The book of Ruth expounded in twenty eight sermons, by Levves Lauaterus of Tygurine, and by hym published in Latine, and now translated into Englishe by Ephraim Pagitt, a childe of eleuen yeares of age

The 6. Sermon.

14 Then they lift vp their voyce and wept again, & Orpah kissed her mother in law, but Ruth abode still with her.

15 And Maomi said, behold thy sister in law is gone back vnto her people and vnto her Gods: returne thou after thy sister in law.

NOwe afterwardes, here is de∣clared, what NAOMIE preuai∣led by her speeche with her daughters in lawe, or rather what befell after she commanded them to returne home. ORPAH returned to her mothers house, but RVTH taryed with her mother in law. Let vs heare what maye bee gathered out of these wordes for our edification. After NAO∣MIE had exhorted them both, with ma∣ny reasons to returne home, they wept agayne very much, which was a signe of great sorrow which they tooke of thys, that they were to part asunder. For sor∣row bringeth forth tears: as bloud sprin∣geth

out of the body if it be wounded: so if the soule be wounded teares break forth. Wherefore some do call teares the bloud of the soule. As they offen∣ded not in weeping, so neyther do they at this day, which shed teares when they are drawn from their good friends. The Stoyckes say, that it becommeth not a man of courage to weepe, for that it is a signe of a weak & effeminate mind. But the holy scriptures teach otherwise, for in them there are many examples not onely of women: but of most valiaunt men who by teares haue testified theyr sorrow, and are not yet accounted to haue offended therein. IOSEPH wept foure tymes when his brethren came to him into Aegypt to buye corne. DAVID who ouercame, and slew a Lyon, a Bear & Gyants, when ZIGLAG was destroy∣ed he wept so much that his strength fai∣led him: his souldiours also did the like. 1. SAM. 30. & 2. SAM. 15. DAVID descen∣ding the mount of Oliues wept. PETER also wept aboundantly: PAVLE and all they whome he had called to Mille••um

wept. ACT. 20. Our sauiour Christ him∣selfe wept often, therefore that Stoicall sencelesnesse is not approued of God. Yet as in other thinges so also in weepe∣ing their must be kept a meane, neyther must we weepe for euery cause. For all kinde of weeping cannot bee excused. SENECA although he was a Stoick him∣selfe, yet hee sayth wee may weepe but not howle out. But this makes greatlye to our comfort, that in this little booke it is written down twise, that these pore women wept aboundantly, for heereby we do gather, that God regardeth the teares euen of them that be very poore. DAVID in the PSAL. 56. 8. declareth that God putteth their teares, and so the teares of the godly into his bottle, and and noteth them in hys regester. Good Lorde how fewe daughters in lawe are there at this day, who if theyr mothers in law, should departe from them into other countries or els out of this lyfe, would shed teares for them, or if they do shedd any they may bee called Croca∣diles teares:

ORPAH kissed her mother in law: kis∣sing was commonly vsed in Palestyne and all Syria, and as at this day other na∣tions also do, so they entertained their friendes and gesse, at their comming, and bad them farewell with a kisse: in like maner they saluted them whome they met with a kisse. Christ in LVKE. 7. reprooueth SIMON the Pharasie because he intertained him not with a kisse. OR∣PAH bidding her mother in-law farewel kissed her. A kisse is a token of friend∣ship, and kindnes, and also of reuerence, faith and obedience. PLVTARCH in the life of CATO VTICENSIS writeth, that when he departed out of his prouince, the souldiers reuerently kissed his hand, the which kinde of honour was at that time onely giuen to Captaines or Em∣perours, and that to very fewe of them. POMPEIVS LETVS in his compendium of the Romaine histories writeth thus, The Emperours first reached out theyr handes for theyr nobles to kisse, after with their own hands they lift them vp to kisse their mouthes: DIOCLETIANVS

