June 1849

ZION'S TRUMPET,

OR

Star of the Saints.

No. 6.] JUNE, 1849. [VOL. 1.

MESMERISM.

THE majority of our readers, perhaps, know what Mesmerism is. It is an influence that the spirit of one man has over another, to cause him to go into different degrees of sleep. This is caused by one man's staring into the face of another, and striving to force with his hands all of his influence into his constitution. In order to exercise such influence, it is required that the recipient give himself completely to the will of the mesmeriser; and the former must be weaker in spirit than the latter, before he can receive the effect. Mesmerism is certain to be one of the wonders of the latter days, and the first fruits of the special powers soon to be revealed; and it is reasonable to expect many remarkable things in the world, in order to prepare it to behold that great wonder of bringing down fire from heaven in the sight of men. (Rev. xiii, 13.) That will, no doubt, be fulfilled by causes understood to those who do it at that time, in exactly the same way that Mesmerism is understood now, and in the same way that the wizards of Egypt worked their wonders in their time. Mesmerism is a teaching that not many believe; and like all new things, there is considerable prejudice against it: but, despite it all, it is constantly gaining ground, and even some of Wales's reverends have embraced it as the next best thing to the gospel. Principles concerning supernatural influences had been practically banned from the world, before the "everlasting gospel" was restored by the angel; but since then, such principles are again rearing their heads, and are beginning to gain acceptance. Where there is supernatural power from God, the devil tries to reveal his own supernatural powers, in order to persuade his subjects to remain in darkness. Now, while the Latter-day Saints are convincing many to believe in revelations in this age, by bringing them to have their own proofs; the devil, at the same time, through the priestcrafts of men, and by the means of Mesmerism, convinces many of the same thing, and offers to everyone his own proofs. What would some of the Saints say, if they were brought before someone who had been mesmerized, and if that person could indicate to them how many birthmarks they had on their bodies, in what places, and how much money was in their pockets? What if he could say to a woman he had never before met, whether or not she is pregnant, how many weeks she had been in that condition, and whether the child was a boy or a girl? Because of their nature, these revelations would be as good as any other revelation ever seen; and it is as far above man's normal ability, as is that which the Saints profess. We had read about such things before; but now episodes of that have been appearing in our own town. There are responsible men living here who can testify of one who had been mesmerized, and could tell how many birthmarks were on them, which diseases were in their constitution, how much money was in their pockets, and how many beer drinkers were in a nearby tavern while she was asleep. The one mesmerized testified that she could see everything, inside as well as outside, although the mesmerizer had his fingers on her eyes. What do we make of this? It is not deception; for well-known doctors, and important men, and even those who are recognized as servants of God, testify that it is true, and that it is a great blessing for the age, as it can be of assistance in healing, in revealing mysteries, and in winning influence from the pulpit. We do not wish to say that it is deception; we believe that it is all as true as the turning of the rods into snakes, and the water into blood, by the wizards of Egypt—the raising of Samuel from the grave by the witch at Endor, and the recognition of Paul and his brethren by the young woman with the spirit of witchcraft, &c. There is no doubt that a man's spirit can walk, hear, see, talk, judge, &c, when it is separate from the body, as well as when it is in the body; and it is natural to think when a man's spirit is in action while separate from his body, that it can see through those materials in which it is able to dwell. A thin material can exist in thicker material without taking up any more room; the same way that a large amount of salt and sugar can be placed in a glass full of water, without causing it to overflow, because salt and sugar particles are smaller than water particles. In the same way, that spirit of man, although it is the same size as the body, can exist in it without causing any swelling or irregularity, because its particles are smaller than the particles of the body. Spirit materials are so thin, that "seven," or even a “legion" of them can dwell in one body; and such spirits can use the tongue of the body they dwell in, and give revelations about the things they know about through their own faculties. Well, it seems, then, that since the body of the mesmerized person is put to sleep to such a degree, this allows the spirit to work by itself, and in this state it is enabled to see further than the eyes of the body, and therefore to report that which is supernatural; and if the spirit is thus liberated, it is in a state of being able to associate with other spirits in this world, which are learning many things by walking along dry places, and they speak with spirits of this kind. These spirits are beings of substance, although they do not have flesh and bones; and there are many witnesses who say that the spirits can force their way into flesh and bones, and cause them to feel their presence. Do not be surprised if some are heard saying that our views are contrary to the opinion of the learned men of the country; we have the right to speak our mind as do others, although many may laugh at us. Many things that are regarded as foolish at first, change their character with time.

