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Vol. IV. No. 6.] CITY OF NAUVOO, ILL. Feb. 1, 1843 [Whole No. 66.
ANCIENT POETRY.
The following very curious poetic composition, is at once both novel and interesting; for while the common landmarks of modern poetry are entirely disregarded; there is something so dignified and exalted conveyed in the ideas of this production, that it cannot fail to strike the attention of every superficial observer.
Uncontrolled by the narrow limits of this earth, and raised above all sublunary objects, his mind soars aloft unto other kingdoms, unravels the secrets of eternity, and contemplates the organization of worlds, in other spheres: the destiny of the living, the dying, and the dead are developed; together with the laws that govern other worlds, and the state of their inhabitants; the "heavens of heavens," open before his gaze, and the celestial kingdom; the habitation of the great "I Am," with all its resplendant [resplendent], brilliant, and dazzling glory, bursts upon his sight. The Celestial, the Terrestrial and the Telestial worlds, with all their magnifence [magnificence] and beauty are open to his view; whilst the various states of their respective inhabitants, are presented before his vision. The dark and gloomy abodes of the departed lost, are also unlocked, and their confusion, and misery developed. Our poet seems to be perfectly at home among heavenly worlds, and converses about their proceedings with as much familiarity as one could do about his domestic economy. He unlocked [unlocked] great, and important principles which were indeed made known to the ancients; but which have been hid for ages: and when we contemplate the things that are unfolded we shall be led to say with Paul, "great is the mystery of godliness."
Concerning the style of the poetry, there seems to be a native simplicity, a brilliance of thought, and an originality in the composition, that can only be equalled [equaled] in the oracles of truth; and by those who profess the same spirit: and when the muse of those ancient poets was fired by the spirit of God, and they spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost, there was a richness a dignity and a brilliancy of ideas; and an exuberance of thought that ran through all their productions, as in the facinating [fascinating] beauties of poesy they rolled forth the words of eternal life, with all their richness, and dignity, and glory; while at the same time they paid little or no attention to the rules of poetic composition. Let the curtains of heaven be withdrawn, and the purposes and glories of the eternal world burst upon his view and the dry forms, and simple jingling of poetry, alone, will be very dry and insipid to the enlarged and enlightened understanding of a man of God.
On this subjective we quote the following from the learned Rev. John Brown: "The songs of Moses, Deborah, and Hannah, the prayer of Hezekiah, and Habbakkuk [Habakkuk], if not also of Mary and Zacharias, Exod. xv., Judg. v., 1 Sam. ii., Isaiah, xxxviii., Hab. iii., Luke i., and the Psalms, most of Job, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon, and Lamentations, appear to be of the poetic kind. but after all the pains of the learned, we cannot understand the rules of their metre [meter]; nor can we say if they attended to any fixed rules; and the truth is, not rules in the world will render a man a true poet, who has not a proper stock of imagery and fire in his own mind. Besides the unequalled [unequaled] fire and bold strokes of imagery in scripture poems, their principal excellency is their being calculated to promote the honor of God, and the everlasting happiness of mankind."-Dic. of the Bible.
The last principle mentioned by Mr. Brown is certainly very clearly developed in the poetry of Mr. Smith; and whatever may have been the preconceived opinion of Justin Butterfield Esq., we are pursuaded [persuaded] that he will now be convinced that the modern Prophets can prophecy in poetry, as well as the ancient prophets and that no difference, even of that kind any longer exists.-[Ed.
FROM W. W. PHELPS TO JOSEPH SMITH:
THE PROPHET.
VADE MECUM, (TRANSLATED.) GO WITH ME.
Go with me, will you go to the saints that have died,-
To the next, better world, where the righteous reside;
Where the angels and spirits in harmony be
In the joys of a vast paradise? Go with me.
Go with me where the truth and the virtues prevail;
Where the union is one, and the years never fail;
Not a heart can conceive, nor a nat'ral eye see
What the Lord has prepar'd for the just. Go with me.
Go with me where there is no destruction or war;
Neither tyrants, or sland'rers, or nations ajar;
Where the system is perfect, and happiness free,
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And the life is eternal with God. Go with me.
Go with me, will you go to the mansions above,
Where the bliss, and the knowledge, the light, and the love,
And the glory of God do eternally be?-
Death, the wages of sin is not there. Go with me.
Nauvoo, January, 1843
The Answer.
To W. W. Phelps, Esq.
A Vision.
1. I will go, I will go, to the home of the Saints, 17. I beheld round the throne, holy angels and hosts,
Where the virtue's the value, and life the reward; And sanctified beings from worlds that have been,
But before I return to my former estate In holiness worshipping God and the Lamb,
I must fulfil (fulfill) the mission I had from the Lord. Forever and ever, amen and amen!
2. Wherefore, hear, O ye heavens, and give ear O ye earth; 18. And now after all of the proofs made of him,
And rejoice ye inhabitants truly again; By witnesses truly, by whom he was known,
For the Lord he is God, and his life never ends, This is mine, last of all, that he lives; yea he lives!
And besides him there ne'er was a Saviour (Savior) of men. And sits at the right hand of God, on his throne.
3. His ways are a wonder; his wisdom is great; 19. And I heard a great voice, bearing record from heav'n,
The extent of his doings, there's none can unveil; He's the Saviour (Savior), and only begotten of God-
His purposes fail not; from age unto age
He still is the same, and his years never fail.
4. His throne is the heavens, his life time is all
Of eternity now, and eternity then;
His union is power, and none stays his hand,-
The Alpha, Omega, for ever: Amen.
5. For thus saith the Lord, in the spirit of truth,
I am merciful, gracious, and good unto those
That fear me, and live for the life that's to come;
My delight is to honor the saints with repose;
6. That serve me in righteousness true to the end;
Eternal's their glory, and great their reward;
I'll surely reveal all my myst'ries to them,-
The great hidden myst'ries in my kingdom stor'd-
7. From the council in Kolob, to time on the earth.
And for ages to come unto them I will show
My pleasure & will, what my kingdom will do:
Eternity's wonders they truly shall know.
8. Great things of the future I'll show unto them,
Yea, things of the vast generations to rise;
For their wisdom and glory shall be very great,
And their pure understanding extend to the skies:
9. And before them the wisdom of wise men shall cease,
And the nice understanding of prudent ones fail!
For the light of my spirit shall light mine elect,
And the truth is so mighty 't will ever prevail.
10. And the secrets and plans of my will I'll reveal;
The sanctified pleasures when earth is renew'd,
What the eye hath not seen, nor the ear hath yet heard;
Nor the heart of the natural man ever hath view'd.
11. I, Joseph, the prophet, in spirit beheld,
And the eyes of the inner man truly did see
Eternity sketch'd in a vision from God,
Of what was, and now is, and yet is to be.
12. Those things which the Father ordained of old,
Before the world was, or a system had run,-
Through Jesus the Maker and Savior of all;
The only begotten, (Messiah) his son.
13. Of whom I bear record, as all prophets have,
And the record I bear is the fulness (fullness),-yea even
The truth of the gospel of Jesus-the Christ,
With whom I convers'd, in the vision of heav'n.
14. For while in the act of translating his word,
Which the Lord in his grace had appointed to me,
I came to the gospel recorded by John,
Chapter fifth and the twenty ninth verse, which you'll see.
Which was given as follows:
"Speaking of the resurrection of the dead,-
"Concerning those who shall hear the voice of
"the son of Man-
"And shall come forth:-
"They who have done good in the resurrection
"of the just.
"And they who have done evil in the resurrection
"of the unjust."
15. I marvel'd at these resurrections, indeed!
For it came unto me by the spirit direct:-
And while I did meditate what it all meant.
The Lord touch'd the eyes of my own intellect:-
16. Hosanna forever! they open'd anon,
And the glory of God shone around where I was;
And there was the Son, at the Father's right hand,
In a fulness (fullness) of glory, and holy applause.
