I haue spoken of Bribery and symonie , and now I must speake of their sister Vsury . Many times haue I thought to speake of this Theame ; but the arguments which are alleaged for it , haue made me doubtful what to say in it , because it hath gone as it were vnder protection . At last you see it falleth into my text , and therefore now I cannot bauke it any longer . Therefore if any here haue fauoured this occupation before , let him now submit his thoughts vnto Gods thoughts ; for I will alledge nothing against it , but that which is built vpon the rocke .

Vsurie is the sinne which God will trie now whether you loue better than his word : that is , whether you wil leaue it if he forbid it : for if he flatly forbid it , and yet you wilfully retain it , then you loue Vsurie better than Gods word . Vsurers Heretikes . Therefore one saith wel that our Vsurers are Heretikes , because after manie admonitions , yet they maintaine their errour , & persist in it obstinatly as Papists do in Poperie . For this cause I am glad that I haue any occasion to griple with this sinne , where it hath made so many spoiles , and where it hath so many patrons : for it is said that there be mo of this profession in this Citie , than there be in all the land beside . There be certain sinnes which are like an vnreasonable enimie which will not be reconciled to death , & this is one of those euerlasting sinnes which liue and die with a man . For when he hath resigned his pride and his enuie and his lust , yet Vsurie remaineth with him , & he saith as Naaman said , 2. King . 5. 18. Let the Lord be mercifull vnto me in this : let me haue a dispensation for this , as though this were a necessarie sin , & he could not liue without it . Three sinnes counted no sinnes . There be three sinnes which are counted no sins , and yet they do more hurt than all their fellowes , and those are Bribery , Nonresidencie , & Vsury : these three because they are gainfull are turned from sinnes to occupations . How many of this citie for all that they are Vsurers , yet would be counted honest men , & would faine haue Vsury esteemed as a trade : whereas if it were not so gainfull , it would be counted as great a sinne as any other , & so it is counted of all but then which liue by it . This is the nature of pleasure and profite , to make sins seeme no sins if we gaine any thing by them , but the more gainfull a sin is , the more dangerous it is , & the more gainful vsurie is , the more dangerous it is . I will speake the more of it , because happely you shall not heare of this matter again .

The contents of this Treatise . First I will define what vsurie is : Secondly , I will shewe you what vsurie doth signifie : Thirdly , I will shew the vnlawfulnes of it : Fourthly : I will shew the kinds of it : Fiftly , I will shew the arguments which are alledged for it : Sixtly , I will shew the punishment of it : Seuenthly , I will shew you what opinion we should hold of them which do not lend vpon vsurie , but borrow vpon vsury . Lastly , I will shew you what they should do which haue got their riches by vsurie .

The definition of Vsurie . Touching the first , Vsurie is that gaine which is gotten by lending , for the vse of the thing which a man lendeth , couenanting before with the borrower to receaue more than was borrowed : Vsurers steale by law . & therefore one calls the vsurer a legall theefe , because before he steale , he tells the partie how much he will steale , as though he stole by law . This word more , comes in like a sixt finger , which makes a monster , because it is more than should be . Another defining vsurie , calleth it the Contrarie to charitie : for Paul saith , Loue seeketh not her owne , but vsurie seeketh anothers which is not her owne : therfore vsurie is farre from loue , but God is loue , saith Iohn , 1. Iohn . 48. therefore vsurie is farre from God to .

Now , all the Commaundements of God are fulfilled by loue , which Christ noteth when he draweth all the Commaundements to one Commaundement , which is , Loue God aboue all things , and thy neighbour as thy selfe : Mat. 22. 37. as if he should say , he which loueth God , wil keepe all the Commaundements which respect God , & he which loueth his neighbour wil keepe all the commandements which respect his neighbour , therfore to maintaine loue , God forbiddeth all things which hinder this loue : and among the rest here he forbiddeth Vsurie , as one of her deadliest enemies : for a man cannot loue and be an Vsurer , because Vsurie is a kinde of crueltie , and a kind of extortion , and a kind of persecution , & therfore the want of loue doth make Vsurers : for if there were loue there would be no Vsurie , no deceit , no extortion , no slaundering , no reuenging , no oppression , but we should liue in peace , & ioy , and contentment like the Angels ; whereby you see that all our sinnes are against our selues : for if there were no deceit , then we should not be deceiued ; if there were no slaunder , them we should not be slaundered ; if there were no enuie , then we should not be enuied ; if there were no extortion , them we should not be iniuried ; if there were no Vsury , them we should not be oppressed . Therfore Gods law had bene better for vs then our owne law : for if his law did stand , then we should not be deceiued , nor slaundered , nor enuied , nor iniuried , nor oppressed . God hath commaunded euery man to lend freely , Luke . 6. 35. & who would not borrow freely ? Therefore they which brought in Vsurie , brought in a law against themselues .

