A VOICE FROM JERUSALEM,
OR A
SKETCH
OF THE
TRAVELS AND MINISTRY
OF
ELDER ORSON HYDE,
Missionary of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints,
TO
GERMANY, CONSTANTINOPLE, AND JERUSALEM,
CONTAINING A
DESCRIPTION OF MOUNT ZION, THE POOL OF SILOAM, AND OTHER ANCIENT PLACES,
AND SOME ACCOUNT OF THE
MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OF THE EAST, AS ILLUSTRATIVE OF SCRIPTURE TEXTS,
WITH A SKETCH OF SEVERAL INTERVIEWS AND CONVERSATIONS WITH JEWS'
MISSIONARIES, ETC., WITH A VARIETY OF INFORMATION ON THE PRESENT STATE
OF THAT AND OTHER COUNTRIES WITH REGARD TO
COMING EVENTS AND THE RESTORATION OP ISRAEL.
* * * *
COMPILED FROM HIS LATE
LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS,
_The last of which bears date at Bavaria, on this Danube, Jan._ 18,
1842.
* * * *
LIVERPOOL:
PUBLISHED BY P. P. PRATT
STAR OFFICE, 36, CHAPEL STREET.
* * * *
PRINTED BY JAMES AND WOODBURN, 14, HANOVER STREET.
INTRODUCTION.
The circumstances which gave rise to this mission of Elder Hyde are
quite peculiar and extraordinary; and in an American publication are
thus described by himself: "Something near eight years ago, Joseph
Smith, a prophet and servant of the Most High God, did predict upon my
head, that I should yet go to the city of Jerusalem, and be a watchman
unto the house of Israel, and perform a work there which would greatly
facilitate the gathering together of that people: the particulars of
which it is not necessary to mention here.
"Year after year has passed away since that period, and my labours in
the ministry have been confined to the Gentiles on both sides of the
Atlantic.
"In the early part of March last (1840), I retired to my bed one
evening as usual, and while contemplating and enquiring out, in my own
mind, the field of my ministerial labours for the then coming season,
the vision of the Lord, like clouds of light, burst upon my view. The
cities of London, Amsterdam, Constantinople, and Jerusalem all appeared
in succession before me, and the Spirit said unto me, 'Here are many of
the children of Abraham whom I will gather to the land that I gave to
their fathers, and here also is the field of your labours.'
"A strict observance of the movements of the Jews, and a careful
examination of their faith relative to their expected Messiah--the
setting up of his kingdom among them, and the overthrow of the present
kingdoms and governments of the Gentiles, will serve to open the eyes
of many of the uncircumcised, when faithfully laid before them, that
the great day of the Lord comes not upon them unawares as a thief.
"Take, therefore, proper credentials from my people, your brethren,
and also from the governor of your state, with the seal of authority
thereon, and go ye forth to the cities which have been shown unto you,
and declare these words unto Judah, and say: 'Blow ye the trumpet in
the land: cry, gather together; and say, assemble yourselves, and let
us go into the defenced cities. Let the standard be reared towards
Zion. Retire! stay not; for I will bring evil from the north and a
great destruction. The lion is come up from his thicket, and the
destroyer of the Gentiles is on his way, he is gone forth from his
place to make thy land desolate, and thy cities shall be laid waste
without inhabitant. Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her
that her warfare is accomplished--that her iniquity is pardoned, for
she hath received at the Lord's hand double for all her sins. Let your
warning voice be heard among the Gentiles as you pass, and call ye upon
them in my name for aid and for assistance. With you it mattereth not
whether it be little or much; but to me it belongeth to shew favour
unto them who show favour unto you. Murmur not, therefore, neither be
ye sorrowful that the people are slow to hear your petition; but do as
has been told you. All things shall work together for your good if you
are humble and keep my commandments; for it must needs be that all men
be left without excuse, that a righteous retribution may be awarded to
all.'
"Many other things were shown and told me in the vision which will be
made public at the proper time and places. The vision continued open
for a number of hours, that I did not close my eyes in sleep."
In obedience to the foregoing, Elder Hyde proceeded to lay the
circumstances before the authorities of the church, and before the
governor of the state of Illinois, who gave their hearty sanction to
the mission, and from whom he obtained the following documents:
_Letter of commendation from the Conference at Nauvoo, to Elders
Orson Hyde and John E. Page, appointing and confirming their
appointment to the work whereunto they have been called._
"To all people unto whom these presents shall come, GREETING.
Be it known that we, the constituted authorities of the Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, assembled in Conference, at
Nauvoo, Hancock county, and State of Illinois, on this sixth day
of April, in the year of our Lord, one thousand eight hundred and
forty, consider an important event at hand--an event involving the
interest and fate of the Gentile nations throughout the world.
From the signs of the times, and from declarations contained in
the oracles of God, we are forced to come to this conclusion. The
Jewish nation have been scattered abroad among the Gentiles for a
long period; and, in our estimation, the time of the commencement
of their return to the "holy land" has already arrived.
