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The Evening and The Morning Star/2/17
| ←Number 16 | The Evening and The Morning Star Volume 2, Number 17 |
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| Source document in Mormon Publications: 19th and 20th Centuries online archive: The Evening and The Morning Star Vol. 1-2
Note: Some headings and bracketed texts are editorial and not part of the original text. |
| THE EVENING AND THE MORNING STAR | ||
| Vol. 2. | Kirtland, Ohio. February, 1834 | No. 17. |
THE OUTRAGE IN JACKSON COUNTY, MISSOURI.
From what we can learn relative to this shameful affair up to the latest intelligence, it appears that the mob still persist in their hostile conduct toward their neighbors whom they have, by force of arms deprived of their rights of citizenship, and still continue, when opportunity presents, to commit acts of violence upon those whom they have so inhumanly [inhumanely] driven to wander in this inclement season without the means of subsistence. Where are the feelings of kindness to be found in the bosoms of those who drive helpless women and infants from their peaceable habitations in the dead hours of the night to seek shelter under trees, and the open canopy? Where are the humane principles to be found in the bosoms of those who will drag from their own dwellings and peaceable beds, husbands and fathers, and whip, beat and bruise them in a shocking manner, till their lives are despaired of? What could be the object of these men in killing husbands and exposing to death the lives of infants? That they might gratify their wantonness upon innocent mothers and virgins! for this was their last threat which caused those six on the 23rd of July last, to agree to leave the county of Jackson. Said they, "We will rid Jackson county of the Mormons, peaceably if we can, and forcibly if we must. If they will not go without, we will whip and kill the men; we will destroy the lives of their children, and ravish their women!"
Thus far, we are thankful to a merciful Providence, that all these threats have not yet been put into execution; and we may account it more to the over ruling hand of the Father of the afflicted, than any principle of honor or virtue existing in the hearts of the mob. Every move that they have made from the commencement, from the time that their secret constitution was drawn up and circulated, down to the latest dates, bears the mark of ruthless barbarity far beyond the cruelty and indecency of the savage. The savage, when trampled upon and deprived of his land, has lifted the tomahawk against the innocent because he was heated up to anger with a reflection, that by flattery and intrigue he had been driven from the grave of his father; but in all his ferosity [ferocity] and thirst for the blood of his supposed enemy, the chastity of innocence has been held sacred and never violated, or a threat to that effect. But men, wearing the form, and pretending to the name of Christian, have risen up in a land of laws, in the midst of a wholesome government, without the first instance of robbery or treachery having been committed upon them, or a threat so to do, and sought the lives of men, exposed to starvation helpless infants, and made the bold assertion, that, "We will ravish your women!"
Previous to the time when the printing office was demolished some of the mob sent their negroes to insult and abuse certain young women, who slept in a small cabin adjoining the dwelling where the remainder of the family slept. After repeated attempts to commit insults upon these young women, the parents concluded that it would be unsafe to trust them longer in that situation. Accordingly the young women were put in another bed, and two young men were placed in their stead. After the young men had retired the man of the house was called to the door, and informed by a friend, of the determinations of the mob. This friend also informed him, that as near as he could learn, there would be one or more negroes sent to molest his daughters that night. This was during the excitement while the mob were circulating their secret constitution for signatures. Fortunately, however for the negroes, or their owners, the young men had retired without having this watch-word, and were unprepared with any deadly weapons. In the night they were awoke by the noise occasioned by the negroes whispering and planning without. Directly one made his entrance into the room through the way where the chimney had formerly stood, and was permitted to call the name of one of the young women, and make known his business and intentions when he was seized by the young men, and handled so roughly for a few moments that the demi-infernal when liberated from their grasp, dove head foremost through a wall of stone and bricks that was then remaining of the old chimney.