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By him, of him, and through him, the worlds were all made,
Even all that career in the heavens so broad.
20. Whose inhabitants, too, from the first to the last,
Are sav'd by the very same Saviour (Savior) of ours;
And, of course, are begotten God's daughters and sons,
By the very same truths, and the very same pow'rs.
21. And I saw and bear record of warfare in heav'n;
For an angel of light, in authority great,
Rebell'd against Jesus, and sought for his pow'r,
But was thrust down to woe from his Godified state.
22. And the heavens all wept, and the tears drop'd like dew,
That Lucifer, son of the morning had fell!
Yea, is fallen! is fall'n, and become, Oh, alas!
The son of Perdition; the devil of hell!
23. And while I was yet in the spirit of truth,
The commandment was: write ye the vision all out;
For Satan, old serpent, the devil's for war,-
And yet will encompass the saints round about.
24. And I saw, too, the suff'ring and mis'ry of those,
(Overcome by the devil, in warfare and fight,)
In hell-fire, and vengeance, the doom of the damn'd;
For the Lord said, the vision is further: so write.
25. For thus saith the Lord, now concerning all those
Who know of my power and partake of the same;
And suffer themselves, that they be overcome
By the power of Satan; despising my name:-
26. Defying my power, and denying the truth;-
They are they-of the world, or of men, most forlorn,
The Sons of Perdition, of whom, ah! I say,
'T were better for them had they never been born!
27. They're vessels of wrath, and dishonor to God,
Doom'd to suffer his wrath, in the regions of woe,
Through the terrific night of eternity's round,
With the devil and all of his angels below:
28. Of whom it is said, no forgiveness is giv'n,
In this world, alas! nor the world that's to come;
For they have denied the spirit of God,
After having receiv'd it: and mis'ry's their doom.
29. And denying the only begotten of God,-
And crucify him to themselves, as they do,
And openly put him to shame in their flesh,
By gospel they cannot repentance renew.
30. They are they, who must go to the great lake of fire,
Which burneth with brimstone, yet never consumes,
And dwell with the devil, and angels of his,
While eternity goes and eternity comes.
31. They are they, who must groan through the great second death,
And are not redeemed in the time of the Lord;
While all the rest are, through the triumph of Christ,
Made partakers of grace, by the power of his word.
32. The myst'ry of Godliness truly is great;-
The past, and the present, and what is to be;
And this is the gospel-glad tidings to all,
Which the voice from the heavens bore record to me:
33. That he came to the world in the middle of time,
To lay down his life for his friends and his foes,
And bear away sin as a mission of love;
And sanctify earth for a blessed repose.
34. 'Tis decreed, that he'll save all the work of his hands,
And sanctify them by his own precious blood
And purify earth for the Sabbath of rest,
By the agent of fire, as it was by the flood.
35. The Savior will save all his Father did give,
Even all that he gave in the regions abroad,
Save the Sons of Perdition: They're lost; ever lost,
And can never return to the presence of God.
36. They are they, who must reign with the devil in hell,
In eternity now, and eternity then,
Where the worm dieth not, and the fire is not quench'd;-
And the punishment still, is eternal. Amen.
37. And which is the torment apostates receive,
But the end, or the place where the torment began,
Save to them who are made to partake of the same,
Was never, nor will be, revealed unto man.
38. Yet God shows by vision a glimpse of their fate,
And straightway he closes the scene that was shown;
So the width, or the depth, or the misery thereof,
Save to those that partake, is forever unknown.
39. And while I was pondering, the vision was closed;
And the voice said to me, write the vision: for lo!
'Tis the end of the scene of the sufferings of those,
Who remain filthy still in their anguish and woe.
40. And again I bear record of heavenly things,
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Where virtue's the value, above all that's pric'd-
Of the truth of the gospel concerning the just,
That rise is in the first resurrection of Christ.
41. Who receiv'd and believ'd, and repented likewise,
And then were baptis'd [baptiz'd], as a man always was,
Who ask'd and receiv'd a remission of sin,
And honored the kingdom by keeping its laws.
42. Being buried in water, as Jesus had been,
And keeping the whole of his holy commands,
They received the gift of the spirit of truth,
By the ordinance truly of laying on hands.
43. For these overcome, by their faith and their works,
Being tried in their life-time, as purified gold,
And seal'd by the spirit of promise, to life,
By men called of God, as was Aaron of old
44. They are they, of the church of the first born of God,-
And unto whose hands he committeth all things;
For they hold the keys of the kingdom of heav'n,
And reign with the Savior, as priests, and as kings.
45. They're priests of the order of Melchisedek,
Like Jesus, (from whom is this highest reward,)
Receiving a fulness [fullness] of glory and light;
As written: They're Gods; even sons of the Lord.
46. So all things are theirs; yea, of life, or of death;
Yea, whether things now, or to come, all are theirs,
And they are the Savior's, and he is the Lord's,
Having overcome all, as eternity's heirs.
47. 'Tis wisdom that man never glory in man,
But give God the glory for all that he hath;
For the righteous will walk in the presence of God,
While the wicked are trod under foot in his wrath.
48. These are they that arise in their bodies of flesh,
When the trump of the first resurrection shall sound;
These are they that come up to Mount Zion, in life,
Where the blessings and gifts of the spirit abound.
50. These are they that have come to the heavenly place;
To the numberless courses of angels above:
To the city of God; e'en the holiest of all,
And the home of the blessed, the fountain of love:
51. To the church of old Enoch, and of the first born:
And gen'ral assembly of ancient renown'd.
Whose names are all kept in the archives of heav'n,
As chosen and faithful, and fit to be crown'd.
52. These are they that are perfect through Jesus' own blood,
Whose bodies celestial are mention'd by Paul,
Where the sun is the typical glory thereof,
And God, and his Christ, are the true judge of all.
53. Again I beheld the terrestrial world,
In the order and glory of Jesus, go on;
'Twas not as the church of the first born of God,
But shone in its place, as the moon to the sun.
54. Behold, these are they that have died without law;
The heathen of ages that never had hope,
And those of the region and shadow of death,
The spirits in prison, that light has brought up.
55. To spirits in prison the Savior once preach'd,
And taught them the gospel, with powers afresh;
And then were the living baptiz'd for their dead,
That they might be judg'd as if men in the flesh.
56. These are they that are hon'rable men of the earth;
Who were blinded and dup'd by the cunning of men:
They receiv'd not the truth of the Savior at first;
But did, when they heard it in prison, again.
57. Not valiant for truth, they obtain'd not the crown,
Bur are of that glory that's typ'd by the moon;
They are they, that come into the presence of Christ,
But not to the fulness [fullness] of God, on his throne.
58. Again I beheld the telestial, as third,
The lesser, or starry world, next in its place.
For the leaven must leaven three measures of meal,
And every knee bow that is subject to grace.
59. These are they that receiv'd not the gospel of Christ,
Or evidence, either, that he ever was;
As the stars are all diff'rent in glory and light,
So differs the glory of these by the laws.
60. These are they that deny not the spirit of God,
But are thrust down to hell, with the devil, for sins,
As hypocrites, liars, whoremongers, and thieves,
And stay 'till the last resurrection begins.
61. 'Till the Lamb shall have finish'd the work he begun;
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Shall have trodden the wine press, in fury alone,
And overcome all by the pow'r if his might:
He conquers to conquer, and save all his own.
62. These are they that receive not a fulness [fullness] of light,
From Christ, in eternity's world, where they are,
The terrestrial sends them the Comforter, though;
And minist'ring angels, to happify there,
63. And so the telestial is minister'd to,
By ministers from the terrestrial one,
As terrestrial is, from the celestial throne;
And the great, greater, greatest, seem's stars, moon, and sun.
