A voice of warning and instruction to all people; or, An introduction to the faith and doctrine of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

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A VOICE OF WARNING

INS TRUCTION TO ALL PEOPLE

OK, AN INTRODUCTION TO

THE FAITH AND DOCTRINE

OF THE

IHUECH OF JESUS CHRIST OF
LATTER-DAY SAINTS.

By PARLEY P. PRATT.

" Behold, the former things are come to pass, and new things
•do I declare; before they spring forth I tell you of them.'* —
Isaiah xli . 9.

•• Produce your cause, saith the Lord ; bring forth your strong
reasons, *aith the King of Jacob.*" — Isaiah Xli. 21.

FIFTEENTH EDITION.

Published and for Sale by

THE DESEKET NEWS,

Salt Lake City, Utah.

19 09.

CONTENTS.

PAGB

Preface to the Second European Edition .. v

Ditto First American ditto . . ix

CHAPTER I.
On Prophecy already Fulfilled 1

CHAPTER II.
On the Fulfilment of Prophecy yet future . . 37

CHAPTER III.
The Kingdom of God 73

CHAPTER IV.
The Book of Mormon — Origin of the

American Indians, etc 102

CHAPTER V.
The Resurrection of the Saints, and the
Restoration of all things spoken by
the Prophets 147

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER VI.

The Dealings of God with all Nations, in

regard to Revelation .. .. ..195

CHAPTER VII.
A Contrast between the Doctrine of
Christ, and the False Doctrines of
the nineteenth century 206

PREFACE

TO THE SECOND EUROPEAN EDITION.

When the following Work was first published
in America, in 1837, it was but little known,
and seemed to meet with little or no encourage-
ment. Months passed away, and very few
copies were sold or read. But, to the astonish-
ment of the author, it worked itself into notice
more and more, by the blessing of God, and
by virtue of its own real merits; till, in two
years, the first edition consisting of three
thousand copies, was all sold, and many more
were called for. A new edition was published
in 1839, consisting of two thousand five
hundred copies: these were also disposed of.
Other three editions have since been published,
making in all thirteen thousand copies now
disposed of, and the demand is still increasing
both in America and Europe.

It has already found its way into most of
the American States, and into the provinces of

VI EUROPEAN PREFACE.

the Canadas, as well as many parts of England,
Scotland, Ireland, and Wales. It has visited
the cottages of the humble, and the parlours of
the great ; and, from the best information we
have on the subject, very few have risen from
its perusal without a deep and settled convic-
tion of the truth of its principles.

The author has now in possession the testi-
mony of hundreds of people, from different
states and nations, all bearing witness that this
Work has been a means, in the hands of God,
of saving them from infidelity, from sectarian
error and delusion, and of guiding them into
the light of Truth.

All th ese considerations, and an intense de-
sire to impart the truth to mankind as widely
as possible, have induced the author to send
forth this new edition; which he greatly de-
sires may prove a blessing to thousands who
are as yet grovelling in darkness and supersti-
tion and lead them to the true fold of God.

If there be anything to admire, or anything
praiseworthy, in this Work, the author has no
claim to the honour or the praise ; it is justly due
to him who is the Source and Fountain of all

EUROPEAN PREFACE. Vll

Truth. The author was a husbandman, inured
to the Plough — unpolished by education, un-
taught in the schools of modern Sectarianism —
(falsely called u Divinity") — reared in the
wilds of America, with a mind independent, un-
trammelled and free. He drank of the pure
fountain of Truth, unsullied and unmixed, as it
unfolded in majesty of light and splendour from
the opening heavens in all the simplicity of its
nature. As such it has flowed from Jiis pen in
the following volume; not veiled in mystery;
not dressed in the pomp of high sounding
names, and titles, and learned terms; not
adorned in the gay attire of eloquence flowing
from the imagination and the passions; but
standing forth in the undress of its own native
modesty, as if conscious of the purity and in-
nocence of its nature.

He is indebted not only to the Spirit of Truth
for the principles contained in this Work, but
also to several men, who have been made the
instruments in the hands of God to reveal the
knowledge of God to this generation, and to be
the founders and leaders of the church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Vlll EUROPEAN PREFACE.

Among the foremost of these, he would make
honourable mention of President Joseph Smith
by whose instrumentality most of these glorious
truths (so well known to the ancients) have
been restored to the knowledge of the world —
and whose zeal, labors, sufferings, and subse-
quent murder will stand forth as a bright mem-
orial to all succeeding ages, and be celebrated
by happy mil ions yet unborn.

With an assurance that the principles of this
Work will yet prevail over the whole earth, this
new edition of the Voice of Warning is now
sent forth; and should the author be called to
sacrifice his life for the cause of truth, he will
have the consolation that it will be said of him,
as it was said of Abel, viz., " He being dead,

YET SPEAKETH."

PARLEY P. PRATT.

Manchester, England,
Dec. 4, 1846.

PREFACE

TO THE FIRST AMERICAN EDITION.

During the last nine years, the public mind
has been constantly agitated, more or less,
through all parts of our country, with the cry
of " Mormonism, Mormonism, Delusion, Im-
posture, Fanaticism," &c, chiefly through the
instrumentality of the press. Many of the
newspapers of the day have been constantly
teeming with misrepresentations and slanders
of the foulest kind, in order to destroy the
influence and character of an innocent society
in its very infancy; a society of whose real
principles many of them know nothing at all.
Every species of wickedness has been resorted
to, and all manner of evil has been spoken
against them falsely; insomuch that in many
places houses and ears are closed against them,
without the possibility of being heard for a
moment. Were this the only evil, we might

X AMERICAN PREFACE.

have less cause of complaint; but in conse-
quence of this, we have been assaulted by
mobs, some of our houses have been torn
down or burned, our goods destroyed, and
fields of grain laid waste. Yea, more — some
of us hav been stoned, whipped, and shot;
our blood has been caused to flow, and still
smokes to heaven, because of our religious
principles, iu this our native land, the boasted
land of liberty and equal laws! while we have
sought in vain for redress. Officers of state
have been deaf to the voice of Innocence,
imploring at their feet for justice and protection
in the enjoyment of their rights as American
citizens.

Under these circumstances, what could be
done? How were we to correct the public
mind? We were few in number, and our
means of giving information very limited; the
columns of most of the papers were closed
against us, their popularity being at stake the
moment our principles were admitted. It is
true we published a monthly paper, in which
our principles were clearly set forth : but its
circulation was limited to a few thousands.

AMERICAN PREFACE. Xi

Under these circumstances, hud we the tongue
of angels, and the zeal of apostles, with our
hearts expanded wide as eternity, with the
intelligence of heaven and the love of God
burning in our bosoms, and commissioned to
bear as joyful tidings as ever were borne by
Michael, the Archangel, from the regions of
glory; yet it would have been as impossible
for us to have communicated the same to the
public, as it was for Paul, when he stood in
the midst of Ephesus, to declare the glad tidings
of a crucified and risen Redeemer, when his voice
was lost amid the Universal cry of " Great is
Diana of the Ephesians." Go, lift your voice to
the tumultuous waves of the ocean, or try to
reason amid the roar of cannon while the tumult
of war is gathering thick around, or speak to
the howling tempest while it pours a deluge
over the plains : let your voice be heard amid
the roai of chariots rushing suddenly over the
pavements ; or, what is still less useful, converse
with a man who is lost in slumbers, or reason
with a drunkard while he reels to and fro under
the influence of the intoxicating poison, and
these will convince you of the impossibility of

Xii AMERICAN PREFACE.

communicating truth to that soul who is will-
ing to make up his judgment upon popular
rumour, or to be wafted gently down the cur-
rent of public opinion, without stopp ng for a
moment to listen, to weigh, to hear both sides
of the question, and to judge for himself.

One of the greatest obstacles in the way of
the spread of the truth, in every age, is the tide
of public opinion. Let one ray of light burst
upon the world in any age, and it is sure to
come in contact with the traditions and long-
established usage of men, and their opinions;
or with some religious craft, so that, like the
Ephesians, they counsel together what shall be
done ; their great goddess will be spoken against,
her magnificence despised, her temple deserted,
or, what is still worse, their craft is in danger,
for by this they have their wealth. Call to
mind the Apostles, in contact with the Jewish
Rabbis, or with Gentile superstitions; in short
at war with every religious establishment on
the earth. Witness the popular clamour:
" If we let them thus alone, all men will be-
lieve on them, and the Romans will come and
take away our place and n.ition V " These men

AMERICAN PUKFACB. xiii

that turn the world upside down have come
hither also." •« What new doctrine is this?
for thou bringest certain strange things to our
ears." " These men do exceeding y trouble
our city, and teach customs which are not law-
ful for us to receive, being Romans." " What
will this babbler say? he seems to be a setter
forth of strange Gods." And many other such
like sayings.

Or, let us for a moment contemplate the
events of later date; for instance, the Mother
Church against the reformers of various ages ;
see them belied, slandered, degraded, whipped,
stoned, imprisoned, burned, and destroyed tn
various ways, while the ignorant multitude
were made to believe they were the very worst
of men. Again, think for a moment of the
struggles of Columbus, an obscure individual
of limited education, but blessed with a large-
ness of heart, a noble genius, a mind which dis-
dained to confine itself to the old beaten track;
accustomed to think for itself, it burst the
chains which, in ages past, had held in bondage
the nations of the earth; it soared aloft, as it
were on eagle's wings; it outstripped and left

XiV AMERICAN PREFACE.

far behind the boasted genius of Greece and
Rome ; it penetrated the dark mysteries which
lay concealed amid the western waters. Behold
him struggling for eight years against the
learned ignorance of the courts and councils of
Europe, while the sneer of contempt, the finger
of scorn, and the hiss of derision were the
so lid arguments opposed to his theory. But
what was the result, when, after many a fruit-
less struggle, an expedition was fitted out con-
sis ting of three small vessels? A new world
presented itself to the wondering nations of the
East, de stined at no distant period to become
the. theatre of the most glorious and astonish-
ing events of the last days. This fact was no
sooner demonstrated than their philosophical,
geographical, and religious objections vanished
in a moment; haughty ignorance and bigotry
Were for once constrained to cast their honours
in the d ust, and bow their reverend heads at
the feet of real worth, and learn, in humble
silence, the one fact, clearly demonstrated, was
worth ten thousand theories and opinions of
men.
Having said so much to impress upon the

AMERICAN PREFACE. XV

human mind the necessity of hearing, and then
judging, I would only add, that the object of
this publication is to give the public correct
information concerning a religious system
which has penetrated every state from Maine to
Missouri, as well as the Canadas, in the short
space of nine years; organizing Churches and
conferences in every region, and gathering in
its progress from fifty to a hundred thousand
disciples ; having, at the same time, to sustain
the shock of an overwhelming religious influ-
ence, opposed to it by the combined powers
of every sect in America. What but the arm
of Omnipotence could have moved it forward
amid the rage of mobs? having to contend with
the prejudice of the ignorant and the pen of the
learned ; at war with every creed and craft in
Christendom; while the combined powers of
earth and hell were hurling a storm of persecu-
tion, unparalleled in the history of our country.
This "Work is also intended as a warning
voice, or proclamation of truth, to all people
into whose hands it may fall, that they may
understand, and be prepared for the great day
of the Lord. Opinion and guess-work in the

XVI A.MKK1CAN PREFACK.

things of God are worse than useless; facts,
well demonstrated, can alone be of service to
mankind. And as the Holy Ghost can alone
guide us iDto all truth, we pray God the Eter-
nal Father, in the name of Jesus Christ His
Son, that the Spirit of Truth may inspire our
heart in inditing this matter; that we maybe
able to write the truth in demonstration of the
Spirit and of power, that it may be the word of
God, the everlasting Gospel, the power of God
unto salvation, to the Gentile first, and also to
the Jew.

A VOICE OF WARNING

AND

INSTRUCTION TO ALL PEOPLE.

CHAPTER I.

ON PROPHECY ALREADY FULFILLED.

" We have also a more sure word of prophecy, where -
unto ye do well that ye take heed as unto a light that
shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the
day-star arise in your hearts; knowing this first, that
no prophecy of the Scripture is of any private interpre
tation; for the prophecy came not in old time by the
will of man, but holy men of God spake as they were
moved by the Holy Ghost." — Peter.

In order to prove anything from Scripture, it
is highly necessary in the first place to lay down
some certain, definite, infallible rule of inter-
pretation, without which the mind is lost in
uncertainty and doubt, ever learning, and never
able to come to the knowledge of the truth.

The neglect of such a rule has thrown man-
kind into the utmost confusion and uncertainty
in all their biblical researches. Indeed, while
mankind are left at liberty to transform, spirit-
ualize, or give any uncertain or private inter-
pretation to the word of God, all is uncertainty.

"Whatsoever was written aforetime was
written for our profit and learning, that we,

B

2 PROPHECY ALREADY FULFILLED.

through patience and comfort of the Scriptures,
might have hope. ' ' Now, sur pose a friend from
a distance should write us a letter, making cer-
tain promises to us on certain conditions,
which, if obtained, would be greatly to our
profit and advantage ; of course it might be said
the letter was wr itten for our profit and learn-
ing, that through patience and comfort of the
letter we might have hope to obtain the things
promised. Now, if we clearly understood the
letter, and knew what to expect, then it would
afford us comfort and hope ; whereas, if there
was any doubt or uncertainty on our minds in
the understanding of the same, then could we
derive no certain comfort or hope from the
things written, not knowing what to hope for;
consequently the letter would not profit us at
all. And so it is with the Scriptures. No
prophecy or promise will profit the reader, or
produce patience, comfort or hope in his mind,
until clearly understood, that he may know
precisely what to hope for. Now, the predic-
tions of the Prophets can be clearly understood,
as much so as the almanac, when it foretells an
eclipse, or else the Bible of all books is of most
doubtful usefulness. Far better would it have,
been for mankind if the great Author of our ex-
istence had revealed nothing to his fallen
creatures, than to have revealed a book which
would leave them in doubt and uncertainty, to

PROPHECY ALREADY FULFILLED. 3

contend with one another, from age to age, re-
specting the meaning of its contents. That
such uncertainty and contention have existed
for ages, none will deny. The wise and learned
have differed, and do still widely differ, from
each other, in the understanding of prophecy.
Whence then this difference? Either Revelation
itself is deficient, or else the fault is in man-
kind. But to say Revelation is deficient would
be to charge God foolishly; God forbid; the
fault must be in man. There are two great
causes for this blindness, which I will now
show:

First, mankind have supposed that direct in-
spiration by the Holy Ghost was not intended
for ail ages of the Church, but confined to prim-
itive times; the "Canon of Scripture being
full," and all things necessary being revealed,
the Spirit which guides into all truth was no
longer for the people ; therefore they sought to
understand, by their own wisdom, and by their
own learning, what could never be clearly un-
derstood, except by the Spirit of truth, for the
things of God knoweth no man, except by the
Spirit of God.

Secondly, having lost the Spirit of Inspira-
tion, they began to institute their own opinions,
traditions,and commandments ; giving construc-
tions and private interpretations to the written
word, instead of believing the things written.

4 PROPHECY ALREADY FULFILLED.

And the moment they departed from its literal
meaning, one man's opinion, or interpretation,
was just as good as another's; all were clothed
with equal authority, and from thence arose all
the darkness and misunderstanding on these
points which have agitated the world for the
last seventeen hundred years.

Among the variety of commodities which at-
tract the attention of mankind, there is one
thing of more value than all others. A principle
which, if once possessed, would greatly assist in
obtaining all other things worth possessing,
whether it were power, wealth, riches, honours,
thrones, or dominions. Comparatively few have
ever possessed it although it was within the
reach of many others, but they were either not
aware of it, or did not know its value. It has
worked wonders for the few who have possessed
it. Some it enabled to escape from drowning,
while every soul who did not possess it was lost
in the mighty deep. Others it saved from
famine, while thousands perished all around
them ; by it men have often been raided to
dignity in the state; yea, more, some have been
raised to the throne of empires. The possession
of it has sometimes raised men from the dungeon
to a palace; and there are instances in which
those that possessed it were delivered from
the flames, while cities were consumed, and
every soul, themselves excepted, perished.

PROPHECY ALREADY FULFILLED. 5

Frequently, when a famine or the sword has
destroyed a city or nation, they alone who pos-
sessed it escaped unhurt. By this time the read -
er inquires, jWhat can that thing be? Inform me,
and I will purchase it, even at the sacrifice of all
I possess on earth. Well, kind reader, this treas-
ure is foreknowledge ;__a knowledge of things
future! Let a book be published, entitled " A
Knowledge of the Future," and let mankind be
real'y convinced that it did give a certain, definite
knowledge of future events, so that its pages un-
folded the future history of the nations, and of
many great events, as the history of Greece or
Rome unfolds the past, and a large edition would
immediately sell at a great sum per copy; in-
deed, they would be above all price. Now, kind
reader, the books of the Prophets and the spirit
of prophecy were intended for this very pur-
pose. Well did the Apostle say, " Covet earn-
estly the best gifts; but rather that ye proph-
ecy."

Having said so much, we will now enter into
the wide expanded field which lies before us,
and search out the treasures of wisdom and
knowledge which have been shining for ages
like a light in a dark place. We will explore
regions unknown to many — we will gaze upon
the opening glories which present themselves
on every side, and feast ourselves with kno wl-
edge which is calculated in its nature to enlarge

6 PROPHECY ALREADY FULFILLED.

the heart, to exalt the mind, and to raise the
affections above the little, mean, grovelling
things of the world, and to make one wise unto
salvation.

But, first, for the definite rule of interpreta-
tion. For this we will not depend on any man
or commentary, for the Holy Ghost has given
it by the mouth of Peter. " Knowing this first?
that no prophecy of the Scripture is of any
private interpretation." 2 Peter i. 20.

There is one grand division to be kept con-
stantly in view in the study of prophecy, namely,
the distinction between the past and the future.
The reader should be careful to ascertain what
portion has been fulfilled, and what remains to
be fulfilled; always remembering Peter's rule
of interpretation will apply to both. Now, if
we should find in our researches that every
prophecy which has been fulfilled to the present
year has been literally fulfilled, then it follows
of necessity that every prophecy which is yet
future will not fail of a literal fulfilment. Let
us commence with the days of Noah. Gen. vi.
17. u And behold I, even I, do bring a flood of
waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh,
wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven ;
and every thing that is in the earth shall die."

In the verses which follow the above, the
Lord commands Noah to enter the Ark, and take
"with him animals of every kind, &c. And in

PROPHECY ALREADY FULFILLED. 7

the 22nd verse it is written, " Thus did Noah;
according to all that God commanded him, so
did he." It was well for Noah that he was not
well versed in the spiritualizing systems of
modern divinity; for, under their benighted in-
fluence, he would never have believed that so
marvellous a prophecy would have had a literal
meaning and accomplishment. No; he would
have been told that the flood meant a spiritual
flood, and the Ark, a spiritual Ark, and the mo-
ment he thought otherwise, he would have been
set down for a fanatic, knave, or fool ; but it
was so, that he was just simple enough to be-
lieve the prophecy literally. Here, then, is a
I fair sample of foreknoioledge; for all the world
who did not possess it, perished by the flood.
* The next prediction we will notice is Gen. xv.
13-16. "And he said unto Abraham, know of
a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a
land that is not theirs, and shall serve them,
and they shall afflict them four hundred years.
And also that nation, whom they shall serve,
will I judge; and afterwards shall they come
out with great substance. And thou shalt go to
thy fathers in peace ; thou shalt be buried in a
good old age ; but in the fourth generation they
shall come hither again, for the iniquity of the
Amorites is not yet full."

^"he evil-treating of the children of Israel
four hundred years, together with their coming

8 PROPHECY ALREADY FULFILLED.

out with great substance, and the judgments of
God upon Egypt, as well as the death of Abra-
ham in a good old age, are all facts too well
known to need comment here; suffice if to say
that it is a striking example of the exact ful-
filment of prophecy, uttered more than four
hundred years before it had its accomplishment.
From this we gather that none of those ancient
men knew anything of the modern system of
spiritualizing. Our next is Gen. xix. 12, 13.
"And the men said unto Lot, Hast thou here
any besides? son-in-law, and thy sons, and thy
daughters, and whatsoever thou hast in the
city, bring them out of this place ; for we will
destroy this place, because the cry of them is
waxen great before the face of the Lord ; and
the Lord hath sent us to destroy it." Now,
Lot, being simple enough to believe the thing in
its literal sense, took as many of his family as
would follow, and escaped for his life ; to the
great amusement, no doubt, of the Sodomites,
who probably stood gazing, after crying " De-
lusion, delusion! " they thinking all the while
that the prophecy was only a figure. Here is an
example of a man escaping from the flames by
foreknowledge imparted to him, while the whole
city perished. O! what a blessing that Lot had
no knowledge of the modern manner of inter-
preting prophecy. If it had once entered his
heart that he must come out of Sodom spiritu-

PROPHECY ALREADY FULFILLED. 9

ally, instead of literally, it would have cost him
his life.

Let us examine a prophecy of Joseph in the
land of Egypt. Gen. xli. 28-31. "Behold,
there come seven years of great plenty through-
out all the land of Egypt; and there shall arise
after them seven years of famine; and all the
plenty shall be forgotten in the land of Egypt;
and the famine shall consume the land; and the
plenty shall not be known in the land by reason
of that famine following ; for it shall be very
grievous." Joseph then proceeds to give direc-
tions for corn to be laid up in great abundance
during the seven plenteous years, in order to
provide against the famine. And Pharaoh, be-
ing no better versed in the school of modern
divinity than his predecessors never once
thought of any other interpretation but the most
literal. And thus he was the means, together
with Joseph, in the hand of God, of saving, not
only their nation, but the house of Israel, from
famine. This is another striking example of
the power of foreknowledge. It not only saved
from famine ; but it exalted Joseph from a dun-
geon to a palace ; from the lowest degradation to
the highest honour ; so that they cried before
him, " Bow the knee." But, oh! what death
and mourning would have followed had they
dreamed only of spiritual famine and spiritual
corn.

10 PROPHECY ALREADY FULFILLED.

Having given a few plain examples of early-
ages, we will lightly touch upon some of the
most remarkable events of prophecy and its
fulfilment, until we come down to the Jewish
Prophets, where the field opens wide, touching
in its progress the most remarkable events of
all ages, and terminating in a full development
of the opening glories of the last days.

One remarkable instance, concerning Elijah
the Prophet, was, that he prophesied to Ahab
that it should not rain for three years and up-
wards; which came to pass according to his
word. There is also a remarkable instance of
Hazael, the Syrian, who came to Elisha to in-
quire of the Lord concerning the king of Syria,
his master, who w as sick. The Prophet
earnestly beholding him burst into tears: and
Hazael asked him, saying, "Why weepest
thou? " and he answering, said, " The Lord
hath showed me that thou shalt be k ing over
Syria." And he then proceeded to unfold unto
him the cruelties which he would afterwards
exercise towards Israel, which are too horrible
to mention here, lest in so doing I might offend
the delicate ear. But Hazael, astonished to
hear these things predicted concerning himself,
which at that time filled him with horror, ex-
claimed with surprise, " But what! is thy
servant a dog that he should do this great

PROPHECY ALREADY FULFILLED. 11

thing? " Yet, astonishing to tell, all was after-
wards fulfilled to the very letter.

In the 21st chap. 2 Chron., it is written, that
^here came a writing to Jehorara from Elijah,
which after stating the great wickedness of
which he had been guilty, in turning to idolatry,
and also murdering his brethren of his father's
house, who were better than himself, proceeds
thus: u Behold, with a great plague will the
Lord smite thy people, and thy children, and
thy wives, and all thy goods; a*nd thou shalt
have great sickness by disease of thy bowels,
until thy bowels fall out, by reason of the sick-
ness day by day." In the same chapter it is
written, that the Philistines and Arabians came
aaainst him, and took his wives, and children,
and goods captive; and, after all this, the Lord
smote him in his bowels with an incurable dis-
ease, and his bowels fell out by reason of his
sickness, so that he died of sore disease.

In the 6th chapter of Joshua, 26th verse, there
is a wonderful prediction concerning Jericho :
"Cursed be the man before the Lord, that
riseth up and buildeth this city Jericho. He
shall lay the foundation thereof in his first-
born, and in his youngest son shall he set up
the gates of it."

After this curse the city of Jericho lay waste
for ages, none daring to rebuild it at the expense
of their first-born and of their youngest son;

12 PROPHECY ALREADY FULFILLED.

until after a long succession of judges and kings,
when hundreds of years had passed, Hiel, the
Bethelite, who lived in the days of Ahab, prob-
ably supposing that the Lord had forgotten
the curse pronounced upon it by Joshua, ven-
tured to rebuild the city; but no sooner had he
laid the foundation thereof than Abirara, his
first-born, died, and still persevering in the
hardness of his heart, he set up the gates there-
of, with the loss of his youngest son, Segub,
according to the word of the Lord by Joshua;
see 1 Kings xvi. 34. We might fill a volume
with instances of a similar kind, dispersed
through the historical part of the Scriptures;
but we forbear, in order to hasten to a more
full examination of the books of the Jewish
Prophets. We shall trace them in their fulfil-
ment upon Jerusalem, Babylon, Tyre, Egypt,
and various other nations.

Babylon, the most ancient and renowned city
of the world, was pleasantly situated on the
banks of a majestic river, that flowed through
the plains of Shinar, near to which the tower of
Babel once stood. It was laid out four-square,
and surrounded with a wall upwards of three
hundred feet high, and sixty miles in circum-
ference ; having a hundred gates of brass, with
bars of iron; twenty-five gates on each side,
which opened to streets runuing through the
city a distance of fifteen miles; thus forming

PROPHECY ALREADY FULFILLED. 13

the whole city into exact squares of equal size.
In the midst of these squares were beautiful
gardens, adorned with trees and walks, diver-
sified with flowers of varied hue; while the
houses were built upon the borders of the
squares, directly fronting on the streets. In
the midst of this city sat Nebuchadnezzar, en-
throned in royal splendour and magnificence,
and swaying his sceptre over all the kingdoms
of the world, when it pleased God, in a vision
of the night, to unveil the dark curtain of the
future, and to present before him, at one view,
the history of the world, even down to the con-
summation of all things. Behold! a great
image stood before him, whose head was of fine
gold, his breast and arms of silver, his belly
and thighs of brass, his legs of iron,, his feet
and toes part of iron and part of miry clay. He
beheld, till a stone was cut out of the mountain
without hands, which smote the image upon the
feet, which were part of iron and part of clayr
and brake them in pieces; then was the iron,
the brass, the silver, and the gold broken to
pieces together, and became as the chaff of the
summer threshing floor, and the wind carried
them away, and there was no place found for
them ; but the stone which smote the image be-
came a great mountain, and filed the whole earth.
When Daniel was brought in before the king to
tell the dream and the interpretation, he ex-

14 PROPHECY ALREADY FULFILLED.

claimed, "There is a God in heaven that re veal -
eth secrets, and maketh known to the king, Neb-
uchadnezzar, what shall be in the latter days."
Then after telling the dream, he continues thus :
" Thou, O king, art a king of kings; for the
God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom,
power, and strength, and glory. And where-
soever the children of men dwell, the beasts of
the field, and the fowls of the heaven, hath he
given into thine hand, and hath made thee ruler
over them all. Thou art this head of gold. And
after thee shall arise another kingdom, inferior
to thee, and another third kingdom of brass,
which shall bear rule over all the earth. And
the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron;
forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and sub-
dueth all things: and as iron that breaketh all
these shall it break in pieces and bruise. And
whereas thou sawest the feet and toes part of
potter's clay, and part of iron, the kingdom
shall be divided; but there shall be in it of the
strength of the iron, forasmuch as thou sawest
the iron mixed with miry clay. And as the toes
of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay,
so the kingdom shall be partly strong and
partly broken. And whereas thou sawest iron
mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle them-
selves with the seed of men ; but they shall not
cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed
with clay. And in the days of these kings shall

PROPHECY ALREADY FULFILLED. 15

the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall
never be destroyed : and the kingdom shall not
be left to other people, but it shall break in
pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it
shall stand for ever. Forasmuch as thou saw-
est that the stone was cut out of the mountain
without hands, and that it brake in pieces the
iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the
gold, the great God hath made known to the
king what shall come to pass hereafter; and the
dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof
sure."

In this great view of the subject we have
presented before us, in succession, first, the
kingdom of Nebuchadnezzar; second, the
Medes and Persians, who took Babylon from
Belshazzar, and reigned over all the earth;
third, the Greeks, under Alexander, who con-
quered the world, and reigned in the midst of
Babylon; and fourth, the Eoman empire, which
subdued all things; fifth, its division into
eastern and western empires, and its final
breaking up or subdivision into the various
kingdoms of modern Europe, represented by
the feet and toes, part of iron and part of clay.
And lastly, we have presented before us an
entirely new kingdom, organized by the God of
heaven in the last days, or during the reign of
these kings, represented by the feet and toes.
This last kingdom was never to change masters,

16 PROPHECY ALREADY FULFILLED.

like all the kingdoms which had gone before
it. It was never to be left to other people.
It was to break in pieces all these kingdoms,
and stand for ever. Many suppose that this
last kingdom alluded to was the kingdom of
God which was organized in the days of
Christ or his apostles. But a great blunder
could not exist; the kingdom of God set
up in the days of Christ, or of his apostles,
did not break in pieces any of the kingdoms
of the world; it was itself warred against and
overcome, in fulfilment of the words of Daniel,
7th chapter, 21st verse, " I beheld, and the same
horn made war with the saints, and prevailed
against them;" also 22nd verse, "Until the
Ancient of Days came, and judgment was given
to the saints of the Most High: and the time
came that the saints possessed the kingdom;"
also verse 27th, "And the kingdom and domin-
ion, and the greatness of the kingdom, under the
whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the
saints of the Most High, whose kingdom is an
everlasting kingdom; and all dominions shall
serve and obey him."

John records, Rev. xiii. 7, " And it was given
unto him to make war with the saints, and to
overcome them ; and power was given him over
all kindreds, and tongues, and nations." In ful-
filment of these sayings, power has been given to
the authorities of the earth to kill the Apostles

PROPHECY ALREADY FULFILLED. 17

and inspired men, until, if any remained, they
were banished from amongmen, or forced to re-
tire to the desolate islands, or the dens and
caves of the mountains of the earth, being men
of whom the world was not worthy ; while, at
the same tme, many false prophets and teachers
were introduced in their place, whom men
heaped to themselves, because they would not
endure sound doctrine. In this way the king
dom of God became disorganized, and lost from
among men, and the doctrines and churches of
men instituted in its place. But we design to
speak more fully on this subject when we come
to treat on the subject of the kingdom of God.
Suffice it to say, that the kingdom spoken of by
Daniel is something to be organized in the last
days by the God of heaven himself, without the
aid of human institutions or the precepts of
men. And, when once organized, it will never
cease to roll; all the powers of earth and hell
will not impede its progress, until at length the
Ancient of Days shall sit, and the Lord Jesus
will come in the clouds of heaven, with power
and great glory, as the King of kings, and Lord
of lords, and destroy all these kingdoms, and
give the kingdom and the greatness of the king-
dom, under the whole heaven, to the Saints,
Then there will be but one Lord, and His name
one, and He shall be king over all the earth.
C

18 PROPHECY ALREADY FULFILLED.

We will now return to Nebuchadnezzar, whom
the Lord, by the mouth of Jeremiah, calls his
servant, to execute his judgments upon the
nations. It seems that the Lord exalted this
great man, aod made him a king of kings, and
lord of lords, armiug him with his own sword,
and clothing him with power and authority, for
theexpress purpose of executing His judgments,
and scourging and humbling all the nations of
the earth. Jeremiah, chap, xxv., says that the
Lord proposed to bring Nebuchadnezzar and
his army against Jerusalem, and against all the
nations round about, that he might bring
them to desolation and captivity for seventy
years; and after seventy years, He would
turn and punish the king of Babylon and
that nation for their iniquity. Now, who
can trace the history of the fulfilment
of these great events, so exactly pointed out
by Jeremiah, Isaiah, and Ezekiel, and not to be
struck with astonishment and wonder at the
marvellous gift of prophecy enabling men in
/those days to read the history of the future as
they read the history of the past? Indeed, the
reader of history in the nineteenth century,
holding in his hand the history of the Babylo-
nians, Medes and Persians, Greeks, Romans, and
Egyptians, together with that of the Jews, will
hardly render himself more familiar with the
events which transpired among those nations,

PROPHECY ALREADY FULFILLED. 19

than the Prophets were seventy years previous
to their accomplishment. The Jews were re-
duced to subjection by Nebuchadnezzar; their
city, Jc rusalem, was burned, tog' ther with their
temple; their princes, nobles, and people were
carried to Babylon, together with all their holy
things. All the particulars of this destruction
and captivity were distinctly foretold by Jere-
miah, and the time of its continuance, viz.,
seventy years. After subduing the Jews, the
king of Babylon marched his army against
Tyre, the city of merchants, situated at the
haven of the sea, surrounded not only by the
sea, but by a strong wall. A hold so strong
required the utmost skill and perseverance of
Nebuchadnezzar, and his whole army, who
laboured incessantly for a long time, and at
length succeeded in taking Tyre, and bringing
it into captivity for seventy years. After which
they returned and established their city, for
Jeremiah had previously foretold the reduction
of Tyre, its captivity of seventy years, audits
restoration at the expiration of that time.
After the restoration of Tyre, the city flour-
ished for a time, but was afterwards reduced to
an entire desolation. Its ruined fragments are
seen to this day in the bottom of the sea; its
site has become a barren rock, only occupied
by poor fishermen. All this desolation, and
even its present appearance of desolate and

20 PROPHECY ALREADY FULFILLED.

perpetual waste, were clearly pointed out by
the Prophets.

