A Sermon of gods fearefull threatnings for Idolatrye mixing of religion retayning of Idolatrous remnaunts and other wickednesse with a Treatise against Vsurie Preached in Paules Churche the .xv. daye of Maye .1570 being Monday in Whitson weeke Written and dedicated to the Magistrates and all the Citizens of London with a briefe table to finde out the principall matters contayned therin by Richarde Porder ¶ Seene and allowed according to the Queenes Iniunctions EZECHIEL 3. Thus the Lorde God hath spoken whether you heare or heare not Imprinted by Henry Denham ROMANES 8. If God be on our side vvho can be against vs PSALME 126. Except the Lorde keepe the Citie the vvatchman vvaketh but in vaine To the Right Honorable Lorde Mayor of the Citie of London and to his right worshipfull brethren the Aldermen vvith Merchants and Commoners of the same Citie Richard Porder Person of Saint Peters on Cornchill in London aforesayd vvisheth helth and prosperitie vvith the feare of God and eternall saluation in Christ BEING THOrovvlye persvvaded Right Honorable woorshipfull and dearely beloued in our Sauiour Christ that other Citizens and folk of tovvnes and Countries thorovve this vvhole Realme doe take as it vvere light and instructions at you of this honourable Citie I haue thought it most meete to direct this my simple vvorke to you and you to be defenders thereof against the aduersarie to the ende that those vvho take ensample of you maye see that you doe not allow of those things which are condemned by this worke whereof you are willing Patrones And I call you willing Patrones of this my worke bicause that after I had prepared the same for the Crosse and preached it to you in the Church by occasion of raine I was importunatelye prouoked by many worshipfull Citizens to write and put in print the same Sermon specially that which I had sayde concerning vsurie Which earnest requests of theirs hath drawne mee as it were to doe that for which the aduersaries perhaps will accuse mee both of superfluous folly and rash trauayle bicause after so many great Clarkes of olde time and also of late dayes hath handled this matter of Vsurie at large I take in hande to write of the same and make certaine trades subiect to the definition of forbidden Vsurie which none of those godlye and great learned men hath once mentioned in their writings But to excuse my selfe from vndiscrete follye in calling that Vsurie which so manye godly learned writers make no mention of in their doings I say either men in their times and in their countries haue not so openlye shewed themselues to the worlde to bee Vsurers nor defended that vile trade to be honest trafficke as men past all shame doe at this time and in this our lande So that I being as I thinke further occasioned haue specially named that which these men haue but in generalitie condemend And as many of great worship haue required me thus to doe so were they content yea and that which is more my Lord Maior willingly to be patrons herof And my hope is to haue more defending members than aduersaries in this bodye pollitike seeing I haue spoken the truth I knowe that many haue exclaymed and doe exclayme against this Citie for Vsurie and I would there were no cause But when those exclaymers are themselues also Vsurers and will not see it but colour it by selling of time they may blushe with shame ynough and eyther first amende themselues or else cease exclamation For it is shame for one to rebuke an other of that fault wherein the rebuker himselfe is guiltie But I speake not this to quallifie anye vice committed by Citizens be it Vsurie or other For my earnest desire is to haue a redresse of faultes in Citie and Countrie And therfore as you of this Citie are giuers of light or darkenesse to others through this Realme so I beseeche you for Gods loue first to beginne a redresse and euen with all speede shine foorth light of good conuersation and honest lawfull trade whereby others maye followe your good example and that God may be glorified Let euery man put to his helping hand the Magistrate with power and the inferior with prayer to god There wanteth but only good will. We haue but a short race here to runne and how short god onely knoweth happy is he that runneth a good course to the ende Let vs be moued while God doth yet call and beseech vs least he kepe silence scurge vs. And though the wicked who regarde not God will giere cauill scoffe slaunder kick and will not be moued with any thing to leaue euill yet I know the godly and wise for whose sake I haue chiefly done it wil be content with this my trauayle and will gladly and thankfullye embrace the truth and endeuor to redresse faultes without delay To whome God for Christes sake giue strength and persite his woorke in them and deliuer our Queene this our Citie and Realme from plagues now imminent and blesse and defende the godlye inhabitants to the glory of his holy Maiestie and destruction of Satans kingdome Amen The Preface to the Reader ALBEIT good Reader that amongest other vices I haue in this Sermon as also heretofore in sundry other by mée preached at Paules Crosse inueyghed chiefly against Vsurie it was not for that I did or doe account Vsury in it selfe to be the most horriblest vice beyonde all other but