of such impious infidelity What stayeth the Lord from comming to iudgement but the faithfull and elect company what keepeth you in your possessions reuennews and lands but the poore Saincts of God who are hardly admitted to the tables of your seruants who prayeth for the increase of your wealth the prosperitie of your liues the feeding of your bodies and the continuance of your honour but these despised persons who haue entered a couenaunt for your dayly welfare with the king of heauen and earth They are the flocke for whose sake you haue your wooll to clothe you and your milke to feede you they are the bees for whose sake you enioy the hony for your delight and the hony combe for the pleasure of your meate they are the birds which haue builded vp your pallaces and houses of rest for the defense of your weakenesse they are the oxen that bring your corne to your barnes and your store into your garners they are the beasts that beare you out of the daungers in safetye and deliuer your liues from trouble Finally there is not a vsurer but he hath his money for theyr sake there is not a Gentleman but hee hath his landes for theyr sake there is not a Prince but hee hath his Crowne for theyr sake there is not a rich man but hee hath his wealth for theyr sake there is not a Minister but hee preacheth for theyr sake and there shoulde be no peace prosperitye or plentye if it were not for them for the Angels are theyr seruaunts the earth is theyr mayntenaunce and heauen is theyr inheritaunce Be assured therefore beloued if righteous Lot goe out of Sodome or godly Noah into his Arke then fire will fall from heauen and the depthes will open theyr fountaynes of water to burne and destroy the world euen so if the Lord take away the righteous from among vs then euen then presently shall follow the destruction of our countrey the consuming of our kingdome the confusion of the world and the condemning of the reprobate and therefore let vs make much of them in whome we see any hope of religion for they are the right heyres of the world and you that haue their lands are but ouerseers of their fathers testaments and therefore shall giue an accompt of your possessions to them when they come to age and be answerable for euery farthing which you spent not vpon them Secondly another cause of the genealogies or recitall of generations in the Scriptures is for the Chronologies or noting of seuerall times wherein euery worthie thing was done and how the world grewe in yeares and the mercy of God in sparing the wicked liues of so many godlesse men and choosing but one family among all the world with whome hee would establish his couenaunt for this cause in the genealogie of Adam we reade how long he and euerie one of his children liued to shew how long the Lord suffered the wicked before he brought the floud and in what age of the world the same ouerflowed which by the genealogies there set downe appeareth to be in the yeare of the world one thousand sixe hundred fiftie and sixe when Noah was sixe hundred yeares old Againe we reade in the genealogie of Sem by the supputation of the yeares therein mentioned how long after the floud Abraham was called from his countrey and receyued the couenaunt of promise concerning the incarnation of Iesus Christ and the saluation of the world The same may be sayd of the often repetition of the age of Abraham as at his calling at the time of his circumcision at the birth of Izaak and at his death which giueth a great light to euery part of the scripture for thereby the occasions of many excellent histories are taken the darkest places are opened the faithfull are confirmed and the Church of God instructed of her age of her continuance of her members and of her condition which is subiect to many often changes Sometimes her glory is greater as in the first age sometime lesser as in Abrahams time sometime afflicted as the estate of Iacob in Egipt and all his children testifieth sometimes without any knowne and publique ministery or offices as till Aarons dayes sometime without any ciuill or politique gouernement as in the time of all the Patriarks sometime without peace in persecution as in the time of the Iudges wherein these persons heere named liued and sometime in most flourishing estate as vnder Dauid Salomon Asa Iosiah and such like By the which we gather that it neuer standeth in one stay but either increaseth or decreaseth ebbeth or floweth riseth or falleth waxeth or waineth therefore heerein lyeth the great comfort of the godly euen in these troublesome dayes but yet the best that euer are to be looked for in this earth wherein they see the auncient to depart and new men in theyr roome one generation commeth and another goeth iniquitie aduaunced coldnes in religion embraced dissimulation and hipocrisie maintained warres and persecution threatned to the Gospell schismes defended errors inuented the world blinded the truth declined godlines defaced and the Church of God disquieted with a thousand greater calamities this all the fathers suffered before vs and this we their children must also abide onely heerein let vs reioyse that we shall be accompted worthy to suffer for Christ and that our names are written in the kingdome of heauen Thirdly and lastly the especiall cause of this genealogie and of all the fathers and children of Abraham in one kindred was for to shew the naturall discent of Christ from Adam and so foorth vnto the virgin Mary for seeing he was to be incarnated it behoued that his parentage should be described from the beginning of the world for this cause Luke the Euangelist gathered togither the seuerall descriptions of all the genealogies pertaining to Christ throughout all the whole scripture as a necessary ground of the Gospell to declare the kindred of our Sauiour from the beginning of the world whereof these persons mentioned in this place are a part from whence he tooke them into his number Now least any man should thinke that the birth of Christ should be obscure and the taking vpon him the flesh of mankinde should be incertaine as well to conuince all errours that arose about his humanitie as to testifie the nobilitie of his birth and worthines of his parentage the persons of whome he descended are in many bookes of the scripture seuerally named and not without great commendation For this family of Christ had many and speciall blessings which were the armes of the same by which it was distinguished from all other In Adam it had this promise that the seede of the woman should breake the serpents head meaning that Christ which should be borne of a woman should ouercome the force of the deuill In Noah it had this promise that the couenaunt of God should be established with him and his seede meaning
cōfession of folly for al their light of lerning they groped in a Cimmerian darknes being shadowed with ignorance like the Countrie Odessae in Greece which by reason of mightie hils therto adioyning neuer felt the beames of the Sun The fourth head or fountaine of vngodlinesse is called Samaritanisme of the Samarians which mingled themselues with the profession of the Iewes and receiued some parte of the Bible yet like the Anabaptistes of our daies without any difference or conscience kept companie with Iewes and Gentiles Of these came many accursed sects from whom sprang many detestable opinions and thus the world laboured with damnable deuises while the Deuill laughed at their dayly destruction whereby this is euident that Philosophie or Paganisme is the corruption of our Religion But some peraduenture will obiect vnto me that they had very excellent and worthie men who Crowned their Countrie and kindred with endlesse memorie Mutius left his right hand on the Altar Empedocles willingly cast himselfe into the burning flames of the mountaine Aetna one of the builders of Carthage to auoide a second marriage cast her selfe into the burning graue Regulus being freed from the Carthaginians chused rather to suffer death himselfe in most cruel torments then to discharge their prisoners at Rome Menocaeus seeing his Cittie of the Thebes besieged by the Grecians which they threatned to destroie except one of them would giue himselfe for all did ascend to the wall of the Citie and there pearcing his body with a sword fell downe dead among his enemies wherewith they contented departed Alcestis the wife of Perilaus seeing as she supposed the fiendes come for her husband who lay sicke slew her selfe bidding them to take her shaddow and spare her husbands life To speake nothing of Lucretia Dyrachia Aria Cyane and many others only let this suffice Eleates being asked of Dionisius the tyraunt what was better then Philosophie answered death whereupon hee was commaunded to be scourged to death which for the defence of his speach and contempt of death he most patiently endured Yet Tertullian a Christian father speaking of such like actions hath these wordes O lawfull commendation because humaine to whome neither wilfull presumption nor desperate perswasion is imputed to whome it is permitted to die in contempt of death and all manner of crueltie to whome is giuen more libertie to suffer for his countrie kingdome or friends then for God Who is hee that cannot with one eye espie the meaning of this father Improuing this kinde of death as presumption or desperation which may neuer haue any harbour in the hearts of the faithfull what shall wee then say of all these worthie persons Surely whatsoeuer is not of faith is sinne and without faith it is impossible to please God We must not regard what man doth but what God commaundeth as the Emperour Constantine once said it is not death but the cause of death that deserueth commendation as Agesilaus the best Grecian Prince that euer was was wont to say The purest Adamant is not worne with yron nor wasted with fire yet a little Goates bloud will consume it euen so if one man could suffer al the tryals in the world and abide many thousand deathes by fire and torture yet it shall no whit profit him except the bloud of Iesus Christ loose the