{"collection":"scripture-revelation","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/gutenberg_54298/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/gutenberg_54298","id":"gutenberg_54298","license":"Public Domain (US)","rights_basis":"gutenberg_metadata_copyright_false","source":"gutenberg","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/54298","summary":null,"tags":["Category: History - American","Category: Religion/Spirituality","Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints -- Doctrines","Latter Day Saint churches -- Doctrines","Latter Day Saints"],"text":"SCRAP BOOK OF MORMON LITERATURE\n\n\nVOL. II\n\n\nReligious Tracts\n\nPublished by\n\nBen. E. Rich\n\n\n  \"_We have gathered posies,\n  From other men's flowers;\n  Nothing but the thread that\n  Binds them is ours_.\"\n\n{i}\n\n\n\nGENERAL INDEX\n\nSTATEMENT FROM JOSIAH QUINCY, MAYOR OF BOSTON, 1845-1849, CONCERNING AN\nINTERVIEW HAD IN 1844 WITH JOSEPH SMITH, THE MORMON PROPHET: Some of\nthe Sayings and Predictions Made by the Prophet Joseph Smith--A Letter\nto Mr. Wentworth from the Prophet in Answer to a Request from Him for\na Statement of Belief, to Be Published in the Chicago \"Democrat\"--The\nProphet's Assassination--Extracts from Governor Ford's History of\nIllinois Concerning the Martyrdom, with Comments.--Compiled by Ben. E.\nRich, 3.\n\nDEDICATION OF PALESTINE: The Prayer.--By Apostle Orson Hyde, 36.\n\nTHE RESURRECTION: Purpose of Man's Existence--Component Parts of Body\nNever Destroyed--Literal Resurrection--Testimony of Resurrection\nby Ezekiel, Job, Daniel, Luke, John, Matthew, Paul--Book of Mormon\nProphet's Testimony of the Resurrection, Abinadi, Jacob, Amulek, Alma,\nSamuel, Words of Jesus, Moroni--Testimony of Joseph Smith--Extract from\nthe Prophecy of Enoch.--By President Brigham Young, 40.\n\nCELESTIAL FAMILY ORGANIZATION.--By Parley P. Pratt in His Publication,\n\"The Prophet,\" published in New York City, 1845, 52.\n\nSALVATION FOR THE LIVING AND THE DEAD: Liberality of the \"Mormon\"\nFaith--Characteristics of True Religion--Universal Salvation--But One\nGod and One Faith--Sincerity Not Conclusive Evidence of Truth--Oneness\nof the Church of Christ--True Gospel Again Revealed from Heaven--Gospel\nWill Be Preached to Every Soul--But Few Will Be Lost--Salvation for the\nDead--Different Degrees of Glory--Liberality of the Gospel--Everlasting\nPunishment--Work in the Spirit World--Cherish No Evil Feeling--A\nDiscourse by Charles W. Penrose, Delivered in the Tabernacle, Salt Lake\nCity, Sunday Afternoon, August 19, 1900, 59.\n\nMORMONISM JUDGED BY ITS EFFECTS: Testimony of Converts--Effects of\nMormonism--Preaching the Gospel--Mormons a Happy People--Mormonism\nCauses Unity--Education--Natural Benefits Derived from Mormonism--By\nCharles W. Penrose, in \"Millennial Star,\" 1886, 78.\n\n{ii} THE \"RE-ORGANIZED\" CHURCH VS. SALVATION FOR THE DEAD: Claims of\nThe \"Re-organized\" Church--Keys for Vicarious Work Restored--Baptism\nfor Dead Commenced--Temples Built--Keys Bestowed Upon the Twelve\nApostles--Church Rejected with Its Dead--Baptism for the Dead\nDiscontinued by \"Josephites\"--Importance of the Work for the Dead--Dead\nJudged Out of Records--Prophet Preaches on Work for Dead--Early\nProphets Preached Salvation for the Dead--Necessity of Temples--Sacred\nOrdinances Must Be Performed in the Temple--An Editorial from the\n\"Times and Seasons\" Written by the Prophet Joseph Smith on Salvation\nfor the Dead--By Joseph F. Smith, Jr, 83.\n\nACKNOWLEDGE YOUR FAULTS.--By Elder Orson F. Whitney, in \"Millennial\nStar,\" 1882, 100.\n\nAN INTERVIEW IN THE ATLANTA CONSTITUTION ON THE \"MORMON\" FAITH: Book of\nMormon--What the Book of Mormon Teaches--First Principles--Gifts of the\nHoly Ghost--Prophecy--Authority--Apostasy--Restoration--Organization--\nEcclesiastical Government--Necessity of Baptism--Mode of\nBaptism--Infant Baptism--Salvation for the Dead--Eternal and\nEverlasting Punishment--Graded Salvation and Damnation--Personality\nof the Godhead--Atonement and Fall--Bible Alone Not\nSufficient--Marriage--Morality of the Mormons--Belief in a Personal\nSatan--Future Punishment--The Earth to Be Purified--By Elder Ben. E.\nRich, 103.\n\nTWO LETTERS TO A BAPTIST MINISTER: Rev. J. Whitcomb Brougher, Pastor\nFirst Baptist Church, Chattanooga, Tenn., Delivered Two Sermons from\nHis Pulpit Upon \"Mormonism.\" They were tirades of falsehoods and\nmisrepresentations from beginning to end; they were filled with much\nbitterness and hatred, and during one of his sermons he came as near\nadvocating mob violence as he dared. These wholesale attacks called\nout the following open letters to the minister, which appeared in the\nChattanooga \"News.\" (There were so many calls for copies of these\nletters, and to meet the demands they were published in pamphlet form.)\nChrist's Church Always Evily Spoken Against--Spaulding Manuscript\nStory--Restoration of the Gospel--Christ's Second Coming--The\nExistence of a God--God Has a Body, Parts and Passions--Belief in\nMany Gods--Is Mormonism a System of Lust--\"Mormons\" Live in Their Own\nHomes--Loyalty of the Mormons--Authority--Are We to a Unity--Baptism Is\nEssential--False Charges--Missionary Work--The Book of Mormon--Elder\nBen. E. Rich, 122.\n\nMORMONS AND MORMONISM: The Mormon People, Their Industry, Education\nand Morals--What Is Thought of These People by a Non-Mormon of\nMany Years Residence Among Them--By Their Fruits--Like the Pilgrim\nFathers--Their Staff and Comfort--What They Accomplished in\nThirty-two Years--Education--Morals--Cause of Persecution--The New\nCrusade--Disfranchisement of Mormons--Political Conditions--B. H.\nRoberts Case--Lecture by Charles Ellis, a Non-Mormon, 145.\n\n{iii} PROPHETS AND APOSTLES NECESSARY: Tendency of Mankind to Accept\nDead Prophets and Reject Living Ones--Prophecy Fulfilled--Revelation\nNecessary--Necessity of Officers in the Church--By the late President\nGeo. Q. Cannon, in the \"Millennial Star,\" 1866, 168.\n\nCOMPREHENSIVE SALVATION, OR THE GOSPEL TO LIVING\nAND DEAD: First Principles--Authority--Miraculous\nGifts--Organization--Apostasy--Restoration--The Gospel Preached to the\nSpirits of the Departed--Different Degrees of Glory--Turning the Hearts\nof the Fathers to the Children, and the Children to the Fathers--By\nJohn Nicholson, 174.\n\nTHE MEANS OF ESCAPE, OR, EXISTING EVILS AND THEIR CURE: Christ's\nSecond Coming--Restoration--Visions of the Prophet--Priesthood\nRestored--Persecution--Growth of the Church--Missionary Work--The\nGathering--By Elder John Nicholson, 195.\n\nTHE LATTER DAY PROPHET: Prophets Needed and Should Be\nExpected--Organism of the Church of Christ--Effects of Obedience\nto the Doctrines Introduced by Joseph Smith--The Book of Mormon\nAuthentic--Modern Prophecy and Its Fulfilment--By Elder John Nicholson,\n200.\n\nTHE GOSPEL OPENS COMMUNICATION WITH JEHOVAH: Necessity of\nAdversity--Angels Have Appeared in the Last Days--Heaven--Condition of\nthe World--Paragraphs from a Sermon Delivered by President John Taylor,\nJune 12, 1853, 221.\n\nA WORD OF ADVICE: Elders' Authority--Their Attitude Toward\nMinisters--Rely Upon Spirit of God--Advice to Missionaries--By Elder\nParley P. Pratt, in \"Millennial Star,\" 1846, 226.\n\nA Prophet of Latter Days.\n\nA GLORIOUS THOUGHT: Should Prophets Be Expected in Our Day--God's\nWord Indicates that a Prophet Should Come--Prophets Sent to Announce\nAll Important Events--Positive Promise of the Lord to Send a\nMessenger--Necessity of Prophets and Apostles in the Church--Church\nFounded Upon Prophets and Apostles--Power Given Apostles and\nProphets--Object of Inspired Men in the Church--How Long They Should\nRemain--Is the Canon of Scripture Full--Without Modern Revelation\nBible Prophecies Cannot Be Fulfilled--Treatment of Prophets in Past\nAges--Jesus a Stumbling Stone--Many Prophets Rejected--Persecution\nto Follow All Inspired Teachers--Conclusions Drawn from Scriptures\nQuoted--Elder Edwin F. Parry, Liverpool, England, 230.\n\n{iv} WAS JOSEPH SMITH A PROPHET? Testimony of His Works--Judging\nby the Fruits--Joseph Smith's Claim--His Claim Compared with\nScripture--Predictions that the Gospel Should Be Restored--Joseph\nSmith Treated the Same as Ancient Prophets--Account of Some of\nHis Works--Bible Prophecies Fulfilled--Church Organization the\nSame as Formerly--Same Doctrines as in Former Days--The Holy\nGhost Received--How to Obtain Proof--Outward Proofs--Testimony of\nWitnesses--Ancient Prophecies Being Fulfilled--The Gathering of\nIsrael--Gathering Peculiar to Latter-Day Saints--Events in the History\nof the Saints--Words of the Psalmist Fulfilled--Isaiah's Prediction\nFulfilled--A Prophecy of Malachi--Salvation for the Dead--Facts\nProven--Elder Edwin F. Parry, Liverpool, England, 235.\n\nJOSEPH SMITH'S WORKS: Evidence of His Inspiration--Scriptural\nTests--Prediction of the Angel--None Can Stop God's Work--\"A Marvelous\nWork\"--Testimony of Disinterested Men--Prophecy About War--Fulfilled\nTwenty-eight Years Afterwards--Predicted Men's Lives Would Be\nSpared--The Saints' Exodus Foretold--Gathering Predicted--Joseph Smith\nas an Expounder of Scripture--Church Organization--All His Works\nProclaim Him a Prophet--Elder Edwin F. Parry, Liverpool, England, 254.\n\nTHE BOOK OF MORMON: An Evidence of the Inspiration of Joseph Smith--Its\nPurport--Impossible to Write Without Divine Aid--Prophecies in the\nBook of Mormon--A Bible! A Bible!--Isaiah's Prophecy--Book Gives\na Test of Its Truth--Attested by Direct Evidence--Testimony of\nThree Witnesses--Testimony of Witnesses Unchanged--Testimony of\nEight Witnesses--Secular Proof of the Book of Mormon--Colonists\nfrom the Tower of Babel--Origin Before the Christian Era--Of\nHebrew Origin--Indian Customs--Indian Practice Resembling the\nPassover--Tradition of a Sacred Book--Acquainted with the Old Testament\nRecord--Tradition of Moses--Tradition of Eve--Tradition of the\nFlood--Led by Youngest Brother--Engraved on Plates of Metal--Egyptian\nWritings--Evidences of Advanced Civilization--Ruins Discovered--Indians\nAll of One Origin--Ruins in Yucatan--Ancient Glass Jar--A Ruined\nCity--Ancient Coins and Implements--Destruction at the Time of the\nCrucifixion--Ruins on the Ridge of a Mountain--Destroyed by the\nAction of Heat--Remains Found Under Lava Beds--Discovery of a Hidden\nCity--Evidences of Great Eruptions--The Messiah Known to the Ancient\nInhabitants of America--The Cross as an Emblem--Knowledge of the\nGodhead--Tradition of the Christ--Strong Proofs of the Truth of the\nBook of Mormon--Conclusion--Elder Edwin F. Parry, Liverpool, England,\n260.\n\nMARKS OF THE CHURCH OF CHRIST: The Outward Signs by Which It May Be\nKnown--Outward Signs by Which Christ's Gospel May Be Known--Character\nof His Church--Knowledge the Outcome of True Faith--How It May Be\nObtained--An Illustration--Parable of the Sower--Where Is the True\nGospel and Church of Christ?--By Edwin F. Parry, Liverpool, England,\n291.\n\nSIGNS OF CHRIST'S SECOND COMING: What the Bible Says Concerning His\nAdvent--What the Saviour and the Ancient Prophets Say Concerning\nIt--The Many Things to Take Place Before that Great Event--The Signs\nAlready Appearing--By Elder Edwin F. Parry, Liverpool, England, 304.\n\n{v} SAVED BY GRACE THROUGH OBEDIENCE: Important Questions Concerning\nSalvation Answered by the Word of God--Bible Teachings Upon\nThis Subject--Important Questions Concerning Salvation Answered\nby the Word of God--Salvation Free to All Who Will Obey--Faith\nAlone Will Not Save--True Faith Cannot Be Separated from Works of\nObedience--Illustrations of Salvation by Grace--By Elder Edwin F.\nParry, Liverpool, England, 313.\n\nTHE BEGINNING OF THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST: Rules That Must Be\nObserved by All Who Enter Christ's Church--What Is Salvation--Our Own\nSins--What Is the Gospel--The First Rule--Faith--Nature of Faith--Power\nof Faith--Necessity of Miraculous Gifts--Existence of Faith Shown by\nWorks--Another Evidence of Faith--The Second Rule--Repentance--Meaning\nof Repentance--Necessity of Repentance--The Third Rule--Baptism--True\nMode of Baptism--What Baptism Is For--Other Purposes of Baptism--The\nBaptism of Infants--Those Who Have Died Without Baptism--Baptism a Test\nof Obedience--The Fourth Rule--Laying On of Hands--Necessity of Laying\nOn of Hands--Office of the Holy Spirit--Rules Herein Explained--By\nElder Edwin F. Parry, Liverpool, England, 321.\n\nAN ANGEL WITH THE GOSPEL: Rev. 14: 6, 7, Analyzed--Angel Moroni's\nMission Not Completed--Angels--Judgments to Come Upon the World--By\nElder Orson Pratt, in \"Millennial Star,\" 1866, 333.\n\nTHE PROPHET JOSEPH SMITH ON DOCTRINE: Extracts from a Sermon Delivered\nat Nauvoo, June 27, 1839, Taken from the \"Historical Record\"--First\nPrinciples--Purpose of the Gifts of Tongues--Resurrection and Eternal\nJudgment--Election--Effects of the Holy Ghost Upon Gentiles--Effects of\nthe Holy Ghost Upon the Seed of Abraham--The Other Comforter, 337.\n\nTHE LATTER-DAY SAINTS AND THE WORLD: The Godhead--Testimony of John,\nPeter, Stephen--The Personality of God--Testimony of Abraham, Moses,\nThomas, Zechariah, Paul, Joseph Smith--Faith and Works--Testimony\nof Paul, John, James--Repentance--Testimony of Paul, Noah, Abraham,\nJonah, John--Water Baptism--Testimony of Paul, John, Nicodemus,\nPeter, Paul--The Holy Ghost--Testimony of John the Baptist, John,\nPaul--Baptism for the Dead--Testimony of Peter, Paul--Divine\nAuthority--Testimony of Paul, Peter--By Elder William A. Morton, 340.\n\nA CONGRESSMAN'S OPINION OF THE PROPHET: From the \"Historical\nRecord\"--The Prophet in Washington During the Year 1840, 404.\n\nAN ANNOUNCEMENT CONCERNING THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY\nSAINTS.--By Heber J. Grant, Tokyo, Japan, 405.\n\n{vi} CORNER STONES OF REORGANIZATION: A Few Facts Concerning Its\nFounders Compiled from Early Church History--History of William\nMarks--Revelation to James J. Strong Given January 7, 1849--Record\nof Zenos H. Gurley--Jason W. Briggs, Another Founder of the New\nOrganization--Authority--By German E. Ellsworth, 408.\n\nIS BELIEF ALONE SUFFICIENT: Knowledge of God Necessary to Be\nSaved--Must Obey the Gospel--Works Necessary--Love Manifest by Keeping\nthe Commandments--Faith and Works Necessary--By J. H. Paul, 423.\n\nTHE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS: Its Religion, History,\nCondition and Destiny--Antagonism Due to Misrepresentation--The Fulness\nof the Everlasting Gospel--The Godhead--Men Judged by Their Works--The\nAtonement--The Gospel Ordinances--Faith, Repentance, Baptism--Baptism\nfor the Dead--The Holy Ghost--Divine Authority--Officers--Spiritual\nGifts--The Apostasy--The Book of Mormon--Revelation--Restoration of the\nGospel--Other Doctrines--A Glance at History--Present Condition--Future\nDestiny--The Gospel Message--By James H. Anderson, 1902, 429.\n\nA WORD ABOUT SUCCESSION: From Saturday \"News\"--Was Not Necessary to\nOrdain President Young to Office of President of Church--The Prophet\nIntended Hyrum to Be the Next President Had He Lived--All the Keys of\nAuthority Bestowed Upon the Heads of the Twelve Apostles by Joseph\nSmith--Brigham Young Accepted by People as Second President of Church,\n460.\n\nTHE GOSPEL PIONEER: Faith--Repentance--Baptism--Laying on of Hands\nfor Imparting the Holy Ghost--Authority to Preach and Administer--By\nWilliam Jefferies, 464.\n\nGLAD TIDINGS OF GREAT JOY: Faith in God and Jesus\nChrist--Repentance--Baptism--The Holy Ghost--Organization--We Believe\nin Continuous Revelation from God--Obey the Doctrine of Christ--By\nApostle George Teasdale, 484.\n\nSUGGESTIONS TO ELDERS: Care in Administering Sacrament--Baptismal\nCeremony--Laying on of Hands and Blessing Sick--Words to Be Used\nin Baptizing--Words Used in Confirming a Person a Member of the\nChurch--Administering to the Sick--Anointing with Oil--By Elder B. H.\nRoberts, in \"Millennial Star,\" 1888, 488.\n\nTHE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST: All Truth Included in the Gospel of Jesus\nChrist--The Gospel Plan Comprehends More Than This Planet--Gospel\nTaught Prior to Christ's Advent--Faith--Repentance--Baptism by\nImmersion--Gift of the Holy Ghost--Only One Gospel Plan--Evidence of\nApostasy--Gospel Plan a Perfect One--Exclusive Plan--Man Saved by\nGaining Knowledge--Faith and Works Necessary--Importance of the Message\nof the Humble Elders--By Elder Orson F. Whitney, in \"Millennial Star,\"\n1882, 492.\n\n{vii} THE MISUSE OF POWER.--By Apostle Orson F. Whitney, in Millennial\nStar, 1882, 510.\n\nHAPPINESS FOR THE SORROWFUL.--By Apostle Orson Pratt, Millennial Star,\n1886, 514.\n\nTHE STRAIGHT AND NARROW WAY: Doctrine the Savior Taught--First\nPrinciples--Faith and Works--Repentance--Baptism--Object of\nBaptism--Subjects Fit for Baptism--Mode of Baptism--Gift of the Holy\nGhost--The Blood of Christ--Authority--Salvation for the Dead--By Elder\nEphraim H. Nye, 516.\n\nA MOTHER'S INFLUENCE: A Few Words About the Findings and the Birth of\nJoseph F. Smith, 535.\n\nIS BAPTISM ESSENTIAL TO SALVATION? 540.\n\nALLEGED \"OBJECTIONABLE FEATURES\" IN THE RELIGION OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS:\nDiscoveries Made in South America Corroborating Claims of the Book of\nMormon--Apostles and Prophets--Signs Following the Believers--Ordinance\nof Baptism Changed--By Elder Charles W. Staynor, 542.\n\nLATTER-DAY SAINTS FOLLOW THE TEACHINGS OF THE SAVIOUR: Address\nDelivered at the Salt Lake Tabernacle Sunday, December 25, 1910,\nby President Joseph F. Smith--Adam's Mission on Earth--Temporal\nDeath--Coming of Christ--The Second Death--Christ Both God and\nMan--First Born in the Spirit, Only Begotten of the Father in the\nFlesh, Immortal Father, Mortal Mother, thus Were Joined Together\nin Him Forever, Both God and Man--Resurrection--Spirit and Body of\nChrist--Preaching to Spirits in Prison--Broadness of God's Plan of\nSalvation--All Will Be Resurrected--Free Agency of Man--Saviour in\nAmerica--Elements of Spirituality--Book of Mormon--Doctrines of\nChrist--Saviour's Birthday, 554.\n\n{viii}\n\n\n\nDOCTRINAL INDEX\n\nAdam's mission on earth, 554.\n\nAdam taught to offer sacrifice, 556.\n\nAdministering to Sick, 490.\n\nAdversity, Necessity of, 222.\n\nAncient Prophets predict Christ's Second Coming, 306.\n\nAngel with the Gospel, 333.\n\nAngels appear in last days, 223.\n\nAnointing with Oil, 491.\n\nApostasy, 108, 176, 445.\n\nApostasy, Evidence of, 502.\n\nApostles and Prophets, 545.\n\nArchaeological discoveries corroborating claims of Book of Mormon, 281.\n\nArticles of Faith, How they came to be written, 20.\n\nAtonement, The, 117, 314, 434.\n\nAuthority, 17, 107, 132, 143, 297, 395, 442, 480.\n\nBaptism, 117, 293, 326, 373, 437, 474, 485, 520.\n\nBaptism Changed, Mode of, 552.\n\nBaptism essential to Salvation, 540.\n\nBaptism for Dead commenced, 84.\n\nBaptism for the Dead, 181, 439.\n\nBaptism for the Dead done away with by \"Josephites,\" 87.\n\nBaptism, Infant, 113, 329.\n\nBaptism, Mode of, 113, 326, 498, 525.\n\nBaptism, Necessity of, 112, 133, 142.\n\nBaptism, Purpose of, 327, 521.\n\nBaptism, Subjects fit for, 522.\n\nBaptismal ceremony, 489.\n\nBelief alone not sufficient, 118, 423.\n\nBelievers, Signs follow the, 547.\n\nBook of Mormon, 104, 140, 206, 239, 260, 446, 543, 562.\n\nBook of Mormon's coming forth fulfills ancient prophecy, 210.\n\nBook of Mormon, Discoveries in South America corroborate claims of, 544.\n\nBook of Mormon gives test of its truth, 264.\n\nBook of Mormon teaches, What the, 105, 209.\n\nBook of Mormon, The coming forth of the, 207.\n\nBook of Mormon published, 209.\n\nBook of Mormon, What it is, 448.\n\nBriggs, Jason W., Record of, 418.\n\nBut few will be lost, 67.\n\nChrist's birthday, 567.\n\nChrist, Blood of, 527.\n\nChrist both God and man, 555-557.\n\nChrist's Father immortal and mother mortal, 558.\n\nChrist first born in spiritual creation, 558.\n\nChrist only begotten in flesh of God, 558.\n\nChrist's second coming, 126, 196, 304.\n\nChrist spoken evil against in primitive days, 124.\n\nChrist visits Western Hemisphere, 213.\n\nChurch founded upon Apostles and Prophets, 231.\n\nChurch, Growth of, 197, 453.\n\nChurch Organization, 259.\n\nChurch property seized, 456.\n\nChurch rejected with its dead, 87.\n\nComforter, The other, 338.\n\nCorroborative Book of Mormon evidence by Non-Mormons, 268.\n\nCreation, spiritual, 555.\n\nCrusade against Mormons, 158.\n\nDead judged out of records, 90.\n\nDead Prophets accepted and living Prophets rejected, 168.\n\nDeath, Temporal, 555.\n\nDeath, The second, 557.\n\nDedication of Palestine, 36.\n\nDegrees of Glory, 72, 185.\n\nDisfranchisement, 160.\n\nDisobedience, Penalty of, 315.\n\nDoctrine of Christ, 486, 564.\n\nEarth to be purified, 121.\n\nEducation among Mormons, 80, 152.\n\nEffects of Holy Ghost upon Gentiles, 338.\n\nEffects of Holy Ghost upon seed of Abraham, 338.\n\nEffects of Mormonism, 78.\n\nEfficacy of Christ's atoning blood, 316.\n\n{ix} Election, 337.\n\nElements, Eternal, 12.\n\nElders' Attitude towards ministers, 226.\n\nElders' authority, 226.\n\nElders, Duties of, 10.\n\nElders rely upon Spirit of God, 227.\n\nElders, What, should preach, 15.\n\nEternal Life, How to gain, 11.\n\nEternal principles, 12.\n\nEvangelist is a Patriarch, 339.\n\nEvil feelings, Cherish no, 76.\n\nExodus of Saints to Rocky Mountains, 455.\n\nFaith, 292, 321, 435, 464, 497.\n\nFaith, How to get it, 299.\n\nFaith in God and Jesus Christ necessary, 484.\n\nFaith of Mormons their staff and comfort, 149.\n\nFaith needed, 299.\n\nFaith, Power of, 323.\n\nFaith and Works necessary, 317, 359, 427, 508, 517.\n\nFaith shown by works, 324.\n\nFall, Purpose of, 555.\n\nFall, The, 117, 555.\n\nFamily Organization, Celestial, 52.\n\nFaults, Acknowledge your, 100.\n\nFirst Principles, 106, 174, 242, 337.\n\nFirst Principles necessary, 17.\n\nFree Agency, 18, 562.\n\nFruits of the Gospel, 204.\n\nFuture destiny of the Work, 457.\n\nFuture existence, 165.\n\nGathering, The, 199, 248, 259.\n\nGifts of Holy Ghost, 106.\n\nGifts, Miraculous, 175.\n\nGifts, Necessity of Miraculous, 323.\n\nGifts, Spiritual, 444.\n\nGift of Tongues, Purpose of, 337.\n\nGod has a body, parts and passions, 127.\n\nGod, The Existence of a, 127.\n\nGod, Personality of, 347.\n\nGod's work everlasting, 18.\n\nGodhead, Personality of the, 116, 236.\n\nGodhead, The, 340, 432.\n\nGods, We believe in many, 128.\n\nGospel, All must obey the, 423.\n\nGospel of Jesus Christ includes all truth, 492.\n\nGospel, Liberality of the, 73.\n\nGospel Message, The, 457.\n\nGospel only accepted by a few, 14.\n\nGospel, Only one, 319, 501.\n\nGospel opens communication with Jehovah, 221.\n\nGospel plan a perfect one, 503.\n\nGospel plan comprehends more than this planet, 494.\n\nGospel preached to every soul, 66.\n\nGospel taught to Adam, 556.\n\nGospel taught to men on earth prior to Christ's advent, 495.\n\nGospel, The fulness of the everlasting, 431.\n\nGovernor Ford's statement, Comment on, 32.\n\nGovernor Ford's statement of the martyrdom, 29.\n\nGovernment, Ecclesiastical, 110.\n\nGraded Salvation and Damnation, 115, 185.\n\nGurley, Zenos H., Record of, 414.\n\nHappiness for the sorrowful, 514.\n\nHardships and pioneer days, 149.\n\nHeaven, 223.\n\nHistory of Saints, 250.\n\nHoly Ghost, 12, 242, 293, 381, 441, 478, 485.\n\nHoly Ghost, Gift of, 489, 526.\n\nHoly Spirit, Purpose of the, 295, 331.\n\nHow False and True teachers may be known, 294.\n\nImportance of Message of Elders, 508.\n\nIndian customs, rites, and traditions, 274.\n\nIndians accept the Gospel, 217.\n\nIndians all of one origin, 280.\n\nInfluence, A mother's, 535.\n\nIntelligence, 12.\n\nJerusalem, Rebuilding of, 13.\n\nJesus Christ offers us Salvation, 291.\n\nJesus a stumbling stone, 234.\n\nJohnson's Army, 456.\n\nJosiah Quincy's statement, 3, 35.\n\nJosiah Quincy's statement, Value of, 34.\n\nJoseph Smith's claim, 236.\n\nJoseph Smith on Doctrine, 337.\n\nJoseph Smith's works proclaim him a Prophet, 260.\n\nJudgments to come upon the world, 336.\n\nKeys, All, bestowed upon the Twelve Apostles, 86, 461.\n\n{x} Keys of work for Dead restored, 84, 190.\n\nKnowledge, 11, 13.\n\nKnowledge of God necessary to be saved, 423.\n\nKnowledge of Gospel necessary to salvation, 300.\n\nKnowledge, Man saved by gaining, 507.\n\nLaying on of Hands, 330, 478.\n\nLaying on of Hands in blessing sick, 489.\n\nLaying on of Hands, Necessity of, 330.\n\nLetters to a Baptist minister, 122.\n\nLove of God, 16.\n\nLove manifest by keeping commandments, 425.\n\nMan, Origin of, 554.\n\nMarks, William, History of, 408.\n\nMarriage, 119.\n\nMartin Harris shows ancient characters to learned man, 209.\n\nMartyrdom of Joseph and Hyrum, 198.\n\nMaterial benefits derived from Mormonism, 81.\n\nMen judged according to their obedience, 315, 433.\n\nMercy, 17.\n\nMiracles, 243.\n\nMissionary work, 137, 166, 199.\n\nMissionary work among the Indians, 217.\n\nMissionaries, Advice to, 228.\n\nMorality among the Mormons, 119, 153.\n\nMormons accomplished much in 32 years, 150.\n\nMormons happy people, 80.\n\nMormons hold different claims to all other sects, 302.\n\nMormons into the Desert, 148.\n\nMormons like pilgrim fathers, 148.\n\nMormons, Loyalty of, 131.\n\nMormons own their own homes, 129.\n\nMormonism causes unity, 80.\n\nMormonism, Fruits of, 147, 204, 236.\n\nMormonism judged by its effects, 78.\n\nMormonism not a system of lust, 128.\n\nMormonism, Origin of and growth of, 145.\n\nMurderer, No forgiveness for, 18.\n\nNauvoo, 25.\n\nObedience brings blessings, 16.