# The Evening and the Morning Star, v2n14, editorial matter attributed to W. W. Phelps (editor)
# Date: July 1833 (Independence, Missouri)
# Source: http://www.centerplace.org/history/ems/v2n14.htm (centerplace.org transcription). Pieces: BEWARE OF FALSE PROPHETS; ERRORS OF THE BIBLE; THE GATHERING, &c; SCHOOLS; A BEE STORY; THE BOOK OF MORMON; FREE PEOPLE OF COLOR. Notes: unsigned editorials in Phelps-edited issue (confidence medium; 'To Man' June 1832 signed W. W. PHELPS = high); revelations, scripture extracts, reprints, hymns, and others' letters excluded; quoted matter and detected unmarked scripture paragraphs stripped; transcriber bracket-corrections removed (original spelling retained).

[BEWARE OF FALSE PROPHETS]

Our object in quoting this caution of our blessed Savior, is to give the saints and the world, inasmuch as the inhabitants thereof wish to enter in at the door and be saved, a few hints relative to false prophets.

There have been, are, and will be, till the Lord comes, false prophets, that have tried to, and would if possible, but it is not possible, deceive the very elect.

To come to the point, there were to be many that should deceive many in the last days: such as Paul said should be lovers of themselves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, false accusers, incontinent, dispisers of those that are good; lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God, having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof.

It has long been so, that if a saint went east, west, north or south, he could not go, without having his ears continually saluted by individuals of this character.-He could find many deceiving many. How often have many in the presence of many, declared, without the gift of inspiration, that such and such would be damned, except they believed thus and thus, when the Lord says, more than once in the scriptures, Vengeance is mine, I will repay.

It is, and has long been, an acknowledged point, that there can not be but one church of Christ, as there is one Lord, one faith, and one baptism. With this sacred truth before us, amid all the confusion, and trouble now existing, in consequence of so many different denominations, all declaring they are right, and that they take their doctrines from the holy scriptures, we feel it a duty that we owe to God and to all that seek the riches of eternity, to say as Jesus said: Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing.

When men, who pretend to be shepherds of the Lord's sheep, without authority, rail against the word of the Lord, or endeavor to warp its meaning to fit some peculiar notion, which will never extend farther than to gain the esteem and goods of this world, we say, Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing.

When men, as servants of the Lord, under the sacred name of religion, instead of building up the church of Christ, by preaching baptism for the remission of sins, and the gift of the Holy Ghost, by the laying on of the hands, with a promise of eternal life, by keeping all the commandments of the Lord, and continuing faithful to the end, are building up mite societies, temperance societies, missionary societies, bible societies, or any other societies wherein the scribes and pharisees sit in Moses' seat; or wherein money is the principal means of urging on the work of the Lord, (as it is termed) seeing that the blessed Savior never taught any such things as the gospel, or as an appendage to it, we exclaim, Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.

When men, that are looked up to as teachers in Israel, mingle in the follies and fashions of the world, and look upon sin with any degree of allowance; give their opinions on the most popular side of the question, because great A is on that side too, without even examining into the truth of either side; yea when such men are ready and willing, without being asked, to write, print, or publish their opinions upon what they are not acquainted, and much less judges, whereby they unman themselves of honesty, for the sake of forcing public opinion against any man, or men, country or kingdom, earthly or heavenly-we caution all men, and who will not do so to? Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.

We might pursue this subject to a great length but who, that believes in the revelations of the Lord, is not ready to say, the world is full of such men? Instead of seeing all men every where, repent to prepare for the kingdom of God, the time has come, when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts they heap to themselves teachers having itching ears.

Instead of seeing all men every where, coming to a unity in the faith, and enjoying the glorious privilege of the new covenant, the time has come, when almost every teacher forms his own creed, and where we would expect to find one of Christ's-we behold hundreds of man's churches.

Instead of seeing devout and humble followers of the meek and lowly Jesus, preaching the gospel without respect to persons, without purse or scrip, willing to become any thing for Christ's sake, contending earnestly for the faith once delivered to the saints, we may behold some, supported by large salaries, striving shrewdly to maintain the systems invented by men since they rejected the gift of the Holy Spirit, which is enough to cause the righteous to shudder, and cry out, Beware of false prophets.

