Introduction to the Key of David

IN the spring of 1844 I left everything near and dear to me on earth. I left the wife of my youth and six lovely children, (dearer to me than my natural life), and an excellent farm, with everything comfortable around me. I left all these in the pursuit of truth, and for the sake of Truth alone. I had often from my youth asked my soul, "Where is perfect, incontestable Truth to be found? The answer was, It exists everywhere. It is in the heart. It consists in the conscious evidence of her existence, against which no reasoning can prevail." Still, I was not satisfied. Prayer after Prayer, and aspiration after aspiration, ascended up to God. I knew that He would not deceive me, and therefore trusted my all to Him, and still pursued Truth. Every step was actuated by a sincerity and a holy warmth of purpose; and every prophetic promise with a sacred feeling unadulterated and without care. --But I soon discovered that I only now perceived her afar off in Idea, in Sentiment, in Theory, and longed to behold her realized in Fact, (As I have since in Jerusalem), in Reality, in Time, Place, and Circumstances; for I found "Truth in the mind was never complete," Truth in the abstract was never developed. I therefore found one Key that presented itself clearly to my mind, that would infallibly lead me through the door of Truth. It was this: and entire Faith and dependence upon God's ever living Word and Promises. Two of these had often presented themselves to my understanding, which I shall hereafter more particularly refer to, as sufficient for my purpose, although I had the misfortune (without any power or control of my own to prevent it) to be born and educated in the Great Moral and Physical Labyrinth consisting of above 380 opposing and contending sects, all of Christians' own making; each party contending and branding the other with being unsound and heretical, and composing a block in the "Great Mystical Babylon," from the Church of Rome down to the least and latest sect, or dissenter. I had often been impressed with the call to "Come out of Babylon." "Come our of Babylon, my People, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues." Rev. xviii. 4. This I sincerely tried to do; but I soon found that what the ministers understood by coming out of Babylon was to come out of any of the opposing sects to their own sect, which they in this manner were trying to build up, thinking, no doubt, their own persuasion was the only right one. But as my understanding became enlightened and opened, so that I understood all the distinctive marks given in God's Most Holy Word of "Mystery Babylon," I became convinced and assured, from Christians' own testimony, (which I was then living under), that the whole structure, from the Church of Rome (whom Protestants called the "Whore of Babylon and Mother of Harlots") down to the least of her daughters, who consequently must be the "Harlots" if she be the "Mother" of them, as all sacred and profane History declares that from Head to Tail, and from the least to the greatest, all compose this Great "Mystery Babylon," "for all nations have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication." See Rev. xviii.2, and xvii.2.

But God was not pleased to let my soul rest in any one department of this great Labyrinth, in which thousands and myriads of souls have been lost and bewildered, and have never found the way out. Although all Christians profess to believe the assertion that "Salvation is of the Jews," there is an impassable barrier between believers in that man which they have made a God of, that must forever form a separation between every Israelite and every soul that remains still in Babylon; and this must forever remain a Barrier that cannot be thrown down, so long as they believe their testimony to be true. However, of one thing am I convinced and satisfied, that there is no Salvation for the Gentiles but by coming to Israel, to be saved, as I have done; for I have seen everything give way, and fall through as being insufficient, as all the Law of God and his Holy Prophets declare.

Now the two truths that I mentioned and before alluded to, as having presented themselves to my mind, and as being sufficient to extricate me out of this confusion and darkness, are the following--1st. "Who is among you that feareth the Lord, that obeyeth the voice of his servant, that walketh in darkness, and hath no light? Let him trust in the name of the Lord, and stay upon his God. 2nd. "Blessed is the man who placeth his confidence in the Lord and thinketh of the way to Jerusalem. They go on from Strength to Strength till they appear before God in Zion." and so I truly found it until I realized in my experience the Book of Ruth to be "Rest" and "Strength."

I intend to add to this work a paraphrase upon the Book of Ruth, and show how, in confirmation of the Word of God and my own experience in going to Jerusalem, it teaches us the way to obtain Rest and Strength.

Next to this Introduction I intend to settle the very important question whether that which is Literal is first, or that which is Spiritual, as upon the right settlement of this very important point depends the truth of Judaism or the Truth of Christianity.

I shall then, before I make my readers acquainted with the "two women of Solomon," open this work with the Key of David, showing that the foundation of all Truth and of Eternal Life is the Unity of God.