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Richard C. Evans
(1861-1928)
Forty Years in the Mormon Church
(Toronto: self-published 1920)
Part Two of Two Parts
   
  • Cover

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  • Part One: Contents
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  • Part One: Chapter 1 ff.

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  • Chapter 6 ff.

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  • Transcriber's Comments
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    More on Bishop Richard C. Evans

     

    return to page 97


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    CHAPTER VI.


    Book of Abraham

    _______________

    Translated by Joseph Smith

    This book was considered a revelation of God revealed through Abraham and Joseph of Egypt, translated by inspiration, Joseph Smith using the Urim and Thummim with which to translate it, the same as the Book of Mormon. This was the claim made by the old church, and is still made by the main church of Mormons, and was not denied by the Reorganized church till the fraud was exposed and made the laughing stock of the world, then they have tried to lie out of it in the most clumsy way.

    Next month we expect to give some extracts from the Book of Abraham -- a relic of greater antiquity than the Bible, written on papyrus and taken from the breast of an Egyptian mummy now in the possession of and translated by Joseph Smith. Mill. Star, July, 1842, page 32.

    The history of the Book of Abraham is fully laid out in the paper, Smith and his people having purchased several mummies from a man called Chandler. "The record is now in course of translation by means of the Urim and Thummim and proves to be a record written partly by the father of the faithful Abraham, and finished by Joseph when in Egypt, preserved in the family of the Pharaohs and afterwards hid up with the embalmed body of the female with whom they were found." Mill Star, July 1842, pages 45-46.

    The entire Book of Abraham is printed in the book published by the Mormon Church entitled "The Pearl of Great Price." Pages 46-70.

    That this Book of Abraham was received as an inspired work, translated by the gift of God through Smith was admitted by the Reorganized church for many years, as will appear by the following, "But the Hebrew Patriarch (Abraham) has written his own history, it is contained in the Book of Abraham, translated by Joseph Smith." This extraordinary book has entered largely into Mormon Theology, and has given prominence to some of its most beautiful themes." This reveals a Book of God." Joseph the Prophet, pages 166-169.

    That Joseph believed in and taught a plurality of Gods, and that his translation of the Bible and the Book of Abraham taught this doctrine and both the Bible and Book of Abraham were not only considered inspired by the church in the days of Smith and the Utah church today, but the Reorganized church admitted and taught it. This is made plain by the following: "By the quotations from our Utah Correspondent from the New Translation of the Bible, and from the Book of Abraham, it will be perceived that a plurality of Gods is a doctrine of these books.

     




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    It is a doctrine of the common version of the Bible too. The New Translation of the Bible was commenced very soon after the church was organized, and therefore this doctrine was a doctrine of the church at that time. The Scriptural evidences concerning the order of the kingdom in the exaltation of the Sons of God, show that the revelations in the New Translation of the Bible and in the Book of Abraham concerning the Gods all harmonize together: "And the Gods formed man from the dust of the ground. And the Gods planted a garden eastward in Eden. Unto Abraham the Gods said, Let us prepare the earth. And the Gods took ,council among themselves. And the Gods said, let us make a helpmate for man. The Gods caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam. The Gods formed every beast of the field." Pearl of Great Price, pages 62-70. Herald, 1860, pages 280-285.

    Now let us see how this Reorganized church misrepresented the facts about this Book of Abraham. and the position Joseph Smith and the church took upon it from 1842 till some time after it was proved to be a fraud.

    "The church has never to our knowledge taken any action on this work, Joseph Smith, as a translator is committed of course to the correctness of the translation, but not necessarily to the endorsement of its historical or doctrinal contents." Ch. Hist., Vol. 2, page 569.

    "The Reorganized church has never endorsed the Book of Abraham or accepted it as a standard church work. If he (Bishop Spaulding) is successful in proving that Joseph Smith's translation is unreliable, that does not effect the Book of Mormon. There is no vital connection between the Book of Mormon and the Book of Abraham. The power to translate the Book of Mormon was a divine gift, the translation went on with the aid of the Urim and Thummim. There is nothing to indicate that the divine help was ever claimed in the translation of the Book of Abraham. Certainly the Urim and Thummim was not used." Pres. A. E. Smith, Herald Oct. 20th, 1915, pages 106-107.

    We doubt if a more deceptive misrepresentation was ever penned in so short a space as this statement made by President Smith. Those who read the Book of Abraham, as found in the Pearl of Great Price and Mill. Star, and the description of it and statements made concerning it in the Mill. Star, and Saints' Herald as recorded above, and the history of Joseph Smith, and they will be convinced that Smith claimed inspiration for it, and that he was divinely inspired to translate it by the Urim and Thummim, as well as the Book of Mormon. This has been the claim of every strip of Mormonism from the time Smith obtained the Book of Abraham till the great fraud was exposed, then the Saints' Herald and Historians of tile Reorganized church published their misrepresentations as cited above. Did E. A. Smith know all this when he denied that Joseph Smith translated the Book of Abraham by the use of the Urim and Thummim? The fact is that the Mill. Star that makes the statement is quoted by him in his article, so he misrepresented the facts with the paper before him. Having proved that Smith claimed to translate both the Book of Mormon and the Book of Abraham by

     




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    inspiration through the Urim and Thummim, the proof is apparent that both Books were frauds.

    That Bishop Spaulding, Dr. Sayce, Dr. Petrie, Dr. Breasted, Dr. Mase are all leading professors in decifering Egyptian Hieroglyphics, is world-wide admission. They have each examined the work of Smith, and declare with one accord, that the translation of the Book of Abraham by Smith is a "Farrago of nonsense from beginning to end." "None but the ignorant could possibly be imposed upon by such ludicrous blunders." "It may be safely said that there is not one single word that is true in these explanations." La Rue, pages 115-123.

    All this being true, it follows that Smith's claim to translate the Book of Mormon and the Book of Abraham by the Urim and Thummim is false in all its parts, and stamps him as an impostor of the blackest dye. The latest manifestation of downright misrepresentation and hypocrisy on the part of the leaders of the Reorganized Church, may be read in The Saints' Herald for, Nov. 19th, 1919. It seems that the Christian Advocate for Aug. 27th, 1919, has taken the position that Joseph Smith' claim to inspiration has been completely exposed in the fraudulent translation of the Book of Abraham.

    In continuing to try to deceive the people, the editor of the Saints' Herald, makes the following false statements, regarding the Book of Abraham:

    "The Book of Abraham was printed by the Utah Church in the Pearl of Great Price, as our readers may well know, the Pearl of Great Price is accepted as one of the sacred books of the Utah Mormon church. It was not so included by the original church in the days of Joseph Smith, the founder of the church, nor is it so accepted by the Reorganized Church." This monstrous statement is drawing a herring across the path, trying to make out that the Book of Abraham being printed by the Utah Church in the Pearl of Great Price, and therefore, it is not regarded as an inspired book by Joseph Smith or the Reorganized Church.

    The facts are, the Book of Abraham was printed in the days of Joseph Smith and by his instruction and authority, while he presided over the very papers wherein it was published, and it was, in those papers regarded as a revelation from God and printed from the translation said to have been made by Joseph Smith through the Urim and Thummim, and was regarded as a revelation from the Almighty. Times and Seasons, Vol. 3, page 704. See also Mill. Star, for June, July and August, 1842.

    First the editor of the Mill. Star, 1842, says: "The record (Book of Abraham) is now in course of translation by the means of the Urim and Thummim, and proves to be a record written partly by the father of the faithful, Abraham, and finished by Joseph when in Egypt." Here is a direct claim that Smith translated it by the Spirit of revelation from God, imparted by the Urim and Thummim, the same instrument and the same way as came the Book of Mormon.

    Leaving the Original Church and the Prophet Joseph Smith, let us come to the Saints' Herald published by the Reorganized Church, and

     




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    we will show the unblushing men of that paper's editorial staff and presidential force who have testified so falsely, that the early editors and leaders of the Reorganized Church quoted the Book of Abraham as equal with the Bible and Book of Mormon, and said that it was inspired of the Almighty.

    "The Book of Abraham was translated through the 'gift and power of the Holy Ghost by Joseph Smith. We learn from this revelation that the first woman was not begotten and born of parents but Created out of the rib of Adam. Here we have four witnesses, Joseph Smith, Abraham, Moroni and Alma, all bearing testimony they were created from the dust of the ground." Saints' Herald, 1860, page 270.

    "The new translation of the Bible (Smith's Bible), and the Book of Abraham both teach the doctrine of a Plurality of Gods. Although it is an unpopular doctrine, it is the doctrine of the common version of the Bible. The new translation of the Bible was commenced very soon after the church was organized and therefore this doctrine was a doctrine of the Church at that time. Some say if we believe in a plurality of Gods, why do we not believe in Adam as a God. The scriptural evidences show that the revelations in the New Translation of the Bible and in the Book of Abraham concerning the Gods all harmonize together." Saints' Herald, Vol. 1, 1860. pages 282-283.

    President W. W. Blair of the Reorganized Church, one of the leaders of that body for a life time, writing of the revelations of Joseph Smith, says: "Now, we propose to prove that all the revelations which Joseph Smith gave unto the Church we are bound to give heed unto. If the first edition of that book (Doctrine and Covenants) is divine all the subsequent revelations which are contained in the Book of Covenants, in The Book of Abraham, etc., and which he gave to the church are equally divine." Saints' Herald, 1860, page 63. That Pres. Blair wrote the article, is claimed by Elder Shook. "True Origin of Polygamy." page 162.

    Here we have the Presidency and editors of the Reorganized Church, endorsing the Book of Abraham as a revelation from God, given to Joseph Smith by direct revelation, and that it is equally divine with the revelations as given him in the New Translation of the Bible, the Book of Mormon and the Doctrine and Covenants. Why the Reorganized Church Editors and church presidents will willfully misrepresent this and try to cover up the dirty thing, is one of the lying wonders of the Latter Days.
     

    The Band Called Danites Organized to Commit Murder.

    That Joseph Smith controlled and organized a murderous band, bound under oath-bound penalties to obey the Church leaders, is acknowledged by the leading men who have left the church, and by some of the leading men of the nation who have evidence of such a band.


    God Authorized Smith to Curse His Enemies.

    According to Smith's revelations, Christ made him the supreme rule of the church and he was in command of every part of it, and every member was under his control.

     




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    He was a "Prophet, Seer, Revelator, Apostle, Translator." D. C. 19,1. A High Priest, D. C. 104, 11. President of the Church, Mill Star, Vol. 18-1 page 535. Trustee for the whole Church, Nauvoo Neighbor, Dec. 27th, 1843 Treasurer of the Kirtland Bank. Journal of Hist., Vol. 2, No. 4. Grand Chaplain of Masonic Lodge at Nauvoo, Mill Star, Vol. 19, page 152. Lieutenant-General of the Nauvoo Legion, Mill Star, Vol. 19 page 135. Judge of the Municipal Court of Nauvoo, Mill. Star, Vol. 19, page 135. Mayor of the City of Nauvoo, Ibid. 19, 135. Registrar of Deeds, Ibid. Vol. 19, page 135. And was at the time of his death a Candidate for the Presidency of the United States, Nauvoo Neighbor, June 26th, 1844. La Rue, pages 50, 51. He was ordained a King, Herald, Vol. 51, No. 4; Wm. Marks records this.

    The Lord is reported to have bound the church under a heavy curse if they rejected his words, and he was the only one that the Lord would give revelations to for the government of the church. He was in supreme control.

    "Thou shalt give heed unto all his words and commandments. For his words ye shall receive as if from mine own mouth." D. C. 19, 2.

    "And this shall ye know assuredly that there is none other appointed unto you to receive commandments and revelations, until he be taken" D. C. 43, 1, 2.

    "And it shall be given thee in the very moment what thou shalt speak and write, and they shalt hear it, or I will send them a cursing instead of a blessing." D. C. 23, 3.

    "No one shall be appointed to receive commandments and revelations in this church excepting my servant Joseph Smith-and thou shalt. be obedient unto the things which I shalt give unto him." D. C. 27, 2.

    "Therefore in as much as some of my servants have not kept the commandment, I have cursed them with a very sore and grievous curse, for I, the Lord, have decreed in my heart that in as much as any man belongeth to the order shall break the covenant with which ye are bound he shall be cursed in this life and shall be trodden down by whom I will. D. C. l01, 1.

    Speaking of those who reject the commandments of Smith, the Lord is made to say,: "Ye shall curse them and whomsoever ye curse I will curse and ye shall avenge me of my enemies" D. C. 100, 5. Now we will show that a society was formed to kill on command.
     

    Governor Ford.

    Governor Ford of Illinois, made a report to the State Legislature Dec. 17th, 1844. We submit a few statements-"It was asserted that Joseph Smith, head of the Mormon Church, had caused himself to be

     




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    crowned and anointed King of the Mormons. That he had embodied a band of his followers, called Danites, who swore to obey Him as God and to do his command, murder and treason not excepted." La Rue, page 38.


    President Wm. Law.

    Pres. Wm. Law: "Smith taught Polygamy, spoiling (robbing) the Gentiles, murder, swindling, lying and many other evils. Joseph Smith told me that he sent a man to kill Governor Boggs-the fellow shot the Governor through a window." Shook, Origin of Polygamy, page 127


    J. C. Bennett.

    J. C. Bennett says: "Smith told me to sign that certificate or he would make cat-fish bait of me, or deliver me to the Danites for execution." Ibid. page 58.
     

    David Whitmer.

    David Whitmer: "In June, 1838, at Far West, Mo., a secret organization was formed, Dr. Avard was put in as leader of the band. A certain oath was to be administered to all the brethren to bind them to support the heads of the church in every thing they would teach." Whitmer's address. page 27.


    Oliver Cowdery.

    Oliver Cowdery said: "Sidney Rigdon influenced the Prophet, Seer and Revelator to the Church of the Latter Day Saints into the formation of a secret band at Far West, committed to depredations upon Gentiles, and the actual assassination of apostates from the church. A society has been organized among them to inflict death upon those who are deemed apostates, with the knowledge and sanction of the first elder." O. Cowdery's Defence, Mormon Polygamy by Shook, pages 53-54.
     

    Thomas B. Marsh.

    Thomas B. Marsh, President of the Twelve, apostatized and swore, saying: "They have among them a company consisting of true Mormons, called 'The Danites' who have taken an oath to support the heads of the church in all things that they say or do, whether right or wrong. I heard the Prophet say: 'that he would yet tread down his enemies and walk over their dead bodies and that he would make it one gore of blood from the Rocky Mountains to the Atlantic Ocean, and that if he was not let alone he would be a second Mahomet to this generation."

    Apostle Orson Hyde, said he knew to be true most of the above statement. La Rue, pages 162-163.


    Samson Avard.

    Samson Avard, who was a leader in the band, after his apostasy, said: "A band called the Daughters of Zion was organized by the members of the Mormon Church. I considered Joseph Smith as the prime mover and organizer of this Danite Band. The officers of the band were brought before him at a school house, together with Hyrum Smith

     




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    and Sidney Rigdon, the First Presidency of the Church. Joseph Smith blessed them and prophesied over them said it was necessary for the band to be bound together by covenant and those who revealed the secrets of the society should be put to death." La Rue, page 165.


    Bishop Corrill.

    Bishop Corrill, after he left the church, wrote: "I was afterwards invited to one of these meetings where an oath, in substance the same as testified by Dr. Avard, was administered. At the second or last meeting I attended, the Presidency (to wit, Joseph Smith, Hyrum Smith and Sidney Rigdon) were present. The Presidency pronounced blessings upon each member of the society. Smith threatened at this meeting to be a second Mahomet." La Rue, page 165.
     

    W. W. Phelps.

    W. W. Phelps testified that D. W. Patton said he heard Rigdon say: "If any man attempted to move out of the county, any man seeing him attempt to pack his goods should kill him and haul him aside into the bush and that all the burial he should have should be a Turkey Buzzard's guts." La Rue, page 165.

    The above testimonies are from those who held the leading positions in the church under Smith, who when they left him swore to the above in the trial at Richmond, Mo., when Smith and others were tried for high treason, Nov. 12th, 1838, and is republished by Rev. La Rue, who was a Reorganized Elder for many years, but left the church because of what he knew.
     

    Justice Morse.

    Justice Morse, who was a Mormon in the old church and a High Priest in the Reorganized Church, at the time he testified, March, 1887, as follows:

    "In the year 1838 at Far West, Caldwell County, Mo., I was made a Danite in an organized meeting held for that purpose. Joseph Smith, Sidney Rigdon and Hyrum Smith were present frequently at our meetings, Brother Avard had charge of organizing the band. We held our secret meeting in a deep ravine, in the year 1838. We were instructed by Joseph Smith, Sidney Rigdon and Hyrum Smith that the church could not advance without means, we must get money and means, right or wrong, honest or dishonest, that the church should suck the milk of the Gentiles. To take from Gentiles was no sin." La Rue, page 167. Shook, True Origin of Mormonism, pages 108-171.

    Rigdon made the Fourth of July speech at Far West, 1838. He said: "It shall be between us and them a war of extermination, for we will follow them till the last drop of their blood is spilled, or else they will exterminate us."

    After this speech Smith was on the platform and led off with a shout of "Hosanna and Amen." Church Hist., Vol. 2, page 165; La Rue, page 175.

     




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    So we learn that the Mormons were the ones to talk of driving the Gentiles out of Missouri, and milking them and that there would be a war of extermination. Here we append a significant statement to confirm the above: "We are daily told, and not by the ignorant alone, but by all classes of them, that we, the (Gentiles) of this county are to be cut off, and our lands appropriated by them for inheritances." Mill. Star, Vol. 14, page 488.

    The Utah Mormons are accused by the Reorganized Mormons of having the Danites still in existence. The Mountain Meadow massacre is a sample, be that as it may, if Utah has the Danites yet, they are but following Smith and the Church over which he had control, and if the Reorganized Mormon does not commit murder, they defame the character, and lie about all those who differ from them and are absolutely heartless and unfair to apostates.
     

    Blood Atonement.

    The President of the Reorganized Church, Joseph Smith, and son of the original, Joseph Smith, in attempting to excuse the atrocious crimes and statements made by his father and other leaders of the Danites makes the following statement:

    "Whoever counselled or did evil in those times (in Missouri) are responsible personally, therefore; but the church, as such, is no more responsible for it that were the early Christians for Peter's attempt to kill the High Priest's servant when he cut off his ear with a sword. The church, as such, should be judged by its authorized doctrines and deeds, and not by the unauthorized sayings or doings of some of its members or ministers." Blood Atonement, page 44.

    "You take great pains to cover up the conditions prevailing which call forth such extreme and in some instances unwise remarks. Conditions in some respects akin to those surrounding the Saints in Missouri in 1838 and 1839, when other unwise remarks were made by members of the leading quorums of the church, but in a sense justifiable and which should be condoned under the trying circumstances that called them forth." Joseph F. Smith in reply to R. C. Evans in Blood Atonement, page 43.

    Thus we have the President of the Reorganized Church and son of Joseph Smith admitting, as well as apologizing for the rash statements of his father and other leaders in the old church, and then we have Joseph F. Smith of the Utah church using about the same argument to excuse the language and murderous conduct of the Danites in Utah. All we care to say is reply to both of these descendants of the original prophet and organizer of the Danite Band is, that when the leading members and officers of the church for many years teach and practice, by threats and murders, ascribed to the Danite Band, then we believe the public is justified in denouncing such language and conduct, and affirming it to be the doctrine of the church. We will now quote from the Utah Mormon Church some leading statements made in the public printed sermons of Brigham Young, his counsellors and apostles, regarding the Danites and

     




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    their murderous conduct under the title of Blood Atonement. These sermons were reported by G. D. Watt and published by the authority of the Mormon Church in a work entitled "Journal of Discourses." Coming from their own church leaders, published by their own church papers, there seems to be little opportunity to deny the genuineness of these statements.


    Brigham Young.

    Brigham Young said, October 9, 1852: "What shall be done with the sheep that stink the flock so? We will take them, I was going to say, and cut off their tails two inches behind their ears; however I will use a milder term, and say cut off their ears." Journal of Discourses, Vol. 1, page 213.

    Brigham again said, March 27, 1853: "I say, rather than that apostates should flourish here, I will unsheath my bowie knife, and conquer or die. Now, you nasty apostates, clear out, or judgment will be put to the line and righteousness to the plummet. If you say it is all right, raise your hands (all hands up). Let us call upon the Lord to assist us in this and every good work." Journal of Discourses, Vol. 1, page 83.

    President Brigham Young preached, February 8, 1857, as follows: "All mankind love themselves; and let these principles be known by an individual and he would be glad to have his blood shed. That would be loving themselves even to an eternal exaltation. Will you love your brothers and sisters likewise when they have committed a sin that cannot be atoned for without the shedding of blood" Will you love that man or woman well enough to shed their blood? That is what Jesus Christ meant. He never told a man or woman to love their enemies in their wickedness. He never intended any such thing.

    I could refer you to plenty of instances where men have been righteously slain in order to atone for their sins. I have seen scores and hundreds of people for whom there would have been a chance in the last resurrection if their lives had been taken and their blood spilled upon the ground, as a smoking incense to the Almighty, but who are now angels of the devil, until our elder brother, Jesus Christ, raises them up, conquers death, hell and the grave. I have known a great many men who have left this church, for whom there is no chance whatever for exaltation; but if their blood had been spilt it would have been better for them. The wickedness and ignorance of the nations forbid this principle being in full force, but the time will come when the law of God will be in full force.

    This is loving our neighbor as ourselves, if he needs help, help him; and if he wants salvation and it is necessary to spill his blood upon the ground in order that he may be saved, spill it." Journal of Discourses, Vol. 4, page 220, or Deseret News, Vol. 6, page 397.
     

    Orson Hyde.

