Star of Gomer

1841 January, pp. 6–8—earliest Star of Gomer article on Latter-day Saints
1841 December, pp. 373–74—The Mormons—(about Margretts & Joseph Smith)
1842 November, p. 351—The Mormons—(many British converted & leaving)
1844 January, p. 31—woman in Chester drowned at her baptism
1844 September, p. 287—America—(brief paragraph about the Martyrdom)
1844 November, pp. 327–31—Joseph Smith, the Mormon prophet
1844 December, p. 381—Different Opinions of Millennium
1845 November, p. 351—(a few lines about being driven from Nauvoo)
1846 July, p. 215—The Mormons—(about Nauvoo)
1846 August, pp. 233–235—Nature of Miracles—this begins the debate
1846 August, p. 253—A Mormon Miracle—(a pig brought back to life)
1846 October, pp. 301–3—Nature of Miracles, by I. M.
1846 October, p. 309—A Public Debate—(about modern miracles)
1846 November, p. 343—Zeal without Knowledge, by Cethlydd y Don
1846 December, p. 378—Questions. For Mr. I. M., Glanteifi
1847 January, pp. 7–8—Notes on an Article by “The Cuckoo of Ton”
1847 January, pp. 16–17—The Nature of Miracles Again. By I. M., Glan Teifi
1847 February, pp. 47–49—Review W. R. Davies pamphlet
1847 April, p. 120—Persecution of the Mormons
1847 June, pp. 173–74—Speaking with Tongues
1847 September, p. 258—Tegai challenges J. D. to answer two questions
1847 October, p. 318—Lectures on Mormonism by a Listener
1847 November, p. 341—Proclamation of the LDS to their Compatriots (poem)
1847 November, p. 347—Lectures on Mormonism by Iorwerth Glan Aled
1847 December, p. 368—Questions to the Rev. Daniel Jones
1847 December, pp. 374–75—Lecture on Mormonism by Dafydd Lewis
1847 December, pp. 375–76—Warning to the Welsh by W. R. Davies
1848 January, pp. 19–20—Daniel Jones to W. R. Davies
1848 February, p. 64—Thomas Harris punished in last Tri-monthly Court
1848 March, pp. 92–93—The Madness of one of the Satanists (Philip Sykes)
1848 March, pp. 96–94 Saints preaching near Brechfa—gave up/joined choir
1848 May, pp. 142–43—Review of Edward Roberts’s pamphlet
1848 May, p. 152—Baptism Battle
1848 June, p. 180—Address to the Mormons, or Satanists by “A Well-wisher”
1848 July, pp. 201–2—Satanists casting out Satan, by W. R. Davies
1848 July, pp. 202–3—The Ivorites and the Saints by “A Traveler of Nantyglo”
1848 July, pp. 203–4—The “Baptism Battle”
1848 July, p. 221—Trickery of the Saints
1848 July, p. 238—Interpretation of the Dream of T. Hughes, Rhuthin—a poem
1848 September, pp. 264–65—Miracles by Iago Silin
1848 September, pp. 268–69—Ivorians and the Saints
1848 October, pp. 293–96—Spiritual Gifts
1848 October, pp. 304–5—Review of Mormonism and the Rev. T. Williams
1848 November, pp. 327–29—Spiritual Gifts
1848 November, p. 348—“The Saints”—by Gwilym from Trefforest
1848 December, pp. 362–66—Spiritual Gifts
1848 December, pp. 373–74—Invitation to California—poem
1849 January, pp. 16–17—Sermon of the Saints—by the Hater of Deceit
1849 January, p. 17—Greeting to the Doctor of Madness
1849 February, pp. 42–46—Spiritual Gifts
1849 February, p. 62—The Mormons of Pontypridd
1849 February, p. 62—The Mormons of Neath
1849 April, p. 116—Beware of False Teachers—poem
1849 April, p. 120—Mormonism—J. R. Morgan’s lecture—Aberafon
1849 May, p. 149—To the Rev. Williams about LDS who died by Iota Bach
1849 May, pp. 153–54—Superstition of the Saints—from the Cheltenham Journal
1849 July, p. 214—Response of O. Williams answers Iota Bach
1849 August, p. 248—A Religious Success—Joking = Mormonism, by T. ab Ieuan
1849 August, p. 249—“The Cholera Morbus”—by “T. ab Ieuan”—W. R. Davies
1849 Nov, p. 350—Death of a Man by Baptism
1849 December, p. 378—Drowning of a Mormon Preacher—in Underdale
1850 May, p. 149—A Remarkable Story—poem
1850 July, pp. 220–21—Cincinnati Atlas article—See ZT 1850, pp. 196–98 for reaction
1850 September, pp. 261–63—The Bungling “Saint”—[also in Cong. Treasury]
1850 October, pp. 319—The New Mormon State
1851 January, pp. 44–45—Mormon Deceit
1851 June, p. 287—Mormonism and Polygamy—from Christian Chronicle
1851 September, pp. 427–28—Letter from America—E.J. to his brother L. John
1852 May, p. 238—“New Official Research” about the Mormons in SLC
1852 August, p. 382—A Frightful Happening—ceiling falls in Newcastle
1853 June, p. 278—Verses to the Latter-day Saints
1853 August, p. 382—Commotion in the Mormon Camp
1855 May, p. 223—footnote to discussion about 1 Cor 15:29
1856 April, pp. 189–90—Letter from California, dated 23 November 1855
1857 June, p. 284—resignation of Judge Drummond
1857 July, p. 323—no sin by the name of adultery in SLC—spiritual wifery
1858 January, p. 44—Brigham Young testifies against the authority of the government
1858 February, p. 93—Washington’s attitude toward the Mormons in Utah
1858 April, p. 187—Brigham Young, Kimball, and others are accused of high treason
1858 May, p. 234—the decision of the Mormons to establish their own government
1858 July, p. 324—news of the Mormons is unclear

Star of Gomer, January 1841, pp. 6–8

https://journals.library.wales/view/2267394/2419388/5

The Mormons

Under the foregoing name a new sect of believers has arisen in Cheshire, and in a few other places in England; but it appears from the accounts I have about them in their own publications, that it is in America they are the most numerous, for that is the land of their promise, and it is to there they are all drawn, much like the Israelites to the land of Canaan. In order to present a little of the history of these religious fanatics to our readers, we shall give the following portrayal of them and their beliefs, which we obtained in the work of a responsible English author, and which is now before us:

A dear friend put in our hand lately, for a few minutes, that noteworthy book which is called the BOOK OF MORMON; and though we have not had sufficient opportunity to peruse its contents as carefully as we would like, nevertheless, we have seen sufficient to stir our senses, as well as our curiosity, with respect to this strange sect who call themselves Latter-day Saints, or the Millenarians. We have also seen some issues of their monthly publication which is printed in Manchester, from last May to October, and we were greatly surprised at the testimony which this publication gives of the sudden growth of these fanatics; for it is fairly certain that they are numerous, by their being sufficiently strong to maintain a publication that is intended for their service only, and that there are sufficient readers of it to make it worth the printing of its publication. Besides that, there are pages in the publication itself showing that there have been a number of the “Saints” in England for several years, and that many of them are in the counties of Gloucester and Hereford. But despite this sudden increase, and although they now constitute a large number, we cannot foresee much reason to fear any substantial social damage from them; and if they are left undisturbed without persecuting them, which is the surest way of bringing attention to them and augmenting the number of fanatics, there is no doubt but what they will soon disappear of themselves. An account of the beginning and growth, together with the beliefs of this peculiar sect, as far as we have been able to learn from their own writings, and the witness of others who know them well, is as follows:

In the year 1827, one Joseph Smith, from Ontario County, in the state of New York, America, proclaimed to the world that he had had a vision in which an angel told him that a transcript of the history of the early inhabitants of America, and God’s dealings with them, and other important things, had been hidden about 1400 years ago, in a cave of one of the hills of that land; and that he, (namely Smith), was to go to that place, and get the volume, the pages of which were made of pure gold, and had engraved characters in the Egyptian language on them; and that since he was unable to understand the writing he would be assisted by the angel, and thus be enabled to make a translation of the contents of the volume; and that it would become clear that book was the history of the early inhabitants of America. According to the witness of this book, the first American colony was formed from the scattering of mankind at the confusion of languages in Babel; and the second colony that came to America from Judea was in the days of Jeremiah, the prophet. It was from these colonies that the American Indians originated; but the main nation of them was completely destroyed in lands of Belief, in the fourth century, and after that the others nations of them lost their religious understanding, and they all became pagans. The last of these men, shortly before his death, hid the holy book in the cave where Smith found it. This book testifies that the early inhabitants of America had a knowledge of the law of Moses, and at the time of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ they saw the great darkness that covered the entire world, and they were frightened by the commotion and earthquakes that told them of what was happening in Judea; for they knew that such things were to take place, from the numerous prophecies about that subject.

This book further reports that Jesus appeared in America after his resurrection, and after selecting disciples he performed many miracles and declared the good news of the gospel there; and then he ascended into heaven in the presence of a large gathering of his followers. Therefore, the BOOK OF MORMON does not replace, nor was it given in place of the Bible, but rather is a supplement to it; and the principles that it teaches are not in and of themselves immoral or evil, but for the most part are paraphrases of the sayings of the New Testament.

It shows also that this sect has a strong belief that the Millennium is drawing near, or that the reign of the saints with Christ on the earth will be for over a thousand years; and they see all the events that have taken place as signs of the approaching of that blessed time. Thus, all the tempests, the earthquakes, the shipwrecks, the murders, and other such happenings, that are listed in their Publication under the title “Signs of the Times,” are seen by them as a preamble to the new and blessed condition of existence they await. Also, the millennium is foreseen with the breaking up and the overthrow of earthly governments; and their belief is that America is the place chosen for the building of the New Jerusalem. And this belief has been the reason for them to settle in numerous bodies along the western banks of the great Mississippi River, in the state of Illinois, where they have purchased large tracts of land, and have formed themselves into two or three towns, which are quite numerous; and we also see in the American accounts that they are constantly increasing—200 emigrating saints recently arrived there in a ship from Liverpool. But whatever of this, whether Swedenborgians, Southcottians, or other fanatics, there is no doubt but what they will come to an end before long; but it is quite likely that they will cause a bit of a stir in the world first, as such groups have done in their age. The only duty, we think, that the government authorities need to fulfill in this regard, is to strive to prevent, to the extent they are able, the preachers and teachers of the new sect from robbing their disciples of their wealth, through the deceitful pretenses which they put before them. With respect to its literary composition, the BOOK OF MORMON is not without clear signs of an abundance of the gift of ingenuity. The scriptural mode is maintained extremely well in it throughout, and the doctrinal topics and commandments are made to resemble those of the Bible; but beside the deceit that is patently obvious in the account of its discovery in the cave, there is also another thing that proves its fraud beyond every debate, namely that the speech that is placed in the mouth of the Savior, is almost completely composed of the same words as those spoken by him in Palestine, and they contain references to customs and rites that are not compatible to American readers or understandable by them. It is unlikely that Smith, when he published for the world this fraudulent composition, over nineteen years old; and it is likely that much of his initial success is attributable to the ignorance of his followers, who were incapable of seeing through the fraud. Unless we bring to mind the deceiver Southcott, who misled some of the wisest men of her age, it would be difficult for us to believe that any of our compatriots could be so foolish as to be deceived by such incomprehensible tales; but there is daily evidence showing that there is nothing too absurd to be believed, especially when it appears under the guise of religion.

Star of Gomer, December 1841, pp. 373–74

https://journals.library.wales/view/2267394/2419753/20#?xywh=3202%2C424%2C1063%2C1653

The Mormons

I had thought, a considerable time back, to give a history of these fanatics, and expose the disgraceful deceit they use to beguile the innocents into believing the most shameless superstitions ever proclaimed in a Christian country; but hoping that it would die of its own weight long before now, just by leaving it alone, we took little notice of it. Nevertheless, we find that the foolishness of Mormonism is still prospering in some parts of England, and old and young are being seduced from the land of their birth, and going across to settle in the most unhealthful part of all America, where the founder of this deceit says the New Jerusalem is to be built; consequently, we set this history before our readers, which we believe will be sufficient to prevent our readers from being misled by these teachers to their own destruction.

It happens that a man by the name of Margretts, who was a small farmer from the neighborhood of Cheltenham, was beguiled by one of the preachers of the Mormons, and sold all he had to be able to go to dwell in the New Jerusalem; and he has now returned to this kingdom, with the correct story of the condition of things in the New Jerusalem, so that there is room to believe that the deceit will not prosper as abundantly as before.

Margretts had a wife and six children, and they went away in a ship from Liverpool on the first of last February; and after going through all the hardships and discomforts of a tedious sea voyage, during such a harsh time of the year, they landed in New Orleans at the end of April. Then Margretts, together with a hundred other converts who had come across in the same ship, went in a steamboat up to St. Louis; and after going past several towns they at last arrived in the New Jerusalem which is located on the banks of the Mississippi River in the state of Missouri and which is called Nauvoo. Here they found thousands of disciples of Mormonism, who were in the most wretched and pitiful state with only a meager supply of food in their possession. They were there no more than a week before the flour of the New Jerusalem came to an end; and the children gathered around their parents crying for bread. Mrs. Margretts recognized the deceit earlier than did her fanatical husband; but the cloud that covered his senses began now to disperse. In the various conversations which Margretts had with the renowned Joe Smith, the father of this sect and the great Mormon prophet on the earth, he discovered that there were many more accountants than there were saints, and far more expert in financial accounts than in the texts of the Book of Mormon. Instead of regaling the mind of the disciple with distant descriptions of the promised heaven, every day he was urging him to purchase a large piece of land near the New Jerusalem; and instead of showing Margretts the golden plates on which the Book of Mormon had been written, as the preacher in England had promised, he was striving to entice him to take part in his storehouses and his business! Joseph, the false prophet, said to Margretts that the angel had taken the golden plates with him back to heaven; and Joseph insisted, in all likelihood, on taking the gold from the pocket of his disciple in their place. Margretts did not like this explanation, nor did his wife like the country, nor did the children like being without bread; thus, their eyes were opened, and they began to look around them. On questioning those who had been there much longer before them and who had spent all their money and were thus unable to move away, they found out that the title of the apostle Joe to the land he claimed was very suspicious. They also said that he had taken possession of another large section in the state of Missouri “in the name of the Lord,” but that they had been driven from there by the government of the States and that it was daily expected that they would be driven from Nauvoo, and most importantly that the Book of Mormon was nothing but deceit! That book about which Margretts thought while awake and about which he dreamed while asleep, for months before his departure from England, was all deceit! This was the worst news he could have. Nevertheless, he was obligated to believe it; thus, he did not purchase any land, nor did he become a partner with Joseph in the storehouse; but he decided to flee and escape back to England as soon as he could.

After being in the New Jerusalem for three weeks, he had an opportunity to go away; thus, he took his wife and children, and away they went, and they did not stop until they came to Christian people in the refuge of St. Louis. Their reason for fleeing in secret was that they had reason to fear that they would be restrained, for Joseph had placed men to inform them that if they tried to go back toward St. Louis they would be robbed and murdered; but this threat had no effect on the minds of Margretts or his wife.

After reaching St. Louis, they found hundreds of Mormons there who had escaped from the clutches of Mr. Smith and who were forced to remain there because they had not the means that would take them any further. To show this deceit in its original character Margretts said that Smith’s only purpose was to take money from his disciples; and if the disciples were poor he would not take any more notice of them than he would of dogs. While Margretts was in their midst, one of the “elders” from England died, and his body was shoved into a hole with no clothes or coffin or no one to mourn his loss, for he had no money. The yellow fever was also in Nauvoo, and the disciples were being transported to the eternal world by the scores!

This family did not stay long in St. Louis, rather they went on ahead to New Orleans, and they took a ship to Liverpool where they landed safely within a short time. After their bodies were fatigued and their health worsened, they came home again to their old neighborhood, and the first thing they saw was the account from America reporting that the authorities of Missouri had taken Joe Smith and put him in prison for insurrection and keeping unlawful possession from Nauvoo. Margretts spent £200 on this quick journey, and neither he nor his family will ever forget it; but the best part of all is, if indeed there is anything good in such shameful deceit, that a neighbor of Margretts who had gone over with him wrote back to England reporting that the reason for Margretts’ return was a lack of faith; but Margretts declares that if any of the deceitful Saints ever again come across his threshold he will receive the contents of his double barreled shotgun in his skull!

Star of Gomer, November 1842, p. 351

https://journals.library.wales/view/2267394/2430071/29#?xywh=3226%2C494%2C1086%2C1690

The Mormons

It is almost inconceivable in this enlightened age that anyone could be so foolish as to be seduced through the deceit of Mormonism; but so it is, and many thousands of our fellow countrymen have left the land of their birth lately, from Birmingham, Manchester, and other places in England, to go to Nauvoo, to the deceiver Joe Smith, as the only means of receiving salvation to their souls. When it was mentioned to a woman who was on her journey there, about the dangers that she was about to go through on her voyage, she said confidently that she had no fear at all; for if the ship were to sink, she would be taken in the belly of some sea-monster or other to the land of America, and she was sure of reaching the new Jerusalem in safety! Soon we shall take the opportunity to give the whole story of Mormonism, together with the wicked deceit of its founder, and the deplorable consequences to his followers.

Star of Gomer, January 1844, p. 31

https://journals.library.wales/view/2267394/2430142/30#?xywh=-168%2C2292%2C1866%2C1512

Remarkable Superstition. An example of remarkable superstition happened lately in Chester County, which has caused a great commotion in the religious world. Among the workers on the railway in Crewe, in that county, there are a great many of those fanatics which are called Mormons; and one of them forced his wife, against her will, to be baptized. A blacksmith of the neighborhood who served as a priest, on Thursday night, the 3rd of November, took the woman to the river to baptize her. Nearly all of her clothes were taken off her, and he took her arm and immersed her in the river, which was overflowing its banks at the time; but somehow or other, he lost his grip, and the woman went away with the current, and she drowned. There was no one but her husband and the priest present at the time, and the husband went home unconcerned, and he said that it was God’s will that she drowned, and that it was caused because of the weakness of her faith, but that he was certain that she was in glory. The woman was pregnant at the time, and was the mother of three children before that. Her body was found within a few hours, and an investigation was conducted by the Coroner; and the jurors brought the verdict of Manslaughter against the two men, who are now in the Chester jail awaiting trial.

Star of Gomer, September 1844, p. 287

https://journals.library.wales/view/2267394/2430408/29#?xywh=3266%2C1257%2C905%2C1408

America

We are informed from this country that Joe Smith, the Mormon prophet, and Hyrum his brother, have been murdered by the inhabitants of Illinois, who were very angry at them because of the corrupt works they were carrying on in Nauvoo, the place where they had settled. Another brother of the deceivers has been appointed as prophet in his place, and is to be the leader of the Mormon sect. We intend to give a full history of this deceiver and his sect, in a future issue.

Star of Gomer, November 1844, pp. 327–31

https://journals.library.wales/view/2267394/2430474/6#?xywh=58%2C344%2C2253%2C3505

History of Joseph Smith, the Mormon Prophet.

In a previous issue of the STAR we promised to give a little of the history of this strange false prophet to our readers; and now we are fulfilling that promise, confident that such a history will be acceptable to our compatriots in general. The following history, for the most part, we have taken from an American newspaper, which was published last July; and since it was composed by one who was well acquainted with the circumstances, we believe that it can be relied on for accuracy. The writer says the following:

The death of a prophet in any country can be considered a remarkable occurrence in the history of that country; but the death of a prophet in this country (America) is the cause of considerable surprise that we should have any kind of prophet at all in a country where everyone is free to predict and prophesy whatever he wishes. For many ages the world has been troubled by fanatics of every grade and station, and all their bad deeds and all their deceit offered to the people under the pretense or the mask of religion. In powerful countries, political extremists have been put down immediately, and very quickly they find themselves with lodgings in a prison or a hospital; but in matters of faith and in colleges, sectarianism and a claim of a prophetic gift, very seldom is the strong arm of the law raised against them; and in this country, where everyone is free to follow any faith, and where the sects and new doctrines, no matter how absurd they may be, are sure to have hosts of followers as soon as they are announced; and no one interferes with the deception or tries to keep it from invading the country. Nor can the death of Joe Smith, the Mormon prophet, under all its circumstances, do less than leave a profound impression on the minds of many thousands of his charmed followers, in the town and the area where they reside; and such were his authority and popularity that we will watch with great interest for the effect that his untimely death will have on the people who conscientiously believed in the divinity of his mission.

Joe Smith, according to the account he gave about himself, was born in the town of Sharon, in the state of Vermont, on the 23rd of December, 1805; thus, at the time of his death, he had not yet reached the age of 39. His parents, when Joe was about 10 years old, moved to Palmyra, in this state (New York) where he remained until he was 21 years old. In a recent letter he wrote to a man by the name of Cowdery, who had thought of publishing his biography, Joe, as he was commonly called, says the following:

“During this period as often happens to most young people, I descended to much foolishness and folly; but as my enemies have been ever ready to accuse me of being guilty of shameful sins against peace and the rightful organization of society, I am taking this opportunity to observe, although as I stated previously, I have been guilty in my youth of much folly and madness, as have, if not all, many of my contemporaries. I have never been guilty of injuring or harming anyone, personally or socially, and the madness and folly to which I allude, which have caused me much pain, were merely vain and superficial thoughts—breaking out in foolish and useless prattle. This is the worst and the only thing which my accusers can hold against me in order to damage my moral character. I wish to add that it is not without a feeling of intense grief because of my behavior that I make this admission of my vain and foolish life in the past, especially as I am, through that, guilty of breaking the sacred commandments of God; but justice to my character and to the truth, require me to make known completely, all the circumstances, as I am wrongly accused by malicious and evil men.”

As this is the last confession or admission made by the false prophet, it attains a degree of importance throughout his following life and sad death. It is probable that Joe Smith was a child of poor parents but that he had a sharp and penetrating mind. He had very little education and probably had to begin fending for himself at a very early age, as we find him professing to have discovered the Book of Mormon in the province of Ontario in the year 1827. General Bennett, a very influential Mormon, published a book in 1842 where he unmasked the deception and wickedness of Joe Smith in his connection with Mormonism; and everyone who has seen it admits that the account he gives appears to be completely correct and unbiased. The testimony of a Mr. Peter Ingersoll in the year 1832, tells us that that person was living in the neighborhood of Joe Smith senior, from the year 1822 until 1830, and he states that the general occupation of the whole family was digging here and there in an attempt to discover silver. Joe maintained that he had found a miraculous stone by looking into which he was able to discover hidden treasures. William Stratford, one of their closest neighbors gives the following testimony on oath:

“When they found (i.e., Joe Smith senior and his sons) that the people of the neighborhood no longer had faith in their devices for searching for hidden silver, they professed to having discovered a golden bible to which the Book of Mormon was nothing but an introduction. After a short while the Book of Mormon was prepared for the press and printed. No one suggested restraining its distribution as no one imagined that any harm could come from it, as it had been written by men devoid of all influence, honesty and honor. Both Joseph and Hyrum had promised to show me the golden plates after the Book of Mormon had gone through the press, but they said afterwards that they had received a special command from God not to show the plates to anyone. Their assertions concerning their means of obtaining the plates and translating the Book of Mormon were different each time. Sometimes Joseph senior said that we had seen the plates and known that they were gold; at other times he said that they looked like gold; and at other times he said that he had never seen the plates.”

Parley Chase, a responsible citizen of Manchester who knew old Joe Smith and his family very well, attributes to them the following character:

“I was acquainted with Joseph Smith senior’s family both before and after their conversion to Mormonism and feel obliged to say that one should not place the least trust in anything said by any of the male persons related to him. They were all lazy, vain and useless men and very eager to spread lies throughout the country, an ability of which they frequently boasted. Digging and looking for silver was their main occupation. I never heard the same account twice concerning the Golden Bible they speak about. They profess that the Mormon Bible is a revelation from God through his prophet, the younger Joseph Smith, and from my own knowledge I can testify that this Joseph Smith is one of the greatest liars in the whole country.”

Although the character of Joe Smith and his whole family was as aforementioned, he began the Mormon deception, and managed also to establish it. His Bible, which is a mount of offensive and unfounded accounts, has been written in the same form as ours; and in this book Joseph is proclaimed as prophet and priest of the Almighty, by which means he attracted to himself a great number of uneducated fanatics, who went on their way westward, to commence their deeds on a wider scale. The history of Mormonism since its foundation in the western states, the building of Nauvoo city, the increase in the mesmerized followers of Jose Smith, his attacks on the civil authorities of the states of Illinois and Missouri, his unconquerable spirit in trickery and wickedness, as well as his filthy morals, his cruelty, his deception, are all very familiar to the inhabitants of this country, and they have been a subject of discussion for the papers during the last seven years. It is surprising, in this age of enlightenment, that any deception can be made in religious matters, that there are men who are so foolish as to stoop and worship any man whatever, and consider him elect and chosen by the Lord, and follow his instruction with the most bigoted obedience, but I suppose that a religious fanatic can rear his head, and flower beautifully as well, even in the face, and in the brilliant rays of the splendid light of learning and art! We have painful proof of this in men who live in our midst and enjoy the confidence and respect of the country in general. This is the weakness of the head and heart in union with each other. It is true that this fanaticism is completely innocent as far as it has to do with the person of other people, and that it does not, as in ages past, support itself by means of the martyr’s stake and faggots; and that is why it is allowed to progress. For the most part, the Mormons who have followed Joe Smith are men of weak sense and completely uneducated. First, he bound them to himself and to his religion by means of oaths and frightful ceremonies and when he found that their faith in him as prophet and as the anointed one of the Lord was established and that his influence over them was perfect and indispensable, he gave rein to his passions and to his wicked principles, he lured his female followers to adultery and wantonness, spoiled all of their possessions, and it is said that he secretly engineered the murder of those who were clever enough to see through his deceptions and his wicked designs. It is impossible to adequately describe the tyranny and injury to person and state which can be carried out under the guise of religion; history is full of these painful examples which clearly prove that no worse misery can overcome the human race than that it should be lured to destructive error by men under the guise or the sham of piety or holiness above the rest of man in general. Whenever Joe Smith met with a resolute man who refused to stoop to his deception and enticement he would appeal to the legion of believers surrounding him who would cry out in fanatical superstitious rage, “Let not the Anointed one of the Lord be touched, and let no harm be done unto him!” It is clear that it is Joe Smith’s wish, whenever he finds his followers numerous and strong enough, to conquer several of the western states and set up a Mormon empire there; one could see a considerable attempt at this sort of thing being made under guise of piety as he was militating and instructing his armies of several thousand in Nauvoo to this professed end. He was the cause of continual disruption in the State of Missouri and was always in custody for one thing or the other. General Clark, the leader of the soldiers who were sent against the Mormons in November 1838 gave the following account concerning this shameful false prophet to the governor of the state:

“Sir—I discover through examination that in spite of all the atrocities brought against the Mormons, many of which we took as stemming from prejudice against them on the part of the other citizens—we have not heard the half of it! There is not any crime, from treason down to the most insignificant petty theft, of which these people, or the greater part of them, have not been guilty, and all this has been accomplished through the counsel of Joe Smith, their prophet! They have been guilty of treason, murder, arson, housebreaking, spoiling, stealing and perjury! They have formed societies in their midst which are established by means of the most disgusting ceremonies, and the most terrible oaths; and the aim of these societies is to nullify and supplant the laws, and challenge them and also to spoil, burn and murder and then share the booty for the service of the church. These are called the Danite Societies.
“Through these accursed societies many of the citizens of Davies County who had settled in that region and had through their industry and their thrift amassed much wealth, were looted of all their possessions, their houses burned before their eyes and they themselves and their wives and children sent to roam through the land without shelter from the searing heat of the summer or from the unbearable cold of the winter. In one place a family was sent away and their house burned before their eyes, and the wife who had given birth to a child four days previous, was driven out mercilessly even though it was snowing and freezing hard at the time! In another case the family was sent out and the house razed to the ground, but before the wife had gone two miles in search of help she was obliged to go to a house where she suffered labor pains and gave birth. These are some of the monstrous deeds done by this blasphemous and ungodly people!”

A direct cause of the recent difficulties which beset Joe Smith was the destruction of the press at Nauvoo to which he was extremely hostile, but he was able to prove, just as did Charles the Tenth in France, that restricting the freedom of the press was one of the greatest worries that ever came upon him, and then that attempt led to his own immediate destruction. As soon as he had fulfilled that unwise measure he was obliged to flee at once and take shelter in prison where the Governor of Illinois has mustered a strong body of soldiers to guard him and to keep him safe; but a great number of people who considered him a danger to the peace and welfare of the county, furiously attacked the prison and having broken in murdered both him and his brother. This was a cruel and bloody deed at best and under any circumstances; but that such a pitiful death would sooner or later overcome a man of his atrocious character was no more than could naturally be expected. Joe Smith was a man whose character was completely devoid of all virtue; he was a deceiver, a hypocrite and had no religion or morals whatsoever. The old saying, “De mortuis nil nisi bonum,”— “Of the dead, say nothing but good.” But the principle which it contains is incorrect. The fear of what will be said about them after their death makes many men behave more cautiously and correctly during their lifetime; and we have no moral authority to speak better of men after their death than their conduct deserves; and is not the revealing of the monstrous deeds of evil men a strong warning and a solid motive for the living not to follow in their paths?

Nauvoo, the New Jerusalem of the Mormons and the capital of their empire stands in the northwestern region of the state of Illinois and the eastern bank of the great river known as the Mississippi; and it is surrounded on the northern, southern and eastern side by that great river which forms a giant circle in this area and which is almost two miles in breadth. On the eastern side of the city there is a beautiful uninhabited plain. It is ten miles away from Fort Madison in the State of Iowa, 55 miles above Quincy, in the state of Illinois and over 200 miles above St. Louis.

Before the Mormons began to congregate there the place was known by the name Commerce; and at that time it was little more than a small unknown village, containing barely twenty houses, but the Mormons increased so quickly—that the city by now, although it is no more than three years since they first settled there, contains over 7,000 inhabitants, and there are about 3,000 more Mormon Saints resident in its neighborhood.

The land on which Nauvoo was built is rather undulating; but there are no large hills there, nor indeed any mountains. A few feet under the surface of the land, there is an enormous bed of lime rock where rock is mined and lime is obtained for building purposes; and there is also a great number of mounds there which contain graves which prove that the place was fairly famous in the time of the Indians, the previous natives of these parts of America who have now disappeared from the land. The city is approximately four miles in length and three in breadth; but the houses have not been built regularly over the whole area. Nevertheless, the city has been regularly planned with the streets all crossing each other at right angles; and most of them are of the whole length of the town and very convenient as regards breadth.

The Mormon Temple and the Hotel are the main buildings in Nauvoo; but not one of them has been completed. The latter which is called Nauvoo House has been built with bricks on a foundation of stones and faces two roads—120 feet long and 40 feet wide; and it is to be three floors high not counting the rooms on the ground floor. Although it is decided that this house should, for the most part, receive and lodge strangers and travelers and Mormon pilgrims, there are many excellent rooms in it constantly given over to the service of Joe Smith and his heirs. The false prophet asserts that the Lord, in a private revelation, has given them to him as a reward for his endeavors for the sake of the true Church.

The Mormon Temple is an excellent building constructed completely, from the polished stones obtained from the large mine under the city. It is 120 feet long and 80 feet wide, except from the outer entry which is 30 feet, thus making it a total length of 150 feet.

On the floor of the temple the great font has been built in semblance of the sea of Solomon. It stands on 12 oxen which have been beautifully carved and gilded. This font is used for several types of baptism—i.e., baptism on being received into the church—baptism for the healing of the sick—baptism that sins may be forgiven—and finally, and this is the most remarkable of all—baptism for the dead! By means of this final baptism, living men—set aside as representatives of the dead—are baptized for their sake and in their place, and thus are the dead freed from all punishment for their sins! This baptism was ministered for General Washington among others.

A short while ago Joe established a sisterhood of female saints to the most shameful and disgraceful ends. A young sister by the name of Miss Brotherton testifies that the false prophet urged her to marry one of his fellow deceivers named Young who was already a married man; then he locked her up in a room with this wretch that they might agree to this monstrous suggestion he had made. But in spite of the deceivers’ reasons and earnest inducements the young lady still nurtured strong doubts concerning the propriety and lawfulness of marrying a man who already had a wife; but Young, in a bid to remove her doubts, brought the false prophet into the room to back up his reasons. The young girl gives an account of the discussion which took place as follows:

“Well,” said Young, “Sister Martha would be willing to receive me if she knew that it was lawful and right in the sight of God.” “Well, Martha,” said Joseph, “it is lawful and right in the sight of God—I know it to be so. Look Sister; do you not believe in me?” Martha gave no answer to this. “Well, Martha,” said Joseph, “go forth and do as Brigham wishes; he is the best man in the world with the exception of myself.” “Oh,” said Brigham, “then you are as good as I?” “Yes,” said Joseph. “Well,” said Young, “we all believe that Joseph is a prophet. I have known him close to eight years, and I have always found him to be the same.” “Yes,” said Joseph, “and I know that this is lawful and right before God; and if there is any sin in it I will answer for it before God; and I have the keys of the kingdom, and whatsoever I may bind on earth, so shall that also be bound in heaven, and whatsoever I may loose on earth, so too shall that be loosed in heaven, and if you receive Brigham as your husband, you shall be blessed. God will bless you, and my blessing also shall descend and rest upon you; and if you allow him to lead you, you will do well, because I know that he will take care of you; and if he does not do his duty to you, come back to me, and I will divorce you and make you free again; and if he turns you away, I will take you for myself.”

There you have a bit of the story of Joseph Smith, the false Mormon prophet, together with his settlement in Nauvoo, and the atrocious and shameful deeds which are committed there, done so under the supervision and direction of the wretch who is now compelled to appear before his Judge to give an accounting of all his wicked lasciviousness. It is a remarkable thing how men are so foolish as to be lured by an ungodly deceiver of this kind, and that they are able to believe in the face of reason and the gospel, in the unfounded assertions of such a malicious fanatic; but to the shame of mankind and the disgrace of learning and enlightenment if has happened; and we are sorry to see in recent newspapers, that there are now a great number of Mormon preachers throughout England, spreading their false doctrines with so much success that many are emigrating from this country to Nauvoo! They have also frightened many weak-minded people by asserting that the end of the world is to take place next spring; and it is said that some people in the Reading area have relinquished all worldly tasks waiting for that event.

We are also told that a new prophet has been chosen in Nauvoo who is Joseph Smith’s young grandson; but he is, they say, as wily and ill designing as his grandfather, and he impudently asserts that the Spirit of the Lord has rested upon his person in place of the old man.

These men have recently appeared in several places in Wales, and we heard one of them preaching a few evenings ago in this town. We are also told that they have chosen 12 elders in Nauvoo who are to represent the 12 apostles, and that they are to go immediately throughout Europe and America and the whole world if possible, to proclaim the Mormon Doctrine. We will take the opportunity in a future issue, to give a further account of these deceivers.

Star of Gomer, December 1844, p. 381

https://journals.library.wales/view/2267394/2430507/28#?xywh=206%2C51%2C1912%2C1885

Diverse Opinions about Millenarianism

The “Palace” seer suspects that the millennium will not start until the beginning of the seventh millennium; and he proves his fancy by referring to prophecies in the book of Daniel and Revelation.—A milkman from the town of Newport, who is also an author, swears that the millennium passed some months ago; and he proves his claim because Satan was set free in the agitation of some anthropopathic men, to the west of the above town, some time ago. Some prophets from America frighten ordinary folk by asserting that the millennium and Christ’s personal reign are to begin before the end of this year; and they prove their imaginings from Joe Smith’s Mormon book. The inhabitants of Pontypool are of the opinion that the blessed era started on the 16th of October; and they refer us as proof to the fact that the leopard and the kid had been lying together in their town, on the above night, in the person of the “author” and the “critic”.

Star of Gomer, November 1845, p. 351

https://journals.library.wales/view/2267394/2562739/30#?xywh=3087%2C1619%2C1367%2C2126

America

Frightful persecution is being carried out against the Mormons; and it is likely that that people will be driven out of the country, and the building of their New Jerusalem will come to an end.

Star of Gomer, July 1846, p. 215

https://journals.library.wales/view/2267394/2417011/23#?xywh=923%2C-28%2C2041%2C3113

The Mormons

We have received a story from America that all these people, who count themselves as religious people, have decided to break up their settlement in Nauvoo, sell the town and the temple there, and leave the “promised land,” as they called that part of the world, and go to look for quieter and more peaceful lands in the regions of California. So much bad feeling had grown up between them and the neighboring inhabitants, because of their refusal to obey the American civil authorities, particularly after the murder of their leader Joe Smith and various of his followers in prison, that they were forced to leave the country, or stay in danger of them all being wiped out. Concerning their present movement, one of the newspapers of New York gives us the following story:

“The Mormons of Nauvoo are now on their journey towards California. They have all left their old habitations in the “promised land”; and when the latest news came thence, they were crossing the river Chariton, about 150 miles to the west of Nauvoo. After their departure from that place, a journal was established there, which contains many very notable stories about this strange movement, together with the present situation of the country. It says, on the evidence of a gentleman who was travelling with them, that everything is going along well, and that they are all in excellent health; that they are moving slowly, but orderly and peacefully. They had been hindered greatly on their journey through lack of food for their animals; and since the grass was only beginning to break out through the earth, they found it necessary to work for the farmers on their journey, to make up for that lack. They are travelling in different parties, which are about ten miles from each other: and concerning their order, they are similar to a multitudinous army going on a military march. The editor of the aforementioned journal says that he visited the camp before it broke up in Nauvoo. The weather was cold, in February, and the tents were being closed in by the snow; even so, in the face of everything, their look was cheerful and lively. From all appearances, he thought they would be sure of suffering much hardship before reaching the place in which they were intending to make their home. Some of these parties were intending to stay a considerable time in the valley of the river called Sweetwater, where they were thinking of sowing corn, and raising a crop, for their own service, as well as their friends who were following them. A large number of Mormons and others from the eastern states had gathered and united with the migrants from Nauvoo in this remarkable journey.”

