1. 1849 March, pp. 73–75—Mormonism—success of Mormons in South Wales
2. 1850 August, pp. 151–53—The Mormons—history prompted by the formation of the state of Deseret
3. 1850 September, pp. 164–66—The Mormons—continued from August issue
4. 1850 October, pp. 188–90—The Mormons—continued from September issue
5. 1850 November, pp. 208–10—The Mormons—continued from October issue
6. 1854 July, pp. 75–77—Mormonism
7. 1854 November, pp. 125–27—Mormonism—conversation between a M and a Churchman

Churchman, March 1849, pp. 73–75

https://journals.library.wales/view/2646648/2647439/16#?xywh=-876%2C-3%2C3427%2C2935

Mormonism

We are sad to hear that some of our compatriots, especially in the South, have been deceived by the above heresy, and have been “spoiled through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.” It would greatly surprise us that in these days and in the land of Bibles, and Churches, and Sundays Schools, that anyone could embrace such erroneous beliefs as those of the Mormons, if we did not know how deceitful the heart of man is, and how easily he is charmed away from the path of truth—and also that our Lord has foretold that these things would take place. “And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.” (Matt. 24:11) “Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.” Such stumbling blocks have existed, and such stumbling blocks will continue to exist in the world, until the Son of man sends forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity.”

Every heresy which has ever troubled the Church of Christ has crept in under the guise of truth. Satan has been most successful in his attacks on the Church when he has been “transformed into an angel of light.” And, thus it is with this sect. They do not have pure heresies; but while containing some of the basic truths of religion, those which have been acknowledged by the Church of Christ from the beginning, they add to these truths their own unscriptural inventions, “corrupting the word of God.” And there is some truth mixed with them which make their heresies of that more dangerous and harmful. We read lately one of the books of this people which contained a short history of their doctrines, and we have never seen in so few pages so much false reasoning and foolishness. It would have been incredible to us, had we not had the facts before us, that anyone having the age and common sense, not to mention a knowledge of the scriptures, could accept such nonsense.

We do not wish to waste the time of our readers in disproving the false doctrines of this sect. As someone said about Catholicism, so say we about these people, that the best book ever written against them is the Bible. Mormonism cannot stand in the light of the good book. And Mormonism understands this; that is why they insist on having another Bible, and another guide besides the word of God. It is good that they call themselves the Saints of the latter days, because such saints would not have been recognized in the early ages of Christianity. They claim the right to direct revelation from the Spirit of God; and this is the root of all their heresies. They say that “no one has ever identified with nor will ever identify with the Gospel of salvation unless the Spirit of revelation dwells in his bosom. This is the first and also the last rung in the ladder that leads to a perfect knowledge of God. Without the same Spirit of revelation that dwelt in the bosoms of the prophets, patriarchs, and apostles in the early ages, no one can begin to know God, and no one can increase in that knowledge, when that Spirit is taken from him.” In one sense that is true, and in another sense it is untrue; and the truth or the untruth depends on what is meant by the Spirit of revelation. David believed in the Spirit of revelation when he prayed, “Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law.” And every child of God believes in the same way and identifies with that same Spirit. “If any one has not the Spirit of Christ he is not of him.” The body of Christians is called “a temple of the Holy Ghost;” he was born of the Spirit, and it is that Spirit that anoints him, guides him, and sanctifies him. And the directions of this Spirit are always in harmony with his inspired word.

But if by the Spirit of revelation is what is meant, as the Mormons suppose, that special gift which was granted to the patriarchs, the prophets, and the apostles of old so that they could foretell things to come, then the above quotation is false, for this gift is not necessary for gaining saving knowledge from God. It is for certain that the majority of the Saints of the Old and the New Testament possessed this spirit, and yet they looked to the Lord for the salvation of their souls. And the Apostle Paul obviously shows that the ordinary gifts of the Spirit are superior to these miraculous gifts. “But,” says he, “covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet shew I unto you a more excellent way.” And what was that way?—The way of “faith, hope, and charity,” as we learn from him in the next chapter—(1 Cor. 13).

The destructive heresy of the Mormons is that they disregard this more excellent way, and they point out another way according to their own whim that is at odds with the word of God. We discover in them a clear fulfillment of that which the Apostle Paul expressed in 2 Tim. 4:3–4 —“For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.” And Jude gives us some of their characteristics when he says, “These be they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit.”

We say unto all our readers in the words of this Apostle, “But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.”

