Selected quad for the lemma: grace_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
grace_n	hate_v	love_v	rachel_n	60	3	16.8770	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A68568	Ruths recompence: or a commentarie vpon the booke of Ruth wherein is shewed her happy calling out of her owne country and people, into the fellowship and society of the Lords inheritance: her vertuous life and holy carriage amongst them: and then, her reward in Gods mercy, being by an honourable marriage made a mother in Israel: deliuered in seuerall sermons, the briefe summe whereof is now published for the benefit of the Church of God. By Richard Bernard ...	Bernard, Richard, 1568-1641.	1628 (1628)	STC 1962; ESTC S101697	273,649	490

Saint but in the Saints that dwell vpon the earth True it is that by a priuate familiarity and particular acquaintance with one more than another the loue may more shew it selfe as in reason it must and will yet such a loue vpon occasion will truly shew it selfe to all others which are vnited in the profession of the same truth and will be ready to doe them good when such are knowne as it euer doth wish you well before there be any acquaintance at all And if one godly person by a vertuous life may not onely procure loue to him or her selfe but also to all other of Gods people this should make vs so to demeane our selues euery one of vs as wee may so winne others to vs as also the same persons vnto the rest which feare God for the encrease of Gods Kingdome and so the hastening of Christs appearing And thy God my God As shee leaueth her owne people being Idolaters for Gods people so shee renounceth her Idols for the true God for they which truly for godlinesse sake embrace Gods people cannot but then intertaine the true God and leaue their Idols 1. Thes 1. 6 9. As Ruth did here and Rahab also because the loue of godlinesse in men ariseth from the loue of God himselfe the Author of that goodnesse in his people The Corinthians gaue first themselues to the Lord 2. Cor. 8. 5. Zach. 8. 23. then to his Seruants and Zacharie foretelleth that the Heathen hauing heard of the Lord to be among the Iewes they will then come and desire to be with them Trie our loue to the godly by a sound intertainement of their Religion else the loue is but carnall worldly or counterfeit for in 2. Cor. 6. 14. differing religions there neither is nor can be any true concord and therefore let vs not thinke that either Idolaters Atheists or irreligious persons can be any faithfull louers of the truth Note againe that godly persons may by their godlines draw Mat. 5. 16. 1. Pet. 3. 1. and 2. 11. others vnto the embracing of the true God either by instruction or by a holy conuersation or rather both together And therefore let vs labour by our godlinesse in doctrine and life so to set foorth the Lords praises as wee may gaine others vnto him This is our duty Mat. 5. 16. this is Christian-like carriage which becommeth well the Saints this will winne soules to God and so couer the multitude of sinnes bee an aduancement to the Lords name and bring comfort to our owne soules in the Day of Iesus Christ It may be some will aske Whether for meere loue to the person of any if one intertaine Religion he may be iustified in so doing Surely no One may occasion another or be a motiue thereto and so performe a good office on his part but Religion is to bee beloued and imbraced for it selfe and not for mans sake the person on whom a man relieth may die or turne backe from the truth and become such a ground as the sand on which an house being built soone decayeth and the fall thereof is great Verse 17. Where thou diest will I die and there will I be buried the Lord doe so to me and more also if ought but death part thee and mee RVTH continueth her speech to Naomi touching her resolution which shee had begunne to shew in the former verse and in this confirmeth it with an oath so that Naomi neede not to doubt of her constancie Where thou diest Ruth speaketh of her mothers death and also of her owne It is a principle in nature to know and to be perswaded that all shall die Iob 21. 33. Heb. 9. 27. 1. King 2. 1. Iosh 23. 14. 1. Cor. 15. 51. Eccles 7. 2. and 6. 6. for death goeth ouer all in as much as all haue sinned Rom. 5. Then let all prepare to die at one time or at another which stands in seeking reconciliation with God in Christ in endeuouring to keepe a good conscience before God man Act. 24. 16. vvaiting the time of dissolution which the men of pleasures as Diues the vvorldly-minded as the rich man the drowsie protestant like the fiue foolish Virgins and such as go on securely as those in the old vvorld and in Sodom Mat. 24. 37 38 39. doe not All knovv they must die yet most neglect to prepare to die and to prouide for themselues a better habitation vvhich men on earth vvill doe vvhen they knovv they must out of their dwellings they will not be to seeke to the very day in which they know they shal be put out I will die I meane to end my daies vvith thee my mother I vvill not returne againe into my Countrey but vvill make my end in vvhat place soeuer thou shalt die The true loue of the godly one towards another is a continuing and enduring loue to death So vvas the loue of these tvvo and the loue of Ionathan and Dauid because their loue is 2. Sam. 1. 