The worthy of Ephratah represented in a sermon at the funerals of the Right Honorable Edmund Earl of Mulgrave, Baron Sheffield of Botterwic. In the church of Burton-Stather, Sept. 21. 1658. / By Edward Boteler, sometimes fellow of Magdalen-Colledge in Cambridge, and now rector of Wintringham in the county of Lincoln.

RUTH 4.11.

Do thou worthily in Ephratah, and be famous in Bethlehem.

A Scant and a short Text, to accom∣pany so great a Person to so long an home. But non est huic alter similis, (as David said of the sword) there is none like that, * 1.1 give it me: A fitter could not be found; I could not miss it, he was so much the Comment on it; look at it, and you see him. The persons, the place, the actions, the fame all agreeing; and what was there voted, is here verified; it is now the praise of the dead, what was then a prayer for the living: Do thou worthily in Ephratah, and be famous in Bethlehem.

The words are the gratulatory votes, and hearty wellwishes, signified by the general acclamations of the Ephrathites, and people of Bethlehem-Judah, to the great and noble Boaz; a Prince of the Assembly famous in the Congregation,

a man of renown, one that sate chief in the gate of his place, and was the honor of his people: He was of good descent and extraction, great Grandfather to David in the right royal line of Judah, whose fair pedigree is to be seen from Adam the son of God, to Jesus the son of man, Luk. 3. And which heighten'd his height, and made his greatness yet greater, he was good too; there were apples of gold set in those pictures of silver; Wisdom, Justice, Mercy, Love, * 1.2 Good works, a right Retinue for Nobi∣lity: This was the Temple which san∣ctified the gold, and the Altar which makes pleasant the offering.

This person thus great, thus good, is best for our purpose: For it was not every one that would have made a paral∣lel for my Lord of Mulgrave, but he must be great.

Not every Great one neither: For many like mushroms and children of the earth, are sprung up and grown to their greatness since yesterday, and made but a step out of the dirt into honor; like those Giants, which, the Poets tell us, were simul sati & editi, sown and grown in the same instant: But he must be one,

the spring of whose honor is to be found rising in remoter ages, and his Ancestors the acquaintance of History, ennobled in blood, great by derivation from great∣ness, — Satus sanguine Divûm.

Not every Great and Noble one nei∣ther. If he have no evidences to shew for it but the Houses and Inheritance, the Lands and Lordships, the Escucheons and Seal of his Family; if he be descend∣ed by as many degenerations from the worth and vertue, as generations from the loins and blood of atchieving pro∣genitors: But he must be one who hath brought in his share of Honor, hath il∣lustrated old Dignities by new additions, and by doing worthily acquired fame. Such the person presented in the Text, and represented in the Occasion: Do thou, &c.

In the Text, you have Nobility ad∣vanced betwixt two Supporters, Facts, and Fame. Facts give fame a bottom to stand on, and Fame gives Facts a top to stand up: Facts get Fame, and Fame gilds Facts. To do good, is the way to be great; and to be great, is the reward of doing good. Worthy actions com∣mand honorable commemorations; Do

I find several readings; and I'll name that first, which I like worst: * 1.3 Compara opes Ephrathae, Get thee riches at Ephra∣tah; have servants and cattel, and flocks and herds; let thy garners be filled with plenty, * 1.4 and thy presses burst out with new wine; Bring Ophir to Ephratah, gather silver and gold, and the peculiar treasure of Kings and of the provinces. Some will like this well enough, because it makes wealth the gage of worth; and so it is by the rate of the world, where look what a mans estate is, that com∣monly is said to be his worth. But to make this Worth, were to make the ca∣mel a passage through the needles eye; * 1.5 let 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 signifie the great beast it self, and not the Seaman's rope only, as some contend upon that expression Mat. 19.24. To make wealth the standard of worth, this were to offend against the generation of Gods children, and to cast out those as vile and worthless among men, of whom the world is not worthy: * 1.6 This were to esteem the precious sons of Zion comparable to fine gold, as earthen pitchers the work of the hands of the potter. Nor can I think the votes of the Ephra∣thites ran so low as wealth, the last and

least in the inventory of good things; a blessing of the left hand, and not al∣ways a blessing neither, Riches being sometimes kept for the owners thereof to their hurt. * 1.7 It is but the fatness of the earth at best, which many have their full of, who shall never taste of heaven.

And therefore I like the vulgar Latine better which reads it, Exemplum virtu∣tis; saving that their sit in stead of sis seems to incline that part of the words to Ruth, which other Copies, and so our Translation applies to Boaz; and speak∣ing to him, it speaks to purpose, voting him to that which is the ornament of great persons, an Exemplarity.

The highest lines are the writers copy; and therefore thou that art high, make an advantage of thy place, prescribe those that be under, give a copy to others to write after. But I shall speak to this, when I come to apply Text and Occa∣sion; and shall now follow our English reading word for word, Do thou worthily in, &c.

In which words please to observe with me that there is,

1. Agendum, Something to be done: Do.

2. Modum agendi, the rule or measure of doing; worthily: Do worthily.

3. Motivum actûs, the motive of such deeds; taken,

1. From the person on whom such doing is incumbent; Thou: Do thou worthily.

2. From the place where such a person is resident, Ephratah: Do thou worthily in Ephratah.

3. From the name which is attend∣ant on such a person, in such place, doing so worthily; it is famous: And be fa∣mous in Bethlehem.

Notes

• * 1.1

  •• Sam. 21.9.
• * 1.2

  Pro. 25.11.
• * 1.3

  Pro. 3.10
• * 1.4

  Eccl. 2.8.
• * 1.5

  Quidam scribunt 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉
• * 1.6

  Heb. 11.38. Lam. 4.2.
• * 1.7

  Eccl. 5.13.