Leland's Prophecy of the Civil War

It seems that Elder John Leland foresaw the coming of the civil war as the consequence of the people not repenting over the slavery issue.

Of Elder Leland it is said:

"Yet he had decided political convictions. In the first party crystallization under the federal constitution, he was a Jeffersonian republican; in the later division he was a Jacksonian democrat. This fact gives some interest to his opinions upon two great questions of our day, viz: slavery, and state secession or state coercion by the federal government. On the first of these topics his views are freely expressed, especially in his "Virginian Chronicle," and his "Letter of Valediction." Take these as specimens:

"The whole scene of slavery is pregnant with enormous evils. On the master's side, pride, haughtiness, domination, cruelty, deceity, and indolence; and on the side of the slave, ignorance, servility, fraud, perfidy, and despair. If these, and many other evils attend it, why not liberate them at once? Would to heaven this were done! Something must be done. May heaven point out that something, and may the people be obedient! If they are not brought out of bondage in mcercy, with the consent of their masters, I think they will be by judgment, against their consent.--(Chronicle) How would every benevolent heart rejoice to see the halcyon day appear,--the great jubilee usher in, when the poor slaves, with a Moses at their head, should hoist the standard, and march out of bondage!--(Letter)" (Written by J. T. Smith in the Baptist Quarterly)

http://books.google.com/books?id=NZNLAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA377&lpg=PA377&dq=baptist+quarterly+smith+hovey&source=web&ots=1GI-SSN4Ti&sig=Dx8i3WPmTSoot6JWxaCWlKhmLk4&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=1&ct=result#PPA251,M1