{"collection":"scripture-revelation","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/gutenberg_46536/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/gutenberg_46536","id":"gutenberg_46536","license":"Public Domain (US)","rights_basis":"gutenberg_metadata_copyright_false","source":"gutenberg","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/46536","summary":null,"tags":["Category: Religion/Spirituality","Category: Teaching & Education","Latter Day Saint churches","Latter Day Saints"],"text":"THE GOSPEL.\n\nAN\n\nEXPOSITION OF ITS FIRST PRINCIPLES.\n\n\nBY\n\nELDER B. H. ROBERTS,\n\nAuthor of Life of John Taylor; Outlines of Ecclesiastical History; New\nWitnesses, Etc.\n\nRevised and Enlarged Edition.\n\nPUBLISHED BY\n\nGEORGE Q. CANNON & SONS CO.,\n\nSalt Lake City, Utah.\n\n1893.\n\n\n\"Religion, my honored friend, is surely a simple business, as it\nequally concerns the ignorant and the learned, the poor and the rich.\"\n--Burns.\n\n\n\nPREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION.\n\nThis work has been written for the purpose of instructing the youth of\nZion in the first principles of the gospel.\n\nFor the most part our parents have been converted to the gospel while\nliving in the various States of this country, or in foreign lands, by\nthe preaching of the servants of God sent forth of him to proclaim the\nushering in of the Dispensation of the Fullness of Times, and to call\nmankind to repentance. They carefully and thoroughly examined every\nprinciple advanced by them; for notwithstanding the doctrines taught by\nthe Elders were older than the earth, and in various dispensations have\nbeen expounded by prophets and apostles whose testimony is recorded in\nthe Bible, yet something in the spirit by which they were proclaimed,\nand the manner in which they were combined, made them a new gospel--a\nnew religion.\n\nNot only did our parents hear the public discourses of the servants\nof God, but in the home circle--to which they invited the teachers of\nthe seemingly New Faith--the gospel, the harmony and beauty of its\nprinciples, the consistent blending in it of justice, and mercy, its\nsanctifying influence upon the human character, its spirit and powers,\nwere all common topics of their conversation; until they not only\nintellectually assented to it as a grand system of truth, but also\nbecame imbued with its spirit, and felt and enjoyed its powers.\n\nWith the youth of Zion it has been different. Being removed from the\nerrors of the sectarian world, it has been thought they would accept\nthe gospel as a matter of course. It may be stated as a general truth,\nthat too much in this respect has been taken for granted; and in too\nmany instances our youth have not been instructed so thoroughly in\nthe things of God as they ought to have been. Many have grown up in\nlamentable ignorance of even the First Principles of the gospel--which\nignorance is often confounded with unbelief, or mistaken for infidelity.\n\nTo such the gospel has only to be presented intelligently, and in its\nnative simplicity, to be accepted. \"Whoever examined our religion,\"\nsaid one of the Fathers of the early Christian Church, \"but what he\naccepted it?\" So now: the Gospel has only to be understood to be\nadmired and believed.\n\nIt is to place within their reach a thorough exposition of the First\nPrinciples of the gospel that this work has been prepared, and is now\npresented to the youth of Zion: and it is the earnest hope of the\nauthor that by a patient perusal of these pages those who now believe\nthe gospel will find their faith strengthened and confirmed; and those\nwho do not believe it, be convinced of its truth.\n\nIt is but fair to the writer to say that the work has been written amid\nthe busy scenes of missionary life in a foreign land. Its preparation\nhas been frequently interrupted by travel, and the performance of many\nother duties requiring the writer's attention. If this work, therefore,\nin point of excellence shall fall below what was desired by the General\nSuperintendency of the Mutual Improvement Associations, at whose\ninstigation it was written, it is hoped these circumstances will in\nsome degree excuse it.\n\nThe Author.\n\n\n\nPREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION.\n\nI had determined in the second edition of this work to very much alter\nits general plan and enlarge it; but a number of friends who have used\n\"The Gospel\" as a text-book in our Church schools, in Improvement\nAssociations and theological classes, persuaded me not to materially\nchange or too much enlarge it. Their experience in using the little\nwork as a text-book gives weight to their opinions, and I have so far\nyielded to their judgment that I have made but few changes, and those\nmerely verbal, in this edition of the book.\n\nI have, however, added as a supplement, a series of articles originally\nwritten for _The Contributor_, on \"Man's Relationship to Deity.\" Those\narticles were intended in the first place to be supplemental to \"The\nGospel,\" and as the theme has a close relation to the subject of which\nthe work treats, I thought it would increase the interest in the whole\nsubject to publish them in this edition.\n\nThe Author.\n\n\n\nCONTENTS.\n\nChapter I.--Introductory\nChapter II.--General Salvation\nChapter III.--General Salvation\nChapter IV.--General Salvation\nChapter V.--Individual Salvation\nChapter VI.--Principles and Ordinances\nChapter VII.--Faith\nChapter VIII.--Faith.--The Bible\nChapter IX.--Faith.--The Old Testament\nChapter X.--Faith.--The New Testament\nChapter XI.--Faith.--The New Testament\nChapter XII.--Faith.--The New Testament\nChapter XIII.--Faith.--Tradition\nChapter XIV.--Faith.--Revelation\nChapter XV.--Faith.--The Character of God\nChapter XVI.--Faith.--Course of Life\nChapter XVII.--Repentance\nChapter XVIII.--Repentance\nChapter XIX.--Repentance.--Historical Illustration\nChapter XX.--Repentance.--Historical Illustration\nChapter XXI.--Baptism\nChapter XXII.--Object of Baptism\nChapter XXIII.--The Subjects for Baptism\nChapter XXIV.--The Mode of Baptism\nChapter XXV.--The Holy Ghost\nChapter XXVI.--The Holy Ghost.--Who May Receive It\nChapter XXVII.--The Holy Ghost.--How Imparted\nChapter XXVIII.--The Holy Ghost.--Character and Source\nChapter XXIX.--The Holy Ghost.--Its Power\nChapter XXX.--Authority\nChapter XXXI.--Laws of Spiritual Development\nChapter XXXII.--History of the Gospel\nChapter XXXIII.--Salvation for the Dead\nConclusion\nSupplement.--Man's Relationship to Deity\n\n\nTHE GOSPEL.\n\n\nCHAPTER I.\n\nINTRODUCTORY.\n\nIn the investigation of any subject, it is of first\nimportance that the terms employed be thoroughly understood; hence, I\nbegin the subject in hand by asking and answering the question, What\nis the Gospel? The definition to the term I shall derive from the\nscriptures; not from one passage alone, but from the consideration of a\nnumber of passages.\n\nThe Apostle Paul, in defining the Gospel, calls it: \"The power of God\nunto salvation to every one that believeth\".[A]\n\n[Footnote A: Rom. i: 16.]\n\nFrom other scriptures, to be considered presently, we shall see that\nPaul could not have meant a mere intellectual assent to the truth of\nthe several principles composing the Gospel, but an active, living\nfaith in them--a belief which accepts them, not in theory only, but\nin practice also--a belief which leads up to an implicit obedience to\nthe ordinances and precepts of the Gospel. It is only such a belief\nthat can make the Gospel the power of God unto salvation. In proof of\nthis I call attention to the following scriptures: \"Not every one that\nsaith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but\nhe that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven * * * Therefore\nwhosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken\nhim unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: and the rain\ndescended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that\nhouse; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And every\none that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be\nlikened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: and\nthe rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat\nupon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.\"[B]\n\n[Footnote B: Matt. vii: 21, 24-27.]\n\n\"Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and\nreceive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your\nsouls. But be ye doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving your\nown selves.\"[C]\n\n[Footnote C: James i: 21,22]\n\nAnd now to come to a passage which must set at rest forever all\ncontroversy on the question. In speaking of Jesus, the writer of the\nbook of Hebrews says: \"Though he were a son, yet learned he obedience\nthrough the things which he suffered, and being made perfect, he became\nthe author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him.\"[D] Not to\nthose who do not obey him.\n\n[Footnote D: Heb. v: 8,9.]\n\nFrom these scriptures we deduce the following definition: The Gospel is\nthe power of God unto salvation unto every one who believes and obeys\nit.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER II.\n\nGENERAL SALVATION.\n\nHaving defined what the Gospel is, it is my purpose now, for\nconvenience, to separate the subject into two grand divisions. These I\nshall call respectively: General Salvation, and Individual Salvation.\n\nBy General Salvation, I mean a salvation that is as universal as the\nrace of man; that will extend to the sinner as well as to the saint;\nto the unbeliever, as well as to him who believes; to the impenitent,\nas well as to the penitent; in short, a salvation that is secured to\nevery son and daughter of Adam, irrespective of his or her belief or\nunbelief, obedience or disobedience.\n\nBy Individual Salvation, I mean a salvation from certain consequences\nthat result from transgressing one or more of God's holy laws; a\nsalvation secured by complying with certain conditions specified in\nthe Gospel of Jesus Christ, and which can only be secured to those who\nfulfill said conditions.\n\nFirst, then, as to General Salvation: Whatever mystery may hang over\nman's existence, he is conscious of these two facts: first, that he\ndoes exist; and second, judging from all human experience, as well as\nby the decrees of God, the time will come when he will die. No matter\nhow strong the body, how perfect the health, or how buoyant the spirit,\nman knows that sooner or later time will sap the vital forces, unbend\nthe body's strength, and in a few years the all-beholding sun shall\nsee him no more in all his course.\n\nThe experience of the race proves that man is dust, and to dust he must\nreturn. It is true that a few, for the time being, have escaped this\nfate, through being translated by the special providence of God; as in\nthe case of Enoch and many of his people;[A] the prophet Elijah;[B]\nthe three Nephite apostles,[C] and also John, the apostle.[D] But even\nthose who have attained this peculiar privilege, will doubtless yet\nhave to pass through the mysterious change we call death, in order that\nthe decrees of God may be fulfilled. This calamity of death, then,\nfalls upon all mankind; and it was brought into the world through no\nact of theirs.\n\n[Footnote A: Pearl of Great Price pp. 18, 19, 22.]\n\n[Footnote B: II. Kings ii., Doc. and Cov. Sec. cx. 13.]\n\n[Footnote C: III. Nephi xxvii: 7-33.]\n\n[Footnote D: St. John xxi: 21-25, Doc. and Cov. Sec. vii.]\n\nAdam transgressed the commandments given to him by his God; and through\nthat act, sowed the seeds of death, and became mortal, and his progeny\ninherited, as a legacy, that mortality, and so death passed upon all\nmankind. And since death was brought upon mankind through no act or\nfault of theirs, justice demands that they should receive full and\ncomplete redemption from that evil which falls upon them through the\nacts of another, over which they had no control.\n\nSuch redemption has been wrought cut through the Atonement of Jesus\nChrist; and, in proof that that redemption from the consequences of\nAdam's transgression is universal, extending alike to the righteous and\nunrighteous, I cite the following scripture: \"And many of them that\nsleep in the dust of the earth, shall awake, some to everlasting life,\nand some to shame and everlasting contempt.\"[E]\n\n[Footnote E: Dan. xii: 2.]\n\nFrom this it appears that not only the righteous--those who are worthy\nof everlasting life--are to come forth from their graves, but also the\nwicked--those worthy only of shame and everlasting contempt. To this\nagrees the testimony of Jesus, \"For as the Father hath life in himself;\nso hath he given to the Son, life in himself.\n\n\"Marvel not at this; for the hour is coming, in the which all that\nare in their graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth; they\nthat have done good unto the resurrection of life, and they that have\ndone evil unto the resurrection of damnation.\"[F] Or, as the last two\nclauses were given to the Prophet Joseph Smith, by inspiration: \"They\nwho have done good in the resurrection of the just, and they who have\ndone evil in the resurrection of the unjust.\"[G]\n\n[Footnote F: John v: 26, 28, 29.]\n\n[Footnote G: Doc. and Cov. Sec. lxxv: 16, 17.]\n\nThis, too, is in harmony with Paul's teaching, pronounced on the\noccasion of his defense before Felix: \"After the way which they call\nheresy, so worship I the God of my fathers, believing all things which\nare written in the law and in the prophets; and have hope towards God,\nwhich they themselves also allow, that there shall be a resurrection of\nthe dead, both of the just and the unjust.\"[H]\n\n[Footnote H: Acts xxiv: 14, 15.]\n\nIf it were necessary to add anything more to this array of testimony,\nit would be found in the words of John the Revelator. In the twentieth\nchapter of Revelations is given an account, first, of the resurrection\nof the just, and their reign of peace upon the earth for a thousand\nyears; and then follows a description of the general resurrection in\nwhich the writer says: \"And I saw the dead, small and great, stand\nbefore God. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death\nand hell delivered up the dead which were in them, and they were judged\nevery man according to his works.\"[I]\n\n[Footnote I: Rev. xx: 12, 13.]\n\nIt is certain, then, that the resurrection of the dead is universal,\nextending alike to all classes and races of men. And thus there is a\ngeneral salvation from the consequences of Adam's fall. \"For as by the\noffense of one (Adam) judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even\nso by the righteousness of one (Christ) the free gift came upon all men\nto the justification of life.\"[J] And again, \"Since by man came death,\nby man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die,\neven so in Christ shall all be made alive.\"[K]\n\n[Footnote J: Rom. v: 18.]\n\n[Footnote K: I. Cor. xv: 21, 22.]\n\nThe reader will observe that the redemption is as universal as the\nfall. If it were possible, still more explicit is the testimony of the\nBook of Mormon on this subject of man's redemption, as will be seen\nfrom the following passages: \"And he (Christ) shall come into the world\nto redeem his people; and he shall take upon him the transgressions\nof those who believe on his name; and these are they that shall have\neternal life, and salvation cometh to none else; therefore the wicked\nremain as though there had been no redemption made, except it be the\nloosing of the bands of death; for behold, the day cometh that all\nshall rise from the dead and stand before God, and be judged according\nto their works.\"\n\n\"Now there is a death which is called a temporal death; and the death\nof Christ shall loose the bands of this temporal death, that all shall\nbe raised from this temporal death: the spirit and the body shall be\nre-united again in its perfect form; both limb and joint shall be\nrestored to its proper frame, even as we now are at this time; and we\nshall be brought to stand before God, knowing even as we know now, and\nhave a bright recollection of all our guilt. Now, this restoration\nshall come to all, both old and young, both bond and free, both male\nand female, both the wicked and the righteous; and even there shall\nnot so much as a hair of their heads be lost; but all things shall be\nrestored to its perfect frame, as it is now, or in the body, and shall\nbe brought and be arraigned before the bar of Christ the Son, and God\nthe Father, and the Holy Spirit, which is one eternal God, to be judged\naccording to their works, whether they be good or whether they be\nevil.\"[L]\n\n[Footnote L: Alma xi: 40, 41, 42, 43, 44.]\n\n\"Behold I have given unto you my gospel, and this is the gospel which\nI have given unto you, that I came into the world to do the will of\nmy Father, because my Father sent me; and my Father sent me that I\nmight be lifted up upon the cross; and after that I had been lifted\nup upon the cross, that I might draw all men unto me; that as I have\nbeen lifted up by men, even so should men be lifted up by the Father,\nto stand before me, to be judged of their works, whether they be good\nor whether they be evil. And for this cause have I been lifted up;\ntherefore, according to the power of the Father, I will draw all men\nunto me, that they may be judged according to their works.\"[M]\n\n[Footnote M: III Nephi xxvii: 13-15.]\n\n\"Behold, he (Christ) created Adam, and by Adam came the fall of man.\nAnd because of the fall of man, came Jesus Christ, even the Father and\nthe Son; and because of Jesus Christ, came the redemption of man. And\nbecause of the redemption of man, which came by Jesus Christ, they\nare brought back into the presence of the Lord; yea, this is wherein\nall men are redeemed, because the death of Christ bringeth to pass\nthe resurrection, which bringeth to pass a redemption from an endless\nsleep, from which sleep all men shall be awoke by the power of God,\nwhen the trump shall sound; and they shall come forth, both small and\ngreat, and all shall stand before his bar, being redeemed and loosed\nfrom this eternal band of death, which death is a temporal death.\"[N]\n\n[Footnote N: Moroni ix: 12, 13.]\n\nStill, some of skeptical inclination, will refuse to admit that justice\nhas its perfect development in this scheme of redemption through\nChrist's Atonement. They insist that the sin of Adam should not be\nvisited upon his posterity even for a moment. Why should man die? How\nis it that through the sacrifice of one who is innocent, salvation may\nbe purchased for those under the dominion of death?\n\n\n\nCHAPTER III.\n\nGENERAL SALVATION.\n\nIn answer to the questions with which the last chapter closed, I may\nsay that however difficult it may be to comprehend fully all things\nconnected with man's fall, and God's plan for his redemption, we may be\nassured that the fall was not a blunder, nor was it an accident. The\nprophet Lehi bowed down under the weight of years, when giving his last\ntestimony and instructions to his son Jacob, said: \"Behold, all things\nhave been done in the wisdom of him who knoweth all things. Adam fell\nthat men might be; and men are, that they might have joy.\"[A]\n\n[Footnote A: II Nephi II: 24, 25.]\n\nAll that has befallen man, we may rest assured, is essential to his\neternal and perfect happiness. From our limited experience, we know\nthat men learn to appreciate the joys of prosperity by drinking deeply\nfrom the cup of adversity; they learn to prize the boon of health, by\nlanguishing upon the bed of affliction; they learn the value of wealth,\nby experiencing want and poverty; the sweets of life are rendered still\nmore sweet by the draughts of bitterness we are compelled to drink; and\nthe ever intermittent gleams of sunshine are made more bright by the\nrenewing storms which darken the sky; and thus--\n\n    \"Tis sorrow builds the shining ladder up, Whose golden rounds are\n    our calamities.\"\n\nAs it is with these things I have mentioned, so it is in respect to the\ngreatest blessing Deity can bestow upon man--the gift of eternal life.\nHow great that gift, it is difficult for us to understand. It is not to\nlive merely three score years, nor a thousand years, nor ten thousand\nyears, but eternally; and while\n\n    \"The stars shall fade away, the sun himself Grow dim with age, and\n    nature sink in years; Man shall flourish in immortal youth. Unhurt\n    amid the war of elements, The wreck of matter and the crash of\n    worlds.\"--\n\nBut in order that his children might know how to prize the greatest\nof all his gifts. Deity has ordained that they should pass through\nthe dark valley of death; and in the meantime, by passing through\nthis probation we call life, they might have the opportunity of\ndemonstrating before the heavens their integrity to principles of\nrighteousness and truth; and by coming in contact with evil, they might\nforever prize that which is pure and good: that vice might ever be\nhideous to them, and virtue lovely--and thus the eternal happiness of\nman be made secure. Thus with death, as with many other things, that\nwhich at times we consider our greatest calamity, turns out to be our\ngreatest good.\n\nAs to the second question[B]--How is it that through the sacrifice\nof one who is innocent salvation may be purchased for those under\nthe dominion of death?--I will observe, in passing, that what should\nmost concern us, is, not so much _how_ it is that such is the case, but\nis it a _fact_. Is it true that God has established such a scheme of\nredemption, is what should concern us most.\n\n[Footnote B: See Discourse of J. Taylor, J. of D. vol 10, p. 114.]\n\nTo that question the blood sprinkled upon a thousand Jewish altars,\nand the smoke that darkened the heavens for ages from burnt offerings,\nanswers yes. For those sacrifices, and that sprinkled blood were but\ntypical of the great sacrifice to be made by the Messiah.\n\nEven the mythology of heathen nations retains the idea of an atonement\nthat either has been, or is to be made for mankind. Fantastic,\ndistorted, confused; buried under the rubbish of savage superstition it\nmay be, but it nevertheless exists. So easily traced, so distinct is\nthis feature of heathen mythology, that some writers have endeavored\nto prove that the gospel plan of redemption was derived from heathen\nmythology. Whereas the fact is that the Gospel was understood and\nextensively preached in the earliest ages;[C] men retained in their\ntradition a knowledge of those principles or parts of them, and however\nmuch they may have been distorted, traces of them may still be found in\nnearly all the mythologies of the world.\n\n[Footnote C: See Pearl of Great Price, Writings of Moses, pp. 12 to\n31. Gal iii, 8. Heb. iv, 2, in connection with latter part of chap iii.\nI Cor. X, 1-4. Mediation and Atonement by the late Prest. John Taylor\n--Appendix.]\n\nThe prophets of the Jewish scriptures answer the foregoing question\nin the affirmative. The writers of the New Testament make Christ's\nAtonement the principal theme of their discourses and epistles. The\nBook of Mormon, speaking as the voice of an entire continent of people,\nwhose prophets and righteous men sought and found God, testifies to the\nsame great fact. The revelations of God as given through the Prophet\nJoseph Smith are replete with passages confirming this doctrine, and\nlastly, the Saints who have received this doctrine and walked in\nobedience to the laws of heaven, bear testimony that the Spirit of God\nhas borne record to their spirits that the Atonement of Christ is a\ngrand reality.\n\nThis evidence is more than sufficient, it seems to me, to establish the\n_fact_ of the atonement beyond the possibility of a doubt; and if there\nare some things in it not within the scope of our comprehension, still\nthere is sufficient foundation for our glorious hope of eternal life\nthrough its power; for the evidence proving the fact of that Atonement\nis sufficient, wanting nothing, either in quality or quantity.\n\nThe Atonement is not the only fact which man accepts without being\nable to comprehend it. Such facts exist all about us. For example,\nhere stands a row of trees; here is the plum tree, the peach, pear,\napple, cherry and the apricot. They send their roots down into the\nsame soil; their fibres become interlaced in it; and yet each tree has\nthe mysterious power to draw from the same soil the substances which\nproduce its own peculiar fruit. So it is throughout the vegetable\nkingdom. But how it is that the peach tree produces the peach, while\nthe plum tree, from the same soil, produces the plum; or how one plant\nproduces wheat, while another at its side produces barley, we cannot\ntell. But there is the fact; and how stupid would he be considered\nwho rejected the fact, because, forsooth, he cannot understand the\nmysterious powers or forces which produce it!\n\nAs Bishop Watson remarks to Sir Edward Gibbon, in the letters which\ncomprise his Apology for Christianity:--\"In physics you cannot\ncomprehend the primary cause of anything: not of the light by which you\nsee; nor of the elasticity of the air by which you hear; nor of the\nfire by which you are warmed. In physiology you cannot tell what first\ngave motion to the heart, nor what continues it, nor why its motion\nis less voluntary than the lungs; nor why you are able to move your\narms to the right or left by a simple volition; * * * nor comprehend\nthe principle by which your body was at first formed, nor by which\nit is sustained, nor by which it will be reduced to earth.\" The list\nmight be indefinitely extended, for the facts in nature which are\nincomprehensible are more numerous than those of revelation. And yet\nthose who insist that all the facts connected with revelation should\nbe of such a character that they are perfectly comprehended, refuse\nnot to accept the facts in nature because they are incomprehensible.\nWhy cannot they treat with equal fairness the facts of revelation and\nleave it to time and further revelation to make that clear which is now\nobscure?\n\n\n\nCHAPTER IV.\n\nGENERAL SALVATION.\n\nUnbelievers delight to represent God, the great Law Giver, as\nunspeakably cruel in demanding such an Atonement as Christ made for the\nsalvation of the children of men. But let it be borne in mind that he\nwho made the Atonement did so voluntarily. Testifying to his disciples\nrespecting the matter he says: \"Therefore doth my Father love me,\nbecause I lay down my life that I may take it up again. No man taketh\nit from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down\nand I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of\nmy Father.\"[A]\n\n[Footnote A: John x. 17,18.]\n\nWhen his enemies gathered about him,--a former friend betraying him\nwith a kiss,--and Peter prepared to defend him with the sword, he\nchided him for his rashness, commanding him to put up his sword, and\nadded: \"Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall\npresently give me more than twelve legions of angels? But how then\nshall the scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must be?\"[B]\n\n[Footnote B: Matt. xxvi: 53, 54.]\n\nThus down to the very last moment, it appears that Jesus could have\nbeen delivered from the sacrifice had he so willed it. But the\nprinciple which was the guiding-star of his life--\"Father, not my will,\nbut thy will be done\" influenced him in this instance, and he drank of\nthe cup given him of his Father, and wrung out the dregs in agony; but\nhe did it voluntarily, and that, too, out of his great love for mankind.\n\nAmong men we sometimes see this willingness to suffer for others. Men\nthere are who would lay down their lives for their friends. In the\ntimes when imprisonment for debt was customary in England, we often\nmeet instances where out of pure love and kindness towards his fellows,\na man under no obligation whatever to do so, has paid the debts of the\nunfortunate, satisfied the demands of the law, and set the captive\nfree. It is related of Lord Byron that when he was a lad attending\nschool, a companion of his fell under the displeasure of a cruel,\noverbearing bully, who unmercifully beat him. Byron happened to be\npresent, but knowing the uselessness of undertaking a fight with the\nbully, he stepped up to him and asked him how much longer he intended\nto beat his friend. \"What's that to you?\" gruffly demanded the bully.\n\"Because,\" replied young Byron, the tears standing in his eyes, \"I will\ntake the rest of the beating if you will let him go.\"\n\nThat partakes to some extent, at least enough so for illustration, of\nthe spirit by which the Son of God was actuated when he offered himself\na ransom for mankind, to redeem them from the power and dominion of\ndeath, from which they were powerless to free themselves.\n\nThere was something more, however, in the suffering of the Messiah than\nmerely the ordinary pangs and terrors of personal death. As stated\nby the late President John Taylor, \"The suffering of the Son of God\nwas not simply the suffering of personal death; for in assuming the\nposition that he did in making an atonement for the sins of the world,\nhe bore the weight, the responsibilities and the burden of the sins of\nall men, which, to us, is incomprehensible. As stated, 'The Lord your\nRedeemer suffered death in the flesh; wherefore he suffereth the pains\nof all men.' And Isaiah says: 'Surely he hath borne our griefs and\ncarried our sorrows;' also, 'The Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of\nus all;' and again, 'he hath poured out his soul unto death, and he was\nnumbered with the transgressors, and he bear the sins of many;' or, as\nit is written in the second book of Nephi, 'For behold, he suffereth\nthe pains all men, yea the pains of every living creature, both men,\nwomen and children, who belong to the family of Adam; 'whilst in Mosiah\nit is declared, 'he shall suffer temptations and pains of body, hunger,\nthirst and fatigue, even more than man can suffer, except it be unto\ndeath; for behold, blood cometh from every pore so great shall be his\nanguish for the wickedness and abominations of his people.'\"[C]\n\n[Footnote C: Mediation and Atonement ch. xxi.]\n\nBy this Atonement of Messiah's there is especially one fact thrown\nout into bold relief, that is, the great love of God and Christ for\nmankind. When you come to think of the unspeakable agony, of the\nanguish of heart, of the pains that racked the body and distressed the\nmind of the Savior at the time of his betrayal, and during his trial\nand crucifixion, you may begin to see how great the love of the Father\nfor mankind must be, when he would consent for his only begotten Son\nto pass through this great humiliation and affliction, in order to\nredeem mankind from the bonds of death. On such contemplation increased\nemphasis will be given to the passage--\"In this was manifested the\nlove of God towards us, because that God sent his only begotten\nSon into the world that we might live through him.\"[D] And also to\nthis--\"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son,\nthat whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting\nlife. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn, the world,\nbut that the world through him might be saved.\"[E]\n\n[Footnote D: I. John iv: 9.]\n\n[Footnote E: John iii. 16, 17.]\n\nThen what shall we say for the greatness of the love of the Son of God,\nwho of his own free will volunteered to take upon himself the task of\nman's redemption! Not only of redeeming him from death, but from the\nconsequences of all sins, that is, on certain conditions, as we shall\nsee further on!\n\nI have often thought that the love of a son for his mother must ever\nbe made stronger, and become more sanctified, through bringing to mind\nthe sufferings which brought her to the very gates of death, to give\nhim life; her subsequent devotion, anxiety, toil and watchfulness in\nthe years of his childhood and youth, making her a being \"enskyed and\nsainted,\" to him. So it is with Christ. The recollection of the love he\nbears for us as manifested in the sufferings he endured in our stead,\nfor upon him was laid the iniquity of us all, and by his stripes are\nwe to be healed--the recollection, I say, of his excruciating agony in\nGethsemane, where he sweat great drops of blood, in the council chamber\nof the Jews, in the streets of Jerusalem at the hands of the rabble,\nand finally upon Calvary, in order to satisfy the inexorable claims of\njustice, must seal and make perfect the bond of love which connects us\nwith him; and bears witness to the world how great, how infinite the\nlove of Christ for us, how great the price paid for our ransom. Well\nmay the Apostle say--\"Ye are not your own, for ye are bought with a\nprice.\"[F]\n\n[Footnote F: I Cor. vi. 19, 20.]\n\nIn the Atonement made for man, there is a nice balancing of the\nrelative claims of Justice and Mercy. The law given to man being\ntransgressed, Justice demanded the payment of the penalty, which\nwas death. And as Adam had no power to liberate himself from the\ncaptivity thereof, his sleep in the grave must have been eternal; so\nalso with all his posterity to whom his mortality was bequeathed as\nan evil legacy, had not Mercy put in her claims and prevented Justice\nfrom being cruel. The Son of God having it given him to have life in\nhimself,[G] and being capable of making an infinite atonement, he stood\nforth as the great friend of man and offered himself as a sacrifice to\nsatisfy the claims of Justice. That offering was accepted by the great\nLaw Giver, and upon the demands of Justice being satisfied,--the law\nhaving no further claim upon him, the captive is set free from the\ndominion of death.\n\n[Footnote G: John v: 26.]\n\nMercy is not permitted to rob Justice, but she claims her own. Justice\nis not permitted to be cruel, but he retains his dignity--his demands\nare satisfied. As the late President Taylor very beautifully and very\ntruthfully said: \"Is justice dishonored? No; it is satisfied; the debt\nis paid. Is righteousness departed from? No; there is a righteous act.\nAll requirements are met. Is judgment violated? No; its demands are\nfulfilled. Is mercy triumphant? No; she simply claims her own. Justice,\njudgment, mercy and truth all harmonize as the attributes of Deity.\nJustice and truth have met together, righteousness and peace have\nkissed each other, justice and judgment triumphant as well as mercy\nand peace; all the attributes of Deity harmonize in this great, grand,\nmomentous, just, equitable, merciful and meritorious act.\"[H]\n\n[Footnote H: Mediation and Atonement, ch. xxiv. To the reader who\nwould make a more thorough investigation of this subject than these\npages afford, I refer him to the following passages and works. Book of\nMormon, II Nephi, Chap. ii. Mosiah xv, 18-27. Alma xxxiv, 7-17. Alma\nxlii, 1-26. Doc. and Cov. Sec lxxvi, and especially the \"Mediation and\nAtonement\" by the late Prest. John Taylor Also Watson's Apology for\nChristianity, Letter vi. Jenyn's Internal Evidences of the Christian\nReligion, the concluding chapter.]\n\nThrough this Atonement, made by Messiah, a full and complete redemption\nfrom the consequences of Adam's transgression is brought about; that\nis, a victory over the grave is secured; and that, too, through the\nmerits of Jesus Christ, And while the law transgressed by Adam has been\nvindicated, the posterity of Adam, who became subject to death through\nhis disobedience, are redeemed from the grave without anything being\nrequired of them. For as their agency was not concerned in bringing\nabout the mischief, neither is anything demanded of them in order to\nobtain redemption from it.\n\nSo far salvation is free, universal, and unconditional extending to\nevery man, woman and child who has ever breathed the breath of life.\nAnd hence the Prophet Joseph Smith wrote as one of the articles of our\nfaith--\"We believe that men will be punished for their own sins, and\nnot for Adam's transgression.\"\n\nThis is what I mean, then, by General Salvation Free redemption for\nall mankind through the resurrection from death, which was the great\npenalty affixed to the law that Adam transgressed. This is what the\nAtonement of Christ accomplished for man, but this is not all it did,\nas we shall see when we come to speak of Individual Salvation.\n\nMeantime, through the fall, comes our present state of probation; our\nopportunities for gaining an experience in this life; of coming in\ncontact with good and evil; learning to love the one and despise the\nother, by seeing them placed in contrast with each other, working out\ntheir respective results, to the production of happiness on the one\nhand, and misery on the other. From which experience we shall learn\non what basis rests the eternal felicity of intelligences, and how to\nperpetuate it throughout the ages yet unborn.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER V.\n\nINDIVIDUAL SALVATION.\n\nHaving dealt with what I called General Salvation, I now turn to\nIndividual Salvation. You have seen that man is redeemed from the evils\nbrought upon him through Adam's sin, without any act of belief or\nobedience being required of him. This is because his agency or will was\nnot exercised in breaking the law given to Adam. The calamity overtakes\nhim through no fault of his; and consequently his deliverance, so far,\ncomes without his seeking--in fact, it comes independent of him. In\nthis matter, man is passive, being acted upon by the relative claims of\nJustice and Mercy.\n\nBut apart from the transgressions of our first parents, there is a\nvast amount of sin, crime and corruption in the world. Envy, hatred,\nmalice, contention, evil-speaking, jealousy, and covetousness abound;\nto say nothing of the greater evils of lying, drunkenness, stealing,\nfornication, adultery, and debauchery of every description, which would\nbe improper even to name.\n\nSelfishness is the starting point of the present system of\nindustrialism; chicanery and fraud enter into all the avenues of trade;\ndishonesty walks the streets without shame; licentiousness revels in\nits own wantonness; whoredoms are poisoning the life's blood of the\nnations; prostitution flaunts its shame upon the streets, and takes up\nits abode in the very shadow of the church, where men meet to worship\nGod. Instead of beautifying the earth, man is but making many portions\nof it sink-holes of iniquity; where poverty, misery, degradation,\ndrunkenness, crime and sin lie festering in their filthiness under\nthe sunlight of heaven, until the very earth is defiled under the\ninhabitants thereof.\n\nNow, who is responsible for all these evils, this seething mass of\niniquity, which blights like a hell-sent plague this fair creation of\nours--the earth? I answer that every man and every woman and every\nchild, who has arrived at the years of accountability--who understands\nthe difference between good and evil--is responsible for it, so far,\nand to that extent that his or her individual acts contribute to the\ngrand aggregate of crime in this sin-stained world.\n\nIn the commission of these individual sins, too, man's agency becomes\na factor. He sins knowingly willfully, and sometimes wantonly. He\ntransgresses the laws of God and of nature in spite of the protests of\nhis conscience, the convictions of his reason and the promptings of\nhis judgment. He becomes desperately wicked and so depraved that he\nactually seeks evil and loves it. He hugs it to his bosom and cries,\n\"Evil, be thou my good; sin, be thou my refuge!\"\n\nFor the transgression of that law which brought death into the world.\nJustice had no claims upon the posterity of Adam, because their agency\nwas not concerned in it, hence a free redemption was provided from\nthe calamity that overtakes them. But in the case of these individual\nsins, where the agency of every person is exercised, justice demands\nthat the penalties affixed to the violated laws be satisfied, and\nthe transgressors punished. But here again the principle of mercy is\nactive. As I have before stated, the victory over death is not the only\nbenefit arising from the Atonement of the Messiah; but by the sacrifice\nwhich he made he purchased mankind as an inheritance for himself, and\nthey became of right under his dominion, for he ransomed them from\nan endless sleep in the grave. Nor is that all, but as the scripture\nsaith: \"He hath borne our griefs and carried our sorrows * * * He was\nwounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the\nchastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are\nhealed * * * The Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.\"[A] So\nthat his Atonement not only broke the bonds of death, but also atoned\nfor the individual sins of men on condition of their obedience--their\nloyalty to Christ, who by virtue of his Atonement redeemed them from\nendless death, and therefore of right became their lawgiver, and had\npower given him to dictate the terms upon which the full benefits of\nhis Atonement should be applied to individuals, in order to release\nthem from the penalties which follow as a consequence of their personal\nviolations of the principles of righteousness.\n\n[Footnote A: Isaiah liii: 5,6.]\n\nFirst, however, let us settle it in our minds from authority that the\nAtonement of Christ has this two-fold force that I have ascribed to it,\nviz.: that it redeems all mankind from death; and also redeems them\nfrom the consequences of personal sins, through obedience to Christ.\n\nThe first part of the proposition has already been discussed and proven\nin those chapters devoted to the consideration of General Salvation,\nand those arguments need not be repeated here.\n\nThat the second part is true is evident from such scripture as: \"He\nthat believeth and is baptized shall be saved, and he that believeth\nnot shall be damned;\"[B] and, \"Being made perfect, he became the author\nof eternal salvation unto all them that obey him.\"[C] But while you\nare under the necessity of sustaining the proposition, so far as the\nJewish Scriptures are concerned, by inference, by conclusions drawn\nfrom the consideration of numerous passages, in the Book of Mormon we\nhave passages which at once sustain the doctrine: \"And also his blood\natoneth for the sins of those who have fallen by the transgression of\nAdam, who have died not knowing the will of God concerning them, or\nwho have ignorantly sinned. But woe, woe unto him who knoweth that he\nrebelleth against God; _for salvation cometh to none such, except it be\nthrough repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ_.\"[D]\n\n[Footnote B: Mark xvi. 16.]\n\n[Footnote C: Heb. v: 16.]\n\n[Footnote D: Mosiah iii: 11, 12.]\n\nAlma, in answering a question asked him by the lawyer Zeezrom, said of\nJesus:--\"And he shall come into the world to redeem his people; and\nhe shall take upon him the transgressions of those who believe on his\nname; and these are they that shall have eternal life, and salvation\ncometh to none else; therefore the wicked remain as though there had\nbeen no redemption made, except it be the loosing of the bonds of\ndeath; for behold the day cometh that all shall rise from the dead and\nstand before God and be judged according to their works.\"[E]\n\n[Footnote E: Alma xi: 40,41.]\n\nStill more plain in relation to the effect that Messiah's Atonement\nhas upon the personal sins of men, is the word of the Lord through the\nProphet Joseph Smith to Martin Harris, warning him to repent lest his\nsufferings be sore--how sore, how exquisite, how hard to bear he knew\nnot: \"For behold, I God, have suffered these things for all that they\nmight not suffer if they would repent, but if they would not repent,\nthey must suffer even as I, which suffering caused myself, even God,\nthe greatest of all, to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every\npore, and to suffer both body and spirit; and would that I might not\ndrink the bitter cup and shrink--nevertheless, glory be to the Father,\nI partook and finished my preparations unto the children of men.\"[F]\n\n[Footnote F: Doc. and Cov. Sec. xix, 16-18. See also Mosiah iii, 20,\n21.]\n\nThese passages to my mind prove the dual character of Messiah's\nAtonement--the redemption from the consequences of Adam's\ntransgression, from death; and redemption from personal sins on\ncondition of implicit obedience to the laws of Christ--to the gospel,\nwhich we have already seen is the power of God unto salvation to\neveryone who believes and obeys it.\n\nIt will doubtless be observed by the attentive reader that upon this\nshowing those who die before they are capable of knowing good or evil,\nbefore they arrive at the years of accountability and who, therefore,\nare pure and innocent, are saved by the merits of Jesus Christ alone.\nBeing redeemed from the death brought upon them by the fall of Adam,\nby the Atonement made by Christ, and having committed no personal sins\n--dying in the days of their innocence--they have nothing to repent of.\nHaving broken no law. Justice has no claim upon them; they fall into\nthe arms of Mercy alone, and there they are secure. Well might Jesus\nexclaim--\"Suffer little children to come unto me, for of such is the\nkingdom of heaven!\" But those who interpret that scripture to mean that\nlittle children have to be baptized or perform or have performed for\nthem any other ordinance, in order that they might come unto Christ,\nor to save them in the kingdom of God, are woefully ignorant of the\ngospel, and fail to grasp the grandeur, the consistency the perfection\nthere is in it.\n\nIt was doubtless these considerations which caused Mormon to say,\nin writing to his son Moroni: \"Listen to the words of Christ your\nRedeemer, your Lord and your God. Behold I came into the world not\nto call the righteous but sinners to repentance: the whole need no\nphysician, but they that are sick; wherefore little children are whole\nfor they are not capable of committing sin, wherefore the curse of\nAdam is taken from them in me, that it hath no power over them; * * *\nand after this manner did the Holy Ghost manifest the word of God unto\nme, wherefore my beloved son, I know that it is solemn mockery before\nGod that ye should baptize little children. Behold I say unto you that\nthis thing shall ye teach, repentance and baptism unto those who are\naccountable and capable of committing sin; yea, teach parents that\nthey must repent and be baptized and humble themselves as their little\nchildren, and they shall all be saved with their little children. And\ntheir little children need no repentance, neither baptism* * * Little\nchildren are alive in Christ, even from the foundation of the world.\"[G]\n\n[Footnote G: Moroni viii, 8-12.]\n\nNo less implicit is the word of the Lord through the Prophet Joseph\nSmith: \"But behold I say unto you, that little children are redeemed\nfrom the foundation of the world through mine Only Begotten. Wherefore\nthey cannot sin, for power is not given unto Satan to tempt little\nchildren, until they begin to become accountable before me.\"[H]\n\n[Footnote H: Doc. and Cov. Sec. xxix, 46, 47.]\n\nMoreover, it appears that Mercy has special claims upon those men and\nwomen, and also upon nations and races who know not the laws of God,\nor have never heard the gospel. The first Nephi in speaking of the\nAtonement of Christ and its effects where proclaimed and rejected,\nsays: \"Wherefore he has given a law; and where there is no law given\nthere is no punishment; and where there is no punishment, there is no\ncondemnation; and where there is no condemnation, the mercies of the\nHoly One of Israel have claim upon them because of the Atonement; for\nthey are delivered by the power of him (Christ); for the Atonement\nsatisfieth the demands of his justice upon all those who have not the\nlaw given to them, that they are delivered from that awful monster,\ndeath and hell and the devil, and the lake of fire and brimstone (see\nAlma xii, 17),[I] which is endless torment; and they are restored to\nthat God who gave them breath, which is the Holy One of Israel.\"[J]\n\n[Footnote I: The torments of the ungodly sinners are likened unto a\nlake of fire and brimstone by this writer, Nephi--not that sinners\nare plunged into a lake of fire and brimstone as so-called orthodox\nChristians teach. Indeed, in the above passages there is a definition\nof what the lake of fire is--it is \"endless torment,\" which ever exists\nfor the punishment of impenitent sinners--each one partaking of it to\nsuch a degree and for such time as is necessary to satisfy the demands\nof justice. In the very chapter above quoted Nephi says of the wicked:\n\"And their torment is as a lake of fire and brimstone, whose flames\nascendeth up for ever and ever, and have no end.\"]\n\n[Footnote J: II. Nephi ix, 25, 26.]\n\nAnd so Moroni: \"For the power of redemption Cometh on all they that\nhave no law; wherefore he that is not condemned, or he that is under no\ncondemnation cannot repent; and unto such baptism availeth nothing.\"[K]\n\n[Footnote K: Moroni viii, 22.]\n\nTo this also agrees the teachings of Paul: \"For as many as have sinned\nwithout law shall also perish without law;[L] and as many as have\nsinned in the law, shall be judged by the law.\"[M]\n\n[Footnote L: I venture the suggestion, basing it on the sense of the\nwhole passage, that it should read: \"Shall also be judged without the\nlaw.\"]\n\n[Footnote M: Rom. ii, 12.]\n\nSo also the word of the Lord to Joseph Smith: \"And again I say unto\nyou, that whosoever having knowledge, have I not commanded to repent?\nAnd he that hath no understanding it remaineth in me to do as it is\nwritten.\"[N]\n\n[Footnote N: Doc. and Cov. Sec. xxix, 49, 50.]\n\nHence it is that the heathen nations who have had no law given to them,\nand have died without law, will have part in the first resurrection.[O]\n\n[Footnote O: Doc. and Cov. Sec. xlv, 54. See also Mosiah xv, 24, 25.]\n\nStill, those who have died without law are placed at this disadvantage;\nthat if they are not under the condemnation of the law, through not\nhaving had it delivered to them, neither are they sanctified by the\nlaw, and consequently their development in spiritual knowledge and\nexperience is not such as may warrant us in expecting that they\nare prepared to inherit the same degree of glory with those who\nhave received the law of the gospel, faithfully observed all its\nrequirements and through their obedience have become sanctified by it,\nand inherit the celestial glory, the highest of all. Therefore, it is\nwritten of those who die without the law: \"These are they who are of\nthe terrestrial [world], whose glory differs from that of the church of\nthe First Born, who have received the fullness of the Father, even as\nthe moon differs from the sun in the firmament. Behold _these are they\nwho died without law_.\"[P]\n\n[Footnote P: Doc. and Cov. Sec. lxxvi, 71, 72.]\n\nI know of nothing that is written, however, which prevents us from\nbelieving that they may, eventually, enter the celestial kingdom. Of\none thing at least we may rest assured, and that is, that they will\nreceive all the glory, all the exaltation, that their capacity can\ncomprehend and enjoy, and they will be satisfied with the mercy and\njustice of God.[Q]\n\n[Footnote Q: See chapter on Salvation for the Dead.]\n\nBut now to return to those to whom the gospel is preached, and who can\nonly hope for salvation from the penalties affixed to sin, by obeying\nthe precepts and ordinances thereof. How far is their obedience taxed?\nWhat principles are they to accept, what precepts practice, what\nordinances observe?\n\nTo the first question I make answer: That since Christ ransomed\nmankind by his own death and suffering, from an endless sleep in the\ngrave, in order to attain the additional grace of an immunity from the\nconsequences of our personal violations of the laws of righteousness--a\nforgiveness of sins--man's obedience to him must be implicit and\nabsolute. It is the duty of man to obey the whole Gospel, all precepts,\nall ordinances, as far as they are made known unto him--in short, it is\nbinding on him to live by every word which proceedeth from the mouth\nof God. In proof of this, I have only to add that when Jesus commanded\nhis apostles to go into the world and preach the Gospel he said: \"Go\nye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the\nFather, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe\n_all_ things whatsoever I have commanded you.\"[R]\n\n[Footnote R: Matt. xxviii, 19, 20.]\n\nThere is no one single thing, however great, that man can do and then\nbe under no further obligations to continue to observe the laws of\nrighteousness. The reply of Jesus to the young man who came running\nto him saying, \"Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may\nhave eternal life?\" was--\"If you will enter into life, keep the\ncommandments.\" The young man asked, \"which;\" that is, which of the\ncommandments must he keep. And here I will say that by reading a little\nbetween the lines it is not difficult to see that the young man had an\nidea that there was some great thing he could do, and by that one act\nsecure eternal life. But the answer of Jesus dispelled that illusion,\nfor he said:--\"Thou shalt do no murder, thou shalt not commit adultery,\nthou shalt not steal, thou shalt not bear false witness; honor thy\nfather and thy mother; and thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. The\nyoung man sayeth, all these things have I kept from my youth up; what\nlack I yet? Jesus said unto him, if thou wilt be perfect, go and sell\nall thou hast and give it to the poor, * * * and come and follow me.\"[S]\n\n[Footnote S: Matt. xix: 16-22.]\n\nIt will be observed from the foregoing that it was not enough that the\nyoung man keep the commandments in the law of Moses, not enough that he\nsell all that he had and give it to the poor, but he must then come and\nfollow his Master. How much that means! But I shall not particularize,\nI shall sum up the matter by saying' that this case, together with the\nobservations in the preceding chapters, plainly proves that if man\nwould be perfect, if he would obtain the full benefits of Messiah's\natonement, complete absolution from his personal violation of holy,\nrighteous laws, as well as deliverance from the grave, his obedience to\nthe laws of Christ--the Gospel, must be implicit, absolute.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER VI.\n\nPRINCIPLES AND ORDINANCES.\n\nIn this chapter I shall deal briefly and collectively with those\nprinciples that must be accepted, the ordinances that must be observed,\nthe precepts that must be followed and the kind of a life that must be\nled in order to secure a forgiveness of individual sins, and obtain and\ngrow in the favor of heaven--in short, what laws and ordinances man is\nrequired to obey in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.\n\nI shall enter into no analysis of the respective principles spoken\nof, but shall merely point them out, and enter into a more particular\nconsideration of them further on in the work.\n\nCertain it is that faith enters into and forms a part of the Gospel.\nMen are required to believe in God, and in Jesus Christ: and by that\nI mean, not merely an assent to their existence, but an acceptance of\nthe whole system of truth revealed by them for man's salvation. Faith\nof necessity is a factor in the Gospel, because it is the incentive\nto all action; for unless men believe in God's existence, and in\nthe revelations and commandments which he has given them, they will\nconsider themselves under no obligations to obey him; and hence will\nneglect the things which concern their salvation. It was the knowledge\nof this fact, doubtless, which led Paul to say: \"He that cometh to God\nmust believe that he is (i.e. exists), and that he is a rewarder of\nthem that diligently seek him.\"[A] And Jesus, too, when he said: \"If ye\nbelieve not that I am he (the Redeemer, the Son of God), ye shall die\nin your sins.\"[B]--had the same thing in his mind.\n\n[Footnote A: Heb. xi: 6.]\n\n[Footnote B: John viii: 24.]\n\nHence, I say, faith is of necessity a part of the Gospel, a fundamental\nprinciple of it; and therefore much importance is given to it by the\nwriters of Scripture. How great that importance is may be learned from\nthe fact that Jesus said, on the one hand, \"He that heareth my word,\nand believeth on Him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not\ncome into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life\":[C] while\non the other hand He said, \"He that believeth not shall be damned.\"[D]\n\n[Footnote C: John v: 25.]\n\n[Footnote D: Mark xvi: 16.]\n\nBelief in God and in Jesus Christ--in the sense I have described in\nthe foregoing--when once fixed in the mind and heart, leads men to\nobedience to God's laws. It leads them to repentance and every other\ngood work.\n\nRepentance is made particularly prominent in the scheme of man's\nsalvation. It was taught by John the Baptist in the wilderness of\nJudea; the main feature of his mission seemed to have been to call men\nto repentance. It was taught, too, by Messiah himself. On the occasion\nof some telling him of certain Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled\nwith their sacrifices, he said: \"Suppose ye that these Galileans were\nsinners above all Galileans, because they suffered these things? I tell\nyou nay; but except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.\"[E]\n\n[Footnote E: Luke xiii: 1, 3.]\n\nGoing to the time when the Apostles began to fulfill the mission\ngiven to them to preach the Gospel, it will be found that this same\nprinciple, in connection with others, is urged upon the acceptance\nof the people. On that occasion Peter preached a discourse in which\nhe proved from the old Scriptures that Jesus was the Messiah, and in\nanswer to the cries of the people, \"Men and brethren, what shall we\ndo?\" he answered, \"Repent and be baptized every one of you, in the name\nof Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the\ngift of the Holy Ghost.\"[F]\n\n[Footnote F: Acts ii: 38.]\n\nFollowing this case is another, also recorded in the Acts of the\nApostles, in which the Gospel was taught and obeyed by the people of\nSamaria, under the teachings of one Philip and the apostles Peter and\nJohn. In this latter case there is a development of the same principles\nthat were taught on the day of Pentecost. I can do no better than quote\nthe passage which gives the history of the circumstance: \"Then Philip\nwent down to the city of Samaria and preached Christ unto them. And the\npeople with one accord gave heed unto those things which Philip spake,\nhearing and seeing the miracles which he did. For unclean spirits,\ncrying with loud voices, came out of many that were possessed with\nthem; and many taken with palsies, and that were lame, were healed. And\nthere was great joy in that city: * * * [and] when they believed Philip\npreaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of\nJesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. * * * Now when\nthe apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received\nthe word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John: who, when they\nwere come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost\n(for as yet he was fallen upon none of them; only they were baptized in\nthe name of the Lord Jesus). Then laid they their hands on them, and\nthey received the Holy Ghost.\"[G]\n\n[Footnote G: Acts viii: 5-8, 12, 14-17.]\n\nThe same principles that are here taught--the same ordinances\nthat were observed by the people of Samaria--are enumerated in\nanother scripture, as the \"principles of the doctrine of Christ.\"\nThe language is: \"Therefore not[H] leaving the principles of the\ndoctrines of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the\nfoundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith towards God,\nof the doctrines of baptisms, and of the laying on of hands, and of\nresurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment, and this will we do\nif God permit.\"[I]\n\n[Footnote H: I quote the passage here as it stands in the inspired\ntranslation of the Bible--or, rather, what should be called the\ninspired revision of the Bible--by the Prophet Joseph, that is, \"not\nleaving the principles,\" etc.; and it seems to me that all must agree\nthat that is right. For, admitting that faith, for instance, is a\nprinciple of the doctrine of Christ--and it is enumerated as one in\nthis very passage--how can that principle be left and we go on unto\nperfection? It is a principle that enters into religious life, no\nmatter how far advanced in all that is excellent the individual may be.