| 439 Times and Seasons.
"Truth Will Prevail."
Vol. 2 No. 16] City of Nauvoo, Ill. June 15th, 1841. [Whole No. 28.
Times and Seasons.
City of Nauvoo,
Tuesday, June 15th, 1841.
To The Saints
There being many saint from this land, and also from Europe making preparations to leave the home of their fathers, to seek a location with the saints of God in this place. Before they start upon such an important journey we would ask, what are the motives, that induce you to do so? Have you counted the cost, and endeavored to arrive at just conclusions on the subject? If worldly advantage, wealth, and influence be the motives that propel you forward, and cause you to break the ties which bind you to your friends and neighbors, and locaate [locate] yourselves with the saints, we are very certain that you will be disappointed. If, it is because you are convinced that it is a duty required of you by your Heavenly Father, and because you delight in the society of the saints, and prefer the prosperity of Zion to your chief joy, and are willing to suffer affliction with the people of God, then we can hail you with pleasure and delight.
The happiness and enjoyments of the saints, greatly depend upon the motives which predominate in their minds, when they remove here. We have seen so many, who have been disappointed, and discouraged when they have visited this place, that we would have imagined they had never been instructed in the things pertaining to the kingdom of God, and thought, that instead of coming into a society of men and women subject to all the frailties of mortality, they were about to enjoy the society of the spirits of just men made perfect, the holy angels, and that this place should be as pure as the third heavens. Here, they expected no jarring string, but uninterrupted harmony; no discord and confusion, but all order and beauty, no sickness or death, bnt [but] eternal youth beaming on every countenance. But when they found that this people were but flesh and blood, subject to like passions with themselves, many in poverty and in distress, then their hearts have sunk within them, their confidence has departed, their courage has forsook them, their religion followed in the train, and they have reflected on themselves for ever taking the first step towards the place; and like the children of Israel, at the time when the ten spies returned from the land of Canaan, they have been desirous to choose them a captain to lead them back. We cannot imagine, how such wonderful ideas ever should take possession or be entertained by any one conversant with the bible. How can it be otherwise, but that, in a society like this, composed of people from every state, and different nations of the earth, with their peculiar views, and prejudices of education, there will be some differences of sentiment, manners and customs, and it will be some time before the whole can be harmonized, be one in heart, and in purpose, and become the Zion of the Lord.
Indeed, from the scriptures, it will be apparent that many false brethren, many hypocrites, will continue to gather with the saints, aud [and] will have a name and place among them until the harvest shall come; then the tares will be consumed, and the wheat gathered into the garner. The parable of the Kingdom of Heaven being likened to a net cast into the sea which enclosed fish of every kind, is so plain, "that a wayfaring man, though a fool need not err therein." Yet, notwithstanding the plainness of the scripture on this subject, the brethren are astonished, perplexed, and disappointed if all the brethren do not answer the description of good fish, and the sight of a gar or cat fish, throws them into despair and anguish, and they feel no disposition to associate with such company.-We admit the fact, that there are some unworthy the characters of saints of the Most High, but there are others, and we presume an overwhelming majority, who are honorable and virtuous
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