Following the deaths of Joseph Smith and his brother, Hyrum, the future of the Church is hanging amidst a cloud of uncertainty. Through a miraculous experience Brigham Young, barely known outside the Church, steps forward to take the Church forward. The uneasy peace is broken as anti-Mormon hatred is again inflamed by angry mobs. Homes are burned and the Saints are again faced with making a voluntary exodus or suffer further violence and death. Who will go west and who will stay?

Excerpt from New Hymn and Tune Book: An Offering of Praise for the Use of the African M. E. Zion Church of America That music has from the earliest period of time been regarded as one of the greatest means of ascribing adoration and praise to Almighty God, is a truth which must be obvious to the mind of every intelligent Christian. When at the fiat of Infinite Wisdom a universe sprang into existence; when the "proud waves of the deep were stayed," and the earth wore a rich mantle of verdure, fresh from the hand of its Creator; when the music of a thousand streams mingled with the melody of birds and flowers, the volume of inspiration tells us "the morning stars sang together for joy." It was not the carol of a little twinkling star at one corner of the universe, nor a choir or quartette of the asteroids, but a grand chorus of God's heavens singing out, in concert with nature, praise and glory to him who gave them birth! When from the land of their captivity the children of Israel passed over the Red Sea on dry land, and beheld their enemies engulfed beneath its returning waters, a choral anthem, composed by Miriam, the sister of Moses and Aaron, was then sung by the multitude, being in number six hundred thousand. David, the sweet singer of Israel, called upon the floods to clap their hands, and the hills to shout together for joy. And then in the ecstasy of his soul he exclaims, "O come, let us sing unto the Lord; let us make a joyful noise unto the God of our salvation." Again he bursts forth in strains like these: "Let everything that hath breath praise the Lord;" and again, "Let the people praise thee, O God. Let all the people praise thee." The services attending the dedication of Solomon's Temple were rendered still more impressive and grand by the introduction of music. From the account given us in Holy Writ there is every reason to conclude that the whole congregation must have joined in the song of praise which called down upon their heads the blessings of their divine Protector. These are only a few among the many instances recorded in the Old Testament which seem to point directly toward congregational singing. Let us now turn to the plains of Judah, and for a single moment transport ourselves to that eventful night when a whole multitude of the heavenly host singing with a loud voice, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men, appeared to the wondering shepherds and proclaimed the birth of our blessed Lord. We cannot think that a part were silent while a quartette, or select few, were chanting the praises of the worlds Redeemer. When, after a lapse of thirty-three years, He who bore our griefs and carried our sorrows came, to the closing scenes of his life; when, having celebrated for the last time the Jewish passover, he instituted the solemn ordinance of the Lords Supper, and said to his disciples, "Do this in remembrance of me," here, we are told, they sang a hymn, and went out into the Mount of Olives. If a few, instead of all, had sung that hymn, would it have been more impressive? The Apostle John, in his description of the New Jerusalem, speaks of a great multitude which no man can number, and represents them as praising God continually. If, then, music is to constitute so much of our blissful employment in heaven, why not, each one of us, begin it, as best we can, in the great congregation of our Lord in his Church below? About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com

The Life Of David is a message of meditation based on the Bible and written by Arthur Walkington Pink was born in Nottingham, England, to a corn merchant, a devout non-conformist of uncertain denomination, though probably a Congregationalist. Otherwise, almost nothing is known of Pink's childhood or education except that he had some ability and training in music. As a young man, Pink joined the Theosophical Society and apparently rose to enough prominence within its ranks that Annie Besant, its head, offered to admit him to its leadership circle. In 1908 he renounced Theosophy for evangelical Christianity. Desiring to become a minister but unwilling to attend a liberal theological college in England, Pink very briefly studied at Moody Bible Institute in Chicago in 1910 before taking the pastorate of the Congregational church in Silverton, Colorado. In 1912 Pink left Silverton, probably for California, and then took a joint pastorate of churches in rural Burkesville and Albany, Kentucky. In 1916, he married Vera E. Russell (1893–1962), who had been reared in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Pink's next pastorate seems to have been in Scottsville. Then the newlyweds moved in 1917 to Spartanburg, South Carolina, where Pink became pastor of Northside Baptist Church. By this time Pink had become acquainted with prominent dispensationalist Fundamentalists, such as Harry Ironside and Arno C. Gaebelein, and his first two books, published in 1917 and 1918, were in agreement with that theological position. Yet Pink's views were changing, and during these years he also wrote the first edition of The Sovereignty of God (1918), which argued that God did not love sinners and had deliberately created "unto damnation" those who would not accept Christ. Whether because of his Calvinistic views, his nearly incredible studiousness, his weakened health, or his lack of sociability, Pink left Spartanburg in 1919 believing that God would "have me give myself to writing." But Pink then seems next to have taught the Bible with some success in California for a tent evangelist named Thompson while continuing his intense study of Puritan writings.