ayth he) mu&s;t not be &s;uch a one as maketh it his trade to liue by letting of money. And of all
<PB N="59" REF="40"> other trades to be a profe&s;&s;ed v&s;urer is mo&s;t odious.</P>
<P N="2">2 They ab&s;olutely condemne v&s;ury of v&s;ury.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Iun. in <HI>Leuit</HI></NOTE> <HI>V&s;ura v&s;urarum, iudicio bonorum omnium etiam apud infideles dam|nata &s;emper et infamis fuit.</HI> Yet this in it &s;elfe is no more vn|lawfull then v&s;ury.</P>
<LIST>
<HEAD>Cautions to be ob&s;erued by V&s;urers, and that <HI>Exact&egrave;,</HI> to be preci&s;ely kept, as <HI>M^r. Caluin</HI> &s;ayth.</HEAD>
<ITEM>1 <HI>Ne exigatur ab egente:</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">See <HI>Fenton</HI> of v&s;ury p. 62. 63. <HI>Ame&s;ins de con&s;cientia.</HI> cap. 44. quae. 4, <HI>Perkins</HI> Condit. Com|mandement, 8: <HI>Tantundem aut plus,</HI> Caluin. Bb. <HI>Downam</HI> in P&s;. 15. p 274 275.</NOTE> it mu&s;t not be taken of the needy, or &s;uch as be vrged to borrow vpon nece&s;&s;ity.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2 The v&s;urer mu&s;t not be &s;o addicted to gaine, but that he mu&s;t be &s;till ready furni&s;hed, and willing to furni&s;h his poore neyghbour in his need, freely.</ITEM>
<ITEM>3 The rule of Chri&s;t mu&s;t euer be his touch&s;tone, to deale no otherwi&s;e then he would be dealt, with in the like ca&s;e.</ITEM>
<ITEM>4 The borrowers gaine mu&s;t be &s;o much more at the lea&s;t as the v&s;urers intere&s;t comes vnto.</ITEM>
<ITEM>5 That not onely a re&s;pect be had to the borrower but to the good of the Common-wealth al&s;o, that, that receiue no preiudice:</ITEM>
<ITEM>6 That the v&s;urer neuer exceed the &s;tint &s;et downe in the Country, or Common-wealth where he liues.</ITEM>
</LIST>
<P>And becau&s;e <HI>Zanchie,</HI> who is held another great patron of v&s;urers, doth vndertake to &s;et downe the true meaning of <HI>Caluin, Bucer,</HI> and others in fauour of v&s;ury, let vs heare what v&s;ury that is, which they meant.</P>
<P><HI>Lictat paci&s;ci de lucro, &s;ed adhibit&acirc; &s;emper conditione vel expre&s;&s;&acirc; vel tacit&acirc;, at&abque; in mente pij creditoris confirmata: nempe, vt &s;i cert&ograve; compereris, cui tuam dedi&s;ti pecuniam, cum vel parum, vel nihil lucri feci&s;&s;e, id&abque; non &s;u&acirc; culpa aut neg|ligenti&acirc;, &s;ed propter res aduer&s;us, et quia dominus noluit eius laboribus benedicere: tu quo&abque; vel nihil, vel minus qu&agrave;m erat in pactis accipias. Imo hoc animo e&s;&s;e debes, &ocirc; creditor, vt &s;i de|bitor, non &s;olum non fecit lucrum, &s;ed etiam accepit damnum,
<PB N="60" REF="41"> tu quoque damni aliquid cum illo patiaris: hoc enim po&s;tulat aequitas et charitas.</HI></P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">The V&s;ury that <HI>Zanchie</HI> allowes,</NOTE>It is lawfull to couenant for lucre, but vnder a condition either expre&s;&s;ed in the couenant, or kept in mind, that if it appeare the borrower &s;hall gaine little or nothing, (if with|out his owne default he proues a loo&s;er:) thy v&s;ury &s;hall be little or nothing: and further if he lo&s;e of the principall, thou mu&s;t beare part of the lo&s;&s;e. For equity and charity require this. This is the v&s;ury which <HI>Zanchie</HI> defendeth, and this (&s;ayth he) was the meaning of <HI>Bucer</HI> and the re&s;t.<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Zanchie</HI> in Epi&s;t. ad Eph. 4. quae&s;t. 4 p. 173.</NOTE> Yet this is nothing but meere partner&s;hip. If the lender take part of lo&s;&s;e as well as of gaine, it is no v&s;ury.</P>
</DIV4>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="4" TYPE="argument">
<HEAD>4 Argument for v&s;ury.</HEAD>
<EPIGRAPH>
<Q>The Law allowes eight in the hundred, therefore it is law|full.</Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<DIV4 TYPE="answer">
<HEAD>An&s;wer.</HEAD>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">M^r. <HI>Dyke,</HI> deceitfulne&s;&s;e of the heart, p 205.</NOTE>THus the common v&s;urer deceiueth him&s;elfe; why the Law allowes eight in the hundred: yea, but the law onely &s;tints, and limits it to eight in the hundred, and &s;o farre giues way to it for the preuenting of a greater mi&s;|chiefe. And this will not be enough to excu&s;e the v&s;urer in the <HI>Court of Con&s;cience:</HI> thus the Iewes deceiued them&s;elues in the matter of their Poligamy, in hauing many wiues; and in their diuorces for euery trifle;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Math. 19.8.</NOTE> they thought <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> Law had allowed them in the&s;e &s;innes: whereas our Sauiour &s;heweth, <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> onely gaue a toleration for the hardnes of their hearts.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">Bb. <HI>Downam</HI> in P&s;. 15. p. 265</NOTE>The permitting of v&s;ury, argues that v&s;ury in it &s;elfe is euill, and the rule of con&s;cience mu&s;t be fetched, not from the ciuill lawes of men, but from the Word of God.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">Mr. <HI>Smith.</HI></NOTE>The v&s;urer herein is like the Iewes, who &s;ayd, <HI>We haue a</HI>
<PB N="61" REF="41"> Law, and by our Law he ought to die, <HI>Iohn.</HI> 19.7. when they could not &s;ay, by Gods Law, he ought to die: they &s;ayd by our Law he ought to die: &s;o when the V&s;u|rer cannot &s;ay, by Gods Law I may take v&s;ury; he &s;ayth, by mans Law I may take v&s;ury: this is the poore&s;t de|fence of all the re&s;t: for if Gods Law forbid thee, can any Law of man excu&s;e thee?</P>
<P>In that act of Parliament wherein v&s;ury was &s;tinted at eight in the hundred, and at the latter end of that act,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Anno Vice&s;imo primo Iacobi. regis.</NOTE> it is prouided: that no words in that Law contained, &s;hould be con&s;trued, or expounded, to allow the practi&s;e of v&s;ury, in point of Religion or con&s;cience.</P>
</DIV4>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="5" TYPE="argument">
<HEAD>5 Argument for v&s;ury.</HEAD>
<EPIGRAPH>
<Q>V&s;ury is not forbidden in the new Te&s;tament, therefore it is lawfull.</Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<DIV4 TYPE="answer">
<HEAD>An&s;wer.</HEAD>
<P>I Deny this con&s;equence:<NOTE PLACE="marg">Dr. <HI>Pie.</HI> V&s;u|rers Spright coniured p. 81 82, 83. Note. Many gro&s;&s;e &s;innes not for+bidden by name in the new Te&s;ta|ment.</NOTE> there is no &s;peciall mention of the forbidding of it by name in the new Te&s;tament: <HI>Ergo</HI> it is lawfull. For there are many breaches of the Morrall Law, yea many gro&s;&s;e &s;innes, which are not expre&s;&s;ely mentioned, and forbidden by name in the new Te&s;tament: as namely profaning of the Sabbath day: all the degrees of ince&s;t &s;aue one; remouing the neighbours marke: taking for pledge, or vpon execu|tion a poore mans onely weed; remouing of Landmarks, Polygamy; ielou&s;ie, &amp;c.</P>
<P N="2">2 An argument drawne from the te&s;timony of &s;ome one part of the Scripture negatiuely, doth not hold, it is &s;ufficient that it is forbidden in the old Te&s;tament, and namely in the Mortall Law of God, which is common and perpetuall; and farre bee it from vs to thinke that Chri&s;t in his Go&s;pell alloweth any &s;in which is fordidden in the Morall Law.</P>
<PB N="62" REF="42">
<P N="3">3 Neyther is the taking of v&s;ury of a poore man, that is in neuer &s;o great di&s;tre&s;&s;e, forbidden by name in the new Te&s;tament, and therefore by this argument it &s;hould be al|&s;o lawfull.</P>
