Ruths Recompense, Commentary on Ruth · Chapter 1 · Verse 15
Verſe 15. And ſhee ſaid, Behold, thy ſiſter in law is gone backe vntounto her people, and vntounto her gods: returne thou after thy ſiſter in law.
THis is Naomi her laſt triall of Ruth; and theſe words ſhew plainely, all was to trie her, becauſe ſhe telleth Ruth of Orphaes going backe, not onelyonly to her people, but alſo to her gods, which Naomi a good woman could not but hate, and could not ſo ill reſpect Ruth, and ſhew ſo great coldneſſe in Religion, and honour of the true God, as to diſſwade Ruth from the ſame God of truth, to returne vntounto Idols.
This verſe is an exhortation pretended then, but not intended, with the motiue thereto propounded, which was the Apoſtacy of Orpha, ſhewing what ſhee was to Ruth, and whither ſhee returned backe.
And ſhe ſaid.] Naomi vponupon Orphaes departure, for further triall of Ruth, taketh her example, and propoundeth the ſame to her: for as ſhe now ſaw Orphaes inconſtancie for all her former reſolution and teares, ſo ſhee had hereby ſome cauſe to make further triall of Ruth, this one time. The falls of ſome may iuſtly bring others into the tryall, though not wholy to doubt of their conſtancie; as if none could be good, becauſe ſome are bad: for ſome may fall from grace, when other may, through Gods mercy, continue to the end.
Behold, thy ſiſter in law is gone backe.] Theſe vvords ſhew, as ſoone as Orpha had kiſſed her mother-in law, ſhee went backe, with whom, or with what company is not mentioned; of her ſiſter in lavv Ruth, ſhee taketh no leaue, as ſuppoſing ſhee would come after; for we commonly iudge others by our ſelues, though wee be deceiued, as Orpha was of Ruth. In Orphaees leauing Naomi vponupon ſuch light reaſons, wee ſee, that a feeble heart, not truly ſettled, with weake reaſons of worldly wants, is ſoone drawne from a right way of well-doing. Silly vvere the reaſons which Naomi vſed to put her to the proofe: which ſheweth that all her former words in verſe 10. were but a flooriſh, and were vttered more of a ſuddaine paſſion, than out of any ſettled reſolution: yet this was not her onelyonly weakeneſſe, but ſhee left it to poſteritie. For wee may find her followers, ſuch as vponupon light motions will ſoone turne from goodneſſe, which ſhew that they are not ſettled truly in their affections before they begin, but lightly vndertake the way towards heauen, as did Orpha to Canaan, and as eaſily giuegive it ouer. A miſery to be bewailed; and by a well-grounded reſolution aforehand to bee preuented. Againe, in this, that Naomi trieth Ruth with this her ſiſters example, ſaying, Behold, ſhee is gone backe; it teacheth, that Examples of kindred, friends and old acquaintance declining from goodneſſe, are trials of others, to ſee whether they will abide; and indeede no ſmall inducements to pull others after them. Adam was ſoone drawne by Eue; Rehoboams heart was eaſily led after the aduice of his familiars; the women of Iudah by their husbands eaſily fell to Idolatry; which often is done vponuponIer. 44. 19. fooliſh affection to thoſe whom they follow, and not of iudgement; ſometime of feare to offend, ſometime in flatterie, ſometime through an ignorant perſwaſion that others doe well, in that they doe; eſpecially if the example before them, be of perſons of place, learning, honour, and great for outward eſtate: for they fondly thinke, that ſuch cannot doe amiſſe. Well, ſeeing Examples are ſo forcible, let them be wel examined before they be imitated, be the perſons whatſoeuer; for precepts and not examples are rules to liue by; very excellent perſons hauehave often done amiſſe, and gone out of the way; and as for kindred andLuk. 10. 52, 53. & 14. 26. acquaintance, wee are not to louelove them before Religion, which ſhould make a diuiſion between them, and vsus, if they take not the right way, and make vsus forſake them; remembring that one day God will diuide acquaintances, Math. 24. 40, 41. Luke 17. 34. And if yet men will here ſtick to them in euill, and not vvillingly ſeparate themſelues, they ſhall then periſh all together, and too late vvilt thou then repent, vvhichwhich vvaſt led avvay vvith their company, complaining of thy folly, and curſe the time that euer thou didſt knovv them.
VntoUnto her people.] That is, to the Moabites, of whom ſhee was, and among whom ſhee was borne. Shee was going to Gods people, but ſhee runeth backe to Idolaters, becauſe ſhee was of them, there borne, as I ſay, and acquainted with them. It is hard to forſake our natiue Countrey, where we are borne and brought vp. This may we ſee in Orpha, and in the mixt company which came out of Egypt; thither would they hauehave returned againe, though there they had liued in bondage; and this is firſt from a naturall inſtinct in eueryevery one, euen as the Heathen man witneſſeth. Againe, there isOuid. lib. 1. de Ponto: Neſcio qua natale ſolum dulcedine cunctos Ducit, & immemores non ſinit eſſe ſui. better hope, as is ſuppoſed, in wants to be relieued among friends, kindred, and acquaintance in their owne countrey, then elſewhere in a ſtrange place. And laſtly, the very thorow-acquaintance & knowledge of the country, the people, their nature and conditions, and their owne bringing vp there like vntounto them, is a great meanes to keepe the affection and heart towards the ſame. But from this in caſe of Religion we muſt labour to weane our ſelues, and follow Abraham, Heb. 11. 8. and religious Proſelytes, Ittai, and Vriah, with many others, yea and of later times bleſſed Exiles from their Natiue countryes for the Goſpels ſake, conſidering that one day we muſt bid farewell to all the World.
