Show THE LAND OF ZION A LECTURE delivered in logan ioan on the afternoon of january h 1887 BY ELDER LYMAN OMER littlefield upon this subject sour our humble servant will essay to address this intelligent audience this afternoon to the saints tabe ape very term land of zion suggests bus first to ane mind the Y place 1 lace no now inhabited by the church ot of jesus e sus aurist ot latter day Sai bakits ints the fair romantic and envied utah with its bolt bola mountain chains and fertile vales utah with its deep canon calion gorges crystal streams babbling brooks oro limpid lakes and briley eniy inland sea utah which but for tile the indomitable mormon P pioneers might still have been inhabited 11 cited only oaly by predatory indian bands with ups to occupy the places where cities stand and temple spires pierce the eternal vaults successfully cess fully reclaimed from the wildness of age ageland sand converted into the abode of civilization by a people envied for their evident ability for self govern ment stati where common schools dispense the primary rudiments of learning to children and colleges pol iba the advanced student with a knowledge of the sciences utah the gathering to which the oppressed and down trodden of the nations can come from year to year as doves flock to their windows yet utah with all her wealth of soil and climate with its mines ot unknown treasures resting within tue rocky receptacles of her hei majestic mountains lh with its inhabitants occupies but a very ery beall portion of what may be dededi dated the land of zion the prophet joseph smith announced that theland the land of C comp compney ned the entire enone continent of north and south bouth america Amei ica with all of tile me adjacent islands this gives an almost boundless scope an extensive flold a broad theatre for thought and action it occupies a portion of tile the globes surface to constitute a hemisphere its geographical location and interest ini erest is 10 unrivaled its scenery is unsurpassed in point of ro mantic beauty by that of switzerland or the other states of europe broad rivers avei s i un almost across the entire continent flowing into the ing ample water transportation for the products of tile the old world far up into the interior to be distributed tri buted among teeming millions it possesses a magnificent chain of lakes superior michigan huron erie brie ontario and near the foot of erie ene the falls of niagara thunder the voice of maddened madden eci waters in a manner that denes defies the cataracts of the earth to produce a parallel it is the great drain of these lakes with all the rivers livers flowing into them the quantity of water precipe gatet over ever the falls is estimated at one drori tons ocr hour houf in the sublimity and 1 grandeur which attach to the ir rush and ae leap al of mighty waters niagara stands alone match matchless loss and unrivaled magnificent forests of valuable timber interspersed with immense stretches of rolling prairie lands level plains and lofty mountains broad rivers babbling brooks ata and d tiny rivulets grottos and subterranean passages are among the many natural attractions which delight the eye ot of tile the tourist who traverses this broad broa d continent for profit or pleasure in a few woi woid sit is a land wonderful in its geographical construction and aban abundant ant in the attractiveness of its scenic beauty in noting its peculiar figure upon the map it is not strange that the prophet isaiah while wrapped in vision beheld from far eastern asia these continents anci ana wrote of the itne land shadowing with wings whose lands the rivers have spoil spoiled edg the place of the name of the lord of hosts hos esthe the mount zion the prophet joseph smith spoke ot ol it as being I 1 the land of zion the terms are not contradictory dic tory whether there was or was not in the economy of the divine ruler kuler a design in placing the inspiration in the hearts ot the patriot lathers fathers to give the proud eagle its perch upon the banners of freed freedom om that a lesem blance mi might gh be discern discernible discernable able in its outstretched wings and the foundation of the north and south american continent is not for me to say but certainly the symbolism is peculiar and signify j cant in this connection it sho should u id be borne in mind that this favored ancient prophet at the time the vision of this land was beheld by him stood in asia east of E ethiopia thi opia and when he called attention to the land sha shadowing dowin with t wings I 1 in order to identify or 9 give ive direction i to tile the land he kawwas CA careful Y e ito to state that it was beyond the r rivers IV ers of ethiopia 11 A person standing a large map of these continents will recognize in their shape the resemblance to outstretched wings one dipping into the atlantic and the other reaching reachie to the waves of the pacific if this is insufficient notice upon the map the nice resemblance to outstretched wings made by the lakes of north america hence when isaiah beheld this land in vision it is not surprising that he made the exclamation as if saying ho to the land or behold the land shadowing with wings 11 in fact it is ia claimed NY by some who are learned that the first word of the chapter of isaiah