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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A13823	The revvard of religion Deliuered in sundrie lectures vpon the booke of Ruth, wherein the godly may see their daily and outwarde tryals, with the presence of God to assist them, and his mercies to recompence them: verie profitable for this present time of dearth, wherein manye are most pittifully tormented with want; and also worthie to bee considered in this golden age of the preaching of the word, when some vomit vp the loathsomnes therof, and others fall away to damnable securitie.	Topsell, Edward, 1572-1625?	1596 (1596)	STC 24127; ESTC S105980	250,925	363

their insterit●●ice to multiplie their Fathers family for wordly honour the Rewarde of the Religion THE REVVARD OF RELIGION Ruth Cap. 1. ver 1 2 3 4 5 6. 1. In the time that the Iudges ruled there was a famine in the land and a certain man of Bethleem Iudah went for to soiourne in the countrie of Moab hee and his wife and his two sonnes 2. And the name of the man was Elimelech and the name of his wyfe Naomi and the names of his two sonnes Mahlon and Chilion Ephrathites of the lande of Iudah and when they were come into the land of Moab they continued there 3. Then Elimelech the husbande of Naomi died there and shee remained with hir two sonnes 4. Which tooke them wiues of the Moabites the name of the one was Horpah the name of the other Ruth they dwelled there about ten yeres 5. And Mahlon and Chilion died also both twaine so the woman was lefte destitute of her two sonnes and of her husband 6. Then she arose with her daughters in lawe and returned from the countrie of Moab for she had heard saie in the countrie of Moab that the Lord had visited his people giuen them bread ALthough the author of this booke of Ruth hath not expressed his name yet there is no doubt but it proceedeth from the spirit of God as well as the bookes of the Iudges Kings Chronicles which haue not the names of their authors described but if it may be lawfull to iudge or giue anie sentence thereof it was either Samuel or some other godly prophet vnder the raigne of Saul which is proued by the genealogies in the last chapter where Dauid is by name mentioned testifying vnto vs that it was then written when he was chosen from his bretheren and anointed king ouer Israell and yet before his raigne or els there had bene added vnto it the title of a King for the aduauncing of the name of Ruth who was his grande mother vppon whom this history following dependeth for the sumne and scope hereof is to shewe the pedigree or ancestry the naturall progenitours of Christe from Iudah the fourth sonne of Iacob vntill the time that he beganne to challenge the princelye seate the royall scepter the right of gouernment ouer the people of Israell which was at that time when Dauid was chosen from his fathers house anoynted king by Samuel Againe in this history there is deliuered vnto vs the hope which the fathers had concerning the calling of the Gentiles for this mariage of Ruth into the kindred of Christ who was a Gentile by nature none of the people of God did plainely foretell that the Gentiles shoulde be called in Christ for as hee tooke parte of his humane nature of them so he shewed vs that hee would giue the same for them that there might be no difference in his bodye between Iewes gentiles but that the power of his death the graces of the spirite and the knowledge of redemption might redounde to all Now the occasion of this history is deliuered vnto vs in this first Chapter which is the soiourning of a certaine Iew in the land of Moab by reason there was a famine in the land of Iudah with his familye and the returne of them that liued which were onely Naomi his wyfe and one other Ruth the Moabitesse the widdowe of his eldest sonne This wandering or soiourning is described with all the circumstuances thereof in these first sixe verses lately read and generally containe in them these two parts the first is theyr trauaile to the land of Moab the second those things that happened vnto them after they came thither The first parte is expressed in these two first verses first by the occasion which is declared by the time and by the thing that moued them thereunto in these wordes In the time that the Iudges ruled there was a famine c. Secondly by the persons that trauayled who are described by the place frō whence they were namely of Bethlehem Iudah these were the parents and the children which are named in the 2. ver The second part of these woordes is in the foure other verses following and it concerneth eyther the parents or the children the parents that one of them euen Elimelech the father of the familye dyed there shor●y after their arriuall the children first that they married ver 4 secondly that they likewise dyed ver 5 Then remained onely Naomi with hir two daughters in lawe and the time of her a bode in Moab is set downe to be ten yeares ver 4 secondly the occasion of hir departure because shee heard say that God had visited his people giuen them bread ver 6 of these partes let vs speake in order as the spirite shall giue vttrance and the time permit In the dayes that the Iudges ruled In these wordes the holy Ghoste after his accustomed manner for the more certaintye of the historye beginneth at the time as Moses beginneth his booke of Genesis from