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The Evening and The Morning Star/1/5
The Evening and the Morning Star: Volume 1, Number 5
Summary:Source document in Mormon Publications: 19th and 20th Centuries online archive: The Evening and The Morning Star Vol. 1 Note: Some headings and bracketed texts are editorial and not part of the original text.
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The Evening and the Morning Star: Volume 1, Number 5
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| THE EVENING AND THE MORNING STAR | ||
| Vol. 1. | Independence, Mo. October, 1832 | No. 5. |
THE TEN TRIBES.
Perhaps some might think, that we ought to embrace the scattering of the twelve tribes in this article, but a moment's reflection will show the propriety of taking the ten lost tribes first. We have a sufficient foundation for the scattering and gathering of Israel in the 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, and 33rd chapters of Deuteronomy: That glorious blessing, The Lord shall open unto thee his good treasures, if thou shalt hearken unto the commandments to do them; that solemn curse, But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe to do all his commandments, that thou shalt become an astonishment, a proverb, and a by-word among all nations whither the Lord shall lead thee, and that sacred promise: And it shall come to pass, when all these things are come upon thee, the blessing and the curse, that the Lord will have compassion upon thee and will return and gather thee from all the nations whither the Lord thy God hath scattered thee,-when traced through the bible and fully explained, would be more than the world would believe at once, or do believe now, and so we take the ten tribes as the subject of this essay, allowing all men their own privilege of searching the scriptures for themselves, to know whether these things are so or not; and how much of the blessing fell to the lot of Israel, from the day it was pronounced till Solomon showed the queen of Sheba his glory; and how much of the curse came upon this elect nation, when it went into captivity and was scattered to the four winds: that they may the better judge whether the Lord will return according to his sacred promise, and gather his elect from every country where they were scattered in a dark and cloudy day.
The division of Israel was foretold by Ahijah the prophet, in the days of Solomon, when he tore the new garment of Jeroboam into twelve pieces, saying, Take thee ten pieces: for thus said the Lord, the God of Israel, Behold, I will rend the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon, and will give ten tribes to thee. Some time after this, the destiny of the ten tribes was made known, for Jeroboams' wife went to the same prophet to inquire concerning the life of her sick child, and received for answer that it should die, For the Lord shall smite Israel, as a reed is shaken in the water; and he shall root up Israel out of this good land, which he gave to their fathers, and shall scatter them beyond the river, because they have made their groves, provoking the Lord to anger. And he shall give Israel up because of the sins of Jeroboam, who did sin, and who made Israel to sin. Some where about 250 years after this prophecy was given, it was fulfilled: Shalmaneser king of Assyria made Hoshea, king of Israel, tributary, and soon after, finding conspiracy in him, he took Samaria, and carried Israel away into Assyria, For the children of Israel walked in all the sins of Jeroboam which he did; they departed not from them; until the Lord removed Israel out of his sight, as he had said by all his servants the prophets.-So was Israel carried away out of their own land to Assyria unto this day. This is the captivity of Jacob or Israel, and it happened 124 years before the Babylonish captivity of the tribe of Judah. Ezekiel speaking of the whole captivity, says, Thus said the Lord God, I will also take of the highest branch of the high cedar, and will set it; I will crop off from the top of his young twigs a tender one, and will plant upon a high mountain and eminent: In the mountain of the height of Israel will I plant it: and it shall bring forth boughs, and bear fruit, and be a goodly cedar: and under it shall dwell all fowl of every wing; in the shadow of the branches thereof shall they dwell. And all the trees of the field shall know that I the Lord have brought down the high tree, have exalted the low tree, have dried up the green tree, and have made the dry tree to flourish: I the Lord have spoken and have done it.
The highest branch of the high cedar, is Israel, for Israel is swallowed up: now shall they be among the Gentiles as a vessel wherein is no pleasure: For they are gone up to Assyria, A WILD ASS ALONE BY HIMSELF. Having thus traced Israel to Assyria, where he is figuratively declared by Hosea, to be a wild ass alone by himself, and where he has remained in complete obscurity from the world, 2556 years, let us consider what else is to become of him. The Savior declares that he was sent to the lost sheep of the house of Israel, and in another place he says: And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold and one shepherd. These words admit of no cavil or supposition; if the Savior came to the lost sheep of the house of Israel, and declared that he had other sheep besides the Jews at Jerusalem, we believe him; let us then take his words to the Nephites as recorded in the Book of Mormon:
And now it came to pass that when Jesus had spoken these words, he said unto those twelve whom he had chosen, Ye are my disciples; and ye are a light unto this people, which are a remnant of the house of Joseph. And behold, this is the land of your inheritance; and the Father hath given it unto you. And not at any time hath the Father given me commandment that I should tell it unto your brethren at Jerusalem; neither at any time hath the Father given me commandment, that I should tell unto them concerning the other tribes of the house of Israel, which the Father hath led away out of the land. This much did the Father command me that I should tell unto them, That other sheep I have, which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd. And now because of stiffneckedness and unbelief, they understood not my word; therefore I was commanded to say no more of the Father concerning this thing unto them. But, verily I say unto you, that the Father hath commanded me, and I tell it unto you, that you were separated from among them because of their iniquity; therefore it is because of their iniquity, that they know not of you. And verily, I say unto you again, That the other tribes hath the Father separated from them; and it is because of their iniquity, that they know not of them. And verily, I say unto you, That ye are they of which I said, Other sheep I have, which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd. And they understood me not, for they supposed it had been the Gentiles: for they understood not that the Gentiles should be converted through their preaching; and they understood me not that I said, They shall hear my voice; and they understood me not that the Gentiles should not at any time hear my voice; that I should not manifest myself unto them, save it were by the Holy Ghost. But behold, ye have both heard my voice, and seen me; and ye are my sheep, and ye are numbered among them which the Father hath given me. And verily, verily I say unto you, That I have other sheep which are not of this land; neither of the land of Jerusalem; neither in any parts of that land round about, whither I have been to minister. For they of which I speak, are they which have not as yet heard my voice; neither have I at any time manifested myself unto them. But I have received a commandment of the Father that I shall go unto them, and that they shall hear my voice, and shall be numbered among my sheep, that there may be one fold, and one shepherd; therefore I go to shew [show] myself unto them. And I command you that ye shall write these sayings, after that I am gone, that if it so be that my people at Jerusalem, they which have seen me, and been with me in my ministry, do not ask the Father in my name, that they may receive a knowledge of you by the Holy Ghost, and also of the other tribes which they know not of, that these sayings which ye shall write, shall be kept, and shall be manifested unto the Gentiles, that through the fulness [fullness] of the Gentiles, the remnant of their seed which shall be scattered forth upon the face of the earth, because of their unbelief, may be brought in, or may be brought to a knowledge of me their Redeemer.
While quoting the Book of Mormon let us take a small extract from the parable of the Lord's vineyard, where it is likened unto a tame olive tree, viz:
And it came to pass that the Lord of the vineyard saith unto the servant, Come, let us go to the nethermost part of the vineyard, and behold if the natural branches of the tree hath not brought forth much fruit also, that I may lay up of the fruit thereof, against the season, unto mine ownself. And it came to pass that they went forth whither the master of the vineyard had hid the natural branches of the tree, and he saith unto the servant, Behold these: and he beheld the first, that it had brought forth much fruit; and he beheld also, that it was good. And he saith unto the servant, Take of the fruit thereof, and lay it up against the season, that I may preserve it unto mine ownself: for behold, saith he, This long time have I nourished it, and it hath brought forth much fruit.
And it came to pass that the servant saith unto his master, How comest thou hither to plant this tree, or this branch of the tree? for behold, it was the poorest spot in all the land of thy vineyard. And the Lord of the vineyard saith unto him, Counsel me not: I knew that it was a poor spot of ground; wherefore, I said unto thee, I have nourished it this long time; and thou beholdest that it hath brought forth much fruit.
Here we have a clue to the place where Israel is; for while standing upon the centre [center] of the earth, it would be perfectly natural to call the north, south, east, and west, nethermost, or lowest; and as this branch was the first that the Lord had hid, it would evidently mean the ten tribes as they were the first carried away. Again, when the Lord begins to call home his branches that were hid about in the lower parts of his vineyard, he says to the north first, [because first planted] Give up.-The world has been troubled a good deal to find Israel and to get to the north pole, and to search out the Northern Lights, but when the Lord shall utter his voice out of Zion, and shall speak from Jerusalem; and his voice shall be heard among all people; and it shall be as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder, which shall break down the mountains, and the valleys shall not be found, he shall command the great deep, and it shall be driven back into the north countries, and the islands shall become one land; and the land of Jerusalem and the land of Zion shall be turned back into their own place, and the earth shall be like as it was in the days before it was divided,-the saints will know how much further the wisdom of God extends on earth, than the knowledge of men. The time must soon come, as the prophet Jeremiah hath said, when they shall no more say, The Lord liveth which brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt: But the Lord liveth which brought up and which led the seed of the house of Israel out of the north country, for the Lord hath said: Go and proclaim these words toward the north, Return, thou backsliding Israel, saith the Lord; and I will not cause mine anger to fall upon you: for I am merciful, saith the Lord, and I will not keep anger forever, Only acknowledge thine iniquity, that thou hast transgressed against the Lord thy God, and hast scattered thy ways to the strangers under every green tree, and ye have not obeyed my voice, saith the Lord. Turn, O backsliding children, saith the Lord; for I am married unto you: and I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion: And they shall come together out of the land of the north to the land that I have given for an inheritance unto your fathers. And they shall come with weeping, and they shall
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come and sing in the height of Zion, for it shall come to pass, as the Lord hath watched over them to pluck them up for their iniquity, so also will the Lord watch over them to build them up and to plant them, for good.