The first Vsurers which we read of , were the Iewes , which were forbidden to be Vsurers , yet for want of faith and loue , Ezekiel and Nehemiah doth shew how the Iewes , euen the Iewes which receiued this law from God himself , did swarue from it as they did from the rest . Ezech. 18. 22. Nehe. 2. 5. First , they did lend vpon Vsurie to straungers ; after they began to lend vpon Vsurie to their brethren , and now there be no such Vsurers vpon earth , as the Iewes which were forbidden to be Vsurers . Whereby you may see how the malice of man hath turned mercie into crueltie . For whereas lending was commaunded for the benefite of men , Deut. 15. 10. Vsurie hath turned it to the vndoing of men : for they take when they seeme to giue ; they hurt when they seeme to helpe ; they damage when they seeme to vantage : therfore it is well noted that vsurie 2 hath her name of byting , and she may wel signifie byting : for many haue not onely bene bitten by it , but deuoured by it , that is , consumed all that they haue : therfore as the Apostle saith , Galat. 5. 15. If you bite one another , take heede you be not deuoured one of another : so I may say if you be vsurers one to another , take heede you be not deuoured one of another , for vsurers are byters . As the name of the deuill doth declare what an enemie he is ; so the name of vsurie doth declare what an enemie she is . Because it signifieth an aduersarie . That you may know vsurie for a byter , her name doth signifie byting . Neschec . If there were one byting vsurie , and another healing vsurie , then vsurie should haue two names ; one of byting , & another of healing : but all vsurie signifieth byting , to shewe that all vsurie is vnlawfull . Now , you haue heard what vsurie is , & of what it is deriued , you shall heare the vnlawfulnesse of it .

The vnlawfulnesse of Vsurie . First , it is against the law of charitie , because charitie biddeth vs to giue euerie man his owne , and to require no more than our owne ; but Vsurie requireth more than her owne , and giues not to other their owne . Charitie reioyceth to communicate her goods to other , and Vsurie reioyceth to gather other mens goods to her selfe .

Secondly , it is against the law of Nations ; for euerie Nation hath some law against Vsurie , and some restraint against Vsurers , as you shall heare when we speake of the punishment .

Thirdly , as it is against the law of Nations , so it is against the law of Nature , that is , the naturall compassion which should be among men . A similitude . You see a riuer when it goeth by an emptie place , it will not passe vntill it hath filled that emptie place , & then it goeth forward to another emptie place and filleth it , & so to another emptie place & filleth it , alwayes filling the places which are empty : so should we , the rich should fill the poore , the full should fill the hungry , they which abound should fill them which want , for the rich are but Gods Amners , & their riches are committed to them of God to distribute and do good as God doth him selfe . As the water is charitable after a sort , so is the ayre , for it goeth to emptie places to , and filleth them as the water doth . Nature cannot abide that any place should be emptie , and therefore the ayre though it be a light body , and so naturally ascendeth vpward : yet rather than any place in the earth should be empty , the ayre will descend as it were from his throne , and go into caues , into dennes , and into dungeons , to fill them . If the rich were so good to their empty brethren , as the ayre and water are to other emptie things ; as there is no emptie place in the world , so there should be no emptie person in the world : that is , the rich in Israell would fill the poore in Israell , but the rich make the poore to fill them , for Vsurers feede vpon the poore euen as great fishes deuoure the small . Therefore he which said . Let there not be a begger in Israell ; Deut. 15. 4. sayd to , let there not be an Vsurer in Israell ; for if there be Vsurers in Israell , there will be beggers in another . For Christ said to his disciples , Loue one another as I haue loued you . Iohn . 13. 34. But it may be said of the Vsurer , see how he hateth other , and loueth himselfe . For when he saith that he lendeth for compassion , he meaneth for compassion of him selfe , that he may gaine by his pitie . The Vsurer loueth the borrower , as the Iuye loueth the Oke : The Iuye loueth the Oke to grow vp by it , so the Vsurer loueth the borrower to grow rich by him . The Iuye claspeth the Oke like a louer , but it claspeth out all the iuyce and sap , that the Oke cannot thriue after : So the Vsurer lendeth like a friend , but he couenanteth like an enemie , for he claspeth the borrower with such bands , that euer after he diminisheth , as fast as the Vsurer encreaseth .

