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
them Whereby the vngodly entreating of strangers that manye wishe for among vs is too wicked enuying that any shoulde bee permitted to come and soiourne among vs like free borne children Yet heerein wee are to prayse God that these persons cannot bite although they barke at poore harbourles strangers and also that hee hath blessed our magistrates with more pitifull mindes And let these personnes knowe and consider that it is as easie to go out as to come into England this is they may as sone be driuen to other places out of their owne countrey to bee strangers there as these are repayred for succour hither The vncertaintie of worldly estate that hath brought great princes to extreme pouerty should bridle their churlishe and vngodly affections from offering one thought of iniurie to these poore harbourlesse strangers Wee knowe the parable of Christ of a man that trauailed from Iericho to Ierusalem and fell among theeues the kindnes of that stranger Samaritan should mooue vs to do good to strangers while the world standeth seeing wee are more helped by their presence then by our owne neyghbours but these kinde persons that thus rayle vppon poore strangers are such as are grieued against God and men who in their hearts would haue no man liuing in the lande besides themselues and theyr cursed posteritye But some will saye you make too much account of strangers the Lorde doeth not make such reckoning of them because forbidding vsury to the Iewes yet hee permitted them to take vsurye of the strangers I answere those strangers were the cursed Cananites and none other whome God had vowed to destruction to the intent the Iewes might haue them in all slauerie Of them he permitted to take vsury for this is the blessing of God vppon that people that they should bee able to lend to other but stand in no need to borrowe of other Therefore that beeing but a permission for the Iewes onely hath ceased in that common wealth but in Christ there is no difference of Iewe or gentile male or female bond or free for all are his and hee the Lordes so that nowe the name of a straunger is quite ceased but all are neighbors and brethren for euermore And Boaz answered In this verse is contained the replye of Boaz vnto the speeche of Ruth wherein is set downe the true cause of his liberalitye vnto her first in regarde of her mother in lawe and his kinswoman with whome shee had dealt so well in her owne countrey secondly in regard of her selfe she had forsaken father and mother with countreye and kindred to come among strange people Where we first obserue a singular encouragement to obey our godly parents for wee see that our good actions needed not to bee preached abroade by other for our farther coÌ„mendation but at the time appointed they will shewe themselues as the life of trees by sending foorth leaues in the spring time of the yeere Ruth as wee haue heard dealt most louingly with her mother in lawe in Moab yet you see that her kindnes hath followed her to Bethlehem in Iudah manye myles distant the one from the other If it had beene knowen there to a few onely it had bin sufficient but being spread a broade the chiefe man in a citie doth commende her for it among a multitude in a haruest field the place could not hide it were it neuer so far of the time not conceale it bee it neuer so secret the commendation of it be couered because shee was a stranger nor the credit of it bee loste in another countrey Such is the nature of good thinges which wee do to other that no obliuion can euer bury it What needeth this boasting of our almes deedes like the blowing of a trumpet this bragging of our worthynes some of their manhood some of their friendship other of their riches and many of their labour as if they slept not foundly til al the world did ring of their commendation This one thing loseth all our reward for it is better that the workes then the wordes should witnes it We may also by this assure our selues that we haue done nothing so secretly to the flocke of Christ but it is knowne and the name of God praysed for it for as euill deedes remaine to the graue so good workes reâ—ound to perpetuall memory Secondlye by this wee obserue the excellencye of religion for whose sake it is commendable to forget nature and praise worthye to forsake our parents and people Which if we should doo for any other cause whatsoeuer we were accursed When the Lorde woulde establishe his couenant with Abraham â— hee called him from Father and countrey to shewe that for religion sake it is a glory and not onely to do thus but also for to bee scourged yea and to suffer death Why then is it so contumeliously vpbraided so scornefully refused of many and but of fewe â—ectiued till this day Among all the world onely Abrahams posterity had the couenant and promises and now though men bee as the sande on the sea shoare and the starres of heauen which cannot bee numbered yet shall but a remnant bee saued none come vnto it but by the especiall grace of God whereby hee draweth them as it were against theyr mindes fewe persons woulde resorte to Noahs arke because they scorned his preaching euen so fewe are religious because they account it a base worke to heare the worde of God plainely opened and sincerely expounded Where is then become this auncient zeale that made men and women as well noble as base to bee obedient to the calling of the Lord for which cause they forsook both wealth parentage cuntry kindred but in these dayes men will forsake Christe and his Gospell religion and preaching for the least of these Once the Apostle saide hee accounted all thinges as dung in regarde of Christe but nowe Christ is regarded as dung in comparison of the worlde Once Christ sayd whosoeuer loueth father or mother wife or children house or landes more then mee is not worthy of mee but nowe whosoeuer loueth Christe more then these is not worthy to liue Once it was saide firste seeke the kingdome of God and the righteousnes thereof and all other thing shall be cast vppon you but nowe first seeke the worldes riches and wealth and religion will follow too soone Oh what miserable daies are we fallen into where ignoraunce aduanceth it selfe like the moone and is not ashamed the Gospell reuiled by euerie atheist the ministers molested for euery papiste the sacramentes prophaned the professours tearmed by slanderous titles which for Christes sake haue loste their kindred and aduentured their liues Surely surelye some great plague is approaching for the quenching of this burning heate of sinne when they shall say here is a God that rewardeth the righteous verily there is a God that iudgeth the worlde Thirdly we obserue out of this verse that wee must not without
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
Moab land Art set at rest and blest by Gods owne hand The loue of friends and Countrie ouerpeized With loue of Soueraigne Lord behold in sight The antique age and life of Patriarkes praised How liberall frugall chast pure and vpright But now this mould of earth is turned quite Alas that nought in perfect state should sit The world is chang'd and we are chang'd in it Art thou a maide Learne here of Ruth thy mate To chuse whome God inspires with grace diuine A widdow thou To paines and labour late In each degree thy selfe with Ruth resigne Or art a wife To righteous Ruth incline If maide or wife or widdow then thou bee Thy selfe in Ruth thou as in Glasse shalt see Go little Booke display thy golden title And yet not little though thou little bee Little for price and yet in price not little Thine was the paine the gaine is ours I see Although our gain thou deemst no pain to thee If then O Reader little paine thou take Thou greatest gain with smallest pain shalt make The hungrie stomacke feedes with full desire Whereby the vitall spirites soone renew So if thine heart shall burne with heauenly fire Hereby great fruite shall to thy faith accrew Trie ere thou trust and then giue sentence trew If reading once be pleasant to thy tast Next pleaseth more yet sweetest comes at last William Attersoll In Laudem operis S. Theologiae candidatis Ioannes Brace girdellus HIstoriae methodum Ruthae cupis ordine ductam Haec tibi Thesaea fila sequenda cape Instar impositae facis est vbi Scrupulus extat Hic liber ostendens eruta sensa tibi Hinc tibi doctrinae seruatam sume medullam Multiplicis opus hoc dogmata sancta tenet Instruit vt rigidos casus patiendo repellas Instruit vt dominus colligit ornat oues Et quaecunque tibi remanebit sors locus ordo Ad pietatis opus concitat iste liber Multa docent multi varijs ambagibus aucta Multa tamen liber hic sub breuitate docet Plurima dant multi mendacia plurimae vana Hic nihil est nisi quod Biblia sacra tenet Perge Dei Topselle diu sic pandere sacra Carpere vult frustrà Zoilus istud opus RELIGIONIS Remuneratio per Eundem AVrea mellifluo tribuuntur praemia fructu Si tibi sanus inest relligionis amor Vnica perpetuum pictas durabit in aeuum Semper Aetherco lucet amanda polo. Caetera mortiferis euanescunt subdita telis Caetera postremum sunt habitura diem Caetera cuncta maris voluuntur fluctibus vnà Caetera Laethais mersa ferentur aquis Caetera quid referunt aliud quà m vana labores Et miseras animo se laniente cruces Maxima nobilium pereunt monumenta virorum Dura ruunt subitò saxa remota loco Depereunt vires sic deperit omne venustum Vita perit regum pompa superba perit Diuitiae rapidis agitantur casibus omnes Denique nil vasto permanet orbe diu Lucida diuinus transcendit sidera cultus Post cineres pietas viuere sola facit O quam te memorem dea splendida tu dea certe De caelo lapsam voxsonat alma deam Vox tua durabit dum caeli sidera durant Sola beata salus caetera mundus habet Cum bene nunc vegetans modo post fortuna reflârit Quid valet en pietas candida sola viget Cum nebulis positis Zephyrus spirauerit vltrò Quid iuuat en fastus tollit amica malos Cui micat in vultu patientia pulchra sereno Ciu sedet in nitido fulgida fronte fides Discipuli varijs agitantur fluctibus omnes Christi Christus adest hinc mare triste silet Auxilium differt diuina potentia saepe Vt longo vigeat tempore laeta salus Exilium crux mors ferrum flammaeque famesque Dilectis domini tendit in omne bonum Quos deus ipse tegit suffultos numine dextrae Vt sua quae statuit munera ferre ferant Si non inuenias qua posses vrbe morari Si tibi sint nimia membra sepulta fame Carcere si rigido positus vinclîsque grauatus Si tibi sit medijs anxia vita malis Dat deus vt vincas de puluere subleuat idem Ex humili miseros erigit ille lo co Dat deus orbatis viduisque verentibus illi vt tandem capiant optima farra sibi Ille Israëlem miserum per aequora duxit Hostibus immersis abstulit ille iugum Ille sibi charum Dauidem elegit ipsum Ex ouium caulis ad noua regna vehit Is Naomi reuocat Rutham quoque dirigit ille Vt rectam quaerant ad loca salua viam Vnde aliena sacro stabilitur faedere Christi Extitit atque sacris regibus alma parens Hoc deus est operatus opus qui tempora solus Mutat arbitrio sustinet omne suo Faults escaped in Printing GEntle readers by reson of my charge being farre from London I coulde not bee present at the Printing heereof whereby some faultes escaped the Printing although they be more then I wished yet they are fewer then I feared Of your gentlenesse Correct them thus Pag 3. line 30.31.32 Reade hee nameth the persons where was it done Hee quoteth the place and when was it doone He mentioneth the time The residue being but small amend in this sort Faults Page Line Correction  One 5 21 our Mestres 7 13 miseries gropes 16 31 Grapes desireth 28 19 deferreth not 56 2  Eliah foresee 59 21 Elishah did foresee fall 66 13 fault  77 20 not priuate proud 80 1  duetie 120 14 dulye  124 9 for feare Secondly 196 1â— Thirdly The Analisis or Resolution of the booke of Ruth The Booke of Ruth containeth the lively viewe of the Rewarde of Religion in the familiae of Elimetech wherein must be considered their affliction in famine which bringeth intollerable wrath and miserie to the fearefull and pining death Utter decay and losse of worldly prosperitie Selling and forsaking their patrimonies sojourning and wandering insâ—aunge countries to forsake the people of the Lorde with the Temple and place of Sacrifice Lords Ministers and Word to remaine with their enemies infidels Manie yeares together To dye and be buried among them deliverance by receaving Hospitality as houses for theÌ„selves for their families Landes Marriages plentie Among strangers in the time of their pilgrimage Among their owne friendes at home the famine being ended Returning To their owne countrie where they are joyfully received of their friends to the praise of God in his word to their own comforts in the Lord Readily restored by y e Magistrates to their libertie 1 to be present at the Temple 2 to have Justice to their lands livings With companies gained to the Lord for the increase of the Church by wholesome doctrine sanctified and holy conversations reviving of their owne that he dead to stirre up their names in their houses on
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
