Ruths Recompense, Commentary on Ruth · Chapter 4 · Verse 6
Verſe 6. And the Kinſman ſaid, I cannot redeeme it for my ſelfe; lest I marre mine owne inheritance: redeeme thou my right to thy ſelfe: for I cannot redeeme it.
THe Kinſmans anſwer to Boaz concerning his propounding of Ruth to him. He refuſeth her, and giueth his reaſon: then, he reſigneth his right to Boaz, and repeateth againe the words of refuſall, as a reaſon of his reſignation.
And the Kinſman ſaid, I cannot redeeme it for my ſelfe.] He could before redeeme it, but now, he ſaith he cannot, he loued the land, and in that reſpect hee was ready to fulfill the Law, but hee cared not for the woman, the poore widdow; and in this regard the Law was not reſpected of him. So we ſee, how that Worldlings are partiall obſeruers of Gods Law: ſome part they take, and ſome part they leaue, euen as it liketh them; they looke to the bare Letter, but not the ſpirituall meaning; they ſhunne the act, but for words and thoughts they doe take no care; the ſinnes in the groſſeſt kind they auoid, but the leſſer, as they account them, they make little or no conſcience of; that which concerneth their pleaſure, and their profit according to the Law, they are ready to doe, but on the contrary, where the Law croſſeth them, that they caſt behind them, as this Kinſman here; they hate popiſh faſts, but louelove drunken feaſts; they abhorre ſuperſtitious worſhip and coſt about it, but they can bee content to liue of ſacriledge, and the maintenance due to Miniſters, though giuen by Anceſtours to the Church with an execration or curſe vponupon ſuch as ſhall change them to any other vſe; other mens dueties they can heare of, and vrge the Law to them: but to be told of their owne, and preſſed to the performance thereof, they cannot endure. The reaſons of this partiality are theſe: Firſt, the want of the true louelove of God, and reuerent feare of the power and authority of the Lawgiuer: for where this louelove and feare is, there will be reſpect had to all the Commandements,Pſal. 119. 6. without partiality, as we may ſee in Dauid, and in other holy men of God. Secondly, the vnbridled luſt of man vnſubdued, & not brought into the obedience of Chriſt by the power of the Word, as Saint Paul ſpeaketh: for if the Word2. Cor. 10. 5. ruled in their hearts, they would not be thus partiall in obeying Gods will, but bee like Zacharie Luk. 1. 6.and Elizabeth, walking in all the Commandements of God vnblameable. Thirdly, their louelove of pleaſure and worldly profit more than God himſelfe, which appeareth by this, that they will loſe neither of theſe for Religion ſake. Herod will doe many things, but his pleaſure with Herodias he will not forgoe. Ananias and Saphira will giuegive much, ſell all to giuegive to the Church, but not giuegive all, they will thinke more of the matter, than giuegive away all at once, though ſtill they will pretend it: ſuch Herod-like, and ſuch Ananiaſses there bee, which hauehave not denied their pleaſures, nor their profits for Religion ſake: which therefore maketh them partiall in their obedience to God. Fourthly, the louelove of praiſes of men, and feare of them,Ioh. 12. 42, 43. make them to make balkes in their ſeruice to God, now omitting this, then that, and heere treſpaſſing, and there offending againſt the Law; to get this mans praiſe, and not to diſpleaſe that; being bound onelyonly to man, but looſe in their hearts to follow their owne wils, in reſpect of any conſcience towards God. Fifthly, the deadneſſe and benummednes of their conſciences (for want of looking into Gods Law, and the ſearching out of their wayes by the ſame) which neuer troubles them for neglect of their dueties, nor for the breach of any part of the Law. Sixtly, a carnall perſwaſion of their good eſtate, and that in thus doing, they be not ſo much to blame; becauſe they thriue in the world, they get many friends, and they ſee others alſo to be their companions with them herein of the beſt ranke in the world, and ſuch as profeſſe to be better, yet are taken tardie in foule faults; and therfore are they hartened hereby in this their halting ſeruice and partiall obediēce to God. Let vsus take knowledge of this to bewaile it, then to remoue theſe cauſes, and to labour for the contrary graces, that wee may ſerue God with all our hearts. Note againe, how he ſaith, I cannot, when hee might hauehave ſaid, I will not: but hence we ſee, that what man will not doe, that hee excuſeth with, I cannot doe. So did the high Prieſts and Elders anſwer our Sauiour, ſaying, they could not tell, when indeed they wouldMat. 21. 27. not tel him what they thought of Iohns Baptiſme: for I cannot is a more modeſt ſpeech than I will not, and it carrieth a reaſonable excuſe with it: for in reaſon we thinke, that what a man cannot doe, he ſhould not be vrged to doe; and therefore doe men vſe to ſay they cannot doe that, which they hauehave no will to doe; either of a froward ſpirit, which is to be condemned; or vponupon reſpect of ſome inconueniences, which may in ſome ſort be excuſed with I cannot doe, to wit, with conueniencie: but this muſt not excuſe or hinder our duety of charitie, to neglect the helping of our brother in this his neceſſity, or to omit to doe what we ought, or may well doe: for ſo to ſay, I cannot, is vntruth, and an euill excuſe.
