The American Revolution—Its effects upon other nations—French Revolution—Revolution of Greece, Poland, &c—Present prosperity of the United States of America—Present state of the Indians—Indian prayer.
Meantime the Gentiles break their foreign yoke,
While tyrants tremble at the dreadful stroke,
Assert their freedom, gain their liberty,
And to the world proclaim Columbia free.
O'er ocean's wave triumphant in the breeze,
Her banner floats o'er all the distant seas,
Where dire oppression, long with tyrant sway,
Had ruled mankind, and led them far astray.
With admiration seized, the nations all,
Filled with delight Columbia's deeds extol;
And gazing still, they catch the sacred fire,
And love of liberty their souls inspire.
While nations oft in their extended plan;
From slumber wake to claim the rights of man,
Empires o'erturned, and tyrants headlong hurled,
The voice of freedom echoes round the world.
First, France arose, in triumph led the way,
Till love of conquest led them far astray;
And dire ambition seized the helm of state,
Through seas of blood, where millions met their fate:
Till they reluctant give the struggle o'er,
And rest content with rights enjoyed before.
And next the Greeks their ancient spirit caught,
From long oppression roused they bravely fought,
They burst the Moslem chains emerging free,
Through seas of blood obtained their liberty.
Poland in turn received the sacred fire,
Her noble sons for freedom did aspire;
And struggling long at length they bravely fell.
But cease, my muse; the tale forbear to tell,
And turn again unto the favored shore,
Where freedom's genius kindly hovers o'er,
See states and nations joyfully extend,
Their wide domain almost from end to end;
From the far eastern shores of rugged Maine,
To wild Missouri's rich and flowery plains,
The harvest fields with rural plenty crowned;
And flowery gardens flourish all around;
The humble cottage and the lofty dome,
Each crowned with plenty form an equal home
See on her lakes, and on her thousand streams,
Her vessels float impelled by sail or steam.
While busy commerce floats along her seas,
With sails expanded wide before the breeze;
Far o'er the wave her rich produce they bear,
And in return bring every kind of ware,
To clothe her sons, her daughters to array,
In linen fine and silk and purple gay;
Thus peace and plenty crown Columbia's soil,
A rich reward of industry and toil.
Lo! the poor Indian, if he chance to roam
O'er the wide fields he once could call his own;
Where oft in youth he sported in the chace,
Mourning the change, he scarcely knows the place;
With bursting heart his streaming eyes survey
The sacred mound where lies his father's clay.
O'erwhelmed with grief to heaven he lifts his eyes
Before the throne his prayers like incense rise:
Great Spirit of our fathers lend an ear,
Pity the red man—to his cries give ear,
Long hast thou scourged him with thy chastening sore,
When will thy vengeance cease, thy wrath be o'er;
When will the white man's dire ambition cease,
And let our scattered remnants dwell in peace?
Or shall we, (driven to the western shore)
Become extinct and fall to rise no more?
Forbid, great Spirit; make thy mercy known,
Reveal thy truth, thy wandering captives own,
Make bare thine arm of power for our release,
And o'er the earth extend the reign of peace.
CHAPTER V.
Coming forth of the fulness of the Gospel—Restoration of the Indians and their gathering West of the Mississippi, by the present administration in fulfilment of prophecy—Commission and Ministry of the servants of God in the last dispensation—Commencement of the gathering of the Gentile Church—Their persecution and dispersion in fulfilment of prophecy, from which reflections are drawn on the subject of persecution in general—The enduement of the servants of God and their ministry among all nations—The power of God displayed in making bare his arm in the eyes of all nations—They flow to Zion—Possess the land in peace—Build up a holy city no more to be thrown down—The wars, earthquakes, pestilences, famines and signs in heaven above anil earth beneath which are to precede the Millennium—The resurrection of the saints—The coming of Christ with all his saints—The burning of the wicked—The restitution of the earth with all its blessings.
Ye gloomy scenes far hence, intrude no more;
Sublimer themes invite the muse, to soar
In loftier strains, while scenes both strange and new,
Burst on the sight and open to the view.
Lo! from the opening heavens in bright array,
An angel comes, to earth he bends his way,
Reveals to man in power, as at the first,
The fulness of the Gospel long since lost.
See earth obedient from its bosom yield!
The sacred truth it faithfully conceal'd,
The wise confounded startle at the sight,
The proud and haughty tremble with affright;
The hireling priests against the truth engage,
While hell beneath stands trembling filled with rage.
False are their hopes and all their struggles vain,
Their craft must fall and with it all their gain;
The deaf must hear, the meek their joy increase,
The poor be glad and their oppression cease.
