be saued Againe doth the holy ghost call any blessed that are not heires of the kingdome of heauen But the vpright are by the testimonie of the holy ghost happie and blessed Blessed are those that are vpright in their way Blessed are those in whose heart there is no guile that is hypocrisie And to this purpose belongeth that testimony of Salomon as Tremellius readeth the just man that walketh in his vprightnesse is blessed blessed are his children after him And yet the holy ghost is more plain in testifying this truth Prou. 28. 18. He that walketh vprightly shall be saued Psal. 140. 13. The vpright shall dwell in thy presence But most plaine Mat. 5. 8. Blessed are the pure in heart for so hee calleth the vpright for they shall see God they shall haue the vision of God and enjoy his glorious presence in the fruition whereof consisteth our eternall happinesse And therefore most fitly not onely in this place but elsewhere also in the Scriptures is Vprightnesse made the note and cognisance of the sonnes and heires of God For this cause Israel is called Ieschurun to signifie that whosoeuer is a true Israelite is vpright Iacob himselfe is commended for this vertue And of those that are pure in heart it is said Psal. 24 This is Iacob So Psal. 73 when the Prophet had said that God is good to Israel in the next words he expoundeth whom he meant by Israel namely the pure in heart So also our Sauiour Christ speaking of Nathaniel Behold saith he a true Israelite in whom there is no guile For as the Apostle saith he is not a Iew which is one outward but he is a Iew which is one within that is to say the vpright 3. Seeing then as we haue heard all that are vpright are citisens of heauen and contrariwise all that be citisens of heauen be vpright it behooueth vs diligently to trie and examine our selues whether this note doth belong vnto vs or not For vnlesse we be vpright wee shall not rest in Gods holy mountaine but must looke to haue our portion with hypocrits where is weeping and gnashing of teeth To this purpose I will set down certaine signes and tokens whereby the vpright and the hypocrits may be discerned 1. And first the studie and endeuour of the vpright is to approue himselfe to God to walke before him to discharge a good conscience the testimonie wherof he greatly esteemeth and preferreth it to the judgements of men concerning himselfe On the other side the hypocrites care is to approue himselfe to men neglecting the testimony of his owne conscience and therefore those good things which he doth he doth to be seene of men and the euill which he omitteth he leaueth vndone least he should be seene of men for if men be not acquainted with his doings he neither careth to doe good nor feareth to doe euill 2. It is the propertie of vpright men to yeeld simple and absolute obedience to the word of God denying themselues their owne affections and reason but to obey humane precepts so farre forth as they are not repugnant to the law of God But it is the fashion of hypocrits to obey the commaundements of God so further than themselues thinke good as appeareth in the example of Saul and more strictly to obserue the traditions of men than the commaundements of God 3. A third signe of an vprightman is so to contemn the world and to be wained from worldly desires as that hee preferreth the keeping of a good conscience before the obtaining of any worldly desires knowing that it will not profit a man to gaine the whole world and to loose his owne soule For he that is not addicted to the world it is a good sign that he professeth religion not for worldly and by-respects But the hypocrits guise is to seeme religious and to be a wordling to professe religion and to mind earthly things to diuide himselfe betwixt God and Mammon to giue to God the outward shew to the world his heart not first and principally to seeke the kingdome of God his righteousnesse but to professe religion in a secondarie respect so farre forth as it jumpeth with the fruition of his worldly desires and consequently to preferre the gaine of the world before the keeping of a good conscience and to be ready to sinne that he may obtaine any worldly desire 4. The propertie of an vpright man is to hate sinne as well in himselfe as in others and to bee exercised in judging himselfe But the manner of hypocrits is to hate sinne in others but not in themselues to be busie in prying into other mens behauiour and to neglect their owne to be quick-sighted to discerne and very censorious to judge the offences of their brethren but haue neither eyes to see nor consciences to condemne their owne sinnes and as our Sauiour Christ saith of such hypocrits to see a mote in their brothers eye and not to discerne a beame in their owne 5. The vpright man repenteth of all sinne hauing an vnfained purpose and resolution to abstaine from all sinne and not to retain any one howsoeuer besides and contrary to his purpose hee may faile in some particulars But the hypocrite howsoeuer he may be brought to abstaine from diuerse sinnes whereunto he is not so much addicted yet he will be sure to cherish and retain some sinne or sinnes that are more deare vnto him from which he will by no meanes be reclaimed Example in Herod who reuerenced Iohn Baptist and when he heard him did many things which Iohn aduised him vnto and heard him gladly but doe Iohn what he could he would not forgoe Herodias his brothers wife 6. It is the propertie of the vpright to loue and reuerence the good and godly for their godlinesse sake and to contemne and despise the wicked though mightie in the world because of their wickednesse as it followeth Vers. 4 For the world doth loue her own and hateth those which belong to Christ. But hereby we know that we are translated from death to life because we loue the brethren But it is the manner of hypocrits to stomacke the godly to enuie thē which are better than they and not to brooke them that be had in better estimation than themselues And thus were the Pharisies affected to Christ. 7. It is the propertie of the vpright to preferre the greater weightier duties before the lesse the substance before circumstances the workes either of pietie or mercie before ceremonies But it hath alwayes beene the hypocrits guise to neglect the greater duties and to affect the obseruation of the lesse to preferre circumstances before the substance and ceremonies before the workes either of pietie or charitie to place the height of their religion either in obseruing or vrging ceremonies or contrariwise in refusing them and inueighing
hast sayth he vnto the Lord shewed vnto thy seruant Dauâ—d my father great mercy when he walked before thee in truth and in righteousnesse and in vprightnesse of heart with thee Of Ezechias you heard before But omitting other examples let vs call to mind the example of Enoch by which being the first in this kind we may best conceiue what account the Lord maketh of Integritie For when as he walked before God vprightly the Lord did therfore translate him out of this valley of teares that he should not see death and assumed him into heauen where he might inioy immortall glorie But if neither the golden reason of excellency can moue vs nor the siluer reason of profit allure vs then must the yron reason of necessitie enforce vs to Integrity and vprightnesse of heart For first such is the necessity thereof that without Integritie the best graces we seeme to haue are counterfeit and therefore but glorious sinnes the best worship we can performe is but hypocrisie and therefore abhominable in Gods sight For vprightnesse is the soundnesse of all graces and virtues as also of all religion and worship of God without which they are vnsound and nothing worth And first as touching graces if they be not ioyned with vprightnesse of hart they are sinnes vnder the maskes or vizards of virtue yea as it may seeme double sinnes for as Augustine sayth Simulata aequitas est duplex iniquitas quia iniquitas est simulatio Fained equitie is double iniquity both because it is iniquitiâ— and because it is â—aining Wherefore in the Scriptures it is required that our faith should be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vnfained that is such a faith as inwardly purifieth the hart and outwardly worketh by loue otherwise it is not a true and a liuely but a counterfeit and dead faith Likewise our loue must be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vnfained that is as Iohn saith we must loue not in speech and tongue but in deed and truth Or as Paul speaketh our loue must proceed from a pure heart a good conscience and â—aith vnfained Our wisedome also must be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 without dissimulation not that mixt or Machiuilian prudence which politicke men in the world so greatly praise being mixed with hypocrisie and deceit but that prudence of serpents tempered with the simplicitie of Doues otherwise it is as Iames saith earthly carnall and diuellish Lastly our repentance and conuersion vnto God must be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vnfained and from our whole hart For it is not the renting of the garments but of the heart that pleaseth God Neither is it the bowing of the head like a Bul-rush but the humiliation the melting the contrition of the heart that is acceptable before him Such as was the repentance of Iosiah 2. King 22. not as that of Achab 1. King 21. nor yet as that of the dissembling Israelites who made semblance of repentance and turning to God but their heart was not vpright with him If therefore without vprightnesse our faith be dead our loue cold our wisedome diuellish our repentance counterfeit then is vprightnes no lesse necessary to saluation then I say not any one of these graces but theÌ„ all But as those graces which we may seeme to haue without vprightnes are couÌ„terfeit so our religion worship of God without it is hipocrisie For although it be the common practise of meÌ„ not only to content themselues with a profession of religion pietie towards God neglecting the duties of charitie towards men but also to rest in an outward and bodily worship notwithstanding it is no true religion before God which is altogether wanting in the duties of charitie neither is the outward worship without the inward acceptable vnto God This is notably declared in the Prophecy of Micah where to the hypocrite demanding wherewith he should come before the Lord and bow himselfe before the high God and making large offers if outward seruice would stand for good payment Shall I come before him saith he with burnt offerings and Calues of a yeare old will the Lord he pleased with thousands of Rammes or with ten thousand riuers of oyle shall I giue my first borne for my transgression the fruit of my body for the sinne of my soule Answer is made He hath shewed thee ô man what is good and what the Lord requireth of thee surely towards men to do iustly and to loue mercie and towards God to humble thyselfe to walke with thy God The reasonable seruice that is the spirituall worship of God is that liuing holy and acceptable sacrifice vnto God For God is a Spirit and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and truth As for bodily exercise that profiteth little yea if it be seuered from the spirituall it hurteth much Therefore the Prophet denounceth the fearefull judgements of God against those who comming neere vnto him with their mouth and honoring him with their lippes do notwithstanding remoue their heart farre from him But the truth of this doctrine will more clearely appeare if we shall descend into the particuler consideration of the seuerall parts of Gods worship As first of prayer to the acceptable performance whereof there is required vprightnesse not onely in the action it selfe but also in the life of him that prayeth For as touching the action it selfe it is not sufficient to moue the lippes or to vtter a certaine number of words as Papists and other hopocrites do but our prayer if it shall be acceptable must also be a prayer of the heart and of the spirit a lifting vp of the soule a lifting vp of the heart with the hands a pouring forth of the soule before the Lord and to pray aright is to pray with our whole heart with an vpright heart out of a pure heart with lippes vnfained finally it is to pray in truth that is in vprightnesse and to this vpright prayer is the promise of hearing our prayer restrained Psal. 145. 18. The Lord is neere to them that call vpon him What to all yea to all saith the Prophet of purpose excluding hypocrites that call vpon him in truth For the Lord in our prayers doth not so much regard our tongue as our heart As for them which draw neare vnto the Lord with their lippes and are remooued from him in their heart they abuse the Maiesty of God whiles crying vnto him but not from their hearts they lye vnto God and go about to deceiue him with their lippes and by their hypocrisie to cast as it were a mist before his eyes But herein they are greatly deceiued For how soeuer masking vnder the vizards of hypocrisie they may hide themselues from men yet before God such maskers do as it were daunce in a net for before him all things
in the day of judgement shall say Lord Lord haue not we prophecied in thy name and cast our diuels in thy name and done many great workes in thy name to whom the Lord shall answere I neuer knew you depart from mee you workers of iniquitie Call to mind the fiue foolish virgins who hauing lampes but no oyle were excluded If therefore we would not depart ashamed from our Sauiour Christ at his comming wishing the mountaines to fall vpon vs and to couer vs from his sight but would stand before the sonne of man with comfort let vs endeuour to approoue our selues in the meane time to Christ our judge walking before him in vprightnesse of heart and so demeaning our selues as those who thinke that of their most secret thoughts words and deeds there must an account be giuen to God who searcheth the heart and trieth the reines that he may giue euery man according to his waies and according to the fruit of his workes Fourthly and lastly let vs follow the aduise of Salomon Prou. 4. Aboue all obseruation to keepe our heart For the heart as it is the fountaine of life so of liuing well or ill from whence all our speeches and actions as it were streames doe flow and proceed Those things which come out of the mouth sayth our Sauiour Christ come from the heart For out of the heart come euill thoughts murders adulteries fornications thefâ—s false testimonies slaunders And againe The good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth â—oorth good things and the euill man out of the euill treasure of his heart bringeth forth euill things for out of the aboundance of the heart the mouth speaketh and also the hand worketh If therefore we desire that our actions and speeches may bee good and pure wee must first haue our hearts purified by a true faith that so our loue and obedience may flow from a pure heart and good conscience and faith vnfained For it cannot be that the streames of our actions should be good and sincere if the fountaine of our heart be corrupt Wherefore in reforming our liues our first and chiefe care must be for the purging of our hearts as our Sauior Christ admonisheth Mat. 23. Cleanse first saith he the inside of the cup and platter that the outside of them may be cleane also And Iames Purge your heart you double minded saith he and not your hands onely For what will it auaile vs to drie vp the streames whiles the fountaine springeth or to lop off the boughs whiles the body and root doe remaine vntouched Surely if with Amaziah we shall doe those things which be right but not with an vpright heart we shall fall away as he did If with Simon Magus we professe our selues to beleeue and joyne our selues to the Saints of God notwithstanding we may be as he was in the gall of bitternesse and bond of iniquitie if our heart be not vpright within vs. This neglect of the heart is the cause of all hypocrisie making men double minded bearing as wee say two faces vnder a hood Wherby it commeth to passe that the most glorious professours sometimes become like to Summer fruit which many times being faire and mellow on the outside is rotten at the core Now that we may the rather be stirred vp to a diligent obseruation of our heart we are briefely to consider these two things First that the heart of man is deceitfull and wicked aboue all things and therefore cannot sufficiently be watched And secondly that such as is the qualitie of the heart such is the qualitie of the man in the estimation of God Hetherto we haue spoken of integritie as it is referred vnto God it followeth now that wee should intreat thereof as it hath reference vnto men For as wee must walke before God in truth and sinceritie without hypocrisie so must we haue our conuersation among men in simplicitie and singlenesse of heart without dissembling or guile For euen in our conuersation among men wee are to haue God alwayes before our eyes that as in his presence and sight wee may in singlenesse of heart performe such duties as we owe vnto men For howsoeuer simplicitie is accounted folly in the world and worldly wisedome consisting of dissimulation and deceit be euery where extolled yet if we would be esteemed citisens of heauen and pilgrims on earth it behooueth vs to bee fooles in the world that we may become truly wise as the Apostle exhorteth 1. Cor. 3. Let no man deceiue himselfe If any man among you seeme to be wise in this world let him be a foole that he may be wise for the wisdome of this world is foolishnesse with God Not that I would haue simple men to be fooles but that wise men ought to be simple For true wisdome is tempered with the simplicitie of doues And that wisedome which is from aboue is pure and without hypocrisie Whereas on the other side the wisedome of the world consisting of dissimulation and deceit is by the censure of S. Iames earthly carnall and diuellisâ— It is true indeed that in the world simplicitie is deemed folly and simple men are accounted as idiots and innocent men esteemed fools For such a generall wickednesse hath possessed the minds of most men that now adayes no man is called innocent but such as want wit to doe euill And contrariwise that mixed prudence is commended in the world which is â—oyned with hâ—pocrisie and deceit Which notwithstanding it were easie for any man to attain vnto who makes no conscience of dissembling lying facing sweaâ—ing forswearing But in the Scriptures simplicitie is both commended and commaunded as a note of the citisen of heauen without which there is no entrance for a man into the kingdome of God Christ commaundeth his followers to be wise indeed as serpents but withall to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is simple or sincere without any mixture of guile as doues are without gall And likewise Paule would haue vs wise vnto that which is good but simple vnto euill In regard hereof the primitiue Church Act. 2. is highly commended that they conuersed together in singlenesse of heart and herein especially the Apostle glorieth 2. Cor. 1. That in simplicitie and godly purenesse and not in flesâ—ly wisedome he had had his conuersation in the world And no maruell for it is the note of a true Israelite to be without guile and such the holy ghost pronounceth blessed Christ our Sauiour in respect of this simplicitie is called a lambe and those that will be his followers must not be foxes or wolues but as they are called in the Scriptures sheepe following the steps of our Sauiour Christ who did no sinne neither was there guile found in his mouth And hereunto let vs adde the testimonie of the holy ghost in this place affirming That those which shall
