so far as it regards the religion of eyes open to discern the wide difference between the religion of the Bible heaven. It is the very age predicted and their powerless forms invented by the devil and his servants-they fear that their popularity will wane, and their salaries be decreased or entirely fail them. To travel without purse or scrip, as the Latter-day and Former-day Saints have done, they cannot afford to do. And then if they should do so, they would receive no reward, but condemnation for preaching false doctrines among the people. Oh tell it not by Isaiah, the Prophet, when "darkness should cover the earth and gross darkness the people;" it is a day of thick darkness-darkness that has been accumulating for centuries, through the abominations practiced by the apostate nations of Christendom. Not even one ray of light from heaven has forced its passage through the dark, gloomy, dismal night with which they have been for centuries If they preach false doctrines they enshrowded, until an angel penetrated think that they must be well paid: the depths and brought to light that for it is the only reward that they sacred, heavenly, and most precious can get, and bye-and-bye the end treasure-the Book of Mormon-and comes and they are hewn down and raised up inspired men by which light cast into the fire: their motto, then from heaven again shines on our is, to live grand while they have the earth. But so great are the mists of chance, and so long as they can de- darkness, that this generation do not lude the nations with their apostate perceive the light. The light shineth forms of religion, under the sacred in darkness but the darkness compregarb of Christianity, they have the hendeth it not.” prospect of waxing fat on the hard earnings of their deluded victims. No wonder then that ancient Christianity, taught by the humble servant of God, as the Holy Ghost gives him utterance, is like an arrow to the hearts of such hypocritical imposters. Oh! how abhorrent and disgusting to a humble servant of Christ, and to God, and to all His holy angels, to see Catholic and Protestant ministers enter their richly adorned churches and chapels, and there pretend to worship God, when they are as destitute of almost every feature of ancient Christianity as the devil and his angels. The days are not far distant when such base hypocrites, and all that will suffer themselves to be deceived by them, will be cast down by devouring fire, that their impositions, and their hypocrisies, and their corruptions, and all their filthiness and abominations, may cease to come up before the Lord of Hosts. "An age of light!" in the face of high heaven! Where are your holy apostles inspired from heaven to speak the word of the Lord in the ears of fallen man? Where are your prophets to lift up their voices by the word of the Lord, and warn the nations of approaching danger? Where are your Seers, enrapped in the visions of the Almighty, bringing to light things both new and old, opening the grand events of futurity, and unlocking the hidden mysteries of the heavenly world? Where now is the voice of inspiration, and the voice of angels, to salute the ears of mortal man with glad tidings of great joy? Where now are the gifts of healing-the opening of the eyes of the blind-the unstopping of the ears of the deafthe speaking with other tongues, and all the miraculous gifts and powers of the Holy Ghost? They are not to be found in apostate Christendom, only Tremble and fear! for if there ever as enjoyed by the Latter-day Saints. were a generation that had need to Will Christendom have the unblushtremble and fear, it is the present.-ing impudence to call themselves the Tell about this being an enlightened people of God, when they are destiage-an age of gospel light! Never tute of all those most precious gifts was there an age of greater darkness promised in the gospel? An age since man was created upon the earth of light!" Oh shame! Oh impu dence! when will you cease to call evil is it, that you can be so hard in your good? How long will the heavens suf- hearts and blind in your minds that fer such wickedness to go unpunished! you cannot perceive the hand of the "An age of light!""a Christian Lord in bringing to light the sacred nation!" Go to all your large cities Records of the ancient Israelites who throughout the land—find one, if you dwelt upon this continent? Why do can, where there are not whoredoms you condemn that most excellent and other abominations enough, com- work upon popular rumour, without mitted every day, to sink the whole even reading one page of its contents? nation to the lowest hell. Look at Why will you be proud in your hearts, the swarms of public prostitutes, per- and exalt yourselves above all other mitted to roam at large and corrupt nations, and boast in your own society with their accursed filthiness, strength as a nation, and imagine and then lift your eyes to heaven and that no evil will come upon you, hypocritically thank God that you though you continue in your wickedlive in such a christian nation. Oh, ness? Why not discern and underfear and tremble, ye hypocrites, ye stand that it is God that has made whited sepulchres, lest God shall you a strong and powerful nation, and smite you, for thus provokingly tell- not yourselves? It is God that seting him that you are a christian na-teth up and pulleth down. If you tion! But God suffers you thus to corrupt yourselves, because you love darkness, and priestcrafts, and whoredoms, and false doctrines and every evil work. He will suffer you until your golden cup is full and running over, that he may visit you with a more speedy and awful judgment, and blot out your name from under heaven! Then shall the holy apostles, and prophets, and all the heavens rejoice over your downfall; for you shal! fall to rise no more. At the present time, so great is your wickedness, that silence reigns in heaven, and all eternity is pained, and the angels are waiting with longing anxiety for the great command to reap down the harvest of the earth, and bind the tares in bundles, and give them to the burning flame! And if you will not listen to the warning voice, and repent, the servants