בס"ד
The Key of David
By Warder Cresson (Michael Boaz Israel ben Abraham).
The Book of Ruth,
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"My Daughter, shall I not seek Rest for thee, that it may be well with thee?" Ruth 3:1. Of all the most instructive and truthful lessons to teach the soul how to attain Rest and Strength , where "the wicked cease from troubling, and the WEARY be at REST," (Job 3:17,) this Divine Book of Ruth exceeds all others represented in the form of language which is couched under Types, Signs, or Figures. And be it known, that this book of Ruth will not only teach the soul how to get the great principle of every virtue, which is Strength, but will also give the Soul rest; and having got these, will show who is the True Messiah, or Anointed. This Book commences by stating, that "Now it came to...[pp.246-247 are missing in this copy] [Naomi is urging her daughters-in-law Ruth and Orpah to remain in the land of Moab.] ...for I am too old to have a husband. If I should say I have hope, if I should have a husband also to-night, and I should also bear sons; would ye tarry for them till they were grown? Would ye stay for them from having husbands? Nay, my daughters, for it grieves me much for your sakes, that the hand of the Lord is gone out against me." See how she tries here natural affection, and how she brings out, in the next verse, the two distinct characters. "And they lifted up their voice and wept again. And Orpah kissed her mother-in-law; but Ruth cleaved unto her." That is, Orpah, as her name implies, [Orpah in Hebrew, means neck] backslid, as in expressed in the Hebrew by "kissing her mother," which is the signal of parting, and so the next verse plainly declares. And she said, "Behold, thy sister-in-law is gone back unto her people, and unto her Gods." Mind, the "Gods" (plural) were behind, amongst Christians, but there was only One God before, with Naomi, as will directly appear. But still, Naomi wishes to try her further, in order to show us the purity and high-bearing of her character. "And she said, Behold, thy sister-in-law is gone back unto her people, and unto her Gods; return thou after thy sister-in-law. And Ruth said, Entreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee;* for whither thou goest I will go; and where thou lodgest I will lodge; thy people shall be my people, and THY God MY God. Where thou diest I will die, and THERE will I be BURIED: the Lord do so to me, and more also, if aught but death part thee and me." Nowhere is the only true disinterested character displayed, that can ever make a true and acceptable convert to Judaism in the sight of God, and this cannot be done only by first testing all natural affection, and at its expense. O! how truly beautiful in the sight of God is such a soul! I cannot express it better than by introducing here the 10th and 11th verses of the 45th Psalm, "Hearken, O Daughter, (or Church, or Soul,) and consider and incline thine ear; forget also thine own people, and thy father's house; so shall the King (thy God) greatly desire thy beauty; for he is thy Lord; and worship thou him." Here we see how greatly God desires to be ADORED as God, in the very highest affections of the heart, and by our ACTIONS; which can only be done by first testing all natural loves, as he here has done in the characters of "Orpah" and "Ruth."