is mistranslated mis translated instead of its being woe it should be ho or behold for a brief period let the mind now wander bacr back the ages to the beginning this of course coarse can be 01 doa do a quickly i by th the e exercise of those electric powers with which the human intellect is endowed but we need not go ge as far back as the rebellion in heaven when jesus was chosen and lucifer fell we will not go quite so far as the time when tile the six thousand years work of the earths cart hc creation began but the mind may ret upon that boyf joyful id period when the labor was finished complete and accepted by the great and supreme El the results of the six days labor was pronounced very good and tile the seventh was a day of rest the heavens and the earth were finished and all the host of them but there was no man to dwell upon the lair fair inheritance so the lord god created adam and eve and placed them in the garden of eden and god blessed them and god said unto them be fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the ash of the seu seb and over the fowl of the air and over every living thing that loveth upon the earth this primeval period can be contemplated with feelings of felicity A anew new world just f from rom the hands bands of the infinite creator perfect wl phout a blemish A new earth without a taint upon its surface A beatific influence of purity pervaded its landa landscapes capes filled its forests mingled in the melody of the rippling waters slid and permeated the ethereal element that enveloped the globe adam and eve his wife dwelt in the garden of eden themselves as innocent and sanctified as shenew the new world over which they swayed the first centre of dominion it is said laid that they sinned that they partook of the foi bidden fruit and entailed death upon themselves and posterity in this particular no doubt they broke the commandment against partaking of the forbidden fruit nevertheless th eless they were also commanded to be fruitful and multiply they fell or stepped down to a mortal state but d did ld not adam fall that man might be eve it will be remembered was the first to partake of the forbidden fruit in consequence of this adam saw that they must be forever separated and hence the commandment given them to be fruitful and multiply could not be fulfilled if 11 we reason naturally we will say this condition ot of things must have been unpleasant to him bim I 1 am aware that important principles are involved here and a person unskilled in the mysteries Qs ol et godliness as is your humble speaker had bad better not row his boat too tar far out into the deep waters hence upon this point I 1 will not give anything to be the doctrines of the latter day clay saints but it is repugnant to my feelings to impute improper and unholy desires ancestors I 1 would rather on en my own responsibility say it better comperts comports com ports with the prestige and dignity of that illustrious pair that they had much know knowledge lidge as to the purposes and objects of the earths creation and tha thin than those purposes should shoud bi be rendered void and aney be forever separated adam would prefer to take upon himself and posterity the effects of the fall knowing that the messiah would come in the meridean of time and ana give ms me as a meui i tate lor or the transgression bring to pass a resurrection from the dead and restore adam and all his ob obedient posterity to that state of perfectly perfect lo ioa that existed before the fall at all events does not this view impart to adam a character more dignified die niHed and noble than to charge as many do that passion tempted him from the path of virtue Is it not a pleasing plea sine anticipation that the great and glorious future will fully vindicate characters so exalted as were those who held the first dominion at the earths primeval excellence the earth also fell from this state of original perfection the sin of cain fixed upon it the first stain of human blood then bloodshed followed bloodshed sin followed sin and when the posterity of adam had bad extended to tile the days of noah their abominations and crimes assumed such proportions that the ruler of the universe brought the flood and swept them all from the earth except noak noah and those saved with him in the ark numbering only eight souls Itis it is unnecessary hereto here to dwell upon this flood which deluged the entire globe and destroyed all human and animal life except what was preserved in the ark the land where adam dwelt can be easily located by the latter day saints by B referring to pages 4 15 36 17 book ol 01 of doctrine and covenants we find that adam ondi ahman the place where adam shall come to visit his people or the ancient ot of days shall sit bantel daniel 7 9 14 is a place called spring hill davis county missouri there are the mountains of adam ondi aadi ahman the plains of Shi nebah or the land where adam dwelt there adam built an altert altar offered sacrifice and blessed his pos nas has the privilege of passing over the location just named are my hearers able to declare where the garden of eden was planted is there a more natural location for this than the american continent and what we understand to be the centre stake of zion after forty days and forty nights