--- title: Times and Seasons description: Issues of 1841 to 1842. authors: - Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints editors: - Ebenezer Robinson - Don Carlos Smith - Smith, Joseph, Jr. - Taylor, John collections: - periodicals tags: - newspaper - times-and-seasons - nauvoo - nineteenth-century periodical: Times and Seasons volume: 3 number: 16 published: 1842-06-15 publisher: E. Robinson and D. C. Smith; later John Taylor publisher_place: Commerce and Nauvoo, Illinois language: en type: article reference: "“For the Times and Seasons,” *Times and Seasons* 3, no. 16 (June 15, 1842): 820–822." printed_title: For the Times and Seasons source: url: https://archive.org/details/per_utah-and-the-mormons_times-and-seasons_1842-06-15_3_16 transcription: Text from the Centerplace.org transcription (https://www.centerplace.org/history/ts/v3n16.htm), with its page breaks; this Internet Archive scan is the reference copy (its OCR was used only as a witness for OCR repair) identifier: per_utah-and-the-mormons_times-and-seasons_1842-06-15_3_16 start_page: 820 end_page: 822 curator_note: A Mormon newspaper published by the church in Nauvoo; included for historical study. Inclusion does not imply endorsement. rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1842 (Nauvoo, Illinois); published before 1931, so public domain in the United States source: https://archive.org/details/per_utah-and-the-mormons_times-and-seasons_1842-06-15_3_16 publication_year: 1842 --- # For the Times and Seasons Letter From Tennessee. Putnam County, Tenn., May 18, 1842 Mr. Editor:-Dear Sir-It devolves upon me, although a painful duty, to announce to you the present state and condition of affairs as we have found them in this place. On the 18th of March I arrived at the city of Nashville, and after visiting several branches of the church, and setting them in order according to my appointment, I was informed by Dr. Alfonzo Young, that recently, a branch of the church had been organized in Putnam county, by William and Alford Young, who professed to teach our principles, viz: The faith of the Latter Day Saints. In order to give you the opportunity of suppressing the progress of difficulties arising from false teachers, we address this line to you for your information; being thoroughly acquainted with many of the principle taught by them, and also of the evils resulting from their teachings and conduct. They profess to be empowered with ten supernatural gifts, nine of them are contained in the 12th chapter of 1st Corinthians-raising the dead they claim as the 10th. Mr. Daniel Hunt, one of their coadjutors, in addition to the gifts above mentioned, claims to be the personage spoken of in the 20th chapter of Revelations who is to bind the dragon on a thousand years; he also professes to have the power to seal up unto eternal life. They have made six proselytes near the town of Alexandria, De Kalb county. The authenticity of the Book of Mormon was by them held in obscurity, and when interrogated on the subject they would reply, that the time would come when they should arrive at its contents; that the book was not designed to be taught to the Gentiles at present, and that it was only to be taught to the Jews in order to effect their restoration. They pretended to raise the dead while in Smith county, twenty miles distant from this place on two different occasions; one of these miraculous displays of the spirit, was exhibited in raising one of the above named ministers who died while on his mission to this place, and in performing this operation as well as many others [other] trange [strange] manœuvers [maneuvers], they would act as the spirit dictated, and when satan would approach them they would wind up his bands [bind up his hands?]-this they did to prevent his influence over them-by a motion of the hands and accompanied with words uttered in a harsh heavy tone, this was the second revolution performed. They have some tremendous combats with the devil in order to prepare for the contest, they would take off their coats and hats and roll up their sleeves, as though they had a Goliah [Goliath] to encounter, and after an engagement of several hours, they would finally succeed in divesting the room of these demons; but frequently after the doors were closed great exertion was made to prevent their returning again. These were some of the effects of that spirit which animated the bosom of these counterfeit Mormons. They taught their converts to contend for the same spirit which they possessed, and when they obtained it and were impelled by it, it produced a change of countenance depicted with horror; a trembling, twitching, falling down and wallowing in the mud; others would snort like wild beasts, bark as dogs, run through the creek, pretending to sing and speak in tongues, crying prophecy, prophecy; others would lie in a swoon for several hours, and springing to their feet again, state that the spirit had commanded them to chastise certain characters who were present, and would then fall upon them with all their strength as though they were to be exterminated in reality; one of these young ladies fell on her knees before me, and said, although I was a stranger yet she loved me because I was a preacher, and attempted to put her arms around my neck; I put forth my hand and rebuked the evil spirit by which she was actuated, and