And to her gods.] This is a check vntounto Orpha: in which Naomi doth cloſely ſhew vntounto Ruth, her ſiſters miſery in going backe, which was, to worſhip Idols, and Deuils, with the people of her countrey, ſeeing ſhee now had none to keepe her backe from the ſame. Hence note briefely,
I. That to leaue Gods people, to goe to dwell among Idolaters, is euen to become an Idolater; For the louelove of Idolaters will bring to the louelove of their Idols: ſee it in Salomon, and in Iehoram Iehoſaphats ſonne: for ſuch hauehave dayly prouocations to that, which indeed they be of their owne natures prone vntounto: and therefore the Lord did forbid his people to hauehave any fellowſhip with the Nations, leſt they ſhould become Idolaters. Therefore let vsus not come among Idolaters, if we would not be like them: we may not preſume of our owne ſtrength, nor thinke by our groūdednes in Religion, to take our liberty to marry with them, to dwell with them, or long to trauell among them; for we ſee dayly by experience, the vanity of this cōfidence.
II. That what the Idolaters worſhip, that they take to be God, and ſo offer diuine worſhip to it. This is plaine by Naomi her ſpeech, calling the Idols of the Moabites, Gods; & we find that all Idolaters gaue to their Idols the name of God. See this in wicked Ieroboam, 1. King. 12. 28. and in the Iſraelites, Exod. 32. 8. And therefore we may here ſee the palpable blindneſſe with which God ſtriketh ſuch, to make vsus auoid them, and yet bemoane them, as alſo to feare where ſuch be, leſt Gods wrath ſeaze vponupon vsus, for their ſo robbing the true God of his honour.
III. That Idolaters hauehave moe gods than one, as theſe Moabites had, Baal Peor, Num. 25. and Chemoſh, 1 Kin. 11. The Grecians had thouſands of gods; and the Heathen Romanes not a few: for leauing or not knowing the true God, they wander they know not whither, they hauehave no certainty whereon to reſt, they follow what they either imagine, or other doe deuiſe, or what by others examples are practiſed before them; ſee it in the Iſraelites forſaking the Lord, and in the idolatrous Papiſts at this day. For idolatrie is as whoredom, which maketh the Adulterer to range abroad in vnſatiable luſt, not content with one, no nor with many: no more doe the ſpirituall Adulterers reſt with one falſe god, but are mad vponupon all they ſee, Ezech. 16. 24, 25, 28. O therefore let vsus prayſe our God, who hath opened our eyes to ſee and know him, and hath deliuered vsus from this miſerable ſlauery of Idolaters, who ſerue ſo many! they muſt needs be in great feare: for they be as ſeruants ſeruing many maſters, all tyrants and all of ſeuerall qualities; how ſhould they then euer reſt in peace? Note before I conclude, how theſe Moabites, filthy Idolaters, were the children of Lot, begotten in inceſt vponupon one of his owne daughters in his drunkenneſſe. Whence we may ſee, that the ill begotten children of the godly are rather left vnderunder the curſe of their fathers ſinne, then made partakers of any of their vertues, as appeareth both in Moabites and Ammonites, and in Abimelech the baſtard ſonne of Gideon; to ſhew the Lords hatred of all filthineſſe in his people, and to ſtrike feare into their hearts for offending this way. Let Parents note this, to take heed they be not fathers of an vnlawfull iſſue, if it be not for their owne ſakes, yet for thoſe they ſhall beget, whom they bring vnderunder a curſe, for their ſinne. Let baſtards here learne to bewaile their birth, and labour by a new birth according to the Spirit, to wipe out the ſtaine of their parentage according to the fleſh.
Turne thee after thy ſiſter in law.] This exhortation cannot be taken as ſeriouſly meant: for would Naomi perſwade Ruth to idolatrie, and turne her from going to Gods people and the true God, to goe to the ſociety of Idolaters and to deuils? We may not poſſibly thinke ſo vncharitably of her, and the 18. verſe putteth it out of controuerſie, where it is ſaid, When ſhee ſaw Ruth ſtedfaſtly minded, ſhe left off to ſpeake, as hauing found out what ſhee ſought for, and till then ſhee ceaſed not to make triall. For where iuſt ſuſpicion of vnſoundneſse is, there triall may be made to the vtmoſt, till the doubt be remoued: For this is not to beate the parties from goodneſſe, but to ſee their vnfeigned louelove of goodneſſe, that they being tried, may be well approued of. Let not any be offended then at ſuch tryals; for if thou beeſt ſound, the oftener thou art brought to the touchſtone, the more purer gold thou wilt appeare to be.