fetters of sin and breake the chaines of the Deuill now the mercies of God in Christ are not communicated to any but to such as know them and who can know them without the word of God This is the fountaine of water of life and all other are but poysoned puddles stinking more filthyly in the presence of God then the Lake of Camarina in the nostrels of men They reporte that in Sycilia there are two springs whereof one will make a fruitfull woman barren the other a barren woman fruitfull if this were so I thinke all the world would haue recourse vnto it Yet in this word of God there is a greater commoditie declared vnto vs for here wee learne the true cause of barrennesse which being knowne the disease is the more easily remoued here wee learne the meanes whereby it is cured as in Rebecca Annah Elizabeth and others which might as easily bee practised as true Religion vnfainedly professed Moreouer they tell vs that in Epirus at the foote of the hill Tomarus there is a holy Well which of it selfe will kindle a Torch being put vnto it quench it being brought burning therto graunt this to be true it will represent vnto vs the nature of this holy Wel the word of God which with the water of our Baptisme doth fire our hearts by the holy Ghost but comming vnto it burning in the heate of our owne lust quencheth the flame of our owne concupiscence Also wee finde in Varro that there are two streames in Boeotia whereof if sheepe drinke the one burneth their coulour in Russet and the other maketh them while againe if this be possible as al things are possible to the creatour of the world what maruaile though we are regenerated not new couloured by the immortall seede of his heauenly word Which are his sheepe and the corruptions of our nature so washed in the same that our garments of righteousnesse are as white as snow in his presence Solinus telleth that at the Cittie Debris among the Garamantes there is a spring which at the rysing of the sunne congealeth to Yce but at the setting thereof resolueth to water againe which is contrarie to all the world beside freezing with heate and thawing with colde yet we may make this vse thereof that it is no wonder to see our heauenly Well to worke these contraries to be the sauour of life vnto life or else the sauour of death vnto death that vnto some it is a two edged sword to giue them mortall wounds vnto other a broad Target to defend them from danger that it wrought so effectually in the daies of persecution when it was oppressed in darkenesse but now freezeth and hardneth in these daies of peace when the sunne of prosperitie shineth to all Surely as the Albeste stone once set on fire can neuer be quenched so if we could but once burn in loue vnfainedly with the Gospel our profession should not be so luke warme nor our deuotiō so smal in the cause of religiō And thus I haue bene bold with your Ho. to proue my first assertion wherein if I haue beene too long let me craue pardon and I will promise greater breuitie in my seconde proposition which is this that Poperie is a confusion of Heathenisme Heresie and Christianitie And that I may methodically proceede I will begin at their highest degree and so in order lightly touch so many things as may certifie your Ho. of the truth of their Religion Numa appointed one to bee a high Priest at whose iudgement all temporall and spirituall thinges were administred the same is retained in the Church of Rome for the Pope
vs from heresie but also a salue or remedie if wee haue been poysoned by falshoode The sting of the Scorpion is cured by applying the Achates stone the grasse Alimos preserueth the famished person from death The Baare hauing eaten Mandragora saueth his life by the little Emmet and the poyson of the Chamelaeon is expelled by a Baye leafe euen so the word of God cureth the heresies of Poperie which are compared to the stinging of the Scorpions in the Scriptures it is the fruite of the tree of life and whosoeuer eateth and disgesteth in shall neuer die it is a preseruatiue against all poyson and the leaues thereof shall cure the nations By this alone the Lord hath wrought the calling of his children the confusion of his enemies the comfort of his Saintes and the replenishing of his kingdome All the Kings of the earth haue beene in armes against it yet the ministers thereof who neuer bore armes against them by their onely preaching haue wonne a glorious fielde All Egypt coulde not resist Moses and Aaron because they came on the Lordes message no more shall all the world ouercome the preachers of peace so long as they faithfully performe their heauenly Ambassage Wordes haue wrought more then weapons the spirite hath pearced more then the Speare the wals of Paper and the ordinaunce of Fathers haue battered downe the stately kingdome of the whoore of Babilon learning hath done better seruice then Launces Gownes haue conquered moe then Gunnes Bookes haue done more good then Bullets and the prayers of the faithfull haue preuailed more then the Pikes of horsemen the stone which the builders refused is become the head of the corner this is the Lordes doing it is maruailous in our eyes the bloude of the dead Martyrs hath giuē greater wounds in this quarrell then the swords of the liuing souldiours But thus I haue too long troubled your Hon. with that which you knewe before and haue presumed on your fauour for the acceptation of these my slender labours vpon one parte of Scripture the booke of Ruth which as the holy Ghost hath vouchsafed to call by the name of a woman to the praise of the whole sexe and euerlasting commendation of her Religion so am I emboldned to Dedicate it to so Honourable a Lady as your selfe whome I know to be a Ruth by Religion though a Noble woman by birth For many witnesses can testifie this also if I should be silent and the ordinarie exercises at Seuenoke will sound your name because your presence and diligence at them hath stirred vp manye meaner persons comforted some godly people thereabout and much euery way countenanced and encouraged the preachers of the same There are many causes which might compell me though vnwilling to commit my labours to the Presse yet willingly to present them to the world vnder the name of your Honour For I am assured of the acceptation of any small thing that shall bee offered in the name of Religion much more of this which comprehendeth the recompence and rewarde of our profession Your Honour knoweth that better is it to see the smoke of ones owne Countrie then the fire of another so I trust my slender studies which are but as smoke being compared with the burning coales of others knowledge such as dayly you heare shall be the better accepted because there I had my being where your Honour hath your dwelling Also I am hereunto moued that I might haue any occasion to testifie my bounden dutie which I owe vnto that Noble and worthie Gentleman Sir Henrie Leonard your Sonne of whome I haue receiued especiall encouragementes in the course of my studies and to whom I must remaine a debtour to the ende of my dayes being no wayes able to recompence his wonted kindnesse but onely by this daylye to praye for the life and prosperitie that hee may be as the heyre of your Honour so an ornament of the Noble house of the Dacres And the God of all peace blesse your owne person with such blessings as you daylye desire that you may still liue to the comfort of the godlye in this present life to the enlarging of your owne Honour to the reioysing of your whole family and to the endlesse saluation of your owne soule with Iesus Christ the Sauiour of all them which haue vnfainedly embraced true religion London this first of October 1596. Your Honours to command in the Lord. Edward Topsell To all them that haue vnfainedly embraced true Religion DEarely beloued in Christe when I consider that comfortable Oracle of the Apostle when he saith that godlinesse hath the promises of this life and of the life to come it commeth into my mind that religion is none of the meanest professions that is laboured for in the worlde for the greatest rewardes are promised to the chiefest exploytes and the worthiest enterprises are Crowned with glorious benefits Ioseph for his wisedome was made the gouernour of Egypt Othniel for his seruice receiued Aisah the daughter of Caleb for his wife Iiphtah for his victorie was made iudge of Israel and Dauid for his Musicke was made one of the Courtiers of Saul In so much as it seemeth an ordinarie practise that euerie knowledge is rewarded with some curtesie whereby wee are certified that it is no maruaile to heare hope for so excellent blessings as are promised to the Religious For they are the house of the Lorde and as hee dwelleth with all maiestie in heauen so he raigneth with all Authoritie in the righteous they are a chosen generation borne of God a Royall and holy priesthood a holy nation a peculiar people the free men of Christ the inheritours of the earth the iudges of the worlde the coheires of Christes kingdome and the Cittizens of heauen If wee looke for their Nobilitie they are the Sonnes of God if for their instruction they are taught of God if for their tuition the heauenly Angels are their seruants if for their degrees they are kings and priestes for the eternal God if for their calling they are Saintes if for their life it is heauenly if for their wealth it is the whole worlde and finally their death is the birth day of all felicitie For this cause Dauid desired rather to bee a doore-keeper in the house of God then a dweller in the stately tents of the wicked as if the meanest condition among the professors of Religion were more excellent then the chiefest estates among the worldlings their Crosses excell the others Crownes their barrenesse the others fruitfulnesse their humilitie the others honour their ignorance the others knowledge their simplicitie the others wisedome their weakenesse the others strength and a little thing that the righteous hath is better then the great possessions of the vngodly When there is famine they are satisfied when ther is warre they are deliuered when there is plague they are without daunger if fire fall from heauen it shall not burne them if the waters arise aboue
