The brilliancy of the lightning, extending over the whole heaven, from east to west, will not be more manifest to the inhabitants of the earth than the approach of the Son of Man at his second coming. Still many will behold, wonder, and despise, and perish; because it is written, that whosoever shall reject that prophet shall be destroyed from among the people. The false signs and wonders that shall be got up in opposition to the true, will deceive and harden the nations, and they will not discern between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not. Even the sign of the coming of the Son of Man may be contemplated by multitudes, barely as an unaccountable phenomenon; and familiarity with the sight of it will beget indifference, hardness of heart, and contempt for all such like things. Your humble servant, ORSON SPENCER. LETTER XIV. SUMMARY AND FINAL APPEAL. _Liverpool, December_ 13, 1847. Reverend and Dear Sir,--Having given you an epitomised view of the doctrines of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, in a short series of Thirteen Letters, I now make this SUMMARY AND FINAL APPEAL to you, and to all persons to whom the foregoing Letters may come. Before parting with you, I will endeavour to obviate some objections that might be supposed to arise, and give some further confirmatory proof of the truths that have been advanced. You may be ready to inquire with great earnestness, can it possibly be that the religious world have been so grossly mistaken and actually deluded for so many centuries? can so many divines of celebrated learning and devotion have been all this time in error? Is it possible that that illiterate young man, Joseph Smith, should be the first, after the lapse of so many ages, to break the spell of darkness, and pierce the clouds of error, and let in the sunshine of eternal truth upon the whole world? Is it possible that he whom we have been accustomed to regard as the blackest impostor--about whose moral character there hang so many shades of suspicion? can _he_ be, in very deed, a true prophet of God? I do not wonder at your inquiries; but I do marvel that any good man should have a lingering doubt. Your inquiries and objections I will briefly answer.--Why should not the religious world be mistaken? do not the great mass of the human family profess to be religious? are not the millions of China and Asia religious? Here is nearly one half of the human family ardently devoted to their religion--they are sincerely devoted to their religion--the multitudes of their pagodas, and the great expense and sacrifice attending their worship, prove incontestibly their sincerity; and the long antiquity of their religion has rendered it venerable as yours.