The Evening and The Morning Star/1/10

The Evening and The Morning Star
Volume 1, Number 10

Source document in Mormon Publications: 19th and 20th Centuries online archive: The Evening and The Morning Star Vol. 1

Note: Some headings and bracketed texts are editorial and not part of the original text.

THE EVENING AND THE MORNING STAR
Vol. 1.	Independence, Mo. March, 1833	No. 10.

THE CHURCH OF CHRIST.

He that is Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, even Jesus Christ, is the head of the church, and the gates of hell cannot prevail against it.-Adam was the first member of the church of Christ on earth, and the first high priest after the order of the Son of God.

In order to show the rise of the church in the first days, we take an extract from the words of Enoch:

And Enoch continued his speech, saying, The Lord which spake with me, the same is the God of heaven, and he is my God, and your God, and ye are my brethren, and why counsel ye yourselves, and deny the God of heaven?

The heavens hath he made: the earth is his footstool; and the foundation thereof is his:

Behold he hath laid it, an host of men hath he brought in upon the face thereof.

And death hath come upon our fathers: nevertheless we know them, and cannot deny, and even the first of all we know, even Adam:

For a book of remembrance we have written, among us, according to the pattern given by the finger of God:

And it is given in our own language.

And as Enoch spake forth the words of God, the people trembled, and could not stand before his presence:

And he saith unto them, because that Adam fell we are; and by his fall came death; and we are made partakers of misery and wo.

Behold satan hath come among the children of men, and tempteth them to worship him:

And men have become carnal, sensual and devilish, and are shut out from the presence of God.

But God hath made known unto my fathers, that all men must repent.

And he called upon our father Adam, by his own voice, saying, I am God: I made the world, and men before they were.

And he also said unto him, If thou wilt turn unto me, and hearken unto my voice, and believe, and repent of all thy transgressions, and be baptized even by water, in the name of mine only begotten Son, which is full of grace and truth, which is Jesus Christ, the only name which shall be given under heaven, whereby salvation shall come unto the children of men:

And ye shall ask all things in his name; and whatever ye shall ask, it shall be given.

And our father Adam spoke unto the Lord, and said, Why is it that men must repent and be baptized by water?

And the Lord said unto Adam, Behold I have forgiven thee thy transgressions in the garden of Eden.

Thence came the saying abroad among the people, That Christ hath atoned for original guilt, wherein the sins of the parents cannot be answered upon the heads of the children, for they are whole from the foundation of the world.

And the Lord spoke unto Adam, saying, inasmuch as thy children are conceived in sin, even so when they begin to grow up, sin conceiveth in their hearts, and they taste the bitter, that they may know to prize the good.

And it is given unto them to know good from evil: wherefore they are agents unto themselves, and I have given unto you another law and commandment:

Wherefore teach it unto your children, that all men, every where, must repent, or they can in no wise inherit the kingdom of God:

For no unclean thing can dwell there, or dwell in his presence:

For in the language of Adam, Man of Holiness is his name; and the name of his only Begotten, is the Son of Man, even Jesus Christ, a righteous Judge which shall come.

I give unto you a commandment to teach these things freely unto your children, saying,

That, inasmuch as they were born into the world, by the fall which bringeth death, by water and blood and the Spirit, which I have made, and so become of dust a living soul, even so ye must be born again of water and the Spirit, and cleansed by blood, even the blood of mine only Begotten into the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven; that ye may be sanctified from all sin, and enjoy the words of eternal life in this world, and eternal life in the world to come, even immortal glory:

For by the water ye know the commandment; by the Spirit ye are justified, and by the blood ye are sanctified, that in you is given the record of heaven; the Comforter; the peaceable things of immortal glory.

The truth of all things; that which quickeneth all things, which maketh alive all things; that which knoweth all things, and hath all power according to wisdom, mercy, truth, justice, and judgment.