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 waâ—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 theâ—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
dead Let not the lots of your inheritance deceiue you though their soile bee as fruitfull as this of Iudah and your possessions neuer so great he that in one night destroyed all the fruites of Egypt can also in one houre blast your corne with deawes consume your possession with drought for a fruitful land maketh he barren for the wickednes of them that dwell therein Secondly we note out of these wordes when he tooke his wife and children with him an example of a religious father and a louing husband he might if hee had consulted with flesh and bloud done like our husbands in these dayes which had rather in their wandering shifte about for themselues and leaue wife and children in a sea of troubles to sinke or swimme to some doubtfull releefe But the godly in old time knew that their wiues and children were as themselues and as they were carefull to cherish their owne bodyes so they were mindfull to nourish their owne families This the Lorde at the first mariage that euer was comaunded that for a mans wife he should forsake father and mother and they two shall be one flesh as if hee had sayd parents must not hinder fellowship of wedlocke much lesse pouertye or temporall wants as the barke is ioyned to the tree the fleshe to the bone if one be without the other they both perish so must husband and wife liue and loue togither vnlesse they will be the slaughter slaues of their owne destruction We read of this practise in the scripture when Abraham by reason of a famine went downe into Egypt hee tooke Sara his wife with him when I shak by reason of a famine wēt to Abimelech the king of Gerar he took Rebecea his wife with him How do we read of Iacob how twise he sent into Egipt for al his family the third time hee went down with all his household his sonne Ioseph fed him fiue yeares of famine yea the Apostle sayth that he is worse then an infidel that prouideth not for his own family and Christ going from his disciples asked them if they had wanted any thing and they answered nothing Against this pointe of doctrine there are manye that offend some that are married by their couetous parents who respect nothing but wealth are so matched as if a vine were planted in the flowing of the sea which prospereth best whē the water is lowest euen so these are in sweetest fellowship when one is a thousand miles frō the other Others there are which in theyr marryages please nothing but their eies which as old persons cannot see without spectacles so they cannot find wiues without the spectacle of bewty and these loue as long as bewty eudureth which is till they be sicke for sicknes is the cutthrote of beauty Some take wiues and husbands as fooles find pearles for as they cannot discerne them pebles so these are ignorant of all kind of dutie towards one another From hence proceedeth all the adulteries which are dayly committed here ariseth the fountaine of strife contention debate ielousie also the vnhappy blows which many giue to their wiues hence it cōmeth that so many gentlemen and others are seldome at home but eyther beyond the sea in warres or in trauaile which in their vnmaried estate wanted nothing but vviues but novv being maried vvant all things but vviues Hence it commeth that they termed them by the odious titles of crosses plagues troubles and also as I haue heard some say the causes of their vndoing vvheras they may as vvell accuse the eye of his blindnes as their vviues of their own wilfull miserie and to conclude there is not one breach of loue or kindnes betweene them but it springeth from these corruptions which then were sowed when they intended their mariage But oh beloued let not the godly be drawen away with the crooked conuersation of these contentious persons but let thē be armed vvith the forenamed examples of godly vnitie that as their troubled daies were eased in the ioy of their ovvne loue so let our miseries be releeued which you suffer in wedlock with your comfortable agreement in christian societie for so saith Salomon Let thy fountain be blessed and reioyce with the wise of thy youth and thus much of this second doctrine Thirdly by this we may note that the godly are oppressed vvhen the vvicked haue abundance heere vve see the Israelites vvhich vvere the Church of God had a famine but the Moabits to vvhom this man descended being a cursed generation incestuous gentiles had plentie abundance for els Elimelech vvould not haue gone thither to be relieued This may seeme a strāge thing that the godly shuld be oppressed with famine when worldlings heathens shall wallow in their wealth Of these Dauid speaketh I haue seene the wicked strong spreading himselfe like a bay tree And in another place They are inclosed in their owne fat And againe he saith They haue their portion in this life whose bellies thou fillest with thy hid treasure their children haue inough leaue the rest of their substance to their children And in another place there are on bands in their death but they are lusty strōg they are not in trouble like other men and a litle after these are the wicked yet prosper they always increase in riches The very like you may heare in Iob in the prophet Ieremy But of the rightous he saith often crieth out of their afflictions their sorrowes nakednes their hūger misery all the day long are they appointed as sheepe to the slaughter yea our sauiour Christ pronounceth himself in his members poore hungry naked harborles thristy and imprisoned the foxes haue holes and the birds of the aire haue nests but the sonne of man hath not where to rest his head And the authour of the epistle to the Hebrues sayth of the godly Some are stoned some cut asunder some slaine with the sworde some wandering abroad in goats skinnes and sheepe skinnes destitute oppressed euill entreated of whom the world was not worthy wandering in deserts in the mountaines in dennes and caues of the earth Iudge now I beseech you betweene the outward estate of the godly and the wicked are they not contrarie That which of the world is condemned is of the Lorde commended yet I beseech you my brethren be not terrified from godlynes but rather strengthened in your profession Then will you say tel vs the cause of all this inequality Our sauiour answereth it very wel You are not sayth he of the world if you were of the world the world would loue his owne and Dauid saith that their portion is onely in this life but Christ sayth our reward shall bee great in heauen and againe you shall weepe and lament but the worlde shall reioyse but your sorrowe shalbe turned to ioy like a woman that reioyseth
Boaz The words do easily deuide themselues into two parts the first respecteth Boaz the other Ruth The first parte concerning Boaz is that which he did after his worke and before his sleepe verse 7. that he eate and dranke and made his hearte merrye and laye downe beside his corne For that hee did after his sleepe verse 8. first hee feared when hee felte a woman at his feete and secondly hee asketh who shee was After he knewe her hee blessed her verse 10. Secondlye hee comforteth her verse 11. In these wordes feare not my daughter His comforte hath 2. partes first his confession that hee was her kinsman verse 12. Secondly the counsell hee giueth to her verse 13 to tarrie vntill the morning and then he would try her other kinsman if he refused Boaz promiseth by oath to the confirme hir right and do her kinsmans duety and therefore biddeth her to sleepe vntill the morning The second parte which concerneth Ruth is her behauiour after shee came to the place appointed and hath these two branches first that which shee did alone verse 7. That shee came and laye downe at his feete secondlye that which shee did with Boaz first she telleth him her name when shee perceaued the man was afraid secondly she sheweth him her petition desiring him to spreade the wing of his garmente ouer her verse 9. Of these partes let vs speake in order as they lye by the asistance of the spirit of God and permission of the time And when Boaz These wordes concerne Boaz and that which hee did after his worke the daye being ended and his bodye being wearied hee went to his meate eating and drinking refreshing his stomacke and cheering his hearte with those blessings of God which he had presente afterwardes getting him to his lodging at the ende of his corne in sted of a softer bed harboureth vppon the straw Out of the which we obserue these thinges First the blessing of God vppon his creatures that are moderatelye taken for it is saide that hee cheared his hearte after his eating and drinking his bodye was not onely nourished his hunger abated and his stomacke filled but also his hearte was cheered thereby as if the holye Ghost had saide Heere is my blessing vppon meate that is moderatelye receiued that the powers of the soule are refreshed by it therefore wee reade in the preacher that a whole lande is blessed by the moderate receiuing of these benefites in eating and drinking The experience whereof is plainelye proued euerye daye among vs. For what is the fruite of this immoderate deuouring the benefites of God but as Salomon sayth the eyes wounds without cause quarrels and contentions to the woe of manye wherein they that reioyce are voyd of all reason which ought to bee the grounde of all our mirthe but like beastes some from feedinge to sleeping conueye themselues other from eating to gaming turne their bodyes delighting in nought but vanitye being as farre from this cheerefullnes of hearte by their meate and nourishement as Nabal was after his feaste when one worde of Dauids anger stroke his hearte dead But this Boaz was heere alone and none beside him and yet you see that in his solitarye barne voide of companyons hee made himselfe merrye with the