19 * Thou ſhalt not lend upon wy Ito thy brother, d: uſury of money, uſury of viduals, uſury of any thing .. that is lent upon uſury. | : : 36: T1 (6.e.) Soasto receive thy principal mony or thing lent with ſuch Pfal:r5:5: encreaſe or improvement of it, as was uſual and allowed among the | Gentiles. But whether all uſury be unlawful to Chriſtians 1s too great a queſtion to be determined in a work of this nature. See Exod. 22. 25. Deut. 15+ 3. Pſol. 15, 5. Neb. 5. 2. Luke6. 34. 20 Untoa ſtranger» thou mayeftlend upon uſury, but
unto thy brother thou ſbalt not lend upon uſury : that the LORD thyGod may bleſs thee inall that thou ſetteſt thine
hand to, in the land whither thou goeſt to poſſeſs it, mm (5. e.) Toa perſon of any other Nation, for ſo that word 1s generally uſed, and therefore they who reſtrain it toth urſed Ca- naantiſh nations ſeem to do ſo without any ſolid or ſutheient grounds. And though the word brother is oft-times uſed in a general fenſe for every man, yet 1 think I may affirm that whereſoever the words brother and ſtranger are oppoſed in the Jewiſh Law, the brother ſignifies the Iſraelite only, and the ftranger ſignifies any perſon of what Nation or Religion {ng whether proſelyted to the Jew:ſþ Religion or nor, and ſo it ſeems to be meant here. And the reaſon why uſury is rmitted to a ſtranger, not to an Jſraelire, may ſeem to be this, becauſe the Iſraelites generally employed themſelves in the manage- ment of land and cattel, and therefore could not make any advantage of borrowed money to ballance the uſe they ſhould pay for it, and conſequently it may be preſumed that they would not borrow money upon uſe but for want and poverty, and in that caſe, and principally - for that reaſon, uſury ſeems to be forbidden to them, as may be thought from Lev. 25. 35, 36. But the ſtrangers made uſe of their money in way of Trade and Traffick with the 7raelites, which was more gainful, and could much better bear the burden of uſury, and reap advantage from money ſo borrowed, and theſe ſtrangers here ſpoken of are ſuppoſed tobe competently rich, and not poor, as may plinly appear by comparing this place with Lev. 25..35, 36. where they are no leſs forbidden to take uſury of a ſtranger than a brother,
in caſe of poverty.
21 * When thou ſhalt vow a vow unto the LORD
thy God, thouſhalt not ſlack topay it »: for the LORD thy God will ſurely requireit of thee: and it would be
ſin in thee 0. » To wit, if the matter of it be lawful and ia thy own power. See Numb. 30. 2. Not ſlack or delay, becauſe delays may make thee both unable to pay ir, and unwilling too, the ſenſe of ones obliga- tion growing every day weaker than other, ©c. o (7.e. ) It would be laid to thy charge as a fin, and bring judgment upon thee. 22 But if thou ſhalt forbear to vow, it ſhall be no
ſin in thee.
23 That which is gone out of thy lips, thou ſhalt keep and perform ; even a free-will-oftering p, according as thouhaſt vowed unto the LORD thy God, which thou
haſt promiſed with thy mouth. " p Which though thou didſt freely make, yet being made, thou art no longer free, but obliged to perform it. : ' 24 When thou comeſt into thy neighbours vineyard,
| then thou mayeſt eat grapes thy fill, at thine own plea-
ſure 9 2 but thou ſhalt nor pur any in tby veſſel.
9 Which was allowed in thoſe parts, becauſe ofthe great plenty and fruitfulneſs of Vines there.
25 When thou comeſt into the ſtanding corn of thy
* Match: neighbours, * then thou mayeſt pluck the ears with thine " hand: but thou ſhalt not movyea ſickle unto thy neigh-
COrn. C H A P. XXIV. | Of the Woman that was diſmiſſed by her Husband with a Bill of Divercement, 1. Theliberty of the new married Man, 5. Pawns and Pleages, 6, Man-ſtealers, 7. Leproſie, 8. And again of Pawns or Pledges, 10, Of Day-wages, 14. | None to be puniſhed for another's Offence, 19. Of Juſtice and Love towards Widows, Fatherleſs, and Strangers, 17. ; * Matth: Hen * a man hath taken a wife, and married her, 4 45M arid and it come to pals that ſhe find no favour in his © gti 4. £yes #, becauſe he hath found ſome Þ uncleanneſs þ in + Heb. © her: then let him write her a bill off divorcement, and matter of "give it in her hand, and ſend her out of bis houſe c. nakeaneſs. ,g(5.e.) He diſlike and lgath her. Iris a figure called Meier, Ch:2 :14 whereby more is underſtood than is expreſſed, as Prov. ro..2. and THeb cut- ;, 21. and 24. 23. b Heb. nakeaneſs, or ſhamefulneſs, or filthineſs of a ving off. wvhing, i.e. ſome filthy or hateful thing, ſome loathſome diſtemper of body or quality of mind nor obſerved before Marriage: Or ome lighr and unchaſt carriage, as this or the like phrafe commonly ſignifies, but net amounting ro adultery, which was not puniſhed with divorce, but with death. c Which is not a command to divorce them, as ſome of the Jews underſtood it, nor an allowance and approbation, as plainly appears, not only from the new Taſtement, Mas. 5.31, 32. and 19. 8. 9. bur alſo from the Old Teſtamenc, Ger. 2.24. Mal. 2.16. bur meerly a permiſſion or toleration of that prattice for prevention of greater miſchiefs and cruelties of that hard-1earted people rowards their Wives, and this only for a ſeaſon, even until the t:me of refor- mation, as it is called Heb. 9g. 10. 1.e. till the coming of the Meſſias, When things were to return to their firſt inſticution and pureſ! condition. The husband is not here commanded to put her away, but if he do put her away, he is commanded to write and give her 8
*Eccl:5:4:
12:1: Mar:2:23: bours ftandin Luke 6: 7 | | 5
DEUVTE RON OO M TV.
bill of divorcement, before he ſend her out of his houſe. And though it be true, as our Saviour obſerves, that Moſes did ſuffer theſe divorces, to wit, without puniſhing them, which 8Jſo is here implied, yet it muſt be acknowledged, that if we conſult the Hebrew words, thoſe three firſt verſes may ſeem to be only a ſuppoſition, and the words, rendred, then let him her, 1n the Hebrew run thus, and hath written her, and ſo it follows, wer. 2. And ſhe be departed out of his houſe and be gone and become another mans wife ; then follows wer. 3. which, even according to our Tranſlation carries on the ſuppoſition, 4nd if the rap husband hate her, &c. Then follows the poſition or prohibition verſe 4.
2 And when ſhe is departed out of his houſe ſhe may go and be another mans wife d.