CONCLUDING SKETCH IN RELATION TO MORMONISM.
The following letter is the last in the series, originally written for the
columns of the Episcopal Recorder.
Although I have occupied your attention so long with the history of the
origin and rise of Mormonism, I have a few words more to add before closing
the subject. Several facts which have come to my knowledge, since
commencing these sketches, lead me to apprehend, that the developments we
have been attempting to make are not ill-timed. Is there any one who would
have formed so low an estimate of the Christian intelligence of this land,
as to have concluded _a priori_ that a deception so barefaced, and, withal,
so ridiculous, as the pretended disinterment of the Mormon Bible from one
of the hills of Western New York, and _this_--set on foot by an illiterate
vagrant hanging on the skirts of society, and of exceedingly doubtful moral
character, and backed by the pecuniary means of a man of the most credulous
and superstitious cast of character, whose sanity of mind was greatly
questioned by all his acquaintance, should have gained in a period of ten
years such dominion over human belief, as to be received as the undoubted
truth of God by more than sixty thousand persons. We are surprised to hear
of the success of this imposture in the Great Valley of the West, although
there is material there for almost every erratic conception of the human
mind to act upon. But what shall we say of the success of Mormonism in the
Atlantic states,--gathering its converts from orthodox and evangelical
churches? Will it not fill intelligent Christians with surprise to learn
that the Mormons are establishing themselves not only in many parts of New
England, but that they are spreading through Pennsylvania, and that they
already have two churches formed in Philadelphia, and that a portion of the
members of these churches, have been regular communicants in the Methodist
and Presbyterian Churches? Such, however, is the fact. And we shall not be
greatly surprised, if this "mystery of iniquity" continues to work, and
that those who have dared to "_add to the words_" of God's finished
revelation, shall receive the threatened curse. We shall not be surprised
if "God shall send upon such, strong delusion, that they should believe a
lie," and that they "wax worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived."
One thing however is distinctly to be noted in the history of this
imposture. There are no Mormons in Manchester, or Palmyra, the place where
this Book of Mormon was pretended to be found. You might as well go down
into the Crater of Vesuvius and attempt to build an ice house amid its
molten and boiling lava, as to convince any inhabitant in either of these
towns, that Jo Smith's pretensions are not the most gross and egregious
falsehood. It was indeed a wise stroke of policy, for those who got up this
imposture, and who calculated to make their fortune by it, to emigrate to a
place where they were wholly unknown. As soon as they had arranged their
apparatus for deceiving weak, and unstable souls--as soon as the Book of
Mormon was printed and their plans formed, the actors in this scene went
off _en masse_ to a part of the country where their former character and
standing were unknown, and where their claim to divine inspiration could be
set up with a little more show of plausibility than it could have been any
where in the state of New York. Mormonism had to grow a number of years in
a western soil, and there acquire a sort of rank and luxuriant growth,
before it could be transplanted with any success to a point near its
birth-place. And even now it keeps very much in the background its grand
pecularities. The Mormon preachers, I am told, in this region, generally
dwell upon the common topics of Christianity, rather than upon the
peculiarities of their system. The object of this is manifest. They wish to
strengthen themselves by a large accession of converts, before they stand
on the peculiarities of their system. But all Christians should beware of
their devices. Their whole system is built upon imposture. They believe
Joseph Smith to be a prophet of God, when there is not a man in our
Penitentiary, that might not with just as much plausibility lay claim to
that character. They believe the BOOK OF MORMON to be a divine revelation,
when it can be proved, that the whole ground-work of it was written by Mr.
Spalding as a Religious and Historical Romance. They believe that they have
the power among them to work miracles, when even "Satan with all" his
"power and signs and lying wonders," and with all his deceivableness, has
not been able to sustain their claim to in a single instance.
Martin Harris, after he went to Kirtland, Ohio, where, as we have seen, the
first Mormon settlement was formed, used occasionally to return to
Palmyra. As one of the three witnesses, he claimed divine inspiration, and
is, I believe, to the present day regarded by the Mormons, as one of the
greatest and best among "_the latter-day saints_." In these visits to the
place of his former residence he not only endeavoured to proselyte his old
acquaintances to his new faith, but used sometimes to edify them with very
solemn prophecies of future events. I was informed by Judge S---- of
Palmyra, that he came to his office so much and uttered his prophecies so
frequently that he at length told him, that he would not consent to his
uttering his predictions any more orally, but that he must write them down
and subscribe his name to them, or else seek some other place for the
exercise of his prophetic gift. Harris instantly wrote down two
predictions, attaching his signature to each.
The one was a declaration that Palmyra would be destroyed, and left utterly
without inhabitants, before the year 1836. The other prediction was that
before 1838 the Mormon faith would so extensively prevail, that it would
modify our national government, and there would at that period be no longer
any occupant of the presidential chair of the United States. To these
predictions he subjoined the declaration that if they were not literally
fulfiled, any one might have full permission to cut off his head and roll
it around the streets as a foot-ball. Bear in mind that this was one of the
pretended chosen witnesses of God, to testify to the truth of the Book of
Mormon. I need not say that both these prophecies in their entire failure
of fulfilment, convicted him of falsehood, and show how little is the value
of his testimony.
