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
While miracles confirmed the Hebrews in the faith of God, miracles
also confirmed the Egyptians in the faith of satan. Many who witnessed
the miracles of Jesus were as keen for mobocracy and murder as the
bloodiest. This parade about miracles, being designed to introduce
christianity, and confirm and attest all genuine revelation, is a
humbug that has always been started whenever a new revelation was given
to man. The pious Jews insisted constantly that the disciples should
prove their authority by miracles. It was about the first and last
thing that they ever said to Jesus: WORK A MIRACLE! come down from the
cross and we will believe. He told them, in language of the keenest
rebuke, that they should not be seeking after "signs." He told them
that it indicated a wicked and adulterous spirit to ask him to give
them miraculous signs. The devil and devout Jews fairly made game of
Christ and his disciples, because when they were asked to do miracles
they refused. But still the devil, and many ministers and churches,
continued to demand signs and miracles, and stormed and raged greatly
because these men would never work miracles in a way to satisfy them.
These sagacious and pious adversaries of Jesus were always able to
detect some flaw--some cunning artifice or trick of the devil--in
whatever Christ or the apostles did (as they said). Now modern divines
and churches, taking up this old cudgel against the saints, have even
asked Latter-day Saints to drink a cup of poison. Drink it, says
one--now drink it, or we will not believe you are sent of God. Aye, now
we know you are not sent of God to preach! Forgetting that the first
sign-seeker once said, if you are the Son of God, "cast thyself down
from this pinnacle, for it is written, that he shall give his angels
charge concerning thee."
Now, sir, if irony were admissible on a subject of this nature, I would
tauntingly add--how satan did trap this impostor! He drove him into an
extremity for pretending to work miracles; didn't he? But I forbear;
let him that hath ears to hear, hear what the Spirit saith unto the
sign-seekers!
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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