REV.
& DEAR SIR
--
The origin of the aborigines of this country, and their history before the
introduction of eastern literature into the western hemisphere, has afforded a
subject for much speculation, and deep research among the learned; and has
occasioned considerable curiosity among various classes of people. But the
subject still remains in impenetrable obscurity; and will so remain, unless He
who has the power to speak. "let there be light," "and light shall break forth
out of obscurity." But as this is a subject better calculated to gratify the
speculative inquirer, than to purify the heart, by rectifying wrong principles
in the mind, or to increase that kind of knowledge intimately connected with,
and essential to practical improvements, either in civil or religious society,
we may reasonably doubt, whether the Great Jehovah will soon, if ever,
condescend to clear away the darkness, by giving a revelation, merely to
gratify the desires of persons, who delight to wander in the region of
conjecture and speculation. But he has already done it, cries the Mormonite
Herald. The Book of Mormon which I hold in my hands, is a Divine Revelation,
and the very thing we need, to burst the cloud and remove the darkness, which
has long surrounded the mysterious and degraded aborigines. We now know that
the Natives who inhabit the forests of America, are a "branch of the House of
Israel;" and by the means of this blessed book, they are soon, even in this
generation, to be restored to the knowledge, and the true worship of the God
of Israel. -- Among them is to be built, the "glorious City of the
New-Jerusalem," in the midst of which is to stand, the splendid and
magnificent Temple, dedicated to the Most High God, and "Oliver being called
and commanded of the Lord God, to go forth among the Lamanites, to proclaim
glad tidings of great joy unto them, by presenting unto them, the fulness of
the Gospel of the only begotten son of God," &c. The grand enterprise of
introducing this new dispensation, or the fulness of the Gospel, among
the Indian tribes, who have recently received the appellation of Lamanites,
was committed in charge to Oliver Cowdery, a young man of high fame among the
Mormonites. -- His credentials, and the credentials of the three others
associated with him in the mission, will be found in the following
revelations, which I transcribe for your perusal, and also for some future
remarks, which I design to offer.
A REVELATION UNTO OLIVER, GIVEN SEPTEMBER, 1830.
Behold, I say unto you Oliver, that it shall be given thee,
that thou shalt be heard by the Church in all things whatsoever thou shalt
teach them by the comforter, concerning the revelations and commandments which
I have given. But verily, verily I say unto you, no one shall be appointed to
receive commandments and revelations in the Church, excepting my servant
Joseph, for he receiveth them even as Moses, and thou shalt be obedient unto
the things which I shall give unto him, even as Aaron, to declare faithfully
the commandments and the revelations, with power and authority unto the
Church. And if thou art led at any time by the comforter to speak or teach, or
at all times by the way of commandment unto the Church, thou may'st do it; but
shalt not write by the way of commandment, but by wisdom: and thou shalt not
command him who is at thy head, and at the head of the Church; for I have
given him the keys of the mysteries of the revelations which are sealed,
until I shall appoint unto him another in his stead. -- And now behold I say
unto you, that thou shalt go unto the Lamanites, and preach my Gospel unto
them, and cause my Church to be established among them; and thou shalt have
revelations, but write them not by way of commandment. And now I say unto you,
that it is not revealed, and no man knoweth where the City shall be built, but
it shall be given hereafter. Behold, I say unto you, that it shall be among
the Lamanites. Thou shalt not leave this place until after the Conference,
and my servant Joseph shall be appointed to rule the Conference, by the voice
of it: and what he saith unto thee that thou shalt tell. And again, thou shalt
take thy brother Hiram between him and thee alone, and tell him that those
things which he hath written from that stone are not of me, and that Satan
hath deceived him, for these things have not been appointed unto him, neither
shall any thing be appointed to any in this Church, contrary to the Church
Covenant, for all things must be done in order, and by commandment,
by the prayer of faith, and thou shalt settle all, these things, before thou
shalt take thy journey among the Lamanites; and it shall be given from to
time, to thee, that thou shalt go, until the time that thou shalt return, what
thou shalt do; and thou must open thy mouth at all times, declaring my Gospel
with the sound of rejoicing. -- Amen.
