Latter Day Saints' Messenger and Advocate/Volume 1/Number 7/Letter from Warren A. Cowdery (Mar. 10, 1835)

by Warren A. Cowdery

Freedom, March 10th, 1835.

DEAR SIR:—I am about to address you on a subject in which I feel most deeply interested, a subject which agitates the minds and feelings of the Christian community in which we live, more than any other now extant. I mean that of the gathering out or separating of the saints from Babylon, agreeably to a command of God, that they may escape the calamities that are now impending over the nations, and are about to be poured out upon this generation.—And here permit me to premise a few remarks by way of introduction, that we may come at our subject understandingly and feel its force commensurate with its importance. Let us in the first place, to settle the minds of the doubtful, and silence the cavils of the skeptical relative to the being of God, examine the evidences by which we can satisfactorily arrive at the conclusion that there is such a being. We shall then be able, if we take up the subject step by step and reason fairly and logically, to come to definite and correct conclusions, therefore, need not be deceived nor deceive others.

1st. There must be a great first cause to create, arrange, and set in motion the planet on which we dwell, and others belonging to this system. We believe so from the fact, that it is composed of particles of inanimate matter, which are utterly incapable of putting themselves in motion, much less of creating themselves.

2d. This planet is furnished with myriads of living creatures, which could not create themselves: there must be a great first or moving cause or principle to bring them into existence. From the order and regularity that appear in the arrangement we think it evincive of superior intelligence in the prime mover. Hence we conclude if their be intelligence, there must be spirit or mind, for matter is inert and abstract from mind, has neither intelligence nor mind. Matter has only one power, that is the power of rest or lying still, hence we argue and come to this irresistible conclusion, that there is a great prime mover or a first cause, which we call God. That he is good, and the source of all goodness, we infer from the order, harmony and divine impress that manifest themselves in all the workmanship of his hands.—Every thing that emanates from him partakes of the impress or image of its Author, and is good. We hold them to be self evident facts which can neither be weakened by argument nor evaded by sophistry or skepticism. We have seen from the foregoing premises, that he is the Creator, Prime Mover and Author of all, therefore, he made man, and made him rational and intelligent. Although he is by no means the strongest of created beings, yet the fear of him in a greater or less degree rests upon all animated nature. He has power to render nature both animate and inanimate subservient to him: and from our own experience of this fact, we daily see one of the first truths recorded in holy writ verified, viz. That God gave him [man] dominion over every living thing which he had made, (see Gen. 1st 29th.) We every day see animals that are in point of physical strength superior to man, subject to him. Hence by a parity of reason we conclude that if creatures below man are subject to him, and yet are not endowed with reasoning powers, man who is endowed with those powers, is not only subject and dependent but justly so, on him who created both him and them. Now as man is rational and dependent, another argument may be adduced of his accountability, and his accountability rests on his knowledge of another fact also, viz. That he is so. This knowledge must in the first instance be communicated to him, or to use a familiar expression, a law must be promulgated before it becomes binding, and a command must precede obedience. Hence all our system of obedience to the will and commands of God rests on a revelation of his will to us. Now if it can be made to appear that he has made known his will coucernniug [concerning] us, it is our duty to obey him. If we have a revelation of the will of God concerning us it must be of the nature of its Author, good. You are now prepared to ask for the evidences, and where they are to be found. I answer their wisdom and perspicuity of arrangement, their sublimity and depth of thought, and in some instances their clearness and force of expression are evincive of their divine origin. Another argument may be drawn from them of their Divine authority, viz: The principles they inculcate, the precepts they lay down, and the commands therein given, are all conducive to the greatest possible happiness and best conceivable good of man. Therefore, we infer they are the dictates of a superior, benevolent and intelligent God. We therefore come to the irresistible conclusion, that what we call the Scriptures or Revelation of the will of God to us, is not only true and binding on us, but that they were given by inspiration of God, or as is expressed 2d Peter 1st, 21st. Holy men of old spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. We have another argument that they are of Divine origin. Bad or wicked men would never framed such a set of self-denying principles, so much against the natural propensities of their unsanctified natures, and publish them to the world, rendering themselves, as far as they should be believed, guilty, ridiculous and contemptible. We are sure they would not do so. Good men uninspired would not write and publish such a system for two reasons, and first: It would be above their comprehension, therefore, they could not. Secondly, They (the inspired penmen) say they were divinely inspired, therefore, good men uninspired did not write them; for good uninspired men will never assert that they did write them, when they knew in the very assertion, they would be palming an untruth intentionally upon the world.