We expect that the faithful Saints have sufficient knowledge of the Holy Ghost, that they can distinguish between revelations from God and revelations from the enemy. Spirit is the one, and spirit is the other; and both have ministering spirits, and both impart their nature to their earthly friends. The Spirit of God and the spirit of the devil can influence the spirits of men, and the spirits of men can affect their bodies, &c. The testimony of Jesus is the only thing that keeps men from believing that the powers that are beginning to be revealed in these days are the power of God. Let all the Saints wake up, and let them not be disturbed by the wonders of the enemy. His miracles are as yet merely beginning. It will be required that the Saints have more of the Spirit of God continually from now on, to recognize what is of God; and in order to have more of that, nothing will be better than taking their counsel and learning to steer clear of such wonders. We do not wish to persuade them to believe that there is no truth in Mesmerism,—we know there is: but we do persuade them to search into the place from whence it derives.

THE "SPIRITUAL GIFTS" IN THE COURT OF THE ENEMY.

"MIRACLES."

MR. Observer says, in the November, 1848, Star that a "gift was that which was given to the apostles, and only to them as such," while the scriptures say that it was "to another" that it was imparted! He says also that it was the means through which the other gifts were given, and that through it the apostles healed the sick, &c; although Paul testifies that it was the Spirit that gave those particular gifts. Much is discussed by the Observer as to what constitutes miracles; and indeed that is a very perplexing subject. Many people think that speaking in tongues, prophesying, and healing the sick are miracles; but we say that those are other gifts, and those who have them could be deprived of the gift of working miracles. Some, like the Observer, suppose that a miracle is something above the laws of nature, and contrary to the rules of primitive nature; while others claim that convincing a Methodist is as much a miracle as anything else. We readily believe that turning the rod into a serpent, causing the sun to stand still, turning the water into wine, &c, were all miracles; but we cannot believe that those were contrary to the rules of primitive nature, for the rules of nature are the will of its Author. The orbiting of the earth would be a miracle, if it normally stood still; but if it were to stand still, by a commandment of God, that would be no more contrary to the laws of nature than its orbiting, for the earth's obedience to its Author is the one and the other. Nothing is a miracle to God, because he understands by what rules miracles are worked; and consequently, the more men understand the rules of working miracles, the more the wonder of them subsides. Thus, things can appear miraculous to some, while they are not so in the sight of others. Mesmerism is miraculous to those who do not understand the skill; and we could say the same about many other things. Mr. Observer has been gathering many opinions to describe what things are essential for a miracle; but we shall disregard those opinions, since they are nothing more than human whims. Miracles are worked only according to the will and purposes of God. God told Moses to work miracles before the Pharaoh, so that he would believe; but he gave no such commandment to Jesus Christ and his apostles; otherwise, they would have pleased Satan and his sign seekers. The only proofs of truth to the people in the time of Moses, were miracles; but after the coming of the Son of God, one can come to a knowledge of the truth only by doing the will of his Father. Jesus Christ came to the world to give better proofs of his divinity than anyone else had ever done. If the Pharaoh received proof of divinity from Moses, he had another proof from his magicians to consider; and if the Pharaoh saw better proof from Moses than from the others, it was only natural for him to believe not that Moses was more divine than they, only that he was a better magician. The proof that Christ offered was the Holy Ghost, who gave certainty to all who would receive it, so that there was no cause for anyone to be deceived by those like Simon Magus, &c. Even so, Jesus Christ also worked miracles, when his Father willed, but not in order to prove his mission, as the Observer supposes. If miracles and signs were proofs of the divine mission, the magicians and the false prophets could claim that they themselves were servants of God, especially had they succeeded in bringing fire down from heaven in the sight of men.

After Mr. Observer notes the foundations of a miracle, he proceeds to observe the miracles of Christ, in contrast to the miracles of a few of the Saints in the environs of Llanybydder. It should be remembered that the Observer has said already, that working miracles was a gift that pertained only to the apostles; and because of that it was complete foolishness to expect miracles from men who were not apostles, and to think that by striving to pray for their sick, the Saints of Llanybydder were trying to work miracles. Our Observer is mistaking one gift for the other continually. The Saints believe that God can work miracles through his children now as before, according to his will, and they do not believe that they can perform them according to their own will. Failing to heal a brother among the Saints is not a proof that the gift of working miracles is not in the church; for, if that were a proof of anything, it would be a proof against the gift of healing, and not against miracles. Despite how much the Observer has said to others as to what constitutes a miracle, he himself, after all this, is so ignorant as to claim that he thinks that it is the healing of some sick person! He would be more consistent with himself, in order to show the failure of the miracles of the Saints, to try to prove that the deaf and dumb person in Newport did not, through the power of God, come to speak and to hear. But, to a man who is determined to oppose, what does it matter what tricks he uses, if he can get something as a veil to throw over the truth. If Christ himself were to come to the world again to rework his miracles, the men who presently refuse his mission would never believe them; for they would act exactly like their sectarian friends of old. Such men prefer not to hear about miracles; and we prefer not to spend our time trying to convince them of them. Rather, we are surprised that the men who deny miracles now, while claiming they are properly called to expound new teachings, fail to see their need in order to confirm their own new teachings in this age, doctrines which differ so much from each other that there is no purpose in anyone's believing that the unchanging doctrine of Christ, which was to be preached to the whole world, was this kind of confusion.