We have already brought evidence enough to convince an unprejudiced mind how the ten tribes were scattered; where they went to, and how they will be gathered, but to make the subject still plainer, we add a few more extracts. Firstly, Esdras, (who it may be perceived, by comparing the first chapter of his second book, with the 7th chapter of Ezra, was Ezra, as near as the Hebrew and Greek languages can be defined,) gives this full, and, fair account of the ten tribes.
But he shall stand upon the top of mount Sion. [Zion] And Sion shall come, and shall be shewn [shown] to all men, being prepared and builded, like as thou sawest the hill graven without hands. And this my Son shall rebuke the wicked inventions of those nations, which for their wicked life are fallen into the tempest: and shall lay before them their evil thoughts, and the torments wherewith they shall begin to be tormented, which are like unto a flame: and he shall destroy them without labor by the law which is like unto fire. And whereas thou sawest that he gathered another peaceable multitude unto him: Those are the ten tribes, which were carried away prisoners out of their own land in the time of Osea the king, whom Salmanasar the king of Assyria led away captive, and he carried them over the waters, and so came they into another land. But they took this counsel among themselves, that they would leave the multitude of the heathen, and go forth into a further country, where never mankind dwelt, that they might there keep their statutes, which they never kept in their own land. And they entered into Euphrates by the narrow passages of the river. For the Most High then shewed [showed] signs for them, and held still the flood, till they were passed over. For through that country there was a great way to go, namely, of a year and half: and the same region is called Arsareth. Then dwelt they there until the latter time; and now when they shall begin to come, the Highest shall stay the springs of the stream again, that they may go through: therefore sawest thou the multitude with peace.
This plain unvarnished history of the ten tribes, shows itself to be true as much as the account of the creation in the first chapter of Genesis, and for all that has as yet appeared to the contrary, is as much the word of the Lord. Not to quote a tenth part of the prophets in relation to this subject, (for the last paragraph ought to convince the world where Israel went, and when he will return,) we turn to the Savior's parable of the Gentiles and Jacob, which, while it alludes to the whole house of Israel, is so plain that it makes one's heart leap for joy, when he reads it in the spirit of God.
And he said, A certain man had two sons: and the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them their living. And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living. And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want. And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat; and no man gave unto him. And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, and am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants. And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son. But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet: and bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it, and let us eat, and be merry: for this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they begin to be merry. Now his elder son was in the field: and as he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard music and dancing. And he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant. And he said unto him, Thy brother is come; and thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because he hath received him safe and sound. And he was angry, and would not go in; therefore came his father out, and entreated him. And he answering, said to his father, Lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment: and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends: but as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf. And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me; and all that I have is thine. It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found.
Here we have a plain parable of the Gentiles for the elder son, and Israel for the younger son; or, in other words, Esau, and Jacob: For it is written, that Esau is the end of the world, and Jacob is the beginning of it that follows, for when they were born, Jacob's hand held first the heel of Esau. It has been often remarked, that the Two Sons was one of the greatest parables of our Savior, and true it was: For when the younger son came to himself, and said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, who can mistake our day? who, with the love of Jesus Christ in his heart, can view the thousands of meeting houses, chapels, temples and churches, thronged with men, eager to preach; and witness the missionaries sending some to India, some to Africa, some to New Holland, some to one place and some to another; printing the bible in every tongue and language, and blending almost every means on earth with religion,-can mistake the day in which this parable is fulfilled? No one that is lead by the spirit of the Lord. Pardon us, beloved reader! for quoting the parable of the Two Sons, as touching the ten tribes: the allusion is so great; the figure so strong; the reality so true; the language so melting; and the application so merciful, so heavenly and so tender, that we could not omit it, when the Lord left us welcome to it.
Elijah was translated to paradise in a chariot of fire, and Malachi says he shall return before the great and dreadful day of the Lord: and he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers. Now the Savior said he is come already, but the Jews knew it not, so he did not turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the following extract from Ecclesiasticus [Ecclesiastics], chap. 48th, shows that Elijah, as he is called in Hebrew, and Elias in Greek, will yet come and restore the tribes of Jacob:
Then stood up Elias the prophet as fire, and his word burned like a lamp. He brought a sore famine upon them, and by his zeal he diminished their number.-By the word of the Lord he shut up the heaven, and also three times brought down fire. O Elias, how wast thou honored in thy wondrous deeds! and who may glory like unto thee! Who didst raise up a dead man from death, and his soul from the place of the dead, by the word of the Most High: who broughtest kings to destruction, and honorable men from their bed: who heardest the rebuke of the Lord in Sinai, and in Horeb the judgment of vengeance: who anointedst kings to take revenge, and prophets to succeed after him: who wast taken up in a whirlwind of fire, and in a chariot of fiery horses: who wast ordained for reproofs in their times, to pacify the wrath of the Lord's judgment, before it brake forth into fury, and to turn the heart of the father unto the son, and to restore the tribes of Jacob. Blessed are they that saw thee, and slept in love; for we shall surely live.
We have said enough on so plain a subject, and, will therefore, leave the reader to search for himself, and know for himself: The word of God is free; the Spirit of God is free, and the children of God will soon be free. Let us then, close, by saying that suppositions never go before facts: that man's wisdom soon fails, but the word of the Lord endures forever, and his purposes never fail: For I am with thee, [Israel] saith the Lord, to save thee: though I make a full end of all nations whither I have driven thee, I will not make a full end of thee.
Revelations.
ITEMS OF LAW FOR THE GOVERNMENT OF THE CHURCH OF CHRIST, GIVEN FEBRUARY 23, 1831:
Every person who belongeth to this church of Christ shall observe to keep all the commandments and covenants of the church; and it shall come to pass, that if any person among you shall kill, they shall be delivered up and dealt with according to the laws of the land; for remember that he hath no forgiveness; and it shall be proven according to the laws of the land. But if any man shall commit adultery, he shall be tried before two elders of the church or more; and every word shall be established against him by two witnesses of the church, and not of the world; but if there are more than two witnesses it is better; but he shall be condemned by the mouth of two witnesses; and the elders shall lay the case before the church, and the church shall lift up their hands against them, that they may be dealt with according to the law; and if it can be, it is necessary that the bishop is present also. And thus ye shall do in all cases which shall come before you.
And if any man shall rob, he shall be delivered up unto the law; and if he shall steal, he shall be delivered up unto the law; and if he shall lie, he shall be delivered up unto the law; if he do any manner of iniquity, he shall be delivered up unto the law, even that of God. And if thy brother offend thee, thou shalt take him between him & thee alone, and if he confess thou shalt be reconciled, and if he confess not, thou shalt deliver him up unto the church, not to the members, but to the elders; and it shall be done in a meeting and that not before the world. And if thy brother offend many, he shall be chastened before many; and if any one offend openly, he shall be rebuked openly, that he may be ashamed, and if he confess not, he shall be delivered up unto the law. If any shall offend in secret, he shall be rebuked in secret, that he may have opportunity to confess in secret to him whom he has offended, and to God; that the brethren may not speak reproachfully of him. And thus shall ye conduct in all things.
EXTRACT OF A REVELATION GIVEN FEBRUARY, 1831.
Again, I say hearken, ye elders of my church whom I have appointed: ye are not sent forth to be taught, but to teach the children of men the things which I have put into your hands, by the power of my spirit; and ye are to be taught from on high; sanctify yourselves and ye shall be endowed with power, that ye may give even as I have spoken: Hearken ye, for behold the great day of the Lord is nigh at hand; for the day cometh that the Lord shall utter his voice out of heaven, the heavens shall shake and the earth shall tremble, and the trump of God shall sound, both long and loud, and shall say to the sleeping nations, ye saints arise and live; ye sinners stay and sleep until I shall call again. Wherefore, gird up your loins, lest ye are found among the wicked; lift up your voices and spare not, call upon the nations to repent, both old and young, both bond and free; saying, Prepare yourselves for the great day of the Lord, for if I, who am a man, do lift up my voice and call upon you to repent, and ye hate me, what will you say when the day cometh, when the thunders shall utter their voices from the ends of the earth, speaking in the ears of all that live, saying, Repent, and prepare
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for the great day of the Lord; yea and again, when the lightnings shall streak forth from the east unto the west, and shall utter forth their voices unto all that live, and make the ears of all tingle that hear; saying these words, Repent ye, for the great day of the Lord is come.
And again, the Lord shall utter his voice out of heaven, saying, Hearken, O ye nations of the earth, and hear the words of that God who made you; O ye nations of the earth, how often would I have gathered you, as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, but ye would not; how oft have I called upon you by the mouth of my servants, and by the ministering of angels, and by the voice of lightnings, and by the voice of tempests, and by the voice of earthquakes, and great hailstorms, and by the voice of famine and pestilence of every kind, and by the great sound of a trump, and by the voice of judgments, and by the voice of mercy all the day long, and by the voice of glory, and honor, 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. Behold verily, I say unto you, that these are the words of the Lord your God. Wherefore labor ye, labor ye, in my vineyard for the last time, for the last time call ye upon the inhabitants of the earth; for in mine own due time will I come upon the earth in judgment, and my people shall be redeemed, and shall reign with me on earth, for the great millennial which I have spoken by the mouth of my servants, shall come; for satan shall be bound, and when he is loosed again, he shall only reign for a little season, and then cometh the end of the earth. And he that liveth in righteousness, shall be changed in the twinkling of an eye, and the earth shall pass away so as by fire and the wicked shall go away into unquenchable fire, and their end no man knoweth on earth, nor ever shall know until they come before me in judgment. -Hearken ye to these words, behold I am Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world; treasure these things up in your hearts, and let the solemnities of eternity rest upon your minds, be sober, keep all the commandments, even so: Amen.
