The Manner in Which the Ancient Christians Were Calumniated

We extract the following from "Milner's Church History," that our readers may compare the slanderous imputations that were lavished upon the former day saints, with those of the latter days.

"The extracts from Celsus, who wrote in the latter end of the second century, preserved in Origen's work against him are very valuable which I have stated. I shall select a few passages, partly from the collections of others, and partly from such as I have noticed myself. The reader must be prepared to hear bitter things. A more spiteful calumniator hardly ever existed; but he may serve a purpose which he never intended: when the following extracts have been seriously considered, the just inferences to be drawn from them, concerning the nature of the gospel, and the characters of its professors, cannot fail to present themselves to the mind of every candid inquirer after truth.

'When they say, do not examine, and the like, in their usual manner, surely it is incumbent on them to teach what those things are which they assert, and whence they are derived.'

'They say; Wisdom in life is a bad thing, but folly is good.'

'Christ was privately educated, and served

for hire in Egypt: he got acquainted with miraculous arts there; he returned; and, relying on his power of working miracles, declared himself God.'

'The apostles were infamous men, publicans, and abandoned mariners.'

'Why should you, when an infant, be carried into Egypt, lest you should be murdered? God should not fear being put to death.

'Ye say that God was sent to sinners; but why not to those who were free from sin; what harm is it not to have sinned?'

'Ye encourage sinners, because ye are not able to persuade any really good men; therefore ye open the doors to the most wicked and abandoned.'

'Some of them say, do not examine, but believe, and thy faith shall save thee.'

With a sneer he makes the Christians say, 'These are our institutions: Let not any man of learning come here, nor any wise man, nor any man of prudence; for these things are reckoned evil by us. But whoever is unlearned, ignorant, and silly, let him come without fear.' 'Thus, they own that can gain only the foolish, the vulgar, the stupid slaves, women and children. They, who conversed with him when alive, and heard his voice, and followed him as their master, when they saw him under punishment and dying, were so far from dying with him or for him, or from being induced to despise sufferings, that they denied that they were his disciples: but now ye die with him.'

'He had no reason to fear any mortal now, after he had died, and, as ye say, was a God; therefore, he should have shown himself to all, and particularly, to him that condemned him,'

'He pursuaded [persuaded] only twelve abandoned sailors and publicans, and did not persuade even all these.'

'At first, when they were but few, they agreed: But when they became a multitude they were rent again and again; and each will have their own factions; for they had factious spirits from the beginning.'

'They are now so split into different sects that they have only the name left them in common.'

'All wise men are excluded from the doctrine of their faith: They call to it only fools and men of a servile spirit,'

He frequently upbraids Christians for reckoning him, who had a mortal body, to be God; and looking on themselves as pious on that account.

'The preachers of their divine word only attempt to persuade fools-mean and senseless persons-slaves-women and children. What harm can there be in learning, or; in appearing a man of knowledge? What obstacle can this be to the knowledge of God?'

'We see these itinerants showing readily their tricks to the vulgar, but not approaching the assemblies of wise men; not daring to show themselves there: but where they see boys-a crowd of slaves, and ignorant men-there they thrust in themselves and puff off their doctrine,'

'You may see weavers, tailors, and fullers, illiterate and rustic men, in their houses, but not daring to utter a word before persons of age, experience, and respectability: it is, when they get hold of boys, and of silly women, privately, that they recount their wonderful stories; it is then that they teach their young disciples that they must not mind their fathers or their tutors, but obey them: Their fathers and guardians, they tell them, are quite ignorant and in the dark, but themselves alone have the true wisdom. And if the children take this advice, they pronounce them happy; and direct them to leave their fathers and tutors, and to go, with the women and their play-fellows, into the chambers of the females, or into a tailor's or fullers, shop that they may learn perfection.

'In other mysteries, the cryer [crier] used to say.-Whoever has clean hands, and a good conscience, and a good life, let him come in. But let us hear whom they call. Whoever is a sinner, a fool an infant, a lost wretch, the kingdom of God will receive him. An unjust man, if he humble himself for his crimes, God will receive him; but a just man, who has proceeded in a course of virtue from the beginning, if he look up to him, he will not be received.'

He compares a Christian teacher to a quack, who promises to heal the sick, on condition that they keep from intelligent practitioners, lest his ignorance be detected.