And now, behold I say unto you, this is the plan of salvation unto all men: the blood of mine only Begotten which shall come in the meridian of time:

And behold all things has its likeness, and all things are created and made to bear record of me, both things which are temporal, and things which are Spiritual; things which are in the heavens above; and things which are on the earth; and things which are in the earth; and things which are under the earth, both above and beneath: all things bear record of me.

And it came to pass when the Lord had spoken with Adam, our father, that Adam cried unto the Lord, and he was caught away by the Spirit of the Lord, and was carried down into the water, and was laid under the water, and was bro't forth out of the water;

And thus he was baptized, and the Spirit of God descended upon him: and thus he was born of the Spirit, and he became quickened in the inner man:

And he heard a voice out of heaven saying, Thou art baptized with fire, and with the Holy Ghost:

This is the record of the Father, and the Son, from henceforth and forever: and thou art after the order of him who was without beginning of days or end of years, from all eternity to all eternity. Behold thou art one in me a son of God; and thus may all become my sons. Amen.

In addition to this, we make a further extract from the words of Enoch, as published in the Star of August last. It shows to what a state of purity the church had arriven in his day, besides being a good example for every disciple to follow, that means to do the will of God, in our day, in order to abide a celestial glory in his presence. It reads thus:-"And the Lord came and dwelt with his people, and they dwelt in righteousness. The fear of the Lord was upon all nations, so great was the glory of the Lord, which was upon his people: And the Lord blessed the land, and they were blessed upon the mountains, and upon the high places, and did flourish.

And the Lord called his people Zion, because they were of one heart and of one mind, and dwelt in righteousness; and there was no poor among them: and Enoch continued his preaching in righteousness unto the people of God. And it came to pass in his days, that he built a city that was called the city of holiness, even Zion."

As before said, Christ is the head of his church, and from him comes every good and perfect gift. And for the perfecting of the saints and so forth, he has bestowed offices and ordinances, with order, for the benefit of the whole church.-The high priest-hood, of which order is he, the Son of God, or this priest-hood being a type of his order, is set forth as follows, by Alma:

"And again: my brethren, I would cite your minds forward to the time which the Lord God gave these commandments unto his children; and I would that ye should remember that the Lord God ordained priests, after his holy order, which was after the order of his Son, to teach these things unto the people; and those priests were ordained after the order of his Son, in a manner that thereby the people might know in what manner to look forward to his Son for redemption.

And this is the manner after which they were ordained, being called and prepared from the foundation of the world, according to the foreknowledge of God, on account of their exceeding faith and good works; in the first place being left to choose good or evil; therefore they having chosen good, and exercising exceeding great faith, are called with a holy calling, yea, with that holy calling which was prepared with and according to a preparatory redemption for such:

And thus they having been called to this holy calling on account of their faith, while others would reject the Spirit of God on account of the hardness of their hearts and the blindness of their minds, while, if it had not been for this, they might had as great privilege as their brethren.

Or in fine: in the first place they were on the same standing with their brethren, thus this holy calling being prepared from the foundation of the world for such as would not harden their hearts, being in and through the atonement of the only begotten Son, which was prepared:

And thus being called with this holy calling, and ordained unto the high-priest hood of the holy order of God, to teach his commandments unto the children of men, that they also might enter into his rest, this high priest-hood being after the order of his Son, which order was from the foundation of the world; or in other words, being without beginning of days or end of years, being prepared from all eternity to all eternity, according to his foreknowledge of all things. Now they were ordained after this manner: being called with a holy calling, and ordained with a holy ordinance, and taking upon them the high priesthood of the holy order, which calling, and ordinance, and high priesthood, is without beginning or end; thus they become high priests forever, after the order of the Son, the only begotten of the Father, which is without beginning of days or end of years, which is full of grace, equity and truth. And thus it is. Amen.

Now as I said concerning the holy order of this high priesthood: there were many which were ordained and became high priests of God; and it was on account of the exceeding faith and repentance, and their righteousness before God, they choosing to repent and work righteousness, rather than to perish; therefore they were called after his holy order, and were sanctified, and their garments were washed white, through the blood of the Lamb.

