The sermons of Master Henry Smith gathered into one volume. Printed according to his…The sermons of Maister Henrie Smith gathered into one volume. Printed according to his…

The first Usurers which we read of, were the Jews, which were forbidden to be Usurers:¹ yet for want of faith and love, Ezekiel and Nehemiah do show,² how the Jews, even the Jews which received this law from God himself, did swerve from it, as they did from the rest. First, they did lend upon usury to strangers, after they began to lend upon usury to their brethren: and now there be no such usurers upon earth, as the Jews which were forbidden to be usurers: whereby you may see, how the malice of man hath turned mercy into cruelty.³ For whereas lending was commanded for the benefit of men, usury hath turned it to the undoing of men: for they take when they seem to give, they hurt when they seem to help, they damage when they seem to vantage: therefore it is well noted, that usury hath her name of biting: and she may well signify biting, for many have not only been bitten by it, but devoured by it, that is, consumed all that they have.⁴ Therefore, as the Apostle saith, If you bite one another, take heed you be not devoured one of another: so I may say, If you be Usurers one to another, take heed you be not ⟨p. 166⟩devoured one of another, for Usurers are biters.

The first Vsurers which we reade of, were the Iewes, which were forbidden to be Vsurers:¹ yet for want of faith and loue, Ezechiel and Nehemiah doe shew,² how the Iewes, euen the Iewes which receiued this law from God himselfe, did swarue from it, as they did from the rest. First, they did lend vpon vsurie to strangers, after they began to lende vpon vsurie to their brethren: and now there be no such vsurers vpon earth, as the Iewes which were forbidden to be vsurers: whereby you may see, how the malice of man hath turned mercie into crueltie.³