in the midst of this affliction meditation & sorrow I truly rejoice before the Lord, I rejoice that God hath taught us the principles of life & Death, time & Eternity, the Resurrection & the judgment. I rejoice that we are not Called to mourn without hope, but that we have the fulest assurance that we shall meet our Child in the first resurrection

Dear Brothers & Sisters let us not be discouraged in the good cause of God, for the vary persecution We are receiving ownly goes to proove the reality of

O GOD that made the heavens and the earth That gave us life, that gave or, hope, that gave us birth Forbid that our hearts should divided be On earth, in time, in heaven, or in eternity. Help us to lay that foundation here below To fulfill the design of that birth thou didst bestow O give us power that precious Covenant to seal To make our interest one as thou shalt reveal Behold thine hand-maden let thine angels guard her life Protect her from sickness death and strife Let cords of love & friendship our hearts entwine Sealed by Inspiration light and truth divine Thou hast known her sacra^i^fices by night & by day Thou hast marked he'r stepts & and seen her way Virtue &^a^nd duty has sat enthroned in her heart Like Mary she has left all for that better part Her Soul has been inspired to follow her LORD Through evil and good report she's obeyed thy word While sickness gloom and sorrow was on evry hand She has patiently shared these evils through Zionsland She has said to her companion go from year to year She has dwelt with her osprings alone and shed the silent tear She has not murmured or complained at her lot Her sorrows found a grave in her heart in her silent cot Thy servant has felt the force of this truth many an hour In his meditating moments while in the strangers bower His heart has been touched with compassion and love Towards one who has sacraficed much for thy cause from above O Father may not the past suffice in part Ease her cares in life let Joy surround her heart Let blessings upon her head in due time be poured Thy sacred name she ever has in life adored Take from thy servant evry thorn in life That should cause a pain or throw a dart in strife Let joy peace and love crown our evry hour That glory may surround our peaceful bower Let Phebe with her osprings live long here below For my sake I ask thee this gift to bestow Thus far with my follies she has patienty bourn May I comfort her heart and not cause her to mourn O give us power to accomplish and fulff^i^ll here below All the work thou hast decreed upon our heads to bestow Take from us all traditions that shall stand in our way Of ariving at glories and dominions in eternal day Help us to follow the example of our Lord when he cryed It is finished it is finished and gave up the Ghost and died In like manner may we a good and sure work perform A work that will be accepted in the resurrection morn Yea give us power to finish that work which to us is given That we may survive oer the tomb and live in heaven Then will our love forever bloom within our bower In the midst of glory guarded by GOD's eternal power Unto this end Eternal God I ask thy aid to help us stand Unite our hearts in love and purity while nations fall on evry hand Nerve Us for the conflict by the Revelations of heaven That we may be found wise while thy judgements are given

The people begin to feel more than ever that they are dealing with the spirit and power of God, and the Holy Priesthood. Yes the Latter Day Saints begin to feel that they are dealing with a spirit that can reach the hearts, know the thoughts and intents thereof, and try the souls of men. The people are called to sanctify themselves before the Lord, that we may be prepared for the work of our God.

Prest. Young by his persevering industry, untiring energy, and unexampled faithfulness, has been enabled to gather the Saints into the mountains, to the very place that Joseph had organized a company to explore: sent the Elders to almost every nation; translated the book of Mormon, and the revelations into many languages, and published them to the four quarters of the earth; and been enabled to defend the Saints from the unconstitutional aggressions of our chief Magistrate. The God of Israel hath done [his thus] his servant Brigham, and his faithful brethren who have stood by him

I have reported more sermons & done more journal writing than any man in the Church [ever] and a great Deal of the Church History is made from my Journal. I have kept a Daily Journal for twenty five years & I have recorded in my journal mostany off the sermons & teachings that I have heard Joseph Smith the prophet & Brigham Young and it has been a gift bestowed upon me that I could hear half a dozen sermons Delivered in succession & go to my office & sit down next day and write most of them sentence by sentence as they were Delivered and it is in consequence of this gift that I have been employ as the assistant Historian of the Church I have a great anxiety to preserve the History of the church & kingdom of God established upon the Earth in the last dispensation and fulness of times for it is destined to become a mountain & fill the whole Earth as Daniel saw it

I occassionally feel a desire to be with my Quorum in Salt Lake City in their Prayer circles, and to occupy a seat with them in the Tabernacle and join them in bearing record and testimony of the Kingdom of God and warning the people of that which is to come. Then again I reflect and understand that there are already more Apostles in Salt Lake who are lifting up their voices and declairing the word of the Lord unto both Saints & Sinners than they will listen to with in faith and carry out their counsel

When the Elders in Ohio in 1831 called upon the Lord to stay His hand in Judgment upon the Nation, the Lord informed them He could not deny His word, but exhorted the Elders to

Why do we have this warfare that we are passing through? Because it is the Church and Kingdom of God; be- cause we are the people of God. No man can live godly in Christ Jesus without suffering persecution. This is your legacy. It is the legacy of all the Saints of God in every age of the world. Therefore, I say to the Latter-day Saints, let your hearts be comforted. All is right in Israel, as far as we make it right, and as far as we do our duty.

We want the Latter day Saints from this time to trace their genealogies as far as they can, and to be sealed to their fathers and mothers. Have children sealed to their parents, and run this chain through as far as you can get it. When you get to the end, let the last man be adopted to Joseph Smith, who stands at the head of the dispensation. This is the will of the Lord to this people, and I think when you come to reflect upon it you will find it to be true.