Duties of the Saints after Baptism

“THE officials should have a sufficient time to explain to them their church duties as much as possible, previous to their being confirmed by the laying on of the hands of the elders [wherever there is a church; otherwise, they may be confirmed in the place they are baptized] and before their partaking of the sacrament. The members should manifest, through their faith and their works, together with their godly walk in the presence of all, and their pious behavior before God, that they are worthy of a place within his church, and a share of its privileges.”—Doc. and the Cov.

Dear Saints, remember “that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation, but with the precious blood of Christ.” Remember that you are a mirror to the world, and that even the other professors of religion who defend their systems at the expense of people’s failings, are ready to condemn the gospel believed by us all because of the smallest blemish they see in any of us. We remember that the whole world, its flesh, and its lusts, and its passions, and all the principalities and authorities of the kingdom of darkness are against us; therefore, put on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to withstand all the fiery darts of perdition. When you are persecuted and falsely accused, in your patience take hold of your souls, trusting in the justice of him who said, “Vengeance is mine.” Although the love of Christ persuades us to testify to others of the assurance we have, the blessings we enjoy, and persuades us to invite them to obey the gospel, yet we must endeavor to do this in wisdom, clarity, soberness, and discretion, lest they not understand, and lest you cause them evil instead of convincing them. Above all we counsel that every counsel and attraction to them derive out of love for them.

We are persuaded before this to believe that the Saints have brought persecution on themselves at times unwittingly, by testifying to the world about which gifts they and others have received, &c. How much better is that for those who do not believe the emphatic words of Jesus Christ, when he said, “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved;” “And these signs shall follow them that believe,” &c, than it would be to “cast pearls before swine.” What else can be expected than for them to “turn again and rend you?” Let everyone seek after every other gift, wisdom, and with all his strength let him try to understand, so that he may properly use the other things.

We counsel all the Saints, especially the new in the faith, (rather than argue or act stubbornly with the perverse ones of the world, that try to provoke your spirit, so that you transgress, and they have cause against you, or with those who blow the old baseless stories in your faces), to associate at every opportunity with those who are strong in the faith, those who have received and who walk in the light and comfort of the Holy Ghost, so that you may increase daily in the most holy faith. Remember that evil conversations corrupt good morals; and since no one stands except through the strength of God, watch that you not go into trials by meeting with temptations, and thus grieve the Holy Spirit of God. We counsel the Saints to be very careful that the mote they see in another not be a thorn in their hearts, establishing itself there as a root of bitterness, and festering to the point of poisoning their freshness, and cooling their initial love. The best treatment against this is, not to spread it throughout the district, or to utter a word about anyone before going to the one who caused offense, and in love reproving him; and, that is usually the end of the obstacle, especially if one possesses that Spirit that hides a multitude of sins, instead of that accusing and harmful Spirit that reveals other faults. Avoid that as you would a viper! The world expects, and not without reason, for the Saints who profess such a valuable, heavenly, and incredible testimony to make a different stand in all good causes, and God expects them to live more godly lives than anyone else under the sun. We do not doubt that they are doing so already; yet, it is useless to deny that there is room for improvement in the best of us.

“Every member having children is to bring them to the elders before the church, who are to lay their hands upon them in the name of Jesus Christ, and bless them in his name.” “No one can be received into the church of Christ unless he has arrived unto the years of accountability, i.e., he can distinguish between right and wrong, and is capable of repentance.”

Wisdom Is Power

THE truth of this is proved in many ways, times, and countries. It is admitted that the wise have superiority over the unwise. Well, follow that reasoning to its extremes, and the power and worth of wisdom will be seen. The power of men to reach the objects of their affection is proportionate to their understanding of such; and the extent to which the patriot understands the situation of his country, and the craftsman his craft, is proportionate to the wisdom each possesses that his power and his strength (in the proper use of them) will be of benefit; so says the wisest of men, “Righteousness exalteth a nation;” and wisdom contains righteousness, and this is power!

