| 13 you are now being tried, and those trials, if you are not watchful, will corode [corrode] upon the mind, and produce unpleasant feelings; but recollect that now is the time of trial, soon the victory will be ours; now may be a day of lamentation, then will be a day of rejoicing; now may be a day of sorrow, but by and by we shall see our Lord, our sorrow will be turned into joy, and our joy no man taketh from us. Be honest; be men of truth and integrity, let your word be your bond, be diligent, be prayerful; pray for, and with your families, train up your children in the fear of the Lord, cultivate a meek a quiet spirit, clothe the naked, feed the hungry, help the destitute, be merciful to the widow and orphan, be merciful to your brethren, and to all men; bear with one anothers infirmities, considering your own weakness; bring no railing accusation against your brethren, especially take care that you do not against the authorities or, elders of the church, for the principle is of the devil; he is called the accuser of the brethren; and Michael, the Arch-angel dared not bring a railing accusation against the devil, but said, the "Lord rebuke thee Satan;" and any man who pursues this course of accusation and murmuring, will fall into the snare of the devil, and apostatize, except he repent. Jude, in the 8th verse. says, likewise those filthy dreamers despise dominion, and speak evil of dignities; and says he, behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousand of his saints, to execute judgement [judgment] upon the ungodly, and to convince all that are ungodly among them, of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him. Peter, in speaking on the same principle, says, "the Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgement [judgment] to be punished: but chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness, and despise government. Presumptous [Presumptuous]are they self willed, they are not afraid to speak evil of dignities. Whereas angels, which are greater in power and might, bring not railing accusation against them before the Lord." If a man sin, let him be dealt with according to the law of God in the bible, the book of Mormon, and doctrines and covenants, and then leave him in the hands of God to rebuke, as Michael left the devil.
Gird yourselves with righteousness, and let truth, eternal truth, be written indelibly on your hearts. Pray for the prosperity of Zion, for the prophet and his counsellors [counselors] , for the twelve, the high council, the high priests, the seventies, the elders, the bishops, and all the saints, that God may bless them, and preserve his people in righteousness, and grant unto them wisdom and intelligence, that his kingdom may roll forth.
We would say to the elders, that God has called you to an important office, he has laid upon you an onerous duty, he has called you to an holy calling, even to the priests of the "most high God," messengers to the nations of the earth; and upon your diligence, your perseverance and faithfulness, the soundness of the doctrines that you preach, the moral precepts that you advance and practice, and upon the sound principles that you inculcate, hang the destinies of the human family, while you hold that priesthood. You are the men that God has called to spread forth his kingdom, he has committed the care of souls to you charge, and when you received this priesthood, you became the legate of heaven, and the great God demands it of you, that you should be faithful, and inasmuch as you are not, you will not be chosen; but it will be said unto you, stand by, and let a more honorable man than thou art take thy place, and receive thy crown; be careful that you teach not for the word of God, the commandments of men, nor the doctrines of men nor the ordinances of men, inasmuch as you are God's messengers; study the word of God and preach it, and not your opinions, for no man's opinion is worth a straw: advance no principle but what you can prove, for one scriptural proof is worth ten thousand opinions: we would moreover say, abide by that revelation which says, "preach nothing but repentance to this generation," and leave the further mysteries of the kingdom, till God shall tell you to preach them, which is not now.-The horns of the beast, the toes of the image, the frogs and the beast mentioned
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