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
THE REWARD OF RELIGION Deliuered in sundrie Lectures vpon the Booke of Ruth wherein the godly may see their daily and outwarde tryals with the presence of God to assist them and his mercies to recompence them Verie profitable for this present time of dearth wherein manye are most pittifully tormented with want and also worthie to bee considered in this Golden age of the preaching of the word when some vomit vp the loathsomnes therof and others fall away to damnable securitie L v c. 12.32 Feare not little flocke for it is your Fathers will to giue you a kingdome Cyprian in the end of the 6. Epist lib. 4. Dearely beloued brethren let this bee rooted in your hearts let this be the preparation of our weapons let this bee your Meditation day and night to set before your eyes and consider with minde and sences the punishments of the wicked with the rewards and deserts of the righteous what penaltie he threatneth to them that denie him and what glorie hee promiseth to them which confesse him Seene and allowed LONDON Printed by Iohn Windet 1596. TO THE RIGHT Honourable vertuous and Christian Lady the Lady Margaret Barronnesse Dacres of the South grace mercie and peace be multiplied in this life present and eternall felicitie in the life to come RIght Honourable Ladie it is reported that the inhabitants of the mountaine Cassius by Seleucia at the third watch of the night doe behold the Globe of the Sunne so that on the one side they see our accustomed darkenesse couering the face of the whole earth on the other side the glistering beames of the shining light displaying the shadow of the nightly darkenes In my opinion this hill doth verie fitly resemble the excellencie of the word of God and the inhabitants thereof the professors of Religion for long since the Sun of righteousnesse the Sonne of God departed from the sight of the world and declined like the Sunne of the firmament hath left the vniuersall Orbe of the whole earth in palpable darknes Yet to vs liuing in this world the beames of his brightnesse the light of his spirit the power of his person and the glorie of his godhead is most euidently manifested by the Scriptures and preaching of his holy word so that there we behold infinite thousands walking in darkenesse and standing on the left hand of God ready for damnation but here wee see a few persons professors of Religion like the men of Cassius liuing in the sight and presence of our Sauiour whom they behold shining in the Scriptures and standing on the right hande waiting for saluation For this cause the voice of the eternall God soundeth so often vnto vs in the Scriptures that wee were vnder the prince of darkenesse that wee were darkned in our cogitation that it was night but now the day starre from on high hath visited vs and therefore we must cast away the deedes of darknesse and put on the armour of light and the Scriptures euery where testifie that the Church of God is in the toppe of the mountaines meaning that the dignitie of our calling as farre excelleth the fancies of the world as the hils arise aboue the vallies of the earth This is the infallible word of life and all the writings of men are but the Apes hereof from hence they heard of their Golden ages their feareful wonders their strange inuentions and their incredible fictions which they haue broched concerning heauen and earth When Ptolomeus Philadelphus king of Egypt builded his famous Librarie and had furnished it with al the writings of the heathen hee also by Ambassadours to the high Priest in Iudah obtained the olde Testament and sixe men of euery Tribe to Translate it out of Hebrewe into Greeke then Demetrius Phalerius one of the Schollers of Theophrastus certified the King that among all the writings of their learned Philosophers they onely were Diuine and the Caelestiall Oracles of the euerlasting God For their truth the secrete nature of euerie hart is forced to confesse for their substance it is altogether occupied on heauenly things for their sinceritie it is established in the promise of him who neuer changeth for their stile neither the principles of Plato the demonstrations of Aristotle the inuentions of Hippocrates the sleights of Carneades the exclamations of Cicero or the conceipts of Seneca were vttered in so plaine eloquence or commendable phrases as the Scriptures of our saluation Also if your Ho. consider the often changes of the lawes of godlesse Gentiles you shall perceiue that they haue had as many Religions as generations but you shall finde that we haue now the Religion of Adam the faith of Enoch the Arke of Noah the sacrifice of Abraham and all the true worship of God as the Church possessed it many thousand yeares agoe and all because the rule hereof the heauenly word of God remaineth for euer Lycurgus the best law-maker that euer was among the Gentiles when he saw his lawes to be amended of the Spartanes for very griefe thereof famished himselfe at Crissa The lawes which Papius Iulius gaue to the