It is obvious that there are two kinds of wisdom; for in their turn many have possessed great power, even over empires, and yet have not been righteous. These two kinds are often at odds with each other, namely the wisdom of men as opposed to the wisdom of God, and the wisdom of this world as opposed to the wisdom that is on high, which is noble, and easily dealt with. It is said that God has made the wisdom of this world foolishness, and that the foolishness of God is wiser than men. The cause for this was, because the ways of God are different from the ways of men; and the more that men possess of that which they call wisdom, the more they oppose the manner in which the wise God carries his work forward. They are often jealous because the wisdom of God has chosen the foolish things of the world (or those who are considered such), to confound the wise, or those who are considered such. The extent of this difference compared to the extent that man has become estranged from the “only wise God,” and the opposition of man’s wisdom to God’s wisdom, proves the extremes of his own corruption, his foolishness, and, as a result, his inability to oppose the work and the servants of God. It is obvious that because of their pious wisdom the “children of wisdom” understood how to overcome their more foolish enemies; for example, Joseph was the wisest man in Egypt; Moses was wiser than the astronomers of Egypt; David was wiser than all the servants of Saul; Solomon was the wisest man in his day; Daniel was wiser than all the wise men of Babylon; the Apostles in their wisdom (as their leader ensnared the doctors while still a child) trapped the rabbis and the chief wise men of the world, only because of their wisdom, and the extent to which their wisdom reached; and in every circumstance, to that extent would be their strength, or their power to fulfill their own purposes through wisdom, even though the others envied them, persecuted them, and killed them, and thereby proved through facts, their own foolishness, and the wisdom of the sufferers, which proves that righteousness contains wisdom, and that because of their wisdom the wise would suffer, foreseeing righteousness follow in the scales of their righteous and wise Father. Thus wisdom is justified by her children in every age and country; foolishness is jealousy, stemming from an evil root, and its fruit is hatred, persecution, vengeance, &c. Here is the “shew of wisdom in will worship [that is in their own mind], and humility [apparent], and neglecting of the body,” that Paul mentions: this is not the right kind of wisdom. But James shows clearly the difference between them,— “Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom.” Not calling their fellowmen deceivers, false prophets, and satanists, &c, without offering one proof of that, as if saying it were enough, for thus do the foolish. “But if ye have bitter envying and strife [even] in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth [as I foresee the foolish mockers of the latter days doing]. This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish, for where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.” What wisdom can be there! “But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.” Having shown as much as this concerning the difference between the two wisdoms, namely the godly and the human, the source and inclination of each one can be seen, as well as their drawing toward the original source; for the stream imitates its source to the extent that it is raised; thus, to the extent the children of God increase in wisdom they imitate their Father in power. The unsearchable wisdom of God has taught him how to create the countless thousands of worlds, and that is his omnipotence to rule over them; he understands the laws that govern the elementary life; because of this he commands them to go, come, or mix together, as he wishes; and thus it was, is, and will be. This is proven if one reads Jer. x, 12, 13; Psalm cxxxvi, 5, 6; and to the extent he imparts this wisdom to others, the elements will obey them as well, as Paul proves to anyone who believes his account, see Heb. xi. Joshua and others knew this very well; and thus did the sun and the moon come to understand soon, and the secret of all power is faith, for there can be no faith with a foundation for it, which is wisdom or understanding with respect to such things; and how do they understand except someone teach them. Who could teach them except him who understood, namely God? How did he teach them except through revelation? Well, here again, the foolishness of the mockers of revelation is seen, for they do not want wisdom from its source through its own godly pipes; and the result is, “the world by wisdom knew not God,” and they do not wish to, because foolishness (they say) is the way to know him. Thus it is seen that no one who denies revelations from God “knows” him; and not knowing God is to be deprived of eternal life; for “this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God.” But Paul prayed for the complete opposite of all the orthodoxy of the 19th century, for the Ephesians; he prayed “That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and REVELATION in the KNOWLEDGE OF HIM. “ If it is admitted that the wisdom of God is beyond that of everyone else (which is not to dare to deny even a word of it, we suppose), that is to admit that “those who understand the most about his mystery imitate him most closely in wisdom;” and thus, those who associate with him most, understand most about his purposes. Here also is seen the foolishness of the wise men of this world glorying in their understanding of God, glorying also that through their strangeness to him they found him out! The great difference that has been, and continues to be between the wisdom of God and the wisdom of men is that the one is taught by the head scholar himself, through revelations, and the other by men, who were taught by other men, who all deny the necessity of a direct lesson, mocking, hating, and persecuting those who were thus taught, accusing them of being fools, &c. Thus has it been practically from the beginning. When God accepted Abel’s offering, was that not a revelation from God to him? Doubtless Cain believed the revelations his father Adam received, and he did not accept additional revelation; and thus out of jealousy he killed his brother because of it. Noah was the wisest man on the earth in his day, and the way he proved that was through receiving the ability to save himself and his family; he received that wisdom in purity from its source, and yet who of his contemporaries believed him; it is likely they believed all those the earlier ones received, but it was foolishness to have more, because they were not necessary. Abraham also came, professing that he knew something about God and his mysteries through experiences; but who would believe him? What, say the wise men, some wandering stranger like that possessing wisdom! and bringing some new religion into our midst: with respect to the revelations Adam, Abel, Enoch, and Noah received, there is no doubt, but as for this foolish Abraham, claiming to have received new revelations, it is foolishness, say all the wise men. What! say the zealous, the man says that he has seen God on the plain of Mamre! that he has seen angels, and those were eating and drinking!! O such impudence, away with such a deceiver from our country with his revelations.

