come safe to Moab and there to liue till they got fauour and dwelling and also maintenance was a singular fauour of the Lord towards both that howsoeuer they were afflicted yet they were not lefte destitute And this teacheth vs that in al our afflictions we receiue especiall blessings at the hands of God for this end that we should not bee swallowed vp of sorrowe There is no sicknesse but it is eyther short and sharpe or els tedious and light if it bee sodaine and verie extreame the continuance of it is but short if it belong and tedious it hath some time of ease some time of more quietnes so that in all our miseries we may say with the godly If the Lord had not bene on our side we had bene swallowed quick he tempereth the sodainest showres with least continuande and the longest winter hath many faire dayes Be strong therfor my brethren and sisters for sure the Lord will stablishe your hearts feare not all the daungers of the world though as many troubles compasse vs as there were Sirians about Eliseah yet lifte vp your eyes there are many thousands more with vs then are against vs. He that suffereth none to bee tempted aboue their power will not lay more vppon vs then we are able to beare but as he wrestled with Iacob with one hand he held him vp with the other so though hee afflict with one arme he shall sustaine with the other Which tooke them wiues Now we are come to the childrē the holy ghost expresseth the frendship which they receaued of the Moabits after the death of the father which is their mariage with their daughters Where first of all it may be demanded in this place seeing the Lord forbideth all strange mariages whither these sons of Elimelech did not offend against this law we know that the vnmaried are at liberty to mary whom they will onely in the Lord now the Moabits were heathen people and strangers from God his couenant and therefore these persons maried not in the Lord. To which I answere briefly that the Lord forbiddeth mariages with infidells for two causes first when wee may lawfully and without daunger ioyne our selues to them that are godly and wil presumptuously for worldly respects run to the daughters of men secondly that wee should refraine from all such mariages where wee are like to bee drawne away from our profession as wee see in Salomon But these sonnes of Elimelech offended in none of these For first they were now straungers and had no other choise and secondlie it appeareth by that which followeth that they were both well perswaded in religion For as Moses marryed a Madianitish woman and was blamelesse and Salman the sonne of Nahasson the prince of the Iewes maried with Rahab which both were the parents of Boaz mentioned hereafter and was faultles nay it was done by the permission of Iosuah therefore lawfull euen so these straunge Iewes moued with the same reasons chused the like mariages But some wil say the Iewes which had maried strange wiues in the captiuity of Babilon might haue alledged this against Nehemiah that they were in captiuitie had no women to take but strangers To the which I answere if they had so obiected they had spoken vntrueth and so would Nehemiah haue replyed for there were Iewishe women captiues as well as men and further I say that this their marying of strange women was the cause of the destruction of many Iewish women who being forsaken of their owne people must of necessity bee maried to infidells which could neuer returne to Ierusalem Again these sons of Elimelech by their mariage gayned greater fauour of the Moabits but especially the hande of God was in it that when they both should be dead Ruth might be maried to Boaz and be made a mother of Christ First therfore we note out of this that as these Moabits were kind to the father in giuing him residence so they were louing to the sons in giuing them wiues a notable example of humane curtesy giuen vnto vs by these heathens that we with the like fauour should entertaine strangers But manie couetous parents in these dayes which would be accompted Christians are so farre from doing this vnto strangers that they will hardly doe the like to their natural Countriemen rather imitating that vngodly Laban who made marchaundise of his daughters then godly Caleb in beestowing them on Othniell be he neuer so poore if they haue deserued well of Church or cōmon wealth rather desiring to aduance their postiritie in the glory of the world thē to discharge their duetyes in the presence of God They will say they ayme at this the feare of the Lord when as if they had matched their children with Turkes or infidells they would not or could not be more profane then those sauing onely these are outwardly obedient to a Christian prince that they might with more libertie followe theyr licentious Atheisme when as peraduenture the other woulde not so dissemble so that goods and not goodnesse the worlde and not the woorde earthly vanitie and not heauenly felicitie our parents ayme at But what shall wee saie to them that force theyr children not onely to match agaynst theyr mindes but to marrie with publike papists and knowen recusants onely for thinges of this lyfe Truely I aunswere that it is agaynst these that the Lorde speaketh when hee sayth You shall not take theyr daughters to your sonnes nor giue your daughters to theyr sonnes but as they haue marryed wythout the counsell of the Lorde in murdering the fruites of theyr owne bodyes euen so they shall prosper wythout the blessing of God in confounding the soules of theyr owne posteritie and as the children of the Iewes which were borne of strange women were separated from the newe founded temple euen so these shall bee excluded from the euerlasting Ierusalem And they tarryed there This time of theyr abode in Moab signifieth the great continuance of this miserie First for the Iewes at home who indured famine and secondly for these abroade which liued among Infidels tenne yeeres together It is a fearefull thing wyth vs that wee haue but one yeeres famine oh then wee thinke that the Lorde hath forgotten to bee mercifull But we haue heard alredie of famines of great continuance that in Iosephs time was seauen yeeres together that in Dauids time was three yeeres and a halfe and this miserie lasted tenne yeeres together Wherein many godly persons dyd patiently indure it Howe is it then that for this lyttle dearth among vs there are so great exclamations for corne and plentie such horrible blasphemies agaynst the Lorde himselfe saying Shall this indure alwaie Was there euer anie poore people thus afflicted Is this the fruit of the Gospell Are these the fauours of God and his righteousnesse in keeping his promise with such lyke too horrible to bee suffered as if the
the time permit Now Naomies husband In this verse is contained the description of Boaz vppon whome the whole historie following dependeth This Boaz was the sonne of Salmon who was sonne to Nahasson the prince of the hoast of Iudah the mother of Boaz was Rachab the harlot which receiued the spies of Israel into her house at Iericho as we see in Mathew and is commended for her faith by the author of the Epistle to the Hebrewes So that euerie waie wee see this dignitie commended vnto vs if we looke for birth his grandfather was the chiefe of the princely tribe of Iudah if for authoritie he was sayth this scripture of great power if for wealth his inheritance must needes bee great who was deriued of such noble ancestours and the reaping of his corne lasted to the end of all haruest the chief of all his religion is excellently commended vnto vs in the text and historie following So that we haue not to deale heere with meane and base personages being all of a kindred howsoeuer some are soner come to decay then other but out of this wee learne many profitable lessons First that seeing Boaz and Elimelech are said to be kinsmen as those which are desceaded from the same predecessors or ancestry wee are admonished of the frailty and vanity of worldly dignity that howsoeuer parents prouide for the maintenance of posterity yet the Lord must dispose the decay of their children Here we see poore Naomi hath a wealthy and an honourable kinsman yet shee a destitute and a desolate widdowe Her husband and shee were no meane persons but vndoubtedly both descended of noble familyes the yeares were but few since the death of Iosuah vnder whom the inheritance of euery tribe was giuen by lot and all the Iewes Israelits wealthy possessors yet see this godly Naomi is faine to liue of the gleanings of her daughter which neither her parents nor her husband did euer thinke vppon Beholde therefore as in a glasse the perfect image of temporall felicyty the father a king the children beggers the father honourable the sonne not worshipfull the predecessors the chiefest in authority but the successors the meanest in calling this made the fathers thinke that the world was like the sea heere a mighty waue and there a great downefall some thought it to be like ise where a man can neuer stand sure but the one will bee breaking or hee bee slyding some like to trees whereof the tallest are soonest ouerturned but all agree in this that worldly felicity is miserable vanitie For our present wealth is like a pleasant summer which must needes come to an end though all the world should striue to the contrary it was accounted to king Dauid for a specyall blessing of God vnto him and none other that shee shoulde not bee without a sonne to sit on his seate if his posteritie would obserue his commaundements yet wee see in Ioseph and Mary the mother of Christ beeing both of his ofspring how they could not obtaine in his owne citie a chamber to lie in but were faine to lodge in a stable so that this is not onely to the wicked but to the dearest saints of God Adam continued not still in paradise but was cast out that his felicity might bee heauenly and not earthly euen so the posterity of the righteous are brought into pouerty that they set not their mindes vppon temporall glory Therefore the Lord doth heere correct vs with pinching pouerty that there wee shoulde not with the world be condemned for delighting in vanity Then by this we learn humilitie in our wealth and worship honour and dignitie Set not vp your homes so highe sayth Dauid and if riches encrease set not your hearts vppon them for the Lorde resisteth the proude and giueth grace to the humble and meeke Wee read of stately kings and Emperours which haue beene caste from throne to the foote stoole of wealthy persons which in one houre haue beene vtterly vndone but of children whose parents were honourable riche many thousandes brought to perpetuall slauerye If you feare not your owne estates yet care for your posteritie and make much of them whome now you see cast downe the poore the destitute the despised the miserable for if Ionathan in his honour make of Dauid in his humilitie when Dauid commeth to his kingdome hee will aduaunce his ofspring to his owne table euen so if you make much of them that are poore nowe when you shall bee humbled in your posterity the Lord shall prouide for your issue by these that haue beene fauoured by you The wheele of the world runneth round sometime that which was lowest is highest and that which was highest is made lowe againe So bee you assured the Lord aduanceth dayly out of the dust to set with princes therefore make you friendes of the vnrighteous Mammon that when you shall haue neede they may receiue you into their euerlasting habitations Distribute liberally giue plentyfully line peaceablie walke humbly for the wealth of the world doth not alway last neither the crowne from generation to generation Secondly by this we gather that the godly may safely enioy great possessions of the blessing of God be exceeding rich men but some will say indeede they may be wealthy but with the hazarde of their soules for Christ sayth How hardly shall they which haue riches enter into the kingdome of God it is easier for a cable to go thorough the eye of a needle then for a rich man to enter into the kingdome of heauen Then if the danger of it bee so great the poorest condition is the safest welfare I grant you but Christ speaketh of carnal wealthy which make their goods their God as after he saith those that put their trust in their riches Of this sorte the world was neuer fuller as on the contrary of the other there was neuer fewer you shall haue them in all places which speake against the Gospell because it is an enimy to their liuings and offices promotions and honors like Demetrius for Diana a heathen deuill you shall haue other that will offer largely to the Gospell like the young man that came to Christ but when it toucheth a litle greater cost then farwell religion But this is the faulte of the men not of their wealth and yet I am persuaded that there are many wealthy Abrahams which will giue of the tenthes of their possessions to the heauenly Melchisedech Iesus Christ many Lots that will harbour the angels of God and rather wishe violence to their own daughters then to the righteous and finally like to this Boaz in riches religion of whom wee dayly pray the Lord increase the number Thirdly we see in this Boaz an excellent example of the reward of religion and faith for we haue heard that hee was the sonne of Rachab which receiued the spyes of Iosuah who afterwarde was married to Salmon the son of Nahasson by
light let vs shine forth in holy conuersation seeing the world is our enemie which dayly lyeth in wait to discredit our profession let vs adorne the Gospell wee professe eyther make the tree good and the fruite good or the tree euill and the fruit euill cast awaie this counterfeit holynesse which is double iniquitie let vs confesse with the mouth vnto saluation beleeue in the heart to iustification and practise in lyfe vnto sanctification and let euerie one that calleth on the name of the Lorde departe from iniquitie Thus much for the Daughters aunswere Nowe to the mothers replie in the nexte verse But Naomi In this verse and in the two next following Naomi confirmeth her counsell by forcible reasons taken from their second marryages and studying more for theyr good than her owne The first reason is that shee hath no mo sonnes eyther borne or vnborne to bee their husbandes for by the lawe one brother being dead without issue the next was to marrie his wife and to raise vp seede to his brother They knewe shee had no mo children alreadie borne and shee proueth that shee is out of hope to haue anie mo by her ovvne age she is too old to marry therfore to beare children so that the force of this reason is to perswade them to go back againe that they might marry at home for she knew not how to bestowe them in her owne Countrey In the which words thus taking a reason frō their marriage she noteth the duetye of younger widdowes and women which is to marry and to beare mo children and in her selfe persuading them vnto it shee noteth the duetie of godly parents which is to deale priuatly with them for their publique commodity For the apostle Paul willeth the selfe same thing that the younger widdowes marry and bring foorth mo children as the most acceptable condition for their fruitfull dayes and a necessary duety for replenishing the Church But these persons must not so marry for wantonnes as if they minded nothing but procreation of children but they must ioyne with it all Christian obedience to the aduise of their husbands secondly they must be carefull to bring vp their children in the feare and nurture of the Lord thirdly this must bee the end of their mariage and childbirth that they may the more deuoutly giue themselues to the worship of God and by their children to increase the number of the faythfull For it is better to be barren then to bring forth children to the deuill which they do that mind nothing lesse then their carefull education and Christian instruction yea it is more excellent to bee a religous widdow then a prophane maried wife But some will say that second mariages are not lawful at all because Paul willeth that such widowes should not bee chosen into the number of church seruants and the holy ghost giueth such commendation of Anna because shee neuer married though shee were left a widdow very young moreouer the counsell of Paul is that if they bee losed from husbands or wiues they should not seeke to beioyned vnto them Vnto all which I answere with the same Paul That a woman so soone as shee is loosed from her husband or so soone as her husband is dead shee is at liberty to marry with whom she will onely in the Lorde Anna is commended more for her religion them her chastity And Paul his counsell is to them that could forbeare in those dayes of persecution But to come to Naomi shee saith shee is to old to marry therefore it seemeth though second mariages bee good for young women yet they are not lawfull for the old To this I answere her meaning is not that it is simplie vnlawfull for her to marry but that it should not profit her in regard of child bearing men desire young and fruitfull women not old and barren her purpose is to persuade her daughters that she neither had nor coulde haue anye more children for them therefore in the next verse she addeth If I hoped or If I were this night with an husband But in my iudgment I see no reasonable cause why old women especially shuld marry how soeuer others may be contrarye minded my reasons are these First I reade it not practised by any body in the scripture I meane such old women as in their owne consciences are persuaded they are past child bearing Secondly they breake the greatest consideration in marriage they vndertake it for lust and not for children for marriage was not ordained for the lust of the mind but the necessity of the body to withdraw it from sinne Now their withered bodies cannot accomplishe the desire of theyr carnall mindes Thirdly it bringeth great inconuenience with it if they marry with a young man there is no equalitie as anone shall bee proued if with old men like themselues what comfort can they minister vnto them Lastly such mariages are more for wealth then woman or necessitie Yet this is but my poore iudgment if anie doubt of it let them examine my reasons if they bee waighty let them receiue them if light amend them If any say they marry for comfort as they can say nothing els I demaund why poore women haue not this comfort as well as the rich I see seldome any poore widowes maried but the wealthy so soone as eyther honesty or modesty will suffer them Againe comfort is no sufficient cause for marriage because it may bee had without marriage but children cannot It is the duety of married folks with their mutuall loue to comfort one another but not a cause that ought to constraine to mariage The Eunuch wanteth comfort yet who thinketh such a person fit for marriage a continent person which as Christ sayth hath made himself chast for the kingdome of God vvanteth comfort yet he should sinne greiuously if he married for comfort let lawfull things be ioyned with expedient and I thinke olde women will neuer marrie Yea if I had This is the second reason wherewith she persuadeth her daughters to turne backe againe namely graunt she had sonnes new borne yet it were too long for them to tarry till they were growen vp and fit for marriage yea then they would bee past children also they should lose the season of their youth and so should reape no haruest of their daies there would be no agreement in yeares betweene them when they should be as a withered stubbe and the young men as greene oliues Where we note that by the iudgment of this godly Naomi there must bee an agreement in yeeres betweene the parties that shal be married for she saith would ve be deferred for them from taking any husbandes nay my daughters by the which wordes shee signifieth that it would be no fit marriage that one should be so old and the other so young The Lord created Adam and Heuah in one day not only that marriage should not bee deferred too long
Berea which sought the scriptures dayly whither those thinges were so or not which were taught by Paule and Silas we know how Paul withstood Peter to his face who was a piller of the church and a more ancient Apostle then him selfe yet hee was faulty and to conclude we must receiue the Gospell as from God the onely author of it not from man least we make the preaching of the corsse of none effect it is farre surer to send vs to the fountaines of the written word of God then to the braines of the best learned in the world Therfore the conclusion is that we must not in the foundation of religion depend vpon men or angels though we were neuer so truly taught by them but must referre our faith and the credit therof to the onely written word of God But some wil say had Ruth this word of God or did Naomi cary it with her into the land of Moab I answere that it is very likely they had for the Iewes at this day haue the old testament with them in all nations secondly if they had not yet the Lorde by his spirite did persuade the heart of Ruth of the truth of those things which Naomi had taught her so did he perswade his church when there was no word written for the space of aboue two thousand yeres so doth he at this day keepe his church among infidells where is neither preaching word nor sacraments yet not one of them is lost But if any say let vs then forsake the written word of God and attend to these reuelations or priuate instructions of the holy ghost I answere so the Iewes when they came into the land of Canaan might haue eate no meate tyll the Lord raigned downe more manna vpon them surely then they had all starued many thousand yeares ago euen so if we looke for such extraordinary illuminations forsake y e present food of our souls God his writtē word preached among vs the other being ceased we shal iustly be condemned as the murderers and slaughterslaues of our owne destruction Let vs therfore take heede to God not to men ground our faith vpon his word not on humane giftes attend to the voice of Christ speaking by his ministers to the ears of y e body not waiting for extraordinary illuminatiōs if we want this means labor for it as a pearle worth all our marchants substance yea a treasure greater then all the world But of lighter pointes of religion if we receiue any thing of men who in one point haue diuers iudgments let vs learne to examine the reasons of all and being proued by prayer peace of conscience leane to the best neither doubting to depend vppon men or the credit of the truth but to the word Where wee note many things what great care ought parēts magistrats ministers prechers to haue ouer their children people subiects for their instruction seeing as Ruth had truly learned of her mother in law that did she constantly defend namely the worship of the onely one God If Naomi had peruerted her from on heathenisme to another it is very likly she wold haue abode by it but being instructed in the trueth and sealed by the holy spirite of promise shee doth carefully maintaine it giuing vs thereby to vnderstand how inestimable is the benefite of good education and first training vp in religion And ought not this to bee deare vnto vs that watch ouer the soules of our people and children who by vs beeing rightlie grounded in the foundation of christian religion maye happely growe vp like to glorious oliues for the church and commonwealth Wee read when Laban swore by his false gods then Iacob swore by the feare of his father Izaac so excellent was the instruction giuen him of his father that in the presence of idolatrous Laban for feare nor fauour would he alter his religion yea it seemed to be fastened in his flesh that hauing bene twentie yeeres among the idolatrous Sirians yet hee had not changed the manner of his oth the which he lerned of his father Oh where are these Izaaks in our dayes which teach their children any religion indeed men are too careful for their childrens temporall wealth they put them to schooles and vniuersities to be students at the law and men of occupations which are good but aske them why they do so they will answere that they might haue some thing to liue by heereafter neuer a word I warrant you of the saluation of their soules but for that they will hope in God they say and thus they compasse sea and land for trifles but the neuer fading health they least thinke vpon In times past seruants prayed to the God of their maisters but in these dayes if they should do so they must praye eyther to pride couetousnes or ignorance maisters and seruants can sweare by the name of God liberally but pray sparingly insomuch as if the life of God consisted in their praiers they woulde surely murder him they so seldome call vppon him Oh that this hellish behauiour of maisters and seruantes could be reduced to the line of God his worde but nowe they deale with their seruants as the Egiptians did with the Israelits they look for their tasks and worldly busines but they neuer exhorte them to sacrrfice to the Lord nay they hinder them and call them idle personnes if there bee any forwardnes of seruants and children that wayes truely now is like seruant like maister like maide like mistresse like father like sonne like mother like daughter such is the seede such is the haruest they go from cradles to graues and from graues to damnation their whole care is for pleasure and wealth and therefore they haue no part or portion but in this present life Yet let the children of Abraham do like Abrahā teach their sons daughters seruants the couenant of the Lord that all their seed posterity may be blessed both with the temporall euerlasting promise for godlines hath the promise of this life and of the life to come Secondly by this we note the fal of vngodly flatterers which will outwardly for shew or fauor be godly with the good wicked with the profane they wil in good company temper their speech like good men they will trudge trauel to sermons godly exercises because it pleaseth some gentleman or other will say to thē thy God my God your preacher my preacher your professiō shalbe my profession whom you loue I loue whō you hate I abhor Of this sort are many ignorant persons one misliketh our religiō because some popish frend of his mislike it some speaks against our gouernment because one or other which gape for the churche liuings speaketh against it and to say the truth it is very lamentable to see how all religion of many is turned into man pleasing but these tame beasts will one day come to the slaughter as well as
