A voice of warning; or, The Mormonite imposture analized [sic] and exposed in the light of the scriptures by A. Gardner, late Mormonite elder

A VOICE OP WARN

ING; '

OR, THE

MORMONITE IMPOSTURE

ANALIZED AND EXPOSED

Y A. GARDNER,

2.atf i^lormonuf eiijfv.

ROCHDALE :

PKINTED BY JESSE HALL, 149, YORKSHII!E-STREET.

184 2.

A VOICE OF WARNING, &c.

WE often hear of Mormonism being masked, and many
pamphleteers and authors on a larger scale have undertaken to
remove the veil, and expose the delusion. Some have taken
one method, and some another, and all have been less or more
effective in opening the eyes of the public. Yet stUl the heresy
spreads, and in the opinion of the author of this tract, its force
can only be exhausted by a scriptural refutation of the doctrines
they teach. But the veil'must first be removed before ever the
absurdity of the Mormon tenets ^vill appear.

The scriptures speak of men having a cloak for their sins ;
and before any delusive system can take root, or any damnable
doctrine be spread with any effect, — there must in the first
place, be a cloak manufactured for its advocates, that their own
nakedness, and the deformity of their system, may not appear
at once to the popular gaze. Hence wolves are said to come
in sheeps' clothing, when they would be most successful and
secure in committing their depredations among the innocent
flock, and of them we are particularly cautioned to be aware,
for they will not spare the flock.

We might examine every notable heresy that has sprung up
from the infancy of the christian church imto this day, and we
would always find their abettors advancing a portion of truth
by way of making the deadly potion somewhat palatable — but
it is not the less a destructive poison, though carefully mixed
■with some nutritious ingredient. The Southcotonian impos-
ture, and what followed as its result, and exists to this day, —
the Israelite machination could never have found a footing, nor
have been perpetuated without a degree of real truth, and per-
haps many principles having the appearance of truth being mixed
with the contemptible dogmas, that from the stamina or body
of those systems. Johanna prophesied that Jesus Christ would
come again to reign on the earth ; and this seems manifest, for
it was declared by the former prophets and apostles. Well,
now, we see the cloak, it seems a beautiful and a precious one.

I wonder wtat is concealed beneath — a babe ! the lady is en^
ceinte by some supernatural agency, until in the pangs of being
delivered of nothing, she expires. J ohn Wroe, another speci-
men of the false prophets this agte has produced, also uses this
cloak, declaring that Christ will come, and the Jews be gathered
preparatory to that event. There cannot be a more scriptural
doctrine, and hence not a more perfect cloak, it is closely woven,
and hath no imperfection in its manufacture whatever, — it was
made in heaven. But, gentle reader, what may be beneath H
startle not, but there lies concealed beards of all forms and co-
lours ; circumcision of all ages and sizes ; and tithes to any
amount the greedy prohphet chooses to impose, with all the
ritual of Moses, abolished by Jesus Christ ahnost two thousand
years since, with many nameless and abominable customs and
teachings, to enumerate which shall not at present pollute our

But there can be no cloak more beautifully evangelical, than
that which has covered the Mormon teachers, until they have
committed considerable havoc with comparative impunity.
They preach the first principles of religion with, as much appa-
rent zeal as the methodists ever did at any period of their his-
tory, and they teach that men are to be baptised for the remis-
sion of their sins, with as much convincing evidence from the
scriptures, as the baptists themselves can command. While they
maintain, that all the gifts and blessings of the Spirit that were
ever promised to the church, should still be di\aded to every
man according to the mind of the Spirit. This seems very
feasible and scriptural doctrine, seeing that Jesus has promised
to be ■with the church unto the end of the world, and to give his
Holy Spirit unto them that ask him. And, truly, if the body
that is covered with this faultless garment were to be compared
therewith, one might bid the Mormon heralds God speed, and
assist them to diffuse their doctrines through the- land. But
our soul is stricken vAth horror ! a hydra-headed monster lies
couched beneath this elegant covering. The Aaronic priest-
hood is again established, and it is not now limited to the fami-
ly of Aaron as formerly, but whosoever mil may come and be
ordained a priest according to this order — for they are perfectly
regardless as to the tribe, having a good reason, seeing they
belong to none. The whole earth must emigrate to America.
Kings must lay their regal honors at the feet of a man called
Smith. The ministers of the gospel must all acknowledge
themselves to have been vile iraposters and hypocrites ; making