Notice Moses also coming in haste from God himself with new and wondrous revelations, destroying their enemies with judgments; despite that it was the wise men of Egypt who opposed him most, as did Cain with Abel, the Magi and the wise men with Abraham, because they could not savor the new revelations from heaven. The priests of Egypt and Canaan admitted the truthfulness of those who had gone before according to what they saw, yet the old cloak of darkness, namely the hypocrisy and hotheadedness of former times, covered them, until they all sank back into the sea, before they would admit the truth of the revelations of their contemporaries. How could they receive much wisdom, then? The same thing is seen through the history of the children of Israel; namely, that the smaller and older the revelations, the more that human wisdom increased (of necessity at the expense of wisdom from above), until they stoned practically everyone who uttered new revelation because he would be certain to reveal the foolishness and deceit of the wise men. When that “just” one himself came from God, who was without sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth, all the “wise men” of the nation were found racing to whitewash and confer dignity on the graves of the prophets of old, and believing, reading, and explaining very wisely, the revelations they had received; and in the next breath they condemned unsparingly the message of God to them from the mouth of his dear Son, and they shouted, away with such a man from the country; he has a devil, &c. Later on, the apostles’ testimony of Christ was believed, and thus they received “ P O W E R to be sons of God,” namely wisdom as to how to be, but who of their contemporaries believed that the Apostles received revelations, visions, &c. Was it not for that profession that their followers were killed by those who professed to believe the revelations the apostles received, and from then until now woe to anyone who dares to come with a message from God saying that he has had a revelation; the profession of that is considered worthy of the verdict of deceiver immediately. We remember the saying of Jesus Christ, “I am come in my Father’s name, and ye [wise men] try to kill me; if another shall come in his own name [in the name of some college or party], him ye will receive.” The wisdom of this age uses exactly the same language and behavior against the “Book of Mormon,” and the revelations of God to his children: those who profess the most college, pulpit, and authority wisdom, those who are most zealous over every word of the old revelations and the prophecies the former prophets and even the apostles received, are the ones who said, “Beware lest ye be deceived by this people; they claim to have revelations, visions, &c, as did the former Saints! O! such deceit and impudence! (they say). Away with such deceivers from the country, &c.” What is this but “filling up the measure of their fathers,” proving the truth of the religion that was opposed similarly by those in every age and country, and proving that which was said, namely that mockers would come in the last days, “having a form of (professing) godliness, but denying the power thereof,” namely its strength, its godly wisdom, the spiritual gifts, and the priesthood, through which he was Christ, the power of God, and the wisdom of God, to those that were called; and thus they spoke the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which, says Paul, “none of the princes of this world knew; but God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit, for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.” Again he says, “The things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.” Here again is seen the foolishness of those who are sufficiently wise and want no further revelations through the Spirit of God. How is anything received from the Spirit of God without that being a revelation? Also seen is the foolishness of professing one kind of revelation, and denying another kind, such as the gifts, or the ministering of angels. O the weakness of human wisdom! What foundation do men have for wisdom? Nothing better, according to their admission, than the history of the wisdom of others; and the power cannot be in the history, rather in the enjoyment of it, to the extent that the Spirit teaches the wisdom of anyone who has it. Through this they speak the “word of wisdom;” not with the words learned from human wisdom, rather those that are learned from the Holy Ghost. While the words of the one were like sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal, the words of the others were the power and strength of God, and that because of their connection with God.

The great mystery and power of wisdom from on high are made manifest through their good behavior, their suffering, and the fact that in every age and country, from Adam to 1847, they have received wisdom from its source, and knowledge of things past, present, and future, through the gifts of the Spirit, wisdom, and revelation, like Paul, and through the Comforter that Jesus Christ promised, which no one, not even the princes of this world, can receive, or com-preehend, rather they judge it as foolishness; but to as many as have received it, he has given them power to be sons of God; and if children, they are heirs of that same wisdom and strength that closed the mouths of the lions, that suppressed the heat of the fire; others wandered in sheepskins, and put to flight the armies of their enemies, and they were harder than the edge of the sword, stronger than the spirits of darkness, or the shields of kings, yes, than anything that opposed them. Through the proper use of this wisdom they were enabled not only to sacrifice their lives joyfully, to prove the goodness of the word of God, and the strengths of the world hereafter, to come to mount Zion, the city of the living God, to myriads of angels, to the church of the first born, to God the Judge of all, and to Jesus, the Mediator of the New Testament, and the blood of the sprinkling, which speaks things better than the things of Abel; but they will be enabled also to receive the adoption, namely the redemption of the body, and to gain entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ; yes, further still, their power will increase in proportion to the increase of their wisdom, until they all become one, having drunk from the fountain until they are swimming eternally in the middle of the sea of wisdom and power like the Father and the Son, which is proved by Christ himself: “The works that I do, he that believeth on me, shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do;” yes, greater than creating and perfecting this small earth. According to their wisdom was their power.