The editor of the aforementioned journal also gives a remarkable story about Nauvoo. He says that it is impossible to buy so much as a drop of intoxicating liquor in that town! Neither revelry, nor drunkenness, nor gambling, nor any such evil, had ever been brought to that place; but the people who were coming there now in place of the Mormons were bringing these curses with them to civilization. This story is very different from what we have heard of these people before, and the evidence we got recently from a gentleman who was some months in that neighborhood. They were portrayed as the wickedest and most ungodly creatures on the face of the earth, and it was said that the men and women lived with each other indiscriminately, without any sort of marriage or contract; and that they were guilty of murders, and that they would refuse to give the murderers up into the hands of the state law. We do not know which of these two stories is the closest to the truth; but it is certain enough that Joe Smith was a wicked deceiver in religion, and so it is not likely that his society is very moral, considering that the state laws are always in accordance with justice.

The Temple in Nauvoo, which we depicted in the Star some months ago, is to be sold; and it is said that a wealthy gentleman has come to Nauvoo with the purpose of buying it. His intention is to turn it into a Sanctuary for widows and orphans: and he considered buying lands and houses in the neighborhood, and establish their rent as maintenance to bear the yearly cost. It will be much more beneficial for this work than to hold Mormonish worship, if these people have some worship other than outward display.

Great restorations are intended to be made in the town of Nauvoo, by building mills and works of every sort there; and enough perpetual water is to be had from the Mississippi to turn and work any number of them that is wished for. The Mormons were intending to do this, but they were disturbed before they had the leisure to begin the task. It is said that there is no place on the continent of America more pleasant in its situation than Nauvoo; nor more convenient for carrying on great works; and it is believed that this city will become the main center of the works in the west within a few years.

We have placed this story in our religious section, because the Mormons themselves consider themselves religious people, and true religious people as well; but perhaps it is proper for us to ask the indulgence of our readers for conveying this under this heading. In a little while, it will again be for us to take the opportunity of giving the story of these people on their journey, together with their establishment in California, as soon as we get it from America; perhaps this will be satisfactory to some, since various Welshmen have been so foolish as to join with them, and are now in their midst.

Star of Gomer, August 1846, pp. 233–35

https://journals.library.wales/view/2267394/2417046/10#?xywh=3721%2C1725%2C1181%2C1837

The Nature of Miracles

Mr. Editor—Since there is a big clamor in our days the length and breadth of the populous Works of Monmouthshire and Glamorganshire about the Miracles of the Latter-day Saints, I thought that you would not find the following few notes unacceptable, or without value for the country in general.

I myself have not seen the need for working Miracles in our day, for the purpose of proving the truth of the Christian religion; for I believe it without doubt, according to the witness of the New Testament, without seeing a single Miracle. For one to ask for a Miracle to prove its truthfulness shows clearly that doubt continues in one’s mind on the topic. But, perhaps, since Christianity has split into a number of branches, a Miracle would be necessary to prove which one of these branches is founded on the witness of Christ, the evangelists, and the apostles. Since the Latter-day Saints claim that they are the only branch of Christianity in which Miracles are performed, if Captain Jones, or any others of the prophets of these Saints, will present themselves within the confines of Abersychan or Talywain, and have it in their mind to work a Miracle, I will set before them five loaves and two fishes, at my own expense; and if they can, by giving thanks, feed five thousand, besides women and children, and take up twelve baskets of fragments, then I will think it obvious that they are built on the foundation of prophets and apostles. If they will send their announcement here, I am confident that we can have a multitude of five thousand, besides women and children, to partake of the loaves and the fish, and to be witnesses of the Miracle; and if we are all filled, then we shall sing a hymn, “It is a privilege to have society with the Saints,” etc. On the other hand, since they so arrogant (I say) as to tell men that they can confirm their doctrine by fulfilling Miracles, if they fail at this time, or any other time, to get the Almighty Power to work through them openly, to show that he is pleased with them, and that they have received their commission from him; then they can be registered, on fair and reasonable ground, that they fill the position of false Christs and false teachers, and only pretend to work signs and wonders, which Christ and his apostles said would rise up in the last days. John said in the book of Revelation that he saw three unclean spirits come out of the mouth of the dragon (the Pagan world) and out of the mouth of the beast (the Papist world) and out of the mouth of the false prophet (the Muslim world); for they are the spirits of devils (namely the principles of Paganism, Popery, and Mohammedanism) working Miracles (or pretending to work Miracles); for it is through false miracles that Paganism, Popery, together with Mohammedanism were established in the world. In the face of this, I thank God for common sense, and the Bible, to test these spirits; and to enlighten my fellow nation, lest they be deceived by dissembling and deceit, I shall endeavor to show them, first, what is the

Nature of Miracles

That the visible world is governed by established and common rules, which are normally called the laws of nature—or that the order of causes and effects have been established in every part of nature’s system, to the extent that it falls within the scope of our observation—is a matter that no one can deny. Effects, which are brought about through the normal workings of the laws of nature, or which are concomitant with their established workings, are called natural; and effects opposed to such are considered miraculous. If the continual movement of the planets is obstructed, or if a dead man returns to life, each of these would be a miracle; for they would be contrary to the laws, or the normal rules, through which the world is governed at all other times.

All miracles presuppose that nature has an established order, within the limits of which they operate, and yet which they also transgress. The creation of the world at the first, therefore, although a direct effect of godly Power, is not categorized under these works of God. It differed from and opposed the course of nature, which, at that time, had not come into existence. It can be said that all Miracles are inconsistent with and opposed to the normal rules of the natural system; not only when they change the original substance of some parts of nature, such as when the water was turned into wine, or when they overrule their normal functions, and their effects, such as when fire, without losing its burning power, ceases to burn combustible materials; or a river is divided in its course, while at the same time retaining its gravitational pressure; but also when they take away, by overruling, as they always do, the normal works of natural causes; for the effects that are brought about in the predetermined system of nature, without the assistance of natural causes, are obviously exceptions from, and opposed to the order and run of things within that system. That man is enabled to speak a new language, which he did not learn in the normal way, and that his body is sustained without nourishment, would constitute events in opposition to the normal run of things, and to that order of Divine Providence, which places men as dependent for their reasoning power, and their capacity to achieve knowledge of languages, and for nourishment for their sustenance. I do not affirm that miracles are common, and of necessity that they constitute an appropriate obstruction of the laws of nature, and as such set a boundary on them to bring about their normal effects: the human mind can receive new knowledge in a supernatural manner without a man’s losing any of his present power, although the introduction of knowledge in that manner runs counter to the general rules, through which the human system is guided, or to the connection that God has set between us and the quest for knowledge, and the appropriate custom of the reasonable powers.

Now, this is the clarification of the nature of Miracles: they are works that no one except for the almighty God can perform. The Lord performed them only in very special circumstances; and when he performed Miracles through the instrumentality of men, his purpose was always either to prove the truth of the doctrine they preached, or the message they had in mind; or, else to show to the world that they had received authority from God to fulfill that which they had in mind. Now, if the Latter-day Saints can work miracles, raise someone from the dead—give sight to some blind person—hearing to some deaf person—speech to some dumb person—and hold back the Atlantic Ocean, so they can go through it on dry land to their new Jerusalem; or cause the sun to stop at mid-day, so that for one night the sun failed to set, so that they can convince all who dwell on the earth of the truthfulness of their religion—if they can cause any of these remarkable things to happen, then I shall say in the words of Nicodemus, that “they are teachers come from God; for no man can do these miracles, except God be with him.”

It has been generally thought, and continues to be thought to too great an extent, that evil angels, together with evil men, can work miracles; but now, I shall bring forth the following reasons, to prove that neither good angels nor evil angels, can work Miracles without receiving the power to do so from God.

With respect to good angels.—At no time does scripture indicate that these are capable of working Miracles according to their own pleasure; neither that they have been endowed with any authority over humankind, or over useful and visible things within the system of the world below. It is true that it frequently mentions angels as instruments, or guides of wondrous or miraculous providence. When Jacob saw in his dream a ladder reaching from the earth to the heavens, on which the angels of God appeared, descending and ascending; and at the top of the ladder the Divine Glory himself appeared. This vision, perhaps, was intended only as a figurative sign of a manifestation of the special care of God for Jacob, and his readiness to always protect him; and in reference to this vision, our Savior expressed himself, when foretelling to Nathanael the wondrous list of Miracles which would accompany his ministry. See John 1:51. That is, it is clear that Christ here was foretelling his Miracles, and not the ascending and descending of angels upon him in his ministry, since the prophecy was not fulfilled in that sense. Now, since the Miracles of Christ in another place are attributed, not to angels, but to God only, the angels cannot be considered as the appropriate authors of these deeds; and our Savior could not have intended anything, except only to confirm that the Miracles would be obvious witnesses that the Divine power came from him; or to show that there was a direct passage between heaven and earth. We do not deny, in any way, that Christ could not use angels to fulfil his commands, and especially to work Miracles; for they all were made subservient to him. It does not appear to me in the scriptures that they could work miracles in and of themselves, without a Divine order; quite to the contrary. According to the scriptural account of them, if they were to bring any message to men, it was something they had first received from God; if they were authorized to have an effect on the natural environment, that was through the authorization of the Lord of nature; and if they were, in any way, to impact on the circumstances of our system, they would do so according to God’s command, as ministers of his will. The word angel, or messenger, signifies one used to fulfil some commission. It is used to display, not only intelligent beings, but lifeless beings of creation also, which he uses as instruments of his governance. The Psalmist, when showing the governance of God on the material world, says that the winds are angels to him, or messengers, and his enlightenments to his ministers—“Lightning and hail, snow and clouds, stormy wind, fulfilling his word.” But all that is important here to comment on is that the scriptures teach us that angels, from whatever level of greatness, are nothing but ministering spirits, or ministers of Jehovah, not having any authority over mankind, or the laws of nature.
Evil angels cannot perform miracles.—Since I have proved that good angels cannot work miracles in and of themselves, without assistance from God, what reason can there be for endowing evil angels with such power, when they have fallen under Divine displeasure? Will Deity, being unchangeable in righteousness and justice, reward them for their disobedience, by expanding their scope of deeds, and elevating them to a new jurisdiction over their sphere, something which he refused to the highest archangel? It is surprises me that any man with sense would try to say that evil angels can enable evil men to work Miracles; such as the sorceress of Endor, they say, raising the prophet Samuel from the grave alive, and the sorcerers of Egypt turning the rods into serpents, and the water into blood; together with several other acts of witchcraft, such as stopping the flow of blood after a cut, placing animals on their backs, etc.; men receive the ability to do such things, they say, from the evil angels. If evil spirits can have an influence like this on the body or the spirit of a man, and on other things, in such a miraculous manner; then their power reaches further than the power of the good angels, and very close, if not entirely, as far as the power of the Infinite One, who alone is the worker of true Miracles.
Evil men cannot work Miracles.—Christ said that he would raise up false Christs and false prophets, which would give great signs and wonders; but they would not be able to work true Miracles. Our Savior refers to the deceivers that would rise up in the land of Judea, in the interval between the giving of the prophecy and the destruction of Jerusalem. As early as the forty-fifth or forty-sixth year of the Christian era, one Theudas, who called himself a prophet, persuaded a great number to follow him to the Jordan, by telling them that he, through his own command, would separate the river; but his boasting ended in his own destruction, and that of many of those who followed him. About nine or ten years after that, the land of Judea was overflowing with similar deceivers, who led the people into the wilderness, pretending to show them Divine wonders. One of them, who came from Egypt, promised that he would cause the walls of Jerusalem to fall; but multitudes whom he had deceived were all scattered or destroyed by the Romans; thus, they received just punishment for their foolishness. See Josephus. We fail to find any of them who performed true Miracles; rather something similar to that impostor in Cyrene, promising that he would show them a spirit or an apparition. The Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; of whom was Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom Paul delivered unto Satan; together with Demas, who forsook Paul loving this present wicked world. They were men of a corrupt mind and unacceptable regarding their faith; such as Mohammed in the East, and Joe Smith in the United States of America, the end of such as these was worse than their beginning. They were evil and deceitful men, who became progressively worse in their deceit, being deceived by their own wicked hearts.
It is a pity that men in the land of the gospel give credence to such heretical spirits as these; and I have confident hope that that which was written under the blessing of the great Fountain of knowledge and light, will turn men away from that faith which believes the doctrine of devils, which was formed first in the Pagan world; and which Paul in 1 Timothy completely overturned, and counted as an heretical departure from the doctrine of the gospel of God.
If a true Miracle is performed, we can determine that the immortal God will perform it; and, consequently, it would be reasonable for us to believe him, and receive doctrine on his witness; for our Savior said, “If ye do not believe me, believe the works that I do.” That any being is authorized or enabled to work Miracles to reinforce false teachings is not consistent with reason or revelation. With respect to Miracles, or a departure from the normal course of nature, the scriptures refer to God as their author. See the Song of Moses, Exodus 15:11—“Who is like thee, O Lord, among the gods? Who is like thee, doing wonders?” (namely the Miracles performed by God in Egypt). What words can be stronger in proving that other beings do not possess the power of performing Miracles, and in proving that this supreme right belongs only to God, than the following quotes? “Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel, who only doeth wondrous things.”—Psalm 72:18. “For thou art great, and doest wondrous things: thou art God alone.”—Psalm 86:10. Whenever the saintly writers take the opportunity to mention any special Miracles, whether of power or of knowledge, they confirm in relation to the one miracle in particular that which they confirm in relation to them all, namely, that it is a supreme right belonging to the only true God. If any being other than God can work Miracles, it cannot be true that he alone can work them. The Latter-day Saints claim they can work Miracles; but who has seen their Miracles? No one. Others who also profess Christianity claim that the Devil can enable old women to perform things (if they are true) that force us to call them Miracles; such as appearing in the form of cats, rabbits, etc. This is called also by some, even in our day, sound doctrine! We see that the Latter-day Saints deceive, since they cannot do what they professed to do; and also there are some who call themselves true Christians who live in ignorance of the nature of Miracles. The Saints say they can cast out devils: if they were able to do this (which they certainly cannot), the world would not benefit from that, since they set them free; therefore, they can go to others. They should capture them, and show them “in the face of the sun and the eye of light,” to the world. If we were to see some of these in chains in the hands of the Saints, we would ask in the words of Isaiah, “How art thou fallen from heaven?” Since the Saints claim to be able to perform such things, for the purpose of confirming their system of belief the people ask for signs; and the Saints promise such things to them; but when, I do not know.

Talywain
GWILYM AB DEWI

Star of Gomer, August 1846, p. 253

https://journals.library.wales/view/2267394/2417046/29#?xywh=1712%2C344%2C2939%2C3260

A Mormon Miracle

Some strangers made their appearance last May in the neighborhoods of Talybont and Ystradmeurig who called themselves Mormons, or “Latter-day Saints” with little books to offer to the country. They got a place to deliver their mission upstairs in a mill in the neighborhood; and since they claimed the authority to perform miracles, which was an unfamiliar thing to the listeners, at the end of the meeting, some of them asked for books which showed how to perform such things. One of them came into the hands of a weaver from the neighborhood, who was very fond of every new teaching, however crooked it may be; and while reading the book, he decided in his mind that they were true men of religion, and also that making miracles is an easy thing to the true believers. So, it was not long after that that he had a test of his miraculous gift. One evening, he found a little pig trespassing on his property, so he rushed to punish it, and, taking hold of a long, stout stick, he struck the creature until it was lying flat on the ground, supposing it to be the property of his neighbor; so, lest anyone should suspect him, he threw it into a hidden nook. A little after he returned to his house, he heard his wife saying that she had lost a little porker, for which she paid twelve shillings the other day; so he returned without delay to the supposed corpse, and taking hold of it, and blowing in its mouth, and making various grimaces, he had the pleasure of seeing it returning to life and running about as usual! This was the beginning of the miracles he performed in the evening, by Castell Esgergwrychion; but we hope that the other brothers are performing more substantial miracles than this.

MEURIG

Star of Gomer, October 1846, pp. 301–03

https://journals.library.wales/view/2267394/2417120/14

The Nature of Miracles

To the Editor of the Star of Gomer

Sir—Inasmuch as your Publication is independent, and ready to provide space for defensive writing on some public subject, as long as there is nothing personal being discussed, I now feel a desire to make some observations on the article of your correspondent from Talywain, in the latest STAR, with respect to “The Nature of Miracles.” He is a man who has become famous lately through his treatises on the Influences of Fallen Spirits, etc.; and if an effort is not made to dispel somewhat the claims of his little piece, he will perchance be judged unopposable by many.

Dewi begins his article as a faithful Christian, the kind that Christ always loved. He says that he himself does not “see the need for working Miracles in our day, for the purpose of proving the truth of the Christian religion; for he believes it without a doubt, according to the evidence of the New Testament, without seeing a single Miracle.” Paul of old liked to get hold of men such as this one, instead of those who did not believe through his preaching, but who would ask for a sign and wisdom. But let us not praise our correspondent prematurely, for he is not sure in the following lines, that it might be necessary, since there is such a number of branches of Christianity in our days, to have a miracle to prove which one of them has been based on the testimony of Christ, the evangelists, and the apostles. It seems that Dewi has gotten into a bit of a tight spot in this point. Having ascertained previously that he believes the religion of the New Testament, without seeing a single miracle, he finds himself surrounded by many religions, and all of them claiming that the religion of the New Testament is theirs. Byron says—’Some millions must be wrong.’

We could say—and probably our correspondent would also agree with us—But one must be right. But, although one is right, Dewi, because many are mistaken, sees that a sign is needed to prove that the right one is right. The Latter-day Saints offer to the world now what was offered by Christ of old, “If any man will do his [God’s] will he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.” (John 7:17)

Not one of the other sects can offer such a thing. Argument is the only way they have of arriving at a knowledge of the truth. They used to look for a sign from Paul to prove the truth of his message; similarly, a sign is sought today from the Latter-day Saints: but it is believed that most of the sects of this age, although so different one from another, are true enough, without seeking any sign. If they were preaching the same gospel as the apostles, is it likely that the world would be satisfied without receiving a sign? Since it is from the Saints only, that a sign is sought to prove that their religion is from God, it is very natural to conclude that their religion is the one most similar to the one belonging to the apostles. Mr. Gwilym ap Dewi, I assume, sees this; and he can be heard at the beginning of his article asking for a sign. He wants to get some of the “prophets” of the Saints, when they visit his neighborhood, “if they were to have in their minds,” to perform a miracle, by feeding five thousand, apart from women and children, with five loaves and two fishes (at their own expense), and to leave twelve bags of left-over food-fragments. If this were done, he, who does not “see the necessity of performing miracles in our day, so as to prove the truth of the Christian religion,” would think that “it was obvious that it was they who had built on the foundations of the prophets and the apostles.”

But, on the other hand, says our correspondent, if they do not get the All-powerful Capability to work through them, in order to accomplish the miracle, they can be listed under the category of false-Christians and false-teachers. This is a fair offer, isn’t it? But let us inquire thus: I wonder, if Mr. Gwilym ap Dewi were a contemporary of Christ’s, and if he were to ask him for a sign like this, would he have his wish? Did the devil have a sign from Christ in the wilderness? Did he foretell who was attacking him, in order to prove that he was of God? Did he descend from the cross to prove himself the Son of God? Did he say that it was a wicked and idolatrous people that seek a sign, and that they would not have one? There is no need to answer these things, for they are obvious to all. Despite all this, Dewi decides, that if they failed to accomplish the miracle, that “they can be listed, on fair and reasonable grounds, as fulfilling the category of false-Christians and false-teachers.” On the same grounds, could the apostles be listed also, when they failed to cast out that deaf and dumb spirit, as false-Christians? (Mark 9). The ability had been given to Paul to heal; yet, he advises Timotheus to “use a little wine for his often infirmities;” and he leaves Trophimus a sick man in Miletum. It can be seen from this that God imparts his miraculous skills as he himself wishes, and according to the faith of his children; but he has not authorized his children to satisfy the sign-seekers, and their Leader has not given one example of this. With regard to false-Christians and false-teachers, it is true that Christ and his apostles have foretold them, but it is equally true, that false-Christians cannot confess Christ of the New Testament to be the true Christ, without explaining themselves. The Saints believe in the same Christ as does Gwilym ap Dewi: they, therefore are not the false-Christians. When Christ said that deceivers like these would make signs and wonders, “until they deceived, were it possible, the very elect;” he also said that signs would follow his believers; and in accordance with that, he warns them to be on their guard against false signs. The sects of today do not want to heed the advice of our Lord regarding false signs, as there are to be no signs of any kind, they say; and as a consequence, if some should happen to be given, there is no way they can be deceived. The challenge that believers have these days is very small compared to that of the early believers. They had the challenge of “proving false apostles, (Rev 2:2) false prophets, spirits,” etc.; but now, there is no opportunity for this crowd to transform themselves into anyone’s likeness, for there to be neither apostles nor prophets in the church. Evil spirits can transform themselves as they wish now; it is easy enough to recognize them, because no one admits any sort of good spirit. The early Christians also had a challenge to be careful not to admit any other doctrine apart from the one handed down to them by the apostles; but you can choose whatever doctrine you fancy now, and even though they contradict each other, they are all according to the teaching of Christ and sure to lead to eternal life!—In the face of the foregoing comments, it seems clear that the Latter-day Saints are either of God, or else they are deceivers; and that the various sects of this age are neither of God, nor are they deceivers. They resemble the ones the apostles portrayed as “having a form of godliness, but denying its power” and “heaping up to themselves teachers, and never coming to a knowledge of the truth.” The believers of old knew that their religion was true and that no other could be right; the Saints now know the same; but the various sects of the age cannot but “conscientiously believe.”

Next, our correspondent, after expressing thanks for common sense and a Bible, goes on to show, in order to put the spirits to the test—that is, the three evil spirits that John saw coming out of the mouth of the dragon, the beast, and the false-prophet, which he says are Paganism, Catholicism and Mohammedanism—what the nature of miracles is. He handles this in a very enlightened manner, and I do not see any way to disagree with him.

Having explained the nature of miracles, he says that no one but God can work them, and that he worked them only under very special circumstances. He says also that his purpose in working miracles through men “every time was, either for the purpose of proving the righteousness of the doctrine they preached, or proving the message they had in mind.” Now we shall demonstrate to our correspondent that it was not for any of the foregoing purposes that God performed miracles. The passage of Israel through the Red Sea proves that it was done to deliver them from the hands of the Egyptians. Thus, in the instance of the three young men in the fiery furnace, and Daniel in the lions’ den, and scores of other examples that could be named, ones that show clearly that it was merciful intentions, and not any of the things noted by Dewi, that God had in mind in all the miracles that he wrought. “Now,” he says again, “if the Latter-day Saints can perform miracles, let them raise someone from the dead—let them give eyes to some blind man—ears to a deaf man—speech to a mute—and let them hold back the Atlantic Ocean, so that they might go through it on dry land to their new Jerusalem; or let them enable the sun to halt in the center of the mid-point,” etc. Here he is again very eager for a sign; and a very large, but totally pointless, sign is the one he wishes to receive, that is for us to hold back the Atlantic Ocean, and walk on dry land to America. It would be far wiser to take boats to cross over, for it would be very wearisome to walk such a way.

Our correspondent next proves that it is not feasible for angels to work miracles, without authority from God. This is something that the Latter-day Saints believe. But no one can decide whether they have the ability themselves or not; if they do, they act only in obedience to God.

In relation to the capability of evil angels, there are examples in the scriptures of their being able to accomplish great things. Satan, having gotten Job in his hand, was able to perform great miracles. But it is obvious that he does not have permission every time, otherwise what would become of us? He is ready and able to injure everybody, if he has his will. He was ready to sift Simon “as wheat”; but Christ prayed that his faith should not fail. Satan has the ability to take the form of an “angel of light.” If the master is able to do things like this, it is reasonable that his whole multitude of followers can do so, to a greater or lesser extent.

That bad men are bereft of the ability to work miracles, is a subject that is not worth our knowing at present, but it can be noted that they can do nothing through God, but only that which they can do through evil spirits. It is clear that a man possessed by the demon host is able to accomplish through them things beyond the normal, that which none can bind even with chains and fetters, for he was shattering those into pieces (Mark 5). The scriptures also mention a damsel possessed by a spirit, who was capable of soothsaying; however, when the evil spirit was rebuked, her ability ceased (Acts 16: 16–19). John, in Revelation 13:13, has seen a beast doing “great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men.”

Mr. G. ab Dewi, towards the end of his article, regrets that men give credence to “seducing spirits,” such as Joseph Smith and Mohammed, and to the “doctrines of devils,” the very things, he says, that Paul, in 1 Timothy 4:1, totally refutes. But, if our correspondent reads the following two verses, he will learn that those who “give credence to seducing spirits and to the doctrines of devils”, are “forbidding to marry and commanding to abstain from meats”. Everyone knows that the Latter-day Saints do not forbid marriage nor command to abstain from meats, and, consequently, it is clear that it was not they whom Paul describes.

The last thing we will note about his article are the comments at the end. “The Saints say,” he says, “that they cast out devils; were they able to do this (which they certainly cannot), the world would not be improved by it, as they are being released; therefore, they can go into others.” It is obvious from the story of the legion of devils, when they ask Christ, “Art thou come hither to torment us before the time,” as well as other places, that the devils are not to be bound now, only to be cast out; and it is not likely that they shall be bound until their leader is bound, that is, at the beginning of the thousand years. Christ suffered the legion of devils to go into the herd of swine; and in no other place is there mention of him or his disciples, when rebuking the devils, that he binds them. Matthew 12:43–45 shows the freedom that an evil spirit possesses, having been cast out of a man. It is described as “walking in dry places.” Dewi says the Saints should capture them and display them, but Christ gave a command only to cast them out; furthermore, there is no record in the scriptures that they were visible. Were our correspondent given, as I have mentioned, such an opportunity as to see a spirit bound in the hands of the Saints, and to be allowed to ask it, in Isaiah’s words, “When art thou fallen from heaven?” the spirit could respond to his question in equally biblical words, namely, “when I warred against Michael and his angels” (see Revelation 12:7–9). In his final sentence Dewi says that the multitudes are asking for signs; he can inform them that a devil once asked Christ the same things, and that the Saints want to get them to believe through “the foolishness of preaching”,

Humbly yours, sir,
I. M.
Glan Teifi

Star of Gomer, October 1846, p. 309

https://journals.library.wales/view/2267394/2417120/22#?xywh=-64%2C-96%2C4081%2C3081

A Public Debate

A public debate was held in the Lecture Room in the town of Towyn, Meirionnydd, recently. The parties were,—on the one side, G. Evans, Esq. Maesypandy, and, on the other, one of the apostles of the Latter-day Saints, or the Mormons. The main statement of the apostle was that the gift of miracles in its whole force and early fullness, was just as attainable to these Latter-day Saints as it was to the Saints of the apostolic age. Mr. Evans denied this statement, and overturned it with no small dexterity. The inhabitants felt great interest in the disputation, and they pushed very numerously into the room, and testified at the end of the competition, through the raising of “a considerable forest of hands,” their approval of Mr. Evans’ reasoning. A chairman had been chosen, and a Reporter, &c., and the meeting was held throughout in the most regular manner.

D. W. P.

Star of Gomer, November 1846, p. 343

https://journals.library.wales/view/2267394/2417157/14#?xywh=2529%2C22%2C2540%2C2817

Zeal Without Knowledge

There is no doubt that the human race of every age of the world consists of social beings; and that their ears are not satisfied with hearing nor their eyes with seeing while they have them; and they are inclined to enrich themselves, not only in gold and silver, houses and lands, etc., but also in various fields of knowledge. They were taught in these things as early as our first parents, through the promises of the serpent to our first mother Eve.

Well, in light of the fact that “Satan walketh about, seeking whom he may devour,” it is very reasonable for us to seek from God to “keep us from evil.” It appears to me that men of this age, as in other ages, having zeal with only a small amount of knowledge; yes, several of them of virtuous demeanor, with their hearts (I suppose) quite honest before their God, as the object of worship; but they pretend that they cannot understand one of the letters of their father, except they (like that Ethopian) have someone to guide them, although they are perfectly able to read and understand every slander and country tale! The Christians of these days appear to be as if they have changed from what they were in the days of the Apostles, to a worse behavior; instead of praying for everyone, they pray only for those who are of the same opinion as they themselves about religious things. They threaten all who do not lend their ears to them, as did the Pharisees of old; and if they but had the same authority that Bonner had, the seal of the Queen on their belt, I am certain that they would make the Latter-day Saints either stop talking or experience that which Stephen experienced; and that many of their “Pastors” would hold their clothes considering them as holy as Saul’s in days gone by. Paul knew quite well what zeal in knowledge and ignorance was; he knew from a boy what it was to keep the law without conviction; he knew that it was the same God who supported him that had brought Israel out of Egypt; he knew that no carved idol nor any image of anything in heaven or on earth warranted his worship, as well as the young men in the fiery furnace knew it, when they refused to obey Nebuchadnezzar’s command; he flawlessly kept his Sabbaths holy; he did not take the name of his God in vain; he respected his parents; he killed no one; he did not commit adultery; neither did he covet any of his neighbor’s possessions; but he did become enraged in favor of his faith, and received authority from the chief priest to imprison followers of the new sect! So, he set off on his journey towards Damascus and thus, if he heard anyone talking of their Christ, who died and came back to life, their belief in him, their baptism for the forgiveness of sins, the laying on of hands to receive the Holy Ghost, etc., he would, by the authority of his letters, take them to Jerusalem to be imprisoned. Well, my compatriots, it is all too obvious that there are frequent imitations of this sort of thing in our own days! Only authority is needed. And just as obvious that there are those who profess faith in this century who do not know (they say) whether they have oil in their lamps or not; but they know full well that it is they who have the true form of religion, and that every other form is false. They often fear that their prayers were not acceptable to their Father; and they claim, almost in the same breath, that the spirit of grace often touches their spirits under (the influence of) the Word. They complain sometimes about their two o’clock meetings, because of the heaviness of the time, and that they scarcely receive any benefit from them, because of their drowsiness, etc. Now, I appeal to you all in the name of reason and scripture are things like this the effect of the living Word; or is it as the “Saints” profess? Did not the Son of God promise to be always with his saints? And did he not promise that signs would follow their doctrine? Yes, to those who obeyed his commands? And he also promised that they would have knowledge for themselves, so that none of the false teachers could trick them; and was it not to perfect the saints that God put these things in his Church? May God not allow me, or anyone else, to doubt the New Testament, any more than him who sealed it with his blood. Amen.

“In my Lord’s Cross I boast,
Through it I gain glory,
And pure comfort traveling the vale,
And a crown at the end.”

SONGBIRD OF TON

Star of Gomer, December 1846, p. 378

https://journals.library.wales/view/2267394/2417194/17#?xywh=58%2C2905%2C1701%2C1886

Questions

To Mr. I. M., Glanteifi

SIR—In your notes about the article of Mr. W. Davies, you said that the disciples of Christ could be listed, who were the workers of the true miracles, and on the same ground as the Latter-day Saints, who are nothing but the workers of false miracles; and your reason for that was because the disciples failed to cast out the evil spirit mentioned in Math. 17:14–21; Mark 9:17–29; Luke 9:39–42. We wish to know from you whether it was a lack of power or a lack of faith that was the cause of their lack of success? If the former, why did their Teacher chastise them for failing to fulfill that which was impossible for them to do?

Glan yr un Teifi [A bit of a joke about John Davis being from “Glanteifi” which means “along the bank of the Tovey River”—Meurig indicates his home as being on the “Bank of the same river Tovey.]

MEURIG

Star of Gomer, January 1847, pp. 7–8

https://journals.library.wales/view/2267394/2318080/8#?xywh=-572%2C-1%2C3658%2C4058

Notes on an Article by "Songbird of Ton"

Mr. Gomer,—Behold your STAR for November has appeared punctually, and full of light, teachings and councils which we shall do well to take heed of. Amongst the different articles, I see quite strange notes in my opinion, on page 343, by “Songbird of Ton” on “Zeal without Knowledge;” and with your permission may I be allowed to offer some short comments on his letter.

Without doubt it is always good to have great zeal for a good thing and things; but there never has been, and there never will be one good thing that has not been, or will not be misused. “Zeal is good if it has a good rule, and good purposes governing it”, say the Jews, “The Zeal of God, but not according to knowledge.” Knowledge is the adornment which raises man higher than the animal; and using that talent in its place makes it a blessing; but misusing it turns it into a curse for itself, its family and its neighbors. The situation of those savages is pitiful, and it can be said that they are spoilt by the need for knowledge; but a thousand times more pitiful is the spiritual state of those who are spoilt because of ignoring knowledge, and who say to God, “Go away from us, we do not wish to know your ways.” I hope that ‘Songbird’ is not one of these: to his own Lord he must stand or fall. He seems to be quite knowledgeable how things and events, etc., were in the time of the apostles. Well, maybe he is; but the surprise is that he is so ignorant about his neighborhood and his neighbors; or then, that his zeal for some rubbish and arrogance causes him either to fail to see and hear, or that they cause him to bear false witness to his close neighbors.

He begins by reproaching or accusing religious people of this age; that they pretend that they cannot understand any of their Father’s letters, unless they (like the Ethiopian) have someone to guide them, etc. If they are pretending, they are greatly to blame. It seems that Mr. S is strong enough in his understanding (2) and mastery of all the great and deep things of God, and that he understands it all; therefore, you would expect MR. GOMER, and all perceptive readers of the STAR, to see an explanation from “Ton” giving eternal satisfaction, and which throws all the explanations into shadow and everlasting void; and then our Lord’s commandment will be seen to have lost its importance and its effect, “Teaching them to keep everything which I commanded you”. Doubtless my neighbor S. is wise enough to understand the secret of the “monster and the false-prophet,” without teaching or instruction. Indeed, it is a foolish man who pretends to be wise since birth as a wild young ass.

His next complaint is “that Christians these days seem to have changed from how they were in the days of the apostles to worse behavior; instead of praying for everyone, only for those who have the same opinion as themselves on religious matters.” Allow me, MR. GOMER, to ask my neighbor S. if he has listened to Christians in the area of Ton, etc., preaching and praying? If so, his false zeal and boldness are great, when he can be so daring as to claim such a thing in so enlightened and public a place as the front page of the STAR; and if not I suggest that he go to the preaching meeting or to the prayer meeting which is held in Ton; or he may go, if he wishes, to the prayer meeting on the first Monday evening of the month—a meeting set aside especially to pray for every man—for the whole world; and if he can, at the end of the meeting, let him write to the STAR that nobody was prayed for there but those of the same opinion as the people praying. What does zeal without knowledge not do or claim?

Next, Mr. S. bitterly complains about the spirit and behavior of his neighbors, that is, “if they had the same authority as Bonner had, that is the seal of the Queen at their belts, I am sure that they would make the Latter-day Saints experience that which Stephen experienced, and that many of their pastors would hold their clothes.” No, no, not so, my friend S.; and I challenge you through the medium of THE STAR OF GOMER, despite all your boldness and your terrible claims, that you did not see and that you did not experience anything but every kindness from every Christian at Ton, from the time you came here until now; and maybe as much, if not more, than you ever saw in Anglesey, the land of your birth; and if there are many here laughing at you because you claim that a miracle was performed on the leg of the man in Merthyr,—that he was cured under the hand of “the praiseworthy prophet and the false-prophet,” do not blame us it is you yourself who makes a mockery of yourself; and I cannot account this to zeal without knowledge, because you well know that many from here and other parts, went every step to Merthyr for the purpose of seeing the man; but after all the fuss instead of seeing the man walking and jumping, to their disappointment they found him lame, with a big lump on his leg; and if anyone doubts the fact he is to be seen like this now, at least he was so for a period of six to seven months after being under the hand of the false-prophet; yet here is the man who accuses us with regard to zeal without knowledge! If we believed miracles like this we would become more foolish than the “Risca fools”; and I take the present opportunity, as if on oath in the presence of my Judge, to inform you, together with all the readers of the STAR, that up until now nothing similar to a miracle has been performed by them anywhere in Merthyr and the surrounding district; and it would be just as easy for Mr. S. to try to convince the inhabitants of Ton that Joe Smith swallowed the mountain and that God showed the book of Mormon to him in the cave; and also, that God sent an angel from heaven and that he placed his hands on the heads of the bold sinners Joe Smith and his friend Cowdery and ordained them to administer baptism, etc. See ‘Star of the Saints’ for October, published by the Prophet, printed by the Rev. J. Jones, Rhydybont, an Independent minister. S. should remember that it is zeal according to knowledge which causes us to treat such stinking rubbish with the scorn and contempt it deserves. It would be like S., the false-prophet, and their brothers urging us to believe that the ‘History of Jack the Giant Killer’ or Robinson Crusoe’s book were given through inspiration like the above tales; but Mr. S. should remember that although we detest his tales and are truly worried that one man possesses such extremes of boldness and lies, yet we would not wish for the world to be guilty of harming a hair of his head, or his brothers’; and we wish to be patient with him, and pray for him, expecting God to give him knowledge and to return him to the Lord; and we have support for this since others have returned in trouble and tears.

The man pretends to be very respectful of the New Testament,—he knows the best; but if we who live at Ton were to judge things according to words and actions, we would believe that he had a thousand times more respect for the things of Mormon. But remember, MR. GOMER, that the rabble under consideration is only made up of the most ignorant scum of society, showing no sign of the fear of God, in the places where they are. They are led by a few who were famous in the Chartist army; at that time, sharing the possession of the great was their song, and bringing the world to order through equality, etc. Do not be surprised, MR. GOMER, nor your readers either, that there are a few of them in Merthyr; here there is every madness, ungodliness and atheism; and however foolish may be that which is announced, many are found to believe it. As proof of this, an Englishman called Twist came here, during the time of the union as they call it; together with the evil men under him he collected an unknown sum of money; and then he went away and left his followers in their loss and shame. After this came the time of the Chartists; it is known how they were from beginning to end. Now, here are their leaders taking the name of religion as a mantle to deceive; and they collect as much of the poor devils’ money as they can deceive from them. At that time, they succeeded by promising their followers that they would have everything equally; now, Jerusalem is everything; and the surprise is, considering the unenlightened nature of the lowest class of people in these districts, that not many were deceived by them; but their lies are too bare-faced for anyone in their senses to believe; and they do not have zeal without knowledge because they know full well that it is all deception.

