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Times and Seasons, 15 October 1842

Source Note

Times and Seasons (, Hancock Co., IL), 15 Oct. 1842, vol. 3, no. 24, pp. 943–958; edited by JS. For more complete source information, see the source note for Letter to Isaac Galland, 22 Mar. 1839.

Historical Introduction

JS, assisted by and , served as editor for the 15 October 1842 issue of the Times and Seasons, the twenty-fourth and final issue in the third volume. It is highly unlikely that JS played any significant role in writing editorial content for this particular issue, because he spent much of October in hiding in Henderson County, Illinois. Nevertheless, as the newspaper’s editor, he was ultimately responsible for its content. This was the last issue published under JS’s editorship.
The non-editorial content in the issue, which is not featured here, included an installation of the serialized “History of Joseph Smith” and several articles reprinted from other newspapers on the impact of violence and disease in various places around the world, including the outbreak of cholera in Europe, the slaughter of Chinese forces by British soldiers in China, ongoing labor protests in , and the destruction in Cuba caused by a recent storm.
Editorial content in this issue included commentary on biblical history, a rebuttal of rumors that JS had fled to , and criticism of published comparisons of the Bible with the writing of William Shakespeare. Additional editorial content included a defense of JS’s decision to hide from law enforcement officials who were seeking his arrest and his extradition to ; a passage countering opinions that the Latter-day Saints should flee , Illinois, in order to avoid future persecution; and an article presenting evidence for Christianity’s general falling away from the primitive church described in the New Testament. Furthermore, the editors included comments on reports of ’s lectures in , a description of a pamphlet wrote about the church written in German, an introduction to a brief history of Australia, and a request for church members to renew their subscriptions to the newspaper.
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. [1]

    See Historical Introduction to Times and Seasons, 1 Sept. 1842.

  2. [2]

    JS, Journal, 7–29 Oct. 1842.

  3. [3]

    Notice, 15 Nov. 1842.

  4. [4]

    “History of Joseph Smith,” “Passing Events,” “Butchery in China,” “Disturbances in the Provinces,” and “Great Gale at Havana,” Times and Seasons, 15 Oct. 1842, 3:943–948.

  5. [5]

    See “Editorial Method”.

Asterisk (*) denotes a "featured" version, which includes an introduction and annotation. *Times and Seasons, 15 October 1842 *Times and Seasons, 15 October 1842 *Times and Seasons, 15 October 1842 *Times and Seasons, 15 October 1842
*Times and Seasons, 15 October 1842
*Times and Seasons, 15 October 1842 *Notice, 11 October 1842 Times and Seasons, 15 October 1842 History, 1838–1856, volume D-1 [1 August 1842–1 July 1843] “History of Joseph Smith” Letter from “Old Fifty,” 15 October 1842 Times and Seasons, 15 October 1842

Page 954

the behests of Smith, whether for good or evil,—will long enjoy the respect of those who are governed by more liberal and Republican notions in both religion and politics, and when this society of men are shown to have practiced all manner of immoral and vicious acts under the cloak of religion, it is not surprising that a feeling of resentment, and a desire to get rid of the society root and branch, should take possession of the entire community. But with all this resentment and detestation of their corrupt practices, we hope no such things as mobs or violations of law, will be resorted to. Let public opinion stamp the men who are engaged in keeping up this religious delusion, with proper condemnation. Let their meetings be held as often as they choose to hold them—but let no man who has any respect for his own character and who detests imposture in every shape and form, keep aloof from these meetings, and the society will soon become a harmless one in point of numbers—the fire will soon burn out for want of fuel. Already have their conversions become “few and far between” in this country, and their missionaries are compelled to resort to and Ireland, among the ignorant and uneducated class, for converts to build up the new Jerusalem, and the . When the enormities, however, which have been practised at , for the last three years, have been widely spread and known, through both Great Britain and , it is fair to presume, that the society will exist only in name—that is, there will be no more converts, and the backsliders will become so numerous, that none will be left in the society, but those who have their own corrupt ends to accomplish.
This last paragraph is just in keeping with men that have no respect for law, gospel, virtue, humanity, God, man, or the devil! In 1840 these same conductors of public opinion, held the following language relative to the claim of upon the persons of Smith and ; viz:
Fudge! We repeat, Smith and should not be given up. The law requiring the Governor of our to deliver up fugitives from justice, is a salutary and wise one, and should not in ordinary circumstances be disregarded, but as there are occasions that authorize the citizens of a State to resent a tyranical and oppressive government, so there are occasions when it is not only the privilege, but the duty of the Governor of the State to refuse to surrender the citizens of his State upon the requisition of the Executive of another,—and this we consider as the case of Smith and .
I have brought in this candid calculation of these wholesale dealers in human rights, to show their glaring hypocrisy, and shall revert to that significant question of the Savior: Judas betrayest thou the Son of Man with a kiss?
There must have been a great change in the morals of men in the short space of a few years;—sense, feeling, humanity, and kindred consanguinity, as members of a great and growing nation, would once have shuddered at the idea of even supposing, that men, women, and children, on account of the religion of Jesus Christ, should be asked to exile themselves from their happy country, constitutions, rights, and privileges which were purchased by the blood of a [Joseph] Warren, a Wayne, yea, many a noble soul, that escaped in fire to heaven; and which, after seven years struggle, was consummated by a Washington, a Jefferson, and a galaxy of other equally worthy patriots: yea, strange, wild, wicked and outrageous would have been considered a proposition, for one or two hundred thousand people to abandon “all” for a wilderness five thousand miles off, among savages! It seems to me, that nothing but the heart of a beast, would ever have conceived such a mode of extermination, ruin and death; but this much is certain, as said the Apostle of old: “For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Jesus our Lord”—nor willingly from our homes, unless it comes with a thus saith the Lord, though we may meet the Pharaohs, Nebuchadnezzars, Neroes, and a host of other equally destitute of compassion or mercy.
Old Fifty.
 