But when the king of Babylon had succeeded
in taking Tyre, after many a bald head and
peeled shoulder, caused by the hard service of
his army in the siege, the Lord by the mouth of
Ezekiel, promised to give the spoils of Egypt
.unto him, for wages for his army, in order to
pay him for the great service wherewith he had
served God, against Tyre. Next, witness his
war in the taking of Egypt, and bringing it into
captivity, until the seventy years were accom-
plished.

And finally, trace him executing the Lord's
vengeance and anger against Uz, upon the kings
of the Philistines, and Askelon, Azaah; Ekron,
Edom, Moab, Ammon; Dedan, Tema, and Buz;
and upon the kings of Arabia,. Zimri andElam;
and upon all the kings of the Medes; and upon
all the kings of the north, far and near; and
finally upon all the kingdoms of the world, who
were to be drunken, and spew, and fall to rise no
more, because of the sword which he would send
among them. But when the Lord had accom-
plished all His mind on these nations He pur-
posed, in turn, to punish this great monarch, and
those who succeeded him; and also the city and
nation over which he reigned ; and finally to make
it perpetual desolations. And all this for their
pride and haughtiness. The Lord exclaims,

PROPHECY ALREADY FULFILLED. 21

" Shall the axe boast itself against him that
heweth therewith, or shall the saw boast itself
again>t him that shaketh it?" &c. But, in order
to trace the events of the return of the Jews,
and the other nations, from their seventy years'
captivity and bondage, and the punishment of
Babylon, another_and very different character
from that ofc "PTebuchadnezzar ^yjjntrodiip.eri by
the Prophets -^one whoTsin Scripture termecT^.
the Lord's anointed. * He may be considered \
one of the most extraordinary characters that
ever the heath n world produced; his mildness,
courage, perseverance, success, and, above
all, his strict obedience to the command of that
God which neither he nor his fathers had known,
all go to prove that Isaiah was not mistaken
when he called him by name, as the Lord's an-
ointed, to deliver the nations from bondage,
to scourge and subdue the greatest city and
monarchy that have at any time existed on the
earth, and to restore the Jews, and rebuild the
city and temple. Indeed, he was one of those
few whom the world never produces, except for
extraordinary purposes. But let us hear the
Prophet's own description of him. Isaiah,
chapter *lv. >>Thus saith the Lord to his an-
ointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have
holden to «ubdue nations before him; and I will
loose the loins of kings to open before him the
two-leaved gates, and the gates shall not be shut.

22 PROPHECY ALREADY FULFILLED.

I will go before thee, and make the crooked
places straight: I will break in pieces the gates
of brass, and cut in sunder the bars of iron. And
I will giv e thee the treasures of darkness, and
hidden riches of secret places, that thou ma\ st
know that I the Lord, which call thee by thy
name, am the God of Israel. For Jacob my
servant's sake^ and Israel mine elect, I have
even called thee by thv name. I have surnamed
thee, though thou hast not known me. I am
the Lord, and there is none else, there is no
God beside me : I girded thee though thou hast
not known me : that they may know, from the
rising of the sun and from the west, that, t'lere
is none beside me." In the 13th verse he says,
" I have raised him up in righteousness, and I
will direct all his ways : he shall build my city,
and he shall let go my captives, not for price
nor reward, saith the Lordof hostsJi-. The
reader will bear m* Hlllld ITTatlsaiah lived about
one hundred years before the Jewish captivity,
and one hundred and seventy years before
Cyrus caused their return.

Here I would pause and enquire, What power
but the power of the great God, could enable
one man to call another by name, a century be-
fore his birth, and also to foretell correctly the
history of his life? What must have been his
wonder and astonishment, when, after many
years of wars and commotions, during which

PROPHECY ALREADY FULFILLED. 23

he marched forth conquering and to conquer,
gathering as a nest the riches of the nations,
he at last pitched bis camp near the walls
of the strongest hold in all the earth?
He gazed upon its walls of upwards of
three hundred feet in height, with its gates
of brass and its bars of iron; the people
Within feeling perfectly safe, with provisions
enough to last the inhabitants of the city for
several years. How could he think of taking
that city? Who would not have shrunk from
such an undertaking, unless inspired by the
great Jehovah? But, turning the river Eu-
phrates from its course, and marching under the
walls of the city, in the dry bed of the river, he
found himself in possession of the city, without
any difficulty; for Belshazzar, the king, was
drinking himself drunk, with his nobles and
concubines, and that too from the vessels' of the
house of the Lord, which his father had taken
from Jerusalem; and his knees had already
smote together, with horror, from the hand-
writing on the wall which Daniel had just been
called in to interpret, giving his kingdom to the
Medes and Persians. Having subdued this
great monarchy, he seated himself upon the
throne of kingdoms ; and becoming familiar with
Daniel, he was, no doubt, introduced to an ac-
quaintance with the Jewish records, and then
the mystery was unfolded ; he could then see that

24 PROPHECY ALREADY FULFILLED.

God had called him by name, that the Almighty
had girded him for the battle, and directed all
his work; he could then understand why the
treasures of the earth poured themselves into
his bosom, and why the loins of kings had
been unloosed before him, and why the gates of
brass had been opened, and the bars of iron
burst asunder. It was that he might know that
there was a God in Israel, and none else, and
that all idols were as nothing; that he might
also restore the Jews, and rebuild their city and
temple, and fulfil God's purposes upon Babylon.
He accord'ngly issued his proclamation to the
Jews to return, and for the nations to assist
them in rebulding, for, said he, " God hath
commanded me to build him a house at Jeru-
salem." Ezra, chap. i. 2, 3, says, t( Thus saith
Cyrus; king of Persia, the Lord God of Heaven
hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth;
and he hath charged me to build him a house at
Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Who is there
among you of all his people? his God be with
him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is
in Judah, and built the house of the Lord God
of Israel, (he is the God,) which is in Jeru-
salem."

What powerful argument, what mighty influ-
ence was it which caused Cyrus to be convinced
that it was the God of heaven who dwelt at
Jerusalem, who alone was God, and who had

PROPHECY ALREADY FULFILLED. 25

done all these things? He had not been tra-
ditioned in the belief of the true God, nor of the
holy Scriptures. Nay, he had ever been very
zealous in the worship of idols ; it was to idols
he looked for assistance in the former part of his
life. I reply, it was the power of God, made
m anifest by prophecy and its fulfilment; not in
a spiritualized sense, not in some obscure, uncer-
tain, or dark mysterious way, which was difficult
to be understood; but in positive, literal, plain
demonstration, which none could gainsay or
resist. Isaiah says that this was the object the
Lord had in view when he revealed such plain-
ness. And Cyrus manifested that it had the
desired effect.

I would here remark that when we come to
treat of that part of prop hecy which yet remains
to be fulfilled, we shall bring proof positive that
the heathen nations of the latter days are to be
convinced in the same way that Cyrus was ; that
is, there are certain eveuts plainly predicted in
the Prophets, yet future, which, whea fulfilled,
w'll convince all the heathen nations of the true
God, and they shall know that He hath spoken
and performed it. And all the great and learned
men of Christendom, and all societies, who put
any other than a literal construction on the
word of prophecy, shall stand confounded, and
be const raintd to acknowledge tha. all has
come to pass even as it is written.

J<0 PROPHECY ALREADY FULFILLED.

But to return to our research of prophecy aud
its f ulfllraeut. The prophets had not only pre-
dicted the reduction of Babylon by Cyrus, but
they had denounced its fate through all ages,
until reduced to entire de solation, never to be
inhabited, not even as a temporary residence for
the wandering Arab; c'and the Arabian shall
not pitch tent there." See Isaiah xiii. 19-22.

Mr. Joseph Wolfe, the celebrated Jewish Mis-
sionary, while travelling in Chaldea, inquired of
the Arabs whether they pitched their tents
among the ruins of Babylon, to which they
replied in the negative, declaring their fears
that, should they do so, Nimrod's ghost would
haunt them. Thu s all the predictions of the
Prophets concerning that mighty city have
been fulfilled.

Edom also presents a striking fulfilment of
plan and pointed predictions in the Prophets.
These predictions were pronounced upon Edom
at a time when its soil was very productive and
well cultivated, and everywhere abounding in
flourishing towns and cities. But now its cities
have become heaps of desolate ruins, only in-
habited by the cormorant, bittern, and by wild
beasts, serpents, etc., and its soil has become
barren ; the Lord has cast upon it the line of con-
fusion, and the stones of emptiness, and it has
been waste from generation to generation, in
express fulfilment of the word of prophecy.

PROPHECY ALREADY FULFILLED. 27

We will now give a passing notice of the vision
of Daniel, recorded in the 8th chapter of his
prophecies, concerning tue ram and the goat.
The reader would do well to turn and read the
whole chapter; but we will more particularly
notice the interpretation, as it was given him by
Gabriel, recorded from the 19th to the 25th
verses. And he said, " I will make thee know
what shall be in the last end of the indignation,
for at the time appointed the end shall be. The
ram which thousawest having two hens, are the
kings of Media and Persia; and the rough goat,
is the king of Grecia ; and the gr at horn that
is between his eyes, is the first king. Now
that being broken, whereas four stood up for it,
four kingdoms shall stand up out of the nation,
but not in his power. And in the latter time of
their kingdom, when the transgressors are come
to the full, a king of fierce countenance, and
understanding dark sentences, shall stand up;
and his power shall be mighty, but not by his
own power, and he shall destroy wonderfully,
and shall pro-per, and practice, and shall de-
stroy the mighty and the holy people; and
through his policy also he shall cause craft to
prosper in his hand, and he shall magnify him-
self in his heart, and by peace shall destroy
many; he shall also stand up against the Prince
of princes; but he shall be broken without
hand." In this vision we have first presented

X
28 PROPHECY ALREADY FULFILLED.

the Medes and Persians, as they were to exist
until they were conquered by Alexander the
Great. Now, it is a fact well known that this
empire waxed exceedingly great for some time
after the death of Daniel, pushing its conquests
westward, northward, and southward, so that
none could stand before it; until Alexander,
the kin^ of Grecia, came from the west, with a
small army of chosen men, and attacked the
Persians upon the banks of the river, and plung-
ing his horse in, and his army following, they
crossed, and attacked the Persians, who stood
to oppose them on the bank, with many times
their number; but, notwithstanding their num-
ber, and their advantage of the ground, they
were totally routed, and the Grecians proceeded
to over-run and subdue the country, beating the
Persians in a number of pitched battles, until
they were entirely subdued. It is also well
known that Alexander, the king of Greece, went
forth from nation to nation, subduing the world
before him, until, having conquered the world,
l>e died at Babylon, at the age of thirty-two
years. And thus, when he had waxed strong,
the great horn was broken, and for it came up
four notable ones toward the four winds of
heaven. His kingdom was divided among four
of his generals, who never attained unto his
power. Now, in the latter time of their king-
dom, when the transgression of the Jewish

PROPHECY ALREADY FULFILLED. 29

nation was come to the full, the Roman power
destroyed the Jewish nation, took Jerusalem,
caused the daily sacrifice to cease, and not only
that, but afterwards destroyed the mighty and
holy people, that is, the Apostles and primitive
Christians, who were slain by the authorities
of Rome.

Now, let me enquire, Does the history of
these United States give a plainer account of
past events than Daniel's wisdom did of events
which were then future, and some of them
reaching down the stream of time for several
hundred years, unfolding events which no hu-
man sagacity could possibly have foreseen?
Man, by his own sagacity, may accomplish
many things; he may plough the trackless ocean
without wind or tide in his favor; he may soar
aloft amid the clouds without the aid of wings;
he may traverse the land with astonishing ve-
locity without the aid of beasts; or he may
convey his thoughts to his fellow by the aid of
letters. But there is a principle which he can
never attain to, no, not even by the wisdom of
ages combined ; money will not purchase it : it
comes from God only, and is bestowed upon
man as a free gift. Says the Prophet to the
idols, " Tell us what shall be, that we may know
that ye are gods."

We will now proceed to bnow how exactly the
prophecies were fulfilled literally in the person

30 PKOPHECY ALREADY FULFILLED.

of Jesus Christ. " Behold," said the Prophet
" a virgin shall conceive and bear a son."
Ajrain, Bethlehem should be the place of his
birth, and Egypt, where he sojourned with his
parents, the place out of which he was to be
called. He turned aside to Nazareth, for it was
written, " He shall be called a Nazarene." He
rode into Jerusalem upon a colt, the foal of an
ass, because the Prophet had said, " Behold thy
king cometh, meek and lowly, riding upon a
colt," &c. And again saith the Prophet, " He
shall be afflicted and despised; he shall be a
man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; he
shall be led as a lamb to the slaughter, and, like
a sheep dumb before his shearers, so he opened
not his mouth; in his humiliation his judg-
ment was taken away; and who shall declare
his generation? for his life is taken from the
earth. He was wounded for our transgres-
sions, and by his stripes we are healed; he was
numbered with the transgressors; he made his
grave with the rich." Not a bone of him is
broken; they divide his raiment: cast lots for
his vesture; gave him gall and vinegar to
drink; betray him for thi'ty pieces of silver;
and finally, when it was finished, he rested in
the tomb until the third day, and then rose
triumphant, without seeing corruption. Now,
kind reader, had you walked up and down with
our dear Redeemer during his whole sojourn in

PROPHECY ALREADY FULFILLED. 31

the flesh, and had you taken pains to record the
particular circumstan ct s of his life and death,
as they occurred from time to time, your history
would not be a plainer one than the Prophets
gave of him hundreds of years before he was
born. There is one thing we would do well to
notice concerning the manner in which the
Apostles interpreted prophecy, and that is this :
they simply quoted it, and recorded its literal
fulfilment. By pursuing this course, they were
enabled to bring it home to the hearts of the
people in the Jewish synagogues, with such
convincing proof that they were constrained to
believe the supposed impostor whom they had
crucified was the Messiah. But had they once
dreamed of rendering a spiritualizing or uncer-
tain application, like the teachers of the present
day, all would have been uncertainty and doubt,
and demoralization would have vanished from
the earth.

Having taken a view of the Old Testament
Prophets, concerning prophecy and its fulfil-
ment, and having shown clearly that nothing
but a literal fulfilment was intended, the
objector may inquire whether the same mode
will apply to the predictions contained in
the New Testament. We will therefore
bring a few important instances of prophecy,
and its fulfilment, from the New Testament:
after which we shall be prepared to enter

32 PROPHECY ALREADY FULFILLED.

the vast field which is still future. One of
the most remarkable prophecies in sacred writ
is recorded by Luke, chap. xxi. 20-24. " And
when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with
armies, then know that the desolation thereof
is nigh. Then let them which are in Judea flee
to the mountains, and let them which are in the
midst of it depart out: and let not them that
are in the countries enter thereinto; for these
be the days of vengeance, that all things which
are written may be fulfilled. But woe unto
them that are with c hild, and to them that give
suck in those days; for there shall be great dis-
tress in the land, and wrath upon this people;
and they shall fall by the edge of the sword,
and shall be led away captive into all nations;
and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the
Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be ful-
filled." This prophecy involves the fate of
Jerusalem, and the temple, and the whole Jew-
ish nation, for at least eighteen hundred years.
About the year seventy, the Roman army com-
passed Jerusalem. The disciples remembered
the warning which had been given them by
their Lord and Master forty years before, and
fled to the mountains. The city of JerusaL l
was taken, after a long and tedious siege, in
which the Jews suffered the extreme of famine,
pestilence and the sword; filling houses with
the dead, for want of a place to bury them;

PROPHECY ALREADY FULFILLED. 33

while women ate their own children, for want of
all things. In this struggle there perished, in
Judea, near one million and a half of Jews, be-
sides those taken captive. Their country was
laid waste, their city burned, their temple de-
stroyed, and the miserable remnant dispersed
abroad into all the nations of the earth; in
which situation they have continued ever since,
being driven from one nation to another, often
falsely accused of the worst of crimes, for
which they have been banished and their goods
confiscated. Indeed, they have been mostly ac-
counted as outlaws among the various nations;
the soles of their feet have found no rest, and
they have been a hiss and a by- word; and the
people have said, " These are the people of the
Lord, and are gone forth out of His land."

During all this time the Gentiles have pos-
sessed the land of Canaan, and trodden under
foot the holy city where their forefathers wor-
shipped the Lord. Now, in this long captivity,
the Jews have never lost sight of the promises
respecting their return. Their eyes have
watched and failed with longing for the day
when they might possess again that blessed in-
heritance bequeathed to their forefathers;
when they might again rear their citv and tem-
ple, and re-establish their priesthood, and
worship as in days of old. Indeed, they have
made several attempts to return, but were al-
D

34 PROPHECY ALREADY FULFILLED.

ways frustrated in all their attempts ; for it was
an unalterable decree, that Jerusalem should be
trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of
the Gentiles should be fulfilled. On the sub-
ject of this long dispersion, Moses and the
Prophets have written very plainly; indeed,
Moses even mentioned the particulars of their
eating their children secretly in the siege, and
in the straitness wherewith their enemies
should besiege them in all their gates. Who-
ever will read the 28th of Deuteronomy, will
read the history of what has befallen the Jews,
foretold by Moses with all the clearness that
characterizes the history of past events, and all
this thousands of years before its accomplish-
ment.

Our next is found in Acts xxi. 10, 11, where a
Prophet named Agabus took Paul's girdle and
bound his own hands and feet, and said,
"Thus saith the Holy Ghost, So shall the Jews
at Jerusalem bind the man that owneth this
girdle, and shall deliver him into the hands of
the Gentiles." The fulfilment of this pre-
diction is too well known to need any descrip-
tion. We therefore proceed to notice a
prophecy of Paul, recorded in 2 Tim. iv. 3,
4. " For the time will come when they will
not endure sound doctrine, but, after their
own lusts, shall they heap to themselves
teacners, having Itching ears; and they shall

PROPHECY ALREADY FULFILLED. 35

turn away their ears from the truth, and shall
be turned uuto fables." This prophecy has
been fulfilled to the very letter; for it applies
to every religious teacher who has arisen from
that day unto the present, except those com-
missioned by direct revelation, and inspired
by the Holy Ghost. But, to convince the
reader of its full accomplishment, we need
only point to the numberless priests of the
day who preach for hire, and divine for money,
and who receive their authority from their fel-
lowman; and, as to the fables to which they
are turned, we need only to mention the spirit-
ualizings and private interpretations which sal-
ute our ears from almost every religious press
and pulpit.

But there is another prophecy of Paul well
worth our attention, as illustrative of the
times in which we live; it is found in the first
five verses of the 3rd chapter of 2nd Timothy:
11 This know also, that in the last days perilous
times shall come; for men shall be lovers of
their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud,
blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthank-
ful, uuholy, without natural affection, truce-
breakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce,
despisers of those that are good, traitors,
heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasures more
than lovers of God, having a form of godli-
ness, but denying the power thereof: from

36 PROPHECY ALREADY FULFILLED.

such turn away." From the last verse of this
quotation we learn to our astonishment that ihis
sum of awful wickedness applies to professors of
religion only; that is, this would be the char-
acter of the (so-called) Christian part of
community in the last days. Do not startle,
kind reader, we do not make the application
without proof positive to the point, for remem-
ber, non- professors have no form of godliness,
but those ungodly characters spoken of
were to have a form of godliness, denying the
power thereof. But, if you doubt Paul's
testimony on the subject, look around you,
examine for yourselves. " By ther fruits
ye shall know them." My heart is pained while
I write. Alas, has it come to this ; has tne spirit
of truth removed the veil of obscurity from the
last days, only to present us with the vision of
a fallen people; an apostate church, fu 1 of all
manner of abomination, and even despising
those who are good; while they themselves have
nothing left but the form of godliness, denying
the power of God: that is, setting aside the
direct inspiration and supernatural gifts of the
Spirit, which ever characterize the Church of
Christ? Was it for this only that the Holy
Spirit opened to the view of holy men the events
of unborn time, enabling them to gaze upon the
opening glories of the latter days! Oh! ye
Prophets and Apostles, ye holy men of old,

PROPHECY YET FUTURE. 37

what have you done, if you stop here? if your
prophetic vision only extended down the stream
of time to the present year? Alas ! you have
filled our minds with sorrow and despair: the
Jews you have left wandering in sorrow and
darkness, far from all their hearts hold most
dear on earthy their land a desolation, and
their city and temple in ruins, and they without
the knowledge of the true Messiah. The Gen-
tiles, after partaking of the root and fatness of
the tame olive-tree, having fallen after the same
example of unbelief, are left without fruit,
dead, plucked up by the roots, with naught but
a form of godliness; while the powers that
characterized the ancient Church have fled
from among men. Is this the consummation
of all your labours? Was it for this you
searched, toiled, bled, and died? I pause for a
reply; if you have a word of comfort yet in
store, concerning the future, let it quickly
speak, lest our souls should linger in the dark
valley of sorrow and despair.

CHAPTER II.

ON THE FULFILMENT OF PROPHECY YET FUTURE.

What is Prophecy, but history reversed?
Having made the discovery, and produced suf-
ficient proof that the prophecies, thus far, have

38 PROPHECY YET FUTURE.

been literally fulfilled —to the very letter — we
hope the reader will never lose sight of the same
rule with regard to those yet future. And, while
we stand upon the threshold of futurity, with
the wonders of unborn time about to open upon
our view, presenting before our astonished
vision the most mighty and majestic scenes, the
most astonishing revolutions, the most extra-
ordinary destructions, as well as the most
miraculous displays of the power and majesty
of Jehovah, in His great restoration of His
long-dispersed covenant people from the four
quarters of the earth ; I say, as these scenes are
about to open to our view, let us bow before
the great I AM, in the name of Jesus, and
pray in faith for the spirit to enlarge our hearts
and enlighten our minds, that we may under-
stand and believe all that is written, however
miraculous it may be. But O! kind reader,
who ever you are, if you are not prepared for
persecution, if you are unprepared to have your
name cast out as evil, if you cannot bear to be
called a knave, an impostor, or madman, or one
that hath a devil; or if you are bound by the
creeds of men to believe just so much and no
more, you had better stop here; for if you were
to believe the things written in the Bible that
are yet to come, you will be under the necessity
of believing miracles, signs and wonders, reve-
lations, and manifestations of the power of God,

PROPHECY YET FUTURE. 39

even beyond anything that any former genera-
tion has witnessed; yes, you will believe that
the waters will be divided, and Israel go through
dry-shod, as they journey to their own land, as
they did in the days of Moses; for no man ever
yet believed the Bible, without believing and
expecting such glorious events in the latter
days. Aud I will now venture to say that a be-
liever in the Bible would be something that very
few men have ever seen in this generation, with
all its boasted religion ; for there is a great
difference between believing the book to be true
when shut, and believing the things therein
written. It is now considered in Christendom
a great disgrace not to believe the Bible wheu
shut; but whosoever tries the experiment will
find it a greater disgrace to believe that the
things therein written will surely come to pass.
Indeed, it is our firm belief in the things written
in the Bible, and careful teaching of them, that
is one great cause of the persecution we suffer.
For let the prophecies be understood by the
people, and let them roll on in their fulfilment,
and this will blow to the four winds every re-
ligious craft in Christendom, and cause the king-
dom of Christ to arise upon their ruins, while
the actual knowledge of the truth will cover the
earth as the waters do the sea.

Having said so much by way of caution, if
there are any of my readers so bold, and regard-

40 PROPHECY YET FUTURE.

less of consequences, as to dare with me to
gaze upon the future, we will commence with
Isaiah, chap, xi. 11, 12, 15, andJL 6 verses. "And
itTsHailcome to pass in that day, that the Lord
shall set his hand again the second time to re-
cover the remnant of his people, which shall be
left, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from
Pathros, and from dish, and from Elam, and
from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the
islands of the sea.

" And he shall set up an ensign for the na-
tions, and shall assemble the outcasts of Is-
rael, and gather together the dispersed of Judah
from the four corners of the earth.

" And the Lord shall utterly destroy the
tongue of the Egyptian Sea; and with his
mighty wind sha "" he shake his hand over the
river, and shall smite it in the seven streams,
and make men go over dry-shod.

" And there shall be an highway for the rem-
nant of his people, which shall be left, from
Assyria; like as it was to Israel in the day
that he came up out of the land of Egypt."

Here you behold an ensign to be reared for
the nations ; notonly for the dispersed of Judah,
but the outcasts of Israel. The Jews are called
dispersed, because they are scattered among
the nations ; but the ten tribes are called out-
casts, because they are cast out from the knowl-
edge of the nations into a land by themselves.

PROPHECY YET FUTURE. 41

Now, the reader will bear in mind that the ten
tribes have not dwelt in the land of Canaan
since they were led captive by Shalminezer,
king of Assyria. We have also presented be-
fore us, in the 15th verse, the marvellous power
of God, which will be displayed in the destruc-
tion of a small branch of the Ked Sea, called
the tongue of the Egyptian Sea: and also the
dividing of the seven streams of some river,
and causing men to go over dry-shod; and lest
any should not understand it literally, the 15th
verse says, "there shall be a highway for the
remnant of his people, which shall be left from
Assyria, like as it was to Israel when he came up
out of the land of Egypt." Now, we have only
to ask whether, in the days of Moses, the Ked
Sea was literally divided? or whether it was only
a figure? for as it was then so it shall be again.
And yet we are told by modern divines that the
days of miracles have gone for ever; and those
who believe in miracles, in our day, are count-
ed as impostors, or, at least, poor ignorant
fanatics, and the public are warned against
them, as false teachers who would, if possible,
deceive the very elect. On the subject of this
restoration the Prophets have spoken so fully
and repeatedly, that we can only notice a few
of the most striking instances, which will go
to show the particular circumstances and
incidents attending it, and the manner and

42 PROPHECY YET FUTURE.

means of its accomplishment. The 16th chap-
ter of Jeremiah, 14th, 15th, and 16th verses, says,
"Therefore, behold, the da} s come, saith the
Lord, that it shall no more be said, The Lord
liveth that brought up the children of Israel
out of the Land of Egypt; but, The Lord liveth,
that brought up the children of Israel from the
land of the north, and from all the lands whith-
er he had driven them: and I will bring them
again into their land that I gave unto their
fathers. Behold I will send f6r many fishers,
saith the Lord, and they shall fish them; and
after will I send for many hunters, and they
shall hunt them from every mountain, and from
every hill, and out of the holes of the rocks."
Now, it has ever been the case with Israel, when
they wished to express the greatness of their
God, to say, The Lord liveth, which brought up
our fathers out of the land of Egypt. This
saying at once called to mind the power and
miracles of that memorable event, and associa-
ted with it all that was great and grand, and was
calculated to strike the mind with awe, under a
lively sense of the power of Israel's God. But,
to our astonishment! something is yet to
transpire which will cast into momentary
forgetfulness aU the great events of that day,
and the children of Israel shall know that
their God liveth, by casting their minds
upon events of recent date, which shall have

PROPHECY YET FUTURE. 43

transpired, still more glorious and wonderful
than their coming out of Egypt. They will ex-
claim, The Lord liveth, which recently brought
the children of Israel from the north, and from
all lands whither he had driven them, and hath
planted them in the land of Canaan, which he
gave our fathers. With this idea will be asso-
ciated every display of grandeur and sublimity,
of wonder and amazement; while they call to
mind the revelations, manifestations, miracles,
and mercies displayed in bringing about this
great event, in the eyes of all the nations.

In view of this, Jeremiah exclaims, in the last
verse of this chapter, " Therefore, behold, I
will this once cause them to know mine hand
and my might; and they shall know that my
name is The Lord."

But the means made use of to bring about
this glorious event are, not only the raising of
a standard, the lifting up of an ensign, so that
we may know when the time is fulfilled, but
fishers and hunters are to be employed to fish
and hunt them from every mountain, from
every hill, and out of the holes of the rocks.
Let the reader mark here : men were not to send
missionaries who were not inspired, to go and
teach Israel several hundred different doctrines
and opinions of men, and to tell them they sup-
posed the time had about arrived for them to
gather. But the God of heaven is to call men

44 PROPHECY YET FUTURE.

by actual revelation direct from heaven, and to
tell them who Israel is; who the Indians of
America are, if they should be of Israel; and
also where the ten tribes are, and all the scat-
tered remnant of that long lost people. He it is
who is to give them their errand and mission,
and to clothe them with power from on high to
execute the great work, in defiance of opposing
elements, and all the opposition of earth and
hell combined. But do you ask, "Why is the
Lord to commission men by actual revelation?"
I reply, because he has no other way of sending
men in auy age. No man, says the Apostle,
taketh this honour upon himself, but he that is
called of God, as was Aaron. Now, we all ac-
knowledge that Aaron was called by revelation.
Now the great Jehovah never did, nor ever
will acknowledge the priesthood or ministry of
any man who is not called by revelation, and
inspired as in days of old. But, "0!" says
the reader, "you startle me, for the whole
train of modern divines profess no revelation
later than the Bible, and no direct inspiration
or supernatural gift of the Spirit. Do you cast
them all off, and say that they have no author-
ity?" I reply, No, for the Bible does it, and
I only humbly acquiesce in the decision, as
they are nowhere known in Scripture, except
as teachers whom the people have heaped to
themselves (the word heap does not mean a few

PROPHECY YET FUTURE. 45

but many). But, to prove more fully that God
will give revelations in order to bring abcut
this glorious work, we will refer you to Ezekiel
xx. 33-38. It reads, " As I live, saith the
Lord God, surely with a mighty hand, antf
with a stretched-out arm, and with a fury
poured out, will I rule over you ; and I will bring
you out from the people, and will gather you out
of the countries wherein ye are scattered, with
a mighty hand, and with a stretched out arm,
and with fury poured out. And I will bring
you into the wilderness of the people, and there
will I plead with you face to face. Like as I
pleaded with your fathers in the wilderness of
the land of Egypt, so I will plead with you, saith
the Lord God. And I will cause you to pass
under the rod, and I will bring you into the
bond of the covenant; and I will purge out from
among you the rebels, and them that transgress
against me : I will bring them forth out of the
country wrhere they sojourn, and they shall not
enter into the land of Israel ; and ye shall know
that lam the Lord."

You discover that this promise begins with a
double assurance; first, with an oath, As I live;
second, with an assurance, Surely with a mighty
hand, &c. And, in the close of the same chapter,
lest the people should possibly misunderstand
him, he exclaims, " O Lord, they say of me,
Doth he not speak in parables?" Here we have

46 PROPHECY YET FUTURE.

the children of Israel brought from among all
nations, with a mighty hand and a stretched-out
arm, and -with fury poured out, (O ye nations,
who oppose these things, beware, remember
Pharaoh, and learn wisdom), we see them
brought into the wilderness of the people; and
there the Lord is to plead with them face to
face, just as he did with their fathers in the
wilderness of Egypt. This pleading face to
face can never be done without revelation, and a
personal manifestation, as much so as in old
times. Now, I ask, Were all his manifesta-
tions to Israel in the wilderness mere fables,
not to be understood literally? If so, this will
be so too; for one will be precisely like the
other,, no parable, but a glorious reality. He
will cause them to pass under the rod, and bring
them into the bond of the covenant. This
brings to mind the new covenant so often
promised in the Scriptures, to be made with the
house of Israel, and with the house of Judah,
just in time to gather them from their long dis-
persion. Some may suppose that the new
covenant which was to gather Israel made its ap-
pearance in the days of Christ and his Apostles.
But Paul tells us it was yet future in his day. So
in his 1 1th chapter to the Romans, he says " that
blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the
fulness of the Gentiles be come in, and so all
Israel shall be saved; as it is written, There shall

PROPHECY YET FUTURE. 47

come out of Zion the deliverer, and shall turn
away ungodliness from Jacob; for this is my
covenant unto them when I shall take away their
sins." From this we learn that Paul placed that
covenant in the future, even down to the restor-
ation of Israel, in the last days, when the times
of the Gentiles should be fulfilled. Then there
should come a Deliverer for Israel, and not
before, seeing that they had rejected the
first coming of that Deliverer. And he himself
said to the Jews, " Behold, your house is left
unto you desolate ; for I say unto you ye shall
not see me henceforth till ye shall say, Blessed
is he that cometh in the name of the Lord."
Then, and not until then, should the covenant
be renewed with Israel. And even when the
Apostles inquired, saying, " Wilt thou at this
time restore again the kingdom to Israel? " the
Saviour made answer that it was not for them
to know the times and seasons, which the Father
had put in his own power; but they were to re-
ceive power, and bear witness of him, &c; as
much as to say, That work is not for you Apos-
tles to accomplish, but shall be done in the
Lord's own time, by whom he will; but go ye
and do the work I have commanded you.

