Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1905-06-26
The Story of Ruth.

he STORY OF NUN.
W. C. Watson, pastor of Lake.
Methodist church, delivered a
b, Sunday night, from the text
in the sixteenth and seven
verses of the first chapter Of
Ruth said, Intreat me net to
thee, or to return from follow
hee: for whittier thou goest, I
30; and where thou lodgest, I
odge: thy people shall be my
,, and they God my God:
here thou diest. will I die, and
will | be buried: the Lord do Sc
e, and more also, if ought bat
part thee and me-"
Watson retold the beautiful
CT Ruth and Boaz, and referred
be ideal friendship that existed
|een Ruth and her mother.in-law
ni. So strong became the friend
that when Naomi, whose hus-
and two sons had died in the
hge land Of Moab, to which she
emigrated from Beth-lehem-judah.
ing her two daughters-in.law.O Or.
and Ruth, started to return to
native country Ruth refused to de.
her; although Orpah remained
he land of her nativity. Ruth per-
ed in following her kind mother.
aw, and in her entreaties to do so
d the language of the text:
lntreat me not to leave thee cr to
urn from following after thee: for
tther thou goest. I Will go: and
ere thou lodgest, l will lodge: thy
Pple Shall be my people. and thy
my God: where thou diest. will
le and there will I be buried: the
rd do so to me, and mere also
aught but death part thee and me-"
Ihls, he said, was one cf tho most
autiful illustrations of true friend.
1p ne had ever read. Ruth knew
81 what the separation meant: SIZE
nst give up for all time the woman
20 had been so kind and good to
Pr. 1t meant also that she must
We up the God her mother-in.law
lrved; and Ruth, during the time of
Pr long connection with the family
Prough her marriage to Naomi's son.
Pd learned to respect the God CT the
|raelites. She had been afforded a
tactical example of that Gods good
ess thruogh the goodness Of Naomi
no worshiped him. Ruth decided
ne could not give up her mother.in.
Nv and her mother-in-law's God. and
expressed herself, giving to the
orld the beautiful text just quoted.
Ruth spoke out from heart of
rmness and conviction; there was
trace CT hypocrisy in her words.
urlng her connection with the fami.
; Naomi had been all that good
could be, and Ruth was
rateful. She saw. too, by Nacmi's
ood works that she worshiped
ood God, true God, and that her
zeal was not myth; and she decid.
to follow her to the uttermost.
lhe future held no allurements for
er in this course. She did not know
nat was in store for her in the
range country to which she was 60
- and OF which she knew absolute
nothing. Everything connected
lth her future was darkened, and
le could not discern the course of
e pathway she was following.
lhls pretty story furnishes us
sson we'll worth considering: the
sson OF a Christians influence. It
lis US CT what every individual
1rsltlan can do. For each one of us
IS an influence for good and for the
ory OF God. sLetsour lives be such
at we may lead others to appreciate
e truth Of our religion. Let us
ow others that the God we worship
the true God, and that he is the
ly God.
There is another very important les.
n contained in this text. In our
ligion there is no escape from per-
nal decision. Orpah returned to
land OF. her fathers, but Ruth fol-
we'd her good mother-in-law and
true God. She made a personal
clsion. Both of them had to make
rsonal decisions, but they were
lite different ones. Ruth chose the
tier. And she chose the unknown.
lth knew just what to expect in the
Id OF the Moabites, for 1t was the
Id OF her nativity. She had always
en- accustomed to the manners and