“ Now Sir as you argue that there can be no apostles and revelators unless they can prove their mission to be divine by miracles, so, upon the same principle I argue that there can be no Church of Christ unless they can prove themselves to be so by miracles, and the very same evidence which is brought to prove one of these things will prove the other. And there is no reasonable man, who is conscientiously convinced that there can be no apostles unless they can prove their mission by miracles, but must also be convinced that there are no Churches of Christ unless they prove it by miracles also. ”

“ With regard to the idea of the being of God, it has doubtless been a matter of tradition, since the creation of Adam our common parent, who at his creation stood in the presence of his God, and beheld him face to face, and had the most perfect knowledge of his existence; and having this knowledge, he communicated it to his posterity, and thus the idea of the being of God came among men. And this idea being among men, some of them sought unto God by reason of the faith they had in the being of God, and obtained the revelation of his will. ”

“ You talk about Moses and the prophets, Jesus and the apostles working miracles, to confirm the scriptures as though there were no other characters in the world who had wrought miracles but them.
I should think from your writings that you had never duly considered the commission given to the twelve apostles. Which reads thus. "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth, and is baptized shall be saved and he that believeth not shall be damned. And these signs shall follow them that believe, not the apostles, but those that believed on their word. ”

“ So that they were truly ministers of Christ sent forth to minister in his name to all who would believe, and by means of this ministry, and power, they could build up the kingdom of Christ among men, and establish his cause in the world. The gospel that men preach in these days have no such ministry or priesthood: the priesthood of modern times has no such power or authority. ”

“ I think Sir, if you were to consider this subject again, you would find that according to the faith of all believers in the old and new testament, you have espoused an untenable ground, in saying that a miracle is the only way by which we can determine that a communication is a revelation from God ”

“ So that the saints at no period of the world, were indebted to the veracity of inspired men alone for their firm reliance on revelations.
You again ask, "How can we know that their communication is a revelation from God? Will their bare assertion satisfy us that God speaks by them? I say no. We must have evidence or we cannot believe. But what evidence will satisfy? Nothing short of a miracle can."
To the idea of our being confined to a miracle, to know that a communication was or is a revelation, I must object ”

“ They had power to administer in the name of the Lord Jesus to the sick, and in his name to rebuke diseases of all kinds, they had also power to give the Holy Spirit by the laying on of hands, they obtained revelations, not only for their own direction in the world ”

“ For argue that the ancient apostles did so, and the argument is equally as strong that the ancient churches did so also, and the rule will quadrate: it will meet at every corner.
I have been no little surprised to hear men contending with all the zeal of their nature to guard the world against receiving any man as a messenger of heaven unless he can prove his mission by miracles ”