MORMON SUPERSTITION.
A certain Joseph Smith, Jr., pretended, a few years ago, to have been
directed by the Spirit of God to dig, in a hill, in the township of
Manchester, Ontario county, New York, for a set of golden plates which
were there concealed, and upon which were inscribed sacred records by
the hands of Mormon. He obeyed the direction and found the plates. The
inscriptions upon them were in an unknown tongue. But, by the special
power of the Spirit, Smith was enabled to translate them. A volume
containing these writings was soon after published, constituting, in
the whole, fifteen books, purporting to have been written at different
times, and by the different authors whose names they respectively bear.
In these writings there seems to be a bungling attempt to imitate the
style of the sacred Scriptures. But the attempt is manifestly
unsuccessful. Nearly two thirds of the paragraphs are introduced with
the phrase, "And it came to pass." In endeavoring to preserve the
solemn style of the Scriptures, there is great disregard of grammatical
propriety. We read, "The Lord _sayeth_ unto me, and I _sayeth_ unto the
Lord." Perhaps a few extracts, selected at chance, will give the reader
a more correct idea of the general style of the book than any remarks
we might offer.
"And it came to pass that when they had _arriven_ in the borders of the
land of the Lamanites."
"And it came to pass that I Nephi did make _bellowses_ wherewith to
blow the fire."
"And it came to pass that Limhi and many of his people _was_ desirous
to be baptized."
The Mormon preachers claim for themselves and the members of their
church the power of working miracles, and of speaking with new tongues.
They jabber with some strange sounds, and call this the speaking with
tongues. They assert it as a fact, that among them the dead have been
raised, and the sick healed, as in the days of Christ and his apostles.
From these _facts_, as they call them, they draw the conclusion that
_they_ are the members of the true church of Christ. The doctrine
increases among men; and well it may, for there are circumstances in
the condition and views of those who embrace it which are calculated to
secure its success. In a large portion of the community there is a
great degree of ignorance in regard to the geography of the sacred
Scriptures, the manners and customs of the Jews, and the natural
history of the Bible. There are many who read their Bibles daily, and
with true devotional feelings, it may be, who have no idea that the
places mentioned in sacred history, like those mentioned in any other
history, can be traced on the map, can be found and visited at the
present day, although disguised under modern names. It makes no part of
their study of the Bible to ascertain where the places mentioned are to
be found, and what they are now called. They have no idea that the
allusions to manners and customs, found in the Bible, can be
understood, through an acquaintance with the practices and habits of
the people described; and, consequently, the study of Jewish manners
and customs makes no part of their preparation for understanding the
Scriptures. They have no idea that the allusion in Scripture to facts
in natural history can be verified by an acquaintance with that
science, and therefore they make no exertions to understand the natural
history of the Bible. They do not take up the Bible and read it with
the expectation of being able to understand it, in regard to these
particulars, as they would understand any other book. All such are
prepared, by their ignorance on these subjects, to become the dupes of
the Mormon delusion; or, at least, they are not prepared to withstand
this delusion. They open the Book of Mormon, claiming to be a kind of
appendix to the Bible. The paragraphs begin with the phrase, "And
behold it came to pass." They read of the cities of Zarahemla, Gid,
Mulek, Corianton, and a multitude of others. They read of prophets and
preachers, of faith, repentance, and obedience; and having been
accustomed, in reading the Scriptures, to take all such things just as
they are presented, without careful examination, they can see no reason
why all this is not as much entitled to belief as are the records of
the Old and New Testaments. But if, on the contrary, they were
acquainted with the geography and the natural history of the Bible, and
with the manners and customs of the nations there mentioned, and
especially if, in their reading of the Scriptures, they were accustomed
to examine carefully into these points, they would at once perceive the
utter impossibility of identifying the cities mentioned in the Book of
Mormon with any geographical traces which they can now make. They would
thus perceive the deception, and be put on their guard. And then, too,
upon further examination, they would discover that the manners and
customs of the people, the sentiments and disputes, are not such as
belong to the period of the world in which the people are represented
to have lived; that they take their coloring from modern customs, from
modern opinions and controversies; and, upon these discoveries, they
would be led to reject the whole as a fabrication.
