And they came into the Couâ—try of Moab and they continued there The meaning is That the Moabites afforded them harbour without any molestation Observ. From whence the Observation is this We ought to be Hospitall and courteous to receive strangers First Because God in severall places of Scripture enjoyneth it Exod. 23. 9. Levit. 19. 33. 2ly Because God apprehendeth all courtesie done to a stranger as bestowed on himselfe He that receiveth you receiveth me c. I was a stranger and ye harboured me Mat. 25. And then if we entertain strangers it may be said of us not onely as it is of Lot and Abraham Heb. 13. 2. That we entertained Angels bâ—t that we entertained God himselfe unawares 3ly Because it spiritually considered we our selves are strangers with the Patriarks Heb. 11. We have here no abiding City but seeke one from above whose bâ—ilder and maker is God I beseech you as Strangers and Pilgrims 1 Pet. 2. 11. Lastly Because of the uncertainty of our own estates for thou knowest not what evill shall be upon the earth it may be we that now relieve strangers hereafter our selves being strangers may be relieved by others Vse Let us not therefore abuse strangers and make a prey of them making an advantage of their unskilfulnesse in the language and being unacquainted with the fashions of the Land like Laban that deceived his Nephew Iacob in placing Leah for Rachel and to cloak his cheating pleaded it was the custome of the Country wherefore rather let us be courteous unto them least the Barbarians condemne us who so courteously intreated S. Paul with his shipwrackt companions and the Moabites in my Text who suffered Elimelech when he came into the Land to continue there Vers. 3. 4. 5. And Elimelech Naomies Husband dyed and she was left and her two Sonnes c. IN these words we have two Marriages ushered and followed by Funeralls I will begin there where one day all must make an end at Death And Elimelech Naomies Husband dyed I have seldom seen a Tree thrive that hath been transplanted when it was old the same may be seen in Elimelech his aged body brooks not the forraign Aire though he could avoid the Arrows of Famine in Israel yet he could not shun the Darts of Death in Moab he that lived in a place of Penury must die in a Land of Plenty Let none condemne Elimelech's removal as unlawful because of his suddain deaâ—h for those actions are not uâ— godly which are unsuccessfull nor those pious which are prosperous seeing the lawfulnesse of an action is not to be gathered from the joyfulnesse of the event but from the justnesse of the cause for which it is undertaken Observ. 1. Hence we observe that God can easily frustrate our fairest hopes and defeat our most probable projects in mâ—king those places most dangerous which we account most safe and secure causing death to meet us there where we think furthest to flie from it Observ. 2. 2. We see that no outward plenty can priviledge us from death the sand of our liâ—e runneth as fast though the Hour-glass be set in the sunshine of prosperity as in the gloomy shade of affliction And she was left and her two Sons Here we see how mercifully God dealt with Naomi in that he quenched not all the sparks of her comfort at once but though he took away the stock he left her the stems though he deprived her as it were of the â—se of her own leggs by taking away her Husband yet he left her a staffe in each of her hands her two Sons to support her Indeed afterwards he took them away but first he provided her a gracious Daughter-in-law whence we learn God powreth not all his afflictions at once but ever leaveth a little comfort otherwise we should not onely be pressed down but crush't to powder under the weight of his heavy hand And they tooke them wives of the women of Moab c. Here we see the fashion of the world mankind had long ago decaied if those breaches which are daily made by Death were not daily made up by Marriage But here ariseth a question Whether these matches were lawfull for answer whereof we will suppose Naomi disswading her Sonnes on this manner Disswasion What my Sonnes and what persons of my wombe and what the Sonnes of my desire give not your strength to strange women and your wayes to that that destroyed men It is not for you O Mahlon and Chilion it is not for you to marry Moabites nor for the Sonnes of an Israâ—lite tâ— marry the Daughters of the uncircumcised Remember my Sonnes what God saith by the mouth of Moses Deut. 7. 