Now, in order to finish with the miracles, we may say that God has placed them in his church; and whoever doubts that, let him read 1 Cor. xii, 28. Whatever their purpose, there is no doubt that God placed them in his church, together with apostles, prophets, teachers, gifts of healings, &c; and it is just as easy to prove that there should be no teachers in it now, as it is to prove that there are no miracles. It is not reasonable to think that God would make changes in his church, without informing his children of that; he informed them of all the things he put in it, and why not inform them also of what he took out? If the Observer says that the teaching that "signs follow them that believe" was not in force any later than the time Paul refers to them in Col. i, 6, 23, where he says that the gospel had been preached throughout the whole world,—then "he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved," is no longer in force either—everything has ended! But if the Observer believes in the scriptures, he must admit that the signs are to follow those who believe the gospel; and not only that, but he must also believe that more miracles will be worked in the last days, than were ever worked before, as the scriptures prophesy; for the more frequent and the more obvious they are, all the more will be the disbelief of the religionists of the confusion, namely the Babylonians, who will not be convinced until they are completely destroyed by the sudden coming of the Son of Man.

"PROPHECY."

This gift is the sixth that appeared in the court of the enemy; and on the occasion, Mr. Observer called a great number of famous commentators to express their opinions about it, and they were heard greatly contradicting one another, which proves that they really did not understand the first thing about it. But the Observer thinks that the judgment about it has been determined, and that it is this—"speaking anything under inspiration, or interpreting anything inspired or uninspired." Contrary to that, Capt. Jones says, that "the Spirit of God is the Spirit of revelation, and this gift shows to the children of God the things to come." The Observer again answers him, as follows—"God placed his prophetic gift in his church, for the purpose of explaining the scriptures; and I think that it was through the utterance of knowledge mentioned previously, that they accomplished that." In the name of reason, what are all the unnecessary gifts that are in the church? Why endow it with "prophecy," if the scriptures could be explained through the "utterance of knowledge?" Knowledge and wisdom were sufficient to constitute the Observer's imaginary prophets; and it was particularly pointless to add "and to another prophecy," when the other gifts answered the purpose entirely. Let the Observer understand that neither we, nor Capt. Jones, think that the name prophet was given to persons who did not at the time, perhaps, prophesy; but we cannot believe that it is proper to call a man a prophet who never prophesied. The second class of officials that God called in his church was prophets; but it appears that the gift of prophecy was imparted to many who had no office, such as those twelve who were baptized in Ephesus. What reason was there for those to go to explain the scriptures to an apostle who had come there to teach them? But foreseeing things to come is something worthy of the attention of Paul of old; such as the account in Acts xxi, of some of his brethren's exhorting him not to go up to Jerusalem, because they knew what would happen to him there. Phillip had four daughters who prophesied; and if they explained anything, it was to themselves, and not to the church, for they did not have permission to teach there. Women could pray, provided they not pray with their heads uncovered; and it is doubtless that they had the freedom to foretell or to prophesy; for Paul says, "1 would that ye ALL spake with tongues, but rather that ye prophesied;" and since everyone had the right to do so, women also have the right. Furthermore, with respect to prophesying, if it is to explain the scriptures, what scriptures did the Corinthians have to explain? how many scriptures did the Gentiles have then, except for the letters of Paul to them? And if prophesying meant explaining the scriptures, the women did not have the freedom to take part in the work, for their duty was to remain silent: but the following words show that they had as much right to pray and prophesy in the church, as did the men. The words are,—"Every man praying or prophesying, having his head covered, dishonoureth his head: but every woman that prayeth or prophesieth with her head uncovered dishonoureth her head." (1 Cor. xi, 4, 5). Now, let us consider, if the gift of "prophecy," is the gift for explaining, then we are forced to conclude that God has not placed in his church one gift to indicate things to come, and the Book of Revelation must be just amass of explanations! The Observer, we would think, wants to persuade us to believe that the other Comforter did not endow any of the disciples of Christ with the gift of foretelling things—just continual explaining. Is he willing for us to call the explainers of this age prophets also; or is it better for us to refrain, lest honest men believe that it is they who are the "false prophets," since they do not speak "under inspiration," as did those at first? If they cannot explain under inspiration, it is better for the church to be without them; for the Observer says "that it is essential, if prophecies are to be correctly explained, that the explainer be under the influence of something higher than human beliefs." It is very good that he recognizes, then, that the explanations of the age do not depend on them, but that it is necessary to have inspired prophets still before we can have any clarification of the scriptures. In order to prove his point better, the Observer can believe Dr. J. R Smith, who says that "not one prophecy of the scriptures explains itself;" but we choose to believe Peter, "no prophecy is of any private interpretation," and also there would be no cause for the Jews to fail to understand the literal prophecies of Christ, unless they (like the Observer) had been taught to think that their interpretations were hidden.

