Ruths Recompense, Commentary on Ruth · Chapter 3 · Verse 10
Verſe 10. And hee ſaid, Bleſſed be thou of the Lord, my daughter: for thou haſt ſhewed more kindneſſe in the latter end, then at the beginning, in as much as thou followeſt not young men, whether poore or rich.
Boaz his reply vntounto Ruth, when hee knew who ſhee was; wherein hee bleſſeth her, commendeth her, and giueth the reaſon of ſuch his commendation of her.
And hee ſaid.] His anſwer is full of kindneſſe and louelove, neither doth he reproue her any thing at all, though hee iuſtly might for her thus comming in this manner: but Boaz being a good man, conſidered rather the lawfulneſſe of the matter which ſhe came for, then of the manner of ſeeking it: then alſo her ground, and the reaſon mouing her to come to him, which was the Law of God. Thirdly, the eſtimation of her perſon, being held a vertuous woman generally of all. And laſtly, his fulneſſe of charitie, which taketh things in the beſt part, and is not eaſily offended, made him not to reproue her: For a good mā full of mercy and louelove, doth not lightly condemne the vertuous for ſome ſhewes of euill, for miſſing in the manner, where the matter intended is good. For here the matter was lawfull, the ground and inducement iuſt, the perſon honeſt and generally well ſpoken of, and her intendement not ill. When theſe things concurre, we are not to take exceptions againſt the manner, or failing in ſome light circumſtance. Herein let vsus imitate good and godly Boaz: and let vsus not bee like ſuch rigide Cenſurors, as thoſe bee which condemne the beſt things, if they bee not eueryevery way as they ought. Thoſe alſo which make a ſmall fault a great offence; reiecting the whole matter for the manner; the perſon for a little miſtake. Oh how would a proud and churliſh Nabal hauehave taken vp this poore woman, a widdow and a ſtranger, if ſhee had come to him for marriage, eſpecially if ſhee had miſtaken him, as Ruth here did Boaz in ſome ſort! What ſhame, what impudency would he hauehave laid vponupon her, & ſo hauehave reiected her? And thoſe likewiſe which take things indifferent in ill part, as Hanun the King of the2. Sam. 10. Ammonites did Dauids Ambaſſadors, which is greatly againſt charity, & an argumēt of an enuious,1. Cor. 13. malicious and proud nature, as may be ſeene in Dauids brethren againſt him, miſinterpreting1. Sam. 17. 17, 18, 28. his comming, being ſent by his Father to them.
Bleſsed bee thou of the Lord.] Theſe words ſhew how well hee tooke her comming and requeſt made touching marriage; hee ſcorneth her not, hee putteth her not off, but accepts her, as appeareth afterwards, and euen in theſe words, when hee ſaith to ſo poore a woman relieued by his Almes, Bleſsed be thou of the Lord.] Which words may bee taken either as a petition, or as an affirmation. If as a petition, that the Lord would bleſſe her, then are the leſſons the ſame with thoſe in Chap. 2. 20. where the ſame words are vſed by Naomi for him, as hee doth here for Ruth: excepting this circumſtance, that there Naomi a poore woman prayeth for the rich, and here the rich prayeth for the poore; of which alſo before in Chap. 2. 12. If, as an affirmation of that which he iudged her to be: as if he had ſaid, Bleſsed art thou of the Lord: thou art an happy and bleſſed woman, as in Luk. 1. 28. for in Hebrew the word be, or art is not expreſſed, but onelyonly thus, Bleſsed thou of the Lord, and ſo may be vnderſtood either be, to make it a petition; or art, to make it an affirmation: and then wee learne, That the godly, Luk. 1. 28. with 11. 28.though poore, yet are bleſsed, and ſo accounted of Boaz, that is, of a godly man, who can iudge of true bleſſedneſſe: for the godly hauehave thoſe things wherein true bleſſedneſſe conſiſteth: As firſt, Gods fauour in Chriſt, and through him are theMat. 25. Children of his Father, therefore called bleſſed. Secondly, they hauehave the fruits of the Spirit, and the practice of vertue, and for this they bee pronouncedPſal. 119. 1, 2. & 128. 1. bleſſed. Thirdly, they hauehave the pardon of ſinne, and their ſinnes put away in Chriſt, andPſal. 32. 1, 2. ſhall not be imputed to them, and therefore are bleſſed. Fourthly, they hauehave the aſſurance of eternall life, which is promiſed onelyonly to ſuch, and cannot be taken from them; and therefore moſtIoh. 10. 27, 28. bleſſed, though they want theſe outward things, as their Maſter Ieſus Chriſt himſelfe did, whileſt hee liued heere on Earth. Let this comfort the godly poore, and make them to reioyce more in their godlineſſe, then the worldlings in their earthly treaſure; the carnall man in his pleaſure; or the vaine glorious in his honour. This ſhould make men eſteeme of the godly, as Dauid did,Pſal. 101. and as Abimelech did of Iſaac: alſo to endeuourGen. 26. 28. to be like them, if we account them bleſſed, and to eſteem their reproach for righteouſneſſe ſake, to bee more honour, then the glory of Pharaos Heb. 11.court, as Moſes did; to hauehave them to dwell with vsus, to hauehave our delight in them, as Dauid had inPſal. 101. the Saints, for they are bleſſed. And if ſo, then this confuteth the carnall conceit of worldlings, who thinke not ſo of them, eſpecially if poore: yet let ſuch conſider our Maſter Chriſt how poore hee was; alſo the afflicted ſtate of the Saints mentioned in Heb. 13. 37. yet pronounced to bee ſuch as the world was not worthy of. And laſtly, how Ioſeph a Prince in Egypt, did rather chooſe to put his ſonnes into Iacobs family, and to bee called his children, than into Pharaos court, to bee accounted mightie among the Egyptians.
