Usury Stated Overthrown, Postscript – List of contents

Usury Stated Overthrown · Postscript – List of contents

A POSTSCRIPT, ABOUT Two things left out in the Writing of this Book, viz.

PART I. NUM. 28.

I. ABout the Heydelberg-Catechiſm, which my chief Adverſary pretends to make for Uſury againſt me; whereunto I have three things to ſay, having read the ſaid Catechiſm, and the Expoſition of it; yea, having learned the ſaid Catechiſm by heart, when I was young.

1. The firſt is, that I find no ſuch thing in the Catechiſm it ſelf as favours Uſury; nor could there be, becauſe Urſin, who made it himſelf, was againſt Uſury as well as my ſelf, as in this Book I ſhew it.

2. That the Author of the Expoſition of it could do no other but write of Uſury as he doth, and as others do, if he would be ſuffered there.

3. That I do highly commend him for all this, becauſe he writ more preciſely for the ſtrict keeping the Lord's Day than any of that Country, that I have ſeen.

II. About the unjuſt charge, whereby I am charged with Popery; becauſe the School-men, and I, with my Brethren, are joyntly againſt Uſury. The words of the charge are theſe, The Man is become as one of them. Whereunto I deſire to anſwer a little more fully than yet I have done, and that three ways.

1. He might as well have ſaid that I am become a Mahometan, becauſe Mahomet is againſt Uſury too.

2. That I am become a Heathen, becauſe the Heathen and I agree in the point of Uſury: they writing againſt it, as I do; even moſt bitterly too.

3. I anſwer, Am I as one of the Papiſts? who, 1. Becauſe I would not become a Papiſt, choſe rather, like Moſes, to ſuffer Affliction with the people of God, and to loſe, and to leave all that I was owner of, and to live as an exiled man in a ſtrange Country. 2. And whereas ſome Britiſh Divines do queſtion it, whether the Pope be Antichriſt, or whether the great Antichriſt be yet to come; have lately declared, and do declare, that it is as clear to me as the Sun, that he is the Antichriſt, and that Rome is Babylon: it being ſo evident to others alſo, even Papiſts themſelves, that it is viz. (a)(a)Alcaſſar,Alcaſſar, (b)(b)Clemanges,Clemanges, (c)(c)Rivera,Ribera; yea, (d)(d)Bellarminus.Bellarmine himſelf; little conſidering that in his name is the number of the Beaſt, 666. in Rev. 13.16. if it be written in Hebrew thus.

And ſo the Hebrew Name,

III. About Erratas, I muſt beſeech the gentle Reader to overlook them, and to pardon me for letting any of them paſs: for being a Stranger, and not able to write ſo legibly as Natives can, I was neceſſitated to employ both Miniſters and others to tranſcribe my Copy: in which Tranſcription I found innumerable faults, becauſe the Tranſcribers could not well read many words and letters: ſo that I was forced to take extraordinary pains, and much time, to correct ſo many faults; which notwithſtanding, many were left uncorrected, and could not be mended by me, unleſs I would ſpoil all by correcting. Which puts me in hope that thoſe Erratas which are left will be imputed to tranſcribing, and not to me; whoſe caſe is like that famous Authors, Jonas le Buy Sr. de la Perie, in whoſe French Paraphraſe upon the Apocalypſe, I find 130 Erratas.

IV. About Prince Rupert, becauſe I am jeered by one of my Adverſaries for my Prophecy concerning him, by me alledged in my Dedicatory Epiſtle to his Illuſtrious Highneſs, out of a certain Author in Print; and did, ſince the writing of this Treatiſe, meet with a far greater Encomium then given to the ſaid renowned (e)(e)Romana nimirum foreign Beſtia foreign Romana Beſtia, Jonas le Buy, in Appeal. p. 443.Prince my Gracious Lord, by Doctor Titus Oates, I thought it good to tranſcribe it, and here to inſert it. His words are theſe;

(a)(a)Doctor Titus Oates, our Preſerver, under God, in the Dedication of his late Sermon to Prince Rupert.I have preſumed to dedicate this Pl. Diſ. to your Illuſtrious Highneſs, to whom, under God, our Gracious Soveraign is chiefly owing a very conſiderable temporal deliverance to this Nation. For, without your Highneſs's great Zeal (and ſome miraculous Providence intervening) it had hardly failed, but that Might and Craft had ſtifled the Truth in weak Hands, and brought a diſmal Deluge of Blood and Slavery upon the Nation. And a little after he ſaith, It is not for my weak Pen to recount the Merits of your Highneſs, &c.