That the negro did not send himself, is demonstrated from the fact, that whites knew it previous to the time he came, and was informed of by the individual just named. Every person acquainted with the manner in which the blacks are treated in a slave State, know that an act of that kind would cost the slave his own life in an instant, were it possible for the individuals suffering the insult to inflict death: this is no secret among the slaves. And without being encouraged to go, and having a promise of protection from their masters should they be caught, it would be in vain to endeavor to convince the mind, that those blacks would ever attempted an act of so gross a magnitude. And what but an attempt to insult and abuse, could ever prompted any man to encourage any thing of so shameful a nature? What better can we think of a man that will urge his negro to commit unlawful acts, than we could were he to attempt the same himself? But these are the men who make such pretensions to virtuous principles, as to complain that the "Mormons" were about to corrupt their society, by the introduction of free negroes and mulattoes [mulattos] into that country.
These men say in their secret constitution, that, "We believe it a duty we owe ourselves, to our wives and children, to the cause of public morals, to remove them from among us as we are not prepared to give up our pleasant places, and goodly possessions to them, or to receive into the bosoms of our families, as fit companions for our wives and daughters, the degraded and corrupted free negroes and mulattoes [mulattos], that are now inrighted to settle among us." Degraded and corrupted! What a pity, that a society, who are endeavoring by every possible means to abuse and defile the virtuous even by condescending to stimulate negroes to go under cover of darkness and commit the basest crimes, should be corrupted and degraded! It would appear to us as consistent, as it would for Lucifer to accuse one of his angels of being unholy! The cause of public morals! If a people are sunk so low as to be guilty of deeds of this magnitude, we are at a loss to know what they could imagine could be introduced among them to make them any more degraded. For of all things which have ever been charged against any people recorded in the sacred volume, who were cut off from the face of the earth for their wickedness, we know not of many that exceeded them. God destroyed the old world because of their wickedness, and not listening to the preaching of Noah. He overthrew Sodom, Gomorrah, and the cities about them, because they were proud and filled with bread. He also dispersed the Jews for rejecting the Messiah, and scattered them to the four winds; but here is a set of men in danger of having their public morals corrupted, who make a pretence [pretense] to religion, and are so far beneath every thing heretofore extant on earth in the form of wickedness, that they will set their Afric colored population to steal into the dwellings of peaceable neighbors and defile the virtuous! They said, "We will ravish your women!" No promise of mercy, ever so solemnly made, has been observed a moment when they saw an opportunity to abuse the persons of their hatred. But on the other side, every act of abuse which they swore to commit, when ever a possibility presented, it was done or attempted. An attempt was made by a gang of these lawless miscreants to abuse a lady who was in the most delicate situation in life, when a part were pursuing her husband to take his life, and others were engaged in pulling down his dwelling round her in the dead hour of the night! These are facts which will stand recorded upon the pages of the history of the inhabitants of the nineteenth century! A century proud of its liberal laws, and its advance in science and religion! Which is entitled to the appelation [appellation], Civilized? We talk in our country of savages, whose customs and habits, we say, are such that it is necessary that missionaries should be sent immediately to convert them from their idolatry, and teach them the blessings of civilized life. Is it color that constitutes a savage, or is it the acts of men that appear disgustful, and awake in our breasts feelings of pity and compassion for them?
We are confident, that the conduct of these outrageous men cannot find a parallel in the annals of our country, since the days when priestly influence swerved the public mind and bent the prejudices of men with a belief, that consciences ought to be controlled, and made to bow to ecclesiastic authority. We are also confident, that no thinking citizen can for a moment excuse the acts of this banditti, be his sentiments and opinions relative to the reality of religion what they may. If the day has gone by when all classes of our community cannot enjoy the liberties of our constitution, then the day is near when the most powerful party will obtain the ascendancy over our government; and if we may take the Jackson county mob for a pattern, we may unhesitatingly conclude, that the rack and the fagot are the consequent remedies which will be immediately resorted to, to bring men to their proper senses.
And were this the case, no distinction of sects, among the hundreds which are now in being would be tolerated for a moment except the ruling one; and no arm of human power would be considered ought but an enemy, should it be raised, if it did not belong to the predominant party. Facts demonstrating these assertions beyond the power of refutation are abundant in the annals of past ages. So astonishingly blind have been the vain imaginations of men when hurried on by Priests who sought for power and universal rule, that every excess of wickedness was resorted to with a full licence [license] or indulgence, that no acts of cruelty or abuse was sin in the sight of heaven if only inflicted upon the heretics.