\n\nObedience to laws of the land, 19.\n\nOfficers in Church, 132, 168, 171, 201, 296, 443.\n\nOfficers in the Church, Necessity of, 202, 297.\n\nOrdinances, Essential, must be performed in Temples, 94.\n\nOrganization, 109, 176, 241, 296, 485.\n\nOrganization of the Church, 23, 201.\n\nPersecution, 14, 23, 150, 156, 198, 235, 454.\n\nPersecution, Missouri, 24.\n\nPlates, Description of Book of Mormon, 22.\n\nPlates given to the Prophet, 209.\n\nPlates shown to the Prophet, 208.\n\nPolitical Conditions, 161.\n\nPower, Misuse of, 510.\n\nPrediction of the Angel, 255.\n\nPriesthood, 18.\n\nPriesthood restored, 109, 198.\n\nPreaching in spirit world, 560.\n\nPreaching the Gospel, 79, 109.\n\nProphecies, Bible, fulfilled, 240.\n\nProphecies in Book of Mormon, 261.\n\nProphecies cannot be fulfilled without modern revelation, 233.\n\nProphecies concerning last days, 307.\n\nProphecies of the Prophet, 257.\n\nProphecy, 107.\n\nProphecy of Book of Mormon fulfilled, 216.\n\nProphecy of Civil War, 5, 19, 219, 257.\n\nProphecy of John the Revelator, 305.\n\nProphecy of Malachi, 253.\n\nProphecy that Saints would remove to Rocky Mountains, 32, 258.\n\nProphet, A congressman's opinion of the, 404.\n\nProphet preaches on work for Dead, 91.\n\nProphet, The, intended Hyrum to lead Church at his death, 461.\n\nProphets always stoned, 146.\n\nProphets announce all important events, 230.\n\nProphets in past ages, 234.\n\n{xi} Prophet's assassination, 29.\n\nProphets needed, 200, 231.\n\nProphet's premonition of his death, 28.\n\nProphet's sermon on Salvation for Dead, 95.\n\nProphets should come indicated by God's word, 230.\n\nProphet's statement on translation of Book of Mormon, 18.\n\nProphets to be expected, 230.\n\nProphet's views on government, 6.\n\nProphet's work, Comment on, 27.\n\nPunishment, Everlasting, 75, 115.\n\nPunishment, Future, 121.\n\nReligion, Characteristics of true, 59.\n\nReligion, Only one perfect, 291.\n\nReligious liberty, 135.\n\nRe-organized Church, Claims of, 83.\n\nRe-organization, Corner stone of, 408.\n\nRepentance, 324, 366, 436, 471, 484, 498, 518.\n\nRepentance, Death bed, 15.\n\nRepentance, Necessity of, 325.\n\nRestoration of Gospel, 65, 108, 125, 176, 196, 237, 451.\n\nResurrection, The, 40, 558.\n\nRevelation, 206, 450.\n\nRevelation, Necessary, 15, 18, 170.\n\nRevelations, Chap. 14; 6-7 verses analyzed.\n\nRoberts, B. H., case, 162.\n\nSacrament, Care in administering, 488.\n\nSalvation, 16, 321.\n\nSalvation for Dead, 69, 83, 93, 114, 179, 253, 531.\n\nSalvation and Education, 320.\n\nSalvation, Exclusive, 178, 503.\n\nSalvation for Living and Dead, 59.\n\nSalvation, Plan of, 16.\n\nSalvation, Universal, 60, 313, 561.\n\nSatan, Personal, 120.\n\nSaved by grace through obedience, 313.\n\nSigns of Christ's coming to appear, 305, 318.\n\nSincerity not conclusive evidence of truth, 63.\n\nSpaulding Manuscript story, 124.\n\nSpirit and Body, 17.\n\nSpirit world, Work in the, 75.\n\nSpirits, 10, 12.\n\nSuccession, 460.\n\nSuggestions to Elders, 488.\n\nTemples built, 85, 191.\n\nTemples, Necessity of, 94.\n\nTen Commandments, The, 293.\n\nTestimonies of people healed, 244.\n\nTestimony of converts, 78.\n\nTestimony of Prophet by disinterested men, 256.\n\nTestimony proving Book of Mormon to be divine, 264.\n\nTraditions of Indians show that they had a knowledge of God and the\nGospel, 286.\n\nTruth, 12.\n\nUnity in Church of Christ, 64.\n\nVicarious work, 189.\n\nVirtuous, Seek to be, 16.\n\nVision, Prophet's first, 21, 207.\n\nVisions, Other, of the prophet, 21, 197, 208, 238.\n\nWitnesses of Book of Mormon, 213, 265, 448.\n\nWords used in confirming persons members of Church, 490.\n\nWork for the Dead, Importance of, 89.\n\nWorks, Necessary, 424.\n\nWorld, Condition of people of the, 224.\n\nYoung, Brigham, accepted as President by vote of people, 462.\n\nYoung, Brigham, not ordained to office of President of Church, 460.\n\n{1}\n\n{2}\n\n{3}\n\n\n\nA STATEMENT FROM JOSIAH QUINCY, MAYOR OF BOSTON, 1845-1849, CONCERNING\nAN INTERVIEW HAD IN 1844 WITH JOSEPH SMITH, THE MORMON PROPHET.\n\nSome of the Sayings and Predictions Made by the Prophet Joseph Smith--A\nLetter to Mr. Wentworth From the Prophet in Answer to a Request\nFrom Him for a Statement of Belief, To Be Published in the Chicago\nDemocrat--The Prophet's Assassination; Extracts From Gov. Ford's\nHistory of Illinois Concerning the Martyrdom, With Comments.\n\nCompiled by Ben E. Rich.\n\nJosiah Quincy, from whose \"Figures of the Past\" we quote, was born in\nBoston in 1802. He was the Mayor of Boston from 1845 to 1849. He was\ngraduated from Harvard in 1821 and took his master's degree in 1824. He\ndied in 1882, soon after he wrote \"Figures of the Past.\" The work was\ntaken from his diary and from letters written at the time of his visit\nto Nauvoo.\n\n\"If the foretelling of future events that could not possibly have been\nseen by human wisdom--events too, that from outward appearance were\nvery unlikely to come to pass; if the prediction of such events and\ntheir subsequent fulfilment evidences a true prophet, then Joseph Smith\nmust have been a true prophet.\"\n\nIn 1844 Josiah Quincy visited the Prophet Joseph Smith at Nauvoo.\nThey conversed upon questions of government and the Prophet offered\na solution of the slavery question {4} which Josiah Quincy, in 1882,\ndeclared the history of our country justified.\n\nIt is by no means impossible that some future textbook, for the use\nof generations yet unborn, will contain a question something like\nthis: What historical American of the 19th century has exerted the\nmost powerful influence upon the destiny of his countrymen? It is by\nno means impossible that the answer to that interrogatory may be thus\nwritten: Joseph Smith, the Mormon prophet. And the reply, absurd as it\ndoubtless seems to most men now living, may be an obvious commonplace\nto their descendants. History deals in surprises and paradoxes quite\nas startling as this. A man who established a religion in this age of\nfree debate, who was, and is to-day, accepted by hundreds of thousands\nas a direct emissary from the Most High, such a human being is not to\nbe disposed of by pelting his memory with unsavory epithets. Fanatic,\nimpostor, charlatan, he may have been; but those hard names furnish\nno solution to the problem he presents to us. Fanatics and impostors\nare living and dying every day, and their memory is buried with them;\nbut the wonderful influence which this founder of religion exerted and\nstill exerts, throws him into relief before us, not as a rogue to be\ncriminated, but as a phenomenon to be explained. The vital questions\nAmericans are asking each other to-day have to do with this man and\nwith what he has left us. Is there any remedy heroic enough to meet\nthe case, yet in accordance with our national doctrines of liberty\nand toleration, which can be applied to the doctrine now advanced by\nthe sect which he created? The possibilities of the Mormon system are\nunfathomable. (Josiah Quincy, Figures of the Past.)\n\nIn 1855, when men's minds had been moved to their depths on the\nquestion of slavery, Ralph Waldo Emerson declared that it should\nbe met with in accordance \"with the interests of the South and the\nsettled conscience of the North. It is really not a great task, a great\nfight for this country to accomplish, to buy that property of the\nplanter--the United States will be brought to give every inch of their\npublic lands for a purpose like this.\"\n\nWe who can look back upon the terrible cost of the fratricidal war\nwhich put an end to slavery, now say that such a {5} solution of the\ndifficulty would have been very worthy of a Christian Statesman. But if\nthe retired scholar was in advance of his time when he advocated this\ndisposition of the public property in 1855, what shall I think of the\npolitical and religious leader who had committed himself, in print, as\nwell as in conversation to the same course in 1844? If the atmosphere\nof men's opinions was stirred by such a proposition when war clouds\nwere discernible in the sky, was it not a statesmanlike word eleven\nyears earlier when the heavens looked tranquil and beneficent? (Josiah\nQuincy, F. of P.)\n\nThe Prophet also saw that war would devastate this land and prophesied\nthat \"we shall soon have war and bloodshed;\" that men shall hunt the\nlives of their own sons; brothers kill brothers; mothers shall be\nagainst daughters. He prophesied that this war should begin with the\nrebellion of South Carolina, and that it should cause the death of many\nsouls; that the Southern States should be divided against the Northern\nStates, and that the Southern States should call upon other nations,\neven Great Britain, to help them; that slaves should rise against their\nmasters and that they should be \"marshaled and disciplined for war.\"\nAs late as 1882 Josiah Quincy marveled at the literal fulfilment of\nthis prophecy. He remarked the fact that Ralph Waldo Emerson proposed\nthe same solution of the slave question, in 1855, that the Prophet had\nproposed eleven years earlier, in 1844. This prophecy on war was made\nin 1832 by the Prophet and published to the world many years before his\nconversation with Josiah Quincy. (Comment.)\n\nGive every man his constitutional freedom and the President full\npower to send an army to suppress mobs, and the States authority to\nrepeal and impugn that relic of folly which makes it necessary for the\nGovernor of the State to make the demand of the President for troops,\nin case of invasion or rebellion.\n\nJoseph Smith.\n\nJosiah Quincy, Commenting on this Statement Said:\n\nIt is needless to remark how later events showed the executive weakness\nthat Mr. Smith pointed out--the weakness that cost thousands of\nvaluable lives and millions of treasure.\n\nBorn in the lowest ranks of poverty, without book-learning, and with\nthe homeliest of all human names, he had made {6} himself at the age\nof thirty-nine a power upon the earth. Of the multitudinous family of\nSmith, none had so won human hearts and shaped human lives as this\nJoseph. His influence, whether for good or evil, is potent to-day, and\nthe end is not yet. If the reader does not know what to make of Joseph\nSmith, I cannot help him out of the difficulty; I myself stand helpless\nbefore the puzzle. (Josiah Quincy, F. of the P.)\n\nI am a rough stone. The sound of the hammer and chisel were never heard\non me until the Lord took me in hand. I desire the learning and wisdom\nof heaven alone.\n\n(Joseph Smith.)\n\nSome of His Views on Government.\n\nThe Constitution of the United States is a glorious standard; it is\na heavenly banner; it is like a great tree under whose branches men\nfrom all climes can be shielded from the burning rays of an inclement\nsun: and Mormon as well as Presbyterian, and every other denomination\nhave equal rights to partake of the fruits of this great tree of our\nnational Liberty.\n\nPetition, also, ye goodly inhabitants of the slave States, your\nlegislators to abolish slavery by the year 1850, or now, and save the\nabolitionist from reproach and ruin, infamy and shame. Pray Congress\nto pay every man a reasonable price for his slaves out of the surplus\nrevenue arising from the sale of public lands.\n\nBreak off the shackles from the poor black man and hire him to labor\nlike other human beings: \"For an hour of virtuous Liberty on earth is\nworth a whole eternity of bondage.\"\n\nFor the accommodation of the people in every state and territory let\nCongress show their wisdom by granting a national bank, with branches\nin each state and territory, where the capital stock shall be held by\nthe nation for the mother bank and by the states and territories for\nthe branches, and {7} whose officers and directors shall be elected\nby the people. The net gains of the mother bank should be applied\nto the national revenue and that of the branches to the States' and\nTerritories' revenues.\n\nWhen the people petition for a National Bank, I would use my best\nendeavors to have their prayers answered, and establish one on national\nprinciples to save taxes, and make them the controllers of its ways and\nmeans.\n\nLet the people of the whole Union, whenever they find a promise made by\nthe candidate that is not practiced as an officer, hurl the miserable\nsycophant from his exaltation, as God did Nebuchadnezzar, to crop the\ngrass of the field with a beast's heart among the cattle.\n\nLet the penitentiaries be turned into Seminaries of learning, where\nintelligence, like the angels of heaven, would banish such fragments of\nbarbarism.\n\nMore economy in the National and State Government would make less\ntaxes among the people; and more honesty and familiarity in societies\nwould make less hypocrisy and flattery in all branches of the\ncommunity; and open, frank, candid decorum toward all men in this\nboasted land of liberty would beget esteem, confidence, union and\nlove; and the neighbor from any state or any country, whatever color,\nclime, or tongue, could rejoice when he put his foot on the sacred\nsoil of freedom and exclaim: \"The very name of America is fraught\nwith friendship.\" Thus create confidence! Restore freedom! Break down\nslavery! Banish imprisonment for debt, and be in love, fellowship and\npeace with all the world! Remember that honesty is not subject to law;\nthe law is made for transgressors.\n\nWere I the President of the United States, by the voice of a virtuous\npeople, I would honor the old paths of the {8} venerated fathers who\ncarried the ark of Government upon their shoulders with an eye single\nto the glory of the people; and when that people petitioned to abolish\nslavery in the slave states, I would use all honorable means to have\ntheir prayers granted, and give liberty to the captive by paying the\nSouthern gentleman a reasonable equivalent for his property, that the\nwhole nation might be free indeed.\n\nRigor and seclusion will never do as much to reform the propensities of\nman as reason and friendship.\n\nWhen Egypt was under the superintendency of Joseph it prospered,\nbecause he was taught of God; when they oppressed the Israelites,\ndestruction came upon them. When the children of Israel were chosen\nwith Moses at their head, they were to be a peculiar people, among whom\nGod should place His name; their motto was, \"The Lord is our law-giver;\nthe Lord is our Judge; the Lord is our King, and He shall reign over\nus.\" While in this state they might truly say, \"Happy is that people,\nwhose God is the Lord.\" Their Government was a theocracy; they had God\nto make their laws and men chosen by God to administer them; He was\ntheir God, and they were His people. Moses received the Word of the\nLord from God himself; he was the mouth of God to Aaron, and Aaron\ntaught the people, in both civil and ecclesiastical affairs; they were\nboth one, there was no distinction; so it will be when the purposes\nof God are accomplished; \"when the Lord shall be King over the whole\nearth, and Jerusalem His throne. The law shall go forth from Zion, and\nthe word of the Lord from Jerusalem.\"\n\nThis is the only thing that can bring about the \"restitution of all\nthings spoken of by all the holy prophets since the world was;\" the\ndispensation of the fullness of times, when God shall gather together\nall things in one. Other attempts to promote universal peace and\nhappiness in the human family have proved abortive; every effort has\nfailed; every plan and design has fallen to the ground; it needs the\nwisdom of God, the intelligence of God, the power of God to accomplish\nthis. The world has had a fair trial for six thousand years; the Lord\nwill try the seventh thousand, himself; \"He whose right it is will\npossess the Kingdom and reign until He has put all things under {9} His\nfeet; iniquity will hide its hoary head; Satan will be bound, and the\nworks of darkness destroyed; righteousness will be put to the line,\nand judgment to the plummet, and 'He that fears the Lord will alone be\nexalted in that day.'\"\n\nWe do not believe it is just to mingle religious influence with civil\ngovernment, whereby one religious society is fostered and another\nproscribed in its spiritual privileges, and the individual rights of\nits members as citizens, denied.\n\nWe believe that no government can exist in peace except such laws are\nframed and held inviolable as secured unto each individual the free\nexercise of conscience, the right and control of property, and the\nprotection of life.\n\nMeddle not with any man for his religion; for all government ought to\npermit every man to enjoy his religion unmolested. No man is authorized\nto take away life in consequence of difference of religion, which all\nlaws should govern and protect.\n\nIt has been the design of Jehovah from the commencement of the world,\nand is His purpose now, to regulate the affairs of the world in His\nown time, and to stand at the head of the universe, and take the reins\nof government in His own hands. When that is done, judgment will be\nadministered in righteousness; anarchy and confusion will be destroyed,\nand nations will learn war no more. It is for want of this great\ngoverning principle that all this confusion has existed.\n\nWe believe that every man should be honored in his station; rulers and\nmagistrates, as such, being placed for the protection of the innocent,\nand the punishment of the guilty; and that to the laws, all men owe\nrespect and deference, as without them peace and harmony would be\nsupplanted by anarchy and terror; human laws being instituted for the\nexpress purpose of regulating our interests as individuals and nations,\n{10} between man and man, and divine laws given of heaven, prescribing\nrules on spiritual concerns, for faith and worship, both to be answered\nby man to his Maker.\n\nWe believe that all men are bound to sustain and uphold the respective\ngovernments in which they reside, while protected in their inherent and\ninalienable rights by the laws of such governments.\n\nMiscellaneous Thought on Many Subjects.\n\nSeek to know God in your closet; call upon Him in your field.\n\nThe sacrifice required of Abraham in the offering up of Isaac shows\nthat if a man would attain to the keys of the Kingdom of an endless\nlife, he must sacrifice all things. When God offers a blessing or\nknowledge to man, and he refuses to receive it, he will be damned.\n\nSpirits are eternal. At the first organization in heaven we were all\npresent, and saw the Savior chosen and appointed, and the plan of\nsalvation made, and we sanctioned it.\n\nWhen you climb a ladder, you must begin at the bottom and ascend step\nby step until you arrive at the top; and so it is with the principles\nof the Gospel; you must begin with the first and go along until you\nhave learned all the principles of exaltation.\n\nIt should be the duty of elders, when they enter into any house, to let\ntheir labors and warning voice be to the master of that house; and if\nhe receives the Gospel, then he may extend his influence to his wife,\nalso, that peradventure she may receive the Gospel; but if the man\nreceive not the Gospel and give his consent that his wife may receive\nit, then let her {11} receive it; but if the man forbid his wife, or\nhis children before they are of age, to receive the Gospel, then it\nshall be the duty of the elder to go his way and use no influence\nagainst him; and let the responsibility be upon his head.\n\nThere is never a time when the spirit is too old to approach God.\n\nKnowledge saves a man, and in the world of spirits no man can be\nexalted but by knowledge. So long as a man will not give heed to the\ncommands, he must abide without salvation.\n\nHere, then, is eternal life--to know the only wise and true God; and\nyou have got to learn how to be gods yourselves, and to be kings and\npriests to God, the same as all Gods have done before you, namely, by\ngoing from one small degree to another, and from a small capacity to a\ngreat one; from grace to grace, from exaltation to exaltation, until\nyou attain to the resurrection of the dead, and are able to dwell\nin everlasting burnings, and to sit in glory, as do those who sit\nenthroned in everlasting power.\n\nWhen the Twelve, or any other witnesses, stand before the congregation\nof the earth, and they preach in the power and demonstration of the\nspirit of God, and the people are astonished and confounded at the\ndoctrine and say: That man has preached a powerful discourse, a great\nsermon--then let that man or those men take care that they are humble\nand ascribe the praise and glory to God and The Lamb; for it is by the\npower of the Holy Priesthood and Holy Ghost that they have power thus\nto speak. \"What art thou, O man, but dust? And from whom dost thou\nreceive thy power and blessings but from God?\"\n\nIf you wish to go where God is, you must be like God, or possess the\nprinciples which God possesses, for if we are not drawing toward God\nin principle, we are going from Him and drawing toward the devil. A\nman is saved no faster than he gets knowledge, for if he does not get\nknowledge, he will be {12} brought into captivity by some evil power.\nIt needs revelation to assist us, and give us knowledge of the things\nof God.\n\nEvery principle proceeding from God is eternal and any principle which\nis not eternal is of the devil. The sun has no beginning nor end;\nthe rays which proceed from himself have no bounds, consequently are\neternal. So it is with God. If the soul of man had a beginning it will\nsurely have an end. In the translation \"without form and void\" it\nshould read, empty and desolate. The word created should be, formed, or\norganized.\n\nIntelligence, or the light of truth, was not created or made, neither\nindeed, can be.\n\nAll truth is knowledge of things as they are, and as they were, and as\nthey are to come.\n\nAll spirit is matter, but it is more fine and pure.\n\nYe were also in the beginning with the Father.\n\nWe have no claim in our eternal compact, in relation to eternal things,\nunless our actions and contracts and all things tend to this end.\n\nThe elements are eternal, and spirit and element, inseparably\nconnected, receiveth a fullness of joy, and when separated, man cannot\nreceive a fullness of joy.\n\nThe first Comforter, or Holy Ghost, has no other effect than pure\nintelligence. It is powerful in expanding the mind, {13} enlightening\nthe understanding, and storing the intellect with present knowledge.\n\nJudah must return, Jerusalem must be rebuilt, and the temple, and\nwater come out from under the temple, and the waters of the Dead Sea\nbe healed. It will take some time to build the walls of the city and\nthe temple, etc.; and all this must be done before the Son of Man will\nmake His appearance. There will be wars and rumors of wars, signs in\nthe heaven above and on the earth beneath, the sun turned into darkness\nand the moon to blood, earthquakes in divers places, the seas heaving\nbeyond their bounds; then will appear one grand sign of the Son of Man\nin heaven. But what will the world do? They will say it is a planet, a\ncomet, etc.\n\nHe that receiveth light and continueth in God, receiveth more light,\nand that light groweth brighter and brighter until the perfect day.\n\nStudy and learn and become acquainted with all good books, and with\nlanguages, tongues and people, for it is impossible for a man to be\nsaved in ignorance.\n\n\"We have turned the barren, bleak prairies and swamps into beautiful\ntowns, farms and cities, by our industry; and the men who seek our\ndestruction and cry thief, treason, riot, are those who themselves\nviolate the laws, steal and plunder from their neighbors, and seek\nto destroy the innocent, heralding forth lies to screen themselves\nfrom the just punishment of their crimes by bringing destruction upon\ninnocent people.\"\n\nIf a people, a community, or a society, can accumulate wealth, increase\na worldly fortune, improve in science and arts, rise to eminence in the\neyes of the public, surmount difficulties so much as to bid defiance to\npoverty and wretchedness, it must be a new creation, a race of beings\nsuperhuman. But in all {14} our poverty and want, we have yet to learn\nfor the first time, that we are not industrious and temperate, and\nwherein we have not always been the last to retaliate or resent an\ninjury, and the first to overlook and forgive.\n\n\"We have been driven time after time, and that without cause; and\nsmitten again and again, and that without provocation; until we have\nproved the world with kindness, and the world has proved us, that we\nhave no designs against any man or set of men; that we injure no man;\nthat we are peaceable with all men, minding our own business, and our\nbusiness only. We have suffered our rights and our liberties to be\ntaken from us; we have not avenged ourselves for those wrongs; we have\nappealed to magistrates, to sheriffs, to judges, to the Government\nand to the President of the United States--all in vain; yet we have\nyielded peacefully to all these things. We have not complained at the\nGreat God; we murmured not, but peacefully left all, and retired into\nthe back country, in the broad and wild prairies, in the barren and\ndesolate plains, and there commenced anew; making the desolate places\nto bud and blossom as the rose.\"\n\nWhatever God requires is right, no matter what it is, although we may\nnot see the reason thereof until long after the events transpired.