the first creation of the world so the prophets in the beginning of their bookes set downe vnder what king or kings they prophesied so also in the newe Testament we may see how three of the Euangelists beginne their Gospels from the preaching of Iohn Baptist and the raigne of king Herod The which order they vndoubtedly learned of the olde writers the same spirite guiding them to one and the same trueth vseth but one and the same manner of speaking For the almighty desiring to meete with the wrangling obiections of humane inuentions so tempereth the texte of euerie scripture as if question were made who did such a thing He nameth the persons where it was done He quoteth the place and when it was done Hee mentioneth the time The cause heereof is that hee might staie the waues of our sickle mindes vpon the piller of truth his euerlasting word But in this place he chiefly mentioneth the time of the Iudges to shew vnto vs that whē religion was corrupted the worship of God decaied and idolatrye aduannced when the Lord was forgotten of his owne people when his lawes were no more obserued but euery man did that which seemed good in his owne eyes yea when there were almost as many Gods among them as they were men then euen then did the Lord send this plague of famine among them For Salomon sayth the blewnes of the wounde serueth to purge the euell and the stripes within the bottome of the belly as if he had sayd as the rypenes of a wounde calleth for a corasiue so the fulnes of sinne cryeth for vengeance by this therfore we note that the corruption of religion neglect of the worship of God is the cause of all his iudgments that are exercised in the world For the idolatry of Ieroboam and his sinnes whereby hee induced Israell to sinne did the Lord threaten by Achia the prophet to

of the earth Of all these mistryes you may see in the booke of Iudges Samuel and Kings to which I referre you at your leasure as of Saul Dauid Ieroboam Achab Zidkia others as in this present place where they are oppressed ten yeares together so that heauen and earth may passe but the word of the Lord abideth for euer For this cause the prophets adde to their preaching of iudgmentes Thus sayth the Lorde as if they had said it shall neuer bee altered And if the lawes of heathen men such as the Medes and Persians might not alter much lesse the word of the Lord which is like siluer purified seuen times should haue any drosse or changeable substaunce in it Wee see the law of nature stand inuiolable for euer and shall not the law of him which made nature be also immutable when the fire ceaseth to bee hote and the water to be colde then shall be exception taken against God his iudgments and not before The vse of this doctrine is to cast downe the presumption of notorious sinners who to auoyd the terrors of God his iudgmentes deceiue their owne soules vvyth this that God is mercifull So that in theyr most singular sinnes they will flye to the mercyes of God as if they were the verie bonde of all iniquitie yea and these kinde of people perswade themselues to bee as good Christians as anie in the worlde because they can saie the Lord is mercifull But heare me a little in one word I praie you I am perswaded that I speake to many these people this daie What hurt hath the Lorde done vnto you that you rob him of his iustice Shall the Prophet be found a liar that sayth The Lord is iust in all wa●es and holy in all his workes Or shall the Apostle speake vntruth that sayth It is a iust thing with God to render affliction to them that afflict you release to you that are afflicted Why shall we then spoile God of his iudgements vnlesse wee wyll depriue our selues of our owne saluation But you will saie this serueth for the wicked as Atheists Turkes Pagans Infidels and such lyke which shall haue no part with Christ I answere what greater wickednes can there be than to depriue God of his iustice Would a mortall man indure to be accounted without honestie and shall the euerlasting king abide to be spoiled of his righteousnesse Nay the iustice of God pertaineth to such as you would be holy persons as well as to anie For what saith the Prophet When the iust man turneth from his righteousnesse to doo iniquitie he shall die in it And Peter sayth that iudgement must begin at the house of God And a father once saide God of his most deere iustice hath decreed the summe of all discipline both in exacting and in defending as if he had sayd there is no correction of the Lord but it proceedeth from his iustice now the children of God are corrected for hee scourgeth euerie child whom he receiueth And therfore the iudgmentes of God must bee thundered out as well for the confirming of the faithfull as the confusion of Infidels But others there are that are so farre past feeling of either mercies or iudgements that as soone the deafe adder wil heare the voice of the charmer as they anie impression of terrour for sinne Hence commeth this custome of sinning which euerie sabboth commit their wonted iniquitie euerie houre vomit out their poison of blasphemies and euerie daie violate the lawes of charitie who through their dayly staring on the sonne of righteousnesse are nowe become starke blinde and with the continuall noise of God his waters are made so deafe that they can heare no goodnesse Vnto both these sortes of people hearken what the Lorde