Now they, after being sanctified by the Holy Ghost, having their garments made white, being pure and spotless before God, could not look upon sin, save it were with abhorrence; and there were many, exceeding great many, which were made pure, and entered into the rest were many, exceeding great many, which were made pure, and entered into the rest of the Lord their God.

And now, my brethren, I would that ye should humble yourselves before god, and bring forth fruit mete for repentance, that ye may also enter into that rest;

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yea, humble yourselves even as the people in the days of Melchizedek, who was also a high priest after this same order which I have spoken, who also took upon him the high priest hood forever.

And it was this same Melchizedek to whom Abraham paid tithes; yea, even our father Abraham paid tithes of one tenth part of all he possessed.

Now these ordinances were given after this manner, that thereby the people might look forward on the Son of God, it being a type of his order, or it being his order; and this, that they might look forward to him for a remission of their sins, that they might enter into the rest of the Lord.

Now this Melchizedek was a king over the land of Salem; and his people had waxed strong in iniquity and abominations; yea, they had all gone astray: they were full of all manner of wickedness; but Melchizedek having exercised mighty faith, and received the office of the high priesthood, according to the holy order of God, did preach repentance unto his people.

And behold, they did repent; and Melchizedek did establish peace in the land in his days; therefore he was called the Prince of Peace, for he was the king of Salem; and he did reign under his father.

Now there were many before him, and also there were many afterwards, but none were greater; therefore of him they have more particularly made mention. Now I need not rehearse the matter; what I have said may suffice.

Behold the scriptures are before you; if ye will arrest them, it shall be to your own destruction."

After the high priesthood comes elders, priests, teachers, and deacons. Now the offices are separate, for the edification and benefit of the whole church, and, though the elders and bishops are appendages to the high priesthood, & the teachers and deacons are appendages to the lesser priesthood, yet these offices are important to their places, and regular in their gradation: from deacon to teacher, from teacher to priest, from priest to elder, from elder to high priest.

As the angels are the ministers of the Almighty, so are these the servants of Christ, and each accountable in his place.

A private member has no authority to preach, neither administer ordinances; nor has a teacher or deacon, authority to baptize, or confer blessings; nor has a priest power to confirm the members, for all things must be done according to the articles and covenants, which are from the Lord.

Let us give one plain figure: The sun does not borrow its light of the moon, neither does the sun shine less bright in her presence, but the moon does: so, also, when ever the lesser officer, in the church, is in the presence of the greater, the greater takes the lead.

The church of Christ is the place for his saints to prepare for the celestial kingdom, and no man can expect to enter into it, except by being born again; for without water and the Spirit, he is not a legal heir, according to the plan of salvation.

The world is full of strange doctrines, and one says, lo, here is Christ, and another says lo, there is Christ; but, O man be not deceived! Truth is not in every man's mouth, nor is the fulness [fullness] of the gospel taught in every painted chapel.

Our Savior has said, Whatever is highly esteemed among men, is an abomination in the sight of God.

If these plain words are not enough to cause men to beware, let them look or travel abroad among those that pretend to worship in the world, and see if they answer the definition which James gives of religion. He says, Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.

Lip service and pride are abominable in the sight of the Lord. Every thing that is not good; every thing that is not plain, and tending to virtue, whether in the world, or among those that profess to be christians; or in the church of Christ, is not of God.

The church of Christ, in these last days, was established by the Savior, for the restoration of his people, as he has spoken by the mouth of his prophets, and for the gathering of his saints to stand upon mount Zion, when he comes in his glory.

The world endeavors to worship the Lord by wisdom, when it is expressly written, that the world by wisdom knows not God; and thousands risk their souls from year to year, on the say-soes, creeds and covenants of men, when it is written, Cursed is he that putteth his trust in man, or maketh flesh his arm, or shall hearken unto the precepts of men, save their precepts shall be given by the power of the Holy Ghost.

Truth, meekness, faith and charity, are the necessary qualifications of the church, and without them, all service, all profession, and all works are vain.

