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Times and Seasons, 1 April 1842

Source Note

Times and Seasons (, Hancock Co., IL), 1 Apr. 1842, vol. 3, no. 11, pp. 735–750; edited by JS. For more complete source information, see the source note for Letter to Isaac Galland, 22 Mar. 1839.

Historical Introduction

The 1 April 1842 issue of the ’s , Illinois, newspaper, Times and Seasons, was the fourth issue to name JS as editor. The issue included a report of the organization of the , a lengthy doctrinal article titled “Try the Spirits,” and two short editorials, all of which are featured below. Also included in the issue, but not featured here, were a letter dated 20 March 1842 from the to the Latter-day Saints in Europe, extracts from a letter by , an excerpt of a letter to from his mother, another installment of the serialized “History of Joseph Smith,” and a letter about Nauvoo from “an Observer” to the Columbus Advocate. In addition, the issue included a petition from residents of to church leaders in Nauvoo, with an editorial comment. The comment is one of the editorials featured here; the petition is not reproduced below, but it is featured as a stand-alone document in this volume.
Note that only the editorial content created specifically for this issue of the Times and Seasons is annotated here. Articles reprinted from other papers, letters, conference minutes, and notices, are reproduced here but not annotated. Items that are stand-alone JS documents are annotated elsewhere; links are provided to these stand-alone documents.

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    While JS likely authored many of the paper’s editorial passages, John Taylor reportedly assisted him in writing content. No matter who wrote individual editorial pieces, JS assumed editorial responsibility for all installments naming him as editor except the 15 February issue. (Woodruff, Journal, 19 Feb. 1842; Historical Introduction to Times and Seasons, 1 Mar. 1842.)

    Woodruff, Wilford. Journals, 1833–1898. Wilford Woodruff, Journals and Papers, 1828–1898. CHL. MS 1352.

  2. [2]

    Petition from Richard Savary et al., ca. 2 Feb. 1842.

  3. [3]

    See “Editorial Method”.

Asterisk (*) denotes a "featured" version, which includes an introduction and annotation. *1 Apr. 1842 *Times and Seasons, 1 April 1842 *Times and Seasons, 1 April 1842 *Petition from Richard Savary and Others, circa 2 February 1842