person or by a more ciuill honest man who is void of faith of religion of the loue and feare of God although materially they be good yet are they euill as they proceed from him For whiles the tree is euill the fruit cannot be good whiles the person is not accepted as just in Christ as none but the faithfull are his actions cannot be acceptable for without faith it is impossible to please God And this is that which the Apostle saith that the end and consummation of the commandement is loue out of a pure heart a good conscience and faith vnsained In respect of the manner our good workes must be performed vprightly not in hypocrisie and dissimulation otherwise it is vnfained and counterfeit For though we doe that which is right yet if we doe it not with an vpright heart we doe it not rightly neither can we be sayd to worke righteousnesse In respect of the end we are to perfome good workes that by the discharge of our duty God may be glorified But if our end be to be seene of men if to win praise and glorie to our selues if to merit of God and as it were to bridle him by our good deed all our workes though neuer so glorious in the eyes of the world yet are they splendida peccata that is to say glorious sinnes To this purpose we are to remember that we are to worship God not onely in holinesse but in righteousnesse also and we worship him in righteousnesse when as in a sincere obedience to God we seeke by performing the duties of righteousnesse to our brother to glorifie God From this note therefore of Gods children we distinguish the seeming good workes first of infidels without the Church or of more naturall men within because there can be no true righteousnesse or loue of men without faith pietie and loue of God Secondly of hypocrâ—tes and dissemblers who do no good but for sinister and by-respects and therefore their righteousnesse being hypocrisie is double injustice Lastly of all Pharisaicall and Popish justiciaries who by their good workes thinke such is their Satanicall pride to make God beholding vnto them and to merit heauen to themselues most sacrilegiously injuriously vnto Christ our Sauiour placing the matter of their justification and the merit of their saluation in themselues In a word that is no true righteousnesse which is seuered from holinesse neither is that a worke of righteousnesse which is not a righteous worke rightly done as that is not which is done in hypocrisie or to an ill end He therefore vndoubtedly is the sonne and heire of God who professing the true faith laboureth to demonstrat his faith by good works his faith working by loue and his loue proceeding from faith vnfained who in vpright obedience towards God seeketh by the exercise of righteousnesse and discharge of his dutie towards his neighbour to glorifie God The third note of the child God is Truth which the holy ghost expresseth in these words and speaketh the truth in his heart Which words sayth Augustine are not thus to be vnderstood as though keeping the truth in the heart we should vtter vntruth with our mouth But the holy ghost vseth this phrase of speech because a man may with his mouth vtter the truth which will nothing auaile him if he hold not the same in his heart Wherefore although this phrase of speaking the truth in his heart seeme somewhat harsh notwithstanding if it be rightly vnderstood it doth more fully expresse the disposition of a man which is addicted to the truth than if it had been said from the heart Thus therefore I read who speaketh the truth which is in his hâ—rt that is who vttereth with his tongue the truth which he hath conceiued in his mind For that we may be vcraces that is speakers of the truth there is a double conformitie or agreement required which is here expressed the one of the speech with the mind namely that we should speak as we thinke the other of the mind with the thing it selfe namely that wee should conceiue in our mind according to the truth of the matter For as the rule and measure of truth in words is the agreement of them with our thoughts so the rule and measure of truth in our thoughts is the agreement thereof with the things themselues It is true indeed that in some sciences either agreement alone sufficeth vnto the truth as in morall philosophy he is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a speaker of the truth who speaketh as he thinketh although perhaps he thinketh otherwise than the thing it selfe is And in Logicke he is said to speake the truth who speaketh as the thing is although perhaps he thinketh otherwise But in diuinitie both as I said is required Neither can we be said if either be wanting to be veraces that is such as speake the truth which is in our heart for he which deliuereth an vntruth supposing it to bee true howsoeuer hee bee free from the vanitie of lying yet he cannot be said to bee a speaker of the truth for in his mouth he vttereth an vntruth though in his heart he be well affected to the truth Contrariwise he that speaketh the truth which he thinketh to be false he is a lyar though he speake the truth because he hath truth in his mouth but not in his heart Such a one therefore because hee speaketh with an heart and an heart may not vnworthily be said to lie For mentâ—ri est contra mentemire to lie is to speake otherwise than a man thinketh Wherefore that a man may bee said to speake the truth which is in heart there is a double agreement required the one of the tongue with the mind the other of the mind with the things themselues And to this double conformitie in speaking the truth there is opposed a double falshood namely when a man speaketh either that which is false or falsely He speaketh that which is false who speaketh otherwise than the thing is whether he thinkes it to be so or otherwise He speaketh falsely who speaketh otherwise than hee thinketh He which speaketh a falshood supposing it to be true is not so much to be blamed for lying as for vnaduifednesse and rashnesse For we ought to be sure of those things which we affirme But he which either speaketh that which hee knoweth to bee false or speaketh that which is true falsely that is animo fallendi with a purpose to deceiue as the diuell sometimes doth he is a lyar neither can you easily determine whether is in the greater fault for as the one hath lesse truth in his mouth so the other hath more deceit in his heart Now that the loue of the truth and likewise the detestation of falshood is to be reckoned among the notes of Gods children it is testified not onely in this place but also elsewhere in the Scriptures Zeph. 3. The remnant of Israell that is
is vaine Againe the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doth signifie not onely against thy neighbour but also for him For the preposition 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifieth both to wit both against as Esay 59 Our sinnes do testifie 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 against vs and also for as Gen. 30 My righteousnesse shall answere 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for me or shall testifie in my behalf In the ninth commaundement therefore is forbidden not onely false speech as euery lie is but also vaine speech as the jeasting lie commonly is and not onely that false or vaine speech which is against our neighbour but also that which is for him whether it be for his delight as the jeasting lie or for his profit as the officious lie Augustine out of the words of the Apostle I. Cor. 15. where the Apostle confesseth That if Christ be not risen againe then he and other the Apostles should be false witnesses of God For saith he we haue testified of or as the word may signifie against God that he hath raised vp Christ c. he gathereth that that is said to be a false testimonie against any which is falsely said in his praise Seeing therefore these two sorts of lies are forbidden in the decalogue it is euident by the confession of the Schoolemen themselues that they are not onely sinnes but also mortall sinnes 2. Againe a lie is euill in generall and is generally forbidden in the Scriptures Apoc. 21. to all yers without exception eternall death is denounced And agreeably to the Scriptures the sonne of Syrach 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith he 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Doe not thou make no manner of lie The Hebrew word which signifieth a lie signifieth iniquitie that wee might vnderstand euery lie to be a sinne 3. Euery lie is against nature For seeing words naturally are the notes of our thoughts as the Philosopher saith it is against nature and against dutie that a man should signifie in words that which he doth not thinke in his heart or that the will should direct the tongue to vtter that which is contrarie to the illumination of the mind Whereupon the Philosopher sayth That euery lie is in it owne nature euill and to be auoided 4. Augustine reasoneth thus The truth teacheth not that we may lie at any time for no lie is of the truth Therefore it is not true that we may lie at any time 5. We can doe nothing sayth the Apostle against the truth but for the truth 2. Cor. 13 but euery lie is against the truth yea vpon euery lie followeth the losse of truth which to God is most deere 6. Againe sayth Augustine the law is the truth Psal. 119. yea God is the truth therefore that which is against truth is against the law yea and against God 7. And hereunto wee may adde the testimonies of Augustine No lies are iust for all are sinnes 8. And of Gregorie Euery lie is iniquitie for so much it dissenteth from equitie as it discordeth from veritie For whatsoâ—uer is opposed to vertue is sinne euery lie is opposed to truth which is a vertue therefore euery lie is a sinne 9. Euery lie is of the diuell therefore euill Iohn 8. 44. 10. The conscience of euery man when he lieth accuseth him of sinne But let vs consider them seuerally And first as touching the merry lie we are to hold a distinction namely that there is a merry lie which vnproperly is called a lie when as in shew of words a false thing is vttered but yet by the jesture or pronuntiation of him that so jeasteth it may appeare that something else which is true is signified by him and that such a jeast as vnder the shew of an vntruth doth hide a truth may sometimes be vsed of a Christian man I dare not denie But that which properly and in the meaning of the speaker is a lie may in no sort be vsed of a Christian. First because it is not onely false but also vaine and idle and if of idle words an account must be giuen how much more of lies Secondly the Prophet Hoseas inueigheth against those who with their lies make princes merry Now if princes to whom being oppressed with great cares mirth is most needfull may not be made merry with lies who then may Thirdly a lie may not be vttered to helpe a man or to deliuer him out of danger as shall straightwaies be shewed mueh lesse may it be told to delight him For as the schoolemen truly say Bonum utile prefertur delectabili a profitable good is preferred before a delightfull nay the truth it selfe is not spoken to the end to delight men as Augustine sayth much lesse may a lie Fourthly Epaminondas the heathen man shall rise in judgement against those who make no conscience of speaking merry lies for he was so strict an obseruer and louer of the truth that hee could not abide that a lie should be spoken no not in jeast And to these reasons you may adde those arguments which before were produced to prooue a lie generally to be euill But the chiefe controuersie is concerning the officious lie for therein now adayes the policie of worldly men especially consisteth But let vs see by what arguments they commend this office forsooth of lying First because it is not against Christian charitie say they to help our brother with a lie yea but Christian charitie say I abhorreth lying and rejoyceth in the truth and those which are Christians so long as they keepe a good conscience they can do nothing against the truth but for the truth 2. Yea the honest friendship of Heathen men was contained within the limits of truth The Philosopher in his Morals professeth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to be a godly thing to prefer the truth before his friends And those which were of the better sort among them were wont to professe themselues friends one to another 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vnto the altars to which they vsually came when they were to testifie a truth that it may be a shame for Christian men in respect of friendship to goe beyond the bonds of truth 3. Christian Charitie requireth not onely that wee should do good but also that we should do it well and by good means For this a rule in Diuinity that Euill is not to be done that Good may come thereof Those things only which are good and lawfull are to be done of vs committing the euent to God 4. Christian charitie doth not require that for another mans commodity thou shouldest cast away thy selfe But God will destroy those which speake lies and as the wise man saith The lying mouth destroyeth the soule Secondly they proue this kind of lying to be lawfull by the examples of the godly For first say they Abraham the father of the faithfull that he might escape danger said that his wife
against them to straine out gnats and to swallow cammels to tythe mint and cummin and to neglect the weightier duties of the law judgement mercie and faith Consider to this purpose two examples of the Pharisies and Priests When Iudas brought them backe the money which they gaue him to betray Christ they would not put in into the treasurie because it was the price of bloud but the precious bloud of Christ himselfe they were not afraid to spill and to draw the guilt thereof vpon their consciences They were not afraid to be defiled by giuing Christ the immaculat lambe of God through enuie vnto death but they were at the same time afraid to goe into the common hall least they should be defiled 8. Another note of an vpright man is Humilitie For when a man is indued therewith it is a plaine signe that he hath humbled himselfe to walke with his God As contrariwise pride is the companion of hypocrisie as the Prophet Habacuc saith Behold he that lifteth vp himselfe his soule is not vpright in him For he that walketh with God as the vpright man doth cannot lightly be lifted vp with pride Indeed whiles we looke vpon the earth and behold other men whom we conceiue to be any way our inferiours we may perhaps take some occasion to be lifted vp in a conceit of our owne excellencie but hee that hath God before his eyes and setteth himselfe alwayes in his presence he will be readie with Abraham although an excellent Patriarch standing before the Lord to confesse his owne vilenesse with Esay that eloquent and zealous Prophet to crie out That he is a man of polluted lips with Iob the patterne of patience when he seeth God to abhorre himselfe and to repent in dust and ashes with Peter being in the presence of Christ whom he perceiued to be God to acknowledge himselfe a sinfull man 9. Againe the vpright man being indued with a good conscience is confident in good causes and couragious in time of perill as Salomon saith He that walketh vprightly walketh boldly And againe The righteous are bold as a Lyon but the hypocrite contrariwise by reason of his bad conscience is ouertaken with feare as the Prophet Esay speaketh and such doe flie when none pursueth 10. It is the priuiledge of an vpright man to bee constant in good things and to perseuere to the end keeping also a continued course of pietie for the vpright man is he which hath built vpon the rocke and therefore cannot vtterly be ouerthrown by any blasts or tempests of temptations it is he which receiueth the seed into good groūd and therefore taketh root downward and bringeth forth fruit vpward with patience he being not only in the church but also of it shall surely remaine in the Communion of the Church and as the Psalmist here saith shall neuer be remooued But contrariwise the double minded man is vnconstant in all his wayes his religion and goodnesse is as a morning cloud and as the morning dew it goeth away his profession is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for a time for hauing receiued the seed among stones and wanting root when the Sunne of temptation ariseth he fadeth away hauing built vpon the sand whē the blasts of temptations arise his building falleth to the ground Hereunto we are to referre patience in affliction as a note of the vpright wherupon affliction is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the trial of our faith or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 