We are willing that God should overturn, overturn, overturn it, until he comes whose right it is; and we rejoice in the thought, that Christ has given his ancients a promise, that he will come and reign on the earth, when all things that offend, and that do wickedly will then be cast out; and he set down with his saints to that feast spoken of in the sacred volume, and, as he said in days gone by, partake of the fruit of the vine, new in his kingdom with his elect; but till that time, we do not believe that all people on the earth will see eye to eye in principles of religion; consequently, we do not believe that God ever will authorize one man, or set of men, to exercise an oppressive influence over the mind or conscience of their fellow men. It may be said, that under our present form of government, no one party can have the pre-eminence, and be allowed to exercise any control over the consciences of men; but were it not that an equilibrium of influence existed, if we can calculate any thing from the conduct of past ages, our happy form of government would soon be changed: then wo to the weaker sect! from the strong would proceed fulminations and anathemas! Our constitution, we know guarantees to all the liberty of speech, the liberty of the Press, and the liberty of conscience: but so blind have been the minds of men that when power was obtained, every principle of equality, was lost in a moment, and a spirit prevalent, that to kill all who did not believe with the popular party, would be doing God service. This was the case with the Jews, who vainly thought that the religion of heaven consisted in inflicting death upon the disciples of Jesus. The worshipers of idols thought that if any man refused to worship more than one god, he was an atheist: and from this fact arose some of the most shocking persecutions against the saints which are recorded in history. When the professors of christianity have obtained the ascendancy of power, they too often, for the honor of that glorious name, have overlooked the beautiful principles of that religion, and through ambitious motives brought a stain upon themselves in consequence of persecuting the weaker sect: not a stain upon the religion which heaven has revealed to men for their everlasting happiness, but a stain upon their own characters. Let the pretended professors conduct as they may, these pure principles are equally as pure, and truth as such truth, as it would have been had all men walked in it: it is man that changes, not heaven.
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Communicated for The Evening and the Morning Star.
FAITH OF THE CHURCH OF CHRIST IN THESE LAST DAYS. NO. I.
As the world has been greatly excited about the things believed by the church of Christ in these last days, being exceedingly in the dark, owing to the many false reports which have been put in circulation by designing men, which have taken the rounds through those papers which delight more in putting falsehoods into circulation than truth, we deem it a privilege to set this matter to rights, and undeceive that part of community who desire to know the truth on all subjects; believing there are many of this class in this generation: As for that part of community who "love and make lies," we leave them to receive their reward in the place appointed for that purpose, even from the days of old.
Such a document is called for, as the church is increasing daily and great numbers are constantly uniting with it in the different parts of our country, and much excitement prevails; many seeking to know what this strange doctrine is of which they hear so much; for there is no small stir in the land at this time about this way, even to the raising of mobs, of spoiling the goods of the saints as in days of old, whipping some, casting some into prison, and killing others; which things must needs take place, that the church of Christ may be made manifest in the last days, as in days of old, so that all who are disposed to understand, may understand and know for themselves; for such things must needs come, that the testimony of the prophets fail not; and that the Lord may in his own time avenge the blood of his saints upon the earth: for as the church of Christ has always been the same in every age of the world, when there was a church of Christ in existence, and as the adversary of all righteousness has never altered in his feelings toward the saints of God, neither those who are under his influence, we may expect to see as much enmity manifested aginst [against] the saints of God in one age as in another; and consequently in the last days suffer as in days of old.
Neither need they expect to escape the misrepresentations, calumnies, nor the false accusations which all their brethren have had to suffer who have gone before them. They must expect to have their virtues transformed into vices, their acts of benevolence into schemes of fraud, their voluntary sacrifices for the truth's sake designing plans to deceive. Should any church in the last days believe and do as the church in Jerusalem in the days of the apostles, that is, sell all that they had and cast it down at the feet of twelve men to be disposed of as they might direct, with what case the religionist of the present day could prove, (in their own estimation,) that it was wrong. They would endeavor to show what an endless train of evils would arise from such a course. They would launch forth into futurity and see such unspeakable evils arising there from as to render it an act of the greatest imprudence; and still, they would declare that they lived under the same gospel, believed in the same order of things as the church of Jerusalem, were directed by the same inspired apostles, were under the influence of the same system of teaching; having the same Lord, the same faith, the same baptism, the same Spirit, the same hope of their calling, and the same God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in them all; and yet the course pursued by one, would be altogether out of place for the other; yes, exceedingly wrong! still God was no respecter of persons; he required no more of one people than he did of another; "his love, his undefiled was one."
