Selected quad for the lemma: duty_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A16337
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A short and priuate discourse betweene Mr. Bolton and one M.S. concerning vsury. Published by E.B. by Mr. Boltons owne coppy
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Bolton, Robert, 1572-1631.; Bagshaw, Edward, d. 1662.
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1637
(1637)
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STC 3249; ESTC S106474
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41,120
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88
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wherein the good of the Borrower is sought either not at all or but in a secondary respect as it serveth or furthereth the Lenders gaine 2. Into an Act of covetousnesse For lending hath these three fountaines 1. Christian charity When a man lendeth for the LORDS sake to His needy neighbour looking for nothing againe 2. Civill love and humanity when He lendeth to pleasure His friend looking for His own againe 3. Covetousnesse when He looketh for more then His owne 3. Into an Act of cruelty A good man saith David is mercifull and lendeth He then that perverteth this Act of Bounty and mercy to prey upon the want and necessity of His Brother by covenanting absolutely for gaine by lending where He beares no hazard is unmercifull He that increaseth His riches by Vsury and interest gathereth them for Him that will be mercifull to the poore By which Antithesis it seemes that Salomon sets mercy in opposition unto Vsury See D. Fent pag 106. And therefore Luther doubted not to call the Vsurer a Blood-sucker of the people Neither doth Usury onely deprave the Duty of lending but quite drie up the Fountaine of love for all free loane Whereupon saith Bucer A man may seeme now adaies to be very impudent That shall desire to borrow freely for he that lendeth freely doth for the most part make this account of His benefit that besides the forbearance of His money wherewith He doth pleasure the Borrower He doth as much for Him besides as if He gave Him the tenth part of the principall out of His purse There are two Acts of liberality Dono dare mutuo dare To give freely And To lend freely And this latter whereby one man doth supply the necessities of an other is so necessary that humane societies cannot stand without it Usury having stept into the roome of free lending you shall have Vsurers and Patrons of Usury not ashamed to say that Common-wealths cannot stand without Usury Without lending indeed they cannot but without Usury they both might and ought See before more particularly how Usury offendeth both against private and publike charity And is ever hurtfull either to the particular men that doe borrow or els to the Body of the Common-wealth whose common profit is in all contracts especially to bee regarded pag. 4. 5. Charity is kinde 1 Cor. 13. 4. Vsury cruell Charity seeketh not her owne vcr. 5. Vsury seeketh an other mans what conjunction then betweene Charity and Vsury 6. Suppose the Borrower be sometimes holpen by Vsury yet notwithstanding all Vsury is against charity for the practise of it cannot stand with charity and our allegiance to GOD who hath forbidden it denounced His judgements against it made gracious promises to them that will doe the contrary Nor with our charity and duty to our countrey unto which Usury is in many respects noy some nor with that love which wee owe to our owne soules for whosoever putteth forth to Vsury or taketh increase He shall not live but die the death Nay Vsury is ever repugnant to charity if not as a hurtfull thing to our neighbour yet as an unjust thing in it selfe As hath beene prooved But I hope saith the Usurer I may take use of One that is richer and wealthier then my selfe c. 1. If thy Friend be rich and wealthy and have meanes of His owne to supply His wants He ought not to borrow The HOLY GHOST in the Borrower presupposeth need And by lending in such a case to agreedy dealer in the world that seekes to ingrosse and forestall commodities and covetously to compasse great matters Thou approoves thy selfe no good steward of GODS blessings and may so make thy selfe in some sort accessary to His ambitious covetous and irregular humour and practises and maist give Him weapons to doe hurt withall But if thy wealthy friend have some present occasionall need as the richest may have then if Thou canst spare it lend in kindnesse and neighbourhood to receive like curtesie againe an other time This in such a case is consideration enough for a Christian because the Heathens desired no more but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 For even sinners saith CHRIST lend to sinners to receive the like the like kindnesse an other time upon the like occasion Humane society cannot stand without lending and borrowing saith Basil. And wherefore hath GOD made men sociable creatures but to helpe one another upon such occasions In a word To those who have 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 help 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 under the name of Vsury In humane societies saith Châ—mnitius GOD would not have all things set to sale but He requireth that some duties should be free which are deformed and depraved if either they be sold as things saleable or set to hire as mercinary duties 2. Thou must wrong neither rich nor poore but out of the uncertaine negotiation of the borrower to covenant for certaine gaine in that manner as I have said before and to compound for profit onely and to pluck thy neck and shoulder from all perill and losse-bearing is unjust Ergo c. 3. Thou shalt not lend upon Vsury to thy Brother saith the Law Deut. 23. 19 Now saith Iewel He is thy Brother whether He be poore or rich See before pag. 3. And He is against you a witnesse of extraordinary validity because you pretend He is for you Is not the use of money for a time worth money And therefore if no more be taken then the use is worth there is no iniquity 1. So money which was ordained to bee the price of all wares and the measure of all bargaines is made a ware contrary to the nature of it For Quod est medium venditionis non potest esse terminus Kockermans distinction therefore of 1 Mensura acquâ—rendi and 2. Modus acquirendi is idle petitio principij A begging of the thing in question For the question is whether money may be a modus acquirendi 2. The Rule holds in buying and selling but not in Acts of Charity therein it is no good Rule Thou bidst for the purpose thy poore neighbours to dinner This is money worth for it cost thee money and saveth them money at home yet Thou wilt not set a price upon it Why because it is a worke of charity Thou bidst thy rich neighbour sometimes that which He eateth is worth money yet thou wilt take none but think foule scorne it should be offered Why because it is an Act of kindnesse of neighbour-hood of friendship These things may not be bought or sold the nature of them is to be free Lending is a worke