The Examination of Usury

To the Reader.

H Ere thou hast the Sermons which have been often desired, because of the matter fit for this City. One saith, that he would never speak to Usurers, and Bribemongers, but when they be upon their death-beds: for he which liveth by sin, resolveth to sin, that he may live. But when he goeth to hanging, Judas himself will say, I have sinned. If I speak not to Usurers upon their death-bed, yet I speak to Usurers which shall lie upon their death-bed. Three things do give me hope. One is, that all hearts are in the hands of God, to call them at what hour he list, and therefore Saul may become an Apostle. The next is, that the third crow doth waken mo then the former, and therefore after the crowing of other, this crow may happily be heard. The last is, that there is no sin, but some men have been reclaimed from it, and so may Usurers from their sin.

Therefore go my book like David against Goliath, and fight the Lord's battles against Usurers. The Lord give that success to his doctrine in these leaves, that it may consume Usurers, as Joshua drove out the Chananites before him. If I could take but this one weed out of the Londoners Gardē, I were answered for my health and my strength spent amongst them. Read with thy best mind, & thou shall profit more.

The Examination of Usury, in two Sermons.

The first Sermon.

T Hese two verses must be considered together, because one is the question, and the other is the answer: David demands who shall come to heaven? and God tells him that userers shall not come thither: as if he should say, they go to hell. Therefore as Paul taught Timothy to warn them which are rich, as though they had more need to be warned than other: so this sentence seemeth to be penned for a warning to the rich, because it strikes upon the rich man's vice.

I have spoken of Bribery and simony, and now I must speak of their sister Usury. Many times have I thought to speak of this Theame; but the arguments which are alleged for it, have made me doubtful what to say in it, because it hath gone as it were under protection. At last you see it falleth into my text, and therefore now I cannot bauke it any longer. Therefore if any here have favored this occupation before, let him now submit his thoughts unto God's thoughts; for I will allege nothing against it, but that which is built upon the rock.

Usury is the sin which God will try now whether you love better than his word: that is, whether you will leave it if he forbid it: for if he flatly forbid it, and yet you willfully retain it, then you love Usury better than God's word. Therefore one saith well that our Usurers are Heretics, because after many admonitions, yet they maintain their error, & persist in it obstinately as Papists do in Popery. For this cause I am glad that I have any occasion to griple with this sin, where it hath made so many spoils, and where it hath so many patrōs: for it is said that there be mo of this profession in this City, than there be in all the land beside. There be certain sins which are like an unreasonable enemy which will not be reconciled to death, & this is one of those everlasting sins which live and die with a man. For when he hath resigned his pride and his envy and his lust, yet Usury remaineth with him, & he saith as Naaman said, Let the Lord be merciful unto me in this : let me have a dispensation for this, as though this were a necessary sin, & he could not live without it. There be three sins which are counted no sins, and yet they do more hurt than all their fellows, and those are Bribery, Nonresidencie, & Usury: these three because they are gainful are turned from sins to occupations. How many of this city for all that they are Usurers, yet would be counted honest men, & would fain have Usury esteemed as a trade: whereas if it were not so gainful, it would be counted as great a sin as any other, & so it is counted of all but thē which live by it. This is the nature of pleasure and profit, to make sins seem no sins if we gain anything by thē, but the more gainful a sin is, the more dangerous it is, & the more gainful usury is, the more dangerous it is. I will speak the more of it, because happily you shall not hear of this matter again.

First I will define what usury is: Secondly, I will show you what usury doth signify: Thirdly, I will show the unlawfulness of it: Fourthly: I will show the kinds of it: Fifthly, I will show the arguments which are alleged for it: Sixthly, I will show the punishment of it: Seuēthly, I will show you what opiniō we should hold of thē which do not lend vpō usury, but borrow vpō usury. Lastly, I will show you what they should do which have got their riches by usury.

Touching the first, Usury is that gain which is got̄ by lending, for the use of the thing which a man lendeth, covenanting before with the borrower to receive more than was borrowed: & therefore one calls the usurer a legal thief, because before he steal, he tells the party how much he will steal, as though he stole by law. This word more, comes in like a sixth finger, which makes a monster, because it is more thā should be. Another defining usury, calleth it the Contrarie to charity : for Paul saith, Love seeketh not her own, but usury seeketh another's which is not her own: therefore usury is far from love, but God is love, saith John, therefore usury is far from God to.

Now, all the Commandments of God are fulfilled by love, which Christ noteth when he draweth all the Commandments to one Cōmaundement, which is, Love God above all things, and thy neighbor as thyself : as if he should say, he which loveth God, will keep all the Commandments which respect God, & he which loveth his neighbor will keep all the cōmandemēts which respect his neighbor, therefore to maintain love, God forbiddeth all things which hinder this love: and among the rest here he forbiddeth Usury, as one of her deadliest enemies: for a mā cannot love and be an Usurer, because Usury is a kind of cruelty, and a kind of extortion, and a kind of persecution, & therefore the want of love doth make Usurers: for if there were love there would be no Usury, no deceit, no extortiō, no slandering, no revenging, no oppression, but we should live in peace, & joy, and contentment like the Angels; whereby you see that all our sins are against our selves: for if there were no deceit, then we should not be deceived; if there were no slander, thē we should not be slandered; if there were no envy, then we should not be envied; if there were no extortion, thē we should not be injured; if there were no Usury, thē we should not be oppressed. Therefore God's law had been better for us then our own law: for if his law did stand, then we should not be deceived, nor slaūdered, nor envied, nor injured, nor oppressed. God hath commanded every man to lend freely, & who would not borrow freely? Therefore they which brought in Usury, brought in a law against themselves.

