whom offenses come, and discover a merciful design in our Heavenly Father towards all such as patiently endure these afflictions until He advises them that the day of their deliverance has come. It is our design to remove all the Saints as early next spring as the first appearance of thrifty vegetation. * * * We therefore invite the Saints abroad generally so to arrange their affairs as to come with their families in sufficient time to receive their endowments, and aid in giving the last finish to the house of the Lord, previous to the great emigration. of the Church in the spring. A little additional help in the heat of the day from those abroad to those here who have been often driven and robbed will sweeten the interchanges of fellowship, and so far fulfill the law of Christ as to bear one another's burdens. * * * Wake up, wake up, dear brethren, we exhort you, from the Mississippi to the Atlantic, and from Canada to Florida, to the present glorious emergency in which the God of heaven has placed you, to prove your faith by your works, preparatory to a rich endowment in the temple of the Lord, and the obtaining of promises and deliverances and glories for yourselves and your children, and your dead. In doing so the blessings of many ready to perish like silent dew upon the grass, and the approbation of generations to come, and the hallowed joys of eternal life will rest upon you."

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In a conference held in the city of New York, November 12th, 1845, the leading question discussed was the importance of moving to the West. Many were present from Long Island, Connecticut, and New Jersey. Elder Orson Pratt exhorted the Saints to a union of action for the benefit of the poor, that they might not be left behind. That as long as the Church remained among the Gentiles the fullness of the Gospel would not be taken from them, and the Book of Mormon be fulfilled. Many resolutions in the interest of the Church were adopted by the conference, among them the following:

"Resolved, That we hail with joy the proclamation of our brethren from the City of Joseph to make preparations for for our immediate departure, and give thanks and praise to our Heavenly Father that the day of our deliverance is so near at hand.

"Resolved, That the Church in New York City move, one and all, west of the Rocky Mountains, between this and next season, either by land or water; and that we most earnestly pray all our brethren in the Eastern country to join with us in this determination, and carry it out effectually, to the delivery of the people of God from the daughters of Babylon, and not one left behind.

"Resolved, That there are no apologies required of those who do not go, but old age, sickness, infirmities, and poverty; 'for he that will not forsake father and

"I have concluded to return immediately myself to America, and get my child in Maine, my father and mother in Connecticut, and hasten to Nauvoo as speedily as possible, so as to be enabled to join the camp in their exodus in the mountains and the wilderness. This is the only way I can discover a deliverance for my own children and my father's household, and as all the quorum of the Twelve, except myself, are in Nauvoo to go with the camp (having received no council to tarry here), I thought I would arrange my affairs here so as to accompany them, that the chain of the quorum of the Twelve might be unbroken as they go out at the head of the most interesting camp that ever moved, Moses at the head of Israel, and Joshua with the Priests and the rams' horns not excepted. My wife and family, with Elders Sheets and Hater, also Brother and Sister Clark, and probably some others, will leave here about the 1st of January, 1846, for Nauvoo, by

I

way of New Orleans, and immediately after I shall take ship for New York, accompanied by Elder Stratten, and shall be in Nauvoo as soon as possible. called a special conference of all the churches in the British Isles, which met at Manchester on the 14th inst. We had a most interesting conference. The following is the result of the representation of the churches-Eleven thousand and seventy-two members, eight High Priests, three hundred and ninety-two Elders, five hundred and ninety Priests, three hundred and eleven Teachers, and one hundred and eighty-eight Deacons; added since last conference, one thousand five hundred and seventy-five (being a period of eight months). The Staffordshire Conference was not included in this representation, which would have made several hundred more. It is the largest representation ever known in this country. The exodus of the Saints from Babylon has given the Saints in this country an onward spur; they seem to be more than ever determined to be diligent in fulfilling their duty. * * * I have circulated twenty thousand Proclamations,' commencing with the Duke of Wellington, Sir Robert Peel, and Lord John Russell, and so through all the officers of the government, and the clergy, as well as many of the Jewish Rabbis. We are thoroughly known now throughout England."

How natural, how simple, how

beautiful, how unlike the pomp, stiff formality, and false dignity which the Pharisaic portion of the present world display is manifested in the sentiments expressed by the Apostles!