their humble confessions to any Mormouite priest, and being
immersed for the remission of their errors, however, ^rill fully
exculpate them from all further blame. The great men musr
take their gold and their silver, and whatever else will gratity
the cupidity of the aforesaid Smith and his compeers, or asso-
ciates, and embark for a voyage across the Atlantic, for a temple
is being build on the banks of the Mississipi, to which, when
finished, they tell us Jesus Christ will come. But mark,
reader, this is the third attempt at temple building among
this sect within these last nine years ; the first at Kirtland, in
Ohio, then in Missouri, and now lastly in the State of Illinois.
Instead of Jesus Christ coming to the two former temples, he
seems to have been moved to jealousy by their abominations,
and to have suffered the devil to stir up the indignation of the
community, which created a civil war, and, as might be expec-
ted, ended in the expulsion of the Mormons from the state. It
will take no uncommon degree of foresight to presage that simi-
lar results will occur, as similar causes are still in operation.
A book, which they call the " Book of Mormon," must be
credited as much as the bible, for they say itis the word of God,
and it is spoken ol in the bible. This is a faint specimen of the
impudence and folly manifested and propagated by the teachers
of Mormonism. But as Paul says, we are to prove all things,
we must try to prove the foolishness of folly itself, and shew
to the most ordinary capacity that can comprehend the literal
import and sell-evident meaning of the scriptures, that Mormon-
ism is folly.

The Mormons pretend that we have come to a new era, and
another dispensation is now established, for which they quote
Paul's words, Eph. i. 10. Now, say they, we have come to the
fulness of the Gentile times, and therefore a dispensation dif-
ferent and superior to aU others must be manifested, embracing
all that was excellent under the law and the gospel ; tor both
Jew and Gentile must be pleased, as both are to be gathered.
Let the candid reader carefully enquire what is meant hy the
.fulness of time, and last days, with similar expressions that fre-
quently occur in the scriptures, and by a comparison of one
passage with another, he will come to the truth of the matter,
without any aid from sophistry or American priestcraft. Let
him compare the above passage with Gal. iv. 4. and Heb. i. 1.
and he will at once perceive that God sent his Son at the ful-
ness of time, which were the last days in which he spoke unto
men, and established a dispensation, which abolished the law,

6

and by which he will gather together in one all things in Clirist,
both which are in heaven, and which are in earth, even in
him : and through which Paul and the churches in his times
obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the
purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his
own will. A dispensation of the gospel is said to be committed
to individuals when they are commissioned to preach it, as Paul
says, he had a dispensation of the gospel committed unto him,
and he was obligated to preach it. But he said if we, or an
angel from heaven, preach another gospel, or change the
dispensation, let him be accursed. Gal. i. 8. 9.

Now as the Mormon preachers are incessantly railing against
the ministers of the gospel, as having changed the ordinances,
and introduced another gospel, it may not be improper to bring
the charge upon their own heads, and if they are found guilty
after due examination, they may excuse them that will, but we
say with Paul, let every designing hypocrite be accursed.

