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
The first is the perswasion of Naomi in the 15. verse to make Ruth to returne by the example of her sister The second is the answere of Ruth in the two next verses consisting of two partes the first is the petition shee maketh to her mother in these words Intreat me not to leaue thee c. which she amplifieth by the resolution of her minde in the next wordes First that for her life she would dvvell vvith her and goe vvith her Secondly for her profession her people and God shoulde be Naomies Thirdly for her death that she vvould die and be buried vvith her The last part of this aunsvvere of Ruth is the confirmation of it by an oth in these wordes the Lorde doe so vnto me and more also if ought but death depart thee and me Beholde thy sister is returned Novv Naomi goeth forward to deale with Ruth alone for the Castle may seeme almost wonne where one halfe of the souldiers are ouercome the vnitie betweene these two sisters being brokē and Horpah being departed what was poore Ruth able to doe alone surely this was a greater discouragement vnto her then any she had yet namely that her sister being departed shee should lay before her her sisters example to drawe her likewise to fall And truely thus the Spirite of God dealeth most times with those that labour to come vnto him setting some in the way like the Disciples which forbadde young children to come vnto Christ and as the prease of people kept the poore man diseased of the palsy from comming to our Sauiour euen so many scandals stumbling blockes lettes interruptions and hinderances come between the godly Christ as did betweene Naomi and Ruth But here we note that the examples of our kindred and especially of those that seemed any thing in Religion are dangerous argumentes to drawe vs from Christ Wee see in this place Naomi taketh not example of one vngodly sister to draw away the other which when our Sauiour forelawe he gaue this commaundement that for his sake we must forsake both father and mother brother and sister wife children or else we are not worthie of him And in another place one desiring of him but a little space to burie his father he saide vnto him let the dead burie their dead This is a verie profitable doctrine for these dayes wherein men are thus discouraged from Religion for feare of their friendes for now Satan stirreth vp one brother against another to hinder them from hearing the sauing worde of God now they crie out against vs Are you wiser then your forefathers Hath not all thy friendes before thee beleeued on this wife And wilt thou be singular And surely beloued we knowe it is the greatest argument that popish atheists haue their auncestours fathers mothers their masters and mistresses haue misliked this preaching and these new doctrines wherein many repose their greatest felicitie and God send vs saye they to liue no worse then they did and to die no more blessed then they But woulde you so rather be followers of your popish and ignoraunt predecessours then of the doctrine of Christ and his Apostles reueiled in his worde this is to builde your selues vpon another foundation which when the fire commeth will vtterly consume it But they say are all our predecessours damned which did as we doe to whome I may well aunswere How doe you know that all your fathers were of your mindes but wee are not in God his place to iudge and araigne them but say with the Apostle The time of this ignoraunce did not God regard but nowe hee admonisheth all men euery where to repent Because hee hath appointed a day to iudge the world in righteousnesse So that if God seeme not to regarde it why shoulde we stande vpon it And seeing now the trumpet of the Gospell is sounded by the Lordes Ministers let vs not with Marie lament ouer the graues of the dead But leauing them at their rest trudge trauaile to the mount of the Lord that of him we may freely receiue that which many kings prophetes could neuer obtain Though Moses went not into the land of Canaan yet he saw it so it may be the Lord let our predecessors see the light of y e gospel though they could not inioy it But as Peter Iohn wer with Christ whē he was trāsfigured saw his kingdom yet could not enioy the continuall presence of his glory but beeing warned of Christ tolde it to no man so many godly in time of darknesse not onely saw but imbraced the trueth which it may be is forgotten of their graceles posterity Let the parents eate the sowre grapes shal the childrens teeth be set an edge if they made cakes to the host of heauen shal we worship the sun the moone what discredite is it to a blinde father that hath a son well sighted no more is it to idolaters whose children are the appointed heires of the lande of Canaan Let vs abide with him that hath the wordes of eternall life as the wealth of our parentes is deare vnto vs yet many thousand times more dearer is the health of our soules Secondly by this we note that to