Brewster, James C.
The Olive Branch, Jun 1849, Vol I, No. 12, pp 201-206.
An Abridgment of the Ninth Book of Esdras,
By James Colin Brewster.
Return unto the Lord your God, lest ye be cast off; for the wicked shall surely be destroyed, and the ungodly shall be consumed with unquenchable fire. They that know the way and walk not therein, shall find darkness, and not light; they that turn from the ways of God shall not be comforted; they shall go into darkness, and unless they repent, they shall be utterly destroyed; for speedy destruction cometh upon the ungodly, who have seen the way and walk not therein; who teach the word but turn aside from the commandments, walking in forbidden ways, and speaking vain and lying words; and turn aside after the temptations of satan. They lay a snare for their bother and dig a pit for their neighbor; they turn from light unto darkness, and because they cleave unto darkness, they shall have darkness, and shall stumble and fall, being taken in the snares which they set, and falling into the pits which they have dug. For the word of God is not in vain, neither shall it fail, but shall continue the same forever. Therefore the ungodly shall not stand, but shall perish in the midst of their days; for they that serve satan shall fall into darkness. Therefore be not led estray, for they that are led estray and do not return, shall be cut off. But they that serve God shall be made strong; they shall prosper and dwell in the land which the Lord their God shall give them. For his strength is above the strength of men, and his word cannot be broken. They that fight against their enemies shall be slain, and they that escape the sword shall pass through much tribulation and few of the ungodly, even those that call themselves saints, shall escape; for they have been a wicked and rebellious (The ungodly is that part of the Mormons who profess righteousness but work iniquity) people; they have been called but have turned aside from the right way. Therefore they shall be driven. They shall build houses but shall not inhabit them. They shall plant vineyards but shall not eat the fruit thereof. They shall be scourged for their iniquity and perish because they will not repent. But they that will repent shall receive mercy; but they who are proud and rebellious shall receive affliction, they shall not be spared or pitied, for the hand of the destroyer is upon them. They shall be brought down and made desolate by five and the sword. For this saith the Lord, I will bring upon them a strong people, whom they hate, and a terrible one whom they despise, and I will utterly bring them to nought. Though they be numerous as the sand of the sea shore, yet they shall be confounded and their multitude shall be afraid and tremble when the Lord God shall commence his great work, and begin to cut off the proud and destroy the ungodly, to whom judgment is as gall and righteousness as worm wood. Therefore, shall their destruction come quickly and their end shall come in an hour, for they are strong, yet they shall be brought down and they shall become weak. They shall all be smitten, but they shall not all perish. Therefore they that repent and turn unto the Lord their God, shall be preserved.
Let not the inhabitants of the Earth rejoice when God shall destroy the ungodly, for he will surely recompense upon the wicked their wickedness; for he will not suffer the wicked to escape, (i.e. the enemies of the Mormons,) and he will also punish the ungodly, for he is a God of justice and truth and will not suffer any transgressor to escape. Turn unto the Lord your God, that ye be not utterly destroyed for God will surely recompense the wickedness of the ungodly upon their own heads, for his judgment shall overtake them suddenly; neither shall the fire be quenched when it burneth in the stubble, neither shall the lion be turned aside from the prey. Therefore the judgments of God shall be as fire among the ungodly and as a lion among the wicked; for on one hand shall be sword and fire, and on the other wild beasts and desolation. Therefore they shall be scourged, because their transgressions are as numerous as the sand of the sea shore. They shall not be spared, but they shall be driven out of the land of their inheritance. As Israel was driven forth by Nebuchanezzer, king of Babylon; even so shall the ungodly perish and be visited with utter destruction in the last days. Therefore let the ungodly fear and tremble, and the wicked be afraid, for God will not spare them any longer.
