The City of the Mormons Part 3

PAGE 13. "Nauvoo House."

The following is a further extract from the "Revelation" of January 19, 1841, quoted above.

"Verily, I say unto you, let my servant George, and my servant Lyman, and my servant John Snider, and others, build a house unto my name, such an one as my servant Joseph shall show unto them, upon the place which he shall show unto them also. And it shall be for a house of boarding, a house that strangers may come from afar to lodge therein. * * * * Let it be built unto my name, and let my name be named upon it; and let my servant Joseph and his house have place therein, from generation to generation. For this anointing have I put upon his head, that his blessing shall also be put upon the heads of his posterity after him; and as I said unto Abraham, even so I say unto my servant Joseph, in thee and in thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed. Therefore, let my servant Joseph and his seed after him have place in that house from generation to generation, for ever and ever, saith the Lord; and let the name of that house be called the Nauvoo House, and let it be a delightful habitation for man, and a resting-place for the weary traveller, that he may contemplate the glory of Zion, and the glory of this corner-stone thereof."

PAGE 22. "The writings of Abraham."

Smith's pretended version of these doc.u.ments may be found in the "Times and Seasons" for March 1, and March 15, 1842, with the following heading:

"A Translation of some ancient Records that have fallen into our hands from the Catacombs of Egypt, purporting to be the writings of Abraham while he was in Egypt, called the Book of Abraham, written by his own hand upon papyrus."

PAGE 25. "The Nauvoo Legion."

The subjoined will serve as a specimen of "General Orders," issued by Joseph Smith, in his military capacity:

"Head Quarters. Nauvoo Legion, City of Nauvoo.

"_May 25_, A. D. 1841.

"The 1st Company (riflemen), 1st Battalion, 2nd Regiment, 2nd Cohort, will be attached to the escort contemplated in the general order of the 4th instant, for the 3rd of July next. In forming the Legion, the Adjutant will observe the rank of companies as follows, to wit:

"1st Cohort.--The flying artillery first, the lancers next, and the riflemen next, visiting companies of dragoons next the lancers, and cavalry next the dragoons.

"2nd Cohort.--The artillery first, the lancers next, the riflemen next, the light-infantry next, visiting companies in their appropriate places, on the right of the troops of their own grade: the ranking company of the 1st Cohort will be formed on the right of the said Cohort, and the ranking company of the 2nd Cohort will be formed on the left of the said Cohort, the next on the right of the left; and so on to the centre. The escort will be formed on the right of the forces.

"JOHN C. BENNETT, "JOSEPH SMITH."

"Major-General, "Lieutenant-General."

PAGE 33. "The Mormons prefer miraculous aid to medicine."

The following is abridged from a London paper:--"On Wednesday an investigation was gone into before Mr. Baker the coroner, at the Royal Oak, Galway Street, St. Luke's, on the body of Elizabeth Morgan, aged fifty-five years, whose death was alleged to have been caused through improper treatment by unqualified persons. Maria Watkins said she had known deceased about twelve months, and on Tuesday week witness was sent for to attend her. Witness found her very ill; but no medical gentleman was called in, it being against the religious tenets of the sect to which the deceased belonged to do so. The sect to which she belonged styled themselves 'The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,'

their place of meeting being in Castle street, Cow-cross. They treated their sick according to a text taken from the last chapter of the Epistle of St. James. Witness had known of healing under such circ.u.mstances, but the deceased sank and died on Sat.u.r.day last. No surgeon was sent for. The coroner said he hardly knew how to deal with the case, as he had his doubts whether it was not one of manslaughter.

The jury, after some deliberation, returned a verdict of 'Natural death,' with a hope that the present inquiry would act as a caution for the future."

PAGE 41. "The healing of the sick, the casting out of devils," &c.

In the "Times and Seasons," vol. iii. p. 709, may be found Joseph Smith's creed, in which are contained the following articles:--

"We believe in the gift of tongues, prophecy, revelation, visions, healing, interpretation of tongues, &c." "We believe all that G.o.d has revealed, all that He does now reveal, and we believe that He will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the kingdom of G.o.d."

PAGE 44. "A knot of designing persons."

Professor Turner of Illinois College, thus addresses Joseph Smith.

"I have charitably sought to find some ground for believing that you and your comrades were only a new species of religious maniacs. I have sought in vain. A man, however kindly disposed to think well of you, after a thorough examination of your career, might as well attempt to believe your religion, as to regard you in any other light than that of a deliberate, cold-blooded, persevering deceiver.