Page 745

the order of God, by divine appointment. The apostles in ancient times held the keys of this —of the mysteries of the kingdom of God, and consequently were enabled to unlock, and unravel all things pertaining to the government of the church, the welfare of society, the future destiny of men, and the agency, power, and influence of spirits; for they could control them at pleasure, bid them depart in the name of Jesus, and detect their mischievous and mysterious operations when trying to palm themselves upon the church in a religious garb, and militate against the interest of the church, and the spread of truth—we read that they “cast out devils in the name of Jesus,” and when a woman possessing the spirit of divination cried before Paul and Silas “these are the servants of the most high God that shew unto us the way of salvation:” they detected the spirit, and although she spake favorably of them Paul commanded the spirit to come out of her, and saved themselves from the opprobrium that might have been heaped upon their heads, through an affiance with her, in the development of her wicked principles:—which they certainly would have been charged with if they had not rebuked the evil spirit. A power similar to this existed through the medium of the priesthood, in different ages. Moses could detect the magicians’ power and shew that he was God’s servant, he knew when he was upon the mountain (through revelation,) that Israel was engaged in idolatry; he could develope the sin of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, detect witches and wizards in their proceedings, and point out the true prophets of the Lord. Joshua knew how to detect the man who had stolen the wedge of gold and the Babylonish garment, Michaiah could point out the false spirit by which the four hundred prophets were governed; and if his advice had been taken, many lives would have been spared. 2, Chron. xviii, 18. Elijah, Elisha, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and many other prophets possessed this power. Our Saviour, the apostles, and even the members of the church were endowed with this gift, for says Paul 1, Cor. xiii, “to one is given the gift of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues, to another the working of miracles, to another prophesy, to another the discerning of spirits,” all these proceeded from the same spirit of God, and were the gifts of God. The Ephesian church were enabled by this principle “to try those that said they were apostles, and were not and found them liars.” Rev. ii, 2.
In tracing the thing to the foundation, and looking at it philosophically we shall find a very material difference between the body and the spirit:—the body is supposed to be organized matter, and the spirit by many is thought to be immaterial, without substance. With this latter statement we should beg leave to differ—and state that spirit is a substance; that it is material, but that it is more pure, elastic, and refined matter than the body;—that it existed before the body, can exist in the body, and will exist separate from the body when the body will be mouldering in the dust; and will in the resurrection be again united with it. Without attempting to describe this mysterious connexion and the laws that govern the body and spirit of man; their relationship to each other, and the design of God in relation to the human body and spirit, I would just remark that the spirits of men are eternal, that they are governed by the same priesthood that Abraham, Melchizedec, and the apostles were; that they are organized according to that priesthood which is everlasting, “without beginning of days or end of years”—that they all move in their respective spheres, and are governed by the law of God;—that when they appear upon earth they are in a probationary state, and are preparing if righteous, for a future and a greater glory:—that the spirits of good men cannot interfere with the wicked beyond their prescribed bounds; for “Michael the archangel dared not bring a railing accusation against the devil, but said the Lord rebuke thee Satan.”
It would seem also that wicked spirits have their bounds, limits, and laws by which they are governed or controlled, and know their future destiny; hence those that were in the maniac said to our Saviour, “art thou come to torment us before the time:”—and when Satan presented himself before the Lord among the sons of God, he said that he came “from going to and fro in the earth, and from wandering up and down in it;” and he is emphatically called the prince of the power of the air; and it is very evident that they possess a power that none but those who have the priesthood can control, as we have before adverted to in the case of the sons of Sceva.
Having said so much upon general princlples [principles] without referring to the peculiar situation, power, and influence of, the magicians of Egypt, the wizards, and witches of the Jews, the oracles of the Heathen; their necromancers, soothsayers, and astrologers; the maniacs or those possessed of devils in the apostles’ days, we will notice and try to detect (so far as we have the scriptures for our aid) some few instances of the development of false spirits in more modern times, and in this our day.
The “French Prophets,” were possessed of a spirit that deceived; they existed in Vivaris, and Dauphiny in great numbers in the year 1688, there were many boys, and girls from seven to twenty-five; they had strange fits as in tremblings, and faintings, which made them stretch out their legs and arms as in a swoon; they remained awhile in trances and coming out of them uttered all that came into their mouths. -[See Buck’s Theological Dictionary.]- Now God never had any prophets that acted in this way; there was nothing indecorous in the proceeding of the Lord’s prophets in any age; neither had the apostles, nor prophets in the apostles’ day any thing of this kind. Paul says “ye may all prophesy one by one;—and if any thing be revealed to another let the first hold his peace, for the spirit of the prophets, is subject to the prophets,” but here we find that the prophets are subject to the spirit, and falling down have twitchings, tumblings, and faintings, through the influence of that spirit; being enly [entirely?] under its control. Paul says “let every thing be done decently and in order;” but here we find the greatest disorder and indecency in the conduct of both men, and women, as above described. The same rule would apply to the falling, twitchings[,] swooning, shaking, and trances of many of our modern revivalists.
Joannah Southcot [Joanna Southcott] professed to be a prophetess and wrote a book of prophesies in 1804: [p. 745]
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Page 745

Document Information

Related Case Documents
Editorial Title
Times and Seasons, 1 April 1842
ID #
8145
Total Pages
16
Print Volume Location
JSP, D9:320–338
Handwriting on This Page
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Footnotes

  1. [31]

    See Mark 9:38.

  2. [32]

    See Acts 16:17.

  3. [33]

    See Acts 16:18.

  4. [34]

    See Exodus 7:10–12.

  5. [35]

    See Exodus 32:7–8.

  6. [36]

    See Numbers 16:1–35.

  7. [37]

    See Joshua 7:16–22.

  8. [38]

    The story of Micaiah’s prophecy appears in 2 Chronicles chapter 18 and 1 Kings chapter 22.

  9. [39]

    The correct reference is 1 Corinthians 12:10.

  10. [40]

    See Hebrews 7:1–3.

  11. [41]

    See Jude 1:9.

  12. [42]

    See Matthew 8:29.

  13. [43]

    See Job 1:7.

  14. [44]

    See Acts 19:13–16.

  15. [45]

    The editorial’s language here very closely mirrors the first paragraph of the entry on French Prophets in Charles Buck’s dictionary. (“French Prophets,” in Buck, Theological Dictionary, 163.)

    Buck, Charles. A Theological Dictionary, Containing Definitions of All Religious Terms: A Comprehensive View of Every Article in the System of Divinity. . . . Philadelphia: W. W. Woodward, 1818.

  16. [46]

    See 1 Corinthians 14:31–32.

  17. [47]

    See 1 Corinthians 14:40.

  18. [48]

    Southcott wrote a book published in London in 1804 titled The True Explanation of the Bible, Revealed by Divine Communications to Joanna Southcott. However, in describing a “book of prophesies” the editorial may be referring to Southcott’s multivolume collection of prophecies titled Book of Wonders published between 1813 and 1814 in London.

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