"When she saw that she was steadfastly minded to go with her, then she left speaking unto her. So they two went until they came to Bethlehem, (or the House of Bread.) And it came to pass when they were come to Bethlehem, that all the City was moved about them, and they said, 'Is this Naomi?'" Is this the Beautiful Church, that was once so highly and most gloriously gifted from the hand of God, with every blessing of the redeemed earthly and heavenly inheritance, as is declared in the 54:11-14, and 55. chapt. of Isa., shall be again? Yes! This Naomi, now the "afflicted and tossed with tempests and not comforted?" Is this the once Beautiful Naomi, now the "forsaken and hated?" Is she passing through the "Valley of BECAH? (that is sorrow and weeping,) and does she find it full of pools?" Ps. 84:6. Ah! These go on from "strength to strength until they appear before God in Zion," and so my soul found in going to Jerusalem, and yet this is the Beautiful Naomi, or the Jewish Church, whose language to the worldling is, "call me no more Naomi, (that is pleasant or beautiful,) but call me Mara, (that is bitter,) for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. I went out full, but the Lord has brought me home again empty; ('left of her husband;') why then call me Naomi, seeing that the Lord has testified against me, and the Almighty has afflicted me?" David says, "Before I was afflicted , I went astray." Ps. 119:67. Ah! Here is the secret of afflicting thee, O thou most beautiful Esther! It was to keep thee from straying from thy Beloved, "O thou most beautiful of women!" It was, that thy beloved should hide his face from thee, to try and prove thee, that God might show to the world thy high and most exalted character, far above that of an Orpah or a Jezebel; but, yet a little while, and only for a little while, thou must do as Mordecai has charged thee, "Not to show her people nor her kindred." Esther 2:10 and 20. But one of the Watchmen that has gone about the City (Jerusalem) has found thee, and discovered thee, and has found him, (King David,) "whom thy soul loves." Solomon's Song, iii. 3 and 4. And there were two kinds of Watchmen, or Warders, who, it is declared, "go about the City." The first, the Jewish. "It was but a little, that (the Church") passed (by or) from them, but I found Him, (the True Messiah, David,) whom my soul loves." See Solomon's Song, 3:3 and 4. But the 2nd class of Watchmen, (the Gentile,) they also went about the City and found me, (the Jewish Church;) these "smote, they wounded me," and "the keepers of the walls, too, took away my veil from me." Song 5:7 and 8. O how true! But O, mark the charge! "I charge you, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, by the roes, and by the hinds of the field, that ye stir not up, nor awake my Love, till he please. " Song 2:7; 3:5; v. 8, and 8:4. Four times is this charge given; and why? Because any premature attempt will only prove an Abortion, and will end in awful disappointment, as Christianity has or will do for putting the Spiritual before the Literal. "So Naomi returned, and Ruth, the Moabitess, her Daughter-in-law, with her, which returned out of the country of Moab; and they came to Bethlehem in the beginning of Barley-harvest;" just the right time to get to the House of Bread, particularly as we have seen the "Harvest is the end of the world," and that all the blessings of the coming Kingdom of God are reserved by all the Prophets for the "Last Days," and not more than 1800 years ago; and we must be sure and mark, that our very opponents say, "That the Harvest is the end of the world ," (see Matt. 13:39;) and we know that it is not until the Harvest that the Wheat is Gathered in the Barn, or Kingdom. Now I have got through the first chapter of the Book of Ruth, or Rest; and my design has been to show what it is intended to represent, namely, 1st. Eli-Melech, or God is King. 2d. "Naomi," or the beautiful Woman, or Hebrew Church. 3d. "Mahlon," or "Infirmity," Sickness, representing the Elder Son, or Esauic-Gentile Church, who is filled with "Infirmity," or "Sickness," because "the times of the Gentiles are about being fulfilled." Luke 21:24; Rom. 11:25. 4th. "Chilion," "Finished," or "Perfect," representing the Younger Son of Jacob, the Israelitish Church, about to be "Finished," or "Completed," by her bitter sufferings. 5th. "Orpah," the Backsliding Gentile daughter-in-law going back to her people, and her gods. 6th. "Ruth," the Faithful, Persevering Proselyte, seeking Rest and Strength. I will now show how she finally gets Boaz, or "Strength," by returning to Beth-Lehem, or the House of Bread, or by returning to Jerusalem, and "going on from Strength to Strength, until she appears before God in Zion, or thus:
