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1 -9 Y r . . T. -Et "D H- T'S -RC --E S LITE AT IVIOv[0SIMTERVILLEv So Co, NOVEARl.9R I2%S2~.7 RISTORICAL. -Fm AAur' Hoe (Ga te TlE M O Ri O N M. LATTEWt-DAY SAINTS. The origin, rapid development. 4nd present prosperity of this-:reli fous sect, is one of the most re rtcable :ind instructive historioal _ *Pntp of tlie presentrcentury. That ,64ph Smith, a native of Vermont. nobscuroindividual, without money, vdtication ;or respectability, should, Under the influence of an overwhelm.. Ing relhgious enthusiasm, successful lytidhe a belief in his immediate in -pirstion in1he minds of hundreds of itom4nda of people, and cause a book entitled the 'Book of Mormon,': to be conscientiously received by thsm as of equal.aAuthosity with the Scriptures, and a.continuation of the pagred revelations of Heaven, that, in twenty year's fitne the disciples of Joseph Smith should have increased from six to 100,000, should have founded a State in the distant wil derness, and compelled the govern. ment of the United States practically to recognise them as an independent people with the right of self govern ment; that the emissaries of this re 1igious sect should now be preaching its doctrines with success, in the inest enlightened nations in Europe, and in pagan countries, and that con vers should ie continually flocking to the Mormons settlement. in the val ley of the Great Salt Lake, from all parts of the earth; these are facts worthy the researches of the philoso. ihei, the consideration of statesmen, a(A the pen of the historian. Such a revelation of the superstidon and filly of humanity in modern times, throws a bright light on similar events which hat'poccurred in former epochs of-thewvotd's history, the -revelatimo 1 nm0 the altn#untgvn :Llijeant Gunrison, [fromn whose intereating book just utihd by. Lippiucott, Grambo & Co., the fact s set forth in this article are obtained,] of the origin of the Mormon sect : " The founder of the Mormon sect was Jeseph Smith, a native of Vermont, who emigiated when quite young in his father's family to Wes. tern New York. According to his a obiography, published in a series of letters, he was of a religious turn of mind, and, -when seventeen years of age, became greatly interested in the "revivals of religion," often oc curring among the "denominations" in that section of country. In one of these times his feelings were so powerfully wrought upon that he gave himself up to continued prayer for some days-and meditatiig still at night, he at length arose while all the family were hushed in sleep, and poured forth his soul "agonizing" to have made known to him the truth, among the conflicting opinions he heard by the various sects. His apartment became suddenly illbimiia-: ted, and-afi angel appeared and con versed familiarly with him, arid in structed him in the way of righiteous ness; informing him also that there *as no true chuvfh upon earth. Trhe docy~ine taught on this point is, that .the'chdirch which was once establish Led, hadl fallen under the rule given W"by the "prophet, and had "changed the ordinances," "broken the ever laisting covenant," and "coirrupted the faith;" for which cause it was re 'moved from earth-or, in their figu rative expression, "the man child was caught up into heaven," wvhich mneans that ,the priesthood was taken away fifteen hundlred years ago. And Joseph was to-d that his prayers woe heard and registered in the books on high, and that, being dear. lv beloved of the Lord, lie should be - immissioned a priest after the order df Melahisidek, and restore that line pinong men, organizing a church of' faithful ppersons, to receive the Lord in the Millennium, which time should .be hastened according to their dhe gree~ of mnighaty faith, for lie was de -termined "to cut the work short ini righteonsness." In after visits lie ,was further instructed dint "truth should spring out of the earth'' *-(Ps.) -and that, accordingly, he shtould be conducted to the hill Cumo rah, in Palmyra, New Yoirk, andt re celve without the grouind holy andi rrophetic recorda concerning a fai ly of Jews that emigrated from Jleru salem in the time of' Zedekiah, andi *were mir'aculously led to A mriica, aci'oss the Faisterni ocean. "On beingiw guidled to th' et. bc found a square stone box, eight inches high, covered with a slab, cemented upon it. He was struck back by an invisible blow, and informed, in an swer to his earnest prayer, that the want of success was owing to his lis tening to the suggestions, of Satan, who had walked at his elbow on the way, and had inado him resolve to make use of the golden plates on which the records were engraved, as well as the contents when