of the earth Of all these mistryes you may see in the booke of Iudges Samuel and Kings to which I referre you at your leasure as of Saul Dauid Ieroboam Achab Zidkia others as in this present place where they are oppressed ten yeares together so that heauen and earth may passe but the word of the Lord abideth for euer For this cause the prophets adde to their preaching of iudgmentes Thus sayth the Lorde as if they had said it shall neuer bee altered And if the lawes of heathen men such as the Medes and Persians might not alter much lesse the word of the Lord which is like siluer purified seuen times should haue any drosse or changeable substaunce in it Wee see the law of nature stand inuiolable for euer and shall not the law of him which made nature be also immutable when the fire ceaseth to bee hote and the water to be colde then shall be exception taken against God his iudgments and not before The vse of this doctrine is to cast downe the presumption of notorious sinners who to auoyd the terrors of God his iudgmentes deceiue their owne soules vvyth this that God is mercifull So that in theyr most singular sinnes they will flye to the mercyes of God as if they were the verie bonde of all iniquitie yea and these kinde of people perswade themselues to bee as good Christians as anie in the worlde because they can saie the Lord is mercifull But heare me a little in one word I praie you I am perswaded that I speake to many these people this daie What hurt hath the Lorde done vnto you that you rob him of his iustice Shall the Prophet be found a liar that sayth The Lord is iust in all waâ—es and holy in all his workes Or shall the Apostle speake vntruth that sayth It is a iust thing with God to render affliction to them that afflict you release to you that are afflicted Why shall we then spoile God of his iudgements vnlesse wee wyll depriue our selues of our owne saluation But you will saie this serueth for the wicked as Atheists Turkes Pagans Infidels and such lyke which shall haue no part with Christ I answere what greater wickednes can there be than to depriue God of his iustice Would a mortall man indure to be accounted without honestie and shall the euerlasting king abide to be spoiled of his righteousnesse Nay the iustice of God pertaineth to such as you would be holy persons as well as to anie For what saith the Prophet When the iust man turneth from his righteousnesse to doo iniquitie he shall die in it And Peter sayth that iudgement must begin at the house of God And a father once saide God of his most deere iustice hath decreed the summe of all discipline both in exacting and in defending as if he had sayd there is no correction of the Lord but it proceedeth from his iustice now the children of God are corrected for hee scourgeth euerie child whom he receiueth And therfore the iudgmentes of God must bee thundered out as well for the confirming of the faithfull as the confusion of Infidels But others there are that are so farre past feeling of either mercies or iudgements that as soone the deafe adder wil heare the voice of the charmer as they anie impression of terrour for sinne Hence commeth this custome of sinning which euerie sabboth commit their wonted iniquitie euerie houre vomit out their poison of blasphemies and euerie daie violate the lawes of charitie who through their dayly staring on the sonne of righteousnesse are nowe become starke blinde and with the continuall noise of God his waters are made so deafe that they can heare no goodnesse Vnto both these sortes of people hearken what the Lorde sayth in his Gospell But if that euill seruant shall saie in his heart the Lorde deferreth his comming and shall begin to finite his fellow seruants and to eate and drinke with the dronken The Lord of that seruant shall come in a daie that hee looketh not for and in an houre that hee knoweth not and shall separate him and giue him his parte with vnbeleeuers there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth This shall be the end of secure christians and contemptuous sinners carnall Atheists despisers of wholsome doctrine which haue no part but in this present life with endlesse and fearefull damnation in the world to come Thus much of the first parte the circumstance of time now let vs go to the thing which is the second parte of the occasion There was a famine in the land This was the chiefe cause which moued these persons to trauell the auoiding of the pinching penurie of fearefull death by lingering till the end of this pining famine Of all the punishments of sinne which happen in this life theâ—e is none more vehement than famine Therefore the Lord by the Prophet threatneth to send his arrowes of famine to breake the staffe of bread Where he alludeth to a maine battell signifying vnto vs first as the arrow is the fittest instrument to break the ranke so a famine is the sharpest weapon to dismaye the couragious stomackes of rebellious sinners For as the arrowe is alwaie in sight so a famine euer in sense the arrowe hurteth but not with a speedie death a famine spoileth yet with tedious miserie the arrowe entered doth procure more paine and greater wound at the pulling forth than the falling in euen so abundance of meate sooner dispatcheth a famished person than lingering hunger Therefore Dauid put to his choice of three plagues famine flying and pestilence chose the last as the most sodainest and therefore accompanied with lesse griefe for that disease by the rule of phisicke is most daungerous which is the longest in growing Now wee may reade of many famines in the Scripture one and the first we read of was in the dayes of Abraham another in the daies of Izhak his sonne Seuen yeeres famine was in Egypt where Ioseph by the hand of God succored the Church in his fathers familie And to omit that in Dauids time and that in Ahabs time with those in the dayes of Iehoram and Zidkia with many others VVee reade in the new Testament of a vniuersall famine in the dayes of Claudius Caesar prophesied by Agabus when the Church dyd most notably releeue one another Vnto the which wee may adde that at the destruction of Ierusalem about fortie yeeres after Christe All which are most worthie spectacles of humane miserie and worthy examples of God his iudgementes to terrifie all them which saie in theyr prosperitie they shall neuer be moued There wee may reade of the pittifull death of many thousands which starued in the streetes in the face of theyr dearest friendes and yet were not able to releeue them There wee may see howe men were driuen to eate dogges cats rats mice and horse
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
and leases are forestalled by other that they them selues cannot enioy them such buying selling cosoning and deceiuing borrowing and lending vppon vsury taking of fines raising of rents vndoing of the poore and thrusting the weakest to the wall as if charitie were forgotten and the precept of the Lord had neuer bene written and finally as though all were our owne which we can get in our handling manie giue counsell like lawyers for their fees but few like Naomi for their conscience They licke their owne fingers as the prouerb goeth but few will cast any salt on their neighbors meat if they can get aduantages of their neighbours vpon statuts they sue the extremity as if they were infidells They will not saye as Abraham to Lot If thou take the right hand I will take the lefe that is my brother my neighbor take thou the choise I wish not thy wrong aske coūsel let there be no occasion of strife betweene vs men will hardly giue either coate or cloake in these dayes by suffering iniurie they will rather take both although they thinke it better to giue almes then to take yet they had rather take bribes rewards them to giue Oh my beloued let vs at the length bee ruled by the counsell of the Lord esteeme better of others then of our selues help as many as we can but hinder none Cursed are they that lay stumbling blockes before the blind and giue euill counsell for their owne aduantage Secondly by these words we may gather to whom widowes belong their husbandes beeing dead namely to their owne mothers house that is to their parents if the parents of their husbands will not prouide for them Therfore is it that the Lord cōmaunded if the daughter of a priest were a widdowe and returned to her fathers house hauing no children shee might eate of the peace offrings of the childrē of Israel And Paul giueth charge to the godly in his time that if any of their kindred were a widow of their owne costs they should prouide for her and not charge the church This is a profitable doctrine both for parents and children for parents that they bee carefull to bestowe their children in godly marriages where they may be well prouided for neither must they then cast them of but if neede bee receiue them to their owne families againe for children seeing the Lord doth thus commend their welfare careth for their widdow head as wel as their virginity that they cast not thēselues away vpon euery one they can loue without the consent of their parents wherby they impouerish their frends vndoo themselues bring a woful curse vpon their innocēt posterity Thirdly lastly by this counsel of Naomi we gather that if the father be dead we ow the same duty to our mother which is aliue for she saith to her owne mothers house And Salomon sayth it is foolishnesse or wickednesse to despise ones mother The Lorde curseth him in the Lawe that despiseth or curseth his mother as wel as his father In the fift cōmandement hee commandeth to honor the mother equally or as well as the father Many thinke they may bee more bolde vvith their mothers because they are more tender ouer them than with their fathers but the godly must knovve that vpon paine of Gods heauie curse they must follovv the counsell of their mothers vvith Iacob as vvell as the aduice of their fathers vvith Esau And the Lord doth often cloath the vveaker vessell vvith more honor that thereby wee might learne to continue our obedience to our parents The Lord shew In these vvords the general blessing or praier is contained vvhich Naomi maketh for her tvvo daughters vvhere she praieth to God for his fauor vpō thē as they shewed fauor to her and to their dead husbands as if she should saie I wish no more acceptable blessing vpon you than you haue done to others VVhere we briefly note that our duties which we discharge to parents or husbands are as pledges before the Lord to doo good vnto vs. This maketh him delight to poure his blessings vpon vs when he seeth wee dutifully walke in his presence and it prouoketh those to whome wee offer this obedience to poure out their prayers for vs into the eares of the almightie Euen so the neglect of our duties the contempt of our parents and the disobedience to our superiours procureth both the curse of God and them not onely in this life but also in the life to come The Lord. These wordes are her speciall prayer for her daughters marryage and are thus in effect I can praie for no greater worldly blessing vpon you than this that eyther of you being young women may find quiet and louing husbandes and bee made ioyfull mothers of many children VVhere wee first of all note that as parents are bound by the law of nature to prouide marryages for their children so they are willed by the lawe of God to praie for their prosperous estate both before and also after they bee marryed And truelye this neuer sinketh into the heads of carnall parents who are able to doo more wyth their purses than with their prayers who wish extremities to their children minding onely a wealthie not a quyet lyfe Oh how are wee beholding to such ignorant parents which onely take care for vs that we might bee lifted higher when they prouide not for vs against the stormie tempests of vnquite liues and the dangerous downfals of worldly confusion Let them neuer thinke that theyr wishes are praiers when they saie I would God my son were marryed to such a mans daughter or my daughter to such a mans sonne This is all they aime at simple and bare wealthie marriages neuer minding or praying for God his blessing vpon them Secondly by this prayer of Naomi we note the dutie of all husbandes towardes their wiues which is that they should prepare rest for them theyr mindes beeing troubled they should pacifie them with counsell their bodyes diseased they should comfort them with their loue their estate indangered they should deliuer them with carefulnesse and finally they shoulde loue their wiues as theyr owne soules The Prophet Dauid compareth a wife to a vine which if it be not propped vp with a staie by the hande of the gardener what will it doo but wallow on the ground remaine fruitlesse Euen so the best wiues if they bee not carefully maintained by the kindnes of their husbandes their sorrowfull liues will increase their curse yea destroie the fruit of their owne bodies The Apostle wisheth husbands to loue their wiues as Christ loued his Church which is not only mindfull to deliuer it out of present dangers but also hath redeemed it from the curse of eternall damnation so the husbands duties are to prouide for the temporall welfare of their wiues bodies and specially for the euerlasting saluation of their soules that they twayne