bicause the same vice in this our time is so vniuersally committed that not only money men Merchant men and Citizens be Vsurers but also Noblemen Courtiers Gentlemen Grasiers Farmers Plowmen and Artificers yea I would the Clergie were frée So that the vice Vsurie amongst the multitude is accounted no vice and thought so necessarie that without it men generally cannot liue Therefore I thought good so speciallye to reproue the same vice and to shewe men if they willl sée this their fault For though Vsurie be but a part yet a great part of extortion and oppression and extortion and oppression be but fruites of Couetousnesse and ambition and all these doe spring out of infidelitie and distrusting God which distrust is the roote of euery wicked act yet when such euill fruite shall be so vniuersally eaten as Vsurie now is euen with gréedinesse and delight it is more than time to shewe the perill thereof yea and that with all diligence And except we shoulde be content willinglye to sée as it were the blinde drowne himselfe in the ditche and the childe to play with the Serpent or eate swéete Kattes bane to his owne poysoning and destruction we cannot omit to shewe the generall abuse in trades by Vsurie and so specially to reprooue it and tell men the daunger of it namely that Vsurie being a fruite of infidelitie cannot but poyson the receyuer Wherefore that God forbiddeth Vsurie I haue shewed by the Lawe by the Prophets and by the Gospell Also I haue shewed howe godlye men and good Magistrates
saying it was mery in Englande before this Byble and Englishe seruice came abrode men liued quietly when they had lesse preaching when the Masse was vp we had all things pleasant and plentifull But so sayde this people here vnder this good king Iosias in Ieremies time it was merye wyth vs when we serued the Queene of heauen c. The like sayde the heathen in Cyprians time which is aboute 1300. yeares past that the Christians by their religion brought in all vnquietnesse and miseries and that it was well with them when they serued theyr heathen Gods and were not disturbed by the Christians and so layd all the cause of their miseryes to the Christian religion The children of Israell in like maner murmured agaynst Moses saying it was wel with them when they were in Egypt and serued Pharao So thankefull they were for their deliuerance But as Cyprian answered the heathen Bellials and Idolaters of his tyme so Ieremie aunswered these people vnder Iosias saying did not al these mischiefes happen to you bicause you sinned agaynst the Lord in making such sacrifices to Idols And so doth this Prophete Sophonie threaten that for this same detestable vice of ydolatry these heauye plagues and miseries shall come vppon them and their prouision euē rooting out And Moses in Deuteronomiū sheweth also that negligence contempt and Idolatrie is the cause of miseries for that all the curses of God in that booke doe follow ouertake and roote out such offenders Whereby is sene plainely that these Papistes and Gatherenites or beastly Bellials in this our time are no better than murmuring Rebels against God and his doctrine and traytours to their natiue Countrye and to those noursing Fathers and Mothers whom God hath placed in aucthoritie to reforme abuses and conserue his Church in godly peace And for this murmuring rebellion and Idolatrous broode God doth as I said by his Prophet threaten a generall rooting out both of man and beast The Prophete doth expreslye name Iuda and Ierusalem to be subiect to this plague threatned which was done by Gods prouidence least these people might haue thought the prophet had not ment them for they did know that Ierusalem was called the holy Citie and that there was the Temple of the Lorde vvhose foundation vvas layde to endure as the earth and that they being of Iuda could not decay what euer they did for they had in memorie what excellent promises both Iuda and Ierusalem had of safetie as of Iuda it is sayde Sceptrum non recedet de Iuda c. The Scepter shall not be taken from Iuda till Sylo come And againe God sayth I haue svvorne by my holinesse I vvill not fayle Dauid his seede shall stand fast for euer And this might be their minds and sayings also we see the reast of the trybes caryed captiue and yet we see Iuda and Ierusalem remaine safe therefore these places cannot decay whatsoeuer we doe we may doe as we lyst But hereby let vs Christian men note and beware that wee make not the mercifull promises of God a defence for vs to work iniquitie by for God aboue all thinges will surely scourge that offence bicause naturally Gods kindnesse leadeth men to repentaunce and not giue boldnesse to sinne nor licence to continue in sinne As here wee see the Prophet to frustrate the Iewes of suche vaine trust doth expresly name that GOD will stretch oute his hande vpon Iuda and Ierusalem and roote from those places by name both man and beast c. And the Prophete Ieremie also before pulleth them from that their vaine trust saying Trust not in lying vvordes saying here is the temple of the Lorde here is the temple of the Lord here is the temple of the Lorde Let your deedes bee amended and ceasse from Idolatrie and so you shall enioy the place otherwise do not think it to be my house which is your theeuish den