Now for the 2d. Chapter, thus:--"And Naomi had a kinsman of her husband, a mighty man of wealth, of the family of Eli-Melech; and his name was Boaz." Now is there any so near a kinsman to the true Church, (Naomi,) as Eli-Melech, when my God is King; and what is so mighty a man of Wealth, as Boaz, or Strength? And Ruth, the Moabitess, said unto Naomi, "Let me now go to the field, and glean ears of corn after him in whose sight I shall find grace." Now here is a very Wise Woman for you, as we will soon see. "And she said unto her, Go, my daughter. And she went, and came and gleaned in the field after the reapers; and her hap was to light on the part of the field belonging unto Boaz, or Strength; who was of the kindred of Eli-Melech, or of God the King, as all Strength is. In Hebrew, God is called "El-Gibbor", the Strong God. "And behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem, and said unto the reapers, The Lord be with you, and they answered him, The Lord bless thee. Then said Boaz unto his servant (the angel) that was set over the reapers, Whose damsel is this? And the servant that was set over the reapers (who are also angels) answered and said, It is the Moabitish Damsel that came back (mark, that came back) with Naomi from out of the country of Moab; And she said, I pray you let me glean and gather after the reapers among the sheaves; and so she came, and hath continued even from the morning until now, that she tarried a little in the house. Then said Boaz (Strength) unto Ruth, Hearest thou not, my daughter? Go not to glean in another field (that is, Go not back after the gods, whether it be 'Three in One," or 30,000 in one;) neither go from hence, (from the Unity of God;) but abide fast by my maidens, (my Israel.) Let thine eyes be on the field that they do reap, and go thou after them; have I not charges the young men that they shall not touch thee? And when thou art athirst, go unto the vessels and drink of that which the young men have drawn. Then she fell on her face and bowed herself to the ground, and said unto him, Why have I found grace in thine eyes that thou shouldst take knowledge of me, seeing that I am a stranger?" Can it be possible for anything to be a more positive proof than this last expression, that this book is intended for the sincere and honest convert to Judaism, who is a Stranger in the eye of God's Divine and Most Holy Law? Now what will the Missionary for converting the Jews think when he reads this? I guess he will think that the weather, or moral atmosphere, is getting rather too hot for him to follow his business in Jerusalem. "And Boaz answered and said unto her, It hath fully been shown me all that thou hast done unto thy mother-in-law, since the death of thine husband; and how thou hast left thy father and mother, and the land of thy nativity, and hast come unto a people which thou knewest not heretofore." Is it possible for words to express and describe more fully the practical walk of an honest convert, who has left everything near and dear to him on earth to go to Jerusalem, as I did? "The Lord recompense thy work, and a full reward be given thee of the Lord God of Israel, under whose wings thou art come to trust. "Then she said, Let me find favor in thy sight, my Lord, for thou hast comforted me, and for that thou hast spoken friendly unto thy handmaid, though I be not like unto one of thy handmaidens, (that is not a born Jew or Jewess.) And Boaz said unto her, at meal-time come thou hither, and eat of the bread, and dip thy morsel in the vinegar." Ah! How plainly is here set forth the bitterness and suffering that even a good Israelite, and true Proselyte,* has to pass through during this Gentile Night, or during the dominion of the Four Gentile Monarchies, or Four Beasts of Daniel; as David beautifully expresses it in his 73. Psa. 10th v., when speaking of the suffering that God's people have to endure, says, "Waters of a full cup are wrung out to them;" and in the fifth verse before, in speaking of the prosperity of the wicked in this world says, "They are not in trouble as other men; neither are they plagued like other men." And why? Because "before they were afflicted they went astray;" therefore Boaz says to Ruth, Come and "dip thy bread in the vinegar." "And she sat beside the reapers; and he reached her parched corn and she did eat, and was sufficed, and left." This is no doubt very hard fare in the eyes of the voluptuaries of the present day, and so it is, and so is the present fare of almost all the Jews of the present day, especially in Jerusalem, and so God's Word throughout represents their present captivity, which when I witnessed for between three and four years, I made the following verses to express Judea Capta's long dark night of suffering:--
"And when she was risen up to glean, Boaz commanded his young men, saying, Let her glean even among the sheaves, and reproach her not. And let fall also some of the handfuls* of purpose for her, and leave them that she may glean them, and rebuke her not." Yea, God says "rebuke her not," but to "love the Stranger," for God "loves the Stranger." (Deut. 10:18 and 19.)