\n\n\"Time and experience will teach us more and more how easily falsehood\ngains credence with mankind in general, rather than the truth; but\nespecially in taking into consideration the plan of salvation. The\nplain simple truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ never has been\ndiscerned nor acknowledged as the truth, except by a few--among whom\nwere 'not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many\nnoble;' whilst the majority have contented themselves with their own\nprivate opinions, or have adopted those of others, according to their\naddress, their philosophy, their formula, their policy, or their\nfitness may have attracted their attention or pleased their taste. But,\nsir, of all the criterions whereby we may judge of the vanity of these\nthings, one will always be found true, namely, that we will always find\nsuch characters glorifying in their own wisdom and their own works;\nwhilst the humble saint gives all the glory to God the Father, and to\nHis Son Jesus Christ, {15} whose yoke is easy, and whose burden is\nlight, and who told His Disciples that unless they became as little\nchildren, they could not enter the Kingdom of Heaven.\"\n\n\"We consider that when a man scandalizes his neighbor, it follows, of\ncourse, that he designs to cover his own iniquity; we consider him who\nputs his foot upon the neck of his benefactor an object of pity rather\nthan revenge, for in so doing he not only shows the contraction of his\nown mind, but the wickedness of his heart also.\"\n\n\"The infidel will grasp at every straw for help until death stares\nhim in the face, and then his infidelity takes its flight, for the\nrealities of the eternal world are resting upon him in mighty power;\nand when every earthly support and prop fails him, he then sensibly\nfeels the eternal truths of the immortality of the soul. We should heed\nwarning and not wait for the death-bed to repent. As we see the infant\ntaken away by death, so may the youth and middle-aged, as well as the\ninfant, be called into eternity. Let this, then, prove as a warning to\nall, not to procrastinate repentance, or wait until upon the death-bed,\nfor it is the will of God that man should repent and serve Him in\nhealth and in the strength and power of his mind, in order to secure\nHis blessings, and not wait until he is called to die.\"\n\nThe time has come that elders should go forth, and each must stand for\nhimself in all meekness, in sobriety, and preach Jesus Christ and Him\ncrucified; not to contend with others on account of their faith, or\nsystems of religion, but pursue a steady course.\n\nSalvation comes not without a revelation; it is in vain for anyone to\nminister without it. No man is a minister of Jesus Christ without being\na prophet. No man can be a minister of Jesus Christ except he has the\ntestimony of Jesus; and this is the Spirit of Prophecy.\n\nIt is for us to be righteous, that we may be wise and {16} understand,\nfor none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand,\nand they that turn man to righteousness shall shine as the stars for\never and ever.\n\nThere is a law irrevocably decreed in heaven before the foundation of\nthis world, upon which all blessings are predicted; and when we obtain\na blessing from God, it is by obedience to the law upon which it is\npredicted.\n\nLove is one of the chief characteristics of Deity, and ought to be\nmanifested by those who aspire to be the sons of God. A man filled with\nthe love of God is not content with blessing his family alone, but\nranges through the whole world anxious to bless the whole human race.\n\nSalvation means a man's being placed beyond the power of all his\nenemies.\n\nBe virtuous and pure; be men of integrity and truth; keep the\nCommandments of God and then you will be able to understand the\ndifference between right and wrong--between the things of God and the\nthings of man; and your path will be like that of the just, which\nshineth brighter and brighter unto the perfect day.\n\nThe great Jehovah contemplated the whole of the events connected with\nthe earth, pertaining to the plan of salvation, before it rolled into\nexistence, or before the morning stars sang for joy; the past, the\npresent, the future were, and are, with Him one eternal \"now.\"\n\nThere are three independent principles: The Spirit of God; the Spirit\nof Man, and the Spirit of the Devil. All men have power to resist the\ndevil.\n\nIn tracing the thing to the foundation, and looking at it {17}\nphilosophically, we shall find a very material difference between the\nbody and the spirit; the body is supposed to be organized matter, and\nthe spirit, by many, is thought to be immaterial, without substance.\nWith this latter statement we should beg leave to differ, and state\nthat the spirit is a substance; that it is material, but that it is\nmore pure, elastic, and refined matter than the body; that it existed\nbefore the body, and will exist separate from the body, when the body\nwill be mouldering in the dust; and will in the Resurrection be again\nunited with it.\n\nEver keep in exercise the principle of mercy, and be ready to forgive\nour brother on the first intimations of repentance, and asking\nforgiveness; and should we even forgive our brother, or even our enemy,\nbefore they repent or ask forgiveness, our Heavenly Father would be\nequally as merciful unto us.\n\nIf God has established His authority, and His divine will is made known\nthrough that authority to the Church, and any member refuses to receive\nit, he cuts himself off from the Church; from the benefits of the Holy\nPriesthood, and from the fellowship and favor of God, and becomes a\ncastaway.\n\nTo be a Latter-day Saint requires sacrifice of worldly aims and\npleasures; requires fidelity, strength of character, love of truth,\nintegrity to principle and zealous desire to see the triumphant march\nof truth.\n\nAll men who become heirs of God and joint heirs of Jesus Christ will\nhave to receive the fullness of the ordinances of His Kingdom; and\nthose who will not receive all the ordinances will come short of the\nfullness of that glory, if they do not lose the whole.\n\nThere is no other way beneath the heaven that God hath ordained for man\nto come to Him, except through faith in Jesus Christ, repentance and\nbaptism for the remission of sins; {18} then follows the promise of the\ngift of the Holy Ghost. Any other course is in vain.\n\nWhere there is no change of priesthood, there is no change of\nordinances, says Paul. If God has not changed the priesthood and the\nordinances, howl, ye sectarians! If He has, when and where has He\nrevealed it? Have ye turned revelators? Why then deny revelation?\n\nHow consoling to the mourners, when they are called to part with a\nhusband, wife, or father, mother, child or dear relative, to know that\nalthough the earthly tabernacle is laid down and dissolved, they shall\nrise again to dwell in everlasting burnings in immortal glory, not to\nsorrow, suffer or die any more; but they shall be heirs of God and\njoint heirs with Jesus Christ.\n\nBy the power of God I translated the Book of Mormon from hieroglyphics,\nthe knowledge of which was lost to the world; in which wonderful event\nI stood alone, an unlearned youth, to combat with the worldly wisdom\nand multiplied ignorance of eighteen centuries, with a new revelation,\nwhich--if they would receive the everlasting gospel--would open the\nears of more than eight hundred millions of people and make \"plain\nthe old paths,\" where if a man walk in all the ordinances of God,\nblameless, he should inherit eternal life.\n\nIf the ministers of religion had a proper understanding of the\ndoctrines of eternal judgment, they would not be found attending\nthe man who had forfeited his life, and injured the laws of the\ncountry by shedding innocent blood, for such characters cannot be\nforgiven until they have paid the last farthing; the prayers of all\nthe ministers in the world cannot close the gates of hell against a\nmurderer--unconditional election to eternal life was not taught by the\napostles.\n\nNo unhallowed hand can stop the work of God from {19} progressing.\nPersecution may rage, mobs may combine, armies may assemble, calumny\nmay defame; but the truth of God will go forth boldly, nobly and\nindependently, until it has penetrated every continent and visited\nevery clime, swept over the country and sounded in every ear till the\npurposes of God shall be accomplished and the great Jehovah shall say\nthe work is done.\n\nWe cannot be perfect without the fathers. We must have revelations from\nthem, and we can see that the doctrine of revelation as far transcends\nthe doctrine of no revelation as knowledge is above ignorance; for\none truth revealed from heaven is worth all the sectarian notions in\nexistence.\n\nWe believe that religion is instituted of God, and that men are\nanswerable to Him, and Him only, for the exercise of it unless their\nreligious opinions brought them to infringe upon the rights and\nliberties of others; but we do not believe that human law has the right\nto interfere in prescribing rules of worship to bind the consciences of\nmen, nor dictate forms for public or private devotion; that the civil\nmagistrate should restrain crime, but never control conscience; should\npunish guilt, but never suppress the freedom of a soul.\n\nWe have ever held ourselves amenable to the law; and for myself I\nam ever ready to conform to and support the laws and Constitution,\neven at the expense of my life. I have never in the least offered any\nresistance to the law or lawful process, which is a well-known fact to\nthe public.\n\nPosterity will yet do us the justice, when our persecutors are equally\nlow in the dust with ourselves, to hand down to succeeding generations\nthe virtuous acts and forbearance of a people who sacrificed their\nreputations for their religion and their earthly fortunes and happiness\nto preserve peace.\n\n\"Men profess to prophesy. I will prophesy that the signs {20} of the\ncoming of the Son of Man are already commenced. We shall soon have war\nand bloodshed.\"\n\n\"As for perils which I am called to pass through, they seem but a small\nthing to me, as the envy and wrath of men have been my common lot all\nthe days of my life; and for what cause it seems mysterious, unless I\nwas ordained before the foundation of the world for some good end, or\nbad, as you may choose to call it.\"\n\nAt the request of Mr. John Wentworth, editor and proprietor of the\nChicago _Democrat_, the Prophet wrote the following statement. Mr.\nWentworth requested a statement of the faith of the Saints for the use\nof a Mr. Bostow, who was writing a history of New Hampshire.\n\nI was born in the town of Sharon, Windsor County, Vermont, on the 23rd\nday of December, A. D. 1805. When ten years old my parents removed to\nPalmyra, New York, where we resided about four years, and from thence\nwe removed to the town of Manchester. My father was a farmer and taught\nme the art of husbandry. When about fourteen years of age, I began to\nreflect upon the importance of being prepared for a future state, and\nupon inquiring the plan of salvation, I found that there was a great\nclash in religious sentiment; if I went to one society they referred\nme to one plan, and another to another; each one pointing to his own\nparticular creed as the _summum bonum_ of perfection; considering\nthat all could not be right, and that God could not be the author\nof so much confusion, I determined to investigate the subject more\nfully, believing that if God had a Church it would not be split up\ninto factions, and that if He taught one society to worship one way,\nand administer in one set of ordinances, He would not teach another,\nprinciples which were diametrically opposed.\n\nBelieving the word of God, I had confidence in the declaration of\nJames--\"If any man lack wisdom, let him ask of God, who giveth to all\nmen liberally and upbraideth not, and it shall be given him.\" I retired\nto a secret place in a grove, and began to call upon the Lord; while\nfervently engaged in supplication, my mind was taken away from the\nobjects with which I was surrounded, and I was enwrapped in a heavenly\n{21} vision, and saw two glorious personages, who exactly resembled\neach other in features and likeness, surrounded with a brilliant light\nwhich eclipsed the sun at noon day. They told me that all religious\ndenominations were believing in incorrect doctrines, and that none of\nthem were acknowledged of God as His Church and Kingdom: and I was\nexpressly commanded \"to go not after them,\" at the same time receiving\na promise that the fulness of the Gospel should at some future time be\nmade known unto me.\n\nOn the evening of the 21st of September, A. D. 1823, while I was\npraying unto God, and endeavoring to exercise faith in the precious\npromises of Scripture, of a sudden a light like that of day, only of\na far purer and more glorious appearance and brightness, burst into\nthe room, indeed the first sight was as though the house was filled\nwith consuming fire; the appearance produced a shock that affected the\nwhole body; in a moment a personage stood before me surrounded with a\nglory yet greater than that with which I was already surrounded. This\nmessenger proclaimed himself to be an angel of God, sent to bring the\njoyful tidings that the covenant which God made with ancient Israel\nwas at hand to be fulfilled, that the preparatory work for the second\ncoming of the Messiah was speedily to commence; that the time was at\nhand for the Gospel in all its fulness to be preached in power, unto\nall nations that a people might be prepared for the Millennial reign. I\nwas informed that I was chosen to be an instrument in the hands of God\nto bring about some of His purposes in this glorious dispensation.\n\nI was also informed concerning the aboriginal inhabitants of this\ncountry and shown who they were, and from whence they came; a brief\nsketch of their origin, progress, civilization, laws, governments,\nof their righteousness and iniquity, and the blessings of God being\nfinally withdrawn from them as a people, was made known unto me; I was\nalso told where were deposited some plates on which were engraven an\nabridgment of the records of the ancient Prophets that had existed on\nthis continent. The angel appeared to me three times the same night and\nunfolded the same things. After having received many visits from the\nangels of God unfolding the majesty and glory of the events that should\ntranspire in the last days, on the morning of the 22nd of September, A.\nD. 1827, the angel of the Lord delivered the records into my hands.\n\nThese records were engraven on plates which had the appearance of\ngold, each plate was six inches wide and eight {22} inches long, and\nnot quite so thick as common tin. They were filled with engravings,\nin Egyptian characters, and bound together in a volume as the leaves\nof a book, with three rings running through the whole. The volume was\nsomething near six inches in thickness, a part of which was sealed. The\ncharacters on the unsealed part were small, and beautifully engraved.\nThe whole book exhibited many marks of antiquity in its construction,\nand much skill in the art of engraving. With the records was found a\ncurious instrument, which the ancients called \"Urim and Thummim,\" which\nconsisted of two transparent stones set in the rim of a bow fastened to\na breast plate. Through the medium of the Urim and Thummim I translated\nthe record by the gift and power of God.\n\nIn this important and interesting book the history of ancient America\nis unfolded, from its first settlement by a colony that came from the\nTower of Babel, at the confusion of languages to the beginning of the\nfifth century of the Christian Era. We are informed by these records\nthat America in ancient times had been inhabited by two distinct races\nof people. The first were called Jaredites, and came directly from\nthe Tower of Babel. The second race came directly from the city of\nJerusalem, about six hundred years before Christ. They were principally\nIsraelites, of the descendants of Joseph. The Jaredites were destroyed\nabout the time that the Israelites came from Jerusalem, who succeeded\nthem in the inheritance of the country. The principal nation of the\nsecond race fell in battle toward the close of the fourth century.\nThe remnant are the Indians that now inhabit this country. This book\nalso tells us that our Savior made His appearance upon this continent\nafter His resurrection; that He planted the Gospel here in all its\nfulness, and richness, and power, and blessing; that they had Apostles,\nProphets, Pastors, Teachers, and Evangelists; the same order, the same\nPriesthood, the same ordinances, gifts, powers, and blessings, as were\nenjoyed on the eastern continent, that the people were cut off in\nconsequence of their transgressions, that the last of their Prophets\nwho existed among them was commanded to write an abridgment of their\nprophecies, history, etc., and to hide it up in the earth, and that it\nshould come forth and be united with the Bible for the accomplishment\nof the purposes of God in the last days. For a more particular account\nI would refer to the Book of Mormon, which can be purchased at Nauvoo,\nor from any of our Traveling Elders.\n\nAs soon as the news of this discovery was made known, {23} false\nreports, misrepresentation and slander flew, as on the wings of the\nwind, in every direction; the house was frequently beset by mobs and\nevil designing persons. Several times I was shot at, and very narrowly\nescaped, and every device was made use of to get the plates away from\nme; but the power and blessing of God attended me, and several began to\nbelieve my testimony.\n\nOn the 6th of April, 1830, the \"Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day\nSaints\" was first organized in the town of Fayette, Seneca County,\nState of New York. Some few were called and ordained by the Spirit of\nrevelation and prophecy, and began to preach as the Spirit gave them\nutterance, and though weak, yet were they strengthened by the power of\nGod, and many were brought to repentance, were immersed in the water,\nand were filled with the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands. They\nsaw visions and prophesied, devils were cast out, and the sick healed\nby the laying on of hands. From that time the work rolled forth with\nastonishing rapidity, and Churches were soon formed in the States of\nNew York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and Missouri; in\nthe last named State a considerable settlement was formed in Jackson\nCounty: numbers joined the Church and we were increasing rapidly; we\nmade large purchases of land, our farms teemed with plenty, and peace\nand happiness were enjoyed in our domestic circle, and throughout\nour neighborhood; but we could not associate with our neighbors who\nwere, many of them, of the basest of men, and had fled from the face\nof civilized society, to the frontier country to escape the hand of\njustice, in their midnight revels, their Sabbath breaking, horse racing\nand gambling; they commenced at first to ridicule, then to persecute,\nand finally an organized mob assembled and burned our houses, tarred\nand feathered and whipped many of our brethren, and finally drove them\nfrom their habitations; who, houseless and homeless, contrary to law,\njustice, and humanity, had to wander on the bleak prairies till the\nchildren left the tracks of their blood on the prairie; this took place\nin the month of November, and they had no other covering but the canopy\nof heaven, in this inclement season of the year; this proceeding was\nwinked at by the government, and although we had warranty deeds for our\nland, and had violated no law, we could obtain no redress.\n\nThere were many sick, who were thus inhumanly driven from their houses,\nand had to endure all this abuse and to seek homes where they could\nbe found. The result was, that a great many of them being deprived of\nthe comforts of life, {24} and the necessary attendances, died, many\nchildren were left orphans; wives, widows; and husbands, widowers; our\nfarms were taken possession of by the mob, many thousands of cattle,\nsheep, horses and hogs were taken, and our household goods, store\ngoods, and printing press and type were broken, taken, or otherwise\ndestroyed.\n\nMany of our brethren removed to Clay, where they continued until 1836,\nthree years; there was no violence offered, but there were threatenings\nof violence. But in the summer of 1836 these threatenings began to\nassume a more serious form; from threats, public meetings were called,\nresolutions were passed, vengeance and destruction were threatened,\nand affairs again assumed a fearful attitude, Jackson County was\na sufficient precedent, and as the authorities in that county did\nnot interfere, they boasted that they would not in this: which on\napplication to the authorities we found to be too true, and after much\nviolence, privation, and loss of property we were again driven from our\nhomes.\n\nWe next settled in Caldwell and Davies Counties, where we made large\nand extensive settlements, thinking to free ourselves from the power\nof oppression, by settling in new counties, with very few inhabitants\nin them; but here we were not allowed to live in peace, but in 1838\nwe were again attacked by mobs, an exterminating order was issued by\nGovernor Boggs, and under the sanction of law, an organized banditti\nranged through the country, robbed us of our cattle, sheep, horses,\nhogs, etc., many of our people were murdered in cold blood, the\nchastity of our women was violated, and we were forced to sign away our\nproperty at the point of the sword; and after enduring every indignity\nthat could be heaped upon us by an inhuman, ungodly band of marauders,\nfrom twelve to fifteen thousand souls, men, women and children were\ndriven from their own firesides, and from lands that they had warranty\ndeeds of, houseless, friendless, and homeless (in the depths of winter)\nto wander as exiles on the earth, or to seek an asylum in a more genial\nclime, and among a less barbarous people. Many sickened and died in\nconsequence of the cold and hardships they had to endure; many wives\nwere left widows, and children orphans, and destitute. It would take\nmore time than is allotted me here to describe the injustice, the\nwrongs, the murders, the bloodshed, the theft, misery and woe that has\nbeen caused by the barbarous, inhuman, and lawless proceedings of the\nState of Missouri.\n\nIn the situation before alluded to, we arrived in the State of Illinois\nin 1839, where we found a hospitable people and {25} a friendly home;\na people who were willing to be governed by the principles of law and\nhumanity. We have commenced to build a city called \"Nauvoo,\" in Hancock\nCounty. We number from six to eight thousand here, besides vast numbers\nin the county around, and in almost every county of the State. We\nhave a City Charter granted us, and charter for a Legion, the troops\nof which now number 1,500. We have also a charter for a University,\nfor an Agricultural and Manufacturing Society, have our own laws and\nadministrators, and possess all the privileges that other free and\nenlightened citizens enjoy.\n\nPersecution has not stopped the progress of truth, but has only added\nfuel to the flame, it has spread with increasing rapidity; proud of\nthe cause which they have espoused, and conscious of their innocence,\nand of the truth of their system, amidst calumny and reproach, have\nthe Elders of this Church gone forth, and planted the Gospel in almost\nevery State in the Union; it has penetrated our cities, it has spread\nover our villages, and has caused thousands of our intelligent, noble,\nand patriotic citizens to obey its divine mandates, and be governed by\nits sacred truths. It has also spread into England, Ireland, Scotland\nand Wales; in the year of 1840, where a few of our missionaries were\nsent, over five thousand joined the Standard of Truth; there are\nnumbers now joining in every land.\n\nOur missionaries are going forth to different nations, and in Germany,\nPalestine, New Holland, the East Indies, and other places, the Standard\nof Truth has been erected; no unhallowed hand can stop the work from\nprogressing, persecutions may rage, mobs may combine, armies may\nassemble, calumny may defame, but the truth of God will go forth\nboldly, nobly, and independent, till it has penetrated every continent,\nvisited every clime, swept every country, and sounded in every ear,\ntill the purposes of God shall be accomplished, and the Great Jehovah\nshall say the work is done.\n\n1. We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son Jesus Christ,\nand in the Holy Ghost.\n\n2. We believe that men will be punished for their own sins, and not for\nAdam's transgression.\n\n3. We believe that, through the atonement of Christ, all mankind may be\nsaved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel.\n\n{26} 4. We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the\nGospel are: First, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, Repentance;\nthird, Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; fourth, Laying\non of Hands for the Gift of the Holy Ghost.\n\n5. We believe that a man must be called of God, by \"prophecy, and by\nthe laying on of hands\" by those who are in authority, to preach the\nGospel and administer in the ordinances thereof.