# Title: Letter to O. Cowdery concerning Simonds Rider, Messenger and Advocate II:7, p. 297
# Date: 1836-04
# Source: http://www.sidneyrigdon.com/RigWrit/RigWrit3d.htm | Provenance: signed SIDNEY RIGDON. High confidence.

Br. O. Cowdery.

Sir: -- It appears that the notice which I took of Simons Rider in the Messenger and
Advocate of January last , has given some offense to him, as according to his usual way
of correcting my errors, he has been leveling his shafts at me, at the distance of thirty or forty miles;
where he thinks I suppose that he can vent his feelings with safety, as there will be no person to call him
to an account for it.

He complains it appears, that I have injured his character to publishing his conduct to the world in your
periodical. Now, that he should be ashamed to have his conduct made a public thing is not at all surprising
to me; for I should think that would of necessity be the case; for while there are any people who
acknowledge him as a public teacher, his conduct is not very credible to him. But what surprises me is,
that he should charge me with injuring his character, as he knows that there was nothing said in your
paper concerning him but what was strictly true; for he does know most assuredly, that without cause or
provocation, he made an unmanly attack as well as an unrighteous one, upon myself, as well as others of
the church of the Latter Day Saints.

He attacked both our characters and religion, in public assemblies, and in his public proclaimings; and
that at a time, when we had no way of exposing his wickedness: we had no paper through which we could
communicate to the world. He availed himself of this our defensless [defenseless] situation, to do all
the injury he could, and if possible, to stop the spread of truth; but in this he failed, and when called
upon to support his assertions in my presence, he had recourse to slander and abuse: these things Simons
knows to be true. Why then complain that I have injured his character, by publishing them to the world?
it is the same as to say, that his character cannot stand where truth prevails, and I have no reason that
I know of, to doubt it. I am sure his religion cannot stand the test of truth, and he knows it as well
as I do, and I expect he things his character is equally as weak, and would fall as easy to prey to the
truth as his religion.

How far the charge of dishonesty, can be preferred in truth against Simons Rider, as well as others, of
the smaller animals of this species (I mean the Campbellites) remains yet to be made manifest; as they,
at present, are under tutors and governors, and not at liberty to think for themselves. For instance,
there are A. Bently S. Rider as well as others, who at present are not at liberty to think for themselves;
but must think as A. Campbell, and W. Scott think. They are not at liberty to believe what the bible says,
unless they first find it in the Evangelist, or Harbinger, and then, and not till then dare they believe
it; but if they find it in the Evangelist, or Harbinger, it matters not whether it is in the bible or
whether it is not in it, of course, in their estimation it is true; because brother Campbell, or brother
Scott, has said it, that is enough: bible or no bible.

We feel in the mean time at liberty to say, that we have all the evidence necessary to satisfy our mind,
that Messrs. Campbell, and Scott, the leaders of that brotherhood, are not honest in their religion:
they are men who think and act for themselves, independently, and they do know, that the same Jesus who
said to his disciples "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature:
he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved, and he that believeth not shall be damned."
Also said "That signs shall follow them that believe &c."

Now that Messrs. Bently, Rider and others, should not know this is not surprising, because they never
saw it, in either the harbinger, or evangelist and not having seen it there, of course could not say
whether it was in any other place or not. But Messrs. Campbell and Scott, are not thus trammeled: they
know it is there, and they do know also, that they have the same authority for saying "these
signs shall follow them that believe" that they have to say unto the people believe and
be baptized, that is, they have the authority of Jesus Christ for both; delivered at the same time, to
the same people, and on the same occasion; and of equal truth, and duration. We are not afraid of a
contradiction in truth, when we say, we know that Messrs. Campbell and Scott know these things; and
the greater share for them, as keep such men as Simons Rider, and A. Bently, held in bondage, whose
minds are too limited to exercise one independent thought for themselves, and only think as they are
permitted by their masters.

They do know too, that the same Peter who said "Repent and be baptized every one of your in the name of
Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, and said, it
consisted in dreaming dreams, and seeing visions, prophesying, &c., and that Peter made that promise to
all that were afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.