    Elder Orson Hyde said, April 9, 1853: "Suppose the shepherd should discover a wolf approaching the flock, what would he be likely to do? Why, we would suppose, if the wolf was within proper distance,

     




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    that he would kill him at once-kill him on the spot. It would have a tendency to place a terror on those who leave these parts, that may prove their salvation when they see the heads of thieves taken off, or shot down before the public." Journal of Discourses, Vol. 1, pages 72, 73.


    President J. M. Grant.

    President J. M. Grant said, Sept. 21, 1856: "I say there are men and women here that I would advise to go to the president immediately, and ask him to appoint a committee to attend to their case, and then let a place be selected, and let that committee shed their blood." Deseret Vol. 7, page 235.


    President Heber C. Kimball.

    President Heber C. Kimball said, July 19, 1854: "It is believed in the world that our females are all common women. Well, in one sense they are common -- that is, they are like all other women, I suppose, but then -- are not unclean, for we wipe all unclean ones out of our midst; we not only wipe them from our streets, but we wipe them out of existence. And if the world wants to practice uncleanness, and bring their prostitutes here, if they do not repent and forsake their sins, we will wipe the evil out. We will not have them in this valley unless they repent, for so help me God, while I live I will lend my hand to wipe such persons out, and I know this people will." Deseret News, August 15, 1854, and Mill. Star, Vol. 16, pages 738-9.
     

    Fanny Stenhouse.

    Fanny Stenhouse: "There was the murder of the Aikin party-six persons-who were killed on their way to California. The same year a man named Yates was killed under atrocious circumstances; and Franklin McNeil, who had sued Brigham for false imprisonment and who was killed at his hotel door. There was Sergeant Pile, and there was Arnold and Drown. There was Price and William Bryan at Fairfield; there was Almon Babbitt, and Brassfield, and Dr. Robinson; there was also James Cowdy and his wife and child, and Margetts and his wife; and many another, too, to say nothing of that frightful murder at the Mountain Meadows." "Tell-It-All," page 319.

    We could fill a volume with the history of the murders that have stained and scarred the Mormon Church, both in Missouri, Illinois, Utah and elsewhere, the history of which has made Mormonism a stench in the nostrils of civilization, and as one has said, has made Utah a land of assassination and a field of blood.
     

    Mormonism Regards All Other Churches As Corrupt.

    Joseph Smith claimed that in his first vision, which was in the spring of 1820, that after God had introduced Joseph to Christ, that Joseph asked Christ "Which of all the sects is right?" That Christ made the following answer to him: "I was answered that I must join none of them,

     




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    for they were all wrong' and the personage who addressed me said that all their creeds were an abomination in his sight; that those professors were all corrupt; that they draw near me with their lips but their hearts are far from me, and they teach for doctrines the commandments of men having a form of godliness but they deny the power thereof." Church Hist., Vol. 1, pages 9, 10.

    "Is it any wonder then, that we say of priests of modern days, that they are of Satan's own making, and are of their father the Devil? Nay, verily, nay, for no being but a scandalous sycophant and base hypocrite would say otherwise. We shall see all the priests who adhere to the sectarian religions of the day, with all their followers without one exception, receive their portion with the devil and his angels." Elders Journal, 59-60, August, 1838; La Rue, page 45.

    "Respecting the Melchisedec Priesthood, the sectarian world never professed to have it, consequently they never could save anyone and would all be damned together. The sectarian world are going to hell by hundreds, by thousands and by millions." Mill. Star, Vol. 22, page 54; La Rue, page 45.

    "They have taken away from the gospel of the Lamb many parts which are plain and most precious, and also many covenants of the Lord have been taken away -- that they might blind the eyes and harden the hearts of the children of men."

    The above is part. of the preface of Smith's new Bible. The statement of the Lord to Smith showed that the churches had become corrupt and taken away much of the Bible to corrupt and deceive the people of the churches, and it was necessary for God to give Smith the plain and precious things which the wicked Christian churches bad taken away from the Bible when they translated the Authorized Version.

    In the first revelation published in the book known as the Doctrine and Covenants, Jesus Christ when speaking to Joseph Smith is reported to have said, speaking of the Mormon Church, as "The only true and living Church upon the face of the whole earth, with which I, the Lord, am well pleased." D. C. 1, 5.

    "Behold, there is, save it be two churches; the one is the church of the Lamb of God, and the other is the church of the Devil. Wherefore, whoso belongeth not to the church of the Lamb of God belongeth to that great church, which is the mother of abominations; and she is the whore of all the earth." Book of Mormon, page 40; First Nephi, 3 ch. v., 220-223.
     

    Orson Pratt.

    Orson Pratt, the most eloquent Apostle, and the greatest writer of Mormonism, says: "Since the church with its authority and power has been caught away from the earth, the great Mother of Harlots, with all her descendants, has blasphemously assumed authority of administering some of the sacred ordinances of the gospel." Revelation Necessary by O. Pratt.

     




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    Apostle W. H. Kelley.

    To the above may be added the statement made by Apostle W. H. Kelley, President of the Apostolic Quorum of the Reorganized Church. "The Priesthood having been caught up to heaven, no man on earth has authority to minister in gospel ordinances, and hence the necessity for new revelation." Presidency and Priesthood, page 224.


    No Salvation Outside of The Book of Mormon and Mormonism

    "I told the brethren that the Book of Mormon was the most correct, of any book on earth, and the keystone to our religion; and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts than by any other book." J. Smith, in Mill. Star, Vol. 18, page 790; La Rue, page 62.

    The Book of Mormon claims to be a divinely inspired record. It professes to be revealed to the present generation for the salvation of all who will receive it and for the overthrow and damnation of all nations who reject it. The nature of the message in the Book of Mormon is such that if true, no one can possibly be saved and reject it." Apostle Pratt, Divinity of Book of Mormon, No. 1, page 1; La Rue, page 81.
     

    Brigham Young.

    "Every spirit that confesses that Joseph Smith is a prophet, that he lived and died a prophet, and that the Book of Mormon is true, is of God, and every spirit that does not is of anti-Christ." Story of the Mormons, page 28; La Rue, page 81.


    Reorganized Church.

    "No book ever came before the race of mankind with such an august age as the Book of Mormon." Saints' Herald, Nov. 6, 1918, page 1082.
     

    Orson Pratt.

    "They (the Ministry) have dishonored the name of Christ by calling their powerless apostage filthy and most abominable, churches, the church .of Christ., the whole Romish, Greek and Protestant Ministry, from the top down through every grade of office, are as destitute of authority from God as the devil and his angels." More Revelation Indispensable Necessary, page 19.

    "All other churches are unauthorized of God. Their articles of religion, their creeds, their prayer books, their ordinations, their sacraments, their baptisms, their various forms of worship, their preaching their religious assemblies are all an abomination in the sight of Heaven." Evidence of the Book of Mormon and Bible Compared, page 61.

    "We are commanded to accept the Book of Mormon and renounce all the wicked traditions of our fathers, as also the "Popish and Protestant Ministry, together with all the churches which have been built up by them or that have sprung up from them as being entirely destitute of authority, they should turn away, from all the priestcraft and abominations

     




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    practiced by these apostate churches, falsely called Christians." The Bible Alone an Insufficient Guide, page 334.

    "And as every creature in all the world, who would not believe the chosen eye witnesses of a risen Saviour were to be damned, so every living Soul who rejects the testimony of the chosen witnesses of the ministry of the angel confirmatory of the Book of Mormon, will be damned for thus saith the Lord spoken." Evidence of the Book of Mormon and Bible compared, page 58.

    "This generation has more than one thousand times the amount evidence to demonstrate and forever establish the divine authenticity of the Book of Mormon than they have in favor of the Bible." Evidence of the Book of Mormon and Bible Compared, page 64.

    "The Book of Mormon contains the everlasting gospel in all its fullness and it has been revealed to the inhabitants of our earth by an angel -- let the nations know assuredly that the hour of God's judgment is come, and that they have only one way of escape and that is by embracing the Book of Mormon." Prophetic Evidence in Favor of the Book of Mormon, pages 82-84.

    We have shown in this article from leading Mormons, from Joseph Smith down, that there is no salvation outside of the Mormon Church.
     

    The Holy Scriptures Translated by Joseph Smith.

    In a work published by the Reorganized Mormon Church, entitled "Three Bibles Compared," we are informed that it took a King and forty seven scholars from 1604 to 1611, seven years to translate what is known as the King James translation, and that eighty-two scholars were employed fourteen years of the Old Testament, and ten years on the New Testament, when the Revised Version was given from 1870 to 1884.

    These men had the wealth of the churches and the scholarship the world behind them, while God commanded and directly inspired Joseph Smith, an illiterate young man of but twenty-eight years of age surrounded with poverty and mobs, to translate the entire Bible of Old and New Testaments in three years. He commenced the work June 1,830, and finished it June, 1833.

    The manuscript of this great work was preserved by the widow of Smith, and was given to her son, who, with I. L. Rogers and E. Robinson formed a committee of the Reorganized Mormon Church, to publish the New Bible. This was accomplished, and is now on sale by the Reorganized Church Publishing House.

    The reader will find published in the Preface of the Mormon Bible the following, which in part disclosed the reason that Smith gave for

     




                               THE BOOK OF ABRAHAM                            111

    his translation, "For behold they have taken away from the gospel of the Lamb many parts which are plain and most precious and also many covenants of the Lord have been taken away, and all this, have they done that I hey might pervert the right way of the Lord, that they might blind the eyes and harden the hearts of the children of men wherefore thou seest that after the book hath gone forth through the hands of the great and abominable church, there are many plain and precious things taken away from the book, which is the book of the Lamb of God, and after these plain and precious things were taken away it goeth forth unto all the nations of the Gentiles."

    The above is taken from the Book of Mormon. The church referred to as "great and abominable" is considered the "Mother of Harlots and her daughters," or in other words, the church of Rome and the Protestant churches. They have taken away the plain and precious things in order to deceive the world, and now God has raised up Smith to bring back these plain and precious things so that the honest people may be saved and rescued from the "great whore of the earth," (Rome and Protestantism) and so inspired Smith to give us the New Translation of the Bible.

    The Lord further instructs Smith regarding this new Bible: "Thou shalt ask and my scriptures shall be given as I have appointed, and they shall be preserved in safety, and it is expedient that thou shouldst hold thy peace concerning them and not teach them until ye have received them in full, and I give unto you a commandment that then ye shall teach them unto all men, for they shall be taught to all nations, kindreds, tongues and people." D. C. 42, 15.

    "Ye shall hasten to translate my scriptures and all this for the salvation of Zion." D. C. 90, 12.

    "The Scriptures shall be given even as they are in mine own bosom to the salvation of mine own elect." D. C. 34, 5.

    Joseph was informed by the Lord that, "He should bring to light those parts of my scriptures which have been hidden because of iniquity." D. C. 6, 12.

    Those who wish to read this marvelous work, the new Bible translation by Joseph Smith, by direct revelations will discover that he has not translated a single word, that he had no manuscript of any kind, that he was an ignorant young man is admitted. There is no evidence that he compared any originals with each other, nor could he have done so if the originals were before him. The claim is that it was all done by direct inspiration from the Almighty, but to call it a Translation is the height of impudence and nonsense.

    Let us present Smith's own account describing the method of receiving revelations and translating: "But behold, I say unto you, that you must study it out in your own mind. Then you must ask of Me if it be right? And if it is right I will cause that your bosom shall burn within you, therefore you shall feel that it is right. Now if you had known this you could have translated." D. C. 9, 3-4.

     




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    Here is the secret of Smith's power to translate. He read the Bible, thought that such and such a change should be made, either by adding a few verses, or taking away a few verses. If he had the burning sensation in his bosom it was right, and so he cut and slashed away at the Word of God to his heart's content, and the result is the Mormon Bible.

    We will take time to show one of thousands of changes that Smith has made by inspiration. When God inspired Smith to translate the Lord's prayer in the Book of Mormon, he translated it exactly as it in the Authorized Version, Matt. 6, 13, "and lead us not into temptation." But when the same God inspired him to translate the Bible, he inspired him to translate it as follows, "and suffer us not to be led into temptation" Matt. 6, 14. We ask, is it right in the Authorized Version, if so it is right in the Book of Mormon, but if right in the Authorized Version and Book of Mormon, Joseph's burning bosom business in the inspired translation of his new Bible, got him in wrong.

    Closing this part of his marvelous work we now call attention to changes has made in the first twelve chapters of the Bible, this will be sufficient to show, as a fair sample of the entire translations, the monstrous work of Smith.

    Christian Bible, First twelve chapters, Genesis, we find 319 verses.
    Mormon Bible, First twelve chapters of Genesis, we find 454 verses. Joseph's burning bosom business just invented an extra 135 verses.

    Christian Bible, Gen. 4th chapter has 26 verses. Mormon Bible, Gen. 4th chapter has 13 verses.

    Christian Bible, Gen. 7th chapter has 24 verses.
    Mormon Bible, Gen. 7th chapter has 75 verses.

    In one chapter the Mormon Bible has just half as many verses as is found in the Christian Bible, in the other chapter the Mormon Bible has more than three times as many verses as the Christian Bible. But why prolong the agony. The general reader will ere this conclude that Smith's burning bosom business was not the inspiration of God, but it was the imposition of a vile and impudent, false prophet, and that it is in line with his spurious revelations as recorded in his productions known as the Book of Abraham, Book of Mormon, Book of Commandments, Book of Doctrine and Covenants, and other so-called revelations which have dragged many thousands into the lying wonder of the latter days -- Mormonism.



     

    [ 113 ]





    CHAPTER VII.


    United States vs. Mormon Church

    _______________

    The Mormon Church has endeavoured, through her literature and pulpit to persuade the people that the trouble between the United States and the church was occasioned by the wickedness of the nation, as against the divinely commissioned people of the Lord, that the righteousness of the Saints was a standing rebuke to the corruption of the nation and hence the trouble, which resulted in the murder of many people, the driving of the Saints from their lands and possessions, and the assassination of their prophet, Joseph Smith.

    We propose to open the pages of history with the hope that the real facts may be disclosed and the truth be known to all men.

    Joseph Smith and his people make certain claims, and have endeavoured to put into operation the methods that will result in the destruction of the United States Government, and not only that Government, but every other nation now existing upon the earth, that upon the debris of all the nations of the earth, God inspired Joseph Smith and his people to establish a kingdom, to which Christ would come and reign therein forever.
     

    Smith's First Vision.

    Smith's first vision, said to have been given him when he was less than fifteen years of age, is as follows: God and Christ came down to have a talk with Smith in the woods at the rear of his father's farm. The Father begins the conversation by introducing his son, Christ, to Smith in these words, "This is my beloved son, hear him." It seems that the Father made the trip all the way from heaven just in order to have the great privilege of introducing Jesus to Joseph, for there is no evidence that He spake another word. Smith brushes aside all formalities and starts business at once by asking the all important question in a young farmer lad of fifteen winters, "Which of all the sects was right, and which I should join?" I was answered that I must join none of them for they were all wrong, that all their creeds were an abomination in His sight, that those professors were all corrupt: They drew near me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me, they teach for doctrine the commandments of men having a form of godliness, but they deny the power thereof."

    He informs us that after some further chat, they left and he found himself lying on his back looking up into heaven. Church Hist., Vol. 1, page 10.

    If this vision is to be relied upon the following must be conceded:

     




    114                   UNITED STATES vs. MORMON CHURCH                  

    * First -- Smith was not to join any church.
    * Second -- The churches are all wrong.
    * Third -- All the creeds are abominable in the sight of God.
    * Fourth -- Those professing to be Christians in those churches or presenting the creeds, were all corrupt, a great mass of hypocrites, denying the power of God and only giving him lip service while their hearts were far from God."

    Just take this in for a moment: Men and women who have given their lives to promote Christianity, as they see it, they who have gone to the jungles of Africa, to the darkness of China and Japan, those who have braved the dangers of frontier life among the wild and savage tribes of America and the rest of the world, those who have preached the gospel as they understood it, were all corrupt, their teaching was an abomination in the sight of God; the mother who consecrated her children to Christ in the evening twilight while they knelt at her knee, she was just giving lip service while her heart was far from him, in other words, she was playing the hypocrite.

    This sweeping condemnation and anathematization of every minister, layman, and church is characteristic of both Mormon literature and pulpit utterance from that day to this, and it is only when they desire to obtain favor that they withhold this cardinal principle of their faith.

    Jesus Christ is supposed to have told Joseph Smith that he was commissioned to "lay the foundation of this church -- the only true and living Church upon the face of the whole earth with which I the Lord am well pleased." Doc. and Cov., 1, 5.

    This is the faith of the Mormon, or Latter Day Saint Church to this day, and every effort to cover this up is a manifestation of hypocrisy on their part, and it is this that has caused them much trouble with the people in every part of the world where they have attempted to establish a church.

    They are taught that the church established by Smith is the Kingdom of God, and that the other churches are the kingdom of the Devil. Doc. and Cov., 3, 13, 87, 1-3.
     

    Smith to Organize a Kingdom That Will Destroy All Other Nations.

    They have taught that Joseph Smith was directed by the Lord to set up the Kingdom, or organize the church, and that it would never be destroyed, but that it should destroy all other churches and kingdoms and that the judgments of the Lord would come upon all churches and kingdoms, and that Smith and his people would triumph over all, and Christ would come to them and reign with them in the place called Independence, Missouri, but known in Smith's revelations as The City of Enoch, The New Jerusalem, and Zion. In support of this they present the following from the Bible and the revelations of Joseph Smith:

    "And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed, and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms and it shall stand forever." Dan. 2, 44.

     




                      UNITED STATES vs. MORMON CHURCH                   115

    "But the judgment shall set, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end, and the kingdom and the dominion and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heavens shall be given to the people of Saints of the Most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him." Dan. 8, 26-27.

    Smith says that Christ told him how the destruction of these kingdoms will be accomplished. I cite but a few of the methods of destructions.

    "Wherefore I, the Lord, will send forth flies upon the face of the earth which shall take hold of the inhabitants thereof, and shall eat their flesh, and shall cause maggots to come in upon them, and their tongues shall be stayed that they shall not utter against Me, and their flesh shall fall off their bones, and their eyes from their sockets, and it shall come to pass that the beasts of the forests and the fowls of the air ball devour them up, and that great and abominable church, which is whore of all the earth, shall be cast down by devouring fire." Doc. Cov., 28, 5.

    "But verily I say unto you, that I have decreed a decree which my people shall realize inasmuch as they hearken from this very hour, unto the counsel which I the Lord will give unto them. Behold, they shall begin to prevail against mine enemies from this very hour -- and they shall never cease to prevail until the Kingdoms of this world are under my feet and the earth is given unto the saints to possess it forever and ever." Doc. and Cov., 100, 2.

    Smith's revelations show, not only that he was to organize the only true church upon the earth, but the kingdom thus established would destroy all other churches and the kingdoms of this world would be humbled till they submitted to them and become the kingdoms of God, to be ruled over by his Saints, and in order to start this great work He commanded them first to sell their property and collect their wealth and all move. to the little village of Kirtland in the State of Ohio, there a city would be built and a great temple erected.

    "If thou lovest me thou shalt serve me and keep all my commandments, and behold thou shalt consecrate all thy properties that which thou hast unto me, with a covenant and a deed which cannot be broken, and they shall be laid before the bishop of my church." B. C., 44, 26; Doc. and Cov. 42, 8.

    In a later edition of this book the word "all" is taken out, and the word "of" inserted, but I have a copy of the original revelation as first published. The change was made because many left the church rather than give all their property to the church, but after the change was made the authorities became strong enough to again secure a revelation on the same matter and it says about the same thing, in fact the books agree on it:

    "In answer to the question, O Lord, show unto thy servants how much thou requirest of the properties of thy people for a tithing? Verily, thus saith the Lord, I require all their surplus property to put into

     




    116                   UNITED STATES vs. MORMON CHURCH                  

    the hands of the bishop of My church of Zion, for building of mine use, and for the laying the foundation of Zion, and for the priesthood for the debts of the Presidency of my church-and this shall be standing law unto them forever, saith the Lord." Doc. and Cov. 106, 1; 42, 8, 9, 10; 101, 10-21; 51, 1-2; 72, 3.

    So the people sold their property and travelled to their sacred mecca, Kirtland, Ohio. The little burg was surveyed into city lots, a temple s erected, in which Christ and several others from heaven talked to Smith and some others. This city was to dazzle the world, be the wonder of the earth, Smith and many others changed their names, Smith got three new names, viz.: Enoch, Gazelem and Baurak-Ale. He and his relatives and friends secured their inheritance and built their homes, and started a bank and run things with high hand, till many lost hope in both God and man, as well as their property and left the church. Even William Smith, the prophet's brother denounced him and gave him a sound good thrashing, but being a Smith he was forgiven. But the trouble did not end here. Smith was tarred and feathered and finally left Kirtland on horseback, king for a more congenial clime. I shall not take time and space to record all this history, but shall give you the references and you may depend upon it every point stated here is taken from their own books. Doc. and Cov., Sections 91, 92, 93, 100, 77; Church Hist., Vol. 1, pages 240, 244; Vol. 1, pages 614, 624.

    The next move to establish the Kingdom of God that was to break pieces and destroy all other kingdoms, was made at the little town of Independence, Jackson County, in the State of Missouri. This place was dedicated to the Lord, the temple that Christ was to make His appearance in was to be built upon a certain lot, then a wild bush covered with trees. This was consecrated with great pomp. The Lord was to give the land unto His saints, for an everlasting inheritance, the wicked were to be driven out, the besom of God's wrath was to be poured out upon them, and here Zion was to shine in all its splendor. The pioneers who had secured the land from the government were told from time to time that they were to get out, or the judgments of the Lord would overtake them. Joseph Smith was directed by the Lord to write to the kings and presidents and rulers of all the nations, they were to come to Zion, send their wealth there and be good as directed by the revelations given through Smith or the or the time of judgment would soon be upon them, the wrath of the Almighty would soon make an end of their wickedness and rebellion. Doc. and Cov., 57, 77, 83, 45, 72, 107.
     

    David Whitmer.