which in this life haue had corporall society in the life to come might enioy eternall felicity Now this condemmeth the carnall behauiour of wretched husbandes who vse their wiues as their seruants and not as themselues who deale with them as men do with nuts first they reach and trauaile for them and hauing gotten them they take out the kernell but they tread the shell vnder their feete so they hauing gotten the wealth the bewtie the health and young yeares of their wiues despise their gray haires which are their greatest credite as the shels wherein the kernel was giuing thē ouer in their weakest daies wherin they want greatest comfort Is this the rest you prouide for your wiues to cause them to weare their bodyes with weary trauailes to consume their minds with dayly griefe to procure their paines by bearing of children and to lay the greatest burthens vppon the smallest beasts for so some most wretchedly terme them Oh looke vnto it this measure will the Lord measure to you againe yee vnnaturall husbands which follow your pleasures and pastimes abroade and neglect your profits and sorrowfull wiues at home To fly ouer the seas with vnnecessarie iourneyes to frequent the company of suspected women to follow the counsel of vaine persons spending their patrimonies bringing thēselues their wiues posterity to woful misery Is this to dwell with your wiues like men of knowledge Is this to giue honor vnto thē as the weaker vessels Is this to account them the heyres of the same grace finally is this to see their praiers be not interrupted Nay rather ther are many thousand husbands which neuer either could or would pray with their wiues that think neither vpō heauē nor hell and haue no knowledge of their duties towards God or their neighbours much lesse to their wiues than brute beasts carnal infidels prophane atheists the murderers of thēselues of their own posterity Oh fearful danger that hangeth ouer your heads whō neither the lawes of God can compel to learne their duties or men instruct them to amend their liues But you my beloued who are guiltles in this point are the blessed of the Lord forsake not your carefulnes alredy begū that you loose not your reward Thirdly by this praier we obserue the duties of wiues or women in families namely that they shuld be peaceable thēselues for if they seeke peace they must ensue peace and if their ioy consist in the quietnes of the family they must be carefull they breake not the vnity If like Ismael their hands be against all the hands of all vvill be against them if they will bee the louing turtles they must not bee the chattering pies if they be the vines their fruit must be grapes out of grapes commeth wine wine reioiceth the hart of man so women must reioyce their husbands and families Some women wil neuer be at rest til they beare rule wil say their husbands loue them not except for their sakes they will displace their seruants fall out with their neighbours enuy their friends and in all things follow their mindes such men giue not peace to their wiues but swoords to slay themselues with all The harkening ouer much to womens counsell old Adam and wee his posterity may for euer lament yet godly men may heare their godly wiues remembring alway themselues to be the head the choise to rest in them eyther to lyke or dislike their counsell And they answered This is the answere of these women to the counsel blessing of their mother in law wherin they refuse to returne promise to go with her to her own people as if they should saye wee are rather bound vnto thee thē to our own mothers for thy sake whose godly conuersatiō we know are we drawn in loue with the whole people so that in these words they testifie their louing affection to their mother their desire to be with her among her people and the cause vndoutedly to be her godly wise conuersation with thē in the land of Moab Wher we note the duty of al the faithful which is so to walke that other by their good example may bee drawne to loue the trueth For surely these women liked wel of the religiō of Naomi but much better of her conuersation as a thing they better vnderstoode then the other For this point the Apostle warneth that wee walke in wisedome because of them that are without And Peter sayth to the dispersed Iewes of his time that they must haue a good conuersation among the gentils insomuch as their enemies might haue no occasion to speake against them And our sauior sayth Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works glorifie your father which is in heauen For as the vnbeleeuing husband may be wonne by the godly behauiour of the beleeuing wife so many infidells carnall persons are sooner drawne to the Lord by the works which they see then by the words which they heare Seeing this is plaine by the word of god where shal I beginne to complaine of this our vnhappy age wherein are but few talkers of God his word but much fewer walkers when the Gospell of Christ is made the cloake of wickednes Oh how grieuously is the Church of God rent in sunder by daily disquietnes insomuch as there is no peace amōg vs. Can the infidells papists say of vs as old Emor said of Iacob his family These men are mē of peace therfore let vs be circumcised with them What peace is ther left in the Church of God Truly we are like vnto a tree we agree all in the body of religiō but as the branches spred themselues an hundred wayes so in our indifferentest pointes of religion there is little or no vnitie There is no care had of giuing offences vnto the weake there is no conscience to staie the slaunder of the Gospell Oh how grieuous is it that many nowe a daies will defende their dissimulation by saying Take heed to our wordes and not to our deedes liue as we saie and not as we do making Christianitie like the profession of pharisies which saie and doo not Esteeming of religion lyke the occupation of a Smith wherein one is discharged by blowing and another by beating so these thinke if they can blowe out any good wordes and bee able to cry the Gospell the Gospell the preachers the preachers and to saie vnto Christ Thou hast prophesied in our streets and we haue eaten in thy presence they are right good christians But the Lord shall saie vnto them Depart from me ye workers of iniquitie I knowe you not Yet let vs bee warned by the examples of the godly the exhortations of the Scripture and the motions of God his spirite in our hearts that seeing Christ is our wisedome let vs walke in wisedome or else we dwell not in Christ seeing Christ is our
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
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
The first is the perswasion of Naomi in the 15. verse to make Ruth to returne by the example of her sister The second is the answere of Ruth in the two next verses consisting of two partes the first is the petition shee maketh to her mother in these words Intreat me not to leaue thee c. which she amplifieth by the resolution of her minde in the next wordes First that for her life she would dvvell vvith her and goe vvith her Secondly for her profession her people and God shoulde be Naomies Thirdly for her death that she vvould die and be buried vvith her The last part of this aunsvvere of Ruth is the confirmation of it by an oth in these wordes the Lorde doe so vnto me and more also if ought but death depart thee and me Beholde thy sister is returned Novv Naomi goeth forward to deale with Ruth alone for the Castle may seeme almost wonne where one halfe of the souldiers are ouercome the vnitie betweene these two sisters being brokē and Horpah being departed what was poore Ruth able to doe alone surely this was a greater discouragement vnto her then any she had yet namely that her sister being departed shee should lay before her her sisters example to drawe her likewise to fall And truely thus the Spirite of God dealeth most times with those that labour to come vnto him setting some in the way like the Disciples which forbadde young children to come vnto Christ and as the prease of people kept the poore man diseased of the palsy from comming to our Sauiour euen so many scandals stumbling blockes lettes interruptions and hinderances come between the godly Christ as did betweene Naomi and Ruth But here we note that the examples of our kindred and especially of those that seemed any thing in Religion are dangerous argumentes to drawe vs from Christ Wee see in this place Naomi taketh not example of one vngodly sister to draw away the other which when our Sauiour forelawe he gaue this commaundement that for his sake we must forsake both father and mother brother and sister wife children or else we are not worthie of him And in another place one desiring of him but a little space to burie his father he saide vnto him let the dead burie their dead This is a verie profitable doctrine for these dayes wherein men are thus discouraged from Religion for feare of their friendes for now Satan stirreth vp one brother against another to hinder them from hearing the sauing worde of God now they crie out against vs Are you wiser then your forefathers Hath not all thy friendes before thee beleeued on this wife And wilt thou be singular And surely beloued we knowe it is the greatest argument that popish atheists haue their auncestours fathers mothers their masters and mistresses haue misliked this preaching and these new doctrines wherein many repose their greatest felicitie and God send vs saye they to liue no worse then they did and to die no more blessed then they But woulde you so rather be followers of your popish and ignoraunt predecessours then of the doctrine of Christ and his Apostles reueiled in his worde this is to builde your selues vpon another foundation which when the fire commeth will vtterly consume it But they say are all our predecessours damned which did as we doe to whome I may well aunswere How doe you know that all your fathers were of your mindes but wee are not in God his place to iudge and araigne them but say with the Apostle The time of this ignoraunce did not God regard but nowe hee admonisheth all men euery where to repent Because hee hath appointed a day to iudge the world in righteousnesse So that if God seeme not to regarde it why shoulde we stande vpon it And seeing now the trumpet of the Gospell is sounded by the Lordes Ministers let vs not with Marie lament ouer the graues of the dead But leauing them at their rest trudge trauaile to the mount of the Lord that of him we may freely receiue that which many kings prophetes could neuer obtain Though Moses went not into the land of Canaan yet he saw it so it may be the Lord let our predecessors see the light of y e gospel though they could not inioy it But as Peter Iohn wer with Christ whē he was trāsfigured saw his kingdom yet could not enioy the continuall presence of his glory but beeing warned of Christ tolde it to no man so many godly in time of darknesse not onely saw but imbraced the trueth which it may be is forgotten of their graceles posterity Let the parents eate the sowre grapes shal the childrens teeth be set an edge if they made cakes to the host of heauen shal we worship the sun the moone what discredite is it to a blinde father that hath a son well sighted no more is it to idolaters whose children are the appointed heires of the lande of Canaan Let vs abide with him that hath the wordes of eternall life as the wealth of our parentes is deare vnto vs yet many thousand times more dearer is the health of our soules Secondly by this we note that to sticke by our frendes to go with them from the Lord is to commit idolatry for Naomi saith Thy sister is gone to her people and to her Gods as if she had said indeed for kindredssake she is gone backe but it is vnto idols false Gods Yea more also vnto deuilles this is a worthy lesson for our naturals to learne who will forsake gospel church prayer preaching some for the loue of their wiues to keepe them company at home when God calleth for them in one congregation or other some their idolatrous frendes which are notable recusants yet because they should thinke well of thē they will falsifie their faith to the Lorde be vniust in his worke that they may please thē with their present company some are hindred by their profite some by vnlawfull gaming and many by bare idlenes Thus men make gods some of their people some of their wiues some of their popishe frends some of their profit some of their pleasures and some of their idlenes few or none are to be found that are both able willing to follow Christ when he calleth thē as litle Zacheus did but euery one hath some excuse to keep them from the Lords supper who shal neuer tast of his heauenly pleasures seeing they mind earthly things making their glory their shame their bely their God let their end be damnation But oh my beloued let vs be warned by the danger of others whē Peter rebuked Christ bid him fauor himselfe Christ rebuked him called him sathan euē so whē our deerest frendes would haue vs be slacke in preaching fauour our bodies come to the church seldome make no toile of it agree with the most
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
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
by false Gods still as Laban did that is they must etiher dy or the wrath of God must be powred downe vppon vs for euer for his curse shal neuer departe from the house of the swearer And if you helpe not to cure this euill the Lord shall curse both you and them with euerlasting plagues Hee crieth and saith whome shall I send the ministers haue said they will go yea they haue told Iacob his sin and Israel his transgression and England his swearing also but they are come again with Ieremie vnto you O princes publish you the decree that whosoeuer sweareth by the name of God rashly hee should be cut off from the people and his house sowed with salt neuer to be builded againe Secondly by this we obserue that it is not lawful to sweare but only by the name of God for Ruth sayth so And so let God do vnto me and more also She calleth not heauen and earth to record or any other thing saue only he which is able to punish or els to pardon knoweth the secrets of euery mans hart Wherby we are taught that it is sacriledge in God his sight to sweare by our faith or troth our honour or honestye bread or drinke or anie thing else Many think they auoid swearing verye cleanly if they sweare by anie of these not knowing that he that sweareth by the gold sweareth by the temple he that sweareth by the temple sweareth by him that sitteth thereon euen so he that sweareth by his faith sweareth by Christ for faith is no faith without Christ he that sweareth by the sonne sweareth by the father and the holy Ghost Therefore dearely beloued let vs frame our tongs to honour not to dishonour God to glorifie not to defame his name For if he that toucheth his Saintes toucheth the apple of his eie what doth hee which thrusteth at his name which is dearer vnto him than heauen and earth Surely the Lord will not holde him guiltlesse but as he hath not pittyed the Lorde in tearing him with oaths no more shall the Lord shew anie mercie to his soule from punishing it in hell Lastly by these wordes of Ruth wee obserue that an oath must be the last thing we produce in the testimonie of any truth Shee denieth her mother once and the second time when her sister went awaie but nowe the third time after solemne protestation made she addeth an oath as the last refuge and end of all controuersie Against this do all the former offend which will not tary till the last but euen at the first rap out their oathes as fast as a brauling dog his barking swearing through custome to truth and falsehood making no difference betweene waightie matters and idle toies especially in gaming playing hunting chiding and such like they spit out their poison against God himself neither sparing the wounds bloud hart death and nailes of the Lord renting him worse being in heauen than the Iewes did vpon the crosse But let Ruth and her companions teach ten thousand of them with what reuerence they must vse the holy name of God shee had not bin past ten yeeres with a godly woman but she had learned her religion both of faith and manners for in this she vttereth both but we haue a great many both men women which haue had twentie and thirtie a peece not with one but with a whole church of godly persons and yet they haue got neither faith nor maners from them they can easily giue them leaue to practise religion but themselues wallowe in pleasure But bee not deceiued God is not mocked when he beginneth hee will make an end and consume your viperous tongues and beastly heartes as the fountain of this mischiefe in the fire of hell We are as importunate on you as the blind men of Iericho the more we are rebuked the more we cry vnto you let not our countrie bee cursed our prince remoued our God blasphemed his Gospell translated from vs our souls bodies euerlastingly plagued To God let vs giue praise The fourt Lecture Ruth 1. Verse 18.19.20.21 22. 