Tenets of Baptism

“ONLY those who humble themselves before God with a broken heart, and with a contrite spirit, bringing satisfactory evidence to the church that they are truly repentant of all their sins, and are willing to take upon them the name of Jesus Christ, having a determination to serve him to the end, are worthy of being baptized into the church of Jesus Christ.”—Doc. and the Cov.

The elders and the priests should be very careful not to administer this important ordinance, or any other, to any who are unworthy. It is all too true that there are men who are so presumptuous and hypocritical, even in the land of the bibles, who profess to believe it, yes, so presumptuous as to plot with each other to deceive the servants of God for the sake of mockery and degradation, such as that Methodist in Machynlleth who testified to the preacher that he believed, that he was repentant, and that he was desirous of being baptized; and not until he went into the water, when the presumptuous rascal tried to throw the preacher into the river, threatening to drown him, did he reveal his treachery; and by then the hosts of his ungodly partners, who had hidden themselves in the bushes beforehand, rushed on the preacher threatening to drown him, and not without earnest efforts was he able to escape alive from their clutches, and they following him like bloodhounds. What reasonable creature, not to mention Christian, would not dread to mock a godly ordinance in this manner? Could not the preachers of every denomination be thus deceived? And although we have not the right to prevent anyone who obeys the conditions from getting baptized, yet things such as this, and others we could name, warn us to look more closely for fruits meet for repentance. Others, such as Daniel the Blind, can dissimulate practically with our knowledge, and yet we have no proof of that, and a delay would be much better; for it is much better for them not to be baptized than to come as do some, to spy on our freedom, and to try the use of slander, and so they can falsely portray us; from such defiled lips as these come nearly all the false accusations that flood the Pharisaic articles of our country against us.

We would wish for every officer to remember that the day is coming in which it will be asked what use he made of every talent he received, and if the fruit of his labor is not there to be found, it is in vain, if not worse than in vain. Not according to the number he baptizes, will a man be rewarded; but according to the number he turns to righteousness, and who keep to the paths of righteousness and godliness to the end; these will have entrance into, and will shine like the stars in the eternal resting place of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Zion, Its Location, &c

THIS is the subject of the song of the patriarchs, and the object that absorbed the love of the prophets, and the hope and desire of all the saints through the ages. They took delight in the portrayals of it, and to the extent that they had the spirit of its King, like the skilled swimmer extends his hands to swim, they frolic in the seas of boundless love, the purity, and the unsearchable riches that are stored in her for the time when all her children will come to a suitable age to enjoy her forever. They described the salvation the children of God will have when his judgments come upon the world. Much of the history is written in the holy volume until this day, and is read constantly; and yet, the mention of “building Zion,” “gathering” towards there, and the blessings that are enjoyed in it, is so strange to some extent in this age that it is as if nothing had been portrayed about her. After all that was said about Zion, we do not know of one of all the religions in the world, except for the “Saints,” which is building, gathering to, or which understands anything with respect to its location; and they know nothing better than to mock them and to persecute them because of their belief in, and their efforts to gather together in, Zion, just as they mocked the antediluvian Noah and his family because they made preparations and went into the ark.

That a city by the name of Zion was to be built and adorned magnificently before our Lord comes to his kingdom, has been indicated so clearly by the prophets (that is if one believes them), that it is of no use for us to elaborate now. Let their prophecies testify, together with the fulfillment of them to some extent through the signs of these wondrous times, together with the voices of the servants of God, of the necessity of it in these latter days. But our purpose in that which follows is to show in which part of the earth the prophets foresaw the great Zion of the latter days established.

There was a city by this name in Jerusalem; and so it is understood to which one the prophets refer in that which we quote, it would not be unprofitable to show the difference between the two cities, as well as the different places they will be. Sometimes they called the Zion that was in Jerusalem, “the highest city.” It was separated from Jerusalem by a great wall that surrounded it. Historians say that it was Melchizedek who founded Jerusalem, and afterwards called it Salem. Paul says, Heb. vii, 2, that Melchizedek was the king of Salem; whether he was the one who founded Zion, is not clear; but there was one in existence at least in the time of David; for it is said that he, when he took Jerusalem from the Jebusites, “took the strong hold of Zion: the same is the city of David.” 2 Sam v, 7. We acknowledge that many of the inspired writers refer to this Zion; such as, Isaiah 30, 19,—”For the people shall dwell I N Zion A T Jerusalem.” We ask, if he did not have some other Zion in mind, why did the prophet use the preposition “at?” Was it not to show the difference between that Zion and another Zion that God was preparing as a refuge for his children in the latter days? But, says someone, if they knew about the latter, why did they call that city by that name? We answer, even though the scripture does not explain this, yet we venture to suggest what we think about the subject. The name Zion is of great antiquity, and signifies the pure in heart, or the dwelling place of the pure in heart. Through revelations, we understand that Enoch in his day had built a city of that name, which was taken up from the earth, and perhaps it was to this one that Paul referred in Heb. 12, 22, 23,—”But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels,” &c. To the antediluvian saints most particularly belongs the title of “church of the first-born;” and since they and their city have ascended to heaven, and Paul calls it the “city of God,” why could it not be to this that John refers, Rev. 21,10, where he saw the “great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God?” If it was not to the earth that it came, how could the nations of them which are saved walk in the light of it? “And the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it,” says John, ver. 24–26. It is obvious that it was to the new earth, and not to the restored one, that this city descended; and that it is after, but not before, nor during, the thousand years. Is it, one wonders, where the spirits of them which are saved dwell, to wait for “the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body,” together with the resurrected and transfigured angels? If not so, we do not understand Paul, John, or the prophets.