fellowshippe of the blessing of God vppon his meate Euen so assuredlye if the handes of many could guide their mouthes their mouthes rule their appetites and both were gouerned with the spirite of God that they receiued for strength to nourishe their weakenes not for gluttony to stuffe vp their stomackes they shoulde with greater comforte sit downe to their meales and exceeding ioyfullye rise vp againe But since our mindes haue as manye deuises as our stomackes receiue morsels wee eate and yet wee are not satisfied wee drinke and yet wee are not merrye but ouercome with the good creatures of God wee seeke after idle songes vaine iesting and vnprofitable fables of falsehood and forged conceiptes in vngodly bookes which drowneth our spiritual ioy and plungeth our mindes in the gulfe of worldly mirth and woefull misery Then let vs learne the wisdome of Christ and looke for ioye which standeth not in laughter but in the inward comfort of the assurance of the spirite being persuaded wee feed in y e presence of God we may haue Christ at our temporall and worldly meales that wee may eate and drinke with him in his euerlasting kingdome Secondly by this wee obserue that our meate after our labours is much more ioyfull to our harts and profitable to our bodyes then if it bee receiued in an idle life for Boaz had wrought hard all this daye and the reward of his labour is the worke of his meate which in the end of all maketh his hart merry In consideration whereof the Lord inflicted this as a punnishment vppon mankind that their meate shoulde be vnprofitable vnlesse it were eaten in the sweate of our browes for as sleepe to a man that hath long watched so is meate to a man that hath long laboured as the coursing of the Hart maketh him to breath for the water springs so labour causeth men to hunger more vehemently to eate more liberally and disgest more effectually their desired morsels We read of Ionothan the sonne of king Saul when he had wearied himselfe in the slaughter of y e Philistines being very hungry did but dippe the toppe of this batte in a hony combe and putting it to his mouth his eyes receiued sight so acceptable are the crummes and drops to them that labour that they restore the life power of the body and for this cause the greatest persons in the first and purest age when the life of man was many hundred years were not exempted from bodily labour On the other side as Salomon saith they which sit long at wine and seeke after strong drinke meanning those which with idlenes followe their bellyes are most noysome to the worlde vnwholesome to themselues and woful for euer for their end will bee as the byting of a serpente and the stinging of a cockatrice teaching vs that labouring mens morsels are most sweet if we should ioyfully recreate our selues in the benefites of God wee must diligentlye prepare our stomackes in some honest trauailes that the basest fare may be acceptable meate vnto vs for the health of the body is preserued by labour as the planted corne by the diligence of the husbandman for hee which tilleth the earth is satisfied with breade but idlenes is nearest kinsman to madens Against this wee haue often spoken heeretofore and let this suffise for this time Thirdly we must note what manner of mirth or cheerfulnes was this of Boaz it could not be in talking for hee was alone nor yet in iesting for the former reason nor yet was it outward in singing for it is saide his heart was cheerefull as if there were a mirth that were not outwarde And truely
in not redeeming the inheritance before this day that his couetousnes was so great that he had forgot the very lawe of God and finally he might haue called vpon the Magistrates for some punishment to be inflicted on him for his disobedience to the lawe of God and neglect of his duetie towarde Naomi But he doeth none of these but soberly in the presence of the elders hee turneth his gentle speech to the partye and hauing propounded the matter requireth a present answere Whereby wee are admonished that with the like charitie wee handle our neighbours if wee haue them at any aduantage for this is that meekenes that causeth to inherit the earth for thereby we follow Christ with whome we shall find rest for our soules for loue dealeth not churlishly it seeketh not his owne it is not bitter it thinketh no euill Therefore as Paule intreated the Ephesians so must I intreate you that we so walke as is worthy our vocation vnto the which we are called in all modestie meekenes and gentlenes of minde bearing with one another through charitie Oh how vngodly are these clamorous accusations among vs for which many lye in wayte that they might haue any cause to draw their bretheren as it were starke naked into the presence of the magistrates that is with most impudent and shamelesse vntruthes to charge and examine them vpon their owne suspitions neuer thinking on the iniuries they offer vnto them or looking for the same measure againe at the hands of other Some there arâ— also which for euery trifling farthing will call their neighbors before the Magistrate delighting in their owne iniuries the troubles of their friends the disquietnes of the Magistrates and the abuse of the lawe whose impatient constitution calleth for vengeance at the hands of the Lord and the curse of the land is gone out against them nothing is wanting but that the braunches of their vnquiet spirits should be pruned by the sword of iustice by them to whome they make their complaints Secondly by this example of Boaz we gather that the onely cause of bringing suites before the elders and magistrates was the peace and quietnes of the people not for the kindling but the quenching of contention before it arose that the dayly brawling rayling chiding and quarrelling might be preuented by the wisedome of the Magistrates for as the Philistines tooke away all the armour from the Israelites to keepe them from rebellion so Magistrates hearing of causes with seueritie and iustice should take away the instruments of oppressions and the weapons of contentious persons from the common wealth Thirdly by this also we gather the diuersitie of proceeding in iudiciall causes in these dayes and the times past Then men in their owne persons did pleade in iudgement their owne causes but now others make gaine of it then suites were not so tedious as now they are then men sought not out such sliding shifts to couer their falsehood but they did as Boaz and his kinseman doeth the one simply propounded his griefe and the other gently answered his question for so should euery one vtter the truth indifferently both to their benefit and damage then the world was not troubled with writs fees or counsellors but euery man brought his cause and his witnes so the iniury was quickly confessed easily tried and speedily remedied finally we retaine almost nothing of the auncient manners in this point but only the bare and outward names By the which we are admonished of humane misery for as the world groweth the troubles thereof are increased in the first age they had no warres in the second age they had no certaine dwellings in the third age they had no chargeable suits in the fourth age they had no quietnes and euer since warres haue multiplied bloud one countrey caried to another mens lawfull inheritances are taken by violence the Church is spoyled of her libertie the world of her peace our bodies of their health our goods of their continuance our names of their credit our corne of increase our lands of their fruits and all our liues of their naturall benefites Our Sauiour shewed vs that before the end the loue of many should waxe cold but surely it is not onely cold but frozen in our lamentable age the Apostle hath shewed vs that men should be louers of themselues and louers of pleasures more then God when shall these dayes be if they be not now may we not see that euery man raketh for his profite as the Eagle raueneth for her pray if they may get house or land leases or farmes goodes or carrels money or meate apparell or ease they care not though all other lye harborles in the fields naked in the streetes and pining in their weary and dayly labours Doeth not now the Gentleman make more accompt of his worship then the worship of God the Merchant of his profit then of Iesus Christ the husbandman of his fruits then of the feare of the Lord the labourer of his wages then the wealth of his soule the begger of his almes then of vnfained deuotion euery craftesman of his trade more then of true religion when shall the day of vengeance come for the Church of God trauaileth with child of these miseries and euery day is a thousand till she be deliuered surely the day cannot be long before the small remedy appeare But Boaz. said After he had entred with the land and the other had graunted to redeeme it he proceedeth also to the second part of his speech telling him if he redeeme it he must redeeme it at the hand of Ruth the Moabitesse the wife of the dead with whome he must marry to rayse vp the name of the dead vpon his inheritance This law for a man to marry with the widdow of his deceased brother as it is commaunded by the Lord so it had a speciall regard to many things first for the continuance of the first borne in euery family who were the Lords by the law signifying thereby that Christ the first borne of the almightie should remayne with all his Church like the first borne of this world and be the heyres of grace for euer and euer And as he would not suffer any family to want a first borne because it was the Lords so not one of the faithfull can be lost because they are the Lords Secondly because it was an image of the resurrection for as a man being dead without issue his brother taketh his wife begetteth a sonne which shall be called the sonne of the deceased and he which is dead shall liue in him in as much as his name is reuiued euen so the body layd dead in the graue shall be reuiued at the last day by the powerfull working of the almighty for as the first is wonderfull so the second is admirable Thirdly by this lawe of subrogation is signified the great care which the Lord had for the temporall augmenting of euery family among the Israelites