See Congress stand in all the power of state,
Destined, like Cyrus, now to change the fate
Of Joseph's scattered remnants! long oppressed,
And bring them home unto a land of rest;
Beyond the Mississippi's rolling flood,
A land before ordained by Israel's God!
Where Zion's city shall in grandeur rise,
And fill the wondering nations with surprise.
From north, and south, and east behold them come
By tens of thousands to their destined home!
From heaven's king commissioned to proclaim
Repentance, and baptism in his name,
His servants to the Gentiles lift their voice,
While tens of thousands in the sound rejoice,
And they to Zion bend their joyful way,
With songs of joy and gladness hail the day.
The priests and people filled with dread surprise,
Alarm'd at their approach vindictive rise,
And lest the power of truth should still prevail,
They think to cause the prophecy to fail.
And if by fire and sword the saints they drive,
While other sects and parties grow and thrive,
As bloody persecution lifts her thong,
All parties cry at once, the saints are wrong;
For if they were the chosen of the Lord,
He would protect them and fulfil his word.
O fools, and slow of heart to understand
The prophecies concerning Zion's land.
Have ye not read the words of them of old?
When wrapt in vision clear they have foretold
The wicked deeds that you of late fulfil'd,
The scenes that have transpired on Zion's hill?
He that is truly wise will search and see,
He that's already blind more blind shall be;
One truth is clear, the ransom'd shall return,
Another is, the wicked shall be burned.
How vain the thoughts that stripes would change the mind,
Convince the judgment and convert mankind,
Or cruel scourge of mobs with all their rage,
Make man believe that this enlightened age
Needs no repentance, faith, nor nothing more
Than the religion they enjoyed before.
If persecution were good argument,
Why not the Jews make ancient saints repent?
Paul of all men the hardest to reclaim,
Stoned, whipt, imprisoned, still remained the same;
Ten thousand heretics rejoiced in fire,
While priests for their conversion did aspire.
'Tis true the Romans many converts made,
When they the inquisition call'd to aid,
Perhaps these modern times have made a few,
Who turn'd from saints to join the drunken crew;
But persecution spreads the truth abroad,
Make servants bolder in the cause of God.
Adds to their numbers, twice ten thousand more,
And makes them stronger than they were before.
See men commission'd in Messiah's name,
Wide o'er the earth the joyful news proclaim;
While from on high the spirit's power descends
On all the saints that bow to his commands,
The deaf shall hear, the blind their sight receive,
The dumb shall sing with joy, the dying live,
The lame shall leap, and all mankind behold
Jehovah's arm made bare, like days of old.
While his elect to Zion gather home,
From every tribe and nation see them come.
See o'er the land where desolation reign'd,
The saints in peace, enjoy their rights again.
Rise, crown'd with light, imperial Zion rise,
Prepare to meet the city from the skies,
Let Joseph's remnants at thy gates attend,
Walk in thy light, and in thy temple bend,
While Gentile saints thy spacious courts shall throng,
And join their voices in the general song;
No more shall proud oppression drive the hence,
Nor terror come, for God is your defence
Come, gentle muse, suspend the joyful lay,
And o'er the earth let's take a wide survey;
Soft touch the lyre in slow and mournful strains,
And sing of scenes where death and sorrow reign;
See dire commotion seize the nations all,
While blood and war the stoutest hearts appal,
Kingdom on kingdom in confusion hurl'd,
System on system wreck'd throughout the world,
Sect against sect in bloody strife engage,
Man against man in single combat rage,
While widows mourn the loss of husbands slain,
And virgins for their bridegrooms weep in vain,
While pining famine wastes their strength by day,
And pestilence oft seizes on its prey;
Earthquakes in turn in bellowing fury roar,
And ocean's waves roll frightful to the shore.
See through the heavens the sun in sackcloth mourn,
The moon to blood in frowning anger turns,
The stars affrighted from their spheres are hurled,
System on system wreck'd and world on world,
Earth's whole foundation to the centre nods.
And nature trembling feels the power of God.
While Michael sounds the trumpet loud and long,
See from their graves the saints unnumbered throng;
See through the air the ocean and the earth,
Their dust reviving bursting into birth,
See bone to bone in perfect order fly,
While sinews, flesh, and skin their place supply;
And every hair all number'd in its place,
Immortal beauty does their temples grace.
Thus formed anew with joy they mount on high,
And wing their passage to the upper sky;
Meantime the heavens rend while wrapt in fire,
The nations see the glory of Messiah!
With all the saints to earth he bends his way;
In flames descends, who can abide the day?
The great, the rich, the mighty loudly call,
Saying, ye rocks and mountains on us fall.
But fire consumes the wicked, branch and root,
And leaves their ashes trodden under foot.
Behold the Mount of Olives rend in twain,
While on its top he sets his feet again!