Churchman, August 1850, pp. 151–53

https://journals.library.wales/view/2646648/2776454/10#?xywh=-242%2C62%2C2066%2C1695

The Mormons

The formation of a Mormon State in the upper part of California, with the name of “Deseret,” which it likely to be received into the American Union, has attracted the attention of the public once again to this strange sect. The rise and growth of this peculiar sect is one of the greatest wonders of these days. With respect to his birth and upbringing, Joe Smith, the prophet, was a cunning Yankee, to be sure; but the majority of the ranks of the Mormons, or the “Latter-day Saints,” are now filled with small farmers, craftsmen, and the shopkeepers of England who have gathered at the banner of “the faithful,” bringing with them not just insignificant amounts of money, diligence, and strength, whatever may be said about their moral and religious understanding. We now have in this country a large body of Mormon missionaries at work continually, far more zealous in their labor than those who have better things to teach the people; and each year sees an increasing number of followers of the new sect leaving our land to go to the distant parts of California. Under such circumstances, perhaps our readers would not find it unpleasant to have a little of the history of the beginning and the growth of the sect of the Mormons.

Joe Smith, the founder of the new sect, was born in 1805 in Sharon, in the state of Vermont, New England. Within about ten years after that, his parents moved to the vicinity of Palmyra in the state of New York, where they lived for several years. Joe grew up a lazy person and a drunkard; ignorant, uneducated, and corrupt. He did nothing, except for searching at times for treasures buried in the earth—the favorite work of idlers in every age. What may first have inclined his mind toward the work of establishing a new sect is now known; but in the history about himself which he published to the world after that he says that the Spirit of the Lord found him in Palmyra when he was about fourteen or fifteen years old and awakened his thoughts to religious matters through a vision. Another vision was in 1823, and it revealed to him that he was “chosen by God” as an instrument of a new dispensation—a dispensation that would fulfill and complete those that had occurred until then in the Old and the New Testaments. He was told that the American Indians were a remnant of Israel, a branch of the tribe of Joseph; that they had been led to this country as a redeemed people, having the true faith, and under the protection and favor of the Almighty: they did not walk in the ways of the Lord, rather they lapsed into every form of ungodliness, and murdered each other in endless wars; finally, they were completely destroyed in a great battle by the hill called “Cumorah,” 200 miles to the west of Albany, in the state of New York, and not far from the dwelling place of Joe in Palmyra; and those who survived had degenerated to the point of becoming uncivilized tribes, the ones which the Europeans encountered as they possessed the land. Eventually, it was “revealed” to him that there were some old records of this people kept from time to time by Seers and their Prophets, that were saved by Divine Providence and hidden in the hill Cumorah, in 420 A. D., by Moroni, the son of Mormon; these records were to be entrusted to him in due time, and he would be enabled through inspiration to translate them and publish them to the world; and through his instrumentality the kingdom of the “Latter-day Saints” would be established; the new Jerusalem would be built, and the whole earth would be prepared for the second coming of Christ.

After many forewarning visions, he said, the holy plates were delivered to this Moses, of the Covenant of the Last Day. With these he received a pair of spectacles, through the assistance of which he interpreted the records. Joe called these spectacles the “Urim and Thummim.” It was said that the holy plates of gold are seven or eight inches square, hardly as thick as common tin, bound together like a book, and secured by three rings running through one side or edge of the plates. The book was about six inches in thickness. The plates were covered with Egyptian characters. After settling in Nauvoo (for reasons yet to be mentioned) Joe obtained some mummies from Egypt, and caused some of the pages of the papyri, engraved with characters, to be placed in frames like pictures. His mother, who had by that time become a bit demented, explained to visitors—who always paid her—the story of the “king Pharaoh, and his wife, and his daughter,” (namely the mummies), and their connection with the children of Israel and the Latter-day Saints; her stories caused the learned historians of Europe and Asia to wonder a bit!

To return: Joe began his work of translating the plates, which he, after an extended delay, finished and published a printing of 1,200 copies in Palmyra, New York, in 1830. Under the aegis of three of the brothers there, another printing was published after that in England, in Liverpool. This Mormon Bible contains 1^st and 2^nd Nephi, the books of Jacob, Enos, Jarom, Omni, the Words of Mormon, and the books of Mosiah, Zeniff, Alma, Helaman, Nephi (the second), Mormon, Ether, and Moroni. The whole thing is a poor and clumsy imitation of the Old Testament with respect to substance and style, full with grammatical errors, happenings stolen from other places, and clear anachronisms, etc.

