ON THE RESTITUTION OF ALL THINGS.
Liverpool, November14, 1847.
Reverend and Dear Sir.—THE RESTITUTION OF ALL THINGS, is a subject deserving rather a volumious treatise than the contracted limits of a single letter; still some out-standing features of this very prominent part of scripture revelation shall be briefly touched upon.The apostle says that the heavens must receive (Jesus) until the times of the restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.
By the term restitution, the scriptures mean putting all things on a permanent and righteous basis. All things are not, and never have been on a righteous basis since the fall of Adam.
After the expulsion of Lucifer and his associates from heaven, order and harmony were restored, and the everlasting system of progressive intelligence and felicity again established on an immutable basis, so far as heaven was concerned. And even among the third part of heaven, drawn away by the apostacy of Lucifer, there might possibly have been some persons capable of ultimate restoration in the interminable ages of futurity. Of this, however, it may, perhaps, be said that no man knoweth. No man, surely can know unless it is revealed to him from heaven. The possibility, however, of redeeming all flesh from the transgression laid upon mankind in this mortal state, through obedience to the gospel, is abundantly revealed in the scriptures. However wrong may have been the conduct and opinions of the inhabitants of the earth, obedience to the gospel will reinstate them in the course of permanent felicity, intelligence, and righteousness.
There areparticularandset timesfor the restitution of all those things which God has spoken of by the prophets. God hath spoken of the subject of restitution byallthe prophets since the world began; indeed there never was a prophet on the earth whose business did not engage him more or less in the work of restitution. But long periods have elapsed on the earth in which no prophets have been known. During such periods the work of restitution has invariably ceased. Iniquity and misery have been made to abound, and gross darkness has spread over all people. But atparticularperiods God would raise up prophets, and then the work of restitution would commence and continue until the prophets were slain or otherwise removed from the earth. It is during such particulartimesof restitution in the latter days, that even Jesus himself may appear from the heavens, in order to give direction and mighty impulse to the work of restitution. Noah was raised up to stay the progress of wickedness and build up the waste places. Wickedness was swept off the earth according to his prophecyings and teachings, and a race of righteous men put in the place of the wicked to people the earth. It was also a time of restitution when Abraham was commissioned to reform mankind by truth and judgment, teaching them to walk in the old paths of revelation and immediate and constant intercourse with the heavens.
Again, in mercy God raised up Moses, and recommenced the same work of restitution which was subsequently undertaken by John the Baptist, under the immediate supervision of Jesus himself. But it was not competent for any one prophet, in the short period of his ministry on the earth, to seteverythingright that was wrong; but each did what he could, under existing circumstances, with the people with whom he had to do. The spirit of revelation rested upon each successive prophet to perform that work which was most fit and necessary to the age in which he lived. No one could attend to all things; and many things are yet to be revealed that have been kept secret since the foundation of the world. No man has ever understood all those measures and principles by which the human family can be brought to the highest degree of perfection. The angels probably do not know them, and even the Son himself did not know them, but the Father only.
The reign of a thousand years of righteousness will probably do much to correct, ennoble, and exalt mankind, and beautify the works of his hands, and felicitate all flesh. Whatever principles and measures can contribute to exalt and felicitate mankind in the sight of the heavens, is yet to be done. The profound philosophy and science of the highest intelligences, with all the embellishments which art, and taste, and genius can secure, are destined to become tributary to the righteous; and when these things shall take place in thetimesof the restitution ofall things, God will be crowned with ineffable glory and honour, blessing and dominion, for ever and ever. Amen.
The spirit of apostacy has stripped and shorn true religion of all its luscious and beautiful fruit, and left nothing scarcely but the naked withered hulk of falsespirituality. Religion has been taught, by protestant dissenters, as a science almost wholly abstracted from civil government—from political, social, and domestic institutions, and also from the useful and fine arts. It has been circumscribed to the most revoltingly contracted limits.
In the zeal of its advocates to put down an illegitimate and bastardly union of church and state, that had long darkened the moral atmosphere of the earth, and made nations groan under oppression, and sigh and mourn that religion was the wedded ally of the civil sceptre, they pushed off into the opposite extreme of imbecile, naked, and sterile spirituality; thereby proving, plainly, that any religion that is not based on constant and immediate inspiration of the Holy Ghost, can neither walk long with or without the crutches of governmental aid and support. It will not only become a stink in the nostrils of Jehovah, but soon cause great dissatisfaction and fall into merited contempt and ignominy.
The best biographies of such men as David Brainard and Edward Payson, is a fair exhibition of internal mental turmoil, and fitful commotion of spirit, and servile bondage to a law that neither they nor their fathers could keep. Poor misguided but honest men! How happy might they have been had they known the true primitive gospel that Paul preached, by the infallible light of inspiration! How joyful the intelligence to the honest but misguided, when the glad news ofrestitutionshall reverberate in their prisons, and cause the captive exile to haste into light and liberty! Not only will the hopes and faith of men be set right in the times of restitution, but the earth itself will undergo an important change, and the heavenly bodies or planetary system. The islands shall flee, and continents be united, and the waters be restored to their proper bounds, no more to break over their proper barriers. The curse shall be clean removed from the earth, and the air shall become salubrious and delightful. The animal race shall cease from their animosity and virulence of temper. The lion and the lamb shall lie down together; and there shall nothing hurt or destroy in all God's holy mountain. In short, all things that are now wrong shall be set right. Human life shall be prolonged: the infant shall die an hundred years old. The power and perpetuity of life will be secured to the ultimate extinction of death from off the earth. Death, the last enemy, will be conquered and swallowed up in victory. When every form and power of sin ceases, may we not expect that death will also cease? Death hath passed upon all men in that all have sinned. Sin is the sting of death and the cause of it. It is true that Jesus died, although he never sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression; but he took upon him Adam's nature, and became sin for us, though he knew no sin. But it was not possible for him to be holden of death, or to see corruption, because he was holy.
When a holy seed shall be raised up from the loins of the righteous, which know no sin (which will be the case when the devil is bound), then their bodies will not see corruption. They shall not all sleep (or die), but they shall be changed. Those who partake of the curse of Adam will be changed in a moment, without knowing corruption; but the posterity of such as are changed will be the legitimate heirs of sanctified bodies, upon whom death has no conceivable claim. Death will not pass upon them because they have not sinned. Their bodies are generically spiritual and holy, like Christ's own most glorious body. Then will the seeds of death become extinguished from the human body, and man will stand as holy and pure as in his pristine creation, blooming with health, vigour, and immortality. Then he is prepared to hold intercourse with the heavens, and to reign with Christ on the earth.
You will perceive, sir, a difference in the liability of such persons as are born during the reign of righteousness, who do not sleep or die, and those who must die by reason of sin. The former know not the dominion or sting of sin, but are as trees of the Lord's planting—righteous. The latter must needs die and be resurrected. Jesus was the first fruits of them that slept. In the case of all others, corruption followed death; and a longer period must elapse before their bodies could be resurrected by reason of corruption. But Jesus was first and foremost to ripen into immortality. Corruptibility did not pertain to him, of course it was not necessarily pre-requisite to his resurrection and immortality; but with all others, down to the period when it is said that they should not sleep, corruption must precede the resurrection.—If the body of Jesus did not corrupt and moulder back to dust, then it is evident that he had substantially the same sort of corporal frame after his resurrection that he had before. The spirit resting upon him without measure, animated and resuscitated his body with no other material change than that of loss of blood. He shewed his disciples his body, and told them to handle him and see of what material it was: "a spirit hath not flesh and bones as ye see me have." He shewed them, demonstratively, in his own person, a proper specimen of a living resurrected body. He shewed them that a spirit did not possess flesh and bones as a resurrected body did. He also proved another thing, viz.: that a resurrected body retains probably all the five senses common to a mortal body. He eat and drank with them, and shewed them that his person was identically the same as before his death.—Here there is a specimen of corporal immortality. In this person we may see what all resurrected bodies will be, for we shall be like him. Life and immortality are brought to light in the example of Christ's resurrected body. Such is the organization of a resurrected body, in consequence of the expulsion of the seeds of death, the last enemy, that decay and disease have no further power or influence.