\nIt is a principle that underlies the actions of the Gods, and enters\ninto their life and work--\"by faith the worlds were made.\" We might as\nwell admonish the mathematician to leave the fundamental principles of\nhis science and expect him to go on unto perfection. But he cannot do\nit. The simple principle of addition, subtraction, multiplication and\ndivision, enter into his calculations, whatever his advancement in the\nscience of numbers; and in like manner the fundamental principles of\nthe gospel are connected with our spiritual advancement, and we cannot\nleave them, and go on to perfection--hence Joseph Smith's rendering\nmust be correct.]\n\n[Footnote I: Heb. vi: 1-3.]\n\nIt is scarcely necessary for me to say that these doctrines must be\naccepted, and the ordinances observed by those who would obtain favor\nwith God, and the remission of their sins; for I have already pointed\nout the fact, that implicit obedience to the law of Christ--the\nGospel--is the only means of salvation for man. And furthermore it is\nwritten: \"Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of\nChrist, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he\nhath both the Father and the Son.\"[J]\n\n[Footnote J: II. John ix.]\n\nIt would seem, then, that it is binding upon man to receive the whole\nGospel, with all its principles, precepts, ordinances and sacraments.\nAnd not only are they to be received but the candidate for eternal\nlife should continue therein. He must not be content with being born\nof the water and of the spirit into the kingdom; he should not forever\nremain in his childhood in spiritual things: but as the natural child\ngradually obtains control over the limbs, and makes them obey his will,\neither to stand erect, walk, or run; and so continues until he develops\ninto the skillful workman whose hand is able to execute whatever his\nbrain conceives--so in spiritual things--those born into the kingdom\nof God should grow in grace and in the knowledge of the truth. The\ninjunction placed upon those who accept the faith of the Gospel[K] is\nthat they add to their \"faith, virtue; and to virtue, knowledge; and\nto knowledge, temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience,\ngodliness; and to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly\nkindness, charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make\nyou that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of\nour Lord Jesus Christ.\"[L]\n\n[Footnote K: The reader will observe that the words of Peter which I\nquote in the above are addressed by him \"to them that have obtained\nlike precious faith\" with himself--to the Saints (see 1st verse of\nthe chapter quoted), hence I say the injunction is to those who have\naccepted the Gospel--to the children of the Kingdom.]\n\n[Footnote L: II. Peter i: 5-8.]\n\nSuch, in brief, is the Gospel of Jesus Christ as taught by the Messiah\nand his apostles in Palestine. The same was taught by the prophets and\napostles among the Nephites on the western hemisphere. The same is\nrestored to the earth in our day through the revelations of God and\nthe inspired teachings of Joseph Smith, and other men whom the Lord\nhas raised up in this generation. Such are the principles which in\nthe aggregate constitute the power of God unto salvation to those who\nbelieve and obey them.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER VII.\n\nFAITH.\n\nIt is now my purpose to enter into a more particular consideration of\nthe respective principles and ordinances which constitute the Gospel,\nor plan of man's salvation.\n\nFirst in order, both from necessity and because of its importance, is\nthe principle of faith. And following the same method of investigation\nI adopted at the commencement of this inquiry, _viz_: defining as clearly\nas I am able, the meaning of the words and terms used, I come to the\nquestion. What is faith? And in answer say that it is an assurance in\nthe mind of the existence and reality of things which one has not seen,\nor which to him have not been demonstrated. It may be an assurance in\nthe mind of the existence of some Being whom we have not seen, but\nwhose works are visible, and who has been seen by others; or it may be\nof the transpiring of some event at which we were not present, but of\nwhich others bear witness; or it may be an assurance of the correctness\nof certain deductions based upon scientific calculations, though the\nprinciples of the science, and the method of dealing with them, by\nwhich the conclusions are reached, we neither understand nor are able\nto follow; in whatever it may be, that assurance of the mind which\naccepts as truth those things which one has not seen, and does not\nknow for a certainty from his own experience to be absolutely true, is\nfaith. For example, to bring to our aid the assistance of illustration,\nfew, perhaps none of my readers have ever seen the Lord Jesus Christ;\nyet the writers of the New Testament bear testimony to the reality of\nhis existence, and relate the circumstances which make up his eventful\ncareer. The writers of the Book of Mormon do the same in relation to\nhis labors on the western hemisphere Joseph Smith testifies that, in\nvision, he saw both Jesus and his Father, in the spring of 1820.[A]\nJoseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon bear record that they saw him in\nFebruary, 1832;[B] and Oliver Cowdery and Joseph Smith say they saw him\nin the Kirtland Temple, in April, 1836.[C] These evidences establish an\nassurance, or faith, in the mind, concerning the existence of Jesus,\nthe Lord.\n\n[Footnote A: Pearl of Great Price, p. 59.]\n\n[Footnote B: Doc. and Cov., sec. 76.]\n\n[Footnote C: Doc. and Cov., sec. 110.]\n\nAgain, none of us, and perhaps no one living, was at the battle of\nWaterloo; yet the fact of that battle taking place is testified to\nby many historians; no one doubts it, and the evidence in the case\nis so certain, that one may say he has perfect faith or assurance,\napproaching almost within the lines of absolute knowledge, that the\nevent transpired--that assurance in the mind is faith.\n\nStill another illustration: Mathematicians claim that they can weigh\nthe earth, and measure the distance between our planet and the sun.\nOne may not be acquainted with the methods of their calculations,\nor the principles involved in them, yet such is the character and\nlearning of the thoughtful men who make the claim, that we accept\ntheir statements and conclusions as true, though we may not be able\nourselves to comprehend the science which reveals to them, perhaps to\nthe certainty of demonstration, these facts:--this confidence in their\nstatements--this assurance of the mind, is faith.\n\nOther elements enter into this principle, but at this stage of our\ninvestigation, I desire to present the subject in its simple rather\nthan in its complex character.\n\nA step further in the investigation of this principle brings us to the\nconsideration of the facts upon which faith rests, or from which it\nsprings. I think a careful reading of the remarks already made in this\nchapter will lead the reader to see that faith is based upon evidence,\nupon testimony. It is the evidence we have in the testimonies of the\nwriters of our Scripture, and the prophets of God to which I have\nalluded, supported to some extent also by the glorious works of nature,\nthat creates in the mind faith in the existence of God. That Paul held\nthese views, that is, that faith is based upon evidence, is clearly\nseen in this passage: \"For whosoever shall call upon the name of the\nLord shall be saved. How, then, shall they call on him in whom they\nhave not believed? And how shall they believe in him of whom they have\nnot heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall\nthey preach except they be sent? So then faith cometh by hearing, and\nhearing by the word of God;\"[D] or, in plainer terms--\"faith cometh by\nhearing the word of God.\"[E]\n\n[Footnote D: Rom. x: 13-17.]\n\n[Footnote E: I understand that such is the rendering of this\npassage--Rom. x: 17--by the Prophet Joseph.]\n\nFaith is based upon evidence, then, and here I would remark, that the\nfaith will be true or false according as the evidence or testimony is\ntruthful or untruthful. Evidence is to faith what the fountain is to\nthe stream; and as an impure fountain cannot send forth pure streams,\nso incorrect evidence cannot establish a true or profitable faith.\n\nBy way of illustration I borrow the following from the Works of Orson\nPratt:\n\n\"When Europeans first began their explorations in the New World, the\nIndians whom they met were much amazed at the power and explosive\nproperties of gun-powder, and asked many questions respecting the\nmanner in which it was produced. The Europeans, taking advantage of\nthe ignorance of the savages, and seeing an opportunity to increase\ntheir wealth by the deception, told the Indians that it was the seed\nof a plant which grew in the lands they had come from, and doubtless\nit would thrive in their land also. The Indians, of course, believed\nthis statement and purchased the supposed seed, giving in exchange for\nit large quantities of gold. In implicit faith they carefully planted\nthe supposed seed, and anxiously watched for its sprouting and the\nappearance of the plant; but it never came. They had faith in the\nstatements made to them by the Europeans, but as these statements were\nfalse, and therefore the evidence on which the Indians based their\nbelief untrue, their faith was vain.\"\n\nThus must it ever be. Only correct evidence, only truthful testimony\ncan produce fruitful, profitable faith. No matter how sincere one's\nbelief may be in an error, that will not transform the error into\ntruth. The sincere faith of the Indians in what the Europeans had said\nabout the \"gun-powder seed\" did not make that substance produce a plant\nyielding gun-powder. And so faith in false doctrines, founded upon\nfalse testimony, cannot savor of salvation.\n\nIt is also worthy of note, in passing, that the character and intensity\nof the faith depends largely upon the quality and quantity of the\nevidence. If a credible witness testifies to any matter of fact,\nhowever strange or unusual the fact may be, one would have some degree\nof faith in it; but if another witness to the fact, equally credible\nwith the first, also testifies to the same thing, one's faith would\nbe greatly increased; and so as the evidence was multiplied the faith\nwould grow, until at last faith would become so perfect that it would\npass almost into the domain of knowledge.\n\nSo much for faith in general. Now to consider it as a principle\nof revealed religion. Here it occupies a prominent place. It is\nthe foundation on which religion rests, and the source of all\nrighteousness. In religion, it is in God that faith centers; it is to\nhim that religious faith directs the eyes of man, and bids him hope\nthrough Christ to obtain eternal life. And as this is the primary\nprinciple in religion, it is my purpose to show from the Scriptures\nthat there is an abundance of evidence which, if carefully considered,\nwill not fail to produce faith in the mind of him who is desirous to\nknow the truth as to the existence of God, the divinity of Christ's\nmission and the truth of the Gospel.\n\nBefore I proceed with that investigation from the Scriptures, however,\nI think it will be profitable to inquire briefly into the authenticity\nand credibility of the Scriptures themselves; that is, as to the\nJewish Scriptures; for I consider such an inquiry respecting our\nother Scriptures, the Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants and the\nrevelations contained in the Pearl of Great Price, as altogether\nunnecessary here.\n\nThe reason that I undertake to devote several chapters to this\ninquiry, is because some have supposed that the testimony of the Bible\nrespecting God is so far imperfect that it is scarcely reliable. And\nto the extent of my ability, I desire to check a growing skepticism\nin relation to the Bible, and therefore will endeavor to prove that\nnot only are the revelations contained in the Bible sufficient to\nlay a sure foundation for an intelligent belief in God, but that the\nBible itself is both authentic and credible. I must ask my readers to\nremember, however, that this of itself is a subject for a volume, and\nI can but devote a few pages to it; and therefore ask that too much be\nnot expected.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER VIII.\n\nFAITH.--THE BIBLE.\n\nA word, in passing, on the Bible as a whole, I am of the opinion that\na very great many people look upon the Bible as simply one book, one\ntestimony--one witness for God; when in fact it is not _one_ book, but\na collection of books; not one witness for God, but the collected\ntestimony of many witnesses for him.\n\nThe word does not come, I am assured on very good authority, from the\nword _biblos_, as many have supposed; nor does it signify _the book_ by way\nof eminence--the Book of books, but it is a word derived from the Greek\nbiblia, meaning _the books_, and is a term first applied by Chrysostom\nto denote the collection of small books which constitute the Old and\nNew Testaments; and this term with the prefix \"Holy,\" soon came into\ngeneral use. This is how the Jewish Scriptures came to be called the\nHoly Bible; meaning, really, the holy or sacred books. The Bible is\nmade up of sixty-six distinct books, bound together in one volume, and\nwritten by about forty different authors. And if each book is not a\nseparate and independent witness for God, it cannot be denied that each\nauthor is.\n\nThe first of the sacred writers is Moses, whom Bacon calls \"God's first\npen;\" the last is the Apostle John. These two writers, the first and\nthe last, are separated by a period of some two thousand years; and\nthe men who wrote as they were moved upon by the Holy Ghost, in that\nlapse of time, and whose works have been preserved to us in the Bible,\noccupied various positions in life, ranging from the grand old war\nking of Israel, David, and the wise king Solomon, down to the humble\nshepherd Amos, the despised tax collector Matthew, and Peter, the\nunlearned fisherman. But whatever the condition of life occupied by\nthese men, or whatever the nature of their respective writings, whether\nhistories, biographies, poems, prophecies, or only didactic discourses\non morals or religion, they all, in some way or other, bear witness\nto the existence of God, and give us some information respecting his\ncharacter and attributes.\n\nIt is now our task to inquire briefly into the authenticity and\nintegrity of these writings. For convenience I shall take up the two\nTestaments, the Old and the New, separately:\n\nFirst, then, the Old Testament: It is maintained by the best biblical\nscholars, that the books which now constitute the Old Testament,\nwere collected as we have them, immediately after the return of the\nJews from the captivity in Babylon; that would be about the middle\nof the fifth century, B. C. The work is ascribed to Ezra, Nehemiah;\nand the men of the great synagogue. In proof of this they point\nto the testimony of the son of Sirach, who flourished between the\nyears 310-370, B. C.;[A] and who speaks of the canon--with its three\ndivisions as finally made up.[B] By the \"three divisions,\" I mean those\ndivisions made by the Jews in their scriptures, and which are supposed\nto be contemporary with the completion of the canon. Those divisions\nare (1) the Pentateuch, or Law;[C] (2) the Prophets; and (3) the\nHagiographa.[D] It is of these divisions that the son of Sirach speaks.\n\n[Footnote A: _Vide_ Kitto.]\n\n[Footnote B: See the prologue to the Book of Ecclesiasticus, in the\nApocrypha.]\n\n[Footnote C: The five books of Moses--Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus,\nNumbers, and Deuteronomy.]\n\n[Footnote D: This is a Greek term for the sacred writings not included\nin the other two divisions. The Talmud places the following books in\nthis division: Ruth, Psalms, Job, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Canticles,\nLamentations, Daniel, Esther, Ezra and Chronicles. The books not\nincluded in this list, nor in the Pentateuch, of course, constitute the\ndivision called the Prophets.]\n\nJosephus in his first book against Apion (section viii) enumerates\ntwenty-two books, \"Which contain the record of all the past times;\nwhich are justly believed to be divine; and of them, five belong to\nMoses, which contain his laws, and the traditions of the origin of\nmankind till his death. This interval of time was little short of three\nthousand years; but as to the time from the death of Moses till the\nreign of Artaxerxes, king of Persia [5th cent. B. C.], the prophets,\nwhich were after Moses, wrote down what was done in their time in\nthirteen books, the remaining four books[E] contain hymns to God and\nprecepts for the conduct of human life. It is true our history hath\nbeen written since Artaxerxes, very particularly, but hath not been\nesteemed of the like authority with the former by our forefathers,\nbecause there has not been an exact succession of prophets since that\ntime.\"\n\n[Footnote E: Our thirty-nine books of the Old Testament were so grouped\nby the Hebrews as to make but twenty-two, which accorded with the\ntwenty-two letters of the Hebrew alphabet. What are generally known as\nthe minor prophets, twelve in number, are connected as one book. The\nBook of Ruth was coupled with Judges; Ezra with Nehemiah; Lamentations\nwith Jeremiah; while the two books of Samuel, Kings and Chronicles were\ncounted but one each.]\n\nThis testimony settles the question back to the commencement of the\nfifth century B. C., that is, for a period of about twenty-four hundred\nyears the authorship of the respective books of the Old Testament has\nbeen ascribed to the men who today are regarded as their authors. The\nrabbis say: \"The wise men have left us the Law, the Prophets, and\nthe Hagiographa, combined into one whole;\" and then they specify the\nauthors of the sacred books. That specification ascribes the respective\nbooks to the men now regarded as the author of them. The Talmud says:\n\"Moses received the law at Sinai, and transmitted it to Joshua; Joshua\nto the Elders; the Elders to the Prophets; the Prophets to the men of\nthe Great Synagogue,\" and, as we have seen, it was Ezra, Nehemiah,\nand the men of the Great Synagogue who made up our present collection\nof books known as the Old Testament. Josephus in speaking of those\nwho wrote the scriptures says--\"Every one is not permitted of his\nown accord to be a writer, nor is there any disagreement in what is\nwritten; they being only prophets that have written the original and\nearliest accounts of things as they learned them of God himself by\ninspiration; and others have written what hath happened in their own\ntimes, and that in a very distinct manner also.\"[F]\n\n[Footnote F: Josephus against Apion, Book I, Sec. 8.]\n\nFrom the books of the Old Testament something may be learned as to\nthe manner in which the original parchments of the sacred books were\npreserved previous to the days of Ezra, extending as far back even as\nto Moses himself--1451 B. C. and some of the passages that I shall\nnotice--belonging to a subsequent period to Moses, yet previous to the\ndays of Ezra--refer to a collection of sacred books that leave small\ndoubt that the books of Moses and other sacred writings were the ones\nto which allusion is made.\n\nWe are told that after Moses wrote the Law, he delivered it to the\npriests, the sons of Levi, with a commandment to put it in the side\nof the Ark of the Covenant,[G] that it might be there for a witness\nagainst Israel, whom Moses by the spirit of prophecy, foresaw would\nturn away from God.\n\n[Footnote G: Deut. xxxi: 9, 24, 25, 26.]\n\nIn laying down the duties of the future King of Israel, Moses says:\n\"And it shall be when he sitteth upon the throne of his kingdom, that\nhe shall write him a copy of this law in a book out of that which is\nbefore the priests, the Levites\"[H]--showing that it was the intention\nof Moses to have the Law always preserved by the priests. When Joshua\nhad completed the book that bears his name, it is said: \"And Joshua\nwrote these words in the book of the Law of God\";[I] which was\ndoubtless the book which Moses had placed in the Ark of the Covenant in\ncare of the priests.\n\n[Footnote H: Deut. xvii: 18.]\n\n[Footnote I: Joshua xxiv, 26.]\n\nWhen the form of government of Israel was changed into a monarchy,\nSamuel explained the character of the new kingdom to the people, \"and\nwrote it in a book and laid it up before the Lord.\"[J] This was three\nhundred and fifty years after Moses, and yet the practice of laying up\nthese important records before the Lord, as Moses had done with his\nbooks, still prevailed; and I doubt not were placed side by side with\nthe books of Moses and Joshua, if not attached to them.\n\n[Footnote J: I. Sam. x: 25.]\n\nFour centuries and a half later than Samuel, bringing us to about 640\nB. C., in the reign of good king Josiah, Hilkiah, the high priest, when\nthe temple was undergoing some repairs, found the Book of the Law in\nthe house of the Lord,[K] and sent it to the king, who read it; and\nwhen he saw how far Israel had departed from the observance of it, and\nthe judgments pronounced against them on condition of their forsaking\nthe law, he sought to lead his people to repentance.\n\n[Footnote K: II. Kings xxii--see the whole chapter.]\n\nIsaiah, some seventy years before this, when wishing to confirm some\nof his own prophecies, recommended the people to seek out the Book of\nthe Lord and read it.[L] The value of this passage is, that it gives\nus the testimony of Isaiah that such a book as \"the Book of the Lord\"\nwas known to the people, that they had access to it, that it was a\nrecognized authority on questions about which there might arise doubts.\nAnd there can scarcely be two opinions as to this book, alluded to by\nIsaiah, being either the original or an authorized copy of the writings\nplaced in the keeping of the priests, and found by Hilkiah.\n\n[Footnote L: Isaiah xxxiv: 16.]\n\nWe have traced this matter down to 640 B. C.; there is one more step to\ntake, to reach Ezra, in whose days the books of the Old Testament were\ncollected, some one hundred and eighty-five years after the date above\nnoted.\n\nWhat became of the sacred records of the Jews at the time Jerusalem\nwas laid waste by Nebuchadnezzar, about 588 B. C.,[M] is difficult to\nlearn. But the document granting permission to Ezra and the priests\nto go and rebuild the temple at Jerusalem is addressed to him thus:\n\"Artaxerxes, king of kings, unto Ezra, the priest, a scribe of the law\nof the God of heaven, perfect peace.\" Then follows permission for all\nthe people of Israel in his realm to go to Jerusalem with Ezra. He then\ncontinues: \"Forasmuch as thou art sent of the king * * * to inquire\nconcerning Judah and Jerusalem, _according to the law of thy God which\nis in thy hand_.\"[N] From this it appears that during the captivity the\npriests were permitted to retain possession of the sacred records. At\nany rate Ezra had them when he departed from Babylon for Jerusalem, so\nthat they had been preserved, and that, doubtless, by the priests. This\nbrings us to the period when the books of the Bible were collected as\nwe have them today. And from that time, more than two thousand years\nago, until the present, the Old Testament has been what it is now; the\nmultiplication of copies and of translations, as well as the subsequent\ncontroversies between Jews and Christians, combined to secure the\nsacred writings against alterations.\n\n[Footnote M: This is the Hebrew Chronology, according to Usher.]\n\n[Footnote N: Ezra vii: 12-14.]\n\nNo one will contend that the Old Testament contains all the writings of\nthe Jews, perhaps not all the sacred or inspired writings; for there\nare a number of books and writings of prophets referred to in these\nvery books of the Old Testament, which are not to be found in the\ncollection. But that fact does not destroy the value of these we have,\nor refute the testimony they bear for God. That very care which may\nhave excluded from the sacred collection some books which were really\ninspired, has also prevented many worthless and uninspired books from\nbecoming connected with the word of God.\n\nWhat is set down so far in this chapter relates to the Hebrew version\nof the Scriptures alone; but about three hundred years B. C., by some\nset down at 285 B. C., an event occurred which did much to preserve the\nintegrity of the Hebrew Scriptures; by that I mean the probability of\nalterations being made in them was lessened, and they the more likely\nto be brought down to us just as they were written originally.\n\nAt the date above given, Ptolemy Philadelphus, King of Egypt, was\ngathering up the books which constituted the splendid Alexandrian\nLibrary, and being informed by his librarian, Demetrius Phalerius,\nconcerning the Hebrew Scriptures, he at once set himself at work to\nprocure a Greek translation of them. The better to secure this object\nhe set at liberty many Jews in his kingdom, and sent word to the high\npriest at Jerusalem, Eleazar, his desire, asking that six Elders from\neach tribe of Israel, such as were skilled in the law, should be sent\nto him to translate their Scriptures for him. This was done, and it is\nsaid that the work was completed in seventy-two days.[O]\n\n[Footnote O: For a full account of this matter see Antiquities of the\nJews by Josephus, Book xii, chapter ii.]\n\nThis translation is called the _Septuagint_, meaning the seventy, often\nrepresented by the Roman numerals LXX; but whether it is so called\nbecause it was translated by about seventy Elders, or for the reason\nthat the translation occupied about seventy days is not clear. At any\nrate copies of this translation were multiplied, and in the days of\nMessiah's personal ministering in Judea was the version most in use,\nand the one he and his Apostles usually referred to, when sustaining\ntheir teachings by that which aforetime had been written by inspiration.\n\nThat this is true is evident from the following facts: There are in\nthe New Testament 225 quotations from the Old;[P] and of these over\none half, that is 120, agree _verbatim_ with the Septuagint. \"That these\nquotations,\" says an able writer, \"must have been taken from the\nSeptuagint is plain from the _copia verborum_, the remarkable fertility\nof expression, in the Greek language, which forbids us to believe that,\nhad the quotations been from the Hebrew, the Greek rendering would have\nagreed _verbatim_ with the passages in the Septuagint version. Of any\nOld Testament passage made up of only ten words, there are not fewer\nthan thirty modes of translating it into Greek; and such indeed are the\npossible varieties, that if thirty different persons were translating\ninto Greek a Hebrew sentence of _three lines_, none of them, though all\nwere to give a perfectly correct rendering, would be found exactly\nagreeing in the Greek words employed, or in the collection of these.\"\n\n[Footnote P: The only books in the Old Testament not quoted in the New\nare Ruth, I. and II. Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, Ecclesiastes,\nSong of Solomon, Lamentations, Obadiah, Nahum and Zephaniah.]\n\nAgain, of the one hundred and five remaining quotations in the\nNew Testament, from the Old, thirty-nine agree _verbatim_ with the\nSeptuagint, except that a synonymous word occurs once in two or three\nlines. There are next, twenty-two quotations agreeing _verbatim_ or\nnearly so, with the Septuagint, but even in sense differing from the\nHebrew text. Hence out of the two hundred and twenty-five quotations\nin the New Testament from the Old, we may say that not fewer than one\nhundred and ninety must have been taken from the Septuagint version.\n\nFrom about three centuries B. C., then, the Old Testament has existed\nat least in two languages, and this has contributed much, as I before\nsaid, to prevent the corruption of the text and preserve the integrity\nof the Scriptures; for if changes were made in the Hebrew, it would be\ndiscovered from the LXX.; and if alterations were made in the LXX.,\nit could be detected from the Hebrew. There were other translations\nmade of the Scriptures into still other languages, but as my space is\nlimited, I cannot give an account of them here.\n\nWe have now seen how the books of the Old Testament, as we have them\nat the present day, were collected by Ezra, some 2400 years ago; we\nthen went to the last book written by Moses--Deuteronomy--and from it\nlearned that his writings were deposited in the ark of the covenant in\ncharge of the priests and Levites; how Joshua and Samuel also laid up\ntheir writings before the Lord; and how Isaiah referred the Jews to\nthese sacred writings in confirmation of his own prophecies; how when\nin 640 B. C. the temple was undergoing some repairs the high priest\nfound in it an ancient copy of the law; and how Ezra in Babylon had the\nsacred writings in his possession, so that he at that time would have\nno difficulty in fixing upon the authorship of the sacred books then\nbefore him.\n\nI shall further examine this question of the authenticity of the Old\nTestament in my next chapter, but the testimony I shall there consider\nwill also have a bearing upon its integrity, and will likewise tend\nto confirm the claims as to its containing the revelations of God to\nthe Jews; and to this latter consideration I especially invite the\nattention of the reader.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER IX.\n\nFAITH.--THE OLD TESTAMENT.\n\nCertain it is that the Hebrew Scriptures, the Old Testament, the same\ncollection of books that we now have, was recognized by the Lord Jesus\nChrist and the prophets and apostles of that dispensation as the word\nof God, and was referred to by them as \"the law and the prophets.\"\nThis is evident from the fact of their frequently appealing to those\nscriptures to sustain their own doctrine and teachings. Nearly every\nbook of the Old Testament is quoted in the New, and therefore all the\nevidence which may be amassed in support of the divinity of Christ and\nthe inspiration of the New Testament, sustains also the authenticity\nand inspiration of the Old; for the inspired writers of the former\nappeal to the latter as an unquestioned authority in matters relating\nto God. Hence, whatever evidence sustains the New Testament, supports\nalso the Old. I trust the reader will bear this in mind, and when I\nhave considered and proved, as I hope to do, the authenticity and\ncredibility of the New Testament, remember that it is a witness for the\nOld Testament, an important, I might say an infallible one, since it is\ninspired; it comes as from God.\n\nIn our day the evidences which support the authenticity of the Jewish\nScriptures have accumulated in a most remarkable manner. In 1835 the\ntwo rolls of papyrus, one filled with the writings of Joseph, who was\nsold into Egypt, and the other with those of Abraham, came into the\nhands of Joseph Smith. The roll containing the writings of Abraham was\ntranslated by the prophet, at least in part, and is published in the\nPearl of Great Price under the title of the Book of Abraham. The manner\nin which these rolls of papyrus came into Joseph Smith's possession was\nas follows:\n\nIn 1831 the celebrated French traveler, Antonio Sebolo, penetrated\nEgypt as far as the ancient city of Thebes, under a license procured\nfrom Mehemet Ali--then viceroy of Egypt--through the influence of\nChevalier Drovetti, the French consul. Sebolo employed 433 men for four\nmonths and two days; and entering the catacombs near ancient Thebes on\nthe 7th of June, 1831, they procured eleven mummies. These were shipped\nto Alexandria, and from thence the great traveler started with his\ntreasures for Paris. But _en route_ for the French capital, Sebolo put in\nat Trieste, where he was taken sick, and after an illness of ten days\ndied. This was in 1832. Previous to his death he willed his Egyptian\ntreasures to his nephew, Michael H. Chandler, who was then living in\nPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania, but whom Sebolo believed to be in Dublin,\nto which city he ordered the mummies shipped.\n\nMr. Chandler ordered the mummies forwarded to New York, where he\ntook possession of them. There the coffins for the first time were\nopened, and in them were found two rolls of papyrus covered with\nengravings. While still in the custom house, Mr. C. was informed by a\ngentleman, a stranger to him, that no one in the city could translate\nthe characters, but was referred to Joseph Smith, who, the stranger\ninformed him, possessed some kind of gift or power by which he had\npreviously translated similar characters.\n\nJoseph Smith was then unknown to Mr. C. The mummies were shipped to\nPhiladelphia, and from there Mr. C. traveled through the country,\nexhibiting them and the rolls of papyrus. He finally passed through\nKirtland, where Joseph Smith was residing. Joseph, seeing the rolls of\npapyrus and the record upon them, had the Saints purchase them, and\nthey were translated as before stated.[A]\n\n[Footnote A: The above I have condensed from the account given of this\nmatter by the Prophet Joseph in his history.]\n\nThis Book of Abraham, while it has no direct reference to the works\nof Moses, gives an account of the creation of this earth, which,\nsubstantially, is the same account as that given by Moses;[B] and\nis, at least, a strong collateral evidence to the correctness of the\naccount in Genesis.\n\n[Footnote B: Pearl of Great Price, pp. 41-45]\n\nIn the year 1830, the visions of Moses, through which he was enabled to\nwrite the account of the creation in Genesis, and the history of the\nworld down to the time of the Flood, were revealed to Joseph Smith.\nThis part of the world's history, as given to the Prophet Joseph, is\nsubstantially the same as that in Genesis, only more full and perfect\nthan that; the Lord pointing out here and there where the record of\nMoses, as we now have it in the Bible, has been marred because of\nchanges made by wicked men. Still, as I say, the accounts substantially\nagree, and in the revelations to which I have called attention the Lord\nsays over and over again that these things he revealed to Moses, and\nthat Moses bore record of them.[C]\n\n[Footnote C: Pearl of Great Price, pp. from 1 to 31.]\n\nThis is testimony of the most direct character as to the authenticity\nof the books in our Bible giving this history. All ancient tradition\nsays Moses wrote Genesis, and now in this day, a revelation is given\nfrom God to Joseph Smith, saying that an account substantially the same\nas that in Genesis was revealed to Moses, and that he recorded it.\n\nI come now to the strongest witness of all for the authenticity, and\nalso the divinity of the Jewish Scriptures; I mean the Book of Mormon.\nIn the first place let me say that the Book of Mormon itself, as an\ninspired book, rests on so sure a basis, that however much men may be\ndisposed to doubt the authenticity, credibility, and inspiration of\nthe Jewish Scriptures, they cannot, if they investigate the claims of\nthe Book of Mormon doubt its truth.[D] And in these Nephite Scriptures\nis contained the most direct and positive proofs relative to the\nauthenticity of the Bible.\n\n[Footnote D: Those who desire to prosecute an investigation of this\nsubject win do well to read the \"Divine Authenticity of the Book of\nMormon,\" by O. Pratt; and \"A New Witness for God,\" by the author of\nthis work.]\n\nAccording to the Book of Mormon, Lehi and his family left Jerusalem in\nthe first year of the reign of Zedekiah, about 600 B. C. Soon after\nleaving Jerusalem, from his camp in the wilderness Lehi sent his sons\nback to that city to obtain the genealogies of his fathers, and a\nrecord of the Jews. In this mission his sons were successful, returning\nto their father's encampment in the wilderness with a set of brass\nplates on which the record and the genealogies were written.\n\nThe return of the sons of Lehi to their father was celebrated with\ngreat rejoicing. Nephi in his account of it says: \"And after they had\ngiven thanks unto the God of Israel, my father, Lehi, took the records\nwhich were engraved upon the plates of brass, and he did search them\nfrom the beginning. And he beheld that they did contain the five books\nof Moses, which gave an account of the creation of the world, and also\nof Adam and Eve, who were our first parents; and also a record of the\nJews from the beginning, even down to the commencement of the reign of\nZedekiah, king of Judah, and also the prophecies of the holy prophets,\nfrom the beginning, even down to the commencement of the reign of\nZedekiah; and also many prophecies which have been spoken by the mouth\nof Jeremiah.\"[E]\n\n[Footnote E: I. Nephi v: 10-13.]\n\nHere is a direct reference to the Jewish Scriptures, in which five\nbooks are accredited to Moses--the same number as in our present\nBible--and the prophecies of Jeremiah are also mentioned.\n\nThen in a vision, in which the future was unfolded to Nephi, he saw\nthat a book would go from the Jews to the Gentiles, and that it\nwould be like the record upon the brass plates. This is the passage:\n\"The angel said unto me, Knowest thou the meaning of the book? And I\nsaid unto him, I know not. And he said. Behold it proceedeth out of\nthe mouth of a Jew; and I, Nephi, beheld; and he said unto me, the\nbook that thou beholdest is a record of the Jews, which contains the\ncovenants of the Lord which he hath made unto the house of Israel;\nand it also containeth many of the prophecies of the holy prophets;\nand it is a record like unto the engravings which are upon the plates\nof brass, save there are not so many; nevertheless they contain the\ncovenants of the Lord, which he hath made unto the house of Israel;\nwherefore, they are of great worth unto the Gentiles.\"[F]\n\n[Footnote F: I. Nephi xiii: 21-23.]\n\nNephi further informs us that it was his practice to read frequently\nto his people from these brass plates, that they might be informed\nconcerning the dealings of God with their forefathers; and all through\nthe Nephite Scriptures these brass plates are referred to. Moreover,\nwhole chapters, and sometimes several chapters together, especially\nfrom the writings of Isaiah,[G] are transcribed from the brass\nplates to the record made by Nephi; and comparing these transcribed\nportions of the Old Testament found in the Book of Mormon with the\nparts which correspond to them in our present English version of\nthe Jewish Scriptures, it will be seen that the difference is but\nslight; substantially they agree. The circumstance not only proves the\nauthenticity of the Scriptures, but it is also a strong proof of the\nintegrity of our present version of them.\n\n[Footnote G: See I. Nephi, chapters xx, xxi; II. Nephi vii, viii; also\nII. Nephi, from the xii to xxiv.]\n\nIt is true the Book of Mormon informs us that many plain and precious\nparts of this book, which proceeds from the mouth of the Jew, are taken\naway and others corrupted, but that does not affect the statement I\nmake that the substantial agreement between these passages in the Book\nof Mormon and Bible, proves, in the main, the integrity as well as the\nauthenticity of the Jewish Scriptures. Here, so far as the authenticity\nof the Old Testament is concerned, I shall, for the present, rest my\ncase; and proceed with a like inquiry as to the New.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER X.\n\nFAITH.--THE NEW TESTAMENT.\n\nThere is an impression existing, and it is one encouraged by infidel\nwriters, that the acceptance of the books now comprising the New\nTestament, was the arbitrary action of a council of bishops three or\nfour hundred years A. D. This I believe to be a wrong impression. I do\nnot think the list of books that now constitute the New Testament was\nmade up in an arbitrary manner, at one time, or by any single council.\nIt can be shown that the books and epistles now in the collection\nknown as the New Testament, were accepted as inspired writings by the\nChristian churches, before the councils of the church undertook any\ndiscussion of the subject; and even when this question was before those\ncouncils, they merely decided what books before-time had been regarded\nby the churches as inspired.\n\nThe first council which undertook to pronounce a decision on the\nsubject was that of Laodicea in the year 363 A. D. \"Probably the decree\nof this council,\" as Archdeacon Paley remarks, \"rather declared than\nregulated the public judgment, or, more properly speaking, the judgment\nof some neighboring churches, the council itself consisting of no more\nthan thirty or forty bishops of Lydia and the adjoining countries;\"\nand after this council the question, \"What books were entitled to be\nreceived as Scripture?\" was discussed with great freedom, and without\nany reference to the declaration made by the council of Laodicea.[H]\n\n[Footnote H: Paley's Evidences, Part I, ch. ix.]\n\nThe list of inspired books of the New Testament, as we have them now,\nwas accepted by the council of Hippo, held 393 A. D. The third council\nof Carthage, 397 A. D., and also the sixth of Carthage, 419 A. D.,\nconfirmed the decisions of the first. Thus, from that early date, the\nauthorship and inspiration of the books of the New Testament may be\nsaid to have been fixed.\n\nTrue, certain early Christian writers doubted the inspiration and\nauthenticity of some of the books now in the New Testament; II Peter,\nthe Epistle to the Hebrews, the Epistle of James and the Apocalypse[I]\nbeing among those whose inspiration and authenticity were questioned;\nand some Bible scholars since those days have held the same doubts; but\nthe preponderance of evidence is in favor of the inspiration of all the\nbooks of the New Testament, and of their being the productions of the\nmen accredited in those early days, and by the councils named, with\nhaving written them.\n\n[Footnote I: Revelations of St. John.]\n\nIt is quite evident, however, that the New Testament does not contain\nall the inspired writings of the apostles and disciples, since there\nare references in the books of the New Testament to other books\nwritten by the same authors, which would certainly be equally inspired\nwith those we now have in the collection. Such, for instance, as\nanother epistle to the Corinthians,[J] also a second epistle to the\nColossians,[K] and another book of Jude.[L] Still, because some\ninspired books were lost, and others rejected by these councils,\nthat does not affect those that remain as to their authenticity or\ninspiration; though had we those inspired books that were lost or\nrejected, many passages in the books that have been preserved to us\nmight be made more plain.\n\n[Footnote J: I. Cor. v.]\n\n[Footnote K: Col. iv: 16.]\n\n[Footnote L: Jude 3.]\n\nCould it be proven even, that some of the books now retained in the\nNew Testament collection were uninspired, and not written by those\nnow accredited with being their authors, that would not affect these\nbooks about whose authenticity and inspiration there has never been\na question. Suppose all those books I have named as having had their\nauthenticity questioned, should turn out to be forgeries, we would\nstill have the four Gospels, the Acts, the thirteen Epistles of Paul\nthat stand unquestioned; and as long as even one of these books remains\nunshaken as to its authenticity and inspiration, you have a witness\nfor God and Christ in it--an exposition, to some extent, at least, of\nthe character and attributes of Deity. For the New Testament, like the\nOld, is not one book, but a collection of books; each independent of\nthe other. It is not one witness for God and Christ, but a collection\nof the testimonies of a number of witnesses. And if it could be proven\n(but I do not think it can be) that some of these books were of such\ndoubtful origin that they are unworthy a place in the collection, it\ndoes not follow that the other books of the New Testament are also of\ndoubtful origin and unworthy of confidence.\n\nFurthermore, if it be admitted (and I am willing to admit it) that\nsome of the texts in the books comprising the New Testament have been\ncorrupted or changed, and portions thereof taken away, while these\nthings tend to, and do weaken the testimony of the witnesses, and make\nmany parts obscure, and even contradictory, still, after making all\nthese concessions, enough remains uncorrupted and unimpaired, to give\nus in those books strong and reliable witnesses--whose testimony cannot\nbe impeached--for God. And while some parts have been corrupted, and\nthus rendered imperfect, yet the narrative of the life of Christ, the\nGospel he advocated, the moral precepts he inculcated in his system\nof truth, together with the revelations contained in those Scriptures\nrespecting the character and attributes of Deity, are all substantially\ncorrect.\n\nI refer again to the manner in which the list of books now composing\nthe New Testament was decided upon. I have already stated that I do not\nthink it was by the arbitrary decision of any one council at any one\ntime, that the selection of this list of books was made and all others\nrejected. On the contrary it was most probably the work of years.\n\"The most plausible supposition,\" says an unquestioned authority, \"is\nthat each of the most influential churches founded by the Apostles in\nperson, made for its own use a collection of all the writings duly\nascertained to be apostolic and inspired. The epistles sent to the\ndifferent churches were soon, doubtless, communicated to the sister\nassociations for the strengthening of each other's faith, hope and\nvirtue.\" Indeed the Apostle Paul, in one instance at least, commands\nan interchange of apostolic writings. In his epistle to the Colossian\nsaints he says: \"And when this epistle is read among you, cause that\nit be read in the church of the Laodiceans, and that ye likewise read\nthe epistle from Laodicea.\"[M] Doubtless, as stated by Chambers, \"The\nbrotherly love which was a notable feature of primitive Christianity,\nled Christians everywhere to make common property of the local messages\nfrom apostles, as valuable to them all alike. Nor did they ever dream\nof withholding from their brethren copies of such inspired writings as\nhad come into their own hands. No general order from the apostles was\nneeded to prompt individual Christians or congregations that had been\nfavored with an inspired communication to make it equally well known to\nevery neighbor. There must have been the most cordial reciprocity of\ncommunication in this matter, an unreserved sharing of new Scripture\nwith each other; the fair and full interchange of apostolic oracles\nleading to such a multiplication, that each church possessed, for the\nbenefit of its members, a copy of all inspired writings previously\nissued by the Apostles.\"[N] And here let me add, that in the\nmultiplication of copies, it is not to be wondered at if the originals\nwere soon lost sight of, or worn out by constant use.\n\n[Footnote M: Col. iv: 16.]\n\n[Footnote N: Information for the People, Vol. II Art. Bible.]\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XI.\n\nFAITH.--THE NEW TESTAMENT.\n\nThe earliest reference we have to any writings or collection of\nwritings now in the New Testament, and in which they are recognized\nas authoritative scripture, is in the second Epistle of Peter. That\napostle, writing about the year 65 A. D., says: \"Account that the long\nsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul\nalso according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you; as\nalso in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which\nare some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned\nand unstable wrest as they do _the other scriptures_, unto their own\ndestruction.\"[A]\n\n[Footnote A: II. Peter iii: 15, 16.]\n\nIt will be observed that the reference to the Epistles of Paul is of\nsuch a character that it leads us to infer that those Epistles were\nwell and generally known by the church at large; for this Epistle of\nPeter's which we quote, is written to no particular branch of the\nchurch, but \"to them that have obtained like precious faith with us\nthrough the righteousness of God and our Savior Jesus Christ;\"[B] in\nother words, to the church universal; and it can scarcely be doubted\nthat some of the larger branches of the church, even in that early day,\nhad the Epistles of Paul in a collected form. It will also be observed\nthat Peter places these Epistles of Paul on equal authority with\nScripture by saying, that the unlearned and unstable wrest them, \"_as\nthey do also the other scripture_, unto their own destruction.\"\n\n[Footnote B: II. Peter i: 1.]\n\nThere is a tradition that the apostle John, on his return from his\nbanishment to Patmos--96 A. D.--made a collection of what he considered\nthe inspired writings of the apostles and disciples of Christ; but\nthe tradition seems not to be well founded. It is generally admitted,\nhowever, that he must have had before him the three other gospels when\nhe wrote the one which bears his name, because his book called \"The\nGospel according to St. John,\" is supplemental in its character, and\nin it he gives prominence to those incidents in the life of his Master\nand the doctrines he taught, about which the other writers are either\nsilent or have said but little. This peculiarity is accounted for by\nthe supposition that John had before him the other three narratives of\nhis Master's life and mission, and that he sought to make prominent\nwhat they had omitted or treated but briefly, that the church--in the\nfour books--might have a complete history of Messiah's life, and labors\nand doctrines.\n\nIn his admirable work on the \"Evidences of Christianity,\" Archdeacon\nPaley maintains that the following allegations respecting the books\ncomprising the New Testament are capable of proof; in fact, to my mind,\nthe learned Archdeacon does prove them, and places them beyond the\npower of successful contradiction:\n\nI. That the historical books of the New Testament, meaning thereby\nthe four Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles, are quoted, or alluded\nto, by a series of Christian writers, beginning with those who were\ncontemporary with the apostles, or who immediately followed them, and\nproceeding in close and regular succession from their time to the\npresent.\n\nII. That when they are quoted, or alluded to, they are quoted or\nalluded to with peculiar respect, as book _sui generis_;[C] as possessing\nan authority which belonged to no other books, and as conclusive in all\nquestions and controversies amongst Christians.\n\n[Footnote C: That is, of its own kind.]\n\nIII. That they were, in very early times, collected into a distinct\nvolume.\n\nIV. That they were distinguished by appropriate names and titles of\nrespect.\n\nV. That they were publicly read and expounded in the religious\nassemblies of the Christians.\n\nVI. That commentaries were written upon them, harmonies formed out of\nthem, different copies carefully collated, and versions of them made in\ndifferent languages.\n\nVII. That they were received by Christians of different sects, by many\nheretics as well as Catholics, and usually appealed to by both sides in\nthe controversies which arose in those days.\n\nVIII. That the four Gospels, the Acts of the Apostles, thirteen\nEpistles of St. Paul, the first Epistle of John and the first of Peter,\nwere received, without doubt by those who doubted concerning the other\nbooks which are included in our present canon--[authorized list].\n\nIX. That the Gospels were attacked by the early adversaries of\nChristianity, as books containing the accounts upon which the religion\nwas founded.\n\nX. That formal catalogues of authentic scriptures were published, in\nall of which our present sacred histories were included.\n\nXI. That these propositions cannot be affirmed of any other books\nclaiming to be books of scripture; by which are meant those books which\nare commonly called apocryphal books of the New Testament.[D]\n\n[Footnote D: Evidences of Christianity, part I. ch. ix. I would also\nrecommend my readers to carefully study Dr. Lardner's Credibility\nof the New Testament, from which Dr. Paley obtains much, I may say\nnearly all of the material for his own admirable work. There is also a\nfine article on the subject, in Chamber's Information for the People,\nentitled _History of the Bible_; and another in Dr. Kitto's Biblical\nLiterature, under the heading, _Canon of Scripture_.]\n\nOut of these eleven propositions I shall deal with but two, viz.:\nthe first and tenth; referring my readers to Dr. Paley's work, for\ninformation as to the other propositions. And what is said here of\nthese propositions, I shall select or condense from Paley's work,\nsometimes using his language as well as his facts, without troubling\nmyself to indicate the quotations.\n\nWell, then, as to his first allegation, viz.: that there are a series\nof Christian writers, beginning with those contemporary with the\napostles, and extending on down to the present, who have quoted the\nchief books of the New Testament. To begin with, there is an epistle\nascribed to Barnabas,[E] the companion of Paul, in some of his\nmissionary tours. It is quoted as an Epistle of Barnabas, by Clement\nof Alexandria, A. D. 194; by Origen, A. D. 230; by Eusebius, A. D.\n315, and more frequently by writers after that time, and is referred\nto by the writers above named, as an ancient work in their time, and\nas well known and read among Christians, though not accounted a part\nof scripture. It purports to be written soon after the destruction of\nJerusalem under Titus.\n\n[Footnote E: There is a manuscript copy of this epistle in connection\nwith a copy of the New Testament entire, dating back to the fourth\ncentury, now in the St. Petersburg Library. It was found by Tischendorf\nin the convent of St. Catherine on Mount Sinai, in 1859, and is known\nas the Sinaitic Manuscript--the oldest one in existence.]\n\nIn this epistle appears the following remarkable passage: \"Let us,\ntherefore, beware lest it come upon us, _as it is written_; There are\nmany called, few chosen.\" From the expression, \"as it is written,\"\nwe infer, with certainty, that at the time when the author of this\nepistle lived, there was a book extant well known to Christians, and\nof authority among them, containing the words \"many are called, few\nchosen.\" Such a book is our present Gospel of St. Matthew, in which\nthis text is twice found,[F] and found in no other book which existed\nin those days; therefore Barnabas must have referred his readers to\nMatthew's Gospel. Furthermore, the writer of the epistle was a Jew. The\nphrase, \"It is written,\" was the very form in which the Jews quoted\ntheir scriptures. Hence, it follows that he would not have used this\nphrase, and without qualification, of any books but what had acquired\nscriptural authority. So that while the quotation \"many are called, few\nchosen,\" confirms the existence of Matthew's Gospel; the expression \"It\nis written,\" gives to it the authority or dignity of scripture.\n\n[Footnote F: Matt. xx: 16; xxii: 14.]\n\nThere are other passages in the epistle which are the same in sentiment\nas some of the passages in Matthew,[G] some in which we recognize the\nsame words. For example, \"Give to every one that asketh thee;\" and he\nsays that Christ chose as his apostles men who were great sinners that\nhe might show that he came, \"not to call the righteous, but sinners to\nrepentance.\"\n\n[Footnote G: Matt. v: 42; ix: 13.]\n\nThere is also extant an epistle of Clement, bishop of Rome, whom the\nancient writers without doubt or scruple assert to have been the\nClement whom Paul mentions in Phil. iv, 3.[H] This epistle is spoken\nof by the early Christian writers as an epistle acknowledged by all.\nOf it Irenaeus says (writing in the second century) it was \"written by\nClement, who had seen the blessed apostles, and conversed with them,\nwho had the preaching of the apostles still sounding in his ears, and\ntheir traditions before his eyes.\" Dionysius, bishop of Corinth (the\nepistle is addressed to the Church of Christ) says, about the year 170\nA. D., that the epistle of Clement \"had been wont to be read in that\nchurch from ancient times.\"[I]\n\n[Footnote H: \"With Clement also, and with other my fellow-laborers\nwhose names are written in the book of life.\"]\n\n[Footnote I: A copy of this epistle dating back to the fifth century,\nis connected with the Alexandrian manuscript of the New Testament now\nin the British Museum. The manuscript was given to Charles the I. in\n1628 by Cyril Lucas, Patriarch of Constantinople.]\n\nIn the said epistle are found the following passages, evidently taken\nfrom our New Testament scriptures: \"Especially remembering the words of\nthe Lord Jesus which he spake, teaching gentleness and long suffering,\nfor thus he said: 'Be ye merciful, that ye may obtain mercy;[J] forgive\nthat it may be forgiven unto you;[K] as you do so shall it be done unto\nyou; as ye judge so shall ye be judged; as ye show kindness, so shall\nkindness be shown unto you; with what measure ye mete, with the same\nshall it be measured to you.'\"[L]\n\n[Footnote J: Matt. v: 7.]\n\n[Footnote K: Luke vi: 37, 38.]\n\n[Footnote L: Matt. vii: 1, 2.]\n\nIn another place he says: \"Remember the words of the Lord Jesus, for he\nsaid: 'Woe to that man by whom offenses come; it were better for him\nthat he had not been born, than that he should offend one of my elect;\nit were better for him that a millstone should be tied about his neck,\nand that he should be drowned in the sea than that he should offend one\nof my little ones.'\"[M]\n\n[Footnote M: Matt. xviii.]\n\nThe reference in the foregoing to the passages I have indicated is too\npalpable to leave any room for doubt.\n\nConnected with the Sinaitic manuscript copy of the New Testament,\nnow in the St. Petersburg Library, to which I have already called\nattention in a foot note, is a manuscript copy of the \"Shepherd\" or\n\"Pastor\" of Hermas, dating from the fifth century; but that copies\nof it existed at a still earlier date is evident from the fact that\nit is quoted by Irenaeus, A. D. 178; by Clement of Alexandria, A. D.\n194; by Tertullian, A. D. 200; Origen, A. D. 230. In this ancient work\nare many allusions to and some direct quotations from the Gospels of\nMatthew, Luke and John. Of the allusions may be cited, the confessing\nand denying of Christ;[N] the parable of the seed sown;[O] and the\ncomparison of Christ's disciples to little children. Of the more direct\nquotations I mention the following: \"He that putteth away his wife and\nmarrieth another, committeth adultery;\"[P] the singular expression,\n\"having received all power from his Father,\" is undoubted allusion to\nMatthew xxviii, 18; and Christ being the \"Gate,\" or only way of coming\n\"to God,\" in plain allusion to John xiv, 6, and x, 7, 9.\n\n[Footnote N: Matt. x: 32,33. Luke xii: 8,9.]\n\n[Footnote O: Matt. xiii: 3. Luke viii: 5.]\n\n[Footnote P: Luke xvi: 18.]\n\nI now come to Ignatius, who became bishop of Antioch about thirty-seven\nyears after the ascension of Messiah; and therefore, from his time and\nstation, it is probable that he had known and conversed with many of\nthe apostles. Some of the epistles of this bishop are referred to by\nPolycarp, his contemporary, the bishop of Smyrna; and some are quoted\nby Irenaeus, A. D. 178; and by Origen, A. D. 230. In these epistles\nare plain and undoubted allusions to the Gospels of Matthew and John,\nof which the following are but specimens: \"Christ was baptized of John\nthat all righteousness might be fulfilled by him.\"[Q] \"Be ye wise as\nserpents in all things and harmless as a dove.\"[R] \"Yet the Spirit is\nnot deceived, being from God, for it knows whence it comes and whither\nit goes.\"[S]\n\n[Footnote Q: Matt. iii: 15.]\n\n[Footnote R: Matthew x: 16.]\n\n[Footnote S: John iii: 18]\n\nI now pass over several writers in whose works are similar quotations\nfrom the scriptures to those already noted; among them Polycarp, a\nconvert to Christianity through the teachings of the Apostle John; as\nalso Papias, his companion; Justin Martyr, separated from the last\nnamed by but twenty years; and also Hegesippus, who came about thirty\nyears after Justin. This brings us to the year 170 A. D. At this time\nthe churches of Lyons and Vienna in France, sent a relation of the\nsufferings of their martyrs to the churches of Asia and Phrygia. This\nepistle is found entire in the works of Eusebius [315 A. D.], and in it\nare direct allusions to the Gospels of Luke, John and the Acts of the\nApostles. The one to John is, \"Thus was fulfilled that which was spoken\nby the Lord, that whosoever killeth you, will think that he doeth God's\nservice.