by a decree appointed that all mē with∣out difference of degree shoulde fall downe and kisse his feete, the which he set foorth magnifically, adorning his shooes, with gold, pearles and stones, the whiche they doe record was done before by C. CALIGVLA, &c. this sayth he. Afterwardes the Romaine bishops also, like vnto those tyrauntes whiche sought to haue done vnto themselues the honours due to God, offered to o∣thers their feete to be kissed: the which SIBILLA CVMANA foretold in the 8. Sermon: 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉. that is, there shall be a king with a hoare head, or a helmet, hauing a name neere vn∣to the sea or bridge, regarding the world, bestowing his giftes with an euil foot, for they must thinke that he doth them great honour whome he alloweth to kisse his feete. S. PAVLE, 1. COR. 16. sayth salute you one another with an holy kisse excluding the sinnes of vn∣chastitie and hipocrisie, and he doth not

in these wordes prescribe a lawe that all nations shoulde receaue this custome of kissing one another. 2. SAM. 20. IOAB kissing AMASA slewe him. IVDAS with a kisse betrayed the sonne of God. This is too too common at this day that men whome they kisse, that is whome they flatter before their face, they do secretly backbite. It is to be supposed that this ORPAH kissed her mother in law of a sincere mind, not as that sonne of whom it is in the fable, who faining that hee would kisse his mother when he was led to execution, with his mouth bit off her eare. It is said that shee returned to her owne: If that shee had as it is very pro∣bable some taste of true religion, shee is a figure of them, whome the Lorde in the Gospell, calleth 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 whiche for a time professe the true faith, but do afterwardes fall backe againe, eyther for hope of prosperity or being discouraged for feare of troubles. It is not sufficient to lay some foundations of true religion but it must be builded vp vntill that spi∣rituall building be perfected. It is not

inough to runne except we obtayne to the goale. Who so perseuereth to the end saith the Lord he shalbe saued and not he that began well and goeth but a little forward. LOTS wife is to vs an ex∣ample, who when she looked backe a∣gaine was turned into a piller of Salt. If this ORPAH had come into Iudea, it doth not seem that she would haue per∣seuered. But whether she perished in her errors, or was afterwardes conuerted or repented without the losse of the trueth we know not: neither should there con∣cerning this or of others such like be a∣nie questions mooued which tend not to edification.

RVTH tarried with her mother in law and could not be drawn from her by a∣ny perswations there is a like example. IOH. 6. of Christes apostles, when many fell away from him, he asked them whe∣ther they would also go away: Therfore SIMON PETER aunswered: to whome shall we go Lord? Thou hast the word of eternal life, and we beleeue and know that thou art the Christ the sonne of the

lyuing God. We must pray to God that he wil suffer vs neither by flattering per∣swations, nor threatnings and terrors, to be led away from true religion.

When ORPAH was departed, NAO∣MIE agayne perswaded RVTH, that she should also returne home, because her sister was returned to her people & her Gods. But what Gods did the Moabites worship? besides others they had especi∣ally BAALP••OR, as it is read. NVM. 25. whōe some called PRIAPVS, as ISIDOR and THEOPHELAT as Gradus de dijs gentium witnesseth. Others call him SATVRNE, & BAAL was the name of the God, & PI∣OR of the mountaine or place where he was worshiped. Or the idoll, PEOR was so called because he was naked, for PA∣AR signifieth to discouer, to make naked, namely because that PRIAPVS, as the author of a filthie verse sayth, had his se∣cret partes alwaies naked, and neuer co∣uered with anie garmentes.

The maner of the worship of this I∣dol was so filthie, that in holy assemblies it may not be spokē of for shame, wher∣by

we gather how far men fall away frō God when the light of the truth is lost: they also worshiped the God CHEMOS.

For it is sayd. 1. KINGS. 11. That SO. LOMON built an alter to CHEMOSH the abhomination of MOAB in the Mount of Oliues. And that which is written in IVD. 11. that CHEMOSH is the God of the Ammonites, is not contrary to this place, for it seemeth that both the nati∣ons worshipped it. Who this CHA••∣MOSH was it is vncertaine. KAMAS sig∣nifieth to hide, hereby some doe gather that he was PLVTO the God of the hels, or of thinges vnder the earth: GYRAL∣DVS seemeth to say that VENVS A∣START was called CHEMOS, whiche in the figure of a starre was worshipped of the Sidonians and the Moabites. There are some which will haue BAAL PEOR, and CHEMOSH to haue bin one and the same God, to whome I doe not assent because it is certaine that the nations worshipped manie Gods, some thinke that CHEMOSH was that God of ban∣quets and drinkinges, who is called of