whereby 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 those that are found and approued are knowne from those which be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vnsound 11. And to conclude it is the propertie of the sound and vpright to joyne together pietie towards God and charietie towards our neighbour the loue of God and the loue of our brother for it cannot be that a man should loue the Lord truly whom he hath not seene and loueth not his brother whom he hath seene neither do we loue our neighbour aright vnlesse we loue him in and for the Lord. And therefore no man can loue his neighbour as he ought vnlesse he loue the Lord much more The loue of God therefore or pietie if it be sound will shew it selfe in the loue of our brother or in the duties of righteousnesse and the loue of our brother or righteousnesse if it be sincere must be deriued from the fountaine of pietie Contrariwise it is the hypocrits guise to seuer these two which the holy ghost hath joyned together holinesse and righteousnesse the obedience of the first and second Table of the law For there are many as glorious professors among vs as the Pharisies were among the Iewes who making profession of religion and pietie towards God doe altogether neglect the duties of charitie and righteousnesse towards men And againe many there are among vs as famous for ciuile vertues as Aristides or Socrates among the heathen who resting in a ciuile conuersation and outward honestie among men are void of all religion and of the feare of God Both sorts are hypocrits the righteousnesse of the former not exceeding the righteousnesse of the Phariseyes who notwithstanding their glorious profession were notorious hypocrits the righteousnesse of the latter professing themselues to be Christians not exceeding the righteousnesse of the heathen who knew not God Now I come to the fourth point namely to consider by what arguments we may be stirred vp to embrace this vertue if we want it or to continue and increase therein if we haue it The arguments may be reduced to three heads the excellency the profit the necessitie of vprightnesse The excellency of it is so great that the Lord accepteth of the vpright indeuour of his children as perfect performance insomuch that vprightnesse as I haue said goeth in the Scripture vnder the name of perfection Neither are we otherwise to vnderstand the duties which in the word of God are said to bee done with the whole heart but that they are performed with an entire or vpright heart Therfore those that are vpright though they be subject to many infirmities yet they are esteemed as just and that before the Lord the Lord accepting in his vpright seruants the will for the deed Againe wheras Christ the bridegrome is said to be delighted with the beautie of his spouse this may not be vnderstood of the outward apperance for so she is something blacke and browne by reason of affliction and the cause thereof which is sinne but of the inward beauty in respect wherof she is sayd to be all glorious and beautifull within which is that vprightnesse or truth in the inward parts wherewith the Lord is delighted For this we are also to adde that vprightnesse is that wherewith the Lord is especially delighted insomuch that to be vpright and to please God in the Scriptures do signifie the same
thing for whereas it is sayd of Eâ—och Gen. 5. that he walked before God that is that hee liued vprightly it is by the Apostle thus expounded That he was sayd to haue pleased God And the Hebrew word which signifieth to be right or vpright doth signifie also to please that we may know that he which is right before God doth please him As it is sayd in the Prouerbes They which are peruerse in heart are an abhomination vnto the Lord but such as are vpright in their way are his delight Now this must needs be an excellent virtue that goeth vnder the name of perfection which the Lord esteemeth as the inward beautie of his spouse which is not onely pleasing vnto God but as it were the pleasing of him But let vs come to the profit by which consideration most are led as it is sayd Psal. 4. There be many that say who will shew vs any good that is profit The profit of vprightnesse may be shewed first in generall that God is good and gracious to theÌ„ that are vpright As the Psalmist after many conflicts at length resolueth Psa. 73. 1. But yet God is good to Israell to those that are pure in heart And this goodnesse he manifesteth by doing good to them and causing all things to worke together for their good according to the prayer of Dauid Psal. 125. Do good O Lord to those that are good and vpright in heart but those that turne aside by their crooked wayes them shall the Lord send away with the workers of iniquity Neither is the goodnesse of God sparing towards them For he is a Sunne that is an author and giuer of all comfortable blessings and a shield that is a protector of them from all euill He giueth grace and glory and no good thing doth he with-hold from those that walke vprightly More specially the benefits wherewith the Lord doth crowne the vpright are either temporall or spirituall For as salomon saith Prou. 2. The Lord hath laid vp for the vpright substance that is whatsoeuer is truly good and verse 21. The righteous shall inhabit the land and the vpright men shall remaine in it And as the Lord bestoweth good things vpon the vpright so he preserueththem from euill and is therefore sayd to be â— shield to them that walke vprightly or as Dauid saith My shield is in God who giueth saluation or preserueth the vpright in heart according to the saying of the Prophet Hanani The eyes of the Lord saith he behold all the earth to shew himselfe strong with them that haue a perfect that is an vpright heart towards him The spirituall blessings which God bestoweth on the vpright are as the Psalmist speaketh Grace Glory Grace in this life Glory in the life to come The graces which God bestoweth on the vpright are many for sanctifying graces are so linked together as it were in a golden chaine that where some be in truth as they are in the vpright all are in some measure Among many others these spirituall blessings accompany vprightnesse Comfort in affliction and Ioy in the holy Ghost and which before I spake of Confidence or spirituall securitie in worshipping the Lord without feare which is the blessednesse promised to the faithfull in all nations in Abrahams seed according to the exposition of Zacharias Luk. 1. and also Constancy and Perseuerance As touching the former before not touched Forasmuch as the vpright building not vpon the sand but vpon the rocke haue layd a good foundation against the day of triall therefore when as they are afflicted they faint not neither are ouermuch discouraged but with Dauid in his greatest distresse do comfort themselues in the Lord their God 1. Sam. 30. 6. And being assured that the Lord will cause all things euen their afflictions to worke to their good they resolue with Iob to put their trust in him though he kill them But the vpright haue not onely comfort but ioy also in the holy Ghost For God doth giue to him that is good in his sight that is to the vpright wisedome and knowledge and ioy For the vpright haue a good conscience and a good conscience is a continuall feast For this is our reioycing saith the Apostle the testimony of our conscience that we haue had our conuersation in simplicitie and godly purenesse And this was Ezechias his stay when he had receiued the sentence of death and which he vsed as an argument vnto the Lord to obtaine the lengthning of his life and preuailed Lord saith he I beseech thee remember how I haue walked before thee in truth and with an vpright heart and haue done that which is good in thy sight For howsoeuer the vpright are sometimes vnder the crosse yet there is light sowne for the righteous and ioy for the vpright in heart which in due time will sprout forth yea in the mids of their affliction they do reioyce knowing that tribulation bringeth forth patience and patience experience and experience hope and hope maketh not ashamed And seeing the vpright do with Dauid set the Lord alwayes before their eyes for he is at their right hand therefore they must say with him I shall not be remoued wherefore my heart is glad and my tongue reioyceth my flesh also doth rest in hope With these and such like blessings the Lord doth reward the vpright in this life for after this life eternall saluation abideth them He that walketh vprightly saith Salomon shall be saued but he that is peruerse or walketh peruersly in two waies as double minded men do he shal fall in one or as some read at once And to omit other testimonies the holy Ghost testifieth in this place That he which walketh vprightly shal dwell in the holy mountaine of God Finally to conclude all blessings vnder one blessednesse it selfe is promised to the vpright Blessed are those which are vpright in their way Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God And this blessednesse doth not onely belong to themselues but it redoundeth also to their posteritie Blessed is the iust man that walketh in his vprightnesse and blessed are his children after him And againe The generation of the vpright shall be blessed But it may be you expect examples which one calleth the hostages of our speech whereby that may appeare in particuler experience which the Lord hath confirmed in generall promise Let Noah therefore be an example whom the Lord because of his vprightnesse preserued in the vniuersall deluge And likewise vpright Abraham to whom the Lord was a shield and an exceeding great reward Dauid professeth that for as much as he was vpright before God the Lord therefore rewarded him according to his righteousnesse and the purenesse of his hands in his sight And the same is confessed by Salolon his sonne Thou
euen the secrets of mens hearts are naked and open Hell and destruction are before the Lord how much more the hearts of the sonnes of men But as I said vprightnesse also is required in the life of him that prayeth To which purpose we haue a notable testimony of Dauid Psal. 66. If I regard wickednesse in mine hart sayth he the Lord will not heare me For the Lord heareth not hypocrites and such as turne away their eare from hearing that is obeying his law their prayer is abhominable Let vs now come to the ministerie of the word to the preaching and hearing whereof righteousnesse is necessarily required To the preaching of the word that we may be able to say with the Apostle that we are not as many which make merchandise of the word of God but as of sincerity but as of God in the sight of God we speake in Christ. And againe so we speake not as they that please men but God which trieth our hearts For if we should seeke to please men we were not the seruants of Christ. Now he doth behaue himselfe vprightly in the ministerie of the word who as the Apostle admonisheth Timothie doth studie and indeuour to shew himselfe approued vnto God a workeman that needeth not to be ashamed diuiding the word of truth aright Who hath the testimony of his owne conscience that he setting aside all sinister respects doth sincerely and from his hart seeke the glory of God in the saluation of the people and not himselfe or his owne either profit or praise Of which Integritie they come very short who seeking not to profit their hearers but to please them endeuour not to approoue themselues to God but to carnall men neither seeke the glory of God but their owne praise nor the saluation of the people but their own profit and preferment in the world But as in the minister that preacheth so also in the people that heareth the word of God Vprightnesse is required To which purpose before they come to the house of God they ought to looke to their feet that is their affections and to put off the shoes of their feet that is their corrupt affections and with sincere affections they are to desire the sincere milke of the word that they may grow thereby The purpose and desire of him who commeth to the hearing of Gods word must be to performe therein an holy and vpright worship vnto God and with all good conscience and sinceritie to vse the ministerie of the word as the power of God to our saluation c. But they that come to heare the word either for fashion sake because we haue such a custome as carnall professors vse to doe or because the lawes of men require it as those which among vs are popishly affected or because they would seeme to some that they are religious or at the least not irreligious as dissemblers doe or because they would see and be seene as many proud and vaine persons do or because they would take a nap as some secure and sâ—outhfull persons doe or because they would carpe and snatch at the preachers words as malitious persons doe or because they would heare and judge of the gifts of the preacher and so giue their censure of his sermon as diuerse glorious professours vse to doe or if they come with the same affection to a sermon as they goe to a stage-play that is to be delighted as those which haue itching eares vse to doe or if they come into the assembly as Cato was wont to come to the stage namely that in shew of his dislike he might goeout againe as some conceited and humorous persons vse to doe or to passe the time because they haue nothing else to doe as some that liue inordinatly either wholly neglecting their calling or hauing no honest calling to walke in all which are practised by hypocrits of diuerse sorts assuredly they are farre from that integritie which is required in those that come to heare Gods word When we are come to the ministerie of the word our dutie is to take heed how we heare as our Sauiour Christ admonisheth For our bodily presence wil not suffice vnlesse we behaue our selues vprightly in the hearing of the word Our first dutie therefore is when we are come into the assembly to set our selues in Gods presence that we may say with vpright Cornelius we are here present before God to heare all things that the minister hath in commission to deliuer vnto vs from God and when the minister speaketh we are to look higher than to him remembring that hee is an embassadour of God in Christs stead by whom the Lord speaketh vnto vs and therefore as hee which speaketh must speake as the Oracles of God so he which heareth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the word preached must heare it not as the word of man but as it is indeed the word of God Our next dutie is to heare the word with an vpright desire to profit by it and an vnfained purpose to practise it In regard of the former we are diligently to attend to the word and as it were to hang on the preachers mouth as being loath to let any thing sâ—ip from vs but carefully to lay it vp in our hearts for our future vse and in a word so to heare as wee desire to be heard For want of this vprightnesse they offend who being present in body are absent in mind their eares going on pilgrimage their minds going a whoring after the vanities of this life and their heart as Ezekiel speaketh going after their couetousnesse but especially they offend who when they should listen to the word of God doe giue themselues ouer to sleepe In regard of the latter our dutie is to heare the word of God with an honest and good heart and therein to retaine it or as Salomon saith to keepe it in the mids of our heart that there it taking root may bring forth fruit with patience As for them who with Ezechiels auditours come to heare the word without any true purpose to performe it as they shew themselues to be hypocrits in deceiuing others so they play the sophisters in beguiling themselues The like may bee said of receiuing the Sacraments For what would it auaile vs if with Simon Magus wee bee baptized and beleeue with a generall faith For vnlesse our hearts be vpright within vs before God we may remaine as he did in the gall of bitternesse and bond of iniquitie Or what would it profit vs if after the example of Iudas Iscariot we be admitted to the Lords table and could so cunningly carry our selues as euery one of the Apostles should be more ready to suspect the mselues than vs for if our heart be not vpright within vs but that we giue the outward face and shew to God and set our hearts