No man can love the world, or the things that are in it, and be a disciple of the blessed Savior. To be a saint, yea a true member of the church, thou must be at peace with the world. And again it is written, Thou shalt not foreswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths.

But verily, verily I say unto you, swear not at all; neither by heaven, for it is God's throne; nor by the earth, for it is his footstool; neither shalt thou swear by the head, because thou canst not make one hair black or white; but let your communication be yea, yea; nay, nay: for whatsoever cometh or more than these are evil.

And behold, it is written, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: but I say unto you, that ye shall not resist evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.

And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also. And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain. Give to him that asketh thee, and to him that would borrow of thee, turn thou not away.

And behold, it is written also, That thou shalt love thy neighbor, and hate thine enemy: but behold I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you, that ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good; therefore those things which were of old time, which were under the law, in me, are all fulfilled.

Old things are done away, and all things have become new; therefore I would that ye should become perfect even as I, or your Father which is in heaven is perfect. Verily, verily I say, that I would that ye should do alms unto the poor; but take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.

Therefore, when ye shall do your alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as will hypocrites do in the synagogues, and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily, I say unto you, they have their reward.

But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth; that thy alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.

And when thou prayest, thou shalt not do as the hypocrites: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues, and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily, I say unto you, they have their reward.

But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.

But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.

Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of before ye ask him. After this manner therefore pray ye.

Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name: thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven; And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors: and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

For, if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: but if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. Moreover, when ye fast, be not as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast.-Verily, I say unto you, they have their reward.

But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thy head, and wash thy face; that thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father, which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.

Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and thieves break through and steal: but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.-The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light: But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore, the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!

No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

The church of Christ, of these last days, is the same it was in the first days, or in any days; it required repentance and baptism for the remission of sins, and the promise of the gift of the Holy Ghost: it required also, an obedience to the commandments of God, in all things.

The disciples of Jesus must love the Lord without disguise; and must love their neighbor as themselves. They must do good in all cases, and shun every appearance of evil.

Faith is an evidence of a saint, for without faith, he can not worship in Spirit and in truth: faith, being the gift of the Holy Ghost, is the assurance of things not seen: the evidence of what is promised from the Lord, by keeping his commandments.

To obtain faith, we must pray; for by prayer we obtain the Spirit, and the Spirit guides to truth, and truth is light, and light comes from God. The propriety of this reasoning can be seen by the daily transactions of the world, as well as among the children of God: for in the world, when men have ceased to call upon the name of the Lord in faith, believing he will answer them, then the Lord, in a measure holds his Spirit from the inhabitants, and they run to evil; and also, when the children of God doubt his promises as they pray, he withholds his blessings.-But when there is confidence in God, by being obedient to his will, and keeping his commandments in all things, his blessings are not withheld: for instance, Moses lifted his rod over the Red Sea, and it parted, and the children of Israel went over on dry ground; or Elijah called down fire from heaven, that the people might know, the Lord is God. And now with these samples from the many recorded in scripture, let the saints that are sick, ask to be healed in the name of Jesus, or let those who are authorized, command evil spirits to depart in the name of Jesus; or ask blessings in the name of Jesus, and it shall be done.

When faith and works have come up before the Lord, and the saint has testimony of the Spirit, that these things are pleasing in his sight, let him remember, that without charity he can not be saved in the kingdom of God. No one can keep all the commandments and do them without charity.

When a saint walks in holiness before the Lord, he will love his neighbor as himself, he will pray for his enemies; he will visit the sick, and comfort them; he will feed the hungry, and clothe the naked as long as he has means to do with;

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and when they are exhausted he will pray for more; and while pitying the poor and strengthening the weak, the angels will rejoice over his acts of goodness.

If any man means to do the will of God, he must keep himself unspotted from the world; because he is an agent unto himself and can do good, and pray seasonably unto him for what is necessary in this life, and to fit him for the life to come.

The prayers of the righteous avail much; yea, they ascend up to heaven before God, and the angels rejoice.