the Grecians, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, because that the Greeke alludeth to the Hebrue worde. The nations adioyning to them had al∣so their Gods or Idols. The Ammo∣nites had MELCHOM 4. KIN. 23. IER. 49. which signifieth their king, peraduen∣ture hee was so called, because hee was chiefe among manie Gods which 〈◊〉〈◊〉 worshipped for their defence. 〈…〉〈…〉 11. The God of the Ammonites is cal∣led MOLOCH, some thinke that hee was Saturn•• what if he and Molcome were one? the Philistines had Astaroth, that is Iuno or Venus. 1. SAM. 7. The Accaro∣nites had Belzebub, that is thei worship∣ed the god of a flie. 4. KIN. This seemeth to be the ••••me with that, which is called of the Grecians 〈◊〉〈◊〉. PLINIE in his 29. Booke. 6. chap. ca••••eth it miodes, but lib. 10. cap. 2. in the old edition he calleth it achores. GREGORIVS NA••IANS: cal∣leth it ACARON. The God ACARON was called so of ACARON a Citie of the Philistines where hee was especially worshipped. IVBITER also was called Apo••••nios MVSCA••IVS, of driuing and

chasing away flies, for the multitude of flies did great harme to the Phenetians, therefore they sacrificed to that God & prayed him to driue them away. The Philistines also worshipped DAGON, of whom there is mention made. IVD. 16. 1. SAM. 5. The Hebrues say that he had the vpper part of a man, and the nether part of a fish as NEPTVNVS and SIRENE•• are paynted. Dag signifieth a fish: others say the picture of a man set forth with a womens face. The Grecians call him derceto or derce. EVSEBIVS: lib. de prapara∣tione Euāgelica: sayth DAGO inuented corne and the plow, and therefore IV∣PITER was called arotrios amongest the Phaenecians. This seemeth well to agree with the Hebrue etimologie for Dagan signifieth corne or wheat.

This was a great temptatiō to RVT▪ For no man will willingly forsake his Countrey and friendes. Neither doth piety perswade to do it, vnlesse waighty and necessary matters doe enforce vs. Our country doth allure vs to it, accor∣ding to that saying of OVID lib. 1. de ponts.

Nescio qua natale solum dulcedine cunctos Ducit, & immemores non sinit esse sui.

Next men are of this qualitie that they can hardlye be drawne from their countrie religion. God in I••REM. 2. cap amplif••ing the sinne of his people being fallen away, sayth if they should go tho∣row the whole world, they should not finde any nation, whiche will chaunge their Gods with other Gods: yet, that they haue chaunged his glorye with a vayn thing, & with those which are not treue Gods. All nations do straightly keepe those Gods which they haue cho∣sen. Therfore it is a hard matter to turn men from the worshippe of false Gods to the worship of the true God. Where∣fore it had bene no maruel if RVTH had worshipped straunge Gods, and refused to imbrace a new religion. Furthermore householde examples do much mooue the mindes of men, for if they returne to idolatrie whome we loue, especially if they be great men and many, diuerse men although they loue true religion

beginne to fall away. Therefore it had bene no maruell if RVTH had returned to hers, being shaken and weakened by the perswations of their mother in law, And it seemed that NAOMIE was not of that minde to constrayne RVTH to go backe, but to trie her fayth, and shee had a care least it should bee sayd after that shee was forced by her mother in law to receaue the Israelitish religion.

In such like cases the minds of men are to be confirmed by contrary exam∣ples promises and threatninges drawne out of the word of God. MAT. 10. sayth the Lord: He that loueth father or mo∣ther aboue me is not worthy of me, hee that loueth sonne or daughter aboue me is not worthy of me &c. So hee that preferreth his countrey, his religion and other thinges before Christ. Wee must not looke what other men doe whether they be many or fewe, but rather howe well they doe it and what God doth re∣quire of vs: and he is to be solicited with dayly prayer, that he will confirme and preserue vs by his spirit in true religion.