A REVELATION, GIVEN NOVEMBER, 1831.
My servant, Orson, was called, by his ordinance, to proclaim the everlasting gospel, by the spirit of the living God, from people to people, and from land to land, in the congregations of the wicked, in their synagogues, reasoning with and expounding all scriptures unto them: And behold and lo, this is an ensample unto all those who were ordained unto this priesthood, whose mission is appointed unto them to go forth: And this is the ensample unto them, that they shall speak as they are moved upon by the Holy Ghost; and whatsoever they shall speak, when moved upon by the Holy Ghost, shall be scripture; shall be the will of the Lord; shall be the mind of the Lord; shall be the word of the Lord; shall be the voice of the Lord, and the power of God unto salvation; Behold this is the promise of the Lord unto you, O ye my servants: wherefore, be of good cheer, and do not fear, for I the Lord am with you, and will stand by you; and ye shall bear record of me even Jesus Christ, that I am the Son of the living God; that I was; that I am; and that I am to come. This is the word of the Lord unto you my servant, Orson; and also unto my servant, Luke, and unto my servant, Lyman, and unto my servant William; and unto all the faithful elders of my church: Go ye into all the world; preach the gospel to every creature; acting in the authority which I have given you; baptizing in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost; and he that believeth, and is baptized, shall be saved, and he that believeth not shall be damned; and he that believeth shall be blessed with signs following, even as it is written: And unto you it shall be given to know the signs of the times, and the signs of the coming of the Son of man; and of as many as the Father shall bear record, to you it shall be given power to seal them up unto eternal life: Amen.
And now, concerning the items in addition to the Laws and commandments, they are these: There remaineth hereafter in the due time of the Lord, other bishops to be set apart unto the church, to minister even according to the first; wherefore it shall be an high priest who is worthy; and he shall be appointed by a conference of high priests. And again, no bishop or judge, which shall be set apart for this ministry, shall be tried or condemned for any crime, save it be before a conference of high priests; and in as much as he is found guilty before a conference of high priests, by testimony that cannot be impeached, he shall be condemned or forgiven, according to the laws of the church. And again, in as much as parents have children in Zion, that teach them not to understand the doctrine of repentance; faith in Christ the Son of the living God; and of baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of the hands, when eight years old: the sin be upon the head of the parents, for this shall be a law unto the inhabitants of Zion, and their children shall be baptized for the remission of their sins when eight years old, and receive the laying on of the hands: and they also shall teach their children to pray, and to walk uprightly before the Lord. And the inhabitants of Zion shall also observe the sabbath day to keep it holy. And the inhabitants of Zion, also, shall remember their labors, in as much as they are appointed to labor, in all faithfulness, for the idler shall be had in remembrance before the Lord. Now I the Lord am not well pleased with the inhabitants of Zion, for there are idlers among them; and their children are also growing up in wickedness: They also seek not earnestly the riches of eternity, but their eyes are full of greediness. These things ought not to be, and must be done away from among them: wherefore let my servant Oliver, carry these sayings unto the land of Zion. And a commandment I give unto them, that he that observeth not his prayers before the Lord in the season thereof, let him, be had in remembrance before the judge of my people. These sayings are true and faithful: wherefore transgress them not, neither take therefrom. Behold I am Alpha and Omega, and I come quickly: Amen.
Selected.
COMPARISON BETWEEN THE HEATHENISM AND CHRISTIANITY.
Continued.
Revealed religion removes these difficulties, and decides the question. It tells us, that there are two beings in man, &, if I may express my self so, two different men, the material man, & the immaterial man. The Scriptures spake on these principles, thus; "The dust shall return to the earth as it was," this is the material man: "The spirit shall return to God who gave it," this is the immaterial man. "Fear not them which kill the body," that is to say, the material man: "fear him, which is able to destroy the soul," that is, the immaterial man. "We are willing to be absent from the body," that is from the material man: "and to be present with the Lord," that is to say, to have the immaterial man disembodied. "They stoned Stephen," that is, the material man: "calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit," that is to say, receive the immaterial man.
2. The disciple of natural religion can obtain only an imperfect knowledge of the obligations, or duties of man. Natural religion may indeed conduct him to a certain point, and tell him, that he ought to love his benefactor, and various similar maxims. But is natural religion, think ye, sufficient to account for that contrariety, of which every man is conscious, that opposition between inclination and obligation? A verry [very] solid argument, I grant, in favor of moral rectitude ariseth from observing, that, to whatever degree a man may carry his sin, whatever efforts he may make to eradicate those seeds of virtue from his heart, which nature has sown there, he cannot forbear venerating virtue, and recoiling at vice. This is certainly a proof, that the Author of our being meant to forbid vice, and to enjoin virtue. But is there no room for complaint? Is there nothing specious in the following objection? As, in spite of all my endeavors to destroy virtuous dispositions, I cannot help respecting virtue, ye infer, that the Author of my being intended I should be virtuous; so as, in spite of all my endeavors to eradicate vice, I cannot help loving vice, have I not reason for inferring, in my turn, that, the Author of my being designed I should be vicious; or, at least, that he cannot justly impute guilt to me for performing those actions, which proceed from some principles, that were born with me? Is there no show of reason in this famous sophism? Reconcile the God of nature with the God of religion. Explain how the God of religion can forbid what the God of nature inspires; and how he, who follows those dictates, which the God of nature inspires, can be punished for so doing by the God of religion.
The Gospel unfolds this mystery. It attributes this seed of corruption to the depravity of nature. It attributeth the respect, that we feel for virtue, to the remains of the image of God, in which we were formed, and which can never be entirely effaced. Because we were born in sin, the Gospel concludes, that we ought to apply all our attentive endeavours [endeavors] to eradicate the seeds of corruption. And, because the image of the Creator is partly erased from our hearts, the Gospel concludes, that we ought to give ourselves wholly to the retracing of it, and so to answer the excellence of our extraction.
3. A disciple of natural religion can obtain only an imperfect knowledge of the duration of man, whether his soul be immortal, or whether it be involved in the ruin of matter. Reason, I allow, advanceth some solid arguments in proof of the doctrine of the immortality of the soul. For what necessity is there for supposing, that the soul, which is a spiritual, indivisible, and immaterial being, that constitutes a whole, and is a distinct being, although united to a portion of matter, should cease to exist, when its union with the body is dissolved? A positive act of the Creator is necessary to the annihilation of a substance. The annihilating of a being, that subsists, requireth an act of power similar to that which gave it existence at first. Now far from having any ground to believe that God will cause his power to intervene to annihilate our souls, every thing, that we know, persuadeth us, that he himself hath engraven characters of immortality on them, and that he will preserve them forever. Enter into thy heart frail creatures! see, feel, consider those grand ideas, those immortal designs, that thirst for existing, which a thousand ages cannot quench, and in these lines and points behold the finger of thy Creature wrighting a promise of immortality to thee. But how solid soever these arguments may be, however evident in themselves, and striking to a philosopher, they are objectionable, because they are not popular, but above vulgar minds, to whom the bare terms, spirituality and existence, are entirely barbarous, and convey no meaning at all.
Moreover, the union between the operations of the soul, and those of the body, is so close that all the philosophers in the world cannot certainly determine, whether the operations of the body ceasing, the operation of the soul do not cease with them. I see a body in perfect health, the mind, therefore, is sound. The same body is disordered, and the mind is disconcerted with it. The brain is filled, and the soul is instantly confused. The brisker the circulation of the blood is, the quicker the ideas of the mind are, and the more extensive its knowledge. At length death comes and dissolves all the parts of the body; and how difficult is it to persuade one's self, that the soul, which was effected by every former motion of the body, will not be dissipated by its entire dissolution!
Are they the vulgar only, to whom philosophical arguments for the immortality of the soul appear deficient in evidence? Do not geniuses require, at least, an explanation
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of what rank ye assign to beasts, on the principle, that nothing capable of ideas and conceptions, can be involved in a dissolution of matter? Nobody would venture to affirm now, in an assembly of philosophers, what was some time ago maintained with great warmth, that beasts are mere self-moving mashines [machines]. Experience seems to demonstrate the falsity of the metaphysical reasonings, that have, been proposed in favor of this opinion; and we cannot observe the actions of beasts, without being inclined to infer one of these two consequences: either the spirit of man is mortal, like his body; or the souls of beasts are immortal, like those of mankind.