Intellectual Power of Man

THE human mind is such that it can gradually be enlarged, and widened until it encompasses not only the globe and its fulness, but also in a second it can be shot to the heights of the firmament. It wanders in the midst of strange worlds, the planets, and their countless moons, like the swallow through the rarified air. It brings the frozen poles to the same place, the sun from its sphere to the palm of its hand, and the moon beneath its feet; and it penetrates through the depths of space like a shooting star, and back on its throne practically before it is known it was gone. It discerns the wretchedness of the wretches of the whole wretched world; then it jumps up through the abyss to the firmament above, and under the veil of darkness it gazes cheerfully at the ages to come. It smiles in the company of countless angels, and contemplates the wretchedness of its contemporaries, and the next minute it is seen carefully scrutinizing the substance of the unorganized chaos before moving from the self-impelled mass on the face of the void; yes, before anyone but the watchman of the morning council awakes; and again in a second, there it is on a white horse, with a golden crown on its head, on a calm sea as if made of glass, a numberless throng with it in glory, yes, having placed this football in the midst of its sisters who are crystalized to run their orbits perfectly around their centre of attraction, namely the great “Kolob” itself! Yes, what can it not do! A man who does not know himself is someone who says that his mind cannot contain such things. O man, thy mind is almighty to the extent that thou puttest it into smooth operation. Once free from the iron shackles of false tradition, lifted from the ashes of the heresies of the country, to fresh air, to breathe, like the Phoenix of old; to socialize with intelligent beings, it can reach forward, again and again from truth to truth, and clutch the void like the morning light. It understands past mysteries, and unlocks the eternal doors to peer through the mist of future millennia, until it portrays before it all the vast creations of its Father, and it drinks deeply from the unsearchable treasures of wisdom with eternal increase.

As the stag thirsts for flowing waters, so does the mind of the wise for wisdom; and whoever gets it, like the grave for its prey, he shouts louder and louder, “Give, give,” forever, after he grasps the key of wisdom and understanding, namely the Spirit of prophecy, the Spirit of revelation, the Spirit of light, namely the Spirit of God.

Review of the Press

Now off the Press, by CAPT. JONES, price a Shilling, and it can be obtained with the Prophet inexpensively, HISTORY OF THE LATTER-DAY SAINTS, from their Establishment in 1823, until Three Hundred Thousand of them were exiled from America in the year 1846.

HISTORICAL accuracy is the chief motto of the author in this book, and in addition to the advantages that he had of being an eyewitness to many of the scenes he describes, he has spared neither cost nor trouble to search for reliable testimonies, such as those given under oath in courts, and which were made public to the world for the most part, and which stand irrefutable to this day, and which the author keeps carefully in his library for the satisfaction of the doubter who asks to see them.

The author did not know of a better way to disabuse his fellow countrymen than by presenting them this history of the holy religion that is falsely portrayed so much throughout our country. It is well for the reader to secure a copy soon, for through a misunderstanding on the part of the printer, fewer than half of what we expected were printed. We quote to the Prophet the two following segments, so the reader may better understand something of the nature and quality of the book:

Character of Joseph Smith

THERE are hundreds of thousands in the four corners of the world who know that Joseph Smith was the godliest man on the face of the earth, yes, who know this, we say, beyond dispute, apart from the countless millions who must yet confess this; and fearlessly we dare anyone in Wales, or in the world, to prove to the contrary. Let those unacquainted with him think what they will of our testimony, that matters nothing to us; we are answerable to God and men only for what we say, and we say only what we know.

This is also proven through the great work, and the wonderful preparations he made for the restoration of pure religion, and the gathering of the remnant of Israel according to God’s covenant with Abraham and others. In what country or age, we ask, was such a revolution in the religious world created, was the cause of Zion furthered, and was the world flooded with such heavenly light, as Joseph Smith brought about in less than twenty years, from the time the angel first appeared to him? Yes, let it be remembered that he was an uneducated young lad, a husbander of animals in the woods, barely seventeen years old,—as the willow on the river bank withstands the fury of the waves of the flood tide, this lad faced and conquered all the human wisdom, popularity, wealth, and obstinacy, of a perverse and adulterous nation, yes, and this without any ability, experience, wealth, or influence on his side, or anything but divine power, incontrovertible truths, self-evident facts, and divine revelations containing so much light, and so much of the Spirit of God in them, that they could not be resisted from the lips of his servants; but which shoot their beams of heavenly light and divine love into every honest heart that receives them, and reflect like the brilliant rays of the sun off a glorious mirror, and animate, adorn, and glorify, the one who possesses them.

