Perilous Times

The ancient prophets and apostles all seem to have had a view of the great troubles of the last days; and, in order the more fully to make the subject plain, they particularized the actors, and the scenes; that the generation which was to experience the vanity of flesh, and the wrath of God, might know of a surety the exact time. To this end, Paul wrote to his son Timothy, in this wise; [2d Timothy, 3;1-4.]

"This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come; for men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, truce breakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, high minded, lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God."

The language of this apostle is so plain that no person of sense can possibly mistake it.-Truce breakers, false accusers and traitors, come before us in living reality. Peter also who held the keys of the kingdom, says: [2nd Peter, 2;1,-3.]

"But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privately shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction; and many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. And covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandize [merchandise] of you; whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not"

If the way of truth was ever evil spoken of, now is the time. This is not all; Peter wrote again that we "may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandments of us, the apostles of the Lord and Savior, knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts." These predictions coupled with that emphatic declaration of Jesus Christ to "the Twelve;" that because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold, are all sufficient indexes to moral men, that now is the time!

A sketch of the startling atrocities, outbreaks or mobbing, in our once beloved country, for a

few weeks back, may serve as a telegraph to more melancholy details. Several thousand infuriated persons out of the inhabitants who have dwelt with the saints in sweet peace, rush up to exterminate them for a supposed criminality without a trial, and finally murder two of their principal men while prisoners in jail, under the faith of the state, pledged by the governor for the protection of their lives. In Boston, a state convention of Mormons is interrupted by a set of dishonorable rowdies, whereby the hitherto untarnished fame of the "cradle of liberty" is disgraced. Philadelphia, the city of loving brothers [brothers], forgetting that in her sacred domains the Declaration of Independence was signed and delivered to the sons of liberty to secure equal rights to the "oppressed of all nations who might seek asylum

"In the land of the free

And the home of the brave,"

has become recreant to those rights, and actually mustered military and mob for "life liberty and the pursuit of happiness," whereby, after an attack with cannon and small arms, some twelve or fourteen persons have been killed, and fifty wounded. We need not say more, the great flood on the Missouri and Mississippi rivers, the fermentation of society over the whole country, and the lack of confidence among rulers, priest and people, are occurrences so prominent that all ears must hear and all eyes must see. Should there be any so calous [callous] as to say, "O these things have always been so," we answer, events have always happened, men have often fought, and waters have risen and fell, but rarely by a specified time of the prophets.

If any one will take the pains to read Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and Daniel, they will find a destruction determined for the whole earth, which, 'from the time it goeth forth it shall take you: for morning by morning shall it pass over, by day and by night; and it shall be a vexation only to understand the report. For the bed is shorter than that a man can stretch himself on it; and the covering narrower than that he can wrap himself in it. For the Lord will rise up in mount Perazim, he shall be wroth as in the valley of Gibeon, that he may do his work, his strange work; and bring to pass his act, his strange act. Now therefore be ye not mockers, lest your bands be made strong; for I have heard from the Lord God of hosts, a consumption, even determined upon the whole earth."

If the great family of man collectively and individually cannot see a time of trouble coming speedily upon the world, like a whirlwind, the Spirit of God must have nearly withdrawn, as in the days of the flood. From one of our exchanges the following is added to show that trouble seldom comes single.

"The Cholera, which started from India in its desolating progress through the world, is making sad havoc in the same region at present. Four American missionaries have died at Madura, and the natives are dying at the rate of one thousand a day."

Notwithstanding all nations seem to be expecting something extraordinary to take place, yet the Latter Day Saints are the only people that are truly sounding the alarm, and preparing for "the strange act." The word of the Lord unto the elders is, when they have faithfully warned the people "after your testimony, cometh wrath and indignation upon the people; for after your testimony cometh the testimony of earthquakes, that shall cause groanings in the midst of her, and men shall fall upon the ground, and shall not be able to stand. And also cometh the testimony of the voice of thundrings [thunderings], and the voice of lightnings, and the voice of tempests, and the voice of the waves of the sea, heaving themselves beyond their bounds. And all things shall be in commotion; and surely men's hearts shall fail them; for fear shall come upon all people; and angels shall fly in the midst of heaven, crying with a loud voice, sounding the trump of God, saying, prepare ye, prepare ye, O inhabitants of the earth; for the judgment of our God is come: behold and lo, the Bridegroom cometh, go ye out to meet him." [See D. C., page 105, par. 25.]