presented, and of course was useless; he was censured by some for not presenting it, but I suppose the spirit directed him not to do it.

Another method has been invented, in order to remove obstacles which hitherto had proved insurmountable. "The Lord's store-house," is to be furnished with goods suited to the Indian trade, and persons are to obtain license from the government to dispose of them to the Indians in their own territory; at the same time they are to disseminate the principles of Mormonism among them. From this smuggling method of preaching to the Indians, they anticipate a favorable result. In addition to this, and to co-operate with it, it has been made known by revelation, that it will be pleasing to the Lord, should they form a matrimonial alliance with the natives; and by this means the Elders, who comply with the thing so pleasing to the Lord, and for which the Lord has promised to bless those who do it abundantly, gain a residence in the Indian territory, independent of the agent. It has been made known to one, who has left his wife in the State of New York, that he is entirely free from his wife, and he is at pleasure to take him a wife from among the Lamanites. It was casily perceived that this permission was perfectly suited to his desires. I have frequently heard him state that the Lord had made it known to him, that he is as free from his wife as from any other woman; and the only crime I ever heard alleged against her is, she is violently opposed to Mormonism. But before this contemplated marriage can be carried into effect, he must return to the State of New York and settle his business, for fear, should he return after that affair had taken place, the civil authority would apprehend him as a criminal.

It is with pleasure I close this exposition, having in part accomplished, what I intended when I commenced it. The employment has been an unpleasant one to me, and from

the first, I should gladly have avoided it, could I have done it, and maintained a conscience void of offence, towards God and man. But should an individual by this exposition, be extricated or prevented from falling into the delusion, which has been the subject of consideration, I shall be amply compensated, for the painful task which I have performed Yours affectionately, EZRA BOOTH.

CHAPTER XVI.

We have already given the reader a pretty fair view of this artful imposition, which may be considered all that is requisite to stamp it with infamy, in the estimation of rational minds. The preceding letters alone are amply sufficient to scatter the whole system of deception to the four winds; but we have yet many curious and rare documents in store. A few revelations will be here inserted, as a specimen of the manner in which the Prophet governs and rebukes his dupcs. The first will show the means he employed to get over and obviate the contentions among them, on their first visit to Missouri, briefly alluded to by Mr. Booth. In this the cloven foot is very prominent.

"ZION, August 3d, 1831.

"Hearken, O ye Elders of my Church, and give ear to my word, and learn of me what I will concerning you; for verily I say unto you, blessed is he that keepeth my commandments, whether in life or in death; and he that is faithful in tribulation, the reward of the same is greater in the

Kingdom. Ye cannot behold with your natural eyes, for the present time, the design of your God concerning those things which shall follow after much tribulation, for after much tribulation cometh the blessing. Wherefore, the day cometh that ye shall be rewarded with much glory-the hour is not yet, but is nigh at hand; remember this, which I told you before, that you may lay it to heart, and receive that which shall follow.

"Behold, verily I say unto you, for this cause have I sent you that ye might be obedient, and that your hearts might be prepared to bear testimony of the things which are to come, and also that you might be favored of laying the foundation, and bearing record of the land upon which the Zion of God shall stand, and also that a feast of fat things might be prepared for the poor, yea, a feast of fat things, of wine on the lees well refined, that the earth may know that the mouths of the prophets shall not fail; yea, a supper of the house of the Lord, well prepared; unto which all nations shall be invited: firstly, the rich, and the learned, the wise and the noble; and after that cometh the day of my power-then shall the poor, the lame, and the blind, and the deaf, come in unto the marrriage of the lamb, prepared for the great day to come; behold, I the Lord hath spoken it, and that the testimony might go forth from Zion, yea, from the mouth of the city of the heritage of God; yea, for this cause I have sent you hither, and I have selected and chosen my servant Edward, and appointed unto him his mission in this land; but if he repent not of his sins, which is unbelief and blindness of heart, let him take heed lest he fall. Behold, his mission is given unto him, and it shall not be given again; and whosoever standeth in that mission is appointed to be a judge in Israel, like as it was in ancient days, to divide the lands of the heritage of God unto his children, and to judge his people by the testi

mony of the just by the assistance of his counsellors, according to the laws of the kingdom, which were given by the prophets of God; for, verily I say unto you, my laws shall be kept in the land; let no man think that he is ruler, but let God rule, that judgeth according to the council of his own will, or in other words, him that sitteth upon the judgment seat. Let no man break the laws of the land, wherefore, be subject to the powers that be, until he reigns whose right it is to reign and subdue all his enemies under his feet. Behold the laws which ye have recorded from my hand, are the laws of the church-in this light shall ye hold them forth. Behold, here is wisdom, and as I speak concerning my servant Edward, this land is the land of his residence, and those whom he hath appointed for his counsellors, and all the land of the residence of him whom I have appointed to keep my store-house. Wherefore, let them bring their families to this land, as they shall counsel between themselves and me; for, behold it is not meet that I should command in all things, for he that is compelled in all things, is a slothful and not a wise servant; wherefore, he receiveth no reward. Verily I say, men should be anx iously engaged in a good cause, and do many things of their own free will and bring to pass much righteousness, for the power is in them, wherein they are agents unto themselves; and inasmuch as men do good they shall in no wise loose their reward; but he that doeth not any thing until he is commanded, and receiveth a commandment with a doubtful heart, and keepeth it with slothfulness, the same is damned. Who am I that made man, saith the Lord, that will hold him guiltless that obey not my commandments. Who am I, saith the Lord, that have ordained and have not fulfilled. I command, and a man obey not; I revoke, and they receive not the blessing-then they say in their hearts this is not the work of the Lord, for his promises

are not fulfilled; but woe unto such, for their reward lurketh beneath and not from above. And now I give unto you further directions concerning this land; it is wisdom in me that my servant Martin, should be an example unto the church, in laying his money before the bishop of the church; and also, this is the law unto every man that cometh into this land to receive an inheritance, and he shall do with his money according as the law directs; and it is wisdom, also, that there should be lands purchased in Independence for the place of the store-house, and also for the house of the printing, and other directions concerning my servant Martin, of the spirit that he may receive his inheritance as seemeth him good-and let him him repent of his sins, for he seeketh praise of the world; and also let my servant William stand in the office which I have appointed him, and receive his inheritance in the land; and also he hath need to repent, for I the Lord am not pleased with him, for he seeketh to exult, and he is not sufficiently meek. Behold, he that hath repented of his sins, the same is forgiven, and I the Lord remembereth them no more-by this may ye know if a man repenteth of his sins, behold he will confess them and forsake them; and now, verily I say concerning the residue of the Elders of my church, the time has not yet come for many years, for them to receive their inheritance in this land, except they desire it through prayer only, as it shall be appointed unto them, for behold they shall push the people together from the ends of the earth, wherefore, assemble yourselves together, and he that is not appointed to stay in the land, let them preach the gospel in the regions round about; and after that let them return to their homes. Let them preach by the way, and bear testimony of the truth in all places, and call upon the rich, the high, and the low, and the poor, to repent; and let them build up churches, inasmuch as the inhabitants of