Cheraw gazette. [volume] (Cheraw, S.C.) 1835-1838, 1837-08-02

oflhe power Of God. For the gospe! is
.'the power Of God Unto salvation" Hence
the Saviour when he commissioned the
apostles, declared that these 81 gns should
follow them that believe. In my rame
shall they cast out devils, &c, XVI. II,
ls, that the power Of God shall rest upon
them" H. further confirmation Of this,
they refer TO Peters sermon on the day Of
pentecost, ''when afer telling the people
they must repent and be baptised, that
Apostle declared that they should receive
the Holy Ghost, by whom they were to pro-
phesv, dream dreams, and see visions, &c.
that is, they were to be made partakers of
the power of God unto salvation. When
the apostles went forh from Jerusalem, to
proclaim the gospel, they who received it
spoke with tongues and prophesied, thus
manifesting that they had received the
power Of God" In addition TO the above
the Mormons frequently refer to lst Corin-
thians, XII. 26, to prove their Gospel.
Such, say the Mormons, was the gospel
proclaimed by those commissioned by the
Saviour himself; and this, and this onIy,is
the "order of things set forth in the New
Testament.
The Mormons declare that the "church
lost the power of GoJ,' Oh an early day,
at least as early as the 5tl century; and
from that period there has been no true
church on earth. until by the revelation of
The Lord Jesus Christ, the power Of God
was communicated TO them, "by the min
istry Of Holy Messengers" (Angels |
supposeD And they assure as that they
now possess among them, those marks of
the power Of God, enjoyed by the apostles
and primitive christians. ''The power Of
God was communicated by the laying on
Of the hands Of the apostles, prophets,
evangelists, &C., and this is the reason why
it is called the power Of God.' This au-
thorlty Was also delegated to them, when
they received the "power Of Col"
Hence the Mormons contend that theirs
is the only church of Christ on earth, be-
cause they only possess the only lnfal!ble
mark of the true church,-the Holy Ghost
in his extraordinary operations. (Accor.
ding to their system the spirl exerts no
other agency in mans salvation.) All 9TH
er protesting christians have run before
they were sent, are acting without acthori.
ty, are going in the ways of Cain, land run.
ming greedily after the ways oIBaaIam for
reward, and if they repent not, must perish
in the gainsaying Of BabyIon!'
With respect to repentance, faith and
Baptism, the Mormons are Campbellites.
"Exccpt man be born o.! water and Of
the spirit, he cannot enter into the King.
dom of God,'-not Of the spirit first and
then of water. "From the confession of
Nicodemus, it is evident that he believed,
which is the frs. step in the way Of saliva
ton, and Jesus in the text informs him
that water baptism is the second and the
Holy Spirit the third"
The Mormons think it is evident, from
our Lords Commission. Mark XVI. l6,
that baptism is as essential to salvation as
faith, and that the neglect Of either is
equally fatal. Repentance with them is
merely reformation Of llc. They reject
infant baptism, "for children arc whole
and need no repentance, and it would be
indgnity to the atoncmcnt Of Christ to
bapize them.
This is hasty sketch of those people.
my limits will not suffer me TO enlarge.
q RI SEACN