OppositiononscripturalgroundstothetakingofinterestwasnotconfinedtotheolderChurch。ProtestantismwasledbyLutherandseveralofhisassociatesintothesamelineofthoughtandpractice。SaidLuther。”Toexchangeanythingwithanyoneandgainbytheexchangeisnottodoacharity；buttosteal。Everyusurerisathiefworthyofthegibbet。Icallthoseusurerswholendmoneyatfiveorsixpercent。”ButitisonlyjusttosaythatatalaterperiodLuthertookamuchmoremoderateview。Melanchthon，definingusuryasanyinterestwhatever，condemneditagainandagain；andtheGoldbergCatechismof1558，forwhichhewroteaprefaceandrecommendation，declareseverypersontakinginterestformoneyathief。FromgenerationtogenerationthisdoctrinewasupheldbythemoreeminentdivinesoftheLutheranChurchinallpartsofGermany。TheEnglishreformersshowedthesamehostilitytointerest-bearingloans。UnderHenryVIIIthelawofHenryVII
againsttakinginteresthadbeenmodifiedforthebetter；buttherevivalofreligiousfeelingunderEdwardVIcausedin1552
thepassageofthe“BillofUsury。”Inthisitissaid。”ForasmuchasusuryisbythewordofGodutterlyprohibited，asavicemostodiousanddetestable，asindiversplacesoftheHolyScripturesitisevidenttobeseen，whichthingbynogodlyteachingsandpersuasionscansinkintotheheartsofdiversgreedy，uncharitable，andcovetouspersonsofthisrealm，noryet，byanyterriblethreateningsofGod’swrathandvengeance。”
etc。，itisenactedthatwhosoevershallthereafterlendmoney“foranymannerofusury，increase，lucre，gain，orinterest，tobehad，received，orhopedfor。”shallforfeitprincipalandinterest，andsufferimprisonmentandfineattheking’spleasure。[453]
[453]ForLuther’sviews，seehissermon，VondemWucher，Wittenberg，1519；alsotheTableTalk，citedinCoquelinandGuillaumin，articleInteret。Forthelater，moremoderateviewsofLuther，Melanchthon，andZwingli，makingacompromisewiththeneedsofsociety，seeBohm-Bawerk，p。27，citingWiskemann。ForMelanchthonandalonglineofthemosteminentLutherandivineswhohavedenouncedthetakingofinterest，seeDieWucherfrage，St。Louis，1869，pp。94etseq。ForthelawagainstusuryunderEdwardVI，seeCobbett’sParliamentaryHistory，vol。i，p。596；