not the riches for their daughters husbands or sonnes wiues keeping them in continuall burning for lacke of this wealthie licour And I knowe many parents which haue cast off their children for poore mariages but neuer any for the wealthy were they neuer so wicked therefore whosoeuer for this cause denieth right to his childe shall be more faultie for their vngodly disposition then the children for their vnaduised mariage Now in these dayes it is a wonder to see how the mindes of men and women can loue for wealth that euen as a harlot humbleth her selfe for money to him whome otherwise she would not looke vpon so men and women will marry themselues for wealth where if there were pouertye they would thinke them vnworthie to be theyr seruaunts I maruaile if the heathen lawe were now in force that no man shoulde giue any thing to theyr daughters marriage in what time of theyr dayes would these men marry truely I thinke they would neuer marry except it were to make drudges of their wiues But these are not of Boaz his minde for he marrieth a straunger who had but little wealth because the Lord so commaunded to take his kinsmans wife although he might haue refused yet he was contented for this cause to buy her as he sayth in this verse to teach vs that if God bid vs to marry that is if we finde in our owne consciences that we cannot liue otherwise then rather aduenture thy wealth then the displeasure of God But some will say is it not lawfull to desire and to sue for wealthie marriages Yes verily with this affection that thou like thy choise as well if there were little as now there is much And therefore thou must euermore remember these cautions both in the choosing and vsing of a wealthie marriage First that thou desire it to the intent thou mayest bee more able to doe good to thy bretheren that want for it is a more blessed thing to giue then to receyue Secondly that thou mayest the more freely giue thy selfe priuately and publikely to the seruice of God for wee knowe that pouertie taketh our greatest time to labour for wife and family but the wealthie neede lesse labour and may applie the more time to the seruice of God therefore was it that Paule sayd the maryed care for the things of this life to please theyr wiues shewing that it is one misery vpon the poore when they are maryed that they are troubled about worldly and necessarye prouision but if these things be supplyed by a good marriage thou mayest prayse God with the greater diligence But who are they which haue desired or obtayned a wealthie marriage for eyther of these causes if the poore should goe in collection for reliefe of them which for this occasion haue richly ioyned themselues what should they gather or how farre should they goe to how many persons might they come before they get a shilling Truely for this cause they desire them some that they might lauish out the more in riotous expenses with the rich man in the Gospell to seede in pleasure to be clothed in silke to mayntayne dogges houndes haukes horses and retinues of idle men but neuer the Church of God fareth the better for them Agayne by their wealth they haue idlenesse and time to wander abroade heere to feast and to make merry there to playe and disporte themselues in bodilie exercises and worldlie vanities but neuer one houre the more is spent in the seruice of God but much the lesse for the Deuils sweete and pleasant baits drawe away theyr mindes from the consideration of theyr owne miseries Agayne they are many times a thousand folde more clogged with the cares of their wealth then the poorest soule to prouide bread for his family by his bodily labour Lastly theyr desire is to leaue great possessions to theyr posteritie that the honour of theyr houses may be increased and the name of theyr memory might bee euerlastingly recorded so that neyther the glory of God the promoting of the Gospell the relieuing of the faithfull or the succouring of Iesus Christ hymselfe is any part of the thought of these couetous wretches but as they desire the inheritances of the Lord to be their portion in this present life so they haue them for the canker of their soules the rust to consume them the care to torment them the feare to forsake them the loue to enioy them the trauaile to increase them and the reckoning for abusing them to their endlesse confusion Therefore except the Lord doe build the house their labour is but in vaine that build it except the Lord make the marriage the riches of Salomon cannot continue them for better is a little that the righteous hath then the great possessions of the vngodly Lastly he that marrieth for obedience vnto God must haue this care to prouide before hand things honest and lawfull for the present maintenance of wife and family Therefore when Abrahams seruant came to the City of Nachor among others which he told vnto Laban and the mother of Ribkah he shewed them what cattell and flocks seruants and maidens his maister had which all should be Izaaks thereby signifying that all necessary prouision for their maintenance was alreadie procured and there wanted nothing but a wife for Izaak So Iaakob after his foureteene yeares seruice with Laban couenaunteth to haue the profit of the flocks which should be spotted and this was when he knew he was to depart from his father in law and therefore was bound to prouide for himselfe Now this prouision is not so meant as though euery one were bound to get all things before hand which are needefull to marriage but it is required that euery one should procure somewhat according to their degree and the maintenance of their calling This point is clearer then the sunne and it serueth to the reproouing of them which runne headlong to marry one day but fall into wofull beggery the next neither houses to dwell in labour to worke on meate to sustaine them money to procure them friends to relieue them or credit to helpe them onely wiues and husbands they must needes haue not caring what shall become of them afterwarde And truely if the hurt did onely redound to theyr owne hinderance the pity was the lesse but wofull it is to tell how theyr miserable posteritye are thereby euen thorough their parents rashnes brought to euerlasting pouertye and such as is most lamentable for theyr mindes are not instructed they haue no knowledge of the true God neyther can they pray to theyr comfort or hope for any saluation If it were but the labour and pouertye of the bodye it were much to be desired and nothing to be feared but being the endaungering of both body and soule how much is it to be disliked that any for their owne lusts should leaue their wretched posteritye to the power of the deuill Therefore beloued counsell
his mother that bare him so we by instruction should first teach our childrē the feare of God that gaue them it is farre better for many children that they had neuer bene borne except their parents had more knowledge to till their mindes with the immortall seede of God his holy word then to looke vpō the sunne as the condemned person which commeth out of prison and so goeth to execution in like maner childrē without the knowledge of y e feare of God do come from the womb of their mothers which is their prison to the fire of hell which is y e place of execution Oh my beloued looke vpō your tender childrē and so often as you see them you behold the blessings of God vpon you make much of their soules by praying for their saluation you haue brought thē into the world leaue thē not to the deuill Thirdly seing children are y e gift of God those which haue children haue greater accompt to make then those which haue none for of him to whom much is giuē shal much be required and they to whome y e Lord hath giuen childrē and seruants lands and cattels shal answer for euery one of these to y e Lord therfore parēts must finish their reckning which they must giue to the Lord and let not one farthing of their debt be omitted for he will plague thē as well for not doing their duties to their own children as gracelesse children for contemning of God And this one cōsideration should mitigate y e desire of posterity because if they abuse thē their own damnation shall be the greater if they be vnruly they bring nothing but sorrow to their parents if they be godly the world will hate them and if they be wicked the deuill will haue them Were it not a pitifull sight to see the father burned for murthering his sonne how much more grieuous is it to see both father and sonne mother and daughter husband and wife maister and seruaunt mistresse and maides pastors and people to goe all to damnation together because the former did not guide the later oh would God that the desire to escape this iudgement would sinke into the hearts of all that we might euery one addict our liues to holines our minds to knowledge our bodies to obedience our hearts to vnderstanding our children to instruction our seruants to religion and all our soules to saluation Thirdly by this we gather that it is a greater blessing to be the mother of a sonne then the parent of a daughter if it so please God to send them for in this place the holy Ghost sayth that the Lord gaue her and she conceiued and brought foorth a sonne as if he had said the Lord gaue her her owne desire and the best issue which was a manchild for this cause our Sauiour saith that a woman forgetteth her paines in trauaile so soone as a man child is borne into the world Therefore is it that the Lord promised Abraham a sonne that he gaue Zachary and Elizabeth a sonne and finally therefore the Lord calleth vs all his sonnes as a father reioyseth more for a sonne so the Lord reioyseth in the saluation of all the faithfull By this we are taught to magnify the name of the almighty for euery one his benefits in their degree and if we want any by prayer to craue it at the hands of God alwayes remembring that we leaue the end of our desires to be agreeable to his will And here we see the prayer of the people in the former verse to be in part fulfilled when the Lord did so soone blesse this good old man by giuing him a sonne for it is no doubt but the holy Ghost doth so presently after their prayer adde her conception and his birth that he might stirre vs vp with greater zeale to desire the prayers of the faithfull which are alwayes auaileable in the presence of y e Lord. Come therefore my bretheren and let vs fulfill the desire of the Lord and accompt more of the petitions of the godly then all the possessions of the wealthy by prayer the earth is made fruitefull and the heauens drop downe abundance by prayer famine is remoued warres appeased the wrath of God pacified and the health of the bodye recouered by prayer wisedome is increased faith confirmed remission of sinnes obtained the barren woman made a fruitfull mother of many children the dayes of life lengthened peace of countreys and consciences prolonged and the kingdome of heauen eternally inherited Therefore those which cannot pray abhorre the presence of God are weary of our assemblyes forsake sermons and congregations depart from the fellowship of the faithfull and haue their sinnes sealed vp their liues accursed and their soules euerlastingly condemned And the women Now we must proceede to the second part of this scripture wherein is declared what issue and effect this wrought in other for so soone as the child was borne it did not only bring comfort to the parents but also ioy and gladnes to the godly citizens of Bethlehem among whome these women are reported by the holy Ghost which no doubt were present at the deliuery of Ruth to magnify the name of God for this so great a benefit bestowed vpon the old woman although her childrē were dead yet her name might be recouered by her louing daughter in lawe By this we first of all obserue the duety of all the faithfull which is to reioyse with them that reioyse and to weepe with them that weepe for as there godly Iewish women reioyse with Naomi for the fruitfulnes of Ruth so must we euery one be like affected for the blessings that are powred vpon our bretheren The like vnto this may we reade of the neighbours and kindred of Elizabeth hearing of the wonderfull mercy of God vnto her they reioysed with her This teacheth vs the same duety that the ioy of our brethren should be our reioysing and their sorrow our lamentation for there is no fellowship but there must be a feeling of the same ioyes or miseries not onely in publike affayres which respect their whole common wealth but also in priuate busines the benefit of euery particular person The head is sore when the stomacke is sicke the hand is grieued when the foote is maymed and euery part of the body being in prosperity reioyseth together For this cause Paule biddeth vs to endure all things with the same minde meaning that euery mans minde should be like his brothers eyther in sorrow or reioysing But is this the fellowship that raigneth among vs in these dayes or rather are we not merryest when our neighbours are tormented and doeth it not grieue vs to see other to prosper beside vs yes surely for there is no more hartie and vnfayned friendship among men in our dayes then is betweene the hauke and the bird when either of them is taken the other reioyseth This is the cause that men are no more
accompted after wealth fayleth friendship withdraweth when they stand in most neede and least pitie is in the greatest extremitie Euery tree is greene in the Spring euery bird will sing in sommer and euery false hearted Christian will faune vppon theyr bretheren in prosperitie but bee ashamed of theyr want in aduersitie yea there neuer wanteth priuie repiners and grudgers at the wealth and welfare of euery one for some say it is too much if theyr neighbours corne increase others say it is too little when they are vexed and troubled by losse of their goodes and this maketh many medlers in other mens matters many backbiters for other mens welfare many enuye that any should haue theyr shares as good as themselues like him in the Gospell whose eye was euill because the Lords hand was good and as all the waues of the sea doe beate vpon the shore so all the braines of the world doe breathe against the prosperous Secondly the manner of theyr reioysing must be considered which the holy Ghost hath set downe in these words Blessed be the Lord wherein they testifye perfect ioy both to the Lord by praysing him and giuing thankes and also to Naomi vnto whome nothing could be more acceptable then to heare the name of God to be blessed for her sake To blesse in the scripture whensoeuer it is referred to God signifieth to prayse or to giue thankes as when Zachary sayth Blessed be the Lord God of Israell for he hath visited and redeemed his people that is Praysed be the Lord God of Israell Likewise the Apostle Paule sayth Blessed be God the Father of our Lord Iesus Christ the father of mercyes and the God of all consolation that is praysed be God And in another place he sayth If thou blesse with the spirit how shall he that occupieth the roome of the vnlearned say Amen to thy thanksgiuing that is if thou giue thanks with the spirit In this place it is of the first sence as if these women had sayd We prayse thee O God that thou hast looked on the misery of Naomi and hast reserued her a kinseman by whome the name of the dead might be raysed vpon the inheritance and his owne honor continued in Gods people By the which we are taught what manner of ioy the faithfull are to haue for their bretheren namely such as may redound to the prayse of God according to the saying of the Apostle that he which reioyseth must reioyse in the Lord for as bodily exercise profiteth little so carnall ioy profiteth lesse such as is the framing of vayne songs giuing ouer our labours and to reioyse in pastimes and such as is vsed in ringing of bells and the like sort being onely for man and not for God Therefore heere wee haue an excellent manner of reioysing when God is glorifyed by our mirth Thus we reade Moses and Aaron with theyr sister Miriam did after they came out of Aegypt Thus did Deborah and Barach after the victory against Sisera Thus did the women after the victory of Saule and Dauid when they came from the slaughter of the Philistins Thus did Zachary when his tongue was restored vnto him Thus did the children of Ierusalem cry when Christ came riding vpon the Asse Thus doe the faithfull reioyse after the destruction of Rome and Antichrist singing Praysed be God saluation and honour and glory and power to our Lord God And the Lord cryeth out of heauen vnto vs Prayse the Lord all ye his seruants and whosoeuer feare him both small and great Therfore beloued seing it becommeth the iust to be thankefull let vs prayse the Lord both euening and morning and let vs not see a sparrow to light on the ground without some prayse to God by whose prouidence all things are gouerned by whose will all things are ordered for whose glory are all things appointed that we should euermore giue thanks to him that sitteth on the highest heauens and ruleth the mightiest princes appointing the measure for the sea and calling the whole world to iudgement in whose presence is light and life for euermore Thirdly the matter of their thanksgiuing must be considered for they prayse God because he had kept a kinsman aliue for Naomi whose name should be continued in the people of God so that in plaine words they commend the kindnes of God because he had so prouided for this godly Naomi as she might be comforted by his meanes and his name continued by her daughter and all three eased by this one childe By the which we are taught these two profitable lessons first that we must magnify God for the life of our friends so doe these Iewes for the life of Bohaz by whome the Lord brought such great comfort to both these destitute and desolate widdowes for as we are sorry for their death when it is too late so must we be thankefull for their life when yet they are with vs the sonne for the life of his father and the father for the sonne the wife for her husband and the husband for his wife the seruant for his maister the subiects for their prince the people for their teachers and y e daughters for their mother There are few of these but they bring much benefit vnto vs and no small comfort doth arise by their presence which we shall better perceiue when we want them then now we enioy them and for these the Apostle also willeth vs to pray and one cause of these two miracles vpon Lazarus and Dorcas was that their life might bee prolonged with the church of God and more kindnes shewed to their godly frendes Secondly by this all those that are able to bestowe any kindnesse vpon other are taught their duties to their owne kindred that especially they bee carefull for the reliefe of their pouertie the maintaynance of their dignitie the preseruation of their honesty the nourishing of their own flesh for vnto that end hath y e Lord encreased their substance continued their name prolonged their daye and aduanced their seates that they may be more able to do for their poore brethren which are commended to them by the Lorde committed by the worlde compelled by nature which are bone of their bone and flesh of their flesh that they might bee maintayned as your owne selues When Dauid was made king he aduanced his sisters sons his kinsemen when Saule was king he aduanced Abner and other his frends and wee knowe that many of Christes Apostles were his kinsmen vnto the which end Paule exhorteth that poore widdowes be prouided for by their frendes that the Church be not charged with them This condemneth the forgetfulnesse of many in our age which being in wealth will scant acknowledge their poore kindred whereby they shew themselues like vnnaturall beasts as if the Lord were not able to bring thē down to y e footstool in the place of the other y t they
their insteritâ—â—ice to multiplie their Fathers family for wordly honour the Rewarde of the Religion THE REVVARD OF RELIGION Ruth Cap. 1. ver 1 2 3 4 5 6. 1. In the time that the Iudges ruled there was a famine in the land and a certain man of Bethleem Iudah went for to soiourne in the countrie of Moab hee and his wife and his two sonnes 2. And the name of the man was Elimelech and the name of his wyfe Naomi and the names of his two sonnes Mahlon and Chilion Ephrathites of the lande of Iudah and when they were come into the land of Moab they continued there 3. Then Elimelech the husbande of Naomi died there and shee remained with hir two sonnes 4. Which tooke them wiues of the Moabites the name of the one was Horpah the name of the other Ruth they dwelled there about ten yeres 5. And Mahlon and Chilion died also both twaine so the woman was lefte destitute of her two sonnes and of her husband 6. Then she arose with her daughters in lawe and returned from the countrie of Moab for she had heard saie in the countrie of Moab that the Lord had visited his people giuen them bread ALthough the author of this booke of Ruth hath not expressed his name yet there is no doubt but it proceedeth from the spirit of God as well as the bookes of the Iudges Kings Chronicles which haue not the names of their authors described but if it may be lawfull to iudge or giue anie sentence thereof it was either Samuel or some other godly prophet vnder the raigne of Saul which is proued by the genealogies in the last chapter where Dauid is by name mentioned testifying vnto vs that it was then written when he was chosen from his bretheren and anointed king ouer Israell and yet before his raigne or els there had bene added vnto it the title of a King for the aduauncing of the name of Ruth who was his grande mother vppon whom this history following dependeth for the sumne and scope hereof is to shewe the pedigree or ancestry the naturall progenitours of Christe from Iudah the fourth sonne of Iacob vntill the time that he beganne to challenge the princelye seate the royall scepter the right of gouernment ouer the people of Israell which was at that time when Dauid was chosen from his fathers house anoynted king by Samuel Againe in this history there is deliuered vnto vs the hope which the fathers had concerning the calling of the Gentiles for this mariage of Ruth into the kindred of Christ who was a Gentile by nature none of the people of God did plainely foretell that the Gentiles shoulde be called in Christ for as hee tooke parte of his humane nature of them so he shewed vs that hee would giue the same for them that there might be no difference in his bodye between Iewes gentiles but that the power of his death the graces of the spirite and the knowledge of redemption might redounde to all Now the occasion of this history is deliuered vnto vs in this first Chapter which is the soiourning of a certaine Iew in the land of Moab by reason there was a famine in the land of Iudah with his familye and the returne of them that liued which were onely Naomi his wyfe and one other Ruth the Moabitesse the widdowe of his eldest sonne This wandering or soiourning is described with all the circumstuances thereof in these first sixe verses lately read and generally containe in them these two parts the first is theyr trauaile to the land of Moab the second those things that happened vnto them after they came thither The first parte is expressed in these two first verses first by the occasion which is declared by the time and by the thing that moued them thereunto in these wordes In the time that the Iudges ruled there was a famine c. Secondly by the persons that trauayled who are described by the place froÌ„ whence they were namely of Bethlehem Iudah these were the parents and the children which are named in the 2. ver The second part of these woordes is in the foure other verses following and it concerneth eyther the parents or the children the parents that one of them euen Elimelech the father of the familye dyed there shorâ—y after their arriuall the children first that they married ver 4 secondly that they likewise dyed ver 5 Then remained onely Naomi with hir two daughters in lawe and the time of her a bode in Moab is set downe to be ten yeares ver 4 secondly the occasion of hir departure because shee heard say that God had visited his people giuen them bread ver 6 of these partes let vs speake in order as the spirite shall giue vttrance and the time permit In the dayes that the Iudges ruled In these wordes the holy Ghoste after his accustomed manner for the more certaintye of the historye beginneth at the time as Moses beginneth his booke of Genesis from the first creation of the world so the prophets in the beginning of their bookes set downe vnder what king or kings they prophesied so also in the newe Testament we may see how three of the Euangelists beginne their Gospels from the preaching of Iohn Baptist and the raigne of king Herod The which order they vndoubtedly learned of the olde writers the same spirite guiding them to one and the same trueth vseth but one and the same manner of speaking For the almighty desiring to meete with the wrangling obiections of humane inuentions so tempereth the texte of euerie scripture as if question were made who did such a thing He nameth the persons where it was done He quoteth the place and when it was done Hee mentioneth the time The cause heereof is that hee might staie the waues of our sickle mindes vpon the piller of truth his euerlasting word But in this place he chiefly mentioneth the time of the Iudges to shew vnto vs that wheÌ„ religion was corrupted the worship of God decaied and idolatrye aduannced when the Lord was forgotten of his owne people when his lawes were no more obserued but euery man did that which seemed good in his owne eyes yea when there were almost as many Gods among them as they were men then euen then did the Lord send this plague of famine among them For Salomon sayth the blewnes of the wounde serueth to purge the euell and the stripes within the bottome of the belly as if he had sayd as the rypenes of a wounde calleth for a corasiue so the fulnes of sinne cryeth for vengeance by this therfore we note that the corruption of religion neglect of the worship of God is the cause of all his iudgments that are exercised in the world For the idolatry of Ieroboam and his sinnes whereby hee induced Israell to sinne did the Lord threaten by Achia the prophet to
scripture and seeing we haue brought these strangers to their Inne â—t Moab let vs heare their intertainment those things that happened vnto them after they came thither for the parts wee haue in the beginning set downe which I trust you remember and therefore we will to the words And they continued there This is as much to say as they found entertainment answerable to their expectation they had liberty of residence granted and obtained a place for their dwelling in safety Where wee first note the gentlenes or humanity of these heathen Moabits who had learned by nature this pointe of curtesie which is friendlye to succour poore harbourlesse straungers and no doubte but hee that watcheth the descending of sparrowes on the ground directed this iourney to Moab for the accomplishing of his owne counsell and prepared the heartes of these people with fauour to relieue them For as before he guided the iourney of Abrahams seruant to the citie of Machor where Rebecca was framed hir answere according to his praier eueÌ„ so he coÌ„ducted these to Moab where Ruth was and tempered the hearts of the wicked to giue these pilgrims a dwelling place among them By the which we are taught what friendship or loue we owe to strangers which are come among vs yea though we know not the purpose of their harts yet we must doo good vnto them for the proportioÌ„ of their bodies that is because they are men This is not a law written only in the booke of God but imprinted in the verie nature of euery one Wee see these Moabits do it by nature yet they had no religion in them we know how the king of Fgipt gaue commandement for Abraham that none should hurt him or any of his possessions Read but the Acts of the Apostles you shal see how barbarous nations receiued the church with curtesy and some vppon their reporte beleeued the doctrine of Christ What shall we then say to this beastlike behauiour of many among vs who will hardly permit poore Christian straungers to harbour among vs if it were not for that they are men the children of Adam like our selues yet because they call vppon the name of Christ being of the household of sayth let vs doe good vnto them But some will say what shall wee doe vnto them if they will not ioyne with vs in our religion I answere none must bee of Abrahams familye but those which wil be circumcised that is none must dwell with thee but such as wil be of thy profession Yet thou maiest for humanity or curtesy receiue a Turke or a pagan a Iew or an infidell papist or heretike to talke or table for a night or a small time so thou kepe they selfe from his pollutions So did Iacob feast his idolotrous father in law and kinsmen when they pursued him to the mount of Gilead with purpose to hurt him and our sauiour Christ biddeth vs to feede our enimies and to giue them drinke if they thirste So did Elischah to the host of Sirians who being sent to take him yet when he had taken them and lead them to the city he suffered the king to do them no hurt but refreshed them with meat and drinke and sent them away in safety For our outward curteous receuing of infidels is like coales of fire to draw them in loue with our inward religion we know how the Lord commaunded the Iewes to be good vnto strangers because they were strangers in Egipt We know how the Lord commendeth the stranger Samaritan beyond the priest and the leuite beccause he succoured the poore wounded Iewe which had fallen among theeues And truely wee our selues may bee strangers in other Countreies therefore let vs doe good vnto them now that we may receiue the like of them againe for this is the law and the prophets Then Elimelech when they had escaped one daunger they fell into another sorrow when by the mercifull kindnes of the Lord they were ioyntly come togither into Moab and there quietlye seated scaped the arrowes of famine by the hand of God the father of the family the nerest and derest vnto them dieth in plenty Where we note the verie lot of all the godly namely that the end of one sorrow is the beginning of another like the drops of raine distilling from the top of a house when one is gone another followeth like a ship vppon the sea being on the top of one waue presently is cast downe to the foote of another like the seede which being spread by the sower is hanted by the foules beeing greene and past their reache is endaungered by forste and snow being passed the winter â—s hurt by beasts in sommer being rype is cut with the sickle threshed with flaile purged in the floore ground in the mill baked in the ouen chewed in the teeth and consumed in the stomacke This made Dauid say Great are the troubles of the righteous but the Lord deliuereth out of all But be not discomforted oh my brethren for thorough many afflictions must we enter into the kingdome of heauen and by affliction we are made like to the sonne of God But to the matter We see here their sweet fellowship is preuented by death which in deed is the end of al worldly friendship This is a good lesson for all worldlings to remember how the Lord disappointeth all their purposes and ouerthroweth their counsells more vainer then vanity The merchant hauing obtained his banke promiseth rest and security to himselfe the husbandman hauing gathered his fruits neuer doubteth but hee shall spend them prouideth for more the Gentleman comming to his landes thinketh his reuenewes and pleasant life will indure alway like the apostles when Christ was transfigured in the mount presently they would builde tabernacles of residence but as the cloude came betwixt them and heauen and bereaued them of their purpose euen so sodainly will death come and depriue you of your profits call the marchant from his banke the husbandman from his farme the Gentleman from his lands the noble man from his honour the prince from his kingdome the Lady from her pleasures as this Elimelech was sodainly from wife and children Secondly by these words we note the goodnes of God toward both the dead man and also wife and children for no doubte but they all desired to bee seiled in some place or other and here the Lord suffereth the husband with wife and family to bee quietly feared before their separation He might haue called him away in his iourney as he was comming then oh how would it haue grieued hoth him and them him to leaue a poore comfortles widdow and children behind without dwelling or maintenance for home again they could not returne by reason of the famine and to goe forth on the iourney without a guide was like as if a ship were set on the sea without a mariner Therefore in suffering them all to