18 When she saw that shee was stedfastly minded to go with her she left speaking vnto her 19 So they went forth both vntil they came to Bethleem when they came to Bethleem it was noised of them thoroughout all the citie and they sayd Is not this Naomi 20 And she answered Cal me not Naomi but call me Mara for the almightie hath giuen me much bitternes 21 I went out full and the Lord hath caused me to returne emptie Why call you me Naomi seeing the Lorde hath humbled me and the almightie hath brought nice vnto aduersitie 22 So Naomi returned and Ruth the Moabitesse c. HAuing heard y e conference between Naomi Ruth now the holy ghost descâ—â—beth the issue of this iourney to the end of this chapter wherein Naomi ceaseth to vex her daughter or dissuade her to proceed in her purpose but willingly taketh her with her both of them trauaile to Bethelehem whither they come in a most fit and acceptable time neither hindred in their iourney nor forgotten of their freinds but kindly receaued to their great comfort Those wordes containe in them two parts the first their consent to trauaile and iourney vnto Bethlehem the second is their intertainment there The first part is expressed in the eighteene and ninteene verses hath two members first Naomi rested satisfied with the answere of Ruth vexed her no more verse eighteen secondly their prosperous iourney to the city Bethelehem verse ninteene In the end of this verse is set downe the entertainment they found there which is this the citizens came flocking to see her calling and welcomming her by name in these words Is not this Naomi vnto the which salutation shee her selfe aunswereth in the two next verses first acknowledging her name but confessing hir selfe vnworthie of it in these wordes Call mee not Naomi but call me Mara secondly shee addeth the cause of her speeche in these wordes for the Lord hath giuen me much bitternes this is amplified in the next verse by an allegory taken from a vessel In these words I went out full finally shee setteth downe the vse shee maketh of her affliction shewing vnto them that shee could not glory in all the vaine titles of the world first because the Lord had humbled her secondly because he had brought her into aduersity in the last verse is set downe the time when these pilgrims came from Moab to Bethlehem which was the beginning of barley haruest When she saw As Naomi in the beginning dealt very wisely in the triall of her daughters before they were too farre gone so in the end shee dealeth very godly with Ruth in that shee yeldeth to her answere and petition giuing ouer to molest her with any more obiections This frendly and worthy meeknes is very commendable in all the godly for without this they can neuer in
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
Israel as she was and wife to the third yet what glory had she of her place when her husband and was iustly slaine and her people ouercome therfore shee called her son no glory for neither dignity of place highnes of birth fruitfulnes of children or the dominion ouer a whole countrey may minister any comfort to them whome the Lord hath hūbled Rahel that bid Iacob giue her children or els she should die at the birth of her second child died and yet had children she supposed if she were made fruitful had many children she could not chuse but liue in felicity but hauing the first she called him Ioseph because God would adde more yet at the second she called him Ben-oni which is the son of her sorrow because she died in trauaile so that she which accounted bearing of children her chefest ioy by that which shee loued came her greatest sorrow Thus Naomi which was once as beautiful and pleasant in prosperity as any yet now in aduersity who more bitter thē she yea the very remembrance of her name increaseth her griefe Were she the daughter of a prince yet nowe beeing a begger it is a greater discomfort vnto her then if she had bene borne poore for mans nature is like a pleasant plant which prospereth when it groweth higher higher but decaieth if it fal lower lower if Naomi had bene a Lady yet hauing lost her husbande childrē wealth the cogitation of her wonted welfare encreaseth her disquietnes euen as Phine has his wife and Rahel at the birth of their children Why then do men thus highly esteem of worldly vain glory Cannot one measure of honour afford one mite of cōfort to a distressed person Do not mē because they are proper was proud because they are learned proud ambitious what then is the fruicte of worldly titles is pride the reward of proportion loftynes of worship scornefulnes of riches and ambition of learning surely these things in the day of trouble can minister no medicine to make ease if godlynes bee not with them What was Achan the better for his gold when he was stoned to death Absalon for his beautie whan he was hanged Haman for his honour when he was mounted vppon his owne gallowes the sorcerers of Egipt for their knowledge when darknes was ouer the land or Herop for the peoples voice whed they cried a God and not man and the wormes fel vppon him consumed him Trust not therfore in princes much lesse in the titles of princes in the strength of an horse much lesse in the wealth of man say not I shall be the better because I am a gentleman a doctour or a noble man for when Salomon had considred all these things he said all is vanity and vexation of spirite For the almighty hath This is the reason wherfore she denieth her name or rather changeth it shewing that her first name had nothing in it which did expresse the relation betweene her selfe and it but her second name doth most significantly declare hir bitter affliction Where we first of all obserue the cause which moued the fathers to giue such names to theyr children which to signify or put them in mind of their duety or some other euent So God called the first man Adam which is as much as man or earthly because hee was made of the earth or the red earth so Adam called his wife Chauuath which we call Heuah by reason of the Hebrue letters because she should be the mother of all liuing the like may bee sayd of Noah Seth Abraham Izaac Israel Samuel Iohn Baptist and many others who being named eyther by the Lord himselfe or by other were so called to put them in minde of their duetyes or to note the thankefulnes of their parents The which is also lawfull for godly parents now to imitate in giuing such names to their children as may bee notes to al the world of their profession But some cannot brooke this liberty accompting it newnes and precisenesse in them that vse it as though it were a deadly sinne one iot to depart from the custome of the multitude But this curiositie is well confuted by the name of Iohn Baptist ancestors must not alwayes be followed those which are new creatures in Iesus Christ maye also haue new names But in this the worlde bewraie their palpable ignorance for they like the olde names which were verie plaine in their owne tongues wherein they were giuen but English names they cannot abide belike for verie feare least their names should bee witnesses of condemnation against theyr licentiousnesse Againe they account it a glory proper to a few persons to be called by the worldly surnames of some of theyr great ancestours but they will not beare these names of reioycing thankesgiuing repentance godlynes mercy constancie such lyke they will as easily admit them as a deafe adder the voice of the charmer But let the godly in this vse christian wisedome and ancient libertie for that which was lawfull in this point in the first age the Iews commonwealth the primitiue church with the practise of all ages since is also lawfull for them to giue holy and significant names to their children for I would haue all if it were possible to haue no other names but such as they vnderstand if they be called by the names of the ancient fathers kings or prophets which we reade of in the Scriptures it is also needful that they vnderstand the liues and the dispositions of those persons that as they haue them for the euidence of their names so they might looke vppon them as the examples of their faith and manners Secondly by this wee note what God his children thinke of their suffering which Naomi setteth out by this worde Bitternesse for bitternesse of all other tastes doth most dull the sense and corrupt the stomacke so that they account their afflictions as sharpe to them as to anie and may as lawfully complaine of them vnto the Lord. This I speake for instruction of them that are ignorant and the comfort of the afflicted First for instruction because some thinke they are not truely religious excepte they feele their miseries no more than a stone when they are afflicted and this maketh them so to wauer and doubt of themselues that in their greatest plagues they can hardly receiue any comfort being alwayes troubled with this that if they were faithfull they should delight more in their tribulations yet beloued marke a litle Naomi calleth it in this place bitternes as if shee had called the enimy to her health for when Peter would expresse the danger of Simon Magus because he offered money for the gift of the holy ghost he telleth him he is in the very gal of bitternes by that metaphor or allegory declaring the loathsomnes of sin to his soule as bitternes to the body Dauid saith that his affliction was his death as if he had
were imploied in their own busines let not the new soddaine vp start wealthy men among vs disdaine at poore laboring persons or thinke it any disgrace to do as their fathers did faithfully to labour in the meanest vocation Secondly after Boaz came to the field he saluteth the reapers saith The Lord be with you they answered The Lord blesse thee where wee see the first thing he doth he prayeth for the labourers in this his godly salutation for he wisheth the presence of God to be with them which is his fauour for his presence signifieth his fauour and blessing as absence betokeneth his iudgments and cursings This we may see in the dedication of the temple by Salomon the glory of the Lord so filled it that y e priests were not able to sacrifise in it the angel saluteth Mary the mother of Christ w t the selfe same wordes The Lord be with thee wherin he signified the wonderfull fauour of God vnto her which should be the mother of the Messiah And on the contrary the absence of the Lord is the heauy wrath of his maiesty as appeareth by that complaint of Dauid Wil the Lord absent himselfe for euer or hath he forgotten to be mercifull and Paul saith that the wicked are separated with euerlasting destruction from the glory presence of God By the which we learn how reuerētly we must vse our salutations least when we wish the fauour of the Lord to be present with others his mercy through our vnaduised praier be absent frō our selues for how lamentable is it to heare in many places with one breath prayers to be powred out for other and bitter blasphemyes against the maiesty of God with wofull curses to the death of their soules May wee gather any comfort by these salutations when men in derision passing by other shall vse the salutation of Boaz other wishing they know not what do as well by their ignorant greetings pray for their owne destruction as their neighbours prosperitie such precious balmes let them not come vpon the heads of the righteous for this is as certaine as the world shall haue an end that all their supplications either at morning noone or euening are but mere customary speeches proceding of the vsage manner of men not of the spirit or religion of the faithful Yet let it not grieue vs to vse this language of Canaan the phrase of the scripture in our ciuill and godly comunication and though al the world cry out puritanisme puritanisme yet blessed is hee that is not offended at Christ Let the Samaritās worship in their mountaines but we will worship at Ierusalem in spirit in truth and let vs vse in despight of the world y e weighty wordes of God his spirit that they may be our owne mother speech we the children of the church the heires of saluation But in this it is noted to be the duety of all men to salute them whome they meete to pray for the successe of laborers and workmen For wel we must remember that except the Lord doe build the house the builders build but in vaine and except the Lord do giue the victorie what though millions of horses be prepared of y e battel surely it is in vain to rise early and to go late to bed eate the bread of carefulnes to labour hard cōpasse the world by a thousand deuises except their own prayers the prayers of the faithful appeare in the presence of the eternall for thē And this noteth the carnal constitutions of many mens harts among vs which rashly enterprise their workes without calling on the Lord vnprofitably end thē to their owne destruction Oh how it grieueth God his Saintes dayly to heare