published, to advance his temporal fortunes. This was sin-to think lie should be. come famous, was unholy ambition; that he should he rich and powerful thereby, was avarice. "But, on sincere repentance and submission, four years after, the con tents of the box were shown to him, the angel opening it; which consisted of the - Sword of Laban," brought from Jerusalem, a breastplate and two stones "bright and shining," and golden plates engraved with charac ters, and united at the hacks of rings. A portion of the records was receiv ed, constituting the Book of Mormon, in which are depicted, much in the style of - the Biie Chronicles, the various fortunes of the four brothers of the emigrating family, and of their descendants -how some tribes were evil in their practices, despising re proof, and became cursed with a dark skin and loathsome habits, and were made scourges to others when falling away from the truth- the say ings, teachings, teachings, and warn ings of their prophets, who foretold by name the advent of the Saviour of the world- the organization among the purer people on this continent, of a church by Christ, who came down to them after His ascension at Jaru salem, and gave them His gospel nearly in the words of the Serms.n on the Mount, and how that for apostacy these Christians were fiially destroy ed by the Gadin in rubbers'and the red men-the last prophet, Morani by n:ime, sealing tip the records, and Urin and Truuiusim, and breastplate, at Cuniorah, there to renain until .'the fulliess of time" should denand their exhumation; and which should he brought forth, "by way of Gen tile," for the "convincing of both Jew and Gentile that Jesus is the Christ." (See Preface, 1. Mor mon.) "The restoring angel was the spirit of this Fame Morani, the son of Mormon the Seer, who had made a compendium of the holy writings an I delivered them to him; and Joseph now constituted the Seer, by means of the Urim and Thummun, placed in a bow and looked through upon the plates, began their translation, and preached the news of his im porta t mnisiot.' Such is the account given by Joseph Smith andi his followers of the origin of the Book of Mormon. Fanaticism will ever meet with op ponents in mnci whose minds are enlighiteined by science, and where Christian principles are firumi and settled. It is alleged by the op ponent of Mormoniism, that the Mor mon bible was fabri 1ated by Joseph Smrith, out of a manuscript written by the late R1ev. Mr. Spaulding, at Conneaut, Ohio; and of which lie became possessed. This manuscript was wuitten by7 Mr. Spatulding, to account for the ruiuned cities anid temples discovered in Central Am erica. T1hese remains of a past civ ilization, wvhich antiquarians have not yet been able to account for, were chosen by Mr. Spaulding as the subject of his MS., which is a ro mnance to show the manner in which America was peopled by the Jews, anid the "lost ten tribes of Israel," together with the subsequent events that occurred to their descendants, and the origin of the Indian nations which overspread the continent of Amerca when it was discovered by Columbus. A clear idea of the origin of thme Mormon bible can be had from the affidavit of Mr. Henry Lake, giv en at Conneaut, in 1833 wh~ich is c',rroborated by an abundance of other testimony. "Hie affirms; "I left the State of New York in the year of 1810, and arrived in this place abiout the first of January following. Soon after ,my arrival I formed a copartnership with Solomon Spaulding * * . H~e frequently mead to mec from a man uscript wnuich he was writing, and which lhe entitled the "Manuscript Found,'' which lie represented as beiing thund in this town a I spmnt many hours in hearing him read said writings, and became acquainted with their contents. He wished me to assist him in getting it printed, al leging that a book of that kind would meet with a rapid sale. This book represented the American Indians as the lost tribes, gave an account of their leaving Jerusalem, their con tentions and wars, which were many and great. One time-when Ie was reading to me the tragic' ac count of Laban, I pointed out to him what I considered an inconsis tency, which he .promised to cor rect; but by referring to the Book of Mormon, I find to my surprise it stands there, just as he read it to (no then. Some months ago I bor rowed a golden Bible, * had not read twenty minutes befoie I was astonished ~to find the same pas-. sages in it that Spaulding had read to me, more than twenty years before, from his "Manuscript Found." Since then, I have more fully examined the said golden bible, and have no hesitation in saying that the historical part of it is principally, if not wholly, taken from the "Man uscript Found." I