As this scattered and persecuted people are set among the Gentiles
as a sign unto them of the second coming of the Messiah, and also,
of the overthrow of the present kingdoms and governments of the
earth by the potency of his Almighty arm, in scattering famine and
pestilence like the frosts and snows of winter, and in sending
the sword, with nation against nation to bathe it in each others
blood; it his highly important, in our opinion, that the present
views and movements of the Jewish people be sought after, and laid
before the American people for their consideration, their profit
and their learning; feeling it to be our duty to employ the most
efficient means in our power to save the children of men from the
"abomination that maketh desolate," we have, by the counsel of
the Holy Spirit, appointed Elders Orson Hyde and John E. Page,
the bearers of these presents, faithful and worthy ministers of
Jesus Christ, to be our agents and representatives in foreign
lands, to visit the cities of London, Amsterdam, Constantinople and
Jerusalem, and also other places which they may deem expedient;
to converse with the priests, rulers, and elders of the Jews, and
obtain from them all the information possible; and communicate the
same to some principal papers for publication, that it may have a
general circulation throughout the United States.
As Messrs. Hyde and Page have willingly and cheerfully accepted
the appointment to become our servants and the servants of the
public in distant and foreign countries for Christ's sake, we do
confidently recommend them to all religious and christian people,
and to ladies and gentlemen making no profession, as worthy
members of society, possessing much zeal to promote the happiness
of mankind; fully believing that they will be forward to render
them all the pecuniary aid they need, to accomplish this laborious
and hazardous mission, for the general good of the human family.
Ministers of every denomination upon whom these gentlemen shall
call, are requested to hold up their hands, and aid them by their
influence, with an assurance that such as do this shall have the
prayers and blessings of a "poor and an afflicted people," who have
tested the depths of their sincerity, and love for their religion,
by the sacrifice of their blood upon a land, shadowed by the
stripes and stars of political and religious liberty.
Given under our hands at the time and place before mentioned."
(Signed) JOSEPH SMITH, JR., CHAIRMAN. ROBERT B. THOMPSON, Clerk.
* * * *
From the Governor of Illinois.
QUINCY, ILLINOIS, April 30th, 1840.
Having been informed that the Revd's. Orson Hyde and John E.
Page, elders in the church denominated Later Day Saints, are
about to depart on their mission to Europe--and having heard
the former gentleman preach--and having been made acquainted to
some extent with the characters of both, it affords me pleasure
to say, that I was much pleased with the sermon delivered by
Mr. Hyde; and the reputation of both Gentlemen for talents and
christian-like deportment, so far as I have been made acquainted,
are unexceptionable; and as such, believe them to be entitled to
the respect and kind treatment of all.
(Signed) THOMAS CARLIN, Governor of Illinois.
* * * *
UNITED STATES OF NORTH AMERICA, State of Illinois, } ss:
I, Alexander P. Field, Secretary of State, of the State of
Illinois, one of the United States of North America, and keeper of
the great seal of said State, do hereby certify that Thomas Carlin,
who took and signed the foregoing certificate, is now, and was at
the time of signing the same, Governor of the State aforesaid,
duly elected and qualified to office, with full power by the
laws of this State to issue certificates as aforesaid; that said
certificate is in due form of law, and that full faith and credit
are due his official attestations.
In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand, and the great
seal of State, at the city of Springfield, this twenty-second
day of May, in the year of our Lord, one thousand eight hundred
and forty, and of the independence of the United States, the
sixty-fourth.
(Signed.) A. P. FIELD, Secretary of State."
A SKETCH
OF THE
TRAVELS AND MINISTRY
OF
ELDER ORSON HYDE.
* * * *
LETTER I.
_Trieste, January_ 1, 1842.
DEAR BRETHREN OF THE TWELVE,
As the blushing orb of light from his eastern temple sends forth,
this morning, over Alpine heights, his streaming columns of golden
brightness to greet the earth with a happy new year, welcome its
arrival, and crown it with a celestial radience, I might be justly
charged with ingratitude towards a gracious and merciful Providence,
and a want of generosity and reciprocal kindness towards my brethren,
did I neglect to acknowledge the kind aid and protection which heaven
has granted me in answer to your faith and prayers. Permit me,
therefore, to commence my letter by wishing you all _"a happy new
year;"_ and through you, allow me to extend the same wish to all the
saints, both in England and America; but _particularly to my wife and
dear little children._
I am happy to improve the opportunity, which this hour affords, of
writing to you, and that happiness is increased by a firm conviction,
that a letter from your unworthy brother, in the Lord, will be received
by you with a friendship and cordiality corresponding to that which now
animate my bosom.
Since it has pleased the Lord to grant unto me health and
prosperity--to protect me from the dangers of the climates--from the
plague and pestilence that have carried death and mourning on their
wing, and return me again in safety to a land of civilised life, these
things demand my highest gratitude, as well as demonstrations of praise
and thanksgiving, to His exalted name.