Romanes were disanulled by Seuerus the Emperour all the world erreth some one way and some another mutually condemning each others superstition onely the Church of God in euerie age retained one God one faith one Baptisme and one substance of Religion because it followeth one voice of the holye Ghost speaking in the Scriptures It were infinite to set downe all the commoditie we receiue by this heauenly writing By it our manners are mollified our minds instructed our liues blessed and we deliuered from Atheisme Paganisme and Papisme Atheisme denieth all things Paganisme corrupteth all thinges and Papisme confoundeth all things therefore by the word of God wee are freed from doubting the truth deceiuing our owne soules and confounding Religion And because this requireth some proofe I beseech your Ho. to beare with my tediousnesse while I manifest my minde so briefely as I may omitting Atheisme fitter for dogges to beleeue then men to professe I will briefely declare how the Gentiles such as wee were before the worde wrought our calling haue falsified the whole Scripture and corrupted the tradition thereof with the inuentions of their owne Poets and how the Papists are but confounders of Heathenisme heresie and Christianitie First to begin with the Gentiles while reason and nature enforced them to confesse a God which is onely and truely learned in the scriptures they imagined a multitude of goddes and goddesses in the Scripture we finde the mention hereof that euerie nation had a peculiar God The Zidonians and Sirians had Astaroth or as some call him Astartes the Moabites had Chemosh the Ammonites had Milcom or Moloch the Babilonians Bel the Philistins Dagon the Egyptians worshipped many beastes but especially a sheepe among other writers we find that the Athenians had Apollo and Minerua the Boetian Thebes Bacchus and Hercules Carthage had Iuno Cyprus and Paphus Venus Rhodes Apollo Taenarus Neptune
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
whom came this godly and wealthy Boaz. In this then we see true the saying of the Apostle that godlinesse hath the promises of this life and of the life to come for in hir selfe she was blessed with an honourable marriage in her posterity with a godly and a wealthy son This my beloued is a notable encouragement to religion for Christ sayth that whosoeuer shal for him forsake father or mother wife or children shall receiue many times so much in this world but eternall saluation in the life to come This answereth and stoppeth the mouthes of the enemyes which call the professors bankeruptes impouerished decayd persons yea as base as beggers in this world which by their religion vndoe themselues and their posterity But on the contrary we affirme that religion bringeth no discommodity euen in worldly things the reason is because it teacheth vs to vse our riches aright If a man had mountaines of money knew not how to employ it what profit could he receiue therby euen so surely without Christ and his Gospell I meane the true knowledge thereof there is no lawful vse of these worldly benefits and except euery one learne to apply them by the word of God hee possesseth his wealth as a thiefe doth the purse of a true man in the presence of God is no better then a violent robber which takeeth away the mony from the lawfull possessors which haue proued and learned the way to vse it and as they haue it without his knowledge euen so they shall vse it without his blessing Therfore be not discouraged my dere brethren come forward in religion it is the deuil that telleth you you must make bread of stones that is you must relye vppon the world and follow the custome thereof there is greater plenty and â—store in the garners of God his word then in all the cornefields of the world He which could feede fiue thousand people with fiue barly loaues and two fishes hath hee not inough for the maintenance of thy family He which fed the host of Israel almost fourty yeares with angells foode are not the heauens his for euermore when almost all the world was in a famine did hee not prouide for his seruant Eliah first commaunding the rauens to bring him bread and meate morning and euening to the brooke Cherith and that being dried vp sustained him with a widdow and her son by a handful of meal a litle oile for a long season Did not our gracious father multiplie the oile of a poore prophets widow into many vessels which before coulde not fill one And what shall I saie more I haue neuer seene the righteous forsaken or their children left destitute And Ruth After the holy Ghost had set downe the description of Boaz as the necessarie occasion to vnderstand that which followeth in the next place he expresseth this of Ruth Wherein he sheweth vs the carefulnesse of Ruth for her mother and her selfe being in a strange place would not in hunger harbor at home but rather aduenture her perill in an honest labour by going abroad to gleane in the fieldes therefore to her mother shee commeth and asketh leaue which beeing granted forth she goeth the