There is every reason to believe that Joe Smith obtained the concept and the greatest part of the materials of his book from a manuscript composed by the Rev. Samuel Spaulding, who for some time was a Congregationalist minister in Mason, Massachusetts, and head of the academy there, but who later moved to New Salem, Ohio, in 1812. While there, he observed with great interest the antiquities in that state, and he formed some fanciful ideas as to their origin. Finally, he thought of writing a scriptural pseudo-history; he did so by taking up one of the lost tribes of Israel, moving them to America, and gathering an imaginary story of them. The result of this was to compose the Book of Mormon; and while he was at this task, he would frequently read parts of it to his wife and his friends. In Pittsburg, Philadelphia, where he moved after that, the manuscript was for some time in the hands of a Mr. Patterson, a newspaper editor there; and it was shown to everyone by this man. Among others, it happened that a typesetter in the office by the name of Sidney Rigdon read it, and he had many opportunities to copy the manuscript, which he returned after that to Mr. Spaulding in 1816.

Many years after that in 1823, Rigdon was working at his craft in Palmyra when the public was beginning to hear mention of the plates of Joe Smith, and soon after that Rigdon joined with him and assisted him with the “translation,” until it was published, and he continued as a zealous co-worker of the “Prophet” until near his death. The people of New Salem, however, were greatly astonished upon hearing some parts of the Book of Mormon being read by a woman there, parts which they recognized immediately as being parts of Mr. Spaulding’s writing. His own brother was one of the listeners. A public meeting was held, and a committee was appointed to go visit with Mrs. Spaulding (Mrs. Davison, at this time), and link the new revelations with the old manuscript. This was done, and a complete identity was established between the two. In 1839 Mrs. Davison published the entire account of the manuscript of her husband; and the truth of that was witnessed by several credible witnesses. The only strange thing about it is that the Minister of the Gospel had written so much rubbish and had obtained people with sufficient patience to listen to him.

Churchman, September 1850, pp. 164–66

https://journals.library.wales/view/2646648/2776475/3

The Mormons

Joe Smith, however, succeeded in publishing his book, and he started on his organization. He won disciples, and the earliest converts had no more respectable character than did he himself; but gradually, some of a higher standing came to join with him. Missionaries were put to work, and some of them were able to enlist willing listeners. Scriptural phrases of the new sect re-ignited the fanatical spirit of New England; prophecies were boldly proclaimed, the performing of miracles was promised, sermons were preached in favor of strange tongues, it was deemed worthy to give the authority to cast out devils, and a divine defense was offered against the poison of serpents and the attacks of beasts; all this while condemning all other religious teachers, such as deceivers and false leaders. Such teachings, when they are preached with zeal, will do no less than attract ignorant people in every community, and as a result the teachings of Joe Smith succeeded.

“Rebuilding Zion” was one of the chief dreams, but Joe Smith made many mistakes relating to the place to do all of this. This was attempted in Palmyra, Nauvoo, and many other places, and now they have wandered to the deserts of California, increasing continually in their numbers. Until now, all of his prophecies have failed; despite that, the faithful are filled with hope. “The Church” is full of zeal, and the missionaries are tireless. It has been noted that every place where Joe and his followers have camped, as a place to build their Zion, is sure to be a very fruitful place. They have never descended accidently on an unprofitable place, where there were wealthy inhabitants, so the saints could “drain the gentiles,” as Joe called them, and rob those around them. They established a bank in Kirtland, with the Prophet as president and Sidney Rigdon as treasurer. It was established as a result of one of the “revelations given in Zion, July, 1831,” to Joe Smith, when the divine one appointed Sidney Rigdon to receive the money, Edward Partridge “to apportion to the saints their inheritance.” The aforementioned Sidney Rigdon [Gilbert] was to “establish a store, that he may obtain money to buy lands for the good of the saints,” and with that in mind “to obtain a license, that he may send goods unto the people;” and lastly, he is appointed in the 5^th verse, as follows: And again, verily I say unto you, let my servant William W. Phelps be planted in this place, and be established as a printer unto the church,” etc. These revelations of the Prophet were similar in strong encouragement to the saints to take care of their own welfare, which they were not eager to do. But the bank of Kirtland did not succeed any better than did the gentile banks around them; the country was filled with paper bank notes while the treasure chest was empty of money. Those who took the paper farthing for them, and the saints, had drained the gentiles, and they moved to Missouri to build another Zion. In the meantime their “Church” had been formed as an organization, and in it were the Prophet, the Patriarch, the Melchizedek and the Aaronic priesthood, High Priests and Presidents, the twelve Apostles, the Council of the Seventy, Bishops, Priests, Elders, Deacons, and Teachers, authority and duties which instructed them through the frequent divine revelations that Joe received, and sometimes others would be in high offices. By commandment of these divine, fake revelations, special preparation was made for their sustenance, and, as could be expected, the Prophet and his family were not forgotten.

