CONCLUSION
Although it has been admitted that Mr. Rigdon was a man of talents, endowed with an extraordinary gift for public speaking, yet the conviction forces itself upon the mind, leading to the conclusion, that his conscience must have been very elastic, as early at least as the year 1831, otherwise he never would have taken the unwarrantable course which he evidently did take; it will be seen that his conscientiousness was of a peculiar kind, when he spoke in the name of the most high God to satisfy his vain ambition, no marvel that the Lord Almighty suffered the Prince of the power of the air to buffet him severely; indeed it was a crime of no small magnitude, Prophets in by-gone days under other circumstances, have atoned for the same crime by a dissolution of spirit and body. We are strengthened in the same conclusion by the fact, that shortly after, when called upon to write a description of the land where the Zion of the Lord is to be in the last days, HE scrupled not to indulge in idle speculation and vain extravagance, suppressing his conscientiousness, and following his imagination, until the Lord threatened to remove him from his office if he did not reform. He is not spoken of as a man capable of leading the church, neither are any of his posterity alluded to in that light, he and they were to be sought after, one was to be lifted out of deep mire, and the others were to be found in the wilderness straying from the fold. It may be said that Mr. R. was spokesman and leader with Elder J. Smith, even as Aaron was with Moses, if so, what would it prove? The sequel will show that both Prophets failed to make competent leaders of their spokesmen, although they spared no pains to instruct them in the things of the kingdom. Aaron had witnessed the plagues of Egypt, his rod was turned into a serpent and greedily devoured that of the Magicians; he saw the sea divided and the mountains skipping like rams, and the little hills like lambs, the earth itself trembled beneath his feet at the presence of the mighty God of Jacob. He had seen the food of Angels dropping from the bright clouds of Heaven; and showers of feathered fowls covered the landscape before him as dust, HE went up with Moses, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the Elders of Israel, where he was permitted to gaze on the God of Israel, under whose feet there was a paved work as it were of a sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven in his clearness. Aaron was spoken of as the first to put on the sacradotal robe, of purple, blue and scarlet, ornamented with a breast plat of gold in which was placed the Urim and Thummim; with the mitre upon his head and the holy crown upon the mitre, with the golden bells and pomegranates about his person, that his sound might be heard as he went into and returned from the holy place. He had listened to the roaring peals of thunder; that rent the clouds on Sinia’s lofty summit, HE saw the concave of Heaven illuminated with the blazing lightning, while his brother was on the Mount receiving the law, from the finger of the great I AM, in the midst of overpowering grandeur. If seeing miracles or wonders, would have qualified a man to be a leader, Aaron would have been second to but few. When Moses parted with Aaron, to go up into the Mount of God, he said unto the Elders “tarry ye here for us until we come again unto you, and behold Aaron and Hur, are with you, if any man have any matters to do let him come unto them.” Thinking no doubt that the experience of Aaron, with the assistance of Hur, would be amply sufficient to adjust all matters that might be brought before him, while he (Moses) was receiving the law, in the midst of the burning elements. But the terrific appearance of Sinai’s burning height, failed to supply the place of Moses, for when the people saw that he delayed coming down from the Mount, they besought Aaron to make them Gods to go before them, for they wot not what had become of the man Moses. Aaron not only consented, but proposed what the god should be made out of, he was the head workman that fashioned the golden ornaments into the calf god; the people when they saw it said these be thy gods, O! Israel, that brought thee up out of the land of Egypt, and Aaron built an altar and made proclamation and said, to-morrow is a feast to the Lord, and they rose up early on the morrow and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings, and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play. Notwithstanding Aaron was a leader with Moses, yet in the absence of Moses he proved himself capable of making a calf, and leading the people from the true God, to worship an idol—all the wonders that he had seen and heard, were not enough to influence him to lead the people to the living God of WONDERS! The anger of the Lord waxed hot, and had it not been for the intercessions of Moses; Aaron and Israel would have shared the same fate that the calf met with shortly after. Well might Hosea say, “by a prophet the Lord brought Israel out of Egypt and by a prophet was he preserved.” If more proof was wanting we might add the murmuring of Aaron and Miriam, when they daringly spake against Moses, and were again saved by the entreaties of a dear brother, whose soul was often vexed by the rebellion and murmuring of the people. From the facts relating to Aaron, we come to the conclusion that he was incompetent to be at the head of Israel, as their leader. In the station held by Mr. Rigdon, as well as in his course of life, may bee seen as striking analogy, (if not a resemblance) to the station and course of Aaron. Mr. Rigdon acted as a spokesman and leader with Elder J. Smith; he with him, gazed on things beyond the vail, the celestial, terrestial, and telestial kingdoms, all passed