Warren A. Cowdery

“ 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. ”

“ 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." ”

“ Do you think if the Lord should lead a people as he led his church in the days of the apostles, there would be more than one faith or one mode of baptism. Certainly not,—Then is it not an argument, strong and conclusive, that God has no respect for the doctrines, commandments and precepts of the professing christian world. This generation is not blameable because their fathers lost the power and authority to hold intercourse with heaven. ”

“ It is no matter of despondency to me that I am not able to instruct you in the great things of the kingdom, but, rather, of rejoicing, that I have a brother who can instruct me, nevertheless all you have, and all I have, is of God, and neither of us have any thing whereof to boast. Christ, the lovely, compassionate Savior is the happy medium, through whom all blessings are received. ”

“ 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. ”

“ It is worse than useless for the different religious sects of this generation to pretend to the least vestige of authority to administer in holy things, that is not mere assumption to come down to them through the mother of abominations. ”

“ 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. ”

“ 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. ”

“ When the world, from time to time, has been deluged with the blood of those who dissented in their faith and practice from the professing world around them, it may be thought difficult to discern between the real followers of the Lamb of God and the hypocrite ”

“ 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. ”

“ Another idea corroborative of what I have advanced, is that salvation implies that we were lost. If we were not lost, we needed no Savior, and if he did not offer himself without spot to God for us, to make atonement for our sins, and bring in everlasting righteousness, then he must have suffered and died in vain, for he had no sins of his own for which to suffer, and the idea of his suffering as a mere example of patience, meekness or forbearance, appears unscriptural and unsound. ”

“ Any thing short of this, is not the power of God unto salvation consequently it is not then the gospel, and if it be not the gospel, will it save men? I pause for a reply. But I am aware you will say that the religion of the professing christian world, saves men from vice, and makes them love God and one another: to which I reply, I fear many are awfully deceived, even in those two points. If they love God they will keep his commandments, and if they keep his commandments they know it and they know they please him. You know the scripture says he [the Lord] is no respecter of persons. ”

“ Perhaps, the objector will be willing to admit, for his own safety, and that of his sectarian friends, that he or his friends, have had so much revelation as to convince him that his sins are forgiven and that God has called him to preach his gospel. Admit so much, and then see the dilemma into which the objector has fallen. If God has revealed to one in these degenerate days, that his sins are forgiven; that he has called him and committed to him a dispensation of the gospel, certainly he may do so by another, coeteris paribus; for he has done so anciently, he has done so in these last days ”

“ 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. ”

“ I have been blessed at all times when my judgment dictated that I ought to write to you, with a willing mind to do it, but I have not always been equally happy in communicating that which will either please or instruct, still I venture to write believing I may be instrumental in stirring up your mind by way of remembrance. ”

“ 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. ”

“ The objector may say, that God has for a long time ceased to reveal himself other than as above admitted. To which I would reply, that in every dispensation from the creation down to the present time he has revealed himself by his mercies and his judgments, and even having the ordinance before them, and yet disbelieving them, never changes the purposes of the most High, nor destroys one fact. ”

“ I pretend to believe in just principles and correct rules as much as you do, I certainly have as much anxiety and as much zeal? Your answer will again be ready, My friend, you neither believe me nor the rule I take to arrive at my conclusions, if you did, we should draw like inferences from the same premises, and it would be a clearly demonstrable fact in your mind as it is in mine that six and four make just ten. ”

“ 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. ”

“ 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. ”

“ 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 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. ”

“ DEAR SIR:—Yours of a recent date has been received and read, I trust, with that attention which the nature of the subject requires. Every man has his peculiarities, his peculiar feelings, his peculiar taste, and his mode of reasoning or arriving at conclusions from any premises.—You have yours and I have mine ”

“ If he dealt so with his people anciently, will he not deal with them now in the same manner under similar circumstances, if he be the same God? He has certainly (as admitted by all) sent a pestilence in our time, that has walked in darkness and wasted at noon day. "Surely (says the scripture) the Lord will do nothing but he revealeth his secrets to his servants, the prophets;" ”

“ 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. ”

“ 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? ”

“ So it evidently appears according to the scriptures, that there is no other name given under heaven among men whereby we can be saved. Hence we may safely infer that that system of salvation which discards the idea of the all atoning sacrifice of Christ must be erroneous. ”

“ And again if Cornelius could be saved without those things required in the gospel another man can be, and if another man can be, all men can be. If all men can be, then it necessarily follows that the gospel is unnecessary, and if it be unnecessary the wisdom of the author of it stands impeached, and we cannot avoid it. ”

“ 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. ”