W. W. Phelps

“ Who would idle or revel away a few years of fleshly gratification, and lose a thousand years' happiness, and an eternity of Glory? Who would serve the devil to be a demon in darkness, when, by pleasing the Savior, and keeping his commandments, he may be a son of God, in the celestial world, where praise, and glory, and power, and dominion, have an eternal now for space and duration, and the best from worlds to expand and beautify their sublimity? ”

“ And I feel constrained to say, that those who profess to be christians act more heathenish among themselves, and more savage to others, of late, than the rude Arabs,—the untaught Hottentots, or the wild Indians. Go though all the sects in christendom, which have been striving for power, during the last fifty years, like so many ferocious beasts, and where will you find a servant of the Lord, who can prevail by prayer and faith, and unstop the bottles of heaven in a drouth? Where will you find a mighty man that can chase a thousand—or two put ten thousand to flight? ”

“ On earth it is the essence of trouble and contention, souring happiness and poisoning joy; in hell it is the life of endless venom, unutterable; and if, it is in all these places, and so terrible, blasting the happiness of millions in this world, and eternally tormenting the sons of perdition, in the regions of wo, in the nether world to come, where is it not, and who can escape its dreadful ravages? ”

“ Improvement and progression Have one eternal round.
There is no end to matter; There is no end to space;
There is no end to spirit; There is no end to race.
There is no end to virtue; There is no end to might;
There is no end to wisdom; There is no end to light.
There is no end to union; There is no end to youth ”

“ Out of small things proceed great ones, and the mind, or memory, retains a shadow of greatness on earth, or a glimpse of glory from heaven, when a volume of nonsense may be forgotten in a day, or a nation dropped into oblivion and remembered no more. ”

“ Has it, or has it not so happened from the beginning till now, that the people most favored of God; they that have last had the true light of heaven, have been first to stone, or put to death the Lord's prophets and saints? And have, or have not the same people, or these in the same situation, rejected the truth, and become two—fold worse than they that have made no profession of religion? ”

“ For when men will not reform by entreaty, they must be chastised with judgments. If the voice of the servants of Jesus Christ; if the voice of calamities; if the voice of angels; if the voice of reason and the voice of mercy will not call the children of men to repentance, I greatly fear, that the voice of God will bring them to judgment, when reformation is beyond their power, and, sorrowful to state, they will have to pay the uttermost farthing to a hard master, whose burden is heavy, and whose yoke is galling; and which must learn them by experience, that the wages of sin is death. ”

“ That bird, whose image, if not worshipped, has more adorers in this nation than the Lord of glory, for it stands alike in the gold eagle, and silver dollar, and perches as gracefully on the soldier's cap, as on the officer's hat, and appears larger upon the sign of a tavern, than upon the seal of the United States,—I mean the American Eagle is a commoner among the great ones of the west. ”

“ No; when the tribes are at peace, the Indian is free; his land is free; his game is free; his time is free, and all is free.
But the glory of the whole matter is yet to be told; and that is, that the hour is near, when the Lord will gather his elect, even Israel; that the righteous may come flocking to the standard of God like doves to the windows. This is the glory of the children of the promise. This is the expectation of the faithful. This is they joy of the saints, that they may be gathered and live and reign a thousand years on earth with Christ. ”

“ Let me ask, who made Noah an umpire to say whether the church of the Latter Day Saints, has not as good a right to build a house at Kirtland, for worshipping the Lord, as he had to lay a stone on Grant Island, to wheedle money from the Jews to fill his own pockets? again, let me ask what any of the Saints have done to injure Noah, or any other man, that he should wilfully ridicule them, and reproach them with iniquity? ”

“ The knowledge and power of God are expanding
The vail o'er the earth is beginning to burst.
We'll sing and we'll shout &c.
3 We call in our solemn assemblies, in spirit,
To spread forth the kingdom of heaven abroad,
That we through our faith may begin to inherit
The visions, and blessings, and glories of God. ”

“ If men would reflect a moment, then humble themselves before the Lord, and ask in faith, they might be satisfied that the Book of Mormon is a "heavenly treasure," and as estimable in its holy precepts and examples for salvation, as the holy bible. A comparison of the two will prove this. If the majority of mankind would give as much credit to the statements of their fellow beings who certify to the truth of this book, as they do to the foolish lies that are put in circulation by wretches of no character, they would believe it upon testimony. ”

“ I am aware that our language lacks terms, and we fail in power to set forth the sublimity of such a holy scene, but we can remember the glory and tell the appearance in such words as we have, and let God add the majesty and omnipotence to the sacred interview. Our ancient brethren were careful to notice angel's visits, and note what they said, and how careful ought we to be? Let church history tell. The impressions made upon our minds by the inhabitants of heaven, remain long to remind us that there is an eternity in the next world, where matter or spirit, and duration and life are equal. ”