The first Usurers which we read of, were the Jews, which were forbidden to be Usurers, yet for want of faith and love, Ezekiel and Nehemiah doth show how the Jews, even the Jews which received this law from God himself, did swerve from it as they did frō the rest. First, they did lend upon Usury to strangers; after they began to lend upon Usury to their brethren, and now there be no such Usurers upon earth, as the Jews which were forbidden to be Usurers. Whereby you may see how the malice of man hath turned mercy into cruelty. For whereas lending was commanded for the benefit of men, Usury hath turned it to the undoing of men: for they take when they seem to give; they hurt when they seem to help; they damage whē they seem to vātage: therefore it is well noted that usury hath her name of biting, and she may well signify biting: for many have not only been bitten by it, but devoured by it, that is, consumed all that they have: therefore as the Apostle saith, If you bite one another, take heed you be not devoured one of another : so I may say if you be userers one to another, take heed you be not devoured one of another, for userers are byters. As the name of the devil doth declare what an enemy he is; so the name of usury doth declare what an enemy she is. That you may know usury for a byter, her name doth signify biting. If there were one biting usury, and another healing usury, then usury should have two names; one of biting, & another of healing: but all usury signifieth biting, to show that all usury is unlawful. Now, you have heard what usury is, & of what it is derived, you shall hear the unlawfulness of it.

[ 1] First, it is against the law of charity, because charity biddeth us to give every man his own, and to require no more than our own; but Usury requireth more than her own, and gives not to other their own. Charity rejoiceth to communicate her goods to other, and Usury rejoiceth to gather other men's goods to her self.

[ 2] Secondly, it is against the law of Nations; for every Nation hath some law against Usury, and some restraint against Usurers, as you shall hear whē we speak of the punishment.

[ 3] Thirdly, as it is against the law of Nations, so it is against the law of Nature, that is, the natural compassion which should be among men. You see a river whē it goeth by an empty place, it will not pass until it hath filled that empty place, & then it goeth forward to another empty place and filleth it, & so to another empty place & filleth it, always filling the places which are empty: so should we, the rich should fill the poor, the full should fill the hungry, they which abound should fill them which want, for the rich are but God's Amners, & their riches are committed to them of God to distribute and do good as God doth him self. As the water is charitable after a sort, so is the air, for it goeth to empty places to, and filleth them as the water doth. Nature cannot abide that any place should be empty, and therefore the air though it be a light body, and so naturally ascendeth upward: yet rather than any place in the earth should be empty, the air will descend as it were from his throne, and go into caves, into dens, and into dūgeons, to fill them. If the rich were so good to their empty brethrē, as the air and water are to other empty things; as there is no empty place in the world, so there should be no empty person in the world: that is, the rich in Israel would fill the poor in Israel, but the rich make the poor to fill them, for Usurers feed upon the poor even as great fishes devour the small. Therefore he which said. Let there not be a beggar in Israel ; said to, let there not be an Usurer in Israel ; for if there be Usurers in Israel, there will be beggars in 〈2 pages missing〉 another. For Christ said to his disciples, Love one another as I have loved you. But it may be said of the Usurer, see how he hateth other, and loveth himself. For when he saith that he lendeth for compassiō, he meaneth for compassion of him self, that he may gain by his pity. The Usurer loveth the borrower, as the Iuye loveth the Oke: The Iuye loveth the Oke to grow up by it, so the Usurer loveth the borrower to grow rich by him. The Iuye claspeth the Oke like a lover, but it claspeth out all the juice and sap, that the Oke cannot thrive after: So the Usurer lendeth like a friend, but he covenanteth like an enemy, for he claspeth the borrower with such bands, that ever after he diminisheth, as fast as the Usurer increaseth.

