| 515 Mr. Editor; I have not made the foregoing remarks for the mere purpose of pastime; but I have made them as a tribute of respect to the worth of our departed brother. His hospitable hand has befriended me in the hour of adversity; his sympathizing heart consoled me in the midst of affliction; and now, that he is no more, let me pass my eulogy upon his name. I have spoken the feelings of my secret soul. Departed friend; rest thou in peace!
Respectfully yours,
L. O. Littlefield.
Rockford, Aug. 2nd, 1841.
Brothers Smith & Thompson:
With pleasure I improve this opportunity to communicate to you something in relation to my journey and labours [labors] since I left Nauvoo, for Galena, where we arrived on Thursday night of the 15th. The next day in company with brother Shumway, I arrived at Vienna, where Elder E. H. Graves built up a small branch of the church last year, of which brother S. was a member. I held a meeting on the Sabbath following, and on Monday; on which day a Mr. Howe, a preacher of the Campbellite order attended meeting, who had prieviously [previously] sent an appointment for the next Sabbath. After I had addressed the congregation upon the prophecies in relation to Israel, in their present scattered state, and reasoned from the scripture that we must of necessity receive revelation, from the fact that the prophets had testified that when the Lord should stretch out his hand to gather Israel, not from the single nation of Egypt, but from all other nations whither he had scattered them in a dark and cloudy day, and bring them down into the wilderness of the people-all this without revelation, nay but says the Lord by the prophet, "I will plead with you face to face like as I plead with your fathers in the wilderness of Egypt, and cause you to pass under the rod, and bring you into the bond of the covenant;" after this I adverted to the testimony of Jeremiah, that in the transcendent glory of Israel's restoration, the wonders of the sea, and of Sinai's firm basis shaking at presence of its God, and the awe stricken multitude gazing with wonder on the stupendous scene, should all be forgotten and not come to mind. At the conclusion of my discourse, the aforementioned Mr. Howe arose and remarked that the discourse which they had heard was true. On the Sabbath following, Mr. H. had his meeting at 11 o'clock, and mine was at 2 o'clock-the same place and day.-Mr. H. commenced his meeting by reading the 3rd chapter of the Acts of the Apostles, and laboured [labored] much to show, that the last days were those when the spirit of God was poured out on the day of penticost [Pentecost], the effect of which some attribute to wine, but the Apostle informed them it is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel and it shall come to pass in the last days saith God "I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh." The gentleman so unwilling to admit of the fact, that God would give more revelation, thought to evade it by having the words of Joel fulfilled on the days of penticost [Pentecost], or so far as related to that part which should produce visions, dreams, prophecies, &c., which of necessity would make an addition to revelation, which Mr. H. could not admit of without suffering the loss of his modern gospel. But this was not all, we learned from this advocate of modern, reform he fain would have had us believe, and that too with the bible in our hands, that the Jews to whom the son of God came in person in Palestine, comprised the kingdoms of Israel and Judah, which every biblical reader knows was not the fact, and that no such union ever existed since the days of Rehaboam, son of Solomon; thus he designed to show to the people, that the covenant of which the prophets spoke, that it should be established with the house of Judah and Israel, was then established, as he said, for one week, according to Daniel-which thing, every reader of the New Testament knows was not done even with the house of Judah in a national point of light, for the apostle testifies to the Jews, "that seeing ye judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, lo we turn to the Gentiles."
To give place to what I have to insert I leave Mr. H. for the present. Brother Wm. O. Clark arrived here last night from Mineral Point and vicinity, where he has baptized 17 members, and a prospect for more. In this vicinity there is a spirit of inquiry after the truth which may result in the salvation of souls through the ministry of the servants of God. Br. Clark unites with me in saying, dear Brethren, we pray you by the love you have for the work of the Lord-for the
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