Again, Presidents John Taylor and Wilford Woodruff are the only two men now living in the flesh who listened to the words and charge of Joseph Smith the Prophet to the Twelve Apostles before his death when he said, "Brethren, I have had sorrow of heart for fear I might be taken away with the keys of the Kingdom ogf God upon me before I sealed them upon the heads of other men. But I thank God I have lived to see the day when I have had the power to give the Twelve Apostles their endowments. And I have now sealed upon your heads all the keys of the kingdom of God and the powers of the Holy Priesthood, which God has sealed upon me. And now I roll off the labor and work of the Church and kindgom of God upon the shoulders of the Twelve Apostles. And I now command you in the name of Jesus Christ to round up your shoulders and bear off this church and Kingdom of God on the earth before heaven and earth, and before God, angels, and men, and if you do not do it you will be damned."

I cannot describe to you the Joy and gladness of all hearts when we beheld the Land we had left Our homes for So that we might gather together to Build ^up^ the waste Places of Zion and help to lengthen her Cords and Strengthen her Stakes and prepare homes and Shelters for all that sheuld come after us in fullfillment of the Same Commands so that all things might be gathered together in One and bring about the restitution of all things which has been spoken by the mo^u^ths of all the holly Prophets

While these things are going on in the East yet as for a moment turn our thoughts 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 and order, and what position do we find her in at the close of this year. Not ownly one of her states, Ohio has disgraced herself by sitting leaving a legislation sit for weeks and spend their time fighting for the mastery instead of doing the business of the People. But the leaders of the whole Nation at Washington are engendering the spirit of party strife, hatred, disunion & war, meeting in separate parties and laying plans for the dissolving of the Union and the Annihilation of the American Government

If this people have never before had a testimony that Brigham is a Prophet they have one now for he certainly has pointed out their exact condition much better than any one else could do that was in their midst in these lands and how thankful we ought to be that

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

those things which have been prophesied of by Joseph Smith 30 years ago are now being fulfilled day by Day. I wrote 25 years ago a revelation of Joseph Smith saying that a war would commence at the rebelion of South Carolina that South Carolina would rebel against the Government & that the Southern States would rise up against the Northern States & the Northern States would rise up against the Southern States to war & that the Southern States

the Lord is withdrawing his spirit from the inhabitants of the Earth as fast as they are rejecting the Gospel which the Lord has sent among them through the mouth of his servants the prophets which he has raised up in the Last Days unto this generation

the Latter Day Saints are the Kingdom of God that Daniel saw & they will stand become a great mountain & fill the whole Earth while great Babylin will fall & be broaken in peaces l like the image & pass away like the chaff of the summers thrushing flour, The Saints will build up Zion litterly as Isaiah saw it while the Christan world who have shed the blood of the Saints will receive the plagues which the revelation John saw, there will be but two places of safety upon the Earth before the coming of Christ one will be Zion & the other Jerusalem. The Laws will go forth from Zion which will rule all Nations & the word of the Lord from Jerusalem, when the Judgments of God are poured out upon the Earth

I have no fears of any thing if we do our duty. I know God Reigns, and the rejoicings of the wicked are short. I will say that I feel thankful that all the Rest of the Quorum are free men, and I say God Bless you all, and when I think of Joseph and the Prophets, and Presidt Taylor in Carthage Jaol If I was to have Nothing here, I would not be fit to be in their company in the resurrection and God knows I want to be with them somehow

I think you know me well enough to know I dont flatter any one, but I will say I love Brother Joseph for I know the spirit of the Gods & of the prophets is in Him And I am satisfied if He had the uncontrolled use of thunder & lightning there would be a terrible saut- ering among some men in this world, But I dont suppose Brothe Spight or Allen is deligated to use that yet so we will let it alone