Again, Isaiah, lxi. 8, 9, in speaking of this
covenant, tells us, that it should make their
seed known among the Gentiles, and their off-
spring among the people; and should cause all

48 PROPHECY YET FUTURE.

that see them to acknowledge them that they
are the seed that the Lord hath blessed. Now,
we know that it is a question which can only be
decided by Revelation, whether the aborigines
of America are the seed of Jacob or not. Again,
it is a matter of uncertainty where the ten tribes
are, or who they are ; but the new covenant,
whenever it makes its appearance, will reveal
these things, and will leave the matter no longer
in suspense; we shall then know their seed
among the Gentiles, and their offspring among
the people. But, oh! how different was the
effect of the covenant made eighteen hundred
years ago in its effects upon Israel; it cast
them off in unbelief, and caused all that have
seen them or heard of them ever since to ac-
knowledge that they are the seed that the Lord
hath cursed. When the covenant is renewed in
the last days, the Lord will bring them into the
bond of the covenant by manifesting Himself to
them face to face. Let me inquire, How does
God make a covenant with the people in any
age? The answer is, By communicating His
will to them by actual revelation; for, without
this, it would be impossible to make a cove-
nant between two parties. In order to illustrate
this subject let us bring an example. We see
how we make covenants with each other. For
instance, a young man wishes to enter into a
covenant of matrimony with a young lady; but

PROPHECY YET FUTURE. 49

deprive him of the privilege of revealing his
mind to her, cut off all direct communication
between them and a covenant could never he
made; and so it is with the Almighty. He
never did enter into a covenant with His
creatures without revelations ; and He never can
do it. In short, whenever He made a covenant
with the people, where a whole people were
concerned, He included in the covenant the
priesthood, offices, and authorities, together
with the ordinances and blessings, which per-
tain to His covenant; and so will He do at this
time. Whenever the new covenant is estab-
lished it will organize the kingdom of God with
all its offices, ordinances, gifts, and blessings,
as in the days of old ; but more of this when we
come to treat of the kingdom of God.

" But," says the inquirer, " what need have
we of the renewal of a covenant which has
never been broken? If the Lord made a cove-
nant in the days of the Apostles, called a new
covenant, why should that covenant still be re-
newed again, seeing it is in full force until it
is broken by one party or the other?" This is
an important inquiry, involving the fate of all
Christendom in its decision ; we must therefore
be very careful to make the decision perfectly
plain, and the proof easy to be understood.
That there was a covenant made between God
and the people in the days of Christ and his
E

50 PROPHECY YET FUTURE.

Apostles, none will attempt to deny, and if
that covenant never has been broken, it must
be of force to the present day, and consequently
there is no need of a new one. It therefore re-
mains for us to prove that that covenant has
been broken, completly broken so that it is not
in force, either among Jews or Gentiles, having
lost its offices, authorities, powers and bless-
ings, insomuch that they are no where to be
found among men. In order to do this, we
must examine what were its offices, authori-
ties, powers and blessings, and then see
whether they are still known among men.

We read that its offices consisted of Apostles,
Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors and Teachers,
all inspired, and set in the church by the Lord
himself, for the edifying of the saints, for the
work of the ministry, &c. And they were to
continue in the Church, wherever it was found,
until they all came to the unity of the faith, and
unto the measure of the stature of a man in
Christ.

Secondly, the gifts of the Spirit, which some
call supernatural, were the powers and bless-
ings which pertained to that covenant wher-
ever it existed, among the Jews or the Gentiles,
so long as the covenant was of force. Now I
would ask of the world of Christendom, or
either of its sects or parties, if they have Apos-
tles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors, and Teach-

PROPHECY YET FUTURE. 51

ers, inspired from on high, together with all the
gifts and blessings of the Holy Spirit, which
pertained to the Gospel covenant? If not then
the offices and powers of that covenant have
been lost. And it must be through the break-
ing of that covenant that they were lost, for in
this way the Jews lost these privileges when
they were handed to the Gentiles. And Paul
told the Gentiles, in his 11th chapter to the
Romans, that if they did not abide in the good-
ness of God, they would fall, as the Jews had
done before them. But in order to prove, by
further demonstration, that the Gospel covenant
has been broken by Jew, and Gentile, and all
people, so long as it be no longer in force, I
shall quote Isajah^xxiV;_lr6. " Behold the Lord
maketh the earth empty, and maketh it waste,
and turneth it upside down, and scattereth
abroad the inhabitants thereof. And it shall be,
as with the people so with the priest; as with
the servant so with his master; as with the
maid so with her mistress ; as with the buyer
so with the seller; as with the lender
so with the borrower; as with the taker
of usury so with the giver of usury to
him. The land shall be utterly emptied,
and utterly spoiled; for the Lord hath
spoken this word. The earth mourn eth and
fadeth away, the world languisheth and fadeth
away, the haughty people of the earth do Ian-

52 PROPHECY YET FUTURE.

guish. The earth also is defiled under the in-
habitants thereof; because they have trans-
gressed THE LAWS, CHANGED THE ORDINANCE,

broken the everlasting covenant. There-
fore hath the curse devoured the earth, and they
that dwell therein are desolate; therefore the
inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few
men left." In these few verses we discover a
like calamity awaiting priests and people, rich
and poor, bond and free, insomuch that they
are all to be burned up but a few ; and the com-
plaint is that the earth is defiled under the in-
habitants thereof, because they have trans-
gressed the laws, changed the ordinance, and
broken the everlasting covenant. Now, this
could not be speaking of any other than the
covenant, ordinance, and laws of the Gospt 1,
made with the people in the days of the Apos-
tles; because, however any former covenant
may have been broken, yet the inhabitants of
the earth have never been destroyed by fire, all
but a few, .for having broken any previous
covenant. But this destruction is to come by
fire, as literally as the flood in the days of
Noah, and it will consume both priests and
people from the earth, and that, too, for having
broken the covenant of the Gospel, with its
laws and its ordinances ; or else we must get a
new edition of the Bible, leaving o ut the 24th
of Isaiah.

PROPHECY YET FUTURE. 53

Now, having settled this question, I trust the
reader will see the need of a new covenant, in
order to save the few that are not to be burned.
We will therefore drop this subject for the
present, end turn again to the subject of the
gathering of Israel. You will please turn and
read the 36th, 37th, 38th, and 39th chapters of
Ezekiel. In the 36th chapter you will discover
a promise, that Israel is to return from all the
nations whither they have been scattered, and
to be brought again to the land which God gave
to their fathers; Jerusalem is to be filled with
flocks of men; and all the desolate cities of
Judea are to be rebuilt, fenced, and inhabited ;
the land is to be fenced, tilled, and sown,
insomuch that they shall say, " This land that
was desolate is become like the garden of
Eden." " I the Lord have spoken it, and I will
doit; and the heathen shall know that I the
Lord build the ruined places, and plant that
that was desolate. So shall the waste cities be
filled with flocks of men, and they shall know
that I am the Lord." In the 37th chapter you
will find, after the vision of the resurrection of
the dead, the Prophet goes on to speak of the
two nations becoming one nation upon the
mountains of Israel, and one king being king
to them all; and when this takes place they are
no more to be divided into two kingdoms.
Moreover, the Lord's tabernacle is to be with

54 PROPHECY YET FUTURE.

them, and His sanctuary in the midst of them
for evermore. He will for ever be their God,
and they shall be his people. " And the heathen
shall know that I the Lord do sanctify Israel,
when my sanctuary shall be in the midst of
them for evermore." Now, it is a fact well
known, that Judah and the ten tribes have never
been one nation upon the mountains of Israel
since the day they were first divided into two
nations.

But when this does take place, even the very
heathen are to know it, and are to be convinced
of the true God, as was Cyrus. Now, if the
missionaries shall convert the world before the
Lord does this great work, then it will save the
trouble of doing it in his own way, and it will
save the trouble of fulfilling the Prophets, and
the word of the Lord will fail, and all the world
lay hold of infidelity. Well did the Lord say,
My ways are not as your ways, nor my thoughts
as your thoughts. Chapters xxxviii. and xxxix.
present us with a view of many nations united
under one great head, whom the Lord is
pleased to call Gog; and being mounted on
horseback, and armed with all sorts of armour,
they come up against the mountains of Israel,
as a cloud to cover the land; their object is to
take a prey, to take away silver and gold, and
cattle, and goods in great abundance.

This is an event which is to transpire after

PROPHECY YET FUTURE. 55

the return of the Jews and the rebuilding of
Jerusalem; while the towns and the land of
Judea are without walls, having neither bars
nor gates. But while they are at the point to
swallow up the Jews, and lay waste their coun-
try, behold, the Lord's fury comes up in His
'face, a mighty earthquake is the result, inso-
much that the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of
the air, and all the creeping things, and all men
upon the face of the earth shall shake at His
presence, and every wall shall fall to the ground,
and every man's sword shall be turned against
his neighbour in this army, and the Lord shall
rain upon him, and upon his bands, and upon
the many people that are with him an overflow-
ing rain, great hailstones, fire and brimstone.
And thus He will magnify Himself and sanctify
himself, in the eyes of many nations, and they
shall know that He is the Lord; thus they shall
fall upon the open field, upon the mountains of
Israel, even Gog and all his army, horses and
horsemen; and the Jews shall go forth and
gather the weapons of war, such as hand-staves,
spears, shields, bows and arrows; and these
weapons shall last the cities of Israel seven
years for fuel, so that they shall cut no wood out
of the forest, for they shall burn the weapons
with the fire; and they shall spoil those that
spoiled them, and rob those that robbed them,
and they shall gather gold and silver, and ap-

56 PROPHECY YET FUTURE.

parel, in great abundance. At this time the
fowls of the air and the beasts of the field shall
have a great feast; yea, they are to eat fat until
they be full, and drink blood until they be
drunken. They are to eat the flesh of captains,
and kings, and mighty men, and all men of war.
But the Jews will have a very serious duty to
perform, which will take no less than seven
months; namely, the burying of their ene-
mies. They will select a place on the east side
of the sea, called the Valley of the Passengers,
and there shall they bury Gog and all his
multitude, and they shall call it the Valley of
Hamon Gog. And the scent shall go forth, in-
somuch that it shall stop the noses of the pas-
sengers ; thus shall they cleanse the land. " And
I will set my glory among the heathen, and all
the heathen shall see my judgment that I have
executed, and my hand that I have laid upon
them; so the house of Israel shall know that I
am the Lord their God from that day and for-
ward. And the heathen shall know that the
house of Israel went into captivity for their in-
iquity; because they trespassed against me,
therefore hid I my face from them, and gave
them into the hand of their enemies; so fell
they all by the sword. According to their un-
cleanness, and according to their transgres-
sions, have I done unto them, and hid myself
from them. Therefore thus saith the Lord

PROPHECY YET FUTURE. 57

God, Now will I bring again the captivity of
Jacob, and have mercy upon the whole house of
Israel, and will be jealous for my holy name:
after that they have borne their shame, and all
their trespasses whereby they have trespassed
against me when they dwelt safely in their own
land, and none made them afraid. When I
have brought them again from the people, and
gathered them out of their enemy's lands, and
am sanctified in them in the sight of many na-
tions ; then shall they know that I am the Lord
their God, which caused them to be led into
captivity among the heathen: but I have
gathered them into their own land, and have
left none of them any more there. Neither will
I hide my face any more from them; for I have
poured out my Spirit upon the house of Israel,
saith the Lord God."

In the foregoing we discover that the heathen
are to know that the house of Israel went into
captivity for their iniquity, and are gathered
again by the hand of God, after having borne
their shame for all their trespasses: and the
house of Israel will know that it was the Lord
their God who caused them to be led into cap-
tivity among the heathen, and that He it was
that gathered and defended them, and He will
hide his face no more from them, but will pour
out his Spirit upon them.

Oh! ye blind, ye stiff-necked, ye hard-hearted

58 PROPHECY YET FUTURE.

generation, with the Bible circulated among all
nations will whole nations be so blind as to ful-
fil this prophecy, and not know it until it brings
destruction upon their own heads? Why all
this blindness? Alas! it is because of false
teachers, who will tell them the Bible must be
spiritualized. Others declare that these
prophecies can never be understood until they
are fulfilled. If this be the case, then we can
never escape the judgments predicted in them,
but must continue the children of darkness,
until they come upon us unawares and sweep
us from the earth. Then where will be the con-
solation in looking back and seeing them ful-
filled! But blessed be God, He has told us by
the mouth of Daniel that many shall run to and
fro, and knowledge shall be increased, and
that the wise shall understand, but none of the
wicked shall understand. And now, I would
ask, who are more wicked than the wilfully
blind leaders of the blind, who tell us we can-
not understand the Scriptures?

Zechariah, in his 14th chapter, has told us
much concerning the great battle and over-
throw of the nations who fight against Jeru-
salem; and he has said, in plain words, that
the Lord shall come at the very time of the
overthrow of that army; yes, in fact, even
while they are in the act of taking Jerusalem,
and have already succeeded in taking one-half

PROPHECY YET FUTURE. . 59

the city, and spoiling their houses, and ravish-
ing their women. Then, behold their long-
expected Messiah, suddenly appearing, shall
stand upon the Mount of Olives, a little east
of Jerusalem, to fight against those nations
and deliver the Jews. Zechariah says the
Mount of Olives shall cleave in twain, from
east to west, and one-half of the mountain
shall remove to the north, while the other half
falls off to the south, suddenly forming a very
great valley, into which the Jews shall flee for
protection from their enemies as they fled from
the earthquake in the days of Uzziah, king of
Judah; while the Lord cometh and all the
saints with Him. Then will the Jews behold
that long, long-expected Messiah, coming in
power to their deliverance, as they always looked
for him. He will destroy their enemies, and
deliver them from trouble at the very time they
are in the utmost consternation, and about to
be swallowed up by their enemies. But what
will be their astonishment when they are about
to fall at the feet of their Deliverer, and ac-
knowledge him their Messiah ! They discover
the wounds which were once made in his
hands, feet, and side; and, on inquiry, at
once recognize Jesus of Nazareth the king of
the Jews, the man so long rejected. Well did
the Prophet say, they shall mourn and weep,
every family apart, and their wives apart.

€0 PROPHECY YET FUTURE.

But, thank Heaven, there will be an end to
their mourning; for he will forgive their ini-
quities and cleanse them from alluncleanness.
Jerusalem shall be a holy city from that time
forth, and all the land shall be turned as a
plain from Geba to Rimmon, and she shall
be lifted up and inhabited in her place, and
men shall dwell there, and there shall be no
more utter destruction of Jerusalem; "and
in that day there shall be one Lord, and his
name one, and he shall be king over all the
earth."

John, in his 11th chapter of Revelations,
gives us many more particulars concerning this
same event. He informs us, that, after the
city and temple are rebuilt by the Jews, the
Gentiles will tread it under foot forty and two
months, during which time there will be two
Prophets continually prophesying and working
mighty miracles. And it seems that the Gentile
army shall be hindered from utterly destroy-
ing and overthrowing the city, while these
two Prophets continue. But, after a struggle
of three years and a half, they at length suc-
ceed in destroying these two Prophets, and
then overrunning much of the city; they send
gifts to each other because of the death of
the two Prophets, and in the meantime will
not allow their dead bodies to be put in
graves, but suffer them to lie in the streets

PROPHECY YET FUTURE. 61

of Jerusalem three days and a half; during
which the armies of the Gentiles, consisting
of many kindreds, tongues, and nations, pass-
ing through the city plundering the Jews, see
their dead bodies lying in the street. But,
after three days and a half, on a sudden, the
spirit of life from God enters them, and they
will arise and stand upon their feet, and great
fear will fall upon them that see them. And
then they shall hear a voice from heaven say-
ing, "Come up hither," and they will ascend
up to heaven in a cloud, their enemies behold-
ing them. And having described all these
things, then come the shaking, spoken of by
Ezekiel, and the rending of the Mount of
Olives, spoken of by Zechariah. John says,
11 The same hour there was a great earthquake,
and the tenth part of the city fell; and in
the earthquake were slain of men seven thou-
sand." And then one of the next scenes that
follow is the sound of voices, saying, " The
kingdoms of this world are become the king-
doms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He
shall reign for ever and ever."

Now, having summed up the description of
these great events spoken of by these Prophets,
I would just remark, there is no difficulty in
understanding them all to be perfect y plain and
literal in their fulfilment.

Suffice it to say, the Jews gather home, and

62 PROPHECY YET FUTURE.

rebuild Jerusalem. The nations gather against
them to battle. Their armies encompass the
city, and have more or less power over it for
three years and a half. A couple of Jewish
Prophets, by their mighty miracles, keep them
from utterly overcoming the Jews; until at
length they are slain, and the city is left in a
great measure to the mercy of their enemies
for three days and a half; the two Prophets
rise from the dead and ascend up into heaven.
The Messiah comes, convulses the earth, over-
throws the army of the Gentiles, delivers the
Jews, cleanses Jerusalem, cuts off all wicked-
ness from the earth, raises the Saints from the
dead, brings them with him, and commences
his r^ign of a thousand years; during which
time his Spirit will be poured out upon all flesh ;
men and beasts, birds and serpents, will be per-
fectly harmless, and peace and the knowledge
and glory of God shall cover the earth as the
waters cover the sea; and the kingdom, and the
greatness of the kingdom under the whole
heaven, shall be given to the Saints of the Most
High.

During this thousand years Satan will be
bound, and have no power to tempt the children of
men. And the earth itself will be delivered from
the curse which came by reason of the Fall. The
rough places will become smooth, the barren de-
serts fruitful; the mountains levelled; the val-

PROPHECY YET FUTURE. 63

leys exalted; the thorn and thistle shall no
more be found, but all the earth shall yield her
increase in abundance to the Saints of God.
But, after the thousand years are ended, then
shall Satan be loosed, and shall go out to de-
ceive the nations which dwell in the four
quarters of the earth, to gather them to
battle, and to bring them up to battle against
the camp of the Saints. Then the great
and last struggle shall take place between God
and Satan, for the empire of the earth. Satan
and his army shall be overthrown. And after
these great things, come the end of the earth>
the resurrection of the wicked, and the last
judgment. And there shall be a new earth and
a new heaven, for the former earth and the
former heaven shall have passed away, that is;
they will be changed from temporal to eternal,
and made fit for the abode of immortals. Then
cometh Jerusalem down from God, out of
heaven, having been renewed as well as the
heavens and the earth. " For," said He, "be-
hold, I make all things new." This new city,
placed upon the new earth, with the Lord God
and the Lamb in the midst, seems to be man's
eternal abode, insomuch that, after all our
longings for a place beyond the bounds of time
and space, as saith the poet, we are at last
brought to our proper senses, and given to un-
derstand that man is destined for ever to in-

64 PROPHECY YET FUTURE.

herit this self- same planet, upon which he was
first created, which shall be redeemed, sancti-
fied, renewed, purified, and prepared as an
eternal inheritance for immortality and eternal
life! with the holy city for its capital, the
throne of God in the midst for its seat of gov-
ernment; and watered with a stream, clear as
crystal, called the Waters of Life, issuing from
the throne of Jehovah; while either side is
adorned with trees of never-fading beauty.
" Blessed are they that do his commandments,
that they may have a right to the tree of life,
and may enter it through the gates into the
city." By this time we begin to understand
the words of the Savior, "Blessed are the
meek, for they shall inherit the earth." And
also the song which John heard in heaven,
which ended thus: "We shall reign on the
Earth." Reader, do not be startled; suppose
you were to be caught up into heaven, there to
stand with the redeemed of every nation, kin-
dred, tongue, and people, and join them in
singing and, to your astonishment, all heaven i-»
filled with joy, while they tune i he immortal
lyre, in joyful anticipation of one day reigning
on the earth — a planet now under the domin-
ion of Satan, the abode of wretchedness and
misery, from which your glad spirit had taken
its flight, and as you suppose, an everlasting
farewell. You might perhaps be startled for a

PROPHECY YET FUTURE. 65

moment, and inquire within yourself, " Why
have I never heard this theme sung among the
churches on earth?" Well, my friend, the
answer would be, Because you lived in a day
when people did not understand the Scriptures.
Abraham would tell you, you should have read
the promise of God to him. Gen. xvii. 8, where
God not only promised the land of Canaan to
his seed for an everlasting possession, but also
to him. Then you should have read the testi-
mony of Stephen, Acts vii. 5 , by which you would
have ascertained that Abraham never had inher-
ited the things promised, b ut was still expect-
ing to rise from the dead and be brought into
the land of Canaan, to inherit them. Yes, says
Ezekiel, if you had read the 37th chapter of my
Prophecies, you would have found a positive
promise, that God would open the graves of the
whole house of Israel who were dead, and
gather up their dry bones, and put them to-
gether, each to its own proper place, and even
clothe them again with flesh, sinews, and skin,
and put His Spirit in them, and they should
live; and then, instead of being caught up to
heaven, they should be brought into the land of
Canaan, which the Lord gave them, and they
should inherit it. But, still astonished, you
might turn to Job; and he, surprised to find one
unac quainted with so plain a subject, would ex^

F

66 PROPHECY YET FUTURE.

from the 23rd to the 27th verses, where I de-
clare, I wish my words were written in a book,
saying, that my Redeemer would stand on the
earth in the latter day, an d that I should see him
in the flesh, for myself, and not another, though
worms should destroy this body? Even David
the sweet singer of Israel, would call to your
mind his 37th Psalm, where he repeatedly de-
clares, that the meek shall inherit the earth for-
ever, after the wicked are cut off from the face
thereof. And, last of all, to set the matter for
ever at rest, the voice of the Saviour would
mildly fall upon your ear, in his sermon on the
mount, declaring emphatically, " Blessed are
the meek, for they shall inherit the earth." To
these things you would answer, "I have read
these passages to be sure, but was always
taught to believe that they did not mean so,
therefore I never understood them until now.
Let me go and tell the people what wonders
have opened to my view since my arrival in
heaven merely from having heard one short
song. It is true, I have heard much of the
glories of heaven described while on earth, but
never once thought of their rejoicing in antici-
pation of returning to the earth." Says the
Saviour, " They have Moses and the Prophets;
if they will not believe them, neither would they
believe although one should rise from the
dead."

PROPHECY YET FUTURE. 67

We will now return to the subject of the com-
ing of the Messiah, and the ushering in of that
glorious day called the Millennium, or rest of a
thousand years. We gather from the field of
prophecy, through which we have passed ; first,
that that glorious day will be ushered iu by the
personal coming of Christ, and the resurrection
of all the saints; second that all the wicked
will be destroyed from the earth by overwhelm-
ing judgments of God, and by fire, at the time
of bis coming, insomuch that the earth will be
cleansed by fire from its wicked inhabitants, as it
once was by water ; and this burning will include
priests as well as people ; all but a few shall be
burned. This burning more especially applies to
the fallen church, rather than to the heathen or
Jews, whom they are now trying to convert.
Woe unto you, Gentiles, who call yourselves the
people of the Lord, but have made void the law
of God by your tradit ions ; for in vain do you call
Lord, Lord, and do not the things which Jesus
commands; in vain do ye worship him, teach-
ing for doctrines the commandments of men.
Behold, the sword of vengeance hangs over
you, and exceptyou repent it will soon fall upon
you; and it will be more tolerable in that day
for the Jews and heathens than for you. BeJiQld
ye flatter yourselves that the glorious day
spoken of by the Prophets will be ushered in
by your modern invention and moneyed plans,

(8 PROPHECY YET FUTURE.

which are got up in order to convert the Jews
and heathens to the various sectarian principles
now existing among yourselves; and you ex-
pect when this is done, to behold a millennium
after your own heart. But the Jews and
heathens never will be converted, as a people
to any other plan than that laid down in the
Bible for the restoration of Israel. And you
yourselves are laboring under a broken covenant,
and ripening for the fire as fast as possible.
But do not count me your enemy because I tell
you the truth, for God is my witness that I love
your souls too well to keep back any truth from
you, however severe it may seem. The wounds
of a friend are better than the kisses of an
enemy. Now, concerning the signs of the
times, the inquiry often arises, " When shall
these things be, and what signs shall there be
when these things shall come to pass? " I am
often asked the question , whether it is near at
hand ; I will therefore tell you all , whereby you
may know for yourselves when it is nigh, even
at the doors, and not be dependent on the
knowledge of others.

Now you behold the apple-tree and all the
trees, when they begin to shoot forth their
leaves, ye know of your own selves that sum-
mer is nigh at hand; and so likewise when ye
shall see great earthquakes, famine, pestilence,
and plagues of every kind; the sea breaking

PROPHECY YET FUTURE. 69

beyond its bounds, and all things in commo-
tion; the nations distressed with perplexity;
men's hearts failing them for fear, and for look-
ing for the things which are coming on the
earth ; when you see signs in the heaven above,
aud in the earth beneath, blood, and fire and
vapour of smoke, the sun turned to darkness,
the moon to blood, and stars hurled from their
courses; when you see the Jews gathering to
Jerusalem, and the armies of the nations
gathering against them to battle, you may know,
with a perfect knowledge, that Christ's coming
is near, even at the doors. " Verily I say unto
you, this generation, shall not pass till all these
things be fulfilled." Heaven and earth shall
pass away, but not one word of all that the
Lord has spoken by the mouth of all His Holy
Prophets and Apostles shall fail. Whoever
will look to the word of the Prophets, and to
thesayin gs of Jesus Christ, on this subject, the
same will be convinced that all the signs of
which I have spoken are clearly pointed out as
the signs of His coming. But, notwithstanding
all these things are written, His coming will
Overtake the world unawares, as the flood did
the people in the days of Noah, The reason
is, they will not understand the Prophets.
They will not endure sound doctrine; their ears
are turned away from the truth and turned to
fables, because of false teachers, and the pre-

70 PROPHECY YET FUTURE.

cepts of men; and what is still worse, when
God sends men with the New and Everlasting
Covenant, and clothes them with boldness to
testify to the truth, they will be treated as the
servants of God have been before them by the
fallen churches; every church will cleave to
their own way, and will unite in saying, "There
is no need of these new things, the good old
way is right; " while at the same time they are
walking in as many different ways as there are
sects, and only agree in persecuting and speak-
ing all manner of evil against the fishers and
hunters whom God shall send. But, thank
heaven, there are individuals in every sect who
are humbly seeking the truth, and who will
know the voice of truth, and be gathered out,
and planted in the new and everlasting cove-
nant; and they will be adopted into the family
of Israel, and will be gathered with them, and
be partakers of the same covenant of promise.
Yea, as Jeremiah says, in the lGth chapter of
his Prophecies, "The Gentiles shall come unto
thee from the end of the earth, and shall say,
Surely our fathers have inherited lies, vanities,
and things wherein there is no profit." But
as the Jews overlooked Christ's first coming,
by not understanding the Prophets, and fasten-
ing their whole expectations on his g'orious
coming in the last days, to restore the kingdom
to Israel, and avenge them of their enemies,

PROPHECY YET FUTURE. 71

and, by this mistake, were broken and scattered ;
so the Gentiles will overlook the prophecies
concerning his second coming, by confounding
them with the last judgment, which is to take
place more than a thousand years afterward.
But this fatal mistake, instead of causing the
Gentiles to be broken and scattered, will cause
them to be ground to powder.

Oh! my brethren according to the flesh, my
soul mourns over you, and had I a voice like a
trumpet, I would cry, Awake, awake, and
arouse from your slumbers, for the time is ful-
filled, your destruction is at the door, " for I
have heard from the Lord God of Hosts, a con-
sumption, even determined upon the whole
earth." Prepare to meet your God! And again,
Awake, O! house of Israel, and lift up your
heads, for your redemption draweth nigh; yea,
depart ye, depart ye, go ye out from hence,
gather home from your long dispersion, rebuild
your cities; yea go ye out from the nations,
from one end of heaven to the other; but let
not your flight be in haste, for the Lord shall
go before you, and the God of Israel shall
be your rearward. And, finally, I would say to
all, both Jews and Gentiles, Repent ye, repent
ye, for the great day of the Lord is at hand ; for
if I, who am a man, do lift up my voice, and call
upon you to repent, and ye hate me, what will
ye say when the day cometh, when the thunders

72 PROPHECY YET FUTURE.

shall utter their voices to the ends of the earth,
speaking to the ears of all that live, saying,
" Repent, and prepare for the great day of the
Lord?" Yea, again when the lightning shall
streak from the east unto the west, and shall
utter forth their voices unto all that live, and
make the ears of all that hear to tingle, saying
these words , u Repent ye, for the great day of the
Lord is come." And again, the Lord shall utter
his voice out of heaven, saying, u Hearken, O
ye nations of the e arth, and hear the words of
that God who made you : O ye nations of the
earth, how Often would I have gathered you to-
gether, as a hen gathereth her chickens under
her wings, but ye would not! How often have
I called upon you by the mouth of my servants,
and by the ministering of angels, and by mine
own voice, and by the voice of thunderings, and
by the voice of lightnings, and by the voice of
tempests, and by the voice of earthquakes and
great hailstorms, an d by the voice of famine
and pestile nces of every kind, and by the great
s ound of a trumpet, and by the voice of judg-
m ents, and by the voice of mercy, all the
day long, and by the voice of glory and
honour, and the riches of eternal life, and
would have saved you with an everlasting
salvation, but ye would not! Behold, the day
has come, when the cup of the wrath of mine
indignation is full."

THE KINGDOM OF GOD. 73

CHAPTER III.

THE KINGDOM OF GOD.

M Seek first the Kingdom of God.11

This was the command of the Saviour, while
on the earth, teaching the children of men.

Having taken a general view of the Prophe-
cies, Past and Future, we shall now proceed to
fulfil this command, and search out the king-
dom of God. But, before we advance, I would
again caution the reader not to accompany me
in this research unless he is prepared to sacri-
fice every thing, even to his good name, and
life itself, if necessary, for the truth; for if he
should once get a view of the kingdom of God,
he will be so delighted, that he never will rest
satisfied short of becoming a subject of the
same. And yet it will be so unlike every other
system of religion now on earth that he will be
astonished that any person, with' the Bible in
his hand, should ever have mistaken any of the
systems of men for the kingdom of God. There
are certain powers, privileges, an d blessings,
pertaining to the kingdom of God, which are
found in no other kingdom, nor enjoyed by any
other people. By these it was ever distinguish-
ed from all other kingdoms and systems, inso-
much that the inquiring mind, seeking the king-

74 THE KINGDOM OF GOD.

dom of God, and being once acquainted with
these peculiarities concerning it, need never
mistake it, or be at a loss to know when he has
found it. But before we proceed any farther in
our research, let us agree upon the meaning of
the term. The Kingdom of God, or the sense
in which we will use it; for some apply this
term to the kingdom of glory above, and some
to the individual enjoyments of their own souls,
while others apply it to His organized govern-
ment on the earth. Now, when we speak of
the kingdom of God, we wish it to be under-
stood that we mean His organized government
on the earth.

Now, reader, we launch forth into the wide
field before us in search of a kingdom. But
stop, let us consider — What is a kingdom? I
reply that four things are required in order to
constitute any kingdom in heaven or on earth;
namely, first, a king; secondly, commissioned
officers duly qualified to execute his ordinances
and laws ; thirdly, a code of laws by which the
subjects are governed; and fourthly, subjects
who are governed. Where these exist in their
proper order and regular authority, there is a
kingdom, but where either of these cease to
exist, there is a disorganization of the kingdom;
consequently an end of it, until reorganized
after the same manner as before. In this re-
spect the kingdom of God is like all other

THE KINGDOM OF GOD. 75

kingdoms; whenever we find officers duly com-
missioned and qualified by the Lord Jesus,
together with his ordinances and laws existing
in purity, unmixed with any precepts or com-
mandments of men, there the kingdom of God
exists, and there His power is manifest and
His blessings are enjoyed as in days of old.

We shall now take a view of the setting up of
the kingdom of God in the days of the Apostles.
The first intimation of its near approach was by
an angel to Zecharias, promising him a son, who
should go before the King to prepare his way.
The next manifestation was to Mary, and finally
to Joseph, by a holy angel, promising the birth
of the Messiah; while at the same time, the
Holy Ghost manifested unto Simeon, in the
temple, that he should not die until he had seen
the Saviour. Thus, all these, together with the
shepherds and the wise men from the east,
began to rejoice with a joy unspeakable and full
of glory, while the world around them knew
notthe occasion of their joy. After these things,
all seemed to rest in silent expectation, until
John had grown to manhood, when he came
bounding from the wilderness of Judea, with a
proclamation strange and new, crving, "Repent
ye, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand,"
baptizing unto repentance, telling them plainly
that their King was already standing among
them, on the point of setting up his kingdom.