26. not grounded vpon temporarie meere vvorldly respects as the loue of others bee nor vpon meere nature as that of parents and Children but vpon such reasons as the alteration of outvvard estate here cannot disanull or make void They loue one another for their graces in heauenly respects and therefore by a spirituall bond they are vnited in heart and made one Thus should vvee loue and thus settle it that it may abide to death and that vvee may so loue let vs remember that vve be Children of one Father vvee be brethren vvee be very members of the same body and Christ Iesus our Head vvee also are here strangers and if vvee loue not one another vvho vvill loue vs for the vvorld hateth vs Ioh. 15. 19. There be which would be held Christians and yet cannot loue such as be so indeede Cain cannot loue Abel though his brother nor Esau a Iacob Some professe to loue the godly but it is sinisterly not simply for their graces and vertues as Ruth here loued Naomi for no other cause of loue could there be for Ruth was young and Naomi old and very poore What power in nature and worldly reason could then leade Ruth thus to loue Naomi Other some loue them for their vertues but their vertues must be such as must make their persons without exception euery way pleasing to them else they will fall off from their loue they cannot forsooth beare with infirmities all must be in perfection But such doe not looke into themselues with a single eye or else with too much selfe-loue behold themselues for otherwise they would loue a godly Christian as such a one though accompanied with some infirmities from which in this life none can bee wholy freed And there will I be buried Ruth spoken before of their death and now of their buriall together so as neither in life nor death shee would bee separated from her mother By this it appeareth I. That

persons in our selues who by our corruption pollute the ordinance of God and as wee bee of Adams race so haue we our children conceiued in sinne and brought forth in iniquity and beget such as be after our owne likenesse wee haue Gen. 5. cause then to pray and that seruently to God to blesse and shew mercy vnto vs. And thirdly for the troublesomenesse of the estate of marriage which may cause vs to pray heartily for it is full of temptations and trials And therefore let it moue vs to pray for them after the example of the people here and these Elders and not be like such as at the time of marriage onely stand staring and looking on or through vaine thoughts doe laugh and make a sport thereof or else spend their thoughts vpon the delight of future vanities dauncing drinking lewd songs and ribaldrie more heathenish than Christian-like And if others are to pray for the married parties then much more should they pray for themselues but alas how farre are most from it hauing their thoughts spent vpon vanities Secondly note that in publike prayer the Assembly should bee of one 2. Chron. 5. 13. Nehem. 8. Acts 1. 14. and 2. 46. and 4. 24 accord as all these were heere both the Elders and people as also elsewhere This is vn 〈…〉 〈◊〉 the other confusion when people are otherwise exercised than in giuing their assent to that which is publikely performed That is come into thine house That is either already come or that certainely shall come as if shee were already in the house This sheweth the cohabitation of man and wise and that they are 1. Pet. 3. 7. 1. Cor. 7. 5. to dwell together as Peter speaketh and God placed the first man and wife together in Paradise and Abraham and Sarah liued together so did Isaac and Rebecca Iacob and his wiues and so did 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2. Sam. 6. 20. 1. Cor. 9. 5. Dauid with his And this is fit and necessary for mutuall comfort and society therefore the Apostles tooke their wiues with them and it is for this cause altogether a fault when any wilfully liue separated from their wiues or any vnnecessarily without a calling out of an idle leuity will become Trauellers into other countries after they bee married when the Apostle warneth them not to defraud one another except with consent and that but for a time and for this end to giue themselues to fasting and prayer and then come together againe lest Satan tempt them to incontinencie Like Rachel and Leah Rachel is first named because shee was Iacobs wife first by couenant and his best beloued Two wiues he had and it was and i● lawfull to haue one wife after another as Abraham had Keturch after Sarah for they that cannot abstaine it is better to marry than to 1. Cor. 7. 