in respect of Gods commaundement enjoyning this dutie as a singular braunch of Gods worship but also by necessitie of certainetie or as the schoolmen call it infallibilitie in respect of the oath of the Lord which cannot be vntrue By my selfe haue I sworne sayth the Lord the word is gone out of my mouth that euery knee shall bow to me and euery tongue shall sweare by me But the Anabaptists object the prohibition of Christ Mat. 5 But I say vnto you sweare not at all therefore it is not lawfull to sweare at all Whereunto I answere that the purpose of our Sauiour Christ being not to abrogate the morall law of God as himselfe professeth but to expound it and to deliuer it from the grosse corruptions and deprauations of the Scribes and Pharisies we may not thinke that hee doth absolutely and wholly forbid this dutie of swearing which as we haue heard is expressely commaunded in the law of God Whereas therefore the Scribes and Pharisies taught first that the third commaundement was to be vnderstood of perjurie onely or false swearing euen as they vnderstood the sixt and seuenth commaundement of outward murther onely and adulterie and secondly that not all false swearing is forbidden but onely when the name of God is interposed or something else which immediatly belonged to his worship as the gold of the temple which was consecrated to the Lord and the gift vpon the Altar which was offered vnto God Our Sauiour Christ sheweth that in the third commaundement is forbidden not onely perjurie and false swearing by the name of God but also all rash and ordinarie swearing in our common talke whether by the name of God or by any of his creatures Because the offence committed in swearing amisse by them redoundeth to the dishonour of God Our Sauiour therefore speaketh not of publicke oaths before a magistrat for in them they sware by the name of God alone but of priuat oaths in their ordinary talke and communication and in respect thereof he commandeth vs not to sweare at all neither by the name of God nor by any of his creatures For so he saith But let your communication be yea yea nay nay which Iames expresseth thus Let your yea that is your affirmation be yea and your nay that is your negation be nay that is to say if you haue occasion to affirme any thing let it be sufficient to say yea and when you are to denie any thing let it be sufficient to say nay Neither doth our Sauiour Christ simply condemne all oathes in our ordinarie talke but such as are needlesse or superfluous For so he saith Whatsoeuer is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is redundant aboue these it is of euill For an oath is not a good thing but vpon necessitie and therefore is not to be vsed but vpon necessitie for a necessary good without the bonds of necessitie is not good Hereby therefore it appeareth that as here it is made a note of a godly man to sweare and hauing sworne to keepe his oath so it is lawfull for a Christian man to take an oath prouided alwayes that those duties be obserued in swearing which the holy Ghost hath required in oathes As first in respect of the object that we sweare by the Lord alone for seeing what we sweare by that we deifie and make our God therefore we forsake the true God if we sweare by that which is not God and consequently by this sinne prouoke the Lord to execute his judgements not onely vpon vs but also vpon the countrie wherein we liue As he saith by his Prophet Ieremie to Ierusalem How should I spare thee in this thy children haue forsaken me How so they haue sworne by that which is not God Secondly in respect of the manner that we sweare in truth judgement and righteousnesse In truth that we may be able to say with the Apostle I speake the truth in Christ I lie not my conscience bearing me witnesse in the holy Ghost In judgement that is aduisedly and vpon necessarie occasion In righteousnesse promising by oath nothing but that which is lawfull and just Thirdly in respect of the end that by our oath God may be glorified our duty discharged controuersies appeased our brethren satisfied our innocencie cleared And forasmuch as the child of God who is here described is carefull to performe these duties required in oathes we may bee assured that he is none of these rash and ordinarie swearers but as he knoweth an oath to be an holy ordinance of God wherein the holy glorious and dreadfull name of the Lord our God is vsed and called vpon so he will be carefull in all good conscience to sweare holily and reuerently And as he knoweth that an oath is not good but whē it is necessarie so he will not sweare vnlesse he be drawne thereto by necessity for so much seemeth to be implied to the Hebrew word which is 〈◊〉 and signifieth to be sworne rather than to sweare As for those which sweare vpon no necessitie vsually and ordinarily in their common talke they do most vilely prophane and pollute the holy name of God turning the sanctuarie of truth and veritie into a common house of vanitie and therefore are such as the Lord will not hold guiltlesse For as the sonne of Syrach saith A man that vseth much swearing is ful of iniquitie and the Plague shall neuer go from his house Yea so farre are the common swearers from being reputed the children of God as that by the judgement of Salomon it is a note of a godly man to feare an oath and a badge of a wicked man to make no conscience of swearing For when hee would by this particular signifie that which he had affirmed in generall that the wicked and the good are manie times alike in their outward estate He that sweareth sayth he as he that feareth an oath Thus much may suffice to haue spoken of the former question cōcerning the taking of oaths it remaineth that I should intreat of the other concerning the keeping of oaths viz. whether all oaths are to be performed or not Whereunto I aunswere that all oaths which are lawfull and in our power are religiously and faithfully to be performed and kept For this faithfulnesse is both commanded and commended to vs in the Scripture and the contrarie vnfaithfulnesse condemned Num. 30 Whosoeuer voweth a vow vnto the Lord or sweareth an oath binding himselfe by a bond he shall not breake his promise but shall do according to all that proceedeth out of his mouth Neither is it commanded among matters of lesse importance but among the weightier points of the law Mat. 23 it is commended vnto vs First by the example of the Lord himselfe whose fidelitie in keeping of his promises is to bee imitated of vs if we would be reputed his children Secondly by this testimonie of the holy
partnership which is a lawfull contract Indeed I doe confesse it is more fit many times that the borrower should stand to the lenders courtesie than the lender altogether to the borrowers fidelitie and therfore though there be a couenant on the one side in euentum lucri to partake in the gaine if there shall be gaine and on the other side but a purpose of bearing part in the losse so that purpose be vpright and vnfained I would not altogether condemne such a contract It were therefore to be wished that men hauing learned to distinguish vsurie from other lawfull contracts would according to the scriptures simply and absolutely condemne it rather than they should by seeming to allow and commend vnder the name of vsurie some other lawfull contract which indeed are not vsurious giue an occasion of so great offence to couetous worldlings who when they heare some vsurie allowed by diuines they doubt not such is our naturall selfeloue that the vsurie which themselues practise is to be warranted though their practise differ neuer so much from the judgement of all learned and godly diuines 5. It is distinguished from three other things to which the name of vsurie especially in the Latine tongue is assigned but are not this gainefull vsurie wherof we speak the first of these is the aduenturers vsurie which in Latin is called nauticum or mâ—ritimum â—oenus and is a gaine or allowance made for money which is transported beyond the seas at the perill and hazard of the creditour contrarie to the contract either of gainefull vsurie or free loane and seemeth to draw neere to partnership the manner whereof is thus I deliuer to a marchant who is to trauell beyond seas a summe of money for him to vse in negotiation as he thinketh best for his aduantage conditioning with him that if his ship miscarie I will loose not onely my hope of gaine but also the principall it selfe but if his ship shall come safe to land by the ariuall wherof hee is sure of good gaine I looke for an allowance proportionable to that hazard which I sustaine And this hazard men were wont to vndertake either for the whole voyage couenanting for a certaine gaine if the ship arriued safe at the same port from whence it first set forth which kind the Grecians call 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or else but for the one part of the voyage as from one port to another as from London to Venice which they called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 But for as much as couetous men were apt to vse this practise as a cloke to couer their vsurie pretending great aduenture or hazard when there was little or none to exact an vnreasonable gaine far aboue the proportion of their aduenture or hazard Therefore Iustiniâ—n stinted this vsurie at 12 in the hundred And the Canon Law is thought wholly to condemne it Decr. Greg. l. 5. tiâ— devsuris Q. Nauiganti But as Hotoman hath shewed the text is either corrupted the word not being omitted for Gregorie in that chapter setteth downe three cases wherof this is the first which he exempteth from vsury or else the law is verie vnreasonable seeing where is hazard there may be gaine required as the due price thereof And therefore aduenturers vsurie may be allowed not onely in trâ—iectitiâ— pecuniâ— that is in money sent ouer the sea at the creditors perill but also in other cases wherein the creditor sustaineth the like hazard Prouided alwayes that there bee an aduenture or hazard in truth and not in pretence onely and also that the gaine be proportionable to the hazard The second is that which some call liberall vsurie being indeed a gratuitie or free gift which the borrower finding himselfe much benefited by the lenders curtesie doth of his owne accord in testimonie of his thankfulnes freely giue to the lender who neither intended when he lent nor expected whiles he forbore any gaine and much lesse couenanted for it For in this case although the leÌ„der receiue some allowance aboue the principall yet he committeth not vsurie because neither the contract which he made was lending for gaine neither is the ouerplus which he receiueth a gaine either couenanted or intended or required for loane but a gratuitie or thankfull curtesie which may with good conscience be giuen and receiued from an able and willing giâ—uer For as the lenders curtesie hath not made him vncapable of a good turne from the borrower which before hee had lent he might haue receiued so doth it bind the borrower to duties of thankfulnesse which they call 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 especially if he haue well gained by that which the creditor could not well forbeare The third is that which is called vsurâ— compensâ—torâ—â— recompencing vsurie which we call interest For although interest among Lawyers be of a more large signification as belongeth not onely to loane but also to some other contracts yet as it is referred to loane it is in effect the same with recompencing vsurie which is nothing else but a just recompence which the debtor hauing through his default bene the effectuall cause of the creditors hinderance doth owe vnto him by the law of nature And that hinderance may be twofold damnum emergens losse arising or lucrum cessans gaine ceâ—sing But this ceasing gaine which must come into estimation must not be vncertaine and doubtfull but certaine or at lest very probable For if the creditor through the default either incurre losse or be hindered of certaine gaine it is verie equall that thou shouldest make him such recompence quanto creditoris interest as he is damaged or hindered by the delay And it is very lawfull that the creditor should prouide for his owne indemnitie in this behalfe For it is against equitie as the Apostle saith in a like case that to the creditor should be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and to the debtor 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but the hinderance is to be recompenced that there may bee 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is it is vnjust that the creditor should sustaine losse or hinderance through the debtors default or that the debtor should bee enriched with the creditors losse or hinderance But equitie requireth that a full recompence be made that the creditor may receiue his owne without â—olle or hinderance and the debtor hauing bin through his delay the cause of the creditors hinderance should sustaine the penalty of his owne either negligence or vnfaithfulnesse For interest in respect of the creditor is a just recoÌ„pence of his hinderance sustained by the debtors fault in regard of the debtor it is a penaltie For which cause it is called coÌ„pensatoriâ— vsurâ— in respect of the creditors losse so also punitoria vsurâ— in respect of the debtors defalt As for example I lend thee one hundreth pounds which thou vndertakest to repay at the end of six moneths which time being expired and thou either through negligence or vnfaithfulnesse failing of thy promise
cause of losse or hinderance to the seller he is to allow him interest and the seller may with good conscience exact it of him especially if not through want but through negligence and vnfaithfulnesse he vseth delay But when a man selleth his ware for more than the just price onely because he giâ—eth time to the buyer he doth indeed sell time which is not his to sell and vnder the contract of selling he committeth vsurie for when the seller is content to graunt time to the buyer for the payment of the price agreed vpon it is all one as if hee lent that money for such a time for the voluntary forbearing of money due to him for his ware is all one with loane and vpon such forbearing the buyer becommeth a debtour and the seller a creditour As for example thou sellest me ware for 11 pounds to be paid at the end of six months which thou wouldest haue sold for 10 pounds in present money This men may call what they will but it is vsurie after the rate of twentie in the hundred Likewise if a man selling a cow or some other commoditie worth fortie shillings to a poore man shall agree with him because he is not well able to pay so much together to take twelue pence a weeke for a yeare vnder a colour of accommodating the poore man and condescending in his sale to his meane abilitie he requireth an vsurie of thirtie in the hundred But will you heare a mysterie A gentleman in his need commeth to an vsurer to borrow a hundred pounds the vsurer tels him he hath no money but sayth hee to accommodate you I will helpe you with a commoditie worth an hundred pounds which commoditie you may commit to such an one meaning his broker and he will sell it for you The gentleman taketh the commoditie entereth into a bond of two hundred pounds for the payment of an hundred and perhaps with vsurie for the said commoditie he intreateth the broker to sell it for him promising him a reward The broker vndertaketh the matter and willeth the gentleman to repaire vnto him the next day in the meane time he selleth it to the same vsurer for fourescore pounds or an hundred markes So that vnder the colour of selling a commoditie the vsurer lendeth but fourscore or an hundred marks for which he will receiue a huÌ„dred or perhaps a huÌ„dred ten pounds Notwithstanding the gentleman finding his present need supplied is wel eased for a time like to a man which in the fit of an ague hath drunke a cup of cold water but when the day of payment commeth he is in greater distresse than before for now being not able to pay he forfeiteth a bond of two hundred pounds But you may not thinke that the vsurer will straight way sue the bond No rather than he will deale extreamely with him hee will giue him a new day and it may be feed his prodigalitie with more money to the intent that he may morgage his land to him for the payment both of the new debt and of the former summe with vsurie which payment the vnthriftie gentleman being not able to make the vsurer hauing according to that curse Psal. 109. 11 gotten his lands into his net he maketh a prey of him And thus the possessions of many gentlemen become the prizes as it were of our land-pyrats Secondly vsurie is cloaked vnder the contract of buying when a man for the payment of money beforehand to him that needeth present money buyeth any commoditie vnder that which in all likelyhood will be the price or true value thereof at the time of the deliuerie I say to him that needeth present money For otherwise no man will sell his commodities vnder foot vnlesse he haue need of readie money And therefore this aggrauateth the fault of such buyers who take aduantage by their neighbours necessitie and seeke to gaine by their need This is after a sort as the Prophet Amos speaketh to buy the poore for siluer and the needie for a paire of shooes I adde vnder the true value because if it bee doubtfull whether the commoditie will beare a greater or lesse price at the time of the deliuerie thereof such a contract is not to be blamed as vsurious But when there is certaintie that the price will be greater then is vsurie committed in such a contract for the laying downe of mony before hand to a man that standeth in need thereof is in effect all one as if he lent him so much mony to be repaid in ware When as therefore he couenanteth to receiue ware of greater value than his money commeth to he lendeth for gaine and so committeth vsurie As for example a farmer wanting money to pay his rent entreateth an vsurer to lend him money vntill Midsummer and finding him backward offereth him consideration nay sayth he I will not require vsurie of thee I will deale better with thee than so we will take a course to supply one anothers want for as thou wantest money now so shall I want corne then here is sixteene pounds for which thou shalt giue mee at Midsummer twentie quarters of good wheat This bargaine the farmer is content to accept rather than to forfeit his lease albeit he knoweth well ynough that at Midsummer his corne is like to be better worth than twentie pounds Againe a countreyman commeth to a farmer that is at great charge in the inning of his haruest and vnderstanding that he wanteth readie money to defray his expences vpon occasion of speech maketh him this offer to let him haue eight pounds in readie money if the farmer on New-yeares day will deliuer to him twenty quarters of barley which at that time are like to be worth 11 or 12 pounds so that for the forbearing of eight pounds foure moneths he would gaine three or foure pounds This kind of vsurie is often practised in buying of rents or annuities But forasmuch as some are too fauourable towards such contracts and others too austere against them it shall not be amisse briefly to determine what we are to hold in this point For where is on the buyers part a purpose and an absolute couenant for the perpetuall alienation of his money and on the sellers part no couenant for the redeeming of his rent it is plaine that in such a contract there is no loane and therefore no vsurie Howbeit if equality be not obserued there may vnjustice and oppression be committed When as therefore a man hauing an hundred pounds on which he is loath to speÌ„d being his stocke buyeth an annuitie or rent during his life of twentie marks or 14 or 15 pounds as shall be thought most equall such a contract is lawfull and just and is especially to be commended to single men or women who haue no charge depending on them Or if a man bee willing to leaue a rent or annuitie to others after him he may buy for his hundred pounds a