76 THE KINGDOM OF GOD.

And while he yet ministered, the Messiah came,
and was baptized, and sealed with the Spirit of
God, which rested upon him in the form of a
dove ; and soon after he began the same proclam-
ation as John, saving, " Repent ye, for the
kingdom of heaven is at hand." Then after
choo>ing twelve disciples, he sent them forth
into all the cities of Judea, with the same
proclamation, "The kingdom of heaven is at
hand;" and after them he sent seventy, and
then another seventy, with the same news, so
that all might be well warned and prepared for
a kingdom which was .soon to be organized
amongst them. But when these things had
produced the desired effect, in causing a general
expectation, more especially in the hearts of his
disciples, who daily expected to triumph over
their persecutors by the coronation of this glo-
rious personage, while they themselves were
hoping for a reward for all their toil and sac-
rifices for his sake, by being exalted to dignity
near his person, what must have been their dis-
appointment when they saw their King taken
and crucified, having been mocked, derided,
ridiculed, and finally overcome and triumphed
over, both by Jew and Gentile? They would
gladly have died in battle to have placed him
upon the throne; but tamely to submit without
a struggle, to give up all their expectations, and
sink in despair from the highest pitch of en-

THE KINGDOM OF GOD. 77

thusiasra to the lowest degradation, was more
than they could well endure. They shrank back
in sorrow, and returned every man to his net,
or to their several occupations, supposing all
was over; probably with reflections like these:
u Is this the result of our labors? was it for
this we forsook all worldly objects, our friends,
our houses and lands, suffering persecution,
hunger, fatigue and disgrace? — and we trusted
it should have been He who would have deliv-
ered Israel; but alas, they have killed him, and
all is over. For three years we have awakened
a general expectation through all Judea, by
telling them that the kingdom of heaven was at
hand, but now our King is dead, how shall we
<lare to look the people in the face?" With
these reflections, each pursuing his own course,
all was again turned to silence, and the voice
had ceased to be heard in Judea, crying, " Re-
pent ye, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."
Jesus slept in the arms of death; a great stone,
with the seal of state, secured the tomb where
he lay, while the Roman guard stood in watch-
ful silence to see that all was kept secure;
when, suddenly, from the regions of glory, a
mighty angel descended, at whose presence the
soldiers fell back as dead men, while he rolled
the stone from the door of the sepulchre, and
the Son of God awoke from his slumbers, burst
the bonds of death, and soon after appearing to

78 THE KINGDOM OF GOD.

Mary, he sent her to his deciples with the joyful
news of his resurrection, and appointed a place
to meet them. When, after seeing him, all their
sorrow was turned into joy, and all their former
hopes were suddenly revived, they had no longer
to cry, " The kingdom of heaven is at hand,"
but were to tarry at Jerusalem until the kingdom
was established; and they prepared to unlock
the door of the kingdom, and to adopf strangers
and foreigners into it as legal citizens, by ad-
ministering certain laws and ordinances, which
were invariably the laws of adoption, and with-
out which no man could ever become a citizen.
Having scended up on high, and having been
crowned with all power in heaven and on earth,
he again comes to his disciples, and give*
them their authority, saying unto them. "Go
ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel
to every creature. He that believeth and is
baptized shall be saved; but he that believ-
eth not shall be damned. And these signs shall
follow them that believe: In my name shall
they cast out devils; they shall speak with new
tongues; they shall take up serpents; and if
they drink any deadly thing it shall not hurt
them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they
shall recover." Mark xvi. 15-18. Now, I wish
the reader not to pass over this commission
until he understands it, because, when once
understood, he never need mistake the kingdom

THE KINGDOM OF GOD. 79

of God, bnt will at once diseover those peculi-
arities which were for ever to distinguish it
from all other kingdoms or religious systems on
earth. Lest he should misunderstand, we will
analyse it, and look at each part carefully in its
own proper light; first they were to preach the
ospel, or, in other words, the glad tidings of a
crucified and risen Redeemer, to all the world ;
secondly, he that believed and was baptized,
should be saved; thirdly, he that did not believe
what they preached should be damned; and
fourthly, these signs should follow them that
believed, first, they were to cast out devils;
second to speak with new tongues ; third to take
up serpents ; fourth, if they drank any deadly
thing, it should not hurt them; fifth, they were
to lay hands on the sick and they should re-
cover.

Now, it is wilful blindness, or ignorance of the
English language, that has ever caused any
misunderstanding here. For some tell us that
those signs were only to follow the Apostles;
and others, that they were only to follow be-
lievers in that age. But Christ places the
preaching, believing, salvation, and the signs
that were to follow, all on an equal footing;
where one was limited, the other must be ; where
one ceased, the other did. If the language lim-
its the signs to the Apostles, it limits faith and
salvation also to them. If no others were to

80 THE KINGDOM OF GOD.

have these signs follow them then no others
were to believe, and no others were to be
saved. Again, if the language limits these signs
to the first age or ages of Christianity, then it
limits salvation to the first ages of Christianity,
for one is precisely as much limited as the
other; and where one is in force, the other is;
and where one ends, the other must stop. And
as well might we say, preaching of the Gospel
is no longer needed ; neither faith nor salvation;
these were only given at first to establish the
Gospel; as to say, the signs are no longer
necessary, they were only given at first to es-
tablish the Gospel. But says the astonished
reader, " Have not these signs ceased from
among men? " I reply, prove that they have
ceased, and it will prove that the Gospel has
ceased to be preached, that men have ceased to
believe and be saved, and that the world is
without the kingdom of God ; or else it will
prove that Jesus Christ was an impostor, and
his promises of no effect.

Now, having analyzed and understood this
commission, let us still pursue the subject of
the organization of the kingdom of God in the
days of the Apostles. The Saviour having
given them their authority, commands them to
tarry, and not undertake their mission, until
they were endowed with power from on high.
But why this delay? Because no man was ever

THE KINGDOM OF GOD. 81

qualified, or ever will be, to preach that Gospel,
and teach all things whatsoever Jesus com-
manded him, without the Holy Ghost; and a
very different Holy Ghost, too, from the one
now enjoyed by men who are not inspired,
for the Holy Ghost of which Jesus spake
would guide into all truth, bring all things
to remembrance, whatsoever he had said ULto
them, and show them things to come — not to
mention that it would enable them to speak in all
the languages of the earth. Now, a man who
preaches needs that Holy Ghost very much ; first,
to guide into all truth, that he may know what
to teach ; second, to strengthen his memory, lest
he might neglect to teach some of the things
which were commanded them; and, third, he
needs to know things to come, that he may
forewarn his hearers of approaching danger,
and that would constitute him a Prophet.
From this the reader may see how careful Jesus
was that none should preach his Gospel without
the Holy Ghost. He may also learn how differ-
ent the Spirit of Truth is from the spirits now
abroad in the earth, deceiving the world under
the name of the Holy Ghost. If the Churches
of the present day have the Holy Ghost, why
are they so much at a loss to understand truth?
Why do they walk in so many different ways
and doctrines? Why do they need whole libra-
ries of sermons, tracts, divinities, debates,

G

82 THE KINGDOM OF GOD.

arguments, and opinions, all written by the
wisdom of men, without even professing to be
inspired? Well doth the Lord complain, saying,
" Their fear towards me is taught by the pre-
cepts of men." But to return: the Apostles
tarried at Jerusalem until endowed with
power, and then they commenced to proclaim
the Gospel.

Here we have discovered several things to-
wards a kingdom : first, we have found a king,
crowned at the right hand of God, to whom is
committed all power in heaven and on earth;
second, commissioned officers, duly appointed,
to administer the affairs of government; third,
the laws by which they were to be governed
were all things whatsoever Jesus had com-
manded his disciples to teach them.

And now, if we can find how men became citi-
zens of that kingdom — I mean as to the rules
of adoption — then we have found the kingdom
of God in that age, and shall be very much dis-
satisfied with everything in our own age, pro-
fessing to be the kingdom of God, which is not
according to the pattern.

It happened that there were no natural-born
subjects of that kingdom, for both Jew and
Gentile were included in sin and unbelief; and
none could be citizens without the law of
adoption. All that believad on the name of the
king had power to be adopted, but there was

THE KINGDOM OF GOD. 83

but one invariable rule or plan by which they
were adopted: and all that undertook to claim
citizenship, in any other way whatever, were
counted thieves and robbers, and could never
obtain the seal of adoption. This rule was laid
down in the Saviour's teaching to Nicodemus,
namely, "Except a man be born of water (that
is, baptized in water) and of the Spirit (that
is, baptized with the Spirit), he cannot enter
into the kiDgdom of God."

Now, to Peter were given the keys of the
kingdom; therefore it was his duty to open the
kingdom to Jew, and also to Gentile. We will
therefore carefully examine the manner in which
he did adopt the Jews into the kingdom at ths
day cf Pentecost.

Now, when the multitude came running to-
gether on the day of Pentecost, the Apostle
Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up
his voice and reasoned with them from the
Scriptures, testifying of Jesus Christ, and his
resurrection and ascension on high, insomuch
that many became convinced of the truth, and
inquired what they should do. These were not
Christians, but they were people who were that
moment convinced that Jesus was the Christ;
and because they were convinced of this fact*
they inquired, " What shall we do? " Then
Peter said unto them, «« Repent, and be baptized,
every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ,

84 THE KINGDOM OF GOD.

for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive
the gift of the Holy Ghost: for the promise is
unto you and your children, and to all that are
afar off, even as many as the Lord our God
shall call." My reader, do you understand this
proclamation? If you do, you will see that this
Gospel is not generally preached in modern
times. Let us, therefore, analyze and examine
it, sentence by sentence. You recollect they
already believed, and the next thing was for
them to repent; first, faith; second, repentence;
third, baptism; fourth, remission of sins
fifth, the Holy Ghost. This was the order
the Gospel. Faith gave the power to become
sons or citizens; repentance, and baptism in his
name, was the obedience through which they
were adopted; and the Holy Spirit of promise
was the seal of their adoption, and this they
were sure to receive if they would obey. Now,
reader, where do you hear such preaching in
our day? Who teaches that those who believe
and repent should be baptized, and none others?
Perhaps the reader may say the Baptists do;
but do they call upon men to be baptized as
soon as they believe and repent? And, more-
over, do they promise the remission of sins,
with the gift of the Holy Ghost? Recollect
now, what effect the Holy Ghost has upon
people who receive it. It will guide them into
all truth, strengthen the memory, and show them

er oif*T

THE KINGDOM OF GOD. 85

things £o come. And Joel has said, it would
cause them to dream dreams, to see visions,
and to prophesy. 0 ! my reader, where do you
find a gospel like this preached among men?
Would men go mourning for weeks upon weeks,
without the forgiveness of sins, or the comfort
of the Holy Spirit, if Peter stood among us to
tell precisely how to get such blessings? Now,
what would you think of a camp meeting, where
three thousand men should come forward to be
pr.iyed for, and one of the ministers should
(Peter like) command them every one to repent,
and be baptized, for the remission of sins, prom-
is:ng that all who obeyed should receive the
remission of sins, and the gift of the Holy Ghost,
which should cause them to dream dreams and
prophesy; and then shou d arise with his
brethren of the same calling, and the same hour
commence baptizing, and continue until they
had baptized them all; and the Holy Ghost
should fall upon them and they begin to see
visions, speak in other tongues and prophecy?
Would not the news go abroad, far and wide,
that a new doctrine had made its appearance,
quite different from anything now practiced
among men? O yes, says the reader, this, to be
sure, would be something new, and very strange
to all of us. Well, strange as it may seem, it is
the Gospel, as preached by Peter on the day of
Pentecost; and Paul declares that he preached

86 THE KINGDOM OF GOD.

the same Gospel that Peter did; and he has also
said, "Though we, or an angel from heaven,
preach any other Gospel, let him be accursed."
Now, the reader need no longer be astonished to
see that these signs do not follow them that
believe some other Gospel, or doctrine, different
from that preached by the Apostles.

But now let us return to the kingdom of God
organized in the days of the Apostles; you dis-
cover that three thousand persons were adopted
into the kingdom the first day the door was
opened. These, together with the numerous
additions which were afterwards made, were the
subjects of this kingdom; which, being fitly
framed together, grew into a holy temple in the
Lord. Thus, we have cleared away the rubbish
of sectarian tradition and superstition, which
arose in heaps around us; and having searched
carefully, we have at length discovered the king-
dom of God, as it existed at its first organization
in the days of the Apostles ; and we have seen
that it differs widely from all modern systems of
religion, both in its offices, ordinances, powers,
and privileges, insomuch that no man need ever
mistake the one for the other.

Having made this discovery, we shall proceed
to examine the progress of that kingdom among
Jew and Gentile, and what were its fruits, gifts,
and blessings as enjoyed by its citizens.

Soon after the organization of the kingdom of

THE KINGDOM OF GOD. 87

God at Jerusalem, Philip came to Samaria, and
there preached the Gospel; and when they be-
lieved Philip, they were baptized, both men and
women, and had great joy. And afterwards
Peter and John came from Jerusalem, and
prayed, and laid their hands on them, and
they received the Holy Gho-t. Mark here, they
first believed, and then were baptized, having
great joy, and yet had not received the Holy
Ghost. But that was afterwards given, by the
laying on of hands and prayer, in the name of
Jesus. O how different from the systems of
men!

Witness Paul's conversion while on his jour-
ney to Damascus : the Lord Jesus appeared to
him in the way; but instead of telling him his
sins were forgiven, and pouring the Holy Ghost
upon him, he sent him to Damascus, telling him
that it should there be told him what he should
do. And coming to Damascus, Ananias, being
sent, commanded him not to tarry, but to
"arise and be baptized, and wash away his sins,
calling on the name of the Lord;" then he
arose and was baptized and was even filled with
the Hoy Ghost, and straightway preached that
Jesus was the Christ.

Again, witness Peter going to Cornelius, a
Gentile of great piety, whose prayers were
heard and whose alms were remembered, and
who had even attained to the ministering of an

88 THE KINGDOM OF GOD.

angel ; yet with all his piety and ' the Hoi;
Ghost poured out upon him and his friends be-
fore they were baptized, they must be baptized,
or they could not be saved. Why? because
the Lord had commanded the Apostles to preach
to every creature, and every creature who
would not believe and be baptized should be
damned, without one exception. Witness the
words of the angel to Cornelius: "He (Peter)
shall tell the words whereby thou and all thy
house shall be saved." Now, query, could
Cornelius have been saved without obeying
the words of Peter? If so, the angel's errand
was in vain.

Now, perhaps a minister, who should find a
man as good as Cornelius was, would say to
him, " Go on, brother, you can be saved, you
have experienced religion, you may indeed be
baptized to answer a good conscience, if you
feel it your duty; or if not, it is no matter, a
new heart is all that is really necessary to sal-
vation," &c; as much as to say, that the com-
mandments of Jesus are not absolutely neces-
sary to salvation; a man may call him Lord,
Lord, and be saved, just as well as by keeping
his commandments. Oh vain and foolish doc-
trine! Oh ye children of men, how have you
perverted the Gospel I In vain do ye call him
Lord, Lord, and do not obey his command-
ments.

THE KINGDOM OF GOD. 89

Next we call to mind the jailor and his house-
hold, who were baptized the same hour they
believed, without waiting for the day; and
Lydia and her household, who attended to the
ordinance the first sermon they heard on the
subject. Also, Philip and the Eunuch, who
stopped the chariot at the first water they came
to, in order to attend to the ordinance, although
the Eunuch had heard of Jesus for the fir.-t
time only a few minutes before. Now I gather
from all those examples of ancient days, and
from the precepts laid down in them, that bap-
tism was the initiating ordinance, by which all
those who believed and repented, were received
and adopted into the church or kingdom of God,
so as to be entitled to the remission of sins and
blessings of the Holy Ghost; indeed it was the
ordinance through which they became sons and
daughters; and because they were sons, the
Lord shed forth the spirit of His Son into their
hearts, crying, Abba, father. It is true, the
Lord poured out the Holy Ghost upon Cornelius
and his friends before they were baptized ; but
it seemed necessary, in order to convince the
believing Jews that the Gentiles also had part
in this salvation. And I believe this is the only
instance, in the whole record, of the people re-
ceiving the Holy Ghost without first obeying
the laws of adoption.

But mark! obeying the laws of adoption

90 THE KINGDOM OF GOB.

would not constitute a man an heir of the king-
dom, a citizen entitled to the blessings and
gifts of the Spirit, unless these laws and ordi-
nances were administeed by one who bad
proper authority, and was duly commissioned
from the King; and a commission given to one
individual could never authorize another to act
in his stead. This is one of the most important
points to be understood, as it brings to the test
every minister of Christendom, and questions
the organization of every church on earth, and
all that have existed since direct inspiration
ceased.

Now, in order to come at this subject in
plainness, let us examine the constitution of
earthly governments in regard to the authority
and laws of adoption. We will, say, for
instance, the President of the United States
writes a commission to A. B.f duly authorizing
him to act in some office in the government, and,
during his administration, two gentlemen from
Europe come to reside in this country, and
being strangers and foreigners wishing to
become citizens, they go before A. B., and he
administers the oath of allegiance in due form
and certifies the same, and this constitutes
them legal citizens, entitled to all the privileges
of those who are citizens or subjects by birth.
After these things, A. B. is taken away by
death, and C. D. in looking over his papers,

THE KINGDOM OF GOD. 91

happens to find the commission given to A. B.,
and, applying it to his own use, assumes the
vacant office; meantime, two foreigners arrive
and apply for citizenship and being informed by
persons fgnorant of the affairs of government
that C. D. could administer the laws of adop-
tion, they submit to be administered unto by C.
D., without once examining his authority; C.
D. certifies of their citizenship, and they sup-
pose they have been legally adopted, the same
as the others, and entitled to all the privileges
of citizenship. But, by and by, their citizen-
ship is called in question, and they produce the
certificate of C. D.: the President inquires,
" Who is CD.? I never gave him a commis-
sion to act in any office, £ kn >w him not, and
you are strangers and foreigners to the com-
monwealth, until you go before the legally
appointed successor of A. B., or some other of
like authority, who has a commission from the
President direct in his own name." In the
mi an time C. D. is taken and punished accord-
ing to law, for practicing imposition, and usurp-
ing authority which was never conferred upon
him. And so it is with the kingdom of God.
The Lord authorized the Apostles and others,
by direct Revelation, and by the spirit of
Prophecy, to preach and baptize, and build up
his Church and kingdom, but after awhile they
died, and a long time passed away, and men

92 THE KINGDOM OF GOD.

reading over their commission, where it says to
the eleven Apostles, " Go ye into the world
and preach the Gospel to every creature,"
&c, have had the presumption to apply these
sayings as their authority, and, without any
other commission, have gone forth professing
to preach the Gospel, and baptize, and build up
the church and kingdom of God; but those
whom they baptize never receive the same bless-
ings and gifts which characterize a Saint or
citizen of the kingdom in the days of the Apos-
tles. Why? Because they are yet foreigners
and strangers for the commission given to
the Apostles never commissioned any other
man to act in their stead. This was a
prerogative the Lord reserved unto himself.
No man has a right to take this ministry upon
himself, but he that is called by revelation, and
duly qualified to act in his calling by the Holy
Ghost. But the reader inquires with astonish-
ment, What! are none of all the ministers of the
present day called to the ministry, and legally
commissioned? Well, my reader, I will tell you
how you may ascertain from their own mouths,
and that will be far better than an answer from
me; go to the clergy and ask them if God has
given any direct revelation since the New Testa-
ment was finished; inquire of them whether the
gift of prophecy ceased with the early age of
the Church ; and, in short, ask them, if revela-

THE KINGDOM OF GOD. 9&

tions, prophets, the ministering of angels, &c,
are needed or expected in these days, or whether
they believe that these things are done away,
no more to return to the earth; and their an-
swer will be that the Bible contains sufficient,
and that since the canon of Scripture was filled,
revelation, the spirit of prophecy, and the
ministering of angels have ceased, because no
longer needed. In short, they will denounce
every man as an impostor who pretends to any
such thing. And when you have obtained this
answer, ask them how they themselves were
called and commissioned to preach the Gospel,
and they will be at a loss to answer you, and
will finally tell you that the Bible commissioned
them, saying, " Go ye into all the world," &c.
Thus you see, all who have no direct personal
revelation from the King of heaven, either by
angels, the voice of God, or the spirit of
prophecy, are acting under authority which was
given to others, who are dead, and their com-
mission stolen, and their authority usurped;
and the King will say, 4< Peter I know, and Paul
I know, I commissioned them, but who a e you?
I know you not, I never spoke to you in my life ;
indeed, you believed it was not necessary for
me to speak in your day. Therefore you never
sought in faith for any revelation, and I never
gave you any ; and even when I spake to others,
you mocked them, and called them impostors,.

94 THE KINGDOM OF GOD.

and persecuted them, because they testified of
the things I had said unto them; therefore, de-
part from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire,
prepared for the devil and his angels : for I was
an hungered,' and ye fed me not; I was naked,
and ye clothed me not; I was a stranger, and
ye took me not in; sick and in prison, and ye
visited me not." "Ah! Lord, when did we fail
in any of these things? " "Inasmuch as you
have not done it unto the least of these my
brethren, (taking them for impostors, because
they testified of the things which I had revealed
unto them,) ye have not done it unto me."
But to return: having examined the kingdom of
God as to its offices and ordinances, and having
discovered the only means of adoption into it,
let us examine more fully what are the bless-
ings, privileges, and enjoyments of its ciiizens.
You have already seen that they were to cast
out devils, speak with new tongues, heal the
sick by the laying on of hands in the name
of Jesus, as well as to see visions, dream
dreams, prophesy, &c.

But let us look at the kingdom in its organized
state, and see whether these promises were veri-
fied to Jew and Gentile, wherever the kingdom
of God was found in all ages of the world.

Paul, writing,

First, " To the church of God at Corinth."

THE KINGDOM OF GOD. 95

Second, " To them that are sanctified in
Christ Jesus."
Third, "To them who are called to be saints."
And fourth, " To all that in every place call
on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord," says to
them all, in 1 Coruithians xii. 1, u Now con-
cerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not
have you ignorant." And then, continuing his
instructions, a few verses further on he says,
" But the manifestation of the Spirit is given
to every man to profit withal. For to one is
given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to an-
other the word of knowledge by the same Spirit ;
to another faith by the same Spirit; to another
the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; to an-
other the working of miracles; to another
prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to
another divers kinds of tongues; to anotherthe
interpretation of tongues ; but all these worketh
that one and the self-same Spirit, dividing to
every man severally as he (Christ) will. For as
the body is one, and hath many members, and
all the members of that one body, being many,
are one body, so a'so is Christ. For by one
Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether
we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or
free ; and have been all made to drink into one
Spirit. For the body is not one member, but
many. If the foot shall say, Because I am not
the hand, I am not of the body, is it therefore

96 THE KINGDOM OF GOD.

not of the body? And if the ear shall say,
because I am not the eye, I am not of the body;
is it therefore not of the body? If the whole body
were an eye, where were the hearing? If the
whole were hearing, where were the smelling?
But now hath God set the members every one of
them in the body, as it hath pleased him. And
if they were all one member, where were the
body?" I reply it would not exist. "But now
are they many members, yet but one body.
And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have
no need of thee ; nor again, the head to the feet,
I have no need of you. Nay, much more, those
members of the body wlrch seem to be more
feeble, are necessary; and those members of
the body which we think to be less honourable,
upon these we bestow more abundant honour;
and our uncomely parts have more abundant
comeliness. For our comely parts have no
need : but God hath tempered the body together,
having given more abundant honour to that
part which lacked: that there should be no
schism in the body ; but that \ he members should
have the same care oue for another. And
whether one member suffer, all the members
suffer with it; or one member be honoured,
all the members rejoice with it. Now ye are
the body of Christ, and members in particular.
And God hath set some in the church, first,
apostles; secondarily, prophets; thirdly, teach-

THE KINGDOM OF GOD. 97

ers; after that miracles; then gifts of healings,
helps, governments, diversities of tongues.
Are all apostles? are all prophets? are all
teachers? are all workers of miracles? Have all
the gifts of healing? do all speak with tongues?
do all interpret? But covet earnestly the best
gifts : and yet shew I unto you a more excellent
way." From the 13th verse of the above chap-
ter we learn that the Apostle is still speaking to
the whole ehurch in all ages, whether Jew or
Gentile, bond or free, even all who should ever
compose the body of Christ; and showing that
Christ's body consisted of many members,
baptized by one Spirit into one body, possessing
all these different gifts, some one gift, and some
another : and then expressly says, that one mem-
ber possessing one gift should not say to
another member possessing another gifr, We
have no need of thee.

And having shown that it required Apostles,
Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors, and Teachers;
together with the gifts of prophecy, miracles,
healing, and all other gifts, to compose the
church, or body of Christ, in any age, whether
Jew or Gentile, bond or free ; and having utterly
forbidden any of the members ever to say of
any of these gifts, " We have no need of thee,"
he declares the body never could be perfected
without all of them, and that if they were done
away there would be no body, that is, no church
H

98 THE KINGDOM OF GOD.

of Christ in existence. Having shown all these
things clearly, he exhorts them to covet earn-
estly the best gifts. Aud in the 13th chapter
exhorts them to faith, hope, and charity, with-
out which all these gifts would avail them
nothing; and in the 14th chapter repeats the
exhortation, " Follow after charity, and desire
spiritual gifts, but rather that ye may
prophesy." Again, in Ephesians i. 17, Paul
prays that the Lord would give unto the Church
the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the
knowledge of God. Again Ephesians iv., he
tells them, there is one body and one Lord, one
Spirit, one Faith, and one Bapti>m; and that
Christ ascended up on high, led captivity cap-
tive, and gave gifts to men. And he gave some,
Apostles; and some, Prophets; and some,
Evangelists ; and some, Pastors and Teachers.
And if the reader inquire what these gifts or
offices were for, let him read the 12th verse:
" For the perfecting of the saints, for the work
of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of
Christ." And if he inquire how long these
were to continue, the 13th verse says, " Till we
all come in the unity of the faith, aud of the
knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man,
unto the measure of the stature of the fulness
of Christ." And if he still inquire what further
object Christ had in giving these gifts, let him
read the 14th verse: "That we henceforth be

*/b

*f

THE KINGDOM OF GOD. 99

no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried
about with every wind of doctrine, by the
sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby
they lie in wait to deceive."

Now, without'these gifts and offices, first, the
Saints cannot be perfected; second, the work of
the ministry cannot proceed; third, the body of
Christ cannot be edified; and fourth, there is
nothing to prevent them from being carried
about with every wind of doctrine. Now, I
boldly declare that the cause of all the division,
confusion, jars, discord, and animosities; and
the fruitful source of so many faiths, lords,
baptisms, and spirits; and of the understanding
eing darkened; and of men being alienated
from the life of God, through the ignorance
that is in them, because of the blindness of
their hearts, is, because they have neither
Apostles, Prophets, nor gifts, inspired from on
high, to whom they give heed; for if they had
such gifts, and would give heed unto them,
they would be built up in one body, in the pure
doctrine of Christ, having one Lord, one faith,
one baptism, arid one hope of their calling ; yea,
they would be edified, built up into Christ in all
things, in whom the whole body, fitly joined to-
gether, would grow into an holyjtemple in the
Lord.

But so long as the cunning craftiness of men
can persuade them that they have no need of

100 THE KINGDOM OF GOD.

these things, so long they can toss them about
with every wind of doctrine, just as they
please.

Now, reader, I have done our examination of
the kingdom of God, as it existed in the Apos-
tles' days i and we cannot look at it in any other
age, until renewed again in the last days, for it
never did, nor never will, exist, without Apos-
tles and Prophets, and all the other gifts of the
Spirit.

Were we to take a view of the Churches, from
the days that inspiration ceased until now, we
should see nothing like the kingdom which we
have been viewing with such admiration and
delight. But instead of Apostles and Prophets,
we should see false teachers, whom men had
heaped to themselves; and instead of the gifts
of the Spirit, we should see the wisdom of men;
and instead of the Holy Ghost, many false
spirits; instead of the ordinance of God, com-
mandments of men; instead of knowledge,
opinion; guesswork, instead of revelation;
division, instead of union; doubt, instead of
faith; despair, instead of hope; hatred, instead
of charity ; a physician, instead of the laying
on of hands for the healing of the sick; fables,
instead of truth; evil for good, good for evil;
darkness for light, light for darkness; and, in a
word, anti-christ instead of Christ; the powers
of earth having made war with the Saints, and

THE KINGDOM OF GOD. 101

overcome them, until the words of God should
be fulfilled. O my God, shut up the vision! for
my heart sickens while I gaze; and let the day
hasten on when the earth shall be cleansed by
fire from such awful pollutions: but first, let
thy promise be fulfilled, which thou didst make
by the mouth of thy servant John, that thou
wouldst call thy people out of her, saying,
11 Come out of her, my people, that ye be not
partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of
her plagues;" and then, O Lord, when thou
hast called thy people out from the midst of
her, by the fishers and hunters whom thou hast
promised to send in the last days to gather
Israel ; yea, when thine everlasting covenant has
been renewed, and thy people established there-
by ; then let her plagues come in one day, death,
mourning, and famine; let her be burned with
fire ; that thy holy Apostles and Prophets, and
all that fear thy name, small and great, shall
rejoice, because thou hast avenged the blood
of thy Saints upon her. I ask these things in
the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

102 THE BOOK OF MORMON.

CHAPTER IV.

THE BOOK OF MORMON — ORIGIN OF THE AMERI-
CAN INDIANS, ETC.

Ye gloomy scenes, far hence, intrude no more!
Sublimer themes invite the muse to soar
In loftier strains, while scenes both strange and new
Burst on the sight, and open to the view.

Lo! from the opening heavens, in bright array,
An angel comes —to earth he bends his way:
Reveals to man, in power, as at the first,
The fulness of the Gospel long since lost.

See earth, obedient, from its bosom yield
The sacred truth it faithfully concealed.
The wise, confounded, startle at the sight,
The proud and haughty tremble with affright!

The hireling priests against the truth engage,
While hell beneath stands trembling, filled with rage;
False are their hopes, and all their struggles vain,
Their craft must fall, and with it all their gain ;
The deaf must hear, the meek their joy increase;
The poor be glad, and their oppression cease.

While darkness covered the earth, and gross
darkness the people, every man walking in his
own way, and looking for gain from his
quarter, the Lord, having for a long time held
his peace, and the people having fondly flat-
tered themselves that the voice of inspiration
would never again sound in the ears of mortals,
to disturb or molest them in their sinful career;

ORIGIN OF THE AMERICAN INDIANS. 103

while a few were looking for the consolation
of Israel, and crying to God for the ushering
in of that long-expected day, when an angel
shoul d fly through the midst of heaven, having
the everlasting Gospel to preach unto them
that dwell on the earth — suddenly a voice is
heard from the wilderness, a cry salutes the
ears of mortals, a testimony is heard among
them piercing to the inmost recesses of their
hearts, when all at once the heathen begin to
rage and the people to imagine a vain thing;
the clergy lift a warning voice, crying Impos-
tor, false prophets, beware of delesion, &c. ;
while the professor of religion, the drunkard,
the swearer, the learned, and the ignorant soon
catch the sound and reiterate it again and
again. Thus it re-echoes from one end of our
country to the oth er for a long time, and if any
one should be so fortunate as to retain his
sober senses, and should candidly inquire,
"What is the matter?'* the reply is, "We
hardly know anything about it, but suffice it to
say, some fellows have made their appearance,
Paul like, who testify something about the
ministering of angels, or some revelation or
inspiration, just as though the religion of
ancient days, and the faith once delivered to
the Saints, were returning to the earth in this
enlightened age ; so that no t only this our craft
is in danger, but our modern systems of religion,

104 THE BOOK OF MORMON.

built upon the wisdom and learning of men,
without direct inspiration, are like to be spoken
against and their great magnificence despised,
though worshipped by all the world." And then
all again cry with a loud voice, saying, " Great
is the wisdom of man ; great are the systems of
modern divinity; great is the wisdom of unin-
spired priests who come unto us with excel-
lency of speech, and with man's wisdom, deter-
mined to know nothing among us save opinions
and creeds of their own; and their speech and
their preaching are with enticing words of man's
wisdom, not in demonstration of the Spirit
and of power, for that is done away, that our
faith should not stand the power of God, but in
the wisdom of man."

In the midst of the noise and clamour and
prejudice of an opposing world, it is difficult to
get the people to understand the facts of the
case in relation to one of the most important
subjects ever presented to the consideration of
mankind.

The book of Mormon has perhaps been less
understood, and more misrepresented, by the
world at large than any other publication which
has ever appeared.

America and England have, as it were, been
flooded with publications against the said book;
and many of them written by those who had
never seen the book, or by those who had only

ORIGIN OF THE AMERICAN INDIANS. 105

read a page or two in it, or slightly looked it
through with a biassed mind, and a determina-
tion to find fault. By some of these it has been
represented as a romance ; by others as a new
Bible, calculated to displace the Bible, or do
away with it. Some have pronounced it a
" silly mess of stuff," not worth the perusal;
and others, the most ingenious literary work
ever put together. Some have found fault with
it for being so much like the Bible, and agreeing
with it; and others have condemned it for not
being sufficiently like the Bible, and for disa-
greeing with it. Some have denounced it as
notoriously corrupt, immoral, and plasphe-
mous in its principles ; and others have con-
demned it for being so exceedingly pure
and moral in its principles as to be just calcu-
lated to deceive. One clergyman in particular,
in a tract of sixty pages on this book, condemns
it for being " a strange mixture of faith and
works, of the mercy of God and the obedience
of the creature." Some literary persons have
pronounced it as altogether ancient in its style,
language, and subjects, and as bearing great in-
ternal evidence of its own antiquity; while
others have condemned it as bearing every
mark of being a modem production. Some have
said that there were nO definite predictions of
the future contained in it, by the fulfilment or
failure of which its prophetic merits might be

106 THE BCOK OF MORMON.

tested; and others have quoted largely from
its most plain and pointed predictions, which
relate to circumstances about to be fulfilled,
and have condemned it on account of its plain-
ness.

In the midst of all these jarring statements it
now becomes our duty to show, as far as pos-
sible, what the Book Mormon really is.

When the Lord confounded the languages at
Babel, he led forth a colony from thence to the
western continent which is now called Amer-
ica. This colony, after crossing the ocean in
eight vessels, and landing in that country, be-
came in process of time a great nation — they
inhabited America for some fifteen hundred
years. They were at length destroyed for their
wickedness, about six hundred years before
Christ. A Prophet by the name of Ether
wrote their history, and an account of their
destruction.

Ether lived to witness their entire destruc-
tion, and deposited his record where it was
afterwards found by a colony of Israelites, who
came from Jerusalem six hundred years before
Christ, and re peopled America. This last col-
ony were descendants of the tribe of Joseph ;
they grew and multiplied, and finally gave rise
to two mighty nations. One of these nations
were called Nephites — one Nephi being their

ORIGIN OF THE AMERICAN INDIANS. 10?

founder; the other were called Lamanites, after
a leader of the name of Laman.

