Lord." Where he speaks of common and familiar conversation, as it appears; while he speaks of lies and false conversation; which are less sins of common conversation, than perjury and perfidy in agreements and

contracts.

But this verse of the Psalm does not shew that David is speaking of common conversation, when he says, "And changeth not," he manifestly attacks perfidy and perjury, because he had attacked lies, false-speaking, and perjury, in daily conversation above, "who speaketh the truth in his heart." And concerning this same oath, Psalm xxiv. he speaks thus, "Who hath not sworn to his neighbour deceitfully."-Hence, both these acceptations and truths stand good. That a Christian is plainly commanded, by no means to swear either by any thing human or any thing divine, in common conversation: and yet, an oath is to be kept that is taken and received in any agreement or compact. Therefore, an oath is something like unto a work of the flesh, which out of matrimony is not lawful, but within matrimony is mutually enjoyed and so, in the same way, out of an agreement or compact of faith it is not lawful to swear, but within such a compact it is lawful, yea, is expedient.

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Ver. 5. He that hath not put out his money on usury, nor taken a reward against the innocent. He that doeth these things shall never be moved.

This verse does not need an exposition, but a fulfilment. And Augustine saith, that these are not great things, and things with which holy men begin as being the most important, because the prophet began with more important and greater things at the first. And Hieronymus thinks the same, and others also. But if we do but bear in our mind that the prophet speaks in the Spirit, what man is there who is not involved in these sins? For be it so that all do not lend upon usury, yet all hate the prohibition, and are sorry that it is not lawful for them to put out their money on usury; and they would that it were lawful, looking only at their own profit, and not at the benefit of others. And even if the

iniquity of the old Adam should cover himself here, yet, if want should press upon him, and no other way of supplying it lay open, there is no one who would not become an usurer.

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Wherefore, all the words of this Psalm, shall dwell,' 'shall rest,' 'who walks,' 'who works,' ' who speaks,'' who does not act deceitfully,' who has not done evil,' has not taken up a reproach,'' has not sworn,'' has not changed,'' has not given,'' has not received,' and' doeth,' are so to be received concerning works, that all are to be understood as flowing from a spiritual will. For hypocrites can frequently do many, nay, even all these works, for a time, but in the time of adversity, when things go against them, they do just the contrary. Were it not so, it would be but a very trifling work not to put out our money on usury, when we are commanded moreover to do good to our enemies, and to lend unto all freely.

But does not the prophet contradict Moses who says to the children of Israel, Deut. xxiii. 19, 20, "Thou shalt not lend upon usury to thy brother; usury of money, usury of victuals, usury of any thing that is lent upon usury unto a stranger thou mayest lend upon usury, but unto thy brother thou shalt not lend upon usury?"-There is no doubt that Moses is here attacking the vices of his nation, because, not being content with putting their money out on usury unto strangers, they did it even unto their brethren: for that people ever was, and still is, the most avaricious and most addicted to usury, of all the nations under heaven, against whom the prophets have variously inveighed : among whom, Amos viii. 4, 5, 6, "Hear this, O ye that swallow up the needy, even to make the poor of the land to fail, saying, When will the new moon be gone, that we may sell corn? and the sabbath, that we may set forth wheat, making the ephah small, and the shekel great, and falsifying the balances by deceit? That we may buy the poor for silver, and the needy for a pair of shoes; yea, and sell the refuse of the wheat?" And the same prophet saith, chap. ii. 6, 7, "Because they sold the righteous for

silver, and the poor for a pair of shoes; that pant after the dust of the earth on the head of the poor, and turn aside the way of the meek."

But however, the Psalmist does not only this, (as I said,) but proposes to lay the axe at the root of all the effects of usury, even the most secret effects. And in the place of usury, he sets before us beneficence; shewing, that (as the Apostle saith, 1 Tim. vi.) we should 'do good and be ready to distribute:' as Christ teaches, Luke vi. and Matt. v. But, in our day, the most happy usury is continually practised, the Roman Pontiff himself being the author, under the name of justice and ' a lawful contract;' for they take away the name usury and give it a new appellation, calling it the contract of re-buying.' It therefore now bears a very fair appearance. And it is by this kind of righteousness at this day that the whole world is justified, and especially the clerical order, and this monster reigns in security, while the Gospel is by this means extinguished throughout the whole world, and the whole of its righteousness, together with the kingdom of God, and yet after all this no one will believe that Antichrist reigns.