Hence we come to this rational and logical conclusion, that what we call the Scriptures were written by inspired men, or as is expressed, 2d Timothy, 3d, 16th, All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, &c. Let then these three points be considered as settled in our minds. First, That there is a great First Cause or source of intelligence, whom we call God. Secondly, That man is dependent on him and justly amenable to him. Thirdly, That what we call the Scriptures are true, because as we have seen they are an emanation from God the fountain and source of truth. We learn from perusing the Scriptures they are full of promises of good to the willing and obedient, and of evil to the unbelieving and disobedient.—When God was about to send any judgment or sore calamity upon the children of men, he always forewarned them of it, and gave them time and space for repentance. Witness the preaching of Noah to the antediluvian world. He was a preacher of righteousness, as says 2d Peter 2d, 5th; God said by him that he would inundate the earth and destroy its inhabitants. And Noah prepared an ark for the salvation of himself and family. But the world of mankind at that time disbelieved that any calamity of that kind would overtake them. We, however, notice this fact, that the unbelief of a wicked world did not make void the promises of God. And further he said, and performed what he said, and it was performed so literally that all might be left without excuse, or as the sacred penman more beautifully expresses it, that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and clear when thou judgest. [Psalm 51st, 4th.] We come next to notice the destruction of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, that they were cut off in and for their wickedness. Notwithstanding they were admonished by righteous Lot not to do so wickedly, [Gen. 19th] yet even his relatives disbelieved, for as we learn in the 14th verse of the same chapter, he seemed to his sons-in-law as one that mocked. Although he was delivering the Divine mandates of Almighty God. They heeded not. Lot was obedient and fled out, and the cities were destroyed. We next notice the promises of God to the Patriarchs Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, [Gen. 17th, 8th, 26th, 3d. and 4th and 28th, 4th,] that their seed should possess the land of Canaan. Passing over the events that led them down into Egypt, after a sojourn of 430 years they left Egypt, to go up and possess the land of promise. With all the striking instances of Divine Manifestation during the 40 years they were travelling from Egypt to Canaan, we notice the revelation of God's will to them through Moses, and the ocular demonstration to all; of the pillar of cloud by day, and the pillar of fire by night. Ex. 13th, 21st, 22d, the destruction of Korah Dathan and Abiram, the fiery flying serpents sent to afflict the rebellious and unbelieving. And still with all the revelations to Moses, together with all the tokens of God's displeasure, how many there were who murmured against Moses and against Aaron and their carcas[s]es fell in the wilderness. We again notice this idea as we pass over these events. The promises and threatenings were plain to be understood and unbelief and rebellion did not nullify them, nor exempt the wicked from punishment. We notice one idea more as we pass they [the children of Israel] fought with and drove out these possessors of the land of Canaan, not only by permission but by command of God himself without paying an equivalent for it as we believe to be correct at the present day. Passing over many important events recorded in the sacred volume we came to notice the command of God to his saints to flee out of Jerusalem when they shall see it compassed about with armies, that they might not perish with the wicked who believed not the words of the Savior, when he foretold their dire calamity. We see that every prediction was literally fulfilled, and when we take a scrutinizing retrospect, we discover that every command, every promise and every threatening, have been so plainly set forth by the inspiration of Heaven, that all those who heard, evidently understood at the time, so that ignorance can never be plead by them in bar of Justice. We, on a review of what has been said, notice one idea more, viz. The immutability of God, that he is the same yesterday, to-day and forever. He said he would scatter Israel for their sins, and disperse them for the iniquities: that they should become a hissing and a by-word among all nations whither he would scatter them, and he has done so to the letter. He has said he would gather them again, or a remnant that should remain when the times of the Gentiles should be fulfilled, as spoken by our Savior recorded in the 21st chapter of Luke's gospel. See Isaiah 11th, 14th. And it shall come to pass in that day that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, &c. see also Jeremiah 16, 15, and numerous others that point forward to the same happy era. We notice as before remarked the literal fulfillment of every promise and every threatening, and think it not wresting the Scriptures or a mark of credulity in us to believe and say to our fellow clay, beware of those who cry peace and safety when God has said, in substance, tribulation, wrath and anguish abide you. He is about to bring this dispensation to a close. The signs of the times presage the near approach of that day when the Savior is to set his feet upon the Mount of Olives, [Zech. 14,] when all the ungodly, the fearful and the unbelieving shall war because of him. The saints are to be gathered literally, as the Jews have been dispersed, [See Jl. 2d, 32d.] They are to come out of Babylon and be not partaker of her sins that they receive not of her plagues. Rev. 19th, 4. The question now arises who is Babylon, from whom we are to come out?