We are sure that the Lord delights in plainness, if it is expressed in meekness, and he is well pleased with those that serve him in spirit and in truth: He is not the author of confusion in his church, but of peace. The gospel was committed unto man that he might pe prepared for a kingdom of glory; but when we observe them that pretend, or profess to be disciples of him that sinned not, but did the will of his Father in all things, full of pride, and full of contention; fond of vanity, and fond of variety, what can constrain us from crying, Beware of false prophets?

Lest we should offend any of the disciples of Christ, or even tire the patience of any, that are earnestly seeking the kingdom of our Redeemer and its righteousness, we will say something about true prophets.

When the Lord by the mouth of Noah, warned the inhabitants of the earth of a flood, giving them one hundred and twenty years to prepare in, the flood came: This proved that Noah was a true prophet.

When the Lord said to Abram, know thou for a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs; and shall be afflicted four hundred years and after wards they shall come out with great substance: When the children of Israel were brought out of Egypt under the hand of Moses, precisely four hundred and thirty years from the time that Jacob with his household entered into it, having been afflicted four hundred of that time, the fact must have been, if not before, established in the minds of all who had a knowledge of the word of the Lord to Abraham, that he was a true prophet.

When Moses declared the words of the Lord to the children of Israel, that if they would not observe to do all the words of the law, as it was written in the book that they might fear the glorious and fearful name of the Lord their God, that the Lord would scatter them among all people from the one end of the earth even to the other, and they were afterwards scattered, the ten tribes first and so on, and at last the Jews, until the power of the holy people had ceased to be known, or even the elect to be respected, who, that believes the scripture denies that he, even Moses, was a true prophet of the Lord?

Again, many things have come to pass just as they were foretold, and who doubts that the men who delivered them, were moved upon by the Holy Ghost, and were true prophets? The prophet Joseph, who brought forth the book of Mormon, containing the fulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ, declared through the medium of that book, that there should be a gathering of the righteous on this continent, and in a revelation directly to the church, that in this generation, there should be men standing that should see a desolating sickness cover the earth, and in the name of the Lord, let us ask how long it will take, if so much as has come to pass in three years, is not sufficient evidence, to prove that he also is a true prophet of the Lord?

The only way of ascertaining a true prophet, is to compare his prophecies with the ancient word of God, and see if they agree, and if they do and come to pass, then certainly he is a true prophet: For it is not possible that the Lord will suffer FALSE prophets, to bring forth the truth, moved upon by the Holy Ghost, for it is written that the Holy Ghost dwelleth not in unholy temples. By their fruits shall they be known.

When, therefore any man, no matter who, or how high his standing may be, utters, or publishes, any thing that afterwards proves to be untrue, he is a false prophet. And if he does it uncalled for, for the sake of injuring his fellow-beings, or for the sake of gain, or to deceive any man, by putting a false coloring upon a matter of religion, to lead astray or prejudice the minds of any, to hinder them from receiving the truth, wo unto him, he is a false prophet and will have his part with the beast in the lake of fire and brimstone, where their worm dieth not and the fire is not quenched!

Truth is light, and needs no art to recommend it to the soul that loves the Lord: A wise man is choice of his heart, but the fool exposes his to the world, and is not the better for it. Here then we can say, where we find a person uttering, or publishing, what he does not know to be a truth, merely to make a noise, whereby the least saint on earth might be offended, beware of false prophets, lest you have a portion with them, in the lake of fire and brimstone where their worm dieth not and the fire is not quenched.

Brethren in the church of Christ, did you ever hear of a true prophet, that persecuted any one for his religion, whether pure or of man? Did you ever hear, or have you ever read of a true prophet, that spake evil of any man, or that would lie to further the cause of God, or any thing else? If you have, brethren, then has the hypocrite an excuse for leaving his own fault unexposed, and, publishing his neighbor's to the world!

Then has the false prophet an opportunity to plead his right to send his lying words abroad, that he may obtain the praise and glory of this world, and deceive the simple.

But this is not so; what is good comes from the Lord, and what is evil comes from satan: therefore brethren, when any man, priest or prophet, minister or member, walks after the image of his own god, which is in the image and likeness of the word, and is filled with evil contentions, mark that man, for his heart is not right before the Lord, and his soul without repentance, will have a part in the lake of fire and brimstone, where their worm dieth not and the fire is not quenched.

