A letter to the Rev. Mr. Osborne, minister of Darlington Street Chapel, Wolverhampton by James Bell, an Elder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints

"ZJi

A LETTER TO THE REV. MR. OSBORNE,

MINISTER OF

DARLINGTON STREET CHAPEL, WOLVERHAMPTON.

BY JAMES BELL,

AN ELDER OF THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER DAY SAINTS.

Wolverhampton, June, 1849.

Reverend Sir,

It is from the purest of motives, and with the greatest
respect, that I take in hand to address to you a few lines, which I
trust will be received in the same spirit as that by which they are
penned. Think not that I do so from any captious spirit of dictation ,
or from blind bigotry, but give me credit for a kindlier motive while
you read my epistle, and while you candidly consider the interroga-
tives I shall finally propose.

I was induced to write to you from the fact of my having heard
you lift up your voice in reprehension of the principles and doc-
trines of the Latter Day Saints, and too hastily join in the popidar
cry of " delusion," "false prophets," "heresy," and so forth. My
determination was the more fully matured by a consideration of
your popular character as a practical Christian, and mine one im-
pressions of your personal piety, aided by a remembrance of the old
proverb, " Good men may be mistaken." I was truly sorry that
you should so readily trust in flying rumours, newspaper reports, and
that uncertain ride popular opinion ; when you must be aware of
the fact that malice may conceive, the press bring forth, and popu-
lar opinion exaggerate the He, which by their joint agency is thus
palmed upon the public.

I am, alas ! too sensible of the fact that there have been, and still
may be, some among us who are a disgrace to any people ; but re-
member, the conduct, or rather misconduct of Judas, Ananias, or
Saphira, was not the result of the system they had embraced, but
of their own cupidity, and carnal minds : as it was then, so it is
now ; evil men will creep in, and stay with us, until their deeds are
manifest, and excommunication becomes absolutely necessary. Be it
known we neither protect nor patronise crime ; on the contrary, if,
after due warning, the offence is not removed, the offender himself
is cut off from our society. In conclusion of my epistle, I would
just observe that the conduct of an individual is not always the
characteristic of the community ; I would also be bold enough to
affirm that the Latter Day Saints generally are a people who can
be advantageously compared with any or all religious bodies extant,
for consistence of faith and conduct.

2 LETTER TO THE

I will now propose a series of questions, arranged in such order
as shall give you some idea of the constitution, &c. of our Church.

1 . — Did Jesus and the apostles teach the true gospel ? and have
we a sufficiently correct account of the same in the New Testament ?

2. — Is the true gospel a perfect law of liberty ? (a)

3. — Is a godlike and perfect law capable of any human im-
provement ?(£)

4. — Is the church or kingdom of God unchangeable in its priest-
hood, powers, doctrines, and blessings ? (c)

5. — If so, where is the apostleship now ? with its Prophets,
Elders, Priests, kc. and where is the power, to bind and loose, (</)
to cast out devils and heal the sick ? and how many of the multitu-
dinous doctrines now extant are the pure, unadulterated principles
of truth ? and what has become of the Saviour's promise of divine
gifts ? — Mark, xvi. 17, 18, verses.

6. — Did Jesus set these officers, powers, and gifts in the church,
for the work of the ministry, for the perfecting of the saints, and for
the edifying of the body of Christ, until ice all come in the unity of
the faith, Sfc? (e)

7. — Has the work of the ministry come to an end? are Ave all
perfected? have we all come in the unity of the faith?

8. — If not, what is the reason that these officers and powers have
ceased, and other forms of godliness devoid of power substituted in
their stead ?(/)

9. — Is it not the result of apostacy ontheonehand,andjtw*s«-«//o«
on the other, (y) both of which began while the church was yet in
its infancy, and continued until it Avas driven into the the wilder-
ness,(A) and the priesthood was caught up unto God who gave it,{i)
there to remain until the time of restitution, when righteousness
should look do wn from heaven, and truth should spring outof the earth.

10. — In other words, did the Gentile church continue in the good-
ness of God ?(j)or did it eventually fall away(£)and become corrupt,
until at last it was united to the state, and thus became the great
"Whore of Babylon," because it had committed fornication with the
Kings of the Earth ? [I)

11. — If the latter be the case, is not any human improvement or
reformation like putting "new cloth on an old garment," or new wine
into old bottles ?

12. — If it took divine power, and immediate revelation to institute
the gospel in the first instance, is not divine power needed to perpetuate
the same ?

13. — If the Everlasting Covenant has been broken, (m) and the
"prophets and seers covered," until darkness and doubt, dissent and

a Psa. xix. 7. b Gal. iii. 15 c Heb. vii. 16, 17, 24; John, xx. 21.

d Matt, xviii. 18; Mark, xvi. 17, 18. c 1 Cor. xii. 28; Eph. iv. 11, 12, 13.
/ 2 Tim iii. 5 ; 2 Tim. iv. 3, 4. g 2 Thess. ii. 3, 4 ; Matt. xi. 1 2 ; Dan. vii. 21, 25.
ft Rev. xii. 6. i Rev. xii. 5. j Rom. xii. 22. k 2 Thess. ii. 3. I Rev. xvii.

m Isa. xxiv 5.

REV. MR. OSBORNE. O

heresy, and all other kinds of abominations have overspread the earth
"and all has become as the words of a sealed book," can it be renetved
without an express revelation from God ? or will it be maintained
that human agency alone will suffice to reform the errors of the age,
to combat the impetuosity of crime, or stay the principle of moral evil ?

