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History of Ruth,

LECTURE XI.

RUTH ii. 4.

And behold, Boaz came from Beth-lehem, and faid unto the reapers, The Lord be with you: and they answered him, The Lord bless thee.

THE fhort and fimple fentence which I have read,

might be made the subject of a volume. I intend to make it at least the fubject of a Lecture, and entreat your patient attention to a few of the obvious, but neither uninterefting nor unimportant views which it exhibits, of life and manners, of morals and religion.

Men of different characters, from various motives, and for various purposes, might be fuppofed to af fume the plain, unadorned hiftory of the barley-harveft of Boaz, as an useful and inftructive topic of addrefs, and, according to the fpirit by which they were actuated, and the end which they had in view, might reafon upon it in this manner.

I. The prudent, careful man, would build upon it a fyftem of attention, diligence and economy. "Behold," would he fay, "behold Boaz, the wealthy and the wife, in his field, among his fervants, feeing every thing with his own eyes, giving his orders in perfon, taking care that every one be in his own place, and performing his particular duty. The air and

exercise

exercife connected with the operations of husbandry, are conducive to health, to comfort; they promote his intereft; they enliven his fpirits; moderate labour makes reft welcome. See, his prefence is a check upon idlenefs, upon carelessnefs, upon difcord; it calls forth industry, it creates honest emulation; it reconciles the peasant to his toil, to fee the master participating in it. He has brought himself down to the level of the poor labourer, who feems to have rifen in proportion. See, nothing escapes his notice, not even a wretched gleaner behind the reapers; he must be informed of every thing; to the minuteft circumstance he will judge for himself.

"Young man, fet out in life, and conduct your progrefs, on fuch a principle, on fuch a model as this. It is the certain road to affluence, to refpectability: you are thereby at once ferving yourself, your dependants, and your country, Whatever be thy ftation, whatever thy employment, let thy heart be in it; let thy time and thy attention be devoted to it, "Be thou diligent to know the state of thy flocks, and look well to thy herds." "Be not flothful in business. Let every thing be done in its feafon; let every thing be done decently and in order." "The hand of the diligent maketh rich.' "Seeft thou a man diligent in his bufinefs? He fhall ftand before kings; he shall not stand before mean men."

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"To thefe might be added innumerable admonitions and arguments, drawn from fcripture, from reason, from history, from experience, all tending to demonftrate the wisdom, the utility, the neceffity of doing what thy hand findeth to do, with thy might; and to prove the folly, the danger, the mifery of floth and inattention. But example is beyond all precept. Survey yonder field; from Ruth up to Boaz; all are busy, all are pleased and cheerful, all are happy. Be inftructed, my fon, by the profpect; and learn that God, and nature, and reafon, have in-. feparably connected industry and felicity; have made bodily health and inward peace, profperity and import

ance

ance to flow from virtuous, temperate exertion, as the ftream from its fource."

II. The moralift would take up the fubject in a point of view fomewhat different. "Obferve" would he fay "the reciprocal duties arifing out of the mutual relations of human life. We have them here beautifully exemplified in the relation of mafter. and fervant. Befides the more obvious obligations of justice, on the one, in faithfully performing the ftipulated labour; on the other, in punctually beftowing the promised wages of the hireling, behold the tacit obligations of mutual affection and benevolence. Obligations founded not indeed upon a written law, but interwoven with the conftitution and frame of our nature, and which the man who feels not, acknowledges not, the man who neglects or violates, let his adherence to the letter of the law be ever fo close and exact, is a traitor to God and fociety. Nay, he is a traitor to himself, by cutting off one of the pureft fources of his own enjoyment, and at the fame time depriving mankind of one of their juftest claims.

"Boaz and his reapers meet with mutual cordiality. They give and receive the falutation of peace. He accofts them as a father would his children, not as a task-mafter would the miferable drudges fubjected to his authority. They address him with the kindly and humble familiarity of fons, not the distant timidity of flaves trembling for fear of the rod. They exact the price of their fervice as a debt; but they receive the gentle language and fmiles of their employer as a favour. He expects them to be honest and diligent, for confcience fake; but contentment with their condition, and good-will to him, he thankfully receives, as an unconditioned, extraordinary effort to promote his intereft.

"Suppofe, for a moment, the temper and character of both changed; and the force of the example will be more clearly understood, and more powerfully felt.

Without

Without fuppofing any one precept of morality, or dictate of religion infringed, what a different afpec would the field of Boaz wear! Lo, where comes the furly, ftately, felf-important lord of the manor, furveying in the pride of his heart, his increasing store, looking down on the humble, hardy fons of toil, as mere beafts of burden, defigned to minister to his conveniency. He vouchfafes them never a word, except perhaps to complain, to threaten, or to upbraid: and then, in fullen filence and state, retires again. The infulted labourers on the other hand, regard him with terror or difguft. The focial compact is diffolved between them. No eye welcomed his approach with a fmile, no whisper of gratulation conveyed his name from ear to ear, no tongue pronounced "God bless him." The half-fmothered execration purfued his withdrawing fteps, and he well deferved it.

"What thinkeft thou, my young friend, of the picture? Learn from it, that to doing justly, there must be added loving mercy, and walking humbly. Learn, that the duties and felicities of human life confift in numberlefs, nameless, undefinable little offices, which every one may learn without a teacher, and which every one may, if he will, perform. All have it not in their power to fupply the poor, to heal the fick, tọ fuccour the diftreffed. Opportunity does not every day offer, nor ability permit to confer material, effential benefits; but it is in the power of all to exprefs fympathy, to breathe a kind wish. Opportunities every hour, every moment present themselves, and abil ity never fails of looking pleasantly, of fpeaking gent. ly and affectionately. And he is a wretch indeed who knows that the unbending of an eyebrow, the utterance of a fyllable or two, the alteration of half a tone of his voice, the fimple extenfion of his hand would in a moment relieve a heart overwhelmed with forrow, wrung with anguish, and yet cruelly withholds fo flender, fo eafy, fo cheap a confolation.

"Young

"Young man, if it be thy misfortune to have to ftruggle with a harfh, ungainly, unbending difpofition, the fooner you set out in queft of victory the better. Remember that thy own comfort is involved, beyond the power of feparation, with that of thy fellowcreatures. Take care that the manner of fhewing mercy, or of conferring obligation mar not the matter of the benefit. The man who refufes graciously, impreffes on the heart a more favourable idea of himself, than he who grants with harfhnefs, infolence or pride. True goodnefs confiders, together with what is written on tables of flone, what is engraven on the living tables of the heart, and from the heart, communicates itself to the forehead, the eyes, the lips, the hand; impreffing on the whole the law of kindness."

III. The philofopher will caft his eyes along the group fcattered over the plains adjoining to BethlehemJudah, and will reflect in a different manner; perhaps thus. "What an endless variety do I obferve in the ways and works of the great Creator and Ruler of the univerfe! Blended with that variety, what mutual relation and dependence! The head, the hands, the feet; the parts which are more noble, and thofe which are more difhonourable, forming one regular, harmonious body where there is nothing redundant, nothing deficient. Every thing has its ufe, every thing has its end. Shade imperceptibly foftens into fhade; light imperceptibly brightens into light. The tranfitions are fo fweet and gradual, that the eye is never offended, nor overwhelmed. It is the fame thing in the body focial and politic. Every one ftands in need of another. The prince and the peafant meet in a certain point. How many things have they in common! How many things to intereft and attract each other!

"Look but to that field. The perfons are few; and the conditions much fewer. But even there I fee the order, the fubordination which Providence has eftablished through the whole extent of the vaft uni

verfe.

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