Enoch, through grace, obtained a right to pray, (or rather) pray and enquire [inquire] of the Lord, and the Lord showed him great things.

Without prayer one can not be a member of the church of Christ.

The wicked pray not, or not in faith, and the Lord pours out his wrath upon the nations that forget him.

The bible says men began to call upon the name of the Lord in the days of Cain, and there is a sample in the days of Abraham when he journeyed to Gerar, and the king took his wife: God said, Now therefore restore the man his wife; for he is a prophet, and he shall pray for thee, and thou shalt live: and if thou restore her not, know thou that thou shalt surely die, thou and all that are thine.

So Abraham prayed unto God: and God healed Abimelech, and his wife, and his maid servants.

It is an evidence of godliness, as well as a joyful sound of devotion, to hear the prayers of the saints offered up to God, morning midday and evening: it makes the humble soul think of what John saw in heaven: And the four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odors, which are the prayers of the saints.

After Hannah had vowed to the Lord, and he had answered her petition, she prayed, and said:

My heart rejoiceth in the Lord, my horn is exalted in the Lord: my mouth is enlarged over my enemies; because I rejoice in thy salvation. There is none holy as the Lord: for there is none besides thee: neither is there any rock like our God.

Talk no more so exceeding proudly; let not arrogancy come out of your mouth: for the Lord is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed.-The bows of the mighty men are broken, and they that stumbled are girded with strength. They that were full, have hired out themselves for bread; and they that were hungry ceased: so that the barren hath borne seven; and she that hath many children is waxed feeble.

The Lord killeth, and maketh alive: he bringeth down to the grave, & bringeth up. The Lord maketh poor, and maketh rich: he bringeth low, and lifteth up. He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill, to set them among princes, and to make them inherit the throne of glory; for the pillars of the earth are the Lord's, and he hath set the world upon them. He will keep the feet of his saints, and the wicked shall be silent in darkness; for by strength shall no man prevail.

The adversaries of the Lord shall be broken to pieces; out of heaven shall he thunder upon them: the Lord shall judge the ends of the earth; and he shall give strength unto his king, and exalt the horn of his Anointed.

Here then we find, that when we have prayed, and the Lord has answered our request, it is good to give thanks, in prayer also, that the will of God may be done on earth as in heaven.

When Solomon dedicated the Temple, he spread forth his hands towards heaven:-And he said, Lord God of Israel, there is no god like thee, in heaven above, or on earth beneath, who keepest covenant and mercy with thy servants that walk before thee with all their heart: who hast kept with thy servant David my father that thou promisedst him: thou spakest also with thy mouth, and hast fulfilled it with thy hand, as it is this day.

Therefore, if they sin against thee, (for there is no man that sinneth not,) and thou be angry with them, and deliver them to the enemy, so that they carry them away captives unto the land of the enemy, far or near; if they shall bethink themselves, and repent, then hear thou their prayer and their supplication in heaven thy dwelling-place, and maintain their cause, and forgive thy people that have sinned against thee.

Repentance, baptism, prayer, humility, meekness, faith, love and charity, make saints for the church of Christ; and when he speaks they know his voice; and when he shall come in the clouds of heaven, they, if they have kept the faith till the end, whether in life or death, will be ready at the sound of the first trump, to rise and meet him, and reign with him in peace, when the wicked will not trouble, and where the weary will find rest.

REFLECTIONS.

There are but few among those that pretend not to serve the Lord according to his commandments, that have any correct idea how the Lord manifests his power unto the children of men. Some talk of miracles as the only way to establish the Lord's words; and some think if they could converse with angels, they would be satisfied; but when we look back and reflect upon what has taken place since the beginning, we must say, that men have to exercise faith before they can enjoy these privileges.

It is true, that many may see signs; but let us ask, are these signs unto salvation? For, when the flood came, notwithstanding it was a miraculous event to those that lived in that period, who will say that the inhabitants then, except Noah and his family, were saved by it?

