A String of Pearls: Second Book of the Faith-Promoting Series. Designed for the Instruction and Encouragement of Young Latter-day SaintsVarious
Religion
A String of Pearls: Second Book of the Faith-Promoting Series. Designed for the Instruction and Encouragement of Young Latter-day Saints
Various
Latter Day Saint churches; Sunday school literature
The discussion accordingly opened by Elder Adams preaching a discourse
on the first principles of the gospel. He spoke in such a plain,
pointed and forcible manner, that the opponents to the truth were
disconcerted. When their turn to speak arrived, they laid aside the
volume of inspiration which they had agreed to take as their guide, and
commenced reading from Howe's "Mormonism Unveiled," a book written by
one D. P. Hurlbut. This book contained the most glaring falsehoods and
inconsistent ideas that wicked men could invent.
The umpires informed the preachers that they must not deviate from
their written contract, but confine themselves to Bible proofs, as they
had agreed to do. If the "Mormon" doctrine was false, it must be proved
so from the Bible.
After the old preachers had tried in vain to produce any scripture
proofs, or logic either, to sustain their false views, and the
powerless form of religion which they held to, they were reinforced
by a young Free-will Baptist preacher, named Solon Hill. It was soon
evident that he could offer nothing in the way of argument, for he soon
drifted into the same strain of slander and vituperation in which the
others of his party had sought to indulge Finally, however, he hit upon
a plan which he seemed to think would enable him to come off victor.
Turning to Elder Adams, he said, "If you are a servant of God, as you
boldly say you are, I demand a sign of you, to convince me that you are
genuine."
Elder Adams told him that he had taken a dangerous stand; that signs
followed believers, but did not go before them; that signs came by
faith, not faith by signs. He informed him who the first sign-seeker
was--Satan, whose children had always been faithful in following his
example. He testified that the truths of heaven had been plainly laid
before them, that the Spirit had given unmistakable evidence of its
truth, and that unless he repented of his sins, rendered obedience to
the gospel and lived up to its requirements, the curse of God would
rest upon him.
The meeting was dismissed without the preachers being able to disprove
any of the truths advanced by the Elders; the people were left to
reflect at leisure upon what they had listened to, and the preacher,
Hill, to accept the consequence of disobeying the servant of God.
* * * * * * *
After a lapse of sixteen years from the time of the events just
narrated, I happened to be in the same part of Pennsylvania upon a
mission.
Calling one day at a house to water my horse, I saw one of the most
deformed and repulsive looking beings I ever beheld.
On arriving at my destination, I informed my brethren of the hideous
sight I had met with, when I was told that the being I had seen was
what was left of the man who had demanded a sign from a servant of God.
In 1878, Elder Butler, of Ogden, was on a mission to the same place,
and I wrote to him for information concerning Hill. His reply was, "He
is still alive, and an object of charity."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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