3. Thou shalt not make Marriages with them thy Daughter shalt thou not give to his Sonne nor take his daughter to thy Sonne for they will turn away thy Son from following me to serve strange Gods so will the anger of the Lord be kindled against thee to destroy thee suddenly Take heâ—d therefore least long looking on these women you at length be made blind least they suck out your souls with kisses and Snake-like sting you with embraces curb your affections untill you come into Canaan where you shall find varietie of wives who as they come not short of these for the beauties of their bodies so they farre go beyond them for the sanctitie of their souls Answer To this disswasion thus might her Childeren answer We thank you deare Mother for your carefulnesse over our good but we must intreat you not to interpret it undutifulnesse if upon good reason we dissent from your judgement herein In the place by you cited Marriages are forbidden with such strange women as are of a stubborn obstinate and refractory nature such as are likely to seduce their Husbands whereas you see the mild towardly and tractable disposition of these women we meane to make our wives we hope to plant these wild branches in Gods Vineyard to bring these straggling sheep to his fold to make them Proselytes to our Religion Besides this Marriage will be advantagious for us thereby we shall endeare our selves into the Moabites affections they will use us the more courteously when we have married one of their own kindred â—ut methinks my tongue refuseth to be any longer the advocate of an unlawfull deed and my mouth denyeth to be the Orator of an unjust action when I have said what I can for the defence of their Marriage I shall but make a plaster too narrow for the sore the breach is so broad I cannot stop it though I may dam it up with untempered morter Nothing can be brought for the defence of these matches something may be said for the excuse of them but that fetcht not from pietie but from poliey not certain but conjecturall yet here may we see thâ— power and providence of God who made so good use of these Mens defaults as hereby to bring Ruth first to be a retainer to the family
of Faith and afterwards a joyfull Mother in Israel This is that good Chymick that can distill good out of evill light out of darknesse order out of confusion and make the crooked actions of men tend to his own glory in a straight line and his Childrens good I speak not this to defend any mans folly in doing of evill but to admire Gods wisdome who can bring good out of evil and surely he that will turn evill to good will turn good to the best And they dwelled there about ten years Here we have the term of Naomi's living in Moab and the Families lasting in Israel ten years we read of a Famine for three years 2 Sam. 21. of three years and a half 1 King 17. of seven years Gen. 42. as also 2 King 8. but this ten years Famine longer then any seven yeares which Iacob served for Rachel seemed to him but a short time but surely those ten yeares seemed to the afflicted Israelites and to the banished Naomi as so many millions of years Observ. God doth not presently remove his rod from the back of his Children but sometimes scourgeth them with long-lasting afflictions the reason is because we go on and persist so long in our sinnes and yet herein even mercy exalteth her selfe against judgement for if God should suffer the fire of his fury to burn so long as the fuell of our sinnes do last Lord who were able to abide were the dayes of our suffering apporâ—ioned to the dayes of our living no flesh would be saved but for the Elect sake those dayes are shortned Vse Beare with patience light afflictions when God afflicteth his Children with long lasting punishments mutter not for a burning Fâ—aver of a fortnight what is this to the woman that had a running Issue for twelve years murmur not for a twelve moneths quartain Ague ' is nothing to the woman that was bowed for eightteen years nor seven years Consumption to the man that lay thirty eight years lame at the Pool of Bethezda And Mahlon and Chilion died also bâ—th of them It was but even now that old Elimelech was gone to bed see his Sonnes would not sit long up after the Father onely here is the difference He like ripe fruit fell down of his own accord they like green Apples were cudgel'd off the Tree Observ. Even young men in the prime of their age are subject to death the Sons of Iacob when they came to the Table of Ioseph sat down the eldest according to his age and the youngest according to his youth but Death observes not this method she takes not Men in seniority but sometimes sends them first to the buriall that came last from the birth and those that came last from the wombe first to their winding sheet There were as many Lambs and Kids sacrificed in the old Testament as Goats and old Sheep but surely more there be that die in infancy and in youth then of those that