as we understand the waters of this terrible flood began to subside and the ark of noah was safely landed upon terra firma the place of its landing is thus spoken of by philip smith B A in his work entitled I 1 the ancient history of the east page 19 nearly alk interpreters of scripture place the cradle of the race in the nigh highlands lands of asia and while some contend for the alpine plateau of little the below of ifft as aa the fearon and boeras ot of in dis dia and persian traditions the more moie general opinion asteres to the mountains of armenia if 11 the tee former is the more natural centre for the aryan race which took possession of iran and northern india the latter which prevalent tradition identifies with ararat seems the appropriate starting place for the peoples of europe western asia and north africa ll 11 it is not smelly essential to our present purpose to locate the precise place of the landing of the ark or detail the many interesting incidents connected with that event the above quotation fixes that spot near bear enough however as ararat is probably the highest mountain existing in that vast region it is reasonable to suppose that the agency of those on board the ark would be employed to guide it thither as tile the first point of earth to be seen protruding from the watery element wherever the locality was the place swarmed with interesting events that must have enar engrossed ossed the attention of noah and his him companions the position tion he occupied relative to the earth and its future fistori though not dot in every respect the same wax was similar to that of adam at the beginning adam it will be borne in the tall lall a pure beine while noah was under the effects of the fall noah in merited death as the result of that original transgression the earth was by the flood swept of its inhabitants gitil tile the exception of the few preserved in the ark which had perhaps conveyed them thousands of miles from taeia original homes who can identify the place where the ark was uplifted from the earth and borne away upon the broad bosom of the waters wits was it upon one 0 of J thelast the eastern or western continents I 1 have beard that the great modern prophet joseph smith did point out the place the earth since the days of adam had bad been stained with the blood ol 01 murder and was not dot pure and spotless as when it bloomed with pristine freshness and verdure tile the marks of sin and transgression were upon its ito face but it had been baptized in the flood it had received a promise of purification by fire and that its ultimate destiny was to be redeemed from its fallen condition con obtain a resurrection and revolve in an orbit nearer the celestial throne were jehovah rules over the myriads of worlds which revolve through the immensity of space the millions of the earths inhabitants had dwindled to eight souls and the beasts of the field the birds and fowls of the air that swarmed through the me many years from tile the beginning to the deluge were extinct save the few which accompanied that favored patriarch in that singular transit over the face of the waters the human race and all the creations that had breathed the breath of lite life were nearly extinct yet a remnant was spared with ith watch again to replenish the earth and this time this his little germ was planted la in the eastern parts carts of asia the race ot man became prolific and in process of time spread out over europe western asia and north africa all those countries became filled with teeming thousands the march of emigration westward from the initial point where the ark rested was only checked by the broad atlantic all knowledge of chewon the wonderful continent that lay beyond towards tle the setting sun had passed from rom the memory of man bat the great El elvheim obelin bad made imade promises concerning th that atland land which in due time he would take steps to fulfil fulfill let us now tarn our thou thoughts avat ts to jerusalem to the time when that city was by and 2nd kings chapter A great and hood good man dwelt there he was a prophet of the lord and aad labored with all ail his bis might to turn the people of that city from their wickedness because of his bis diligence in pointing out their transgressions and warning them hem of judgments it if they did not repent the sought his life and the lord bord commanded him to take bis his family consisting of his wife and lour four sons lawan laman lemuel sam and nephi and flee into the wilderness this he be did and the time of his exit was years bea before ore christ we nave halve now reau aeu a moat buu resting and important of history time b however will not allow us ils to amplify I 1 upon it to become acquainted quain ted with tte the exodus and travels of lehi and his family from and after the time of their starting following them in their travels through the wilderness until they finally pitched their tents upon the seashore and constructed ted a ship you will of necessity have recourse to the book of mormon president george Q cannon also gives a succinct account of this in his bis very able and interesting book entitled vie the life ol 01 nephi neither have we time to relate the he interesting account of 0 the voyage across the sea but let us with the eye df |