Brethren, when a man who obeys the ordinances of the Lord, preaches, prophecies, utters or publishes, any thing that will make men better; anything that will guide men in the path of eternal life; any thing that will promote the fulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ, showing by a godly walk, and a holy conversation, that he is meek and humble; and witnessing unto the world that he is willing to leave father and mother, wife and children, houses and lands, for the sake of his Savior, follow his example, for his end will be peace, and his glory eternal in the presence of God.

Solomon once said, (let the saints mark the saying.) The words of a wise man's mouth are gracious; but the lips of a fool will swallow up himself.

[ERRORS OF THE BIBLE]

The apostle Paul said, in his day, Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. And when the disciples have read the following passing events of the bible, they may judge whether Paul was a true prophet or not. They are gleaned from our exchange papers.

2. The omission of obsolete words and phrases, and the substitution of equivalent terms now in use.

-> REMARKS ON THE ABOVE.-As to the errors in the bible, any man possessed of common understanding, knows, that both the old and new testaments are filled with errors, obscurities, italics and contradictions, which must be the work of men. As the church of Christ will soon have the scriptures, in their original purity, it may not be amiss for us to show a few of the gross errors, or, as they might be termed, contradictions.

It is said in the first chapter and 30th verse of Genesis, in our present King James' translation, That to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every GREEN herb for meat.

But the Lord said thus: To every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein I grant life, there shall be given every CLEAN herb for meat. It needs but little wisdom to discern the difference between green and clean. If the beasts and fowls were to eat of EVERY GREEN HERB, they would be very apt to eat some poison ones.

Again: In the king's translation, in the sixth chapter and 6th verse of Genesis, it is said that the Lord repented: It is thus written: And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.

The Lord never said that he repented as it is thus recorded in the present English bible: But it is thus: And it repented Noah, and his heart was pained, that the Lord had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.

Let one more sentence suffice for the present: King James translators made Paul say, in the eleventh chapter of Hebrews, Now faith is the SUBSTANCE of things hoped for: But Paul said, Now faith is the ASSURANCE of things hoped for.

As to a new translation, by Dr. Webster, we think he is already superseded in one which follows; yea, with all the euphemisms he could collect from his Quarto dictionary, he could not destroy the sublimity of the scripture faster, than Dr. Dickinson has.

[THE GATHERING, &c]

No one that believes in the revelations of the Lord, can, or will deny the gathering of the saints to holy places, in the last days. From the time that Jacob prophesied to his sons what should befal them in the last days, till as it is recorded in Acts: When, therefore, they were come together, they asked him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? the children of Israel, that were of a pure heart, expected a gathering, or, in other words, a restoration of all the tribes to the land of their inheritance.

But from this time, to those that Jesus answered: It is not for you to know the times nor the seasons which the Father hath put in his own power, it was not expected that the tribes would be restored; or, properly, the righteous gathered, till about the time that the glorious thousand years commenced, when a light should break forth among them that sat in darkness, that a present might be brought unto the Lord of hosts, of a people scattered and peeled, and from a people terrible from their beginning hitherto; a nation meted out and trodden under foot, whose land the rivers had spoiled, to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts, the mount Zion.

The Lord, who frequently speaks the same things by the mouths of different prophets, in different ages of the world, said, by his servants Isaiah, and Micah:

In support of this prophecy, which was delivered long before the coming of the Messiah, and which has not yet been fulfilled, the inhabitants of the earth may look and witness a part of the scene passing, to bring to pass the gathering of the Lord's elect.

Again, from rumors like the following, of which extracts have before appeared in our paper, we may naturally conclude that the Lord is bringing to pass his strange act.

THE RESTORATION OF THE JEWS.-To the city of Jerusalem, and to their long lost lovely country that it is said, is about becoming a very serious point of consideration among the cabinets of Europe. The complicated state of Turkish affairs, and the dread that Russia may acquire a footing on the Bosphorus and Asia Minor, have led the cabinets of Europe to inquire into the propriety of establishing an independent sovereignty in Palestine, as they have already done in Greece.

A new power raised up in Palestine, a Jewish Kingdom erected in Jerusalem, might prove a check to the designs of the Pacha of Egypt, as well as to the Northern Nicholas. It is said in private letters, that the celebrated Rothschild, and all the leading Israelites in Europe have been consulted on the subject, and that the project has been favorably received by many. The plan is to send an army and a fleet to Palestine, under the combined auspices of England and France, and to take possession of Palestine-to negotiate with Egypt, or fight that power, but at all events to lay the foundations of a new empire in the East, in which the Jews of Europe could occupy the first rank, on condition of their emigrating to that country, and furnishing that part of the funds necessary to defray the expenses.-Of course the utmost liberty of opinion in religion, would be extended to all classes in the new Judea, for it is a singular fact that the Jews of the present age are the most liberal thinkers in all matters of political and religious belief. The exclusiveness which pravailed in the of Jerusalem is completely changed in this age of the world.