64. And thus I beheld, in the vision of heav'n,
The telestial glory, dominion and bliss,
Surpassing the great understanding of men,-
Surpassing, save reveal'd, in a world vain as this.
65. And lo, I beheld the terrestrial, too,
Which excels the telestial in glory and light,
In splendor, and knowledge, and wisdom, and joy,
In blessings, and graces, dominion and might.
66. I beheld the celestial, in glory sublime;
Which is the most excellent kingdom that is,-
Where God, e'en the Father, in harmony reigns;
Almighty, supreme, and eternal, in bliss.
67. Where the church of the first born in union reside,
And they see as they're seen, and they know as they're known;
Being equal in power, dominion and might,
With a fulness [fullness] of glory and grace, round his throne.
68. The glory celestial is one like the sun;
The glory terrestr'al is one like the moon;
The glory telestial is one like the stars,
And all harmonize like the parts of a tune.
69. As the stars are all different in lustre [luster] and size,
So the telestial region, is mingled in bliss;
From least unto greatest, and greatest to least,
The reward is exactly as promis'd in this.
70. These are they that came out for Apollos and Paul;
For Cephas and Jesus, in all kinds of hope;
For Enoch and Moses, and Peter, and John;
For Luther and Calvin, and even the Pope.
71. For they never received the gospel of Christ,
Nor the prophetic spirit that came from the Lord;
Nor the covenant neither, which Jacob once had;
They went their own way, and they have their reward.
72. By the order of God, last of all, these are they.
That will not be gather'd with the saints here below,
To be caught up to Jesus, and meet in the cloud:-
In darkness they worshipp'd; to darkness they go.
73. These are they that are sinful, the wicked at large,
That glutted their passion by meanness or worth;
All liars, adulterers, sorc'rers, and proud;
And suffer, as promis'd, God's wrath on the earth.
74. These are they that must suffer the vengeance of hell,
'Till Christ shall have trodden all enemies down,
And perfected his work, in the fulness [fullness] of times:
And is crown'd on his throne with his glorious crown.
75. The vast multitude of the telestial world-
As the stars of the skies, or the sands of the sea;-
The voice of Jehovah echo'd far and wide,
Ev'ry tongue shall confess, and they all bow the knee.
76. Ev'ry man shall be judg'd by the works of his life,
And receive a reward in the mansions prepar'd;
For his judgments are just, and his works never end,
As his prophets and servants have always declar'd.
77. But the great things of God, which he show'd unto me,
Unlawful to utter, I dare not declare;
They surpass all the wisdom and greatness of men,
And only are seen, as has Paul, where they are.
78. I will go, I will go, while the secret of life,
Is blooming in heaven, and blasting in hell;
Is leaving on earth, and a budding in space:-
I will go, I will go, with you, brother, farewell. Joseph Smith
Nauvoo, Feb. 1843.
The Jews.
"Both One In Christ."
By Alfred Morris Myres, a converted Jew.
Chapter III, Page 249.
"For the hurt of my hope am I hurt; I am black; astonishment hath taken hold of me. Jer. viii, xxii [8:21].
Experience must have taught every Christian in the nineteenth century, that there is a disposition of distrust lurking in the breast of the unconverted Jew towards not only Christianity, but also towards the professors of any other religion except Judaism: and that this feeling is the effect of satan's means, whereby he deterred
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many well-disposed persons from endeavoring to promulgate the gospel of our Lord among the Jews, I am through bitter experience able to testify, Now if it is asked, "Does such a feeling exist indeed?" I answer, "it does;" but is this the wonder? surely not! had it been otherwise, then indeed it would have been a marvelous wonder. What! can I open my lips to express the least surprise at the murmur of the dumb animal when it sees him approaching whose hand has mal-treated him all the days of his life? And can you be surprised when you detect a suspicious feeling towards you in the Jew! If you have forgotten their centuries of miseries, be assured they have not; their history, since the destruction of their temple, is one characteristic of cruelty, misery, and despair which was exercised upon them in all those countries whither they fled for refuge. All that found them have devoured them; and their adversaries said: We offend not, because they sinned against the Lord, the habitation of justice, even the Lord, the hope of their Fathers." Jer. I:8. [50:1] Not only ought the rememberance [remembrance] of the sufferings which this people have sustained at your hands, be the means of raising your sympathy in their behalf, and thus induce you to alleviate their distress, as much as lies in your power; but it must also bring that forcible conviction home to such, particularly who will not stoop to receive the word of God in its original meaning, but are too fond to spiritualize such portions of it, which does not suit either the former expressed sentiments, or their present disposition. I say, to such the contemplation of the exact literal fulfilment [fulfillment] with regard to the afflictions of the children of Judah, ought to show that the blessings in store will as surely follow! For why should we give them the curses, and withhold from them the blessings?
Need I stop here to paint a picture of their long and unceasing miseries which they have undergone, even since the destruction of their Temple? This is generally admitted, but to give an idea of the extent and manner of their sufferings to such of my readers who may yet be unacquainted with it, I shall quote the testimonies of some esteemed writers, whose attention seems to have been impressively arrested, and who give us a short, precise, but candid account concerning it. "Kings have often employed the severity of their edicts and the hands of the executioner to destroy them; the seditious multitude has performed massacres and executions, infinitely more tragical than the princes. Both kings and people, Heathens and Christians, and Mahomedans, who are opposite to us, in so many things, have united in design of destroying this nation, and have not been able to effect it, The bush of Moses, surrounded with flames, has already burnt withont [without] consuming. The Jews have been driven from all places in the world, they have, from age to age, run through the misery and persecutions, and torrents of their own blood." (Basnage 1. vi. ci § 1. "Their banishment from Judea," says Keith in his evidence of Prophecy, "was only the perlude [prelude] to their expulsion from city to city, and from kingdom to kingdom. Not only did the first and second centuries of the Christian era see them twice rooted out of their own land, but each succeeding century has turued [turned] with new calamities to that once chosen but now long rejected race. The history of their sufferings is a continued tale of horror. Revolt is natural to the oppressed: and their frequent seditions were productive of renewed privations and distress. Emperors, Kings, and Caliphs, all united in subjecting them to the same "iron yoke." Constantine, after having suppressed a revolt which they raised, and having commanded their ears to be cut off, dispersed them as fugitives and vagabonds into different countries, whither they carried in terror to their kindred, the mark of their sufferings and infamy. In the fifth century, they were expelled from Alexandria, which had long been their safest place of resort. Justinian, from whose principles of legislation a wiser and more human policy ought to have emanated, yielded to none of his predecessors in hostility and severity against them. He abolished their synagogues, prohibited them even from entering into caves for the exercise of their worship, rendered their testimony inadmissable [inadmissible], and deprived them of the natural right of bequeathing their property; and when such oppressive enactments led to insurrectionary movements among the Jews, their property was confiscated-many of them beheaded-and so bloody an execution of them prevailed, that as it is expressly related, "all the Jews of that century, trembled." Gregory the Great afforded them a temporary respite from oppression, which only rendered their spoilation [spoliation] more complete, and their suffering more acute, under the cruel persecutions of Heraclias. That emperor, unable to satiate his hatred against them by inflicting a variety of punishments on those who resided in his own dominions, and by finally expelling them from the empire, exerting so effectually against them his influence in other countries, that they suffered under a general and simultaneous persecution from Asia to the farthest extremities of Europe. In Spain, conversions imprisonments, or banishments were their only alternatives. In France, a similar fate
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awaited them, they fled from country to country, seeking in vain any rest for the sole of their feet. Even the wide extended plains of Asia afforded them no resting place, but has been often spotted with their blood, as swell as the hills and valleys of Europe. The church of Rome ever ranked and treated them as heretics. The Canons of different councils pronounced excommunication against those who should favor or uphold the Jews against Christians; enjoined all Christians neither to eat, nor hold communion with them; prohibited them from bearing public offices, or having Christian's slaves appointed to be distinguished by a mark, decreed that their children should be taken from them, and brought up in monasteries; and what is equally descriptive of the low estimation in which they were held, and of the miseries to which they were subjected, there was often a necessity even for those who otherwise oppressed them, to ordain that it was not lawful to take the life of a Jew without any cause." (p. 79.) And who is able to tell the heart rending miseries which befell my nation during the long continued and ungodly proceedings of the Crusades? O! it is well for us that the powers of our intellects are limited by Him who knows the end from the beginning; else, were we able to recall the black and bloody scenes for many centuries under which the Jewish nation have groaned and despaired, and have them all presented into one view, the effect would be overwhelming! See for particulars, Gibbon's Hist. vol. vi: p. 17
In England-aye in Christian England too-my brethren have suffered great cruelty and persecution.