Revelation dissipates all our obscurities, and teaches us clearly, and without a may be, that God willeth our immortality. It carries our thoughts forward to a future state, as to a fixed period, whither the greatest part of the promises of God tend. It commandeth us indeed, to consider all the blessings of this life, the aliments that nourish us, the rays which enlighten us, the air that we breathe, sceptres [scepters], crowns, and kingdoms, as effects of the liberality of God, and as grounds of our gratitude. But, at the same time, it requireth us to surmount the most magnificent earthly objects. It commandeth us to consider light, air and aliments, crowns, sceptres [scepters], and kingdoms, as unfit to constitute the felicity of a soul created in the image of the blessed God and with whom the blessed God hath formed a close and intimate union. It assureth us that an age of life cannot fill the wish of duration which it is the noble prerogative of an immortal soul to form. It doth not ground the doctrine of immortality on metaphysical speculations, nor on complex arguments, uninvestigable by the greatest part of mankind, and which always leave some doubts in the minds of the ablest philosophers. The gospel grounds the doctrine on the only principle that can support the weight, with which it is encumbered. The principle, which I mean, is the will of the Creator, who, having created our souls at first by an act of his will, can either eternally preserve them, or absolutely annihilate them whether they be material, or spiritual, mortal, or immortal, by nature. Thus the disciple of revealed religion doth not float between doubt and assurance, hope and fear, as the disciple of nature doth. He is not oblieged [obliged] to leave the most interesting question, that poor mortals can agitate, undecided; whether their souls perish with their bodies or survive their ruins. He does not say, as Cyrus said to his children; I know not how to persuade myself, that the soul lives in this mortal body and ceaseth to be when the body expires. I am more inclined to think, that it requires after death more penetration and purity. He doth not say, as Socrates said to his judges; And now we are going, I to suffer death, and ye to enjoy life. God only knows which is the best. He doth not say as Cicero said, speaking on this important article; I do not pretend to say, that what I affirm is as infallible as the Pythian oracle, I speak only by conjecture. The disciple of revelation, authorized by the testimony of Jesus Christ, "who hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel;" boldly affirms, "though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. We, that are in this tabernacl [tabernacle], do groan, being burdened; not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life. I know whom I have believed, and I am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him, against that day."
III. We are next to consider the disciple of natural religion, and the disciple of revealed religion, at the tribunal of God as penitents soliciting for pardon. The former cannot find even by feeling after it in natural religion, according to the language of St. Paul, the grand mean of reconciliation, which God hath given to the church; I mean the sacrifice of the cross. Reason, indeed, discovers that man is guilty as the confessions, and acknowledgements [acknowledgments], which the Heathens made of their crimes, prove. It discerns that a sinner deserves punishment, as the remorse and fear, with which their consciences were often excruciated, demonstrate. It presumes, indeed, that God will yield to the entreaties of his creatures, as their prayers, and temples, and alters testify. It even goes so far as to perceive the necessity of satisfying divine justice, this their sacrifices, this their burnt offerings, this their human victims, this the rivers of blood, that flowed on their alters, show.
But, how likely soever all these speculations may be, they form only a systematic body without a head; for no positive promise of pardon from God himself belongs to them. The mystery of the cross is invisible; for only God could reveal that, because only God could plan, and only he could execute that profound relief. How could human reason, alone and unassisted have discovered the mystery of redemption, when, alas! after an infallible God hath revealed it, reason is absorbed in its depth, and needs all its submission to receive it, as an article of faith?
But that, which natural religion cannot attain, revealed religion clearly discovers. Revelation exhibits a God-Man, dying for the sins of mankind and setting grace before every penitent sinner: grace for all mankind. The schools have often agitated the questions, and sometimes indiscreetly, whether Jesus Christ died for all mankind, or only for a small number? Whether his blood were shed for all, who hear the gospel, or for those only, who believe it? We will not dispute these points now: but we will venture to affirm, that there is not an individual of all our hearers, who hath not a right to say to himself, if I believe, I shall be saved; I shall believe if I endeavor to believe. Consequently, every individual hath a right to apply the benefits of the death of Christ to himself. The gospel reveals grace, that pardons the most atrocious crimes, those that have the most fatal influences. Although ye have denied Christ with Peter, betrayed him with Judas, persecuted him with Saul; yet the blood of a God-Man is sufficient to obtain your pardon, if ye be in the covenant of redemption. Grace, which is accessible at all times, at every instant of life. Woe be to you, my brethren; woe be to you if, abusing this reflection, ye delay your return to God till the last moments of your lives, when your repentance will be difficult, not to say impracticable and impossible! But it is always certain, that God every instant opens the treasure of his mercy, when sinners return to him by sincere repentance. Grace, capable of terminating all the melancholy thoughts that are produced by the fear of being abandoned by God in the midst of our race, and of having the work of salvation left imperfect. For, after he hath given us a present so magnificent, what can he refuse?
[To be continued.]
COX'S TRAVELS.
Any thing relating to travelling [traveling] is directly within our province; and were it not so our interest would scarcely be diminished, in the following, Mr. Ross Cox in his six years pegrinations, and singular adventures, and painful sufferings among various tribes of Indians on the Columbia river, hitherto unknown; all of which have been thrown before the public in the shape of a goodly octavo, by the Messrs. Harpers. Numerous extracts had previously come to us, and been published from the London magazine, and our minds were prepared for a work of entire originality and commanding interest. In this we have not been disappointed. Mr. Cox, on his voyage out, in 1811-12, stopped at the Sandwich Islands, of which, and of the manners and customs of the inhabitants, he presents some highly amusing sketches. He next proceeds to the northwest coast, reaches the Columbia river, ascends it for some distance, and enters upon a course of adventures in that remote region, that are not only extremely curious, but in some instances, almost marvelous. He then journies [journeys] through the interior, and arrives at Montreal in 1817.
"In general appearance, and in certain characteristics, the American savage is the same from Chili to Athabasca, and from Nootka to Labrador. There is an indescribable coldness about him, that checks familiarity; he is a stranger to our hopes and fears, our joys and our sorrows. His eyes are seldom moistened by a tear, or his feelings relaxed by a smile; and whether he basks beneath the vertical sun on the burning plains of the Amazon, or freezes in eternal winter on the ice bound shores of the Arctic ocean, the same piercing black eyes, and stern immobility of countenance, equally set at nought [naught] the skill of the physiognomist. But in moral character and personal habits, the various tribes, even living adjacent to each other, differ almost as much as do civilized communities. Most of the tribes at the mouth of the Columbia, for instance, are a treacherous, misshapen, thievish set, who smear themselves with fish-oil, and live in filthy hovels, while, as an exception, there are bands which, like the Chinooks, are well formed, frank in their manners, cleanly in their persons, and every way trustworthy. These ingenius [ingenious] people have houses of wood eighty feet in length, by forty feet broad, divided by partitions 18 feet high; they construct canoes 50 feet in length, which will carry 30 persons; and besides the usual offensive arms of the Indians, they wear armor of elk skin, with leather helmets, so prepared as to be arrow proof, and frequently even turn a ball. Again, in advancing into the interior, some miserable, squalid looking, skulking tribes, who live by trapping, are to be found in the immediate vicinity of a thriving race of men, whose habits and appearance are totally the reverse. The last are generally, those who hunt the buffalo on horseback, and with frames invigorated by the chase and spirits nerved by the constant encounter of peril, are equally fearless in character and noble in their carriage. Both on the coast and in the interior, some tribes are entirely absolved from the restraints of chastity, while others punish incontinency with death; many clans again are addicted to stealing and lying, while these vices are held in such abhorrence by others that those who commit them are driven from their communities. Cruelty to their enemies and fortitude under the infliction of pain, seems to be the only qualities which are common to all.
TRANSMIGRATION OF SOULS-HINDOOISM.
The Hindoo [Hindu} creed derives its peculiar character from the tenet, so generally different throughout the east, respecting the transmigration of souls. According to this belief, the spirit of man, after death, is not conveyed into a different state of existence, bat [but] goes to animate some other mortal body, or even one belonging to the brute creation. The receptacle into which it then enters is decided by the course of action followed during the present life. The virtuous man may rise from an humble cast to the rank of a prince or even of a Brantin, while the depraved not only sink into degradation of human beings, but even have their souls enclosed in the bodies of animals. With this view, the Hindoo [Hindu] oracles endeavor to establish a certain conformity between the offences [offenses] committed and the condition under which they are expiated. The thief is converted into some animal addicted to steal the article which were the wonted object of his owned depredation. The pilferer of grain is metamorphosed into a rat; while he who stole roots or fruit becomes an ape. The person thus lowered in the scale of being, must pass through a long succession of degraded births ere he re-assumes the human form and endowments.-This belief is so familiar with the Hindoo [Hindu], that his conversation is filled with allusions to it. If he sees any one suffering under evils that seem unmerited, he at once pronounces them the penalty of sin committed in a previous stage and form of existence. Even on seeing a cow or dog receive a severe beating, he infers that the soul which animates him must, under its human shape, have committed some offence [offense] worthy of such castigation. Wives who consider themselves injuriously treated by their husbands, or servants by their masters, indulge the earnest hope that in some future state of being they shall exchange conditions, and obtain the opportunity of a signal retaliation.-[Edinburg Cabinet Library.]
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THE EVENING AND THE MORNING STAR.
THE FAR WEST.