<P N="4">4 By con&s;equence v&s;ury is &s;ufficiently forbidden in the new Te&s;tament, as &s;ometimes vnder the contrary affirma|tiue: for where free lending is commanded, as <HI>Mat.</HI> 5.42.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Bb. <HI>Downam</HI> P&s;. 15 p. 282. 283.</NOTE> Not free lending (that is v&s;ury) is condemned: &s;ome|times vnder the generall, as <HI>Eph.</HI> 4.28 1 <HI>The&s;&s;.</HI> 4.6. Sometimes ab&s;tinence from v&s;ury is commanded vnder the arguments of the greater and le&s;&s;e, as <HI>Luke.</HI> 6.35. Sometimes by an argument drawne from the le&s;&s;e, euen &s;inners, &s;ayth our Sauiour, are willing and ready to lend one to another without v&s;ury, how much more doth it become you that are Chri&s;tians; to lend one to ano|ther without v&s;ury?</P>
</DIV4>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="6" TYPE="argument">
<HEAD><HI>6 Argument for V&s;ury.</HI> </HEAD>
<EPIGRAPH>
<Q>It was in the Apo&s;tles time, therefore had it beene a &s;inne they would haue condemned it</Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<DIV4 TYPE="answer">
<HEAD>An&s;wer.</HEAD>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">Bb. <HI>Downam</HI> P&s;. 15. p. 284.</NOTE>I greatly doubt of this a&s;&s;ertion, that v&s;ury was in the time of Chri&s;t and his Apo&s;tles commonly practi&s;ed a|mong the Romanes: &s;eeing <HI>Tiberius</HI> in the latter part of his reigne had v&s;ed effectuall meanes for the aboli&s;h|ing of v&s;ury, as <HI>Alexander</HI> ab <HI>Alexandro</HI> reporteth: but much more in re&s;pect of the <HI>Iewes,</HI> among whom the practice of v&s;ury was forbidden by the Law of God, and to whom our Sauiour giueth this te&s;timony, that the very &s;inners among them would lend one to ano|ther to receiue as much as they lent.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke 6.34. Iames 5.3.</NOTE> S^t^. <HI>Iames</HI> al&s;o find|eth fault with the rich men of that time,<NOTE PLACE="marg">See Dr. <HI>Pie.</HI> of v&s;ury p. 84. 85.</NOTE> that they &s;uf|fered their gold and &s;iluer to ru&s;t, which they would not haue done if they had beene addicted to v&s;ury: and there|fore
<PB REF="42"> the le&s;&s;e practi&s;e of v&s;ury in tho&s;e times, may be &s;ome rea&s;on why it is not expre&s;&s;ely mentioned in the writings of the Apo&s;tles.</P>
</DIV4>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="7" TYPE="argument">
<HEAD>7 Argument for v&s;ury.</HEAD>
<EPIGRAPH>
<Q>The law which forbiddeth v&s;ury, is not morall, but iudiciall, and therefore not belonging to vs: they proue it to be a law iudiciall, becau&s;e v&s;ury is permitted towards a &s;tranger.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Deut. 23.20.</NOTE></Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<DIV4 TYPE="answer">
<HEAD>1 <HI>An&s;wer.</HI></HEAD>
<P N="1">1 If it were a iudiciall law, yet the equity thereof,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Bb. <HI>Downam</HI> P&s;. 15. p. 207.</NOTE> which is perpetuall, would appertaine to vs, <HI>viz.</HI> that v&s;ury is not to be impo&s;ed vpon a brother: but behold we Chri&s;tians are all brethren in Chri&s;t, this difference of Iew and Gentile being taken away,</P>
<P N="2">2 The law which commandeth free lending, is not iudi|ciall but morall, and is therefore renewed by our Sauiour Chri&s;t, therefore the law which forbiddeth v&s;ury or lending for gaine, is morall; for the &s;ame law which commandeth the affirmatiue, condemneth the negatiue.</P>
<P N="3">3 V&s;ury is reckoned in the Scripture among the tran&s;|gre&s;&s;ions of the morall law.<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Fenton</HI> of v&s;ury, p. 45.</NOTE> Looke into the Prophets and they euer combine this &s;inne of v&s;ury with the tran&s;gre&s;&s;i|ons of the morall law in the highe&s;t degree, with lying, back-biting, deceit, wrong, bribery, <HI>P&s;.</HI> 15. with idolatry, op|pre&s;&s;ion, adultery, cruelty, vnmercifulne&s;&s;e to the poore, blood&s;hed, and murder, <HI>Ezek.</HI> 18. with the profanation of holy things: with the abomination of vncleanene&s;&s;e: with the vnnaturall &s;innes of ince&s;t, <HI>Ezek.</HI> 22.<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP LANG="grc" DESC="foreign" RESP="OXF">.</NOTE> V&s;ury (&s;ayth S. <HI>Ba&s;il</HI>) is placed among the greate&s;t abominations; all of them tran&s;gre&s;&s;ions of the morall law.</P>
<P>It is true indeed, there is a iudiciall and politique to|leration annexed vnto this law, that the Iewes might take
<PB REF="43"> v&s;ury of &s;trangers:<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">.20.</NOTE> but that maketh not the law it &s;elfe iu|diciall but rather morall. The Iewes had a diuorce per|mitted vnto them in the &s;ame booke of <HI>Mo&s;es,</HI> the next chapter, and yet the 7 Commandement, to which that be|longeth, is morall notwith&s;tanding; in like manner the Iewes might take v&s;ury of &s;trangers,<NOTE PLACE="marg">chap. 24.1.</NOTE> which was a peculiar toleration for that nation, yet the law again&s;t v&s;ury is mo|rall.</P>
</DIV4>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="8" TYPE="argument">
<HEAD>8 Argument for v&s;ury.</HEAD>
<EPIGRAPH>
<Q>If v&s;ury be not lawfull for any to practi&s;e alas what &s;hall become of tho&s;e Orphans and widowes in the&s;e vniu&s;t daies, which haue &s;tockes of money left vnto them, and want skill to employ the &s;ame.</Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<DIV4 TYPE="answer">
<HEAD>An&s;wer.</HEAD>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Fenton</HI> of v|&s;ury. p. 115,</NOTE>VVHat &s;hall become of them? by the helpe of God they may doe well. My greater care is, what &s;hall become of tho&s;e Orphanes and Widowes in the&s;e vnchari|table daies, which haue no &s;tockes at all left vnto them. Though I confe&s;&s;e both the one and the other are alike in this, that they be not &s;o able to helpe them&s;elues as others be. Therefore there be no two e&s;tates among men, ouer whom God hath a more prouident and tender care, then ouer<NOTE N="(a)" PLACE="marg">Deut. 10.18. &amp; 14.29. &amp; 18.11, 14. &amp; 24 17 20. P&s;. 68.5. P&s;. 146.9.</NOTE> widowes and fatherle&s;&s;e children.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">Exod. 22.22, 23, 24.</NOTE>Hath God then &s;o many waies bound him&s;elfe by pro|mi&s;e to prouide for Widowes and Orphanes, and &s;hall the&s;e by v&s;ury withdraw them&s;elues out of his fatherly protection? &s;hall the&s;e be &s;ecured by v&s;urious contracts a|gain&s;t the act of God him&s;elfe? verily God will take it more vnkindly at their hands, then at any other.</P>
<P>If Almighty God in wi&s;edome had thought it meet to haue tolerated v&s;ury in the&s;e per&s;ons, he might as ea&s;ily haue mentioned the &s;ame, as he doth the toleration of len|ding to &s;trangers. But it was &s;o farre from Gods meaning, that in the very &s;ame place, where he maketh a law for the
<PB N="65" REF="43"> &s;afegard of Orphans and Widowes,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Exod 22.22.23 24.25.</NOTE> pre&s;ently and im|mediatly vpon it, is annexed the Law again&s;t v&s;ury. Shall then the&s;e who are &s;o well prouided for, by a &s;peciall Law of God, be tran&s;gre&s;&s;ors of the very next Law vnto it? God forbid.</P>
<P>Let Widowes and Orphans, &amp;c.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Bb. <HI>Downam.</HI> in P&s;. 15. p. 268. <HI>Dod.</HI> in Com. 316. Dr. <HI>Wil&s;on</HI> di&s;|cour&s;e vpon v&s;ury p. 70.</NOTE> Eyther imploy their goods in &s;ome hone&s;t trade, wherein they haue as good cau&s;e to expect a ble&s;&s;ing from God, as any other: or let them deale by partner&s;hip; or if other meanes faile, let annuities be bought for their liues, or Lands, or Rents purcha&s;ed for euer; or let &s;ome other hone&s;t cour&s;e be taken, which wi&s;e men can ea&s;ily deui&s;e, if they li&s;t: how Orphans may be maintained without impairing of their &s;tocke.</P>
</DIV4>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="9" TYPE="argument">