Serve God, therefore, that ye be not destroyed with the ungodly; for they shall be destroyed, and none can deliver them from the hand of the destroyer for destruction shall surely come upon this people, for the oppressor shall surely be oppressed, and they that break shall surely be broken, for the scorner shall be consumed and they that watch for iniquity shall be cut off. For the ways of the ungodly are in darkness, having turned aside from the right way, they shall surely stumble and fall. Therefore turn aside from the ways of the ungodly and walk not in their ways, for they go to destruction.
Let not them that do evil say that their works are good, they shall surely come to nought; they shall surely be destroyed by the sword of the Lord, for his hand is strong and he will destroy the enemies of his saints and will confound the Nations, and overcome their strength. He will send upon them pestilence, earthquakes and wild boasts to devour them. He will dry up their rivers that ships cannot sail therein, and make the glory of the earth vanity, and their strength as dust before the whirlwind.
He will make the fenced cities heaps, and the strong holds a desolation. He will smite the rich, that are in the plains and the strong that are upon the mountains, and make the vallies desolate. He will break the ships that are in the sea, and send upon the Islands a consuming fire. He will make the nations to mourn and the earth to weep. When men sow the seed he will withhold the rain, but in time of harvest he will send an abundance (of rain.) And on the Idle city he will bring fear, and the Prince of fear shall rule over them, though they say every man to his neighbor, let us be strong. Although they make to themselves swords and snares and dig pits for their enemies, yet shall they turn back from the battle and they shall be snared, taken and broken, and the words of Aleiba shall be fulfilled, which he wrote saying: –
“Strong is the God of the heavens, whose power is over the earth, and the sea and all things that is therein; at whose power the sun is darkened and the moon shall be turned to blood before whom Babylon is as stubble, and the Idle city as chaff, to be consumed or driven away by the whirlwind, yet ill he transgressors transgress, will the wicked continue to do wickedly, will they seek after wickedness before him who created both the heavens and the earth. These shall be smitten with the sword of Jehovah who is his fierce anger shall cast them away, who oppress the poor and lay up unto them selves riches – that feed themselves and regard not the needy, they clothe themselves with rich garments, but spare not those that are in want.
- For there are judgments deep in store,
Which on their guilty land shall poor,
A torrent strong, not turned aside,
To quench in blood their lofty pride.
- What power shall quench the burning flame,
That in the stubble still remains,
Or turn the whirlwind’s wrath aside,
That scatters chaff and lofty pride!
- Or stop the arrow, strongly shot,
Their name from off the earth to blot;
Or drive the lines from his prey?
For now is God’s avenging day!
- Or who shall stop the torrent’s course,
Or stop the sword with all its force,
And drive again the hated power,
Who come against them in an hour.
- For these shall surely over-turn,
That proud ungodly men may learn
God is not in their secret ways,
But is the King and Prince of days.
- Lord, save the righteous from all ill,
And all thy promises fulfill;
Smite the ungodly with thy rod.
Till all repent and turn to God.
To whom shall strength be given or to whom shall righteousness be restored? Strength shall be given to them that keep the commandments and that obey the law.
They that keep the Sabbath holy and profane not the name of the Lord God.
That take not usury and abhor all works of darkness and secret combinations for these are from Satan and multiply evil upon the sons of men. They that speak the truth and deceive not. Unto these shall strength be given and righteousness restored.
For beyond the everlasting hills is the land of Bashan.
For a terrible one shall stand up, before whom the ungodly shall tremble – for unto them the power of God is terrible, and they fear his glory more than the sword, for the servants of God shall be terrible, and they that go to Bashan (California) shall have strength given and righteousness restored unto them. Let not the ungodly prosper, saith the Lord, for upon the idle shepherds will I bring a strong people, and a terrible one will I raise up that they shall be broken and scattered, and upon every hill and in every valley shall they mourn; into whatever land they shall go, there shall they be afflicted. They shall in no wise escape for they are transgressors; they are rebellious, proud and haughty. Therefore they shall fall.
