Two Sermons, Commentary · Chapter 1 · Verse 3
Vers. 3. 4. 5.
And Elimelech Naomies Husband dyed, and she was left, and her two Sonnes, &c.
IN these words we have two Marriages ushered, and followed by Funeralls: I will begin there, where one day all must make an end, at Death;
And Elimelech Naomies Husband dyed.
I have seldom seen a Tree thrive that hath been transplanted when it was old, the same may be seen in Elimelech, his aged body brooks not the forraign Aire; though he could avoid the Arrows of Famine in Israel, yet he could not shun the Darts of Death in Moab: he that lived in a place of Penury, must die in a Land of Plenty: Let none condemne Elimelech's removal as unlawful, because of his suddain dea…h, for those actions are not u… godly which are unsuccessfull, nor those pious which are prosperous, seeing the lawfulnesse of an action is not to be gathered from the joyfulnesse of the event, but from the justnesse of the cause, for which it is undertaken.
Observ. 1.
Hence we observe, that God can easily frustrate our fairest hopes, and defeat our most probable projects, in m…king those places most dangerous, which we account most safe and secure, causing death to meet us there, where we think furthest to flie from it.
Observ. 2.
2. We see that no outward plenty can priviledge us from death; the sand of our li…e runneth as fast, though the Hour-glass be set in the sunshine of prosperity, as in the gloomy shade of affliction.
And she was left and her two Sons.
Here we see how mercifully God dealt with Naomi, in that he quenched not all the sparks of her comfort at once; but though he took away the stock, he left her the stems; though he deprived her as it were of the …se of her own leggs, by taking away her Husband, yet he left her a staffe in each of her hands, her two Sons to support her. Indeed afterwards he took them away, but first he provided her a gracious Daughter-in-law: whence we learn, God powreth not all his afflictions at once, but ever leaveth a little comfort, otherwise we should not onelyonly be pressed down, but crush't to powder under the weight of his heavy hand.
And they tooke them wives of the women of Moab, &c.
Here we see the fashion of the world, mankind had long ago decaied, if those breaches which are daily made by Death, were not daily made up by Marriage. But here ariseth a question, Whether these matches were lawfull? for answer whereof, we will suppose Naomi disswading her Sonnes on this manner.
Disswasion.
What, my Sonnes? and what, persons of my wombe? and what, the Sonnes of my desire? give not your strength to strange women, and your wayes to that that destroyed men. It is not for you O Mahlon and Chilion, it is not for you to marry Moabites; nor for the Sonnes of an Isra…lite t… marry the Daughters of the uncircumcised. Remember my Sonnes what God saith by the mouth of Moses, Deut. 7. 3. Thou shalt not make Marriages with them, thy Daughter shalt thou not give to his Sonne, nor take his daughter to thy Sonne, for they will turn away thy Son from following me, to serve strange Gods, so will the anger of the Lord be kindled against thee to destroy thee suddenly. Take he…d therefore least long looking on these women, you at length be made blind, least they suck out your souls with kisses, and Snake-like, sting you with embraces: curb your affections untill you come into Canaan where you shall find varietie of wives, who as they come not short of these for the beauties of their bodies, so they farre go beyond them for the sanctitie of their souls.
Answer.
To this disswasion, thus might her Childeren answer: We thank you deare Mother for your carefulnesse over our good; but we must intreat you not to interpret it undutifulnesse, if upon good reason we dissent from your judgement herein. In the place by you cited, Marriages are forbidden with such strange women as are of a stubborn obstinate and refractory nature, such as are likely to seduce their Husbands; whereas you see the mild, towardly, and tractable disposition of these women we meane to make our wives; we hope to plant these wild branches in Gods Vineyard, to bring these straggling sheep to his fold, to make them Proselytes to our Religion: Besides, this Marriage will be advantagious for us, thereby we shall endeare our selves into the Moabites affections, they will use us the more courteously, when we have married one of their own kindred.
