Eagle Creek, Benton County, Tennessee. May 7^th 1836

Aphek & Azubah Woodruff,
Beloved & Respected Parents

With a heart raised to heaven
filled with gratitude towards God & the warmest desire for your salvation in the Celestial
Kingdom. I again take the responsibility upon me of addressing a few lines to you
& I ask my heavenly Father in the name of Jesus Christ to give me his spirit & inspire my pen
while I address you for I know neither your circumstances or situation I have but one main
motive in view in addressing you at this time & I would fain do it by word rather than by letter
had I the privilege & how long it will be before God will grant me the privilege I know not
suffice it to say that my motive in writing is because I most assuredly feel interested in your best
good which is salvation Eternal life & Immortal glory & that peradventure you may be found among
that number who shall be wise in your day & generation. Yea dear friends when I consider this
important momentious & august day, age & generation in which you stand I feel for you & all
my kinsman & my tears prayers & petitions are often offered that God may send some kind mes
senger to snatch you all as brands from the burning. What generation like this more than the
days of Lot & Noah yes in this generation God will shake heaven & Earth (& dire commotion
will seize all nations blood & war war will appal the stoutest heart kingdom on kingdom will be in hurld
in confusion. System on system throughout the world will be wreck'd. Sect against sect will
ingage in bloody strife. man against man will rage in single combat. AND every man that will not
take his sword agains his neighbour will be oblige'd to flee (whare) TO ZION FOR SAFETY as
said the Prophet Joel [Joel 3] (Not ownly war) but famine will waste the strength of men & Pestilence
seize its prey. Earthquakes with fury roar. This sun in sackcloth mourn. The moon turn to blood
The stars hurl'd from their spheres. System wreck'd on system & kingdom on kingdom
Earth's whole foundation to the centre nods and nature trembling feel the Power of God
[page torn] Michael will sound his trumpet while the Saints will come forth from their trembling
[page torn] [to] meet their God (as he) Jesus Christ desends in the clouds of heaven to take vengeanc
[page torn] [on] them that know not God and obey not the gospel O Babylon thy tortering kingdoms thy
deadly weapons will soon send up the cry accompanie'd by the smoke of thy crackling
spires ALAS ALAS thy perils will overtake [t]hee in an hour that ye think not. [Revelation 8:2]

Dear friends the above remarks are not idle tales but this generation will witness them
as true as God reigns in Israel And as a servent of God I testify of the true of the truth of the same
What though the world disbelieve's these things their unbelief will not make the
truth of God without affect the world Priest nor People with few exceptions do
not believe Mosses & the Prophets Christ nor the Apostles neither will they receieve
the servents of God that he send unto them but they heap to themselves teachers
having eaching ears & finally unbelief is what will damn the world according to the
words of Jesus Christ. The Lord is performing a marvelous ^work^ indeed in this generation &
although I sometimes mourn to look upon the a [page torn] earth & see the darkness error & pollution
that covers this generation & the destruction that awaits them yet I again rejoice to
see the Church of Christ travling out of the wilderness leaning upon her beloved Yea
it gives me Joy to know that the little stone cut out of the mountain that hath began
to roll forth in these last days will fill the whole earth & the Saints will possess
the kingdom and the wicked ^be^ ashes beneath their feet when two thirds are cut off & die
& one third is refined as saith the Prophet. The voice of God is come out of her O my
people that we be not partaker of the plagues of Babylon as saith the revelator & it
is a day of warning & not many words yea it is a day when God will make a short work on
the earth & while the Priest the blind guides of this generation are crying peace & safty
& have almost entered their malinaum millennium sudden desstruction is at their door
& allthough they may grasp at the Pillars of their tortering fabrick it will fall over their heads
{oh I much prefer it would be for them to come} out {and be saved rather than [welter in their own} own {[illegible shorthand]}

Eagle Creek, Benton County, Tennessee. May 7th 1836

Aphek & Azubah Woodruff, Beloved & Respected Parents

With a heart raised to heaven filled with gratitude towards God & the warmest desire for your salvation in the Celestial Kingdom. I again take the responsibility upon me of addressing a few lines to you & I ask my heavenly Father in the name of Jesus Christ to give me his spirit & inspire my pen while I address you for I know neither your circumstances or situation I have but one main motive in view in addressing you at this time & I would fain do it by word rather than by letter had I the privilege & how long it will be before God will grant me the privilege I know not suffice it to say that my motive in writing is because I most assuredly feel interested in your best good which is salvation Eternal life & Immortal glory & that peradventure you may be found among that number who shall be wise in your day & generation. Yea dear friends when I consider this important momentious & august day, age & generation in which you stand I feel for you & all my kinsman & my tears prayers & petitions are often offered that God may send some kind mes senger to snatch you all as brands from the burning. What generation like this more than the days of Lot & Noah yes in this generation God will shake heaven & Earth (& dire commotion will seize all nations blood & war war will appal the stoutest heart kingdom on kingdom will be in hurld in confusion. System on system throughout the world will be wreck'd. Sect against sect will ingage in bloody strife. man against man will rage in single combat. AND every man that will not take his sword agains his neighbour will be oblige'd to flee (whare) TO ZION FOR SAFETY as said the Prophet Joel (Not ownly war) but famine will waste the strength of men & Pestilence seize its prey. Earthquakes with fury roar. This sun in sackcloth mourn. The moon turn to blood The stars hurl'd from their spheres. System wreck'd on system & kingdom on kingdom Earth's whole foundation to the centre nods and nature trembling feel the Power of God page torn Michael will sound his trumpet while the Saints will come forth from their trembling page to meet their God (as he) Jesus Christ desends in the clouds of heaven to take vengeanc page torn on them that know not God and obey not the gospel O Babylon thy tortering kingdoms thy deadly weapons will soon send up the cry accompanie'd by the smoke of thy crackling spires ALAS ALAS thy perils will overtake thee in an hour that ye think not.

Dear friends the above remarks are not idle tales but this generation will witness them as true as God reigns in Israel And as a servent of God I testify of the true of the truth of the same What though the world disbelieve's these things their unbelief will not make the truth of God without affect the world Priest nor People with few exceptions do not believe Moses & the Prophets Christ nor the Apostles neither will they receieve the servents of God that he send unto them but they heap to themselves teachers having eaching ears & finally unbelief is what will damn the world according to the words of Jesus Christ. The Lord is performing a marvelous work indeed in this generation & although I sometimes mourn to look upon the a page torn earth & see the darkness error & pollution that covers this generation & the destruction that awaits them yet I again rejoice to see the Church of Christ travling out of the wilderness leaning upon her beloved Yea it gives me Joy to know that the little stone cut out of the mountain that hath began to roll forth in these last days will fill the whole earth & the Saints will possess the kingdom and the wicked be ashes beneath their feet when two thirds are cut off & die & one third is refined as saith the Prophet. The voice of God is come out of her O my people that we be not partaker of the plagues of Babylon as saith the revelator & it is a day of warning & not many words yea it is a day when God will make a short work on the earth & while the Priest the blind guides of this generation are crying peace & safty & have almost entered their millennium sudden desstruction is at their door & allthough they may grasp at the Pillars of their tortering fabrick it will fall over their heads {shorthand} out {shorthand} own {shorthand}