before them in their beauty and glory, the dark regions of Hades, he also viewed while wrapped in the visions of the Almighty; HE saw and felt the glory of the Lord, when the Spirit rested upon the Elders of Israel, he saw convoy, after convoy of Angels, the chariots of Israel, and the horsemen thereof; he has seen the sick recover in answer to the prayer of faith, when they were near dropping into the tomb, when clothed with the spirit of his office, as spokesman for the prophet Joseph, he has literally astonished the wise and noble of the age, and caused them to tremble like Belteshazzar of old, but what he saw, heard and felt, combined with his eloquence, did not prepare him to be leader in the absence of Joseph. From the facts collected, it will be seen, that he has made in every attempt a signal failure. Though I do not pretend to say the Mr. R. has at any time made a golden calf for the people to worship, yet his course if it could have been carried out in Ohio, would have fallen but little, if any, short of idolatory. Carry out his sentiments advanced in Missouri, and democracy sinks under the power of anarchy. Let the elders of Israel take the course that Mr. R. has pursued for the last five years, and what would become of the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. It would certainly soon be in a very bad condition, if not entirely broken up. Add to the above the fact, that he has rivalled Aaron, in every sense of the word pertaining to murmuring, and complaining, until Elder Smith was compelled to reject him in his office, and actually ordain another in his place, leaving Mr. R. in the hands of the church, on trial for one year. In this situation we find him, when the unexpected news reached him, of the death of the Prophet, and Patriarch, the sound had scarcely reached his ears before he claimed the Prophetic mantle; the next day after he had read the Nauvoo papers, he said to me in the presence of several others, that he should now take his place, at the head of the church, in spite of men or devils, at the risk of his life. With this determination he evidently went to Nauvoo. But we will see that there is something about mantle, so often spoken of, as peculiar in its nature as the sacerdotal robe of Aaron, and there is but one way to put it on, the Prophet Joseph, and Patriarch Hyrum, wore it at least until the day of their death, more anon—they wear it yet, forsooth, they never lost it. But if Mr. Rigdon has wore it for the last five years, it has been on him, (what it was not on Joseph and Hyrum) invisible altogether; one would need the Urim and Thummim, out of the breast plate of Aaron to look through, in order to see it on Mr. R., yet it has been visible, and is now on many of the servants of the Lord, you could see it ready to fall on the Prophet Joseph, in every sate of the Union, and in Europe, and on the Islands of the sea, in the groves, on the mountains, hills and plains, among the saints, scattered or gathered, in the pulpit, or at prayer meeting, or at the family alter [altar], in the mouths of old and young, down to the prattling child. The reader may want to know what this wonderful mantle is composed of, I will give you the Lord’s description, as being preferable to any other. “Of the Melchesidec Priesthood, three presiding high priests, chosen by the body appointed and ordained to that office, and upheld by the confidence, faith and prayer of the church, form a quorum of the Presidency of the church.” That the Prophet and Patriarch wore the mantle no one can in justice deny; and I presume no one will claim, that the same mantle, fell on Mr. Rigdon after their death. The trial shows where the mantle fell, and places it beyond controversy. Remember the materials of which it is composed. The choice of the body, was one indispensable component part, upholding was another of the same importance, not to be dispenses with, without destroying the garment. Confidence was the main material; if taken away, the robe would be rent in twain. The faith and prayer of the church adorned it with celestial beauty, wreathing the brow of the wearer with unfading and immortal laurels. Will any one pretend to say that Mr. Rigdon is now clothed with it, can any one in justice say the Twelve have disrobed him. No, verily no, for he has been disrobed for nearly five years. Brothers Joseph and Hyrum, and the Twelve, have endeavored with all their might to keep the robe from departing beyond his reach, that he might not loose it forever, but their endeavors proved abortive. Where is his mantle? Gone, forever gone. The choice, confidence, faith, and prayer, of the church, falls no more on him, as one of their leaders; they pray for him, as they pray for a prodigal sunk in deep mire, or hastening with great velocity to the same.
If Mr. Rigdon’s inexplicable course at Nauvoo, was not a transgression, I confess myself unable to give it a name. But it is evidently plain, that he did transgress in various ways, also that the same was proven to an occular demonstration before the council. Said council constitutes a lawful ecclesiastical court, in the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints; the Lord said, that their decision on the head of a president of the high priesthood, should be an end of controversy concerning him. From the facts relating to Mr. Rigdon, the conclusion is irresistable, namely, that he was incompetent to stand at the head of the saints, as their leader, also, that he was lawfully rejected and excommunicated from the church, for propagating false revelations, and for holding secret meetings, and ordaining men, contrary to the order of the priesthood, as written in the Book of Covenants, and for trying to divide the church, by speaking against the living and the dead.