[bold emphasis added -- bold type not in
original]
MANCHESTER, Oct. 17, 1830.
I, Oliver, being commanded of the Lord God, to go forth unto the Lamanites, to proclaim glad tidings of great joy unto them, by presenting unto them the fulness of the Gospel, of the only begotten son of God; and also, to rear up a pillar as a witness where the Temple of God shall be built, in the glorious New-Jerusalem; and having certain brothers with me, who are called of God to assist me, whose names are Parley, Peter and Ziba, do therefore most solemnly covenant before God, that I will walk humbly before him, and do this business, and this glorious work according as he shall direct me by the Holy Ghost; ever praying for mine and their prosperity, and deliverance from bonds, and from imprisonments, and whatsoever may befal us, with all patience and faith. -- Amen.
OLIVER COWDERY.
We, the undersigned, being called and commanded of the Lord God, to accompany our Brother Oliver Cowdery, to go to the Lamanites, and to assist in the above mentioned glorious work and business. We do, therefore, most solemnly covenant before God, that we will assist him faithfully in this thing, by giving heed unto all his words and advice, which is [sic], or shall be given him by the spirit of truth, ever praying with all prayer and supplication, for our and his prosperity, and our deliverance from bonds, and imprisonments, and whatsoever may come upon us, with all patience and faith. -- Amen.
Signed in presence of
JOSEPH SMITH, Jun.
DAVID WHITMER,
P. P. PRATT,
ZIBA PETERSON,
PETER WHITMER.
In the preceding revelation, the principal
thing which claims your attention, is the mission to the Indians; for with
that mission many circumstances are connected, which clearly evince, that it
originated from human imbecility, and diabolical depravity. -- There are also
some other things, the meaning of which, you will not be likely to apprehend,
without some explanation. In this, as well as several of the commandments, it
is clearly and explicitly stated, that the right of delivering written
commandments, and revelations, belong exclusively to Smith, and no other
person can interfere, without being guilty of sacrilege. In this office he is
to stand, until another is appointed in his place, and no other person can be
appointed in his stead, unless he falls through transgression; and in such a
case, he himself is authorized to appoint his successor. But how is he to be
detected, should he become guilty of transgression. The commandment makes
provision for this. His guilt will become manifest by his inability to utter
any more revelations, and should he presume "to get another man's wife," and
commit adultery; and "by the shedding of blood, seek to kill her husband," if
he retains the use of his tongue, so as to be able to utter his jargon, he can
continue as long as he pleases in the bed of adultery, and wrap himself with
garments stained with blood, shed by his own hands, and still retain the
spotless innocence of the holiest among mortals; and must be continued in the
office of revelator, and head of the Church. Some others, and especially
Cowdery, have earnestly desired to relieve Smith of some part of his burden.
Cowdery's desires for this work were so keen and excessive, as, to use his own
language, it "was unto me a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary
with forebearing, and I could forbear no longer;" and he did in fact, issue
some productions, which he said bore the Divine impress; but Smith fixed upon
them the stamp of devilish. But it seems, in order to compromise the matter,
that Cowdery was permitted to "speak or to teach, at all times, by way of
commandment unto the Church: but not to write them by way of commandment;"
thus Cowdery is authorized to give verbal commandments to the Church by the
inspiration of the spirit, which, if he afterwards writes, ceases to be
inspiration; therefore, a commandment delivered orally, may be divinely
inspired; but the same communicated, written verbatim, so far loses its former
character, that it degenerates into a production of an infernal stamp. Here is
a mystery, for aught I know, peculiar to Mormonism; and none but Mormonites, I
presume, will attempt to unravel it. But it finds its parallel in the
following. Smith assures his followers, that what he speaks by the spirit, and
is written, is infallible in operation, but if it is not written, he may
sometimes be mistaken. -- He tells them, that the right to deliver written
revelations, belongs exclusively to himself, and no other person shall
interfere in the business; and if he transgresses, he will graciously
condescend to appoint another in his stead, and the only proof produced for
the support of such assertions, is barely his word upon which they implicitly
rely, and become entirely resigned to place their person and property under
his control, and even to risk the salvation of their souls upon his say-so.