But to return to the history of the “City of David.” Perhaps Melchizedek, or whoever settled it, when organizing the sections and boundaries of Jerusalem, out of respect to some Zion that existed before that, named the highest city, and this beautiful scene, “mount Zion,” just as cities, many chapels, and persons, to this day are named in memory of, and out of respect to those who have gone before. After David, it was named “the City of David.” We have no doubt but what this Zion will yet be built when Jerusalem is built, but not under the construction, or according to the portrayal of the prophets of Zion of the latter days; rather in connection with Jerusalem. Now is understood the difference between the two cities, and the two countries where the two Zions were and yet will be. Among the host of witnesses we have to prove that it is on the American continent that God commanded his people to build a city of refuge for those of his children who gathered there, we notice, to begin with, that which David says in Psalm 48, 2–3,—”Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole world, is mount Zion, on the sides of the north, the city of the great King.” “For, lo, there the kings were assembled.” Thus it is seen that it does not refer to the first small city, but some great Zion in the sides of the north, where many kings would come. Compare this to that which Isaiah says about it, chap. 17. He shows that mount Zion would be on some land sheltering [figuratively speaking] with wings, beyond the rivers of Ethiopia, which was to the west far from the place where he stood as he spoke, where he shows that the Lord will lift up an ensign to all the inhabitants of the world, and he will blow a trumpet; and from which country they send ambassadors by the sea, namely to show the “ensign” [which denotes the kingdom of God], and to bring treasure to the Lord, namely many people coming to Zion in obedience to his call, like doves to their windows, “to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts, the mount Zion.” Furthermore, see Psalm 132, 4–18: “I will not give sleep to mine eyes, or slumber to mine eyelids, until I find out a place for the Lord, an habitation for the mighty God of Jacob: Lo, we heard of it at Ephratah; we found it in the fields of the wood.” “For the Lord hath chosen Zion; he hath desired it for his habitation: I will abundantly bless her provision; I will satisfy her poor with bread.” Yes, they will have their fill with their remnants of food in Zion, when all those who have fought against her and her inhabitants will die of want. As for the “fields of the wood,” if the reader had traveled with us through the prairies of America, he would be ready to acknowledge that David of old had seen them, and was very familiar with them according to his portrayal. Not in the “fields of the wood” was the “city of David.” In America the fields are like valleys or meadows twenty miles in length and width, sometimes less and sometimes more, and they are surrounded with trees. Isaiah says that Zion is a wilderness.

Notice the portrayal of Micah, chap. 4, of the Zion under consideration,—”But in the last days it shall come to pass that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it. And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.” Admittedly there would not be room for so many in the “city of David,” which was not even a mile in circumference. It is obvious that this is unfinished work, from ver. 7,—“And the Lord shall reign over them in mount Zion from henceforth, even for ever,” that is, personally. But read the rest of the chapter, and it will be seen that the prophet is portraying the distress of Zion before this her last victory, while gathering, preparing, and building their first cities. “And thou, O tower of the flock, the strong hold of the daughter of Zion, unto thee shall it come, even the first dominion; the kingdom shall come to the daughter of Jerusalem. Now why dost thou cry out aloud? is there no king in thee? is thy counseller perished? [we answer, yes, he was killed in the Carthage jail,] for pangs have taken thee as a woman in travail [because of that]. Be in pain, and labour to bring forth like a woman in travail, for now [soon after killing her counseller] shalt thou go forth out of the CITY [no need to ask which “city,” for we know of but one city in this age that professes to be built under the direction of God through her counseller], and thou shalt dwell in the field [‘fields of the wood,’ the wilderness of America perhaps, where scores of thousands of the Saints were exiled from their city last year, after their ‘counseller’ was innocently martyred]; and thou shalt go [out of the boundaries] even to Babylon [that is the mother of the whores of the world, and from among all its families]; there shalt thou be delivered; there the Lord shall redeem thee from the hand of thine enemies. Now also [notice that it is in the ‘last days,’ when the Saints will gather to, and will build Zion, this is to be] many nations are gathered against thee [which nation has not mocked and scorned the concept of building a temple or cities by the command of God in this age?], that say, let her be defiled, and let our eye look upon Zion,” says everyone, especially those who name their chapels by that name. “But (poor things) they know not the thoughts of the Lord, neither understand they his counsel; for he shall gather them as the sheaves into the floor. Arise and thresh, O daughter of Zion,” for the last time ever, for after that, “nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.” There is no need to say that this is not fulfilled, nor any likelihood that it will be soon. Zechariah says, chap. 9, 9,—”Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; behold, thy king cometh unto thee.” When? Verse 10 answers,—“And the battle bow shall be cut off; and he shall speak peace unto the [believing] heathen, and his dominion shall be from sea even to sea, and from the river even to the ends of the earth.” This is not fulfilled either, rather it has only begun.

