Acting, then, under the divine authority restored to earth by the Prophet Moses, this Apostolic delegation—as well as the Apostle first sent—from the summit of Mount Olivet blessed the land, and again dedicated it for the return of the Jews. It is not strange, therefore, to those who look upon such a movement as Zionism in connection with faith in God's great latter-day work, to see this spirit now moving upon the minds of the Jewish people prompting their return to the land of their fathers. It is but the breath of God upon their souls turning their hearts to the promises made to the fathers. It is but the fulfillment in part of one of the many prophecies of the Book of Mormon relating to the gathering of Israel, viz: "It shall come to pass that the Lord God shall commence His work among all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people, to bring about the restoration of the keys of His people upon the earth." The spirit attendant upon the restoration of the keys of authority to gather Israel from the four quarters of the earth, and the exercise of that divine authority, though unrecognized as yet by the world, is the real cause of this movement Palestine-ward by the Jews.
Elijah's Mission.
The work accomplished by Elijah in giving to the Prophet Joseph the particular dispensation of the Priesthood which should plant in the hearts of the children the promises made to the fathers—lest the whole earth should be utterly wasted at His coming11—is attended by evidences of virtue and power of God no less palpable than those which bear witness to the virtue and power of God in the work accomplished by Moses in giving to the Prophet the keys of authority for the gathering of Israel. The work done by Elijah was to open the door of salvation for the dead. From that event comes the knowledge of the principles by which the saving power of the Gospel may be applied to men who have died without receiving its benefits in this life. From of old men had read in the scriptures that Messiah would bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house;12 that in addition to being given as a restorer of the tribes of Jacob and a light to the gentiles, the Messiah should have power to say to the prisoners, "Go forth; to them that sit in darkness, show yourselves;" 13 "to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound." 14 From the beginning of Christianity men had read in the New Testament how Jesus had once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust; and how that being put to death in the flesh He was quickened by the Spirit by which He went and preached to the spirits in prison which were disobedient when the long suffering of God waited in the days of Noah.15 Also they read how for this cause was the Gospel preached to them that are dead that they might be judged as men are in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit;16 also the reasoning of Paul to the effect that if there was no resurrection of the dead, why, then, were the Saints baptized for the dead;17 also how the fathers without those of later generations cannot be made perfect.18 All of which passages, however, have been regarded as among the mysteries of the word of God, incomprehensible, dark. But touched by the Prophet Elijah's hand, imparting to them their true import, how bright they glow with spiritual light and life! and what a sense of largeness and power is given to the Gospel of Jesus Christ when from this mission of Elijah's there comes the power to apply the principles and ordinances of salvation to all the children of men (save the sons of perdition; and these, thank God! are but few) in all ages of the world, and whether living or dead! How the horizon of things respecting the Gospel of Christ is pushed back from the walled-in limits of that pseudo-Christianity current among men, by this spirit and power of Elijah that has come into the world! The fact that such a spirit has come into the world is sustained by palpable evidences. The truth of my statement will be recognized when I say that within the last fifty years there has arisen throughout the world an increased spirit of interest among men concerning their ancestors that scarcely stops this side of the marvelous. In all lands men are earnestly seeking for their genealogies, and many volumes are issued from the press annually in which the pedigrees of men of all sorts and conditions are given. Some may be said to be possessed almost of a mania, on this subject so ardent are they in seeking for a knowledge of their fore-fathers, and this all quite apart from any direct work that is being done along the same lines by the Latter-Day Saints; though the work of the Saints in the temples for their dead is greatly helped by this outside circumstance to which I call attention. Why and whence this spirit in the hearts of the children which turns the attention of men to the fathers of former generations, if it is not a consequence of the fulfillment of Elijah's predicted mission that before the great and dreadful day of the Lord should come he [Elijah] would be sent to turn the heart of the children to the fathers, and the heart of the fathers to the children?19
Of the work done by the Latter-Day Saints in consequence of the restoration of these special keys of the Priesthood by the hand of Elijah I need scarcely speak. That the spirit which came into the world by reason of Elijah's special dispensation of authority to Joseph Smith is working upon the hearts of the Latter-Day Saints is evidenced by the building of the beautiful temple at Nauvoo, and by the erection of the world-famed temple in Salt Lake City; also by the erection of magnificent temples in Logan, Manti, and St. George—all in Utah. These temples have all been erected in response to the diffusion of that spirit that attended upon Elijah's mission; and are evidences in stone that the Saints have partaken of that spirit which turns the hearts of the children to the fathers. Another palpable evidence to the same great truth is seen in the throngs which daily visit these temples to perform the ordinances of salvation for the dead; not only baptism for the dead, but also the confirmations, ordinations and sealings by which the fathers shall be prepared for the kingdom of God, and all the families of men be set in order, united together by bonds, covenants and established relations that shall be in harmony with that heavenly kingdom which the redeemed of God shall inherit. The full importance of this work—its height and depth—is not yet appreciated by the children of men; but so great it is that the period of our Church History which witnesses its beginning—even if it were the only achievement—must ever be regarded as an important period.
Calamitous Events.
As for the calamitous events of the Church during the Kirtland period, what shall we say of them? Are they to be accounted wholly deplorable, or as part of that experience of the Church which makes for advancement? Unquestionably every experience is of value to an individual or an organization. Some experiences may be sad, and accounted at the time as disastrous; but are they really so? The rough wind which shakes it helps the young and slow-growing oak; for by reason of this very shaking the tree takes firmer hold of the earth; wider spread the roots; deeper down into the soil are they thrust, until the sapling, once so easily shaken, becomes a monarch in the forest, mocks the howling tempest, until its height and frame become worthy of the land and atmosphere in which it grows a giant tree. So may grow a government—civil or ecclesiastical—so may grow the Church, helped by the adverse circumstances which shake it to the very foundations on which it rests. Profitable if not sweet are the uses of adversity. As the winter's wind when it bites and blows upon man's body is no flatterer, but feelingly persuades him what he is, so the adverse circumstances which overtake an organization, such as the Church of Christ, may be very profitable to it. Such rebellions and apostasies as occurred in this Kirtland period of the Church's history but test and exhibit the strength of the fabric. Such circumstances force a review of the work as far as accomplished. The whole is re-examined to see if in it there is any flaw or defect; if any worthless material is being worked into its structure. Hence periods usually considered calamitous are accompanied by corrections of what may be wrong; and the body religious is purified by the expulsion of those whose rebellion and apostasy but prove them unworthy of the Lord's work. Let me be rightly understood here. I am not contending that adverse circumstances, rebellions and apostasies are in themselves good. Whatever may be the over-ruled results to the body religious, rebellion and apostasy spell condemnation and the destruction of spiritual life for the individuals overtaken by such calamities. But so long as human nature is what it now is—weak and sinful—just so long as out of that intractable material the Church of Christ has the mission to prepare men for the Father's kingdom, just so long will there be occasional calamities periods in the history of the Church such as was the year 1837 at Kirtland. But what after all are such periods but times of purification, of cleansing? During the previous years of success in the ministry, there had been gathered into the Church all classes of men. As in former dispensations of