The True Christians T est, Part 2 · Meditation 33
MEDITAT. XXXIII. What Uſurers are Lovers of the World.
ACcording to my method propounded, it now onelyonly remains to ſhew what Uſurers are Lovers of the World. But this I cannot well do, till I have premis'd, that ſome things are abuſively call'd Uſury, or that all things are not Uſury that look like it, or are called by that Name. In the laſt Meditation I had occaſion to quote out of Calvin upon the Pentateuch, that his opinion was, that there are ſome kinds of Uſury lawful; and he names to: I am wholly of his opinion, that thoſe two things are juſt and lawful; but here I differ from him, I do not think they are proporly Uſury. So that although theſe two things be lawful, yet ſtill all Uſury may remain unlawful. The things he inſtances in are theſe:
Firſt, To receive ſatisfaction for the loſs or damage, that I have really ſuffer'd by a mans keeping my Money, beyond the time that I lented it him, for it is juſt that the Borrower ſhould repay my loſs that I ſuſtain for his ſake and by his fault. Biſhop Jewel ſpeaking of the difference between Uſury and Intereſt, confeſſes Intereſt to be lawful, which he explains thus, I lend my Neighbour Twenty pound freely without Uſury to ſuch a day, for I am then to pay it upon an Obligation of my own, I have no more but this, and if I fail of payment, I must forfeit Five pounds. This Neighbour fails me, whereby I loſe Five Pounds. If I require that Five Pounds of him, it is Intereſt, not Uſury, and its juſt. In Uſury I ſeek to be a gainer; in Intereſt, I onelyonly ſeek to be no loſer, which ſtands with Equity and Conſcience. But then this loſs of mine muſt be really ſuſtain'd: For ſays Calvin himſelf in the place afore cited, Semper excogitant homines aſtuti capti unculas quibus deum illudant, &c. Thus, whereas all men abhorr'd the name of Uſury, an other name was found to eſcape the odium by an honeſt colour, and ſo they call it Intereſt, as if it were onelyonly a compenſation of their loſs, Quanti intererat pecuniae ſuae uſu carere. But there is no kind of Uſury which men may not put this ſpecious pretence uppon: for whoſoever has preſent Money, when he is to lend it, will pretend it may be profitable to him to buy, or trade, or get ſome kind of gain withal daily, ſo there will always be place for compenſation, when no Creditor can lend his Money without loſs. Thus the name of Intereſt, whereas in truth, 'tis the ſame with Uſury, is the covering of an odious matter. But alas that ever men ſhould think by Cavil to elude the Judgment of God, where integrity alone can be our defence. The Jews did prevaricate partly after the ſame manner, the word Neſhek that comes from biting ſounded very harſh: therefore becauſe no man was willing to be accounted a hungry Dog, that fed himſelf by biting others; they found out a Sanctuary for their ſhame, they call'd it Tarbith, that is, increaſe. But God to meet with theſe Fallacies, condemns Uſury both by the name of biting and increaſe, Lev. 25. 36. Ezek. 18. 12. God does antervert all vain excuſes, and in general condemns Quamlibet ſortis acceſſionem, whatever is more than the principal.
I have the more fully tranſcrib'd the words of this Author, becauſe he is taken to be a Patron of Uſury, and to obviate that old thred bare Argument For Uſury, of Damnum ex lucro ceſſante. To ſay I have really ſuſtained damage, by not having my Money paid at my time prefixt, and therefore I require ſatisfaction for that damage, is good Senſe, and good Divinity, for ought I know; but it is not Uſury: but to ſay I have ſuſtained damage becauſe I might poſſibly have gain'd by that Money ſome other way, is not good Logick; for that which may be, may alſo not be: neither is it good Divinity, that therefore I ſhould oblige my Neighbour or his Heirs, to make me a ſatisfaction for the want of this poſſible gain; for I might have Traffic'k with my Money, and poſſibly I might have loſt by ſo doing: and does not the avoiding of a poſſible loſs ſufficiently recompence the loſs of a poſſible gain. The poſſible, but uncertain hopes of gain, which either the Uſurer or the Borrower do conceive, muſt not ſet the rate and value upon the the thing lent, but the preſent intrinſical worth of it.