Let us view Mr. Rigdon’s course after the trial. While on his way to Pittsburg, he published in the “People’s Organ,” at St. Louis, the reason of his expulsion, stating definitely, that he was turned out of the church, for the notorious crime of wishing to go and live in Pennsylvania; in the same communication, he says: “On hearing of the murder of the two Smiths, I returned to Nauvoo without any intention however of making Nauvoo my place of residence.” The subject is beyond controversy, that he went to Nauvoo, and told the saints, again and again, that the Lord had directed him to see that the views and measures of Brother Joseph were carried out to the letter, yet his language shows that he had concocted a plan, before leaving Pittsburg. Of removing the seat of the first Presidency and the church, to Pennsylvania; such as course if he had succeeded, would have been carrying out the views of Elder Smith with a vengeance. He would have by one fell stroke, completely revolutionized all that the Prophet aimed at, pertaining to the gathering.
A moment’s reflection will be sufficient to convince the judicious that such a plan must have been the fruit of a disordered imagination, acting as the ruling principle in the whole character. We are led to the same conclusion from the facts that show the desires cherished, and mental habits acquired, by which the indications of conscience have been repeatedly violated, and the most sacred promises broken with impunity; elder Woodruff might with propriety say that Mr. Rigdon holds one key above the Twelve, and I think his argument is logically conclusive that Mr. Rigdon received it from a different source, and from another apartment of the great house, as well as from another personage. Mr. R’s key, however, will undoubtedly be needed in his Kingdom; “For he who is not able to abide the law of a celestial kingdom, cannot abide a celestial glory; and he who cannot abide the law of a terrestrial kingdom, cannot abide a terrestrial glory; he who cannot abide the law of a telestial kingdom, cannot abide a telestial glory; therefore, he is not meet for a kingdom of glory. Therefore, he must abide a kingdom which is not a kingdom of glory.” The elements which compose Mr. R’s kingdom, or church, have been rejected by the kingdom and church of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, as hay, wood and stubble,—a heterogeneous mass, that has been collecting for several years, as a meteor collects in the air to explode, when it loses the power of adhesion. That Mr. R’s mental economy has become greatly impaired, is evident from the many contradictory statements he has made within the last six months; think, for a moment, on what he said in Pittsburg, and in Nauvoo, about Elders J. and H. Smith, when he lauded them to the heavens. Then view his lecture which he delivered in this city, his wild interpretations of the word of the living God, as given through his servants, the prophets and apostles, in by-gone generations; look at his application of the Saviour’s words, as recorded by Matthew, his allusion to the conversation in relation to brother Hyde; his manner, &c. Is not the conclusion irresistable with you, as well as with me, that the mental harmony of Mr. R’s mind, is greatly impaired, I cannot reason otherwise. I would not, however, have any one pluck a laurel from his brow, that in justice belongs to him; I know he has bee a tall cedar in Israel; his eloquence has often captivated the multitude, enlisting the feelings of many in his favour; I have watched over him and his family in the days of my boyhood, when mobs were threatening their destruction, and even now I would travel over hill and dale to bring them back to the fold from which they have strayed.
But, can any of the Elders of Israel set calmly down and hear Mr. Rigdon belch forth his abuse, like the burning lava from Mount Vesuvius, with the avowed design to blacken the character and reputation of the martyred prophet, who has honourably won a fame more lasting then the monuments of Greece or Rome, or the Pyramids of Egypt, that have for centuries lifted the same point to heaven, amidst the sands and whirlwinds of the Desert. Elder Smith proved himself to be, what but few have been in any age, namely, a competent Leader of the church of Christ. From the page of history, we learn that every age has produced its Orators, Philosophers and Statesmen. Yet all admit that judicious leaders have been scarce in every age of the world. Can we then, without a reply, bear to have the tombs of the virtuous dead desecrated by the fruits of a disordered imagination. Is it not our duty to rise up and defend, by all honourable means, bleeding innocence; if we do it not, will not their blood cry against us; we owe it to their bereaved families, the widows and the orphans, the hoary locks of the aged mother and lonely Brother and weeping sisters. We owe it to the church of God, to ourselves, our wives and children to the latest generation; by every tie that binds us to our religion, by the sacred covenants made to the fathers on this land, or in Asia; by every noble feeing of our natures; by the memory of the past and the hope of the future. May we remember to do justice to the martyred Prophet and Patriarch, lest our right hands forget their cunning, and our tongues cleave to the roof of our mouths.
We will conclude the subject in our next number.