We write the following pages only for those who have studied all the preceding pages of this book, and concentrate the subject of what would require volumes, on few pages, to be gradually developed in our Periodical. On the title-page of this book our Mission is expressed, and the four preceding Treatises contain superabundance of credentials or testimonials of our mission as well as the great truth, that the social, political and ecclesiastical relations of mankind are rotten and corrupt, the whole structure is a Babylon, confusion and delusion, which is to be abolished and on its place truth and justice, harmony and peace are to be established by virtue of our mission.
Readers of this book know that I speak as medium of messengers from the Heavenly Congress who have the commission to introduce the New Era, and as representative of messengers by whom nations are to be moved for action to escape from the plagues which continue in the ruins of Babylon till people come out and establish the New Jerusalem, the new order of things, in which persons of both sexes will receive such development of their intellectual and moral faculties and of their physical skill and strength as they will be qualified to receive, to enjoy themselves in their mortal bodies as well as after their departure such happiness as their persons will be capable of enjoying while they themselves will contribute, each member his or her share to the common welfare of mankind, that the whole society will progress as far as circumstances will allow.
This development demands time. It could not take place in a moment, but means which have been in preparation and prepared through the course of ages may be concentrated, and when thus concentrated they may be usefully applied in accelerating the true and right education of degraded humanity, and in a few years that may be effected, which past centuries did not effect. But with all the knowledge which we have acquired for promoting the true happiness of mankind, we can do nothing for them, if they are not reached and aroused from their lethargy. If they will be redeemed from their present miserable and wretched condition, they must begin to comprehend where they are and to what point of intellectual and moral perfection with corresponding happiness and health and strength of body and mind they could arrive, if they would apply their energy and the means which are prepared by nature as well as by human skill, art and science to be used in bringing mankind from their present Babylon or from the existing confusion and delusion into the new Jerusalem, into the New Era, into the new order of things, which is usually called the Millennium, about which there are many false and wrong notions, but which will be the universal republic in which truth and righteousness will reign and all nations will be united in the great brotherhood in which they will enjoy perpetual peace. We have received the commission and the credentials of the Mission to introduce this state of things.
To commence with power the grand work which is to be accomplished by co-operation of men and women, who are associated amongst themselves and united with Heavenly messengers who are commissioned to prepare for the promised New Era, we unite and form an Association which we call Peace-Union (Friedens-Verein), a union of co-operation for establishing peace. Real, perpetual peace comprehends the restoration of human rights. Our co-operation for this purpose needs a centre, a place on which we concentrate the means to attain our object. Hence, we according to our mission, invite all who are able to contribute their share, either in money or property or any kind of mental and physical labor for the realization of the object, that they might co-operate with us to establish first a centre of our work, and according to the pattern of the centre as many other settlements as may be required for accommodation of all who would enter into the New Era.
The first centre should be a provisional centre, that is, a place for concentrating our co-operation so long as may be necessary, till for the same purpose a more suitable place be furnished. But not all who are invited to co-operate can have accommodation on the first central station, nor would all be ready at once, who might so desire, if buildings and other necessary conveniences were provided, which, however, is primarely to be attended to. We need co-operators everywhere to arouse as many as can be aroused for co-operation with us in these days of Noah, at the approach of the flood of tribulations. In my former publications as well as in this book and in my manuscripts a superabundance of credentials are exhibited, that those men and women, who are united with us in Christ's spirit, that is, in the spirit of truth and righteousness, and are living in accordance with what is required by that Spirit, and are spreading the glorious news made manifest by our instrumentality for redemption of oppressed humanity, are true messengers of Christ; but those clergymen who, instead of co-operating with us, are keeping people in shackles of their sects and despising our message of peace, are messengers of the deluding and destroying spirit and supporting the Beast or monarchy which receives its power from the dragon, the deluding and destroying serpent which is the image of that spirit, Revelation xiii: 2. We expect they will comprehend this book and commence to act with all their strength as our fellow-laborers, and become with us partakers of the blessings which will originate from our co-operation.
After this preparation we ask, whether according to the common stock association or according to a true community of goods the centre and other settlements of our Peace-Union should be established. I wrote many years ago a plan according to a common stock association, according to which members of the Peace-Union should have prepared themselves and others for a true community of goods, but within seven years an exact accouut of labor furnished and of its worth as well as of other property should have been kept, and at the expiration of that period the division of profits according to the shares of labor furnished and other property invested should have taken place, and during the period of seven years all the members should have been prepared for the great community or true republic, into which mankind will finally associate, that those who would not be sufficiently prepared before the expiration of seven years to commence a true community, might at least, in seven years be prepared for it. At the end of that plan is the paragraph a portion of which we copy here as preparatory to what follows:
"I have mentioned only some of the many points which are to be mentioned in more suitable times, or in the periodical; because that which has been mentioned may suffice to move those who are culled and chosen to be the first champions in starting the centre of our action. They may easily comprehend, why we are compelled to commence on so low a station, on which continuous accounts and calculations as well as many other inconveniences will make much trouble. If we would expect good success on a higher ground, we would commence on that ground. But this generation is found in such a degradation and corruption, that also the proposed plan to draw mankind from lower to higher stations, will probably not find directly sufficient support of what we need to bring mankind quickly and powerfully into the New Era, which in its splendor and glory will be the great community of goods, based on true republican principles, &c."