The Lamanites became a dark and benighted
people, of whom the American Indians are still
a remnant. The Nephites were an enlightened
and civilized people, they were a people highly
favored of the Lord, they had visions, angels,
and the gift of prophecy among them from age
to age; and finally, they were blessed with a
personal appearance of Jesus Christ after his
resurrection, from whose mouth they received
the doctrine of the Gospel, and a knowledge
of the future down through all succeeding
ages. But after all the blessings and privileges
conferred upon them, they fell into great wick-
edness in the third and fourth centuries of the
Christian era, and finally were destroyed by the
hands of the Lamanites. This destruction
took place about four hundred years after
Christ.

Mormon lived in that age of the world, and
was a Nephite, and a Prophet of the Lord. He,
by the commandment of the Lord, made an
abridgment of the sacred records which con-
tained the history of his forefathers, and the
prophecies and Gospel which had been revealed
among them; to which he added a sketch of the
history of his own time, and the destruction of
his nation. Previous to his death, the abridged
records fell into the hands of his son Moroni,

108 THE BOOK OF MORMON.

who continued them down to a. d. 420; at
which time he deposited them carefully in the
earth, on a hill which was then called Cum-
orah, but is situated in Ontario county, town-
ship of Manchester, and State of New York,
North America. This he did in order to pre-
serve them from the Lamanites, who overran
the country, and sought to destroy them and all
the records pertaining to the Nephites. This
record lay concealed, or sealed up, from a. d.
420, to Sept. 22nd, 1823, at which time it was
found by Mr. Joseph Smith, jun., he being di-
rected thither by an angel of the Lord.

The following account of the discovery and
translation of this record is extracted from a
tract by Elder Orson Pratt, published at Edin-
burgh, in 1840, entitled, " Remarkable Visions,"
&c, to which our readers are referred for
further particulars : —

" ■ How far below the surface these records
were placed by Moroni, I am unable to say; but
from the fact that they had been some fourteen
hundred years buried, and that, too, on the side
of a hill so steep, one is ready to conclude that
they were some feet below, as the earth would
naturally wear, more or less, in that length of
time; but they being placed toward the top of
the hill, the ground would not remove as much
as two-thirds, perhaps. Another circumstance
would prevent a wearing of the earth; in all

ORIGIN OF THE AMERICAN INDIANS. 109

probability, as soon as timber had time to grow,
the hill was covered after the Nephites were
destroyed, and the roots of the same would hold
the surface ; however, on this point I shall leave
every man to draw his own conclusion, and
form his own speculation.' But suffice it to
say, * a hole of sufficient depth was dug; at the
bottom of this was laid a stone of suitable size,
the upper surface being smooth ; at each edge
was placed a large quantity of cement, and into
this cement, at the four edges of this stone,
were placed erect four others; their bottom
edges resting in the cement at the outer edges
of the first stone. The four last-named, when
placed erect, formed a box; the corners, or
where the edges of the four came in contact,
were also cemented so firmly, that the moisture
from without was prevented from entering. It
is to be observed, also, that the inner surface of
the four erect or side stones was smooth.
This box was sufficiently large to admit a breast-
plate, such as was used by the ancients to de-
fend the chest, &c, from the arrows and
weapons of their enemy. From the bottom of
the box, or from the breast-plate, arose three
small pillars, composed of the same description
of cement used on the edges; and upon these
three pillars was placed the record. * * *
This box, containing the record, was covered
with another stone, the bottom surface being

110 THE BOOK OF MORMON.

flat, and the upper crowning.' When it was
first visited by Mr. Smith, on the morning of
the 22nd of September, 1823, «a part of the
crowning stone was visible above the surface,
while the edges were concealed by the soil and
grass. From which circumstance it may be
seen, that however deep this box might have
been placed by Moroni at first, the time had
been sufficient to wear the earth, so that it was
easily discovered when once directed, and yet
not enough to make a perceivable difference to
the passer-by. * * After arriving at the
repository, a little exertion in removing the soil
from the edges of the top of the box, and a
light pry, brought to his natural vision its con-
tents . '

4 While viewing and contemplating this sacred
treasure with wonder and astonishment, behold !
the Angel of the Lord, who had previously visited
him, again stood in his presence, and his soul
was again enlightened as it was the evening be-
fore, and he was filled with the Holy Spirit, and
the heavens were opened, and the glory of the
Lord shone round about and rested upon him.
1 While he thus stood, gazing and admiring, the
Angel said, Look!' And as he thus spake, he
beheld the Prince of Darkness, surrounded by
his innumerable train of associates. All this
passed beiore him, and the heavenly messenger
said, 'All this is shown, the good and the evil,

ORIGIN OF THE AMERICAN INDIANS. Ill

the holy and impure, the glory of God and the
power of darkness, that you may know hereafter
the two powers, and never be influenced or
overcome by that wicked one. Behold, what-
ever entices and leads to good, and to do good,
is of God, and whatever does not, is of that
wicked one. It is he that fills the hearts of
men with evil to walk in darkness, and blas-
pheme God; and you may learn from henceforth
that his ways are to destruction, but the way of
holiness is peace and rest. You now see why
you could not obtain this record, that the com-
mandment was strict, and that if ever these
sacred things are obtained, they must be by
prayer and faithfulness in obeying the Lord.
They are not deposited here for the sake of ac-
cumulating gain and wealth, for the glory of
this world ; They were sealed by the prayer of
faith, and because of the knowledge which they
contain, they are of no worth among the
children of men, only for their knowledge. On
them is contained the fulness of the gospel of
Jesus Christ, as it was given to his people on
this land; and when it shall be brought forth
by the power of God, it shall be carried to the
Gentile*, of whom many will receive it, and
after will the seed of Israel be brought into the
fold of their Redeemer by obeying it also.
Those who kept the commandments of the
Lord on this land desired this at his hand, and

112 THE BOOK OF MORMON.

through the prayer of faith obtained the prom-
ise, that if their descendants should transgress
and fall away, a record might be kept, and in
the last days come to their children. These
things are sacred, and must be kept so, for the
promise of the Lord concerning them must be
fulfilled. No man can obtain them if his heart
is impure, because they contain that which is
sacred. * * * By them will the Lord work
a great and marvellous work; the wisdom of
the wise shall become as nought, and the un-
derstanding of the prudent shall be hid, and
because the power of God shall be displayed,
those who profess to know the truth, but walk
in deceit, shall tremble with anger; but with
signs and with wonders, with gifts and with
healings, with the manifestations of the power
of God, and with the Holy Ghost, shall the
hearts of the faithful be comforted. You have
now beheld the power of God manifested, and
the power of Satan; you see that there is noth-
ing that is desirable in the works of darkness;
that they cannot bring happiness; that those
who are overcome therewith are miserable;
while, on the other hand, the righteous are
blessed with a place in the kingdom of God,
where joy unspeakable surrounds them; there
they rest beyond the power of the enemy of
truth, where no evil can disturb them ; the glory
of God crowns them, and they continually feast

ORIGIN OF THE AMERICAN INDIANS. 113

upon His goodness, and enjoy his smiles. Be-
hold, notwithstanding you have seen this great
display of power, by which you may ever be able
to detect the evil one, yet I give unto you another
sign, and when it comes to pass, then, know that
the Lord is God, and that He will fulfil his pur-
poses, and that the knowledge which this record
contains will go to every nation, and kindred,
and tongue, and people under the whole heaven.
This is the sign; when these things begin to be
known, that is, when it is known that the Lord
has shown you these things, the workers of
iniquity will seek your overthrow; they will
circulate falsehoods to destroy your reputation;
and also will seek to take your life! but remem-
ber this, if you are faithful, and shall herein-
after continue to keep the commandments of
the Lord, you shall be preserved to bring these
things forth; for in due time he will again give
you a commandment to come and take them.
When they are interpreted, the Lord will give
the Holy Priesthood to some, and they shall be-
gin to proclaim this Gospel and baptize by
water, and after that, they shall have power to
give the Holy Ghost by the laying on of their
hands. Then will persecution rage more and
more; for the iniquities of men shall be re-
vealed, and those who are not built upon the
Rock will seek to overthrow this church; but it
will increase the more opposed, and spread
I

114 THE BOOK OF MORMON.

farther and farther, increasing in knowledge,
till they shall be sanctified, and deceive an in-
heritance where the glory of God will rest upon
them; and when this takes place, and all things
are prepared, the ten tribes of Israel will be re-
vealed in the north country, whither they have
been for a long season ; and when this is fulfilled
will be brought to pass that saying of the
Prophet; 'And the Redeemer shall come to
Zion, and unto them that turn from transgres-
sion in Jacob, saith the Lord.' But, notwith-
standing the workers of iniquity shall seek your
destruction, the arm of the Lord will be ex-
tended, and you will be borne off conquerer, if
you keep all His commandments. Your name
shall be known among the nations, for the work
which the Lord will perform by your hands shall
cause the righteous to rejoice and the wicked
to rage; with the one it shall be had in honour,
and with the other in reproach; yet, with these
it shall be a terror, because of the great and
marvellous work which shall follow the coming
forth of this fullness of the Gospel. Now, go
thy way, remembering what the Lord has done
for thee, and be diligent in keeping His com-
mandments, and He will deliver thee from
temptations, and all the arts and devices of the
wicked one. Forget not to pray, that thy mind
may become strong, that when he shall manifest

ORIGIN OF THE AMERICAN INDIANS. 115

unto thee, thon mayest have power to escape
the evil, and obtain these precious things."

We here remark, that the above quotation is
an extract from a letter written by Elder Oliver
Cowdery, which was published in one of the
numbers of the " Latter-day Saints' Messenger
and Advocate."

Although many more instructions were given
by the mouth of the angel to Mr. Smith, which
we do not write in this book, yet the most im-
portant items are contained in the foregoing
relation. During the period of the four follow-
ing years, he frequently received instructions
from the mouth of the heavenly messenger,
and on the morning of the 22nd of September,
A. D. 1827, the angel of the Lord delivered the
records into his hands.

These records were engraved on plates which
had the appearance of gold. Each plate was
not far from seven inches in width, by eight
inches in length, being not quite as thick as
common tin. They were filled on both sides
with engravings, in Egyptian characters, and
bound together in a volume, as the leaves of a
book, and fastened at one edge with three rings
running through the whole. This volume was
something near six inches in thickness, a part
of which was sealed. The characters or letters
upon the unsealed part were small and beauti-
fully engraved. The whole book exhibited

116 THE BOOK OF MORMON.

many marks of antiquity in its construction, as
well as much skill in the art of engraving. With
the records was found a curious instrument,
called by the ancients the Urim and Thummim,
which consisted of two transparent stones,
clear as crystal, set in the two rims of a bow.
This was in use in ancient times, by persons
called Seers. It was an instrument by the use
of which they received revelation of things dis-
tant, or of things past or *uture.

In the mean time the inhabitants of that vici-
nity, having been informed that Mr. Smith had
seen heavenly visions, and that he had discov-
ered sacred records, began to ridicule and mock
at those things. And after having obtained
those sacred things, while proceeding home
through the wilderness and fields, he was way-
laid by two ruffians, who had secreted them-
selves for the purpose of robbing him of the
records. One of them struck him with a club
before he perceived them; but being a strong
man, and large in stature, with great exertion
he cleared himself from them, and ran towards
home, being closely pursued until he came near
his father's house, when his pursuers, for fear
of being detected, turned and fled the other
way.

Soon the news of his discoveries spread
abroad throughout all those parts. False re-
ports, misrepresentations, and base slanders

ORIGIN OF THE AMERICAN INDIANS. 117

flew as if upon the wings of the wind in every
direction. The house was frequently beset by
mobs and evil designing persons. Several
times he was shot at and very narrowly escaped.
Every device was used to get the plates away
from him. And being continually in danger of
his life, from a gang of abandoned wretches, he
at length concluded to leave the place, and go
to Pennsylvania, and accordingly packed up his
goods, putting the plates into a barrel of beans,
and proceeded upon his journey. He had not
gone far before he was overtaken by an officer
with a search warrant, who flattered himself with
the idea that he should surely obtain the plates ;
after searching very diligently, he was sadly
dissappointed at not finding them. Mr. Smith
then drove on ; but before he got to his jour-
ney's end, he was again overtaken by an officer
on the same business, and, after ransacking the
wagon very carefully, he went his way, as much
chagrined as the first at not being able to dis-
cover the object of his research. Without any
further molestation he pursued his journey un-
til he came into the northern part of Pennsyl-
vania, near the Susquehannah River, in which
part his father-in-law resided.

Having provided himself with a home, he
commenced translating the record, by the gift
and power of God, through the means of the
Urim and Thummim; and being a poor writer,

118 THE BOOK OF MORMON.

he was under the necessity of employing a
scribe, to write the translation as it came from
his mouth.

In the meantime, a few of the original charac-
ters were accurately transcribed and translated
by Mr. Smith, which, with the translation, were
taken by a gentleman named Martin Harris to
the City of New York, where they were presented
to a learned gentleman named Anthon, who pro-
fessed to be extensively acquainted with many
languages, both ancient and modern. He ex-
amined them, but was unable to decipher them
correctly ; but he presumed that if the original
records could be brought, he could assist in
translating them.

But to return. Mr. Smith continued the work
of translation, as his pecuniary circumstances
would permit, until he had finished the unsealed
part of the records. The part translated is
entitled the " Book of Mormon," which con-
tains nearly as much reading as the Old Testa-
ment.

" Well," says the objector, "If it were not
for the marvellous, the book would be consid-
ered one of the greatest discoveries the world
ever witnessed. If you had been ploughing, or
digging a well or cellar, and accidently dug up
a record containing some account of the ancient
history of the American continent, and of its
original inhabitants, together with the origin of

ORIGIN OF THE AMERICAN INDIANS. 119

the Indian tribes who now inhabit it ; had this
record had nothing to do with God, or angels,
or inspiration ; it would have been hailed, by
all the learned of America and Europe, as one
of the greatest and most important discoveries
of modern times, unfolding a mystery which
had, until then, bid defiance to all the researches
of the learned world. Every newspaper would
have been filled with the glad tidings, while its
contents would have poured upon the world a
flood of light, on subjects before concealed in
the labyrinth of uncertainty and doubt. But
who can stoop, and so humble himself, as to re-
ceive anything, in this enlightened age, re-
nowned for its religion and learning, from the
ministering of angels, and from inspiration?
This is too much; away with such things; it
comes in contact with the wisdom and popu-
larity of the day." To this I reply, the Lord
knew that before He revealed it; this was one
principal object He had in view; it is just the
manner of His dealing with the children of men.
He always takes a different course from the one
marked out for Him by the wisdom of the world,
in order to " confound the wise, and bring to
nought the understanding of the prudent; " He
chooses men of low degree, even the simple and
the unlearned, and those who are despised, to
do His work and to bring about His purposes
that no flesh shall glory in His presence. O ! ye

120 THE BOOK OF MORMON.

wise, and ye learned, who despise the wisdom
that comes from above ! know ye not that it was
impossible for the world by wisdom to find out
God? Know ye not that all your wisdom is
foolishness with God? Know ye not that ye
must become as a little child, and be willing to
learn wisdom from the least of His servants, or
you will perish in your ignorance?

But what are the evidences which we gather
from Scripture concerning the coming forth of
this glorious work? We shall attempt to prove,
first, that America is a land promised to the
seed of Joseph; second, that the Lord would
reveal to them His truth as well as to the Jews;
and third, that their Record should come forth,
and unite its testimony with the Record of the
Jews, in time for the Restoration of Israel in
the last days.

First, Gen. xlviii., Jacob, while blessing the
two sons of Joseph, says, " Let them grow into
a multitude in the midst of the earth." In the
same blessing it is said of Ephraim, " His seed
shall become a multitude of nations." Now put
the sense of these sayings together, and it makes
Ephraim a multitude of nations in the midst of
the earth. In Genesis xlix., it is prophesied
concerning Joseph, while Jacob was blessing
him, that he should be " a fruitful bough by a
well, whose branches run over the wall: the
archers have sorely grieved him, and shot at

ORIGIN OF THE AMERICAN INDIANS. 121

him, and hated him, but his bow abode in
strength." Again, he further says, •• The bless-
ings of thy father have prevailed above the
blessings of my progenitors, unto the utmost
bound of the everlasting hills; they shall be on
the head of Joseph, and on the crown of the
head of him that was separate from his
brethren." Now, I ask, Who were Jacob's
progenitors, and what was the blessing they
conferred upon him? Abraham and Isaac were
the progenitors, and the land of Caanan was the
blessing they conferred upon him, or that God
promised them he should possess. Recollect
that Jacob confers on Joseph a much greater
land than that of Canaan : even greater than his
fathers had conferred upon him, for Joseph's
blessing was to extend to the utmost bound of
the everlasting hills. Now, reader, stand in
Egypt, where Jacob then stood, and measure to
the utmost bound of the everlasting hills, and
you will land somewhere in the central part of
America. Again, one of the Prophets says, in
speaking of Ephraim, " When the Lord shall
roar, the children of Ephraim shall tremble
from the west." Now, let us sum up these say-
ings, and what have we gained? First, that
Ephraim was to grow into a multitude of nations
in the midst of the earth ; second, Joseph was
to be greatly blessed in a large inheritance, as
far off as America j third, this was to be on the
west of Egypt or Jerusalem,

122 THE BOOK OF MORMON.

Now, let the world search from pole to poie»
and they will not find a multitude of nations in
the midst of the earth who can possibly have
sprung from Ephraim, unless they find them in
America; for the midst of all other parts of the
earth is inhabited by mixed races, who have
sprung from various sources; while here an
almost boundless country was secluded from
the rest of the world, and inhabited by a race
of men, evidently of the same origin, although
as evidently divided into many nations. Now,
the Scriptures cannot be broken; therefore,
these Scriptures must apply to America, for the
plainest of reasons, they can apply to no other
place.

Now, secondly, we are to prove that God
revealed himself to the seed of Joseph or
Ephraim — their location we have already
proved — dwelling in America. For this we
quote Hosea viii. 12; speaking of Ephraim, he
says by the spirit of prophecy, " I have written
to him the great things of my law, but they
were counted as a strange thing." This is
proof positive, and needs no comment, that the
great truths of heaven were revealed unto Eph-
raim, and were counted as a strange thing.

Third — Were these writings to come forth
just previously to the gathering of Israel?
Answer: they were according to Ezekiel, 37th
chapter, where God commanded him to " take

ORIGIN OF THE AMERICAN INDIANS. 123

one stick, and write upon it, For Judah, and the
children of Israel his companions: then take
another stick, and write upon it, For Joseph
the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of
Israel his companions: and join them one to
another into one stick, and they shall become
one in thine hand. And when the children of
thy people shall speak unto thee, saying, Wilt
not thou show us what thou meanest by these?
say unto them, Thus said the Lord God, Behold,
I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the
hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel his
fellows, and will put them with him, even with
the stick of Judah, and make them one stick,
and they shall be one in mine hand; and the
sticks whereon thou writest shall be in thine
hand before their eyes. And say unto them,
Thus said the Lord God, Behold, I will take
the children of Israel from among the heathen,
whither they be gone, and will gather them on
every side, and bring them into their own land;
and I will make them one nation in the land
upon the mountains of Israel; and one king
shall be king to them all: and they shall be
no more two nations, neither shall they be di-
vided into two kingdoms any more at all."

Now, nothing can be more plain than the
above prophecy : there is presented two writings,
the one to Ephraim, the other to Judah ; that of
Ephraim is to be brought forth by the Lord,

121 THE BOOK OF MORMON.

and put with that of Judah, and they are to
become one in their testimony, and grow
together in this manner, in order to bring about
the gathering of Israel.. The 85th Psalm is
very plain on the subject: speaking of the
restoration of Israel to their own land, it says,
•'Mercy and Truth are met together; Right-
eousness and Peace have kissed each other.
Truth shall spring out of the earth: and Right-
eousness shall look down from heaven. Yea,
the Lord shall give that which is good; and
our land shall yield her increase. Righteous-
ness shall go before him, and shall set us in
the way of his steps." Now, the Saviour,
while praying for his disciples, said, " Sanctify
them through thy truth — thy word is truth."
From these passages we learn, that his word is
to spring out of the earth, while Righteousness
looks down from heaven. And the next
thing that follows is, that Israel is set in the
way of his steps, and partaking of the fruit of
their own land. Jeremiah, xxxiii. 6, speaking
of the final return from captivity of both Judah
and Israel, says, *'I will reveal unto them the
abundance of peace and truth." And Isaiah,
speaking of the everlasting covenant which
should gather them, makes this extraordinary
and very remarkable expression, "Their seed
shall be known amongst the Gentiles, and their
offspring among the people." Now, reader,

ORIGIN OF THE AMERICAN INDIANS. 125

let me ask. Can any one tell, whether the
Indians of America are of Israel, unless by
revelation from God? Therefore this was a
hidden mystery, which it was necessary to
reveal in time for their gathering.

So much, then, we have produced from the
Scriptures, in proof of a work, like the Book of
Mormon, making its appearance in these days:
to say nothing of Isaiah xxix. " But," says one,
" what is the use of the book of Mormon, even
if it be true?" I answer: First, it brings to
light an important history, before unknown to
man. Second, it reveals the origin of the
American Indians, which was before a mystery.
Third, it contains important prophecies yet to
be fulfilled, which immediately concern the
present generation. Fourth, it contains much
plainness in regard to points of doctrine, inso-
much that all may understand, and see eye to
eye, if they take pains to read it.

" But what are its proofs, as to chosen
witnesses who testify to its translation by
inspiration? " For this testimony I refer the
reader to the testimony of the witnesses in
the first page of the Book of Mormon; he
will there find as positive testimony as has
ever been found in the other Scriptures, con-
cerning any truth which God ever revealed.
Men there testify, not only that they have seen
and handled the plates, but that an angel of

126 THE BOOK OF MORMON.

God came down from heaven, and presented the
plates before them, while the glory of God
shone round about them; and the voice of God
spoke from heaven, and told them that these
things were true, and had been translated by
the gift and power of God, and commanded
them to bear record of the same to all people.
Blessed be the Lord God of our fathers He
has visited his people, and the day spring from
on high has dawned upon our benighted world
once more; for no sooner had the Book been
translated, and men began to bear record of the
same, than the angel of the Lord came down
from heaven again, and commissioned men to
preach the Gospel to every creature, and to bap-
tize with water for the remission of sins. No
sooner did the people begin to believe their
testimony, and be baptized, than the Holy Ghost
fell upon them, through the laying on of hands
in the name of Jesus ; and the heavens were
opened ; and while some had the ministering of
angels, others began to spenk in other tongues,
and prophesy. From that time forth many of
them were healed by the laying on of hands in
the name of Jesus; and thus mightily grew the
word of God, and prevailed. And thus thou-
sands have been raised up to testify that they
do know for themselves, and are not dependent
on the testimony of any man for the truth of
these things, for these signs follow them that

ORIGIN OF THE AMERICAN INDIANS. 127

believe; and when a man believes the truth,
through the testimony of God's witnesses, then
these signs follow, not only them, but him also ;
if he has the ministering of angels, if he has
been healed, or heals others, by the laying on of
hands in the name of Jesus, or if he speaks in
other tongues, or prophesies, he knows it for
himself; and thus is fulfilled the saying of
Scripture. "If any man do my will, he shall
know of the doctrine, whether it be of God."
Thus faith comes by hearing, and knowledge by
obeying ; but hearing comes by preaching, and
preaching comes by sending; as it is written,
" How shall they preach, except they be sent? "
But there are many who say, " Show us a sign,
and we will believe." Remember, faith comes
not by signs, but signs come by faith. Gifts
were not given to make men believe ; but what
saith the Scripture? " Gifts are for the edify-
ing of the Church." If otherwise, why was it
not written, "Faith comes by miracles," instead
of " Faith comes by hearing? " I always take
it for granted that a man or woman who comes
demanding a sign, in order to make them be-
lieve, belongs to a wicked and adulterous gen-
eration, at least, to say no worse; for any
person who will go to Jesus, with a pure heart,
desiring and praying in faith, that he may know
the truth concerning these things, the Lord will
reveal it to him, and he shall know, and shall

128 THE BOOK OF MORMON.

bear testimony, for by the Spirit of God they
shall know truth from error; and it is written,
"My sheep hear my voice." And he that will
not come unto Jesus by faith, shall never know
the truth, until, too late, he finds the harvest is
over, and the summer is ended, and his soul not
saved.

Thus the religion of Jesus, unlike all other
religious systems, bears its own weight, and
brings certainty and knowledge, leaving no
room for imposition. And now I say again unto
all people, Come unto the Father, in the name
of Jesus; doubt not, but be believing as in days
of old, and ask in faith for whatsoever you
stand in need of ; ask not that you may consume
it on your lusts, but ask with a firmness not to
be shaken, that you will yield to no temptation,
but that you will keep His commandments, as
fast as he makes them manifest unto you ; and
if ye do this, and He reveals to you that He has
sent us with a new and everlasting covenant,
and commanded us to preach, and baptize, and
build up His Church as in days of old, then
come forward and obey the truth; but if you do
not know, or are not satisfied, that he has sent
us, then do not embrace the doctrine we
preach. Thus to your own master you shall
stand or fall; and one day you shall know, yea,
in that great day when every knee shall bow,
then shall you know that God has sent us with

ORIGIN OF THE AMERICAN INDIANS. 129

the truth, to prune His vineyard for the last
time, with a mighty pruning.

We shall now introduce much circumstantial
evidence, from American atiquities, and from
the traditions of the natives, &c. : —

First, says Mr. Boudinot, " It is said among
their principal or beloved men, that they have
it handed clown from their ancestors, that the
Book which the white people have was once
theirs: that while they had it they prospered
exceedingly, &c. They also say, that their
fathers were possessed of an extraordinary
Divine Spirit, by which they foretold future
events, and controlled the common course of
nature ; and this they transmitted to their off-
spring, on condition of their obeying the
sacred laws; that they did, by these means,
bring down showers of blessings upon their
beloved people; but that this power, for a long
time past, has entirely ceased. " Colonel
James Smith in his Journal, while a prisoner
among the natives, says, "They have a tradi-
tion, that in the beginning of this continent
the angels, or heavenly inhabitants, as they call
them, frequently visited the people, and talked
with their forefathers, and gave directions how
to pray."

Mr. Boudinot, in his noble work, remarks
concerning their language: "Their language,
in its roots, idiom, and particular construction,
J

130 THE BOOK OF MORMON.

appears to have the whole genius of the Hebrew;
and what is very remarkable, and well worthy of
serious attention, has most of the peculiarities
of that language, especially those in which it
differs from most other languages." There is
a tradition related by an aged Indian, of the
Stockbridge tribe, that their fathers were once
in possession of a "Sacred Book," which was
handed down from generation to generation;
and at last hid in the earth, since which time
they had been under the feet of their enemies.
But these oracles were to be restored to them
again ; and then they would triumph over their
enemies, and regain their rights and privileges.
Mr. Boudiuot, after recording many traditions
similar to the above, at length remarks:
"Can any man read this short account of
Indian traditions, drawn from tribes of various
nations ; from the west to the east, and from the
south to the north, wholly separated from each
other, written by different authors of the best
character, both for knowledge and integrity,
possessing the best means of information, at
various and distant times, without any possible
communication with each other; and yet sup-
pose that all this is the effect of chance, ac-
cident, or design, from a love of the mar-
vellous, or a premeditated intention of deceiv-
ing, and thereby ruining their well-established
reputation? Can any one carefully, and with

ORIGIN' OF THE AMERICAN INDIANS. 131

deep reflection, consider and compare these
traditions and nations with the position and
circumstances of the long lost Ten Tribes of
Israel, without at least drawing some presump-
tive inferences in favour of these wandering
natives being descended from the Ten Tribes of
Israel?

" Joseph Merrick, Esq., a highly respect-
able character in Pittsneld, Mass., gave the
following account. That in 1815, he was
levelling some ground under and near an old
wood-shed standing on a place of his, situated
on Indian Hill. He ploughed and conveyed
away old chips and earth to some depth. After
the work was done, walking over the place,
he discovered, near where the earth had been
dug the deepest, a black strap, as it appeared
about six inches in length, and one and a half
in breadth, and about the thickness of a leather
trace to a harness. He preceived it had, at
each end, a loop of some hard substance,
probably for the purpose of carrying it. He
conveyed it to his house, and threw it into
an old tool box. He afterwards found it
thrown out at the door, and again conveyed it to
the box.

"After some time, he thought he would ex-
amine it; but in attempting to cut it, found it
as hard as bone; he succeeded, however, in
getting it open, and found it was formed of

132 THE BOOK OF MORMON.

two pieces of thick raw hide, sewed and made
water-tight with the sinews of some animal,
and gummed over; and in the fold was con-
tained four folded pieces of parchment. They
were of a dark yellow hue, and contained some
kind of writing. The neighbours, coming in
to see the strange discovery, tore one of the
pieces to atoms, in the true Hun and Vandal
style. The other three pieces Mr. Merrick
saved, and sent them to Cambridge, where they
were examined, and discovered to have been
written with a pen, in Hebrew, plain and
legible. The writing on the three remaining
pieces of parchment was quotations from
the Old Testament. See Deut., chap. vi.
from 4th to 9th verse inclusive; also chap-
ter xi. verse 13th to 21st inclusive; and
Exodus, chap. xiii. 11th to 16th inclusive;
to which the reader can refer, if he has the
curiosity to read this most interesting dis-
covery."

" On the banks of White river, in Arkansas
Territory, have been found ruins, erected no
doubt by an enlightened population, of the
most extraordinary character, on account of
their dimensions, and the materials of which
they were erected. One of these works is a
wall of earth, which encloses an area of six
hundred and forty acres, equal to a mile
square, and having in its centre, the founda-

ORIGIN OF THE AMERICAN INDIANS. 133

tion of a large circular building, or temple.
Another, yet more strange, and more exten-
sive, consists of the foundations of a great
city, whose streets, crossing each other at
right angles, are easily traced through the
mighty forest. And besides these are found
the foundations of houses made of burnt
bricks, like the bricks of the present times.
These have been traced to the extent of a
mile."

The foregoing is taken from Priest's Ameri-
can Antiquities, and from the same work we
extract the following, page 246: —

Buins of the City of Otolum, discovered in North
America. — In a letter of C. S. Rafinesquev whom
we have before quoted, to a correspondent in
Europe, we find the following; — ''Some years
ago, the society of geography in Paris, offered
a large premium for a voyage to Guatemala,
and for a new survey of the antiquities of Yu-
catan and Chiapa, chiefly those fifteen miles
from Palenque."

"I have," says this author, " restored to
them the true name of Otolum, which is yet the
name of the stream running through the ruins.
They were surveyed by Captain Del Rio, in
1787, an account of which was published in
English, in 1 822. This account describes partly
the ruins of a stone city, of no less dimensions
than seventy -five miles in circuit ; length thirty-

134 THE BOOK OF MORMON.

two, and breadth twelve miles, full of palaces>
monuments, statues and inscriptions; one of
the eailiest seats of American civilization;
about equal to Thebes of ancient Egypt."

It is stated in the Family Magazine, No. 34,
p. 266, for 1833, as follows : " Public attention
has been recently excited respecting the ruins
of an ancient city, found in Guatemala. It
would seem that these ruins are now being ex-
plored, and much curious and valuable matter,
in a literary and historical point of view, is an-
ticipated. We deem the present a most aus-
picious moment, now that the public attention
is turned to the subject, to spread its coutents
before our readers, as an introduction to future
discoveries, during the researches now in prog-
ress."

The following are some of the particulars, as
related by Captain Del Rio, who partially ex-
amined them, as above related, in 1787. "From
Palenque, the last town northward in the prov-
ince of Ciadad Meal de Chiapa, taking the
south-westerly direction, and ascending a ridge
of high lands that divides the kingdom of Gua-
temala from Yucatan, at the distance of six
miles is the little river Micol, whose waters
flow in a westerly direction, and unite with the
great river Tulijah, which bends its course
towards the province of Tobasco. Having
passed Micol, the ascent begins, and half a

ORIGIN OF THE AMERICAN INDIANS. 135

league, or a mile and a half, the traveller
crosses a little stream called Otolum ; from this
point heaps of stone ruins are discovered,
which render the road very difficult for another
half a league, when you gain the height where-
on the stone honses are situated, being still
fourteen in number in one place, some more
dilapidated than others, yet still having many
of their apartments perfectly discernible.
These stand on a rectangular area, three hun-
dred yards in breadth by four hundred and fifty
in length, which is a fraction over fifty-six
rods wide, and eighty-four rods long, being in
the whole circuit two hundred and eighty rods,
which is three-fourths of a mile, and a trifle
over. This area presents a plain at the base of
the highest mountain forming the ridge. In the
centre of this plain is situated the largest of
the structures which has been as yet discovered
among these ruins. It stands on a mound, or
pyramid, twenty yards high, which is sixty feet
or nearly four rods, in perpendicular altitude,
which gives a lofty and beautiful majesty, as if
it were a temple suspended in the sky. This is
surrounded by other edifices, namely, five to the
northward, four to the southward, one to the
south-west, and three to the eastward, fourteen
in all.

" In all directions the fragments of othev
fallen buildings are seen extending along the

136 THE BOOK OF MORMON.

mountain, that stretches east and west either
way from these buildings, as if it were the
great temple of worship, or their government-
house, around which they built their city, and
where dwelt their kings and officers of state.
At this place was found a subterranean stone
aqueduct, of great solidity and durability, which
in its course passes beneath the largest build-
ing."