well recollect telling Mr. Spaulding that the too frequent use of the words, "Now it came to pass." "And it came to pass," rendered it ridiculous. Spaul ding left here in 1812, and I fur nished him with the means to- car ry him to Pittsburg, where he said he would get the book printed and pay me. But I never heard any thing more from ljm, or of his writ ings, till I saw them in the Book of Mormon." The same in effect is the evidence of the brother of Spaulding, that he heard much of the "Manuscript" read, and that, according to his best recollection, "The Book of Mormon is the samne as my brother. Solomon wrote, wilth th exceptionDt rine lii.ous. matter." All this iq cop firme I by mare tiaii half a dozen oth er gendemen-nd by t1he-midow and (laughter of the author of ''Manu script Eound." It appears that Mr. Spaulding left Pittsburg in 1814. and that his widow, after his death, in 1816, re moved to Onondaga county, New York, near to her early res'dence. and carried a trunk thither, cantain ing the writings of her deceashd hus band. During a part nf the time from 1817 to 1820, when she again married and moved to Massachusetts, the trunk was a' her brother's in Onondaga Hollow, ear the residence of the Smith fami y.. When the Book of Mormon apil ar ed, and and its identity with the Spaulding MS. was discovered, ,he trunk was hunted up, and scaich made for the Spaulding MS. It had mysteriously disappeared, and tlhe "Manuscript Found" has ever sine been the "Manuscript Lost." Frowi these circumstances it is thought that Jcseph Smith obtained possession of it, and mouluded it into the Book oid Mormon, arranging and( altering the matter so as to suit his own purpo ses. A copy of the Book of Mormon was placed in our hands a few dlays ago, when in the Philadelphia Library, and we have no hesitation in saying that a more successful at tempt at the Scriptures, was perhaps never made. Its leterary style and merits are, however, truly contemp tible, its author having been plainly about as ignorant of thme rules of gframmar and composition as a Hot tentot.--Contrast the revelations in the Book of Mormon with the sub lime beauty andu grandeur of the revelations of the unchanging laws of nature, in the "Prinicipa of Ne wton." How truly contemptible is supersti tion! The manner of writing the Book of Mormon was as follows: "Smith would place his pseudo gold plates in a hat, and take the stones, U rim and Thummim, which he affirmed had been delivered to him at the hill Cu moorahi, in Palmyra, by an angel---and, arising a screen of cloth between himself and the scribe, proceed to look through the stones, and the words, in reformed Egyptian characters would change to his ver nacular; and "pass before his eyes by the power and gift of God.'' He gives us a particular account of the first persecution by his neighbors, who tried to capture the "gold plates;" and to escape from this, he concealed them in a barrel of beans. Wec are also tol thamt Cowdery, the scribe, was sharply re buked for impertinent curiosty, in wishing to see the gold plates, which was the prohet' pvilege only. The Book of Mormon was issued in 1880, and on the 4th of A i, of the same year, the fihst Mormon church was organized, consisting of only six members-the father of Smith, his two brothers, and Oliver Cowdery, a schoolmaster, being amongst the number. It is said that Cowdery first baptized the prophet, and, to 'render the act le gitimate, there was present as spon sors, Moses and Elias, together with Peter, James and John. The prophet now pabtized and commis sioned elders, who began their enthu siastic preaching, and converted sev eral visionary characters, persons without any settled opinions in Christ ianity, of a weak and-euperatitious turn of mind, and liable t" be immue diately carried away by the first elo quent harangue in favor o Millerism, Mormonism, or any other religious delusion. In this manner, the Mor mon church gradually ihcreased in numbers. In the following Augpst, Parley P. Pratt, a Campbellite greacher in Ohio, who was preaching notions on prophecy, the restoration of the Children of Israel and t0e Millenni. um, met with the Book f Mormon, and became a convert, -.h*ilst on a visit to the State of New'ork. On his return, he presentedithe new Bi ble to another still more nthusiastic person, named Sidney ftdon. He too adopted the now syitm. These were important additiox; o the Mor man Society. Both men en dowed with talents, lea: g and elo quence. We would i ark here, that Rigdon had for >yars taught the literal in a ~criptur i ond coming, the literal reign of the Saints on earth, and the? use of mi i-culouigifts icthe rh. It will be readily al- -ifnri there are passages in Scripture which are hard to be 'understood, and about the exact meaning of which the learned disagree. Expe. rience shows that men may pore over the hidden meaning of such passages until they become religiously insane, and are thus led to 'wrest the Scr ip. tures to their own destruction.' When we find the most mysterious parts of the Bible, including the prophecies and revelations invariably quoted to sustain their peculiar views by the Mormonite and Millerite preachers, and this with a degree of positiveness of assertion which will admit of no consideration, common sense as well as Christianity plainly shows such preachers to be nothing but religious fanatics or impostors. 