Christ expounding the commandment which forbiddeth to steal, saith, lend freely, showing that Usury, because she lendeth not freely, is a kind of theft, & the Usurers a kind of thieves, for else this expositiō were not right. Therefore Zacchaeus, as though he had stolen other men's goods, when he began to repent, he restored them again four foulde, even as thieves are enjoined to restore four foulde for that which they have stolen, so Zacchaeus restored four fold, as though he had stolen. It seemeth that Zacchaeus was no great thief, because he restored four foulde for all that he had gotten wrongfully, for he got but the fourth part of his goods wrongfully at the most, or else he could not have restored four foulde again. But now, if some should restore four foulde, for all that they have gotten wrongfully, they should restore more than they have, because all which userers get, they get wrongfully: for their occupation is a sin, and therefore one saith, Because they cannot restore four foulde here, they shall suffer an hundredth foulde hereafter. Amaziah is forbidden to strengthen himself with the armies of Israel, only because Israel, had offended God; if Amaziah might not join the armies of Israel with his armies to strengthen him, darest thou join the goods of the poor with thy goods to enrich thee? When God set Adam his work, he said, In the sweat of thy brows shalt thou live : not in the sweat of his brows, but in the sweat of thy brows; but the Usurer liveth in the sweat of his brows, & her brows: that is, by the pains and cares, and labors of another, for he taketh no pains himself, but only expecteth the time when his interest will come in, like the belly which doth no work, & yet eateth all the meat. Whē God had finished his creatiō, he said unto mā, and unto beasts, and unto fishes, Increase and multiply, but he never said unto money, increase and multiply, because it is a dead thing which hath no seed, and therefore is not fit to ingender. Therefore he which saith to his money, increase & multiply, begetteth a monstrous birth, like Anah, which devised a creature which GOD had not created before. Christ saith to his Disciples, If you love but them which love you, what are you better than the Publicans, for they love their brethren : so I may say, if you will lend to none but to them which will pay you Usury for it, what are you better than the Jews ? for the Jews would lend for Usury; & if you be no better than the Jews, then you shall speed no better than they: for as Christ said, Except your righteousness do exceed the righteousness of the Pharisees, your reward shall not exceed the reward of the Pharisees : so, except your charity do exceed the charity of the Jews, your reward shall not exceed the reward of the Jews. All this doth show, that the Usurer is like Esau, of whom God said, Esau have I hated. Now in the 112. Psalm, you shall see who is like Jacob, of whom God saith, Jacob have I loved : for there David saith, a good man is merciful, and lendeth, and straight vpō it he setteth this crown, he shall never be moved, but be had in perpetual remembrance : as if he should say, this is the good mans Usury, this is his increase, evē a good name, & everlasting joy. Again, in the 23. of Exod. it is said, Lēd unto him which wanteth without Usury, that the Lord may bless thee : as if he should say, let the Lord pay the increase, fear not to be losers by doing good, for God hath given his word to requite it him self . As he saith to them which were afraid to pay tithes, and offer sacrifice, Try me if I will not pour down a blessing upon you : so he seemeth to say unto them which are afraid to lēd, try me if I will not pour down a blessing upon you. Whō will you trust, if you do not trust your creator, your father, your redeemer, your preserver, and your Savior?

Now you have heard the unlawfulness of Usury, you shall hear how many kinds there be of it. As other crafts are called Mysteries, so I may fitly call it, the Mystery of Usury, for they have devised mo sorts of Usury, thā there be tricks at cards, I cannot reckon half, and I am afraid to show you all, least I should teach you to be Usurers, while I dissuade you from Usury, yet I will bring forth some; and the same reasons which are alleged against these, shall condemn all the rest.

[ 1] Some will not take Usury, but they will have the use of your pasture, or your land, or your orchard, or your teame, or your kine, until you pay the money again, which in that time will grow to a greater gain to the Usurer, and a greater loss to the borrower, than if he had paid more money than other userers are wont to take.

[ 2] Some will not take usury, but they will take plate, and vessel, and tapistree, and bedding, and other household stuff, to use and wear, until their money come home, which will lose more in the wearing, than the interest of the money would come to. This usury is forbid̄ in the 2. of Amos, where God complaineth faying, They lie down upon the clothes which are laid to pledge : showing, that we should not lie down vpō such clothes, that is, we should not use or wear the thing which is laid to pledge.

[ 3] Some will take no Usury, but they will take a pawn which is better than the money which they lend, and then they will covenant, that if he bring not the money again by such a day, he forfetteth his pawn: which day the Usurer knoweth, that the poor man is not able to keep, and so keepeth the pawn for his money, which is worth twice his money. This Usury is forbidden in Levite. 25. where it is said, Thou shalt not take Usury or vantage : as if he should say, thou shalt not take the forfeiture; for then thou takest vantage, when thou takest more than thou lendest.

[ 4] Some will not take Usury, but they will buy something at a small price, and then covenant with the borrower that he buy the same again of the same price at such day, which day the usurer knoweth that the borrower is not able to keep, and so he getteth for a little, that which the other might have sold for much more. This usury is condemned in the 1. Thessa. 4. where it is said, Let no man defraud or circumvent his brethren in anything.

[ 5] Some will not take usury, but they will lend out their money to occupiers, upon condition to be partakers in their gains, but not in their losses: so one takes all the pains and abideth all the venture, and the other which takes no pains, reapeth half the profit. This usury is forbid̄ in 2. Thes. 3. 10. where it is said, He which will not work let him not eat.

[ 6] Some will not take Usury, but if he be a Labourer, or a Mason, or a Carpēter, which borroweth of him, he will covenant with him for so many days work, he shall labor with him so many days, or so many weeks for no money, but the loan of money. This Usury is condemned in Luke. 10. 7. where it is said, The laborer is worthy of his hire.

[ 7] Some will not take Usury, but if you have not present money to pay for their wares, they will set a high price of them, for the forbearing of the time, and so they do not only sell their wares, but they sell time to: that is, they do not only sell their own, but they sell God's own. Therefore one saith of these, When he selleth the day, he selleth the light, and when he selleth the night he selleth rest: therefore when he would have the light of heaven, and the rest of Paradise, it shall be said unto him that he hath sold both already. For he sold light when he sold the day, and he sold rest when he sold the night: and therefore now he can have neither light nor rest. Hereafter let not the Londoners say that they give time, but that they sell time.