nothing for his paynes euen so all they whatsoeuer they be which haue married of their owne brayne without respect to the law of God can neuer haue or craue any blessing of the Lord vpon themselues or their posterity Oh fearefull consideration worthy to be considered of all them which vnaduisedly go about to marry for a wild tree bringeth foorth sowre fruite and wicked parents which haue no regard of holinesse in their mariages do seldome bring any wholesome fruite to the Lord. But some will say how shall we knowe how or in what sort to behaue our selues that before wee marry wee might ayme at nothing beside the commaundement of God Hearken a little and I will briefely instruct you out of the word of God First of all the care of those that will be maried must be for the onely blessing of God which is the very finall cause of this institution Therefore after the floud the Lord in the restoring all things amongst other confirming marriage Moses sayth And he blessed Noah and his sonnes and sayde Increase and multiplye so that they which looke for any increase or fruite of their marriage must first of all be assured that the Lord hath blessed them But how shall we obtayne this blessing of God I aunswere by diligent reading of his word and by prayer Dauid asking this question wherewithall a young man shall cleanse his way and then he aunswereth himselfe and sayth euen by taking heed vnto thy word And Paule sayth that the vnmaryed care for the things that please the Lord as if he had sayd they must remayne vnmaryed for no other cause but that they might the more freely giue themselues to the seruice of God If a man want faith he may obtayne it by prayer and if he want the blessing of God vpon his mariage which is a lesse thing then faith may hee not obtayne it by prayer Izaac hauing beene maryed twentye yeares yet was without children and then hee prayed for issue and the Lord gaue him two at one time and may not prayer obtayne this for the vnmaried as well as for the maryed yes verily if eyther woulde take the paynes to vse it But oh who are they that euer in their liues once offred of theyr prayers to God to blesse them with wiues or husbands that is that they might be so marryed as the name of God might be glorifyed by them Nay what young man or woman among a thousand in these dayes that is delighted with eyther prayer or preaching but rather affect nothing but libertie pleasure and pastime they neuer thinke of any neede they stand of these thinges but rather imagine that theyr youthfull dayes and yeares must bee consumed in riotous sports and wanton wandrings so that most men and maydens come by their wiues and husbands at feastings and dauncing by dallying and playing chosen by outward apparell not inward and secret vertues which are wonne with vanitie kept with pride and forsakē to the destruction of wiues and husbands therefore first seeke the kingdome of God and the righteousnes thereof and all other things shall be cast vpon you Secondly the intention of them that marry for the commaundement of God is that thereby they might liue more soberly in their seuerall vocations for as the wanton oxe is brideled in the yoke so vnruled youth is gouerned by mariage for if we regard the minde of them that marry it is stayed vpon one if the company of the body it is bound to one if life it can not be solitary if wealth it must not be possessed alone Therefore Peter said husbands dwell with your wiues like men of knowledge as if he had sayd in your vnmaried time you were wanderers but now you are maried you are dwellers in your vnmaried age you were inconstant but now you are maried you are as vnmoueable as a house when you were single you were ignorant but now you be married be men of knowledge and finally when you were young you were troubled with the desire of many but now you are maried you are comforted with the loue of one and as a man without a dwelling place so is the vnmaried without a companion Such is the commoditie of mariage if it be duely considered and each party rightly instructed that it is as sleepe to a weary man as wine to the thirstie as a house to the harbourlesse and as a garment against winter and therefore is it compared to the felowship of Christ with his Church How then commeth it to passe that men liue more riotously being maried then when they are vnmaried for they amend nothing but thinke all things as lawfull for them then as it was before their houses without their presence their wiues without their company their families without their gouernment so that you shall see married persons wandring abroad as if they were vnmaried disporting themselues as shamefully and as loosely as any in the world not liuing in sobriety and modesty like the turtle doue but in gaming and daunsing like the wanton goate these partyes neuer marryed for the commaundement of God but some rash desire possessed theyr mindes and a little youthfull lust tickled theyr fancies much like the sauour of iuniper which continueth but a little while Other are so farre from this point to marry that they might liue more soberly that they make their mariages the couer of their dishonesty making the world beleeue they liue in perfect chastity because they are maried but priuily they giue themselues to most filthy adulteryes but the Apostle sayth mariage is honourable but adulterers God will iudge that is will vtterly condemne and if their behauiours were well examined you should finde this the cause that their houses cannot hold them the filthinesse of these partyes is condemned by the very bruite beasts and shall be punished by the seueare iudgement of God for they which make the members of Christ the members of harlots shall be with harlots the members of the deuill therefore marry for modesty not for filthinesse that your vngouerned age may be brideled with the consideration of your present estate your wearyed dayes may be quieted in the bed of godly holy and honourable mariage Thirdly they which marry for obedience vnto God must onely minde godly and not wealthy matches they must looke on the heart not on the face they must waigh the disposition and not the riches they must not say as the deuill said to Christ all this will I giue but they must say as Iacobs sonnes sayd to Shechem and Hemor if you will be circumcised you shall haue our sister that is if you feare God and receiue his true knowledge if you loue his word and honour his sacraments if you can benefit the soules as well as the bodies But a man may weary himselfe many dayes before he finde any of this inclination for parents will denye their consents if they see
might cry and not be heard And this shall In this verse is the second part of their ioy in so much as now Ruth hath brought forth a son it is better to Naomi then seuen sonnes for seuen is taken for many not for any definite number as when Dauid saith that he prayseth God seuen times a day y t is many times euery day Also they protest in this verse that it reioyceth them to see Naomi so comforted with the birth of this childe as that now her life is restored whereas before it was dying like an old stubble which had no greene twigges vpon it but nowe this one being shoote forth shee reuiueth and gathereth comfort in her olde yeares By this wee see the duetie of parentes which is to reioyce when their children encrease and they see their childrens children these Iewish women no doubt but spake by the experience of their owne dayes that as a woman lying at the point of death being recouered is ioyful thankeful for the same euen so old persons haue newe liues in their childrens children for which cause they ought to be thankeful to the Lorde for the comfort of their children who may likewise reioyce whē they see their parentes delight in their ofspring Thus no doubt but Abraham did when he saw Esau and Iacob his sonne Isaackes children being borne about fifteene yeares before his death this did Iacob when hee sawe Manasseh and Ephraim his sonne Iosephes children kissing and imbracing them and saying I had not thought to see thy face any more but the Lord hath let me see thy seed and posterity as if he had said I thanke God for seeing thee but I reioyce that I see thy children also And truely this I am sure wil godly aged parentes do who haue these for their examples of faith conuersation that they might with more thankfulnes prayse the Lorde who letteth them see their childrens children with greater comfort reioyce in them that were born of their owne bodyes but with greatest ioy and most willing mindes commend their withered age and all worne yeares to the hands of the Lord who hath multiplyed their seede in this life and will glorifie themselues in the life to come Nowe let vs giue prayse to God The end of the fifteenth Lecture The sixteenth Lecture Chap. 4. ver 16.17 16 And Naomi tooke the childe and laid it in her lappe became nurse vnto it 17 And the women her neighbours gaue it a name saying there is a childe borne to Naomi and called the name thereof Obed the same was the father of Ishai the father of Dauid IN the former wordes wee hearde the last Sabboath the prayer and thankes giuing of the people or the women of Bethlehem for the birth of this son of Bohaz and the comfort of Naomi but now in these words the holy ghost proceedeth to the education and circumcision of the childe in these two verses wherein the holy Ghost deliuereth vnto vs these thinges first that Naomi tooke the care of the education of this childe verse 16. Secondly the naming of the child by the neighbours the women of Bethlehem which they gaue vnto it by occasion of their owne wordes when they saide in the 15. verse that he should cherish her namely Naomi and therefore they call him Hobed which signifieth seruing thereby signifying that he shoulde serue for the comfort of Naomi of these parts let vs briefly speak in order as the spirite of God shall giue vtterance and the time permit