| 304 The heav'ns above were sealed. The glorious lamp The hecatombs that have been offer'd yet
Of inspiration had withdrawn its rays In sacrifice to heathen deities.
Of pure supernal light‚ Jehovah's voice The God of Abra'm has a purpose which
For centuries, by man had not been heard! From all eternity he had decreed
The light that God ordain'd to emanate To execute upon the earth. The Lord
From the long treasur'd page of Holy Writ; Makes use of human instruments
By human sacrilege and foul abuse, For the accomplishment of his designs.
By adding shade to shade of mysticism;
Became adulterated and obscur'd! In every age in which he has perform'd
His mighty works, he rais'd up chosen men,
Faith had been long exterminated: Faith, Commission'd by himself-invested with
The principle of pow'r pertaining to His own authority; thro' whom he spoke
The holy Priesthood which the Lord confer'd To the inhabitants, and by whose means
On man in former times-the pow'r by which He mov'd-he roll'd his mighty purpose forth.
He rent the vail [veil] and gaz'd on heav'nly things,
Or drew the curtain of futurity Noah was call'd in his degen'rate age,
Aside, and converse held with distant scenes, To teach the principles of righteousness
Closely envelop'd in the years to come. To a corrupt, stiffnecked race of men:
To seal the testimony and bind up the law.
Some truly thirsted for the precious gifts,
The light, the glory and intelligence When God would call his people out
Of ancient times: while others vainly thought From under Egypt's yoke, he gave command
The history contained the essence of To Moses, whom he had rais'd up to lead
The things declar'd-that the rehersal [rehearsal] of To Canaan's land, the tribes of Israel.
Those blessing, had transfer'd the blessing down:
The ancient prophets all have testified
As tho' a hungry man could satisfy That in the latter days the Lord would do
His appetite upon the bare belief. A work in magnitude and interest,
That other starving persons had been fed. Surpassing ev'ry work perform'd below,
Since earth was moulded [molded] in it spheric form.
The priesthood gone-the church was but a wreck;
And like a ship without a rudder, toss'd At length the time, the chosen time arriv'd
Upon the boist'rous waves of changeful Time, For the commencement of the glorious work,
While the ancient order was extinct. The restitution of all things; which shall
Restore the earth to its primeval state,
The Urim and the Thummin hid away; And usher in the long expected reign
The human mind was left to wander through Of Jesus Christ.
The mazy fields of 'erring reason;' and
To float at large upon ærial forms; But where's a mighty man
Borne [born] onward by contingences' [contingencies] fickle breath. Like unto Enoch, Noah, Abraham,
Hence, mental abberations [aberrations] oftentimes Or Moses,, who can stand in battle's front
Assum'd a threat'ning aspect, and appear'd Amid the persecuting rage of men,
Impervious as the darksome catacombs And guide the helm of turn and overturn,
Of ancient structure; sometimes swelling to Amid the wreck of ev'ry human scheme;
Gigantic size, on which was sacrificed While God shall revolutionize the world?
A sum of happiness of more amount
Than could be purchas'd by the price of all Jehovah knows.-His eyes was fix'd on one
Whom he had chosen from eternity;
And in his choice, he counsel'd not with man.
The one, of all mankind, whom God ordain'd
Is now the subject of the writer's pen.
The Times and Seasons, IS EDITED BY JOHN TAYLOR. Printed and published about the first and fifteenth of every month, on the corner of Water and Bain Streets, Nauvoo, Hancock County, Illinois, by JOHN TAYLOR AND WILFORD WOODRUFF.
TERMS.-TWO DOLLARS per annum, payable in all cases in advance. Any person procuring five new subscribers, and forwarding us Ten Dollars current money, shall receive one volume gratis. All letters must be addressed to John Taylor, editor, POST PAID, or they will not receive attention.
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