[ 8] There be other Usurers which will not lend themselves, but give leave to their wives, and they play like hucksters, that is, every month a penny for a shilling, which is one hundred for another in the year.

[ 9] But that I was informed of them since this sermon was preached, I had left out our capital Usurers, which will not lend any money, because they dare not require so much gain as they would have, but if you would borrow an hundred pound, they will give you wares worth three score pound, and you shall answer them an hundred pound for it. These are the Usurers general, which lurk about the the City like Rats, & Wesels, and Fulmers, of whom may be said the same which is said of the devils, they seek whom they may devour.

[ 10] There be other Cosins to userers, which are not counted userers, such as take money for that which they should give freely: such as take as much for a counterfeit as for the best: such as take a fee of a Client & do him no pleasure: such as take money for Masses, & Dirges, and Trentals, and Pardons, & such like drugs, which do no more good thā fire out of the chimney. This is a kind of usury and deceit beside, which one day they will cast away as Judas did his thirty pence.

Now you have heard the kinds of usury, you shall hear the arguments which are devised for usury.

Sin is never complete until it be excused: this is the vantage which the devil getteth by every sin, whensoever he can fasten any temptation upon us, we give him a sin for it, and an excuse to boot as Adam our father did. First he sinned, and then he excused: so first we sin, and then we excuse: first an usurer, and then an excuser. Therefore every usurer will defend usury with his tongue, though he condemn it with his conscience. If the Image makers of Ephesus had not lived by Images, they would have spokē for Images, no more than the rest: for none stood for Images but the Image makers: so if the userers did not live by usury, they would speak for usury no more than the rest: for none stand for usury but userers.

It is an easy matter, if a man be disposed, to speak something for every vice, as some defend the Stews: some defend treasō; some defend Nonresidēcy: some defend swearing by my faith: some defend bowling upon the Sabaoth: and some defend usury. But, will you plead for Baal ? (saith Joash ) that is, will you plead for sin which will plead against you? A sin is a sin when it is defended: nay, a sin is two sins, when it is defended: for he which breaketh one of the least commandments (saith Christ) & teacheth others to do so, is the least in the kingdom of heaven. A Squire of low degree is a Squire of no degree: so the least in the kingdom of heaven is none of the kingdom of heaven. Who thē is the least in the kingdom of heaven? not he which breaketh the least of the commandments, but he which teacheth others to do so: that is, he which by defending, and excusing, & minsing, and extenuating his sin, encourageth others to sin too.

To defend Usury, they distinguish upon it, as they distinguish of lying: as they say, there is a pernicious lie, and an officious lie, and a merry lie, and a godly lie: so they say, there is the Merchants Usury, and the Strangers Usury, and the Widdowes Usury, and the Orphans Usury, and the poor man's Usury, and the biting Usury, and the charitable Usury, and the necessary Usury. As God said, ye shall die, and the woman said, peradventure ye shall die, and the Serpent said, ye shall not die ; so there be three opinions of Usury: some say like God, thou shalt die, they think that Usury is utterly unlawful, because God hath utterly forbid it: some say like the woman, peradventure thou shalt die, they doubt whether Usury be utterly unlawful or no, because it is so much tolerated: some say like the Serpent, thou shalt not die, they think that Usury is lawful, because it is gainful, as Saul thought that the Idolaters beasts should not be killed, because they were fat. But as he was commanded to kill the fat beast, as well as the lean, so we are commanded to kill fat sins as well as lean sins; gainful sins as well as prodigal sins.

[ 1] They which plead for Usury, object these arguments. First they say, God doth allow some kind of Usury, for in Deut. 23. it is said of a stranger thou mayest take Usury. I perceive no scripture speaketh for Usurers. Of a stranger (saith God) thou mayest take Usury : but thou takest Usury of thy brother, therefore this condemneth thee, because thou usest thy brother like a stranger. Here stranger doth signify the Jews enemies, whom they were commanded to destroy: therefore mark how much this maketh against Usury, which they object for Usury. God doth not license the Jews to take Usury of any, but their enemies, whom they might kill: They might not be Usurers unto any, but to them of whom they might be destroyers, whom they might slay, of thē only they might take usury: showing that Usury is a kind of punishment, and such a kind of punishment, as if we are to kill a man, it were a very fit punishment for him, and therefore the Jews might take Usury of none, but them whom they might kill. I hope Usurers will allege this scripture no more.

[ 2] Secondly, they say that they lend for compassion, & so make Usury a work of charity. This were charity not to be partakers in our gains, but to be partakers in our losses; but Usurers will be partakers in our gains, but not in our losses; nay, though we lose, yet they will gain: is this charity? it is Usurers charity.

[ 3] Thirdly, they say, if he gain and I gain too, is not this well? may he not consider my friendship, and be thankful? yes, he may be thankful, but no man is bound to be thankful, but when he hath received a good turn, then he is tried whether he will be thankful or no: and if he requite thy courtesy, then he is thankful, but if thou bind him to requite it, then thou art covetous.

[ 4] Fourthly they say, Usury is necessary for Orphans, and Widdowes, and Straungers, which have no other way to get their living, and therefore some Usury must be tolerated. If Usury be necessary for us, how did the Jews without it? Did God think it good for the state of their common weal to be without Usurers? and is it good for the state of our common weal to have Usurers? this is wisdom against God.