All the religious societies in our country, (or nearly all,) will direct us to the Acts of the Apostles, and to the notable day of pentecost for the time that the gospel was first proclaimed; and to Jerusalem for the first gospel church that was organized. They will show us what was required of men in order that they might become christians: That they must repent and be baptized for the remission of sins, and then receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. But here that matter ends, even with those who are the most tenacious for the scriptures, and for the order of the new testament, they will follow this church no farther. Instead of following them to a full display of their faith in the equal distribution of their goods, they will fly off in a tangent, and endeavor to prove that this was all the church that so disposed of their property. They are very cautious in the mean time, never to notice what Paul said to Titus: "For this cause left I thee in Crete, that thou shouldst set in order the things that are wanting, and ordain elders in every city as I had appointed thee." [See Titus I.5]
But it makes no difference whether the churches in Asia Minor, and in the islands of the Mediterranean were in order or not, so that we can but get an argument to hold on to our houses and lands, and still be Jerusalem churches. Now, every man who desires truth without hypocrisy, would pause, and say, if the churches in those parts were not in order until Titus put them in order, before I hastily draw a conclusion I will enquire [inquire] what that order was in which Titus was to put them; and if on examination they find that there was not a scrape of a pen in all the revelations which are extant to show what that order was, they would be as ready to conclude that it was the same as was in Jerusalem, seeing that was done immediately under the notice of the apostles' eyes, and by their own direction. One thing we think on this subject is certain, that is this, if the account of the church at Jerusalem had read thus: "Then they that gladly received the word were baptized: And all that believed were at their own houses, and every man had his own property; neither gave he to any man unless it semed [seemed] unto himself. And they continued eating and drinking such things as they had in their own houses, and such as they chose; neither gave they to any man beyond their own pleasure, each man as formerly laying up for himself an abundance of the things of time." Had the account of the church of Jerusalem read thus, and there could be no more evidence for laying down their property at the apostles' feet than they can get for doing it from the epistles to the other churches, it would not weigh one feather in their estimation, and the idea that their religion at all effected their property would have been out of the question; but seeing it is the reverse, the arguments are conclusive.
Strange as it may appear, yet it is no less so than true, that even those who profess to be reformers and manifest a great desire to restore the authority of the scriptures, whenever there is any thing in the bible which would put their faith to the test, the plainest things can be reasoned away, and things which are very far from being so plain, both believed and practiced in their stead.
Not long since we were favored with a discourse upon the Holy Spirit, by the Editor of the Evangelist, a paper published in Carthage, Ohio, which is famous for this kind of teaching. Notwithstanding the Editor is a reformer of modern times, and manifests a great fear that the scripture authority will not be restored, and yet with all his apparent anxiety and his constant rebukes to those who will not return to apostolic order; yet, notwithstanding all this when ever he touches a subject, the full development of which would show the weakness of his own system, he falls into the same error of those whom he admonishes with so much zeal.
We have a discourse on the Holy Spirit by the prophet Joel in the second chapter of his prophesy, which says, And it shall come to pass afterward that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions; and also, upon the servants and upon the hand maids, in those days will I pour out my Spirit. And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood and fire, and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood before the great and notable day of the Lord come. And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be delivered.
This discourse is quoted by the apostle Peter, and recorded in the second chapter of the Acts of the Apostles and commented on: And it shall come to pass in the last days, (saith God,) I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions and your old men shall dream dreams. And on my servants, and on my handmaids I will pour out in those days of my Spirit, and they shall prophesy. And I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs in the earth beneath, blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood, before the great and notable day of the Lord come. And it shall come to pass that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved. In the 33rd verse the apostle says concerning this promise of the prophet Joel, speaking of the resurrection of Christ: Therefore, being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this which you see and hear. This is the thing which God has promised in the last days. To pour out his Spirit upon all flesh: As much as to say, that when God pours out his Spirit on all flesh, he will pour out the thing which was there seen and heard. And after the three thousand were pricked in their hearts and asked what they should do, Peter said, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you and your children, and all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.
