Times and Seasons, 15 August 1842
-
Source Note
Times and Seasons (, Hancock Co., IL), 15 Aug. 1842, vol. 3, no. 20, pp. 879–894; edited by JS. For more complete source information, see the source note for Letter to Isaac Galland, 22 Mar. 1839.
-
Historical Introduction
The 15 August 1842 issue of the Times and Seasons was the twelfth JS oversaw as editor. The issue reprinted a letter from the Latter-day Saints’ Millennial Star detailing the Saints’ “first Foreign Mission” to Great Britain, which lasted from 1837 to 1838. The issue also continued the serialized “History of Joseph Smith” and reprinted the conclusion of an account from the Bostonian of a “Great Discussion on Mormonism” that had recently taken place in between Latter-day Saint missionary and Methodist minister George Montgomery West.In addition, the issue included editorial content created by the staff of the paper. These items included an account of the history of persecution endured by the ; a short treatise on the spiritual power of knowledge; a note about unwelcome “loafers” in , Illinois; and an obituary for , a in the church. The issue concluded with a notice asking those indebted to JS’s deceased brother to pay their debts to his widow, . The extent of JS’s involvement in the creation and oversight of the issue’s content is difficult to ascertain, especially since he spent early August preoccupied with attempts to extradite him to and had gone into hiding by 10 August to avoid arrest and possible extradition. Regardless, as editor of the paper, JS assumed responsibility for all published content.Note that only the editorial content created specifically for this issue of the Times and Seasons is annotated here. Articles reprinted from other papers, letters, conference minutes, and notices, are reproduced here but not annotated. Items that are stand-alone JS documents are annotated elsewhere; links are provided to these stand-alone documents.
Footnotes
-
1
Despite the 15 August date, a notice in the issue was dated 20 August, suggesting the issue’s publication was delayed until that date or later. John Taylor helped JS edit the Times and Seasons, but JS, as editor, assumed primary editorial responsibility for the content in the issues. (“Books of Mormon,” Times and Seasons, 15 Aug. 1842, 3:894; Woodruff, Journal, 19 Feb. 1842; “To Subscribers,” Times and Seasons, 1 Mar. 1842, 3:710.)
Woodruff, Wilford. Journals, 1833–1898. Wilford Woodruff, Journals and Papers, 1828–1898. CHL. MS 1352.
-
2
Times and Seasons, 15 Aug. 1842, 3:879–886. West was a Methodist preacher and Christian apologist in Boston who denounced the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The first half of the article appeared in the previous issue of the Times and Seasons. (“Great Discussion on Mormonism,” Times and Seasons, 1 Aug. 1842, 3:865; Tyler Parsons, Boston, MA, 14 June 1842, Letter to the Editor, Boston Investigator, 15 June 1842, [3]; Letter from Erastus Snow, 22 June 1842.)
Boston Investigator. Boston. 1831–1904.
-
3
JS, Journal, 10–13 and 17 Aug. 1842. JS returned to Nauvoo the night of 19 August, about the time this issue was published, but he remained in hiding. (JS, Journal, 19 Aug. 1842.)
-
4
See “Editorial Method”.
-
1
our fathers did, but away with new revelations—and the flood swept them away.
Next comes Abraham with knowledge, or revelation, and what is the result? Why he becomes a pilgrim in a strange land; no body believed in his religion because he had new revelations:—Adam’s, Enoch’s, and Noah’s no body doubted; that Adam was the first man the Lord made, none disputed; Enoch’s pillar was a living monument of his faith and works; and the living Noah himself, with his ark resting upon the mountain, and the majesty of the rainbow, spanning the earth from time to time, were witnesses that the old revelations were true—but that Passover, Abraham, is an imposture, with new revelations! why he says God appeared to him in the plains of Mamre, and that he has seen angels, and eat and drink with them! O monstrous! drive him from his country and kindred—we can not abide his new revelations.
Passing several others, who were conspicuous in their day, let us take Moses, for he came on fresh from God himself, with new revelations, and new calculations, and tested the wickedness of unbelievers by destroying them with plagues and miracles: The inhabitants opposed him as did Cain Abel; the kings and magi Abraham, because they could not bear information direct from heaven. The old priests of Egypt, as well as those of the land of Canaan, were living witnesses of the power displayed, and well stored with facts of what had transpired,—yet the same fanaticism, hypocrisy, or stupefaction seized them that did the antedeluvians—and the Egyptians, like lead, sunk in the Red Sea.
We might continue this subject with great effect among the children of Israel, for so soon as they began to be puffed up with self-sufficiency, they too, like the ancients, honored the old revelations in word, or profession, but they stoned the prophets which came with new ones; not because God had ever said that he had ceased to give line upon line; precept upon precept, here a little, and there a little; but because they chose darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil.
The same principle we have been tracing from age to age, was signally manifest among the Jews when the Savior came in the flesh. These, then religious bigots boasted of the old revelations, guarnished the sepulchres of the dead, gave tithes of mint and annis—made long prayers for a pretense, and crossed sea and land to make proselytes, but yet when the new revelation came fresh from the mouth of the great I AM himself, they could not endure it—it was too much—it showed the corruptions of that generation, as others before, and they cry, away with him; crucify him! What next? when the apostles began to go every where and preach, and some began to believe, then they could believe on Jesus, but away with your new revelation against us, and foretelling what will come to pass; hence Paul, after instructing Timothy on many important points relative to his duty, says:—
“This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy. Whithout natural affection, truce breakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good. Traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God. Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.”
Once more, the same course and language, were used when the Book of Mormon came to this generation; the old revelation, the old patriarchs, pilgrims and apostles, were blessed; we believe in them, but the new ones we cannot abide. Why, say some, they pretend to have visions and see angels just like men in old times—they ought not to live.
“Oh blindness to the future kindly given;
That each may fill the circle marked by heaven!”
But the grand sequel of the whole matter is, that all the saints from Adam down to 1842, having a knowledge of things past, present, and to come, by the , even the other Comforter which the world can not receive, because it knoweth him not, have had power to shut the mouth of kings and lions, to walk in the fiery furnace unscortched; to live hated, and die for Christ’s sake, whereby they have tasted of the good word of God, and the glories of the world to come; yea and come unto Mount Zion, and the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innunumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect; and to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaketh better things than Abel, and know that knowledge is power.—Ed.
————
Sir:—It may not be uninteresting to many of your readers, to peruse a sketch of the Red Men of the western wilderness. From a re [p. 890]
View entire transcript |
Cite this page
Cite this page