\"[T]\n\n[Footnote T: John xvi: 2.]\n\nAt that time these churches in France had for their bishop Pothinus,\nthen about ninety years old, whose time, therefore, must have joined on\nto the times of the apostles.\n\n\"The evidence now,\" says Dr. Paley, \"opens upon us full and clear.\"\nIrenaeus succeeded Pothinus as bishop of Lyons. In his youth he had\nbeen a disciple of Polycarp, who was a disciple of John. * * * He\nasserts of himself and his contemporaries, that they were able to\nreckon up in all the principal churches the succession of bishops\nfrom the first. * * * The testimony which this writer affords to the\nhistorical books of the New Testament, to their authority, and to the\ntitles which they bear, is expressive and positive. One principal\npassage runs as follows:\n\n\"We have not received the knowledge of the way of our salvation by\nany others than those by whom the Gospel has been brought to us.\nWhich Gospel they first preached, and afterward by the will of God,\ncommitted to writing, that it might be for time to come the foundation\nand pillar of our faith. For after that the Lord rose from the dead,\nand they [the apostles] were endowed from above with the power of the\nHoly Ghost coming down upon them, they received a perfect knowledge of\nall things. They went forth to all the ends of the earth, declaring to\nmen the blessings of heavenly peace, having all of them, and every one\nalike, the Gospel of God. Matthew then, among the Jews, wrote a Gospel\nin their own language, while Peter and Paul were preaching the Gospel\nat Rome, and founding a church there; and after their exit, Mark also,\nthe disciple and interpreter of Peter, delivered to us in writing the\nthings which had been preached by Peter; and Luke; the companion of\nPaul, put down in a book the Gospel preached by him (Paul). Afterward\nJohn, the disciple of the Lord, who also leaned upon his breast, he\nlikewise published a Gospel while he dwelt at Ephesus, in Asia.\"\n\nNor is this writer less explicit respecting the book of the Acts of the\nApostles.\n\nThe force of the testimony we have considered will be strengthened by\nremembering that it is the testimony, and the concurring testimony\nof writers who lived in countries remote from each other. Clement\nflourished at Rome; Ignatius at Antioch, and Irenaeus in France.\n\nI deem it unnecessary to pursue this inquiry further, and shall close\nby remarking that Clement of Alexandria, one of the most voluminous\nof Christian writers, follows Irenaeus at a distance of but sixteen\nyears. In the works of Clement which remain, the four gospels are\nrepeatedly quoted by the names of their authors, and the Acts of the\nApostles is expressly ascribed to Luke. This brings us to the year 194\nA. D. Tertullian joins on to Clement, and is no less explicit in his\nreference to the New Testament than the writers who preceded him. Then\nfollow numerous writers, among them Origen, A. D. 230; Eusebius, 315;\nand Jerome, A. D. 392.\n\nSo numerous are the references to scripture, in the writings of these\nmen, that were our books of scripture lost, some aver, that they\ncould be reproduced from the works of these writers alone. From the\ndate last given, there can be no question as to the existence of\nour New Testament or of its acceptance by the whole of Christendom,\nas containing the account of those events on which Christianity was\nfounded.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XII.\n\nFAITH--THE NEW TESTAMENT.\n\nI now come to the tenth allegation of Dr. Paley, _viz_.: \"Formal\ncatalogues of authentic scriptures were published, in all of which our\npresent sacred histories were included.\"\n\nIn the writings of Origen which remain, and in some extracts preserved\nby Eusebius, from works of his which are now lost, there are\nenumerations of the books of scripture, in which the four Gospels and\nthe Acts of the Apostles are distinctly and honorably specified, and in\nwhich are no books beside what are now received. The date of Origen's\nworks is 230 A. D.\n\nAthanasius, about a century afterwards (330 A. D.), delivered a formal\ncatalogue of the books of the New Testament, containing our scriptures\nand no others; of which he says, \"In these alone the doctrine of\nreligion is taught; let no man add to them, or take anything from them.\"\n\nAbout twenty years after Athanasius (350 A. D.), Cyril, bishop of\nJerusalem, sent forth a catalogue of the books of scripture, publicly\nread at that time in the Church of Jerusalem, exactly the same as ours,\nexcept that the book of Revelation is omitted.\n\nFifteen years after Cyril (365 A. D.), the council of Laodicea\ndelivered an authoritative catalogue of Canonical Scripture, like\nCyril's, the same as ours, with the omission of Revelation.[A]\n\n[Footnote A: I have taken the preceding paragraphs of this chapter\nentire, from Paley's Evidences of Christianity Part I., chap, ix, sec.\n10]\n\nAbout thirty years later, that is, in 393 A. D., followed the council\nof Hippo, which delivered a catalogue of the books of the New\nTestament, which agrees with that now in our common English version.\nThis was followed by the third council of Carthage, in 397 A. D., and\nby the sixth of Carthage 415 A. D., both of which confirmed the list of\nsacred books made out by the council of Hippo.\n\nIt seems to me that proving these two propositions selected from Dr.\nPaley's list, is sufficient to make out a case for the authenticity\nof the books of the New Testament; but when the reader remembers that\nthe nine other allegations we quoted in chapter eleven can also be\nsustained by undeniable proofs, the case is made out so clearly that\nthere can be no room for doubt.\n\nThen the Book of Mormon comes in also as a witness for the New\nTestament as well as for the Old. Not so much a witness for the\nauthenticity of the books composing it, however, as for the correctness\nof what is contained in them.--The writers in the Book of Mormon\nwho bear a direct testimony as to what the New Testament scriptures\ncontain, and in that way indirectly establish their authenticity and\ncredibility may be divided into two classes, prophetic and historical.\nBy the former, I mean those who by the inspiration of heaven foresaw\nthe birth and mission of Jesus Christ as it all, afterwards came to\npass; by the latter, I mean those who lived at the time and were\nwitnesses to the personal ministrations of Messiah, on the western\nhemisphere, and made a record of those things they saw and heard.\n\nOf the first class, the prophetic, the first Nephi stands out most\nprominently; for he gives such a vivid description of the leading\noutlines of Messiah's life and labors on the earth, that it makes one\nfeel in very deed that \"prophecy is but history reversed,\" for had he\nlived and written in the first century of the Christian are instead of\nthe fifth century preceding it, I feel sure that he could not have been\nmore vivid or exact in writing the life, mission and doctrines of the\nSon of God;[B] and all that he predicts is in strict accord with what\nis contained in the New Testament.\n\n[Footnote B: For the remarkable prophecies which foretell the events\nhere alluded to, I refer my readers to the xi, xii, xiii and xvi\nchapters of I. Nephi, Book of Mormon.]\n\nNext to Nephi we may place King Benjamin, whose testimony is found\nin the book of Mosiah, chapter iii, and next to him, Abinadi, whose\nprophecies in relation to the coming and mission of Jesus, are\ncontained in the thirteenth, fourteenth, fifteenth and sixteenth\nchapters of Mosiah; and, lastly, Samuel, the Lamanite prophet, whose\ntestimony is in the fourteenth chapter of Helaman.\n\nAll these prophets give the outlines of the life and mission of Jesus\nChrist, and, as before stated, what they say is in strict accord with\nwhat is written in the New Testament, by those who witnessed the events\nthat these prophets of the Western hemisphere foretold.\n\nOn the other side of the line, that is, of the historical witnesses,\nthey who lived at the time Jesus visited the western hemisphere and\nwrote an account of what took place, the III Nephi, the one whom the\nLord made the chief of the apostles, is most conspicuous. He records\nthe fact of Messiah's visit to the Nephites, after his resurrection\nand departure from his disciples in Judea; and gives a most particular\naccount of the several visits of Jesus to his people, and of his\norganizing a church, after the pattern of the one organized in\nJerusalem; also of the doctrines and moral precepts which he taught; in\nall of which there is a substantial agreement with what is recorded in\nthe New Testament.[C]\n\n[Footnote C: The reader is recommended to read carefully the whole Book\nof III Nephi, and compare it with the teachings of the New Testament.]\n\nThus the Book of Mormon, is an additional witness for Jesus, testifying\nas well as the New Testament, that he is both Lord and Christ. It also\nsustains the New Testament, that is, if it does not directly prove\nthe authenticity of the various books composing it, it does prove the\ncorrectness of what is contained in them, by testifying that the same\nperson who was crucified by the Jews is the Son of God, the Savior\nof the world, and that he taught the same doctrines, ordinances, and\nprecepts, and organized his church on the Western hemisphere after\nthe pattern of that described in the New Testament; and all this, I\ntake it, is very strong proof of the correctness of what is recorded\nin the New Testament scriptures--it is, in fact, the testimony of a\nmighty and numerous people, speaking from the silence of past ages,\nbearing witness of the truth as contained in the Jewish scriptures;\nand, withal, is such an evidence of their authenticity, and, likewise\nof their integrity, in the main--speaking now of both the Old Testament\nand the New--and of the correctness of the matter they contain, that\nbefore this new witness for God unbelief must hide its head; atheism\nmust stand rebuked; the scorner is reproved; they that watch for\niniquity are cut off; the terrible ones are brought to naught; they\nthat erred in spirit come to understanding; they that murmured learn\ndoctrine; the meek increase their joy in the Lord and the poor among\nmen rejoice.[D]\n\n[Footnote D: Isaiah xxix: 18-24.]\n\nI have been led thus far into an investigation of the authenticity of\nthe Jewish scriptures touching, too, here and there, the question of\nthe integrity and truthfulness of them, by a desire to fix in the mind\nof the reader the fact that our principal volume of scripture is worthy\nof all confidence so far as the question of authenticity is concerned.\n\nI am aware, however, that after treating of the question of\nauthenticity, there still stands the question of credibility. After\nproving the authenticity of a book, I believe the further questions may\nbe asked, and usually with great propriety--\"Is it worthy of belief?\nCan it be believed? Is it credible?\" To this rule I make one exception,\nand in the case in hand it is important. That exception is this: If it\ncan be proven that God is the author of the book, or, what would be\nequivalent, if those who wrote it were inspired by his Holy Spirit,\nthen if you prove such an authenticity as that, you prove at the same\ntime the credibility of the book. For, let it be proven clearly that\nthe book emanates from God directly or indirectly, then who could doubt\nits truth, its wisdom, or the events, however wonderful, it relates?\nOr who could question the mercy and justice of the acts of God as\nrepresented in that book or books that are the fruits of inspiration?\n\nIt matters not how at variance their contents may seem to be with our\nsupposed knowledge of the laws of nature; our knowledge of those laws\nare so limited; our understanding of the mechanism of the universe\nso imperfect; our acquaintance with the universe and the forces that\noperate in it so insignificant, that let it be clearly proven that a\nrevelation from God contradicted our supposed facts, and I believe the\nwisest, and best among the children of men, with becoming humility\nthat would but add to their dignity, would bow in submission to the\nrevelation.\n\nNeither does it matter how much the conduct of Deity, as represented in\nsuch books, may violate what we understand to be the relative claims of\nstern Justice and sweet Mercy; our knowledge of the operation of those\nqualities, and their effect upon men in time and in eternity, and under\nvaried conditions, is so uncertain and imperfect that we are liable to\nconfound good with evil, and that which is indeed an infinite mercy, we\nmay condemn as a piece of barbaric cruelty. In this matter we would bow\nalso, and say, \"Thy will, O Lord, be done,\" righteous must be all thy\njudgments, merciful are thy ways! Shall not the God of the whole earth\ndo right?\n\nIn connection with these observations, I would remark, that throughout\nthe Jewish scriptures, that is, in their composition, in their\ndiction as well as in the excellence of their matter, whether in\nthe historical, legislative, poetic, or prophetic books of the Old\nTestament; or in the gospel histories, the epistles or prophetic books\nof the New, everywhere may be traced the inspiration of Heaven; and the\nstyle and matter of the whole volume proclaims that the Spirit which\nprompted the writers and brought those books into existence, is divine.\n\nThen again, if the prophecies contained in the volume of scripture be\nstudied, and their fulfillment traced out in the history of the rise\nand fall of nations, cities and peoples; in the calamities that have\novertaken the Jews[E] and their country; in the coming of Messiah and\nthe work he performed, all of which was foretold by those holy men of\nGod who spake as they were moved upon by the Holy Ghost--if all these\nprophecies and their fulfillment be considered, it seems to me that\nthere is an accumulation of evidence to the divinity of the Jewish\nscriptures, that must break down all the petty objections that unbelief\ncan array against them. And indeed, I may say, that such has been the\neffect of these considerations on the human understanding that the\nnoblest and brightest intellects of all ages have been so impressed\nwith them, that they have yielded a ready assent to their divine\ninspiration, and worshiped the God whose character and attributes are\nunfolded in the revelations contained in them.[F]\n\n[Footnote E: \"You may question, if you will\" says Bishop Lightfoot in\nthe _Quarterly Review_ for April, 1888, \"every single prophecy in the Old\nTestament, but the whole history of the Jews is one continuous prophecy\nmore distinct and articulate than all. You may deny, if you will, every\nsuccessive miracle which is recorded therein; but again, the history of\nthe Jews is from first to last one stupendous miracle, more wonderful\nand convincing than all.\"]\n\n[Footnote F: In making this observation I do not close my eyes to the\nfact that there are exceptions to this general assertion; nor will I\nbe so unjust as to claim that among unbelievers there are none who are\nhonest in that unbelief There have been men in all ages, or nearly so,\nwho have doubted the truth of the Jewish scriptures, and some of them\nhave been most brilliant in intellect, and not a few most upright in\ntheir manner of life, but these are the exceptions, not the rule; and\nthe remark on this point in the text holds good.]\n\nNow, if to these evidences, which have been sufficient to convince\nmen of powerful intellect, as well as of the masses of Christendom,\nbe added the further fulfillment of prophecy in respect to taking the\nGospel from the earth and then restoring it in the last days, much of\nwhich--pertaining to the restoration of the Gospel--has been fulfilled\nin our day; and then to this be added the testimony contained in the\nBook of Mormon to the divinity and general truth of the Bible; and to\nthis the testimony in the Book of Abraham and the visions of Moses,\nas revealed to Joseph Smith and now contained in the Pearl of Great\nPrice--pray tell me, youth of Israel, where is there room for unbelief\non your part? Or where is there excuse for infidelity?\n\nLet me remind my readers, that the Bible is a record of man's\ncrimes and vices, as well as of his righteousness and virtues. It\nas faithfully records the former as the latter. But because it thus\nfaithfully records the evils that men did as well as the good, it must\nnot therefore be concluded that God sanctioned or condoned those evils.\nIt was the doing of those very evils that brought down the displeasure\nof God upon those guilty of them. And what is true of individuals in\nthis respect, is also true of peoples and nations.\n\nThen again, as to the Old Testament, let it be remembered that when\nthe Lord took the children of Israel from the land of Egypt to make\nof them a people for himself, he presented them first with the Gospel\nof Christ, with all its mercy and inspiring love and gentleness; but\nthey would not live in accordance with its high moral precepts, nor\nreflect in their lives its spiritual excellence. Accordingly, a less\nperfect law was given to Israel; a law which in the New Testament is\neverywhere called \"the law of carnal commandments;\" a law more in\nkeeping with their moral development; a law which breathed less of\nmercy, forgiveness and love and more of exacting, relentless justice;\ndemanding an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth--and this was to\nbe their schoolmaster, to prepare them for the more excellent law of\nthe Gospel of Christ.[G] Many things in that law of the Old Testament\nare imperfect, and must not be taken as reflecting the full glory\nand excellence of the divine wisdom or goodness. On the contrary it\nis plainly stated, and that too by the voice of inspiration, in the\nNew Testament, that it was a law carnal and imperfect, yet withal\ncontaining more excellence than the people seemed able in those days to\nattain unto.\n\n[Footnote G: In proof that the Gospel was first offered to ancient\nIsrael, and then because of transgression the law of carnal\ncommandments, I invite the reader's attention to the following\nscriptures: Heb., latter part of chap. iii, in connection with Heb. iv:\n1, 2; I Cor. x: 1-4; and Gal. iii; also Doc. and Cov., sec. 84; see\nalso the chapter on History of the Gospel in this work.]\n\nAdd these considerations to the fact that in some of its details and in\nits translation the Bible has been marred by the hand of man; a number\nof sacred books lost, and some plain and precious parts taken away from\nthose we have, and it is not surprising that men find imperfections in\nit, and some things difficult to harmonize with our ideas of the mercy\nand justice of God.\n\nYet, with all its imperfections, in the main it is true, and may be\nrelied upon as a witness for God; that is, as to his existence, his\ncharacter and attributes; and also to the existence, character and\nmission of his Son, Jesus Christ, the Redeemer of the world, and of\nthe plan of salvation--the Gospel. What it says of those, and topics\nassociated with them, may be relied upon as God's truth; for the\nevidences of its authenticity and credibility are so numerous, I may\nsay so overwhelming, that for my part, I see not how intelligence can\ndisbelieve it.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XIII.\n\nFAITH--TRADITION.\n\nHaving now concluded our inquiry as to the authenticity and credibility\nof our principal volume of scripture--the Bible; having proven,\nas I hope, to the satisfaction of my readers, that the Bible is\nauthentic, and worthy of their confidence in what it says of God, of\nChrist and the Gospel, I have only to remark that the evidence it\ncontains--especially when considered in connection with that found\nin the other scriptures, the Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants\nand Pearl of Great Price--is sufficient to plant in the mind an\nintelligent belief in God, in Christ and in the Gospel as the plan of\nman's redemption. And now, after so long a digression, I return to the\nsubject of faith in God.\n\nI have already remarked[A] that faith is the first principle of\nreligion, and that religious faith centers in God, to whom men look for\nsalvation. I have also remarked that it is absolutely necessary for\nthose who come to God to believe that he exists, for unless that fact\nis firmly fixed in their minds, men will consider themselves under no\nobligations to obey him.\n\n[Footnote A: Chapter vii.]\n\nThe first evidence men have of the existence of God comes from\ntradition, from the testimony of their fathers; and this has been the\ncase from that event known as the Fall, until the present. Nor is\nthis evidence unworthy our serious attention; it rests upon a surer\nfoundation than is usually accorded it. Suppose we go back to its\nbeginning, to its first introduction into the world, and observe how\nwell founded it is.\n\nAccording to the account given by Moses in Genesis, previous to the\nFall, Adam associated with God; conversed with him respecting the\nworks of creation, and gave names to the cattle, and all living things\nupon the earth. How long continued, or how intimate that association\nwas, we are not informed in Genesis; but, at all events, it was long\nenough continued, and sufficiently intimate to fix definitely in the\nmind of Adam the fact of God's existence. Then when Adam and his wife\ntransgressed God's law, their recollection of his existence did not\nvanish, but they tried to hide from his presence; and were afterwards\nvisited of the Lord, who reproved them for their sin and pronounced the\npenalty which would overtake them for their transgression.\n\nAll I wish to call attention to in this is the fact that they knew\npositively of the Lord's existence before their transgression, and they\ndid not forget it after that event; but on the contrary had a lively\nrecollection of what they had seen and heard before they fell, and\nrelated it to their children, who, in turn, transmitted it to their\nchildren, and so from generation to generation the tradition of God's\nexistence has been handed down until the present time.\n\nBut other considerations are yet to be noticed in respect to this\ntradition. It will be remembered that Adam and all the patriarchs\nprevious to the Flood lived to a very great age. Adam lived nine\nhundred and thirty years, and during that time Seth, Enos, Cainan,\nMahalaleel, Jared, Enoch, Methuselah and Lamech, the father of Noah,\nwere born. Indeed the last named was fifty-six years old[B] when Adam\ndied; so that for a number of years he must have had the pleasure of\nAdam's acquaintance; while the patriarchs between Adam and Lamech\nall associated with him for hundreds of years, and would learn well\nthe story that the grand patriarch of our race would have to tell\nrespecting Eden before the Fall.\n\n[Footnote B: See Doc. and Cov. II Lecture on Faith, verse 30.]\n\nThen again, we are told in Genesis[C] that when Lamech was one hundred\nand eighty-two years old he begat Noah; and since Lamech was fifty-six\nyears old when Adam died, Adam had been dead but one hundred and\ntwenty-six years when Noah was born. After the birth of Noah, Lamech\nlived five hundred and ninety-five years, so that Noah associated\nwith his father, who had seen Adam, for more than five hundred years;\nand also with a number of the other patriarchs--with Enos, the\ngrandson of Adam, and son of Seth--with Cainan, Mahalaleel, Jared\nand Methuselah.[D] Then, the sons of Noah, Shem, Ham and Japheth,\nall of whom were born before the Flood, would likewise be acquainted\nwith a number of these worthies who had lived with Adam and heard his\ntestimony of God's existence.\n\n[Footnote C: Gen. v: 28, 29.]\n\n[Footnote D: Those desiring a more minute account of these points are\nreferred to the Doc. and Cov., II Lecture on Faith.]\n\nAgain, Noah lived three hundred and fifty years after the Flood; that\nwould give him ample time and opportunity to teach his posterity for\nseveral generations the tradition respecting God, which he had received\nfrom a number of patriarchs, who lived previous to the Flood, and thus\nthe said tradition became firmly fixed in the minds of men.\n\nTraces of that tradition, and of these patriarchs connected with\nit, may be found in nearly all, and so far as I know, in all the\nmythologies of the world, as well in ancient as in modern times; as\nwell in the mythology of the civilized Greeks and Romans, as in that of\nIndia, China, Egypt, and that of the American Indians. The tradition\nhas evidently been corrupted, added to and twisted into fantastic\nshapes by the idle fancies of corrupt minds, but despite all the\nchanges made in it, traces of this tradition are discoverable in the\nmythology of all lands.\n\nI believe, too, with Crabb, \"That the fictions of mythology were not\ninvented [always] in ignorance of divine truth, but with a willful\nintention to pervert it; not made only by men of profligate lives\nand daring impiety, who preferred darkness to light, because their\ndeeds were evil, but by men of refinement and cultivation, from the\nopposition of science, falsely so-called; not made, as some are pleased\nto think, by priests only, for interested purposes, but by poets and\nphilosophers among the laity, who, careless of truth or falsehood,\nwere pleased with nothing but their own corrupt imaginations and vain\nconceits.\"[E]\n\n[Footnote E: Crabb's Mythology of all Nations, pp. 174-5.]\n\nThus the tradition of the patriarchs was, in time, degraded, by some\nbranches of their posterity, to mythology--a muddy, troubled pool,\nwhich, like a mirror shattered into a thousand fragments, reflects\nwhile it distorts into fantastic shapes the objects on its banks.\nStill, under all the rubbish of human invention may be found the\nleading idea--God's existence, and that fact alone, however misshapen\nit may be, proves how firmly fixed in the human mind is the tradition\nof the fathers; while the universality of that tradition goes very far\ntowards proving its truth. When once the idea of the existence of a God\nis suggested to the mind of man by the testimony of the fathers, and\nrepresented as he is by that tradition, as the Creator of the heavens\nand the earth, and also as the great governing power throughout the\nuniverse,--very much is discovered in the marvelous works of nature\nto strengthen and confirm, almost to a certainty, the truth of that\ntradition.\n\nMan is conscious of his own existence, and that existence is a\nstupendous miracle of itself; he is conscious, too, of other facts. He\nlooks out into space in the stillness of night, and sees the deep vault\nof heaven inlaid with planetary systems, all moving in exact order and\nharmony, in such regularity that he cannot doubt that intelligence\nbrought them into being, and now sustains and directs the forces that\npreserve them. Thus the heavens declare the existence of God as well\nas his glory. This thought is in harmony with the tradition of his\nfathers, and he recognizes the identity between the intelligence that\nhe knows must control the universe, and the God of which his fathers\ntestify.\n\nNor is this all: but in the mysterious changes which take place on our\nown planet, in the gentle Spring, luxuriant Summer, fruitful Autumn and\nblighting Winter, with its storms and frosts--the \"mysterious round\"\nwhich brings us our seed time and harvest, and clothes the earth with\nvegetation and flowers, perpetuating that wonderful power we call life,\nthe strangest fact in all the works of nature--in these mighty changes,\nso essential and beneficent, man recognizes the wisdom and power of God\nof whom his fathers bear record.\n\nAs the heavens declare his existence and glory, so, likewise, do these\nchanges and a thousand other things, connected with our earth, until\nlost in wonder and admiration, one exclaims with Paul, \"The invisible\nthings of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being\nunderstood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and\ngodhead.\"[F] Or else he calls to mind another scripture, still more\nsublime--\"The earth rolls upon her wings, and the sun giveth his light\nby day, and the stars also giveth their light, as they roll upon their\nwings in their glory, in the midst of the power of God. * * * Behold,\nall these are kingdoms, and any man who hath seen any or the least of\nthese, hath seen God moving in his majesty and power.\"[G]\n\n[Footnote F: Rom. i: 20.]\n\n[Footnote G: Doc. and Cov. Sec. 88: 45-47.]\n\n    \"But wandering oft, with brute unconscious gaze, Man marks not\n    Thee; marks not the mighty hand, That, ever busy, wheels the silent\n    spheres!\"\n\nThis much we may say, in conclusion, the tradition of the fathers,\nconfirmed by the power of God as manifested in the works of nature,\nlays a broad foundation for an intelligent belief in God's existence.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XIV.\n\nFAITH.--REVELATION.\n\nThe evidence of tradition, confirmed by the works of nature, created\nthe assurance or faith in the minds of men that God existed; and that\nfaith led them to the performance of works of righteousness that\nthey might win his approbation; for doubtless, side by side with\nthe tradition of his existence, came also the idea that he loved\nrighteousness and truth, and those who wrought them. In other words,\nit is but reasonable to suppose that Adam brought from the period of\nhis life on the other side of the Fall, some recollection of God's\ncharacter and attributes, as well as of his being: And so well pleased\nwas the Lord with the faith and works of some of these men, that he\nrevealed himself to them, made them acquainted with his laws, purposes\nand designs, and conferred upon them authority to act in his name, as\nhis messengers to the children of men who had not sufficient faith to\nseek for and enter into his presence. Such men have lived in various\nages of the world, and have ever been (or would have been, had the\npeople only received them) a blessing unto their generation.\n\nSuch a character was Enoch, whom we are told walked with God,[A] and\nreceived a revelation from the Lord in which was made known to him\nevents to take place even down to the glorious coming of the Son of God\nto execute judgment on the wicked.[B]\n\n[Footnote A: Gen. v: 24.]\n\n[Footnote B: Jude, 14, 15. For a more detailed account of the\nrevelations of God to Enoch, and the mighty work which that patriarch\ndid, the reader is referred to the Pearl of Great Price, pp. 18 to 29\ninclusive.]\n\nNoah also, the tenth from Adam, received a revelation from God, and was\nmade a messenger to the people of his generation, but they refused to\nreceive his testimony, and perished in their sins.\n\nAfter Noah comes Abraham. He received special revelations from God,\nbeing visited by him in the plains of Mamre as the patriarch dwelt\nin a tent. It was at that time he received the promise of a son, and\nwas told of the intention of the Lord to destroy the wicked cities\nof the plain, Sodom and Gomorrah; whereupon Abraham pleaded for the\nrighteous that might be in the cities.[C] The Lord also gave him other\nrevelations concerning the organization of the heavens and the laws by\nwhich they are governed; the order which was followed in the creation\nof this earth, and some things pertaining to the redemption of man.[D]\n\n[Footnote C: Gen. xviii.]\n\n[Footnote D: Pearl of Great Price--Book of Abraham, pp. 33-47.]\n\nThe Lord also appeared unto Jacob in dreams and visions, and sent\nangels unto him, and to his son Joseph also, but we pass by these and\ncome to the prophet Moses.\n\nThe first revelation the Lord gave to Moses, that we have any account\nof, was at the burning bush, in Mount Horeb. There the Lord said to\nhim: \"I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac,\nand the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to\nlook upon God.\"[E] Then and there the Lord commissioned him to go and\ndeliver Israel, in the performance of which labor he received many\nmanifestations that God was with him.\n\n[Footnote E: Exodus iii: 6.]\n\nIn Exodus[F] we have an account of God's glorious descent upon Sinai in\nthe presence of all Israel, and the revelations that he gave to them\nby his own voice: \"And God spake all these words, saying, I am the\nLord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out\nof the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other Gods before me.\"[G]\nThen follow nine other commandments: \"And all the people saw the\nthunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the\nmountain smoking: And when the people saw it, they removed and stood\nafar off. And they said unto Moses, speak thou with us, and we will\nhear; but let not God speak with us lest we die. * * * And the Lord\nsaid unto Moses, thus thou shalt say unto the children of Israel, ye\nhave seen that I have talked with you from heaven.\"[H]\n\n[Footnote F: Exodus xix, xx.]\n\n[Footnote G: Exodus xx: 1-3.]\n\n[Footnote H: Exodus xx: 18, 19-22.]\n\nSubsequently to this there was another grand revelation which the Lord\ngave to a number of the leading Elders of Israel. Moses thus records\nit: \"Then went up Moses and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of\nthe Elders of Israel: and they saw the God of Israel: and there was\nunder his feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone, and as it\nwere the body of heaven in its clearness, and upon the nobles of the\nchildren of Israel, he laid not his hand: also they saw God, and did\neat and drink.\"[I]\n\n[Footnote I: Exodus xxiv: 9-11.]\n\nMoses after this left the other Elders and went into the mount, where\nhe received the law of the Lord written by the hand of God on tables\nof stone, and also was instructed how to build a tabernacle and the\nark of the covenant. Indeed, throughout the lifetime of Moses the\nmanifestations of God's power, and the revelations of his existence\nwere frequent, and came in so direct a manner that there is left no\nroom for doubt; for the Lord knew Moses face to face, so also knew\nMoses the Lord, and left his testimony on record.\n\nTime would fail me to tell of the revelations which God gave of himself\nto Joshua, and the judges whom he raised up to rule in Israel; to\nSamuel, and David and Solomon, and the prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah,\nEzekiel, Daniel and the rest. I pass by all these and come to the\ndispensation opened by the preaching of John the Baptist.\n\nThe first direct revelation of God's existence after the opening\nof that dispensation was at the baptism of Jesus, the Son of God.\nMatthew's testimony respecting this revelation is as follows: \"And\nJesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water:\nand, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he [John][J] saw the\nSpirit of God descending like a dove and lighting upon Him; and lo, a\nvoice from heaven, saying, this is my beloved Son in whom I am well\npleased.\"[K] With this also agrees the testimony of both Mark and John.\n\n[Footnote J: I supposed that John the Baptist was the only one who was\na witness of the Holy Ghost resting upon Jesus in the form of a dove.\nIn all the accounts given of this event, except by Luke, the pronoun\n\"he\" referring to John, as in Matthew, is used. While in Luke it is\nnot said that anyone else saw it, but the fact is merely stated that\n\"the Holy Ghost descended in bodily shape like a dove and rested upon\nhim.\" John's own testimony is as follows: And John bore record saying,\nI saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon\nhim. And I knew him not; but he that sent me to baptize with water, the\nsame said unto me, upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending and\nremaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost.\n(John i: 32, 33.)]\n\n[Footnote K: Matt. iii: 16, 17.]\n\nThen next in order, that is the next direct revelation, is on the\noccasion of the transfiguration of Christ on the Mount, thus related\nby Matthew: \"After six days he taketh Peter, James and John, his\nbrother, and bringeth them up unto the high mountain apart, and was\ntransfigured before them: And his face did shine as the sun, and his\nraiment was white as the light. And behold there appeared unto them\nMoses and Elias, talking with him. Then answered Peter, and said unto\nJesus, it is good for us to be here, if thou wilt, let us build three\ntabernacles; one for thee, one for Moses and one for Elias. While he\nyet spake a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out\nof the cloud, which said: This is my beloved son in whom I am well\npleased; hear ye him.\"[L] This same circumstance is also related by\nMark and Luke.\n\n[Footnote L: Matt. xvii: 1-5.]\n\nThe New Testament is replete with testimonies of the existence of God,\nboth direct and indirect, but I shall here notice but one more; it will\nbe found recorded in the Acts of the Apostles.[M] It is given at the\nmartyrdom of Stephen. The Jews were so stung by Stephen's reproofs for\ntheir hardness of heart, that they rushed upon him, \"But he, being full\nof the Holy Ghost, looked steadfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of\nGod, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God, and said. Behold I\nsee the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing on the right hand\nof God.\"\n\n[Footnote M: Chapter vii.]\n\nAs before stated, the testimonies in the New Testament to the existence\nof God and his Son Jesus Christ are numerous. Indeed, I may say it is\nthe one grand truth which the writers in that volume of revelation\ntestify to; and around this primary fact, and dependent upon it for\ntheir existence and importance, are arranged all the other facts\npertaining to man's redemption and future existence.\n\nBut I wish to turn from the witnesses in the Jewish scriptures to\nothers; for, numerous as those witnesses for God and Christ are among\nthe Jews, they are not the only ones.\n\nIn the Book of Mormon is an abridgment of the record of Ether, called\nthe Book of Ether. It gives a brief account of a colony which the\nLord led from the tower of Babel, where he confounded the language of\nthe people, to the Western hemisphere. The prophet who, under God's\ndirection, led this people in their journey, was the brother of one\nJared. At the command of God he had built eight barges or vessels in\nwhich his company was to cross the mighty deep; and the brother of\nJared prayed to the Lord that he would provide a means whereby they\nmight have light in the barges, and he presented to the Lord sixteen\nsmall stones and asked that he would touch them with his finger and\nmake them luminous, that they might give them light. And as the Lord,\nin answer to the earnest prayer of his servant stretched forth his hand\nto touch the stones, the brother of Jared saw the finger of the Lord,\nand he was struck with fear. Yet receiving encouragement from God, he\nasked the Lord to show himself to him, a petition which the Lord, in\nconsequence of the great faith of the man, granted him, and testified\nto the redemption that he was yet to work out for the salvation of man.\nThe testimony of the brother of Jared was placed upon record and was\nabridged by Moroni, and now comes to us in the sacred pages of the Book\nof Mormon[N] as a witness for God.\n\n[Footnote N: See Book of Ether in Book of Mormon, ch. iii.]\n\nIn the account given An the Book of Mormon of that colony which was led\nfrom Jerusalem, about six hundred B. C., by Lehi; and in the history of\nthe nations that grew out of that colony, and flourished on the Western\nhemisphere, are many testimonies as to the existence of God; too many,\nin fact, to be enumerated here. All I can say is, that their prophets\nwere visited by angels from heaven, and they were instructed by dreams\nand visions, in which were shown to them, in remarkable plainness, the\ncoming and mission of Messiah; the object to be attained by, and the\npower of the Gospel of Christ. In all these things they were taught by\nthe inspiration of heaven, accompanied by wonderful demonstrations of\nthe presence and power of the Lord.\n\nThen, in III Nephi, in the Book of Mormon, is an account of two\nvisits of the risen Redeemer to the Nephites (descendants of the\naforementioned Lehi), and of his labors among that people. Here, as\nin Jerusalem, Jesus announced himself as the Son of God, and bore\ntestimony to the existence of his Father. The multitude, to whom he\nfirst revealed himself, had the satisfaction of beholding the wounds in\nhis hands and in his feet and in his side; and this, that they might\nknow in very deed, that he was the one who had been slain in Jerusalem\nby the Jews, for the sins of the world--that he was the one of whom\ntheir prophets from the beginning had testified.\n\nIn the Book of Mormon, then, as in the Bible, is found a volume of\ntestimony of God's existence; indeed, I may say the accumulated\ntestimony of all the prophets of the Western hemisphere.\n\nI now turn to the testimony of the prophet of our own day.\n\nJoseph Smith, in giving an account of how he came to seek the Lord,\ninforms us that he read that passage in James which says: \"If any of\nyou lack wisdom let him ask of God that giveth to all men liberally and\nupbraideth not; and it shall be given him.\"[O] In obedience to that\ninjunction, he retired to the woods to call upon the Lord, to learn\nfrom him which of all the religious sects he should join, for their\ndivision and contentions had perplexed his mind. For what occurred on\nthat occasion I quote his own words:\n\n[Footnote O: James i: 5.]\n\n\"After I had retired to the place where I had previously designed to\ngo, having looked around me and finding myself alone, I kneeled down\nand began to offer up the desires of my heart to God. I had scarcely\ndone so, when immediately I was seized upon by some power which\nentirely overcame me, and had such astonishing influence over me as\nto bind my tongue so that I could not speak. Thick darkness gathered\nround me, and it seemed to me for a time as if I were doomed to sudden\ndestruction. But, exerting all my powers to call upon God to deliver me\nout of the power of this enemy, which had seized upon me, and at the\nvery moment when I was ready to sink into despair and abandon myself to\ndestruction, not to an imaginary ruin, but to the power of some actual\nbeing from the unseen world, who had such a marvelous power as I had\nnever before felt in any being--just at this moment of great alarm,\nI saw a pillar of light exactly over my head, above the brightness\nof the sun, which descended gradually until it fell upon me. It no\nsooner appeared than I found myself delivered from the enemy which\nheld me bound. When the light rested upon me, I saw two personages,\nwhose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in\nthe air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by my name and said\n(pointing to the other), _this is my beloved son, hear him_.\"[P]\n\n[Footnote P: Pearl of Great Price, pp. 87, 88.]\n\nSuch is the testimony that Joseph Smith bears to the existence of God\nand his Son Jesus Christ; but there are other testimonies to follow.\n\nIn a revelation called \"A Vision,\"[Q] is found the testimony of both\nJoseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon, from which I make the following extract:\n\n\"We, Joseph Smith, Jun., and Sidney Rigdon, being in the Spirit on the\nsixteenth of February in the year of the Lord 1832, by the power of the\nSpirit our eyes were opened and our understandings were enlightened,\nso as to see and understand the things of God--even those things which\nwere from the beginning before the world was, which were ordained of\nthe Father, through his Only Begotten Son, who was in the bosom of\nthe Father, even from the beginning, of whom we bear record, and the\nrecord which we bear is the fullness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, who\nis the Son, whom we saw, and with whom we conversed in the heavenly\nvision. * * * And while we meditated upon these things, the Lord\ntouched the eyes of our understandings and they were opened, and the\nglory of God shone round about; and we beheld the glory of the Son, on\nthe right hand of the Father, and received of his fullness; and saw the\nholy angels, and they who are sanctified before his throne, worshiping\nGod and the Lamb, who worship him forever and ever. And now, after the\nmany testimonies which have been, given of him, this is the testimony\nlast of all which we give of him, that he lives; for we saw him, even\non the right hand of God, and we heard the voice bearing record that he\nis the Only Begotten of the Father--that by him and through him, and\nof him the worlds are and were created, and the inhabitants thereof\nbegotten sons and daughters unto God.\"\n\n[Footnote Q: Doc. and Cov., sec. lxxvi.]\n\nSurely their testimony lacks nothing to be desired either as to\ndirectness or plainness.\n\nIn the Kirtland Temple, on the third of April, 1836, another revelation\nof the existence of the Son of God was given, and another witness\nwas added to the list of those who in this dispensation have beheld\nthe Lord--this was Oliver Cowdery. I quote the following from the\nrevelation:\n\n\"The vail was taken from our [the prophet Joseph's and Oliver's] minds\nand the eyes of our understanding were opened. We saw the Lord standing\nupon the breastwork of the pulpit, before us, and under his feet was\na paved work of pure gold, in color like amber. His eyes were as a\nflame of fire, the hair of his head was white like the pure snow, his\ncountenance shone above the brightness of the sun, and his voice was as\nthe sound of the rushing of great waters, even the voice of Jehovah,\nsaying--I am the first and the last, I am he who liveth, I am he who\nwas slain, I am your advocate with the Father. Behold, your sins are\nforgiven you, you are clean before me, therefore lift up your heads\nand rejoice; let the hearts of your brethren rejoice, and let the\nhearts of all my people rejoice, who have, with their might, built this\nhouse[R] to my name, for behold I have accepted this house, and my name\nshall be here, and I will manifest myself to my people in mercy in this\nhouse.\"[S]\n\n[Footnote R: The Kirtland Temple.]\n\n[Footnote S: Doc. and Cov., sec. ex, 1-7.]\n\nSuch, in brief, are some of the direct testimonies we have from the\nJewish and Nephite scriptures, and from the writings of inspired men in\nour own day concerning the existence of God and his Son Jesus Christ.\nAnd surely if human testimony can establish anything--any matter of\nfact, then the fact of God's existence is so established. The testimony\ncomes from such a variety of sources, is delivered in so many different\nages, from the first to the present, yet all blending so harmoniously,\nthat it leaves nothing to be desired in point of consistency or\nharmony, quality or quantity.\n\nLet me here observe, in concluding this chapter, that God is no\nrespecter of persons; but they who will approach him in faith, as these\ncharacters did, whose testimonies we have been examining, may have\na knowledge of his existence also. But--adapting to my purpose the\nlanguage of the Doctrine and Covenants[T]--after any portion of the\nhuman family are made acquainted--either through tradition, or the\ntestimony of those who have sought and found him--with the important\nfact that there is a God who has created and does uphold all things,\nthe extent of their personal knowledge respecting his character and\nglory, will depend upon their diligence and faithfulness in seeking\nafter him; until, like Enoch, the brother of Jared, Moses, Joseph\nSmith, and Oliver Cowdery, they shall obtain faith in God, and power to\nbehold him face to face.\n\n[Footnote T: Lecture II, on Faith, verse 55.]\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XV.\n\nFAITH.--THE CHARACTER OF GOD.\n\nAlthough belief in the fact that God exists is of first importance, it\nis not all that is necessary to an intelligent faith. It is the primary\nelement, perhaps, but there are others in addition to that which are\nneedful to a rational exercise of faith--such an exercise of faith that\nwill lead to eternal salvation in God's Kingdom. Something must be\nknown of the character of God, of his attributes; for I hold this truth\nto be self-evident, that without some knowledge of God's character men\ncannot intelligently exercise faith in him. Without that knowledge\nfaith will ever be imperfect, unsatisfactory, weak and comparatively\nunfruitful. Hence, we next proceed to inquire into the character of\nDeity, as he has revealed it to his children; and as we are dependent\nupon revelation for the knowledge of God's existence, so are we\ndependent upon revelation for what knowledge we have of his character.\n\nBut before I proceed immediately to inquire into the character of the\nDeity, I think it necessary to remark that men, who exercise faith\nin God, must not only believe that he is, but recognize him as the\ncreative power by whom all things are made and sustained; that they\nrecognize him as the Supreme Ruler of the universe. As I understand it,\nthat much is implied in the term God. Indeed, unless God is regarded\nas the supreme governing power, men could not center their faith in\nhim for life and salvation. For if the idea existed that his power was\nnot supreme, absolute--fear would be engendered in the hearts of men\nthat there existed still other powers who would overturn his purposes,\nand prevent a fulfillment of his promises; and where such fear exists\nthere faith cannot be perfected. There is abundant testimony in the\nscriptures, however, which proves God to be the creator and sustainer\nof all things that exist, and the supreme power of the universe. In\nproof of this I quote the following: \"Before the mountains were brought\nforth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from\neverlasting to everlasting, thou art God.\"[A] \"And thou. Lord, in the\nbeginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are\nthe works of thy hands: they shall perish; but thou remainest; and they\nshall wax old as doth a garment; and as a vesture shalt thou fold them\nup, and they shall be changed; but thou art the same, and thy years\nshall not fail.\"[B]\n\n[Footnote A: Psalms xc: 2.]\n\n[Footnote B: Heb. i: 10-12.]\n\nThe scriptures, however, are more specific than this as to the works of\ncreation in connection with our earth and the heavens connected with\nit. It is written: \"God * * * hath in these last days spoken unto us by\nhis Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, _by whom also he\nmade the worlds_.\"[C]\n\n[Footnote C: Heb. i: 1, 2.]\n\nFrom this it appears that God through and by Jesus Christ created the\nworlds, not only one world, but doubtless many; and this agrees with\na number of other scriptures. The apostle John says, in opening his\nGospel--in plain allusion to Christ: \"All things were made by him; and\nwithout him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and\nthe life was the light of men.\"[D] Paul also says: \"But to us there\nis but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him;\nand one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him.\"[E]\n\"And hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son, * * * who is\nthe image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature; for\nby him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in\nearth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or\nprincipalities, or powers: All things were created by him, and for him:\nAnd he is before all things, and by him all things consist. And he is\nthe head of the body, the church; who is the beginning, the firstborn\nfrom the dead, that in all things he might have the pre-eminence. For\nit pleased the Father that in him should all fullness dwell.\"[F]\n\n[Footnote D: John i: 3, 4.]\n\n[Footnote E: I. Cor. viii: 6.]\n\n[Footnote F: Col. i: 13-19.]\n\nIt was doubtless these considerations which led President Young to\nsay: \"Christ is the author of this earth, of men and women, of all the\nposterity of Adam and Eve, and of every living creature that lives upon\nthe face of the earth, that flies in the heavens, that swims in the\nwaters, or dwells in the field. Christ is the author of salvation to\nall this creation, to all things pertaining to this terrestrial globe\nwe occupy.\"[G]\n\n[Footnote G: Journal of Discourses, Vol. III, p. 80.]\n\nChrist being, under the direction of the Father the Creator and\nRedeemer of the earth, he and his Father have a proprietorship in this\nearth, and by virtue of that are the Supreme Governing Power in it. The\nLord Jesus Christ, under directions from his Father, created it; he\nthen redeemed it by his own suffering; he is now, and has been from the\nbeginning, watching over it; and will yet sanctify it, and present it\nto the Father a glorious, celestial sphere to be added to the redeemed\nand glorified kingdoms of God. \"Remember the former things of old,\"\nsaith the Lord through Isaiah, \"for I am God and there is none else; I\nam God and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning,\nand from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying my\ncounsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure.\"[H]\n\n[Footnote H: Isaiah xlvi, 8-10.]\n\nFrom the scriptures, then, we get abundant evidence that God is the\ncreator of, and the power that sustains the heavens and the earth, and\nthe Supreme Ruler of them; so that no fear need exist in the mind of\nany who put their trust in God, that other powers will or can thwart\nhis purposes, for having all power in heaven and in earth, he is able\nto fulfill his promises.\n\nI now come to the character of the Deity, as we have it revealed to us\nin the scriptures. The references I make are brief, though sufficient,\nI hope, for my purpose. I assure my readers, however, that they may be\nindefinitely extended, as the scriptures are replete with such passages.\n\nMoses says: \"And the Lord passed by before him and proclaimed, the\nLord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering and abundant\nin goodness and truth.\"[I] \"The Lord executeth righteousness and\njudgment for all that are oppressed. He made known his ways unto\nMoses, his acts unto the children of Israel. The Lord is merciful\nand gracious, slow to anger and plenteous in mercy. But the mercy of\nthe Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him,\nand his righteousness unto children's children; to such as keep his\ncovenants and to those that remember his commandments to do them.\"[J]\n\n[Footnote I: Exodus xxxiv: 6.]\n\n[Footnote J: Psalms ciii: 6, 7, 8, 17, 18.]\n\n\"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh\ndown from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither\nshadow of turning.\"[K] \"For I am the Lord, I change not; therefore ye\nsons of Jacob are not consumed.\"[L] \"For God doth not walk in crooked\npaths, neither does he turn to the right hand nor to the left, or vary\nfrom that which he has said, therefore his paths are straight, and his\ncourse is one eternal round.\"[M] \"Listen to the voice of the Lord your\nGod, even Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, whose course is\none eternal round, the same today as yesterday and forever.\"[N]\n\n[Footnote K: James i: 17.]\n\n[Footnote L: Mai. iii: 6.]\n\n[Footnote M: Doc. and Cov., sec, iii: 2.]\n\n[Footnote N: Doc and Cov., sec. xxxv: 1.]\n\n\"God is not a man that he should lie, neither the son of man that\nhe should repent.\"[O] \"Into thy hand I commit my spirit; thou hast\nredeemed me, O Lord God of Truth.\"[P] \"He is the rock, his work is\nperfect; for all his ways are judgment; a God of truth and without\niniquity, just and right is he.\"[Q]\n\n[Footnote O: Numbers xxiii: 19]\n\n[Footnote P: Psalms xxxi: 5.]\n\n[Footnote Q: Deut. xxxii: 4.]\n\nOf a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons, but in every\nnation he that feareth God and worketh righteousness is accepted with\nhim.[R]\n\n[Footnote R: Acts x: 34, 35.]\n\n\"He that loveth not, knoweth not God; for God is love: * * * and he\nthat dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.\"[S] \"For God\nso loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever\nbelieveth on him should not perish but have everlasting life.\"[T]\n\n[Footnote S: John iv: 8-16.]\n\n[Footnote T: John iii: 16.]\n\nI can think of no greater evidence of God's love than that exhibited\nin the act of permitting his Son, Jesus Christ, to come to the earth\nand suffer as he did for the sins of the world, that they might not\nsuffer if they would but conform to his laws and thus accept the terms\nof salvation. It would seem, too, that the same attribute of love\nexists in the breast of the Son, for the sacrifice he made for the\nredemption of the world was a voluntary act. He was not compelled to\nmake the atonement, but of his own free will he volunteered to become\nour ransom.[U]\n\n[Footnote U: Pearl of Great Price, p. 41]\n\nHe himself testified: \"Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay\ndown my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but\nI lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power\nto take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.\"[V]\n\n[Footnote V: John x: 17, 18.]\n\nThus, the atonement of Jesus, for the children of men, was a voluntary\nact; and his death and suffering for the world, was the strongest\nexpression of his love it is possible to conceive--\"Greater love hath\nno man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.\"\n\nFrom the foregoing testimonies we learn the following things respecting\nthe character of God.\n\n\"First, that he is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, abundant\nin goodness, and that he was so from everlasting, and will be so to\neverlasting.\n\n\"Secondly, that he changes not, neither is there variableness with him;\nbut that he is the same from everlasting to everlasting, being the\nsame yesterday, today, and forever, and that his course is one eternal\nround, without variation.\n\n\"Thirdly, that he is a God of truth and cannot lie.\n\n\"Fourthly, that he is no respecter of persons, but in every nation he\nwho fears God and works righteousness is accepted of him.\n\n\"Fifthly, that he is love.\"[W]\n\n[Footnote W: I quote the above paragraphs from the III. Lecture on\nFaith, Doc. and Cov.]\n\nI conclude this chapter with the remarks made upon these attributes of\nDeity, to be found in one of the lectures on faith in the Doctrine and\nCovenants:\n\n\"An acquaintance with these attributes in the divine character, is\nessentially necessary, in order that the faith of any rational being\ncan center in him for life and salvation. For unless he was merciful\nand gracious, slow to anger, long suffering and full of goodness,\nsuch is the weakness of human nature, and so great the frailties\nand imperfections of men, that unless they believed that these\nexcellencies existed in the divine character, the faith necessary to\nsalvation could not exist; for doubt would take the place of faith,\nand those who know their weakness and liability to sin, would be in\nconstant doubt of salvation, if it were not for the idea which they\nhave of the excellency of the character of God, that he is slow to\nanger and long suffering, and of a forgiving disposition, and does\nforgive iniquity, transgression and sin. An idea of these facts does\naway doubt, and makes faith exceedingly strong.\n\n\"But it is equally as necessary that men should have the idea that\nhe is a God who changes not, in order to have faith in him, as it is\nto have the idea that he is gracious and long suffering; for without\nthe idea of unchangeableness in the character of the Deity, doubt\nwould take the place of faith. But with the idea that he changes not,\nfaith lays hold upon the excellencies in his character with unshaken\nconfidence, believing he is the same yesterday, today and forever, and\nthat his course is one eternal round.\n\n\"And again, the idea that he is a God of truth and cannot lie, is\nequally as necessary to the exercise of faith in him as the idea of\nhis unchangeableness. For without the idea that he was a God of truth\nand could not lie, the confidence necessary to be placed in his word,\nin order to the exercise of faith in him could not exist. But having\nthe idea that he is not man, that he cannot lie, it gives power to the\nminds of men to exercise faith in him.