David proves through the following, beyond all argument, that the building of the Zion he refers to would be work as late as our age, Psalm 102, 13–16,—”Thou shalt arise, and have mercy upon Zion; for the time to favour her, yea, the set time, is come.” “So the heathen shall fear the name of the Lord, and all the kings of the earth thy glory. When the Lord shall build up Zion, he shall appear in his glory.” Who will affirm that the Lord has appeared in his glory up until now? When he comes, “the Lord my God will come, and all his Saints with him,” say the prophets. If they have come, where are they? If they are not to be found, then it must be admitted that Zion has not yet been built either. Also, notice that the Zion that was in Jerusalem was in existence when David spoke these words; and he says, “This shall be written for the generation to come.” We have already proved in the first volume of the Prophet of the going over of part of the tribe of Joseph to America as a fulfillment of many prophecies; the history of the Book of Mormon, and the gathering of the remnants of Joseph and the tribes of Israel to Zion. It was proved also that God prepared two centers of places for his children to gather in order to have deliverance, as Joel and others say when portraying the destruction that will come on the ungodly of the whole earth, when Judah will be returned from its last captivity, and build Jerusalem, “for in mount Zion, and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the Lord hath said, and in the remnant whom the Lord shall call.” And having considered these connections, why does it not appear as logical to every impartial mind that Zion is to be built on the western continent, and the remnants of Joseph who are living there will gather to it, as it is to admit that the tribe of Judah will gather to, and build Jerusalem on this continent where they will be delivered? And in fact, who can believe the scriptures, and doubt the one or the other? For our part, we believe that to be impossible.

Since our task of proving the place of Zion depends on her disconnection from that Zion that was in Jerusalem, we have the difference of location clearly from Isaiah, chap. 62,—“For Zion’s sake will I not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest, until the righteousness thereof go forth as brightness, and the salvation thereof as a lamp that burneth, and the Gentiles shall see thy righteousness, and all kings thy glory. And thou shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of the Lord shall name. Thou shalt also be a crown of glory in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem [not an empire] in the hand of thy God.” Many states can be under one kingdom. Not some small place, and not one, or two, or a hundred cities will be in Zion, if we know something about her; but there will be plenty of room there for many nations to live and exist, and plenty of land for each one to have a vineyard of his own, and to eat of its fruit, with no one to make afraid.

Some fail to understand why Zion can be in America, when the prophet says that when Israel is restored they will be one nation on the mountains of Israel, and not part of every side of the great ocean as the Saints say. And we admit that it appears to be a rather difficult knot at the outset, yet even moving that ocean from between them is but a simple thing to keep truths constant! Isaiah said much on the part of the Saints before this; and since it is he who led us to this net, if in fact it is a net, we expect him to take us through it also; and no longer than the request, here he is forever nearby, ver. 4,—“Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken; neither shall thy land any more be termed desolate; but thou shalt be called Hephzibah, and thy land Beulah; for the Lord delighteth in thee, and thy land shall be married.” In the days of Peleg the earth was divided, Gen. 10, 25. When Moses says, Gen. 1, 9, that God gathered the waters under heaven to one place, was not all the land of necessity in one place? And when the times of the restitution of all things come as Peter mentions, in Acts 3, and others, all the islands and the continents will be joined together as they were. John drives this nail to a strong place, and seals the subject up for our part, Rev. 16, 20,—“And every island fled away,” for without seas it is impossible to have islands. And not on a mountain, but on the mountains of Israel, will be the delivered, who will be numberless, as far as we know. That which is proved is that there will be one king, and his name and his government will be the same over all the earth. And thus our subject is proven despite having to dry up the seas to do so!

Having presented brief evidence this time that it is in America that Zion will be built, we shall attempt on another occasion to show the necessity for her, her usefulness, her splendor, and her glory, together with the call to gather there, and the danger of not going, &c.

The “Hater of Deceit” Proved a Lover,

a Maker, And a Publisher, of “Deceit” Himself. (Continued From Pg. 75 of the March Prophet.)