of God for when he scourgeth he cometh to see as he sayd of Sodome I will go downe and see whither it be altogether so if not that I may know for hee commeth to see vs in our miseryes as a phisitian to his patient whom he hath first or before made sick with his potion or corasiue bringeth a wholsome or speedy remedye with him Where wee note the miserable estate of men in the sicknes of sinne or vnder any of God his iudgments as dearth famine warre or pestelence that euen as sicke personnes are not able to helpe or comfort themselues or to take any pleasure in their wealth though they possessed the whole world so if we be oppressed in the punishment of our iniquities we can not or maye not rest in our selues but in the Lord our phisitian and watchman for if the Lord shut who can open if hee wound who can heale if hee curse who can blesse he that hath the bond or writing must discharge the debt the Lord that stroke must bind vs vp again Oh my dearly beloued brethren now are the childern come to the birth and there is no strength to be deliuered for this is the day of tribulation Now are wee in the ballaunce of the Lord eyther to visite our offences with his famin or to scourge our sinnes with the rod of dearth if either of both continue what end can we looke for but the pining of our bodyes and the consuming of our soules Whither shall we go to escape the iudgments of the Lord we are already clogged with his irons and fast bolted if wee striue to shake them of what doe wee els but rebell against the power of the highest if they continue we are but miserable prisoners and can looke for nothing but the fearfull day of execution Let vs turne to the Iudge before that daie and send vp our prayers as our dearest friendes vnto his sonne that hee may visite vs with the forgiuenesse of our sinnes that hee may sue out our pardon and bee intreated for our transgressions that wee may obtaine the release of our present miserie the remouing of his iudgementes the increase of the fruites of the earth that hee would visite vs in giuing our dayly bread to satisfie the poore with his goodnesse and giue vs all the bread of this lyfe to banish our dearth and the bread of lyfe to escape damnation And thus much for this time Now let vs giue praise to God The end of the first Lecture The second Lecture Chapter 1. Verse 7. to the 15. 7. Wherefore she departed out of the place where she was her two daughters in lawe with her and they went on their way to returne vnto the land of Iudah 8. Then Naomi sayd vnto her two daughters in lawe Go returne each of you vnto her owne mothers house the Lorde shew fauour vnto you as you haue done with the dead and with mee 9 The Lord graunt that eyther of you may find rest in the house of her husband and when shee had kissed them they ' lift vp their voice ad wept 10 And they said vnto her surely we will returne with thee vnto thy people 11 But Naomi sayd turne againe my daughters for what cause will you goe with mee are there any more sonnes in my wombe that they may bee your husbands 12 Turne again my daughters go your way for I am too old to haue an husband if I should say I had hope and if I had an husband this night yea if I had borne sons 13 Would ye tarry for them till they were of age would you be deferred for them from taking any husbands nay my daughters for it grieueth mee much for your sakes that the hand of the Lord is gone out against mee 14 Then they lift vp their voice and wept againe and Orpah kissed her mother in law and departed but Ruth abode with her still IN these wordes is expressed howe Naomi departeth out of Moab to go into the land of Iewrie The wordes diuide themselues into two partes the first is the iourney in this seuenth verse The second parte is the communication in the next seuen verses The iourney is described by the persons which were Naomi her two daughters in lawe The communication which they had by the waie principally consisteth in the perswasion of Naomi to her daughters that they should returne backe agayne and first shee speaketh in the eight and ninth verses Her speech containeth two partes the first is the counsell she giueth to them in these wordes Go returne The second is her prayer for them which is double or consisting of two partes The first is generall in these wordes The Lord shew fauour to the end of that verse The second is speciall in the ninth verse in these words The Lord grant you that you may finde rest c. Which beeing spoken they lifte vp their voice and wept beeing sorrowfull for this newes and therefore they answere in the tenth verse that they will returne with her to her people In the next verse to the fourteenth Naomi confirmeth her former counsell by waighty arguments which are expressed in her questions and they all are taken from their second marriages The first is in the eleauenth verse that shee had no mo sonnes to bee their husbands eyther already borne or which hereafter might bee borne therefore their labour would be but lost if they went with her seeing she could prouide them no mo husbandes This is amplified in the eleuenth and twelfth verse The second reason is in the thirteenth verse that although she had now children borne yet it would bee to long to staie for them till they were of age much more she hauing none borne and least her daughters should thinke she cared not for them shee addeth in the thirteenth verse that it grieued hir more for their sakes that is the loue she beareth to them then for her owne but it is the hande of God and therefore shee is contented Lastly in the 14. verse is declared the effect of this communication what it wrought for Orpah departed as a woman ouercome by these worldly persuasions but Ruth abideth still with her Of these let vs briefly speake in order as they lye by the premission and assistaunce of the almighty And shee arose This iourney of Naomi to her owne people as in the former verse wee heard was vndertaken when shee heard that the Iewes were deliuered from their famine so it is more commendable if we consider the obiections lets and hinderances that may be made against it First the way was very long betweene Moab and Bethlehem which might terrifie an old woman but if any say that it was no longer to returne then it was to come downe I answere when she came thither shee had her husband and children to beare her company but now shee was to returne alone and therefore the iourney would be the more tedious Secondly the
consideration of her age might haue hindered this trauaile for her withered body would be wearyed in the iourney and what knew shee but that she might die in the iourney and that among strangers who peraduenture would haue no regard of her age honour or honesty againe no doubt but she had some wealth in Moab which of nycessity she must be constrained to leaue behinde her and for euer to loose with many other such greiuous thoughts which might accomber her troubled breast But notwithstanding all these shee proceedeth on her intended iourney comitting her self to the preseruation of God in all places who she knew would giue her some comforts for the aduersity shee had endured Where first of all we note the duety of all the godly if with Naomi they are far frō the company of the faythfull or compelled to departe from them vpon the like occasion as famine pouertie persecution and such like that when occasion shall bee giuen they returne with Naomi to the temple to the people to the arke to the gospell of the Lord. For as God sayd to Eliah when hee was in mount Horeb What doest thou here Eliah euen so he speaketh to all persecuted pilgrims and poore true Christians which are at the gates and tables of carnall atheists the enimies of Christ VVhat do you heere there is corne and bread in Israel againe the Church your brethren haue now receiued maintenance returne to the place of sacrifice they that worship must worship God at Ierusalem the mountaines of Samaria are no place of God his worship but at Shilo is his tabernacle and his dwelling in Sion This wee may reade practised of the auncient fathers long ago When Moses had dwelt fortie yeares in Madian then the Lord bid him returne to his poore brethren againe Dauid beeing in great securitie with the king of Gath yet the Lord would not suffer him there to dwell And as the Israelits might not dwell with the Egiptians but must go into the land of Canaan so the Lords people must abide but where he appointeth thē And as the Shunamite woman after the seuen yeres famin returneth to her wonted dwelling euen so must not wee linger with recusant papists atheists swearers blasphemers and open despisers of God his ministers and ministerie Secondly we may note in this verse a godly example of holy obedience commendable friendship for here the daughters in law are going with their mother to the land of Iewry Where eyther for religion or loue which they beare to their mother in law they forsake both Countrey and friendes to go with her Was it not sufficient for them to take strangers for their husbands who being dead and they at liberty but they must go from their owne kindred with a mother in law was it not wel for them to abide with her so long as shee would abide with them and was able to maintaine them but now when shee had forsaken her dwelling and wealth must they accompany her in her pouerty Surely it seemeth that as Paul sayth to the Corinthians hee sought not theirs but them so these women desire rather the presence then the wealth of Naomi O excellent obedience and godly friendship worthy to bee registred with eternal memory They had not past ten yeares space to learne this point of religion that it is true friendship to loue at all times whether it be in wealth or prosperity in want or aduersity We haue many old professors in Christianitie which haue not profited thus much in twentie thirtie or fourty yeres profession They say to their neighbors as Iorams messenger said to Iehu Is it peace so they aske is it wealth is it riches is it honour or is it fauour of prince or Gentleman that dwelleth neere them As if they should say if thou be welthy thou shalt haue my friendship but if thou be poore then as Nabal answered Dauids messenger what is Dauid and what is the sonne of Ishai so what art thou I care not for thy companye get thee from my presence I can abide on such beggers Is this the fruite of religion condemned of the heathens abhorred of the brute beasts hated of the wicked and yet practised of or among Chirstians surely I had rather be a friendly Moabite then a thousand such carnall Isralits Yea the verie ciuill honest men among vs will rise in iudgment against vs in this pointe they will liue without hipocrisie we dissemble in all vaine glory our friendship is like the company of the dolphin if it bee faire weather she will neuer be from the ship but if a storme come shee withdraweth her fellowship Awaye with this most beastlike yea rather vnnaturall smiling vppon prosperitye but grim and straunge countenances vppon the afflicted eyther loue at all times which is Salomons friendship or loue at no time which is Sathans amity Then sayd Naomi The counsell that this godly Naomi giueth vnto her daughters is simply that they should reurne to their owne parents as if shee should say vnto them Be aduised my daughters some will thinke you very vnnaturall that you forsake your owne mothers to go with me your mother in lawe forsake your owne country to go vnto a strange place the iourney is long tedious you are tender weak better returne before we be far gone to be wise too late is to repent too sone care not for me the Lord wil inable me to go as well alone as with your company VVhere wee first of all note a most godly example of mother-like loue and godly charitie for if Naomi had gone alone it could not chuse but be farre more dangerous then with company and none could receiue any disaduauntage by her counsell beside her selfe yet wee see shee careth not for her owne commoditie so shee might procure the welfare of her daughters Shee might haue friendlye accepted their owne proffers and if any danger had come shee might haue said shee did not entreat them it was their owne vp seeking yet shee dealeth more plainelie with them in telling them the daunger as before they desired more her company then her wealth euen so now shee loueth their company wel but coūselleth their safty better This is the duety of all that feare God as the apostle sayth Let euery man seeke anothers and not their owne good this was so deere vnto the Lord himself that hee commaunded by Moses that if their neighbours cattell went astray they should bring them home again Doth the Lord take care for oxen not much more for men But oh where is the carefull keeping of this commaundement now euery man saith euerie one for himself and God for vs all but rather how shall the Lord be for vs when we are not for one another Now this wicked world is full of deceitfull bargaines now mens houses and lands are bought ouer the heads of their young and vnthristie sons now mens farmes
but also because their age should be alike but if any be the elder let it bee the man In the planting or gardens they get the youngest impes for the continuance and equality of the fruiete they will not digge vp an olde tree and plant him in a orchard of tender impes euen so must it be in marriage for the matrimony of olde men and young women is like Iosephes partie coloured coate which caused iealousie in his brethren for as that was a signe of loue in his father so this is a token of fondnes in a husband But most vnseemely is the marriage of young men and old women which a godly preacher in our daies cōpared to the grafting of a young head vpon an olde payre of shoulders I maye compare it to the mixture of oyle and water the which are quite against the nature of all medecines And euen the brute beastes and the birdes as wee reade of the turtles the harts the Elephants condemn herein the folly of mankinde which from their youth choose their mate and beeing dead refuse another fearing inequalitie of age and nature Both these kind of matches are neither begun in the Lord continued in nature or satisfie the desire of both parties but breake out into impatient iealousie or filthie adulterie thinking euerie daie a yeere till the eldest partie bee dead Oh vnseemely and vnfriendly behauiour towards those to whom they haue bound themselues to loue and liue together beeing the onely cause of the breach of fidelitie cursed discord mutuall enuie and euerlasting miserie Secondly by this we note that it is the dutie of parents in time to prouide for their children if they be willing to it some godly and fit marryage So did Abraham for Isaac his sonne so did Isaac and Rebecca for Iacob theyr sonne so did Iethro for his daughter Zipporah The neglect of this dutie in parents is the cause that so many children match contrarie to their mindes euen to theyr owne vndoing And then they crie out towne and countrie My sonne or my daughter hath marryed agaynst my minde when as themselues are in the onely faulte then they punish them by keeping awaie their portion so as before by their neglygence they sought their dishonestie nowe by their wilfulnesse they bring them to perpetuall beggerie I defend not the rash and headlong marryages agaynst parents consents especially where godly parents are and surely I feare there are but few in England that euer maried so but they procured the curse on themselues and haue often though too late repented their wilfull vngodly marryage But yet beloued bee warned if you desire the discharge of your owne consciences or the safegard of your children deale like parents with them they will performe like children to you the Lorde punisheth your negligence with their disobedience you sinned first and they followed your steps forgiue them their offence and receiue them to fauour againe and the Lorde wyll likewise pardon your transgression and blesse your posteritie with more dutifull obedience to you But this Now when she had perswaded her daughters to returne least they shoulde thinke shee careth not for them was willing to be rid of their companie as those that were troublesome and burdenous vnto her shee addeth this clause in the end of this verse Wherein she testifieth her care for them and her patience to the Lord. Her care for them when she sayth It grieueth me much more for your sake than for mine owne the death of my husband losse of my children grieue me but not so much as this that now either I must departe from you or else with your companie indanger your safetie I coulde not but sorrowe for the dead yet I am more grieued for you poore destitute widowes I haue lost their companie for a while til I meet them againe in God his kingdome but now we depart I to the Lords people you to Infidels and wee shall bee separated for euer Would God that I coulde so promise you prosperitie with mee that so you might receiue the peace of your soules Thus and such like she vttereth in these wordes for her owne excuse theyr comfort Where wee are first giuen to vnderstand how hardly true friendship is separated yea though some parties are indangered thereby Naomi would haue her daughters departe they weepe at it and shee is sorrow full insomuch as either partie striueth who shall receiue the worst The mother counselleth their good and the daughters promise hers shee would haue them returne and liue at rest in the armes of some louing husbands but they had rather trauell than she should go alone And this telleth vs that true friendshippe is not to receiue good of other but to doo good vnto other Choose thy friend that when hee is in heauinesse thou mayst comfort him when hee is hungrie thou mayest feed him when hee is cast downe thou mayest raise him vp and finally when hee wanteth make thou a supplie This is godly friendship like Ionathans and Dauids If anie choose friendes for other respects their friendship is carnall and not spirituall momentanie and not euerlasting like the standing pooles which drie vp in summer not like the running streames which indure continually Secondly by this we note that one misery commeth not alone for warres cause death dearth enuie and robberyes sicknes bringeth paine to the partyes and sorrow to their friends euen so death doth not onely bring sorrow for the dead but griefe for the liuing as Naomi sayth it greiueth mee much more for your sakes There is none that die but some shall want them many friends comfortles many chrldren harbourles many seruants maisterles and many creditouers moneylesse by the death of men I will say nothing that the godly may and ought to mourne for their friends that are dead as Abraham for Sara Iacob for Rahel the Iebusites for Saul Mary and Martha for Lazarus and the Apostle willeth vs to mourne but with this clause not as men without hope Therefore the vse of this doctrine is with pacient brotherly loue to beare with the weaknes of thē which seem in our conceipts to weepe more for their husbands and wiues children and friends than we thinke needfull It is their weakenes and what knowe we if the like burthen were on our backs that we should not be pressed downe vnder it like them Let vs therefore consider with our selues least wee also bee tempted and helpe them with brotherly kindnes not increse it with daily murmurings that which is to day their sinne to morrowe may bee our wickednes But the hand In those wordes she gathereth patience for the remedy of her own griefe sheweth howsoeuer she is afflicted yet she is not ignorant that as the showers come from the cloudes so her afflictions from the Lord his hand that wrought her felicity hath also brought her to misery her ease is her patience her weakenes is her
sorrow her comfort that God with whom is mercy hath wounded her heart The hand of the Lord is taken in the scriptures many wayes but generally it signifieth the meanes whereby he accomplisheth his counsell and is referred eyther to his mercy and fauour as when it is said the hand of the Lord was with Iohn Baptist or els to his iudgements punishement or chastisement so the hand of the Lord was against the Israelites when they had forsaken him and serued Baalim So when the Arke of God was in the house of Dagon the god or idoll of the Philistines the Lorde ouerthrewe their god cut of his hands and head and smote the Priests with Emerods then they confessed the hand of God to be sore against them so in this place it is taken for his chastisement or correctiō vpon Naomi Out of the which we note many profitable doctrines First that all our afflictions come from the Lord that he might chastise his owne and confounde the vngodly Reade but the 34. 36 Chapter of Iob most excellently intreating of this matter wherein is shewed that neyther the godly escape nor the wicked goe scot-free This is the confession of Moses to terrifie the Israelites of Iosuah to keepe them in obedience and of Dauid a man more exercised in trouble then all the world beside This must we accompt with ourselues in all our miseries we are robbed by theeues spoiled by murtherers stroke by bruite beastes reproched by slaunderers euill intreated by the worlde hurte by our enemies sustaine the losse of our goodes the daunger of our health and are oppressed with sickenesse surely in all these thinges say The Lorde gaue and the Lorde hath taken away euen as it hath pleased the Lorde so commeth thinges to passe But men will say we knowe it well ynough alreadie we confesse it And doe you knowe and confesse and will you not practise A man being sicke at the beginning neuer thinketh on the Lorde but posteth to the Physition for counsell without crauing the forgiuenesse of his sinnes the cause of his sicknesse yet you say God hath sent it and laide vpon vs as if the Lorde sendeth sickenesse to helpe the Physition to money for with him you agree for his paynes and cunnning but with the Lorde you agree not for your owne paynes which you endure But you will say we find ease by medicines our sickenesse is a bated I aunswere so the Lord suffreth witches and coniurers to tell them that come vnto thē the things they desire yet you will not say they are guiltlesse I speake nothing against the excellent and commendable profession of Physicke but rather for the commendation of it seeing God so accepteth it as that thereby he seemeth to salue vp the sinnes of many doing away their paynes and also to giue them longer time of repentance But this I wish both in this in all other miseries of mankinde that first we purge our consciences from notorious crimes and then the Lorde will stay his hande from striking our hearts from wauering our goodes from wasting our bodies from pining and our soules from euerlasting dying Secondly by this we note whence it commeth that the godly are so patient in all their tribulations euen frō this consideration that the Lordes hand afflicteth them This is worthie to bee noted in the example of Dauid when Shemei cursed him Abishai standing by wisheth Dauid to punishe him but Dauid answereth him what haue I to doe with you yee sonnes of Zeruiah hee curseth because the Lorde hath bidden him to curse me as if he had sayde I may punish the Lord as wel as Shemei The very like did Iob aunswere his wife when she would haue him curse God and dye Thou speakest like a foolish woman what shall we receiue good at the hands of God and not euill as if he had sayd wee are bounde to receiue euill at the hand of God as well as good if we receiue the one with blessing let vs not curse him for the other This was it that made the Apostles to reioyce that they were accompted worthy to suffer for the name of Christ and this must sincke into our ignoraunt and rebellious heartes that we may learne at the first to humble our selues least as wee now suffer for sinne so anone we be punished for impatiencie The patient abiding of the righteous auaileth much in the sight of the Lorde men thinke they be forgotten if they bee a little afflicted and crie out like desperate persons Lord Lord but they neuer pray for patience but all for deliuerance Oh howe excellent is this example of Naomi which being in many miseries in a straunge countrey hauing buried husbandes and sonnes being now to departe from her acquaintaunce to take a tedious iourney into her owne countrey poore wearie and desolate yet all her woordes are these The hand of the Lorde is gone out against mee as if she had said hee that gaue them tooke them and he that tooke them lefte me patience Thus must we stay our mindes on the worke of the Lorde as the Arke was stayed by the Priestes in the middest of the riuer Iordan which made the waters to flie backe till all the children of Israel were passed thorow euen so the the floudes of great troubles shall not ouerthrowe vs if we stay our minds on the hand of the Lorde and safely escape the dangerous destruction of worldly affliction Then they lift Now cōmeth the effect of this cōmunication wherein is shewed how sorrowfully these daughters tooke it yet diuersly minded for Horpah notwithstanding her gentle proffers to her mother in law her bitter teares pitiful lamenting yet she taketh her leaue with a sweet kisse returneth back to her idolatrous friends Naomi vsed no perswasions but worldly reasons taken from marriage to perswade thē both she seeth her sister remaine constant she that euen nowe for the loue of people mother in law would goe as far as the farthest now for the cogitation of a heathē husband forsaketh both God people mother and sister Who would haue thought that Horpah which bid her friends farewell her countrey adieu her kindred forsake idolatry abhorre would thus cowardly as I may tearme it flie back again in hope of a husband But yet we see she doeth and out of her example we may note many thinges First that the world carnal reasons are feareful hinderances vnto vs in Religion We see this woman how doth she fall away from God his people all the Church that she knewe her mother and sister We knowe how many being sent for to the great Mans supper which is the Lorde they excused their absence one for his farme another for his oxen another for his wife as Horpah doeth for her husbande What shall I say the loue of the worlde is the hatred of God and Iohn saith Loue not the world