or that I will preserue a denne of theeues for by iustice I muste punishe and roote out both den and theeues Loke vpon Silo vvhere my name vvas and vvhat I did thereto for the faults of the people there committed c. but they gaue no eare to Ieremy who by doctrine called them for they perseuered in their Idolatrie and vnrighteousnesse the publique reformation notwithstanding and therefore God by this Prophete Sophonie doth threatē by name both Iuda and Ierusalem therefore holinesse of place is no prerogatiue for iniquitie but both the offenders and the place shall bee destroyed the place for the offenders sakes wherto Gregorie agreeth where he sayth Si desit spiritus non adiuuat locus If the spirite of God bee absent the place helpeth nothing for Lot vvas holy amongst the Sodomites and a sinner in the Mountayne And againe the same Gregorie sayth Si locus saluare potuisset Satan de Coelo non cecidisset If the place could haue saued Satan should not haue fallen from heauen nor our parents frō Paradice And Cyrill doeth shewe that neyther holinesse of place doeth purifie or defende a sinner nor vilenesse of place seclude the loue of God from the Saintes But you sayth he vvhich follovvest Christ and doest immitate him If thou abide in Gods vvorde and meditate his lavve day and night semper in sanctis es thou art alvvaies in holy places neither shalt thou at any time depart thereout for holynesse is not to bee sought in places but in life actes and puritie vvhich if they bee according to the Lorde and consonant to gods commaundements although thou bee not in the house of God yea though thou bee in the Markettē naye though thou be in the Theatre thou art alvvayes in holy places Our Sauiour Christ taryed his fathers calling in Nazareth which was a place so ignominious amongst the Iewes that as we read Nathaniell asked whether any good thing coulde come out of Nazareth Abraham was beloued of God amongst the ydolatrous Chaldees Elizeus at the plow Moses Dauid Amos at the shepefoldes the Apostles at their fisher botes c. Which places and examples doe showe that place maketh not holye an yll doer nor yet doeth condemne or defile a good man. Whereby we see also the fonde and doltishe opinion of the Papistes touching the holynesse of Rome and other places of pilgrimages as they account Rome caput mundi and there is the Apostolicall sea the holy see of the holy father the seate of summus Pontifex c. The summe of diuinity resteth in his brest bicause of the place the place hath that prerogatiue he hath so much of the place for if hee were Bishop many other place hee shoulde want that excellencie Ergo place ministreth holynesse by their saying Yea and they haue an vnreasonable strong reason for it that is it must needes bee so bicause Peters and Paules but speciallye Peters being present
God only those doe beleue God to be but apart worker of their helth safetie therfore they must haue an other God to make vp their help full whom they account and ioine equal in their beliefe with almightie god In which theyr thoughtes they drawe so muche trust from the almightie as they giue to any other which distrust in God and trust in the other is in deede the roote wherof all externall Idolatrie springeth and wherein the verie worshippings of straunge Gods do consist For looke in whome a man hath his chiefe trust to him doth that mā reuerence and seruice such as he thinketh shall please most These sort of Iewes seemed to trust partly to God and partly to Malchom therefore they worship GOD and Malchom they sweare by God and by Malchom and so make Malchom equall with god But God will not suffer this mixture and Idolatrie he will roote out those that swere by hym and by Malchom also God will not be cowpled Malchom was the Idoll of the Ammonites and the worde Malchom is by interpretation theyr king the Idoll as some think is the same which in other places is called Moloch to whom the Prophet giueth this name Malchom the more to reproch them in that they estemed and called an Idoll their king and defender as if he shoulde saye God almightie is king ouer all and yet your king and preseruer most specially but you thinke and will haue Moloch also to be your king for you worship Moloch as God and so you call him your king sweare by him euen as by God and thus you make him equall with God but God wil not suffer your Idolatrie vnpunished It may be that the prophet named this speciall part of Idolatrie swearing bicause their swering by the Idoll was then so commonly knowne that if anye would haue denyed and dissembled their Idolatrie and haue answered the Prophet that they had beene no Idolatrers theyr owne voyces woulde haue condemned them for all the multitude could haue borne witnesse of their swearing by Malchom Another cause why the Prophete threatneth such swearing by name may be for that otherwyse those blynde wretches would haue thought themselues small or none offenders so long as they vtterly reiected not the true God though with him they worshipped others or thoughe they swore by their Malchō also And here wee are to note and well to consider that to sweare in in the name truth of god in cases of neede as to preferre right and truth and godly quietnesse is a high honor to God and a chiefe part of his worship and