    David Whitmer, one of the three witnesses to the Book of Mormon, and one of the first six baptized into the new church, but who left the church in a few years never to return, informs us that Smith was a fallen prophet, that his revelations were false, that he has as much evidence that Joseph Smith had the revelation on polygamy, as he has to believe that George Washington ever lived. He declared that the revelations of Smith fell into the hands of the people of the world, and

     




                      UNITED STATES vs. MORMON CHURCH                   117

    that the people of Missouri saw by those revelations that they were considered by the church as intruders upon the land of Zion, and that soon an effort would be made to drive them forth. They called a meeting of the citizens, and decided that it was either for them to drive the Mormons away, or the Mormons would soon be strong enough to drive them from their homes. The fight started; the Mormon printing press was destroyed, and some houses were torn down, and the Mormons driven out of their Zion. Now, while we do not agree with much suffering caused by the people as against helpless women and children, yet it must be admitted that the Mormons by living up to the pretended revelations and instructions of Smith were to blame. Whitmer's Address, 38, 54.
     

    Smith Raised An Army.

    Smith soon came out with revelations to fix up the trouble. God was going to vex the nation and cut off the wicked, and the Saints were to return and obtain their property. Doc. & Cov., 98, 12-23.

    They would prevail against their enemies, and the kingdoms of the world would soon crumble and the Saints were to come in to their everlasting possessions, God's presence would be with them and when they cursed their enemies, God would curse them too, while Joseph was to organize the kingdom. Doc. & Cov., 100, 1-6; 102, 1-9.

    Now let us permit the son of the prophet to tell us what his father was commanded to do. Joseph Smith, the prophet, raised an army to go to Missouri, they numbered several hundred and started from Kirtland, Ohio, gathering in number by the way. Their wagons were filled with food, clothing and munitions of war, they marched over one thousand miles, walking by the side of their wagons, filled with war material and food. "They provided themselves with fire-arms and all sorts of munitions of war." While they were marching Joseph had made provisions with his people in Missouri to erect a munitions plant in which they made swords, dirks, pistols, rifles and other arms." During the long march, angels were often seen in their camp, they tell that their feet were blistered and their stockings wet with blood. The Lord protected them by sending large hailstones upon their enemies that made holes in their hats. In describing the hailstones H. C. Kimball says they were as large as hens' eggs, and Lyman Wight says some of them were as large as turkey eggs. These hailstones never touched the brethren of the Lord, though at times they hit the rifle stocks of the enemy and broke them. Now, these two witnesses were leading apostles of the Lord, so we should believe them. Joseph says that the water of a little river rose thirty feet in thirty minutes, and where the river was forty feet deep, the evening before it was only up to our ankles.

    The Governor of the State of Missouri was called up. He advised the army to disband or there would be bloodshed, but Smith considered the Governor a coward, and commanded his army to march on, that they would not make terms "with land pirates and murderers," sweeping past Governor Dunklin, they soon ran up against the sheriff, of the

     




    118                   UNITED STATES vs. MORMON CHURCH                  

    county, Mr. Gillium. He tried to advise, but the army led by Smith went forward to conquer.

    Joseph Smith was a real Napoleon. He chose twenty men for his life-guard, his brother Hyrum was captain, and George A. Smith was his armor bearer. The kingdom of God was to be established in a hurry and the United States would be remembered pity and contempt.

    Cholera hit the camp, sixty-eight fell before it, Smith being one of the smitten. Fourteen of the army died, they could not make coffins so they wrapped them in blankets. The people were discouraged and many left the church, but Joseph was ready with another revelation, and he told them the plague came because of disobedience. He said, "Ye are

    not willing to listen to my words, but have been in rebellion, that God had decreed that sickness should come upon them, and they should die like sheep with the rot." Then he sympathizingly said, "I am sorry, but I cannot help it." For a full account read Church Hist., Vol. 1, 454-487.

    Now to conclude this part of the story, let us ask, Did God direct Smith to organize this army, erect munitions factories to manufacture pistols, rifles, swords, dirk knives, and all kind of war munitions? Did God tell Smith to drag those people over a thousand miles, send his angels, and floods and hail-stones like turkey eggs to break the guns of their enemies? Did God request those poor people to suffer all those deprivations and such sickness and death and then suffer them to make an ignominious failure, or was it the man Smith that caused all this trouble?

    Just think of the impudence of Smith, after these people had suffered starvation, cold, sickness and death; after they had sold their property, giving him the money; after they had followed him from their comfortable farms and city homes in the eastern countries, while some of them look upon the dead faces of those they loved in life, and amid their tears they laid them away without a coffin, for Smith to tell them this death and agony was caused by the Lord because they had rebelled against Smith in some little matters concerning camp life, and the wonder of it all was that many of the poor deluded people still followed him, but many apostatized and exposed Smith, so that hundreds left the church.

    Many of them honestly believed that Smith was God's representative, in the establishing of the Kingdom of God that was to break in pieces the United States and all other governments and bring them into subjection to his religion and power, and because of their faith in his revelations, they went forth to conquer the world.
     

    Smith's Army Destroy Towns.

    Herewith I submit the history of the Mormon war as told by the Governor of the State of Missouri, under date of October 26, 1838: General John B. Clark, 1st. Division Missouri Militia.

    Sir: -- Application has been made to the Commander-in-Chief, by the citizens of Daviess County, in this state, for protection and to be restored to their homes and property, with intelligence that the Mormons

     




                      UNITED STATES vs. MORMON CHURCH                  119

    with an armed force have expelled the inhabitants of that county from their homes, have pillaged and burned their dwellings, driven off their stock, and were destroying their crops, that they (the Mormons) have burned to ashes the towns of Gallatin and Miliport in said county."

    The letter continues to instruct the General to call out his soldiers and go forthwith to the seat of the trouble.

    The next morning he wrote the same General as follows:

    "Since the order of the morning to you, directing you to raise men, I naive received information of the most appalling character which changes the whole face of things and places the Mormons in the attitude of open and avowed defiance of the laws, and of having made open war upon the people of the State. Your orders are, therefore, to hasten your operations with all possible speed. The Mormons must be treated as enemies, and must be exterminated or driven from the State, if necessary, for the public good. Their outrages are beyond all description." Church Hist., Vol. 2, pages 216-217.

    I have given but a brief history of their conduct, but the reader will remember this comes not from a mob, or some excited bigot, but from the highest authority of the State of Missouri, the Governor, yet because the Mormons were whipped in the fight and driven from the State, they have told the world they were persecuted because they were Saints of the Lord, when the facts were, they were following the revelations of Smith, with the thought that they were doing their duty in driving the people from their homes in order that Zion would be built up. The people did not like the, treatment, and refusing to be converted to Mormonism, they appealed to the United States authorities, with the result that they were punished. Much more could be written, but we think that a discerning public will have discovered by this brief history, the cause of the trouble, and conclude the Mormons were the dupes of Smith.
     

    Smith Foretells Destruction of United States.

    After this terrible trouble in which many were killed on both sides Smith claimed the Lord directed him to go to Washington to see the President of the United States, and secure justice for himself and people. The President declined to submit to the persuasions of Smith and his comrades, whereupon Smith still undaunted, comes forth with the following:

    "Now we shall endeavour to express our feeling and views concerning the President, as we have been eye witnesses of his majesty. He is a small man, sandy complexion, and ordinary features, with frowning brow and considerable body, but not well proportioned, as to his arm and legs and to use his own words, is "quite fat." On the whole we 'think he is without body or parts, as no one part seems to be proportioned to another, therefore, instead of saying body and parts, we saw body and party, or partyism, if you please to call it, and in fine to come directly to the point, he is so much a fop or a fool (for he judged our cause before he knew it) we could find no place to put trust in him. For a general

     




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    thing there is but little solidity and honorable deportment among those who are sent here to represent the people, but a great deal of pomposity and show." Church Hist., Vol. 2, page 397

    He wrote the above from Washington, and on his arrival home in the City of Nauvoo, he wrote the following of his judgment upon the people of the United States, and the men in office, and shows the Lord told him a little secret, the destruction of the United States; but let him speak:

    "I arrived safely at Nauvoo, having witnessed many vexatious movements in government officers, whose sole object should be the peace and prosperity and happiness of the whole people, but instead of this, I discovered that popular clamour and personal aggrandizement were the ruling principles of those in authority, and my heart faints within me, when I see by the visions of the Almighty the end of this nation, if she continues to disregard the cries and petitions of her virtuous citizens, as she has done and is now doing. Church Hist., Vol. 2, page 419.
     

    Missouri To Sink To Hell.

    The above is in keeping with many other prophecies and visions, be claimed the Lord sent him. Here is another: When J. C. Calhoun, who aspired to be president of the United States, wrote to Smith, he replied: "Yet remember, if the Latter Day Saints are not restored to all their rights, that God will come out of His hiding place and vex this nation with a sore vexation, yea, the consuming wrath of an offended God shall smoke through the nation with as much distress and woe as Independence has blazed through with pleasure and delight. While I have power of body and mind, while water runs and grass grows, white virtue is lovely and vice hateful, and while a stone points out a sacred spot where a fragment of American liberty once was, I or my posterity will plead the cause of injured innocence until Missouri makes atonement for all her sins, or sinks disgraced, degraded and damned to hell, where the worm dieth not and the fire is not quenched. Church Hist., Vol. 2, pages 710-711.

    The Mormons have never lost an opportunity to speak disparagingly of the United States and other governments, unless for cause, they, for the time being, wished to secure some favor.

    The above visions, prophecies and curses upon the United States, have not injured that great country, she has prospered and become one of the greatest nations upon the earth, and Missouri has blossomed into one of the most magnificent of the Union. The nation never complied with Smith's demands, yet Missouri has not sunk disgraced to hell, strange!
     

    Smith Ordained King.

    Some time after that as Smith saw the curses promised failed to materialize, he thought he would try and run the nation himself. The Lord had made him Prophet, Seer, Translator and Revelator of the church, he secured the right to be sole trustee of all the church properties,

     




                      UNITED STATES vs. MORMON CHURCH                   121

    some say he was crowned a king, as was one of his successors in office. This can hardly be denied as William Marks, the President of the High Council, and the man who ordained young Joseph, and was his Counsellor says: "I was also witness of the introduction (secretly) of a kingly form of government, in which Joseph suffered himself to be ordained a king, to reign over the house of Israel forever." Saints' Herald, Vol. 51, Jan. 27, 1904, page 73. "Ye shall have no king." D. C. 38, 5.

    The Lord had made him His sole mouthpiece to this generation; if any man would presume to go to law with him that man was cursed, so why not run the nation, so he was proclaimed by a great gathering of his people to be a candidate for the Presidency of the United States. He had a pull as Mayor of the city, and General of the Nauvoo Legion, and so the Elders and Apostles were sent out to electioneer for him, and he published a paper expressing his views, and asking for the vote of the people, coming out as an independent ticket. The people smiled and Smith and his dupes mounted the political stump, but that was all there was of it. For a more complete history of this nonsense, read Church Hist., Vol. 2, pages 713-726.
     

    Smith Destroyed Printing Press.

    This occurred in 1844, a few months after this, sworn evidence galore (which has been published many times and lately by the writer) was printed by many of Smith's former followers, including some of the leading men of the church, showing that Smith was guilty of crimes. He had been charged with having revelations on polygamy, and having many wives and concubines, and that he had insulted both young maidens and married women, and their husbands, fathers and brothers (strange as it may appear) did not seem to excuse the Prophet. When they complained they say their lives were in danger, by reason of his Danite Band, sworn to kill his enemies. Well, they published a paper, filling the first edition with their affidavits. This was too much for Smith. As Mayor he called the people together, and decided to destroy the property and they went at it and destroyed the press and threw the type and other materials into the streets. The proprietors fled for their lives. Smith in time was called to answer before the law, and while in jail he was shot to death by a number of people who broke into the jail.

    His son tries to excuse his father of this dastardly attempt upon the liberty of the people, by saying: "In the evening of the day that the Expositor press and material was destroyed, a crowd gathered on Main Street and among them was the Mayor, my father. I heard my father's voice, measured and clear, "What ever you may think about it, you have this day made me do, in my official capacity as your officer, an act that I believe we shall all be sorry for and that will make us great trouble hereafter." Joseph the Prophet, page 746.

    I am sorry that his son was weak enough to try to cover up his father's guilt. His apology only reveals another contemptible trait in his father's character. That father held the positions of Prophet, Seer, Revelator, Translator, sole trustee of all church property, God's mouthpiece

     




    122                   UNITED STATES vs. MORMON CHURCH                  

    to the church, the only man in the world who could give revelations for the government of the church, his word was law, none dare oppose it under the penalty of a curse, he was mayor of the city, general of the Nauvoo Legion of soldiers, yet having his base and wicked life bared before the world in that paper, his polygamy and infidelity, be had the press destroyed, and then was low and mean and cowardly enough to try and throw the blame on the poor dupes who had obeyed his command.

    Soon after the printing establishment referred to was destroyed and the proprietors had fled from the city to save their lives, and Smith as his own son admits, tried to throw the blame for his dastardly act upon his followers, those interested travelled to the county seat and obtained a writ for his arrest, and with others Smith and his brother fled from the state. It is said that this affected some of their followers, and they were by some considered cowards, to escape from the state, in place of facing the courts. So they returned to Nauvoo appeared before the judge, and were placed under bail to appear at the next term of the Circuit Court.
     

    Smith Arrested on The Charge of Treason Against The State of Illinois.

    The same day they were arrested on a charge of treason against the state of Illinois, and were committed to jail. Church Hist., Vol. 2, pages 737-744.

    The people of the State knowing that Smith had men and money at his command, knowing that he had escaped from the State of Missouri when charged with treason and that he had escaped from the State of Ohio under several serious charges, and, that many other times he had escaped from justice, concluded to take care of him this time, so the mob came, overpowered the jail guards, some entered the jail, while others remained outside to get him if he jumped from the open window, which he eventually did.

    The mob fired several shots through the panel of the door, killing Hyrum Smith, and wounding John Taylor.

    Now let us have a look at the other side of Joseph Smith. He was Prophet, Seer, Revelator, Translator, Sole Trustee of church property, President of the Church, God's sole mouthpiece to the church, General of the Nauvoo Legion, Mayor of the city, and had lately been crowned king. It is said that he was more like Christ than any man who ever lived, "that he did more for the salvation of men in this world than any man that ever lived in it, save Jesus only." One of the, poetesses wrote of him as follows:

    "Great men have fall'n, and mighty men have died --
    Nations have mourn'd their favorites and their pride,
    But two so wise, so virtuous, great and good,
    Before on earth, at once, have never stood."
    This was written by E. R. Snow on Joseph and Hyrum Smith. Miss

     




                      UNITED STATES vs. MORMON CHURCH                   123

    Snow swore she was one of Joseph Smith's wives. Her brother, an apostle under Smith, and who became President of the Utah Mormon church, told me he knew that his sister was a plural wife to Joseph Smith, and that he had taught him polygamy. He died confirming this statement.

    A few days before his death Smith is reported to have said: "I am going like a lamb to the slaughter." This was to show that he would meet death like Jesus did, The Lamb of God. Isaiah 53: 7.

    Let us see if he did die like Christ. They have published in their own history that he had a six shooter pistol concealed on his person, and when his brother was shot through the closed door "Joseph reached his pistol through the door, which was pushed a little ajar, and fired three of the barrels, the rest missed fire. He killed two men and shot the arm of a third man." His brethren boast of this act, and say: "In him was the spirit of dauntless bravery exemplified." Reorganized Church journal of History, Oct. 1918, pages 399-416. 

    During the last hour of Smith's life, he gave the jail guard money to buy wine, pipes and tobacco." Joseph the Prophet, pages 522-523.

    The facts show that Smith had been leading a life of hypocrisy and crime. Thousands of his faithful and most prominent followers had discovered his infamy, and left him, and from time to time exposed him. At the time of his death he was under arrest for treason against the State, and other charges were pending against him and his attempt to destroy all national governments and set up what he called the Kingdom of God on earth, had failed. When in the, midst of his wine, tobacco and murder he attempted to escape from the jail window, when he was shot dead.

    I ask. was there anything in all this to show that he lived and died like Christ, Christ was the "Lily of the Valley," "the one altogether lovely." He was innocent of any crime. he was the personification of honor. The synonym of virtue and true manhood. He destroyed no printing press, debauched no maidens, never invaded the sacred precincts of other men's homes to destroy the womanhood of the Country. Had no revelations permitting whoredoms, concubinage and polygamy. Nor did he spend His last hour with wine and tobacco while he, murdered two men and spent His last moment trying to kill more. The effort made to compare Smith with the "Holy One" is the worst form of blasphemy. Words fail me to express my feelings on the matter so we draw the curtain over the dark picture.
     

    The Reorganized Church Are Against The United States.

    Since the death of Smith, his followers have continued their tirade of abuse and slander against the Government of the United States, and are still looking for the judgments of God to come upon that nation because of their treatment of the prophet and his kingdom. They at times make speeches and hoist "Old Glory," but they do that for a purpose as I have already shown and will continue to show.

    I herewith submit part of an article written on the murder of Joseph

     




    124                   UNITED STATES vs. MORMON CHURCH                  

    Smith, published in October, 1918, showing they still desire to educate their people along the same old lines against the United States. They may say it is but a reprint of that published years ago, that may be true, but if that is not their sentiments today, why republish it to the grand-children of those formerly concerned. Their faith in Joseph Smith, his prophecies of the United States and all other kingdoms and the final triumph of the Mormon kingdoms is unchanged."

    "Shades of hell," we turn to you. Unroll the ponderous scroll of your grand secretary that chronicle of all the deeds of bloody crime, heartless villainy and depravity that have marked the world's history from the death of righteous Abel, and see if they all afford a: parallel with the crime of the last fifteen years, committed in a boasted age of civilization, religion and liberty

    Farewell to liberty, farewell to the rights of man, farewell to the institutions of a boasted republic, farewell to our glorious constitution, adieu to the blood of illustrious fathers, farewell to virtue, honesty, peace, tranquillity and national happiness, farewell to the dulcet songs of freedom that were wont to animate the sons of Columbia, farewell to the Stars and Stripes of our national banner, that falsely tell the oppressed, as they float in the harbors of foreign climes that America is a land of liberty. These have passed away and become the things that were, and now are not. The bubble that contained them all floated for time upon the surface of a quiet sea, but the tempest has broken out in its fury. The bubble has burst and they have flown, and soon the judgments of the Great God will wind up the scene, and spread the pall of darkness and desolation over the relics of a ruined world that blood will not be easy to wash out." Journal of History, published by the Reorganized Church, Vol. 2, Oct. 1918, pages 425-426.

    Hear the prophecy of one of the former apostles of the Mormon hierarchy:

    "The day will come when the United States government and all others will be uprooted and the kingdoms of this world will be united in one and the kingdom of our God (which means the Mormon hierarchy) will govern the whole earth and have universal sway."

    This certainly reveals a very clearly defined purpose. The leaders of the organization have never changed this definite purpose nor halted for one single day in their effort to accomplish that purpose. They have changed their methods of procedure as frequently as the exigency demanded but the one purpose has been ever before them. The court records of Salt Lake City reveal the persistent effort of the Mormons to rid themselves of the authority of our government. These records were printed and given to the public at the time of the Smoot investigation. After hearing the startling testimony of many witnesses Judge Anderson returned the following findings in reference to the claims of the Mormon Church

     




                      UNITED STATES vs. MORMON CHURCH                   125

    1. "It claims to be the actual and veritable kingdom of God on earth; not in its fullness because Christ has not yet come to rule in person; but for the present He rules through the priesthood of the church who are the vice-regents of God."

    2. "This kingdom is both a temporal and spiritual kingdom and should rightfully control and is entitled to the highest allegiance of men in all their affairs."

    3. "That this kingdom will overthrow the United States and all other governments after which Christ will return in person." Christian Statesman, page. 84, Feb., 1920.

    Having compiled this short history of the Mormon Church and Kingdom which shows from their own works that Smith was ordained a king, that said kingdom was to break in pieces all other kingdoms and stand forever. That Smith's revelations instructed him to organize an army to work destruction, defeat the United States and establish his headquarters in Missouri, that he and his people worked to that end till he was shot while in the act of committing murder, and that his people to date believe that their kingdom is yet to triumph in the destruction of the United States and all other kingdoms, as shown by Smith's prophecies. I leave the subject with you, asking that you ponder what my fate will be unless protected by the Almighty and his people. I thank God my eyes are opened and I feel called upon to let the world know something of the horrible thralldom from which I have been rescued. Thousands now feel that my sudden death would be a benediction to the Mormon church and that perhaps the time has come "That whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God's service."


    Having proved that both the original Mormon church and the Reorganized Mormon church both teach that God revealed to them that Zion was to be organized in Independence, Missouri, that was to be the only place of safety from pestilence and war, the place where Christ should come, it remains for me to prove that the present head of the Church, still believes and teaches that Zion must yet be established to make ready for the destruction of the United States, and coming of Christ. I submit his latest prophecy of the soon approach of the destruction of the United States, as prophesied by his grandfather, Joseph Smith.

    "I wonder how long it will be till we have Zion, my concern has been intensified of late. Forces are at work which threaten our government and the men at Washington know this well, discord and chaos are liable to break out over night and the institutions upon which we lean for our safeguard may crumble, and our protection be weakened, I wish I could tell you some of the things I feel I know; and the great concern that has stirred me at times is, when that time of chaos comes will this people be prepared to furnish the place of safety God has intended that we should." F. M. Smith, Herald, March 3rd, 1920, page 193.



     

    [ 126 ]





    CHAPTER VIII.


    Book of Commandments

    _______________

    This book is the second sacred book published by the Mormons. It contains sixty-five revelations said to have been given direct by Jesus Christ to Joseph Smith. Some are given to the general church, but most of them to individuals. In one of the early ones Joseph Smith is made the Prophet, Seer, Revelator, Translator, Apostle and sole mouthpiece to the church, and the church is robbed of its liberty and thrown into slavery by the statement, "Thou shalt give heed unto all his word, and commandments, which he shall give unto you. For his words ye shall receive, as if from mine own mouth, in all patience and faith." Doc. and Cov. 10, 1-2, B. C. 22, 1-5.