I mean such a Stranger as Ruth was, but not an "Orpah." "So she gleaned in the field until even, and beat out that she had gleaned; (as I have done and am now doing;) and it was about an ephah (which is seven gallons and four pints) of barley. And she took it up and went into the city: and her mother-in-law saw what she had gleaned; (it don't say that any of the Gentile Mothers, or Churches, saw, or discerned, 'what she had gleaned,' because they did not, nor could not, for it was before and ahead of them;) and she brought forth and gave to her that she had reserved after she was sufficed. And her mother-in-law said unto her, Where hast thou gleaned to-day? and where wroughtest thou? Blessed be he that did take knowledge of thee. And she showed her mother-in-law with whom she had wrought, and said, The man's name (or power) with whom I wrought to-day is Boaz," that is, Strength. Happy, thrice happy, poor gentile daughter, who was almost starving in the land of Moab, that thy "hap was to light on the part of the field belonging unto Boaz," (that is, Strength,) who was of the "kindred of Eli-Melech," or of my God the King; thus proving, by going from Moab, or the land of his father, to Bethlehem, or to Jerusalem, that the living Word of God is true, that "they go on from Strength to Strength," who "think of the way to Jerusalem, until they appear before God in Zion." "And Naomi said unto her daughter-in-law, Blessed by he of the Lord who has not left off his kindness to the living and the dead. And Naomi said unto her, The man is near of kin unto us, one of our next kinsmen." And so the word of God assures us that "there is no nation so great, who has God so nigh (consequently so near of kin, and the very 'next of kin') unto them, as the Lord our God is in all things that we call upon him for." Compare Deut. 4:7, with the 32d to the 36th verses; and also with Ibid. 7:6th verse, and see whether I am not right. "And Ruth the Moabitess said, He said unto me also, Thou shalt keep fast by my young men, until they have ended all my harvest."
"And Naomi said unto Ruth, her daughter-in-law, It is good, my daughter, that thou go out with his maidens, (or Virgin souls,) that they* (the Gentiles) meet thee not in any other field. So she kept fast by the maidens of Boaz (or Strength) to glean unto the end of barley-harvest, and of wheat-harvest; and dwelt with her mother-in-law.
Now we have clearly represented, in this 2d chapter of Ruth, what course a man must take in order to get Strength, which is the foundation of every virtue, as the want of it is the ground of every vice: and that is by obeying the word of God and in going to Jerusalem, where God's immediate Presence* is so remarkably and so pre-eminently felt, for "This is my rest forever; here will I dwell, for I have desired it." (Ps. 132:14.)
Again, it is here that is found the continual association of Places and Things, as declared in God's Most Holy Law; so that the evidence of the Truth is almost irresistible and overwhelming. Again, this 2d chapter of Ruth represents and shows us how to get rich from being very poor, and even in a state of starvation or "famine," for the Word of God assures us, that they who find Wisdom, "Length of days is in her right hand; and in her left hand Riches and Honor ." Prov. 3:16. And so Ruth found it, for "He was a mighty man of wealth ." (2:1.) And we are assured that upon her obedience depended not only Riches and Honor," but also "Length of Days and Long Life," (see Prov. 3. 2d. and 16th. v.,) for it is declared,
And if anything more can be desired it is only to be obtained by Wisdom, and there can be no wisdom without the Fear of God, which leads to obedience to God's Most Holy Divine Word, or Law; "For the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of silver, and the gain thereof than fine gold," for "She is more precious than rubies; and all things thou canst desire are not to be compared unto her." This, therefore, is quite sufficient. Now for the 3d chapter, and we will at once see what it represents, as it will show us how to get Rest, a most invaluable gift and treasure. "Then Naomi, her mother-in-law, said unto her, My Daughter, shall I seek Rest for thee, that it may be well with thee?" Rest was not only the end of God's works in the creation of this world, but it is the end of every wise and good man's works; hence it is the language of all Israel, when speaking of a departed Father or Mother, Husband or Wife, that they invariably implore this blessing and say, "God rest his soul," "God rest her soul." Israel well knows that rest is the just and great reward of all Righteous and Holy Souls, when every good word and work exist in them, in that degree of equanimity and temperament which produces Peace and Quiet--this is Rest. But so long as any soul remains in anything wrong, either in Theory or Practice, so long this wrong must work against the good, and produce disquiet, which is the very opposite to Rest; and must so work until the soul becomes purified; because Good and Evil are antagonistic to each other, and therefore ever prevent the soul from enjoying that state of equanimity and temperament which produces Peace, Quiet, or Rest; and until it becomes harmonized in good. Therefore Naomi says to Ruth, "My daughter, shall I seek Rest for thee, that it may be well with thee?" and Then she immediately proceeds on to tell her how is the only way for her to obtain it, and says to her, "And now is not Boaz of our kindred,* (is not Strength of our kindred?) with whose maidens thou wast? Behold, he winnoweth barley to-night in the threshing-floor." Behold, Strength from the chaff during this Gentile Night, in the threshing-floor, (in afflicting and trying his people.)
