"The Evening and Morning Star."
[Sidenote: Occupation of the Prophet, Summer of 1832.]
As soon as I could arrange my affairs, I recommenced the translation
of the Scriptures, and thus I spent most of the summer. In July, we
received the first number of _The Evening and Morning Star_, which was
a joyous treat to the Saints. Delightful, indeed, was it to contemplate
that the little band of brethren had become so large, and grown so
strong, in so short a time as to be able to issue a paper of their own,
which contained not only some of the revelations, but other information
also,--which would gratify and enlighten the humble inquirer after
truth.
[Sidenote: Opposition of the Press.]
So embittered was the public mind against the truth, that the press
universally had been arrayed against us; and although many newspapers
published the prospectus of our paper, yet it appeared to have been
done more to calumniate the editor, than give publicity to the
forthcoming periodical. Editors thought to do us harm, while the Saints
rejoiced that they could do nothing against the truth but for it.
The following are extracts from _The Evening and Morning Star_,
Independence, Missouri, June, 1832--first number:
To Man.
With the help of God, the first number of _The Evening and
Morning Star_ comes to the world for the objects specified in its
prospectus, which was published last winter. That we should now
recapitulate some of its leading objects, and briefly add a few
remarks, will {274} naturally be expected; and we cheerfully do so,
that this generation may know--
That the _Star_ comes in these last days as the friend of man, to
persuade him to turn to God and live, before the great and terrible
day of the Lord sweeps the earth of its wickedness;
That it comes not only as the messenger of truth, to bring the
revelations and commandments of God which have been, but to publish
those that God gives now, as in the days of old, for He is the same
God yesterday, today, and for ever; * * * *
That it comes as the harbinger of peace and good will to them that
serve the Lord with a determination to have part in the first
resurrection, and finally become Kings and Priests to God the
Father in the celestial kingdom, where God and Christ are, and
where they will be for eternity; * * * * *
That it comes according to the will of God from those who are not
ashamed to take upon them the name of Christ, and walk lowly in the
valley of humiliation, and let the solemnities of eternity rest
upon them: knowing that the great day of the Lord will soon usher
in the Sabbath of creation, for the rest of the Saints, that the
Savior may reign His thousand years of peace upon the earth while
Satan is bound;
That it comes in meekness and mercy to all mankind, that they
may do works meet for repentance and be saved in the first
resurrection, and afterwards dwell with the spirits of just men
made perfect in the celestial kingdom.
That it comes to bring good tidings of great joy to all people,
but more especially to the house of Israel scattered abroad, that
the day of their redemption is near, for the Lord hath set His
hand again the second time to restore them to the lands of their
inheritance;
That it comes to show that the ensign is now set up unto which
all nations shall come, and worship the Lord, the God of Jacob,
acceptably;
That it comes when war, and the plague, or pestilence as it is
called, are sweeping their thousands and tens of thousands to the
grave, to show that the day of tribulation spoken of by our Savior
is nigh at hand, even at the doors;
That it comes to repeat the great caution of Paul: Beware lest any
man spoil you, (the disciples of Christ), through philosophy and
vain deceit, after the traditions of men and the rudiments of the
world.
That it comes to prepare the way of the Lord, that when He comes He
may have a holy people ready to receive Him;
That it comes to show that no man can be too good to be saved, but
that many may be too bad;
{275} That it comes to declare that goodness consists in doing
good, not merely in preaching it;
That it comes to show that all men's religion is vain without
charity;
That it comes to open the way for Zion to rise and put on her
beautiful garments and become the glory of the earth, that her land
may be joined, or married (according to the known translation of
Isaiah) to Jerusalem again, and they be one as they were in the
days of Peleg.