\n\n\"But it is also necessary that men should have an idea that he is no\nrespecter of persons, for with the idea of all the other excellencies\nin his character, and this one wanting, men could not exercise faith\nin him; because if he were a respecter of persons, they could not\ntell what their privileges were, nor how far they were authorized to\nexercise faith in him, or whether they were authorized to do it at all,\nbut all must be confusion; but no sooner are the minds of men made\nacquainted with the truth on this point, that he is no respecter of\npersons, than they see that they have authority by faith to lay hold on\neternal life, the richest boon of heaven, because God is no respecter\nof persons, and that every man in every nation has an equal privilege.\n\n\"And lastly, but not less important to the exercise of faith in God, is\nthe idea that he is love; for with all the other excellencies in his\ncharacter, without this one to influence them, they could not have such\npowerful dominion over the minds of men; but when the idea is planted\nin the mind that he is love, who cannot see the just ground that men of\nevery nation, kindred, and tongue, have to exercise faith in God so as\nto obtain eternal life!\n\n\"From the above description of the character of the Deity, which is\ngiven him in the revelations to men, there is a sure foundation for the\nexercise of faith in him among every people, nation, and kindred, from\nage to age, and from generation to generation.\"[X]\n\n[Footnote X: Doc and Cov., Lectures on Faith, No. III.]\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XVI.\n\nFAITH.--COURSE OF LIFE.\n\nI have now considered two elements which enter into the principle of\nfaith, and which are essential to its existence; _viz_., a belief in the\nbeing of God; and, secondly, the nature of his character. There is\nstill one more thing that must be considered, one more element that\nmust enter into this principle of faith, before it can become a living,\nactive power in the life of man--and that is, herein the worth of\nfaith exists. I may say of faith as Guizot does of science, that it\nmay be a beautiful thing of itself, but it becomes a thousand times\ngrander and more beautiful when it becomes a power; when it becomes\nthe parent of virtue. Indeed if it does not become a power in the life\nof man, an incentive to noble deeds, it is a dead faith, and is as the\nbody without the spirit, or as salt without its savor--it is good for\nnothing.\n\nThe third element which is essential to faith as a power in the life\nof man, centers in and depends upon man rather than God. A belief\nin the fact that God exists, with a correct idea of his character\nis sufficient for man to exercise faith in him, but man must know\nsomething about himself also; that is, he must know that the course\nof life he is pursuing is in accordance with the will of heaven--is\napproved of God, before faith can become perfect, or have any marked\ninfluence with the heavens. This truth is self-evident. For what\nconfidence can one have that his petition will be heard and answered\nby the Lord, if all the time he is conscious that he habitually,\nperhaps wantonly, violates the law of God--if he blasphemes the name\nof Deity, or speaks lightly, and may be slightingly, of sacred things,\nor walks contrary to the expressed will of the Lord in the matter of\ntruthfulness, sobriety, chastity, honesty and brotherly kindness? What\nconfidence, I ask, can such a person have that his petitions will be\nsufficiently respected either to be heard or granted? The understanding\nanswers, none. It stands to reason that such persons must repent, and\nthat earnestly, with real intent, with a fixed determination to respect\nGod and his laws, before they can hope for the powers of heaven to be\ninfluenced by them. It is the prayer of the righteous man that availeth\nmuch.\n\nOn the other hand, if one walk in all honesty of heart before God; if\nto the best of his ability and knowledge, making due allowance for\nhuman frailty--and I do not under-estimate its influence in hindering\nthat perfect walk with God, that is desirable--he keeps the laws of his\nGod, sacrificing his good name among men, if need be, or leaving father\nor mother, houses or lands, wives and children, counting all things but\ndross, when compared with the excellence of the knowledge of God--being\nfaithful through good and through evil report--resulting, as it must\ndo, in a consciousness of the approval of heaven--how strong will his\nconfidence become in the presence of the Lord, and what blessings can\nthe heavens withhold from him?\n\nIt was this consciousness of having walked truly before his God,\nwhich, when the word of the Lord came to him, that he should surely\ndie, enabled king Hezekiah to turn to the Lord, in confidence, and\nsay: \"Remember, now, O Lord, I beseech thee, how I have walked before\nthee in truth, and with a perfect heart, and have done good in thy\nsight.\"[A] And before Isaiah had left the house of the king, the word\nof the Lord came again to him, bidding him to return to the king with\nthe glad message that his prayer had been heard, and fifteen years had\nbeen added to his life.\n\n[Footnote A: Isaiah xxxviii.]\n\nIt was this consciousness, coupled with a belief in God's existence\nand a knowledge of his character, that enabled the ancient saints to\nendure their sore afflictions, taking joyfully the spoiling of their\ngoods. By combining these elements of faith they produced a power by\nwhich they \"subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises,\nstopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the\nedge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in\nfight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. Women received their\ndead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting\ndeliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection: and others\nhad trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and\nimprisonment: they were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted,\nwere slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and\ngoatskins; being, destitute, afflicted, tormented. Of whom the world\nwas not worthy, they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens\nand caves of the earth.\"[B]\n\n[Footnote B: Heb. xi: 33-38.]\n\nSuch is Paul's testimony respecting the faith and the power thereof\namong the saints on the Eastern hemisphere; and if we turn to the\nsacred pages of the Book of Mormon, a like record of sacrifice and\nheroism could be drawn up to the credit of the saints living on the\nWestern hemisphere.\n\nAnd so also with the Saints in this present dispensation. It was\nthrough faith that the Prophet Joseph Smith had the heavens opened\nto him and received a glorious vision of God the Father and his Son\nJesus Christ; it was through faith that he received the gold plates on\nwhich were engraven the history and scriptures of the Nephites, and\ntranslated them into the English language; it was by the power of faith\nthat he organized the church and the quorums of the priesthood. It was\nby the power of faith, too, that the Saints endured the persecutions\nheaped upon them in Missouri, the land of Zion, taking joyfully the\nspoiling of their goods, being whipped, imprisoned and murdered. It\nwas by faith they gathered at Nauvoo and converted its swamps into a\nbeautiful city, its wilderness into fruitful fields and erected the\nbeautiful temple in the days of their poverty. By faith they restrained\ntheir anger when their prophet and patriarch were murdered while\nunder the plighted faith of the State of Illinois, and committed no\ndepredations on the ungodly within their power in retaliation for the\ncowardly assassination of their leaders.\n\nBy faith they followed the prophet Brigham into the desert, going a\nthousand miles beyond the borders of civilization among savage Indian\ntribes, their only hope of protection being in the God of Israel.\nBy faith they subdued the sterile soil and made it yield them the\nbounties of life, and filled the once barren wastes of the Rocky\nMountain valleys with towns and villages; farms, gardens, orchards\nand happy homes for an extent of more than five hundred miles; and\nby faith they have calmly endured fines, confiscations, exile and\nimprisonment--persecution under the forms of law--at the hands of the\nUnited States government, rather than be untrue to their God.\n\nSuch experiences as these I have referred to in the history of the\nSaints, both of ancient and modern times, demonstrates to the heavens\nthe strength or quality of faith possessed by the Saints, and also\nexhibits faith as a principle of power, for such it is; who can doubt\nit when we are told that through faith the worlds were framed by the\nWord of God;[C] and through faith the saints in all ages of the world\nhave been able to perform the works already set down to their credit.\n\n[Footnote C: Heb. xi: 3.]\n\nAnother result flows from these experiences--these sufferings, trials\nand sacrifices of the saints. They bring to the faithful who endure\nthem the assurance--nay, the knowledge of their acceptance with God.\nThis knowledge occupies an important place in religion, for it is\nthrough that knowledge and through that alone, that men will be able\nto endure the trials that ever have and ever will, in a state of\nprobation, beset the pathway of candidates for the celestial kingdom\nof God. \"Such was and ever will be the situation of the saints of\nGod, that unless they have an actual knowledge that the course they\nare pursuing is according to the will of God, they will grow weary\nin their minds, and faint; for such has been, and always will be the\nopposition in the hearts of unbelievers and those that know not God,\nagainst the pure and unadulterated religion of heaven (the only thing\nwhich insures eternal life), that they will persecute to the uttermost\nall that worship God according to his revelations, receive the truth\nin the love of it, and submit themselves to be guided and directed by\nhis will; and drive them to such extremities, that nothing short of an\nactual knowledge of their being the favorites of heaven, and of their\nhaving embraced that order of things which God has established for the\nredemption of man, will enable them to exercise that confidence in him,\nnecessary for them to overcome the world, and obtain that crown of\nglory which is laid up for them that fear God. . .\"\n\n\"For unless a person does know that he is walking according to the\nwill of God, it would be offering an insult to the dignity of the\nCreator, were he to say, that he would be a partaker of his glory when\nhe should be done with the things of this life. But when he has this\nknowledge, and most assuredly knows that he is doing the will of God,\nhis confidence can be equally strong that he will be a partaker of the\nglory of God.\"\n\n\"Let us here observe, that a religion that does not require the\nsacrifice of all things, never has power sufficient to produce the\nfaith necessary unto life and salvation; for, from the first existence\nof man, the faith necessary unto the enjoyment of life and salvation\nnever could be obtained without the sacrifice of all earthly things.\nIt was through this sacrifice, and this only, that God has ordained\nthat men should enjoy eternal life; and it is through the medium of the\nsacrifice of all earthly things, that men do actually know that they\nare doing the things that are well pleasing in the sight of God. When a\nman has offered in sacrifice all that he has for the truth's sake, not\neven withholding his life, and believing before God that he has been\ncalled to make this sacrifice because he seeks to do his will, he does\nknow, most assuredly, that God does and will accept his sacrifice and\noffering, and that he has not, nor will not, seek his face in vain.\nUnder these circumstances, then, he can obtain the faith necessary for\nhim to lay hold on eternal life.\"\n\n\"It is in vain for persons to fancy to themselves that they are heirs\nwith those, or can be heirs with them, who have offered their all in\nsacrifice, and by this means obtained faith in God and favor with him,\nso as to obtain eternal life, unless they, in like manner, offer unto\nhim the same sacrifice, and through that offering, obtain the knowledge\nthat they are accepted of him. * * * From the days of righteous Abel to\nthe present time, the knowledge that men have that they are accepted in\nthe sight of God, is obtained by offering sacrifice. And in the last\ndays, before the Lord comes, he is to gather together his saints who\nhave made a covenant with him, by sacrifice: 'Our God shall come, and\nshall not keep silence: a fire shall devour before him, and it shall\nbe very tempestuous round about him. He shall call to the heavens\nfrom above, and to the earth, that he may judge his people. Gather my\nsaints together unto me; those that have made a covenant with me by\nsacrifice.'\"[D]\n\n[Footnote D: Psalms i: 3-5.]\n\n\"Those, then, who make the sacrifice, will have the testimony that\ntheir course is pleasing in the sight of God; and those who have this\ntestimony will have faith to lay hold on eternal life, and will be\nenabled, through faith, to endure unto the end, and receive the crown\nthat is laid up for them that love the appearing of our Lord Jesus\nChrist. But those who do not make the sacrifice cannot enjoy this\nfaith, because men are dependent upon this sacrifice in order to obtain\nthis faith; therefore they cannot lay hold upon eternal life, because\nthe revelations of God do not guarantee unto them the authority so to\ndo, and without this guarantee faith could not exist.\"\n\n\"All the saints of whom we have any account, in all the revelations\nof God which are extant, obtained the knowledge which they had of\ntheir acceptance in his sight through the sacrifice which they offered\nunto him; and through the knowledge thus obtained their faith became\nsufficiently strong to lay hold upon the promise of eternal life, and\nto endure as seeing him who is invisible; and were enabled, through\nfaith, to combat the powers of darkness, contend against the wiles of\nthe adversary, overcome the world, and obtain the end of their faith,\neven the salvation of their souls.\"[E]\n\n[Footnote E: Doc. and Cov., Lecture on Faith, No. VI.]\n\nThis, then, is my exposition of the grand principle of faith: It is an\nassurance of the mind of the existence or reality of things not seen,\nor that have not been demonstrated to any other of the senses. It takes\nroot in evidence, more or less convincing to the understanding; and the\nstrength of the faith depends largely upon the quality and quantity\nof the evidence. The more unquestionable, the more overwhelming the\nevidence, the more strong and immovable will be the faith.\n\nAs a principle of religion, faith centers in God, and bids man hope for\nsalvation and eternal life. I have endeavored to show in the foregoing\npages that in order that faith may be intelligently exercised in God,\nit is essential that there should be a belief in his existence, and\ncorrect ideas as to his character. I trust that the evidences pointed\nout as to the fact that he exists have been sufficient to produce that\nbelief; and that the testimonies adduced have been of a character to\nfix in the mind of the reader a just estimate of his character. If\nthat has been accomplished, then I feel assured that a faith has been\nestablished in the mind that will lead to repentance, to an effort\nto yield obedience to the laws of heaven. That effort persevered in\nwill, in time, bring the consciousness that the course of life being\npursued is in accordance with the will of heaven, and by a union of\nthese three elements, that is, a belief in the existence of God, a\ncorrect conception of his character, and a knowledge that the course\nof life pursued is approved of him--will render faith perfect, will\nconstitute it a principle of power, the incentive to all action--as\nreally it is, whether in temporal or spiritual things--leading from one\ndegree of knowledge or excellence to another, from righteousness to\nrighteousness, until the heavens will be opened to them and they will\nhold communion with the Church of the First Born, with Jesus Christ,\nand with God the Father, and thus will they make their calling and\nelection sure--through faith ripening into knowledge.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XVII.\n\nREPENTANCE.\n\nIn saying that the first result of belief in God, and in the\nrevelations which he has given is _repentance_, I shall raise no\ncontroversy, for it is a truth generally accepted; indeed it follows\nfaith in logical sequence. No sooner does conviction of God's\nexistence, and of the truth of the revelations which he has given\nof himself, and of his laws, dawn upon the mind, than man becomes\nconscious of his being a violator of the holy and just laws of heaven.\nIn the days of his unbelief and spiritual darkness he sinned recklessly\nand wantonly, without regard to God and often in defiance of him;\nbut when belief takes hold of the mind, and when mere belief begins\nto ripen into intelligent faith through becoming acquainted with the\ncharacter of the Deity--when it becomes clear to the understanding\nthat he is the creative and sustaining power of all things; when it is\nunderstood that from him man derives his existence and that in him he\nlives, and moves and has his being; and when it is further known that\nhis laws are beneficent and good, shaped for the purpose of ennobling\nman and exalting him; when some revelation of the great love of God and\nhis Son Jesus Christ rushes in upon the mind like a flood of heavenly\nlight into darkness--how the haughty, rebellious spirit is humbled, the\nheart softened, and the whole demeanor changed! With what contrition\ndoes the man, truly convinced of all these things we have enumerated\nrespecting the Deity, seek the throne of grace and cry aloud: \"O God!\nHave mercy upon me a sinner!\" For almost at the same moment that faith\ntook hold of him, he began to understand how great his sins were before\nGod. And that realization growls upon him as conviction, becomes more\ncertain, until the spirit is bowed down with sorrow because of his\nmany violations of the laws of righteousness. Nor do these remarks\napply only to those who have been enormously wicked. Take those of a\nnaturally good disposition, and who have followed the light of reason,\nand even they, in taking a retrospective view of their lives, will find\nthat they have fallen far short of coming up to what they conceived\nto be their duty. Even the light they possessed--I mean aside from\nthe revelations of God--revealed to them a higher moral excellence\nthan they have attained. They have not done as well as they could\nhave done. This fact is evident--one of which all may give witness.\nThis being true, that is, man seeing that he has come short of doing\nhis whole duty according to his natural conceptions of what that duty\nis, how much more distant from the goal of desired excellence will he\nesteem himself when the light of revelation breaks in upon his life,\nbringing into bolder relief his mistakes, and revealing to him a purer\nmoral and spiritual life than it was possible for his mind, unaided by\nrevelation, to conceive? I venture the assertion that even the best\nmen--by that I mean those who have best conformed their lives to the\nrules of conduct dictated by reason--will be ready to say with the\napostle, \"All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.\"\n\nHence they, as well as those guilty of more flagrant sins, will, as\nfaith takes possession of their minds, be brought to repentance through\nits influence, and be led to seek forgiveness of their sins, and\nreconciliation with God.\n\nThat repentance is the first result growing out of faith in God and the\nGospel, is abundantly proven from the scriptures. The multitude that\nassembled on the day of Pentecost, and listened to the remarks of the\napostles, and even heard them speak in tongues, by the power of the\nHoly Ghost, were ready to scoff at those things, and even went so far\nas to say that these men were drunken with new wine; but when Peter\narose and reasoned with them from the scriptures, proving from the law\nand the prophets that Jesus, whom the Jews had slain, was both Lord\nand Christ, his words and testimony were accompanied by so much of the\npower of God, that conviction took hold of the people, and, as with\none voice, they cried, \"Men and brethren, what shall we do?\" In this\ninstance, then, the first fruits of that faith which had been created\nin the minds of this people, was a desire to know what they were to\ndo; and the first words that the inspired apostle said in reply were,\n\"Repent, every one of you.\"[A]\n\n[Footnote A: Acts ii.]\n\nPaul, of Tarsus, afterwards the great apostle to the Gentiles, at first\npersecuted the disciples of Jesus, casting both men and women into\nprison for what he considered their blasphemous faith. And when Stephen\nwas martyred, Paul stood by and held the clothes of those who did the\nghastly, cruel deed. He appears to have been proud of and zealous in\nthe prosecution of this work of opposition; but when the Lord appeared\nto him on the way to Damascus, and announced himself as Jesus whom he\npersecuted, the ambitious, arrogant Paul was immediately humbled to the\ndust, and in tremulous accents he inquired, \"Lord, what wouldst thou\nhave me to do?\"[B] How deep the sorrow, how sincere the repentance was\nwhich began in the very moment of his learning the fact that Jesus was\nthe Lord, is witnessed by his life of zealous labors and his suffering\nin the interest of the kingdom of Messiah.\n\n[Footnote B: Acts ix.]\n\nThe Book of Mormon also furnishes a number of examples of like\ncharacter. When a church was established among the Nephites, in\nthe reign of good King Mosiah, about 100 B. C, the work of God was\nbitterly opposed, derided and persecuted by the sons of King Mosiah,\nand especially by Alma, one of the sons of the first Alma, and a man\nof great influence and consummate eloquence. Paul-like, these men went\nabout doing all the mischief to the people of God within their power;\nbut at last an angel of the Lord appeared to them, to bring them to\na knowledge of the truth, and this occurred in answer to the fervent\nprayers of their parents. The glory of God shone about the angel, and\nhis voice shook the earth. Alma was smitten dumb for a season, and\nhad to be carried to the presence of his father; and when his speech\nreturned to him, the eloquent scoffer of a few days before, was as\nhumble as a child, and as penitent and submissive as it is possible\nfor man to be. He repented of all his former sins, and throughout the\nremainder of his eventful life, was a zealous missionary and a faithful\nwitness for God.[C]\n\n[Footnote C: The history of this case is in the Book of Mosiah, Book of\nMormon, ch. xxvii.]\n\nSimilar in point, too, is the case of Zeezrom, the lawyer, who\nwithstood, for a time, the teachings of Alma and Amulek, but was\nbrought to faith and repentance through the manifestation of the power\nof God.[D] Enough, however, has been said in relation to a fact that\nin the very nature of things is largely self-evident; and surely after\nthe illustration it has received, will not now be questioned; that is,\nthat repentance is the first result growing out of faith in God and\nin revelation; and therefore it is the subject that, according to the\nnatural order of things, must now receive our attention.\n\n[Footnote D: See Book of Alma, xi-xvi.]\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XVIII.\n\nREPENTANCE.\n\nSomething of the importance of the subject of repentance, as connected\nwith the Gospel, may be learned from the stress laid upon it by those\nwho have been sent of God to instruct the people in the ways of\nlife. The burden of John the Baptist's teaching was, \"Repent ye, for\nthe kingdom of heaven is at hand.\"[A] Jesus also told the people of\nJerusalem, that except they repented, they should perish.[B] When upon\nthe Western hemisphere, among the Nephites, he also taught repentance\nas one of the conditions of salvation, saying to them, \"Whosoever will\nhearken to my words, and repenteth and is baptized, the same shall be\nsaved.\"[C] And of course it follows that those who repented not, and\nwere not baptized, could not be saved.\n\n[Footnote A: Matt. iii: 2.]\n\n[Footnote B: Luke xiii: 1-5.]\n\n[Footnote C: III. Nephi xxiii: 5.]\n\nWhen the apostles, that were chosen in Judea, began the execution of\nthe commission given them, _viz_., to go and teach all nations, the very\nfirst thing they required the people who received their words to do\nwas that they should repent.[D] Paul bears witness, that though in the\ndays of ignorance God winked at sins, when the Gospel was declared\nunto the people, he commanded men everywhere to repent. And in this\nlast dispensation, the Lord inspired his servant Joseph Smith to say,\n\"We know that all men must repent, and believe on the name of Jesus\nChrist, * * * or they cannot be saved in the kingdom of God.\"[E]\n\n[Footnote D: Luke xiii: 1-5.]\n\n[Footnote E: Doc. and Cov., sec. xx: 29.]\n\nFrom these scriptures it is evident that repentance is one of the\nconditions of salvation, and, indeed, reason, no less forcibly than\nrevelation, would teach us that it is one of the conditions on which\nsalvation is predicated. It must forever precede a forgiveness of\nsins. He who is impenitent is in no condition to receive a forgiveness\nof sins; he does not desire it; he would not receive it; he refuses\nto surrender, and however much men and angels may deplore his state\nof mind, one cannot conceive how God would forgive anyone in open\nrebellion to him and his laws, and who persists in that rebellion. Not\nuntil the spirit is humbled, not until the heart throbs with genuine\nsorrow for repeated violation of God's holy laws, not until the\ncitadel of sin is surrendered, can man hope for forgiveness, or expect\nsalvation.\n\nBut what is repentance? I shall venture as a definition this,\nRepentance is a deep and heartfelt sorrow for sin, producing a\nreformation of life. That is the significance of the word to my mind as\nassociated with the Gospel; and I think such a definition arises from\nthe spirit, and, I may say, the letter of the scriptures.\n\n\"Repent, and turn yourselves from your transgressions; so iniquity\nshall not be your ruin. Cast away from you all your transgressions,\nwhereby you have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new\nspirit, for why will ye die, O house of Israel?\"[F]\n\n[Footnote F: Ezek. xviii: 30, 31.]\n\nSuch was the word of the Lord to Israel through the prophet Ezekiel.\nI call the attention of the reader to the fact, that the idea of\nturning away from transgressions, and making a new heart and a new\nspirit, or in other word, a reformation of life, is associated with the\ncommandment to repent, and forms part of it.\n\nPaul wrote an epistle to the Corinthian saints, reproving them for\ntheir sins, and his sharp reproofs filled them with sorrow. In a\nsubsequent epistle to the same people, and alluding to the effect of\nhis former epistle, he said: \"Though I made you sorry with a letter, I\ndo not repent. * * * I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that\nyou sorrowed unto repentance; for ye were made sorry after a godly\nmanner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing. For godly sorrow\nworketh repentance unto salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow\nof the world worketh death.\"[G]\n\n[Footnote G: II. Cor. vii: 8-10.]\n\nFrom this passage it appears that Paul recognized two kinds of sorrow,\nor repentance, one of which has need to be repented of, because\nunfruitful of reformation, and therefore not profitable in the way of\nsalvation--the sorrow of the world which worketh death. On the other\nhand is godly sorrow, or repentance which bringeth salvation, known\nto both men and angels, aye, and likewise to God, by the fruit it\nbears--good works--forsaking evil, producing a reformation of life.\nIt leads one who stole to steal no more; one in the habit of getting\ndrunk, to get drunk no more; one who blasphemed the name of God to\ndo so no more; and so on as to all things in which man violates the\nsacred principles of righteousness. It is written in James: \"Submit\nyourselves, therefore, to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from\nyou. Draw nigh to God and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands,\nye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. Be afflicted and\nmourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy\nto heaviness. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall\nlift you up.\"[H]\n\n[Footnote H: James iv: 7-10.]\n\nBecause of the stress here laid upon the necessity of humility, and\nthe people being commanded to mourn and weep, to let their laughter be\nturned to mourning, and their joy to heaviness, some religious teachers\n(like the Pharisees and scribes of old who tithed mint and anise and\ncummin, but omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy\nand faith) give so much attention to weeping, mourning and crying\naloud, in order to appear to be afflicted, that they have overlooked\nthe weightier matters--cleansing their hands, purifying their hearts,\nresisting the devil and drawing nigh unto God. These ought they to\ndo, and not leave the other--the weeping and mourning, inasmuch as it\narises from a deep and heartfelt conviction of sinfulness--undone.\n\nBut at present there is too much of what Paul would call \"worldly\nsorrow\" mixed up with the idea of repentance. Too much mourning over\nsin, yet running into temptation; an excess of lamentation and not\nenough of turning away from evil; in a word, the sorrow of the world,\nwhich worketh death, is too prevalent. How weary must be the old, old\nstory to God and angels, as well as to men--\"we have done those things\nwe ought not to have done, and have left undone those things we ought\nto have done!\"\n\nThen again, the sorrow of the world, the sorrow which worketh death,\nis too generally accepted for genuine repentance; the latter may be\nknown and distinguished from the former by its being accompanied by\na reformation of life, a turning away from that which is evil--the\nkind of repentance required in the Gospel, the only kind that will be\naccepted of God, or that savors of salvation. God, whom we esteem as\na being in whom all the fullness of perfection dwells, must ever be\nmore pleased with the substance of worship, or religion, or repentance\nthan with the forms pertaining to it, and this is abundantly proven by\ninstances recorded in holy writ.\n\nIn the days of Israel's captivity in Babylon, certain messengers from\nthose who were captive, Sherezer and Regem-melech and their men, went\nup to Jerusalem to inquire of the prophets and priests of the Lord if\nIsrael while in captivity should keep the fast of the fifth month,\nand weep, separating themselves as they had hitherto done. In answer\nto these inquiries the word of the Lord came through the prophet\nZechariah, and he asks: \"When ye fasted and mourned in the fifth and\nseventh month, even those seventy years, did ye at all fast unto me,\neven to me? And when ye did eat, and when ye did drink, did not ye eat\nfor yourselves and drink for yourselves? Should ye not hear the words\nwhich the Lord hath cried by the former prophets, when Jerusalem was\ninhabited and in prosperity, and the cities thereof round about her,\nwhen men inhabited the south and the plain?\"\n\nHe reminds them that through the former prophets he had commanded\nIsrael to execute true judgment, to show mercy and compassion every\nman to his brother; to oppress not the widow and the fatherless, the\nstranger nor the poor; to let none imagine evil in his heart against\nhis brother. But these things they neglected to do, and the Lord\npermitted their enemies to scatter them among strange nations.\n\nAs a final answer to those messengers, however, the Lord said: \"These\nare the things which ye shall do: speak ye every man the truth to his\nneighbor, execute the judgment of truth and peace in your gates: and\nlet none of you imagine evil in your heart against his neighbor: and\nlove no false oath: for all these are things which I hate, saith the\nLord.\" And then the Lord, on condition of their doing this, promised\nthem that \"The fast of the fourth month, and the fast of the fifth, and\nthe fast of the seventh, and the fast of the tenth, shall be to the\nhouse of Judah joy and gladness and cheerful feasts; therefore love the\ntruth and peace.\"[I]\n\n[Footnote I: Zech., chapters vii and viii.]\n\nSurely, after the spirit of this circumstance is carefully considered,\nit will be admitted that I am right in my statement, that God is more\npleased with the substance of repentance, than with the weeping and\nmourning attendant upon it; more satisfied with the reformation of the\nsinner, than with his affliction.\n\nThen, how reasonable and righteous is this law of repentance! When one\nguilty of violating the laws of heaven desires forgiveness, the very\nleast thing that can be expected of him is that he will refrain from\ndoing again those things which constituted his offense, and form an\nhonest resolution to refrain from evil.\n\nMoreover, repentance is chiefly beneficial to the person who practices\nit. The commandment from God to repent--always given in connection\nwith the declaration of the Gospel--is really nothing more than an\ninvitation to do one's self a kindness. It can only be an abomination\nto fools to depart from evil. It is written, also, that \"Righteousness\nexalteth a nation; but sin is a reproach to any people.\"[J] And as it\nis with a nation, so it is with individuals.\n\n[Footnote J: Proverbs of Solomon.]\n\nAgain, the voice of inspiration says: \"As righteousness tendeth to\nlife, so he that pursueth evil, pursueth it to his own death.\" To\nrepent, then, means to turn aside from the path which leads to death,\nand choose that which leads to life--to life eternal. And while the\nangels in heaven may rejoice over one who turns from the error of his\nway; yet, the chief good arising from the reformation of the sinner, is\nreaped by himself.\n\nSince God, then, in this matter of repentance seeks only the good of\nthose of whom the requirement is made, \"Let the wicked forsake his\nwicked way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him turn unto\nthe Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God for he will\nabundantly pardon.\"[K]\n\n[Footnote K: Isaiah lv: 7.]\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XIX.\n\nREPENTANCE.--HISTORICAL ILLUSTRATION.\n\nHistorical illustration of the truth of the statement made by Isaiah,\nwith which our last chapter closed, and which in effect says that the\nLord will have mercy on the penitent sinner and abundantly pardon\nhim--would be easy, whether in the experience of individuals or of\npeoples and nations.\n\nWhen Cain was crest-fallen because the offerings of his more righteous\nbrother were accepted, while his own half-hearted and begrudgingly-tendered\nofferings were rejected, the Lord said to him, \"Cain, why art\nthou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen? If thou doest well,\nshalt thou not be accepted?\"[A] So it would seem that the Lord was\njust as ready to receive Cain as he was Abel, if the former would only\nrepent.\n\n[Footnote A: Gen. iv: 6, 7.]\n\nIn my first chapter on repentance (chapter xvii), I referred to the\ncase of Paul's conversion, and I only name it again in order to call\nthe reader's attention to the readiness with which the Lord forgave him\nfully, and made him an honored servant in his church on his turning\naway from his sins. In the same chapter reference is also made to the\ncase of Zeezrom, the lawyer, to Alma, the son of the first Alma, and\nto the sons of Mosiah his companions, all of whom, like Paul, were\namong the chief of sinners, because they persecuted the Church of God;\nbut on their sincere repentance, as in Paul's case, the Lord freely\nand abundantly pardoned them. Among the remarkable characters of old,\nperhaps none are more interesting than the person known in the Book of\nEther as the brother of Jared.[B] He is the prophet whom God chose to\nlead away a colony from the great tower, built shortly after the flood,\nto the choice land of America. After this colony had been led from the\ntower into the wilderness, they pitched their tents in a land they\ncalled Moriancumer, by the sea-side; and here they dwelt for four years.\n\n[Footnote B: See Book of Mormon.]\n\nDuring this season of rest and peace they forgot their God, and\nneglected to call upon him. It seems, too, that the brother of Jared\nwas guilty of this thing, as well as his brethren. At last the Lord\nappeared to the brother of Jared in a cloud, and reproved him for his\nneglect, and for the space of about three hours he chastened him for\nhis sins. \"And the brother of Jared repented of the evil which he had\ndone, and did call upon the name of the Lord for his brethren who were\nwith him. And the Lord said unto him, I forgive thee and thy brethren\nof their sins; but thou shalt not sin any more, for ye shall remember\nthat my spirit will not always strive with man; wherefore, if ye will\nsin until ye are fully ripe, ye shall be cut off from the presence\nof the Lord.\"[C] Note how readily the Lord forgave as soon as the\ntransgressors repented!\n\n[Footnote C: Book of Ether, in Book of Mormon, ch. ii.]\n\nTime would fail me to tell of Laman and Lemuel, the elder brothers\nof Nephi, who so frequently were in rebellion against God, and their\nyounger brother, whom the Lord had chosen to be a leader and a prophet\nunto them. How often they assaulted his person, bound him with cords,\nscorned his teachings, rejected his warnings and trampled the message\nof God under their feet! Yet as often as they repented both Nephi and\nthe Lord forgave them, and that freely.\n\nThe experience of these persons, and that of many others related\nin holy writ, is surely sufficient to prove the willingness of God\nto forgive. Yet, take one more evidence of it, not from personal\nexperience, however, but from the spirit of the teachings of the Son of\nGod. On a certain occasion the apostle Peter came to Jesus and said:\n\"Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him; till\nseven times? Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee until seven\ntimes: but until seventy times seven.\"[D]\n\n[Footnote D: Matt. xviii: 21, 22.]\n\nSince the Lord requires so much mercy, such a generous spirit\nof forgiveness in his children, may it not be reasonably\nconcluded--inasmuch as every noble quality that man possesses, is, in\nDeity, enlarged and perfected--that God is infinitely more forgiving\nthan he has commanded his children to be? Such a conclusion, it seems\nto me, is but reasonable; and, indeed, it is needful that such an idea\nrespecting the character of God, should exist in the minds of men; for,\nas I have remarked elsewhere, such is the weakness of man, and the\nfrequency of his transgressions of God's law, that unless he knows that\nthe Lord is merciful, slow to anger, long-suffering, and always ready\nto forgive, he would become disheartened; gloomy despair would drive\nhope from the soul; and, hope once destroyed, leaves man a prey to all\nthe fiends of hell. He will then give a loose rein to every passion,\nand under the whip and spur of his desperation, ride recklessly to\ncertain and everlasting destruction. He would have no good, he would\nknow no evil. Lucifer-like, he would exclaim:\n\n    * * * \"Whither shall I fly? Which way I fly is hell--myself am\n    hell! And in the lowest deep, a lower deep Still opening wider,\n    threatens to devour me!\"\n\nBut man is rescued from this gloomy prospect by the assurance of God's\nlongsuffering and willingness to forgive; by knowing that while man\nmay drive compassion from his heart, God never will. Yet stay! there\nis something more. Because of the loving kindness of our Father in\nheaven, as abundantly manifested in his willingness to pardon our\ntransgressions, let us not lay the flattering unction to our souls\nthat we can go on sinning, carelessly and recklessly, without making\nany effort to resist evil, relying, nay, rather, presuming upon the\nkindness of God to forgive. Such a course would be doing despite to the\ngrace of God; it would be an unmitigated insult to the Most High; a\nmost presumptuous sin, deserving the severest condemnation.\n\nThe Lord is faithful to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from our\ntransgressions,[E] but it is on condition of our repentance, that we\nconfess our sins, and make a manly, determined effort to forsake them.\nTherefore, while the tender mercies of our God, and his readiness to\nforgive should encourage men \"to pray and not faint,\" and by that means\nseek forgiveness of sins, they should also remember that it is decreed\nthat the Spirit of the Lord will not always strive with man,[F] and\nthat there are some sins that may not be forgiven either in this life,\nor in that which is to come.[G]\n\n[Footnote E: I. John i: 9.]\n\n[Footnote F: Gen. vi: 3.]\n\n[Footnote G: Matt. xii: 31, 32.]\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XX.\n\nREPENTANCE.--HISTORICAL ILLUSTRATION.\n\nIf we turn to the history of peoples and nations in order to learn\nthe lessons which their experiences teach, we shall find that the\nhand-dealings of God with them as collected bodies, as well as the\nexperiences of individuals, demonstrate the same great facts of God's\nlong-suffering and abundant mercy, and of his willingness to pardon on\nthe first manifestation of sincere repentance.\n\nIt was not until the antediluvians had become thoroughly corrupt,\nnot until every imagination of the thoughts of their hearts was evil\ncontinually,[A] and they rejected the teachings of Noah, and were\nbeyond the hope of reformation, that the Lord sent the flood upon them\nand cut them off that they might not perpetuate in their posterity\ntheir corruption.\n\n[Footnote A: Gen. vi.]\n\nNext in chronological order to the antediluvians stands the people\nof Jared; and from the brief history we have of them in the Book of\nMormon, consisting of an abridgement of the twenty-four plates of the\nprophet Ether, we learn that they were frequently in rebellion against\nGod, and continually straying from his precepts and ordinances. Yet\nas often as they repented he forgave them; and not only that, but\nsupplemented that forgiveness by such periods of prosperity, that one\nwould think that even if they knew no more than the dumb ass that\nmerely knows his master's crib, they must have been aware that it was\nto their present as well as to their eternal interests to live in\nobedience to the will of heaven. Yet sin, individual and national, was\nadded to sin, transgressions followed close upon the heels of each\nother, and secret combinations were formed for robbery and to obtain\npolitical power, spreading rapine, murder and terror throughout the\nland, and menacing always the security of the political fabric.\n\nIn the midst of all this the Lord labored patiently for their\nreformation, sending his servants, the prophets, to them, to teach\nthem the way of life and encourage them to observe the statutes and\njudgments of the Lord. When persuasion failed, then warning was given\nof calamities and judgments, followed by the chastening hand of God;\nbut all to no purpose; reform they would not. They killed the prophets,\nand persecuted those who attempted to follow their counsels until\nthey filled up the cup of their iniquity, and the Spirit of the Lord\nentirely withdrew from them, and then began that series of wars in the\nsixth century B. C., which finally ended in the extermination of the\nentire people.[B]\n\nThe history of ancient Israel, as recorded in the Bible, is very\nsimilar to this. The Lord took them from the bondage of Egypt, to\nsanctify them a people unto himself. He gave them Moses and Aaron and\nother wise, faithful men to be their teachers, and led them from the\ndominion of Egypt towards a choice land, their journey being attended\nby such displays of God's glory and power as are seldom witnessed by\nthe inhabitants of the earth. The Gospel of the Son of God was first\npresented to them, but when they would not abide its requirements, the\nlaw of Moses, a less excellent law, was given to be their school-master\nto bring them to Christ.[C] And when they complained against the free\nconstitution that had been given them, and would no longer sustain the\njudges whom the Lord raised up to be their leaders, he gave them a\nkingdom according to their desires,[D] but warned them of the bondage\nto which it was liable to lead.\n\n[Footnote B: See the Book of Ether, Book of Mormon, for their history.]\n\n[Footnote C: Gal. iii; Heb. iv.]\n\n[Footnote D: I. Sam. viii.]\n\nThe consequences of obedience to the laws which the Lord gave them\nthrough Moses, even before the death of that great leader, were plainly\nset before them; and surely the advantages that are there set forth,\nleave nothings to be desired, no matter how ambitious of place, power,\nhonor, wealth, glory and dominion a nation might be. And, on the\nother hand, in case of their forsaking their God and his laws, the\njudgments, calamities, distress, wars, famines, pestilences, dishonor\nand destruction that follow, as a consequence of their apostasy from\nGod, are drawn with such vividness, even down to the minutest detail,\nthat had these things been written after they came to pass--after\nthe threatened judgments were visited upon Israel, and especially\nupon Judah--in a word, if they had been written as history instead\nof prophecy--they could scarcely be more circumstantial than the\nprophetic words of Moses.[E]\n\n[Footnote E: See Deuteronomy xxviii.]\n\nBut notwithstanding all these promises of favor and blessing on the one\nhand, and the forewarnings of calamity on the other, Israel rebelled\nagainst God, wholly rejected him, and trampled upon his counsels.\nThe generous instructions of the teachers whom the Lord raised up to\ninstruct them in the things of righteousness and true government, were\nunheeded. They killed the force and spirit of the law of Moses by\ntheir vain traditions. The warnings of the prophets were unheeded, and\nthe prophets themselves were stoned and murdered. The earnest appeals\nof Lehi, the sharp reproofs of Ezekiel, the prophetic pleadings of\nJeremiah as well as the poetic fire and more splendid prophecies of\nIsaiah could do no more than to bring them to a partial repentance.\n\nThese means of correction failing, there was occasional chastisement\nadministered in wars, partial famines and seasons of captivity, to\nremind them that justice was not dead, though at times it appeared to\nsleep, and as a foretaste of the terrible wrath which would overtake\nthem if they persisted in their rebellion and wickedness. But all\nthis was of no avail. Neither the instructions of wise teachers, nor\nreproofs of special messengers from God were sufficient to bring them\nto repentance: Neither moving eloquence, nor prophetic warnings, nor\ninspired portrayals of certain calamities could soften their obdurate\nhearts. Even chastisement failed to produce any permanent reformation.\n\nFinally, the Son of God came among them; but him they rejected, accused\nand condemned of blasphemy, before their senate, and sentenced him who\ndid no sin to death; led him before Pontius Pilate, the Roman judge,\nand, under the pressure of popular clamor, compelled that functionary\nof the Roman government, against the sense of his better judgment, to\nsign the warrant for his death; and then, amid the cry of \"Let his\nblood be upon us and our children,\" led him away to his crucifixion.\n\nThe climax of their apostasy and rebellion had now been reached.\nNothing more to their damnation could they add. They had sowed the\nwind, they must now reap the whirlwind. So they have. The full fury\nof outraged justice and righteousness broke upon them with a force\nthat was irresistible. The Romans under Titus besieged their city,\nJerusalem, and successfully cut off all supplies of food or assistance\nfrom the surrounding country. To the horrors of war waged by the\nRomans was added that of civil conflict within the walls of the city,\nmore fruitful in calamity and cruelty than the actual conflict with\nthe Roman soldiery. As if of distress there was not already enough,\nfamine preyed upon them, and a million people perished from lingering\nstarvation. If men were brutal, women became fiendish, and fed upon the\nflesh of their own offspring.[F]\n\n[Footnote F: An incident of this kind is thus related by Josephus:\n\"There was a certain woman who dwelt beyond Jordan; her name was Mary,\nher father was Eleazar, of the village of Bethezob, which signifies\nthe house of Hyssop. She was eminent for her family and her wealth,\nand had fled away to Jerusalem with the rest of the multitude, and was\nwith them besieged therein at this time. The other effects of this\nwoman, had been already seized upon, such, I mean, as she had brought\nwith her out of Persia, and removed to the city. What she had treasured\nup besides, as also what food she contrived to save, had also been\ncarried off by the rapacious guards, who came every day, running into\nher house for that purpose. This put the poor woman into a very great\npassion, and, by the frequent reproaches and imprecations, she cast at\nthese rapacious villains, she had provoked them to anger against her;\nbut none of them--either out of the indignation she had raised against\nherself, or out of consideration for her case--would take away her\nlife: and, if she found any food, she perceived her labors were for\nothers, and not for herself, and it was now become impossible for her\nanyway, to find any more food, while the famine pierced through her\nvery bowels and marrow, when also her passions were fired to a degree\nbeyond the famine itself; nor did she consult with anything, but with\nher passions and the necessity she was in. She then attempted a most\nunnatural thing--and snatching up her son, who was a child, sucking\nat her breast, she said, 'O, thou miserable infant! for whom shall I\npreserve thee in this war, this famine, and this sedition? As to the\nwar with the Romans, if they preserve our lives, we must be slaves.\nThis famine also will destroy us even before that slavery comes upon\nus. Yet are these seditious rogues more terrible than the other. Come\non; be thou my food, and be thou a fury to these seditious varlets, and\na by-word to the world, which is all that is now wanting to complete\nthe calamities of the Jews.' As soon as she had said this, she slew\nher son, and then roasted him, and ate the one-half of him, and kept\nthe other half by her, concealed. Upon this the seditious came in,\npresently; and, smelling the horrid scent of this food, they threatened\nher, that they would cut her throat immediately if she did not show\nthem what food she had gotten ready. She replied that she had 'saved a\nvery fine portion for them;' and, withal, uncovered what was left of\nher son. Hereupon they were seized with a horror and amazement of mind,\nand stood astonished at the sight, when she said to them: 'Come eat\nof this food for I have eaten of it myself. Do not you pretend to be\neither more tender than a woman, or more compassionate than a mother;\nbut if you be so scrupulous and do abominate this my sacrifice, as I\nhave eaten the one half, let the rest be preserved for me also.' After\nwhich those men went out trembling, being never so much affrighted at\nanything as they had been at this, and with some difficulty they left\nthe rest of that meat to the mother. Upon which the whole city was\nfull of this horrid action immediately; and while everybody laid this\nmiserable case before their own eyes, they trembled, as if this unheard\nof action had been done by themselves. So, that those that were thus\ndistressed by the famine, were very desirous to die: and those who\nwere already dead were esteemed happy, because they had not lived long\nenough, either to hear or to see such miseries.\" (Wars of the Jews;\nJosephus, Book VI: chapter iii.)\n\nI advise my readers to compare this incident and other calamities\n--described by Josephus in these \"Wars of the Jews\"--with the\nprophecies which foretold these evils, found in Deuteronomy, xxviii.]\n\nAt last the Romans forced an entrance into the city, and they with\nsword and flame were permitted to complete the ruin so well nigh\naccomplished by the Jews themselves. The beautiful temple was thrown\ndown so that not one stone was left upon another which had not been\nthrown down. This was done by the Roman soldiery in their mad search\nfor gold. Jerusalem was laid waste and desolate. Hundreds of thousands\nof her people were put to death, and the remainder of them taken into\ncaptivity, or driven into exile.\n\nFrom that time until now, for more than eighteen centuries, they have\nremained a broken, scattered people; despised, hated, distrusted,\nunfriended, oppressed; a hiss and a by-word in every land where they\nhave sought a home. They have learned by a sad experience that it is a\nterrible thing to reject the tender mercies of God, and fall under his\ndispleasure.\n\nTurning again to the Western hemisphere, we have the experience of\nIsrael in the East duplicated in that of the Nephites and Lamanites;\nthe same lesson is taught by their experience, viz., that it is a\nfearful thing to rebel against God, and reject and fight against\nhis truth. The half-naked American savage, with the desolation that\nsurround him in a splendid land (I mean at the time it was discovered\nby the Europeans) and filled as it is with the ruins that testify to\nthe grandeur of his departed glory, is a warning of deep significance\nto the nations now in the zenith of their power, not to follow in his\nfootsteps and reject the counsels of God against themselves.\n\nWhat shall I say of the cities of Tyre and Sidon, of Nineveh with\nher hundred gates; of Babylon, \"the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of\nthe Chaldees excellence,\" with her mighty walls, her strong gates\nand towers, her palatial residences, her magnificent temples, her\nhanging gardens, the wonder and admiration of all who beheld them!\nWhere are all these? Crumbled into shapeless heaps of ruins that are\nscarcely sufficient to show where they once stood--nothing left of\nthem but their names. Where, too, are the grand empires of Assyria and\nBabylon, of Egypt and Persia, of Macedonia and Greece? and, lastly,\nwhere is Rome, the most stupendous political fabric yet constructed by\nthe wit of man--where are all these? Where is their strength, their\nglory, their pride--nay, I ask more, where are the principles that\nformed the basis of their constitutions, the ideas by which they were\ngoverned--principles which they expected would forever perpetuate their\ninstitutions--where are all these things, as well as the empires\nthemselves? Like the gorgeous temples, and cloud-capped towers of the\ncities we have named, they have dissolved into thin air, like the\nbaseless fabric of an empty vision. Look at your maps of today, and\nyou shall find no line or trace of them, not even of the boundaries\nwhich once marked the extent of their dominion. All is lost except\ntheir names and their history. As in the sight of God the mountains\nare as unstable and transient as the clouds, so nations rise and pass\naway. But seek out the causes of their dissolution, look well into\nit, and you will find that these nations no less than the children of\nIsrael, both Jews and Nephites, were guilty of violating righteous\nprinciples, as they understood them, of refusing to repent, and of\nrejecting the counsels of God, and fighting against his truth. They\nwere guilty of oppression, pride, licentiousness; they tyrannized over\nthe meek and lowly; they wrung from the hands of the poor the wealth\ntheir labor created, that they might consume it upon their lusts. These\nabominations were the causes of their overthrow, and as one reviews the\nrise and fall of great kingdoms, republics, and splendid empires, he\nconcludes that Byron might well say--\n\n    There is the moral of all human tales;\n        'Tis but the same rehearsal of the past;\n    First freedom, and then glory--when that fails,\n        Wealth, vice, corruption--barbarism at last:\n    And history with all her volumes vast\n        Hath but one page!\n\nWhat lessons are here spread out for the reading of the nations today!\nTrue, they might be offended if one should tell them that there\nwas danger threatening them for their wickedness, for they esteem\nthemselves righteous; so did the people of the ancient cities and\nkingdoms I have named. It might be held treasonable, to say that the\npresent governments, which encumber the earth, will pass away like\nthe others have--like the chaff of the summer's threshing floor--for\nthey think they have laid the foundation of their respective political\nfabrics on so sure a basis, that they will be perpetuated forever. So\nthought the Babylonians, the Greeks, and especially the Romans; but\nthey have passed away, and have left nothing behind them, but their\nnames and the lessons which their follies and crimes teach.\n\nBut I fear you have forgotten in this long digression the subject in\nhand--repentance. Of the things I would have you remember, this is the\nsum: True repentance is sincere sorrow for sin, accompanied by a firm\nresolution to forsake that which is evil. The legitimate fruits of such\nsorrow--repentance, is a reformation of life. And if, peradventure,\nthrough weakness of human nature one should fall into transgression,\neven after setting his heart to work righteousness, let him not be\ndiscouraged, but repeat his repentance, and I believe the experiences\nI have pointed out in these pages, both individual and national,\ndemonstrate that God is good, and \"goodness still delighteth to\nforgive.\" He is merciful and willing to pardon abundantly those who are\nsorry for their offenses, and will make a manly effort to reform. But\non the other hand, those who mock him, and presumptuously sin, thinking\nto impose upon his long-suffering, have need to fear, both persons and\nnations, for all history teaches that it is a fearful thing to fall\nunder the displeasure of the Most High.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XXI.\n\nBAPTISM.\n\n\"Except be born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.\"[A] Such was\nthe statement of Jesus to Nicodemus, a Pharisee, and a ruler of the\nJews, who came to Jesus by night to be taught of him. The statement of\nthe Son of God created no little astonishment in the mind of Nicodemus,\nand he inquired if a man could be born again when he was old; could he\nenter a second time into his mother's womb and be born. Jesus then gave\nan answer which was explanatory of his first statement: \"Except a man\nbe born of water and of the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of\nGod.\"[B]\n\n[Footnote A: John iii: 3.]\n\n[Footnote B: John iii: 5.]\n\nThere can be no question about being \"born of water,\" here alluded to,\nhaving reference to water baptism administered to those who accept the\nGospel, and which, as administered for the first three centuries of the\nChristian era, represented, most completely, a birth. The candidate for\nbaptism being led down into the water, had his whole person immersed in\nit, then he was brought forth from that element, and gasped again the\nbreath of life. In order that the resemblance of a birth in this may\nbe clearly seen, I would remind my readers that the infant, previous\nto its birth, and while in its mother's womb, lives in the element of\nwater, and is nourished by the generous tide of life which courses\nthrough her veins and visits her heart. At birth, that life which was\nconnected with the mother is severed, the offspring comes forth from\nthe womb, from the element of water, and breathes the air, which then\nbecomes essential to its existence--it is born into this world. The\nlikeness, in a general way, between this natural birth and Christian\nbaptism, as described above, is sufficiently obvious. In both instances\nthe persons are brought from one element into another, from the water\nin which they existed into the atmosphere.