Despite the best efforts of the enemies of truth to blacken the character, and stain the memory of Mr. Smith, the columns of our history are as unsullied by them as the white snow; and in order to adorn the picture of his life and death more gloriously still, he fearlessly and bravely took the brush in his own hand, and painted a border around it of scarlet, that is, with his own blood! Worthy of such adornments is only he whom God made a monument for the nineteenth century of the perfection of his power through a poor instrument such as Joseph Smith! He came out of the middle of about fifty furnaces heated for him by persecutors, before courts of law, on charges of some crime or other, ten times hotter than for others; and of them all God saved him, like those three young men, without singeing a hair on his head (that is, his character), nor the smell of fire on his clothing. His enemies will have a poor excuse when they stand before the Lord God of Joseph Smith, and their Judge, for shedding innocent blood. At that time they will have to confess the truth in public, which is that it was out of jealousy for his godliness, and envy for his greatness and incomparable glory, that they killed him. No doubt it was fear of Joseph Smith’s sincere righteousness, and alarm at their own merits, among other things, that incited them to martyr him.

Because of his gentleness and his guilelessness in judging everyone to be as honest as he, some cunning and selfish men slipped in among Joseph Smith’s friends, who, in his greatest trouble, behaved toward him like that serpent which some man found on the road almost dead from cold, and warmed in his bosom until it revitalized, and the way it repaid his tenderness was to bite him to his heart. So they could not stand in the midst of the wheat before his powerful fan, when he blew transgressors from his presence like chaff before a rushing whirlwind. No doubt false brethren, or rather let them be known by their proper name, which is “apostates,” greatly influenced others to deprive him of his life. They had seen his greatness, and they, like Delilah with Samson, knew of his weaknesses too. Yet their victory over him is a disgrace to the state and the nation, and has done them eternal harm. They cannot outgrow it; they cannot outlive it; and they cannot undo it, wash it away, or outdie it either. The verdict has been inscribed with a gold pen on the hearts of millions against them, from the one who conformed to the one who shot the fatal balls in Carthage jail; and in every bosom where dwell honesty, humanity, love of life, or freedom and happiness, thence also will righteous “anathemas” be breathed against the “Carthage butchery.” The vengeance and wrath of a just God and good men will dog the steps of all the guilty ones and their supporters with terrors, as Milton describes the entrance gates of the Gehenna itself,—

“—grating harsh thunder.”

Our Lord said, “It is impossible but that offenses will come: but woe unto him, through whom they come!” According to the way that the whole Christian world, as well as ourselves, professes to tread, which is the holy volume, it is seen that it is in keeping with our God’s gracious custom to send prophets to the world in every age when he had particular work to be done; and more clearly still he says explicitly through his servant, “the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.” The same accurate mirror also shows that they all received the same cruel treatment, from Abel to the last mentioned, yes even his own dear Son, as the cruel treatment received by these their last brethren in Carthage, and all their lives. And it is no less strange than true either, that the nation which professed most zeal without knowledge, most illusion of godliness while denying its power, and most college and pulpit wisdom and human devotions instead of divine ordinances, were, and are, those who have the loudest voices, the greatest application, and the sharpest spears and swords to shed the blood of the divine envoys [i.e. that nation]. This is why the pagan nations will belong to the Lord in the days of his strength, namely because they will not be guilty of shedding the blood of prophets as is “this enlightened age,” and the other “enlightened age.” Their “conscientiousness” does not do this for God as they imagine, rather it tightens their bonds, and increases their sentence, because they should have looked into the thing before condemning it, or opposing it! But on to the story.

JOSEPH SMITH had foreseen that his end was at hand, and in preparation for this he had been for about four months almost daily (before the beginning, or any signs, of the last disturbance) teaching the apostles, in their councils, about the mysteries of the kingdom of God, and the manner and means to carry on the work after his departure; and, having finished giving them their endowment, he said clearly, “The kingdom of God now rests on your shoulders; take heart to spread it all over the world; it no longer matters what becomes of me, or how soon I may go to rest, &c.” He publicly informed about 15,000 people so clearly that everyone understood that he was shortly to leave them. He said that he would not live to see the temple completed, but that he had presented the essential keys for giving the endowment, and everything else to the apostles. A few weeks before the beginning of this disturbance, all the apostles but two, Willard Richards and John Taylor, went according to his advice, to preach throughout the eastern states, “for,” said he, “your lives are not safe in Nauvoo, or in these parts;” and that is where they were when he was killed. They returned to Nauvoo as soon as they heard; and on the 8th of August an assembly was held in Nauvoo to organize things for the future, and to bring into effect the measures arranged through Joseph Smith; but primarily for the apostles to stand in their proper place at the head of the church on earth, in the absence of their former leaders. There were between twelve and fifteen thousand Saints gathered there, and arranged in districts according to their offices. Brigham Young, Orson Hyde, P. P. Pratt, and others addressed the crowd warmly and effectively, so that everyone perceived that the mantle of the exception manifested their approval of the apostles as leaders of the church by raising their right hand.