Did Paul ever preach that men were to obtain salvation by
taking refuge by the banks of an American river ; or that the
Aaronic priesthood should be established somewhere about ISOO
years after his time ? Here Paul and the Mormons disagree.
But they have been taught these things by an angel, old Adam,
and St. John the divine, so they conclude they must be true,
and Paul must be wrong. But thera that are at all acquainted
with the cunning craftiness of men, and the devices of the
devil, who frequently assumes the garb of an angel of light, will
agree with us that Paul is right, and they are deceived. They
tell us, however, that Paul only wrote for the times in which he
lived. What part of the scriptures that is to be found in we
cannot tell. But we affirm that no nge has produced so com-
plete a manual of christian instruction as is presented to the
church in the inspired writings of Paul ; and they seem to be
just us useful now as ever they Avere. Now as it is very mani-
f-'st that Paul nevei- taught any of the doctrines which these
men say they have been taught by angels, we conclude thev
have changed the dispensation so far as th^nr iniluence hr.s ex-
tended, and that they r;.'st under the malediction ot" the Spirit as
spoken by Paul. They may toll us that Paul never spoke of
methodism, or the modern sections of Christendom. True,
but which has gone so far as to introducp tbe Aaronic priest-
hood, and anew Bible ! and wliich of them says they have got
a now dispensation ? None — so Ave justly conclude if others
may in some measure have stepped aside from the tract marked

out by Jesus, and the Apostles who wrote the New Testament,
the Mormons alone have taken directly the opposite path.

They will say the Spirit of God has changed the dispensation
and not them ; and that the Lord has as much right to change
the order of things now, as he had when Jesus came aforetime
in the flesh. Certainly, but let it be remarked that that change
was clearly predicted; for the Lord finding fault with them,
said the days should come in which he would make a new co-
venant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah,
Heb. viii. Whereas, on the contrary it is declared, that this
kingdom or dispensation cannot be moved, Heb. xli. 28.
They may attempt to move the decree and alter the plan of the
Almighty that will, but we clearly perceive their temple build-
ing has proved, as yet, little more successful than the attempt
of Julian to falsify the prediction of our Saviour, in regard to
the temple at Jerusalem.

They vn]l tell us, however, that this great change has
been clearly foretold by the prophets in the Old Testa-
ment, for Malachi prophesied that the Lord would come to
his temple, and then he would purify the sons of Levi,
MaL iii. Now as one of the Mormon apostles observes in one
of his books, viz: Mr. P. Pratt, in the book he calls "A Voice
of Warning" page 14!, that, "the student of prophecy ought to
be careful to ascertain what portion has been fulfilled, and what
remains to be fulfilled,"we shall take his advice, for it is good,
and cordially recommend it to himself, for he seems to practise
it less than any body else. Malachi says the Lord will come to
h's temple, and Haggai intimates the same thing, Hag. ii. 7.
But Pratt, utterly heedless of his own maxim, will tell us that
prophecy was never fulfilled, nor can be until a temple is built
in America, and Jesus Christ comes to it. But we presume to
ask even P. Pratt, whom the Mormons esteem a greater apostle
than Paul, if this passage has not had the most literal fulfil-
ment that could be desired. " Behold, I send my messenger
before my face." — v/as not John the Baptist that herald, a voice
crying in the wilderness, " Prepare ye the way of the Lord,"
&c. Luke iii, 4. 5. " The Lord whom ye seek shall suddenly
come to his temple." Did not Jesus Christ come to the temple
of which Haggai and Malachi speak suddenly and unexpec-
tedly ? the infant Jesus was presented to the Lord according
to the manner of the law in the temple : — and after he began
his public ministry, he taught daily in the temple, and thus
lillcd that inferior structure with greater glory than was

