| 163 aggressions and with patriotic courage to defend their homes and loved ones. The only legitimate criticism that can be
moon's turning to blood, the stars of heaven falling; of the heavens rolling away, as a scroll; of Christ's descending from heaven with a shout of the archangel and the trump of God, and of the wicked's fearing and trembling, of their faces gathering blackness, and of their seeking refuge under the mountains, and of their calling upon the rocks to hide them from the face of him that sitteth upon the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, for the great day of his wrath has come, and who shall be able to stand?
All this mass of important intelligence together with the final end of all thrones, and dominions, and principalities and powers and governments, which nothing else but revelation could make known (for science with all her powers, could never declare it-neither could philosophy with all her utmost stretch, reach it), we obtain by our holy religion; for this is her province; it is the theater where she acts; it is the business we have for her; it is to tell us things which nothing else could tell; it is to fill us with that kind of wisdom which cometh down from above, and which alone is obtained by revelation, and by the powers which our holy religion confers, and by nothing else.
In view then of what we have already obtained, and of what there is to be obtained, we have assembled ourselves together in this remote land to prepare for that which is coming on the earth; and we have this day laid the corner stones of this temple of God, and designing with as little delay as possible, to complete it; and to rear up to the name of our God in this city, Far West, a house which shall be a house of prayer, a house of learning, a house of order, and a house of God, where all the sciences, languages, etc., which are taught in our country, in schools of the highest order, shall be taught; and the object is to have it on a plan accessible to all classes, the poor as well as the rich, that all persons in our midst may have an opportunity to educate their children, both male and female, to any extent they please, so that all the talents in our midst may be called forth, in order that we may avail ourselves of all the means God puts into our hands, and put into the power of all, to deliver themselves from the impositions and frauds which are practicing upon the more illiterate part of the community, by those who have had superior advantages, or as far, at least, as learning can go to obtain this object.
One part of the house shall be set apart for a place of worship, where we shall invoke our God for revelations, when we have gone as far as human skill can carry us, that by revelations, visions, etc., we may fill the vacuum still left, after science and philosophy have done all they can do; so that we may have that understanding and that wisdom which brings salvation, and that knowledge which is unto eternal life. That whether there are wars, or famines, or pestilences, or earthquakes, or distress of nations, or whatever may come according to the purposes of our God, that we may know it beforehand, and be prepared for it, so that none of these things shall overtake us as a thief in the night, and while we are enjoying peace and safety, sudden destruction come upon us. The Savior of the world himself, while he was here with his disciples, said that as it was in the days of Noah, so should it be at the coming of the Son of Man; they were eating and drinking, they were marrying and giving in marriage, and knew not until the flood came and swept them all away; so shall it be at the coming of the Son of Man. And Paul declared to the saints of his day, that the day of the Lord cometh as a thief in the night; that when the people are crying peace
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