[ 5] Fifthly they say: If I may not gain by the money which I lend, I will lend no more, but keep my money to myself: nay, that is as bad to keep thy money from them which need, as to lend thy money for Usury. For Christ saith , from him which borroweth turn not away thy face. Therefore thou art bound to lend. As he hath a curse in Prov. 11. which keepeth his corn, when he should sel it to thē which hunger; so he hath a curse in Eze. 18. which keepeth his money whē he should lend it to them which want.

[ 6] Sixthly they say, because Usury comes of biting, the biting usury is only forbidden, & none but the biting usury: why then all usury is forbidden, for all usury cometh of biting, so the wise God hath given it a name to condemn it.

[ 7] Lastly, they allege the Law of the land for it, and say, the Queens statute doth allow us to take upon usury ten in the hundredth. These are like the Jews, which said, We have a law, and by our law he shall die : whē they could not say by God's law he shall die, then they said by our law he shall die : so when they cannot say by God's law we may take usury, they say by man's law we may take usury, this is the poorest defense of all the rest: for if God's law forbid thee, can any law of man excuse thee? As it would not serve Adam to say, the woman bad me ; so it will not serve the usurer to say, the Law doth license me. But he cannot say the Law doth license me: for though peradventure our Law do tolerate more than should be tolerated, yet I would have you know, that our Law doth not allow ten in the hundred, nor five in the hundredth, nor one in the hundredth, nor any usury at all: but there is a restraint in our Law, that no usurer take above ten in the hundredth, it doth not allow ten in the hundredth, but punisheth that tyrant which exacteth above ten in the hundredth. It is much like that toleration which we read of diuorces. For the hardness of men's hearts, Christ saith, that Moses did suffer the man and wife to part a sunder: So for the hardness of men's hearts, our Moses our Prince is fain to suffer as it were a kind of usury, because otherwise no men would lend.

These are the best excuses which our Usurers have to plead for themselves, against they come before the tribunal of God; & if their reasons will not stand before men nor their own conscience, how will they stand before the Lord? And yet he which speaketh to these, maketh himself a mock. Christ preached many Sermons, and was never scorned at any, but when he preached against covetousness, thē it is said that he was mocked: showing that these kind of men are most incorrigible and wedded to their sin till death make them part. Yet for their greater condemnation, we are commanded to speak to them which will not hear: of which number is every reader of this Sermon if he be a Usurer after.

Now, you long to hear what the Usurer is like. To what shall I likē this generatiō? They are like a Butlers box: for as all the counters at last come to the Butler; so all the money at last cometh to the Usurer, ten after ten, & ten after ten, and ten to ten, til at last he receive not only ten for an hundredth, but an hundredth for ten. This is the only difference, that the Butler can receive no more than he delivered: but the Usurer receiveth more than he delivereth. They are like a Moth; even as a Moth eateth a hole in clothe, so Usury eateth a hole in silver: If you have a piece of silver which is as much as an hundred pounds, in one year usury will eat a hole in it as big as ten pounds: in two years she will eat a hole as big as twenty pounds: in three years she will eat a hole as big as thirty pounds. Nay, now they say, he is but a bad husband which cannot eat a hole as big as fifty pounds in a year: that is, which cannot gain half in half: how many holes have these Moths eaten in poor men's garments? They are like Nonresidēts, that is, such bad members, that no man speaketh for them but thenselves. As no mā standeth for Nonresidencie, but he which is a Nonresident, or he which would be a Nōresidēt: so no mā standeth for Usury, but he which is an Usurer, or he which would be an usurer. They are like Jezebel, which said, Let me alone, I have a way. If there be no way to live (saith the false Steward) I know what to do I will deceive: so if there be no way to live (saith the usurer) I know what to do, I will oppress: If I cannot live by buying, nor by selling, nor by flattering, nor by laboring, I will live by oppression. But as one in his Cōment speaks to the false Steward. Thou sayest I know what to do, but dost thou know what thou shalt suffer? So I say to userers, you say you know what to do, but do you know what you shall suffer? In deed he knoweth not what to do, which knoweth not to do well: and therefore Christ said of his persecutors, that they knew not what they did. Here I will end the first days examination.

Now I may conclude with Paul, I have not spoken, but the Lord : & therefore as the Lord said unto Saul, that he persecuted him; so they which resist this doctrine do contemn him, and not me.

THE EXAMINATION of Usury.

The second Sermon.

I T remaineth that we speak of the userers punishment: Then, what may be thought of them which do not take usury, but give usury. Lastly, what they should do, which have got their riches by usury.

[ 1] To begin with the punishment, not only God's law, but even the Cannon law doth so condemn usury, that first it doth excommunicate him from the Church, as though he had no communion with Saints.

[ 2] Secondly, it doth detain him from the Sacraments, as though he had no communion with Christ.

[ 3] Thirdly, it doth deprive him of his Sepulcher, and will not suffer him to be buried, as though he were not worthy to lie in the earth, but to lie in hell.