but a bountifull act to require a quarter at the lest to be paid yearely for euer But indeed this example of Ioseph hath no affinity with vsurie For when the Egyptians money and cattell were spent and now had nothing left them wherewith to buy food for themselues and seed for their ground in this extremitie they come to Ioseph in the seuenth which was the last yeare of the famine and offer to sell themselues and their land to Pharao for food and seed whereupon Ioseph being not to deale for himselfe but for the king accepteth their offer and buyeth both them and their land to the kings vse and in testimonie that the right propertie and dominion of the land appertained to Pharao he remooueth the people of the land from one side of Egypt to another When as therefore the right and propertie of the lands of all the Egyptians excepting the priests appertained to Pharao he graunted the same vnto the Egyptians thus remoued as it were in fee farme reseruing the fift part of the fruits for a rent to the kings vse And therefore in this example there is no vsurie vnlesse it bee vsurie for a man hauing bought lands of one man to let them out to another at an easie rent Their fourth exception is out of both those places Exod. 22. 25. Leuit. 25. 35. viz. That vsurie is forbidden towards the poore and therefore it is lawfull towards the rich and some adde That not all vsurie towards the poore is condemned but that onely which biteth and oppresseth them For there may some vsurie be imposed vpon the poore which shall not bite them but rather heale the bite which their penâ—rie hath made To omit the common practise of vsurers who out of their brothers want take aduantage of seeking the more gaine I answer that this euasion is verie friuolous for Deut. 23. 19 there is no mention of the poore but all vsurie is forbidden towards a brother whether he be rich or poore meaning by brother anie either Israelit or proselit or as Clemens Alexandrinus speaketh 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And in this generall sence including both rich and poore the learned among the Iewes haue vnderstood this law and vnto this day it is obserued among them as appeareth by the booke of R. Abraham lately set foorth in Latin called Vox Dei And our Sauiour Christ Luke 6. 34 giuith this tetimonie to the verie sinners of his time among the Iewes that they would lend one to another that they might receiue 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 so much as they lent And therefore it is certaine that not so much as the lest vsurie was lawfull towards a brother whether he were poore or rich Indeed if the Lord in the Scriptures had put such a difference betwixt the poore and the rich as hee did betwixt the Israelit and the Canaanit To the rich thou mayest lend vpon vsurie but to the poore thou shalt not lend vpon vsurie then vsurious contracts with the rich might with good conscience be practised But Deut. 23. 19 20 he maketh opposition not betwixt the poore and the rich but betwixt an Israelit and a Canaanit and in other places of Scripture as Psal. 15. Prou. 28. Ezek. 18. and 22 all vsurie and increase is absolutly and generall without condition or limitation condemned In these two places viz. Exod. 22. and Leuit. 25. mention is made of the poore and needie because the commaundement of loane is especially made for their good and because vsurie imposed vpon them is a more grieuous sin But may we conclude from hence as indeed the author of the aforesaid english Treatise concludeth We may not take vsurie of a poore man therefore we may take it of the rich Then by the same reason we may conclude wrong is not to be done to the poore the widdow the fatherlesse or stranger therefore wrong may be done to the rich to the maried wife to the children that haue their parents liuing to those which be not strangers or when Salomon saith Rob not the poore because he is poore we might infer therefore thou maist rob the rich because he is rich But the Lord oftentimes when he speaketh against the sinnes of the sixt and eighth commandements maketh expresse mention of the poore and helpelesse because all wrong violence robberie and oppession exercised towards them are most grieuous and indeed crying sinnes And not onely in that respect doth the Lord sometimes mention the poore and needie in the prohibition of vsurie but also because those onely which haue need haue just occasion to borrow And as the needie haue most occasion to borrow so are they most subject to the oppressions and injuries of the welthie For as we commonly say Where the hedge is lowest there euerie one goeth ouer Howbeit the signification of a needie brother is not to be restrained to them which are of base condition but is to be extended also to those who being of good callings are come behind hand or fallen into need not hauing meanes of their owne to supplie their want For if men haue meanes of their owne they ought not to borrow For the holy ghost in the borrower presupposeth need and to the same purpose Plato prouided by law that no man should fetch water at his neighbours well vntill himselfe hauing first digged 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vnto the potters earth vnder which there is no water did find his owne ground to be without water And it is truly said of Plutarch 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That the law prouideth for their helpe who want meanes of their owne And therefore to those who haue no need to borrow we need not lend But if we do lend we must lend freely or if we will looke to gaine by those which need not our helpe we must deale with them by some honest contract of negotiation For loane is such a contract as God hath appointed to be free and where it is not free he hath condemned it with fearefull termes vnder the name of vsury For as Chemnicius well faith In humane societies God would not haue all things set to sale but hee requireth that some duties should be free which are deformed and depraued if either they be sold as things venall or let to hire as mercenarie duties And surely sayth he if the Scriptures in the contract of loane should graunt vsurie to be exercised towards the rich the dutie of free lending would soone be abolished and those who haue need to borrow should not bee able to borrow freely for euerie man will thinke he giueth to the needie so much as he might gaine of the rich and you may be sure that will not bee much and therefore God should then haue prouided worse for the poore when hee intended to haue prouided best for them for mens necessitie manie times is such that they must needs borrow and better vpon vsurie than not at all And
either of the poore as though it were committed against them alone or of the detaining of a pledge as though vsurie were to be matched therewith for it is matched with murther idolatrie incest and other such abhominations neither that it is in this place so subjected to oppression as a species thereof but generally and simply it is condemned as a grieuous abhomination whereby the vsurer prouoketh the vengeance of God not onely against himselfe but also against the societie wherein he doth liue And thus we see all vsurie or lending for gaine by diuerse testimonies of Scripture to be plainely and manifestly condemned Of which doctrine the couetous worldlings are apt to make this vse If it be so that we may not by the word of God lend vpon vsurie then surely we will not lend at all Answer it is a greater sinne not to lend at all to a man who is in great need than to lend vnto him vpon vsurie Euen as it were a greater offence altogether to denie food to him that is almost famished than to sell it vnto him at an vnreasonable rate And therefore manie commonweales do tollerate such vsurie as is not immoderat for the good both of the borrower and also of the lender Of the borrower because his necessitie manie times is such that it is farre better for him to borrow vpon vsurie than not to borrow at all Of the lender because to lend vpon moderat vsurie to them that must needs borrow is a lesse sinne than not to lend at all But as the afore cited places condemne the negatiue and forbid lending for gain so there are diuerse manifest testimonies of Scripture injoyning the affirmatiue and commaunding vs to lend freely And therefore as we are to abstaine from vsurie because God forbiddeth it so must we practise free loane because God commaundeth it These places because they are so manie euidences against vsurie I will the rather recite And first that in Deut. 15 where the Lord hauing prouided by law that in the seuenth yeare no debt should be demaunded and foreseeing that hereby the couetous would take occasion when the seuenth yeare should draw neere to refuse to lend to them that were in need therefore vers 7. and 8. the Lord straitly chargeth them not only at other times to lend freely to their needie brother but euen then also when the seuenth yeare was at hand His words are these If any one of thy brethren with thee be poore and needie within any of thy gates in thy land which the Lord thy God giueth thee thou shalt not harden thine heart nor shut thine hand from thy poore brother but thou shalt liberally open thine hand vnto him and thou shalt in lending lend that is freely lend him sufficient for his need which he hath Beware that there be not a wicked thought in thine heart to say the seuenth yeare the yeare of freedome wherein debts were not to be required is at hand nor that thine eie be euill towards thy needie brother so that thou wilt not giue vnto him and so he crie vnto the Lord against thee and it be sinne vnto thee Thou shalt freely giue vnto him and let not thine heart be euill when thou giuest vnto him for because of this the Lord thy God shall blesse thee in all thy workes and in all that thou puttest thine hand to In which words the Lord not onely commandeth them straightly to lend freely to their brethren being in need not onely at other times but euen immediatly before the yeare of remission wherein no debts were to be demaunded but also vseth two effectuall reasons to persuade them to the voluntary and cheerefull performance of this dutie The former because if they should refuse to lend to their brother in his need it should be a sinne vnto them and good reason for we are not absolut Lords of that which we haue but onely the Lords stewards who must one day giue an account of our stewardship and therefore we are bound in conscience so to imploy those goods which hee hath committed to our trust as he appointeth And therfore seeing the Lord commaundeth those which be of ability as his stewards to lend to them that are in need it is a sinne vnto them if they shall refuse to lend freely vnto them The second reason to persuade men cheerfully to lend to them which are in need is the gracious promise of God For because of this the Lord thy God shall blesse thee in all thy workes c. Now if this promise with some others in the word of God doe not preuaile with vs in this behalfe we shall bewray notable infidelitie If a poore man bring vnto thee a rich man to be his suretie thou wilt not feare to lend vnto him but when the Lord becommeth a poore mans suretie nay promiseth himselfe to be thy paymaister and to make thee full recompence thou wilt not take his word no not his written word Prou. 19. 17 He that dealeth graciously with the poore whether it bee by free giuing or free lending lendeth vnto the Lord and the Lord will recompence him that which he hath giuen But lest any should alledge though falsly that this is a judiciall law and therfore bindeth not them I will therfore produce two testimonies out of the Gospell of our Sauiour Christ. The former Mat. 5. 42 Giue to him that asketh and from him that would borrow of thee turne not away What then will you say is euerie one bound to lend to euerie one that asketh I answer respect is to be had of thine abilitie and of his necessitie and also if it be not a case of vrgent and present necessitie of his honestie If his necessitie vrge him to borrow and thine estate enable thee to lend thou art bound to lend vnto him especially if his honestie deserue to be respected The other testimonie is Luke 6. 35. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Lend looking for nothing thence which words though they be diuersly read and expounded yet in euerie sence they commaund the dutie of free lending The word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 admitteth diuerse significations as first to bring into despaire according to which sence thus much is insinuated that those which refuse to lend vnto men in their need cause them to despaire But this sence is not incident vnto this place vnlesse we read as indeed the Syriacke interpreter doth insteed of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 lend causing no man to despaire For they that go on borrowing they go on sorrowing and when others will not lend when they must needs borrow they are out of heart and do as it were sinke vnder the burden of their want When as therfore thy brother commeth to borrow of thee for the supply of his want turne not thy face from him neither harden thy hart towards him nor shut thine hand from him but when his hand doth shake stay him and hold him
men should lend freely and not for gaine yet this alone were sufficient because God would haue vs lend freely and not for gaine It ought to haue beene argument sufficient to our first parents to restraine them from the forbidden fruit That God had forbidden it though they had other reasons to induce them to eat thereof And as in that case so in this it is sinne and folly to enter into disputation against the word of God according vnto which we shall be judged in the last day But as by the written word of God the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or vnlawfulnesse of vsurie is sufficiently prooued so also by other euident arguments and testimonies it may be conuicted to be sinfull both in it selfe and in the judgements of all those who haue liued in former ages Whereupon it will also follow that the vsurer sinneth not onely against the law of God but also against the light and law of nature And thus he sinneth against his neighbour God himselfe Against his neighbour For whereas there are two duties especially to bee practised towards our neighbour that is to say Iustice and Charitie justice to giue euery man his owne and charitie not to seeke our owne but other mens profit justice to do no man wrong charitie to do good to all vsurie offendeth against both as being both vnjust and vncharitable Which copulation is duly to be marked For whereas some alledge that vsury is not against charitie when neither the lender nor borrower is hurt thereby it shall hereby appeare that if at any time it may seeme not to bee opposed to charitie as an hurtfull thing yet is it alwaies opposed as an vnjust and vnequall thing For first the generall law both of justice charitie is this As you would that men should doe to you so doe you to them likewise But when you haue need to borrow you would that men should lend you freely and not impose vsurie vpon you therefore in like case when others would borrow of you in their necessity you ought to lend them freely and not impose vsurie vpon them But against this argument diuerse things are objected First by this reason say they no man ought to let his horse or house for hire or to sell his ware for an equall price For who would not rather borrow things to vse freely than to take them vpon hire and who would buy ware if he might haue it giuen him I answere not euery thing which we would that men should doe to vs are we to doe to them but that which in equitie and with good conscience we desire to be done to vs otherwise he which desireth to be slaine might lawfully kill others But by commodation a man cannot desire in equitie and with a good conscience to borrow freely that which is lettable nor by free donation to receiue that which is saleable vnlesse it be of some speciall friend or of some that looketh for as good a turne at our hands or in case of present or vrgent necessitie for that were to desire another mans losse without making of recompence But he which hath need to borrow by mutuation may in equitie and with a good conscience desire to borrow freely of him that is able to lend because he doth not onely purpose yea couenant to make full recompence by restoring the full value of that which he borroweth for so much is implied in the very contract of mutuation but also if he be an honest man will be as willing to gratifie his creditor wherein he lawfully may as now he desireth to be holpen by him 2. Againe some who exercise moderat vsurie alledge for the justifying of themselues That if they had occasion to borrow they would be willing to borrow vpon vsurie after eight or ten in the hundred Yea they would thinke themselues beholding to such an one as would lend vnto them after that rate And therefore they doe as they would be done vnto in the like case I answer first that no man ought to desire to borrow but for need and therefore what men which do not borrow for need may desire it is not materiall And secondly that no man which borroweth for his need is willing simply or with an entire will to borrow vpon vsurie but vpon a conditionall necessitie for auoiding a greater mischiefe As he which casteth his goods into the sea to lighten the ship in a dangerous tempest is simply vnwilling to cast away his goods and yet is willing so to doe vpon a conditionall necessitie to saue his life And as he which falling among theeues giueth them his purse being forced thereto by a conditionall necessitie viz. if he will saue his life being simply vnwilling to forgoe his money so he which in his necessitie yeeldeth to pay vsurie doth it as the Poet speaketh 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 willingly for auoiding a greater inconuenience but simply against his will For that which a man doth not integra voluntate with an entire will he doth inuitus against his will say the Lawyers Which alwaies happeneth in these mixt actions wherein the agent is as the Philosopher sayth to be esteemed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is not willing When as therefore they object Volenti non fit iniuria Wrong is not done to him that is willing I answere that neither is the borrower simply willing neither is that axiome generally true for then Ioseph had not sinned against his mistresse if he had graunted her desire neither had Sauls armour bearer beene worthie of blame if at Sauls owne request he had killed him being the annointed of the Lord. But Ioseph confesseth that he should haue sinned fearefully if he had yeelded to her desire And Dauid putteth to death that pickthanke who had as he said at Sauls owne entreatie slaine him And therefore seeing vsurie is as well forbidden in the Scriptures as murther or adulterie it is not the borrowers entreatie that can make it lawfull Yea but say they The borrower is willing he seekes to me he intreates me yea of his owne accord he offers me vsurie I answer and yet is he not simply willing thereto but his necessity for auoiding a greater inconuenience maketh him seeme willing to that whereunto he is simply vnwilling For doth not the mariner in the tempest vse all expedition with earnestnesse to cast out his goods as though he earnestly desired to be rid of them and yet is indeed vnwilling to be depriued of them Doth not the partie which is fallen among theeues and is afraid of his life earnestly intreat them to take his goods and readily giue his purse and what else he hath so they will spare his life and yet simply is vnwilling to loose his money if otherwise he could chuse Or if that example mislike the vsurer suppose a man in extremitie of hunger comming to another to buy bread who meaning as the vsurer commonly doth to take
