--- title: Times and Seasons description: Issues of 1845 to 1846. 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: 6 number: 18 published: 1845-12-01 publisher: E. Robinson and D. C. Smith; later John Taylor publisher_place: Commerce and Nauvoo, Illinois language: en type: article reference: "“Beware of Strong Delusion, Lest Ye Believe a Lie and Be Damned,” *Times and Seasons* 6, no. 18 (December 1, 1845): 1045–1046." printed_title: BEWARE OF STRONG DELUSION, LEST YE BELIEVE A LIE AND BE DAMNED. source: url: https://archive.org/details/per_utah-and-the-mormons_times-and-seasons_1845-12-01_6_18 transcription: Text from the Centerplace.org transcription (https://www.centerplace.org/history/ts/v6n18.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_1845-12-01_6_18 start_page: 1045 end_page: 1046 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 1845 (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_1845-12-01_6_18 publication_year: 1845 --- # Beware of Strong Delusion, Lest Ye Believe a Lie and Be Damned Beloved brethren and sisters:-We have received a proclamation published in the Warsaw Signal, purporting to come from William Smith, who has been cut off from the church in Nauvoo by a unanimous voice of the whole city, not one dissenting voice. What could have been the reason of this movement of the people of Nauvoo? Could it have been through any malicious feeling against their brother William, the only surviving brother of the family? Was it because Bro. William was so much more just and righteous than all the rest of the people in Nauvoo? Or was it because his conduct was insufferable in the extreme? We leave the saints to draw their own conclusions. His conduct in the east has been sufficient to place every enquiring [inquiring] mind on the right track. He states in his proclamation, things we consider worthy of comment, lest many who are unacquainted be led astray. He pronounces the Twelve guilty of conduct "disgraceful to humanity," which comes certainly with a very bad grace. We would ask if Parly [Parley] P. Pratt, Orson Hyde, or Orson Pratt, during their mission to the eastern country, carried on the work of seduction, on the ground of marrying their victims on the decease of their wives? If they have been the means of driving people from the church, instead of bringing them in? Let the church of New York, Boston, and Philadelphia speak out and answer these questions. But you do not pretend to say that William Smith was guilty of such conduct. Let the churches in the eastern country speak, or let him come to the east and meat his accusers face to face. We do not feel to do William Smith any personal injury. But for a man like him, having been an eye witness of the fall of former apostates, to publish such a document to the world, shows very much the mark of madness and insanity. We will now notice one of his presumptions, which if he has no more foundation to predicate the rest of his assertions upon, than he has for this, his foundation will crumble from beneath him. "In the mean time, as all the saints well know, I was engaged in publishing a paper in New York, entitled the 'Prophet, got up by MY own labors, and carried on with as much earnest zeal as I could possibly employ upon it. All at once early in the spring, whom should I encounter but Mr. Parley P. Pratt, who had come from the West, with specific authority from the quorum of the Twelve, to take charge of all the printing etc., without a single provision with respect to MY own personal rights, or relative to any outlay I had subjected MYSELF to, in getting up the paper, materials for printing, etc., etc." Who does not know, that has been acquainted with the first establishment of this paper, that William Smith was in Nauvoo when the first paper was published-that it was not got up by his labors, nor carried on or sustained by his 'earnest zeal', neither was he subjected to any personal outlay for type, paper, press, or utensils. The type, press and materials, were purchased by Bro. Doremus and the debts contracted by the extravagant management in publishing the first two or three numbers, we assumed the responsibility of, when it changed hands. And since that time, the publication of the paper has depended entirely upon our labors. This the saints in New York well know. Again he says, "I had labored hard for three years to build up the church, and for the last year to wrest it from the influence of 'Rigdonism.'" What has been the greatest objection brought against the church in the eastern country by the Rigdonites? It was the conduct of William Smith. Benj. Winchester in conversation with Br. G. B. Wallace in Pittsburgh two weeks ago, said "if it had not been for William Smith, he should have been in the church to this day," And we have not the least doubt but half of the Rigdonites in this and other cities, would make the same answer. There has individuals to our knowledge, left the church in this city, for no other reason than the conduct of this man, and are now going form place to place, threatening him with the rod of justice. We have neither time nor room to give much attention to such matters. If any of the saints suffer themselves to be led by such a spirit, they are not of us, and of course will go out from among us, and the body will be left more sound and healthy than ever. Since writing the above we have received an advertisement of his lectures in St. Louis, at twelve and a half cents admittance. It is a second edition of Hurlburt, Hincle, McLelland, Bennet, Law, Foster and Rigdonism. We have been aware of his designs and intentions a long time since, by a bombastical letter written to Bro. David Rogers in this city, when he was at Galena, stating that he was with G. J. Adams and family, who were playing in a theatre [theater] to crowded congregations, and that the western boys would soon be among the Yankee's, and then we might look out for black ducks, for they always fly in the fall of the year." We would respectfully give notice to those reverend gentlemen that while we are looking out for black ducks, they had better look out for the Yankee girls, for they might find their match. Wounded virtue has not been healed, and might require a balm. We would say there are letters and documents in the hands of elders in the east, of Wm. Smith's writing, that should cause a reign of silence, at least for the space of half an hour."