As a member, therefore, of your honourable quorum, bearing, in common
with you, the responsibility under which HEAVEN has laid us, to spread
the word of life among the perishing nations of the earth, allow me to
say, that, on the 21st of October last, "my natural eyes, for the first
time, beheld" Jerusalem; and as I gazed upon it and its environs, the
mountains and hills by which it is surrounded, and considered, that
this is the stage upon which so many scenes of wonders have been acted,
where prophets were stoned, and the Saviour of sinners slain, a storm
of commingled emotions suddenly arose in my breast, the force of which
was only spent in a profuse shower of tears.
I entered the city at the west gate, and called on Mr. Whiting, one
of the American missionaries at that place, to whom I had a letter of
introduction from Monsieur Muratt, our consular agent at Jaffa. Mr. W.
said, that in consequence of the unsettled state of his family, (having
just removed to the house which he then occupied,) he was sorry to
say it would not be convenient for him to invite me to share his
hospitality; but very kindly went with me to the Latin Convent, which
is a sort of hotel or home for strangers, and there engaged for me
my board and lodging at a reasonable compensation, and said that he
would keep a little watch to see that I was well taken care of. This
expression of kindness did not escape my notice.
After I had been there an hour or two, Mr. Sherman, another American
missionary, accompanied by a Mr. Gager, from America, who, I think, was
a licentiate from the Presbyterian or Congregational Church, called on
me, and after some considerable conversation upon the state of affairs
in general, in America, I introduced to them the subject of my mission
to that place; and observed, that I had undertaken to do a good work in
the name of the Lord, and had come there for a righteous purpose, and
wished their co-operation and friendly aid. They assured me that they
should be happy to render me any assistance in their power to do good.
I thanked them for their kindness, and observed, that as I had had
little or no rest since I left Beyrout, I felt worn down with fatigue
and a want of sleep, as well as being almost overcome by the excessive
heat, and that I also wished to arrange some documents which I had,
and then I should be happy to enjoy the privilege of an interview with
them, and with Mr. Whiting at the same time. They said they would
indulge me in my request at almost any time.
I had sent a lengthy communication to the Jews in Constantinople, in
the French language, but had reserved a copy of it in the German. As
this document set forth, clearly and plainly, the object of my mission
there, I translated it into English in order that I might lay the facts
before them in as clear a point of light as possible.
Accordingly, after wearied nature had sufficiently reposed under
sleep's balmy and refreshing shade, I called on Mr. Whiting, according
to previous arrangements, and Messrs. Sherman and Gager soon came
in. After the usual salutations were passed, and all quietly seated,
I expressed to them my gratitude for that opportunity of bearing
testimony to the glorious reality, that the Lord was about to visit his
people, and also my gratitude to HIM whose hand had been stretched out
for my safety and protection, and also to bear me onward to the place
where mercy, with all her celestial charms, was embodied in the person
of his own Son.
I then took the liberty of reading the document containing the object
of my mission there, and were it not for its length I would here insert
it. After it was read, all sat in private meditation until Mr. Gager
interrupted the silence by asking wherein the doctrines of our church
differed from the doctrines of the established orthodox churches. I
replied as follows: "There are so many different kinds of orthodox
doctrines, all differing one from the other, that it might be difficult
to determine which one to be the standard by which ours should be
tried; but, said I, with your permission, I will set forth and explain
to you the principles of our faith, and then you can determine for
yourselves wherein they differ from others." So, beginning at the
Ministration of the Angel of the Lord, I expounded unto them many
things concerning the rise of the church, its organization and
ordinances, and form and order of its government, after which Mr.
Sherman spake as follows:
"Now, we are here trying to do all the good we can, and have been
for some length of time; and what more would you have us do, or what
more can we do?" I replied after the following: "It appears to me,
even allowing your cause to be just and right, that your time is
spent here to little or no purpose; not, however, that I would be
understood as charging you with idleness or inattention; but the strong
and deep-rooted prejudices which reign in the breasts of the people
here against you, that they will not even allow you to educate their
children, when you propose to do it gratuitously, must render your
labours extremely limited; and, further, the genius of your policy does
not admit of your making that exertion which the Saviour of the world
required his servants to make in former days. You receive a salary from
a home institution, and by that institution you are directed to remain
here whether the people will hear you or not; whereas the Saviour
taught his disciples to depart, and shake the dust from their feet,
against that house, city, or people, that would not hear them, and not
spend their labour for that which did not profit."