I do not pretend that in the outset you even antic.i.p.ated the final result. On the contrary, there is abundant evidence that at first your aims rose no higher than those of ordinary vagrants and jugglers. You have not even the poor merit of either talent or originality. Your highest aim has ever been to crawl among the droves of reptile impostors who have preceded you, and though your ignorance and utter incapacity have not suffered you to turn aside from their loathsome track, your fortunate union with others of greater ability, who have entered into your secrets, and the lamentable credulity of the times, have enabled you to attain a more signal and desolating success than most of your predecessors."

PAGE 44. "Mahomet" &c.

In the course of the trial of Joseph Smith and others, for high treason against the state of Missouri, George M. Hinkle testified as follows:

"I have heard Joseph Smith say, that he believed Mahomet was a good man; that the Koran was not a true thing, but that the world belied Mahomet as they belied him, and that Mahomet was a true prophet."

John Corrill also testified that he had heard Joseph Smith say publicly, "that if people molested him he would establish his religion by the sword; and that he would become to this generation a second Mahomet."

PAGE 47. "David was in h.e.l.l."

In a report of Smith's sermon of May 16th, 1841, in the "Times and Seasons" of June 1st, 1841, we find the annexed pa.s.sage:--

"Even David must wait for the times of refreshing before he can come forth and his sins be blotted out; for Peter speaking of him says, 'David hath not ascended into heaven, for his sepulchre is with us to this day:' his remains were then in the tomb. Now we read that many bodies of the Saints arose at Christ's resurrection, probably all the Saints, but it seems that David did not. Why? because he had been a murderer."

PAGE 47. "He descended in America and preached the Gospel to the Indians."

See Book of Mormon, 5th chapter of Nephi. "And now it came to pa.s.s that there were a great mult.i.tude gathered together of the people of Nephi; * * * and they cast their eyes up towards heaven, and behold they saw a man descending out of heaven; he was clothed in a white robe, and he came down and stood in the midst of them, and the eyes of the whole mult.i.tude was turned upon him, * * * and it came to pa.s.s that he stretched forth his hand and spake unto the people saying: 'Behold I am Jesus Christ of which the prophets testified that should come into the world, and behold I am the light and life of the world, and I have drank out of that bitter cup which the Father hath given me, and have glorified the Father, in taking upon me the sins of the world.'"

PAGE 55. "Baptism for the dead."

Joseph Smith says in an article on this subject in the "Times and Seasons," for April 15th, 1842.

"What has become of our fathers? will they be d.a.m.ned for not obeying the Gospel, when they never heard it? Certainly not. But they will possess the same privilege that we here enjoy through the medium of the _everlasting_ priesthood, which not only administers in earth, but in heaven, * * * they will come out of their prison upon the same principle as those who were disobedient in the days of Noah were visited by our Saviour, * * * and in order that they might fulfil all the requisitions of G.o.d, their living friends were baptized for their dead friends, and thus fulfilled the requirements of G.o.d: 'Except a man be born again of water, and of the Spirit, he can in no wise enter into the kingdom of heaven;' they were baptized of course, not for themselves, but for their dead. _Crysostum_ says, that the _Marchionites_[A] practised baptism for the dead, 'after a catechumen was dead, they hid a living man under the bed of the deceased; then coming to the dead man, they asked him whether he would receive baptism; and he making no answer, the other answered for him, and said that he would be baptized in his stead,--and so they baptized the living for the dead."

It appears by the above extract, that the prophet is beginning (in his own way) to quote the fathers.

Footnote:

[A] This is the prophet's own orthography.

PAGE 57. "The amiable and patient missionary bishop of Missouri," &c.

It is pleasing to turn from Joseph Smith, to the contemplation of the truly estimable person in question. Bishop Kemper is of German descent; his immediate ancestors having emigrated from Manheim on the Rhine. For many years he was a.s.sistant minister to the late bishop White, in the parochial charge of Christ-Church, Philadelphia. He was subsequently elected and consecrated by the House of Bishops, as the first missionary bishop. The expenses of his mission are borne by the committee for domestic missions in the United States. He is absolutely _without a home_, being almost perpetually engaged in visiting various portions of the enormous region committed to his ecclesiastical superintendence. A more difficult field of missionary duty can scarcely be imagined.

PAGE 57. "Kemper College."

This inst.i.tution is the most western Protestant Episcopal college in the world, being nearly half-way between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.

The main building was completed externally during the year 1841, Bishop Kemper having solicited and obtained funds for the purpose, to the amount of twenty-five thousand dollars, from zealous Christians in New York and Philadelphia. In the same year a considerable amount of valuable books was presented to the college by pious individuals in England, as well as by several of the great Societies. The object of the college, is the preparation of young men for the ministry of the Protestant Episcopal Church, and, under the enlightened and active presidency of the Rev. E. C. Hutchinson, it bids fair ultimately to realize the sanguine expectations of the Church.

PAGE 57. "The Mormon University."