| 953 walls are well built and battlemented; but they have neither ditches, counterscarp walls nor other exterior defences [defenses]. They are modern, but worthy to bfilong [belong] to an age when gun powder was unknown, for they cannot stand two days against breaching batteries. The town has now a garrison of about fifteen hundred lubberly Turkish soldiers, and could be taken by escalade in ten minutes, against all the resistance the garrison could offer.
The environs of Jerusalem are very striking. They form one vast necropolis-the very rock being perforated in all directions with tombs, which being near the bottom of the valley of Jehoshaphat, Kedron. Gihon, and Hinnor-These valleys, together with the Western Wall, form a circuit of two miles and a half-the whole circumference of the ancient town being, according to Josephus, rather more than four miles.
SPEECH.
Delivered by President B. Young, in the City of Joseph, April 6th 1845.
I hope there may be faith enough in this congregation of Saints to still the wind, and strengthen me so that I may be heard by all of this vast assemblage of people: and in order that my voice may extend, and be heard by all it will be necessary for the brethren and sisters to be quiet as possible, and I will do my best to speak that you may hear and understand.
We shall devote this day to preaching-exhortation-singing-praying and blessing children, (such as have not been blessed,) and all those who have not been able to come to meeting: such women may be, who have not had their children blessed, and have the privilege this afternoon.
Last Sunday I proposed to the Saints, to speak to day on the snbject [subject] of the baptism for the dead in connexion [connection] with other items, that the Saints may be satisfied-that all doubt and darkness may be removed with regard to certain principles of the doctrine of redemption.
But before I undertake to explain or give correct views upon this important subject, I would say to all those who are satisfied with all the knowledge they have, and want no more: to you I do not expect to be an apostle this day; but for those who are hungering and thirsting after righteousness, I pray, that they may be filled and satisfied with the intelligence of God, even his glory.
What I have stated in the winter past relative to the baptism for the dead, has been matter of discussion among the elders, and among the brethren and sisters in general, but I will endeavor to show to this congregation of Saints the propriety of it; and that the people could not run at hap-hazard, and without order to attend to this ordinance and at the same time it be valid, and recognized in heaven.
We are building a house at present unto the Lord in the which we expect to attend to the fulfillment [fulfillment] of this doctrine: you all believe that this is a doctrine revealed by God to his servant Joseph. Admitting this to be the fact, that he has revealed through him a plan by which we may bring to life the dead, and bless them with a great and glorious exaltation in the presence of the Almighty with ourselves; still we want to know how to do these things right; to do them in a manner that shall be acceptable to the Almighty, if otherwise he will say unto us at the last day, "ye have not known me right, because of your slothfulness and your wickedness depart from me for I know you not." O ye Latter-day Saints! I don't want one of you to be caught in that snare, but that you may do things right and thus be enabled to make your calling and election sure. I might say the plan of salvation is perfect of itself-it is a system that can save, redeem, honor and glorify all who are willing to apply themselves to it according to the pattern-it is a plan of salvation to all men both male and female; it has been handed down, and known from the days of Adam, and those who will open their eyes to see, their ears to hear, and their hearts to understand, they will acknowledge at once that it is a perfect system; but those whose eyes, ears and hearts are shut up by incorrect tradition and prejudice, they acknowledge by their lives, by their practices, by their walk an conversation, and by their actions in general, that they do not understand it, yet they plead the atonement, and say we believe the atonement is sufficient for all-only believe and he will save you; yet at the same time the bible, reason, common sense and every other righteous principle positively testifies that there must be means made use of to put you in possession of the blessings of the atonement, as well as any other blessing.
I believe the plan of salvation is comeatable, and may be understood and the inhabitants of the world who will come to God can be made acquainted with all the ordinances and blessings by which they may know how to save themselves and their friends, as we know how to build a house, or as the mechanic knows how to make any piece of mechanism; but mechanism is not to be compared with the perfection of the machine of salvation or with the beauty of the plan of redemption: it is the most perfect system of any other creature under heaven.
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