Address of Governor Ford to the People of the State of Illinois.

“I DESIRE to give a brief but true description of the disgraceful affair which took place in Carthage, in regard to the Smiths, as far as my knowledge extends. The Smiths, Joseph and Hyrum, have been assassinated in jail; I do not know by whom, but I will know. [He could not have forgotten the names of those who threatened that to his face!] I had pledged myself that they would receive protection, and on that basis they surrendered as prisoners. The Mormons surrendered all the arms in their possession, and the Nauvoo Legion submitted to the command of Capt. Singleton of Brown County, willingly and obediently. And I had sent him there for that purpose. The rioters required all this to prove that the Mormons were peaceably disposed; but it appears that every obedience and submission on the part of the Mormons proved ineffective in bringing them [the rioters] to peace. It was not I alone that gave the pledge of security to the Smiths, but my officers and men assured me that they would assist me in protecting them. [So much the worse then was their crime and their treachery, and he should have known better from their previous “honor” than to entrust men’s lives to their bloody hands.] If this deed was committed by these people [we answer that it was, and how did he not know?], they have added treachery to murder, and have done all they could to disgrace the state, and sully the public ‘honor.’ [! ! Whose “public honor,” I wonder? Where was it hiding before? Was it in the bosoms of the murderers?] On the morning of the day the deed was committed, we had proposed to march the entire army to Nauvoo; but I discovered clearly that the army would not be satisfied with less than the utter destruction of the city [and still leaving the prisoners in their hands after discovering that much!]; and that once we arrived there, pretexts would not be wanting for commencing hostilities. The Mormons had already complied with everything required of them, and had submitted to more than should have been asked of them. An attack on our part against them in the present season, with the harvest on our hands, would be as impolitic as it was disgraceful [and so, having killed the two best, it appears that the thanks of the other thousands for their lives were not due to him, but to the harvest which called them!]; and because of this [that is the ‘harvest,’ and not because of justice, and the desire to prevent the shedding of more innocent blood], we decided in a council [of traitors] to disband the army [so that they could be more free, and less responsible for the murder], except three companies; two of which were promised to guard the jail [only 70 in all], and with the other I went to Nauvoo to address those people [he did, poor things, and he was a worse comforter than Job’s too], and to tell them what they might expect in case they designedly provoked a disturbance [yes, he threatened that their houses would be in ashes, and that their wives and children would be burned in the bonfire, and that he could not defend them!! but he would not, is what he meant]. I think I performed this duty keenly and fully [says he; yes, in a way that no one since the days of Nero, except his partner Clark from Missouri, has done]; and having returned about 3 miles towards Carthage, I met a messenger from there who informed me of what had taken place there. I hastened on to that place. I am told that the guards did their duty [but it was proved to him later that there was a clear understanding between them, and that the guards had written a letter to the other rioters, telling them the best time to fire, and of course that they would empty their barrels into the air above their heads! The letter came to hand later]; but that the majority were overpowered [if so, how was not even one from either side wounded?]. Many families had fled from Carthage, and others were preparing to follow them; and as I considered there was danger of the Mormons wreaking vengeance, I supported this. Gen. Demming volunteered to remain here with a small number of soldiers, to defend property from damage as far as he could. I decided to proceed to Quincy, to prepare a force sufficient to suppress disorder. I have hopes that the Mormons will not start, or cause any disturbance. But I may be disappointed in this [if he had been, it would have been the first time for them to disappoint him]. I fear the opposition will not be satisfied. They may recommence their atrocities. I am determined to preserve the peace as far as I can, whatever the consequences. I think I have sufficient pretext to summon up an army, to be ready at my disposal at a moment’s warning. Establishing myself at Quincy will enable me to get all news with greater celerity.

“THOMAS FORD,

“Governor, and Commander-in Chief.”

How Can the Husband Make the Wife Good, Whatever She Be?