The immediate resurrection of Jesus, after the lapse of only three days, was one of the greatest blessings and honours that could be conferred. In addition to all the faculties and powers which he possessed previous to his death, he also had those of an immortal being; instead of lingering a long time, with barely the circumscribed and limited powers and privileges of a disembodied spirit, he was blessed inbody,soul, andspiritunited. The key to innumerable lives and boundless dominions was given him on the third day after his death. It was his sole prerogative to say how long the dead should sleep before they should be resurrected. All the innumerable privileges of a resurrected body—privileges unspeakable and even unlawful to be uttered by reason of the hardness of men's hearts—were conferred upon him! He held the key of death and hell. No one could come forth from the tomb without his orders—none could felicitate his spirit by possessing his own body till Jesus should grant permission. His friends could all be called forth at his pleasure, and be reinstated on the earth as he had been, with all their friends and posterity after them, but no enemy could resuscitate the slumbering ashes of his tomb, till Jesus should speak the word and grant permission.
His attention would be especially directed to the speedy and early restitution of such as had been beheaded for his sake and the gospel's. They should be the very first to be raised, and others in their time and order; but the wicked enemies! alas, how long they must lie unnoticed! Athousandyears, at least, must roll slowly away before their mouldering bodies could be allowed to have a living re-organization! Long and doleful banishment from the joys of life and immortality! In the meantime the righteous are restored to their own bodies, now immortalized for ever; they are reinstated on the earth in the company of kindred spirits, while their enemies are trodden down as so much dust under the soles of their feet.
How remarkable a contrast between the righteous and the wicked! They that sowed to the Spirit are reaping the fruits of the Spirit, which are life everlasting. They inherit the earth and multiply upon it, and build cities and temples, and their posterity are as numerous as the sands upon the sea shore. How glorious the rich reward of keeping the commands of God! but, alas! where are the wicked all this time? Where are those who have sown to the flesh during this long and glorious reign of the righteous on the earth? Poor wretched creatures! they are reaping corruption, just according to what they sowed. Once they scorned the righteous, and oppressed the hireling, and sneered at prophets, and said they needed no revelations in their day and age. But where are they now? Their bodies mingle with the dust of the streets and of the field, that men tread upon daily. Their memories are nearly faded from remembrance. Their posterity can no where be found on the earth. When the wicked return from their banishment (so many as do return, for they shall be visited after many days) they have become an inferior race of beings: the righteous have outstripped them in knowledge, and happiness, and power, and dominion, and glory, and honour.
The resurrection will bring about a great restitution both to the righteous and to the wicked. The righteous will receive the reward of righteousness, and the wicked will receive the wages of sin. When the wicked are swept off the earth, the books will be opened and examined in order to know whose names are recorded; and those "that are found written in the book shall be delivered;" and such shall be resurrected immediately, and shine as the brightness of the firmament on account of the illustrious part they had taken in Christ's service. But the wages of the wicked shall be paid off in a long night of death before they rise; and when they rise, it shall be to shame and everlasting contempt. If their long banishment and death is followed by a subdued and humbled spirit of loyalty to truth, still their late resurrection, with all its doleful accompaniments, will be an eternal stigma on their name. It will always be known that they were once banished and trod under foot a thousand years at least, in consequence of their disgraceful rebellion against the laws and ordinances of God's government. Neither they nor their posterity can ever wipe off the disgrace; they may repent and reform, and become truly loyal to God, still their former rebellion against immediate revelation and prophets, will stand on record eternally, and crimson their face with shame, and furnish occasion for contempt to their name at the retrospect. Many ancient Saints endured "tortures, not accepting deliverance, in order that they might obtain a better resurrection."
The domestic tie is the strongest bond of union, and the most prolific source of virtue and happiness that appertains to mankind on earth or in heaven. Hence the promise made to Abraham of an innumerable domestic confederation, and to all others also, who should be heirs of the same faith with faithful Abraham. But the wicked are disembodied spirits, without flesh and bones, and cannot partake of the blessings of domestic union, and that friendship and fellowship that the wholefamilyof God in heaven and upon earth enjoy. Poor desolate spirits, that once despised prophecyings and forbid to speak in tongues, ye are now left without the sweet ties of parentage, and the endearing bonds of filial and conjugal affection! The social circle in which you move, and the government under which you are organized, have lost their most lovely and essential ligaments of union and strength. How gladly would wicked spirits accept the bodies of the inferior animals as their tabernacle, might they be permitted to do so; even the swine would be a desirable habitation rather than none at all.
The angels that kept not their first estate are reserved in chains (have not the liberty of embodied spirits) to the far distant period of final judgment, when death and hell shall be judged after the lapse of a thousand years and "little season;" even then death and hell, with all others whose reprieve is not found written in the book, must fall victims to the second death. Oh! dreadful consequence of sin! How oft would I havegatheredyou, as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wing, but ye would not; but now, your house is left unto you desolate!
But, alas! sir, how many attach no more importance to the resurrection, than merely the fact of its being an evidence that we shall survive the dissolution of death? but blessed are those who understand and have part in thefirstresurrection, for on such the second death hath no power. Sir, my heart swells with deep concern that all men might obey the only true gospel, that entitles to a part in the first resurrection!
The limits of my letter forbid me to exhort; but suffer me to say, unless you have the same faith with Daniel and Elijah, and the same spirit of revelation with Peter, Abraham, and Moses, you can never associate with resurrected bodies, neither with holy angels, nor with God. In yourfleshyou never can see God. All former Saints were united with the spirits of the just, and angels, and Christ, and God the judge of all: and if you are not united to the same by supernatural faith, and the spirit of vision and revelation, you may bid farewell to every endearing social tie, and launch forth among the disembodied powers of the air; and there with bitter regret and wailing, lament over that fallen and lost bodily image of your Maker, laid low in corruptible ruins through your transgression and hatred of the ministry of the prophet of the last days. There, this spectacle of your rebellion against prophets (monument of your shame) must lie till your self-righteous spirit is subdued, or be raised only to encounter the mortal grasp of a second death.
Yes, sir, while the restitution will elevate the righteous to their proper level in the scale of being, where the wicked cannot molest, it will also depress the wicked to their humiliating level. It will separate them to their own place, and the want of bodies will prove an impassable gulf between them and happiness. In this state they may, indeed, contemplate what they have lost, without the power of recovering it. Oh, tantalizing state of keen despair! Dreadful chains! Cruel death holds that once noble image of thy Maker fast in mouldering ruins, as a monument of thy contempt of prophets! Now, thou needest supernatural power to restore to thee that lost image of thy Maker! Now, thou needest a new name and key to resurrecting power! but thou hast despised these things, and saidst thou hadst no need, therefore thy light is put out and clean gone! Now, angels offer to minister to thee, and prophets to become thy teachers, but thou wouldst have none of these; therefore they will withdraw from thee for a long and dreary night, in which thou wilt often cry out with bitter wailing, "Would God it were morning!"