seruice Which we cannot doe in the name or truth of any other without sacrylege and Idolatry committed Almighty God vouchsafeth to let vs serue our turnes in truth ioyned with necessitie by the vse of his sacred name and so doth commaund vs to sweare by hys name and when it is alledged in witnesse wherby iustice taketh place to extol right and suppresse wrong then no doubt God is highlye honoured by that othe and such swearing is a chiefe part of Gods worship and those that refuse so to sweare doe refuse to honor God. On the other side whosoeuer woulde bring to passe the ministration of true iustice the extolling of vertue or suppressing of vice by the credite of any other whose name they sweare by they doe so much as in them is transferre Gods worshippe to that thing whereby they sweare and so doe commit ydolatrie And forasmuch as this swearinge by the Lorde and by Malchom also is here shewed plainlye to be ydolatrie howe can the Papists denie themselues to be ydolatrers yea and much worse than these Iewes It is well knowne that not only in swearing but also in praying in mediatiō and in redemption they eyther put God quite out of hys place or else they ioyned with him one Malchom or other Hee was not as they thought able to helpe alone nor true ynough alone nor mercifull ynough alone nor our redeemer alone And therfore in euerye one of these thinges they ioyned fellow helpers with him and that no small number They thought God to bee ouer weake alone therfore they would put strength to his strength to make him strong Hee was and is beholding to them as much more than to these Malchomites and for their seruice let them looke to be rewarded with such payment as they were and that double and tryple yea centuplum c. Whereas Iesus Christ is our onely Mediatour and aduocate they haue placed with hym in that office aswell the saints of their owne canonising as also many of the holy Saintes mencioned in the Scripture Whereof they fayned the blessed Virgin to bee such a one that they desired hir to be as it were a stickler in mediation betwixt god the father and the sonne for them Where they besought hir in these woordes Roga patrem iube natum c. Pray the father and commaund the sonne c. Likewise in redemption and remission of sinnes where God alone in Christ Iesus hath fully accomplished the same to our euerlasting stay and comfort and therefore onelye is to haue the prayse for it these endlesse Idolatrers do ioyne with him in that woorke the merites of deade Saintes the bloude of Martirs works of Supererogation merytes of prayers fastings almesse deedes Masses and their owne good workes and others infinite Furthermore where our helpe and safetie standeth onely in the Lorde that made both heauen and earth he onely to be called vpon for helpe in time of neede these Romanists teach vs to call vppon saintes departed both for helpe and safetie Sometime vtterlye forgetting and excluding God as when they say O Lady Queene of heauen helpe mee speede me and saue me and somtime ioyning them felowes with God as where they saye God and our Ladie God and S. Peter God and S. Frauncis God and S. Anthonie God and S. Loye saue speede or helpe this or that And as in these rehearsed so doe they commit ydolatrie in this part of Gods worship namely swearing eyther by pulling it wholy from God as when excluding God they sweare by the Masse the Mattins our Lady Saint Iohn c. Or else by ioyning companions with God as when they sweare by God and by the Masse by God and by the Mattens God and our Lady God and Saint Iohn by God and by the Worlde and by God and the Deuill c. Thus in euerye part of Gods seruice they haue made their Mammets Malchoms and toyes equall with God by transferring and attributing that glorie and prayse that belongeth only to God in for these things to those whome they haue made fellowes and checkmates wyth God. And the continuaunce of these abhominations and filthie mixtures doth not cease to this day though by writing preaching and exhortations
worlde or else eternallye in the worlde to come or perhaps both except they repent If such men woulde soberlye haue occupied their own stocks and cut their garmentes according to their cloth with regarde of Gods lawe the blessing of God shoulde haue gone with thē according to his promise But for that they will run out of rule to maintain their wicked aspired state and countenaunte they haue no promise to bee holpen at Gods hand but contrary that is to bee supplanted and rooted out For GOD wyll not maintaine superfluitie vnder the name of necessitie Certenly God doth not allow that men shoulde dissemble and shewe themselues otherwise than they are one to another But these men care not for god for they set more by their painted sheath than by Goddes lawe It is true that he is a foolish man who vnorderly or vainly spendeth all his owne goodes but hee is a wicked manne that spendeth other mens goodes Whiche thing Bankruptes doe Of which occupation for so it is made in these dayes the worste are suche as before hande take mens goodes or moneys wyth minde to defraude the Creditor and suche a one is worse than a theefe and ought to die as well as the theefe The better sort or rather such as are not so yll for there are no degrees of goodnes in euill things