Many are deceived in consequence of the fluency of the preachers in
warning sinners. They pray with fervor; the people are affected; and
the Spirit of God is declared to be present, owning and blessing the
work. But there is deception here. It is but a few years since the
Cochrane delusion, as it is called, prevailed in and around the village
of Saco, Maine. What gave that delusion so much success? It was because
Cochrane spoke with great fluency, warned sinners with great
earnestness, and poured forth his prayers with zealous fervor. The
people became affected; many were in tears; many sobbed aloud, cried
for mercy, and some became prostrate on the floor. "Surely," it was
remarked, "the doctrines advanced by Cochrane must be true, the
preaching of them being so signally owned and blessed of God." In this
way, men of sound judgment in other respects are carried away by false
views and appearances, and become the dupes of the most extravagant
sentiments and delusions. They become "zealously affected," but it is
not, as the apostle says, "in a good thing." A correct knowledge of the
sacred Scriptures, and of proper principles in regard to the study of
the Bible, with sound and rational views of the nature of religion, and
of the influences of the Holy Spirit, will serve to correct all such
tendencies to error and deception.
From the best account that has been published respecting the _origin_
of the Mormon Bible, it appears that it was written by an individual
named Solomon Spaulding, some twenty-five years ago; but without the
least intention, on the part of the author, of framing a system of
delusion for his fellow-men. This Spaulding was a native of Ashford, in
Connecticut, where he was distinguished, at an early age, for his
devotion to study, and for the superiority of his success over that of
his schoolmates. He received an academic education, and commenced the
study of law at Windham; but his mind inclining to religious subjects,
he abandoned the law, went to Dartmouth College, prepared himself for
the ministry, and was regularly ordained. For some reasons unknown he
soon abandoned that profession, and established himself as a merchant
at Cherry Valley, New York. Failing in trade, he removed to Conneaut,
in Ohio, where he built a forge; but again failed, and was reduced to
great poverty. While in this condition, he endeavored to turn his
education to account, by writing a book, the sale of which he hoped
would enable him to pay his debts and support his family. The subject
selected by him was one well suited to his religious education. It was
an historical novel, containing an account of the aborigines of
America, who were supposed by some to have descended from the ten
tribes of Israel. The work was entitled the "Manuscript Found," and the
history commenced with one Lehi, who lived in the reign of Zedekiah,
king of Judea, six hundred years before the Christian era. Lehi, being
warned of Heaven of the dreadful calamities that were impending over
Jerusalem, abandoned his possessions, and fled with his family to the
wilderness. After wandering for some time, they arrived at the Red Sea,
and embarked on board a vessel. In this, after floating about for a
long time, they reached America, and landed at the Isthmus of Darien.
From the different branches of this family were made to spring all the
Indian nations of this continent. From time to time they rose to high
degrees of civilization and refinement; but desolating wars among
themselves scattered and degraded them. The Manuscript was written in
the style of the Bible, the old English style of James the First. When
the work was ready for the press, Spaulding endeavored to obtain the
pecuniary assistance necessary for its publication, but his affairs
were in so low a condition that he could not succeed. He then removed
to Pittsburg, and afterwards to Amity, in Pennsylvania, where he died.
By some means or other, the Manuscript fell into the hands of Joseph
Smith, Jr., who afterwards published it under the name of the "Golden
Bible." Smith was the son of very poor and superstitious parents, and
was for a long time engaged in digging for Kidd's money, and other
feats of like description. Possessing considerable shrewdness, he
became somewhat skilled in feats of necromancy and juggling. He had the
address to collect about him a gang of idle and credulous young men,
whom he employed in digging for hidden treasures. It is pretended that,
in one of the excavations they made, the mysterious plates from which
the Golden Bible was copied were found. Such, briefly is the origin of
the Mormon faith--a humbug to which not a few, otherwise sensible men,
have pinned their hopes of happiness here and hereafter.
After the death of Joseph Smith, and shortly before the Mormons were
driven out from Illinois, many of the disciples of the great impostor
seceded and refused to acknowledge the leadership of the knowing twelve
who became his successors. Among them were a very pious Mormon named
McGhee Vanduzen, and his wife Maria. They soon gave to the world an
exposition of the shameful manoeuvres attendant upon Mormonism as a
religion; of the absurd and indecent ceremonies which the unprincipled
leaders of that wicked imposture enforced upon their infatuated
disciples. Smith, and his associate leaders at Nauvoo, evidently
established these ceremonies for the base purpose of enticing the more
beautiful females among his disciples to their ruin and disgrace. The
shameful character of the mysteries developed could lead to no other
conclusion.
Says the Boston Traveller, of April 21, 1852, "The rapid spread of
Mormonism is one of the mysteries of the age. A more barefaced
delusion, except that of the spiritual rappings, was never imposed on
the all-swallowing credulity of mankind. Yet it has gained adherents by
thousands in Europe as well as in the United States."