After moving to Missouri in 1831, the Mormons established the towns of Far West and Adam-ondi-Ahman. Conflict arose in this place between the saints and the gentiles, which continued to increase during their stay in the western states. The gentiles refused to be “drained” patiently, and they were very angry at seeing the laws of their state, designed to prevent dishonesty and deceit, being broken shamelessly and openly. Finally, the Mormons decidedly refused to obey the officials and the law; they fortified their towns and prepared to defend themselves by the force of arms. The state militia was called out by captain Doniphan, who had by that time distinguished himself so much in Mexico, and in the end, Joe Smith gave himself up as a prisoner to answer the various accusations of theft brought against him, and his people were dispersed to seek refuge far from the boundaries of Missouri. They made their way to the state of Illinois, and they began to come to Quincy and its environs in the winter of 1838–9. Since they portrayed the wrong they had received, and their sufferings, in the most pitiful manner, and showed themselves as extremely humbled, the inhabitants were filled with pity, and they made great contributions toward their sustenance. Work was given to them on the lands, and workhouses, and everyone thought that before long they would become integrated and lost among the inhabitants. Early in the spring of 1839, Joe Smith broke out of prison in Missouri and escaped to Illinois. Here he called a great meeting of his followers a few miles from Quincy, and he addressed them, and some of the “drained,” in loving language. He was shameless and blasphemous. Referring to one of his followers who professed to have received “revelations” while he was in prison and who showed himself desirous of taking Joe’s office, he said, “I know nothing in the world about revelations. God can give revelations is he wants to; these may be true, or they may be false. I know nothing about it. The Almighty God must take care of these things Himself!”

Now Nauvoo was chosen to be the place to build the holy city. It is said that this is the Hebrew word meaning “Beautiful.” It is certain that Nauvoo is very beautiful. The sight on every side of the temple is uncommonly beautiful. Within three or four years a city was built on this place. There were houses made of brick, wood, and stone spread across the face of about three square miles, which were inhabited in 1844 by no fewer than fifteen thousand inhabitants. The temple itself was a splendid building of white marble, with a beautiful porch of Corinthian columns. The “Nauvoo House” was designed to be of ample size, in which Joe Smith and his family, through a special revelation, were to have a number of rooms forever.

Churchman, October 1850, pp. 188–90

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The Mormons

For the first one or two years after the Mormons had settled in Nauvoo, everything went along quite peacefully. The Mormons were amiable, and because of their kindness to strangers there were many, who were not Mormons, who were disposed to settle among them. There were also new disciples from afar who arrived continually, bringing money with them, whom Joe Smith “drained,” under the guise of borrowing, etc. In whatever manner their wealth increased, their boldness grew stronger. There were adventurers outside the society who were not slow in their work of using their power and their authority. A man of this character, who had been Quartermaster General for the state of Illinois, suddenly joined with the Mormons as they were forming their Nauvoo Legion. All the arms of the Government of every kind—cannons, swords, rifles, etc.—were apportioned out to the soldiers of Nauvoo, the result being that the State, for some time, was without arms for its own soldiers. The number and the unity of the Mormons, together with their possession of the arms of the Government, and the large additions they were making of their own reinforcements, made the sect fearful enemies of the scattered and unarmed population of the land around them.

The Mormons now went on to usurp and administer authority, despite the established law and authority of the state. The Nauvoo Corporation took to themselves their own supreme government of their own city; they arrested those who visited their city and subjected them to detailed questioning; they gave out marriage licenses contrary to the laws of the state; they formed a law to punish, fine, and incarcerate all who were guilty of disrespectful words about Joe Smith! They made another law, with a penalty of fine and imprisonment, that forbade the passing of any written law, unless it was signed by the Mayor of Nauvoo; and they forbade the Governor of the State from nullifying these fines and imprisonments! At the same time, with even greater audacity, the Mormons began and carried forth a frightful system of pillage! Horses, animals, agricultural tools, clothes, and make up the wealth and comfort of the farmer are carried away by these robbers. Some storehouses in a small town were broken into and were plundered of all they contained. A workhouse was set up to make forgeries and counterfeit money, which was overseen by the heads of the Church, and these were spread among the corrupt and heedless peasants. The Gentiles who were wronged had no means of getting justice, for the Mormons themselves made up the courts of law; and appealing to them was no better than an appeal by the thief to the one who received that which was stolen.