And Naomi tooke the child After the mercy of God in the blessing of Ruth with a sonne who was the onely heyre vnto the house of Elimelech the husbande of Naomi which brought no small ioy to the old woman to see her name and the name of her family reuiued in the birth of this sonne when it was vtterly decayed in the sight of the worlde for she was olde a straunger in Moab and had no hope of any moe children neither was it likely that her daughters in lawe their husbandes being deade woulde returne from their countrey and kindred vnto a straunge people with whom they had smal acquaintance euen none at all Naomi their mother in lawe excepted so that the hope of her posteritie being buried in Moab the life of her family must needs decay in Bethlehem Therefore her returne to her owne countrey was a fauour of God vnto her and raysing vp the minde of Ruth to bee partaker of her iourney and companion in her trauaile was an especiall comfort to her wearied age but prouiding so honourable a marriage for her and making her so fruitfull a wife in short time was the life of Naomies death the renewing of her family the restoring of her hope and the resurrection of her dead sonnes for the continuance of their names in the gate of their places and therefore she like a ioyfull and thankfull grandmother for discharge of her conscience loue of the infant ease of her daughter becommeth a fellow nurse for the better educatiō of the child out of the which we note First that as we haue heard how the miseries of Naomi were cast vpon her together so now the mercies of God are multiplyed in the same in greater measure For then her wo was begunne by the death of her husbande continued through her long dwelling with the wicked Moabites and ripened through the death of her two sonnes so now it falleth againe as the darkenesse departeth at the dawning of the day and giueth place to the light of the Sunne so her miseries are repealed first with the louing and constant felowshippe of her daughter in law Ruth who was as a carefull husbande to her in labouring for her liuing and a blessed childe to increase her posterity Againe she now was in quyet dwelling among the people of God enioying the company of the faithfull and the fellowshippe of her frendes moreouer her posterity is restored in the fruitfulnesse of Ruth and she euen she herselfe liueth to see the day when al this falleth vpon her to the endles comfort of her withered age and present prayse of the name of God Thus we see it a righteous thing with God first to wound and then to heale first to strike and then to stroke first to cast downe and then to lift vp for this is certainely the cuppe of all the faithfull that they must taste of many bitter afflictions before they come to the possession of eternall blessednesse yea of worldly misery they must sustayne some crosse before they can be thankefull enough for that which they quietly inioy So wee reade of Iob howe in one day hee had his corne burnte his cattell stolne and his children slaine this was bitter vnto him for many dayes yet in the ende he was restored two for one and sawe more sonnes and more beautifull daughters yea his childrens children to his vnspeakable comfort The like may be said of innocent
of spring and children of Bohaz which succeeded him first Hobed secondly Ishai and thirdely Dauid the king Of these parts and persons let vs briefly speake so much as serueth for the exposition of the Scripture and the satisfying of the tyme through the assistaunce and help of the spirite of God These are the generations Now that the holy Ghost had declared vnto vs this history of Ruth though briefly and in a fewe words yet in ample and large circumstances for the vnderstanding of his minde at the ende hereof hee annexeth the kindred of the personnes whome it chiefly concerneth that he might shew vnto vs that they were no meane or base persons for whom this history was compiled but such as descended of the noblest family in all y e world who were the appointed fathers of many kinges and that which is most of all the persons of whose seede our sauiour Iesus Christ tooke the beginning and substaunce of his humane nature And therefore in this place wee must declare the causes that moued the holy Ghost to be so careful in the rehearsing of the genealogies of the fathers for we must not imagine◠that hee mustereth not the names of those auncient persons to worke any wonder in our mindes at the recitall of them or that the scripture coulde haue beene perfecte without the seuerall generations therein described but wee must knowe that there were dyuers necessary and waighty causes by the iudgement of the auncientest and most approued wryters which moued the Spirite of God to intersert these genealogies First therefore according to the condition of all mankinde there is equally described the generations both of the godly and vngodly in the scriptures for this cause to shewe the multiplycation of mankinde of this sort are the generations of Adam Seth and Cain reported by Moses that hearing the number of mankinde so quickely multiplyed wee might the more earnestly giue prayse vnto God Agayne the genealogies of the sonnes of Noah are described vnto vs to shewe the replenishing of the earth the destruction of countryes and the restoring of the worlde But to come neerer vnto the matter wee must take this for a generall rule that the genealogies of the wicked are reported in the scripture for to shewe the blessing and loue of God vpon the godly and righteous men as for example the Lorde reckoneth vp the posterity of Ismaell the sonne of the bonde woman shewing vs howe great a people hee became and howe many Dukes or princes proceeded out of his loynes to shewe vnto vs the promise and couenant which hee made to his father Abraham that hee shoulde bee a great people was fulfilled and this serued to magnify and exalt the name of godly Abraham We read that the Lorde bestoweth a great genealogie vppon wicked Esau or Edom numbring or reckoning vp his sonnes and his sonnes sonnes his kingdome and the kinges of his seede that raigned after him for no other ende but to report and to manifest the blessing vppon godly Isaacke and Rebecca his parentes according to the oracle that hee gaue to his mother when shee demaunded and enquired the cause of the strugling or striuing in her wombe The like may bee saide of godlesse Cham for Noah his fathers sake of the sonnes of Iacob for Israels sake of Ephraim and Manasses for Iosephes sake By the which we gather and note this excellent doctrine that if the wicked haue any good it is for the sake of their godly and righteous parentes or frendes Wee see they should not haue so much as a name in the booke of God were it not for the cause of the righteous and godly we reade that when the Sodomites were ouercome in warre their people lead captiues and their goods spoyled by the company of Cedorlahomer then for Lots sake the Lord stirred vp Abraham and armed him with men and courage who wonne the victory recouered the spoyle brought backe the prisoners restored their goods and gaue them all libertie for godly Lots sake who was shortly after despised by them but they for their wickednes were burned in brimstone when righteous Lot was deliuered from them If Ioseph had not beene they had had no corne in Egipt If Moses had not beene the Lord had often destroyed the Israelites while they wandered and wauered in the wildernes For Iacobs sake the Lord increased the flocks of Laban For Iosephs sake he blessed the affaires of Potiphar for Paules sake he saued all them that suffered shipwracke at Myletum Euen so also he blessed the house of Obed-edomi because the arke was kept therein and at this day giueth greatest peace to those Countreys where his Gospell is promoted Let the atheists thinke if there were none that feared God they should quickly be condemned let the drunkards know if there were not some temperate persons their bodies should be quickly consumed let the couetous wretches assure themselues if there were not some liberall men their owne goods would turne to their death let the profaners of sabbaoths remember that if there were not some sanctifiers thereof their delightfull vanities would long agoe haue wrought their sorrowfull destinies let the contentious plaintifes be certified that if there were not some peaceable Christians among them their wealth had long agoe beene wasted for the prayers of the faithfull are like the walled Cities against the rage of enemies to keepe the vengeance of the Lord from falling vpon vs as the bloud of the Lamb spotted vpon the posts of the Israelites houses caused the angell to passe by them when all the first bornè in Egipt were slaine euen so the bloud of the lambe of God which is shead in the hearts of the godly maketh his messengers of death to depart from our countrey and kingdome If there were not a remnaunt among vs that are in league with the Lord that dayly are the hearers of his word the beseechers for his mercy and as the ambassadours of peace to disswade him from punishing our contempt of his word with condemnation our abuse of his creatures into pining famine our wantonnes in peace into lamentable warres our riotous liues into forraine captiuitye and our pampered bodyes to the slaughter of the sword You euen you that blaspheme the name of God if there were not a number that reprooue your abhominations the heauens would raigne downe stones to reuenge your accursed tongues you euen you that spend the Sabbaoths in dauncing and playing if there were not a company that refraine your pollutions you had beene cut off from your pleasure with some fearefull death before you had passed thus many dayes of securitie you euen you that thinke the preaching of the Gospell like the voyce of one that singeth whereunto you owe no more obedience then eare-seruice if there were not a remnant that heard the word of power which they beleeue is able to saue their soules you had beene many yeares since suffering the reward