    "No one shall be appointed to receive revelations and Commandments in this church excepting my servant Joseph Smith, Jr." Doc. and Cov. 27, 2.

    This book was published by order of the church in Independence, Missouri, by W. W. Phelps and Company, in 1833. Many of the Mormons objected to the publication of these revelations, because they said, "If the world read those revelations, and the threats to destroy them or drive them from their lands, they will drive us away."

    "The reason why the printing press was destroyed was because they published the Book of Commandments. It fell into the hands of the world, and the people of Jackson Co., Mo., saw from the revelations that they were considered by the church as intruders upon the land of Zion, and that they should be cut off and sent out of the land of Zion. The people seeing these things in the Book of Commandments became the more enraged, tore down the printing press and drove the church out of Jackson County." Whitmer's Address, page 54; D. C. 52, 9; 64, 7; 45, 15.

    Elder Phelps was by revelation made printer to the church, and by revelation Cowdery was to assist him by copying and selecting, etc. that all things may be done right before me. Cowdery and John Whitmer were sent by revelation with the revelations to the printer. Doc. and Cov., 57, 5; 69, 1.

    The Reorganized Church takes the position that the book was never completed, but this is absolutely false. Journal of Hist., Vol. 5, page 148.

    That the said Reorganized Church is willing to misrepresent the facts about this, as other matters, may be proved by the following:

    "After the book was completed the question of binding them was discussed, and it was decided to just put a paper cover on them, and

     




                        THE BOOK OF COMMANDMENTS                     127

    many of them were bound in leather by, private persons. I had the copy of the complete book sent to me from the Elder to whom David Whitmer gave his complete book and the leather binding on the book was placed there by Whitmer's own hand." So stated the man to whom Whitmer gave the book, Elder Snider of Kansas City.

    After the book was completed Smith wrote from Kirtland, saying: "Consign the box of the Book of Commandments to N. K. Whitney & Co., Kirtland, Ohio." Times and Seasons, Vol. 6, pages 800-801; La Rue, page 85.

    That these books were completed and sent to Smith. care of Whitney, and that Smith received them is proved from the fact that Smith later wrote as follows: "The following errors we have found in the Commandments as printed." Times and Seasons, Vol. 6, pages 800-801.

    That the Book of Commandments was completed and published and was quoted as an authority, is seen by the following: "It will be seen by reference to the Book of Commandments, page 135, that the Lord had said to the church," and also "But if any man will take the pains to read the one hundred and fifty-third page of the Book of Commandments, he will find there," etc. Church Hist., Vol. 1, pages 509, 510; Mill. Star, Vol. 15, page 823.

    Whitmer says: "Early in the spring of 1833 at Independence, Mo., the revelations were printed in the Book of Commandments. Many of the Books were finished and distributed among the members of the church. When I objected to the revelations being published in a Book of Commandments, Brother Joseph prophesied as follows: "Any man who objects to having these revelations published shall have his part taken out of the tree of life, and out of the Holy City." "I prophesied that if they sent those revelations to Independence to be published in a book the people would come upon them and tear down the printing press, and the church would be driven out of the country." Whitmer's Address, pages 54-55.

    The book was printed, the mob arose, the people were driven from the county and many of the books were destroyed and only a few left. But what shall we do with the Lord's revelation to Smith regarding this book which says:

    "This is mine authority and my preface unto the Book of Commandments which I have given them to publish unto you, Oh inhabitants of the earth. These commandments are of me. Search these Commandments for they are true and faithful, and the prophecies and promises which are in them shall all be fulfilled." Church Hist., Vol. 1, page 228; 13. B. C. page 1.

    "This I know that in the year 1834, they say that some of the revelations had to be changed-so the Book of Doctrine and Covenants was printed in Whitmer's Address, page 56.

    "When it became known that important changes had been made in the Book of Doctrine and Covenants, many left the church." Whitmer's Address, page 61.

     




    128                     THE BOOK OF COMMANDMENTS                    

    "Joseph Smith took a copy of the Book of Commandments into the pulpit in Kirtland, Ohio, and declared that it was faulty." Saints' Herald, March 12th, 1887.

    What shall we think of the leaders of the Reorganized Church who with all this evidence in their possession will willfully misrepresent saying the Book of Commandments was never completed, and was not published?

    We append some of the changes made, changes which alter the, sense of the revelations and make additions that change the whole face of the church, both in organization and doctrine.

    "If thou lovest Me thou shalt serve me and keep all my commandments, and behold thou shalt consecrate all thy properties, that which thou hast unto me, with a covenant and a deed which cannot be broken, and they shall be laid before the Bishop of my church and two of the Elders such as be shall appoint and set apart for that purpose, and it shall come to pass that the Bishop of my church after that he has received the properties of my church that it cannot be taken from the church, be shall appoint every man a steward over his own property, or that which he has received inasmuch as is sufficient for himself and family." B. C. page 75, Chap. 44, 26.

    "If thou loveth me thou shalt serve me and keep all my commandments, and behold thou wilt remember the poor, and consecrate of thy properties for their support, that which thou hast to impart unto them, with a covenant and a deed which cannot be broken, and inasmuch as ye impart of your substance unto the poor, ye will do it unto me, and they shall be laid before the bishop of my church and his counsellors, two of the Elders or High Priests, such as he shall or has appointed, and set apart for that purpose, and it shall come to pass after they are laid before the Bishop of my church and after that he has received these testimonies concerning the consecration of the properties of my church, agreeable to my commandments, every man shalt be made accountable unto me, a steward over his own property, or that which he has received by consecration, inasmuch as is sufficient for himself and family." Doc. and Cov. 42, 8-9.

    The reader will see many changes in this revelation, but the most important one is that in B. C. It says the man "shall consecrate all his property," but in D. C. it says "consecrate of thy property." 

    Here is a splendid one that brought into prominence the crooked stick or witch hazel rod, with which Joseph Smith and his father before him professed to find water and gold, and which Cowdery is to do wonderful things.

    "Oliver Cowdery, remember this is your gift. Now, this is not all, for you have another gift, which is the gift of working with the rod, behold there is no other power save God that can cause this rod of nature to work in your hands, for it is the work of God, and therefore, whatsoever you shall ask me to tell you by that means that will I grant unto you, that you should know." B. C. page 16, Ch. 7, 3.

     




                        THE BOOK OF COMMANDMENTS                     129

    "Oliver Cowdery, remember this is your gift, now this is not all thy gift, for you have another gift which is the gift of Aaron, behold it has told you many things. Behold, there is no other power save the power of God that can cause this gift of Aaron to be with you, therefore, doubt not for it is the gift of God, and you shall hold it in your hands, and do marvelous works, and no power shall be able to take it away out of your hands for it is the work of God, and, therefore whatsoever you shall ask me to tell you by that means that will I grant unto you, and you shall have knowledge concerning it." D. C. 8, 3.

    David Whitmer affirms that he was present in Fayette, N. Y. in 1830, when Smith gave the revelation entitled "The Articles and Covenants of the Church of Christ." This revelation appears in B. C. Ch. 24, and in D. C. Sec. 17. There are many changes in this revelation when you compare the revelation as found in B. C. and the same revelation as published in D. C. 17, chief among them are the additions of the two whole paragraphs numbered in D. C. as par. 16, 17. Not a word of those two paragraphs appearing in D. C. are found in the original revelation, and the worst of it is as stated by Whitmer and others, it changes the whole face of the church organization and places such officers as Presidency, High Council and High Priests, which are no where mentioned in all tile revelations up to that date. Why, it is asked, did Joseph Smith make such wonderful changes in the revelations which God gave to the church.

    We herewith append the extra two paragraphs as they appear in D. C. :

    "16 -- No person is to be ordained to any office in this church where .there is a regularly organized branch of the same, without the vote of that church; but the presiding Elders, traveling Bishops, High Counsellors, High Priests, and Elders, may have the privilege of ordaining, where there is no branch of the church, that a vote may be called."

    "17 -- Every president of the High Priesthood (or presiding older), Bishop, High Counsellor, and High Priest is to be ordained by the direction of a High Council, or general conference." Doc. and Cov. 17, 16-17.

    Here are eighty-nine words, added to a sacred revelation said to have been given by the lips of Jesus Christ, yet Smith and his comrades in crime deliberately make this change, which alters the whole face of the church organization, this to those who believe God gave the first revelation, is an unpardonable sin, and to those who refuse to believe that God had anything to do with the matter, fail to see how the faithful can respect Smith after seeing this indubitable evidence of his rascality.

    Here is another change that is made to give Smith greater power, "And he (Joseph Smith) has a gift to translate the book, and I have commanded him that he shall pretend to no other gift, for I will grant him no other gift." B. C., Ch. 4, par. 2, page 9.

    "And you (Joseph Smith) have a gift to translate the plates, and this is the first gift that I have bestowed upon you, and I have commanded that you should pretend to no other gift until it is finished." D. C. 5, 1.

     




    130                     THE BOOK OF COMMANDMENTS                    

    The most remarkable thing in connection with the Smith revelations is, the Book of Commandments was published in 1833, and the Doctrine and Covenants in 1835, yet in neither of these books, the greatest revelation of all time, said to have been given to Smith in 1820, wherein God left heaven to introduce Christ to Joseph, and then lapsed into silence, and then Smith gave Christ the theological nut to crack "which of all the churches are right?" And Christ told him the churches were all wrong, the creeds all an abomination in his sight and all the professors corrupt, drawing near God with lip service while their hearts were far from him." Church Hist., Vol. 1, pages 9-10.

    This was Smith's greatest revelation. Here was the foundation of his church mission as Prophet, Seer, Revelator. Here was the great denunciation of all the churches, and the pronouncement of divine judgment upon all the hypocritical men and women who formed the Christianity of the world, yet not a word is said in his revelations as to this most wonderful and greatest manifestation of divine personality since the world began.

    Moses was raised in the royal palace of the Kings of Egypt, associated with royalty all his life, yet when he was permitted to meet God, it is said that Mount was a flame of glory and filled with smoke, and the great mountain quaked greatly. If the people touched the mountain they were to die; the thunders roared; the lightning flashed. So great was the glory of the Lord that beamed upon the face of Moses, that he had to place a veil upon his face so that the people could look upon him. Read Exodus, Ch. 19, 20, 34.

    But Smith the young farmer boy, unacquainted with men, had no trouble to stand in the presence of God and Christ, and chat with them both. It is true he tells us of both the great power of evil and good that was present during the vision, but the strangeness is that he never printed the story in the collection of revelations made in 1833 or 1835, but be waited for eighteen years to place that story in print, and now it is denied by the Reorganized Church in Child's History, page 1.
     

    The Book of Doctrine and Covenants.

    This is the third book published by the Mormons, the first was the Book of Mormon, 1830, the Book of Commandments, published in 1833, and the history shows that the church was changing its doctrine and organization to such a degree that it was necessary to change many of the revelations to fit the changes made, and so the Book of Commandments was set aside and the Book of Doctrine and Covenants was published in 1835.

    David Whitmer says: "A few of the brethren knew about most of the important changes that had been put in the Doctrine and Covenants. In time it was generally found out and the result was some of the members left the church on account of it. The changes were made by a committee consisting of Joseph Smith, F. G. Williams and Sidney Rigdon." Whitmer's Address, page 61.

     




                        THE BOOK OF COMMANDMENTS                     131

    Before we attempt to show some of the hundreds of changes made in the revelations, we will let the Mormon prophets explain how they receive the revelations, which we are commanded to believe are spoken by Christ.

    Joseph Smith gave the following revelation to Oliver Cowdery. This man Cowdery was promised that he should have power to translate. He tried and failed and hence the explanation:

    "Behold you have not understood, you have supposed that I would give it unto you, when you took no thought, save it was to ask me, but behold, I say unto you, that you must study it out in your mind, then you must ask me if it be right, and if it is right, I will cause that your bosom shall burn within you, therefore you shall feel that it is right. but if it be not right, you shall have no such feelings, but you shall have a stupor of thought, that shall cause you to forget the thing which is wrong, therefore you cannot write that which is sacred save it be given you from me. Now if you had known this, you could have translated, nevertheless it is not expedient that you should translate now." D. C. 9: 3-4.

    Here we have the method of Smith's translating and receiving revelations, surely as stated by Martin Harris, David Whitmer, Isaac Hale(his father-in-law,) and Emma, his wife. He did not require to see the plates or any manuscript when translating, he just thought it out in his mind, and if he had a burning in his bosom the thing he thought was the inspiration of heaven, thus then we find how the Book of Mormon and Book of Abraham was translated, and how he received the revelations that are found in the Book of Commandments and Book of Doctrine and Covenants. 

    Joseph Smith, the son of the founder of Mormonism, who became the prophet, seer, revelator and mouthpiece of the Lord, to the Reorganized church, gave his experience as to how revelations were received:

    "Revelations, as I under stand it, are received in different ways, sometimes by impression, sometimes by the person becoming conscious of it, and sometimes by audible voice heard by the individual by whom the revelation is received and sometime by a direct messenger, and sometimes by what we understand to be the direct intervention of the spirit. A man may be mistaken though he be the president of the church as to the genuineness or authenticity of revelations claimed to have been received." Evidence in Temple Lot suit, pages 75-76.

    It was strange to hear this man when under oath make the above statement when we had read the law of the church to be as follows:

    "Wherefore, meaning the church, thou shalt give heed unto all his word and commandments which he shall give unto you for his words we shall receive as if from Mine own mouth." D. C. 19, 2.

    "No one shall be appointed to receive revelations and commandments in this church excepting my servant Joseph Smith Jr., for he receiveth them even as Moses, thou shalt be obedient unto all things which I shall give unto him." D. C. 27, 2.

     




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    "And it shall be given thee in the very moment what thou shalt speak and write and they shall hear it, or I will send unto them a cursing instead of a blessing." D. C. 23, 3.

    We will now present some of the thousands of changes that have been made in the revelations. I admit that if the Lord made these mistakes he should be permitted to correct them, but is it not blasphemy to attribute such mistakes to the Lord? Why not say Smith did the best he could, and when he improved in the art of revelating, that he made some corrections.

    "Now for this cause, I know that man is nothing, which thing I never had supposed, but now mine eyes, mine own eyes, but not mine eyes for mines eyes could not have beheld." D. C. 22, 2, pub. 1901.

    "Now for this cause I know that man is nothing, which thing I never had supposed, but now mine eves (have beheld God) but not mine natural but my spiritual eyes, for mine natural eyes could not have beheld, for I should have withered and died in His presence." D. C. 22, 7, 1913.

    The reader can see the awful grammar and the many changes made here. Was God guilty of such nonsense and then did He make the alterations? Are we to be cursed because we do not believe that these words fell from the lips of Jesus Christ, or that Smith did not receive revelations like Moses? 

    Now the readers might not be so critical had it not been that the Lord revealed the preface of the book, saying: "Behold this is mine authority and the authority of my servants, and my preface unto the Book of my Commandments which I have given them to publish unto you, O inhabitants of the earth. What I the Lord have spoken I have spoken, and I excuse not myself. The sword of the Lord is bathed in heaven, and it shall fall upon the inhabitants of the earth who refuse to give heed unto these prophecies and commandments." D. C. 1, 1833; D. C. 1, 1913.

    From the above we learn that God gave the preface of the book, (not many books have their preface written by the Almighty), and further God makes no apologies and says: "I excuse not myself."

    Now the cold facts are, the Doctrine and Covenants claim is that the revelations and commandments there in contained came direct from God, and the world will be cursed if they do not believe and obey them, while many who read it affirm that the revelations are a jumbled mass of bad grammar, poor spelling that they contradict themselves in many hundreds of places and that the very revelations which we will be cursed if we refuse to believe, have been altered in hundreds of cases, and whenever they have been republished, in many of them, most every paragraph has been changed in word and meaning. Sometimes hundreds of words, have been added or taken from a single revelation. We affirm that having read several publications of these revelations, as made from 1832 to l913, that they have been altered in thousands of places. To record the changes, would fill a large volume. If God will condemn a

     




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    a person for not believing them as first published, then why should we believe them when changed in thousands of places?

    We can only take time and space to briefly present a few cases in point.

    Book of Commandments, Chap. 4, pub. 1833, compared with the same revelation published in Doctrine and Covenants Section 5, pub. 1913, is changed in every paragraph and in one paragraph the Lord, describing the abominations of the people uses 144 words, when the same denouncement is made in the other edition there is 216 words used, the most abominable feature of the revelation is that Martin Harris is commanded to say he saw the plates of the Book of Mormon long before he claims to have seen them, if he refuses to so testify he is to be placed under condemnation, and the worst of it is that some of the very words which he is commanded to say, are found in his testimony as recorded in the Book of Mormon, more than a year after.

    Turn to the Articles and Covenants of the Church of Christ. This revelation was published in a paper called the Morning and Evening Star, June 1832, the reader will find a paragraph of over one hundred words at the end of that revelation that is not found in the same revelation as published in the Book of Commandments, 1833, called chapter 24. Then let the reader turn to the Doctrine and Covenants of 1835 and other editions and he will find that the paragraph published in 1832 is not published in the revelation and worse and more of it, he will find two whole paragraphs containing eighty-nine words published in this revelation that were not published in the Evening and Morning Star of June, 1832, nor were they published in the Book of Commandments of 1833. The two paragraphs added in another part of the revelation introduces a new system of church organization, thus changing the whole face of the church organization as taught and understood by the membership from 1828 to 1830.

    Some, late writers have tried to make it appear that this section or chapter is not a revelation, but this is false as the following will prove. David Whitmer, the sixth man baptized into Mormonism and one of the three witnesses to the Book of Mormon, left the church in 1838. He testifies: "I was present when brother Joseph gave this revelation. Two paragraphs have been added to it having been thrust into the middle of it-as if God had made a mistake and left these high offices out of that revelation when it was first given." Whitmer's Address, pages 59-60.

    "Of the date of the reception of this section, Joseph Smith states:

    "In this manner did the Lord continue to give us instructions from time to time concerning the duties which now devolve upon us and among other things of the kind. We obtained from him the following by the spirit of prophecy and revelation, which not only gave us much information but also pointed out to us the precise day upon which, according to His will and commandment, we should proceed to organize the Church once again upon the earth." Times and Seasons, Vol. 3, pages 928-9; Lambert Objections, page 87; Ch. Hist., Vol. 1, page 67.

     




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    The reader will see the opening statement of this revelation start out to command them to organize the church on April 6th and further we are therein informed that that was the date on which Christ came in the flesh, or was born. This is contradicted by most every historian, Christ is said to have been born in the spring A. D. 4. Smith's God was about four years out on that matter. Dict. of Bible, Wm. Smith Art. Jesus Christ.

    We now invite your attention to Book of Commandments, Chapter 44, compare that with Doctrine and Covenants Section 42, claimed to be the same revelation given under date of Feb. 1831. There is a difference of nearly six paragraphs, hundreds of words, which changes the whole face of the revelation. Yet we are to be damned if we do not believe the original and I presume we will be damned if we believe silly twaddle recorded in the present publication of that much contradicted revelation.

    Perhaps we would do injustice if we neglected to notice Chapter 28 of the Book of Commandments and compare Section 26 of the Doctrine and Covenants given Sept., 1830. Several hundred words are added to this revelation, several angels, excluding a visit from Peter, James and John who ordained Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery to the high priesthood, is told very nicely. The horror of it all is that after the edition has been made for over fifty years to this famous revelation, now to have the son of Joseph Smith, the president of the Reorganized church, come out flat footed and deny that Peter, James and John ever filled any such a mission, we cannot resist the temptation to make a paragraph of this statement and its contradiction.

    "And also with Peter, James and John, whom I have sent unto you, by whom I have ordained you and confirmed you to be Apostles and especial witnesses of my name." D. C. 26, 3.

    "I was present with Joseph when the higher or Melchisedec Priesthood was conferred by the Holy Angel from on high. This priesthood was then conferred on each other by the will and commandment of God." Myth of the Manuscript Found, page 80. Statement of Oliver Cowdery.

    "Mr. Smith testifies that Peter, James and John came to him in the capacity of ministering angels and by the laying on of hands ordained him an apostle." Apostle Orson Pratt, Divine Authority, page .4.

    Now hear young Joseph Smith, son of the original Joseph Smith and prophet, seer, and, revelator of the church for over fifty years, give the frank lie to the statement of his father, the revelation of Section 26, the statement of Oliver Cowdery, and also Apostle Pratt and the combined testimony of the church for over eighty years.

    "There is no historical evidence of such an event, nor is there any that Peter, James and John were present, either when the instruction was given to ordain or when the ordination actually took place. It is not safe then to write historically that Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery

     




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    were ever ordained literally under the hands of Peter, James and John." Reorganized Church History, Vol. 1, pages 64-65.

    If the revelation Smith, Cowdery, Pratt and all Mormonism for eighty years has to acknowledge this angelic ordination to be a false position as stated by young Joseph Smith, what credit can be given to Mormonism. We close the examination of the revelations given by old Joseph Smith, the first prophet, with one more glimpse just to show the autocracy of Smith, read B. C. ch. 45 and D. C. Sec. 43, revelations given Feb. 1831, and there we are informed Joseph Smith is the only one appointed by God to give revelations to the church, that if the church desires the mysteries of the kingdom revealed, they must provide Smith with food, and raiment and whatsoever thing he needeth to accomplish the work, but to the last he was game. He tells them that if God would deem him unworthy to speak through any more, that he would still have power to appoint his successor. Just think, suppose a young man loved a girl because of her virgin purity, but discovered that she was filthy and vile, he denounced her and left her because she had undervalued the virgin crown, and then said, now while you have forfeited your right to be my wife., you still have the right to select the woman whom I shall marry. With this we leave the first prophet Joseph, and give a brief examination of his son, the prophet of the Reorganized church.
     

