Sunbury American and Shamokin journal. [volume] (Sunbury, Northumberland Co., Pa.) 1840-1848, 1841-03-20

Il
submitted to ii, fearing to disobey or
treat lightly the commands of the AL
mighty. have kept his journal, and
like Barak, the ancient scribe, had the
honor of writing the history of one of
the prophets. | have attended him in
his private councils, in his secret cham
bers and in his public exhibitions.
have performed pilgrimage with him,
not 10 Mecca, but to Missouri, dis
tance of 1000 miles, for the redemption
OF Zion,in company with about two hum
dred others, called the camp of Israel
When we arrived in Clay county, ad-
joining Jackson county. Mo-, in which
Zion was located by revelation, and
from which our brethren had been dri>
ven, we were informed through the
prophet that God had revealed to us
that we need not cross over and fight
as we expected, but that God had ac>
cepted our sacrifice as he did that of
Abraham, ours being equal to his when
he offered up his son. Therefore we
were sealed up unto eternal life in the
name of Jesus Christ, as a reward for
our sutierings and obedience. | have
set by his side and penned down the
translation of the Egyptian Hierogly-
phics as he claimed 10 receive it by di>
rect inspiration from Heaven. | have
listened to him with feelings of no ord-
nary kind, when he declared that the
audible voice of God instructed him to
establish a Banking-Anti>Banking in
stitution, which like Aaron's rod should
swallow up all other Banks, (the Bank
Of Monroe excepted,) and grow and
flourish and spread from the rivers to
the ends of the earth, and survive when
all others should be laid in ruins. have
been astonished to hear him declare that
we had 10000 dollars in specie in our
vaults, and S6O0,OOO at our command.
when we had not to exceed $4,000, and
could not command any more; also
that we had but about ten thousand
dollars of our bills in circulation, when
he, as cashier of the institution, knew
that there was at least Sl50,00O.
knowing their extreme poverty when
they commenced in the Mormon specu-
lation, have been not little surprised
to hear them assert that they were
worth from to 100000 dollars each,
and in less than ninety days after, be-
came insolvcnt without any change in
their business affairs. But such has
been the audacity ofthese boasting bias
phemers, that they have assumed the
authority to curse, or to bless, to damn
or to save, not only this church, but this
entire generation, and that they hold
their destinies in this world and that
which is to come. And such has been
their influence over this church in this
place, that they have lilched their mo-
nies from their pockets, and obtained
their earthly substance for the pur-
pose Of establishing bank and various
other wild speculations, in order that
they mig aggrandize themselves and
families, until they have reduced their
followers to wretchedness and want.
For the year past their lives have been
one continued scene Of lying, deception
and fraud, and too, in the name of God
, But this can account for in my own
mind, having knowledge of their own
r private characters and sentiments
r believe them to be confirmed infdels
$ who have not the fear of God before
their eyes, Notwithstanding their high
f pretcntions TO holiness, and frequen,
, correspondence with the Angels of l1ea.
/, ven and the revelations of Jesus Christ
: by the power of the Holy Ghost. Wha,
avails the claim Of such men to holiness
of heart, when their examples do vio
lence to the system of morality, TO say
nothing about religionl What more
o favorable idea can one entertain, who
has heard them say that man has ne
more agency than wheelbarrow, anc
consequently is not accountable, anC
in the final end of all things no suci
Z principle will exist as sin.
q Thus language independent of many abomna
tons that might be Lamcd, such as the prophe,
il lighting four pitched battles at slicu within fou
n Yeas, one with his own natural brother, one wit
r. his brolhel-in.law, one with Ezra THAR, and on
G with baptist priest speaks volumes Their mar
agement in this place, has reduced society to con
D plete wreck. The recent outroges here, vz th
j. burning of printing establishment, have no dout
l. Smith and Rigdons lss' revelation that they ha
S. before they took hei, leave of this place bewee
e. two days-in fact the lying. fghting, sfeahn!
h. running alody de- that have been carried anon
IS us, only reducing their theory to practice and
.h some instances they have not only taugh, the the