prouidence of the Lorde directing her iourney she commeth to the haruest field of Boaz her kinsman Where first of all wee gather what manner of lyfe they lead after they came to Bethlehem namely a very poore base and despised estate not halfe so good to see to as that which they lead and liued among the Moabites insomuch as one may nowe saie vnto mee you tolde vs euen now the golden rewards and precious commoditie of true religion which it bringeth to all them that faithfully receiue it but you see these two godly women as armed examples against your selfe they liued wealthily in Moab but poorely in Iudah with the wicked they found gentle liberalitie but with the godly they indure wofull pouertie What colde intertainment doo they finde at Bethlehem euen in the Church of God for whose sake one forsooke her countrie the other her wealth and both of them their welfare so that the profession of religion looseth our friends denieth our countrie disquieteth our peace ingendereth our trouble consumeth our wealth and decaâ—eth our substance Is this the profit of your profession which promiseth mountaines of securitie and paieth multitude of miseries How shall we bee incouraged to religion when at the first entrie we shall paie so great an in-come and depart from a fine worth all our substance To this I answere that if the beginning bee not so ioyful as you or they wished yet the end answered their expectation I grant you shall first find a little want but in the end you shall possesse a great gaine A man that hath a thousand pounds layde beside him layeth it out vpon a bargaine whereof hee shall receiue no profite in many yeeres but the date expired and the daie of receit come hee receiueth his owne and many thousand pounds for his gaine you will graunt at the first hee emptieth his coffers and bags and leaueth him selfe bare and mony lesse yet you would account him a foole if he would not vpon sure bands of so great aduantage aduenture his owne and giue forth his monie Euen so it is in religion it is a pearle for which we must sel both liuing landes and yet it is worth both and many thousand times more if thou feele not the profit at the first tarry a while thou hast the promise band of the Lorde of hoasts hee is able and willing to performe and paie at the time appointed and if thou canst abide a little want of earthly commodities shortly thou shalt see them rolling vpon thee in excellent aboundance and exceeding quantityes And this teacheth vs with what mind we must embrace religion not for any present commoditye or temporall gaine but with deniall of our liues and riches that they may serue vs as ordinarye expenses in our iourney to euerlasting saluation the kingdome of heauen For they are much deceiued that receiue the truth to increase their wealth making Christianity a gainefull trade for although it hath the promises yet it hath not alway the possession of things in this life but as the right heires are many times put beside their inheritances which are possessed by vnlawfull owners so the godly are the right heires of the whole world although the wicked haue driuen them out of possession for the which the Apostle sayd that godlynesse hath the promises of this life and also of the life to come Againe those promises that the meeke shall possesse the earth and their seede shall inherite the land and especially that the verie same which are the elected heyres of grace are also the appointed inherytours of this worlde But this my beloued must establishe our mindes that as the seed which is cast into the ground seemeth for a long season to be lost
obtained of Phocas the Emperour and murderer of Mauritius that the Bishoppe of Rome might bee the heade of all Churches to whose iudgement all the world in spirituall matters must be subiect by which in time it came to this that hee corrupted the whole Church of Christ that hee got both swords into his hand and made himselfe a triple Crowne after the manner of the late Roman Emperors who had three Crownes at their inauguration and as the triple lightning was the auncient of Iupiter so the triple Crowne is the badge of the Pope thourough the honour or terrour thereof he threatneth what thunder-bolts he pleaseth in the world The Cabalists imagined two Keyes whereby Paradise was opened and shutte from hence the Pope hath in his banner the crosse Keyes telling vs that he hath power to open and shut Paradise for against whō he pleaseth Being thus exalted into the highest place as it was reported the God Termines would not giue place to iupiter standing both in the Capitoll no more the Pope giueth place to Christ although hee stand in the middest of his Church and sit at the right hand of his Father in heauen For this cause as the Emperours had their senate so he hath his Cardinals as the Egyptians bound the Priests of Isis or Apis to liue in perpetuall virginitie so hee forceth the sacred shauelings of his vnholy seate with the vowe of perpetuall chastitie and that he might helpe their weaknesse in this behalfe as