To this, Mr. Gager replied, "Although the fruits of our labours do not
immediately appear, we ought not to be discouraged. We may labour, and
other men may enter into our labours. The husbandman, after he hath
sowed his seed, waiteth patiently until it hath received the former and
latter rains; and, as the days of miracles are past, we cannot expect
men to act now under the immediate direction of the Saviour as they
then did." I might have here observed, that it would be a great tax
upon the patience of the husbandman, if it did not quite exhaust it, to
sow his seed year after year, and reap no fruits of his labour. But--
I replied, that miracles had truly ceased; but, said I, why have
they ceased? Mr. Gager said, because they were not necessary. I made
answer, that Jesus formerly said to the people, "according to thy faith
be it done unto thee;" and said I, I presume he is of the same mind
still; but the people have no faith in the power of God, therefore no
miraculous favours are shown them; and because the religious world
have lost sight of their high privileges, the horizon of their minds
beclouded, and faith driven from their hearts by the vain and foolish
traditions of uninspired men, the Lord hath sent an holy Angel from
the Temple of Light, bearing to the earth truth's unfaded laurels,
and has boldly asserted the rights and privileges of all who would
seek the face and favour of the MOST HIGH. But against this heavenly
message, streaming from the bosom of a compassionate God, with the
purest love and good-will to a fallen race, and beaming in the face of
men with a celestial radiance, is arranged the cold-hearted prejudices
of an unbelieving world. Well did the Saviour ask this question, "When
the son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?" With this
testimony have I come to Jerusalem; and in the name of my master, who
here bore our sins, in his own body, on the tree, I warn all men, so
far as I have opportunity, to beware how they lift their hands or their
voices against it, for, by the voice of the Lord from Heaven, am I made
a witness of the eternal reality of what I have declared.
Mr. Whiting then asked if we acknowledged any to be christians except
those who embraced our doctrines and joined our church? To this I
replied in the following manner: "We believe there are many in all
the different churches, with many who are externally attached to no
church, who serve the Lord according to the best light and knowledge
they have, and this service is unquestionably acceptable in his sight;
and those who have died in this condition have no doubt gone to receive
the reward of their labours in the mansions of rest. But should He be
pleased to send more light and truth into the world, or revive those
principles of truth, which have been made to yield their sovereignty to
the opinions of men, and they refuse to receive them, or walk in them,
their service would cease to be acceptable to the Lord, and with no
degree of propriety could we acknowledge them true christians; and we
do know, and are sure, that the Lord has caused more light to shine,
and that he will hold none guiltless who refuse to walk in it after the
means of obtaining it are brought to their knowledge and placed within
their reach." These were hard sayings. They observed, that they could
not say that these things were not as I had said; but to them they
appeared incredibly strange.
I then requested that some of them would do me the favour of an
introduction to some of the principal Jews in the place: but this
request was greeted with a number of _hems_, which commonly mean no
more than to allay a little irritation, or tickling in the throat;
but on this occasion, from the peculiarity of their tone and cadence,
I judged they wished to be a little metaphorical, and so used the
term figuratively to mean the following: "We have our scruples about
complying with your request, lest it might detract from our influence
and popularity." They observed that Mr. Johns, the English Consul,
might be the most proper man to grant me the desired favour. I replied,
that I knew as little of Mr. Johns as I did of any Jew in Jerusalem,
but that I would not insist upon my request being granted. Mr. Whiting
then remarked, that he should have no particular objections to do it,
but that it could not be well attended to until a day or two hence.
This reminded me of a circumstance in England, where duty once led
me to call upon a clergyman to do me a little favour, but he said he
could not grant it, because I had not come recommended by any one
with whom he was acquainted. I replied, that I was very sorry to be
so unfortunate on that occasion, as to be recommended by none but my
master, who was the Saviour of the world. The two are not exactly
similar, yet the former reminded me of the latter. I thanked Mr. W.,
however, for his kindness, and our interview closed. The fact is, God
has one system of etiquette, and reciprocity and this sign-seeking
generation has another. The former is hospitality and kindness to the
stranger; but the latter is--be very cautious and particular that
you render him no assistance, neither show him favour unless he come
recommended by our party, or by some others who are honourable and
orthodox, like ourselves. But no man is justifiable in the eye of
humanity, in the eye of the gospel, or in that eye that never sleeps,
in rejecting the reasonable petition of a stranger, though he do
not come clothed with letters from the chief priests, scribes, and
elders of the people; and it is what no gentleman will do, unless his
frankness and liberality have become blasted by the chilling winds of a
sectarian atmosphere.
With what feelings of commingled pity and contempt does every Latter
Day Saint, whose mind has thoroughly canvassed the principles of our
faith, and in whose heart dwells that "unction from the Holy One,"
look upon that want of generosity and frankness, which he is often
compelled to witness, when he knows that in his own bosom, independent
of a boasting spirit, or any desire of vain glory, are jewels of light,
truth, and knowledge, as far superior in lustre to any thing which they
possess, as the purest diamond is to the common pebble of the rivulet!