Although the Gentiles are patient, despite that, they could not tolerate such an impudent system as “draining,” and they began to cry out against the continuation of Nauvoo as the primary residence of a pack of presumptuous, cunning, and dishonest rascals. But the Mormons were very numerous; and there was no one in public office who was anxious to appear to be against them. There were also many who feared them, and they hesitated to work against a united body of fanatical people who were so powerful and so well armed. This is how the country was, in the community of the Mormons, divided into three factions: the Mormons, the Anti-Mormons, or the “old inhabitants,” and the Jack Mormons, or the spectators. The Anti-Mormons eventually became aware that there was no other way to restore peace to the State except by uprooting the Mormons from the place, and they looked eagerly for a chance to do so. Disagreements took place in which there was blame on both sides. The Anti-Mormon party took a bold step by establishing a newspaper in Nauvoo itself in order to reveal hypocrisy, licentiousness, extortion, and other faults of their opponents. The editors of the paper were dissenters from the body, and they knew secrets of the head leaders. Joe Smith immediately called the city councilors together and without delay ordered them to impede the publication of the paper. A strong faction broke into the office, destroyed the press, and threw the letters into the street. At the petition of the owner a warrant was issued against those who had done this. Joe Smith himself and some of his chief supporters received warrants; and what did Joe do? He gave out writs from the city court, they tried one another, and then freed one another! The City Marshall made sure by the constable that none of them would be taken out by his writs.

The constable called on the inhabitants of the county to come out and support him, and because of the military composition of the Mormons, he told them to be armed and ready to meet with opposition. The inhabitants came out immediately. And the Mormons were not idle. They called the brothers of the scattered settlements which were far from Nauvoo, they gave military training to them every day, and they set watchmen around the city to keep strangers away; they set up storehouses for their maintenance and their defense; and they put all the procedures of marshal law into force. The governor of the State pretended to lead the Anti-Mormons, but he was a terrible man, unfit for the office. He called on the leaders to give themselves up; fearing for their lives, the Smith family crossed the river into Iowa, but finally they were persuaded to return and give themselves up to a company of mounted soldiers, which were sent to Nauvoo to request arms of the state. They were taken to Carthage, and they gave bail for the writs that had been sent out at first against them. But by then, affidavits had been prepared accusing them of treason against the Government by declaring war against the State. The Smith family was sent to prison to await their trial; and in the meantime, in order to satisfy the curiosity of the public, the Governor made a display of them, putting the soldiers as guards of honor over the men they despised. They were extremely careless, and the went away from the place. The Governor ordered the disobedient soldiers to be arrested and disarmed; but they refused and defended themselves, gaining the support of the fellow soldiers. The Governor called back his order, but soon after that, when the county army met in public at Golden’s Point, near Nauvoo, he suddenly ordered the soldiers to disband, about 200 of them. The order to disband encountered the militia of Warsaw when they were on their way to the meeting place. They were surprised and angry, and the word was spread among them that the Governor was a friend of the Mormons, and that he intended to allow them to escape. Seventy or eighty of the men went in haste to the jail, they overpowered the soldiers who were guarding the place, and after brief opposition on the part of the prisoners, during which some of the attackers were wounded, they killed the two Smiths, and they wounded several of the other prisoners.

Churchman, November 1850, pp. 208–10

https://journals.library.wales/view/2646648/2776517/7

The Mormons

The murder of the two Smiths was an event all wise people lamented; for despite how much men suffered because of their deceit, that was no sufficient reason for such a bloody deed. Attempts were made to find the murders; five men were arrested, but the testimony against them was not sufficient to prove them guilty; and the murderers, whoever they were, escaped. The country was quite calm for a year after that, although small disturbances occurred frequently. At last, in August 1845, the Anti-Mormons, angry because of some actions on the part of the Mormons, decided to drive them out of the state. The state sheriff, Backenstos, who was a supporter of the Mormons, gathered 400 of them on horses, and under the guise of performing his duty, he went through the land searching for Anti-Mormons. His followers broke into houses, they destroyed some of them, and often they stole the possessions of the inhabitants, and by threats, etc., they frightened those who were calm and peaceful, as well as the disorderly. Many lives were lost, several of them by bloody horse-thefts.

