FROM

THE

MILLENNIAL HARBINGER.

NEW SERIES.

VOL. VII.	B E T H A N Y,   V A. JULY, 1843.	NO. VII.

      Of this fact the foregoing testimonies must satisfy the most incredulous. But we add one more. It is an extract from a speech delivered at Far West, July 4, 1838, (before the disturbances took place which drove them from Missouri,) by Sidney Rigdon:--

      "We take God and all the holy angels to witness this day, that we warn all men, in the name of Jesus Christ, to come on us no more forever. The man, or the set of men, who attempts it, does it at the expense of their lives. And that mob that comes on us to disturb us, it shall be between us and them a war of extermination; for we will follow them till the last drop of their blood is spilled, or else they will have to exterminate us: for we will carry the seat of war to their own houses and their own families, and one party or the other shall be utterly destroyed. Remember it, then, all men.   *   *   *   *   No man shall be at liberty to come into our streets, or threaten us with mobs; for if he does, he shall atone for it before he leaves the place; neither shall he be at liberty to vilify and slander any of us; for suffer it we will not, in this place. We therefore take all men to record this day as did our fathers. And we pledge this day to one another, our lives and our sacred honors, to be delivered from the persecutions which we have had to endure for the last nine years, or nearly that. Neither will we indulge any man, or set of men, in instituting vexatious law-suits against us, to cheat us out of our just rights; if they attempt it, we say wo be unto them! We this day, then, proclaim [296] ourselves free, with a purpose and a determination, that can never be broken. No, never! NO, NEVER!! NO, NEVER!!!"--p.45.

      The following facts are from the pamphlet before referred to, entitled "Mormonism Portrayed:"--

      "In 1835, Smith, Rigdon, and others formed a mercantile house, and purchased goods in Cleveland and in Buffalo, to a very large amount, on a credit of six months. In the fall, other houses were formed, and goods purchased in the eastern cities to a still greater amount. A great part of the goods of these houses went to pay the workmen on the Temple, and many were sold on credit; so that when the notes became due, the houses were not able to meet them. Smith, Rigdon & Co. then attempted to borrow money, by issuing their notes payable at different periods after date. This expedient not being effectual, the idea of a Bank suggested itself. Accordingly in 1837 the far-famed Kirtland Bank was put into operation, without charter.

      "This institution, by which so many have been swindled, was formed after the following manner:--Subscribers for stock were allowed to pay the amount of their subscriptions in town lots, at five or six times their real value--others paid in personal property, at a high valuation; and some paid the cash. When the notes were first issued, they were current in the vicinity, and Smith took advantage of their credit to pay off with them the debts he and his brethren had contracted in the neighborhood for land, &c. The eastern creditors, however, refused to take them. This led to the expedient of exchanging them for the notes of other banks. Accordingly, the elders were sent off into the country to barter off Kirtland money, which they did with great zeal, and continued the operation until the notes were not worth twelve and a half cents to the dollar. As might have been expected, this institution, after a few months, exploded, involving Smith and his brethren in inextricable difficulties. The consequence was, that he and most of the members of the church set off in the spring of 1838, for Far West, Mo., being pursued by their creditors, but to no effect."--page 31.

      "As regards the pecuniary transactions of the Mormons, since they have been in Illinois. Smith still uses his power for his own benefit. His present operations are to purchase land at a low rate, lay it off into town lots, and sell them at a high price to his followers. Thus, lots that scarcely cost him a dollar, are frequently sold for a thousand. He has made several towns in this manner, both in Iowa and in Illinois."--p. 36.

      James C. Owens, a [Mormon] witness, produced, sworn, and examined, in behalf of the state, deposeth and saith:--

      "In the morning of the day that the militia arrived at Far West, I heard Joseph Smith, Jun., in a speech to the Mormon troops, say, that they were a d----d set, and God should d----m them, so help him Jesus Christ; that he meant to go on then, as he had begun, and take his own course, and kill and destroy; and told the men to fight like angels; that heretofore he had told them to fight like devils, but now he told them to fight like angels--that angels could whip devils. He [297] swore considerably, and observed that they might think that he was swearing, [!] but that God Almighty would not take notice of him in cursing such a d----d set as they were."

Cong. Doc., No. 189, p. 14.

          Testimony of George M. Hinkle:--

      "The morning that I marched out of Far West, to meet the militia to confer with them, as above referred to, Joseph Smith, Jun., made a speech to the troops who were called together, in which he said--that the troops which were gathering through the country were a d----d mob; that the whole state was a mob set; and that, if they came to fight him, he would play hell with their apple-carts.