8

manifest in the temple built by Solomon ; for he who de-
clared himself to be greater than Solomon was the light of the
world, the glory of the Father, and the true Schechiuah ;"yea,
the INIessenger of the new covenant which the Lord hath made
with the house of Israel, and the house of Judah. He sat in
their temple and synagogues, and taught doctrines among them,
which retined them as lire, and, the dross was separated from
the pure metal. But such as rejected him, and would not be
refined by his doctrine were consumed, " for our God is a con-
suming fire," as well as a refining fire. The Mormons pret^id
they are the sons of Levi, whom Jesus is to purify when he
comes to the temple in America. Were he ever to attempt such
a purification, it is to be feared he would exclaim with the pro-
phet Jer. vi. 29, 30, " reprobate sQver shall men call them, for
the Lord hath rejected them." But what made them of the
tribe of Levi, seeing they are so manifestly of Gentile ex-
traction, whose forefathers so recently, from this part of the
globe chiefly, emigrated for that land ? If it would be uncourte-
ouR or uncharitable to say as Jesus said to the Jews, " ye are
of your Father the DevU," we canuot go quite so far as to ac-
knowledge the Mormon priesthood to be the sons of Levi ; but
we will mitigate the matter, and not be thougkt far wrong by
all that have judgment in the word of the Lord, when we say
they are the sons of delusion. Did not Jesus, the great high-
priest of our profession purify the priesthood according to the
words of Malachi, that they might offer unto the Lord an offer-
ing in righteousness ? Peter says (1 Epistle ii. 5, 9.) that all true
christians are of the holy priesthood, who offer spiritual sacri-
fices to God, through Jesus Christ. Pratt and the Mormon
lights cannot endure any thing spiritual, hence we alwavs find
them more intent about vilifying the ministers of tlie gospel,
and other religious bodies, than praying to God, or offering
spiritual sacrifices, when they profess to meet for worship. In
fact, they wont hear of any prophecy or doctrme that is not
couched in the most literal terms. Hence as the prophetic
parts of the scriptures abound in figurative forms of speech,
they are^ found to misconstrue a very great portion of that holy
book, by their literal interpretations of metaphorical words and
phrases.

Take, for an instance, their application of Isaiah's descrip-
tion of a calamity that came upon the Jews and their land many
centuries back. (Isa. xxiv. 6.) The earth, say they, was
never yet destroyed by fire, and but a few men left in it, as it

was overflowed by water in the days of Noah, and therefore
the prophecy remains to be fulfilled. This is literal interpreta-
tion. Let the whole Mormon priesthood take their bibles and
refer to Deu. xxxii. 22, 24;, and they will see that Mo?es spoke
of their destruction and dispersion in similar language : yea,
he said they should be burnt with hunger, and devoured with
burning heat, and with bitter destruction. Burnt with hunger !
apply the rule of literal interpretation here, and the most igno-
rant will discover the folly. The psalmist says, *' while 1 was
musing the fire burned." Psa. xxxix. 3. If this fire be literal,
we hope to be kept from musing, for the consequence seems to
be inevitable destruction. But if they have any common ho-
nesty left, and really wish to understand the passage in Isa.
xxiv, let them compare it with Psa. Ixxxiii. 14, and xcvii, 3.
Let them look at Isa. ix. 18. and they will see that wickedness
burneth like fire, and through it the inhabitants of a land are
consumed like the thickets of a forest, and evaporate as the
lifting up of smoke. Thus we see that the sins of the people
kindled the fire of the Almighty, and he burnt or consumed
them by hunger, and divers other calamities which he sent upon
them, even nntU there was frequently but a tliin population
in the land, as the prophet declared.

Perhaps the most ignorant and romantic of all their applica-
tions of the scriptures, is their attempt to prove the book of
Mormon true from two or three passages wbich we will now
examine. The psalmist in Psa. bcxxv. speaking of the Lord
being favourable unto the land of Israel, and bringing back the
captivity of Jacob ; he says, thou hast forgiven the iniquity of
thy people; thou hast covered all their sin; and in the 11th
verse, he says, " truth shall spring out ot the earth, and righte-
ousness look down from heaven." Now the next verse will
fuUy explain what is meant by truth springing out of the earth in
the view of every one except the Mormons, for it says the "land
shall yield her increase, while the Lord gives that which is good
from heaven, viz : the gentle dews, and the genial warmth of
the sun. But if we refer to Pratt's ' Voice of Warning, ' alias
nonsense, page 121, we find him so devoid of common sense as
to teU his readers that " truth springing out of the earth "
means the book of Mormon, which they pretend was found in
one of the American hUls, by Smith, being discovered to him
by an angel. Whether -will the intelligent and pious part of the
community receive this imposition or the Arabian imposture
sooner ? for the Alcoran certainly has as strong claims to ere-

10

dibility as tte book of Mormon — we are persuaded they will
reject the latter, until they can accept of the former.