Now, sir, may a consideration of these truths lead you to choose the good and refuse the evil, and stand on the immutable basis of every one that is taught of God, is the unceasing desire of
Your humble servant,
ORSON SPENCER.
MISCELLANEOUS REMARKS ON RESTITUTION.
Liverpool, November30, 1847.
Reverend and Dear Sir,—A question has sometimes been asked concerning infants—with what bodies will they come forth? Will they be raised in the stature of manhood or adult size? We believe not; but as they fall, so will they rise again—the size of their stature when they rise, will be the same as when they fell asleep in death. Little children are the subjects and residents of the kingdom of heaven. Their angels do always behold the presence of our Father in heaven.
It is not the size of a person's stature that constitutes any certain mark of the measure of one's capacity, either to exercise power or enjoy felicity. Jesus possessed all power in a mere stature of human size. Still, nothing is fully perfect till it has attained the measure of the grand Designer, and accomplished the end of its creation. Hence it may, with some probability, be inferred, that children will mature and come to their full stature after the resurrection; this, however, is more a matter of opinion than of any direct revelation that has come to my knowledge.
It will, of course, from what has been said, be discovered that the righteous will enjoy a happy recognition of each other in every endearing relation that is common to mankind in their present mortal state. Their familiarity will be that of perfect innocence and felicity. Children, in the millennium, or after the first resurrection, will need the same paternal care, tutorage, and guidance, which is required by them now. In the absence of their proper parents they will, doubtless, receive adopted parents, or an equivalent guardianship of the angels of God. Such is the established order of progressive intelligence, through the medium of living teachers, that all the redeemed of heaven and earth, are under the special guardianship of the ministering authorities of God.
Oh, how happy and blessed are those parents and children—husbands and wives—who shall meet in the palaces of the just, and recognize each other after so long an absence! Unspeakably joyful that day and hour when friends, that have been long separated, shall again strike hands together, and celebrate their re-union in the courts above. To die is gain, because the righteous are exalted and introduced to higher orders of intelligence. New fields of discovery and enjoyment are constantly opening, to intensify their interest and swell their bosoms with the liveliest emotions. They may and do remember their righteous friends that are left behind, for a little season, with kind desires, and cannot advance in knowledge and glory very advantageously without them; still it is the knowledge which they possess of superlative glories ahead, that principally occupy their minds. Truths and keys, explanatory of the boundless and skilful works of God, and facilitating their progress towards dominion and power, and blessing, and salvation, are continually warming up their hearts and inciting them to onward deeds. The valiant and faithful that have fought a good fight and kept the faith, are hailed with delight and thanksgivings on their reception to the heavenly courts, and most cordially welcomed to the embrace of the great and venerable progenitor of our race.
Thrice happy are those who keep their present estate, and secure an imperishable inheritance on this planetary portion of their interminable existence; and equally deplorable, on the other hand, the condition of those who, filled with the delusive spirit of anti-revelation, keep not their present estate, and prefer the darkness ofno revelation, in their day; because they have changed the ordinances, and transgressed the laws, and broken the everlasting covenant.
Again, it may be asked, will not those who have died without the knowledge of the gospel, during many centuries past, perish for want of the gospel? And where is the justice of leaving persons to perish, for want of that which it is not in their power to obtain?
Were not many of our ancestors, that have died in past generations, good people, yet as the gospel was not revealed in their day, and they could not enter the kingdom by being born of the water and of the Spirit, have they perished? These, indeed, are interesting inquiries. To the first inquiry I respond—they have not perished, in the sense or manner in which those have perished who have rejected the offers of the gospel; not having known the gospel, they have never rejected it. They have not disobeyed laws and ordinances of which they have not heard, or which were never imposed upon them. They are neither rewarded or punished according to gospel laws; but such as have lived without law will be judged without law. Where there is no law there is no transgression—where there is nothing given, there is nothing required; but it is required according to what a man hath. Whatever light they have had, bythat lightwill they be judged; and whatever privileges and blessings thelaw, under which they have lived, can confer, such will be awarded to them. Still our fathers, who have died without the gospel, are in a condition far inferior to those who have received and obeyed the gospel.
This condition of theirs is consequent upon the early transgression of their progenitors. The condition itself may not be blameworthy. Their conduct, in a pre-existent state, may have deserved for their bodies in this world to be without the privilege of the gospel; or withholding gospel privileges from them in this world, may be followed with future blessings compensatory for their loss, when they shall prove themselves worthy of a better condition. The gospel martyr sustains a great loss, but the magnitude of his reward is designed to overbalance his loss.
Our devout and worthy fathers that have died without the gospel, cannot, indeed, enter the celestial kingdom of Jesus Christ without conformity to the identical laws and ordinances of his kingdom. But provision is made for them, whereby they can conform to the requirements of the gospel, not altogether in their own persons alone, but through proxy, or the obedience of others, provided they voluntarily accept of that obedience rendered by others for their benefit.
Startle not, my dear sir, at this idea that is so repugnant to the prejudice of protestants. The principle of substitution is at the foundation of the great work of redemption, and forms a chain of gratitude and obligation of the purest and noblest metal. Jesus died for others, because they could not have saved themselves without his obedience for them. The preachers of righteousness pass through many tribulations, and sacrifice houses, lands, and country, in order that others may become rich both temporally and spiritually; without this order of suffering, the just for the unjust, no man could be saved.
Paul says, I rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which isbehindof the afflictions of Christ, in my flesh, for his body's sake, which is the Church. Every man that has the priesthood of Christ may suffer in his measure and degree a propitiatory sacrifice, according to the degree of priesthood with which he is clothed. He may become a subordinate saviour to his fellow-men, Christ being, however, the CAPTAIN of all men's salvation. Hence, the prophets plumply call men SAVIOURS who shall be raised to officiate in Mount Zion.
Paul also instructs Timothy how he cansavemen and himself. This distribution ofsavinggifts, instead of eclipsing Jesus of the glory of salvation, magnifies his glory, because He is the spring and source of all salvation. God the Father reigns over all, and Jesus under him, and men reign under Jesus as kings and priests. Kingdoms rise up within kingdoms, but Christ is theKingof kings. Peter tells how the devout and honourable dead may be saved, who never heard the gospel on earth. He says, the living may be baptized for them, and then they can be judged according to men in the flesh. Says he, "else why are ye baptized for the dead?" Baptism for the dead was better understood in Peter's days than the doctrine of the resurrection. Doctrines are sooner obliterated from the mind than ordinances. But after the destruction of the Temple, and the baptismal font, baptisms for the dead must of course cease, because there was no longer an acceptable place for this ordinance to be ministered. Peter explicitly declares, that the gospel was preached tothe dead, by which also he went and preached to the Spirits in prison. Now if the gospel was preached to the dead, then mercy, and deliverance, and salvation, were preached to the dead; but these could not be preached to them without the ordinances, because the ordinances of baptism, and gift of the Holy Ghost, are a part of the gospel; for except a man is born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. But if a righteous man is baptized for his departed friend, the law requiring baptism is magnified, and God can justify the departed spirit that believes, and accepts the same.