As he finishes explaining about "prophecy," the Observer uses Rom. xii, 6, "Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith." Now, he supposes that prophesying had to be explaining, or Paul would never have exhorted them to foretell according to the proportion of faith. Why is it not necessary to keep the proportion of faith in mind when foretelling, as well as when preaching? does not the Spirit guide in the one thing, as well as in the other? If that had not been looked at by the apostles, the saints would have been lead to prophesy and preach erroneously; for they were things in part, and some prophesying was considered so worthless, that Paul was forced to tell them, "Despise not prophesyings."The work of the apostles and of others was to perfect the saints, and to teach them to use the spiritual gifts in wisdom, so they could excel in order to edify the church. Paul was teaching the Corinthians to speak with tongues, interpret, prophesy,& c , although the Observer expresses surprise that anyone "sets himself above the Holy Ghost." He should understand that Paul also was guided by the Spirit, while teaching them, and that he had more of a fulness of it than did those whom he taught. Now it is seen that there was no inconsistency in Paul as he taught some to foretell according to the proportion of faith, while he was himself frequently foretelling.

It appears that "prophesying" will continue in the church until "that which is perfect" comes, and until the Holy Ghost ceases to be another Comforter, and to bring to memory the things past, and to indicate things to come.

MEDITATIONS.

O, EARTH! earth! earth! and you her inhabitants, listen to the word of the Lord, and respect the wisdom that stems from the council of perfection! Wherever the sun, the moon, or the stars shine—wherever the dew distills—wherever there is an ear to hear, or a heart to understand, there let truth be obeyed, and virtue respected; for truth is of greater value than gold, obedience better than sacrifice; honor is the trust of God, and virtue is the bliss of heaven. God is everything in everything; and all that has been or is, or will come, from him does it stem: his power is infinite, his wisdom omnipotent, his justice perfect, his mercy eternal, and his life unending eternity which persists throughout the eternities of those who gave time to all his numberless creations. His throne is in the center of the great whole, and his light is light for everything, though there be many lords and many gods. Order, unity, beauty, harmony, and grace adorn his handiwork, from the moth to man, from the bird to the animal, from the universe to God. His wisdom, his skill, his power, his justice, and his virtue, exalt him to glory, that man, poor and wretched man, in his lowly place, has never seen, never dreamed of; no, nor will ever dream of, until he comes up through the same tribulations, the same narrow road, the old path that our fathers trod, until they escaped in fire to bliss; and in this Christ, through his own blood, made for the children of obedience a more perfect escape from evil to good, from death to life, from mortality to immortality, from time to eternity. Because of that, O man! consider thy ways; obey the voice of the Lord; allow thyself to be led by reason; embrace truth; reject heresy; love thy neighbor; do not deviate from the ways of wisdom,—and have rest for thy soul in an hour of need, on the great day of the Omnipotent God, when evil will be swept from the face of the earth.

O, man! man! why wast thou shaped in the image of God? Was it to war with thy brethren, and to follow the promptings of passions, and to debase thyself like the beasts of the field, and be a slave to a devil and his host of fallen angels in a kingdom of sorrow and darkness? Or was it to do the will of God, and to be exalted like him, through the perfection of grace, goodness, knowledge, wisdom, power, and virtue, to a kingdom of happiness, light and glory? Converse with thine own heart and answer these questions.

Who art thou, O man! that boast of thine own prudence and wisdom? Suffer thy punishment for thy immodesty: the first step to the camp of wisdom is knowing that thou art ignorant; the second step is to strip thyself of thy foolishness and thy selfishness, and then to walk sensibly in the way of truth, taking thy light continually from the lamp of virtue. If thou hast something belonging to thy clothing, or about thy person, or in thy manner of speech, that is excellent, like the beautiful woman in the former days, throw a cover over it, so that thy humility may be exalted in the courts of kings. Prudence and purity, like husband and wife, should be joined in a permanent covenant, within him who intends to be such as his Creator made him, namely man.

A great man, who possesses an excellent spirit, is at all times above baseness; he never drops from the greatness of his character to the lowness of a traitor to perform the purposes of God. Nor does he strive to win the hearts of the people, under the mantle of love, with the oil of religion, when his tongue is green with the poison of corruption, and his pockets are groaning under the skewers of death. O, thou, who hast been charmed by the excellencies of truth, and art boasting of their sincerity,—take care lest hypocrisy and deceit take thee to shame and disgrace in this life, and to woe and sorrow in the world to come! Faithfulness and friendship, and love and light, alone are eternal through continuous succession.

