Lawful and Unlawful Usury Amongst Christians, Part 2
¶ Howe a manne ſhoulde lende accordynge vntounto the doctryne of Chryſte.
FOraſmuche as in thys place we demaunde, whether that vſurie be lawful or vnlawfull, not afore ye world but afore God, and yt therfore the pretence of ciuill lawes, or of any ordynaunces of manne, can hauehave no place in this queſtiō the cauſe of Chriſtian profeſſyon conſtrayneth vsus to heare euen Chryſt Gods ſonne, and to learne of his mouthe, howe Chryſtians ſhould lende and not ſinne in the ſight of ye lord. For of this oughte we to be well perſwaded, that no thyng can be lawfully dōe, which ſtriueth againſt ye doctrine of our ſauiour. Wherfore we muſt conſider how vſury agreeth wt Chriſts word. But firſt I do proteſt, that I ſpeake not vntounto ye childrē of this world, but vntounto faythfull men, which be perſwaded yt the doctrīe of Chriſt is ſo godly, & cōteineth ſuch a rule of true godlyneſſe and rightuouſnes, that all they muſte nedes diſpleaſe god, which do not hartely yelde & applye thēſelues vntounto it. Math .5. Thus we reade, loke not frō hym, that woulde borowe of thee. And Luke .6. lende, lookyng for nothyng therof. And if you ſhall lende, frō whence ye hope to receaue, what thāks hauehave ye? For ſynners lende vntounto ſiners that they may receiue like. Bi theſe words Chriſt did teache his, how they ought to behaue thēſelues in thys caſe, he putteth a difference betwixt thē & ye children of thys world. Firſt he cōman̄deth that they do not denye hym yt woulde borowe. Vnderſtande ſo, that ther be abilite for to lēd. For he which hath not himſelf, how can he be able to lende vntounto others? Hedoth not permit and ſuffer vntounto hys, which hauehave the ſubſtance of this world, a liberte to lende or not to lende. That is to ſay, he ſheweth yt they ar ſtraūgers frō ye kingdō of god & frō true rightuouſnes belō gyng vntounto the children of God, which denye to lende vntounto hym yt nedeth & aſketh. Therfore he warneth his, yt they doe not yt, if they wyll belong vntounto him, & be in the nōber of gods chyldren. Thys cō maūdemēt ye childrē of this world do not acknowledge, nor they ar not therto forced by ciuil lawes, but they wyl be at liberte to lende or not to lende: and they dooe not thynke that they ſynne, if they do denye hym that aſketh, when as they may helpe hym. Wherfore if we hauehave pleaſure in the profeſſiō of Chryſtes religion, we muſt take hede to bee otherwyſe mynded, than they be.
It is a ſynne great enoughe, if we denye our help vntounto him, that woulde borowe. But truelye it is farre to much, if, like as infidels, we doe not beleue any …ſine to be done of vsus, when as vponupon a brother, that would borowe, we doe not beſt owe the duety of charite, as though thoſe were tryfles that Chriſt ſayeth: Deny not hym that would borow of thee. They ſaye, theſe are no commaundements, but counſels. VntoUnto the Iewes it is commaunded playnly Deu .15. after this maner. If one of thi brethren, whych dwelleth within the gates of thy cite, in ye lande which the lord thy God ſhall geue vntounto thee, come vntounto pouertye, yu ſhalte not harden thy hart, nor pul in thy hande: but thou ſhalt open it vntounto the poore, and lend that, whych thou ſeeſt he nedeth. How then can it be, that Moſes law ſhould hauehave more perfect ryghteouſnes, than the goſpell of Chryſt? and that we maye freely doe, … leaue vndone the woorke of ch… whiche thyng was not free vntounto the Iewes.
And then alſo if it had been ſpoken in ſtede of a counſell: denye not hym that would borowe of thee, howe is it mete for Chryſtians, that Chryſtes counſel, ſo earneſtly geuen, they maye cauſe to be taken vp or down, to or froo and to thynke that it beyng condemned ſhal not be puniſhed? He ſaith I ſpeake vntounto you whyche heare. Therfore they, that wyl be hearers of Chriſte, are bounde to obey his counſel, & they can not wynd thēſelues frō it wtout ſinne and loſſe of their ſaluacion: euen as ye ſicke cannot neglect the coūſel of the phiſiciō wtout ye domage of their helth. But in ye .25. of Deut. It is manifeſt that they ſynne cō trary to gods wil, whych denye a br… aſkyng to borow. Leſt yt (ſaith he) he cry agaynſt thee vntounto the lord, and it becōe ſine vntounto the. Afterwardes Chriſt preſcribeth vntounto his how they ought for to lend. Lend (ſayeth he) lokynge for nothing therof. The which many ſo vnderſtād, yt no profit, no lukar, no gayne, beeſides yt whyche was lent, ſhold be loked for, & receued: & this is yt which is ſpecialli required of him, which deſireth to kepe his hands cleane frō vnpure vſury: but that is not ye ful mennīg of Chriſt, whiche requireth of vsus by thys place, yt we alſo lende vntounto them, of whō we can not hope to receiue anye thing at all, whyche doth ſufficiently appeare, by the wordes that he addeth, when he ſayeth: if ye ſhal lend whereof ye hope to receiue again, what thāks hauehave ye? For ſo ſynners doe lend vntounto ſiners to receiue like. See, he ſayth not to receaue vſury, ouerplus, ſome what beſyds the ſūme that was lent, but to receiue lyke. Wherefore alſo here he putteth a difference betwixte his, & thoſe yt do not belong vntounto him: for he requireth his not only to lēde wtout profet, ſeīg yt ſiners do yt ſōe times but alſo with their own dāmage and loſſe of lente money, to helpe their neighbour and brother, and ſo to lende, that they maye purchaſe vntounto themſelues fauoure of God.