"Wash thyself, therefore, and anoint thee, (purify and cleanse thyself,) and put thy raiment upon thee, and get thee down to the floor, (the threshing-floor, signifying the purification by the threshing of affliction,) and make not thyself known to the man until he shall have done eating and drinking. And it shall be when he lieth down that thou shalt mark* the Place where he shall lie, and thou shalt go in and uncover his feet, (in Humility,) and lay thee down: and he will tell thee what thou shalt do. And she said unto her, all that thou sayest unto me I will do. And she went down unto the floor, and did according to all that her mother-in-law bade her. And when Boaz had eaten and drunk, and his heart was merry, he went to lie down at the end of the heap of corn, (or wheat, signifying all the elect by the heap of corn, or Wheat, gathered together,) and she came softly and uncovered his feet, and laid her down."
That is, the soul must go down unto the "threshing-floor" of suffering, in order that it may become purified. "And when Boaz (or Strength) had eaten and drunk," that is, when Strength has done having intercourse with his creatures in this world, or order of things, then he will make a great Feast,* and his heart will be merry, and he visits all his creatures, then he will find his Ruth, lying down in Mount Zion, there seeking Rest. And this will come to pass at midnight, that is, during this present Midnight of the Gentiles, which consequently must precede the Morning, when the True Mother discovers her "Living Child," and we will soon see that this very Book of Ruth, and Boaz, which is Rest and Strength, will end in bringing forth the very same "Living Child," David.†
"And it came to pass at midnight; that the man was afraid, and turned himself; and behold, a woman* lay at his feet. And he said, who art thou? And she answered, I am Ruth, thine handmaid: spread therefore thy skirt (of Strength) over thine handmaid; for thou art a near kinsman. And he said, Blessed by thou of the Lord, my daughter; for thou hast showed more kindness in the latter end than at the beginning, insomuch as thou followedst not young men, whether poor or rich." And why? Because she persevered and preserved her integrity, and remained faithful, and therefore gave the fullest proof of her disinterested and unchangeable love, in preferring strength to even "young men, whether poor or rich."