O, man! so splendidly has thy Creator endowed thee with reason, and faculties, and powers, so that thou canst know thyself, understand the purpose and permanence of thy existence; thou canst understand the universe, and all the glories of its elements; thou canst understand the heavens and all their majesty and splendor. Therefore, o man! know thyself, and appreciate thy honor.

THE PIPE AND THE CHEW.

IS THERE anyone who has not understood what are the pipe and the chew? The pipe is the chimney that carries tobacco smoke into a man's mouth, and the chew is the dung heap of tobacco that is poured into the corner of his mouth. Man puts a chimney on his house to carry smoke away, because it is unhealthful and unpleasant; while he puts another chimney in his mouth, for the purpose of carrying its smoky contents into him, because it is so pleasant. Everything that is not fit to go to the stomach is thrown onto the dung heap usually, out of the way; but in the case of the tobacco dung heap, though it is nothing but a mortal enemy of the stomach, it is kept in that fine place where man's appetite resides. It is a popular doctrine now that there is nothing more beneficial to a man's mouth than tobacco smoke and the digestion of its waste piles! Many of the poor are seen giving the sixpence needed for their bread to buy tobacco and pipes. They assert that they can live on less food by doing that. Tobacco shops are as numerous as the stars of the heavens, and the chimneys of the mouth are as countless as the grains of sand in the sea. We are at present almost unable to see our paper, because of the columns of smoke that are rising from the room below us, where we imagine that there are about twenty chimneys smoking as fast as they can. Last night I heard a woman saying that her feet almost stuck to the floor of her house, because her husband and others had spewed the excretions of their mouths all over it; and another woman told us that her child was dyed red last Sunday during the service by falling into the stream that flowed from the filthy mouth of Ian to the Smith. In the mines here, a meal is very tasteless, unless there be three or four fanning tobacco fire, so that a man can get enough smoke to strengthen him to swallow his morsel; and friends can begot to do that for nothing, and at their own cost. The smoke of the iron works is insufficient to fulfill the beneficial purposes of the inhabitants in nourishing their bodies; and the wise result is that nearly everyone insists on having a chimney for his own mouth, so that he may be sure of getting enough. Now, since the situation of the country is altering, the nourishment that was used in former days, we think, is getting cheaper, because men can live almost entirely on smoke and waste; and men like us, who are too foolish to understand the benefit of smoke and digestion of tobacco as food, can keep ourselves fairly reasonably, and can spare a little to buy books or journals, to entertain ourselves while others are diligently tending to their smoke holes and their dung heaps.

There is one thing, however, that is a great mystery to us, and we cannot get information on the subject from anyone. We see very few of the female sex making use of the pipe and the chew; and we are led to believe, either that tobacco is too strong a food for them, or else that they have weaker senses, so that they cannot, any more than we, see the virtue of the smoke and its digestion. Now, many of the women are as handsome as their husbands, and at times of stronger constitutions; and recently many are taking advantage of wearing the breeches, and setting more for their men to do on their allowance of smoke and its digestion. This creates doubt concerning the virtue of the new nourishment of recent days, and puts a tendency in many, particularly the doctors, to think that the smokers and chewers cannot digest any more of the other nourishment, because so much of the digestive material in the stomach goes to soak the dung heaps, and wash the mouth after the chimney has been in it. We do not dare say much about the pipe and the chew, but we can say that their cultivators are extremely gluttonous men, because either the chimney or the dung heap are constantly in their mouths, and they devote themselves vigorously to their sucking, until they have nothing to do except feed themselves in this manner. Some of them are the same color as the smoke, and the others have gutters of red slime speeding down over their mouths. No one can be a complete man, unless he be thus; and many are surprised how we can work, while having nothing to do with tobacco. The truth is, the further that creature is from us, the easier we can perform our work, though there be others who try to persuade us to the contrary. We think we can all live without tobacco, as well as any other creatures, and that we can put the chimneys and dung heaps where they should be. We believe that many are failing completely to find the time, because of their eagerness for tobacco, to read a bit of the TRUMPET; because one sister has written to us to say that her friends, having gotten enough of a hint in our publication, come to her house at mealtimes, to blow smoke into her mouth and eyes, and they spew their old slime all over the floor, so that because of the smoke it has been ages since she has known the taste and color of her nourishment. She threatens to scald them, if they don't take warning this time; and who can blame her, having warned twice? The habit of chewing and smoking is so popular, that hundreds of men bring their dung heaps to "your God" as the sects say, so that the floors of the pews are like rivers of elephants' blood; and were it not for fear that "the servant of God," might be lost to sight in the smoke, we believe that the chimneys would be working at their best. If they could succeed in swallowing their smoke, perhaps they could smoke in the service; perhaps they can, by striving a little, since it is through effort that they have come to smoke as they do. Then, having learned to smoke in the service, the next task will be to learn to smoke in bed, while asleep; and little by little, men will come to live entirely on the smoke of the pipe and the digestion of the dung heap. Who will not say afterwards that the millennium will not have dawned upon us, though they will be rather smoky years, and that the "smoke" of their pipes will not "go up for ever and ever." We leave on that point for the present, in order to get the opinion of various people by next month, when we may reason a little in another way.