…ut methinks my tongue refuseth to be any longer the advocate of an unlawfull deed, and my mouth denyeth to be the Orator of an unjust action: when I have said what I can for the defence of their Marriage, I shall but make a plaster too narrow for the sore, the breach is so broad I cannot stop it, though I may dam it up with untempered morter. Nothing can be brought for the defence of these matches, something may be said for the excuse of them, but that fetcht not from pietie, but from poliey; not certain, but conjecturall; yet here may we see th… power and providence of God, who made so good use of these Mens defaults, as hereby to bring Ruth, first to be a retainer to the family of Faith, and afterwards a joyfull Mother in Israel. This is that good Chymick that can distill good out of evill, light out of darknesse, order out of confusion, and make the crooked actions of men tend to his own glory in a straight line, and his Childrens good.
I speak not this to defend any mans folly in doing of evill, but to admire Gods wisdome, who can bring good out of evil: and surely he that will turn evill to good, will turn good to the best.
And they dwelled there about ten years.
Here we have the term of Naomi's living in Moab, and the Families lasting in Israel, ten years: we read of a Famine for three years, 2 Sam. 21. of three years and a half, 1 King. 17. of seven years, Gen. 42. as also 2 King. 8. but this ten years Famine longer then any; seven yeares which Iacob served for Rachel, seemed to him but a short time; but surely those ten yeares seemed to the afflicted Israelites, and to the banished Naomi, as so many millions of years.
Observ.
God doth not presently remove his rod from the back of his Children, but sometimes scourgeth them with long-lasting afflictions: the reason is, because we go on and persist so long in our sinnes; and yet herein even mercy exalteth her selfe against judgement: for if God should suffer the fire of his fury to burn, so long as the fuell of our sinnes do last, Lord, who were able to abide? were the dayes of our suffering, appor…ioned to the dayes of our living, no flesh would be saved, but for the Elect sake, those dayes are shortned.
Vse.
Beare with patience light afflictions; when God afflicteth his Children with long lasting punishments; mutter not for a burning F…aver of a fortnight, what is this to the woman that had a running Issue for twelve years; murmur not for a twelve moneths quartain Ague, 'is nothing to the woman that was bowed for eightteen years; nor seven years Consumption, to the man that lay thirty eight years lame at the Pool of Bethezda.
And Mahlon and Chilion died also b…th of them.
It was but even now that old Elimelech was gone to bed; see, his Sonnes would not sit long up after the Father; onelyonly here is the difference, He like ripe fruit fell down of his own accord; they like green Apples, were cudgel'd off the Tree.
Observ.
Even young men in the prime of their age, are subject to death; the Sons of Iacob when they came to the Table of Ioseph sat down, the eldest according to his age, and the youngest according to his youth; but Death observes not this method, she takes not Men in seniority, but sometimes sends them first to the buriall that came last from the birth, and those that came last from the wombe, first to their winding sheet. There were as many Lambs and Kids sacrificed in the old Testament, as Goats and old Sheep; but surely more there be that die in infancy and in youth, then of those that attain to old age.
Vse.
Remember thy Creator in the dayes of thy youth: you whose joynts are knit with sturdy sine ws, whose veines are full of blood, whose arteries are flush't with spirits, whose bones are fraught with Marrow; Obediah-like, serve God from your y…uth, put not the day of death far from you; think not your strength to be armour of proof against the darts of Death, when you see the Corslet of Mahlon and Chilion shot through in the left; so Mahlon and Chilion died both of them.
And the woman was left of her two Sons and of her Husband.
Before we had the particular losses of N…omi, now we have them all reckoned up in the totall sum; a Threefold Cable, saith Solomon, is not easily broken, and yet we see in Naomies threefold cable of comfort twisted of her husband and her two sonnes, broken by Death: of the two Sex, the woman is the weaker; of women, old women are most feeble; of old women, widows most wofull; of widowes, those that are poor, their plight most pittifull; of poor widows, those that want Children, their case most dolefull; of widows that want Children, those that once had them and after lost them, their estate most desolate; of widows that have had Children, those that are strangers in a forraign Country, their condition most comfortlesse: yet all these met together in Naomi as in the center of sorrow, to make the measure of her misery pressed down shaken together, running over. I conclude therefore, many Men have had affliction, none like Iob; many women have had tribulation, none like Naomi.