"Truth is mighty and will prevail; Error cannot stand before Truth. If these men can overthrow the gospel which I preach, the sooner they do it the better for me. I do not wish to deceive anyone, or to deceive myself. If anyone can point out an error in the gospel which I preach, I am willing to drop that error, and exchange it for truth."
The hour came, and Brother Webster and I both spoke. We spoke on the first principles of the Gospel of Christ, as taught by the Saviour and His apostles.
Before sitting down I extended the courtesy of the pulpit to any gentleman that wished to reply or offer any remarks either for or against what we had set forth. Parson Hall, the presiding Campbellite minister, was on his feet in a moment and denounced us as impostors. He said we were holding forth a theory that was fulfilled in Christ; that the canon of Scripture being full, these spiritual gifts that were spoken of in the New Testament were done away with, being no longer necessary. As for the story of the "Golden Bible" (Book of Mormon), that was absurd in the extreme, as there were to be no other books or revelations granted. He quoted the Revelations of St. John in his support, where they read:
"He that addeth to, or diminisheth from the words of the prophecies and this Book, shall have the plagues herein written added to his torment," or words to that effect. I followed him in the discussion, and quoted John where it reads:
"He that speaketh not according to the law and the testimony hath no light in him." I said that my authority and testimony were from the Bible, the book of the law of the Lord, which all Christian believers hold as a sacred rule of their faith and practice.
To that authority I hoped my worthy friend would not object. I illustrated my position by further quotations from the criptures, and when our meeting was over the people flocked around Brother Webster and myself in a mass, to shake hands with us and invite us to their houses - the Methodists, Baptists, and Presbyterians especially.
The planters in this county were mostly wealthy, and prided themselves on being hospitable and kind to strangers, especially to ministers of the gospel. We went from house to house and preached two and three times a week. We saw that the seed had already been sown in honest hearts, and we were near to them.
Knowing the danger of being lifted up by self-approbation, I determined to be on my guard, attend to secret prayer, and to reading and keeping diaries. When at our friend Pace's house Brother Webster and I would frequently resort to a lonely grove to attend to prayer and read to ourselves.