Let it be understood, this city of Otolum, the
ruins of which are so immense, is in North, not
in South, America, in the same latitude with
the island of Jamaica, which is about eighteen
degrees north of the equator, being on the high-
est ground between the northern end of the
Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean, where the
continent narrows towards the Isthmus of
Darien, and is about eight hundred miles south
of New Orleans.

The discovery of these ruins, and also of
many others, equally wonderful, in the same
country, is just commencing to arouse the atten-
tion of the schools of Europe, who hitherto have
denied that America could boast of her an-
tiquities. But these immense ruins are now
being explored under the direction of scientific
persons, a history of which, in detail, will
doubtless, be forthcoming in due time; two
volumes of which, in manuscript, we are in-

ORIGIN OF THE AMERICAN INDIANS. 137

formed, have already been written, and cannot
but be received-with enthusiasm by Americans.

A gentleman who was living near the town of
Cincinnati, in 1826, on the upper level, had oc-
casion to sink a well for his accommodation ;
he persevered in digging to the depth of eighty
feet, without finding water, but, still persisting
in the attempt, his workmen found themselves
obstructed by a substance, which resisted their
labour, though evidently not stone. They
cleared the surface and sides from the earth
bedded around it, when there appeared the
stump of a tree, three feet in diameter, and two
feet high, which had been cut down with an
axe. The blows of the axe were yet visible.
It was nearly of the colour and apparent char-
acter of coal, but had not the friable and fusible
quality of that substance. Ten feet below the
water sprang up, and the well is now in con-
stant supply and high repute.

In Morse's Universal Geography, first vol-
ume, p. 142, the discovery of the stump is cor-
roborated: " In digging a well in Cincinnati,
the stump of a tree was found in a sound state,
ninety feet below the surface; and in digging
another well, at the same place, another stump
was found at ninety-four feet below the sur-
face, which had evident marks of the axe;
and on its top there appeared as if some iron
tool had been consumed by rust."

138 THE BOOK OF MORMON.

We might fill a volume with accounts of
American antiquities, all going to show that
this country has been inhabited by a people who
possessed a knowledge of the arts and sciences,
who built cities, cultivated the earth, and who
were in possession of a written language. But
the things which we have here introduced are
abundantly sufficient for our purpose. If a few
characters in Hebrew have been found in the
earth in America, written on parchment, then it
is just as easy to admit that a whole volume has
been found in the earth in America, written on
plates in Egyptian characters. The astonish-
ing facts of the stumps found eighty or ninety
feet under the ground at Cincinnati, and simi-
lar discoveries in many other parts of North and
South America, such as buried cities, and other
antiquities, all go to prove that there has
been a mighty convulsion and revolution, not
only of nations, but of nature ; and such a con-
vulsion as is nowhere else so reasonably ac-
counted for, as in the following extraordinary
and wonderful account of events which trans-
pired in this country, during the crucifixion of
Messiah, which we extract from the Book of
Mormon, Nephi v. 2-11.

" And it came to pass, in the thirty and fourth
year, in the first month in the fourth day of the
month, there arose a great storm, such an one
as never had been known in all the land; and

ORIGIN OF THE AMERICAN INDIANS. 139

there was also a great and terrible tempest; and
there was terrible thunder, insomuch that it did
shake the whole earth, as if it were about to
divide asunder: and there were exceeding sharp
lightnings, such as never had been known in all
the land. And the city of Zarahemla did take
fire; and the city of Moroni did sink into the
depths of the sea, and the inhabitants thereof
were drowned ; and the earth was carried upon
the city of Moronihah, that in the place of the
city thereof, there became a great mountain ;
and there was a great and terrible destruction
in the land southward. But, behold, there was
a more great and terrible destruction in the
land northward; for, behold, the whole face of
the land was changed, because of the tempest,
and the whirlwinds, and the thunderings, and
the lightnings, and the exceeding great quaking
of the whole earth; and the highways were
broken up, and the level roads were spoiled, and
many smooth places became rough and many
great and notable cities were sunk, and
many were burned, and many were shook
till the buildings thereof had fallen to
the earth, and the inhabitants thereof were
slain, and the places were left desolate;
and there were some cities which remained,
but the damage thereof was exceeding great;
and there were many in them who were slain, and
there were some who were carried away in the

140 THE BOOK OF MORMON.

whirlwind, and whither they went no man
knoweth, save they know that they were carried
away: and thus the face of the whole earth be-
came deformed, beca use of the tempests, and
the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the
quaking of the earth. And, behold, the rocks
were rent in twain ; they were broken up upon
the face of the whole earth, insomuch that they
were found in broken fragments, and in seams,
and in cracks, upon the face of the land.

11 And it came to pass that when the thunder-
ings, and the lightnings, and the storm, and the
tempest, and the quakings of the earth did cease
— for, behold they did last for about the space
of three hours ; and it was said by some that
the time was greater; nevertheless all these
great and terrible things were done in about
the space of three hours; and then, behold,
there was darkness upon the face of the land.

" And it came to pass that there was a thick
darkness upon all the face of the land, insomuch
that the inhabitants thereof, who had not fallen,
could feel the vapour of darkness ; and there
could be no light because of the darkness,
neither candles, neither torches; neither could
there be fire kindled with their fine and exceed-
ing dry wood, so that there could not be any
light at all; and there was not any light seen,
neither fire, nor glimmer, neither the sun, nor
the stars, for so great were the mists of dark-
ness which were upon the face of the land.

ORIGIN OF THE AMERICAN INDIANS. 14.1

" And it came to pass, that it did last for the
space of three days, that there was no light
seen ; and there was great mourning, and howl-
ing, and weeping among all the people continu-
ally; yea, great were the groanings of the
people, because of the darkness and the great
destruction which had come upon them. And
in one place they were heard to cry, saying, O
that we had repented before this great and terri.
ble day,',and then would our brethren have been
spared, and they would not have been burned in
that great city Zarahemla. And in another
place they were heard to cry and mourn, saying
O that we had repented before this great and
terrible day, and had not killed and stoned the
prophets, and cast them out; then would our
mothers, and our fair daughters, and our chil-
dren hare been spared, and not have been buried
up in that great city Moronihah ; and thus were
the howlings of the people great and terrible.

" And it came to pass that there was a voice
heard among all the inhabitants of the earth
upon all the face of this land, crying, Wo, wo,
wo, unto this people ; wo unto the inhabitants
of the whole earth, except they shall repent ; for
the devil laugheth, and his angels rejoice, be-
cause of the slain of the fair sons and daughters
of my people ; and it is because of their iniquity
and abominations that they are fallen. Behold,
that great city Zarahemla have I burned with

142 THE BOOK OF MORMON.

fire, and the inhabitants thereof. And behold,
that great city Moroni have I caused to be sunk
in the depth of the sea, and the inhabitants
thereof to be drowned. And behold, that great
city Moronihah have I covered with earth, and
the inhabitants thereof, to hide their iniquities
and their abominations from before my face,
that the blood of the prophets and the saints
shall not come any more unto me against them.
And behold the city of Gilgal have I caused to
be sunk, and the inhabitants thereof to be buried
up in the depths of the earth; yea, and the city
of Onihah and the inhabitants thereof, and the
city of Mocum and the inhabitants thereof, and
the city of Jerusalem and the inhabitants there-
of, and waters have I caused to come up in the
stead thereof, to hide their wickedness and
abominations from before my face, that the
blood of the prophets and the saints shall not
come up any more unto me against them. And
behold the city of Gadiandi, and the city of
Gadiomnah, and the city of Jacob, and the city
of Gimgimno, all these have I caused to be sunk,
and made hills and valleys in the places thereof;
and the inhabitants thereof have I buried up in
the depths of the earth, to hide their wickedness
and abominations from before my face, that the
blood of the prophets and the saints should not
come up any more unto me against them. And
behold that great city Jacobugath, which was
inhabited by the people of the king of Jacob

ORIGIN OF THE AMERICAN INDIANS. 143

nave I caused to be burned with fire, because of
their sins and their wickedness, which was
above all the wickedness of the whole earth, be-
cause of their secret murders and combinations;
for it was they that did destroy the peace of my
people and the government of the land: there-
fore I did cause them to be burned, to destroy
them from before my face, that the blood of the
prophets and the saints should not come up
unto me any more against them. And behold
the city of Laman, and the city of Josh, and
the city of Gad, and the city of Kishkumen,
have I caused to be burned with fire, and the
inhabitants thereof , because of their wickedness
in casting out the prophets, and stoning those
whom I did send to declare unto them concern-
ing their wickedness and their abominations;
and because they did cast them all out, that
there were no righteous among them, I did
send down fire and destroy them, that their
wickedness and abominations might be hid
from before ray face, that the blood of the
prophets and the saints whom I sent among
them might not cry untome from the ground
against them; and many great destructions
have I caused to come upon this land and upon
this people, because of their wickedness and
their abominations.

11 O all ye that' are spared, because ye were
more righteous than they, will ye not now re-

144 THE BOOK OF MORMON.

turn unto me, and repent of your sins, and be
converted, that I may heal you? Yea, verily, I
say unto you, if ye will come unto me, ye shall
nave eternal life. Behold, mine arm of mercy is
extended towards you, and whosoever will come,
him will I receive ; and blessed are those who
come unto me. Behold, I am Jesus Christ, the
Son of God. I created the heavens and the
earth, and all things that in them are. I was
with the Father from the beginning. I am in
the Father, and the Father in me : and in me
hath the Father glorified his name. I came
unto my own, and my own received me not.
And the Scriptures concerning my coming are
fulfilled. And as many as have received me, to
them have I given to become the sons of God ;
and even sj will I to as many as shall believe
on my name, for, behold, by me redemption
cometh, and in me is the law of Moses fulfilled.
I am the light and the life of the world. I am
Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end-
And ye shall offer up unto me no more the
shedding of blood : yea, your sacrifices and your
burnt-offerings shall be done away,, for I will
accept none of your sacrifices and your burnt-
offerings: and ye shall offer, for a sacrifice
unto me, a broken heart and a contrite spirit.
And whoso cometh unto me with a broken
heart and a contrite spirit, him will I baptize
with fire and with the Holy Ghost, even as the

ORIGIN OF THE AMERICAN INDIANS. 145

Lamanites, because of their faith in me, at the
time of their conversion, were baptized with
Are and with the Holy Ghost, and they knew it
not. Behoid, I have come unto the world
to bring redemption unto the world, to save
the world from sin; therefore whoso re-
penteth and cometh unto me as a little child,
him will I receive; for of such is the kingdom
of God. Behold, for such I have laid down my
life, and have taken it up again : therefore re-
pent and come unto me, ye ends of the earth,
and be saved.

" And now, behold, it came to pass that all
the people of the land did hear these sayings,
and did witness of it. And after these sayings
there was silence in the land for the space of
many hours : for so great was the astonishment
of the people that they did cease lamenting and
howling for the loss of their kindred which had
been slain: therefore there wras silence in all
the land for the space of many hours.

" And it came to pass, that there came a voice
again unto the people, and all the people did
hear, and did witness of it, saying, O ye people
of these great cities which have fallen, who are
descendants of Jacob, yea, who are of the house
of Israel, how oft have I gathered you as a hen
gathereth her chickens under her wings, and
have nourished you. And again, how oft would
I have gathered you, as a hen gathereth her

K

146 THE BOOK OF MORMON.

chickens under her wings : yea, O ye people Of
the house of Isrsel, who have fallen ; yea, O ye
people of the house of Israel: ye that dwell at
Jerusalem, as ye that have fallen : yea, how oft
would I have gathered you, as a hen gathereth
her chickens, and ye would not. O ye house of
Israel, whom I have spared, how oft will I
gather you, as a hen gathereth her chickens
under her wings, if ye will repent and return
unto me with full purpose of heart. But if not,
O house of Israel, the places of your dwellings
shall become desolate, until the time of the
fulfilling of the cov enant to your fathers.

"And now it came to pass, that after the
people had heard these words, behold they be-
gan to weep and howl again, because of the loss
of their kindred and friends. And it came to
pass that thus did the three days pass away.
And it was in the morning, and the darkness
dispersed from off the face of the land, and the
earth did cease to tremble, and the rocks did
cease to rend, and the dreadful groanings did
cease, and all the tumultuous noises did pass
away, and the earth did cleave together again,
that it stood; and the mourning, and the weep-
ing, and the wailing of the people who were
spared alive did cease, and their mourning was
turned into joy, and their lamentations into
praise and thanksgiving unto the Lord Jesus
Christ, their Redeemer. And thus far were the

THE RESURRECTION. 147

Scriptures fulfilled, which had been spoken by
the prophets."

Here, then, is an account which shows clearly
and definitely how and when the American antiq-
uities became buried; how the stumps of trees
were placed eighty or ninety feet under ground:
how cities were sunk and overwhelmed; how
mountains fell and valleys rose; how the rocks
were rent, and how the whole face of the conti-
nent became altered and deformed. We now
close this subject by saying to ail the people, If
you wish information on the antiquities of
America; if you wish historical, prophetical, or
doctrinal information of the highest importance,
read carefully the Book of Mormon.

CHAPTER V.

THE RESURRECTION OF THE SAINTS, AND THE
RESTORATION OF ALL THINGS SPOKEN BY THE
PROPHETS.

This is one of the most important subjects upon
which the human mind can contemplate; and
one, perhaps, as little understood in the present
age, as any other now lying over the face of
prohpecy . But however neglected at the present
time, it was once the ground-work of the faith,
hope, and joy of the Saints. It was a correct

148 THE RESURRECTION.

understanding of this subject, and firm belief in
it, that influenced all their movements. Their
minds once fastening upon it, they could not be
shaken from their purposes; their faith was
firm, their joy constant, and their hope like an
anchor to the soul, both sure and steadfast,
reaching to that within the veil. It was this
that enabled them to rejoice in the midst of
tribulation, persecution, sword and flame; and
in view of this they took joyfully the spoiling of
their goods, and gladly wandered as strangers
and pilgrims on the earth. For they sought a
country, a city, and an inheritance that none but
a Saint ever thought of, understood, or even
hoped tor.

Now, we can never understand precisely what
is meant by restoration, unless we understand
what is lost or taken away; for instance, when
we offer to restore anything to a man, it is as
much as to say he once possessed it, but had
lost it, and we propose to replace, or put him
in possession of, that which he once had; there-
fore, when a Prophet speaks of the restoration
of all things, he means that all things have un-
dergone a change, and are to be again restored
to their primitive order, even as they first ex-
isted.

First, then, it becomes necessary for us to
take a view of creation, as it rolled in purity
from the hand of its Creator; and if we can dis-

AND RESTORATION. 149

cover the true state in which it then existed,
aud understand the changes that have taken
place since, then we shall be able to understand
what is to be restored; and thus, our minds
being prepared, we shall be looking for the
very things which will come, and shall be in no
danger of lifting our puny arm in ignorance, to
oppose the things of God.

First, then, we will take a view of the earth,
as to its surface, local situation, and produc-
tions.

When God had created the heavens and the
earth, and separated the light from the dark-
ness, His next great command was to the
waters, Gen. i. 9. "And God said, Let the
waters under the heaven be gathered together
into one place, and let the dry land appear: and
it was so." From this we learn a marvellous
fact, which very few have ever realized or be-
lieved in this benighted age : we learn that the
waters, which are now divided into oceans,
seas, and lakes, were then all gathered together
into one vast ocean; and consequently, that the
land which is now torn asunder, and divided
into continents and islands almost innumerable,
was then one vast continent or body, not sep-
arated as it now is.

Second, we hear the Lord God pronounce the
earth, as well as every thing else, very good.
From this we learn that there were neither

150 THE RESURRECTION.

deserts, barren places, stagnant swamps, rough,
broken, rugged hills ; nor vast mountains, cov-
ered with eternal snow; and no part of it was
located in the frigid zone, so as to render its
climate dreary and unproductive, subject to
eternal frost, or everlasting chains of ice —

Where no sweet flowers the dreary landscape cheer,
Nor plenteous harvests crown the passing year;

but the whole earth was probably one vast
plain, or interspersed with gently rising hills,
and sloping vales, well calculated for cultiva-
tion ; while its climate was delightfully varied,
with the moderate changes of heat and cold, of
wet and dry, which only tended to crown the
varied year with the greater variety of produc-
tions, all for the good of man, animal, fowl, or
creeping thing; while from the flowery plain,
or spicy grove, sweet odours were wafted on
every breeze; all the vast creation of animated
beings breathed nought but health, and peace,
and joy.

Next, we learn from Gen. i. 29, 30, " And
God said, Behold, I have given you every herb
bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the
earth, and every tree, in which is the fruit of a
tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.
And to every beast of the earth, and to every
fowl of the air, and to everything that creepeth
upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have

AND RESTORATION. 151

given every green herb for meat: and it was
so." From these verses we learn, that the
earth yielded neither noxious weeds nor poison-
ous plants, nor useless thorns and thistles;
indeed everything that grew was just calcu-
lated for the food of man, beast, fowl, and
creeping thing: and their food was all vege-
table. Flesh and blood were never sacrificed,
to glut their souls or gratify their appetites;
the beasts of the earth were all in perfect
harmony with each other; the lion ate straw
like the ox, the wolf dwelt with the lamb, the
leopard lay down with the kid, the cow and
bear fed together in the same pasture, while
their young ones reposed in perfect security,
under the shade of the same trees; all was
peace and harmony, and nothing to hurt nor
disturb, in all the holy mountains.

And to crown the whole, we behold man
created in the image of God, and exalted in
dignity and power, having dominion over all the
vast creation of animated beings which swarmed
through the earth, while at the same time, he
inhabited a beautiful and well- watered garden,
in the midst of which stood the tree of life, to
which he had free access; while he stood in the
presence of his Maker, conversed with Him
face to face, and gazed upon His glory, without
a dimming vail between. O reader, contem.
plate, for a moment, this beautiful creation,

152 THE RESURRECTION.

clothed with peace and plenty; the earth teem-
ing with harmless aDimals, rejoicing over all
the plain; the air swarming with delightful
birds, whose never-ceasing notes filled the air
with varied melody; and all in subjection to
their rightful sovereign, who rejoiced over
them; while in a delightful garden, the capital
of creation, man was seated on the throne of
this vast empire, swaying his sceptre over all
the earth with undisputed right; while legions
of angels encamped round about him, and
joined their glad voices, in grateful songs of
praise and shouts of joy; neither sigh nor
groan was heard through the vast expanse;
neither were there sorrow, tears, pain, weeping,
sickness, nor death; neither contentions, wars,
nor bloodshed; but peace crowned the seasons
as they rolled, and life, joy, and love reigned
over all God's works. But, O, how changed
the scene.

It now becomes my painful duty, to trace
some of the important changes which have
taken place, and the causes which have con-
spired to reduce the earth and its inhabitants to
their present state.

First, man fell from his standing before God,
by giving heed to temptation; and this fall
affected the whole creation, as well as man, and
caused various changes ta take place; he was
banished from the presence of his Creator and a

AND RESTORATION. 153

veil was drawn between them and man was
driven from the Garden of Eden to till the earth,
which was then cursed for his sake and should
begin to bring forth thorns and thistles ; and
with the sweat of his face he should earn his
bread, and in sorrow eat of it all the days of his
life, and finally return to dust. But as to Eve,
her curse was a great multiplicity of sorrow
and conception; and between her seed and the
seed of the serpent there was to be a constant
enmity, it should bruise the serpent's head, and
the serpent should bruise his heel.

Now, reader, contemplate the change. This
scene, which was so beautiful a little before,
had now become the abode of sorrow and toil,
of death and mourning; the earth groaned with
its production of accursed thorns and thistles ;
man and beast at enmity: the serpent slily
creeping away, fearing lest his head should get
the deadly bruise; and man startling amid the
thorny path, in fear lest the serpent's fangs
should pierce his heel : while the lamb yields
his blood upon the smoking altar. Soon man
begins to persecute, hate, and murder his fel-
low, until at length the earth is filled with vio-
lence, all flesh becomes corrupt, the powers of
darkness prevail, and it repented Noah that
God had made man, and it grieved him at his
heart, because the Lord should come out in
vengeance, and cleanse the earth by water.

154 THE RESURRECTION.

How far the flood may have contributed to
produce the various changes, as to the division
of the earth into broken fragments, islands and
continents, mountains and valleys, we have not
been informed ; the change must have been con-
siderable. But after the flood, in the days of
Peleg, the earth was divided. See Gen. x. 25.
A short history, to be sure, of so great an
event; but still it will account for the mighty
revolution which rolled the sea from its own
place in the north, and brought it to interpose
between different portions of the earth, which
were thus parted asunder, and moved into some-
thing near their present form; this, together
with the earthquakes, revolutions and commo-
tions which have since taken place, have all
contributed to reduce the face of the earth to
its present state ; while the great curses which
have fallen upon different portions, because of
the wickedness of men, will account for the
stagnant swamps, the sunken lakes, the dead
seas, and great deserts; witness, for instance,
the denunciation of the Prophets upon Babylon;
how it was to become perpetual desolation, a
den of wild bests, a dwelling of unclean and
hateful birds, a place for owls; and should
never be inhabited, but should lie desolate from
generation to generation. Witness also the
plains of Sodom, filled with towns, cities, and
flourishing gardens, well wate^^d; but Oh, how

AND RESTORATION. 155

changed ! a vast sea of stagnant water alone
marks the place. Witness the land of Pales-
tine, in the days of Solomon : it was capable of
sustaining millions of people besides yielding a
surplus of wheat, and other productions, which
were exchanged with the neighbouring nations ;
whereas, now it is desolate, and hardly capable
of sustaining a few miserable inhabitants. And
when I cast mine eyes over our own land, and
see the numerous swamps, lakes, and ponds of
stagnant waters, together with the vast mount-
ains, and innumerable rough places, rocks
having been rent and torn asunder, from cen-
ter to circumference, I exclaim, Whence all
this?

When I read the Book of Mormon, it informs
me that while Christ was crucified among the
Jews, this whole American continent was shaken
to its foundation, that many cities were sunk,
and waters came up in their places: that the
rocks were all rent in twain; that mountains
were thrown up to an exceeding height; and
other mountains became valleys ; the level roads
spoiled, and the whole face of the land changed.
I then exclaim, These things are no longer a
mystery; I have now learned to account for the
many wonders, which I everywhere behold,
throughout the whole country. When I am
passing a ledge of rocks, and see they have all
been rent and torn asunder, while some huge

156 THE RESURRECTION.

fragments are found deeply embedded in the
earth, some rods from whence they were torn,
I exclaim, with astonishment, These were the
groans! the convulsive throes of agonizing
nature ! while the Son of God suffered upon the
cross !

But men have degenerated, and greatly
changed, as well as the earth. The sins, the
abominations, and the many evil habits of the
latter ages have added to the miseries, toils,
and sufferings of human life. The idleness,
extravagance, pride, coveteousness, drunken-
ness, and other abominations, which are char-
acteristic of the latter times, have all combined
to sink mankind to the lowest state of wretch-
edness and degradation; while priestcraft and
false doctrines have greatly tended to lull
mankind to sleep, and cause them to rest
infinitely short of the powers and attain-
ments, which the ancients enjoyed, and which
are alone calculated to exalt the intellectual
powers of the human mind, to establish noble
and generous sentiments, to enlarge the heart
and to expand the soul to the utmost ex-
tent of its capacity. Witness the ancients
conversing with the Great Jehovah, learning
lessons from the angels, and receiving in-
struction by the Holy Ghost, in dreams by
night, and visions by day, until at length the
veil is taken off, and they are permitted to gaze

AND RESTORATION. 157

with wonder and admiration, upon all things
past and future; yea, even to soar aloft amid
unnumbered worlds, while the vast expanse of
eternity stands open before them, and they con-
template the mighty works of the Great I AM,
until they know as they are known, and see as
they are seen.

Compare this intelligence with the low smat-
terings of education and worldly wisdom which
seem to satisfy the narrow mind of man in our
generation; yea, behold the narrow-minded,
calculating, trading, overreaching, penurious
sycophant of the nineteenth century, who dreams
of nothing here but how to increase his goods,
or take advantage of his neighbour, and whose
only religious exercises or duties consistof going
to meeting, paying the priest his hire, or pray-
ing to his God, without expecting to be heard
or answered, supposing that God has been deaf
and dumb for many centuries, or altogether
stupid and indifferent like himself. And having
seen the two contrasted, you will be able to
form some idea of the vast elevation from which
man has fallen; you will also learn, how infin-
itely beneath his former glory and dignity he is
now living; and your heart will mourn, and be
exceedingly sorrowful, when you contemplate
him in his low estate, and then think he is your
brother; and you will be ready to exclaim, with
wonder and astonishment, "Oh, man! how art

158 THE RESURRECTION.

thou fallen ! Once thou wast the favourite of
heaven ; thy Maker delighted to converse with
thee, and angels, and the spirits of just men
made perfect, were thy companions ; but now
thou art degraded, and brought down to a level
with the beasts ; yea, far beneath them, for they
look with horror and affright at your vain
amusements, your sports, and your drunken-
ness, and thus often set an example worthy of}
your imitation. Well did the apostle Peter say
of you, that you know nothing, only what you
know naturally as brute beasts, made to be
taken and destroyed. And thus you perish,
from generation to generation, while all crea-
tion groans under its pollution; and sorrow and
death, mourning and weeping, fill up the meas-
ure of the days of man." But, Oh my soul,
dwell no longer on this awful scene; let it
suffice to have discovered in some degree what
is lost. Let us turn our attention to what the
Prophets have said should be restored.

The Apostle Peter, while preaching to the
Jews, says, " And he shall send Jesus Christ,
which before was preached unto you, whom the
heavens must receive, until the time of restitu-
tion (restoration) of all things which God hath
spoken, by the mouth of all His Holy Prophets,
since the world began." It appears from the
above, that all the holy Prophets, from Adam
to Christ, and those that followed after, had
their eyes upon a certain ti™° ™1 — "U things

AND RESTORATION. 159

should be restored to their primitive beauty and
excellence. We also learn, that the time of
restitution was to be at or near the time of
Christ's second coming; for the heavens are to
receive him, until the time of restitution, and
then the Father shall send him again to the
earth.

We will now proceed to notice Isaiah xl. 1-5.
u Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your
God. Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and
cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished,
that her iniquity is pardoned; for she hath re-
ceived of the Lord's hand double for all her
sins. The voice of him that crieth in the wild-
erness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make
straight in the desert a highway for our God.
Every valley shall be exalted, aud every mount-
ain and hill shall be made low ; and the crooked
shall be made straight, and the rough places
plain; and the glory of the Lord shall be re-
vealed, aud all flesh shall see it together; for
the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it."

From these verses we learn, first, that the
voice of one shall be heard in the wilderness, to
prepare the way of the Lord, just at the time
when Jerusalem has been trodden down of the
Gentiles long enougn to have received, at the
Lord's hand, double for all her sins, yea, when
the warfare of Jerusalem is accomplished, and
her iniquities pardoned. Then shall this proc-

160 THE RESURRECTION.

lamation be made as it was before by John, yea,
a second proclamation, to prepare the way of the
Lord, for his second coming; and about that
time every valley shall be exalted, and every
mountain and hill shall be made low, and the
crooked shall be made straight, and rough places
plain, and then the glory of the Lord shall be
revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for
the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.

Thus, you see, every mountain being made
low, and every valley exalted, and the rough
places being made plain, and the crooked places
straight — that these mighty revolutions will
begin to restoie the face of the earth to its
former beauty. But all this done, we have not
yet gone through our restoration; there are
many more great things to be done, in order to
restore all things.

Our next is Isaiah, 35th chapter, where we
again read of the Lord's second coming^and of
the mighty works which attend it. The barren
desert should abound with pools and springs of
living water, and should produce grass, with
flowers blooming and blossoming as the rose,
and that, too, about the time of the coming of
their God, with vengeance and recompense,
which must allude to his second coming; and
Israel is to come at the time to Zion, with songs
of everlasting joy, and sorrow and sighing
shall flee away. Here, then, we have the curse

AND RESTORATION. 161

taken off from the deserts, and they become a
fruitful well-watered country.

We will now inquire whether the islands
return again to the continents from which they
were once separated. For this subject we refer
you to Revelations vi. 14: " And every mount-
ain and island were moved out of their places."
From this we learn that they moved some-
where; and as it is the time of restoring what
has been lost, they accordingly return and join
themselves to the land whence they came.

Our next is Isaiah xiii., 13th and 14th verses,
where " The earth shall remove out of her place,
and shall be as the chased roe which no man
takethup." Also Isaiah lxii. 4, M Thou shalt
no more be termed Forsaken; neither shall thy
land any moae be ter med Desolate ; but thou
shalt be called Hephzi-bah, and thy land Beulah :
for the Lord delighteth in thee, and thy land
shall be married."

In the first instance, we have the earth on a
move like a chased roe ; and in the second place,
we have it married. And from the whole, and
various Scriptures, we learn, that the continents
and islands shall be united in one, as they were
on the morn of creation, and the sea shall retire
and assemble in its own place, where it was be-
fore ; and all these scenes shall take place dur-
ing the mighty convulsion of nature, about the
time of the coming of the Lord.
L

162 THE RESURRECTION.

Behold! the Mount of Olives rent in twain:
While on its top he sets his feet again.
The islands, at his word, obedient, flee ;
While to the north he rolls the mighty sea;
Restores the earth in one, as at the first,
With all its blessings, and removes the curse.

Having restored the earth to the same glorious
state in which it first existed — levelling the
mountains, exalting the valleys, smoothing the
rough places, making the deserts fruitful, and
bringing all the continents and islands together,
causing the curse to be taken off, that noxious
weeds, and thorns, and thistles shall no longer
be produced; the next thing is to regulate and
restore the brute creation to their former state
of peace and glory, causing enmity to cease
from off the earth. But this will never be done
until there is a general destruction poured out
upon man, which wiil entirely cleanse the earth,
and sweep all wickedness from its face. This
will be done by the rod of His mouth, and by
the breath of His lips; or, in other words, by
fire as universal as the flood. Isaiah xi. 4, 6-9.
" But with righteousness shall he judge the
poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of
the earth; and he shall smite the earth with the
rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his
lips shall he slay the wicked. The wolf also
shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall
lie down with the kid; and the calf, and the

AND RESTORATION. 1G3

young lion, and the fatling together; and a
little child shall lead them. And the cow and
the bear shall feed; their youngones shall lie
down together; and the lion shall eat straw
like an ox. And the sucking child shall play on
the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall
put his hand on the cockatrice's den. They
shall not hurt nor destroy in all ray holy mount-
ain for the earth shall be full of the knowledge
of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea."

Thus, having cleansed the earth, and glorified
it with the knowledge of God, as the waters
cover the sea, and having poured out His Spirit
upon all flesh, both man and beast becoming
perfectly harmless as they were in the begin-
ning, and feeding on vegetable food only, while
nothing is left to hurt or destroy in all the vast
creation, the Prophets then proceed to give us
many glorious descriptions of the enjoyments
of its inhabitants. "They shall build houses
and inhabit them; and they shall plant vine-
yards and eat the fruit of them; they shall not
build and another inhabit; they shall not
plant and another eat; for as the days of a
tree are the days of my people, and mine
elect shall long enjoy the work of their
hands. They shall not labour in vain, nor
bring forth for trouble; for they are the
seed of the blessed of the Lord and their
offspring with them; and it shall come to pass.

164: THE RESURRECTION.

that before they call I will answer, and while
they are yet speaking I will hear." In this
happy state of exi-tence it seems that all- people
will live to the full age of a tree, and this, too,
[without pain or sorrow, and whatsoever they
lask will be immediately answered, and even all
their wants will be anticipated. Of, course,
then, none of them will sleep in the dust, for
they will perferto be translated, that is changed,
in the twinkling of an eye, from mortal to im-
mortal ; after which they will continue to reign
with Jesus on the earth.

Thus we have traced the Prophets through
the varying scenes which conspire to res' ore
the earth, and its inhabitants, to that state of
perfection in which they first existed, and in
which they will exist, during the great sabbath
of creation. Having seen all things restored
among the living, we will now inquire after
those who sleep in the dust; but, in order to
understand precisely the nature of their restora-
tion, we must ascertain the particulars concern-
ing the resurrection of Jesus, for he was an
exact pattern after which all his Saints wl'l be
raised. We recollect — First, that he was
clothed upon with flesh, and blood, and bones,
like another man, and every way subject to
hunger, thirst, pain, weariness, sickness, and
death, like any other person — with this differ-
ence, that he was capable of enduring more

AND RESTORATION. 165

than any other human body. Second, this same
body was hung upon the cross, torn with nails,
which were driven through his hands and feet,
and his side pierced with a spear, from which
there came out blood and water. Third, this
same body, being perfectly lifeless, like any
other corpse, was taken without a bone being
broken, and carefully wrapped in linen and laid
in the tomb, where it continued until the third
day; when early in the morning, the women
came to the sepulchre, and his disciples also,
and found the linen clothes lying useless, and
the napkin which was about his head carefully
folded and laid by itself, but the body which
had lain there was gone. From all these cir-
cumstances, we discover that the same flesh and
bones which were laid in the tomb were actually
reanimated, and did arise and lay aside the linen
which was no longer needed. And Jesus Christ
came forth triumphant from the mansions of
the dead, possessing the same body which had
been born of a woman, and which was crucified;
but no blood flowed in his veins, for blood was
the natural life, in which were the principles of
mortality, and a man restored to flesh and blood
would be mortal, and, consequently, again sub-
ject unto death, which was not the case with
our Saviour, although he had flesh and bones
after he arose, for when he appeared to his dis-
ciples, and they were afraid, supposing it was

166 THE RESURRECTION.

only a spirit, in order to show them their mis-
take, he said, "Handle me and see, for a spirit
hath not flesh and bones, as you see me have."
And calling for something to eat, he was pro-
vided with a piece of broiled flesh and honey-
comb, and he did eat. And even afterwards,
Thomas was invited to put his finger into the
prints of the nails in his hands and feet, and to
thrust his hand into his side, from which it was
evident that he not only possessed the same
body, but the same wounds also continued to
show themselves for a witness, and will con-
tinue until he comes again, when the Jews will
look upon him whom they have pierced, and in-
quire, " What are these wounds in thy hands
and in thy feet?"