Lord resisteth the proud and giueth grace to the humble and meeke the prodigal son by speaking most vilely of himselfe purchased his fathers fauour Euen so these hard speeches of our selues and other penitent sinners are as faithfull messengers to reconcile vs vnto God Secondly by this wee note how we must be inabled to encounter or resist the examples of others that are laid against vs to draw vs froÌ„ God euen as Ruth doth in this place Naomi telleth her Horpah is turned away and therefore shee must also Ruth answereth Where thou dwellest I will dwell as if shee had said if thou turne backe I will turne backe also but I know thy constancy is such as thou wilt neuer yeld therefore all the examples of my slippery sister and fearefull falawaies in the world shal neuer moue me it is thy constancy that I looke vpon nothing els which is as a safe ship for me to saile in through the waues of my vnstedfast minde so that by this you perceiue how she opposeth the stedfastnes of her mother against the backsliding of her sister depending vpon the surest hold not vpon a broken staffe Euen so must we against the examples of vngodly ruffians set the examples of sober minded Match the world and Christ together what shall the world get If it say be ignorant the other saith if the gospel be hid it is to them that be lost if it say folow the ways of thy own hart the other saith for this thou shalt come to iudgment if the world say bee couetous inrich thy self by gaming cosning carding dising buying selling the other saith such shal not inherit God his kingdome if the world say seeke honor the church saith it is vanity if it say esteem best of thy selfe the other saith thinke better of another if it wish thee prosperity the church saith rather suffer aduersity with God his children then to enioy the pleasures of sin for a season So the flesh lusteth against the spirit and the spirit against the flesh if thou be tempted to insidelity remember Abraham that beleeued in hope vnder hope and beyond hope if to incontinency remember Ioseph the mirror of chastitie if to impatiency thinke vpon Iob if to vniust dealing remember Iacob if to idlenes think on the pismire if to drunkennesse remember what Dauid did with the water of the well of Bethleem This is vsual in the scripture to exhort by examples Peter wisheth godly women to looke vpon Sara her obedience Iames willeth the poore in his dayes to take the prophets for an example of patieÌ„ce Paul exhorteth the Corinthians to liberality by the example of the Macedonians euen so on the contrary threatnings are denounced by the example of others as we may often read in the Gospel The Lord saith the Queene of Sheba shall rise in iudgment against the nation of the Iewes which came to heare the wisdome of Salomon likewise he prouoketh them by the exaÌ„ple of the publicans harlots telling them they shall bee preferred in the kingdome of God I thinke there is none so simple but they know they ought rather to followe the wise than the foolish virgines But some will say now the world is altogether corrupted the most part is the worst part therfore they must needs follow their manners and be defiled To whom I answere if thou were in a litle bark vpon the greatest sea sawest a thousand mighty waues about thee like huge mountaines woldest thou forsake thy litle barke which is alone leap into the middest among the waues because they are many so thou shouldest worke thy own destruction eueÌ„ so wilt thou forsake the maners life company of a few godly persons with whom is safety to wallow in the millions of worldly men with whom is no peace but is like the raging sea y t cannot rest shalt not thou be tossed with them I will not say troubled but euerlastingly confounded I grant we should liue by precept not by example but seeing we must needs see the Gospell before we beleeue it let vs looke on the liues of the purest fewest among vs ioine our selues to them as Noah to his arke that the water flouds of euerlasting destruction ouerwhelme vs not in eternall damnation Thy God By these wordes it may seeme that Ruth is not so wel grounded in the knowledge of God as she ought to be in that she dependeth vpon her mother in saying thy God is my God as if she had said if thou worship the true God so wil I if thou be an idolater so wil I if thou turne backward so will I if thou go forward so wil I. But I take it far otherwise that these words proceed froÌ„ a hart fully grounded vpon the truth as if she had said I know Naomi thou wilt neuer worship any Gods but the true God thou art constant in that which thy selfe hast taught mee I remaine stedfast in that which I learned of thee and therefore I can neuer forsake thee The which interpretation is confirmed by the wordes that follow Thy people my people who were Naomies people but the Iewes which alwayes worshipped the true God so that if Naomi could change her birth parentage people and country then also in the mind of Ruth she could change her God and as shee was persuaded she knew her people so she knew her God and as she thought she could not change her people so she conceiued she wold neuer alter her worship so that these words proceed of a stedfast persuasion in the knowledge of God and an assured hope of her mothers continuance Euen as wheÌ„ the king of Babel calleth the almighty by the name of the God of Shadrach Meshach Abednego was persuaded he was the true God by y e miraculous deliuery of those his seruants froÌ„ the fâ—ry furnace And as the king of Media called him by the name of Daniels God because he had deliuered him froÌ„ the hungry lions euen so Ruth called the true God by the name of Naomies God because she was instructed by her But some wil say is it not lawful for vs to depend von our fathers or elder frends in religion or to beleeue as the church or as catholique men beleeue I answere if the question bee made of the necessary pointes to saluation as the knowledge of the trinitie the worke of our redemption with such like it is by no meanes lawfull for vs to depend vpon men though they be the chiefest in knowledge and the greatest in authority in al the world if they teach it neuer so truly yet we must haue recourse to the word of God For Paul wished the Corinthes that they should be followers of him as he was of God as if he had said where I agree with God and his word consent with me where I disagree dissent from me We know what commendation the Lord giueth the Iewes of
wilde when it shall be manifested that the surest safest way in religion is to depend on God and not men Where thou dyest Hauing promised her life to bee spent in her mothers company shee proceedeth to her death shewing vnto her such perfect frendship as neither the trauailes of life or sorrows of death could euer abrogate and she addeth that euen in that place where Naomi should be buried would Ruth bee enterred for wee know the ancient custome was to bee buried with the fathers or predecessours whereof vndoubtedly the cause was the hope of the resurrecton that as they were buried so they shuld rise together to be made partakers of eternal woes or euerlasting ioyes And by this we obserue the loue which we owe vnto our fathers frends must be of such continuance y t it reach vnto the graue not only to be here the inheritors of their lands but also being dead to giue our bodies to their sepulchres and the measure of it must be so perfect that we must be the companions of life death And truely such as is the loue of children to their naturall parents such must bee the peoples to their spritual fathers in Christ The Galathians to pleasure Paul wold haue pulled out their own eies but men in these daies are so far frō this liberalitie towards the small number of preaching ministers that they wil hardly giue any penny towardes their maintenance they had rather haue their gold then the gospel of Christ their paltry pigs then preaching They cry out chargeable chargeable is the ministery when they thēselues which should pay the tenths yeld not the twentith of their increase such suing for their right such triing of customes such ouerbearing the weake finally they would be religious but y e ministers must be as beggers among thē Who seeth not in many places where they crie out for preachers and promise largely in their behalfe yet when the Lord hath sent them they almost stinke in their presence I speak plainly I confesse yet but the truth moreouer they are not onely poorely prouided for but euery base person pesant pot cōpanion are suffered to crow ouer thē cry out against thē Thus Chirst was before yet like vs contemned of the brauest reuiled of the basest the world I see is no changling although many hundred ages haue passed since yet the maners thereof remaine it agreeth in nothing saue onely to persecute Christ and seeing we are sent forth as a silly lambes among ten thousand wolūs and as men borne out of due time although our calling be despised our labor vnprofitable we made laughing stocks yet our pains will be rewarded our offences pardoned we crowned they euerlastingly confounded So let God Last of all that shee might be no more molested by her mother in law she confirmeth the resolution of her mind by an oth in these words So let God do vnto me and more also if ought but death do separate thee and mee which is an vsuall manner of swearing in the scripture as we reade of Dauid how he swore he woulde bee reuenged of the churlish Nabal for the vncourteous message he returned him by his seruants and is vsed by all the godly in the olde Testament and indeede it doth most notably describe the nature of an othe for it is thus much in effect I pray God confound mee if I speake not this with purpose of heart out of the which wee note many thinges most profitable First that in euery oath wee curse our owne soules if we publishe not the truth or performe not that which we promise as if euerie time we sweare wee shoulde saie The Lord confound mee bodie and soule with sathan and his angelles if this bee not so Oh that our othe-mongers common swearers in our daies wold remember or vnderstand this that wheras in their daies they haue sworne many milions of times so many curses damnations they haue wished to themselues the very consideration wherof would make them as gulitie in their own consciences as euer Cain was for killing a man or Iudas for betraying the Lord of glory they haue with their arrowes of blasphemy shotte thorough boared the Lord to the very neerest place of his life for euerie trifle And truly as the common Inne is knowen by his signe and the black Moore by his skin euen so is an atheist and carnal man by his othe We shal talke with honest worldly men who at euery worde or sentence will breake foorth into most horrible swearing vppon no occasion if they be rebuked they waxe much worse We read of an Egiptian Israelite that blasphemed and was by God his owne commaundement stoned to death How if this law were put in practise among vs where woulde the gallant companions which will sweare by all the colours of the moone become would not they crye out to the hills to couer them and to the rocks to fal vpon them was it not strange that among sixe hundred thousand men which were able to beare armes with olde men women and children almost innumerable there shuld be found but one man that had blasphemed or taken God his dreadfull name in vaine and he must be stoned But among vs if so many chosen men were taken my life for it there shall not be found among euery hundred ten persons which are not common blasphemers Oh Lord how doth thy mercy stay the heauens from powring downe stones vppon vs as they did vppon the Cananits There is not now a child in the streets if he be able to speake but he murmureth an oth onely excepted some few which haue godly parents there is not a woman eyther mayde or wife some few excepted which doth not dayly increase their curse by their continuall blasphemies may wee not now say Lord what is man that thou visitest him or the son of man that thou so regardest him Truly the most folow the counsell of Iobs wife they curse God and dye a godly martir required to curse christ and hee should liue answeared seuentie yeres haue I serued him yet hee neuer did mee any hurt why then should I curse him And I pray you what hurt hath the Lorde done vnto you that you thus blaspheme his honour curse your owne soules rebell against his lawes and sweare many hundred times oftener then you eate or drinke surelie the disease of leprosie was contagious and whosoeuer had it was excluded from the congregation how much more ought this poyson of swearing and swearers to be cut of from the society of God and men And surely now helpe O ye Gods of the earth I meane you magistrats and men of authority this knot will neuer be vnloosed except you draw out your swords and strike it a sunder though you would giue them all your posessions steale away their swearing as Rahel stole her fathers idols yet they will sweare
charity and compassion try and examine their brethren When our sauiour Christ had dealt with the Cananitishe woman about the like cause seeing that silence would not answere her nor deniall satisfie her nor the opprobrious word of dogge dismay hir then he yelded to her desire cured her daughter and proclaimed her faith to bee wonderfull By which wee gather that it is an vngodly thing to try any in religiō or in any good motion beyond their strength for it is no doubt but Naomi if shee would could haue multiplied mo obiectiōs against this enterprise of Ruth but hir mind was to try her not to trouble her to confirme her not to confound her and to shew vnto her what must bee her resolution if she go vnto the Lords people she can hope for no earthly felicitye she must neuer repent and turne backe againe she must bury both countrey and kindred in the graue of forgetfulnes that the thoughts or desire of their fruition must neuer hinder the course of her religion Whereby all the godly are by Naomi admonished to be carefull whō they receiue into their company and how gentlye they must entreate them when they finde their fidelity the rauens will not feede their owne birds or young ones so long as they bee naked till their feathers come out and they knowe them to be their owne which iealousy of soules must teach vs that if wee see not the euident tokens of godlynes we must not receiue yea our owne kinsmen into the secrete of our hearts to communicate vnto them the sweet felowship we haue with Christ for many daily creepe into the church to espie our liberty but as Iohn saith if any come vnto you bring not this doctrine receiue them not to house nor bid them good speede But in this it is strange to see howe farre manie godly persons are deceiued which beleeue euerylight word of hipocriticall persons esteeming them good christians giuing thē the right hand of fellowship opening the treasures of the Lord to these mockers of spiritual things casting the childrens crummes to dogs and their pretious pearles before these filthy swine which tread both Christ and his gospell vnder the feete of their hearts and rent reuile persecute and seeke the destruction of the truely religious would God we were all Naomies in this point to trie their spirites whether they be of God seeing so many false spirits are gone out into the world for we must not commit our selues to euery one that will outwardly say as wee beleeue but first see the fruits and afterwards iudge of the tree We know how many in the Gospel our sauiour Christ refused which offered themselues vnto him for none can come to him but those whom his father draweth And against this especially do all the flattring Michaes and please-man preachers of England offend which as the prophet saith sowe pillowes vnder the elbowes of the people that is they giue them rest in their singular sins if they can say Lord Lord they tell them they are good christians if they come once a weeke to the church their deuotion is sufficient if they spend all their dayes in ignorance vanity yet a few words at the later end will recouer them Oh how fearefull and lamentable is the condition of such pastours and people where they are thus flattred in their sins stroked in their iniquityes they heare the gospell feed on the sacraments dwel safely in the house of God and eate of the fatte of the lands that their iudgement might be without excuse their damnation the greater themselues the prepared oxen for the Lords slaughter house they cry peace peace mercy mercy speake of plenty not penury of feasting not famines of pleasures not suffrings of mirth not mourning of newe wine not God his word nay they bid the most couetous cormorants in croching vsurers prodigall russians beastly drunkards filthy adulterers cursed blasphemers common swearers dumbe ministers and prophane and carnall atheists to hope for saluation whereas the Apostle sayth not one of these shall inherite the kingdome of God Is not this to cast childrens bread to doggs and to make the most holie Gospel a cloake nay rather a patent or charter to worke all manner of licenciousnes surelie if Naomi would not promise any thing to her deere daughter Ruth but rather discourage her from following the Lorde in the triall of her fayth you are as farre wide from any hope of sauing health as heauen from the earth or light from darknes therfore to conclude as the gold is not knowen but by the touchstone so is not any Christian till he be throughly tried in religion as the goldsmith will not accept it though it seeme neuer so fayre till he haue tried it so must not wee loose the bands of sins till they be repented or bind the breaches of iniquity till they be satisfied nor account any a christian till wee haue throroughly tried him Other there are which will neuer bee satisfied in their brethren euery day troubling thē with vaine vnprofitable questions neuer giuing thē ouer til they haue wearied them with their wranglings seking to deface in thē that little knowledge which they haue discourage them from the profession of christiā religion But most abhominable is y e dealing of many with their neighbours both christian men women who forsaking the cursed pastime of carnall cōpanions espiing the insufficiencie of dumbe vnpreaching ministers burning in loue for the pure preaching of God his word and seeking that where it is to be found absent themselues from their assemblies now then they present thē to the courts as wicked recusants where I warrant you they find as much fauor as Paul did before Felix thus we are many times vniustly vexed for good cōsciēces turmoiled aboū for hearing of sermons almost as much as any papist for abhoring our religion this it is that feareth many causeth other to fall back before troubles come dismaieth many weake soules when they see their poore brethren in this peaceable time vnder the gouernment of so godly gratious a prince so tormented as is incredible the experience of this is too too cōmon in euery corner of our countrey where ther is any diligent preacher or profitable hearer Let vs therfore my brethren with Naomi cease to vexe the godly minded Ruths both mē womē our dānation shalbe the greater if we draw driue men from God the laws require it not the magistrates like it not our profession forbiddeth it accursed are those godles iudges which pronoūce any sentence against these innocent persons Therefore saye with the prophet Come let vs ascend to the mountaine of the Lord euen to the hill of the God of Iacob for hee shall teach vs his waies and wee will walke in his pathes So they went foorth Now are these two good women both going and also come to Bethelem and vndoubtedly
that their religion was all outward they spake well but did ill And thus God witnesseth the sins of common-weales by the changing of their prince the sins of publique persons by casting them out of their office the sins of priuate persons sometimes by inprisonment sometimes by scourging or pouerty and sometimes by sicknes aluding to trials of iudgment where the noble is condemned for treason as well as the meaner person for stealing And this my beloued hath the Lord testified against vs our peace hath beene threatened by warre our prince by treason our banquetting by famine our excesse by penury our pride by pouerty our peoples contempt of preaching by pestilence and still the Lord hideth one sin from this witnes that we might repent for all Then we must needs set down with our selues that our actions are noted our prophaning of saboths registred our contempts against God his ministers described the times of our drunkennes idlenes wantonnes numbred our owne consciences examined the witnesses produced we arreigned and now euen now before God his iudgement seate in danger to be euerlastingly condemned for as Naomi sayth the Lord emptieth vs of his graces and testifieth against vs who shall plead for vs when the iudge knoweth our guiltinesse surely surely there is no hope of pardon but to the penitent patience must be prayed for that our sufferings may be eased So shee returned with Ruth the Moabitesse with her This verse is the conclusion of this first chapter where is described the time of Naomies returne vnto Bethlehem from the countrey of Moab which was the beginning of barley haruest that the reporte shee hearde in Moab how God had visited his people and giuen them bread might at her first arriuall bee found true wherein is noted the blessing of God vnto her that she came in the beginning of haruest the pleasantest and profitablest time of all the yeare This barley haruest was in the latter parte of the first moneth and the beginning of the second among the Iewes which with vs are called March and Aprill for the warmnes of those contreyes is such that their haruest is ripe much sooner then in ours By the which also we note that shee had a prosperous successe in her iourney that euen in those dangerous dayes shee came safely to Bethlehem all those doubts which in the beginning we shewed you might haue hindered her iourney shee well ouerpassed for no doubt in so rare a matter if any lette had bene offered the holy ghost would not haue omitted it So that this teacheth vs with Naomi that as she was not hindered in her trauaile from Moab to God his people euen so must not we be stayed from the profession of true religion She was an old woman yet she would go so tedious a iourney to the company of the faithful therfore let no man thinke that age excuseth them from the true worshippe of God or sincere profession of religion Shee had little companie to encourage her onely poore Ruth her daughter in law wayted vppon her therefore it must not hinder oâ— discourage vs that so fewe followe religion for Christes flocke is a little flocke like the first fruits of the haruest field which is but a handfull to many cartloades Naomi aduentured her body and forsoke her goods to come to the house of the Lord Oh how colde are our dayes when men neede neither of both yea they will hardly go any farther for knowledg theÌ„ the vilest atheist in the world to conclude many dangers hung ouer her head yet by the prouidence of God she escapeth al euen so my brethren admit no delayes inuente no excuses receiue no hinderances imagine no suspitions and abstaine from all stayes which maye let you from comming to the mountaine of the Lord the company of the faithfull for blessed are the people whose God is Iehouah and it is better to abide but one daye in the courtes of the Lord than a thousand yeeres in the pallaces of the wicked Now let vs giue praise to the Lord. The end of the fourth Lecture The fifth Lecture Ruth Chapter 2. verse 1 2 3 4 5 6 7. 1 Now Naomies husband had a kinsman a man of great wealth of the family of Eiâ—melech whose name was Boaz. 2 And when Ruth the Moabitish sayd vnto her mother in lawe Let mee goe I praie thee into the field to gather eares after him in whose eyes I shall find fauour and she sayd Go my daughter 3 And she went and came to gather in the field after the reapers and shee met with the possession of a field pertaining to Boaz who was of the familie of Elâ—melech 4 And behold when Boaz came from Rethleem hee sayd to the reapers The Lord be with you And they sayde The Lord blesse thee 5 And Boaz sayd to his seruant which was appointed ouer the reapers Whose is this maid 6 And the seruant which was appointed ouer the reapers answered and sayd This is the Moabitish maide which came with Naomi from the countrie of Moab 7 Which came and saide Let mee gather I praie you among the sheaues after the reapers and so she came stayed heere from morning vntill now onely she tarried a little while at her house IN the former Chapter we heard by our generall diuision that the occasion of this historie was therein contained but now in these three Chapters following is declared the meanes whereby this marry age was accomplished whereof the first is described in this second Chapter which is the acquaintance of Boaz Ruth and the circumstances thereof as shall appeare in the speciall treatise of euerie particular thing The occasion of this acquaintance is the gleaning of Ruth in the field of Boaz. These seuen verses containe two partes the first and principall parte is of Boaz and the seconde of Ruth The first part is contained in the 1.4.5.6.7 ver wherein Boaz is described verse 1. to be Naomies kinsman by her husband Secondly to bee a man of great wealth in y e other verse is set down his diligence which came to the field to visit his workmen view the coÌ„panie His actions after hee came to the field are first the salutation of the reapers verse 4. and they doo the like to him secondly he asketh his seruant who Ruth was verse 5. To which question the seruaunt answereth first telling his master that it was Ruth the Moabitesse the companion of Naomi verse 6. secondly he excuseth her gathering because shee asked leaue and tarryed there but onely that morning verse 7. The second part which respecteth Ruth is contained verses 2.3 Wherin first she asketh leaue of her mother to go and gather eares where she should finde fauour and her mother graunteth verse 2. Secondly the place where she gathereth is described which was the field or possession of Boaz her husbands kinsman Of these partes let vs briefely speake as the spirite of God shall giue vtterance and
other as they themselues wer first entreated for this too much shamefastnes in many is worthy blame because it doth not onely couer the countenance but also couer the tongue leauing them speecheles when they are to answere their superiors but as these labuoring reapers vse Boaz so also must wee any of our betters which is with reuerence to speake our mindes and godlines to pray for their welfare and therefore wee must put on the spirite of meekenes and euery one esteeme better of another then of our selues But some will say there is no such necessitie of salutation as you would make it for Elisehah sending his seruaunt commaunded him to salute no man by the way and if any saluted him he should not answere them likewise our sauiour Christ sending his disciples to preach willed thē not to salute any by the way therefore it is no such signe of pride as you would make it To the which I aunswere first that Elisehah sent his man in wonderfull hast which respected the life of the Shunamites son therefore he willeth him to admit no let or hindrance in his iourney but with all speed to go forward insomuch as he should not doo the common curtesie to strangers either in salutation or in answer Euen so meaneth our sauior that his disciples being hastilie sent as it were to gather the haruest of the Lorde might admit no delay either in necessary or vnnecessary busines And this teacheth vs that the labor of preaching excelleth all earthly duties yea that all other must serue to it as handmaides and seruaunts to further the course and not hinder the proceedings Therefore this must remaine inuiolable as grounded on the lawe of God and men that curteous and godly salutations are verie commendable Then Boaz. Now in these three verses following insueth the communication had with his seruaunt who Ruth was vnto which his seruant telleth or answereth in the 6. and 7. verses First that it is Ruth which came with Naomi from the country of Moab secondly that shee asked him leaue to gather among the sheaues thirdly that she came but that morning and had continued till that instant Where we see the carefulnesse of Boaz in doing good would know the persons whether they were worthie or not and the faithfulnesse of the seruant which so plainly declared the truth to his master And this is the pure meaning of the wordes other doctrines can none be drawen from hence and therefore let vs giue praise to God for that which hath beene spoken The end of the fifth Lecture The sixt Lecture Chap. 2. Verse 8 9 10 11 12 13 14. 8 Then sayd Boas to Ruth Hearest thou my daughter go to none other field to gather neither go from hence but abide here by my maidens 9 Let thine eies be on the field that they doo reape and go after the maidens Haue I not charged the seruantes that they touch thee not Moreouer when thou art thirstie go vnto the vessels and drinke of that which the seruants haue drawen 10 Then shee fell on her face and bowed her selfe to the ground and sayd vnto him How haue I found favour in thy eies that thou shouldest knowe mee since I am a stranger 11 And Boaz answered and sayd vnto her All is tolde shewed me that thou hast done vnto thy mother in law since the death of thy husband and how thou hast lefte thy father and mother and the land where thou wast borne and art come vnto a people which thou knewest not in times past 12 The Lord recompence thy worke and a full reward bee giuen thee of the Lord God of Israel vnder whose wings thou art come to trust 13 Then she said Let me find fauor in thy sight my Lord for thou hast comforted me spoken to the hart of thy handmaid yet I shall not be like to one of thy maides 14 And Boaz said vnto her At meale time come thou hether and eate of the bread and dippe thy morsell in the vineger and she sate beside the reapers c. IN these wordes the holy Ghost declareth the cōmunication which Boaz had with Ruth for so soone as he vnderstood who she was he turneth his speech from the man to the woman This conference according to the number of the persons hath two partes The first is of Boaz and the second of Ruth The first parte which respecteth Boaz is the singular curtesie he offereth to Ruth ver 8.9.14 Wherin first he biddeth her to gleane freely among his maidens not onely in that fielde but also wheresoeuer the reapers bestowe themselues secondly he commandeth his seruants that they doo her no iniurie but giue her drinke when she is thirstie and himselfe called her to meate and gaue her so liberally that she being sufficed left for her mother The other part which concerneth Ruth is her manner of behauior to this curteous intertainment of Boaz wherein first shee boweth her selfe to the ground verse 10 secondly she confesseth the greatnesse of his kindnesse in the same verse because she was a stranger and her vnworthinesse of anie benefit vers 13 because shee should be as one of his maidens For this speech of Ruth Boaz sheweth the cause of all his curtesie ver 11. because shee had dealt so well with her mother in lawe and had forsaken countrie and kindred to come to the people of God therefore shee deserued to be honourably intreated secondly he prayeth for her ver 12 that the Lord would not frustrate his promise deceiue her hope but recompence her labour and shield her with his wings Of these partes let vs speake in order as the spirit shall giue vtterance and the time permit Then sayd Boaz. So soone as hee vnderstoode who that woman was whereof hee had demaunded his seruant hee turneth his speech vnto her that so soone as might be he might comfort her afflicted pouertie and testifie any good will to a godly stranger where first of al it is commendable that he vouchsafeth to cal so base a person by the name of Daughter for truly this louing word bewrayeth the tender affection of a godly heart forgetting his lofty degree and calling an abiect stranger by the name of daughter which proueth that hee longed to giue vnto her some comfort of kindnes This humble and most tender title of daughter and sonne are very vsual in the scripture for when the Lord would comfort the Church of the Iewes against the blasphemies of Senacherib Rabsakeh he calleth it a virgine the daughter of Sion as if he had said euen as a father is carefull for the wealth of his daughter so do I watch for the welfare of my church in like manner Christ our sauiour comforted the women that wept at his death by the name of the daughters of Ierusalem Out of the which we gather this profitable doctrine that it is one property and duety of an humble minde to speake kindly where it wisheth