I suppose myself to have been one of this congregation, and depending on the apostle for all the information I had on the subject, what would I have expected to receive? The answer is, I would expect to receive a spirit through or by which I should see visions, dream dreams, and prophesy: Nor could any being expect any thing else from both Joel and Peter's discourse on the Holy Spirit. But from the discourse of the Editor of the Evangelist upon the Holy Spirit, no such expectation could be realized. So different is the discourse of inspired and uninspired men on the subject of religion!-Neither would I have expected that congregation to be the only ones; but their children; yea, all that were afar off, even as many as the Lord our God should call.
But this reformer, like all others whom he condemns, takes a part of the sayings of Peter and enforces them on the people, saying to them, that they must be baptized for the remission of sins; but no sooner does he touch the promise that follows, than the people are informed, that though they have a right to expect the Holy Spirit will be received, but not to produce the office which Peter ascribed to it. And notwithstanding Peter said that the promise he made, on conditions of repentance and baptism in the name of Jesus Christ, was the gift of the Holy Spirit, by which gift they were to dream dreams, see visions, and prophesy; and that in the last days was to be given to all who complied with the conditions, even as many as the Lord our God
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should call. Still, our reformer, by garbling the scriptures, taking a saying from one writer and a saying from another, can persuade the people that notwithstanding this promise was given to all, it only meant a few in the earlier years of christianity. So that we can plainly see, that reformers and non-reformers are all of one.
The reformers of these last days, among those who call themselves reformers are very near a ridiculous farce, possessing scarcely one feature of primitive christianity, and savouring [savoring] very much of Paul's apostasy, that is, a form of godliness without the power. This seems to be the common failing of all the sects in christendom, so called. Any thing among those religionists which can be done without an immediate display of divine power is believed; but any thing to accomplish it, is reasoned away. So that a man among them is an atheist, yea, a fool! who will pretend to believe the bible when it speaks of any thing to be done, which could require the God of heaven to exert his power.
For instance, if I were to profess to believe the sayings of Isaiah in the 11th Chapter, 15 and 16 verses of his prophecy, which read thus: And the Lord shall utterly destroy the tongue of the Egyptian sea; and with his mighty wind shall he shake his hand over the river, and shall smite it in the highway for the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria; like as it was to Israel in the day that he came up out of the land of Egypt: I would be considered an atheist of the first magnitude, fit for nothing but to be laughed at! Why? Because this would require the immediate power of God. And say they, all miracles have ceased, and consequently, the propht [prophet] does not mean what he says.
Jeremiah while speaking of the gathering of Israel in the last days, says, Thus saith the Lord, again shall be heard in this place, which ye say shall be desolate without man and without beast, even in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem, that are desolate, without man, and without inhabitant, and without beast, the voice of joy, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride, the voice of them that shall say, Praise the Lord of hosts: for the Lord is good; for his mercy endureth forever: and of them that shall bring the sacrifice of praise into the house of the Lord. For I will cause to return the captivity of the land, as at the first, saith the Lord. But should any man profess to believe that the Lord would return them at any time as he did at the first, he would be called a mad man, an atheist, if not an imposter [impostor]! Why? Because, if the Lord ever should do so he would have to give more revelations; for by revelation upon revelation he took them into their land at the first; but this religious age say, that revelations have ceased, and consequently the prophet does not mean what he says.
Moses informs us how the Lord brought Israel out of Egypt at the first in the IV, chapter 33 and 34 verses of Deuteronomy: Did ever a people hear the voice of God speaking out of the midst of the fire, as thou hast heard, and live? Or hath God assayed to go and take him a nation from the midst of another nation, by temptations, by signs; and by wonders, and by war, and by a mighty hand, and by a stretched-out arm, and by great terrors, according to all that the Lord your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes? And should the Lord ever bring Israel again as he did at the first, he would have to do the same things over again. But this cannot be admitted, for this could not be done without both miracles and revelations: Therefore the prophet did not mean what he said.
TO BE CONTINUED.
Millenium. No. III.