“ We need not wonder that Moses knew what would come to pass in the last days:—he held the keys of the mysteries of the kingdom of God, and could unlock the door that led to heavenly places in Christ Jesus, and gaze upon what was, and is, and is to come, as well as see the Lord face to face and talk with him, as man with man. Again, the Urim and Thummim was in the church of Moses, and he could read great things as they were rolled down from heaven upon the holy parchment, and written for the benefit of coming generations. Time must be filled and the earth purified. The Lord is light. ”

“ Death cannot conquer the hero again.
Praise to his mem'ry, he died as a martyr;
Honored and blest be his ever great name!
Long shall his blood, which was shed by assassins,
Stain Illinois while the earth lauds his fame.
Chorus
Great is his glory and endless his priesthood.
Ever and ever the keys he will hold. ”

“ One thing is remarkable, that of all I ever heard said about the work or book, in that day of gross darkness, not one pretended, in truth, to have the least particle of positive proof, that a man or woman joined the church for sinful purposes, or that the book contained one precept of doctrine that was contrary to pure religion; but the idea of a church with a prophet in it, in this enlightened age and land of liberty, was so exactly like old times ”

“ Who can mistake the time when the vision of all has become unto this people as the words of a book? No candid person, if he has nothing to judge from but the testimony of such as hate the truth, and will believe a lie that they may be condemned.
It is a happy circumstance for the saints, that God brings to pass all his works after the counsel of his own will. ”

“ It is reasonable to suppose that, decency, good manners, sobriety and cleanliness are necessary appendages to qualify a person for a disciple of Jesus.
When we look abroad among the human family, and see filthiness, we know at once that laziness is one of the inmates of that family, and if this is the case, can God dwell there? the answer is no. The reason is obvious, God does not dwell in unholy temples. Uncleanliness does not qualify a person for any exalted station; it does not prepare him for the kingdom of heaven. ”

“ Israel must be restored to mercy; a holy people raised up unto God to possess the promised land, to bring the present unto the Lord of hosts, even to Mount Zion, as Isaiah foretold more than three thousand years ago.
Cumorah, the artificial hill of north America, is well calculated to stand in this generation, as a monument of marvelous works and wonders. Around that mount died millions of the Jaredites; yea, there ended one of the greatest nations of this earth. ”

“ Now, to give the truth on this matter, let me say, that when a person has struck me on both cheeks, a repetition looks so foreign from the laws of God and man, so contrary to the rules of humanity and justice, that I know of nothing spiritual or temporal that would debar me from self-defence.—As to giving and "common stock" if any candid man or woman, will read the book of Doctrine and Covenants, he or she may undeceive themselves, and learn that the church practices charity for the glory of it: not because some one praises it, and another wants to honor by it. ”

“ Surely man and woman came from the hand of God, in his own image, for lords and ladies of creation,— blessed—for posterity—for virtue—for industry—for peace and glory: and notwithstanding they fell, the decree of God continued, that, where there was righteousness, there should be blessings: and this is brought to pass through the plan of salvation which requires belief, repentance, faith, prayer, good works, and endurance to the end, to be in favor with God in this world, and enjoy his presence in the world to come. ”

“ Then, every man will speak in the name of God. Then, the righteous will feed themselves on the finest of wheat.— Then, the enmity of man, and the enmity of beasts will cease. Then, the vail spread over all nations, will be taken off and the pure in heart see God and his glory. Then, for brass the Lord will bring gold, and for iron silver, and for wood brass. Then, the saints' officers will be peace, and their exactors righteousness: and then the land will be worth possessing, and the world fit to live in. ”

“ Glory to God in the highest: let peace reign among his children, and let good will and mercy become a sweet invitation to the poor Indians, that they may come into the kingdom prepared from the foundation of the world, and receive their penny, with songs of everlasting joy. ”

“ Though you may perceive, at first view, a few pieces of cannon, some sentry boxes, and sentinels, yet Cantonment Leavenworth is without walls; and while the thought may come into your mind that "men of war live here," yet when you see the fair faces of some of the officers' ladies, you will know, that the garrison, is not without woman to share in the glories and troubles of life, and set a sample for the fair, that regale in ease at the east, that women can wend their way to the west, "with all their charms to soothe the Indian" and live and die, unknown to thousands. ”

“ It is a good book and no honest person can read it, without feeling grateful to God, for the knowledge it contains: if humble, any one that reads and receives it, will rejoice for the fulness of the gospel, which it so simply sets forth to the understanding and comprehension of the commonest capacity. Such who read and ask in faith, are very apt to embrace its truth for the truth's sake, because the truth makes them free, and they know the right way to be saved in the kingdom of God. ”