'Fools rush in where angels fear to i read.' The first Mormon settlement was formed at Kirkland, in Ohio, in Jan uary, 1831. To this place the prophet andi his people removed, .here Pratt and Rigdon had already society of over a thousand to r ncei ge them. In the month of June, .Mosepha Smith professed to have r & ived a revelation, which resulted ib the sending forth of a mission of e ers into Missouri. The site for a ity was selected, which was called : ,and there was soon collected, in. ackson county, Missouri, over 1- ) Mormons, buying lands and eu :i's ting them peaceably. Two ye rrs hus passed away in peace, but in .834, the people in Jackson cou- ar llected and drove thoem out. Thie ek appears to have been al toge unjust, and without any nioti e t teo fear of the Mormons gailnih g .. political ascendency in the count, -,and dislike to their fanatic al do4brirnes land institutions. The Mormons again gathered rapidly to gether, ini Clay arnd the adjoining counties, and prosperity again ao comp~anigd the~n in all their efforts. In 1837 a Marmen bank was estab lished at Kmtland, and public credit obtained :o a considlerable amount. This baid, failed 'in 1888, and its managers were prosecuted for swin dling. The Mormons in Missouri and Ohio wore now dr-iven out of these States, and 12,000 of them arrived on the banks of the Mississip pi, in a destitute condition. Their tale of distress touched the hearts of the Illinoisidnsi, and t ey received them hospitably, fur hing them with both fooj aind ckthing and a place on whichmt to effect a settlement. --The city of Nauvoo Was now built bq the Mormons, and the site for a temple chosen. The State favored the exiles; charters were obtained for the city, with peculiarly favora ble privileges; the *Nauvoo Legion was incorporated, and the arms of the State loaned, in which they were well drilled, and became- a standing army, with the prophet as Lieuten ant-General. Missionaries were now sent abroad to Palestine, Africa, and Europe. One of that band, still well affect ed towards Mormonism, though dif fering on one point from its teach ings, related to Lieut. Gunnison some parts of the discourse of Joseph Smith to the Missiottaries. One r.ain point insisted on was, that 'spiritual wifery' was to be most pointedly denied; and that they taught that one man should live in chaste fidelity with one woman in conjugal relationship. In the dark concerning the revelation allowing polygamy, he sincerely declared that but one wife was ever known to any of his brethren. While zealously preaching in the city of New York. he was thought worthy, by the Apos tle Lyman, to be let into the secret of the 'blessings of Jacob,' the privi leges of the Saints. Called aside one day by the President of the State, he was told that God had always re warded His distinguished saints with special privileges, such as would be wrong for sinners, but by revelation made harmless to the good. As an instance he would cite Jacob, David, and Solomon,"who had many wives allowed them. In these last days, also, the like had been accorded to Joseph Smith and others, and having now full confidence in his ho he.p' .could have. the sa priest says he but,-on reflecti emble, and say he would consider the mat ter. In the evening he was invited. WTd*itness 'a sealing' of several cou ples, at a large boarding-house. In the front parlor the ceremony, like a marriage, was performed; and, as each pair was 'finished' by the priest, they retired through the folding doors, and thus to their own apart ments. The guest was so shocked, that he retired to his home, and though he never took any open part against the'church of new privileg es,' he was denounced as a deserter in their papers, and the public cau tioned against him as a defamer. From 1838 to 1844, Mormonism appears to have been in a state of continuous prosperity at Nauvoo. It was during this peaceful interim, that the revelation, allowed to Jo seph, and the high priests of the Mormon hierarchy, as many wives as they could support, was alleged