As all writers on the Millennium, up to the present time, have failed to present the subject in a satisfactory point of light, the ground still remains to be occupied by any one who has courage sufficient to undertake it. And should they fail in the attempt, they will only do what great men, (so called) have done before them: indeed, there does not appear to be any great hazard in the undertaking at this time, as a failure would only leave the adventurer in company with the great men of the world, not even the Editor of the Harbinger, and his friend Mr. M'Corkle excepted, whom the Editor helped to sea: but ignorance, that adverse wind, and great draw-back to promotion, has helped to shore again. He seems not, However, to have suffered much in the voyage if he did return as empty as he went; without enriching the literary world with one discovery for he finds himself in the same harbor, in safe mooring with others who have attempted the same voyage and have failed in the attempt. Some indeed hoisted all sail and made as though they would be off the first fair wind, leaving all behind: but after examining their rigging and sails they doubted of their sufficiency; and after a little closer examination, they found to their great surprise, that they were entirely wanting in ballast. And after coasting for some time they abandoned the voyage altogether, or until they could increase their ballast; for though they had a great deal of sail, and a little ballast, yet it was found that it was not of the right kind: among whom the Editor of the Harbinger is chief.
In undertaking to present before the public the subject of the Millennium, we do it without claiming any favors, or pleading any excuses. We design to limit ourselves within the limits of the bible, and examine the subject as it has been written by the ancient prophets. If the public should not like the style, let them alter it till it suits them, and if they dislike the statement, our flag is on the outside of the wall, they can have an opportunity of trying their skill and making a better of it.
One thing on this subject is certain, and on which all agree: it is this, that, the Millennium has no existence, nor never had: that, in searching after it, we are searching after a something that the eye of man never saw, nor has any society of men ever enjoyed it. To use the language of Paul, "eye hath not seen it, nor ear heard it," except by the spirit of prophecy and vision. But though it has no existence, yet it may have an essence; for if it has not an essence, it never will have an existence; and if it has an essence, it is only to be found in the purpose of Him who "calleth things that are not, as though they were:" and all the knowledge we have of this purpose is through the medium of prophecy and revelation. It is one of those subjects which is alone to be found in the bible if any where; and it would be pretty hard to tell how the belief in it should be so general among believers in the bible in the different ages of the world, unless there is something said about it in the scriptures. It must be acknowledged by all, that the prophets have said some things, indeed many things, which if ever fulfilled, would produce a very different order of society from any ever on earth before: an order of society in which the saints of God "could worship under their own vine and their own fig tree, and there would be none to make them afraid." Such an order of society has never yet existed; for though the time has been, and now is when a corrupted religion can be tolerated; yet there never was a time, nor is there one now in which the church of Christ can worship undisturbed. Their character, their property, and even their lives are now, as in former days, sought with untiring perseverance by both religious and irreligious, not even reformers excepted. But this period is not only to be marked with this peculiarity, but it is also materially to effect the brutal creation. The lion and the ox are to eat straw together; the bear and the cow to graze the plain in company, and their young ones to lay down in peace: there shall be nothing to hurt or destroy in all the Lord's holy mountain. The lion will be carnivorous no longer; and all the beasts will cease to prey on flesh and blood; for if they do not they will both hurt and destroy, and the testimony of the prophet fail; for if no such day comes, there will be no Millennium. That day promised to the world by the prophets is to be a time of rest, otherwise they have promised nothing; and there is as much said about the rest for the beasts, as about the rest for man; and there remains the same promise for the brutal creation, as for the rational; for the Lord promised by the mouth of Joel, and on the day of pentecost renewed the same promise by Peter, that in the last days he would pour out his Spirit on all flesh. If that promise is ever fulfilled in its full extent, the Spirit of God will have to be poured out on beast as well as man; for they also are flesh. And if there never should be a time when the Spirit of God is poured out on the beast, there never will be a Millennium. And when that day comes, the Spirit of the Lord, when poured out, will make a great revolution on the irrational creation; changing their nature both as to food and habits; for the God of heaven, by that Spirit with which he garnished the heavens, can also change the nature of both the rational and irrational creations, from one end of heaven to the other. One of the great difficulties in all writers who have written on the Millennium, is, that they have tried to prove by making the language of the prophets all figures and metaphors, that, that which alone can be done by a direct exertion of divine power in the way of miracle, is to be produced upon human principles; endeavoring to prove that all things spoken of by the prophets can be fulfilled without miracles; without an immediate exertion of divine power.