| 58 have indeed those venerable truths which have many ages since made men wise unto salvation; and those truths will teach you, if you take heed to them, that the Gentiles have been broken off from the covenant favor of God, as the Jews were; But those scriptures cannot impart to you the gifts of the Holy Ghost; they cannot ordain and qualify you to teach and preach the gospel, and administer the ordinances; they cannot give you promises and revelations that are expresly [expressly] for you.
When the apostle Paul was in danger of being shipwrecked with his crew, (see acts of Apostles,) it would have been poor consolation to him to read the ancient history of Jonah's shipwreck, and pray over the subject, in order to know how the voyage would result to him; but how much greater his consolation, and how much more certain his knowledge, when God ministers to him by visions and angels, and promises both him & the crew preservation. Philip wanted no better assurance of his duty to go to Gaza, than for an angel of God to tell him to go; but if he had pored [poured] over ancient revelations with prayerful anxiety in order to know the same, it would have been a poor guide. The New Testament saints did not lean upon Old Testament revelations for the knowledge of present duties, or for aid in their present contingencies. They looked directly to God for present, fresh instruction and aid-they obtained what they looked for. The ancient Jews, (cotemporary [contemporary] with Christ,) that leaned on the venerated sayings of Abraham and Moses, and other eld [old] prophets, abode in darkness, and became the prey of foul spirits, while the advocates of present revelations were mighty through God, in signs and wonders, and marvellous [marvelous] deeds. Now let the religious people of this day depend exclusively upon the ancient scriptures, rejecting present revelations and they will be filled with ignorance, and the spirit of unrighteousness will possess them; and they cannot act with that certainty and power that those can who know for themselves, by immediate revelation. But I have said it is impossible for them to know much of the true God. The careful observer knows that what one sect or denomination teaches for doctrine, another will controvert and deny.-There is not that power in the doctrine of any one sect that gives them much ascendancy over any other sect. The doctrines of all sects though adverse to each other, are about equally weighty and plausible; no one gets any considerable ascendancy. If there appears to be light in one sect over another sect, it shows an equal amount of an opposite character.
It is an acknowledged duty of parents, in this church, to teach their children the elementary principles of religion, training them up in the way they should go. You ask if they are instructed in learning. As a people we aim most diligently to give our children learning.-Our persecutions, oppression, and poverty have operated greatly to the disadvantage of our children: still we have a chartered University, that promises much benefit to us; and common schools are extensively multiplying throughout the city.
The present population of the city is from ten to twelve thousand. You ask, What is their condition, occupation, and general character? The condition of the people is as prosperous as circumstances will permit. Many of them, like Jacob of old, have left a good patrimony at home that they are not benefitted [benefited] from, by reason of their being every where spoken against. But though they had nothing but their staff in hand and a little bundle upon their back when they came, they have now in many instances a comfortable cottage, a flourishing garden, and a good cow. There are many instances of families being subject to privations, beyond what they were accustomed to in early days; and there are some instances of deep penury, through sickness, persecution, and other uncontrolable [uncontrollable] causes; and there are also instances of wealth, but be assured, sir, there is not a more contented and cheerful people to be found. Families will consent to let father and brother go out to preaching, when their daily bread is barely supplied for a few months. Believing as we do, that these are the last days, and that signal matters await this generation: and that the harvest must be gathered soon, if at all, you must not marvel if we do not all at once become rich, and build large houses, and enclose productive farms.-If riches were our object, we might readily gratify the most ambitious grasp. We possess every facility for being rich; but we long to behold the beauty of the Lord, and enquire [inquire] in his holy Temple. The place of His sanctuary, which we greatly desire to beautify, is a site of surpassing natural beauty. Upon it stands the incomplete structure of a Temple-in dimension a little over one hundred and twenty-eight feet long, by eighty eight feet wide, to be elevated in height a little under fifty feet; the walls are made of well wrought, handsome stone. The inhabitants are very industrious; being occupied in agriculture and the various mechanic arts. Our people are mostly the working classes of community, from the United States and Great Britain and her Provinces. They are a very intelligent people, especially so far as common sense and a general knowledge of men and things are concerned. Our elders are versed in religious
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