"And now, my daughter, fear not; I will do to thee all that thou requirest, for all the city of my people doth know that thou art a virtuous woman. And now it is true that I am thy near kinsman, howbeit, there is a kinsman nearer than I." Now here we see Boaz, who was an embodies man, representing Strength; yet he here decidedly gives God the prerogative as a disembodied or incorporeal Spirit, as he should do, and declares that He "is a kinsman nearer than I." "Tarry this night, (this Gentile night,) and it shall be in the morning, (the morning of the resurrection,) that if he will perform unto thee the part of kinsman, well; let him do the kinsman's part: but if he will not do the part of a kinsman to thee, then will I do the part of a kinsman to thee, as the Lord liveth; lie down until the morning. And she lay at his feet until the morning; and she rose up before one could see another. And he said, let it not be known that a woman came into the floor. Also, he said, bring the veil that thou hast upon thee, and hold it. And when she held it, he measured six measures of barley, and laid it on her; and she went into the city." In the morning of the resurrection it will be seen around the Throne, which will be Jerusalem, just what every soul has gleaned, whether it be the "six measures" that a Ruth obtained, or the worse than nothing which the Orpahs got by "going back to her gods." "And when she came to her mother-in-law, she said, Who art thou, my daughter? And she told her all that the man had done to her. And she said, these six measures of barley gave he me; for he said to me, go not empty to thy mother-in-law. Then said she, sit still, my daughter, until thou know how the matter will fall; for the man will not be in rest, until he have finished the thing this day." So we can see how most beautifully this third chapter represents the Humanity obtaining rest, thus far by its union with Boaz, or Strength, and which will be finished in the next and last chapter, in the person of David, and in no other. "Then Boaz went to the gate, (which was always the place of judgment, ) and sat him down there: and behold the kinsman of whom Boaz spake (see chap. 3:12,) came by; unto whom he said, Ho, such-a-one! turn aside, sit down here, (as God will yet do in Judgment.) And he turned aside and sat down." "And he took ten men (it always took ten men, or a "minyan," to form or come to a true Judgment in Israel, as it does to this day) of the elders of the city, and said, Sit ye down here. And they sat down. And he said unto the kinsman, Naomi, that is come out of the country of Moab, selleth a parcel of land, which was our brother Eli-Melech's. And I thought to advertise thee, saying, Buy it before the inhabitants and before the elders of my people. If thou wilt redeem it, redeem it; but if thou wilt not redeem it, then tell me, that I may know; for there is none to redeem it besides thee; and I am after thee. And he said, I will redeem it." Now this conversation took place between Boaz, or the Strong Man, and Eli-Melech, or God who is King, entirely in reference to the Redemption of the Holy Land of Palestine, promised to our fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and their seed after them. "Then said Boaz, What day thou buyest the field of Naomi, thou must buy it also of Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of the dead, to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance. And the kinsman said, I cannot redeem it for myself lest I mar my own inheritance;* redeem thou my right to thyself; for I cannot redeem it. Now this was the manner in former times, in Israel, concerning redeeming and concerning changing, for confirming all things; a man plucked off his shoe and gave it to his neighbor, and this was a testimony in Israel. Therefore, the Kinsman (Elimelech) said unto Boaz, Buy it for thee. So he drew off his shoe.† And Boaz said unto the elders and all the people, Ye are witnesses this day, that I have bought all that was Elimelech's and all that was Chilion's and Mahlon's of the hand of Naomi. Moreover, Ruth, the Moabitess, the Wife of Mahlon, have I purchased to be my wife, to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance, that the name of the dead be not cut off from among his brethren, and from the gate of his place: ye are witnesses this day. And all the people that were in the gate, and the elders, said, We are witnesses. The Lord make the woman that is come into thy house like Rachel, and like Leah, which two did build the house of Israel: and do thou worthily in Ephratah, and be famous in Beth-Lehem. And let thy house be like the house of Pharez, when Tamar bare unto Judah, of the seed of which the Lord shall give thee of this young woman."