frendly especially when we talke to our brethren the professors of the same religion our harts must be as the sweet roses and our wordes as soft as butter to supple and refresh their troubled dayes For wee must not doo as many haue both in their writings and familiar speeches comforted them with the vilest reproches tanting termes and vncharitablest titles they could inuent that the poyson of aspes may seeme to lodge in their mouths being by their wordes right deuills they speake so cursedly but handle them if they bee faulty with gentle wordes for men in authority must punish with the swoorde of magistrates not the wordes of slaunderers equalls by admonition not by reuiling inferiors by petition not by exclamations If wee will haue humble heartes we must shew them by gentle words for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh the faithfull are compared to sheepe which are meeke and silent but the reprobate to dogs which are alwais barking brawling If wee brand other with the marke of contempt we burne our selues with the iron of an vngodly tongue many can bee content to distribute their wealth liberally but their scornful words disgrace their deuotion because they taste more of wormewoode then of the rose and this I haue noted in many greate persons that their wordes are as kind to their dogges as to the poore Oh how vnlike are they to the Lorde himself which calleth vs sons to this godly Boaz which calleth Ruth his daughter to y e apostle Paul which called the meanest in the church of God a brother Why do you forget your selues to be the children of Adam or rather will you not be their fellowes heyrs of grace y t thus raign ouer your brethren in disdainful speeches as though heauen were not high inough for you both to abide in Go not hence Now we are come to another curtesie of Boaz which consisteth in his commandement hee giueth to Ruth first that shee should not go into anie other field to gather secondly that she shuld ioyne her selfe to his maidens thirdly that she should follow the reapers whether so euer they go that by this it seemeth the man was delighted to handle hir gently Was it not sufficient that he suffred her without denial or reproof or if he gaue her leaue by name aboue many other as no doubt but there were many in the field but hee must admit her into the company of his own maidens or hauing giuen her that libertie he must also bid her to follow his reapers whether so euer they go surely this was strange kindnes to a strange woman to be intreated more like a daughter than a Moabitesse nay he addeth the second part of his commandement telling her that he had charged his seruants quietly to indure her presence and giue her for her necessitie Where we first of al note a heauenly example of godly liberality how far it differeth from worldly pinch-penies They giue in gentlenesse the other in pride they in cheerfulnesse the other in murmuring they in liberality the other in couetousnes and looke how many degrees the moone is aboue the earth so many the giftes of the godly surpasse the carnall the reason of this is because the one are perswaded to what end they giue but the other do think it to be cast into the sea We read of the Israelits when the tabernacle of the Lorde was to bee builded they offered so much y t Moses proclaimed they shuld offer no more this heat of liberalitie is well cooled in this frozen age for we haue much ise but little water as the ise will afford no water till it be thawed so men will giue nothing to the church poore or tabernacle of the Lord til they be dead now there is such striuing to go formost in godly contributions that euery one sitteth stil many plucke from the church personages profits tiths sancitified offerings but few adde one mite into the Lords treasury Let the poore be famished the gospell vnfurnished the churches vnbuilded the people vntaught learning contemned idle ignorant persons aduanced and many poore soules condemned for want of the bread of life yet they saie still come let vs search for more treasure let vs take to our selves the houses of God in possession yea they spare not the verie altars of the Lord but think it a charge that the sacraments should be so often administred at the cost of the parish Oh most miserable and vngodly behauior of wicked wordlings who like the lions den suffer all to come in but none to come out like the adamant which draweth all things but casteth abroad nothing Where is the wonted contribution which in the primitiue church we reade The Apostle commended the Macedonians that they gaue beyond their power willingly not of constraint Which answereth the carnall obiection of many which saie they must giue of their abundance so if they haue not abundance they are exempted from giuing But the holy Ghost woulde exempt none for euerie one of his abilitie is bound to giue to church and poore none must appeare before the Lord empty he which had not a lambe must offer a doue she which had no more gaue two mites into the Lords treasurie The seruant for his wages the laborer for his hire the crafts-man for his taking the yeoman for his profits the gentleman for his office the noble man for his reuenues must euerie one giue somewhat to poore and religion but some take from the Church one hundred poundes a yeere and giue scant an hundred shillinges some hath more and some haue lesse and they preie vppon vs as the Eagles on the altars carrying with theyr commodities coales of fire which shall burne both their houses and progenie because they tooke it from the Lord. Secondly in this kindnesse of Boaz vnto Ruth this is worthie to bee noted that hee commaundeth his seruantes to offer her no wrong for to touch is to iniurie in many places of Scripture as when the Lorde speaketh by the Prophet Dauid Touch not mine annoynted neyther doo my prophettes anye harme That is neyther doo you hurt my Prophets or annointed And againe by the prophet Zacharie Hee that toucheth you toucheth the apple of his eie that is which hurteth you harmeth the tenderest place of all his owne bodie euen so doth Boaz take it in this place For well knew that good man that her simplicitie would be quickly abused by the rigour of his seruants and wee knowe it hath beene and also is a common plague to most of the godly euil and discurteous seruants as appeareth in the historie of Abraham and Lot and verie often the masters which are well affected in religion are abused by their seruants in theyr friends If they bee worshipfull then the seruants will churlishly intertaine those godly persons which resorte to theyr masters houses if they bee higher they wyll scorne them if
your pensioner hangbies and luke warme professors papisticall Atheistes which come to our Churches to sleepe and there dreame who being come vnto you make you beleeue that their dreames were the preachers sermons and you that are apt to beleeue lies beleeue liars But to come to the purpose you accuse vs for condemning good workes when we attribute no merites vnto them this we deny for the reason is like this None will become a papist but hee that hopeth to bee Pope so none will do good workes but hee that hopeth to bee saued or crowned by them If they graunt the latter then they must giue the former which I am assured many honest minded papistes would not bee though they might haue as much as the Popes father the Deuill offered Christ which was all the worlde Therefore as a papist is not a papist because hee woulde be a pope so good workes must not bee done that men might bee crowned by them Euery Catholike which beleeueth as the Church beleeueth must not presently steppe into Peters chayre no more euery one that doth a good worke must by that ascend vp into heauen Good workes haue another vse then to iustifie Because the eye cannot smell shall it therefore bee puld out noe it was created to see and not to smell because good works iustifie not shal no man do them God forbid they were giuen to the faithfull for outwarde testimonies of fayth and of God his spirite that by them they they might assure themselues and others to be sanctified and elected not that they should helpe in their saluation As the tree dyeth without the barke and fire is nothing without heate so workes without faith and faith without workes is cursed and vnprofitable Therefore wee say let euery one that calleth on the name of Christ depart from iniquitie eschewe euill and do good feede the hungrie cloath the naked visite the sicke and imprisoned harbour the harbourles prouide for children and widdowes yea and builde Churches and Colledges for the maintenance of God his worship and learning Yet we say we are iustified by faith we haue peace with God through our Lorde Iesus Christ by whome we were brought to this grace through which we stand glorie vnder the hope of y e glorie of God for all the works in the world cannot satisfie for one sin because there is none other name vnder heauen by which wee may bee saued but onely by the name of Christ Out of this first wee gather the goodnesse of God which of his owne promise and owne mercie accepteth that little obedience of faith which wee offer vnto him What can we doe to the fulfilling of the lawe if we keept all and yet fayled in one we had lost all our labour but if we kept one point onely and faulted in the rest it were like to a man that was bounde to pay ten thousand pound and should offer a shilling but we keepe none and yet hee accepteth vs in the death of his Sonne that our righteousnesse might abound to euerlasting life Nowe the vse of the mercy of God is that hereby wee shoulde bee made more fearefull and carefull not to offende him not as some imagine that hereby is giuen the greater libertie to sinne because the Lorde speaketh peace vnto vs in his beloued Christ for this is as the prophet speaketh being escaped out of a ditch to fall into a snare and as a man which is drawne out of a riuer should cast himselfe into the sea But the regenerate must bee more affraide to offend the mercy of God then the vnregenerate at his threatning iudgementes They will not sinne because they loue God the other will abstayne feare of punishmente the promises of the Gospell terrifie them more then all the terrors of the lawe for they find a sweeter comfort in the presence of the spirite then to rest in all the gardens of pleasure when they finde accesse to the throne of grace through the blood of Christ and by him all their infirmities couered their petitions graunted their sinnes remitted they at peace with God like ioyfull men discharged from euerlasting imprisonment they walke in holines and righteousnesse before him all the dayes of their life Oh that these mercies would sinked deeper into our hard harts that the force of the cogitation of the blood of Christ might both soften and mollifie purge and cleanse them from wauering and doubting wantonnes and presumption and prepare our fallow groundes fit to receiue the Lords owne feed his euerlasting word which is able to saue our soules Secondly by this when he saith vnder whose winges thou art come to trust the dignitie of the faithfull is commended vnto vs for they liue vnder the wings of the Lord Which is a Metaphor or borrowed speech comparing him to a hen which couereth her chickens with her winges shewing vnto vs that then wee are in safetie when wee are couered with the winges of the Lord. This our sauiour noted when hee saide that hee woulde haue gathered the Cittie of Ierusalem as a henne gathereth her chickens This dignitie of the faithfull is by many such speeches manifested in the scripture wherein the Lorde sheweth vs the care hee hath for our safety when he calleth vs the apple of his eye He sheweth his loue when he calleth vs his childrē his brethren and spouse to teach vs our dueties he calleth vs the braunches of a vine which are good for nothing but to bring forth grapes euen so are the godly pleased with nothing which they doe saue onely the worshippe of God This consisteth in the holy fellowship which the faithfull haue with God which Dauid faith bringeth life for euermore with whome is a well of life and the fulnes of all ioy And in another place the Lord saith Behold I stand at the dore and knocke if any man open I will come in and suppe with him and he with me and Iohn saith He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ he hath both the father and the Son Here is the comfort of the spirit that dwelleth in vs the assurance of faith which ouercommeth all the worlde the euidence of our saluation euen the confession of the Gospel with the mouth and the beleeuing in the hart the hearing of it when it is preached and praying in the assemblies of the faithfull for wheresoeuer are two or three gathered together in my name there am I in the middest of them saith the Lord for he dwelleth among his saints the Arke is with his ministers the couenaunt or tabernacle of presence with them that feare him for euermore Oh who will not be drawne to be the member of Christes owne bodie the heauenly Temple for the holy Ghost to dwell in the sincere professor of true religion that they may haue both the Father and the Sonne Who will not open to the Lords knocking that hee may receyue the king of glorie for his guest
deceiued in her that hee might thinke shee came to worke for him and not for her selfe therefore she telleth him playnely that she should not be as one of his maydens that is as one of his hired seruantes So that these wordes of Ruth tend to her owne hinderaunce if Boaz had beene deceyued in her yet godlines will not conceale that which maketh against it selfe if the question be made of profite Whereby we note that encroching for bargaines facing for promises suing for counterfait titles such like actions cannot agree with the simplicitie of a godly minded christian whose conscience is his court his religion his atturney and the word of God his iudge to pronounce definitiue sentence against his owne cause if it tend to the perill and damage of his neighbour or discredite of his profession Oh that wee had more of this simplicitie and lesse of this subtiltie whereby wee deceiue our owne soules betray the glorious gospell of Iesus Christ confound the weake mindes of our wauering brethren make shipwracke of pure consciences cast our selues headlong for the worlde into the fire of hell But Boaz said This last verse sheweth vnto vs that Boaz was not deceyued in Ruth but shutteth vp the communication by calling her to meate and dealeth to her so abundantly that she leaueth some By the which wordes there is noted two degrees of the kindnesse of this man First that in his owne person hee calleth her to meat secondly that with his owne handes hee gaue her abundantly Where we see againe and againe commended vnto vs the humility liberalitie of this Boaz he disdayneth not to call so simple a guest to his table knowing her to be a faithfull sister for whose sake if need were he was bound to lay downe his life Whereby we are instructed to cast of the statelines of our stomackes standing vpon our pantophles scant vouchsafing to looke frendly on a poore man or woman much lesse to speake kindly to eyther of both Againe his liberality by giuing so plentifully vnto her with his owne handes it appeareth hee was none of these counterfaite giuers which promise much and performe little and for euery carnall companions tale bearing and whispering withdrawe their promised and bounden liberalitie from church and poore from minister and religion Oh how colde is this deuotion which proceedeth from a sodayne humour and soone endeth to God his dishonour Better had it been for those men not to shew any fauour at all then after they haue rashly begunne causlesse to withdrawe their beneuolence from Christ But I consider there shall bee some that shall say at the latter ende vnto our sauiour wee haue prophesied in thy name we haue eaten in thy presence and yet hee shall say vnto them departe from mee yee workers of iniquitie I know you not then shall they bee blessed which haue wasted their wealth for religion consumed their liuing on the faithfull and continued their liberality vnto the end Nowe let vs giue prayse to God The ende of the sixte Lecture The seuenth Lecture Chap. 2. ver 15.16.17.18.19.20.21.22.23 15. And when she arose to gleane Boaz commaunded his seruants saying let her gather among the sheaues and do not rebuke her 16. And let fall some of the sheaues for her let it lie that she may gather it vp and rebuke her not 17. And so she gleaned in the field til euening she threshed that which she had gathered it was about an ephâ— of barly 18. And she tooke it vp went into the citty her mother in law saw what she had gathered she tooke foorth gaue vnto her of that which she had left when she was sufficed 19 Then her mother in law said vnto her where hast thou gleaned to day where wroughtest thou Blessed be he that knewe thee she shewed her mother in law with whome shee had wrought saide the mans name with whome I wrought to day was Boaz. 20. And Naomi said vnto her daughter in law blessed be he of the Lord for he ceaseth not to doe good both to the liuing to the dead Againe Naomi saide vnto her the man is neere vnto vs of our affinitie 21. And Ruth the Moabitesse saide He said also certenly vnto me thou shalt be with my seruantes vntill they haue ended all the haruest which is mine 22. And Naomi answered vnto Ruth her daughter in law it is best my daughter that thou go out with his maidens that they meet thee not in another field 23. Then shee kept her by the maydes of Boaz vnto the end of barley haruest wheat haruest dwelt with her mother in law THese verses vnto the ende of this Chapter contayne those things which Boaz Ruth did with Naomi also after that Ruth had dined The words haue two partes The first between Ruth and Boaz in the field The second betweene Ruth her mother in lawe at home The first part is in ver 15.16.17 wherein is set down what Ruth did after dinner that she arose to gather eares which is declared by the time verse 17. and the quantitie in the same verse an epha of barley Secondly Bohaz reneweth his commandement to his seruantes for Ruth wherein hee willeth them first that they suffer her to gather where she please verse 15. Secondly that they willingly let fall vnto her out of the sheaues and suffer her to take it vp The other part of Ruth and Naomi is contayned ver 18.19.20.21 22.23 declareth what these twaine did after Ruth came from the field and after her comming home vers 18. bringing both her gleaned corne and reserued victuall They twaine commune of those thinges which Boaz had done to Ruth First Naomi asketh Ruth where she had gleaned that day ver 19. To which Ruth answereth telling the name of the man in whose possession she had gathered to be Boaz. vers 19. Secondely his curtesie towarde her not onely for that present but also biddeth her to abide with his maydes vnto the end of his haruest After this Naomi first praieth for the man ver 20. alleadging his kindnes not onely to them that are liuing but also to those that are dead telling Ruth that the man was their kinsman Secondly she counselleth Ruth vers 22. that she take his proffer and abide with his maydens for feare shee be denyed in another fielde which Ruth perfourmeth ver 23 and keepeth with them to the ende of barley haruest and wheate haruest and afterwarde with her mother Of these parts let vs briefely speake as the spirit shall assist and the time permit Then she arose After dinner like one carefull of her busines she repaireth to her former worke here by y e way this question may be made whether Ruth gaue any thanks to God for her meat seeing it is not mentioned for this doubt must not be omitted nor passe vndissolued lest our carnal companions in this age which come go
must set downe some rules out of the worde of God to take away all these extremities And the first thing that must bee knowne is the cause for which it is not onely needefull but also lawfull to prouide apparell which already we haue shewed you to bee the sinne of Adam which wrought in vs the shame of our naked bodies and brought vppon vs colde and heate sicknesse and soares surfets death so then the bodies couered by clothing are made comelye againe are armed against heate warmed against colde strengthned against sicknesse and the daies of health lengthened life prolonged and death auoided For as the prisoner looking vpon his irons thinketh vpon his theft so euery one when he seeth his garments must thinke on his sinnes And this one consideration striketh down al deuises of fashions or conceits of pride for alas what glorie hath the theese in his bandes or what profit by their making for now hee is clogged with them but anone hee is tucked vp with the halter so proude persons are nowe prancked vp while they looke on their feathers but anone are paide for their fashions w t eternall damnation For the Lord cryeth out by the prophet that hee will take vengeance of the princes the sons of the king for vsing strange apparell Secondly there may bee a difference of apparell one kinde for the riche another for the poore one for he prince another for the people one for the noble man and another for the gentleman for our sauiour speaking of the royaltie of Salomon in all his apparell doth not discommend it and wee haue hearde already of the apparell of Esau lying in his father Isaackes house And this may bee also in many sutes as Iacob had sent him by his sonne Ioseph and Ioseph gaue his brethren to euery one garmentes but to Beniamin hee gaue fiue chaunges But some will say our Sauiour biddeth vs not to haue two coates and therefore this chaunge is vnlawfull To which I aunswere that it is vnlawfull to possesse chaunge or varietie of garmentes when wee see and behold our brother hath none therefore our Sauiour Christ addeth that hee that hath two coates must giue to him that hath none So that our aboundance must neuer be to the want and necessity of our brethren But alas where is this difference in manner of garmentes I speake for the matter wherefore they are made wee may make the olde complaint of a christian father a thing worthy to bee seene yea rather to bee lamented The maide followeth the mistris in such brauery of apparell that it is harde to know whether maide or mistris goeth formost Such confusion of degrees consuming of wealth and goods condemning the humble and aduauncing of base persons by apparell into the place of worthy men is the ouerthrowe and destruction of a whole country the ruine of a common wealth and the defacing of the Church of Christ But all this while the naked may goe naked still for any clothing they can get of these that haue such plentie and aboundance so that men cloth themselues in the finest silkes feede themselues with the fattest calues and the case themselues in the softest beddes while Christ in his members is harbourlesse without houses hungry without breade and naked without any raiment to cast vpon him Oh woe be to you dainty persons that thus prouide for your own mayntenance and neglect the sustenaunce of the poore you are cloathed in softe and gorgeous apparell and fare deliciously euery daye you eate vp the needy like breade you are deafe at their cryes blinde at their nakednesse and like the cittizens of Sodome vnmercifull to their miseries consider that their eating and drinking brought brimstone from heauen with fire to burne vp their citties and soules Consider the end of that riche glutton in the Gospell which was so tormented in the paines of hell that hee desired but a drop of water could not obtaine it Your brauery shall bee turned into shame your pride into paines your ease into restles trouble your aboundance into euerlasting want your frendes into deuils your honour into hell your vnmerciful harts into vnsufferable plagues and your pleasures repayed with eternall destruction both of body and soule The like may be said of those couetous persons which goe as farre vnder their calling as other aboue and will hardely bestowe any garmentes on themselues worth the wearing and disgrace the proportion of mankind through their base apparell and vnreuerent addressing themselues without all respect of honestie regarde of religion conscience of their places and knowledge of the true vse of the benefites of God But many spende all that they â—â—n get vpon their bellies neuer caring how simplie they goe in the face of the worlde so they haue any thing to couer their nakednesse and wee knowe what kinde of beasts are the punishment of such slothfulnes Therefore let vs euery one helpe those that are not able to prouide yea and to buy them apparrell and let vs all learne hereby what care wee ought to haue of the chaunge of our bodies that if wee will bee ruled by the example of the godly wee must rather studie and trauaile for our couering then for our nourishing Therefore wee must pray for our clothing of him that clotheth the Lillies of the fielde in such measure as wee may bee comforted our nakednesse couered our shame abated our vncomelines adorned and the sauour of sinne expelled that wee might prayse his power for euermore Secondly by this we also may note what reuerence wee owe to magistrates and to men in authority that we must be carfull in their presence to giue no offence euen in our apparell for here wee see Ruthe going to Boaz an elder of Bethlehem she is commaunded by Naomi to put on her best apparrell as a duetie of all the faithfull that they make not their persence odious in the sight of their rulers and for this cause we read in storyes that when any were wont to come before the magistrates hauing any suite vnto them they were apparelled with white which signified the innocencye of the person and puritye of the cause and also they had one suit that in al decent manner they might deliuer their mindes in the presence of the magistrate for the basenes of apparell is loathsomenes to many But this shal suffise for y e touching of this matter Let not the man After shee had commaunded her to prepare her selfe shee desendeth to instruct her of her behauiour after shee commeth downe to the place which was this that she let not him knowe of her till he had supped and were gone to lie downe in his bed which she aduertiseth her diligently to marke and to come and bestowe her selfe at his feete Where it may seeme that Naomi counselleth her daughter an vnlawfull thing yea rather to play the whoore then to get her a husband by a lawfull meanes for shee
