The Great Conflict

HISTORY OF THE PROPHET JOSEPH. 937

the chase, which, joined to the shock occasioned by the death of his brothers, brought on a disease that never was removed. On the following day the funeral rites of the murdered ones were attended to, in the midst of terror and alarm, for the mob had made their arrangements to burn the city that night, but by the diligence of the brethren, they were kept at bay until they became discouraged, and returned to their homes. In a short time Samuel, who continued unwell, was confined to his bed, and lingering till the thirtieth of July, his spirit forsook its earthly tabernacle, and went to join his brothers, and the ancient martyrs, in the Paradise of God. At this time, William was absent on a mission to the Eastern States. And he had taken his family with him, in consequence of his wife being afflicted with the dropsy, hoping that the journey might be a benefit to her. Thus was I left desolate in my distress. I had reared six sons to manhood, and of them "all, one only remained, and he was too far distant to speak one consoling word to me in this trying hour. It would have been some satisfaction to

me, if I had expected his immediate return, but his wife was lying at the point of death, which compelled him to remain where he was. His case was, if it were possible, worse than mine, for he had to bear all his grief alone in a land of strangers, confined to

the side of his dying wife, and absent from those who felt the deepest interest in his welfare; was surrounded with whilst I

friends, being in the midst of the Church; my daughters, too, were with me, and from their society I derived great comfort. The Church at this time was in a state of gloomy suspense. Not knowing who was to take the place of Joseph, the people were greatly wrought upon with anxiety, lest an impostor should arise and deceive many. Suddenly, Sidney Rigdon made his ap- pearance from Pittsburgh, and rather insinuated that the Church ought to make choice of him, not as President, but as guardian; for "Joseph," said he, "is still President, and the Church must be built up unto him." But before he could carry his measures into effect, the Twelve, who had also been absent, arrived, and assum- ing their proper places, all was set to rights. William, however, did not return till the spring of 1845,

when, with great difficulty, he got his wife to Nauvoo. She sur-

vived but a short time after her arrival, for in about two weeks, to complete the sum of William's afflictions, he followed her to the grave. Her disease was brought on by her exposures in Missouri, so that she was what might be termed an indirect martyr to the cause of Christ, which makes the sum of martyrs in our family no less than six in number. Shortly after William's return from the east, he was ordained Patriarch of the Church, in the place of Hyrum, who held the keys of that Priesthood previous to his death. Here ends the history of my life, as well as that of my family, as far as I intend carrying it for the present. And I shall leave the world to judge, as seemeth them good, concerning what I have written. But this much I will say, that the testimony which I have given is true, and will stand for ever; and the same will be mytestimony in the day of God Almighty, when I shall meet them, concerning whom I have testified, before angels, and the spirits of the just made perfect, before archangels and sera- phims, cherubims and gods; where the brief authority of the unjust man will shrink to nothingness before him who is the Lord of lords, and God of gods; and where the righteousness of the just shall exalt them in the scale, wherein God weigheth the hearts of men. And now having, in common with the Saints, appealed in vain for justice, to Lilburn W. Boggs, Thomas Carlin, Martin Van Buren, and Thomas Ford, I bid them a last farewell, until I shall appear with them before Him who is the judge of both the quick and dead; to whom I solemnly appeal in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. (the end*)

• An appendix containing a mission journal and letters by Don C. Smith; poems by E. R. Snow on the death of Joseph Smith, Senior, and Don Carlos Smith; and on the martyrdom of the Prophet and Patriarch, will begin in No. 1 Vol. 6 of the Era.

THE GREAT CONFLICT. BY ELDER HENRY W. NAISBITT.

No originality is claimed for our caption, for it is many years since it was first heard or read; "The Conflict of Ages" was a semi- religious work which soon passed into oblivion, "The Irrepressible Conflict" and "The Great Conflict," both, if rightly remembered, grew out of the civil war of this land; whether the ideas of either writer were germane to our present thought, we know not, but there is "A Conflict" on hand, a battle being fought which proba- bly never entered into their consideration or comprehension. The conflict now referred to is not a new one, but its phases change, its manifestations vary as "the day of decision ap- proaches;" every human soul is interested in it, three worlds or conditions are enlisted and engaged therein; the two Titanic forces of spiritual existence —good and evil, are struggling for supremacy; their cohorts are disciplined for the occasion, the bat- tle is on; it is localized in part, and the probabilities are that this feature will become in the near future more and more apparent; and, while the issue has been clearly defined and the result authorita- tively determined, evil is becoming more desperate and more aggres- sive, and the observer of "the signs of the times" can clearly note that this section of the earth is and will be the hottest part of this irrepressible war. Some would think this claim fanatical and presumptuous, but it is both reasonable, scriptural, and philosophical; for this is the gathering place, at present, for all "where the car- nations, and cass is there will the eagles be gathered together;" here is where the nucleus of Zion — the kingdom of God— is formed. He hath

gathered here his covenant people; here is the authority or priest, hood of God, all unconscious, perchance, of the mighty things which are to be evolved under its administration; the "threshing floor" is laid, the flail is in action, the wheat is being subjected to flagellation or discipline, and the tares and chaff will eventually pass through the fanning mill, when the wheat will assuredly be garnered, while "the chaff will be burned up with unquenchable fire."

The mental, moral and spiritual stamina of the gathered is being tested; they are being subjected to uncongenial influences; their agency is on the rack;now and then, we see souls "go down to death" because of non-resistance to thosa subtle workers who are the emissaries of Satan and the prophets of evil. Many have said, "Let us go up against Zi m, that she may be defiled," and. in

far too many instances, (humanly speaking) this aggressive ele- ment has been officered publicly and in secret by Jesuits of the clerical class; the old Ephesian cry, "Great is Diana," has been theirs, while all their weapons of war have been of infernal manu- facture, and brought from th3 arsenals of religious hate, and Pjriestly power, until prejudice, working in the guise of religion,

has fostered treason against the genius of liberty, by suggesting disfranchisement and despoilation, after misrepresentation of both theory and fact. The gathering has not been confined to the loverg of right- eousness and truth; its spirit perverted, has brought together the elements of rivalry and opposition with all the auxiliaries of tempta- tion, vice and sin; susceptible persons have become subjects and slaves of these demons of evil who "neither fear God nor regard man;" crimes, unfamiliar heretofore, have been developed, until the missionary in the world has been undecided as to whether the leading papers of this state should be circulated among either en- quirers or convents abroad, because of "the strange things" found therein; but the fear was a mistaken one, for, rightly viewed, all these things were testimony to th3 gathering of the clans, or the conflict of spiritual forces, one seeking for salvation, the other for eternal death. It was said, a long time ago, that "judgment begins at the house of God;" what judgment was that, if not the power of dis-