Usury

Usury, by Calvin Elliott

The Project Gutenberg EBook of Usury, by Calvin Elliott This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
Title: Usury A Scriptural, Ethical and Economic View
Author: Calvin Elliott
Release Date: May 27, 2007 [EBook #21623]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK USURY ***

Produced by Irma Spehar, Jeannie Howse and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file made using scans of public domain works at the University of Georgia.)

* * * * *
+-----------------------------------------------------------+ | Transcriber's Note: | | | | Inconsistent hyphenation in the original document has | | been preserved. | | | | Obvious typographical errors have been corrected in this | | text. For a complete list, please see the end of this | | document. | | | +-----------------------------------------------------------+
* * * * *

USURY
A Scriptural, Ethical and Economic View
BY
CALVIN ELLIOTT

PUBLISHED BY THE ANTI-USURY LEAGUE MILLERSBURG, OHIO

COPYRIGHTED 1902 BY CALVIN ELLIOTT.

CONTENTS.
Page.
Chapter I
--Definition 7
Chapter II
--The Law by Moses 11
Chapter III
--Usury and "The Stranger" 18
Chapter IV
--David and Solomon 26
Chapter V
--Denunciation of Jeremiah and Ezekiel 30
Chapter VI
--Financial Reform by Nehemiah 36
Chapter VII
--Teachings of the Master 42
Chapter VIII
--Parables of the Talents and the Pounds 52
Chapter IX
--Practice of the disciples 58
Chapter X
--Church history 69
Chapter XI
--Calvin's letter on usury 73
Chapter XII
--Permanency of the prohibition 79
Chapter XIII
--Our changed conditions 81
Chapter XIV
--The American Revision 87
Chapter XV
--Duty learned from two sources 93
Chapter XVI
--Rights of man over things 97
Chapter XVII
--Equal rights of men 102
Chapter XVIII
--A false basal principle 108
Chapter XIX
--The true ethical principle 115
Chapter XX
--Wealth is barren 121
Chapter XXI
--Wealth decays 132
Chapter XXII
--The debt habit 138
Chapter XXIII
--The borrower is servant to the lender 144
Chapter XXIV
--Usury enslaves the borrower 146
Chapter XXV
--Usury oppresses the poor 154
Chapter XXVI
--Usury oppresses the poor--continued 160
Chapter XXVII
--Usury oppresses the poor--continued 168
Chapter XXVIII
--Usury oppresses the poor--concluded 174
Chapter XXIX
--Usury centralizes wealth 180
Chapter XXX
--Mammon dominates the nations 189
Chapter XXXI
--Effect on character 206
Chapter XXXII
--Ax at the root of the tree 219
Chapter XXXIII
--Per contra; Christian Apologists 233
Chapter XXXIV
--Per contra; Land Rentals 243
Chapter XXXV
--Per contra; Political Economists 253
Chapter XXXVI
--Usury in History 258
Chapter XXXVII
--Francis Bacon 266
Chapter XXXVIII
--Why this truth was neglected 272
Chapter XXXIX
--Crushed truth will rise again 281
Index 293

TO MY READERS.
I beg the sincere and thoughtful consideration of this book by all its readers. Please follow the argument in the order in which it is presented. This is the way it developed in my own mind and led me, step by step, irresistibly to its conclusions. Do not read the closing chapters first, but begin with the "Definition." I believe every candid reader doing this, and having a logical mind, will fully and heartily concur in the condemnation of usury.
I hope these arguments will be fairly treated and justly weighed even by those whose interests seem in conflict. I have simply sought the truth, believing that "the truth shall make you free." It cannot be that this or any truth is in real conflict with the highest welfare of any man.
If any sincere friends of this truth are grieved that the argument is so crudely and roughly stated, I can only say in excuse, that, so far as I know or can learn from the great librarians I have consulted, this is the first attempt ever made to fully present the anti-usury argument, and I sincerely hope that others, profiting by my effort, may be able to make it more effective.
THE AUTHOR.
CHAPTER I.
DEFINITION.
In the evolution of the English language, since the making of our King James version of the Bible, many new words have been introduced, and many old ones have changed their meanings.
In the nearly three hundred years the Saxon word "let," to hinder, has become obsolete. It was in common use and well understood when the version was made, but is now misleading. Thus we have in Isaiah 43:13: "I will work and who will let (hinder) it?" Paul declared that he purposed to go to Rome, "but was let (hindered) hitherto." Rom. 1:13. Again we have in II Thess. 2:7: "Only he who now letteth (hindereth) will let (hinder), until he be taken out of the way."
"Wot," to know, has become obsolete. Gen. 21:26: "I wot (know) not who hath done this thing." Ex. 32:1: "As for this Moses, we wot (know) not what hath become of him." Acts 3:17: "I wot (know) that through ignorance ye did it."
"Prevent," from its derivation and use, meant, "to go before;" now it means to hinder. Ps. 59:10: "The God of my mercies shall prevent (go before) me." Ps. 92:2: "Let us prevent (go before) his face with thanksgiving." I Thess. 4:15: "We who are alive shall not prevent (go before) them who are asleep."
Charity, which now means liberality to the poor,