| 45 Since I came here I have baptized 6, and B. Winchester 2, and next Thursday I will baptize several more there is a great work through this country, and a prospect of many embracing the truth, the persecution has had a tendency to elicit inquiry, rather than surpress [suppress] the truth; the Priests have been rather troublesome, but their great effort has been, and still is, to keep the people from hearing, but they cannot prevail, they will hear and some embrace the truth. SAMUEL JAMES.
D. C. SMITH.
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D. C. Smith, Dear brother, in the new covenant.
I request the following note to be inserted in the Times and Seasons, that the Brethren, and public may know the truth.
That whereas, a report has gone forth, that I (on a visit to the west last fall, during the persecution) joined the enemies, and did not make myself known to the brethren. I have only to say that the report is utterly false. SAMUEL JAMES.
THE MORMONITES.
To the Editor of the New Era: Sir: In your paper of the 25th inst. there is an article copied from the Boston Recorder, Headed "Mormon Bible," and signed "Matilda Davidson," which, justice to our society and to the public requires me to answer and I trust that a sense of justice will induce you sir, to give your readers both sides of the question.
I am one of the society who believe the "Book of Mormon," and as such I am assailed in the statement professing to come from Matilda Davidson.
In the first place there is no such book in existence as the "Mormon Bible." The Mormons, as they are vulgarly called, believe in the same Bible that all Cristendom professes to believe in, viz: the common version of the Old and New Testament. The Book of Mormon is not entitled a Bible, except by those who misrepresent it. It is entitled the "Book of Mormon."
The religious sect alluded to in your paper, are there accused of knavery and superstition. Now we are not sensible of being guilty of knavery, and we do not know wherein we are superstitious, but very much desire to know, in order that we may reform. If some good minister or editor will condescend to particulars, and point out our superstitions we will take it as a great kindness, for we are the declared enemies to knavery and superstition.
If a firm belief in the Gospel of a crusified [crucified] and risen Redeemer, as manifested to all nations, and as recorded in their sacred books, amount to superstition, than we are superstitious. If preaching that system to others and calling them to repentance, is superstition, then we are superstitious. If refusing to fellowship the modern systems of sectarianism which are contrary to the pure doctrines of the Bible, be superstition, then we are superstitious, for we hereby declare our withdrawal from all the mysticism, priestcraft and superstitions, and from all the creeds, doctrines, commandments, traditions and precepts of men, as far as they are contrary to the ancient faith and doctrine of the Saints; and we hereby bear our testimony against them.
We do not believe that God ever instituted more than one religious system under the same dispensation, therefore we do not admit that two different sects can possibly be right.-The churches of Jesus Christ, in any age or country, must be all built upon the same faith, the same baptism, the same Lord, the same holy spirit, which would guide them in all truth, and consequently from all error and superstition. The Book of Mormon has never been placed by us in the place of the sacred scriptures stand in their own place, and the Book of Mormon abundantly corroborates and bears testimony of the truth of the bible.-Indeed there is no society, within our knowledge, whose members adhere more closely to the Bible than ours.-For proof of this we appeal to the multitudes who attend our religious meetings in this city and in all other places.
The piece in your paper states that "Sidney Rigdon was connected in the printing office of Mr. Patterson," (in Pittsburg) and that "this is a fact
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