\n\n6. We believe in the same organization that existed in the primitive\nchurch--namely: Apostles, Prophets, Pastors, Teachers, Evangelists, etc.\n\n7. We believe in the gift of tongues, prophecy, revelation, visions,\nhealing, interpretation of tongues, etc.\n\n8. We believe the Bible to be the Word of God as far as it is\ntranslated correctly; we also believe the book of Mormon to be the Word\nof God.\n\n9. We believe all that God has revealed, all that He does now reveal,\nand we believe that He will yet reveal many great and important things\npertaining to the Kingdom of God.\n\n10. We believe in the literal gathering of Israel and in the\nrestoration of the ten tribes; that Zion will be built upon this (the\nAmerican) continent; that Christ will reign personally upon the earth,\nand that the earth will be renewed and receive its paradisiacal glory.\n\n11. We claim the privilege of worshipping Almighty God according to the\ndictates of our conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let\nthem worship how, where, or what they may.\n\n12. We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and\nmagistrates in obeying, honoring and sustaining the law.\n\n13. We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous,\nand in doing good to all men; indeed, we may say that we follow the\nadmonition of Paul. \"We believe all things, we hope all things,\" we\nhave endured many things, we hope to be able to endure all things. If\nthere is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy,\nwe seek after these things.\n\nJoseph Smith.\n\nComment.\n\n{27} What a stupendous work has been accomplished through his\ninstrumentality! And what an immeasurable benefit has it been to that\npart of the human family which has laid hold of the blessings offered!\nHis active service in the work, though limited to but fifteen years,\nwhen he gave his life a sacrifice for Truth, has made his name known\nthroughout the entire civilized world; and as the angel told him, it\nis known for good and evil. Those whose prejudices, fed on popular\ndenunciations and accusations which have their origin in untruthful\nbreasts of wicked and depraved men, have kept them under the clouds of\nignorance and misunderstanding regarding him and his mission, hold his\nname in disrepute; while those who have heeded not the libelous and\nslanderous cries of his enemies, but have probed to the root of the\ntruth in the matter, and consequently understood him as he was and his\nmission as it actually is, hold his name in honor, whether they have\nobeyed the Gospel or not; but those who revere his memory most, hold it\nsacred before men, and thank God for his noble life and his faithful\nwork, are those who have heard and obeyed the Gospel of Jesus Christ as\nit was restored to the earth through Him, and during their whole lives\nhave lived righteously before the Lord, true and steadfast to every\ncovenant they have made with Him.\n\nIn reviewing the results of his labors effected by the aid of God's\npower manifested in him, as we see them today in the perfected Church\nof Christ, its influence upon the world, the achievements of those who\nhave embraced the truth, and the favorable condition of the saints\ngenerally, certainly of the literal fulfilment of the prediction of the\nprophet of old that in the last day God would establish a marvelous\nwork and a wonder, forces itself clearly upon our minds. And in view of\nall that has been accomplished through the Prophet Joseph Smith, and\nthe far-reaching effects of his labors, even his bitterest enemies and\nthose who most vigorously combat the system God established through\nhim, are forced to a realization of the truth of Josiah Quincy's\ncontention that of all Americans in the nineteenth century, none among\nthem have exerted so great an influence upon \"the destinies of their\ncountrymen\" as has \"Joseph Smith, the Mormon Prophet!\" and to-day more\nthan ever before, should the world appreciate the value of Mr. Quincy's\ndeclaration concerning him, that \"such a human being is not to be\ndisposed of by pelting his memory with unsavory epithets.\" His life\nwas devoted to {28} the cause of humanity, according as God directed\nhim; and although the world will not acknowledge it, nevertheless there\nare nearly half a million earnest, sincere and honest-hearted men and\nwomen who know he was a prophet of the most high God, and that which he\ndeclared to the world under the spirit of the Almighty is the Gospel of\nJesus Christ, with its gifts, its blessings, and its powers restored\nfor the salvation and exaltation of man. Thank God for the noble life\nand the faithful labors of his humble and obedient servant, Joseph\nSmith! (Elders Journal, Vol. 4, pages 146-7.)\n\n\"Those who have not been enclosed within the walls of prison without\ncause or provocation, can have but little idea how sweet the voice\nof a friend is! One token of friendship from any source whatever,\nawakens and calls into action every sympathetic feeling; it brings\nup in an instant everything that is past; it seizes the present\nwith the avidity of lightening; it grasps after the future with the\nfierceness of a tiger; it moves the mind backward and forward, from one\nthing to another, until finally all enmity, malice, hatred, and past\ndifferences, misunderstandings and mismanagements, are slain victorious\nat the feet of hope.\"\n\nJoseph Smith, claiming to be an inspired teacher, faced adversity\nsuch as few men have been called to meet, enjoyed a brief season of\nprosperity such as few men have ever attained, and finally, forty-three\ndays after I saw him, went cheerfully to a martyr's death. When he\nsurrendered his person to Governor Ford in order to prevent the\nshedding of innocent blood, the Prophet had a premonition of what was\nbefore him. (Josiah Quincy in Figures of the Past.)\n\nPremonitions of Death.\n\nWhen at the hotel at Carthage, a prisoner in the hands of mob\nofficials, he asked if he looked like a desperate character. They\nreplied that his outward appearance seemed to indicate exactly the\nopposite, but they could not tell what was in his heart. \"Very true,\ngentlemen, you cannot see what is in my heart, and you are therefore\nunable to judge my intentions, {29} but I see what is in your hearts,\nand I will tell you what I see. I can see that you thirst for blood\nand nothing but my blood will satisfy you. It is not for crime of any\ndescription that I and my brethren are continually persecuted and\nharassed by our enemies, but there are other motives, and some of them\nI have expressed so far as relates to myself. I prophesy in the name\nof the Lord that you shall witness scenes of blood and sorrow to your\nentire satisfaction. Many of you who are now present shall have an\nopportunity to face the cannon's mouth from sources you think not of.\"\n\n\"If they take my life, I shall die an innocent man, and my blood shall\ncry from the ground for vengeance, and it shall yet be said of him, 'He\nwas murdered in cold blood.'\"\n\n\"I am going like a lamb to the slaughter, but I am calm as a summer\nmorning. I have a conscience void of offence toward God and toward all\nmen.\"\n\nHis Assassination.\n\nA statement from Thomas Ford, Governor of Illinois in 1844:\n\nI desire to make a brief but true statement of the recent disgraceful\naffair at Carthage, in regard to the Smiths, so far as circumstances\nhave come to my knowledge. The Smiths, Joseph and Hyrum, have been\nassassinated in jail, by whom is not known. I pledged myself for their\nsafety, and upon the assurance of that pledge they surrendered as\nprisoners. . . . The compliance of the Mormons with every requisition\nmade upon them, failed of their purpose. The pledge of security to\nthe Smiths was not given upon my individual responsibility. Before I\ngave it, I obtained a pledge of honor by a unanimous vote from the\nofficers and men under my command, to sustain me in performing it. If\nthe assassination of the Smiths was committed by any portion of them,\nthey have added treachery to murder, and have done all they could to\ndisgrace the State, and sully the public honor.\n\nOn the morning of the day the deed was committed, we had proposed\nto march the army under my command into {30} Nauvoo. I, however,\ndiscovered, on the evening before, that nothing but utter destruction\nof the city would satisfy a portion of the troops; and that if we\nmarched into the city, pretext would not be wanting for commencing\nhostilities. The Mormons had done everything required, or that ought to\nhave been required of them. For these reasons, I decided, in a council\nof officers, to disband the army, except three companies, two of which\nwere retained as guards for the jail. With the other company I marched\ninto Nauvoo, to address the inhabitants there. . . . I performed this\nduty, and then set out to return to Carthage. When I had marched about\nthree miles, a messenger informed me of the occurrences at Carthage.\n\n  (Signed) Thomas Ford,\n  _Governor and Commander-in-Chief_.\n\nGovernor Ford, in his History of Illinois, admits that he pledged\nJoseph Smith, and fourteen others for whose arrests warrants had\nbeen issued, the protection of the State if they would leave Nauvoo\nand go to Carthage for trial upon the charge of treason. Acting upon\nthis pledge, they left Nauvoo, a city of 16,000 Saints who had armed\nthemselves against mob violence, and went to Carthage. Here they\nwere met by Governor Ford and the State militia. At the dictation of\na Justice of Peace, who vastly exceeded his legal authority, they\nwere taken from the hotel and placed in Carthage jail. Again the\nGovernor pledged them protection. He planned to go to Nauvoo with the\nentire force under his command, but found that the men under him were\nanxious to go to Nauvoo to exterminate the Saints and he determined\nto discharge the militia, except three companies. In the morning of\nthe day of the assassination he started for Nauvoo with two of these\ncompanies, leaving the third (the Carthage Grays) to guard the jail. Of\nthis company the Governor said:\n\n\"I knew that this company were the enemies of the Smiths, yet I had\nconfidence in their loyalty and integrity, because their captain was\nuniversally spoken of as a most respectable citizen and honorable man.\"\nYet the Governor knew that in his presence and upon the arrival of the\nProphet these same men had rebelled against their captain.\n\nBefore reaching Nauvoo, rumors of the intended assassination came to\nhim in such numbers that he determined to send one of the companies\nwith him back to Carthage, but they did not reach the city as an\norganized body. At Carthage, {31} preparations were being made on\nevery hand for the assassination. The captain of the Carthage Grays\nleft his company for fear of his life and, quoting again from Governor\nFord's History of Illinois: \"Communication was established between the\nconspirators and the company who were stationed some distance from the\njail, and it was arranged that the eight men on guard should have their\nguns charged with blank cartridges, and fire at the assailants when\nthey attempted to enter the jail.\" In the afternoon, and while Governor\nFord was addressing the Saints in Nauvoo upon law and order, a mob of\nbloodthirsty men, with faces blackened and consciences stilled, charged\nthe jail and assassinated the Prophet Joseph Smith and Patriarch Hyrum\nSmith, his brother. They were in an upper room of the jail accompanied\nby Apostles John Taylor and Willard Richards. Each fell wounded with\nfour balls and Apostle Taylor was also four times wounded. The Prophet\nfell from the window and a ruffian placed his body against the well\ncurbing, where four men at a distance of a few paces fired upon his\nprostrate body.\n\nThe Christian world has hitherto regarded the growth of Mormonism with\na kind of an air of indifference, but, unfortunately, they may yet\nawaken to feel its power. It is not at all improbable that within the\ncourse of a century some great orator may arise, some man gifted like\nthe Apostle Paul, who will make the name of the martyr prophet ring\neven as does the name of Christ, and it is not impossible that Sharon,\nPalmira, Manchester, Kirtland, Far West, Adam-on-Diahmon, Ramus,\nNauvoo, and the Carthage Jail may become holy and venerable names,\nplaces of classic interest, in another age, like Jerusalem, the Garden\nof Gethsemane, the Mount of Olives and Mount Calvary to the Christian,\nand Mecca and Medina to the Turk. And in that event the author of this\nhistory feels degraded by the reflection that the humble Governor of an\nobscure State, who would otherwise be forgotten in a few years, stands\na fair chance, like Pilate and Herod, by their official connection\nwith the true religion, of being dragged down to posterity with an\nimmortal name, hitched on to the memory of a miserable impostor. There\nmay be those whose ambitions would lead them to desire an immortal name\nin history, even in those humbling terms. I am not of that number.\n(Governor Ford's History of Illinois.)\n\n{32} Yes, Governor Ford, you are of that number, your name does go\ndown through the generations of time, righteously coupled with that of\nPontius Pilate, caused by your official connection with the death of a\ntrue Prophet of God. Your treachery, in plighting to him the protection\nof the State of Illinois, and then leaving him in the hands of\nconfederate murderers, preserves your name in history, only to be hated\nand despised by those who abhor the existence of treachery. Joseph\nSmith relied upon your solemn pledge as the Governor of a great State,\nthat he should be protected. He was basely betrayed, together with his\nbeloved brother Hyrum, and went to a martyr's grave. His name is held\nthroughout every civilized nation upon the earth as a Prophet, Seer\nand Revelator, while you became an object of charity, and now occupy\na pauper's grave, having been buried as a public charge. It is not\noften that a man occupying the exalted position of Governor, lives to\nsee himself despised, and fed by the hand of charity; but God gave you\nthis fate, and during the last moments of your miserable life you must\nhave had a strong testimony that Joseph Smith was a Prophet of God.\n\"Mormonism is now so firmly established that it claims the respectful\nattention of the world. It has survived not only the violence which\nmurdered its Prophets, burned the houses of Saints, laid waste the\nfields and destroyed their temples, but also an exodus which, for the\ndistance covered and the dangers encountered, has not a parallel in\nancient or modern history.\"\n\nNearly every nation under the whole heaven has given to the new faith\nsome of her sons and daughters. What the Christian church is to the\nworld to-day in point of numbers of followers and kindliness of\nfeeling, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will be to\nfuture generations. Its destiny is to roll until it shall fill the\nwhole earth: It had its beginning when God spoke to Joseph Smith out of\nthe heavens and He will finish what He has begun.\n\nAnother Prophecy.\n\nAugust 6, 1842.\n\n\"I prophesied that the Saints would continue to suffer much affliction,\nand would be driven to the Rocky Mountains, and many would apostatize,\nothers would be put to death by our persecutors, or lose their lives\nin consequence of exposure or disease, and some of you will live to go\nand assist in {33} making settlements and building cities and see the\nSaints become a mighty people in the midst of the Rocky Mountains.\"\n\nHow literally this prophecy has been fulfilled! To-day the church\nnumbers hundreds of thousands of prosperous, happy people in the midst\nof several Rocky Mountain States. Millions of dollars have been spent\nin establishing and maintaining schools: millions in the erection of\nchurches, Tabernacles and Temples. Through the most wonderful system\nof irrigation in the world, the desert has been made to produce in\nabundance; the waste places have become fruitful, and the wilderness\nmade to \"blossom as the rose.\" To-day the colonizer is asking the\nsecret of the system that has made it possible to establish thousands\nof peaceful towns and cities in those mountain valleys, and he will not\nunderstand that the voice of revelation established this western empire\nand that the Spirit of God preserves its unity.\n\nBrigham Young, Successor to the Prophet Joseph Smith.\n\n\"To accuse us of being unfriendly to the government is to accuse us\nof hostility to our religion, for no item of inspiration is held more\nsacred with us than the Constitution under which she acts.\"\n\nJohn Taylor, Second Successor to the Prophet Joseph Smith.\n\n\"It was through and by the power of God, that the fathers of this\ncountry framed the Declaration of Independence, and also that great\npalladium of human rights, the Constitution of the United States.\nThere is nothing of a bigoted, narrow-contracted feeling about that\ninstrument; it is broad and comprehensive.\"\n\nWilford Woodruff, Third Successor to the Prophet Joseph Smith.\n\n\"The Lord inspired the men who framed the Constitution of our country,\nand has guarded the nation from its foundation.\"\n\n{34}\n\nLorenzo Snow, Fourth Successor to the Prophet Joseph Smith.\n\n\"The spirits dwelling within our bodies are immortal and will always\nexist. Our individuality and our identity will always continue; we will\nbe ourselves and will continue advancing in wisdom, intelligence and\npower worlds without end.\"\n\nJoseph F. Smith, Fifth Successor to the Prophet Joseph Smith.\n\nIt was part of the design of the Almighty when He influenced the\nfathers to leave the old world and come to this continent; He had a\nhand in the establishment of this government; He inspired the framers\nof the Constitution and the fathers of this nation to contend for their\nliberty.\n\nWhen we remember that Mr. Quincy had the rare opportunity of being\npersonally and intimately acquainted with the great men of America,\nof his period; that he was acquainted with Lafayette, and that John\nQuincy Adams, the Second President of the U. S., was his personal\nfriend when he was a young man; his statement that Joseph Smith was\none of two men from whom there \"emanated a certain peculiar moral\nstress and compulsion\" which he had not felt in other men, has peculiar\nsignificance.\n\nIn his chapter on Joseph Smith, in Figures of the Past, Mr. Quincy\ncomments as follows upon the resemblance between Joseph Smith and\nElisha R. Potter of Rhode Island, whom he met in Washington in 1826.\n\"The likeness was not such as would be recognized in a picture, but\nrather one that would be felt in a grave emergency. Of all men I have\nmet, these two seemed best endowed with that kingly faculty which\ndirects, as by intrinsic right, the feeble or confused souls who are\nlooking for guidance. This it is just to say with emphasis; for the\nreader will find so much that is puerile and even shocking in my\nreport of the prophet's conversation that he might {35} never suspect\nthe impression of rugged power that was given by the man. * * * The\nprophet's hold upon you seemed to come from the balance and harmony of\ntemperament which reposes upon a large physical basis.\"\n\nIn the chapter on \"Washington in 1826,\" Mr. Quincy writes the\nfollowing: Mr. Potter seemed to carry about with him a certain\nhomespun certificate of authority, which made it natural for lesser\nmen to accept his conclusions. Oddly enough, I have met only one other\nindividual who impressed me as possessing the same sort of personal\npower, and he was one whose place in history is certain when the lives\nof greater and better men are covered by oblivion; for the muse of\nhistory postpones the claims of statesmen and poets to those of the\nfounders of religions, who, for good or evil, are more potent factors\nin the destiny of mankind. Hereafter I may give an account of my visit\nto Joseph Smith, in his holy city of Nauvoo. It is now sufficient to\nmention that when I made the acquaintance of the Mormon prophet, I\nwas haunted with a provoking sense of having known him before; or,\nat least, of having known some one whom he greatly resembled. And\nthen followed a painful groping and peering \"into the dark backward\nand abysm of time,\" in search of a figure that was provokingly\nundiscoverable. At last the Washington of 1826 came before me, and the\nform of Elisha R. Potter thrust itself through the gorges of memory.\nYes, that was the man I was seeking; yet the resemblance, after all,\ncould scarcely be called physical, and I am loath to borrow the word\n\"impressional\" from the vocabulary of spirit mediums. Both were of\ncommanding appearance, men whom it seemed natural to obey. Wide as were\nthe differences between the lives and characters of these Americans,\nthere emanated from each of them a certain peculiar moral stress\nand compulsion which I have never felt in the presence of others of\ntheir countrymen. The position of Mr. Potter in his native State has\nnow faded to a dim tradition. It was of the authoritative kind which\nbelongs to men who bear from nature the best credentials.\n\n{36}\n\n\n\nDEDICATION OF PALESTINE.\n\nAt a general conference of the church held at Nauvoo, April 6th, 1840,\nApostles Orson Hyde and Hyrum E. Page were called to go on a mission to\nJerusalem for the purpose of dedicating that land for the gathering of\nthe House of Judah. They started upon this important mission but Elder\nPage failed to continue the journey beyond the border of the United\nStates. Apostle Hyde therefore set out alone and accomplished the labor\nassigned at said conference. In a letter dated at Alexandria, November\n22nd, 1841, addressed to Parley P. Pratt, Brother Hyde, said:\n\n    \"A few minutes now offer for me to write, and I improve them in\n    writing to you. I have only time to say that I have seen Jerusalem\n    precisely according to the vision which I had. I saw no one with me\n    in the vision; and although Elder Page was appointed to accompany\n    me there, yet I found myself there alone. The Lord knows that I\n    have had a hard time, and suffered much, but I have great reason\n    to thank Him that I enjoy good health at present, and have a good\n    prospect before me of soon going to a civilized country, where I\n    shall see no more turbans or camels. The heat is most oppressive,\n    and has been all through Syria. I have no time to tell you how many\n    days I have been at sea without food, or how many snails I have\n    eaten; but if I had had plenty of them, I should have done very\n    well. All this is contained in a former letter to you written from\n    Java. * * *\n\n    \"On Saturday morning, October 24th, a good while before day, I\n    arose from sleep and went out of the city, as soon as the gates\n    were opened, crossed the brook Cedron, and went upon the Mount of\n    Olives, and there in solemn silence, with pen, ink and paper, just\n    as I saw in the vision, offered up the following prayer to Him who\n    lives forever and ever:\n\n    \"O Thou! who art from everlasting to everlasting, eternally and\n    unchangeably the same, even the God who rules in the heavens\n    above, and controls the destinies of men on the earth, wilt thou\n    not condescend through thine infinite goodness and royal favor, to\n    listen to the prayer of thy servant which he this day offers up\n    unto thee in the name of the Holy child Jesus, upon this land where\n    the Son of Righteousness sat in blood, and thine _Anointed One_\n    expired.\n\n    \"Be pleased, O Lord, to forgive all the follies, weaknesses,\n    vanities and sins of thy servant, and strengthen him to resist all\n    future temptations. Give him prudence and discernment that he may\n    avoid the evil, and a heart to choose the good; give him fortitude\n    to bear up under trying and adverse circumstances, and grace to\n    endure all things {37} for thy name's sake, until the end shall\n    come, when all the Saints shall rest in peace.\n\n    \"Now, O Lord! Thy servant has been obedient to the heavenly\n    vision, which thou gavest him in his native land; and under the\n    shadow of thine outstretched arm, he has safely arrived in this\n    place to dedicate and consecrate this land unto Thee, for the\n    gathering together of Judah's scattered remnants, according to the\n    predictions of the holy prophets--for the building up of Jerusalem\n    again after it has been trodden down by the Gentiles so long, and\n    for rearing a temple in honor of thy name. Everlasting thanks be\n    ascribed unto thee, O, Father! Lord of heaven and earth, that thou\n    hast preserved thy servant from the dangers of the seas, and from\n    the plague and pestilence which have caused the land to mourn. The\n    violence of many has also been restrained, and thy providential\n    care by night and by day has been exercised over thine unworthy\n    servant. Accept, therefore, O Lord, the tribute of a grateful heart\n    for all past favors, and be pleased to continue thy kindness and\n    mercy towards a needy worm of the dust.