| 121 until John. And if ye will receive it, this is the ELIAS which was to come." Here, then, is a strange comixture of prophesying and testimony, apparently conflicting and at variance; so palpable, indeed, is the difference that one says that he is the Elias, the other says he is not. What shall be done? is one part of it untrue? verily, no. Shall we try to evade it? no. If the paradox cannot be unriddled on reasonable terms, we will acknowledge the difficulty, leave it irreconcileable [irreconcilable] to our understanding, and say "let God be true and every man a liar." We will however venture an assertion which strange and anomalous as it may appear, and indeed is, we think we can sustain; which is this that John the Baptist was the Elias, and that he was not the Elias, and taking this cingular [singular] course we are only stating what is above stated and we think that we shall be sustained by reason, common sense, and the Scriptures.
The Elias spoken of in the Scriptures, is a restorer, hence our Saviour [Savior] said, "Elias verily cometh and restores all things." And yet it is evident that John the Baptist was the Elias, for our Saviour [Savior] says, "but I say unto you that Elias is indeed come, and they have done unto him whatsoever they listed, as it is written of him" Mark ix, 13.
Ever since the fall of man the great Jehovah has had it in his mind to restore him to his pristine excellency, to remove the curse from the brute creation and to restore the earth to its primitive glory; nay, while this earth was one dark chaotic mass, before God said "let there be light, and it was so," or ever this world rolled into existence, or the morning stars sung together for joy a plan was formed in the councils of heaven, it was contemplated by the great Author of our existence, Eloheim [Elohim], Jehovah, to redeem the earth from under the curse. Hence when the Gods deliberated about the formation of man, it was known that he would fall and the Saviour [Savior] was provided who was to redeem and to restore, who was indeed the "Lamb slain from the foundation of the world." The eternal plan of Jehovah however, was as perfect at that time as it is now the foundation was perfectly laid the outlines were clearly sketched with a master hand, and the interstices have been filling up from that day to this. Satan has gained no more power, than he has been permitted to hold; the universe has been under the direction of the Lord of Hosts and it will be seen by and by that he whose right it is, will possess the earth, Satan will be bound, the earth redeemed, and "the kingdoms of this world become the kingdoms of our God, and of his Christ.
The earth has to be redeemed by the power of God, through the medium of the priesthood; the priesthood in heaven and on earth combined. And ever since the fall of man, in the different ages of the world, men clothed with the priesthood, have had a view of this subject: poets have sung about it, and prophets have prophesied of it; it has engaged the pencil of the artist, the tongue of the learned, and the pen of the scribe; and if ever the souls of the prophets were fired with the spirit of God it was when they prophesied of the mountains dropping down sweet wine, and the wilderness blossoming as the rose, when the lion and the lamb should lay down together, and the earth be filled with the knowledge of God as the waters cover the sea. When Zion should be established in glory, and all nations flock to her standard. When the temple of God should be reared, and the waters of life flow from its threshold; when the tree of life should be planted, and the leaves thereof be for the healing of the nations; when the inhabitants of Zion should dwell in safety, and no more say I am sick, and Jerusalem become the throne of the Lord."
In prospect of these things many prophets and servants of God have united their faith, and energies to bring about the thing so desired, and to act the part of Elias, or restorers. Enoch tried to do it but was not able. He walked with God, he had great faith, he raised up a powerful church, and taught them the principles of righteousness, but could not redeem the earth; the earth was becoming more corrupt ant God took Enoch and his church to himself, and hence arose the saying, 'Zion is fled.' The salt being thus removed, there was nothing to preserve the earth, and it was overthrown with a flood.
Moses tried, in his day, to accomplish something in relation to this matter; but he did not accomplish it; he drew nigh unto God by faith, and obtained promises from God. The Lord said that he would make of the Children of Israel a kingdom of priests and thus they being taught of God, and being enabled to teach all nations it might necessarily be presumed that intelligence would flow through their instrumentality, and that the kingdom of God would be planted and flourish on the earth; but they sinned against God, they lost the Melchizadec Priesthood; and instead of being a kingdom of priests, they had only one High Priest, who could go into the presence of God, and that only once a year, instead of the whole kingdom being brought into the presence of God, as a "kingdom of priests." Moses failed in his attempt he was taken from
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