My daughter.] See Chap. 2. 8. Thus he might call her, as beeing old: for the ancient are to be as Fathers, and old women as Mothers vntounto the yonger ſort, in teaching them good things by word andTit. 2. 1, 2, 3. by example. So as a Magiſtrate hee might ſo ſpeake to her, as Ioſuah ſpake to Achan; for magiſtratesIoſua 7. are to be as Fathers to the people, and to tender them as their children: but of this before. Note how ſhe called her ſelfe his handmaid, but he is pleaſed to tearme her by the name of daughter, though ſhee ſo had debaſed and humbled her ſelfe. For the humbling of our ſelues maketh our esteeme to be nothing leſse, but rather greater, with ſuch as be godly and wiſe; ſee Chap. 2. 10, 11, 12. where the more Ruth did humble her ſelfe, the more account did Boaz make of her: for ſuch as humble themſelues, ſhall bee exalted. Let none then thinke by humbling themſelues, that they ſhall loſe credit and honour, as fooliſhly the baſe borne, and new ſtart-vp doth imagine: for they cannot but be ſuſpicious of contempt, who know themſelues vnworthy of honour and eſteeme.
For thou hast ſhewed more kindneſse in the latter end, then at the beginning.] This is the reaſon of his bleſſing of her, or accounting of her bleſſed, becauſe ſhee encreaſed and did not decay in goodneſſe. The truely vertuous and heartily religious are better at last than at the first. As the Angel of the Church of Thyatira; and as it is ſaid of Ruth here in her kindneſſe and louelove: for goodneſſe, grace, and vertue where it is truely planted, will increaſe rather then decay: for the Lord huſbandsIohn 15. 2. ſuch Trees, by his Word, his Spirit, and afflictions. Wee muſt therefore labour for this1. Theſ. 4. 1. commendation, if wee will be held truely vertuous, truely honeſt, kind, iuſt, mercifull, and gracious. but ſome are farre from this praiſe, growing worſe and worſe, till they be ſtarke naught, whether it be in reſpect of Religion, as we ſee in Iehu, Demas, Alexander the Copper-ſmith, and Iudas, who were worſt at laſt, becauſe they were neuer truely good at the firſt: or in reſpect of louelove and kindneſſe, as here ſpoken of Ruth, which louelove ſome turne into hatred, and kindneſſe into cankred malice, and ſhew more ill will at the laſt, then louelove at the firſt; like Amon to his ſiſter Tamar, and Saul to Dauid: for that louelove was neither good nor ſound in them, as Ionathans was to Dauid, and Ruths to Naomi, and hers to Ruth againe.
