To the Ministers of the Baptists

Udgorn Seion, 1853 (Vol. 6):16-19

TO THE MINISTERS OF THE BAPTISTS.

BELOVED,—After my postponement for a lengthy season, here I am again humbly summoning back your attention to the cause of my departure from your association; I sent secretly to some of you, with a request to stir up one of the Reverends in Glamorgan, to publish the things that occasioned my departure, and my becoming a so-called “Saint.” If you are afraid to admit the truth for the sake of others’ benefit, and so that all concerned may see and know the doctrine preached by me previous to my affiliation with the “Latter-day Saints,” put your fear aside, and I

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will show this through the TRUMPET, if I am not able for the last time, to ask this kindness of you, of making that known through the “Baptist,” or the “Star;” if at all possible, put a brief article in one of those, or in the “Zion’s Trumpet” of the Saints. For this is what many of the Baptists, all over the country, towns, and villages as well, ask me, saying with the following words and the like, “Dewi, Dewi! O! Jones, Jones! how about that; well, well; good heavens, dear me, what has bewitched you, indeed despite that, to leave your dear old religion, the religion that as a young lad you professed zealously and diligently, and join with those weak-minded creatures, the old Latter-day Saints; Come back, come back again, to your dear old friends, so that we can see you again, and hear you too, preaching in a fine chapel, from a beautiful pulpit; which is far more appropriate for you, than preaching out-of-doors, here and there throughout the land, and in the midst of persecution, and disrespect, from place to place; in sufferings, and frequently in need. There is no reason for religious men nowadays to go about like that, for, mercifully, our land is a free land; there is no need to lift up the cross in these summery days, for blessed Jesus, and his dear disciples, suffered sufficiently from that; they labored hard, yes, yes, with their great Leader, He who had no place to lay down his head:

‘Our Lord had,

Neither field, nor house, nor town;

Nor grave, when he died,

Rather he was loaned one.’

That is how it was with the early Saints, but there is no reason to be in that condition now; for the law of our country grants freedom to all to be able to worship their God, as they will, and when they will; and it is nothing but foolishness, truly, for you to give yourself to be hated by everyone, because of the name of the Saints. Leave them from now on; and stop, for goodness’ sake, stop exposing so glaringly our practices, and portraying so shamelessly our way of practicing religion, and saying that everyone has freedom of religion except for the ‘Saints.’ You fervently desired to be with us from your boyhood on, and you have hundreds of bosom friends with us now; come back, come back again, and leave your Zion, and the City of your Salt Lake behind, and cease to think about them. What

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need do you have to flee there to hide? hiding to have many wives is your intent, the majority of you. For, what sign do you see that the destruction of the ungodly is nigh? Do you see the marrying, the planting, and the building that men of all levels are engaged in everywhere? this is an indication that things will improve as each day passes. And what wrath, for heaven’s sake, are men saying that God will pour out upon us, and upon our good country, the land of the gospel of light, which is preached practically night and day? Better times are coming, and things are now improving every month, the rewards are increasing continually,—times are improving very fast, and certainly great peace is nigh,—splendid men are lecturing about peace practically everywhere.” I doubt not, say I, that you believe completely in what you say. But this is what the Lord says,—“When they shall say, peace and safety, then sudden destruction cometh upon them,” &c. Therefore, do not be deceived any longer about your wounds, and your bruises; for though they tell you are healed, know perfectly well that there is no healing or health for you: the voice of your conscience will cry out constantly, that you are in fright, fear, captivity, horror, and terror, and there is not in you any “peace toward God;” for you are not on the path of truth; and you “trust in lying words, that cannot profit.” I know that peace and safety will be proclaimed to you, and in doing so “they are not at all ashamed, neither can they blush;” “Therefore they shall fall among them that fall, at the time that I visit them they shall be cast down, saith the Lord.” Therefore, believe this gospel which was restored to the earth through the Prophet Joseph Smith, the gospel that is preached by the Latter-day Saints; and flee from the wrath that shall be, yes, that is at the door. For God will pour out his anger, and soon, upon man, and upon beast, and upon the trees of the field, and upon the fruit of the ground, and it shall burn, and shall not be quenched. It will be poured out also, “upon the children abroad, and upon the assembly of young men together, for even the husband with the wife shall be taken, the aged with him that is full of days; for I will stretch out my hand upon the inhabitants of the land, saith the Lord.” Therefore, dear old brothers, repent, and turn to the way of the “Saints,” and “be baptized” again, “in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost;” for

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this gift is by way of promise to the sincere person who obeys. Give obedience quickly to this gospel, so that you will be found worthy of “escaping from the wrath that is to come,” so that you will have part of the inheritance of the “Saints in the light.”

“Ah,” say the honest in heart in your midst at times, “you yourselves do not believe what you say; perhaps things like that will take place at some time, within about a thousand years yet, at some place toward the end of the world. And I also know what got you to leave the Baptists; I heard the minister comment quietly about that; and he said for us to spread that across the country on the sly to this one and that one. And I myself also believe that those Saints are bad men, and that they deceive people to get them to “Great Salt Lake City,” so they will become strong people, and possess America, and the whole world in the end; but you’ll never get me, ever, to be the same thing as you.” Is that so, truly, say I, and you are a bit stupid also; you’re not alone, either; there are many of the same opinion as you about us, the Saints; and they more than half believe things like this, and that causes them great fright; if that is true, all the sooner the better you join with the Saints. Since when are you a prophet, might I ask? do you believe that all you have said is true? “Ha, hoo,” says he, “well, hey, hum; well, well, I don’t want to talk with you any longer, for you talk more strangely than the other denominations; I don’t want to talk with you any longer.” All right, say I, tell your minister to make public the matter of my departure from you in some of the monthly publications, so that all may come to know about it; then fair space will be available to pass judgment about the strength of the truthfulness of the Saints;

Don’t take offense with angry look,

But keep a fair and cheerful mien,

And don’t run off in fear and fright,

But take your leave by shaking hands.

That is how it often happens between me and many people; I obtain great amusement from those, and feel sorry for others. If no attention is paid to my request, I shall put it in the TRUMPET for the sake of justice, and I shall count them as “six times worse than beneath attention.” Yours, &c., DEWI ELFED JONES.