sticke by our frendes to go with them from the Lord is to commit idolatry for Naomi saith Thy sister is gone to her people and to her Gods as if she had said indeed for kindredssake she is gone backe but it is vnto idols false Gods Yea more also vnto deuilles this is a worthy lesson for our naturals to learne who will forsake gospel church prayer preaching some for the loue of their wiues to keepe them company at home when God calleth for them in one congregation or other some their idolatrous frendes which are notable recusants yet because they should thinke well of thē they will falsifie their faith to the Lorde be vniust in his worke that they may please thē with their present company some are hindred by their profite some by vnlawfull gaming and many by bare idlenes Thus men make gods some of their people some of their wiues some of their popishe frends some of their profit some of their pleasures and some of their idlenes few or none are to be found that are both able willing to follow Christ when he calleth thē as litle Zacheus did but euery one hath some excuse to keep them from the Lords supper who shal neuer tast of his heauenly pleasures seeing they mind earthly things making their glory their shame their bely their God let their end be damnation But oh my beloued let vs be warned by the danger of others whē Peter rebuked Christ bid him fauor himselfe Christ rebuked him called him sathan euē so whē our deerest frendes would haue vs be slacke in preaching fauour our bodies come to the church seldome make no toile of it agree with the most
prayed for Boaz the dutie of them that are gathered together in any godly assembly which is to ioyne themselues in the same holy exercises if they heare the other must heare if they pray the other must pray if they sing the other must also sing for this is the felowshippe of the saintes or els nothing is When we read the church of God continued together in breaking breade it is also saide they continued in prayer as if the holy Ghost had saide as if euery one did eat bread so euery one did pray to the Lorde as it auaileth not a hungry man to see another eat he haue none but rather increaseth his desire so if you be euery day hour where praiers are made your selues tast not of them it doth but increase your damnation So wee read when the Apostles were forbidden to preach in the name of Christ they came to their fellowes and lift vp their voices with one accorde to the Lorde and when they had prayed the place was shaken where they were assembled and they all were filled with the holy Ghost and spake the word of God boldly such is the effect of God his faythful when they pray vnto him with one accord like the assault of the four windes vpon Iobs childrens house which not onely shooke but also ouerturned the same many handes make a great labour to be lightly dispatched and many mens prayers doe pull downe the mercyes of God vpon vs. This I think is very needfull for our dayes wherein this dulnesse is growne so grosse that among a churchfull of hearers you shall haue very fewe which are not faultie in this doctrine for it is a world to see howe many haue their bodies at the sermons but their soules and affections are wandering in a thousande matters these pray not when we pray heare not when wee preach neyther sing when wee sing What profite haue these persons by our prayers or preaching surely they are idols they haue tonge but speake not eares but heare not eyes but they see not And this is most lamentable to see many vpon whom the Lorde hath bestowed this gift of reading or learning to come hande ouerhead to Churches without eyther booke or minde to profite themselues or other Thus they bury the graces of God in them they quench the fire of the holy spirite they loose the costes of their parentes which they bestowed to bring them to learning they disdayne to sing with the faithfull they abhorre the labours of their youth and mocke the Lord with their presence Looke vpon it my brethren for if the Lorde haue giuen any of you learning that you are able to reade his worde then hee hath planted you to beare fruite in his owne orcharde but if you vse not this gift then you are fruitlesse trees and the Lorde will cut you downe and cast you into vnquencheable fire if you say you haue no books I aunswere the fault lyeth in your selues for if you bee poore aske the godly and your want shall bee supplyed if you bee wealthy saue some of your idle expenses to spende vppon such a holy businesse If you say you forget your bookes behinde you I aunswere it is a signe you care but little for your iourneys ende for if you had that reuerence to come prepared to the exercises of the faithfull which you ought to haue you coulde not forget your bibles nay you shoulde rather forget your apparell then your bookes if you considered as it becommeth you But some say they vnderstande well enough though they say not amen to our prayers and though they sing not