The Book of Religions Part 29
9. Book of Alma.
10. Book of Helaman.
11. Book of Nephi, son of Nephi, son of Helaman.
12. Book of Nephi, son of Nephi, one of the disciples of Christ.
13. Book of Mormon.
14. Book of Ether.
15. Book of Moroni.
Two new books have recently been published,-the Prophecies of Enoch, in the _Morning and Evening Star_, and the Book of Abraham, in the _Times and Seasons_.
The Mormons seem to think that revelations from Heaven and miracles wrought, are as necessary now, and as important to the salvation of the present generation, as they were to any generation in any preceding age or period.
In a volume ent.i.tled "Doctrine and Covenants," are a great number of revelations, purporting to be from Jesus Christ to Smith and his coadjutors. The following extracts from a revelation given on the 22d and 23d of September, 1832, convey, it is believed, a fair specimen of the whole. We copy _verbatim_.
"Verily, verily, I say unto you, It is expedient that every man who goes forth to proclaim mine everlasting gospel, that, inasmuch as they have families, and receive moneys by gift, that they should send it unto them, or make use of it for their benefit, as the Lord shall direct them; for thus it seemeth me good. And let all those who have not families, who receive moneys, send it up unto the bishop in Zion, or unto the bishop in Ohio, that it may be consecrated for the bringing forth of the revelations, and the printing thereof, and for establishing Zion.
"And if any man shall give unto any of you a coat, or a suit, take the old and cast it unto the poor, and go your way rejoicing. And if any man among you be strong in the Spirit, let him take with him he that is weak, that he may be edified in all meekness, that he may become strong also.
"And the bishop, also, should travel round about and among all the churches, searching after the poor, to administer to their wants by humbling the rich and the proud; he should, also, employ an agent to take charge and to do his secular business, as he shall direct; nevertheless, let the bishop go unto the city of New York, and also to the city of Albany, and also to the city of Boston, and warn the people of those cities with the sound of the gospel, with a loud voice, of the desolation and utter abolishment which awaits them if they do reject these things; for if they do reject these things, the hour of their judgment is nigh, and their house shall be left unto them desolate. Let him trust in me, and he shall not be confounded, and a hair of his head shall not fall to the ground unnoticed.
"And verily I say unto you, the rest of my servants, Go ye forth, as your circ.u.mstances shall permit, in your several callings, unto the great and notable cities and villages, reproving the world, in righteousness, of all their unrighteous and unG.o.dly deeds, setting forth clearly and understandingly the desolation of abomination in the last days; for with you, saith the Lord Almighty, I will rend their kingdoms; I will not only shake the earth, but the starry heavens shall tremble; for I the Lord have put forth my hand to exert the powers of heaven: ye cannot see it now; yet a little while and ye shall see it, and know that I am, and that I will come and reign with my people. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. Amen."
Joseph Smith is the son of a farmer, and was born in Sharon, Vermont, 23d December, 1805. His father removed to the state of New York about the year 1815, and resided in Palmyra, and afterwards in Manchester.
Smith has many enemies, and his doctrines are warmly opposed; still, it must be acknowledged that, by his talents, or the magic influence his scheme of religion has on the minds of men, or by a union of both, he has acquired an imposing station in the world. He is styled _Prophet and High Priest of Jesus Christ, President of the Council of the Church of the Latter-Day Saints,_ and _Lieutenant-General of the Nauvoo Legion_. He sends his elders, bishops, priests, and teachers, by scores, into all lands, and more than _seventy-five thousand people_ bow, with willing subjection, to his mandates.
Nauvoo, Illinois, formerly Commerce, is situated on the east side of the Mississippi River, at the head of Des Moines Rapids, about two hundred and ten miles (by the river) above St. Louis, thirteen hundred and fifty miles above New Orleans, and about three hundred miles below Dubuque, in Iowa.
It comprises two miles square of fertile land. The city of Nauvoo, which was incorporated in 1841, is delightfully located, on rising ground, near the bank of the river. It contains many handsome buildings of brick and stone, among which are the Nauvoo House, a large stone building for the accommodation of travellers, and the Mormon Temple, likewise of stone, measuring on the ground one hundred by one hundred and twenty feet, exclusive of the wings of the building. This place has one of the best landings on the river, and its trade is considerable. The number of inhabitants, at the present time, is about eight thousand, chiefly Mormons. _Nauvoo_ is said to signify, THE CITY OF G.o.d.
