Howe, E. D. Mormonism Unvailed: Or, A Faithful Account of Th

Howe, E. D. Mormonism Unvailed: Or, A Faithful Account of That Singular Imposition and Delusion, From Its Rise to the Present Time. With Sketches of the Characters of Its Propagators, and a Full Detail of the Manner in which the Famous Golden Bible was Brought Before the World. To Which Are Added, Inquiries Into the Probability that the Historical Part of the Said Bible Was Written By One Solomon Spalding, More than Twenty Years Ago, and By Him Intended to Have Been Published As A Romance. Painesville, Ohio: E. D. Howe, 1834.
CHAPTER VIII.
Before the publication of the book, Smith found many to believe its contents, from the ghost stories which he related concerning it. Soon after it was issued from the press, a person by the name of Parley P. Pratt happened to be passing on the canal through Palmyra, and hearing of the wonders of the gold plates and huge spectacles, called on the prophet, and was soon converted. This Pratt then resided in Lorain County, Ohio; and had, some time previous, formed an intimacy with Sidney Rigdon, and became a convert to his doctrines. This Rigdon was a man of great eloquence, belonging to a denomination of Christians, who style themselves, “Disciples,” or “Reformers,” and who are also, by their opponents, in derision, called “Campbellites.” He resided in the County of Geauga, and but a few miles from the place which has since been made the head quarters of Smith. He was a very popular preacher, and had large congregations in different parts of the country. If there was a man in the world that could successfully spread and give a name to the vagaries of the Smiths, it was Rigdon. They soon became convinced of this, by the representations of Pratt. We may here stop to remark than an opinion has prevailed, to a considerable extent, that Rigdon has been the Iago, the prime mover, of the whole conspiracy. Of this, however, we have no positive proof; but many circumstances have carried a suspicious appearance; and further developements may establish the fact. Either before or soon after the arrival of Pratt at Manchester, among the Smiths, it appears that an expedition was fitted out for the Western Country, under command of [100] Cowdery, in order to convert the Indians, or Lamanites, as they called them. As a preparatory step, a long revelation was furnished by Smith, to Cowdery, to serve as his credentials. This curious document will be found in the succeeding pages, from which it will be seen that the prophet, at the outset, feared a rivalship, and took effectual means to put it down. His brother Hiram, it appears, also undertook to write some mysteries from a stone, which was forthwith vetoed, and pronounced to be the work of Satan. As Cowdery had been a scribe to the prophet, it became necessary to supply his place. He therefore very prudently and affectionately, had the following command for his wife: “A commandment to Emma, my daughter in Zion, A. “D., 1830.—A revelation I give unto you concerning my “will. Behold, thy sins are forgiven thee, and thou art an “Elect Lady, whom I have called. Murmur not because “of the things which thou hast seen, for they are withheld “from thee and from the world, which is wisdom in me in “a time to come; and the office of thy calling shall be for “a comfort unto my servant Joseph, thy husband, in his af- “flictions, with consoling words in the spirit of meekness ; “and thou shalt go with him at the time of his going, and be “unto him a scribe, that I may send Oliver whithersoever “I will: and thou shalt be ordained under his hand to ex- “pound the scripture, and to exhort the church according “as it shall be given thee by my spirit, for he shall lay his “hands upon thee and thou shalt receive the Holy Ghost ; “and thy time shall be given to writing and to learning much; “and thou needst not fear, for thy husband shall support “thee from the church, for unto them is his calling, that “all things might be revealed unto them whatsoever I will “according to their faith ; and verily I say unto thee, that “thou shalt lay aside the things of this world and seek for “the things of a better ; and it shall be given thee also to [101] “make a selection of sacred Hymns as it shall be given “thee, which is pleasing unto me to be had in my church,