Baptism for the dead, however, only takes away the disabilities under which they labour; unless this is done for them they cannot be redeemed, however penitent they may become. The blood of Christ took away the disabilities of all the human family, so that all mankind can now be saved through faith and obedience. But no man is saved by the blood of Christ, without faith and obedience; and if they count His blood an unholy thing, and sin against the Holy Ghost, there is no more sacrifice for sin, neither is there forgiveness for such in "this world, nor in the world to come." No person will be led by the Spirit to be baptized for any such description of persons; no person that is the friend of Christ will ever lend a helping hand towards redeeming such obdurate spirits. Many worlds must pass away before they can be fit subjects for the visitation of God's mercy. But there are those who will prove their lineage to be descended from those who slew the prophets, and "fill up the measure of their fathers," and some will even shed innocent blood—for whom there is no resurrection, only to be plunged into a lake of fire, and writhe under the gnawings of the worm that never dies. Among those in former ages who were of the lineage of the murderers of prophets, priests and high-minded divines are distinctly noticed by Jesus Christ, and their pedigree flatly exposed; and, sir, if you will allow me any credit for veracity, and attach any weight to the most palpable and irrefutable proof, you may assuredly know, that preachers of modern christianity have occupied a conspicuous part in the tragic scenes of Missouri and Illinois.—I will admit that many distinguished divines do eloquently extol the ancient prophets—speak in glowing diction of the faith of Daniel, Abraham, and Sampson, and of illustrious miracles, and beautifully portray the crucifixion, agony, and triumph of Jesus. But, alas! with the next breath, and while soaring aloft with the ardent sympathies of their hearers, they prove their pedigree to be that of the self-same murderers of the very prophets they affect to eulogize. Electrified and warmed up in the pseudo atmosphere of Calvary, and the story of redeeming love for a cloak of maliciousness, their words, though smoother than oil, are sharper than drawn swords. The innocent Saints feel their piercing thrusts from pulpits that bear the cognomen of St. Peter, and St. Paul, and St. Jude.
Lewd men of the baser sort catch the Lethean fire, and throughout the nation the righteous poor feel the Upean blast that sprung from the sacred desk. Thousands are thrown out of employment—writs, and every species of oppression are poured out like a storm of hail upon them. Property is sacrificed—the Saints flee, homeless and shelterless, to seek an asylum in the wilds of the everlasting hills.
Again, I will invite your attention to the union of the fathers and the children, and a faint outline of the innumerable kingdoms that are to rise up in the boundless dominions of the Supreme King. No king on earth or in heaven is so omnipotent or omnipresent as not to need subordinate ruling agencies, in order to control innumerable subjects. Hence the Lord God of all the earth has a host of holy angels that communicate his will, and minister his pleasure among the hosts of heaven and the inhabitants of the earth. From the highest heaven, even his own peculiar dwelling-place, to the lowest heaven, and from thence to the earth, this order of delegated authorities is maintained. His dominions extend through all space, and the number of his constantly increasing subjects cannot be computed.
How, then, are these innumerable kingdoms governed? Every organization has its own president or ruler, from the orbit of countless millions to the smallest division that convenience may require—from the ruler of many cities to the ruler of the smallest ward of a city. A man's gift maketh room for him, and bringeth him into the presence of great men.
Now, the strongest tie of government, of union, strength, and happiness in any confederation whatever, either in heaven or on earth, is that which springs from parentage, or the paternal tie. The first lesson of address which God teaches his subjects is to call him Father—our Father, &c. The father feels the strongest of all attachments to his children; for them he toils and provides, and to them he gives the fruit of his labours, and the wisdom and knowledge that flows from his lips. Every father is expected to look after his own progeny. If it were not that the hearts of the fathers were turned to the children, in the last days the earth would be smitten with such a sore and heavy curse that no flesh would be saved; but for the elect's sake, and for the sake of the fathers who have obtained promises concerning their posterity in the last days, the earth will be preserved as an inheritance for righteous men. From the dust of mother earth has arisen a sufficient number of righteous men to secure the endless perpetuity of its existence among the worlds that God has made. Glory and honour be to God for this unspeakable favour! Some worlds have passed away and are not, doubtless because they abode not in the law given them.
According to promise, God has sent Elijah just in the dawn of the great and notable day of sweeping the wicked with the besom of his wrath, to turn the hearts of the children to the fathers. The children are told of kindred ties between them and such as once held the true priesthood, and wrought righteousness on the earth, and of their consequent heirship to thrones and dominions through faith. Through the gift of the Spirit they respond to the same, as good tidings of great joy. The Spirit of God works in them mightily, that they may come to the knowledge of their ancestors, that were once in honourable remembrance before God for their faith and priesthood. By revelation, and by records and traditions, and by the spirit of adoption, they will learn their relationship to the heavens; and the vacant links of lineage between them and their forefathers in the priesthood, will be sought after on earth, and under the earth, and in the heavens, in the set times of restitution; for God will gather together in one in Christ, all things in heaven and upon the earth and under it, in the dispensation of the fulness of times.
The different federative unions of the whole family of heaven and earth, when organized according to the law of adoption, have their own respective patriarch or president to represent them in the grand council of the just, Jesus Christ being head over all things to the Church, in all ages, worlds without end. Every dispensation under Him has its own presidency and grand council, from whence emanate all the laws that spring from the Apostle and High Priest of our profession in the heavens.
By the federative laws of adoption, a representation may be had in the grand council of each dispensation, with more practical facility and order than otherwise. Jesus is an advocate for the whole human family before the Father; "and every High Priest taken from among men is ordained for men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins."
A mediatorial and intercessoral work pervades the priesthood according to the measure of the grace bestowed. The union of families, not according to the capricious and changeable institutions of men, but according to the laws of heaven, upon the basis of virtuous affection, and upon the confidence of permanent security in righteousness, will form a solid phalanx against the intrusion of discord and the spirit of alienation from God. The righteous will be bound together, by the ties of adoption and kindred, in the "bundle of eternal life." This united confederation of strength and affection will be peculiarly needed, in order to endure the shock which society must receive both in heaven and upon earth, and under the earth, in the last dispensation; for every tree that the Eternal Father hath not planted shall be hewn down, and the institutions of men shall come to nought. Every man's hand shall be against his fellow; and while distrust and discord shall insinuate their baneful influence into the secret chambers of the most familiar acquaintance, the Saints shall have peace like a river, and their union and joy shall abound. Then the nations that have sneered at prophets will be filled with disquietude and fear! Violence and rapine will stalk abroad with a bold front! Innocence, and integrity, and virtue will hide in confusion or be utterly banished! But the Church—"the pillar and ground of the truth"—will be quiet and undisturbed! Virtue and innocence, truth and wisdom, will abound within her gates! She will come up from her tribulations like sheep from the washing—fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and terrible as an army with banners!
And when the victory of truth over error is won, all nations will fear the name of the Lord our God. "The law shall go forth from Zion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem." The Jews shall be gathered to Jerusalem, and the city shall have been built in troublesome times. The outcasts of Judah shall re-occupy their own land; and the gatherings of Israel shall be commemorated in everlasting songs and festivals, because the greatness of the work shall surpass any deliverance that Israel has ever experienced before from the hand of the Lord. Therefore, behold the days come, saith the Lord, that it shall no more be said, The Lord liveth that brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt. But the Lord liveth that brought up the children of Israel from the land of the north, and from all the lands whither he had driven them. And I will bring them again into their land, that I gave unto their fathers. Behold, I will send for many fishers, saith the Lord, and they shall fish them; and after will I send for many hunters, and they shall hunt them from every mountain, and from every hill, and out of the holes of the rocks, for mine eyes are upon all their ways. I will cause them to know mine hand and my might, and they shall know that my name is the Lord. And Satan shall be bound on the face of the whole earth; and for the first time in the lapse of more than six thousand years, there shall be made a perfect demonstration of the majesty and glory of the kingdom of God on the earth; and the purity, efficiency, and wisdom of his laws.