MUCH is blamed on the wives, poor things, that they are ill-tempered, unloving, or disobedient, when, on the other hand, if the husband could see how unreasonable it is for him to expect perfect obedience from his wife in her present imperfect situation, or until he himself learns to give perfect obedience to his head, namely Christ, half the argument would be over. He like her should learn obedience before being fit to govern. Having learned this lesson, namely obedience, his wife will have no need to say afterwards that he is an oppressor, for he will love her as Christ loved the church, and with an alluring and loving spirit he enlivens the warmest feelings of her nature towards him, and he will overcome her with gentleness until she will take care not to grieve him. From this principle of love that he nurtured in her towards him spring all the obedience and virtue that a reasonable man expects from his wife. A wife is an intelligent and sociable being, who was created to be a suitable helpmeet to her husband; not to govern over him, nor to be scorned by him, rather to comfort him in his sorrow, to minister to him in his need, and to love him and respect him as her head. The wife cannot bring happiness to her husband except to the extent that she achieves her own happiness, and one who is so sensitive, with a heart so tender, with her sights so decidedly set on the affections of her husband, as is the nature of a virtuous wife, cannot be happy when she feels herself in captivity under the oppression of a man who is unworthy of her.

All must feel a degree of freedom before they can be happy. The yoke of Christ is easy, and his burden light. The reason for that is, because he governs through love for our benefit, without asking for our obedience in anything except in that which will make us happy. In a word, Jesus obeys his Father because he loves him; the husband obeys Jesus because he loves him; and every wife should love her husband until she obeys him with pleasure and willingness. Love begets love; for example, Christ loved his Father because his father first loved him; we love him for he first loved us; so should the husband, through his tenderness, his compassion, his nobleness, and his goodness, draw the warmest affections of his wife to the same image and spirit; and then she would not consider it captivity to serve him cheerfully in every way she can. After he creates in her trust in him as her wise and philanthropic head, she will love him and repose on him, as does he on his head, namely Christ, willingly.

It is evident, if this principle, namely loving persuasion, were a governing element, understanding, wisdom, goodness, love, happiness, proper order, and perfect obedience, yes, life in a world of bliss, would flow; from the life-giving fountain blessed virtue would run through every branch of every human family, until every link in the great chain is found, from the highest throne in the heavens to the poorest family of love on the earth, willingly joined as one. Behold a happy family.

What husband is so unfeeling as he who does not sympathize with forebear-ance with the weaknesses and failings of the friend of his bosom! Every man should remember that he took his wife in the beginning “for better and for worse.” That is an admission that she is not infallible, and why is the husband so disappointed when he finds this to be true? You husbands, do not be so many masters, but rather, master in this way as much as you wish, namely through love, and the more the better.

There is much reproof and blame placed on poor old mother Eve, because she was the first to transgress, and Adam followed her. But for my part I cannot place so much blame on our old mother, for I consider that she is the least to blame of all the women of her age who came after her. And as for old father Adam, he was not much better. He dined with his wife in a way that proves his respect for her taste in her family preparations. When it was learned that she had partaken of the fruit of the forbidden tree, he behaved in a manly and patient manner with respect to her transgression without malice or anger toward her. Neither the one nor the other was half as blameworthy as the best of us in this age. They lived together, they transgressed together, they were exiled together, and they died together, and they will rise together, and they will yet reign together. Undoubtedly the eternal God will bless the white-haired Ancient of Days, because he did not become angry with his wife or reject her because he found in her a small fault.

We end for now by offering an infallible way to prevent quarrelling! Let both covenant when they are in a good mood that the one who blows his top have time to cool down from it before the other answers one word back. Thus will the words of Solomon be verified, namely, that “a soft answer turneth away wrath, but grievous words stir up anger.” Patience, patience, above all else try patience. Think twice before saying an agitated word and you will be happy.

America and Mexico

THESE continue to battle bloodily, according to accounts we receive. The New York Herald says that the Americans have won eighteen notable battles during the past year, and in each one many precious lives were lost. It is mentioned that Mr. Bankhead, the British envoy there, is trying to make conditions of peace between the parties. Success to him at length.

Mormon Settlement in California

THE St. Louis Union, of the fourth day of May, informs us that following the trek of the Mormon Batallion to California, a newspaper is being published by them in Yerba Buena, in which the principles of the Latter-day Saints are explained. The success of this army shows considerable bravery, devotion, and great capability, in their leader and president, to be able to overcome such great obstacles as those that were in their path. The distance from Santa Fe is over 1100 miles, through rocky mountains, and through tangled wilderness, where they could not obtain water or food for man or beast. Furthermore, most of the army were foot soldiers.

The chief camp of the Mormons who were exiled is near Council Bluffs. They suffered much from want of food and comfort without doubt during the hard winter they went through, but they will be happy to hear of the safe landing of their brethren in California and that will encourage the rest to follow them.