Vnderstand that his Sermon vpon the mount , is an exposition of the Commandements , or else the text will not seeme to implie this . Luke . 19. 8. Christ expounding the commandement which forbiddeth to steale , saith , lend freely , shewing that Vsurie , because she lendeth not freely , is a kind of theft , & the Vsurers a kind of theeues , for else this exposition were not right . Therfore Zacheus , as though he had stolne other mens goods , when he began to repent , he restored them agayne foure foulde , euen as theeues are inioyned to restore foure foulde for that which they haue stolne , so Zacheus restored foure foure fould , as though he had stolne . In some kind of theft . Exod. 22. It seemeth that Zacheus was no great theefe , because he restored foure foulde for all that he had gotten wrongfullie , for he got but the fourth part of his goods wrongfullie at the most , or else he could not haue restored foure foulde agayne . But now , if some should restore foure foulde , for all that they haue gotten wrongfullie , they should restore more than they haue , because all which vsurers get , they get wrongfullie : for their occupation is a sinne , and therefore one saith , Because they cannot restore foure foulde here , they shall suffer an hundreth foulde hereafter . 2. Chron. 25. Amaziah is forbidden to strengthen himselfe with the armies of Israell , onely because Israell , had offended God ; if Amaziah might not ioyne the armies of Israell with his armies to strengthen him , darest thou ioyne the goods of the poore with thy goods to enrich thee ? When God set Adam his worke , he sayd , In the sweate of thy browes shalt thou liue : Gene. 3. 19. not in the sweate of his browes , but in the sweate of thy browes ; but the Vsurer liueth in the sweat of his browes , & her browes : that is , by the paines and cares , and labours of another , for he taketh no paines himselfe , but onely expecteth the time when his interest will come in , like the belly which doth no worke , & yet eateth all the meate . When God had finished his creation , he said vnto man , and vnto beasts , and vnto fishes , Increase and multiplie , Gene. 1. 28. but he neuer said vnto money , increase and multiplie , because it is a dead thing which hath no seede , and therefore is not fit to ingender . Therefore he which saith to his money , increase & multiply , begetteth a monstrous birth , like Anah , Gene. 36. 24. which deuised a creature which GOD had not created before . Christ sayth to his Disciples , Mat. 5. 46. If you loue but them which loue you , what are you better than the Publicans , for they loue their brethren : so I may say , if you will lend to none but to them which will pay you Vsurie for it , what are you better than the Iewes ? for the Iewes would lend for Vsurie ; & if you be no better than the Iewes , then you shall speede no better than they : for as Christ said , Mat. 5. 20. Except your righteousnesse do exceede the righteousnesse of the Pharisies , your reward shall not exceede the reward of the Pharisies : so , except your charitie doe exceede the charitie of the Iewes , your reward shal not exceede the reward of the Iewes . All this doth shew , that the Vsurer is like Esau , of whom God said , Mala. 1. 3. Esau haue I hated . Now in the 112. Psalme , you shall see who is like Iacob , of whom God saith , Vers. 5. Iacob haue I loued : for there Dauid saith , a good man is mercifull , and lendeth , and straight vpon it he setteth this crowne , he shall neuer be moued , but be had in perpetuall remembrance : as if he should say , this is the good mans Vsury , this is his increase , euen a good name , & euerlasting ioy . Again , in the 23. of Exod. it is said , Lend vnto him which wanteth without Vsurie , that the Lord may blesse thee : as if he should say , let the Lord pay the increase , feare not to be loosers by doing good , for God hath giuen his word to requite it him selfe Mala. 3. 10. . As he saith to them which were afraide to pay tithes , and offer sacrifice , Deut. 25. 10. Trie me if I will not powre downe a blessing vpon you : so he seemeth to say vnto them which are afrayd to lend , trie me if I will not powre downe a blessing vpon you . Whom will you trust , if you do not trust your creator , your father , your redeemer , your preseruer , and your Sauiour ?

