With what feelings of commingled pity and contempt does every Latter Day Saint, whose mind has thoroughly canvassed the principles of our faith, and in whose heart dwells that "unction from the Holy One," look upon that want of generosity and frankness, which he is often compelled to witness, when he knows that in his own bosom, independent of a boasting spirit, or any desire of vain glory, are jewels of light, truth, and knowledge, as far superior in lustre to any thing which they possess, as the purest diamond is to the common pebble of the rivulet!
I concluded, however, that I would try to discharge my duty before God, without subjecting any one to the humble mortification of giving me an introduction. For myself, I feel not very jealous of my popularity where the cause of truth requires me to hazard it, and am not so very particular. If my name be only recorded in heaven, on the list of the sanctified, it will abundantly compensate me for the sacrifice which duty calls me to make of it among men. Let them, therefore, look upon me as they may, a deceiver or a deceived, a wise man or a fool, I feel very thankful to the Lord for what mine eyes have seen, mine ears have heard, and, more than all, for what my soul has experienced; and it is my constant prayer to an over-ruling Providence, that his free grace may be amply sufficient to bear me triumphantly through life's conflicting scenes, that my poor heart may swell the notes of praise and thanksgiving for ever and ever to HIM who died to save me and wash me from my sins, in his own most precious blood.
Summoning up, therefore, what little address I had, I procured a valet d'place, or lackey, and proceeded to the house of Mr. Simons, a very respectable Jew, who, with some of his family, had lately been converted and joined the English Church. I entered their dwelling. They had just sat down to enjoy a dish of coffee; but immediately arose from the table to meet me. I spake to them in German, and asked them if they spoke English; they immediately replied "Yes," which was a very agreeable sound to my ear. They asked me, in German, if I spoke English. I replied, "Ya, Mein Herr." I then introduced myself to them, and, with a little apology, it passed off as well as though I had been introduced by the Pacha. With that glow of warmth and familiarity, which is a peculiar trait in the German character, they would have me sit down and take a dish with them; and as I began to relate some things relative to my mission, the smiles of joy which sat upon their countenances, bespoke hearts not altogether indifferent. There are two ministers of the Church of England there. One was confined to his bed by sickness, and the other, a German, and a Jew by birth, soon came in. After an introduction, I took the liberty to lay open to him some of our principles, and gave him a copy of the communication to the Jews in Constantinople to read. After he had read it, he said that my motives were undoubtedly very good, but questioned the propriety of my undertaking, from the fact that I claimed God had sent me. If, indeed, I had gone to Jerusalem under the direction of some missionary board, or society, and left God out of the question altogether, I should have been received as a celestial messenger. How truly did our Saviour speak, when he said, "I am come in my father's name, and ye receive me not; but if another were to come in his own name, him ye would receive." I replied, however, that so far as I could know my own heart, my motives were most certainly good; yet, said I, no better than the cause which has brought me here. But he, like all others who worship a God "without body or parts," said that miracles, visions, and prophecy had ceased.
The course which the popular clergy pursue at this time in relation to the Divine economy, looks to me as though they would say; "O Lord! we will worship thee with all our hearts, serve thee with all our souls and be very pious and holy. We will even gather Israel, convert the heathen, and bring in the millennium, if you will only let us alone that we may do it in our own way, and according to our own will. But if you speak from heaven to interfere with our plans, or cause any to see visions or dream dreams or prophecy whereby we are disturbed or interrupted in our worship, we will exert all our strength and skill to deny what you say, and charge it home upon the devil or some wild fantastic spirit, as being its author."
That which was looked upon by the ancient saints, at among the greatest favours and blessings, viz., Revelation from God and communion with him by dreams and by visions, is now looked upon by the religious world as the height of presumption and folly. The ancient saints considered their condition most deplorable when Jehovah would not speak to them; but the most orthodox religionists of this age deem it quite heterodox to even admit the probability that he ever will speak again. O, my soul! language fails to paint the absurdity and abomination of such heaven-opposing, and truth-excluding dogmas; and were it possible for those bright seraphs that surround the throne above, and bask in the sunbeams of immortality, to weep over the inconsistency and irrationality of mortals, the earth must be bedewed with celestial tears. My humble advice to all such is, that they repent and cast far from them these wicked traditions, and be baptized into the new and everlasting covenant, lest the Lord speak to them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure.
After some considerable conversation upon the priesthood and the renewal of the covenant, I called upon him to repent and be baptized for the remission of his sins, that he might receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. What! said he, I be baptized! Yes, said I, you be baptized. Why, said he, I have been baptized already! I replied something after the following: "You have, probably, been sprinkled, but that has no more to do with baptism than any other ordinance of man's device; and even if you had been immersed, you would not have bettered your condition, for your priesthood is without power. If, indeed, the catholic church had power to give you an ordination, and by that ordination confer the priesthood upon you, they certainly had power to nullify that act, and take the priesthood from you; and this power they exercised when you dissented from their communion, by excluding you from their church. But if the catholic church possessed not the priesthood, of course your claims to it are as groundless as the airy phantoms of heathen mythology: so view the question on which side you may, there is no possible chance of admitting the validity of your claims to it. Be it known, therefore, that ordinances performed under the administration of such a priesthood, though they may even be correct in form, will be found destitute of the seal of that authority by which heaven will recognise his own in the day when every man's work shall be tried: though a priesthood may be clothed with the wealth and honours of a great and powerful nation, and command the respect and veneration of multitudes whose eyes are blinded by the thick veil of popular opinion, and whose powers of reflection and deep thought are confused and lost in the general cry of "great is Diana of the Ephesians," yet all this does not impart to it the divine sanction, or animate it with the spirit of life and power from the bosom of the living God; and there is a period in future time, when, in the smoking ruins of Babel's pride and glory, it must fall and retire to the shades of forgetfulness, to the grief and mortification of its unfortunate votaries.
In consequence of his great volubility, I was under the disagreeable necessity of tuning my voice to a pretty high key, and of spacing short between words; determining that neither his greatness nor learning should shield him from the shafts of a faithful testimony: but there is more hope of those Jews receiving the fullness of the gospel, whose minds have never been poisoned by the bane of modern sectarianism, which closes the mouth of deity, and shuts up in heaven all the angels, visions, and prophecyings.
Mrs. Whiting told me that there had been four Jewish people in Jerusalem converted and baptized by the English minister, and four only; and that a part of the ground for an English church had been purchased there.
It was by political power and influence that the Jewish nation was broken down, and her subjects dispersed abroad; and I will here hazard the opinion, that by political power and influence, they will be gathered and built up; and, further, that England is destined, in the wisdom and economy of heaven, to stretch forth the arm of political power, and advance in the front ranks of this glorious enterprise. The Lord once raised up a Cyrus to restore the Jews, but that was not evidence that he owned the religion of the Persians. This opinion I submit, however, to your superior wisdom to correct, if you shall find it wrong.
There is an increasing anxiety in Europe for the restoration of that people; and this anxiety is not confined to the pale of any religious community, but it has found its way to the courts of kings. Special ambassadors have been sent, and consuls and consular-agents have been appointed. The rigorous policy which has hitherto characterised the course of other nations towards them, now begins to be softened by the oil of friendship, and modified by the balm of humanity. The sufferings and privations under which they have groaned for so many centuries, have at length touched the mainsprings of Gentile power and sympathy; and may the God of their fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, fan the flame by celestial breezes, until Israel's banner, sanctified by a Saviour's blood, shall float on the walls of Old Jerusalem, and the mountains and valleys of Judea reverberate with their songs of praise and thanksgiving to the Lamb that was slain!