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THE BRADEN AND KELLEY DEBATE.
MR. BRADEN'S FIFTH SPEECH.
GENTLEMEN MODERATORS, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN: --
We will first dispose of the question whether the church was in existence before the day of Pentecost. The gospel
has been preached in three ways...
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THE BRADEN AND KELLEY DEBATE.
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What power? Acting as high priest, offering sacrifices for the people, --
"But he that was called of God as was Aaron. So also Christ florifies not himself to be made a high priest, but
he that said unto him (unto whom? Unto all Mormon impostors? No, unto Christ). "Thou art my Son: this day have I
begotten thee." And he saith in another place (to Mormon impostors? No, to Christ). "Thou art a priest forever,
after the order of Melchizedek."
Then Christ is the only one who was called to the high priesthood as Aaron was. Aaron was called by the voice of
God to the position of first high priest of the Aaronic priesthood. Christ was called to the Melchizedek priesthood
by the voice of God as Aaron was, and Christ alone. He had no predecessor in his office of high priest, and he has
no successor. Measure, if you can, the blasphemy of Kelley and other Mormon impostors claiming to be called as Christ
was called, as Aaron was called. Placing themselves on an equality with the Son of God. Christ alone was called as
Aaron was.
We are called to be kings and priests unto God as the persons Peter addressed were called, by the obedience of faith.
We were made kings and priests unto God when Christ washed us from sin, As kings and priests made by Almighty God and
not by Joe Smith or Mormon Impostors, we have divine authority for all, and every act a king and priest unto God can
perform. We lay hands on some of our kings and priests who have the qualifications that the law of God requires, not
to impart miraculous power, not to impart authority, for they have already as kings and priests unto God received
the authority from the Almighty; but to set them apart to a certain work. All are equal in authority, but they are
set apart to a certain work. Peter declares in II Peter, 1:3: "God's divine power has given to us" -- the apostle
and the Christians of his day "all things that pertain to life and godliness through the knowledge of him that has
called us" -- the apostle and all Christians in his day -- "to glory and virtue." Here the apostle declared that all
things that pertain to life and godliness had already been given, and through knowledge, through the truth revealed.
If all things had already been given, all that pertains to life and godliness, Mormon revelations are humbugs and
impostures. I will stake the issue of the debate on that one passage. Will my opponent read it and tell where his
Mormonism comes in?
IS CAMPBELLISM THE ORIGIN OF MORMONISM?
The statement is often made as a reproach to the Disciples that Campbellism is the parent of Mormonism. Mormonism
is Campbellism gone to seed. We propose to vindicate the Disciples from such a reproach. While it is true that
there are things in the Book of Mormon that no one but a Disciple preacher would have written
at the time the book appeared; and that there are one or two features in which the Disciples and Mormons
agree in differing from the orthodox religious world; it is also as true that it was not what Rigdon took from the
Disciples
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that gave origin to Mormonism. On the contrary, it was the points on which he differed
from the Disciples that gave rise to Mormonism. Had Sidney Rigdon accepted all of the teachings of the Disciples,
and had he been loyal to them, the Book of Mormon and Mormonism would never have been dreamed of by him.
The vital difference between the Disciples and the so-called orthodox world is the dogma that the orthodox
religious world make the central idea of their teaching, the dogma that in the conviction and conversion of the
sinner, and in the comforting and sanctification of the saint the Holy Spirit exerts a direct and immediate
influence, distinct and different from, and in addition to any that he exerts through the truth, that he has
revealed in the Scriptures. Some regard this influence as miraculous. Others say that it is not miraculous. The
Disciples teach that all direct and immediate influence was miraculous, was not, and could not be a moral
influence, and had not one particle of moral influence on the party influenced. Its work was to inspire, to reveal
truth, to work miracles, and it can form no part of conviction, conversion and sanctification. They teach that
all the moral power that an intelligence, like the Holy Spirit can exert on another intelligence like man's spirit,
is resident in ideas, moral influences, presented to the spitit influenced in words or acts. They teach that
conviction, conversion and sanctification. are accomplished by moral power alone, resident in truth and acts.
They believe the Bible declarations that "the gospel is the power of God unto salvation to all who believe."
II Peter, 1. "Divine power has granted unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness through knowledge."
That all "men are begotten by the word of truth," That men are sanctified by God's word as Jesus declares. They
reject all direct and immediate influences of the Spirit in conviction, conversion and sanctification, for such
influence was all miraculous, and it did not and could not produce one particle of moral influence or change.
Because the Bible never ascribes one instance or particle of conversion to such direct influence. Because it
invariably ascribes it to the gospel, the word of God, the truth. Such is the great difference between disciples
and others.
Sidney Rigdon brought from the Baptists to the Disciples and agreed with the Disciples in: I. Immersion alone is baptism. II. Penitent believers alone are scriptural subjects of baptism.
He accepted from the Disciples: I Revelation alone should be the creed of Christians. II. The religious world had departed from the apostolic christianity and should return to it. III. What are called "first principles" by the Disciples. IV. Baptism is unto the remission of sins.