They shamelessly claim that angels, Jesus Christ, etc. are in their meetings, speaking to them and directing them, etc. I have spoken to several people who were with them but who have now left them; and I asked them whether some false appearance happened in their secret meetings to charm and blind the ignorant and the superstitious? They all said that there was nothing. I asked them have you been guilty of telling these lies? They all answered, Yes. I asked them a second time, How could you have enough boldness to claim that you saw angels, Jesus Christ, etc.? To that they replied that they could not give a reason, but only that they were possessed the second they joined them so that they could tell a lie in hypocrisy; and they gave witness in the most conscientious way that all their claims are lies. Therefore, they are lies, without doubt. It is terrible to jest about the great things of God, and awful are the spiritual situations of those whom he has “sent them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie.” Things like these are mentioned in the Bible.

As for the last comments of my friend S, with regard to the supplicators’ lie mentions “that they do not know if the oil is in their vessels and whether their prayers are acceptable to the Father,” etc. we know of one Saint who tried in every way to glorify God and do good to his fellowmen; yet he complained much about “the body of death”, and feared that “after he had preached to others that he himself would be unacceptable”; and he advised his brothers to behave in fear for the time of their journey. I should think that the Pharisee long ago was just as confident as my friend S; but it was the fearful who went home justified. Allow me, in finishing, to do this in the words of the famous poet Clwydfardd. (See The Times for last November).

“You, Latter-day Saints,
I shall follow while I live,
If you can perform the miracles
Which our Lord’s Apostles did,
But this,—if you cannot—if you are deceivers,
If you are men without ability for the work,
I will not come one inch to follow you,
For hell will be the end of your journey.
In Wales you were heard preaching:
But yet not one miracle was seen;
According to every omen and sign,
Your name will fall to scorn:
The same thing [that happened] to Southcott and Courtney,
To Martha and Mary of the White Cloak,
Will happen to you, I believe,
Your “Latter Days” will come to an end.”

I am, yours, etc.,
THE CUCKOO OF TON.

Star of Gomer, January 1847, pp. 16–17

https://journals.library.wales/view/2267394/2318080/17#?xywh=-124%2C962%2C1469%2C1630

"The Nature of Miracles" Again

An Answer to the Question of Meurig in the December STAR

MR. GOMER—I wish to have permission to notify Meurig that what I said was, that the apostles could be listed as false Christians, etc., when they failed to work a miracle, the same way that some of the “prophets” of the Latter-day Saints could be listed as false prophets when they themselves fail to work a miracle. Let our correspondent read the article again. That the apostles failed to rebuke the deaf and dumb spirit was not proof that they were not able to work miracles, any more than the failure of some of the “prophets” of the Saints to work a miracle that Mr. Gwilym ab Dewi requested them to do, to prove their inability to work miracles. It is my understanding that the Saints claim their authority to preach, baptize, cast out devils, heal the sick, etc., in the same manner as the disciples of old so claimed. Were Meurig or Gwilym to see some of the Saints failing to cast out devils, or failing to heal someone without medication, would not they be ready to shout, “Deceivers,” “false prophets,” etc.? But what do they say about the apostles when they failed to rebuke the devils, and about Paul when he counseled Timothy to use medication to be healed? Perhaps they will answer, “The apostles did not have sufficient faith, and they did not fast and pray;” also, “Paul’s faith was weak,” or “the Lord did not wish to give health.” But why can that not be permitted to the Saints, poor things? Christ said to his disciples, “If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, move from that place, and it will move; and nothing is impossible to you.” Now, it is seen that faith is the miraculous power; and it is by the faith of a man that God works, but also according to his own wish. There is an opportunity, consequently, for Meurig and Gwilym ab Dewi to work miracles if they are true disciples of Christ, and if they use sufficient faith for that; but it is not likely that God would assist them to work miracles to satisfy sign seekers. If these two possessed sufficient faith to work a small miracle, and if others were threatening to call them “deceivers” if they did not work some great miracle they wanted, such as feeding five thousand with five loaves and two fishes, it is quite likely they would be heard reasoning like this: “We are not, you know, but common members in the body of Christ; it is not fitting for you to expect us to accomplish that which such men as apostles did; furthermore, we have no account except for two of those (namely Peter and Paul) being able to accomplish great works; and also it was not proper to expect them, much less us, to accomplish things so wondrous as did Christ: and despite it all, you want us to feed five thousand miraculously, or something of the sort, and to do so in order to satisfy sign seekers!” Indeed, they would reason very wisely, and in accordance with all scripture, as far as I know. But it could happen that these two have not been endowed by the Holy Spirit with the gift to “work miracles,” but with the gift of “the word of wisdom” or “prophecy” (see 1 Cor. 12); consequently, it could not be expected for them to perform any kind of miracle, much less a great one. It would be futile to expect them “to heal,” if they had the gift of “divers kinds of tongues; and futile to expect them to “prophesy,” if they had the “gift of healing.” Our friends see, then, that it is foolishness to seek a sign from the Saints, if that were scriptural and proper, without knowing first what they can do. But it is obvious by reading the chapter to which we referred, that all those gifts are members belonging to the body or the church of Christ, and they are not to be used except to edify the body.

But lest I go on too long, I shall comment on that which Meurig most particularly wishes to know from me. He asks whether it was a lack of power or a lack of faith that was the cause for the apostles’ failure to cast out the deaf and dumb spirit. Christ said to them that if they had as much faith as a grain of mustard seed that it would not be impossible for them; consequently, they were lacking faith when they failed. Their power depended on their faith. Their inability was lack of belief; and for disbelieving they were rebuked by Christ. Nevertheless, Christ showed them that that kind of devils would not go out, except the disciples had strong faith, and without fasting and prayer. I hope this will give satisfaction to Meurig; if otherwise, there will be nothing I can do except to try again.

I am, sir, sincerely yours,
I. M.
Glan Teifi

Star of Gomer, February 1847, pp. 47–49

https://journals.library.wales/view/2267394/2318117/16#?xywh=156%2C1509%2C2304%2C2311

Review of the Press

The Latter Saints

The substance of a Sermon delivered on the Miracles, to enlighten the common people, and show the deception of the creature who call themselves “Latter Day Saints”. By the Rev. W. R. Davies,

Baptist Minister of Caersalem, Dowlais

The present age is renowned for important changes and revolutions in the political, literary and religious world. Insofar as these changes are so closely linked to our comfort or our distress as citizens, we should, under the various characterizations, seek a proper understanding of their principles, and look seriously at their effects, so that we may know how to react to them. The change which took place in our kingdom recently with regard to the aristocracy, was a very important one; and as such the most eloquent orators of the age have been speaking of it, and the ablest writers of our kingdom have been, and are, writing about it. There is a general agitation in Britain these days with regard to the mental culture of his Majesty’s subjects, but in particular the children of Gomer, between and on the mountains of Gwalia; the royal family, the most honorable members of Parliament, and the most respectable evangelical ministers of the Principality, together with many others, are in favor of it; many of them speak eloquently, and write skilfully in its favor, and subscribe largely to it. Neither is the revolution which has recently taken place in the state church a trifling matter, namely that so many of their priests have gone to follow Dr. Pusey, etc., and no one who pays any attention to religion and its principles, is unaware that the German reformation is a more sober and serious thing than the Catholics wish it to be. The arrogant creatures that Mr. Davies calls Satanists in this Sermon have caused a bit of commotion in some parts of the country, especially in Merthyr and Dowlais; but God preserve me from being so stupid as to list their despicable, shameful, and unreasonable movement among the important revolutions of the age. But insofar as Satanism is defended by deceitful, disreputable men, and as they, by boasting that they can perform miracles, etc., have convinced a few foolish people to follow them, it was reasonable for someone to show the public that their claims, through which they deceive people, are senseless, odious and unreasonable. Mr Davies has deigned to undertake the task, and has completed it in a manner worthy of himself, as a Welsh preacher and writer, in the sermon in question. His text is in 1 Corinthians 12:18. He starts by explaining the context of the text; not in order to spend time, and have something to say, like many, who almost always start by saying, “The apostle in the previous chapter,” etc., or, “The prophet in the verses before the text,” etc.; but because understanding the context is essential in order to understand the doctrine of his text, as those who read it will see. He notes that some received the gifts of healing the sick at that time, and “that that was effected through the laying on of hands, and touching the clothes, handkerchiefs and shawls of the men who possessed the gift.” After directing the reader’s attention to the scriptures on which his statements are based, he says, “We find that the miracles were clear, obvious and unconcealed; and the Satanists are asked, did they do such things in Merthyr or Dowlais? The presumptuous man they call the praiseworthy Apostle is here now—were his shadow, his clothes, or his body effective in fulfilling such powerful actions? The answer is negative, No. Then we see that his claims, and those of his foolish followers, are nothing but the most awful and frightful raucous lies that an evil man, or the sons and daughters of Belial, have asserted in the history of the world.” Mr. Davies comments critically and clearly on the other gifts the Apostle mentions in the verses before the text. On the gift of “many tongues,” he says that the Satanists “prattle some foolishness that is not language, etc., to trick silly women and ignorant children.” “If the false prophet Henshaw,” he says, who is an Englishman born in Cornwall; or Middleman, an Irishman, spoke in the Welsh language, Hebrew, etc., and A. Evans, who is a monoglot Welshman, in English or Irish, they could profess to have the gift. The Apostles did this as easily as breathing.” After discussing the gifts, he notes that the Apostle “sets them in unity of purpose, like the members make up the human body,” and “that God, in establishing the church, arranged and set in it various officers, with a view to the welfare and the structure of Christ’s spiritual body, namely the Apostles.” After explaining the meaning of the word, he notes “the things that were needed in order to be an Apostle,” namely, “seeing Christ after his resurrection—being sent directly by Christ himself, being under the infallible guidance of the Holy Ghost. 2. Prophets. 3. Teachers or preachers.” If these things, and other things Mr D. notes, were essentials of Apostleship, it is certain that the one they call the “praiseworthy Apostle”, (that is, the brother of the Author of “The Treachery of Immersion”, “The Babies’ Hosanna”, and who stole so much of the work of Mr. J. M. Thomas to make a halfpenny text on the Thousand Years, about which Caledonia fashioned a scourge of fine ropes for his objective case in the STAR recently,) is not an Apostle, it is all trickery and deceit. Whoever believes differently must be foolish enough to believe the praiseworthy Apostle that he has seen Jesus Christ—that he has been sent directly—that he is infallible—that he can perform miracles, and bestow the Holy Spirit on men by laying his hands on them. If there are some who believe these things, they are objects of pity. “After taking a broad look at the text in its context,” says the author, “we shall comment more specifically on the subject.” The nature, aims, and cessation of the miracles are the headings of the sermon.

After giving a scriptural and philosophical description of a true miracle, and showing the difference between them and things which appear so to some, the author goes on to show that it is not essential for a man to be perfectly familiar with all the mysteries of life to be able to distinguish between a miracle and something that appears to be one.

Under this heading too, he comments on the various ways in which miracles were performed, such as stopping the laws of nature—the Red Sea, and the Jordan, for example. “At other times, overriding them; iron floating, preventing the fire from burning the young men, the lions from killing Daniel, etc. Sometimes the same laws were stretched, such as the increase in the loaves, eyes for the blind, raising the dead, etc., these things being above nature, and not counter to its laws, and therefore miracles.” Under the same heading he takes a look at the false miracles performed by the Devil, and his instruments, through God’s sufferance; and at the people who pretended to perform them in order to beguile men. Mr. Davies mentions many of them in his sermon, together with their miserable end; “but of all the fools ever seen,” he says, there never were the like, in all arrogance and folly, of the Satanists.” To understand the difference between a true and a false miracle, “the tendency of every action,” he says, “shows its source; if the spring is bad, the streams, by the nature of things, must be too. The aim of these men in Deuteronomy (chap. 13), was to lead their followers to worship false gods, by promising them great things.” So the author gathers that the aim and purpose of the elders of the Satanists, who pretend to perform miracles, “is to extort the money of uneducated men and foolish folk—not to encourage them to live in a godly fashion, but promise them heaven and bliss in America, and feed them some rubbish beneath common sense.” Following the above comments, there are really excellent notes on the names given to a miracle; such as wonder, sign, power, and miracle, with the reason and the appropriateness of them.

The intelligent reader will find it satisfying to read his brief and comprehensive notes on the omniscience and omnipotence which are carved on the miracles of our Saviour; my essay would be too long if I were to quote them. I cannot but note his observation in relation to the public nature of the miracles of Christ and his Apostles. Joe Smith’s followers say that it is in the church that miracles are to be performed (or what they describe as such.) “Claiming such a thing,” says Davies, “is nothing more than trying to make the blind blinder, and hide deceit.” No greater truth was ever spoken than this, and whoever reads the introductory essay by Morgan, Machynlleth, to the history of the church will see that the Pagan priests acknowledged that they did many things in secret: perhaps the “praiseworthy Apostle” has read the account of their accursed pranks and intends to improve his situation at the expense of the credulity of the Welsh, as this accursed legion did in the early days.

It was “in the most public and frequented place” that Christ performed his miracles; and the author quotes examples to prove his point. He asks if it was in rooms that the following were performed, such as turning the water into wine—casting out devils—opening the eyes of the blind—feeding the five thousand, etc.? No, says everyone who has read God’s word. Now, are we to believe inspired writers or some ignorant riffraff from Merthyr and Dowlais, and others like them? God be truthful.

The purpose of the miracles is the next thing. He shows that neither proving the existence of God, nor reinforcing moral commandments was the issue: but that the miracles in Egypt were performed to bring Israel away from the idols of the country, and Elijah performed a miracle on mount Carmel in order to prove to the world the greatness and supremacy of the God of Israel over the gentiles’ idols. “The Prophet did not endeavor to persuade Ahab, and others, to come to some room and believe; no, he took him to the top of the mountain; and however strong was his enmity, and however deep was his prejudice, he, and thousands who were present, came to believe before leaving the place; and if the men who claim their miracles can perform them, why do they not do so in Merthyr market, on top of the mountains, etc.? The men know better.” This is incontrovertible, I would think.

“The main purpose of a miracle is to prove the veracity of the one who is sent, and that his teaching is from God.” It will therefore be expected, of course, for those who profess to have been sent by God, and that their teaching is from God, to perform miracles to prove it; well, have the followers of Joe Smith, who profess the above done so? Mr. Davies says they have been trying, by laying hands on various people, etc., and have failed, and that “little Magws” and her lame hip (who is one of them) is a permanent memorial of their inability. The inescapable conclusion, then, is this: that they are not sent by God, and their teachings are not from him. The false prophet of Penydarren called at Mr. D.’s house and, among other things, he said if he drank anything lethal it would do him no harm. He tried to get him to do the experiment then and there, but he refused because “he knew,” he said, “his fate would be similar to Mohammed’s, who had poison in a roast lamb.” Mr. Davies asked the same pretender if he would talk to him in Welsh. In response to this he said, “I can’t speak Welsh, sir.” Who was this? One of those who boast they possess every ability the Apostles possessed. If he was able to speak in tongues, why would he not converse with Mr. Davies in Welsh? But what is the point of speaking of such things, these arrogant creatures, together with their impudent claims, are beneath contempt.

We have heard some sermons, quite good at the beginning, but quite thin towards the vicinity of the end—they were just like a cat’s tail; not so the sermon in question; the author improves his grasp as he draws to a conclusion. His arguments for the ceasing of the miracles are incontrovertible; but since the article is already quite long, I shall only list them. He says that “asserting their continuation proves the lack of belief, hard-heartedness and atheism of men.” “Many believed it,” he says of the gospel, “between and on top of the mountains of Wales, and they now sing about it, in the heaven of heavens; and it will be believed again, when Joe Smith’s creed and deception are rotting in oblivion. Asserting their continuation also throws the greatest contempt on the miracles of our great Lord and his Apostles.” Christ has provided proofs that hell cannot shake, so that no more are needed.

“It also spoils and destroys the miraculous proof forever.” * * * To ask why miracles did not happen every day would be to ask why miracles did not stop being miracles.” He notes too that this unreasonable doctrine deposes faith, and is a mark of the heathen—2 Thes. 2:9. Insofar as we have sufficient reasons to believe without them, and that God performs them only when devoid of such proofs, the author naturally gathers that they are not to exist now. The last reason is, “that no one but the Catholics, the Mohammedans and the Satanists allege their continuation.” The sermon concludes with two lessons—“1. We see the glory of Christ’s religion—no defect in it.” After taking a look at the firmness of the proofs, along with the baseless assertions of the Satanists, he asks, “Where is Magws and her withered hip (one of them)? It is amusing to see her carrying the Address of the Twelve Apostles, promoting it all over the place, which confirms their ability to perform miracles, while her hip, poor pauper, preaches her lies more loudly than her tongue. The ‘praiseworthy Apostle’ can perform miracles, say Magws and others with their tongues. No, they cannot; it is all your hellish and satanic lies, says the withered hip. Shall we believe their tongues or their hips?” It is their hips that should be believed, at any rate. The reader will see that Mr. Davies sets Magws’s tongue and hip to fight each other; do you think it would presumptuous for us to believe that it is the hip that gains victory? The sick that Christ healed spoke of his virtues; they were able to give a demonstration of the truth of what they said about him; and if the Saints did the same thing to Magws, it could be a greater blessing for the kingdom than her current state. The last thing is “the steadfastness of listeners to the gospel.”

I do not intend for this review to serve instead of the sermon itself; I have quoted short excerpts to create an urge in the readers of the STAR to see it (if it is available, I do not know); because a meaningful reading of it will greatly benefit those who are thirsty for knowledge, and being without it will certainly be a loss, because it is a good sermon; it shows that the author possesses a penetrating mind, and that it has been employed in the composition of the sermon in question. He does not start, like many, with God’s purpose, charging like a wild bull past the Garden of Eden and the Red Sea, and through the shadows, until they arrive at Bethlehem and the cross, and thence like a bolt of lightning towards the morning of the opening of the books; and at the end they are almost ready, like Alexander, to complain that the course is not longer.

Many say after hearing a sermon, “Truly I thought he had said everything—that he had preached the whole Bible, and that no one else would find anything else to say,” etc. The sermon has not been composed to appeal to the taste of those who want to hear everything at once; no, the miracles are the subject he has taken in hand; consequently, it is on the miracles that he should preach, and that is what he has done; unity of design is to be seen through the whole sermon. It is not the inhabitants of Merthyr and Dowlais that Mr. Davies has served in the composition of this sermon, nor one religious denomination, but the cause of the Savior in general. Those who buy it, read it and ponder it in such detail that the author’s reasonings are carved in an ineradicable fashion on your minds, and so you will thoroughly understand one of the most important subjects in theology, and be able to silence the arrogant and ungodly proponents of the age. If there happens to be a call for a second printing of it, I trust Mr. Davies will take his pen to change a few of the grammatical errors in it, which have come about through his or the printer’s carelessness. The grammarian can see occasional errors, especially where the mutating consonants are governed, and change to their soft mutation.

I would not mention this if I did not think the sermon will be more popular than he thought when he sent it to the press.

Mathetes
Porthyrhyd

Star of Gomer, April 1847, p. 120

https://journals.library.wales/view/2267394/2318187/25#?xywh=912%2C547%2C2939%2C3260

Persecution of the Mormons

One of the newspapers of America gives us the pitiful story that follows, about the cruel persecution which is being carried on recently, against the Mormons in that land:— “At last, the result of citizen taking up arms against citizen has ended in a battle between the Mormons and their persecutors, in which a number of the former party were killed. The direct result of this civil war is the exit of the Mormons, who gave up to the rioters of Illinois on the 16th of last September, and had departed from Nauvoo, intending to follow their brothers to the deserts of America, to search for more peaceful abodes in the region of California; but five of the Mormons have had permission to stay for a little while in Nauvoo to sell their belongings, if they can. Since some years ago, a great number of wretches had formed an alliance to cause the Mormons to leave their country and their property, and after murdering their Prophet and his family, they made 20,000 Mormons flee to the desert in poverty and destitution, leaving to their persecutors their excellent town, their splendid temple, and all their cultivated and fertile farms: and from possessing a fullness of every earthly comfort, they are now poor and needy wanderers in the inaccessible wilds of the new world, with hundreds of them dying of fatigue and hunger!”

Star of Gomer, June 1847, pp. 173–74

https://journals.library.wales/view/2267394/2318261/14#?xywh=702%2C700%2C1715%2C1509

Speaking with Tongues

Mr. Gomer,

Inasmuch as many in these days misunderstand that which is called speaking with tongues in the New Testament, I am desirous, if your readers find such a thing unacceptable, to present my reasons to prove that it is acceptable. I was prompted to write about the subject by that which I perceived in the writings of H. Tegai and Mathetes in the Star lately with regard to this kind of speaking. It appears that their view is that those who professed Christianity in the apostolic age were able to speak in an unknown tongue whenever they wanted, and to whomever they wished, and that the dialect they spoke was always in some language that was understandable to their listeners. Their speaking in an understandable language would appear to be very natural, were it not for another mention in the New Testament about speaking with tongues besides the one that is in the account about the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:2–13). On that day everyone understood that which was spoken, and they had no need for a translation; but in other places in the scriptures there is counsel for those who speak to refrain, if they were unable to interpret, since no one could understand them. All the accounts show that when church members were together, and when the Spirit descended, speaking with tongues occurred. There is no account anywhere that any of the disciples preached in foreign tongues, but only in the languages which they had learned. Although the disciples spoke with tongues on the day of Pentecost, yet they were speaking “the wonderful works of God,” and not preaching. But after that, Peter stood up to preach, but not in a foreign tongue, rather in the common language, so that everyone could understand him.

If the speaking with these tongues by the disciples constituted preaching, then the work had begun with having a congregation, for after that the word went out. No matter what the speaking was, it appears that it was in fulfillment of that which Isaiah had prophesied, namely that the Lord would speak to them through strange lips, and that they would not hear it as such. So it was on the day of Pentecost; for it was said that the disciples were full of new wine. No one was convinced otherwise until Peter began to preach to them. The speaking was a “sign” to the unbelievers on the day of Pentecost, the same way as the unbelievers or the uneducated came into the church of Corinth, when the church came together. The first utterances were understandable, and the rest was not so; but it is obvious that both constituted a sign to the unbeliever, because the Lord said they did not hear him that way. The first spoke through “foreign lips,” and the latter spoke with “strange tongues.”

Now, we can look at how the speaking with tongues took place, and to what purpose. In 1 Corinthians 2–5, Paul speaks of tongues as follows: “For he that speaketh in an unknown tongue speaketh not unto men, but unto God: for no man understandeth him; howbeit in the spirit he speaketh mysteries. . . . He that speaketh in an unknown tongue edifieth himself; but he that prophesieth edifieth the church. I would that ye all spake with tongues, but rather that ye prophesied; for greater is he that prophesieth than he that speaketh with tongues, except he interpret, that the church may receive edifying.” This shows that speaking with tongues, if that which is spoken is interpreted, is like unto prophesying; but in the following verses the Apostle does not recommend speaking with tongues, unless the tongues are interpreted, unless “the words are easy to be understood,” so that you are not “speaking into the air.” Rather the Apostle counsels the Corinthians, since they are seeking after the spiritual gifts, to endeavor to excel at edifying the church. “Wherefore,” he said, “let him that speaketh in an unknown tongue pray that he may interpret.” And, he says in the same chapter, “But if there be no interpreter, let him keep silence in the church; and let him speak to himself, and to God.” Some think that when “the whole church be come together into one place, and all speak with tongues, and there come in those that are unlearned, or unbelievers,” that it would be necessary for those utterances to be understood by them before it would be a “sign” to them. But a little bit of reflection will shed a better light, for in verse 24 it is said, “But if all prophesy, and there come in one that believeth not, or one unlearned, he is convinced of all, he is judged of all.” That the one unlearned is convinced, shows that he understands the language that the church understands, and it shows also that he was not a foreigner. The tongues could be a “sign” to him without his understanding them, for the Lord says that he would speak to him and others through “strange tongues.”

It is obvious from 1 Corinthians 12, that there is speaking with tongues as well as their interpretations imparted by the Spirit, as he wishes. These gifts did not belong to the preacher any more than to the member in the church; for we read in Acts 19 that those twelve disciples were in Ephesus directly after Paul placed his hands on them, and before there was any mention of making them preachers to speak with tongues and prophesy. To show also that the gift does not belong to anyone to prepare them to preach to foreigners, Paul says, “For if I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit prayeth, but my understanding is unfruitful. What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also.” (1 Corinthians 14:14, 15.) Also, relating to praying with the spirit, he says, “For thou verily givest thanks well, but the other is ‘edified.’” (Verse 17.) This, and all other things, show clearly, then, that speaking with tongues and the interpretations were only for the edifying of the church, and that such was done when the spirit of God was resting on those who were speaking.

Yours humbly,
J. D.

Star of Gomer, September 1847, p. 258

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[Following his article entitled “Part of the Jewish Statute-book as a Path to the Christian Statute-book,” H. Tegai adds this postscript:]

P. S. I saw in the June STAR, an article by one J. D., on “Speaking with Tongues.” If J. D. wishes to come forward to defend Mormonism, let him come to the root of the debate immediately, by answer, 1. Did Christ and his apostles work public miracles? If they did, 2, Do the Mormons do so in the same way? Let J. D. answer however he wishes, and then I will have a word to say to him.

Star of Gomer, October 1847, p. 318

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Lectures on Mormonism

At the wish of various honorable ministers who were present at the time when the above lectures were delivered, I am sending you a short account of them, hoping that it will be beneficial in exciting others to the work of illuminating the people concerning the terrible deceit which is being spread by the frightful and damnable superstition of the above tribe. It is known to many that these bewitching pretenders have labored awfully in the surroundings of Merthyr and Dowlais, etc., and have succeeded in charming some superstitious and ignorant persons to follow them: the Rev. W. R. Davies, Dowlais was very energetic to explain to his respectable audience the deceit and the terrible danger which is connected with this superstition; but seeing the occasional person turn to them now and again, he decided, in union with the honorable ministers of the religious denominations of Dowlais, to have a public meeting or meetings, to deliver and listen to lectures. To that end, hand-bills were published to announce that the Rev. Edward Roberts, minister of the Baptists, Penuel, Rhymmi (formerly of Denbigh), would deliver a “Lecture on the Deceit of Mormonism,” in Caersalem, Dowlais, 2nd September. There were tickets to buy at sixpence each, in order to get in; and there were two ends in mind through doing that, that is, to get a collection to pay part of the debt which the chapel Elim, Pendaran, has, and also to keep order and control over the meeting; because, without this, there would not be a single chapel in Dowlais big enough to contain those present. As soon as these bills appeared on the walls, lo and behold the Mormons announcing that one of them would deliver a lecture on the 3rd September (the following evening), in order to review Mr. Roberts’ lecture, and that they would allow the listeners to enter if they bought a shilling book (?) for SIXPENCE! and that the WOMEN would be allowed in for nothing. Their bills did enormous good for our meeting, because they scattered them through the whole neighborhood, over tens of miles around about. In the face of this there was no small excitement amongst the locals before the meeting took place; and from Hirwaun to Tredegar throughout all the works, almost nothing was heard but arguments about Mormonism. The night of the 2nd September came, and Caersalem was filled with simple and respectable listeners, amongst whom were many respectable ministers and preachers belonging to the different denominations in the region. Things were started with reading and prayer by the Rev. W. Jones, Llansannan; then the Rev. W. R. Davies proposed that the Rev. J. Hughes, Bethania, should take the chair, in order to keep order over the meeting; the motion was seconded by the Rev. D. Jones. Cardiff and after he had taken the chair, and opened the meeting in a purposeful speech, he called on Mr. Roberts to deliver his lecture. To give an account of the detail and excellent composition of this lecture would be too long by far in an article like this; it is enough to say that, although it lasted for a few minutes less than two hours, all the listeners stayed attentive till the end, showing their approval in endless cheers while the speaker continued. A better meeting was never had in Dowlais, according to the evidence of everyone who was there, except one or two Mormons who were there, and ready to chew their fingers in anger, at the terrible treatment their evil and deceitful principles received. The audience departed having had perfect satisfaction that the stories of Joe Smith were the most terrible deceit that was ever in the world, according to the desire demonstrated amongst the inhabitants of Dowlais to hear more on the subject; and in order to give fair play to those who were not present on the first night, with Mr. Roberts’ help it was possible to give a lecture on the following night on the same subject, and everyone had permission to enter without paying anything. The extensive chapel of Bethania was borrowed, and it was filled to every corner; the eager inhabitants of Merthyr, Rhymmi and the surroundings from miles away, could be seen coming to the meeting. It was started with reading and prayer by the Rev. D. Jones, Cardiff. The chair was taken again this night by the same reverend chairman; and after he had explained the nature of the meeting, and called the most serious attention of the audience to listen and judge for themselves, he called upon Mr. Roberts to speak. This night he took about an hour and three quarters. He showed, with efficacious illumination and skill, this accursed system in its own proper colors; throughout the meeting, the whole audience, various ministers and ordinary listeners, often showed high approval of the reasoning, the facts, and the deductions of the skilled speaker. He gave the history of Mormonism from its beginning—of Joe Smith, its founder—of the Mormon Bible—and the deceit of its principles, &c. He brought forward clear facts, and detailed and correct accounts, together with strong and undeniable arguments to reveal the scandal of the system; and the unanimous decision of every one of the listeners is that this has had a home stroke in these areas for ever. The Rev. D. Jones, Cardiff, made sensible deductions from the speech at the end of the meeting; and he gave eloquent and effective councils to the audience to avoid such deceit, and to adhere to the old Christian religion, as it is taught in the New Testament, which stood, and stands, unshakeable, despite every opposition to it, and all striking against it. The fervent wish of the thousands who listened to Mr. Roberts both nights, is that he would send the skillful and necessary lectures to be printed in the Star; and hopefully he will, for the sake of stopping the weak among the people throughout all Wales from being bewitched by such rubbish. I would judge that the reader is ready to ask, “What did the meeting answer in intention?” It answered, in every meaning better than we had thought. Two of the main leaders of the Mormons left the following week, one preacher of a strange tongue, and others with them; and these two leaders, with others, are now holding public meetings in the most convenient places on the roads, to recite their deceit and their tricks in their secretive meetings. It would be a mockery to our nation, an insult against common sense, and stench and slime on the Seren to publish them in its pages. It is abominable to report the things that are discussed by them in their societies; they are a mockery through and through, and a curse and a plague. Their meeting to review Mr. Roberts’ lecture came to nothing, the people came to Bethania; but I heard that one of the children of John Wesley was there, and that he took the choir amongst the few Mormons present, and he is the only one we have heard belittling Roberts’ speeches and praising the Mormons’ speeches; perhaps he will leave Shon Wesley’s family, and will join Joe’s tribe, or will go to run a career with the brother with the wooden shoes for twenty pounds in the hand, from Dowlais to Aberdyfi. Over ₤20 was collected towards Elim’s debt. “Everything cooperating for goodness’ sake.”

I am yours,
humbly and respectfully
A LISTENER.
Merthyr September 17, 1847.

Star of Gomer, November 1847, p. 341

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Proclamation of the Latter-day Saints to their Compatriots

We the fervent Mormons,
Who are men proficient in signs,
And who know black Necromancy,
For we possess the means;
We perform a miracle that is lively.
If we have sufficient alcohol and steam.
We have oil as well—
We can make a flexible Saint in a moment,
To believe he is of orthodox faith.
And he goes throughout the whole world,
Bewitching every unstable person,
To evolve into our image and our spirit.
If we see a shameless man,
In very unhappy passions,
And who deserves no respect where’er he may be,
We approach him with the true faith;
And we swear him in on every side,
And then he converts from the false faith.
A Saint, a Saint will he be now,
He won’t swim in unhealthy water,
Now he will judge everyone who is,
Who was, and who will be, as rubbish;
And the holy army, which now is,
Has had a better dawn.
Our path is to scandalize
All men of religion who have hitherto been,
Until the time of Joe Smith, a good man,
Who deserves to be remembered;
And the great Captain who fills his place,
A quick man is he, we will testify.
It was placed in hiding,
The Word which is blessed,
Until Joe’s time, when a dawn broke,
Between the great seas of America;
This he left behind him,
Blessed as a father.
Joe Smith received the book,
Through highly wondrous means,
Where the arrangements are all superb,
To improve the world completely;
Not as it was for a long time,
Before receiving the exceptional language.
We have apostles,
And faithful high priests,
And great hosts of lower officials,
That no longer exist, say fools;
But Joe, truly wise, says they do,
All to be set in harmony.
We baptize some previously baptized,
But we fear not,
To say boldly that it was not valid,
From men who were not sent;
There was no truth in its authority,
Until, enlightened, we came.
Misers come to us,
And they become generous,
Their houses and money they give to us,
To serve us without complaints;
But this we do secretly, secretly,
To be just and faithful.
We hide from sight,
From the scowling enemy,
Certain things in our organization,
Lest our honor come into view;
The yellow gold, and the white metal,—
These lead to great evil.
We have secrets,
Which no one knows but Saints,
Of the most expert in our midst,
Where fake miracles are wrought,
So that we may exploit the innocent,
And eliminate further dispute.
We can deceive the populace
To become an army,
And work for us everywhere,
And unite the weak novices;
So that they’ll happily follow our leader,
For the sake of the grand prize.
There’s but a short time,
Until we cross the depths,
Where we shall have heaven on earth,
And meet together in numbers;
And California is the place,
We shall go aloft our banner.
One Who Wishes to See Every Man and Woman a Saint.

Star of Gomer, November 1847, p. 347

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Lectures on Mormonism

Honorable Editor,—In last month’s Edition of the Star, I saw narrative and complimentary comments on my Speeches on the Deceit of Mormonism, which were delivered in Dowlais our 2nd and 3rd September. It is true that various knowledgeable and honorable friends have asked me fervently to send them to the Star, as is noted by the writer; and it would be an honor for me to consent to their wish, as well as a pleasure to rewrite them for a publication as worthy as the Star of Gomer. But I have made up my mind to leave that aside for the time being,—and my reason for that is that my dear friend, the Rev. W. Roberts, Blaenau, Gwent, is busily working to collect their history from their beginning till now,—intending to publish the whole in one inexpensive booklet, so that every Welshman may know about them in the greatest detail. I have read in fair detail and without prejudice about these superstitious and necromantic Deceivers; and I judged them with the deliberation and alertness which should be used when searching for the truth; and I have been thoroughly convinced that this is the most ignorant, shameless, superstitious, and diabolical tribe ever to have come into being under the mantle of religion; it is almost too much of a compliment to the devil to trouble ourselves much with them in the form of oration and writing; but since there are so many mental weaklings amidst the Welsh, like certain other nations, I would not think it unbeneficial to have a fairly concise and detailed history about them.

From the discussion between my friend Roberts and myself, I understood that he already has prepared a detailed account of their founder, his assertions, and his deceit. And the materials which he has in his possession, I judge that he will be capable giving a report of their trickery in the most perfect manner possible.

I hope the work come out soon now, for the sake of putting a stop to the spread of these deceitful enchanters still in dear Wales; and that the country in general will be ready to give a warm reception to this effort of my Lord working friend.

I am yours, Mr. Editor,
With great respect,
Iorwerth Glan Aled

Star of Gomer, December 1847, p. 368

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Questions to the Rev. Daniel Jones, Minister of the Baptists, Felinfoel

Permit me to direct the following observations and questions through means of the STAR, to the attention of the above revered man, lest they fall to the floor unnoticed; and I earnestly seek his views in a serious, sober, and scriptural manner; and I have not the least doubt but what he will do them justice and fairness, as an old and experienced minister. They are not questions to satisfy the curious, rather they are important questions which will come soon to the churches of the saints through different parts of Wales. By now it is known to the public with respect to the followers of that evil, deranged, hypocritical, and lying wretch, Joe Smith, and to the surprise of every man in his right mind, and who has a little of the fear of God in his heart, they succeed here and there in winning some weak-headed men to believe them. It is true that a man will believe every bit of nonsense and madness more easily that the truth; but their madness in all parts will soon be apparent, and their system will fall continually into shame and eternal oblivion. They are sinking here unhindered and very easily. One woman from Caersalem went to them, and two from Hebron, and a bunch from the Sprinklers; but I have no interest in the latter; consequently, I shall direct the questions to the former; and here they are: As noted, the “SATANISTS” will very soon come to an end; as a consequence, some here and there will be seen returning in their tracks to request their places in our churches, and the occasional good, forgiving, and tender hearted brother, and the innocent sister will wish to extend mercy to them; and they will pout, etc., and acknowledge their foolishness, etc. Now, let us consider their sins before putting forth the questions.

Here is a person of age and reason coming of his own will and choice before the Church of God. After interviewing him, putting him to the test, etc., there he is obeying by choice the form of sound doctrine, by receiving his baptism; because we in the ordinance baptize to something as well as to the water, i.e., to Christ, or to the Christian doctrine.
Here is the same person afterwards joining with the “SATANISTS,” professing their claims, believing (I say) the most infernal nonsense and lies that have ever been proclaimed by these fools and blind men.
After the person once has his immersion with Christ, for the doctrine of the gospel, here he is again receiving his second, his third, etc., “baptism” for the main doctrine of men and devils.
We have an examination from the apostles in 2 Peter 1:3, Titus 3:10 and other places to warn them.
Here are the most ungodly, lying, and impudent men of all, namely those who were once members, surrounding sea and land to assert the biggest lies in an effort to deceive the unlearned and the unstable; they call the heavens as a witness, that they sometimes see devils and other times angels; yes, they increase in lies and presumption, and they call God as a witness that they see and converse with the Lord in person, and that they receive direct and immediate instructions from him; with a range of things known to all who read their books, or hear them.
The question is, Does the Church of God have some way, or is it possible on the basis of the Bible, to receive these persons back into the unity and communion of the saints and the family of God? By asking this, I am not setting a limit to a Saint of Israel, or doubting the virtue of the blood of Christ, &c. But have the men under scrutiny sold every human trust, and damned every religious principle?