\n\n    \"O thou, who didst covenant with Abraham, thy friend, and who didst\n    renew that covenant with Isaac, and confirm the same with Jacob,\n    with an oath that thou wouldst not only give this land for an\n    everlasting inheritance, but that thou wouldst also remember their\n    seed forever. Abraham, Isaac and Jacob have long since closed their\n    eyes in death, and made the grave their mansion. Their children are\n    scattered and dispersed abroad among the nations of the Gentiles\n    like sheep that have no shepherd, and are still looking forward for\n    the fulfillment of those promises which thou didst make concerning\n    them; and even this land, which once poured forth nature's richest\n    bounty, and flowed, as it were, with milk and honey, has, to a\n    certain extent, been smitten with barrenness and sterility since\n    it drank from murderous hands the blood of Him who never sinned.\n    Grant, therefore, O Lord, in the name of thy well beloved Son,\n    Jesus Christ, to remove the barrenness and sterility of this land,\n    and let springs of living water break forth to water its thirstly\n    soil. Let the vine and the olive produce in their strength, and\n    the fig tree bloom and flourish. Let the land become abundantly\n    fruitful, when possessed by its rightful heirs; let it again flow\n    with plenty to feed the returning prodigals who come home with a\n    spirit of grace and supplication; upon it let the clouds distill\n    virtue and richness, and let the fields smile with plenty. Let\n    the flocks and the herds greatly increase and multiply upon the\n    mountains and hills; and let thy great kindness conquer and subdue\n    the unbelief of thy people. Do thou take from them their stony\n    heart, and give them a heart of flesh; and may the Son of thy\n    favor dispel the cold mists of darkness which have beclouded their\n    atmosphere. Incline them to gather in upon this land according\n    to thy word. Let them come like clouds and like doves to their\n    windows. Let the large ships of nations bring them from the distant\n    isles; and let kings become their nursing fathers, and queens with\n    motherly fondness wipe the tear of sorrow from their eyes.\n\n    \"Thou, O Lord, did once move upon the heart of Cyrus to show favor\n    unto Jerusalem and her children. Do thou now also be pleased\n    to inspire the hearts of kings and the powers of the earth to\n    look with a friendly eye towards this place. And with a desire\n    to see thy righteous purposes executed in relation thereto. Let\n    them know that it is thy good pleasure to restore the kingdom\n    unto Israel--raise up Jerusalem as its capital, and constitute\n    her people a distinct nation {38} and government, with David thy\n    servant, even a descendant from the loins of ancient David, to\n    be their king. Let that nation, or that people who shall take an\n    active part in behalf of Abraham's children and in the raising\n    up of Jerusalem, find favor in thy sight. Let not their enemies\n    prevail against them, neither let pestilence or famine overcome\n    them, but let the glory of Israel overshadow them, and the power of\n    the highest protect them; while that nation or kingdom that will\n    not serve thee in this glorious work must perish according to thy\n    word--'Yea those nations shall be utterly wasted.'\n\n    \"Though thy servant is now far from his home, and from the land\n    bedewed with his earliest tears, yet he remembers, O Lord, his\n    friends who are there, and family, whom for thy sake he has left.\n    Though poverty and privation be our earthly lot, yet ah! do Thou\n    richly endow us with an inheritance where moth and rust do not\n    corrupt, and where thieves do not break through and steal. The\n    hands that have fed, clothed or shown favor unto the family of thy\n    servant in his absence, or that shall hereafter do so, let them not\n    lose their reward, but let a special blessing rest upon them, and\n    in thy kingdom let them have an inheritance when thou shalt come to\n    be glorified in this society. Do thou also look with favor upon all\n    those through whose liberality I have been enabled to come to this\n    land; and in the day when thou shalt reward all people according to\n    their works, let these also not be passed by or forgotten, but in\n    time let them be in readiness to enjoy the glory of those mansions\n    which Jesus has gone to prepare. Particularly do thou bless the\n    stranger in Philadelphia, whom I never saw, but who sent me gold,\n    with a request that I should pray for him in Jerusalem. Now, O\n    Lord, let blessings come upon him from an unexpected quarter, and\n    let his basket be filled, and his store-house abound with plenty,\n    and let not the good things of the earth be his only portion, but\n    let him be found among those to whom it may be said, Thou hast been\n    faithful over a few things, and I will make thee ruler over many.\"\n\n    \"O my Father in heaven! I now ask thee in the name of Jesus to\n    remember Zion, with all her stakes, and with all her assemblies.\n    She has been grievously afflicted and smitten; she has mourned;\n    she has wept; her enemies have triumphed and have said--'Ah, where\n    is thy God?' Her priests and prophets have groaned in chains\n    and fetters within the gloomy walls of prison, while many were\n    slain, and now sleep in the arms of death. How long, O Lord,\n    shall iniquity triumph, and sin go unpunished? Do thou arise in\n    the majesty of thy strength, and make bare thine arm in behalf of\n    thy people. Redress their wrongs, and turn their sorrow into joy.\n    Pour the spirit of light and knowledge, grace and wisdom, into the\n    hearts of her prophets, and clothe her priests with salvation. Let\n    light and knowledge march forth through the empire of darkness, and\n    may the honest in heart flow to their standard, and join in the\n    march to go forth to meet the Bridegroom.\n\n    Let a peculiar blessing rest upon the Presidency of thy Church,\n    for at them are the arrows of the enemies directed. Be thou to\n    them a sun and a shield, their strong tower and hiding place; and\n    in the time of distress or danger be thou near to deliver. Also\n    the quorum of the Twelve, do thou be pleased to stand by, for thou\n    knowest the obstacles which we have to encounter, the temptations\n    to which we are exposed and privations which we must suffer. Give\n    us, therefore, strength according to our day, and help us to bear a\n    faithful {39} testimony of Jesus and His Gospel, and to finish with\n    fidelity and honor the work which thou hast given us to do, and\n    then give us a place in thy glorious kingdom. And let this blessing\n    rest upon every faithful officer and member in thy Church. And all\n    the glory and honor will we ascribe to God and the Lamb for ever\n    and ever. Amen.\n\n    * * * * *\n\n    On the top of Mount Olives I erected a pile of stones as a witness\n    according to the ancient custom. On what was anciently called Mount\n    Zion, where the Temple stood, I erected another, and used the rod\n    according to the prediction upon my head. I have found many Jews\n    who listened with intense interest. The idea of the Jews being\n    restored to Palestine is gaining ground in Europe almost every day.\n    Jerusalem is strongly fortified with many cannons upon its walls.\n    The wall is ten feet thick on the sides that would be most exposed,\n    and four or five feet where the descent from the wall is almost\n    perpendicular. The number of inhabitants within the walls is about\n    twenty thousand. About seven thousand of this number are Jews, the\n    balance being mostly Turks and Armenians. Many of the Jews who are\n    old go to this place to die, and many are coming from Europe into\n    this Eastern world. The great wheel is unquestionably in motion,\n    and the word of the Almighty has declared that it shall roll. * * *\n\nSpeaking editorially of Elder Hyde's mission and the dedicatory prayer\noffered, Brother Parley P. Pratt said:\n\n    \"Through his persevering exertions, and the prayer offered up on\n    the Mount of Olives, the land is now consecrated and dedicated\n    to the Lord for the restoration of Israel. It would seem by the\n    war which is raging in that country that the ground is being\n    disencumbered of the Catholics and other barbarian tribes, and\n    is being vacated for the Jews, while seven thousand now dwell in\n    Jerusalem, and great numbers of others in other parts of that land.\n\n    \"But O! when we read the prayer offered up on the holy mount--the\n    same place where Jesus often prayed, yea the mount from which\n    He ascended, and upon which He will again set His feet--when\n    we reflect that God's covenant people (Israel) were prayed for\n    there--that Zion and all her sufferings were rendered there--that\n    the chains and fetters which we have worn, the dungeons where we\n    have been confined for the testimony of Jesus, were mentioned there\n    before the Lord--and that prayer recorded both in heaven and on\n    earth to stand as an imperishable memorial to all generations, and\n    to be answered speedily upon the wicked--when we reflect upon all\n    these things, our feelings are too intense for utterance; they\n    cannot be written; but when the nations behold it fulfilled, and\n    Zion and Jerusalem become the joy of the whole earth, then will\n    this prayer and the mission connected with it come to honorable\n    remembrance. Which may the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob speedily\n    grant, in the name of Jesus Christ.\"\n\n{40}\n\n\n\nTHE RESURRECTION.\n\nA Discourse by Brigham Young, President of the Church of Jesus Christ\nof Latter-Day Saints, Delivered in the New Tabernacle, Salt Lake City,\nAt the General Conference, October 8th, 1875.\n\nI wish to present to the Latter-day Saints the doctrine of the\nresurrection in its true light. To satisfy the philosophy of my own\nmind in regard to this doctrine, I shall be under the necessity of\ncommencing with the works of God as we find them in the beginning, or\nrather the beginning of the history we have of the earth. We admit the\nhistory that Moses gives of the creation or organization of this earth,\nas stated in his writings, to be correct. The philosophy of my mind,\nwith all the experience I have gained by observation and knowledge of\nfacts, tells me that there is nothing made, formed or fashioned without\na Being to make, form or fashion the same. Then my own reasoning\nteaches me that myself as a mechanic, with all others upon this earth,\nand those also who dwell in the heavens, when we commence any work of\nmechanism, have an object in the same. God had an object in view when\nHe framed this earth and placed vegetation and all creatures upon it,\nand man was brought here for the high object of an increase of wisdom,\nknowledge, understanding, glory and honor--each and every person,\ncreature or thing in its own order and time, that all may harmonize\ntogether and receive this glory and honor. The particles that compose\nthe earth were brought together for a certain purpose by its great\nAuthor. This purpose was, and still is, to bring this earth and all\nthings upon it into a higher state of glory and intelligence. In the\nbeginning there were laws given by which all nature was to be governed\nor controlled. It is true that man transgresses these laws, and would\nchange them if he had the power to do so. But there are laws which he\ncannot disturb, and which operate regardless of man's actions. Among\nthese is the law which pertains to the resurrection of the body of man\nand also to the resurrection of the earth; {41} for this earth has to\nundergo a great change, or, in other words, has to be resurrected.\n\nAbel, the martyr, was the first man of whose death we have any account.\nHe brought his offering to the Lord and was accepted. This proves that\nhe was a righteous man, and by his righteousness he so far sanctified\nthe particles of this earth that comprised the component parts of his\nbody that they became entitled to a glorious resurrection, which he\nundoubtedly obtained when Jesus arose. If Abel had been eaten by dogs\nor lions, the component parts of his body never could have gone to\ncompose the component parts of any other bodies. Why? Because the laws\nwhich govern the elements would not permit this to be done.\n\nThe question may be asked, Do not the particles that compose man's\nbody, when returned to mother earth, go to make or compose other\nbodies? No, they do not. Some philosophers have asserted that the\nhuman body changes every seven or ten years. This is not correct, for\nit never changes; that is, the substances of which it is composed do\nnot pass off and other particles of matter come and take their place.\nNeither can the particles which have comprised the bodies of men become\nparts of the bodies of other men, or of beasts, fowls, fish, insects\nor vegetables. They are governed by a divine law, and though they may\npass from the knowledge of the scientific world, that divine law still\nholds and governs and controls them. Man's body may be buried in the\nocean, it may be eaten by wild beasts, or it may be burned to ashes,\nand they be scattered to the four winds, yet the particles of which\nit is composed will not be incorporated into any form of vegetable or\nanimal life, to become a component part of their structure. Are they\ngross, tangible, and, in their organized capacity, subject to decay and\nchange? Yes, and if buried in the earth, they undergo decomposition\nand return to mother earth; but it is no matter how minute the\nparticles are, they are watched over and will be preserved until the\nresurrection, and at the sound of the trumpet of God every particle of\nour physical structures necessary to make our tabernacles perfect will\nbe assembled, to be rejoined with the spirit, every man in his order.\nNot one particle will be lost.\n\nI have a few questions to ask the philosophical world, those especially\nwho are well skilled in chemistry: Is this earth, the air and the\nwater, composed of life, or do they, or any portion of them, consist\nof inanimate matter, or of that that has no life in itself? Another\nquestion: If the earth, air and water are composed of life, is there\nany intelligence in this life? {42} The philosopher may take his own\ntime to answer these questions, and when he has satisfied himself he\nmay ask himself again: Are those particles of matter life; if so, are\nthey in possession of intelligence according to the grade of their\norganization? As far as we are concerned, we suggest the idea that\nthere is an eternity of life, an eternity of organization, and an\neternity of intelligence from the highest to the lowest grade, every\ncreature in its order, from the Gods to the animalculae. Bear in mind,\nyou who are believers in the resurrection or in the works of God, that\nman has sought out many inventions and has striven hard to learn the\nmysteries of God and godliness by his worldly wisdom, yet there are\nmany things which science, with all its tests, cannot find out. Matter\nmay be divided into an infinitude of atoms, until they pass beyond the\npower of the microscope to discover them, and the most skilful chemist\nwho dwells upon the earth knows not whither they go. My position is,\nand which I declare to the Latter-day Saints, it is beyond the power of\nman, without revelation from God, with all his science to know whether\nthese particles that compose our bodies go into other creatures to form\nthe component parts of their bodies, or whether they merely pass into\nthe already organized body to resuscitate it and contribute to its\nsustenance. I declare to the Latter-day Saints, and to all living upon\nthe earth who have intelligence to understand, that the particles that\ncomprise the component parts of our bodies will never enter into other\nbodies to form the elements of their bodies; but these very identical\nparticles that now compose our bodies will be resurrected and come\ntogether by the power of the trump of God and will be re-united to\nform the body--excepting the blood, which will not be necessary to our\nexistence in an immortal state--and then be prepared to receive the\nspirit, preparatory to their exaltation. Query: Would not the particles\nthat compose the body of our Savior, according to their intelligence,\noppose the idea of becoming a part of any other body but His? Again:\nWould not the Saints, who are faithful in magnifying the Priesthood of\nthe Son of God, object to the particles which now compose their bodies,\nand which they have sanctified through obedience to that Priesthood,\nentering into and forming parts of other bodies than their own--bodies\nwhich their spirits had not possessed and of which they knew nothing in\nthis life?\n\nAlthough some may think that the substances of which our bodies are\ncomposed are borrowed for our use during this mortal existence, it is\nnot so, neither will they be thrown off {43} at death, never to be\nrestored; and though in the resurrection the bodies of the righteous\nwill be raised immortal and free from all corruption, they will be\nnone the less tangible or perceptible to the touch of those who are\npermitted to handle them. The question may be asked: Will the bodies of\nthose who do not observe the laws of God, and which are not sanctified\nby obedience to them, come forth in the resurrection? Undoubtedly they\nwill; but not at the same time nor to the same glory that they do who\nobserve the laws of God.\n\nThe earth, also, abideth the law and filleth the measure of its\ncreation, and though it shall die, it shall be resurrected in glory, a\nsanctified creation, suitable for the residence of celestial beings.\nThe elements will be burned and purified, and be renewed; but not one\natom of earth's organism will be lost; for that which is governed by\nlaw shall be preserved by law. And for everything which our God has\ncreated He has prescribed laws. There is nothing so minutes as to\nescape His notice, there is no creation so immense as to transcend\nthe bounds of His power; all are alike subject to the operation of\nHis decrees. He called matter from chaos and created the earth, and\nthe heavens are studded with planets, the glorious workmanship of\nHis hands. He has hung those mighty orbs in space, and their courses\nare fixed. And by the exercise of His power the original elements\nwhich have formed the bodies of men will be brought forth in the\nresurrection--bone to bone, sinew to sinew, flesh to flesh, not\none hair shall be lost--and all this in obedience to law, that the\nsubstances which have formed the tabernacles of men, or of beasts, or\nof fowls, or of fish, shall not be intermingled or lost; but shall be\nall restored to their own places, though they may have been swallowed\nup in the depths of the sea, or have been scattered to the four winds\nof heaven.\n\nTo illustrate these facts connected with the resurrection of the body,\nwe will quote from the revelations which the Lord has given to His\nchildren:\n\nThe Testimony of Ezekiel.\n\n    The hand of the Lord was upon me, and carried me out in the Spirit\n    of the Lord, and set me down in the midst of the valley which was\n    full of bones,\n\n    And caused me to pass by them round about: and, behold, there were\n    very many in the open valley; and, lo, they were very dry.\n\n    And He said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live? And I\n    answered, O Lord God, thou knowest.\n\n    Again He said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto\n    them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the Lord,\n\n    {44} Thus saith the Lord God unto these bones: Behold, I will cause\n    breath to enter into you, and ye shall live;\n\n    And I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up flesh upon you,\n    and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and ye shall live;\n    and ye shall know that I am the Lord.\n\n    So I prophesied as I was commanded: and as I prophesied, there was\n    a noise, and behold a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to\n    his bone.\n\n    And when I beheld, lo, the sinews and the flesh came up upon them,\n    and the skin covered them above: but there was no breath in them.\n\n    Then said He unto me, Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy, son of man,\n    and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord God: Come from the four\n    winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live.\n\n    So I prophesied as He commanded me, and the breath came into them,\n    and they lived, and stood upon their feet, an exceeding great army.\n\n    Then He said unto me, Son of man, these bones are the whole house\n    of Israel; behold, they say, Our bones are dried, and our hope is\n    lost; we are cut off for our parts.\n\n    Therefore prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God:\n    Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come\n    up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel.\n\n    And ye shall know that I am the Lord, when I have opened your\n    graves, O my people, and brought you up out of your graves,\n\n    And shall put my Spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall\n    place you in your own land: then shall ye know that I the Lord have\n    spoken it, and performed it, saith the Lord.--_Ezekiel xxxvii_:\n    1-14.\n\nThe Testimony of Job.\n\n    For I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that He shall stand at the\n    latter day upon the earth:\n\n    And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh\n    shall I see God:\n\n    Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not\n    another; though my reins be consumed within me.--_Job xix_: 25-27.\n\nThe Testimony of Daniel.\n\n    And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake,\n    some to everlasting life and some to shame and everlasting\n    contempt.--_Daniel xii_: 2.\n\nThe Testimony of Luke.\n\n    Now that the dead are raised, even Moses shewed at the bush, when\n    he calleth the Lord the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and\n    the God of Jacob.--_Luke xx_: 37.\n\n    And as they thus spake, Jesus Himself stood in the midst of them,\n    and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. But they were terrified and\n    affrighted, and supposed that they had seen a spirit.\n\n    And He said unto them, Why are ye troubled? and why do thoughts\n    arise in your hearts?\n\n    Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and\n    see: for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have.\n\n    And when He had thus spoken, He shewed them His hands and His feet.\n\n    {45} And while they yet believed not for joy, and wondered, He said\n    unto them, Have ye here any meat?\n\n    And they gave Him a piece of a broiled fish, and of an honeycomb.\n    And He took it, and did eat before them.--_Luke xxiv_: 36-43.\n\nThe Testimony of John.\n\n    But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them\n    when Jesus came.\n\n    The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord.\n    But he said unto them, Except I shall see in His hands the print\n    of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and\n    thrust my hand into His side, I will not believe.\n\n    And after eight days again His disciples were within, and Thomas\n    with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the\n    midst, and said, Peace be unto you.\n\n    Then saith He to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my\n    hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and\n    be not faithless, but believing.--_John xx_: 24-27.\n\n    Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is,\n    when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that\n    hear shall live.\n\n    Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that\n    are in the graves shall hear His voice,\n\n    And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the\n    resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the\n    resurrection of damnation.--_John v_: 25, 28, 29.\n\n    Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on\n    such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of\n    God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.\n\n    And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell\n    delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged\n    every man according to their works.--_Revelations xx_: 6, 13.\n\nThe Testimony of Matthew.\n\n    And the graves were opened, and many bodies of the saints which\n    slept arose,\n\n    And came out of the graves after His resurrection, and went into\n    the holy city, and appeared unto many.--_Matthew xxvii_: 52, 53.\n\nThe Testimony of Paul.\n\n    For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the\n    Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ:\n\n    Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto\n    His glorious body, according to the working whereby He is able even\n    to subdue all things unto Himself.--_Philippians iii_: 20, 21.\n\n    But if the Spirit of Him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell\n    in you, He that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken\n    your mortal bodies by His Spirit that dwelleth in you.--_Romans\n    viii_: 11.