The far west, as the section of country from the Mississippi to the Rocky Mountains may justly be styled, is not only distant from the Atlantic States, but different. Its principle river, running rapidly from the 48th to the 39th degree of north latitude, is always rily, always wearing away its banks and always making new channels: It is rightly named Missouri; for in plain English, it looks like the waters of misery,-or troubled water:-even as the sea which the prophet said, Casts up mire and dirt. With the exception of the skirts of timber upon the streams of water, this region of country is one continued field, or prairie, (as the French have it, meaning meadows,) and their is something ancient as well as grand about it, too; for while the eye takes in a large scope of clear field, or extensive plains, decorated with here and there a patch of timber, like the orchards which beautify the farms in the east, the mind goes back to the day, when the Jaredites were in their glory upon this choice land above all others, and comes on till they, and even the Nephites, were destroyed for their wickedness: Here pause and look to the east, and read the words of the prophet: Wo to the crown of pride, to the drunkards of Ephraim, whose glorious beauty is a fading flower, which is on the head of the fat valleys of them that are overcome with wine! Behold, the Lord hath a mighty and strong one, which as a tempest of hail and a destroying storm, as a flood of mighty waters overflowing, shall cast down to the earth with the hand.-The crown of pride, the drunkards of Ephraim, shall be trodden under feet: and the glorious beauty, which is on the head of the fat valley, shall be a fading flower, and as the hasty fruit before the summer; which when he that looketh upon it seeth, while it is yet in his hand he eateth it up. In that day shall the Lord of hosts be for a crown of glory, and for a diadem of beauty, unto the residue of his people, and for a spirit of judgment to him that sitteth in judgment, and for strength to them that turn the battle to the gate.
To return: this beautiful region of country is now mostly, excepting Arkansas and Missouri, the land of Joseph or the Indians, as they are called, and embraces three fine climates: First, like that of New-York; second, like Missouri, neither northern nor southern; and third, like the Carolinas. This place may be called the centre [center] of America; it being about an equal distance from Maine, to Nootka sound; and from the gulf of St. Lawrence to the gulf of California; yea, and about the middle of the continent from cape Horn, south, to the head land at Baffin's Bay, north. The world will never value the land of Desolation, as it is called in the book of Mormon, for any thing more than hunting ground, for want of timber and mill-seats: The Lord to the contrary notwithstanding, declares it to be the land of Zion which is the land of Joseph, blessed by him, for the precious things of heaven, for the dew, and for the deep that coucheth beneath, and for the precious fruits brought forth by the sun, and for the precious things put forth by the moon, and for the chief things of the ancient mountains, and for the precious things of the lasting hills, and for the precious things of the earth and fulness [fullness] thereof, and for the good will of him that dwelt in the bush: let the blessing come upon the head of Joseph, and upon the top of the head of him that was separated from his brethren. His glory is like the firstling of his bullock, and his horns are like the horns of unicorns: with them he shall push the people together from the ends of the earth: and they are the ten thousands of Ephraim, and they are the thousands of Manasseh.
When we consider that the land of Missouri is the land where the saints of the living God are to be gathered together and sanctified for the second coming of the Lord Jesus, we cannot help exclaiming with the prophet, O land be glad! and O earth, earth, earth, hear the word of the Lord: For Zion's sake will I not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest, until the righteousness thereof go forth as brightness, and the salvation thereof as a lamp that burneth. And the Gentiles shall see thy righteousness, and all kings thy glory: and thou shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of the Lord shall name. Thou shalt also be a crown of glory in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand of thy God. Thou [Jerusalem] shalt no more be termed Forsaken; neither shall thy land [Zion] any more be termed Desolate; but thou shalt be called Hephzi-bah, and thy land Beulah: for the Lord delighteth in thee, and thy land shall be married, [joined together] so that the land of Zion, and the land of Jerusalem will be one, as they were before the days of Peleg: For in his days the earth was divided or separated to receive the oceans, on account of wickedness. Peleg died 305 years after Noah's flood: Abram's father was born 210 years after the flood, and Abram 288 after, which brings to mind Joshua's words unto all the people, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Your fathers dwelt on the other side of the flood in old time, even Terah the father of Abraham, and the father of Nachor, and they served other gods. The building of Babel was wickedness, and serving other gods was wickedness: so that dividing, or opening the earth to let in the waters, which were in the beginning gathered unto one place, is one of the Lord's great miracles, and shows to the world that them that look for signs among the wicked, have them to their own condemnation in all ages.
But, reader, stop and pause at the greatness of God; and remember that even Moses, when on the top of Pisgah, lifted up his eyes and looked westward first, to view the promised land.
TO THE SAINTS IN THE LAND OF ZION, AND ABROAD.
The Lord chastens them that he loves, and blesses such as keep his commandments. Let us, then, entreat the disciples of the Lord and Savior, to beware of breaking his commandments: Keep them that the world may profit by example. Bring not a reproach upon your Redeemer's cause and kingdom. When vain members transgress, the world stigmatises [stigmatizes] the whole body, and the innocent suffer wrongfully. Illegal acts and foolish moves pain the sincere. God judges the righteous, and he is angry with the foolish virgins among them, every day.
Brethren in the Lord, good advise is like springs in the wilderness; you may drink at one and drink at another, and pure water always tastes agreeable. Never plan your business on Saturday so that it might interfere with the solemn duties of the Sabbath, for the Lord will not hold you guiltless if you do. His sacred command is: Observe the Sabbath day to keep it holy. The Lord is not well pleased with the disciple that does any thing on that holy day that should be done on laboring day. Nor should a disciple go to meeting one Sabbath here, and another there; let all that can, be strict to attend meeting in their own place, (and let those elders who are faithful, visit the several churches from time to time, instructing them in the knowledge of the truth and in the peaceable things of the kingdom,) that they may surround the sacrament table of the Lord, with a pure heart, as an earnest, that they are at peace with their brethren, and in favor with him whose still, small voice, whispers: Thy sins are forgiven thee. Neither should the children be allowed to slip off and play, rather than meet where they may be trained up in the way they should go to be saved. We are the children of God, and let us not put off his law. When a saint works on the Sabbath, the world can reply: So do we. When the saints travel to do business on the Sabbath, the world can reply: So do we. When the saints go from one meeting to another to see and be seen, the world can reply: So do we. When the children of the saints play on the Sabbath, the world can reply: So do ours. Brethren, watch, that you may enter into the Lord's sacred rest.
THE JUDGMENTS OF GOD.
One of the holy men of old says, When the Lord's judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness, and we sincerely hope and pray that they may; for, if the judgments of God were ever in the earth, now is the time: To say nothing of cholera, that goes from continent to continent; from nation to nation; from kingdom to kingdom; from city to city, and from house to house, taking and sparing and none can find out his coming or going, to stop his dreadful career, let us select the following:
In looking over the English papers received by the last arrival, we have met with the following singular paragraph.
THE PLAGUE OF FIERY SERPENTS.
The following is an extract of a letter dated, Bassorah, the 25 of August, 1831, and received in Calcutta by an Armenian gentleman:-"Almost every country in these regions of the globe has been visited by a dreadful visitor of Providence.-You must have been, long before this, informed of the many calamities that have befallen the devoted city of Bagdad, and the places adjacent to it. News had also been received from Hanadan, or the ancient Ecbatana, of the occurrence of another natural calamity in that place. The city is described to be literally infested with a species of fiery serpents, the bite of which is followed by immediate madness, which in the course of a very short time terminates in the death of the sufferer.-The streets of the town are said to be choked with dead bodies, which are fed upon by dogs and jackals! The inhabitants are seized with consternation and trepidation, not knowing where to fly from the anger of the Almighty."-[India Gazette, December 23rd.]
EARTHQUAKE.-A letter from Smyrna says, "The earthquake which we felt here on the 9th of March, has been very destructive at some places in the interior of Antolia, a few days' journey to the coast of Smyrna. At Ballagda, a town about forty leagues from Smyrna, four minarets and twenty houses were overturned. The small village of Eldrick, one hour's journey from Ballagda, consisting of 40 or 50 houses, was entirely destroyed. A large village called Ienidje, in which there were 2 or 300 houses, also suffered a great deal, as did two other villages within two hours distance of Ballagda. At Degniztu, five or six leagues distant from that town, half the houses and the walls of the ancient fortress tumbled down. In fine, the calamity was general along a line of from 8 to ten leagues, and in addition to an extensive destruction of property, a great number of persons lost their lives.
FOREIGN NEWS.
Many of our readers, especially in the land of Zion, may be disappointed because we present them with very little foreign news. Should any thing transpire abroad, more than ordinary, it shall be noticed, but, as we are calculating to make our weekly paper worthy of patronage, and a vehicle of the news of the day, in the course of next year, permit us to say, that the Star, hereafter, will contain more matter for the edification and benefit of the soul, to obtain a glorious resurrection; the gathering of Israel, and whomsoever wishes for godliness, than any thing else:-Therefore, let Caesar have his own, and the Lord his own, for we cannot serve God and mammon, although we make friends with the mammon of unrighteousness.
SHORT SENTENCES.
-> Love the Lord and keep his commandments, without being reminded of it every day.
Love your neighbor as yourself, and make his welfare your welfare, and the Lord will reward you for it.
Love labor, and whatever you do, remember the poor and needy.
Love goodness because it is good, not because philosophers praise it.
Thank the Lord for the blessings you daily enjoy from his holy hand.
Thank the Lord for the light of revelation, whereby men can know his will.
Thank the Lord for all things for his goodness is endless.
Ask the Lord for what you want to sustain life, and not for wealth, for the love of money is the root of all evil.
Ask the Lord to bless your enemies as well as yourself, for they are the workmanship of his hand as well as yourself.
Remember you were born to die, and to live again.
Remember that God requires you to be holy to him, and just to man continually, to be in his favor.
Put away light conversation, and vanity and lies.
Put away every habit that might make a spot on a good name.
And finally: Be wise; be humble; be industrious; be sober-minded; be prudent, patient, and charitable.
