| 472 "Yea, let men rage since thou wilt spread
Thy shadowing wings around my head."
Under the protection of Jehovah, have the first elders gone forth "weeping, bearing precious seed," and after strugling,, [struggling] ["]with persecution in its various forms, they have returned with joy, bearing their sheaves with them;" and now, tens of thousands on this, and thousands upon other lands, join in an ascription of praise to the God of all grace, for remembering his covenant and restoring the fullness of the everlasting gospel.
"The Lord is in our side." Think of this ye ministers of the sanctuary, while engaged in proclaiming the gospel fur [far] from the home of your childhood and the habitation of the Saints, and while sorrow may overflow your soul, and you feel disheartened on account of the hardness of the people, and their clamour [clamor] for your blood, and your sorrow will depart, you will be inspired with new energy, and shall exceedingly rejoice, and be ready to exclaim "although an host should encamp against me yet I will not be afraid."
Think of this, you sufferers in the cause of bleeding Zion, who have been driven from your homes and pleasant places of abode, and who have had to bear the fury and indignation of the enemy, and let joy spring up in your bosoms, for the Lord will bless you, and abundantly reward you for all your toils and sufferings.
Think of this, all you that are engaged in the cause of truth, and are endeavoring to establish Zion, and prepare a sanctuary for the most High; and let not your hands be slack, neither be afraid, for "The Most High hath spoken and shall he not perform? He hath commanded and shall he not bring it to pass?"
Think of this, ye widows and fatherless who have had to mourn the premature loss of husbands and fathers who have fell martyrs to the cause of truth; although you are not permitted to dress their graves, or drop a tear upon the sod that covers their sleeping dust, they will one day burst the tomb and come forth in glory and splendor, and you shall hail them with unspeakable joy which shall be durable as eternity, and you will then, if not before, have to exclaim, the Lord has done all things well, blessed be the name of the Lord.
Dialogue on Mormonism. II
Book of Mormon.
Between Mr. Mathews, Mr. Roberts, and Elder Pierce.
Mr. M. I am glad to see you and Mrs. R., I was ready to think that you were not coming this evening.
Mr. R. Indeed Mr. M. I must say, I felt no very great desire to come, but as I had given you reasons to expect my company, I thought you would think me too much predjudiced [prejudiced] against your favorite doctrine of Mormonism, if I staid [stayed] away. It was not so with Mrs. R. she no sooner heard of a Mormon preacher being at your house, than she made every preparation to come. You are aware that women are somewhat curious.
Mr. M. I am aware that is their prevailing characteristic; indeed I think we all ought to have curiosity enough to induce us to listen to truth. Elder P. had just commenced to give me an account of the coming forth of the Book of Mormon, I suppose you are curious enough Mr. R. to listen to his statement.
Mr. R. This was the object of our visit. I shall be pleased to hear Elder P. proceed.
Elder P. The subject I was speaking upon was the much abused Book of Mormon, or as it is termed, by way of ridicule, the Mormon bible. Their being many foolish and extravagant stories afloat respecting it, I always deem it important to correct the public mind on this subject, before I proceed to any other item of doctrine in our religion. One impression that has gone abroad, is, that we put it in the stead of the Bible, the scriptures of the old and new testament. I presume you have heard it represented so.
Mr. R. Certainly I have, by several individuals, and I must say that I felt surprized [surprised] when Mr. M. told me this morning that such was not the case.
Mr. M. This has been the received opinion of this neighborhood, and is yet by some, for when I told Deacon Jones last evening that it was an erroneous idea we had imbibed, he plainly told me he knew better, and would not listen to any argument on the subject.
Elder P. Well gentlemen, I will endeavor to inform you what the Book of Mormon purports to be and then you can judge for yourselves. The Book of Mormon is a record of the aborigines of this continent, (America,) which was engraven on plates of precious metal, and handed down from father to son, from generation to generation. It gives an account of the first settlement of this land by the seed of Israel in the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, some time before the Babylonish captivity. While in Jerusalem
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