\n\n    {46} Therefore we are buried with Him by baptism into death; that\n    like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the\n    Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.\n\n    For if we have been planted together in the likeness of His death,\n    we shall be also in the likeness of His resurrection.--_Romans vi_:\n    4, 5.\n\n    For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised:\n\n    And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your\n    sins.\n\n    Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished.\n\n    If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most\n    miserable.\n\n    But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the first fruits\n    of them that slept.\n\n    For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of\n    the dead.\n\n    For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.\n\n    But some man will say, How are the dead raised up? and with what\n    body do they come?\n\n    Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die:\n\n    And that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body that shall\n    be, but bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or of some other grain:\n\n    But God giveth it a body as it hath pleased Him, and to every seed\n    his own body.\n\n    All flesh is not the same flesh: but there is one kind of flesh of\n    men, another flesh of beasts, another of fishes, and another of\n    birds.\n\n    So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption,\n    it is raised in incorruption:\n\n    It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory: it is sown in\n    weakness, it is raised in power:\n\n    It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is\n    a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.--_1 Corinthians xv_:\n    16-22; 35-39; 42-44.\n\n    For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also\n    which sleep in Jesus will God bring with Him.\n\n    For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are\n    alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them\n    which are asleep.\n\n    For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with\n    the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead\n    in Christ shall rise first.--_1 Thessalonians iv_: 14-16.\n\nThe Testimony of Abinadi.\n\n    And if Christ had not risen from the dead, or have broken the bands\n    of death, that the grave should have no victory, and that death\n    should have no sting, there could have been no resurrection.\n\n    But there is a resurrection, therefore the grave hath no victory,\n    and the sting of death is swallowed up in Christ:\n\n    He is the light and the life of the world; yea, a light that is\n    endless, that can never be darkened; yea, and also a life which is\n    endless, that there can be no more death.\n\n    Even this mortal shall put on immortality, and this corruption\n    shall put on incorruption, and shall be brought to stand before the\n    bar of God, to be judged of Him according to their works, whether\n    they be good or whether they be evil.--_Book of Mosiah, xvi_: 7-10.\n\n{47}\n\nThe Testimony of Jacob.\n\n    For as death hath passed upon all men, to fulfill the merciful plan\n    of the great Creator, there must needs be a power of resurrection,\n    and the resurrection must needs come unto man by reason of the\n    fall; and the fall came by reason of transgression; and because man\n    became fallen, they were cut off from the presence of the Lord;\n\n    Wherefore it must needs be an infinite atonement; save it should\n    be an infinite atonement, this corruption could not put on\n    incorruption. Wherefore, the first judgment which came upon man,\n    must needs have remained to an endless duration. And if so, this\n    flesh must have laid down to rot and to crumble to its mother\n    earth, to rise no more.\n\n    O the wisdom of God! His mercy and grace! For behold, if the flesh\n    should rise no more, our spirits must become subject to that angel\n    who fell from before the presence of the eternal God, and became\n    the devil, to rise no more.\n\n    And because of the way of deliverance of our God, the Holy One of\n    Israel, this death of which I have spoken, which is the temporal,\n    shall deliver up its dead; which death is the grave.\n\n    And this death of which I have spoken, which is the spiritual\n    death, shall deliver up its dead; which spiritual death is hell;\n    wherefore, death and hell must deliver up their dead, and hell\n    must deliver up its captive spirits, and the grave must deliver\n    up its captive bodies, and the bodies and the spirits of men\n    will be restored one to the other; and it is by the power of the\n    resurrection of the Holy One of Israel.\n\n    O how great the plan of our God! For on the other hand, the\n    paradise of God must deliver up the spirits of the righteous and\n    the grave deliver up the body of the righteous; and the spirit\n    and the body is restored to itself again, and all men become\n    incorruptible, and immortal, and they are living souls, having a\n    perfect knowledge like unto us in the flesh; save it be that our\n    knowledge shall be perfect.--_2 Nephi, ix_: 6-8; 11-13.\n\nThe Testimony of Amulek.\n\n    For behold, the day cometh that all shall rise from the dead and\n    stand before God, and be judged according to their works.\n\n    Now there is a death which is called a temporal death; and the\n    death of Christ shall loose the bands of this temporal death, that\n    all shall be raised from this temporal death;\n\n    The spirit and the body shall be re-united again in its perfect\n    form; both limb and joint shall be restored to its proper frame,\n    even as we now are at this time; and we shall be brought to\n    stand before God, knowing even as we know now, and have a bright\n    recollection of our guilt.\n\n    Now this restoration shall come to all, both old and young; both\n    bond and free, both male and female, both the wicked and the\n    righteous; and even there shall not so much as a hair of their\n    heads be lost; but all things shall be restored to its perfect\n    frame, as it is now, or in the body.--_Book of Alma, xi_: 41-44.\n\nThe Testimony of Alma.\n\n    But this much I say, that there is a space between death and the\n    resurrection of the body, and a state of the soul in happiness or\n    in misery, until the time which is appointed of God that the dead\n    shall {48} come forth, and be re-united, both soul and body, and be\n    brought to stand before God, and be judged according to their works;\n\n    Yea, this bringeth about the restoration of those things of which\n    have been spoken by the mouths of the prophets.\n\n    The soul shall be restored to the body, and the body to the soul;\n    yea, and every limb and joint shall be restored to its body; yea,\n    even a hair of the head shall not be lost, but all things shall be\n    restored to their proper and perfect frame.--_Book of Alma, xl_:\n    21-23.\n\nThe Testimony of Samuel.\n\n    For behold, He [Jesus] surely must die, that salvation may come;\n    yea, it behooveth Him, and becometh expedient that He dieth, to\n    bring to pass the resurrection of the dead, that thereby men may be\n    brought into the presence of the Lord;\n\n    Yea, behold this death bringeth to pass the resurrection, and\n    redeemeth all mankind from the first death.--_Book of Helaman,\n    xiv_: 15, 16.\n\nThe Words of Jesus.\n\n    And it came to pass that He [Jesus] said unto Nephi, bring forth\n    the record which ye have kept.\n\n    And when Nephi had brought forth the records, and laid them before\n    His, He cast His eyes upon them and said,\n\n    Verily I say unto you, I commanded my servant Samuel, the Lamanite,\n    that he should testify unto this people, that at the day that the\n    Father should glorify His name in me, that there were many saints\n    who should arise from the dead, and should appear unto many, and\n    should minister unto them. And He said unto them, were it not so?\n\n    And His disciples answered Him and said, Yea, Lord, Samuel did\n    prophesy according to Thy words, and they were all fulfilled.\n\n    And Jesus said unto them, How be it that ye have not written this\n    thing, that many saints did arise and appear unto many, and did\n    minister unto them?\n\n    And it came to pass that Nephi remembered that this thing had not\n    been written.\n\n    And it came to pass that Jesus commanded that it should be written;\n    therefore it was written according as He commanded.--_3 Nephi,\n    xxiii_: 7-13.\n\nThe Testimony of Moroni.\n\n    And because of the redemption of man, which came by Jesus Christ,\n    they are brought back into the presence of the Lord; yea, this is\n    wherein all men are redeemed, because the death of Christ bringeth\n    to pass the resurrection, which bringeth to pass a redemption\n    from an endless sleep, from which sleep all men shall be awoke by\n    the power of God, when the trump shall sound; and they shall come\n    forth, both small and great, and all shall stand before His bar,\n    being redeemed and loosed from this eternal band of death, which\n    death is a temporal death.--_Book of Mormon, ix_: 13.\n\nWords of Jesus in Book of Doctrine and Covenants.\n\n    Now, verily I say unto you, that through the redemption which is\n    made for you is brought to pass the resurrection from the dead. And\n    the spirit and the body is the soul of man.\n\n    {49} And the resurrection from the dead is the redemption of the\n    soul; And the redemption of the soul is through Him who quickeneth\n    all things, in whose bosom it is decreed that the poor and the meek\n    of the earth shall inherit it.\n\n    Therefore it must needs be sanctified from all unrighteousness,\n    that it may be prepared for the celestial glory;\n\n    For after it hath filled the measure of its creation, it shall be\n    crowned with glory, even with the presence of God the Father;\n\n    That bodies who are of the celestial kingdom may possess it forever\n    and ever; for, for this intent was it made and created, and for\n    this intent are they sanctified.\n\n    And again, verily I say unto you, the earth abideth the law of a\n    celestial kingdom, for it filleth the measure of its creation, and\n    transgresseth not the law.\n\n    Wherefore it shall be sanctified; yea, notwithstanding it shall\n    die, it shall be quickened again, and shall abide the power by\n    which it is quickened, and the righteous shall inherit it:\n\n    For notwithstanding they die, they also shall rise again a\n    spiritual body.\n\n    They who are of a celestial spirit shall receive the same body\n    which was a natural body; even ye shall receive your bodies, and\n    your glory shall be that glory by which your bodies are quickened.\n\n    And there shall be silence in heaven for the space of half an hour,\n    and immediately after shall the curtain of heaven be unfolded, as a\n    scroll is unfolded after it is rolled up, and the face of the Lord\n    shall be unveiled;\n\n    And the saints that are upon the earth, who are alive, shall be\n    quickened, and be caught up to meet Him.\n\n    And they who have slept in their graves shall come forth; for their\n    graves shall be opened, and they also shall be caught up to meet\n    Him in the midst of the pillar of heaven:\n\n    They are Christ's, the first fruits: they who shall descend with\n    Him first, and they who are on the earth and in their graves,\n    who are first caught up to meet Him: and all this by the voice\n    of the sounding of the trump of the angel of God.--_Doctrine and\n    Covenants, lxxxviii_: 14-20; 25-28; 95-98.\n\n    For a trump shall sound both long and loud, even as upon Mount\n    Sinai, and all the earth shall quake, and they shall come forth,\n    yea, even the dead which died in me, to receive a crown of\n    righteousness, and to be clothed upon, even as I am, to be with me,\n    that we may be one.\n\n    And the end shall come, and the heaven and the earth shall be\n    consumed and pass away, and there shall be a new heaven and a new\n    earth,\n\n    For all old things shall pass away, and all things shall become\n    new, even the heaven and the earth, and all the fulness thereof,\n    both men and beasts, the fowls of the air, and the fishes of the\n    sea;\n\n    And not one hair, neither mote, shall be lost, for it is the\n    workmanship of mine hand.\n\n    But, behold, verily I say unto you, before the earth shall pass\n    away, Michael, mine archangel, shall sound his trump, and then\n    shall all the dead awake, for their graves shall be opened, and\n    they shall come forth; yea, even all.--_Doctrine and Covenants,\n    xxix_: 13; 23-26.\n\n    For the day cometh that the Lord shall utter His voice out of\n    heaven; the heavens shall shake and the earth shall tremble, and\n    the trump of God shall sound both long and loud, and shall say to\n    the {50} sleeping nations, Ye saints arise and live; ye sinners\n    stay and sleep until I shall call again.--_Doctrine and Covenants,\n    xliii_: 18.\n\n    But before the arm of the Lord shall fall, an angel shall sound his\n    trump, and the saints that have slept shall come forth to meet me\n    in the cloud;\n\n    Wherefore if ye have slept in peace, blessed are you, for as you\n    now behold me and know that I am, even so shall ye come unto me\n    and your souls shall live, and your redemption shall be perfected,\n    and the saints shall come forth from the four quarters of the\n    earth.--_Doctrine and Covenants, xlv_: 45, 46.\n\n    Yea, and blessed are the dead that die in the Lord from henceforth\n    when the Lord shall come, and old things shall pass away, and all\n    things become new, they shall rise from the dead and shall not die\n    after, and shall receive an inheritance before the Lord, in the\n    holy city.\n\n    And he that liveth when the Lord shall come, and has kept the\n    faith, blessed is he; nevertheless it is appointed to him to die at\n    the age of man;\n\n    Wherefore children shall grow up until they become old, old men\n    shall die; but they shall not sleep in the dust, but they shall be\n    changed in the twinkling of an eye;\n\n    Wherefore for this cause preached the apostles unto the world the\n    resurrection of the dead.--_Doctrine and Covenants, lxiii_: 49-52.\n\nExtract From A Revelation to the Prophet Joseph.\n\n    And in that day Adam blessed God and was filled, and began to\n    prophesy concerning all the families of the earth, saying, Blessed\n    be the name of God, for because of my transgression my eyes are\n    opened, and in this life I shall have joy, and again in the flesh I\n    shall see God.--_Pearl of Great Price, p. 10_.\n\nExtract From The Prophecy of Enoch.\n\n    And righteousness will I send down out of heaven: and truth will\n    I send forth out of the earth, to bear testimony of mine Only\n    Begotten; His resurrection from the dead; yea, and also the\n    resurrection of all men.--_Pearl of Great Price, p. 21_.\n\nThe Testimony of Joseph Smith.\n\nAs concerning the resurrection, I will merely say that all men will\ncome forth from the grave as they lie down, whether old or young; there\nwill not be \"added one cubit to their stature,\" neither taken from it;\nall will be raised by the power of God, having spirit in their bodies\nand not blood.--_March 20, 1842; History of Joseph Smith_.\n\nThere are two kinds of beings in heaven, viz: angels, who are\nresurrected personages, having bodies of flesh and bones.\n\nFor instance, Jesus said, \"Handle me and see, for a spirit hath not\nflesh and bones as ye see me have.\"\n\n2. The spirits of just men made perfect--they who are not resurrected,\nbut inherit the same glory.\n\nWhen a messenger comes, saying he has a message from God, offer him\nyour hand, and request him to shake hands with you.\n\n{51} If he be an angel, he will do so, and you will feel his hand.\n\nIf he be the spirit of a just man made perfect, he will come in his\nglory; for that is the only way he can appear.\n\nAsk him to shake hands with you, but he will not move, because it is\ncontrary to the order of heaven for a just man to deceive; but he will\nstill deliver his message.\n\nIf it be the Devil as an angel of light, when you ask him to shake\nhands, he will offer you his hand, and you will not feel anything; you\nmay therefore detect him.\n\nThese are three grand keys whereby you may know whether any\nadministration is from God.--_Thursday, February 9, 1843; History of\nJoseph Smith. Doctrine and Covenants, cxxxix_.\n\nWhatever principle of intelligence we attain unto in this life, it will\nrise with us in the resurrection;\n\nAnd if a person gains more knowledge and intelligence in this life\nthrough his diligence and obedience than another, he will have so much\nthe advantage in the world to come.\n\nThere is a law, irrevocably decreed in heaven before the foundations of\nthis world, upon which all blessings are predicted;\n\nAnd when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that\nlaw upon which it is predicted.\n\nThe Father has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as man's; the Son\nalso: but the Holy Ghost has not a body of flesh and bones, but is a\npersonage of spirit. Were it not so, the Holy Ghost could not dwell in\nus.\n\nA man may receive the Holy Ghost, and it may descend upon him and not\ntarry with him.--_Sunday, April 2, 1843; History of Joseph Smith.\nDoctrine and Covenants, cxxx_: 18-23.\n\nTo a remark of Elder O. Pratt's, that a man's body changes every\nseven years, President Joseph Smith replied: There is no fundamental\nprinciple belonging to a human system that ever goes into another in\nthis world or in the world to come: I care not what the theories of men\nare. We have the testimony that God will raise us up, and He has the\npower to do it. If any one supposes that any part of our bodies, that\nis, the fundamental parts thereof, ever goes into another body, he is\nmistaken.--_Friday, April 7, 1843; History of Joseph Smith_.\n\nSpeaking of the eternal duration of matter, I said--There is no such\nthing as immaterial matter. All spirit is matter, but it is more fine\nor pure, and can only be discerned by purer eyes.\n\nWe cannot see it; but when our bodies are purified, we shall see that\nit is all matter.--_Wednesday, May 17, 1843; History of Joseph Smith,\nDoctrine and Covenants, cxxxi_: 7, 8.\n\nAs the Father hath power in Himself, so hath the Son power in Himself,\nto lay down His life and take it again, so He has a body of His own.\nThe Son doeth what He hath seen the Father do; then the Father hath\nsome day laid down His life and taken it again; so He has a body of\nHis own, each one will be in His own body; and yet the sectarian world\nbelieve the body of the Son is stuffed into the Father's.\n\nGods have an ascendancy over the angels, who are ministering servants.\nIn the resurrection, some are raised to be angels; others are raised to\nbecome Gods.--_Sunday, June 11, 1843; History of Joseph Smith_.\n\n{52}\n\n\n\nCELESTIAL FAMILY ORGANIZATION.\n\nBy Parley P. Pratt in His Publication, \"The Prophet,\" Published in New\nYork City, 1845.\n\nMan is an eternal being, both in regard to his material organization\nand his mind and affections. The resurrection from the dead restores\nhim to life with all his bodily and mental powers and faculties, and\n(if quickened by the celestial glory) consequently associates him with\nhis family, friends and kindred, as one of the necessary links of the\nchain which connects the great and royal family of heaven and earth\nin one eternal bond of kindred affection and association. The order\nof God's government, both in time and in eternity, is patriarchal;\nthat is, it is a fatherly government. Each father who is raised from\nthe dead and made a partaker of the celestial glory in its fullness,\nwill hold lawful jurisdiction over his own children and over all the\nfamilies which spring of them to all generations, forever and ever.\n\nWe talk, in this ignorant age, of children becoming of age, as it is\ncalled; and we consider when they are of age they are free from the\nauthority of their father. But no such rule is known in the celestial\nlaw and organization, either here or hereafter. By that law a son is\nsubject to his father forever and ever, worlds without end. Again, we\nhave a rule now established in the earth by which a woman becomes the\nwife of a man, and is bound by law to him till death shall separate.\nBut in the celestial order it is not so, for the plainest of all\nreasons, viz., the celestial order, is an order of eternal life; it\nknows no death and consequently makes no provision for any. Therefore\nall its covenants and contracts are eternal in their duration, and\ncalculated to bind the several members of a family in one eternal\nunion. In order to illustrate this subject and make it perfectly plain\nto the most simple capacity we must leave death entirely out of the\nconsideration, and look at men and families just as we would look at\nthem if there was no death. This we can do with the greatest propriety\nbecause the time was when there was no death, and the time will be\nagain in which there will be no death.\n\n{53} Our venerable father Adam took our mother Eve for a wife when the\nhuman family and the world in which they lived was as free from death\nas God and His throne. We would now inquire what kind of contract was\nmade between them, and also how long was it to endure? Was it after the\npower and union of an endless life? or was it made to serve a momentary\npurpose, till death shall separate? The answer is obvious. This\nmarriage contract must have been eternal, or else it must have admitted\nthe sinful as well as cruel idea of a divorce and final separation\nduring their lives; for let it be borne in mind they had no death in\nview and no idea of ever being subject to death, even for a moment, at\nthe time the contract was made.\n\nAgain, Paul opens a mystery, viz., that we shall not all sleep in the\ndust; but those who live at a certain time will be changed in a moment,\nin the twinkling of an eye, and will be caught up to meet the Lord and\nso ever be with Him. Now as some of these will doubtless be husbands\nand wives, we would inquire when their marriage contract will be\nfulfilled and come to an end? They agreed to be each others till death\nshould separate (that is, if they were married by the usual ceremonies\nwhich now exist). And behold, death cannot separate them; for the\nchange from mortal to immortal will be instantaneous.\n\nAgain, \"Christ came to deliver those who through fear of death were all\ntheir life time subject to bondage.\" Therefore, after the resurrection\nmen live, and live forever, as though death had never been. In view of\nthis, God declares himself to be the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob,\nwho have once died; and yet he claims not to be the God of the dead,\nbut of the living.\n\nAgain, Paul speaks of another great mystery, viz., \"that every man\nshould love his wife even as Christ loves the Church.\" Now we would\ninquire whether the love and consequent union of Christ and His Church\nis to come to an end by death, and a final separation take place in\nthe world to come? or whether, on the other hand, the union is more\nperfect and complete in the other life than it is in this? All agree\nthat the love and union of Christ and the Church is eternal, and that\nit not only continues in the other world, but it is made perfect there.\nThis being the case, it leads us to the irresistible conclusion that\nthe love and union of a man and his wife should extend into, and even\nbe more perfect in eternity, or else Paul was very wrong in telling\nevery man to love his wife even as Christ loves the Church. Having {54}\nestablished the fact or principle of eternal union between a man and\nhis wife, we will now proceed to establish the eternal relationship\nand authority on one hand and obedience on the other, that will exist\nbetween parents and children.\n\nTo illustrate this principle we have a beautiful and plain precedent.\nJesus Christ and His Father continue to be one in their affection and\nunion since He rose from the dead; and He still yields obedience to the\ncommands of His Father, and has also revealed that He will continue\nto do so, when He has put down death, and all rule and authority and\npower. \"Then shall the Son also be subjected to the Father.\" We hear\nnothing in all this subject about Jesus Christ ever being of age so\nas to be free from all further obligation to obey His Father; but on\nthe contrary it is clearly revealed that He will always be subjected\nto Him. Now this same Jesus prayed to His Father, as testified by the\nApostle John, that His disciples and those who believed on their words\nmight be one even as Christ and His Father are one; not only one with\nGod and Christ, but also one with each other in the same manner and in\nthe same sense that they are one. Now suppose, in fulfillment of this\nprayer, a man and his children were His disciples; and finally in the\neternal world, they became one with each other in precisely the same\nsense that Christ and His Father are one, would not these children be\nsubject to their father in the same manner as Christ is subject to His\nFather? Certainly they would.