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THE BOOK OF MORONI.
Every well-wisher to the cause of religion, every soul that is possessed of the least spark of divine love, and every disciple that ever had the Spirit of Christ move him to do good, must bear record of the truth of Moroni's last epistle to the Lamanites. He touches the continuation of the gifts according to the promise of the Savior, so truly; and of their being done away for want of faith, so exactly, according to the unbelief of the world now, that we copy it into the Star, as a fair sample of purity: yea, as a guide by which the world may inquire of the Lord and know of a truth, that these things are so.
Now I Moroni, write somewhat as seemeth me good; and I write unto my brethren, the Lamanites; and I would that they should know that more than four hundred and twenty years has passed away, since the sign was given of the coming of Christ. And I seal up these records, after that I have spoken a few words by way of exhortation unto you. Behold, I would exhort you that when ye shall read these things, if it be wisdom in God that ye should read them, that ye would remember how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men, from the creation of Adam, even down until the time that ye shall receive these things, and ponder it in your hearts. And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, and he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost; and by the power of the Holy Ghost, ye may know the truth of all things. And whatsoever thing is good, is just and true; wherefore, nothing that is good denieth the Christ, but acknowledgeth that he is. And ye may know that he is, by the power of the Holy Ghost; wherefore I would exhort you, that ye deny not the power of God: for he worketh by power, according to the faith of the children of men, the same to-day, and to-morrow, and forever. And again I exhort you my brethren, that ye deny not the gifts of God, for they are many; and they come from the same God. And there are different ways that these gifts are administered; but it is the same God which worketh all in all: and they are given by the manifestations of the spirit of God unto men, to profit them. For behold, to one is given by the spirit of God, that he may teach the word of wisdom; and to another, that he may teach the word of knowledge by the same spirit; and to another, exceeding great faith; and to another, the gifts of healing by the same spirit.-And again, to another, that he may work mighty miracles; and again, to another, that he may prophesy concerning all things; and again, to another, the beholding of angels and ministering spirits; and again, to another, all kinds of tongues; and again, to another, the interpretation of languages and of diverse kinds of tongues. And all these gifts comes by the spirit of Christ; and they come unto every man severally according as he will. And I would exhort you, my beloved brethren, that ye remember that every good gift cometh of Christ. And I would exhort you, my beloved brethren, that ye remember that he is the same yesterday, to-day, and forever, and that all these gifts of which I have spoken, which are spiritual, never will be done away, even as long as the world shall stand, only according to the unbelief of the children of men. Wherefore, there must be faith; and if there must be faith, there must also be hope; and if there must be hope, there must also be charity; and except ye have charity, ye can in no wise be saved in the kingdom of God; neither can ye be saved in the kingdom of God, if ye have not faith; neither can ye if ye have no hope; and if ye have no hope, ye must needs be in despair; and despair cometh because of iniquity. And Christ truly said unto our fathers, If ye have faith, ye can do all things which is expedient unto me.
And now I speak unto all the ends of the earth, that if the day cometh that the power and gifts of God shall be done away among you, it shall be because of unbelief. And wo be unto the children of men, if this be the case: for there shall be none that doeth good among you, no not one. For if there be one among you that doeth good, he shall work by the power and gifts of God. And wo unto them which shall do these things away and die, for they die in their sins, and they cannot be saved in the kingdom of God; and I speak it according to the words of Christ, and I lie not. And I exhort you to remember these things: for the time speedily cometh that ye shall know that I lie not, for ye shall see me at the bar of God: and the Lord God will say unto you, Did I not declare my words unto you, which was written by this man, like as one crying from the dead? yea, even as one speaking out of the dust, I declare these things unto the fulfilling of the prophecies. And behold, they shall proceed forth out of the mouth of the everlasting God; and his word shall hiss forth from generation to generation. And God shall shew [show] unto you, that that which I have written is true. And again I would exhort you, that ye would come unto Christ, and lay hold upon every good gift, and touch not the evil gift, nor the unclean thing. And awake and arise from the dust, O Jerusalem; yea, and put on thy beautiful garments, O daughter of Zion, and strengthen thy stakes, and enlarge thy borders forever, that thou mayest no more be confounded, that the covenants of the Eternal Father, which he hath made unto thee, O house of Israel, may be fulfilled. Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in no wise deny the power of God. And again, if ye by the grace of God are perfect in Christ, and deny not his power, then are ye sanctified in Christ by the grace of God, through the shedding of the blood of Christ, which is in the covenant of the Father, unto the remission of your sins, that ye become holy without spot. And now I bid unto all farewell. I soon go to rest in the paradise of God, until my spirit and body shall again reunite, and I am brought forth triumphant through the air, to meet you before the pleasing bar of the great Jehovah, the Eternal Judge of both quick and dead.-Amen.
SIGNS OF THE TIMES.
Our reader will expect from us, some of the signs of the times; and, as watchmen that would strive to be approved in all things before the Lord, we will try to collect a few of the many, and lay them before the world. It is a day of strange appearances to them that are without the true knowledge of God. That the watchful might not be deceived, the Lord while speaking of wickedness, which is spiritual Babylon, by the mouth of Jeremiah, says, My people, go ye out of the midst of her, and deliver ye every man his soul from the fierce anger of the Lord. And lest your heart faint, and ye fear for the rumor that shall be heard in the land; a rumor shall both come one year, and after that in another year shall come a rumor, and violence in the land, ruler against ruler.
To begin: An eastern paper thus peaks of Europe:-Austria has an immense army in the field. Russia an immense force ready to march upon the Rhine, and a fleet of 42 sail ready for sea! Belgium and Holland are both armed for battle. England has a large squadron, for practice, in the north seas. A large number of National Guards has been called out in France, to form a new army. The Emperor of Russia says Christmas dinners will be eaten by some people with long faces. A Napoleonite has said there will be another march to Paris. Lord Durham has gone to Copenhagen to gain the Alliance of the Danes. The Dutch ambassador has very unexpectedly left England, and Joseph Bonaparte has suddenly departed for that country; the Grey ministry are evidently out of favor with the court, and the French ministry are about adopting Soult's project of moving the French army toward the frontiers.
Such is the prospect of affairs in the East, upon rumor, and our own country is not exactly in a state of peace; for besides the Indian war, which has been a source of considerable trouble upon the frontiers of Illinois, there is raging, to an alarming extent, a war of opinion for political power and party continuance. Our politics are wild. Mark that, our politics are wild! The extremes to which men resort to obtain office, in any present party, is certainly barren of that honor and honesty which produced the exalted privilege. It is said to be an enlightened day and age, but the depravity of the times would argue a state of wickedness similar to that which brought the flood. The United State boasts of the freest constitution, and the happiest government, in the world, but if the county prisons and state penitentiaries, may number their citizens of affliction and crime, especially for the last four or five years, without reference to the many murderers that have filled a large share of the chapter of atrocities, and the keen revenge that has been practiced between freemasons and their opponents:-they might as well fall to the dust, with the other crumbling nations of the earth, and cry, unclean! unclean!
Again: Are they free from censure, that pretend to worship God? Is there not something strange, or, at least, a falling away from the ancient order of divine things? In the days of Christ and the apostles, religion was preached and practiced for the sake of eternal life in the world to come: But now religion is preached and practiced for the sake of this present world and the things that are in it. Christ said: Follow me, but now the language is: Follow ME! [man] Christ asked no aid of the governments of the earth to spread the gospel. He rendered to Caesar his own, and to God his own. Now nearly all denominations are eager to obtain converts for temperance societies, and bible societies, when a large portion of these proselytes are unbelieving, and probably die so, with a full knowledge that Christ said, except a man be born again he can not enter into the kingdom of God. When no such societies existed, we were at war for our liberty and the blessings that have resulted from it, and it has been told us that our ancestors prayed to the Lord, for assistance, and he granted it, and we believe it, for it is thus recorded in the Book of Mormon:
And it came to pass that I beheld many multitudes of the Gentiles, upon the land of promise; and I beheld the wrath of God, that it was upon the seed of my brethren; and they were scattered before the Gentiles, and they were smitten. And I beheld the spirit of the Lord, that it was upon the Gentiles; that they did prosper, and obtain the land of their inheritance; and I beheld that they were white, and exceeding fair and beautiful, like unto my people before that they were slain.
And it came to pass that I Nephi, beheld that the Gentiles which had gone forth out of captivity, did humble themselves before the Lord; and the power of the Lord was with them; and I beheld that their mother Gentiles was gathered together upon the waters, and upon the land also, to battle against them; and I beheld that the power of God was with them; and also, that the wrath of God was upon them that were gathered together against them to battle. And I Nephi, beheld that the Gentiles which had gone out of captivity, were delivered by the power of God out of the hands of all other nations.
As to so many appendaged societies to the gospel, we must say, that neither the Savior, nor his apostles, nor the Scriptures, have taught any thing more necessary, than to repent and believe on the Lord Jesus, and be baptized for the remission of sins; to receive the gift of the Holy Ghost; and continue faithful to the end, to inherit eternal life. Camp-meetings and protracted meetings, like the wind that blows before a storm, seem to increase, as the judgments of the Almighty are sent forth to purify the world. Be ye clean that bear the vessels of the Lord, is a command from the most High, but when we observe, ministers and members, among almost every sect upon the globe, not only mingling in all the political rancor, and crowding themselves into the contentions and broils of the day; not only engaged in nearly every speculation that the love of money urges the avaricious into, but, as often as the world that lays no claim to goodness, found guilty of every crime that disgraces the human family, they might, with all them that pestilence is hurrying to their long home, shrink from their greatness, and cry: God be merciful to us sinners!
