Latter Day Saints' Messenger and Advocate/Volume 1/Number 2/Letter from Oliver Cowdery to Warren A. Cowdery (November 1834)

TO W. A. Cowdery, Esq.
DEAR BROTHER:

I have received, of late, several communications from you, containing several questions. Not long since, you wished me to express my mind, either publicly or privately, upon a few remarks of the Savior, as recorded in Mat. 16:16, 17 & 18—

"And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And I say also unto thee, that thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church: and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it."

It is plain that the Savior never did nor never will build his church upon any other foundation, or sustain it upon any other principle, than he there represents to Peter, viz:—of revelation from the Father that he was the Christ. Erect a church upon any other foundation and when the storm comes it msnt [must] fall. And the only reason why his church was not always on earth, is, that men ceased to obtain revelations from heaven. And the only reason why they were deceived in time past, and will be in the last days, is because they do not know that Jesus is the Christ!

Men say they believe that Jesus is the Christ; but the Lord said to Peter that the Father had revealed it to him, and upon that Rock he would build his church and the gates of hell should not prevail against it. For if men know that Jesus is the Christ, it must be by revelation. To be sure, we may say, that the apostles testify of him, and that we believe they tell us the truth; but will this save a people from destruction, when the cunning arguments of the adversary are leveled as a mighty shaft to shake man from the foundation? No; he must have an assurance. The salvation of man is of that importance that he is not left to a mere belief, founded upon the testimony or say-so of another man! No; flesh and blood cannot reveal it—it must be the Father: and query: If the everlasting Father reveals to men that Jesus is the Son of God, can they be overthrown? Can floods or flames, principalities or powers; things present or to come; heights or debths [depths], swerve them from the foundation—the ROCK? No; said our Lord, the gates of hell cannot prevail! There is an assurance in the things of God that cannot be obliterated! There is a certainty accompanying HIS divine communications which enables the mind to soar aloft, and contemplate—not only contemplate, but mingle with the blessed in the blessed mansions, where all things are pure! It is this, then, which constitutes a certainty.

There can be no doubt but that the true church did exist after the Lord's ascension; but the query is, how shall we reconcile this point, when we say that it did not exist on earth for a number of centuries, and yet say that the gates of hell did not prevail against it? To the answer:

You will see above, that I have plainly contended that the gates of hell could not prevail against a man or society of men while they hold communion and intercourse with heaven. I will now suppose a case, or propose a question: If Elijah had been the only individual on earth who kept the commandments of the Lord, he would have been all the church then upon earth. And you know that any and every people ceasing to keep his commandments, are disowned by him. If these points are admitted, I proceed:

When Elijah was taken up to heaven, did the gates of hell prevail against the church of God? Did they overcome the holy priesthood? No; neither.—Had Elijah been the last righteous man, and his enemies prevailed over his natural body, and put him to death, would the gates of hell have prevailed against the church? No; the holy priesthood would have been taken to God, and the gates of hell would have been as unsuccessful as in the case of his translation.

In the church, said Paul, God has placed apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, teachers, miracles, gifts of healings, helps, governments, and diversities of tongues; for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ. But did that church exist? Are the fruits of that priesthood now to be found, or have they been among men from the apostles to the present? Where are the individuals who will pretend that this has been the case? And yet they say that Christ's church has continued on earth, and that the gates of hell have not prevailed against it! Here seems to be a trouble—To admit that the authority of administering ordinances, on earth, has been taken away, would admit, at once, that they have no authority. This places men under the necessity of saying, that the church of God has and does exist, in all these variegated forms and colors, scattered over the world—No more resembling the ancient church, than the ancient church does that of the Hindoos [Hindus].

It is revelation which constitutes the church of Christ; for this was the declaration to Peter, that the Father had revealed to him, and upon that principle his church should exist. Show me any other, and I confess that you will show me a something, the pattern of which I have not found in the holy scriptures, as coming from heaven!

You will begin to see my mind upon this matter. It is, that when men ceased to bring forth the fruits of the kingdom of God on earth, it ceased to exist on earth; and when it ceased to exist on earth, he took the authority to himself, and with it the holy priesthood. The gates of hell did not prevail against the church of God; and the decree of our Father is, that they shall not; but no man will pretend, (if he does it is in vain,) that the pure church, as existed in the days of Paul, and for a length of time afterward, has continued. If so, according to his theory; the gates of hell have prevailed against it; for he cannot trace its existence here. He may trace a supposed authority through a succession of Popes and bishops; but if the authority was there, where is and where was the fruit?

If we look into the 12th chapter of John's Revelation on Patmos, we shall see the church represented in a striking figure, so plainly shown to be taken from the earth, that it is impossible his beautiful vision should be misunderstood.—''Editor. ''