| 397 flesh,"-by accompanying her husband, against the wishes and advice of her relatives, to a land of strangers and however I may deprecate their actions, can say in justice, her character stands as fair for morality, piety and virtue, as any in the world. Though you may say, this is a digression from the subject proposed, I trust I shall be indulged, for the purpose of satisfying many, who have heard so many slanderous reports that they are led to believe them true because they are not contradicted; and besides, this generation are determined to oppose every item in the form or under the pretence [pretense] of revelation, unless it comes through a man who has always been more pure than Michael the great prince; and as this is the fact, and my opposers have put me to the necessity, I shall be more prolix, and have no doubt, before I give up the point, shall prove to your satisfaction, and to that of every man, that the translator of the book of Mormon is worthy the appeliation [appellation] of a seer and a prophet of the Lord. In this I do not pretend that he is not a man subject to passion like other men, beset with informities [infirmities] aud-encompassed [and] with weaknesses; but if he is all men were so before him, and a pretence [pretense] to the contrary would argue a more than mortal, which would at once destroy the whole system of the religion of the Lord Jesus; for he anciently chose the weak to overcome the strong, the foolish to confound the wise, (I mean considered so by this world,) and by the foolishness of preaching to save those who believe.
On the private character of our brother I need add nothing further, at present, previous to his obtaining the records of the Nephites, only that while in that country, some very officious person complained of him as a disorderly person, and brought him before the authorities of the county; but there being no cause of action he was honorably acquited [acquitted]. From this time forward he continued to receive instructions concerning the coming forth of the fulness [fullness] of the gospel, from the mouth of the heavenly messenger, until he was directed to visit again the place where the records were deposited.
For the present I close, with a thankful heart that I am permitted to see thousands rejoicing in the assurance of the promises of the Lord confirmed to them through the obedience of the everlasting covenant.
As ever your brother in the Lord Jesus.
Oliver Cowdery.
To W. W. Phelps
Communications.
Baptism for the Dead.
Why are they then baptized for the dead?-Paul.
A knowledge of the state and condition of the dead has been anxiously desired and sought after, by almost every nation and people in all ages of the world. This knowledge was once, by revelation, unfolded and understood; but like other truths of divine teaching, through neglect, contempt, and the malicious operations of the prince of darkness was shrouded, and lost, and mankind were left to mourn in dispair [despair] over the ashes of their departed friends and associates. Though Enoch, the seventh from Adam, wrapped in vision, was privileged to look through the vista of succeeding years, and centuries, and eras unnumbered, scan the history of convolving and conflicting empires, rising, rolling forth, dashing and expiring; though he beheld myriads of intelligences embodying, growing, dying, redeemed, restored, and rising; though the end from the begining [beginning] was thus spread before him, and thousands were permitted to hear him descant upon the mysteries of redemption, delineate the modes and changes of being, and depict the glories of the celestial world; yet how soon did the Almighty look down from heaven and find them "all gone out of the way,"-"the imagination of the thoughts of their hearts only evil continually." And because they did not like to retain God in their thoughts, he gave them up to reprobacy [reprobate] of mind, to work out their own destruction greedily. From time to time, however, he renewed to the just the gospel covenant; established a lineal priest-hood of wisdom, intelligence, virtue, and blessing; thus penetrating the gloom of moral darkness, and bespangling the firmament of a benighted world with radiances which, if heeded would have sufficent [sufficient] to guide the way-ward
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