The islands at his word obedient flee!
While to the north he rolls the mighty sea!
Restores the earth in one, as at the first,
With all its blessings, and removes the curse.
CHAPTER VI.
The binding of Satan—Pouring out of the spirit upon all flesh—Harmony of all the beasts of the earth, while peace and the knowledge and glory of God shall cover the earth as the waters cover the sea—The faith of Abel the first martyr—Enoch's song—The testimony of many of the holy prophets and apostles—And the general expectation of all the saints in all nations and generations.
Lo! Satan bound in chains shall rage no more,
Nor tempt mankind till thousand years are o'er;
But perfect peace and harmony extend
Their wide domain to earth's remotest ends,
All flesh shall feel the spirit from on high,
The wolf and lamb in peace together lie.
The cow and bear shall feed in pastures green,
While in the shade their young ones shall be seen,
The lion cease to be a beast of prey,
And like the harmless ox shall feed on hay;
The little child secure from harm shall stray
O'er poisonous serpent's dens shall fearless play;
In all God's holy Mount shall naught destroy,
But men for pruning hooks their spears employ;
Their swords to ploughshares turned, shall till the ground,
While plenteous harvests flourish all around,
And earth o'erwhelm'd with knowledge of the Lord,
Like as the waters fill the mighty flood;
While king Messiah reigns the king of kings,
And saints and angels join his praise to sing.
Hail glorious day, by prophets long foretold;
And sought by holy men from days of old;
Who found it not, but readily confessed,
As pilgrims here, they sought a promised rest.
Hear Abel groan, as first he yields to death,
And is succeeded by his brother Seth;
He dies in faith to wait till Christ appears;
To rise and reign with him a thousand years.
Hear Enoch too, the wondrous scene foretell,
While future glories did his bosom swell;
The vail was rent, while wonders strange and new
Before him rose, and opened to his view.
Long, long he heard the earth in anguish mourn;
Saw heaven weep, while oft his bowels yearn'd;
While all eternity, with pain beheld
The scenes of sorrow which his bosom swell'd:
He saw the Lamb on Calvary expire,
While rocks were rent, and cities wrapt in fire;
He saw him burst the tomb, and mount on high
Enthroned in glory 'mid the upper sky.
Obtain'd the promise, he would come again
To earth, in triumph with his saints to reign;
His soul was glad with joy he tuned the lyre;
And sung the glorious reign of king Messiah.
Hosanna to the Lamb that shall be slain;
All hail the day when Zion comes again;
Out of the earth the truth in power he sends,
While righteousness from heaven shall descend,
And these shall sweep the earth as with a flood,
To gather out the purchase of his blood;
Unto the Zion which he shall prepare;
And Enoch with his city meet them there,
When all the ransom'd saints shall join the lay,
And shout Hosanna in eternal day.
Wide o'er the earth, the Saviour's name extend;
And peace o'er all prevail from end to end.
Thus Enoch sang, while all the heavenly choir;
Join'd in Hosanna to the king Messiah.
Noah too, by faith beheld the scene afar;
And as a type, he did the ark prepare.
Condemned the world, by water overthrown,
While to his view the light triumphant shone,
He gazed with joy on all the glorious scene,
But mourn'd the darkness that should roll between.
Abram with joy beheld the day of rest;
When in his seed all nations should be bless'd,
And gladly wandered as a pilgrim here;
And fell asleep to wait till Christ appears—
In sure and certain hope to rise and reign
In Canaan's land, a right he had obtained.
Isaac and Jacob had the glorious view,
Rejoiced in death and so did Joseph too;
While patient Job in pain look'd far away,
Saw his Redeemer in the latter day,
Stand on the earth, while he himself should rise
And in the flesh behold him with his eyes.
Moses and Joshua, Samuel and Isaiah,
Did each in turn this solemn truth declare;
While David tuned the lyre in joyful lays,
Spake of Messiah's reign, and sung his praise.
Ezekiel, Daniel, Joel, Zachariah,
And Malachi, have spoken of Messiah;
When he should set his feet on earth again,
Burn up the proud, and o'er the nations reign.
Jesus and Peter, John and James, and Paul,
The time would fail me here to mention all;
Who wrapt in vision clear in turn foretold,
The day of wonders I would fain unfold.
Lehi, Nephi, Alma and Mosiah,
Abinedi, who once rejoiced in fire;
Mormon, Moroni and Ether testified;
For this they lived, and in this faith they died;
And all the saints of God in all the earth,
Down from old Adam to the latest birth;
And all the vast creations which extend,
Through boundless space till man can find no end,
And all the heavenly host around the throne,
Shall sound his praise in reverential tone.
Millions unnumber'd at his feet shall fall,
Hail him as king, and crown him Lord of all.