Now you haue heard the vnlawfulnes of Vsurie , you shall heare how many kindes there be of it . As other crafts are called Mysteries , so I may fitly call it , the Mysterie of Vsurie , for they haue deuised mo sorts of Vsurie , than there be trickes at cardes , I cannot recken halfe , and I am afrayde to shew you all , least I should teach you to be Vsurers , while I disswade you from Vsurie , yet I will bring forth some ; and the same reasons which are alledged against these , shall condemne all the rest .

The kinds of Vsurers . Some will not take Vsurie , but they wil haue the vse of your pasture , or your land , or your orchard , or your teame , or your kine , vntill you pay the money agayne , which in that time will grow to a greater gayne to the Vsurer , and a greater losse to the borrower , than if he had paide more money than other vsurers are wont to take .

Some will not take vsurie , but they will take plate , and vessell , and tapistree , and bedding , and other houshold stuffe , to vse and weare , vntill their money come home , which will lose more in the wearing , than the interest of the money would come to . This vsurie is forbidden in the 2. of Amos , where God complaineth saying , They lye downe vpon the clothes which are laid to pledge : shewing , that we should not lye downe vpon such clothes , that is , we should not vse or weare the thing which is laid to pledge .

Some will take no Vsurie , but they will take a pawne which is better than the money which they lend , and then they will couenant , that if he bring not the money agayne by such a day , he forfetteth his pawne : which day the Vsurer knoweth , that the poore man is not able to keepe , and so keepeth the pawne for his money , which is worth twise his money . This Vsurie is forbidden in Leuit. 25. where it is sayd , Thou shalt not take Vsurie 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 .

Some will not take Vsurie , but they will buy some thing at a small price , and then couenant with the borrower that he buy the same agayne of the same price at such day , which day the vsurer knoweth that the borrower is not able to keepe , and so he getteth for a little , that which the other might haue sold for much more . This vsurie is condemned in the 1. Thessa. 4. where it is sayd , Let no man defraude or circumuent his brethren in any thing .

Some will not take vsurie , but they will lend out their money to occupiers , vpon condition to be partakers in their gaines , but not in their losses : so one takes all the paines and abideth all the venture , and the other which takes no paines , reapeth halfe the profit . This vsurie is forbidden in 2. Thes. 3. 10. where it is sayd , He which will not worke let him not eate .

Some will not take Vsurie , but if he be a Labourer , or a Mason , or a Carpenter , which borroweth of him , he wil couenant with him for so many days work , he shal labour with him so many dayes , or so many weekes for no money , but the loane of money . This Vsury is condemned in Luke . 10. 7. where it is said , The labourer is worthie of his hire .

Some will not take Vsurie , but if you haue 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 onely sell their wares , but they sell time to : that is , they do not onely sell their owne , but they sell Gods owne . 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 haue the light of heauen , and the rest of Paradise , it shall be said vnto him that he hath sold both alreadie . For he sold light when he sold the day , and he sold rest when he sold the night : and therefore now he can haue neither light nor rest . Hereafter let not the Londoners say that they giue time , but that they sell time .

There be other Vsurers which will not lend themselues , but giue leaue to their wiues , and they play like hucksters , that is , euerie moneth a peny for a shilling , which is one hundred for another in the yeare .

But that I was informed of them since this sermon was preached , I had left out our capitall Vsurers , which wil not lend any money , because they dare not require so much gain as they wold haue , but if you would borrow an hundred pound , they will giue you wares worth three score pound , and you shall answere them an hundred pound for it . These are the Vsurers generall , which lurke about the the Citie like Rats , & Wesels , and Fulmers , of whom may be said the same which is said of the diuels , they seeke whom they may deuour . 1. Pet. 5. 8.

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

Obiections made by vsurers . Now you haue heard the kinds of vsurie , you shall heare the arguments which are deuised for vsurie .

