--- title: Times and Seasons description: Issues of 1842 to 1843. authors: - Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints editors: - Ebenezer Robinson - Don Carlos Smith - Smith, Joseph, Jr. - Taylor, John collections: - periodicals tags: - newspaper - times-and-seasons - nauvoo - nineteenth-century periodical: Times and Seasons volume: 4 number: 2 published: 1842-12-01 publisher: E. Robinson and D. C. Smith; later John Taylor publisher_place: Commerce and Nauvoo, Illinois language: en type: article reference: "“A Singular Case of Heresy,” *Times and Seasons* 4, no. 2 (December 1, 1842): 26–27." printed_title: A SINGULAR CASE OF HERESY. source: url: https://archive.org/details/per_utah-and-the-mormons_times-and-seasons_1842-12-01_4_2 transcription: Text from the Centerplace.org transcription (https://www.centerplace.org/history/ts/v4n02.htm), with its page breaks; this Internet Archive scan is the reference copy (its OCR was used only as a witness for OCR repair) identifier: per_utah-and-the-mormons_times-and-seasons_1842-12-01_4_2 start_page: 26 end_page: 27 curator_note: A Mormon newspaper published by the church in Nauvoo; included for historical study. Inclusion does not imply endorsement. rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1842 (Nauvoo, Illinois); published before 1931, so public domain in the United States source: https://archive.org/details/per_utah-and-the-mormons_times-and-seasons_1842-12-01_4_2 publication_year: 1842 --- # A Singular Case of Heresy We had the following handed to us for publication, and had we not been somewhat conversant with the folly of sectarianism, we could not have believed that a body of church officers could have been found in the United States, so egregiously ignorant as those who formed the tribunal, at which the following excommunicating sentence was passed. Resolved. That William Seichrist be excluded from the fellowship of this church for embracing and maintaining a heresy, to wit:-Doctrines peculiar to a late sect called Mormons or Latter-Day Saints, that miracles can be wrought through the instrumentality of Faith, that special Revelations from God are now given to men, and that godly men are now endowed with the gift of Prophecy, such as to foretell future events. WILLIAM BENSON, Ch. Clk. Sept. 28, 1842. I do certify the above resolution to be a true copy of the original, excluding my son from the fellowship of the First Regular Baptist Church of the City of Alleghany, Alleghany County, Pennsylvania. Moderator, DEACON JOHN BECK,} Ch. Clk., DEA. WM. BENSON. } C. SEICHRIST. The crime with which Mr. Seichrist stands charged is that of heresy; and that not only of believing it but "embracing and maintaining" it. Now as heresies are at all times to be dreaded, it is of the most paramount importance that we be enabled to detect heretical doctrines and abide by the truth; for Paul prophesies that "men will bring in damnable heresies," therefore if heresies are damnable in their nature, those that embrace and maintain them must be damned, and consequently are not fit members of a christian community. But now for the heresies referred to. Heresy 1st. "Doctrines peculiar to a late sect called Mormons, or Latter-Day Saints that miracles can be wrought, through the instrumentality of faith." I always thought that every school-boy who had read his bible believed this thing! for the scripture says, "all things are possible to them that believe." By faith Moses divided the Read Sea; by faith Joshua commanded the sun to stand still, and the moon in the valley of Adjelon [Ajelon, I. V.; Aijalon, K. J.]; these men must have been strongly tinctured, with doctrines peculiar to the "Latter-Day Saints,' and Paul must have been a notorious heretic for he says that, "by faith they wrought righteousness, stopped the mouths of lions, waxed valiant in fight, put to flight the armies of the aliens, out of weakness were made strong"-that "by faith they subdued kingdoms," and through faith "women received their dead to life," and others were tortured not accepting deliverance;" That Enoch was translated by it; and the "through faith the worlds were framed." He further states that "without faith it is impossible to please God." These characters must all of them have been notorious heretics, for they all believed that miracles could be wrought by faith; and it was very fortunate for them, that they were not members of the first regular Baptist Church of the city of Allegany [Alleghany ?] or they would have been expelled, for holding doctrines peculiar to the Latter-Day Saints; but what made their case worse was that, they not only entertained these doctrines while alive; but they "all died in faith," therefore we may reasonably expect that there will be a goodly number of them in the eternal world, that hold the same doctrines as the Latter-Day Saints. Heresy 2d. "That special revelations from God, are now given to men" Noah had it revealed to him that God was going to destroy the world by water, and that he should build an ark. Moses had it revealed unto him, that he should lead the children of Israel from Egypt to Palestine; Abraham, and Lot, had it revealed to them that Sodom, and Gomorrah, should be destroyed; it was revealed to Jonah, that Ninevah should be destroyed except they repented; to Jeremiah that Babylon should be overthrown; to Isaiah that Jesus should appear-be rejected, and crucified; it was revealed to our Savior that Jerusalem should be destroyed; and that there should not be left one stone upon another that should not be thrown down. These were all special revelations, and they of course did not belong to the First Regular Baptist church or they would have been expelled by them.