And why should I refrain from admitting that-here I had to pause, being blinded with the tears which spontaneously rushed into my eyes and fell upon the paper on which I am writing at the recollection, and at the necessity that I must class England too, amongst those who oppressed Israel? When I reflect that those who have rescued me from dark superstition, and presented me with the Gospel of my dear Savior have formerly too laid the iron yoke of tyranny upon the backs of my forefathers; when I remember that this country (where I for the first time heard about Jesus, and where I now find Christians who say to the Jew, "You are my brother, and, as a brother I love you," has once been a scene of unparalleled sufferings of the poor Jew; when I think of these things, then I am constrained to suffer the stream of my tears mixed with grief and joy' to have free course, which I trust my Christian reader will pardon.
But to return: we asserted that in England, too, the Jews have suffered cruelty and oppression. "During the Crusades," says Keith, "the whole nation united in the persecution of them." In a single instance, at York, fifteen hundred Jews, including women and children, refused all quarters; could not purchase their lives at any price; and frantic with despair, perished by a mutual slaughter. Each master was the murderer of his own family, when death became their only deliverance. The scene of the castle of Massada, which was their last fortress in Palestine, and where nearly one hundred perished in the same manner, was renewed in the Castle of York. So despised and hated were they, that the Barens, when contending with Henry VIII, to ingratiate themselves with the populace, ordered seven hundred Jews to be slaughtered at once, their houses to be plundered, and their synagogues to be burned.-Richard, John, Henry III, often extorted money from them, and the last, by the most unscrupulous and unsparing measures, usually defrayed his extraordinary expenses with their spoils, and impoverished some of the riches amongst them His extortions at last became so numerous, and his oppression so grievous, that in the words of the historian, he reduced the miserable wretches to desire to leave to depart the kingdom, but even self-banishment was denied them. Edward the First completed their misery, seized on all their property, and banished them from the kingdom. Above fifteen thousand Jews were rendered destitute of any residence were despoiled to the utmost and reduced to ruin.-Nearly four centuries elapsed before the return to Britain of this abused race.
It is, indeed, marvellous[marvelous], and the same has been the wonder and admiration in all ages of historians, sceptics [skeptics], and Christians, how the Jews, after having had such showers of persecutions poured down upon them, in which the kingdoms of this world have combined their powers to extinguish them from off the face of the earth, have still remained a people, a nation distinct from all others, though mixed up in the ocean of nations, and tossed with tempest, they have remained distinct as pearls in the cavern of the sea. But the wonder ceases to be a wonder when we remember that God had future blessings for them in store; and the only answer that I could give, if asked, how they endured the storms of persecutions for the many centuries with such amazing patience and perseverance is , that they rested their hope in the providence of God, who once for ever declared, "I have loved thee with an everlasting love."
But what is still more distressing, and what
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ought to rouse us to still greater energy in behalf of the children of Zion is the circumstance that their sufferings came more directly from such as claimed the name of Christians; and I may add, that so great was the delusion into which the Christian word had fallen, that to inflict a wound on a Jew was with nations, as if it was never said in the word of God, "Israel was holiness unto the Lord, and the first fruits of his increase! all that devour him shall offend; evil shall come upon them, saith the Lord" Jer. 2: 3.
But I shall now pass on from the scenes of long past wrongs which my brerhren [brethren] of the House of Israel have sustained during a period of at least seventeen centuries, and making use of the language of the Prophet. I shall say, "In those days they shall say no more, The Fathers have eaten a sour grape, and the childrens teeth are set on edge. But every one shall die for his own iniquity-every man that eateth the sour grape, his teeth shall be set on edge."-Jer. 31: 29, 30. I shall, therefore, direct your attention to the state of things as they are now in our times, though a knowledge and a reference to the past is very necessary, in order to show the cause of the present prevailing opinions of the Jews, and their prejudices against Christianity.
It has been continually urged by a certain class of people, that it is evident that the Jews were an obstinate people who would not come over to Christianity, but, I would ask, "What has been the character of those who strove with them, for many centuries, as to induce them to embrace Christianity? What were the means made use of to bring them to the foot of the Cross? Was it with that love and charity with which our Savior called their forefathers to repentance? Was it by presenting to them the true undefiled word of God? O no! The means were such as are not only contrary to the Bible, but also averse to human laws; the only alternative in some parts which was left them, as we have seen above, was either to profess their belief in Jesus (convinced or not convinced) or else their property was confiscated, and their persons given up to the sword; and as for the inducement which was held out to them, the religion to which they were invited, was "idolatry," the Church of Rome has been, and is still, the greatest enemy to the Jewish nation, not only in a temporal but in a spiritual sense. What do we see in our days? The large bulk of; the remnant of Israel are mixed up amongst a people who call themselves Christians, but who profane that holy name by their idolatrous practice, and that in the eyes of my poor brethren who have, by sad experience, been taught the lesson from Jehovah to abhor these evil practices.-Thus the name of Christ has became a still greater stumbling block than ever, until at last it became hateful to them. Add to this, (it may not be generaly [generally] known but it is a fact,) that Jews (particulaely [particularly] in my native country, and the surrounding kingdoms look upon the system of the Church of Rome as the very essence of Christianity which may be thus accounted for.
The Romanites have imbibed many superstitious observances from our forefathers, and, as my brethren value such amongst themselves, and as they are more strictly adhered to by pious Jews, therefore they make the same distinction and form the same conclusion with regard to Baptists and Protestants; the latter not regarding such things, and not only so, but are altogether, with but few exceptions, careless about any religion, so that the poor Jew has no opportunity to see vital Christians: what he really considers as such, is the idolatrous worshiping [worshipping] of Romon [Roman] Catholics, and hence the general predominant opinions prevailing amongst my brethren that Christianity is idolatry. What do we see when we cast our eyes to those parts where the Jews are most numerous, and where the Romish religion also is chiefly maintained? I have witnessed their religious ceremonies in Prussia, Poland, and in the adjoining countries, the thought of which makes my blood run cold within me, when I think of my poor brethren who are kept from the true light by witnessing these abominations practised [practiced] before their eyes and which is called "Christianity." But more of this in the next.
I have seen them on their appointed days parading the principal streets and squares exhibiting the different images of Joseph and Mary, and other Saints, ornamented in the most ridiculous manner, and when arriving at such spots where they have "set up the images of stone," they fell upon their knees thus praying to them with outstretched arms. And need it be wondered at that the Jew who is at such a period, looking on from his hiding place* whither he had fled as soon as the procession was approaching should turn away his head from this sight in disgust and contempt and be provoked to zealous indignation at the very thought of becoming a Christian.
* The last few years the Jews have been more privileged, but 30 years back when Jews were in danger of their lives, if ever they ventured to show themselves openly when these processions moved along; so it happened that an aged
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Jew in my native place, having some business on good-Friday, which led him across the market place whilst the procession stopped to kneel down, he was shot dead on the spot. Chap. iv: page 262.
TIMES AND SEASONS.