attain to old age Vse Remember thy Creator in the dayes of thy youth you whose joynts are knit with sturdy sine ws whose veines are full of blood whose arteries are flush't with spirits whose bones are fraught with Marrow Obediah-like serve God from your yâ—uth put not the day of death far from you think not your strength to be armour of proof against the darts of Death when you see the Corslet of Mahlon and Chilion shot through in the left so Mahlon and Chilion died both of them And the woman was left of her two Sons and of her Husband Before we had the particular losses of Nâ—omi now we have them all reckoned up in the totall sum a Threefold Cable saith Solomon is not easily broken and yet we see in Naomies threefold cable of comfort twisted of her husband and her two sonnes broken by Death of the two Sex the woman is the weaker of women old women are most feeble of old women widows most wofull of widowes those that are poor their plight most pittifull of poor widows those that want Children their case most dolefull of widows that want Children those that once had them and after lost them their estate most desolate of widows that have had Children those that are strangers in a forraign Country their condition most comfortlesse yet all these met together in Naomi as in the center of sorrow to make the measure of her misery pressed down shaken together running over I conclude therefore many Men have had affliction none like Iob many women have had tribulation none like Naomi Vers. 6. Then she arose with her Daughters in law that she might returne from the Country of Moab for she had heard in the Country of Moab how that the Lord had visited his people in giving them bread THese words contain two general parts 1. Gods visiting his people with Plenty 2. Naomies visiting of her people with her person I begin with the first in the Order of the words Then she arose with her Daughters in law c. Observ. We must tarry no longer in an Idolatrous Land when God offereth us an occasion to returne into our own Country for so long as we tarry in an Idolatrous Land on a just cause so long we are in our vocation in Gods protection but when God openeth us a Gap to returne and we will not through it we are neither in our calling nor Gods keeping but must stand on our own adventures and who knows not how slenderly we shall be kept when we are left to our own custody let not therefore Ioseph with his Wife and Son tarry any longer in the Land of Egypt when he is dead that sought the life of the Child Examples we have oâ— those which in the dayes of Queen Mary fled beyond the Seas though they were not in a Paganish onely in a forraign Country Mr. Scorey Cocks Whitehead Grindall Horne Sandys Elmore Gest Iewel if fear lent them feet to run when they went away joy gave them wings to fly when they came home againe let none therefore pretend in needlesse excuses to linger in the Land of Egypt when they may return into the hony-flowing Land of Canaan For she had heard in the Country of Moab I suppose when any Messenger arrived in Mâ—ab out of the Land of Canaan Naomie did presently repaire unto him and load him with questions concerning the estate of her Country How do the Iews my Country-men How faireth it with the Bethlehemites my Neigâ—bours with Boaz my Kinsman What is the rate of Corne What the price of Oyle What the value of Wine if there be no performance for the present what promise is there for the future though things be bad now what hope is there but they will be better hereafter Alas he answers little and from his silence and sorrowfull looks Naomi gathers a denial but as Elijah sending his servant towards the Sea to see what â—igns there were of Raine for six severall times together he returned
I had borne sonnes Woâ—ld you tarry for them while they were of age Would you be deferred for them from taking of Husbands Nay my daughters for it grieveth me much for your sakes that the hand of the Lord is gone out against me And when she kissed them KIsses was the ordinarie salutation of the Iewes at the meeting of acquaintance men with men women with women men with women provided that then they were of neere kindred to avoid all suspition of unchastitie And they lift up their voices and mept The observation here may be the same which the Iewes collected Iohn 11. which when they saw our Saviour weepe for Lazarus they said Behold how he loved him So these teares in this place were the expression of their affection Sorrow like the River of Iordan 1 Chron. 