to the Lorde with vs but Paule sayth to such that they doe no good to their brethren because they edifie them not and that it is better in the Church to speake fiue wordes to instruct others then ten thousande for his owne benefite for in the Chuch wee are assembled for our brethren not for ourselues onely and whosoeuer prayeth not with his brethren in the Church or congregation doth breake the fellowshippe of the faithfull and standeth for a cipher among the sayntes Therefore if you haue any care of your duety to the Lord of the loue of y e faithful of obedience to your parents of increasing your talent of learning or the saluation of your owne soules both magistrate and subiect elders and people riche and poore olde and younge men and women fulfill the expectation of the godly praye when wee pray sing with vs when we sing heare vs when wee preach for with such sacrifice is the Lord pleased The Lorde make Now wee haue made an ende of the first parte let vs go to the second which is the prayer of these people and elders the first member whereof is contayned in these wordes wherein they pray for the fruitfulnesse of Ruth alleadging an example to testify the loue they beare to Bohaz that they desire his wife to bee as fruitfull as eyther Leah or Rahell who builded the house of Israel so that they would haue him the father of much people in so much as his name both of wealth and children might aduance the dignity of Bethlehem Ephrathah First therefore hence we note the duetie of all the godly which is to pray for the welfare one of another but especially in marriage for the prayers of the faithfull are as needfull for the married as skilfull mariners in the boate of passengers Therefore wee reade of fewe godly marriages in the scripture but they were celebrated with prayer when Rebecca was married to Isaake her mother brother and frends prayed that she might grow vp into thousand thousandes and her seed to possesse their enemies gate and in this place these frendes of Bohaz pray the like for Ruth for what make the peoples presence the multitude of lookers the number of acquaintaunce at the time of celebrating marriages excepte it bee to pray for the parties wee haue shewed you the last Saboath that for the ignorance of the people which coulde not pray came the ministers to haue a hande in it for supplying their wante and howe lamentable is it to see in many places and most persons that are marryed where their company are none but godlesse ruffians ignoraunt Atheistes prophane swearers and notable blasphemers to bee present at their vnhappy weddinges what prayers can these powre forth for their newe marryed frendes can the Cockatrice breath forth any thing but poyson or the spider spinne any sounder cloth then her webbe no more can these persons but curse them with their prayers not blesse them with their cursinges Is it not a worlde to see howe many agaynst their marriages compasse the countrey some to prouide delicate diuersities of meates to feede both the belly and the eye other to inuite their friendes which come ruffling into the Churches in silkes veluets sattins and softe apparel and some to decke vp themselues in braue clothing against their mariage day but neuer
said euen as a man striueth to be deliuered in the pangs of death so he from his tribulation Iob that mirrour of patiēce did so delight in his suffrings that in one place he seemeth to accuse God himselfe to adde to his transgressions that is to make his sins seem greather then they were and how doth hee desire to plead with God about his affliction cursed the day and houre of his death Our sauiour would neuer haue warned vs that in the world we should haue sorrowe and lamentation had he not knowne that the smart of our sufferings would thrust foorth abundance of teares through the vehemency of the paynes and presently hee addeth a secret comparison between a woman in trauail a christian in persecution so that as the one hath most vehement sorrowes and pitifull lamentations so also may the other infinite testimonyes might bee brought for the proofe of this to teach vs that God his children are made of fleshe as well as of spirite and the fleshe is weake though the spirite bee willing therefore wee may feare and cry vnder the burthen of our paines that our afflictions are bitter vnto vs and that the hand of the Lord is grieuous vppon vs. Againe for the comfort of the godly I speake this that if any haue grieuously complained of their sufferings let them impute it to the sharpnes of their paines and the weaknes of their natures wee see this Naomi calleth bitternes vnto her such as shee woulde not willinglye take except it were for the phisicke of her soule and nowe almost ten yeares space this griefe hath growen vppon her so that it may seeme of all others shee was most grieued for now she vttereth her minde as freshlye as if the potion were yet vndigested in the stomacke Be comforted therefore my sorrowfull