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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.
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