Caligula suffered the whoores of Rome in his daies so the Popes haue graunted the tolleration of a Stewes builded by a Pope Sixtus the fourth which in shorte time so preuailed that the Pope receiued for Rents thereof fourtie thousand Duccats by the yeare And Paule the thirde had the names of fourtie fiue thousand Tennants belonging to that most filthie and damnable kinde of life Furthermore hee furnished or rather poysoned the Church of Christ with Friers Munkes Nunnes The Friers and Munkes are the successors of the Essaean Dosithaean Nasachaean and Cynicall heretickes which like these take vpon them the vowes of wilfull pouertie and perpetuall chastitie placing their Religion in abstinence from meates in outward and hypocriticall fasting affirming that they are the successors and followers of the Apostles like the heretiques called by Augustine Apostoliques defending that the Apostles leade a single life and had no wiues so these Romish heretiques accompt Marriage but filthines like the Marcionites Tacians Adamites Platonists and Valesian heretiques and are not ashamed to make the holy Apostles of Christ breakers of wedlocke and wilfull departers from their own wiues contrarie to the writings of the Euangelists and Saint Paul The Nunnes or women-Munks are the naturall successors of the vestall Virgins instituted by Numa as these were Dedicated to Vesta Apollo Iuno Argiua Diana Minerua so are the Romish Nunns to Marie the mother of Christ and other holy women Then also did he begin to dresse and adorne the Temples with Images which he learned of the Gentiles as I haue already declared and herein hee ioyned with the Gnostickes and Basilidian heretiques who defended Images to be lawfull for Christian people and as the Gentiles had their sacrifices for the dead called Inferiae so he instituted praiers for the dead least he should seeme to want any thing which hee should not haue Then also hee tooke the Scriptures from the common people least they should espie his lewdnesse and as Lysis the Pythagorean blamed one of his fellowes for making knowne abroade their Masters precepts so hee blameth all those that shall open the misteries of the Gospell to the common people and as the Magicians of Persia were wont to sing to their Idols in a strange tongue so the Pope commanded all things to bee done in the Church in an vnknowne language wherein they also ioyne with the Basilidian heretiques who gaue this as a principle that their misteries must be concealed and reuealed onely to a few being worse then the Pythagoreans who commaunded but fiue yeares silence to their Disciples but the Papistes keepe men all their liues from reading speaking and conferring on the Scriptures By this meanes he deceiued the world with iugling like the heretiques called Mirabiliarii and affirmed that faith commeth by nature like the Basilidians and Gnosticks they taught that euerie one that would be saued must be annoyled in their sickenesse like the Heracleonite heretiques that it is lawfull for women to Baptise like the Marcionites that children vnbaptised are not vnder the couenant and that grace is giuen with the outward signe like the Arrians and Heracleonites that children must be annoynted with Oyle in Baptisme like the heretiques Marcus and Marcosus that Baptisme washeth away originall sinnes and such actuall as are committed before like the Nouatians and Messalian heretiques that the Sacrament of the Supper of the Lord after the words of Consecration spoken is the verie body and bloud of Christ so the heretiques called Marcites said they made by coniuration and for this cause the Pepuzian heretiques baked the bloud of man with the bread ordained for this supper that wine must bee mingled with water as the Artotyrites said they must offer Cheese with the bread in the Sacrament that good workes merite eternall life like the Pelagians Catharites and Mahumetistes that a man since the fall of Adam hath free will and that God hath Predestinated none like the Pelagians that it is lawfull for vs to sweare by creatures as the Virgine Marie Saints and Angels so doe the Manichaeans and Mahumetistes that some sinnes be mortall and some veniall so doth Mahomet affirme with a thousand like most vaine wicked wretched blasphemous and damnable assertions which were most easie to bee proued if there were any question of it By this your Ho. may perceiue that their Religion is but patched of many condemned heresies defended by vnwritten traditions and maintained by violent and forcible dealing like the Chamelaeon they haue often changed and poysoned the world but the scriptures are as a Baye lease to cure the contagion of such mortall confusion and thus in some sort I haue perfourmed my promise in deliuering the vanity of the world which hath refused the wisedome of the eternall word of God The end of this my speech is to shew the wonderfull and incomparable treasure of the holy Scriptures for as the Golde hath the brightest beames being laide to the Copper as the Adamante is of greatest force when the loade stone is beside it and the purest colour hath the best hiewe when the countersaite is compared with it so the blessing of God in his word doth most magnificently appeare when wee behold before our eyes the counterfaite colours of superstitious conceipts the crooked deuises and cursed opinions of the condemned Crue which haue refused the waye of life declared herein and chused the path of damnation for the hire of their superstition The Scriptures are not only a Castle to keepe