VERSES TO "ZION'S TRUMPET."

DEAR RESPECTED EDITOR,— I send these few lines to you; and if you see them worthy to appear, put the TRUMPET to your mouth, and blow them out through all of Walia, so that the merchants of false tales will open their eyes, so that they will be seeing as much as oyster shells; hoping that it will be medicine to bring to consideration, and make them give up, for shame, their marketing in such base goods. Time does not allow me at present to go into detail about them: more at some other time.

Thy TRUMPET shall proclaim—the plain

Truth everywhere;

Come, with a sound like thunder;

Commit thyself—set Wales ablaze.

Trumpet forth, flourish until slain—its prejudice,

And its vile curses;

Lies shall retreat before it,

In dark rupture forever.

Now it is too small in size—to protect us,

Let it increase somewhat;

It would be no wrong were it ten times its size,

In its impact, for the sake of the Saints.

If some wooden story gets into print,—chatter

About a brilliant white frog,*

Declare joyfully, without fear,

That's a subject to bring to an end.

Barter poorly with their phosphorus—do they,

Quite shamefully;

Every bad, deceitful act,

The TRUMPET crushes before it like chaff.

The scowl of the college men—cold their nature,

Is upon thee without a doubt;

They and their pronouncements,

Are all deceit and falsehood.

Uniting to kill Mormonism,—oh! shame,

Thus is sectarianism to be seen;

Pooh! everyone, yes, and each grief,

Melts before Saintism.

DANIEL APIAGO.

*Our friend refers to those lies published about the Saints, that they have rotten wood and frogs in their meetings, to imitate the Holy Ghost.—ED.

MERCILESS JUDGMENT.

A MEETING of judgment was held in Newmarket lately by Mr. Jones, minister of the Calvinistic Methodists, and he condemned all the Saints to go to hell! and that is as sure, he said, as that Beelzebub is there: and when I passed the place on my travels, I went to visit that strange judge, for the purpose of finding out from him if his authority was honorable, and his judgment just, and with what law he was condemning them all. I wanted to get their case to a second trial, because they had not a single lawyer in the place; but he was not ready for that, and also he did not have the time; and for that matter, said he, produce a small sign, and that would be the end of every argument forever. I asked the judge if he would leave his religion, and join the Saints, if he got a sign; and the answer I got was that he would then and there, and that was all that was needed by anyone. Here was this judge, declaring that everyone should join the false prophets, when they make great signs, if they will but cause fire to descend from heaven to earth in the sight of men! But the question is, for what were all the Saints condemned? Oh, does he want to believe in, and obey the uncorrupted laws of the Son of God,—namely faith and repentance, baptism for forgiveness, the laying on of hands, and the desire for the gifts that are mentioned in 1 Cor. xii? or does he wish to refrain from making signs for the evil and adulterous generation that asks for them? Well, for that reason were Jesus and his servants condemned also, and for extending an occasional mercy to those honest people who believed in their mission; and so it is with the Saints also! I heard that Mr. Jones's brother, namely the Rev. Morgan Howells, in the Aberystwyth association, practices the same respectable craft of persecuting the children of God, and of calling them Satanists, &c. Doing that, perhaps, is what earned for them the title of slanderers! Now, I wish to set a few questions before Mr. Jones, hoping that he will be disposed to answer them.

1. Who gave you the authority to judge the Saints?

2. Was your judgment just?

3. According to what law were you judging? Will Christ have to judge them after you?

4. Will you have to judge everyone else throughout all the lands, who commits the same crime, namely that of joining with the Saints?

5. How often will the judgment be in session?

6. Is everyone to receive the same punishment, for the same crime?

7. Is there a possibility of avoiding the judgment, if they believe through signs, and then join with the Saints, as you have promised to do?

8. Who can judge you?

9. Are you willing to be judged, as you judge?

ABEL EVANS.

MIRACLE ON THE LITTLE MINER.