sayth in his Gospell But if that euill seruant shall saie in his heart the Lorde deferreth his comming and shall begin to finite his fellow seruants and to eate and drinke with the dronken The Lord of that seruant shall come in a daie that hee looketh not for and in an houre that hee knoweth not and shall separate him and giue him his parte with vnbeleeuers there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth This shall be the end of secure christians and contemptuous sinners carnall Atheists despisers of wholsome doctrine which haue no part but in this present life with endlesse and fearefull damnation in the world to come Thus much of the first parte the circumstance of time now let vs go to the thing which is the second parte of the occasion There was a famine in the land This was the chiefe cause which moued these persons to trauell the auoiding of the pinching penurie of fearefull death by lingering till the end of this pining famine Of all the punishments of sinne which happen in this life the●e is none more vehement than famine Therefore the Lord by the Prophet threatneth to send his arrowes of famine to breake the staffe of bread Where he alludeth to a maine battell signifying vnto vs first as the arrow is the fittest instrument to break the ranke so a famine is the sharpest weapon to dismaye the couragious stomackes of rebellious sinners For as the arrowe is alwaie in sight so a famine euer in sense the arrowe hurteth but not with a speedie death a famine spoileth yet with tedious miserie the arrowe entered doth procure more paine and greater wound at the pulling forth than the falling in euen so abundance of meate sooner dispatcheth a famished person than lingering hunger Therefore Dauid put to his choice of three plagues famine flying and pestilence chose the last as the most sodainest and therefore accompanied with lesse griefe for that disease by the rule of phisicke is most daungerous which is the longest in growing Now wee may reade of many famines in the Scripture one and the first we read of was in the dayes of Abraham another in the daies of Izhak his sonne Seuen yeeres famine was in Egypt where Ioseph by the hand of God succored the Church in his fathers familie And to omit that in Dauids time and that in Ahabs time with those in the dayes of Iehoram and Zidkia with many others VVee reade in the new Testament of a vniuersall famine in the dayes of Claudius Caesar prophesied by Agabus when the Church dyd most notably releeue one another Vnto the which wee may adde that at the destruction of Ierusalem about fortie yeeres after Christe All which are most worthie spectacles of humane miserie and worthy examples of God his iudgementes to terrifie all them which saie in theyr prosperitie they shall neuer be moued There wee may reade of the pittifull death of many thousands which starued in the streetes in the face of theyr dearest friendes and yet were not able to releeue them There wee may see howe men were driuen to eate dogges cats rats mice and horse

flesh but that which is most miserable the mothers to succour theyr stomackes and bodies with the slaughter and eating of their owne children VVhat heart of Adamant would not weepe yea rather bleede at the sight heereof And yet beholde a greater famine than all these Is it possible yea verily a famine of the worde of God when men shall goe from one sea to another and from the North to the East running to seeke the word of God shall not find it In that daie shall fall both the fayre virgins the young men which sweare by the idols of Schomron saie As thy God liueth O Dan and as the God of the waie of Beershebah liueth they shall fal neither shall they euer rise vp again Is not this greater than the famine of bread There was neuer famine so great but if liberty were giuē the famine was eased but in this they shall haue libertie to runne too and fro and shall not bee releeued There was neuer anie famine wherewith men were so hunger-starued but some recouered but in this sayeth the Lorde They that fall shall neuer rise agayne Oh that the open contemners of God his woorde woulde drinke but one droppe for a tast of these fearefull iudgementes I am perswaded that the heat of greedie sinne woulde bee so cooled in them that they shoulde recouer the health of their soules which will neuer bee tyll of open prophaners they become publike professours But of all these famines there is but one cause which is the abuse of the creatures of God for so the equitie of iustice requireth that in the same thing wherein they sinned they shoulde bee punished Like as the theese was bound for that which hee stole to restore foure folde Fulnesse of bread was one of the sinnes of Sodome and they vnderstoode not from whome they had it because they were vnmerciful to the poore and therefore abused it by vnthankfulnes And this is a worthie doctrine to bee vrged in our dayes wherein our abuse is greater than our want and yet our want is such as hath not beene heard of these many yeeres The couetous seller keepeth in his corne and draweth vppon himselfe the curse of the poore saying it is scantie it is scantie vvhen his garners are full Is not this to tell that the Lorde his hande is shortned when in deede it is lengthened Is not this to say thou openest thy hande and fillest vvith thy blessing euerie liuing thing Nay you plainely accuse