founde to be nothing but rotten woode good for nothing But to come to Ruth shee perfourmeth her promise to God as Dauide sayth though it bee to her owne hinderance shee knoweth it with the appostles better to obeye God then men to followe Christe and not the flesh for the world it selfe shall bee shortelye consumed and then the louers thereof shall bee vtterlye condemned Oh let vs then practise the deniall of our selues before the time of tryall come let vs as the martirs did trye the burning of our fingers before wee venter our whole bodyes let vs giue some of our wealth to the poore nowe rather then keepe all to be spoyled by the wicked apostataes then but howe will men doo this at that fierye tryall when nowe in peace they will forsake and forsweare the Lorde some for their merchandise other for rentes reuenewes some to bringe the poore Nabaothes into destruction many for worldly profite and temporall gaine but this quene of worldly desire shall one daye bee meate for the dogges when it shall bee sayd that happye are all you that in wealth and pouertye haue followed the sonne of righteousnes in sinceritye 〈◊〉 Feare not my daughter His prayer and the reason thereof being ended nowe followeth the consolation hee giueth to Ruth in these wordes bidding her to caste awaye feare for what soeuer lyeth in his power he would doe for the whole citty would testifie the estate of her person and vprightnes in her liuing and therefore hee should bee much to blame if hee denyed so lawfull a request Out of the which we note First here is set down the duetie of all magistrates which is with meekenes and gentlenes to heare the petitions of their sutors for Boaz was a publike person or els Naomi had complayned to the magistrate but himselfe being a godly elder the suite is first priuately handled with him Therfore they must follow y e example of Bohaz here declared which is with the kindest wordes to intreate them and iust iudgementes to proceede for them alway yeelding to equitie where the cause is required For our sauiour accompteth a magistrate that is contrary minded neyther to feare God or to respect man that is such a one is hated of God and man For if magistrates loue God or regarde their subiectes they must bee easily entreated by the voyces of their suitors Therefore is that euerlasting commendation of Moyses y t hee sate in the door of his tent in iudgment frō euening vntil morning where al the people might freely haue accesse to his presence and godly conference with his person the which all the iudges in christendome might imitate without impeachment to their honours Olde Samuel when he had annointed and appointed Saule to raigne in his steade ouer all Israel appealed to the people what iniury he had done to any and the people iustified him in all thinges now hee was easily come vnto at all times when Saule and his fathers seruant seeking for asses woulde go to the man of God meaning Samuel Oh that all that are in authoritie would hearken to these examples that with all gentlenesse they might intreate the people of God committed to their gouernment that they might freely come to them and frendly speake with them that at the daye of their deathes they might haue the poore saintes of God praying for their deliueraunce their consciences vnburthened their duties discharged their subiectes satisfied iustice offered and their soules euerlastingly saued Secondly by this wee gather that iudges and iustices must especially looke to the godly for Boaz saith that all the cittie knew Ruth to be a godly woman So that hee bindeth himselfe by her religion to be as carefull for her being a stranger as if she were his naturall daughter For as all the cittie knewe her religious so they would all reioyce to see her aduanced And this is the cause wherefore the Lorde hath so much commended vnto vs the estate of widdowes and fatherlesse children because for the most parte they are oppressed and not oppressors vexed and not vexours receyuers and not doers of iniurie And surely such are simple godly men they will beare many burthens before they complain for euery trifle they wil not trouble a magistrate Therefore euery magistrate must saye with Dauid My eyes shalbe on them that speake truth on the earth and they that walke vprighly shall be my seruantes so haue you respect of persons though not in iudgement yet in common opinion for the professors of religion are your dearest friends who without ceasing powre forth their prayers for you that in equitie you might drawe your sword for them Oh howe lamentable is it to heare how poore godly men are dayly blasphemed and reproched for their religion when wicked Atheistes carnall persons common swearers godles wretches haue their harts desire at the hands of the magistrate Surely such persons who desire your aide against other deserue your swordes of iustice against themselues for they neuer come into your presence but to the dishonour of God Execute iudgement therefore for them and vpon them Thirdely by this wee gather what it is that most commendeth women for Boaz saith vertue and if all y t world crie the contrary yet Bathsheba the mother of king Salomon will confirme it for thus she saith Fauour is deceitful beautie is vaine but a woman that feareth God shee shall get praise for her selfe for vertue and the feare of the Lorde are both one thing So that this is the thing they are most commended for if religion will take any roote in their hartes for beauty is worne by age proportion of body lost by sicknes loue of men at the wagging of a hand and braue apparell when wealth decayeth onely the feare of the Lord endureth for euer We reade that Vasti the queene of Asuerus was exceeding beautifull but she disobeyed her husbande and was put from her princely roome when godly Ester was taken in her steade If the feare of God had beene in the former to obey her husbande Esther had not so soone come into her place But the Lorde that hee might punish the pride of the one and reward the religion of the other lifted vp vertuous Esther and cast downe that stately Vasti to shewe vnto vs that much better is the feare of the Lorde then all the beautie and glorie of the world We finde many commended in the worde of God for their faith but fewe for their fairenesse that all shoulde learne more earnestly to labour that the hid man of the hearte may bee founde in incorruption of a gentle and a quiet spirite which is very precious in the sight of the Lord. Lastly let vs all learne by this aswell rich as poore gouernours as subiectes men as women that aboue all thinges we followe the example of Ruth to please God more then our selues to labour for vertue and religion as for a treasure
as Peter woulde but they must sinke as Peter did and yet they perish not but are lifted vp and saued by Christ as Peter was though our olde Adam cause vs to commit many sinnes yet our newe Adam will remoue all wee must iudge charitably of all our brethren that are ouertaken in their seuerall sinnes Sara lyed vnto the Lorde himselfe Onesimus was a thiefe and a runne away from Philemon Rebecca caused Iacob her sonne to beguile his owne father and all the holy Patriarkes had many wiues yet none must bee so bolde as to condemne any of these notwithstanding their seuerall and manyfolde faultes Euen so in these our dayes though we see and beholde our brethren some ouercome with the worlde other by promotion many by their lustes and concupiscences other in their braue apparell nay if they steale and robbe yet wee must not iudge but charitably of them I speake not this to encourage any hereunto for if grace abounde aboue sinne yet cursed are they that sinne that grace and blessing might abounde vnto them for if wee may not doe euill where wee certainely know good may ensue thereof much lesse may wee doe euill to make the mercy of God the baude of our sinnes but this we must remember that there is no condemnation to the righteous although they fall seuen times a day but if any sinne vppon presumption of God his mercies theyr damnation is iust and are like a thiefe that stealeth because hee seeth one among twentie pardoned by the Prince Secondly there are many that condemne the whole profession because they liue not all in the same perfection and bring not forth the same fruites which by this doctrine we see here condemned For as the grapes of the vine haue some lesse and some more sweetnes yet all are grapes and grow of the vine so the Saints of God haue some more purity and some lesse and yet all are nourished by Christ the vine what if some saith the Apostle haue not beleeued shall the grace of God be made of none effect and what if some haue often fallen into sinne shall the whole Gospel for their sakes bee discredited nay the Lorde hath alway some that liue so purely such as Isaacke Ioseph Bohaz Daniell Zacharie and Elizabeth whom all the world can neuer blemish howsoeuer others haue their publike faultes first that the worke of repentance which is a grace of God might be practised Secondly that God his mercy in sauing great sinners might be magnified Thirdely that the faithfull seeing their dayly falles might more earnestly desire their finall deliuerance Lastly that the wicked by this meanes might haue occasion by their blasphemies to worke their owne damnation Afterward she arose for Boaz said Nowe the night well passed in quiet sleepe and the dawning of the day approching Ruth at the commandement of Boaz ariseth before the day light least any should know she had taried w t him all that night whereby the good old man signifieth vnto vs that it is no newe thing in the worlde that slaunders should bee raised for this was the thing that Boaz feared that if any should haue seene the woman with him they woulde presently conceiue it were for no goodnes For the worlde museth as it vseth and they will soonest espie a mote in the eye of a godly man it euer was is and will be that causles surmises and reproches shall be brought vp vpon the godly for princes nor people can be freede therefrom the which Dauid felt wel inough when he said in a certain place that one blessednesse in God his kingdome shall bee this to be kept from the strife of tongues thereby insinuating that they must needes endure them in this life present We knowe what our sauiour reporteth of the Pharisies how they accused him to bee a friend of publicanes harlots and sinners and Iohn Baptiste to haue a Deuill Therefore this must worke patience in the faithfull that are like affected and afflicted with venemous tongues for wee are not better then those fathers are who many yeares agoe sustayned the same reproches and lefte the burthen behinde them to bee borne by vs for the world is no chaungeling that which then they spoke against them now they spitte agaynst vs and though the authours of these slaunders be many yeares since departed yet their manners and heyres shall abide while the worlde standeth But to come to the wordes wherein the minde of Bohaz is that none should knowe that woman were with him at such a suspected time Why will some say is it such a matter to talke with a woman priuately and alone we may doe it publikely and who can say nay vnto it I graunt wee may and with lesse offence yet Bohaz woulde giue no occasion of offence because we must abstayne from all appearaunce of euill wee must not onely bee carefull wee sinne not but Christians must bee carefull to auoide all suspition of sinne it is not lawfull for Christians commonly to company and keepe with enemyes because it may bee thought that they are secreatly in league with them it is not lawfull for a christian to go into the house of a harlot because it will discredite his name it is not lawfull for a Christian to goe into a Temple of idols vnlesse it be to deface them because it may be thought he goeth to worshippe the like may bee said of all other in the like kinde where men are as guiltie that looke on as they that are the principalles And beloued I would to God that this carefulnesse to auoide and shunne the outwarde appearaunce of iniquitie were well considered then extraordinary charges in diet or apparel wolde bee eschewed lest wee bee accompted daynty and prodigall or proude slackenesse in going to sermons woulde bee amended lest wee be deemed idle and secure Atheistes buying selling playing and gaming on the sabbaoth day would be punished lest it be thought we haue no feare or care to worship the Lorde the dayly and most lamentable swearing of rich and poore old and younge parentes and children maysters and seruantes husbandes and wiues men and women would with terrour of the Lordes iudgementes be restrayned idlenes woulde be reformed drunkennesse in euery degree woulde bee corrected dalliaunce and wantonnes ashamed cosening and deceyuing simple persons bee banished and finally if this fearing the shaddowe of sinne would rest in the heartes of mankinde neyther should the substance thereof ouercome them the pleasures allure them the hope deceiue them the profite compel them the glory prouoke them or the end these of condemne them Let vs therfore beloued neyther frequent or approch to persons y t are suspected or places that are corrupted we can touch no pitch but wee must be polluted nor any vncleane thing but wee are defiled sinne is a contagious disease it wil infecte the walles and the garmentes where it is committed and what agreement is between the children of God
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
and in that the loue of God in Christ to his Church that though we dye without fruit in barrennes yet the Lord will giue vs a name whereby after a few dayes we shall liue with him for euer But in these words we first of all note when he saith that he must buy it at the hand of Ruth the Moabitesse the wife of the deceased that one cause both of the redemption of lands and marriage of the brother or next heyre to the widdow was for the womans or widdowes sake namely that she should not be left destitute for we reade in the Gospell of Luke that barrennes was a great reproch among women in those dayes now we know that this law was onely for barren widdowes and not for them that were fruitfull and who would marry with such a woman whome in his owne heart he feared would be fruitlesse therefore the Lord to succour these poore desolate widdowes gaue this for a lawe that the brother or neerest kinseman to their husbands deceased should take them to be their wiues where he againe commendeth vnto vs the carefull estate of destitute widdowes if they be oppressed we must ease them if reiected we must receiue them if forsaken we must comfort them if reproched we must acquire them and finally if they will marry they may yea their owne friends or the Church must prouide them husbands And seeing the Lord would thus decree by a lawe the safegard of those that were despised much more would he defend by iudgement the cause of poore fruitfull widdowes the mothers of many children Now although we are not bound to this lawe of mariage yet wee are tyed to doe good to the widdowes for the nature of the lawe being long since abrogated yet the vse thereof remayneth for euer and euer For maintenance by the word of God must be allowed them wherewithall they may liue theyr husbands beeing dead Therefore Boaz telleth hys kinseman that hee must redeeme the inheritance at the handes of Ruth the Moabitesse because by her marriage it is made the widdowes the husband dying without issue like as in this place wee obserue that all the inheritance descendeth to the widdow and therefore she bestowed her selfe vpon the next of the kindred who indeede with vs is the heyre to all Therefore by this we must all learne but especially the married or those that intend it hereafter that it is one especiall duty of a carefull husband to prouide before hand for the maintenance of their wiues that if death neuer so suddaine take them away yet they may not leaue them as many haue done harbourles without house comfortles without friends and wealthles without conuenient maintenance By this we see the cōmendable assurance of ioyntures dowers in lands or money which many parents do wisely take for their daughters to be a thing alowable by the word of God yet many offend in the excesse that they will neuer match where they can haue none though there be neuer so great hope in time to come so that wealth and nothing els is the end of most mariages Then by this we see cōdemned first all those which hauing sufficiēt will hardly leaue to their wiues anything beside that which they cannot keep from them and hence it is that many leaue to their children hundreds and thousands but scant twentyes or fortyes to their helples widowes Other hauing many children leaue the greatest part of their wealth to their widdowes through whose youthfull mariages many times their whole posteritie is brought to pouertie But a third sort there are which mind nothing saue only mariage and to borrow a little for their festiuall day but afterward let the world sinke or swimme children without bread wiues without comfort themselues as bare as the grashopper in winter and their whole families most pitifully tormented they repent though all too late the children wish they had neuer bin borne the parents curse the day of their first acquaintance the family complayne of pouerty the countrey of charges the people of necessity but they poore seely soules the innocent infants are left to the merciles world to liue in beggery Oh that this godly forecast would enter into the minds of many headlong parents that their liues might be more blessed their children more happy their families more contented the countrey better furnished and the poore better succoured that there might bee no complayning in our streetes no leading into captiuity and not one feeble person among vs that our sonnes may bee as the fruitefull garners and our daughters like the polished corners of the temple Oh blessed are the people that bee in such a case yea blessed are the people whose God is the Lorde Then should the name of God bee honoured by our liues and praised in our deathes when our widdowes are prouided for our children maynetayned our families nourished and our soules shalbe blessed Then the kinsman said This seconde question of marriage being propounded the kinseman in these wordes answereth that hee cannot redeeme the inheritance vpon that condition and giueth a reason thereof because then to saue anothers hee shoulde destroy his owne meaning if hee had but one childe by Ruth that shoulde bee for Machlon her deceased husbande and so his owne name shoulde bee forgotten in his inheritaunce Whereby wee see that he opposeth the feare of the losse of his owne name against the seuere commandement of God and doubteth that if hee followe the lawe of God and custome of the faithfull his land may lacke an heyre his house a mayster and himselfe a sonne The like vnto this was that of Onan the seconde sonne of Iudah when he shoulde haue taken the wife of his deceased brother would not performe his duety towarde her but abusing in filthines his owne body because he woulde not benefite his brother was therefore iustly slaine by the Lorde And I feare that a great many are sicke of this disease that loue the world aboue the worde their lande aboue the lawe of God their children more then charitie requireth who thinke they are borne for no bodie but onely for themselues but especially in mariage they had rather haue the lande then the man the portion then the woman like this man which was willing to take the inheritance but vnwilling to marrie the widdow for this cause they oppresse both children and widdowes they preferre their priuate gaine before publike godlines who for their posteritie some are occupyed in briberie some in vsury some in extortion and many in vnlawfull bargaining whose only and chiefe care is for nothing but that they may die rich but better is poore Lazarus at his death then all the rich gluttons in the worlde for wealth maketh not to die well but rather choketh the soule with infatiable care onely religion is the surest badge of a godly man whose riches is pouertie whose pleasure paine and whose rewarde is saluation But this man is well contented to
This I speake not to stirre vp the mindes of any against their parents but with the Apostle I exhort and commande that euery one obey their parentes in all thinges lawfull for hee is accursed that doth otherwise but to this ende I vtter it that wee may knowe what is lawfull and what is vnlawfull for the same God which hath commanded that parentes shoulde bring their vnruly sonnes daughters for to bee punished willeth also that they w c do any hurt to their children either in soule to drawe thē from y e Lord or in body as in vnlawfull or vngodly mariages in vnlawful vngodly actions their only rerefuge should be to y e minister of God y e lawful magistrate to whom they owe more obedience then to their owne parents Therefore Paul willeth parents that they prouoke not their children to wrath which is by their tirannous commaundementes to binde their consciences and their cruell authority to murther their mindes For if a priuate subiect may sue agaynst the Prince and craue the lawe much more a sonne or a daughter being grieued by their parentes The vse of this doctrine is to teach and instruct vs first what duetie wee owe to the magistrates who haue greater care and charge ouer vs for the peace of our countrey and publike welfare then parentes for our maintaynance and priuate obedience therefore Paule willeth to pray and giue thanks for the magistrates that vnder them we may liue godly and quiet liues for that is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Sauiour whereby wee maye iustly complayne of the slacknes of our vnhappie age wherein men murmure grudge at any charge which ariseth for our prince but especialy that there are so few which in all their liues haue prayed for Prince or Magistrates and if they haue it was but a wishe and no more that they might liue in peace to gather wealth not in godlines for the profite of their soules Again by this all parentes must bee instructed howe to deale with their children that they reygne not like Gods ouer the fruites of their bodyes but intreate them in meekenesse being of yeares of discreation like their fellowe heyres of God his kingdome euen as they wil aunswere to the Almightie who gaue them such issue and to the lawes of our Prince that requireth accompt of them for the chiefest stroke lyeth not in them but in those that gouerne both church common wealth and wee haue already shewed that in some causes it is a glorie for their children to decline from their counselles Lastly all children must herein also bee schooled that with all reuerence they submit themselues to the aduice of their parentes but especially like free men in Christ they listen alway what the word of God saith for that must bee their iudge and parentes also when it shall not goe for payment that they did it for feare of their friendes but they which feare them more then God shall with them bee excluded for euer from God and let vs euermore giue thankes to the Almighty which thus prouideth for our misery to defende our innocency that if wee bee in one place oppressed we may bee redressed in another appointing courtes of appeale from our owne parentes to his owne magistrates Thirdely by this also wee obserue and note when hee saith that this was a sure witnes in Israell that it is a thing required in our religion that of our publike affayres there may bee publike testimonyes as for example our purchasing buying or selling ought by religion and the feare of God to bee done with open and publike witnesse for the better assuraunce to buyers and sellers to auoide deceit in the one and couetousnesse in the other and therefore it was said in the lawe that vnder the witnesse of twoe or three shall euery worde stande And further also there must bee some outwarde signe to seale vp the matter in this place here is the putting of the shooe which signifieth possession and dispossessinge againe the rendring of a mans right to him that hath it Therefore in some places there is vsed striking of handes as the shutting and making vp of bargaines and couenauntes and who knoweth not that in the purchace of Lande there is seisin and deliuery by a peece of earth and a twigge of houses all goe forth and the buyer entreth in alone and there abideth and this I may say is a sure testimony in Englande But you woulde knowe why the Lorde beside the recorde of the magistrates required such outwarde and open signes To which I answere he did it for this cause that the simplest among them might not be deceyued but might haue y t as the euidence of his possession for euermore witnes sayleth magistrates dye people are vnconstant yea and some will falsely sweare and witnesse to any vntruth yet the shooe remayned an euerlasting testimonie Therefore among vs there is writing and seale by the which thinges are confirmed which passed many ages ago and this was taken from the ancient vsage wherein mens names were entred in brasse and stone and the quantity of their possessions described Therefore doth the holy Ghost so precisely set downe the purchase which Abraham made with Ephron where the fielde is named the borders or boundes of it is described the caue is mentioned and the very trees that grew in the same are made sure vnto him the like may bee saide of the stones in mount Gilead that Iacob reared as a witnesse betweene him and Laban and many other which serue to this ende that as Paule sayth Wee shoulde not defraude one another For if hee were accursed that remooued the lande marke of his neighbor what shall they bee which get markes and lands both some by deceyuing some by forged euidence other by false witnes and some force their neighbours wil they nil they to depart from their dwellings and possessions and to leaue them for little or nothing in the clawes of these cormorantes their great possessions require great accomptes and I feare mee when that day shall come they will be as ready to restore as euer Iudas was but it shall bee to late and without fruite for the sentence is already pronounced that fire shall consume their dwellinges and their children or posteritie shall be vagabounds but the righteous shall haue the land in possession Therefore the kinseman This verse sheweth howe the right was resigned first the kinseman giueth Boaz authority when he biddeth him buy it for himselfe and secondly hee renounceth his owne when he pulleth off his shooe Where first of all it may bee demaunded why doth hee plucke off his owne shooe seeing by the lawe the woman shoulde doe it and also spitte in his face as wee haue hearde already Vnto which I briefly aunswere First the law beforesaide wherein the woman was bound to plucke off the shooe and to spit in her kinsemans face was for such as vtterly denied both
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