W. R. DAVIES.

Star of Gomer, December 1847, pp. 374–75

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A Lecture on Mormonism

Dear Editor,—I cannot refrain from sending you an account of a public meeting which was held in Ebenezer, Merthyr, 2nd November, to deliver and listen to a Lecture on the above subject: the friends in Ebenezer called for the service of the Rev. E. Roberts, (Iorwerth Glan Aled), Rhymmi, to deliver such a lecture: and our friend consented to their request. It was not our intention at that time to collect money through the medium of such a meeting; but only that we were prompted to do so, from a feeling of pity towards many of our fellows on the road to the eternal world—who have been tripped by this frightful heresy—and others who are still in danger of being deceived. We would not make such public observation of obvious heresy of this sort, in Merthyr, if there had not been the success and good which followed the lectures of our honorable friend on the same subject some weeks ago. His firm facts—his detailed account—and his undeniable reasoning, were effective in illuminating the people of Dowlais, so that some of the Mormons have left the deceitful system, and are now revealing the terrible heresy publicly to their fellow men: and what few “Saints”, as they are called, that there were in Dowlais, have become a laughing stock amongst the inhabitants in general. Until it causes us in Merthyr, to give fair play to our fellow men to hear in detail about Mormonism, from its founding until now. The listeners were allowed to enter the chapel without paying a thing. The meeting was begun with a prayer by brother William Thomas: then Mr. Roberts began his lecture, which lasted over two hours; and the listeners appeared much more eager to listen at the end than at the beginning. We had a detailed account of the founder of Mormonism—its Bible—the history of its members’ actions—together with the great deceit which appears through all its aspects.

After Mr. Roberts delivered these things in Dowlais, one of the Mormons wrote what is called a Review of his lectures; Mr. Roberts, with exceptional skill, brought this absurd patchwork to the attention of the respectable audience which was before him, showing the weakness of the system, that had no strong defense for its assertions than what was in that stupid and idiotic book; not to mention the weakness of its reasoning (?), that it was offensive to Welsh as a language, that was in it—and calumny against the common sense of the Welsh that such rubbish is being brought to their attention. Pay attention—IT WAS PRINTED ON THE RHYDYBONT PRESS; no other press could be obtained that is enough of a prostitute to give birth to such a monster! The speaker showed clearly that this base reviewer did not disprove anything in his lectures—except by asserting that they are lies! and with such a blackguard’s self-righteous manner as is so appropriate to show the diabolical spirit of those who dare call themselves “Saints”. Mr. Roberts said clearly in the public, that he would leave aside the historical facts which he had to prove the deceit of Mormonism, and that he would venture on the land of the MORMON BIBLE alone, proving from that, that it is a patent forgery; he could between the covers of the book, gain enough proofs to prove that what is called Mormonism is “the most necromantic superstition, and the most scandalous religious fanaticism that was ever offered to the attention of reasoning beings.” But we judge in these parts that there is no need for our honorable speaker to trouble further with this mob of devils—he has already lectured about all their beliefs, and has made them the object of the scorn of every mindful man. Roberts behaved quite kindly and gentlemanly towards these “Saints”, concerning their persons; he showed Christian feeling towards them; but concerning their assertions, it is too much work for one Mormon doctor to cure them of their wounds in the Merthyr and Dowlais areas ever again. Some of us in these regions thought about getting our brother’s lecture printed, for a small price, so that we may distribute them more generally; but he informs us that that cannot take place, because his friend Roberts, from the Blaenau, is setting out their history in a low-priced booklet; we hope that that book will come out, before the “Saints” have completely disappeared this way; and one must hurry truly, better for lorwerth Glan Aled to sing their Elegy—than for Roberts from the Blaenau to write their history!

The Chapel of Ebenezer was too small to hold the listeners who wished to be present; and in the audience that was inside we found our town’s most respectable inhabitants from amongst all the religious denominations—Calvinists—Wesleyans—Independents—Baptists—and the Anglican Church—even priests.

And everyone agreed with lorwerth—that the deceitful “Saints” could be listed easily with the witches and the fortune tellers—and declaim above them and their Mormonism in the language of Twm o’r Nant,—

“There is only deceit and trickery,
Going on in this business,
Because of asking and enquiring to understand the squares,
Like the fortune-tellers, it pays.
So tell everyone with flattery
What you think will please their nature;
If you please the ladies around the world,
You’ll get kind, pleasant favor.
Walk through beauty to the neighbors’ houses,
Teach vain uproar and interpreting dreams;
You’ll get a living, I’ll guarantee,
And plenty of sleep and idleness!”
“And if lies come to cause persecution,
It’s easy to make an excuse before they descend,—
And throw the whole system of trouble,
On someone else’s back!”

Yours,
Merthyr
DAFYDD LEWIS

Star of Gomer, December 1847, pp. 375–76

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A Warning to the Welsh—Religious and Non-religious

I understand that there is a swarm of idle, characterless, and lazy little men from these places, Merthyr, Dowlais, and Aberdare, etc., all from the works, walking all through the different shires of Wales, pretending to preach the gospel freely. We know about them here, and they know,—that no one believes them on their home ground; but since “they prefer every work but work,” they have formed a lovely system to nourish their laziness, and get their bread cheaply on the backs of some fools and blindmen who believe them. I understand that their manner of carrying on is to hawk certain old, senseless, worthless books and pamphlets full of lies, etc. Justice for the places they go calls for informing the world what they are, that is the CHIEF REFUSE of Merthyr and the other places noted. Most of them are sluggish fellows, bad and lazy who cannot read their mother’s language; but to make up for this lack, they have the effrontery to claim that the Lord teaches them through direct vision, &c. The book of their persons, their clothes, and their behavior is enough to prove at once what the men are, to every man of sense and taste; and it is a scandal for any sane man to give his ears to listen to them, or his time to read their base books, which are full of vile and mendacious tales. For the sake of the public, let me be allowed ONCE and for all to note the following, (see “Star of the Saints”):—

“Who was that shameful and red man who was seen in such a fuss—in his pulpit, until, frantically searching in his pockets for his sermon, he pulled out a fistful of New Debts Act tickets? Who was that, sir? You name him, sir, so that the public may know; but despite that, everyone in Dowlais knows that it was not one of the Saints who was caught in such a dilemma.”

Remember that this was in a letter to me personally. I cannot name him, because I have not seen and have not heard of such a thing before; and more than likely, such a circumstance never occurred. It is enough evermore for me to say that such a ticket has NEVER been in my possession; it would have been the same thing for them to say that I pulled out a dozen mining trolleys and that there were six horses in every trolley. They could not have told a greater lie. “But the people of Dowlais know that it was not one of the Saints, &c.” This is all truth; every man in Dowlais knows that there is not one “Satan” worth attention as a man, or who takes part in any sort of business worth a shilling. Remember this, they are released from all suspicion on that ground. Again, “Who was the man who was OFF for three months, without preaching in any of his chapels, and on his return home, got ₤50 from his familiar spirits. Name him, Mr. Davies.” The better that I could, but I cannot name him, and I don’t know of such a man, unless he is a Captain, and received some such sum of money as that to buy a ship to go to——. Although it is seen by the writer that I am the man who was off. I was off more than a year ago, visiting my relations, etc. “Three months” was it? No, six weeks and three days. There are certain limits to lies in ordinary people; but concerning the lies of the “Satanists”, they are like the ocean.

“Received ₤50.” Pooh, why didn’t they say ₤500? That would be just as true. I noted these things to persuade the public, and show that Satan cannot do less than fulfill his character. He is “The Father of Lies” from the beginning, and what else is expected from the “Satanists” but similarity to their father? Well, says the reader, who told, and wasted such hellish lies? Some creature who call himself a Prophet: but fair play to “Satan”, he did not say whose Prophet, and there is no need—everyone sees that he is the Prophet of the devil. These are the books which the lazy idlers have to hawk, all through the country, in order to live idly. Let hell wonder that such sawdust is between their ears, and such extremes of arrogance in their hearts, as to assert, yes, to publish such lies, as obvious as the sum, and spread them in Merthyr and Dowlais. What don’t they say around the country? But doubtless their season is almost at an end, and their scandal becoming apparent every throughout all Wales.

I could have noted the characters of their elders and priests, according to the orders of Melchizedek and Aaron; but I judge the above sufficient. And following my thoughts now, I shall not pay any attention to them ever again, but let them alone in peace to die in their filth, I trust the letter to your good offices, Mr. Gomer, as a man who loves his nation. I was requested by many of this place’s inhabitants to let the Principality know, through the medium of the STAR, that the characterless vagabonds who are disturbing you in the different counties are the dregs of the place and lazy, lying creatures; and let anyone who encourages, etc., them remember that they are assisting idlers, who don’t want to work.

I am, for my nation, etc.
W. R. Davies
Dowlais

Star of Gomer, January 1848, pp. 19–20

https://journals.library.wales/view/2267394/2269107/20#?xywh=12%2C2264%2C2304%2C2311

Answers

To the Rev. W. R. Davies, Dowlais

Beloved Brother,

As you have thought to refer a few enquiries to me about the men who misname themselves “Latter-day Saints,” I wish first to inform you that I completely agree with you about their character, their deceit, and their trickery, as well as the tendency of their gabbling to lead their guileless compatriots to believe the most perverse things offered to humanity since the age of the Gnostics. Because the arch-trickster, their leader, Joe Smith, has taken more care than his deceitful predecessors to place a thicker mantle to hide the filth of his system, so that he who is unfamiliar with God’s word does not see the consequences until he has sunk to such depths of darkness and confusion that rarely does the enticed person intend to desire to come into the light, and to the salutary words of our Lord Jesus Christ and his apostles, for the above deceitful sorcery lulls him into deathly ease about his eternal state. But only a small number of these innocents, as far as I know, in one country, is unhappy enough to join them; but other characters follow them quite often, namely those who are too important in their own estimation to live with the lowly children of the Almighty. Their desire and their effort were always to disturb the peace of Zion, and to do anything to receive self-glory: one wishing to be a deacon, and he achieved that, he would then not be quiet until he was the first among his brother officers; but there is sustenance for such a proud one among the Mormons. Another wanting to preach, but unable to read his mother tongue; and because of all his ineligibility, the church does not support him. He becomes a Saint, or rather a Satan, in order to retaliate against his old friends, he believes: there he is accepted and given a license to teach folly to those who give time and ears to listen to him. And another type who agree with Joe’s tribe are disputatious debaters on things which have not been revealed, what the apostle calls “foolish questions.” These find enough scope for their fancies in the land of Mormonism. Some good people around here claim that they are useful for one thing in particular; as gutters are useful to take water away from the town, etc., that these draw unruly people towards them, so that the churches are left in peace. I am not entirely of this opinion.

As regards your questions, etc.—If someone who was baptized conventionally, and went to this wretched crew, were to return to the church of God, can he be taken back, because he was admitted to the church on profession of his own faith, etc.—I think we should be very cautious; that is how I shall be until the next Star, and I trust that I shall satisfy you then. I am not going to set a limit on the Almighty’s grace, nor the virtue of the blood of Emmanuel; but from reading the verses you mentioned, together with Hebrews 10:29, a man baptized in the name of the Trinity once, etc., and who accepts the same sacrament again from these people, according to their irrational disposition, seems to spit in the face of God’s word, which says “one faith, one baptism;” and I think we have no right to take him back, but must leave his case to the righteous Lord, who deals justly with every man, for such a fickle fellow is completely unsuitable for religious society on earth. See Titus 3:10–11. Since the man previously called God as his witness that he saw angelic visions when with the Mormons, can he not do the same again to deceive the true church? Playing with religion is certainly something to fear like death; and what are these men doing except joking about important matters, by casting out devils, and other miracles, according to them? Who ever saw any such thing from them in any country? We have no proof, only their own bald assertions to give credence to this. They speak of being filled with the Holy Ghost in a light and very physical way, without understanding anything of the nature or work of the blessed person. If they were to consider the epistles of Paul to the Corinthians, they would not presume to think that it is given at present, after the kingdom has been established; the witnesses are not required after the matter is already proved—the case is over—any more than the scaffolding is needed after the house is completed. Regarding Mark 16:17–18, surely no one of sound mind thinks that this is to be beyond the days of the apostles; it was completed in their days. (See Acts 5:16, 28; 8:5–28.) 1 Cor. 12 should be carefully considered, in its entirety, and then Joe’s disposition will no longer be accepted. Is there not great shamelessness in the aforementioned crew, choosing texts to charm the people from a Testament, and at the same time implying that the Book of Mormon is as worthy of acceptance as the divine word? Why are they not honest, like the Mahomedans, or the Church of Rome? Oh no, it is too soon yet in Wales to do that; this must be called cunning worthy of their leader.

Although it is so lamentable to speak of all their tricks, still it is comforting to think that they cannot deceive God’s elect; we need only stick to the “doctrine which is according to godliness, and the faith which was once delivered to the saints,” using only the weapons of the word to bring down all their imaginary castles; yes, we shall not put a jot on their way, and every other heresy too, except the simple truth of the Holy Bible. Let us suffer their slander and their calumny, their lies and curses; they will in no way harm any of us; the disgrace will be theirs in the end. We have accounts of others who were instrumental in enticing people to follow them for a little while, in various countries, without mentioning the ones the scholar Mosheim talks about in the early ages of the Christian church; such as Richard Brothers, in 1794, in London; Anne Lee, in 1776, in New York State; Jemima Wilkinson over in Rhode Island. They were instrumental in extracting large sums of money from the unknowing public, but they came to nothing; such will soon be the outcome of Joe’s fanatical system, for truth must succeed. We could name several more in this country, such as Mrs. Buchan, in Glasgow in 1783, who claimed to be the mother of the Chosen One. She found people foolish enough to believe her, as did Joe Smith, Joanna Southcott (who promulgated dreadful lies, as anyone who has read her story knows well); Robert Matthew, in New York State again, near the same time as Joe Smith; but they were less harmful than the scoundrel who claimed he had got hold of gold leaves, the angel having hidden them in the earth, and gave them the name the Book of Mormon!! Oh, alas! These things are believed by people in the country. Although the whole of Joe Smith’s story is a disgrace to civilized humankind, still he is raised up by madmen as a prophet of the Almighty! It is deplorable to contemplate, I should suppose, with every virtuous feeling and religious truth, to see a crowd of these enchanters leading young children with them to learn their tricks, and to listen to the rigmaroles of their bungling teachers; and with adamantine hearts, and callous consciences, teaching them to bark at God’s sheep: yes, ignorant, babbling women are sometimes seen striding after these ignoramuses, not knowing any more about the nature of the true religion of the Bible governing their temperament, nor controlling their behavior, than if they had never been in the same country as men who fear the Lord. Having been with them for only a short time, one can hear the children and the foolish women arguing that it is they who have the true wisdom, and that none of the denominations that have existed in Wales throughout the past ages know anything about the means of saving a soul, etc. And they are also very willing to send everyone to perdition if their Mormon fancy is not believed. Reasoning with them is quite pointless; they will not budge an inch to give room for reason or Bible; you might as well try to remove cruelty from the rapacious lion by flattering it as try to persuade them to accept the truth as it is in Jesus. No, they do not want to come to the truth, even though they pretend that every age learns. They appear to have been given a strong delusion so that they believe lies. Are they not like those in the Epistle of Jude (see verses 10, 11 and 12).

I have discussed at considerable length the unhealthy filth of the deluded people mentioned above, even though I have not written half of what I have in my possession about their deceit and hypocrisy; perhaps you will have more about them next time. You in Dowlais and Merthyr have put the whole of Wales in your debt by calling an able and well-read brother, eloquent and fearless, to reveal the poisonous enchantment. There are some hereabouts too who have been very effective in keeping honest, innocent people from believing, or accepting their false imaginings. Let the Lord’s people be diligent and faithful with his affairs, and they will succeed. We pray for those who have not been beguiled by them, that they become courageous for the faith; and no doubt it is our duty to pray for those who have been seduced, that they may see the absurdity of Joe Smith and his followers. Who can say that God will not have mercy on them? His grace is infinite.

Felinfoel.
Daniel Jones.

Seren Gomer, February 1848, p. 64

https://journals.library.wales/view/2267394/2269144/33#?xywh=742%2C902%2C1957%2C1812

One of the “Latter Saints,” by the name of Thomas Harris, who was on a preaching journey through Cardiganshire, and was punished in the last Trimonthly Court of that county, for stealing a Dictionary from a house where he was lodging. He said, in his defense, that the “evil one” tempted him; but he was not enough of a “prophet” to foresee the consequences.

Star of Gomer , March 1848, pp. 92–93

https://journals.library.wales/view/2267394/2269179/29#?xywh=401%2C731%2C2144%2C1835

The Madness of One of the Satanists

Mr. Gomer,—It is known to many in Wales that a sect has risen in the west under the leadership of the Rev. Joe Smith, a sect which has made its appearance in Wales some years since. These wretches call themselves “Saints”; but much more appropriate is the General of Dowlais’ title of them, “Satanists”. They assert that they can perform miracles, but the facts are in the territory of oblivion so far; but if it is true that the Rev. J. Jones, Rhydybont, intends to join them who knows if miracles by the hundred won’t be performed, because the writer knows of some that he has already performed in Llansilin, Rhymni, Llantrisant, etc.; but despite all their assertions, and their papist self-righteousness, they fail to keep their followers from madness, as the following account testifies:—Recently, one Phillip Sykes, from the Blaenau Iron Works, lost his sense, after joining the Satanic host. The above person was a member of the Independents in Rehoboth, Brynmawr for about 17 years; but despite learning Mr. Stephenson’s genius for so much time, even so he failed to be stable enough to avoid turning Satan! While he was an Independent he collected about ₤50 through application and thrift, and he bought famous and responsible books to the value of ₤30. When he turned Satan, he spent his money (which was gaining interest), and sold all his books for the paltry sum of three pounds! Then he went out to preach to the world, with the Mormonish prattle in his mouth, thinking to get his money a hundred times over, after spending the ₤53 which he had; but however clever he was, he hardly succeeded in this. The Captain’s pocket was big enough to receive all profits. But, poor thing, while experiencing this failure, he lost his senses, and he claimed more than once to have sinned unforgivably, and he is now in the madhouse at the expense of the parish. An effort was made to have an experiment of the Satanists done on him, but it failed, despite their fervent attempts. This story is true, and I will be grateful to you Mr. Gomer, for its publication, not to make the unfortunate wretch the object of ridicule, but as a warning to those who have not been bewitched by the accursed mob so far.

T. E. J.

Seren Gomer, March 1848, p. 96

https://journals.library.wales/view/2267394/2269179/33#?xywh=98%2C1820%2C2114%2C1956

Four of the “Saints” went to the Pantmawr, near Llanfynydd [near Brechfa] lately to pretend to preach; but while they were there babbling nonsense, the Musical Choir came past, and all the people ran out to listen to it, and finally the four Saints went out also, to take part in the spree.

Star of Gomer, May 1848, pp. 142–43

https://journals.library.wales/view/2267394/2269253/16#?xywh=-736%2C214%2C2658%2C2947

Deceit of Mormonism

Lecture which was delivered by the Rev. E. Roberts, Baptist Minister, Rhymney

Of every deceit which issues into the world, religious deceit is the worst; and to our surprise, men accept being deceived more easily, and are becoming more foolish, regarding religion than anything else. Many a religious deceiver has risen in this world from one age to the next, and their deception has flourished to a greater or lesser extent over a certain period; but we do not know of any deceit so foolish as the deceit of Mormonism, which is without the least iota of sense in it, nor any sort of reason in its favor; but, after all, some men are so weak headed as to embrace this deceit; and in order to open the eyes of these weak headed individuals, and put a stop to the destructive sorcery, lorwerth Glan Aled delivered and published the contents of the excellent lecture which now has our attention; and we have no doubt but what it fully answers the aim that the honorable and eloquent Author had in mind,—that is, to deal the death blow to the deceit of Mormonism.

Having made some most appropriate general comments, on the nature of Religion and false Religion, the Author went on to describe the Mormon Deceit in the following words:—

“Amongst the various deceitful traditions which have been offered under the name of religion in recent ages, there is not one more offensive, in its moral character and the ignorance of its members—together with the self-betraying weakness of its principles, than that which is called MORMONISM; it appears to be the fruit of the imaginings and oppression of an insane sorcerer,—intended to attract men to make fools of them in this world, and to deliver themselves as lost madmen to the spiritual world!
“Atheists can reason a certain amount concerning the principles of Nature; and the pagans can get a certain excuse for lining up in favor of their gods in the shadow of their ancestors’ examples—if they don’t have reason, or spiritual revelation in their favor, there is relevant feeling there; but as for the deceitful fanatics who are rising one after another to hurt insult at humanity’s common sense, gathering them in a circle more inferior than a reptile of the earth, they have neither principle nor feeling; they thrust with the most arrogant shamelessness into the shadow of chaotic dreams—the fruit of minds disturbed by devils of sleep; they claim to be in discourse with self-created angels—and to crown the deceit, by enthroning it in the high peaks of insanity, they boast of performing miracles,—and to their ineradicable shame, behold the world from devastated Nauvoo to the recesses of Wales’ mountains, ready to throw the lie back in their faces? THEY HAVE NEVER PERFORMED ANY MIRACLE; and they have not tried to prove that they have performed such things except through assertions; but bald assertions are weakly things to offer as religious corroborations of a divine claim, to the assiduously investigative boys of the nineteenth century.”

Then the Author mentions various deceivers who arose in the world before the time of Joe Smith, such as Munzer and Bockholt in Germany, in the year 1525; Richard Brothers, in England in 1790, who prophesied that London would be destroyed in 1791, and when that time had gone by, he claimed that he had saved it from destruction; but he ended his days in a madhouse a little time after that. He also mentions some women who made themselves famous in this way, such as Anne Lee, in New York in the year 1776, who claimed that she was the woman portrayed in the Book of Revelations, “dressed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars;” and she claimed that she would never die, but that she would be snatched up to heaven in the wink of an eye; but death came quickly, and made her a liar, by turning her, like the rest of humankind into the cold sods of the valley. Next, he mentions on Jemima Wilkinson, who also claimed that she could perform all sorts of miracles, even raising the dead; but she failed in every attempt, and then attributed that to “weakness and lack of faith,” the old refuge of all these tricksters, and the refuge of the Mormon deceivers in our age. He also mentions Mrs. Buchan who appeared some time ago in Scotland, together with Johanna Southcott, the witch of Exeter, who also claimed that she was the woman in Revelations, and that she was pregnant by the Holy Spirit &c. &c.; and through her witchery and flattery, she succeeded in deceiving some of the most worthy, prominent people of this kingdom. Then the Author makes the appropriate comments that follow:—

“In the list of this breed, and in the lowest category of it, we can conscientiously place the deceiver Joe Smith, and his Mormon Bible &c. He began in self-evident deceit—the ignorance of his followers was his initial force, and the scandalous superstition was the main defense of his assertions. By now, this wandering novelty in the atmosphere of religion is approaching his end, and his importance and his attraction are sure to pull him to his proper level, that is, scorn. To keep the deceit as a warning in weaklings in a future time is the main aim of this lecture; as regards laying it bare, his warmest friends spare us that, by their doing the work remarkably skillfully. We cannot perform our task better than by giving a correct account of public facts that could not be disproven—which throw to us a clear-minded explanation of this further circle of religious madness.”

Then, an explanation is given of the beginning of Mormonism, together with the early history of Joe Smith and his family, and his fellow deceivers, who are described as “lazy, ignorant, and remarkably superstitious men; believing in devils and necromancers, as well as omens of fate; pretending to know that the earth is full of hidden treasures.” In time, Joe Smith became skilled in these trickeries; he pretended he was a necromancer, able to raise the spirits of the dead; he was a “juggler” as well, making use of the divining-rod, and looking through what he called the “peep-stone”, that is a stone he placed in his hat, and by looking at it, he would find the places where there was hidden treasure! To this story, 50 of the most worthy gentlemen of the neighborhood where Joe Smith lived have testified, so there is no doubt as to its truth. Mormons, that is the true character of your founder, your Priest, your Prophet, and your Apostle; and if you are something better, doubtless you will be ashamed because of it, after you have mindfully read this lecture. Having given the evidence of his father-in-law about Joe Smith’s character, the Author goes on to show the way, according to Joe Smith’s own account, he acquired the plates of gold, on which was carved the Book of Mormon; and since this story is so amusing, we place it before our readers.

“When Joe Smith was pursuing his trickery digging for money, he says, according to his own account, that he received various revelations from heaven, regarding different classes of religious persons. On the first occasion of this favor, he had gone into a grove, and in that place, wished for divine help to inform which of the religious denominations which existed at that time he should follow; and he said that a bright light appeared above his head and that he was received up into its center: there he found two angelic persons, who informed him that all his sins had been forgiven, that the whole world was astray concerning religious matters, and that the truth would be explained to him at an appropriate time. A second revelation of similar description informed him that the American Indians were the remains of the children of Israel, and that prophets and inspired men had once existed in their midst, to whom were given divine records to keep in a safe place—to save them from the grasp of sinful hands. Another piece of information that Smith received, on the morning of the 22nd September 1823, was that those remains were in a cave on a big hill to the east of the main road from Palmyra, Wayne County, in the state of New York.

“Joe made a search in this place; and, he says, he found a stone chest, containing plates like gold, about seven by eight inches in breadth and length, and not as thick as ordinary plates of tin. On these plates the contents of the Book of Mormon were carved. It was supposed that Mormon was the writer of this thing, and he hid in that place. Smith was not permitted to take the golden plates away, until he had learnt Egyptian, in which language, or a recent dialect of it, the Carven Book was composed.

“In September, 1827, Smith was considered fit to receive the golden plates; and he translated them into English, publishing the translation in one Book in the year 1830. This Book had a considerable effect on the lower class in the United States—and a Sect of such people was formed, who called themselves “Latter-day Saints.” The Book of Mormon is close to the same size and length as the Old Testament; and contains generally speaking, two distinct histories. In it is the story of the Nephites, a part of Joseph’s tribe, who were supposed to have moved from Jerusalem under the prophet called Nephi, and been led miraculously to America. It is said in it that the Nephites were the root of the Indian nation. Several years after their establishment, it is said that they found the records of the Jaredites, an extinct nation which came to America about the time of the building of the Tower of Babel. Certain things like this belonging to different imaginary prophets amongst the Jaredites and the Nephites, and claimed contributions regarding “MY SERVANT JOSEPH SMITH,” the apostle of the sect, make up what is called the Book of Mormon! A certain odd arrangement was used by Smith to carry out his translations and transcriptions with Harris. Although they were in the same room, there was a thick curtain, lik a blanket, separating them, with Smith hiding beyond it, pretending to look through the bright stones, and writing or reciting what he found—and by declaiming that aloud, it was written down by Harris who was sitting the other side of the curtain. Harris was given to understand beforehand, if he dared approach the sacred chest, or look at Smith while translating the carving, the most terrible wrath of Jehovah would be provoked against him! In order to carry out the completed Translation through the Press, this Harris mortgaged his land.”

If there were not horrifying implications in the Mormon deceit, as is portrayed here, we would be ready to laugh at the lot of it, and leave it to go by as completely unworthy of the attention of any man of common sense; but since the results are destructive to souls, and so of the greatest import, we believe that lorwerth Glan Aled has performed an act of mercy towards them, and towards other weaklings, lest they be bewitched into the same error, by the delivering and publication of this splendid lecture, since it fully explains the whole deceit, so that, in our opinion, no Mormon could ever raise his head again having read it. We now present it confidently for the attention of our fellow countrymen, and hope that everyone will do his best the distribute it, particularly in the places where Mormonism has started to show its arrogance. We will take the opportunity again, very soon, to make further comment on it; and we return our thanks to the Author for his efforts to annihilate superstition and deceit from the world.

Star of Gomer, May 1848, p. 152

https://journals.library.wales/view/2267394/2269253/25

Baptism Battle

Not long ago, and not more than a hundred miles from the populous and privileged town of Machynlleth, this strange thing took place. One of the great apostles of the Saints one evening immersed some boy, three times over his head in succession, in a pool of water, “to the point that he almost lost his breath!!!” and then he let him go on his way full of the Holy Ghost in his baptism: but the poor boy in his fright, no doubt, ran up some uncommonly steep and high hill. This feat by the boy, in the words of an intelligent man, “resembled more of a miracle than anything he had ever heard mention of yet performed by the Saints.” Strange, strange, how the heresies increase, but may the blessed time be hastened when every heresy and false belief disappears, and may the true religion of the Lamb who was sacrificed go from sea to sea, and from the river to the ends of the earth.

IORWERTH GWYNEDD
Glan Mynedwy

Star of Gomer, June 1848, p. 180

https://journals.library.wales/view/2267394/2269290/21#?xywh=240%2C92%2C2107%2C2337

Address

To the MORMONS, or SATANISTS, who misname
themselves Latter-day Saints
PART I
How once, Satanists,—would you dare,
In order to please wicked Joe,
To rise up as faction shouting together,
And declaim a foolish mistaken idea?
The villain took care—of money,
He fought elegantly;
A great moneylender with narrow eyes,
To look after his body.
He won and in holes deceived—many,
With his oaths and his poses;
His guideline was a false plan,
In darkness under cloaks.
One who injures foolish men—a two-mouthed
Wicked wretch;
When a host heard his prattle,
Afterwards, they left God.
Certain foolish, faithless men—would follow
The influence of his false faith;
The word of Joseph, and his Nephi,* and his perversion,
Was stronger than the old religion.
With Joe was all the go—money
The madman got easily:
And we see the respect of the world’s ignorant
Which now rises to the hollow opinion.
Gifts upon gifts, for him—they give
Endlessly to please him:
These rise up to keep Jo
Above care, and remember him well.
Treasure upon treasure for the ungodliness—of Jo Smith,
They make the Judas comfortable;
You become as if you are servant of Satan,
From a multitude of graceless men.
Stupid men from regions—afar,
With not a bit of sense,
Rose in a host with a shout,
To maintain him, yes, hundreds.
An idle man, with a filthy talent—and dishonorable,
Would be thought the worst;
The man spent, said good men**
A foolish contract for a devil here.
An arrogant, sorcerous family—always
At some work for darkness,
From them Jo is sprung—
Sore their appearance as a host will testify.
The most extreme and the worst of the army—issued
From them a wicked host;
Jo is the one with his harsh cry
Who arose as missionary for Satan.
A missionary for the devil, he was—mendacious
Shameful to the peoples,
To his mouth, in hosts,
A thick-skinned man, they listened.
His boys spread, swarmed—to Wales
From crooked rule doubtless,
Over hell with the false devil-host,
Running with nets.
PART II
Satanists, how will you unite—your bitterness
And love of true peace?
You will be scandalizing a hundred, a mass of greed,
And pleasing Satan.
O! the gibberish which you make known to the—country,
From some place below,
Which makes the girls
Silly, as they should not be.
An insult against voice is to speak—awkward nonsense,
From a taste for empty praise;
Satan is, till he hits shallows,
A Mormon, a careful man.
Mormons, do not boil—to praise
So much the darkness;
Bewitched swarm, in filth and dust,
It’s a pity, why do you stay?
Come, Saints, to the fine, pure light—leave
The throng who are with Satan:
Come out completely,
To have peace and virtue on your side.
Every trickster, everyone you see—of the babbling
Mob, do not believe;
When these speak with the sense of a sow,
Do not believe, but retreat away.
Flee and run from the offensive—swarm,
They do not know the value of a soul;
Since they are a stupid sort, they must be left,
And their credo, with vagabonds.
Saints, if you are about to leave—your impure country,
On an adventure,
To see life in a pure land,
Let Mormon be your whispering forever.
If whispering about Mormon rubbish—chaff,
Before the faithful word,
Do not mention, with your spells,
God’s Book and its loud tune.
If you have adventure in you, Saints—to go
To a place over the waves,
Watch the bright Captain,
Over there closely, lest he prove deceitful.
The Quack has Quick talents—to deceive
In darkness an empty shallow many
And bewitch every vagrant,
With his skilled learning, Oh! what a filthy man.
Yes, a Captain who understands Coptic—a mild man
Who also knows Egyptian,
The truth is with him, as every language knows,
In the same way that he is a filthy beast.
JOE’S ADDRESS TO HIS PUPPETS AND HIS HALF-WITS
In his greed, yes, truly,
Jo spoke long, with his beautiful Book:
“I got this, the mark is well remembered,
In the earth, and fine sand,
In golden plates, it’s worthy of
Our grasp and being rightly remembered.
By an angel it was all hidden,
I assert that in the earth
It was for hundreds of ages, I know,
Without decaying at all as I could see;
To me as an honor, despite the amount there was
Of darkness blinding,
Was given the red-gold Book,
And gold plates will stay the same.
I am a firm prophet,
An Apostle with a single zeal,
I am not sick, I will light the world,
I will win the gold of the whole world;
The Book of Mormon will whisper
With a great shout louder than the Book of the Lord.”

A WELL-WISHER TO THE SAINTS.

* One of the names that is in the Joe’s play book, which he claims to have received from an angel in a Book to worship him properly.
** Namely, scores of responsible people in a state court, who under oath testified that neither Joe, nor his family, nor his relatives were worthy of any trust for any kind of virtue.

MR. GOMER—With your permission, I am intending, if I am allowed life, to address the above bewitched people often with a few beneficial counsels, although I know I shall not get thanks from them while they continue in the spell; but so what, despite that?—our duty belongs to you and me. If the tenth part of their tomfoolery were known to the public in general, the godless scum which gibber under the name of preaching would not gain entry to their houses to strike and slander their betters. Do we not know what sort they have with them in every land? Let one man of true character, and stability of life be shown in their midst, if anyone knows about him. I know very many of them, but to not one would I entrust as a man anything that would have importance relating to it, in this world, or certainly, with a Biblical look to the future state. May the Lord save Wales from their deceit.

E. D. S.

Star of Gomer, July 1848, pp. 201–2

https://journals.library.wales/view/2267394/2269327/10#?xywh=2580%2C1047%2C2563%2C2843

Satanists Casting out Satan

__________

“And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself.”—Christ.

“Our earth’s the bedlam of the universe,
Where reason (undiscussed in heaven) runs mad,
And nurses Folly’s children as her own,
Fond of the foulest.”—YOUNG.

“Intended to attract men to make fools of them in this world, and to deliver themselves as lost madmen to the spiritual world!” Star of Gomer, page 142.

___________

In a disgusting and senseless little book called “The Star of the Saints,” for last March, among other foolish things, will be found the most amazing piece as regards arrogance and blasphemy that the eyes of a Welshman ever saw; “The Excommunication of Phillip Seix, Blaenau Gwent, from the Church,” page 43. It appears, according to the story, that the evil spirit has possessed this Saint, and driven him mad. It was a surprise, Mr. Gomer, to see a mad and bedeviled Saint; but thus the story says. “When his religious brothers understood what was troubling him—that it was the influence of the enemy, &c., in accordance with the commands of Jesus Christ in such a circumstance (see Mark 16:18), they rebuked that evil spirit from him by the laying on of hands and the prayer of faith.” And in accordance with all reason and scripture, was the bedeviled creature restored to his sense forever? Oh, no, hardly! “but he went under similar influences as before.” Is he, poor thing, left like that again? Oh no. “He got salvation again through the same means as before.” Behold, has he now been completely purged, and has the evil one completely left him? No, no: “but again and again he was taken over by the same thing, or worse spirits, afterwards.” A surprise, here it is plainly! Is it necessary to leave a Saint in the possession of Satan, without any hope of restoring him? Oh, not at all. What is to be done next? “In the end the elders W. Phillips and A. Evans visited him; and by their service of the ordinances above, he was restored to possession of his full senses, etc.” For evermore, of course? No, again: no more than “till the following day.” Well, at last, the little Satanists have conquered the old Satan now? No, no, carefully does it. After this miracle again, he was possessed worse than before, so that everyone ran from the house in fright, with him on their tails howling and foaming, and others after them through the streets, till they caused considerable excitement in the whole town. In the end, he was got to a house, and bound. While in this situation, W. Phillips visited him again; and before a few minutes had passed, he was restored to his senses as well as ever. Well and good, Phillips. Here are miracles for you which are worth and fit to be remembered and kept for the ages to come; and doubtless they will be columns of shame to the halfwits, and a stench for generations and generations, when the names found connected with the scandalous and lying story have rotted in their graves. Here we find that the elders had a better opportunity to subdue this man than Christ had of treating his brother in the land of the Gadarenes. He couldn’t be bound in any way; but here’s this man in a house, not amidst the graves—yes, in a house, bound. Now about St. Phillip’s miracle. Now the old boy has subdued him completely, and must leave the man; Yes, the bedeviled madman “gets up, washes, eats, thanks God,” &c. No, no, wait a bit still to see the end; fair play to Phillips, and allow the same honor to the old Satan. We saw many very fierce and tight battles: we judged sometimes that Robin would carry the day, but the next second we believed that Ned would be victorious; and like this we were kept in doubt temporarily. This is how it was in Nantyglo, says the light-headed, phantasmagorical, and foolish account under scrutiny. Sometimes the elders would be strongest; other times Satan would carry the day. But how was in the end? is the subject. Despite everything, Satan possessed him again, with him “roaring like a lion, foaming, and trying to harm what he could;” and to cap it all, the little Satanists had to give the man up; and, Oh, Lord! what will become of the foolish inhabitants of Nantyglo now? It is feared that the bedeviled Saint will smash the whole works, and kill the inhabitants. No, no, easy does it; if the miracle-men have failed, and the old one has conquered them, there is still hope. What is that? “By now, the police came, and a crowd of other people, and he was bound.” Remember that it is not the enemies of the Satanists who have put together the fanciful and filthy prattling above for the purpose of blackening them; but they themselves are the authors. Every Welshman should be amazed that one of Gomer’s children has been deceived, and is enough of a blockhead, to publish and print such nonsense. The scripture mentions some evil spirits who were harder to cast out than others; but never have we heard of such a breed as the old boy from Nantyglo. That “deaf and mute spirit” refused to get out (see Mark 9.18); but get out and come in like a fox to his den was what this one does, as if it were fate to make fun of and play hide and seek with the little Satanists. A terrible old Satan is the Satan of Nantyglo. I fear that it is he who is hindering them from performing miracles everywhere; it is he who stopped them from giving eyes to Daniel the Blind in Carmarthenshire, and that old villain is the reason that little Magus, Merthyr hasn’t got a hip, &c. You can judge that neither goodness nor success will come to the Satanists unless they conquer the devil of Nantyglo. I know that you have in the office of the Star an object called “The Printer’s Devil.” It is not pleasant to get under that one’s teeth, but it is nothing compared with the devil of Nantyglo. We were quite hearty in Dowlais, until we saw “The Star of the Saints” that was noted; because when we saw some man or woman with more devilish signs than others, we were always talking about sending them to the Satanists to cast out the spirits. But now here we are up against the wall. What is the point sending anyone to them, lest the devil of Nantyglo be in the people? On the other hand, it’s no wonder that all the powers of Europe fear the might and wrath of England, because you see that even Victoria’s police, are not only stronger than the little Satanists, but they can deal with the man, and tie him up &c., even though the old Satan is in him. After all, Mr. Gomer, no man of feeling can help feeling sorry for the poor man who was netted and blinded by the evil and devilish creatures. Still, the shameful account says,—“Some of the honest ones believed the gospel, when they saw God’s great power in the thing.” Did any Welshman ever before see or hear of such senseless and incoherent things?” Hosts believed in Christ and his apostles at seeing the strong signs,” &c.; but what was to be seen in Nantyglo? Only arrogance, atheism, and blasphemy. It could be said, “Many honest men believed in Victoria, at seeing the great power of the police able to bind the man: and they believed on the other hand that the Satanists were a swarm of devilish, arrogant and deceitful lunatics.” Pretending to cast out devils, yet having to admit through the press that they failed! It’s a pity they hadn’t had the same treatment as the sons of Sceva formerly got. It appears from the account that the poor man who was bewitched by them is worthy money; because we find in the announcement godly and worthy of Saints and the enemy,—“We announce our decision, and we strongly request the Saints and all that have a degree of feeling for his good name, to help us to bring those unequalled blackguards to prison before a state lawcourt, that is those who say that we, or W. Phillips, have robbed the above Phillip Seix of his money.” This is that the man is worth money and that he has been robbed. The question is, who robbed him? May I be allowed to say that the work or job of Saints is not revenge, but to suffer in patience, and remember that revenge belongs to someone else. If they were calling or and communicating with each other, and setting aside a day to pray for their enemies, the mark of Saints would be seen in them. But what good is it talking about them praying, this side of binding the Satan of Nantyglo” The poor man lost his religion, his property, his character, and in the end his senses; and an old proverb in Wales says, “If you don’t punish a thief, he’ll punish you.” Now, Mr. Gomer, I ask you to give a place to this article in some corner of the Star, not because of worthiness of the foolishness it lays bare, but for the sake of our fellow countrymen in general, and the religion of Christ especially: perhaps its frightful blasphemy will be a warning to some innocent and ignorant persons, to keep away from the greedy wolves, and to avoid the philosophies of men and devils. I am not angry towards anyone of the madmen in question; but my heart’s true wish, and my prayer to God on their part, is that he brings them to repent and be ashamed before God and men, of their arrogance and their lies.