In as much as thou followest not young men, whether poore or rich.] Boaz in the other words gaue a reaſon of his bleſſing of her; here he giueth a reaſon of his ſo commending her kindneſſe: which appeareth to bee more at the laſt now, than at the firſt, to wit, to her husband deceaſed, and to her now mother in law Naomi, becauſe ſhee married him in her owne countrey, and him rather then any of her owne nation, which was kindneſſe; then, for Naomi her ſake to leaue her owne countrey, and to come and dwell with her in Iudah in a poore eſtate; this was great kindneſſe: but now to be ruled by Naomi, beeing ſo yong a woman, to ſeeke to match with an old man, and not to follow nature, in deſiring yong men; but the Law of God, for to raiſe vp a name againe vntounto her dead husband, whom by this meanes ſhee maketh to liue againe in Iſrael; this is it which maketh her kindneſſe to bee more at laſt then at the firſt, in louing an old man rather than any yong, and him alſo for the dead ſake, to reuiue his name among the people of God. See here in Ruth, how true louelove, obedience to good counſell, and grace, doe ouercome nature, and the law of luſt: for ſhee loued her husband, ſhee was obedient to Naomi, and in her ſelfe vertuous, and therefore reaſon and Religion did take place, and neither nature, nor luſt preuailed with her. A good example for youth to follow. Note out of theſe words farther theſe leſſons: Firſt, that as now, ſo then, and euer before, there hauehave beene two ſorts, rich and poore in the world. Firſt, to ſhew in one, what all might hauehave beene; and in the other the poore, what all deſerue to bee. Secondly, that the rich may hauehave occaſion to ſhew workes of mercy, and the poore labouring painefully and honeſtly, may hauehave to whom to goe vntounto for reliefe: for the rich are Gods Stewards for the poore. Let both ſeeke to liue together louingly, and to helpe one another; the poore, to lend their labour to the rich, and the rich to ſupply their wants; for the one cannot liue without the other: all cannot bee rich, neither muſt all bee poore. Let vsus reſt contented with our eſtates; let not the poore murmur with enuy at the rich; neither let theſe deſpiſe the poore: for God hath made them both, and one to ſtand in need of the other. Secondly, that yong perſons in nature affect to marry with yong perſons like themſelues; which is implyed by Boaz ſpeech. So did Iſaac marry, and Iacob; and ſo in ancient time were matches made. If euer old and young marryed together, it was the old man with a young woman, but neuer an old woman with a young man, as the wanton and lecherous often doe with wanton young fellowes in theſe dayes, to the ſtaine of their ſexe, and reproach to themſelues and often their vtter vndoing. For youth cannot affect old age, and therefore it is fitteſt that marriage bee made betweene ſuch as may moſt likely agree together; other matches proue for the moſt part vntoward. Thirdly, The truly religious will be ruled by the Law of God, and will not be led after their naturall diſpoſition. For here Ruth leaueth the young men, and taketh an old man, becauſe the Law ſo bound her, as ſhe conceiued, taking Boaz for the neereſt Kinſman: becauſe ſuch as be truly religious, hauehave denied themſelues, and doe reſigne themſelues wholly to Gods good pleaſure and will, ſaying as Chriſt ſaid, Not my will, O Father, but thy will bee Matth. 26. 39.done. Hence was it that Ioſeph did abſtaine from his Miſtreſſe; Dauid frō ſmiting Saul, when twice he might hauehave done it, to get the kingdom; he rather would waite, and endure much affliction; for he that beleeueth, ſaith Iſaiah, maketh not haſte. And hence is it, that ſuch as feare God, dare not follow the courſe of the world, but doe reſtraine their nature, and their deſires, and do endeauor to pleaſe God in all things. If this be the grace of the religious, let men hereby trie themſelues, and bee as God wiſheth them to bee, and as Religion andDeut. 5. 29. Pſal. 86. 11. and 119. 5. Iames 1. 27. Tit. 2. 11, 12. Grace it ſelfe requireth them to be, as Dauid promiſed and prayed to be. They are ſurely then far frō being religious, which liue according to their luſts; thoſe that will follow the world with Demas, and Iudas, and Nabal, but not forſake it, as Barnabas, Acts 4. 37. Luke 19.& Zacheus did; thoſe that wil follow the fleſh, as the young men did their eyes in the old world, and as Potiphars wife, who was inamoured withGen. 6. faire Ioſeph; few Ioſephs among the vainely & idly vp bred Youths of the Gentrie in our dayes. And yet ſuch will hung after honours, and vaine titles; and if they cannot merit thē, they wil pay money for them: the inſolencie and pride of Haman, the aſpiring arrogancie of Abſalom and Adoniah, are reigning in many. And hauehave we not Scribes and Phariſes which louelove the higheſt places? Is there a Ionathan among thouſands? Where is aHeb. 11. Moſes, that wil be no more a Courtier for feare of ſinning? Will a Saul become a Paul, ſo well trained vp? Or can there be found a Manaen, a Princes foſter brother, to ioyne to the Church, and toActs 13. 1. become a Teacher, in meere louelove to Religion? Do they not rather ſcorne the Calling? And yet to call theſe worldlings, theſe fleſhly liuers, and theſe vaine-glorious ſpirits, prophane, irreligious, louers of pleaſures more then louers of God, Oh how would they take on! How enraged would they be! ſo they louelove to be held religious, or not to be without Religion; and yet in works deny God,Titus 1. 16. being abominable, and diſobedient, & vntounto eueryevery good work reprobate, as the Apoſtle ſpeaketh.