CITY OF NAUVOO,
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 1843
EFFECTS OF APOSTACY [APOSTASY]
Seldom have we been called upon to witness a more painful scene than one that occurred in the mayor's Court last night. (Friday Feb. 10)
It will be recollected that in the 11 no. vol. 3, there was a long article written upon the nature and effects of false spirits, which was headed, "Try the Spirits." Among other individuals that were mentioned as having false spirits was Oliver Olney, who thought that he had "seen and conversed with the ancient's of days, and who stated that he had received many revelations; but refused to bring them forward and to have them investigated; we quote the following: "Mr. Olney has also been tried by the High Council, and disfellowshiped, because he would not have his writings tested by the word of God; evidently proving that he loves darkness rather than light, because his deeds are evil."
Since his expulsion from the Church, he has been engaged in a campaign against Mormonism, and has been one of John C. Bennet's right hand men-he was also one of the contributors to the filthy columns of the Sangamo Journal," making or professing to make, a great expose of the corrupt principles of Mormonism. Recent development however prove him to be altogether incompetent to the task and shew [show] that he is not much better than his great compatriot in crime, John C. Bennet, for it has been clearly proven that he is a most notorious scoundrel, and a thief. About a month ago a great excitement was created in this city in consequence of the store of Bro. M. Smiths having been broken into in the night, and robbed both of money and goods. About one thousand dollars worth of goods were stolen, and fifty dollars in money. The officers made dilligent [diligent] search for the goods, but apparently without effect until through a variety of small circumstances suspicion attached itself to Mr. Olney. A search warrant was issued, and the goods were found in his house; he was immediately taken prisoner, and brought before the Mayor's Court, where it was fully and satisfactorily proven that he was the thief. This he did not attempt to deny; but openly confessed the whole circumstances of the theft. A bill of Grand Larceny and Burglary, was found against him, and as he did not procure bail, he was committed to the county jail, to await the decision of the Circuit Court.
Mr Olney has long been a member of this church, and until within two or three years ago, has always maintained a consistent character. He began to be wild and visionary about that time, and having become loosed from the moorings of eternal truth, and been dashing about on the waves of superstition, fanaticism and uncertainty, he became a fit subject to be duped by the notorious Bennet, and it would seem has become engulphed [engulfed] in the whirlpool of destruction: and he now stands as a lasting monument of folly and disgrace to those who may be tempted to tread in his footsteps. This learns us another lessen [lesson] about Bennet and his motley associates; and while we cannot but feel sorry that he should have fallen into such a snare, (particularly on account of his rising family) we cannot express our indignation too strongly at such infamous and corrupt deeds, and we are pleased that the offender has been brought to justice.
The work of the Lord is progressing with great rapidity on every hand; from the north, south, and east we are continually receiving accounts of the progress of eternal truth; we cannot find room for many communications.-Elder Andrew L. Lamareaux writes from New Trenton, Franklin County, Indiana, and tells us that the work is rolling forth in that neighborhood, with unprecedented rapidity, and that there are more doors open than it is possible for them to fill. This seems to be generally the case where our elders are laboring, throughout the Union, as well as in Great Britain.
It is with great pleasure that we announce the arrival of our much esteemed, and highly respected brother, Elder Parley P. Pratt. He has been laboring for several years past in England, where he has edited with great ability and talent, a monthly periodical, called the "Millennial Star;" in which was defended with a masterly hand, and in an unflinching manner, the principles of eternal truth.
Any eulogium [eulogy] from us, however, would be superfluous, as he is generally known and beloved by the saints: suffice it to say, that we welcome him to the "City of the Saints"-the beautiful Nauvoo:-and hope that he may have
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many years of prosperity in this life, and in the world to come life everlasting.
We expect that the readers of the "Times and Seasons" will now be furnished with some useful articles from his pen. At any rate we can assure him that they would be highly acceptable.
COMMUNICATIONS.
For the Times and Seasons.
By and with the advice of President Smith and several other leading members of our church, I take the liberty to drop you a little note which I wish you to insert in your highly valuable paper, the "Times and Seasons."
The prosperity and rapid growth of the City of Nauvoo during the time which I have been absent, which is almost three years, show and demonstrate to me, that nothing but the distinguished blessings of a bountiful providence upon the untiring hand of industry and perseverance could have adorned the vacant prairie with such a vast number of beautiful dwellings, and converted the forest into fields and beautiful gardens.
When I first arrived upon the borders of this place, I tried to recognize some of the old landmarks, but so great were the changes and alterations, that it appeared altogether like another place. I felt something as I did while standing on Mount Olivet and the East of Jerusalem and viewing the surrounding country: said I to myself, is this a dream, a vision, or a reality? Circumstances demonstrated the reality of the scenery: so when I come to the residence of my wife and children on the 7th of Dec. last, and shared with them the warm embrace-sat down with them all hanging about my neck.-I said it is , in reality, Nauvoo.
The whole time and attention of the Saints in this place since their beginning have been, in consequence of persecution and banishment from Missouri, devoted to opening new farms, building habitations, and to supplying themselves with food. They have consequently paid but little attention as yet, to the raising of sheep and to the manufacturing of such articles of domestic apparel as are indispensable in a new country; and the consequences are, that we are deficient in this respect. We have lands we have houses, and an abundance of provisions; and we recommend to all such as anticipate selling their possessions in the East, and emigrating to this place, that they bring with them all the wool in the place-all the domestic flannel; and all the full cloth; common cassimers and satinetts, which they can procure. Property may be sold in the East, in these hard times, for such articles at a much better lay, than it possibly can be sold for, in money: and in this place, these articles may be exchanged for lands, provisions, and labor, just about as advantageously as for money, and that too at an advanced price from prime cost, sufficient to warrant transportation. But if money can be obtained in the East for property, it may be in some respects a little better, and should be preferred. Yet, in these times, we must so arrange our affairs, that the scarsity [scarcity] of money shall not hinder the gathering of the people, or of building up the kingdom of God.
And again, sheep in this place stand next to money, and we hope our brethren in the East will use their utmost exertions to send and to bring all the sheep into this country which they consistantly [consistently] can; and if you cannot sell your property for money, sell them for sheep or wool, and forward ;hem on here, that the rams of Nebaioth may minister unto us, and that domestic economy may receive that patronage which will protect us from the chilling blast of winter, and adorn our fathers, our mothers, our wives, and our children with the beauty and workmanship of their own hands.
Sheep may be driven to this place from as far East as the State of Ohio, and as far to the South as the southern part ef [of] Kentucky, provided they be driven slowly and by careful and attentive boys or men. If they be driven in the spring before shearing, particular care must be taken not to overheat them by driving. It will cost but little to get them here; for after grass begins to grow in the spring, they will pick along by the way, and on the prairies, nearly as much as they will require.
Also our brethren in the South will do well to send or bring raw cotton. There are many families in this place who can manufacture this article to good advantage. I hope, also, that all the brethren here will raise, each a piece of flax this year. By a little exertion the seed may be procured in time. Let such brethren as live any where within this state who have flax seed, consecrate it to the temple, and forward it as soon as possible to the Temple committee that the brethren here may obtain it from them for their labor on the Temple.
How beautiful it would be for our young girls to be instructed by their mothers how to spin and to weave, and when they come to be married, how very comfortable it would be to have a fine quantity of good sweet white linnen [linen]! Therefore, mothers, get your wheels ready, and tell your daughters that they are the old fashioned piano, and let their ears be charmed
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with the pleasing notes of zeez-zeez-zeez.
I hope that none of the Saints will be discouraged from coming here on account of the tales of slanderers, and of apostate wicked men and women, for I can assure the Saints from a careful inquiry and strict observation of circumstances since I arrived here, that apostate renegadoes [renegades] have made "lies their refuge, and under falsehood have hid themselves." But the time is near when lying and slandering tongues will be silent, and sink under the just contempt of an abused public, while truth and virtue will be exalted and shine forth in all their beauty and loveliness.