one thought for the faythfull prayer of the godly that their prosperous lyfe may bee blessed in wedlocke this they ought to be most careful for and yet not to leaue the other vndone but godly prayers are better then great portions and it is better to haue poore Christ at your weddinges then a thousand thousande of these glistering gallantes Truely in these dayes how doe men and women prouide for mirth not for modestie that their day of marriage may bee ioyfull with worldly disportes not godly with Christian exercises they buy hire musitians to passe the time in pleasant dauncing but neuer entreate or speake one word to the godly to bestow their hearty prayers vpon them Let therefore beloued this bee our direction that as we marry for the Lorde not for the world so we studie for prayer and not for pleasure Secondly by this wee gather that the greattest blessing in marriage is the bearing of children the blessing vpon the vyne is to bring many grapes the blessing vpon the earth is to bee fruitful in bringing and springing much corne and pasture the blessing on the sea is the multiplying of the fish and the blessing of marriage is many children Therefore in this place they pray that Ruth might bee like Rahel and Leah which builded all Israell that is they were the mothers of a greate nation they multiplyed in their posterity to a number like the starres of heauen For this cause the first blessing vpon mankinde after the floode was that they shoulde increase and fill the earth for this cause the fathers desired children so much and the ouerloue of many children encreased the multitude of their wyues for this cause the Apostle saith that women through bearing of children shall bee saued if they continue in fayth and loue and holynesse with modesty For all other blessings may be had without marryage wealth and ryches comfort and frends honour and pleasure quietnesse and rest may be founde in the liues of vnmarried persons onely children must come of a grafted stocke which is a holy and sanctified marriage or wedlocke When Abraham wanted a sonne he prayed for one when Rebecca was barren Isaacke prayed for her and she conceaued When Mauoah wanted children he prayed and the Lorde gaue him Sampson when Amah was barren shee prayed and obtayned Samuell and when Zacharie and Elizabeth had no issue by prayer they obtayned Iohn Baptist So they accompted of their marriage without children as a faire and pleasant garden without fruites and as the one doth fructifie by seasonable showers so the other doth multiply by faythfull supplications Therefore here this people of God pray for Bohaz and Ruth that many pleasant twigges may spring out of their fruitful bodies By the which wee see the ready remedy for barrennesse which are godly and zealous prayers powred forth into the eares of the Almighty that he would remoue his hande from punishing and withdrawe the curse of barrennesse from penitent sinners But in our prayers we must alway take heede that wee appoint not the Lord what he shall giue vs eyther sonnes or daughters but rest vpon the will of God to receyue eyther of both And indeed be it that children are the greatest blessing of marriage yet all things considered it is much happier to bee barren for our miserable dayes adn sinfull liues call for a scourge and once more the saying of Christ shall be fulfilled that there shall be woe to them that are with childe and that giue suck in those daies yea vndoubtedly our posteritie count them happy that are vnborne and themselues shall wish with Iob Ieremy they had neuer seene the sunne Oh who are they that haue any desire of many children Looke vpon the worlde it falleth to Atheisme looke vpon the Church it declineth to errour looke vpon the Gospell it is persecuted by the Deuill and viewe euery degree if corruption groweth not vpon them truely truely as Esau saide the dayes of mourning for my father will shortly come so may all the faithfull say the day of mourning for y e Gospel and knowledge wil one day come and the Lorde knoweth how soone Therefore if you woulde leaue your children to be atheistes your issue to bee heretickes your posterity to bee afflicted and all your ofspring to bee corrupted and miserably punished in this life or eternally plagued in the life to come then desire little children be it you can prouide landes to maintaine them teachers to instruct them learning to defend them honour to aduance thē frends to assist them castels of security to keep them from the hurt of the world yet alas alas into how many thousand aduersities may their soules descend I speake not this to discourage any from desiring children but I admonish from the Lorde that you bee wise in your petitions and thinke as well of your infantes misery as your owne suffering nowe you desire ease without paines but they in all manner of afflictions may sende vp cries to the heauens and not bee heard Oh that all degrees both marryed and vnmarried would haue pitty on their posterity before they be borne then shoulde fewer be vagabondes then now are more be prouided for then nowe can bee then should men and women for their childrens sake amend their loose and desperate behauiour not fit for pagans much lesse for christians left the children shoulde be plauged for the fathers fault Assuredly beloued the Lord hath spoken it that if your children proue wicked they shall suffer and beare the sinnes of all their auncestors yea though they be dead many hundred yeares agoe Thirdely by this prayer of these elders and people we note that for the helping of our weaknes in prayer and releeuing of our wantes we may set before vs the goodnes of God vnto others In this place they pray that Ruth may be as fruitful as Rahel and Leah which were the wiues of Iacob who bare him eight sonnes one daughter expressing their hearty prayer for Bohaz and Ruth by the example of these twaine The like we may reade of the Apostles when they prayed after their deliuerance from the rulers and elders they alleadge Dauid for their helpe as he speaketh in the second Psalme For wee many times know not what to aske as wee ought but the spirite which wrought these giftes in the fathers helpeth our infirmities by the examples of the ancient godly that wee shoulde aske the same graces which they enioyed to leade the same lyues which they liued and obtayne the same crowne wherewith they are all rewarded Yet we must alway remember the rule of the Apostle that this is our assuraunce if wee craue any thing according to his will wee receiue it that is wee must not desire the least thing in worldly affaires but vnder this condition If it bee thy will O God because the Lorde is not bounde to giue vs any thing no more then wee are
to giue euery beggar that asketh an almes of vs but if we absolutely craue without this exception we breake the lawe of prayer and bring the maiesty of God into bondage by our petitions This teacheth vs this profitable lesson that before we pray wee shoulde learne and consider our wantes by the worde of God that we aske not at the handes of the Almighty any thing beside that which is godly honest and lawfull for many I am perswaded doe sodainely and vnaduisedly starte vp into the presence of the Lorde with rash and vngodly desires because they want the knowledge of the word of God and the due consideration of those thinges which they wante Of this sort are all the prayers of the papistes for they neither vnderstand their prayers in a straunge tongue nor yet will examine them by the worde of God Vnto these I adde the prayers and wishes of the ignorant multitude which are as farre from the 〈◊〉 yers of the faithfull as the Moone is from the earth For as it is impossible for a man to go without his legges or to see without his eyes so is it impossible for these to praye without the knowledge of the Gospell For in our prayers wee must speake to the Lorde in his owne tongue as he speaketh in his worde but what can these personnes bring out of the treasures of the holy scriptures scant one sentence in the whole gospel rightly vnderstood how theÌ„ can they bring the matter of theyr whole prayers if they want but one thing that will suffice but who is liuing which standeth not in neede of many thousande mercyes But I knowe their olde excuse for they say they praye according to the Scripture when they repeate the Lordes prayer which is set downe in the scripture to whom I aunswere they doe well if they vnderstand it but where doe they finde those wishes to grow rich those curses vpon them with whome they are angry whether it be man or beast and tell me the vnderstanding of one petition in the Lordes prayer Therefore beloued pray in spirit but pray in vnderstanding also vse the scripture for the rule of your supplication for as no man can say that Iesus is the Lord but onely by the Spirit of God so none can pray rightly but by y e knowledge of the Gospel If you once entertain this knowledge of God his worde then you will doe with it as a cunning workeman in his trade hee will euer take delight in his work occupation euen so if you had this this feeling you woulde delight in prayer which now is a hel vnto many then your harts both priuatly would bee as studious in meditating goodnes as euer they were desirous of worldly pleasure and woulde publikely breathe after it as the Harte in his chase doth after the well springes But oh dearely beloued this condemneth the worlde of hatred of God of the pride of themselues of ignorance in the trueth of coldnesse in religion of truâ—â—ing in the worlde mispending of time louing of pleasure and lacke of deuotion that they are as hardely drawne to praier according to the common Prouerbe as a hare taken with a tabret Think you that these persons which absent themselues from publique petitions and priuate prayers haue any loue of God in them nay are not those condemned which are drawne to them agaynst their will and where shal these cursed companions appeare which forsake sermons goe out of Churches lye idlie at home and are disporting themselues in brauery abroade when the time of prayer calleth for their presence at home or in the Church doe they not seperate themselues from the faithfull in this life and therefore they shall bee miserably damned with the Deuill and his aungelles and euerlastingly excluded from Christ and his Saintes Fourthly by this prayer of these elders wee obserue that we must especially pray for the multiplying augmenting of the faithfull for they pray that Ruth may bee like not to the daughters of Lot of whome came the cursed Moabites and Ammonites nor yet to Rebecca of whome came the vngodly Edomites nor yet to Keturah from whom came the godlesse Madianites and Arabians but to Rahel and Leah which builded the house of Israel that is which increased the Lordes people which multiplyed the heyres of the promised land and augmented the number of the faithful This our sauiour commanded to be done next to the glorifying of God for first wee say hallowed bee thy name and then thy kingdome come which is first that the spirit might raign in our harts theÌ„ that mo saints may be added to the Church For we must pray for the frends not for the enemies of Christ For this cause Paule compareth marriage to y e coniunction betweene Christ his Church for as the one ingendreth many saints so the other must beget many faithfull members truly as one pearl is worth ten thousand pebles so one good child is better to the parents then many thousands of euil The vse of this doctrine is that we should not bee like the Iewes desirous of many children because our families shoulde grow great but like the doues which bring forth few which might be the children of innocency the Elephant being the greatest and yet the meekest beast conceaueth but once in all her time whereas the lesser and more hurtful creatures encrease many yet it is better for the first to haue but one w c are good hurtles then for the latter to haue many which are euil and harmefull euen so beloued it is good to increase doues and not serpentes Elephantes and not Tigers and better is one Isaacke the sonne of promise then a thousand Ismaels the children of bondage We know the most precious hearbes bring the least fruites and that is not the best which doth most of all multiply so the godly like good trees must rather desire one or two children like themselues and to bring forth grow in issue sparingly by little little then sodainly to swell vp like the waues of the sea Wee reade that Ismael had twelue sonnes all princes but Isaacke his brother had onely twaine Iacob Esau and them he obtained by prayer so hardely the godly are borne and conceyued when with the wicked they come as thicke as the hailestones in Egipte for the confusion of the fruite of the lande Therefore as the seede is cast in vaine vpon the lande which the soules doe presently deuoure so those children had beene better they had neuer beene borne whom darknes blindeth ignorance possesseth mallice ruleth vngodlines leadeth and Sathan tormenteth for the fewest number are the godliest posterity in whom light shineth knowledge dwelleth meekenes raigneth godlines guideth Christ eternally blesseth Fiftly by the praier of these people we note y e second blessing of a godly mariage which is to gather by lawfull meanes much wealth for that which in the English is doe worthely in Ephrathah
in the Hebrewe is gather wealth in Ephrathah For it is more generall in the english then in the originall for to gather wealth by honest meanes is to doe worthely because it is the blessing of God Therefore wee wil take the surest and the safest interpretation by y e which this collection is confirmed and their meaning is that Boaz which in his mariage respected not riches should by his godly choise enioy a vertuous wife to bring vp faithfull children increase his substance by the blessing of God that he might aduance the honour of their countrey and Cittie Neyther is this vnknowne that after children the growing in wealth is the next blessing of the Lorde as Abrahams seruant telleth Laban the Lorde hath blessed my maister exceedingly and made him very great for he hath giuen him flockes and heardes siluer and gold seruants and maidens cammels and Asses all this did the Lord blesse Abraham with after his marriage with Sara Againe the holy Ghost describing Iob after his children which were seuen sons three daughters he reckoneth his wealth faith His possession was seuen thousand cattel three thousand camels fiue hundred yoke of oxē and fiue hundred she asses with a great houshold For wealth in marriage is the best seruant that can be entertained I might speake of many moe but few perswasions will suffice in this point because wealth was wont to be the maide and godlines the mistresse but nowe riches is become the mistresse and religion the maide For wealth men rise early and go late to bed labour diligently and fare hardely trauaile earnestly sweat painefully and I can finde no fault but with too much following this wealthy trade For first of all I must complaine with Salomon that there is but one and not a seconde who hath neyther brother nor sonne yet there is no end of his labour neyther is his eye satisfied with riches for this olde canker infecteth euery age whereby it is a pleasure to certaine couetous wretches to toyle theyr bodies with vntimely labours to clogge their mindes with golden cares and to weary their sences in numbring their wealth what is y e end hereof surely this the gatherer is like an asse which carryeth the treasure but cannot vse it being laide on his backe it must be taken of agayne the heyres like the drones spend all but gather none for as they sweat not for it as it was in getting so they spare not as long as it lasteth lauishing out that in riotous company which was gathered in couetous encroching Others that they may thriue count all thinges lawfull for they saye God hath giuen the earth to the children of men therefore they spende the sabbaothes in buying and selling in bargayning and labouring they get by right wrong forgery and deceite play and worke neyther lands not cattels come amisse to them so they may haue them But we must alway remember that wee neyther go to the right hand nor to the left that is if thou haue many children thou must vse no vnlawfull meanes to keep them if thou haue none thou must not hoarde vppe thy wealth as if thou haddest some but remember the day of aduersitie and deale somewhat for thy present neede and not altogether for thy owne commodity But you will say shewe vs some briefe rules by which wee may practise the truth by your fauourable audience I will giue you these three rules the first is in getting the second in keeping and the thirde in departing from it Concerning the first which is getting of wealth first our onely care must bee for the blessing of God to encrease vs We haue an excellent example in Iacob hauing nothing in the worlde beside his wiues and children yet woulde receyue no wages of Laban but promisde his seruice for the spotted lambes choosing rather to depend vpon the blessing of God then the pollicy of his owne wit to testify his vprightnes in the presence of Laban to teach vs all that thriuing commeth more by y e fauour of y e Lord then the wisedome of the world For Laban thought he had made a good bargain for himself w c indeed proued to his great hinderance euen so when men think they haue compassed the world to increase theyr profit sodainly the Lorde sendeth a crosse to disapoint their purpose y t they might know y t to be true w c Moses saith that it is the Lorde w c giueth power to get wealth against this those offende w c encrease their wealth liue vpon vsury for they depend not vpon the blessing of God but bind their debtors in bands win or loose they wil haue both principal increase Againe others are so greedily bent vpon their profits that their only desire is to wax rich of whō Paul speaketh They which wil wax rich fal into many temptations snares many foolish damnable lustes w c drown men in euerlasting destruction for y e loue of money is the root of all euil which while some desired they erred from the faith pearced themselues w t many sorrowes This striketh to the earth false measures naughty wares breaking of promises detaining of heirs raysing of rentes oppressing the poore deceytful bargaynes vnlawful trades for none of these depende vpon the Lord but giue their soules to the Deuil for encreasing their wealth Secondly you must know how to vse your wealth according to the word of God w c is thus according to the coūsel of th'Apostle if thou haue little be contented for godlines is great gaine if a man be contented with that he hath for we brought nothing into the worlde neyther shall wee carry any thing out of the worlde this is the reason of contentation but some will say howe much shal wee haue before we be contented the Apostle answereth in the nexte verse if we haue meat clothing we are there w t all contented Againe if they be rich the same Apostle sheweth how they shall beare their wealth in these words Charge them that are rich in this world that they be not high minded neither trust in their vncertaine riches but in the liuing God which giueth vs all things to enioy aboundantly That they distribute to other that they be rich in good workes that they be willing to giue and easy to be intreated Laying vp for themselues a good foundation against the time to come that they may lay hold on eternall life Out of the which words we must obserue these things First that riches must not make men proude for they are the gift of God but our rich men scorne and disdaine their poore bretheren of Christ commaunding and oppressing them both by word and deede in most odious and shamefull manner Secondly they must not put any confidence in their wealth but repose their trust in the liuing God who gaue it to them and to whome they
shall giue an accompt for vsing and abusing it for to put trust in their wealth is to thinke they may doe with it what they please Thirdly they must distribute willingly liberally and dayly for as they are riche in substance so they must be rich in good workes that is they must excell other in giuing as they doe in possession Fourthly that those men which doe thus bestowe their wealth haue layed the foundation of their saluation and lay hold on eternall life This is the way to keepe wealth after the word of God and who so euer doeth otherwise eyther in mariage or vnmariage doth hoord vp but rust to torment him the canker to consume him the care to molest him and vengeance against the day of vengeāce eternally to condemn him Lastly in departing from his wealth first if hee haue wronged any man he must follow the example of Zacheus restore foure fould and he shall be blamelesse for that spend liberally vpon his family in good sort after the counsell of Salomon for this pinching of seruants and families fauoureth not of God nor of religion nor of humanitie the bruite beasts condemne it but spend nothing in waste for thou art but steward of thy goodes now you know a steward must giue an accompt to his maister Finally that which thou reseruest giue to thy children as Abraham and all the godly did to their posteritie and whosoeuer followeth this counsell shall be guiltlesse for mispending cleare from euill keeping free from wrong getting and acquitted from the dreadfull reckoning which all the worlde shall make one day to the Lord for abusing his benefites Now let vs giue thankes to God The fifteenth Lecture Chap. 4. Vers 12.13.14.15 12 And that thy house be like the house of Pharez whome Thamar bare vnto Iudah of the seede which the Lord shall giue thee of this young woman 13 So Boaz tooke Ruth and she was his wife and when he went in vnto her the Lord gaue that she conceiued and bare a sonne 14 And the women sayde vnto Naomi Blessed bee the Lord which hath not left thee this day without a kinseman and his name shall be continued in Israell 15 And this shall bring thy life agayne and cherish thine old age for thy daughter in law which loueth thee hath borne him which is better to thee then seuen sonnes WE haue shewed you the last sabbaoth that this 12. verse is a part of the prayer of the elders and people at the marriage of Boaz and Ruth for in the first part they prayed for the fruitfulnesse of the woman but in this they commend vnto God the blessing for their posteritie and because we then deuided it we will first of all handle it and then proceede to that which followeth First therefore out of this second part in their prayer we gather another duety of the godly in praying for children which is to desire in some measure the blessings of this world eyther riches or honour vpon them which in this place these Iewes doe vnfainedly pray for the house or posteritye of Boaz when they say and that thy house may be like the house of Pharez who had the birthright of Iudah whose posteritye was the noblest of all the family from whome also descended this Bohaz as appeareth by the end of this Chapter which flourishing estate as it had continued in the progeny of Pharez for sixe generations so they wish it might follow in his posteritye for many more neyther is this speciall in this place but also dispersed thorough all the scripture for wee knowe what promise the Lord made vnto Abraham that vnto his seede hee woulde giue all the land of Canaan as a comfort vnto him to thinke that his posteritye should be so well prouided for whereby they might not onely bee continued but richly aduaunced as the Lordes of the earth The like was it that hee promised to Dauid that hee should alway haue a sonne to sit on his seate not simply a sonne but a sonne to sit on his seate as if the Lord had sayde thou shalt alway haue the kingdome in the possession of thy posteritye and the shall raigne as Kings for euermore So on the contrary it is a curse when the name of houses are put out theyr memory forgotten theyr wealth dispersed their honour abased and their children like vagabonds vppon the earth It was also a speciall promise to the people of the Iewes that if they obserued the statutes of the Lord then should they and their seede be able to lend to other but they should not neede to borrow of any These things considered by the example of these promises of the Lord and the persons of these fathers we haue an excellent way described for the mayntenaunce of our possession in the name of our posteritie which is this to commend it by prayer to the tuition of the eternall God for that which he hath promised may we pray for the same way that maketh barren women to become fruitfull the increase of the earth to multiply the heauens to giue theyr rayne Countreyes to be deliuered from sword famine and pestilence and pulleth downe all the blessings of God vpon vs is also the appointed meanes for the continuance of worldly families But how long how long shall I perswade the world before they beleeue it doe they not spend their dayes in worldly deuises to compasse the earth by multitudes of purchasings which are alwayes trauailing abroade in restlesse iourneyes by many bargaines to augment their substance vsing all lawfull and vnlawfull meanes for to increase their wealth and inlarge their possessions that their posteritie might be honourable when they are dead their children aduaunced by money not by vertue maintained by pride not by humilitie raigne like kings in all manner of pleasure vpon the earth while the fathers are tormented in hell for their wrongfull oppressions thus men pray on the world as the eagles on the altars and the birds on Abrahams sacrifice but not to the Lord as the young rauens that call vpon him who being left of their owne parents are fed by the Lord that his kindnes might be manifested to our children as well as to birds and that their welfare dependeth vpon the blessing of God not the benefite of elders the fauour of our maker not the couetousnes of our fathers Against these it is that the Prophet cryeth and curseth because they ioyne house to house land to land field to field inheritance to inheritance that themselues might raigne alone vpon the earth this is the care of them which are sodainely from the dust to the chayre of wealth aduaunced from slauery to honour from beggery to riches that they might as the Prophet sayth build fayre houses encroch greater compasse of lands that their names might be famous vpon the earth But who is he that maketh any ordinary and dayly prayer vnto the Lord that his substance might
be by his blessing increased with his fauour preserued and to his glory bestowed Nay nay if none had no more wealth then that which they had gotten by prayer their glorious shewes would in little space grow as bare as the trees in the winter when they haue neyther fruite nor leaues to couer them This I speake not to the discredit of any wealthy persons but shew them the way to attayne the end of their desire the continuance of their posteritie in godlines and wealth which is by prayer For as Christ prayed for Peter that his faith should not faile him so parents must pray for their posteritie that their names may not decay in them If any thinke when theyr barnes are inlarged their corne gathered they filled health enioyed wealth increased and rest obtained that eyther soules or children shall haue the greater rest like that foole in the Gospell their markes are much amisse for wealth and issue are lost both in an houre looke vpon the example of Iob the death of his children and decay of his wealth Againe none must be hereby emboldened to present their prayers before the face of the almighty for the maintenance of their children in worldly vanitie to make that the onely end of all their desire which is to be more carefull for the shoe then the foote for the rayment then the body and for the body then the soule but this must be their direction as the Lord commaunded the Iewes if they kept his statutes then should their oxen be strong to labour their sheepe bring foorth thousands and ten thousands in their streetes their daughters like the polished corners of the temple and their sonnes as their fruitfull garners which neuer are emptye For vngodly Haman was hanged though he were the prince of the princes but godly Mordecay was aduaunced which was as poore as the basest Shebna was depriued of his office because he was wicked when godly Eliakim was promoted to his place euen so it is not honour but the feare of God that bringeth and sustaineth honour that you must pray for your children Kings for vngodlines were depriued of their seates and thrones of maiesty whereunto they were borne much more will the Lord execute his iudgements of pouertie and slauery vpon those that would be aduaunced and yet are wicked for Salomon sayth that the prosperitie of fooles slay them and the crowne doth not endure from generation to generation yet the feare of the Lord abideth for euer Secondly by this verse we may note when they expressely make mention of Thamar the mother of Pharez and wish the posterity of Boaz to be like his the great blessing of God vpon that incestuous birth for we know the history how that Thamar was y e daughter in law of Iudah the wife widdow of his eldest son dissembling her selfe to be a whore by her apparell and place had the company of her father in law by whome she was conceiued of two sonnes the elder was this Pharez and the yonger Zerach yet wee see how y e Lord doth magnify this Pharez with a glorious and godly posterity By the which he teacheth vs these two profitable lessons that the sinnes of the faithfull are forgiuē though they be neuer so great We see this Iudah an excellent man yet ouercome in this action had not any such plague inflicted on him as Ruben his eldest brother or Simeon Leui but he which couered and omitted that sin of Abraham with Hagar of Iacob with Bilhah and Zilpah of this Iudah with Thamar Lot w t his own daughters and such like wil also forgiue all the defaults of the godly vnto the end of the world By the which we gather exceeding comfort when we come to this persuasion that there is no condemnation to them that are in Iesus Christ that the gates of hell shall not preuaile against the mercies of y e Lord that the victory of our faith shall conquer the world when Noah shall be cleansed from his drunkennes Moses and Aaron frō their doubting Miriam from her murmuring Dauid from his murther Peter from his deniall of Christ and all because the Lord will couer the sins of his Saints be they neuer so great when he punisheth the faults of many thousand wicked persons with eternall damnation although they haue not sinned with the like transgression Secondly by this we learne that the Lord doth not punish the childrē for the parēts faults if they commit not the like themselues for this Pharez begotten in incest was blessed by the Lord not only with temporal glory in himself and his issue but also with this that he was made one of y e fathers of Christ And this teacheth vs that this vpbraiding of men for their birth be they base borne or free borne is no fruit of the word of God but the malice of the deuill which first deceiued the parents and now would discredit the childe Let it not therfore beloued be any speech in our mouths to shoot at them whom the Lord hath wounded by nature any thought of our hearts to enuy their welfare were their parentage neuer so base but pray for them that though they proceede not of a sanctified birth yet they may grow vp to a sanctified and holy life to make a godly a blessed end And finally let vs be encouraged vnto religion by the fauour of God which dealeth thus mercifully with his Saincts neuer suffering any thing to be laid to the charge of his chosen stopping the mouth of the deuill himselfe y t he neuer rise in iudgement against y e faithful or bring any litle sin of theirs into the remembrance of God but washing them all in the lauer of regeneration y e bloud of his sonne and will giue thē white robes clensed frō al filthines y t they may be chast virgins for y e Lords seruice and feed at his own table for euermore this cōsideration made Dauid to cry out and say oh whē shal I come and appeare before the presence of God it made Simeon to say now Lord let thy seruant depart in peace it caused Paule to vtter these words I desire to be dissolued and to be with Christ for blessed are the people that are in such a case yea blessed are the people whose God is the Lord. Thus much for this verse Now let vs goe to the verse following In these three verses following the holy Ghost declareth the blessing of God vpon this mariage of Boaz and Ruth The words containe in them two parts the first part is of Boaz ver 13. the second is of the women that were present at the trauaile of Ruth The first part sheweth how Boaz taking Ruth and vsing her as his wife had the blessing of God in conceiuing and bearing him a sonne the other part of the women is their reioysing with Naomi for this fruitfulnesse of Ruth it comprehendeth two partes the first theyr