The other thing that Mr. Calvin inſtances in as a ſort of lawful Uſury is, If I lend a rich Man a part of a great Sum of Money to buy Land with, may I not receive a proportionable part of the actual Rents, or profits of Land, till my Money be repaid me? This he ſays is lawful, and I know no body that denies it; but I deny it to be Uſury: it looks rather like a kind of Partnerſhip, or Temporary joynt purchaſing.
Nay if a man will lend his Money to another for any gainful uſe, and runs the hazard of the Principal, he may, for ought I know, without Uſury, warrantably contract for an equitable part of the Gain, when it ſhall be actually received, allowing for the pains and charge of the Borrowers in managing it.
If a man, weary of the buſineſs of the World, will give his ſtock of money to another, engaging him to maintain him whil'ſt he lives, he parts with the Principal, it is a Gift with a condition, it is no Uſury, ſays Biſhop Jewel in his fore-quoted Comment upon 1 Theſſ. 4. 6.
I will add further, That to receive a Gratification or Acknowledgment in any kind for money, or other things lent, is not in its own nature Uſurious, nor ſimply unlawful. God never intended to bind men up from Gratitude, nor to forbid them to render one good turn for another. If my Neighbour lend me money freely and charitably, and I happen to be advantaged, and much be-friended by his courteſie, and am ſo grateful and ingenuous, as to requite his kindneſs in any thing wherein I can, and do it freely, without his contracting for it, or requiring it, I cannot underſtand how my Gratitude ſhould make him an Uſurer, ſo long as his Lending was freely, and my Acknowledgment uncontracted and unconſtrain'd.
So that in ſtead of ſaying there are ſome ſorts of Uſury lawful, let us ſay there are ſome lawful things that look like Uſury, yet are not it, and we are all agreed.
But if we would know who are the worldly Uſurers, (though I do not excuſe any from being ſo) it is evident that theſe that follow are of that ſort:
Such as exceed the Limits of the Laws of the Land either directly or indirectly; who, unto Uſury, ſuperadd thoſe Monſters of Procuration and Continuation, commit Iniquity to be puniſhed by the Judge, and are accounted Oppreſſors even by the modeſter ſort of Uſurers.
For a Man (eſpecially a Divine) to require Uſury, where no profit has been made of the Principal, yea, where the very Principal has miſcarry'd; and that of his Friend, to whom he is beholden, and to extort it too, every one will ſay is a black Character: But perhaps few believe that there is any ſuch; neither ſhould I, if I had not ſeen and known them.
To make a Trade of Uſury, and to get ones Living out of the Sweat of other Mens Brows, is condemned for an idle wicked Life, even by the favourableſt Cenſors, yea, by the very Patrons of Uſury.
To bind Men and their Friends, and their Heirs and Executors, to make a certain advantageous Return of an uncertain hazardous Employment of money, is very Cruel, and an Atheiſtical confronting of Divine Providence.
To be content our Neighbor ſhould be ſubjected to all Caſualties, and to take no further care but to ſecure our own profit, is filthily ſelfiſh, and ſomewhat like the ill condition'd Generation, of whom Chriſt Jeſus complain'd; who laid great and heavy burdens upon the backs of others, which they themſelves refus'd to touch with the leaſt of their Fingers.
To ſeek our own advantage or enrichment by the hurt or detriment of others, is flatly againſt the Law of Lovers, and the Golden Rule of Charity, which the Law commends, and the Goſpel magnifies and enforces.
To make the poor pay for the uſe of Money or any other thing, which is meerly for the relief of their neceſſities, is by the moſt favourable Interpreters granted to be directly againſt the plain Letter of the Law; even by thoſe I ſay, who allow a little ſtricter dealing with the Rich.
Let the Uſurers of England clear themſelves of theſe ſpots, if they can; if they cannot, let them ſit down with the mark of the World upon them, till they can.