I concluded, however, that I would try to discharge my duty before God,
without subjecting any one to the humble mortification of giving me
an introduction. For myself, I feel not very jealous of my popularity
where the cause of truth requires me to hazard it, and am not so very
particular. If my name be only recorded in heaven, on the list of the
sanctified, it will abundantly compensate me for the sacrifice which
duty calls me to make of it among men. Let them, therefore, look upon
me as they may, a deceiver or a deceived, a wise man or a fool, I feel
very thankful to the Lord for what mine eyes have seen, mine ears
have heard, and, more than all, for what my soul has experienced; and
it is my constant prayer to an over-ruling Providence, that his free
grace may be amply sufficient to bear me triumphantly through life's
conflicting scenes, that my poor heart may swell the notes of praise
and thanksgiving for ever and ever to HIM who died to save me and wash
me from my sins, in his own most precious blood.
Summoning up, therefore, what little address I had, I procured a
valet d'place, or lackey, and proceeded to the house of Mr. Simons, a
very respectable Jew, who, with some of his family, had lately been
converted and joined the English Church. I entered their dwelling. They
had just sat down to enjoy a dish of coffee; but immediately arose
from the table to meet me. I spake to them in German, and asked them
if they spoke English; they immediately replied "Yes," which was a
very agreeable sound to my ear. They asked me, in German, if I spoke
English. I replied, "Ya, Mein Herr." I then introduced myself to them,
and, with a little apology, it passed off as well as though I had been
introduced by the Pacha. With that glow of warmth and familiarity,
which is a peculiar trait in the German character, they would have
me sit down and take a dish with them; and as I began to relate some
things relative to my mission, the smiles of joy which sat upon their
countenances, bespoke hearts not altogether indifferent. There are two
ministers of the Church of England there. One was confined to his bed
by sickness, and the other, a German, and a Jew by birth, soon came
in. After an introduction, I took the liberty to lay open to him some
of our principles, and gave him a copy of the communication to the
Jews in Constantinople to read. After he had read it, he said that my
motives were undoubtedly very good, but questioned the propriety of my
undertaking, from the fact that I claimed God had sent me. If, indeed,
I had gone to Jerusalem under the direction of some missionary board,
or society, and left God out of the question altogether, I should have
been received as a celestial messenger. How truly did our Saviour
speak, when he said, "I am come in my father's name, and ye receive
me not; but if another were to come in his own name, him ye would
receive." I replied, however, that so far as I could know my own heart,
my motives were most certainly good; yet, said I, no better than the
cause which has brought me here. But he, like all others who worship a
God "without body or parts," said that miracles, visions, and prophecy
had ceased.
The course which the popular clergy pursue at this time in relation to
the Divine economy, looks to me as though they would say; "O Lord! we
will worship thee with all our hearts, serve thee with all our souls
and be very pious and holy. We will even gather Israel, convert the
heathen, and bring in the millennium, if you will only let us alone
that we may do it in our own way, and according to our own will. But
if you speak from heaven to interfere with our plans, or cause any to
see visions or dream dreams or prophecy whereby we are disturbed or
interrupted in our worship, we will exert all our strength and skill
to deny what you say, and charge it home upon the devil or some wild
fantastic spirit, as being its author."
That which was looked upon by the ancient saints, at among the greatest
favours and blessings, viz., Revelation from God and communion with him
by dreams and by visions, is now looked upon by the religious world
as the height of presumption and folly. The ancient saints considered
their condition most deplorable when Jehovah would not speak to them;
but the most orthodox religionists of this age deem it quite heterodox
to even admit the probability that he ever will speak again. O, my
soul! language fails to paint the absurdity and abomination of such
heaven-opposing, and truth-excluding dogmas; and were it possible
for those bright seraphs that surround the throne above, and bask
in the sunbeams of immortality, to weep over the inconsistency and
irrationality of mortals, the earth must be bedewed with celestial
tears. My humble advice to all such is, that they repent and cast far
from them these wicked traditions, and be baptized into the new and
everlasting covenant, lest the Lord speak to them in his wrath, and vex
them in his sore displeasure.
After some considerable conversation upon the priesthood and the
renewal of the covenant, I called upon him to repent and be baptized
for the remission of his sins, that he might receive the gift of
the Holy Ghost. What! said he, _I_ be baptized! Yes, said I, _you_
be baptized. Why, said he, I have been baptized already! I replied
something after the following: "You have, probably, been sprinkled,
but that has no more to do with baptism than any other ordinance of
man's device; and even if you had been immersed, you would not have
bettered your condition, for your priesthood is without power. If,
indeed, the catholic church had power to give you an ordination, and
by that ordination confer the priesthood upon you, they certainly
had power to nullify that act, and take the priesthood from you; and
this power they exercised when you dissented from their communion, by
excluding you from their church. But if the catholic church possessed
not the priesthood, of course your claims to it are as groundless as
the airy phantoms of heathen mythology: so view the question on which
side you may, there is no possible chance of admitting the validity of
your claims to it. Be it known, therefore, that ordinances performed
under the administration of such a priesthood, though they may even be
correct in form, will be found destitute of the seal of that authority
by which heaven will recognise his own in the day when every man's work
shall be tried: though a priesthood may be clothed with the wealth
and honours of a great and powerful nation, and command the respect
and veneration of multitudes whose eyes are blinded by the thick veil
of popular opinion, and whose powers of reflection and deep thought
are confused and lost in the general cry of "great is Diana of the
Ephesians," yet all this does not impart to it the divine sanction,
or animate it with the spirit of life and power from the bosom of the
living God; and there is a period in future time, when, in the smoking
ruins of Babel's pride and glory, it must fall and retire to the shades
of forgetfulness, to the grief and mortification of its unfortunate
votaries.