that his promise which he had made vnto Adam should be perfourmed in his posteritie which was for the comming of Christ This promise was renewed vnto Abraham vnto Izaak and vnto Iacob and most plainely vnto Iudah the third sonne of Iacob who was the father and graundfather of this Pharez that the Scepter shall not depart from Iudah nor the lawgiuer from betweene his feete vntill Shiloh come and the people shall be gathered vnto him and againe vnto Dauid he swore that the fruite of his body should sit vpon his Throne both which promises or prophesies respect the comming and the raigne of Christ By this then we first of all gather the scope of the whole scripture namely that aboue all other it respecteth Iesus Christ the Sonne of God and Sauiour of the world the Prince of peace the mightye King and the great Counsellour For this cause he himselfe speaketh to the Iewes Search the Scriptures for in them you thinke to haue eternall life and they are they that testifye of me Agayne Iohn speaketh in the end of his Gospell that the Scripture was written that we might beleeue in Christ And we reade that Apollo did mightely confound the Iewes proouing by the Scriptures that Iesus was Christ But most euident and playne is that of the Disciples going to Emaus and Iesus ouertaking them by the way it is sayd that hee began at Moses and all the Prophets shewing them that Christ ought so to suffer and that redemption and remission of sinnes might be preached in his name to all the world By the which it is most easye to be gathered and doeth necessarily follow that the summe drift and scope of the Scripture dependeth vpon Christ First because all the godlie that are named therein were eyther his Fathers according to the flesh or else the singuler types prefiguring his person such was Melchizedeck Ioseph Moses all the Iudges Samuell and the Prophets which although they were not of his naturall linage Melchizedeck excepted yet they did most liuely represent him Moses and the Iudges in this that as they deliuered the people from earthlye captiuitie so should hee redeeme them from euerlasting calamitye Samuell and the Prophets in this that as they instructed the Iewes in the lawe of the Lord which was giuen by Moses so Christ shoulde put his lawe in the inwarde partes of the Churche and teache them the Gospell of trueth theyr redemption wrought by himselfe the lawe of righteousnesse the words of eternall life Aaron and his fellowes in this that as they sacrificed for the sinnes of the people with bullocks and beasts and sprinckled the bloud with hysop for their outward cleansing so Christ sacrificeth his owne bodye and cleanseth from sinne thorough the sprinkling of his owne bloud Dauid and the Kings in this that as they ruled the people by theyr temporall lawes conquering theyr enemies and giuing them rest and worldly honour so Christ doeth raigne with the spirituall lawe of his word triumphing ouer hell death and sathan leading captiuitie captiue ascending vp on high receyuing gifts for men deliuering his Church from theyr aduersarye the Deuill bestowing vppon them spirituall peace and libertye giuing them the honours of hys Ministerie Word and Sacraments in this life present and Crownes of glory in the life to come Thus if wee looke vpon the Iudges they shewe vs our redemption If wee looke vppon the Kings they shewe vs our saluation If wee looke vppon the Prophets they shewe vs our instruction If wee looke vppon the Priests they shewe vs our reconciliation and if wee looke vppon the very names of the fathers of Christ which are described in the old Testament they teach vs that our names are also described in heauen and this is the profit we reape by the generation or genealogie of the faithfull to confirme vnto vs the true humanitie of our Sauiour So that heerein most liuely appeareth the dignitie of the Scriptures and the maiesty of Christ one mutually looking on another as the sunne doeth the starres and the starres the sunne for as the excellencie of the sunne appeareth by the glory of the starres to whome it giueth light so the maiesty of Christ is manifest by the scriptures to whome he giueth credit On the other side as the glory of the starres is magnified because it is the light of the sunne so the credit of the scriptures is exalted because they concerne the Sonne of God If the doings of earthly men be but paynted in some pamphlets tragedies or bookes of Chronicles we accompt them famous because their actions are commended in print what shall we then say of the Sonne of God whose workes excell the worthiest enterprises of all the world togither and are recorded by the holy Ghost the eternall God of trueth thoroughout all the sacred bookes of his eternall word farre aboue the credit of worldly commendations is not his maiesty incomparable Do we buy the bookes of earthly mens deuises to reade the fayned and doubtfull aduentures of Princes long since in their graues and shall we suffer this booke of the heauenly stratagemes of our Sauiour lye asleepe in the shops Compare their worthines togither you shall finde the difference as great as is betweene the light of the sunne and a little rotten wood glistering in the darke They ouercame some worldly Princes but he ouercame the Prince of the whole world they thorough a multitude of earthly souldiours but he thorough himselfe alone an infinite number of infernall powers they inuented politique lawes for their peaceable gouernment but he giueth spirituall precepts and ruleth by them the hearts of men himselfe they had the heads of many noble persons vncouered at their presence but he hath the tongues and knees of all them in heauen in earth and vnder the earth bowing vnto him yea the Angels do him reuerence for he is their head they prepared names of Ships to cut the seas but he could commaund the waters to beare him vp when he walked vpon them they had their glory in gold siluer pretious stones and soft apparell but he being on earth had his countenance like the brightnes of the sun his garments as white as the light they could digge in the earth to find treasures for their maintainance but he commanded the fishes of the sea to render him his want they were able vpon infinite charges to keepe great families but he without any charge fed fiue thousand men besides women children with a few barley loaues two fishes and caused much more to be taken vp then at the first was deuided among them finally they were able to destroie the bodies of men but he is able to destroy both body and soule they shewed themselues in outward glorie but he shall shew himselfe in flaming fire to render vengeance to all them that haue not obeyed his Gospell Therefore here must wee learne the maiestie of Christ euen in the Scriptures
them Whereby the vngodly entreating of strangers that manye wishe for among vs is too wicked enuying that any shoulde bee permitted to come and soiourne among vs like free borne children Yet heerein wee are to prayse God that these persons cannot bite although they barke at poore harbourles strangers and also that hee hath blessed our magistrates with more pitifull mindes And let these personnes knowe and consider that it is as easie to go out as to come into England this is they may as sone be driuen to other places out of their owne countrey to bee strangers there as these are repayred for succour hither The vncertaintie of worldly estate that hath brought great princes to extreme pouerty should bridle their churlishe and vngodly affections from offering one thought of iniurie to these poore harbourlesse strangers Wee knowe the parable of Christ of a man that trauailed from Iericho to Ierusalem and fell among theeues the kindnes of that stranger Samaritan should mooue vs to do good to strangers while the world standeth seeing wee are more helped by their presence then by our owne neyghbours but these kinde persons that thus rayle vppon poore strangers are such as are grieued against God and men who in their hearts would haue no man liuing in the lande besides themselues and theyr cursed posteritye But some will saye you make too much account of strangers the Lorde doeth not make such reckoning of them because forbidding vsury to the Iewes yet hee permitted them to take vsurye of the strangers I answere those strangers were the cursed Cananites and none other whome God had vowed to destruction to the intent the Iewes might haue them in all slauerie Of them he permitted to take vsury for this is the blessing of God vppon that people that they should bee able to lend to other but stand in no need to borrowe of other Therefore that beeing but a permission for the Iewes onely hath ceased in that common wealth but in Christ there is no difference of Iewe or gentile male or female bond or free for all are his and hee the Lordes so that nowe the name of a straunger is quite ceased but all are neighbors and brethren for euermore And Boaz answered In this verse is contained the replye of Boaz vnto the speeche of Ruth wherein is set downe the true cause of his liberalitye vnto her first in regarde of her mother in lawe and his kinswoman with whome shee had dealt so well in her owne countrey secondly in regard of her selfe she had forsaken father and mother with countreye and kindred to come among strange people Where we first obserue a singular encouragement to obey our godly parents for wee see that our good actions needed not to bee preached abroade by other for our farther coÌ„mendation but at the time appointed they will shewe themselues as the life of trees by sending foorth leaues in the spring time of the yeere Ruth as wee haue heard dealt most louingly with her mother in lawe in Moab yet you see that her kindnes hath followed her to Bethlehem in Iudah manye myles distant the one from the other If it had beene knowen there to a few onely it had bin sufficient but being spread a broade the chiefe man in a citie doth commende her for it among a multitude in a haruest field the place could not hide it were it neuer so far of the time not conceale it bee it neuer so secret the commendation of it be couered