SINCE there is so much mendacious talk about the above mentioned boy, we consider it wise to set down what we know about him before the public, so that they may judge accurately. On the 8th of this month, it appears that the little boy of one of the Saints, who worked in the Plymouth coal mine, in Merthyr, was struck down suddenly into a great sickness, so that the miners thought it necessary for them to carry him home on a plank to Twynyrodyn. The only thing the little boy was able to make understood was that he wished for one of the elders of the church to be called to him. One of the miners ran straight to fetch an elder, who left his work when he heard, and followed the miner to the little boy's house. With their task nearing, the elder counseled his guide to go a little in front, so that no one would notice; but he was greatly disappointed when he saw the house surrounded by all the miners of Plymouth, and by the neighbors, and he was almost persuaded to turn back. No sooner had the miners seen the elder than they shouted, "Now for a miracle;" and then, in they went, behind the elder, into the house, until it was too full to perform a miracle or anything else. The first thing the elder did was to ask them all to leave, which they did; but despite that they decided to insist on seeing the miracle, and in a second their black faces were filling the window; and one or two had not gone out. Then the elder turned to the bed to look at the boy, and having taken hold of him and asked him something, but failing to get anything out of him more than from the dead, he lifted him, with the help of another brother, to sit up on the bed, not knowing what in the world was wrong with him; and immediately after the elder laid his hands on his head and prayed, the boy became healthy, and leaped from the bed in everyone's presence! At that, back in came the miners rushing, and stared at the face of the little man, asserting that there was nothing wrong with him; but others, more honestly, confessed that something had been wrong, but that it had gotten better of its own accord. The doctor Proberts also soon came in after them, and he asked what was the matter with the boy, and the elder answered that nothing was wrong with him at that time; and then the doctor felt his pulse, and in anger he announced that the boy was one who deserved the whip, promising at the same time that he would see the little man turned from work! Everyone was allowed to give his sentence concerning what happened, without the elder's offering any objection; and as a result of that he got leave to go home through the crowd, and not a single stone made a hole in his hat. That is all the elder knows about the miracle of the little miner. Whether something was wrong with the boy, the miners who carried him home should have known best, and not the doctor who came to him after he had got better. If a little lad can deceive all the miners of Plymouth, so that they thought him dying at the edge of the pit, and feared that he would not arrive home alive, knowing he was one of the "deceivers" before that,—if they were all deceived, then our brothers had better stop spending any more time preaching to them, because they are men too stupid to make Saints or Satanists!

CONFERENCE REPORTS.

PEMBROKESHIRE.

THE Pembrokeshire Conference was held in the Bridgestreet chapel, Haverfordwest, on the 6th and 7th of May, under the presidency of John Morris. At the representation of the Conference, it was learned that it contains 4 branches, and 75 members, among which are 7 elders, 7 priests, 2 teachers, and 1 deacon; baptized since January, 23; emigrated 11. The various meetings were addressed by brothers Abel Evans, Wm. Rees, &c. Three were received by the church during the conference, with very good prospects for the future.

J. MORRIS

President.

LETTER FROM CAPT. JONES TO PRESIDENT WILLIAM PHILLIPS.

St. Louis, April 30th, 1849.

MY DEAR BROTHER PHILLIPS,—Following the detailed account of our sea voyage which I sent to Bro. J. Davis from New Orleans, I shall add hurriedly that we all arrived here Saturday, the 28th.

In New Orleans, we caught up with the emigrants of the Ashland, which started from Liverpool with about 200 Saints several weeks before us. I hired a steamboat, and I took them and the Welsh Saints with me; the price for carrying us 1100 miles up the river is (for us) 2 dollars and 25 cents, or about ten shillings! And in addition we can take a hundred pounds of freight. The steamboat came alongside our ship to take our goods aboard, which spared much expense and loss. Cholera is very bad in New Orleans, and many are dying on the steamboats along the rivers, especially the immigrants. On one ship that went before us there were 42 who died from Cholera, on their other journey, 19, &c. But they were not Saints. Through being careful to observe the rules of cleanliness, to refrain from drinking the water of the river without letting it settle, putting alum or oat flour in it—through being faithful and godly—through refraining from eating fruits, meats, &c , in short through striving as if for life in every sense, and through the blessing of God on his ordinances, thanks be to him, the Welsh Saints have come alive and have been healthy up to this point, except one dear brother by the name of Jenkin Williams, from Aberdare, who was a good and faithful lad the whole voyage, except that he went contrary to the counsels given, and he hid the cholera as long as he could by taking his own way to treat it through brandy; and the sad result was that he died here within a few hours after arriving, and he was given a proper burial. A few minutes before he died he left a remarkably good testimony after him and said that he was completely happy as he faced death. Also a young child of R. Price of Dowlais, died of consumption. These are all the Welshmen who have died until now. But of the English Saints two women and one child died of the deadly cholera. The officers of the boat were surprised how few deaths there were in our midst, and they asked in surprise each morning, "Are there none of you dead yet?" A baby was born to the wife of Samuel Lee, Llanelli, and also to the wife of John Rees of Cardiff, a stillborn. The mothers are improving greatly.