Lest I marre mine owne inheritance.] Thus this Kinſman excuſeth his refuſall of Ruth. He might thinke, perhaps, being a worldling, that he might marre it, if he married a young woman, and ſo bee ouercharged with children, or that in marrying Ruth, hee ſhould bee burthened with poore Naomi: or he hauing children by another, ſhould by this bring a new charge vponupon him, and occaſion diſcord by children of diuers women, which ſeldome agree, as may be ſeene in Iſhmael & Iſaas, and Iacobs ſonnes: or he might hauehave another wife (as vponupon this place ſome doe note) and ſo by taking this, the houſe might be filled with contention, as wee may ſee when Abraham tooke Hagar to Sarah, alſo in the wiues of Iacob, Elkanah his two wiues, and as is very like betweene the wiues of Lamech, the firſt Bigamiſt. Or laſtly, he might thinke, hauing a good inheritance of his owne, by taking Ruth, and be getting a ſonne to the dead, and ſo perhaps hauing no more, ſhould thereby raiſe vp the name of the dead vponupon his inheritance, and want one for his owne, which he would not ſo marre, as he ſaith, whatſoeuer his thought was, thus to moue him to ſpeake. We may learne, that a Worldling is carefull to preſerue his outward eſtate, that it be not marred, as he here ſpeaketh: for ſuch a one is wiſe in his generation: hee loueth his riches and wealth, and he feareth want: and it is not amiſſe to care to get honeſtly, and to preſerue our lands and goods, when wee hauehave them: for they are Gods gift, and wee are made his Stewards ouer them, to keepe them carefully, and to imploy them according to his will, and not after our luſts: yea, this wee are commanded to doe, and vrged byPro. 27. 23, 24, 25, 26, 27. Gen. 33. 13, 14. 1. King. 21. 1. Tim. 5. 8. Prou. 31. 1. Cor. 12. Salomon thereto by many reaſons: this care had Abraham, Iſaac, Iacob, & Naboth; and the Apoſtle telleth vsus, that eueryevery one is to prouide for his familie, as the good Huſwife doth; and parents are to lay vp for their children, which they cannot doe, except they be painefull, frugall, and do care to vphold their eſtates: and therefore thus farre a worldling is not to bee reproued; but as farre forth as he careth for the world with neglect of Religion in himſelfe, and in his family, (when as firſt we muſt ſeeke Gods Kingdome, as ChriſtMat. 6. 33. commandeth, and that in the firſt, and not in the laſt place) and as farre as he keepeth it with ſhip-wracke of conſcience, vpholding it by ill meanes, and hauing no care to doe good works: which two, that is, the neglect of Gods ſeruice, and of keeping of a good conſcience, if they bee auoided, men may in the care of their outward eſtate, bee well warranted to keepe and preſerue Gods bleſſings beſtowed vponupon them, euer in faith to God, and louelove to our brethren: for, with all care wee ought moſt of all to vphold our ſpirituall eſtate, that we marre not that, and loſe our hope of Heauen; but let the care of the one put vsus in mind of the care of the other, as eueryevery way more excellent. Note farther from this man, that Worldlings thinke by obeying Gods Law, they ſhall marre their earthly estate; that Religion will ouerthrow them: and thus they imagine, firſt, becauſe they ſee Gods Word to croſſe their worldly courſes whereby they doe vſe to get and vphold their eſtate, which indeed, cannot ſtand with Religion, pure, & vndefiled before God. Secondly, becauſe they are perſwaded that they muſt doe, as men of the world doe, elſe they ſhall not thriue, howſoeuer Religion it ſelfe binds them to the contrary. Thirdly, becauſe they truſt not God, nor rely vponupon his Word. Fourthly, for that they ſee many, which goe for religious men, to be poore, and not to thriue, as they doe, or deſire to doe in the world; which they impute to their ouerſtrictneſſe in Religion; and therefore doe conclude with themſelues, that to liue after the Rule of Gods Word, is the next way to beggery, which they will by their worldly courſes preuent, if they can. But let vsus beware of ſuch Atheiſticall thoughts, and be farre from theſe imaginations of Worldlings, firſt, becauſe richesDeut. 8. 18. are from God, and not by man; man cannot make himſelfe rich by any meanes, if Gods common bleſſing be not aſſiſtant thereto; experience alſo teacheth vsus this; when wee ſee men induſtrious, yea, prouident and wiſe, as others, yet can they not attaine the halfe that others come to. Secondly, becauſe theſe outward bleſſings, euen theſe are promiſed to ſuch, as doe liue well andDeut. 