aduantage by his neighbours want seemeeth vnwilling to sell him any food will not this party in his extremitie offer the other twelue pence for that which is not worth two pence and intreat him that he would take his money and perhaps tell him that in so doing he shall saue his life and yet no man is simply willing to giue twelue pence for that which is worth but two pence or if he were his desire would not excuse the receiuer It is euident therefore that the vsurer breaketh the generall law of justice and charitie in doing to others as he would not that others should do to him and also in taking another mans goods without the others mans good will But I will shew you seuerally first that vsurie is vnjust and secondly that it is vncharitable All illiberall contracts are vnjust wherein commutatiue justice is not obserued and commutatiue justice is not obserued where is not equality kept of the things committed whether the commutation be of the things themselues for recompence or of the vse onely for hire Now that there may be equality allowance is to be made of the necessary cost hazard and labour which appertaine thereto for all these are valuable as for example A merchant trauelling beyond seas buyeth commodities there at an easie rate which hauing transported into his owne countrey he may with a good conscience sell so much dearer according to the proportion of his necessarie labour cost and hazard And where none of these considerations are there ought to be no gaine or if there bee there is inequalitie and so vnjustice But you will say what if a man sustaine losse is not allowance to be made thereof If any man hath bene the effectuall cause of that losse he and no other is to make recompence but if losse be sustained by the hand of God we must beare it as a crosse which the Lord hath laid vpon vs and not presume to lay it vpon any other mans shoulders who hath not bene the effectuall cause of our losse But now say I vsurie is an illiberall contract and although it be in truth no other contract but lending for gaine yet it putteth on the habit of letting exchange partnership and is not onely an vncharitable lending as shall be shewed but also an vnjust letting an vnequall exchange and an vnconscionable partnership And first it is a most wicked and vnjust kind of letting agreeing with true letting in nothing else but in taking an ouerplus for first as I haue shewed heretofore Location is of such things as are not spent in the vse but haue a fruitfull vse in themselues which may be valued apart from the propertie and dominion and therefore he which letteth any thing he alienateth the vse for an equall price retaining to himselfe the property But vsurie is of such things as are spent in the vse and are lent to bee spent neither haue they anie fruitfull vse in themselues which may be valued apart from the propertie because they be spent in the vse and therefore hee which putteth forth vpon vsurie alienateth not onely the vse but the propertie also from which as it is the subject of mutuation or vsurie the vse cannot be seuered As for example If I let an house or a peece of ground c. I let the fruitfull vse which is in themselues naturally retaining still the propertie to my selfe But he which putteth forth money or meat or any thing else that is spent in the vse he cannot let the fruitfull vse of them or value it apart from the property for there is no such fruitfull vse in them that can bee valued apart and therefore with the vse if he lend them to be spent he must needs alienat the propertie also For the vse of money and victuals and such like things as they are the subject of mutuation is the spending and distraction of them if any fruit or profit be raised by the distractiō of them it is to be ascribed to the industrie and skill of him that doth imploy them and consequently the gaine if there be any of right belongeth to him who being now the owner thereof for as I sayd in mutuation the propertie is transferred to the borrower bestoweth his skill and industrie to raise a profit out of that which is his owne Secondly in location the letter alienating the vse only and not the propertie is to receiue againe the selfe same particular after it hath bene vsed of the hirer being for the most part impaired in the vse in respect whereof there is a second reason of demaunding and taking the hire But in vsurie the lender alienating not onely the vse but the propertie also couenanteth to receiue againe not the selfe same particuler impaired in the vse but the full value thereof in the same kind without any impairing or diminution of the principall and therefore in vsurie there is no such reason of an ouerplus as in location Thirdly in location the letter as he retaineth the propertie of that which is let so he also beareth the hazard thereof In so much that if it miscarie without the hirers default it miscarieth to the letter and not to him for he is onely to pay the hire Exod. 22. 14 in respect whereof there is a third reason of the hire demaunded as being in part the price of the hazard But in vsurie the lender as he alienateth the propertie with the vse so also with the propertie he transferreth the hazard to the borrower in so much that if the principall or any part thereof miscary it miscaries to the borrower it is safe to the lender by the verie contract of mutuation Now it is a principle in the law Vbi periculum ibi lucrum collocandum est To whom the hazard belongeth to him appertaineth the gaine And that no man ought to reape gaine by that whereof he beareth not the hazard and againe That there is no gaine allowable by law which hath no hazard joyned with it Lastly the letter many times is at charge about such things as he doth let as in repairing of houses in keeping of houses c. which may be a fourth reason of demāding hire but there is no such respect in vsurie Nay the vsurer hauing transferred the propertie of that which is lent to the borrower with the propertie the labor which is to be imployed the hazard which is to be sustained the cost which is to be borne for the raising of any commoditie by the imployment of the money notwithstanding he would haue the money to be thought his in respect of the gain though the borrowers in respect of the losse Now if you lay these things together you shall in part perceiue how vnjust vnconscionable a gaine vsurie is euen then when the borrower seeketh to be a gainer by the imploimēt of that which he hath borrowed 1. In that the vsurer letteth that which is not lettable requireth an hire
it selfe of lending that is of making that which is mine to be thine for a time no gaine ought to be required or if there be it is damnable vsurie Whereupon I inferre another consequent that if thou mayest not require gaine for the act of lending it selfe whereby thou makest that which is thine to be another mans for the time because the Lord forbiddeth it and the patrons of vsurie confesse so much then canst thou not require a gaine much lesse a certaine gaine not onely out of the profit which hee may perhaps reape of the money which now is his and whereof besides his skill industrie and charge hee alone doth beare the hazard but also out of his losse Thus therefore it appeareth that vsurie is a very vnjust letting 2. It is also a very vnequall exchange when for an hundred pounds deliuered an hundred and ten pounds is required Why But by this reason you will say you condemne all gaine and negotiation for gaine May not the merchant lawfully for his wares bought in another countrey for one hundred pounds require one hundred and ten here I answer as before that there are three considerations viz. of necessarie cost industrie and hazard for all or any whereof a proportionable gaine may bee allowed but where none of those are found there ought to be no gaine consider then whether any of these are to be found in vsurie or not doth the vsurer therefore take any paines for the gaine which he requireth by vsurie Nothing lesse Vsurie is a gainefull idlenesse whereby men do eat of the sweat of other mens browes For whether they eat or drinke sleepe or wake worke or play their gaine by vsurie commeth in alike Is he at any cost for the getting of this gaine Not of an halfepenie Doth hee beare any hazard It is no part of his meaning He requireth a couenant of the borrower for the payment both of the principall and also of the vsurie at a certaine time and for the performance of that couenant before he will lend his money he will be sure of so much securitie as himselfe thinketh to be sufficient whether it be by bonds or statutes by pawnes or sureties so that if the principall or any part thereof be lost it is lost to the borrower but it is safe to the vsurer by the very contract of vsurie ratified by other securities What then is the reason of this excesse or inequalitie in the contract of vsurie that for an hundred pounds one hundred and ten pounds of the like mony should be required Forsooth saith one this gaine I require for the forbearance of my money Why but say I if thou lendest thy money for a time thou must needs forbeare it for the time of the loane And if thou must lend it freely and take no gaine for the courtesie of lending thou must also forbeare it freely and take no gaine for the courtesie of forbearing for the time of the loane Yea but I forbeare it to my hinderance and therefore so much as I am hindered I may lawfully require by way of interest Hinderance I confesse is to be recompenced by him who is the effectuall cause thereof and interest I haue shewed before to be lawfull and therefore if the borrower through his default bee the effectuall cause of the lenders losse the lender may with a good conscience require interest and thereby prouide for his owne indemnitie But indeed the borrower vnlesse hee forced the creditor to lend is not the effectuall cause of the creditors losse vntill he hath made delay Neither is the creditor after delay to demaund interest vnlesse by the delay he incurre some losse or sustaine hinderance of some lawfull and certaine gaine We confesse say they that the casuall or moment anie interest whereof you speake is not to be allowed or regarded but after delay but the promiscuous or successiue interest is to be allowed according to the proportion of the time of the loane euen before delay And what is this successiue interest I pray you Forsooth an allowance to be made for the forbearance of money pro rata temporis according to the rate and proportion of the time which is also called inter vsurium and by our vsurers interest I heare new names but the thing thereby signified is the grosse and common vsurie which is forbidden in the Scripture and hath bene condemned in all ages as I haue shewed heretofore For interest is to be esteemed not according to the borrowers successe in the imployment of money but according to the hinderance which the lender sustaineth by the forbearance of his money and thereof it hath the name And whereof is the hinderance which he sustaineth Forsooth of so much gaine as either himselfe might haue raised by his money in the same time or another would haue allowed him according to the lawes Wouldest thou then haue imployed it thy selfe Perhaps it is but a vsurious pretence But be it so How wouldest thou haue imployed it By negotiation or traffique That is not likely Vsurers loue not to bee aduenturers there is too much hazard in traffique But if thou wouldest it may bee thou shouldest haue bene a looser and therefore set thy feare of losse by aduenturing which thou escapest by not hazarding the principall against your hope of gaine which you looked to receiue if you had aduentured and let thy possible gaine which thou hast missed bee recompenced with the possible losse which thou hast escaped And know this that the hinderance of vncertaine gaine is not to be allowed after delay much lesse before neither can vncertaine hopes be sold with a good conscience for certaine gaine especially to those that do not buy them Yea but another would haue allowed mee after ten in the hundred But lawfull interest is an allowance of lawfull gaine After delay made by the borrower the lender cannot with a good conscience by way of interest require allowance for the hinderance of either vncertaine or vnlawfull gaine much lesse may it be required before hand and yet much lesse may it be couenanted before hand Yea but what reason is there that I should susteine hinderance without recompence Lay aside vsurious pretences Canst thou not indeed without thine hinderance forbeare thy money consider then the estate of him that is to borrow Is he a prodigall gentleman or riotous person feed not his riot and vanitie Is he a couetous tradesman that seekes to compasse great matters and to bee an engrosser or forestaller of commodities to the prejudice of the common wealth make not thy selfe accessarie to his couetous practises to such thou oughtest not to lend Hath the partie no great need to borrow to such thou needest not lend or if thou doest thine hinderance if thou sustainest any is meerely voluntarie and of such an hinderance thou canst require no recompence of him who hath not bene the effectuall cause thereof Is the partie an honest man and hath need to borrow
hath obserued and that Duilia rogatione it was reduced ad semuncias saith Tacitus that is to halfe a pound in an hundred and the next yeare after that also was abolished Genucia rogatione saith Bodin whereby it was enacted Ne vllo modo foenerari liceret that it should not be lawfull at all to lend vpon vsurie as Alexander ab Alexandro reporteth Afterwards when vsurie grew to an head again it was sometimes stinted at six and sometimes at foure in the hundred and sometimes altogether prohibited At length Iustinian so accommodated the limitation of vsurie to the diuerse estates and conditions of men that to them which could better forbeare their money lesse vsurie should bee permitted and to them which could worse forbeare it more To Noblemen therefore and Gentlemen who vse not to occupie their mony for gaine he permitted Trientes that is foure in the hundred To merchants and tradsemen who liue by the imployment of money in negotiation he permitted besses that is eight in the hundred And to all other men semisses that is six in the hundred And in traiectitijs pecunijs that is in money sent beyond sea at the creditors perill and in two other cases he granted centesimas that is twelue in the hundred But in these latter times the ciuile Law hath beene corrected according to the canon Law For in the Diet held at Augusta by Charles the fift all vsurie is condemned and in steed thereof a contract of buying rents after fiue in the hundred which is after twentie yeares purchase allowed with a couenant of releasing or selling backe the same when the seller shall tender the principall And not the Popes onely by their canon law but euen Maâ—omet also in his Alcoron hath forbidden all vsurie But forasmuch as some patrons of vsurie haue taught that a Christian man may with a good conscience take so much vsurie as the lawes of the countrey wherein he dwelleth do permit and withall confesse that he cannot with a good conscience take aboue that rate which is limited by the lawes it behoueth vs therefore to enquire what our lawes haue determined concerning vsurie And to omit the lawes of former times wherein vsurie hath bene sometimes restrained and stinted as in the time of Henry the eight sometimes altogether forbidden as in the time of Edward the sixt and to come to those lawes which now are in force which are as concerning this matter and other criminall causes of two sorts the canon Law wherein it is not disagreeable to the word of God and the penall statute made in the 13 yeare of Queene Elizabeth The canons of the ancient councels do wholly and absolutly forbid and condemne all vsurie and the ancient Bishops of Rome were of the same judgement but as I noted before and as Bodin also hath obserued the latter Bishops de via deflexerunt are turned out of the way For although according to the rest of their Antichristian hypocrisie they do in word and in shew condemne all vsury permitting not so much as Christian buriall to him that dieth an vsurer yet indeed they haue allowed yea as Bodin saith brought in a contract of redeeming rents which as it is practised by their leaue and allowance is worse than the vsurie allowed any where else But as in other things so in this point where the Canon law swarueth from the word of God we do forsake it and where it agreeth therewith we embrace it And as touching the statute made in the thirteenth yeare of Queene Elizabeth