[ 4] Lastly, it maketh his will to be no will, as though his goods were not his own: for nothing is ours but that which we have rightly got: & therefore we say, It is mine by right, as though it were not ours, unless it be ours by right. This is the judgment of man's law.

Now you shall hear the judgment of God's law. A usurer doth receive two Incomes; one of the borrower, and another of the reuēger; of the borrower he looks for gain; but of the revenger he looks for punishment: therefore all the Scripture prophesieth evil unto him, as Michatah did to Ahab. Solomon saith. He which increaseth his riches by Usury, gathereth for them which will be merciful to the poor. As if he should say, whē he hath loden himself like a cart, he shall be vnloden like a cart again, and they shall inherit his money for whom he did never gather it. For, he which is unmerciful to the poor, meaneth not to gather for them which will be merciful to the poor: but Solomon saith, That they shall be his heirs which will be merciful as he was unmerciful.

Now mark whether this prophecy of Solomon be true, I know not how many in this City do increase by usury; but this prophesy seemeth to be verified of many: For it is noted, that the riches and lands of Aldermen and Merchants, and other in London, do not last so long, nor endure so well, as the riches and lands of others in the country, & that their childrē do not prove so well as others, nor come to that place in the Common weal, which for their wealth their parents looked that they should come to, I can give no reason for it, but the reason of Solomon, He which increaseth by Usury, gathereth for them which will be merciful to the poor. That is, their riches shall go from their heirs to God's heirs, according to that, The riches of the sinner is laid up for the righteous : that is, the righteous shall enjoy that which the wicked gathereth. All riches are uncertain, but the riches which are evil gotten, are most uncertain: They may be called movable goods, for they are very movable, like the clouds which never rest till they fall as they climbed. God saith, that he will smite the usurer with his fist, not with the palm of his hand, but with his fist, which giveth a greater blow. As his hands were shut against the poor, so God's hands shall be shut against him, that his punishment may be like his sin. But if you will hear their final sentence, David saith here, That they shall not dwell in God's temple, nor rest in his holy mountain. Thē we will seek no moe punishments, for this punishment is all punishments. If they shall not come to heavē, whose thē shall those riches be? Nay, whose then shall the honor be when that day cometh? If he shall not rest in heaven, then he shall rest in hell where no rest is. Then saith one, the usurer shall cry unto his children, Cursed be you my children, because you were the cause of these torments, for least you should be poor, I was an usurer, and robbed other, to leave riches unto you. To whom, the children shall reply again, nay, Cursed be you father, for you were the cause of our torments; for if you had not left us other men's goods, we had not kept other men's goods. Thus when they are cursed of God, they shall curse one another, curse the Lord for condemning thē, curse their sins for accusing thē, curse their Parents for begetting them, and curse themselves, because they cannot help thenselves: As they which are blessed do nothing but bless, so they which are cursed, do nothing but curse. This is the second Usury which the Usurer shall receive of God, after he hath received Usury of men, then the name of Usury shall be fulfilled, as it signifieth biting, so when it hath bitten other, it shall bite the Usurer to, and never rest biting; then they shall wish that they could restore again as Zacchaeus did, & shall not restore, because their money is gone. Therefore if Christ be come to your hearts, as he came to Zacchaeus house, restore now as Zacchaeus did, & escape this judgment. This is the end of the usurer and his money, if they stay together till death, yet at last there shall be a division. The devil shall take his soul, the earth shall take his body, the strangers shall take his goods, and the mourners shall rejoice under their blacks, and say, wickedness is come to the grave.

Therefore, if thou wouldest not be counted an Usurer then, refrain to be an Usurer now, for they which are Usurers now, shall be counted Usurers then. Thus you have heard the userers payment.

Now if you will know whether it be unlawful to give usury, as it is unlawful to take usury, I wish that you could resolve yourselves, that I might not speak of it: for I have heard some preachers say, that there be some truths which they would be loath to preach, & so there be some truths which I would be loath to preach, because many hear by halves, & some for malice or ignorance, will take things otherwise then they are spoken, yet because I have promised, I will speak something of it.

Well then, may we neither take usury, nor give usury? [objection 1] I know that Jeremiah saith, I have not lent upon V surie to others, neither have others lent upon V surie to me : as though both were unlawful, not only to take usury, but to give usury. [Answer.] But thereby Jeremiah doth signify, that he was no medler in the world, whereby they should envy him like other men, & therefore he cleareth himself chiefly from usury, because userers were most enuyed. And to show that he was not an usurer, he saith that he was not a borrower, which is more lawful thē to be an usurer, like a mā which saith, I do neither hate him nor know him. Why it was lawful to know him, but to prove that he did not hate him, he saith, he doth not know him. So Jeremiah, to prove that he had not lent upon usury, doth say, that he never borrowed upon usury, which many will do that will not lend. [objection 2] The best expositors give this sense of it. I know beside, that Christ did cast forth the buyers out of the Temple, as well as the sellers, [Answer.] but that was not for buying, but for buying in the Temple, where they should not buy, but pray: or else it was as lawful to buy anything, as it is lawful to use it.