<HEAD>9 Argument for V&s;ury.</HEAD>
<EPIGRAPH>
<Q>The &s;tate of the City cannot &s;tand: trafficke cannot bee maintained: trade&s;men cannot liue without V&s;ury: therefore v&s;ury is lawfull.</Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<DIV4 TYPE="answer">
<HEAD>An&s;wer.</HEAD>
<P N="1">1. I demaund fir&s;t of the&s;e Trade&s;-Men,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Fenton</HI> of v&s;ury p. 121.</NOTE> who cannot liue in their trade without taking vp at intere&s;t: is their meaning that they cannot liue in that fa&s;hion as they doe, maintaine their wiues in tho&s;e fa&s;hons that they do: driue their trades to that height which they doe? If this be the ca&s;e, the an&s;wer is ea&s;y:<NOTE PLACE="marg">Prou. 5.15.</NOTE> it may be God would not haue them carry &s;o great a &s;aile as they doe, but to drinke of the waters of their owne well,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Note.</NOTE> and content them&s;elues with &s;uch meanes as Gods fatherly prouidence doth offer them:<NOTE PLACE="marg">Prou. 15.16.</NOTE> there is no nece&s;&s;ity for a man to inrich him|&s;elfe by &s;uch practi&s;es, as be eyther forbidden or doubtfull. <HI>Better is a little with the feare of the Lord, then great trea&s;ure with trouble;</HI> trouble of con&s;cience at the houre of death. Thus farre we do agree: who&s;ouer layeth this for his ground that he will be rich,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Tim. 6.9.</NOTE> mu&s;t in&s;nare his con&s;cience with many
<PB N="66" REF="44"> nece&s;&s;ary euils, whereof v&s;ury is one: nece&s;&s;ary, I &s;ay, not to a religious hone&s;t man, who is content with his e|&s;tate; but to him who re&s;olueth he will be rich: for they that will be rich (&s;aith the Apo&s;tle) fall into temp|tations and &s;nares,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Tim. 6.9.</NOTE> which drowne men in perdition and de&s;truction.</P>
<P N="2">2 If it be propounded, that trade and commerce be|tweene man and man cannot be maintained in this City without borrowing and lending:<NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke 6.13. <GAP LANG="grc" DESC="foreign" RESP="OXF"></NOTE> that is al&s;o granted. Gods Law did euer intend that men &s;hould lend one to another; in charity to the poore: in friend&s;hip to their equalls, to receiue the like courte&s;ie againe. Which duty if men would performe, three were no nece&s;&s;ity of v&s;ury.</P>
<P N="3">3 The third point then followeth. Pre&s;uppo&s;ing the cu&s;tome and corruption of the&s;e times wherein men will not lend freely as they ought; is there not a nece&s;&s;ity of v&s;ury admit that be granted: who did impo&s;e this nece&s;&s;i|ty?<NOTE PLACE="marg">Note.</NOTE> if God; then is this rea&s;on good, v&s;ury is nece&s;&s;ary, therefore lawfull. But if men or e&s;tates haue drawne a nece&s;&s;ity of &s;inning vpon them&s;elues by the cu&s;tome of &s;inne, doth this extenuate or aggrauate the fault? Woe be vnto them (&s;ayth the Prophet <HI>E&s;ay</HI>) who draw &s;in,<NOTE PLACE="marg">E&s;ay 5.18.</NOTE> as with cart-Ropes. Cities and Incorporations haue drawne a nece&s;&s;ity of this &s;inne vpon them&s;elues by three &s;trong cart-Ropes of iniquity.<NOTE PLACE="marg">3 Cau&s;e of the nece&s;&s;ity of v&s;ury.</NOTE></P>
<P>Fir&s;t the hardne&s;&s;e of mens hearts, and want of charity in tho&s;e who be well able to lend and will not, haue for|ced many to pay v&s;ury.</P>
<P>Secondly, the couetous de&s;ire and pride of borrowers, who out of an in&s;atiable appetite to compa&s;&s;e great mat|ters, do take vp great &s;ummes of money, for money: that no money is to be &s;pared for &s;uch as be true bor|rowers indeede.<NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;. 5.8.</NOTE> <HI>Woe vnto them that ioyne, Land to Land till there be no place for the poore to dwell in.</HI> That is the Country woe. But vpon the &s;ame ground, it is inferred: <HI>Woe vnto them who ioyne money to money, till there be none
<PB N="67" REF="44"> left for the poore to borrow.</HI> This is the City woe: which bringeth a nece&s;&s;ity of borrowing vpon intre&s;t.</P>
<P>Thirdly, fal&s;ehood and deceit in defrauding one ano|ther of their monies at the times appointed, &s;o as being di&s;apointed of their owne, they are compelled to take vp of others, or to &s;hut vp their doores. The&s;e three fold cart-Ropes, not ea&s;ily broken, haue drawne a nece&s;&s;ity of v&s;ury vpon Cities. And &s;hall it therefore be reputed no &s;inne? God forbid: it is no good con&s;equence neyther in per&s;ons nor e&s;tates.</P>
<P>Not in per&s;ons. S. <HI>Paul</HI> telleth vs of an heart that can|not repent,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 2.5.</NOTE> which heapeth vnto it &s;elfe wrath again&s;t the day of wrath. Is impenitency in that heart no &s;in, becau&s;e cu&s;tome hath made it nece&s;&s;ary?</P>
<P>A drunkard hath brought his body into &s;uch an habit, that vnle&s;&s;e he drinke bountifully, euen to the turning of his braine, he is &s;icke againe. Is not drunkene&s;&s;e in that per&s;on &s;infull, becau&s;e &s;o nece&s;&s;ary?</P>
<P>But for the lender, which is the V&s;urer, there is no co|lour or pretence of any &s;uch nece&s;&s;ity which can befall him: &s;eeing he hath authority from God as &s;teward of his ble&s;|&s;ings: and power among&s;t men as owner of his money: for variety of lawfull and vndoubted imployments.</P>
</DIV4>
<DIV4 TYPE="answer">
<HEAD>2 <HI>An&s;wer.</HI></HEAD>
<P>The Common-wealth of the <HI>Iewes</HI> did &s;tand without v&s;ury, therefore why may not ours?</P>
<P N="2">2 You may find a di&s;couery of the infinite iniuries this kingdome endureth by the vnlawfull trade of v&s;ury.<NOTE PLACE="marg">In a tract a|gain&s;t v&s;ury pre&s;ented to our high Court of Parliament. 1621. Item in v&s;ury arraigned and condemned. 1625.</NOTE> Where the allegations commonly made in defence of v&s;ury, are &s;ufficiently an&s;wered.</P>
<P N="3">3 V&s;ury is the cheefe&s;t cau&s;e of the greate&s;t mi&s;ery in this Land, as well to giue occa&s;ion of great wa&s;te as al&s;o to make much want, and will be in the end, the vndo|ing of all, if it be not looked to in time. The Romans neuer began to decay, till v&s;ury Lorded among&s;t them,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Dr. <HI>Wil&s;on.</HI> of v&s;ury. Epi&s;t. dedicat.</NOTE> for then priuate gaine thru&s;t out common profit, lu&s;t was
<PB N="68" REF="45"> holden for law, idlene&s;&s;e more v&s;ed then labour, ryot in&s;tead of dyet, vice better regarded then vertue, no charity at all, no loue betwixt man and man, but eueryman for him&s;elfe, and the whirle-poole of pride and ryot ouerfloweth in all things, and in all places.</P>
</DIV4>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="10" TYPE="argument">
<HEAD>10 Argument for v&s;ury.</HEAD>
<EPIGRAPH>
<Q><P><NOTE PLACE="marg">Propo&s;ition.</NOTE>No v&s;ury is forbidden by the law of God, and by the law of nature, but that which is hurtfull, and ioyned with the hurt and lo&s;&s;e of the neighbour.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">A&s;&s;umption.</NOTE>But &s;ome v&s;ury is not hurtfull, but rather helpfull to the neighbour.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">Conclu&s;ion.</NOTE>Therefore &s;ome v&s;ury is not forbidden.</P></Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<DIV4 TYPE="answer">
<HEAD>An&s;wer.</HEAD>
<P>Fir&s;t the propo&s;ition is vntrue, and of dangerous con&s;e|quence: for the law of God forbiddeth all v&s;ury in gene|rall,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Bb. <HI>Downam</HI> p 293.</NOTE> as a thing in it owne nature and in his whole kind &s;imply vnlawfull, without any re&s;traint or limitation, euen as it condemneth adultery, lying, theft, or any other noto|rious &s;inne. Thus a man might argue for an officious lye.</P>
