Of Ufury. §. 2o. 2· There is no Pofir~ve Law of Chrijl forbidding all Ufury: As for.Lu!(! 6. 32, 35· it is plainly nothing to the cafe: for he fatth not, [Lend, looi(jng fvr n~ ~ain or incrcaje, J but [ !·"king for mthi11g again.] And the Contc_xt fhewcrh that !he meaning mull be one of theft two; EirhCr q. d. [Lend not only to them that will lend to you agam when you are in want:, but even to thep:lor, rhar you can never h~pe to borrow of:] Or elfc [Lend not only to them that are able to pay you, and where yo~r fiock t! fecured, but to the ~eedy where your money is hazadcd ; and though th.:y will pay you rf theyare able, yet you have. h~tle or no hope that ever they 01ould be i'ble to repay : Lend fo, .ts eo be willmg to make a gtft of Jt m cafe the borrower never rcp1y it. J And there is no other Ttx: that can be pretended againfi it, in the New Tcl1ament. 9· 21· 3· And that the Low ofNmire doth not forbid all Ufury, will appear by examining the r,: venl parts of tt. The Law of Nature forb1ddcth but three forts of fins; l · Thole thac are agai 11 ft Pitty to God: 2· Thofe that are again!\ our own welfare. 3• Thofe that are againfl our Neighbours good; And that is, 1. Againfi Jujlice: 2· Againfi Charit)'• There is non~: thar falleth noc undu loine of tht[e heads. J, And thatVfury is not naturally evil as againll Pitty to God, z, Or 3S againfi our {ell!ts, and ClUr own welfare, l nec:d not prove, becaufe no reafon nor reafonzble perfon doth lay any fuch ac– cufation againH ir. Though they that think it abfolutcly unlawful, fay that it is CJ1Jflquemfy againlt God, as every violation of hisLaw is. But thats nothing to tht cafe. 3· Therefore there is no doubt but the whole cont~overfie is rcfolved into this !all qucllion, \oVhc~ ther all Ufury be againfl Jufiice or Charity to our ne1ghbour. JuJii.ce obligcth me to give him hit own: Charity obligcth me 'to give him more than his own, in certain clfl's; as one that love him as my fdf, That which is not againfl Juflice, may be againfi Ch:Jrity: But that which is againll: Charity, is not alwayes againfi Jujtice fitiCl:ly taken. And that whi'h isan act of true Charity, is ne~ v'er againfi Juftice : BeColufe he tho~.r giveth his neighbour more than his own, doth give himhiJ ow11 and morr. There is aVfury whi~h is againfl Jujlice and Charit)'· There is aV(Hry which is again{t Charity, but not againHmcer Jttjlice : And there is an Vfuq which is againfi neither JUJiicenor Charity. If 1prove it Ch;riuble, it is fuperfluous to fay more. .,.,. ~· 22· All the inf\ances before given are notorioufly ch:uiu.b!e. that which is for the prefcrvati– on of the liVes and comforts of the poor, and of Orphans, or for the enriching of my neighbour is an aCl: of Cbarity: But fuch is fame UfUry, pafi all doubt; as is before declared. \Vhere the contrary is an act of cruelty, the Ufury is not againfi Charity, but for it. For the Rich to deny to the poor and Orphans a part of that gain, whi'h they make by the improvement of rheir own money , is opprefiion and cruelty ; If it be cruel to let a Beggar dye or fiarve, when we thouId feed and clothe him of our own ; mu'h more to let the poor and Orphans fiarve and pcri(h rather than give them the increafe of their own, or put of it at leafi. As for them that fay, lr maybe as well improved otherwi[e, they are unexperienced men : It is a known falChood as to the mofi : though fornc few may meet with fu'h opportunities. At lcafi it is nothing to them that ca.nnot ~•vc other wayes ofim· proving it : who are very many. , ' §. 23 · Moreover, when ir is not an all ofCbal'ity, yet it may be no~againll Charity in thtfe cafes:. I· When the lender is poor and the borrower rich : Yea, it may be a fin w lc:nd i.t freely ; Prov .22.16. He tbat oppreffnh tht poor to inertaft hi.r ricbu, and ht that gil(ttb to the rich , jhatl ficrcly come t tJ r¥JottJt: It is a giving 1o the rich to lend freely that money which they improve ro the increafe of their ri,hes. 2· When the lender is not obliged to that ad: of Charity, though the borrower be poorer than himfelf. Which falleth out in an hundred cafes: which may be comprizcd under this one general ; When the lwder iJ obliged to txptnd that fomc m01tey i1t {ome otbcr greaur , better work : Asat the fame time while a man that is worth but twenty pnund a year, is in dcbi to a man that hath a thoufand pound a year, there may be a hundred or thourand poor people worth ;wt!Jing re.ady to pcrifh, whom the rich is rather bound to ru~:eour, than him that hath but twenry pound a year. And there may be works of piety ( as to fet up a School, ·or promote the preaching o: the Gofpel ) whid1 may be as great as either. And the richdl that is, cannot do all the good that is to be done, nor relieve all the perfons that are in want : Therefore when he muft: leave much undone, if hC would give all his fubfian,c, it is ( c.eterii paribtM ) a fin, to give that to a man that can make fhift without it, and pafs by an hundred in much dec:per necdfi1y and dillrdS: So th~t he whO either exer,iftth Charity in hisV[ury, or doth nothingagainlt Charity and Juftice, certainly finncth not by that U[my. For all the Scriptures which fpeak againfi Ufury, fptak ag•int\ it as a cruel or uncharitable thing. · . ' ~· 24· Object. But it it{ormtimc:1 nectjfary fora Law toforbid that which otherwife would be good, rrhm: it cannDt be done, r:Pithout encouraging gtherJ t~ a greater evil; foch aJ ordinary VJUry H : A1zd then that Law muft bt ohferved. . Anfw. T fis is true in thefi, that fuch 'afes thereare: But it is u.nprovcd and untrue in this cafe : for, •· There is nofud1 Law: z, There is no fuch rcafon or necdlHy of (uch aLaw. For God can as well make Laws ag:ainll: unrighteous or uncharitable increafe or Vfury 1 without forbidding that \yhich is charitable and ju/l, as he can make Laws againfl unrighteoru or uncharitahle buyi1tg and feUing without condemning that which is good and jul\: Or as he can .forbid gluttony, dnikenncC~, idlencfs, pride, without forbidding eating 1 drinking, apparel or r;ichu. Hecan cafily tell mc:n of whom andl n what cafe to take urc, and when noc. ' ' ' ' ' He\ hat would fee all other Objeetions an[wcred, and the cafe fully handfed, hath many Treatifos on both fides extant to inform him. Rrrrrrr 2
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