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
deceiued in her that hee might thinke shee came to worke for him and not for her selfe therefore she telleth him playnely that she should not be as one of his maydens that is as one of his hired seruantes So that these wordes of Ruth tend to her owne hinderaunce if Boaz had beene deceyued in her yet godlines will not conceale that which maketh against it selfe if the question be made of profite Whereby we note that encroching for bargaines facing for promises suing for counterfait titles such like actions cannot agree with the simplicitie of a godly minded christian whose conscience is his court his religion his atturney and the word of God his iudge to pronounce definitiue sentence against his owne cause if it tend to the perill and damage of his neighbour or discredite of his profession Oh that wee had more of this simplicitie and lesse of this subtiltie whereby wee deceiue our owne soules betray the glorious gospell of Iesus Christ confound the weake mindes of our wauering brethren make shipwracke of pure consciences cast our selues headlong for the worlde into the fire of hell But Boaz said This last verse sheweth vnto vs that Boaz was not deceyued in Ruth but shutteth vp the communication by calling her to meate and dealeth to her so abundantly that she leaueth some By the which wordes there is noted two degrees of the kindnesse of this man First that in his owne person hee calleth her to meat secondly that with his owne handes hee gaue her abundantly Where we see againe and againe commended vnto vs the humility liberalitie of this Boaz he disdayneth not to call so simple a guest to his table knowing her to be a faithfull sister for whose sake if need were he was bound to lay downe his life Whereby we are instructed to cast of the statelines of our stomackes standing vpon our pantophles scant vouchsafing to looke frendly on a poore man or woman much lesse to speake kindly to eyther of both Againe his liberality by giuing so plentifully vnto her with his owne handes it appeareth hee was none of these counterfaite giuers which promise much and performe little and for euery carnall companions tale bearing and whispering withdrawe their promised and bounden liberalitie from church and poore from minister and religion Oh how colde is this deuotion which proceedeth from a sodayne humour and soone endeth to God his dishonour Better had it been for those men not to shew any fauour at all then after they haue rashly begunne causlesse to withdrawe their beneuolence from Christ But I consider there shall bee some that shall say at the latter ende vnto our sauiour wee haue prophesied in thy name we haue eaten in thy presence and yet hee shall say vnto them departe from mee yee workers of iniquitie I know you not then shall they bee blessed which haue wasted their wealth for religion consumed their liuing on the faithfull and continued their liberality vnto the end Nowe let vs giue prayse to God The ende of the sixte Lecture The seuenth Lecture Chap. 2. ver 15.16.17.18.19.20.21.22.23 15. And when she arose to gleane Boaz commaunded his seruants saying let her gather among the sheaues and do not rebuke her 16. And let fall some of the sheaues for her let it lie that she may gather it vp and rebuke her not 17. And so she gleaned in the field til euening she threshed that which she had gathered it was about an ephâ— of barly 18. And she tooke it vp went into the citty her mother in law saw what she had gathered she tooke foorth gaue vnto her of that which she had left when she was sufficed 19 Then her mother in law said vnto her where hast thou gleaned to day where wroughtest thou Blessed be he that knewe thee she shewed her mother in law with whome shee had wrought saide the mans name with whome I wrought to day was Boaz. 20. And Naomi said vnto her daughter in law blessed be he of the Lord for he ceaseth not to doe good both to the liuing to the dead Againe Naomi saide vnto her the man is neere vnto vs of our affinitie 21. And Ruth the Moabitesse saide He said also certenly vnto me thou shalt be with my seruantes vntill they haue ended all the haruest which is mine 22. And Naomi answered vnto Ruth her daughter in law it is best my daughter that thou go out with his maidens that they meet thee not in another field 23. Then shee kept her by the maydes of Boaz vnto the end of barley haruest wheat haruest dwelt with her mother in law THese verses vnto the ende of this Chapter contayne those things which Boaz Ruth did