[objection 3] I know beside, that it is a cōmō saying, if there were no buyers, there would be no sellers, if there were no bribe givers, there would be no bribe takers. [Answer.] But in this case it may be rather said, if there were no takers, there would be no givers, for the giver doth not make the receiver to take, but the receiver doth make the giver to give, because he will not lend unless the other will give him for the loan: therefore as we say, the receiver makes the thief: so I may say, the receiver of Usury, makes the giver of Usury. Therefore I would be loath to compare thē which are constrained to borrow upon Usury, unto them which did buy in the Temple, and were not constrained more then they which sold in the Temple. Much less may I compare them which give Usury unto thē which take Usury: for there is as great ods between thē, as there is between giving and taking, or between covetousness and necessity, for one is covetousness, and the other is necessity. He which lendeth for usury, lendeth for covetousness, but he which borroweth upon usury, borroweth for necessity.

Now, for necessity God hath allowed many things, as for necessity it was lawful for Adams sons to marie with Adams daughters, because there were no other women. For necessity it was lawful for David to eat the shewbread, because he had no other food. For necessity it was lawful to work, and heal, & fight vpō the Saboth, which was not lawful, but for necessity. Therefore for necessity why may not a man pay more then he borrowed, seeing no Scripture doth forbid us to pay more thā we borrowed, but to require more thē we lēd. Some do think, that as God did use the ambition of Absalom, and the malice of Pharaoh, and the treachery of Judas unto good: so men may use the covetousness of userers unto good, that is, to help at a need whē a mā is like to be undone, & his childrē cast away, & his lease forfeited, & many inconveniences beside like to ensue, which you know better than I, unless he have present money at sometime to prevent a mischief. For example hereof, I may allege how Jacob did use the sin of Laban. Labā did evil in swearing by Idols, but Jacob did not evil in receiving such an oth of him though it was an unlawful oth. So, though the usurer do evil in taking usury, yet a mā doth not evil in giving usury. Beside, I may allege the example of Abrahā & Abimelech : Abraham made a covenant with Abimelech : to confirm this covenant Abraham sware, and Abimelech sware, Abraham sware by the true God, but Abimelech sware by his false God's, and yet Abraham did receive this oth and sinned not. So if her Majesty and the Turk should make a covenant the Turk would not swear as the Queen would swear; for the Queen would swear by the Lord, but the Turk would swear by Mahomet: if it be lawful then to receive such an oth, though it be an unlawful oth, why may it not be lawful for me to give more than I borrowed, though it be unlawful for the Usurer to take more then he lended? Beside, a Prince may not pardon a willful murderer, yet I think that no man will say in hast, that he which hath committed murder may not take a pardon. As this unlawful giving doth not make the taking unlawful; so the other unlawful taking doth not make the giving unlawful. Beside, it is lawful to suffer injury, though it be unlawful to offer injury: it is lawful to suffer injury, as Christ paid tribute, which was injury; but, it is not lawful to offer injury, because there are six Commandments against it.

Now, to take usury, is as it were to offer injury: but to give usury, is as it were to suffer injury, therefore though I may not take more than I borrowed, yet I may give more than I borrowed.

Moreover, I may compare giving of usury to swearing; if a mā swear without cause, he sinneth, but if he swear as the word teacheth him to swear, he sinneth not: so, if a man borrow vpō usury, and borrow without cause, he sinneth, because he feedeth the usurer: but else, as a man may swear in some case, so in some case a man may borrow upon usury, that is, in case of necessity, when a man must needs borrow, and can borrow of none but of userers.

Lastly, I may allege that usury and usurer, are never read in the Scripture, but they signify him that takes usury, not him which gives usury: and therefore the Scripture seemeth to forbid taking, but not giving.

Many reasons more are alleged which I cannot refute, & therefore I will not cōtradict them: yet I mean not to decide the questiō, because I will not bemistakē; but if some should come unto me in that necessity & extremity which I cā imagine, & ask; may I borrow money of these userers to save my life, or my credit, or my living, seeing no mā will lend me freely? I would answer him as the Prophet answered Naaman, neither do, nor do not, but go in peace. I will not forbid thee, nor I will not condemn thee, but if thy conscience condemn thee not, I think thy sin one of the least sins; and as Naaman prayed, Lord be merciful unto me in this : so I think the Lord will be merciful unto thee in this: but if thy conscience go against it: then do it not, for it is sin to thee, though it be free for another, because whatsoever is not done of faith is sin. I charge you in the fear of God, that you do not mistake that which is said, for I know no learned Preacher, nor learned writer of other mind. Yet least you should mistake the matter, as I distinguished of lēders, so I will distinguish of borrowers.

If some may borrow upon usury, it doth not follow that all may borrow upon usury, because all have not the like cause: therefore do not say that I teach you to borrow upon usury, for I think that the most in this city which borrow upon usury, should not borrow as they do, because they rather maintain usury, then supply their necessity. Some I know borrow for mere necessity; if any may be allowed, those are they: but there is a kind of borrowers in this City, which feed Usurers as the bellows kindle the fire, for they have no need to borrow, but because they would be rich, and richer, & richest of all: therefore they will employ all the money which they cā borrow, thinking to get more by the use of it, thē the usury of it doth come to. This maketh them sell their wares so dear, because they must not only gain the price but the interest beside, & more than the interest to, or else they gain nothing. These borrowers are in another predicament than those which borrow for necessity, & therefore if they be not old enough to answer for thenselves, I am to young to answer for them. There are other borrowers as I have heard, which for some secret cause would seem barer & needier than they are, either because they would not be charged deeply with Subsidies, or else because they would compound with their Creditors for a little: therefore they will have always something for usury, that their creditors may think them bare of money, or that other may pity them in their charges. These are like those foxes which have wealth enough to pay their debts, & yet lie in prison because they would defraud their creditors. I doubt not but there be more sorts thē I know, I cannot hunt every corner because I want experience: but this is my conclusion, I would have no man pay interest unto userers but for necessity, even as a traveler giveth his purse to a thief, because he cannot choose. Thus you have heard what I can say of thē which take usury, and them which give usury.

