Lewistown gazette. [volume] (Lewistown, Pa.) 1843-1944, 1849-05-12
SATURDAY, MAY ~, ls49.

days; and as their mother in law gave them
parting kiss, they lifted up their voices
and wept, aud said We will return with
thee to Thy people, The reply of Naomi
glows with the great living truth, that wo.
man can find her natural and permanent
rest only 10 the house Of her husband. And
Naomi said Why will ye 90 with me?
L have no more sons that nav be your bus
bands; am widow: and had husband.
ana Should also have sous, would ye tarrv
ioT them tIi they are grown? And when
she had uttered these words, they lifted I'D
their voices aud wept again. Orpha
hearkened TO The advice Of her mother in
law, gave her parting kiss, and returned
to her own people in Moab. But Ruth
ciave TO Naomi. Now commenced still
more earnest struggle between these two
remarkable women. Naomi was unwiI.
ling that the beauty and bloom of youth
should be +" asteG in her service; and she
took the advantage OF the example OF Or.
( Pha, aud said-'Behold, thy SISTER hath
/ gone back unto her people and unto her
! gods: return thou after her, For three
/ thousand years the answer of Ruth To the
earnest and dIslnterested advice of Naomi,
! has stood forth in the history of filIal affec.
ton and duty as the sun in the armament
OF heaven. There is 80 parallel 10 II in
the records of humanity. And Ruth said,
-'Entreatme not 10 leave thee or TO return
from iollo~ing after thee; for whittier thou
goest, will go, thy people shall be my
people, and thy God my God, where thou
dIest will die and there will be buried:
the lord do go to me, and more also, If
aught but death shall part thee and me-
10 these words Naomi made no reply :;
they were unans wered and silently the
two widows journeyed on foot towards Beth
lehem Judah. When the relict of EIime,
lech appeared among her people they said
IN amazement-'ls this Naomi The sound
of her name used 10 suggest to us her beau
ty aud happiness. She departed from US
with her husband and Sons, and 10 she re.
turns to US IN sorrow, and with but one poor
hand maiden.
And Naomi said-'Call me not Naomi,
but Mara; for the Almighty hath dealt
very bitterly with me- Truly dark cloud
hung over the house of Naomi and Ruth.
They had given brilliant examples of the
brightest Of womanly virtues-fdelilv 10
their husband aud TO Ruth aud now God
was about TO honor her with very great hon
or,-even to make her one of the builders
Of the house Of David.
Naomi and Ruth arrived at Bethlehem
IN the spring, IN the beginning of the bar.
ley harvest; and this apparently small mat
ter was the opening Of the magnificent
designs of Providence towards Ruth, the /
Moabiess widow. The custom of the /
country permitted poor young women TO /
CLEAN in The fields, and The pressing wants /
Of Naomi quickly prompted the excellent
heart Of Ruth TO say to her-'Lei mesnow /
60 to the field and CLEAN ears of corn after .
him in whose sight shall find grace. And |
Naomi sald-'Go, my daughter
The first adventure of Ruth suggests
clearly the magnificent destiny which a.
waits her. Upon returning in the evening
she related to Naomi the beautiful and
prophetic incidents Of The day. III was my
hap she said 80 light on part of the
field that belonged to Boaz. And when
he came out to see the reapers he inquired
'phoSe ddmSel is this !'-anI being inform.
ed he said To the Young men, Let her
CLEAN even among the sheaves aud reproach
her not and let fall also some Of the hand
fuIs on purpose for her, and leave them
that she may CLEAN them and rehuke her
not Then turning to me he SAID, Go
not, my daughter to CLEAN in any other field
pul abide here fast by my madens. have
charged the young men that they shall
not touch thee and when thou art athirst,
go aud drink of that which the young
men have drawn from the wells. For
il hath fully been shown me all that thou
has; done unto thy mother in law since the
death of thy husband. The Lord recon-
pense thy work, and full reward be CIV.
en- thee of the God of Israel, under " hose
wings thou art come to trust. At meal
line come thou hilher, and eat of the
bread and dip thy morsel in The vinegar
and as sat with the maids, he reached
NE parched corn pith his oicn hands
As Ruth related these incidents, the
and wilhered counlenance Of Ma
omi gloNod with visions of hope and she
saw the star of her family about to rise a.
gain. She perceived, IN lhe language and
conduct Of Bo1z, and particularly in that
handful of parched corn his young aifec-
ton for Tie enchanting Moabtess wild,
ow.--At the same time she remembered
that Boaz was "A hinsman OF heI husband.
mighty man Of wealth, which instantly
brought to her mind The law in Israel, that
the childiess widow should become the
wife of the brother or next nearest of kin
Of the deceased, for the purpose of raising
up seed on the estate of the departed, so
hat it might not pass out of the original
family. She was now old, and now child.
less but Ruth, in The eye OF the law, in her
place and she said-'My daughter, shall
l. e. IL IL ln..