* * * * * * *
Man, being created but little below the angels, only wants to know
for himself, and not by another, that, by obeying the commands of
his Creator, he can rise again after death, in the flesh, and reign
with Christ a thousand years on the earth without sin; be changed
in the twinkling of an eye, and become a King and Priest to God
in eternity--to forsake his sins, and say: Lord, I am thine! The
first words of which we have any account that Jesus Christ spake
concerning the things of eternal life, were, Suffer it to be so
now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he
was baptized: and truly, if it became the Savior of the world, holy
as He was, to be baptized in the meridian of time, to fulfil all
righteousness, how much more necessary it is for man to be baptized
in order to be saved. * * *
As this paper is devoted to the great concerns of eternal things
and the gathering of the Saints, it will leave politics, the
gainsaying of the world, and many other matters, for their proper
channels, endeavoring by all means to set an example before the
world, which, when followed, will lead our fellow-men to the gates
of glory, where the wicked cease from troubling, and where the
weary will find rest. That there may be errors both in us and in
the paper, we readily admit, but we mean to grow better, till, from
little children, we all come into the unity of the faith and of the
knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure
of the stature of the fullness of Christ, which we pray may be the
happy lot of thousands, before He comes with the hundred and forty
and four thousand that are without guile. [1]
To the Church of Christ Abroad in the Earth.
It is the duty of the Church of Christ, in Zion, to stand as
an ensign to all nations, that the Lord has set His hand the
second time to restore the house of Israel to the lands of their
inheritance; and it behoves the members of this Church to manifest
before the world by a godly walk, by a noble example, as well as
by sterling precept; by {276} prudence in living, by plainness in
dress, by industry, by economy, by faith and works, and, above all,
by solemnity, humility and patience, that this is a day of warning
and not a day of many words.
This being the order in Zion, how much more necessary is it, that
the churches of Christ, which have not yet come up to this land
should show the world, by well ordered conduct in all things, that
they are the children of the living God! It is all-important, and
the salvation of many souls depends upon their faultless example.
They will, therefore, knowing that the Lord will suddenly come to
His temple, do their part in preparing the way, by observing the
Sabbath day, and keeping it holy; by teaching their children the
Gospel, and teaching them to pray; by avoiding extremes in all
matters; by shunning every appearance of evil; by studying to be
approved, and doing unto others as they would have others do unto
them; by bearing trouble and persecution patiently, without a
murmur, knowing that Michael, the Arch-angel, when contending with
the devil--he disputed about the body of Moses--durst not bring
against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee.
They will not only set an example worthy of imitation, but they
will let their light so shine that others, seeing their good works
may go and do likewise. Example is the great thing that defies the
world with all its vain glory; by letting their moderation be known
unto all men, both in dress and in living; in words and in deeds;
in watching and in praying; in love and in labor, and in works as
well as in faith, they, [the Saints] preach the world a lecture,
they set the inquirer an example, and teach all Christendom a
lesson, that studied preaching and pulpit eloquence have failed to
accomplish.
Common Schools.
The disciples should lose no time in preparing schools for their
children, that they may be taught as is pleasing unto the Lord,
and brought up in the way of holiness. Those appointed to select
and prepare books for the use of schools, will attend to that
subject as soon as more weighty matters are finished. [2] But the
parents and guardians in the Church of Christ need not wait--it is
all-important that children to become good should be taught [good].
Moses, while delivering the words of the Lord to the congregation
of Israel, that is, to the parents, says, "And these words which I
command thee this day, shall be in thy heart: and thou shalt teach
them diligently unto thy children, and shalt {277} talk of them
when thou sittest in thy house, and when thou walkest by the way,
and when thou liest down and when thou risest up. And thou shalt
bind them for a sign upon thy hand, and they shall be as frontlets
between thine eyes." If it were necessary them to teach their
children diligently, how much more necessary is it now, when the
Church of Christ is to be an ensign, yea, even an ensample to the
world, for good? A word to the wise ought to be sufficient, for
children soon become men and women. Yes, they are they that must
follow us, and perform the duties which not only appertain to this
world, but to the second coming of the Savior, even preparing for
the Sabbath of creation, and for eternity.
