[Apostle Wilford Woodruff Journal] THUS ends the Year of eighteen hundred and forty Eight A Year big with Events A year in which the fig tree hath rapidly put forth her leaves & blossomed for the summer. A year which has lade the [p.395] foundation for the fulfillment of more Prophesy & Revelation than has been fulfilled in whole centuries in other Ages. Thrones have been cast down, whole Kingdoms have been overturned, the power of the Pope of Rome laid prostrate & he driven from his Kingdom. All the nations of the Earth convulsed. Revolutions Wars Anarchy & Confusion follow each other in rapid succession. Cholera plagues, & famine follow in the train. And last of All though not least in importance is the foundation laid for the disolution of the American Government.
While these things are going on the Jews are gathering home to rebuild Jerrusalem. Some 7,000 Latter Day Saints have gatherd into the valley of the Mountains of Israel by the Great Salt Lake. And the Saints of the valley of the Sacramento have discoverd vast quantites of Gold, silver, Coper Iron & other mettels the report of which has spread like Electricity through the world which is causing tens of thousands of the world to flock to that place. These are some of the features of the signs of .
The revolutions of Europe commenced with France. The people rose in mass had 3 days fight, At the end of which they drove Louis Philipi King of the French out of France with All the Royal family. The People entered the Turrelles took the Throne upon their shoulders carried it into the streets & dashed it to peaces upon the ground.
The people then undertook to esstablish A republican government. It was said to be ownly 500 killed in the first 3 days fight. Afterwards A reaction took place with A fight. Some 15,000 killed. They have finally organized, And the world are now looking Daily for the Account of their electing A President And it is expected by many that much Blood will be shed on the occasion in consequence of the many Conflicting Parties.
The german States And Prusia next follow in Revolution which is still unsetled. Next the People of Austria Arose And Drove the King from his Throne & Kingdom. He Afterwards returned with Armies And Bombarded Vienna 8 days And regained his Kingdom but [p.396] has been driven to the necessity of giving his people A milder form of government & more toleration. Still his Throne is in danger. The Emperor of Russia has had much war And his Throne is in danger. The Irish have made A Struggle to throw of the Brittish yoak & they have failed. Yet deep trouble is brewing for that nation.
The inhabitants of Rome have risen up in their strength And compelled the pope to make Change after Change, And at last have dashed his power to the Earth Assassinated his Councellors And Driven him from his Papal seat which has never before been shaken for the last fourteen hundred years And He has had to seek Protection by fleeing to other Nations.
While this is going on in foreign Countries let us turn our eyes for A moment to the Position of Blood Stained America, A Nation though Blessed Above All other Nations under Heaven yet she has of late been guilty of sheding the Blood of Apostles Prophets Patriarchs And Saints. She has suffered mob rule to take the place of Constitution law & order.
And what position is she in at the Close of this year? Not ownly one of her states Ohio has disgraced herself by having A legislatur sit for weeks & spend their time in fighting for the mastery instead of organizing & doing the business of the people, but the leaders of the whole Nation itself at Washington are engender[ing] the spirit of party strife, hatred disunion & war meeting in seperate parties And laying plans for the dissolving of the union And the Anhilation of the American Government. And James Gordon Bennett of the New York Herald & other Editors After Prophesying month After month that their was no danger of disolving our union Are with all their prophesies recorded in their paper stareing them in the face, under the necessity of recording the Account of the parties ways And means made use of to accomplish & bring to pass the vary things they have been prophesying Against. And while the Senators & statesman of the Slave States [p.397] meet in convention And resolve that if Slavery in the Distrect of Columbia is Abolished or Prohibited from New New Mexico or Calafornia that they will immediately dissolve the Union, lay taxes upon the shiping of the free States &c.
At the same time Citizens And Statesmen of the free states meet in Convention And Resolve if these things are not done they in like manner will dissolve the Union. While these parties are growing more & more determined, & further & wider Apart, still the public mind seems to be blinded As to the result of these resolutions, And are ignorant concerning the fruit which will be produced by the seed of there own sowing.
Yes they have "eyes but see not, ears but hear not & hearts but do not understand" while the servent of God filled with inspiration, can behold the seene in its true light And knows well the result, with As much certainty As Noah, Lot, And Jesus, did each in their day while gazing upon the conduct of the Antedeluvians, Sodom & Gomorrow, or the inhabitants of Jerrusalem. And As the words of the Lord were fulfilled in the former case in like manner will they in the latter.
During the past year Asiactic cholera one of the plagues of the last days has Also again commenced its march through the Earth slaying its tens of thousands. It has now made its Appearance in England & Scotland And has just Arived in the United States is in New York New Orleans Mobeal Memphis And Cincinnati. The last report states about 100 daily in New Orleans.
The signs of the gathering of the Jews has been vary prominant during the past [year]. The governments of the world have in some measure been exherted to favor that people. And while I turn my eye towards Zion I can see the Lord is favoring her.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints has been organized with A first Presidency of three viz Brigham Young, Heber C Kimball, And Willard Richards who have gatherd to the mountains of Israel in the valley of the Great Salt Lake. Took with [p.398] them about 3,000 souls & some 8,000 Head of cattle of All kinds which now makes a population of about 7,000 saints in the City of the Great Salt Lake Great Bason North America.
The Saints who were located near the Bay of San Francisco have found A vast amount of welth in mines such As Dimonds, Gold, Silver, quick silver, platina, copper, lead tin, zink Iron &c. These things have been found to such an extent that it is creating great excitement throughout the world esspecially in the United States And tens of thousands Are flocking to that land.
Crime of Evry kind has Apparently increased 100 per ct throughout the United States And the cup of their iniquity is full And the hour of their Judgment is come. Calamity sorrow & Death has recieved its commission to visit this land. And the spirit whispers to me that eighteen hundred & forty nine will lay waste many thousands of the inhabitants of the Earth Esspecilly of this land by Cholera fire plage And Judgments.
1848
[source: Wilford Woodruff's Journal: 1833-1898 Typescript, Volumes 1-9, Edited by Scott G. Kenney, Signature Books 1993, http://amzn.to/newmormonstudies]
No comments:
Post a Comment