\n\nMany and various have been the views held respecting this ordinance, as\nto its necessity, its object, to whom it should be administered, and\nthe manner in which it should be performed. Differences of opinion on\nthis subject have led to schisms in the Christian world, and new sects\nhave been formed, and that because of peculiar views held in respect to\nbaptism. But with those who are willing to take as authority absolute,\nthe teachings of revelation as contained in the Bible, and more\nespecially the revelations of the Lord in these days, there need be no\nconfusion in relation to any of these questions that have perplexed men\nin regard to this ordinance.\n\nThe necessity of water baptism may be maintained upon the broad grounds\nthat it is a commandment from God; for, as I have already shown in\npreceding chapters, the conditions of man's salvation may be summed\nup, in general terms, thus--the implicit and complete obedience to the\ncommandments of God; and, as it can be proven that baptism is a general\ncommandment to all who would be saved, therefore it follows that\nbaptism must be one of the things necessary to salvation.\n\nThat baptism is a general commandment all may learn who will take the\ntrouble to make inquiry in respect to it. John the Baptist informs us\nthat God sent him to baptize with water and to testify of him who was\nto come after him, and who was to baptize with the Holy Ghost;[C] and\nthose who refused to hearken to his teachings and to be baptized of him\n\"rejected the counsels of God against themselves.\"[D]\n\n[Footnote C: John i: 33.]\n\n[Footnote D: Luke vii: 30.]\n\nJesus, himself, also, had those baptized who accepted his teachings;\nand, indeed, soon after he began his public ministry, it was commonly\nreported that he made and baptized more disciples than John,[E] and\nwhen he gave his last great commission to his apostles, just on the eve\nof his departure from them, he said:\n\n[Footnote E: John iv: 1, 2.]\n\n\"Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name\nof the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to\nobserve all things whatsoever I have commanded you.\"[F]\n\n[Footnote F: Matt. xxviii: 19, 20.]\n\nWhen the apostles began the execution of this commission, which was\nduring the first pentecost after it was given them, Peter commanded\nthose who had been converted through his teachings, to be baptized in\nthe name of Jesus Christ for the remission of their sins, and then he\npromised them the Holy Ghost.[G] Thus we see there can be no question\nas to baptism being a general commandment, and one of the conditions\nof man's salvation, and that being true, how can that condition be\nneglected and still the blessing of salvation obtained?\n\n[Footnote G: Acts ii: 37, 38.]\n\nI may say further, by way of argument on the necessity of baptism,\nthat one may reasonably conclude that the Lord does not deal with\nnon-essentials, or require that which is not necessary of his children;\ntherefore from the fact that God has commanded men to be born again, as\nwell of water as of the Spirit; in other words, to be baptized of both\nwater and the Spirit, it may be taken for granted that this baptism is\nessential to salvation. To question it being necessary, to say nothing\nof thrusting it aside as non-essential, is to sit in judgment upon the\nwisdom of God, who has ordained it as a means of salvation to man.\n\nIs it necessary to be born naturally in order to obtain life? All will\nanswer: \"Yes, we know of no other way, no other means by which life is\nobtained.\" So likewise is it necessary that men should be born into the\nheavenly kingdom, as well of water as of the Spirit, in order to attain\nunto spiritual life in the kingdom of God; and without being born of\nthe water and of the Spirit, Jesus himself declares that the kingdom of\nGod cannot be seen, it cannot be entered into--[H] therefore baptism\nmust be necessary to an entrance into the kingdom of God; and as there\nis, and can be, no salvation outside of that kingdom, baptism must be\nnecessary to salvation. Not that there is saving virtue in the water\nitself, but the ordinance derives its virtue from the fact of its being\nappointed by the Lord as a means of grace to man.\n\n[Footnote H: John iii: 3, 5.]\n\nAgain, I would ask, is a forgiveness of sins necessary to salvation?\nI think there can be but one answer to that question, and that in the\naffirmative. Now, we are informed by both Mark and Luke that John\nthe Baptist \"Did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism\nof repentance for the remission of sins;\" and Peter commanded the\nmultitude on Pentecost to \"repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus\nChrist for the remission of sins;\"[I] hence it appears that baptism\nis the means appointed through which forgiveness of sins is obtained,\nand since it is evident that men cannot be saved in their sins, and\nremission of sins comes through baptism, therefore baptism is necessary\nto salvation.\n\n[Footnote I: Acts ii: 38.]\n\nThe necessity of baptism is further demonstrated in the experience\nof Paul and the devout Gentile, Cornelius, as related in the Acts of\nthe Apostles. It will be remembered that Paul, at first, was a great\npersecutor of the saints, and that, while on the way to Damascus for\nthe purpose of persecuting them, the Lord Jesus appeared unto him, in a\npillar of light, above the brightness of the sun, and demanded of Paul,\n\"why persecutest thou me?\" To which the trembling Paul said, \"who art\nthou, Lord?\"\n\n\"I am Jesus whom thou persecutest,\" was the reply. \"Lord,\" said Paul,\n\"what will thou have me to do?\" \"And the Lord said unto him, arise and\ngo into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do.\"\n\nThen the Lord sent an angel to his servant, Ananias, living in\nDamascus, and directed him to go to Paul; and when Ananias came into\nthe presence of Paul, after announcing to him that the Lord had chosen\nhim for a witness for himself he said: \"And now, why tarriest thou?\narise and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of\nthe Lord.\"[J]\n\n[Footnote J: Acts ix. ch.; also the xxii. and xxvi. chapters same book.]\n\nThus Paul learned what the Lord would have him to do; and is it not a\nfair inference that it is necessary for all sinners to do likewise,\nviz., to be baptized, and wash away their sins?\n\nCornelius, the devout Gentile to whom we have alluded, was a man who\nprayed much, gave alms to the poor, and indeed was especially loved\nof the Lord. An angel was at last sent to him, to assure him that his\nalms and his prayers had come up in remembrance before the Lord, and\nthis messenger also told him to send men to Joppa where he would find\none Peter, \"And he shall tell thee what thou oughtest to do,\"[K] or,\nas Peter afterwards expressed it, in relating the circumstance to his\nfellow apostles--\"send men to Joppa, and call for one Simon, whose\nsurname is Peter; who shall tell thee words, whereby thou and all thy\nhouse shall be saved.\"[L]\n\n[Footnote K: Acts x: 6.]\n\n[Footnote L: Acts xi: 13, 14.]\n\nAfter Peter went into the house of this devout Gentile and heard of the\nmercies of God to him, he preached Christ unto him and his household,\nand as he spake of Jesus and the plan of salvation wrought out for\nmankind by him, the Holy Ghost was poured out upon them as a witness\nto Peter that the Gospel was for the Gentiles as well as for the Jews.\nThen, turning to those that were with him, Peter said: \"Can any man\nforbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received\nthe Holy Ghost as well as we? And he commanded them to be baptized in\nthe name of the Lord.\"[M]\n\n[Footnote M: Acts x: 47, 48.]\n\nNotwithstanding the general righteousness of Cornelius, and his\nacceptance with God, it became necessary that he should be instructed\nin the Gospel, and taught words whereby he and his house should be\nsaved; and, in connection with other things that they were taught as\nnecessary for their salvation, was baptism.\n\nPaul, in writing to the Corinthian saints, uses this expression, which\nto the world sounds strange and incomprehensible: \"Else what shall\nthey do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all?\nWhy are they then baptized for the dead?\"[N] And if baptism, as some\nmaintain, is not essential to salvation, I would ask, why then was it\nconsidered necessary, by the primitive Christians, that there should be\nsuch a thing as baptism for the dead?[O] Is it not conclusive, that if\nit was necessary for some one to be baptized for the dead who had not\nhad the privilege of attending to that ordinance for themselves, that\nbaptism is essential to salvation?\n\n[Footnote N: I Cor. xv: 29.]\n\n[Footnote O: The subject of salvation for the dead is treated at length\nin a subsequent chapter, hence I enter into no explanation here.]\n\nBut now to come to the most positive of all passages in the New\nTestament upon this subject: Jesus when he commissioned his apostles\nused this language: \"Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to\nevery creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but\nhe that believeth not\" [and consequently fails to repent, be baptized\nor perform any other act of obedience] \"shall be damned.\"[P] Here the\nmatter is before us in the most unequivocal terms; those who believe\nand are baptized have the sure promise of God that they shall be saved;\nwhile those who believe not, and therefore are not baptized, are\nthreatened with condemnation.\n\n[Footnote P: Mark xvi: 15, 16]\n\nI have thus far, confined my illustrations and arguments--upon the\nnecessity of baptism--to the Jewish scriptures. I have done so, because\nthe young Elders, into whose hands this work will fall, will doubtless\nbe called upon to teach this principle, and support it in the main,\nupon the authority of what is written in the Bible. But if we turn to\nthe Nephite scriptures, the Book of Mormon, we shall find it sustains\nthe same views in respect to the necessity of baptism, as the Jewish\nscriptures.\n\nThe Lord revealed to the first Nephi, in a vision, very much of the\nlife and labors of the Son of God, although the said Nephi flourished\nin the fifth century B. C. Among other things, it was revealed to him,\nthat the Son of God would be baptized in water by a prophet who should\nbe raised up for that purpose. Subsequently, when Nephi desired to\nimpress his brethren with the importance and necessity of baptism, he\nsaid:\n\n\"I would that ye should remember that I have spoken unto you concerning\nthat prophet which the Lord showed unto me, that should baptize the\nSon of God, which should take away the sins of the world. And now, if\nthe Lamb of God, he being holy, should have need to be baptized by\nwater, to fulfill all righteousness, O then, how much more need have\nwe, being unholy, to be baptized, yea even by water. And now I would\nask of you, my beloved brethren, wherein the Lamb of God did fulfill\nall righteousness in being baptized by water? Know ye not that he was\nholy. But notwithstanding he being holy, he showeth unto the children\nof men, that according to the flesh, he humbleth himself before the\nFather, and witnesseth unto the Father that he would be obedient unto\nhim in keeping his commandments. * * * And again, it showeth unto the\nchildren of men the straightness of the path, and the narrowness of\nthe gate, by which they should enter, he having set the example before\nthem. And he said unto the children of men, Follow thou me. Wherefore,\nmy beloved brethren, can we follow Jesus, save we be willing to keep\nthe commandments of the Father? And the Father said. Repent ye, repent\nye, and be baptized in the name of my beloved Son. And also, the voice\nof the Son came unto me, saying, He that is baptized in my name, to him\nwill the Father give the Holy Ghost, like unto me; wherefore follow me,\nand do the things ye have seen me do.\"[Q]\n\n[Footnote Q: Book of Mormon, II. Nephi xxxi.]\n\nThe first Alma's teachings are in accord with this: \"And now I, Alma,\ndo command you in the language of him who hath commanded me, that ye\nobserve to do the words which I have spoken unto you. I speak by way of\ncommandment unto you who belong to the church; and to those who do not\nbelong to the church, I speak by way of invitation, saying. Come and\nbe baptized unto repentance, that ye also may be made partakers of the\nfruit of the tree of life.\"[R]\n\n[Footnote R: Alma ix: 26, 27.]\n\nThe plain and fair inference from this last clause is, that those who\nrefused to be baptized, would _not_ have right to the tree of life.\n\nFurther on in his book, he says: \"And not many days hence, the Son of\nGod shall come in his glory; * * * And behold he cometh to redeem those\nwho will be baptized unto repentance through faith on his name.\"[S]\n\n[Footnote S: Alma v: 61,62.]\n\nHere, again, the fair inference is, that those who would reject\nbaptism, could not be redeemed; hence the necessity of baptism.\n\nTurning to the revelations which the Lord has given in this\ndispensation, in which he commissioned men to preach the Gospel, he\nsaid: \"Go ye into all the world, preach the Gospel to every creature,\nacting in the authority which I have given you, baptizing in the name\nof the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost; and he that\nbelieveth and is baptized shall be saved, and he that believeth not\nshall be damned.\"[T]\n\n[Footnote T: Doc. and Cov., sec. lxviii: 8-10.]\n\nStill more emphatic, perhaps, because it leaves nothing to implication,\nis the passage which reads (and this, too, is in connection with\nsending out men to preach the Gospel): \"He that believeth and is\nbaptized shall be saved, and he that believeth not, and is not\nbaptized, shall be damned.\"[U]\n\n[Footnote U: Doc. and Cov., sec. cxii: 29.]\n\nThus in the present dispensation, as well as in the former ones,\ncommitted to the Jews and Nephites, the necessity of baptism is beyond\nall question.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XXII.\n\nOBJECT OF BAPTISM.\n\nIn speaking of the necessity of baptism I incidentally referred to\nthe object of the ordinance also; which the reader will doubtless\nremember, is for the remission of sins. Such was the object for which\nJohn the Baptist administered baptism. Mark says: \"John did baptize in\nthe wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission\nof sins.\"[A] Luke also says: \"And he [John] came into all the country\nabout Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of\nsins.\"[B]\n\n[Footnote A: Mark i: 4.]\n\n[Footnote B: Luke iii: 3.]\n\nHere it may be a proper time to call attention to the fact that many\nseek to make nice distinctions between the baptism of John and what\nthey call Christian baptism; that is, baptism in the name of Jesus\nafter the death and resurrection of Messiah, by which members were\nadmitted into the Kingdom of Christ. The controversy on this subject\nbecame particularly sharp in the sixteenth century. Zwingle and Calvin,\non the one hand, maintained that the two baptisms were identical,\nand for the same purpose, only that John baptized in the name of the\nfuture Messiah, while the apostles baptized in the name of the Messiah\nalready come; on the other hand, Luther, Melancthon and the Catholics\nmaintained there was an essential difference. The latter adopted the\nviews of Tertullian, who lived about the close of the second century\nand the beginning of the third. To the baptism of John, Tertullian\nascribed the negative character of repentance, and to Christian\nbaptism the positive impartation of a new life. This distinction, it\nis maintained, arises from the words of John himself; _viz_., \"I indeed\nbaptize you with _water_ unto repentance; but he that cometh after me\nis mightier than I, * * * he shall _baptize you with the Holy Ghost_\nand with fire.\"[C] But this reason for any such distinction as that\nsought to be made is worthless when it is remembered that while Jesus\ndid baptize with the Holy Ghost, and commissioned others to do so,\nstill that baptism of the Spirit did not supplant water baptism for the\nremission of sins. It was simply an additional principle and ordinance\nto the doctrines taught by John; and Jesus continued to authorize\nwater baptism before his crucifixion,[C] and commissioned his apostles\nto continue it after he departed from them.[D] The New Testament is\nreplete with instances of water baptism standing in connection with\nthough, as a rule, preceding the baptism of, the Holy Spirit.[E]\nWhereas, to make the words of John quoted a valid reason for supposing\na difference between the baptism of John and water baptism after Jesus\nwas resurrected, it would be necessary to prove that the baptism of the\nSpirit took the place of water baptism as administered by John, which\nis contrary to the facts in the case, as already noted.\n\n[Footnote C: Matt. iii: 11; see also Luke iii: 16, and John i: 25.]\n\n[Footnote D: John iii: 22, and iv: 1-3.]\n\n[Footnote E: Matt. xxviii: 19, and Mark xvi: 15,16.]\n\nThe ordinance of baptism, associated with the proclamation of the\nGospel, in any age of the world, is always the same, whether taught by\nAdam, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Moses, the Jaredite or Nephite prophets\non the Western hemisphere, or by John the Baptist among the Jews. It\nwas administered in the same manner, with the same object in view, and\nwith the same powers and graces attending it before the crucifixion\nof Messiah as after that event. Only those who administered it before\nJesus came in the flesh, performed the ordinance in the name of a\nfuture Messiah, while those who have officiated since the death of\nJesus, have done so in the name of the Messiah already come; and that\nis a difference of little moment.[F]\n\n[Footnote F: These views are capable of the strongest proofs from the\nwritings of Moses as revealed to Joseph Smith and now contained in the\nPearl of Great Price; from the Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants\nand also from the Bible. But the reader will find a subsequent chapter\non \"The History of the Gospel\" in which the subject is treated at some\nlength, and to that chapter the reader is here referred if he now\nwishes to push further his investigation.]\n\nOne thing which has contributed largely towards creating the impression\nthat a difference existed between the baptism of John and Christian\nbaptism, is the account given in Acts of Paul's finding a number of\ndisciples--twelve in all--at Ephesus, of whom he asked if they had\nreceived the Holy Ghost since they believed; to which they replied,\nthey had not so much as heard of the Holy Ghost. \"And he said unto\nthem, unto what then, were ye baptized? And they said, unto John's\nbaptism. Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of\nrepentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him\nwho should come after him, that is on Christ Jesus. When they heard\nthis, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul\nhad laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them: and they\nspake with tongues and prophesied.\"[G] The fact of Paul re-baptizing\nthose people, who, according to their statement, had been baptized\n\"unto John's baptism,\" does not necessarily argue a difference between\nbaptism as administered by John and Christian baptism. The circumstance\nof this re-baptism may be reasonably attributed to other causes.\n\n[Footnote G: Acts xix: 1-6.]\n\nThe preaching of John was always accompanied with a reference to one\nwho should follow after him, mightier than he was, whose shoe latchet\nhe esteemed himself unworthy to unloose: and his baptism was always\nattended by the declaration: \"I, indeed, baptize with water unto\nrepentance, but he that cometh after me is mightier than I; * * * he\nshall baptize you with the Holy Ghost.\" So the apostle Paul, when he\nfound these disciples, who claimed to have been baptized unto John's\nbaptism, and yet had not so much as heard of the Holy Ghost, he might\nwell have his suspicions as to the validity of their baptism, and\nsuspect that some person, but partially acquainted with the doctrine\nof John, and, without authority, had taken it upon himself to baptize\nthese parties. Upon these suspicions, and in order, doubtless, to put\nthe validity of their baptism beyond all question, he re-baptized them\nwith water, and then followed the baptism of the Spirit. This, to my\nmind, is the most reasonable conclusion to come to respecting this\ncircumstance.\n\nBut now to return to the subject of this chapter--the object of\nbaptism:\n\nWe have already seen in the first paragraph of this chapter, that John\ntaught that baptism was for the remission of sins. If we turn to the\nteachings of the apostles, we shall find that they also taught that\nbaptism was for that purpose. In that memorable discourse which Peter\npreached at the commencement of the labor of the apostles, after the\ndeparture of the Master, when the people, convinced by the power of God\nwhich rested upon the apostles, that they were commissioned of God with\na message to the world, cried out as with one voice--\"Men and brethren,\nwhat shall we do?\"--he replied: \"Repent every one of you, and be\nbaptized in the name of Jesus Christ, _for the remission of sins_.\"[H]\nSurely nothing in the way of simplicity, plainness or positiveness is\nleft to be desired here. He who runs may read, and the wayfaring man\nthough a fool, need not be in doubt in respect to the object of this\nordinance.\n\n[Footnote H: Acts ii: 38.]\n\nOther passages in the New Testament, however, are in harmony with this.\nWhen Ananias, in obedience to the commandment from the Lord, went to\nthe afflicted and humbled Paul to tell him what he ought to do, he\ncommanded him to arise and be baptized, and wash away his sins.[I]\n\n[Footnote I: Acts xxii: 16.]\n\nAgain it is said: \"Know ye not that so many of us as were baptized into\nJesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore, we are buried\nwith him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from\nthe dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in\nnewness of life * * * knowing this, that our old man is crucified with\nhim, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should\nnot serve sin.\"[J] In this passage also, as well as in those previously\nconsidered, stands the grand truth that, connected with baptism is\nthe crucifixion of the old man of sin, the destruction of \"the body\nof sin;\" and that as Christ arose from the grave by the power of the\nFather, so those who in baptism have been buried with Christ should\nalso rise from the watery grave to a newness of life. What, I ask, does\nall this mean, if it does not mean that through baptism it is ordained\nthat men receive a remission of sins, and are made new men in Christ\nJesus?\n\n[Footnote J: Romans vi: 3-6.]\n\nIf we turn from the scriptures to the traditions of the early\nChristians, we shall find that their understanding of the subject is in\nharmony with the observations and deductions in the foregoing.\n\nJustin Martyr, who wrote about the middle of the second century, in\ndescribing the customs observed in receiving new members into the\nChristian societies, says: \"Those who believe and are persuaded that\nthe things we teach and inculcate are true, and who profess ability\nthus to live, are directed to pray with fasting, and to ask of God\nthe forgiveness of their former sins. * * * Then we conduct them to a\nplace where there is water; and they are regenerated [baptized] in the\nmanner in which we have been regenerated [baptized]; for they receive\na washing with water in the name of the Father of all. * * * This\nwashing is likewise called illumination; because the minds of those\nwho have learned these things are enlightened.\" He then describes the\nmanner in which the sacrament of the Lord's supper was administered;\nand thus concludes: \"And this food is called by us the Eucharist,\nwhich it is unlawful for any one to partake of, unless he believes the\nthings taught by us to be true, and has been washed [baptized] with the\nwashing _for the remission of sins_ in regeneration, and lives according\nto what Christ has taught.\"[K]\n\n[Footnote K: _Second Apology_ of Justin Martyr. Quoted in Murdock's\nMosheim, 3d ed., vol. I., p. 137--note.]\n\nOf baptism in the third century Dr. Mosheim says: \"Baptism was publicly\nadministered twice a year, to such candidates as had gone through\na long preparation and trial; and none were present as spectators\nbut such as had been themselves baptized. The effect of baptism was\nsupposed to be the _remission of sins_.\"[L]\n\n[Footnote L: Murdock's Mosheim, vol. I (3d edition), p. 189.]\n\nIn Maclaine's translation of Dr. Mosheim's Church History is a\npassage from _Letter Seventy third_, of Cyprian, Bishop of Carthage,\nin which that writer says (he wrote in the third century): \"It is\nmanifest where and by whom the _remission of sin conferred in baptism\nis administered_: They who are presented to the rulers of the church\nobtain by our prayers and imposition of hands, the Holy Ghost.\"\n\nThe following quotation will show what importance is attached to\nbaptism, as to its necessity and object, by the Roman Catholic Church:\n\"Baptism is a sacrament absolutely necessary for all, without which\nno one can enter into the kingdom of God, for Jesus Christ has said,\n'Amen, amen, I say to thee, unless a man be born again of water and of\nthe Holy Ghost, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.' Hence it was\nnot enough for Saul of Tarsus, converted on the road to Damascus,[M]\nto believe; nor for the Chamberlain of Queen Candace, met on the\nroad by Philip, the Deacon;[N] they had to be baptized in order to\nobtain remission of their sins, and thus be in the way of salvation;\ntherefore in the Nicene Creed we say: 'I acknowledge one baptism for\nthe remission of sins.'\"[O]\n\n[Footnote M: Acts ix: 18.]\n\n[Footnote N: Acts viii: 38.]\n\n[Footnote O: Catholic Belief (_Bruno_ pp. 56, 57.)]\n\nThe Book of Mormon, which we have found so explicit in its treatment\nof other doctrines, is none the less so in respect to the one now\nunder discussion--the object of baptism. In the teachings of Alma we\nhave the following: \"Now, I say unto you, that ye must repent, and be\nborn again; for the Spirit saith, if ye are not born again, ye cannot\ninherit the kingdom of heaven; therefore, come and be baptized unto\nrepentance, that ye may be washed from your sins.\"[P]\n\n[Footnote P: Alma vii: 14.]\n\nIt is written of the third Nephi, that just about the time of Messiah's\nbirth, \"he went among the people, and also many others, baptizing unto\nrepentance, in the which there were a great remission of sins.\"[Q]\n\n[Footnote Q: III. Nephi i: 23.]\n\nThis work he continued for more than thirty years after the sign in the\nheavens of the birth of Messiah had been given. Mormon says of Nephi,\nthat in the thirty and third year after the birth of the Messiah, \"he\npreached unto them repentance, and remission of sins. Now I would have\nyou to remember, also,\" says Mormon, \"that there were none brought unto\nrepentance, who were not baptized with water; therefore there were\nordained of Nephi, men unto this ministry, that all such as should come\nunto them, should be baptized with water, and this as a witness and\ntestimony before God, and unto the people, that they had repented and\nreceived a remission of their sins.\"[R]\n\n[Footnote R: III. Nephi vii: 23-25.]\n\nLastly, in closing up his abridgment of the writings of the third\nNephi, Mormon says: \"Hear the words of Jesus Christ, the Son of the\nliving God: * * * Turn, all ye Gentiles, from your wicked ways, and\nrepent of your evil doings, of your lyings and deceivings, and of your\nwhoredoms, and of your secret abominations, and your idolatries, and\nof your murders, and your priestcrafts, and your envyings, and your\nstrifes, and from all your wickedness and abominations, and come unto\nme, and be baptized in my name, that ye may receive a remission of your\nsins, and be filled with the Holy Ghost, that ye may be numbered with\nmy people who are of the house of Israel.\"[S]\n\n[Footnote S: III. Nephi xxx.]\n\nTurning now to the revelations which the Lord has given on this\nsubject, in the dispensation of the Gospel committed to men in our day,\nwe find the Lord saying to Martin Harris: \"And of tenets thou shalt\nnot talk, but thou shalt declare repentance and faith on the Savior,\nand the remission of sins by baptism and by fire, yea, even the Holy\nGhost.\"[T]\n\n[Footnote T: Doc. and Cov., sec. xix: 31.]\n\nIn a revelation to W. W. Phelps we hear the Lord saying: \"And thou\nshalt be ordained by the hand of my servant Joseph Smith, jun., to be\nan Elder unto this Church, to preach repentance and remission of sins\nby way of baptism in the name of Jesus Christ, the Son of the living\nGod.\"[U]\n\n[Footnote U: Doc. and Cov., sec. lv: 21.]\n\nThe Lord, subsequently, gave the following as a standing law unto the\ninhabitants of Zion and her organized stakes: \"Their children shall be\nbaptized for the remission of their sins, when eight years old, and\nreceive the laying on of hands.\"[V]\n\n[Footnote V: Doc. and Cov. sec. lxviii: 26, 27.]\n\nClearly, the object of baptism is the remission of sins.\n\nIn a revelation given to the Church in September, 1832, in which a\nnumber of Elders are directed to go out into the world and preach\nthe Gospel, it is written: \"Verily, verily, I say unto you, they who\nbelieve not on your words, and are not baptized in water in my name,\nfor the remission of their sins that they may receive the Holy Ghost,\nshall be damned, and shall not come into my Father's kingdom.\"[W]\n\n[Footnote W: Doc. and Cov., sec. lxxxiv: 74.]\n\nThe teachings of Joseph Smith on this subject may be learned from this\none homely but expressive sentence: \"You might as well baptize a bag of\nsand as a man, if not done in view of the remission of sins and getting\nof the Holy Ghost.\"\n\nHere, as far as this branch of the subject is concerned, I pause; and\nsurely I may hope that the treatise on the object of baptism has been\nsufficiently exhaustive, both as considered in the Jewish scriptures\nand as understood by the early Christians, as well as in the Book of\nMormon and the revelations of the Lord in this dispensation. From all\nthese sources of information, we learn that baptism is an ordinance\nthrough which it is ordained that man shall receive a remission of sins.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XXIII.\n\nTHE SUBJECTS FOR BAPTISM.\n\nHaving shown from all worthy sources of information that baptism is\nfor the remission of sins, and that necessarily repentance and faith\nprecede it, and, moreover, are pre-requisites thereto; it follows as\na logical sequence of these facts, that baptism can only be properly\nadministered to those capable of exercising faith in God, and\nrepentance of sin. Therefore the baptism of infants, or of children of\nsuch tender years that they are unable to comply with these conditions\n--is not in accordance with the requirements of the Gospel, and is\nsolemn mockery before God.\n\nThe consideration of just two facts, it seems to me, is sufficient to\ndestroy the doctrine of infant baptism; first, the fact that baptism\nis for the remission of sins; and, second, that infants are incapable\nof committing sin, cannot repent, and therefore have nothing to be\nbaptized for.\n\nTo avoid the irresistible force and right conclusion of this logic,\nhowever, those who stand for infant baptism tell us that the baptism\nof the infant is not for the remission of any actual sins committed by\nthe child, but for original sin. The Roman Catholics teach: \"In baptism\nall infants, without any disposition on their part being required, are\ncleansed from the stain of original sin, taken into God's favor, made\nmembers of Christ's mystical Body, and heirs of the kingdom of heaven.\nThey are thus regenerated, that is, in our Savior's own words, 'born\nagain of water and the Holy Ghost.' As they have contracted the stain\nof original sin without their knowledge and personal co-operation, so\nthey are freed from sin without their knowledge; and the disposition\nnecessary for grown up persons is not required of them; for infants are\nincapable of any reasoning act.\"[A]\n\n[Footnote A: Catholic Belief [Bruno] p. 58.]\n\nBut this position does not help the matter any. The fact remains, that\nwhatever \"stain\" \"original sin\" fixes upon the individual, it is done\nwithout the exercise of his agency; and, as said above, \"without his\nknowledge.\" Then how, I ask, can he be held responsible for it, or any\nrequirement, in justice, be made of him to remove the \"stain\" when\nit was fixed upon him without the exercise of his will, \"without his\nknowledge,\" and was a thing which he was powerless to prevent? The\nsystem of theology which teaches that God would condemn the child that\nfailed to receive baptism, because of this \"stain\" fixed upon him by\n\"original sin\"--is not only unreasonable, it is damnable. It represents\nGod as a cruel monster, and drives both justice and mercy from the\neconomy of heaven.\n\nIt is true that from the fathers the children may inherit\nconcupiscence; by that I mean a blind inclination to do evil, in one\nor more directions. Certain passions or mischievous appetites tending\nto sinfulness is not unfrequently stamped upon the offspring by the\nparents, or, as figuratively expressed by one of old, the parents eat\nsour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge.[B] But the\nchildren are not responsible for that; and, as the Catholic church\nteaches this blind, involuntary inclination to evil of our lower\nnature, is not of itself sinful unless it be consented to by the human\nwill, or rendered strong by bad and not retracted habit.[C] It is not\nuntil the will assents to that which knowledge and experience tell the\nindividual is sinful, that responsibility begins to attach to him. When\nknowledge instructs the understanding as to that which is good and that\nwhich is evil, and the will becomes conscious of its power to assent\nto the evil or withhold its approval, then the individual becomes\naccountable before God, and may reasonably be expected to be held\nanswerable for his acts. But it is a noted principle, both in moral\nphilosophy and theology, \"that there is no sin where there is no will;\"\nand I would add, there can be no will where there is no knowledge.\n\n[Footnote B: Jeremiah xxxi: 29.]\n\n[Footnote C: Catholic Belief (Bruno), ch. iii. 8]\n\nI know of no sect or party, however, or individual even, who maintains\nthat infants should be baptized for this concupiscence. Indeed it is\nmost apparent that baptism does not affect this natural tendency to\nevil, since it is as marked in children who have been baptized in\ntheir infancy as those who have not. As before stated, in substance,\nthe admission that baptism is for the remission of sin is fatal to the\ndoctrine of infant baptism, as they are incapable of actual sin; and,\n\"original sin\" and concupiscence being fastened upon them without their\nknowledge, and by circumstances they were powerless to prevent, they\ncannot be held accountable for them, and should not be required to be\nbaptized for them.\n\nSo far I have confined my remarks to that class of people believing in\ninfant baptism who maintain also that baptism is for the remission of\nsins. There are others, however, who do not so regard baptism; but who\nlook upon it merely as an ordinance by which entrance is gained unto\nthe spiritual kingdom of Christ. But this position does not help out\nthe doctrine of infant baptism. It is only by actual sin, by willful\nviolations of God's holy laws that men become aliens and foreigners to\nthe kingdom of God,[D] and, as infants and children not yet arrived at\nthe years of accountability are incapable of such violations of law,\nthey are not aliens to the kingdom of Christ; they are natural heirs\nto it, and, in the days of their innocence, form part of it, for Jesus\nhimself said: \"Suffer little children to come unto me: for of such is\nthe kingdom of heaven.\" Therefore, being already in the kingdom of\nChrist, and forming part of it, they have no need of being initiated\ninto it by baptism or any other ceremony; it is only those who have\nmade themselves foreigners and aliens through transgression of the laws\nof God that have need to repent of their sins, through baptism obtain a\nremission of them, and thus be brought back to the state of children,\nwithout sin, and into the kingdom of Christ.\n\n[Footnote D: Col. i: 21, 22.]\n\nThere is nothing in the scriptures which authorizes the doctrine of\ninfant baptism. It is an invention by man, pure and simple.\n\nIt is true that Jesus said, when some of his disciples reproved the\npeople for bringing their children to the Master to be blessed, \"Suffer\nlittle children, and forbid them not to come unto me; for of such is\nthe kingdom of heaven.\"[E] But he did not baptize them. He only laid\nhis hands on them, and blessed them. There is nothing in the passage\nwhich warrants the assumption that he commanded them to come unto him\nby baptism.\n\n[Footnote E: Matt. xix.]\n\nIndeed, I believe it is generally conceded that the doctrine of infant\nbaptism was not introduced in the first century at all. The first\nnotice we have of its existence is by Tertullian, appearing against\nit as a zealous opponent, in the latter years of the second century,\n\"A proof,\" says Dr. Neander, \"that it was not then usually considered\nas an apostolic ordinance; for, in that case, he would hardly have\nventured to speak so strongly against it.\"[F]\n\n[Footnote F: Church History (Neander), Vol. I, p. 362.]\n\n\"As faith and baptism are constantly so closely connected together in\nthe New Testament, an opinion was likely to arise that where there\ncould be no faith there could also be no baptism. It is certain that\nChrist did not ordain infant baptism. * * * We cannot prove that the\napostles ordained infant baptism; from those places where the baptism\nof a whole family is mentioned[G] we can draw no such conclusion,\nbecause the inquiry is still to be made whether there were any children\nin those families of such an age that they were not capable of any\nintelligent reception of Christianity.\"[H]\n\n[Footnote G: Acts xvi: 33; I. Cor. i: 16.]\n\n[Footnote H: Church History (Neander), Vol. I, p. 360.]\n\nThe strongest contradiction to this erroneous doctrine, however, comes\nfrom the Book of Mormon. It appears that there arose some disputations\namong the Nephites about this matter, and Mormon inquired of the\nLord in respect to it, and sent the answer he received, through the\ninspiration of the Holy Ghost, to his son Moroni, and with it I shall\nclose my remarks on this subject:\n\n\"Listen to the words of Christ, your Redeemer, your Lord and your God.\nBehold, I came into the world not to call the righteous, but sinners\nto repentance; the whole need no physician, but they that are sick;\nwherefore little children are whole, for they are not capable of\ncommitting sin; wherefore the curse of Adam is taken from them in me,\nthat it hath no power over them; and the law of circumcision is done\naway in me.\n\n\"And after this manner did the Holy Ghost manifest the word of God unto\nme; wherefore my beloved son, I know that it is solemn mockery before\nGod, that ye should baptize little children.\n\n\"Behold I say unto you, that this thing shall ye teach, repentance and\nbaptism unto those who are accountable and capable of committing sin;\nyea, teach parents that they must repent and be baptized, and humble\nthemselves as their little children; and they shall all be saved with\ntheir little children.\n\n\"And their little children need no repentance, neither baptism. Behold,\nbaptism is unto repentance to the fulfilling the commandments unto the\nremission of sins.\n\n\"But little children are alive in Christ, even from the foundation of\nthe world; if not so, God is a partial God, and also a changeable God,\nand a respecter of persons; for how many little children have died\nwithout baptism?\n\n\"Wherefore, if little children could not be saved without baptism,\nthese must have gone to an endless hell.\n\n\"Behold I say unto you, that he that supposeth that little children\nneed baptism, is in the gall of bitterness, and in the bonds of\niniquity; for he hath neither faith, hope, nor charity; wherefore,\nshould he be cut off while in the thought, he must go down to hell.\n\n\"For awful is the wickedness to suppose that God saveth one child\nbecause of baptism, and the other must perish because he hath no\nbaptism. * * *\n\n\"Little children cannot repent; wherefore it is awful wickedness to\ndeny the pure mercies of God unto them, for they are all alive in him\nbecause of his mercy.\n\n\"And he that saith, that little children need baptism, denieth the\nmercies of Christ, and setteth at nought the atonement of him and the\npower of his redemption.\n\n\"Wo unto such, for they are in danger of death, hell, and an endless\ntorment. I speak it boldly, God hath commanded me. Listen unto them and\ngive heed, or they stand against you at the judgment seat of Christ.\n\n\"For behold that all little children are alive in Christ, and also all\nthey that are without the law. For the power of redemption cometh on\nall they that have no law; wherefore, he that is not condemned, or he\nthat is under no condemnation, cannot repent; and unto such baptism\navaileth nothing.\n\n\"But it is mockery before God, denying the mercies of Christ, and the\npower of his Holy Spirit, and putting trust in dead works.\n\n\"Behold, my son, this thing ought not to be; for repentance is unto\nthem that are under condemnation and under the curse of a broken\nlaw.\"[I]\n\n[Footnote I: Moroni, ch. viii.]\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XXIV.\n\nTHE MODE OF BAPTISM.\n\nThere still remains to be discussed, in connection with baptism, one\nthing more--the manner of administering it.\n\nIn relation to this matter there is much division among professed\nbelievers of the Bible. One class maintaining that the immersion of\nthe whole body in water is the only manner in which baptism can be\nadministered; that immersion, in fact, and immersion only, is baptism.\nOthers, however, while they admit that immersion is baptism, claim that\nit may be performed in some other manner, by sprinkling or pouring\nwater on the candidates for the ordinance.\n\nBoth parties appeal to the original Greek from which baptism and the\nverb baptize is derived, one insisting that it means immersion, and\nto immerse only; while the others insist that in some connections\nthe words in the original may mean sprinkling or pouring as well as\nimmersion and to immerse. And as the commandment given to the apostles\nto baptize all nations[A] is given without any reference to the manner\nin which the ordinance is to be administered, they maintain it is\nimmaterial whether it is done by immersion or by sprinkling or pouring.\n\n[Footnote A: Matt. xxviii, 19.]\n\nIt cannot be denied that an array of respectable testimony may be\ndrawn up in favor of both theories; but when the meaning of the terms\nare interpreted in the light of the practice of the early Christians,\nthose who received the doctrine of baptism from the apostles and other\nservants of Christ--nay, if interpreted by the manner in which these\nvery apostles administered the ordinance--it is evident that immersion\nalone is the proper method for baptizing for the remission of sins,\nand initiation into the Church of Christ, whatever other signification\nmay be attached to the words in other connections; for nothing is\nmore evident than that immersion is the manner in which baptism was\nadministered by them.\n\nOf John the Baptist it is written: \"And there went out unto him all\nthe land of Judea, and they of Jerusalem, and were all baptized of\nhim _in the River Jordan_;\"[B] and to this agrees also the testimony of\nMatthew.[C]\n\n[Footnote B: Mark i: 4.]\n\n[Footnote C: Matt. iii: 5, 6.]\n\nAgain it is said of him that he baptized \"in Aenon near Salim, because\nthere was much water there\".[D] And it is said that \"Jesus, when he was\nbaptized went up straightway out of the water;\"[E] from which it is\nevident that he had been down in the water. From these circumstances,\nthat is, from his baptizing _in_ Jordan, and near Salim \"where there\nwas much water,\" and from Jesus going up out of the water after his\nbaptism, there can be no question but John baptized by immersion; and\nthere is nothing to lead us to suppose that he baptized in any other\nmanner.\n\n[Footnote D: John iii, 23.]\n\n[Footnote E: Matt. iii: 16; Mark i: 10.]\n\nTake an account of a baptism which took place after the crucifixion\nof Messiah, and we shall find the same method of administering the\nordinance observed. I allude to the baptism of the chamberlain of Queen\nCandace, by Philip. This person was met by Philip in the highway, and\nbeing invited to ride in the chamberlain's carriage he taught him\nthe Gospel. On belief taking hold of the chamberlain, as they came\nto certain water, he inquired of Philip what hindered him from being\nbaptized. To which Philip answered: \"If thou believest with all thine\nheart thou mayest. And he answered and said: I believe that Jesus\nChrist is the Son of God. And he commanded the chariot to stand still:\nand they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch;\nand he baptized him. And when they were come up out of the water, the\nSpirit caught away Philip that the eunuch saw him no more.\"[F]\n\n[Footnote F: Acts viii: 36-39.]\n\nThere can be no two opinions as to the manner in which the eunuch was\nbaptized--it was by immersion. It would seem, too, that had Philip been\naware of any other method, that is, had he understood that sprinkling\nor pouring would answer the purpose, he never would have put himself\nand the chamberlain to the inconvenience of going down into the water.\nIt is a fair inference, under all the circumstances, that Philip knew\nof no other method of baptism than by a burial in the water.\n\nWe have already referred to baptism being spoken of as being \"born\nof water,\"[G] and to those paragraphs I call the attention of my\nreaders again. It will be seen that immersion best carries out that\nidea; indeed, it is only by immersion and being brought forth out of\nthe water, in which a person is brought from one element (water) into\nanother (air), that a birth is represented. Sprinkling or pouring does\nnot represent a birth.\n\n[Footnote G: Chapter xxi.]\n\nIn writing to the saints of Rome, Paul says; \"Know ye not, that so many\nof us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?\nTherefore we are _buried_ with him by baptism into death; that like as\nChrist was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so\nwe also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been _planted_\ntogether in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness\nof his resurrection.\"[H]\n\n[Footnote H: Rom. vi: 3-5.]\n\nIn writing to the saints of Colosse, the same apostle reminds them that\nthey had been \"_buried_ with him [Christ] in baptism, wherein also ye\nare risen with him through the faith of the operation of God who hath\nraised him from the dead.\"[I]\n\n[Footnote I: Col. ii: 12.]\n\nIn these passages the terms \"buried\" and \"planted\" are in plain\nallusion to the manner in which the saints had received the ordinance\nof baptism, which could not have been by sprinkling or pouring, as\nthere is no burial or planting in the likeness of Christ's death, or\nbeing raised in likeness of his resurrection in that; but in immersion\nthere is, and hence we conclude from all these circumstances that\nbaptism among the saints of God in those days was by immersion, and by\nimmersion alone.\n\nTurning to other sources than the scriptures for information, we shall\nfind that the statement that immersion alone was practiced by the early\nChristians, say for at least nearly three centuries, is sustained by\nthe most respectable testimony.\n\nSpeaking of baptism in the first century. Dr. Mosheim says: \"In this\ncentury, baptism was administered in convenient places, without the\npublic assemblies; and by immersing the candidates wholly in water.\"[J]\n\n[Footnote J: Mosheim's Church History (Murdock), third edition, Vol. I,\npage 87.]\n\nOf the second century, the same learned author says: \"Twice a year,\nnamely, at Easter and Whitsuntide, * * * baptism was administered by\nthe bishop, or by the presbyters acting by his command and authority.\nThe candidates for it were immersed wholly in water, with invocation of\nthe sacred Trinity, according to the Savior's precept.\"[K]\n\n[Footnote K: Ibid, p. 137.]\n\nIndeed, the first deviation from baptizing by immersion, occurs in\na case recorded by Eusebius, as happening in the third century. He\nalludes to it in these detracting terms: \"He [Novatian] * * * fell\ninto a grievous distemper, and it being supposed that he would die\nimmediately, he received baptism (being sprinkled with water), on the\nbed where he lay, (if that can be termed baptism): Neither when he had\nescaped that sickness, did he afterwards receive the other things which\nthe canon of the church enjoineth should be received.\"[L]\n\n[Footnote L: Eusebius Eccl. Hist. b. vi, ch. 43.]\n\nEven down to the close of the thirteenth century baptism by immersion\nwas the rule and sprinkling and pouring the exception.\n\nNotwithstanding all these arguments, which are in their character\nso conclusive, many worthy people there are whom they fail to\nconvince. What does this fact argue? That those who fail to understand\nthat baptism must be by immersion are woefully ignorant, or their\nunderstanding willfully perverse? No; I would suggest that to them the\nevidence is simply insufficient and unauthoritative, and that the fact\nof it being so argues that there is need of some further instruction\nfrom the Lord on the subject than is contained in the Bible; that there\nis need of further revelation from God to settle the question.\n\nIn ushering in the Gospel in this dispensation the instruction so much\nneeded was given in April, 1830, and is as follows: \"The person who is\ncalled of God, and has authority from Jesus Christ to baptize, shall go\ndown into the water with the person who has presented him or herself\nfor baptism, and shall say, calling him or her by name--Having been\ncommissioned of Jesus Christ, I baptize you in the name of the Father,\nand of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. Then shall he immerse him\nor her in the water, and come forth again out of the water.\"[M]\n\n[Footnote M: Doc. and Cov., sec. xx: 73, 74]\n\nThe Book of Mormon is equally plain on this point. When Jesus gave\nauthority to his servants among the Nephites to baptize, he said to\nthem: \"Verily I say unto you, that whosoever repenteth of his sins\nthrough your words, and desireth to be baptized in my name, on this\nwise shall ye baptize them: behold, ye shall go down and stand in the\nwater, and in my name shall ye baptize them. And now behold, these are\nthe words which ye shall say, calling them by name, saying. Having\nauthority given me of Jesus Christ, I baptize you in the name of the\nFather, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. And then shall ye\nimmerse them in the water and come forth again out of the water. And\nafter this manner shall ye baptize in my name.\"[N]\n\n[Footnote N: III. Nephi xi: 23-27.]\n\nThere can be no question as to how baptism should be administered\nafter such instruction as this; while the very pressing need of such a\nrevelation to the Christian world is a great evidence in support of its\ndivine inspiration.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XXV.\n\nTHE HOLY GHOST.\n\nHe who said a man must be born again--born of water, said also that he\nmust be born of the spirit;[A] and it is to that birth, or baptism of\nthe Spirit that we now direct the attention of the reader.\n\n[Footnote A: John iii: 5.]\n\nJohn the Baptist made reference to this matter when he was preaching\nrepentance and baptism throughout Judea. He told the people that he\ntruly baptized with water, but one should come after him, mightier than\nhe was, who would baptize them with the Holy Ghost,[B] Afterwards he\nbore record that Jesus of Nazareth was he of whom he spake. \"I saw,\"\nsaid he, \"the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode\nupon him [Jesus]. And I knew him not; but he that sent me to baptize\nwith water, the same said unto me, upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit\ndescending and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with\nthe Holy Ghost. And I saw and bear record that this is the Son of\nGod.\"[C]\n\n[Footnote B: Mark, i: 7, 8.]\n\n[Footnote C: John i: 32-34, in connection with verse 29-31.]\n\nJesus frequently alluded to this baptism of the Holy Ghost and the\npowers that a possession thereof would impart to those who received\nit; and, finally, after his death and resurrection, and just previous\nto his departure from among his disciples in Judea, he said to them:\n\"Wait for the promise of the Father, which * * * ye have heard of\nme. For John truly baptized with water but ye shall be baptized with\nthe Holy Ghost not many days hence.\"[D] The reference to the promise\nmade through John the Baptist is obvious; and the disciples who had\nanxiously looked for its accomplishment, were now informed that its\nfulfillment was not many days hence.\n\n[Footnote D: Acts i: 4, 5.]\n\nThe promise was fulfilled, for in about seven days[E] after the\nMessiah's ascension, on the day of Pentecost, the disciples being\nassembled with one accord, in one place, \"Suddenly there came a sound\nfrom heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house\nwhere they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues\nlike as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled\nwith the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the\nspirit gave them utterance.\"[F]\n\n[Footnote E: Pentecost came fifty days after the Passover, on which\nday the Lord Jesus was crucified. Allowing that he laid three days in\nthe tomb, and was with his disciples forty days after his resurrection\n(Acts i: 3), forty-three days of the fifty between Passover and\nPentecost was accounted for, leaving but seven between his ascension\nand the day of Pentecost, when the promise of the baptism of the Spirit\nwas fulfilled.]\n\n[Footnote F: Acts ii; 2-4.]\n\nThus was the promise made by John and repeated by Messiah fulfilled.\n\nI have been particular to call attention to this promise, and its\nfulfillment, because a similar promise is made to all men of all\nnations, and in all generations wherever and whenever the Gospel is\nproclaimed. The promise I allude to was made on this very same day of\nPentecost, on which the promise of John and Messiah was fulfilled.\n\nPeter, under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, so abundantly given\nto himself and companions on that day, preached a discourse which\nconvinced thousands that Jesus was both Lord and Christ, the Savior of\nthe world; and in answering the question of the multitude as to what\nthey should do, after telling them to repent, and to be baptized in the\nname of Jesus Christ for the remission of their sins, he added: \"And ye\nshall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost: for the promise is unto you,\nand to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the\nLord our God shall call.\"[G]\n\n[Footnote G: Acts ii: 38.]\n\nI call attention to the universality of this promise. It was made to\nthose who were listening to the apostles, but not to them alone, it\nextended to their children, to them also that were afar off--to those\nwho were a hundred years off, or five hundred, or five or ten thousand\nyears off; the promise was to them; and as if this was not sufficiently\nuniversal, the apostle adds, \"even to as many as the Lord our God shall\ncall\"--call, to what? to as many, of course, as are called to yield\nobedience to the Gospel--to all such the promise extends.\n\nAs the promise made by John was repeated and emphasized by the Savior,\nso, likewise, has this general promise, made by the apostle Peter been\nrepeated and emphasized by the Lord, in restoring the Gospel to the\nearth in this dispensation in which we live. To the first Elders of the\nChurch in our day, he said: \"As I said unto mine apostles, even so I\nsay unto you, for ye are mine apostles * * * Therefore * * * I say unto\nyou again, that every soul who believeth on your words, and is baptized\nby water for the remission of sins, shall receive the Holy Ghost.\"[H]\nSo, to those who have faith in the revelations which the Lord has given\nthrough the Prophet Joseph Smith, the promise of the Holy Ghost is\nrepeated, and assurance is made doubly sure.\n\n[Footnote H: Doc. and Cov., sec. lxxxiv: 63, 64.]\n\nThe necessity of this baptism of the Holy Ghost is made apparent,\nfirst, by the plain declaration of the Savior himself, wherein he\nsays, except a man is born of the Spirit as well as of the water, he\ncannot enter into the kingdom of heaven;[I] and of course outside of\nthe kingdom of heaven there can be no salvation, nor perfect happiness;\nsecond, its necessity appears from the very nature of things.\n\n[Footnote I: John iii: 5.]\n\nThrough water baptism is obtained a remission of past sins; but even\nafter the sins of the past are forgiven, the one so pardoned will\ndoubtless feel the force of sinful habits bearing heavily upon him.\nHe who has been guilty of habitual untruthfulness, will at times find\nhimself inclined, perhaps, to yield to that habit. He who has stolen\nmay be sorely tempted, when opportunity arises, to steal again. While\nhe who has indulged in licentious practices may again find himself\ndisposed to give way to the seductive influence of the siren. So with\ndrunkenness, malice, envy, covetousness, hatred, anger, and, in short,\nall the evil dispositions that flesh is heir to.\n\nThere is an absolute necessity for some additional sanctifying grace\nthat will strengthen poor human nature, not only to enable it to resist\ntemptation, but also to root out from the heart concupiscence--the\nblind tendency or inclination to evil. The heart must be purified,\nevery passion, every propensity made submissive to the will, and the\nwill of man brought into subjection to the will of God.\n\nMan's natural powers are unequal to this task; so, I believe, all will\ntestify who have made the experiment. Mankind stand in some need of a\nstrength superior to any they possess of themselves, to accomplish this\nwork of rendering pure our fallen nature. Such strength, such power,\nsuch a sanctifying grace is conferred on man in being born of the\nSpirit--in receiving the Holy Ghost. Such, in the main, is its office,\nits work.\n\nI do not draw such a conclusion directly from any one passage of\nscripture, but from the whole tenor of the teachings of the servants of\nGod, in both ancient and modern times.\n\nWe shall see, presently, that it is this spirit which reproves the\nworld of sin, of righteousness and judgment, that it guides into all\ntruth, takes of the things of the Father and reveals them unto the\nchildren of men and testifies that Jesus is the Christ These things\nincrease knowledge and faith; and as the foundations of knowledge\nand faith are broadened and deepened so are the powers to work\nrighteousness increased.\n\nWe shall see also that the fruits of this spirit are goodness,\nrighteousness, truth, love, joy, peace and gentleness, and as these\nthings are increased in the soul, viciousness and impurity are rooted\nout, until the whole man is changed and in very deed becomes a new\ncreature in Christ Jesus--is numbered among the pure in heart, and\nblessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see and dwell with God.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XXVI.\n\nTHE HOLY GHOST.--WHO MAY RECEIVE IT.\n\nThe reader has observed, perchance, that John the Baptist was sent\nto preach repentance and baptism before the coming of him who was to\nbaptize with the Holy Ghost. We may also have observed in the teachings\nof Peter on the day of Pentecost, after his arguments and the power of\nthe Spirit by which he spake had aroused belief in the minds of the\npeople, that he required them to repent and to be baptized for the\nremission of their sins before he gave them the promise of the Holy\nGhost.\n\nIf we turn to the account given in the Acts of the Apostles of the\nconversion of the people of Samaria, we shall find the same order\nobserved. Philip went down to that city, taught them the word, which\nthey believed, they repented of their sins, and were baptized; then\nPeter and John came and conferred upon them the Holy Ghost.[A]\n\n[Footnote A: Acts viii.]