</DIV4>
<DIV4 TYPE="reply">
<HEAD>Reply.</HEAD>
<P><HI>But they proue their propo&s;ition thus.</HI></P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">Propo&s;ition.</NOTE>V&s;ury is not forbidden, but as it is again&s;t charity, for cha|rity is the &s;umme of the law, and he which ob&s;erueth the rules of charity, keepeth the law.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">A&s;&s;umption.</NOTE>But that which is not hurtfull to the neyghbour, is not a|gain&s;t charity.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">Conclu&s;ion,</NOTE>Therefore that v&s;ury which is not hurtfull to the neygh|bour is not forbidden.</P>
</DIV4>
<DIV4 TYPE="answer">
<HEAD>An&s;wer.</HEAD>
<P N="1">1 To the Propo&s;ition: Charity which is the &s;umme of the law, hath reference towards God; towards our neyghbour, not onely in priuate, but al&s;o in publike: and towards a mans &s;elfe. And in this &s;ence I acknowledge the propo&s;ition of his &s;yllogi&s;me to be true, viz. That v&s;ury
<PB N="69" REF="45"> is not forbidden, but as it is repugnant to charity. But here|by the a&s;&s;umption of this &s;yllogi&s;me is proued to be fal&s;e, for there be many things which are not perhaps hurtfull to our neigbhour in particular, with whom we deale,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Note.</NOTE> which are notwith&s;tanding repugnant to charity. The officious lie helpeth the particular neighbour, in who&s;e fauour it is told, yet becau&s;e it is repugnant to verity, it is repugnant to charity. God who is truth hath forbidden all vntruth, and he will de&s;troy euery one that &s;peaketh lies: the lying mouth de&s;troyeth the &s;oule: therefore no lying can &s;tand with that charity and obedience which we owe to God, nor with that loue which we owe to our owne &s;oules. So in like &s;ort &s;uppo&s;e that the borrower &s;ometimes is not hurt by v&s;ury, but rather holpen: yet notwith&s;tanding all v&s;ury is again&s;t charity, for the practice of it cannot &s;tand with charity and our allegance to God; who hath forbidden it, denounced his iudgements again&s;t it, made gracious pro|mi&s;es to them that will do the contrary: nor with our cha|rity and duty to our Countrey, vnto which v&s;ury is in many re&s;pects noy&s;ome, as hath beene &s;hewed: nor with that loue which we owe to our owne &s;oules; for who&s;oeuer putteth forth to v&s;ury, or taketh increa&s;e, he &s;hall not liue, but dye the death.</P>
</DIV4>
<DIV4 TYPE="reply">
<HEAD>Reply.</HEAD>
<P>Yea but &s;ay they againe, to proue the former propo&s;ition, That v&s;ury which is ioyned with the hurt of the neighbour is con|demned: therefore that which is not ioyned with the hurt of the neighbour is not condemned.</P>
</DIV4>
<DIV4 TYPE="answer">
<HEAD>An&s;wer.</HEAD>
<P>I deny the con&s;equence: for there are other re&s;pects which make v&s;ury vnlawfull,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Idem p. 297.</NOTE> be&s;ides the hurt of our neigh|bour, as euen now I &s;hewed; by the &s;ame rea&s;on the patrons of officious lies might argue thus; God forbiddeth vs to tell a lie again&s;t our neighbour, therefore the lie which is not again&s;t the neighbour, but for him, is not forbidden. But you will &s;ay, all lying is forbidden: &s;o is all v&s;ury, as I haue already proued.</P>
<PB N="70" REF="46">
<P>And thus I haue &s;hewed again&s;t the propo&s;ition that all v&s;ury is vnlawfull, though all were not hurtfull. Now I adde again&s;t the a&s;&s;umption of the fir&s;t Syllogy&s;me, that all v&s;ury is hurtfull: hurtfull I &s;ay, eyther to the borrower as commonly it is, or el&s;e to the Commonwealth, as before hath beene proued.</P>
</DIV4>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="11" TYPE="argument">
<HEAD>11 Argument for v&s;ury.</HEAD>
<EPIGRAPH>
<Q>To lend vpon v&s;ury and to borrow vpon v&s;ury are relatiues, therefore if to lend vpon v&s;ury be a &s;inne, it is a &s;inne to borrow vpon v&s;ury, and if to borrow vpon v&s;ury be law|full, then is it lawfull to lend vpon v&s;ury.</Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<DIV4 TYPE="answer">
<HEAD>An&s;wer.</HEAD>
<P>I Deny the con&s;equence which is grounded vpon a fal&s;e &s;uppo&s;ition.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Bb. <HI>Downam</HI> P&s;. 15. p. 305.</NOTE> That there is alwaies the like rea&s;on of rela|tiues. The oppre&s;&s;our, and he that is oppre&s;&s;ed: the rob|ber, and he that is robbed, are relatiues: but &s;hall we hence conclude,<NOTE PLACE="marg">He which bor|rowes vpon v|&s;ury, nece&s;&s;ity compelling &s;innes not, Idem p. 338.</NOTE> that if to be robbed, or oppre&s;&s;ed is not a &s;inne, therefore it is not a &s;inne to rob or to oppre&s;&s;e?</P>
<P>He which vpon nece&s;&s;ity, yeeldeth to pay v&s;ury, doth &s;uffer wrong and is oppre&s;&s;ed: therefore &s;uch a one &s;innes not. Which may be thus proued.</P>
<P>To &s;uffer wrong is not &s;inne.</P>
<P>The borrower which vpon nece&s;&s;ity yeeldeth to pay v&s;u|ry, doth &s;uffer wrong. Therefore he doth not &s;inne therein.</P>
</DIV4>
<DIV4 TYPE="reply">
<HEAD>Reply.</HEAD>
<P>He which borroweth vpon v&s;ury is not oppre&s;&s;ed, becau&s;e he is willing to borrow vpon v&s;ury: yea, and &s;o willing, that he &s;eeketh to the v&s;urer, and intreateth him to lend, offering to giue him con&s;ideration according to the Statute, that is to &s;ay, V&s;ury.</P>
</DIV4>
<DIV4 TYPE="answer">
<HEAD>An&s;wer.</HEAD>
<P>He that borroweth vpon v&s;ury in ca&s;e of vrgent nece&s;&s;ity
<PB N="71" REF="46"> doth yeild to v&s;ury again&s;t his will, yea although he both offer and promi&s;e it: for in ca&s;es of vrgent nece&s;&s;ity, men &s;eeme many times willing to that which is indeed again&s;t their will. When a man is in danger of &s;hipwracke, how will he be&s;tirre him&s;elfe to vnlade and lighten the &s;hip, and with &s;uch earne&s;tne&s;&s;e ca&s;t his goods into the &s;ea, that he may &s;eeme to be very willing to be rid of them: and yet the thing which he willeth,<NOTE PLACE="marg">See the an|&s;wer to the 2 argument for v&s;ury,</NOTE> is not the ca&s;ting away of his goods, but the &s;afety of his life. This is a conditionall nece&s;&s;ity. Thus the borrower is no more willing to pay v&s;u|ry, then that man was to ca&s;t away his goods: but his ne|ce&s;&s;ity for auoyding a greater inconuenience, makes him &s;eeme willing to that whereunto &s;imply he is vnwilling.</P>
</DIV4>
<DIV4 TYPE="reply">
<HEAD>2 <HI>Reply.</HI></HEAD>
<P>The v&s;urer cannot accompli&s;h his &s;inne without the bor|rower, therefore the borrower is partner of the v&s;urers &s;inne.</P>
</DIV4>
<DIV4 TYPE="answer">
<HEAD>An&s;wer.</HEAD>
<P>The con&s;equent is not good.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Idem p 344,</NOTE> The &s;inne of rape cannot be without the innocent party that is raui&s;hed, yet &s;he that is raui&s;hed, is not partner of his &s;inne that committeth the rape. So likewi&s;e one man cannot oppre&s;&s;e, vnle&s;&s;e there be another to be oppre&s;&s;ed, nor impo&s;e v&s;ury, vnle&s;&s;e there be another on whom it is to be impo&s;ed: and yet he that is oppre&s;&s;ed is not partner of the oppre&s;&s;ors &s;inne, nor the borrower who vpon nece&s;&s;ity borroweth vpon v&s;ury, of the v&s;urers &s;inne.</P>
</DIV4>
<DIV4 TYPE="reply">
<HEAD>3 <HI>Reply.</HI></HEAD>
<P>It may be doubted of, whether one may take money for his v&s;e of an v&s;urer: 1 Becau&s;e it is not lawfull to con&s;ent to him, that doth euill. 2 Nor to giue occa&s;ion to one of euill, as he &s;eemeth to doe, that taketh money vpon v&s;ury. 3. And <HI>Ieremy</HI> profe&s;&s;eth,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ier, 15:10, Bb. <HI>Babing|ton,</HI> vpon the Com|mandements, p 70.</NOTE> that he neither gaue nor tooke to v&s;ury, where the Prophet plainely in&s;inuates, that if he had done eyther, hee could haue found iu&s;t cau&s;e in him&s;elfe why he &s;hould be euill thought of.</P>