You admit also that they commemorate the death of the Lord with the Sacrament; very good again, for our other persecutors claim that we do not; but they will believe you, we hope. This is counted as virtuous in everyone; and we hope it will not be counted as deceit in the Saints. You also admit they did not dare to partake of the emblems until they had been blessed. Go ahead, friend, the Saints are certainly improving. After this act, the priest beseeched his brethren to pray with him for God to give a manifestation of his ‘Spirit,’ you say. Better still! The more manifestation of the Holy Ghost they received the better, is it not? No one but an avowed atheist would mock them as deceivers, because of this their acknowledged godliness. It would be good if you and your kind would imitate the Saints more in this, and spend less of your scarce time misrepresenting them and mocking them. But fair play on every side. Perhaps you consider the use of water in the communion sufficient deceit to condemn ALL they do, indiscriminately! Well, we shall weigh this also in the popular scales of the age, to begin with; and then in the truthful ones. You admit that the contents of the cup are a representation of the shedding of the blood of Christ; all right, so do we; but, did not “WATER and blood” come out of his holy side; why do you not have a representation of the two, or the one as well as the other? Answer this question or someone else for you who has more human wisdom if he can. Furthermore, which is the purest and most suitable to represent something as pure and undefiled as the blood of Christ, pure water, or a filthy and poisonous mixture of logwood, liquor, and other intoxicating drugs? I wonder whether God would be more accepting of filthy wine than clean water in the communion? Yes, he would, says the drunkard alone. Having lost the logic of “representation,” you flee to your deceit shouting, “there is a commandment in favor of using wine.” Well, we shall follow you there also, for we have a word or two on that still. The word “cup” is in the scriptures where you say “wine;” and although some argue from the chastisement of Paul to the Corinthians, that an intoxicating drink was in that cup, that is not proof that that is what Jesus Christ used or commanded; if they had been deceived or misled about the sort of wine in Corinth, that was not their only transgression. Christ proves in Luke xxii, 18, that he chose “fruit of the vine,” unfermented, at that time; that is, of the same nature and purity as he will drink with them A G A I N (why again if not before?) and anew in the kingdom of his Father, when they will eat at his table in his kingdom. We do not think anyone would dare to say that an intoxicating drink will be there; and so they cannot say that the other one was intoxicating, because the two cups are similar. Thus is it a liquid, or an intoxicating drink that our accusers use in the communion? If it is a commandment you want, come hand in hand with the Saints to keep the commandments, or half of them, before you condemn them. Yes, there are definite commandments to “covet to PROPHESY, and F O R B I D NOT to speak with tongues.” Where are you now, friends? Come along again, there is a commandment to anoint the sick with oil, and lay on hands to receive health. Who is ahead now? The Saints go forward again quickly; God placed in his church apostles, prophets, and all the spiritual gifts. The Saints obey all of them. Have any of you received the right to abrogate them? If so, answer; if not, who among you can throw a stone at the Saints for representing through a pure emblem, the water that came from the pierced side of their Lord? By now I hear all of you singing the old ipse dixit. “Those things are unnecessary in this enlightened age.” Well, there you are in your own net, then; who was condemning an entire denomination as deceivers previously for what you consider an aberrance of one of the emblems pertaining to one ordinance! And now able to abolish almost the whole thing yourself! this is, in our estimation, a prime example of “straining at a gnat and swallowing a camel!” But we shall come closer still to ending the debate; the Saints believe every commandment, as well as the one under observation; they believe that the fruit of the vine would be the most suitable thing in the communion, and that is what they use when they can get it: until then they have permission from the reasonable founder of the rite to use the emblem next to it in purity; yes, and sufficient facts to prove their God’s acceptance of that. And you should know that the earliest centuries of the church did the same as we are doing. The Saints know what they are about, even though their foolish scoffers blaspheme the things they know nothing about, and are bringing upon themselves imminent destruction. By now, the “deceit” has disappeared from this also, and it is the truth that shines the more it is dealt with. As for your babble that the priests may sleep whenever they wish, for as long as they choose, alternately, and that they must lose their own spirit so that the Spirit of God may borrow their tongues, &c, needless to say that you are the father of that; it is seen on its cheeks that it is a brother by the same father to the others. Who has seen men that could do that? if true, there is a miracle for you! We never knew that a man’s spirit leaves him when he sleeps! Fie, man!! The examples you give of speaking in tongues are examples of an incredible memory also! You find the mocking of sacred things like this very entertaining! And you admit at the same time that you did not know what in the world they were, but you knew that Beelzebub understood them! how did you understand that? Remember that it was the most arrogant and hypocritical servants of Beelzebub who shouted Beelzebub the loudest, even in the face of the Son of God. Your persecuting brethren, namely Cuckoo of Ton, &c, have proclaimed that the Saints do not make any display or exhibition of the gifts in their meetings, but that their public profession of this is a lie; but as for you, thanks to your stupidity, your testimony is in favor of the Saints, and it is expected that everyone will believe you in this as in all other things. That proves our similarity to the apostolic church, upon which we pattern everything. Well, that is sufficient to end the debate in our favor forever, we hope. It is not the ignorance of the persons concerning those things they were speaking in strange tongues, that proves the deceit of the Mormons, any more than that of the Corinthians proved them deceivers; i. e., if it is any use to offer you the words of Paul any more. In 1 Cor. xiv, 13, Paul proves that those speakers did not know one syllable of what they were saying;—“Let him that speaketh in an unknown tongue pray THAT HE MAY interpret.” If they could, why exhort them to pray for ability! In ver. 14, he says that his “understanding is unfruitful,” when he spoke in tongues. Your deceit and the Saints’ correctness are seen even more clearly in ver. 2, “For he that speaketh in an unknown tongue speaketh not unto men (why do men condemn for not understanding then?), but unto God; for no man understandeth him; howbeit in the spirit he speaketh mysteries.” How do you expect to understand, then? This was not speaking Hebrew to a Greek, or English to a Jew, as your theological stupidity explains; but the speaking was entirely unintelligible to everyone, until it was interpreted through the “gift of interpretation” through the Spirit of God. If the unbelieving could understand the tongues, they would not have said “that they were mad.” See ver. 23. Oh no, mysteries belong to God, and only he can explain them through the interpretation. So say the Saints also. “Wherefore tongues are for a sign,” not to cause some to believe, but a sign of their being sealed in unbelief; and “yet for all that will they not hear me (namely, through other lips, or other tongues), saith the Lord.” Thus it is no wonder that you, poor thing, harden more and more upon hearing the same sign; for that is the way it was, is, and will be, “saith the Lord.” “The natural man understandeth not the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness unto him; neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” Because of your lack of the Spirit of God, namely the spirit of prophecy, you mock such sacred things; for the things of God no one understands except through the Spirit of God. Thus with every word you prove the truthfulness of the Saints, and their religion, despite publishing your own deceit! As for the secret plans you say the Saints have to make merchandise of people; it is like your assertion, “they claim to be the successors to the apostles,” without one syllable of truth in it, as you must know if you have been with the Saints. If you could publish anything worse, no doubt it would be sweet for you to do so. “Merchandise,” is it? everyone deserves this more than the Saints. But it is useless to go on, because for the life of us we cannot find any deceit through it all, except your deceit. Let Mr. Rees also take a few of these pills with you; yes, let all our persecutors swallow their dose so the filth may be purged from their stomachs, for their good, and bring them to love truth instead of loving lies is our desire, that’s all.