because shee was a stranger nor the credit of it bee loste in another countrey Such is the nature of good thinges which wee do to other that no obliuion can euer bury it What needeth this boasting of our almes deedes like the blowing of a trumpet this bragging of our worthynes some of their manhood some of their friendship other of their riches and many of their labour as if they slept not foundly til al the world did ring of their commendation This one thing loseth all our reward for it is better that the workes then the wordes should witnes it We may also by this assure our selues that we haue done nothing so secretly to the flocke of Christ but it is knowne and the name of God praysed for it for as euill deedes remaine to the graue so good workes reâ—ound to perpetuall memory Secondlye by this wee obserue the excellencye of religion for whose sake it is commendable to forget nature and praise worthye to forsake our parents and people Which if we should doo for any other cause whatsoeuer we were accursed When the Lorde woulde establishe his couenant with Abraham â— hee called him from Father and countrey to shewe that for religion sake it is a glory and not onely to do thus but also for to bee scourged yea and to suffer death Why then is it so contumeliously vpbraided so scornefully refused of many and but of fewe â—ectiued till this day Among all the world onely Abrahams posterity had the couenant and promises and now though men bee as the sande on the sea shoare and the starres of heauen which cannot bee numbered yet shall but a remnant bee saued none come vnto it but by the especiall grace of God whereby hee draweth them as it were against theyr mindes fewe persons woulde resorte to Noahs arke because they scorned his preaching euen so fewe are religious because they account it a base worke to heare the worde of God plainely opened and sincerely expounded Where is then become this auncient zeale that made men and women as well noble as base to bee obedient to the calling of the Lord for which cause they forsook both wealth parentage cuntry kindred but in these dayes men will forsake Christe and his Gospell religion and preaching for the least of these Once the Apostle saide hee accounted all thinges as dung in regarde of Christe but nowe Christ is regarded as dung in comparison of the worlde Once Christ sayd whosoeuer loueth father or mother wife or children house or landes more then mee is not worthy of mee but nowe whosoeuer loueth Christe more then these is not worthy to liue Once it was saide firste seeke the kingdome of God and the righteousnes thereof and all other thing shall be cast vppon you but nowe first seeke the worldes riches and wealth and religion will follow too soone Oh what miserable daies are we fallen into where ignoraunce aduanceth it selfe like the moone and is not ashamed the Gospell reuiled by euerie atheist the ministers molested for euery papiste the sacramentes prophaned the professours tearmed by slanderous titles which for Christes sake haue loste their kindred and aduentured their liues Surely surelye some great plague is approaching for the quenching of this burning heate of sinne when they shall say here is a God that rewardeth the righteous verily there is a God that iudgeth the worlde Thirdly we obserue out of this verse that wee must not without
consideration giue liberally to all but with speciall fauour do good to the godly for you see Boaz telleth this second cause of her forsaking both countrey and kindred as if hee were bound to do for such as for his owne children thereby signifying that if wee haue neuer so much to giue yet wee can neuer giue inough to the saintes of God This our sauiour signifieth when he saith There were many widdowes in Israel in the dayes of Eliah yet to none was hee sent but to Sarephthah a cittie of Zidon to a woman a widdowe as if hee had sayde as God with speciall kindnes releeued her in the three yeeres famine euen so must wee with the like fauour succour the godly and labouring poore Therefore when Paule biddeth do good vnto all hee addeth especially to the household of faith This is profitable for our dayes that wee might also learne to whome we may giue for now our land is full of wandering and roaguing beggers who as their life is most base yet their manners are far worse first they worke not at all but are idle and hee that worketh not must not eate because he walketh inordinatly secondly they are for the most parte vtterly voide of all feare of God atheistes ignorant persons blasphemers prophaners of Sabaothes disobedient to magistrates and maisters common whooremaisters and whoores hauing almost euerye weeke newe husbands and wiues theeues and such drones as sucke away the almes from poore labouring persons They will praye at euery doore for any simple reliefe with their hats on their heades most unreuerently but if any man appeare before them they will presently breake off their prayers and vncouer their heades esteeming more of the presence of a seely man or woman then of the maiestye of the eternall God if they bee not satisfied they will curse more vehementlye then before they prayed earnestly Those are the poore which get our almes but for other I heare of few for I speake nothing but that which I haue heard and seene with my owne eyes And to speake nothing of their changing of their voyce their counterfaiting sores and their common drunkennes I thinke I maye euerie way conclude they are the caterpillers of our countrey the Canaanits of our common wealth the vngodliest and vnprofitablest members among vs. For whome I haue two sutes the one to the magistrats that so often as they finde such persons they would duety execute the lawe vppon them that the other may beware and my other to the people that they would bee deafe at their cryes and shut vp their compassions from them and bestowe it vppon the poore labourers among vs to encourage them with patience to endure their trauailes and to discourage the other from this kind of wicked life Whatsoeuer you giue them is but seede cast into the sea whereof shall neuer come any profit but those that are of the house of the Lord let vs wishe them prosperity The Lord recompense This is the second parte of this replie of Bohaz which is his prayer for Ruth wherein as wee shewed you are deliuered two thinges first that the Lord would giue her some reward secondly hee comforteth her in that hee telleth her shee is come to trust vnder the wings of God Where first of all heere seemeth some holde for popish merites seeing hee prayeth for a recompense and perfect reward Therefore it may be probably gathered will they say from hence that workes after faith merite grace for heere I cannot conceale the subtilty of our English papists which they learned from the Remish Seminarie being asked whither workes merit they answere no meaning those workes which goe before faith whereas they euerie one doo confidently beleeue that workes after fayth doo merite eternall life Thus they blinde our eyes with the schoole distinction of workes before faith and after faith that they might the better couer their sophistrie but we praysed be God for it most confidently affirme that no workes eyther before or after faith doe concurre in the matter or cause of iustification As for workes before faith wee acknowledge they are sinne for whatsoeuer is not of faith is sinne and for workes after faith we constantly beleeue with Paul that our saluation commeth not by them But let vs come to this scripture and continue a little with our saluation workers We grant Bohaz prayeth for a reward What then therefore works eyther merite or he prayeth amisse both which wee denie and will confirme by this scripture First did Bohaz thinke that Ruth had merited by this forsaking of her countrey I answere no why then doth he pray for her if she had deserued it God is not vniust hut hee that commanded that the hire of a labourer shoulde not bee kept backe one night woulde not or needed not to be intreated for that which he must of necessity performe By the which we see that the praier of Bohaz the merite of Ruth the iustice of God cannot stand together Secondly for what cause doth hee praye for a recompense Was it not because shee had forsaken her owne idolatrous people to come to the Lordes common wealth yes verily it was so Then was it of faith or of workes no worke assuredly but faith for faith caused Moyses when hee was growen vp to forsake the courte of Pharao and to ioyne himselfe with God his afflicted people Faith caused Abraham to come into the land of promise from his owne idolatrous countrey and this same faith caused Ruth to come from the Countrey of Moab to the people of the Iewes and therefore Bohaz addeth that she was come to trust vnder the winges of God but confidence proceedeth of faith and not of workes Therefore to conclude Bohaz prayeth for such a rewarde as God had promised to all the faithfull for as the sunne looketh vpon the earth and the earth looketh vpon the sunne again so faith respecteth the promise of God and the promise of God regardeth faith because it is written whosoeuer beleeueth in me hath euerlasting life but whosoeuer beleeueth not though hee purchase landes for Catholikes build Churches ordaine chaunteries and got neuer so farre on pilgrimage yet is hee condemned already But now they wil renewe their wonted outcry saying we preach for faith we condemne works wee driue men to a wicked life and tell them all is well if they beleeue wel we condemne say they housekeeping giuing to the poore with builders of colledges and Churches and founders of hospitals with all charitable actions but these are great thunderclappes but yet without rayne I aske the resolutest papist liuing where euer he read any of these in all the writinges of the protestants once mētioned w t out singular cōmendatiō for I am sure none of you y t are resolute papists wil come to the churches to hear our preachers speak against them yet you crie out beleeue them not they broche heresies This is brought vnto you by