his name abused by swearing euen among them that husband the earth They crye out on theyr seruants morning and euening abroad abroad to worke to the field but who sayth come let vs first fall downe together and humble our selues in the presence of God and call for a blessing vppon our labours or saie thus much The Lord bee with vs no no that will hinder their dayes worke they hire theyr seruants to labour and not to praie Therefore the prophet sayth You sowe much but you bring but little in you eate but you are not filled you drinke and are not satisfied you cloath your selues but you are not warmed and he that receiueth wages putteth it into a broken bag therefore thus sayth the Lord Hearken vnto my wayes This is the plague vppon vs that minde our wealth and not the welfare of God his Church therefore we labour lyke slaues but other receiue the benefite by vs wee imagine the earth bringeth forth of it selfe children are borne by nature the cloudes must needes raine and our fruites must needs increase thus wee make many Gods while wee ascribe the power of God to his creatures But be not so rude as brute beasts the dogge will craue his meate at the hands of his master more accursed are they which pray not for a blessing at the hands of God the father Thirdly by this salutation of Boaz wee obserue the dutie of elder persons or superiors which is first to salute or speake to their inferiors as masters to seruants magistrates to subiectes and pastours to their people yet against this in outward behauiour we haue many and dayly offences for you shall haue Gentlemen and yeomen which will hardly speake to a poore man being asked a question by him much lesse when they meet him will they giue anie curteous or friendly greeting But heere we see Boaz though honorable yet humble saluteth his poore and hired reapers who condemneth ten thousand that are contrarie minded for proud and surly persons Olde Eli would speake to young Samuel a little boy though hee were the high priest yet hee scorned not so gentle a child what then shall become of these stately person which being saluted will not salute againe as if euery word were gold that commeth from them so sparing are they to speake to a poore or a simple man whereas with their betters their tongs are too bigge for their mouthes whome they wearye with their vnprofitable bablings This kind of euill spirite wil not be cast out till the heart be humbled pride abated sorrowe for sin increased and the whole man perfectly regenerated for by thy wordes thou shalt bee iustified and by thy wordes thou shalt be condemned for an humble heart will shew it with meeknes but a proud heart will looke strangely Fourthly as Boaz praied for the reapers so the reapers returned to him and sayd The Lord blesse thee Where wee see a mutuall salutation much commended for as hee saluted so was hee resaluted like to the Queene of Shebah which gaue princely gifts to king Salomon and Salomon gaue royall rewardes to her againe so that inferiours are bound by the same lawe with as kind affection to pray for
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
Finally who would not forsake the shadow of all the trees in the worlde to bee couered vnder the the winges of the Lords presence Where is more comfort to be found but one day then a thousande yeares in all the thrones of maiesty Thirdly and lastly by these wordes as is noted the dignity of the faithful so on the contrary is vttereth the desperate and comfortles estate of the wicked namely they are like vncouered birds also but neuer are shielded with the winges of the Lord they lie open and scattered subiect to all the soules of the ayre euery minute in danger to be torne in peeces by the hellish infernal deuils Therefore Dauid saith howsoeuer they bee nobles and Princes of the earth and haue houses and possessions after their owne names yet they stande but in slipperie places so soone as they mooue they fall Our sauiour saith They are like a man hauing no wedding garment so soone as the king espieth him hee is cast into vtter darkenesse Paule saith they are straungers from the life of God so that being liuing yet they are but condemned persons which euery houre looke for the tormentor then to bee burned in euerlasting fire Oh fearefull estate of all Atheistes papistes idolaters Iewes Turkes and Pagans carnal men and hypocrites despisers of the ministerie Gospel of Christ who as in this world they are without God so in the world to come shalbe separated from his presence with the Deuill and his Angels Looke on your reckoninges you guiltie consciences which euery day adde thousandes to your former inniquities The greater your debte is the sharper shall bee your imprisonmente The oftner you are warned the more shall bee your stripes As none were saued but those that entred into the arke so not one of you shall euer see the face of God except at your condemnation vnlesse you become zealous professors and heare our sermons bee partakers of our prayers and as obedient to the voyce of the Gospell in the mouth of his ministers as if there were a law of present death to be executed on you for euery default I finde fauour This is the second part of the speech of Ruth wherein she thanketh Boaz and excuseth her selfe She thanketh in the first wordes when she sayth I finde fauour in thine eyes oh my Lord because thou hast comforted me and hast spoken those thinges which are to the hearte of thy handmaide For she confesseth his curtesie and thankefulnes by the verdite of the learned is the humble confession of a benefite She excuseth when she saith I shall not be as one of thy maydens As if she had saide I am vnworthy of this curtesie because I come to labour for my selfe not for thee as these thy maydens doe Out of the which wee obserue these things First holy example of commendable thankefulnes much accepted of God and men as vnthankefulnes is abhorred by heauen and earth we haue examples hereof in many wicked persons as Laban his discurtesie to Iacob Saule vnto Dauid and the wicked Ammonites to his ambassadors To speake nothing of Pharaohs butler vnto Ioseph of Nabal vnto Dauid and also the inhabitants of Keilah which being famous in the scripture for the enemies of God so are they branded with this note of vnthankefulnes as if it were an especiall fruit of vnrighteousnes And truely this is most worthy to be vrged in our sinful age for the children forget their duties to their naturall parentes the people tread their preachers vnder their feete for telling them the truth we alwaies remember what we haue giuen but forget what we haue receyued whereas it is a token of the best nature to forget what we haue done to other but to remember what we haue receyued Surely surely vnthankefulnes towardes God and towardes men neuer raigned or raged more Toward God for the continuance of his Gospell peace plenty welfare of our countrey toward men in gadging the benefites that are dayly bestowed by casting in the teeth as if they were deserued The heauens abhorred this wickednesse and the heauens will raigne downe destruction vpon these thankelesse persons as they did vpon Sodom and Gomorra for the like offence Secondly by this we gather that the prayers of the righteous are more acceptable to the godly then giuing or taking of almes For when Boaz promised Ruth this kindnesse she thanked him and no more but nowe when hee prayed for her to the Lorde she protested that hee comforted her and that hee had spoken those thinges which were to the heart of his handmayde that is which pleased her exceedingly well As if shee had saide I am bounde vnto thee my Lord for thy kindnesse but thou hast comforted mee more with thy prayer then with that So that here for herselfe for all the godly she protesteth that of two benefits she was most of all comforted by his prayer which noteth in her a more hungring and thirsting after righteousnes then after all the maintenaunce of this present life for whosouer drinketh of that water of worldely welfare shal thirst againe but whosoeuer drinketh of the water of faithfull prayer shal neuer thirst any more This one consideration made the blind men of Iericho crie so importunately after Christ saying Iesus thou son of Dauid haue mercy on vs. Some heauenly benefite they looked for earthly he had none And this teacheth vs that when we giue wee should also pray for a blessing vpon our beneuolence for Salomon compareth the giuing of almes to the casting of corne into a moist or fruitfull lande so as the husbandman prayeth for a blessing vpon his seede euen so he which giueth to the poore must pray for a benefite vpon his beneuolence But if any gather by this my speech that it is sufficient to pray and not to giue to the pore I answere The scripture condemneth this folly when it saith If a brother or sister be naked and want meate and thou say vnto him go warme thy selfe and feed thy selfe and yet giue them nothing this is a dead and damnable not a liuing and a sauing faith of these kind of people the world is full which say alas God help you God prouide for you God giue you patience but nothing commeth from them saue onely fayre wordes To whome we may say as a beggar once did to a popish Bishoppe desiring a peece of money of him were it neuer so little but the Bishop saide no hee woulde giue him a pardon to whom the beggar replyed I perceiue if your pardon were worth any thing I should not haue it euen so if the prayers of these people were any thing worth they woulde not giue them because they giue nothing Lastly by this verse when Ruth excuseth her selfe that she should not be as one of his maidens she setteth downe a true example of Christian simplicitie for it may be she thought that Boaz was
him in the day of his appearing teaching vs that our spiritual praires are more necessary for them then their temporall benefits are for vs therfore let vs learne to pray aright seeing it is our duty to pray for our frends These painted praiers of many which come from the lips or from wicked harts are such as the praiers of roaguing beggers at euery doore for base reliefe and also the commonest that are among many poore people in these dayes are abhomination in the eyes of the Lord no benefite to them for whome they are vttered and the poyson of those that thus do vse them Therefore beloued learne to acount of them as they are cloudes carried about with euerie winde welles and no water great wordes but no grace in them stoppe your eares at these bread prayers and withdrawe your handes from giuing any reliefe to them that abuse this heauenly blessing Then said Naomi In this verse Naomi repeateth her prayer and addeth a reason of the same because he hath not ceased to do good toward the liuing and toward the dead that is hee did good to my husband and children when they were aliue and nowe to vs their posteritye they being dead for in doing good to vs for their sakes they doe it to them for eyther interpretation will stand For wee must not imagine that this liberality doeth any good to them that are dead because they were in Moab â— these in Inda they were consumed in their graues and vnfit for any benevolence as for their soules they needed no earthlye beneficence for that remaineth true for euer which Salomon sayth the liuing knowe that they shall dye but the dead knowe nothing neyther haue they anye more parte seeing their remembrance is forgotten the thing which they loued the thing which they hated and the thing they desired is now perished with them neither haue they any more part of al the things that are done vnder the sunne By the which we may see the delusion of them which teach vs to buy prayers and pardons for our frends that are dead that their paines may bee eased which nowe they endure for if nothing can profit them that is done vnder the sunne then neither our prayers nor purses can giue them any reliefe But by these words we learne that if we do good to the children and widowes of our deceased friends it is all one as if we did good to their own persons Thus said Naomi in this place and thus Dauid did good to his frend Ionathan being dead when he did kindly entreate Mephibosheth his son being aliue The Lord himselfe protestteth in the scriptures that he did good to the Israelites and Iewes for Abraham Isaack and Iacobs sakes and our sauiour in the Gospell declareth that the good wee do to the least of his bretheren being on earth wee do it to him which raigneth in heauen for this is a duetye of true frendshippe to make much of our frendes when they are departed to be a frend to their frendes and to bee an enemie to their enemies as the Lord promised Abraham Therefore let vs cast awaye this counterfaite kindnes and perfourme this godlye loue wherein others before vs haue walked and as wee were wont louinglye to receiue the parentes being aliue so let vs ioyfullye entertaine the children nowe they are dead for true frendshippe loueth at all tmes and godlye kindenesse must neuer bee remoued As wee wishe that others shoulde vse vs when we are gone so let vs vse others now they are absent Moreouer Naomi said In these wordes shee giueth comfort vnto Ruth shewing her that his beneuolence was not causelesse seeing hee was neere vnto them and of theyre affinitye being an appointed person to redeeme their inheritance For in the lawe of the Lorde hee hath decreed for the poore of the Iewes that if any person had solde his inheritance the nexte of his kindred might redeeme it and restore it to the familye againe which comming into the minde of Naomi shee hopeth that by this meanes they shoulde come to their inheritance againe seeing Bohaz who was one of the nexte of her kindred had so curteously intreated the widdowe and heyre Whereby wee note the great care that the Lorde hath ouer the poore which by a lawe decreed that they should not for euer bee depriued of their inheritance for at the farthest they shoulde come to it againe at the yeere of Iubile And truelye this Iawe being ceased because the Iewes common wealth is ouerthrowen yet the Lorde executeth the same in some measure