Brother Gibson:
Dear Sir:
I received your two letters of
June 15th, and Aug. 7th, respectively; both of which were highly
interesting and edyfying. I read them to Prisident Young and
council, your daughter, Captn. Hooper and many other friends,
who were all highly pleased to hear from you. Your daughter
says she writes you very often.
Your letters please me they shew plainly that the
spirit of your mission is upon you. Your labor in searching
out and stirring up the cold and lukewarm saints in the
various branches through the country was a good work.
Oceanicus' letter to the mountaineer was published
and read with much interest.
That the Japanese ambassadors to the proud
high-minded Americans, could not find a linguist among the
literate of this great nation, who could speak to them without
an interpreter till they met a Latter-day Saint, is rather sig
nificant and adds to the signs that Israel is to be head and
not the tail, and the mighty nations of the earth are begin-
ning to feel a little of the forebodings of this truth, notwith-
standing the present smallness of the little stone or kingdom
which Daniel saw. [Daniel 2:26-47]
The openings in New York for public lecturing, which
you name, and also publishing truth in such extensive
public works as the new America cy[c]lopedia, rejoices my heart
for this is opening wide doors whereby much may be accom-
plished in a short time. Such things will help to ripen the
earth speedily and prepare it for the day of reaping and
leave the nations without excuse in the day of God's visitations
which are nigh the door.
I have felt from the commencement of my acquaint-
ance with you that you are one of the instruments the Lord
will make use of in presenting the principles of eternal
truth before this generation in such a way that they will
have no power to plead ignorance before the Lord whether they
receive or reject your testimony. And I pray the Lord to bless
you and to inspire your heart, nerve your spirit and fully
prepare you to magnify that station which you are destined
to fill before this generation; yes, brother Gibson as the Lord
lives you have a great work to perform in your day and
one too, that will not only cause your heart to rejoice in bearing
testimony of the word of God and the revelations of Jesus Christ and
the principles of life and salvation, but it will cause the hearts of tens
of thousands of the honest of your fellow men to rejoice and be made
glad because of the testimony which you will have power to bear
with your words and pen, it will also cause the ears of the
wicked to tingle and their hearts to be pierced with much sorrow
because of rejecting your testimony and the testimony of others of
the servants of God.
These things are true, they are the strong whisperings
of the holy spirit unto me, and if you are faithful not one
[j]ot
or title [tittle] shall fall unfulfilled, and the spirit of the Lord will
bear testimony unto you that they are true when you read
these lines. And I would exhort you, bro. Gibson to be
true and faithful unto the Lord your God, call upon him
in mighty prayer, follow the dictates of his holy spirit and
his blessings will increase upon you daily, and the spirit of
the Lord will be like fire shut up in your bones and your
testimony will be strong and powerful before your fellow men
and you will be enabled to say of a truth that you would
rather be a doorkeeper in the house of God and associate with
the Lord's anointed than to partake of all the pleasures that
are found in the tents of wickedness.
It is your privilege to constantly enjoy the Holy
Ghost—to know the mind and will of God concerning you
day by day—to be led by the whisperings of the Holy Spirit
in every act of your life. This spirit will reveal to you
every snare and trap, or evil of any kind that an enemy,
whether it be men or devils shall lay for your feet, and will suggest
a way for your escape.
What great blessings the Gospel of Jesus Christ vouchsafes
to all who obey its simple precepts and keep the commandments
of God; yet how few place themselves in a position to appreciate
these things. But I will stop preaching with my pen and
refer to some items of news.
From the specimen you sent me of the contents of the
American Biographical dictionary, I judge there will be a wide difference
between it and the new American Cyclopedia in carrying inteligence
to the world: if they differ as widely upon other subjects as they
do upon Mormonism. I would have supposed that if an
Editor in any part of the states had made such a statement
at this advanced stage of Mormonism that he would have been
considered a fit subject for an insane asylum, for that old Spaulding
story has been fully exploded for the last twenty years, and I consider
the author of that contribution either consummately ignorant or wilfully
wicked in presenting such a statement as authentic. Concerning
utah affairs I will say all is peace and quietude, an abundant
harvest of wheat and a good prospect for all kinds of grain and
vegetables.
There is some sickness of late. My daughter, Phebe, Mrs.
Snow, lost an infant born on the 6th inst., all of your family in
the valley are well. I see Lulah frequently she seems to enjoy good
health and spirits.
Captn. Burton of the British army, a notable traveler
has been visiting us for some ten days. I accompanied him over
the President's dwellings, gardens, and premises and we also gave
him some Historical items of the Mormon war and other mat-
ters. He appears much pleased with his visit to and with
President Young and friends and of the city in general; he
takes sketches of the city from the observatory of President Young's
beehive mansion. He is much of a gentleman, he has traveled
enough to throw off that prejudice which many feel towards those
^not^ of their political and religious faith.