12. in the first moneth did overflow the bankes and streamed water downe their cheâ—kâ—s But Naomi said Turne againe my daughters c. In these words she disswadeth her daughters in law from returning with her the strength of her Reason contained in three Verses may thus be set downe as if she had said Happily daughters you have heard that it is the custome in the Land of Canaan for Childlesse Widowes to marry their deceased Husbands Brothers But if your returne be grounded hereon know that you build your hopes on a false foundation it being impossible for me by the course of Nature to have any more sonnes Who will looke that Water should â—low from a drie Fountain Grapes grow on a withered Vine Fruit flourish on a dead Figge-tree Though Sarah at 90 was made a Mother though Aarâ—n's Rod did bud and blossome when it was drie I my selfe should be a Miracle if I should expect such a Miracle and therefore know that there are no more sonnes in my Wombe Doctrine Now whereas Nâ—omi dealeth thus plainly with her daughters not feeding them with false hopes it teacheth us this We ought not to gull our friends with the promises of those things that neither will nor can come to passe Otherwise we shall both wrong our friends who the higher they are mounted upon the Hill of seeming hopes at length the deeper they will be cast into the Dale of reall despaire and also we shall wrong our selves when Time the Mother of Truth shall unmaske us we shall prove our selves to be no better then Lyars and Cheaters Vse Let us labour to be Nathanaels true Israelites in whom there is no guile and as Iohn Baptist when as the Pharises asked him whether he was the Christ or no Iohn 1. 20. he confessed and denyed not and said plainly I am not the Christ So if we neither meane to doe nor know that such things cannot be done which our friends request of us let us confesse denie not and say plainly that their suites cannot shall not be granted and by such downe-right dealing we shall at last get more favour from them then they who flatter them with their tongue Let not the Physician when he reades in the Urinall those dismal symptomes which are the Ushers of Death still promise Life and Health unto his Patient but plainly tell him that there is Mors in olâ—a that so he may flye unto the Physician of the Soule for a better Life when this shall fade Let not the Lawyer when he knowes the Case is desperate feed his Clyent with false hopes to recover it that so from â—im he may be fed with Money but rather let him advise him to agree with his adversarie while he is in the way that though he cannot get the Conquest yet he may have the easier Composition For I am too old to have a Husband Here ariseth a Question Question Is there any Age so old wherein a man or woman may not marry Answer Naomies meaning was not simply and absolutely that she was too old to marry but she was too old to have a Husband and by a Husband to have Children and that those Children should grow up and make fit Husbands for Orpah and Ruth Yet by the way I would advise such who are stricken in yeares especially if impotencie be added unto Age and that it may stand with their conveniencie to refraine from all thoughts of a second Marriage and to expect that happie day when Death shall solemnize the Nuptiall betwixt their Soule and their Saviour For when Barzillai hath counted 80 yeares he hath even had enough of the pleasure and vanitie of the world let him retire himselfe to a private life and not envie his sonne Cimcham to succeed to those delights of which his Age hath made his Father uncapable Yet if any ancient persons for their mutuall comfort and societie which is not the least end for which Marriage was ordained are disposed to match themselves herein they are blamelesse especially if they have a care to observe a correspondenciâ— of Age with those to whom they linke themselves Otherwise as our Saviouâ— noteth when the old Cloth was joyned to the new it made no good medley but the Rent was made the worse So when the Spring of Youth is wedded to the Winter of Age no true comfort can arise from such unequall Yokes but much jealousie and suspition are caused from the fame Would ye tarry for them That is you would not tarry for them or if you should tarry for them you should wrong your selves and doe unadvisedly because in the mean time refraining from the using of Gods Ordinance you expose your selves to the Devill to tempt you to incontinencie Therefore S. Pauls councell is good which he prescribes in 1 Tim. 5. 