The Ohio Star - October 20, 1831
MORMONISM.
The second letter of Mr. Booth, giving an exposition of this delusion,
which has of late occupied no small share of public attention in this
section of the country, will be found in this paper. We intended to
have accompanied his first letter with some introductory remarks,
which we considered necessary to enable our readers to understand the
subject; but the circumstances at the time forbade. We therefore take
this opportunity to say to those who are unacquainted with Mr. Booth,
that he was formerly a highly esteemed preacher of the Methodist
persuasion -- that he was one of the earliest subjects of the Mormon
faith, in this county -- that under the influence of what he supposed
to be a divine command, he was induced to leave his family and his
home, and accompany the impostor Smith, and his deluded followers, to
Missouri, in search of the "Land of Promise" -- that in process of
time he became convinced of the duplicity of Smith and Co., and
returned to his family and friends, deeply penitent and humble, under
a sense of the errors into which he had been led and into which, in
turn, he had been the instrument of leading others -- and that he
feels now called upon by a sense of duty, to expose the fraud, and
repair the injury his example has done, as far as in him lies.
We earnestly bespeak for Mr. Booth, the charity of our readers, so far
as to believe him sincere in his former delusion, as well as in his
present efforts to atone for it. We had an opportunity of conversing
with him, soon after he embraced Mormonism; and we became entirely
convinced of his sincerity, and uprightness of purpose; and the pain
we felt at witnessing his delusion, was equal to the pleasure with
which we heard of his recovery from it. In a private note accompanying
one of his letters, Mr. Booth gives the following as his reasons for
now writing upon the subject: "1st. To discharge a duty which I owe to
God and the public. 2d. To rescue, if possible, the honest and
conscientious who are involved in it. 3d. To prevent others from
falling into it. 4th. To comply with the request of a number who have
solicited an exposure of Mormonism."
Our readers are aware, that with the exception of a small article some
time since copied from a neighboring paper, we have published nothing
heretofore on the subject of Mormonism. A few words in explanation of
this course, may not be amiss at the present time. We early became
convinced that mormonism was one of those delusions which would
receive no check, but rather the reverse, from newspaper opposition;
and hence we resolved to let it take its course, blameless ourself of
giving it notoriety, or of interfering with the faith of those who
honestly embraced it. Most of the stories which have found their way
into the papers, we have supposed about as extravagant in their
details, as mormonism itself was false in its pretensions. The letters
of Mr. Booth are of a different character. They are a kind of official
exposition of the fraud, authentic and incontrovertible, by one who
has enjoyed every opportunity of learning it by sad experience. We had
much rather propagate sentiments thus authenticated, than give
publicity to anonymous and at least questionable testimony from other
sources. On reflection, we do not regret the course we have taken.
While some may feel surprize that a man of Mr. Booth's good sense
should be "taken in" by such an absurd piece of fraud as mormonism,
others will perhaps regard it as a providential means of bringing to
nought one of the most extraordinary devices of the great adversary,
to ensnare the souls of men.
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MORMONISM -- No. II.
Nelson, Portage Co. Oct.
2, 1831.
REV. & DEAR SIR --
Were there none but myself interested in the exposition of Mormonism,
I can assure you my time would be otherwise employed than in writing
upon a subject which has heretofore been to me one of deep interest,
and at times has occasioned the most painful anxiety of mind. I could
wish, if possible, to bury it in oblivion; and to remember it no more
for ever. But as this is a thing which cannot be accomplished in a
moment, for the sake of others, who may be exposed to the delusion,
from which, through the mercy of God, I have been recovered, and
others who are at present involved in it; and also in compliance with
your request, I will, as far as I have ability, unfold a system of
darkness, fraught with glaring absurdity, and as deceptive as
falsehood itself.
