A String of Pearls

By this time he had been talking an hour, and had not once referred to the text. But having apparently satisfied himself and a few of his hearers in abusing other denominations in general, and the "Mormons" in particular, he suddenly assumed the old "Hard Shell" wail, or preaching tune, and drawled out:

"But my dear friends and breethring-ah, we have a little sister-ah, and she hath no breasts-ah. I am very much afraid, my dear friends and breethring-ah, that in that great day when we shall be spoken for-ah, that some of us will be brought into that awful presence-ah, and there find we have no breasts-ah. And oh, my dear friends and breethring-ah, will not this be an awful condition to be found in-ah?"

Honestly, this is no exaggeration! Thus he held forth for an hour longer, expressing no two sentences without the phrase, "my dear friends and breethring-ah," being sandwiched in between.

I am very sorry I cannot give my readers the music, for it would be a rich treat.

As he was about to close the meeting, I asked for permission to speak for a few minutes.

"Not," said he, "till we dismiss our meeting; then if the people wish to hear you I have no objection."

When he had dismissed his meeting, all the congregation sat down again, thus giving me to understand they wished me to talk to them.

I commenced by stating to the audience that I wished to correct some mistakes made by Mr. Mourning, relative to the name of the Church to which I belonged. We were called the "Mormon" Church, which was a nickname given us by our enemies, the true and legal name being, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; also that there could be no other appropriate name for Christ's church. Churches that are not His, should always be called by some other name than His, illustrating to them that the church of Christ was never called by any man's name. Christ's church in the days of Noah was not called Noah's church. Neither was His church called the church of Abraham in his day, nor the church of Moses when Moses lived. Nor was it ever called the church of John the Baptist in the day that he was upon the earth. I closed by saying that I never in the Bible had read anything about a "Primitive Baptist church."

In the absence of anything better to say, he asked me if I did not like John the Baptist.

I answered "Yes," and that he was called the Baptist because he had baptized the people in all Judea and Jerusalem, and the region round about Jordan, as Mr. Cloud (referring to a man that sat near me) had made shoes for all the people near where he lived, and on that account was called a shoemaker, but it did not follow that those for whom he had made the shoes were also called shoemakers.

I requested him, if there was any evidence in the scriptures to establish the Bible name of his church, to open his Bible and read it to the people.

This he could not do, for the simple reason that there was no such evidence in the Bible. Nor do I believe that this great Baptist minister ever knew, till I brought this fact to his notice, that there was no evidence in the scriptures to establish a "Baptist" church. And the members of his church seemed to be disappointed and utterly astonished that he was unable to produce the proofs asked for.

To prove that ours was a scriptural name, I referred to, and quoted Matt. xvi. 18; Col. i. 18; Acts xx. 28; I. Cor. xiv. 33, and other passages.

When I concluded my remarks, a large number of the assemblage gathered about me, that is, the portion that were not Baptists, manifesting towards me in various ways their good feelings. They were like their prototypes, the Pharisees and Sadducees of old.

When the Savior overthrew some pet dogma of the Pharisees, as He often did, the Sadducees would gather about Him, feeling very much elated; and when He, in like manner, demolished some tenet of the Sadducees, as very often happened, then the Pharisees rejoiced. But in the end all the parties united against the Savior.

So it is in these days. The only thing in which the sects of this day are united, is in their opposition to and persecution of the Saints – the true followers of Christ.

CHAPTER III

MINISTERS APPOINT A MEETING TO EXPOSE "MORMONISM" – WE APPOINT ONE FOR THE SAME PURPOSE, AND THE SAMEDAY – MINISTERS FAIL TO APPEAR – OTHERS PREACH INSTEAD – WE FOLLOW – A BAPTIST ATTEMPTS TO REPLY – HIS CONTRADICTORY STATEMENT – FELLOW-PREACHER'S CHAGRIN – THE PREACHER'S CONCESSION.

In Surry Co., N. C., in 1868, Elder H. K. Coray and I had made out our appointments ahead for the first, second, fourth and fifth Sundays in August, but failed to get out an appointment for the third Sunday, although we had made every effort to do so.

On the morning of the first Sunday, Esquire William Hill came to us and reported that some Methodist ministers had given out an appointment for the bowery, at Cross Roads, at eleven o'clock a. m., on the third Sunday of that month, for the purpose of "exposing 'Mormonism.'"

The squire seemed very anxious for us to make an appointment for the same day and place, at two p. m., which, after due deliberation, we did, referring to the other meeting and its purpose, and then stating that we would, at our meeting, continue the exposition of "Mormonism."