of God will not cease their cries to the heavens, until God shall come out of his hiding place, and make a full end, that the earth may be cleansed and rest for a season. How is it, that you will not awake to a sense of the awful condition that you are in? How is it, that you will close your eyes to the signs of the times, and not perceive the day of your visitation? How is it, that you will not pay any attention to that which belongs to your peace? How would repent, as He requires you in If this new revelation required you to do something that was evil, you would have some reason for distrusting it and paying no attention to it; but when it requires you to repent, and forsake every evil practice, and sets forth your evils and abominations plainly before your eyes, of which you yourselves know that you are guilty, where is your excuse for not obeying, even though you may think that it is the work of man? If it be the work of man, can you be excused, and will God overlook all the sins which you know you are guilty of and which that book accuses you of, and which it requires you to repent of? if No: : you have no excuse; you well would be beneficial, because you are know that you ought to repent of ev- afraid of giving sanction to the ery evil of which that book accuses Book of Mormon. you; and that God will in no wise Another thing should cause you to acquit the guilty. And if you already fear and tremble exceedingly. You know this, how much more ought should remember that, that very book you to fear when a professed revela- is substantiated to this generation with tion makes its appearance threatening far greater evidence than they have you with awful and speedy judgment, for any other revelation. (See "Divine you do not repent. Authenticity of the Book of MorOh my nation! the inhabitants of mon," by O. Pratt.) To reject so great this beautiful and lovely country! open evidence, and still remain in your sins your ears to the voice of your Re- will be presumptuous on your part. deemer, whose bowels of compassion Again, every man in the nation has yearn over you-whose voice is to all the privilege on condition of repentthe inhabitants of the land calling up-ance and obedience of receiving the on them to repent, and turn away from Holy Ghost, which will most assuredall their iniquities, and be baptized in ly guide them into all truth, and bear His name for the remission of their record unto them of the truth of this sins, that they may be filled with the New Revelation, so that they may Holy Ghost. Then shall ye know have the same knowledge of the diHis voice, and the voice of his ser- vine Authenticity of the Record as vants, and the voice of his spirit: for they have of any other truth. To the spirit is light, and maketh mani- know a thing to be true certainly fest the truth, and if it be in you, you would impart more happiness and shall be the children of light and not joy, than to remain in uncertainty and walk in darkness. doubt. A knowledge of the truth Now what man is there in all this will give stability to the mind, so that nation that will not acknowledge that it will not fluctuate to and fro with repentance would not only be benefi- every wind of doctrine, invented by cial to individuals, but to the whole the cunning craftiness of uninspired nation? Why then condemn the men. Is there any excuse therefore, Book of Mormon, for calling upon for any man in the nation? when it you to do that which you know is within the power of all to obtain would be beneficial? But, you may the most perfect knowledge that the reply, the Book of Mormon professes Book of Mormon is a revelation from to be a New Revelation and to call God? And especially when this upon us by authority to repent, and knowledge is to be obtained by doing. we do not believe in new revelation, that which every man will acknowland therefore we will not repent.- edge ought to be done, and which all A poor excuse, indeed! that you will see would be beneficial both to indinot do that which you acknowledge viduals and to the nation to do? ZION OF ENOCH. BY THE EDITOR. What is the meaning of the word righteousness; and there was no poor Zion The Prophet Enochans wers among them." The Lord by the this question in the following lan- mouth of Joseph the Prophet gave guage" And the Lord called His the following definition :-"Let Zion people Zion, because they were of rejoice, for this is Zion-The pure one heart and one mind, and dwelt in in Heart." Enoch was called of God, when but a young man, and was sent | tyred Prophet Joseph, this valley is in forth unto the antediluvian nations to the state of Missouri, only about 50 preach Faith, Repentance, and Bap- or 60 miles north of Jackson Co., tism for the remission of sins, and to where the city of Zion is to be built Prophesy and warn the people of ap-up in the last days. From the fact proaching judgment. Many among that Adam "called" his descendants the nations hearkened to his voice, into that valley, we have reason to beand received the gospel, and became lieve that it was his place of residence the sons of God; for the Holy Ghost his old homestead, perhaps, where fell upon them, and they were born he may have dwelt for many centuof God. These by the commandment ries. of God, were gathered out from the nations by themselves, and they were established upon the high places of the earth and upon the mountains; and became sanctified before the Lord; "and the Lord came and dwelt with His people, and they dwelt in righteousness. The fear of the Lord was upon all nations, so great was the glory of the Lord which was upon His people." Enoch built a city, called Zion, and the people who received the gospel through his ministry dwelt therein.It is very probable that Jared the father of Enoch and all his Ancestors, even to Adam, were not located very far from the city of Enoch. Whether Adam and all those of his descendants who were righteous in Enoch's day still dwelt near their native country; or whether they had emigrated from It was under these circumstances some distant part of the earth in order that the Lord called his people Zion. to detach themselves from the wickedAnd from what God has revealed, ness