DALEITES.
The followers of David Dale, a very industrious manufacturer, a most benevolent Christian, and the humble pastor of an Independent congregation at Glasgow. At first, he formed a connection with the _Gla.s.sites_, in many of whose opinions he concurred, but was disgusted by their narrow and worldly spirit: he therefore separated from them, chiefly on the ground of preferring practical to speculative religion, and Christian charity to severity of church discipline. As he grew rich by industry, he devoted all his property to doing good, and ranks high among the philanthropists of his age. He was founder of the celebrated inst.i.tution of New Lanark, now under Mr. Robert Owen, his son-in-law. The Daleites now form the second cla.s.s of Independents in Scotland.
EMANc.i.p.aTORS.
This body of Christians was formed in Kentucky, in 1805, by the a.s.sociation of a number of ministers and churches of the Baptist denomination. They differ in no respect from the regular Baptists, except in the decided stand they have taken against slavery, in every branch of it, both in principle and practice, as being a sinful and abominable system, fraught with peculiar evils and miseries, which every good man ought to abandon and bear his testimony against. Their desires and endeavors are, to effect, as soon as it can be done, and in the most prudent and advantageous manner, both to the slaves and to their owners, the general and complete emanc.i.p.ation of this numerous race of enslaved, ignorant, and degraded beings, who are now, by the laws and customs of the land, exposed to hereditary and perpetual bondage. (See Exod. 3:7, 9; 10:3; 6:2; 21:2, 16. Levit. 19:18. Deut. 15:12, 18; 23:15; 24:7. Job 6:14; 29:11. Ps. 12:5; 103:6. Prov. 16:8; 22:16. Eccl. 4:1; 5:8. Isa. 1:16; 33:15; 58:6. Jer. 5:26; 21:12; 22:13; 34:10, 11, 17; 50:33, 34. Ezek.
18:5, 9; 22:29; 27:13. Dan. 4:27. Joel 3:3, 6. Mal. 2:10. Matt. 5:7; 7:12.
Luke 4:18; 6:36. Rom. 12:9. 1 Cor. 7:23. Gal. 5:13. Col. 4:1. 1 Tim. 1:10.
Heb. 13:3. James 2:13; 5:4. 2 Pet. 2:2. 1 John 4:20. Rev. 18:11, 13.)
The Emanc.i.p.ators say to Christians of all denominations in the United States, in the words of an eloquent philanthropist, "Banish from your land the remains of slavery. Be consistent with your congressional declaration of rights. Remember, there never was, nor will be, a period when justice should not be done. Do what is just, and leave the event with G.o.d. Justice is the pillar that upholds the whole fabric of human society, and mercy is the genial ray which cheers and warms the habitations of men. The perfection of our social character consists in properly tempering the two with one another; in holding that middle course which admits of our being just without being rigid, and allows us to be generous without being unjust. May all the citizens of America be found in the performance of such social duties as will secure them peace and happiness in this world, and in the world to come life everlasting!"
PERFECTIONISTS.
A modern sect in New England, who believe that every individual action is either wholly sinful or wholly righteous, and that every being in the universe, at any given time, is either entirely holy or entirely wicked.
Consequently, they unblushingly maintain that they themselves are free from sin. In support of this doctrine, they say that Christ dwells in and controls believers, and thus secures their perfect holiness; that the body of Christ, which is the church, is nourished and guided by the life and wisdom of its Head. Hence they condemn the greatest portion of the religion in the world named Christianity, as the work of Antichrist. "All the essential features of Judaism," they say, "and of its successor, Popery, may be distinctly traced in nearly every form of Protestantism; and although we rejoice in the blessings which the reformation has given us, we regard it as rightly named the _reformation_, it being an improvement of Antichrist, not a restoration of Christianity." This last opinion, which has some foundation in truth, has been long held, variously modified, in different parts of the Christian world.
An unsuccessful attempt was made to propagate the views of this sect through the medium of a paper published at New Haven, Conn., ent.i.tled the _Perfectionist_.
