Letters Exhibiting the Most Prominent Doctrines of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day SaintsSpencer, Orson
Religion
Letters Exhibiting the Most Prominent Doctrines of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
Spencer, Orson
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints -- Doctrines; Latter Day Saint churches -- Doctrines
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 of _supposed_ splendid 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
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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