Loudmouth “Meiriadog” from Llanfaircaereinion Forfeiting His Head to Be a Football!!

IT will be remembered that the above man wrote to the Baptist, a shameful epistle against Robert Evans and the Saints, challenging him to debate with him through the Baptist. R. E. refused, because the Baptist would not publish defenses, except all bad things against the Saints. “Meiriadog” doubted this so strongly that he promised before witnesses “that he would allow his throat to be cut, and his head to be a football, if the writing of R. Evans were not allowed to appear in the Baptist as does the writing of others.” He added that R. Evans should send his correspondence to him, and he would insist on having it included there. But it is seen from what follows how he fulfilled his promise, although at the cost of his own head:—

MR. ED.,—“The readers of the Baptist for September last year are aware, through the description of Mr. Meiriadog himself, that a debate was to take place between him and me through the Baptist, the sum of which was,—That he was to prove the existence of a church of God without the spiritual gifts in it: and myself, from the other side, to prove the promise for, together with the necessity of the spiritual gifts before it can be worthy of the character of being a church of God. He promised that if I would send my letters to him he would send them to the Baptist, and he would send the first letter there to call me to the battlefield. But instead of that, he sent a list of bad names that referred to me, such as “deceiver” “Penny-pinching face,” “arch-deceiver of the north,” preaching “miracle of slime,” and that I was going to destruction, &c, &c. Yes, this is how he began the debate before offering one proof of his subject! At first I thought, together with everyone I heard, that his blackguardism and his quarrelsome false accusations did not deserve an answer, and that it could not be expected to convince such a liberal man, with scripture or reason. But toward the end Meiriadog prophesies that he would not ever hear a word from the “chief deceiver of the north,” or so he thought! It was probably to lower himself beneath my notice that he unleashed this disgraceful, slanderous, and unchristian-like broadside to begin. And by the time he finished it, he thought that he had succeeded in that. But I wrote to him a defense of that which I had promised, together with observations on his writing; I requested him to send it to the Baptist according to his strong promise. I had plenty of reason to understand that he had received it, and I expected month after month to see it in the Baptist; but I saw nothing! Like this, since that time, many moons came and went without a hew or a mew from the great challenger, or my defense!! Neither did I hear of his death, but several here and there are heard saying that Meiriadog has forfeited his head to me, much more than did John to Herod. And it is not unlike him to do this in his great desire to prove his foregoing false prophecies; namely that I would not answer him!