Such glaring duplicity on the one hand, and unaccountable credulity on the
other, seldom have a parallel in the annals of man.
Never was there a despot more jealous of his prerogatives than Smith; and
never was a fortress guarded with more vigilance and ardor, against every
invading foe, than he guards these. Smith apprehended a revival in the
department of written inspiration, from another quarter, and hence Cowdery was
commissioned to commence an attack, and suppress the enemy, before he had
acquired sufficient stability and strength, so as to become formidable. "Thou
shalt take thy brother Hiram between him and thee alone, and tell him the
things he hath written from that stone," &c. Hiram Page, one of the eight
witnesses, and also one of the "money diggers," found a smooth stone, upon
which there appeared to be a writing, which when transcribed upon paper,
disappeared from the stone, and another impression appeared in its place. This
when copied, vanished as the former had done, and so it continued alternately
appearing and disappearing; in the meanwhile, he continued to write, until he
had written over considerable paper. It bore striking marks of a Mormonite
revelation, and was received as an authentic document by most of the
Mormonites, till Smith, by his superior sagacity, discovered it to be a
Satanic fraud.
A female, professing to be a prophetess, made her appearance in Kirtland, and
so ingratiated herself into the esteem and favor of some of the Elders, that
they received her, as a person commissioned to act a conspicuous part in
Mormonizing the world. Rigdon, and some others, gave her the right hand of
fellowship, and literally saluted her with what they called the kiss of
charity. But Smith viewing her as encroaching upon his sacred premises,
declared her an impostor, and she returned to the place from whence she came.
Her visit, however, made a deep impression on the minds of many, and the
barbed arrow which she left in the hearts of some, is not yet eradicated.
Yours affectionately,
REV. I. EDDY.
EZRA BOOTH.
Nelson, Portage Co. Dec. 6, 1831.
REV.
& DEAR SIR
--
In this letter the mission to the Indians will be brought into view, and with
it, are connected circumstances and facts, sufficient, one would suppose, to
convince every honest and unprejudiced Mormonite, of the fallacy and deception
of Mormonism. But a Mormonite of the highest grade, is invulnerable by facts
the most notorious, and evidence as glaring as the noon-day sun; for they
affirm, they know by the spirit that Mormonism is what it pretends to be; and
should Smith acknowledge it to be a fabrication, they would not believe him.
This forms the highest climax in Mormonism, and but few have attained to it.
After Cowdery, and his three associates had left the state of N. Y. while
bending their course to the west, he was directed by the spirit to Kirtland,
for the special purpose of enlisting Rigdon in the Mormonite cause. I have
since learned, that the spirit which directed in this enterprize, was no other
than Pratt, who had previously become acquainted with Rigdon, and had been
proselyted by him into what is called the Campbellite faith. This new system
appears to have been particularly suited to Rigdon's taste, and calculated to
make an impression on his mind. But before he could fully embrace it, he must
"receive a testimony from God." In order to [receive] this, he labored as he
was directed by his Preceptor, almost incessantly and earnestly in praying,
till at length, his mind was wrapped up in a vision; and to use his own
language, "to my astonishment I saw the different orders of professing
Christians passing before my eyes, with their hearts exposed to view, and they
were as corrupt as corruption itself. That society to which I belonged also
passed before my eyes, and to my astonishment, it was as corrupt as the
others. Last of all that little man who brought me the Book of Mormon,
passed before my eyes with his heart open, and it was as pure as an angel: and
this was a testimony from God, that the Book of Mormon was a Divine
Revelation." Rigdon is one who has ascended to the summit of Mormonism; and
his vision stands as the foundation of his knowledge. He frequently affirms,
that these things are not a matter of faith with him, but of absolute
knowledge. He has been favored with many extraordinary visions, in some of
which he saw Kirtland with the surrounding country, consecrated as the
promised land, and the Churches in the state of N. Y. expected to receive
their everlasting inheritance in the state of Ohio, and this expectation was
grounded upon Rigdon's visions, while he was in the state of N. Y. These
visions are considered by the Church as entitled to no credit, and laid aside
as mere rubbish.