\n\nThen, again, when Paul found a number of men in Ephesus, who claimed to\nhave been baptized unto John's baptism, yet had not so much as heard of\nthe Holy Ghost, Paul was careful to re-baptize them--since there seemed\nto be some doubt as to the validity of their first baptism--before he\nconferred upon them the Holy Ghost.[B]\n\n[Footnote B: Acts xix.]\n\nIt appears from these circumstances that faith, repentance, and\nbaptism, precede the reception or baptism of the Holy Ghost, and are,\nin fact, prerequisites to a reception of it. This order, in respect to\nthese principles and ordinances, is further sustained by other passages\nof scripture.\n\nJust previous to his crucifixion, Jesus said to the apostles: \"I will\npray to the Father, and he shall give unto you another Comforter, that\nhe may abide with you forever; even the Spirit of truth, _whom the world\ncannot receive_ because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him.\"[C] It\nis evident from this that the world cannot receive the Holy Ghost. And\nnow, who are the world? I answer, those who have not yet put on Christ;\nor, in other words, those who have not yet entered into the kingdom\nof God, through faith in God and Christ, repentance and baptism. They\nare the world; and, according to the word of the Master, they cannot\nreceive the Holy Ghost.\n\n[Footnote C: John xiv: 16, 17.]\n\nAgain: When Peter and other apostles were brought before the senate of\nthe Jews, accused with intent to bring the blood of Messiah upon them,\nPeter answered: \"The God of our fathers raised up Jesus whom ye slew\nand hanged on a tree. Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a\nPrince and a Savior, for to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness\nof sins. And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the\nHoly Ghost _whom God hath given to them that obey him_.\"[D] Not, mark\nyou, to them who have not obeyed him. This is in harmony with the\nstatement that the world cannot receive the Holy Ghost, and also with\nthe other cases we cited where the order in presenting the Gospel to\nthe people was faith in God and Christ, repentance, baptism for the\nremission of sins, and then the reception of the Holy Ghost.\n\n[Footnote D: Acts v: 24-32.]\n\nThere is an exception, however, to this rule in the New Testament: the\ncase of Cornelius the devout gentile;[E] and for this exception there\nwas a special reason. It seems that the apostles applied the narrow\nand contracted views of the Jews to the Gospel. They thought it was\nto be confined to the house of Israel--to those of the circumcision.\nThey appeared slow to understand that in Jesus Christ all the nations\nand peoples of the earth were to be blessed, the gentiles as well as\nthe Jews. Consequently, when the time had come to send the Gospel to\nthe gentiles, the Lord opened the way by sending an angel to Cornelius\nto tell him that his prayers and alms had come up for a memorial\nbefore the Lord, and to direct him to send men to Joppa for Peter, who\nwould tell him what he ought to do.[F] He at once obeyed the heavenly\ninjunction.\n\n[Footnote E: Some also note the case of Paul as an exception to the\nrule, but I think this an error It is true Ananias, on entering the\nhouse where Paul was, put his hands on him and said: \"The Lord, even\nJesus, that appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest, hath sent\nme, that thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy\nGhost. And immediately,\" the historian tells us, \"there fell from his\neyes as it had been scales; and he received sight forthwith, and arose\nand was baptized.\" (Acts ix: 17, 18.) But in all this I see nothing to\nwarrant the assumption that he received the Holy Ghost prior to his\nbaptism.]\n\n[Footnote F: Acts x: 1-8.]\n\nMeantime the Lord prepared Peter to go to the gentiles. In vision he\nbeheld a great net lowered down from heaven, filled with all manner\nof beasts, and a voice cried unto him, \"Rise, Peter, kill and eat.\nBut Peter said. Not so. Lord, for I have never eaten anything that\nis common or unclean.\" \"What God hath cleansed, that call not thou\ncommon,\" said the voice.[G] This was done thrice, and before he had\nwholly concluded what the vision could mean, the messengers from\nCornelius were at the gate,--and the Spirit told him to go with them,\nfor the Lord had sent them.\n\n[Footnote G: Acts x: 9-17.]\n\nThat Peter understood the import of this vision to be that the Gospel\nwas for all mankind, for all races and nations, is evident from the\nfact that when on the following day he went with the messengers to the\nhouse of Cornelius, he said to him: \"Ye know how that it is an unlawful\nthing for a man that is a Jew to keep company, or come unto one of\nanother nation; but God hath showed me that I should not call any man\ncommon or unclean. Therefore come I unto you without gainsaying, as\nsoon as I was sent for.\"[H]\n\n[Footnote H: Acts x: 28.]\n\nCornelius related to him his vision and expressed himself as ready to\nreceive the commandments of God. Then Peter preached to him Christ and\nhim crucified and that whosoever believed on him should have remission\nof sins. And \"while Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell\non all them that heard the word. And they of the circumcision which\nbelieved were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on\nthe gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost. For they\nheard them speak with tongues and magnify God. Then answered Peter,\ncan any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized which have\nreceived the Holy Ghost as well as we? And he commanded them to be\nbaptized, in the name of the Lord.\"[I]\n\n[Footnote I: Acts x: 44-48.]\n\nAfterwards, when they of the circumcision complained of Peter going to\nthem who were uncircumcised, he related the whole matter to them, and\ntestified that as he began to speak to Cornelius and his kindred, \"the\nHoly Ghost fell upon them, as on us at the beginning. * * * Forasmuch,\nthen, as God gave them the like gift as he did unto us, who believed on\nthe Lord Jesus Christ, what was I, that I could withstand God.\"[J] When\nthey heard this they held their peace, and the saying went abroad that\nGod had also to the gentiles granted repentance unto life.\n\n[Footnote J: Acts xi: 15-17.]\n\nThe object for deviating from the order in which the principles and\nordinances of the Gospel follow each other is obvious--it was that the\nJews might have a witness from God that the Gospel was for the gentiles\nas well as for their own nation. But according to the scriptures, and,\nI may say, according to the nature and relationship of these several\nprinciples and ordinances of the Gospel to each other, the reception of\nthe Holy Ghost comes after repentance and baptism.\n\nIn Writing to the Corinthian saints who had received the Holy Ghost,\nPaul says: \"What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy\nGhost, which is in you, which ye have of God?\"[K]\n\n[Footnote K: I. Cor. v: 19]\n\nAnd again: \"Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the\nSpirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him\nwill God destroy.\"[L]\n\n[Footnote L: I. Cor. iii: 16, 17.]\n\nFrom these passages this much is learned: that the man who receives\nthe Holy Ghost becomes a temple thereof, even the temple of God; and\nsince it is decreed that if a man defiles the temple of God him will\nGod destroy, it may be reasonably inferred that the Holy Ghost dwells\nnot in unholy temples; hence, through faith in God, sincere repentance\nof all sins, and baptism for the remission of them, man cleanses his\ntemple, his body, that it may be a fit dwelling place for the Holy\nGhost.\n\nThus faith, repentance, water baptism, and then the baptism of the\nSpirit is the order in which these principles stand, both according\nto the teachings of the scriptures, and the nature of the things\nthemselves: the one leading up logically to the other, which follows in\nbeautiful and harmonious sequence.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XXVII.\n\nTHE HOLY GHOST.--HOW IMPARTED.\n\nThe manner in which the saints under the teachings of the apostles\nreceived the baptism of the Holy Ghost was through the laying on of\nhands. In proof of this I call attention once more to the labors of\nPhilip in the city of Samaria.\n\nIt is already known how he taught them the Gospel, how they believed it\nand were baptized; then we are informed that \"when the apostles which\nwere at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they\nsent unto them Peter and John: who, when they were come down, prayed\nfor them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost (for as yet he was\nfallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the\nLord Jesus.) Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the\nHoly Ghost.\"[A]\n\n[Footnote A: Acts viii: 14-17.]\n\nPrevious to the labors of Philip among the Samaritans, one Simon Magus,\na magician, had given it out that he himself was some great one, and\nhis influence among the people was considerable. But he, too, became\nconverted to the teachings of Philip, and was astonished at the power\nwhich attended his administrations, for the sick were healed, the lame\nwere cured, and unclean spirits cast out of those who were possessed of\nthem. Afterwards when the apostles John and Peter came and conferred\nthe Holy Ghost upon those whom Philip had baptized, Simon was present:\n\"And when Simon saw that through laying on of the apostles' hands the\nHoly Ghost was given, he offered them money, saying. Give me also this\npower, that on whomsoever I lay my hands, he may receive the Holy\nGhost. But Peter said unto him, Thy money perish with thee, because\nthou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money.\"[B]\n\n[Footnote B: Acts viii: 18-20.]\n\nPaul, it will be remembered, found a number of men at Ephesus who\nclaimed to have been baptized unto John's baptism, but when Paul\nquestioned them as to the Holy Ghost, they had not heard even that\nthere was such a spirit. So doubting the validity of their baptism,\nhe re-baptized them; after which, \"when Paul had laid his hands upon\nthem, the Holy Ghost came upon them; and they spake with tongues and\nprophesied.\"[C]\n\n[Footnote C: Acts xix: 1-6.]\n\nThe same apostle, also, in writing to Timothy, exhorts him to \"stir\nup the gift of God which was in him, and which he had received by the\nputting on of his [Paul's] hands,\"[D] alluding, no doubt, to the time\nthat Paul bestowed the Holy Ghost upon him by the laying on of hands.\n\n[Footnote D: II. Tim. i: 6.]\n\nThat this practice of laying on hands for the bestowal or baptism of\nthe Holy Ghost continued in the primitive Christian Church for a long\nperiod--at least for three centuries--is evident from the following\ntestimony:\n\nOf the rites and ceremonies of the third century Mosheim says: \"The\neffect of baptism was supposed to be the remission of sins: And it was\nbelieved that the bishop, by the imposition of hands and by prayer\nconferred those gifts of the Holy Spirit which were necessary for\nliving a holy life.\"[E]\n\n[Footnote E: Mosheim's Church History (Murdock), Vol. I, p. 189.]\n\nIn a note on the foregoing question, Murdock, the most accurate\ntranslator of Dr. Mosheim's great work on church history, says: \"This\nmay be placed beyond all controversy by many passages from the fathers\nof this century. And as it will conduce much to an understanding of the\ntheology of the ancients, which differed in many respects from ours, I\nwill adduce a single passage from Cyprian. It is in his Epistle, No.\n73, p. 131: 'It is manifest where and by whom the remission of sin\nconferred in baptism is administered. They who are presented to the\nrulers of the church, obtain by our prayers and imposition of hands the\nHoly Ghost.'\"[F]\n\n[Footnote F: Mosheim's Church Hist., Vol. I, p. 189.]\n\nIn another passage Cyprian writes: \"Our practice is, that those who\nhave been baptized into the Church should be presented, that by prayer\nand imposition of hands they may receive the Holy Ghost.\" While\nAugustine, in the fourth century, says: \"We still do what the apostles\ndid when they laid their hands on the Samaritans and called down the\nHoly Ghost upon them.\"[G]\n\n[Footnote G: Laying on hands was employed in the Church for other\npurposes than imparting the Holy Ghost. It was the manner of\nadministering to the sick (Mark xvi: 18; Acts xxviii, 8); and also of\nconferring authority or priesthood on men (see Acts vi: 5, 6; viii:\n17; xiii: 3); but as we here are only dealing with the ordinance as\nit relates to a means of imparting the Holy Ghost, I do not stop to\ndiscuss the other purposes for which it was employed.]\n\nIn subsequent centuries, however, this part of the Gospel was lost,\nor neglected by some of the sects of Christendom, and when announced\namong them today, it is not unfrequently regarded as a new doctrine.[H]\nYet it is not. We have seen that it was a doctrine practiced by the\napostles and their immediate successors. Indeed it is named directly\nas one of the principles of the doctrine of Christ by Paul. The\nfollowing is the passage: \"Therefore not leaving the principles of the\ndoctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again\nthe foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward\nGod, of the doctrine of baptisms, _and of laying on of hands_ and of\nresurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.\"[I] And here it\nmay be well to call attention to the fact, that it is written that\n\"Whosoever transgresseth and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ,\nhath not God.\"[J] And since the religious world has very generally\nlost sight of this important doctrine of the laying on of hands for\nimparting the Holy Ghost, it is one evidence, among many others, that\nthey have not God; for the absence of this part of the Gospel proves\nthat they have not continued in the doctrine of Christ.\n\n[Footnote H: It is a mistake to suppose all Christendom have neglected\nthe practice of this ordinance. The Catholics teach that \"Confirmation\n[by the laying on of hands] is a sacrament instituted by our Lord,\nby which the faithful, who have already been made children of God by\nbaptism, receive the Holy Ghost by prayer, unction (or anointing with\nholy oil called _chrism_), and the laying on of the hands of a bishop,\nthe successor of the apostles. It is thus that they are enriched with\ngifts, graces and virtues, especially with the virtue of fortitude,\nand made perfect Christians and valiant soldiers of Jesus Christ to\nstand through life the whole warfare of the world, the flesh and the\ndevil. The first recorded instance of confirmation being administered\nto the faithful is in the eighth chapter of the Acts of the Apostles,\nwhere St. Peter and St. John confirmed the Samaritans who had been\nalready baptized by St. Philip. 'They prayed for them that they might\nreceive the Holy Ghost. * * * Then laid they their hands on them and\nthey received the Holy Ghost'\"(Catholic Belief, Bruno pp. 97, 98). The\nChurch of England, and of course the Episcopal churches in the colonies\nand the United States teach practically the same.]\n\n[Footnote I: Heb. vi: 1, 2.]\n\n[Footnote J: II. John: 9.]\n\nIn restoring the Gospel to the earth in the present dispensation, it\nseems, from the frequency with which it is mentioned, that particular\nprominence is given to this doctrine and ordinance through which the\nHoly Ghost is imparted. Out of the many passages in the Doctrine and\nCovenants relating to the subject I select the following:\n\nIn April, 1830, the same month and year in which the Church of Christ\nin this dispensation was organized, the Lord in explaining the office\nand calling of an apostle, said: \"An apostle is an elder, and it is his\ncalling to baptize; * * * and to confirm those who are baptized into\nthe Church, by the laying on of hands for the baptism of fire and the\nHoly Ghost, according to the scriptures.\"[K]\n\n[Footnote K: Doc. and Cov., sec. xx: 38, 41.]\n\nIn a revelation to James Covill given in January, 1831, calling him to\nobedience to the Gospel and appointing him to be his servant, even a\nminister for Christ, the Lord said: \"And this is my Gospel: repentance\nand baptism by water, and then cometh the baptism of fire and the Holy\nGhost, even the Comforter, which showeth all things, and teacheth the\npeaceable things of the Kingdom.\" After calling him to be his servant\nthe Lord said: \"And again it shall come to pass, that on as many as\nye shall baptize with water, ye shall lay your hands, and they shall\nreceive the gift of the Holy Ghost.\"[L]\n\n[Footnote L: Doc. and Cov., sec. xxxix; 6, 23.]\n\nThen in a revelation given to Sidney Rigdon, Parley P. Pratt and Lemon\nCopley, through Joseph the Prophet, on the occasion of these men\nbeing sent with the Gospel to the Shakers, the Lord said: \"Go among\nthis people and say unto them, like unto mine apostle of old, whose\nname was Peter; believe on the name of the Lord Jesus. * * * Repent\nand be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, according to the holy\ncommandment, for the remission of sins; and whoso doeth this shall\nreceive the gift of the Holy Ghost, by the laying on of the hands of\nthe Elders of this Church.\"[M]\n\n[Footnote M: Ibid., sec. xlix: 11-14.]\n\nAs this last is a general law, I do not consider it necessary to cite\nfurther passages, though the revelations of the Lord contained in the\nDoctrine and Covenants are replete with them. Sufficient has been said\nto show that the doctrine has been made prominent in this dispensation.\n\nTo my mind this ordinance is the most philosophical of any in the\nGospel. On one occasion as Jesus passed through a throng of people, a\nwoman who had been troubled with an issue of blood for twelve years,\nand had spent all her living upon physicians, but received no benefit\nfrom them, came up behind him, saying in her heart, if I can but touch\nthe hem of his garment I shall be healed. And it was so, even according\nto her faith; for pressing through the crowd she laid hold of his\ngarment and was immediately made whole. \"And Jesus said, who touched\nme?\" When all denied, Peter and they that were with him said, \"Master,\nthe multitude throng thee, and press thee, and sayest thou who touched\nme? And Jesus said, somebody hath touched me; for I perceive that\nvirtue is gone out of me.\"[N]\n\n[Footnote N: Luke viii: 43, 46.]\n\nNow, what had happened. And why the expression--\"Somebody hath touched\nme; for I perceive that virtue is gone out of me.\" My answer would be\nthat the person of Jesus, aye, and also the very garments he wore, were\nso charged with that divine influence, known to us as the Holy Spirit,\nthat when the woman with the issue of blood touched his garments, so\nmuch of that Spirit left him to heal her that it was perceptible to\nhim, and he exclaimed, \"Virtue is gone out of me!\"\n\nSo, when a servant of God, filled with that Spirit, and with authority\nto act in the name of Jesus Christ, lays his hands upon one who has\nprepared himself for the reception of the Holy Ghost, through faith,\nrepentance, and baptism, a portion of that Holy Spirit passes from\nthe one who administers, to him upon whom he lays his hands and he\nis baptized with it. These are the laws by which it is received and\nconveyed; these are the conditions that must exist, in order that\nmen may obtain this holiest of all influences, and its full and free\nenjoyment. And its transmission from one person to another by an\nobservance of the ordinances and principles of righteousness we have\nnow considered, is as natural and philosophical in the spiritual\nthings of the universe, as it is for electricity or steam to perform\nthe wonders which these forces are now made to enact in the commercial\nand mechanical worlds; and which they will not perform, unless the\nconditions by which their power is made available, are complied with.\n\nI cannot do better in concluding this chapter than to quote a paragraph\nor two from the works of Apostle Parley P. Pratt:\n\n\"To impart a portion of the Holy Spirit by the touch, or by the laying\non of hands; or to impart a portion of the element of life, from one\nanimal body to another, by an authorized agent who acts in the name of\nGod, and who is filled therewith, is as much in accordance with the\nlaws of nature as for water to seek its own level; air its equilibrium;\nor heat and electricity their own mediums of conveyance.\n\n\"This law of spiritual fluid, its communicative properties, and the\nchannel by which it is imparted from one person to another, bear some\nresemblance or analogy to the laws and operations of electricity. Like\nelectricity, it is imparted by the contact of two bodies, through the\nchannel of the nerves.\n\n\"But the two fluids differ widely. The one is a property nearly allied\nto the grosser elements of matter; not extensively endowed with the\nattributes of intelligence, wisdom, affection or moral discrimination.\nIt can therefore be imparted from one animal body to another,\nirrespective of the intellectual or moral qualities of the subject\nor recipient. The other is a substance endowed with the attributes\nof intelligence, affection, moral discrimination, love, charity and\nbenevolence pure as the emotions which swell the bosom, thrill the\nnerves, or vibrate the pulse of the Father of all.\n\n\"An agent filled with this heavenly fluid cannot impart of the same to\nanother, unless that other is justified, washed, cleansed from all his\nimpurities of heart, affections, habits or practices by the blood of\natonement, which is generally applied in connection with the baptism of\nremission.\n\n\"A man who continues in his sins, and who has no living faith in the\nSon of God, cannot receive the gift of the Holy Spirit through the\nministration of any agent, however holy he may be. The impure spirit\nof such a one will repulse the pure element, upon the natural laws of\nsympathetic affinity, or of attraction and repulsion.\"[O]\n\n[Footnote O: Key to Theology, pp. 96, 97, 98.]\n\nIn other words, the Spirit of God will not dwell in unholy temples,\nhence repentance and baptism for the remission of sins go before the\nbaptism of the Spirit that men may be cleansed of their sins, justified\nbefore God, and their bodies by these means made fit dwelling-places\nfor the Holy Ghost--the living temples of God.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XXVIII.\n\nTHE HOLY GHOST.--CHARACTER AND SOURCE.\n\nCan the naturalist find out and comprehend the secret of the endless\nvariety of life in the vegetable and animal kingdoms? Can the chemist\nfind out the essences of substances, or make himself master of the\nsecrets of great nature's laboratory where those wonderful combinations\nare wrought which produce the substances that constitute the material\nuniverse? Can the physician or surgeon with scalpel and microscope\n\"trace to its source the lightning of the soul\"--trace out the secret\nsprings of life and intelligence in the human organism? Can the\nastronomer, even with his mightiest telescope, penetrate to the outside\ncurtains of space where worlds and planetary systems do not exist--can\nhe circumscribe the creations of God, within the scope of his vision or\nknowledge?\n\nTo all these questions a negative answer must be given; when man has\ndone his best, when his whole life has been spent in seeking knowledge\nand finding out wisdom, even then the facts which he has mastered,\ncompared with those beyond the power of his intellect to comprehend,\nare insignificant; and the fields of knowledge which he has explored,\ncompared with those wherein man has never yet set his foot, are as the\nfew grains of sand compared to the untold millions of such grains that\nform old ocean's beach.\n\nThe great Sir Isaac Newton at the close of his life--a life devoted\nto the search for knowledge in which pursuit he had been more than\nordinarily successful, and most men thought he had accomplished\nsomething of which he could boast--said in accents most humble, \"I have\nbeen like a child playing upon the beach; I have succeeded in finding a\nfew pretty shells, and picking up a few pretty pebbles, but the great\nocean lies before me unexplored.\"\n\nQuestions and considerations like these, are calculated to reveal\nthe fact that man, with all his boasted intelligence, is, after all,\nin this sphere of existence, \"cribbed, cabined and confined\" to\nlimits extremely narrow, so far as his ability to comprehend facts is\nconcerned.\n\nThe naturalist will answer \"No,\" to the question I have set down to\nhim. He will tell us that he can classify the various forms of animal\nand vegetable life, basing his classification upon certain similarities\nof structure or habits; but when it comes to accounting for the great\nvariety and forms of life in animated nature; or to telling why it is\nthat one seed produces the mighty, sturdy oak, and another the supple\nwillow; or why each species of animals produces its kind--he cannot\ninform you. His most careful investigations and patient watching have\nfailed to rob nature of these secrets.\n\nThe chemist of a century ago, who thought he had reduced compound\nsubstances to their primary elements, and had discovered all the\nprimary elements of substances; could he live today, he would see his\n\"elements\" separated and reduced, and a multitude of other elements\nunknown to him, brought within the compass of chemical science;\nand yet the existence of the universe itself, remaining as great a\nmystery as ever. Indeed, the wonder grows rather than diminishes with\neach succeeding discovery; for these things increase the mystery by\nrevealing the complexity and delicate combinations of substances as\nthey exist in their varied forms.\n\nTo the physician, the surgeon, the scientist, the mystery of life\nremains as much an unsolved problem as it ever did. It is true they\nclaim to have traced it down to its beginning; they say it originates\nin a substance known to them as protoplasm; that a single cell of this\nwonderful substance has the peculiar power of producing another cell,\nand this one still another. This multiplication of protoplasmic cells\ncontinuing until it develops in the varied processes of nature into the\ngreat variety of animal organisms known to us. Yet after all his work,\nthe scientist at last, with nervous hand and throbbing brow reaches a\npoint beyond which he cannot go, and the single cell of protoplasm,\nwith the peculiar power to multiply itself, is as great a mystery as\nman with his complex organism of bones and nerves and muscles.\n\nTo the question I have put to the astronomer, he would doubtless\nanswer, with some impatience, that his best instruments but revealed to\nhim the nearest outposts of the stellar worlds; and that beyond these\nfew street lamps within his vision, with whose positions he has become\nacquainted and marked down on his chart, are numberless planetary\nsystems out of the reach of his instruments, but whose existence is\nrevealed by masses of light through which he cannot penetrate. His\nscience is unsatisfied, the little he has learned but reveals to him\nthe vastness and extent of those fields of knowledge beyond his power\nto enter, much less to reap.\n\nIf in relation to these grosser materials or objects, and their\nrelationship to each other, man's knowledge is so limited, and\nhis powers of comprehension so restricted, the reader will not be\nastonished when I tell him there is very much that is beyond our power\nto understand in relation to that most subtle, powerful, sensitive and\nintelligent of all influences, known to us as the Holy Ghost.\n\nWhat little may be learned of this great spiritual force in the\nuniverse, is to be found in the revelations of God, from which we are\ngiven to understand that this Holy Spirit which exists throughout the\nuniverse and is the medium by which it is governed, emanates from God.\n\nJust previous to his crucifixion, Jesus said to his disciples: \"But\nwhen the Comforter [which is the Holy Ghost--see John xiv, 26], is\ncome, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of\nTruth, _which proceedeth from the Father_ he will testify of me.\"[A]\n\n[Footnote A: John xv: 26.]\n\nAnd this agrees with what the Lord has revealed in this dispensation,\nin respect to this Spirit. To a number of Elders who had assembled\ntogether, to learn the will of the Lord concerning them--after\ntelling them that he was well pleased with them, and that their names\nwere written in the book of the names of the sanctified--he said:\n\"Wherefore, I now send upon you another Comforter, even upon you,\nmy friends, that it may abide in your hearts, even the Holy Spirit\nof promise; which other Comforter is the same I promised unto my\ndisciples, as is recorded in the testimony of John.[B] This Comforter\nis the promise which I give unto you of eternal life; even the glory\nof the celestial kingdom: which glory is that of the church of the\nfirst-born; even of God, the holiest of all, through Jesus Christ,\nhis Son: he that ascended up on high, as also he descended below al]\nthings, in that he comprehended all things, that he might be in all\nand through all things [that is, by the power of his Spirit] the light\nof truth; which truth shineth. This is the light of Christ [or Holy\nSpirit]. As also he is [that is, by this Spirit--the Holy Ghost], in\nthe sun, and the light of the sun, and the power thereof by which it\nwas made. As also he is in the moon, and is the light of the moon,\nand the power thereof, by which it was made. As also the light of the\nstars, and the power thereof by which they were made. And the earth\nalso, and the power thereof; even the earth upon which you stand. And\nthe light which now shineth, which giveth you light, is through him who\nenlighteneth your eyes, which is the same light that quickeneth your\nunderstandings; _which light proceedeth forth from the presence of God_\nto fill the immensity of space, the light which is in all things; which\ngiveth life to all things: which is the law by which all things are\ngoverned; even the power of God, who sitteth upon his throne, who is in\nthe bosom of eternity, who is in the midst of all things.\"[C]\n\n[Footnote B: John xiv.]\n\n[Footnote C: Doc. and Cov., sec. lxxxviii: 1-13.]\n\nThe line in italics represents this \"light\" which quickened the\nunderstanding of the Elders to whom the revelation was addressed, as\nproceeding from the presence of God, and this is wherein the testimony\nof this revelation agrees with that of John. Both testify that this\nSpirit emanates from God, and that this \"light\" which \"proceedeth forth\nfrom the presence of God to fill the immensity of space, which giveth\nlife to all things, which is the law by which all things are governed,\"\nis identical With that Spirit of which Jesus was speaking, the Holy\nGhost, cannot be doubted. Hence, from this revelation we learn not only\nthe source of the Holy Ghost, but that it permeates the universe, and\nis the power by which the creations of God were brought into existence,\nby which they subsist, and by which they are directed in their\nrespective spheres in such harmony and splendor.\n\nTo these ideas respecting the Holy Ghost agree several other\nauthoritative passages. The Prophet Joseph Smith taught that the\nHoly Ghost has not a body of flesh and bones, \"but is a personage of\nSpirit;\" and then adds: \"Were it not so, the Holy Ghost could not dwell\nin us.\"[D]\n\n[Footnote D: Doc. and Cov., sec. cxxx.]\n\nAgain it is written: \"The elements are the tabernacle of God, yea\nman is the tabernacle of God, even temples; and whatsoever temple is\ndefiled, God shall destroy that temple.\"[E] This cannot allude to God\nthe Father or to God the Son, because each has a tabernacle of flesh\nand bones, as tangible as man's;[F] but it alludes to God the Holy\nGhost, whose tabernacle is in the elements of the universe, giving life\nand light and intelligence to all things, and is the grand medium of\ncommunication between God the Father and his Son Jesus Christ and their\nvast creations.\n\n[Footnote E: Doc. and Cov., sec. xciii; also I. Cor. iii: 16, 17; I.\nCor., vi: 19.]\n\n[Footnote F: The Father has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as\nman's; the Son also; but the Holy Ghost has not a body of flesh and\nbones, but is a personage of Spirit. (Doc. and Cov., sec. cxxx: 22; see\nalso Lectures on Faith, v: 2, 3.)]\n\nSo much as to the source and nature of the Holy Ghost; now let us turn\nour attention to what it does for those who possess it, what gifts and\ngraces it bestows and develops in them.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XXIX.\n\nTHE HOLY GHOST.--ITS POWER.\n\nAs the time drew near for Jesus to make his great sacrifice, and then\ndepart from the immediate presence of his disciples, he manifested a\ngreat desire to comfort them in prospect of this separation, and this\nhe did by promising to send to them from the Father the Holy Ghost,\nthat he might abide with them for ever;[A] and in explaining to them\nthe powers of this Spirit, he said: \"But the Comforter, which is the\nHoly Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you\nall things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have\nsaid unto you.\"\n\n[Footnote A: John xiv: 16, 26.]\n\nIn continuation of his remarks on this subject, he told them he had\nmany things to say unto them, but they could not bear them at that\ntime. \"Howbeit,\" said he, \"when he, the Spirit of Truth, is come, he\nwill guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself: but\nwhatsoever he shall hear that shall he speak: and he will show you\nthings to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine,\nand shall show it unto you. All things that the Father hath are mine:\nTherefore, said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall show it unto\nyou.\"[B]\n\n[Footnote B: John xvi: 13-15.]\n\nFrom these passages four important things are learned respecting the\npowers of the Holy Ghost:\n\nI. That he will teach all things; and, what is equivalent, \"guide into\nall truth.\"\n\nII. He will bring all things to remembrance, that is, whatsoever things\nhave been stored in the mind.\n\nIII. He will show things to come.\n\nIV. He will take of the things of God and reveal them unto men.\n\nOf the excellence and importance of these several powers it is scarcely\nneedful to speak, since their excellence is evident, upon the mere\nenumeration of them, yet one cannot refrain from looking at them more\nin detail. How excellent a thing it is to have a teacher competent to\nteach all things, and guide into all truth In view of the fact that\nthe saints possessed the Holy Ghost, and that the Holy Ghost has these\npowers, one can understand the reasonableness of John's remarks to the\nsaints, in which he says: \"But ye have an unction from the Holy One,\nand ye know all things. * * * The anointing which ye have received of\nhim abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the\nsame anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie,\nand even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.\"[C]\n\n[Footnote C: I. John ii: 20, 27.]\n\nMoreover, to that extent that a man is guided into all truth, he is\npreserved from all error. There is no danger of his being deceived,\nor led astray by every wind of doctrine, or the cunning craftiness of\nfalse teachers, so long as he is in possession of that Spirit which\nguides into all truth. So taught Isaiah, who, in speaking of the time\nwhen the house of Israel should possess this Spirit, says: \"And though\nthe Lord give you the bread of adversity, and the water of affliction,\nyet shall not thy teachers be removed into a corner any more, but thine\neyes shall see thy teachers: And thine ears shall hear a word behind\nthee, saying. This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right\nhand and when ye turn to the left.\"[D]\n\n[Footnote D: Isaiah xxx: 20, 21.]\n\nAs to the second power enumerated, _viz_.: the power to bring all things\nto the recollection, I maintain that it would be impossible for man to\nlive the law of the gospel without some such grace being conferred upon\nhim by the Lord. The law of the gospel requires men not only to do good\nto those who do good to them, but to do good to those who despitefully\nuse them; not only to lend to those who lend to them, but to lend to\nthose of whom they can hope to receive nothing in return; to revile\nnot those who may revile them--in a word, the law of the gospel is\nsummed up in this: \"Be ye not overcome of evil; but overcome evil with\ngood.\"[E]\n\n[Footnote E: Romans xii: 21. See also Matt. v, vi.]\n\nHowever fine this may be in theory, or however beautiful it may look on\npaper, to carry it practically into the affairs of life is difficult.\n\nWhen reviled it seems but natural to answer railing with railing, blows\nwith blows, and for injury inflicted, return as much in kind as is\nwithin one's power to inflict. And unless in possession of this grace\nbestowed by the Holy Ghost, _viz_., having brought to one's recollection\nthe things of Christ's gospel, being reminded in the very moment of\ntemptation of these laws--when smarting under a sense of injustice,\nor suffering under wrongs heaped upon one--it would be difficult if\nnot impossible to live up to these heavenly precepts. But by having\nthe Holy Spirit as one's prompter in the moments of temptation, and by\ncultivating the Christian virtue of patience, this law of the gospel,\nso contrary to the natural disposition, may be complied with, and the\nfollower of Christ, like his Master, may be able to say for those who\ninflict injury upon him, \"Father, forgive them, for they know not what\nthey do.\"\n\nThirdly, \"He will show you things to come.\" In other words, the Holy\nGhost is the spirit of prophecy, for by it the future has been unfolded\nto the minds of the prophets; and by it the scriptures were given. In\nproof of this I quote the apostle Peter: \"The prophecy came not in old\ntime by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved\nby the Holy Ghost,\"[F] and that which they spake was written and became\nscripture.\n\n[Footnote F: II. Peter i: 21.]\n\nWhen an angel visited John on Patmos and that apostle fell at his feet\nto worship him, the angel said: \"See thou do it not: I am thy fellow\nservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus\" [which\nis the Holy Ghost]: \"worship God, for the testimony of Jesus is the\nSpirit of prophecy.\"[G]\n\n[Footnote G: Rev. xix: 10.]\n\nThese facts will exhibit the inconsistency, nay, I may say, the\nabsolutely erroneous position of those who insist that while the Holy\nGhost has continued with men, prophecy and revelation have ceased.\n\nThe very fact, as stated in the fourth item taken from these passages\nunder consideration, _viz_., that the Holy Ghost will take of the things\nof the Lord and show them unto men, also proves that this Spirit is\none of revelation, and is in harmony with the scripture--\"The Spirit\nsearcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. What man knoweth the\nthings of man, but the spirit of a man which is in him? Even so the\nthings of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.\"[H]\n\n[Footnote H: I. Cor. ii: 11, 12.]\n\nIn addition to these powers there is still another, and it is an\nimportant one. The Holy Ghost is a witness for God and Christ: \"When\nthe Comforter is come,\" are the words of the Son of God, \"whom I will\nsend unto you from the Father, * * * he will testify of me.\"[I] The\ntestimony of Paul is still more emphatic than this: \"No man speaking by\nthe Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed; and no man can say that Jesus\nis the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.\"[J]\n\n[Footnote I: John xv: 26.]\n\n[Footnote J: I Cor. xii: 3.]\n\nI have shown in my remarks on the Holy Ghost being \"the Spirit of\nprophecy,\" that that Spirit and this without which no man can say that\nJesus is the Lord--\"the testimony of Jesus\"--are identical. Several\nother powers belonging to this Spirit are also enumerated by Paul.\nHe gives us to understand that \"There are diversities of gifts, but\nthe same Spirit, and there are differences of administration, but the\nsame Lord. * * * But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every\nman to profit withal. For to one is given by the Spirit, the word of\nwisdom, to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit: to another\nfaith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same\nSpirit: To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to\nanother discerning of spirits, to another divers kinds of tongues; to\nanother interpretation of tongues: But all these worketh that one and\nthe self same Spirit dividing to each one severally as he will.\"[K]\n\n[Footnote K: I. Cor. xii: 4-22.]\n\nIn addition to this splendid array of powers and gifts of the Holy\nGhost, we are told that its fruit \"is love, joy, peace, long-suffering,\ngentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance.\"[L] Indeed we\nmay say, in the language of Apostle Parley P. Pratt, the Holy Spirit\nadapts itself to all the organs and attributes of man. \"It quickens all\nthe intellectual faculties, increases, enlarges, expands and purifies\nall the natural passions and affections; and adapts them by the gift\nof wisdom to their lawful use. It inspires, develops, cultivates and\nmatures all the fine-toned sympathies, joys, tastes, kindred feelings\nand affections of our nature. It inspires virtue, kindness, goodness,\ntenderness, gentleness and charity. It develops beauty of person, form\nand feature. It tends to health, vigor, animation and social feeling.\nIt develops and invigorates all the faculties of the physical and\nintellectual man. It strengthens, invigorates and gives tone to the\nnerves. In short, it is, as it were, marrow to the bone, joy to the\nheart, light to the eyes, music to the ears, and life to the whole\nbeing.\"[M]\n\n[Footnote L: Gal. vi: 22, 23.]\n\n[Footnote M: Key to Theology, p. 102.]\n\nSuch is the Holy Ghost and its sanctifying influence--such is the\nSpirit given to those who accept the gospel, who believe in God and\nJesus Christ, who repent of their sins and are baptized for the\nremission of them--then follows the baptism of the Spirit, in other\nwords, the reception of the Holy Ghost through the laying on of hands.\nThen is developed one or more of its spiritual gifts, and its general\npurifying influences; enlarging the understanding, ennobling every\nthought, making pure the heart; in short, it draws man into a nearer\nrelationship with his God, and begins that spiritual education so\nnecessary to prepare him for the glorious presence of his Creator--his\nFather.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XXX.\n\nAUTHORITY.\n\nI have now considered, at some length, the doctrines and ordinances\nwhich constitute the First Principles of the Gospel of Christ. In\nconnection with these principles, however, there is another matter\nwhich must claim the reader's attention; _viz_.: the important fact that\nthe gospel must be preached and its ordinances administered by those\nhaving authority from God; or the administrations will have no binding\nforce in heaven or on earth, in time or in eternity.\n\nWe are informed in the scriptures that the Lord wrought special\nmiracles by the hands of Paul, whom he had called to be his servant.\nThe sick were healed, and evil spirits were cast out of those who\nwere possessed. \"Then certain of the vagabond Jews, exorcists, took\nupon them to call over them which had evil spirits, the name of the\nLord Jesus, saying. We adjure you, by Jesus whom Paul preacheth. And\nthere were seven sons, of one Sceva, a Jew, and chief of the priests,\nwhich did so. And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know,\nand Paul I know, but who are ye? And the man in whom the evil spirit\nwas, leaped on them, and overcame them, and prevailed against them,\nso that they fled out of that house, naked and wounded.\"[A] These\nmen presumptuously took it upon themselves to act as those who had\nauthority, and the result was that not even the devils would respect\ntheir administrations, much less the Lord.\n\n[Footnote A: Acts xix: 13-16.]\n\nThere is a principle of great moment associated with this incident. The\nquestion is, if these men, when acting without authority from God could\nnot drive out an evil spirit, would their administration be of force,\nor have any virtue in it, had they administered in some other ordinance\nof the Gospel, say baptism for the remission of sins, or laying on\nhands for imparting the Holy Ghost? Manifestly it would not. And hence\nwe rightly come to the conclusion, so well expressed in one of our\narticles of faith, that \"A man must be called of God, by prophecy and\nby the laying on of hands, by those who are in authority to preach the\ngospel and administer in the ordinances thereof.\"\n\nSuch a conclusion as this could reasonably be drawn also from the words\nof Paul in Hebrews where he says: \"Every high priest taken from among\nmen is ordained for men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer\nboth gifts and sacrifices for sins: * * * And no man taketh this honor\nunto himself, but he that is called of God as was Aaron.\"[B] The manner\nin which Aaron was called to the priest's office is recorded in the\nwritings of Moses as follows: \"Take thou unto thee Aaron thy brother,\nand his sons with him from among the children of Israel, that he may\nminister unto me in the priest's office, even Aaron, Nadab and Abihu,\nEleazar and Ithamar, Aaron's sons.\"[C]\n\n[Footnote B: Heb. v. 1, 5.]\n\n[Footnote C: Ex. xxviii, 1.]\n\nIt may be objected that this was the law relating to the calling of\nhigh priests alone, but if high priests are to be called in this\nmanner, is it not reasonable to conclude that all who administer in\n\"things pertaining to God\" must be called in the same way--that is,\nof God? So far as the scriptures are concerned, and on subjects of\nthis character their authority is conclusive, wherever we have an\naccount of men administering in the things pertaining to God, and their\nadministrations are accepted of him, they have either been called\ndirectly by revelation from him, or through inspiration in those who\nalready had authority from God to act in his name; and to be called by\na legitimate, divinely established authority is to be called of God.\n\nOn the other hand, whenever men have taken it upon themselves to act in\nthe name of God, so far as any such instance is recorded, it has been\nfollowed by some manifestation of displeasure from him.\n\nAs an example of this statement, I call attention to the case of Uzza.\nThe Lord appointed Aaron and his sons to take special charge of the\nark of the covenant and all the holy things belonging to it. When\nit became necessary for the camp to move, after all things had been\narranged by Aaron and his sons, then the sons of Kohash were to come\nto bear it; \"but,\" said the Lord, \"they shall not touch any holy thing\nlest they die.\"[D] Some generations after this. King David undertook\nto move the ark from Baalah,--called also Kirjathjearim, where it had\nremained many years. Uzza and Ahio drove the cart on which the ark and\nits furniture were placed, and when the company engaged in this pious\nwork reached Chidon, Uzza put forth his hand to steady the ark, for the\noxen stumbled, but in doing so he broke the law which had been given to\nIsrael[E]--he acted without authority \"And the anger of the Lord was\nkindled against Uzza, and he smote him because he put his hand to the\nark; and there he died before God.\"[F]\n\n[Footnote D: Num. iv: 15.]\n\n[Footnote E: Num. iv: 15.]\n\n[Footnote F: I. Chron. xiii: 10.]\n\nTake still another case, that of Uzziah. He was one of the kings of\nIsrael; and for a long time he prospered exceedingly because of his\nrighteousness. His enemies were smitten before him, and wisdom was\ngiven him to fortify Jerusalem as it never had been fortified before.\nBut in the midst of his glory and the pride of his heart, he undertook\nto minister in the temple of God in the priest's office; and appeared\nbefore the altar to burn incense.\" And Azariah the priest went in\nafter him, and with him four score priests of the Lord, that were\nvaliant men: And they withstood Uzziah the king and said unto him. It\nappertaineth not unto thee, Uzziah, to burn incense unto the Lord,\nbut to the priests, the sons of Aaron, that are consecrated to burn\nincense: Go out of the sanctuary; for thou hast trespassed; neither\nshall it be to thine honor from the Lord God. Then Uzziah was wroth,\nand had a censer in his hand to burn incense: and while he was wroth\nwith the priests, the leprosy even rose in his forehead before the\npriests in the house of the Lord, from beside the incense altar. And\nAzariah, the chief priest, and all the priests, looked upon him, and,\nbehold, he was leprous in his forehead and they thrust him out from\nthence; yea himself hasted also to go out, because the Lord had smitten\nhim. And Uzziah, the king, was a leper unto the day of his death, and\ndwelt in a several house, being a leper; for he was cut off from the\nhouse of the Lord.\"[G]\n\n[Footnote G: II. Chron. xxvi.]\n\nSwift punishment followed upon the presumptuous attempt of this king to\nexercise the authority of God without having had it conferred upon him:\nand we have already seen that in New Testament times the Lord would\nnot have respect for the administration of those who spoke in his name\nwithout authority, no matter how nearly they conformed to the forms of\nthe ceremony; there was no force in it, and the devil could and did\nprevail against him.\n\nWe have the testimony of Jesus respecting the authority which he had\nconferred upon his apostles; said he, \"Ye have not chosen me, but I\nhave chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth\nfruit.\"[H]\n\n[Footnote H: John xv: 16.]\n\nWhen seven men were chosen to look after the poor and minister to them,\nthey set them before the apostles who, when they had prayed, laid their\nhands on them and ordained them to their calling.[I]\n\n[Footnote I: Acts vi: 1-6.]\n\nSo in the case of Paul. It was not enough that he saw and spoke with\nthe Messiah, not enough to have Ananias come and baptize him, and\nreceive the Holy Ghost; for afterwards, when the Lord would have him\nengage in the work of preaching the gospel and administer in the\nordinances thereof, the Holy Ghost said unto certain prophets at\nAntioch, \"Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have\ncalled them. And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands\non them, they sent them away.\"[J]\n\n[Footnote J: Acts xiii: 1-3.]\n\nFurthermore, as Paul went about confirming the souls of the saints, he\nordained elders in every church.[K] He did not suffer men to take the\nauthority on themselves to minister in the things of God; but warned\nthe saints against such characters. Having assembled the elders of the\nchurch of Ephesus, he said to them: \"Take heed unto yourselves, and to\nall the flock, over which the Holy Ghost has made you overseers, to\nfeed the flock of God. * * * For I know this that after my departing,\nshall grievous wolves enter in, not sparing the flock. And of your\nown selves, shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away\ndisciples after them.\"[L]\n\n[Footnote K: Acts, xiv: 2, 3.]\n\n[Footnote L: Acts xx: 28, 29.]\n\nThis same thing pressed itself upon his mind when he wrote his Epistle\nto Timothy; for we find him exhorting that worthy man to \"Preach the\nword; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with\nall long-suffering, and doctrine, for the time will come when they will\nnot endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap\nto themselves teachers, having itching ears; and they shall turn away\ntheir ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.\"[M]\n\n[Footnote M: II. Tim. iv: 2-4.]\n\nTo this also agrees the testimony of Peter. After speaking of the\nprophets that were in ancient Israel, he says: \"But there were false\nprophets also among the people [then addressing the saints of his own\nday], even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily\nshall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought\nthem, and shall bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall\nfollow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall\nbe evil spoken of.\"[N]\n\n[Footnote N: II Peter ii: 1, 2.]\n\nThat is just what happened. False teachers arose, damnable heresies\ncrept into the churches, the Gospel was corrupted, and a few\ngenerations after the gospel was introduced by the personal ministry\nof John the Baptist and the Messiah himself, the authority of God was\ntaken from among men.\n\nHence, when a knowledge of the Gospel was restored to the earth in\nthis last dispensation, it became necessary to restore also the\nauthority to teach it, and administer its ordinances. For this purpose\nJohn the Baptist, laboring under the direction of Peter, James and\nJohn, was sent to restore sufficient authority to administer the\noutward ordinances, to teach faith and repentance, and baptize for the\nremission of sins.[O]\n\n[Footnote O: Doc. and Cov. sec. xiii.]\n\nSubsequently Peter, James and John were sent of the Lord[P] some\ntime in the early summer of 1829, and ordained Joseph Smith and\nOliver Cowdery to the holy Melchisedek Priesthood--in fact, they were\nordained apostles. [Q]And as the \"Melchisedek priesthood holds the\nright of presidency, and has power and authority over all the offices\nin the church in all ages of the world to administer in spiritual\nthings\"[R]--these men, Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery, had authority\nto administer in all the ordinances of salvation, and to organize the\nChurch of Christ; which, under the direction of the Lord, they did. And\nthus, not only has the Gospel been restored to the earth in this last\ndispensation, but the authority to administer in all its ordinances,\nand to build up the Church of Christ and the Kingdom of God on earth\nhas been brought from heaven and bestowed upon men.\n\n[Footnote P: Doc. and Cov. sec. xxvii: 12.]\n\n[Footnote Q: Doc. and Cov. sec. xx: 2, 3.]\n\n[Footnote R: Doc. and Cov. sec. cvii.]\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XXXI.\n\nLAWS OF SPIRITUAL DEVELOPMENT.\n\nIf a man accepts the principles and obeys the ordinances I have now\ntreated upon, and I hope with sufficient clearness, and they are\nadministered by men having authority from God to act in his name, then\nhe is born again, born of the water and of the Spirit--born into the\nkingdom of God, and hence is a child of God, a citizen of his kingdom.\n\nAnd since by submitting to these ordinances a man is born into the\nkingdom, I would remind the reader that his position in that kingdom is\nclosely analogous to the child just born naturally into this world. It\npossesses all the faculties, all the organs, all the limbs of a man,\nbut they are in embryo, undeveloped. The new born infant has eyes, but\nit will be some time before it will be able to distinguish objects, or\nrecognize even the kind face of its mother. It has ears, but it cannot\ndistinguish sounds; a tongue but it cannot speak; limbs but it cannot\nstand or walk or run; nor has it control of the muscles of the hands or\narms--it will have to wait for growth and strength before these organs\nof sense and motion are developed.\n\nIts first attempts at the use of any of these organs will necessarily\nbe imperfect as to the results. The tongue will speak the first words\nbut brokenly; the first step will be uneven and staggering; the\nmovements of the hands will be erratic and awkward. But by persistent\neffort the tongue that could only pronounce words brokenly, becomes,\nat last, eloquent, and crowds listen spellbound by the charm of its\nmusic. The uneven, staggering step is changed finally for the elastic\nstep and noble carriage of graceful manhood. The hands so awkward\nbecome by practice the hands of the skilled artisan, competent to\nexecute whatever his mind may conceive. So it is with those just born\nin the church of Christ. They, at their birth, are not fully developed\nmen and women in the things of God. It is expected that they will\nhave to \"grow in grace and in the knowledge of God.\" Peter exhorted\nthe saints of his day to give all diligence, and add to their faith\nvirtue; \"and to virtue knowledge; and to knowledge temperance; and\nto temperance patience; and to patience godliness; and to godliness\nbrotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. For if these\nthings be in you and abound,\" said he, \"they make you that ye shall\nneither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus\nChrist.\"[A] Such instructions are applicable to the Saints of this or\nany other dispensation. The new born saints will find themselves in a\nnew atmosphere, sensitive to new forces operating upon them, new powers\ndeveloping within them: and as the young child staggers in its first\nattempts to walk, and has many a fall before it will obtain complete\ncontrol over its muscles--so the new born member of Christ's church\nwill make many mistakes and perhaps blunders in the days of his infancy.\n\n[Footnote A: II Peter i: 5-8.]\n\nFor this reason, that the child of the kingdom might not grow weary in\nhis efforts at moral and spiritual development, the Lord has revealed\nhis long-suffering and merciful kindness to those who strive to keep\nhis commandments. And such is the weakness of mankind and their\nfrequent violations of the laws of God that had they not the repeated\nassurances in the revelations respecting God's character that he is\nslow to anger, abundant in mercy and long-suffering, the heart of\nman would grow faint, and his effort at spiritual development would\nbe palsied. But with these facts firmly impressed on their minds men\nstruggle on--they pray and faint not[B].\n\n[Footnote B: Luke xviii: 1.]\n\nIf there is one struggle more than another in which the race is not to\nthe swift nor the battle to the strong, but to those who endure to the\nend, it is in this struggle for eternal life. \"He that shall endure\nto the end the same shall be saved,\" were the words of Jesus, and I\nknow of no other condition of salvation contemplated in the Gospel of\nChrist, than this. \"Be thou faithful unto death,\" wrote John to the\nsaints at Smyrna, \"and I will give thee a crown of life.\"[C] \"Blessed\nare they _who do his commandment_, that they may have right to the tree\nof life;\"[D] and with such passages the scriptures are replete.\n\n[Footnote C: Rev. ii: 10.]\n\n[Footnote D: Rev. ii: 14.]\n\nThere is no one great thing that man can do and then do no more and\nobtain salvation. After entering into the kingdom of God, in the\nmanner already pointed out in these pages, it is by learning \"precept\nupon precept; line upon line; here a little and there a little,\" that\nsalvation will be made secure. It is by resisting a temptation today,\novercoming a weakness tomorrow, forsaking evil associations the next\nday, and thus day by day, month after month, year after year, pruning,\nrestraining and weeding out that which is evil in the disposition, that\nthe character is purged of its imperfections.\n\nNor is it enough that one gets rid of evil. He must do good. He\nmust surround himself with circumstances congenial to the sensitive\nnature of the Holy Ghost, that it may not be offended, and withdraw\nitself from him; for if it does so, amen to his spiritual or moral\ndevelopment. He must cultivate noble sentiments by performing noble\ndeeds--not great ones, necessarily, for opportunity to perform what\nthe world esteem great things, comes but seldom to men in the ordinary\nwalks of life; but noble deeds may be done every day; and every such\ndeed performed with an eye single to the glory of God, draws one that\nmuch nearer into harmony with the Deity. And \"if you wish to go where\nGod is,\" said the Prophet Joseph, \"you must be like God, or possess the\nprinciples which God possesses, for if we are not drawing towards God\nin principle, we are going from him and drawing towards the devil.\"[E]\n\n[Footnote E: Hist. of Joseph Smith, Apr. 10, 1842.]\n\nThus by eschewing the evil inclinations of the disposition on the one\nhand, and cultivating noble sentiments on the other, a character may\nbe formed that shall be godlike in its attributes and consequently its\npossessor will be fitted to dwell with God, and if so prepared, there\nis no question but his calling and election are sure.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XXXII.\n\nHISTORY OF THE GOSPEL.