'Ye will hear them, though differing so widely from one another, and abusing one another so foully, making that boast-the world is crucified to me, and I to the world.'

'The same things are better said by the Greeks, and withont [without] the imperious denunciation of God, or the Son of God.'

'If one sort introduce one doctrine, another, another, and all join in saying, Believe, if ye would be saved, or depart; what are they to do, who desire really to be saved? Are they to determine by the throw of a die? Where are they to turn themselves, or whom to believe?'

'Do you not see, that any man that will, may carry you away and crucify you and your demon: The Son of God gives you no help.'"

How often it is, we hear individuals indulging in the most harsh kind of epithets against

Mr. Joseph Smith, and the whole society of Latter Day Saints. Again, how frequently it is, that a large portion of the community form their opinion about a man, or a society, from the assertions and opinions of some learned philosopher, or pretended religious champion. The history of the present age affords us a very striking example of this woful [woeful] state of affairs; for no sooner does the sound of calumny, and the cry of delusion, imposter [impostor] , and a score of other equally harsh imputations, proceed from the lips of some famous individual, than thousands immediately join in the vulgar cause, and reiterate these epithets from one end of our country to the other.

And now we ask, what has Mr. Smith, or the society of Latter Day Saints done, or what does the world know of either, that should in the least, militate against their characters? We answer, no more than the Jews knew against Christ and his disciples. What kind of men were leaders of primitive church? We reply; that they were virtuous, honorable, untarnished in the sight of heaven, and uncorrupted with the schemes of intrigue, and plans of wickedness, that the great men were daily inventing; and who were their calumniators?-We answer, the high priests of the Jews, doctors of the law, learned rabbies [rabbis], kings, philosophers, and statesmen. Who was this Celsus, that wrote so many bitter things against the Christians? One of the literati of Rome, which nation at this time, in regard to literature stood foremost in the world; one who held an influence over the whole nation. Who was the celebrated Porphyry, that wrote so much against Christians in the third century? A Roman philosopher.

Indeed, we are inclined to believe that when our enemies pour down upon us such a torrent of epithets, and put in circulation a battalion of falsehoods about us, that but little do they think, they are the same that was lavished upon the primitive Christians. It is a poor rule that will not work both ways. If the Latter Day Saints should be discarded because the tide of slander, abuse, and the false imputations of the learned, set in against them, then by the same rule we should set it down, that all the ancient Christians should be look [looked] upon as deceivers.

Minutes of a conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, held at Batavia, Gennessee county, N. Y., March 2, 1844, according to previous appointment.

Nathan Haskins was called to preside, and R. L. Young appointed clerk.

After prayer by the president, and singing by the audience, the president proceeded to examine the officers of the different branches.

Seventies present, three; Elders, 17; one priest.

The representation of branches was then called for, which were as follows:

Batavia branch, represented by J. L. Bartholf; has 25 members, including eight elders; two added since last conference.

Alexander branch, represented by A. Sheffield, has 28 members, including 10 elders; two cut off since last conference.

Atica branch, represented by R. Shadboll, has 16 members, including three elders.

Hume branch, represented by P. Weaver, has 20 members, including three elders and one priest.

Weatherfield branch, represented by R. L. Young, has 12 members, including two elders, four added since last conference.

In Cataraugus county, there are 10 members, represented by William Hyde.

Brother G. Thompson, who had been excommunicated from the Alexander branch and who had taken an appeal to the Batavia conference, was examined, and the proceedings of the branch decided to be illegal. He was reinstated to his former standing.

Conference adjourned till next morning, 10 o'clock, which was the first day of the week.

Met agreeable to adjournment.

Elder William Hyde was called upon to preach. He addressed the meeting on the coming of the Son of Man. Elder Redfield followed him in the afternoon on different parts of the scripture, and exhorted the members to be faithful. Some other remarks were made appropriate to the occasion, and the audience seemed much humbled and edified.

Voted that this conference be adjourned to the neighborhood of brother Weaver and Wight, in Hume, Alleghany [Allegheny] county, to be held on the first Saturday and Sunday in July next.

Resolved, That these minutes be sent to Nauvoo for publication.

The Gennessee conference consists of many more branches and members, but none of them being present, it was thought best to say nothing about their numbers.

NATHAN HASKINS, Pres.

R. L. Young, clerk.