This paragraph was to be copied, because we must give some explanation of the matter, that mankind were to be prepared in manifold ways, to become gragually ready to enter into the right order of things. Readers of this book know, that from A.D. 1838 till 1842 my five German volumes containing "Memorable Events" developing the dreadful social, ecclesiastical and political state of mankind and testifying our mission to introduce the promised New Era, have been published. During and after the publication of those volumes it was evident, that our duty was to make known to those who have read or heard somewhat regarding our mission, that for a powerful co-operation we would need a centre of our action. Adolph Etzler published that time a book entitled: "The New World or Mechanical System to Perform Labour of Man and Beast by Inanimate Powers." I have read it and found the principles correct, and that although all that he proposed, would not be practicable, some of his propositions could be put in practice. And when I saw that Germans were so chained either by materialism or sectarianism, that instead of studying those my five German volumes and of acting accordingly they followed rather after their sectarian and materialistic leaders who have published all kinds of delusion against my books, and spoke also in a like manner publicly and privately against them, my directors moved me to tell to those who took more or less interest in the contents of my books and were skilful mechanics, that they should study Etzler's book, and if they would find his propositions practicable, they should try to awaken Germans with Etzler's machine to study my German volumes. The best mechanic among them, after having studied Etzler's book, and having seen the draughts of all parts of Etzler's machine and heard Etzler's explanation of all its parts, has assured me in words and in writing that he gave all his property as security, that he would put Etzler's machine in operation. But a seeress who belonged to our association, and gave amongst all women the strongest testimony to our mission, although she did not see the pattern of the machine, received in a vision its whole structure and described exactly the portions which she saw in the vision, that they broke. She received that vision a considerable time before those who were expecting certain success, commenced to build Etzlers machine. I was certain that the prophetical vision would be fulfilled, but I expected that afterwards would be shown how Etzler's mistakes should be repaired, and that great lessons would be given to nations by the trial of that machine, the inventor of which was a great materialist, not knowing that he himself was a strong medium of spirits of a similar character as spirits of Napoleon I. were, to subdue the world by physical means, while I considered that machine as the means of peculiar spirit manifestations to awaken nations from their materialism to our message of peace containing the true spiritualism. The machine was built under Etzler's direction in Warren County, Pa., the trial was made, and the pieces broke which have been foreseen and foretold as breaking.
There was a great jubilee of those who have been deluded by priestcraft, that they thought when Christ was killed, that he would arise no more, When Etzler as well as the man who has given me in words and in writing the pledge with his whole property that he would put the machine in operation, have left the place I said to those who have remained on the place, that in the next night would be revealed to one of them, how the mistakes made by Etzler, should be corrected and the machine should be put in operation. George Karle, a young lame shoemaker, a sincere seeker after truth and firm believer in our mission, was the man to whom the mystery was revealed, and he has explained at our meeting the matter in such a manner, that also those who were most opposed, have at length been convinced, after having heard his explanation how Etzler's mistakes should be repaired, that he had received a true revelation, and agreed that he should be the director in rebuilding Etzler's machine, to make a new trial. But before this has been done, he was brought into the Allegheny River and drowned by the instrumentality of the departed Mormon Prophet Joe Smith, not directly but indirectly by the instrumentality of a cow. But a week after that, on the 30th of July, 1844, the same destroying spirit Joe Smith was allowed to attack me directly, to show how he would be able to kill a man in a minute, if he would be permitted. But he was seized by my guardian and cast into a combustible matter which was by his infernal electricity instantly kindled. George Karle was permitted to be drowned, because the time for establishing our centre had not yet arrived, and Karle had an important mission in the spirit world, and in that great mission he continues to be engaged.
It is to be understood that the given hints regarding Joe Smith would need a peculiar treatise. I did not know him personally in his mortal body, but urged preachers of his sect to move him to meet me either in a written correspondence or personally, to learn to know his dreadful delusion. The same I published in "The one thing needful," and urged his Elders, to send to him an English copy of that volume, which as readers of this book know, has been translated from the German into English. But in that year matters did not yet arrive to maturity for the conversion of Mormon Apostles and Elders. Their infernal President had to show, how his army had the power to prevent my starting the centre of our operation. But that my meeting with the departed Joe Smith occasioned my meeting with the mortal Brigham Young, while he was yet in Nauvoo, but although I preached to him and his disciples the judgment dipensation, they were not yet mature to be converted, and my manuscripts in which dreadful mysteries of the Mormon Spiritualism are developed, must wait to be published, when nations will be prepared to read so important disclosures.