      "While in Daviess, on the last expedition, I mentioned the great difficulties the course they were pursuing would likely get them into; the reply was, by a number of them, that, as the citizens had all fled, there would be none to prove it by but themselves, and they could swear as they pleased in the matter. These, I believe, were of the Danite order. And I understood from them that they could swear each other clear, if it should become necessary."--Ib. p. 24.

      "Whosoever shall lay their hands upon you by violence, ye shall command to be smitten in my name; and behold, I will smite them, according to your words, in mine own due time."--Doc. and Cov., p. 112.

      And this impious blasphemy is put into the mouth of God! And will any believer in the Christian scriptures say that such daring wickedness as this should not be exposed and rebuked?

      The book of Mormon institutes new conditions of salvation:--

      "And whoso believeth not in me and is not baptized, shall be damned.--Ib., p. 478.

      "Behold, I say unto you, that he that supposeth that little children needeth baptism, is in the gall of bitterness, and in the bonds of iniquity; for he hath neither faith, hope, nor charity; wherefore should he be cut off while in the thought, he must go down to hell."--Ib. 182.

      The curse of God is denounced upon all who reject the nonsense contained in the book of Mormon:--

      "And he, that shall deny these things let him be accursed."--Ibid, p. 546.

      "He that kills shall not have forgiveness in this world, nor in the world to come." Ib. p. 121.

      "If thine enemy trespass against thee the fourth time, thou shalt not forgive him." Ib., p. 219.

      "Confound your enemies; call upon them to meet you, both in public and in private." Ib., p. 225.

      It would be foreign to our purpose to attempt an exhibition of any considerable proportion of the egregious blunders, contradictions of facts in philosophy and scripture, which abound in the book of Mormon and the Doctrines and Covenants. In the latter, for instance, it is said, page 142--

      "The day of transfiguration shall come, when the earth shall be transfigured!" [298]

      Again:--"The measure of man, according, to his creation before the world was." Ib., p. 192.

      "Enoch was twenty-five years old when he was ordained, under the hand of Adam; and he was sixty-five, and Adam blessed him, and he saw the Lord; and he walked with him, and was before his face continually, and he walked with God three hundred and sixty-five years, making him four hundred and 30 years old when he was translated."

      The Bible (Gen. iv. 23,) gives a very different account of Enoch's age, as any one may see.----But enough.

      The New Testament commands us not to resist evil, (Matt. v. 39.) The book of Mormon commands directly the reverse:--

      "Let us resist evil; and whatsoever evil we cannot resist with our words, yea, such as rebellions and dissensions, let us resist with our swords"! Ib., p. 399.

          Take the following as specimens:--

      "Behold, I, God, have suffered this for all, that they might not suffer if they will repent; but if they will not, they must suffer even as I; which sufferings caused me, even God, the greatest of all, to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore." Ib., p. 175.

      What impious blasphemy, to attribute such language to the lips of the infinite God! And, indeed, it would be difficult to find one passage, in any of their writings, that we have seen, which conveys any thing, like good sense, to say nothing of the gross violations of grammar, which abound in them. Look at the following:--

      "He [Christ] is in the sun, and the light of the sun, and the power by which it was made. As also, he is in the moon, and is the light of the moon, and the power by which it was made. As also, the light of the stars," &c. "And the earth, also," &c. Ib. p. 100.

      "Through the redemption which is made for you, is brought to pass the resurrection from the dead. And the spirit and the body is the soul of man. And the resurrection from the dead is the redemption of the soul." Ib.

      "And the saints shall be filled with glory, [Christ's,] and be equal with him."

      Such is some of the nonsense and blasphemy of Mormonism. Look also at the following, which, like the above, we are told, is the language of God himself!

      "And again, verily, I say unto you, let my servant Sidney Gilbert plant himself in this place, and establish a store, that he may sell goods without fraud; that he may obtain money to buy lands for the good of the saints." "And let my servant, Sidney Gilbert, obtain a license, (behold here is wisdom, and whoso readeth let him understand,) that he may send goods in unto the people, even by whom he will, as clerks, employed in his service, and thus provide for my saints."

      "Let my servant, William W. Phelps, be planted in this place, and established as a Printer unto the church; and let all the world receive his writings, (behold here is wisdom;) let him obtain all be can obtain in righteousness, for the good of the saints. And let my servant, Oliver Cowdery, assist him to copy, and to correct, and to select, that it may be right before me." Ib. p. 154-5.

[The Millennial Harbinger, New Series, 7 (July 1843): 296-299.]