In ancient days, Judah, (from whom sprang the Jews) was great in the eyes of the Lord. The scepture was not to depart from him, nor a law giver from between his feet, until the Savior, or, as it is written, Shiloh came:

Moses, who was a great prophet of the Lord, said many hundred years before Judah was scattered among all nations, Hear Lord, the voice of Judah, and bring him unto his people.

But the events which are beginning to come to pass of the Jews; and of the remnants of the tribe of Joseph; yea, of the Gentiles, show that for Zion's sake the Lord will not hold his peace, and for Jerusalem's sake he will not rest, until the righteousness thereof go forth as brightness, and the salvation thereof as a lamp that burneth.

It seems remarkable, to those who feel for their fellow beings, that so many rational persons, who profess to believe and understand the sacred scriptures, should be so blind to the events which are foretold in them, by the prophets of the Lord.

Some from all nations, according to the prophets have yet to be gathered to Zion; and the Lord is suddenly to come to his temple And the Jews must assemble at Jerusalem: For the Lord will yet comfort Zion and he will yet choose Jerusalem. The horn which the Gentiles lifted up over Judah to scatter it, will vanish when the Lord raises up out of his holy habitation, to shake terribly the earth! Be silent, O all flesh before him!

We might follow this pleasing subject to a great length, but as new events are constantly bursting upon an astonished world, and unfolding fresh evidence, that the lord has set his hand again the second time, to restore the scattered remnants of Israel, to the land of their inheritance, we leave the matter at the beginning.

[SCHOOLS]

Although we have frequently spoke of the necessity, of having children taught in all things appertaining to their welfare in this world, and that to come, still we feel a great anxiety on the subject, seeing that many children among the disciples, are deprived of, or do not enjoy the blessing of a school.

If children are to be brought up in the way they should go, to be good citizens here, and happy hereafter, they must be taught. It is idle to suppose, that children will grow up good, while surrounded with wickedness, without cultivation.-It is folly to suppose they can become learned without education. And it is in vain to think they may be saved in the kingdom of God, without salvation.

As soon as our father Adam was born of the water and the Spirit, he received a commandment to teach his children; and, as soon as the church was called to prepare for the Lord, in these last days, the fathers and mothers in Israel, were commanded to teach their children the plan of salvation; to pray, and to walk uprightly before the Lord.

In order to do this as it should be, it is necessary that children should be taught in the rudiments of common learning out of the best books; and then, as they grow up they can be qualified to search the scriptures, and acquire the knowledge of the Lord, become heirs of the kingdom, and, guided by the Holy Spirit, which is a never failing promise to the saints, they will walk in all the commandments of the Lord blameless, in thanksgiving forever.

Brethren, if you want your children to be useful, industrious, temperate, humane, meek and charitable, teach them so; if you want them to be prayerful, watchful and godly, teach them so, and if you want them saved in the celestial kingdom, teach them faithfully the doctrines of that kingdom, and they will soon come to the day, that they will grow up without sin unto salvation, and walk with God where the wicked will not trouble.

[A BEE STORY]

A friend told me the other day a bee story, and were he not a man on whose word I can strictly rely, I should set it down as a real Munchausen. Such as it is you shall have it.

In Wythe county, in Virginia, in a spur of the Alleghany Mountains, called the 'Tobacco Row,' is a perpendicular ledge of rock fronting the southeast, about fifty feet high-an open sunny situation. About thirty feet from the base, a horizontal crack or fissure opens in the rock, from half an inch to six inches in width, and extending near eighty feet in length. How deep this fissure extends into the mountain is not known, as no one has ever examined it. This fissure is full of bees! Their numbers are so great, that in the summer time they hang out in huge clusters for several feet, above and below the fissure, in its whole length. A short distance above are two other cracks, containing earth, in which grow some little chinquapin bushes, and these are covered with the bees. They frequently go off in huge swarms, like a barrel or hogshead in bulk, and are often compelled to return, finding no place large enough to contain them. In the spring, previous to commencing their labors, the dead bees, remnants of comb, and cleanings of the habitation which are brought out and dropped by them, make a winrow of a foot in height the whole length of the opening.