The "Star" Office.
The _Star_ office is situated within twelve miles of the west line
of the state of Missouri; which at present is the western limits
of the United States, and about 120 miles west of any press in the
state, in about 39 degrees of north latitude, and about 17 1/2
degrees of west longitude, 2 1/2 miles south of Missouri river; 280
miles by land, or 500 by water, west of St. Louis; nearly 1,200
miles west of Washington; 1,300 miles from New York, and more than
1,500 miles from Boston.
[Sidenote: Second No. of the _Star_.]
In August we were again delighted to receive the _Star_. The following
is extracted from the second [July] number:
The Elders in the Land of Zion, to the Church of Christ Scattered
Abroad.
Brethren, we think it proper to give you some general information
respecting the present state of the Church in Zion, and also the
work of the gathering. Notwithstanding that nearly all Christendom
doubt the propriety of receiving revelations for the government
of the Church of Christ in this age, and generally adopt the
Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments as the only rule of faith
and practice, yet we believe, from the Scriptures of truth, that to
every church in past ages, which the Lord recognized to be His, He
gave revelations, wisely calculated to govern them in the peculiar
situation and circumstances under which they were placed, and to
enable them by authority to do the peculiar work which they were to
perform. The Bible contains revelations given at different times to
different people, under different circumstances, as will be seen
by editorial articles in this paper. The old world was destroyed
for rejecting the revelations of God given to {278} them through
Noah. The Israelites were destroyed in the wilderness for despising
the revelations given to them through Moses; and Christ said that
the world, in the days of the Apostles, would be condemned for
not receiving the word of God through them: Thus we see that the
judgments of God in the past ages have come upon the people, not
so much for neglecting the revelations given to their forefathers,
as for rejecting those given immediately to themselves. Of the
blessings of heaven it may be said, that they always rested upon
the heads of those to whom they were promised. Therefore, seeing
that it not only was, but, as long as God remains the same, always
will be, the privilege of the true Church to receive revelations,
containing blessings and cursings, peculiarly adapted to itself
as a Church, we conclude that it is a mistaken notion that the
Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are the only rule of faith
and practice; nevertheless, inasmuch as the precepts and examples
contained in them are truly applicable to us under our particular
circumstances, we are bound to be governed by them; and we also
can receive much benefit from such prophecies as point out the
events that shall take place in our day and age. Of these there are
many, both in the Old and the New Testaments. They speak plainly
of great things that shall be accomplished in the last days;--such
as preaching the everlasting Gospel to all nations; the gathering
of the elect from the four winds of heaven; the building up of
Zion and Jerusalem, or the ingathering of the remnants of Jacob,
and the planting them in the lands of their fathers' inheritance;
the necessary preparation to meet the Savior at His second coming,
with all the Saints, to dwell with them in the millennial reign.
And now, who, with the Bible in his hand, can suppose that these
great and marvelous works can be accomplished by the Church
without more revelations from the Lord? We cannot, for we worship
the God of Israel, in whom is neither variableness nor shadow of
turning;--consequently as in days of old, so in these last days, He
has given us revelations by which we may know how to organize the
Church of Christ, and by His authority to perform the work which He
has enjoined upon us. And now brethren, if we wish for blessings
upon this Church, we must walk humbly before the Lord, and observe
to keep all His commandments. Notwithstanding the work of the
gathering will be accomplished, we believe in a speedy manner, yet
the Lord has commanded that it shall not be done in haste, nor by
flight, but that all things shall be prepared before you; and for
this purpose He has made it the duty of the Bishop or agent in the
land of Zion to make known, from time to time, the privileges of
the land to the conferences, which may determine and make known
how many can be accommodated. And the Saints will remember that
the Bishop in the land of Zion will not receive any, as wise
stewards, {279} without they bring a recommend from the Bishop in
Ohio, or from three Elders. The Elders therefore, will be careful
not to recommend and send up churches to this place, without first
receiving information from the Bishop in Ohio, or in the land of
Zion, that they can be accommodated when they arrive, so as to
be settled without confusion, which would produce pestilence.