Q ye hard-hearted, ye ungodly children of
men; your eyes will very soon behold him who
was crucified for your sius; then shall ye see
that the resurrection of the dead is a reality,
something tangible, and that eternity is not a
land of shades, nor a world of phantoms, as
some suppose.

Among other things which Jesus did after the
resurrection, we find him in the humble attitude
of broiling fish, and calling his disciples to
come and dine. O what simplicity, what love,
what condescension! Wonder, O heavens! be
astonished, O earth! Behold the Redeemer
clothed upon with immortality, and yet seated

AND RESTORATION. 167

by a fire of coals, in the open air, with his
brethren, humbly partaking of a meat of fish,
actually prepared by his own hands ! O ye great
and noble of the earth, who roll in luxury and
refinement! O ye priests, who are loaded with
the honours, titles, dignities, riches, and splen-
dour of the world, here is a lesson for you,
which will make you blush : boast no more of
being followers of the meek and lowly Jesus !

But to return to the subject of the resurrec-
tion. Having proved to a demonstration, that
our Saviour rose from the dead with the same
body which was crucified, possessing flesh and
bones ; that he eat and drank with his disciples ;
it puts the matter for ever at rest respecting
the resurrection of the Saints. But if more
proof were wanting, we have it in a prophecy
of Job quoted in a former part of this work,
where he declares that his Redeemer will stand,
in the latter day, upon the earth, and he should
see him in the flesh, though worms should
destroy the body which he then had. The fact
is, the Saints will again receive their bodies,
every joint being in its proper and perfect
frame, and clothed upon with flesh, sinews, and
skin, like as we now are; the whole being im-
mortal, no more to see corruption, and clothed
with a white robe of fine linen, suitable for im-
mortality to wear. Well did the Apostle say,
In heaven we have a more enduring substance
(not shadow).

168 THE RESURRECTION.

But in order to illustrate this subject still fur-
ther, we will carefully examine Ezekiel xxxvii..
which we have touched upon before. In this
vision the Prophet is carried away in the Spirit,
and a valley of dry bones is presented before him,
and they are very numerous and very dry : and
while he stands musing and contemplating the
waf ul scene, a very wonderful question is propos-
ed to him: "Son of man, can these dry bones live?''
and he answered, " O Lord God, thou knowest.'*
And the Lord said, " Son of man, prophesy upon
these bones and say, Oye dry bones, hear the
word of the Lord." So he prophesied as he
was commanded, and as he prophesied there was
a noise, and behold, a shaking, and the bones
came together, bone to his bone, and the sinews
and the flesh came upon them, and the skin cov-
ered them. And again he prophesied to the
winds, saying, "Come from the four winds, O
breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they
may live; " and the breath entered into them,
and they lived and stood upon their feet, an ex
ceeding great army. We have heard many com-
ments upon this vision; some compare it to
sinners being converted, and some to the body
of Christ, the Church, when dead as to the
spiritual gifts ; but the Church becoming dead
can no longer be said to be the body of Christ ; as
when she abides in the true vine she lives and
bears fruit, and is not dead, and when she does

AND RESTORATION. 169

not abide in him she is cut off as a branch, with-
ered and burned, instead of rising again. But
did you ever hearthe Lord's own explanation of
this vision, in the same chapter? It so far sur-
passes all other comments, I am inclined to
believe it; I will therefore write it in preference
to any other, and run the risk of becoming un-
popular by so doing. The Lord says, " Son of
man these bones are the whole house of Israel;
behold, they say, Our bones are dried, and our
hope is lost; we are cut off for our parts.
Therefore prophesy and say unto them, Thus
saith the Lord God, Behold, O my people, I will
open your graves, and cause you to come up out
of your graves, and bring you into the land of
Israel; and ye shall know that I am the Lord,
when I have opened your graves, 0 my people,
and brought you up out of your graves, and
shall put my Spirit in you, and ye shall live ;
and I shall place you in your own land. Then
shall ye know that I the Lord have spoken it,
and performed it, saith the Lord." Thus you
have the whole vision unfolded plainly, if the
Lord's authority can once be allowed, which is
seldom the case in this age of wisdom and
learning. The fact is, all the seed of Israel are
to be raised from the dead, and are to be
brought into the land of Israel, which was given
to them for an everlasting inheritance. And in
order to do this, their old dry bones are to be

170 THE RESURRECTION.

brought together, bone to its bone, and every
part of their bodies is to be reinstated ; and it
will make a great noise, and a wonderful shak-
ing, when they come together; and surely when
they stand upon their feet they will make an
exceeding great army.

This just explains the promise 8 o oft repeated
in Scripture, " My servant David shall be their
prince for ever; " indeed this same chapter
makes the promise to them, that his servant
David shall be raised up, and shall be a prince
among them, while the Lord shall be their
King; while both they that are alive, and they
that are dead, shall be restored, and become
one nation in the land, upon the mountains of
Israel; while David comes forth and reigns as
a prince and shepherd over them for ever; and
the Lord Jesus reigns as King of k ings, and
Lord of lords, in Mount Zion, and in Jerusa-
lem, and before his ancients gloriously.

O Glorious day ! O blessed hope!
My soul leaps forward at the thought;
When in that happy, happy land,
We'll take the ancients by the hand;
In love and union hail our friends;
And death and sorrow have an end.

I now no longer marvel, when I call to mind
that Abraham counted himself a stranger and
pilgrim, seeking a better country, and a city
whose builder and maker is God. It seems

AND RESTORATION. 171

after this restoration there will be but one more
change necessary, in order to fit the earth for
man's eternal inheritance; and that change is
to take place at the last day, after man has en
joyed it in peace a thousand years. We hart
now discovered the great secret, which none
but the Saints have understood (but was well
understood by them in all ages of the world)
which is this, that man is to dwell in the flesh,
upon the earth, with the Messiah, with the
whole house of Israel, and with all the Saints
of the Most High, not only one thousand years,
but for ever and ever There our father Adam,
whose hair is white like the pure wool, will sit
enthroned in dignity as the Ancient of Days,
the great Patriarch, the mighty Prince; while
thousands of thousands stand before him, and
ten thousand times ten thousand minister to
him; there he will hail all his children, who
died in the faith of the Messiah; while Abel,
Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Job, and Daniel, with
all the Prophets and Apostles, and all the Saints
of God of all ages, hail each other in the flesh.
Jesus the great Messiah will stand in the midst,
and, to crown the whole, will gird himself, and
administer bread and wine to the whole multi-
tude, and he himself, will partake of the same
with them on the earth, all being clothed in fine
linen, clean and white. This is the marriage
supper of the Lamb. Blessed are they who
partake thereof.

172 THE RESURRECTION.

Having traced the great restoration of the
earth and its inhabitants, uutil we find them
in the full enjoyment of the promises made to
their fathers; and having learned that a future
state is not a state of shadows and fables, but
something tangible, even a more enduring suo-
stance; we shall now take a view of the division
of their land, and the laying out of their city,
even the ho y city, where the tabernacle of God
and His sanctuary shall be forever more ; for of
course this was the city sought for by Abraham
and others, who found it not.

This view is given in the last chapter of
Ezekiel, where he divides the land, by lot, to the
whole twelve tribes; and lays off the city, and
sanctuary in the midst, with its twelve gates,
three on each side, the whole lying four-square.
But in his 47th chapter, we have a description
of a beautiful river, which will issue forth from
the eas-tern front of the temple from under the
sanctuary, and run eastward into the dead Sea,
healing the waters, and caus ng a very great
multitude of fishes; so that from Engedi and
Eneglaim, the fishers spread forth their nets;
while the miry places, shall not be healed, but
shall be given to salt. And on either side shall
grow all trees for meat, whose leaf shall not
fade, nor shall the fruit thereof be consumed;
it shall bring forth new fruit according to its
months, because of the waters issuing from the

AND RESTORATION. 173

sanctuary, and their fruits shall be for meat,
and their leaves for medicine.

But to set forth more fully the building of
the city, and the materials of which it will be
built, we quote Isaiah liv. 11, to the end of the
chapter; "0 thou afflicted, tossed with temp-
est, and not comforted, behold I will lay tuy
stones with fair colours, and lay thy founda-
tions with sapphires. And I will make thy
windows of agates, and thy gates of carbun-
cles, and all thy borders of pleasant stones.
And all thy children shall be taught of the
Lord; and great shall be the peace of thy chil-
dren. In righteousness shall thou be estab-
lished ; thou shalt be far from oppression ; for
thou shalt not fear; and from terror; for it
shall not come near thee. Behold, they shall
surely gather together, but not by me: whoso-
ever shall gather together against thee shall fall
for thy sake. Behold, I have created the
smith, that bloweth the coals in the fire, and that
bringeth forth an instrument for his work; and
I have created the water to destroy. No weapon
that is formed against thee shall prosper; and
every tongne that shall rise against thee in
judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the
heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their
righteousness is of me, saith the Lord."

From these verses we learn something of the
beauty of their city, and of the materials of

174 THE RESURRECTION.

which it is composed. Their stones of fair
colours, their foundations of sapphires, their
windows of agates, their gates of carbuncles,
aud all their borders of pleasant stones, are
well calculated to beautify the place of His
sanctuary, and to make the place of His feet
glorious, as well as to give a lustre and magnifi-
cence to the whole citv, of which the Gentiles,
with all their boasted wealth and grandeur, can
form but a faint idea; and then to mark, in the
same description, the knowledge, as well as
the peace and security, of all the inhabitants;
while they who gather together against them to
battle are sure to fall for their sake: surely
this is the heritage of the servants of the Lord;
surely this is a delightful city, and well worth
a pilgrimage like Abraham's.

But in order to form a still more striking
idea of the prosperity, wealth, beauty, aud
magnificence of the cities of Zion and Jerusa-

lem, we will quote Isaiah lx. ; " Arise, shim
for thy light is come, and the glory of the
Lord is risen upon thee. For, behold the
darkness shall cover the earth, and gross
darkness the people: but the Lord shall
arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen
upon thee. And the Gentiles shall come to
thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy
jising. Lift up thine eyes round about, and^
see; all they gather themselves together, they

AND RESTORATION. 175

come to thee; thy sons shall come from far, and
thy daughters shall be nursed at thy side. Then
thou shalt see, and flow together, and thine
heart shall fear, and be enlarged; because the
abundance of the sea shall be converted unto
thee, the forces of the Gentiles shall come unto
thee. The multitude of camels shall cover thee,
the dromedaries of Midian and Ephah ; all they
from Sheba shall come : they shall bring gold
and incense; and they shall show forth the
praises of the Lord. All the flocks of Kedar
shall be gathered together unto thee, the rams
of Nebaioth shall minister unto thee; they shall
come up with acceptance on mine altar, and I
will glorify the house of my glory. Who are
these that fly as a cloud, and as the doves to
their windows? Surely the isles shall wait for
me, and the ships of Tarshish first to bring thy
sons from far, their silver and their gold with
them, unto the name of the Lord thy God, and
to the Holy One of Israel, because he has glori-
fied thee. And the sons of strangers shall
build up thy walls, and their kings shall minis-
ter unto thee; for in my wrath I smote thee, but
in my favour have I had mercy on thee. There-
fore thy gates shall be open continually; they
shall not be shut day nor 'night; that men may
bring unto thee the forces of the Gentiles, and
that their kings may be brought. For the
nation and kingdom that will not serve thee

176 THE RESURRECTION.

shall perish; yea, those nations shall be utterly
wasted. The glory of Lebanon, shall come
unto thee, the fir-tree, the pine-tree, and the
box together, to beautify the place of
my sanctuary; and I will make the place
of my feet glorious. The sons also of them
that afflicted thee shall come bending unto
thee; and all they that depi-ed thee shall bow
themselves down at the soles of thy feet, and
they shall call thee, The eity of the Lord, the
Zion of the Holy One of Israel.

" Whereas thou hast been forsaken and hated,
so that no man went through thee, I will make
thee an eternal excellency, a joy of many gener-
ations. Thou shalt also suck the milk of the
Gentiles, and shall suck the breast of kings;
and thou shalt know that I the Lord am thy
Saviour and thy Redeemer, the Mighty One of
Jacob. For brass I will bring gold, and for
iron I will bring silver, and for wood brass, and
for stones iron: I will also make thy officers
peace, and thine exactors righteousness. Vio-
lence shall no more be heard in thy land, wast-
ing nor destruction within thy borders; but
thou shalt call thy walls Salvation, and thy
gates Praise. The sun shall be no more thy
light by day; neither for brightness shall the
moon give light unto thee : but the Lord shall
be unto thee an everlasting light, and thy God
thy glory. The sun shall no more go down;

rejj
to I

AND RESTORATION. 177

neither shall thy raoou withdraw itself; for the
Lord shall be thine everlasting light, and the
days of thy mourning shall be ended. Thy peo-
ple also shall be all righteous: they shall in-
herit the land forever, the branch of my plant-
ing, the work of my hands, that I may be glori-
fied. A litt e one shall become a thousand, and
a small one a strong nation; I the Lord will
hasten it in his time."

In this chapter we learn — First, that there
is a city to b^_bujlt^in the^last days, unto
which, not only Israel, but all the nations of
the Gentiles, are to flow; and the nation and
kingdom that will not serve that city shall
perish and be utterly wasted. Second, we
learn that the name of that city^js^Zion^ the
city of the Lord. Third, we learn that it is
called the place of His sanctuary, and the-
place of His feet. Fourth, that the best of
timber, consisting of fir, pine, and boxwood,
is to be brought in great plenty, to beautify
the place of His sanctuary, and make the
place of His feet glorious. Fifth, the pre-
cious metals are to abound in such plenty, that
gold is to be in the room of brass, silver in
the room of iron, brass in the room of wood,
iron in the room of stones. Their officers are
^o be peace- officers, and their exactors right-
eous exactors; violence is no more to be heard
in the land; wasting nor destruction within
M

178 THE RESURRECTION.

their borders. Their walls are to be Salva-
tion, and their gates Praise; while the glory
of God, in the midst of the city, outshines
the sun. The days of their mourning are end-
ed; their people are all righteous, and are
to inherit the land for ever, being the
branch of the Lord's planting, that He may
be glorified. A little one shall become a
strong nation, and the Lord will hasten it in his
time.

The Psalmist David has told us, concerning
the time of the building of this city, in his
102nd Psalm, from the 13th verse to the 22nd,
" Thou shalt arise and have mercy upon Zion;~i
for the time to favour her, yea, the set time, is
come. For thy servants take pleasure in her*v
stones, and favour the dust thereof. So the
heathen shall fear the name of the Lord, and
all the kings of the earth thy glory. When
the Lord shall build up Zion, he shall appear
in his glory7^""rIe~-wilT-'regard the prayer of
the destitute, and not despise their prayer.
This shall be written for the generation to
come; and the people which shall be created
shall praise the Lord. For he hath looked
down from the height of his sanctuary; from
heaven did the Lord behold the earth; to
hear the groaning of the prisoner; to loose
those that are appointed to death; to de-
clare the name of the Lord in Zion, and His

AND RESTORATION. 179

praise in Jerusalem; when the people are gath-
ered together, and the kingdoms, to serve the
Lord."

From this Scripture we learn — ■ First, that
there is a set time to build up Zion, or the city
of which Isaiah speaks, namely, just before
the second coming of Christ; and that when
this city is built, the Lord will appear in his
glory, and not before. So from this we affirm,
that if such a city is never built, then the Lord
will never come. Second, we learn that the
people and kingdoms are to be gathered togeth-
er, to serve the Lord, both in Zion and Jeru-
salem; and third, that this Psalm was written
expressly for the generation to come, and the
people which shall be created shall praise
the Lord, when they read it and see it ful-
filled.

I will now call the attention of the reader to
the first paragraph of the sixth chapter of the
Record of Ether, contained in the Book of
Mormon. "For he truly told them of all
things from the beginning of man; and how
that after the waters had receded from off the
face of this land (America;, it became a choice
land above all other lands, a chosen land of the
Lord; wherefore, the Lord would have that all
men should serve him who dwell upon the face
thereof, and that it was the place of the New
Jerusalem, which should come down out

w |

of/

180 THE RESURRECTION.

heaven, and the holy sanctuary of the Lord
Behold, Ether saw the days of Christ, and he
spake concerning a New Jerusalem upon this
land ; and he spake also concerning t':e house of
Israel, and the Jerusalem from whence Lehi
should come. After it should be destroyed, it
should be built up again a holy city unto the
Lord; wherefore, it could not be a New
Jerusalem, for it had been in a time of old; but
it should be built up again, and become a holy
city of the Lord, and it should be built up into
the hou-;e of Israel; and that a Ne\y Jerusalem
should be built up upon this land, unto the rem^O
nant of the seed of Joseph, for which things J
there has been a type; for as Joseph brought
his father down into the land of Egypt, even so
he died there; wherefore, the Lord brought a
remnant of the seed of Joseph out of the land
of Jerusalem, that he might be merciful unto
the seed of Josepn, that they should perish not,
even as he was merciful unto the father of
Joseph, that he should perish not; wherefore,
the remnant of the house of Joseph shall be
built up on this land, and it shall be a land of
their inheritance ; and they shall build up a holy
city unto the Lord, like unto the Jerusalem of
old; and they shall no more be confounded,
until the end come, when the earth shall pass
away. And there shall be a new heaven and a
.new earth, and they shall be like unto the old

AND KESTOKATION. 181

save the old have passed away and all things
have become new. And then cometh the New
Jerusalem; and blessed are they who dwell
therein, for it is they whose garments are white
through the blood of the Lamb; and they are
they who are numbered among the remnant of
the seed of Joseph, who were the house of
Israel. And ihen also cometh the Jerusalem of
old, and the inhabitants thereof; blessed are
they, for they have been washed in the blood of
the Lamb? and they are they who were scat-
tered, and gathered in from the four quarters of
the earth, and from the north countries, and
are partakers of the fulfilling of the covenant
which God made with their father Abraham.
And when these things come, bringeth to pass
the Scripture which saith, There are they who
were first, who shall be last; and there are they
who were last, who shall be first."

From this prophecy we learn — First, that
America is a chosen land of the Lord, above
every other land. Second, that it is the place
of the New Jerusalem, which shall come down
from God, out of heaven, upon the earth, when
it is renewed. Third, that a New Jerusalem is
to be built in America, to the remnant of Joseph,
after a similar pattern, or like unto the old
Jerusalem in the land of Canaan ; and that the
old Jerusalem shall be rebuilt at the same time:
and, this being done, both cities will continue in

182 THK RESURRECTION.

prosperity on the earth, until the great and last
change, when the heavens and the earth are to
be renewed. Fourth, we learn that when this
change takes place, the two cities, together with
the inhabitants thereof, are to be caught up /
into heaven, and, being changed and made
new, the one comes down upon the American
land, and the other to its own place as formerly.
And, Fifth, we learn that the inhabitants of these
two cities are the same that gathered together I
and first builded them. The remnant of Joseph,
and those gathered with them, inherit the New j
Jerusalem. And the tribes of Israel, gathered
from the north countries, and from the four
quarters of the earth, inhabit the other ; and thus
all things being made new, we find those who
were once strangers and pilgrims on the earth
in possession of that better country, and that >
city, for which they sought.

We will now turn to John's Revelation, and
examine the city after it is made new, and
see if it is anything like the pattern which
it exhibited previous to its final change, Rev.
xxi, " And I saw a new heaven and a new earth :
for the first heaven and the first earth were
passed away ; and there was no more sea. And
I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem,"
coming down from God out of heaven, prepared
as a bride adorned for her husband. And I
heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold,

AND RESTORATION. 183

the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will
dwell with them, and they shall be his people,
and God himself shall be with them, and be their
God. And God shall wipe away all tears from
their eyes; and there shall be no more death,
neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there
be any more pain; for the former things are
passed away. And he that sat upon the throne
said, Behold, I make all things new. And he
said unto me, Write, for these words are true
and faithful. And he said unto me, It is done.
I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the
end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the
fountain of the water of life freely. He that
overcometh shall inherit all things ; and I will
be his God, and he shall be my son. But the
fearful and unbelieving, and the abominable, and
murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers,
and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their
part in the [lake which burneth with fire and
brimstone : which is the second death.

"And there came unto me one of the seven
angels which had the seven vials full of the seven
last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come
hither, I will show thee the bride, the Lamb's
wife. And he carried me away in the spirit to
a great and high mountain, and showed me that
great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out
of heaven from God, having the glory of God:
and her light was like unto a stone most precious;

184 THE RESURRECTION.

even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal; and
had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates,
and at the gates, twelve angels, and names
written thereon, which are the names of the
twelve tribes of the children of Israel. On the
east, three gates; on the north, three gates; on
the south, three gates; on the west, three gates.
And the wall of the city had twelve foundations,
and in them the names of the twelve apostles of
the Lamb. And he that talked with me had a
golden reed to measure the city, and the gates
thereof, and the wall thereof. And the city
lieth four-square, and the length is as large as
the breadth. And he measured the city with the
reed, twelve thousand furlongs; the length and
the breadth and the heigh t of it are equal. And
he measured the wall thereof, an hundred and
forty and four cubits, according to the measure
of a man, that is, of the angel. And the build-
ing of the wall of it was of jasper: and the city
was pure gold, like unto clear glass. And the
foundations of the wall of the city were gar-
nished with all manner of precious stones. The
first foundation was jasper; the second, sap-
phire; the third, a chalchedony; the fourth, an
emerald; the fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius;
the seventh, chrysolite; the eighth, beryl; the
ninth, a topaz; the tenth, a chrysoprasus; the
eleventh, a jacinth; and twelfth, an amethyst.
■And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; every

AND RESTORATION. 185

several gate was of one pearl : and the street of
the city was pure gold, as it were transparent
glass. And I saw no temple therein: for the
Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the
temple of it. And the city has no need of the
sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it; for the
glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the
light thereof. And the nations of them which
are saved shall walk in the light of it; and the
kings of the earth do bring their glory and
honour into it. And the gates of it shall not be
shut at all by day; for there shall be no night
there. And they shall bring the glory and honour
of the nations into it. And there shall in no
wise enter into it anything that deflleth, neither
whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a
lie; but they which are written in the Lamb's
book of life." Also, 22nd chapter, he says,
" And he showed me a pure river of water of
life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the
throne of God and of the Lamb. In the midst
of the street of it, and on either side of the
river, was there the tree of life, which bare
twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit
every month : and the leaves of the tree were
for the healing of the nations. And there shall
be no more curse ; but the throne of God and of
the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall
serve him. And they shall see his face; and
his name shall be in their foreheads. And there

186 THE RESURRECTION.

shall be no night there; and they need no candle,
neither light of the sun; for the Lord God
giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever
and ever. And he said unto me, These sayings
are faithful and true; and the Lord God of the
holy prophets sent his angel to show unto His
servants the things which must shortly be done.
Behold, I come quickly : blessed is he that keep-
eth the sayings of the prophecy of this book."
From this beautiful description, we learn —
First, that the new earth is not to be separated
by any sea; consequently, what is now called
the Eastern and Western Continents will then
be one land. Secondly, we learn that the Lord
will make not only the heavens and earth, but
all things, new, (including, of course, the cities
of Jerusalem and Zion, where His tabernacle
will have been for more than a thousand years.)
Thirdly, we learn that the city will lie four-
square, and have twelve gates, with the names
of the twelve tribes of Israel inserted, one on
each gate; three gates on the north, three on
the south, three on the east, and three on the
west; precisely after the same manner in which
it will exist temporally during the thousand
years, as described by Ezekiel. Fourthly, we
learn that it will be composed of precious stones
and gold, as the temporal city also will be, as
described by Isaiah. Fifthly, a pure river of
the water of life, clear as crystal, will flow

AND RESTORATION. 187

through this renewed city, proceeding from the
throne of God, just as living waters will flow
from the sanctuary in the temporal city, as de-
scribed by Ezekiel. Sixthly, the tree of life will
stand on either side of the river, even the tree
which will have once borne twelve manner of
fruits, and have yielded its fruit every month,
its leaves having been for the healing of the
nations. But now, when John sees it, the
nations have no need of healing, for there is no
more death, neither pain, nor sorrow, for the
former things have passed away, and all things
are become new ; consequently, he speaks in the
past tense, and says they were for the healing
of the nations; of course, referring to the times
when they existed temporally, according to
Ezekiel, before their final change.

Now, of the things of which we have spoken,
this is the sum : Ezekiel and the other Prophets
have presented us with a view of the cities of
Zion and Jerusalem as they will exist during
the one thousand years of rest called the
Millennium; and John has given us a view of
the same cities, after their final change, when
they come down from God out of heaven, and
rest upon the new earth. But Ether has given
us a sketch of them as they are to exist, both in
their temporal and in their eternal state ; and he
has told us plainly concerning their location,
first and last, namely, the New Jerusalem, in

188 THE RESURRECTION.

America, inhabited by the remnant of Joseph,
and those gathered with them who have washed
their robes, and made them white, in the blood
of the Lamb: and the other Jerusalem, in its
former place, inhabited by the house of Israel
gathered from the north countries, and from all
countries where they were scattered, having
washed their robes, and made them white, in
the blood of the Lamb. And here is the end of
the matter.

I would only add, that the government of the
United States has been engaged, for upwards
of nine years, in gathering the remnant of Joseph
to the very place where they will finally build a
New Jerusalem, a city of Zion, with the assist-
ance of the Gentiles, who will gather them
from all the face of the land; and this gathering
is clearly predicted in the Book of Mormon, and
other revelations, and the place before ap-
pointed, and the time set for its fulfilment.
And except the Gentiles repent of all their
abominations, and embrace the same covenant,
they will soon be utterly destroyed from off the
face of this land; as it is written by Isaioh,
11 The nation and kingdom that will not serve
thee shall perish. Yea, those nations shall be
utterly wasted." And as it is written by the
Prophet Nephi, in the latter part of the ninth,
and fore part of the tenth chapters of his rec-
ord, in the Book of Mormon, " And verily I say

AND RESTORATION. 189

unto you, I give unto you a sign, that ye may
know the time when these things shall be about
to take place, that I shall gather in from their
long dispersion my people , O house of Israel,
and sh ill establish again among them my Zion.
And behold, this is the thing which I will give
unto you for a sign; for verily I say unto you,
that when these things which I declare unto
you, and which I shall declare unto you here-
after of myself, and by the power of the Holy
Ghost, which shall be given unto you of the
Father, shall be made known unto the Gentiles,
that they may know concerning this people,
who are a remnant of the house of Jacob, and
concerning this my people who shall be scat-
tered by them: verily, verify, I say unto you,
when these things shall be made known unto
them of the Father, and shall come forth of the
Father, from them unto you, for .it is wisdom
in the Father, that they should be established
in this land, and be set up as a free people, by
the power of the Father, that these things might
come forth from them, unto a remnant of your
seed, that the covenant of the Father may be
fulfilled which he hath covenanted with his
people, O house of Israel. Therefore, when
these works, and the works which shall be
wrought among you hereafter, shall come forth
from the Gentiles unto your seed, which shall
dwindle in unbelief because of iniquity: for

190 THE RESURRECTION.

thus it behoveth the Father that it should come
forth from the Gentiles, that he may shew forth
his power unto the Gentiles, for this cause, that
the Gentiles, if they will not harden their hearts,
may repent and come unto me. and be baptized
in my name, that they may be numbered among
my people, O house of Israel; and when these
things come to pass, that thy seed shall begin to
know these things, it shall be a sign unto them,
that they may know that the work of the Father
hath already commenced, unto the fulfilling of
the covenant which he hath made unto the people
which are of the house of Israel. And when
that day shall come, it shall come to pass that
kings shall shut their mouths: for that which
had not been told them shall they see, and that
which they had not heard shall they consider.
For in that day, for my sake, shall the Father
work a work which shall be a great and a mar-
vellous work among them ; and there shall be
among them who will not believe it, although a
man shall declare it unto them. But behold, the
life of my servant shall be in my hand ; there-
fore they shall not hurt him, although he shall
be marred because of them. Yet I will heal
him, for I will show unto them that my wisdom
is greater than the cunning of the devil. There-
fore it shall come to pass that whosoever will
not believe in my words, who am Jesus Christ,
which the Father shall cause him to bring forth

AND RESTORATION. 191

unto the Gentiles, and shall give unto him
power that he shall bring them forth unto the
Gentiles, (it shall be clone, even as Moses said,)
they shall be cut off from among my people,
who are of the covenant; and my people, who
are a remnant of Jacob, shall be among the
Gentiles, yea, in the midst of them, as a lion
among the beasts of the forest, as a young lion
among the flocks of sheep, who, if he go through,
both treadeth down and teareth in pieces, and
none can deliver. Their hand shall be lifted up
upon their adversaries, and all their enemies
shall be cut off.

u Yea, woe be unto the Gentiles, except they
repent: for it shall come to pass in that day,
said the Father, that I will cut off thy horses
out of the midst of thee, and I will destroy thy
chariots, and I will cut off the cities of thy land,
and throw down all thy strongholds ; and I will
cut off witchcrafts out of thy land, and thou
shalt have no more soothsayers; thy graven
images I will also cut off, and thy standing im-
ages out of the midst of thee ; and thou shalt
no more worship the works of thy hands ; and
I will pluck up the groves out of the midst of
thee : so will I destroy thy cities. And it shall
come to pass, that all lyings, and deceivings,
and envyings, and strifes, and priestcrafts, and
whoredoms, shall be done away. For it shall
come to pass, saith the Father, that at that day,

192 THE RESURRECTION.

whosoever will not repent and come unto my
beloved Son, them will I cut off from among
my people, O house of Israel; and I will exe-
cute vengeance and fury upon them, even as
upon the heathen, such as they have not heard."
(Chap. ix. 11, 12.)

" But if they will repent, and hearken unto
my words, and harden not their hearts, I will
establish my Church among" them, and they
shall come in unto the covenant, and be
numbered among this the remnant of Jacob,
unto whom I have given this land for their
inheritance; and they shall assist my people,
the remnant of Jacob; and also as many of the
house of Israel as shall come, that they may
build a city, which shall be called the new
Jerusalem: and then shall they assist my people
that they may be gathered in, who are scattered
upon all the face of the land, into the New
Jerusalem. And then shall the power o± heaven
come down among them; and I also will be in
the midst ; and then shall the work of the Father
commence at that day, even when this Gospel
shall be preached among the remnant of this
people. Verily, I say unto you, at that day
shall the work of the Father commence amons: all
the dispersed of my people; yea, even the tribes
which have been lost, which the Father hath led
away out of Jerusalem. Yea, the work shall
commence among all the dispersed of my people,

AND RESTORATION. .193

with the Father to prepare the way whereby
they may come unto me, that they may call on
the Father in my name ; yea, and then shall the
work commence with the Father, among all
nations, in preparing the way whereby his peo-
ple may be gathered home to the land of their
inheritance. And they shall go out from all
nations ; and they shall not go out in haste, nor
go by flight, for I will go before them, saith the
Father, and I will be their rereward." (Chap,
x. 1.)

O ye remnant of Joseph, your secret is revealed,
ye who are despised, smitten, scattered, and
driven by the Gentiles from place to place, until
you are left few in number! " O thou afflicted,
tossed with tempest and not comforted;" lift
up your heads and rejoice, for your redemption
draweth nigh : yea, we have found your record,
the oracles of God once committed to your fore-
fathers, which have been hidden from you for a
long time, because of unbelief. Behold! they
are about to be restored to you again, then
shall you rejoice: for you shall know that it is
a blessing from the hand of God; and the scales
of darkness shall begin to fall from your eyes;
and the Gentiles shall not again have power
over you ; but you shall be gathered by them,
and be built up, and again become a delight-
some people. And the time has come; yea, the
work has already commenced ; for we have seen

N

194 THE RESURRECTION.

you gathering together, from all parts of the
land, unto the place "which God ha-« appointed
for the Gentiles to gather you; therefore, lay
down your weapons of war, cease to oppose
theGeniiles in the gathering of your various
tribes, for the hand of your great God is in all
this, and it was all foretold by your forefathers
ten thousand moons ago. Therefore, suffer
them peaceably to fulfil this last act of kind-
ness, as a kind reward for the injuries you have
received from them.

It is with mingled feelings of joy and sorrow
that I reflect upon these things. Sorrow, when
I think how you have been smitten; joy, when
I reflect upon the happy change that now awaits
you ; and sorrow again, when I turn my thoughts
to the awful destruction that awaits the Gentiles,
except they repent. But the eternal purposes
of Jehovah must roll on, until all his promises
are fulfilled, and none can hinder; therefore, O
God, thy will be done. But while I still linger
upon this subject, with feelings that are easier
felt than described, methinks I can almost hear
the Indian's mournful chant resounding through
his native woods. It whispers thus —

Great Spirit of our fathers, lend an ear;

Pity the red man, to his cries give ear;

Long hast thou scourged him, with thy chastening

sore ;
When will thy vengeance ceaae, thy wrath be o'er?