—The Scripture definition of the word Babylon is confusion or mixture. Let us further examine this subject in the light of truth, and with a spirit of candor—We are aware that the Roman Catholic Church is fixed upon by all Protestants as the Babylon spoken of by the Revelator. But let us examine the subject a little further. Is there any more disorder or confusion in her movements, than in the rest of the professing world? She professes to be the only true church and treats all dissenters as heretics. Protestants have done the same, with the same opportunity. She gives her money with no stinted hand for purposes of education, and the promulgation of her sentiments and so do Protestants. She uses all her arts to persuade, and when she has the power, to compel others to submit to her creed and her authority. Witness the inquisition of Spain and Portugal. So have Protestants done with all their professed liberality. Witness the conduct of the Puritans of New England, even while the persecutions of the Church in their mother country must be fresh in their recollection. All these claimed to be descendants of the true Church, and all failed then and do still is two essential points of coming up to the Apostolic stand-ard. 1. They had a hard, bitter, revengeful spirit towards those who different from them in opinion. They manifested this intolerant spirit, by inflicting stripes, fines and imprisonment. 2. Although they had the zeal, they had not then, neither have they now, the spiritual gifts of an apostolic church. Hence we conclude if they had not the Spirit of Christ, nor the spiritual gifts they were none of his. Therefore, we feel that we are not doing violence to the truth, or injustice to these denominations, to rank them as a part or a branch of mysterious Babylon. Now let us examine the conduct of all Protestant dissenters and compare it with that meek and quiet spirit which we are informed is in the sight of God of great price, and we find they have it not. Let any one of them become sufficiently numerous, and she assumes the same haughty, dictatorial spirit towards those less numerous, which has been ever manifested by the Mother of harlots. Speak to them of the ancient spiritual gifts, O, say they, they were once in the Church, but they were placed in it to establish it and prove its Divine authority. At the same time Scripture says, they were placed in it by God himself, for the edifying of the body, and perfecting the saints, and no time pointed out by the same authority where they should cease, only when the object for which they were placed there should be accomplished, viz: when the saints are perfected in glory. We respectfully ask, has that object been effected? Certainly not. Then it follows, if they were necessary then for the accomplishment of any purpose, and that purpose not yet effected, they are still necessary. Do we not see a great falling away from the primitive order of things? Has not Paul's prophecy in his 2nd epistle to his Thessalonian brethren, been literally fulfilled?—There shall be a falling away first before that day come, alluding to the second coming of Christ. We look in vain for the right spirit or the true order of things among them as a body. Confusion and every evil work are among them. They show themselves by their spirit and the fruits of it, to be the legitimate descendants of that personage, described by the Revelator as sitting upon many waters. We come now to what will be admitted, even by our opposers, viz. That it is nearly the last or close of the dispensation, or as the Scripture expression is, the last days. This being an admitted fact, we need not labor to prove it. Aside from any recent revelation on this subject, we have seen that God when about to visit his people with judgments, revealed it to his servants, the prophets. [Amos 3d, 7th.] We believe he is the same God. We have admitted that it is near the close of the dispensation; and if so, we are assured if the Scriptures be true, that there are about to appear, perplexities and distress of nations; and that men's hearts will fail them for fear of those things that are to come on the earth, see Luke 21st, 25th and 26th.—Great judgments or afflictive providences of God are all manifest tokens of his disapprobation of the conduct of his intelligent creatures. And further, he never sent any great national calamity, without warning those to be effected by it, of its near approach, as before noticed. Another fact we notice as we pass, viz: That severe judgments presuppose great wickedness in the sight of God, for he will not punish the righteous with the wicked. He said to Abraham he would spare the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah if ten righteous were to be found in them [see Gen. 18th, 23.] Now from a view of all these circumstances.—Does the idea of converting the world to the prevailing religious sects of the day, with all the emulation, variance and strife exist among them, look like the Millen[n]ium, the peaceable reign of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ? Yours in gospel bonds,

W. A. COWDERY.

[To Be Continued.]