Reply to a Pamphlet, Printed in Glasgow, Entitled "Remarks on Mormonism"

REPLY TO A PAMPHLET, PRINTED IN GLASGOW, ENTITLED

“REMARKS ON MORMONISM,”

Said to be printed with the approbation of Clergymen of different denominations.

“He that speaketh lies shall perish.”—Prov. xix, 9.

(Continued from our last.)

As this Scottish author has, for reasons best known to himself, kept his name in the dark, in the remainder of our reply we shall, for the sake of convenience in re­ference, call him Joseph Paton. We do not pretend that this is the author’s real name, but only assumed as a convenience for the time being.

Mr. Paton finds fault with a revelation which speaks of a priesthood conferred “upon Aaron and his seed throughout all their generations, which priest­hood also continueth and abideth for ever with the priesthood which is after the holiest order of God." He supposes it altogether unscriptural for God to restore again to the earth the Aaronic priesthood. But what says the scripture up­on this subject? God commanded Moses to anoint Aaron and his sons, and he says, expressly, that “their anointing shall surely be an everlasting priesthood throughout their generations.” (Exodus xl, 15). The same covenant of an “ever­lasting priesthood” was made with Phineas, the grandson of Aaron, “and his seed after him.” (Numbers xxv, 13.) The same priesthood existed among Israel before Aaron and his sons received their anointing, and before the law of Moses was given. (Exodus xix, 22—24.) The same priesthood administered not only the ordinances of the law', but also the ordinance of “Baptism for the remission of sins” which is one of the ordinances of the gospel. For instance, John the Baptist, who was a literal descendant of Aaron, inherited this “everlasting priesthood” by virtue of his birthright, and the covenant of priesthood made with his fathers; yet he officiated in a gospel ordinance. John, and the seven churches of Asia were not only washed from all their sins by the blood of Christ, but were also made here in this life, “Priests unto God and his Father." (Rev. i, 6.) That the priesthood of Aaron will again officiate on the earth is clearly predicted in numerous passages of scripture. The Lord says (Isaiah Ixvi) “that Israel shall be brought as an offering unto the Lord out of all nations, upon horses and in chariots, and in litters and upon mules, and upon swift beasts, to his holy mountain, Jerusalem.” * * * “And I will also take them for Priests and for Levites saith the Lord.”—(Verse 20 and 21.) And in the 22nd and 23rd verses he declares that the seed and name of the Levitical priesthood should remain as long as the new heavens and the new earth should re­main, and that “from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, all flesh shall come to worship before him.” Thus we see that the Aaronic Priesthood will not only exist when Israel is restored from all nations but will continue to exist after all wickedness is destroyed out of the earth, and under its administrations “all flesh will come and worship before the Lord.” And as the New Heavens and Earth will have no end, neither will this Priesthood have an end, but shall abide for ever with the greater priesthood, which is after the order of the Son of God.

We will now proceed to quote a few more passages in relation to Priests in the latter times. (Isaiah lxi, 4, 5, 6.) “And they shall build the old wastes, they shall raise up the former desolations, and they shall repair the waste cities, the desola­tions of many generations.” “And strangers shall stand and feed your flocks, and the sons of the alien shall be your ploughmen and your vine-dressers. Put ye shall be named the Priests of the Lord. Men shall call you the Ministers of our God: and ye shall eat the riches of the Gentiles, and in their glory shall ye boast yourselves.”

(Jeremiah xxxi. 8, 12, 13, and 14.) “Behold, I will bring them from the north country, and gather them from the coasts of the earth and with them the blind and the lame, the woman with child, and her that travaileth with child together; a great company shall return thither.” * * “Therefore they shall come and sing in the height of Zion, and shall flow together to the goodness of the Lord, for wheat and for wine, and for oil, and for the young of the flock and of the herd: and their soul shall be as a watered garden; and they shall not sorrow ant more at all. Then shall the virgin rejoice in the dance, both young men and old together; for I will turn their mourning into joy, and will comfort them and make them re­joice from their sorrow. And I will satiate the soul of the Priests with fatness, and my people shall be satisfied with my goodness, saith the Lord.” Thus it may be seen, after Israel has returned and repaired “the desolations of many generations,” and their sorrow has for ever ceased, that still they have “Priests” among them. The prophet Malachi (chapter iii, 1—4,) when beholding the glory of the Lord, and the majesty of his second advent, when he should “suddenly come to his temple,” exclaims “But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner's fire, and like fuller’s soap. And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness. Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the Lord, as in the days of old and as in former years.”

At the second advent of our Saviour, the “sons of Levi” will be purified and purged as gold and silver. At the first advent, the “sons of Levi” rejected the Messiah, and their offerings were no longer accepted; but when he “suddenly comes to his temple,” then shall that priesthood offer pleasant offerings unto the Lord in righteousness, as in the days of old. For further testimony concerning the existence of the Levitical priesthood and their administrations in the temple in the latter times, see Jeremiah xxxiii from the 6th to the 26th verses, also Ezekiel xx, from the 33rd to the 45th—Ezekiel from the beginning of the xl to the end of the xlviii chapter—Zechariah xiv—Joel ii.