Another fact worthy of note in this connection is, that as Harris, Smith,
Rigdon, &c., all expected to make their fortune out of this scheme. The
banking enterprise in which they engaged, as we have seen, liked to have
proved a ruinous operation to them all. Ultimately this speculation
contributed to sever Harris from Smith and Rigdon, who went farther west,
and commenced operations in Missouri. Harris, in one of his late visits to
Palmyra, remarked to a friend of mine, that Jo Smith had now become a
complete wretch, and that he had no confidence either in him or Rigdon.
Recollect that this is the testimony of one of the three chosen witnesses
by which the truth of the Book of Mormon is to be established.
One fact more. You recollect that it was mentioned in a former No. of these
sketches, that Martin Harris' wife could not be induced to come over to the
Mormon faith. He consequently abandoned her, visiting her only once or
twice a year. She at length declined in health, and was evidently sinking
down to the grave. A gentleman of undoubted veracity in Palmyra told me
that a few days before her death, Harris returned, and on one occasion
while sitting in the room with her, appeared to be very much occupied in
writing. She inquired what he was writing? He replied that he was writing a
letter to a female to whom he was going to be married when she was dead!
And according to his words he was married to her in a very few weeks after
his wife's death. What are we to think of Mormonism, when we remember that
a man of such feelings and such morality was one of the chosen witnesses to
attest its truth.
I have already said, that the Mormons in this region cautiously keep out of
sight the peculiarities of their system, and principally dwell upon the
common topics of Christian faith and practice. One proof of this is, the
very few copies of the Book of Mormon, that are found among them. I am told
that among all the members of the two Churches established in Philadelphia,
there are not more than twenty copies of the Book of Mormon. This book I
suppose is only for the initiated--for those whose faith is well
established.
Another fact in proof of the foregoing position is the effort they use to
drop the name of Mormons, and to assume the more taking one of "Latter day
Saints"--and when called upon to state their creed, instead of declaring
boldly that Joseph Smith is the prophet of God, and that the Book of Mormon
is his word, they rather dwell upon those points of faith which all
Christians hold in common.
In illustration of this last remark, I will here insert a written statement
given by Joseph Young, of Kirtland, Ohio, an elder of the Mormon Church,
while on a visit to Boston to establish his faith in that city.
"The principal articles of the Latter-day Saints, vulgarly called
_Mormons_, are
"1. A belief in one true and living God, the creator of the heavens and the
earth, and in his Son Jesus Christ, who came into this world 1800 years
since, at Jerusalem; was slain, rose from the dead, ascended on high, and
now sits on the right hand of the Majesty in the heavens; that through the
atonement thus wrought out, all men may come to God and find acceptance;
all of which they believe is revealed in the holy Scriptures.
"2. That God requires all men, wherever his gospel is proclaimed, or his
law known, to repent of all sins, forsake evil, and follow righteousness;
that his word also requires men to be baptized, as well as to repent; and
that the direct way pointed out by the Scriptures for baptism, is
immersion. After which, the individual has the promise of the gift of the
Holy Spirit; that this divine communication is absolutely promised unto all
men, upon whom "the Lord our God shall call," if they are obedient unto his
commandments. This gift of the Holy Spirit, was anciently bestowed by the
laying on the apostle's hands: so this church believes that those who have
authority to administer in the ordinances of the gospel, have this right
and authority, through prayer; and without this authority, and this gift,
the church is not _now_ what it _anciently_ was; consequently, cannot be
recognised as the true Church of Christ.
"3. That God will, in the last days, gather the literal descendants of
Jacob to the lands, anciently possessed by their fathers; that he will lead
them as at the first, and build them as at the beginning. That he will
cause his arm to be made bare in their behalf; his glory to attend them by
night and by day. That this is necessary to the fulfilment of his word,
when his knowledge is to cover the earth as the waters cover the seas. And
that, as men anciently saw visions, dreamed dreams, held communion with
angels, and converse with the heavens, so it will be in the last days to
prepare the way for all nations, languages and tongues, to serve him in
truth.
"4. That the time will come when the Lord Jesus will descend from heaven,
accompanied with ten thousand of his saints; that a mighty angel will lay
hold on the dragon, bind him, cast him into the pit, where he will be kept
from deceiving the nations for a thousand years; during which time, one
continued round of peace will pervade every heart. And,
"5. They believe in the resurrection of the body: that all men will stand
in the presence of God and be judged according to the deeds, or works, done
in this life; that the righteous will enter into eternal rest, in the
presence of God, but the wicked be cast off, to receive a just recompense
of reward; and that, to ensure eternal life, a strict obedience to all the
commandments of God, must be observed, to the end."
You see there is not even a remote allusion to what constitutes the gist of
their whole system. But I will here leave the subject for the present.
THE END.