This system, to some, carries the face of plausibility, and appears
under an imposing form. It claims the Bible for its patron, and
proffers the restoration of the apostolic church, with all the gifts
and graces with which the primitive saints were endowed. It is called
the fulness of the Gospel to both Jew and Gentile; and is the test by
which every man's faith is to be tried. Judgments are denounced
against the sinners of this generation; or in other words, all who
reject the book of Mormon, are threatened with eternal damnation.
Great promises are made to such as embrace it; signs and wonders are
to attend them, such as healing the sick, the blind made to see, the
lame to walk, &c.; and they are to receive an everlasting inheritance
in "the land of Missouri," where the Savior will make his second
appearance -- at which place the foundation of the Temple of God, and
the City of Zion, have recently been laid, and are soon to be built.
It is also to be a city of Refuge, and a safe asylum when the storms
of vengeance shall pour upon the earth, and those who reject the book
of Mormon, shall be swept off as with the besom of destruction. Then
shall the riches of the Gentiles be consecrated to the Mormonites;
they shall have lands and cattle in abundance, and shall possess the
gold and silver, and all the treasures of their enemies.
The Mormonite preachers go forth, proclaiming repentance and baptism
for the remission of sins, and the laying on of hands for the
reception of the Holy Ghost. The form of baptism is similar to other
orders; only it is prefaced with -- "having authority given me of
Jesus Christ;" also, the laying on of hands -- "In the name of Jesus
Christ, receive ye the Holy Ghost." Many of them have been ordained to
the High Priesthood, or the order of Milchesidec; and profess to be
endowed with the same power as the ancient apostles were. But they
have been hitherto unsuccessful in finding the lame, the halt, and the
blind, who had faith sufficient to become the subjects of their
miracles; and it is now concluded that this work must be postponed
until they get to the Missouri; for the Lord will not show those signs
to this wicked and adulterous generation. In the commandment given to
the churches in the state of New-York, to remove to the state of Ohio,
they were assured that these miracles should be wrought in the state
of Ohio; but now they must be deferred until they are settled in
Missouri.
As the Mormonite church depends principally upon the commandments, and
as most of them are concealed from the world, it will be necessary to
make some statement respecting them. These commandments come from
Smith, at such times and on such occasions as he feels disposed to
speak, and Rigdon or Cowder[y] to write them. Their exact number I
have never taken pains to ascertain. I have in my possession the "27th
commandment to Emma my daughter in Zion;" and should presume there are
betwixt fifty and a hundred. They received the addition of five or six
while in Missouri; and these are considered a miracle in themselves,
sufficient to convince any rational mind. But none but the strong in
faith are permitted to witness their origin. I had an opportunity of
seeing this wonderful exhibition of the wisdom and power of God, at
three different times; and I must say, it bore striking marks of human
weakness and wickedness. They are received by the church as divinely
inspired, and the name of the Lord is substituted for that of Smith.
They are called "The Commandments of the Lord." They are considered
"The mysteries of the Kingdom;" and to divulge them to the world, is
the same as casting pearls before swine. When they and the Scriptures
are at variance, the scriptures are wrongly translated; and Smith,
though totally ignorant of the original, being a translator or
alterator, can easily harmonize them. Every thing in the church is
done by commandment; and yet it is said to be done by the voice of the
church. For instance, Smith gets a commandment that he shall be the
"head of the Church," or that he "shall rule the Conference," or that
the Church shall build him an elegant house, and give him 1000
dollars. For this the members of the church must vote, or they will be
cast off for rebelling against the commandments of the Lord. In
addition to the book of Mormon, and the Commandments, there are
Revelations which are not written. In this department, though Smith is
the principal, yet there are others who profess to receive
revelations; but after all, Smith is to decide whether they come from
the Lord or the devil. Some have been so unfortunate as to have their
revelations palmed upon the latter. These revelations entirely
supersede the Bible, and in fact, the Bible is declared too defective
to be trusted in its present form; and it is designed that it shall
undergo a thorough alteration, or as they say, translation. This work
is now in operation. The Gospel by St. Matthew has already received
the purifying touch, and is prepared for the use of the church. It was
intended to have kept this work a profound secret, and strict
commandments were given for that purpose; and even the salvation of
the church was said to depend upon it. The secret is divulged, but the
penalty is not as yet inflicted. Their revelations are said to be an
addition to the Bible. But instead of being an addition, they destroy
its use; for every thing which need to be known, whether present, past
or future, they can learn from Smith, for he has declared to the
church, that he "knows all things that will take place from this time
unto the end of the world." If then, placing the Bible under
circumstances which render it entirely useless, is infidelity,
Mormonism is infidelity.