to have been received from Heaven. In vain the wife of Joseph, styled by himself and followers, -The Elect La. dy threatened, by way of retaliation, to take another husband; the only consolation she received was that a prophet must obey the Lord- 'he would be obedient to the Ileavenly vision.' The Mormons now boasted of hav ing 100,000 persons in the faith, throughout the States. In 1844, Joseph sent forth his -Views on Gov ernent,' and was actually put forth by the infatuated votaries of his reli gious imposture as one of the candi dates for the Presidency! Now it was that thoso who had treated them so hospitably, became incensed against them. It was asserted, and with truth, that no Gentile could ob tain justice in the Nauvoo courts. The property of the people of Illi nois was stolen from them, and tra ces of it were obtainved at Nauvoo. Men of influence and talent now des erted the standard of tho prophet, denouncing him as an impostor, de bauchiee, and tyrant.- Women im peached him of attempted terong, whilst the miserably subterfuge re sorted to by him, that he did it just to see if they were virtuous, only exasperated those families which he had sought to dishonor. The Expos itor having published a list of the prophets debaucheries, and those of his friends, a party of Mormons at tacked the printing-office, broke the press to pieces, and scattered the typo in the streets. This attack was resented on the part of the peo ple, and justice having been refused, the Gavcirnne of the State was an pealed to, and Joseph 1yp, his .brother, together with~ Dr. IeW ards and John Taylor, were lodged in Carthage jail. The citizens of OCarthdge how con spired together to attack the jail, and take justice into their own hands. Early on the morning of the 27th of June, 1844, they assaulted the tbbr of the room in which the prisoners were incarcerated.-Richards and Taylor, lying on the floor, madb a stretch across the room, thl fee of one against the shoulders of the other, and kept the door from fully opening. Guns were thrust in and diecharged and Joseph, with a revolver returned two shots, hitting one man in. the elbow. A ball struck Hlyrum, the patriarch, and he fell, exclaiming, 'I am killed!'--to ,which Joseph replied. 'Oh, brother IHyrpm!' The prophet tlhn1threw up-..theindow,,and, in thie act of leaping thiough, 'as klled by balls fired from the outside, say ing, as he fell, '0 Lord, my God!'. The people in the hall forced into the room and wounded Taylor; the other escaped 'without a hole in his robes' Experience has shown that Mor monism cannot exist in these States. It must conquer or die. The Mor mon settlement is at present render ed harmless by its geographical posi tion. The valley of the Great Balt Lakc, is situated midway between the Mississippi States and California, ahd is hemmed in on all sides by inhospi table tracts of country upwards of a thousand miles in extent. . It is, in fact, a three months' journey, with the present conveniences for travel ling, from the nearest civilized com munity to the Mormon settlement. We have given an outline of th )is rater a siaio0pe Godhead. Ood the father is ani finitely perfect man;.Jesus Christ is the Son of God by the Virgin Mary, and the Holy Spirit is thd ofie.mind possessing and acting in the Father and the Son. Passages are quotted from their own works to show that such are in reality their views. " First God himself, who site ei' throned in yonder heavens, is like a man unto one of yourselves, that is the great secret. If the. veil was A6bt.t6 day, and the great God who holds this world in its orbit, and upholds all thing by his power, if you were to see Him to-day, you would see Him in all the persoh, image, and Vdrf form as a man; for Adam was cieaied in the very fashion and image of God; Adam received instruiction, walked, talked, and conversed with Ilim, as one man talks and communes with an other." Therp is rL quttifftf tnn fr(in the author of the "Voice of Warning," to the effect that "we worship a God who hath both body and parts; who has eyes, mouth, and ears,. and *hb speaks when, and Mb whom He pleases -who is just as good at mnechanical inventions as at any other business." liut we are referred by their teachers to the Apocalypse, where it is written of the Itedeeme~r: "And huath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father;" and to the apostle that said, "there are gods imany and lords many," to prove that the Father had his Jft ther," and they talk boldly of the grandfat her, great-grandfaither of God, thus traeing back almost ad infnitum to the "Ilead God, that called the gr-and council together, whe~n the worlds camne rolling into existence." Our antthor adds :-"The prophet