Finally, after lengthy petitions to him, the governor was convinced to intervene in the matter. General Hardin was sent to the state with soldiers from distant parts of the country. He ordered Backenstos to disband his followers, which, after considerable hesitation, he did. Measures were taken to put a definitive end to the conflict. A conference of representatives from the neighboring states was held, and it was proclaimed that the Mormons had to leave the state; and those at the convention pledged to use armed force, if necessary, to accomplish the removal. The Mormon leaders declared their willingness to go if they were allowed time to make preparations and to sell their belongings. An agreement was made on these conditions, and they were to leave the following spring. Approximately three-fourths of them started toward California in early 1846; but a large number of them were left behind, claiming that they could not go because they were unable to sell their possessions. But it was learned afterwards that these had been left as an “egg in the nest,” as one of the trustees admitted concerning their previous banishment, because they had not given up their hope of keeping their hold on Nauvoo, which they intended to use as a kind of resting place or station for the emigrating constituents prior to their journey to the Far West. This cunning did not go unnoticed by the Anti-Mormons, who saw, with fright, a great number of Mormon immigrants continuing to flock to Nauvoo from the other states, as well as from England and the old world.

In August the violent character of one of the Mormons who was being held by a constable caused another uprising against them to take place among the inhabitants. They gathered together with weapons, and they formed an encampment near to Nauvoo under the leadership of Thomas Brockman. A great number came to their banner. The general resolution was to drive the Mormons out, or, if they failed in this endeavor, to get the Mormons to leave the state. There were men from every calling who left their task in order to take part in the attempt. The Mormons, whose number had increased greatly by then, made vigorous efforts to defend themselves. Brockman and his army approached Nauvoo, skirmishing as they went, until they came within a mile and a half of the temple where they made ready. With an army of a thousand men he went forward to attack the city. The Mormons were fighting from behind the walls and the houses, and they resisted his coming. The Anti-Mormons had several cannons with which they were able to fire with considerable accuracy. Since they were fighting from a distance, only a few were killed or wounded on both sides. But the Mormons were driven all the way back to the city itself, until they had used up all their ammunition. And with that, Brockman, satisfied with his success, retreated slowly and in good order to his camp.

There was no fighting for two or three days after that; but in the meantime, the Anti-Mormons were busily gathering war supplies and provisions, and they became stronger each day. The Mormons, although fewer in number, and without any hope of victory, appeared determined to contend for the land, by the inch. Holes were dug in the area of the temple where the last battle was to take place. The besieged had plenty of arms and war supplies; and there was every sign of a stubborn and bloody battle.

In this dilemma, a public meeting was held by the citizens of Quincy in order to consider the condition of things in the neighboring land. Quincy is about sixty miles below Nauvoo on the same river. It was decided to send a committee of one hundred Anti-Mormons, unarmed, and in the character of mediators, with instructions to offer a settlement. The conditions of the settlement were, 1—That the city of Nauvoo be given up. 2—That the Mormons depart without delay. 3—That permission be given to a determined number of them to stay as trustees to take care of final details, and 4—That human rights and possessions be respected by the Anti-Mormons. One must allow that the conditions were harsh and severe, but it was well known that nothing better would be granted by the successful faction; and the only thing other than agreeing with them would be to go on fighting mercilessly from street to street and from house to house.

With considerable difficulty the Committee succeeded in getting the Mormons to give up on these conditions; an agreement was written up which was signed by the leaders of the two parties. After that the city was given up: the Mormons withdrew and followed after their brothers to California, and the land has continued calm and peaceful ever since then. Large collections in money, clothes, and provisions were made in the area to enable the Mormons to depart; despite that they met with great needs and afflictions on their journey. Hunger and sickness took their lives by the scores: despite it all, their determination to gather together with their faithful to the faith continues as unwavering as ever. Their resolute devotion brings to mind the early Mohammedans; indeed, the denomination of “Mohammedans of the new world” is highly similar to the Mormons. For two years they lived an unsettled and itinerant life—more like the wandering Arabs, or the American Indians than men brought up in civilized conditions. Finally, they settled in Upper California; and the place chosen as the new Zion which is near the Great Salt Lake, where they laid the foundations for their city. The surrounding land is rich, full of ores and mineral springs of every kind, with plenty of fertile and fruitful land. Throngs of immigrants are there, many of them coming to them from England, and they have formed a new and independent state by the name of Deseret.

Churchman, July 1854, pp. 75–77

Mormonism

“The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.” [Eccl 1:9) As there were false prophets enticing the Israelites astray, so there are false teachers in our midst who are leading a host of learned and sensible men to all sorts of false religion and absurdity. Of the recent heresies or schisms one of the most notable is Mormonism.

