All ye inhabitants of the world, and dwellers on the earth - Mormon ...

All ye inhabitants of the world, and dwellers on the earth,
See Ye, when He lifteth up an Ensign on the Mountains. --Isaiah xviii, 3.
Vol. 1. January, 1853. No. 1.
PROSPECTUS OF "THE SEER."
The Seer, Vol.1, No.1, p.1
THE SEER is a title assumed for this Periodical in commemoration of JOSEPH
SMITH, the great SEER of the last days, who, as an instrument in the hands
of the Lord, laid the foundation of the Kingdom of God, preparatory to the
second coming of the Messiah to reign with universal dominion over all the
Earth.
The Seer, Vol.1, No.1, p.1
The pages of the SEER will be mostly occupied with original matter,
illucidating [sic] the doctrines of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter
Day Saints, as revealed in both ancient and modern Revelations. The
Prophecies, relating to the grand and remarkable events of the last days,
will be carefully examined and unfolded. The doctrine of Celestial
Marriage, or Marriage for all eternity, as believed and practised [sic] by
the Saints in Utah Territory, will be clearly explained. The views of the
Saints in regard to the ancient Patriarchal Order of Matrimony, or
Plurality of Wives, as developed in a Revelation, given through JOSEPH, the
SEER, will be fully published. The Celestial origin and pre-existence of
the spirits of men--their first estate or probation in a previous world--
the great benefits, derived by descending from Heaven, and entering fleshly
tabernacles, and keeping the laws of their second estate, and their final
redemption and exaltation, as Gods, in their future state--are subjects
which will, more or less, occupy the pages of the SEER.
The Seer, Vol.1, No.1, p.1
It is hoped that the President elect, the Hon. Members of Congress, the
Heads of the various Departments of the National Government, the high-
minded Governors and Legislative Assemblies of the several States and
Territories, the Ministers of every Religious denomination, and all the
inhabitants of this great Republic, will patronize this Periodical, that
through the medium of our own writings they may be more correctly and fully
informed in regard to the peculiar doctrines, views, practices, and
expectations of the Saints who now flourish in the Mountain Territory, and
who will eventually flourish over the whole Earth. And we say to all
nations, subscribe for the SEER, and we promise you a True and Faithful
description of all the principal features, characterizing this great and
last "dispensation of the fulness of times."
The Seer, Vol.1, No.1, p.1
The SEER will be published Monthly, at $1 per annum, in advance.
The Seer, Vol.1, No.1, p.1
ORSON PRATT, Editor,
The Seer, Vol.1, No.1, p.1
Washington City, D. C.
The Seer, Vol.1, No.1, p.1
DECEMBER 21, 1852.
The Seer, Vol.1, No.1, p.2
First Epistle of ORSON PRATT to the Saints scattered throughout the United
States and British Provinces--Greeting:
The Seer, Vol.1, No.1, p.2
DEAR BRETHERN: Having been appointed by the First Presidency with the
sanction of a special Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter
Day Saints, held in Great Salt Lake City on the 28th of August, 1852, to
preside over the Saints throughout the United States and British Provinces
in North America; in accordance therewith, I have left my family and my
home in the peaceful vales of the mountains; and, after crossing the wild
desert plains which intervene between the happy land of the Saints and the
Gentile lands of strife and wickedness, I find myself within the field of
my mission: that the Saints may more fully learn the nature of my mission
among them, I will insert the following:
The Seer, Vol.1, No.1, p.2
LETTER OF APPOINTMENT.
The Seer, Vol.1, No.1, p.2
This certifies that Professor Orson Pratt of the University of Deseret, one
of the Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, is
appointed by us, with the sanction of the special Conference, convened in
this city on the twenty-eighth day of August, A. D. One Thousand Eight
Hundred and Fifty-two, to preside over the affairs of the Church throughout
the United States and the British Provinces in North America; and also, to
write and Publish Periodicals, Pamphlets, Books, &c., illustrative of the
principles and doctrines of the Church, and to do all other things
necessary for the advancement of the work of the Lord among all nations
ELDER PRATT is authorized and required to receive and collect tithing of
the Saints through all his field of labors: and we request the Elders and
other officers and members of the Church to give diligent heed to his
counsels as the words of life and salvation, and assist him to funds to
enable him to travel, print, establish book agencies, and perform all other
duties of his calling, and the blessings of our Father in Heaven shall rest
upon them. BRO. PRATT is one of the Perpetual Emigrating Fund Company, and
is hereby appointed and authorized to act as Traveling-Agent in the United
States and British Provinces in North America, and he is instructed to
collect, and disburse and aid to promote the emigration of poor Saints to
the valleys of the mountains.