Joseph Smith, Jun., Sidney Rigdon, Oliver Cowdrey, and Martin Harris,
may be considered as the principals in this work; and let Martin
Harris tell the story, and he is the most conspicuous of the four. --
He informed me, that he went to the place where Joseph resided, and
Joseph had given it up, on account of the opposition of his wife and
others: but he told Joseph. "I have not come down here for nothing,
and we will go on with it." Martin Harris is what may be called a
great talker, and an extravagant boaster; so much so, that he renders
himself disagreeable to many of his own society. The money he has
expended, and the great things he has done, form a considerable topic
of his conversation; he understands all prophecies, and knows every
thing by the spirit, and he can silence almost any opposer by talking
faster, and louder than he can: or by telling him, "I know every thing
and you know nothing; I am a wise man and you are a fool;" and in this
respect, he stands a fair sample of many others in the church. Yours
affectionately,
E. BOOTH.
REV. I. EDDY.
Note 1: Booth's remarks concerning the early Mormon teachings
respecting the Book of Mormon are intriguing. He says that Mormonism
(then taking the Book of Mormon as its basis): "is called the fulness
of the Gospel to both Jew and Gentile; and is the test by which every
man's faith is to be tried." Thus, the book was not merely a
missionary tool, but it and the "system" in which it came wrapped was
an actual "voice of warning," proclaiming an imminent divine judgment.
Booth says: "Judgments are denounced against the sinners of this
generation; or in other words, all who reject the book of Mormon, are
threatened with eternal damnation." It goes without saying that
acceptance of the book and its message also entailed acceptance of the
authority of the Mormon priesthood, then headed (in practice, if not
yet in legality) by Joseph Smith, Jr.
Note 2: Booth says that "the City of Zion... is also to be a city of
Refuge, and a safe asylum when the storms of vengeance shall pour upon
the earth, and those who reject the book of Mormon, shall be swept off
as with the besom of destruction." This nearly forgotten tenet of
early Mormonism taught that the Latter Day Saints, joined by the
converted and racially transformed American Indians, would hold the
region round about Independence, Missouri as a divinely appointed
stronghold in a coming war between the Saints and the gentiles. During
the course of that war terrible destruction would be wrought upon the
eastern half of the United States, and those among that nation's
inhabitants who chose Mormon "righteousness" over gentile
"wickedness," were assured of a place of refuge in the western
"Kingdom of God."
Note 3: Booth also relates that the earliest Mormons believed, that in
the course of this war between "the righteous" and "the wicked," that
"the riches of the Gentiles" would be "consecrated to the Mormonites;
they shall have lands and cattle in abundance, and shall possess the
gold and silver, and all the treasures of their enemies." Such a
doctrine might be construed from an overly literal reading of
millennial passages in the book of Isaiah -- and, indeed, the Mormons
reproduced exactly these sentiments in the pages of their 1838 Elders'
Journal. Booth seems to allocate such a divinely mandated
"consecration" to the end of the civil war, much as the members of the
Middleton, Vermont Wood money-digging cult looked forward to such a
consecration of their neighbors' property unto themselves following
God's terrible judgments. The early Mormons appear to have moved the
date of the intended "consecration" up from the period following the
civil war to a period barely antedating its commencement -- at least
such an understanding of unwritten early Mormon doctrine would go far
in explaining their reported covert appropriation of gentile property
in Daviess co., Missouri and in Hancock co., Illinois.
http://www.truthandgrace.com/mormonhistory.htm
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