the Lorde of illiberalitie Oh detestable crueltie vvho for to fat vp their owne posterityes vvyll murther the bodyes of manye thousandes of pouertie● yea this is more cruell than murther in the sight of God VVhy deale you not playnely and saie the Lorde hath giuen abundaunce yet your price must bee raysed so you shoulde speake truelye and excuse the liberalitie of the Lorde in accusing your owne couetous desires But oh vvretchednesse you wyll not laye the faulte vppon the guiltie you iustifie the couetous whome the Lorde abhorreth and condemne the innocent liberalitie of him vvho giueth to all freely and casteth none in the teeth Another sorte there are more viler than thase who of this great want vvhich if the Lorde suffer to indure vvyll turne to extreme famine yet they will spend more vpon one to make him dronke than vpon one dozen of poore folkes These are the tiplers alesellers dronkards the very caterpillers of our countrey who like the horse leache are euen sucking and neuer satisfied and these onely consume much that other should not be contented with it Of these both cities and countreyes are replenished and the magistrates suffer them with little or no punishment at all but if the poore preachers rebuke the folly their safety is indangered by this rauenous brood who are not ashamed to giue rayling yea threatning speeches And magistrates seruants are in greatest fault who are not onely partakers of this vnseasonable drinking but also deale priuatly with theyr ma●sters that those which are complained might escape vnpunished Thus are the poore vnrelieued the countrie vnprouided the people vnanswered the wicked vnpunished the commonwealth vnreformed the godly vncomforted and the iudgments of God haled downe vppon vs that we might be euerlastingly confounded There went a certaine man Now are we come to the persons that traueled which is the second part of this verse which we shewed you ended in the second verse they are first generally described in this verse and after specially by name in the next verses They are of two sorts first the parents Elimelech Naomi secōdly the children Mahlon and Chilion who are all described by the place from whence they went Bethlehem Iudah it is so called because there was another Bethlehem in the tribe of Zebulun and this is that Bethlehem which in Genesis is called Ephratha therefore these persons are in these two verses called Ephrathits of the place where afterward Christ was borne Then it is apparaunt by the booke of Iosuah that the tribe of Iudah had the fruitfullest posession in all the land of Canaan they were the greatest in number the wysest in pollicy the richest by inheritance yet we see when the scourge of God came the famine inuaded their countrie and crope into the wals of Bethlehem and made the wealthiest among them to flie yet this Elimelech which was as appeareth by his consanguinity of the princes of the whol tribe such is the vehemency of the Lords arrowes when he shooteth them abroad that if king Achab were in his chariot in the middest of his host yet one of them shall giue him a mortall wound The vse of this doctrine is to teach vs that if the Lord suffer his plague to continue he will strike downe the chosen men in Israel the chosen men in England yea the noblest among vs who thinke themselues in greatest securitie can he easily bring to greatest misery Therfore you whose heads the Lorde hath aduauncted ouer your brethren look to your calling for the voice of the Lord shaketh as well the ceders of Libauns as the little shrubs in the wildernes of Cades it is as easie with him to bind the nobles in chaines and the princes in linkes of yron as to raise vp the poore from the dunghill to the throne Did not his darknesse couer as well the court of Pharao as the countrie of Egypt Was not the first borne of the king destroyed as well as of the poore pesants of the dwellings of Ham Yea when the Israelites were carried captiue to Babylon theyr King had his children slaine before his face his owne eyes put out and after lead in a chaine neither was hee spared for his throne nor you for your dignitie and wealth Oh that you woulde therefore bee warned of your slipperie estate that you might auoide the heauy wrath of God when without respect of persons he shall iudge both quicke and

scatter the people so we may reade of Bahascha king of Israell and so Salomon prayed at the dedication of the temple when heauen shall be shut and thou giue no rayne bicause they haue sinned against thee c. where hee comprehendeth the chiefe capitall worldly punishementes of sinne as dearth and famine sword pestilence blindnes ignorance which are also the rewards of sin the vnseparable companions of all vnrighteousnes And what saith the Lord by the Prophet Cast frō you all your sins wherewithall you haue transgressed make you a new hart for why shuld you die oh you house of Israel as if hee had sayde either repent or else be damned for it is a fearefull thing to fall into the handes of the liuing God And may not wee thinke that all these thunderings out of God his iudgements among vs wil stirre vp some rain of punishments vpon vs. Are we not alreadie put into the wine presse to be brused vnder the hand of fearefull destruction How many plagues haue come vppon vs within these fewe yeeres Where is become the remembrance of the late enemies pretended