Therefore, if a church is desirous to come to the land of Zion,
we would recommend that first, by letter or otherwise, they make
known their desires and their situation to the Bishop in Ohio, or
in the land of Zion, and receive information from them before they
start. Brethren will perceive as well as we, that where churches of
fifty or a hundred souls each, are coming to the land of Zion, from
different parts of the nation, and, as soon will be the case, from
different nations, without a knowledge of each other, they would,
when they arrive, be in a state of confusion, and labor under many
disadvantages which might be avoided by strictly observing the
rules and regulations of the Church. Moreover by being in haste,
and forcing the sale of property, unreasonable sacrifices have been
made, and although this is a day of sacrifice and tithing, yet to
make lavish and unreasonable sacrifices is not well pleasing in the
sight of the Lord.
It is about one year since the work of the gathering commenced,
in which time between three and four hundred have arrived here,
and are mostly located upon their inheritances, and are generally
in good health and spirits and are doing well. The expense of
journeying and settling here, together with the establishment of a
printing office and store, have probably exceeded the expectations
of our brethren abroad, and although Zion, according to the
Prophets, is to become like Eden, or the garden of the Lord, yet,
at present it is as it were but a wilderness and desert, and the
disadvantages of settling in a new country, you know, are many and
great. Therefore, prudence would dictate the churches abroad, at
present, not to come up to Zion, until preparations can be made
for them, and they receive information as above. The prospect for
crops in this region of country is, at present, tolerably good, but
calls for provisions will undoubtedly be considerable, for besides
the emigration of the whites, the government of the United States
is settling the Indians (or remnants of Joseph), immediately to the
west, and they must be fed.
Brethren, we drop the above remarks for your benefit, until you
can have the revelations to peruse for yourselves, which will be
published as soon as they consistently can be. Although the Lord
has said, that it is His business to provide for His Saints in
these last days, yet remember He is not bound so to do, unless we
observe His sayings and keep them.
{280} To the Elders of the Church of Christ, Who Preach Good
Tidings to the World.
Brethren, as stars of the ensign which is now set up for the
benefit of all nations, you are to enlighten the world, you are
to prepare the way for the people to come up to Zion; you are to
instruct men how to receive the fullness of the Gospel, and the
everlasting covenants, even them that were from the beginning; you
are to carry the ark of safety before the wondering multitudes,
without fear, entreating and beseeching all men to be saved; you
are to set an example of meekness and humility before Saints and
sinners, as did the Savior; and when reviled you are not to revile
again; you are to reason with men, as in days of old to bear
patiently and answer as the spirit of truth shall direct, allowing
all credit for every item of good. You are to walk in the valley of
humility, and pray for the salvation of all; yes, you are to pray
for your enemies; and warn in compassion without threatening the
wicked with judgments which are to be poured out upon the world
hereafter. You have no right to take the judgments, which fell upon
the ungodly before the flood, and pour them upon the head of this
generation; you have no authority to use the judgments which God
sent upon Pharaoh in Egypt, to terrify the inhabitants of America,
neither have you any direction by commandment, to collect the
calamities of six thousand years and paint them upon the curtain
of these last days to scare mankind to repentance; no, you are to
preach the Gospel, which is the power of God unto salvation, even
glad tidings of great joy unto all people.
Again, you are not to take the blessings of an individual, or of
a church, from the days of Enoch to the days of the Apostles, and
place them upon an individual or a church in these last days;
but you are to teach all men that they shall be judged according
to their works. For, if God is the same yesterday, today, and
for ever, His reward is always with Him; and His revelations and
blessings and judgments, before the flood, were fitted for that
people and that time, in the days of Abraham, for that man and that
time; in the days of Moses, for that man and that time; in the days
of David, for that man and that time; in the days of Paul, for that
man and that time; and now, for this generation and this time.