The establishment of the Aaronic priesthood again on the earth, preparatory to the second coming of our Lord, is an event so clearly predicted in the scriptures that had Mr. Joseph Smith failed to incorporate that priesthood with the Melchizedeck in his organization of the Latter-day church, it would at once have proved him an impostor. But, sir, the very fact that Mr. Smith has not followed the false traditions of the religious world, but has, in direct opposition to the vast variety of erroneous creeds and doctrines with which he was surrounded, restored the Aaronic and Melchizedec priesthoods, shows that he was endowed with a wisdom far superior to that of the millions of false teachers who have disgraced the name of Christianity during the last seventeen hundred years. The prophets have clearly predicted the existence of the Aaronic Priesthood, at the times of the restitution of Israel and the Second Advent. The Lord, by Mr. Smith, has fulfilled the prediction, and estab­lished its existence among men. This, then, is one more testimony in favour of Joseph Smith’s divine mission,

Mr. Paton next quotes a passage from a revelation in the Book of Covenants which reads thus—“Verily, verily, I say unto you, they who believe not on your words, and are not baptized by water in my name, for the remission of their sins, that they may receive the Holy Ghost, shall be damned, and shall not come into my Father’s kingdom, where my Father and I am.” Mr. Paton considers this very “dogmatic," presumptuous," and “at variance with the teaching of scripture." But we ask Mr. Paton and all of our readers to compare the above passage with Jesus's teachings to his apostles (Mathew x, 14, 15,) “And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet. Verily I say unto you, it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment than for that city.”

On the 10th page Mr. Paton supposes that there is “no infallible standard” but the scriptures. Now nothing can be more absurd than such an idea. Every truth is an infallible standard, whether it is contained in the bible or in any other book. Wherever truth is found, or by whatever process it is obtained, it is infalli­ble in its nature and becomes a standard of comparison for certain other truths which are closely connected with it; hence by the aid of truths already known, other truths are brought to light, which, in their turn also become standards of compari­son. Thousands of truths in modern times have been disovered by the aid of rea­son and observation, which can never be proved true nor false by the scriptures alone, Newton did not establish the truth of his doctrine of universal gravitation by the scriptures—Mr. Paton’s only “infallible standard;" neither did he demon­strate his doctrine of fluxions by the scriptures; neither did Kepler demonstrate his eliptical theory of the planetary orbits by the scriptures. Mr. Paton's only in­fallible standard never would have detected the heresy of the Ptolemaic system of the universe, which was so successfully overturned by Copernicus and his followers. If there is no infallible standard but the bible, by which to judge between truth and error, and condemn heresey, we hope that Mr. Paton will come forward speedily with his only standard, and by it decide whether the undulatory theory of light, or the corpuscular theory be true; for the learned world have for a long time been oscillating between these two theories, not knowing which to condemn as heresy. According to Mr. Paton, there is no way to condemn either as heresy, only by the scriptures. We ask, Could not the antediluvians receive Noah as a prophet or con­demn him as a fanatic without the aid of the scriptures How could Jeremiah prove to the Jews from any previous revelation that he was sent of God? What former scripture could prove the truth or falsity of Ezekiel’s prophecy? If scrip­ture is the only guide into truth, will Mr. Paton tell us what part of said volume justifies himself and the “clergymen of different denominations" in doing away as unnecessary in this age, inspired apostles and prophets, and the miraculous gifts of the spirit? We should like to have chapter and verse upon so important a sub­ject. The Holy Ghost is a far more universal standard of truth than the scriptures. The Holy Ghost will guide the servants of God into all truth; the scriptures with­out the Holy Ghost, will only guide into a few truths. The Holy Ghost can un­fold the grandeur, majesty, and glory of heavenly worlds, while Mr. Paton’s only “infallible standard’’ can give no such visions. The Holy Ghost can waft the servant of God to the third heavens, and show him things not lawful to be uttered by man, while the scriptures have no such power and can impart no such knowledge. The Holy Ghost can heal the sick—can speak with tongues, and can perform many other mighty works; while the scriptures, without the Holy Ghost, can do none of these things. The Holy Ghost is greater than the scriptures, for by him the scrip­tures were given; hence the Holy Ghost is an infallible standard as well as the scrip­tures. The Holy Ghost being a universal standard of truth, while the scriptures are a very limited standard; yet both standards agree in one, and never contradict each other. That which contradicts any known truth is not of the spirit of truth, but is false. A false doctrine cannot always be detected by the scriptures; but when referred to that universal standard—the Holy Spirit, it can always be detect­ed, for the Holy spirit deceives no one.