14. I will therefore that the younger Women c. While they were of age Note from hence that Children are not to be married in their Non-age before they are arrived at yeares of discretion Thanâ—ar Gen. 38. is to wait till Selah be grown up Those Parents are therefore to be blamed who out of by-respects match their Children in their infancie Whence it commeth to passe that as their age doth increase their minde doth alter so what formerly they did like afterwards they do loath such Marriages proving commonly most insuccessfull Nâ—y my Daughters for it grieveth me much for your sakes As if she had said It grieveth me much that you are already plunged into povertie but it would add more to my sorrow if you should increase your calamities by returning home with me for mine own part my misery troubleth me not so much because the Sun of my life is readie to set and it mattereth not though the Ship be scanted of Victuals when it is hard by the Harbour all my care is for you who are young women and stand upon your own preferment it grieveth me much for your sakes Doctrine See here Such is the ingenuous nature of Gods Children that they sorrow more for others that are inwrapped with them in a common calamitie then for themselves Example in Elias 1 King 17. 20. Put then it goeth
them Michaiah answered As the Lord liveth whatsoever the Lord saith unto me that will I speake If they be never so deare unto us we must not follow their â—ad practice So must the sonne please him that begat him that he doe not displease him that creaâ—ed him so must the Wiâ—e follow him that married her that she doth not offend him that made her Wherefore as Samson though bound with new Coâ—ds â—â—apt them asunder as Towe when it feeleth the fire so rather then we should be led by the lewd examples of those which be neere and deare unto us let us breake in pieces all Tyes Engagements Relations whatsoever Question Yea but one may say What if I finde in the Scripture an action recorded whose doer is knowne to have beene a godly and gracious man may I not without any further doubt or scruple follow the same Answer For the better satisfying hereof I will ranke the actions of godly men registred in the Scriptures into nine severall rankes and will shew how farre forth we may safely proceed in the imitation of them 1. We fide some actions set downe which are extraordinary the doers whereof had peculiar strength and dispensation from God to doe them Thus Samson slew himselfe and the Philistims in the Temple of Dagon Elias caused fire to descend on the two Captaines and their â—ifties Elisha cursed the Children of Beâ—hel Now these are recorded rather for our instruction then imitation For when the sonnes of Thunder would have been the sonnes of Lightning and have had sire from Heaven to burne the Samaritans which refused to receive our Saviour after the example of Elias Christ checked their ill-tempered Zeale and told them You know not of what spirit you are of 2. Some examples are set down which are founded in the Ceremonial Law as the eating of the Paschall Lamb the Circumcising of their Children the eight daie Now the date of these did expire at the death of Christ the substance being come the shadows are fled and therefore they may in no wise still be observed 3. Such examples as are founded in the Judicial Law which was onely calculated â—or the elevation of the Jewish Common-wealth as to put Men to death for Adulterie Now these examples tie us no farther to imitate them then they agree with the Moral Law or with those Statutes by which every particular Countrie is Governed 4. Some there be founded in no Law at all â—ut onely in an ancient custome by God tolerated and connived at as Polygamie in the Patriarks Divorces in the Iewes upon every â—light occasion from these also we must in these daies abstaine as which were never liked or allowed by God though permitted in some Persons and Ages for some speciall reasons 5. Doubtful examples which may so be termed because it is difficult to decide whether the Actors of them therein did offend or no so that should a Jurie of learned Writers be empannelled to passe their verdict upon them they would be puzled whether to condemn or acquit them and at length be forced to find it an Igâ—oramus as whether David did well to dissemble himselfe frantick thereby to escape the crueltie of Achish King of Gath. Now our most advised way herein is altogether to abstain from the imitation of them because there is a deal of difficultie and danger and our judgements may easilie be deceived 6. Mixt examples which containe in them a double action the one good the other bad both so closely couched together that it is a very hard thing to sever them thus in the unjust Steward there was his wisdome to provide for himselfe and his wickâ—dnesse to purloyne from his Master the first God did commend we may imitate the latter he could not but loath we may not but shun In the Israelitish Midwives Exod. 1. there was fides mentis fallacia mentientis the faith of their love and the