“ For, as the angel informed our brother Joseph, that the Lord was about to proceed to do a marvelous work among this people, that Israel might be gathered and saved, so also was that glorious day shown when the Lord should come the second time to dwell on earth; yea, even come in the clouds of heaven, with all his holy angels with him, to execute judgment upon all, that the earth may rest; that righteousness may abound; that all flesh that is justified, may glorify God and enjoy his presence a thousand years. ”

“ A memento of them, in the work under consideration, may be a day-star to thousands, yet groping in the regions of mental darkness; yea, may I not say, that a sketch of some of the revelations to the church of Christ of Latter Day Saints, might answer as hands to point to the light-house of the skies, which will only be seen by the pure in heart, when the "black-coat" fog of many centuries, has been driven back to its own place, by the refreshing breezes of the gospel in its purity. ”

“ The Rochester Observer, in 1830, came out with an obnoxious bitter article against the book of Mormon, &c. headed "Blasphemy; Blasphemy!" In meekness and humility, why was this savage thrust made at a few innocent persons? Methinks that editor would be considerably troubled to give one good reason why he thus wantonly, rashly, profanely and savagely published evil against his neighbors, when they had done him no wrong: nor had he any proof that one of them had transgressed the law of God, or man. Woe unto that people that honors cash and cloth more than character and truth! ”

“ It is a great place, and every thing about it is GREAT. The Missouri, than which a large or more dreadful river, (with its muddy face always scowling,) is not on earth, rushes rapidly from near the 49th to about the 39th degree of north latitude, hurrying along with it, its numerous relatives, and tributaries, from the vast prairies, that lay spread out like an empire, and passes into the State of Missouri, as the President of rivers. ”

“ While penning your history you will find the two great spirits by which men escape to heaven, or sink to hell, often so nearly alike that, you can only judge which is which, by the power which the pure in heart have in store to overcome the world with. The evil one is a great counterfeiter. ”

“ False prophet seems to stick to them that cried it so vehemently, and the saints gain as the spring verdure after a goodly shower. The book of Mormon, is just what it was when it first came forth—a revelation from the Lord. The knowledge it contains is desirable; the doctrine it teaches is from the blessed Savior; its precepts are good; its principles righteous; its judgments just; its style simple, and its language plain: so that a way-faring man, though a fool, need not err therein. ”

“ The lacks that seem most prominent will soon sink with the fading glories of perishable things; and then the banks of long continuance will be thrown down, and the rough places made smooth; yea, the glory of Leba-non will come upon the land of the Lord, the fir tree, the pine tree, and the box together to beautify the place of his sanctuary, and make the place of his feet glorious. ”

“ I pray God, that as the knowledge of the Savior has come into the world, that his work may go forth until the knowledge of his people, the Nephites, and the Jacobites, and the Josephites, and the Zoramites, shall come to the knowledge of the Lamanites, and the Lemuelites, and the Ishmaelites, that the earth may know, and the heavens rejoice, that the mouths of the prophets shall not fail. ”

“ This is true, and no invention tends to drive man farther from God, and make his works more vain, than their new methods of worship, when there is but one Lord, one faith, one baptism. After new inventions, and fame, and wealth, many of the Gentile world have run so far into novelty, daring and danger, that the most of them now are so eager for something new, or something great, or something rich, that millions have forgotten the truth, and all their works are vain. ”

“ Yea, eternal life to fallen man has been made plain in these last days, so that all that will, may come into the celestial kingdom: into the presence of God! I love to behold the seed of Joseph gathering home for better days and I love to see the saints preparing to meet the Lord, when he comes in his glory. ”

“ But the grandest part of the scene, is to see the fire keep speed or flight, with the wind, leaping or lapping over six or eight rods at a bound in frightful majesty, with a terrific roar, not unlike a whirlwind, while immense columns of smoke rise and roll off, in festoons and flounces, as independent as if the world was a coal-pit, and the sky a smokehouse. ”

“ When this novelous, and adulterous generation is lost among its abominations, as an evil mass, unfit for the glory of God, the book of Mormon will be one of the precious things which will continue among the righteous from generation to generation forever and ever. The freedom of soul should be enjoyed by all on earth, as well as the freedom of speech. ”

“ Son of God, by the power of his Spirit, will overcome all the enemies of grace and glory, and even death and happiness, and joy, and perfection, and eternal life will roll on in eternity an undivided one: even as a neverending blessing, before God, to them that have held out faithfully to the end, whether in life or in death: and they are they, the blessed ones. ”