In consequence of his great volubility, I was under the disagreeable
necessity of tuning my voice to a pretty high key, and of spacing short
between words; determining that neither his greatness nor learning
should shield him from the shafts of a faithful testimony: but there
is more hope of those Jews receiving the fullness of the gospel, whose
minds have never been poisoned by the bane of modern sectarianism,
which closes the mouth of deity, and shuts up in heaven all the angels,
visions, and prophecyings.
Mrs. Whiting told me that there had been four Jewish people in
Jerusalem converted and baptized by the English minister, and four
only; and that a part of the ground for an English church had been
purchased there.
It was by political power and influence that the Jewish nation was
broken down, and her subjects dispersed abroad; and I will here hazard
the opinion, that by political power and influence, they will be
gathered and built up; and, further, that England is destined, in the
wisdom and economy of heaven, to stretch forth the arm of political
power, and advance in the front ranks of this glorious enterprise.
The Lord once raised up a Cyrus to restore the Jews, but that was not
evidence that he owned the religion of the Persians. This opinion I
submit, however, to your superior wisdom to correct, if you shall find
it wrong.
There is an increasing anxiety in Europe for the restoration of that
people; and this anxiety is not confined to the pale of any religious
community, but it has found its way to the courts of kings. Special
ambassadors have been sent, and consuls and consular-agents have been
appointed. The rigorous policy which has hitherto characterised the
course of other nations towards them, now begins to be softened by the
oil of friendship, and modified by the balm of humanity. The sufferings
and privations under which they have groaned for so many centuries,
have at length touched the mainsprings of Gentile power and sympathy;
and may the God of their fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, fan the
flame by celestial breezes, until Israel's banner, sanctified by a
Saviour's blood, shall float on the walls of Old Jerusalem, and the
mountains and valleys of Judea reverberate with their songs of praise
and thanksgiving to the Lamb that was slain!
The imperial consul of Austria, at Galatz, near the mouth of the
Danube, to whom I had a letter of introduction from his cousin in
Vienna, told me, that, in consequence of so many of their Jewish
subjects being inclined of late to remove to Syria and Palestine, his
government had established a general consulate at Beyrout for their
protection. There are many Jews who care nothing about Jerusalem,
and have no regard for God. Their money is all the god they worship;
yet there are many of the most pious and devout among them, who look
towards Jerusalem as the tender and affectionate mother looks upon the
home where she left her lovely little babe.
You will discover by this letter, and more particularly by the one
written from Alexandria, to Elder Pratt in Manchester, England, that,
through the goodness of the Lord, I have been enabled to accomplish
that which was told me prophetically, several years ago, by Brother
Joseph Smith.
Though the blustering snow-storm has thrown the gorgeous folds of his
crimson mantle over the mountain tops, which half encircle us on our
north and east as we lie here in quarantine, yet their sides towards
the base, beautifully terraced and thickly set with vines and olives,
though not in their summer dress, present a widely-extended scene of
rural beauty and loveliness. All the irregularities and deformities of
nature (if, indeed, there are any,) are completely lost in the distant
view, though we gaze through the ship's powerful magnifier; so, when
the eye of imagination surveys the saints far in the west, their faults
and foibles are lost in the distance, (if, indeed, any they have,)
and nothing but their virtues appear, which render the society very
inviting and extremely desirable. The simple unrestrained language of
my heart is--I want to see my brethren, for in their bosoms, I am sure,
is a corresponding echo which,--
Like the harp, when the zephyr is sighing
To the breath of that zephyr, in music replying,
Friendship can tremble with feelings as true.
I have just been upon deck to witness the king of day retiring in his
robes of state to the western portions of his kingdoms, to proclaim
there, in _propria persona_, the advent of 1842, after opening and
lighting up the glory of the new year in the east. As his golden disk
was sinking behind the western rim of the deep blue waters of the
Adriatic, and throwing back, in rich profusion, his soft and glowing
beam upon the clear blue sky, with a radiance and splendour peculiar
to none but him, thought I, oh, that thou couldest take a thought or
good wish from me and bear it on the pathway of one of thy golden beams
to my dear little family, which perhaps at this moment is pouring
his noon-day splendour obliquely upon the home where they dwell. But
another thought succeeded--I will not be a Parsee. There is a Being
whose throne is high, and whose glorious image shines forth in the
mirror of all his works to feast the mental eye and heal the wounded
heart, "His ear is not heavy that he cannot hear, neither is his arm
shortened that he cannot save;" to HIM, therefore, will I send a
thought on the wing of my evening devotion, and breathe an aspiration
that his favour may gladden and cheer the cot where dwell all my
earthly hopes and earthly riches: therefore, tarry not for me thou
glorious orb of light, but speed thy course onward in the circuit of
the heavens, to dye the sheen of other climes, and to roll in the hour
when the dead, small and great, shall stand before God.