These things they do know, because they read for themselves, and think for themselves, and are not under
bondage to any man, therefore, they have no excuse for their sin, neither cloak for it: all the excuse
which can be pled for them is, that the God of this world has blinded their minds, so that when they see
a thing, and know it, they will not confess it; for such there is a day of judgment, when their injustice
will come up in remembrance before the Lord, and if there is one place in hell hotter than another, or
where the torment is great than another, it is surely had in reserve for such men.

Some excuse can be pled for Presbyterians, Methodist, Baptist, Episcopalians, &c. for they profess to be
governed not by the bible, but by their respective creeds and confession; against which Messrs Campbell
and Scott have spoken with great freedom, denouncing them as heretical in the extreme, and offering in
the most positive manner, that the bible, and the bible only, should be our creed, and by that alone we
should be governed for rations, deny that which is written as with a sun-beam on almost every page of
it, and profess to believe and try to establish an order of things (which by the by he will never
accomplish) that is no where found in it.

After generations will rise up and instead of calling them blessed, will view all their labor, and toils
in a light less favorable, than they do the crusaders, the missionary projects of the day: yes, worse
than the veriest follies of any age.

The scheme of Messrs. Campbell and Scott is the most barefaced and impudent imposition ever attempted
to be pawned on any generation, and those who are stupid enough to continue to follow them, will cast
a shade upon the character of this generation as long as the name of it is known among the living.

These gentlemen surely have the right to investigate the religion of the bible, but after the principles
of it have all been fairly brought to light to call them the barest of impositions, and those servants
of God whom he called to this work for the world, fanatics, and impostors, when they do know that those
who they thus denounce are contending for the pure principles of the bible, and for that only; and all
this because God understood the base corruption of their hearts, did not choose them to be among the
honored ones into whose hands the kingdom should be delivered in the last days; but saw proper to choose
those whom he knew to be more righteous than they. If it were to be asked why did not the Lord choose
Messrs. Campbell and Scott, to lay the foundation of his work in the last days? the answer would be,
that God who knows the hearts of all living, knew that they were corrupt to the very core, and destitute
of that nobleness of soul which would entitle them to this honor, and because God saw proper thus to
reject their sacrifice, as he did Cain's they thought to destroy those on whom God conferred this high
honor, (for their honor is truly of man, but not of God) thus proving that they were of the same spirit
of Cain, and only lacked in power or else they would have done as he did.

I would call on them now to reflect for a moment on the situation in which they have placed themselves,
by reason of their great desire to destroy the saints. Let them look at him who catered lies for them,
I mean old Clapp of Mantor, who has sunk into everlasting disgrace, and dragged his family with him
because it is a just judgment of God on them for their iniquity.

Would God have suffered a righteous family to have been thus disgraced. I answer nay their very shame
rises up and cries against them, and will tell their iniquities to all generations; and why? because
they sought to disgrace the saints, and God has disgraced them, or he has permitted them to be disgraced
to their latest generations; for the scandal of their progenitor will be entailed upon them for a
patrimony until the race is blotted out from under heaven.

This man Clapp, was the coadjutor of Messrs. Campbell and Scott, he was there fellow laborer in the
persecution, and as such they are justly entitled to a share in his disgrace, and that of his family,
which is a token of the righteous judgment of God. "For it is a righteous thing with God
to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you" 2 Thessalonians 1:6, says Paul to
the saints.

If Messrs Campbell and Scott were to consider for but a moment, they could not avoid seeing, that they
had espoused a bad cause, and were leagued with adulterers, and of the same spirit. Were they not the
same spirit of old Clapp? let them ask themselves and see?

Did old Clapp persecute the saints? So did they. Did he slander them? So did they. Did he exert himself
to give credibility to a book of falsehoods? So did they. Are not they then of the same spirit with him?
Surely, as face answereth to face in water, so does their conduct and his correspond with each other.

But all their attempts have been vain: their shame is rolling back on their own heads, while the word
of God grows and multiplies, and the multitude of the saints increase greatly, and are edified together.
And well may the saints rejoice; for the Lord he is their God, and their maker is their husband; and
their Redeemer, the holy one of Israel.

SIDNEY RIGDON.