howsoeuer the most looking to the practise of vsurers and conniuencie of magistrats and not to the act of Parliament it selfe do imagine that vsurie after the rate of ten in the hundred is thereby allowed yet the truth is that it is not so much as permitted thereby Not allowed for it is an act against vsurie as being a sinne yea and a detestable sinne as the statute it selfe doth call it wherein also it is acknowledged that all vsurie is forbidded by the Law of God Not permitted for as all vsurie aboue ten in the hundred is thereby to be punished with the forfeiture of the triple value of the principall so all vsurie whether it be after the rate of ten in the hundred or vnder though it were but of one in the hundred is to be punished with the forfeiture of the vsurie or increase From hence therefore the argument of the patrons of vsurie in England may easily be returned vpon themselues So much vsurie and no more say they may with good conscience be taken as the laws of the land do allow and permit But now say I the laws of the land do not allow no nor yet permit ten nor fiue nor yet one in the hundred therefore in England a man cannot with a good conscience take after ten nor fiue nor yet one in the hundred But suppose that humane lawes did permit vsurie as our statute doth in the case of orphanes only doth not the permission sufficiently argue the thing in it selfe to bee euill and if the thing be euill in it selfe can the permission justifie the practise of it before God No the law of man may cleere thee from ciuile penalties in the outward court and before the magistrat but it cannot cleere thee from the guilt of sin in the court of conscience and from the penalties that are due to the same by the morall law of God Neither is the law of man but the law of God the rule of thy conscience and therefore though man had nothing to punish in thee for thy vsurie yet the Lord hath more than ynough to condemne thee for the same But you will say May humane lawes permit such things as be euill For answer I will set downe the true and learned sentence of reuerend Beza in his Annotations vpon Mathew Chapter 19. verse 8. The morall law saith he because it respecteth the conscience it simply commaundeth good things and forbiddeth euill But ciuile lawes if they be well ordained they do indeed commaund nothing which God hath forbidden and they forbid nothing that God hath commaunded but by the wickednesse of men they are forced onely to moderat many things which they cannot wholly abolish and these are the things which are sayd to be permitted by lawes As for example Christian charitie forbiddeth to lend vpon vsurie notwithstanding many magistrats do see that in respect of traffique and dealings among men they cannot simply forbid vsurie Therefore which is the onely thing which remaineth for them to do they stint vsurie But may a man therefore with a good conscience lend vpon vsurie No surely For the rule of our conscience is to be fetched not from the ciuile lawes of men but from the word of God Nay the ciuile lawes themselues doe not allow but rather condemne that which they doe onely tolerat forced thereto by the wickednesse of men Thus also the Lord by Moses making ciuile lawes doth
not commaund diuorces for so he should haue bene contrarie to himselfe but to such as could not bee got to retaine their wiues hee commaunded them to giue their wiues a bill of diuorcement that prouision might be made for them against their husbands crueltie and yet for all that they which put away their wiues ceassed not to be adulterers before God So say I againe The lawes of men do not commaund nor allow vsurie For so should they be contrarie to the lawes of God and yet to them who cannot be got to lend freely they permit to lend vpon vsurie so as they do not exceed such a stint that prouision might be made for men that be in need both that they might borrow and also that when they must needs borrow they should not be too much oppreâ—â—ed And yet for all this as he was an adulterer that put away his wife vnlesse it were for the crime of adulterie as our Sauior there proueth so is he guiltie of theft before God who practiseth vsurie though it be permitted by men But as I sayd our law doth not permit vsury as men commonly imagine but is as well contriued considering the iniquitie of the times as could almost be wished Onely these two things I desire may be now considered of in parliament First whether it were not more behoofefull for the common weale if vsurie were stinted at six rather than at ten in the hundred or rather that all vsurie being forbidden men should be allowed to vse in steed thereof the contract of redemption in that manner which before I approued buying a rent after fiue as in Germanie or because of our greater vse of money in traffique by reason of our more commodious nauigation after six in the hundred or more if more be thought more equall with a couenant of redemption in the behalfe of the borrower or rather seller if he desire it For first it may seeme vnreasonable that wheras of an hundred pounds worth of land which is fruitfull by nature a man can hardly raise a rent of fiue or six pounds a yeare an hundred pounds in money which hath in it selfe no fruitfull vse should without his paines cost or hazard yeeld him ten pounds a yeare Secondly it would in mine opinion be a notable meanes to diminish the number of vsurers and also to ease both the borrowers in particuler of oppression and the common wealth in generall of that great burden of vsurie whereof I spake before And thirdly it would be a meanes to preuent both the vsuall committing of this sinne and also the punishment which God hath threatned for the same The second thing which I desire may be considered of is the permission of vsurie in the behalfe of orphanes For if it be simply euill it cannot bee good in them neither can the respect had of them make it good in others And it is a principle in Diuinitie Euill may not be done that good may come thereof Augustine giueth this charge which afterwards was placed among the canons of the law That men should not lend vpon vsurie though they would giue that which is gotten by vsurie as almes to the poore And Chrysostome when some made this excuse I lent indeed vpon vsurie but that which I gained thereby I gaue to the poore he sayth plainely that God doth not accept such sacrifices and addeth that it were better not to giue to the poore than so to giue It is a good rule in the Canon law if one cannot be relieued without another be hurt it were better neither should be holpen than either wronged Charitie as it rejoyceth in the truth so also in justice and therefore whatsoeuer is vnjust and against the law of God it cannot be charitable Neither doth charitie require that I should sinne to do another man good or to cast away my soule by sinne though it were to saue another mans life For he that shall be saued doth not put forth his money to vsurie and he that doth shall he liue saith the Lord he shall not liue but he shal die the death Wherefore vsurie being simply euill and generally forbidden in the word of God it cannot in any case be exercised with a good conscience You will say then What shall become of Orphanes if they may not be maintained with the increase of their stocke but be forced to liue vpon their stocke and so to spend it Answer You might better aske what shall become of those Orphanes who haue no stocke for whom notwithstanding the Lord doth graciously prouide according to his mercifull promises I answer therefore that orphanes and widowes haue a notable priuiledge of diuerse gracious promises peculiarly made to them Let them therfore or their friends for them depend vpon the gracious prouidence and promises of God in the vse of lawfull meanes Let them either imploy their goods in some honest trade or negotiation wherein they haue as good cause to expect a blessing from God as any other or let them deale by partnership or if other meanes faile let annuities be bought for their liues or lands or rents purchased for euer or let some other honest course be tataken which wise men can easily deuise if they list how orphanes may be maintained without impairing of their stocke Againe if any man to make good the former objection concerning the profitablenesse of vsurie to common weales shall alledge as some haue done that the ciuile law alloweth thereof and doth not onely permit but authorise vsurie according to the rates aforesaid I answer that by the law it selfe it euidently appeareth that it doth not allow it as good but permit it as euill for the auoiding of greater inconueniences and permit it with a threefold restraint The first in respect of the quantitie for the law stinteth the merchants vsurie at eight the gentlemens and noblemens vsurie at foure and the vsury of other men at six in the hundred The second restraint is in respect of the continuance For the ciuile law prouideth that when the vsurie which in the continuance of the loane hath bene paid already doth amount to as great a summe as the principall it selfe that then it shall ceasse and whatsoeuer is paid afterwards should be reckoned in the principall As for example ten in the hundred do match the principall in ten yeares after which time no more vse is to be payd or if any be payd it is to be abated in the principall The third restraint is in respect of the compound vsurie which is called vsurie of vsurie for that is absolutely forbidden by the ciuile law Which two latter restraints doe also prooue that vsurie by the ciuile law is judged a thing euill in it selfe For if vsurie of ten in the hundred be lawfull for ten years together why not for the eleuenth and twelfth c. the principall being still forborne and if the vsurie of the principall be lawfull the
but that they may with good conscience desire in their necessitie to borrow freely onely men must beware how they fall into this necessitie As for them which borrow for gain you may consider their dealing in the time either of the borrowing or of the payment In the time of borrowing he doth not therefore sinne against charitie if he will not out of his vncertaine traffique promise certaine gaine to the lender who will beare no hazard with him Indeed if the lender will be content to beare part of the losse the borrower ought to yeeld him part of the gaine At the time of payment he is bound to be thankfull to the creditor if he haue gained and willingly to afford him some part of that gaine wherewith it hath pleased God by the creditors meanes to blesse him especially if the creditor could not well forbeare his money As touching the latter point that vsurie offends not against publike charitie they indeuour to proue by these two reasons Because it is both profitable and necessarie to common weales It is profitable For if the creditor haue no skill in any trade or traffique and the borrower hauing skill wanteth a stocke not onely both they shall be gainers but the commonwealth also shall receiue good by the imployment of the one mans stocke and of the others skill whereas contrariwise the common wealth should sustaine losse if neither the creditors money be occupied nor the borrowers skill imployed I answer there are other lawfull meanes whereby mens money may better be imployed for the good of the common weale than by vsurie For when the borrowers do gaine by that which they haue taken vp on vsurie the common wealth commonly payeth the vsurie as hath bene shewed But why wilt not thou imploy thy mony thy selfe in some honest contract Is it because thou wilt take no paines nor beare any aduenture but wilt be sure to prouide for great and certaine gaine with ease Then art thou an vnprofitable member in the commonwealth liuing of the sweat of other mens browes c. Or hast thou any lawfull reason either because of thy calling age or condition that thou canst not indeed imploy thy money thy selfe then mayest thou buy either lands or rents after that maner which before hath bene shewed or else thou maiest deale by partnership But you must remember there is no partnership without partaking in the losse as well as in the gaine That vsurie is necessarie they prooue Because as the world now goeth and as mens maners now are no common weale can stand without it Answer If that be true then vsurie is proued to bee a necessarie euill and this necessitie argueth not the lawfulnesse of vsurie but the wretched estate of the world which as Iohn saith lieth in euil For to say absolutly that cōmonweales cannot stand without vsurie were derogatorie to the wisedome of God who would not suffer vsurie in that cōmonweale which he ordained as hath before bin shewed But whence ariseth this necessitie the necessity of borrowing so of lending ariseth frō mens wants and hardly can humane societies stand without that contract but the necessitie of vsurie ariseth of mens couetousnes and hardnesse of their hearts For although there may be a necessitie of borrowing vpon vsurie when men that must needs borrow cannot borrow freely yet there is no other necessitie why men should lend vpon vsurie but that which their owne couetousnesse when they haue once said they will be rich hath imposed vpon them for vnlesse thy neighbour haue need to borrow there is no necessitie of lending at all imposed vpon thee But if thy neighbour haue great need to borrow and thou be well able to forbeare the Lord hath laid a necessitie of dutie vpon thee to lend freely which without sinne thou canst not auoid Or if there be a necessitie that thou shouldest imploy thy stocke to gaine there be other lawfull contracts to that purpose so that thou shalt not need vnlesse it be for idlenesse and distrust to deale by vsurie Now if a pretended necessitie arising from the hardnesse of mens hearts and setled resolution to go on in the practise of vsurie contrarie to the commaundement of God be of sufficient force to justifie vsurie then by the same argument may any other sinne be justified Object 4. It belongeth to magistrats to determine of ciuile contracts and therefore vsurie is so farre forth lawfull as they by their lawes allow it Answer The rule of our conscience is not the law of man but the law of God and it is a principle That the law of the inferiour cannot dispence with the law of the superiour If therefore the Law of God condemne all vsurie no law of man can make any vsurie lawfull Againe we are to distinguish betwixt allowing and permitting no good lawes allow vsurie as good though some permit it as a thing euill for auoiding of greater euils Magistrats are faine sometimes to permit and tollerat that which they are not able altogether to amend Moses for the hardnesse of mens hearts permitted the husbands to put away their wiues so that they did giue them a bill of diuorcement wherein their wiues innocencie should be cleered not that he allowed thereof but that he would prouide for the wiues safetie deliuering them from the furie or tyrannie of their husbands But notwithstanding this permission whosoeuer put away his wife hauing not broken the bond of wedlocke by committing adulterie by the sentence of our Sauiour Christ himselfe committed adulterie So the magistrats by reason of the couetousnesse and hardnesse of mens hearts are forced to tollerat vsurie so it be kept within such bonds as they prescribe not that they allow thereof but that they might prouide for the good of those who haue need to borrow both that they might borrow and also that borrowing they should not bee too much oppressed But notwithstanding this legal tolleration he that lendeth for gain is an vsurer a theefe before God And therefore as the judiciall permission of Moses in the case of diuorcements so the ciuile permission of magistrats in the case of vsurie doth not serue to cleere a man from the guilt of sinne before God but onely to exempt the partie from ciuile punishment And yet it cannot be truly said that our lawes do so much as permit any vsurie excepting in the case of orphanes Wherefore this argument may also be retorted vpon our patrons of vsurie for seeing as they say magistrats haue authoritie by their lawes to determine of ciuile contracts and seeing our lawes determine of all vsurie as of a sinne allowing none at all as good but punishing it as euill and not so much as permitting any except in the case of orphanes hereof it is to be inferred that no vsurie among vs can be practised with a good conscience Object 5. If letting be lawfull then vsurie also is lawfull for vsurie is letting of money but letting is lawfull