You therefore, must reason from the Bible and the Book of Mormon,
with great care and not pervert the meaning of God's sacred word.
If our Heavenly Father saw fit to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah for
their wickedness, Nineveh for its abomination, and Jerusalem for a
transgression of His commandments, what have their destruction to
do with the salvation of the world now? The Lord says, Vengeance
is mine, and I will repay. Teach all men to trust in God and not
in man, and do works meet for repentance. Again, {281} teach all
men that God is a God of the living and not of the dead. Finally,
whatever you do, do it with an eye single to the glory of God. You
are the light of the world in matters of pure religion, and many
souls may be required at your hands. Let the idea not leave you,
that not only the eyes of the world, but the eyes of the angels and
of God are upon you.
Foreign News.
It is a day of strange appearances. Everything indicates something
more than meets the eye. Every nation is opening events which
astonish mankind. Even the heart of man begins to melt at the
prospect before him. The unquenchable thirst for news; the
continuity of emigration, the wars and rumors of wars, with many
other signs of the distress of nations, from the old world--as
the land is called across the ocean--whisper so loud to the
understanding, that he who runs may read the label on the eastern
sky--The end is nigh. France is filled with a spirit of rebellion,
and when the cholera was sweeping its thousands mobs were
collecting to slay their tens of thousands. While the hospitals
were crowded with the sick, and the groans of the dying filled
the air, the fashionable French were holding cholera balls and
dancing at the judgments of the Almighty. In England, where an
anxious multitude have been waiting for reformation in government
for years, disappointment is destruction. The house of lords has
rejected the Reform Bill, and the proud-hearted Englishman says:
Reform or Revolution! No stop there; for the sound comes across
the Atlantic: Reform or ruin! All the kingdoms of the east seem
to be preparing to act the part allotted to them, when the Lord
rebukes the nations. As on a morning of some great festival, the
church bell, the cannon, the small arms, the music, and the cheers
of the multitude, arouse all to what is going on, and thunder to
man: Behold the day! So also earthquakes, wars and rumors of wars,
the distress of nations, the constant tide of emigration to the
west, the wide spreading ravages of the cholera, and the joy of the
Saints of God as they come out of Babylon, alarm the world, and
whisper to every mortal: Watch ye, for the time is at hand for the
second coming of Jesus Christ, the Redeemer of Israel, with peace
on earth and good will to man. Watch the signs of His coming, that
ye be not deceived.
Items for the Public.
In connection with the _Star_, we publish a weekly paper, entitled
the _Upper Missouri Advertiser_. It will contain sketches of the
news of the day, politics, advertisements, and whatever tends to
promote the interest of the great west.
{282} The August number of the _Star_, [no. 3] contained the following:
The Cholera.
This desolating sickness is spreading steadily over the United
States. The account of its ravages in many places, we cannot give.
The whole number of cases in New York, to July 31st, is 3,731.
Deaths, 1,520.
No man can stop the work of the Lord, for God rules the pestilence,
and the pestilence rules men. Forts, sentinels, and oceans may
hinder men, or money may bribe, but when the pestilence rides on
the wings of the wind, the sentinel has no power; the fort is no
obstacle, the ocean is no barrier; and money has no value; the
destroying angel goes waving the banner of death over all; and who
shall escape his pointed arrow? Not he that could brave death at
the cannon's mouth, but shrinks at the sound of the cholera; not he
that worshiped his God in some stately chapel, every Sabbath till
the cholera comes, and then flees for his life; no, none but he
that trusts in God, shall be able to stand when a thousand shall
fall at his side, and ten thousand at his right hand by the noisome
pestilence.
To the Honorable Men of the World.