THE DEALINGS OF GOD 195

When will the white man's dire ambition cease,
And let our scatterd remnants dwell in peace?
Or shall we, driven to the western shore,
Become extinct, and fall to rise no more?

Forbid, great Spirit! make thy mercy known;
Reveal thy truth; thy wand'ring captives own;
Make bare thine arm of power for our release,
And o'er the earth extend the reign of peace.

CHAPTER VI.

THE DEALINGS OF GOD WITH ALL NATIONS, IN

REGARD TO REVELATION.

" And hath made of one blood all nations of men for
to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath deter-
mined the times before appointed, and the boumls of
their habitation; that they should seek the Lord, if
haply they might feel after him, and find him, though
he be not far from every one of us ; for in him we live,
and move, and have our being. " — Acts xvii. 26-28

In this text we learn, first, that all nations are
made of one blood ; secondly, they are designed
to dwell on all the face of the earth (America
not excepted) ; thirdly, that the Lord hath de-
termined the bounds of their habitation, that
is, He has divided the earth among His chil-
dren, giving each nation that portion which
seemed Him good — for instance, the land of
Canaan to Israel; Mouut SeirtoEsau; Arabia
to Ishmael ; America to the remnant of Joseph,

196 THE DEALINGS OF GOD

&c, as a father parcels off a large tract of land
to his several children ; and fourthly, He has
granted unto all the nations of the earth the
privilege of feeling after Him and finding Him:
since he is not so very far from every one of
them, whether they be in Asia, Africa, Europe,
or America, or even upon the islands of
the sea. Now, if any nation, in any age of
the world, or in any part of the earth, should
happen to live up to their privilege, what would
they obtain? I answer, revelation, for the
best of reasons, because no people ever found
God in any other way, nor ever will. There-
fore, if they found God, they found Him by
revelation, direct from Himself, He revealing
His will to them; and if they did not find Him
in this way, they never knew Him. And if they
did obtain revelation, it was their privilege to
write it, and make a record of the same, and
teach it to their children; and this record
would be sacred, because it would contain the
word of God; and thus it would be a Holy
Bible, no matter whether it was written by
the Jews, the Ten Tribes, the Nephites, or the
Gentiles. I would just as soon have the Gospel
written by Nephi, Mormon, Moroni, or Alma
as the Gospel written by Matthew, Mark, Luke,
or John. Again, I would just as soon believe a
revelation given in America, as believe a rev-
elation given in Asia; for if ever a nation

WITH ALL NATIONS, ETC. 197

failed to get a revelation, it was because they
did not attain unto that which was their privi-
lege. But why, then, was any nation ever lef$
in darkness, from age to age, without the light
of revelation to guide them? I answer, because
their forefathers, in some age of the world, re-
jectedrevelation, cast out and killed the Prophets,
and turned a deaf ear to the things of God, un-
til God took away that which they enjoyed, and
committed it to some other people, and left
them from generation to generation to grow up
in ignorance, until he should see fit again to
send His light and truth to that nation; but
those who reject no light are under no condem-
nation, and the mercy of God hath claim upon
them, through the blood of Christ; which
atoneth for the sins of the world. The heathen
who never had the light of revelation will be
saved by the blood of Christ: while their fore-
fathers who rejected the light are condemned,
for this is their condemnation, that when light
came they rejected it.

Now, on this subject let us examine the his-
tory of various ages. In the morn of creation
men had light by direct revelation, for Adam,
Cain, and Abel talked with the Lord. In the
next age men had light by revelation, for Enoch
walked with the Lord, and not only saw the
first coming of Christ, but his second coming
also, and he exclaimed, "Behold, the Lord

198 THE DEALINGS OF GOD

comelh with ten thousand of his saints, to take
vengeance on the ungodly," &c., as it is written
in Jude. From which it appears that Enoch
knew and prophesied concerning the Messiah
with all the plainness of an Apostle. Again, in
Noah's day, there was positive revelation. And
all these were Gentiles, or rather the word Israel
had not yet been named upon Jacob by the
angel. Now, if it was the privilege of so many
Gentiles to get the word of the Lord, and to
have the knowledge of the true God by revela-
tion, it was the privilege of all the rest; and if
any ran into darkness and worshipped idols,
until God gave them over to work all unclean-
ness with greediness, and finally took the
oracles of God from them, and confined them
more particularly to Abraham, it was because
they had for a long time rejected them, and
rendered themselves unworthy of them ; so that
from the days of Israel the oracles of God
seemed to pertain more particularly to the
chosen seed, chosen for that very purpose,
namely, that to them might be committed the
oracles of God, the Pritsthood, the service of
God, and the promises which had been in ex-
istence from the beginning among the Gentiles,
who had long rendered themselves unworthy of
such blessings.

But in process of time Israel had rendered
themselves unworthy of a continuance of such

WITH ALL NATIONS, ETC. 199

blessings, by stoning and killing the Prophets,
and rejecting the Messiah, and all those that
God sent unto them, until at length the Lord
took the kingdom from them as a nation, and
gave it again to the Geutiles; in the meantime
winking at all the ignorance through which the
Gentiles had passed, from the time the kingdom
had been taken from them until restored again.
But as soon as the kingdom of God was re-
stored again to the Gentiles, He commanded
them all everywhere to repent, and then if they
did not do itthey were under condemnation, but
not before. But no sooner was the kingdom
taken from the Jews, than the fruits of it dis-
appeared from among them, and they were dis-
persed into all the nations of the earth, where
they have never again heard the voice of inspira-
tion commanding them to repent. And if any
Gentile has commanded them to repent and be
baptized (in the name of the Lord) , without being
inspired and commanded to do it, it was an
imposition practised upon them. Not that re-
pentance was any harm, but the imposition
considered in professing to be sent with a mes-
sage when they were not; for when God
commands men to repent, He sends somebody
with the command, in order that they may teach
it to those for whom He designs it; and when
He does not command them to do a thing, He
does not require it at their hand. Any man

200 THE DEALINGS OF GOD

who says that the Jews, as a nation, have been
commanded to repent and be baptized, for the
last seventeen hundred years, say that which he
cannot prove, unless he can prove that there
has been a new revelation within that time, com-
missioning some man to go to them with such
an errand ; neither will any generation of Jews,
which have existed since inspiration ceased, be
condemned for rejecting any message from
God, for he has sent no message to them, con-
sequently they have rejected none; but their
forefathers, who did reject the things of God,
are under condemnation.

Again, when men were sent with the Gospel
to the Gentiles, they were commanded to repent;
and this command was in force, whenever men
came preaching, who were sent by proper author-
ity, and -inspired by the Holy Ghost; but when
they had kiiled the Apostles and inspired men,
and abused their privileges, until God took them
away, and left them without inspiration, then the
sin was answered upon that generation; and
those who have since came upon the stage of
action have never been commanded to repent and
be baptized (except by some new revelation) , and
any man who says that God has commanded a
Gentile to repent and obey the Gospel since the
days that inspiration ceased, or since the days
that Apostles and Prophets ceased from among
men, says that which he will not be able to prove

WITH ALL NATIONS, ETC. 201

unless he proves that some revelation has been
given since that time, again commissioning men
to go to the Gentiles with such an errand.

The fact is, God requires nothing more of a
generation than to do those things which He
commands them ; a generation to whom He re-
veals nothing, or to whom He does not send
men with a message from Him, have no mes-
sage to obey, and none to reject, and conse-
quently nothing is binding on 'them, except the
moral principles of right and wrong, which are
equally binding on all ages of the world,
according to the knowledge people have of
moral rectitude.

Bui; in these last days God has again spoken
from the heavens, and commissioned men to go
first to the Gentiles, commanding them every-
where to repent and obey the Gospel; and then
he has commanded them to go to the Jews also?
and command them to repent and obey the Gos-
pel; thus restoring again that which has been
so long lost from the earth. And whenever
their voices shall be heard issuing this proc-
lamation, in the name of Jesus, according as
he has commanded them, then and there the
people are under obligation to repent and be
baptized. And he that repents and is baptized
shall be saved; and he that does not believe
their testimony, and repent and be baptized,
shall be damned, for this plain reason, because

202 THE DEALINGS OF GOD

God has sent them, by revelation, with this
very errand, to this very generation, and he that
rejects the least of God's ambassadors rejects
Him that sent him, and therefore they are uuder
condemnation from that time forth. But the
message which God has sent these men with,
is binding only on the generation to whom it is
sent, and is not binding at all upon those who
are dead and gone before it came; neither will
it be binding on any generation which shall
come after, unless God should raise up men
and send unto them with the same Gospel, and
then that generation to whom he sends them
will be saved or damned, according as they
receive or reject their testimony.

People frequently ask the question — "If
God has sent men with certain truths which
are binding on the people, and without which
they cannot be saved, what will become of the
good people who have died before the message
came? " I answer, If they obeyed the message
which G^d sent to their own generation, they
will be saved; but if not, they will be damned;
but if God sent no message to that generation,
then they rejected none, and consequently are
under no condemnation; and they will rise up
in judgment against this generation, and con-
demn it; for if they had received the same
blessings which are now offered to us, they
would no doubt have received them gladly. The

WITH ALL NATIONS, ETC. 203

principle of condemnation, in all ages of the
world, is no other than rejecting the very mes-
sage which God sends to them, while they pre-
tend to cleave closely to that which He has sent
in former ages.

Woe unto you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypo-
crites, ye garnish the sepulchres of the Proph-
ets, and say, " If we had lived in the days of
our fathers, we would not have stoned and
killed the Prophets as they did." But ye your-
selves are witnesses, that you allow the deeds
of your fathers; for they killed the Prophets,
and you build their sepulchres. This was the
testimony of the Saviour to the Jews, who were
pretending to stand stiffly to their former
Prophets, and at the same time rejecting Jesus
and his Apostles. And so it is now in the
nineteenth century. You Christians (so
called) garnish the tombs of the Messiah and
his former Apostles, and even build fine chap-
els to their memory, entitling them Saint Peter's
Church, Saint Paul's Church, Saint John's
Church, &c. ; and you say, "If we had lived in
the days of the Apostles, we would not 'have
stoned and killed them." But ye yourselves
are witnesses that ye allow the deeds of your
fathers; for they killed the Apostles, and you
build chapels in honour of them; while at the
same time, if a Prophet or an Apostle comes
among you, you will forthwith shut your houses

204 THE DEALINGS OF GOD

against him, as soon as he testified of what God
has sent him to testify; for you say there are
to be no more Prophets or Apostles on the
earth, and you forthwith pronounce him a false
Prophet; and if a mob rise and kill him, or
burn his house, or destroy his goods, you will
either rejoice, or sit in silence and give coun-
tenance to the deed, and perhaps cry, " False
Prophets! " while your presses and pulpits
teem with all manner of lies concerning him.
Woe unto you, priests, pharisees, hypocrites;
but fill ye up the measure of your fathers, for as
they did, so do ye. Vengeance belongs to God.
He will speedily avenge His elect, who cry unto
Him day and night.

But to return to the subject of Revelation.
" There is nothing secret that shall not be re-
vealed: neither hid that shall not be known; "
this was a maxim of the Saviour. And again,
" The knowledge of the Lord is to cover the
earth, as the waters do the sea." Now, I ask
how this great overturn is to be brought about?
and I know no better way to answer this ques-
tion than to quote the prophecy of Nephi, Book
of Mormon, 2 Nephi xii. 8-10, "For I command
all men, both in the east, and in the west, and
in the north, and in the south, and in the is-
lands of the sea, that they shall write the words
which I speak unto them; for out of the books
which shall be written I will judge the world,

WITH ALL NATIONS, ETC. 205

every man according to their works, according
to that which is written. For behold, I shall
speak unto the Jews, and they shall write it.
And I shall also speak unto # the Nephites, and
they shall write it. And I shall also speak unto
the other tribes of the house of Israel which I
have led away, and they shall write it. And I
shall also speak unto all the nations of the earth,
and they shall write it. And it shall come to
pass that the Jews shall have the words of the
Nephites, and the Nepites shall have the words
of the Jews; and the Nephites and the Jews
shall have the words of the lost tribes of Israel;
and the lost tribes of Israel shall have the words
of the Nephites and the Jews. And it shall
come to pass, that my people, which are of the
house of Israel, shall be gathered home unto
the lands of their possessions ; and my word
also shall be gathered in one. And I will show
unto them that fight against my word, and
against my people who are of the house of
Israel, that I am God, and that I covenanted
with Abraham, that I would remember his seed
for ever."

20G

A CONTRAST.

CHAPTER VII.

A CONTRAST BETWEEN THE DOCTRINE OF CHRIST
AND THE FALSE DOCTRINES OF THE NINE-
TEENTH CENTURY.

" Whosoever transgresseth and abideth not in the
doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in
the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and
the Son. — 2 John, verse 9.

THE DOCTRINE OF CHRIST.

And these signs shall
follow them that be-
lieve.

In my name shall they
cast out devils.

They shall speak with
new tongues.

They shall take up
serpents, and if they
drink any deadly thing,
it shall not hurt them;
they shall lay hands on
the sick, and they shall
recover.

He that believeth on
me, the works that I do
shall he do also; and
greater works than
these shall he do; be-
cause I go to the Father.

THE DOCTRINES OF MEN.

And these signs shall
not follow them that
believe, for they are
done away and no
longer needed.

In his name they shall
not cast out devils.

The gift of tongues
is no longer needed.

If they take up ser-
pents, they will bite
them; if they drink any
deadly thing it will kill
them. They shall not
lay hands on the sick,
and if they do they shall
not recover; for such
things are done away.

He that believeth on
Christ shall not do any
of the miracles and
mighty work3 that he
did, for such things
have ceased.

A CONTRAST.

207

THE DOCTRINE OF CHRIST.

There is nothing se-
cret that shall not be re-
veal d, neitln rhid that
shall not be known.

And He shall {-end
His angels, and they
shall gather His elect
from the four winds,
&c.

And I saw an angel
flying in the midst of
heaven, having the
everlasting Gospel to
preach to them that
dwell on the earth, &c.

And when He, the
Spirit of truth, is come,
he will guide you into
all truth; again, " He
shall show you things to
come."

If ye abide in me,
and my words abide in
you, you shall ask
what you will in my
name, and I will give it
you.

Father, neilher pray
I for the- e alone, but for
all them that shall be-
lieve on me through
their words, that they

THE DOCTRINES OP MEN.

There is to be n>
more revelation, for all
things necessary are al-
ready revealed.

And there is to be no
m^re ministering of an-
gels, for such things are
done away.

Angels do not ap-
pear in this enlight-
ened age, because
they are no longer need-
ed.

Inspiration is no lon-
ger n. eded in this age
of learning and refine-
ment. Again, it shal>
not show you things to
come; for then you
would be a Prophet,
and there are to be
no Prophets in these
days.

It is not so in these
days, we must not ex-
pect to heal the sick and
work miracles, conse-
quently we must not ex-
pect to receive what we
ask for.

And we are all good
Christians, and we all
believe on him through
the Apostle's words, al-
though divided intolsev-

208

A CONTRAST.

THE DOCTRINE OF CHRIST.

may all be one, eveu as
we are one.

One Lord, one faith,
and one baptism.

And by one Spirit are
ye all baptized into one
body.

And God gave some
Apostles; and some,
Prophets; and some,
Evangelists; and some,
Pastors and Teach-
ers; for the perfecting
of the Saints, for the
work of the ministry,
for the edifying of the
body of Christ.

These gifts and of-
fices were to continue
until we all came into
the unity of the faith,
and of the knowledge
of the Son of God, unto
a perfect man, unto
the measure of the stat-
ure of the fulness of
Christ.

These gifts and of-
fices were given that
we henceforth be no
more children tossed to

THE DOCTRINES OF MEN.

eral hundred different
sects.

Many Lords, many
faiths, and three or four
kinds of baptism.

And by many spirits
are we all torn asunder
into different bodies.

And there are to be
no more Apostles, and
no more Prophets. But
the work of the min-
istry, the perfecting of
the Saints, and the
edify' ng of the differ-
ent bodies of Christ,
can all be done very
well without these
gifts of God, only give
us money enough to
educate and employ the
wisdom of men.

Apostles, miracles,
and gifts were to con-
tinue during the first
age of Christianity,
and then were to
cease, because no lon-
ger needed, having ac-
complished their pur-
pose.

Tracts, creeds, ser-
mons, and commen-
taries of uninspired
men, together with a
hireling priesthood, are

A CONTRAST.

209

THE DOCTRINE OF CHRIST.

about with every wind
of doctrine, by the
sleight of men, and
cunning craftiness,
whereby they lie in wait
to deceive.

For no man taketh
this honour upon him-
self, but he that is
called of God, as was
Aaron.

But how shall they
preach, except they be
sent (of God?)

Is any sick among
you? let him call for the
Elders of the Church;
and let them pray over
him, anointing him with
oil in the name of the
Lord : and the prayer of
faith shall save the sick,
and the Lord shall raise
him up ; and if he have
committed sins they
shall be forgiven him.

Eepent and be bap-
tized every one of you,
in the name of Jesus
Christ, for the remis-
sion of sins, and ye
shall receive the gift of
the Holy Ghost; for the

THE DOCTRINES OP MEN.

now necessary in or-
der to keep men from
being carried about
with every wind of doc-
trine, &c.

For no man taketh
this honour upon him-
self, but one who has
been educated for the
purpose, and commis-
sioned by men.

But how shall they
preach except they be
well educated for the
purpose, and sent (by
the board of officers?)

If auy are sick among
you, do not send for the
Elders of the Church;
or if the Elders come,
do not let them lay
hands on them, neither
let them anoint them in
the name of the Lord,
for this is all Mormon
delusion ; but send for
a good physician, and
perhaps they may get
well.

Repent and come to
the anxious seat (peni-
tent form), every one
of you, and cry, " Lord,
Lord," and may be you
will get forgiveness of
sins; and you may be

210

A CONTRAST.

THE DOCTRINE OPCHRI8T.

promise is unto you,
and to your children,
and to all that are afar
off, even as many as the
Lord our God shall call.
It shall come to pass
in the last days, saith
God, that ItviU pourout
my spirit upon all flesh :
and your sons and your
daughters shall proph-
esy, and your young
men shall see visions,
and your old men shall
dream dreams, &c.

Covet earnestly the
best gifts, but rather
that ye prophesy.

Covet to prophesy,
and forbid not to speak
with tongues.

But in vain do they
■worship me, teaching
for doctrines the com-
mandments of men.

I thank thee, O
Father, Lord of heaven
and earth, because thou
hast hid these things

THE DOCTRINES OP MEN.

baptized or not; but if
you do you will not get
the Holy Ghost as they
did anciently, for such
things are done away.

And in these last days
the Lord will not pour
out his Spirit so as to
cause our sons and
daughters to prophesy,
our old men to dream
dreams, and our young
men to see visions; for
such things are no lon-
ger needed, and it
is all delusion, and
none but the ignorant
believe such things.

Do not covet any of
the supernatural gifts,
put especially beware
of prophesying, for
such things are done
away.

Do not prophesy, and
it is all a delusion to
speak in tongues.

It matters not what
kind of doctrine, or
what system a man em-
bracer, if he is only
sincere and worships
Jesus Christ.

We thank God that
He has revealed noth-
ing to any person, wise
or simple for many,

A CONTRAST.

211

THE DOCTRINE OF CHRIST.

from the wise and pru-
dent, and hast revealed
them unto babes ; even
so, Father, for so it
seemed good in thy
sight.

No man knowelh the
Son but the Father,
neither knoweth any
man the Father save the
Son, and he to whom-
soever the Son will re-
veal Him.

And this is life eter-
nal, that they might
know thee, the only true
God, and Jesus Christ,
whom thou hast sent.

I thank my God al-
ways on your behalf,
for the grace of God
which is given you by
Jesus Christ, that in
every thing ye are en-
riched by Him in all ut-
terance, and in all
knowledge, even as the
testimony of Christ
(the spirit of prophecy)
was confirmed in you,
so that ye come behind
in no good gift, waiting
for the coming of our
Lord Jesus Christ.

THE DOCTRINES OF MEN.

hundred years, but that
our wise and learned
men have been able to
know God without a
revelation, and that we
shall never be favoured
with any more.

We all know God in
this enlightened age,
and yet neither the
Father nor the Son has
revealed any thing to
any of us, for we do
not believe revelations
are necessary now.

And we cannot know
for ourselves, by any
positive manifestation
in these days, but must
depend on the wisdom
and learning of men.

We thank the Lord
always in behalf of the
Church in these days,
that she has no super-
natural gifts given unto
her, and that she is not
enriched by Christ,
neither in the gift of
utterance, nor in the
gift of knowledge;
neither has she the
testimony of Jesus (the
spirit of prophecy) con-
firmed in' her, and she
comes behind in all
the gifts; nor is she

212

A CONTRAST.

THE DOCTRINE OF CHRIST.

The foolishness of
God is wiser than men ;
and the weakness of
God is stronger than
men. For you see your
calling; brethren, how
that not many wise men
after the flesh, not
many mighty, not many
noble are called; but
God hath chosen the
foolish things of the
world to confound the
wise; and God hath
chosen the weak things
of the world to con-
found the things which
are mighty, and
base things of the
world, and things
which are despised,
hath God chosen; yea,
and things which are
not to bring to nought
things that are ; that no
flesh should glory in
His presence.

And I, brethren,
when I came to you,
came not with excel-

THE DOCTRINES OF MEN.

waiting for, or expect-
ing the coming of the
Lord; for he has come
once, and never will
come again till the
great and last day, the
end of the earth.

The wisdom of men,
and the learning of men,
are better than the
inspiration of the Al-
mighty, for that is not
needed any longer ; for
you see your calling,
brethren, how that the
wise, and learned, and
noi»le, and mighty are
called in these days ; for
we have chosen such to
confound the foolish;
the unlearned, and the

yea,

to

ignorant;

confound the base
things of the world
which are despised,
that flesh might glory
in His presence.

And we, brethren,
when we came unto
you, came excellency of

A CONTRAST.

213

THE DOCTRINE OF CHRIST.

leucy of speech or of
wisdom, declaring unto
you the testimony of
God, for I determined
not to know anything
among you, save Jesus
Christ, and him cruci-
fied. And I was with
you in weakness, and
in fear, and in much
trembling. And my
speech and my preach-
ing was not with entic-
ing words of man's
wisdom, but in de-
monstration of the
Spirit and of power;
that your faith should
not stand in thewisdom
of men, but in the
power of God.

But we speak the
wisdom of God in a
mystery, even the
hidden wisdom, which
God ordained before
the world unto our
glory; which none of
the princes of this
world knew for had they
known it, they would
not have crucified the
Lord of glory.

But God hath re-
vealed them unto us, by
His Spirit; for the
Spirit searcheth all

THE DOCTRINES OF MEN.

speech, and with the
wisdom and learning of
man; and our speech
and our preaching were
with enticing words of
man's wisdom; not in
demonstration of the
spirit and power, for
that is done away ; that
your faith should not
stand in the power of
God, but in the wisdom
of man.

But we speak the
wisdom of man in a
mystery, even the
hidden wisdom, which
none but the learned
knew; for had others
known it, they would
never have been under
the necessity of employ-
ing us to tell it to
them.

But God hath re-
vealed nothing unto us
by His Spirit; for the
wisdom and learning of

214

A CONTRAST.

THE DOCTRINE OF CHRIST.

things, yea, the deep
things of God.

For what man know-
eth the things of a man,
save the spirit of man
which is in him? Even
so the things of God
knoweth no man, but
the Spirit of God.

Now, we have re-
ceived not the spirit of
the world, but the Spirit
which is of God; that
we might know the
things that are freely
given to us of God.

Which things also we
speak not in the words
which man's wisdom
teacheth, but which the
Holy Ghost teacheth:
comparing spiritual
things with spiritual.

But the natural man
receiveth not the things
of the spirit of God : for
they are foolishness
unto him; neither can
he know them, because

THE DOCTRINES OF MEN.

man search all things;
yea, all the deep things
which are necessary for
us to know.

For what man know-
eth the things of man,
save the spirit of man,
which is in him? Even
so the things of God
knoweth no man by the
Spirit of God in these
days, for it is done
away, or it reveals
nothing.

Now, we have not re-
ceived the Spirit of
God, but the spirit of
the world, that we
might not know for a
certainty, but that we
might guess at, or give
our opinion of, the
things of God.

Which things also we
spe^ak, not in the words
which the Holy Ghost
teacheth, but which
man's wisdom teach-
eth; for the inspiration
of the Holy Ghost is
done away.

But the learned man
may receive and under-
stand the things of God
by his own wisdom,
without the inspiration
of the Spirit; for who

A CONTRAST.

215

THE DOCTRINE OP CHRIST.

they are spiritually dis-
cerned.

Let no man deceive
himself. If any man
among you seemeth to
be wise in this world,
let him become a fool,
that he may be wise.

For the wisdom of
this world is foolish-
ness with God : for it is
written, He taketh the
wise in their own craft-
iness. And again, the
Lord knoweth the
wise, that they are
vain. Therefore let no
man glory in men.

Now concerning spir-
itual gifts, brethren, I
would not have you ig-
norant.

But the manifesta-
tion of the Spirit is
given to every man to
profit withal.

For to one is given
by the Spirit the word
of wisdom ; to another,

THE DOCTRINES OF MEN.

will be so foolish as to
believe in visions and
revelations in this re-
ligious age?

Let no man deceive
himself. If any man
among you seemeth to
be wise in the things
of God, let him get the
wisdom of m<
may be wise.

For the wisdom of
God is foolishness with
the world, for it is
written. Let us edu-
cate young men for the
ministry; and again,
Let no man preach who
has not been educated
for the purpose; and
especially, receive no
man who professes to
be inspired.

Now, con cerning
spiritual gifts, breth-
ren, we would have you
entirely ignorant, for
they are not needed at
all in this generation.

But the manifestation
of the Spirit is given to
no man to profit at all.

But to one is given,
by the learning of men,
the word of wisdom;

216

A CONTRAST.

THE DOCTRINE OF CHRIST.

the word of knowledge
by the same Spirit.

To another, faith by
the same Spirit; to an-
other the gift of heal-
ing by the same Spirit.

To another the work-
ing of miracles; to
another, prophesy; to
another, discerning of
spirits: to another,
divers kinds of tongues ;
to another, the interpre-
tation of tongues.

For as the body is
one, and hath many
members, and all the
members of that one
body, being many, are
one body, so also is
Christ.

For by one Spirit are
we all baptized into one
body, whether we be
Jews or Gentiles,
whether we be bond or
free; and have been all
made to drink into one
Spirit.

For the body is not
one member, but many.

But now hath God set
the members every one

THE DOCTRINES OP MEN.

and to another the word
of knowledge by human
learning.

And to another faith,
by the same Spirit; but
to none the gift of heal-
ing by the same Spirit.

And to none the work-
ing of miracles, and to
none to prophesy, and
to none discerning of
spirits, and to none to
speak with divers kinds
of tongues, and to none
to interpret tongues.

For as the body is
composed of many sects
and parties who are op-
posed to each other, and
have no gifts, and, be-
ing many sects, are but
one body, so also is
Antichrist.

For by many spirits
are we all baptized into
many bodies, whether
we be Catholics or
Protestants, Presbyte-
rians or Methodists, but
have all drank into one
spirit, even the spirit of
the world.

For the body is not
one sect, but many.

But now hath the god
(of this world) set the

A CONTRAST.

217

THE DOCTRINE OF CHRIST.

of them in the body, as
it hath pleased Him.

And if they were all
one member, where
were the body?

But now they are
many members, but one
body.

Now ye are the body
of Christ, and members
in particular.

And God hath set
some in the Church,
first Apostles ; second-
ly, Prophets ; thirdly,
Teachers; after that,
miracles; then, gifts of
healings, helps, govern-
ments, diversities of
tongues.

Blessed are ye, when
men shall revile you,
and persecute you, and
shall say all manner of
evil against you falsely,
for my sake: rejoice,
and be exceedingly
glad ; for great is your
reward in heaven; for
so persecuted they the
Prophets which were
before you.

Give to him that ask-
eth thee ; and from him

THE DOCTRINES OP MEN.

sects and parties in the
body (of Antichrist) as
it hath pleased him.

And if they were all
one sect, where were
the body.

But now are they
many sects, yet but one
body (even Babylon) .

Now ye are the body
of Antichrist, and mem-
bers in particular.

And man hath set
some in the Church;
first a hireling Priest;
secondly, a board of
officers ; thirdly, tracts ;
then commentaries,
creeds, and diversities
of opinions; hence
societies, and wondrous
helps.

Woe unto you, when
men revile you, and per-
secute you, and say all
manner of evil against
you falsely for Christ's
sake. Lament ye, and
be exceedingly sorrow-
ful in that hour, for
little is your reward
among men, for so per-
secute they the Latter-
day Saints.

Give to him that ask-
eth of thee, if he be able

218

A CONTRAST.

THE DOCTRINE OF CHRIST.

that would borrow of
thee turn thou not away.

Be ye therefore per-
fect, even as your
Father who is in heaven
is perfect.

Take heed that you do
not your alms before
men, to be seen of them ;
otherwise ye have no
reward of your Father
who is in heaven.

Therefore, when thou
doest thine alms, donot
sound a trumpet before
thee, as the hypocrites
do in the synagogues
and in the streets, that
they may have glory of
men. Verily, I say unto
you, They have their re-
ward.

And when thou pray-
est, thou shalt not be as
the hypocrites are: for
they love to pray stand-
ing in the synagogues
and in the corners of
the streets, that they
may be seen of men.

Moreover, when ye

THE DOCTRINES OF MEN,

to make thee a similar
present: and from him
that would borrow of
thee turn not thou
away, if he be able to
pay thee again with
good interest.

Do not think to be
perfect, for it is impos-
sible to live without
sin.

Take heed thatyou do
your alms before men,
to be seen of them:
otherwise you have no
reward nor praise from
the children of men

Therefore, when thou
doest thine alms, pub-
lish it in the Missionary
Herald, or some other
paper, thatyou may get
praise of the world.
Verily, I say unto you,
You shall have your re-
ward.

And when thou pray-
est, be like the hypo-
crites in days of old ; go
before the public and
cry mightily, notexpect-
ing to be heard and an-
swered, for that would
be miraculous, and
miracles have ceased.

Moreover, when ye

A CONTRAST.

219

THE DOCTRINE OF CHRIST.

fast, be not, as the hy-
pocrites, of a sad coun-
tenance; for they dis-
figure their faces, that
they may appear unto
men to fast. Verily, I
say uuto you, They have
their reward.

Lay not up for your-
selves treasures upon
earth, where moth and
rust doth corrupt, and
where thieves break
through and steal; but
lay up for yourselves
treasures in heaven;
where neither moth nor
rust doth corrupt, and
where thieves do not
break through nor
steal; for where your
treasure is, there will
your heart be also.

Therefore, all things
whatsoever ye would
that men should do to
you, do ye even so to
them; for this is the
law and the Prophets.

Enter ye in at the
strait gate, for wide is
the gate and broad is
the way that leadeth
to destruction, and
many there be which go
in thereat.

THE DOCTRINES OF MEN.

fast, be like the hypo-
crites, of a sad counte-
nance, that ye may ap-
pear unto men to fast:
so that you may get
your reward.

Lay up for yourselves
abundance of treasures
on the earth, where
moth and rust doth cor-
rupt, and where thieves
break through and
steal : for if your heart
is only in heaven, it is
no matter how rich you
are in this world; for
now it is come to pass
that ye can serve God
and mammon.

Therefore, all things
whatsoever men do to
you, do ye even so to
them; for this is the
law and the practice.

Enter ye in at the
wide gate, where the
multitude go; for it
cannot be that all our
great and learned men
are wrong, and nobody
right but a few obscure
individuals.

220

A CONTRAST.

THE DOCTRINE OF CHRIST.

Because straight is
the gate, and narrow is
the way, that leadeth
unto life, and few there
be that find it.

Beware of false
Prophets, which come
to you in sheep's cloth-
ing, but inwardly they
are ravening wolves.
Ye shall know them by
their fruits. Do men
gather grapes of thorns,
or figs of thistles?

Wherefore, by their
fruits ye shall know
them. Not ,every one
that saith unto me,
Lord, Lord, shall enter
into the kingdom of
heaven; but he that
doeth the will of my
Father who is in heav-

And it came to pass,
when Jesus had ended
these sayings, the peo-
ple were astonished at
his doctrine: for he
taught them as one
having authority, and
not as the scribes.

THE DOCTRINES OF MEN.

For the narrow way
is not altogether too
strait, but only a very
few travel in it.

Beware of Prophets
who come to you with
the Word of God; you
may know at once they
are false, without hear-
ing them or examining
their fruits; popular
opinion is against them ;
whereas, if they were
men of God, the people
would speak well of
them.

If we were only sure
that we have experi-
enced religion, and we
pray often, we shall be
saved, whether we do
the word's will or not;
for it mattereth not
what system we em-
brace, whether it be
right or wroDg, if we
are only sincere.

And it came to pass,
when men had ended
these sayings, the peo-
ple were pleased with
their doctrines, for
they taught them not as
men having authority,
but as the scribes.

/

DATE DUE

JAN1

6 1990

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NUV 11

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230?

DEMCO 38-297

3 1197 00091 3969

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