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Elder Orson Pratt, in his farewell message to the Saints of the Eastern and Middle States, dated at New York, November 8th, 1845, says: "The time is at hand for me to take a long and lasting farewell to these Eastern countries, being included, with my family, among tens of thousands of American citizens, who have the choice of death or banishment beyond the Rocky Mountains. have preferred the latter. * * * If we die in the dens and caves of the Rocky Mountains we shall die where freedom reigns triumphantly. Liberty in a solitary place and in a desert is far more preferable than martyrdom in these pious States. * The Lord requires a sacrifice, and he that is not willing will fail of the blessing. * * Who then, for a moment's gratification, will sacrifice an eternal kingdom, where pure virtue, and love and affection shall beam forth like the rays of the morning sun from every joyful countenance? O, Virtue! How amiable thou art! Strength and beauty, excellency and dignity, and honor and immortality are thine offspring! Gentle peace, pure affection, unbounded love and omnipotent power shall reign triumphantly in thy habitations forevermore." The Prophet Moses,

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who

demanded the freedom of the Israelites from the land of Egypt and at last prevailed, conferred his ministry of gathering the house of Israel on the Prophet Joseph Smith, and he conferred it on the Twelve Apostles. They labored diligently as a unit to gather the Saints to the Rocky Mountains, to enjoy rest for a season, and to be sheltered from the storms created by the wicked, and to lay a broader foundation for future usefulness. They felt like the Psalmist when he said: "My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed." Their Prophets lately murdered for the word of God, and now being compelled to leave their homes, one would have thought their hearts would flutter, but no, they were calm, firm, happy, resolute, established. They were resolved to trust God, to serve and praise Him. poet said:

As a

Sing, though sense and carnal reason
Fain would stop the joyful song:
Sing, and count it highest treason

For a Saint to hold his tongue.

Without fixed principles, the slightest temptation will prove sufficient to frustrate the object and arrest the design. It is not sufficient to begin life with the holiest resolutions, but to continue following on, to uphold and maintain the principles of the gospel. To serve God is not to be done by mere abstract reasoning, or strong resolves, but by constant reference to the divine will, a deep sense of personal obligation, steady discipline of

the heart, and a growing desire to know and to do the will of God. The object, grave as it is, will be soon lost sight of if there be not deep earnestness and perseverance in its accomplishment. If we are not habitually striving after conformity to God, where is the evidence of self-consecration? To do all to the glory of God is the test of our fidelity. We must labor to realize the divine presence, and to walk as in His sight, as seeing Him who is invisilbe to our uninspired eyes. If we value the salvation of one soul more than the attainment of any earthly good, we shall not fail to put forth the most strenuous efforts to perform the mission committed to our charge by the great Head of the Church. Why is this glorious work confined comparatively to the few, who have professed to forsake all and follow Christ? Why are not all who belong to the Church eager to make known the glad tidings of the gospel to the ignorant and unenlightened? Is it to be attributed to lukewarmness and cold indifference? We owe allegiance to divine authority; we profess to yield obedience to the will of our Father. We are to be co-workers with Him in the great work of redemption. We are apt to leave to others what we should do ourselves, and to frame an excuse that we are not qualified for the work of spiritual teachers. We can all do more, far more than we think, in the full dependence on the Spirit of God; and however feeble and

imperfect our services, we shall in the attempt enjoy the satisfaction that we have done something to promote the interest of the Church of Christ. Is it not said to us, by one who cannot err, "Occupy till I come?" The examples given us in the ministry of God's servants in this age should stimulate us to perform our part in the spot we are placed, faithfully and without reserve, and to commend the gospel, not only by our example, but by self consecration to the truth. May it not be said to us, "What owest thou to thy Lord?" From the Times and Seasons, of December 1st, 1845, we find the following:

"Peace and union reign at Nauvoo, and as to business, every Saint that means to keep the commandments of the Lord, and prepare for the revelation of Jesus. Christ, is earnestly employed in fitting out for the intended removal next spring; or, as a willing and obedient people, many are engaged upon the temple, determined to finish that glorious structure of Latter-day Saints' faith and works as a monument that they were industrious, nobleminded and sincere. * The mob, as usual, are busy in manufacturing lies about the Saints; and what they lack is gratuitously supplied by apostates, who naturally drop down among the dregs of society, as a fall from a slaughter house, and devoured up by beasts of prey. We believe also that the mob keep up the old system of

are

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