"So Boaz took Ruth, and she was his Wife, and when he went in unto her, the Lord gave her conception, and she bare a son. "And the woman said unto Naomi, Blessed be the Lord, which hath not left thee this day without a Kinsman" (or Redeemer). Now, mark, this kinsman was not Boaz, but Elimelech, (or God, who is King,) as is asserted throughout every chapter of this representation, that "his Name (God, the Kinsman's Name) may be famous in Israel;" and yet there were four things that Elimelech could not, or would not do, and that Boaz had to do, and these were: 1st. "Redeem the Inheritance." 2d. Marry the "Wife of the Dead." 3d. Raise up "Seed to the Name of the Dead." 4th. To sit in the "Gate of his place" (judgment) and revenge the blood of his kindred. Eli-Melech could not Redeem the Inheritance, "lest he mar his own inheritance," (Palestine, which he promised to the Patriarchs and their seed.) Eli-Melech could not marry Ruth, for he was already married to Naomi; therefore he could not raise up Seed to the Dead, which Boaz had to do, to sit in the Gate of Judgment and revenge the Blood of his kindred; all this will he do through his chosen Elkanah, which means a Revenger. "And he shall be unto thee a Restorer of thy life, and a nourisher of thine old age; for thy daughter-in-law, which loveth thee, which is better to thee than seven sons, hath borne him," "Obed," ending in David. O, what an inexpressible Blessing there is in reserve for the Stranger, as Ruth was! No wonder it is said that God "loveth the Stranger;" "for thy daughter-in-law, which loveth thee, which is better to thee than Seven Sons, hath borne him. And Naomi took the child, and laid it in her bosom, and became nurse unto it," as the Jewish Church does to all honest and sincere converts, although she never tries to make proselytes, well knowing that one proselyte, such as Ruth was, is worth one hundred times more than all that the Missionaries ever made, or ever will make. "And the women, her neighbors, gave it a name, saying, There is a Son born unto Naomi, and they called his name Obed, (which means a Servant,) he is the father of Jesse, (the Gift), the father of David. Now these are the generations of Pharez; Pharez begat Hezron, and Hezron begat Ram, and Ram begat Amminadab, and Amminadab begat Nashon, and Nashon begat Salmon, and Salmon begat Boaz, and Boaz begat Obed, and Obed begat Jesse, and Jesse begat David," the "Beloved" "Messiah;" and here ends the last chapter of the Book of Ruth. And now we see that this last chapter represents the marriage of Ruth and Boaz, that is, of Rest and Strength. And pray why do these two great principles not go on to Jesus, or Solomon, or some one else? Why do they stop at David? For this one great reason, that He is the Messiah, in whom they both centre and end in, as the "Leader," "Witness," and "Commander" to his people Israel, (Is. lv., 4,) as King, Priest, Prophet, and Messiah, "Anointed of the God of Jacob." --2 Sam. 23:1. My own experience in going to Jerusalem was, that I found it truly Beth-Lehem, or the "House of 'Bread,'" and that the Divine Presence dwells there in a most remarkable and pre-eminent manner, so that I truly found that there was let fall some of the handful of purpose for me, and that while I was gleaning in the field of Boaz, or Strength; and this I experienced all owing to my now "Looking Back" and "going back" to my people and unto my gods, as Orpah did, but in my persevering, and in my being "steadfastly minded" to go with the beautiful Naomi, after I became most thoroughly convinced that she alone was right, and that she alone could lead me to rest and strength,* as she did Ruth; and finally convinced me that these two great principles centered and ended in David, as the True Messiah. I well remember, soon after my return from Jerusalem, in 1848, I called upon the Rev. Mr. R____, whom I found seated with his brother-in-law, who was also a minister. I had not been seated with them long before the Rev. Mr. O____ came in and said, "Brother R____, I have been requested to call upon you to inform you that upon next Monday evening there will be a meeting, to see whether there is enough spiritual bread to feed and satisfy the wants of our Israel, and we hope that you will attend." All at once the "Book of Ruth" flashed upon my mind in a most remarkable manner, and all that I had experienced in going to Jerusalem, and all that Naomi and Ruth had experienced in going out from the land of Moab to Bethlehem, and I said, "Friends, permit me to speak a few words upon this subject, for I suppose that if this question had been put before a meeting, or an assembly of Roman Catholics, "where there is enough Spiritual Bread to feed and satisfy the wants of their Israel," they would immediately reply, "O yes, come to our Zion, where there is bread enough and to spare;" and so it would be if the same application were made to a meeting of the Church of England, or to the Baptists, Methodists, Quakers, or Mormons; they would all reply, "Only come over to us," "only