of surrounding nations, we canconcerning this great continent, we not positively determine without furhave reason to believe that this is the ther revelation. As the earth was not very land where the righteous were divided into continents and islands begathered in the days of Enoch. And fore Enoch's day, it would not have there are indications in the revelations been difficult for Adam, and the rightwhich God has given us through the eous of those days, to have emigrated mouth of Joseph Smith, that this is by land from the opposite side of the the very land, where once flourished globe to this country. But if the the garden of Eden. One thing is Ancestors of Enoch came with him certain, that three years previous to from some distant part of the globe, Adam's death he called Seth, Enos, it would be reasonable to suppose Cainan, Mahalaleel, Jared, Enoch, and that they would have located themMathuselah, who were all high priests, selves in the same city with him, and with the residue of his posterity who have been translated and caught up were righteous, into the valley of Ad-into heaven with him and his people. am--Ondi-Ahman, and there bestowed But from the fact that all his Ancesupon them his last blessing. And the tors, except Adam, were alive at Lord appeared unto them, and they the time that Zion was caught up, and rose up and blessed Adam, and called that they were all left behind and him Michael, the Prince, the Archan-lived on the earth many years after gel. And the Lord administered com- that event, it seems almost certain that fort unto Adam, and said unto him, I they did not live in Zion; but probahave set thee to be at the head--a multi-bly were located on their old inhertude of nations shall come of thee, and itances where they lived when the thou art a prince over them for ever," foundations of Zion were laid. (Doc. and Cov. Sec. 2: 28.) Here then were eight generations, including all the righteous of Adam's posterity, all assembled in the valley of "Adam-Ondi-Ahman." According to other revelations of the mar Mathuselah, the son of Enoch, was also left hehind, and lived for some six centuries until the flood. His grand-son, Noah, most probably built the Ark in this land: if so, he must have been wafted by winds and cur flood. rents for many months until he landed and from that time forth there were upon the mountains of Ararat. wars and bloodsheds among them." Without direct revelation it would Here flourished the city of Zion, have been difficult for Noah to have built by Enoch and his people, and determined the geographical position God chose it for his dwelling place of his landing place; he and his sons for ever, and He came and dwelt in located themselves in Asia, and it is the midst of it; and His glory oververy doubtful whether they had any shadowed it for upwards of three cenidea of the great distance that inter-turies, when it was taken up with all vened between them and their native the inhabitants thereof into heaven.country. Here was built an ark of safety, whereAmerica, then, may be considered in seed of all flesh was preserved to the Old world-the cradle of the hu- repeople a world cleansed from wickman race-the theatre of events per-edness by baptism in the mighty taining to the antediluvian age. From American soil was formed the first What portion of the land was taken tabernacles of man and beast, fowl and up with the Zion of Enoch is not recreeping things. Here was the gar-vealed. It seems very probable that den of the Lord, where flourished the a sufficient quantity of the earth would tree of life whose fruit was calculated to impart immortality and eternal life to those who should partake thereof. Here God conversed freely with man and gave him dominion over the earth. Here Satan introduced sin, and misery, and death. Here holy messengers guarded with a flaming sword the tree of life from the hands of fallen man. Here Cain imbrued his hands in the blood of righteous Abel. Here nations multiplied on nations and waxed strong in wickedness before God. Here Enoch preached repentance and baptism for the remission of sins, and led the people of God, who overcame their enemies that came to battle against them. Here Enoch "spake the word of the Lord, and the earth trembled, and the mountains fled, even according to his command; and the rivers of water were turned out of their course; and the roar of the lions was heard out of the wilderness; and all nations feared greatly, so powerful was the word of Enoch, and so great was the power of language which God had given him. There also came up a land out of the depth of the sea; and so great was the fear of the enemies of the people of God that they fled and stood afar off, and went upon the land which came up out of the depths of the sea. And the giants of the land, also, stood afar off; and there went forth a curse upon all the people which fought against God: be translated with the city to form inheritances for the people. In what part of space this city is located is unknown. During the interval between the translation of Zion and the flood, angels came down out of heaven and appeared unto many, "and the Holy Spirit fell on many and they were caught up by the powers of heaven into Zion." The descendants of Noah not having faith sufficient to be caught up into Zion, concluded to build a tower sufficiently high to get there without being under the necessity of receiving a translation. From this it appears that the early descendants of Noah had an idea that Zion was located somewhere near the earth. Abraham sought to become an inhabitant of the same city; for, as Paul declares, "he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God." Abraham understood that in the translation of the city there was something more than the houses caught up: he was aware that the city had "foundations" as well as buildings; and he knew that God was the "builder and maker" of it; or, in other words, that God gave Enoch the pattern and instructed him how to build it. There have been many conjectures among the saints in regard to the condition of the inhabitants of Enoch's city: some have supposed them still to be mortal-that they die-ard that |