“I have a copy of my letter, and I intend to publish it if that which is quoted from his letter is deemed worthy of setting before the public. So much for the promise (a head’s worth!) of Little Meiriadog of the big mouth! He should have known better of the Baptist; he had plenty of proofs to the contrary. “Best the learning that is bought,” goes the old saying. Let him remember either to release my letter through the Baptist, or not to be so ready to pledge his SKULL, lest he vow to give it to those who go around the country looking for skulls. What if those kept him to his word! As for me there is nothing in his skull I covet, and I give him permission to have back the right of it that he gave to me on the condition that he make better use of his head from now on than to blaspheme the things he knows nothing about, and that he chooses not to understand concerning them!

“THE latter days now are all dawning,

The angel’s expounded the plan;

And Jesus has chosen his servants

To further his message to man.

Today he addresses the lowly,

While wise men retreat to one side,

But when he himself comes to Zion,

His enemies all, woe betide!

R. EVANS , Glan Conway.”

News from the “First Camp”

Two of the brethren who were in the camp at “Council Bluffs,” were on their journey as far to the west as Pueblo. There they found 170 of the “Mormon Army” wintering, and the remainder of the 500 who invaded El Paso, which contained about 5000 inhabitants, and in which place they hold the key of passage through the Rocky Mountains; and an army cannot go from Mexico to California except through that narrow gap. Since the winter was getting worse, they stayed here, building ramparts, and strong defenses, under the supervision of Elder A. Babbitt, who was selected by the government, and was rewarded with a high rank in the American army. They were all healthy and comfortable when the historians left them. Upon returning, during about a quarter-year’s journey through the forest without road or leader, they were plundered three times of their horses and their supplies by the Indians, who gave them mules in their place. Practically their only food throughout the time was the meat of the Buffalo, which they saw in multiple herds throughout the country, and remarkably tame. All the camps of the Saints throughout the wilderness and the states are preparing to migrate toward the west as soon as the weather permits.

Extract of a Letter From One of the “Twelve”

“CONTINUE in well doing; you are part of an excellent work. Thrust in your sickle like a man of God, and reap—not as a thunderbolt; yes, as a thunderbolt, but in meekness, and testify of the sayings of the beginning of the religion of Christ. And after faith, repentance, baptism for the remission of sins, and receiving the Holy Ghost through the laying on of hands. When the people inquire, what next? tell them, “Oh, Jerusalem, Jerusalem,” &c, gather, gather. What next? Gather. And what next? Gather yourselves together, O ye children of the kingdom, to the place the Lord has promised deliverance; yea, prepare yourselves for the hour of your departure for the house of the Lord, for the resting place of the Saints.”

The Gathering to Zion

MUCH great wisdom and goodness of God to his children are seen in every age preparing temporal and spiritual deliverance, when all the human wisdom of those ages believed in, and praised the spiritual deliverance, they say, and at the same time mock and discredit those who prepare to receive the temporal deliverance, twisting the purposes of it to their own destruction, by refusing to gather with children, according to the commandments of God. God’s custom is to warn the world, or such part of it that he is about to destroy, and the way he does that is by sending his servants to preach the gospel to them, or the order that will bring them to an agreement with God and Christ; and after that the order of God is manifested to them to deliver them from the judgments that God will bring upon those disobedient to his call, and who disrespect his servants; and thus their spiritual deliverance depends on their belief in, and their obedience to the temporal deliverance. After the servants invite, preach, exhort, and earnestly warn, in season and out of season, in every other manner, and in vain, the last sermon, the highest testimony, and that which seals up everyone who sees it is the flight of the Saints!! This testifies that they know what they are doing. This testifies that danger is at the door, and is inevitable by waiting. This testifies that it is not hypocrisy that causes people to leave their country, their relatives, their possessions, and all that they esteemed as worth having. This is the testimony that sealed up the Sodomites. This was the last testimony of the Saints to those in Jerusalem; “when ye shall see Jerusalem encompassed with armies, flee to the mountains.” Thus do the Latter-day Saints also testify through their gathering from every country and nation as one family, and they flee toward the Rocky Mountains, and the far west, to search for the deliverance that is promised from the judgments, the famines, the plagues, &c, which are to follow as if at their heels. This last flight will continue to flow by the thousands from every language and nation to the center point of their campaign, or the loadstone, namely ZION, until the honest of heart come to hear of, and to obey, the message of God through his Saints in this dispensation of the fulness of times, the purpose and objective of which is to gather together in Christ Jesus all his chosen ones, namely his Saints, from the four corners of the world to Zion. The spirit of gathering has already brought its thousands from the isles of the sea, as well as from every state throughout the continent. Lately 150 natives of the Sandwich Islands landed in California, the firstfruits of the abundant harvest who will yet turn their faces from the Islands of the South Sea toward Zion for deliverance. These are but a few in contrast to the rest of those natives who have obeyed the fulness of the gospel already, despite the opposition of the sectarian missionaries also, remember. Do not all the signs of the times prove to you, Saints, the necessity there is for some safe hiding place from the threatening storm? That there is need to flee to their rooms for a brief moment until the disturbance has passed? Ask all the wise men of our age, where will there be deliverance? And there will be no answer. Ask the weakest of the Saints, where will there be temporal deliverance? He will answer, “Mount Zion,” says God, and he will know where that is! That is the place that delighted the Lord as a dwelling place for himself; “He will abundantly bless her provision, and he will satisfy her poor with bread.” Also, remember that “beautiful for situation, the fairness of the whole world, is mount Zion, on the sides of the north,” says the Bible. You children of Zion, raise your heads above all the tribulations, although you are scattered throughout great Babylon; your deliverance is nearing faster than her destruction, despite that. Prepare, prepare in every way to pay your debts to the world; strive to warn all of their danger, and let your good examples testify to everyone wherever you are, that you seek a better land; yes, one full of every goodness.