\n\nWe have also a most beautiful practical illustration of the principles\nof continued authority on the part of the father and obedience on the\npart of the children in this life, in the family of Jacob. His sons\nwere, many of them, advanced in years so far as to become heads of\nfamilies at the time of going to Egypt for corn. And yet they all set\nan example of obedience to their father, insomuch that they would not\ntake Benjamin with them without his consent, even if they starved to\ndeath. It appears, too, that Abraham had the entire control of his son\nIsaac's matrimonial affairs, although Isaac was forty years of age at\nthe time of his marriage with Rebecca.\n\nHaving now established the fact that the celestial order is designed\nnot only to give eternal life, but also to establish an eternal order\nof family government, founded upon the most pure and holy principles of\nunion and affection, we will take a review of the celestial family of\nman as it will exist in the restoration of all things spoken of by the\nHoly Prophets.\n\nFirst: His most gracious and venerable majesty, King Adam, with his\nroyal consort, Queen Eve, will appear at the {55} head of the whole\ngreat family of the redeemed, and will be crowned in their midst as a\nking and priest forever after the Son of God. They will then be arrayed\nin garments white as snow and will take their seats on the throne, in\nthe midst of the paradise of God on the earth, to reign forever and\never. While thousands of thousands stand before him, and ten thousand\ntimes ten thousand minister unto him. And if you will receive it, this\nis the order of the Ancient of days--the kingdom prepared and organized\nto meet Jesus when He comes.\n\nThis venerable patriarch and sovereign will hold lawful jurisdiction\nover Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, the\nprophets, apostles, Saints of all ages and dispensations, who will\nall reverence and obey him as their venerable father and lawful\nsovereign. They will then be organized, each over his own department\nof the government, according to their birthright and office, in their\nfamilies, generations and nations. Each one will obey and be obeyed\naccording to the connection which he sustains as a member of the\ngreat celestial family. Thus the gradation will descend in regular\ndegrees from the throne of the Ancient of days with his innumerable\nsubjects, down to the least and last Saint of the last days who may\nbe counted worthy of a throne and sceptre, although his kingdom may,\nperhaps, only consist of a wife and single child. Such the order\nand organization of the celestial family, and such the natures of\nthe thrones, principalities and powers, which are the rewards of\ndiligence. This kingdom, organized and established upon the earth in\nits beauty and order, will be ready for the Son of man. He will then\ncome in the clouds of heaven and receive it to himself. Adam and all\nthe patriarchs, kings and prophets will still be subject unto Christ,\nbecause He was in the eternal world, the first born of every creature,\nand the beginning of the creation of God. Hence in the patriarchal\norder, He rules by right of birth.\n\n\"If I tell you earthly things and ye believe not, how shall ye believe\nif I tell you of heavenly things?\" I might enlarge on the subject by\nconnecting the family of Adam with other branches of Christ's kingdom,\nand of the celestial family in other planets and worlds, many of which\nare older and much larger than our earth, but peopled by branches of\nthe celestial family, who are of the same kindred and race that we\nare, viz., the sons and daughters of God. I might also tell you of the\ncontinued exertions of creative power by which millions of new worlds\nwill yet be formed and peopled by King Adam and his descendants, in\nthe name, and by the authority of Jesus Christ, and by virtue of the\nHoly Priesthood which is after the power {56} of the endless life,\nwithout beginning of days or end of years, and thus go on enlarging and\nmultiplying, conquering and to conquer, till Abraham's seed becomes\nnumerous as the sand; and till the Saint of the last days possess\na kingdom and dominion of his own posterity, vastly more numerous\nthan King Adam will possess in the great restoration of all things\npertaining to this little earth. But you are not able to receive\nheavenly things as yet, and therefore forbear, and let the things of\nthe earth suffice at least for the present, and till the Saints should\nbe counted worthy of endowment and of an entrance into the sanctuary of\nour God. For there shall the greater things be made manifest to those\nwho are not overcome and are counted worthy.\n\nI now wish to say a few words on the subject of matrimony and also on\nthe subject of raising and educating children.\n\nWho that has had one glimpse of the order of the celestial family and\nof the eternal connections and relationships which should be formed\nhere in order to be enjoyed there; who that has felt one thrill of the\nenergy and power of eternal life and love which flows from the divine\nspirit of revelation, can ever be contented with the corrupt pleasures\nof a moment which arise from the unlawful connections and desires? Or\nwhat Saint who has any degree of faith in the power of the resurrection\nand of eternal life, can be contented to throw themselves away by\nmatrimonial connection with sectarians or other worldlings who are so\nblind that they can never secure an eternal union by the authority of\nthe Holy Priesthood which has power to bind that which shall be bound\nin heaven? By such a union, or by corrupt, unlawful and unvirtuous\nconnections and indulgences they not only lose their own celestial\ncrown and throne, but also plunge their children into ruin and\ndarkness, which will probably cause them to neglect so great salvation\nfor the sake of the love and the praise of the world and the traditions\nof men.\n\nO my friends--my brethren and sisters, and especially the younger class\nof our community! I beseech you in the fear and love of God and entreat\nyou in view of eternal glory and exaltation in this kingdom, to deny\nyourselves all the corrupt and abominable practices and desires of the\nworld and the flesh, and seek to be pure and virtuous in all your ways\nand thoughts, and not only so, but make no matrimonial connections or\nengagements till you have asked counsel of the Spirit of God in humble\nprayer before Him; till you know and understand the principles of\neternal life and union sufficiently to act wisely and prudently, and in\nthat way that {57} will eventually secure yourself and companion and\nyour children in the great family circle of the celestial organization.\n\nI would now say to parents that their own salvation, as well as that of\ntheir children, depends to a certain extent on the bringing up of their\nchildren, and educating them in the truth, that their traditions and\nearly impressions may be correct. No parent who continues to neglect\nthis after they themselves have come to the knowledge of the truth,\ncan be saved in the celestial kingdom. I would earnestly recommend\nthat all sectarian books, tracts, pictures, paintings, etc., which\nare not according to the truth, be removed from the family circle of\nthe Saints, and that their children be not suffered to read them, at\nleast till the truth has taken hold of their minds sufficiently that\nthey may be able to contrast the one with the other; and to perceive\nthe difference. Sectarian sermons and their manner of worship and\ntheir Sunday schools, are also a great damage to children, being well\ncalculated to rivet upon their young and tender minds the most vague,\nmysterious and erroneous notions and principles which may prevent their\never being open to the conviction of the truth. And even if they should\nembrace the truth afterwards, and they find their perceptive faculties\nso blunted and beclouded by early impressions and traditions, that it\nwill continue to retard their progress in the comprehension of the\ntruth, insomuch that many of its plainest and simplest principles will\neither remain entirely unperceived by them or else be seen through a\nglass darkly, as it were, and thus lose much of their force and beauty.\n* * *\n\nIn regard to matrimony, I suppose some will tell me that in the\nresurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage. That is\ntrue, for the best of all reasons--because they do it here; and thus\nbind on earth that which shall be bound in heaven, and that too by\nGod's own authority; and this being the world of preparation and that\nthe world of enjoyment. Therefore there is no need of doing it in that\nworld. Those who do not understand and attend to the ordinances and\nauthority of God in this world, neither by themselves nor by proxy,\nare not counted worthy to enjoy the celestial glory in the world to\ncome; therefore, they must remain as they are, and never enjoy that\nsweet union and exaltation which is prepared for the Saints of the\nMost High. Thus are all judged according to the deeds done in the\nbody; and that which they sow they shall also reap. If they choose\nin this world to follow the wicked lusts and pleasures of the moment\nby unlawful connections; or if they choose to be {58} united after\nthe manner of this world by being joined with a companion who is not\nworthy of an eternal covenant and of the \"seal of the living God,\" why\nthen, the consequence is, that they enjoy the things of this world and\nthe pleasures and passions thereof; but death closes the scene and\neternity finds them poor wanderers and outcasts from the commonwealth\nof the celestial family and strangers to the covenant of promise.\nTheir former covenants come to an end with their life, and in that\nworld they can neither marry nor be given in marriage; consequently\nthey must remain unassociated in family capacity, and, therefore, have\nno kingdom over which to reign, nor any possible means of increasing\ntheir own glory. There will be weeping, wailing and gnashing of teeth\nindeed; for who can endure eternal disappointment? Who can endure to\nbe forever banished and separated from father, mother, wife, children,\nand every kindred affection, and from every family tie? For none of\nour relationships will be recognized by the authorities in this world,\nunless secured to us here in an everlasting covenant which cannot be\nbroken, and sealed by the constituted authorities of the living God.\nWell did the Lord promise by the mouth of the Prophet Malachi that\nHe would send Elijah the Prophet before the coming of the great and\ndreadful day of the Lord; and that he should turn, seal, or bind the\nhearts of the fathers to the children and the hearts of the children to\nthe fathers, lest the whole earth should be smitten with a curse. And\nif you will receive it, Elijah the prophet has been sent in these last\ndays to man on the earth, and has conferred the keys of the sealing\npower that others might go forth in His Spirit, power and Priesthood,\nand seal both on earth and in heaven. But they have done unto some of\nthem whatever they listed, and even so many others perhaps suffer under\ntheir cruel hand. But the keys are on the earth and shall not be taken\nfrom it till the sealing is accomplished. Therefore, O ye Saints of\nthe Most High! build the Temple and sanctuary of our God, and gather\ntogether thereunto. For there, saith the Lord, will I reveal unto you\nthe fullness of mine ordinances pertaining to the Holy Priesthood and\npreparation, by which the living and the dead may be redeemed and\nassociated in the exalted principles of eternal life and joy. Amen.\n\n{59}\n\n\n\nSALVATION FOR THE LIVING AND THE DEAD.\n\nLiberality of the \"Mormon\" Faith. A Discourse by Charles W. Penrose.\nDelivered in the Tabernacle, Salt Lake City, Sunday Afternoon, August\n19, 1900.\n\nReported by Arthur Winter.\n\nI am thankful for the opportunity of meeting with the Latter-day Saints\nin this Tabernacle, and I trust that our assembling together will not\nbe in vain, but be profitable to all of us. I have been called upon\nto address the congregation. I desire to do so under the influence of\nthat Spirit which guides into all truth, and which makes plain the\nthings of God to the minds of men. I trust that this Spirit will not\nonly rest upon me, to enlighten my mind and to give me words which will\nbe of benefit to those who hear, but that it may also rest upon the\ncongregation, that we may be able to see \"eye to eye.\"\n\nCharacteristics of True Religion.\n\nOne mark of true religion is a regard for the welfare of other people.\nTrue religion does not make people selfish. It creates in their hearts\na feeling of chanty and a desire to bless; not to injure in any way,\nnot to wish the downfall or hurt of a fellow creature, but rather to\ndesire his uplifting, and benefit, and comfort, and joy. Our Heavenly\nFather created the earth upon which we live for the comfort and\nhappiness of His creatures. The plan of salvation, which was prepared\nbefore the foundations of the world, was designed for the improvement,\nthe benefit and the ultimate salvation of all His sons and daughters.\nWhen we have a desire in our hearts to bless and benefit mankind, we\nhave the right side. When we feel a spirit of revenge, of retaliation,\nand a desire to do harm, that is not of God, but is from beneath. Our\nLord and Savior Jesus Christ, we are told, \"came into the world, not to\ncondemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.\" That\nwas the purpose of the coming of our Savior Jesus Christ in the flesh,\nand of the atonement that He wrought out for mankind by His death on\nthe cross. The {60} spirit of Christ is the spirit of salvation, the\nspirit of blessing, the spirit to do good, to improve the condition of\nthe human race, and to prepare us all for the presence of our Eternal\nFather and to enjoy the glory of His kingdom.\n\nUniversal Salvation.\n\nOne of the great differences between the faith of the Latter-day Saints\nand that of most of the denominations called \"Christian\" is that the\nLatter-day Saints teach that salvation is for all people, of all ages,\nof all races, of all colors, who can be saved. The doctrine that the\nLord has revealed through His servant the Prophet Joseph Smith is that\nsalvation is to come unto all, and that none will be lost who can\npossibly be redeemed; that the plan of salvation is as broad as the\nfall of man. Our first parents broke a divine law, and through their\ndisobedience death came into the world. As by disobedience of one man\nsin, and death as the wages of sin, came into the world, so by the\natonement and obedience of one, life and salvation will ultimately come\nto all the family of Adam. \"As in Adam all die, so in Christ shall all\nbe made alive.\" This doctrine was enunciated by the Apostle Paul in his\nepistle to the Corinthians. The full meaning of that is not explained\nin the old scriptures, neither is it understood generally in the\nChristian world, but it was revealed in great plainness to the Prophet\nJoseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon. I will not read to you the vision which\nwas given to them, explaining this doctrine of salvation, but will\nperhaps read a few verses of it, so that the full extent of the plan of\nsalvation may be comprehended to some little degree by the congregation.\n\nLet me say, first, that the book from which I am about to read contains\nsome of the revelations of God to the Church of Jesus Christ of\nLatter-day Saints in this age of the world, and we regard these as\nScripture. We believe in the Bible. We believe that \"holy men of old\nwrote and spoke as they were moved upon by the Holy Ghost.\" We also\nbelieve that the same Spirit in this age of the world will make plain\nthe things of God exactly in the same way as they were revealed in\nformer times. In other words, we believe that the Spirit is the same\nin all ages, and that God and Christ are \"the same yesterday, today\nand forever.\" If God could reveal His word through Prophets in ancient\ntimes, certainly He can reveal His word, through Prophets in modern\ntimes. If not, why not? What reason is there that God should not make\n{61} manifest His truth in the nineteenth century as well as in the\nfirst century, or in times before the beginning of the Christian era?\nHas the Eternal Father ceased to have power to make Himself manifest?\nHas He bound Himself with an oath and promise that He would not speak\nagain, after He revealed Himself through the Prophets and Apostles in\nthe first age of the Christian era and before that time? If so, where\nis His word and promise recorded? I know of nothing of the kind in\nthe book that is supposed to contain the Holy Scriptures. The Bible\ncontains some few things revealed by the Lord through His servants in\nformer days, and by reading it carefully I find that it contains an\nabundance of promises that in the last times, in the times of \"the\nrestitution of all things spoken of by the holy Prophets since the\nworld began,\" in the \"dispensation of the fullness of times\" in which\nGod is to gather together in one all things that are in Christ, there\nis to be more light, more revelation, more manifestation of the power\nof God, greater miracles and greater outpouring of the Spirit and the\nknowledge of God, until the time shall come when a man shall not have\nto say to his neighbor, \"Know ye the Lord, for all shall know Him, from\nthe least unto the greatest,\" and \"the knowledge of God shall cover\nthe earth as the waters cover the great deep;\" so the prophets of old\npredicted. This being so there is nothing unscriptural or unreasonable\nin the idea that God should reveal His word in this age of the world as\nHe revealed it in former times, and as it was customary with Him when\nHe had any special work to perform among the children of men, or any\nspecial truth to reveal, to raise up a prophet or prophets through whom\nHis word was communicated, that in the last days He should act in the\nsame way, seeing that He is an unchangeable Being.\n\nWe testify that in the nineteenth century our Heavenly Father has\nbeen pleased to open the heavens once more, and to send His Son Jesus\nChrist, our Redeemer, with a message of life and light, similar to that\nwhich He proclaimed when He tabernacled in mortality. We testify that\nangels have come down from the courts of glory, bringing light and\ntruth for the enlightenment and salvation of all the human family, and\na message to be carried to \"every nation, kindred, tongue and people.\"\n\nWe recognize the fact that throughout Christendom there are various\nreligious societies, composed in the main of good people, and having\namong them very talented men, some of whom minister in the name of the\nLord without authority, {62} while others explain the Gospel according\nto their understanding of it--which is very limited; and that there are\npeople of all sects and denominations who desire to serve the Lord and\nwalk in His ways, but who cling to the notions and ideas which have\nbeen handed down to them by tradition. We do not wish to interfere with\nany of them in their religious rights and privileges. We recognize the\nright of every man to worship God according to the dictates of his own\nconscience, and think that people ought not to be molested in that\nworship, and that they should be perfectly free to carry out their\nreligious convictions, so long as they do not infringe upon the rights\nand liberties of others. That is the line we draw, and when men step\nbeyond that, then the secular law ought to step in and protect people\nin the exercise of their rights, and from the designs and wicked acts\nof those who seek to infringe upon them.\n\nBut One God and One Faith.\n\nBut while we recognize this, we do not lose sight of this one great\nfact, which all people should consider; that as there is but one God\nfor us to worship, there can be but one true religion. A variety of\nGods might introduce a variety of creeds; but \"there is one God even\nthe Father, of whom are all things, and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom\nare all things.\" Therefore, the religion of God and Christ must be\none. Truth is not divided against itself. Truth and error will clash,\nbut truth and truth will always harmonize. Anything that God reveals\nmust be true, for He is truth; and everything that comes by the way\nof Jesus Christ, His beloved Son, must be true, for He is the way,\nthe truth and the life. No error will be introduced into the world\nunder the direction of the Father, or of the Son. And the Holy Ghost\nis \"the Spirit of truth.\" It guides into all truth. It takes of the\nthings of the Father and of the Son and reveals them unto men. It will\nnot substantiate or reveal any error; but it will manifest truth and\nmake it plain. Therefore, all that is error in the world, whether it\nbe among Christians or pagans, is not of God, and is not recognized of\nHim. It will not lead to God; it will not benefit mankind; but it will\ndo injury. It is the truth that exalts, that ennobles, and that will\nsave mankind. Falsehood and error will not. Anything that is contrary\nto truth cannot be of God, but may be of that Evil One, who was \"a liar\nfrom the beginning.\"\n\n{63}\n\nSincerity Not Conclusive Evidence of Truth.\n\nThat there is an abundance of error in the \"Christian\" world as well\nas some truth, must be patent to everybody who has investigated the\nconditions of mankind in the present day, because these multifarious\nsects and denominations are discordant. They do not unite--except on\nspecial occasions when they meet together to denounce the \"Mormons\";\nthey can unite on that question sometimes. The spirit of division,\nstrife and contention exists among people called Christians as well\nas among people called Pagans. That fact alone makes it evident that\nthere is a great deal of error existing in what is called Christendom.\nThat is because these various systems which have been established are\nthe inventions of men. They may have been good men who started these\ndifferent sects--I will not judge that matter; that is with the Eternal\nJudge--but these sects were the offspring of men. These men may have\nread the Scriptures, and have entertained certain ideas founded upon\ntheir reading; and they may have established these different systems in\naccordance with their sincere ideas of what was right. But sincerity\nof itself is not a conclusive evidence of truth. The heathen is just\nas sincere in his idol worship as the \"Christian\" is in his various\nmodes of bowing down to Deity; and certainly the Latter-day Saints have\nmanifested their sincerity before the whole world as well as before\nthe heavens. The Elders of this Church who go out into the world to\nproclaim the Gospel as they understand it, manifest their sincerity.\nYet our \"Christian\" friends will not recognize them as Christians,\nnor believe that they are right. They go out without purse or scrip,\nwithout fee or reward. They are not paid for their work. They make\nsacrifice of home and its comforts, and leave their loved ones behind,\nand go to face a frowning world, to meet persecution and obloquy, and\nsometimes imprisonment, stripes and death. What for? To proclaim that\nwhich they know in their hearts is true. They are sincere enough,\nbut that does not prove that they are right. Our \"Christian\" friends\nwill acknowledge that. On the other hand, the sincerity that may be\nexhibited in the various \"Christian\" sects by the people who compose\nthe members, and by the preachers who teach them, is not of itself an\nevidence that they are right or that they have the truth. But the fact\nthat they are divided and conflicting is proof enough that there is a\ngreat deal of error among them.\n\nNow, that which comes from God is truth. If Jesus {64} Christ has a\nchurch on the earth under His direction and inspiration, containing\nmen whom He has appointed, who hold His authority, who are sent by His\nword, and who have the divine authority to administer in the name of\nthe Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, that church will\nhave the truth. It will not have error intermingled with it, because\nit will be directed by Christ, being His Church. Men may build up a\nchurch and call it the Church of Christ, but that does not make it so;\nit is the church of the men who organized it. If John Wesley--a good\nman, as I believe with all my heart, a mighty man, who did a great and\ngood work in the earth--organized a religious society and called it\nthe Church of Christ, that does not make it so, and it is nothing more\nthan the church of John Wesley. If other good men assemble together\nand agree on points of doctrine and organize a religious society that\nsociety is theirs. It is not God's unless He ordered it, revealed it,\nand accepted it.\n\nOneness of the Church of Christ.\n\nI think that these simple ideas will be received by this congregation\nand by any reasonable person. If Jesus Christ had a church on the earth\nin the first century, it was the Church that He established. There is\nevidence that He did establish a church. By reading the New Testament\nit is plain that He organized it Himself; therefore it was His Church.