amongst the gentiles daylye For nowe wee maye see and heare howe he exalteth many from the duste to walke and sit with princes howe hee giueth greate possessions vnto them whose fathers had not one foote of land and casteth many from their vnlawfull titles And euerie day wee heare of some caste down and humbled and other lift vp exalted Who doth this but the hand of the almightye that putteth downe Haman and raiseth vp Mordechai refuseth Saul and chooseth Dauid remooueth Abiathar establisheth Sadoch banisheth Shebnah and aduanceth Eliakim and finally that in fewe ages changeth all things Therefore promotion commeth neither from the east nor from the west nor from the wildernes but from the throne of the Lorde of hosts which openeth and no man shutteth humbleth and no man setteth vp exalteth and no man casteth downe and ruleth the course of all mankind by his vnchangable decree Let not then the mightiest bee proude for their honour and dignity for the Lord destroyed the Anakims greate princes giants before the family of Caleb much more will he do those that are lyfted vp by their wealth that should rather cast them down and let vs do good to these poore bretheren among vs for they shalbe lifted vp vnto riches when the greatest and wealthiest among vs shall be cast downe into pouerty But of this matter wee shall haue more occasion to speake in the fourth chapter But Ruth said In this verse Ruth maketh relation of those things which Boaz had said vnto her and praying for a blessing vppon him because hee vouchsafed to take her into the company of his maidens gaue her leaue to gather to the end of haruest So that in this place by these wordes of Ruth wee haue an example of perfecte thankfulnesse omitting nothing that might serue to commende the kindnes of Boaz and also of womanlike and godlye modestye that concealeth the cause of all this curtesye which was her owne commendation as alreadye wee haue shewed you So that it is no parte or pointe of godlynes to do as our euill conditioned and ingratefull persons doo which omitte that which serueth most for to commend their benefactours and to lay all the prayse vppon their owne desertes But Salomon willed that another mans and not our owne mouth shoulde prayse vs and most vngodlye is it when men will not in so
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
giue ouer his right to Bohaz wherein surely he doth him a pleasure but if there had beene any profite in it hee woulde first haue serued himselfe wherein wee haue a worthy example of a worldly minde which graunteth all things til it touch his discoÌ„moditie for thus the world wil heare vs preach till we rebuke their couetousnesse or craue their beneuolence for euery one will goe as farre dry foote as they can but none will be wet for the law of the Lord that is so long as we tell them of their faithes exhorte them to repentaunce perswade them from pleasure and drunkennesse but once touch their purses as Iohn Baptiste did Herodes whoredome then farewell preaching faith and repentance But thus much shal suffice for this time Now let vs giue praise to God The end of the eleuenth Lecture The twelfth Lecture Chap. 4. ver 7.8.9.10 7 Now this was the manner before time in Israel concerning the redeeming and chaunging for to stablish all thinges a man did plucke off his shooe and gaue it his neyghbour and this was a â—ure witnesse in Israel 8 Therefore the kinseman said to Boaz buy it for thee he drewe off his shooe 9 And Bohaz said vnto the elders and vnto all the people ye are witnesses this day that I haue bought all that was Elimeleches and all that was Chilions and Mahlons of the hande of Naomi 10 And moreouer Ruth the Moabitesse the wife of Mahlon haue I bought to bee my wife to stirre vp the name of the dead vpon his inheritance and that the name of the deade bee not put out from among his brethren and from the gate of his place ye are witnesses this day THese wordes contayne the finishing vp the matter betweene Bohaz his kinseman how the one resigneth his right to the other and the knitting vp of the marriage They consist of two partes first a description of the auncient maner of alienation or chaunging of titles rightes and properties in the seuenth verse in these wordes Nowe this was the manner afore time c to the ende of the verse The seconde is the manner how this man doth giue ouer and resigne his right to Boaz in the eyght ninth and tenth verses and contayneth two partes the first respecteth the kinsman in the ninth verse where first hee biddeth Boaz to buye or redeeme it Secondly hee draweth off his shooe The second parte respecteth Boaz and sheweth how he receyueth it in the 2. next verses wherin first he calleth witnes of the elders and people vers 10. Secondly he accepteth the proffer or purchase which is double first the lande or inheritaunce vers 10. Secondly the widdowe or wife of Machlon vers 11 of these let vs briefly speake in order as they lie with the assistaunce of God his spirite and the permission of the time Now this was First of all here is described the manner of God his people how in ancient time they were wont to alienate or put of their right from one to another which the holy Ghost setteth downe for the better vnderstanding of that which followeth And this manner of chaunging or selling was commaunded by the Lord himselfe as we reade in these wordes Then the Elders of his cittie shall call him and commune with him if he stand and say I will not take her Then shal his kinswoman come vnto him in the presence of the Elders and loose his shooe from his foote and spit in his face and aunswere and say so shall it be done to him that will not builde vp his brothers house And his name shall bee called in Israell the house of him whose shooe is put of In the which wordes wee note these thinges First that it was the dutie of the woman to complain of such a man before the magistrates as wee may see in the 7. ver Secondly that the magistrates were bounde to call and examine such personnes of the causes of their deny all Thirdely that the woman shoulde pul off the shooe and also spit in his face which the Lorde did doubtles commande for the poore comfortles womans sake that no excuse shoulde bee admitted of delay but that they might eyther be presently receyued or presently refused for shee which was not fit to day woulde not be to morrowe where wee gather the great care of the Lorde for widowes which hath warned their frendes to prouide for them marriages armed the magistrates to defende their weakenes truely as they which are least accompted in the worlde are most esteemed of the Lord euen so they which are most regarded of the worlde are least respected of the Lord for in this lawe the almighty had an especial eye to the poore for hee knewe the wealthy could want no husbandes Whereby wee are taught first to magnifie the goodnes of the Lorde which as Marie sayth looketh vpon the poore degree of his seruantes and beholdeth the rich a farre off his delight is in aduauncing of them that are cast downe and all his lawes defend the causes of the oppressed Secondly that wee make no light accompt or reckoning of those whom the Lord in his worde doth so highly commende vnto vs for it is an especiall token of them that shall bee saued that they make much of them that feare the Lorde what though they bee as poore as Lazarus and neuer so contemptible in the eyes of the worlde yet it is a thousand times more commendable to be frendly to such then to al the rich gluttons of y e world but of this point we haue spoken before and it is sufficient to touch it nowe Secondly by this wee also note that if there bee any iniury done to the children by their parentes or to widdowes by their friendes in their marriages it is lawfull for them to appeale to the magistrates As for example if the parentes woulde force their children eyther not to marrie at all or els to marry against theyr mindes rather then they yeelde to eyther of both they may and ought to sue to the magistrate The which as it was lawfull for the Iewes by this lawe here mentioned euen so it is left to vs to immitate although the ceremoniall vse of it bee ceased which consisted onely in the brothers marriage and as long as magistrates are so long the true vse of it remayneth as it doth in many others Yet although the Gospell speake not of it because it is a thing so farre against nature yet it commaundeth that they which doe euill shoulde feare the sworde of the magistrate because hee beareth it not in vaine and moreouer it is flatly against the Gospell that any shoulde doe vnto other which they woulde not haue done to themselues much more this forcible dealing with frendes or children And if it bee lawfull for the wife or husband to flie to the magistrate in priuate iniuries much more for the children which are weaker and therefore neede more helpe
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
your acquaintance to be carefull for theyr children as well as themselues first to try and then trust first to prepare somewhat that if sicknes come or charges come or are ouertake thee yet then thou mayest comfort thy selfe with thy owne gotten goods and rather be helpefull then chargeable to any Fourthly by this that Boaz sayeth he taketh Ruth to wife for to stirre vp the name of the dead and that the name of the dead be no more forgotten among his brethren in the gate of his place We note that our mariages must be taken in hand also to this end for the multiplying of the Church of God we haue alreadie shewed how one cause of this brothers mariage was for that vse and purpose and in this place not vnnecessary to confirme For the lawe of this mariage was speciall onely for God his people and therefore for the augmenting of the number of the Lords flocke And as this was among the Iewes that euery family might haue some temporall inheritours euen so is it among the Gentiles that if it be possible eueryone should bring one infant or other to be an inheritour of the Lords kingdome By the which parents are taught to be more carefull for the education and instruction of their children then for their procreation and birth for they are made the fathers and mothers of Christ in his members therefore they must not leaue him to Herod that is they must not giue their children to the power of Sathan by theyr negligence and want of teaching they are accursed that lay stumbling blocks before the blinde and shall not they also that leade them into the sea where is nothing but drowning euen so if godlesse parents doe leâ—de theyr children and innocent babes into damnable ignorance who shall aunswere for their soules shall not the authors of this destruction Had not parents neede then to looke to themselues for if they haue as much golde as Salomon had and as great inheritances as Caleb had and as much possession of Cattell as Iob had yet if they be not able to bring vp their children in the feare of God it were better for parents and children they had neuer beene borne then miserably to liue in wealth and bee euery houre in daunger of damnation But how then will you say must we be carefull for the instruction of our children I aunswere you must be carefull of these two things first that you teach them that which is good secondly that you giue no euill example vnto them Concerning the first for the teaching of them the truth you must first teach them the matter of theyr faith and secondly how to pray The matter of theyr faith is contayned in the twelue articles commonly called our creede or beliefe which euery father and mother is bound to teach theyr children with the pure vnderstanding thereof and as they be able to shewe them the proofes thereof out of the word of God I meane as the children be able to receiue it Heerein they must instruct them of the miserable estate of mankinde after their fall by the vse and vnderstanding of the morall lawe contayned in the two tables of the tenne Commaundements with the proofes thereof out of the scripture and the deliuerance by the death and bloudsheading of Iesus Christ the eternall and onely begotten sonne of God Againe you must teach them to pray according as the Lord hath taught vs in that forme which we call the Lords prayer with the vnderstanding thereof out of the word of God for except you teach them what they pray for by the vnderstanding of it you were as good to teach them in Greeke or Latine as in English For there are many thousands in England that call God Father in their prayers but I knowe not that there be any which knowe the meaning of the word I my selfe haue reasoned with many both young and olde and of men of good calling in the world about that one word which is the easyest and playnest in all the word of God but some fewe excepted which haue laboured for knowledge in the hearing of Sermons I neuer met with man woman nor childe that coulde giue mee any reasonable aunswere vnto this question beside this that God made them and therefore is theyr Father which euery Iewe and almost euery Pagan knoweth as well as they Therefore as our righteousnesse must exceede the righteousnesse of the Scribes and Pharisies Iewes and Gentiles so must our knowledge also for by our knowledge of Christ wee are iustified to be hys members And although wee repeate the Lordes prayer a thousand times euery day and vnderstand it not we doe but bable before the Lord taking his name in vaine vsing it in our lips when our hearts haue no vnderstanding and therefore our prayers are without fruite Lastly if you your selues doe not walke before them without reproofe in pure and sanctified conuersations whatsoeuer you teach them you presently tread out againe for simple people and young children liue by examples and not by precept If you teach them to worship God you must also before their faces worship the same that they may practise by your example If you bid them that they sweare not you your selfe must be carefull not to sweare or else they will not beleeue you for as the people looke vpon the life of their pastour so the young children beholde the steps of their parents And we see in bruite beasts that examples are much more effectuall then precepts they cannot speake yet how do they traine vp their young ones It is reported of the Harts of Scithia that they teach their young ones to leape from banke to banke from rocke to rocke from one turfe to another by their owne example leaping before them which otherwise they would neuer practise by which meanes when they are hunted no beast can euer take them Euen so if you goe before your children in examples while they are young Sathan the hunter and roaring Lion shall neuer haue them for his pray When they learne to speake they take the words from our owne mouthes euen so when they shall learne to worship feare loue honour and pray vnto the Lord let them take you for their examples as Iacob did Abraham and Izaak Now let vs giue prayse to God The fourteenth Lecture Chap. 4. ver 11.12 11 And all the people that were in the gate and the elders saide we are witnesses The Lorde make the wife that commeth into thy house like Rahel and Leah which twain did build the house of Israel that thou mayest doe worthily in Ephrathah and bee famous in Bethlehem 12 And that thy house be like the house of Pharez whom Thamar bare vnto Iudah of the seede which the Lorde shall giue thee of this young woman AS we haue hitherto heard of Boaz and his kinseman the one in resigning the other in receyuing his right in the place of iudgement and the presence of