I am your fellow countryman etc.,
W. R. DAVIES
Dowlais

Star of Gomer, July 1848, pp. 202–3

https://journals.library.wales/view/2267394/2269327/11#?xywh=1052%2C648%2C1978%2C3102

The Ivorians and the Saints

Mr. Gomer—I beg you once again for space for what follows in your impartial Star, the only publication which is counted thus in our country. The True Ivorians will be most grateful to you for the favor, apart from many others who love for everyone to have the truth.

To the editor of the Prophet of the Jubilee, or the Star of the Saints.

Sir,—I have so much respect for you, that I fear you have done something without careful consideration; that is, accusing the Ivorians in a libelous and malicious way in your great zeal for a group of rioters who were expelled from the Lodge of Ivor Hael, the Saint David Union, near the Iron Works of Cwmcelyn and Blaina, of expelling their members (you say) because of their religion. We do not know anything of their religion or yours, and it does not interest us either; but we know that their behavior in our midst was nothing but heresy against decency and civilization, opposed to the laws of morality. dishonorable and dangerous to the safety of societies, and a disgrace to pure Christianity. Our rules do not allow dealing with either religious matters or politics. On their own heads be it, they broke our rules, and they were disciplined for that; and who can blame us for that? You know, sir, that every society has its rules, and that every member is bound by those roles. Nonconformity with those rules will make them unfit to be members of such a society. Do you, the Latter-day Saints not have your rules? And if the members broke those rules, would you not discipline them in accordance with the nature of the crime? And why do you blame the Ivorians for doing so? Did we not have as much right to that as you? And would it not have been a disgrace to our society had we not done so? If your clients from Cwmcelyn were to riot and disturb your meetings, and drag in certain irrelevant things, against your rules, and startle their brothers in every place, and at every circumstance would that not be a crime against your laws, and therefore calling for expulsion? And would it not be crooked and unjust to the Ivorians to announce to the world that it was because of Ivorism that you did that? And I can send a certain image of a poem to you, telling you to

Behave arrogantly and swear freely—with your clamor,
Blackguard—Oh! shame;
Hey! did you make honesty
With your beautiful soul, you fledgling poet?

It is not of so great import to the Ivorians what you say about us, because if your brothers have peace to smear the honor of other denominations which are more honorable and a thousand times more numerous than your denomination, you will not have your way with us in that manner, because we know full well that we can deal with and rein in thousands of such prattlers in nonsense as your clients. But since you have lowered your sails a little, as do sailors when a strong storm blows, with dangerous rocks frightening them, fearing being wrecked, and shooting for navigators to lead them to the harbor safely; thus are you, sir, after you have got your breath with the trouble you had to spread your falsehood about the Ivorians; since you have been forced by me in a little essay, which I think has made you imitate the Irishman, when, with the rope around his neck, asks the executioner fervently to move it to under his shoulders, because it tickles there. You call on me to give convincing proof that the contents of the anonymous article which you published in your monthly in March 1847, accusing the Ivorians of unequalled cruelty towards a group of religious men (say you), but to my mind a group of insane fanatics, were arrogant and shameful lies. Do not, sir, distort the essay you mention so much in your article to me for September 1847, by blaming me for scandalizing the body of the Mormons. I ask, does Cwmcelyn contain a body of Latter-day Saints? Was there a body of Saints associated with you who were hurling lies at the Ivorians? If so, those are the ones I called upon to come out of the rooms of violence, oppression and cold-heartedness, to defend themselves, to the face of the sun and the light of day. Was the body of the Saints sharing with you and your clients in aiming their blunt arrows at particular persons? If so, I did call them secretive sneaks, and murderers of the confidence and comfort of society. Those are the ones I said could sing ballads in imitation of God’s Praise. Those are the ones who were like Italian assassins, not daring to appear in the light of day, face to face with those they slander.

But now, sir, to the point. You may judge in accordance with their behavior; because the tree is known by its fruit. Was it a religion to disturb and disrupt our meetings, despite being warned frequently to refrain? Was it a religion that proposed breaking up our Lodge by betraying the trust social brothers ought to have in each other? Was it a religion that persuaded those who were behind in their contributions not to pay their debts, and others not to join the Ivorians because they had but a very short time to be in existence? Was it a religion that said that the Ivorians had to bring their gold and silver to their service, like it or not? They engaged in much more foolishness outside the Lodge, like buffoons. Was it not scandalous to hear these people profess that they were sent by God to preach the gospel? In truth, their behavior, and their connection with us, hindered our success, because of the hatred everyone held towards them. They announced eternal damnation on the Ivorians and the sectarians, and not only those, but everyone who did not believe and do the same as they. Nothing had any effect on them, nothing that was said to them; but they would shout, “When I was with the Sectarians, I was always in the stool repentance, drawing my face as long as a fiddle.” At other times they climbed up on chairs and prattled like this: “If you do not believe our gospel you shall be damned, and serve you right too.” This is the language and behavior of those who were arrogant enough to call themselves keepers of the shepherd’s work, and “Latter-day Saints.”

I ask you, sir, can you judge the above behavior as religion? If so, I know that there is no one else who will do so, while in his right mind. Apart from that, one of them lost his rights by not paying off his accounts regularly, as well as his brother, the secretary, for keeping that fact secret from the Lodge, when he ought to have insisted on seeing justice done in accordance with the rules. Another one sold his rights by neglecting his duty, and refusing to make himself present having been warned to answer for his negligence, and justify himself if he could. As for the other, he was never a full member, and he could not be except as an honorable member, or one under age. They know the reason; it is not necessary to mention anything of that. I hope this much about you, that you have enough human feeling for the above matters to convince you utterly that they were not excommunicated for their religion.

Again, sir, you accused us of keeping their money in our pockets. We did not owe them any money, because more was paid to one of them than the four of them paid to the treasury. Besides, had they been expelled from the Latter-day Saints, would you have paid them back the money they had paid towards the cause. I hardly think so, despite shedding many a tear for them. Again, you accused Thomas Evans of stripping the clothes from his brother, that is the office, and putting them on himself. Thomas Evans did not ever wear them, at that time, or after that; and he is not likely to wear them either. Hopefully, whoever wears them will not dishonor them as much as did your client, lest he pay dearly to clean them, and come to you with his complaint. Again, you accused the committee of unequalled cruelty. I do not know of anything that could be more cruel than the terrible verdict anathema maranatha, from your clients, on the Ivorians, and everyone else apart from themselves. It is surprising that they have not been excommunicated from the world into the void. You see, sir, that it is amidst the Latter-day Saints that the barbarians are, and not amongst the Ivorians. I hope that the above facts will persuade you, so that you will take back your accusation by whipping your clients and leaving the Ivorians in peace, lest you be considered an interferer in other men’s affairs, and thereby include yourself with murders of the confidence and comfort of society.

“Avoid the way of Balaam son of Beor,” and go ye not with these to the peaks of the Prophet of the Jubilee, to raise altars and sacrifice their calves on them, to slander the Ivorians, lest the same fate happen to you as to him.

Traveler of Nantyglo.

Star of Gomer, July 1848, pp. 203–4

https://journals.library.wales/view/2267394/2269327/11#?xywh=3151%2C-213%2C2215%2C3474

The "Baptism Battle"

Mr. Gomer,—I read in the STAR for the month of May, the account of a Baptism Battle which took place, your correspondent says, not a hundred miles from Machynlleth. It would have been just as correct for him to say not a hundred thousand miles from Machynlleth, or write about some event that happened, and that he knew about, than to give an account completely at odds with what happened. But in case your readers have been misled, I will take the opportunity to give the story as it happened. As is well known to some of your readers, there are hereabouts some of those who call themselves Latter-day Saints, who go about the country to deceive the common people. A young man who lives in a place called Forge, a mile and a half from the town, felt the urge to pretend he believed the teaching of the Saints, and he and a friend of his one day called on someone by the name of Tom Ellis, the Post, as he is called most commonly, who is one of the main apostles of the sect; and there was a certain amount of conversation between them in his house (that is the apostle’s house). The boy indicated that he wanted to be baptized, if the Saint came there the following evening. But the Saint in his zeal, counselled him not to delay, since the season of life is so unsure, which excited the feelings of the youth to agree. The old Saint, and another of the same brotherhood by the name of Ned the Potter, went that night to the Forge, at about eleven o’clock. They called on the young man, who was in his father’s house; he informed them that he was ready to go with them, if only he had a bowl of soup first. Having gone to the river-bank, which was scarcely a hundred yards from the house, the old apostle said some gibberish, and they went into the river; but before the Saint was ready to perform the ritual, the young man kicked up his feet three times, until the Saint was wet from head to toe. The old boy saw by now that the young man had intended to play a trick on him, and that the applicant had not returned to the true faith. He ran full pelt through the river to the other side; but he was unfortunate enough to hit the bank so that he went tumbling over twice. By then a crowd of children had hidden in an old barn nearby, and out they rushed like hunting dogs after the old Saint and he was chased to the town quicker than he came from there. The old Potter had fled to a nearby hillside, when he saw the old Saint going down for the first time; and thus ended the Baptism Battle.

A Correspondent.

Star of Gomer, July 1848—p. 221

https://journals.library.wales/view/2267394/2269327/30#?xywh=3429%2C656%2C1845%2C2047

The Trickery of the Saints

The journal known as the Silurian gives us the following account:—“Since a few weeks ago, the Saints have been paying visits on the Sabbath to Penmarc and Llancarfan, preaching out in the open air, the strangeness of which gathers a few listeners around them; but they get hardly any disciples if at all because the people do not believe they can perform miracles. One of them pretended that he had cured his own hand, although the doctors had failed; and the other, who is a “prophet”, promised to cure an old woman of her deafness, if only she had a little patience; but it appears that she will have to practice this virtue for the rest of her life. All this work (for it cannot be called religion) appears to be shameful blasphemy; and it has only excited pity and scorn in the minds of all sensible people in these places.”

Seren Gomer, August 1848, p. 238

https://journals.library.wales/view/2267394/2269364/13#?xywh=670%2C-4%2C2206%2C1956

An Interpretation of the dream of T. Hughes, Rhuthin.

Many objects were seen,
Flying through the heavens,

But few of them answered
The notes on the curtain;

John the angel was seen
With the Gospel in his hand,

Which he hid in an old cave
On the land of distant America,

And there it would be kept hidden
Through the ages of the world forever,

Had it not been for the true godliness
Of the great Prophet Joe Smith!

But Joe lost parts
Of it, in a fever and trembling,

Nevertheless, there is still plenty
For the Saints who are in the world!

Other objects were seen
By many in our country;

One very strange one was perceived by
The lucky inventor

After reading the notes of the object,
And serious and skillful reflection

I thought at last
That it was fierce Sky Rocket.

In success and happiness,
T. Hughes perceived this,

Shooting and spreading
Its bright sparks, happily.

Abercarn. Little Davy.

Star of Gomer, September 1848, pp. 264–65

https://journals.library.wales/view/2267394/2269397/9#?xywh=-184%2C-54%2C3318%2C3328

Miracles

Strange how sin has brought down the human race to such a deep, damp swamp and the awful quicksand in which they are by nature—all open to the deceit of tricksters going out and about, and many being tricked by them. It is likely that no age of the world has passed without some people who love only themselves, becoming estranged from the truth, giving themselves to deceit and going out to peddle their trickery to others. A nation cannot escape without Theudas rising up, saying he is such and such, and a number of men cleaving to him; or else, some Judas the Galilean, in the days of the census, converting many to follow him; and this generation will not pass without being tempted by the “Latter-day Saints,” or some other Satans. These dreamers and imaginers fancy that they can turn the Almighty, who is without change or any shadow of conversion, from his own order, to operate according to their whim; but may God be truthful and the “Latter-day Saints” false in their words, and deceivers in their actions. Neither is there any heresy that exists which is not followed by some miracles; a miracle is as essential to heresy as is fearing the Lord and acting righteously to true religion. Night visions were vital to the old soldier who was called Richard Brothers, originally from Newfoundland, who arose in 1760 saying that London would be destroyed, and George III dethroned, and he would wear his crown. I have no doubt that that idiot had a vision of this, because he had coveted it so much that he dreamed while asleep that what he desired would take place: his visions were the stream of his desire. Another by the name of Ann Lee, a blacksmith’s daughter in America, testified that she had received a revelation from heaven that she was the woman of whom it is said in Rev. 12:1, that she is clothed in the sun, and has the moon under her feet, and that she would live forever. Mrs. Buchan, in Scotland, also professed to having revelations from heaven. Another woman claimed that her soul had been taken to heaven while her body was afflicted, and that she had received powers from Christ to express future events, and to know the thoughts of man’s heart, and cure diseases, etc. Another of the heretics was Johannah Southcote, a woman who claimed she was the mother of Shiloh and that she would give birth to him on October 19, 1814. Thus, every deceit is linked to some miracle or other, a dream or a vision, following the deceivers in every age on earth, enticing a host of dull weaklings to follow them. But the champions of deceit in our age are the Saints; they anoint our nation with their slime, and mark those they beguile, and put their mark on them more deeply than almost all the virtues of the blood of the cross can remove; they become hardened in deceit and unforgivable sins in the face of all divine light. These people are complete miracle workers, they say; they heal the sick, they interpret tongues, and they cast out devils, except for the devil of Nantyglo. This one got the better of them, says W. R. Davies, Dowlais; and he says also, “You can conclude that no goodness or success will come to the Satans unless they are able to defeat the devil of Nantyglo.” It seems that it is one of the sort that comes out only through fasting and prayer; and since the Satans do not fast, they have been defeated by the devil of Nantyglo. Miracles have been a sign of the divine sending of missionaries; but the miracles of this age are a proof of the deceit of apostles and false prophets, so that it can be said that the aim of the deceivers is miracles.

1. Miracles were a sign of the divine sending of missionaries. That is how it was in the first century of Christianity; it was on miracles that the truth of what the apostles said and wrote depended. Proclaiming salvation was begun by the Lord, and was assured for us by those who heard him. One planted, and another watered, and God caused growth through co-testimony, through signs and wonders, and many powers, and the gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will. Heb. 11:4. There was cooperation here between the Lawgiver and the promulgators of the law; the divine Sender operated through those who were sent, in the most influential and supernaturally effective way. They were not claiming that they could perform miracles, but they performed them when they saw the opportunity; they did not go to the sick person and say, “If you come and join us, we will heal you.” No, rather they said to the sick person or the lame one who had never walked, “Stand up straight,” and these people would not crawl but would jump up and walk then and there. And if the Latter-day Saints are of God, they would do the same. When the Lord Jesus sent his apostles out, he did not promise miracles to be in the church, but to follow the apostles; because miracles are a sign, not to those who believe, but to the unbelievers; and if the church of the Saints believes at all, it would be better for their leaders to speak five words from their understanding, so that they could teach others, rather than a myriad of words in a foreign tongue; for “if therefore the whole church be come together and all speak with tongues, and there come in those that are unlearned, or unbelievers, will they not say that ye are mad? The miracles were supposed to follow the apostles, and so they did. Jesus said, “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.” And the promise he gave them was as follows: “And these signs shall follow them that believe; in my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover. So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God. And they went forth, and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following.” Mark 16:15–20.

In the age of the apostles, the whole religious system of Christianity had not been made clear as we now have it; it was revealed gradually, and the doctrine was proved divinely at the time, through obvious, sincere and supernatural miracles, which made clear that the power of God Almighty followed the proclamation. Paul said, “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.” “This treasure,” it is likely, which the apostles had in earthen vessels, is the same one we now have in the New Testament—at that time inside them, and now we have it in printed form. It was “this treasure,” or the constitution of the Christian religion, that the apostles proclaimed, and the Lord worked with them through signs and wonders, to prove his divinity. God’s holy men speaking as they were moved by the Holy Ghost, and God bearing witness to their teaching, so that it can be said that the whole scripture has been given with inspiration from God. At that time miracles were essential to prove the divinity of the new institution, beyond any of the enemies’ argument; and what was divulged and proved to be divine in that age, is what we have now in an inspired Testament, which includes all the rules of Christianity. After “this treasure” was brought out, the miracles were no longer needed, because proving the truth of anything once is enough. The miracles ceased when the treasure was brought out. Paul told the Corinthians with the regard to this, “When that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.” 1 Cor. 13:10.

2. Although miracles have been a proof of the godliness of missionaries and messages, even so in this age they prove the trickery of the missionaries and the messages they proclaim, and there is no clearer mark of the beast than performing miracles. Not only did the Lord take care to give miracles to prove the divinity of the gospel on its first proclamation, he took care to make it clear that the main mark of the deceivers after that would be affirming their powers to perform miracles. He foresaw the Latter-day Saints from afar, and he set down their characteristics in order to make them clear, so that we could beware of them. John had a distant view of these devilish spirits when the sixth angel poured out his vial on the great river Euphrates, and then he saw three unclean spirits, like frogs, coming out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. They are characterized as “spirits of devils;” not true devils, but spirits; and as every spirit resembles what it is the spirit of, so the Saints resemble the devils. Also, as a spirit is more terrifying and dangerous than what it is an apparition of, so the Saints are more dangerous, terrifying and frightening than devils. But the resemblance between these Satanic spirits and the devils they are spirits of, is as follows: 1. Satan appears in the form of an angel of the light; likewise the Satans appear in the form of Saints. 2. A devil is the father of lies; likewise the Saints claim that they can perform miracles. 3. The devil roams around, looking for anyone he can swallow; likewise the Saints roam around, looking for anyone they can deceive. They are satanic spirits. But their characteristics—1. “Perform miracles.” They find what they claim to do as a characteristic, namely performing miracles; and the more miracles they perform, the more proof they provide that they are deceivers. I have heard some saying that if the Saints could perform miracles, they would believe they were from God; but hold on, dear Welsh people; do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are from God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. The Saints deny the adequacy of the Christian establishment to save a soul, and they bring in some other gospel, if indeed it is another, asserting that God gives them continual revelation, which is proof enough of their deceitful lies for any man who does not love being deceived. I would not believe their divine mission if I saw Capt. D. Jones, or some other Beelzebub, standing over a dead man, and raising him up to life; but I would say to him again that he was a deceiver, and that he was involved in deceit; because the characteristic of the deceivers is miracles in the present day. 2. Gather their followers and take them to another country. This is another characteristic of their deception. That is what is said by John about these satanic spirits, that they go out to the kings of the earth, and the whole world, to gather them for war that day, namely God Almighty’s great day. “Behold, I come quickly. Blessed is he that watcheth (lest he be deceived by the Latter-day Saints), and keepeth his garments (lest they be soiled in their religious dung), lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.” Woe betide them on that day, even though they say quite satanically to the Judge, “Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? And in thy name done many wonderful works?” The Judge will profess unto them, “I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” Hence they will back away in pain, with their conscience roaring inside, until every joint in their constitution seems about to become undone; they will groan like one in the depths of the caverns of the earth; guilt will rise up from their consciences, like the smoke of Sodom and Gomorrah, till it blackens their faces like soot, and the extensive empire of the atmosphere of the boiling satanic pit darkens from the smoke of their tortures. At that point the Saints will be complete Satans, and the spirits true devils. Miracles are essential to heresy; not even the sprinkling of infants is perfectly undefiled by miracle, dream, or night vision. These depend much more on some old fable, and dreams, apparitions, opinions, or the testimony of someone dying, or some other shifting sand, than on inspired and obvious revelation. They build houses on sand, and live in them when the rock is nearby. Let us not listen to the performers of miracles and advocates of every baseless tradition; but rather follow the inspirational rule in everything, and pray greatly for the Lord to keep all of Wales out of the grasp of these Satanic arch-deceivers who are in our country, and out of the jaws of Capt. Jones, who is like a roaring lion walking about, seeking whomever he can to swallow. Let everyone beware of going too close to this elephant’s trunk, and take scarcely any of the doctrine of the chief deceiver of the age, but be careful not to believe them and be tricked by the satanic spirits, even if they were to cast out the devil of Nantyglo.

Iago Silin

Star of Gomer, September 1848, pp. 268–69

https://journals.library.wales/view/2267394/2269397/13#?xywh=-130%2C612%2C3049%2C3381

The Ivorians and the Saints

I saw and read an article so named in the Star for July, page 202, by “The Traveler of Nantyglo.” Believe it or not Mr. Gomer, it is certain that the devil of Nantyglo is more accursed than all the spirits of the devil nearby. It not only possessed Phillip Seix, and conquered Saints, A. Evans and W. Phillips, together with all the minor Satanists of the place, but has also attacked the Ivorians, the foremost philanthropic men, or Society in the whole world; and great is the happiness of every True Ivorian to understand that the Ivorian brothers near Nantyglo cast out from their midst the Satanists who troubled them, and that, so unceremoniously. Many here were surprised when we understood that some of the mad and stupid persons were in union with our rightly famous Lodges. The writer remembers the discussions which took place in our Annual Meeting, a year ago, in Dowlais (the main meeting was there that year), and following that, officials from every district had gathered, to arrange things relating to the Guild throughout the whole Union in South Wales. After dining, I happened to be in a room, in which sat most of the official brothers, and in their midst some ministers &c. An Ivorian brother came into us, and asked in a brotherly, respectable and humble manner for permission to ask the opinion of the officials and ministers, and his wish was allowed with the greatest readiness. I did not know the brother, but here is his question: “Well, brothers, this is what is on my mind, and I am very happy to have the opportunity to place it before so many responsible brothers and ministers; that it, is it tolerable in our Lodges for us to suffer the arrogant, blasphemous men who call themselves Latter-day Saints, to be brothers in union with our guild?” There was a little silence, everyone looking at and awaiting everyone else; but one official and minister began like this: “Well, brothers, what are your opinions on the brother’s question? For my part, I know nothing at all about them; I only heard mention that there is a certain number of mad and arrogant creatures in your midst towards the works,” etc. Following this, one old minister, who is considered in the top rank in Wales, as a man, an Ivorian, a Christian, and a theologian, commented like this: “Brothers, the question of the brother is worth our attention.” At this, appeals were made to him, and he said, “that he did not understand much about the tribe in question, although he did know enough to understand that they were a mob of base wretches, impudent enough to joke about and scorn the highest things of Heaven.” And he added, “I am not aware, at this time, of any rule of ours that directly cuts them out, because they pretend to profess the Christian religion.” At this, a certain brother pulled an accursed and devilish booklet out of his pocket, which they called “The History of the Latter-day Saints,” printed by J. Jones, Rhydybont, and he read from it, page 35. I saw the phrases some time ago in the Star, but it is not unbeneficial that they appear again. Here they are:

“We said in the previous chapter that there are more witnesses to prove the Book of Mormon than there are to prove the New Testament.

Witnesses of the New Testament	Witnesses of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon
Six eyewitnesses, having written, in their age, eighteen hundred years ago, that they and their brothers had performed miracles.	Three hundred thousand witnesses that miracles are performed in this age.
Not so much as one living witness to say that he has been cured in the days of the apostles; everything depends on the evidence of the six.	There are thousands who will testify in our times that they themselves have received health, without depending at all on second-hand evidence.
The six witnesses of the New Testament have died, so that we cannot cross-examine their evidence.	Tens of thousands of witnesses for the Book of Mormon now living, reasonable creatures, yes, Welshmen, some hundreds, so that they can be cross-examined.
Not so much as one living witness to say that he has been cured in the of the apostles; everything depends on the evidence of the six.	Hundreds of thousands of truthful witnesses that God performs miracles in these days, through his servants.

Having heard the preceding reading, all the brothers came to agree and concur at once, that they are a mob of Deists, worse and more arrogant, and more dangerous to every Society, than Muhummadans. I am not aware that any of them, in these parts, belong to the Ivorians of the Oddfellows; and they will not be tolerated by the honor of the Guilds. I see, in the letter of the Traveler, that they tried to overturn the Lodge of Ivor Hael; but to the honor of our brothers there, they got what they deserved, that is their expulsion from the union; and it will be seen further, that they tried to persuade the public “that they are being persecuted because of their religion,” when, in truth, they were rejected because of their blasphemy against religion, and their hellish arrogance, as the Traveler notes.

Once, accidentally, I heard the sinners imitating and pretending to preach, and the sum total of the calumny was that the water of Baptism washes away sins, and that every man and woman who do not receive baptism from them will go to the devil. And he added to the above hellish arrogance that he had been sent and been given authority by God in a manner as definite as John the Baptist, etc. etc. What society or Lodge in its right mind will tolerate such Satanists to remain in their midst? I hope that there is not one of the family in any Lodge belonging to, at least, the Ivorians or the Oddfellows.

Yours affectionately,
An Ivorian and Oddfellow Brother
Nantyglo

Star of Gomer, October 1848, pp. 293–96

https://journals.library.wales/view/2267394/2269434/6

Spiritual Gifts

Mr. Editor—The following is at your service, if you judge it worthy of the columns of the STAR. There is no doubt in my mind but that you will judge the topic suitable, if not that which is said about it. But be that as it may, it is as good as I could make it. When we consider that there is a great heresy pertaining to the above topic, which has spread throughout South and North Wales; but that there are over two-and-a-half thousand of our fellow men, yes, of our fellow nation, the Welsh, who believe (or profess to believe) that the spiritual gifts are enjoyed now in the church of the Latter-day Saints,” as they were in the churches in the age of the Apostles of old; it deserves serious consideration. If it is true that they enjoy them now, as they were enjoyed by the early Christians; and if the assertion is true that they are needed before a church can be set up to Christ; then the “Latter-day Saints,” or the Mormons, are the true church of the living God in the nineteenth century, and the faith of all the believers of Wales, that is, everyone except the Mormons, is “dung and loss” to them, so that they will receive no benefit from it either in this world, or in the world to come. But we do not have to believe every spirit that uses the name of Christ; but we shall test the spirits, by going to the true standard, that is “to the word, and to the testimony.” By this shall they stand or fall. It is in these scales that their spiritual gifts are to be weighed, and here also will they find justice. And I believe, if all are weighed in the true scales, that we can proclaim loudly over their heads, “You were weighed in the scales, and were found wanting.” The direction I shall take now is to investigate the nature of the spiritual gifts in the time of the Apostles; and I shall gather from that, that they should be of a similar nature in our own days if they be in the church. And insofar as the Mormons say that it is through revelation that they obtain their doctrines, then unless they are of the same substance (that is, not being contrary to) as the teachings the Apostles used to preach, and which they wrote, we can determine that it is not the same spirit that has been revealing them to them. Now, since it happens that I have become acquainted with some of the Saints’ doctrines, and their books, including the book entitled the Scriptural Treasury, which was published recently by Captain Jones, their President in Wales, it is on some doctrines which are to be found therein, under the title “Spiritual Gifts”, between pages 247 and 278 that I intend to focus in particular at present.

While Jesus Christ was still on the earth with his disciples, he sent them out to preach the gospel, and “say the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils; Freely you have received, freely give.” That is to say, they had received the authority, and this miraculous power, from Christ, free—without asking him for it; and so he was urging them to be just as free and charitable in its implementation on others as he had been in the giving of it to them. And yet, shortly before his death, Christ comforted his weak disciples—who were overcome by great sadness at the thought of His leaving them—by promising them another comforter that He would send them after he went to the Father, and which would also prove to them He had told them the truth, and that he was what He professed to be. “At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father,” (John 14:20) said Christ, which is the day of Pentecost, when the Spirit would be poured down as promised. Well, that small verse proves, I would think, that the purpose of the Pentecost outpouring was to prove to the Apostles that He was “the Christ”. And we can prove from the story in the Acts that it was through the miracle of speaking in foreign tongues that the three thousand were also convinced on the day of Pentecost. That was the purpose of that miracle, and its aim was fulfilled too. Seeing all the Apostles speaking in the languages and dialects of those different nationalities was an excellent demonstration of speaking in tongues, great works of God. That was a fulfillment of the promise, was it not, with thousands being saved as a consequence. All the foreigners who were in Jerusalem were astonished to hear the disciples—uneducated men—fishermen on the shores of the Sea of Galilee, speaking intelligibly the languages of the various nations they belonged to; and then, they listened to what the Apostles were saying, and as a consequence of that, they obeyed the Divine message. The miracle of speaking in foreign tongues was what attracted the attention of the foreigners. But to get closer to the point, I think that the chapters which the Mormons consider most explicit in favor of the existence of spiritual gifts in the church now are 1 Cor. xii, xiii, xiv. In the first the Apostle compares the church of Christ to a body. The Apostle must have some particular aim in mind in the comparison. It seems the Corinthians misunderstood about the spiritual gifts to a great extent; and the Apostle is attempting to persuade them and enlighten them in this regard. The Mormons say that the comparison proves it is just as essential for the offices to be in the church in every age of the world for it to be Christ’s church as it is for the members to be in the body in order for it to be a perfect body. And after that, no church is Christ’s church unless these offices or gifts are in it. But let these people realize that the church of the Old Testament is the body of Christ as much as the New; for Paul says in his letter to the Ephesians that there is “not one body” (Eph. iv:4), that is, not one church of God. Well, it is not the same offices (or members, as the Mormons say) that have been in the body from the patriarchal dispensation to the present. There was not the same number of offices in the patriarchal dispensation as the Mosaic one, nor the Mosaic as the Christian. And so, the church of Christ is not similar to a body in the number or the continuation of the offices in it. And yet, the Mormons say that the church of Christ was completely annihilated on this earth for 1260 years; and why, then, do they compare it to a body in terms of the continuation of the offices in it? According to that, there was neither a body nor a member to be found for 1260 years! What, then, is apt in the comparison of a body to the church? I reckon it is this, that it is just as essential for members in the church to be satisfied with their own positions, that is where God placed them in the church, as it is for the parts of the body to be satisfied with their correct places in the body. The Apostle’s reasoning runs like this: “You, the church of Corinth, covet the best gifts,* and seem prepared to think that you are not proper members of Christ’s church unless you are in possession of the Holy Ghost’s special gift. But consider the human body for a moment. It has many members and some of them are regarded as weak and indecent, while others are considered beautiful and respectable. Well, the parts of the body we consider least respectable do not think that they are not members, because they are not beautiful and respectable; and the body does not say to them, I do not need you. But each member works towards bringing contentment to the body, being satisfied with its own place. The beautiful members do not require their beauty in order to be members. The unattractive and disrespected is a member as well as the beautiful and respectable. So it is exactly with the church of Christ. I, Paul, do not need to be an Apostle in order to be a member of Christ’s church; and neither does any of you need to be an elder in order to be a member; but the duty of each of us is to be content in the place God put us.” That is as much as the comparison proves; and it is very far from proving, as the Mormons want to force it to, the continuation of those gifts and offices in the church. Its aim is to show them that it is not a high position in the church that gives a right to membership in the church, any more than being a beautiful member gives a right to being part of the body; and one does not need an excellent office or gift in order to be a member in Christ, any more than the bowels, the lungs, and the brain need to be a head, an arm, or an eye, or ears in order to be members of the human body. It proves that the internal organs of the body are just as vital as the obvious, public ones. So much for the comparison.

In the Scriptural Treasury, the author informs us that the spiritual gifts are nine in number, which is true as far as I know, and taking for granted that the comparison proves the continuation of the gifts and the offices in the church, it proves that it is just as foolish for a man to cut a part from the human body, and put another in its place, or do without it, as it is for a league of this age’s self-appointed wise men to exchange or dispense with all the spiritual gifts, each gift in its own place, in the church of Christ. By turning the purpose of the comparison into being everything, it can prove everything. It should be remembered that it is only in its unity that the church is like a body. But then he goes on to show that it is as essential for the church now to have a head as in the age of the Apostles; and he says that the Apostles were the head at that time. He says of the human body that it cannot be a perfect body without the head and that there is no life in it. Then he argues that Christ’s church cannot have any life without Apostles, who are the head of the church. And next, listen to this, members of the denominations and church-goers of Wales, the churches you belong to are not churches of God! But let us take comfort in remembering that it is not Christ himself nor any of the inspired Apostles who preached the gospel of the kingdom eighteen hundred years ago that say that, but the Mormons. The Welsh New Testament says that Christ “is the head of the body of the church,” (Col. i: 18); “and He gave him to be the head over all things to the church,” (Eph. i: 22); “as Christ is the head of the church,” (Eph. v: 23). Those three examples can suffice to prove that Christ, not the Apostles, is the head of the church of the New Testament. A splendid way of proving that the churches of Wales are not Christ’s church is to say that the Apostles are the head of the church, is it not? And since the members of the denominations say, with the New Testament, that Christ is the head of the church, Capt. Jones asks, “Whoever saw the head of a man in one country, and the other part of his body alive in another country?” As though he was saying, How can there be life in the church of Christ, or his body, on earth while He, the head, is in heaven? I answer that he himself is part of a body which lives in one country, while the head is in another country. I shall prove that like this: He says that the Apostles are the head of the church; and the Apostles of the Latter-day Saints are in America most of the time. Well, so there is a head in America. There are still stories in their books, such as the Prophet of the Jubilee, that the church in Wales is increasing, and enjoys the gifts of the Holy Ghost. That’s a body in Wales, then. A head in America and a body in Wales! I hope that reply will satisfy him. He probably thinks his question is a home stroke to everything but Mormonism. He would do well to remember, before releasing the question from his mind to the press, about Haman preparing a gallows to hang Mordecai. He thought that if he just set down the statement that Apostles are the head of the church, he could prove in the next breath that a church without an Apostle is not a church of God. But I venture to say that the Head of the New Testament church, who is God Almighty, Omniscient, and Omnipresent, can be as suitable, even though he is in heaven, to be the head to his body, or his church on earth, as are the Apostles of the Mormons who are in Council Bluffs, or in Salt Lake City, to be head of the Mormon church in Wales. But before leaving this topic, I will say one thing, which is that I do not argue that Apostles are not the head of the Mormons’ church; but I do argue that they are not the head of the church of Jesus Christ. If the church is the body of Christ, then He is its Head. The fact that the Mormons reject Christ as the Head of their church proves one important matter, which is that they do not belong to His body in one sense. They say like those who used to say, “We do not want him to reign over us.”

Then the author goes on to comment on these various gifts, each gift on its own; and the first he mentions is,

“Speaking Wisdom,” which is a gift of the Holy Ghost; and a gift He gave the Apostles of old, in order for them to be able to proclaim and explain the divine truths which were revealed to them. This gift was completely essential to the first spreading of the gospel, given that its proclaimers were uneducated men. Since the teachings and mysteries of the kingdom of heaven were revealed to the Apostles, it was necessary for them to be gifted with a means to present them with skill and ability worthy of their greatness and importance. The speeches of Stephen, Peter and Paul are a clear demonstration of the value of this gift. And it is certain that all the Apostles, and preachers of the gospel, were helped by the Holy Ghost, (through this gift) in whatever they were lacking; as Christ urged his disciples not to worry about what they would say when they were brought before the rulers, because the Holy Ghost would teach them at that time what to say. All the Apostles possessed wisdom in the true sense of the word. Even though the Mormons are above the wisdom of our day, and claim that it is tremendous folly to believe it is essential to preach the gospel; yet the gospel is not properly proclaimed without wisdom. They are very ready to boast that they can make the college wisdom of England and Wales almost into madness; but poor things, if only they all had the wisdom not to contradict each other. It is true they have zeal, but it is just as true that it is zeal without knowledge. How can the gospel be preached to the world without learning, and a knowledge of the different languages of the nations who live there? The Holy Ghost would not have given the Apostles on the day of Pentecost the means to speak comprehensibly those different languages if they had been already known to them; and so it was giving them what they lacked. So, insofar as it is desirable for present day preachers of the gospel to learn the languages of the various nations of the world, what need is there to endow them with the gift of speaking a foreign tongue, as the Apostles were. But if the Mormons are to do without wisdom, or learning, how can they preach their gospel to the world? Do some of their Welsh preachers preach in the English language without the slightest previous knowledge of that language? If they answer that they do not, I answer that that was what the Apostles did; and if they claim the same gifts and skill as the original brave men who preached the gospel of the kingdom, they must do as they did. But is now clear to all that the way the Mormon proclaims his religion is by learning the language first, which the members of the denominations do too. In a word, they have taken to disparaging learning for the same reason that the fox disparaged the grapes, which is that they cannot attain it. It is not human learning and wisdom (i.e., the proper sort) that the New Testament condemns, but that which earthly men had made and set up to be their main wisdom. “The Greeks seek wisdom,” says the Apostle, that is to say what they considered wisdom, and what they were taught by their philosophers; but it was their darkness and ignorance of God that had led them to what wisdom they had. But the gospel sheds light on many things in nature, so that it can be said that in that sense it makes its devotees wise.