</DIV4>
<DIV4 TYPE="answer">
<PB N="72" REF="47">
<HEAD>1 <HI>An&s;wer.</HI></HEAD>
<P N="1"><NOTE PLACE="marg">Dr. <HI>Smith,</HI> in <HI>Willet,</HI> vpon Leuit. p. 336.</NOTE>1 He con&s;enteth not to the &s;inne of the v&s;urer, that ta|keth vp money of him, he con&s;enteth to the lending, which is good, but the hard condition in lending, the v&s;urer im|po&s;eth, and the other is forced to accept, becau&s;e of his ne|ce&s;&s;ity.</P>
<P N="2">2 Neyther doth he giue him occa&s;ion of &s;inning, but of lending, the v&s;urer him&s;elfe <HI>Sumit occa&s;ionem peccandi,</HI> ta|keth occa&s;ion of &s;inning.</P>
<P N="3">3 The word there v&s;ed by the Prophet, is <HI>Na&s;hah,</HI> which &s;ignifieth <HI>mutuo dare,</HI> to lend, as <HI>Iun.</HI> well tran|&s;lateth, as it is taken in other places, <HI>Deut.</HI> 15, 2. <HI>c,</HI> 24.10. where the <HI>Septuagint</HI> interpret it by the word <GAP LANG="grc" DESC="foreign" RESP="OXF">, or <GAP LANG="grc" DESC="foreign" RESP="OXF"> debt not v&s;ury, and &s;o <HI>Theodotion</HI> here readeth, <HI>I did owe nothing to any man:</HI> the Hebrew word <HI>Na&s;hah,</HI> with <HI>He,</HI> &s;ignifieth &s;imply to lend, but with <HI>Aleph,</HI> to lend vpon v&s;ury, as <HI>E&s;ay</HI> 24.2. and though the v&s;uall reading be receiued, it &s;ignifieth no more then this, that the Prophet had no trading at all with them,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Cautions in borrowing vpon v&s;ury.</NOTE> (as we &s;ay) he neyther bought nor &s;old with them and yet they hated him. Wherefore the re&s;olution here is, that a man for his nece&s;|&s;ary occa&s;ions may make v&s;e of an v&s;urers money, but (not to make gaine of it by letting it out againe. 2 or to main|taine his pride, gaming, drunkenne&s;&s;e. 3 Or to compa&s;&s;e great matters in the world,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Bb. <HI>Downam</HI> in P&s;. 15 p 318, 319, 320, &amp;c.</NOTE> or to purcha&s;e Lands, or Hou|&s;es. 4 Or to &s;eeme poore, that he may giue nothing to the v&s;e of the Church, or to the Commonweale in &s;ub&s;idies and taxes. 5 Or when he may borrow freely, at the fir&s;t motion offering v&s;ury to the lender) but driuen to it of nece&s;&s;ity: for, <HI>non qui patitur, &s;ed qui facit iniuriam peccat,</HI> not he that &s;uffereth, but he that doth wrong, &s;inneth: and it is a very like ca&s;e, as when a man v&s;eth the oath of one that &s;wea|reth by fal&s;e gods: as <HI>Iacob</HI> did of <HI>Labans</HI> oath, that &s;ware by the god of <HI>Nahor, Gen.</HI> 31.53. who &s;erued other gods, <HI>Io&s;h.</HI> 24.2. to confirme the league betweene them, as <HI>Augu|&s;tine</HI> &s;ayth, <HI>Non peccato illius, &s;ed pacto bono, quo fidem &s;er|uavit,
<PB N="73" REF="47"> vtitur in bonum,</HI> he doth not v&s;e his &s;inne in &s;wea|ring by fal&s;e Gods, but his couenant, whereby hee kept his fayth to a good end: <HI>Epist.</HI> 154.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Note.</NOTE> And like as a man fal|ling into the hands of Theeues doth reueale vnto them his trea&s;ure to &s;aue his life, which otherwi&s;e he ought not to doe: as the tenne men did to <HI>I&s;mael, Ier.</HI> 41.8. So it is when one vrged by his nece&s;&s;ary occa&s;ions falleth into the V&s;urers hands. But better were it to preuent &s;uch occa|&s;ions, if it may be: and being once enwrapped, to follow the wi&s;emans coun&s;ell: Giue not re&s;t vnto thine eyes; till thou ha&s;t deliuered thy &s;oule,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Not to con|tinue in debt to V&s;urers.</NOTE> as a Doe from the hand of the hunter, and as a Bird from the hand of the fouler, <HI>Prou.</HI> 6.5. For as a Bird taken in a lime-bu&s;h, &s;o one by dealing with the V&s;urer, the more be&s;nareth and entang|leth him&s;elfe.</P>
</DIV4>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="12" TYPE="argument">
<HEAD>12 Argument for v&s;ury.</HEAD>
<EPIGRAPH>
<Q>Ne&s;hech, which &s;ignifies biting v&s;ury is vnlawfull. But tooth|le&s;&s;e v&s;ury is not &s;o.</Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<DIV4 TYPE="answer">
<HEAD>An&s;wer.</HEAD>
<P>IT is the nature of all v&s;ury to bite,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mr. <HI>Fenton</HI> of V&s;ury p. 9. All V&s;ury bites</NOTE> though with great difference: &s;ome like the Engli&s;h Mastiue, &s;ome like the dogge-&s;lie &s;ome &s;carce &s;en&s;ibly, and therefore not per|ceiued to be a &s;inne.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Why V&s;ury &s;eemes not to bite.</NOTE> becau&s;e many are content to moderate them|&s;elues in this gaine, and then, if it be a &s;inne, it is but a lit|tle one, as <HI>Lot</HI> &s;ayd of <HI>Zoar, Gen.</HI> 19.20. <HI>Modica &s;unt quae perdunt nos;</HI> they be tho&s;e little ones that vndoe vs. A Moate in the Eye if it be not got out in time, may grow to a pin and web; and a mans con&s;cience may &s;uffer Ship|wracke a&s;well vpon a Sand as vpon a Rocke.</P>
<P>Secondly, it is not euer &s;o &s;en&s;ible, becau&s;e as the V&s;urer moderating him&s;elfe doth not &s;eeme to bite the borrower: &s;o the borrower releiuing him&s;elfe by others, hath no cau&s;e
<PB N="74" REF="48"> to complaine. Yea, many borrowers concurring in this practi&s;e, by their multitudes, are able to &s;way and inhance the market, in &s;uch manner, that they may liue them&s;elues and pay the v&s;urer be&s;ides. So that in conclu&s;ion tho&s;e do all &s;et vpon the Commonwealth: which being a great bo|dy, is able to beare many dogs, before &s;he need to com|plaine: and feeling the wound (as in time &s;he mu&s;t) &s;he knoweth not well of whom to complaine.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Multorum manibus grande leua|tur onus.</NOTE> Burthen&s;ome therefore it is to the Commonwealth, yet &s;o di&s;per&s;ed a|mong&s;t many, that it is the le&s;&s;e &s;en&s;ible, but neuer a whit the more allowable.</P>
<P>For the&s;e and the like cau&s;es the biting of v&s;ury being &s;ometimes not &s;o &s;en&s;ible to particular per&s;ons, almighty God in his wi&s;edome fore&s;eeing how ready men would be to cauill at the Word <HI>Ne&s;hech,</HI> hath of purpo&s;e expre&s;&s;ed his meaning more fully by the exegeticall addition of an|other terme, which &s;imply &s;ignifieth any increa&s;e at all. And this hath he done, not onely in the comments of the Prophets.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ezek. 18.17. Pro. 28.8.</NOTE> But in the very text of the law it &s;elfe, <HI>Leuit.</HI> 25.36, <HI>vetarbith,</HI> and the 37. <HI>Vbemarbith:</HI> which word, <HI>Salomon</HI> forgetteth not to adde: for <HI>Salomons</HI> daies being both peaceable and rich in &s;iluer and gold, men would be then more ready in all likelyhood to deui&s;e any cauill, or colour to maintaine that &s;inne.</P>
<P>Neyther are the&s;e my priuate coniectures, again&s;t the groundle&s;&s;e di&s;tinction of biting and toothle&s;&s;e v&s;ury; but M^r^. <HI>Caluin</HI> him&s;elfe (vpon whom they &s;eeme to relye as a chiefe patron of v&s;ury) doth not onely condemne it as friuolous;<NOTE PLACE="marg">The di&s;tincti|on of biting and toothle&s;&s;e v&s;ury ground|le&s;&s;e.</NOTE> but addeth further, that it was the purpo&s;e of the holy Gho&s;t, by adding that other word to preuent &s;uch cauils. <HI>Quia homines hac in parte nimium &s;unt accuti et ver&s;uti, et excogitant &s;ubterfugia, quibus crudelitatem &s;uam tegant; ideo addit: et incrumentum non acceperit:</HI> be|cau&s;e, &s;ayth <HI>Caluin,</HI> men in this kind be ouer accute and &s;ubtile, and deui&s;e eua&s;ions how they may cunningly couer their cruelty, therefore he addeth in the text, V&s;ury or in|crea&s;e.