\n\nI think it proper in this chapter to give a brief history of the\ngospel--for this reason: There is a very general idea existing in the\nChristian world that nothing was known of the gospel of Christ--its\nprinciples and ordinances, until the personal ministry of the Messiah\nbegan; whereas the truth is, the plan of redemption, the gospel, was\nunderstood in the eternal heavens before the foundations of the earth\nwere laid; and was revealed to the first patriarchs of the race, and\nextensively preached many centuries before the coming of Messiah in the\nflesh.\n\nIn proof of the statement that the plan of redemption was understood\nbefore even the creation of the earth, I quote the words of the Lord to\nAbraham: \"Now the Lord had shown unto me, Abraham, the intelligences\nthat were organized before the world was; and among all these there\nwere many of the noble and great ones; and God saw these souls that\nthey were good, and he stood in the midst of them; and he said. These\nI will make my rulers; for he stood among those that were spirits, and\nhe saw they were good. * * * And there stood one among them like unto\nGod, and he said unto those that were with him. We will go down, for\nthere is space there, and we will take of these materials, and we will\nmake an earth whereon these may dwell; and we will prove them herewith,\nto see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall\ncommand them; and they who keep their first estate, shall be added\nupon; and they who keep not their first estate, shall not have glory in\nthe same kingdom with those who keep their first estate; and they who\nkeep their second estate, shall have glory added upon their heads for\never and ever.\"\n\n\"And the Lord said, who shall I send? And one answered like unto the\nSon of Man, Here am I, send me. And another answered and said, Here am\nI, send me. And the Lord said, I will send the first. And the second\nwas angry, and kept not his first estate, and, at that day, many\nfollowed after him. And then the Lord said, Let us go down: and they\nwent down at the beginning, and they organized and formed (that is the\nGods), the heavens and the earth.\"[A]\n\n[Footnote A: Pearl of Great Price, p. 41.]\n\nThis is a brief account of the controversy there was in heaven, in\nrespect to the plan that should be adopted for the salvation of man,\nwhen in his second estate.\n\nIn the writings of Moses, as revealed to Joseph Smith, the matter is\nmade still more clear. There we have an account of Satan appearing\nbefore Moses, and of his seeking to induce that faithful man to worship\nhim instead of God; but Moses rebuked him in the name of the Lord\nJesus, and afterwards the Lord appeared unto him and said: \"Satan, whom\nthou hast commanded in the name of mine Only Begotten, is the same\nwhich was from the beginning, and he came before me, saying, Behold\nI, send me, I will be thy Son, and I will redeem all mankind, that\none soul shall not be lost, and surely I will do it; wherefore, give\nme thine honor. But, behold, my beloved Son, which was my beloved and\nchosen from the beginning, said unto me, Father, thy will be done, and\nthe glory be thine forever. Wherefore, because Satan rebelled against\nme [his plans being rejected, as we have already seen], and sought to\ndestroy the agency of man, which I, the Lord God, had given him, and\nalso that I should give unto him mine own power, by the power of mine\nOnly Begotten, I caused that he should be cast down, and he became\nSatan.\"[B]\n\n[Footnote B: Pearl of Great Price, p. 9.]\n\nFrom this we learn the cause of Lucifer's rejection and rebellion--his\nplan for man's redemption was of such a character that it would have\ndestroyed the agency of man, and robbed God of his honor; and because\nthat plan was rejected, he rebelled against God and was cast out of\nheaven. This was before the creation of the earth, and this controversy\nabout which the rebellion took place was in relation to the plan of\nsalvation--the gospel.\n\nThese things were revealed to the Prophet Joseph, and they throw a\nperfect flood of light upon the scriptures which refer to Christ as the\n\"Lamb slain from the foundation of the world,\"[C] From that expression\nwe see that Jesus was chosen to make the atonement from the foundation\nof the world, and that the gospel was understood from the beginning.\nThe Prophet Joseph Smith said that \"at the first organization in heaven\nwe were all present, and saw the Savior chosen and appointed and the\nplan of salvation made, and we sanctioned it.\"\n\n[Footnote C: Rev. xiii: 8.]\n\nComing to the time when the gospel was introduced among men on this\nearth, we find it began by a commandment to Adam to worship the Lord\nhis God, and to offer the firstlings of his flock for an offering unto\nthe Lord. Many days after this commandment had been given, an angel of\nthe Lord visited Adam and asked him why he offered up sacrifices. To\nwhich Adam replied: \"I know not, save the Lord commanded me.\" \"And the\nangel spake, saying: This thing is a similitude of the sacrifice of the\nOnly Begotten of the Father. * * * Wherefore, thou shalt do all that\nthou doest in the name of the Son, and thou shalt repent and call upon\nGod in the name of the Son forevermore. And in that day the Holy Ghost\nfell upon Adam, which beareth record of the Father and the Son, saying,\nI am the Only Begotten of the Father from the beginning, henceforth\nand forever, that as thou hast fallen thou mayest be redeemed; and all\nmankind, even as many as will.\"[D]\n\n[Footnote D: Pearl of Great Price, p. 12.]\n\nEnoch, several centuries after this, in describing these events that\noccurred in the early experience of Adam, said: \"He [the Lord] called\nupon our father Adam by his own voice, saying, I am God: I made the\nworld, and men before they were in the flesh. * * * If thou wilt turn\nunto me, and hearken unto my voice, and believe, and repent of all thy\ntransgressions, and be baptized, even in water, in the name of mine\nOnly Begotten Son, * * * which is Jesus Christ, the only name which\nshall be given under heaven, whereby salvation shall come unto the\nchildren of men, ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.\" * * *\nAnd it came to pass, when the Lord had spoken with Adam, our father,\nthat Adam cried unto the Lord, and he was caught away by the Spirit\nof the Lord, and was carried down into the water, and was laid under\nthe water, and was brought forth out of the water. And thus he was\nbaptized; and the Spirit of God descended upon him, and thus he was\nborn of the Spirit, and became quickened in the inner man. And he heard\na voice out of heaven, saying, \"Thou art baptized with fire, and with\nthe Holy Ghost. This is the record of the Father, and the Son, from\nhenceforth and forever; and thou art after the order of him who was\nwithout the beginning of days or end of years, from all eternity to all\neternity. Behold, thou art one in me, a Son of God; and thus may all\nbecome my sons.\"[E]\n\n[Footnote E: Pearl of Great Price, p. 17.]\n\nThe reader will here observe that the same principles and ordinances\nwere taught to Adam, as the means of salvation, as have been set forth\nin these pages as the First Principles of the Gospel of Christ. They\ncontinued on through the generations of the patriarchs to the days of\nNoah; and from Noah through the fathers to Abraham, and from Abraham\nto Moses. At least in one of the revelations of the Lord contained in\nthe Doctrine and Covenants, we have the continuance of the Melchisedek\nPriesthood traced out through the line of the fathers from Moses to\nAbraham, from Abraham to Noah, and from Noah to Adam,[F] and I see not\nhow this priesthood can exist among men and not the gospel: for that is\nwhat this priesthood is for--to administer in the ordinances of the\ngospel, and it is obtained through obedience to the gospel.\n\n[Footnote F: Doc. and Cov. sec. lxxxiv.]\n\nThat the gospel was taught to Abraham and to ancient Israel is also\nevident from the Jewish scriptures. Paul, in writing to the saints in\nGalatia explained to them that, \"The scriptures, foreseeing that God\nwould justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel\nunto Abraham, saying, in thee shall all nations be blessed,\"[G] From\nthis then it is clear that the Gospel was taught to Abraham.\n\n[Footnote G: Gal. iii: 8.]\n\nThe question, however, may arise, what gospel was it? Was it the same\ngospel which we have seen was taught to Adam; the same that was taught\nby the Messiah and his apostles? To which I reply there is but one\ngospel. There never was but one plan ordained by which mankind are to\nbe saved; and that is denominated in the scriptures \"The everlasting\ngospel,\" to express its sameness in all generations. Such as it was\nformed in the grand council of heaven, such it has remained in all\nages, and in all dispensations. It is sealed by the precious blood of\nthe Son of God, and like the great Lawgiver whose mind conceived it,\nwhose wisdom brought it into existence, it changes not, neither is\nthere a shadow of variableness in it.\n\nSo thoroughly imbued with this idea was the apostle Paul that he\nsaid--in writing his epistle to the Galatians: \"Though we or an angel\nfrom heaven, preach any other gospel unto you, than that which we have\npreached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now\nagain, if any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have\nreceived, let him be accursed.\"[H] The \"gospel\" preached to Abraham,\nwas the gospel of the Son of God; there is no other.\n\n[Footnote H: Gal. i: 8, 9.]\n\nBut I have also stated that the gospel was taught to ancient Israel in\nthe days of Moses; and in proof of this I offer the following:\n\nIn the third chapter of Hebrews, Paul alludes to the transgression of\nancient Israel, especially to those who, by reason of their sins, were\ndestroyed in the wilderness. Then, in opening the fourth chapter, he\nsays: \"Let us therefore fear, lest a promise being left us, of entering\ninto his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it. For unto us\n[the people of his day] was the gospel preached, _as well as unto them_\n[meaning ancient Israel]; but the word preached did not profit them\n[ancient Israel], not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.\"[I]\n\n[Footnote I: Heb. iv: 1, 2.]\n\nPaul makes a further allusion to the gospel being with the children\nof Israel, in the days of Moses. Writing to the Corinthians he said:\n\"Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that\nall our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea;\nand were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; and did\nall eat the same spiritual meat; and did all drink the same spiritual\ndrink; for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and\nthat Rock was Christ.\"[J]\n\n[Footnote J: I. Cor. x: 1-4.]\n\nBut now to return to the epistle to the Galatians, in which we learned\nthe gospel was taught to Abraham. After making that statement, Paul\nasks the question: \"Wherefore then serveth the law?\" That is, if\nthe gospel was preached to Abraham, how came the law of Moses into\nexistence, why was it given to ancient Israel and binding on them? To\nwhich the apostle replies: \"It was added because of transgression, till\nthe seed should come to whom the promise was made. * * * Wherefore the\nlaw was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be\njustified by faith.\"[K]\n\n[Footnote K: Gal. iii: 19, 24.]\n\nThe matter is still more plainly set forth in the Doctrine and\nCovenants. In speaking of the priesthood and the ordinances belonging\nthereto--through which ordinances \"the power of godliness is\nmanifest; and without the ordinances thereof, and the authority of\nthe priesthood, the power of godliness is not manifest unto men in\nthe flesh; for without this\"--that is without the priesthood and\nits ordinances--\"no man can see the face of God even the Father and\nlive.\"[L] The Lord says: \"Now this Moses plainly taught to the children\nof Israel in the wilderness, and sought diligently to sanctify his\npeople that they might behold the face of God: but they hardened their\nhearts, and could not endure his presence, therefore the Lord in his\nwrath (for his anger was kindled against them) swore that they should\nnot enter into his rest while in the wilderness, which rest is the\nfullness of his glory. Therefore he took Moses out of their midst,\nand the holy priesthood also; and the lesser priesthood continued,\nwhich priesthood holdeth the key of the ministering of angels and the\npreparatory gospel; which gospel is the gospel of repentance and of\nbaptism, and the remission of sins, and the law of carnal commandments,\nwhich the Lord in his wrath caused to continue with the house of Aaron\namong the children of Israel until John.\"[M]\n\n[Footnote L: Doc. and Cov., sec. lxxxiv: 21, 22.]\n\n[Footnote M: Doc. and Cov., sec. lxxxiv: 19, 27.]\n\nThe above is confirmed by the Jewish scriptures also; for it is written\nin the concluding chapter of Deuteronomy--\"There arose not a prophet\nsince in Israel like unto Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face, in\nall the signs and the wonders which the Lord sent him to do in the land\nof Egypt.\"[N]\n\n[Footnote N: Deut. xxxiv: 10-12.]\n\nOf the things we have spoken respecting the gospel being presented to\nIsrael, this is the sum: The Lord gave them the gospel, but because\nthey would not observe its sacred requirements, he took it, that is\nin its fullness, from among them, and also the higher or Melchisedek\nPriesthood; but left them the lesser or Aaronic Priesthood, and to the\npart of the gospel which remained, _viz_., repentance and baptism for the\nremission of sins, was added the law of carnal commandments, which was\nto educate them for the fullness of the gospel when Messiah should come\nwith it. At the appointed time Messiah came and taught the gospel of\nthe kingdom; and though the Jews as a nation rejected him, and their\nSanhedrin sentenced him to death, yet a few received his teachings,\nand among them the Lord Jesus organized His church, established his\npriesthood and gave to his servants a commandment to go and teach all\nnations.\n\nThey were faithful in discharging their commission, and many received\ntheir testimony and obeyed the gospel. Satan, however, working in\nthe hearts of the disobedient, stirred them up to anger against the\nsaints of God, and they were persecuted, imprisoned, and slain. All\nthe apostles, save John, sealed their testimony with their blood, and\nthousands of their followers were put to death. Edicts the most cruel\nand heartless were formulated against them by the Roman emperors, and\nexecuted with relentless vindictiveness, until the saints of God were\nwell nigh destroyed.[O]\n\n[Footnote O: See Outlines of Ecclesiastical History, part II., \"The\napostasy.\"]\n\nMeantime heresies crept into the churches; false teachers arose\nteaching perverse doctrines to draw away disciples after them;\nthe Gospel was perverted, the laws thereof were transgressed, the\nordinances were changed, the covenant was broken, until scarcely a\nvestige of the gospel as delivered to men by the Son of God and his\nauthorized servants remained.\n\nAfter the sword, the prison, the rack, and the flame in the hands of\na powerful, pagan government, together with apostate influences and\nfalse teachers had done what they could to break down or corrupt the\nchurch of Christ, then another evil, more dangerous than all that had\ngone before was brought to bear upon it. A Roman Emperor, Constantine,\nwas converted to the \"Christian religion\"--yet by that time, 313 A.\nD., no more like the religion of Christ than dim, misty twilight\nis like the glorious light of the noon-day sun. He soon loaded the\nbishops with new honors, dignities and powers. The churches were made\nwealthy, and luxurious living succeeded the simplicity in the manner\nof life characteristic of earlier times among the followers of Christ.\nThis luxury, ever more dangerous than storms or quicksands, poverty\nor chains, proved more disastrous to the church, more fruitful in its\ncorruptions of the Gospel than the storms of persecution which had\nbeaten upon it from its inception.\n\nThrough these combined evils that I have very briefly enumerated, the\ngospel was corrupted, the authority of God, the priesthood, was taken\nfrom among men; and then followed long ages of spiritual darkness\nand wickedness. At last, however, the time came to usher in the\ndispensation of the fullness of times, in which all things in Christ,\nboth things which are in heaven and things which are in earth, are\nto be gathered in one, and the work of the Father pertaining to the\nsalvation of this creation, the earth, and those who inhabit it, is to\nbe consummated.\n\nTo open up this work a prophet was raised up in the person of Joseph\nSmith, and to him the Lord revealed his purposes; telling him also\nthat the creeds of men were an abomination in his sight; that men were\ndrawing near to him with their lips but their hearts were far from him;\nthat they taught for doctrine the commandments of men, \"having a form\nof godliness but denying the power thereof.\"[P]\n\n[Footnote P: Pearl of Great Price, p 57.]\n\nAfter this the angel Moroni was sent to reveal the Book of Mormon;\nand as it contained an account of the gospel as it was taught to the\nancient Nephites on the western hemisphere by the Messiah, and the\nprophets and apostles authorized to teach in his name; and as this\nrecord had been preserved for generations from the hands of wicked men,\nand has never been corrupted, it contains the fullness of the gospel in\nits plainness.\n\nWhile this Nephite record was in course of translation the Lord sent\nJohn the Baptist, as already stated in the chapter on authority, to\nrestore the Aaronic Priesthood; afterwards Peter, James and John\ncame and restored the Melchisedek Priesthood, and by the authority\nwhich these priesthoods conferred upon him, and under the direction\nof the Almighty, the Prophet Joseph Smith organized the church, and\nordained men and sent them out to preach the gospel in all the world,\nas a witness that the end was near. For more than fifty years has\nthis proclamation been sounded among the nations, and thousands have\nbeen gathered to the place appointed for the saints to assemble and\nprepare for the glorious coming of the Messiah. The work has met\nstorms of opposition from the press, pulpit and Congress. Ridicule\nand the violence of mobs have assailed it; drivings, confiscations of\nproperty, imprisonment, and banishment have at various times conspired\nto dishearten those who have accepted it. But in spite of pulpit,\npress and Congress; in spite of ridicule, the violence of mobs, unjust\nimprisonment, schemes of confiscation and drivings, the church of\nChrist moves steadily on to the fulfillment of its high destiny, and\nthe gospel is being preached in all the world.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XXXIII.\n\nSALVATION FOR THE DEAD.\n\nThe reader will have observed, doubtless, that according to the history\nof the gospel, as given in the last chapter, there have been long\nperiods of time when it has not been upon the earth.\n\nOne of these periods was from the time that Moses and the Holy\nPriesthood, together with the fullness of the gospel, were taken from\namong the children of Israel, until the restoration of the gospel in\nthe days of Messiah's ministry in the flesh. Another such period was\nfrom the time the gospel was corrupted, in the first two or three\ncenturies of the Christian era, and its restoration in the present\ndispensation, through the Prophet Joseph Smith.\n\nWhat became of those who lived in those long periods of time--those\nuntold millions, who never so much as heard the gospel?--I might push\nthe inquiry still further, by calling attention to the fact that even\nwhen the gospel has been upon the earth, there are countless millions\nwho lived and died without having an opportunity of obeying it. What is\ntheir fate?\n\nIn order that the force of these remarks may appear more clearly, I\nwill refer to the present state of the religious world, that is, to the\nstrength of the respective religions, as represented by numbers:\n\nAccording to the latest and best information on the subject, there are\nthroughout the world:\n\nRoman Catholics--206,588,206\n\nProtestants--89,825,348\n\nGreek and Russian Churches--75,691,382\n\nOriental Churches--6,770,000\n\nMaking the total of all Christians--378,874,936\n\nThe other religions stand as follows:\n\nBrahminical Hindoos--120,000,000\n\nFollowers of Buddha, Shinto and Confucius--482,600,000\n\nMohammedans--169,054,789\n\nJews--7,612,784\n\nParsees (fire worshipers in Persia)--1,000,000\n\nPagans, not otherwise enumerated--227,000,000\n\nMaking a total of--1,007,267,573[A]\n\n[Footnote A: These statements are taken from a recent work published by\nGay Bros. & Co., New York, entitled, \"What the World Believes\"]\n\nFrom this showing it is seen that only a little more than one-third of\nthe world's population are even professing Christians; the other two-thirds\nknow nothing of Christ or of salvation through his Gospel. No\none, however, will contend that all professing Christianity will be\nentitled to salvation, for the very good reason that they do not adopt\nits precepts in the practices of their lives; so that the one-third\nthat are enumerated as Christians would be reduced to much less than\nthat fraction of the world's population if this consideration is taken\ninto account.\n\nEven if you grant that the gospel of Christ has been upon the earth for\nthe past eighteen centuries, as the Christian world claim, here is a\nserious question confronting them, _viz_.: What is to be the fate of this\ngreater part of the children of God who have never heard of Christ, and\nknow nothing of the Christian religion?\n\nThis is a question which confronted those who declared that the gospel\nand authority to administer in its ordinances had not been upon the\nearth for a number of centuries. It is a question which confronts them\ntoday; but it also may be asked of Christians generally, for even if\nyou allow that they and their fathers before them have had and still\nhave the gospel, here is the great majority of the human race--the\nchildren of God--who have not had it in the past generations, and do\nnot have it even now. What becomes of the neglected ones?\n\nTo this question the Saints used to reply, in one of their hymns--\n\n    \"God is just is all we say, Seek no crop where 'twas not planted,\n    Nor the day where reigns the night; Now the sunshine bright is\n    beaming. Let all creatures see aright.\"\n\nSince those days, however, further light has been revealed from heaven,\nwhich gives enlarged views in respect to the plan of human redemption,\nand brings out in strong relief the justice and mercy of God; enlarges\nthe hope, and dispels the gloom of wretchedness that man-made systems\nof theology have cast over religion.\n\nThe principle which has performed all this, a principle which is\npermeating all religious thought and shattering to their foundations\nthe old schools of theology, was first revealed by the prophet Elijah,\nin the Kirtland Temple, in 1836.\n\nIt is written in Malachi: \"Behold I will send you Elijah the prophet\nbefore the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord: And he\nshall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of\nthe children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a\ncurse.\"[B]\n\n[Footnote B: Mal. iv: 5, 6. The manner in which Moroni quoted this\nscripture to the prophet Joseph Smith was, \"Behold I will reveal unto\nyou the priesthood by the hand of Elijah the prophet, before the coming\nof the great and terrible day of the Lord. And he shall plant in the\nhearts of the children the promises made to the fathers, and the hearts\nof the children shall turn to the fathers. If it were not so, the whole\nearth would be utterly wasted at His coming.\" (Pearl of Great Price.)]\n\nThis prophecy, for so long before the people in the Jewish scriptures,\nyet no one knowing the meaning thereof, was fulfilled by the aforesaid\ncoming of Elijah to the Kirtland Temple, on the 3rd of April, 1836.\n\nThis appearance of Elijah is described as follows--by the way, however,\nhis appearance was preceded by a vision of the Lord Jesus, then of\nMoses, then of Elias, who committed the keys of the dispensation\nof the gospel of Abraham--\"After this vision had closed,\" says the\nprophet, \"another great and glorious vision burst upon us, for Elijah\nthe prophet, who was taken to heaven without tasting death, stood\nbefore us and said. Behold, the time has fully come, which was spoken\nof by the mouth of Malachi, testifying that he (Elijah) should be\nsent before the great and dreadful day of the Lord come, to turn the\nhearts of the fathers to the children, and the children to the fathers,\nlest the whole earth be smitten with a curse. Therefore the keys of\nthis dispensation are committed into your hands, and by this ye may\nknow that the great and dreadful day of the Lord is near, even at the\ndoor.\"[C]\n\n[Footnote C: Doc. and Cov. sec. cx.]\n\nThe key of knowledge this prophet revealed was in relation to salvation\nfor the dead; the means by which the principles and ordinances of\nsalvation could be applied to those who had lived in those periods of\ntime when the gospel was not upon the earth; and also to those who had\nlived when the gospel was on the earth, but who had not the privilege\nof hearing it; aye, and even to those who had heard and rejected it;\nthough the spirits of this last class of persons must go to the prison\nhouse where they will be required to pay the utmost farthing for their\nwickedness in rejecting the mercies of God; and will, through their\ndisobedience, have shut themselves out from the heights of glory and\nexaltation they might have attained unto had they but accepted the\ntruth in the love of it, and walked in harmony with its teachings.\n\nThis key of knowledge, I say, gives enlarged views of the mercies of\nGod, and reveals the fact that every man, both in time and eternity,\nwill always have the privilege of doing right, and reaping the reward\nof his righteousness. It brought to light the grand truth that this\nearth was not the only place where men could hear the gospel and give\nassent to its doctrines. On the contrary it gives us to understand that\nin the spirit world the gospel is preached to the departed spirits of\nmen, that is, to those who have departed from this life and that there\nthey are instructed in the way of salvation.\n\nThese facts give life and meaning to the scripture which says: \"Christ\nalso hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he\nmight bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened\nby the Spirit; by which also he went and preached unto the spirits in\nprison; which sometimes were disobedient, when the long-suffering of\nGod waited in the days of Noah while the ark was a preparing, wherein\nfew, that is eight souls, were saved by water.\"[D]\n\n[Footnote D: I. Peter iii: 18-20.]\n\nIn the chapter following the one I have quoted, the apostle remarks:\n\"For this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead,\nthat they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live\naccording to God in the spirit.\"[E] This last quotation proves as\nplainly as plain statement of holy writ can prove anything, that the\ngospel is preached also to the dead, as well as to the living; and not\nonly that, but likewise assigns the reason why it is preached to them,\n_viz_.: that those to whom it is thus preached might live according to\nGod in the spirit--that is, live in harmony with the precepts of the\ngospel taught to them, that they may be judged as men will be who have\nthe gospel preached to them in the flesh.\n\n[Footnote E: Verse 6.]\n\nThe first passage quoted gives us to understand that the spirit of\nJesus went to those spirits that were in prison--to those who had\nrejected the gospel in the days of Noah, and who from the time of the\nflood until Jesus visited them, had been paying the penalty of their\ndisobedience in the prison-house prepared for such characters.\n\nIn the light of these facts several other scriptures are made plain.\nWe can understand now more clearly the words of Jesus to his apostles,\nwhen he said: \"Verily, verily, I say unto you, the hour is coming and\nnow is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God, and they\nthat hear shall live.\"[F] And also the words of Isaiah, when speaking\nof the mission of the Son of God, wherein he tells us that not only is\nJesus to be a covenant unto the people, and a light unto the gentiles,\nbut he is also to bring out the prisoners from the prison house. This\nis the passage: \"I the Lord have called thee in righteousness, and will\nhold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of\nthe people, for a light of the gentiles; to open the blind eyes, to\nbring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness,\nout of the prison house.\"[G]\n\n[Footnote F: John v: 25.]\n\n[Footnote G: Isaiah xlii: 6, 7.]\n\nAnd, as it was with those who rejected the gospel in the days of Noah,\nso will it be with those who reject the gospel in the days of the\ncoming of the Son of Man. Such is the prediction of the prophet Isaiah.\nAfter describing the judgments that will attend the glorious coming of\nthe Son of God, and the punishment that shall overtake the ungodly,\nhe says: \"And it shall come to pass, in that day, that the Lord shall\npunish the hosts of the high ones that are on high, and the kings of\nthe earth, upon the earth. And they shall be gathered together, as\nprisoners are in the pit, and shall be shut up in the prison; _and after\nmany days they shall be visited_.\"[H]\n\n[Footnote H: Isaiah xxiv: 21, 22.]\n\nBut while the gospel is preached in the spirit world, it appears\nfrom all that can be learned upon the subject, that all the outward\nordinances, as baptisms, confirmations, ordinations, anointings,\nsealings, etc., etc., must be performed vicariously here upon earth\nfor those who accept the gospel in the world of spirits. This is the\nwork that children may do for their progenitors, and upon learning\nthis, the hearts of the children are turned to their fathers; and the\nfathers in the spirit world, learning that they are dependent upon the\naction of their posterity for the performance of the ordinances of\nsalvation, their hearts are turned to the children; and thus the work\nthat was predicted should be performed by Elijah--turning the hearts\nof the children to the fathers, and the hearts of the fathers to the\nchildren, was accomplished in restoring the key of knowledge respecting\nthe salvation for the dead.\n\nThis, however, is no new doctrine. We have already seen that Peter\nunderstood that the Messiah went and preached to the spirits who had\nrejected the gospel in the days of Noah; and also that the gospel was\npreached to the dead--without confining it to those who lived in the\ndays of Noah or any other period.\n\nNor is this all, for Paul says to the saints at Corinth: \"Else what\nshall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at\nall? Why are they then baptized for the dead?\"[I] And why, I ask, does\nPaul make this very plain allusion to baptism for the dead, if there\nis no such ordinance connected with the gospel? No other passage of\nscripture perplexes the theologians more than this one, and they have\nexhausted their ingenuity in trying to explain away the evident meaning\nof it, because it is destructive of some of their horrible dogmas in\nrespect to the eternal damnation of those who do not have the good\nfortune to become acquainted with the truth in this probation.\n\n[Footnote I: I. Cor. xv: 29.]\n\n\"From the wording of the sentence\"--else what shall they do which\nare baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all? Why are they\nthen baptized for the dead?--\"the most simple impression certainly\nis, that Paul speaks of a baptism which a living man receives in the\nplace of a dead one. This interpretation is particularly adopted by\nthose expounders with whom grammatical construction is of paramount\nimportance, and the first thing to be considered.\"[J] To this\nrendering of the passage could be drawn up a long list of respectable\nauthorities, among them Erasmus, Scaliger, Grotius, Calixtus, Meyer and\nDe Wette.\n\n[Footnote J: Biblical Literature (Kitto) Art. Baptism.]\n\nEpiphanius, a writer of the fourth century, in speaking of the\nMarcionites, a sect of Christians to whom he was opposed, says:\n\"In this country--I mean Asia--and even in Galatia, their school\nflourished eminently; and a traditional fact concerning them has\nreached us, that when any of them had died without baptism, they used\nto baptize others in their name, lest in the resurrection they should\nsuffer punishment as unbaptized.\"[K] This proves beyond controversy the\nfact that vicarious baptism for the dead was practiced among some sects\nof the early Christians.\n\n[Footnote K: Heresies, xxiii: 7.]\n\nAnother fact proves it still more emphatically than this statement\nof Epiphanius. The Council of Carthage, held A. D. 397, in its sixth\ncanon, forbids the administration of baptism and the holy communion for\nthe dead; and why would this canon be formed against these practices if\nthey had no existence among the Christians of those days?\n\nWe have now seen, not only that baptism for the dead is a principle\nknown to and doubtless practiced by the Corinthian saints, in the days\nof Paul--and evidently with his approval--and by some of the Christian\nsects for two or three centuries after his time; but we have also seen\nthat it was forbidden by the council of an apostate church in the\nfourth century.\n\nIn the dispensation in which we now live, however, the knowledge of the\nordinance, with a commandment to practice it, and with instructions\nnecessary to its practice, has been restored; and the erection of\ncostly temples, in which this and other ordinances for the dead may be\nadministered, testifies to the zeal with which the Latter-day Saints\nenter into this work; and is a living testimony to the world that there\nwas virtue in the mission of Elijah. He succeeded in turning the hearts\nof the children to the fathers; and we may reasonably conclude that\nthe hearts of the fathers have been turned to the children, for they\nwithout us cannot be made perfect.\n\nThis doctrine of salvation for the dead strikes a deadly blow to\nthe horrible dogmas formulated by uninspired men in the dark ages\nof apostasy, in relation to the eternal punishment of those who die\nunconverted and in an impenitent condition. According to the aforesaid\ndogmas such persons are damned to all eternity, without the least hope\nfor redemption; and ingenuity has exhausted itself to present to the\nmind the duration of their sufferings.\n\nIn the month of March, 1830--six years before the coming of Elijah--the\nLord explained, through the Prophet Joseph Smith, the meaning of the\nterms eternal punishment and endless punishment, in regard to which\nmen have gone astray. In that explanation it is said: \"Behold the\nmystery of godliness, how great is it? For, behold, I am Endless, and\nthe punishment which is given from my hand, is endless punishment, for\nEndless is my name; wherefore\n\n\"Eternal punishment is God's punishment.\n\n\"Endless punishment is God's punishment.\"[L]\n\n[Footnote L: Doc. and Cov., sec. xix: 10-12.]\n\nThe punishment takes its name from him who administers it; and, since\nGod is Endless, the punishment he inflicts is called endless or eternal.\n\nAnd, indeed, the punishment exists eternally, and stands ready to be\napplied to those who violate the laws of righteousness. But because the\npenalty stands ever ready to vindicate any law which may be broken,\nit does not necessarily follow that persons violating the law will\nfor ever have to endure punishment. Mercy, though not allowed to rob\njustice, somewhere, and at some time, will step forward and claim her\nown; permitting the violator of law to endure punishment no longer than\nis necessary to vindicate the law, and satisfy the reasonable claims of\njustice. Hence we may conclude, that while the actions of men in this\nprobation will greatly affect their standing in the life that is to\ncome, those actions do not, in every case, fix the status of men for\neternity.\n\nThis doctrine of salvation for the dead not only enlarges the hope of\nman, but it gives him nobler conceptions of the character of the Deity,\nand increases his admiration for him. In fact, to my thinking, this\ndoctrine strips the character of God in the inhuman and vindictive\ncruelty which men, in the past, have delighted to represent him as\npossessing; and gives new force, and, perhaps, new meaning to the\nexpression, \"If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all\nmen the most miserable.\"\n\nIt also vindicates the wisdom of Deity; for it must be a very\nimperfect wisdom that would construct a plan for the redemption of\nmankind so imperfect in its operations, so limited in its application\nas to miss the great majority of mankind, and leave them without\nredemption throughout the countless ages of eternity. But when one is\ngiven to understand, and surely such an understanding is given one\nin the revelations of God to which the reader's attention has been\ndirected--when one learns that sometime in the eternities, somewhere in\nthe numberless creations of God, the proclamation of the gospel will\novertake all the children of our Father, and they have the privilege of\naccepting it, and will be saved by it, and permitted to enjoy all the\nhappiness and glory their nature and degree of development enables them\nto encompass--the wisdom, mercy, justice and love of God all stand out\nin bold relief; and man's heart is warmed with increased admiration and\ndevotion to him: for it teaches him that he worships not a tyrant who\ndelights in the miseries and damnation of his children, but one whose\ngreat pleasure and design it is to bring to pass the eternal happiness\nof man.\n\n\n\nCONCLUSION.\n\nMy task now draws to a close. I have completed the exposition of the\nFirst Principles of the Gospel of Christ, contemplated in this work.\nI have endeavored to explain what the Gospel is--its two-fold powers\nof redeeming mankind from the consequences of Adam's transgression;\nand also from the consequences of their own personal violations of the\nprinciples of righteousness, on the condition of their repentance and\nobedience.\n\nThe various principles and ordinances constituting the gospel have\nbeen analyzed and the nature and object of each considered in detail,\nand then in their relationship to each other--how one principle or\nordinance prepares the way and leads up to another: and lastly, their\napplication to mankind, not only in this probation, but how they follow\nthem into the spirit world and throughout the eternities, forever\ninviting him to peace and eternal felicity.\n\nIn all this I see a most perfect system of moral and spiritual\nphilosophy--the perfection of beauty and goodness--a harmonious\nblending of justice and mercy, of truth and love. How far these pages\nexhibit those powers and beauties of the gospel, it will be for the\nreader to judge. But in passing that judgment I ask him to remember\nthis:\n\n    Our whitest pearls we never find,\n        Our ripest fruit we never reach;\n    The flowering moments of the mind,\n        Drop half their petals in our speech\n\nAnd in this probation I do not believe it is given to man to comprehend\nall the force, the excellence, beauty and power of the gospel. These\nthings will be revealed in their fullness only in eternity.\n\n\n\nSUPPLEMENT.\n\nMAN'S RELATIONSHIP TO DEITY.\n\n\n\nMAN'S RELATIONSHIP TO DEITY.\n\nWHAT IS MAN THAT THOU ART MINDFUL OF HIM? AND THE SON OF MAN THAT THOU\nVISITEST HIM.[A]\n\nI.\n\nIn order to a clear understanding of man's redemption through the\natonement of Jesus Christ--the grand central truth of the gospel--it\nis necessary to know something of the relationship between God and\nman. The very fact that such a sacrifice was made for his redemption--\nbeing no less than the immolation of him, who in heaven bore the second\nname--argues at once some special relationship between man and Deity.\nIn view of the greatness and importance of that sacrifice, we may well\nask, with the Psalmist, \"What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and\nthe son of man that thou visitest him?\" These questions lead to the\ninvestigation of man's origin; for upon his origin his relationship to\nGod depends.\n\n[Footnote A: Psalms viii: 4.]\n\nA discussion of this subject must be very imperfect, not to say\npartial, that does not give some attention to the various theories--at\nleast to the most prominent ones--of man's origin. It is scarcely\nnecessary to say that theories on the subject are quite numerous and\nwidely different; and that in each school of philosophers are men\neminent for their learning and intelligence. All existing theories,\nhowever, may be arranged under three headings: First, the monogenists,\nwho hold that mankind have descended from a single human pair, created\nby Deity; and their descendants, modified by climatic influences,\nfood, habits of life and thought constitute the various races of\nmen--this is the theory of those who accept the Bible as authority\non the subject; second, the polygenists, who insist not only on one\nact of creation, but upon a number of independent creations, \"each\ngiving birth to essential, unchangeable peculiarities of a separate\nrace, thus constituting a diversity of species with primal adaptation\nto their geographical distribution;\" third, the evolutionists, who\nbelieve all existing species are but developments of pre-existing and\nlower forms of life; which, in their turn, were but developments of\nstill lower forms, and so on back, back until you reach the spontaneous\ngeneration of the lowest types of vegetable and animal life, \"as the\naccumulation of mold upon food, the swarming of maggots in meat, * * *\nthe generation of insect life in decaying vegetable substances, the\nbirth of one form arising out of the decay of another; the slow and\ngradual unfolding from a lower to a higher sphere, acting through a\nlong succession of ages, culminating in the grandeur of intellectual\nmanhood.\"\n\nOf these theories the first and last only need detain us; and since the\ntheory of evolution is the one more generally accepted by scientific\nmen, and is making rapid progress among the masses, I think it proper\nto state the basis of this theory more in detail.\n\nThe absurdities which theologians have associated with the first named\nhypothesis of the origin of man and the universe is largely responsible\nfor the existence of the theory of evolution. Finding so much that was\ncontrary to well known facts, not so much in the theory itself, as in\nthe explanations of it by its advocates, induced men of intelligence to\nlook for some other explanation of the genesis of things.\n\nIt was doubtless observed that many remarkable resemblances exist\nbetween man and the inferior animals. In embryonic development, in\nphysical structure, in material composition and the functions of\norgans, man and the superior animals are strikingly alike. The skeleton\nof man when examined minutely and compared with the skeletons of the\nhigher order of animals, seems only a modification of them, and in some\ninstances the modifications appear extremely slight. This resemblance\nalso exists among the inferior animals, and it was this, doubtless,\nwhich gave birth to the idea of a common origin for all existing\nspecies.\n\nSide by side with the above mentioned facts are others that sustain,\nit is claimed, the idea of common origin; and suggest an explanation\nof how the varieties of animal and vegetable forms were brought into\nexistence. The great law of nature is for like to beget like; the\ntendency of offspring is always to reproduce the parent forms, as every\nseed produces its kind; that is the general law of nature, and to it a\nspecial name is given--it is called _atavism_. But notwithstanding this\ngeneral law, there is a modification of it, a tendency to variation,\nslight in some cases and more marked in others. This is a matter\nof common observation. The male does not follow the precise type\nof the male parent, nor does the female always inherit the precise\ncharacteristics of the mother. \"There are all sorts of intermixtures\nand intermediate conditions between the two, where complexion, or\nbeauty, or fifty other different peculiarities belonging to either side\nof the house, are reproduced in other members of the same family.\"\nThis kind of variation in cases where offspring are produced by sexual\npropagation is attributed to the fact that the thing propagated\nproceeds from two organisms of different sexes and temperaments.\nBreeders of our domestic animals take advantage of this tendency to\nvariation, to produce such varieties as are most desirable; and,\nindeed, for that matter, to obtain new varieties by crossing breeds.\nSometimes this tendency to variation acts in the most remarkable and\nunaccountable manner, and because naturalists can assign no reason\nfor it. they have called it \"spontaneous variation.\" That it may be\nunderstood I quote instances of such variation from Professor Huxley:\n\nReaumur, a famous French naturalist, in an essay on variation,\nrelates a remarkable case of spontaneous variation which came under\nhis observation in the person of a Maltese, of the name of Gratio\nKelleia, who was born with six fingers upon each hand, and the like\nnumber of toes upon each of his feet. His parents, of course, were\nordinary five-fingered persons. This was a case then of \"spontaneous\ngeneration;\" and subsequent circumstances in connection with this case\nprove there is a tendency in nature to perpetuate these variations.\nGratio Kelleia married, when he was twenty-two years of age, an\nordinary five-fingered lady. The result of that marriage was four\nchildren. The first, Salvator, had six fingers and six toes, like the\nfather; the second, George, had five fingers and toes; but one of them\nwas deformed, showing a tendency to variation; the third, Andre, had\nfive fingers and five toes perfect; the fourth, a girl, Marie, had\nfive fingers and five toes, but her thumbs were deformed, showing a\ntendency towards the sixth. These children grew up and when they came\nto adult years married, and of course it happened that they all married\nfive-fingered and five-toed persons. Now let us see what happened.\nSalvator had four children, they were two boys, a girl and another boy:\nthe first two boys and the girl were six-fingered and six-toed, like\ntheir grandfather; the fourth child had only five fingers and five\ntoes. George had four children. There were two girls with six fingers\nand six toes; there was one girl with six fingers and five toes on the\nright side, and five fingers and five toes on the other; the fourth, a\nboy, had five fingers and five toes. The third son of Gratio Kelleia,\nAndre, it will be remembered, was perfectly well formed, and he had\nmany children whose hands and feet were regularly developed. Marie, the\nlast, whose thumbs were deformed, married a man with five fingers and\ntoes: they had four children; the first was born with six toes, but the\nother children were normal.\n\nIn this case of Gratio Kelleia and his children is seen the tendency to\nreproduce the parent stock, and also to perpetuate the variation which\nso unaccountably appeared. That tendency to perpetuate the variation\nwas very strong, even though these persons with the six fingers and\ntoes, or who only inherited the deformity in part, intermarried with\npersons ordinarily formed. What would have been the result had the\ntwo eldest boys of Salvator taken it into their heads to marry their\nfirst cousins, the two first girls of George? It will be remembered\nthat these were all of the abnormal type of their grandfather. Is it\nnot most likely that had these people married and their descendants\ncontinued to intermarry with each other, that a new variety of men\nhaving six fingers and six toes would have been the result? The second\ncase I quote from Huxley gives us every reason to believe that such\nwould have been the result:\n\nIn the year 1791 there was a farmer of the name of Seth Wright, in\nMassachusetts, who had a flock of sheep, consisting of a ram and some\ntwelve or fifteen ewes. Of the flock of ewes, one at the breeding-time\nbore a lamb which was singularly formed; it had a very long body, very\nshort legs, and those legs were bowed. In the part of Massachusetts\nwhere Seth Wright lived, the fields were separated by fences, and his\nsheep, which were active and robust, would roam abroad, and without\nmuch difficulty would jump over the fences into other people's farms.\nAs a matter of course this gave rise to all sorts of quarrels,\nbickerings and contention among the farmers of the neighborhood; so it\noccurred to Seth Wright, if he could obtain a breed of sheep with bandy\nlegs like the one which had so strangely appeared in his flock, it\nwould be to his advantage, as they would not be able to jump over the\nfences so readily. He acted upon that idea. He killed his old ram, and\nas soon as the young one arrived at maturity he bred exclusively from\nhim. The result was that all the offspring were like the male parent or\nfemale parent, there was no mixing in the offspring the peculiarities\nof the parents, they were either pure \"Ancons\"--the name given to\nthe new variety--or pure, ordinary sheep. In consequence of this the\nfarmer in a very few years was able to get a considerable flock of\nthis short-legged variety of sheep and a large number of them were\nsoon scattered throughout Massachusetts. Here is the case then where\nthe tendency to perpetuate a variation culminated in the production of\na new variety. And, indeed, this is what is perpetually going on with\nour domesticated animals,--by what we may call selective breeding; and\nit is going on, it is claimed by evolutionists, in a natural state,\nthat is, where man's interference does not effect it; in other words,\nvariations are perpetuated by means of what Mr. Darwin has called\n\"natural selection.\"\n\nSuppose, for instance, that by one of those unaccountable freaks of\nnature a \"spontaneous variation\" is produced, as in the case of Seth\nWright's sheep; and further suppose that the particular characteristic\nwhich distinguished it from the parent stock was favorable to its\npersistence, by that I mean that the particulars in which it varies\nfrom the parent stock will enable the animal, if it be a beast of prey,\nto secure its food more surely either by an increase of fleetness\nor stealth, by which it would the more surely run down, or steal\nupon its victims, and in either case be more sure of its food and\nhence more secure of existence than the stock from which it came;\nand if the means of subsistence for these animals were limited, then\nthe variety having the peculiarity of fleetness or stealth would be\npreserved and perpetuate the peculiarities imparted to it originally by\n\"spontaneous variation,\" while the original stock would perish. Thus,\nas evolutionists would say, the fittest would survive in this struggle\nfor existence; and thus the original variation would be preserved and\nperpetuated and a new variety brought into existence as effectually by\nthis natural means of selection as if man had superintended it for his\nown benefit. That individuals in organic forms increase in a proportion\ngreater than the provisional means of support is a theory pretty well\ndemonstrated; there is, therefore, a constant struggle for existence in\nnature, in which the strongest, those best fitted to live and improve\ntheir species, prevail. Every variation, therefore, that is favorable\nto races of plants or animals is seized upon by this principle of\nnatural selection and preserved.\n\nAnother way of preserving variations is by what our latter-day\nnaturalists call \"sexual selection.\" \"Throughout nature,\" say they,\n\"the male is the wooer; he it is who is armed for fight, and provided\nwith musical organs and ornamental appendages, with which to charm the\nfair one. The savage and the wild beast alike secure their mate over\nthe mangled form of a vanquished rival. In this manner the more highly\nfavored of either sex are mated, and natural selections made by which\nbetter ever producing better, the species in its constant variation is\nconstantly improved.\"\n\nIt is now time to pause and see what conclusions these facts have\nled our scientist to draw. I have called attention to the striking\nresemblance between man and the superior animals; in the development\nof the embryo, in the material of which they are composed, and in\nthe use of organs they are alike; and especially very much alike in\nphysical structure, the skeleton of man only slightly varying from\nthat of the higher order of animals; and that resemblance in something\nlike gradation exists throughout the organic world. Of course there\nare marked structural variations even in closely allied species, and\nwe have seen that there is a tendency in species to vary and also to\npreserve the variation; and where the peculiarity of the variation\nis favorable to the individual it is almost certain to be preserved\nby the process of natural selection. New varieties thus produced may\nbe expected to produce still other variations that will remove them\nfurther than ever from the stock from which their parents came, until\nthe variation amounts to what our naturalists denominate specific\ndifference. By this process what we now call varieties may eventually\nbecome species, as our species, according to the evolutionists, were\nonce nothing more than varieties; and the groups which naturalists\nclassify as genera, families, order, classes, etc., are but the remains\nof still older species, which have continued their existence side by\nside with the new species, which have been produced from them by this\nprocess of variation; and but for the fact that so many intermediate\nspecies have become extinct, they claim that the multifarious forms of\norganic life could be traced, through all the minute variations that\nhave occurred, back to a common origin; even back to the mysterious\nsubstance in which life seems to generate--protoplasm.\n\nSuch are the basic principles on which is grounded the theory of\nevolution, as I understand the subject from the works of its advocates,\nthough my effort to be brief may have rendered my statement of those\nprinciples very imperfect.\n\nOne thing more should be stated in connection with this theory, and\nthat is that very long periods of time are demanded for the slow work\nof variation preserved by natural selection to accomplish the wonders\nattributed to it. To measure the time claimed by evolutionists by the\nlapse of years is simply out of the question; they ask for a long\nseries of ages, each of which, though doubtless unequal, consists of\nmillions of years. As the Rev. George B. Cheever remarks: \"The first\npostulate of this philosophy is that of countless millions of years\nto work in, with no Creator, and with no authority that can bring\nit to book.\" To prove that such long periods of time have elapsed,\nduring which organic forms have existed on the earth, the evolutionist\ntriumphantly points to the revelations of geology, and there gives\nproof which there is, perhaps, no denying, of the lapse of time he\npleads for; and also proof of organic forms of life in those various\nages, fossilized remains of which are found in the strata of the\nearth's crust.\n\nIf you say to the advocate of evolution that it is incredible that\nvariations preserved by natural selection could result in the\nproduction of such a wonderful organ as the eye; he replies \"that if\nnumerous gradations from a simple and imperfect eye to one complex\nand perfect can be shown to exist, each grade being useful to its\npossessor, as is certainly the case; if further, the eye varies and the\nvariations be inherited, as is likewise certainly the case; and if such\nvariations should be useful to any animal under changing conditions\nof life; then the difficulty of believing that a perfect and complex\neye could be formed by natural selection, though insuperable by our\nimagination, should not be considered as subversive of the theory.\"[B]\nBut with this statement and some further observations upon it, Mr.\nDarwin himself seems not altogether satisfied that he has removed the\ndifficulty which he admits is enough to stagger anyone; \"I have felt\nthe difficulty,\" he says, \"far too keenly to be surprised at others\nhesitating to extend the principle of natural selection to so startling\na length.\"[C]\n\n[Footnote B: Origin of Species p. 143, (American Edition, 1883.)]\n\n[Footnote C: Ibid p. 146]\n\nIf you say that it is incredible that natural selection can account\nfor the production of such a wonderful thing as the mind of man--his\n\"reasonable soul,\" the reply is that instinct varies among the inferior\nanimals no less than physical structure, and though there may be no\nperceivable proportion or gradation between structural variation and\nvariation of instinct; still, if the fact is admitted that among\nanimals instinct varies, then it is easy to conceive that some of those\nvariations may be favorable, and if favorable then natural selection\nwould perpetuate them and make them dominant. From this basis they\nmake another step the difference between the mental faculties of man\nand animal is immense, but the high culture which belongs to man\nevolutionists maintain has been slowly developed, and the separation\nbetween the mental powers of lowest man and the highest ape is no\ngreater than that which exists between the lowest ape and some of the\nlower forms of life, say the Zoophytes.\n\nIf you say that articulate language surely marks a wide gulf between\nman and the lower animals, the reply is that animals are not devoid\nof expedients for expressing emotions, and from those expedients may\nhave been evolved through intermediate species, now extinct, articulate\nlanguage.\n\nIf you ask why, if species have descended from other species by fine\ngradations, do we not everywhere see innumerable transitional forms?\nWhy is not all nature in confusion, instead of the species being, as\nwe see them, well defined? The answer is that the intermediate species\nhave become extinct, that we must look upon each existing species as\nhaving descended from some unknown forms; that natural selection acts\nslowly by preserving profitable modifications. \"Each new form will\ntend in a fully stocked country to take the place of, and finally\nexterminate, its own less-improved parent form, and other less favored\nforms with which it comes in competition; thus both parent and all\ntransitional varieties will generally have been exterminated by the\nvery process of the formation and perfection of the new.\"[D]\n\n[Footnote D: Origin of species, p 134.]\n\nIf you object further, and call attention to the fact that in the\ngreat geological record, of which evolutionists boast so much, that\nnot even in that can be found the intermediate transitional forms that\nshould, according to their theory, link together by fine gradations the\nspecies[E]--this objection, otherwise fatal to the theory of evolution,\nis avoided rather than answered by putting forth the claim that the\ngeological record is very imperfect, and comparatively only a few of\nits pages have, as yet, been read by man.\n\n[Footnote E: Geology assuredly does not reveal any such finely\ngraduated organic chain; and this, perhaps, is the most obvious and\nserious objection which can be urged against the theory [of evolution.]\nThe explanation lies, as I believe, in the extreme imperfection of the\ngeological record.--Darwin, Origin of Species p. 205.]