has not left on record, to my knowledge, the manner in which the Head God or iginated." And, hence, amongst the Mormons, the mode of~ his origt is a mere matter of' opin ion! The :Mormnons believe that the "head devil," as they term him, re ttits inany of the .noble qualities which he possessed when an archangel; that lhe is a "perfe.ct gentlenman," all the ineener temptations being resorted to by the baser~ sorts of imps. They entertain peculiar views on the resurrection. believing that the same body will lbe raised, but that it will be without blood, which they consider to be the mortal part of our nature. This peculiarity in their fihith is thus espressed by apostle Pratt, one of their authorities in doctrinal matters. " Jesus was the exact pattern of our resurrection. "And Jesus Christ camne forth tri'umphuant from the mansions of the dead, possessing the same body which had beeni born of a woman, which was crucified; but no blood flowed in his his veins; for blood wa the naatuiral life in which were the principles of mortality; and a man re stored to fle.sh nd bilood would ho mort .whic ys t our Sa % dde. tr he tol diiel &to 4d know that l 19d WW*$k will be the nodit resu rrevted-q fe: It. is believed that a s "moved by th spirit" of sounds in t - speaker kriweg-n expressed, and that of t he congregtion nia to him, bythsani interprethtibih bf Wu cab explain * theut4!ie gl. been said in iutirrigible aijh It is unnecesary to gti t tracts from :,i4ner Qumnl We have %rilfdi hi ff,hbh u ronism -becuse Wethn progress, presezft prosperit'y liarities ofthils religious set bt f be more generally known; "e to call particular attentlon to tihioQ as a faitlih iid h1rtithfhil 'Mormonism.. That ptilgimy is prabjsi - the Mormons is undeniable, h - - deed, the subject begins to be p openly discussed thanu formeuysr) is anounced that a treatiso iis - preparation tb prbe, by the &iW14gu the s ight of all Christians tod ty of wives, if not to declaue thef practice of the same. We dissent frm many a in this volume. -Mormon is attributable to their idirpb - teml of -combinihg -kbtu lu has his obff pirperty in lahdlk - inbnts; and also to their indus Similar. results would fbllo, any other religious syster the laws were equitably ndr e and. therefore a-e not to be a to -the peculiarities its the 1o, theology, or priestly gvehtn The success of the otd is to. be:attributed more to the f ance aid superstition whibe abundontlyprralant I Wei t to the skill and science withWfl : d communI; ces of so transparent a system uf . posture, shows thatnmuch of the ness and styperstitibh of past present albuds the. understandi men, and that in religious mnttjI intellect of a large portion. fth tiht generaton are sbkt little I than thuso of their predecefoks rior to the Lutheran Reformatio4 After the death of Joseph, th le for the leadership food righuon tdiing .*sm perseenting spirit did not ceast. I the death of prophet. Nothitig 6 d satisfy the people of Illinois expulsion of the Mortntjfs foo voo and the surrounding conn was announced, by revelation, whole church must retire ifttd tI derness to grow into a multitude i o froi the haunts of elvileiatibun id ValleY of the Great Salt Lane w . lected for a settlement, and ofi-theered of July, 1847, the pioneer. paity:r.r nved, and on the 24th the UnbreY Presidency, which latter dat M trW their grand.epech, Since this time, the Mormo*tta"el has contilamed to prosper. 'Wj IWgd by their idustry feirtilized a lkrredl~x gion, and made " two spireof to grow where only one grM* And there they are bidding de their persecutors, and reAJ t fa t for their rtide rocks and sho lws They demand a recognition of thern.: dependence as a State, bn the groun& that they, know better tlant allatkid world besides what is suited to* condition. They are a oljar pie. "They have fom on the model of a repib H -e adopted a constitution, libr& and tolerant of' conscience ?t - and have a criminal code 1&4 plies to their peculiar afddk tfehngs;" sand it is not to be pd6IIa d that lawyers and judges,- howdfer erni nent their profession at hbYdig dar un: derstand or appreciate the statntois"6f this wild country. Gerrtile jug arc, therefore, teddbt y ilMdr. meons as an unjusst imposition, imnd they are resolv'ed on resrsting alsub foreign interference: "Why are "duiled puu.in" lg rate to whisper a secret to! )3~e~as they always keep dark. ('NSUs OF lowA.'-R i~~F f~ri all hut two nounties shoj that'4s' present population 61 f~ Staite h ibout 240,000, an increa~e of 'vfdf There is an old toper In is making quito a fortnne Th anti-liquor ti'. Hegoes-ato New Hampshire,'andsblem he comusback~ 'charges his neighbors twelve-ahdsIbglf' cents for smelIirng- his breath. .dIWi