The news of these appointments soon spread far and wide, as connected therewith was also the idea of a discussion.

Arriving at the place a little before eleven o'clock a. m., we found the people had filled up the bowery, and the woods also seemed to be alive with them.

But those ministers, after hearing that we would reply to their slander in the afternoon, failed to put in an appearance.

However, four others, two Methodists and two Missionary Baptists, attended the meeting.

Discourses were delivered by two of these divines, one of each denomination, neither of whom alluded to our people, or doctrines; but each, at the close of his sermon, gave liberty to any other minister to reply to any doctrines that had been advanced.

No one replying, their meeting closed at half-past one o'clock, at which time we announced that there would be a recess for thirty minutes, when our meeting would commence.

The intermission afforded them time for all to take dinner, as nearly all had brought lunch from their homes.

During the forenoon meeting, crowds of people were strolling through the adjacent woods, among the carriages, wagons and horses, and crowding about the well. But when our meeting commenced, all gathered in and about the bowery, into a vast and compact assemblage.

The contrast was apparent to all, and especially was it gratifying to us.

The Rev. Mr. Cordell, a Baptist, took his seat upon the stand with us. The Rev. Mr. Gray, a Methodist, sat in front and near the stand tilting himself back in his chair, with both thumbs inserted in the arm holes of his vest, looking as if he thought St. Paul's overcoat too small to make a vest pattern for him. The two others sat near Mr. Gray.

Our meeting opened. The discourse was upon the first principles of the gospel – faith, repentance, baptism, the bestowal of the Holy Ghost, the gifts and blessings enjoyed by the members, and the organization of the Church with Apostles, Prophets, etc.

Quotations from the Bible, in abundance, were brought forward to fully prove these points of doctrine.

The preachers and many of the people seemed to be very much astonished that it was such an easy matter to establish these doctrines by the scriptures. Especially did the Rev. Mr. Gray forget all his assumed dignity, and, leaning forward in his chair, looked as amazed as he could be, evidently realizing that he, for the first time in his life, was listening to the gospel.

At the close of the discourse, liberty was extended to any person present to make remarks upon the doctrines we had set forth.

The Rev. Mr. Cordell arose, and said, "I have belonged to the Missionary Baptist church for thirty years, and have been a minister of that church for twenty-five years of that time, and I have just listened to a discourse, setting forth the doctrines I have always, during that time, believed in and preached. Yet, I will not believe except Mr. Boyle will work a miracle, and, even then, I will not go to Utah."

Now this great preacher (for as such was he esteemed by the people who knew him), when he arose to his feet, was white as a ghost, and trembled from head to foot, really not knowing what he was saying.

I must confess that I was surprised at what he said, and so were nine-tenths of those present.

I could see the people all through the audience exchanging glances of astonishment, and many were really chagrined, and some actually laughing at the absurdity of what he was saying.

All knew what he said was false, when he asserted that he had always believed in and preached what he had just heard.

When he sat down, I called the attention of the people to the inconsistency of calling for a miracle, to make him believe what he professed to have believed and preached for twenty-five years. As to whether he had really made a truthful statement, I said I would leave them to decide, as they were all acquainted with his reverence and I was not. I also referred to the idea he seemed to entertain, that some one wished him to go to Utah. I was sure I had not invited him to go to Utah, neither did I believe any of my friends had.

His brother preacher remarked, next day, to Squire Hill, that he would not have had "Brother Cordell" so disgrace himself for five hundred dollars out of his own pocket.

The result of the meeting was good. The report of it went far and wide, and helped us to a great extent in our subsequent labors. A great many were soon afterwards baptized in that section, among them 'Squire Hill and five or six of his family.

We afterwards looked upon it as providential that we did not get out an appointment sooner for the third Sunday in August, 1868.

Apropos to this incident, I may mention that when I was in North Carolina, recently, I was informed by a number of persons that Mr. Cordell often asserts that the Latter-day Saints can prove all their doctrines by the scriptures, and that he never speaks evil of them.

CHAPTER IV

MY FIRST SERMON – REMARKABLE INSTANCE OF HELP FROM THE ALMIGHTY.

Never shall I forget the first time I was called upon to make an effort to preach the gospel. It was in Pittsylvania County, Virginia, in the month of June, 1844.

I had been ordained an Elder and set apart to take a mission to Virginia, in company with Elder Sebert C. Shelton.

My extreme youth prevented me from realizing the responsibilities of a mission. Being a beardless boy, it never occurred to me that I would be called upon to preach. Up to that time I never had been upon my feet to say a word in public.