<PB N="75" REF="48"> And for the di&s;tinction it &s;elfe, <HI>Caluin</HI> his cen&s;ure is, <HI>Ludunt homines &s;uis cauillis, &s;ed deus non admittit tales ver&s;utias:</HI> men cauill and play with words, but God ad|mitteth no &s;uch &s;leights. His meaning is &s;imple and plaine, that all increa&s;e aboue the principall is forbidden.</P>
</DIV4>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="13" TYPE="argument">
<HEAD>13 Argument for v&s;ury.</HEAD>
<EPIGRAPH>
<Q>V&s;ury is forbidden to the poore, therefore lawfull towards the rich.</Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<DIV4 TYPE="answer">
<HEAD>An&s;wer.</HEAD>
<P>THis eua&s;ion is very friuolous: for <HI>Deut.</HI> 23.19.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Bb. <HI>Downam</HI> P&s;. 15. p. 202.</NOTE> there is no mention of the poore, but all v&s;ury is forbid|den towards a brother, whether he be rich or poore.</P>
<P N="2">2 By the &s;ame rea&s;on we may conclude, wrong is not to be done to the poore, the widow, the fatherle&s;&s;e; or &s;tranger; therefore wrong may be done to the rich,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Pro. 22.22.</NOTE> to the married wife, to the children that haue their parents liuing, &amp;c.</P>
<P N="3">3 Or when <HI>Salomon</HI> &s;ayth, Robbe not the poore, becau&s;e he is poore, we might inferre; therefore thou may&s;t robbe the rich, becau&s;e he is rich.<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Powels</HI> po&s;itions of v&s;ury. p. 45. See the an|&s;were to the 3 argument.</NOTE></P>
<P>God in the lawes of v&s;ury, did &s;pecially, and by name forbid lending in that manner to the poore, for two re|&s;pects.</P>
<P N="1">1 To &s;hew what care he him&s;elfe hath ouer them, who are commonly and v&s;ually neglected of men.</P>
<P N="2">2 Becau&s;e the poore are &s;oone&s;t and ea&s;ie&s;t oppre&s;&s;ed of the rich, as the lowe&s;t hedge is &s;oone&s;t &s;tepped o|uer.</P>
<P N="3">3 If the law of lending to the poore without v&s;ury, &s;hould inferre the lawfulne&s;&s;e of lending to the rich vpon v&s;u|ry; then it is euident that Gods intendment in tho&s;e lawes for the benefit of the poore &s;hould rather proue a hurt and hinderance vnto them, becau&s;e by this meanes it would
<PB N="76" REF="49"> come to pa&s;&s;e that the poore &s;hould not borrow at all.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Dr. <HI>Mo&s;&s;e,</HI> of v&s;ury: p 131.</NOTE> For, who will lend to the poore for nothing, that might lawful|ly lend to the rich for v&s;ury? of which poynt we haue &s;o lamentable and euident experience in the&s;e our dayes, as no man, no not the v&s;urer him&s;elfe is able to gaine&s;ay it. Yet of the two it were better for the poore man, that he &s;hould borrow vpon v&s;ury, then that he &s;hould not be able to borrow at all: now borrow at all he &s;hall not, if it be lawfull to lend to the rich for v&s;ury, and not vnto him. And therefore as one &s;ayd, <HI>Maledicta glo&s;&s;a quae corrumpit textum:</HI> accur&s;ed be that glo&s;&s;e or commen|tary that de&s;troyeth the text: &s;o may I &s;ay in this ca&s;e, e|uill fare that interpretation which ouerthroweth the intent and purpo&s;e of the Commandement.</P>
</DIV4>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="14" TYPE="argument">
<HEAD>14 Argument for v&s;ury.</HEAD>
<EPIGRAPH>
<Q>Many by imployment of money borrowed vpon v&s;ury haue growne rich.</Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<DIV4 TYPE="answer">
<HEAD>An&s;wer.</HEAD>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">Bb. <HI>Downam.</HI> in P&s;. 15. p. 257.</NOTE>I Will not an&s;wer with <HI>Ba&s;il,</HI> <GAP LANG="grc" DESC="foreign" RESP="OXF">, that is, <HI>but I thinke more</HI> (&s;ayth he) <HI>haue come to the halter:</HI> but I thinke more haue proued banckrupts.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Dr. <HI>Wil&s;on</HI> of v&s;ury. p 189.</NOTE> D^r <HI>Wil&s;on</HI> hath a pretty &s;tory to this purpo&s;e, not vnworthy the remem|bring. A man comming into a certaine Church, and &s;eeing it fraught full of Images made of waxe,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Note.</NOTE> demanded, what might be the cau&s;e of &s;uch an vnwonted &s;ight? an&s;wer was made, that tho&s;e whom the&s;e images did repre&s;ent were certaine per&s;ons which on a time were &s;aued from drowning by calling vpon our Lady. Nay then (quoth he againe) where be the Images of tho&s;e (I pray you) that called vpon our Lady, and were drowned notwith&s;tan|ding? So &s;ay I in this ca&s;e. If any man will &s;et before me the in&s;tances, and as were the images of tho&s;e, who tooke vp money on v&s;ury, and grew rich thereby: I would de|mand
<PB N="77" REF="49"> on the other &s;ide, that he &s;hew forth the hundreds, and thou&s;ands of tho&s;e, who by that meanes haue vtterly impoueri&s;hed, and ouerthrowne their owne e&s;tate, they will be found to be without all compari&s;on.</P>
<P N="2">2 Though &s;ome for a time may &s;eeme to be rich by that which they haue borrowed vpon v&s;ury, yet v&s;ury at the length con&s;umeth them, and eateth them vp.</P>
<P N="3">3 Neyther doth this pro&s;perous euent of the borrower iu&s;tifie the contract of v&s;ury,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Note.</NOTE> which couenanteth for gaine not in <HI>euentum lucri,</HI> but ab&s;olutely, and therefore out of his lo&s;&s;e as well as out of his gaine.</P>
<P N="4">4 And la&s;tly I adde, that the more the borrower is in|riched by this meanes, the more the Common-wealth is damnified. For who&s;oeuer thriueth by occupying money borrowed vpon v&s;ury, he hath &s;o pitched the prices of his commoditie,<NOTE PLACE="marg">D^r. <HI>Wil&s;on,</HI> of v&s;ury. p 174.</NOTE> as that be&s;ides a competent gaine ray&s;ed for the maintenance of him&s;elfe and his charge, he al&s;o hath gathered vp an ouerplus of a tenth part for the v&s;urer. And thus by v&s;ury the prices of all commodities are enhaunced, whiles the &s;ellers, who borrow vpon v&s;ury, if they will thriue, mu&s;t needs make the buyers to pay two &s;hilling in the pound more then otherwi&s;e were &s;ufficient.<NOTE PLACE="marg" TYPE="runSum">An&s;wer to an Obiection.</NOTE> And be|cau&s;e they which doe borrow vpon v&s;ury, mu&s;t needs &s;ell for &s;o much as they may gaine both for them&s;elues and the v&s;urers. Therefore the re&s;t doe pitch the prices of their com|modities accordingly. Otherwi&s;e they which trade with money borrowed vpon v&s;ury could neuer thriue:<NOTE PLACE="marg">Bb. <HI>Downam</HI> in P&s;. 15 p. 255, 256.</NOTE> but be|cau&s;e &s;ometimes they doe thriue, it is euident, that all of the &s;ame trades doe &s;o pitch their prices, as if all did borrow vpon v&s;ury.</P>
</DIV4>
</DIV3>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="7" TYPE="chapter">
<PB N="78" REF="50">
<HEAD><HI>CHAP. 7.</HI> V&s;urers mu&s;t repent of their &s;inne, and make re&s;titution.</HEAD>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">V&s;urers mu&s;t repent of their &s;innes.</NOTE>AS for tho&s;e who haue practi&s;ed this &s;inne, their duty is to repent thereof, becau&s;e they that put forth their money to v&s;ury &s;hall not dwell in the Mountaine of Gods holine&s;&s;e, namely, vnle&s;&s;e they repent. And againe <HI>Ezek.</HI> 18. He that putteth forth to v&s;ury and taketh increa&s;e he &s;hall not liue, but die the death, <HI>viz:</HI> vnle&s;&s;e he repent and turne from his wickedne&s;&s;e; for that condition is to be vnder&s;tood by warrant of the Lords owne expo&s;ition, <HI>Ezek.</HI> 18.14, 15, 21.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">Bb. <HI>Downam</HI> in P&s; 15. p. 312 313.</NOTE>Now vnto Repentance, be&s;ides the inward loathing of the &s;inne and &s;orrow conceiued for it, is required (as that te&s;timony; of <HI>Ezek</HI> 33.14.15. Plainely &s;heweth) both a de&s;i&s;ting from the practice of v&s;ury, and a re&s;titution of that which hath beene gotten by v&s;ury, with the harme of of others. For the fir&s;t: it is the expre&s;&s;e Commandement of God by the Apo&s;tle, <HI>Eph.</HI> 4.28. Let him that &s;tole, &s;teale no more: and by <HI>Nehemiah</HI> more particularly in this ca&s;e of v&s;ury <HI>Chap.</HI> 5.10. Let vs cea&s;e from this burthen; mean|ing v&s;ury: for&s;aking of &s;inne accompanieth forgiuing of &s;inne: <HI>Prou.</HI> 28 13. Neyther may we thinke that God re|mitteth tho&s;e &s;innes, which we our &s;elues retaine.</P>