9 36. burne and when the one is departed the other is free to marry againe in the Lord. And therefore it is an hereticall opinion to forbid second marriages which the godly practised and the Apostle alloweth vpon good reasons But to haue two wiues at once is not lawfull for it is contrary to the Lords first institution of marriage who ioyned together but one man and one woman it is Gen. 2. against the Apostles Doctrine who teacheth euery 1. Cor. 7. man to haue his owne wife and euery woman her owne husband And wee may reade of the first offenders how one was out of the Church a blasphemous Lamech and the other in Gē 4. 26. 34. the Church a prophane Esau And albeit holy mē had many wiues it was their fault God onely being pleased to passe it ouer in his mercie but allow thereof hee did not as appeareth by the Malac. 2. 15. Prophet Malachies words And therefore are they not herein to bee followed It is a blessed Law which of late time hath beene enacted in this Nation against marrying two wiues at once In praying that Ruth might bee first like Rachel who was amiable and louely to Iacob and then like Leah who was fruitfull they may seeme to pray for two things of the Lord the first was that there might bee true loue and good liking betweene Boaz and Ruth for true loue and Ephe. 5. 25. Col. 3. 19. Gen. 24. 67. 1. Sam. 1. 5. good liking ought to bee betweene husband and wife specially so commanded so practised by Isaac and by Elkanah and other godly men and it is that which maketh marriage comfortable and the parties to liue quietly together with mutuall contentment Oh therefore let vs pray for this loue and not onely pray but endeuour to vse the best meanes to procure and hold it And to effect this the married persons are to take heed of strange affections which might alienate their minds one from another then to behold rather the good qualities and vertues of one another than the infirmities and things to bee found fault with for loue couereth a multitude of offences Young persons before marriage cannot see one anothers faults and if they doe see them yet their loue is such as they can passe them by Why is not loue in marriage as strong nay stronger seeing now two are made one Isaac tooke Rebecca and shee was his wife and he then loued her but now men loue their Rebeccaes afore marriage and then taking them for wiues they hate them or not loue them as before Moreouer the married parties are to bee ready to performe mutuall dueties cheerefully yea they are to striue which should be most louing in their dueties of loue and should also prouoke one another thereto Lastly they should often thinke of the solemne couenant made betwixt them and by that and other godly reasons presse themselues the husband himselfe and the wife her selfe to their dueties yea they should bewaile their owne and one anothers corruptions before God and pray against them and for Gods good graces to make them duetifully louing one to another thus doing shall they by Cods blessing both procure and keepe loue The second thing they prayed for was the encrease of children which was Gen. 1. 28. Zach. 8. 5. Gen. 9. 1. the first blessing to man and woman when God had made them and the first and principall end of marriage and which God promised vnto his people In old time it was held a reproach for Luke 1. 25. 1. Sam. 1. 26. Leuit. 20. 20. Ier. 22. 30. Gen. 20. 18. 2. Sam. 6. 23. Psal 127. and 128. women to be barraine and the Lord did threaten it as a punishment yea and inflicted it vpon some Surely it is the want of a blessing as the Psalmist teacheth And therefore let vs pray for this blessing as Abraham did Isaac Manoah and Hannah from which these are farre who so marry as they might bee without hope of children such also as murmure at Gods blessing through vnbeliefe fearing not to haue to maintaine them vnlike Leah who comforted

would be content to marry with them which is a commendation to them that would thus welcome such as came among them for succour It is a matter praise-worthy to be harbersome to strangers for this were the Barbarians commended Act. 28. 2 7 10. who receiued the Apostle and the rest into their houses made them fires because of the cold and raine in Winter courteously lodged them and when they departed being such as had suffered shipwracke and were thereby in want those Barbarians helped them with necessaries This was humanity and mercy For this Abraham and Lot and Iob are commended and this goodnesse wee must learne to practise for so are wee exhorted Heb. 13. 2 and these former examples lead vs to it This qutie is to be done not onely to our kindred to our friends to our knowne countreymen but to strangers Heb. 13. 2. yea and to our enemies in their neede 2. Kings 6. 23. Romanes 12. 20. Vers 3. And Elimelech Naomies husband dyed and shee was left and her two sonnes THis telleth vs of the heauie crosse which befell Naomi which was in the death of her husband and that as it may seeme very shortly after they were come into Moab before the sonnes did marry so she was left a widdow with two fatherlesse children to take care for them in a strange countrey This verse is a narration of an euent what it was and vpon whom it fell to the great heauinesse of Naomi the euent was death and here is shewed whom it tooke and whom it left And Elimelech dyed His age is not reckoned he could not bee very old if wee may gasse his yeeres by his sonnes marrying so young women after his death yet he dyeth yea and there also wither he went for food to preserue life He went first from Israel the Land of the liuing and led them thence and so he now goeth out of the world before them from whence note I. That death is the end of all and it spareth none Iosh 23. 