Therefore here is a difference to be made betwixte the heathen and the Chriſtian. The heathen lendeth firſt vntounto thoſe, that be able to reſtore that, whyche they hauehave receaued. Then vntounto thoſe, whych ſome tymes hauehave lente or bee able to lende. Thirdlye vntounto frendes and kinred. Fourthly vntounto thoſe, of whom ſome kyndnes may be loked for. By theſe kinds of leandyng ſynne is not committed, howbeit as yet the righteouſnes of the kingdome and ſprite of Chriſt is not expreſſed. Wherfore they that be Chryſtyans do thus lende.
Firſt vntounto them, that be not able to reſtore. Then vntounto them, yt neuer did lende any thynge, nor can not geue agayne. Thyrdly not onelyonly vntounto frendes, but alſo vntounto enmyes, not onelyonly vntounto kinſfolke but alſo vntounto others and ſtraungers. Forthly, wheras no thankes geuyng, much leſſe any recōpēce, can be loked for. And in doynge theſe thynges they declare them ſelues to bee in dede his childrē, whyche bryngeth forth his ſonne ouer the good and the bad, and raynneth vponupon the thankful and vnthankful: whych alſo Chryſte requireth of hys, ſaying: that ye maye be the children of your father. &c. Bryng therfore vntounto this rule of Chriſtian righteouſneſſe thoſe, whyche lende vponupon vſury, and ſee howe farre they be from the rule of Chryſtes word, which is ſo ſette vntounto all Chryſtyans, yt except they do cōforme thēſelfes vntounto it, they ought to be rekoned amōg ſinners, & not amōg Gods childrē: yea they bee not ſo iuſte as ſinners. For ſo much rightuouſnes is attributed vntounto ſynners, yt the lend wt out vſury, & that they deſier to receiue nothinge in the ſted of lukar, but onelyonly yt whiche they did lend. Therefore by thys conferēce, we, whych loke vntounto ye rightuouſnes of Chryſtes kyngedōe, vntounto ye preſcriptiō of chriſtes words, and vntounto the profeſſyd of chriſtian religiō may eaſely iudge how vnlawful vſury is vntounto thē, whych hauehave yelded them ſelues vntounto chryſte, and would be taken to be chryſtyans. It is not belongyng vntounto vsus to iudge others. It belongeth to a Chriſtiā to anſwer to his profeſſiō, & not otherwiſe to iudge of things, whether they lawful or vnlawful, but acording to the preſcription of Chriſts doctrine: and not ſo to behaue hymſelfe in the triall of rightuouſnes as afore a worldly iudge, but as in the ſight of god, that he may be quitt of vnrightuouſnes. Wherefore agreably wyth holye ſcriptures and Chryſtes wordes we cō clude, that that vſury, which marueylouſly in thys laſt time hath growen in the church of Chriſt, is not lawfull but damnable and very farre from the profeſſion of Chryſts rightwiſnes. How wicked a thyng vſury is to be ſeen in it ſelfe, any mā may eaſely iudge excepte onelye ſuche menne, as thinke the ſauour of lukar to bee ſwete, of what thyng ſoeuer it is gotten, the eies of whoſe myndes be vtterly blinded wyth the louelove of couetouſues. Firſt, the vice of couetouſneſſe hath euer been iudged moſt vyle, not onelyonly amongeſt Chryſtyans, but alſo amongeſt heathens. And that is the rote of vſurye. Take away ye louelove of money & couetouſnes, & we ſhal hauehave no vſurers in Chriſtes churche. Secondarelye, who doeth not ſee, howe wicked a thyng it is, to hunte for gayne, gotten by the laboure and ſwete of others? For vſurie, whyche is geuen, commeth not of the care & trauell of the vſurer, but of hym, that payeth, foenus, vantage.
Thirdly, thys is farre from equite, that the vſurer, wythout any loſſe or danger of his mony, receiueth lukar, ſo yt he is in daūger of no dāmage, what ſoeuer chāce of ye dice cōmeth: but ye miſerable mā, which paieth vſurie, is forced to beare ye loſſe of miſfortune and chance. He hath all the hurte that happeneth, the vſurer hath no thyng but the gayne that is taken, and the ſtoke that is ſaued.
Fourthly: Thys is alſo more ouer, that howe greate vſurie, and how many yeares ſo euer the detter paieth, yet not wtſtanding the whole ſtok remaineth & is nothīg leſned or worne by occupyinge. But howe ſore theſe thīges dooe greue ye mind, & decaye the abilite of ye payer, I nede not to geue ani aduertiſemēt, ſeyng by experiēce ye thing is euidēt. Whē he that is in ſuch caſe, perceaueth that thys peſtilēt euil can not be ouercomē, thē being vtterly diſcouraged he forſaketh wyfe & childrē, & leaueth what other goods ſo euer he hath vntounto ye vnſaciable violēt couetous vſurer. So .1. Sam .22. We reade that they did, which oppreſſed wt det cōueihed thēſelues vntounto Dauid an exile. Such ſightes, whē as magiſtrates winke, godlye men beholde dayly afore theyr eies with ſorow & ſighinge. And that which is moſt greuous, in the ſāe ſeaſon whē as ſuch vſurers ought to hauehave no place amongſt citizēs, then doe they inioye honours in the church and in the citie.