————
Editorial Note
Another editorial selection from this issue, titled “Fallen Away,” commented on scripture and excerpted from a history of early Christianity to argue that Christendom had departed from the primitive church described in the New Testament. Proving a general falling away from the primitive church was important to church members who believed that the was a divine restoration of the church as originally established by Jesus Christ and his apostles.
FALLEN AWAY.
For the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me. John, xiv: 30.
We quote the above scripture to show that the Savior foretold the reign of Satan upon the earth, mentioned by the apostles at different times and places, as the ‘reign of Anti-Christ,’ as a warning to the saints to beware of his lying wonders and deceivableness. We shall not, however, enter into the merits of the subject, in this article for the reason that it would occupy more time and space than we can allow. There is, we are well aware, no subject connected with religion, that so deeply concerns the whole human family as the one in question. It brings out at the onset, the great inquiry, if Satan has a specified reign as Anti-Christ—who is right?—This is a solemn question, and nothing but revelation can give the [p. 954]
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Related Case Documents
Editorial Title
Times and Seasons, 15 October 1842
ID #
8158
Total Pages
16
Print Volume Location
JSP, D11:155–174
Handwriting on This Page
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Footnotes

  1. [52]

    According to a letter Heber C. Kimball wrote to Parley P. and Mary Ann Frost Pratt in June 1842, new converts were moving to Nauvoo “from most Evry State in the union.” (Heber C. Kimball, Nauvoo, IL, to Parley P. Pratt and Mary Ann Frost Pratt, “Manchester or Liverpool,” England, 17 June 1842, Parley P. Pratt, Correspondence, CHL.)

    Pratt, Parley P. Correspondence, 1842–1855. CHL. MS 897.

  2. [53]

    “Joe Smith,” Quincy (IL) Whig, 24 Sept. 1842, [2].

    Quincy Whig. Quincy, IL. 1838–1856.

  3. [54]

    “Gov. Carlin, Smith and Rigdon,” Quincy (IL) Whig, 3 Oct. 1840, [1].

    Quincy Whig. Quincy, IL. 1838–1856.

  4. [55]

    See Luke 22:48.

  5. [56]

    Warren was a leader of colonial protests against the policies of the British government in Boston during the 1770s and was killed fighting the British Army in the Battle of Bunker Hill. (Frothingham, Life and Times of Joseph Warren, chaps. 4–6, 16.)

    Frothingham, Richard. Life and Times of Joseph Warren. Boston: Little, Brown, 1865.

  6. [57]

    This is likely a reference to Anthony Wayne, an American general in the Continental army during the American Revolution. However, Wayne did not die during the Revolution; he perished in 1796, shortly after his military service in the Northwest Indian War. (Nelson, Anthony Wayne, 42, 299.)

    Nelson, Paul David. Anthony Wayne: Soldier of the Early Republic. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1985.

  7. [58]

    See Romans 8:38–39.

  8. [59]

    This is a reference to former Missouri governor Lilburn W. Boggs.

  9. [60]

    See, for example, JS, Journal, 6 Jan. 1842.

  10. [61]

    See 2 Thessalonians 2:9–10.

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