Jesus Christ shall come in like manner as he went up. He shall set his feet upon Mount Olives, and the earth shall quake at his presence. His nation shall acknowledge their Lord and their God, whom their fathers had crucified. The city of the New Jerusalem shall come down out of heaven, even the city of the great King. In this city will be displayed the skill of the great architect of the world,—the builder and maker is God. The names of the twelve tribes, and of the twelve apostles of the Lamb will not be the least distinguishable in this most extraordinary city that was ever revealed to man.
This vision of the future residence of the apostles and patriarchs, appears to have been unfolded to the apostle John, in a kind of farewell visit, and must have ravished his heart with unspeakable delight and ecstacy. His soul was suffused with joy and rapture, and he fell prostrate with feelings of worship toward the messenger of such tidings. Jesus had, indeed, told the apostles that he would go away and prepare mansions for them. And that there were many mansions. But never before, probably, had he described the celestial state and residence so beautifully and minutely as now. The height, and length, and breadth of the city, and the names of some of the most distinguished personages who should occupy mansions therein, together with the gates of pearl, and the foundation walls of all manner of precious stones, were distinctly shown to him.
The future residence of the Saints, we perceive, is not an ideal thing without reality. They will need houses for their persons, and for their families, as much in their resurrected condition as in their present state; they will be as sensible of the works of art, taste, beauty and grandeur there as now, and far more so.
In this identical world, where they have been robbed of houses and lands, and wife and children, they shall have an hundred fold. The nations of the earth shall bring their glory into the city of their immortal residence. And the diversified wisdom of Solomon, displayed above all earthly kings, shall be but a miniature picture of the visible and tangible glories that will be exhibited to the eyes and ears of resurrected Saints on the very erarth where they once suffered. If ever an earthly sovereign sat upon a throne, and swayed a royal sceptre, and wore a glittering crown of surpassing richness and beauty, then shall men and women who have suffered loss and shame for the gospel's sake, be seated upon thrones in the city of the New Jerusalem, and their mandates shall be heard and obeyed to the ends of the earth; and the riches, and dominion, and power, and blessing, and glory, that shall encircle them, no tongue can describe. Oh! wonderful transition, from darkness to light, and from the degrading bondage of Satan into the liberty of the sons and daughters of God! Glorious emancipation! Who can contemplate the recompense of reward without ample satisfaction for all the withering scorn, and piercing sarcasm, and bloody hatred, that have been endured? Give me a name that shall never perish,—a habitation among heaven's kings,—a seat in the council of the just, where the fairest among the sons of men shall sometimes minister in his own person, and it shall suffice for having fought a good fight, and kept the faith once delivered to the Saints. Oh, enchanting prospect of rapturous delight!
The thought of such amazing blissShould constant joys create!
The thought of such amazing blissShould constant joys create!
But grovelling unbelief will ask, how can such an immense city be let down to the earth, or suspended over it, and contiguous to it? I reply, How can the earth be suspended in vacant space? How could Jesus ascend up till the eye could see his person no longer? How could Elijah go up in the chariot of Israel? How could the angel fly through the midst of heaven, that the prophets Zechariah, John, and Daniel saw speaking to the young man Joseph? How can Christ come with his ten thousand Saints, and descend with a shout? How will Saints, by tens of thousands and millions, be caught up to meet him in the air? How do birds fly in the air, and vast planets hang on nothing? Oh! marvellous unbelief! shall not He who organized worlds out of their chaotic state, reorganize them at His pleasure, so as to suit the capacity and pleasure of immortalized bodies, that have kept their second estate, and have obtained right and title to enter the pearly gates of the royal city?
Isaiah says, that the Lord's work, in the last days, shall be a marvellous work and a wonder. The changes wrought in the condition of the earth will be very great. The face of its surface will be greatly changed. There are many islands and lofty barren mountains, and sunken pestiferous valleys, and sterile plains, that will be revolutionized. Indeed, far the greatest part of the earth stands covered with water. The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunken man, and shake terribly before the coming of the Son of Man. It shall even be turned upside down; and the approach of Christ shall be indicated by a succession of great events and changes. But a most extraordinary appearance in the heavens shall be distinguished, and known as thesignof the coming of the Son of Man. Whether this sign of the Son of Man will be some planetary body of an imposing aspect, first making its appearance in the heavens and gradually approximating to the earth, or whether it shall be stationary, is not, and probably, will not, be fully revealed, except to the children of revelation, for that day shall come upon the nations as a snare.
But it is revealed that an extraordinary sign in the heavens shall make its appearance, announcing, with sublime and terrific grandeur, the near approach of the Son of Man. The calamitous state of the nations, convulsed with the sword, pestilence and famine, with which God will plead with all flesh before the Son of Man shall come; followed also with great convulsions of nature, will lead many to practise wild and visionary impositions, pretending that Christhasindeed come, and that he has been seen in the wilderness, or in the secret chamber, &c. But let it be understood distinctly, that even as a remarkablestarescorted the Son of Man in his first advent, and became not only visible but stationary over the very point of earth where Jesus was born—marvellous indeed!—even so, and much more visible will be his second coming.
The brilliancy of the lightning, extending over the whole heaven, from east to west, will not be more manifest to the inhabitants of the earth than the approach of the Son of Man at his second coming. Still many will behold, wonder, and despise, and perish; because it is written, that whosoever shall reject that prophet shall be destroyed from among the people. The false signs and wonders that shall be got up in opposition to the true, will deceive and harden the nations, and they will not discern between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not.
Even the sign of the coming of the Son of Man may be contemplated by multitudes, barely as an unaccountable phenomenon; and familiarity with the sight of it will beget indifference, hardness of heart, and contempt for all such like things.
Your humble servant,
ORSON SPENCER.
SUMMARY AND FINAL APPEAL.
Liverpool, December13, 1847.
Reverend and Dear Sir,—Having given you an epitomised view of the doctrines of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, in a short series of Thirteen Letters, I now make this SUMMARY AND FINAL APPEAL to you, and to all persons to whom the foregoing Letters may come.
Before parting with you, I will endeavour to obviate some objections that might be supposed to arise, and give some further confirmatory proof of the truths that have been advanced.
You may be ready to inquire with great earnestness, can it possibly be that the religious world have been so grossly mistaken and actually deluded for so many centuries? can so many divines of celebrated learning and devotion have been all this time in error? Is it possible that that illiterate young man, Joseph Smith, should be the first, after the lapse of so many ages, to break the spell of darkness, and pierce the clouds of error, and let in the sunshine of eternal truth upon the whole world? Is it possible that he whom we have been accustomed to regard as the blackest impostor—about whose moral character there hang so many shades of suspicion? canhebe, in very deed, a true prophet of God?
I do not wonder at your inquiries; but I do marvel that any good man should have a lingering doubt. Your inquiries and objections I will briefly answer.—Why should not the religious world be mistaken? do not the great mass of the human family profess to be religious? are not the millions of China and Asia religious? Here is nearly one half of the human family ardently devoted to their religion—they are sincerely devoted to their religion—the multitudes of their pagodas, and the great expense and sacrifice attending their worship, prove incontestibly their sincerity; and the long antiquity of their religion has rendered it venerable as yours.