As it relates to the purity of the heart of "that little man," if a pure and
pleasant fountain can send forth corrupt and bitter streams, then may the
heart of that man be pure, who enters into a matrimonial contract with a young
lady, and obtains the consent of her parents; but as soon as his back is
turned upon her, he violates his engagements, and prostitutes his honor by
becoming the gallant of another, and resolves in his heart, and
expresses resolutions to marry her. But as the practice of a man will ever
stand as a general criterion by which the principles of the heart are to be
tested, we say, that the heart of such a man is the reverse of purity.
From Kirtland, Cowdery & Co. were directed by the spirit to Sandusky, where
they contemplated opening their mission, and proselyting the Indians residing
at that place. But neither Cowdery, nor the spirit which directed him, was
able to open the way to, or make any impressions upon their minds. Being
frustrated in this, his first attempt to convert the Natives, he turned his
attention and course to Missouri, and when near the eastern line of that
state, he halted for several days, for the purpose of obtaining, by inquiry,
information respecting the Indians, still further to the West. It appears that
he was fearful that his infallible guide, (the spirit,) was incapable to
direct him, while proceeding further to the west; consequently, he applied to
men more capable of giving instruction than the spirit, by which he was
influenced. When he arrived at the western line of Missouri, he passed it into
the Indian territory, where he continued but a short time, before he was
notified by the U. S. agent, that he must either re pass the line, or be
compelled to take his residence in the garrison, forty miles up the Arkansas
river. As there was no other alternative, the former seemed to him the most
expedient; and he never possessed courage sufficient to pass the line, or
visit the residence of the Indians since. Thus you behold a man, "called and
commanded of the Lord God, to go forth unto the Lamanites," and establish his
Church among them; but no sooner is he set down in the field of his mission,
and surrounded by his anticipated converts, than he is driven by a
comparative nothing, from the field, and obliged to relinquish his
contemplated harvest. -- This is the person commissioned by the Lord to
prostrate the western wilds, and as he himself stated, "to the place where the
foot of a white man never trod," to rear up a pillar for a witness, where the
Temple of God shall be built in the glorious "New-Jerusalem." But alas! he was
arrested by man in his course, and by the breath of man the mighty undertaking
was blown into the air, and Cowdery was thrown back among the Gentiles, to
wait for the spirit to devise some new plans in the place of those which had
been frustrated. But as a City and a Temple must be built, as every avenue
leading to the Indians was closed against the Mormonites, it was thought that
they should be built among the Gentiles, which is in direct opposition to the
original plan -- as foreign from the design of the spirit, expressed in
several commandments, as it would have been, had the Directors, who were
appointed to build the Court-house in Ravenna, built it in Trumbull county,
foreign from the design of those who entrusted them with the business.
Though their plans had hitherto failed, they were unwilling to abandon the
Indian enterprize; and in a commandment it was stated, that Cowdery and others
should receive a written recommendation, signed by the Elders, for the purpose
of presenting it to the Indian agent, in order to obtain permission from him,
to visit the Indians in their settlements. The recommendation was written
according to commandment, and frequent opportunities occurred in which it
might have been presented to the agent, but it never was presented, and of
course was useless, he was censured by some for not presenting it, but I
suppose the spirit directed him not to do it.
Another method has been invented, in order to remove obstacles which hitherto
had proved insurmountable. "The Lord's store-house," is to be furnished with
goods suited to the Indian trade, and persons are to obtain license from the
government to dispose of them to the Indians in their own territory; at the
same time they are to disseminate the principles of Mormonism among them. From
this smug[g]ling method of preaching to the Indians, they anticipate a
favorable result. In addition to this, and to co-operate with it, it has been
made known by revelation, that it will be pleasing to the Lord, should they
form a matrimonial alliance with the Natives; and by this means the Elders,
who comply with the thing so pleasing to the Lord, and for which the Lord has
promised to bless those who do it abundantly, gain a residence in the Indian
territory, independent of the agent. It has been made known to one, who has
left his wife in the State of N. Y. that he is entirely free from his wife,
and he is at liberty to take him a wife from among the Lamanites. It was
easily perceived that this permission, was perfectly suited to his desires. I
have frequently heard him state, that the Lord has made it known to him, that
he is as free from his wife as from any other woman; and the only crime that I
have ever heard alleged against her is, she is violently opposed to Mormonism.