Sinne is neuer complet vntil it be excused : this is the vantage which the diuell getteth by euery sinne , whensoeuer he can fasten any temptation vpon vs , we giue him a sinne for it , and an excuse to boote as Adam our father did . Gen. 3. First he sinned , and then he excused : so first we sinne , and then we excuse : first an vsurer , and then an excuser . Therefore euery vsurer wil defend vsury with his tongue , though he condemne it with his conscience . If the Image makers of Ephesus had not liued by Images , Act. 19. 25. they would haue spoken for Images , no more than the rest : for none stood for Images but the Image makers : so if the vsurers did not liue by vsury , they would speak for vsurie no more than the rest : for none stand for vsurie but vsurers .

It is an easie matter , if a man be disposed , to speak somthing for euerie vice , as some defend the Stewes : some defend treason ; some defend Nonresidency : some defend swearing by my faith : some defend bowling vpon the Sabaoth : and some defend vsurie . But , will you pleade for Baal ? ( saith Ioash ) Iud. 6. 31. that is , will you plead for sinne which wil plead against you ? A sinne is a sinne when it is defended : nay , a sinne is two sins , when it is defended : for he which breaketh one of the least commandements ( saith Christ ) Matth. 5. 19. & teacheth others to doe so , is the least in the kingdome of heauen . A Squire of low degree is a Squire of no degree : so the least in the kingdome of heauen is none of the kingdome of heauen . Who then is the least in the kingdome of heauen ? not he which breaketh the least of the commandements , but he which teacheth others to do so : that is , he which by defending , and excusing , & minsing , and extenuating his sinne , incourageth others to sinne too .

To defend Vsury , they distinguish vpon it , as they distinguish of lying : as they say , there is a pernicious lye , and an officious lye , and a merry lye , and a godly lye : so they say , there is the Merchants Vsurie , and the Strangers Vsurie , and the Widdowes Vsurie , and the Orphanes Vsurie , and the poore mans Vsurie , and the biting Vsurie , and the charitable Vsurie , and the necessarie Vsurie . As God said , Gen. 2. yee shall dye , and the woman said , peraduenture yee shall dye , and the Serpent said , ye shall not dye ; Three opinions of Vsury . so there be three opinions of Vsurie : some say like God , thou shalt dye , they thinke that Vsurie is vtterly vnlawful , because God hath vtterly forbid it : some say like the woman , peraduenture thou shalt die , they doubt whether Vsurie be vtterly vnlawfull or no , because it is so much tollerated : some say like the Serpent , thou shalt not die , Gen. 3. they thinke that Vsurie is lawful , because it is gainfull , as Saul thought that the Idolaters beasts shold not be killed , because they were fat . But as he was commanded to 1. Sam. 15. 9. kill the fat beast , as well as the leane , so we are commanded to kill fat sinnes as well as leane sinnes ; gainfull sinnes as well as prodigall sinnes .

Obiections for Vsurie . They which plead for Vsurie , obiect these arguments . First they say , God doth allow some kinde of Vsurie , for in Deut. 23. it is said of a stranger thou mayest take Vsurie . I perceiue no scripture speaketh for Vsurers . Of a stranger ( saith God ) thou maist take Vsurie : but thou takest Vsury of thy brother , therfore this condemneth thee , because thou vsest thy brother like a stranger . Here stranger doth signifie the Iews enimies , whom they were commaunded to destroy : therefore marke how much this maketh against Vsurie , which they obiect for Vsurie . God doth not license the Iewes to take Vsurie of any , but their enimies , whom they might kill : They might not be Vsurers vnto any , but to them of whom they might be destroyers , whom they might slay , of them only they might take vsury : shewing that Vsury is a kind of punishment , and such a kind of punishment , as if we are to kill a man , it were a verie fit punishment for him , and therfore the Iews might take Vsurie of none , but them whom they might kill . I hope Vsurers will alledge this scripture no more .

Secondly , they say that they lend for compassion , & so make Vsurie a work of charitie . This were charitie not to be partakers in our gaines , but to be partakers in our losses ; but Vsurers wil be partakers in our gaines , but not in our losses ; nay , though we lose , yet they will gaine : is this charity ? it is Vsurers charitie .