I hope to be able to visit many of the churches in the spring, in the East and elsewhere, and to proclaim the gospel to all people as far as I may have opportunity. My object will be to persuade men to obey the truth, comfort and strengthen the hearts of the Saints, and procure what funds I can to build me an habitation: for after laboring and toiling, houseless and homeless, twelve years in this church, I think that every Saints will now say that I am entitled to a home, and such as have the means, I hope may have the heart also to put me in a way by which I can accomplish this very desirable object.
Yours, very respectfully,
ORSON HYDE.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE TIMES AND SEASONS.
Dear Brother Taylor,-I send you a few lines, thinking that you might wish to hear some particulars of your old friends on the other side of the Atlantic, and the progress of the work of God throughout England. But, in the first place, allow me to express my joy at again seeing the faces of the servants of God, whom I had so often listened to with joy, while they laid open to me the principles of eternal truth, which the Lord has again revealed for the salvation of man. And next, my perfect satisfaction with Nauvoo, as far as I can judge, after a fortnight's residence. It is altogether needless for me to make any allusions to Joseph Smith, for I had not been long in the church before I KNEW that he was a Prophet of God, and had received the holy priesthood, by dreams, by VISIONS, by healings, and, in fact by the signs following, which has caused me to rejoice in having an existence in this momentous age.
It is now nearly three years since I first saw you and I came armed with all my Wesleyan zeal to drive these Philistines from our coast; but when you commenced laying the truth before us I felt, like Sampson, deprived of his locks-my strength was gone, and but one desire filled my soul-that what you were stating might be true, and did not leave the house till I had the promise of a servant of God to pray for me that if it was the truth the Lord would make it manifest to me, which he shortly after did by an open vision. I have no doubt but you still remember our first interview, and how the work spread while you remained in England. It is rapidly spreading over all the face of that island; and very soon there will scarcely be a village or hamlet where the gospel is not planted for the honest in heart to flock unto. In Liverpool the work has been going on steadily, since the time you left, and the hearers both numerous and respectable. At the time you left I believe the Liverpool Conference numbered about two hundred and fifty; and when I left, in September last, over seven hundred. We have had peace and good order throughout, and have had but seldom indeed to resort to the expedient of cutting off. The last twelve weeks of my presidency over the Liverpool Conference we baptized ninety eight.
On the 17th of September we left Liverpool, in the ship Sidney, and set our faces towards Zion, and after a passage of eight weeks we landed at New Orleans. There were six deaths during the voyage, viz. four children, one sailor, who fell from the yard-arm, and Sister Cannon, She had not been well for some time previous to our leaving Liverpool, and continued getting worse. She died without a struggle or a murmur, and was perfectly reconciled. She requested to be buried in the sea, if she died previous to reaching New Orleans, but if coming up the river that she might be buried on land. Captain Cowan is one of the most kind-hearted humane men that ever crossed the Atlantic. After tarrying three days at New Orleans we again embarked on board the Alex. Scott, and made rapid progress till we passed the mouth of the Ohio, when we soon after run a-ground and remained there three days; on our deliverance we got to within ninety miles of St. Louis, where she had to remain three weeks for want of water. When we arrived at St. Louis we had to look out for houses, as it was by this time about the depth of winter, and the river was frozen up above St. Louis, but we all got houses to shelter in, and provisions in abundance. We had honey at two cents a pound, beef from seven to ten pounds for five cents, and the finest geese in the market at fifteen cents each, butter five cents a pound, and every thing in the same proportion. The brethren were mainly well when I left St. Louis, and anxiously waiting for a general break up of the river that they might
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make another start for Nauvoo. I believe, sir, that the abominable lies, which are in circulation, over the whole land would turn any man but a Latter Day Saint, and we know we have not followed cunningly devised fables, and therefore are not to be carried away with the cunning craft of men whereby they lay in wait to decive [deceive]. But I must now conclude at present, for I had neither pen, ink, or paper when I begun this letter so just took my stick to give you the news in the best way I could. And I thank God, that after a journey of more than nineteen weeks I am safe in Nauvoo, and feel myself out of the reach of oppression, and my mind in perfect peace.
I remain your affectional [affectionate] brother, in the covenant of peace,
JOHN GREENHOW.
HISTORY OF JOSEPH SMITH
Continued.
Meantime, notwithstanding all the rage of our enemies, still we had much consolation, and many things occurred to strengthen our faith, and cheer our hearts. After our return from Colesville, the church there were, as might be expected, very anxious concering [concerning] our again visiting them, during which time sister Knight, (wife of Newel Knight,) had a dream, which enabled her to say that we would visit them that day, which really came to pass, for a few hours afterwards we arrived, ands thus was our faith much strengthened, concerning dreams and visions in the last days, foretold by the ancient Prophet Joel: and although we, ;this time, were forced to seek safety from our enemies by flight, yet did we feel confident that eventually we should come off victorious, if we only continued faithful to him who had called us forth from darkness, into the marvellous [marvelous] light of the Everlasting Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ Shortly after our return home, we received the following commandments:
Revelation to Joseph Smith Jr. and Oliver Cowdery, given in Harmony Pennsylvania July, 1830.
BEHOLD thou wast called and chosen to write the book of Mormon, and to my ministry: and I have lifted thee up out of thine afflictions, and have counseled thee, that thou hast been delivered from all thine enemies, and thou hast been delivered from the powers of satan, and from darkness! Nevertheless, thou art not excusable in thy transgressions; nevertheless, go thy way and sin no more.
Magnify thine office; and after thou hast sowed thy fields and secured them go speedily unto the church, which is in Colesville, Fayette and Manchester, and they shall support thee; and I will bless them both spiritually and temporally; but if they receive thee not, I will send upon them a cursing instead of a blessing.
And thou shalt continue in calling upon God in my name, and writing the things which shall be given thee by the Comforter; and expounding all scriptures unto the church, 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:
For thou shalt devote all thy service in Zion. And in this thou shalt have strength. Be patient in afflictions, for thou shalt have many: but endure them, for lo, I am with you, even unto the end of thy days. And in temporal labors thou shalt not have strength, for this is not thy calling. Attend to thy calling and thou shalt have wherewith to magnify thine office, and to expound all scriptures. And continue in the laying on of the hands, and confirming the churches.
And thy brother Oliver shall continue in bearing my name before the world; and also to the church. And he shall not suppose that he can say enough in my cause; and lo I am with him to the end. In me he shall have glory, and not of himself, whether in weakness or in strength, whether in bonds or free: And at all times and in all places, he shall open his mouth and declare my gospel as with the voice of a trump, both day and night. And I will give unto him strength such as is not known among men.
Require not miracles, except I shall command you; except casting out devils; healing the sick; and against poisonous serpents; and against deadly poisons: and these things ye shall not do, except it be required of you, by them who desire it, that the scriptures might be fulfilled, for ye shall do according to that which is written. And in whatsoever place ye shall enter, and they receive you not, in my name, ye shall leave a cursing instead of a blessing; by casting off the dust of your feet against them as a testimony, and cleansing your feet by the wayside.
And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall lay their hands upon you by violence, ye shall command to be smitten in my name, and behold I will smite them according to your words, in mine own due time. And whosoever shall go to law with thee shall be cursed by the law. And thou shalt take no purse, nor scrip, neither staves, neither two coats, for the church shall give unto thee in the very hour what thou needest for food, and for raiment, and for shoes, and for money, and for scrip:
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For thou art called to prune my vineyard with a mighty pruning, yea, even for the last time. Yea, and also, all those whom thou hast ordained. And they shall do even according to this pattern. Amen.