with Naomi also after that Ruth had dined The words haue two partes The first between Ruth and Boaz in the field The second betweene Ruth her mother in lawe at home The first part is in ver 15.16.17 wherein is set down what Ruth did after dinner that she arose to gather eares which is declared by the time verse 17. and the quantitie in the same verse an epha of barley Secondly Bohaz reneweth his commandement to his seruantes for Ruth wherein hee willeth them first that they suffer her to gather where she please verse 15. Secondly that they willingly let fall vnto her out of the sheaues and suffer her to take it vp The other part of Ruth and Naomi is contayned ver 18.19.20.21 22.23 declareth what these twaine did after Ruth came from the field and after her comming home vers 18. bringing both her gleaned corne and reserued victuall They twaine commune of those thinges which Boaz had done to Ruth First Naomi asketh Ruth where she had gleaned that day ver 19. To which Ruth answereth telling the name of the man in whose possession she had gathered to be Boaz. vers 19. Secondely his curtesie towarde her not onely for that present but also biddeth her to abide with his maydes vnto the end of his haruest After this Naomi first praieth for the man ver 20. alleadging his kindnes not onely to them that are liuing but also to those that are dead telling Ruth that the man was their kinsman Secondly she counselleth Ruth vers 22. that she take his proffer and abide with his maydens for feare shee be denyed in another fielde which Ruth perfourmeth ver 23 and keepeth with them to the ende of barley haruest and wheate haruest and afterwarde with her mother Of these parts let vs briefely speake as the spirit shall assist and the time permit Then she arose After dinner like one carefull of her busines she repaireth to her former worke here by y e way this question may be made whether Ruth gaue any thanks to God for her meat seeing it is not mentioned for this doubt must not be omitted nor passe vndissolued lest our carnal companions in this age which come go
thankesgiuing to God vers 14. in these words Blessed be God secondly the matter of their thankesgiuing in the words following first for Bohaz his sake in that God had left him to be Naomies kinseman secondly because this childe of Ruthes her louing daughter in law should renew her yeares and cherish her old age of these parts let vs briefely speake in order So Boaz tooke After the solemnitie of this mariage in the presence of the people and their prayer ended which they powred foorth in the behalfe of both these partyes and their posteritie Bohaz proceedeth to the end of this action and taketh Ruth to his house to be his wife as a duety of a kinde and a godly husband For all this while we must imagine that Ruth was absent from the place of this communication and according to the counsayle of her mother sate wayting at home for some prosperous newes and praying no doubt for a ioyfull successe of this desired mariage our of this we gather First the duety of all godly husbands which is to take their wiues and dwell with them as this Boaz doth Ruth for it is no doubt but that he presently went to the house of her mother and thence tooke her bringing her to his owne house that there they might liue and loue together This phrase of scripture wee may finde vsed in many places as in the history of Izaak how he tooke Ribkah his wife and brought her into the tent of Sarai his mother and was comforted after his mothers death where the holy Ghost doth not onely declare the kindnesse of Izaak but also the commoditie of dwelling with a wife for the presence of Ribkah caused her husband to forget the death of his mother as if he had sayd the presence of a wife is greater then the comfort of a mother For this cause Peter exhorteth that husbands should dwell with their wiues like men of vnderstanding giuing honour to their wiues as to weaker vessels because they are the heyres of the same grace and that their prayers be not hindered as if he had sayd they must dwell together and they must pray together for as Christ is alway present with his Church so husbands must keepe the companies of their wiues This point being euident both by reason and religion it condemneth the wandring abroade of many idle husbands some which are neuer satisfied with riches by markets and merchandise trauailing in the world depriue their wiues of their due beneuolence others for their pleasure walke from Countrey to Countrey spending their dayes in pleasant disport among carnall and suspitious companions leaue wife and family to the sea of this world like children in a Ship without guide or mariner many are present but to the discommoditie and discomfort of their poore wiues and children oh how doe any of these persons take their wiues with godly mindes eyther to dwell or pray together How can the vine prosper when the roote is vncouered and how can women be comforted when their couer is taken from them I meane their husbands as Abimelech the king of