    Strange Statement Made in The Revelations of The Reorganized Church Prophets.

    I confess that for years, before leaving Mormonism, I had grave doubts with regard to the revelations that were given by Joseph the second, there was nothing definite about them, too much guess work, too much "if" and "perhaps." They seemed to be a guess of a human being rather than a revelation from the divine, but we submit a brief examination of a few points for the consideration of the honest searcher for truth:

    "Inasmuch as there has been much discussion in the past concerning the Sabbath of the Lord, the church is admonished that until further revelation is received, or the quorums of the church are assembled to decide concerning the law in the church articles and covenants, the saints are to observe the first day of the week commonly called the Lord's Day, as a day of rest, as a day of worship, as given in the covenant,, and commandments." D. and C. 119, 7.

    It just seems to me that if the Lord had spoken he would have told them which was the right day. He would have settled the matter once and for all and not told them to wait for another revelation to settle it.

    "The epistle is to be left without approval or disapproval by tile conference, as the judgment of the quorum of twelve, until further experience shall have tested the matters therein stated." D. and C., 120, 1.

    It just looks to me that if the Lord had condescended to speak on the position taken by the apostles that he would have confirmed their opinion or denounced it. Are we to believe that the Lord had not arrived

     




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    at a proper conclusion regarding the matter, or will we say the man who presented the paper to the church was not settled in his mind? Or, if he was, there were strong men on each side of the controversy and he did not care to run up against them?

    "The voice of the spirit is that E. C. Briggs be sustained. for the. present. J. W. Briggs and Z. H. Gurley are in your hands to approve, or disapprove as wisdom may direct."

    This E. C. Briggs was sustained for years. "For the present" sounds very indefinite, when we are asked to believe that the Lord said it. The other two men, one the most brilliant apostles of his time, the other the president of that august body, had denounced the body and soon after left the church and both believed to their death that Joseph Smith, the founder of the church, received the infamous revelations on polygamy and had many wives. Yet it looks like as if someone was afraid to say "put them out," or "keep them in," and so threw the burden upon poor weak man to decide the fate of these two stalwarts. But this milk and water policy did not keep these two brave men from giving to the world what they believe concerning the conduct of Joseph Smith.

    "The one whom I had called to preside over the church (Joseph Smith) (R. C.) had not yet approved himself unto the scattered flock, and I gave this commandment (regarding money matters) (R. C.) unto the quorum next in authority in spiritual things, that the scattered ones, and those who had been made to suffer might have assurance that I would not suffer that he whom I had called should betray the confidence of the faithful, nor squander the moneys of the treasury for the purpose of self." D. C. 122, 5.

    Does this look as if God was not sure that young Joseph would not go in the path another had walked in, and so the faithful would again be robbed by his squandering their money? So he ordered the Twelve to watch the money chest till the young prophet would prove himself. This seems like a good thing in one way, and it would not be a real bad move if the Lord, or the church, or someone would take a hand right now, so that the moneys of the faithful be not squandered. When we think of the hundreds of thousands that have been squandered of late years, and if the auditors report correctly and the Bishops spoke truthfully this year, while at general conference, I think it about time for the Lord to kindly give further instructions on this matter.

    "My servant Thomas W. Smith is in my hand, and his bishopric shall be continued for a season. If he fully recover he will enter again into the work. If I take him unto myself another will be appointed in his stead when the quorum is filled." D. C. 122, 15.

    The plot thickens. We are asked to believe that the Lord of heaven gave this revelation to his people. He advised that Apostle Smith be continued in office for a season. Fact is, the God who gave that revelation did not seem to know whether this very sick apostle would get better or not, but he wanted the people to permit him to hold office for a season till he had decided whether he would die or not. Was this the guess of a God or a man? "If he fully recover he will enter into the work.

     




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    Did God not know that he would remain a helpless creature for a long time and never do any more apostolic work in this world? It appears not. But He gave the assurance that "if I take him to myself another shall be appointed in his stead, when the quorum is filled."

    "The quorum of twelve, my servants may choose and appoint one of their number to take the place of my servant Alexander H. Smith, and if they shall choose William H. Kelley from among them for this place it will be pleasing unto me. Nevertheless if directed by the spirit of revelation and wisdom they may choose another." D. C. 124, 3.

    Here we are asked to believe that the Lord will be pleased in the selection of one man, but he warns them what steps to take if the spirit of revelation directs them to select another. We had always thought that it was the Lord that bestowed the spirit of revelation. Surely this revelation should put to shame the poor, deluded sectarian world who know not God, and have not received of the spirit of revelation.

    "The seer of the church has a vision in which he sees Frederick M. Smith and R. C. Evans sitting with the presidency (himself). When he beheld these men in that exalted station, he says: "I asked what was meant by the choosing of members of the presidency so young in years. I was informed that it was for the purpose that before the presidency should be invaded by death these younger men should be prepared by association to be of assistance to whomsoever should be chosen as the president upon the emergency which should occur." D. C. 126, 6, 8.

    Not one that I have talked to in all the years since that time has been able to explain this to me. Both the present prophet and his father admitted their inability to make it clear, for several reasons. Let us examine. First, why ask the question: why speak of those two men being so young in years to occupy that position? I was older than Joseph Smith was when he was called of God to do the marvelous work. Yes, dear reader, older than Joseph Smith, and (then) present prophet who saw the vision when he became the president of the church. Joseph 1st was not 25 years old when the church was organized. Joseph 2nd was not 28 years old when he was made president. R. C. Evans was over 40 years of age when he was called to the first presidency of the church. I was older than many others who had occupied that position. I had a thousand times more experience in church work than many of them, including both prophets. For I had been ordained and labored for years as a Priest, Elder, Seventy and an apostle. They had none of these offices before they were called to the important work. So, to many the very question seemed absurd. But worse and more of it. The reason for calling the two young men was that before death invaded the presidency that is, before the prophet Joseph should die, these younger men should be prepared by association to be of assistance to whomsoever should be chosen upon the emergency which should occur. If language is a science to convey ideas, then this means that these two young men would remain in the presidency, learning the ways of the prophet till

     




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    death should call him away, and then these two younger men would be of assistance, or be the counsellors to the person who should be chosen by the Lord to be the next president. I have never talked to a man in the church but has considered that this position was the best light they could see this revelation in, and if that be correct it proves that Frederick M. Smith is not the prophet of the Lord. It was not the Lord's wish that he should occupy in his father's place, but that when death took his father away he would be counselor with me to the incoming president. Now, if the Lord gave that revelation, what are we to think of one that came years late, calling Frederick M. Smith to be the president? Is it unfair to say that if this revelation is the word of the Lord, that the time came when poor old Joseph became stone blind and almost totally deaf and agonizing under a complication of diseases that a strong two hundred and thirty pound man had an influence over this blind, deaf and now childish father to make arrangements for his son to take his father's place as president of the church.

    There is another point in this vision that trouble the people,. Joseph Caffall, of the Apostles, was seen sitting with the evangelical ministers. This never came to pass. Caffall never believed the revelation but left the Twelve and died a disappointed man.

    Section 127 contains a lengthy revelation. concerning the building of a church sanitarium for sick folk. Joseph Luff, one of the most brilliant apostles of the church, had given some attention to the study of medicine, and the Lord is supposed to have said that he said Joseph Luff should "be associated with this sanatorium as a medical director and physician to the church and be put in charge-and this my servant Joseph Luff, may do and retain and exercise, his apostleship."

    I may say that in my many years of association with the prophet Joseph Smith this was the first time that I had the courage to go to him and refuse to submit to the revelation that he said came from God. I compared the revelation as given by Jesus Christ in defining the commission of an apostle in the Bible, "Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature," and "They went forth and preached the, gospel everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming tile word with signs following." Mark 15: 12, 20. And we are told "He gave them power to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease." Matt. 10.

    Now, this modern prophet tells us the apostle could both go into all the world, preaching the gospel and heal the sick, and stay at home and make pills to heal the sick in a sanatorium. I felt that the great gospel apostolic mission was degraded, and that this revelation was an evidence of humanity and at that time devoid of Divinity. This revelation was given April 141h, 1906.

    Just three years later, April 18th, 1909, the Lord , we are asked to believe, had so changed his mind upon this matter that we hear Him say, through the same prophet: "My servant Joseph Luff cannot fulfill the duties of a member of the quorum of Twelve in actively looking after and caring for the missionary work in the field and discharge the duties

     




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    of his calling as a physician, ministering to the many seeking his advice and aid with safety to himself and others. It is wise, therefore, that the church release him from the responsibility of the active apostleship as a member of the quorum, that he may act unreservedly in his calling. D. C. 129, 2.


    Shades of Latter Day Saintism.

    Here is a clear backdown by the Lord or someone else and worse and more of it, the most eloquent apostle of the quorum is told to lay aside his holy apostleship in the sacred quorum of apostles, so that he can devote his time to the sanatorium. Bro. Luff has left the sanatorium and the doctor job, too.

    "The voice of the spirit to me is: Under conditions which have occurred, it is no longer wise that my servant R. C. Evans be continued as counsellor in the presidency; therefore, it is expedient that he be released from this responsibility and another be chosen to the office. He has been earnest and faithful in service and his reward is sure. D. C. 129, 1.

    The treatment I had received from some of the leading men, together with several other reasons, which I give in this paper, enabled me to conclude that it was best for me to tender my resignation as one of the first presidency, and I dictated it to R. C. Russell and he wrote it. I presented it to Joseph Smith. He wept and acknowledged that the treatment accorded me was enough to break the stoutest heart, but urged me not to insist on handing in my resignation. That we together would pray that the Lord would release me. I waited and prayed and lived a life of perplexity and sorrow, till this revelation came and I was then released. And immediately upon my release the prophet arose and told the conference that he had received direction from the Lord to present my name for ordination as Bishop. The presiding Bishop and others testified that they knew the Lord had so called me" and without one single objection, even from those who had hounded me all the time I was in the presidency, I was ordained a Bishop.

    "Thus saith the voice of the spirit: in order that the quorum of Twelve may be placed in better condition to carry on the work of the ministry in various fields of occupation, it is expedient that Elders W. H. Kelley, I. N White and J. W. Wight, be released from the active duties of the apostolic quorum on account of increasing infirmities of age and incapacity caused by illness of body, and stand with their associates among the high priests and patriarchs of the church for such special service as may be open to them, according to wisdom and the call of the spirit. To fill the vacancies caused by the release of these elders from the apostolic quorum, Elder James E. Kelley, William H. Aylor, Paul M. Hanson and James A. Gillen may be chosen as Apostles."

    Two funny things appear here. The three men released lived and lived and worked well. One has passed away, and other two still here and J. W. Wight has traveled extensively and done a great work up to date. While he was released because of illness of body and infirmities of age,

     




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    he has been a hard worker in many parts of the United States and Canada up to this hour; and James E. Kelley was sick when he was called, and has occupied the hospitals and sanatoriums and been sick and a great expense to the church most of the time, and has passed away. The other men all working while he lay dying and two of them still living, and one of them very active. Did the God who gave that revelation know that Brother Wight was going to live and do the great work he has accomplished since his obituary notice was given by revelation, and did he know that James E. Kelley was to live in the sanatoriums for the sick and die without doing the work to which he called him? Though the Lord released W. H. Kelley and instructed that be was to work as a patriarch, he refused to be ordained a patriarch and died.

    I submit the history of the revelation known as Section 117 of the Doctrine and Covenants, given under date of March 3rd, 1873.

    It is alleged that Joseph Smith gave the revelation to President J. W. Briggs to submit to the quorum of the twelve, April 6th, 1873, accompanying the written revelation is a statement as follows: --

    "I received the following as there stood by me the sensible presence of the Holy Messenger, filling my soul with light and peace."

    Then followed the revelation just as published in the Doctrine and Covenants, with the exception of the paragraphs objected to. The revelation was presented to the quorum and they rejected it as being contrary to the law of God, as found in former revelations. They returned the revelation to Joseph Smith, and he is alleged to have written a letter to the Twelve, from which we quote the following: --

    "Plano, Ill., April 8th, 1873. Brethren of the Twelve, I am privileged after a sleepless night, to offer for your consideration the following: "Thus saith the spirit that portion of the revelation which is perplexing to you should be "The Bishop of my church may also choose and appoint bishops agents until it shall be wisdom in Me to ordain other bishops in the districts and large branches of My church. They being appointed and ordained in a similar manner that I commanded my servant, Newal K. Whitney should be an agent unto my disciples who tarried in Kirtland."

    "This explanation is unto you of the Twelve. Not unto the Church. Let the revelation be corrected." Joseph Smith, President of the church."

    The part in the original revelation of March to which objection was made read in the original revelation as follows: "The Bishop of My church may also ordain other bishops in the several districts and large branches of My church."

    I may add that I have a complete copy of the original revelation, as rejected by the Twelve, because it was contrary to the law and a flat contradiction to former revelations, and I have before me a copy of the letter alleged to have been written by the Prophet to the Twelve in which is found the confession of the false revelation, and the other revelation quietly given April 8th, in which the Lord, or the Prophet, took back the mistake and made the correction, after which the prophet of the Lord

     




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    was weak enough to say: "This explanation is unto you of the Twelve, not unto the church. Let the revelation be corrected."

    It is alleged that both revelations were written by Joseph Smith, both were given to Jason W. Briggs, the copies were made and certified to as being correct by one high in authority in the Reorganized church and given to me.

    Comment -- First we have the prophet claiming that the angel of the Lord stood by while the first revelation was given him, March 1st, 1873. Second, the twelve received the false revelation and rejected it, April 8th, 1873, and returned it to the prophet. Third, we have the prophet writing on April 8th, 1873 to the Twelve, after a sleepless night, and admitting the revelation was wrong and sending a correction. Fourth, when the correction was given, only part of the second revelation was accepted by the Twelve, and the rest set aside and never published. Fifth, when the two revelations were fixed up and parts of both objected to, the parts of both revelations were published as the one revelation under date of March 3rd, 1873, when according to the Prophet's letters one was given March 1st, the other April 8th, and last of all, the letters alleged to have been written by the prophet seems to show acknowledged guilt, when be said: "This explanation is unto you of the Twelve, not unto the Church. Let the revelation be corrected."

    Here was a false revelation, then a correction, think of it. God gave a revelation, He admitted it was wrong and then corrected it and he was afraid or ashamed for His people to know of the blunder, and so they were kept in ignorance and the whole blundering thing published under a false date, part given March 1st, part given April 8th, yet published under date of March 3rd.

    They accuse me of loving Joseph. So I did. I looked upon him as God's mouthpiece to the church, His prophet and seer, but while I loved him, I am compelled to acknowledge that the Lord has opened my eyes. I have been made to see that in His effort to protect his father, and endorse his father's conduct, he too partook to some extent of the spirit that governed his father, and in his desire to be President of the church and prophet, seer and revelator, that he gave revelations that were contradictory and false.

    Apostle Jason W. Briggs to whom these two revelations were sent, for the examination by the quorum of Twelve, stumbled at the thought that God made the mistake, and then corrected it, and that God was ashamed to tell the whole church about it, and so the Twelve were requested to keep the secret of the Lord's mistake to themselves and from the church according to the instructions of the Prophet. These matters troubled the Apostle and first president of the Reorganized church till, unable to bear up any longer he tendered his resignation and became like thousands before him, an outcast and an apostate from the church.

    He left the original revelation and the letter above referred to where I was permitted to secure a certified copy of the original which is alleged to be in the handwriting of the Prophet Joseph Smith.

     




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    The New Prophet, Seer, Revelator-God's Mouthpiece to the Church.

    Having briefly examined the revelations purporting to come direct from Christ to the founder of Mormonism and his son, now let its look at the only attempt made by Frederick M. Smith, the grandson of the first prophet and son of the second prophet, who is now the prophet of the Reorganized church. He surely has made a mess of the prophet business already. But to the revelation:

    "The voice of the spirit to me is that Bishop E. L. Kelley should be released from the responsibilities of Presiding Bishop, though he may act as traveling Bishop, counselling and advising on the law of temporalities in harmony with his successor and the Presidency. Let Benjamin R. McGuire be set apart and ordained presiding bishop of the church and two of the brethren be set apart as counsellors to him, one to be selected by him and supported by the Conference, the other to be Bishop James F. Keir."

    The history of this revelation, as published in the Saints' Herald for April 19th, 1916, shows clearly that the new prophet had no faith in his first revelation himself. Space forbids the publication here of the entire proceedings, but the facts therein related are as follows:

    Bishop Blakeslee was looked upon, according to a former revelation, as the coming Presiding Bishop, but he was holding back. If Smith believed his revelation, he would at once have proclaimed it. But did he? No, verily no. He tells the story himself. Let us see, he hides the revelation calling McGuire, telling but a few near friends about it. He makes arrangements to meet Bishop Blakeslee in Chicago. Blakeslee and his wife meet Smith and his wife, they have a nice time in the windy city. Smith tries his best to have Blakeslee accept the Presiding Bishop's office. Blakeslee gave a decided refusal on March 20th, about five o'clock in the afternoon. Had Blakeslee accepted the responsibility, the general church would doubtless never heard a word about the McGuire revelation. But when he made a positive refusal, Smith says: "Then came freedom to act. I am, therefore, now prepared to say-" Say what? "Why-, that God, had given had given him a revelation calling McGuire.

    If Smith knew that God had given him a revelation calling McGuire to be the presiding Bishop, why spend time and money to go to Chicago to coax Blakeslee to accept the position. Why did he not rise in all the glory of the prophetic office and say: "The Lord has spoken, Bishop Kelley is to be released, and Benjamin R. McGuire is called to fill the, sacred office.

    There is another very great mistake in this blundering revelation in that it is in direct contradiction to two former revelations. A revelation through his grandfather says "the Bishop to choose two counsellors." 1). C. 104, :32. Another revelation through his father,- says: "The Bishop shall choose two counsellors." D. C. 117, 60.

    Now, the new boss sets these two revelations aside. They had been the law under which the church had been governed through the years

     




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    Was he afraid that when he gave McGuire the job he might make choice of two strong men whom Smith could not control? So he made the thing sure and the Bishop was told he might select one counsellor, but Bishop Keir was to be the other. The other counsellor is not yet selected. Why? Since writing the above, Smith's own brother has been made the other counsellor, so the prophet is safe.

    If there was nothing else but this first attempt to play the role of Prophet, Seer, Revelator and God's sole mouthpiece to the church on the part of Fred Smith, it should be enough to convince all that God had nothing to do with his call to be a prophet.

    In conclusion upon this subject permit me to say. It has been a great trial of my faith when from time to time I have heard some of the Twelve Apostles and other leading men of the church denounce the revelations of the Smiths in round terms. Robert G. Ingersol has never made the strong attack upon the revelations of the Bible that some of the Apostles in my hearing have made upon the revelations of the Smith prophets.

    I was present when one of the revelations was presented for the endorsement of the Apostolic quorum. We struggled for days in the elimination. Its publication was delayed for a time. One great Apostle said: "I have watched the revelations coming for more than twenty years. They have been weaker and weaker and weaker, and this one is the weakest of them all." This man still lives but has been deposed from the Apostolic quorum. Another apostle rejected the instruction imparted to him in the revelation, was dropped from his office and never accepted the office to which the new revelation called him. He went down to death. Another Apostle said in my hearing: "If that thing, (the revelation) came from God, then I have never known anything about the spirit of God in all my ministry." Another suggested that we return it to the prophet and all unite to ask the Lord for more light on the revelation, when the former Apostle sprang to his feet and with emotion said "Light, more light, did you say? My God, man, if I were to ask the Lord anything about it I would not ask for more light, but for light, for that thing is the darkest thing that he has ever beclouded the face of the church." The same Apostle speaking of the revelation said to me: "Richard, I cannot believe a word of that revelation. I would be willing to work in California on burning stones if the Lord would show me that he gave that message. All I ask is one ray of light, but all is midnight darkness. He also was soon disposed of by another revelation, that is was dropped from the quorum.

    It is a significant fact that many of the most prominent and leading of the church to whom these revelations were given have discovered Smith to be a false prophet, and they have left the church denouncing him as about everything that was vile. I may mention a few of the most prominent ones.

    The Three Witnesses to the divine authenticity of the Book of Mormon, Oliver Cowdery, David Whitmer and Martin Harris, those who have occupied in the First Presidency, Sidney Rigdon, Frederick G. Williams,

     




    144                     THE BOOK OF COMMANDMENTS                    

    John C. Bennett, William Law, Jason W. Briggs and R. C. Evans. I could enlarge the list with many of the Apostles, Bishops, High Priests, Seventies and Elders, and thousands of the membership. So I have but followed in the way of tens of thousands who were deceived and who, when they discovered the deception, did the only thing left for an honest person to do, that was to leave and denounce the lying wonder of the latter days.








     

    [ 145 ]





    CHAPTER IX.


    The Order of Enoch

    _______________

    This Order is a mysterious affair, under which each member of the church is commanded to join, if he would secure salvation in the celestial splendours of the Kingdom of God; he must deed over to the President of the Order, who is the Presiding Bishop of the church, all his property of every kind and character, with a "deed and covenant that cannot be broken." This property whether it is real estate or money, bank notes, bonds, insurance, farm implements, or jewelry, cows, hens, household goods or clothing, All must be deeded over, and then the Bishop will give you a deed of what he considers shall be your inheritance. This is said to be a little home, which of all your property you may have deeded to them, is the only part you may claim if you should leave, or be expelled from the church. 

    In a word, as explained by the good Bishops, when you are born into this world, you arrive with absolutely nothing in your possession, but life When you are born again into the Kingdom of God (which is the Mormon Church) you must start with absolutely nothing, but life. If you possess anything, it must be deeded over, that all starting on the same plane, may become stewards unto God, He being the proprietor of all, and it is clearly stated that if a member of the society dare to make claim that they own anything, no matter if you have deeded over millions, you are at once placed under the curse, which (according to the revelations through Joseph Smith, which will be quoted in this article) may be inflicted by those appointed to do the cursing.