are those that borrow mens money or goodes at happe hazarde withall and so make their creditors to beare the aduenture though vnknowne to the Creditor till in the ende that it so prooueth And then if the bankruptes doe pay all or almost all that is left to their Creditors they think thēselues discharged And though these men bee not so euill as the other yet certainly they are greatly in fault and worthye of sharpe punishment and to be bonde men to their creditor But if the matter be well considered of it will appeare that these vsurary contracts and bargains are the chiefest maintayners of this occupation of bankrupts For euery man will giue credit nowe euen hee that scarcely hath credit himselfe bicause he woulde haue gayne by the lone Whereby to much credit is amongst men though none lawfully And by this muche vnlawfull crediting the bankrupte hath oportunitie to take muche and play his part Yea and the same taking as before is sayde at Vsury doth in continuaunce eate out the taker that of force hee must be bankrupte And then hee complayneth of the creditors lending at vsurye for that hee hath consumed hym by deare peniworthes And the creditor may haps crie out vpon the Broker as though the fault were there And the Broker exclaymeth agaynst the straytnesse of the retaylor that commonlye doth buy in shifts for money And so they play Adam and Eue and the Serpent in laying fault one vpon the other But that helpeth them not more than it holpe our parentes in Paradise and the Serpent vpon whome the curse of God came as it will doe vpon these vnlesse they spedily repent For they are all coacters in these mischiefes that is vsurie and bankrupting The poore men of this companie which neyther seeke for God nor regarde him they murmur they curse they steale they lye they rebell they slaunder and care not what they doe agaynst God or man so they may liue If they borrow they will neuer repay by theyr willes And if they had abilitie they would exceede in vsurie extortiō oppression c. These three fortes of men by which vnderstand al the wicked that neyther seeke for nor regard God do abound in euery vnlawfull dealing They lacke no fault they will euery one doe theyr endeuour in hys place to applie Sathans pleasure and to maintaine his kingdome Yea and say that is the best gouernment For what doe they else when they say it is better to take vsurie thā to lende freely And it is better to scrape all into one hand than to let it be deuided amongst many And it is better to oppresse than to lacke prouision And better to maintaine a port amongst worldlings yea though by periury and colouring of forreyners and straungers goodes than to abate a iote of their iolitie But here let no man take me as though I blamed any man for showing compassion towardes straungers that are here nowe for their conscience in religion for then I shoulde not onely doe yll but also bee vtterly agaynst my selfe hauing many tymes exhorted men to extend compassion that way according as God commaundeth But I blame those that wythout regarde of theyr othe taken and against the princes lawes doe colour forreyners or straungers goodes who are not here for religion but rather are here to take away the liuings of our owne Citizens and countrimen and to eate by trade the breade out of their monthes I will not stande to shewe which way least I should seeme to bee ouer cunning in mens doyngs But as with the rest of this wicked traine I place suche colourers and blame them so I wish a redresse therein and in all other matters that are amisse For god doeth threaten punishments to men euen rooting out for these and like offences and he is true he cannot deceyue By the consideration whereof men haue good cause to looke aboute them and to bridle theyr owne affections to pull downe their loftie lookes and vnlawfull actes seeing that suche faultes will bee their destruction if the same bee not left and speedilye repented Plinie noteth that Cranes being naturallye bent to make a creaking as they flie will yet when they shall flye ouer the Mountaynes of Phenitia take little stones in their mouthes to bridle their naturall inclination least by their noyse the Eagles should be awaked and take them for their pray It is wonder that vnreasonable fowles should bee more prouident and carefull for sauegarde of their bodyes than reasonable men are for theyr soules for men will not bridle theyr earthly affections to escape damnatiō so great is our corruption and many mens harts are seared or marked with the hote Iron whereof saint Paule to Timothe speaketh Well to conclude let vs looke aboute vs and not make a mocke and a trifle of our iniquities and Gods threates Let not men trust their subtile braynes to much nor make light of their vyces Lette them not count vices to be vertues nor vsurie to be honest trade Saint Augustine sayde in hys tyme I will not haue you Vsurers And addeth this reason Et ideo nolo quia Deus non vult That is therefore I will not haue you Vsurers bicause GOD will not Euen so say I with saint Augustine I will not haue you vsurers I will not haue you Idolatrers I will not haue you retayners of Baals remnants nor supporters neither yet mainteyners of the Chemarims or rebellious Papistes I will not haue you minglers of religion I will