Gerar tolde vnto Sara Is not the body dead without a head yea if it be but a minute of an houre do not then our wandering youths murder the bodie of their owne family being absent about vnnecessary busines sometime for the space of many moneths Is not the body maymed if it want but the least member yea but a finger how is then those households wounded where the chiefest parts either husbands or wiues be wanting and wandering abroade and finally what is this but to diuorce themselues for a season without any lawfull cause to put asunder them whome the Lord hath ioyned together to breake the felowship of holy wedlocke to despise the societie of godly marriage to lay open themselues to the temptations of the deuils and to thrust both bodyes and soules into daunger of damnation This I speake not as if all absence frō eyther party which consent for a time about necessary busines were vtterly vnlawfull for so Iacob Moses Aaron Dauid and the Apostles should be faulty but I speake against this wilfull departing of one from the other without either consent of man or wife conscience of the law of God or regard to their owne persons for the company of these twayne is greater then parents or children for which the Apostle sayth that if one be a beleeuing person and the other an infidell yet they must not depart if they be willing to dwell with them and he giueth no libertie for breaking theyr companie except it be to pray the more feruently and wisheth also that if they doe so yet it must be but for a season that sathan tempt them not so great regard must be had of the fellowship in marriage that the zeale of prayer the worship of God the loue of our owne parents the increase of wealth and the pleasure of the world must not separate without the voyce of both partyes and yet the time must be but short for the auoyding the temptation of Sathan and the daunger of their owne damnation Secondly by this we may gather who is the author and sender of children which is the Lord for this scripture sayth that the Lord gaue her to conceiue for as Paule sayth of the corne that is cast into the earth that it increaseth neither by the planter nor yet the waterer but by the Lord so must we say by the seede of mankinde that it lyeth neyther in the husband nor in the wife but in the blessing of God for which cause when Rahell sayd to her husband Iacob giue me children or else I dye he answered her in anger am I in Gods steede that kept thee frō the fruite of thy womb as if he had said it is God that sendeth issue and not man therefore Dauid saith that children are the possession of the Lord and the fruite of the womb is his reward By the which we are taught many excellēt and worthy lessons first that seing they come from the author of euery good gift we haue a ready way where to aske them when we want them for as when we want wisedome the Apostle saith we must aske wisedome at the hand of God so whē we want children we must aske children at the hand of God When Ribkah was barren by her husbands prayer she was made fruitfull so barren women by their husbands prayers haue bene made the mothers of many children Annah obtained by her prayer at the temple not only Samuell but also three other sonnes and two daughters Oh let vs not be vexed then for many children but let euery one aske confidently by the will of God and they shall receiue if it so please him plentifully to their owne desire Secondly seeing children come of the Lord we are taught to vse them as the blessings of God and as the child by nature should first know
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
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
in religion or rather in worldlines so shal we haue fauour aspire to the greatest promotions for there is greatest profit finally take pleasure in vnlawfull things let vs say come behind vs sathan For it is not our frend but our enimy sathan that thus alureth vs with the baite of pleasure ease and profite that wee might hang on the hooke of perpetuall perdition Then seeing we haue espied his pollicy discouered his deceipt tried the discommodityes that ensue his obedience let vs innocent children once burned dread the fire and as Iacob said by his own sons Simeon Leui My soule come not into their habitation so let vs say to our derest frends when their counsell a good conscience cannot stand together better breake the league of frenshippe betweene vs then suffer the shipwark of a pretious peaceable conscience The wisest Salomon by hearkning to his wiues disobeyed the Lord it cost him ten tribes of his kingdome if such greene peeces be destroyed what shall become of the rotte feare therfore if angels from heauen must not be heard much lesse deuils frō hell drawing vs away from following the trueth by the mouth of our dearest nearest frendes though it were by your wiues that lye in your bosomes Therfore let vs take vnto vs the whole armour of God that we may stand fast in the day of battell better neuer run except we obtain the price better neuer to haue known