Such are the signs of the times, from the king upon the throne to the beggar upon his knees.-Such is the commotion of the world; her pain has begun, and trouble succeeds trouble, as wave follows wave upon the ocean. Instead of the good old times, when men would inquire of the Lord on all great matters, and pray to the Lord when trials come, the faithless days have arrived when the majority of men seek for Public Opinion, whether it comes from wise men or fools; from the moral or wicked. All flesh in the world seems to trust in an arm of flesh, even while the Lord is feeding the inhabitants with judgments. From the east comes a rumor; from the west comes a rumor; from the north comes a rumor, from the south comes a rumor, while the Lord is sending forth judgment unto victory, among the nations, great are the times with events, for this generation: And while the solemnities of eternity are thus bursting upon our minds, we do humbly beseech the disciples, the wicked, yea, all flesh, to watch, for the signs in heaven, and the signs on earth, like the hand writing upon the wall of Belshazzar, declare that the world has been weighed in the balances, and is found wanting.
The set time to favor Zion, is come; and when the righteous are gathered, the wicked will be cutoff, for the earth must rest from sin.
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Worldly Matters.
On the 19th of September Capt. Sublett's Fur company returned from the Rocky mountains with 168 packs of fur, valued at about $80,000. The company was attacked in Piers Hole, on the 12th of July last, by the Black feet Indians, and lost in killed of their own men, 6, & 4 wounded, among whom was Capt. S; and of the friendly Nepersee Indians, 7 killed, and 6 wounded. On the 17th, five were again attacked by these Indians at Jackson's hole, near the Three Tetons, and 3 of them were killed. We learn that the Black feet Indians, said to be numerous, are becoming more and more war-like towards the mountain hunters; so much so, that some of the hunters returned, say, they will hardly be able to hunt two years longer. In the engagement in Piers Hole, there were, of Capt. S's Fur company, Capt. Wythe's Oregon company, &c. about 250; of the Nepersee Indians 50, making a force of 300 against from 30 to 100 of the Black feet, Indians, and yet the action lasted some time. In about a year, 28 trappers have been killed, the remainder is said to be healthy.
Washington Irving (and a couple of foreign gentleman,) upon a literary expedition, and H. L. Ellsworth and others, as commissioners to settle the location of the western Indians, were in this town the last of September, on their way to Cantonment Gibson, Arkansas Territory.
The season for crops has ended. A frost visited this section of country, the first of October, and we are happy to say the corn crops in general are good.
THE ISLAND OF MADERIA.
The first view of this island is the most striking ever beheld; a large white town on the beach, with immense mountains rising close at the back of it, sprinkled with the villas of the merchants, amidst vineyards and orange groves, placed terrace about terrace, like steps, up the steep ascent, and clouds almost constantly resting on its summit; such is the picture. After being here two or three days, we made a visit into the interior, twelve or thirteen miles off, to view the greatest curiosity in the island, and perhaps a more stupendous scene is not to be found among the Alps; it is a precipice, from which you may look down three quarters of a mile perpendicularly. When we reached it the abyss was filled with clouds; but these gradually dispersed, and discovered to us a new world beneath us, hills and valleys, vineyards, houses, and a village church, all of course in miniature, and glowing with softer tints than I had supposed to exist in nature.-[Bishop Middleton.]
THE PLAGUE.
The prevalence of the plague, says the Baltimore Gazette, has always been marked by licentiousness and depravity. Thucydides thus speaks of the manners of the people during the plague at Athens. For people now dared to do many things openly which they were heretofore compelled by shame to conceal; and they calculated on their sudden change of fortune, seeing that many of the rich perished, while those who formerly were destitute became rich with their property. -They therefore deemed it right to set about the immediate enjoyment of it, and gave up all their mind to pleasures, considering they might, in turn, be deprived of their treasures and life itself in a few days. Nor was any individual disposed to undertake any labor for an honorable reward, because he was not certain he might not die before he could obtain it.-Whatever each person deemed agreeable or lucrative to himself he considered as expedient and honorable; and he did not allow himself to be restrained in the pursuit by the fear of God or human laws."
The plague at Marseilles was as fruitful in horrors. M. Bertrand says, "While the arm of the Lord was yet extended over us, a general license was seen to reign among the people and depravity of morals frightful to think on. Some seized on houses left vacant by the mortality; others forced open those which were shut up or guarded by persons incapable of resistance. They entered those where perhaps there remained only one person languishing with the malady, forced open the drawers and closets, and took away whatever they found most precious, often carrying their guilt to the length of delivering themselves from an opportune witness who otherwise had but a few moments to live.
Intelligence was received at Falmouth on the 24th of July that a battle had been fought on the 23d, near Oporto, which terminated in the total defeat of Don Miguel's forces. Letters from Oporto to the 24th July confirm the account of the victory of Donna Maria's army headed by her father, Don Pedro. It was stated in these letters, that the Don had made 2000 prisoners, and captured all the enemy's artillery, baggage, &c. with little loss on his own side. The fighting lasted two days.
The merchants of Oporto, who had been in great alarm, had regained their confidence after the battle.
The Duke of Richstedt (Young Napoleon) died at Vienna on the 22d July. He died at 5 o'clock in the morning. On the 19th the symptoms of the last stages of consumption became manifest, and his physicians gave over all hopes of saving him. He died very tranquilly. His grandfather of Austria directed his funeral to be attended with the same forms and honors as those paid to a deceased Archduke.
It is stated that General Lafayette declined an invitation of the French King to review the troops assembled in Paris.
Ireland was in a state of great ferment and disorder.
CHEROKEE PHŒNIX.
Mr. Elias Boudinot has resigned his situation as editor of this paper, and recommends that it be discontinued, on account of the pecuniary embarrasments [embarrassments] of the Cherokee nation. Mr. Ross, the principal chief, in communicating the resignation to the Committee and Council says:
I deem it to be essentially important that the paper should be kept up. It is an incontrovertible fact, that the circulation of that paper has been greatly instrumental in the diffusion of science and general knowledge among our own citizens.-The pecuniary embarassments [embarrassments] of the nation by no means ought to influence you to discontinue the paper, if a suitable person can be found to conduct it.
We sincerely hope the paper will not be discontinued; and we cannot refrain from expressing our surprise at the recommendation of Mr. Boudinot. "Knowledge is power,"-and the publication of a weekly paper among the Cherokees, in which the subject of their rights shall be freely discussed, and containing such other articles as shall be calculated to instruct and reform the people, and afford them necessary information of passing events, will be of incalculable benefit. We say to them, "Don't give up the ship;" maintain the paper, if possible; it may be that God will yet send you deliverance.-[C. Soldier.]
THE COTTON CROP.-So frequently have we been deceived respecting the Cotton Crop, that we had almost determined not to trouble our friends again on this subject, but we are induced to change this determination, from the extraordinary appearance of the cotton fields at this time. A general gloom pervades the planting interest of this state.-Many planters, who, with only ordinary seasons, would have made 200 bales of cotton, cannot now, under any circumstances, make 50.-Many fields have already been abandoned, and stocks turned into them.
In many counties, the drought and the rust have destroyed entire fields of cotton. We have cried Wolf, Wolf, Wolf, again and again, when there was no Wolf, but rely on it, there is now no mistake. We have just returned from a tour through the counties of Walkes, Green, Morgan, Oglethorp, Clarke, Walton, Newton, Henry, Batts, Monroe, Crawford, Upson, Pike, Jones, Jasper, Talbot, Troup, Fayette, Harris, Baldwin, Warren, &c. &c. &c. and hesitate not to say, that in the aggregate, a half a crop of cotton, under the most favorable circumstances, cannot be made this year.
ASTRONOMY.-He who can look upon the firmament in a cloudless night, with a soul untouched, must be wholly incapable of relishing any intellectual food. If there be any safe criterion to prove the depth of the mind, it may unhesitatingly be said, Astronomy. It may be sat down as indisputable, if the mind of a child cannot be excited to inquiry, by explaining the dimensions, distances, and revolutions of the planets, there is a vacuum that can never be filled. The remark of an experienced teacher is, "Many a dunce and many a truant has been put into my hands, and pronounced nearly hopeless, who has approximated to first rate scholarship, by a faithful elucidation of this sublime science, and where this has failed, all other expedients are unavailing. What a pity, then that this important study should be so much neglected in the early education of children, that Orin [Orion] and his belt, Pleiades and Arcturus, are not as familiar to the child, as the marble and ball he tosses.
SINGULAR FACT.-Among the applicants for pensions before the Vice Chancellor's Court, in this county, a few days since, were two men, a father and his son!-the former aged 94 years, and the latter 70. They both served two years or more in the Revolutionary War; and the father had been through the old French war. While the son was giving in his declaration to the court, the father caused much laughter by occasionally correcting him, with "Tut, BOY, you are mistaken."-"You are wrong, BOY!" The term "boy" applied to a war worn veteran of '76, whose whitened locks and wrinkled visage evinced extreme old age, was irresistibly amusing. It may well be doubted whether a similar case exists in the state.-[Chenango Tel.]