The next gift is “speaking knowledge.”

It is likely that by this gift was meant the supernatural knowledge which was given to the Christian prophet, who possessed the gift of prophecy that is mentioned in 1 Cor. xii, 10. The gift of speaking knowledge was a sort of inspiration to explain prophecies correctly, because of what it is called, in chap. xiii, 2, prophesying. But by this gift, Capt. Jones means the “certainty” that the Holy Ghost gives to the children of God that they are his children and members of his church. Contrary to that, I say that what proved to them that they were members of God’s church, were the miracles they had seen before joining the church, or the gifts, that is to say everything together, that they had witnessed in the church. This was a gift and it was not given to all any more than all were Apostles. The verse does not say that it is given to all, but ‘to another.” And consequently, it is clear that the “certainty” referred to is not what is meant. Again, this was not what proved to them that they were God’s children; for they could possess a gift of God’s Spirit without being his adopted children, such as those portrayed by Christ, Matt. vii, 22—“Many will say to me on that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?” And in 1 Cor. xiii, 2, Paul says, “Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am nothing,” which proves that none of the spiritual gifts was indispensably necessary for salvation, and more than that, that one could be lost despite possessing them. The way to attain the certainty that they were the children of God was to make their calling and their election sure through fear and dread. The best test to know whether a man is a child of God is for him to search himself, whether he loves God and the brethren.

The third gift we note is “Faith.” By this once again is meant the gift of faith which the Holy Ghost shared with men who were accustomed to performing miracles. When the disciples failed to heal that devilish man of old, Christ said that the cause was the weakness of their faith. They had the right, but they did not have enough faith to put their right into proper action. Capt. Jones endeavors to prove that this gift of faith is an increase of faith, the faith that saves, and which works through charity; and he cannot get out of fact that the Bible talks about more than one faith. I answer that the word faith in the scriptures has different meanings. James speaks in his epistle about dead faith, which is faith without actions; there is another faith which can be called miraculous faith, such as the one the present text refers to, and the one that is meant by Christ when he says, “If ye had but as much faith as a mustard seed, ye could move this mountain;” and the other is the faith that saves, which is referred to in the verse, “By grace are ye saved through faith.” Here are three faiths anyway; and one can possess the first two and be lost; and the third is the only one that brings its possessor within reach of eternal life: and so these three are not the same faith. And it is very obvious that this miraculous faith is not an augmentation of saving faith; for we can gather that from accounts of people coming to Christ to be healed, they were healed in faith, and yet were not in possession of faith that saves to eternal life, such as those lepers of old, who all possessed faith to be healed, while only one of them returned to give thanks for the cleansing. So it is now clear enough that this is a different faith from the faith which is called “the faith of God’s elected”. This gift was not yet being given to all; but “to another faith.”

The next on the list is the gift of healing. This again is one of those the Holy Ghost placed in the church. It is likely that the elders as well as the Apostles were able to administer this ordinance and gift effectively. It was not to be administered outside the church. The promise is for those who are in the church. “If there be anyone in your midst who is ill, let him call to him the elders of the church.” Faith was as essential on the part of the receiver as it was on the part of the administrator, inasmuch as this—“let him call to him the elders of the church.” And then, there was certainty in the correct practice and in the appointed medicine. No failure is possible, only anointing with oil, and praying the prayer of faith, for the verse says definitely that if that is done, the prayer of faith will heal the sick person. Not perhaps the prayer will heal him; but “will heal the sick person.” There is no way to slip away from the fulfillment of a promise, if the conditions have been fulfilled. As a threat, it is necessary to abide by the spirit. Here, the promise is definite, and it will amount to injustice to the fulfiller of the conditions for him to be disappointed in the fulfillment of the promise. If one of the subjects of the queen of England were guilty of treason, she has legislation to punish him. If she does not punish the criminal, no one can accuse her of being unjust towards him; but if there is injustice, it can be said that it is towards her and the law. But supposing the criminal is in flight, and the officers of justice are unable to catch him; and in the meantime the queen has announced that a reward of a hundred pounds, more or less, would be given for his capture, and one of her subjects manages to do that; then, if she does not honor her promise to the man who caught the criminal, it will be an injustice on her part, even though she can at the same time pardon the criminal. That is precisely how it is with the gift of healing in God’s church. First, the conditions: “let him call unto him the church elders, and they will pray over him, and anoint him with oil.” And next, the promise: “and the prayer of faith will heal the sick person.” Here are conditions being noted, and a promise given. You fulfill the conditions, God seems to say, and I will take care of the promise. If God does not keep his promise after making it, it will be an injustice on his part, provided that the conditions have been fulfilled in the required manner. But there is no need to doubt that the greatest certainty of healing was in the correct practice and the medicine, and we have no account of their ever failing in the age of the Apostles. Of this gift Capt. Jones says, as an excuse because it does not fulfill the aim of healing everyone in their church now who is treated with the medicine, “There are some members who are so weak that they cannot receive health immediately, like Timothy and others in the old days; they must continue to be officiated to, and prayed over fervently.” But I ask, are any of them weaker than the ones Christ used to heal? Are there some of them weaker than the woman with the issue of blood, and the one who was weak of spirit—one having been in the grip of the illness for twelve years, and the other for eighteen, whom Christ healed directly? I suspect not. But allowing that some are weaker than those, I wonder, in all sobriety, whether any in the church of the Latter-day Saints are weaker than the incapable dead that Christ used to resurrect? Poor Lazarus who had been four days in the grave, until he was completely weak, I suspect; but Christ raises him from there, despite how weak he was, and did so directly, by saying, “Lazarus, come out!” I now think, however, that there is no Mormon who would claim that there are some in their church who are weaker than Lazarus, who was completely weak,—yes, dead! And it would be good for them to remember that miraculous power should be essentially the same in this age as in the age of the Apostles. But again, in relation to Timothy and others back then, where did the Mormons find out that any of them were too weak to receive health? If the appointed medicine was administered to them, I can assert that that never failed, or else James is telling lies, for he says that it would heal the sick person. It is true enough that Trophimus was left sick in Miletum; but the question is, was the medicine administered to him? And is there any account of Timothy being anointed with oil, and of Paul offering the prayer of faith over him? Perhaps now someone is prepared to ask, “How did people like Timothy and Trophimus neglect such a valuable gift which was placed by God in his church with the aim of healing those treated with it?” To this I answer that the Apostles had the right to issue curses as well as blessings, on those they considered as deserving. They sentenced some to Satan, to the destruction of the flesh, so that the spirit would be saved in the Lord’s day; by this I mean, letting Satan have authority over the man, so as to destroy his flesh, thereby killing the tendency which might be governing him, and for which he had been punished, such as that man in the church in Corinth who was living with his father’s wife. And thus it was with other matters and sins—they were able to do as circumstances dictated. There were Ananias and Sapphira who suffered death for telling lies, and Elymas the sorcerer struck with blindness for opposing the truth. And given that the church in Corinth was made up of Jews and Gentiles; that the Gentiles had been idolaters; that it is true what the Apostle says about them, which is that it was shameful to recount the things done by them in private; and that it is just as true that it is difficult to eliminate a habit from people who have reached a certain age—therefore, it seems quite likely that many of them were living with some of their old sins, despite having embraced Christianity. Now, in order to get members who were open to sliding into their old habits free from them, rather than excommunicating them from the church, the Apostles used the power they had, by imposing judgment on them, as in the church of Corinth. And it is from such an illness that the gift heals; not from a bit of a headache, stomach pain, or toothache, etc., as the Mormons enjoy in the dispensation of the gift in their meetings! It was on those on whom the Apostles passed these judgments that this gift was to be administered, that is to say, on their repentance for their fault, and their admittance of their mistake. It also always answered the purpose. It is by administering it to all who are sick in their church that the Mormons fail to achieve fulfillment of the promise. If they do not have the right and the power to issue a judgment or a curse on their opponents, then they have no right to administer this ordinance! But their administration of the ordinance does not answer the purpose, which is to heal the sick person; consequently, either they are not administering it correctly, or they have no right to the blessing. The blessing of healing must follow the correct administering of the medicine. So much for the gift of healing.

An Observer from the North

(To be continued)

* Many believe that that is the meaning of 1 Cor. xii, 31, where the Apostle says, “But (you) covet earnestly the best gifts,” &c., which seems very likely. It would be illogical of him to urge them to covet the best gifts after showing them in the previous verses that they should be content with what the Spirit wished to give them. He would be inconsistent with himself if he did that. “Covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet shew I unto you a more excellent way,” which is a way that eclipses that—a more excellent way, is doubtless his meaning.

Star of Gomer, October 1848, pp. 304–5

https://journals.library.wales/view/2267394/2269434/17#?xywh=73%2C1086%2C2540%2C2818

A Review of Mormonism, and the Rev. T. Williams

Certain religious people called Mormons, Latter-day Saints, the followers of Joe Smith the miner in America, have visited the neighborhood of Ebenezer, the Baptist chapel in the parish of Llangynog, below Carmarthen, and through their cunning and wile, have deceived certain creatures in their wake; and that, it seems, has got under the skin of the Rev. Thomas Williams, to disturb his peace, and get up his steam to put his foot on the necks of this impudent tribe. For the purpose of getting rid of the selfish agitators, he announced that he would deliver a sermon on the deceit of the Saints, on the morning of the Sabbath, July 2nd. A numerous crowd gathered there to see Mormonism under the severe blows of the pickaxe, and in their midst the Saints had nurtured enough courage to go there to be flayed. They were wounded unusually deeply, because the blows fell upon them mercilessly. For the purpose of upholding under the treatment, the saints took council with each other, and a “Great Saint” was appointed, by the name of J. Davies, to step back a little on his respectability from Ebenezer, and he sat down and gave birth to a worthless and shapeless letter. It does not counter a single argument of Mr. Williams’, nor prove a single principle of the Mormons’. At the beginning, he indicates that he was disappointed in the sermon, “And I have the pleasure to inform you that you preach better, in accordance with your manner, than I thought.” Every preacher has his manner; and in accordance with his usual manner is the easiest and most suitable way for every preacher. In accordance with whose manner would the “Saint” have him preach? The man is envious, certainly. In talking about “preaching better,” etc., the “Saint” is supposing himself fit to judge a sermon. He must be capable of composing a good sermon before he will be a suitable judge of a preacher’s talents and the excellence of a sermon. It is said of the “Great Saint”, the “protecting Angel of the tribe of Joe Smith,” that he has no talent for composing a sermon and no melodious voice to deliver it. But he happened to climb to the pulpit once, and having eaten a little of the honey of the pulpit he wants to live; and it will be heard soon that he is on the wild tramp to California, casting out devils, although he could not do that in Llangynog. The spirit has descended upon him he says, but it’s a pity he is contributing such poor talents to his Apostles. There is no danger that anyone will think that these Apostles are gods, like the old boys before, who made the strongest and hardest shake. But as for these, they do not stir up any effects; and for a good reason, they do not have any authority and gift.

The “Saint” blames Mr. Williams in the choice of his text, and that the words in Ephesians 4:14 do not relate to the Baptists, but to the followers of Joe Smith; because they have apostles and prophets, and no one else has these workers. What is an Apostle? A man called by Christ, and sent by Him, who has seen Him personally, 1 Cor. 9:1, and received the authority to perform miracles, and to give the power to perform miracles to others, Acts 1:18. These things are what the apostles did formerly. Well, has any one of Joe Smith’s Apostles seen Jesus, performed miracles, and given this gift to others? Not one of them; and it is accursed and hellish presumption for them to call themselves Apostles of the Lord!

You are advised if you intend to use the word apostle to call yourselves Apostle of Mary—Apostle of Wood—Apostle of the Stable—Apostle of the Cowshed—Apostle of Juno, etc. These things are far more suitable for a mob of ignoramuses and usurpers, than to connect their name with what is sacred. The honesty of Mr. Williams worries this Apostle. It is a great thing that a man who has lived in an area for 15 or 20 years can venture to appeal to his neighbors if he was guilty of lying. It would be a blessing to the “Saints” if they were to imitate this virtue, for they are quite a bit behind in this grace. Telling lies is one of the most remarkable characteristics of Mormonism. J. Davies needs to look at how he stands towards the truth. Mr. Williams said that, in order to be a “Saint”, one must believe that Joe Smith is a Prophet. 2. That the Book of Mormon is as divine as the Bible, etc. J. Davies said that no one need believe these things. Well, according to J. Davies, a man can be a “Saint” and deny that Joe Smith is a prophet, and deny the righteousness of the Book of Mormon, etc. Is it true that J. Davies said this? J. Davies, Captain of the flatterers, must call all his brothers together in an assembly and counsel them to refrain from now on from lying, and to preach from off this word. “Tell the truth, everyone to his neighbor.” Their lies are awful wherever they go. I shall relate one of their tricks. Sometime recently, the Saints went to a place called Talog to preach, but not one sensible man, woman, or child went to listen to them, because they have seen their deceit there, and one of those whom they bewitched returned and was baptized by the Rev. Morgan James. Having had this disappointment, they went on towards Trelech, and a child, or children, was sent around the chapels to announce that the Revs. Mr. Davies from London and Mr. Evans, Capel Seion, were to preach in Penybont, Trelech, at 6 o’clock on the night of the Sabbath; but when the time came, the Saints were there. There’s a Satanic trick for you!! The Devil has told lies from the beginning, and his children carry his image and perform his acts. A mob of liars and deceivers is a remarkable sight! Deceiving themselves, deceiving each other, cheating their money, one from the other; deceit in the preaching, deceit in the baptism, deceit in the miracles, deceit in the prophecy, deceit in the visions, deceit in the experiences, deceit in the articles, etc. This is how they go around, “deceiving and being deceived.” Having got enough money to get a ship or ships to voyage to California, their Leader will sail to Cuba and sell them as slaves, every man jack of them. That would serve them right for having so little respect for Christ’s book as to give it up for the Book of Mormon. It’s quite likely they will be paid severely for their deceit. I have a word to say about J. Davies’s generous spirit. Mr. Williams was saying that the Saints believe that everyone is in hell apart from them. Well, what harm would it do to say what they say? For the purpose of winning people over to them, they say that everyone must be baptized, and by one of them, before they can ever go to heaven. This is in every sermon, and every preacher they have says it. Yet, after all, this J. Davies denies that, and says that he has a “better belief, and that such a horrible belief resides in Mr. Williams’s evil bosom.” This J. Davies thinks better of men who have died without Mormonism. He does not think that any one of them is in hell. This is J. Davies’s judgment, and he does not judge anyone. He is a remarkably free-thinking, tender, self-denying and generous man. Take care, where do you suppose he will be found next? As a judge on the throne of Joe Smith, with Thomas Williams as the prisoner at the bar. He says, “I do not know what to think of you. Your condition is evil, and dangerous.” This “Saint” is a fine fellow to sit in judgment of any person. How can he know Mr. Williams’s heart? Who set him up as a judge of others? A mob of selfish and self-righteous Saints stamping on the good? This Mr. Davies, Apostle of Wood, etc., needs to listen to the counsel of the Savior of the world—“Judge not, lest you be judged.” If this J. Davies were to say that Williams is a zealous and prejudiced Baptist, and a boastful Calvinist, he would be right; but that his “condition is evil,” the apostle J. Davies knows nothing of that; his condemnation is only a clear indication of his own spirit’s evil, uncleanliness and arrogance. The mouth’s uncleanliness proves the character of the heart. Mr. Williams is to be highly praised for counseling his people not to listen to the Saints, because what man could counsel anyone to listen to them if he means well to his listener? The Saints carry the characteristics of heretics, by disrupting churches. The old Reformers like Whitfield, Wesley, etc., were not like that; but they forcefully attacked the ungodliness of the age, they struck against the castles of sin, and they strove to save sinners from the fire; but these “saints,” like the false teachers in the church of Corinth, Galatia, etc., disturb the peace of societies which are the light of the world, and which will be a sweet scent in the world when the name of Joe Smith and his followers have been lost in oblivion, and have rotted in the earth. From this sort of deceitful and selfish tribe, we cry, “Save us, beneficent Lord,” so that men may be safe from their cancer, which consumes unto death.

J. Davies is as good as indicating that they have miracles in secret, but they will not perform them in public. This is how all the heretics have always made their way. It is a religion of the prince of darkness that is too ugly and horrible to stand the light. Mormonism began in a cave, and it cannot exist in the light. It withers under the fiery rays of knowledge, so it flees to the cave, to hide in the darkness; it rolls in the mantle of night, and it performs wonders under the covers of darkness. “It loves the darkness more than the light, for its deeds are evil.” This J. Davies indicates that he will write again. It would be as well for him to slow down, until he can write some sense, and form more decent and respectful expressions for his fellow creatures. Seeing some ignorant and selfish dwarf of a man inflate with self-importance is a scandal to humanity. It would be wisdom for J. Davies to follow the profession that is most familiar to him, and leave teaching the people to those who have received the gift. It is a beautiful characteristic in everyone that they know their place. Mr. Gomer, what consistency is there between a minister who preaches the faith of the Independents on the one hand, and prints the Latter-day Saints’ books on the other? Is there anything in the Bogey-Man’s Cave that will bring the two opposed subjects into agreement? I should like your opinion, Mr. Gomer, or that of one of your capable correspondents, on the matter.

Anti-Humbug
Glanyrafon

Star of Gomer, December 1848, pp. 373–74

https://journals.library.wales/view/2267394/2269508/20#?xywh=49%2C946%2C2540%2C2818

Invitation to California

Oh, come to California,
Dear Welshmen, dear Welshmen

Stand here no longer,
Dear Welshmen;

There are heavens for us there,
We shall have land without rent or taxes,

Prepare to come without delay,
Dear Welshmen, dear Welshmen,

Do not tarry here except for that,
Dear Welshmen.

We can get corn without sowing or harrowing,
Everyone believe, everyone believe,

And bread without baking it,
Everyone believe,

Houses will grow for us from the earth,
Lovely and attractive palaces,

Oh, this is an alluring place,
Everyone believe, everyone believe,

A place where pain or sorrow will not come,
Everyone believe.

There are geese by the thousands,
Come quickly, come quickly,

Running through the streets,
Come quickly,

And those after being roasted
Are ready by lunch,

Who would not go there?
Come quickly, come quickly,

With the feast prepared for him,
Come quickly.

There are fat oxen there,
This is heaven, this is heaven,

And thousands of fat pigs,
This is heaven,

Are waiting by the doors
With the knives in their throats,

Ready, morning and night,
This is heaven, this is heaven,

There is no one with a sparse table,
This is heaven.

Soon vehicles will run,
Listen, listen,

By themselves without horses,
Listen;

We shall not have to have servant
To serve us, or maids,

There are no problems there,
Listen, listen,

To trouble the family of Zion,
Listen.

Clothes come from the clouds,
Become Saints, become Saints,

Like hail in showers,
Become Saints;

The cow milks herself,
The milk soon turns to cheese,

The butter comes without effort,
Become Saints, become Saints,

‘Tis a sin for you to doze,
Become Saints.

Give love to the things of the earth,
Venture forth, venture forth,

Some are extremely attractive,
Venture forth;

Joseph Smith is calling,
A very famous man was he,
There is strength in his name,

Although he had to die,
Venture forth.

You wealthy farmers,
Hasten to come, hasten to come,

Provide work for the splendid auctioneers,
Hasten to come;

Oh, sell your possessions,
Before the heavy judgments come,

And consume you with the plagues,
Hasten to come, hasten to come,

To gain refuge for your souls,
Hasten to come.

The man of Glantren is about to get under way,
A great prophet, a great prophet,

He is zeal from his feet to the crown of his head,
A great prophet;

He has sold his things,
Already for the journey,

May a fair wind call him to begin,
Great prophet, great prophet,

Until he reaches the land of the Saints,
Great prophet.

Near Bogeyman’s Hole
A Little Wren

Star of Gomer, January 1849, pp. 16–17

https://journals.library.wales/view/2267394/2399113/15#?xywh=1108%2C655%2C1846%2C1624

Sermon about the Saints

Mr. Gomer—A Sermon appears to have been delivered recently, in the Church of St. David, Carmarthen, by the Rev. D. Evans, Curate of that Church, in order to show the deceit of the men presume to call themselves “Latter-day Saints,” and to serve as a remedy for the mortal poison which they throw into the minds of the simpletons of this age, and great is the uproar and excitement it has caused amongst the Saints, who assert that it is not worth reading, and they think they can overturn the firm reasoning which Mr. Evans brought to bear to reveal their wicked deceit. Since this Sermon has been published by Mr. Wm. Spurrell, Printer, Carmarthen, at the wish of those who heard it being delivered, it is clear that it made a considerable impression on their minds at the time, and I do not doubt that its publication will have greater effect, because it will come into the hands of many now who did not have the opportunity to hear it being delivered; and the opposition it is receiving among the Saints themselves is sufficient proof of its excellence, and that they fear it will do the greatest harm to their cause. Anyway, if anyone is hesitating in two minds on this subject, I advise them to buy the Sermon, to read it carefully and mindfully, and then judge for themselves; and I do not doubt that they will find complete satisfaction in its contents, and that it will fully live up to the great praise it has already received from various orthodox intellectuals; and as for the scorn the Saints put on it, it is a proof of its value; and the greater the scorn, the greater can I estimate that value. Doubtless they will go to great trouble to disprove Mr. Evans’ arguments, and to hinder the effect this Sermon will have on the public; but that is as rather difficult task for their Bishops and their Apostles, and even their great Captain himself.

While I am on this subject, Mr. Gomer, I ask your permission to note one thing further. A certain man in Newport who had been dumb they say, happened to receive the gift of speech recently, and they assert that this was done by the Saints in a miraculous manner, and that is the proof they have that they can perform miracles; but one must have some certainty apart from such an uncertain incident as this before it can be believed that they had a hand in the work; and the general opinion is, as a number of the newspapers have testified, that all that happened to the man was nothing but the effect of the electricity of which the air was so full at the time. They are quite prepared to bring forward the Merlin as a witness to the truth of the thing: but it is clear that the editor of that newspaper is not foolish enough to believe that it was a miracle of theirs; because, later on, he gives us the entertaining account that follows:—

Religious Deceit. Three Mormon Prophets. A few days ago, three men called at a house in the neighborhood of the cattle market, Newport, and one of them asked for accommodation for the night. He got that, and the other two, having seen their companion in a comfortable place, left. At about ten o’clock, the lodger went to bed, but since he did not make his appearance the following morning at the usual time, the women of the house went up, and knocked gently on the door of his room; but since she got no answer, she supposed he was tired after his journey the previous day, and she left him to rest a little more. At about twelve o’clock she went up the second time, and having looked through the keyhole, she found to her great horror, the man lying stretched out on the bed, looking completely dead. Then she called her husband up, and when he had gone into the room, and looked at the man, he pronounced him a corpse! At this moment, they heard loud knocking at the door, and having opened it, who was there but the two men who had been there with their companion the night before. As soon as they saw the woman, they said to her, “You have a dead man in the house!” The woman answered that there was; and asked how they knew that? “Oh,” the two men said, “it has been revealed to us by an angel of heaven.” The husband, who was, it seems, a little more cunning than his wife, had been listening silently to this, and said, “Oh, so, certainly; I see through it all now!” Then he took hold of a good cudgel, and having run up to the corpse, he held it over him in such a way that the corpse leapt out of bed, put his clothes on with the greatest of haste, and then ran down the stairs. And having joined his brothers, the prophets, the three went away without delay, without saying to the man and woman of the house so much as, “Good morning to you.”

I shall trouble your readers again, with one example of the immoral life this tribe leads in America, where they bewitch the simpletons of this land to go, promising them immortal bliss. The following piece has been taken out of a book called Life in the Far West, and its truthfulness can be depended upon. It is as follows:

“Once more they departed, crossing the river Missouri to Clay county, where they settled, and they would have formed a successful settlement if not for their own dishonest actions. At this time there were no limits to their blasphemy and ungodliness. Joe Smith, and other prophets who had recently risen, declared that they were the chosen ones of the Lord; and their general belief was that on the Day of Judgment, he would take his place at the right hand of the throne, and that no one would be allowed to pass into the kingdom of heaven without his touch and seal. One of their main subjects is faith in ‘spiritual marriage.’ Not one woman would be allowed to go to heaven, without having first been ‘approved’ by one of the Saints! To qualify them for this, the woman had first to be received by one of the Mormons as an ‘earthly wife,’ so that they would not approve anyone without having full knowledge about them. The result of this can be more easily understood than described. The whole Mormon society went into the most scandalous immorality and lechery, and general prostitution flourished in their midst, although they were at the time about forty thousand people! Their disrespect for the laws of morality were such that they could not be tolerated in any civilized country or society.”

There is a description, Mr. Gomer, that is enough to damn the character of the Mormons forever; and I have not heard that they have made any attempt to disprove it. Indeed, so much was their arrogance there that one of them boasted in a public speech that he had forty wives, and that he was determined to take as many more as he could maintain! Women of Wales, see what awaits you, if you are bewitched by these deceivers.

I must finish presently by presenting to the attention of your readers the following Verses of the work of the “Small Druid.”

Yours faithfully,
A Hater of Deceit
Glyn Teifi

Star of Gomer, January 1849, p. 17

https://journals.library.wales/view/2267394/2399113/16#?xywh=-149%2C1493%2C2530%2C2806

Greeting to the Doctor of Madness

Good day to you today, excellent Doctor of Madness,
Where have you been living these days?
There are many worrying here now, down this way;
Give the people a tonic, they are almost going mad.

The disease is infectious, it consumes like cancer,
It is troubling poor multitudes of the people of Llanybydder;
Some Captain of a Herring Boat brought it here;
For the sake of the weak, put a stop to it.

It swells their throats so they will not swallow reason,
It affects weak headedness; it puts them down terribly;
No Priest or Pope can raise them;
Joe Smith, with his poison, has caused it.

Wil of Over the Hill cannot cure them,
He cursed them, the disease goes on;
John James, the Tinker, gave them two pills;
We must confess, his pills did not do the trick.

The signs of the Madness are believing the Book of Mormon,
Going with a false teacher, having a dunk in some river,
And speaking, like geese, quite a multitude of languages,
And performing false miracles to deceive the people.

Under the influence of the Madness is Will from the Valley of Pride
Making his faces, to the concern of many;
and Tom of Laziness Palace with his oil, anointing
The backsides of wenches, incapable of being ashamed.

Ann Push, Destitute Village, who pulled out her teeth,
Under the influence of madness. Oh! that is a strange thing!
Now her tongue is free to deliver.
In foreign languages, mountains of nonsense.

The ones most tending towards the Madness are children,
Perverse apostates, sin-laden women,
Those soft in the head, and senseless little people,
The refuse of humanity, and arch-adulterers.

Please, Doctor of Madness, give the people a tonic,
You will be paid for your trouble from the taxes of the poor.
You will be thanked by many, and you will get a song from me,
If you pull the Madness from the Saints’ cloaks.

If there must be some pit in which to sink them,
Before you can pull the madness from their heads,
The pit is ready near the Cave of the Boogeyman,
And you are welcome to sink them in there.

A Small Druid.

Star of Gomer, February 1849, pp. 42–46

https://journals.library.wales/view/2267394/2399146/10#?xywh=59%2C2141%2C1757%2C1949

Spiritual Gifts

(Continued from page 366, December STAR)

Now, we come next to the sixth of the spiritual gifts, namely, “And to another, prophecy.” There are many different opinions among the learned critics about the proper meaning of the word prophesy, in connection with the spiritual gifts, in the New Testament. Dr. Stuart, from America, after dealing with his subject with the skill one would expect of him, opines that the word prophesy is not confined to the single sense of foretell; but that it also signifies preach, warn, threaten, deliver a religious lesson, and to praise;—in a word, speak anything by divine inspiration, &c.; and he says that it was men endowed with a supernatural gift to greet the people, with the purpose of education or devotion, who were the prophets of the Christian Religion. Bishop Horsley’s opinion is that these prophets were interpreters of the Old Testament. Wemyss, in his book entitled “A Key to the Symbolical Language of Scripture,” considers that the original idea of the word prophet is speaker, or interpreter, or revealer of God’s mind to man, which is likely (he says) when comparing Ex. 7, 1 with Ex. 4:16. And he also refers to Virgil’s Aeneid, l.10, v. 175. Further, the translator of “Hug’s Introduction to the Writings of the new Testament,” says that the meaning of the word prophet in the Epistle to the Corinthians is researcher into the prophecies relating to the Messiah in the Old Testament, applying them to Jesus of Nazareth as such, in the religious conclusions. Hodge believes that these prophets were men who spoke under the direct influence of the Spirit of God, and delivered certain divine messages, in relation to doctrinal truths, to present duties, or to future circumstances, &c., as the case required. Noesselt and Rosenmuller considered, regarding the word prophecy, that its meaning was teaching in public the doctrines of the Gospel, explaining the Scriptures, and applying them for the benefit of their listeners. And the latter considers, as well as Kranse, from 1 Cor. 14:6, that prophesying, HERE, does not include a foretelling of future things, nor explaining the difficulties of the Old Testament scriptures, nor speaking under the influence of the Holy Ghost. But Bloomfield greatly broadens its meaning, and surpasses the last ones mentioned by saying that he can see no sufficient reason to prove that the Apostle was not keeping in mind the usual meaning of the word, that is, foretelling future things.

So, it can be seen that there is a great difference between some of those, with regard to the meaning of the word in question. But what does Capt. Jones say about this again? Here are his words:—“The Spirit of God is the spirit of revelation, and this gift is revealing future things to the children of God.”—Scriptural Treasury, page 265. We see again that foretelling is his meaning for the word prophesying. But what is the meaning of the word prophesy in reality? One must admit that it is difficult to decide; but we say that it is possible. Gesenius in his Hebrew and English Lexicon sets down as the first meaning of the word prophet,—“One called by God to make known his will to men.” And in support of that opinion are references to Judg. 6:8–10, and to 2 Sam. 7:2, from where it can be seen that the word has the above meaning. But in Ex. 7,1, it is even clearer, namely, “And Aaron your brother will be your prophet,” or “your interpreter,” according to Gesenius’s translation. Dr. Stuart also says that the significance of the word prophet generally among the Greeks was interpreter of the will of the gods,—interpreter of those who were the priests of the gods, &c. He also says that the substance of the definition is the idea of interpreter, one who explains, or elucidates, what was previously obscure, incomprehensible, or unknown. Sometimes also (but quite uncommonly) the word prophet means one who predicts or foretells, &c.; and then, says the Dr., it is synonymous with the Greek word mantis, (sorcerer). But he also says that the word prophet differs from the word mantis in as much as the latter means a person who is under divine influence to such an extent as to be devoid of his awareness and his reason, and to express only what he is compelled to by the divine inspiration. The prophet’s job (says the Dr. again) was to interpret what seemed to be incomprehensible to the mantis. Hodge says as follows, about the meaning of the word prophet: “The original and correct meaning of the Hebrew word which is translated prophet in the Old Testament, is interpreter, one who explains or expresses another’s will; and the Greek word also agrees with this idea. It matters little whether the prophets were called upon to pronounce on God’s will or intention with reference to present duties or future events. They were given their Hebrew name, not by foretelling future events, which was only a small part of their duty, but because they were God’s interpreters,—men who spoke in his name.”

We think, by now, that we are resolved about its meaning, which is, to speak anything under inspiration, or interpret any inspired or uninspired thing. The fact that the word prophet is employed so often throughout the Old Testament for a predictor of future events, does not prove that this is its meaning.

Next, we shall endeavor to look into the job of the Christian prophet, and the necessity for them that existed in the early church.

God placed his prophetic gift in his church with the purpose of explaining the scriptures; and we think that it was through the expression of knowledge which was mentioned earlier that they did it. Through this gift God’s Spirit influenced the mind of the recipient, so as to enable him to reach a correct understanding of the prophecies of Moses and the prophets with regard to the Messiah. It is not unreasonable to think that those who possessed this gift delivered exhortations, teachings. Psalms, prayers, &c., through inspiration; and perhaps on occasion foretold future events. Miracles visible to the eyes of the early Christians were evidence to their senses of the divinity of Christ and his teaching; while applying the prophecies about the Messiah to Jesus of Nazareth,—and all of them fitting perfectly into place,—was evidence of the reasonableness of the truth of the religion they professed. Christianity’s main enemy was Judaism. The thousands of years of growth of Judaism made it a strong wood. Because of the prejudice of the Jewish people against Christ, and their elders’ misunderstanding of the prophecies in the scriptures about the Messiah, he was rejected by them without exception. Therefore, is it not reasonable to think that the supporters of Judaism directed their polemic arrows at every disciple they saw who had been converted to Christianity? Do we not also find, after the Jews opposed Christ in every manner, called him a trickster, a heretic, and said that it was through Beelzebub that he cast out devils, and performed miracles; yes, have we not noticed that they failed to oppose him in the field of the prophetic Scripture? The Jewish people were blinded in their minds, and dark moral veils were drawn over their psychic vision, so that the light of the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ did not shine on them. And if the “people” did not understand the writings and prophecies of their own prophets, how can we expect the dark pagans who believed in the prophet from Nazareth to understand them? Everyone will admit, I believe, that there is a great need to understand the scriptures before making good use of them. That is how it was in the early Christian churches. To make up for the defect referred to, the Holy Ghost saw fit to endow a certain number in the Churches, to explain the prophecies of the Old Testament, and fit them to their proper places in the dispensation of the enlightened system of the New. Are not the epistles proof of this truth? Does not Paul, when persecuting the Christian church, because of their acknowledging Christ, and their acceptance of the gentiles, prove that he is completely alien to the meaning of the prophecies of the Old Testament? And does he not then (after being convinced of the truth of the religion he persecuted) in his epistles to the Romans, Hebrews, &c., when dealing with the main topics of Christianity, and applying the main prophecies of the Old Testament to Jesus Christ, the acceptance of the Gentiles, rejection of the Jews, &c., which were completely incomprehensible to him in his unregenerate state,—does not Paul, we say, prove himself a prophet?—which is to say an interpreter of the scriptures and the prophecies of the old prophets. I would think this prophetic gift was something like that.

Perhaps someone will ask now, Why could the Christians of the early churches not arrive at their knowledge of the prophecies of the Old Testament from the epistles and gospels of the New, as we do now?—or, How did they not understand the predictions of the Old, as we do now? To the first question I would answer that the New Testament was not written for many years after that in the form it is now, namely collected together. And to the second, perhaps and indeed very likely, that we would not be able to see such clarity in the prophecies of the Old Testament unless we were in possession of the New. There is no thanks to the scholar who works out his sum after seeing how it is worked out in the Key; but the master of his trade is the one who works it out without seeing the Key,—only the Tutor. So is it for us with prophecies. We see the Key (which is the New Testament) and then we could easily ask, Why did the Jews not understand prophecies so clearly which are throughout the body of the Old Testament about the Messiah? We are starting from the fulfillment of the prophecy, tracing it back to the prediction, rather than starting with the prediction, following it forward until we reach a fulfillment. The apsotles say that one circumstance or another is a fulfillment of some prophecy; and what thanks then if we repeat it after them? There has been a great deal of interpretation and explanation of the book of Revelation; but where is the author who can certify the accuracy of his application of the prophecy? It is true that, in some authors, there are many circumstances which encourage us to believe in the likelihood that they are the fulfillment of a prophecy; but it is equally true that we encounter in another author opposing facts just as likely to be the truth as the first. Therfore, how would we know when their predictions are, or will be, fulfilled? We see now that we could not have understood the prophecies of the Old Testament at that time, any more than the contemporaries of Christ and his apostles, had we been in their place; and that it is essential, for correct and certain explanation of prophecies, for the explainer to be under the influence of something higher than human creeds.

But with regard to this prophetic gift, I think it is pretty clear now that these prophets were interpreters. But if one persists with what Capt. Jones says, that prophesying is foretelling, we reply that Christ is called a Prophet by the woman from Samaria (John 4, 19) because he has spoken of things that have been, and expressed present things to her. And again he is called a Prophet for raising the widow’s son from the dead, (Luke 7, 16). That blind man also calls Jesus a Prophet because he has healed his eyes, (John 9, 17). In Matt. 26, 28, the Jews ask Christ to prophesy who hit him. In those examples, it is clear that the meaning of the word prophet is not predictor. Read also Eph. 3:5,—“Which [that is the mystery of the calling of the gentiles to the church] was not made known to the sons of men in other ages as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets, through the Spirit.” This was foretold “in other ages”; but it is now that the mystery has been explained to his “holy apostles and his prophets.” Is not the meaning of the word prophet there, one receiving an explanation of an Old Testament prophecy in relation to the receiving of the gentiles into the church? Peter says (2 Pet. 1:20,21) that it was not through man’s will that prophecy came in the past; but “God’s holy men spoke as they were excited by the Holy Ghost;” and he says also, “ that there is no prophecy in the scriptures which has a proper interpretation;” or as Dr J.P. Smith paraphrases it,—“that there is no prophecy in the scriptures which is self-explanatory.” The Dr also says that even the prophets themselves, after receiving their prophecies from God, were unable to interpret their own prophecies. Remember that foretelling is the meaning of that word prophesying in Peter, and that it is to predictions about the Messiah that he refers. Now, if the prophets did not understand their own predictions; and if the prophecies of scripture had no specific interpretation; and since it was to the Messiah, and to the establishment of the Christian dispensation, that the prophecies of old mainly referred; and that that dispensation, and the Messiah, had come into force; was it not required that some people explain the mysteries that remained incomprehensible to the world? And since the word prophet is able to mean explainer, interpreter, as well as predictor; and since the one given the name of prophet in the Old Testament is completely estranged from the meaning of his prophecy, which, since it was incomprehensible to its teller, could not be comprehensible to its listeners; while the prophet that Paul talks about spoke to men for edification, and advice, and comfort; and in order to teach the church (and if the Christian prophet did not understand his own sermon, how could it be edifying for the church?)—as the facts are as they are, we ask, Why is it not wholly unreasonable to judge that the word prophesying is the same in its association with the two types?—and why is it not reasonable to judge that they are completely different from each other?

