| 434 that those of whom he shall receive may be rewarded again, according to that which they do. For according to that which they do, they shall receive; even in the lands for their inheritance. Behold thus saith the Lord unto my people, you have many things to do, and to repent of; for behold your sins have come up unto me, and are not pardoned, because you seek to counsel in your own ways. And your hearts are not satisfied. And ye obey not the truth, but have pleasure in unrighteousness.
Wo unto you rich men, that will not give your substance to the poor, for your riches will canker your souls! and this shall be your lamentation in the day of visitation, and of judgment, and of indignation: The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and my soul is not saved! Wo unto you poor men, whose hearts are not broken, and whose spirits are not contrite, and whose bellies are not satisfied, and whose hands are not stayed from laying hold upon other men's goods, whose eyes are full of greediness, who will not labor with their own hands!
But blessed are the poor, who are pure in heart, whose hearts are broken, and whose spirits are contrite, for they shall see the kingdom of God coming in great power and great glory unto their deliverance: for the fatness of the earth shall be theirs: for behold the Lord shall come, and his recompense shall be with him, and he shall reward every man, and the poor shall rejoice: and their generations shall inherit the earth from generation to generation, forever and ever. And now I make an end of speaking unto you; even so: Amen.
On the 19th of June, in company with Sidney Rigdon, Martin Harris, Edward Partridge, W. W. Phelps, Joseph Coe, A. S. Gilbert and his wife, I started from Kirtland, Ohio, for the land of Missouri, agreeable to the commandment before received, wherein it was promised that if we were faithful, the land of our inheritance, even the place for the city of the New Jerusalem should be revealed. We went by waggon [wagon], canal boats, and stages to Cincinnati, where I had an interview with Rev. Walter Scott, one of the fathers of the Campbellites or Newlitt Church. Before the close of our interview, he manifested one of the bitterest spirits against the doctrine of the New Testament ('that these signs should follow them that believe,' as recorded in the 16th chapter of the gospel, according to St. Mark,) that I ever witnessed among men. We left Cincinnati in a steamer, and landed at Louisville, Ky., where we were detained three days in waiting for a steamer to convey us to St. Louis. At St. Louis, myself, brother Harris, Phelps, Partridge and Coe, went on foot by land, to Independence, Jackson county, Missouri, where we arrived about the middle of July: and the residue of the company came by water a few days after. Notwithstanding the corruptions and abominations of the times, and the evil spirits manifested towards us on account of our belief in the Book of Mormon; at many places and among various persons, yet the Lord continued his watchful care and loving kindness to us day by day: and we made it a rule, wherever there was an opportunity to read a chapter in the bible, and to pray; and these seasons of worship gave us great consolation. The meeting of our brethren, who had long waited our arrival, was a glorious one, and moistened with many tears. It seemed good and pleasant for brethren to meet together in unity. But our reflections were great, coming as we had from a highly cultivated state of society in the east, and standing now upon the confines or western limits of the United States, and looking into the vast wilderness of those that sat in darkness;-how natural it was to observe the degradation, leanness of intellect, ferocity and jealousy of a people that were nearly a century behind the time, and to feel for those that roamed about without the benefit of civilization, refinement or religion! yea, and exclaim in the language of the prophets: 'When will the wilderness blossom as a rose? when will Zion be built up in her glory, and where will thy temple stand unto which all nations shall come in the last days?' Our anxiety was soon relieved by receiving the following
Revelation given in Zion, July, 1831.
Hearken, O ye elders of my church, saith the Lord your God, who have assembled yourselves together, according to my commandments, in this land which is the land of Missouri, which is the land which I have appointed and consecrated for the gathering of the saints: wherefore this is the land of promise, and the place for the city of Zion. And thus saith the Lord your God, if you will receive wisdom here is wisdom. Behold the place which is now called Independence, is the centre [center] place, and the spot for the temple is lying westward upon a lot which is not far from the court house: wherefore it is wisdom that the land should be purchased, by the saints: and also every tract lying westward, even unto the line running directly between Jew and Gentile. And also every tract bordering by the prairies, inasmuch as my disciples are enabled to buy lands. Behold this is wisdom, that they may obtain it for an everlasting inheritance.
And let my servant Sidney Gilbert, stand in the office which I have appointed him, to receive moneys, to be an agent unto the church, to buy land in all the regions round about, inasmuch as can be in righteousness, and as wisdom shall direct.
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