But before this contemplated marriage can be carried into effect, he must
return to the State of N. Y. and settle his business, for fear, should he
return, after that affair had taken place, the civil authority would apprehend
him as a criminal.
It is with pleasure I close this exposition, having in part accomplished, what
I intended when I commenced it. The employment has been an unpleasant one to
me, and from the first, I should have gladly avoided it, could I have done it,
and maintained a conscience void of offence, towards God and man. -- But
should an individual by this exposition, be extricated or prevented from
falling into the delusion, which has been the subject of consideration, I
shall be amply compensated, for the painful task which I have performed.
Yours affectionately,
REV. I. EDDY. EZRA BOOTH.
Note 1: Booth
comments at length concerning the "mission to the Lamanites," providing much
detail not elsewhere available. Unfortunately he is able to supply little
useful information regarding the journey the four missionaries took from
Manchester, New York to Mentor, Ohio. If Booth heard the rumors then in
circulation, saying that Sidney Rigdon played a secretive role in the founding
of Mormonism, he chose not to repeat the allegations in his letters. His
remarks do, however, raise the question of just how and when the Mormon
"mission to the Lamanites" was first decided upon. Presumably, had the Book of
Mormon come forth a few years earlier, such a mission might have been directed
to the Seneca Indians who had once inhabited
Grand Island,
along with much of western New York. Failing that, the mission might have been
directed to the southeastern "civilized" tribes whom President Jackson later
moved west of the Missouri. Since it is unlikely that the final draft of the
Book of Mormon was written with the attainment of President Jackson's 1829
"Indian Removal" proposal certain to the book's author(s), the reader may
reasonably presume that the decision of Cowdery and Pratt, to journey all the
way westward to the Missouri, came as a relatively late development in the
Mormon expansion agenda. Perhaps their final scheme -- to build the "New
Jerusalem" west of the Missouri River, "among the Lamanites" -- was not agreed
upon by the leadership until after the Book of Mormon manuscripts had already
been delivered to the printer. When it became evident that it was not be
feasible for them to build their millennial city west of the Missouri, the
Mormon leaders' back-up plan (as Booth relates) was to amend the "divine
commandment" and to build it "on the borders of the Lamanites," at the western
edge of Independence, Missouri.
Note 2: If the "missionaries to the Lamanites" really were still in
Manchester, New York on Oct. 17th, then they must have traveled westward
rather quickly after that. The four men reportedly
arrived
in Painesville, Ohio on or about Oct. 25, 1830. If they truly stopped
along the way to try and convert English-speaking, Christianized Seneca
Indians from Cattaraugus Reservation, (where the Presbyterians operated
Thayer's Indian school), then their departure from Cattaraugus village must
have been on or about the 21st of October. Probably the pedestrian
missionaries could not have made it all the way from Manchester to
Painesville, in only a week's time, unless they "hitched a ride" along the
way. Parley P. Pratt relates that the company went to Buffalo after visiting
with the Indians. This mention, along with one supplied in an 1830 Oliver
Cowdery letter, indicates that the Mormons' encounter with the Seneca was on
their lands west of Buffalo, where the Buffalo Creek Indian Reservation had
been previously located, and where Rev. Harris operated a Presbyterian mission
and school. Possibly the four Mormons took a lake steamer from Buffalo to the
port of Erie. By the time John Corrill encountered the company, at
Harpersfield, Ohio, the four must have been journeying afoot -- a mode of
travel they evidently maintained until they reached Cincinnati and boarded a
steamboat for Missouri.