Mr. Durant of Salt Lake City, "That Mormon"Rich, Ben. E. (Benjamin Erastus)
Religion
Mr. Durant of Salt Lake City, "That Mormon"
Rich, Ben. E. (Benjamin Erastus)
Latter Day Saints -- Fiction; Salt Lake City (Utah) -- Fiction
"'Well,' says one, 'you know we do not believe in miracles now. These
signs were miracles, but we do not believe in them now.' That may be,
my friends. This is the very reason why we are here, because there is
such a great disbelief in the Bible; because there is a disposition to
ignore the Bible; because there is a disposition to ignore the promises
of Christ; and we wish to show you the things that are denied; we wish
to point out to you the doctrines our fathers have denied; that our
teachers have denied, and we wish to show you that they are in the
Bible, the word of God, in the book which some have gone so far as to
assert that we do not believe in. But is it true that the promises of
God were fulfilled anciently in regard to this matter? Yes! In the 19th
chapter and 7th verse of the Acts of the Apostles, you will find an
instance related of the Apostles laying their hands on some that had
been baptized, and they spake with tongues. This was one of the gifts
that was manifested, in consequence of their receiving that spirit
which produced them. See also Mark 16th and 20th.
You must not consider that, in teaching these doctrines, we are
advancing something of ourselves, something new. If we were teaching
new doctrine you would have a right to call us to account and ask us
for the proof. We are teaching old doctrine. We are teaching the New
Testament doctrines, instead of those of our Christian friends. We
have no spirit of enmity in the least degree, towards any living soul,
and when we refer to the faith of our Christian friends remember, it
is simply to make the difference between their views and ours more
distinct to you. I say instead of our friends calling us to account,
it is the Latter-day Saints who have the right to come out and say to
their Christian friends, 'See here, why do you deny signs which Christ
said should follow believers? What believers did Christ speak about?
Why believers in His gospel, He taught us that these signs should
follow believers. Well then, if our Christian friends deny that, we
have the right to call them to account. If Christ said that these
miracles manifestations of Almighty power should follow the believers,
I say what reason have you to deny it? The question is not now whether
the Latter-day Saints possess the power or not. The question at issue
at present is not whether the teachers of the Church of England have
the power or not. The question is, Does Christ promise that power
to believers in the gospel? I say He does, and I say that those who
deny that such powers should follow believers, teach that which is
contrary to the word of Christ and contrary to the facts that appeared
in connection with the teachings and administration of the doctrines
of Christ. So that it is not the Latter-day Saints that introduce a
new doctrine, and we say to our friends, Hear us, we beseech you. Hear
the message we have to deliver, for God has sent us to teach the old
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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