Latter Day Saints' Messenger and Advocate/Volume 1/Number 8/Letter to Oliver Cowdery from Warren A. Cowdery (Mar. 17, 1835)
LETTER NO. 2.
Freedom, March 17th, 1835.
DEAR SIR—It may be thought that I owe you an apology for taxing your time and patience to the extent that I have in mine of the 10th instant, and now again before you have hardly had time to repose from that task, to lay upon you another burden as onerous as the first. But I trust you will see the propriety of having a view of the whole subject at once.—I have not the vanity to think I have done it ample justice as the importance of it demands. But a stronger mind, from the few hints that have been given, may elicit more facts, and by a more masterly arrangement produce conviction in some minds where the productions of my pen cannot. The cause of truth, and that alone would I advocate. If my premises are good, I think my inferences and deductions are logical, and if I have contributed in but a small degree to subserve or advance that cause, my most sanguine hopes will be realized. I shall ever feel to console myself with this pleasing reflection that I shall never be held accountable for the misimprovement of five talents when only one or two were bestowed.
At the close of mine of the 10th inst., a question was asked relative to the present or prevailing religious sects of the day converting the world and thereby bringing about the Millen[n]ium or peaceable reign of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. We will examine the subject a little further,—and First, Our God is a God of order and not of confusion as in all the churches of the Saints (see Cor. 14-33) Do we not see them as eager in the pursuit of worldly gain, using every art and every stratagem to circumvent their fellow mortals, and hoard up this world's goods as the non-professor? Most surely.—First John 2d, 15, reads thus: "Love not the world nor the things that are in the world. If any man love the world the love of the Father is not in him." Where then, we ask, is their supreme love for their Master? Where is their self denial? Where is their regard for what the Saviour said, when he commanded his followers to "seek first the kingdom of Heaven and its righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you." Mat. 6th, 33. Where are the spiritual gifts that God placed in his church for perfecting the saints and edifying the body? Where do we see the peaceable fruits of that heaven-born principle, Charity; that meek and quiet spirit which is in the sight of God of great price? (Rev. 3:1) Does it not look like having a form of godliness but denying the power thereof? (1st Peter 3-4) Does it not look like having a form of godliness but denying the power thereof? (2 Tim. 3-5.) Does it not nearly resemble what the Apostle Paul describes in his epistle to Titus 1st, 16, says? "They profess that they know God, but in works deny him, being abominable, disobedient, and to every good work reprobate." This is the character of those who shall profess the Religion of Heaven in the last days, and the prophetic declaration of the great Apostle of the Gentiles in his second letter to Timothy and third chapter—fully supports us in this assertion. If it be said to us that we have looked only on the dark side of the picture, that we are too censori[o]us, that there are many honorable exceptions; we readily grant there are, and would to Heaven there were more.—We would the more earnestly cry, come out of her my people and be not partakers of her sins that ye receive not of her plagues. Both scripture and experience go to prove the fact, that evil communications corrupt good manners. We have before seen, that God commands the righteous to separate themselves from the wicked, and purify themselves before him. It will doubtless be said in reply, that great efforts and great sacrifices are made by churches at the present day to spread the gospel, to convert the heathen, to disseminate the truth. Grant it, and we would say to them as did the Saviour, "These things ought ye to do, and not omit or leave the more important things undone." If we have given a true character of them as a whole, and we trust we have, "they are like whited sepulchres, fair and beautiful without, but within are full of all manner of uncleanness." And if ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte is it not likely he will be just such an one as yourselves? And we now seriously ask, is the kingdom of Heaven made up of such characters as the great mass of the professing christian world at the present day? To answer this question correctly it is only necessary to learn what the kingdom of God is, for which see Romans (14.17.) "The Kingdom of God is not meats and drinks, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost." This definition will exclude those who obey not the commands of God. It will exclude those who are haughty, high-minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God. It will exclude those who have a form of godliness, but deny the power thereof. It will exclude all those who say they love God, but in works deny him. It will exclude those who preach for gain and divine for money. It will exclude those who preach for doctrine the commandments of men for the Gospel of the Son of God. It will exclude those who rejoice in iniquity, are puffed up, easily provoked, possessing and manifesting to the world by their conduct, a spirit of mulise, revenge, and evil speaking which emanates only from the regions of darkness. These we believe must be excluded or the kingdom of Heaven is no desirable place. Such we believe will be excluded by the great head of the church, although they may have eaten and drunken in his name, and in his name and for his name and professedly for his cause (if you please) done many wonderful works. Yet we believe if the word of God be true, he will say to them in the great day, "Depart from me ye workers of iniquity, I know you not."—A few reflections shall close this epistle.