Against whom shall judgment be brought forth and against whom shall the battle be set in array? those who know the commandments and keep them not. These will the Lord cast down, and bring upon them sword, fire and desolation when their vallies over-flow with abundance and the plains are covered with grain and the sound of rejoicing, and mirth is heard in the city. Then shall be heard a voice on the waters of Cedron, crying “Wo unto the land and the inhabitants thereof.” For a fierce and a strong people, whose horses hoofs are as steel and the sound thereof as a whirlwind, these shall trample under foot the vineyards, and set on fire the fields of grain. And the Idle city shall be confounded and the multitude thereof shall be of small power.
And the mighty man shall turn back from the battle and their swords shall be of no avail, and their enemies shall encompass them round about, and shall enter in and shall utterly make waste and destroy, they shall slay with the sword and burn with fire until they make the city a desolation, and a burying place for the people that are therein. But they who fear God shall escape through the wilderness, and go beyond the river Amli (Rio del Norte) unto the land of their inheritance, a land of hills, of vallies, of plains and pleasant places, which brings forth in abundance, that they who go there shall prosper.
The land of Bashan shall be given to the saints – those who shall escape from the midst of the ungodly. They who go there shall not be of the ungodly, they shall be those that speak the truth and lie not, that love peace and abhor war, that are not lovers of gain and seek not after riches.
These shall go there and inherit the land, for no one but the righteous shall dwell there. But they shall dwell there and no one shall make them afraid. They shall bild cities; they shall plant vineyards, and they shall make desolate lands a garden and the forsaken place a fruit field; they shall make the waste places a pleasant land.
Wo to the Idle city for their transgressions are many and the righteous among them are very few, and because of these they are spared, and when these turn to wickedness they shall be destroyed. Therefore repent and return unto the Lord, least ye be cut off, for, God will sweep away the wicked and overthrow the ungodly, and they shall sink into darkness.
The strength of the saints shall not be shaken, neither shall they (the Idle city is Nauvoo, so called, because the inhabitants of that city profess to serve God but do not. Therefore they are called Idle, as they do set the works they profess to do. This does not apply to all, but a majority are of this description) be overthrown, neither shall the ungodly have power to make them a prey, for the sword of the Lord is strong and it shall be terrible among the Nations, and the cities of the wicked shall fall before it. Their walls shall not stand, neither their towers defend them; but they shall all fall and perish together, even in wickedness. Wo to the Idle city and to the inhabitants thereof, for they are a rebellious people – a people turned aside from the right way, in whom the Lord God hath no delight, because of their wickedness. They shall not rest, neither shall they have peace; because of their transgressions they are driven and smitten by their enemies; they shall not be spared nor saved from destruction; but shall perish from off the face of the earth. Such is the lot of those who have the light of the gospel and yet draw the sword against their enemies.
It shall come to pass there shall many great and marvelous things be seen by all the inhabitants of the earth, even more than has been seen since the days of the flood; for the earth shall be shaken, and the moon shall be turned into blood; there shall be great tribulation upon the face of all the earth, and all the wicked shall fall, though they be many in number; who doeth good that they may be saved who serveth God, that they may not perish.
Who can find a righteous man or a friend that faileth not? Because there is none righteous, the earth mourneth. For no one serveth God continually; they have broken the commandments of God, they regard them not.
How are the mighty fallen and the righteous turned away? The pure in heart are not found and the righteous are few among men. The haughty left themselves up; the proud are not east down; the ungodly are without number, and the wicked fill the whole earth. The Lord will destroy the wicked from off the face of the earth and the ungodly from among his saints.
Salvation cometh by good works; without obedience no man can be saved; for him who will not obey shall not receive the reward of righteousness, laid up for the saints of the most High, which are peace, glory and life everlasting; the inheritance of the saints of the Most High, a crown of eternal glory laid up for them who fear him and obey the Lord God who created them.