    After deeding all your property over, and you receive your inheritance, you go to work, but not for yourself, but the Order of Enoch, and you must make an inventory every year or month as required, and after taking out your living, the few or many dollars saved above bare living expenses, must be accounted for and handed over to the authorities of the Order.

    The greatest blessing and honour you receive for all this deeding over to the Order, is that you receive a New Name, and an inheritance in Zion.

    The history of this mysterious Order is a long, sad one. Many gave their all, got their new name, and finding out the wickedness of Mormonism, denounced it and fled for their lives to escape the curse. According to leading men who have left the church many failed to make their escape, and suffered the vengeance of the Destroying Angels, called the Danites.

     




    146                               THE ORDER OF ENOCH                              

    The Organization of The Order of Enoch.

    The Lord, through Joseph Smith, is supposed to command Bishop Edward Partridge, in May 1831, to organizer this Order. The person joining the Order is distinction distinctly informed as follows: "When he shall appoint a man his portion give unto him a writing that shall secure unto him his portion, that he shall hold it, even this right and this inheritance in the church until he transgresses and is not accounted worthy to belong to the church. He shall not have power to claim that portion which he has consecrated unto the BishopÐtherefore, he shall not retain the gift, but shall only have claim on that portion that is deeded unto him." Doc. and Cov., 51, 1.

    A more extended description of this Order is given by revelation to Joseph Smith, from which we quote the following: "I give unto you, to prepare and organize yourselves by a bond or everlasting covenant that cannot be broken." The Order is called "Permanent and everlasting establishment and Order unto My church -- the salvation of man and the Glory of God -- and if ye will that I give unto you a place in the celestial world ye must prepare yourselves by doing the things which I have commanded you and required of you." In this revelation Joseph Smith receives two new names. He is called Enoch and then Gazelam. Others also received their new name, Joseph secures other names later, to which reference will be made. Doc. and Cov. 77, 1-2. 

    Perhaps I may right here show the secrecy of this Order in granting new names to Smith and others and even to houses, factories and towns, and to cover up and deceive those who are not numbered with the elect.

    * Joseph Smith is called Baurak Ale, Enoch, Gazelam. Doc. and Cov., pages 196, 270, 271, 274, 276, 282 and 283.
    * Newel K. Whitney is called Ahashdah. Doc. and Cov., pages 196, 243, 275.
    * Sidney Rigdon is called Baneemy. Doc. and Cov., page 283.
    * Martin Harris is called Mahemson. Doc. and Cov., page 274.
    * Oliver Cowdery is called Olihah. Doc. and Cov., pages 274-275.
    * Sidney Rigdon received another pretty name, Pelagorim. D. C. pages 196, 274.
    * Joseph Smith received a fourth name-Seth. Page 244.
    * John Johnson is called Sombre. D. C. pages 244, 274, 275.
    * The City of New York is called "Cainhannoch," D. C., page 279.
    * Kirtland is called "Shinehah." D. C. page 276.
    * For the word "Print" read Shinelah. D. C,. page 277.
    * For the word "Printing" read Shinelane. D. C. page 278.
    * For "Shule" read Ashery. D. C. page 270.
    * The Kirtland Tannery was called "Tanhanes." D. C. page 274.
    * The Printing House was called "Lane-shine-house." D. C. page 274.
    * The store was called "Ozondah." D. C. page 274.
    * Dollars were referred to as "Talents." D. C. page 278.
    * Frederick G. Williams was called "Shoderlaomach." D. C. page 235-274.

     




                                  THE ORDER OF ENOCH                               147

    We will leave these mysterious names of the faithful while the reader ponders over the question, why all this secrecy in the Mormon Order of Enoch. Perhaps the full reasons may not be known till that which is done in secret will be revealed upon the housetop.
     

    All Must Join the Order For Salvation -- Those Who Fail Will Be Cursed, And All Property Must Be Deeded To The Order Without Reserve.

    "Organize yourselves by a bond or everlasting covenant that cannot be broken. If ye will that I give you a place in the celestial kingdom." D. C. 77, 1, 2.

    "Inasmuch as they have more than is needful for their necessities and their wants it shall be given unto my storehouse. Behold, this is what the Lord requires of every man in his stewardship, and behold none are exempt from this law who belong to the Church of the Living God." D. C. 70, 2,-3.

    "Therefore, verily I say unto you, it is expedient that my servants be bound together by a bond and a covenant that cannot be broken by transgression except judgment shall immediately follow-that every man may improve upon his talents, yea, even an hundredfold to become the common property of the whole church." D. C. 81, 4.

    "I give unto you counsel and a commandment concerning all the properties which belong to the Order, which I commanded to be organized, for the Salvation of men. Therefore, in as much as some of my servants have not kept the commandment but have broken the covenant I have cursed them with a very sore and grievous curse, for I the Lord have decreed in my heart that inasmuch as any man belonging to the Order shall be, found a transgressor, or in other words, shall break the covenant with which ye are bound he shall be cursed in this life, and shall be trodden down by whom I will." D. C. 101, 1.

    In this same revelation Joseph Smith and many other leaders received their inheritances, and their new names figured largely, and as Smith had several names, his inheritance was a splendid one." D. C. 101, 3-8.

    "Behold all these properties are mine or else your faith is vain, and ye are found hypocrites, and the covenants which ye have made unto me are broken, and if the properties are Mine then ye are stewards, otherwise ye are not stewards, and all moneys that you receive in your stewardship by improving upon the properties which I have appointed unto you in houses or in lands or in cattle or in all things, shall be cast into the treasury as fast as you receive moneys by hundreds or by fifties or by twenties or by tens, for it shall not be called his nor any part of it." D. C. 101, 10-l2

    "If thou lovest me thou shalt serve me and keep all my commandments and behold thou shalt consecrate all thy properties that thou hast with a deed that cannot be broken, and it shall come to pass that the Bishop of my church after that he has received the properties of my church that it cannot be taken from the church, he shall appoint

     




    148                               THE ORDER OF ENOCH                              

    every man a steward over his own property, or that which he has received, inasmuch as is sufficient for himself and family."

    The above revelation was given to Joseph Smith, Feb. 1831. It is found in the Book of Commandments, chapter 44, page 75, and caused many to leave the church, so in the Doc. and Cov. it is found as section 42, page 78, with some material changes. In place of reading "All thy properties," it is made to read "of thy properties." But this contradicts all the rest of the revelations, and when one of the Elders preaching a sermon published in Zion's Ensign for July 5th, 1917, quoting the original revelation, comments upon it as follows:

    "It says here that they should consecrate all that they have, not a portion, not come up and consecrate something that you cannot use yourself, something that you can get along without, but God requires that you shall give it all to him, and then you are to receive back from the Bishop that which is necessary to support yourself and families, and then if he is able to make an increase, take that and bring forth a residue that in turn is to be given into the storehouse." Zion's Ensign, July 5, 1917.

    The above is in keeping with what Joseph Smith wrote upon the subject: "A man is bound by the law of the church to consecrate to the Bishop before he can be considered a legal heir to the Kingdom of Zion, and this too without constraint, and unless he does this he cannot be acknowledged before the Lord on the church books." Reorganized Church Hist., Vol. 1, page 300.

    The above is in keeping with all the revelations and church resolutions on the subject, and we quote one more which was given in answer to prayer: "Verily, thus saith the Lord, I require all their surplus property to be put into the hands of the Bishop of Zion, for the building of mine house, and for the laying the foundation of Zion, and for the priesthood, and for the debts of the Presidency of my church." Doc. and Cov. 106, 1.

    This last revelation was given some time before Smith was killed, and the Order of Enoch received a rude shock at his death. While the Utah Mormon Church went to Salt Lake and continued to take the money from the people, the Reorganized Church was a little careful along money matters and for years young Joseph Smith had little to say regarding the Order of Enoch, indeed the Lord seemed to be a little doubtful of young Joseph and the money question, as would seem from the following revelation which the Lord is said to have given through the young prophet.

    "When I said unto mine Apostles, 'The Twelve will take measures in connection with the Bishop, to execute the law of tithing and let them before God see to it that the temporal means so obtained is truly used for the purpose of the church, and not as a weapon of power in the bands of one man for the oppression of others, or for the purpose of self-aggrandizement by anyone, be he whomsoever he may be, the one whom I had, called to preside over the church had not yet approved himself unto the scattered flock, and I gave this command unto the quorum

     




                                  THE ORDER OF ENOCH                               149

    next in authority in spiritual things that the scattered ones and those who had been made to suffer, might have assurance that I would not suffer that he whom I had called should betray the confidence of the faithful, nor squander the moneys of the treasury for the purpose of self." D. C. 122, 5.

    Two point are made apparent in this revelation. First, that the contention made in this paper is true, in that the leaders of the church in the past had robbed the people and taken the money for themselves, as all the history proves; and second, that the Lord was not sure at the time but what young Joseph Smith, the Prophet of the Reorganized Church, might follow in the wake of his father and the other leaders of the people of the old church. Be that as it may, the facts are the Prophet of the Reorganized Church had little to do with money matters for many years, and the Order of Enoch was almost a forgotten method of robbery but in the weak and declining years of Joseph Smith, when he became almost stone deaf and was totally blind, the Order of Enoch was revived by revelation through him, but even then it was a poor, weak thing for years, but after the young, strong son of Joseph Smith took his father's place, the Order of Enoch sprang into prominence and at the last conference that I attended, April, 1918, I attended nine meetings of the Order of Bishops and one of the General Conference, in which all the priesthood discussed the Order of Enoch. The church is fast adopting all the terrors of the old order and there has been sent out by the Presiding Bishop many letters urging the people to comply with the law, and some are doing it. This is one last straw that compelled me to resign from the church. I opposed the action in the council of Bishops, and of course was reported to the young Prophet, I refused to make my inventory and hand over my property, nor would I teach others that they must do so, and of course I was not considered sound in the faith and was a poor Bishop.

    In conclusion I submit part of a lengthy 'Questionnaire' sent out to the membership of the church in all the world. Strange to say the Bishop did not send them to Toronto, nor to me, but I soon received one and when written to, to comply, I refused to do so.

    You are requested to make a complete report of all things concerning yourself and every member of your family, the physical defects of yourself, wife, daughters and sons must be explained to the good Bishop. The name, sex, age, number of the family, what kind of work they what wages they earn; you must report what fuel, food, water, rent, fire-insurance and other kinds of insurance, taxes, clothing and doctor bills you have to pay yearly; you must tell what property you have, every lot and farm, whether it belongs to yourself or you got it in marriage from your wife, you must give size of lot or farm, tell of all city or country property in your possession, if country land, you must tell if it is timbered, fruit, grass, waste, cultivation; if rented, how much rental you receive; if city property, you must give location, size, value, and state, street improvements if any; you must give full account of money in bank, or in your pocket, mortgages, loans, interest on loans,

     




    150                               THE ORDER OF ENOCH                              

    stocks and bonds; you must give a complete account of how many shovels, rakes, hoes, plows and every other farm implement on the farm; you must tell how many hens, cows, horses, hogs and every other animal on the place ; you are compelled to describe the size and number of houses, and sheds, pig-stys and barns on each farm; you must tell about every wheelbarrow, wagon, auto, describe their value; you are to describe your jewelry, household goods, tell how many bedroom sets you have, chairs and tables and every other article you own must be described and valued.

    This large sheet, of which I have but given a part, is sent to every member, and he with all these revelations about cursing and salvation depending upon your faithfulness or otherwise, is stirring up the people to fever heat.

    If you can find a more complete document to take away a person's liberty, independence, manhood, or womanhood; if you know of any church demand made upon the privacy of husband, wife, son or daughter; if you have heard of any ancient or modern method of taking away human liberty than the revelations of the Mormon Church, concluding with this inventory issued by the Reorganized Church, I have failed to hear of, or find it, and therefore this part, with every other part of Mormonism I am compelled to denounce.




     

    [ 151 ]





    CHAPTER X.


    A Brief Examination of Alleged Proofs That
    The Book of Mormon Is of Divine Authenticity

    _______________

    First -- "It makes claim to have originated from the proper source - God."

    Reply -- So does the Koran of the Mohammedans, the Tri-Pitikes of the Buddhists, the Five Kings of the Chinese, the Three Vedas of the Hindus, the Zendavesta of the Persians, the Eddas of the Scandinavians.

    Second -- "It claims to be a proper message to mankind."

    Reply -- So does the revelations of Ann Lee, James J. Strang, who gave to the world "The Book of the Law" from gold plates which he found in the earth under a tree, he being directed there by an angel. This Strang claims to be the successor of Joseph Smith, that he was ordained by an angel like Smith, received plates out of the ground, like Smith. Both preached what they called the message of salvation, both taught and practised polygamy and both were killed by people whom they had outraged, yet both the Mormon Church in Utah, and the Reorganized Mormon Church ridicule the angel story and the Book of the Law as preached by James J. Strang.

    Third -- The object of the book is a proper one, as recorded on the title page of the book itself, "The Convincing of the Jew and the Gentile that Jesus is the Christ."

    Reply -- So far as convincing the Gentiles that Jesus is the Christ, what has Mormonism done in the matter? First the origin of the book has been exposed in many ways, as seen in most every book printed on the question, and is proved in this little work. The book has been altered and corrected in thousands of places since its first publication in 1830. The claims made for it have been proven groundless and the fruits of Mormonism is revealed in the Polygamy, Murder, Robbery and wholesale corruption of Mormonism, wherever it has had a home. See the history of the Mormons in Ohio, Missouri and many other places, till the Gentile world looks upon Mormonism as the lying wonder of the latter days.

    So far as convincing the Jews is concerned, that people look upon the story as a huge joke. Personally we have been associated with the church for over forty years, we recall but one Jew that ever joined the church, and he left it. We also knew of one Jewish lady who married a Gentile and came into the church. The Book of Mormon has been on its mission for about ninety years, the Re-organized Church sent missionaries

     




    152            BRIEF EXAMINATION OF BOOK OF MORMON           

    to Jerusalem some years ago, they saw the country, took pictures, held some meetings, baptized three or four, and the mission failed. One Jewish Rabbi coming to Toronto from Jerusalem told me that the man whom our Elders baptized in Jordan was dead drunk the next day, and is now dead. So in the first ninety years the object of the book has failed.

    Fourth --The much circulated testimony of the Three Witnesses, that God commanded them to bear testimony to the divine authenticity of the book, and that he sent an Angel to show them the gold plates from which it is said to have been translated all left the Church inside of eight years, and have testified that Joseph Smith was a liar, murderer, polygamist, chief Danite. One of them says Christ appeared to him and told him to leave the church. Another says an Angel appeared to him and told him to leave the church. Smith, in turn, called upon witnesses to prove in the courts that these Three Witnesses (who talked with talked with God and Angels and handled the gold plates of the Book of Mormon) "were liars, counterfeiters and blacklegs of the blackest and deepest dye." For proof of all this, see other parts of this little work and read Whitmer's Address, page 4,27, 28,38; The True Origin of the Book of Mormon by Shook, pages 48-61; The Foundation of Mormonism by La Rue, pages 75, 76.

    Question -- If the Three Witnesses told the truth about Smith, who can believe that God, Christ, and Angels talked to Smith face to face, and that he received the Book of Mormon to convert the world? On the other hand, if Smith tells the truth about the Three Witnesses, who will believe that God and Angels talked to them? May it not be true "That birds of a feather flocked together," and that "when rogues fell out they told the truth about each other." We leave that part of the matter with the reader.

    Fifth -- The claim is made for the book that "it shall go forth unto the people unto the confounding of false doctrine and the laying down of contention." Book of Mormon, page 8.

    Reply -- The Mormons have not been able to establish peace, or set aside false doctrine, nor stop contentions, for we have the Mormon church itself divided into several warring sections, each denouncing the others. The Utah Mormons and several other factions claim that polygamy is provided for in the Book of Mormon, while others deny it. The great church that has become infamous through its practice of polygamy says that the Book of Mormon while condemning polygamy under certain conditions and at certain times, yet makes provisions for its introduction under other circumstances, and that Joseph Smith, when he introduced polygamy into the church, was acting according to the promise made in the Book of Mormon. They claim that the Reorganized Church is dishonest in quoting a part of a statement in which polygamy is condemned, when if they would quote the balance of the paragraph they would prove that God made provisions for the introduction of polygamy. Read Book of Mormon, page 116, Jacob 2, 6: "For if I will, saith the Lord of Hosts, raise up seed unto Me, I will command My people, otherwise they shall hearken unto these things." Nearly a half-million

     




               BRIEF EXAMINATION OF BOOK OF MORMON            153

    Mormons claim that through Joseph Smith God did command His people to practice polygamy, and the evidence is abundant that Smith had such a revelation.

    Sixth -- The claim is made that America was inhabited by great nations before Columbus discovered it, and that the Book of Mormon was the first book to give a history of these great nations and of their cities.

    Reply -- We have heard that for forty years, believing it, we taught it, but when the clearer vision came we learned of a host of works that had been published in America, England and elsewhere describing the ruined cities of Mexico, Central America, Peru and other parts of America. Let the reader consult any good work on American Antiquities (we have given elsewhere in this little book a list of more than twenty books of this kind, published before the Book of Mormon was in print), and a most significant fact may be stated here, that the celebrated Josiah Priest wrote a work on this subject, it was copyrighted by him, June 24th, 1824, in the office of R. R. Lansing, clerk of the district of Northern New York and printed in Rochester, New York, in 1824. Will the reader remember that The Book of Mormon was copyrighted by Joseph Smith in the same office before the same man June 10th, 1829. and printed in Palmyra, N. Y., just twenty miles away from Rochester, in 1830.

    From the above it may be seen how easy it was for Spaulding, Rigdon or Smith to have copied the works referred to and from them make the historical part of the Book of Mormon.

    Seventh -- Joseph Smith's mother is a good witness against him, in that she proves beyond a doubt, that before Joseph obtained the plates, years before he translated them, he had acquired what might be considered a perfect knowledge of the cities and people of ancient America. Listen: "During our evening conversations, Joseph would occasionally give us some of the most amusing recitals that could be imagined, he would describe the ancient inhabitants of this continent, their dress, mode of travelling, and the animals upon which they rode; their cities, their buildings with every particular; their mode of warfare, and also their religious worship. This he would do with as much ease seemingly as if he had spent his whole life with them." Joseph Smith the Prophet and His Progenitors, by his mother, page 87.

    Reply -- This is evidently why Smith did not require the Plates to be in his hat when he translated, but they could lie covered up on the table or even be in the woods when he did the job, as testified by his wife and her father, who tells of his talking through his hat. See other part of this book where they so testify.

    Smith evidently was well acquainted with the "Plates," or Spaulding manuscripts, long before he received them from the angel (?). Yes, several years before.

    Eighth -- They claim that the Bible prophecies foretell the travellings of the Book of Mormon people from Palestine to America, and the

     




    154            BRIEF EXAMINATION OF BOOK OF MORMON           

    coming forth of the Book of Mormon out of the ground -- Isaiah, 29th chapter, and that it is the Stick of Ephraim referred to in Ezekiel 37th chapter. Let us see.

    Reply -- A work was published in London, England, some time ago, by a Mohammedan, quoting and applying most of the same prophecies to the Ishmaelites, to the Arabs and to the Koran. Others apply the Stick of Ephraim to England. They have been twisted by many other cranks to suit their fancies.

    These prophecies apply to the scattering of Israel over the old continent: they went to Spain, Italy, the Islands of the Mediterranean, into Morocco, Congo, in West Africa, Northern Africa, into Egypt and Ethiopia, China, India, and over Central and Western Asia.

    * Isaiah 16, 8: "Wandered through wilderness, gone over the sea." This

    * Isaiah 11, 11-16: This shows that it refers to Israel in the Assyrian Empire.

    * Isaiah 1, 1: "The vision of Isaiah concerning Judah and Jerusalem." Not a word about Book of Mormon or America, but Judah and Jerusalem.

    * Isaiah 28, 14, 21: God will curse Jerusalem and perform his strange work.

    * Isaiah 29, 1-4: "Ariel," "Heaviness, Sorrow," "camp against," "lay siege," "To raised forts," Ariel -- The city where David dwelt, one of the names given to the capital city of Moab, which means Lion of the Lord. It is the name given to Jerusalem, and sometimes to the temple there." Gardner Ch. Cyc., page 98.

    * 2Kings 25, 1-48, 11-21: Nebuchadnezzar took Jerusalem, laid siege, raised forts, famine, broken up, burned with fire, Judah carried away.

    * Jer. 39, 1-8: Nebuchadnezzar, took Jerusalem, killed King Zedekiah and his family. .

    * Jer. 52, 1-9: Nebuchadnezzar pitched against, raised forts, besieged.

    * Isaiah 29, 4: "Bought down, speak out of the ground," excavations give history of Jerusalem, thus making them speak out of the ground.

    * Isaiah 29, 7: "Those who fight against her be as dream of night vision." Babylon, Syria, Egypt, Assyria, all fought her and were destroyed later.

    * Isaiah 29, 9-10-11-12: The people were in deep sleep, their learned men in a stupor like a drunken man; they could not read the judgments coming any more than a man could read a scaled letter or a book. The margin says " sealed letter." Jeremiah says she came down wonderfully, Lam. 1, 9.

    * Isaiah 29, 11-12: Words of book delivered to learned, cannot read sealed book. Joseph Smith writing in Times and Seasons, Vol. 13, No. 13, May 2nd, '1838, says that Martin Harris made a certain statement regarding his visit to Prof. Anthon and Dr. Mitchell. This was Smith's statement, not Martin Harris'. It was written many years after it is said that Harris made the statement to Smith. Why not have Harris make his statement according to law, but we receive it from the pen of Smith many years after the visit.

     




               BRIEF EXAMINATION OF BOOK OF MORMON            155

    Just think, Smith says, that Harris said that Prof. Anthon and Dr. Mitchell said: "I cannot read the words of the book for it is sealed."

