Great Salt Lake City,
May 19, 1867
My dear Mrs. Rawson:
I have perused your letter dated March 12 written to your cousin Brigham Young, and by his permission, I have the pleasure of writing you in reply.
In the first place you allude to your cousin as Govr. of Utah, which might be thought a tall title for an ordinary man; but for him, we who are intimately acquainted, consider such a title a humiliation, for we know that he is called of God to fill a much more honorable position than can be conferred by earthly governments. Your sentiments with regard to flattery and vain titles exactly coincide with mine. In deed I like the spirit of your letter, at the same time I cannot help to pity the anxiety you express for your cousin and his soul's salvation. I speak from experience, for I well remember when I viewed things nearly as you now view them, that it really throws a cloud of sadness across my mind when I realize that any-one of my fellow beings is subject to the same mistaken views, and ignorant of the glorious light and knowledge of which I am now a happy partaker.
I know from what I once felt how uncomfortable you feel in thinking that your own dear cousin is employing his talents in the service of Satan instead of building up the Kingdom of God; and that he has added to and taken from God's blessed book. O my dear lady how must your heart ache, and how deeply must your soul be troubled while subject to such dreadful thoughts! I most humbly yet confidently assure you that these are mistaken ideas. Shall I say the result of ignorance? Yes, although ignorance is a disagreeable word, we are all ignorant only so far as we are enlightened by the Spirit of God.
If you will turn to the 18th verse of the last chapter of Revelations and carefully read that and the following verse, you will see that the Book referred to was not the Bible, but just the Book of Revelations, which is merely one of the books of the New Testament. You will see that in the 18th verse, he speaks of "the prophecy of this book," and in the 19th, of "the words of the book of this prophecy," meaning that particular revelation or prophecy. At that time, the books which compose what is now called the New Testament, were not compiled, and indeed they were not all written. Then of course if the Book spoken of meant the Bible the curse which is pronounced upon those that add to, would rest upon them who compiled the New Testament, for it is authentically proven that some portions of it were written after the book of the revelations of John.
I pray that the spirit of God may so enlighten your understanding as to remove from your mind every vestige of dubiety on this subject. I can truly say with one of old "whereas I was blind now I see". I now see such a fullness of light in the gospel of the Son of God, that my desires are great for all the honest in heart that they may partake and enjoy the glorious liberty with which Christ makes them free who know him and keep his commandments. When a child I was taught by pious parents to read the Bible, and I committed much of <it> to memory and recited in Sunday School lessons; and I used to think what a comfort it would be to be associated with prophets and apostles, and to have the word of the Lord spoken as in ancient times; and I felt anxious for the time to come when the words of the Prophet Joel would be fulfilled which say "and it shall come to pass in the last days that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophecy and your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions" &c. I feared I should not live to see that day, and now I have not language sufficient to express my gratitude to the Most High, that I even I am enjoying these precious glorious privileges, and I testify to you that your cousin Brigham is truly a prophet and an apostle of the Lord Jesus. If you believed this would not the title of Gov. Sink into insignificance? I am sure it would.
It hath been truly said "Eye hath not seen nor ear heard, neither hath it entered the heart of man what God hath laid up for those that love Him"; but God hath revealed it to us by His Spirit.
An ancient apostle said that "the man of sin must be revealed" before the Second coming of Christ. There have been many Churches built up which were not of God, for the power of God was not made manifest in them. He never had a Church or a people that He acknowledged without prophets and apostles. We might learn this from the Bible if we had enough of the Spirit of God to understand it. We know that God is our Father, and should it be a strange thing for a father to speak to His Children? Certainly not. We are living in the last days, and God is soon to pour out His judgments upon the inhabitants of the earth because of iniquity, and how should we know how to escape from them without the word of the Lord?
The Lord calls upon His people to come out of Babylon that they partake not of her sins and receive not of her plagues; but how should we know when to come out, or where we should find a place of safety, if the Lord did not instruct us? You know when Jesus commissioned his disciples, he told them to go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature, saying "And these signs shall follow them that believe: In my name they shall heal the sick, and in my name they shall cast out devils" &c, and one of His apostles said "if any man preach any other gospel, let him be accursed." And I would now ask what denomination of Christians except the Latter-day Saints, (or as they are vulgarly called, Mormons) preach the same gospel? Not one. As it was then so it is now -- the same gospel produces the same effects == "To one is given the spirit of prophecy, to one the gift of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues; to one the gift of healing, to another the faith to be healed" &c "Search the Scriptures" said the Saviour, "for in them ye think ye have eternal life, and they are they which testify of me". I would fain say to all the honest in heart, search the Scriptures, for they bear record of the same gospel that we believe with all its powers and blessings, which is in very deed glad tidings of salvation to all the pure in heart that receive it. With the Spirit of this gospel in our bosoms we can endure cheerfully the scoffs of the ignorant and the persecutions of the wicked, for we know if we continue to fight the good fight of faith like Paul of old "henceforth there is laid up for us a crown of glory which the Lord, the righteous judge will give us in that day"
My dear friend, shall I say Sister? Yes, we are both daughters of the same wise, powerful and gracious parent: He who so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, our elder brother, to be a ransom, through whose blood, those who receive the gospel in its fulness, are brought nigh to God, and to the Church of the First Born. If you could realize what the Lord is doing in these last days to prepare a people for the Second coming of the Son of Man, you would rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory. I thank my father in heaven for what my eyes have seen and my ears have heard.
I must beg your pardon -- I have written a long letter. I hope it will not weary you. I had quite forgotton that I was writing to an entire stranger; but trust we shall not always be strangers. I am well aware that it would have been more satisfactory to you had your cousin answered your letter; but at present he has so much business on hand that it was hardly possible. He will see this before it is closed and you will not receive it without his approval. Please write very soon and direct as before, to President Brigham Young, and accept this with much love from one of One of his wives
To Mrs S. Rawson