Capt. Jones says in the Scrip. Treas., page 265, that he is “amazed at the interpretations given by the sages of our age of this gift as with almost every other one, through which they prove that natural man cannot understand the things that are of God’s Spirit.” To tell the truth, we in turn are no less amazed at his interpretation of this gift, as of every other one he commented on. He gives us to understand that the sages of our age mean that prophesying is preaching; and he says it is not, “otherwise Paul and Philip would be at loggerheads with each other,” he says, “for the gift commands women to prophesy, and they forbid women to preach.” But hold on. Where does Philip forbid women to preach? And where does Paul command women to prophesy? It is true that Philip had four virgin daughters who prophesied; but why can we not think (since the word prophet is able to mean interpreter) that the word prophetess means here, as it does in the case of Miriam, one who composes and sings psalms through inspiration? See also 1 Sam. 10:5,6; Exod. 15:20; 1 Chron. 25:1. Again, Mr. Jones gives us to understand that Paul is inconsistent with himself, since he listens to Philip’s daughters prophesying, after saying, “Let your women be silent in the churches,” if preaching and prophesying were the same thing, and then says, “Who is setting divine truths to oppose each other, and causing atheists to mock Christianity?” We answer that it is the self-wise who want to defend their inconsistent systems at the expense of the truth, and at the cost of the most precious heavenly gifts. Here, we say to Capt. J. that he had prepared a gallows to hang those who did not agree with him; and when he thought the rope could be around their necks, there he was pulling, shouting, “Who sets divine truths to oppose each other, &c.;” but then we see that it is he himself who has his neck in the noose, because it is he who sets divine truths to oppose each other, by saying that Paul commands women to prophesy, and elsewhere that Paul says, “Let your women be silent in the churches;” for whatever the prophesying of the church of Corinth was, we are certain of this, that it involved speaking, and since Paul commanded them not to speak, he commanded them not to prophesy.

Again, Capt. Jones says the human wisdom of our age says in one voice, “Do not presume to prophesy;” while he intimates that the same human wisdom believes that “prophesying is preaching;” and he himself says that every child who chooses, more or less, claims to be able to preach,” [that is prophesy]. Now, what consistency is there in such senseless statements as those? Saying that human wisdom makes almost every child who chooses preach; and that the same wisdom makes them not preach [prophesy], saying, “That is not needed now!” Is it not he who is setting things to oppose each other?

But to look at one verse before finishing with this gift, namely Rom. 12:6,—“And since we have various gifts according to the grace given to us, if prophecy, let us prophesy consistently with the faith.” It does not matter to our aim whether the verse is explained as according to his measure of faith, or consistent with the principles of the faith, although, at the same time I would choose the latter. Note, if prophesying, that is foretelling, as Peter talks about it, is the prophecy here, why does Paul urge them to do it according the consistency of the faith? The prophets that Peter talks about would “speak as they were moved by the Holy Ghost”; and if the same thing is meant in both places, what can we say except that Paul is setting himself in authority over the Holy Ghost, and after the Spirit has put words in the man’s mouth, Paul shouts, “Beware being inconsistent with the faith!” We can see, then, that that will not work. But it seems more than likely, from the course of the New Testament, that when the heavenly gifts were mentioned, every man had a right to his gift at all times, while he remained obedient to the rules of the religion. And why could that not be quite reasonable for the Holy Ghost to do in relation to the Christians, as Christ was sending his twelve disciples (Matt. 10) out, giving them authority against every disease and sickness? The twelve disciples had the authority at all times and everywhere; and that is how those who received spiritual gifts from the Holy Ghost were. It is only on those grounds that one can justify Paul’s behavior in giving the encouragement he did in several places other than that verse in relation to these spiritual gifts. As we said before, the prophet was able to come to a conclusion about the scriptures of the Old Testament, and then he expressed that to the church. Yet he was to take care not to mix his prophetic gift with his own fallible thoughts, by so doing he would be liable to interpret the scriptures inconsistently with the basic doctrines of the system of faith. Let the world judge if the Mormons have the gift of explaining the scriptures “according to the consistency of the faith”! But let this suffice on the gift of prophecy.

The seventh gift on the list is,—“And to another, discernment of spirits.” Christ foretold (Matt. 24) that, after his departure, and before the destruction of the compulsory dispensation of religion, and the holy city, and the temple, there would arise false teachers, and false prophets, and false Christs, performing “great signs and wonders, until they lead astray, if it were possible, even the elect.” He also says,—“Then if anyone says to you, Look, here is the Christ, or there he is, do not believe it.—So if they say to you, Look, he is in the wilderness, do not go out; look, in the rooms, do not believe it.” And the apostles also urge the churches to beware of these false teachers, those who would come around dressed on the outside in sheep’s fleeces, but inside, “they are ravenous wolves.” According to those predictions, church history bears witness to the rise of many of these fraudsters, beguiling many. They began to appear soon after Christ’s ascension; and as the oppression of the Jews increased before the destruction of their temple, the false Christs proliferated greatly. The historian Josephus declares that many of them claimed supernatural revelation, thereby deceiving the people, leading them in droves to the wilderness. And as the Jews, as a nation, at this time, were expecting their Messiah as a temporal king, to liberate them from the yoke of the Roman government, the false Christs persuaded people that, if they followed them, God would show them signs of freedom, meaning the salvation the nation was expecting. One Egyptian false prophet led thirty thousand into the wilderness and thence to the Mount of Olives. He claimed to be a prophet. He intended to take possession of the city of Jerusalem by force; and after overcoming the Roman garrison, he intended to take the government of the people into his own hands. But his aim was frustrated by the Roman governor taking the soldiers out to meet him and his followers; and the false prophet escaped, together with a few of his followers, but the rest were killed and enslaved by the Romans. It is said that this deceiver is the Egyptian referred to in the situation with Paul, in Acts 21:38. One Dositheus, a Samaritan, stated categorically that he was the Christ foretold by Moses. Simon Magus said he appeared among the Jews as the Son of God. And Thadeus, another cheat, claimed he was a prophet, and persuaded hosts of people to come and follow him to the river Jordan, saying he had divine authority for it, and that the waters would be parted at his word, and that they would have safe passage to the other side.

The purpose of the gift of discernment of spirits, then, was to recognize the difference between the true prophet and the false prophet—between the servant of God and Satan’s emissary. The state of the Jewish nation at that time was a clear indication of the likelihood of false teachers arising. Because their expectations were as they were in relation to their temporal Messiah, there was a remarkable opportunity for the devil to raise deceivers to beguile them; and that is what he did. Insofar as those who had turned from Judaism to Christianity did not have the New Testament at that time, it was essential that Christ set something as a standard in his church, to test the teachers who would come around. We believe that that was the gift of discernment of spirits. Without doubt, the spirit of the man who possessed this gift was able to recognize with certainty the correctness or incorrectness of the doctrines or the spirits of the teachers who came by the churches.

Capt. Jones has extensive comments on this gift. He says that its purpose was to “keep the Saints from being led around by every heretical spirit.” Then he goes on to show that this gift should be in the church now as well as before, in order to test the spirits that have filled the world these days. True enough that there are many false doctrines in the world at present, but can we not test them by the “word and the testimony”? Perhaps he wants not to take the Divine Rule to test the doctrines of his Mormon religion because that rule is counter to his religion. But it is that one which we take; and faced with it his religion turns to “dung and loss” for him. Then he shows the inability of the various denominations to test the various spirits by their “human credos.” “Angels would hide their heads from such a court of law (he says), and Satan would be ashamed of such a court, and would say as before, ‘Paul I know, and Jesus I know, but who are you?’” But who is going to test the spirits according to human credos? Is it not by the “word and the testimony” that everyone who professes Christianity claims to test the various spirits at large in the world, such as the Saints and their like? It is the Saints who want to “test eternal beings, good or bad, by what was conceived in folly, and was delivered in madness.” It is by the Bible that we want to test them, and it is the Saints who want to test them by their credos and revelations (?). Above the law courts the Mormons have arranging their tithe, their emigration to California, &c., Satan is “ashamed”, (rejoicing Capt. J. should say, for who read in the Bible of Satan being ashamed when finding men’s sins?) Above their work of casting out devils, and trying to heal the sick, Satan says, “Paul I know, Christ I know, but who are you?”

Most of Capt. J.’s essay is taken up in showing that it is not the same spirit in the various denominations leading them to such different credos and feelings. But according to that, the Spirit of God was not in those in the church in Rome who ate meat, if it was in those who did not eat it; or it was not in those that did not eat it, if it was in the others. And according to this reasoning, the Spirit of God could not be in the man who was mindful of a day for the Lord, if it was in the man who was not mindful of it; or, it was not in the latter if it was in the former. But since Capt. Jones believes that the Spirit of God leads his children in all things; and if anything in one is contrary to the other, he believes that proves that the two did not have the Spirit of God;—we shall endeavor to prove that the Spirit the Mormons possess is hardly any better than, or even as good as, the Spirit the denominations possess. Not only does the spirit they possess lead them counter to God’s word, but it leads them to contradict one another, with each one wanting to claim to be sure about his subject, and to have received it though revelation, no doubt. But remember, the Bible says that Satan “disguises himself in the guise of the angel of light;” and who can tell if it is not he who is causing all the excitement throughout the Mormon camp?

“Among the Methodists, Wesleyans, and other sects, who profess Christianity, even in enlightened Wales, as it is called, especially at the times they called a revival, something affected them so that they shouted, danced, fainted, and made all sorts of gestures and voices, until they sometimes appeared as if they were dead,” says our author. And he adds that the only information obtained from them when they recovered was to shout, “Glory, Hallelujah.” “The poor Methodist shouts under the influence of his Spirit, more loudly and just as conscientiously as did the prophets of Baal on mount Carmel; while the spirit of the Quaker leads him another time to the silence of the grave,” he says again. We would think that the spirit the Methodists, Wesleyans, &c. had in their religious revivals in Wales led to better things than the spirit which leads to the Smithian fanaticism they profess. Which is better, seeing a man “shouting, Glory, Hallelujah,” after claiming communion with the Spirit of God; or seeing him breaking God’s clear commandments voluntarily? Yes, intending to break them when pretending to be under the influence of the Spirit of God! Which is more like Jesus Christ, the man who “shouts, Glory, Hallelujah,” at the time of the revival, behaving in keeping with his profession of faith; or the man who was preaching the “eternal gospel” of the Saints in Llanddewi Aberarth, taking a book he had stolen from there with him? If he had taken by mistake, why would he have denied it to the owner? And if he was honest, why did he pay a penny to some unknown woman to take the book back, after denying it more than once? Was it the Spirit of God, pray, that could enable him to preach, and give his testimony for his religion, when the stolen book was in his pocket!! The Mormons talk so much about their Spirit, that it leads to all goodness, &c.; why would it not lead Capt. Jones to avoid contradicting himself so often in his writings? Mr. J. preaches, “And these signs will follow those who believe; in my name shall they cast out devils, &c.;” and claims that that ability is in the Mormon church at present; while he says in one place in his writings that his Bible teaches him that the devils are bound in chains until the great day of judgment! Therefore, if they are bound in chains, what need is there for Capt. Jones to cast them out of men? What reason is there to talk of casting something out of a man, when it is not in him, Mr. J.? But the “Saints” generally say when they have slipped into saying more than they can prove, and someone else picks up on their words, and questions them about it, “that the physical man cannot understand the things that are of the Spirit of God;” similarly Capt. Jones, when he was asked what consistency there was in his statements about the devils, would ask, Had he not noted “what sort of devils” were the ones that were bound! But we had better leave all the devils together to some men who can sort them, like the Saints. What Spirit, pray, revealed to Capt. Jones that the apostles are the head of the church; when the Bible says in numerous places that Christ in the Head of the church? And while I have heard some of the “Saints” also saying that Christ is? What Spirit caused one J. D. to write in the “Prophet of the Jubilee” of December, 1847, that he cannot come to definite conclusion as to whether Christ and his apostles performed public miracles and to say, “We can also gather that Christ’s miracles were not very public, otherwise learned men like the scribes and the Pharisees would not have been unaware of them?” Were the scribes and the Pharisees unaware of them? No, they were not; for the New Testament says that nothing was done in secret; and we are sure, since the miracles were public, that the scribes and the Pharisees, above all, were not unaware of them. And what Spirit caused him to quote John 7:4,—(“For no one wishes to do anything in secret, if he seeks to be known publicly,” that is the words of Christ’s brothers to him), to prove that Christ did not perform public acts; and to keep a tight veil over his eyes to avoid seeing Christ’s answer to them in the sixth verse, namely, “My time has not yet come”? The Spirit of God leads into the light; but we see that that Spirit led “J.D.” into the darkness. What Spirit led one of the Saints’ preachers to call one of the Saints’ sisters a “villain”, when he was told in a stranger’s house that she said no signs were performed in the service the previous Sunday? And what Spirit was in the man who was preaching in Llandeilo recently, who said he could speak in tongues, and had received divine permission to preach, and that the Spirit of God was assisting him, when, as soon as the police came up to him to ask for his license, failed to go on any further because, he said, he had been disturbed! Where was the divine assistance now? Is that how Paul and all the apostles behaved when they went in front of the courts in the old days? If the same Spirit was helping him as helped Paul &c., why did it not help him when it was most needed? And what Spirit leads Capt. Jones to say that the Spirit of God leads the Quaker to the silence of the grave? I always thought that the Quaker was awaiting the stirring of the Spirit to help him to speak, not to lead him to the silence of the grave. But at the end of these, I would almost say that the spirit of the Hallelujah, Glory, was a better Spirit than the Spirit which works in the Mormons to be as seen previously.

Commentator from the North

(To be finished in the next.)

>> At the end of the Essay on the “Spiritual Gifts” in the December STAR, for “four cured” read “four alive.”

Star of Gomer, February 1849, p. 62

https://journals.library.wales/view/2267394/2399146/29

The Mormons of Pontypridd

Mr. Gomer,

There has been and continues to be much uproar in this area concerning the Mormons. Some, alas, have been so stupid as to join them, and it is amazing that their wiles are so cunning, and their assertions so bare-faced, in order to procure fickle souls. However arrogant and absurd was their evidence for their miracles a short time ago, they are much more so now because of the marvelous miracle performed by them (they say) on one Dai the Blockhead, miner, Pontypridd. Recently, Dai, poor thing, met with a severe misfortune in the coal mine, by a collapse falling on his back; he had to be taken out in a tram, to the place called Tumble, and from there, one of his fellow workers took him on his back to his home. Of course, a number of the brothers gathered around him soon, prohibiting the sending of any doctor to him. They rubbed Dai’s back well for a little while, while the rest of the brothers prayed; then they asked him whether his back was feeling better. He answered, “Yes, very much; but please, be gentle, brothers.” Having gone through the process, Dai said he could go to work the following day; but he did not go till the second day, having recovered completely!! I leave the above account to the attention and judgment of your numerous readers; but I can say without hesitation, that I have not seen, as far as I can say, without hesitation, that I have not seen, as far as impudence and shamefulness go, anyone equal to the Mormons of Pontypridd. I know an old woman who is a Mormoness; she was persuaded, poor thing, to believe she might enjoy the season of her youth again by being turned back to twenty-two years old; and more than that, that she could enjoy the company of her three children, as well, who had been dead for years!!! I heard much mention of the devil of Nantyglo; but I think that a brother of his is in the person of someone in Pontypridd, who joined the Mormons recently. His Mormon brothers judge that there is a devil in him, and they have been trying to cast it out many times, but so far failing; but they are confident that they will cast it out of him before the next “April Fool’s” day.

Servants of hell, to California—may they go,
Or to anywhere else from here;
So that at the beginning of summer not one will be had
To be seen throughout all of Wales.

Little Morris

Star of Gomer, February 1849, p. 62

https://journals.library.wales/view/2267394/2399146/29

The Mormons of Neath

On Sunday, the 14th of last month, one of the amazing tribe who call themselves “Latter-day Saints” called in a worker’s house in Neath, and asked for permission to preach there that day. This was allowed, and, the evening meeting having finished, and the few that had been listening to them having gone away, the innocent worker brought supper to the speaker, and offered lodging overnight to him, which he gratefully accepted. However, it turned out that the devil had not been cast out of the Saint, because he arose the following morning, and left unbeknown to anyone in the house, taking with him enough of the worker’s sustenance to keep him for a week! This much, says the reporter, on the opinion of the Latter-day Saints regarding honesty.

Star of Gomer, April 1849, p. 116

https://journals.library.wales/view/2267394/2399212/19#?xywh=-1456%2C-712%2C5460%2C4178

Beware of False Teachers

O, Zion, awake to your work,
And leave your drowsiness now;
Your adversary openly
Wants to put you down.
His servants, he sends them out,
To bewitch those who are weak;
But he can only get, however great his lust,
The chaff on his side.
God’s wheat is too pure
To be cast into the land of briers;
And the pearls of the cross are too highly honored
To be trodden down by these.
They would deceive the true chosen
Children of Heaven, were there a way;
But those ones shout with a louder cry
“Heaven delights us.”
When they fail in their deception
In rash enchantment and sickness,
They welcome the refuse of the world,
And call them all “Saints.”
They make apostles of these,
Asserting to the extreme
That they alone
Have the great commission of Heaven.
And that they would be received by the angel of God
In some secret place;
And that they alone have the responsibility
Of inhabiting the world to come.
They say that since the days
Of the Apostles before there was no work done
By God in the wide world,
But now is the time it came.
O, weak Zion, raise your head,
Their insults won’t last long:
Soon the children of the devil will be thrown
Without fail over the wall.
Then the family of the holy city will
Live this side of the veil,
Without any false prophets in their midst
Nor false worshippers of God.
There will be no one in the great host
Who will dare raise his head,
Saying,” I am more saintly than you,
For that, keep away.”
No, a pure host will be there, utterly,
Without anger or captive spirit;
In full union, with no one poor,
Praising Him who made them.
“Oh, World-Creator, what is the matter now?
Is a judgment to come soon?
What are the false prophets?
Are the chains of Satan free?
Oh, strange is your patience, Lord,
Suffering insult.
Through scorn of your pure gospel,
From the family of darkness land.
But very soon the day will come
When they will be made to ask
“Who on your behalf tried this?
Depart from me to the devouring lake.”
Farewell to the false prophets for now,
Farewell to deception for longer;
Farewell to corrupting the Lamb’s family,
Weeping in eternal pain.

James
Glan Camlas

Star of Gomer, April 1849, p. 120

https://journals.library.wales/view/2267394/2399212/23#?xywh=46%2C1168%2C2574%2C2854

Mormonism

On Wednesday night, the 14th of last March, in the Baptist Chapel, Aberafon, a lecture was delivered by the Rev. J. R. Morgan, (“Lleurwg”) on the Origin, Progress, together with the deceitful Trickery, of the hypocritical faction known as the Latter-day Saints. The Rev. R. Morgan, M. A., Periglor [one who receives confession], was chosen as chairman, and he opened the meeting in a very tidy and fitting speech; then he called upon Mr. Morgan to deliver his lecture, which he did very stoutly and splendidly. It had been intended to hold the meeting in the Town Hall, but since so many people had come together from every part of the country, so that the Hall could only accommodate half of them, it was decided to go to the Baptist Chapel, which was filled in a few minutes; it is thought that about 1,500 were present, and in their midst, several Saints and Mormon Doctors. It was proposed and seconded “that the meeting’s thanks be given to the Chairman for his noble manner of presiding,” and also “to the Lecturer, for his skillful and excellent manner of delivering to our ears the history of the latter-day false religious deceivers,” with which the whole audience (except the Saints) agreed by a show of hands. I think that this Lecture will be a death blow to the Saints in the Aberavon area. May it so be, says

A Lover of the Truth.

Aberavon

We would be grateful to our friend Lleurwg, if we might publish this Lecture, for the benefit of the Saints in other parts.

Seren Gomer, May 1849, p. 149

https://journals.library.wales/view/2267394/2399245/20#?xywh=950%2C-326%2C2304%2C2311

To the Rev. O. Williams, Trefforest

Reverend Sir—Since I have known about you for many years and consider you as one who loves to give a knowledge of the truth to all of your fellow nation, I boldly take the opportunity of sending you a few questions by means of the Star.

The other day word came to this neighborhood that a man in the Trefforest area was tormented to death by the people who call themselves Latter-day Saints by giving him, and causing him to take some kind of oil, until he died; and in order to give warning to others about such a death, together with some satisfaction to me and others who have heard about the aforementioned event, I set before you the following questions, hoping that you will answer them through the Star:

Is it true that a man, who belonged to the Saints, was buried in that neighborhood lately?
Is it true that there is a story circulating in that area that he died because he was forced to take too much oil until he suffocated?
Are there proofs available that on the evening that he died the Saints carried him about three times to the stream?
If so, why was there not a Coroner’s inquest carried out on the body in order to give satisfaction to the public with respect to his death? It is my understanding that such an inquest is required if the things being said are true; and there is great wonder here that the inhabitants of the Pontypridd area have permitted such a thing to happen with so little scrutiny. Answers to the above will give satisfaction to many, besides

Yours with true respect,
Small Iota

Star of Gomer, May 1849, pp. 153–54

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The Superstition of the Saints

We ask the indulgence of our readers for setting out the following account in our Religious Accounts, since it is one of the most ungodly we have ever read:

“Last Saturday, (says the Cheltenham Journal), a Coroner’s inquest was held in Cheltenham General Hospital, on the body of a new born baby. It appeared that the baby was a lone child of one Sarah Holder, who was a seamstress, and a member of those deceivers who call themselves “Latter-day Saints.” This woman is only twenty years old, and she was bewitched to join the “Saints” by a man called Baylis, who was 47 years old, with a wife and three children. A little while after Sarah Holder had been received as a “Saint” Baylis bewitched her, and she soon agreed to go to his house to live with him. The result was that she gave birth to a child on the 15th of last March. And no one was looking after her except for Baylis, her bewitcher. The child was stillborn, and its parents wrapped it up in a clean cloth and placed it in a box, which they kept in the house in the belief, as the mother said, that it would be restored to life by the miraculous medium of Providence. However, this remarkable story came to the ears of the police, who went to the house where they saw Sarah Holder, who admitted that she was sick; and having been questioned in more detail, she said that she had given birth to a child, and that she had no doctor or midwife with her, but that she had been brought through the birth,” by the power of the Omnipotent, and the laying on of the hands of the Elders!” When she was asked about the child, she said that she had not given birth to one and that the Latter-day Saints wanted nothing to do with anyone, except with their brothers and sisters in Jesus! The following day, the policemen went to the house a second time, when they saw Baylis, who asked them what they were seeking. They said that they had reason to believe that Sarah Holder had given birth to a child and that she had hidden it somewhere. Baylis asked, “On what authority do you come here?” They asked, “We come here in the name of the Queen.” Baylis said, “Then I stand here in the name of God of Heaven, and as an Elder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.” He also said that no one had the right to interfere with his religion, and he testified that he had brought Sarah Holder through the birth “by the power of the Omnipotent God of Heaven, and the laying on of hands!” Then “Brother Baylis” and “Sister Sarah” were taken to Court before the Magistrates, when the scoundrel admitted that he was the father of the child, and he said that he had been ordained by God to conceive it! The Brother and Sister recited a great number of scriptural phrases, and it was clear that they thought they had performed a highly praiseworthy deed! Baylis testified that the woman was a member the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and that he believed she had been ordained to be of assistance to him in spiritual and temporal matters, “yes, even in the Church which was created for the sake of the high God!” Both he and the woman said that the child had lived sometime after its birth.

When the child was shown in the Court, Baylis recognized it instantly, and he insisted on taking it into his possession; but the coroner would not allow that, and the child was taken from him by force. Then the scoundrel raised up his hands, and asked for God’s protection in the “martyrdom” he was suffering. The doctor who was questioned testified that the child had been stillborn, and that it never breathed. And that was the verdict the jury delivered. We have not heard what came out of Brother Baylis and Sister Sarah afterwards; but perhaps we shall soon find out in The Star of the Saints if the Editor is not ashamed to claim knowledge of them.

Seren Gomer, July 1849, p. 214

https://journals.library.wales/view/2267394/2399311/21#?xywh=-99%2C1006%2C1333%2C1337

Answer to the Questions of Iota Bach, the Star for May

Since you, Iota, have directed your questions to me, I consider it my duty to give my attention to them; but since the topic you have under scrutiny is related to those men who call themselves “Latter-day Saints,” remember that it is very difficult to give a complete disclosure of that which is done by them, since there is no one of any prominence that has anything to do with their deeds, only obscurity and secrecy. You must understand, Iota, that there is great secrecy in their deeds, and in the results of those deeds; for, if they raise someone from the dead, there is secrecy in the deed and in its result; if they give sight to a blind man, they do so in secrecy, and the result is entirely the same, for no one has ever had a glimpse at the eyes given him; if they cause the mute to speak, they do so in secrecy, and such will be the result, for no one hears him say a word; if they heal a lame man, they do so in secrecy, and the result is the same, for no one has ever seen him taking as much as a single step; if they cast out devils, they do that in secret, and the result is completely the same.

But it is true that there has been a little exposure relating to the circumstances of the unfortunate man to whom you refer in the Star; it is true that he has died; and he was buried on the day of the Lord. How much oil was given him, and to what extent that had an effect on his life, I cannot say; but it would give satisfaction to my mind, and many others besides me, were that which was said in these circumstances were to be revealed.

Trefforest son,
O. Williams

Star of Gomer, August 1849, p. 248

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A Religious Success

Mr. Gomer,

It is well known (alas) to all readers of the Star that Cholera is making its way with incomprehensible effects in different parts of Gwent and Glamorgan. This has caused great excitement in connection with different causes, and not least, and the most ignored, is the strange excitement in the camp of Zion.

I am sure that the Lord has a say in the unheedful world through his various punishments of its inhabitants. And it appears to me that many are listening to his effectual voice in the Cholera. Not only are the Chapels in the works being filled, but they are saying by the score, “We shall go with you,” etc. And when I was conversing with the venerable O. Williams, Libanus, Trefforest, about the above matters, he said with his usual wit, “Yes, there isn’t so much talk of progress among the “Saints” in a situation like this. When the world was lighthearted and carefree, they got their share like others, but when the cause of the soul becomes serious over and above the mind, there is not so much to attract people to them,” etc. The above comment of the respectable minister Mr. Williams is completely true, and so it is easy enough to conclude that Tomfoolery and Mormonism are completely synonymous things. Also, Mr. Gomer, it is only everyone’s refuse and rubbish that are aborted by other denominations who join the family of Joe Smith, while it is the other denominations that win men of blameless character. Let not one of them say that they get anyone except those who could be spared with the greatest cheerfulness. Yours, etc.

T. ab Ieuan

Star of Gomer, August 1849, pp. 249–50

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The Cholera Morbus

We mentioned, in our last Number, that the destructive sickness called ‘Deadly Bile’, is thriving greatly in several towns in England, and that it has also lately broken out in many of the towns in the Principality; and we are sad to have to report now that it has spread to a great extent everywhere, and has gone to many places where it had not appeared before, and causing frightful devastation to men’s lives, who are driven to the eternal world exceedingly unexpectedly, and many unprepared to meet their Judge. We have during the preceding months received very pitiful stories from many places, especially from Aberafon, Taibach, Merthyr Tydfil, Dowlais, &c., in which places the sickness has wrought the greatest devastation. Every attempt is made to halt it in its deadly course, in addition to preventing it from breaking out. But it is all ineffective, even though cleanliness and moderation have done much to lessen its ravages; and we believe, if we were to consider these matters carefully, it would do no great damage anywhere. According to the accounts we have heard concerning it, it always breaks out initially in the dirtiest places, and attacks the most dissolute of men; but when it has gained ground, and developed to its greatest fierceness, it attacks everybody indiscriminately, and kills the rich as well as the poor,—the moderate and the circumspect as well as the good-for-nothing,—the pure as well as the impure, as appears from numerous examples in every place

A letter from Aberafon, which appeared recently in the newspapers, offers us the wretched tale that follows:—“ By referring to comparative figures, it can be seen that this destructive sickness has lessened not a jot, but that, in fact, it is on the increase. In Taibach alone, as many as twenty new cases have occurred, in the few days prior to writing this account, and I am sorry to say, fifteen of them were fatal. What the end will be, Providence only knows. It has become pitiful and extremely wretched here; and in Taibach it is said that the inhabitants have become possessed of such a fear, that they hardly know what they are about. Twelve of our unfortunate fellow creatures were lying dead at the same time, whom, the previous day, had been enjoying the best of health. It is easier to understand the feelings that everybody is experiencing than to describe them. The look of the place is heart-breaking in the extreme—father, son, and daughter are taken from one house, from another house son-in-law, daughter, and grandson are swept away by this terrible sickness. In my previous letter, I noted the sickness was being confined to the feeble and poor, but now it is attacking every rank of people indiscriminately,—amongst those that might be mentioned is Mr. Jenkin Joseph, shopkeeper, and a gentleman from Derbyshire, who had come on a visit to Mr. Downing, in Underhill, and who had been there but two days. These deplorable occurrences have cast an intense grief over the whole area. A prayer meeting was held at Aberafon Market to beseech the All-powerful God to check the hand of the destroying angel. Imploring prayers were raised to the throne of grace; and there were over two thousand men united in earnestness in the service.

After having written the foregoing report, we heard that the sickness had greatly diminished in Aberafon and the vicinity. May the Lord, in his mercy, remove the rod entirely.

We received the following letter, which gives a report of the situation in Merthyr Tydfil, from a friend, whom we thank for his kindness:—

“Mr Gomer,—I am in Merthyr today, and there is a strange appearance about everything. Deadly Bile is wreaking mortal havoc on a great number of the inhabitants; and its devastations are frighteningly sudden. It is not unusual now to see a man in chapel last night and in his grave tonight; such occurrences are commonplace in these days. In this manner, healthy and useful men are removed from this world with hardly a warning, societies rent all to pieces, graves opened and closed, and thousands of salty tears shed. On these sorrowful and distressing occasions, many a cheerful wife loses her husband, and many a husband loses his useful wife; many children are deprived of their father and mother, and many gentle parents lose their dear children. This, Mr. Editor is how graveyards are filled, men become fewer and the family of the graveyard grow.

Here is an account of all that took place, with respect to the Deadly Bile, from its commencement until now. This terrible sickness visited Merthyr on 25th of May last, and from then until ten o’clock yesterday morning, (Tuesday,) the number that have been taken ill is 1218, and 490 have died, in Merthyr only. After that, from ten o’clock yesterday morning, to ten o’clock this morning, 20 were taken ill, and 9 died. Having given a summary of Merthyr’s situation, our thoughts seem to fly to Dowlais. The Deadly Bile arrived there on June the 10th, and from then until ten o’clock yesterday morning 93 were taken ill, and 71 of them died. Also, from ten o’clock yesterday until the same time today 29 were taken ill, in the one populous place, and 9 died.

“Before leaving my writing-room at this time, let us cast a glance at Aberdare again. Deadly Bile arrived at this place on June the 24th , and from then until ten o’clock yesterday, 131 were taken ill, and 28 died. Then, from ten yesterday until ten this morning, new cases have come to light,—14 taken ill, and 2 having died. Thus the total of all taken ill amounts to 1605; in addition to that, 609 have died.* Rhymney, &c are not counted in this reckoning. I have taken this total from the official one, which is to be found as information for the people in Merthyr; and if it will be acceptable to your many readers, here it is at your service.

I hope that these harsh punishments will bring us all, as a nation, to devote ourselves completely to the Supreme Lord of the worlds,—who holds the authority to send and check diseases, as he sees fit.

July 18, 1849

“T. ap Ieuan”

* We heard that many have been taken ill, and some had died, since these accounts have been made up; but it seems that the sickness is now becoming less deadly than when it first broke out. If the same measures had been recommended to withstand it, before it appeared, that are recommended now, it is likely that it would have done scarcely any damage in any one of these places.—Ed.

Our space allows me to add but few further comments on this destructive sickness. It appears that it is now spreading quickly through most of the towns of England, and that it is creating havoc in every place. The authorities and the doctors make every attempt to halt its sway, and to soothe its fierceness; but because its nature, and its cause, are not wholly understood, no sure treatment has yet been developed. Some say that the cause of it is a lack of electric matter in the air, and others claim that the cause of it is a deficiency of that part of air called oxygen, and others mention different things as the cause of it. As the beliefs about the cause of Deadly Bile differ, so too do the treatments that are offered. Some recommend the following treatment as infallible:—20 grains of opiate confection, in a little brandy and hot water; and it must be taken every two or three hours as soon as the body is felt to be constipated, or a tendency to vomit, which are the first signs. We can, ourselves, be witness to the efficacy of this in English cholera, for we made a test of it, and it cured us when all else had failed; also, this medicine is recommended:—10 drops of chloroform in a little brandy; to be taken every 10 minutes as long as the symptoms persists; and the body must be kept warm; and the back-bone and the body rubbed with warm spirit of turpentine. One of the leading doctors of London says that taking a tea-spoon full of salt in the morning, mid-day and towards night, not mixed with anything, is a sure defence from this sickness. Others recommend various things, such as galvanizing the sufferer. But because the ordinary man cannot do this, there’s no point in suggesting the method. It could be that all these things are effective, and have succeeded in curing the sufferer in some circumstances; but it is proof that not one sure treatment has been developed, otherwise not so many would be dying of it; and we advise all, when they shall feel the first signs its attack, to send for the doctor immediately; and to keep their bodies and their houses, and everywhere around their houses, clean,—live in moderation, refrain from alcoholic liquor and every unhealthy foods; and to rest their confidence, having taken all remedies, on holy Providence to keep them from the attacks of this destructive sickness. We end now, by presenting the few following verses on

The Deadly Plague

An arrow on the bow of the infinite God Is this deadly message; Its effect is remarkable, And it is mortal, I know; It is time for all to consider, To guard together at all hours, Against the sins of a hard heart On the visitation of so great a punishment.

An arm of flesh cannot prevent him When he has such powerful strength; The talents of men all in a panic Must surrender to presumptuous death; Gentle tears on the cheeks, Sighs of the frightened breast, They fail when death comes And the surgings of the fearful wave.

All ages must bow Before his tyrannical staff; Neither fair nor un-fair does he respect, When the hour of his powerful blow comes; To their graves he brings the strong, Like the weak ones, in captivity; Wondrous the number of all the dead That came under his heavy load.

The only sanctuary of every sinner, In this dreadful battle, Is Christ,—he shall open For us the wound of his mortal breast; There was found speedy life For all pitiful, feeble countenances,—A safe place for him to hide To enjoy the holy peace.

Nicholas Nicholas

Seren Gomer, November 1849, p. 350

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Death of a Man by Baptism

There has been a great deal of chatter in Haverfordwest lately through a report that has been circulating that a man, by the name of George Thomas, died because he was baptized by that group who call themselves “Latter-day Saints.” It appears that this man was suffering from what is called the cholera when the ceremony was performed on him in the millstream, by one John Thomas, a mason from the aforementioned town, and that his own brother had persuaded him to receive his baptism. Since his death took place soon after that, an inquest by the Coroner was held on the occasion, when a witness was bought forth which proved the previous facts, and the jurors returned the following verdict: “That the deceased died of cholera, and that his death was brought about by his being immersed in cold water, by John Thomas, at his own request.” This verdict, especially the final phrase “at his own request,” is what saved this group, once again, from being taken up and put on trial for manslaughter. When they were warned by the Coroner in Glamorganshire, a short time ago, we thought they would take greater care to avoid such a tragedy from ever happening again. I am sorry that our compatriots degrade themselves, by being beguiled by these shameless and impudent deceivers.

Star of Gomer, December 1849, p. 378

https://journals.library.wales/view/2267394/2399470/26#?xywh=392%2C660%2C2530%2C2806

The Drowning of a Mormon Preacher

One of the Journals of Shrewsbury gives us the following account of the drowning of a preacher of the Latter-day Saints: “Last Saturday, a woman called Anne Griffiths was to be received as a member of this deluded sect, and for that purpose, she was taken to the river, near Underdale, to be baptized. Only five or six persons were present at the time. One of the “elders,” called Thomas Lloyd, took the woman to the river to immerse her, and having performed the ceremony, and when he was leading the woman to the bank his foot slipped, and they both fell into a pool about six feet deep. There they thrashed about for a little, sometimes in sight, sometimes underwater; but at last, one of the people who were on the bank, called James Bishop, got hold of the woman and dragged her safely to land; but the poor preacher sank to the bottom and drowned!”

Star of Gomer, May 1850, p. 149

[The 1850 Seren Gomer is not on the website.]

A Remarkable Story.

Let everyone who has ears listen
To these lines,
You may hear a true story,
Which is famous and surprising,
About a faction of a new religion
Which is beginning in our country,
Curing every disease,
And giving their work cheaply.

A man came from the town of Carmarthen
To live in the town of Llandovery,
And this was the chief Satan,
In all humanity;
He gives the spirit
In measure to them,
And speaks foreign tongues,
Ba le! Ba la! Ba loo!

You only need to believe
All these people’s rule,
The pox and the itching get better,
The cough and the ague:
Benny Bwt went with his bottle
To work in his house,
He intended to cast the devil
From Nanny, Cwmsarnddu.

There he did his best,
Calling “Sam-ba-la!
With the devil in Nanny
Laughing, Wah! Wah! Wah!
Nanny went into great passions,
Swearing on the floor,
“If you were going to work miracles,
Why don’t you do it now?”

“Miracles!” said Benny,
“Yes, many times before this,
I have caused men to be surprised,
While faith is in power;
I have the keys
To the whole wide kingdom of heaven,
And it is an apostolic religion
That we have on our journey.

“Blissful are those who believe us,
That is the faithful servants of the Lord,
They may go to California,
Where they will be without pain;
All the Saints will gather
From the four corners of the earth,
That is, everyone of an honest heart,
They may occupy the sheltering kingdom.”

“To work miracles,
You silly, nasty Satan,
You tell frightful lies,
For the sake of getting hearty food;
Oh! may the morning dawn,
When the gospel of God
Will chase away all Satanists
Who are now in the land of the living.

“Oh, shut up about miracles,
I won’t believe for the life of me,
Leave alone your telling of lies
While you’re in earshot of me?”
At this Benny cried
“Oh! Oh! Oh, dear me!
Now I have to yield
To Nanny, Cwmsarnddu.”

Siencyn

Star of Gomer, July 1850, pp. 220–21

[The 1850 Seren Gomer is not on the website.]