1st. We trust we have proven to the satisfaction of every intelligent being, that there is a great first cause, prime mover, self-existent, independent and all-wise being whom we call God.
2d. That the Universe with all its attendant furniture is the workmanship of his hand.
3d. That man is the more noble and intelligent part of this lower creation, to whom the other grades in the scale of being are subject, yet, that man, is dependent on the great first cause and is constantly upheld by him, therefore justly amenable to him.
4th. We trust it may justly be inferred from the foregoing premises, that man's accountability rests on his knowledge of the will of him to whom he is accountable, and that he cannot be considered criminally guilty for the non-fulfilment of a law or command until he has a knowledge of such law or command and the physical ability to obey.
5th. We trust we have proven to the satisfaction of every unprejudiced mind, that what we call the scriptures, the Old and New Testaments, are the revealed will of God to man.
6th. We trust also, that we have satisfactorily proven that they were written by men divinely inspired, consequently must be true, and that the threatenings denounced against the wicked and the promises addressed to the righteous, will all be fulfilled.
7th. We argue the literal fulfilment, of scripture predictions, from the foregoing premises laid down, which rest on two predicates. And 1st. All scripture predictions which have been fulfilled and recorded for our benefit, have been so literally fulfilled, that any one understanding the language in which they are written need not be mistaken. 2d. Because it would savor of tyranny, oppression and cruelty, to inflict punishment, without clearly revealing the cause, for which the punishment was to be inflicted, and would be at war with love and benevolence, the attributes of God.
8th. We infer also that God is immutable in his purposes and unchangeable in his nature.
9th. We believe it justly deducible for the foregoing premises; that God warned the Antedeluvians, the Sodomites, and others, previously to their overthrow, and that their destruction came upon them in consequence of their great wickedness and disobedience.
10th. We have also inferred, from plain scripture testimony, that God reveals his secrets respecting his dealings with the children of men, to his servants the Prophets, and we deem it equally logical and scriptural, that the prophets have time to warn the people, and the people time to repent before judgements are sent or punishments inflicted.
11th. We infer from the word of God and the foregoing premises, that great and heavy judgements or sore calamities, presuppose great wickedness and disobedience to God.
12th. We have received it as an admitted fact, that the present, are what are denominated in the scriptures of truth, the last days, consequently near the close of the present dispensation, and that the Millen[n]ium is soon to be ushered in.
13th. We have seen from the word of God that great and sore judgements are coming upon this generation.
14th. We have seen that it illy comports with the character of God to punish the righteous with the wicked; therefore, that the present religious orders of the day do not constitute the true church, consequently, their endeavors to convert the world to their faith, and thereby bring about or usher in the Millen[n]ium, is not what God requires of them, and will be unavailing.
15th. We, therefore, infer from the confusion, disorder and iniquity that reigns among them, they are the legitimate descendants of Mystical Babylon, that personage described in the scriptures as setting upon many waters.
16th. We therefore come to the irresistible conclusion, that it is our indispensable duty to come out of her and be separate, be not partaker of her sins that we receive not of her plagues.
17th. We argue from the immutability of God, his goodness and benevolence, from analogy, and from revelation of his will to his servants, that it is our duty in obedience to the command of God to literally separate ourselves from this wicked and untoward generation.
18. We also argue from the same premises, that the place of safety, the city of refuge is pointed out and that we shall be justly culpable if we do not obey the commands of God, and that if we do refuse we must inevitably perish with the ungodly.
W. A. COWDERY.
TO OLIVER COWDERY, ESQ.