To the honorable searchers for truth: we, in a spirit of candor
and meekness are bound by every tie that makes man the friend of
man, by every endowment of heaven, that renders intelligent beings
seekers of happiness to show you the way to salvation. In fact, we
are not only bound to do thus for those that seek the riches of
eternity, but, to walk in the tracks of our Savior, we must love
our enemies; bless them that curse us; do good to them that hate
us, and pray for them that despitefully use us, and persecute us,
or else you and the world may know that we are not the children of
God. Therefore to be obedient to the precepts of our divine Master,
we say unto you--Search the Scriptures--search the revelations
which we publish, and ask your Heavenly Father, in the name of
His Son Jesus Christ, to manifest the truth unto you, and if you
do it with an eye single to His glory, nothing doubting, He will
answer you by the power of His Holy Spirit. You will then know for
yourselves and not for another. You will not then be dependent
on man for the knowledge of God; nor will there be any room for
speculation. No; for when men receive their instruction from Him
that made them, they know how he will save them. Then again we say:
Search the Scriptures, search the Prophets, and learn what portion
of them belongs to you and the people of the nineteenth century.
You, no doubt, will agree with us, and say, that you have no right
to claim the promises of the inhabitants before the flood; that you
cannot found your hopes of salvation upon the {283} obedience of
the children of Israel when journeying in the wilderness; nor can
you expect that the blessings which the Apostles pronounced upon
the churches of Christ, eighteen hundred years ago, were intended
for you. Again, if others' blessings are not your blessings,
others' curses are not your curses; you stand then in these last
days, as all have stood before you, agents unto yourselves, to be
judged according to your works.
Every man lives for himself. Adam was made to open the ways of the
world, and for dressing the garden. Noah was born to save seed of
everything, when the earth was washed of its wickedness by the
flood; and the Son of God came into the world to redeem it from the
fall. But except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of
God. This eternal truth settles the question of all men's religion.
A man may be saved, after the judgment, in the terrestrial kingdom,
or in the telestial kingdom, but he can never see the celestial
kingdom of God without being born of the water and the Spirit. He
may receive a glory like unto the moon [i. e. of which the light
of the moon is typical], or a star [i. e. of which the light of
the stars is typical], but he can never come unto Mount Zion, and
unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an
innumerable company of angels; to the general assembly and Church
of the First-born, which are written in heaven, and to God the
judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, and to
Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, unless he becomes as a
little child, and is taught by the Spirit of God. Wherefore, we
again say, search the revelations of God: study the prophecies,
and rejoice that God grants unto the world Seers and Prophets.
They are they who saw the mysteries of godliness; they saw the
flood before it came; they saw angels ascending and descending
upon a ladder that reached from earth to heaven: they saw the
stone cut out of the mountain, which filled the whole earth; they
saw the Son of God come from the regions of bliss and dwell with
men on earth; they saw the deliverer come out of Zion, and turn
away ungodliness from Jacob; they saw the glory of the Lord when
He showed the transfiguration of the earth on the mount; they saw
every mountain laid low and every valley exalted when the Lord was
taking vengeance upon the wicked; they saw truth spring out of the
earth, and righteousness look down from heaven in the last days,
before the Lord came the second time to gather His elect; they saw
the end of wickedness on earth, and the Sabbath of creation crowned
with peace; they saw the end of the glorious thousand years, when
Satan was loosed for a little season; they saw the day of judgment
when all men received according to their works, and they saw the
heaven and earth flee away to make room for the city of God, when
the righteous receive an {284} inheritance in eternity. And, fellow
sojourners upon earth, it is your privilege to purify yourselves
and come up to the same glory, and see for yourselves, and know
for yourselves. Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall
find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.
Footnotes
1. The salutatory address was signed by W. W. Phelps.
2. This is in plain allusion to the revelation on page 185 where W.
W. Phelps and Oliver Cowdery are appointed a committee to prepare
books for schools in the Church, that little children might receive
instruction, which is pleasing before the Lord. That revelation and the
above article from the _Star_ of June, 1832, plainly foreshadow the
great interest the Church would take in education.
{285}