14. — Are we living in a day rife with the consequences of this great
apostacy, such as are foretold in the 24th and 59th Isaiah and 24th
Matthew ?

15. — If so, may we not expect that "other labourers" would be
sent into the vineyard at this the eleventh hour, (n) just before the day
of God's wrath upon Babylon, and the pouring out of the latter day
judgements, (o) announcing that "the kingdom of Heaven is again at
hand,(jo) and crying with a mighty voice, — "Behold the bridegroom
cometh, go ye out to meet him ^'(yjand will they not be informed of
his near approach by an holy angel, who shall restore the gospel in
these last days ;(?-)and will not the dispensation thus committed be the
dispensation of the fulness of times, (s) and the kingdom thus announced
the one spoken of by Daniel (t)

16. — Has any one a right to teach, preach, or administer in the
ordinances of the gospel without divine authority ; or will the adminis-
trations of unauthorised persons be considered legal in the sight of
God ? («)

17. — In what manner was divine authority given and communicated
in any age of the world when God had a church upon the earth ?

18. — Was it by one person assuming the authority given to another
who had preceeded him through reading an account of the commission
given to this his predecessor, as is done in these days with the com-
mission given to the apostles ? (i>)

19. — Or was it by being either called of God in a direct manner, as
in the cases of Moses and Samuel, (w) or indirectly through the medium
of one who already holds the priesthood and authority of God, as in
the cases of Joshua, Timothy, (x) and others ? and when so called is not
the laying on of authorised hands the scriptural mode of communica-
ting the poiver and priesthood unto the person called ? (y)

20. — Is not assumed authority illegal ? and will not those who assume
it be punished, sooner or later ? (z)

21. — Is not an active, living faith, the only true faith ?(a)

22. — Are not the Godhead, their attributes, and the gospel the ob-
jects on which our faith should be fixed ?

23. — If there be but one true and genuine faith, (b) will it not always
be characterised by these its objects, and sealed and certified by the
effects flowing from it ; namely, such as are promised by the Saviour, (c)
and such as are enumerated by St. Paul ? (d) did not the ancients by

n Matt. xx. 6. o Rev. xiv. 6, 7. p Luke, xxi. 31. q Matt. xxv. 6'.

?Rev. xiv. 6. sEph. i. 10; Acts, iii. 21. <Dan. ii. 44. «Rom. x. 15. ; Heb. v. 4.
v Mark, xvi. 16. w Exo. iii. 4, 10; 1 Sam. iii. 4, 11. x Num. xxvii. 18, 23 ;
1 Tim. iv. 14. */ Acts, vi. 6 ; Num. xxvii. 18, 23; 1 Tim. iv. 14. z Psalms
50. 16; Jer. xxiii. 21 ; Acts, xix. 13- -16. a James, ii. H. b Eph iv 5'

c Mark, xvi. 17, 18. d Heb. xi.

4 LETTER TO THE REV. Mil. OSBOBKE.

faith obtain promises, work righteousness, turn to flight the armies of
the aliens, and stop the mouths of lions ? did not Moses by faith divide
the sea, and smite the flinty rock ? and shall we now say that the
nature, objects, and power of faith, have in any way changed or ceased ?
may we not rather say, — that men have ceased to worship the true
God, in the right way, and have thus lost the spirit which is the source
of these blessings ? (d)

24. — Is not this the ancient faith ? and are we not bound to "contend
for that faith which was once delivered unto the saints ?"(e)

25. — Is not sincere repentance a principle of the gospel ?

26. — Is not baptism by immersion a principle of the gospel ? (/)

27. — Is it not "for the remission of sins'''' ? (y)

28. — Is it not mockery in the sight of God to baptise infants, seeing
they have never sinned ?

29. — Are they not saved by reason of the atonement, and is not
this atonement efficacious ?

30. — Instead of baptizing them, should we not " take them in our
arms and bless them ?" (h)

31. — Is not baptism for those only who have become actual trans-
gressors ? w-

32. — Is there a single command, precept, or example of infant
baptism ?

33. — Is there a single command, precept,or example of sprinkling
as a baptism ?

34. — Is not the laying on of authorised hands the scriptural mode
of coming in possession of the gift of the Holy Ghost ?{i)

35. — After obeying these first principles, are we not required to go
on unto perfection, so that our path may be as that of the just, shining
more and more unto the perfect day ; and to observe all things what-
soever he hath commanded us, such as the sacrament of the Lord's
supper ?

36. — If we are sick, and nigh unto death, should we not send for
the Elders to anoint us, and to pray that the Lord may raise us up ?
and if we have sinned, can we not be forgiven, inasmuch as we are
penitent ? {J)

37. — Since there is so great a resemblance between our church and
that of former days, are not the honest among men bound to join us ?

I am, Dear Sir, Yours respectfully,

JAMES BELL.

d 2 Tim. iii. 1—7. e Jude, iii. / Matt. iii. 16 ; Mark, i. 10 ; John, iii. 5, 23.
g Mar.k, i. 4; Acts, ii. 38; Acts, xxii. 16 ; 1 Peter, iii. 21. h Mark, x. 13—16.
i Heb vi. 2; Acts, viii. 17, 18; Acts, xix. 6. j Mark, xvi. 18; James, v.
14, 15

HINDE, PRINTER, SNOWHILX.