falsenesse of their lying the first God rewarded and we may follow the latter he could not but dislike and we must detest Behold here is wisdome and let the Man that hath understanding discreetly divide betwixt the Drosse and the Gold the Chaffe and the Wheat in these mixt examples that so they may practice the one eschew and avoid the other 7. Those which be absolutely bad that no charitable Comment can be fastened upon them as the drunkenness of Noah the incest of Lot the lying of Abraham the swearing of Ioseph the adulterie of David the denial of Peter Now God forbid we should imitate these farre be it from us with King Ahaz to take a pattern from the Idolatrous Altar of Damascus the Holy Spirit hath not set these sinnes down with an intent they should be followed but first to shew the frailtie of his dearest Saints when he leaves them to themselves as also to comfort us when we fall into grievous sinnes when we see that as haynous offences of Gods servants stand upon record in the Scripture 8. Actions which are only good as they are qualified with such a circumstance as Davids eating of the Shewâ—bread provided for the Priesâ—s in a case of absolute necessitie These we may follow but then we must have a speciall eye and care that the same qualifying circumstance be in us for otherwise the deed will be impious and damnable 9. Examples absolutely good as the faithfulnesse of Abrâ—ham the peaceablenesse of Isaac the painfulnesse of Iacob the chastitie of Ioseph the patience of Moses the valour of Ioshuah the sinceritie of Dâ—vid these it is lawful and laudable with our best endeavours to imitate follow not the Adulterie of David but follow the chastitie of Ioseph follow not the dissembling of Peter but follow the sincerity of Nathaniel follow not the testiness of Ionah but follow the meeknesse Moses follow not the apostasie of Orpah but follow the perseverance of Ruth which cmes in the next Text to be Treated of Vers. 16 17. And Ruth answered Intreat me not to leave thee nor to depart from thee for whither thou goest I will goe and where thou dwellest I will dwell thy people shall be my people and thy God my God Where thou diest will I die and there will I be buried the Lord doe so to me and more also if ought but death part thee and me HEre we have the resolution of Ruth portrayed in lively Colours so that if we consider her Sex a Woman her Nation a Moabite one may boldly pronounce of her what our Saviour did of the Centurion Verily I say unto you I have not found so great faith no not in Israel Intreat me not to leave thee Some reade it Be not thou against me as it is in the Margent of the New Translation Where we see that those are to be accounted our Adversaries and against us who disswade us from our Voyage to Canaan from going to Gods true Religion They may be our Fathers they cannot be our Friends though they promise us
all outward profits and pleasures yet in very deed they are not with us but against us and so must be accounted of Where thou lodgest I will lodge A good Companion saith the Latinâ— Proverb is pro viatico I may adde also pro diversorio Ruth so be it she may enjoy Naomies gracious companie will be content with any Lodging though happily it may be no better then Iaâ—ob had Gen. 28. And yet we see how some have been discouraged even from the company of our Saviour for feare of hard lodging witnesse the Scribe to whom when our Saviour said The Foxes have their holes and the Fowles of the ayre have nests buâ— the sonne of man hath not where to lay his head This cold comfort presently quencht his forward zeale and he never appeared afterward whereas he ought to have said to our Saviour as Ruth to Naomi Where thou lodgest will I lodge Thy people shall be my people Haman being offended with Mordecai as if it had been but leane and weak revenge to spit his spight upon one person hated all the Iewes for Mordecai's sake the mad Beare stung with one Bee would needs throw downe the whole Hive But cleane contrarie Niomi had so graciously demeaned her selfe that Ruth for her sake is fallen in love with all the Iewes Farewell Melchom farewell Chemosh farewell Moab welcome Israel welcome Canaan welcome Bethlehem all of a sudden she will turâ—e Convert she will turne Proselyte Observation The godly carriage of one particular person may beget a love of that Countrey and People whereof he is even in a stranger and forreiner Doe we then desire to gaine credit to our Countrey prayse to our People honour to our Nation reputâ— to our Religion Let us depâ—rt and behave our selves graciously if we live â—mongst strangers On the other side the base and debauched manners of some one man is able to make his Countrey stink