"Do you believe it to be true or false?"
"True."
"Does a true book teach three different ways [of salvation]?"
"Those are our opinions."
"Oh, I thought you had come to teach us truth; if opinions are all, we have plenty of them already and can dispense with your services."
When the discussion turned upon the doctrines and authority of his opponents, he made short work of it. He proved very clearly that they were without authority to act in the name of God; that their doctrines were out of harmony with the scriptures and their religion a mere form of Godliness without the power thereof. To his statements and arguments they refused to reply, but still continued harping on the character of Joseph Smith. Paying no heed to their vain repetition of the slanderous charges against the Prophet, to which he had once made answer, he continued to unmercifully bombard their religious citadels, until, seeing them tumbling about their ears, the reverend gentlemen sought safety in flight.
The following is, in part, the bombardment before which they finally fled:
"What about their calling? Are we to have no answer to this subject? I have positively proved and demonstrated that they have no authority to preach, and they never attempted to disprove it, but have given us another rehearsal of the old ditty [the character of Joseph Smith]. Gentlemen, you sit down very quietly under the appellation of false teachers; of course we must believe that you are such unless you can prove to the contrary. Mr. Robertson, indeed, honestly says that he has no authority. Then God has nothing to do with him or his calling. He, of course, acknowledges that he is administering in the name of one who never sent him. We shall take him at his word, and set him down as a teacher whom God has not sent. In France or England they would punish persons as imposters for committing an act of forgery. But the judgment of those who administer falsely in the name of Jesus has not yet come; but the time will come when some will come and say, we have preached in thy name; and He will answer, depart from me, I never knew you (confusion). We shall set Mr. Cater on the stool with Mr. Robertson. Mr. Cleeve will not degrade himself by investigating the matter! Will he tell me why he, as a gentleman, undertook to discuss a subject, and published that engagement, which he is now disgusted with? And why he did not express his feelings of disgust before he heard the argument? I presume a criminal would express his disgust at an executioner for being so impolite as to put a noose round a gentleman's neck. But it is there, and there it will remain, Mr. Cleeve, until it is removed by you. It needs more formidable weapons than disgust or contempt to remove it; and we shall still say you have no authority, that you are a false teacher, and that God has not sent you, unless you can show some reason to the contrary." (Confusion.)
Elder Taylor, amid considerable confusion, hastily sketched the outlines of the doctrines of Christ as contained in the New Testament, the organization of the Church and the gifts and powers that attended the primitive Saints, all of which was to be perpetuated in the Church.
"Now let us examine how this doctrine agrees with that of these gentlemen; for be it remembered that St. John says, 'He that transgresseth and abideth not in the doctrines of Christ hath not God, but he that abideth in the doctrines of Christ hath both the Father and the Son.' (II John, 9.) Now, have they apostles? No. They ridicule the idea of them. Have they prophets? No. They tell us there is to be no more prophecy. Have they evangelists, pastors and teachers—inspired men? No. They don't believe in inspiration, and tell us the cause of inspiration has ceased. Do they speak in tongues? No: you have heard in turned into ridicule time and again. Do they have prophets among them who prophesy? This they call a delusion. If any are sick, do they do as St. James says, 'send for the Elders of the Church that they may pray for them, and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord?' No. That they call fanaticism. Do they baptize in the name of the Lord for the remission of sins? No. Do they lay on hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost? No. What have they got that in the least resembles the gospel? They have not even a clumsy counterfeit. How will they stand the test? 'He that abideth not in the doctrines of Christ hath not God.' I will not, however, call them imposters, that I shall leave, and go on to examine their doctrines more in detail.