You readily say, that the myriads of Asia are deceived and mistaken. But may they not retort upon you and say—how is it that we, whose religion is so ancient and so universally believed, should be (all of us) in such gross error? Now, may not the reply that would fit them be applicable to the advocates of modern christianity? They are all the children of Adam as much as you, and as much the offspring of our common parent. Their rulers and divines are as respectable among their own countrymen as yours are among your countrymen. It is no worse for modern christendom to be in error than for paganism. Paganism can boast of more learning and oratory, and of more universal, enduring, and mighty governments than modern christianity! Paganism can boast of more union and stability than modern christianity. But I am no advocate of either paganism or modern christianity. I believe that the whole world lieth in darkness, in consequence of transgressing the laws of God. Modern christianity has had a fair trial for success. Kings and potentates with vast and populous dominions, have been arrayed on its side.Eighteen hundred yearshave testified to its ragged and crippled march. The sovereigns of Europe and rulers of America are on its side. But what a haggard picture of union does the theatre of modern Christianity present! A garment of as many colours as the various religious creeds of modern christianity, would constitute a phenomenon fit to be carried about as a curiosity.
In Catholic countries there is the largest share of unity of creeds. In Protestant countries every city, town, and village presents the picture of religious collision and jargon. Now, these contending parts must necessarily be wrong, for God is not the author of confusion, but of peace. And if the constituent parts are wrong, the aggregate must also be wrong. But whether the balance of wisdom and virtue lies with Christians or Pagans, one thing is certain, that no man, by searching, can find out God or know the Almighty unto perfection! The world by wisdom know not God. No man can ever know God unless God reveals himself to him. Those whom God selects to communicate revelations to men are not the wise and mighty, but rather such as are accounted weak, and foolish, and unholy. This is the description of men that God generally chooses to do his work on the earth. Again, it is said that the doctrines of the Latter-day Saints may be good enough, but their characters are too reprehensible. Testimony from many reliable sources is against them; and we have seen with our own eyes a want of that fervent piety that ought to distinguish a people entrusted with the ordinances and gifts of salvation.—This, I think, is the most weighty and popular objection that is urged by the opposers of the Latter-day Saints:—if they were a respectable people, their doctrines could better be endured. Now I propose to consider this objection, and canvass it thoroughly, in order that no man shall ever raise the same objection again, with any hope of success; but before I try their character, let us inquire what is the proper standard or rule by which character is to be tested.
Some people consider that no man can have a good character who is not religious,—this is a common opinion among religious people. An infidel, say they, is odious, and feels no responsibility; and no one is religious unless his faith harmonizes with their own religious creed. In some countries, what would be accounted moral and virtuous, would in others be stamped as immoral, unvirtuous, and sacrilegious. Another, more plausible, says, "let all men do as they would be done by," and then their characters will be good. This, however, is a very vague rule indeed; for instance, the Emperor Charles Fifth of Germany, says: "If I were as great a heretic as Martin Luther or John Calvin, I ought to be banished, or even put to death." Thus the Emperor conscientiously carries out the rule, and orders the famous Reformer (heretic) to be put to death. The above rule, unaccompanied by the spirit of revelation, is often defective and made the pretext for deeds of blood-guiltiness. What, then, is the true and infallible standard of character? I answer, it is revealed in the Gospel. God is the only good being and standard of goodness; such as comply with his revealed will are good, and do good, and there is no iniquity in them.
Compliance with the divine will is the only true standard of character. To this test, then, let us bring the character of the Latter-day Saints, and that of their opposers. What is the faith of each? Let us inquire. According to their faith, so will be their works or their character. Says James, I will show my faith by my works. You may not only know a man's faith by his works, but his works are also known by his faith. If his faith is bad, his works will be also bad; and if his works are bad, his character is bad.
It was the faith of Christ to receive the revelations of God his father unto obedience in all things. This faith led him to work the works of God, which were healing the sick, prophecying, casting out devils, speaking in tongues, and doing many miracles, and revealing the will of his Father. But the pious Jews, chief priests, &c., had another sort of faith: they believed in the God of Abraham and Moses, but believed that the age of miracles was past, and they forbid to prophecy and speak with tongues. Their faith was, that there was no further need of new revelation, and that the canon of Scripture was full. They believed that the Sanhedrim established by Moses was sufficient for the perfection and government of the Church, without apostles, and prophets, and various gifts. Their faith was not the faith of God, nor of immediate revelation (although they said they believed in old revelations); neither was it the faith of miracles, and prophecyings, and tongues, and healing.
What, then, was the faith of those pious men that sent their missionaries over sea and land, and preached eloquently, and wept copiously over the pathetic doctrines of Abraham and Moses? Why, to be plain, sir, it was the faith of devils; and their anti-revelation doctrines were the doctrines of devils. Their works were of the devil, because their faith was opposed to immediate revelation, and their character was like their works—bad and abominable in the eyes of God, and saints, and holy angels; and yet these same pious Jews claim that they were the only true Christians! What a pity (thought they) that this arch impostor should succeed in misleading and deluding so many followers. It was due to his wickedness that he got killed, and it was a pity that his doctrines did not die with him. Doubtless some Solomon Spaulding story was current to prove that he was born of a harlot, and her husband, like another Judge Hale, was ready to swear that he was not the father of the child.
Now, sir, from the foregoing thirteen Letters, you will see plainly what is the acknowledged faith of the Latter-day Saints. It is precisely the same with the faith of the ancient apostles and prophets. They have proved before the face of mankind, and in the sight of angels, that they believe the doctrines set forth in these Letters and in the Scriptures, by persecutions, banishment, loss of goods, houses, and lands; yea, even of life itself; for they are a spectacle unto all men, and their characters are good in the sight of God, and angels, and saints, because they keep the commandments and ordinances of God, even unto death—not counting their lives dear unto them, in order that they may be found in the same faith for which apostles and prophets have contended earnestly and bled freely.
Their character is that ofcompliance with the revealed will of God, the only true standard of character. They have preached the word to the nations of the earth, under privations, and abuses, and perils hitherto unknown, since the days of the apostles. It is no vanity to say, there is none like them in all the earth. They fear God and work righteousness.
If any class of people were ever entitled to a good character, it is the Latter-day Saints. They have earned a title to it by conformity to the only true rule and standard of character that was ever revealed to man, viz., compliance with the doctrines and ordinances of heaven. On this platform, sir, I am willing to try the character of Latter-day Saints before any tribunal of impartial justice; and it is on this platform alone that all men must be tried, who have ever heard the gospel of Christ. When the Saints and their opposers are brought before this tribunal of high heaven, think you not that our accusers will not be filled with shame at their groundless accusations? This people, during the last seventeen years (since 1830) have endured the fatigue and expense of emigrating from their former homes; built cities, and towns, and farms, and been robbed of them. Many of them have journeyed, making their own bridges and roads, traversing prairies and mountains, and some have emigrated by ships around the greater half of the globe. They have preached the gospel to many nations, and brought some hundreds of thousands into obedience to it. In doing this, they have been unaided by any missionary funds or salary—been compelled all the time to face an incessant and pitiless storm of scandal and vituperation. The pulpit, and the bar, and the medical faculty have poured out upon them their grape and canister shot, and caused their combustible shells to burst thick around their pathway; still they survive, and the truth floats over every ocean, and converts to their standard are multiplying beyond the aggregate increase of long venerated denominations. What but the power of God could have secured these great and blessed results in the very teeth of boasting christendom? Pure, eternal, and almighty truth has done it.
