Your humble servant,
ORSON SPENCER.
LETTER XI.
THE LATTER-DAY JUDGMENTS.
Liverpool, October 28, 1847.
Reverend and Dear Sir,—THE LATTER-DAY JUDGMENTS, the subject of my present letter, deserve a careful consideration among the topics peculiar to Latter-day Saints.
You must be already aware that it is a part of my faith that God designs to set up his kingdom on the earth, in order that the meek may inherit the earth as their celestial abode; and as He will not employ His enemies to administer even temporal affairs within the bounds of His kingdom, His kingdom will consequently be a temporal one, and wholly and exclusively conducted by His own loyal subjects, according to His righteous will. He will proceed from conquest to conquest, until all other kingdoms are overthrown and merged in one—even His own kingdom.
The means by which he will subdue and overcome the nations of the earth are two, viz.. TRUTH and JUDGMENT. He explicitly declares, that He will lay judgment to the line and righteousness to the plummet. His latter-day proclamation is, "Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment is come." The salvation that He offers is temporal, spiritual, and eternal; and the judgments which He will inflict are also similar. As a supreme lawgiver, He claims the submission of all the inhabitants of the earth. Nor is it necessary that His servants should be for ever preaching the gospel on the earth, in order to effect a universal reconciliation of all men to their God. All men will not obey the truth, therefore what the truth will not save through faith, God's judgments will destroy through their unbelief. And these judgments will be executed speedily, even as in the days of Noah and Lot. God formerly gave the inhabitants timely warning before the deluge came, and before the fire descended from heaven.
The gospel must first be preached, and then the judgments will follow in quick succession. Even as a chalk-line makes an impression for the saw and the chisel, so God's judgments will make an impression, sensible and summary. The day of vengeance has long been in His heart. A day when His jealousy and wrath shall burn like fire, even to the lowest hell. The wicked and diabolical spirits will be pursued, even to their dens of darkness, and there scourged and bound. The righteous veterans that have long since fought and bled, in order to establish a reign of righteousness and truth on the earth, and prayed with uplifted hands for this day of truth and judgment, their language is, "How long, O Lord, wilt thou not avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?" But God, who is long-suffering—not willing that any should perish, but rather that they should repent and be saved—has nevertheless reserved the worst spirits to the day of wrath and the revelation of the righteous judgment of God. That day is even now dawned. God has commenced to reveal his wrath against all them that obey not the gospel. It is a day of revelation and prophecy.