come over to us," "we have the bread of Life;" but will you please do as Ruth did, and as I have done, and you will not only find truly "how that the Lord has visited his people in giving them bread," and you will not only get Bread enough, but Rest and Strength too; and, finally, you will find out who is the true Messiah. But how they all looked! Just as if the Book of Ruth had never been written at all, or as if everything had been perverted, and turned upside down, and as if the Word of God had never declared, "Blessed in the man that thinketh of the way to Jerusalem. "He goes on from strength to strength, until they appear before God in Zion." I now intend, after a very few important remarks, to conclude. First, Was there anything to be gained by Ruth marrying a Jew, more than by marrying a Gentile? Ans. Most certainly there was, because God made choice of Abraham and his seed as the only Depositories of Truth, and as the only channel through which he would bless the Gentile world. "And in thy seed (Abraham's seed) shall all the nations of the earth be blessed." Gen. 22:18, and 12:3. Now it is self-evident, that if God had not chosen our predecessors, Abraham and his seed, as Depositors and Expositors of the Truth, there could never have been any Successors, unto whom this most invaluable of all treasures could be handed down, because there can be no Successors without Predecessors; therefore, beyond all contradiction, "Salvation is of the Jews," and the Gentiles "worship they know not what," as is fully proved from the dark state of the above Presbyterian ministers and Christian world. But why did God make choice of the Jews as a people (see Deut. 7:6 and 7, and Rom. 9:4) more than of any other people? Ans. Because of Abraham's great faithfulness* in offering up his son Isaac, (see Gen. 22:15, 16, 17, and 18,) and because God must choose some persons out of the generations of men, so that truth may be continued upon this earth and handed down to successive generations; and this election he has made of his people Israel, out of all the nations of the earth; therefore David says, in Ps. 135:4, "For the Lord hath chosen Jacob unto himself, and Israel for his peculiar treasure." And again, in Psalm 33:12, "Blessed is the Nation whose God is the Lord; and the People whom he hath chosen for his own Inheritance."
O how very fortunate Ruth was, a poor Gentile, to form a marriage with such a mighty man of wealth as Boaz, (Strength), who, from being a poor widowed woman, seeking Bread, not only obtained Strength, but such a most vast and mighty blessing beside, by her union with a Jew, and that was, she obtained endless life in the everlasting age, or Kingdom of God yet to come, in the great Sabbath or Septenary period, under the representation of Rest. "My daughter, shall I not seek Rest for thee, that it may be well with thee?" "And so Ruth became the great grandmother, the great progenitor, of the great and Holy King David himself, "for thy daughter-in-law, which loveth* thee, which is better to thee than Seven Sons, hath born him."
Verily "there remaineth a Rest, a Glorious Sabbath, for the chosen people of God," who are his Israel. THE ANNOUNCEMENT Very soon will the following wonderful Prophecy, which relates to the "MAN CHILD" David, be fulfilled before a wondering world. "A voice of noise from the City, a Voice from the Temple, a Voice from the Lord that rendereth recompense to his enemies. Before she travailed she brought forth; before her pains came she was delivered of a MAN CHILD." This "MAN CHILD" is KING DAVID. "Who hath heard such a thing? Who hath seen such things? Shall the earth be made to bring forth in a day? or shall a nation be born at once?" Yes, Israel shall be brought forth in a day, "for as soon as ZION travailed she brought forth her children." "Shall I bring to the birth, and not cause to bring forth? saith the Lord. Shall I cause to bring forth and shut the womb? saith thy God." "Rejoice ye with Jerusalem, and be glad with her, all ye that love her: rejoice with joy with her all ye that mourn for her." Is. 66:6, 7, 8, 9 and 10. Now it is most certain that "out of Zion shall come the Deliverer," (see Romans 11:26,) and it is also most certain that Jesus does not lay in Mount Zion, but there DAVID does lay INCORRUPTIBLE, as declared Ps. 16:10. And Micah declares that it is Zion THAT travails, (see 4:10, and in the 7th and 8th verse,) "the Lord shall reign over them IN MOUNT ZION, "and that the FIRST Dominion shall come to the Daughter of Jerusalem," which is Zion.
In the 9th verse of the fifth chapter of Micah, he says, "Now why dost thou cry out aloud? IS THERE NO KING IN THEE?" Yes, David, King of Israel, is in the literal Mount Zion, as time will prove, and this is my announcement to Emperors, Kings, Governors, and People; and I believe that he has never been embalmed, save by the Power and Word of the only one true and living God. Here it is all in God's own words in Psa. 132:13, 14, 17, 18:--
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