Why should you marvel at the success of this religion, seeing it is based on the same principles as the religion of all the prophets ever since the foundation of the world. The Bible recognises no other religion than that of prophets and supernatural faith, and miracles, and immediate revelation. It is not possible to point out a single pious man or woman, whose name or piety is recorded within the lids of the Bible, that did not profess the same religion—the same gifts of supernatural faith, prophecyings, healings, tongues, that Latter-day Saints profess. Ancient saints believed in a similar administration by angels—ancient saints knew nothing of any religion that did not embrace immediate intercourse with God and angels, or that did not communicate the gifts of healing, tongues, and prophecyings. They knew, indeed, what it was to smart under the lash of false religions; but the ancient saints regarded no man as pious or acceptable to God, who did not profess to believe in the ministration of angels, and the immediate inspiration of the Holy Ghost. John, and Jesus, and the apostles, laid the axe at the root of all religions but their own; and they believed fully and heartily in these and such like things. And the great bone of contention between them and their pious adversaries was mainly about the gifts and blessings of a supernatural order;—the latter making a mock of tongues, and despising prophecyings, and miracles, as being needless in that day and age of the world;—the former maintaining that the faith of Daniel, Sampson, and Noah, were as necessary to salvation as they ever had been in the early age of the world. Indeed, if you will look through the whole Bible, you will find that every man of Bible piety believed in prophets, and angels, and visions, and miracles; and any one who did not believe as they did were accounted rebels, or hypocrites, and excommunicated accordingly.
I know, indeed, that out of the lids of the Bible, you may find pious creeds, that set aside all further revelation, and the further ministration of angels, and prophets, and represent the supernatural faith of Moses and Elijah as no longer needed; but no such representation can be drawn from any part of the contents of the Bible. Men ofsupposedsplendid piety can be found in modern churches, who know nothing of the gift of the Holy Ghost in prophecying and tongues, or healing, and who never dreamed of having the ministration of an angel; and would sneer at the whole system of prophets and angels, and present miracles. And what I ask of them is, that they will abandon all pretext of Bible authority for such piety. The Bible recognises no such piety, neither does it entertain any fellowship for it; but down to the day when the last revelation was uttered, it never breathed an intimation that the faith of miracles would cease, or the gifts of healing, except through transgression; but the ancient faith of Abraham and Moses was strenuously contended for, till the last man sealed his testimony with his blood.
The advocates of old revelations, and old prophets, and former day miracles, were very numerous in Paul's day; but they hated new revelation and the power of the Mosaic and Samsonic faith as they did poison.
The doctrine of constant revelation in the true Church, left them as barren of Bible piety as the fallen angels. Go back to whatever part of the history of Bible piety you will, you will never be able to glean up anything in the shape or likeness of modern piety; but you will pick up the hot indignation of apostles and prophets against all such pretended piety. The Bible wages an uncompromising war against modern piety that wears the mask of friendship for ancient revelations and miracles, while it resists the same faith and power in its own day. It is no new thing to have revelation and miracles cease: they were discontinued in consequence of transgression in several different periods of the world. Previous to the days of John the Baptist, and before the days of Moses and Abraham, revelation had ceased. These men were raised up as so many new revelators, in order to overthrow the false and discordant religions, and establish the knowledge of the true God on the earth. As soon as prophets have ceased to reveal the will of God, people have turned into jangling about creeds. The old revelations have been distorted and pulled all to tatters; manuscripts have been picked up; and uninspired men, with all pomposity and pedantry, have set themselves to adjudicate and determine what was genuine, and what was spurious revelation. You might as well set blind men without a telescope to examine the propriety of the local relationship of the starry bodies in the heavens. Alas! the eager folly of biblical researches! Send one, as well, in the darkness of midnight to search a hay-mow for a cambric needle! as though the Almighty could not hide himself from the gaze of transgressors, and withhold the key of knowledge from those that "despise prophecyings." But I turn from the vain and sickening labours of the erudite religionist. His pathway is a mazy labyrinth—the further he goes, the more inextricable his difficulties! The cost of his wearisome and fruitless labours overpowers the remnant of his veracity, and he seeks an inglorious reward for his labours in decoying others, as foolish as himself, into the same learned labyrinths of error. He tells what this man has said, and that man has written; but from God, the fountain of all truth, he has obtained no intelligence—he has heard nothing. Having felt a little of the mesh cords of this entanglement, in pity I turn away.
The faith of visions, miracles, angels, revelations, and prophets, is the only religion of the Bible. With what contempt would Abraham look upon the religion that immediately preceded the days of Moses? With what indignation would Moses and Elijah look upon the religion that immediately preceded John, and denied any further revelation!
How abhorrent to apostles must be the conduct of those who, having persecuted and slain the defenders of the faith of miracles, then turned round and said, "We need no more such faith,—miracles are done away." Their posterity approve their sayings, and teach the same theology. Blush, O, thou foul prince of darkness, at the consummate folly and credulity of thy followers! What would the revelator John say, to a grave assembly or synod of divines, that should meet together in solemn council to devise means how to check the doctrine of new revelation and miracles? After showing them that he was identified with the self same obnoxious advocates of such a doctrine, and thathisbanishment, and the martyrdom of his fellow apostles, had sprung from the same spirit of anti-revelation and anti-miracles, that now convenes this grave council of bishops; with mingled pity and indignation he concludes a most touching remonstrance against their unhallowed opposition to prophets, by pointing the assembly to the tragic scenes of Calvary, where anti-revelation had matured a full cup. When men come to the knowledge of God through the principles of immediate revelation, and the power of the Holy Ghost, nothing can separate them from the love of God but their own transgressions; neither sword, nor famine, nor peril, nor principalities, nor powers, can separate them from the gospel. They know in whom they believe. Who could convince Jacob of the fallacy of visions, after what he experienced at Bethel? Who could dissuade Peter from the faith of miracles, after witnessing the lame man healed at the gate of the temple? Would David or his mighty men doubt the power of God, after a single individual had lifted up his spear and sleweight hundredat one time? Would mobbing and imprisonment force Sampson to abandon his supposed delusion, after he had put to flight an army of thousands? No; vain hope of all the adversaries to miracles!
How long shall men wage a war of scandal, extermination, and massacre against the advocates of miracles? Yet the nineteenth century—blush to hear the undeniable charge!—yea, the christendom of the nineteenth century has espoused the old persecutor's warfare, as keenly as the persecutors of Stephen, Daniel, and Moses. Are they so forgetful of all sacred and profane history as not to know that they are fighting the battles of Cain, Esau, Jannes and Jambes, Judas and Herod, over again. The former persecutors fought against new revelations, and latter persecutors do the same—the former Saints were called lying, blasphemous impostors, and the Latter-day Saints are called the same. There always was an attempt to crush former saints by scandalizing their character, robbing and slaying them—the same luckless attempt is again renewed in the nineteenth century.
Almost anything can be tolerated sooner than the admission that the God of miracles and angels reigns again on the earth. Bible saints never lived in any other age than an age of miracles, visions, and angels. They knew that true saints never would live in any other age. They knew that the gospelcould notbe communicated to any people of any age without revelation; for therein is the righteousness of Godrevealedfrom faith to faith. A gospel without revelation isno gospel. A gospel without the gifts and power of the Holy Ghost, and the ministry of angels, is no gospel. There cannot be found the first instance of a true minister of God, throughout the whole record of inspiration, who did not possess the gift of inspiration and the spirit of prophecy.No mancan say that Jesus is the Christ, but by the Holy Ghost; and the Holy Ghost leads every man, who is loyal to his dictates, into all truth sooner or later. The deep things of God, and the keys of divine power, are available to him. By obedience he is sure to reach the measure of the power and wisdom attained by Christ himself—themanifoldwisdom of GOD, even, is to be possessed and shown forth by the Church.