inuasion The rumor whereof amazed the harts of our couragious champions which spend all their daies in pleasure Oh then they cryed if they might be deliuered they would a lot some time of their dayes to the seruice of the Lord Where is the remembrance of the late plague which was scattered almost in euerie place of the lande Oh then wee cryed vnto the Lord in our distresse and he deliuered vs out of all our miseries Oh that men woulde therefore confesse the Lord and declare the wonders hee doth for the children of men But what are we now amended Is the vngodly person turned from his vngodlynesse and not rather strengthned in his iniquitie They which were ignorant are ignorant still and many like Demas who seemed religious haue imbraced this present world As for the prophane both of poore and rich they haue made a league with death a couenant with the graue though a swoord come thorough the land yet saie they it shall not come at them And therefore who can without waterye eyes and bleeding heart tell this present plague of dearth and famine which we now most iustly endure and yet who knoweth how long it shall continue Now as the prophet sayth wee are gathered together and howle vppon our beds for corne and for newe wine that is for the bellye and for the throate but there is a greater leannes in the soule Now wee bite the stone which the Lord hath cast at vs but we looke not at the hand which did sende it and who thinketh it to bee a punishment of sinne that now raigneth among vs The papists say it is for one heresies the popishe atheists say that the world was best when the old religion was for then all things were cheape like the idolatrous Iewes which sayd vnto Ieremy that it was wel with them when they burntincense and made cakes to the host of heauen The russians say to the preachers as Achab said to Eliah Are not you the troublers of Israel when it is themselues and there fathers houses while they haue lefte the commaundement of God and followed their pleasures yea almost the whole Countrey is so vainely addicted that among those multitudes of preachers that are abroad there is not one that saythfully followeth his vocation but they are molested by the basest and contemned by the best So that wee may saye as our sauiour sayth we haue piped vnto you you haue not daunced we haue mourned and you haue not sorrowed yet wisedome is iustified of her children who are not ashamed to plead her cause in the gates of the cities before the face of her enimies the Lord increase the number of them Wee haue long retained the name of Christians that is the annoynted of the Lord and yet our lampes are empty and we deferre our dayes in slumber thinking our selues as good Christians as the best till we be vtterly excluded from the bridechamber we haue promised the Lorde oftentimes to worke in his vineyarde but yet who hath entered we are the vineyarde of the Lord and he hath dressed vs what fruite haue we brone vnto him we are the sheepe of Christ and yet we knowe not his voice as Rahel couered hir fathers idolls with sitting on them and with a lye so we that are the greatest sinners couer our iniquities with hipocrisy and dissembling Such pollution of sabbaothes as neuer was yea euen in this time of dearth and famine drinking and drunkennes dauncing and riot feasting and su●fetting chambering and wantonnes swearing foreswearing accompting gaine to bee godlines and godlines to be the burthen of the world with a thousand greater and more greueous calamities as if the bird could sing in the snare or as the fatted oxe that runneth wilfully to the slaughter Then beloued let vs looke about vs euen● now is the axe of God his iudgments laid to the root of euery mans heart and he is accursed that feareth it not euen now the Lord is knocking at the doore of our hearts and if euer let vs open vnto him that the king of glory may come in Euen these are the daies wherin iniquity hath gotten the vpper hand and the loue of many is waxen colde Therefore as the Angell warned the godly so must wee still come out from among them my people bee not partakers of their sinnes least you beare a parte of their plagues This is the haruest of the Lord oh let vs that be the Lords seruants gather out the wheat least it bee burned with the tares There is a holye conuocation to the Lord the Lords ministers found out the trūpet if we appeare not the earth will open hir mouth and reuenge our rebellion swallow vs vp aliue Let vs at the length say with the Iewes Come let vs turne vnto the Lord for he hath spoyled vs and he shall heale vs he hath smitten vs and he shall binde vs vp after two dayes he shall giue vs life and the third day he shall raise vs vp and we shall liue before him if with knowledge wee follow him to know the Lord his rising is like the morning and he shal come vppon vs like raine in a drought both the first and the latter raine vpon the earth Let not our righteousnes bee as the deaw before the sunne rising but put on the Lord Iesus Christ and let none call vppon him but such as departe from iniquity Secondly by this we gather that the Lord is as true in his iudgments as in his mercyes for hee threatened by Moses saying if you forsake me fal to worship strange Gods as nowe they did then your heauen shall bee as brasse and your earth as iron and your raine like dust til they were consumed from the face