Revelation given at Harmony, Penn., July, 1830
Hearken unto the voice of the Lord your God, while I speak unto you, Emma Smith my daughter, for verily I say unto you, all those who receive my gospel are sons and daughters in my kingdom. A revelation I give unto you concerning my will: and if thou art faithful and walk in the paths of virtue, before me, I will preserve thy life, and thou shalt receive an inheritance in Zion. Behold thy sins are forgiven thee, and thou art an elect lady, whom I have called. Murmur not because of the things which thou hast not seen, for they are withheld from thee, and from the world, which is wisdom in me in a time to come.
And the office of thy calling shall be for a comfort upon my servant Joseph Smith, jr. thy husband, in his afflictions with consoling words, in the spirit of meekness. And thou shalt go with him at the time of his going, and be unto him for a scribe, while there is no one to be scribe for him, that I may send Oliver Cowdery whithersoever I will. And thou shalt be ordained under his hand to expound Scriptures, and to exhort the church, according as it shall be given thee by my Spirit: For he shall lay his hands upon thee, and thou shalt receive the Holy Ghost, and thy time shall be given to writing, and to learning much. And thou needest not fear, for thy husband shall support thee in the church: for unto them is his calling, that all things might be revealed unto them, whatsoever I will, according to their faith.
And verily I say unto thee, that thou shalt lay aside the things of this world, and seek for the things of a better. And it shall be given thee, also, to make a selection of sacred hymns, as it shall be given thee, which is pleasing unto me, to be had in my church: for my soul delighteth in the song of the heart: Yea, the song of the righteous is a prayer unto me. And it shall be answered with a blessing upon their heads. Wherefore lift up thy heart and rejoice, and cleave unto the covenants which thou hast made.
Continue in the spirit of meekness, and beware of pride. Let thy soul delight in thy husband, and the glory which shall come upon him. Keep my commandments continually, and a crown of righteousness thou shalt receive. And except thou do this, where I am thou canst not come. And verily, verily I say unto you, that this is my voice unto all. Amen.
CONFERENCE MINUTES.
Met agreeable to previous appointment in conference in Oakland, Canada, West, on the 17th December 1842.
Gehiel Savage was chosen to preside, and George. Wilson appointed secretary. The meeting opened by singing and prayer.
Remarks were made by the president concerning the business proper to transact during said conference. In the remarks made by the president it was advised to ordain those that were qualified, to adjust all matters that might come before the said conference; and to arrange preaching circuits for the elders present in this part of the vineyard.
David White priest, was appointed to the office of an elder; moved that the elders present their credentials before this conference; but from the fact that the elders were not prepared it was agreed that it be laid over ;ill our next conference.
Moved that the next conference be held at Brantford, if there be no hindering providence, on the second Saturday if February next.
Moved that the travelling [traveling] elders go two and two: moved that David White arrange his business, and go into the ministry immediately.-Br. White was duly ordained by the unanimous voice of the conference.
We the elders have preached a few times in this part of the country, and from the limited acquuintance [acquaintance] we have been able to gain, we have a hope that some good may be done.
Elders present viz:-Gehiel Savage,, Moses Nickerson, E. F. Nickerson, Geo. C. Wilson, William Sumerville, John Bottorris, Daniel Savage, David White.
Moved that the elders abroad be invited to attend our next conference.
Moved that the elders here use their influence to get subscribers for the 'Times and Seasons.'
Moved also that the minutes of this conference be forwarded to Nauvoo.
GEHIEL SAVAGE, Prest .
George C. Wilson, Clerk
FROM CHINA.
The following extracts embrace the news from China, by which it will be seen that the city of Nankin was not taken by the English, or even attacked:
The expedition left Woosung the 6th July, on which day it advanced up the river Yan-tse-kiang, and on the 14th reached a military position, built on a range of hills commanding the stream, where two small recently erected batteries, mounting thirteen guns, opened the first fire since leaving Woosung, on the leading
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ships, but were instantly silenced, and the guns, batteries, and military buildings connected with them destroyed as soon as men could be put ashore. At this point the main body of the fleet was retarded by adverse winds for nearly a week, during which period some of the ships of war, assisted by the steamers, got up to "Kishan" or "Golden Island," where the noble armament, amounting to seventy sail of vessels, assembled on the 20th inst., and anchored abreast of the city of Chin-kiang-foo, the key on this side of the grand canal, and on the following morning the troops disembarked, and proceeded to attack the city and a neighboring camp of the enemy. The latter was carried at once, the Chinese flying in all directions; but the city, which was strongly fortified, was defended with devoted gallantry; one third of the garrison of 3000 Tartar soldiers laying down their lives in the hopeless struggle. Among the killed were forty Mandarins; and the General, when all was lost, repaired to his house, seated himself in a chair in calm and brave despair, and making the servants set the building on fire, was consumed to ashes. On the part of the British, there were killed four officers and eleven wounded and 134 men were killed and wounded. The fleet then proceeded towards Nankin, took up its position there on the 6th of August, and immediately prepared for an assault on the city. A strong force was landed, and the 13th was appointed for the commencement of operations, when suddenly the Chinese solicited a truce, intimating the approach of a delegation from the Emperor. Three Commissioners, one of whom was of the royal house, arrived on the 15th, and on the 29th of August a treaty was signed on board Her Majesty's ship Cornwallis, by them and Sir Henry Pottinger, the principal provisions of which are embodied in the annexed circular.
To Her Brittanic [Britannic] Majesty's Subjects in China:
Her Brittannic [Britannic] Majesty's Plenipotentiary, &c. in China has extreme gratification in announcing to Her Majesty's subjects in China that he has this day concluded and signed with the Chinese High Commissoners [Commissioners], deputed to negotiate with him, a treaty, of which the following are the most important provisions:
1. Lasting peace and friendship between the two empires.
2. China to pay $21,000,000 in the course of the present and three succeeding years.
3. The ports of Canton, Amoy, Foo-choo-foo, Ningpoo, and Changha, to be thrown open to British merchants; consular officers to be appointed to reside in them; and regular and just tariffs of import and export (as well as inland transit) duties to be established and published.
4. The island of Hong Kong to be ceded in perpetuity to Her Britannic Majesty, her heirs and successors.
5. All subjects of Her Britannic Majesty (whether natives of Europe or India) who may be confined in any Platt of the Chinese empire, to be unconditionally released.
6. An act of full and entire amnesty to be published by the Emperor, under the Imperial sign manual and seal, to all Chinese subjects, on account of their having held service or intercourse with, or resided under the British Government or its officers.
7. Correspondence to be conducted on terms of perfect equality among the officers of both Governments.
8. On the Emperor's assent being received to this treaty, and the payment of the first instalment [installment], $6,000,000, Her Britannic Majesty's forces to retire from Nankin and the Grand Canal, and the military posts at Chinghai to be also withdrawn but the islands of Chusan and Koiangsoo are to be held until the money payments and the arrangements for opening the ports be completed.
Dated on board the steam frigate Queen, in Yang-tse-kiang river, off Nankin, this 26th day of August, 1842.
HENRY POTTINGER,
Her Majesty's Plenipotentiary.
G. A. MALCOLM, Secretary of Legation.
This treaty of peace has given great satisfaction to the British in China and India. It was said that the Emperor had at first some doubts as to the propriety of opening a foreign trade at Foo-choo-foo, which is the capital of Fokien, and the nearest port to the country where the bohea tea grows, but that he afterward yielded that point. The Commissioners are described as anxious to get rid of the British from the Yang-tse-kiang, and the embouchure of the great canal; they offered to pay down four millions instantly, but the British Plenipotentiary insisted on the full instalment [installment] being paid, and the ratification of the treaty, before he would withdraw.
The payment of the opium claims will, it is stated, be adjusted according to the amount fixed some months ago by the British Government. It was said that the Imperial Commissioners had pressed the consideration of the opium trade on the British Plenipotentiary, but he declined to discuss it, stating, if the Chinese Government was desirous of producing a stop-page to it, that it ought to be effected by their own internal regulations, and by imposing restrictiens [restrictions] on their own subjects.