And hath not taken a reward against the innocent.

And this again is not a great work, though it is a very great work in the present day, and very rarely to be found; to say nothing about the Jews. In this matter judges sin, and those who have to decide causes, and to defend and attack them: that is, the Pope, and his bishops, officials, procurators, and forensic pettifoggers, and all those dregs of men who live upon the sins of the people, as pimps do upon the prostitutions of women. It is perhaps easy to consult for any one immediately upon the first sight of his cause, and give and pronounce sentence. But, when corrupt desires enter in, such as the hope of gain, the favour of a friend, the hatred of a friend, the contempt of the humble, and the fear of the great, you will see that of Deut. xvi. and Exod. xxiii. fulfilled, "The gift blindeth the wise and perverteth the words of the righteous." And Isaiah i. 23, “ Every

one loveth gifts and followeth after rewards:" but this also all the other evil affections above-mentioned will do: no one, however, knows how ensnaring and powerful an evil this is, but he who has been tempted and tried in it.

But there are now others also who will pervert the cause of a man from the desire of glory and honour, in order that they may appear to be more wise and learned. What does it matter, therefore, though thou mayest not receive a gift against the innocent, while thou receivest glory, or revenge, or favour? If rulers and bishops preserved this verse in their conduct, think ye that the Roman madness, (furia,) I mean to say senate, (curia,) would produce such enormities as they now do? But as all iniquities have arisen there, and reign there at their full height, it must be that this iniquity must reign there also that Satan may in all things there hold his throne, and may from thence send forth every evil through the whole world.

Rightly, therefore, does David conclude, "He that doeth these things shall never be moved." But mark what he saith, "He that doeth." If then he shall not stand who only talks of these things, and shews them forth, but does them not, where shall all those appear who, though they think and know these things to be right, do not dare to mutter one word about them? And where shall they appear also who with mistaken zeal act against these things? Hence, in the Hebrew the punctuation of the verse is so arranged that " He that doeth these things," refers to the former part of the Psalm, "Hath not given his money upon usury, nor taken a reward against the innocent"-he it is that "shall not be moved for ever.' As if he had said, 'Not he that knoweth or talketh about these things.' So that the last part of this verse has reference to the whole Psalm: and the former part of it shews how rare and arduous a thing it is to live without usury and without the price of blood: nay, that it is impossible, unless any one be ready to lay aside all gain, honour, and even life, and to suffer all things for the truth.

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From which things, we see how deceitful all things are that shine with an external name and appearance. For we are apt to conclude that all christianity at this day is with the clergy: and yet, behold, all of them throughout the world live in usury, in the price of blood, and in the fear of the Roman Pontiff. It is boasted of every where with all the contentious pride of Rome, that the Pope feeds all the sheep, but behold, he is the wolf that devours all the sheep. Behold the fulfilment of what the Apostle declared, 2 Thess. ii. 10, 11, "And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved." And yet, we still go on reading our canonically prescribed prayers, we sacrifice many masses, and do and say many things which cannot be said and done without our great peril. Let faith and truth therefore look at their peril! And what is to be said unto us, who instead of being Christians are become Romanists, workers instead of believers, decretalists instead of evangelists, ceremonialists instead of spiritualists; and, in a word, slaves of the most impious of men, instead of the all-free people of God!

PSALM XVI.

MICHTHAM OF DAVID.

This noun, Michtham,' has been variously handled. This titulary inscription, according to Augustine, is of an antiquated nature; because the same Hebrew word CHETEM signifies also 'a mark or sign;' and he says, that thence, 'Michtham' signifies 'marked' or 'noted,' and 'written without a title;' and that this title refers to the subject of the cross. But this, although a pious interpretation, is yet far-fetched. Hieronymus deriving the etymology of the title from two words, renders it' of the humble and