The Mormons

The following comments regarding the Mormons, and where they are staying at the moment, were taken out of the American Journal called the Cincinnati Atlas; and since it is possibly new to many of our readers, perhaps it will give a certain degree of pleasure to them; but they must only be on their guard lest the Editor of the said Journal be somewhat too favorable towards those deceivers, because he does not choose to lay bare the wicked crimes which they committed everywhere they lived in America, and because of which they were driven from one place to the other, like creatures unworthy to associate with reasonable and moral beings. The aforementioned Journal tells as follows:—

“We wish to call the reader’s attention to the Mormons’ new and remarkable situation. Seven thousand of them have got a place of rest in the most remarkable place on the continent of America. Since the time the children of Israel journeyed through the wilderness, or the soldiers of the Cross rushed on Palestine, nothing in history has been so remarkable as the present migration of the Mormons. Thousands of them came from the countries and cities of Europe, to join thousands of others who gathered in the States of New York and New England, to found a New Jerusalem in the far west. They built a temple, and churches, and schools in Ohio but they were chased away from there, and they built Nauvoo in Illinois. This place became a great city; and twenty thousand Mormons had flocked there. They were attacked again, their prophet was killed, their city was sacked, and their temple was burnt to ashes. Did all these adverse events destroy them completely? No, in no way. Seven thousand of them have settled now on the highest plain of the continent of North America, and it is said that they are in comfortable and flourishing circumstances. Additional thousands are going to join them from Iowa, and thousands of others from Wales. No circumstance as remarkable has taken place in this age.

“The place where the Mormons have now settled, is one of the most interesting on the American continents; and we do not know that there is another one similar to it on the face of the whole earth. Look at a map of America, a little to the east from the Great Salt Lake, and exactly to the south of the southwestern Passage, and you will see, in the southwest corner of California, the high plain on which the rivers in North America spring. It is six thousand feet, and perhaps much more, above the level of the sea, that is the Atlantic. In this lonely corner, in a hidden vale amidst mountains and lakes, the Mormons have settled; and from there stream the great rivers which water and fertilize the continent of America, that have no equals in any part of the world. You can almost throw a stone from the source of the Sweetwater to the source of the Green River. The former flows into the River Platte, and that into the Missouri, and that runs into the Great Mississippi, which flows into the Gulf of Mexico, having watered the land over thousands of miles. The latter, that is, the Green River, runs into the Colorado, and the Colorado runs into the Gulf of California, where it mixes with the waters of the Pacific Ocean. The former is 2,500 miles long, and the second is more than 1,500; the two run to tropical states. A little to the north of the course of the aforementioned drivers is the source of the Snake River, which runs into the Columbia River, close to latitude 46 degrees, after a course of 1,000 miles; and a little to the south is the source of the Rio Grande, which, after winding through the country over 1,700 miles, flows into the Atlantic in the Gulf of Mexico. So, it will be found that the Mormons have settled in a very remarkable place; and it seems that they came here as a strong and mighty colony.

“A brother of the Editor of the Journal called the Niles Republican, who recently moved to the country of the Mormons, gives in the following account of the hare-brained speculations of the Mormons relation to the building of a new temple. It appears that this temple is to be a most splendid building. They have enclosed a piece of land 17 miles long and 12 miles wide, with a wall of earth, which is eight feet high, and four feet thick. Cities are to be inside this wall; and the tower of the temple is to be 600 feet high, so that it can be spotted 80 miles in every direction.”

Star of Gomer, September 1850, pp. 261–63

The Bungling “Saint”

Mr. Gomer,

I would feel myself most grateful to you for space for the following notes in the next issue of Star of Gomer. You know that someone under the name “Saint” (Satan the name should have been) claimed to show in the Congregationalist Treasury for last July, that there is a similarity between the Mormon fiends, and the sect known by the name Baptists. There is no need to tell you, nor your observant readers, that the despised community which follows the deceitful wretch Joe Smith consider everyone heretics except themselves; as a result, neither we (the religious denominations of the world) nor anything which relates to us in our religious character, can be Christian in the opinion of Joe’s Satanic followers. However, the Saint in question calls a Publication which belongs to a tribe of ungodly deceivers (according to their opinion) a “Christian Treasury”!!! A good start, at least. If the numerous and respectable denomination of the Independents do not belong to Christ, how can the books of that faction be Christian? Explaining this is a considerable task, even for elders and apostles. It is feared that the name Saint is only a cat’s paw in the hand of some monkey. The crow should be most watchful when in apparel or color that do not belong to it, lest it betray itself. A word will be said about this again before the Amen.

The Saint who is now under scrutiny says that Baptists believe that baptism is essential for salvation. The Baptists “maintain” that baptism is to be administered by submersing the body in water—they believe that that is the only way; and the Sprinklers I would think, believe that sprinkling is the proper way. Mr. Rees from Llanelli told the writer recently that he believed this, showing thereby that he is an honest and consistent man, and not some sort of fence sitter. I have belonged to the Baptists for a number of years, and I have not happened to have heard them speaking of how much or how little work is to be done in order for us to go to heaven; but they strive to do everything that He has ordained. They say that Noah’s task was to build according to the description; and that their honor and duty is to follow religion according to the New Testament, leaving the outcome to God. I find it hard to believe that even the “praiseworthy Apostle” can blame them for that. The Saint gives us to understand that everyone who has heard the Baptists, and has seen them baptize, is a witness that they place everyone in hell but themselves. This, if there were nothing else, proves that the scoundrel who wrote like this is closely related to the “father of lies.” It would have been more appropriate for him to call himself Satan than Saint, if he intended his name and character to match each other.

Men of narrow minds and evil principles are very prone to make every deficiency, be it ever so small and insignificant, into something denominational or national, although that deficiency may belong only to a few persons. They and logic do not know each other. It would be the greatest unfairness to say that all the Independents of Wales are fools, because one occasional fool dishonors his audiences. Many of the readers of the Star know that one of the ministers of the Independents has said recently that ten out of every dozen women in Wales are unfaithful; and that minister told the writers of these lines that Ieuan Gwynedd (one of the most important reformers of this age) has stained our character as a nation to a greater extent than any other man, by defending the daughters of Gomer, in the face of the impudent false accusation of their heretics; I think it would be very inhuman to accuse all respectable ministers of the sect in question of devising and writing lies relating to the women of Wales simiply because E. D. has misportrayed them. Would it not be very unfair to call Christ’s Apostles traitors because Judas sold his Lord? If he who calls himself Saint happened to hear someone, or some few, of the Baptists doubt the security of different denominations, does it not betray much unfamiliarity with us as a sect, or much poisonous prejudice against us, by saying that every one of us is guilty of the same thing? What is to be expected from a fool but foolishness? Biting, braying, and kicking are agreeable to a donkey’s taste; and devising and writing lies are delicious tasks for the children of his Satanic majesty. This, briefly, relating to the Saint’s first lie.

He has happened to meet the truth in the second; perhaps no lie was available at the time. He says that both we and they (the Mormons) believe that only believers are the subjects of baptism; this is our belief, as Baptists, at least; and I have heard that the mad followers of Joseph Smith do not play the game of baptism with any person if that person cannot walk on his own. Had Mr. Saint given us proofs in this article that he was a man of thought, in the middle category regarding divinity, a word or two could have been spoken with him concerning the rebaptizing he babbles on about under this heading; but the childishness and clumsiness of his article show that nature has been very sparing in the equipping of his head (if in fact it is a head); and the fact that he has written so many wicked lies in such a short article, makes his godliness considerably doubtful; but since these comments will be read by people who possess brains and principles, a comment or two are offered on this subject.

Some little men say that it does not matter what they think and what they say, that we should have spectacles to see the heart, if only believers are the subjects of baptism; that apostates should be baptized on their return because they did not really believe when they were baptized the first time. The Apostles baptized everyone who professed faith in Jesus Christ; the condition of Apostolic baptism was not true conversion, but the professing of belief in Christ. “If you believe” was the condition for everyone without exception. Seldom did they speak to their listeners of “lawful obedience,” “redemptive faith”, etc. They baptized Simon Magus on the said condition, without using any spectacles to search his heart. Since they did not search the inner secrets of Mr. Magus, it is not likely that the Holy Spirit expects us to search each other’s hearts. It is not because a man did not believe what he professed when he was baptized, and not because he does not believe that now, that he is in the land of apostasy now; but because he does not live up to that profession. A man can profess well, and yet live in a very ungodly way. Peter was disloyal; but not because he did not believe when he took up the cross of Jesus Christ; and there is no account of his being baptized on his reception back. The character which the Saint presupposes under this heading, shows with his ungodly life, apparently, that he did not believe when he was baptized; and in the following sentence, he says, “If this man were to be returned to the faith,” etc. How is a man returned to the faith, when he has never been in it? If he is returned to the faith, his first baptism was not an “unbelieving baptism”, as the Saint says; as a result, there is no need to rebaptize him on the assumption that he did not believe when he was received into Christ’s church. Is it not odd that an infallible Saint, and the leadership of “God’s infallible spirit,” weaves traps to trip himself! We intended to say more on this subject, but we must go on to the next lie; that is,

“That the Baptists and the others (may I be forgiven for not naming them often; I do not like breathing in foul air) support miracles.” He says that baptism in the absence of miracles is dangerous, disadvantageous, and cruel. Well done! This clearly shows that it is God who safeguards the Mormon lunatics from catching cold, etc., in the cold element, and miraculously at that!! If God defends them with his miraculous hand in the water, it is remarkable that he does not safeguard them from drowning each other in that element. Does not Christ ask for self-denial? Why do we complain of the disadvantages of baptism (if it is, in fact, disadvantageous)? We can bring this counterargument to bear against other religious matters. Do we not have accounts of the best of men getting to grips with the greatest disadvantages, with regards to temporal things, by taking up the Cross of Christ? Is it not the way of the cross, to a great extent, that is the way of religion? If baptism through immersion is dangerous and cruel, the only thing that can be said to answer this (although it is most unworthy of an answer) is that the most capable interpreters among different denominations say that it was practiced in the time of the Apostles, however much cruelty and danger is connected with its administering. It appears that it would be very good for Mr. Saint to consult some old woman regarding the physiology of human nature, and make an effort to glean a little common sense, before he can again take upon himself the task of teaching the readers of the Treasury as to what is beneficial and what is harmful to them.

Under the fourth heading, this libelous Saint, poor thing, says that we, the Baptists, do not believe that the New Testament, as we received it from our fathers, is a sufficient rule for salvation, and that we have a new gospel, etc. Perhaps this Saint and his father are aiming to establish their lies that we “change the mighty and important truths of Heaven,” on the fact that the Baptists, and other denominations, cannot agree concerning the translation of some word, or word, perhaps, most especially, in the New Testament. If a new translation means “a new gospel”, then there are many new gospels and epistles in the religious world; and it appears that they are multiplying. If we are talking like this, the gospels which were translated by Campbell are new ones, and the epistles whose translation Macknight has restored, are new ones. The two great men in question have “changed the mighty and important truths of Heaven;” however, the works of both get a welcoming reception from the best of the religious world’s sects. The Unitarians disagree with us regarding the translation of certain words: but the writer of these lines has not been given to understand that, because of that, we and they accuse each other of the wicked sin of “changing the mighty and important truths of Heaven.” One of the ministers of the Independents said recently when sprinkling babies, that the Sosinians and the Baptists have new Bibles; but if his opinion is as maladroit as his character, which is most likely, what he says is not worth attention. It is hoped that the Saint and he are on their own, in the work of reproaching their neighbors for new Bibles.

What does Mr. Saint mean by saying, “May God forbid that we ever offer a word from the Testament of our Lord,” etc.? Perhaps he intended to make his mind known to us in a “foreign tongue.” If so, a translator must be obtained in order to understand his mind in the aforementioned sentence. He blesses the readers of the Treasury with another sentence which is similar to the last in sense and literary beauty, part of which is as follows: “We found our religion on this Testament, with which we defend our religion.” Who can make sense of this? To what word does the feminine relative pronoun “which” refer? The poor Mormon (if in fact he is a Mormon), is just as talented as a writer as he is a reasoner! It is strange that men under the leadership of “God’s unfailing Spirit,” are so full of failings while trying to write their mothers’ language! If it is on “this Testament” that the Mormons “found their religion, with which they defend their religion,” what purpose does the Book of Mormon serve? Hearing Mormons argue for the sufficiency of the Bible as a rule for salvation, and at the same time, arguing so zealously for the appropriateness and necessity of the revelation of Mormon, shows that self-consistency is a subject of considerable import in their credo. Is not the accusation of being dissatisfied with God’s word as a rule for salvation more appropriate for Joe’s numerous and godly sect than for us? The cloven hoof shows itself very clearly in this piece. The common opinion is that the Saint is some weakling of an Independent, or some phantom Methodist, striving (but failing) to hide his literary ugliness, and his moral disgrace, under a pseudonym. I hope for the best; but I fear the worst.

The fifth subject is the infallibility of the Baptists, etc. To what infallibility do we claim the right? Is our opinion concerning Baptism referred to? If that is what is in question, I would say that the Sprinklers claim as much infallibility as do we. Mr. Rees, Llanelli, recently said (as was mentioned) that he firmly believes that sprinkling is the only method of baptism; and he added that he would not give communion to a Baptist on the consideration that he had been baptized; but that he would extend the communion to him on the assumption that he was godly. This is the opinion of one of the most famous and useful men the Independents have in Wales. If it is said that we profess infallibility, we testify, in defense, that the talented editor of the Revivalist professes as much infallibility as we do. If I were to be sentenced into the ditch on account of opinion or behavior, the consideration that Mr. Rees would be in the same ditch would be a great comfort to me in such a situation. If we said that we were more infallible than the Satanists, we would not be going astray very far. Everyone knows that we do not profess to be able to work miracles—our profession is in harmony with our fallibility; but the learned followers of Joey claim to work miracles, although they have never performed any. They constantly fail (however numerous their attempts) to meet any man possessing enough faith to receive a cure. They, of course, possess enough faith; so they should all receive a miraculous cure when ill. And if they, despite all their faith, cannot do anything that the ordinary people cannot, they are no better than we.

If the Mormon lunatics are led by “God’s infallible Spirit,” as the Saint says, why are they so fallible in every way? I ask them seriously whether it is “God’s infallible Spirit,” or a spirit of another “fashion”, which leads men to adulterate, steal books, and drown each other in rivers? What spirit brings the most ignorant riff-raff together to revile and curse everyone but themselves? What spirit teaches them to formulate and spread lies about angels and Jesus Christ? Before finishing with this section, the following passage is placed before the reader, as a specimen of the Saint’s skill as a Welsh Writer: “Because before we can claim infallibility, he must have the essential perfection in himself,” etc. What an excellent grammarian! The fact that scribblers like this are allowed to disfigure the pages of our Monthly Publications, is a disgrace to the character of Welsh Literature.

The laying on of hands comes under his paws next. What he says about this is more similar to the truth than what he spoke of before. It is true that some among the Baptists lay hands on the baptized on their reception into church communion; but it is not a general rule pertaining to the denomination, as being the best way. On the other hand, the practice is losing ground continually, and it is hoped that it will be in the land of oblivion in a little while. Those who practice “the laying on of hands” in our midst are not, after all, like the Mormons; the Baptists do not profess to impart any blessing through the practice; but the Mormon fiends pretend to bestow the Holy Spirit, although they are as incapable of that as of extinguishing the sun. Respect for an old practice influences the Baptists to use this procedure; they are similar to Israel worshipping the snake, its days having been numbered, while the Mormons, like Simon Magus, practice it for ambitious and selfish purposes. It would be very good for the Saint, poor thing, if a “lame Magus” or someone, could put a little something in his skull, either through the laying on of hands, or through some other process.

The last subject of the article in question is the position of the Baptists and the Saints regarding the millennium. This is the first sentence in it: “I said that the Baptists contend that no one but Baptists will be on the earth in the millennium—and the Saints contend that no one but Saints will be on earth in the millennium.” There is so much literary taste and skill in this wonderful sentence, that it should be engraved in stone forever; it is enough to immortalize its author’s name; it lists him amongst the most capable writers of the world! If there is any sense in it, perhaps it is this, that the Baptists believe that they will be chief during the thousand years, and that the Mormons believe that they will wield the scepter in that period. Does not every sect believe that they are to last? Do the Independents believe that they will fall into oblivion? Every consistent religious person maintains that his sect is the best; as a result, he is found to believe that it is to last. Having written like this, he says that this is only a contention on both sides,” which shows that the Saint looks upon us, and the Mormons, as two boastful and mendacious tribes. Here is Dick, showing his nose again, I would think; a crow in disguise does not have enough restraining grace not to caw. If it was in the face of the Baptists alone that he intended to vomit his venomous slime, he ought to have said that that was, and is, an assertion on their side. It is most likely that mental weakness, prejudice against the Baptists, together with trouble trying to hide himself, have led this little Saint into such confusion. It would be the same thing as trying to paint hell black to strive to slow the blackness of what he says about the success of Mormonism and the failure of the Baptists. In the end, he calls us brothers again! Why are ungodly heretics called brothers? “Clearing the way,” apparently, is the work of the Mormon; well done, certainly; the cream and backbone of mankind are the navigators usually. We are urged, in a most godly manner, to leave the shadow, etc.; a shadow of what thing, or things, do the ungodly heretics have? Perhaps it would be best to finish now; taking a long breath of unhealthy air is not a pleasant thing, in hot weather like the present. I end my article in Solomon’s words, “A whip for the horse, a bridle for the ass, and a rod for the fool’s back.”

Mathetes

Star of Gomer, October 1850, p. 319

The New Mormon State

The latest news from America contains an account which is as worthy of our most serious attention as anything which has taken place in that extensive country in the latter ages. We are informed that the brotherhood of the United States is likely to receive a new member, under circumstances which are without their like in recent politics. Since some years ago, the sect of the Mormons, or Latter-day Saints, as they call themselves have been increasing gradually in numbers; and the importance that numbers, under the American form of government, are sure to secure. These people played a most public part under the Presidency of Van Buren; and the political parties, in their attempts for authority, did their best many times to win their good will. The filthy and awful life, and pitiful death, of Joe Smith, their first “prophet”, did not serve to cause people to disbelieve the terrible deceit; and at the present moment, Mormonism, and all its false doctrines, are more acceptable and prestigious than they have ever before been. It is cunning, though not perhaps surprising, that this sect is kept up chiefly by immigrants, and most of those are Welsh and English! Very seldom in comparison, do they proselyte any of the Americans born in the States; and although the outposts of these false religious people have always been on the frontiers between the uncivilized parts and the civilized, they have never succeeded in obtaining converts from among the primitive natives. Nothing is more remarkable, in this connection, than the superiority of instinct over learning. Responsible farmers from Yorkshire and Cumberland, and also from some places in Wales, have entrusted the spiritual and Temporal happiness, to a man the illiterate Indians had named “The Great Rascal,” that is “Tske-wal-lis-ke,” in their language.

In the rioting that followed the imprisonment and killing of the “revelator” Joe Smith, the old Mormon outpost in Nauvoo was left, and the latest news informs us that that remarkable city has fallen into the ownership of one M. Cabet, who, by all appearances, is of hardly better character than Joe Smith. Then the Mormon brotherhood departed, and directed their steps towards that great lake which is in the middle of Upper California, which is called the Great Salt Lake, and it lies on the northeast side of the gold country. Four years ago, there was not in all this territory so much as on established settlement, but so great are the attractions of novelty, distance, false prophecies, and gold, the Mormon capital already contains 6,000 inhabitants, and a decision has been allowed, to form the whole territory into a “State,” to be received and accepted as part of the American Union. As a result of this decision, a conference of citizens was summoned to meet in the city of the Great Salt Lake, to agree and establish the constitution. When the conference had met, a petition was agreed upon to be sent to the State Senate; and in the meantime, a provisional government was establishment according to the following plan:

The first step was to specify correctly the extent and limits of the free and independent government which was going to be established and ordained. These limits are being set down with as much precision as nature allows; but perhaps it will be sufficient to note here, that the new State appears to contain the southeastern district of that territory which was given recently by Mexico to the United States of America, containing an extensive share of land, stretching to the west as far as the shore of the Pacific Ocean, and reaching from St. Diego to St. Fernando. Then the constitution was established in a three-fold manner, that is, legal, administrative and judicial; containing a Senate of seventeen, and a House of Representatives of thirty-five members, with a Speaker, a Secretary, and an Announcer; and a President, a Vice-President, a government Secretary, and a Treasurer. The first general conference met on the second of July, and it was postponed till the ninth, having set out the declaration of independence, and sent a petition to the State Senate, asking for acceptance to the Union under the name and title of the State of Deseret—a name which signifies in the dialect of the Mormons “The Honey Bee,” and that was favored to signify the combined virtues of diligence and love.

While thinking over matters of the American continent, a remarkable aspect of the country, regarding the great distance there is between one State and the next, can do no less than fill the mind with surprise. The present example gives us a remarkable portrayal of this characteristic. Suppose that Deseret is received as a member of the Union, as a result of the application which is being made in the aforementioned petition, then the State’s capital will be 2500 miles from the site of the central government, that is, close to as much of a way as is between Seringapatam and Delhi, and five-sixths of the distance between Liverpool and New York. It is, of course, to be understood that the constitution of the new State is founded on Mormonism; and that all the domestic activities will be carried on according to the principles of that sect; but whether those things will be effective as a hindrance to its acceptance into the Union remains to be proven. The Government of America, however, cares little about the doctrines which are professed in the States; but there is a strong tendency in the whole Union in favor of practicing Christianity; because of that, perhaps even the Atheists will be frightened by the proposal to admit as a religion such clear deceit as was being carried on in Nauvoo. The aforementioned conference carried things on most secretively touching this subject. They did not mention a word about the authority of their leader, and all reference to slavery was left out, and they did not offer any explanation of the credo of the new State; they only said that they considered “that every man has the natural and incontrovertible right to worship God according to the dictates of his own conscience;” and they established specifically that the General Conference of the new State would not “make any law to establish one type of religion, nor forbid the free practice of any type of religion, nor disturb any person because of his religious opinion, if only he does not disturb others.” But doubtless, the most remarkable point in this matter is the operation of that popular credulity and superstition which continues to keep this misguided doctrine in existence. Joe Smith lived in the view of the world for years in the practice of the most wicked and disgraceful depravity. There was not one ounce of secrecy or doubt about the true character and personality of the deceiver; and he never tried to hide his depravity and religious deceit. He became drunk, swore and cursed, and deceived everyone he could; driving about insanely in an old wagon, cracking his whip like an express messenger, and he hardly had enough eloquence to say a word to cheat money from his bewitched followers. Despite all this, year after year, the emigrants pile towards these fanatical zealots from Liverpool harbor; and what is still more remarkable is that they consist mostly of responsible men, farmers, merchants, and the topmost workers, and they take with them a lot of money. What can be the cause of this? Does an establishment of emigrants, when it is carried on profession of religion, however hollow and deceitful that religion may be, possess more and greater attractions than that order that does not make anyone any religious arrangements whatsoever? Whatever the case, these facts are worthy of the most detailed investigation, and of everyone’s most serious consideration.

Star of Gomer, January 1851, pp. 44–45

https://journals.library.wales/view/2267394/2399506/43#?xywh=-91%2C351%2C3281%2C3639

Mormon Deceit

On December 10th, a man in the Abersychan area, called Dafydd Jones, suffered a misfortune to his knee, by falling while coming home from work. Dr. Davies, a professed doctor from the place, applied suitable medications to the wound, and announced that the man was out of danger. It appears that Dafydd Jones is one of the Mormons, and what is called an “Apostle.” After the departure of the doctor, some of his dizzy brothers called on the apostle, and asked him whether he was giving over the care of his knee to the doctor or the Saint. He answered that he chose the Saint. Then the ignorant and empty-headed false Saints took the medications from off the wound, and did what these barbarians call anointing and praying; but it is painful to think, their blessing and arrogance turned into a curse and death. Their mistreatment brought inflammation and putrefaction; and the poor and superstitious creature died after a few days. Here is a warning again. The writer is truly sorry that any of his fellow countrymen are so illiterate, so light-headed, and soft, and soulless, as to accept being fooled and ridden by false louts which wander about the country to eat the bread of idleness, to take money from credulous fools; bringing distress, and bad weather, and shame, upon innocent families; and making, also, religion into a subject of gossip for drunkards and atheist. There was an inquest on the dead man, but we have not heard the verdict.

Gwilym ap Dewi.

[Gwilym ap Dewi will also give an account of St. Arthur casting out a mute devil from another Saint. It will appear some other time.]

Star of Gomer, June 1851, p. 287

https://journals.library.wales/view/2267394/2399751/46#?xywh=3246%2C2226%2C1103%2C1731

Mormonism and Polygamy

A writer for the “Christian Chronicle,” from Illinois, indicates that there are about 10,000 Mormons settling on the shores of the “Salt Lake;” and that they are in a deplorable and barbaric condition. The thing called “spiritual marriage” is a secret point of doctrine—it appears that it is the belief of this uncivilized people; and on the validity of that corrupt point of doctrine the union of the two sexes carries on by the same rule as the animals have.

Star of Gomer, September 1851, pp. 427–28

https://journals.library.wales/view/2267394/2399896/42

A Letter from America

Aberdare, August 12, 1851.

Mr. Editor,—I placed the piece which appeared in STAR in June on Mormonism and Polygamy at the end of a letter which I sent to my brother, who had first returned from California to the United States, and in answer, he says as follows:—

“I promised to give you a little of the story of my journey to the gold country; I did not intend going over until we received word of a drop in wages, and heard the announcement of one of the senators of California before the Congress of the United States, where he said that every diligent man was sure to succeed in the venture. This had such an effect on the country in general as to cause thousands to start on the journey, and in their midst went I, but soon after arriving, I found that it was all deceit, and the purpose in mind was to populate the country. Thousands set off the same time as I, over the Plains, but before reaching the end of the journey, about a third fell before the destructive weapon of the last enemy. I went on my way past the valley of the Great Salt Lake, into the midst of the Latter-day Saints; and it is surprising that anyone from Wales is so dimwitted as to be led to destruction by a mob of unprincipled and wicked scoundrels, who don the mantle of religion in order to deceive the ignorant. They are not, those who were bewitched to go over, any better than slaves: because they have been deprived of all society and trade; the nearest trade has a thousand miles of desert between it and them . . . and in their midst there is a quite responsible woman from Carmarthenshire—she left her husband, and went with the Captain D. J. and she is at present a * * * to him. Their leader has twenty-five in his house; and they say that they are spiritual wives. This is but an example of the villainies to which I have been eyewitness.

“I lost 700 dollars on the venture, the fruit of some years’ diligence; but I had the blessing of keeping my health, which was more valuable than gold. I was pained greatly when returning to see thousands unable to pay for their transport, and bemoaning the hour they went there.

“I rest,” etc.

E. J. to L. John

Star of Gomer, May 1852, p. 238

https://journals.library.wales/view/2267394/2400289/45#?xywh=-509%2C-1%2C3281%2C3639

The Mormons

An official investigation has first been made by the Government of the United States into the moral and domestic situation of the Salt Lake state, which is inhabited by the disciples of Joseph Smith. The report of these officials shows, and remember that their evidence is such that it can be depended upon completely, that these wretches’ condition is disgraceful and horrible to an extreme. A quote or two are given here.

“As chief of this terrible sect, which is called “The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints,” stood Brigham Young, the leader, claiming, and being portrayed, as a prophet of god, and his sayings as direct revelations from heaven; and therefore, receiving limitless authority over the ignorant and the credulous. His ideas were their ideas, and his wishes were their wishes. He only had to show his sympathy or his dislike, and it would be their sympathy of dislike instantly. In a word, he was in control without another candidate or opposition, because no man dared doubt his authority.

“Deliberate and calculated murder was committed in the state, on the person of Mr. James Munroe, a citizen of the United States, from Utica, New York, on his journey to Salt Lake City, by a member of the church; and his body was taken to the city to be buried without any inquest; and the murderer walked through the streets after that, under the eyes of the leader, and in his company—some of the relatives of the deceased, members of the church, either afraid or not willing to interfere in the case. It was said, and believed by many, that the murder had been committed through the counsel of the church, or some of its foremost members, and this withered the arms of everyone from doing anything in the case. It was common knowledge that he intended to bill Munroe: he went between sixty and eighty miles to meet his intended victim.

“We are of the opinion that it is our duty to testify in this official report, that polygamy, or plurality of wives, is admitted and practiced in the state, under the authority and obedience to the church’s specific commands. This practice is so common that very few if any, of the most prominent men in that state can be found without more than one wife each. The prominent men in the church, for example, whom lower orders strive to following everything, have many wives each; and some of them have so many as twenty or thirty, as we informed by credible men: and Brigham Young, the leader, has even more than that. Only a few days before we left the territory, the leader was seen riding through the streets of the city in an omnibus, with a great number of his wives with him, and more than two thirds of them had babies in their arms—a sure sign that this evil is increasing. It is not uncommon to see two or more sisters married to the same man; and in one case at least, a mother and her two daughters are among the wives of an official member in the church.”

Here is a survey of Mormonism now in Utah, in its own territory, where it is allowed to work out its polluted and blasphemous principles unchecked; and if they do not bear the same horrible fruit in this country, that must be attributed to the hindrance put in their way by the laws of the kingdom, rather than to the natural tendency of the principles of that system of atheism, which is believed and professed by the people who presume to call themselves “Latter-day Saints,” “in the Church of Jesus Christ,” and at the same time be guilty of the most fearsome blasphemies, the bloodiest murders, and live in the most horrible adultery and incest! Perhaps some of the brotherhood in Wales will try to deny this; but it is not fitting for them to do so; because the facts are realized by respectable and credible officials, who testify to what they heard and saw. It is mournful to think that scores of our fellow nationals have been deceived and bewitched to go to the Sodom-like Utah which is portrayed above; and perhaps some of them are wallowing in the wicked filth described. We shall give more yet of their story before long.

Seren Gomer, August 1852, p. 382

https://journals.library.wales/view/2267394/2400436/45#?xywh=60%2C1979%2C536%2C537

A Frightful Happening

The disciples of Joseph Smith, or the Mormons, held a large Conference in Casnewydd-ar Wysg, on Monday, and a happening took place that will no doubt cause many of these weak-headed creatures to look at the event as a miracle. While about 400 of the Saints were having tea together, half the heavy ceiling above them fell. For a while, there was great commotion and fear, as the dust, the tea, and the Saints were mixed together, and the shouts amidst the ruins were frightful. Many ran under the tables to take cover, and they shouted for some miracle to save them, while the others were covered with pieces of the roof. What is strange, and what will be considered a miracle no doubt by the Saints is that the ceiling above the place where the elders or the apostles were all sitting remained intact, and none of them were hurt. Every effort was made to save the Saints, poor things, and within an hour all were freed; and it is said that the strange thing is that no so much as one of the Saints received any injury, while it is reported that two or three of the men who had gone there to ridicule the works of the Joe Smithites were injured, which no doubt caused them to reflect on their foolhardiness. The meeting was adjourned to another place, while the evening was spent in rejoicing over the miracle worked by the elders and the prophets who had worked such a miracle by causing the heavy ceiling to come down on the Mormons without their receiving any injury.

Star of Gomer, June 1853, p. 278

https://journals.library.wales/view/2267394/2269791/37

Verses
To the Latter-day Saints

Latter-day Saints—there is a miracle,
If I follow true power,
I shall flee from the disgrace of lies,
To better men, if I find deceit.

The value of miraculous gifts is very good—if they are
Based in reality;
If an invention learned from a devil,
The Lord will throw it back to the devil.

The fruit of the tree of Eden, and its passions rule
Many sham saints;
The spirit of the devil, miraculously false,
Promised—they would be gods.

Saints, and their days will end—there is no value
In a miracle from deceit, only disappointment—
With the same deceit with which they deceive,
In the hand of truth, they will be deceived.

lolo Gwyddolwern

Seren Gomer, August 1853, p. 382

https://journals.library.wales/view/2267394/2269889/47#?xywh=634%2C2250%2C536%2C537

The Salt Lake Valley

Dissention in the Mormon Camp

Despite the earnest desire of the brethren to gather home to Zion from every part of the earth, bringing with them their silver, their gold, and all other things that can beautify the place, together with seeds of particular trees and fruits, this shows that there does not exist in Zion every good thing to be enjoyed after arriving there, unless we take it either in our boxes or in our pockets; and above all, ideal peace does not reign there either. As we understand it, there are some in the great city of Salt Lake, to the great discomfort of President Brigham Young, who ask for “proof.” We think it would be wiser for them to ask for “proof” before leaving their homes. We hope, however, that this will be a warning to others. We understand that the gentleman, president, on the 27th of last June, addressed “The true Saints” with raging and ferocious eloquence, commanding the sceptics to get on their way to California; and he appealed to his listeners to drive away the dissenters by the power of arms—for which work he asked for divine help. Whether this law was put completely into action or not, we do not yet know.

Seren Gomer, May 1855, pp. 222–24

https://journals.library.wales/view/2267394/2271297/30#?xywh=1527%2C2757%2C536%2C537

Yesterday, as I was conversing with a friend about your questions, Mr. Crwt, I heard that the “Latter-day Saints” baptize for the dead. If that is true, it just adds to the list of amusing things. And that people, in a religious consideration, are not worthy of Christian commiseration, for they deny the Testament of our Lord Jesus Christ, as the only religious standard; therefore, they are beyond the boundary, in the same wilderness with the Muslims, Hindus, etc., and if they do not return, let them go to the Salt Lake Valley, or the valley of the other lake, to their own place.

Star of Gomer, April 1856, pp. 189–90

https://journals.library.wales/view/2267394/2271829/44

A Letter from California

Bottle Hill 23 November 1855

“My Dear Uncle Hugh, and your family,

I have been in Salt Lake City also, and I saw the order of the Latter-day Saints in their Zion. I have seen many orders during my life, but this one goes beyond them all. I saw old white-haired men who had five or six wives, some a dozen, most of them young girls from sixteen to twenty years old! They are permitted to have as many wives as they wish, for it is considered a duty in order to raise up a holy nation and to build Zion. There are hundreds of women who would give the hair off their heads for the freedom to leave this place. Their lives, however, are in peril if they try to accomplish such a venture, for a word from the Prophet Brigham is all it would require for the life of any man there. The city has about six thousand inhabitants, and is built on a very beautiful spot on the edge of a valley twenty miles wide and over a hundred and fifty miles long. The surrounding mountains are high and steep, and they are covered in some places with snow all year. Water runs from the mountains to the city, and it is carried through the streets in gutters. I saw many Welsh people there, some with very poor lives. The women have been bewitched and are forced to work like dogs and live in a state of licentiousness.

Star of Gomer, June 1857, p. 284

https://journals.library.wales/view/2267394/2381659/43#?xywh=790%2C2332%2C1319%2C1090

America

Judge Drummond from Utah territory, dwelling place of the Mormons, has resigned his office, for the following reasons:

Because the Mormons believe that their allegiance to the Church, as they call themselves, is above their allegiance to the United States.

Because Brigham Young and the Church pervert the jurors, burn the letters of the legal courts, kill officials and put the blame on the Indians, and that Brigham, as governor of the territory, pardons the criminals after they are given a just sentence by the courts. Consequently, the law cannot be administered in this district. The Government has decided to send another Judge there, if there is one who will go, and two thousand soldiers to support him, with an order to their officials to behave sensitively. It is said that there is a schism among the Mormons in the territory.

Star of Gomer, July 1857, p. 323

https://journals.library.wales/view/2267394/2381708/34#?xywh=-280%2C1790%2C1433%2C1184

America, United States

The things of the Zion of the Great Salt Lake are getting darker and darker; from within all signs are committed in the same space, burning and tearing down houses, robberies, murders, and as for adultery, there is no sin there by that name—spiritual wifery is that name; and because women are scarce, the lascivious degenerates force young girls into their harems. It is said that Brigham Young has bargained with the Pa Uta Indians to flee to the north. Outside this salty paradise, United States soldiers are gathering under the command of General Harney, with full purpose of putting things in order.

Star of Gomer, January 1858, p. 44

https://journals.library.wales/view/2267394/2382007/43#?xywh=-49%2C1786%2C1918%2C1585

America, United States

On the 17th of November, the Office of War, Washington, received the testimony of Brigham Young, testifying against the authority of the government in sending soldiers to the Territory of Utah. And that he would, as the governor chosen by the people, fully oppose that, according to the original terms of unity of the United States. Colonel Johnson and the American army from Fort Leavenworth and Ham Fork have arrived; but the Mormons have taken the wagons and carriages and have burned them, warning the leader of the army that should they cross the boundaries of Utah it will be at the risk of their lives.

Star of Gomer, February 1858, p. 93

https://journals.library.wales/view/2267394/2382056/44#?xywh=-49%2C2164%2C1780%2C1472

America, United States

The House of Representatives, Washington, has indicated Utah as revolutionaries, and has set up a committee to investigate the legality of their representative to take his seat in Congress.

Star of Gomer, April 1858, p. 187

https://journals.library.wales/view/2267394/2382154/42#?xywh=406%2C2319%2C1720%2C1421

America

A court of law of the United States has accused Brigham Young, Kimball, and others, as persons guilty of high treason; and Brigham has sent emissaries to the Utah Senate accusing the soldiers of the United States, camped at Fort Bridger, of being unlawful intruders; and the Senate has sent an order for them to disperse. The American army, after the damages of a harsh winter, are strengthening under the leadership of Colonel Johnston, and are determined to attack the “Saints” directly; and the “Saints” are determined to attack the “Gentiles” directly.

Star of Gomer, May 1858, p. 234

https://journals.library.wales/view/2267394/2382203/41#?xywh=474%2C2827%2C1720%2C1421

America

The Mormons, it is reported, have decided to strive to establish their own government.

Star of Gomer, July 1858, p. 324

https://journals.library.wales/view/2267394/2382301/35#?xywh=-489%2C1448%2C1720%2C1421

America

The latest news from the dwelling place of the Mormons is unclear—some newspapers are reporting that they are leaving Utah, and are determined to travel toward the south, out of the grasp of the United States in search of Zion and the heavenly Paradise on the earth. And that, with no resistance, they have received Cumming as their governor. Other papers indicate that they are preparing to prevent the governor from coming into their land and their city, and are determined to offer their utmost resistance to the soldiers of the States. As much as we can gather from the newspapers is that they are in a world of fatigue; and the States are determined to keep the path open from Fort Leavenworth to the Salt Lake.

On Trial in the Welsh Press Supplements

Latter-day Saints in Welsh Newspapers and Periodicals, 1840–1860

Ronald D. Dennis, Editor

Star of Gomer

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