<P>Now vpon this for&s;aking of &s;inne, will follow the &s;e|cond duty of repentance,<NOTE PLACE="marg">V&s;urers mu&s;t make re&s;titu|tion el&s;e. 1 No repen|tance.</NOTE> namely re&s;titution, as a ne|ce&s;&s;ary con&s;equent thereof, which re&s;titution who&s;oeuer maketh not, being able to re&s;tore, he neyther hath vn|fained repentance of his &s;inne, nor any &s;ound a&s;&s;urance of the forgiuene&s;&s;e thereof. He hath not repentance: for he doth not for&s;ake the &s;inne of theft and v&s;ury, that con|tinueth in it, and he continueth therein that doth not make re&s;titution. For &s;o oft as a man remembreth, that what&s;oeuer he hath vniu&s;tly gotten by v&s;ury, or any other kind of theft, to the damnifying of others, is not his
<PB N="79" REF="50"> owne, but theirs whom he hath wronged, and yet re|fu&s;eth (being able) to re&s;tore the &s;ame,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><P>Si res aliena propter quam peccatum e&s;t, cum reddi po&s;|&s;it non redditur, non agitur pa|nitentia, &s;ed fingitur.</P>
<P><HI>2 No &s;ound a&s;&s;urance of remi&s;&s;ion. Epi&s;t. 54. ad Maced:</HI></P></NOTE> &s;o often he committeth theft. Therefore <HI>Augu&s;tine</HI> &s;ayth, that men doe not repent indeed, but counterfeit repentance, if when they are able to re&s;tore other mens goods, wherein they haue offended, they do not re&s;tore them</P>
<P>As he hath not repentance which maketh not re&s;titution, if he be able, &s;o neyther hath he any &s;ound a&s;&s;urance of re|mi&s;&s;ion. It is a true &s;aying of <HI>Augu&s;tine, Non remitti pec|catum, ni&s;i re&s;tituatur ablatum,</HI> that the &s;inne is not remit|ted, vnle&s;&s;e that which hath beene vniu&s;tly taken, be re|&s;tored, namely, if the party be able to re&s;tore: for whiles a man continueth in his &s;inne, he cannot beleeue the for|giuene&s;&s;e thereof, and he continueth therein, vntill hee make re&s;titution. To re&s;tore is to cea&s;e from doing wrong, therefore hee that &s;hall not re&s;tore, doth not cea&s;e from the wrong.</P>
<P>But it is further to be con&s;idered, to whom and when this re&s;titution is to be made, and how farre forth.</P>
<P N="1">1 To whom?<NOTE PLACE="marg">To whom v&s;u|rers mu&s;t re|&s;tore.</NOTE> Surely to him that hath &s;u&s;tained lo&s;&s;e or harme thereby, <HI>Leuit.</HI> 6.5. <HI>Numb.</HI> 5.7.8. That is, eyther to the v&s;e of the Debtour if he hath beene bitten or to pub|like and godly v&s;es, if the Common-wealth hath beene endamaged.</P>
<P N="2">2 When?<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 When.</NOTE> So &s;oone as thou de&s;ire&s;t remi&s;&s;ion of thy &s;in, and reconciliation with God for &s;o the Lord hath expre&s;&s;e|ly commanded. <HI>Numb.</HI> 5.6.7.8. <HI>Leuit.</HI> 6.2.3.4.5.6.7. <HI>viz.</HI> That the &s;inne fir&s;t mu&s;t be confe&s;&s;ed to God: Secondly, re&s;titution is to be made to the party offended, the &s;ame day that thou &s;eeke&s;t reconciliation with God, if not be|fore: and Thirdly a &s;acrifice was to be offered, &amp;c. The equity whereof remaineth vnto vs, that in the third place we &s;hould call vpon God for the forgiuene&s;&s;e of our &s;inne, de&s;iring him for and by the &s;ufficient &s;acrifice of Chri&s;t (which was prefigured by the &s;acrifices of the Law) to forgiue our &s;inne Many will &s;eeme to &s;eeke reconciliation
<PB N="80" REF="51"> with God; but neuer thinke of making amends to their brother offended. But our Sauiour Chri&s;t teacheth vs ano|ther le&s;&s;on, <HI>Mat.</HI> 5.23.24.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">How farre forth this re|&s;titution is to be made.</NOTE>How farre forth is this re&s;titution to be made, that is, of what v&s;ury, and of how much?</P>
<P><HI>An&s;.</HI> Not of meutall v&s;ury, where gaine for loane is intended onely and expected: for how&s;oeuer that intent corrupteth the act of lending, yet it polluteth not the free gift of the borrower, which is voluntarily giuen in te&s;timony of thankfulne&s;&s;e. And therefore it bindeth not the lender for re&s;titution to be made to the neighbour whom he hath not wronged, but to repentance toward God.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">And of how much?</NOTE>For the quantity; &s;o much at the lea&s;t is to be re&s;to|red as hath beene gotten by v&s;ury with the harme of others: or if the offender bee not able to re&s;tore &s;o much, yet he mu&s;t re&s;tore &s;o much as he is able. The Lord in his Law commandeth, that the offender &s;hould re&s;tore the whole &s;umme, and al&s;o adde a fift part vnto it, <HI>Leuit.</HI> 6.5. <HI>Numb.</HI> 5.7. &amp; <HI>Zacheus,</HI> to te&s;tifie his repentance, pro|mi&s;eth foure fold: that tho&s;e men may know how farre they be from true repentance who will re&s;tore nothing at all.</P>
<P>If any &s;hall thinke or &s;ay, <HI>Durus est hic Sermo,</HI> this is a hard or har&s;h Doctrine, which is not &s;o e&s;teemed in re|&s;pect of other kinds of theft: I An&s;wer, the harder this Doctrine &s;eemeth to V&s;urers then to other Theeues and robbers,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Note. V&s;urers wor&s;e then other Theeues.</NOTE> the more de&s;perate is their e&s;tate then of others. And this may be another argument to aggrauate the grie|uou&s;ne&s;&s;e of this &s;inne, that whereas other Theeues and robbers, if once they be di&s;couered, acknowledge their fault, and are willing to make re&s;titution, V&s;urers though conuinced of this &s;inne, yet &s;tand in defence there|of and thinke not them&s;elues bound to make re&s;titution.</P>
<P>I could with much facility, confirme the iudgement of this reuerend Father, by the concurrence of a world of te&s;timonies; but becau&s;e the poynt is already di&s;|couered to be a manife&s;t truth, I will but<NOTE N="(a)" PLACE="marg"><HI>Dyke</HI> of re|pentance p. 143 Mr. <HI>Smith</HI> 2. Sermon vpon v&s;ury and in his Sermon of <HI>Zacheus</HI> con|uer&s;ion. Bb. <HI>King</HI> on <HI>Ionah.</HI> Ch. 3. 8.</NOTE> name &s;ome of
<PB N="81" REF="51"> them that require V&s;urers to make re&s;titution, and preferre to the V&s;urers con&s;ideration, the iudgement of a mo&s;t learned and iudicious Doctor.</P>
<P><HI>Powels</HI> po&s;itions of v&s;ury p. 68. 69. M^r. <HI>Philips</HI> Sermons p. 95. Bb. <HI>Sands</HI> in Sermon vpon, <HI>Luke</HI> 1.74.75. M^r. <HI>Rogers</HI> &s;trange vineyard p. 313. Bb. <HI>Iewell,</HI> vpon 1 <HI>The&s;&s;.</HI> p. 147. <HI>Perkins</HI> vol. 2. p. 197.</P>
<P>If v&s;ury be an vnlawfull trade,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Dr. <HI>Smith</HI> in <HI>Willet</HI> on Le|uiticus p. 632.</NOTE> as hath beene &s;ufficient|ly proued before; then it will follow, that what is wrongfully gotten mu&s;t be re&s;tored home, and re&s;titution be made of the wrong done.<NOTE PLACE="marg">V&s;urers to re|&s;tore.</NOTE> So <HI>Zacheus</HI> profe&s;&s;eth to re|compence foure fold what he deceitfully had gotten; the word is [<GAP LANG="grc" DESC="foreign" RESP="OXF">] taken from &s;uch as among the <HI>Athenians</HI> di&s;couered tho&s;e which carryed out figs, which was forbidden, (they being had their in great price,) and &s;o the word is generally applied to tho&s;e, that accu&s;e others wrongfully, and forge any cauillation again&s;t them, in like manner V&s;urers haue trickes, and deuices to enwrap and entangle their poore debters.<NOTE PLACE="marg">V&s;urers haue trickes to en|tangle their debters.</NOTE></P>