Again, when men had conceived the idea of building a tower to get to heaven, and the Lord came down and confounded the language, and dispersed them over the face of the whole earth, it must have been to them somewhat miraculous, but where will we turn to learn, that many were convinced, & turned to God to live?

We might bring all the miracles which Moses wrought before the Egyptians, and ask how many of that nation were converted by them, and what would be the answer? Read the account and the answer is ready.

When the herald cried aloud, To you it is commanded, O people, nations, and languages, that at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut psaltery, dulcimer, and all kinds of music, ye fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king hath set up; but Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego, for not obeying the great command, were cast into the furnace, heated seven times hotter than it was wont to be, and preserved by the power of God, who among all the children of Babylon were converted to pure religion? Nebuchadnezzar acknowledged the hand of God in it, but he soon went to crop the grass of the field, as an ox, till seven times passed over him.

When saints know the power of God has been exerted for their salvation, or the destruction of the wicked, they are willing to give God the glory:

Yea: like Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego, they can lift up their voices and say: Blessed art thou, O Lord God of our fathers: and to be praised and exalted above all for ever.

And blessed is thy glorious and holy name: and to be praised and exalted above all for ever.

Blessed art thou in the temple of thy holy glory: and to be praised and glorified above all for ever.

Blessed art thou that beholdest the depths, and sittest upon the cherubims: and to be praised and exalted above all for ever.

Blessed art thou on the glorious throne of thy kingdom: and to be praised and glorified above all for ever.

Blessed art thou in the firmament of heaven: and above all to be praised and glorified for ever.

It is the duty of the children of the Lord, to thank him for all things that they receive of him; and it is well pleasing unto him, also, for them to sing songs of joy when he has manifested his power or goodness unto them.

The examples of singing, when the Lord had done great things, are many. The Lord asked Job where he was when he laid the foundation of the earth, when the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy.

When Pharaoh and his host had been drowned in the Red Sea, Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the Lord, and spake, saying, I will sing unto the Lord, for he hath triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea.

The Lord is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation: he is my God, and I will prepare him a habitation; my father's God, and I will exalt him.

The Lord is a man of war: the Lord is his name.

Pharaoh's chariots and his host hath he cast into the sea: his chosen captains also are drowned in the Red sea.

When Deborah and Barak had delivered Israel, Then sang Deborah and Barak the son of Abinoam on that day saying, Praise ye the Lord for the avenging of Israel, when the people willingly offered themselves.

Hear, O ye kings; give ear, O ye princes; I even I, will sing unto the Lord; I will sing praise to the Lord God of Israel.

Lord, when thou wentest out of Seir, when thou marchedst out of the field of Edom, the earth trembled, and the heavens dropped, the clouds also dropped water. The mountains melted from before the Lord, even that Sinai from before the Lord God of Israel.

Thus sang the children of Israel, whenever the Lord performed great things for them. Most of the Psalms were written to praise God for his mercy forever, after he had manifested his power and goodness to his people; yea, even his Anointed; and they were written by the gift of the Holy Ghost, and are full of prophecy for the benefit of the righteous. But enough has been said on this point.

You that love the Lord, prepare for temptation.

You that love the Lord, set your hearts in order that you may endure all things in time of trouble.

You that love the Lord, cleave unto him, and keep in the way you should go, that your joy may be increased at the last end.

You that seek the Lord, trust in him, that you may be contented when you are changed from the common condition of the world, to the lot of a saint, or in other words, while in prosperity prepare for adversity, that as gold seven times tried in the fire, you may shine brighter and brighter as you approach nearer and nearer to God. You that love the Lord, believe in him and he will help you when you need.

You that love the Lord, wait for him, and your reward is certain.

You that love the Lord, prepare your hearts, and humble yourselves in his sight; and fall into his hands, rather than the hands of men, for his mercy is great.

Be not dismayed at the transaction of men, these things must needs be.

Say with the Psalmist, Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord, and against his Anointed, saying, let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.

He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision. Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure. Yet have I set my King upon my holy hill of Zion.

I will declare the decree: the Lord hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee.

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