thankesgiuing to God vers 14. in these words Blessed be God secondly the matter of their thankesgiuing in the words following first for Bohaz his sake in that God had left him to be Naomies kinseman secondly because this childe of Ruthes her louing daughter in law should renew her yeares and cherish her old age of these parts let vs briefely speake in order So Boaz tooke After the solemnitie of this mariage in the presence of the people and their prayer ended which they powred foorth in the behalfe of both these partyes and their posteritie Bohaz proceedeth to the end of this action and taketh Ruth to his house to be his wife as a duety of a kinde and a godly husband For all this while we must imagine that Ruth was absent from the place of this communication and according to the counsayle of her mother sate wayting at home for some prosperous newes and praying no doubt for a ioyfull successe of this desired mariage our of this we gather First the duety of all godly husbands which is to take their wiues and dwell with them as this Boaz doth Ruth for it is no doubt but that he presently went to the house of her mother and thence tooke her bringing her to his owne house that there they might liue and loue together This phrase of scripture wee may finde vsed in many places as in the history of Izaak how he tooke Ribkah his wife and brought her into the tent of Sarai his mother and was comforted after his mothers death where the holy Ghost doth not onely declare the kindnesse of Izaak but also the commoditie of dwelling with a wife for the presence of Ribkah caused her husband to forget the death of his mother as if he had sayd the presence of a wife is greater then the comfort of a mother For this cause Peter exhorteth that husbands should dwell with their wiues like men of vnderstanding giuing honour to their wiues as to weaker vessels because they are the heyres of the same grace and that their prayers be not hindered as if he had sayd they must dwell together and they must pray together for as Christ is alway present with his Church so husbands must keepe the companies of their wiues This point being euident both by reason and religion it condemneth the wandring abroade of many idle husbands some which are neuer satisfied with riches by markets and merchandise trauailing in the world depriue their wiues of their due beneuolence others for their pleasure walke from Countrey to Countrey spending their dayes in pleasant disport among carnall and suspitious companions leaue wife and family to the sea of this world like children in a Ship without guide or mariner many are present but to the discommoditie and discomfort of their poore wiues and children oh how doe any of these persons take their wiues with godly mindes eyther to dwell or pray together How can the vine prosper when the roote is vncouered and how can women be comforted when their couer is taken from them I meane their husbands as Abimelech the king of Gerar tolde vnto Sara Is not the body dead without a head yea if it be but a minute of an houre do not then our wandering youths murder the bodie of their owne family being absent about vnnecessary busines sometime for the space of many moneths Is not the body maymed if it want but the least member yea but a finger how is then those households wounded where the chiefest parts either husbands or wiues be wanting and wandering abroade and finally what is this but to diuorce themselues for a season without any lawfull cause to put asunder them whome the Lord hath ioyned together to breake the felowship of holy wedlocke to despise the societie of godly marriage to lay open themselues to the temptations of the deuils and to thrust both bodyes and soules into daunger of damnation This I speake not as if all absence frō eyther party which consent for a time about necessary busines were vtterly vnlawfull for so Iacob Moses Aaron Dauid and the Apostles should be faulty but I speake against this wilfull departing of one from the other without either consent of man or wife conscience of the law of God or regard to their owne persons for the company of these twayne is greater then parents or children for which the Apostle sayth that if one be a beleeuing person and the other an infidell yet they must not depart if they be willing to dwell with them and he giueth no libertie for breaking theyr companie except it be to pray the more feruently and wisheth also that if they doe so yet it must be but for a season that sathan tempt them not so great regard must be had of the fellowship in marriage that the zeale of prayer the worship of God the loue of our owne parents the increase of wealth and the pleasure of the world must not separate without the voyce of both partyes and yet the time must be but short for the auoyding the temptation of Sathan and the daunger of their owne damnation Secondly by this we may gather who is the author and sender of children which is the Lord for this scripture sayth that the Lord gaue her to conceiue for as Paule sayth of the corne that is cast into the earth that it increaseth neither by the planter nor yet the waterer but by the Lord so must we say by the seede of mankinde that it lyeth neyther in the husband nor in the wife but in the blessing of God for which cause when Rahell sayd to her husband Iacob giue me children or else I dye he answered her in anger am I in Gods steede that kept thee frō the fruite of thy womb as if he had said it is God that sendeth issue and not man therefore Dauid saith that children are the possession of the Lord and the fruite of the womb is his reward By the which we are taught many excellēt and worthy lessons first that seing they come from the author of euery good gift we haue a ready way where to aske them when we want them for as when we want wisedome the Apostle saith we must aske wisedome at the hand of God so whē we want children we must aske children at the hand of God When Ribkah was barren by her husbands prayer she was made fruitfull so barren women by their husbands prayers haue bene made the mothers of many children Annah obtained by her prayer at the temple not only Samuell but also three other sonnes and two daughters Oh let vs not be vexed then for many children but let euery one aske confidently by the will of God and they shall receiue if it so please him plentifully to their owne desire Secondly seeing children come of the Lord we are taught to vse them as the blessings of God and as the child by nature should first know
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
Ioseph he was rebuked by his father hated solde by his brethren imprisoned by his maister forgotten by Pharaohes butler all these were no small discouragements to so young a man yet in the ende hee was aduaunced to the highest steppe of honour as a recompense for all the tribulations he had endured I may also adde this of Dauid being persecuted by Saule betrayed by the inhabitantes of Keilah driuen to the Philistines his sworne enemies to craue a dwelling of them seeing many martired for his sake in the ende had the possession of the kingdome of Iudah and after of Israel which was the gift of the Lorde the rewarde of his afflictions and his religion By the which wee may see the hope of the godly not that which they seele but that which they may lawfully look for the ease of their paines y e remedy of their griefe the comfort of their troubles and the end of their miserie to be speedy redresse if with patience they looke and wait for the pleasure of the Lord Therefore the godly say with Dauid if ten thousande compasse them rounde about they will not be afraide for the Lorde is the eye witnesse of all their miseries the hot furnace of Babilon feareth them not the Lions den cannot driue them to dishonour God if flames of fire consume their bodies to ashes the dartes of Sathan pierce theyr soules to the quicke the reproches of the worlde destroy their names and the enemies of God spoyle their substance yet they are not left destitute for their faith ouercommeth the world their patience all their afflictions and their loue of God their desire of earthly prosperitie All which caused the Apostle to say that hope was the anchor of the soule meaning that as the anchor stayeth the shippe in the middest of all the waues though they be neuer so great and huge in like manner the hope of the godly keepeth them in the barke of Christes Church among the thousandes of worldly tribulations For Dauid saith great are the troubles of the righteous for the Lorde deliuereth out of all as if hee had saide the righteous and godly are afflicted to this ende that the Lorde might shewe his power in their deliueraunce And in another place hee complayning of his sufferinges the sorrowe of his soule yet concludeth with this figurative speeche Why art thou so sadde O my soule and why art thou cast downe within me trust still in the Lorde for by him I haue deliuerance against all my paines and griefe Euen so doe I say to all my poore brethren in the worlde why are you so sad if you want mayntenance the earth is the Lords If frendshippe the hartes of kinges are in his handes as the riuers of waters if libertie hee can breake asunder the iron gates and deliuer the prisoners from their tormentors if health in his presence there is ioy and life for euermore if children hee maketh the barren woman to bring forth many children if apparell hee clothed the Lillies aboue the royalty of Salomon if meate hee can multiply the leasse morselles into the greatest measures and finally if defence hee giueth his royall Aungelles charge ouer the poorest of the godly that the violence of princes and the force of the Deuill him selfe shall neuer go beyond the decree purpose of the Lorde Therefore if grypes of griefe and tormentes of sorrowe doe lodge with vs all the night yet ioy shall come in the morning when the poore shall be restored the sicke recouered the sorrowfull comforted the faithfull rewarded and the wicked eternally plagued Secondly by this verse wee also gather a worthy example of a godly grandmother which for the ease of her daughter the loue of the infant and the thankefulnes shee owed to God shee became a fellowe nurse vnto this younge sonne of Bohaz for although the wordes of the Scripture bee these that shee became nurse vnto the childe yet the meaning is not that shee tooke it from the mother but that her tender care ouer it was such that during the weakenes of Ruth and absence of his mother shee layde it in her lappe and was as carefull for it as any nurse that was hyred to that duety for Naomi coulde not bee a nurse in these olde dayes of hers without husband or milke which we know is the chiefest nourishment for younge children and therefore a nurse in this place is taken for one that had a great care to procure the welfare ease of the child By the which wee note another duety of aged parentes which liue to see theyr childrens children namely that they bee as nurses vnto them to be as carefull for them as theyr owne for therefore the Lord suffereth them to see the increase of their seede that they might couer and nourishe it in their owne presence For this cause wee may reade that the sonnes of Manasses and his sonnes sonnes were brought vp on the knees of Ioseph theyr great grand-father for this laying in the lappe or on the knee signifieth a most tender care ouer the infantes that they be alwaies not onely in the presence but also in the handes of their grande parentes as Rahell when shee gaue her maide Bilha vnto Iacob and saide that shee might bring foorth vpon her knees that is shee woulde bee as carefull in the nourishment of them as if they were her owne Then by this they are taught their dutyes vppon whome the Lorde hath vouchsafed to bestowe this blessinge that they see theyr childrens children namely that it is requyred at theyr handes that they prouide for theyr education good instruction and bringing vp for they may say as Laban said to his daughters children y t they are their owne and therefore the care of the bringing vp dependeth vpon them wee see the little twigges at the toppe to bee nourished as well by the roote as the bowes that growe out of the bodie of the tree euen so grand-parentes prouide as well for the mayntenaunce of their childrens issue as for their owne so that in all kindnesse they must bee intreated in all wisedome bee instructed with all carefulnes be corrected with all religion be gouerned for alas if the twigges fayle there can be no fruit and if your seed be corrupt there wil come but a hard haruest so if your childrens childrē be not ouerseene by you that are parentes and rulers of both your name will decay your family die your posteritie be vtterly forgotten Thirdely in this place we may profitably enquire about the nursing of children seeing Naomie is said to be the nurse of this childe of Ruth Whether it be lawfull at all to put out children to nurse from their owne mother or whether the care of parentes be not to bring vp their childrē in their infancy in their owne persons or presence or els commit the tuition of thē to other Vnto the first question I aunswere that euery woman
woman are bounde to see their childrens first instruction that is if it bee possible to haue them in their keeping at their first entraunce into knowledge and when they are first of all capable of any goodnesse So wee reade Isaacke remayned with his father Abraham in the time of infancy when God commaunded Ismaell to bee cast out so Iacob kept little Beniamin with him neyther would he depart from him vnto any til Simeon was bound in Egipt so we read of the king Ioash whom his aunt Iehoshebah hid from y e rage of Athaliah who was brought vp in the house of her husbande Iehoiadah where hee was most worthely instructed in the feare of the Lorde so wee reade our sauiour Christ kept till he was twelue yeares olde with his mother and supposed father and after he had beene at Ierusalem hee was obedient to them till the yeare of his preaching which was when hee came to the age of thirtie yeares Therefore the conclusion af all this is that neyther the nursing nor instruction of our children must be deferred to other at the least so as wee seeme not but to bee many wayes as carefull for them as if they were in our presence to be euermore mindfull for the wealth of their bodyes and health of their soules Fourthly and lastly by these wordes wee may gather how great and excellent is this worke the bringing vp of children for which the Lorde hath expressed in his worde that it is required that many shoulde bee applyed for in this place we see Naomi and Ruth bestow their labours for the education of this new borne babe and we haue heard that Rebecca had a nurse that came with her from her fathers house to the lande where Abraham dwelt which signifieth vnto vs that neyther their infancy can bee vnfedde nor their youth vnruled for this is not so base a worke as many thinke it that one is enough if not too much to take the care of their children for wee knowe they are easily drawne to many inconueniences neyther can the parentes bee present to foresee all but if any bee helpers in this buisines their care is much eased the children lesse endangered theyr welfare better prouided and the parentes dutie better discharged Euery flocke hath a keeper beside the owner euery garden hath a dresser beside the mayster and if it be possible let euery childe haue an ouerseer beside the parentes for alas the silly infante is soone cast into the fire falleth into the water ouerturned with the wind and euery beast is ready to work his destruction all which may bee wisely preuented though not with the presence yet with the counsel and care of the parents by prouiding such carefull persons to be their guides as may also defend them when they are absent And the women her neighbours In this verse is the seconde parte which concerneth the naming of the child where the holy Ghost doeth declare vnto vs the persons that named the childe to be the women of Bethlehem the neyghbours of Naomi which no doubt was then giuen to the childe at the eyght day which was the circumcision according as wee see in the history of Iohn Baptist after the law of the Lorde calling him by the name of Obed which signifieth seruing or a seruant shewing howe hee should serue for the comfort of Naomi Boaz and his mother By this wee first of all note and obserue that it is the duty of the faithfull to be helpers one to another in the seruice of God and admonition of their dutyes for here the childe being circumcised was accompanyed with many godly women whose deuise they vsed and followed in the naming of the childe Indeed we may often read that the parents gaue names to their children sometimes the fathers sometime the mothers sometimes the Lorde himselfe as in many persons wee may perceyue but wee neuer reade that the people were so kinde to helpe in this matter and to further the duty of any godly minded onely this place excepted so that these women are a most godly example for all the faithfull to beholde how they must further and helpe one another in the cause of religion For the naming of children in olde time was very excellent when they were carefull by their earthly and outwarde tytles to admonish them of their inwarde and heauenly duties And that which these did in this one must wee doe also in all other duties to draw more and more to the loue of religion as wee reade the Apostles did one another when they came to the first knowledge of the Messiah for as a little leuen seasoneth a whole lumpe euen so a fewe godly personnes may drawe a great many to religion Therefore this one dutie of all other belongeth to the flocke of Christ that they helpe one another in the workes of Christianity When the ruler of the Temple his daughter was sicke for the little childe hee went to our sauiour by which meanes he recouered her life this was the duetie of a godly father when the sicke man of the palsie coulde not come to Christ foure of his neighbours brought him to his presence and the Lord forgaue him this was charity and the duety of neighbours When Dorcas was deade the women sent for Peter who being come she was restored to life And thus parents must helpe forwarde their children neighbours their fellowes and euery man one another if they want knowledge let vs teach them knowledge out of the pure worde of God if they cannot pray let vs pray with them and for them to the almighty God if they trauayle to heare the word let vs trauaile with them to encourage their carefulnes But of this matter wee haue often spoken Now let vs giue prayse to God The end of the sixteenth Lecture The seuenteenth Lecture Chap. 4. ver 18.19.20.21 22 18 These are the generations of Pharez Pharez begat Chetzron 19 Chetzron begate Ram Ram begate Hamminnadab 20 Hamminadab begate Naschon Naschon begate Salmā 21 Salman begate Bohaz Bohaz begate Hobed 22 Hobed begate Ishai Ishai begate Dauid NOwe by the mercifull kindnes of the Lorde we are come to the last part of this history the conclusion of this Chapter where the holy Ghost describeth vnto vs the kindred of Boaz euen all the generations frō Pharez to king Dauid shewing vnto vs the increase of these Iewes from their dwelling in the land of Canaan before they went into Egipt vntill the time that Dauid was annointed and appointed king in Israell we may for the easier handling of these wordes deuide them into these two partes The first is those persons that were the progenitours auncestors or fathers of Bohaz in the ver 18. 19 20. which are set downe to be Pharez the first Chetzron the second Ram y e third Hamminadab the fourth Naschon the fift and Salman the sixte who was the immediate and naturall father of Bohaz The second parte is the progeny
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
in religion or rather in worldlines so shal we haue fauour aspire to the greatest promotions for there is greatest profit finally take pleasure in vnlawfull things let vs say come behind vs sathan For it is not our frend but our enimy sathan that thus alureth vs with the baite of pleasure ease and profite that wee might hang on the hooke of perpetuall perdition Then seeing we haue espied his pollicy discouered his deceipt tried the discommodityes that ensue his obedience let vs innocent children once burned dread the fire and as Iacob said by his own sons Simeon Leui My soule come not into their habitation so let vs say to our derest frends when their counsell a good conscience cannot stand together better breake the league of frenshippe betweene vs then suffer the shipwark of a pretious peaceable conscience The wisest Salomon by hearkning to his wiues disobeyed the Lord it cost him ten tribes of his kingdome if such greene peeces be destroyed what shall become of the rotte feare therfore if angels from heauen must not be heard much lesse deuils frō hell drawing vs away from following the trueth by the mouth of our dearest nearest frendes though it were by your wiues that lye in your bosomes Therfore let vs take vnto vs the whole armour of God that we may stand fast in the day of battell better neuer run except we obtain the price better neuer to haue known God or his Gospell then now to fall away from him againe But Ruth said intreat mee not This is the first part of the answere of Ruth to the argument of her mother it is her petition with the reason of it wherein she protesteth that it is better vnto her not to bee intreated to depart or once to haue it motioned or mentioned to go frō hir for her resolution is that neither the troubles or trauailes of life could separate her neither the sorrowes of death or desolation of the graue shoulde depriue her of Naomies company for she saith Where thou dyest will I dye and there will I be buried Out of which I obserue these thinges First howe the godly behaue themselues in all tryalls and temptations namely that the very thoughts of departing from God and yelding to sin are very gall and bitternes vnto them insomuch as they say with Ruth intreate me not to leaue thee that is neuer speake worde to moue me from hearing God his word to ouerthrow my faith to turne me to disobedience to perish my conscience to hinder my course or to subuert my profession A notable example hereof is in Elisha who was intreated by Eliah as here Ruth is by Naomi First he bid him tarry at Gilgal till he went to Bethel but Elisha said as the Lorde liueth as thy soule liueth I will not leaue thee nor depart from thee then they went to Bethel together and bid him tary there for the Lord sendeth him to Iericho but Elisha answered as the Lord liueth as thy soule liueth I will not leaue thee nor departe from thee then they went to Iericho Eliah bid him tary there till he went to Iericho and Eliah bid him tarrie there till hee went to meete the Lorde at Iordan Elisha aunswered as he did before for Eliah foresee that if he went not with Eliah he shoulde haue no benefite by his seruice so if we abide not the obiections of our friends the reporches of our enemies the intisements of the world the persuasions of our owne fathers and mothers that are against vs in religion we shall loose al that we haue done before yea though they shoulde say as Rabsakeh sayd to the men of Ezechia The Lord hath sent vs to speake vnto you But many will say if profane worldlings shuld discourage vs in religiō those y t are open contemners shuld perswade vs from it thē we could abide it but it goeth nie vs whē our own wiues or husbands fathers or mothers brethren sisters companions acquaintāce shal try vs so narowly But marke dearly beloued thou art not alone Ruth was thus handled by Naomi her deare mother in law for whose sake she had departed from kindred country yet she trieth molesteth vexeth her yet by the sauing grace of God his assisting spirit in the end she acquiteth her selfe like a woman of strength in the Lords quarel for the Lord for our farther triall doth not only proue vs in the lest but in the greatest afflictions The Israelits cared but little for the philistins had they not had giants among them so the Lord will bring crosses like armed men to dismay vs that our valor and courage may be knowne Iob had first one herd taken away and then an other in the end his children crushed to death and then he was strangely visited in his own body but hauing only one comfort in al the world left his wife she bid him curse God die But some say we would willingly be professors but the preachers themselues tell vs how we must be mortified they cal vs in their sermons wretches cursed creatures these hard words hinder vs if they spoke faire vnto vs cried mercy mercy we would with more dilligence frequent their exercise I answere if they speake in God his name whose embassadours they are cannot you beare it for his sake they are not commō persons in that place but supply Christs roome now Christ called his disciples a faithles generation he called Peter sathan a poore woman he called dog when she came vnto him How did he deale with king Herod and with the Pharisees euery man knoweth and are you better then these Paul called the Galathians folish was it not to make them wise that therby he might draw them to the truth they had forsaken euen so the ministers of Christ must handle this rough world setting it out by the titles that by the name they may gesse of the nature If the rich man promise peace to his soule in the multitude of his possessions shal not the Lord cal him fool for his labor if all the world follow the prince that raigneth in the aire shall not we say that they bee without God and so without saluation Doth not the Lord chasten vs in this world y t we shuld not be condēned in the world to come Are not seruants contented to bear hard words at the hāds of their masters because they receiue wages of them euen so suffer God his ministers to speake the worst they can of you yet I assure you there is no faithfull preacher that will speake so basely of the notablest wicked person that is but he speaketh thinketh a thousand times more basely of himself Beare with them therefore you are children infants in religion not able to speake they speake for you to the Lord in as humble manner as may be knowing that the