Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1893-03-16
THE "CHRIsrIAN ADVOCATE"
The Letter from DIR. Blrchall Which
II Failed 10 Publish.

There Ia publlshoda at Denver weekly
paper which has as Its name the Rocly
Mountain Chrrttian Advocate. In its
issue Of February there appeared the
following note;
"The Rev. Benjamin II. Blrchall,
who rs local preacher supplied the
Scoheld and Castle Gate circuit for Elk
months OF last yea!, has Withdrawn
frJm our church and Joined tue Nor.
mons. Ho was baptized Jan. =, lsVS'''
One week later, February II, these
items appeared in the same paier
"Rev. John q. Clark reports progress
at both Scofield and Castle Gate. lie
will build church at each place. HIS
pred,crssor has Joined the Mormon
church. We hopo Brother Clhfk,s
experience there will not result sinii'
larly."
aRev. DIR. II. q. MoNlece who has
been the popular pastor OF the First
Presbyterian church in Salt Lake for
about sixteen yeats comes forward
now declaring that he believes annl'
hilntiun " the wicket to be scriptural.
"According 10 Christian Science, L
wonder II Mofmonism IL "A disease
affecting certainly constructed brains.
Indeed 1t appears to run through
families and communities, without Re-.
gard 20 ones Oppoflunities, education,
or Anything else Rise up, some
modern Solomon, and let US know
what the nature OF the delusiOn II.
DR.. Mabry says he thinks the Lord has
turnel them over 10 believe lie anu
be damned. Aphraim Joined to his
idols. Well, " Dr. McNioce OF the
First Presbyterian church In correct
the In reported To be "a believer In the
annihilntion of tho wicked), and "
others are right who say that iutolll-
gence II the germ that survives death,
then let the Mormon grade Of intclli.
gence be anpihilated, says Yggdrasyl.
~. ID. GIi.LiLAE."
Mr.. BlrchRll, Mt whom these covert
thrusts, as well as direct References,
had been made, wrote letter to the cdi-
tor OF the advocate, but the latter failed
to give the gentleman m opportunity
10 be heard In his own behalf, and his
communication never appeared In the
Denver publication. II was as follows;
NEpuI CRY, Juab county, Utah,
Feb. 10, 1892.
Rev. Claudlus h. Spencer, A. NJ,
Editor Il. NJ q. Advocate;
Dear 5ir-In your edition Of Feb.
llth there appears an article IN tue
column OF Utah notes which would
like 10 give answer 10.
Fret, let me say | do not know
whether | am acquainted with your
writer, "Yggdrgsyl," or not, but
the article speak OF In iathered by an
OLD friend or mine, Rev. J. ID. Gillilap,
though suppose that, owing To my
recent action In Withdrawing from the
NJ. l.. Church anu connecting myself
with the Latter.day Saints no has no
further use Tor me.
His article opens by wondering as 10
whether MormoLism Is a disease. IL
YOU will allow me 1 will,At the writer's
request, call myself "rhs Modern
Solomon and lot you know whether
or not Mormon ism Is u disease. / Will
also try and give you the nature OF Its
tdeiusi0n. Now TO the point Is Nor
nimouism disease? My answer 10 yes,
as,ut when the patient once gets thor
nd)uvhIy afii icted, he seeks not for meii.
otcnI remedies, only by u richer out.
u pouring of the Holy Spirit ana living
" lie consistent to the will and com.
81 manuments OF God. Truly this disease
Z fleets constructed brains, but God In
y His Infinite wisdom has constructed
! them from the standpoint OF humility
and tells us II we do His will we shall
know Of the doctrine whether II DO OF
God or man.
His viii, which He requires His
children TO fulfil, lies In HIS written
word, which we believe TO be the
greatest truth ever yet proclaimed;
and we further believe, with Elmer
son, that the greatest homage We can
pay to truth IL to use II, thus, accord
ing with the Apostle James, Faith
without works IL dead, being alone."
These works are viewed by the sec.
tartan world rs impossible TO man to
accomplish. Herein lies tho trouble:
They refuse 10 let God help them anu
thus reject the everlasting Gospel and
also the everlasting Savior.
Before 1 ask your writer to apply his
remedy for our disease perhaps ] had
better tell him little OF its nature, 30
that n he afterwards applies the wrong
remedy he will have himself to blame
aud not me.
Our religion is a revealed one, full
filling the Scripture. 1t has room for
patriotism, morality, piety, logic, the
Bible, ana for God. You can learn
IN Il more about morality,
more positive statements Ms to the
certainty OF our knowledge, also more
insight into the Bible than In any other
place in the world. We also hold the
keys TO the Interpretation OF the
Scripture, whereas all the other de-
nominations can only guess ut Its
meaning; hence the argument comes,
we know OF certainty, whilst all
other "isms" in religion only be-
lieve.
IL ia doubtless true, AS has been
hitherto said, that controversy with
the Mormon people may not turn upon
scholarshlp, but l am bold to assert
that on scriptural doctrine the most
ignorant man IN the Mormon faith can
silence the most learned protesting
Christian outside OF our own Church.
~. hf.h.y Of Salt l.alxR CIV. llinkR