idolatrous friends and their idol-gods :) but when she saw, unhappily, that she had prevailed with Orpah, had she any right to urge Ruth to follow her sad example ? Should she not rather have rent her garments, yea, and torn the very hair from her head with anguish, at the thought of having so fatally prevailed to ruin her daughter's soul? Should she not rather have striven to undo what she had done to Orpah, than con- tinue to exert the same fatal influence with Ruth ? Should not the advice of Moses to Hobab have been hers to both of them, "Come with me, and God will do you good^?" Naomi, thou hast given us a picture too often realized in the present day : in thee we see a mother more anxious about the providing of husbands for her daughters, than the saving of their souls. Thou didst love thy daughters, it is true ; but thy concern for their temporal welfare overpowered all other considerations, and not only kept thee from leading their minds to God, but actually induced thee to exert thine influence in opposition to their good desires: thou wast a tempter to them, when thou shouldest have done all in thy power to keep them from temp- tation, and have had thy whole soul bent on securing their everlasting salvation. Beloved Ruth, we bless God that thou wast enabled to withstand the solicitations given thee, though from so high a quarter : for we are told by our Lord and Saviour, " He that loveth father or mother more than me, is not worthy of me"^." Thou didst well, in that thy refusal was so tender, so affectionate, so respectful : but still thou didst well, also, that thou wast firm. Thy firmness has reflected a lustre on thy character : for whilst it detracted nothing from thy filial piety, seeing that " we must obey God rather than man," it has shewn how much more pure thy love was than that of thy mother, and how much more rigid and firm thy piety.]
Address —
1. To parents —
[Learn, I pray you, from Naomi ; learn to instruct your children and dependents in the knowledge of the true God, and to conciliate their regards by the most unwearied efibrts of tenderness and love. But beware how you discourage in them any good desire. I vdll grant that there are in Scripture other instances of persons labouring to counteract the move- ments of personal aflection. Ittai, the Gittite, when following David in his flight from Absalom, was urged to leave him"; as Elisha also was repeatedly by Elijah previous to his assump- tion to heaven". But there was no positive duty lying upon
1 Numb. X. 29 — 32. m Matt. x. 37.
n 2 Sam. XV. 19—21. ° 2 Kings ii. 2, 4, 6.