Ruths Recompense, Commentary on Ruth · Chapter 2 · Verse 7
Verſe 7. And ſhee ſaid, I pray you, let me gleane and gather after the Reapers, amongst the ſheaues: ſo ſhe came, and hath continued euen from the morning, vntill now, that ſhee tarried a little in the houſe.
THe Bayliffe proceedeth ſtill on in the commendations of Ruth, from her humility and modeſtie in not preſuming without leaue: and then, from her diligence and conſtancy in her labour and paines-taking.
And ſhee ſaid, I pray you, let me gleane, and gather after the Reapers, amongst the ſheaues.] That is, the eares of corne which lie ſcattered by the ſheaues, which yet lay abroad; and not that ſhe did deſire to be meddling with the ſheaues. This ſhe deſired, and Boaz alloweth, verſe 15. which ſeemeth therfore to be a ſpecial fauor to her. It was lawfull for ſtrangers, fatherleſſe, & widdowes, to gleane,Deut. 24. 19. by Gods allowance & commandement vntounto his people; yet ſhe entereth not boldly vponupon that libertie, but asketh leaue humbly and modeſtly. Whence we may learne, That although God do bid the rich to relieue the poore, and to giuegive leaue in this caſe for them to gather ſcattered eares, yet is the ſame to bee obteined by leaue, and the good will of the Owners: as Ruth here hath leaue. For though the rich be commanded to giuegive by Gods Precept, yet before men they hauehave right to all they hauehave, and it is at their libertie to diſpoſe thereof in that reſpect, and they may make choiſe of their poore, as they ſee them to need, and to be worthy of reliefe: and therefore albeit a man be poore, he may not (becauſe God commands the rich to relieue him) be his owne Caruer; he may not take from the rich any thing, but as it ſhall be beſtowed vponupon him. Let the poore learne humility and modeſty; and not be inſolently bold and vnthankful, or falſe and deceitfull, as many be, who make no conſcience to filch and ſteale, and thinke their pouerty a reaſon ſufficient to excuſe them, eſpecially if it be but in trifling things as they account them, as is the picking now and then eares out of ſheaues, or ſhockes of corne; or breaking hedges for firewood; or robbing of Orchards; or the like. But let them know that pouertie excuſeth not their ſinne; it is theft in them, and the Theefe isZach. 5. 1. Cor. 6. curſed; and theeues ſhall not inherit the Kingdome of God.
So ſhee came, and hath continued, euen from the morning vntill now.] After leaue, ſhee ſet her ſelfe to worke, but before, as it may ſeeme, ſhee went home againe & ſtayed a little; ſo as her firſt comming was, but to know where to get leaue, and then forthwith after, to fall to her labour, yet ſhee made not her mother acquainted with any thing till night, as appeareth by verſe 19. The chiefe point commended here to vsus, is, That painefulneſſe in our labour with conſtancie, is praiſ-worthy: ſo is it here in Ruth, as it was in Iacob, and bleſſed in them both: for this is commanded, Eccleſ. 9. 10. and the contrary forbidden, Rom. 12. Let vsus then be diligent in our labour, and be conſtantly painfull: So ſhall God be obeyed, Eccleſ. 9. 10. Prou. 27. 23. who hath promiſed to bleſſe ſuch, Pro. 28. 19. and 20. 13. So it is gainefull, to the body healthfull, it doth procure fauour, Prou. 11. 27. and honour, Pro. 12. 24. and maketh rich, Prou. 10. 4. with Gods bleſſing, Prou. 10. 22. Beware then of ſloth, which is forbidden, Rom. 12. it bringeth men to follow vaine company, Prou. 28. 19. gaming, Prou. 21. 17. as experience ſheweth, and ſo haſteneth pouertie, Prou. 10. 4. as being the puniſhment thereof: for God threatneth ſuch with ſcarcity, Prou. 19. 15. and 12. 24. and 6. 6. and we ſee that ſuch become waſtfull, Prou. 18. 9. and their houſe decaieth, Eccleſ. 10. 18. There be which labour, but not cherefully, not conſtantly; and therefore theſe may here learne to amend, by the example of this Ruth, and the good houſwife in the Prouerbs, which putteth her hands willinglyProu. 31. 13. to worke: for it is a hatefull thing to be ſlothfull in our buſineſſe, and forbidden, as beforeProu. 10. 26. Prou. 28. 9. is ſhewed: In this the ſeruant, or day-tale-man may rob their Maſter; they are brethren to great waſters, ſaith Salomon, and are a conſumption to the eſtate of ſuch as keepe them: yet ſuch make no conſcience of this deceitfull working, though perhaps they hauehave a good meaſure of knowledge, and would be held more conſcionable then ſome others be. But here it will be asked, perhaps, Who may be called ſlothfull? Salomon will tell thē that ſuch be ſlothfull, Firſt, which refuſe to worke, Pro. 21. 25, 26. Secondly, which make idle excuſes to keepe them from dayly labour, Prou. 22. 13. and 26. 13. Thirdly, which be ſubiect to much ſleep: for ſloth cauſeth ſleep, Prou. 19. 15. Fourthly, which louelove their beds too well, Prou. 26. 14. and 24. 33. Fiftly, which ſuffer their ground to lie vnhusbanded, and their houſe to decay, Pro. 24. 30, 31. Eccleſ. 10. 18. Sixtly, which for a little cold will neglect their profit, and doing of their duety, Prou. 19. 4. Seuenthly and laſtly, which goe lazily, as if they went vponupon thornes, and loth to hurt themſelues, Prou. 15. 19. Theſe be Salomons markes of the ſlothfull.