However repugnant and despicable the doctrines contained in this deceitful system may be, many hundreds of Welsh people, yes, and several Non-conformist preachers in Wales have embraced them! We will give here some of the story of “The Book of Mormon,” or the new bible of the Latter-day Saints.

The book to which the two bits of praise were directed was put together by one Solomon Spaulding, a Presbyterian preacher in America. We know nothing more about the man except that he, like many others, left theology for business, and that after that he went bankrupt. And we are not surprised, if we judge him by the only part of his work that has survived, that he was as unsuccessful at the pulpit as he was in the shop. After his double failure this unfortunate man, who imagined (according to his widow’s testimony) that he had a talent for books, thought he could make up for his losses by putting together a book of historical fiction.

The topic he chose was the history of the North American Indians, and the work he wrote was a historical record of their frequent wars and migrations. They are portrayed as the descendants of the patriarch Joseph, and their history is given over a thousand years, namely from the reign of Zedekiah, king of Judah, down to the fifth century of the Christian era. This account was intended to be a record buried in the earth by Mormon, its final compiler, and it was called “The manuscript found.” Indeed, it appeared to continue as a manuscript. Its author strived in vain to convince any bookseller to publish it. And we are not surprised they refused, for we have no recollection, among all the fruits of human nonsense, of a single book so senseless and tiresome. It is difficult to comprehend how a man could sit patiently, day after day, writing page after page of such lifeless and boring foolishness. Its length concludes as follows: it reaches over five hundred of eightfold pages, printed with small letters. Despite that, from beginning to end, though it professes to have been written by multiple authors, under diverse circumstances, over a period of a thousand years, it is perfectly uniform in its nature, and it contains a long and boring chronological table. There are no women in the plot or any device to give life to the tedious uniformity of the historian, nor is there a single incidental portrayal of life or customs that adds color or diversity to the account. The only thing that breaks the lifeless monotony is the occasional quotation from the Scriptures; and these scriptures are brought in so clumsily as if they were intended to show, as if by contrast, how completely worthless and evil are the other parts of the book.

But dullness is not the only literary error the author of the Book of Mormon is guilty of. One cannot read three pages of the book without encountering some ridiculous grammatical error. This clumsiness is woven throughout the entire book; consequently, it must be attributed to the author and not (as it sometimes supposed) to someone who wrote after him. Despite that, this meritless book, whose author was unable to gather sufficient funds to print it, now is stereotyped among the languages of Europe, and it is considered as revelation from heaven by its converts in all parts of the world!

This revolution was brought about by a young American by the name of Joseph Smith, son of a small farmer in Vermont, who entertained himself from his youth with jokes and the gullibility of his foolish neighbors.

Perhaps the most remarkable thing in the force of Mormonism, considering it as a religion, is the total absence of the element of devotion. There are no exhortations to the obligations of secret prayer, introspection, or repentance in the proclamations of their teachers. In their writings we do not encounter desires for communion with God, devotion of thought, or purity of the emotions. Everything has to do with “the earth and materialism.” It was said lately by one of the main writers against Christianity that his primary objection to the Christian system was its opposition to earthly things, and he asked for its supporters to place their affection on things of above. He proposed improving the commandment of St. John—“Do not love the world, or the things in the world; the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life”—by just omitting the word “not.”

Mormonism appears to comprehend all the reasoning of this famous debater. Its worldly character continues intact judging from the characteristic printed about it by its founder. Joseph Smith was a “jolly fellow,” says one of his followers, “and there is not the least measure of his being a Methodist.” “His religion was a playful and happy one,” says Mr. Gunnison. The “general epistles of the Church” are examples of the same peculiarity. The gospel they proclaim contains directions for emigrating, for setting up machinery, for supervising ironworks, for working on roads, for spinning yarn, and for raising cattle. The same irreligious view is in their public worship, at least in Utah; for in Europe they are careful to imitate other sects. Their service is begun with musical instruments; a band plays anthems, marches, and waltzes; “which,” says Mr. Gunnison in a manner of praise, “dispels sober feelings.” “An impromptu prayer follows, which petitions blessings for the president, officers, and the members of the church, and curses for the enemies. Then comes a conversation in which no one wishes to take part. This part of the worship is commonly the kind of conversation about local matters, similar to those that take place in a British vestry. Then the sermon follows; but the sermon is not restricted to religious things, rather it contains questions and instructions about the military, digging for gold in California, and secular matters of the state.”

Such is the false religion the Mormon deceivers offer to us instead of pure and undefiled Religion of the blessed God. Against such heresies, save us, gracious Lord!!

