STEREOTYPED AT THE FRANKLIN TYPE FOUNDRY, CINCINNATI.

      The venerable Thomas Campbell, hearing of the defection of Rigdon and the progress of this silly delusion was making, came quickly to the front. He [216] spent much of the winter in Mento and vicinity. His wise counsels and great weight of influence interposed an effectual barrier against its encroachments. He addressed a communication to Rigdon so firm, so fatherly and characteristic, that the reader shall have the pleasure of perusing it. Its great length will apologize for the omission of a portion of it. Soon after his return to Kirtland, Rigdon fulminated a pompous challenge to the world to disprove the new Bible. On this Mr. Campbell wrote him, as follows:

"MENTOR, February 4, 1831.      

"Mr. SIDNEY RIGDON:

      "DEAR SIR:--It may seem strange, that instead of a confidential and friendly visit, after so long an absence, I should thus address, by letter, one whom for many years I have considered not only as a courteous and benevolent friend, but as a beloved brother and fellow laborer in the gospel; but, alas! how changed, how fallen! Nevertheless, I should now have visited you, as formerly, could I conceive that my so doing would answer the important purpose both to ourselves, and to the public, to which we both stand pledged, from the conspicuous and important stations we occupy--you as the professed disciple and public teacher of the infernal book of Mormon, and I as a professed disciple and public teacher of the supernal book of the Old and New Testaments of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, which you now say is superceded by the book of Mormon--is become a dead letter; so dead that the belief and obedience of it, without the reception of the latter, is no longer available to salvation. To the disproof of this assertion, I understand you defy the world. I here use the epithets infernal and supernal in their primary and literal meaning, the former signifying from beneath, the latter from above, both of which are truly applied, if [217] the respective authors may be accredited; of the latter of which, however, I have no doubt. But, my dear sir, supposing you as sincere in your present, as in your former profession, neither yourself, your friends, nor the world are bound to consider you as more infallible in your latter than in your former confidence, any further than you can render good and intelligible reasons for your present certainty. This, I understand from your declaration on last Lord's day, you are abundantly prepared and ready to do. I, therefore, as in duty bound, accept the challenge, and shall hold myself in readiness, if the Lord permit, to meet you publicly, in any place, either in Mentor or Kirtland, or in any of the adjoining towns that may appear most eligible for the accommodation of the public. The sooner the investigation takes place the better for all concerned.

      "The proposition that I have assumed, and which I mean to assume and defend against Mormonism and every other ism that has been assumed since the Christian era, is the all-sufficiency and the alone-sufficiency of the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, vulgarly called the Bible, to make every intelligent believer wise to salvation, thoroughly furnished for any good work. This proposition, clearly and fully established, as I believe it most certainly can be, we have no more need for Quakerism, Shakerism, Wilkinsonianism, Buchanism, Mormonism, or any other ism, than we have for three eyes, three ears, three hands, or three feet, in order to see, hear, work, or walk. This proposition, I will illustrate and confirm, by showing--

      "1. That the declarations, invitations, and promises of the gospel, go to confer upon the obedient believer the greatest possible privileges, both here and hereafter, that our nature is capable of enjoying.

      "2. That there is not a virtue which can happify, or adorn the human character, nor a vice that can abase or dishappify, which human heart can conceive, or human [218] language can express, that is not most clearly commanded or forbidden in the Holy Scriptures.

      "3. That there are no greater motives that can possibly be expressed or conceived, to enforce obedience, or discourage and prevent disobedience, than the Scriptures most clearly and unequivocally exhibit.

      "These propositions being proved, every thing is proved that can affect our happiness here or hereafter."

      He next tells Mr. Rigdon the course he proposes to pursue in exposing the claims of Mormonism:

      1. By examining the character of its author and his accomplices;
      2. Expose their pretensions to miraculous gifts, and the gift of tongues; and will test them in three or four foreign languages;
      3. Expose their assertion, that the authority for administering baptism was lost for fourteen hundred years till restored by the new prophet, by showing it to be a contradiction to Matt. xvii: 18;
      4. That the pretended duty of "common property" is anti-scriptural, and a fraud upon society;
      5. That re-baptizing believers is making void the law of Christ; and the pretension of imparting the Holy Spirit by imposition of hands, is an unscriptural intrusion on the exclusive prerogative of the primary apostles;
      6. That its pretentious visions, humility and spiritual perfection, are nowise superior to those of the first Shakers, Jemima Wilkinson, the French prophets, etc.

      "In the last place we shall examine the internal evidence of the Book of Mormon itself, pointing out its evident contradictions, foolish absurdities, shameless pretensions to antiquity, restore it to the rightful claimant as a production beneath contempt, and utterly unworthy the reception of a school-boy."

      He concludes: [219]

      "I remain, with grateful remembrances of the past, and best wishes for the future, your sincere friend and humble servant,

THOMAS CAMPBELL."      

      Mr. Rigdon read a few lines of this communication, and then hastily committed it to the flames!

[Early History of the Disciples in the Western Reserve, Ohio pp 217-220.]

      Thomas Campbell's letter to Sidney Rigdon (February 4, 1831) was first published in the Painesville Telegraph, February 15, 1831. The first book appearance of the letter was in Eber D. Howe's Mormonism Unvailed (Painesville, OH: E. D. Howe, 1834), pp. 116-123. Extracts of the letter were later printed in A. S. Hayden's Early History of the Disciples in the Western Reserve, Ohio (Cincinnati, OH: Chase & Hall, 1875), pp. 217-220.

      In this electronic version of the reprinting, A. S. Hayden's narrative has been included to provide historical context and continuity. Pagination in the electronic version has been represented by placing the page number in brackets following the last complete word on the printed page. I have let stand variations and inconsistencies in the author's use of italics, capitalization, punctuation, and spelling in the letter.

      Addenda and corrigenda are earnestly solicited.

Ernie Stefanik
Derry, PA

Created 6 January 1998.
Updated 8 July 2003.