-Agabus, Peter, Paul, John, all of them had special revelations, and of course did not belong to the Baptist church: in fact the Bible is chiefly made up of revelation; and so far as that testimony goes, they are as old as Adam, as modern as John, and as scriptural as the Old and New Testaments. But this may not be the difficulty; perhaps they might not consider it heresy for the people in those days to have special revelations, that God has changed, and that what was orthodox then, is now heresy-the board may have taken this into consideration, or they may not: they have not informed us; they have stated that they consider it heresy to believe that "special revelations" from God, are now given to men- if the scripture is any testimony of what should be given to men; we can adduce it. Jeremiah in speaking concerning the last days says, "I will reveal unto them the abundance of peace and truth." Isaiah says upon the same subject "I will restore their judges as at the first; and their counsellors [counselors] as at the beginning," and if this is ever done there will unquestionably be some, special revelations from God ; for if any one like Moses or Aaron comes they will have special revelations; but it will be woe to the people that have them or believe in them; if they belong to the First Regular Baptist Church, for they would immediately bring them before their tribunal, and excommunicate them for heresy. Heresy 3rd. Believing "that godly men are now endowed with the gift of prophecy." Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Hosea, Habbakkuk, Malachi; and a host of others, in the Old Testament, prophesied and foretold future events; and Jesus, Peter, Paul, John, James, Jude, Phillip's daughters, and almost whole churches in the New Testament, prophesied and foretold future events; and they all must certainly have been charged with the crime of heresy, if God has not changed; according to the opinions of the Baptist Church, which we are told is truly orthodox. And Joel in speaking concerning our days, says, "it shall cone to pass in the last days, saith God, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; your old men shall dream dreams; your young men shall see visions; and upon my servants, and handmaids, I will pour out of my spirit, and they shall prophesy."-Now unless it can be made to appear that we have taken a tremendous leap from the last days, to the first days, we shall have men like Joseph, dreaming dreams; men like Isaiah, and Daniel seeing visions; men like Jeremiah, Hosea, Peter, Paul, John and James; foretelling future events: in fact the spirit of the Lord will rest upon his servants, and handmaids, and they will prophesy: and there will be such a turning over among the regular Baptists as was never heard of before. It must have been the case, that the antedeluvians [antediluvians] belonged to the First Regular Baptist Church; for they were unbelievers in prophecy, and in foretelling future events; the inhabitants of Sodom, and Gomorrah, must have belonged to the same order; for they did not believe in these things; the Pharisees also, for they cast out Jesus for being a prophet; and when he was blindfolded, smote him, and tauntingly said, "prophesy who smote thee:" in fact the Regular Baptist Church is spoke of by Paul; he says that "the time will come when men will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts they will heap unto themselves teachers, who will turn away their ears from the truth, and they will be turned into fables,"-that they "will have a form of godliness but deny the power;" and our Savior says, that "they will cast you out of their synagogues; and the time will come, when he that killeth you will think he doeth God service." The first regular Baptist Church have fulfilled the first part of this; and some of the orthodox in Missouri, the second; so that Br. Wm. Seichrist need not be disappointed. The thing is spoken of by the prophets; and Deacon Beck, and Deacon Benson; and the board at which we was tried, have acted in the spirit of their calling-having excommunicated him for heresies that were considered dangerous, in every age, by the same church; that the church have acted upon true orthodox principles: and that he has been dealt with as Peter, John, and Paul, and as all other heretics have been dealt with, by the First Regular Baptist Church in all ages.