14. Iob 21. 33. Eccles 7. 2. and 6. 6. 1. Cor. 15. 51. Heb. 9. 27. for all haue sinned Rom. 5. and death is the reward of sinne Rom. 6. And therefore let all prepare to die II. That a full supplie of bodily wants cannot preuent death The man must die in Moab where was food enough the rich Glutton must die also and the Rich man with his barne full for the sentence of death is irreuocable and mans life dependeth not vpon the outward meanes of life for then the rich and mighty would neuer die Let not men in their abundance thinke to escape death let them therefore not set their hearts on their wealth for they must leaue it It is follie to trust in riches for they cannot deliuer from death either ordinary or extraordinary lingering or suddaine naturall or violent as examples and experience it selfe teacheth III. That where men think to preserue life there they may lose it as Elimelech doth here fleeing from the famine in Israel yet dyed where plenty was in Moab for no place is free from death and when the appointed time is come man cannot passe it Iob 14. 5. we cannot thinke therefore our selues safe any where from death nay many times where we may think our selues secure there death may take vs away Naomies husband It is not said her husband which might well haue beene spoken by way of relation to her without her name because shee was named before and no other woman but this woman was a very vertuous woman and this was a great crosse to her and therefore both to expresse her excellency and her begun misery it is said Naomies husband dyed the husband of so rare a wife died Note hence I. That it is a grace for some to be called the husbands of some women their name is a grace to them if they be vertuous for such a one is a crowne to her husband Pro. 12. 4. Now a crowne is high glory to a man and her husband is knowne in the gates Pro. 31. 23. Such wiues are to bee made much of as rare Birdes for too many may sit downe with shame and blush to bee named the husbands of some wiues Foolish though faire faire but perhaps filthy rich but withal retchlesse wiues but without gouernement husbands named the head but they must bee masters sometime painefull but Peacok-like proud often more mad or fullen sad than merrie if merrie it keepes not in with modesty if she speake it is lowd often heard farther then seene and yet oftener seene by a quiet husband then well liked of In a word a wicked foolish woman is shame to his person and rottennesse to his bones Pro. 12. 4. II. That grace in one preuents not death in another Naomies husband must die so Abrahams wife also Iacob must bid his Rachel adieu and Ezech. 24. 16. Ezechiel the desire of eyes for no mans grace can free himselfe much lesse another from death Psal 49. 7 9. and married persons are not appointed the same length of daies No we come not together and wee goe not together Let none hope for life by the grace of another let the neerest and dearest looke to part by death Ruth loued Naomi most dearely and saith that nothing should separate them but onely death verse 17. because shee knew that that must needes be yelded vnto III. That it is a great crosse for a woman to lose a good husband This is implied as I said in naming her by name for in him the wife loseth her head her guide her stay and comfort if hee be a vertuous man and a good husband I neede not intreat good and louing wiues to mourne for such sure enough they haue cause and wiues cannot but mourne except they conceit a new comfort very quickly as some doe for feare the old griefe should lye too long at the heart for him that is dead and cannot be recalled so with them the liuing is better to be liked of than the dead for they know their husbands would perhaps haue so dealt with them And shee was left and her two sonnes Death seazed onely vpon Elimelech and left Naomi and also her sonnes that she might not be vtterly comfortlesse in a strange countrey From this may we note these two things I. That albeit death is due to all in as much as all haue sinned yet it seazeth not vpon all at once but one dyeth now and another hereafter as we see in all ages which cōmeth not to passe for any good in one more than in another but God will haue mankind vpon earth till the last day hee forbeareth some and repriueth them for their amendment for the lengthning of life is for our further repentance if wee bee the Lords or for the greater condemnation of such as shall perish For this mercy God is to bee praised for we deserue death and it might seaze vpon euery one at once and take vs away because wee are borne