Methodists' Views Of Perfection.
"The highest perfection which man can attain, while the soul dwells in the body, does not exclude ignorance, and error, and a thousand other infirmities. Now, from wrong judgments, wrong words and actions will often necessarily flow; and in some cases, wrong affections, also, may spring from the same source. I may judge wrong of you; I may think more or less highly of you than I ought to think; and this mistake in my judgment may not only occasion something wrong in my behavior, but it may have a still deeper effect; it may occasion something wrong in my affection. From a wrong apprehension, I may love and esteem you either more or less than I ought. Nor can I be freed from a liableness to such a mistake while I remain in a corruptible body. A thousand infirmities, in consequence of this, will attend my spirit, till it returns to G.o.d, who gave it; and, in numberless instances, it comes short of doing the will of G.o.d, as Adam did in paradise. Hence the best of men may say from the heart,
"Every moment, Lord, I need The merit of thy death,"
for innumerable violations of the Adamic, as well as the angelic law. It is well, therefore, for us, that we are not now under these, but under the law of love. "Love is [now] the fulfilling of the law," which is given to fallen man. This is now, with respect to us, "the perfect law." But even against this, through the present weakness of our understanding, we are continually liable to transgress. Therefore every man living needs the blood of atonement; or he could not stand before G.o.d.
"What is, then, the perfection of which man is capable while he dwells in a corruptible body? It is the complying with that kind command, 'My son, give me thy heart.' It is the 'loving the Lord his G.o.d with all his heart, and with all his soul, and with all his mind.' This is the sum of Christian perfection: it is all comprised in that one word, _love_. The first branch of it is the love of G.o.d; and, as he that loves G.o.d loves his brother also, it is inseparably connected with the second, 'Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself;' thou shalt love every man as thy own soul, as Christ loved us. 'On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets:' these contain the whole of Christian perfection.
"Another view of this is given us in those words of the great apostle, 'Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.' For, although this immediately and directly refers to the humility of our Lord, yet it may be taken in a far more extensive sense, so as to include the whole disposition of his mind, all his affections, all his tempers, both toward G.o.d and man. Now, it is certain that, as there was no evil affection in him, so no good affection or temper was wanting; so that 'whatsoever things are holy, whatsoever things are lovely,' are all included in 'the mind that was in Christ Jesus.'
"St. Paul, when writing to the Galatians, places perfection in yet another view. It is the one undivided _fruit of the Spirit_, which he describes thus: 'The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, fidelity, [so the word should be translated here,]
meekness, temperance.' What a glorious constellation of grace is here!
Now, suppose all these things to be knit together in one, to be united together in the soul of a believer,-this is Christian perfection.
How To Be Sought.
"'But what is that faith whereby we are sanctified, saved from sin, and perfected in love?' It is a divine evidence and conviction, first, that G.o.d hath promised it in the holy Scripture. Till we are thoroughly satisfied of this, there is no moving one step farther. And one would imagine there needed not one word more to satisfy a reasonable man of this than the ancient promise, 'Then will I circ.u.mcise thy heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the Lord thy G.o.d with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.' How clearly does this express the being perfected in love!-how strongly imply the being saved from all sin! For as long as love takes up the whole heart, what room is there for sin therein?
"It is a divine evidence and conviction, secondly, that what G.o.d hath promised he is able to perform. Admitting, therefore, that 'with men it is impossible' 'to bring a clean thing out of an unclean,' to purify the heart from all sin, and to fill it with all holiness,-yet this creates no difficulty in the case, seeing 'with G.o.d all things are possible.' And surely no one ever imagined it was possible to any power less than that of the Almighty! But if G.o.d speaks, it shall be done. G.o.d saith, 'Let there be light; and there [is] light.'
"It is, thirdly, a divine evidence and conviction that he is able and willing to do it now. And why not? Is not a moment to him the same as a thousand years? He cannot want more time to accomplish whatever is his will. And he cannot want to stay for any more _worthiness_ or _fitness_ in the persons he is pleased to honor. We may, therefore, boldly say, at any point of time, 'Now is the day of salvation!' 'To-day, if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts.' 'Behold, all things are now ready; come unto the marriage.'