The foregoing is delightful news, and we are glad to hear that the public acknowledges the incomparable bravery and capability of the Saints, who, although under the greatest disadvantages, have traveled almost miraculously from one end of the continent to the other, over rough mountains, in the midst of wild beasts and dangerous savages, through or over bridgeless rivers, and have established a successful settlement through it all, and better still we hear that they consider Mormonism not only worth taking with them through everything, but also worth proclaiming to that new world so soon, and also so zealously. When there are famine, wars, and death, in so many ways feasting upon men, there is no doubt but what the Lord looks after his covenant people, keeping them safe from their enemies, feeding them with “quail,” and opening his hand to quench their thirst miraculously as in the days of old. We pray that he will continue thus until they who are on the way, and all his children of the whole world, have reached the end of their journey.

Saints in the States

APOSTLE Orson Hyde, writes from New York, where he arrived on the 6th of April, that one large camp of Saints were about to leave from there after their brethren towards California the following Tuesday, and that hosts of others throughout the eastern states are preparing to follow them. He thinks that if about a hundred zealous and faithful preachers could go through that country now, that the resistance is so great, and the prophecies of the Saints are being fulfilled in such obvious ways, and all the signs of the times have caused the people to open their eyes, that thousands would soon embrace this gospel. The news from the camp was good, and everyone was healthy.

Apostles Pratt and Taylor

THESE two brethren reached New Orleans, Tuesday the 10th, after a more pleasant voyage than they had ever had. It took them only 30 days from England to there; and there were no crosswinds, nor any cause to take in one sail except for one time, for a few hours. They went past all the ships they saw, and some who started from two to three weeks before them arrived there after they did. We do not have space for this lengthy, comforting, and informative letter in our small columns, yet we give a brief quote to satisfy our readers. After giving his excuse why he did not publish his farewell to the Saints, namely his great haste in getting underway, and enlarging on the purpose and results of their mission through Britain, the pleasure he had, and the hope he has, &c., he says in one place (which will show the Welsh that he has not forgotten them),— “Elder P. P. Pratt and myself journeyed together to visit most of the churches all over Britain, and we left them all in a prosperous state, and obeying our teachings. In the leading Conferences, such as Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham, Sheffield, and Glasgow, they were exceedingly prosperous; nor were they less zealous, industrious, and loving, in most of the smaller ones. I visited London and Edinburgh myself, and left them doing well. I also visited Wales, and was very much pleased with the delightful situation of things there. I found the Welsh church in a most flourishing condition. Elder Jones is publishing a monthly paper, which circulates quite extensively for its beginning; and he has also published many thousands of tracts, and circulated them throughout the length and breadth of his native land. He has taken a very wise and judicious course, and in his publication he ought to be encouraged and assisted. In speaking of him and the good done by the American elders, I would not forget the English and the Scotch, for I have found many of them desirous to do all they can to propagate the truth, and to build up Zion, and who will yet shine bright in the kingdom of God.”

More of the interesting counsels of this brother will appear in the next Issue of the Prophet.

Gospel of the Angel

Tune—”Eliseus.”

WHAT was seen in the heavens?

An angel flying down.

Did he have something to bring?

Yes—the gospel of great Jesus.

That is to be preached

To every nation, kindred, and tongue—

To all the people on the seas,

And on the face of the great earth.

Did we not have a gospel?

Yes—nearly as many as the grains of sand.

Well, what is the new gospel?

The old gospel that existed before.

Here is the one that Peter preached,

Here is the one Paul preached;

Here is the one we also preach,

In authority after them.

Where was this gospel for so long?

In its “forsaken state.”

What became of those who did not have it?

God is a righteous judge.

One seeks not a crop where nothing was sown,

Nor the light of day where there is night:

Now light shines forth—

Let no one see wrongly.

J. D.

Capt. Jones on Mormonism, in 1846,

Containing

The first volume of Prophet of the Jubilee; the Old Religion Anew, the Reply; the Scales; the Defense; and the Millennium; and Proclamation of the Twelve Apostles; bound in one handsome volume, 12fold. Price Three Shillings.

It is better to secure a copy right away, for not one of the aforementioned can be obtained anywhere except in the Volume, without the Volume of the Prophet, for they are out of print, and we do not intend to reprint them any time soon.

Glamorgan Conference

THIS Conference will be held at the Cymreigyddion Hall, (White Lion,) Merthyr, Sunday, July 11th.

The Anniversary of the Missionary Society will be held the following day, namely Monday the 12th. Tickets can be obtained for a shilling each from the presidents of all the branches, and others, and we earnestly plead for all the wellwishers of this beneficient society to do their best for it, hoping that the dear sisters will not be one whit behind in their zeal, their efforts, and their previous faithfulness.

N.B. The feast will be on the table by half past two o’clock in the afternoon, and lectures will be delivered in the evening.