We extract the following from the 'London
(page 94)
Weekly Dispatch,' which goes to show what their feelings are respecting the conduct of England towards China:-
"The Christians have had no mercy on a fallen foe. We wait to see whether, in the ensuing meeting of Parliament, any of those Members, Lords or Commoners, who are such zealots for Missionarizing and Bishopizing India, will take upon the frightful appearance of the Cross in China. Never in the annals of the human race, was a war more unjustifiable than this has been on our part. We have violated all international, all the acknowledged rights of independent nations. The Chinese Government take up a principle of discouraging the preventing, if possible, the use of that most poisonous of all drugs called opium. We allege that the motives of the Chinese Government are to prevent the exportation of silver, with which opium was paid for. Whether we be right or wrong the question lay between the Chinese Government and the Chinese people and we had no right whatever to interfere with it. It was a question entirely between the people and the Government of China. Really the Chinese, were they the stronger party, might with equal justice sail up the Thames and settle our Corn Law disputes according to their own notions of justice or convenience. In European wars, it has always been maintained that there were faults on both sides, and that generally speaking, the faults were six and half-a-dozen on a balance between the conflicting parties; but here no writer or speaker has ever ventured to pretend that we have had even the smallest particle of justice on our side. The Christians have been extreme outragers, aggressors, plunderers and murderers, and we wait anxiously to see what part our inspired Prelacy in the House of Lords will take in behalf of justice and humanity."
OLD TIMES
What would be the surprise of our pilgrim fathers if they could witness the effeminate luxury of their children? Coffee and tea were known to them only as the most uncommon luxuries. It would do to tell of for years as an epoch in life, by the person who had set down to a table where those drinks were furnished.-The first tea used in Amherst, N. H. was sent from Boston to the minister. The minister's family, not being acquainted with the manner of using the luxury, boiled it in a pot and sipped it as broth. They probably found their tea broth less palatable as well as nutritious than their favorite bean porridge.
Johnson says of the farmers of Lynn, "The chiefest corn they planted was Indian grain.-And let no man make a jest of pumpkins, for with this the Lord was pleased to feed his people, to their good content till corn and cattle were increased."
In clothing, the same simplicity prevailed.-A fur hat and a pair of boots generally lasted a man his lifetime, and nobody but old men thought of owning such an article of apparel as a great coat. A writer in the Old Colony Memorial says, "I recollect a neighbor of my fathers, who had four sons between nineteen and thirty years of age. The oldest got a pair of boots, the second a surtout, the third a watch, and the fourth a pair of silver buckles. This made a neighborhood talk that the family were on the high road to insolvency."
As to their riding, it was all done on horseback. The wife rode to a meeting on a pillion behind her husband, and carried the child in her arms if they had one. No young woman then thought it a hardship to walk five or six miles to meeting. No provision was ever thought of for warming meeting houses, in any kind of weather, and nobody staid [stayed] at home on account of the cold.-Amesbury Transcript.
NOTICE
We would respectfully announce to those of our subscribers, (and they are a good many of them) who commenced their subscriptions for the Times and Seasons at the time when brother Joseph took the editorial department, that the term for which they subscribed for is nearly at a close: most of those commenced at the seventh and eighth numbers; at the time when the translations from the Book of Abraham commenced. This is the sixth number, which only leaves four weeks until the time that they subscribed for, will be fulfilled.
We have given this timely notice that our friends may prepare themselves. We would further state that we had the promise of Br. Joseph, to furnish us with further extracts from the Book of Abraham. These with other articles that we expect from his pen, the continuation of his history, and the resources that we have of obtaining interesting matter; together with our humble endeavors, we trust will make the paper sufficiently interesting.
SACRED HYMNS.
Persons having Hymns adapted to the worship of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, are requested to hand them, or send them to Emma Smith, immediately.
Nauvoo, Feb. 15, 1843.
(page 95)
The following beautiful verses were written and sung as will be seen from there reading on the occasion of Joseph Smith's release from the hands of his persecutors.
Mr. Smith and his Lady made a feast and invited upwards of fifty of their friends to partake with them; which was indeed a day of conviviality and rejoicing, and might properly be called a day of jubilee or release.
JUBILEE SONG.
BY MISS E. R. SNOW.
That deed-that time we celebrate, Long, long, they'd felt injustice's weight,
So rife with liberty; And grappled with its yoke;
When the official pow'rs of State Ere the authorities of State
Pronoun'cd the Prophet free. The Prophets fetter's broke.
CHORUS. When foul oppression's &c.
When foul oppression's hand was stay'd- The justice done a righteous cause
A feast of Liberty, By those who stand in pow'r;
The Prophet and his Lady made, Does honor to our contry's laws,
To crown the jubilee. In this degen'rate hour.
When foul oppression's &c.
'Twas once, no subject, theme of song, And while we give our feeling scope
For honest men to gain. And gratitude award,
Those rights that legally belong To Edwards, Butterfield and Pope,
To every humble swain. We'll not forget the Lord.
When foul oppression's &c. When foul oppression's &c.
But now our Fed'ral Court has done The Lord who guides the Prophet's cause;
A deed deserving praise:- Inspir'd our rulers' minds
There's something 'new beneath the sun' To execute those equal laws,
In these the latter days. And break the chain that binds.
When foul oppression's &c. When foul oppression's &c.
Some patriot feeling yet remains- Elijah's God! we'll praise his name,
Such as our fathers felt, And own his mighty hand,
When on Columbia's fertile plains Who brings his Prophet's foes to shame
Their blood, they freely spilt. In this republic land
When foul oppression's &c. When foul oppression's &c.
Tho' Freedom weeps o'er many a blot; Tho' wicked men should rage and scoff-
Still here, she lifts her spires; Though earth and hell oppose,-
And here, has champions, who are not The Lord will bear his people off
Unworthy of their sires. Triumphant o'er their foes.
When foul oppression's &c. When foul oppression's &c.
Protection's wreath again will bloom,- Now let the Prophet's soul rejoice-
Reviv'd by Thomas Ford; His noble Lady's too;
Which under Carlin and become While praise to God with heart and voice
Like Jonah's wither'd gourd. Is heard throughout Nauvoo.
When foul oppression's &c. When foul oppression's &c.
Like Freedom's true and genuine son, CHORUS.
Oppression to destroy, When foul oppression's hand was stay'd.
His Excellency has begun A feast of Liberty;
To govern Illinois. The Prophet and his Lady made,
When foul oppression's &c. To crown the jubilee.
His 'Mormon' subjects fondly trust,
The citizens will share,
A legislation wise and just,
While he retains the Chair.
When foul oppression's &c.
BEAUTIES OF THE LATE WAR IN CHINA.-An English officer writing to his friend in England from Ching Keang-foo, says: "I never saw such loss of life and property as took place here; we lost officers and men enough, but it is impossible even to compute the loss of the Chinese, for when they found us, they could stand no longer against us, they cut the throats of their wives and children, or drove them into wells and ponds, and then destroyed themselves; in many houses there were from eight to twelve bodies, and I myself have seen a dozen women and children drowning themselves in a small pond the day after the fight. The whole of the city and suburbs are a mass of ruins-whole street's have been burnt down."-Boston Times.
The Times and Seasons, IS EDITED BY JOHN TAYLOR. Printed and published about the first and fifteenth of every month, on the corner of Water and Bain Streets, Nauvoo, Hancock County, Illinois, by JOHN TAYLOR AND WILFORD WOODRUFF.
TERMS.-TWO DOLLARS per annum, payable in all cases in advance. Any person procuring five new subscribers, and forwarding us Ten Dollars current money, shall receive one volume gratis. All letters must be addressed to John Taylor, editor, POST PAID, or they will not receive attention.
(page 96)
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