The next passage which proves the book of Mormon to be
the word of God, according to their mystic logic, is to be found
in Isa. xxix. 11, 12. where the prophet tells us the Lord had
poured upon the people the spirit of deep sleep ; and had hid
from them the prophets, seers, and rulers. And then as a mat-
ter of course, the open vision was taken away, seeing the seers
were hid, and, to use a comparison, it was just as much sealed
up as the words of a book would be if its covers were sealed.
Well, its plain enough, and every body must understand so
simple a comparison. Yea, so plain that the Mormons have
found a prophecy in it of a book that was to come forvvard in
these times. In Jer. xxxi, 18. Ephraim is said to bemoan
himself thus : '' Thou hast chastised me, and I was chastised,
as a bullock unaccustomed to the yoke." We may expect to
hear of this bullock being found on some of the American
prairies, glens, or mountains, by some of the Mormons ere long ;
for they have already found the identical book that Isaiah
meant, when he told the J ews their open vision had become like
a sealed book unto them, shut up to both the learned and the
unlearned. These Mormons never spiritualize the scriptures ! —
no ; quite innocent of that charge. They wrest the simplest
comparisons into prophecies or any thing that suits their pur-
pose. We reject the book until they have caught the bullock.

But the passage they seem to consider most conclusive is
found in the 3Tth chap, of Ezekiel ; the prophet was com-
manded to prophecy of the return of Israel from captivity,
("whether the prophecy be fulfilled or not, we need not now en-
quire) and he was told to bring a sign before the people, as was
frequently the case, that they might be the more deeply im-
pressed. He was told to take a stick and write or engrave a
particular mark upon it, to signify that it represented the king-
dom of Judah, and all that pertained to them ; and then take
another stick and mark it also, and it should represent the king-
dom ol Israel, and all that dwelt within their borders. And
while he stood before the people he was to join them together,
and they should become one in his hand, whether by a miracle
or by some mechanical preparation at the end of the sticks it is
not said, nor does it at all affect the present enquiry. When
the people should ask what the prophet meant by this sign, he
was to say unto them, even while the sticks were in his hand
before the people, " Thus saith the Lord God, I will take the
children of Israel from among the heathen, whither they be

11

gone, and will gather them on every side, and will bring them
into their own land ; and I will make them one nation in the
land upon the mountains of Israel," &c. Who can find a book
here P there is not the slightest mention of any of the materials
of which a book is made, neither paper, parchment, leather, or
any thing of the kind, but two sticks, representing two king-
doms, and their junction by the prophet is said expressly and
clearly to signify the union of those two nations upon the moun-
tains of Israel 1*. Pratt, in reference to this passage says,
that nothing can be more plain ; and we would also have thought
it to be so plain that two opinions could not have been formed
respecting its meaning ; but we find that he understands it in a
A'ery different light to all besides his own part}'. He says there
was presented two wi'iiings , the one to Ephraim and the other to
Judah. The devil could not have fabricated a more direct lie,
for there was no writings at all, but two sticks, and it is in vain
for him to say they signified books, while the prophet was com-
manded to explain it to the people as meaning their return and
union as two nations.

"We would ask Mr. P. if he thinks Ezekiel held the bible and the
book of Mormon in his hands on that occasion; or whether he nnder-
Ptands these sticks only to represent those two books P If he says the
former is his well-gronnded opinion, then of course Ezekiel mnst be the
sole author of both the bible and the book of Mormon, for he alone was
commanded to write upon or mark the sticks. But if he says the latter,
■we ask him for his authority, for its not in the passage ; and h^ may ask
Joseph Smith, and he may look through his pretended Urim and
Thiimmim, and see if he can find any.