worthie and learned men in this age the testimonies of all the learned in former ages both Christian and heathen the censures of Councels the authoritie of the word of God Now if the conscience of any be not clearly conuicted by the euidence of truth which I haue deliuered concerning the vnlawfulnesse of vsurie I will for their sakes add a further consideration whereby it shall appeare that although we were not sure that vsurie is vnlawfull yet it cannot be practised with a good conscience First because it cannot be done in faith that is to say in a sound persuasion out of the word of God that it is lawfull and whatsoeuer is not of faith is sinne Wherefore if thou doest but doubt of the lawfulnesse of vsurie thou art to abstaine from it being well assured that this is the safer course for men are not to doe that which they doubt of but euer in doubtfull things they must chuse the safer way But it is to be feared that many vsurers do not only doubt of the lawfulnesse of vsurie but euen in their own consciences condemne it and yet against their conscience doe practise it for they had rather be vsurers than seeme so Yea they account it a reproch to be called an vsurer and although they practise the thing yet they auoid the name and in stead of vsurie vse these names vse vsance consideration interest and as they auoid the name so many times they cloke the thing it selfe with diuerse other pretences as hath beene shewed Againe vsurie is a very odious thing and of ill report the very heathen by the light of nature detest it Tully sayth such gaines are to be misliked which are odious as namely that of vsurers Columella sayth That vsurie is odious euen to those whom it seemeth to helpe Aristotle saith it is hated most worthily for as Plautus well saith There is no worse kind of men this day or that deale with lesse right than the vsurers Alexander ab Alexandro reporteth in detestation of vsurie that very many nations did so abhorre it that whereas they punished a theefe twofold they punished an vsurer fourefold As for Christians vsurie in auntient time was so odious among them that if any were but suspected to be an vsurer his house was counted the house of the diuell no neighbour would fetch fire at his house or haue any thing to doe with him children would point at him in the streets yea by the laws of Christians they are diffamed persons The scriptures as you haue heard censure vsurie as an abhomination that is as a sinne to be abhorred And Psal. 109. 11 the holy ghost vseth this interpretation against the wicked Let the exactour meaning thereby the vsurer as all translations almost besides some English doe read ensnare all that he hath Whereby it may be gathered both that to be an vsurer is an odious thing and that it is a curse to fall into his snare Now the Scriptures teach vs that we should doe such things as are honest and of good report prouiding for honest things not onely before God but also before men abstaining from all shewes of euill Seeing therefore vsurie is and alwayes hath beene a thing so odious and of so bad report no Christian can practise it with a good conscience And thus I hope this question of vsurie is sufficiently decided Now let vs consider what vse this doctrine affordeth which briefely is thus much that seeing vsurie is so detestable a sinne as hath beene shewed we should therefore take great heed that we be not guiltie thereof either as principals or as accessaries The former vse concerneth either those who haue not as yet beene attainted with this sinne or those that haue practised it Those who haue not defiled themselues with this vnjust gaine are taught to confirme their resolution of abstaining from vsurie and the rather seeing the holy ghost in this place maketh it a note of a sound Christian and citisen of heauen As for those who haue practised this sinne their dutie is to repent thereof whereunto they may be mooued by this argument Those that shall dwell in the mountaine Gods holinesse are such as doe not put forth their money to vsurie Thou say I to him that is an vsurer puttest forth thy money to vsurie therefore thou shalt not dwell in the mountaine of Gods holinesse namely vnlesse thou repent And againe Ezech. 18 He that putteth foorth to vsurie and taketh increase he shall not liue but die the death viz. vnlesse he repent and turne from his wickednesse for that condition is to be vnderstood by warrant of the Lords owne exposition Ezech. 35. 14 15 When I shall say to the wicked as he sayth to the vsurer chap. 18. 13 Thou shalt die the death if he turne from his sinne and doe that which is lawfull and right to wit if the wicked restore the pledge and giue againe that he had robbed and walke in the statutes of life without committing iniquitie he shall surely liue and not die Now vnto repentance besides the inward loathing of the sinne and sorrow conceiued for it is required as that testimonie out of Ezech. 33. 14 15 plainely sheweth both a desisting from the practise of vsurie and a restitution of that which hath beene gotten by vsurie with the harme of others For the first it is the expresse commaundement of God by the Apostle Eph. 4. 28 Let him that stole steale no more and by Nehemiah more particularly in this case of vsurie chap. 5. 10 Let vs cease from this burthen meaning vsurie forsaking of sinne accompanieth forgiuing of sinne He that confesseth his sinne and forsaketh it shall haue mercie Prou. 28. 13. Neither may we thinke that God remitteth those sinnes which we our selues retaine But this point needeth no proofe If vsurie be a sinne and we guiltie of it our conscience telling vs that it is a sinne we cannot be saued except this sinne be forgiuen vs and it will neuer be forgiuen of God vnlesse also it be forsaken of vs. Now vpon this forsaking of sinne will follow the second dutie of repentance namely restitution as a necessarie consequent thereof Which restitution whosoeuer maketh not being able to restore he neither hath vnfained repentance for this sinne nor any sound assurance of the forgiuenesse thereof He hath not repentance for he doth not forsake the sinne of theft and vsurie that continueth in it and he continueth therein that doth not make restitution For so oft as a man remembreth that whatsoeuer he hath vnjustly gotten by vsurie or any other kind of theft to the damnifying of others is not his owne but theirs whom he hath wronged and yet refuseth being able to restore the same so often he committeth theft Therefore Augustine sayth That men doe repent indeed but counterfeit repentance if when they are able to restore other mens goods wherein they haue offended
apparrell of person as when a man wanteth necessaries for his familie charge depending on him of state as when a man wanteth present meanes for the maintenance of his credit and estate in that calling wherein God hath placed him and consequently for auoiding of discredit or of some notable impairing of his estate The third that it be not a sleight but an vrgent necessitie The fourth that the partie who is to borrow haue no present meanes of his owne to supply his want For he that hath meanes of his owne to supply his need though it be by selling of any thing which he may spare hath no vrgent necessitie to cause him to borrow The fift and last is that being by vrgent necessitie forced to borrow he cannot borrow freely and therefore for auoiding of a greater inconuenience is faine to yeeld to a losse Without necessitie men do borrow vpon vsurie when there is no necessitie that they should borrow either first because they cannot borrow without sinne as when they cannot persuade themselues that they shall be able to repay or secondly because they be not in want and therefore borrow not for need but either for pride for ryot or for couetousnesse for the satisfying of any wherof there is no necessitie or thirdly because it is no vrgent but a sleight necessitie which may easily be either auoided or vndergone or fourthly because they haue present means of their owne whereby their want may better be supplied or fiftly and lastly when they may if they will be so much beholden to others borrow freely 2. The second distinction which after a fort is implied in the former is that men borrow either for good and lawfull causes or for bad and vnlawfull purposes For there is no necessitie of borrowing for wicked and sinfull respects 3. The third that vsurie is either offered by the borrower or imposed by the lender And that it is offered either at the first or after the lenders plaine deniall or pretended excuses 4. The fourth that men borrow vpon vsurie either with assurance of future means to heale the biting of vsurie without the injurie of others or impouerishing of themselues or without any such assurance 5. The fift that the necessitie whereupon men borrow is either contracted and drawne vpon themselues by their own default or else it is a blamelesse necessitie By helpe of these distinctions it will not be hard to cleare this controuersie which otherwise is very intricat For hereby it wil appeare that neither all borrowing vpon vsurie is to be allowed nor all generally to be condemned For against the former assertion which alloweth all borrowing vpon vsurie we are to hold that the borrower vpon vsurie offendeth either first when he borroweth without necessitie or secondly to ill purposes or thirdly when he induceth the lender to lend vpon vsurie or fourthly when in respect either of the time to come he shall not haue meanes to cure the wound which vsurie hath made without doing wrong to others or impouerishing himselfe or fiftly of the time past when as through his owne former default he hath brought himselfe into this necessitie For although his necessity when he is once in it may excuse his borrowing being rightly qualified according to the foure former distinctions yet his fault in drawing vpon himselfe wilfully or negligently this necessitie cannot be excused But these fiue points need further explication First therefore I say the borrower offendeth who borroweth vpon vsurie without necessitie in any of those fiue respects before mentioned that is if either he find himselfe vnlike to repay that which he borroweth or if he be not in want or if his necessitie be not vrgent or because he hath sufficient meanes of his owne or if he might borrow freely if he would For as touching the first On those who haue no good hope or assurance that they shall be able to repay the Lord hath not laid a necessitie to borrow and much lesse vpon vsurie but to seeke releefe by other lawfull means for although the vsurer deserue to be deceiued and by the auncient lawes of this land it hath bene decreed that it should be no fault to deceiue an vsurer to which purpose Plato prouided also by law that it should be lawfull for the debtour when the creditor hath lent vpon vsurie to pay neither the vsurie nor the det yet I do not see how a man can with a good cōscience borrow in borrowing promise the repayment of that which he purposeth not to repay especially seeing the holy Ghost maketh it a note of the wicked to borrow that which they neuer meane to restore As touching the second and third they offend as accessarie to the sinne of the vsurer who borrow vpon vsurie without necessitie yea without vrgent necessitie for such hauing no vrgent necessitie to compel them to borrow do willingly borrow vpon vsurie and voluntarily consent to the vsurers sinne Now this is the sentence of the holy Ghost that they are worthie of death not onely who commit sinne themselues but also willingly consent to the sinne of others Rom. 1 and therefore he hath giuen vs in charge to haue no fellowship with the vnfruitfull workes of darkenesse but rather to reprooue them Ephesians 5. Such are they who borrow not for any great need but for pride riot or couetousnesse For pride and ostentation as those who desiring to seeme better and wealthier than they are refuse to containe themselues within the compasse of their calling and estate but desiring to beare an higher saile in respect of their diet apparell familie and port take vp money vpon vsurie but such persons sinne first in respect of the vsurer to whose sinne they make themselues accessarie seeing there is no necessitie why their pride and vanitie should be satisfied Secondly in respect of themselues offending against the rules of frugalitie and thrift for whiles they desire to seeme rich they become poore vsurie conuerting their substance into debt For riot as those who being addicted to gaming or to other pleasures as whoredome drunkennesse belly-cheare and such like take vp money vpon vsurie that there may not want matter either to maintaine their gaming or nourish their pleasures for such men so they may haue present money to satisfie their lust they care not vpon what conditions they procure it But as these are of all borrowers vpon vsurie the most foolish so those which lend vnto them to these vses are of all vsurers the most wicked and either of them is accessarie to the others sinne The riotous person to the sinne of the vsurer wherunto he voluntarily and without any necessitie consenteth at the least if also he doe not mooue and induce the lender thereunto The vsurer not only to the borrowers riot whereunto he affoordeth matter but also to his vtter vndoing which he furthereth not onely as an accessarie but as a principall also Wherefore these two sorts of men I
judgement he getteth his goods vnlawfully as for example by vsurie or briberie Now we are briefly to consider the contrarie affirmatiue namely that euery sound Christian maketh conscience of his gettings hauing a true purpose and vpright endeuour to obtaine and procure the commodities of this life onely by good and lawfull meanes And that we may all of vs in like sort be persuaded to make conscience of this duty let vs haue in our minds these considerations first that riches are fitly compared to thornes which if we be not carefull in the gathering of them will pricke and wound not the hand but the conscience yea and if we be ouer-greedie of them will pierce vs through with many sorrowes and secondly that so oft as they being offered to our desire cannot be compassed by good and lawfull meanes they are the baits of the Diuell And therefore we are not to lay hold vpon euerie commoditie which is propounded vnto vs but we are to looke vnto the lawfulnes of the meanes for if we attaine them by vnlawful means we do with them swallow the hooke of the Diuell And this is a certaine truth that those which will be rich that is which haue set downe with themselues that they will attaine to wealth whether the Lord do giue them lawfull meanes or not they fall into temptation and snares of the Diuell for he cannot lay any bait of commoditie to entrap them which they will not be readie to obtaine by sinne which is the very hooke of the Diuell Thirdly we are to acknowledge that it is the blessing of God which maketh rich Prou. 10. 22 and that the Lord doth not blesse ill gotten goods see Prou. 13. 11. and Iâ—rem chapter 17. 11. Fourthly that better is a little with righteousnesse than great reuenews without equitie Prou. 16. 8. Psal. 37. 16 and that it is better to be in meane estate with a good conscience than with the shipwracke of a good conscience to be rich Fiftly that goods justly gotten are the good gifts of God and pledges of his loue towards thee if also thou hast grace to vse them well but contrariwise that ill gotten goods obtained by sinne in the seruice of the diuell they are the wages which the prince of this world giueth to his seruants and are as Nazianzene sayth the earnest penny of perdition or that I may speake more effectually they are the price of mens soules for which couetous men who haue set their soules to sale doe sell them to the diuell Lastly let vs esteeme that onely to be gained which is gotten lawfully And when any thing which we desire cannot be gotten lawfully let vs remember that as the Apostle sayth Great gaâ—e is godlinesse with contentednesse Whereas contrariwise in that which is vnjustly gotten thre is exceeding great losse And therfore the heathen man did well aduise vs to chuse losse rather than vnhonest gaine for the one sayth hee will grieue thee but once and the other for euer For indeed what is gained in that which is gotten by sinne an earthly commoditie which to a worldly man is not onely vaine and vnprofitable but also hurtfull But what is loâ—t thy soule For the wages of sinne as death and the soule that sâ—â—neth shall die Now if the soule should bee weighed in the ballance of Critolâ—us against al the commodities of the world it would ouerweigh them all Wherefore let that diuine Oracle of our Sauiour Christ alwaies sound in our eares What will it profit a man if hee shall gaine the whole world and loose his owne soule Mar. 8. 36. should we not sinne to gaine the whole world and shall we be readie to sinne for euery trifle in the world Would not the whole world be a sufficient ransome to redeeme our soules and shall wee â—ell our soules to the diuell for euery nothing in this world Was Esau prophane and foolish who in his hunger sold his birthright for a messe of pottage and are not we much more prophane and foolish if for matters of like value but lesse necessitie wee shall make away an euerlasting inheritance yea an eternall kingdome in heauen And thus much may suffice to haue spoken concerning the description of the sound Christian and citizen of heauen Now followeth the priuiledge of euery sound Christian who is qualified according to that description viz. That he shall neuer bee remooued for so sayth the holy ghost He that doth these things shall neuer bee remooued Where we are to consider two things first who it is to whom this priuiledge belongeth and secondly what this priuiledge is the partie to whom it belongeth is He that doth these things He doth not say he that knoweth these things nor he that can discourse of these matters but he that doth these things For as we judge of the health and soundnesse of the heart not by the words of the mouth or colour of the countenance but by the pulse of the arme so of the soundnesse and vprightnesse of the heart judgement is to be made not so much by the words or countenance as by the fruits of the hands It is a good thing to say well but we are no sound Christians or citizens of heauen vnlesse also we doe well Not euery one that sayth vnto me Lord Lord shall enter into the kingdome of heauen but he that doth the will of my father which is in heauen It is a good thing to read and heare and by reading and hearing to know the will of God but we shall neuer attaine to happinesse vnlesse we be also carefull to doe it Blessed it â—e which readeth sayth Iohn the Diuine and blessed are they which â—e are the words of this prophecie but he stayeth not there and obserue sayth he the things which are written therein It is a good thing to haue the word of God preached and a miserable thing to be without it as Salomon sayth Prou. 29. 18. but he that so heareth it as that he keepeth it ô happie is he They are blessed sayth our Sauiour Christ that â—eare the word of God and keepe it And againe If you know these things happie are you if you doe them We are therefore from hence to bee exhorted vnto well doing For seeing a sound Christian and citizen of heauen is to be discerned by doing these things as the holy ghost here teacheth it behoueth vs by doing them to make our calling and election sure For if we doe these things we shall neuer fall as Peter also by the same spirit affirmeth The priuiledge it selfe is that he shall neuer be remooued or as some read that he shall not fall for euer not for euer that is neuer as Iohn 13. 8. Thou shalt not wash myfeet for euer And the same priuiledge in the same words is repeated Psal. 112. 6. The good man shall neuer be remooued and Prou. 10. 30. The righteous shall neuer be remoued