The Seer, Vol.1, No.1, p.2
BRO. ORSON PRATT is too well and favorably known to need any testimonial
further than his own presence and acquaintance to secure the esteem and
confidence of all among whom his lot may be cast. His acquirements and
attainments are of the highest order, and possessing, as he eminently does,
every requisite of an honorable and high-minded gentleman, we take great
pleasure in recommending him to the kindness and consideration of all good
men.
The Seer, Vol.1, No.1, p.2
BRIGHAM YOUNG,
The Seer, Vol.1, No.1, p.2
HEBER C. KIMBALL,
The Seer, Vol.1, No.1, p.2
WILLARD RICHARDS,
The Seer, Vol.1, No.1, p.2
Presidency of said Church.
The Seer, Vol.1, No.1, p.2
Signed and sealed at Great Salt Lake City, U. T., Sept. 13, 1852.
The Seer, Vol.1, No.1, p.2-p.3
The principal features of my mission are contained in the foregoing letter;
but ever feeling a deep interest in the welfare of the saints, you will
permit me, through the medium of this epistle to impart to you such
instructions as the Holy Spirit may whisper to my mind. I wish to ask the
saints who still remain scattered abroad, Do you enjoy as great a measure
of the Spirit of God as when you were first baptized into this kingdom? Or
are your minds barren? Your understandings unfruitful? Your souls in
darkness? and your feelings cold and indifferent towards the great work
which you have embraced, and which once made you joyful and happy? If this
be your condition, it is of the utmost importance that you know the causes
of these unhappy changes in your feelings. Is it because the Lord has
changed and forgotten to be gracious? Is it because the fulness of his
gospel does not produce the same effects or happiness now, as it did in
ancient times? Is it because the Book of Mormon, or any of the Revelations
given through Joseph, the Seer, have failed to accomplish those purposes
for which they were sent? Is it because the saints have passed through
great tribulation, and have been driven from city to city, from State to
State, and finally banished from this great Republic to seek a home in the
wild glens of the Rocky Mountains? Is it because God has forsaken his
people and will no longer show them mercy? No, verily, no; none of these
causes have conspired to drive away the Comforter from your hearts, or to
envelope you in darkness, or to make you cold, and indifferent, and
unhappy. But the principal cause of your unpleasant and unhappy state of
mind, is your own disobedience to one of the most important commands which
God has given to his people in this last dispensation, namely: to flee out
of Babylon, and gather themselves together, and stand in holy places, that
they may escape the plagues and desolating scourges which the Lord has
decreed to pour out upon the nations, because of their great sins and
wickedness which continually cry unto the heavens for vengeance. Can any
saint neglect so important a command, when it is within their power to keep
it, and still be justified, and retain the peaceable Spirit of the Lord?
No: the Spirit of the Lord is grieved with such, and will, by degrees,
withdraw from them, and they will grope in the dark, and be liable to be
overcome by temptation, and be led captive by the will of the Devil: such
ones, not having the Spirit that leads into all truth, are liable to be
deceived by the doctrines of men and Devils; for the Lord will frequently
suffer strong delusions to overpower such that their damnation may be the
greater, because they profess to know the Lord, and yet will not obey Him.
Remember the word of the Lord which came by the mouth of Joseph, the Seer,
saying, "Hearken and hear, O ye my people, saith the Lord and your God, ye
whom I delight to bless with the greatest blessings, ye that hear me; and
ye that hear me not, will I curse, that have professed my name, with the
heaviest of all cursings." Have you hearkened to the word of God? Have you
exerted yourselves to the utmost to flee from Babylon? If not, no wonder
that you are in darkness--no wonder that the peaceable Spirit has been
grieved from your bosom. Repent, therefore, speedily, and obey the. voice
of the Lord and gather yourselves among his people, lest the destroyer lay
hold upon you in an hour you think not, and you perish in disobedience, and
your name be cut off from the generations of Zion. If you will awake from
the slumber of death which has seized upon you, and use every exertion to
obey the voice of the Lord your God, His anger shall be turned away from
you, and He will show you mercy, and His Spirit shall be restored unto you
again, and His hand shall be stretched out over you to shield and protect
you, and to gather you even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings
to save them from the approaching storms; so shall the Lord your God save
you, and comfort your hearts, and make you to si