The cold weather of Friday and Saturday, 24 and 25 of August, was unusual and extreme. In the vicinity of this city there was frost more or less severe. The Kingston U. C. Chronicle of the 25th says:-"The oldest resident in this country does not remember to have experienced, at this season of the year any thing equal to the cold of last night; it actually froze and froze hard. A slight coating of ice was seen on the bay at an early hour."-[Albany Argus.]
A very sick infant was lately found in Philadelphia, whose mother had died of cholera, and the father was "bringing it up on apples and whisky." The latter article was doubtless the favorite of the father.
A letter from Cincinnati states that fifty new steam boats are building to be used upon the western waters! and that in the fall, there will probably be 50,000 tons in active employment, at a cost of between three and four million of dollars.
The first impression of a drunkard is a grin, the last a gasp; sizzled, he imagines himself a prince; sober, he finds he is only a pauper.
It has been estimated, says the Massachusetts Spy, that the number of applications for pensions under the late law, in the county of Worcester alone, will be from 300 to 500.
The Spanish slave vessels, bound to Cuba, with 989 slaves, have been lately captured by British cruisers and carried into Nassau.
At the shanties, near Albany the following persons are congregated. viz: 71 men 90 women, 220 children 30 men working on the railroad, 23 at other places, 18 sick, 31 widows with small children, and 52 families receiving assistance.
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The measles have made great and fearful ravages in Marblehead, having occasioned a mortality equal relatively to the arising from the cholera in New-York.-No less than 60 children have died the last two months.
The port of Tobasco has been declared to be in a state of blockade by a Mexican vessel of war.
The Ship Corinthian, arrived at Baltimore from Calcutta, brings intelligence of the plague having broken out at Bussarah.
The present season has been remarkable for the abundance of venomous reptiles, which are to be found in the pastures and fields in many towns in the vicinity of Salem, Massachusetts.
TWILIGHT.
Of all the myriad sources of enjoyment which nature unfolds to man, I know few equal to those elicited by a balmy summer sunset. The idea is old, but the reflections it excites are perpetually varying. There is something in this hour, so tender so truly fraught with simple, yet sublime associations that it belongs rather to heaven than to earth. The curtain that drops down on the physical, also descends on the moral world. The day with its selfish interest, its common-place distractions, has gone by, and the season of intelligence, of imagination, of spirituality, is dawning. Yes, twilight unlocks the blandusian fountain of fancy; there, as in a mirror, reflecting all things in added loveliness, the heart surveys the past; the dead, the absent, the estranged, come thronging back on memory; the paradise of inexperience, from which the flaming sword of truth has long since exiled us, rises again in all the pristine beauty of its flowers and verdure; the very spot where we breathed our first vows of love; the slender girlish figure, that, gliding like a sylph beside us, listened entranced to that avowal, made in the face of heaven, beneath the listning [listening] evening star; the home that witnessed her decline; the church yard that received her ashes; the grave wherein she now sleeps, dreamless and happy, deaf alike the syren voice of praise, and the withering sneers of envy-such sweet but solemn recollections, sweep in shadowy pomp across the mind, conjured up by the spells of twilight, as he waves his enchanted wand over the earth.
NATURE.
The contemplation of the works of nature, affords some of the noblest & purest pleasures of the human mind. Gazed upon as the workmanship of a great, & wise, and good Being, who can consider them without feelings of mingled admiration and awe. Even in the inferior parts of creation, among the little things of our own earth, how much do we find to call forth wonder and inspire delight. Animate & inanimate nature is full of beauty & astonishing displays of superior wisdom. How surprising the order and regularity of the crystal. So exact, that amidst a million of the same species, no difference in angle and form can be detected. How beautiful the little vernal flower! Its leaves seem touched by the pencil of an angel.
But let us rise still higher and take a wider survey. Let us gane [gain?] some commanding eminence and look off upon hill and dale, and field, and forest; and stream.-What a boundless variety, and yet all beautiful! Whose eye is so dull-whose soul so insensible that he cannot gaze and admire with almost insatiable delight? Whose heart is not enlarged, whose feelings are not refined, whose pleasures are not multiplied, by mingling with, & contemplating the beauties of creation. It is here we seem to commune with ourselves and with our Creator in his works. It is here that is placed the first impress of our Maker's character. The mysteries of nature we should study, the loveliness of nature we should admire, as the work of the Almighty. And how easy thus would become our pathway from nature up to nature's God. Let me say with Dr. Beattie,
Oh, how canst thou renounce the boundless store
Of charms, which nature to her votary yields?
The warbling woodland, the resounding shore,
The pomp of groves and garniture of fields,
All that the genial ray of morning gilds,
And all the echoes to the song of even,
All that the mountain's sheltering bosom shields,
And all the grant magnificence of heaven-
Oh how canst thou renounce and hope to be forgiven?
Who does not retire from the contemplation of nature with feelings of a tender relation to his Father in heaven? He can say "in wisdom hast thou made them all." But when he turns to the region of animal life, he finds still more to gratify and delight, than in mere inanimate matter. Here is superior wisdom and greater goodness. Look at the diminutive insect that crosses your path. Learn his mode of existence, his habits of life, the nice adaptation of his size and form, to all the circumstances of his being, to all the necessities and means of individual happiness. Examine the little fly that buzzes about in all the sportiveness of youth, and all the bliss of conscious being and overflowing joy. Admire his gossamer wing, his fixed but bright and animated eye! The sun sheds upon him as cheering a ray, and the summer air breaths as mildly around him, as the bosted [boasted?] Lord of creation. How true is the declaration of the Psalmest "The Lord is good unto all and his tender morcies [mercies] are over all his works."
But when we have travelled [traveled] over our little earth and witnessed all it possesses of the beautiful & the sublime, when we have listened to the roar of ocean, & the song of birds, when we have looked upon the forest's gorgeousness and the flowret's beauty, when we have seen the limpid, and purling rill, and the majestic river, when we have turned our eye upon the vine-clad hills and towering mountains; when we have seen and heard all this, we have but entered the vestibule of the great temple of nature.
There are other worlds around us to which probably our earth with all its grandeur is but as dust in the balance. The eye wanders off enraptured with its discoveries amidst the bright orbs of heaven. Infinity of space is before it. Unnumbered spheres are above, and below, and arond [around] us. And when the eye is tired of gazing, and when its spirit flying vision has reached its utmost goal, it calls to its bid the benefits of scientific discovery, and stretches out into still more distant space, and there enjoys the new pleasure of seeing other worlds and beholding other wonders. [Christian Messenger.]
DESCRIPTION OF LAKE SUPERIOR.
Lake Superior, without the aid of any great effort of imagination, may be considered as the inexhaustible spring from whence, through ages, the St. Lawrence has continued to derive its ample stream. This immense lake, unequalled [unequaled] in magnitude by any collection of fresh water upon the globe, is situated between the parallels of 56 deg. 25 min. and 49 deg. 1 min. north latitude, and the meridians of 84 deg. 34 min. and 92 deg. 14 min. west longitude. Its length, measured on a curved line through the center, is about 350 geographical miles, its extreme breadth 140, and its circumference, in following the sinuousities of the coast, about 1500. Its surface is about 627 feet above the tide water of the Atlantic; but the shore exhibits almost conclusive indications of its having been, in former ages, as much, perhaps, as 40 or 50 feet above its present level. Various soundings have been taken from 80 to 150 fathoms, but its greatest depth probably exceeds 200 fathoms; thus demonstrating the bottom of the lake to be nearly 600 feet below the level of the ocean. The chrystaline [crystalline] transparency of its waters is unrivalled [unrivaled], and such as to render rocks at an extraordinary depth distinctly visible.-The bottom of the lake chifly [chiefly] consists of a very adhesive clay, which speedily indurates by atmospheric exposure, and contains small shells of the species at present existing in the lake. A sea almost of itself, this lake is subject to many vicissitudes of that element, for here the storm rages, and the billows break, with a violence scarcely surpassed by the tempests of the ocean, but is not subject to the oceanic phenomena displayed by an unerring and periodical flux and reflux. Its expansive surface, however, yields to the influence of heavy winds; so that, when these blow strong from one quarter, they produce a very perceptible rise of the lake in an opposite direction. The spring freshets are also known to have occasioned a rapid swelling of the waters, which has been especially conspicuous after a rigorous winter. That its waters were once salt is by no means unlikely, and the supposition stands, in some degree, supported by the nature of the fish that inhabit them, and the marine shells that are found along the beaches or imbedded in the shores.-[Bouchette's British Dominions in North America.]
SELECTED HYMNS
God our guide.
GUIDE us, O thou great Jehovah, When the earth begins to tremble,
Saints upon the promised land, Bid our fearful thoughts be still;
We are weak but thou art able, When thy judgments spread destruction,
Hold us with thy powerful hand: Keep us safe on Zion's hill,
Holy Spirit, Singing praises,
Feed us till the Savior comes. Songs of glory, unto thee.
Open, Jesus, Zion's fountains;
Let her richest blessings come;
Let the fiery, cloudy pillar
Guard us in this holy home;
Great Redeemer,
Bring, O bring the welcome day!
New Jerusalem.
We're not ashamed to own our Lord. When he comes down in heav'n on earth,
And worship him on earth; With all his holy band,
We love to learn his holy word, Before creation's second birth,
And know what souls are worth. We hope with him to stand.
When Jesus comes as flaming flame, Then he will give us a new name,
For to reward the just, With robes of righteousness,
The world will know the only name, And in the New Jerusalem,
In which the saints can trust. Eternal happiness.
The Evening and the Morning Star
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