in the nostrils of those forreiners amongst whom he lives Ex uno discite omnes in one faithlesse Sinon one may reade the Trecherie of all the Grecians Thy God shall be my God Iehosaphat when he joyned with Ahab 1 Kings 22. said unto him My people is as thy people and my horses are as thy horses that is he would comply with him in a Politike League but Ruth goes further to an unitie in Religion Thy God shall be my God Yea but one may say How came Ruth to know who was the God of Naomi I answer As God said of Abraham I know that Abraham will instruct his children so may one confidently say of Naomi I know that Naomi had catechised and instructed her daughter in law and often taught her that the God of the Israelites was the onely true God who made Heaven and Earth and that all others were but Idols the workes of mens hands Yet as the Samaritans beleeved our Saviour first upon the relation of the woman that came from the Well Iohn 4. 42. but afterwards said unto her Now we beleeve not because of thy saying for we have heard him our selves and know thâ—t this is indeed the Christ the Saviour of the world So happily Ruth was induced first to the liking of the God of Israel upoâ— the credit of Naomies words but afterwards her love of him proceeded from a more certaine ground the motions of Gods holy Spirit in her heart Where thou diest will I die Here Ruth supposeth two things first that she and her mother in law should both die It is appointed for all once to die secondly that Naomi as the eldest should die first for according to the ordinarie custome of Nature it is most probable and likely that those that are most stricken in yeares should first depart this Life Yet I know not whether the Rule or the Exceptions be more generall and therefore let both young and old prepare for death the first may die soone but the second cannot live long And there will I be buried Where she supposeth two things more First that those that survived her would doe her the favour to burie her which is a common courtesie not to be denyed to any It was an Epitaph written upon the Grave of a Begger Nudus 〈◊〉 vivus 〈◊〉 ecce tegor Secondly she supposeth that they would burie her according to her instructions neere to her mother Naomi Observation As it is good to enjoy the companie of the godly while they are living so it is not amisse if it will stand with conveniencie to be buried with them after death The old Prophets bones escapt a burning by being buried with the other Prophets and the man who was tumbled into the Grave of Eâ—isha was revived by the vertue of his bones And we reade in the Acts and Monuments that the body of Peter Martyr's Wiâ—e was buried in a Dunghill but afterward being taken up in the Reigne of Queene Elizabeth it was hoâ—ourably buried in Oxford in the Grave of one Frideswick a Popish shee-Saint to this end that if Poperie which God forbid should over-spread our Kingdome againe and if the Papists should goe about to unâ—ombe Peter Martyr's Wives boneâ— they should be puzzled to distinguish betwiâ—â— this womans body and the Reliquâ—s of their Saint So good it is sometimes to be buried with those who some doe account pious though perchance in very deed they be not so The Lord doe so to me and more also To ascertaine Naomi of the seriousnessâ— of her intentions herein Ruth backs what formerly she had said with an Oath lined with an execration Observation Whence we may gather it is lawfull for us to sweare upon a just cause but then these three Rules must be warily observed First that we know that the thing whereto we sweare be true if the Oath be assertorie and if it be promissorie that we be sure that it is in our intent and in our power God blessing us to performe that which we promise Secondly that the occasion whereupon we use it be of moment and consequence not trifling and trivial Thirdly that we sweare by God alone and not by any Creature Sweare then neither by the Heaven nor by the Earth nor by Ierusalâ—m nor by the Temple nor by the Gold of the Temple nor by the Altar nor by the Sacrifice on the Altar but by God alone for he onely is able to reward thee if that thou affirmest be true he onely is able to punish thee if that thou avouchest be false Yet this doth no wayes favour the practice of many now adayes who make Oathes their language Our Saviour said to the Iâ—mes Many good workes have I shewed you from the Father for which of them goe you about to stone me So may the Lord say to many riotous Gallants now adayes Many good deeds have I done to thee I created thee of nothing I sent my Sonne to die for thee by my providence I continually protect and preserve thee for which of these deeds doest thou gâ—e about by