Warren A. Cowdery

“ 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. ”

“ 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. ”

“ 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. ”

“ 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. ”

“ 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. ”

“ 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 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. ”

“ 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. ”

“ 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. ”

“ 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. ”

“ 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. ”

“ 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. ”

“ 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. ”

“ 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. ”

“ 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. ”

“ 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. ”

“ 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. ”