Who shall not see when the Lord setteth up his banner, when he calleth the wicked to repentance. Then shall his glory be shows unto the saints of the most high; therefore keep all the commandments which he has given you, lest Satan overcome you by his temptations, which are many. He seeketh to lead men astray into darkness, where the light cometh not, and the glory of God is not seen; for the power of satan is darkness, and his power is the shadow of death which leadeth unto death, even the first and second death, the destruction of the body and of the spirit; for the ungodly who have seen the way an walk not therein are reserved in chains of darkness unto the great and terrible day of the Lord, wherein all flesh shall be judged and rewarded according to the deeds done in the body. The power of God is light, and his strength is glorious; they that keep his commandments shall rejoice, and they that fear him shall learn wisdom; for wisdom cometh of God and glory is shown forth by his wisdom. The word of the Lord, like a two-edged sword, shall divide the righteous from the ungodly. The way of the Lord is terrible; like a rock in the midst of the sea, so are the saints among the wicked. The anger of the Lord is terrible. As a fire among the stubble, so is his anger toward the ungodly. Hath not the Lord spoken by the month of his prophet Malachi, saying –
“The day cometh that shall burn as an oven, and all the proud and they that do wickedly shall burn as stubble; but unto such as fear my name shall the son of righteousness arise with healing in his wings, and they shall go forth and grow up as calves of the stalls, and the wicked shall be as ashes under the soles of their feet.” Then shall the righteous have rest; for, as it is written, the wicked come from troubling and the weary are at rest. The word of the Lord come unto Isaiah, saying: “I will smite the proud and the wicked shall be cut off; the scorner is consumed and they that watch for iniquity, are cut off.” The wicked shall no longer triumph, and the righteous shall have rest. Vengeance is mine, and I will repay saith the Lord. A day of warning and not of many words.
Behold and hearken, O ye people! Behold the judgments of God about to be poured out upon the Nations. He will smite the wall, and it shall be destroyed. His lightnings have went forth and shall not return until they have gone to the ends of the earth, till they have smitten the proud and east down the haughty; till they have humbled the pride of the rich or smitten them with destruction, for the Lord God hath spoken it, and it shall be accomplished, God will not spare the wicked unless they repent.
The saints who go to Bashan for safety, shall keep the commandments which the Lord their God shall give them. They shall not err, neither shall they stumble if they keep the commandments which the Lord God gave unto those who served him; for great is the power of the Lord, and his strength is above the strength of the Nations. Therefore fear not, but go forth to the land which the Lord God shall give you, for an inheritance; and the ungodly and wicked shall not have power to go there. And they who go there shall appoint one to be their leader, one whose trust is in God, vigilant, and not easily turned aside from the right way; and he shall lead them in the way which they should go to the land of their inheritance, and he shall be appointed by the voice of those who go there, and if he behave himself unworthily or break any of the commandments given them to observe, another shall be appointed in his place; but if he shall do the which is right, then he shall retain his office one year. And who he shall keep the commandments, they shall obey his word.
They shall not transgress the commandments, though he should command them so to do; but in all other things they shall obey him.
The foregoing was written in A.D. 1842.
- Let all the earth rejoice and sing
Their great Redeemer, Prince and King,
Who comes to set them free from sin,
And in the earth his work begin;
Rejoice, rejoice, rejoice, again:
The earth has long in darkness lain.
- Let all the saints arise and sing,
For all the earth when cleansed from sin,
Shall, like a fruitful field appear,
And bud and blossom all the year,
Rejoice, rejoice, rejoice, again!
The foe of righteousness is slain!
- The saints shall prosper in the earth,
The wicked fall by sword and dearth,
The God of Righteousness declares
He’ll save you from the wicked snares,
Rejoice, rejoice, rejoice, again!
The righteous shall be freed from pain!
- See all the righteous ones are saved, –
The wicked are destroyed, who gave
No glory to the glorious God,
Are smitten by his Iron rod.
Rejoice, rejoice, rejoice, again!
The saints are washed from every stain!
- From every stain of sin made free,
That they may live to know and see,
The glory of their God sublime,
Whose wond’rous glory is divine,
Rejoice, rejoice, rejoice, again!
For satan and his power is slain!
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