God or his Gospell then now to fall away from him againe But Ruth said intreat mee not This is the first part of the answere of Ruth to the argument of her mother it is her petition with the reason of it wherein she protesteth that it is better vnto her not to bee intreated to depart or once to haue it motioned or mentioned to go frō hir for her resolution is that neither the troubles or trauailes of life could separate her neither the sorrowes of death or desolation of the graue shoulde depriue her of Naomies company for she saith Where thou dyest will I dye and there will I be buried Out of which I obserue these thinges First howe the godly behaue themselues in all tryalls and temptations namely that the very thoughts of departing from God and yelding to sin are very gall and bitternes vnto them insomuch as they say with Ruth intreate me not to leaue thee that is neuer speake worde to moue me from hearing God his word to ouerthrow my faith to turne me to disobedience to perish my conscience to hinder my course or to subuert my profession A notable example hereof is in Elisha who was intreated by Eliah as here Ruth is by Naomi First he bid him tarry at Gilgal till he went to Bethel but Elisha said as the Lorde liueth as thy soule liueth I will not leaue thee nor depart from thee then they went to Bethel together and bid him tary there for the Lord sendeth him to Iericho but Elisha answered as the Lord liueth as thy soule liueth I will not leaue thee nor departe from thee then they went to Iericho Eliah bid him tary there till he went to Iericho and Eliah bid him tarrie there till hee went to meete the Lorde at Iordan Elisha aunswered as he did before for Eliah foresee that if he went not with Eliah he shoulde haue no benefite by his seruice so if we abide not the obiections of our friends the reporches of our enemies the intisements of the world the persuasions of our owne fathers and mothers that are against vs in religion we shall loose al that we haue done before yea though they shoulde say as Rabsakeh sayd to the men of Ezechia The Lord hath sent vs to speake vnto you But many will say if profane worldlings shuld discourage vs in religiō those y t are open contemners shuld perswade vs from it thē we could abide it but it goeth nie vs whē our own wiues or husbands fathers or mothers brethren sisters companions acquaintāce shal try vs so narowly But marke dearly beloued thou art not alone Ruth was thus handled by Naomi her deare mother in law for whose sake she had departed from kindred country yet she trieth molesteth vexeth her yet by the sauing grace of God his assisting spirit in the end she acquiteth her selfe like a woman of strength in the Lords quarel for the Lord for our farther triall doth not only proue vs in the lest but in the greatest afflictions The Israelits cared but little for the philistins had they not had giants among them so the Lord will bring crosses like armed men to dismay vs that our valor and courage may be knowne Iob had first one herd taken away and then an other in the end his children crushed to death and then he was strangely visited in his own body but hauing only one comfort in al the world left his wife she bid him curse God die But some say we would willingly be professors but the preachers themselues tell vs how we must be mortified they cal vs in their sermons wretches cursed creatures these hard words hinder vs if they spoke faire vnto vs cried mercy mercy we would with more dilligence frequent their exercise I answere if they speake in God his name whose embassadours they are cannot you beare it for his sake they are not commō persons in that place but supply Christs roome now Christ called his disciples a faithles generation he called Peter sathan a poore woman he called dog when she came vnto him How did he deale with king Herod and with the Pharisees euery man knoweth and are you better then these Paul called the Galathians folish was it not to make them wise that therby he might draw them to the truth they had forsaken euen so the ministers of Christ must handle this rough world setting it out by the titles that by the name they may gesse of the nature If the rich man promise peace to his soule in the multitude of his possessions shal not the Lord cal him fool for his labor if all the world follow the prince that raigneth in the aire shall not we say that they bee without God and so without saluation Doth not the Lord chasten vs in this world y t we shuld not be condēned in the world to come Are not seruants contented to bear hard words at the hāds of their masters because they receiue wages of them euen so suffer God his ministers to speake the worst they can of you yet I assure you there is no faithfull preacher that will speake so basely of the notablest wicked person that is but he speaketh thinketh a thousand times more basely of himself Beare with them therefore you are children infants in religion not able to speake they speake for you to the Lord in as humble manner as may be knowing that the