brethren and sisters you see you are not alone in this miserie for Dauid Iob Naomi Annah Nehemiah and many other are as farre indebted to the Lord in this pointe as euer was any striue to suppresse it by prayer and quench it by singing of psalms neither let vs iudge but charitably of those which in this case are troubled bee it for the losse of their children the death of their husbands the decay of their wealth or the lacke and want of their health If they seme impatient and weaker then our selues let vs beare parte of their burthens vppon our christian comforts that they with vs we with thē like seling members of the same infirmities may sustaine our crosses by our mutuall supplications and obtaine our deliuerance by the bloud of Christ I went out ful In these words she amplifieth her former complaint by this comparison of a full vessell and an empty shewing that as the fullest vessell is the soundest the emptiest good for nothing so it fareth with her when she looketh vpon her former life when shee went foorth shee had plenty but now shee returneth in want then she was found but now broken then ioyfull but now sorrowful why should she be called pleasant or beautiful or by her old name seeing God hath humbled her whereas in times past hee vpheld her in prosperity but now hee hath cast her downe into aduersity Where wee first of all obserue the nature of worldly prosperity which to day is like a ful vessell but to morrowe like an emptye now it is greene anone it is withered now it groweth anone it is cut downe now like Nabuchadnezzar sitting vppon his throane with his counsellors and courtyers of estate about him but anone both Court and Countrey driue him to the companie of wilde beastes for as a little breache emptyeth the barrell so a lyttle trouble bringeth worldly welfare to wallow in the mire Therfore we read of none either king or country which had such a prosperous estate but it had one enimy or other to worke his woe if wee consider the raigne of Salomon where gold was innumerable and siluer as plentifull as stones yet it wanted not his miseries the people were punished by paiments to their prince the king was threatened which the losse of ten parts of his kingdome God stirred Hadud the Edomite against him where ended their peace Where is then y e roialty of Salomon was it not cast downe in one day his riches consumed his buildings burned his children captiuated his wisedome turned to idolatrie his posperitie decayed and al his honour ouerturned Oh that worldlings would consider their sickle estate and bee admonished of their iminent dangers the Lord putteth them into his balance finding them to light casteth them out Ieremy sayth they are but fatted sheepe kept for the day of slaughter now in the pasture and presently it the fire they are but aduanced to bee cast downe againe as the vessel is filled to bee emptied in due time the eares which are now full of corne in the field anon shall ly without on the dunghyll Babilon the queene of the world which ruled as yet was troden downe made a seruant Tyrus that crowned men with her wealth was consumed by warre for the Lord of hosts decreeth al this to staine the pride of glory to bring to contempt all that be mighty vpon the earth Weep weep O daughters of honor the days will come whē y e tēder shal not be regarded for your welth shal not al. ways endure the crowne abideth not from generation to generation your houses shall bee ouerturned your names forgotten your children impouerished your glory defaced your inheritance changed your welfare powred on the earth like water and your worship shall bee neuer repayred This haue God his dearest children felt and the greenest trees haue bene scorched which the fire of God his wrath for hee is not delighted in worldly brauery but hath buried great treasure in the sea which shall neuer bee found to keepe mankind kind from the ende of his purpose for this is their honour they get nothing but with much trauaile and in one houre loose labour life and wealth Secondly that which in our texte is the Lord hath humbled me in the hebrew is The Lord hath testified or witnessed against mee for by his iudgments hee humbleth vs as it ◠were producing witnesses to accuse vs of ous iniquityes as wee see in common iudgments all things passe by euidence if they be antient by witnes if it be late so the Lord when hee hath a quarrell against vs he first prooueth vs guilty by witnes of our sins and then punisheth vs for committing transgressions For this cause Moses commaundeth the book of the law to be laid vp in the side of the ark of the couenant for a witnes against the people so the Lord speaketh by Dauid Heare O my people and I will speake heare O Israel I will testifie vnto thee for I am thy God and after this hee reporteth his witnes against them first y t their sacrifices were corrupted
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
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