28. obey God. Thirdly, for that many men in liuing carefully to pleaſe God, and to ſerue him, hauehave come to great wealth, as we may reade of Abraham, Iſaac, Iacob, Ioſeph, Iob, Boaz here, Dauid, Iehoſhaphat, and many others. Fourthly and laſtly, for that men by their rebellion againſt God, hauehave loſt great eſtates, and depriued themſelues thereof, and their poſterity by their wickedneſſe, as is euident in the example of Saul, Ieroboam, and others. And therefore let vsus not thinke our worldly eſtate to become worſe, by carefull liuing after Gods Lawes, but rather better and more ſure, as Iobs was, about whom the Lord made a Hedge for his ſafety. And remember for a concluſion, that ſuch as feare the Lord, ſhall want nothing that is good. O taste, and ſee, ſaithPſal. 34. 8, 9, 10. Dauid, that the Lord is good! bleſsed is the man that trusteth in him. O feare the Lord, ye his Saints: for there is no want to thē that feare him. The yong Lyons lacke and ſuffer hunger: but they that ſeeke the Lord, ſhall not want any good thing. Note thirdly hence from theſe words of the kinſman, that the feare of worldly loſſe in a mans outward estate, maketh him neglect the Law of God, as this man doth here: for Gods Word preuaileth not, it hath not a commanding power ouer the conſcience of a couetous man; becauſe his heart is glewed to hisLuk. 18. 22, 23. riches, a baſe feare through vnbeliefe poſſeſſeth him, that he himſelfe may come to want; and the louelove of riches ſo bewitcheth him, as hee valueth them aboue the Lords Precepts, contrary to Dauids Pſal. 119. 72. 103, 111. and 19. 9.account of Gods Word. That wee may become therefore obedient to Gods Law, let vsus caſt off this Atheiſticall and Heatheniſh feare.
Redeeme thou my right to thy ſelfe.] The kinſman is heere willing that Boaz ſhould take his right: that, which before hee ſaid hee would redeeme himſelfe, now hee is contented that another ſhould redeeme it. So Worldlings are content to yeeld ſometimes their right vntounto others, as namely that which they cannot come by, that which they cannot keepe, that which they cannot hauehave, but with more coſt then the thing is worth; or when by getting a little, there is hazzard to loſe much; and likewiſe that which for preſent feare they yeeld vntounto, as Benhadad did reſtore Cities vntounto1. King. 20. 34. Ahab, becauſe he was in his hand, and in perill of his life, which hee would by that meanes redeeme. Otherwiſe Worldlings willingly forgoe nothing. Therefore their yeelding of their right at any time vponupon the foreſaid by▪ reſpect, is not thankes-worthy.
For I cannot redeeme it.] None but can pretend ſome excuſe or other why they doe not what they ought. In this man may we obſerue two things: inconſtancie, and want of charity: for before, he would redeeme it, now he will not; before yea, now nay. Three things make men inconstant: firſt, leuity of minde: this is a naturall infirmity, and to be pardoned. Secondly, ignorance, and want of fore-ſight of the incoueniences, which maketh him raſh at firſt, and to repent afterwards, and ſo to change his mind, as this kinſman doth: this is ſomewhat excuſable, though not altogether without blame: for a man is to doe that which is gone out of his mouth, though it be to his ownePſal. 15. hinderance, if nothing elſe hinder the performance. Thirdly, diſhoneſty, which is, when a man maketh no conſcience of any thing he ſaith or doth, but as hee ſeeth aduantage therein to himſelfe; ſaying and gaine-ſaying, doing and vndoing as he ſeeth it to tend to his owne profit: this is flat knauerie, and iuſtly to be condemned. Of this we muſt take ſerious knowledge, and bewaile the firſt in vsus, preuent the ſecond by good conſideration and deliberation, and hate the laſt, as deteſtable falſhood and diſhoneſtie, not to be practiſed among Chriſtians. Vncharitableneſſe in this kinſman herein appeareth, that he hath no care of the name of the dead, nor reſpect vntounto the two poore widdowes, Naomi and Ruth; the land he loued & liked well, but the women he would hauehave nothing to do with; he had a mind to inrich himſelfe in worldly ſubſtance, but he had no will to ſhew mercy to the poore: for a worldling thinkes himſelfe borne for himſelfe, ſeeking his owne good, but not the good of another, contrary to the true propertie of charity.1. Cor. 13. This vncharitableneſſe muſt we take heed of, and abandon ſelfe-louelove the true cauſe thereof; and labour for Charity, the Euidence of our Faith in God, and true Vnion with our Brethren in Chriſt.