Churchman, November 1854, pp. 125–27

Mormonism

As the Scriptures say that the man who went from Jerusalem to Jericho fell among thieves, so too did I fall on my journey one day, if not among thieves, certainly among false teachers, namely some of the apostles of the Latter-day Saints. And, if they failed to strip me of my religion, wound my feelings, and leave me half dead, it was not a lack of sufficient impudence to try to do so that was the cause, but a lack of skill and ability, for they attacked me with all their might and cunning as soon as I fell into their midst. After a few introductory remarks, the following conversation took place between us.

Mormon How do you know that your Ministers have authority from God to preach the Gospel?

Churchman I know that from the complete devotion many of them have for the work of the Ministry, and that they have received their authority from those who were authorized successively from Christ to send Ministers into the Vineyard.

Mormon Successive authority is what you have; I have restored authority.

Churchman Successive authority is what the word of God mentions. When Christ authorized his Apostles, he promised that they would have it always until the end of the world, and he authorized them to send others as they had been authorized by the Father to send them. Notice, there is no place to lose and restore the authority, if these promises have been fulfilled. But as for the restored authority you have mentioned, I thought that it was to Joseph Smith it was restored, not to you.

Mormon Yes, to be sure, to Joseph Smith the authority was restored.

Churchman Well, then, it is successive authority that you have, and the only difference between you and our Ministers is that you have received it from Joe Smith, and they have received it successively from Christ and his Apostles. It is better for us to receive our authority from Christ or from Joe Smith? You be the judge.

Mormon But the gifts of the Spirit that I have are proof of my authority.

Churchman Which gifts do you have? Let me experience them to see if there is any truth in your assertions.

Mormon All of them are found in the New Testament: speaking with tongues, interpretation of tongues, healing the sick, knowledge, wisdom, etc., and I have some of them.

Churchman Will you not tell me which ones you have?

Mormon No, I will not; but I have some of them.

Churchman How can I believe you? Others like you claim they have miraculous gifts, such as the Catholics, the Irvingites, the followers of Joanna Southcote, Mohammed, etc. How can I believe you more than I believe them?

Mormon They promise the gifts only to their ministers, but we promise them to every member.

Churchman You promise them, but you do not perform them. I know of some of you who have tried to heal the sick, and people still die under their hands. You have sick, lame, and blind among you; why do you not give feet to the lame, eyes to the blind, and health to the sick among you? If you were to do that, it is more than likely that the world would believe you. Now, Either you are very cruel to your brothers and sisters in leaving them to suffer these things when you could cure them, or else you are shameless deceivers by pretending that you can do such things.

Mormon What can you promise to those who listen to your Ministers to do everything they wish? What proof do you have that you are saved?

Churchman The hate that I have for sin, the love I have for God, and the fear to make him angry, and the peace and joy I feel through serving him. This is what I experience myself, and this is what all who serve him faithfully experience.

Mormon I promise much more than that. If you come to us, you will receive revelations, prophecies, etc. We promise far more than you do.

Churchman Yes, but yours are empty promises. And you know that a few substantial promises are better than many baseless ones. Aesop’s fables tell of a dog who as he crossed the river with a piece of meat in his mouth saw the shadow of the meat in the water which appeared much bigger than the meat he had in his possession, and he let go of the meat in his possession in order to grasp the shadow and by doing so he lost both of them. Were I join with you I fear that more than likely the same would happen to me. I would lose the substance in seeking the shadow.

Mormon I said things like that when I was a Baptist preacher. But if you are baptized, you too will receive better things. Come with me to the river now; you will be none the worse.

Churchman Indeed I will; I would rather be dry than wet. You said you were preaching for the Baptists. Have many preachers joined you?

Mormon Yes, several.

Churchman From what denomination are the majority?

Mormon I think from the Baptists. But now we have been made apostles and prophets to the Lord.

Churchman What do you understand by the word prophets?

Mormon Those who reveal the will of God.

Churchman Notice that “prophet” is not a Welsh word. Rather it is Greek after taking on a Welsh form. The equivalent Welsh word is “predictor.” Whatever gifts you have received, it is clear that you do not possess the “interpretation of tongues,” and despite how much you boast I do not doubt that I, after all, have received the gifts of speaking in tongues and the interpretations of tongues much more than you have, although I have not received anything miraculous. Now before leaving, I wish to remind you of the very important truth—you and I will have to appear before the Omniscient Judge to give an accounting for that which we do at present. And remember that all false intents, although hidden to men, are exposed and open to His eyes, and will be brought forth plainly visible before the whole world.