Monmouthshire Conference

THIS Conference was held at Nantyglo, Sunday, the 25th of April. At ten in the morning, the Hall was overflowing with cheerful people, and hundreds going away because they failed to find room to come in. Capt. D. Jones was elected president, who, after thankfully acknowledging the great honor and trust they gave him, showed the importance and responsibility of such a presidency, and he desired the help of the faith and prayers of the Saints for him to fulfill it properly, and he opened the conference through singing and prayer. He addressed the crowd warmly and enthusiastically with respect to the work at hand, &c, and then he called on the presidents of the various branches throughout the conference to represent their churches, which was done as follows:—Number of branches, 8; Elders, 8; Priests, 16; Teachers, 10; Deacons, 5; the number baptized since the last conference, 114. Total, 236. The presidents portrayed the condition of their branches as very comfortable and hopeful; that love and zeal increased as the persecution heated up; that the Saints were increasing in spiritual gifts as well as in numbers, and that the most earnest and pious were receiving additional gifts, although some who came in for false reasons had transgressed and had returned to their own place after a while.

In the afternoon meeting, after partaking of the Lord’s Supper, 2 Elders were called; 7 Priests; 4 Teachers; 4 Deacons; several children were blessed; and the president showed in English and Welsh, the great importance, usefulness, duties, and responsibility, of the various officers. Then president F. D. Richards, a missionary from America, came forward, and he greeted the Saints briefly and very sweetly, showing the hope that was placed before them, and the surety of their enjoying the path of their duties, &c.

At six, Elder Wm. Davies, Rhymni, preached the basic principles of the eternal gospel, and brother Richards followed him, portraying with remarkable skill and eloquence the glory of Zion, and the great benefit of her inhabitants, the holy influences of the Holy Ghost on the Saints, how it fitted them to be saviors on mount Zion, &c. But, it would be too lengthy here to attempt to do justice to his speech, which lifted the hearts of the Saints delighting them in their hopes. The president made a brief and appropriate speech to the Saints, to the cheerful listeners, and then he greeted our persecutors (who were at the time throwing rocks through the window to his side) and prayed for them; and he then closed this comforting conference which was a great blessing to many besides the Saints.

DAVID JONES, Clerk.

Prophecy of Mr. Wesley about Mormonism!

FROM the visions of Daniel, says the American “Times,” the pious Mr. Wesley expected that a new era in the religious world would begin in the year 1827, which he calculated by giving the “time, times, and half a time,” i.e., 1260 years that the church would be in the desert, to the number 567, that is the time when it went there; and he said that in the year 1830 would begin that great work that would usher in the Millennium!! Strange how accurately he counted; for in that year, namely 1827, the light of the fulness of the gospel shone on our earth, for the angel came that John saw, Rev. xiv, 6, and he restored the keys of the kingdom of God to our world, and the “Book of Mormon” was brought to light from the hiding place of ages, it was translated through inspiration and by means of the “Urim and Thummim;” and in the year 1830 The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was established, on the foundation of Apostles and prophets, with Jesus Christ himself as the chief cornerstone. At that time there were but six members in it, and by now there are hundreds of thousands throughout the four corners of the world, and the islands also who are living in hope of enjoying the peace and blessing of the great Jubilee that Mr. Wesley said was to begin at this time. Hundreds, if not thousands, of his followers have obeyed the fulness of the gospel, and see that his prophecy is true; and the greatest wonder is, how any one of those who believed him in other things can doubt him in this, or refuse this godly light when it is offered to them! We believe that Mr. Wesley would rejoice in this blessed news were it offered him. He walked according to the best light that he could obtain, and no doubt great will be his reward. One wonders whether he will be a witness against even those of his followers, who refuse this gospel, especially when he left behind his testimony of it!