she immediately fell to the earth and wept with shame. Those gentlemen I have not seen who introduced these principles into this neighborhood, they left here some time in the month of March, and directed their course for the western district of Tennessee. But this was the deplorable situation of these miserable and unfortunate proselytes when Dr. Young and myself came to their relief. This course of conduct, you are well aware, produced great opposition to the faith of the Latter Day Saints, particularly by those who were watching for iniquity, in so much that we were threatened with mobs if we did not leave the neighborhood immediately, stating that Mormonism had already destroyed the peace of some of their citizens; however, we did not regard threats, and knowing most asuredly [assuredly] if we should shrink from our duty and not proclaim against such proceedings, and discard all such conduct and folly as was exhibited in this place by these impostors, that we would not stand acquitted before that God to whom we must, as well as all men, render an impartial account of our stewardship.-Under these considerations I determined to try to remove the veil of obscurity, that sin should be reproved, and truth vindicated; so I frankly told them that the spirit by which they were actuated, emenated [emanated] from Lucifer, the prince of darkness, and that its delusive influence would ultimately prove destructive to all the souls that were influenced by it if they did not resist it immediately. Elder Samuel Frost came to my assistance a few days after I arrived here, and has been laboring diligently with me ever since to remove the prejudice and erroneous notions that were imbibed by many in consequence of false teachings; and truly the Lord has blessed us, and confirmed the word by signs following; for the sick have been restored immediately by the prayer of faith through the atoning blood of the covenant, in the name of Jesus. Unclean spirits, also, have been subject to the priesthood through our administration in a number of instances, the most of those that were possessed of the evil spirit have been restored to their proper mind, indeed I never realized so sensibly the worth of the power of the priesthood since I have been called to the mintstry [ministry], as I did on this occasion. I have baptized 28 persons in Rutherford, Smith, and Putnam counties. Brothers Frost and Linzey have baptized 22 in Knox county. We have many calls to preach, as prejudice has given way to a great extent, and I think there is not only a possibility, but a probability, of effecting a considerable work in this place. We remain, as ever yours, In everlasting gospel of peace, John D. Lee, A. Young, Samuel B. Frost. We publish the foregoing letter entire; and for the information of the citizens of the neighborhood where the circumstances transpired, take this opportunity of expressing our decided, unqualified disapprobation of the proceedings of William and Alford Young. If they have ever been united with this church and are not cut off, we withdraw fellowship from them until they make satisfaction for what they have done; we commend Elders Lee, Young , and Frost for the course they have taken in this affair, and would recommend that all those who have entertained this spirit and will not repent and reform, be cut off from the Church; such spirits ought at all times to be opposed and put down, for they are of the devil; and the spirit of God never was, is not now, nor never will be manifested in the indecorous manner, that the spirit above referred to maifested [manifested] itself in. It is a shame for any man, much more a woman, to participate in such outrageous, inhuman, abominable and devilish transactions; and we frequently wonder where men put the little common sense that they possess, when they suffer themselves to be influenced by such unreasonable, ungodly spirits. David once feigned himself mad, in order that he might escape from the hands of a king who held him in bondage, but these men voluntarily and unblushingly act the madman, and would fain palm their wild rantings, their braying and beastly propensities, which is the product of a frantic brain and bewildered imagination, and the offspring of satan upon God and the Mormons; by calling it the spirit of God and themselves Mormons. If this be the spirit of God we are ignorant of it, and if this be Mormonism we have it yet to learn. The plain principles of truth, the gift and blessings of the gospel as they existed in the primitive days; the pure principles of truth as taught by our Lord Jesus Christ, and taught and administered in by the Apostles, subject us to sufficient approbrium [opprobrium], without having fathered upon us the offspring of satan, and the ebulitions of a frantic mind and disordered brain. We would refer our readers to an article written upon this subject in the 11th No. of this vol. headed "Try the Spirits." As we have so lately written upon this subject, it will be unnecessary for us to enter into particulars at the present; but we would say, "try the spirits," "prove all things, and hold fast that which is good." Paul has said "God is not the author of confusion, but of order as in all the churches of the Saints."-ED. [Hand] A new edition of the BOOK OF MORMON has just come out of press, and will be bound in a few days and ready for sale.