Bible saints were always familiar with the ministration of angels. And it is only such as are wholly unlike Bible saints who are not familiar with the ministration of angels. Those who are unlike Bible saints have always, in all ages, denied the ministry of angels, and gift of prophecy and healing, in their own day. And it is a certain test and evidence, that a man is not born of the spirit when he denies these things; for no man that has the Spirit of God can speak lightly of God; but he will extol his power for himself, and not for another. Men that have not the Spirit of God may tell what great things faith wrought in former ages, but can tell nothing from their own experience of the same power. It is, indeed, a marvellous thing, that men should affect to regard "Bible piety" as a standard or copy, which all are bound to imitate, and at the same time adopt an inferior rule of piety that discards and abrogates all the more conspicuous and powerful features of primitive piety! How they can have the temerity and effrontery to impose upon community a system of religion, that is the counterpart of Bible piety, I am at a loss to conceive. A gospel without immediate and accompanying revelation! Who ever heard such a thing, except from transgressors sitting in the region and shadow of death? No Bible saint ever saw such a thing in his day. Neither Abel or Enoch, Abraham or Moses, David or Peter, ever saw such a gospel in their day. The only gospel that these men ever knew of or fellowshipped, was a gospel distinguished by revelations, visions, and angels. Such a gospel rejoiced their hearts, because it was the power of God, and wisdom of God. It nerved the arm of Sampson, so that scores and hundreds of men could no more stand before his might than before a volcanic eruption, or an avalanche from the mountain. It gave elasticity to David, so that he could leap a wall, or rush through a troop. It struck with blindness the mobbers of Sodom; opened prison gates to Peter; cursed Elymas with blindness; enabled men to walk unsinged through the fiery burning of the furnace, heated sevenfold hotter than usual! This, sir, isthegospel, and the only gospel. It exhibits the power of God and the wisdom and might of God. Any other gospel is a curse to men, and a stink in the nose of God. Angels have once tried to preach another gospel; and what has been the result of their efforts? They have been hurled down and are even now reserved in chains under darkness, to the judgment of the great day; and those whofirstbegan to preach modern christianity have doubtless shared a doom scarcely less awful.
The first step stone to modern christianity was laid on the smoking ruins of primitive christianity. The christian enemies to new revelations and miracles, actually waded through the blood of apostles and prophets, in order to establish the system of anti-revelation. And did their descendants and abettors realise the bloody and accursed origin of that system that wars against new regulations and prophets, and angels, many of them would shudder at their blind zeal and self-righteousness! God winks at the conduct of the latter, because they know not what they do; but He commands all men every where to repent, else He will hold them guilty of all the blood that has been shed from the days of righteous Abel till now. God is my witness that I speak the truth in Christ Jesus and lie not.
The history of modern christianity, from the day when the first martyr fell under its bloody hatred, is a history of contention, persecution, and massacre, that causes all heaven to weep. Rivers of blood have flowed in its wake. Crimination and re-crimination from the pulpit and the press, have agitated the people, from the throne down to the otherwise peaceful cottage. The battle field has been soaked with the blood of its victims, and it is difficult to tell whether Catholic or Protestant domination can count the most victims, except as one may have held a longer and stronger ascendency than the other. The first two or three centuries were bloody beyond description. All denominations recoil at the history of their pedigree during this early and bloody period. The links in the chain of supposed apostolic succession are so bloody, that even the "dark ages" cannot conceal their crimson hue. The period when this famous chain of succession has not been coloured with human gore, is short. The records of the suffering Waldenses, in the valleys of Piedmont, will always tell a tale of wo, at which humanity must blush. The history of the protestant reformation in Germany and England, including the massacre of sixty thousand protestants in France, at one time, is a serious comment on the pseudo apostolic line of priesthood. But when protestantism came into power, under Henry and Elizabeth, it proved to a demonstration that the protestants had the same priesthood handed down through seas of human gore; excommunicating, torturing and killing catholic heretics in like manner as the catholics had previously done to others.[A]
[Footnote A 1. It was death to make a new Catholic priest within the kingdom. 2. It was death for a Catholic priest to come into the kingdom from abroad. 3. It was death to harbour a Catholic priest coming from abroad. 4. It was death to confess to such a priest. 5. It was death for any priest to say mass. 6. It was death for any one to hear mass. 7. It was death for any one todenyor not toswear, if called on, that this woman (Elizabeth) was the head of the church of Christ. 8. It was an offence punishable by heavy finenotto goto the Protestant church, £250, equal to £3,250 of present English money.—Penal Statutes passed in the reign of Queen Elizabeth.]
The United States of America were first settled by fugitives from the intolerance and bigoted persecution of the mother country; and it now becomes no wonder that after all this tragic drama of inhuman and brutal outrages for near eighteen hundred years, that the children of them that slew the prophets, should deny the need of any further revelation, and also of any more apostles and miracles! But, sir, the Heavens are more compassionate. The Heavens feel the need to give further revelation, lest the whole earth be speedily destroyed through the abomination of this mother of harlots and her numerous progeny.
There are thousands of honest hearted people that deserve a better destiny than to be made the deluded prey and spoil of such abominations, under the flattering name of christianity. It is to such these letters are designed to be a benefit. It is in vain for Protestants to charge the bloody axe of persecution against the Catholics, or for one sect of Protestants to charge and vilify another sect. Knox and Calvin were relentless, if not actually murderous enemies of the Catholics: and there is scarcely a consequential Protestant sect in England, or the United States of America, that has not proven out their shameful and bloody pedigree by acts of banishment, hanging, confiscation of property, or proscription of cast.
These charges against the christianity that has sprung up since the days of revelation, are capable of the most undeniable proof. It is no marvel that intelligent and high-minded men in every country have become so sceptical towards the prevailing religions of the day. The scepticism of France was a misnomer; it was not in reality a warfare against the true Bible, but against the horrid impositions supposed to be deducible from the Bible. If the Bible had been fairly represented by the true church, France would never have waged such a bloody war against it as it did in the days of its revolution. The illuminati of France had sense enough to detect the fooleries and impositions of priestcraft, and the nonsensical notion of a God without body or parts, and in their misguided rage they mistook the Bible to be the source of these false religions.
The foregoing is only a cursory hint of the bloody character of modern christianity, from the time when it slew the apostles who held the keys of revelation, and has ever since denied the need of any further revelation; for a hundred volumes of the size of the Bible, would not suffice to detail each instance where men and women have been whipped, hung, ripped open, or gibbeted, or burnt, or their ears bored, and their faces branded with hot irons. The massacres of France, half-murdered Ireland, Germany, and England, if written in detail, would make an imposing library. Fortunate for humanity's sake, that no one religious power has any greater predominance than it has; else the want of religious checks and balances would even now be as fatal to the minority as the exhalations of the Upas. Yet, after all this, christianity claims to be tolerant and catholic; and her bishops, enthroned in a salary of more than £27,000 sterling per annum, claim a regular succession from St. Peter. They might better have said from the murderers of St. Peter. Oh, shame on the cry of apostolic succession! What a transformation Peter must have undergone by this chain of succession! His gifts of discernment and healing gone! The spirit of prophecy and tongues have left him! The power to open prison doors, and of converse with angels, have left him impotent as other men! Marvellous falling off of every thing but salaries and pomp and persecution! Many suppose that Christ's Church must have been perpetuated on the earth, because it is said that the gates of hell should not prevail against it. Strange and fallacious argument for the continuance of the Church! Can it be supposed for a moment, that the Church is prevailed against, because it is removed from the earth? Jesus was removed from this life and gave up the ghost, but was he therefore prevailed against? Did he not triumph over death, and ascend up on high, and lead captivity captive? Did he not thereby acquire the possession of all things in heaven and upon earth?