Yesterday I hired a steamboat here to carry us to Council Bluffs for 16s.per person, with 100 pounds free, and 2s. for each additional hundred pounds of freight. From among the Saints who are here we completely filled the cabins and everywhere else. The other boat will come alongside us to take us and our goods in; thus, from Liverpool to Council Bluffs it did not cost any of the Welsh a penny for moving their goods! Everyone is healthy today and heartened and rejoicing in their privilege and desirous to move forward. Better news from the west still. There are here between three and four thousand Saints. Mormonism is winning in popularity now so fast that the treacherous tricks of its malicious false accusers are being revealed. "The fact is too obvious to be concealed any longer, that they are a powerful, intelligent, diligent and courteous people and good citizens," say the publications now about the Saints; and everyone courts their favor. This is good; they have been disregarded long enough. Here we purchased iron to make wagons in Council Bluffs, and flour and meat, groceries and everything necessary for the journey to California and to settle there. We have every opportunity to hold public meetings every day and every night, in every boat; when I was here before, it was worth the life of a man to say that he was a Mormon!

May 1st.—We hired a steamboat and moved to it yesterday to carry us to Council Bluffs, 900 miles up the Missouri River, for 16s. 8 c. each, half price for children between 4 and 14; and younger than that no charge; we can have a hundred pounds of luggage without paying, and we pay 2s. per hundred for the rest. We shall start from here tomorrow. We purchased our food here to get us to the valley. Also our stoves, iron to make wagons, clothes, arms, goods, &c, &c. To this point, our journey has been as expensive as I noted in the Prophet; and, as far as I can tell, the costs will be hardly any different from what I noted there. The deadly cholera is killing hosts here now. One dear and faithful elder died this morning, namely Benjamin Francis, leaving great sorrow behind him. It would be difficult to find anyone more faithful than he was during his life, and he died happy. His wife and children will come along with us. Benj. Jones, and his whole family, except for his wife, became blemished from unfaithfulness. They went away along the road to destruction at a gallop today. David Giles and David Jones, and his wife went with them, completely unknown to me. I shall take greater care next time to refrain from bringing any but the faithful Saints with me.

I heard that my dear wife is on the sea following after me; if so, may the gracious Lord keep her is my constant prayer.

Dear Brother, be faithful and fearless through all persecution to lead properly the dear flock that I left under your care. You officers, remember my counsels to you, nurture the Spirit of light, love the Saints, and feed them with truth; and may the God of Israel bless you abundantly. Amen. Remember me to everyone at once, to my brother and his family, and to your own family, &c.

Your Brother in the gospel,

D. JONES.

[It is not our job to give credence to anything said or written by anyone pertaining to the emigrants, except what we have received from the source. Those persons who accuse us of concealing parts of the letters, are welcome to come here themselves to see the originals, as some have done.—ED.]

THE CHOLERA.

As was foretold by the servants of God, the plagues are beginning to spread throughout different parts of the earth, and they destroy wherever they travel. After visiting many towns of England, what is known as Asiatic Cholera has made its way to Cardiff, Merthyr Tydfil, and nearby places, and it is causing great devastation among our fellow countrymen. In Merthyr 204 had died by the18th of this month, and since then the number of deaths has continually risen. Many of the Saints were taken ill, but by the ordinances all were restored, except for a few, to whom it was not possible to administer, because of the enmity of the doctors and neighbors. We shall give more in the next issue.

MISCELLANEOUS.

RANDOM SAYINGS.—"I'm tired to death." You have said that many times before, and yet you are still alive, and in good health as well.—"I didn't sleep a wink all night." And yet your friend heard you snoring many times.—"I wouldn't do that for the world." And yet you did many worse things for a penny.—"I was up to my knees in mud." And yet you knew perfectly well that you were not even up to your shoes.

MARI LWYD.—In the Hermon chapel, Nantyglo, lately, after some Reverend had finished his sermon, he said that he had a very useful booklet for sale, which he had been meditating upon for three years, and which gives the History of the Beginning of Mari Lwyd. What will we have next?

EFFECTIVE PREACHER.—There is a traveling preacher in Merthyr that is very popular with every denomination; he rebukes everyone sharply and effectively; and he causes all to listen attentively for their lives. The reverends of the place have done their best, and the Saints even better, but this one goes beyond them all; he sobers the drunkard, he rebukes the sinner, he brings the prodigal home, and he fills the chapels with more long and twisted faces than ever before. This is all effected by the Rev. Asiatic Cholera!

ADVICE.—In your conversation, take care of what you say, to whom you say it, how you say it, and when you say it; whatever you say, tell the truth; and when you speak, speak wisely; the fools' hearts are their tongues, but the tongues of the wise are their hearts.

WISE COMMENT.—The miser's rebuke of wastefulness, the atheist's rebuke of idolatry, the oppressor's rebuke of rebellion, the liar's rebuke of theft, or the drunkard's rebuke of intemperance, are no different from sin's rebuke of wickedness. SATAN AND SAINT. When you are called "Satan," By children of some godly religion, Consider that to a "Saint" Better than a hundred compliments.

JOHN DAVIS, PRINTER, MERTHYR TYDFIL