Before coming to a conclusion, we would just notice the folly and ab-
surdity of them taking upon themselves the exclusive title of " Latter
Day Saints ; " seeing that all the disciples who lived in the times of the
apostles were saints of the last days, according to the passages we have
referred to, and that the whole of the christian community by virtue of
their union with the holy one of God, are entitled to be the saints of the
most high. This is a general name, and peculiar to none. But in the
apostolic times we find particular names to point out their local differ-
ences. Mr. P. has marked us down as deceivers because we still presume
to think ourselves saints of the last days without being Mormonites !

It may be well ve'^ briefly to shew the reader how our separation from
the Mormon church was effected. The writer had been among them
about three months, and in that short space of time, he had gone through
several transformations, first baring been made a priest after the order of
Aaron ; and then an elder after the order of Melchisedec as they pretend.
He could nevei be brought to adopt the Mormon style of preaching, and
began to speak rather too freely and clearly against their sins and super-
stitions; especially against the wild mania of wives learing their hus-
bands and emigrating to America, being filled with the notion of luxury
and riches without working, when they get to the Mormon Zion. A
woman that lived in Oldham, of the name of "Walwork, of very dubious
charactL»r, but in every sense of the word the head of the house, sold up

12

her goods, corapalled her husband to allow her to go to America with the
money, and himself to stop behind. He remained a week or two in
great disquietude, until hearing the ship had been driven back by stress
of weather, he made his way to Liverpool, to see if he could not get his
only child from his unfaithful wife, if there was no possibility of pre-
venting her. But when the wily leaders- of the emigration saw them
dragging the child between them as if they would pull it limb from limli,
they promised the man a free passage, rather than be exposed to the ob-
servation of the public.

The present author wrote a letter to the afore.'said apostle, P. Pratt,
iutiusating pretty clearly that it wa< as much the duty of wives to love
their husbands, as to emigrate to America, which seemed to arouse his
fears and jealousy, and which soon produced a suspension note, wirh a'
young man to take his place. He thought that an apostle would be a
man of reason, but in that he was truly deceived. At last he thought
him ignorant of the nature aud duties of the apostolic ofi'ice, and he would
try to instruct him, and therefore produced several passages from the new
testament, shewing very clearly that the foiiner apostles were men of
reason, and never thought they were endowed with an irresponsible pow-
er, and did not attempt to compel elders or evangelists to leave places,
or go and preach in places they did not wish to leave or go to; particu-
larly he referred to Cor. xvi. 12. which proves that Paul could not com-
pel A poHos to go to Corinth before he felt a wish to go himself. This
oufirht to have convinced Mr. P. but what was the authors astonishment
when he afterwards learned thatthe Mormons estrem this man of greater
authority and power than ever Paul could pretend to. Here his eyes
began to be more clearly open than ever ; aud the church at Kochdalevery
generally began to see, from a many circumstances that occurred at the
same time, the folly of Mormonism, and the danger and wickedness of
])riej^tcraft. So they resolved to remove the beautiful cloak, and exorcise
the Mormon monster, which, we understand, brought two lijgh-pricsts
from Manchester, (not of the tribe and lineage of Caiphas, who con-
demned Jesus) to cut us off, as they pretended, — butthey were miserably
defeated.

We nitw stand as a separata church and congregation, and endeavour
by tli(> aid of the Spirit to worship God according to the principles of the
new testament, in a room which we occupy for that purpose, in Corn
Mill Brow, Mf unt-plea.-iaut, Rochdale ; and we cordially invite the pub-
lic of that vic.niiy to worship with us.

A GARDNER.

JANUARY. 1«2.

Jesse Hall, Printer and Buolw^Ui:r^ Rochdale.