\n\nAfter thus escaping from the difficulty of there being no intermediate\ntransitional forms between the species, we come to other facts not\nless important, and even, perhaps, more fatal to the hypothesis of\nevolution--I refer to the phenomena presented by \"hybrids,\" and in\norder that I may not be charged with over-estimating the value of the\nobjection founded on this class of phenomena, I shall quote the words\nof Professor Huxley, one of the chief apostles of evolution, and give\nhis estimate of the weight of the objections:\n\n\"There is a most singular circumstance,\" says the professor, \"in\nrespect to natural species--at least about some of them--and it would\nbe sufficient for the purposes of this argument, if it were true\nof only one of them; but there is, in fact, a great number of such\ncases--and that is, that similar as they may appear to be to mere\nraces or breeds, they present a marked peculiarity in the reproductive\nprocess. If you breed from the male and female of the same race, you of\ncourse have offspring of the like kind; and if you make the offspring\nbreed together, you obtain the same result; and if you breed from\nthese again, you will still have the same kind of offspring; there is\nno check. But if you take members of two distinct species, however\nsimilar they may be to each other, and make them breed together, you\nwill find a check, with some modifications and exceptions-- * * * if\nyou cross two such species with each other, then,--although you may\nget offspring in the case of the first cross, yet if you attempt to\nbreed from the products of that crossing, which are what are called\nhybrids[F]--that is, if you couple a male and a female hybrid--then\nthe result is that in ninety-nine cases out of a hundred you will get\nno offspring at all; there will be no result whatsoever, * * * Thus\nyou see that there is a great difference between 'mongrels,' which\nare crosses between distinct races [varieties], and 'hybrids,' which\nare crosses between distinct species. The mongrels are, so far as we\nknow, fertile with one another. But between species, in many cases,\nyou cannot succeed in obtaining the first cross; at any rate it is\nquite certain that the hybrids are often absolutely infertile one with\nanother. Here is a feature, then, great or small as it may be, which\ndistinguishes natural species of animals.\"[G]\n\n[Footnote F: The product of the horse and the ass--the mule--is an\nexample.]\n\n[Footnote G: Huxley's Lectures, pp. 106, 107.]\n\nNow, by the side of these facts, the sterility of species and hybrids,\nlet us place another; that of the fertility of varieties. So long\nas you breed together descendants from a common stock they continue\nfruitful to each other, without any check. Now, if naturalists cannot\nproduce by selective breeding varieties from a common parentage that\nare infertile to each other, then it is quite clear that species did\nnot come from varieties by the process of variation preserved by\nnatural selection, since here is a phenomenon existing in connection\nwith species which cannot, to all appearances, be produced by breeding\ntogether varieties. Mr. Huxley remarks on this, that if it could be\nproven not only that this has not been done, but that it cannot be\ndone, then Mr. Darwin's hypothesis would be utterly shattered.[H] Well,\nup to the present it has not been done, the gentleman last quoted\nadmits the fact; he asks, \"what is really the state of the case? It is\nsimply that, so far as we have gone yet with our breeding, we have not\nproduced from a common stock two breeds, which are not more or less\nfertile with one another.\"[I]\n\n[Footnote H: Huxley's Lectures, p. 141.]\n\n[Footnote I: Lectures, p. 141.]\n\nWhat do these facts prove, I mean the sterility of species and hybrids\non the one hand, and the fertilities of varieties, descendants from a\ncommon stock, on the other? Why that the great law of nature is, as\nannounced in holy writ that every seed shall produce after its kind,\nand every fish, fowl, creeping-thing, beast, and man shall bring\nforth after his kind[J]--that is what it proves. And though man may\nfor a moment by crossing species cause a slight deviation from that\ngreat law, it can be but for an instant, the monstrosity cannot be\nperpetuated, it dies out by being made unfruitful.\n\n[Footnote J: Gen. I: 11, 12, 21, 24, 25.]\n\nHow do these facts affect the theory of evolution? Let us remember upon\nwhat that theory rests. It rests upon the principle that lower forms\nproducing favorable variations and these being preserved by the process\nof natural selection amount finally to the production of distinct\nspecies; but we have seen that varieties cannot produce what may be\ncalled the great characteristic of species--infertility to each other;\nthen also we have seen there is a check to variation in the sterility\nof species and hybrids. Add these facts to that other fact that neither\nin living nature nor in the geological records can be found the\nintermediate transitional forms linking together by fine gradations the\nspecies, and the theory of evolution lies stranded upon the shore of\nidle speculation.\n\n\n\nII.\n\nThere is one other objection to be urged against the theory of\nevolution before leaving it; it is contrary to the revelations of\nGod. I have not in mind, at present, the revelations respecting the\ncreation of the earth and of vegetable and animal life; but rather the\nrevelations which speak of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. According\nto the revelations of God contained in the Bible, man was created\njust and right--\"sufficient to have stood, yet free to fall.\" He\ntransgressed, in some way, the holy commandment given him, and by that\ntransgression became fallen man, subject to sin and death, and entailed\nthe same evils upon his posterity. Both he and they were powerless to\nextricate themselves from the consequences of that violation of law;\nbut a sacrifice was prepared, a Redeemer was provided, both for Adam\nand all his posterity. In the meridian of time that Redeemer appeared\nin the person of Jesus of Nazareth, who eventually was offered up\na sacrifice for sinful man--he suffered for sins, the just for the\nunjust, that he might bring us to God.[A] That this was the mission\nof Jesus Christ is evident from the whole tenor of the scriptures.[B]\nBut if the hypothesis of evolution be true, if man is only a product\nevolved from the lower forms of life, better still producing better,\nuntil the highest type of intellectual manhood crowns with glory this\nlong continued process--then it is evident that there has been no\n\"fall,\" such as the revelations of God speak of; and if there was no\nfall, there was no occasion for a Redeemer to make atonement for man,\nin order to reconcile him to God; then the mission of Jesus Christ\nwas a myth, the coinage of idle brains, and Jesus himself was either\nmistaken, or one of the many impostors that have arisen to mock mankind\nwith the hope of eternal life.\n\n[Footnote A: I. Peter iii: 18.]\n\n[Footnote B: See the chapters in \"The Gospel\" on General Salvation,\nwhere this idea is treated at some length.]\n\nSuch is the inevitable result of accepting the philosophy of evolution,\nafter which all the world is now running--it is destructive of the\ngrand central truth of all revelation; as well ancient as modern; as\nwell the revelations given to Moses and the prophets, as those given\nto the apostles of the New Testament; as well those given in Asia, as\nthose given in America; for the central truth of all revelation is\nthe fall of man, and the redemption through the atonement of Jesus\nChrist. All things else contained in the revelations of God to man\nare subordinate and dependent for their strength and force upon this\nleading truth.\n\nI am aware that there is a class of men who profess to be \"Christian\nevolutionists,\" and who maintain that Christianity can be made to\nharmonize with the philosophy of evolution. But how are they made\nto harmonize? We are told that Jesus is still a Redeemer, but in\nthis sense he gave out faultless moral precepts, and practiced them\nin his life; and inasmuch as people accept his doctrines and follow\nhis example they will be redeemed from evil. But as to the fall of\nman and the atonement made for him by the Son of God--both ideas are\nof necessity rejected; which means, of course, denying the great\nfundamental truths of revelation; it is by destroying the basis\non which the Christian religion rests, that the two theories are\nharmonized--if such a process can be called harmonization. It is on\nthe same principle that the lion and the lamb harmonize, or lie down\ntogether--the lion eats the lamb.\n\nIt was stated in the first part of this writing that the follies of\nthose who profess a belief in the theory of creation as revealed in\nthe Bible, were largely responsible for the existence of the theory\nof evolution; that their exegesis of the revelations on the subject\nwere so manifestly absurd, and contradicted so many well known and\nindisputable facts, that scientific men sought for other explanations\nof the origin of things. The theologians in the apostate churches\nof Christendom have maintained that God created the heavens and the\nearth--the universe--out of nothing, in six days. A statement than\nwhich it is impossible to conceive one more absurd, or one which\ncontradicts more completely every fact demonstrated by the experience\nof man. Every sense, every possible conception of the mind bears\nwitness that from nothing, nothing comes. The idea of creating the\nuniverse out of nothing, however, is rapidly passing away from the\nminds of the present generation; and it is conceded by many theologians\nthat there is no warrant for such a doctrine in the scriptures; but\nthat it became generally accepted through a misconception of the\nmeaning of the word create. \"The meaning of this word,\" says Rev.\nBaden Powell, of Oxford University, \"has been commonly associated with\nthe idea of 'making out of nothing.' But when we come to inquire more\nprecisely into the subject, we can of course satisfy ourselves as to\nthe meaning only from an examination of the original phrase.\" The\nlearned professor then proceeds to say that three distinct Hebrew verbs\nare in different places employed with reference to the same divine\nact, and may be translated respectively, \"_create_,\" \"_make_,\" \"_form_ or\n_fashion_.\" \"Now,\" continues the professor, \"though each of these has\nits shade of distinction, yet the best critics understand them as so\nnearly synonymous that, at least in regard to the idea of making out\nof nothing, little or no foundation for that doctrine can be obtained\nfrom the first of these words.\" And, of course if no foundation for the\ndoctrine can be obtained from the first of these words--viz., the verb\ntranslated create, then the chances are still less for there being any\nfoundation for the doctrine in the verb translated, \"made,\" \"formed\" or\n\"fashioned.\"\n\nThis is in harmony, too, with the teachings of the Prophet Joseph\nSmith. He says \"You ask the learned doctors why they say the world\nwas made out of nothing; and they will answer, 'Don't the Bible say\nhe _created_ the world? and they infer, from the word _create_ that it\nmust have been made out of nothing. Now the word _create_ came from the\nword _baurau_, which does not mean to create out of nothing; it means to\norganize, the same as man would organize materials and build a ship.\nHence we infer that God had materials to organize the world out of\nchaos--chaotic matter, which is element, and in which dwells all the\nglory. Element had an existence from the time he [God] had.\"[C]\n\n[Footnote C: Journal of Discourses, Vol. vi: p. 6.]\n\nProfessor Baden Powell further says, \"The idea of 'creation' as meaning\nabsolutely 'making out of nothing,' or calling into existence that\nwhich did not exist before, in the strictest sense of the term, is not\na doctrine of scripture; but it has been held by many on the grounds\nof natural theology, as enhancing the ideas we form of the divine\npower, and more especially since the contrary must imply the belief\nin the eternity and self existence of matter.\"[D] Theologians have\nheld, generally, that to admit the doctrine of the eternity and self\nexistence of matter detracted from the perfection of Deity, though how\nthat can appear is difficult to comprehend.\n\n[Footnote D: Kitto's Biblical Literature, Art. Creation.]\n\nNot only have so-called theologians been compelled to renounce the\nunphilosophical idea that the universe was created out of nothing; but\nthey also have to admit that there are indisputable evidences of the\nearth having a greater antiquity than their interpretations of the word\nof God allow. That is, the earth itself bears in its own bosom the\nevidence that it is more than six thousand years old. And though it may\nturn out, on further investigation, that some of the claims of geology\nare extremely absurd; owing to the fact, perhaps, that the founders of\nthat science have not considered sufficiently the effect of conditions\nnot now existing and forces not now in operation, but which doubtless\nexisted and operated in the earlier ages of our earth's existence--yet\nwhen extremely liberal allowances for all these things are made, the\nindisputable evidence adduced from the science of geology is sufficient\nto establish the statement that the earth is more than six thousand\nyears old; and it might be added also that from the same source it is\nevident that the earth was not created or organized from pre-existing\nelement in six days of twenty-four hours duration.\n\nThese facts which geology unquestionably demonstrates have thrown\nsectarian theologians into dismay. The dogmas concerning the creation\nformulated with so much pomp and circumstance by the apostate churches\nof Christendom, respectable only for their antiquity, are going to\npieces before the facts discovered by geologists and churchmen, or\ntheologians, call them which you will, are filled with alarm lest all\nconfidence be lost in revelation; and many of them are making frantic\nefforts to harmonize the facts of revelation with the facts of science.\nUnfortunately, however, some of these proceed on lines which result\nthe same as the efforts of some to harmonize the theory of evolution\nwith the gospel--as the latter efforts end in the destruction of the\ngospel, so the former end in denying the inspiration of scripture,\nin relegating it to the realms of poetry, which means kicking it\ncontemptuously out of the domains of fact, of history. \"We affirm,\" say\nthey, \"that it cannot be history--it may be poetry.\"[E]\n\n[Footnote E: Kitto's Biblical Literature, Vol. I., p. 486. Such also\nwere the views of the late Henry Ward Beecher, and in fact all of\nhis school, which I am sorry to say is rapidly increasing in numbers,\nboth in the United States and England. For the continental countries I\ncannot speak.]\n\nThere is nothing in the Bible, however, which drives believers\nin revelation to those straights--straights in which they throw\noverboard, practically, the word of God; discard it, or, in other\nwords, degrade it to the level of romance--making it nothing better\nthan the idle coinage of the half frenzied brains of day-dreamers.\nIf the dogmas of apostate Christendom respecting the creation were\ngiven over as a romance instead of the revelations of God, and those\nrevelations were re-examined, and especially if re-examined under\nthe inspiration of the Holy Ghost, it would then be found that there\nis nothing in the scriptures requiring the believer in revelation to\naccept the idea of recent or instantaneous creation of the earth. There\nis no more warrant in the Bible for the doctrine that the earth was\nbegun and completed--created--about six thousand years ago, and that\ninstantly, at the word of God, than there is that it was made out of\nnothing. On the other hand there is very much to lead one to believe\nthe contrary.\n\nSix thousand years ago our earth reached that degree of perfection that\nit was fitted for the abode of man; and it is interesting to note,\nin this connection, that geologists have found no evidence of the\nexistence of man on the earth only in the strata of the earth's crust\nbelonging to the latest geological periods, and most probably only in\nthose made within the period of history. But while the Bible may teach\nthat it was only about six thousand years since man was placed upon\nthe earth, how long the period of formation lasted previous to that\ntime, how long it required to prepare this planet with all its wealth\nof fruits and vegetables and animal life, for the abode of man, is not\nknown. \"It is called in the scriptures,\" says Apostle Orson Pratt,\n\n\"Six days; but we do not know the meaning of the scriptural term\n'day.' It evidently does not mean such days as we are now acquainted\nwith--days governed by the rotation of the earth on its axis, and by\nthe shining of the great central luminary of our solar system. A day of\ntwenty-four hours is not the kind of day referred to in the scriptural\naccount of the creation; the word 'day' in the scriptures seems often\nto refer to some indefinite period of time. The Lord, in speaking to\nAdam in the garden says, 'In the day thou eatest thereof thou shalt\nsurely die;' yet he did not die within twenty-four hours after he had\neaten the forbidden fruit; but he lived to be almost a thousand years\nold, from which we learn that the word 'day' in this paragraph, had no\nreference to days of the same duration as ours. Again it is written, in\nthe second chapter of Genesis, 'In the day that he created the heavens\nand the earth;'[F] not six days, but 'in the day' that he did it,\nincorporating all the six days into one, and calling that period 'the\nday' that he created the heavens and the earth.[G]\"\n\n[Footnote F: These are the generations of the heaven and of the earth\nwhen they were created, in the day that the Lord God made the earth and\nthe heavens. Genesis ii: 4.]\n\n[Footnote G: Journal of Discourses, Vol. xiv: p. 234-5.]\n\nAs a further evidence that \"day\" as used in connection with the acts\nof creation does not mean a period of duration of twenty-four hours,\nit may be mentioned that it was not until the period called the fourth\nday that the sun reflected his light upon our earth and ruled the\nday; and divided the light from the darkness, giving us the day and\nnight regulated by the rotation of the earth upon its axis; so that\nthe preceding three days were not of twenty-four hours duration,\nbut certainly referred to some other division of time, which was\nalso, doubtless, employed throughout in speaking of these acts of\ncreation.[H] Moreover, it is said in this first chapter of Genesis,\n\n\"In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.\n\n\"And the earth was without form and void; and darkness was upon the\nface of the deep.\"[I]\n\n[Footnote H: Respecting this creation of the sun as referred to in the\nabove, Apostle Orson Pratt has made some remarks at once ingenious and\ninstructive, he says:\n\n\"What I understand by the formation [creation] of these celestial\nluminaries, is that He [God] then caused them to shed forth their light\n[that is upon the earth.] I cannot suppose that it would take the Lord\nsix days to form such a little speck of a world as ours, and then for\nHim on the fourth to form a globe fourteen hundred thousand times\nlarger than the earth. This does not look consistent to me. If it took\nsix days to form a small world like ours, we might certainly suppose\nthat it would require more than one day to form the sun, which contains\na quantity of matter sufficient to make some three hundred and fifty\nfour thousand worlds like this, and whose actual size or magnitude\nis fourteen thousand times larger than our globe; consequently I\nunderstand by the formation of the sun and moon and stars, and\nsetting them in the firmament of the heavens, that He merely suffered\ntheir light to shine on the fourth day, to regulate the evenings and\nmornings, that were produced prior to that time, probably by some other\ncause. The Lord wanted by these luminaries to divide the day from the\nnight, and he set them for times and seasons in the firmament of the\nheavens.\" _Journal of Discourses_, Vol. xvi: pp. 316-7.]\n\n[Footnote I: Genesis i: 1,2.]\n\nHow long it remained in that condition before the Spirit of God moved\nupon the face of the waters, or the six great periods of creation\nbegan, it would be impossible to say, since we have no data in\nrevelation to go upon; but the duration was doubtless sufficient to\nallow all the myriads of years claimed by geologists as necessary for\nthe formation of our planet. Then how long those periods of time were\nwhich are called \"days\" in the Bible, is uncertain; but enough is known\nto justify us in the belief that they were great periods of time, in\nwhich the successive acts of creation occurred. In which continents\nwere up-raised, and mountains were heaved up by volcanic eruption,\nexposed to warmth and light and covered with vegetation, and animal\nlife, and then worn away by the combined action of the atmosphere\nand rains, much of their matter being carried back to old ocean's\nbed, and settling there as sediment, forming new strata of rocks,\noccasionally imbedding vegetables and animals which became fossilized;\nand these strata, being afterwards thrown up from the bottom of the\nocean are exposed to view, and from what he there finds, the geologist\nconjectures at the condition of the earth and forms his judgment as to\nwhat animals and vegetation were then upon it--there was time for all\nthis, let it be performed ever so slowly.\n\nWhile the Bible account of the creation gives sufficient margin to\nallow all the time claimed by the geologists for that work, let their\nclaims be ever so extravagant, still let geologists have some modesty\nabout them and admit--as perforce they must--that they do not know that\nthe same conditions existed, or the same forces operated in those long\nages of the past that now exist and operate. Hence it is not unlikely\nthat changes resulting in the advancement of the earth's formation, and\nin its preparation for the abode of man were much more rapid then than\nnow. This is not begging the question, there is no need of that; but\nit is mentioned in passing, as pointing to a condition of things not\nunlikely to have existed.\n\n\n\nIII.\n\nWhat is most perplexing about the Bible narrative of this work of\ncreation is that two accounts are given of it; and apparently there\nis an irreconcilable difference between them. In the first chapter of\nGenesis is a statement of the creation in respect to this earth and\nthe heavens connected with it, from the time it was without form and\nvoid until it was a fit dwelling place for man: or, to put it in other\nwords, the account seems to reach from highly attenuated nebulae to the\nsolid earth clothed with its wealth of vegetable and animal life, with\nman placed upon it as the crowning excellence of the Creator's work.\nBut after this elaborate account of the creation contained in the first\nchapter of Genesis, we are startled to read in the second chapter--\n\n\"These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they\nwere created, in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the\nheavens, and every plant of the field before it was in the earth,\nand every herb of the field before it grew: for the Lord God had not\ncaused it to rain upon the earth, _and there was not a man to till the\nground_.\"\n\nOne naturally pauses here to ask, what had become of the grasses,\nherbs, and trees spoken of in the first chapter of Genesis? what of the\nfishes of the sea, the fowls of the air, the beasts of the field? what\nof man, male and female, of whose creation we have just read? and of\nthe commandment to multiply and replenish the earth? Is it not strange\nthat after reading of the creation of man in the first chapter that\nwe should be told in the second that there was not a man to till the\nground? Proceeding with this second account of creation the Bible says:\n\n\"But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of\nthe ground. And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and\nbreathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living\nsoul. And the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he\nput the man whom he had formed. And out of the ground made the Lord to\ngrow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food. * * *\nAnd out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field, and\nevery fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would\ncall them: and whatsoever Adam called every living thing that was the\nname thereof.\"\n\nWhat is especially difficult in this second account of creation is\nthat it reverses the order of that work as given in the first. The\nfirst account commences with the formation of the earth from chaotic\nmatter and then records the various steps of progress in succinct and\nnatural order--the same order, too, that science insists upon--up to\nperfection: the second begins with an account of the creation of man,\nthe planting of a garden as the beginning of vegetable existence, and\nthen the creation of the fowls of the air and the beasts of the fields.\n\nThe writings of Moses as revealed to Joseph Smith, in December, 1830,\nand now contained in the Pearl of Great Price, make this matter of the\ncreation of man still more emphatic by saying:\n\n\"And I, the Lord God, formed man from the dust of the ground, and\nbreathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living\nsoul, _the first flesh upon the earth_, the first man also.\"\n\nBut if these writings of Moses make emphatic the apparent contradiction\nin these two accounts of creation, they also furnish the key by which\nthe whole matter may be understood, and, as I think, explained. After\ngiving an account of the creation, much as it is contained in the first\nchapter of Genesis, it is then stated--\n\n\"And behold I say unto you, these are the generations of the heaven and\nof the earth, when they were created, in the day that I, the Lord God,\nmade the heaven and the earth, and every plant of the field before it\nwas in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew. For I,\nthe Lord God, created all things, of which I have spoken, spiritually,\nbefore they were naturally upon the face of the earth. For I, the Lord\nGod, had not caused it to rain upon the face of the earth. And I, the\nLord God, had created all the children of men; and not yet a man to\ntill the ground; for in heaven created I them; and there was not yet\nflesh upon the earth; neither in the water, neither in the air; but\nI, the Lord God, spake, and there went up a mist from the earth, and\nwatered the whole face of the ground. And I, the Lord God, formed man\nfrom the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath\nof life; and man became a living soul, the first flesh upon the earth,\nthe first man also; nevertheless, all things were before created, but\nspiritually, were they created and made according to my word.\"[A]\n\n[Footnote A: Pearl of Great Price, p. 6.]\n\nAs to the character of this spiritual creation nothing is known;\nnothing, so far as I know, has been revealed in relation to it. Here\nlet me say, by way of caution, that those who accept the revelations of\nGod as truth need not be alarmed or worried if they meet with things\nin the sacred writings that they cannot explain or understand, as in\nthe case of this spiritual creation of the heavens and the earth which\npreceded the natural, or what we regard as the actual creation of the\nearth. In this and in all cases of like character we claim for those\nwho accept the revelations of holy writ as facts, what Professor Huxley\nclaims for those who build up theories on their conception of facts in\nnature, _viz_--\"There is a wide difference between the thing you cannot\nexplain and the thing which upsets your theory altogether.\" This idea\nis a pendulum which should swing just as high for the believer in\nrevelation as for the scientist. Not that there is anything wrong with\nrevelation, the difficulty arises from our inability to comprehend it;\nbut when increased intelligence shall give us enlarged views and keener\npowers of penetration, we shall then find that the revelations of God\nare in strict accord with the facts in the case, and perfectly simple\nhowever incomprehensible they may have seemed to us in the day when we\nsaw as through a glass darkly. But this is a digression.\n\nThough we cannot understand the nature of this spiritual creation, yet\nto learn that the first account of the creation in the Bible is of a\nspiritual creation and the second of an actual or natural one, gives\nsome comfort, from the fact that it does away with all charges of\ninconsistency or contradiction between the two accounts. For since they\nare descriptions of two different things instead of one thing, there is\nnothing in the law of consistency requiring the accounts of different\nevents to be alike.\n\nIn these articles, however, what turns out to be an account of the\nspiritual creation of the earth has been spoken of and treated as\nthe natural or actual creation.[B] It has been treated so purposely,\nbecause I believe the natural in the order of its creation and\ndevelopment corresponds with the creation and development of the\nspiritual. Furthermore, I believe the account in the first chapter of\nGenesis could be safely accepted as the announcement of the general\nplan of creation, not only of our planet but of all worlds; and in\nit will be found ample scope for the belief that the earth came\ninto existence by the accretion of nubulous matter; that it took\nthousands of years, yea, millions, perhaps, for the condensation and\nsolidification of that matter; granting as long periods as geologists\nmay demand for the formation of the earth's curst; that then followed\nthe changes which were wrought during the six great periods named\nin Genesis; beginning with the production of light, and ending with\nplacing man upon the completed planet as its lord and sovereign under\nGod.\n\n[Footnote B: I do not wish in making this distinction between the\nspiritual and natural creation, and in using the word \"actual\" to be\nunderstood as implying that the spiritual creation was not an actual\ncreation. It may have been just as tangible and actual as the creation\non which we walk. I only use the expression to make a distinction\nbetween the natural and spiritual creations.]\n\nThe careful reader of this paper will say, however, that the statements\nin the last paragraph permit all the old difficulties to surge back\nupon us; all the old apparent inconsistencies between the first and\nsecond accounts of creation in Genesis remain unreconciled. For if the\nnatural creation of our planet corresponded to the spiritual creation\nof it, the spiritual standing in the same relationship to the natural\nas the well devised plan of the architect does to the actual erection\nof a building--then the account given of the spiritual creation of our\nearth may as well be regarded as the account of the actual creation of\nit also. But this leaves all the difficulties between the two accounts\nof creation in the Bible untouched, and we must look to other facts\nthan those yet considered if we would see them removed.\n\nThe Prophet Joseph Smith is credited with having said that our planet\nwas made up of the fragments of a planet which previously existed; some\nmighty convulsions disrupted that creation and made it desolate. Both\nits animal and vegetable life forms were destroyed. And when those\nconvulsions ceased, and the rent earth was again consolidated, and it\nbecame desirable to replenish it, the work was begun by making a mist\nto rise that it might descend in gentle rain upon the barren earth,\nthat it might again be fruitful. Then came one of the sons of God[C]\nto the earth--Adam. A garden was planted in Eden and the man placed\nin it, and there the Lord brought to him every beast of the field and\nevery fowl of the air, and Adam gave names to them all. Afterwards\nwas brought to Adam his wife, whom, since she was derived from man,\nhe named wo-man; and she became his help-mate, his companion and the\nmother of his children. In this nothing is hinted at about man being\nmade from the dust, and woman manufactured from a rib, a story which\nhas been a cause of much perplexity to religious people, and a source\nof much impious merriment to reckless unbelievers. We are informed that\nthe Lord God made every plant of the field before it was in the earth,\nand every herb before it grew[D] on our planet. As vegetation was\ncreated or made to grow upon some older earth, and the seeds thereof\nor the plants themselves were brought to our earth and made to grow,\nso likewise man and his help-meet were brought from some other world\nto our own, to people it with their children. And though it is said\nthat the \"Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground\"--it by no\nmeans follows that he was \"formed\" as one might form a brick, or from\nthe dust of this earth. We are all \"formed\" of the dust of the ground,\nthough instead of being moulded as a brick we are brought forth by the\nnatural laws of procreation; so also was Adam and his wife in some\nolder world. And as for the story of the rib, under it I believe the\nmystery of procreation is hidden.\n\n[Footnote C: Lest any one should doubt that Adam was one of the sons\nof God, I call attention to the verse of Luke, iii chapter, where in\ntracing the genealogy of Jesus back to Adam, and coming to Cainan it\ngoes on to say that \"he (Cainan) was the son of Enos, which was the son\nof Seth, which was the son of Adam, which was the son of God.\"]\n\n[Footnote D: Genesis ii: 4, 5.]\n\nOf the things I have spoken, this is the sum: There was a planet\ncreated on the plan of the spiritual creation described in the first\nchapter of Genesis; beginning with the condensation of nubulous matter\nto a \"fire ball,\" then the cooling of the surface and thickening of the\nearth's crust, and the envelopment of it in water; then came light, and\nby internal eruptions portions of land were thrown above the surface\nof the water--\"the dry land appeared;\" then came the simpler forms of\nvegetation; then the sunlight visited the earth, and doubtless higher\nforms of vegetation, fruit-trees and flowers and grains were brought\nforth; then came the creatures that abound in the ocean, that fly in\nthe air, and the beasts of the earth. Not by the process of evolution,\nbut by the various species suitable to the condition of the earth's\ndevelopment being brought from some other and older sphere, with power\nto propagate their kind, until the changed conditions of the earth\nbecame unfavorable to them, when they became extinct and were replaced\nby other species of a higher type. Then came the mighty convulsions\nwhich, for some cause or other, and doubtless for some wise purpose,\ndisrupted that planet; and when from its fragments a new world--our\npresent planet--was brought into existence, it was made the abode of\nman, as described in the second account of the creation in Genesis,\nwhich begins by placing man upon the earth, and then the inferior\nanimals.\n\nAccepting this statement of Joseph Smith relative to our planet in its\npresent state being created or formed from the fragments of a planet\nwhich previously existed, one may readily understand how the supposed\ndifferences between scientists and believers in revelation have arisen.\nScientists have been talking of the earth's strata that were formed\nin a previously existing planet; they have considered the fossilized\nflora and fauna imbedded in those strata, and have speculated as to the\nprobable lapse of time since those animal and vegetable forms of life\nexisted; and have generally concluded that the age is so far remote\nthat there is no possible chance of harmonizing it with the account\nof the creation as given in the Bible. Believers in the Bible, on the\nother hand, have generally taken it for granted that the account of\nthe creation in the sacred record, would give to the earth no greater\nantiquity than six thousand years; and have held that within that\nperiod the universe was created out of nothing by the volition of\nDeity--an idea so palpably absurd that intelligence, despite all church\nauthority to the contrary, everywhere rejects it.\n\nThe theory set forth in this writing that before Adam was paced upon\nthis earth to people it with his offsprings the matter of which it is\ncomposed existed in another planet, which by some mighty convulsions\nwas broken up, and from its ruins was formed our present earth, at\nonce affords a means of harmonizing those facts established by the\nresearches of men and the facts of revelation. If scientists shall\nclaim that myriads of years or of centuries must have been necessary\nto form the earth's crust, it may be allowed by the believers in\nrevelation, for there is nothing that would contradict that idea in the\nrevelations of God on the subject. If scientists shall claim that the\nfossilized remains in the different strata of the earth's crust reveal\nthe fact that in the earlier periods of the earth's existence only the\nsimpler forms of vegetation and animal life are to be found, both forms\nof life becoming more complex and of higher type as the earth becomes\nolder, until it is crowned with the presence of man--all that may be\nallowed. But that this gradation of animal and vegetable life owes its\nexistence to the process of evolution is denied. As before explained,\nthe claims of evolution are contrary to all experience so far as man's\nknowledge extends. The great law of nature is that every plant, herb,\nfish, fowl, beast and man produces his kind; and though there may be\nslight variations from that law, those variations soon run out either\nby reverting to the original stock, or else by becoming incapable of\nproducing offspring, and thus become extinct.[E]\n\n[Footnote E: Since beginning this writing I have found some remarks\non the subject of evolution by the late President John Taylor, which\ncannot fail to be of interest to the student of the subject: \"The\nAnimal and vegetable creations are governed by certain laws, and are\ncomposed of certain elements peculiar to themselves. This applies\nto man, to beasts, fowls, fish and creeping things, to the insects\nand to all animated nature; each one possessing its own distinctive\nfeatures; each requiring a specific sustenance, each having an\norganism and faculties governed by prescribed laws to perpetuate, its\nown kind. * * * These principles do not change, as represented by\nevolutionists of the Darwinian school, but the primitive organisms of\nall living beings exist in the same form as when they first received\ntheir impress from their Maker. There are, indeed, some very slight\nexceptions, for instance, the ass may mix with the mare and produce\nthe mule; but there it ends; the violation of the laws of procreation\nreceives a check, and its operations can go no further. Similar\ncompounds may possibly be made by experimentalists in the vegetable and\nmineral kingdoms, but the original elements remain the same. Yet this\nis not the normal but an abnormal condition with them, as with animals,\nbirds, etc., and if we take man he is said to have been made in the\nimage of God, for the simple reason that he is the son of God; and\nbeing His son, he is, of course, his offspring, an emanation from God,\nin whose likeness we are told he is made. He did not originate from a\nchaotic mass of matter, moving or inert, but came forth possessing,\nin an embryotic state, all the faculties and powers of a God. And\nwhen he shall be perfected, and have progressed to maturity he will\nbe like his father--a God, being indeed his offspring. As the horse,\nthe ox, the sheep and every living creature, including man, propagates\nits own species and perpetuates its own kind, so does God perpetuate\nHis.\"--_Mediation and Atonement_, pp. 164, 165.]\n\nFurthermore, since we have learned that God made \"every plant of the\nfield before it was in the earth, and every herb before it grew\" (_i.\ne._ in our earth), the gradation of life forms which the naturalists\ndiscover in the various strata of the earth's crust may reasonably be\naccounted for aside from the theory of evolution--viz., by the animal\nand vegetable life forms of some older earth being brought to our own;\ndifferent species being transplanted as changed conditions in the soil\nand atmosphere and temperature of our earth rendered it favorable to\ntheir production, the older species becoming extinct as the changed\nconditions of the earth became unfavorable to them. Then too, the\ntheory advanced in this writing gives ample room for the reconciliation\nof another serious difficulty between the scientist and the believer in\nrevelation. To the latter Adam is the first man; the former maintains\nthat there are evidences which prove the earth to have been inhabited\nbefore Adam's time. Whether or not the planet which existed previous\nto our own, and out of the ruins of which our own was organized was\ninhabited by man as well as by vegetation and animals, I cannot say;\nall remarks on this subject would be conjecture merely. But if the\nresearches of scientists prove beyond all question that there were\npre-Adamic races, then doubtless they were inhabitants of that world\nwhich was destroyed, but the evidence of their existence as well as\nthe evidence of the existence of animals and vegetation was preserved\nin the re-creation of that planet to form this earth. Though, in this\nconnection, I must say that so far as I have examined the works of\nthose who treat on the subject of pre-historic man, or pre-Adamic\nraces, they have hung the heaviest weights on the slenderest of\nthreads; and I am inclined to the opinion that Adam was the progenitor\nof all races of men whoso remain have yet been found.\n\nSo much then for the different theories as to the origin of things\npertaining to our earth; as to the beginning of the universe, that\nis beyond the scope of this inquiry, and may be dismissed by saying\nthat it had no beginning. We conclude this part by quoting one of our\nhymns:[F]\n\n    If you could hie to Kolob,[G]\n        In the twinkling of an eye,\n    And then continue onward,\n        With the same speed to fly,\n\n    D'ye think that you could ever,\n        Through all eternity,\n    Find out the generation\n        Where Gods began to be?\n\n    Or see the grand beginning,\n        Where space did not extend?\n    Or view the last creation,\n        Where Gods and matter end?\n\n    Methinks the Spirit whispers--\n        No man has found \"pure space,\"\n    Nor seen the outside curtains\n        Where nothing has a place.\n\n    The works of God continue,\n        And worlds and lives abound;\n    Improvement and progression\n        Have one eternal round.\n\n[Footnote F: L. D. S. Hymn Book, 252, 17 ed.]\n\n[Footnote G: A planet near the residence of God.--Book of Abraham,\nPearl of Great Price, p. 30.]\n\n\n\nIV.\n\nI think it must be evident to all who have looked upon the dead, that\nman is a dual being. Who that has stood by the bier of a friend, a\nparent, child or wife, and looked upon the lifeless form stretched\nupon it, but has felt that the being he loved has departed, that he is\nlooking upon the casket merely that contained the jewel--the spirit.\nThis truth forced upon man's consciousness in the presence of the dead\nis also sustained by the word of God, in which it is said--speaking\nof that mysterious change to which all flesh is subject, and which man\ncalls death--\"Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was; and\nthe spirit shall return to God who gave it.\"[A]\n\n[Footnote A: Ecclesiastes xii: 7]\n\nIt is my purpose to show in this writing, that this spirit of man\nexisted before it was united with the body, that it is an emanation\nfrom Deity, and hence the relationship of Fatherhood on the part of\nGod, and sonship on the part of man. It is written by the Apostle Paul\nthat, \"God who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in times\npast unto the fathers, by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken\nunto us by His Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, _by whom\nalso he made the worlds_.\"[B] The palpable meaning of this passage is\nthat God employed the spirit of Jesus Christ in creating worlds--not\none world only, but doubtless many. And if it was the spirit of Jesus\nwhich acted as God's agent in the creation of the worlds, there can be\nno doubt as to the spirit of Jesus having an existence before it was\ntabernacled in the body born of the virgin Mary.\n\n[Footnote B: Hebrews i: 1, 2.]\n\nNor is the above passage of scripture the only one which sustains\nthe fact of the existence of the spirit of Jesus Christ previous to\nits union with the body. There are many expressions which fell from\nthe lips of our Lord himself that prove the fact. When some of his\ndisciples murmured at certain doctrines he had been teaching them, he\nexclaims--\"Doth this offend you? what and if ye shall see the Son of\nMan ascend up where he was before?\"[C]--doubtless referring to the\nplace he occupied in the mansions of his Father before the creation of\nthe earth.\n\n[Footnote C: John vi: 61, 62.]\n\nAgain, just previous to his betrayal, in his prayer in Gethsemane,\nhe said to his Father, \"I have glorified thee on the earth, I have\nfinished the work which thou gavest me to do. And now, O Father,\nglorify thou me with thine own self, even with the glory which I had\nwith thee before the world was.\"[D] No more direct allusion to his\npre-existence could be given than this; and from it we learn that such\nexistence extended back to a period previous to the creation of the\nearth we inhabit.\n\n[Footnote D: John, xvii.]\n\nTo all appearances Jesus was as other men in his physical organism.\nHe was born of woman; nourished in the same manner and with the same\nfood; subject to heat and cold, hunger and thirst and weariness. He\nwas pre-eminently the man of sorrows, and more than other men subject\nto pain. In short he possessed all the organs, dimensions, passions\nand attributes of man; but in him the passions were refined and so\nnicely checked and balanced, and the attributes so developed and\nmade subject to the will divine that he was a perfect man--a God! So\nnearly did he resemble other men that his countrymen, and especially\nhis neighbors, failed to recognize God in him. And when he began his\nmission among them they said: \"Whence hath this man this wisdom, and\nthese mighty works? Is not this the carpenter's son? is not his mother\ncalled Mary? and his brethren, James and Joses, and Simon, and Judas?\nAnd his sisters are they not all with us? Whence then hath this man all\nthese things? And he did not many mighty works there because of their\nunbelief.\"[E]\n\n[Footnote E: Matt. xiii, 64-68.]\n\nWe may now turn our attention to the more immediate object of this\nwriting--the relationship between man and Deity.\n\nAn important inference may be reasonably based upon this similarity\nbetween the Son of God and other men, viz: that if the spirit which\ninhabited the body of Jesus had an existence before it dwelt in the\nflesh, is it not possible, and, rather is it not probable, that the\nspirits of other men, or of all men, also existed before they were\nborn into the world? Since Jesus was so much like his brethren in the\nmany respects noted, it requires no great effort to believe that they\nresemble him in this particular matter of the pre-existence of their\nspirits.\n\nThe question, however, rests upon stronger grounds than mere inference.\nThe Lord said to Job:\n\n\"Where wast thou when I laid the foundation of the earth? declare if\nthou hast understanding. * * * Who laid the cornerstone thereof, when\nthe morning stars sang together and all the Sons of God shouted for\njoy?\"[F]\n\n[Footnote F: Job xxxviii, 2-7.]\n\nFrom this scripture one thing is certainly evident, viz: that before\nthe creation of this earth--before the foundation was laid or\nthe measuring line stretched upon it, there were \"Sons of God\" in\nexistence; and they shouted for joy; perhaps it was at the prospect of\nthe creation of the earth we inhabit that they shouted. And since it\nwas the spirit of Jesus Christ under the direction of God the Father\nwhich created the worlds, it is but reasonable to suppose that he was\npresent on that occasion, and may not they have been where the spirit\nof Job was also?\n\nThis doctrine of the pre-existence of spirits makes another scripture\nclear: \"Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee,\" said the Lord\nto Jeremiah; \"and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified\nthee, and I ordained thee to be a prophet unto the nations.\"[G] It\nwas the spirit of Jeremiah which the Lord knew; which, in common with\nthe spirit of Jesus, of Job, of Adam, and, in short, of all men,[H]\ndwelt in the presence of God; and as the spirit of Jeremiah possessed\nthose peculiar characteristics which are favorable to the exercise of\nprophetic powers, the Lord foreordained him to be a prophet unto the\nnations.\n\n[Footnote G: Jeremiah i, 5.]\n\n[Footnote H: At the first organization in heaven we were all present,\nand saw the Savior chosen and appointed and the plan of salvation made,\nand we sanctioned it.--Joseph Smith.]\n\nIn the revelations which the Lord gave to Abraham it is said:\n\n\"Now the Lord had shown unto me, Abraham, the intelligences that were\norganized before the world was; and among these were many of the noble\nand great ones; and God saw that these were good; and he said, these I\nwill make my rulers; for he stood among those that were spirits, and he\nsaw that they were good; and he said unto me, Abraham, thou art one of\nthem, thou wast chosen before thou wast born.\"[I]\n\n[Footnote I: Pearl of Great Price, p. 32.]\n\nThis scripture not only proves the pre-existence of the spirits of men,\nbut gives us to understand that some were more highly developed than\nothers, were more noble, and hence set apart for special labors, some\nto be rulers; others, as in the case of Jeremiah, to be prophets, each\none in the mighty multitude being assigned to the particular sphere,\nand given to the particular privileges that his state of development\nand degree of faithfulness entitled him to receive.\n\nFrom the scriptures we learn that at one time there was war in heaven:\n\n\"And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought, and the\ndragon fought and his angels. * * * And the great dragon was cast out,\nthat old serpent called the Devil and Satan, which deceiveth the whole\nworld; he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out\nwith him.\"[J]\n\n[Footnote J: Rev. xii.]\n\nTo this also agrees the testimony of Jude:\n\n\"And the angels who kept not their first estate but left their own\nhabitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto\nthe judgment of the great day.\"[K]\n\n[Footnote K: Jude 6.]\n\nI have called attention to those passages to prove that there were\nsome spirits who dwelt with God, so wicked and rebellious, that they\nhad to be cast out of heaven, and became the devil and his angels; as\nwell as some who had developed such nobility of character, that God had\nset them apart or ordained them to be his rulers. Between these two\nextremes of good and bad, obedient and rebellious were, I doubt not,\nall degrees of faithfulness and nobility of conduct; and I hazard the\nopinion that the amount and kind of development in that pre-existent\nstate influences the character in this life, and brings within reach\nprivileges and blessings commensurate with their faithfulness in the\nspirit world. Yet, I would not be understood as holding the opinion\nthat those born to wealth and ease, whose lives appear to be an\nunbroken round of pleasure and happiness, must therefore have been\nspirits in their first estate that were very highly developed in\nrefinement, and very valiant for God and his Christ. Regarding this\npresent state of existence, where as a sphere man is sent to obtain an\nexperience and further develop the intelligence within him, and obtain\na knowledge of good and evil, from seeing them in contrast and contact\nwith each other--I hold that that condition in life which is calculated\nto give the widest experience to man, is the one most to be desired,\nand he who obtains it is the most favored of God.\n\nOne step more in this digression in order that I may state further\nthat I believe it consistent with right reason to say that some of\nthe lowliest walks in life, the paths which lead into the deepest\nvalleys of sorrow and up the most rugged steeps of adversity, are\nthe ones which, if a man travel in, will best accomplish the object\nof his existence in this world. The stream that leaps over cliffs of\nrocks, thence goes tumbling down through some canyon's rugged defile,\nthen divides into babbling brooks, now coquetting with the sunbeams\nor dancing in the sheen of the moon, then stealing into the shade as\nit meanders through the meadows, and then quickening its speed makes\na final rush down a rocky declivity into the ocean--keeps its waters\npure; while the stagnant pool is overgrown with sedges; is a place for\ntoads to knot and gender in; breeds miasmata and infests the air with\ndisease germs; its water is impure and it is altogether unlovely and\nundesirable. So it is with the life of man. The conditions which place\nmen where they may always walk on the unbroken plain of prosperity and\nseek for nothing but their own pleasure, are not the best within the\ngift of God. For in such circumstances men soon drop into a position\nanalogous to the stagnant pool; while those who have to contend with\ndifficulties, brave dangers, endure disappointments, struggle with\nsorrows, eat the bread of adversity and drink the water of affliction;\ndevelop a moral and spiritual strength, together with a purity of life\nand character, unknown to the heirs of ease, and wealth, and pleasure.\nWith the English bard, therefore, I believe\n\n    Sweet are the uses of adversity!\n\nAnd with the Scotch poet I would say that those events, usually\nregarded as misfortunes,\n\n    Give the wit of age to youth;\n        They let us ken oursel';\n    They make us see the naked truth,\n        The real guid and ill.\n\n    Thou losses and crosses\n        Be lessons right severe,\n    There's wit there, ye'll get there,\n        Ye'll find nae other where\n\nWhat the mountain gorge, the beatling crags, and steep declivities\nare to the stream--enabling it to dash on in its course and by its\nvery motion purify itself--so are what we usually denominate adverse\ncircumstances to the life of man--they are the means of development and\nof purification only--the pathway of fiery trials is the one ordained\nof God for his favored sons.\n\nIn proof of this I direct you to the lives of the saints and the\nprophets; but above all to the life of the Son of God himself! The life\nof the Prophet Joseph Smith is an illustration second only to that of\nMessiah. He was wont to say:\n\n\"I have waded in tribulation lip-deep; but every wave of adversity\nwhich has struck me, has only wafted me that much nearer to Deity.\"\n\n\"Envy and the wrath of man have been my common lot all the days of my\nlife; and for what cause it seems mysterious, unless I was ordained\nfrom before the foundation of the world for some good end, or bad, as\nyou may choose to call it. * * * It all has become as second nature to\nme, and I feel like Paul, to glory in tribulation, for to this day has\nthe God of my fathers delivered me out of them all.\"\n\nThe Lord, while the prophet was a prisoner in Liberty Jail, said to him:\n\n\"If thou art called to pass through tribulation; if thou art in perils\namong false brethren; if thou art in perils among robbers; if thou\nart in perils by land or by sea; if thou art accused with all manner\nof false accusations; if thine enemies fall upon thee; if they tear\nthee from the society of thy father and thy mother, and brethren and\nsisters; and if with a drawn sword thine enemies tear thee from the\nbosom of thy wife and of thine offspring * * * And if thou shouldst\nbe cast into the pit, or into the hands of murderers, and sentence\nof death be passed upon thee; if thou be cast into the deep; if the\nbillowing surge conspire against thee; if fierce winds become thine\nenemy; if the heavens gather blackness, and all the elements combine\nto hedge up the way; and above all, if the very jaws of hell shall\ngape open the mouth wide after thee, know thou, my son, that all these\nthings shall give thee experience, _and shall be for thy good_. The\nSon of Man hath descended below them all; art thou greater than he?\nTherefore hold on thy way, and the priesthood shall remain with thee,\nfor their [the wicked] bounds are set, they cannot pass. Thy days are\nknown, and thy years shall not be numbered less; therefore, fear not\nwhat man can do, for God shall be with you for ever and ever.\"[L]\n\n[Footnote L: Doc. and Cov., Sec cxxii.]\n\nIf all this affliction was for the \"good\" of one of the most favored of\nGod's sons, is it not a fair conclusion that the trials and adversities\nof the other sons of God are for their \"good?\"\n\nLet us now consider the relationship existing between the spirits of\nmen and God. Zechariah speaks of God as not only laying the foundation\nof the earth, but also as forming the spirit of man within him,[M]\nwhile the writer of the book of Hebrews alludes to Jesus as the _first_\nbegotten[N] of God. The same writer also saith:\n\n\"We have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them\nreverence; shall we not much rather be in subjection to the Father of\nspirits and live?\"[O]\n\n[Footnote M: Zech. xii: 1.]\n\n[Footnote N: Heb. i: 6]\n\n[Footnote O: Heb. xii]\n\nWe now begin to see why Jesus taught his disciples to pray, \"Our Father\nwhich art in heaven.\" The words \"Our Father\" are not meaningless, but\nexpress the relationship between God and man. And not in any mystical\nway either, but in reality, the relationship being as much a fact as\nthat existing between any father and son on earth.\n\nThis relationship accounts for the interest of God in man; it explains\nwhy he is \"mindful of him;\" why all created things are made but for his\nuse, to supply his necessities, to furnish him with comforts, or afford\nhim the means of experience and education. It makes us understand why\nsuch a gulf exists between man and the rest of the animal creation--man\nis the offspring of Deity and inherits his Father's attributes. It is\ntrue those attributes are undeveloped; and often distorted even from\nthat degree of perfection it is possible for them to arrive at in this\nstate of existence; but that they exist in man is beyond all question.\n\nThe relationship between God and man also enables us to understand how\nit is that God permitted such an atonement as the crucifixion of Jesus\nChrist to be made for his redemption. Among men may be seen how strong\nare the paternal feelings; but how much stronger and perfect they are\nin God than in man is manifest in this, that \"God so loved the world\nthat he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him\nshould not perish but have everlasting life.\"[P]\n\n[Footnote P: John iii: 16.]\n\nFollowing as a consequence of the fatherhood of God is the brotherhood\nof man. And since Jesus Christ is the first begotten in the spirit\nworld (and the \"only begotten\" of the Father in the flesh) it follows\nthat he is our elder brother; a relationship which accounts for\nhis willingness to make the great atonement which brings life and\nimmortality within the reach of his brethren.\n\nGod and Christ, then, are by no means beings afar off that man may not\nknow. Nor does God look upon mankind as worms or worthless things.\nOn the contrary they are his offspring. He regards them with all the\naffection of a loving, father--\n\n    He sees their hopes he knows their fear,\n    And looks and loves his image there!\n\nHe delights not in their destruction, but would have all men to be\nsaved; and for that purpose has established the gospel.\n\nI point out this noble relationship of man to Deity, not to flatter the\nformer, but because I believe it to be a fact. It is a theme I love to\ncontemplate, not because it debases Deity, but because it elevates man,\nand must inspire him with noble aspirations, and to the performance\nof virtuous deeds. If but once understood and realized by mankind, I\nbelieve the conception would be a strong incentive to the reformation\nof the world; as it at once explains many things which have been\nregarded as mysterious, and explodes many of the absurdities which have\ncrept into the men-invented systems of theology. Furthermore it brings\nman so near to Deity that like their Elder Brother--being in the form\nof God--being the children of God--they may think as Christ did, that\nit is no robbery to be equal with God,[Q] and may labor with worthy\nambition to that end. Heirs of God they are, even joint heirs with\nJesus Christ, if they obey the gospel of the Son of God; and they have\nthe assurance of holy writ that when he shall appear they shall be like\nhim.[R]\n\n[Footnote Q: Phil. ii: 1-8.]\n\n[Footnote R: I. John iii: 2]","title":"The Gospel: An Exposition of its First Principles: Revised and Enlarged Edition","tradition":"scripture-revelation","translated_text":null,"word_count":84654}