| Show APPROACH OF A calamitous EPOCH A FEAL Q of alarm hassel has seized zed thecia the rations dof luf europe because of the ap learance learan cb in france frince of genuine asiatic cholera ond bae of the most dreadful maladies that ever afflicted mankind the feeling of ansaf unsafely ety has reached even to this country for the most distant bentres centres bentres of civilization are exposed to danger from irma the existence of the disease awing owing to the immense tram carried on between peoples and nac nae this marvelous marselous marv elous cious epoch in the worlds Al history story the seeli pg of insecurity exhibited b by Europ european ban han countries is well weli grounded ground grounded ey former visitations of the scourge are yet within the memory of man the historic of which are fraught with horror millions of human being have been uben swept out olit of existence by the plague those attacked by it being subjected to id the intense dufferin sun suf suffering merln merin cities tow as and villages in varion various s parts of ottha the world have at different times been een cen cea decimated and overhung b by dym dyl of death the history of every visitation of the nial malady d has demonet demonstrated rated the fact I 1 that peo people I 1 1 who were seized by the moat most abject feh fear at its approach became as a rule the earlle earliest an endmost and most easily conquered v victims I 1 ic it may not be amiss to draw attention to the fact that we are living at a period when appalling visitations will wili V largely prevail throughout the world they form a department or division of the cluster of sory evenn that are to precede the second coming of christ which is near ht at hand even at the doors 72 it is exl exi exceedingly gopalan popular to scoff at the claim of joseph josep smith to being divinely Inspired but those sneers are never the result of an investigation of the grounds upon which his claim to prophetic power Is s based I 1 it being a matter of record beyond the possibility 0 of consistent dispute disputes that hu hundreds of his predictions reductions have been alre aire already ady fulfilled with a fidelity to detail that should startle or at least amaze the unbeliever but we do not desire to dwell 0 on that subject f further urther than to draw attention to the fact that among his prophetic Ivarn warnings ings is one to the effect that there were men living when the falness of the gospel of preparation was revealed through him who would not pass away from the thu earth until they should see an overflowing bourge for a desolating sickness shall cover the land the disciples of the lord however were to stand in holy places placed and not be moved but among the wicked men shall lift up their voices and curse god and die I 1 on the same subject a revelation w was 13 elven elsen iven ivan through joseph the seer at kirtland ohio xu august ad 1 1833 from irom which we extract tae the following therefore verily thus saith the lord let iet zion rejoice for t this his is zion tile the purlin in heart therefore let zion rejoice while all the wicked shall mourn for behold and lo 10 vengeance cometh speedily upon the ungodly us the whirlwind and who shall escape it the lori lora s scourge shall pass over bv night and by day and the report thereof shall vex all people yet et I 1 it shall not be stayed until the lord come the lordis lord is kindled against their abominations and all icken works A nevertheless everth eless Z zion wion ion lon shall escaich escape it if shi she I 1 aws bwl ea do all things whatsoever I 1 have slave commanded her but if she observe not to do whatsoever I 1 have commanded her I 1 will visit her according to all her works with sore affliction fth pestilence lonce lence with plague with sword with vengeance gean cc with devouring tire lire it appears from this prophecy that the cause of the coming of the is the wickedness of the people this is in conflict with a favorite theory with some people that the world la Is becoming better this claim of the moral progress of the world horld not only disagrees with revelation but with sound reason it Is of but little e avail to point out the corrupt epochs of past history unless the comparative dark darks ness that prevailed during those periods is also consi considered derod crimes that would be partially excusable with people in a state of dense ignorance would be most reprehensible and diabolical among people of greater enlightenment the world Ns has been illuminated with a broad blaze of light that never before shon upon tipon it to the same extent yet every corrupt vile and murderous device that ever disgraced the surface of the globe in any age Is now perpetrated upon it the fact that crime is s in many of its aspects almost reduced to a science in place of taking the grosser forms of the past does not remove a particle of culpability from its perpetu perpetrators acors on the contrary when deeds of deviltry are don donw in the midst of enlightenment it intensities and aggravates the offenses making them a hundredfold hundred fold more worthy of condemnation the the age is that light has come into the world and during its breva preva prevalence the people have largely continued and increased in the paths of sin and the commis commission siou of the works of darkness one of the most conspicuous evils existing is consequently the most 4 disgusting lis ils gusting hypocrisy the revelation contains a solemn i warning to the people of zion indicating g the unvarying justice of tile the lord ho however w erit arit it should not require such an incentive as this to causette caus cau sethe elthe saints to keep aloof from every source of do de they may stand on ground as secure as the rock of ages uhe the almighty will not pass over in his people what he would condemn and visit with I 1 punishment in others but in consequence of their greater enlightenment would be likely to deal with them with proportionately increased seve severity rity whether the cholera will spread and whether it is the overflowing scourge I 1 which will pass over day and night causin causing inen moen to be vexed with the r report of of it we are not prepared to sal sac say but burve we feel assured thata that a dreadful day is approaching approaching and that the words of u f the prophet will be verified let the scoffer mock if he will ills his sneers will not overturn the truth nor turn aside the certainty of calamity which will overtake the wicked in this generation while there is yet time the evildoer evil doer should turn from the perversity of aisi ways that he may stand in holy places and be not moved when the day of judgment arrives |