<P>And if they will with <HI>Zacheus</HI> become the children of <HI>Abraham,</HI> they mu&s;t make re&s;titution of their vncon&s;cion|able v&s;ury: &s;o was it decreed in a generall coun&s;ell,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Councells de|creed re&s;titu|tion.</NOTE> <HI>Po&s;&s;e&s;|&s;iones quae de V&s;uris comparata &s;unt, vendi debent, et pre|tia his, ex quibus v&s;urae extortae &s;unt, re&s;citui;</HI> po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ions gotten by v&s;ury, mu&s;t be &s;old, and the price giuen to them, of whom the v&s;ury was extorted; <HI>Lateran.</HI> Part. 16. c. 5. and <HI>Augustine</HI> al&s;o would haue v&s;ury re&s;tored: <HI>Quia omne, quod male po&s;&s;idetur, alienum e&s;t,</HI> becau&s;e euery thing, which is ill po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed, belongeth to another; <HI>Epist.</HI> 54.</P>
<P>But here in this ca&s;e of v&s;ury,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Cautions to be ob&s;erued.</NOTE> the&s;e cautions mu&s;t be ob&s;erued.</P>
<P N="1">1 That euery thing gotten by money cannot be re&s;tored, but onely tho&s;e things: <HI>Quorum v&s;us non est con&s;umptio,</HI> which are not con&s;umed in the v&s;e, as Hou&s;e, Lands, but meat apparell, which con&s;ume in the v&s;e, cannot be re&s;to|red, but the value of them.</P>
<PB N="82" REF="52">
<P N="2">2. Be&s;ides the v&s;ury money, &s;omething may be gotten <HI>human&acirc;, indu&s;tri&acirc;, by humane industry</HI> and for that re|&s;titution is not to be made.</P>
<P N="3">3. And if the lender be damnified, <HI>Per dilationem,</HI> by the detayning of his money; of that al&s;o a con&s;ideration mu&s;t be had.</P>
<P N="4">4. And all the price of the Hou&s;e and ground is not to be re&s;tored, but <HI>Secundum quantitatem v&s;urae;</HI> according to the quantity of the v&s;ury receiued. To this purpo&s;e, <HI>Aquin.</HI> 2. 29. 18. art. 3.</P>
<P N="5">5. Adde hereunto, if the parties be not liuing of whom the v&s;ury was taken: then re&s;titution mu&s;t be made to his heyres, and next of his kindred, and for want of them to be giuen to pious v&s;es according to the Law, <HI>Numb.</HI> 5.8. And &s;o the Canon is: <HI>Qui v&s;uras receperint, cogendi &s;unt, &s;ub pae|n&acirc; Excommunicationis, ijs &agrave;quibus extor&s;erunt, velhaeredibus restituere,</HI> they which haue receiued v&s;ury, are to be com|pelled vnder paine of excommunication to re&s;tore them to &s;uch, from whom they extorted it, or to their heyres, <HI>Lateranen&s;. ibid. vbi &s;upr.</HI></P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="conclusion">
<HEAD>Conclu&s;ion.</HEAD>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Chro. 30.18 19.</NOTE>Now the good Lord pardon euery V&s;urer, that prepareth his heart to &s;eeke God, the Lord God of his fathers, though he be not clean&s;ed according to the purification of the Sanctuary.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts 26 18.</NOTE> The good Lord open their eyes, and turne them from darkene&s;&s;e to light, and from the power of Satan vnto God: that they may receiue forgiuene&s;&s;e of &s;innes, and in|heritance among them which are &s;anctified by faith that is in Chri&s;t.</P>
<P><HI>Now the God of peace, that brought againe from the dead our Lord Ie&s;us, that great Shepheard of the &s;heepe, through the blood of the euerlasting couenant,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 13.20.21.</NOTE> <HI>make them perfect in euery good worke to doe his will, working in them that which is well plea&s;ing in his &s;ight through Ie&s;us Chri&s;t, to whom be glory for euer and euer, Amen.</HI></P>
<Q><BIBL>Barnard. Serm. 61. in Cant.</BIBL>
<P><HI>Meritum meum mi&s;eratio Domini.</HI></P></Q>
</DIV2>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="poem">
<PB N="83" REF="52">
<HEAD>Mr. George Withers.</HEAD>
<L>TO make of griping v&s;ury their Trade</L>
<L>among the rich. No &s;cruple now is made</L>
<L>In any place. For euery Country-village</L>
<L>hath now &s;ome v&s;ury, as well as tillage,</L>
<L>Yea they that lending mo&s;t of all dete&s;t</L>
<L>though but for tollerated intere&s;t:</L>
<L>Doe nathle&s;&s;e take tho&s;e annuities</L>
<L>which often proues the biting&s;t v&s;uries;</L>
<L>By nature money no increa&s;e doth bring,</L>
<L>mo&s;t, therefore thinke it a prodigious thing</L>
<L>That money put to loane, &s;hould bring in gaine.</L>
<L>yet &s;ome of the&s;e by practice doe maintayne</L>
<L>As mon&s;trous v&s;uries: and nought at all</L>
<L>are touched in their con&s;cience therewithall.</L>
<L>In v&s;ury of Cattell or of Lea&s;es</L>
<L>we may disbur&s;e our money for increa&s;es</L>
<L>More biting farre then tho&s;e who dare to take</L>
<L>who by meere lending doe aduantage make</L>
<L>As money naturally produceth nought,</L>
<L>&s;o, by the earth &s;mall profit forth is brought:</L>
<L>Vntill both co&s;t and labour we be&s;tow,</L>
<L>for little el&s;e, but thornes and weedes will grow.</L>
<L>The Landlord, therefore, here I dare auer,</L>
<L>to be no le&s;&s;e a griping V&s;urer,</L>
<L>Then is the money ma&s;ter: if he breake</L>
<L>the rule of Chri&s;tian charity, and take</L>
<L>More profit then his Tenant can afford,</L>
<L>and &s;uch as the&s;e, are hated of the Lord.</L>
<L>Of V&s;urers there are &s;ome other &s;orts</L>
<L>who keepe no certaine place, but both in Courts,</L>
<L>In Cities, and in Country-townes they dwell,</L>
<L>and in the tricke of griping they excell;</L>
<L>There be of the&s;e, that V&s;e for &s;ilence take</L>
<L>&s;ome others, an V&s;urious profit make.</L>
<PB N="84" REF="53">
<L>Of their authorities, and doe aduance</L>
<L>their wealth by giuing others countenance:</L>
<L>Their carriages their neyghbours fetch and bring</L>
<L>they haue their &s;eed time, and their harue&s;ting</L>
<L>Di&s;patcht almo&s;t for nothing: &s;uch as the&s;e</L>
<L>are many of our Country Iu&s;tices.</L>
<L>Some by another engine profit catch,</L>
<L>they mu&s;t be prayd and paied for di&s;patch</L>
<L>Yea Clerkes; and many of other officers</L>
<L>are greater and more hatefull V&s;urers,</L>
<L>Then they that mo&s;t are hated for that crime</L>
<L>&s;ince the&s;e doe often for a little time</L>
<L>Which they delay vniu&s;tly take what may</L>
<L>of no meane &s;umme, the annuall intere&s;t pay,</L>
<L>The&s;e men are cruell: and yet wor&s;e by farre.</L>
<L>mo&s;t Trea&s;urers, and their pay-ma&s;ters are</L>
<L>For, that which due vnto vs doth remaine</L>
<L>they doe not onely ouerlong detaine,</L>
<L>But, oft, of euery hundred, twenty take,</L>
<L>ere payment of our, owne, to vs, they make</L>
<L>They mu&s;t haue bribes, their wiues mu&s;t haue Caroches.</L>
<L>or hor&s;e, or Iewels, after which encroches</L>
<L>Their &s;eruants al&s;o, for &s;ome other dues</L>
<L>(as they pretend) which if we doe refu&s;e</L>
<L>To pay vnto them, twi&s;e as much we lee&s;e,</L>
<L>this tricke enricheth al&s;o. Referres</L>
<L>In Chancery, and in &s;ome other Courts</L>
<L>and this or makes, or marreth mo&s;t reports:</L>
<L>This is that common cheat, and meanes by which</L>
<L>meane officers &s;o &s;peedily grow rich,</L>
<L>Although they giue large Incomes, by this way</L>
<L>their wiues &s;o on a &s;udden grow &s;o gay,</L>
<L>That were but Kitchin-mayds few yeares before</L>
<L>yea many in the blood of Orphanes poore</L>
<L>Haue dide their gownes in Scarlet by &s;uch cour&s;es</L>
<L>and clothd and fed them&s;elues with widowes cur&s;es.</L>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>George Withers.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
</TEXT>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