-Hence all the phenomenas of the heavens are made to mean some thing about kings and priests; kingdoms and churches; (so says Mr. M'Corkle, Mr Campbell's help-mate;) and in this he is not alone; for others long before his day, and who had about as much knowledge of the subject as he had, said the same things in effect, before he was born; but no such rules of interpretation of prophecy would ever have been introduced, was not the religious world in a state of apostasy; having the form of godliness but denying the power thereof. But before the Millennium comes, or ever can come, there will be a day of power, not in a figurative, but in a literal sense, as direct as the power which raised Lazarus from the dead, or else it will never come. And there will not only come a day of power, but a day of revelation also; and that as direct from God as those revelations given by Moses and the prophets; by Jesus and the apostles; and not a few only, but line upon line, and line upon line, precept upon precept, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little, meaning many, yea, very many revelations; until the knowledge of God shall cover the earth as the waters cover the sea. For who does not know, that there is not knowledge enough in all the revelations now extant, together with all the human productions in all languages, in the world, to cover the earth as the waters cover the face of the great deep? but a sufficiency of revelations to do this must come, or else the Millennium will never come.
The prophets in presenting what we call the Millennium, and what John calls the thousand years of Christ's reign on the earth, has shown us an order of things which, when understood, will clearly set forth to every intelligent mind the great apostasy of all the religions of the world; their immense distance from the religion of heaven; the weakness and folly of all the schemes of all ages, since the days of the crusaders, to Alexander Campbell (but he, of all others with his Harbinger, cuts the oddest figure in the world;) an age of incessant revelations, every one knowing the Lord without the need of any teacher: a people of such faith, that it shall be said of the inhabitants, that they are not sick: an age of such power, that the mountains shall flow down and the valleys rise up: crooked things become straight, and rough places smooth: an age of wonder, when the faith of men, like that of Moses, shall make the mountains, not drop water only, but new wine: an age when people shall receive refreshing from the presence of the Lord: an age when there will be so much faith on the earth, that death can have no dominion; but men will be changed in the twinkling of an eye, and be caught up: an age when every man shall be his own revelator, prophet, and seer; for all shall know the Lord alike, from the least to the greatest. The day spoken of by Paul when the perfect shall have come, when all prophecies shall have failed; when all former knowledge shall have passed away; when all tongues shall be identified in one: an age when the will of God shall be done on earth as it is done in heaven; and if so, men will have to know as much as angels, or they cannot do the will of God as it is done in heaven. Let a man but for a moment, contemplate this order of things in the light of revelation, as it is justly called by Peter in Acts III chapter, "The times of the restitution of all things of which God hath spoken by the mouth of all the holy prophets since the world began," and then let him take a peep at Mr. Campbell and his Harbinger, making a mighty noise, saying, Reform! crying, (that is, on the title page of his Harbinger,) Millennium! Millennium!! but if we may judge from what he says on other matters, his Millennium is not to possess one property of the Millennium of the prophets and apostles: his is to be a Millennium without power or revelation, and if so, there never will be one!
With regard to the Millennium, let it be remembered, that, it is worse than vain to conjure up a something in our brain that has no existence else where; for if there is ever such a period it will just be what God promised in the scriptures, and nothing else. Nor would Mr. Campbell be at so great a loss as to have to creep out so dishonorably; if it were not that his statements are directly opposed to the Millennium of the bible.-In his sentiments he follows in the train of his fathers, denying all miracles, all revelations and all the peculiar properties which is to distinguish that age from all others; and should he or any other man establish a Millennium of that description, he will put to silence Moses and the prophets: Jesus and the apostles; and all the inspired writers that ever wrote on it since the world began. TO BE CONTINUED.
-> Query.-WHERE is that law mentioned by Malachi IV:4 which says, Remember ye the law of Moses my servant, which I commanded unto him in Horeb for ALL Israel with the statutes and judgments?-[Editor of the Star.]
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