Not one of these would have even hinted the Book of Mormon or Mormonism. He brought from the Baptists and never agreed with the Disciples: I. Opposition to secret societies. That is in the Book of Mormon. It is full of it. II. The orthodox idea of a
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direct, immediate and miraculous influence of the Spirit in conversion. While a Disciple preacher he would often get so excited in his preaching, as to have what is called "the power," and often claimed that he had visions and revelations in that state. He was always extravagant in his preaching, and had much trouble and difference with the Disciples over this idea, and that a full restoration of aspostolic christianity must restore inspiration, spiritual gifts, and revelations. The orthodox idea of direct and miraculous influence of the Spirit that he retained was simply this claim of Rigdon, the idea that was Rigdon's special hobby, and that was rejected by the Disciples. He brought from the Baptists the orthodox idea of a direct and immediate influence of the Holy Spirit in addition to and distinct from any influence that he exerts through the truth. Like all who believe this notion, he regarded it as the sum and substance of religion. He was consistent and logical, however, and the orthodox world are not. He asserted and truthfully, that this direct and immediate influence ever had been and ever must be miraculous and attended with milraculous power, inspiration and revelation. He came into the Restoration with that hobby and with the intention to engraft it on to the movement, and when he had gotten the Disciples to accept it, he could then get them to accept new revelations, and bring forward his "Golden Bible" that he had fabricated out of Spaulding's "Manuscript Found," and make of the Restoration what Mormonism now is.
Accordingly he was constantly talking and preaching that a full return to apostolic christianity must include a restoration of the spiritual gifts, miraculous powers, the inspirations and revelations of the apostolic age. He had large numbers of the congregation, for which he preached and indoctrinated them with these ideas, and some had adopted his idea of community of goods and feet washing. These he had prepared for Mormonism, and when he pretended to be converted to Mormonism that he himself had originated, and had used Smith as a tool to publish for him, these persons who had accepted his hobbies went with him, and this accounts for the wonderful rapidity with which converts were made to Mormonism in the churches where he had preached, and had great influence. His teaching in regard to new revelations led them to expect such revelations and they were ready to accept the Book of Mormon as a revelation. Here again the admirable scriptural knowledge and admirable sense of the Campbellite saved the Restoration from shipwreck, as it did in regard to his millennial vagaries and the community of goods. The long and unanswerable series of articles on the Holy Spirit in "Christianity Restored," clearly separated, the miraculous and extraordinary influences of the Spirit, in inspiration, revelations and miracles, which was the direct and immediate influence
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of the Spirit, from the ordinary influence which was only through the truth. These articles showed that this direct and immediate influence was for a definite purpose -- the completion of revelation -- the word of God, and that the scriptures taught that it ceased with that work. That the only power the Holy Spirit exerts in conviction, conversion and sanctification is by and through the truth
he has revealed in the scriptures, and that such influence is the only moral influence He can exert.
The rejection of this special hobby of Rigdon that he brought into the Restoration from the Baptists and the orthodox religious world, and through which he hoped to get the Disciples to accept his "Golden Bible" and lead them off into what is now Mormonism, drove him from the Restoration. It is often said that "Campbellism is the parent of Mormonism -- that it is Campbellism gone to seed." We have freely stated just what Rigdon took into Mormonism from the Restoration. Because he accepted certain truths we teach no more proves that we are responsible for Mormonism, or that our teachings logically lead to Mormonism, than the fact that Mormonism accepts many of the teachings of the Bible proves that the Bible is responsible for Mormonism, or that the teachings of the Bible logically lead to Mormonism.
The truth is that our clear, common-sense scriptural teaching that the direct and immediate influence of the Spirit was miraculous and ceased with miracles, and that the only influence that the Spirit exerts now is through the truth he has revealed, the only moral influence he can exert, is utterly fatal to the central idea of Mormonism, and the origin of everything that is peculiar to the system, the direct and miraculous influence of the Spirit, in inspiration and revelations. It was this truth that led the Disciples to reject Rigdon's idea of a restoration of miraculous powers. Had they believed the orthodox idea of a direct and immediate influence, in addition to and distinct from the influence through the truth, and been as logical and consistent in all else, they would have said "such influence is miraculous," and accepted his idea of restoration of miraculous power, Because they rejected the ortho idea of direct and immediate influence, they rejected his hooby of restoration of miraculous powers. No orthodox church could have rejected his hobby if they were consistent with their
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belief of a direct and immediate influence of the Spirit, for such influence must be miraculous, and if really present be attended with miracles.
Rigdon took from the orthodox world this idea, the key note of orthodoxy, the direct and immediate influence of the Spirit, in addition to and distinct from any that he exerted through the truth. From the Methodists he took the baptism of the Holy Ghost. Having taken these ideas from the religious, orthodox world, Rigdon was consistent and logical and scriptural in asserting that such influence was miraculous, and when really present attended with miraculous powers, inspiration and revelation.
Mormonism agrees with the orthodox religious world in claiming this direct and
immediate influence of the Holy Spirit in addition to, and distinct and different from, any influence that he exerts through the truth. It does not not logically stop with making the claim and refusing to claim the necessary effects of such a cause, miraculous powers, inspiration and revelations. Mormonism claims, and has every truth of scriptural teaching and all common sense to sustain it, that such influence was miraculous, and as necessarily attended by miracles as the effect must attend the cause. Miracles were what distinguished the miraculous influence, which was direct and immediate, from the ordinary influence that was only through the truth. Claiming the cause Mormonism is logical, scriptural and in accordance with common sense in claiming the effect, miracles.
Mormonism is logical and in accordance with common sense and the Scriptures in claiming all the spiritual gifts that existed in the apostolic church, when it claims their cause -- the direct and immediate influence of the Spirit. Orthodoxy is illogical in claiming the cause, and refusing to claim the necessary effect, that can no more be separated from the cause than the falling of unsuported bodies can be separated from the law of gravitation.
Sometimes in its claim of special call to preach, miraculous evidence of conversion. that regeneration is a miracle,
that men preach as the Spirit gives them utterance and in revival, camp meeting, holiness, and sanctification
extravagences, in miraculous providences and answers to prayer, orthodoxy acrually claims miraculous power, and
absurdly denounces the Mormon claim to miraculous power and revelations as unscriptural and absurd.
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