LETTER FROM ELDER CHARLES POLKINHORN TO THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES

City of Washington, Dec. 12, 1822

Dear brother Beebe:

It gave me much pleasure to receive the first number of the Signs of the Times period. The Times truly calls for a zealous support of all those principles as outlined in its interesting pages. It is indeed a day of rebuke and blasphemy; For however meek the advocates of missionary, tract, and such societies might have been in the introductions of their worldly schemes in persuading the churches to receive the yoke., They have now cast off all fear and have arrived at that degree of effrontery spoken of by Jeremiah 3.3. “Thou hast of a whore’s forehead.” Shamelessly railing against and denouncing all those who will not join in the praise and support of their Great Goddess Diana. There is no neutrality with them. Their motto is, All that are not for are against them, and Bran, with opprobrious epithets of Antinomians, all those who acknowledge no other authority but that of Zion's King.

It pleased the Lord in much mercy to give me an early discovery of the hypocrisy and deception carried on under the name of Mission and other anti-Christian societies. The circumstances that led to this happy result I will briefly relate. A short period after professing an interest in the merit of our precious Redeemer, I joined a mission society and, of course, was made a collector. You're no doubt aware, it required the sum of $100 to entitle the society to representation in the General Convention. We were few in number and had much difficulty in raising that amount at our meeting for business. A letter was read and adopted by the Society, addressed to the Convention, setting forth in the glowing and extravagant colors of our extraordinary success, and congratulating the Convention. Of the signs of the near approach of the latter-day glory. Indeed, from the letter, you would suppose it was breaking in upon us in all of its transcendent splendor. I assure you. I felt not a little confounded at this elusive statement, for I could not with all my warmth of feeling. And imagination. Discover the truth of it. But judge of any astonishment? At the substance of the dialogue which followed, it was moved that the letter be printed in the Latter Day Luminary (if I mistake not) and that the amount of money collected be also inserted in the letter, but an objection was made and approved of; That if the amount collected should be inserted. In the letter, along with the glowing statement. That had been made, one part would militate against the other, and consequently destroy the effects that it otherwise might elsewhere produce. The word effects has rung in my ears from that day to this. Could it be possible that I, that the Kingdom of our glorious Redeemer is to be built up by such means, who declares that by His spirit and not by the power of man? (Either physical or moral as. The schoolmen say close parentheses the mighty work as accomplished, how much less than by artifice and cunning.

From that time, I have read with new eyes, and from a comparison of this letter with others of that class, they all appear to me to be animated by the same spirit, and are evidently designed and calculated to raise that great. Animal excitement, which now prevails almost to an overwhelming extent. How awful an applicable is the rebuke of Jehovah to all such “Behold! All you that kindle fire, that compass yourselves about with sparks, walk in the light of your own fire, and the sparks that you have kindled, this shall you have at my hand. You shall lie down in sorrow.” From that period, I have raised my feeble voice against all such Proceedings, and I trust in the strength of the Lord to bear witness that Jehovah reigns. The government being on his shoulders, who is alone able to build a temple and bear the glory. May the great head of the Church enable you to persevere as you have begun; earnestly contending for the faith once delivered to the Saints, to promote unity among all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the utter confusion of all self-constructed societies and collegiate mercenaries. Truth is mighty, as you justly remark, it must and will triumph gloriously.

I was much disappointed at not finding in the signs of the Times some strictures on Jetson's letter urging the establishment of a plain-dressed society. I thought it calculated to do good, and would tend to open the eyes of many of our bewitched Galatians. Some of our brethren who read them and could not believe that it was written by a Baptist, much less that the author was the great Baptist missionary to the Hindus, for whose use so many of their pockets and suffered. Goliath had a large sword, but David managed to take his head off with his own weapon. David said that there was none like it. So I would say of Jetson's letter, I think it was well calculated to kill him in the estimation. Of all those who have experienced the washing of regeneration, and the renewing of the Holy Ghost.

With my earnest prayers for the success of that cause in which you are engaged.

 I remain yours, ever to serve in the gospel of Christ,

Charles Polkinghorn