prayed for Boaz the dutie of them that are gathered together in any godly assembly which is to ioyne themselues in the same holy exercises if they heare the other must heare if they pray the other must pray if they sing the other must also sing for this is the felowshippe of the saintes or els nothing is When we read the church of God continued together in breaking breade it is also saide they continued in prayer as if the holy Ghost had saide as if euery one did eat bread so euery one did pray to the Lorde as it auaileth not a hungry man to see another eat he haue none but rather increaseth his desire so if you be euery day hour where praiers are made your selues tast not of them it doth but increase your damnation So wee read when the Apostles were forbidden to preach in the name of Christ they came to their fellowes and lift vp their voices with one accorde to the Lorde and when they had prayed the place was shaken where they were assembled and they all were filled with the holy Ghost and spake the word of God boldly such is the effect of God his faythful when they pray vnto him with one accord like the assault of the four windes vpon Iobs childrens house which not onely shooke but also ouerturned the same many handes make a great labour to be lightly dispatched and many mens prayers doe pull downe the mercyes of God vpon vs. This I think is very needfull for our dayes wherein this dulnesse is growne so grosse that among a churchfull of hearers you shall haue very fewe which are not faultie in this doctrine for it is a world to see howe many haue their bodies at the sermons but their soules and affections are wandering in a thousande matters these pray not when we pray heare not when wee preach neyther sing when wee sing What profite haue these persons by our prayers or preaching surely they are idols they haue tonge but speake not eares but heare not eyes but they see not And this is most lamentable to see many vpon whom the Lorde hath bestowed this gift of reading or learning to come hande ouerhead to Churches without eyther booke or minde to profite themselues or other Thus they bury the graces of God in them they quench the fire of the holy spirite they loose the costes of their parentes which they bestowed to bring them to learning they disdayne to sing with the faithfull they abhorre the labours of their youth and mocke the Lord with their presence Looke vpon it my brethren for if the Lorde haue giuen any of you learning that you are able to reade his worde then hee hath planted you to beare fruite in his owne orcharde but if you vse not this gift then you are fruitlesse trees and the Lorde will cut you downe and cast you into vnquencheable fire if you say you haue no books I aunswere the fault lyeth in your selues for if you bee poore aske the godly and your want shall bee supplyed if you bee wealthy saue some of your idle expenses to spende vppon such a holy businesse If you say you forget your bookes behinde you I aunswere it is a signe you care but little for your iourneys ende for if you had that reuerence to come prepared to the exercises of the faithfull which you ought to haue you coulde not forget your bibles nay you shoulde rather forget your apparell then your bookes if you considered as it becommeth you But some say they vnderstande well enough though they say not amen to our prayers and though they sing not to the Lorde with vs but Paule sayth to such that they doe no good to their brethren because they edifie them not and that it is better in the Church to speake fiue wordes to instruct others then ten thousande for his owne benefite for in the Chuch wee are assembled for our brethren not for ourselues onely and whosoeuer prayeth not with his brethren in the Church or congregation doth breake the fellowshippe of the faithfull and standeth for a cipher among the sayntes Therefore if you haue any care of your duety to the Lord of the loue of y e faithful of obedience to your parents of increasing your talent of learning or the saluation of your owne soules both magistrate and subiect elders and people riche and poore olde and younge men and women fulfill the expectation of the godly praye when wee pray sing with vs when we sing heare vs when wee preach for with such sacrifice is the Lord pleased The Lorde make Now wee haue made an ende of the first parte let vs go to the second which is the prayer of these people and elders the first member whereof is contayned in these wordes wherein they pray for the fruitfulnesse of Ruth alleadging an example to testify the loue they beare to Bohaz that they desire his wife to bee as fruitfull as eyther Leah or Rahell who builded the house of Israel so that they would haue him the father of much people in so much as his name both of wealth and children might aduance the dignity of Bethlehem Ephrathah First therefore hence we note the duetie of all the godly which is to pray for the welfare one of another but especially in marriage for the prayers of the faithfull are as needfull for the married as skilfull mariners in the boate of passengers Therefore wee reade of fewe godly marriages in the scripture but they were celebrated with prayer when Rebecca was married to Isaake her mother brother and frends prayed that she might grow vp into thousand thousandes and her seed to possesse their enemies gate and in this place these frendes of Bohaz pray the like for Ruth for what make the peoples presence the multitude of lookers the number of acquaintaunce at the time of celebrating marriages excepte it bee to pray for the parties wee haue shewed you the last Saboath that for the ignorance of the people which coulde not pray came the ministers to haue a hande in it for supplying their wante and howe lamentable is it to see in many places and most persons that are marryed where their company are none but godlesse ruffians ignoraunt Atheistes prophane swearers and notable blasphemers to bee present at their vnhappy weddinges what prayers can these powre forth for their newe marryed frendes can the Cockatrice breath forth any thing but poyson or the spider spinne any sounder cloth then her webbe no more can these persons but curse them with their prayers not blesse them with their cursinges Is it not a worlde to see howe many agaynst their marriages compasse the countrey some to prouide delicate diuersities of meates to feede both the belly and the eye other to inuite their friendes which come ruffling into the Churches in silkes veluets sattins and softe apparel and some to decke vp themselues in braue clothing against their mariage day but neuer
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
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
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
being in health of bodie and minde is bound by the word of God to nurse her owne children and the reasons for the confirmation hereof are these first because the Lord in the creation of their bodyes hath giuen to euery woman breastes which are the meanes whereby children sucke their nourishment and therefore eyther the Lord created their breastes in vaine or els they sinne if they set them not to worke if any say that the Lorde did giue the breasts not for any necessity that they are boūd so to doe but that they might bee furnished with the meanes if they had the pleasure to do it to whom I answere by the like example the Lorde hath giuen to euery one handes to worke eyes to see eares to heare and tongues to speake is it in the choise of men to cut of their handes to pull out their eyes to stoppe vp their eares and to keep their tongues in silence all their life neuer vse them as many women doe their naturall breastes I thinke not for if they shoulde they must deface the workemanship of God dismember their own bodyes and murther the parts of mankinde Therefore as the Lorde hath giuen to euery one handes euery one must worke or els he is accursed vnlesse they wil be idols of whom Dauid speaketh they haue hands handle not eyes and see not eares and heare not feete and walke not noses and smell not and such are women that haue plentifull breastes and yet giue no suck Secondly the example of all the godly confirme it as we see in Sarah which nursed her sonne Isaacke in the mother of Moyses which was careful that her childe should bee nursed by no other then her selfe in Manoahs wife the mother of Sampson so did Bath shebah the mother of king Salomon being a queene in Israel the wife of king Dauid yet she thought it her duety to take her owne child and nurse it I will speake nothing of Hannah of Elizabeth the wife of Zachary and mother of Iohn Baptist of the virgin Mary which gaue sucke to the Lord of glory Iesus Christ her sauiour and of the mother of Dauid all which are as patternes of naturall affection for all the godly women in the world to imitate and what blessing was powred vpon their children who knoweth not Therefore eyther women must follow their godly examples or shew some charter of their libertie aboue these or proclaime open disobedience to God and the godly because they swarue from his holy worde and their most pure and worthy examples but it is better to obey God then men and to be ruled by the troublesome liues of the faithful then by the peaceable and pleasant deuises of all the gentlewomen in the worlde whatsoeuer Thirdely it is a signe of the wante of loue and naturall affection in the parentes as the Apostle speaketh when the mothers doe not bestowe the labour to giue their owne children their naturall milke for if they had the same naturall feeling of theyr duties to their children they coulde not hauing no occasion commit the nourishing of their children to straungers who can neuer bee so inwardely kinde to the infantes as the mothers eyther are or ought to bee therefore although though they pretende a kinde of sorrowe for their childrens absence or departing from them yet it is like the lamentation of Esau which wept when hee could not get the blessing whereas he solde it before and was the onely cause of his owne reprobation so women weepe at the departure of their children whereas it lyeth in their owne power to keepe them in their owne possession and more thankefull woulde the chylde bee in his hearte to his mother if shee had bestowed the labour to nurse him Fourthly it is not so naturall for the chylde to bee nursed where hee was not borne for the same body whereof hee had his being is most fitte for his feeding as wee see a plant doeth best prosper when it is grafted where it sprunge vp first of all then being remoued into another grounde so the bodies of children doe growe more freely and like mote cheerefully with their owne mothers milke then with all the worlde beside and the auncientest Phisitians say that it were also better for the mothers if they gaue themselues to this labour therefore they doe but hinder their owne infantes borne of their owne bodyes and as it were keepe them from their naturall welfare when they giue them to bee made another nature which is by their nursing and feeding These causes and more also being duely and carefully considered you shall fynde it a greater sinne to giue your children to other to bee nursed then heretofore you conceyued of it so that you must for this one thing condemne the vse of your breastes which were the creation of God and the practise of the auncient godly women which were euery way as noble as any aliue forsake the tender loue that annother ought to beare to hir innocente babe bring your childrens bodyes to a seconde yea a contrary disposition and complexion and stoppe vp the plentifull conduytes of streaming milke in your breastes to the losse and hinderaunce of your owne health Therefore if any haue any power to performe this naturall duety to theyr children let them practise it for all the carnall reasons of the worlde must not preuayle agaynst the least collection of the worde of God But some will say admit that any through negligence doe put their children to bee nursed of other doeth the faulte onely rest in the parentes and nothing in the nurse to whome I aunswere if it bee vnlawfull for the parentes to giue it is also vnlawful for the nurse to take so that whatsoeuer is said against the one may also bee brought against the other But in causes of weakenesse in the woman daunger to the childe or sicknesse in eyther of both it is not onely a duety of necessity but of conscience to nourish and cherish the children of other Therefore although the mothers had the nursing of their children yet there were others also like peti-nurses which had some especiall care in the keeping of the children as we may read of the nurse of Rebecca which was the true vse of nurses for the ease of the mother to take the custody of the children in all thinges saue onely in giuing them sucke and therefore is it that wee may reade in auncient histories that one childe had many nurses that is many to attende the welfare and nourishment of the infant of this sort was Naomi at this present who tooke vpon her some care of this sonne of Bohaz that they both might bee more diligent for the education thereof Now for the other question whether it bee lawfull for the parentes during all the time of the infancy thereof if the mother be not able to giue it sucke to commit their chyldren to other to be brought vp I aunswere that euery man and