Safe Landing of the Two Apostles

No doubt the Saints will have great pleasure in hearing that the apostles P. P. Pratt and John Taylor have landed in New Orleans well and comfortable, on the 10th of March, and they have obtained a steamboat there to carry them up to their brethren and their families. Thanks to the Savior for sustaining them.

Plenty in the Midst of Famine!

IN Egypt there were seven years of plenty before the seven years of famine. We do not say it will be thus in America; yet, if it is not quite similar to it there, that will be proof that we understand neither the prophecies nor the signs of the times. The United States have shown great and very commendable generosity to the starving sufferers in Ireland. They have loaded warships with food, and have sent it for free across the ocean to the subjects of this country! Very good. But they suffer hundreds of thousands of their own subjects to be driven without cause from their own homes, from their lands that they purchased from them, to die of starvation in the wilderness as far as they care, without any to take pity, or to extend an arm to sustain them, and there is no mention of giving them food or anything else. Charity begins at home, is the old saying; but not so towards the Saints. Will they not be measured with the same measure that they mete?

Nearly half a million dollars were collected for the Irish in that country in less time than they were plundering the Saints in the same country of property worth five times as much, besides the priceless lives that were taken as martyrs, and the other sufferings that were inflicted on the Saints! They have shown this great tenderness toward foreigners, and the other great cruelty and injustice toward their brethren of the same country! They filled the needs of those who were suffering for lack of the things of this world, and they passed by the children of God, those who suffer it all for the testimony of Jesus Christ and the word of God, turning their heads, and leaving them in the wilderness as food for the wild beasts as far as they care. They prove at least one word in this, namely that “the children of this world are in their generation wiser [in helping one another] than the children of the kingdom,” although not in accordance with their ability either.

In a letter we received from apostle Orson Hyde, who wrote on his arrival there from Liverpool, he says that in the entire city, namely New York, there was not enough flour to feed its inhabitants for four days, because they had sold out so completely to the European markets, expecting the rivers and canals to open earlier, but had been disappointed. Besides this, it is understood also that the buyers of corn and flour from the various countries, outside the eastern states, have flocked to the west through the valley of the Mississippi, and have secured most of last year’s crop that was in the country, and intend to take it in boats to the eastern world. If so, it is not unlikely that their flour, &c., will be as scarce in the eastern states as it is here before the next harvest, especially when it is remembered that during the past five years so many have emigrated there from other countries, continuing to do so this year, all of whom will assist in consuming whatever may be left, of course. But again we say, what will their situation be if the corn fails in the next harvest? One must also bear in mind the great appetite of their numerous armies along the borders with Mexico. When all the things that have been said to them come to pass, then they will remember, hopefully, and they will look at their bloody hands, and they will understand that the blood of their dead, and the lament of the widow and the orphan whom they plundered of their food and all their possessions, have reached the ears of the Lord of the Sabaoth.

America and Mexico

IT appears that the former have been very successful in killing thousands of the other wretched ones in their own country. They have won several cities lately from Mexico, and after taking Vera Cruz they are advancing toward the capital city of Mexico. It is said that Santa Ana has been sworn in as president of Mexico. And news reports are that peace is to be made between the two countries, by Mexico allowing the Americans to have the Californias.

Ireland

IT is said that swords follow quickly the footsteps of famine. We read pitiful stories of so many dying that not enough coffins can be obtained to bury them. It is said that the corpses in some families lie in the houses for a long time without anyone in the family with enough strength to bury them; and some have been buried somehow in the gardens, or along side the roads in the country, and starving dogs eat them afterwards! Their situation is dreadful, and may he who holds the fate of nations in his hand have mercy on his children until the way is opened up for deliverance. One of the London newspapers calculates that two million have died of hunger in Ireland in one year! which makes 5479 in a day, 228 every hour, and close to four every minute!

To Our Distributors

DEAR BRETHREN,—Behold the Prophet, through your assistance and that of other readers, has lived to be a lad one year old. You can hardly comprehend his usefulness to you yet if you support him until he becomes the size and age of a man. I am confident, dear fellow workers, that you will make sure the money finds its way to the Press that sends it to your midst; and although it is made of iron, you know that it cannot live without money. A hint, we hope, that will do the trick in this regard to the faithful

Glamorgan Conference

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

The Anniversary of the Missionary Society will be the following day, namely Monday the 12th. Tickets can be obtained for one shilling each from the presidents of all the branches, and others, and an earnest appeal is made to all the well wishers of this beneficent society to do all they can for it, hoping that the gentle sisters will not be one whit behind with their customary zeal, efforts, and faithfulness.

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

Prize for Selling Books!

WHOEVER sells the most of our books by the end of the year will be rewarded with a bound copy of all the pamphlets published by us during the year, together with a volume of the Prophet, in calfskin of the most handsome available. Now, dear brethren and sisters, who will win the prize? It will be a pleasure for the Prophet to proclaim the winner to the world, and pay their warmest thanks to whoever achieves the highest feat.