, Letter, unspecified location, to JS, , Hancock Co., IL, 6 Jan. 1844; handwriting presumably of ; docket in handwriting of ; three pages; JS Collection, CHL.
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that it ever entered the brain of of any rational being! Attonement or Pacification, is attonement, or Pacification; and no more, nor less. It is not subject to comparison, and cannot consistantly be qualified with an adjective— When God declares that his law is satisfied— What then?— It is satisfied— when God declares that any thing is an attonement, or Pacification for sin;— it is so— if it were merely the blood of a Dove or a Mouse— It is written that Christ should make reconciliation for sin— To make reconciliation for sin, is precisely the same thing as to make attonement for sin— How would it sound to read infinitepacification? Infinitesatisfaction? Infinitereconciliation? Infinitesettlement? I am aware of the fact that modern Divines have had a long protracted contest upon this matter; but I have always supposed that it originated from the confusion of Babel, and the darkness of Mystery Babylon— What then shall I think when I find this modern imp of darkness in the mouth of Nephi ages before Christ was born? Do not suppose Dear Br. Smith that I make these enquiries from evil motives of opposition— It is not so— I am a humble enquirer after truth— I am also a member of your Church by Baptism, and that by particular revelation to me personally— But I should be glad to understand these things, and to be able to meet the cavils, or enquiries of such as oppose. Shall I suppose that the young man who translated the Book of Mormon had at that time no other ideas of Divinety or religion than such as he had gathered from the fals Church and thus atribute these things and many other Modernism to the cause alluded to in the Preface of the Book? If you will admit this it would relieve my mind amazeingly— There are other things in said Book that are very far from being plain to me. I will mention the doctrine of endless torments so frequently occuring therein. How could I Justify the idea of devoteing any sensative being to endless torments? evenaRattle Snake.— They did not bring themselves into existance, and their end was foreknown—
When they’ve been there ten thousand years, in horid flames of fire; The end is yet ten thousand years, and never will come nigher— Is this the truth! and must I believe it? I find nothing in Moses, nor in the Prophets intimateing such dreadfull doctrine: No, nor yet in the any of the scriptures is there such a declaration. To suppose that this cruel doctrine was originally in God’s revealed word, and that it has been expunged by the fals Church is unreasonable— directly opposite to all their Preaching and to their most ardent desire of finding something in the Bible to support it— [p. [2]]