    Now let us take the statement found in Isaiah 29, 11 just as it reads: "And the vision of all is become unto you as the words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one that is learned, saying, 'Read this, I pray thee:' and he saith, 'I cannot; for it is sealed:'"

    All Mormonism agrees with Apostle Kelley that neither Prof. Anthon nor Dr. Mitchell were able to read the characters presented. Presidency and Priesthood, page 205.

    Joseph Smith informs us that he received the gold plates, the Urim and Thummim and the breast plate, the 22nd day of September, 1827. He soon found a friend, (Martin Harris) a farmer near by, who gave him fifty dollars to help him along. Joseph copied a number of the characters of the plates, and by means of the Urim and Thummim he translated some of them. In February, 1828, Mr. Harris secured the characters which Smith had drawn off the plates, and started with them to the city of New York. On his return home Smith says that Harris told him the following story:

    "I went to city of New York, and presented the characters which had been translated, with the translation thereof, to Prof. Anthon, a gentleman celebrated for his literary attainments. Prof. Anthon stated that the translation was correct, more so than he had before seen translated from the Egyptian. I then showed him those which were not yet translated and he said that they were Egyptian, Chaldaec, Assyriac and Arabic, and he said they were the true characters. He gave me a certificate certifying to the people of Palmyra that they were true characters and that the translation of such of them as had been translation was also correct. I took the certificate and put it into my pocket, and was just leaving the house, when Mr. Anthon called me back, and asked me how the young man found out that there were gold plates in the place where he found them. I answered that an angel of God had revealed it unto him.

    "He then said to me: "Let me see that certificate." I accordingly took it out of my pocket and gave it to him, when he took it and tore it to pieces, saying that there was no such thing now as ministering of angels and that if I would bring the plates to him, he would translate them. I informed him that part of the plates were sealed and that I was forbidden to bring them. He replied: "I cannot read a sealed book." I left him and went to Dr. Mitchell, who sanctioned what Professor Anthon had said respecting both the characters and the translation." Church Hist., Vol. 1, page l9.

    Reply- Prof. Anthon denies the statement as made above in these words: "The whole story about my pronouncing the Mormonite translations to be reformed Egyptian hieroglyphics is perfectly false." Ibid. page 21.

    Were we to admit that Prof. Anthon made the statement and that Dr. Mitchell confirmed them as true, this in our in our judgment would destroy the very thing that Smith and Mormonism has tried to prove by quoting

     




    156            BRIEF EXAMINATION OF BOOK OF MORMON           

    Isaiah 29, 11-12, where the learned man was to have the words of the book delivered to him, and when requested to read he was to say "I cannot for it is sealed."

    First: Prof. Anthon did read it and pronounced the translation correct.

    Second: He declared they were translated from the Egyptian.

    Third: He also was able, and did read the parts that were not translated by Smith, saying "They were Egyptian, Chaldeac, Assyriac and Arabic, and said they were true characters which he could not have done unless he was able to read and translate.

    Fourth: He offered to translate the plates if Harris would bring them to him.

    Fifth: Harris had to lie when he made the excuse for not bringing the plates to him to be translated, because part of the plates were sealed and he was forbidden to bring them. There is no evidence that he ever tried to bring them, or that he was forbidden to bring them, and worse or more of it, the seal has been broken and the plates that Smith translated were all ready for translation by Smith or anyone else able to do the job. Smith bad to break the seal before he could translate the part he translated, so the part that Anthon would have translated was not at that time sealed.

    According to Isaiah "men" two or more, were to deliver the words of the book to "One" that is learned, but Smith turned this upside down, and only one man did the delivering, Harris, and Two did the reading, Anthon and Mitchell, in place of One.

    Smith added eight verses to the twenty-ninth chapter of Isaiah in his new Bible. One verse containing more than a hundred words, in order to have it fit in to the Book of Mormon, so it is not to be wondered at that he would make up this story about Harris going to Prof. Anthon and Dr. Mitchell. Surely it is the lying wonder of the latter days.

    Joseph Smith has informed us that it was he who copied the characters of the plates, that Harris took to Prof. Anthon. Having discovered beyond a doubt that Smith was an impostor, some learned men have made an examination of these characters which Smith copied, and they have made a photograph of them and I have them, published in different books, showing that Smith in drawing the transcript employed different kinds and styles of English letters, changing a few of them to make the imposture less observable. I have a copy of the original paper received from David Whitmer and I agree with those already published, that those characters are English letters and figures. I can see the figures 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 0, and many of the letters of the English alphabet, so we leave this clumsy fraud.

    Ninth -- Ezekiel 37, 15-22: We are told by the Mormons that these two sticks are books, one the Book of Mormon, the other the Bible. But let us examine - stick, rod, staff, sceptre; they were symbols of power, authority, not books.

     




               BRIEF EXAMINATION OF BOOK OF MORMON            157

    * Numbers 17: Take twelve rods, write name on it; Aaron's rod budded. He accepted.
    * Genesis 49, 10: The sceptre shall not depart from Judah.
    * Numbers 24, 17: A sceptre shall rise out of Israel.

    The stick of Judah represented the Southern Kingdom, and the Stick of Ephraim represented the Northern Kingdom. The prophet was to show that these kingdoms were to be united again; nothing is said about the Book of Mormon and America, but "The stick whereon thou writest shall be in thy hand before their eyes." God in verse 22 says: 'He will take Israel and gather them together to their own land, and there. would be no more two kingdoms but One Nation, and he would be their God.

    Joseph Smith had a rod with which he searched for water and did wonders. He told Cowdery by revelation "You have another gift, of working with the Rod, behold it has told you things, behold there is no other power save God that can cause this Rod of nature to work in your hands - whatsoever ye shall ask me to tell you by that means that will I grant unto you." Book of Commandments, Chap. 7, 3.

    In Doctrine and Covenants 8, 3, the words are somewhat changed in this revelation, in place of calling it "The gift of working with the Rod," it says: "which is the gift of Aaron."

    We have tried to be fair in our examination of this question, but without hesitation say that the so-called proofs for the Book of Mormon are not proofs, but glaring misrepresentations of the plain wording and historical statement of the Bible and the histories referred to.



     

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    CHAPTER XI.


    Priesthood

    _______________

    Two Priesthoods in the Mormon Church, Melchisedec and Aaronic

    "There are in the church two priesthoods, namely the Melchisedec and the Aaronic, why the first is called the Melchisedec priesthood is because Melchisedec was such a great high priest. Before his day it was called "The Holy Priesthood, after the order of the Son of God." The second priesthood is called the priesthood of Aaron because it was conferred upon Aaron and his seed throughout all their generations." D. C. 104, 1-8.


    No Salvation Only Through The Mormon Priesthood

    "Ye are mine apostles--even God's high priests, I say unto you again that every soul who believeth on your words, and is baptized by water for the remission of sins, shall receive the Holy Ghost. They who believe not your words and are not baptized in water in my name, for the remission of their sins, shall be damned and shall not come into My Father's kingdom, and this revelation unto and commandment is in force from this very hour upon all the world." D. C. 83, 10-12.

    "They are priests of the most high God after the order of Melchisedec, which was after the order of the only begotten Son, wherefore it is written they are God's." D. C. 76, 5.

    "Respecting the Melchisedec priesthood, the sectarian world never professed to have it, consequently they never could save anyone, and would all be damned together, the sectarian world are going to hell by hundreds and thousands and by millions." Joseph Smith, in Mill Star, Vol. 22, page 54.

    "The priesthood having been caught up to heaven, no man on earth has authority to minister in gospel ordinances and hence the necessity for new revelation." Apostle W. H. Kelley, Presidency and Priesthood, page 224.

    "Behold, there is save it be Two Churches, the one is the Church of the Lamb of God. and the other is the Church of the Devil, wherefore, whoso belongeth not to the Church of the Lamb of God, belongeth to that great church, which is the mother of abominations, and she is the whore of all the earth." Book of Mormon, page 40; Nephi, Ch. 3, Vol. 220-223.

    "In the first revelation published in the Book of Doctrine and Covenants Christ is said to have told Smith, when speaking of the Mormon church, as 'The only true and living Church upon the face of the whole earth and with which, I the Lord, am well pleased.'" D. C. 1, 5.

     




                                        PRIESTHOOD                                     159

    "The nature of the message in the Book of Mormon as such, that. if true no one can possibly be saved and reject it." O. Pratt in La Rue, page 81.

    The claim made is clear that no salvation can come to a soul on the earth unless they obey the Mormon faith, and be immersed by a priest of that church, as it is the only church that God is pleased with upon the earth, and as the priesthood was lost for more than twelve hundred years, no one of the many churches has authority of priesthood to administer the gospel ordinances save the men who received it from Joseph Smith, who it is claimed received the Aaronic priesthood by ordination under the hands of John the Baptist, and the Melchisedec priesthood under the ordination conferred upon him by three angels, named Peter, James and John.

    We will examine the claims for these angelic ordinations in their order, and will show, first, that the claim made that the Aaronic priesthood was conferred upon Smith by the angel John the Baptist is false.

    "While we (Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery), were praying in the woods, a messenger from heaven descended in a cloud of light and having laid his hands upon us, he ordained us saying unto us: "Upon you my fellow servants, in the name of Messiah, I confer the Priesthood of Aaron, which holds the keys of the ministering of Angels, and of the gospel of repentance and of baptism by immersion for the remission of sins." This messenger said that his name was John, the same that is called John the Baptist in the New Testament. It was on the fifteenth day of May, 1820." Ch. Hist., Vol. 1, pages 3,1-35.

    First, let me say, Oliver Cowdery one of those said to have been ordained by John the Baptist, left the Mormon church a few years after this ordination and said, when speaking of the visit of the angel John the Baptist: "The voice of John the Baptist did most mysteriously resemble the voice of Elder Sidney, Rigdon." Shook's Origin of Book of Mormon, pages 49-54.

    This is a mild way of saying that Rigdon was the John the Baptist who did the ordaining, but let us permit Smith to give the whole thing away.

    "This second priesthood is called the Priesthood of Aaron because it was conferred upon Aaron and his seed throughout all their generations -- "No man has a legal right to this office to hold the keys of this priesthood except the be a literal descendent of Aaron." D. C. 104, page 8.

    This is said to be a revelation from Christ, while we believe that Christ had nothing to do with it, yet admitting for the arguments sake that He gave this revelation, then it follows that only the literal descendants of Aaron can exercise in this priesthood, that being true, then it follows that John the Baptist, alias Sidney Rigdon, had no right to ordain Smith and Cowdery to that priesthood and the hundreds and thousands of Mormons who have been ordained as Priests, Teachers and Deacons, have acted under a counterfeit ordination and are not priests of God at all.

     




    160                                     PRIESTHOOD                                    

    The Work of Aaronic Priests

    The ceremony of the consecrations of the Aaronic priests is described in 28th and 29th chapters of Exodus, also in Lev. 8th and 9th chapters, as well as in Numbers 18th chapter. Moses washed with water, Moses put oil on their heads till it ran down their whiskers, Moses killed a ram, and put the blood thereof on the right ear, the thumb of the right hand and upon the great toe of the right foot, thus did be perform with Aaron and his sons. Ex. 29, 20.

    We learn further that Aaron and his sons were dressed with garments made to order by the Lord's instructions, consisting of linen drawers, with a close fitting cassock, also of linen, the white cossack was gathered around the body with a girdle of needle work, into which, as in the more gorgeous belt of the High Priest, blue, purple, and scarlet were intermingled with white, and worked in form of flowers. Ex. 28, 30-40. Upon their heads they were to wear caps or bonnets in the form of a cup-shaped flower, also of fine linen. In all their ministrations they were to be bare-footed, they were not to shave their heads. Exez. 44, 20. They were to have gold bells attached to their garments to make a noise. "When he goeth in and cometh out, that he die not." Ex. 28, 34-35.

    Then there was the killing and dressing of all these animals named bulls, goats, lambs, rains, calves, doves, with their blood sprinkled on the altar and on the clothing of the priests, and a full description as to what to do with fat, the rump, the inwards, the gall, the liver, the kidneys, the skin and the dung. Ex. 28, 29: Lev. 8 and 9th chapters.

    The chief duties of these Aaronic priests were to watch over the fire on the altar of burnt offerings, and to keep it burning. Lev. 6, 12; 2 Chron. 13,11. To feed the golden lamp with oil, Ex. 27, 20-21; Lev. 24, 2. To offer the offering, Ex. 29, 38-44, and several other duties recorded in the Bible.

    When Joseph Smith was ordained to this Aaronic priesthood, did he wear these breeches, bonnets, bells and girdles, did he go barefooted. Did John, alias Sidney, sprinkle his garments with the blood of rams, did he have blood put upon his ear, toe and thumb? Did he kill all these animals and look after their fat, kidneys, inwards, gall and dung? Nay, verily.

    History informs us that the Aaronic priesthood starting with Aaron to offer bloody sacrifices became sensual, covetous, tyrannical, drunkards, adulterers, Isaiah 28, 7-8 and 56, 10-12; Jer. 5, 25-31; Lam. 4, 12-16; Zeph. 3, 4.

    "In the scenes of the last tragedy of the Jewish history, the order passes away without honor, dying as a foot dieth -- the destruction of Jerusalem deprived the order at one blow of all but an honorary distinction, their occupation was gone." Smith's Bible Dict. Art. Priest.

    The history of the high priests, beginning with Aaron and ending with Phannias -- they arranged themselves into three groups, those before

     




                                        PRIESTHOOD                                     161

    David, those from David to the captivity and those from the return of the Babylonian captivity, till the cessation of the office at the destruction of Jerusalem." Ibid. Art High Priest.


    Aaronic Priesthood Abolished in Christ

    The Mormon presumption that John the Baptist was an Aaronic Priest and that he therefore ordained Smith, is without support. There is nothing to prove that John the Baptist was an Aaronic priest, the Bible is silent as to when and where he was ordained or acted in that office, nowhere do we find anything about John killing rams, lambs, goats, bulls or doves. No where do we find that he wore the garments of a priest above described, but to the contrary, we are told that he denounced the works of the priests and that "he had his raiment of camel's hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins." Matt. 3, 1-17.

    The truth is, John was called and inspired to preach the gospel and prepare the way of the Lord, not to kill rams and lambs, goats and bulls. The history of John condemns Smith's story and confirms the statement that he was a gospel preacher. Matt. 3, Mark 1, Luke 3, John 1.

    To conclude this part of the article, let me show that the Law of Moses, with its sacrifices of bulls, goats, rams, lambs and doves, together with the Aaronic priesthood who was ordained for the purpose of offering those bloody sacrifices was abolished and done away, nailed to the cross and that when the law of sin and death was abolished there was a change in the priesthood, the gospel of the more abundant life was not to be ministered by the men called to kill sacrifices and take care of the fat, skin, rump, kidneys, inwards, gall and dung under the law, but that the Melchisedec priesthood, over which Christ presided forever, was to preach the gospel and administer in the ordinances of the Lord.

    * Rom. 10, 4: For Christ is the end of the Law.
    * Col. 2, 14: Took it out of the way, nailing it to the cross.
    * Rom. 3, 20: By deeds of law, no flesh justified.
    * Rom. 8, 2-3: Law of sin and death was weak.
    * Col. 2, 17: Law was a shadow of things to come.
    * Heb. 7, 19: The law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did.
    * Heb 9, 9: Gifts and sacrifices could not have made them perfect
    * Heb. 9, 10-16: Blood of bulls, goats, ashes of red heifer, imposed until reformation.
    * Heb. 10, 1-4: Not possible for the blood of bull to take away sin, comers not perfect.
    * Heb. 10, 9: Take away the law, establish the gospel covenant.
    * Gal. 2, 16: No flesh justified by the law.
    * Gal. 2, 21: Righteous came not by the law.
    * Gal. 3, 13: Redeemed from the curse of the law.
    * Gal. 3, 19: Law added because of transgression.
    * Gal. 3, 24: Law only a school master to bring us to Christ.
    * Matt. 5, 17: Christ came to fulfill the law.

     




    162                                     PRIESTHOOD                                    

    * Heb. 7, 11: Law given under Levitical or Aaronic priesthood, need of Melchisedec priesthood.
    * Heb. 7, 12: For the Priesthood being changed there is made a change of the law.
    * Heb. 9, 9-16: Law had divers washings, Gospel one baptism, Eph. 3, 5; Kings 5, 14.


    The Aaronic Priesthood Abolished and the Melchisedec Introduced

    * Heb. 7, 11-12: Priesthood changed from Aaronic to Melchisedec.
    * Heb. 5, 1-8: Christ called of God a High Priest after the order of Melchisedec.
    * Heb. 7, 1-6: Melchisedec priesthood without descent, abide continually.
    * Heb. 7, 11-28: Law and its Aaronic priesthood made nothing perfect, but gospel administered by the Melchisedec priesthood did.

    Here we have a perfect statement that the Law of Moses and the Aaronic priesthood given to Aaron and his posterity to administer it, has failed, passed away, was abolished and ended with Christ, and that there being no further use for the shadows under bull and goats, rams and lambs, and the bloody work ending in sin and death, and added because of transgression, when abandoned, was set aside and the beautiful gospel of Jesus Christ, the Law of Life, the Law of the new birth, the Law of redemption, the power of God unto salvation, the perfect law of liberty, was introduced and the holy priesthood known as the Melchisedec priesthood was introduced, God calling Christ to that office, and Christ calling his brethren to act therein, was to continue to bless the sons of men, till under the perpetual benediction of that blessed saving power, every knee shall bow and tongue confess, that Jesus is the Christ to the glory of the Father.

    So we must consider the wild ravings of Joseph Smith and his product, Mormonism, with its counterfeit Aaronic priesthood, to be the lying wonder of the Latter Days.

    If he lied about the John the Baptist ordination story, as has been proven, even so did he lie about his wonderful story of Peter, James and John coming to ordain him to the Melchisedec priesthood, as exposed in another part of this little booklet, and so we dismiss Mormonism with its counterfeit priesthoods and all its other frauds and thank God that we have been permitted to see Christ and his Gospel ministry and perfect law of liberty, that is destined to break the fetters of priestcraft from every honest soul and bring them all to glorify God.



     

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    CHAPTER XII.


    Nebuchadnezzar's Dream

    _______________

    This great king had a dream in the year B. C. 603, and died B. C. 567. In the dream the king saw a great image, the head was of gold, the breast and arms of silver, the belly and thighs of brass, the legs of iron, the feet part of iron and part of clay. For a complete description, read Daniel second chapter. The dream and the interpretation is therein recorded. Nebuchadnezzar was the Head of Gold, this was the kingdom of Babylon. Cyrus was the Arms and Breasts of Silver, representing the Medes and Persians, which destroyed the first monarchy in B. C. 538.

    Alexandria was the Belly and Thighs of Brass, representing the Grecian or Macedonian Kingdom which destroyed the other. B. C. 330.

    After his death his kingdom was divided: Egypt, Syria, Macedonia and Thrace. Rome was the fourth government, representing the Legs and Feet of Iron and Clay. This Empire was divided A. D. 395. Its extinction took place A. D. 479. The extent and duration of the dream was from B. C. 603 to A. D. 479, a period of 1082 years.

    Daniel's Vision of Four Beasts Was Four Kingdoms -- Dan., 7 Ch. Daniel seen a "Lion" -- Nebuchadnezzar -- courage; "Wings" -- rapid victories; "Man's heart given it" -- Belshazzar was a coward. This was Babylonian kingdom. The second beast was a " bear,Ó This "Raised itself on one side" -- Victories all on one side; "Three ribs in his mouth" -- Babylon, Lydia, Egypt conquered. "Leopard" -- Alexandria, representing the Grecian or Macedonian kingdom. -- Rapid Victories. "Four wings and four heads" -- When Alexandria died his kingdom was divided into four parts, Egypt, Syria, Macedonia and Thrace. "Fourth BeastÓ was the Roman Empire, "dreadful and terrible, stamping residue with his feet. "Iron teeth" -- Rome was cruel what she did not use she destroyed.

    Mormonism will agree with all the above interpretation, but here we come to the parting of the ways. They say that the ten horns of this fourth beast represents ten kingdoms, as also that the ten toes of the image are ten kingdoms, and that we are living in the days of these ten Kingdoms, and that Smith has been inspired to set up the Kingdom of God in the days of these ten kingdoms. But, we will show that the dreams no where state the Toes or Horns represent Ten Kingdoms, but they say plainly, in the days of these kings the God of heaven shall set up a Kingdom.

     




    164                        NEBUCHADNEZZAR'S  DREAM                       

    Dan. 2, 44: In the days of these Kings.
    Dan. 7, 24: The Ten Horns of this Kingdom are Ten Kings. History clearly shows that the Fourth Government of antiquity was Rome, and her Ten Kings were named as follows: Julius Caesar, Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius, Nero Calba, Otho, Vitellious, Vespasian, Titus." History Chronology by Osbon, page 110. Ency. Brit. Art. "Rome."


    The Eleventh King or Horn Was Domitian.

    Dan. 7, 20-26: "Little Horn before whom three fell." His father and two brothers suffered at his hands. "Eyes like a man," sagacity -- spying out for his own interest. He retired to his palace as if uninterested, yet caused the trouble that removed his father and brothers out of the way and soon placed himself on the throne. "Mouth speaking great things." He caused himself to be addressed under the title of "Lord and God," while wicked he professed great piety. See World's Display, Vol. 2, page 22. Giesseler Eccl. Hist., Vol. 1, page 23, "Made war with the saints, for a time and times and the dividing of time." History shows that forty thousand Christians were killed by order of this monster. He placed John, the revelator, in a tank of boiling oil. His work of violence began upon the Christians in the early part of the year A. D. 93, and ended with his death which occurred September 14th, 96, figuring back three years and a half or 1260 days, brings us to March 93, the very period which Petavious fixes for the persecution of Domitian.

