| 363 upon the Bible! This was an occurrence so strange to happen in the nineteenth century, and one so entirely different from any thing that had transpired since the days of the apostles, that our worthy minister was compelled to pronounce it a HUMBUG!
The following quotations describe the present religious world to a nicety. St Mark, XXIII: 26-30; 'Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also.-Woe unto you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchers, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness. Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity. Woe unto you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchers of the righteous, and say, if we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.' The 'whited sepulchers,' here spoken of, brings to mind the white robed priests who outwardly appear clean and beautiful, but inwardly they are full of hypocrisy and all manner af [of] iniquity. Annanias, called by the people, 'God's high priest,' received from Paul this withering curse. Acts, XXIII: 3; 'God shall smite thee thou whited wall.' We suppose this priest was clad in the snowy habiliaments [habiliments] of his high office, as the priests of the present day are when they officiate with such dignified pomposity in the sacred desk. Hence Paul called him the 'whited wall.' At that early age men
'Stole the livery of heaven,
To serve the devil in;'
and they have worn it for that purpose ever since. This building the 'tombs of the prophet,' and garnishing the 'sepulchers of the righteous,' named in context, arrays before 'our mind's eye,' the many well 'garnished' churches now in our country, bearing these inscriptions: 'St. Paul's Cathedral,' 'St. Paul's Church,' St. Stephen's Chapel,' &c. &c. They will place these inscriptions upon their churches and say, with an agonizing air, 'if we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.' This quotation will decide the matter: St. Luke, XI: 47, 48; 'Woe unto you! for ye build the sepulchers of the prophets, and your fathers killed them. Truly ye bear witness that ye allow the deeds of your fathers, for they indeed killed them, and ye build the sepulchers.'
But if father Paul or any of the old apostles and prophets were here, they would be the first to stone them, and they would not let them preach the gospel of Jesus, even upon the stepstones of these churches. Some may think these are hard sayings, but they are nevertheless true. We draw our conclusions from analogy. If they will murder, mob, tar and feather, whip, way-lay, insult, and drive the saints of God, of Latter Day Saints, from their homes, without any cause or provocation, save that they preach the same gospel that the apostles preached, then we believe we are justified in saying they would treat the apostles, or even Christ himself, in the same way. For, be assured, the apostles know nothing of your idle mummeries, your ceremonies of Mass, your lighted tapers, your salt ceremonies, your sprinkling ordinances, or of your jumping, stamping, hollowing, groaning and falling down power. St. Mark, VII: 7; 'Howbeit, in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.' They do not understand the first rudiments of your worship. They would be like untutored babes among you, and you would have to 'teach the young idea how to shoot,' before they could make any appearance at all, in your refined assemblies.-And, besides they were 'ignorant fishermen' too, and, you know, it would be looked upon as the height of impudence for them to presume to worship Almighty God, long side of your most worshipful brethren, of such scientific attainments. O, no, this would never do. You must away with these fellows, lest they draw away your flocks, and 'take away your place and nation.' When the elders of the Church of Latter Day Saints, ask these sanctimonious men for a chapel to preach in, they first survey them from head to foot mistrustfully, and then eagerly ask: 'To what denomination do you belong?'-'To the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Sir.' impostors , Jo Smith-ites, false prophets, poor deluded men; you can't have it, Sir! you have come to make disturbance!' O, religious tolerance! where hast thou fled!-How different is this narrow contracted spirit of little minds, to the high-born and patriotic religious toleration that reigns in the bosoms of the noble citizens of Nauvoo. This may be most authentically shown by inserting the first Section of an ordinance, passed by the City Council of the City of Nauvoo, entitled
'An Ordinance in relation to Religious Societies.
Sec. 1. Be it ordained by the City Council of the City of Nauvoo, That the Catholics, Presbyterians, Methodists, Baptists, Latter Day Saints, Quakers, Episcopalians, Universalists, Unitarians, Mahommedans, and all other religious sects and denominations, whatever, shall have free toleration, and equal privileges in this city, and should any person be guilty of ridiculing, abusing, or otherwise depreciating another, in consequence of his religion, or of disturbing, or interrupting any religious meeting, within the
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