"A Prayer written By Wilford Woodruff By request of President John Taylor
to be Presented at the Altar"
(more info here)
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to be Presented at the Altar"
(more info here)
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O God Our Eternal Father, Thou who dwellest in the heavens Thou who hast Created the heavens and the Earth and all that dwelleth therein Thou art the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob. Thou hast sustained thy Prophets, Apostles, and anointed Ones from Eternity to Eternity. Therefore we Come before thee, in Confidence and in faith, as thy Saints, thine Apostles, and they friends, to make our wants known unto thee, the Lord Our God. Thou art our Eternal Father, the Father of our spirits, and hast Called us and ordained us, and Commanded us to go forth unto the inhabitants of the Earth /in this generation to declare unto them the gospel of Jesus Christ the words of Life and salvation & thou hast Commanded us to go forth unto the Nations of the Earth/ unto the most notible Cities, towns and villages of the world reproveing them in righteousness of all their wickedness and abominations, and warning them of the desolation which awaiteth them if they reject the message and testimony which thou hast sent unto them.
Therefore O Lord our God we have obeyed they Commandments in thes things. We have gone forth through our Own Nation and the Nations of the earth, and have declared faithfully unto them the gospel of Jesus Christ. /We have travelled in poverty affliction & persecution./ We have travelled without purse or scrip and declaired thy word freely without money and without price, and been chargeable to no man, as thou knowest, for thou knowest all our ways. Thou hast given unto us of thy Holy Spirit and of the Testimony of Jesus Christ for which we thank thee, O our Father and we have found many of thy Sons and Daughters of the seed of Abraham who have received Our testimony among the Nations of the Earth and have been gathered Home unto Zion in the Mountains of Israel. For these things O our Father we feel to praise thy Holy Name.
Thou hast made us many promises through the mouth of thy servant Moses, and through many of the ancient Prophets and Apostles who by inspiration and revelation saw our day. Thou hast also made us many promises through the mouth of thy servant Joseph whom thou hast raised up to lay the foundation of thy Church and Kingdom in this last dispensation, and who has sealed his testimony with his own blood. Thou hast also Commanded us to ask the Father in the name of thy Son Jesus Christ for all blessings promised onto us.
Therefore O Our Father, we Come before thee for this purpose. Thou hast Commanded us O Our God through the mouth of thy Servant Joseph Smith the Prophet, that whenever any Nation or people or house or individual rejects us or our testimony of Jesus Christ or his gospel we should go alone by ourselves and Cleanse our feet with water pure water whether in heat or in Cold and bear testimony against that Nation, or man, or house, or people before thee our Father and thy son Jesus Christ and the Heavenly hosts.
Now our Father who art in heaven we bear testimony unto thee that from the hour that Moroni gave into the hands of thy servant Joseph the sacred Record from the hill Cumorah wicked and ungodly men sought his life and Continued to persecute him up to the hour of his death and finally shed his Blood and martered him with his Brother Hyram in Carthage Jail for the word of God & Testimony of Jesus Christ. And the wicked of this Nation have Continued to persecute thy servants from time to time, untill the present hour. The wicked of this Nation have driven thy people from town to town from state to State and finally driven them from the Nation into the wilderness, into these Mountains of Israel.
And now our Enemies are not satisfied because we still live and prosper. Even Our Nation itself is taking a stand against thy Church and Kingdom and has passed laws forbidding us to obey the Law of the Celestial Patriarchal Order of marriage which thou hast Commanded us to obey. The blood of one of thy servants has been shed. Others have been imprisioned because they would not deny thy word.
Now O Lord our God we bear our testimony against these men, befor Thee and the heavenly hosts and we bear testimony unto thee Our heavenly Father that we according to thy Commandments unto us we have gone alone by ourselves and Clensed our feet in pure water and born testimony unto Thee and thy Son Jesus Christ and to the heavenly hosts against these wicked men by name as far as the spirit has manifested them unto us. We have borne our testimony against those who have shed the blood of thy Prophets and Apostles and anointed Ones, or have given Consent to their death and against those who have driven thy saints and imprisoned them and those who are still ready to deprive us of Life, Liberty and the privilege of keeping the Commandments of God.
And now O Lord our God Thou hast Commanded us that when we have done this we should gather ourselves together in our holy Places and Clothed in the Robes of the Holy Priesthood should unite ourselves together in Prayer and supplication and that we should bear our testimony against these men by name as far as wisdom should dictate. Now O God our Eternal Father we ask in the name of thy Son Jesus Christ that in this important act of our lives we may do nothing but what shall be acceptable in thy sight. May the same spirit of Mercy love and Charity dwell in our hearts that dwell in the Soul of Jesus of Nazareth when he gave up the Ghosts upon the Cross and may we do nothing in this act but which we do by the Commandment of God.
Now O Lord our God we present before thee, the God of Israel and thy son Jesus Christ and Before the heavenly hosts, and Before Abraham Isaac & Jacob, And all the Justified spirits made perfect And Before the Altar the following names:
/This list of Names are in print & I omit recording them here./ [The asterisks and x marks are Woodruff's.]
* * * * x x x x x x x x x x x x x x
O Lord our God these Classes of Men whether living or dead have made war against Thee and thy kingdom and thine anointed ones. Some have shed the blood of thy Prophets and Apostles. Others have Consented unto their death and have persecuted the Saints of God and have driven them from place to Place and finally driven them into these mountains of Israel and barren deserts and many of our Nation their Presidents Governors and judges still seek our destruction and still wish to pass laws to prevent us from Building up thy Kingdom and keeping thy Commandments and from redeeming our dead and performing the work which thou has Commanded us to do and to deprive us of our freedom as men and our rights as Citizens.
Now O Lord Our God thou knowest the Situation this Nation. All their Sins wickedness and abominations are open before thy face. They are not hid from thee. Thou knowest the hearts and intent of the Children of men towards thy People. Our Father in heaven we Pray unto thee and ask thee in the name of thy son Jesus Christ that thou wilt protect they Church, thy Kingdom and thy people from the Power of the wicked. O Lord may this Nation not have power to prevent thy Saints from keeping thy Commandments, from building the Temples of our God and redeeming Our dead.
Cloth thy servants John Taylor George Q Cannon and Joseph F Smith with the power of God and the Revelations of Jesus Christ and also their Brethren the Apostles that they may be of one heart & one Mind and have power to lead Israel unto Salvation and Eternal life. Cloth all the faithfuls Elders of Israel with the power of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. O Lord protect Zion that she may not be moved out of her place.
O Lord Bless George Q Cannon as the Representative of thy people. May He be maintained by thy Power and be Enabled thereby to ward off Every blow aimed at our liberties. May he be valiant in the testimony of Jesus Christ, that his Garments may be Clean from the blood of this Nation.
O Lord hear us from heaven thy Holy dwelling place and answer our Pe[ti]tions Sustain thine anointed ones and deliver us from the hands of Our Enemies. Overthrow the Evil designs of the wicked and ungodly against thy Saints and break Evry weapon formed against us. Give thy people O Lord power to build up Zion and Redeem Our dead and be prepared for the Coming of the Son of Man. And we will ascribe all the honor power and Glory unto God and the Lamb both Now and forever. Amen.
[Wilford Woodruff's Journal: 1833-1898 Typescript, Volumes 1-9, Edited by Scott G. Kenney, Signature Books 1993, entry after December 31, 1880]
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