East and West North and South all the children of Abraham to enioy the presence of his Maiestie the inheritance of his kingdome and the end of their faith the saluation of their soules Pharez begat Hezron Now we will briefely giue you the exposition of the names so make an end of this Historie Pharez or rather Peretz in Hebrue signifieth a diuision and the occasion of this name was because of the two twinnes in the wombe of Thamar he first of all brake foorth and therefore they called him a diuision from the time of his birth hee was borne in the land of Canaan Hezron or Chetzron which was also borne in the land of Canaan and the Sonne of Peretz who was borne about the time that the Israelites went into Egypt and signifieth in our English tongue the arrow of ioye for till the Israelits went into Egypt they endured a great famine which â—zechiel calleth the arrowe of famine and when they were deliuered from this famine by going into Egypt for corne this child being then borne he was called the arrow of ioy as the famine is called the arrowe of sorrow as a remembrance of the mercie of God to them in giuing them bread Ram was the Sonne of Chetzron and was borne in Egypt about the time of Iacobs death when the children of Israel began to be hated of the Egyptians and therefore they called him Ram which signifieth in our English tongue cast downe or cast off because they then began to bee afflicted and saw no doubt great misery like to fall vpon them and they should be cast downe so soone as either the king or Ioseph should bee dead Haminadab the Sonne of Ram was also borne in Egypt about the time of Iosephes death when he tolde the Israelites that the Lord would visite them and deliuer them from the Egyptians and it signifieth in our English tongue a people that would be free being compounded of two words wherein the Israelits testifie the hope of their deliuerance that although they were now in thraldome yet they should bee in freedome againe Nahashon or Nachschon the Sonne of Haminadab was also borne in Egypt a little before the departure of the Israelites when hey cryed grieuously to the Lord for their affliction which they endured in Egypt vnder the Taxe-masters and it signifieth a crying or complayning thereby noting in the name of the child that hee was borne in affliction which might put him in minde of his Fathers miserie this man when the children of Israel were gon out of Egypt and pitched their tents in wildernesse of Sinai was by election or appointment of God made the Prince of the whole Tribe Salmon or Shalmon the Sonne of Nachschon was borne after the Israelites were departed from Egypt while they wandered in the desert and were deliuered from the Amalekits and other their enemies and his name signifieth peaceable because they liued then peaceably being freed from the Egyptians and other calamities this man married with the victualer Rachab of Iericho of whoÌ„ he begat Boaz. Boaz signifieth in strength who was born about the time of the deliuerance of y e Iewes from the tyrannie of the Moabites by the hand of lame Ehud by which meanes they got strength and remained a long time in peace Obed signifieth a seruant who was borne as wee see in Ephratha Bethlehem his mother being Ruth the Moabitesse the women gaue him this name because hee shoulde serue for the raysing vp of Elimelechs family the restoring of Naomies life and the comfort of his parents Boaz and Ruth Ischai or Ishai the Sonne of Obed signifieth an oblation and was borne about the daies of Iipthach and it may bee had his name giuen by reason of the vowe of Iipthach when he went against the Hammonites that he would offer the first liuing thing that met him after he returned with y e victorie whervpon his daughter meeting him she liued in perpetuall virginitie Dauid the youngest Sonne of Iischai who no doubt was borne in the time of Heli signifieth beloued because commonly the youngest are best loued or else his name did prophesie that hee should be so loued of God with whom he would establish his couenant concerning Christ and aduance him to the kingdome By which wee may plainely see that this Historie was written after he was chosen from his brethren and anoynted to be king after Saule or else the eldest Sonne of Iischai should haue beene named because the birth-right belonged to him Lastly by this we may gather that the foundation of the Gospell must be searched for in the olde Testament for this Genealogie as all the other of Christ is taken from thence and the Apostle defining the Gospell saith that God had promised it before by the Prophets in the holy Scriptures that is in the olde Testament and therefore it was needfull for Mathew to begin his Gospell with the Genealogie of Christ from Abraham and Dauid who had most liuely promises of his incarnation also Marke and Luke begin with Iohn Baptist who was the promised Eliah and the forerunner of Christ according as before it was prophesied and Iohn fetcheth it from the creation and beginning of the worlde as it appeareth in the entraunce of his Gospell By which we may see the hope of the Fathers for the comming of Christ to be the same with ours and had the liuely promises thereof reuealed in the law and the Prophets Secondly the heauenly agreement that is betweene the olde Testament and the new for there he was promised thence he was proued to be the Messiah all the Prophets giue witnesse vnto him now he is exhibited humbled and aduanced to the highest degree the gouernment heauen and earth sitting at the right hand of God making intercession for his Saints working in the calling of his seruantes with the ministerie of his worde disposing all things to the damnation of the wicked and the saluation of the godly Now let vs giue praise to God FINIS Gen. 1.1 Esay 1.1 Iere. 1.2 Eph. 1.1.2 Math. 2.1 Mar. 1.3.4 Luke 1. â— Iudg. 2.18 21 25 Pro. 20.30 1. Ki. 14.16 16 2.3.4 1 Kin. 18 35 37. Hos 7.14.13 Ier. 44.19 1. Kin. 18 17 1. Kin. 18 15.17 Psa 127.5 Mat. 25.3 Mat. 21.30 Ioh. 15.2 Ioh. 10.14 Ge. 31.34 Pro. 7.22 Mat. 3.10 Reu. 18.4 Num. 16.12.32 Hos 6.1.2 Deut. 28.23.24 Dan. 6.9 Psal 12. â—6 Ps 145.17 2. The. 1.6 Eze 18.26 1. Pe. 4.17 Heb. 12.6 Mat. 25.48 Eze. 5.16 1. Sam. 24 14.15 Ge. 12.10 Gen. 26.1 Ge. 41.30 2. Sam. 21 1. 1. Kin. 18.2 2. King 6.25 Act. 18.28 Am. 8.11 Ios 19.15 Ge. 35.19 Math. 2.1 Chap. 15. 1. Kin. 22 34. Psa 29 6.6.8 Psa 149 8 Psa 113 7 Exo. 10.22 Exod. 11.29 2. Kin. 25 10. Gen. 2.24 Gen. 12. â—1 8. Gen. 26.1 Gen. cap. 42 43.44 1. Tim. 5.8 Gen. 6.1 Pro. 5.18 Psa 37.35 Psal 17.14 Psal 73.4 Ver. 12 Iob. 21.7 Ier. 12.1
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
of such impious infidelity What stayeth the Lord from comming to iudgement but the faithfull and elect company what keepeth you in your possessions reuennews and lands but the poore Saincts of God who are hardly admitted to the tables of your seruants who prayeth for the increase of your wealth the prosperitie of your liues the feeding of your bodies and the continuance of your honour but these despised persons who haue entered a couenaunt for your dayly welfare with the king of heauen and earth They are the flocke for whose sake you haue your wooll to clothe you and your milke to feede you they are the bees for whose sake you enioy the hony for your delight and the hony combe for the pleasure of your meate they are the birds which haue builded vp your pallaces and houses of rest for the defense of your weakenesse they are the oxen that bring your corne to your barnes and your store into your garners they are the beasts that beare you out of the daungers in safetye and deliuer your liues from trouble Finally there is not a vsurer but he hath his money for theyr sake there is not a Gentleman but hee hath his landes for theyr sake there is not a Prince but hee hath his Crowne for theyr sake there is not a rich man but hee hath his wealth for theyr sake there is not a Minister but hee preacheth for theyr sake and there shoulde be no peace prosperitye or plentye if it were not for them for the Angels are theyr seruaunts the earth is theyr mayntenaunce and heauen is theyr inheritaunce Be assured therefore beloued if righteous Lot goe out of Sodome or godly Noah into his Arke then fire will fall from heauen and the depthes will open theyr fountaynes of water to burne and destroy the world euen so if the Lord take away the righteous from among vs then euen then presently shall follow the destruction of our countrey the consuming of our kingdome the confusion of the world and the condemning of the reprobate and therefore let vs make much of them in whome we see any hope of religion for they are the right heyres of the world and you that haue their lands are but ouerseers of their fathers testaments and therefore shall giue an accompt of your possessions to them when they come to age and be answerable for euery farthing which you spent not vpon them Secondly another cause of the genealogies or recitall of generations in the Scriptures is for the Chronologies or noting of seuerall times wherein euery worthie thing was done and how the world grewe in yeares and the mercy of God in sparing the wicked liues of so many godlesse men and choosing but one family among all the world with whome hee would establish his couenaunt for this cause in the genealogie of Adam we reade how long he and euerie one of his children liued to shew how long the Lord suffered the wicked before he brought the floud and in what age of the world the same ouerflowed which by the genealogies there set downe appeareth to be in the yeare of the world one thousand sixe hundred fiftie and sixe when Noah was sixe hundred yeares old Againe we reade in the genealogie of Sem by the supputation of the yeares therein mentioned how long after the floud Abraham was called from his countrey and receyued the couenaunt of promise concerning the incarnation of Iesus Christ and the saluation of the world The same may be sayd of the often repetition of the age of Abraham as at his calling at the time of his circumcision at the birth of Izaak and at his death which giueth a great light to euery part of the scripture for thereby the occasions of many excellent histories are taken the darkest places are opened the faithfull are confirmed and the Church of God instructed of her age of her continuance of her members and of her condition which is subiect to many often changes Sometimes her glory is greater as in the first age sometime lesser as in Abrahams time sometime afflicted as the estate of Iacob in Egipt and all his children testifieth sometimes without any knowne and publique ministery or offices as till Aarons dayes sometime without any ciuill or politique gouernement as in the time of all the Patriarks sometime without peace in persecution as in the time of the Iudges wherein these persons heere named liued and sometime in most flourishing estate as vnder Dauid Salomon Asa Iosiah and such like By the which we gather that it neuer standeth in one stay but either increaseth or decreaseth ebbeth or floweth riseth or falleth waxeth or waineth therefore heerein lyeth the great comfort of the godly euen in these troublesome dayes but yet the best that euer are to be looked for in this earth wherein they see the auncient to depart and new men in theyr roome one generation commeth and another goeth iniquitie aduaunced coldnes in religion embraced dissimulation and hipocrisie maintained warres and persecution threatned to the Gospell schismes defended errors inuented the world blinded the truth declined godlines defaced and the Church of God disquieted with a thousand greater calamities this all the fathers suffered before vs and this we their children must also abide onely heerein let vs reioyse that we shall be accompted worthy to suffer for Christ and that our names are written in the kingdome of heauen Thirdly and lastly the especiall cause of this genealogie and of all the fathers and children of Abraham in one kindred was for to shew the naturall discent of Christ from Adam and so foorth vnto the virgin Mary for seeing he was to be incarnated it behoued that his parentage should be described from the beginning of the world for this cause Luke the Euangelist gathered togither the seuerall descriptions of all the genealogies pertaining to Christ throughout all the whole scripture as a necessary ground of the Gospell to declare the kindred of our Sauiour from the beginning of the world whereof these persons mentioned in this place are a part from whence he tooke them into his number Now least any man should thinke that the birth of Christ should be obscure and the taking vpon him the flesh of mankinde should be incertaine as well to conuince all errours that arose about his humanitie as to testifie the nobilitie of his birth and worthines of his parentage the persons of whome he descended are in many bookes of the scripture seuerally named and not without great commendation For this family of Christ had many and speciall blessings which were the armes of the same by which it was distinguished from all other In Adam it had this promise that the seede of the woman should breake the serpents head meaning that Christ which should be borne of a woman should ouercome the force of the deuill In Noah it had this promise that the couenaunt of God should be established with him and his seede meaning