Jerusalem at this time contains about twenty thousand inhabitants;
about seven thousand are Jews, and the remainder mostly Turks and
Arabs. It is enclosed by a strong wall from five to ten feet thick. On
those sides which are most accessible, and consequently most exposed
to an attack, the wall is thickest, and well mounted with cannon; it
is from twelve to thirty feet in height. The city is situated at the
south-eastern extremity of an inclined plane, with the valley of Kedron
on the east, and the valleys of Hinnom and Gihon on the south and west,
all converging to a point in the valley of Jehosaphat, south-east of
the city: from the eastern gate of the city to the top of Mount Olivet,
as you pass through the valley of Kedron, is just about one English
mile. On the top of this mount you have a fair view of the Dead Sea and
river Jordan, which are about fifteen miles in the distance. As I stood
upon this almost sacred spot and gazed upon the surrounding scenery,
and contemplated the history of the past in connection with the
prophetic future, I was lost in wonder and admiration, and felt almost
ready to ask myself--Is it a reality that I am here gazing upon this
scene of wonders? or, am I carried away in the fanciful reveries of a
night vision? Is that city which I now look down upon really Jerusalem,
whose sins and iniquities swelled the Saviour's heart with grief, and
drew so many tears from his pitying eye? Is that small enclosure in the
valley of Kedron, where the boughs of those lonely olives are waving
their green foliage so gracefully in the soft and gentle breeze, really
the garden of Gethsemane, where powers infernal poured the flood of
hell's dark gloom around the princely head of the immortal Redeemer?
Oh, yes! The fact that I entered the garden and plucked a branch from
an olive, and now have that branch to look upon, demonstrates that all
was real. There, there is the place where the Son of the Virgin bore
our sins and carried our sorrows--there the angels gazed and shuddered
at the sight, waiting for the order to fly to his rescue; but no such
order was given. The decree had passed in heaven, and could not be
revoked, that he must suffer, that he must bleed, and that he must die.
What bosom so cold, what feelings so languid, or what heart so unmoved
that can withhold the humble tribute of a tear over this forlorn
condition of the Man of Sorrows?
From this place I went to the tombs of the prophets in the valley of
Jehosaphat, and on my way around the city, I entered the pool of Siloam
and freely washed in its soft and healing fountain. I found plenty
of water there for baptizing, besides a surplus quantity sent off in
a limpid stream as a grateful tribute to the thirsty plants of the
gardens in the valley. The pool of Bethsda, which had five porches,
yet remains in the city, but in a dilapidated state, there being
plenty of water to meet the demands of the city of a better quality,
and more convenient--this vast reservoir is consequently neglected.
This pool was unquestionably as free and accessible to all the people
of Jerusalem as the Thames is to the Cockneys, or the Mississippi to
the people of Nauvoo; and from its vast dimensions, it would certainly
contain water enough to immerse all Jerusalem in in a day: so the
argument against the doctrine of immersion, on the ground that there
was not water enough in Jerusalem to immerse three thousand persons in
in one day, is founded in an over anxiety to establish the traditions
of men to the subversion of a gospel ordinance; and it will be borne in
mind also, that the day of Penticost was in the month of May, just at
the close of the rainy season, when all the pools and fountains in and
about the city were flush with water.
What were anciently called Mount Zion and Mount Calvary, are both
within the present walls of the city. We should not call them mountains
in America, or hardly hills; but gentle elevations or rises of land.
The area of what was called Mount Zion, I should not think contained
more than one acre of ground; at least as I stood upon it and
contemplated what the prophets had said of Zion in the last days, and
what should be done in her, I could no more bring my mind to believe
that the magnet of truth in them which guided their words, pointed to
this place, any more than I could believe that a camel can go through
the eye of a needle, or a rich man enter into the kingdom of God.
But on the land of Joseph, far in the west, where the spread eagle
of America floats in the breeze and shadows the land--where those
broad rivers and streams roll the waters of the western world to the
fathomless abyss of the ocean--where those wide-spreading prairies
(fields of the wood) and extensive forests adorn the land with such
an agreeable variety, shall Zion rear her stately temples and stretch
forth the curtains of her habitation. The record of Mormon chimes in
so beautifully with the scriptures to establish this position, that an
honest and faithful examination of the subject is all that is required
to expel every doubt from the heart.