Now you would understand the last question. If you have been Usurers already, what you should do with that money which you have gained by usury? Surelie even as Zacchaeus did, restore it again. If you cannot say as Samuel said, whose goods have I taken? then you must say as Zacchaeus said, whose goods have I kept? The best thing is to do no man wrong, but the next to that is, to make him amends. This God signifieth when he saith. Put away the execrable thing from you, that is, let no unlawful thing stay in your hands, like the wedge of Achā, which he had got by sin. The same law serveth for all which is got wrongfully, which was instituted against thieves, Restore it again : the reason of this law is, because the sin is not remitted, until the debt be restored, for as humility is the repentance of pride, & abstinence is the reap̄tance of surfeit, and alms is the reap̄tance of covetousness, and forgiveness is the repentance of malice, so restitution is the reap̄tance of usury; as he which is not humble doth not repent his pride, he which doth not abstain, doth not repent his gluttony, he which doth not forgive, doth not reap̄t his malice, so he which doth not restore, doth not repent his usury. For how cā he be said to repent for his usury, which liveth by usury still. Therefore Daniel saith to Nebuchadnezzar, break off thy sins by righteousness, showing, that nothing but righteousness cā break unrighteousness. As diseases are healed by the contrary, so pride is healed by humility, gluttony by abstinence, malice by forgiveness, covetousness by alms, & usury by restoring. This Paul calleth, The revenge of a Christian, whē he takes revenge upon his sins, & punisheth his lusts, so that he maketh thē do contrary to that which they would do. Therefore you must restore that which you have got by usury, or else you do not repent of your usury. As a Camel whē he comes home casteth of his burthē at the door, that he may enter into his stable, so they which are laden with other mens goods, when they go to heavē, must leave their burden where they had it, least they be to gross to get in at the narrow gate. But as the disciples of Christ said, This is a hard speech, so to thē which have got most that they have by unlawful means, this is a hard speech, to bid thē restore it again, there be two great rubs in the way.

First, the loss which they shall sustain, if they restore again all which they have got unjustly. Then the difficulty to restore it again to the right parties. If you ask me, as Amaziah asked the Prophet, How shall we do for those hundredth talents? How shall I live when all is gone that I have got wrongfully? I can say no more than the Prophet said to him, The Lord is able to give thee more then this. Zacchaeus did not fear how he should live, but Zacchaeus did fear to offend: so thou shouldest not fear to restore other men's goods, but thou shouldest fear to keep other men's goods: and as Zacchaeus lived when he had restored, so thou shalt live when thou hast restored. He which saith, Try me if I will not pour down a blessing, try him whether he will not pour down a blessing; for he hath promised to bless the lender as well as the Sacrificer. He which is the Lord of all, can give thee more thā thou needest: but if you cannot restore to the owner, nor to his heirs, then give it to the poor, for they are the next heirs, and repent that thou hast kept it so long: but in no wise thou mayst keep it to thyself, because it is none of thine.

When Hezekiah was like to die, Isaiah said unto him, Set thy things in order before thou die. That which he advised him, he adviseth all; set your things in order before you die. What is this to set things in order, but to restore unto everyone his own? When thou bequeathest thy body to the earth, then thy body is set in order: when thou bequeathest thy soul to God, then thy soul is set in order: when thou bequeathest thy goods to the owners, thē thy goods are set in order: therefore if thou die with other men's goods in thy hand, then thou diest before thou hast set things in order, and then thou diest in thy sins, and then no promise in all the Scripture appertaineth unto thee, because nothing is promised unto sinners, but unto penitent sinners. Therefore that you may not die in your sins, it is necessary to make restitution before you die, or else you die in your sin, and are crossed out of all the joys of heaven. Wherefore as Abner said to Joab, Knowest thou not that it will be bitterness in the latter end? So remember whether this course will be sweet or bitter in the end. If they be condemned which give not their own goods to them which need, like the rich glutton, how can they be saved which draw other men's goods from them, that have more need of theirs?

Thus you have heard the definition of usury, & the derivation of it, and the unlawfulness of it, and the kinds of it, and the punishment of it, and the arguments which are alleged for it, & what may be thought of them which do not take usury but give usury, & what they should do which have got their living by usury.

Now, seeing you may not be userers to men, let every man hereafter be an usurer to God, which promiseth; If thou leave father, or mother, or wife, or children, or house, or land for him, not ten in the hundred, but an hundredth for ten; may an hundred for one, & in the world to come, life everlasting: that is, a thousand for one. That we may receive this usury, let us pray that the words which we have heard out of this Psalm, may dwell with us till we dwell in heaven.