In my remarks upon the evidences in favour of Joseph Smith’s divine mission, (“Divine Authority,” page 13,) I have, among numerous other evidences adduced, referred to the late discoveries of Catherwood and Stephens in Central America, as confirmatory evidence of the truth of the Book of Mormon. Mr. Paton con­siders this as no evidence at all, and refers to the discoveries of Baron Humboldt and many other antiquarians, long before Mr. Smith translated that book. Now no one will dispute the fact that the existence of antique remains in different parts of America was known long before Mr. Smith was born. But every well informed person knows that the most of the discoveries made by Catherwood and Ste­phens were original—that the most of the forty-four cities described by him had not been described by previous travellers. Now the Book of Mormon gives us the names and location of great numbers of cities in the very region where Catherwood and Stephens afterwards discovered them. This, therefore, taking into considera­tion all the circumstances, is an additional evidence, of a very positive nature, in favour of the divine inspiration of this unlearned and inexperienced young man.

With regard to the old Spaulding story concerning the origin of the Book of Mormon, we remark, that it has been exploded by the most incontrovertible testi­mony years ago, and its lying propagators have been made ashamed of their corrupt glaring falsehoods. (See P. P. Pratt’s Reply to the Rev. C. S. Bush; also Tay­lor’s Answer to the Rev. Robert Heys.)

Mr. Paton next refers to the 29th chapter of Isaiah, and to my remarks upon it, and falsely pretends that the metallic plates of the Book of Mormon are represented in my tract (“Divine Authority,”) as being Ariel, the city where David dwelt. He says, “If the metallic plates as Mr. Pratt pretends, this Ariel" * * then they are “cursed of God." Mr. Pratt, sir, has made no such pretensions: it is only another of your own misrepresentations. Now if our readers will turn to the 29th chapter of Isaiah, and carefully read the first four verses of that chap­ter, they will discover that the prophet predicts, first, the distress that should come upon Ariel, and, secondly, predicts another event that should be unto the Lord as Ariel. This last event is expressed in these words, “And it shall be unto me AS Ariel.” How was it with Ariel? Her people was to be distressed and afflicted with “heaviness and sorrow.” How was it to be with the people or nation who should be “as Ariel?” Its distress, of course, was to resemble that of Ariel, or else it could not be “as Ariel.” The distress of the nation that the Lord says “shall be as Ariel,” is clearly pourtrayed in the 3rd and 4th verses, “And I will camp against thee round about, and will lay seige against thee with a mount, and I will raise forts against thee; and thou shalt be brought down, and shall speak out of the ground, and thy speech shall be low out of the dust, and thy voice shall be as of one that hath a familiar spirit, out of the ground, and thy speech shall whisper out of the dust." Now, we ask, What nation upon the earth has been visited with a distress resembling that of Ariel or Jerusalem? We answer that the book of Mormon informs us that the nation of Nephites who were a remnant of Joseph inhabiting Ancient America, were brought down to the ground by their enemies. Hundreds of thousands were slaughtered in their terrible wars. Their distress truly may be said to be “as Ariel." Ariel was sorely distressed from time to time, and forts and other fortifications raised against her—similar judgments happened to the remnant of Joseph. Isaiah does not say that Ariel shall speak out of the ground, but he clearly shows that the nation which should be distressed as Ariel, after being brought down, should speak out of the ground. The words of the prophets of Jerusalem or Ariel, never spoke from the ground, their speech was never “low out of the dust.” But the words of the prophets among the remnant of Joseph have spoken from the ground and their written “speech" has whispered out of the dust. Isaiah declares, that it shall be “as the voice of one that hath a familar spirit. It was not to be the voice of a distant, vague, uncertain spirit hut “a familiar spirit,” one that could be familiarly understood, and that too, by the most ordinary capacity. The term familiar does not necessarily imply evil, as Mr. Paton would have the public suppose. There were many corrupt persons in ancient times who had not only a familiar but constant intercourse with evil spirits and were possessed by them; and because of the constant, familiarity of these spirits with those persons, they possessed, they wore frequently termed “familiar spirits.” As was remarked above, the term “familiar,” does not always imply evil. Jesus was familiar with his disciples, while to the world he was more distant and spoke to them in parables. The Holy Ghost is a very familiar spirit in the tabernacles of his servants, sometimes making familiar to them things that are not lawful to be uttered or written. The voice of the ancient prophets of America has familiarly whispered from the dust in the ears of the present generation, simply and familiarly revealing the ancient history of that continent—and in a very familiar manner portrays the wonderful works of God among a nation whose history was before unknown. What a marked contrast between the definite, plain, and “familiar spirit’’ in which the Book of Mormon unfolds the ancient history of America, and the wild, vague, and distant conjectures of learned antiquarians! It is as the voice of the dead proclaiming repentance to the living. It is the voice of those who have slumbered low in the dust, sounding an important and solemn warning in the ears of a corrupt, wicked, apostate race of Gentiles who have made “lies their refuge,” and “under falsehood have hid themselves.”

(To be continued.)