Saue that ſhee tarried a little while in the houſe.] Thus this ſeruant is carefull to ſpeake the truth in his relation to a ſmall circumſtance of time, that he might not be diſproued. Honeſt minds and louers of the truth, are carefull to ſpeake truely eueryevery Nehem. 4. 23.way, in eueryevery circumſtance, that they may not be taxed in the leaſt degree of vntruth. For he hath an high eſteeme of the truth, whereupon he weigheth his words, and is carefull in ſpeaking onelyonly the truth. Oh that this care were in eueryeveryEpheſ. 4. 25. one now a dayes, as it ſhould be! We are commanded to ſpeake truth, and not to lie one to another;Rom. 3. 4. and God, whom we worſhip, is the God of truth: Chriſt is truth, and the Holy Ghoſt isMatth. 22. 16. Ioh. 14. 17. the Spirit of truth, leading into all truth: the Goſpel, by which we beleeue, is the Word of truth: and laſtly, it is a marke of one that ſhall dwell in Gods Tabernacle, and reſt on his holy Hill, to ſpeake the truth, and that from his heart too. If we hauehave ſuch motiues to preſſe vsus to this duety, then firſt, iuſtly are they reprouable, which doe make no conſcience of ſpeaking truth; but are notorious lyers: ſuch be of the Deuill, they liueIoh. 8. 44. in one of thoſe ſinnes, which made the Lord to hauehave a controuerſie with the Inhabitants of theOſea 4. 2. land in the dayes of Oſea, and the lyer ſhall be caſtReu. 21. 8. into euerlaſting deſtruction. There are ſuch as ſeeme to make conſcience of common lying, but yet will ſlip in the tongue now and then, as, Firſt, to flatter others: ſo did the foure hundred falſe prophets lye to Ahab; ſo did Doeg to Saul. Secondly, they that vtter an vntruth to doe another a pleaſure, which is called an officious lye, as the Midwiues in Egypt did, and Michol when ſhee preſerued Dauid: but we may not doe euill, that good may come thereof: we may not lye for GodIob 13. 7, 10. himſelfe. Thirdly, they that by lying make others merry. In all the Scripture I find not an example hereof. It may be, though many then were wicked, yet it ſeemeth, not one was ſo lewd, as to abuſe his tongue with lying, to make others ſport; it is wickedneſſe to make a ſport of ſinne. Fourthly, they that lye for gaine now and then, like Gehezi; or as Ananias and Saphira, whom the Lord fearefully puniſhed: and yet it is too common for men now to lye for gaine, it is almoſt a marke of a tradeſman. Fiftly, ſuch as lye of ill-will, maliciouſly, and of enuie, as Haman againſt the Iewes; Scribes and Phariſes againſt Chriſt; and Potiphars wife againſt Ioſeph. Hence ariſe ſlander and backebiting, which Chriſtians muſt carefully auoid; and not onelyonly the hatefull kinds of lying, but the other alſo, and eueryevery vntrue ſpeaking in any degree; and to doe this, Speake euer with vnderſtanding, deliberately, without haſty paſſion, without by-reſpects, alſo auoid leuity, and beware of too many words.