The customs and manners of the people of the east are so similar to
what they were in the days of our Saviour, that almost everything which
the traveller beholds is a standing illustration of some portion of
scripture: for example, I saw two women grinding wheat at a little
hand-mill, consisting of two small stones with a little rude tackling
about it, the whole of which one man might take in his arms and carry
almost any where at pleasure. One would turn the top stone until her
strength was exhausted, and then the other would take her place, and
so alternately keep the little grinder in operation. It appears that
our Lord foresaw the perpetuity of this custom, even to the time of his
second coming; for he said, "Two women shall be grinding at the mill;
one shall be taken and the other left; and for aught I know, these two
I saw were the identical ones. I also saw the people take a kind of
coarse grass and mix it with some kind of earth or peat that had been
wet and reduced to the consistency of common mortar, and then lay it
out in flattened cakes to dry for fuel. I then, for the first time
in my life, saw the propriety of our Saviour's allusion, "If God so
clothe the grass of the field, which to-day is, and tomorrow is cast
into the oven, &c." I might swell this letter to a volume upon these
subjects, but I forbear for the present. One may read of the customs of
the East, but it is not like seeing them. To read of a good dinner may
brighten up a man's ideas about eating, especially if he be a little
hungry; but to sit down at the luxurious board and eat is far more
satisfactory. The two cases are not exactly parallel, yet the latter
serves to illustrate the former.
As I walked about the environs of the town, my spirit struggled within
me in earnest prayer to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, that he
would not only revolutionize this country, but renovate and make it
glorious. My heart would lavish its blessings upon it in the greatest
prodigality in view of what is to come hereafter. After returning to
the city, I found my feet and legs completely coated with dust; for the
whole face of the country was like an ash bed in consequence of the
great length of the dry season. I then thought how very convenient it
must have been for the ancient disciples to fulfil one injunction of
the Saviour, "shake off the dust of your feet."
Syria at present is in a very unsettled state. The Drewzes and
Catholics are fighting almost constantly. They sometimes kill hundreds
and hundreds of a day. In some sections it is not unfrequent that the
traveller meets some dozen or twenty men by the way-side without heads,
in a day. In a letter from Bavaria, I stated that hostilities had
recommenced between the Turks and Egyptians; I took the statement from
a German paper, but it was a mistake. The hostilities were between the
lesser tribes in Syria. The American missionaries at Beyrout and Mount
Lebanon have received official notice through Commodore Porter, our
minister at Constantinople, from the Grand Sultan, that hereafter they
can have no redress by law for any violence, outrage, or cruelty, that
may be practiced upon them by the people; and advises them to leave
the country. This course is approved of by Commodore Porter. I read
the correspondence between him and Mr. Chassan, our consul at Beyrout;
but all is going on in the providence of God. Syria and Palestine must
ferment and ferment, work and work, until they work into the hands of
Abraham's children to whom they rightly belong; and may the God of
their fathers bless the hand that aids their cause.
I must now begin to think of coming to a close. I have nearly three
weeks yet to remain in quarantine. The time seems long; yet I endeavour
not to let it run to waste. When our ship shall have obtained her
prattique, I shall proceed, if the Lord will, directly to Germany over
the Alps, and try to light up a fire there. Will you give me your
prayers that God may bless my exertions, and that I may be enabled to
conduct myself with that dignity and propriety in all things which
become a man of God, and which the purity and virtue of the cause I
advocate, so justly merits; and further, that in my great weakness
celestial strength may appear.
My kind respects to the presidency of the church, and a happy new year
to all absent and enquiring friends.
With the most kind and tender feelings towards you, and with a heart
that will burst with blessings on your heads when your faces I behold,
allow your _unworthy_ brother in Christ to close by the following lines
which he offers you as a farewell token until Providence shall permit
us again to meet:
Where the sun leaves his last golden ray,
Far over the sea's swelling tide,
Will friends, dear and true, for me pray,
That I in the Lord may abide?
Though distance and time do us part,
And scenes new and strange roll between,
Your memory is dear to my heart,
And friendship's bright star gleams the same.
In the west, let its ray pour a light
On the circle of Zion's true sons,
To greet them with joy in the sight
Of Him who has said we are one.
To share in the spoils of my love,
Her daughters, though last, are not least;
For surely, 'twas blest from above
Which graced the end of the feast.
ORSON HYDE.
* * * *
DEAR BROTHER PRATT,
In consequence of the great distance to Nauvoo, and the uncertainty of
this letter reaching our brethren there, should I address it to them,
I have thought proper to address it to you, with this request, that
you will publish it by itself in pamphlet form, as soon as possible,
and send a copy to each one of the twelve, three to the presidency of
the church, and one to my wife. I wrote her a lengthy letter from this
place, and sent it by an American ship bound directly to New York, and
should have sent this along with it if it had been ready. I wish you,
also, to send five copies to my brother, Abijah Hyde, Oxford, Newhaven
County, and State of Connecticut, that he may send one to each of my
other brothers, and one also to each of my sisters, and that I wish
them and their families to consider themselves embraced within the
circle of every good wish expressed in it.