V. About a certain brag, which one, ſince the writing of this Book, made to me; viz. That five hundred to one of my friends would be againſt me in this matter. For anſwer whereunto, though I could bring an infinite number of Authors, and of other impartial men, to ſtop ſuch a one's mouth, yet will I at preſent quote but one, who is a Country-man of mine, even a chief one among the Germans (whom yet ſome falſely give out to be for Uſury) His name is (b)(b)Keckerman, in his Oeconom. ch. 7.Keckerman, a moſt learned and famous Writer; who confeſſeth, That even all the Greek and Latin Fathers, almoſt all our Reformed Divines, and all of the Romiſh Church, do hold Uſury to be a Sin. Where note that he makes no diſtinction between biting and toothleſs Uſury; oppreſſive, and harmleſs or moderate; as my chief Antagoniſt would have me to make.

A Letter ſent by a Godly Miniſter to the Author about this Treatiſe.

Reverend Sir,

I Have received your Lines, wherein you deſire me to diſcover my Sentiments concerning your Anſwers to the Uſurer's Champion: and therefore I ſhall ſay thus much; viz. That I am very well ſatisfied with them; and do heartily deſire that your ſucceſs of them in the World might be anſwerable to your deſign. It is to me a matter of great lamentation, that a crime (in my opinion ſo notorious) ſhould find any Advocate to plead for it: for I am ſenſible how much greater influence thoſe Arguments have on the credit of Mankind that comply with their carnal intereſt, than thoſe which deſign their greater benefit, and to bring them into the obedience of the ever bleſſed God, and his Son Jeſus Chriſt. However, let your Examiner paſs never ſo ſevere a cenſure on you, whilſt you plead the Lord's Cauſe, you have this comfort, that your reward is with him. And though truth may be ſuppreſſed by its Adverſaries for a while, yet the force of it is ſuch, that it will prevail at laſt. It were indeed to be wiſhed that men would open their eyes to behold it betimes: but if the World hath ſo far bewitched them, that they either cannot, or will not; ſure I am, that the day of Tryal will make it clear. I pray God that men would ſuffer themſelves to be convinced, before the Judgment-day. Sir, I have no more to ſay, but that I am and ſhall be an Orator at the Throne of Grace for you, that the ſame holy Spirit that hath hitherto moved you in the defence of ſo good a Cauſe, would aſſiſt you ſtill, both to the perfecting of this work, and what elſe you may have deſigned for the Glory of God, and the profit of Man-kind; and that you may never want Champions for God's Cauſe in theſe famous Iſlands; that Satan's Kingdom may not only be ſhaken, but altogether ſhattered, and Glory may dwell in our Lands, that we may be the Field which the Lord God delighteth to bleſs. Which muſt be the concluſion of the hearty Lines of him who is ſincerely,

Reverend Sir, Your aſſured Friend and Brother in the Work of Chriſt, J. W. March 7. 1679.

THE CHIEF CONTENTS Of things added to this ANSWER. Viz.

1. A Citation for Ʋſurers to anſwer at Chriſt's Tribunal for their Ʋſury.

2. Biſhop Babington's Prophecy of Ʋſury's Downfall.

3. Two notorious Ʋſurers buried by Satan in his own Chappel called Hell.

4. An Ʋſurer's laſt Will and Teſtament before his Death and Burial.

5. A Figure of two Ways: A Dangerous, which is the way of Ʋſury, leading to Hell; and a Safe, which is without it, leading to Heaven: for the Reader's Choice.

p. 1USURIES CHAMPIONS AND AUXILIARIES SHAMEFULLY DISARMED, AND LAMENTABLY BEATEN.