My informant saw it in the month of June, when immense numbers of bees were out on the surface, making great patches of rock black with their swarming masses. The oldest inhabitants say that the first settlers found the bees there, and the Indians told them that their oldest traditions knew nothing of its origin. 'It was always there.'

No one has ever been found bold enough to attempt its plunder, or to examine the place where they are. It is in fact too dangerous an enterprise to meddle with.

If these facts be so, and I cannot doubt it, does it not form rather a new feature from that generally received in the history of the bee? By the way, I fear that I am going to have all this bee discussion to myself. But we'll see.

REMARKS.-To them that believe in the revelations of the Lord, this bee story is no great mystery. The bees may have been there more than three thousand years. When Jared and his brother came from the tower of Babel, to settle the continent of America, they brought bees, as it is written in the book of Ether: And they did also lay snares and catch fowls of the air; and they did also prepare a vessel, in the which they did carry with them the fish of the waters: and they did also carry with them deseret, which, by interpretation, is a honey bee: and thus they did carry with them swarms of bees, and all manner of that which was upon the face of the land, seeds of every kind.

What a pity it is that man has strayed so far from the knowledge of the Lord! Created as he was in the image of his Maker, an agent unto himself, and capable, by obeying the commandments of the Lord of receiving the Holy Ghost, which bringeth all things to remembrance, he might let his understanding reach to heaven, and never be at a loss for the truth; but alas he trusts in his own wisdom, and scarcely arrives at certainty.

Before the flood, bees might have been in every part of the world, but since Noah left them on the other side of the Atlantic, unless brought by man they would not have been able to cross it.

WHAT a field for reflection does the world now present, to the contemplative disciple of our Savior? A desolating sickness is wasting the inhabitants in many places, while war dreadful war is preparing to destroy his thousands among all nations. The most illiterate; yea, the most careless can see that great things, are about to come to pass.

The Lord has said, that he is holding his Spirit from the inhabitants of the earth, and when we see a robbery in one paper, and a murder in another; yea, and all manner of crimes following each other, in quick succession, we are led to exclaim:

Notwithstanding, man has been laboring for centuries, to preach the gospel to all nations, it has not been done; and the Lord has now commenced his strange act, and he will perform it. He will send forth servants that will preach the gospel to every nation, kindred, tongue and people: yea, and all shall hear in their own tongue and language; so that before this generation passes away, some, out of all nations, may be gathered to Zion, ready to meet Jesus when he comes in the clouds of heaven.

Let us ask, who shall enter into the Lord's sacred rest, prepared for those that gather faith for a treasure. They that keep all the commandments. They that are ready and willing to give up houses and lands; leave all relatives and friends, and follow Jesus: such shall find rest for their souls.

[THE BOOK OF MORMON]

IN our last number, we commenced the publication of the book of Mormon, but having altered our calculation, it is stopped. Our reason is, that, at no very distant period, we shall print the book of Mormon and the Testament, and bind them in one volume: therefore to continue it in the Star would be superfluous.

[FREE PEOPLE OF COLOR]

To prevent any misunderstanding among the churches abroad, respecting Free people of color, who may think of coming to the western boundaries of Missouri, as members of the church, we quote the following clauses from the Laws of Missouri.

SECTION. 5. Be it further enacted, That if any person shall, after the taking effect of this act, bring into this state any free negro or mulatto, not having in his possession a certificate of citizenship as required by this act, shall forfeit and pay, for every person so brought, the sum of five hundred dollars, to be recovered by action of debt in the name of the state, to the use of the university, in any court having competent jurisdiction; in which action the defendant may be held to bail, of right, and without affidavit; and it shall be the duty of the attorney-general or circuit attorney of the district in which any person so offending may be found, immediately upon information given of such offence , to commence and prosecute an action as aforesaid.

Slaves are real estate in this and other states, and wisdom would dictate great care among the branches of the church of Christ, on this subject. So long as we have no special rule in the church, as to people of color, let prudence guide; and while they, as well as we, are in the hands of a merciful God, we say: Shun every appearance of evil.

-> While on the subject of law, it may not be amiss to quote some of the Constitution of Missouri. It shows a liberality of opinion of the great men of the west, and will vie with that of any other state. It is good; it is just, and it is the citizens' right.