    Rev. 11, 2 and 13, 5: Forty two months, is 1260 days, not years.
    Rev. 11, 3: A thousand two hundred and three score days, not years.
    Rev. 12, 6: A thousand two hundred and three score days, not years.
    Rev. 12, 14: For a time, times and half a time is 1260 days.
    Dan. 7: "A Time, times and the dividing of time.
    Dan. 12, 7: Shall be for a time, times and a half.
    Dan. 4, 32: Seven times shall pass over thee. This was seven years.

    "The Ancients called a year a time, because it was the time of one apparent revolution of the sun around the ecliptic, the period occupied by the earth in making its revolution around the sun, called the astronomical equinoctial, natural, solar, tropical year." Webster Dict., Art. "Year." Bishop Newton and many other scholars say that a Time means a year. Newton on Prophecy, page 221, Osbons Daniel verified in History, page 115. From the above it is shown clearly that the pet theory that time, times and dividing of time and forty two months and a thousand two hundred three score days means 1260 Years when all history and the Bible shows it means days, is a fallacy that should be abandoned by the real lover of truth. The history is complete that the Eleventh Horn or King of the Roman Empire persecuted the Christians as stated for three years and a half or 1,260 days. Dan. 7, 26: "They shall take away his dominion to consume and destroy it unto the end.,' Domitian was murdered, and the Senate issued a decree that his name should be

     




                           NEBUCHADNEZZAR'S  DREAM                        165

    struck out of the Roman Annals, and obliterated from every public monument, thus was his dominion consumed unto the end. The Encyclopedia Britannica says the last three years his behavior was that of a mad man.

    We have proved that the dream of Nebuchadnezzar and the vision of Daniel had reference to the four great monarchical governments of antiquity. That the toes of the image and the horns of the fourth beast had reference to the ten kings of the Roman Empire, and the eleventh horn, to the Emperor Domitian.

    We will now show that the fourth beast was not Papal Rome and the eleventh horn the Pope of the Roman Catholic church, as assumed by the Mormons and some others, but that the fourth beast was Civil Rome.

    Rev. 13, 1: Saw a beast with seven heads and ten horns."
    Rev. 17, 9: Seven heads are seven mountains.
    The City of Rome was built on seven hills. Gibbons, D. F. R. E., Vol. 1, page 546. Barnes, page 239-246-434, Smith's Bib. Dic. Art "Rome," page 588, Newton, page 527.

    It is common to apply these prophecies to Papal Rome, and the Popes. But it cannot be disputed that this refers to the civil power of Rome, and the Roman Government or fourth beast with its eleven horns, and the legs and feet of iron of the image together with its toes were destroyed. When the image is destroyed, the toes being part of the image were also destroyed. Who ever heard of a man dying and being destroyed and his toes living and having great power a thousand years after his death? Who ever heard of a beast being killed, destroyed, burned up, and yet its horns being alive and active ? All know that when the body is destroyed, the members perish with it. How these toes and horns could be nourished into life and growth and power from the cinders and ashes exceeds the force of our ingenuity to explain.

    Dan. 7, 11: The beast is destroyed and given to the burning flames.
    Dan. 7, 26: Take away his dominion, consume and destroy it unto the end.
    Dan. 2, 34-36: Smote image upon its feet, break them in pieces, no place was found for them.

    The feet and toes belonged to the image, the horns to the beast. All were broken to pieces, destroyed, burned, consumed. No place found for them, in fact the dream and vision tell the same story and show the destruction of all by the stone kingdom set up in the days of these kings, or horns. The image or beast only existed 1,082 years, more than six hundred of that time had passed before Christ came, He was nearing the time of the feet and it was during the early period of Christianity that Rome lost her power.

    Now the civil power was destroyed before Papacy arose, no credible authority will attempt to fix the date of Papacy, as a ruling power

     




    166                        NEBUCHADNEZZAR'S  DREAM                       

    earlier than the beginning of the seventh century, and yet it is incontrovertible that the Roman Empire was destroyed before the close of the fifth century.


    The Stone Kingdom Set Up By Christ.

    Dan. 2,34-35: Stone smote the image upon feet, break them in pieces.
    Dan. 2, 44-45: Break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, stand forever.

    Ps. 108, 22: Stone disallowed of men chosen of God.
    Isaiah 2, 2: Christ's Kingdom established upon the mountains.
    Dan. 2, 35: Stone became great mountain and filled the whole earth.
    Matt. 21, 42-45: The rejected stone will grind to powder. The stone was to destroy the entire image, the iron age of Rome lies between the expulsion of Tarquin B. C. 509 and the usurpation of Julius Caesar, which occurred a little before the coming of Christ. The Iron strength began to yield, and the weakness of clay began to be manifest. The Stone broke it. It was during the early history of Christianity that Rome lost her power and soon after was destroyed as a nation, and the Kingdom of Christ destroyed her according to the dream. Jesus was born, lived and died in the days of imperial Rome, and set up His Kingdom -- The Stone Kingdoms that broke in pieces Rome. Matt. 2, 1: Now when Jesus was born in the days of Herod the King. Josephus B. 18, C. 3, page 535: Now about this time Jesus was born, Luke 3, l-3: Jesus lived in the days of Herod, Tiberius, Caesar, Pilate. Josephus B. 3, C. 3: Jesus lived. If it is lawful to call him a man. Luke 2, 1: Caesar Augustus taxed the world, Jesus was born.

    Josephus B. 18, C. 2, page 1: Caesar taxed the people, Pilate was there.
    Matt. 22, 15-21: Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's.
    Matt. 27, l-27: Roman judge sentenced Jesus and Roman soldiers crucified him.
    Matt. 27, G3-66: Roman Seal on tomb by order of Roman governor.
    John 19, 1: Pilate scourged Him and Roman soldiers pierced His side.

    We have elsewhere in this little book recorded the facts regarding Joseph Smith, claiming to receive command from God to organize the kingdom referred to that will break in pieces and consume all other kingdoms and stand forever, and that Christ inspired him to be crowned a King.

    D. C. 1, 5: Start a church to save the nations.
    D. C. 107, l-3: Proclamation to kings and nations to come to Zion.
    D. C. 102, 9: Kingdoms of the world to submit to and acknowledge Zion.
    D. C. 101, 10: Kingdom built by Smith, Christ dwell in City.
    D. C. 9l, 1: Kirtland to be a city and stake of Zion.
    D. C. 77, 1: City of Enoch, new name, Covenant binding.
    D. C. 83, l-2: New Jerusalem built in Missouri.

     




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    We will close this little chapter by recalling the prophecies of Smith showing that the United States will be destroyed, Missouri sink disgraced and damned to hell, as recorded in this book and quoted from their church history, Vol. 2, pages 419, 710-711.

    I trust the reader will see that Christ will destroy all these evils, and that he set up his stone kingdom, and will carry it triumphant to the glory of the Father, till sin is done away, death swallowed up in victory, and the kingdoms and dominions of the earth shall know and love Him and crown Him King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
     

    Bishop R. C. Evans Dragged Into Court.

    The history of Mormonism reveals that when a person becomes convinced of the fraudulent character of Joseph' Smith and his revelations, that that person must be destroyed. In the early days, "The Danites, or destroying Angels" were busy with dirk or pistol, but in more modern times, the weapons changed to cruel slander and base misrepresentation, from press and platform.

    Having recorded, in this little work, that I followed my parents into the church, when in my childhood and with all the fervor of youth and vigor of manhood, I gave forty-two years to Mormonism, believing that God was the author of it. When my faith in Mormonism failed, and the Lord led me out of the darkness into the light, I tendered my resignation to the president of the church, and walked out of the church, not knowing that a soul on earth would follow me.

    Through the years there had never been a charge presented against me, I had but two difficulties. The first was, when I refused to condone the conduct of a person when they were found in wickedness. The second was when some of the prominent leaders, through envy and jealousy sought to injure me. Through the years "the common people heard me gladly, and I preached to more people than any man in the church during my ministry.

    When the Lord opened my eyes to the great deception of Mormonism I tendered my resignation and then the President of the church set his church hounds after me. Their three church papers were crowded with slander and tattle and misrepresentation. One paper of which the President was the editor, for two issues were doubled in size and every paragraph was about the bad man that had left the church. We called for fair play and half the space to make reply. A petition was signed by the Secretary of more than five hundred people begging for space for me to reply, and in the event of a refusal, President Smith was challenged to meet me in public debate in the largest hall in Toronto, I to pay all expenses. They have not permitted me to write a word in one of those three papers, and Smith will not discuss Mormonism with me. The next move was to drag me before the courts of the Land. They issued a writ against me, and after a delay of months, they admitted the writ was not able to secure conviction and they changed the writ. Then another delay of months. In the meantime they secured an American

     




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    lawyer (who is a brother of President Smith, the son of Joseph Smith,) who moved his family from Independence, MO., to Toronto, Ont. He was here several months working up the evidence against me and coaching his two other lawyers of the city. Then came High Priest Pitt and wife. They hired a house in Toronto for several months. Then came President Smith and wife. Then came R. C. Smith, his brother (the one that is called after me, in honor of the fact that I baptized his mother and solemnized the marriage between her and his father, The Prophet, Joseph Smith.) Then came five apostles, four bishops and a host of High Priests, patriarchs and other priestly dignitaries who have filled their pulpit and wrote to the papers, and visited the people to keep them from the wolf, and safe in the Mormon fold.

    When the earth had been covered and they were ready, then came the trial, prophecies galore, in which God is supposed to have told them that I would he exposed in the trial and the world would know what kind of a man I really was, filled their homes and churches.

    The trial came, chief Justice Falconbridge heard the case. Their three lawyers filled to the brim, did their best. They dragged from their witnesses every point which had been carefully studied. We were questioned for hours and the trial was on during the days of May 26, 27, 28, 29 and 30 and June 2-6 and 7.

    In place of making the closing speech and ending the agony at once the written arguments did not reach the Judge till December 30, seven months more to prophecy defeat and destruction to the apostate, but it is said all things come to those who wait, and we waited till the learned judge handed down his judgments, which I herewith submit as reported in the Toronto papers.
     

    Judgment For Evans On All Points of Suit -- Suit Against Former Bishop of Church of Latter Day Saints Dismissed.

    Toronto Star, Jan. l-4, 1920.

    Chief Justice Falconbridge to-day delivered judgment in favor of Bishop R. C. Evans and others on all points in the suit of May and June, 1919. Benjamin R. McGuire, Bishop of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, living at Independence, Missouri; Mary Wilson, president of the Ladies' Auxiliary of the Toronto branch of the Church: M. J. Crowley, president of the Zion Religio-Literary Society of the Church, Toronto; and Leslie Prentice, superintendent of the Toronto Sunday school, brought suit against Bishop R. C. Evans, minister of an independent church in Toronto; Lizzie Evans, president; Sara Crowley, secretary, and Bertha Gray, treasurer of the new Ladies' Auxiliary of the Independent Church: against Charles Gerrard, president: Ida Gerrard, secretary, and Pearl Bayliss, treasurer of the New Zion Religio-Literary Society; and against Ed. Barringham, superintendent, and Margaret Lewis, secretary of the new Sunday school.

    Bishop R. C. Evans had been for many years bishop of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints' Church on Soho

     




                           NEBUCHADNEZZAR'S  DREAM                        169

    street, Toronto, and it was claimed that on June 3, 1918, he resigned and, with others, formed a new church. The suit was for an accounting of all funds appropriated by the new church.

    Chief Justice Falconbridge, in his judgment says: "The case was argued before me on May 26, 27, 28, 29 and 30, and on June 2, 6 and 7, 1919.

    "At the request. of counsel I allowed written arguments to be put in, and most elaborate ones were handed to me on December 30.

    "A judge cannot listen to witnesses for eight days without coming to a conclusion as to the merits of a case. I formed a strong opinion, but I was quite willing, with an open mind, to listen to further arguments.

    "A very careful consideration of the arguments and authorities fails to remove the impression which I had in mind.

    "It is unnecessary to go into particulars, the contentions of the parties being so fully set forth in writing.

    "I find in favor of the defendant, on all points, and dismiss the action with costs. There arc some small figures to be readjusted, which counsel said they were willing to do. Fifteen days' stay."

    G. Wilkie, of Hamilton, was solicitor for McGuire, and W. R. Smythe, K. C., for Bishop Evans.

    Less than a month after rendering the above decision, this celebrated judge died. I herewith append one of the many glowing tributes those who knew him best paid him:

    His friends and associates have paid many glowing tributes to his worth as a chief justice, and his sterling qualities as a friend and sportsman.

    The following tribute comes from Wallace Nesbitt, K. C.: "As a judge, the late Sir Glenholme Falconbridge presided with great dignity and uniform courtesy, listening with sympathetic patience to argument and arriving at accurate conclusions, which he expressed in the tersest and most grammatical English. As a judge of fact, he was unrivaled since the death of Chief Justice Simons. Common sense, plus a very complete knowledge of the world, gave him an unerring instinct in detecting where the truth lay.

    "His choice of English was refined and classic. His speech as chairman at the banquet given by the Toronto Club to the Duke of Kensington was only equaled, but not excelled, by the masterpiece of Sir Wilfrid Laurier at the Rideau Club on the occasion of the dinner to the duke, when he used the beautiful imagery of Ruth in speaking of the duchess, the faithful companion of her consort."

    Yet the Mormon press reflected upon this great man, and their Elders from the platform accused him of being unfair and reflected upon him very unkindly and all because he gave the decision above quoted.

    All that I care to say about the judgment is, that while I have spent many months under the ban of suspicion, while the tongue of slander was busy and the pen of envy was besmearing the pages with the most cruel misrepresentations ever published, yet to have one of the most

     




    170                        NEBUCHADNEZZAR'S  DREAM                       

    prominent and learned judges that ever sat on the bench of the British Empire bring in the verdict, and make the observations that he made, is worth all my suffering and to those who love law and order, this should be a most complete answer to those who have tried to destroy me, and also a recommendation of my character.

    Now that pen, voice, press, courts have done what they have, I know not what will be the next move, but my thrust is in God, and to Him I leave the future.

    I submit the following letter and .set of propositions which I wrote and sent to President Smith, asking him to publish the same in his church papers and up to date he has neither published the letter nor replied to it in any honorable way.

    The only satisfaction I have had is that many of the papers of Canada and the United States have published it, and the world knows that I stand ready to meet President Smith on the platform and make answer as to why I left Mormonism and to let the world know the facts.
     

    An Open Challenge to President Frederick M. Smith

    President F. M. Smith.
    Dear Sir:

    The Saints Herald for March 19th, 1919, pages 281-2 contains a letter purporting to have been written by one signing the name of T. W. Williams. For many reasons I decline to regard this person of many sides as being sincere, some of which I will submit to you, as reasons why I have, and shall continue to decline to appear on the same platform with him.

    First -- He was considered a strong Socialist, and he admits that he was secretary for that society in California for years. For reasons known to himself and others, he suddenly rushed from California to Canada to act as your representative in a tirade against me from press, platform and pulpit.

    Second -- The contradictory statements and misrepresentations made are so numerous that I would not consider for one moment holding a debate with him. The rules of logic demand that each disputant must mutually consider each other as standing on equal footing and desire for truth.

    Third -- This person now selected by you to defend Mormonism has denounced much of the faith of your church and for a time withdrew from active missionary work assailing through the press the cherished doctrines of the church, opposing the leading authorities in regard to Tithing, Gathering. and other doctrines. He accused the leaders of not teaching the Law of God, and doing violence to the sacred law. He boldly accuses the leaders of teaching that which produces inequality, and affirms that they are in direct violation to the Law. He clearly proves that the revelations said to have been given to the church by God flatly contradict each other and affirms that the church is held up to "public shame and ridicule." That the leaders are robbing the people of their rights under the law of "common consent" and flings a shadow

     




                           NEBUCHADNEZZAR'S  DREAM                        171

    on the revelations of both your father and grandfather who are the acknowledged prophets of the church. He pleads with the leaders to correct the mistakes and not remain in darkness. (Herald, January 13th, 1909.) Now for reasons known to himself and others, he is willing to abuse me because I believe and teach that the leaders of the church are guilty as charged by him. I do not think for a moment he has changed his opinion, but just his position, for reasons.

    Fourth -- He was present when I challenged you to meet me in debate in the largest hall in Canada, the night I tendered my resignation as a member of the church of the Latter Day Saints. He knows that I have printed one hundred and thirty thousand pamphlets in which I have challenged you to open discussion. He knows that I have in print declined to meet him in debate, giving my reasons, yet in order to secure cheap notoriety, he plays the coward and in most every speech cries aloud: "I challenge Mr. Evans to meet me." He knows he is perfectly safe in this. Were I to condescend to meet your importation from California, perhaps he would be willing to suffer for what he could make out of it, but what would be gained by such a debate? If defeated he would leave the country and you would say: "He never touched me," and you would request me to meet still another, all the while you would be having a good time at some summer or winter resort. No, sir; you must meet me, or there will be no debate on Mormonism, so far as I am concerned.

    Fifth -- You should be willing to defend Mormonism, and should not request some poor fellow, who is eating out of your hand, to make answer for you. You are the acknowledged President of the church, the successor of your Grandfather and Father, as Prophet, Seer, Revelator, and God's mouthpiece to the church. You are considered as the best educated man in the church. You are the one man above all others that should stand as the defender of the faith. If you cannot defend the revelations given to the church by your Grandfather, your Father and yourself, as the professed Prophets of the Almighty, and the sole mouthpiece of Christ to the church, you should not compel your importation from California to make the attempt for a consideration.

    Sixth -- As the inspired Prophet of the Lord, while in Toronto, you publicly made this statement: "My Grandfather gave the law, my Father interpreted the law, and I am here to enforce the law." If that be true, then you are the ONE MAN ON EARTH to defend that given by your Grandfather, interpreted by your Father, and enforced by you.

    Seventh -- I am ready to meet you for the above reasons, and further because you make claim to be God's Prophet, Seer, Revelator, and sole mouthpiece to the church, also President of the church. The world wants to hear from you. Let the world know what real Mormonism is. Tell them all about the corruption of the Bible, and how necessary it was that your Grandfather give them an inspired translation of the Bible, as printed and sold by your church. Tell them all about the "Golden Bible," known as the "Book of Mormon," with the wonderful "Peep Stone" and "Urim and Thummim," by which the Book of Mormon

     




    172                        NEBUCHADNEZZAR'S  DREAM                       

    and the Book of Abraham were given to the world. Give them the history of the "Order of Enoch," organized by your Grandfather. Tell us all about how God changed His name from Joseph to Enoch, then to Baurak Ale, and then Gazelem. Lift the veil and tell the world the truth about the revelations on polygamy. Tell them about Christ soon coming to live with you folk in Independence, Missouri. Give a history of the Danites, a secret society organized to murder, if the testimony of leading Mormons be true. You folk admit such an order in Utah Mormonism. Was it organized in 1838, as stated by Whitmer and Cowdery?

    While I wish I could forget Mormonism and spend the few remaining years of my life in preaching the true gospel of Christ, yet if it is necessary that I become a victim to be sacrificed upon the altar in order to draw you out, so that the world may know Mormonism, all I ask is fair play and half the time. So herewith I submit the following propositions for public debate to be held in the largest hall in Toronto, Ontario, time to be agreed upon later as we may arrange. I will not ask you to take your time or money to hire hall or advertise, I will do all that without one cent from you:
     

    Propositions For Debate Between F. M. Smith and R. C. Evans

    First -- Resolved, That Joseph Smith, Prophet, Seer, and Revelator of the Latter Day Saint Church, taught, practiced and sanctioned polygamy, and that he affirmed that Jesus Christ gave him a revelation commanding his people to practice polygamy in order to be saved. R. C. Evans affirms. F. M. Smith denies.

    Second -- Resolved, That Jesus Christ commanded the church to "Give heed unto all his (Joseph Smith's) words and commandments," (saying) "For his words ye shall receive as if from mine own mouth." F. M. Smith affirms. R. C. Evans denies.

    Third -- Resolved, That Jesus Christ commanded the church through Joseph Smith to organize the "Order of Enoch" and that it is the duty of the membership of the church to consecrate all their properties to the bishop of the church, as trustee of the Order "With a covenant and a deed which cannot be broken." This being essential to their salvation. F. M. Smith affirms. R. C. Evans denies.

    Fourth -- Resolved, That all productions printed in the Doctrine and Covenants, accepted as revelations through Joseph Smith, your Grandfather, Joseph Smith, your father, F. M. Smith, yourself, are the words of Christ. F. M. Smith affirms. R. C. Evans denies.

    Fifth -- Resolved, That Joseph was divinely inspired to translate a record inscribed on golden plates, given to him by an Angel of God, and that Joseph Smith was inspired by the Lord to publish to the world a correct translation of said record, known as the Book of Mormon, and that said book is the new and everlasting covenant, even the fullness of the everlasting gospel of Jesus Christ.

     




                           NEBUCHADNEZZAR'S  DREAM                        173

    F. M. Smith affirms. R. C. Evans denies.

    Now, Sir, I admit that God has blessed the honest people of the church when they preached and obeyed the first principles of the gospel, but that they have been deceived by the Mormon part, is beyond question. Many thousands of the church have thus concluded. It will avail you but little to tell the world that I once believed that Joseph Smith was a Prophet of God, that the Book of Mormon was divinely inspired. I admit that I taught and believed all that, and that my sermons defended the work of Smith. To quote my sermons of twenty or thirty years ago is not the question. Abraham, Moses, Paul, Luther, Knox and thousands of others were converted from error to see the light of God. Why denounce me because I have grown in grace and knowledge?

    I ask in common justice that you publish this letter in both Herald and Ensign, where you permitted the other challenge to appear. Notwithstanding the many cruel and false statements that have been published in your papers, you have persistently refused me a reply, yet I shall continue to try to keep my heart from bitterness, and put forth every effort possible to love God and preach the gospel, and my earnest prayer is that you may yet see the light of the gospel, be rescued from the thraldom of Mormonism and be saved in the kingdom of God.

    Yours sincerely,

                        (signed)   R. C. Evans

    51 Ozark Crescent, Toronto, Ontario, April lst, 1919.



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    1920 Book by Bishop Evans
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