\nHe placed in it apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers,\n(so we read in the epistle to the Ephesians, 4th chapter,) \"for the\nperfecting of the Saints, for the work of the ministry, for the\nedifying of the body of Christ; till we all come in the unity of the\nfaith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God.\" These men were sent\nout to preach the Gospel without purse or scrip. They were commanded\nto \"go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature.\"\nAnd the principles which they taught were the principles of Jesus\nChrist. The plan of salvation that they introduced was divine. It was\nnot their own. When Paul preached to the Gentiles and Peter preached\nto the Jews, they preached the same Gospel, the same doctrine, by\nthe same Spirit. The people who received their word and repented of\ntheir sins, believing in the Lord Jesus Christ, were all baptized by\none spirit into one body. There was but one body, no matter how many\nmembers there were in it; there was but one church, no matter how many\nbranches there might be to it. The Church was one, the Gospel was one,\nthe God they worshipped was {65} one, the Savior was one. There was\n\"one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all;\" and the\npath that they walked in was the one way marked out by the Lord Jesus\nChrist, who said, \"Wide is the gate and broad is the way, that leadeth\nto destruction, and many there be which go in thereat; because straight\nis the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few\nthere be that find it.\"\n\nThese men whom the Lord placed in His Church had the word of the Lord.\nGod revealed Himself unto them. Jesus Christ manifested Himself unto\nthem. This is one of the characteristics of the Church. It was in\ncommunication with its Divine Author. The spirit that came down from\nheaven was in these men; not only in them, but in the body of the\nChurch. The whole body was quickened by it, led by it, and inspired\nby it. Therefore the truth was in the Church. But there came a great\nchange after the Apostles were slain. Darkness came in like a flood and\noverspread the earth, as the prophet of old foresaw when he said that\n\"darkness would cover the earth and gross darkness the people.\" Because\nof that darkness which has overspread the earth has come the condition\nthat exists in the Christian world today.\n\nTrue Gospel Again Revealed From Heaven.\n\nNow, in this age of the world, I repeat, our Heavenly Father has been\npleased to reveal Himself again. Hear it! oh, ye people! As sure as\nthe sun shines in the heavens, as sure as we are in this Tabernacle\nthis afternoon, the Mighty God, even the Lord, hath spoken, and is\n\"calling the earth from the rising of the sun to the going down\nthereof.\" His word to all people is that the Gospel in its purity has\nbeen restored; His Church has been set up again on the earth, under\nHis personal direction; Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors and\nTeachers once more are endowed with the Spirit that comes from on\nhigh, and all people who receive their testimony and are obedient to\nthe Gospel are baptized by one spirit into one body, whether they be\nJew or Gentile, bond or free, and they are all made to partake of one\nSpirit. This Gospel and the proclamation thereof is to all the world,\nto every creature. This is the commandment of God to His servants in\nthe Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. And all people will\nhear the sound thereof, no matter how much it may be opposed. The\nElders of this Church, going out as the servants of God did of old, are\nendowed with the same authority, the same power, and the same right to\n{66} administer in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the\nHoly Ghost. And the word of Christ is to them as it was to the early\nApostles: \"He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth\nme receiveth Him that sent me. And he that rejecteth you rejecteth Him\nthat sent me.\" The word of the Lord to all people everywhere is to turn\nfrom their wickedness, from their corruptions, from their false creeds,\nfrom their bowing down to anything that is not God, from the notions\nand ideas of men that have been preached in the world for the doctrines\nof Christ, and come unto God their Eternal Father in humility, in\ncontrition, repenting of their sins, confessing them, and forsaking\nthem.\n\nGospel Will Be Preached To Every Soul.\n\nThis is a corrupt age. The world is full of evil. That perhaps may be\nconsidered an extravagant term, for there is without doubt a great\ndeal of good in the world as well as evil; but I mean to say that evil\nabounds everywhere. Take your \"Christian\" cities--those that have the\nmost churches and chapels dedicated to \"Christian\" service--and sin,\ncorruption, vice, and evils that are unmentionable, abound in them.\nThe word of God to all people is to repent, and turn from iniquity,\nand come unto the Lord, that they may be saved. This Gospel will be\npreached to every nation, tongue and people. The barriers that are now\nin the way of the progress of the servants of God will be broken down.\nWar, plague, pestilence, famine, earthquake, the devouring fire, the\ncyclone and the whirlwind will be agencies in the hands of an offended\nDeity to open up the way for the spread of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.\nNations that today sit in darkness will hear it, and the \"Christian\"\nnations will hear it; for the word of the Lord is to the priest as well\nas to the people, to the king as well as to the peasant, to those in\nhigh places as well as to those who grovel in filth and dirt on the\nearth or beneath its surface. To all people everywhere this Gospel is\nto go. Those nations where it is now impossible to proclaim the Gospel\nfreely will be so overturned in the providences of our Father in this\nfast age, that all nations will be opened and the Elders of this Church\nwill carry the message to the uttermost parts of the earth.\n\nNow in regard to people who will not receive the Gospel when it is\npresented to them. When they reject it, they reject the Lord. But are\nthey to be everlastingly lost and destroyed? If so, only a few people\namong the great family of the Eternal {67} Father would obtain the\nblessings of salvation. What I will read to you from this book relates\nto the final condition of the human race. As I said, I will not attempt\nto read the whole of it; it would take too long. I will read only a\nfew verses. But I recommend all people to read it fully. I consider\nit the most glorious manifestation of light and truth concerning the\nfuture of mankind that has ever been put in print. There is nothing\nin the Bible equal to this manifestation from God, of His plans and\npurposes regarding His children who dwell on the earth. The first part\nof this revelation contains the statement that Joseph Smith and Sidney\nRigdon, being in the Spirit on the 16th day of February, 1832, were\nsurrounded by His power and light, and they beheld the Father seated\nupon His throne, and Jesus Christ, His Son, at His right hand, and\nthe angels that surround the throne and worship before their face.\nThe Lord manifested in this vision the conditions of the human family\nin the world to come, who will be partakers of the various degrees of\nglory--the celestial glory, the terrestrial glory, and the telestial\nglory. The part I wish to read is this:\n\n    \"And this is the Gospel, the glad tidings which the voice out of\n    the heavens bore record unto us:\n\n    \"That He came into the world, even Jesus, to be crucified for the\n    world, and to bear the sins of the world, and to sanctify the\n    world, and to cleanse it from all unrighteousness;\n\n    \"That through Him all might be saved whom the Father had put into\n    His power and made by Him,\n\n    \"Who glorifies the Father, and saves all the works of His hands,\n    except those sons of perdition, who deny the Son after the Father\n    has revealed Him;\n\n    \"Wherefore He saves all except them: they shall go away into\n    everlasting punishment, which is endless punishment, which is\n    eternal punishment, to reign with the devil and his angels in\n    eternity, where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched,\n    which is their torment.\n\n    \"And the end thereof, neither the place thereof, nor their torment,\n    no man knows.\" (Doctrine and Covenants, section 76, vs. 40-45.)\n\nBut Few Will Be Lost.\n\nMy friends, the great truth is declared in this revelation that Jesus\nChrist will ultimately save ALL mankind, except a few who are called\nthe sons of perdition, \"who deny the Son after the Father has revealed\nHim.\" This is a very different idea of the plan of salvation to that\nwhich is entertained by most if not all our \"Christian\" friends, who\nsay that we are very illiberal. They have an idea that the Latter-day\nSaints are very exclusive and illiberal in their religion. I wish to\n{68} say here that there is no creed in Christendom which is so liberal\nas that which is believed in by the Latter-day Saints. We do not hold\nthat all who differ with us in regard to the principles of salvation\nwill be irretrievably lost. We do not consign our \"Christian\" friends,\nas they do us, to an everlasting hell, to frizzle and fry in brimstone\nand fire while eternity comes and goes; not at all. We do not believe\nthat our Eternal Father will condemn any person who acts according to\nhis sincere belief and who endeavors, as far as he can, to understand\nand practice what is true. The understanding and the practice of\ntruth is that which exalts; and the time will come--according to our\nfaith--when everybody who dwells on the earth, and those who have dwelt\nhere and have gone away, will hear the sound of this one Gospel; for,\nas I said, there can be but one Gospel, one way of salvation, and all\nthose who do not get into that one way are in the broad way.\n\nThere are millions and millions of heathens who never heard the name\nof Jesus Christ. What is to become of them all? There are millions of\nJews who reject Jesus Christ as the Savior of the world. Are they all\nto be lost eternally? They will be, according to the doctrines of some\nof our very liberal \"Christian\" friends. According to their doctrines,\nno one will be saved who does not believe in Jesus Christ. And they\nhave warrant for that in the Scripture; for \"there is none other name\ngiven under heaven whereby men can be saved, than the name of Christ\nJesus.\" That being true, all who do not hear the name of Jesus Christ\nand believe in Him will be condemned. If, therefore, only while men\ndwell in the flesh they may hear the name of Christ and have the\nprivilege of obeying His Gospel, then the vast majority of the human\nrace, the sons and daughters of the Eternal God, will be doomed to\neverlasting punishment, according to the modern creeds. But according\nto what the Lord has shown to this Church by revelation, this Gospel\nwill be preached to every creature. If people do not hear it while they\ndwell in the flesh, they will hear it after they leave the body. That\nis contrary to the doctrine of modern Christendom, I am aware. It comes\nright in contact with one of the tenets of faith of all \"Christian\"\nsects. They do not believe in the doctrine of preaching to men after\nthey are dead. They do not believe that there is salvation for mankind\nafter they leave this body. To use expressions common with them, \"As\nthe tree falls, so it lies;\" \"as death meets us, so judgment finds us;\"\n\"There's {69} no repentance in the grave, or pardon offered to the\ndead.\" That is modern \"Christianity.\"\n\nSalvation For the Dead.\n\nBut that is not the Christianity of Christ. I would direct the\nattention of my friends to the book of the Prophet Isaiah. I will not\ntake time to turn to it this afternoon. Read the 61st chapter, 1st\nverse, and you will find there this prophecy concerning the coming of\nthe Redeemer: (See also 42nd chapter, 7th verse.)\n\n    \"The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath\n    anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me\n    to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives,\n    and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; to proclaim\n    the acceptable year of the Lord.\"\n\nJesus Christ accepted that as a prediction concerning Himself, as you\nwill read in the Gospel according to St. Luke, (iv, 18) by getting up\nin the synagogue on the Sabbath day and reading that Scripture to the\nJews, testifying that it referred to Himself. Jesus, while He dwelt\nin the flesh, preached good tidings to the meek. He healed the sick;\nHe comforted those that mourned; He bound up the brokenhearted. But\nhow about proclaiming liberty to the captives, and the opening of the\nprison to them that were bound? The Apostle Paul says that when Jesus\nwas raised up on high \"He led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto\nmen.\" How did He lead captivity captive? Why, Peter explained it, but\nthe eyes of the \"Christian\" world have been closed to it for hundreds\nof years. In the 3rd chapter of the 1st Epistle of Peter, 18-20 vs., we\nread:\n\n    \"For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the\n    unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the\n    flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: by which also he went.\"\n\nNow, mark it. He was put to death in the flesh; He was quickened by the\nSpirit; and He went--where? Our \"Christian\" friends say He went up to\nheaven. That is a mistake, because Jesus after His resurrection, when\nHe appeared to Mary in the garden, said, \"Touch me not; for I am not\nyet ascended to my Father.\" (John xx, 17.) Where did He go, Peter? Let\nus hear what he says:\n\n    \"By which also He went and preached unto the spirits in prison.\"\n\nYes; Isaiah said He should \"preach deliverance to the captives, and\nthe opening of the prison to them that were {70} bound.\" He went and\npreached unto the spirits in prison. Who were they, Peter? He tells us:\n\n    \"Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of\n    God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing.\"\n\nNow, if we will take that just as it stands, and leave out the\ninterpretations given by uninspired men and the nonsense preachers\nweave around it to mystify, we can understand it right enough. Jesus\nChrist was put to death in the flesh; He was quickened by the Spirit;\nHis body lay in the sepulchre, while He went and preached to the\nspirits in prison, who had been there since the days of the flood. What\ndid He preach to them? We can find that out by reading the sixth verse\nof the next chapter of this epistle:\n\n    \"For, for this cause was the Gospel preached also to them that are\n    dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but\n    live according to God in the spirit.\"\n\nHere is an account of what was preached to them and the object of the\npreaching. He preached the Gospel to them, the same Gospel that He\npreached in the flesh. He preached it to them that they might be judged\nas men in the flesh are, because they had the same Gospel preached to\nthem. They could not be judged like men in the flesh unless they had\nthe same Gospel preached to them as men in the flesh had. The heathen\nwho never heard the Gospel cannot be judged like those who have heard\nit; but if they hear it in the spirit, then they can be judged in\nthe same way as other men are judged in the flesh; and they may live\naccording to God in the spirit, because they can repent and receive\nthat Gospel.\n\nThis is clear and plain to those who desire to understand it. But when\nmen do not want the truth; when men live by publishing falsehoods; when\nmen preach for hire and divine for money, and their craft is in danger,\nthey do not want to see it, nor do they want their congregations to\nperceive it. We can thus understand what I read to you just now from\nthis modern revelation. Jesus Christ died for the sins of the world,\nand He will eventually save all, except a few who are called the sons\nof perdition, who deny the Son after the Father has revealed him, who\nsin against the Holy Ghost, and against light and truth, and who are\nirredeemable. But all things that can be saved will be; for our God is\na great economist. Everything in His universe is put to a good use,\nand nothing is lost. Not a particle of matter is annihilated. You may\nburn a {71} substance and destroy its present form, but the particles\nthereof remain, the original elements abide; they are indestructible,\nand God has a use for them somewhere in His universe. Our Heavenly\nFather will save everything that can be saved, and He will put it\nsomewhere where it can be of use. All His sons and daughters, at some\ntime or other in the eternity to come, will hear the Gospel, and will\nbow the knee; for as we are told in the New Testament, \"As I live,\nsaith the Lord, every knee shall bow to Me, and every tongue shall\nconfess to God.\" And also: \"Every tongue shall confess that Jesus\nChrist is Lord to the glory of God the Father.\" (Philip, ii: 2.) And\nthen when they do bow the knee and receive Christ as their Redeemer, He\nwill redeem and save them; He will take them out of the prison house,\nand He will lead captivity captive, again and again, until every son\nand daughter of Adam's race who can be saved will be brought out of\nhell and death, darkness and despair, suffering and punishment, and\nplaced somewhere where they can enjoy existence and glorify their God\nand be of benefit to one another.\n\nThat is the Gospel of Jesus Christ as revealed to the Latter-day\nSaints. That is the Gospel in which we delight. Salvation! Oh, the\njoyful sound! We do not wish to condemn; we do not wish to injure; we\ndo not wish to curse; we do not wish to revile our enemies. We are glad\nin the thought that even those who revile us, and persecute us, and say\nall manner of evil against us falsely for Christ's sake, will some day\nor other understand the truth as it is; and we hope, as instruments in\nthe hands of God, that we will peradventure be chosen to help them out\nof darkness, out of despair and punishment, when they have paid their\ndues, because the authority that God has revealed continues and abides.\nIt seals on earth and it is sealed in heaven. It does not depart with\nthe body. The men whom God has called in this generation to labor for\nHis cause, when they die and lay their bodies down, like their Great\nMaster will go into the spirit world where there are myriads of people\nwho need enlightenment--\"Christians,\" pagans, heathens, all races, all\ntribes, all tongues. The work of the servants of God is to them in the\nspirit as well as to men in the flesh. They are to preach the Gospel to\nevery creature, and the sound thereof will go to the uttermost bounds\nof the spiritual world as well as to the natural world; and every\nimmortal spirit, son or daughter of the great Eternal Father, will have\nan opportunity to bow the knee and accept the truth.\n\n{72}\n\nDifferent Degrees of Glory.\n\nBut they will not all be saved in the same degree of glory. That would\nbe unjust. God is just as well as merciful. His mercy balances with His\njustice, and His justice with His mercy. One will not rob the other.\nThere are eternal principles from which even He cannot swerve and still\nbe God. God must govern Himself by the eternal principles of right.\nThis He teaches to His children, and so far as we conform to that, so\nfar will be our power, our glory, our joy and our exaltation in worlds\nto come. The Gospel is preached to men and women in the flesh; and\nif they repent, and are baptized in the name of the Father, and of\nthe Son, and of the Holy Ghost, by one having divine authority, and\nreceive the Holy Spirit by the laying on of hands, as a gift of God to\nenlighten their minds and guide them into all truth, and they abide in\nit and are really baptized into Christ, then when Christ appears in\nHis glory they will be with Him, and be numbered as His jewels. They\nwill be \"Christ's at His coming.\" They will have part in the first\nresurrection. They will be clothed with glory, immortality and eternal\nlife. They will dwell in the presence of the Father and of the Son\nforever. They will be crowned with the power of His might. Those who\nbelong to them, if also faithful, will share this glory with them--the\nhusband with the wife, the parents with the children. The beginning of\ntheir glory will be the foundation of their family government, under\ntheir Eternal Father, for ever and ever; and their increase in numbers,\nin power, in might, in dominion, in intelligence, in everlasting\nprogress, in all that is good and beautiful and happifying, will have\nno end. This is in the celestial glory--the glory that is typified by\nthe sun. Then there are others who receive not the Gospel of Christ in\nthe flesh, but afterwards receive it in the spirit; they will receive\na terrestrial glory, typified by the moon. There will be millions\nof the heathen nations, who knew not God on the earth, but who will\nreceive the truth in the other world, and they will inherit a glory\nof the kind that I have here briefly alluded to. Then there is a vast\nnumber, which cannot be counted by mortal man, who will be thrust down\nto punishment. Justice will claim its own. Some will be beaten by a few\nstripes, and some by many stripes. Some will be forgiven in the next\nworld for sins that they did not repent of in this world, and others\nmay have to pay \"the uttermost farthing.\" Eternal justice will deal out\nto every soul that which should be his; for all shall be judged {73}\naccording to their works. But through the power of the atonement of our\nLord Jesus Christ, when they are willing to accept it and to conform\nto the principles of eternal life, they will be brought out of their\npunishment and sorrow, and they will be placed in a degree of glory\nsuited to their capacity and condition. That glory is called the glory\nof the stars; and as one star differs from another star in glory, so\nalso will be their several conditions.\n\nEternal justice and eternal mercy will each operate in every individual\ncase, and a just and righteous judge will deal out that which belongs\nto all. He will not judge as men do, by the sight of the eye and\nthe hearing of the ear; but He will judge according to justice and\nrighteousness and according to the motives and intents of the hearts\nof the children of men. Men strive to do right sometimes and fail.\nGod will judge them accordingly. There are people born with certain\ntendencies and proclivities; there are others who have environments\naround them which almost impel them to do that which is evil. God\nwill comprehend all this, and judge accordingly. He will deal out to\nevery man as his works shall be, and according to the desires of his\nheart and his efforts to do good or to do evil. He who wilfully does\nevil will reap evil. There is an eternal law of compensation, which\nGod cannot turn aside and be God. Every tree will bring forth its own\nfruit. Every seed will bear of its kind. \"He that sows to the flesh\nshall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that sows to the Spirit\nshall of the Spirit reap life eternal.\"\n\nLiberality of the Gospel.\n\nThis, I think, is a very liberal Gospel. But we do not claim credit for\nit, my friends. This was not invented by the boy Prophet Joseph Smith,\nwho was proclaimed an ignoramus, a fool, an idiot, a knave. No, he did\nnot invent this beautiful doctrine that I have been briefly proclaiming\nthis afternoon. It was revealed from on high. It came by the voice of\nGod from the eternal heavens. It is too good for a man to originate.\nIt is Godlike; it is Christlike; it is broad, beautiful, and grand. It\nreaches the whole of the human race, from Adam, our father, down to the\nlast person born on this globe. The heathen, the \"Christian,\" the Jew,\nthe pagan, the Mohamedan, the infidel, the skeptic, the agnostic, all\npeople, all races, all tongues, all tribes--all shall hear the Gospel.\nEvery ear shall tingle with the sound thereof. Some may say, how can\nan ear tingle in the spirit? My friends, perhaps you do not know much\nabout these things that are {74} called spiritual. The spirit of man is\nan entity, a personality, a substance. It is not a mere myth, a breath.\nTrue, it is a more refined substance than that which composes our body,\nso much so that we cannot comprehend it in our present condition.\nBut when the spirit goes out of the body it is an individual, in the\nsame shape and form as the body, because the body is conformed to the\nspirit. Sometimes the spirit is temporarily conformed to the body in\ndeformed persons; but these are exceptional cases. The spirit of man\nis a son of God, made in His image and likeness. Jesus was the express\nlikeness of the Father, and we are His brothers and sisters. He is the\noldest, \"the beginning of the creation of God,\" \"the first born of\nevery creature\" in the spirit, and \"the only begotten\" in the flesh.\nWhen the spirit leaves the body, there is an individual, capable of\nprogress, capable of hearing, capable of receiving or rejecting, an\nindividual with agency, with power to do good and power to do evil.\nAnd these spirits will be gathered together in classes. Each spirit,\nwhen it leaves the body, will gravitate to its proper place, just as\nnaturally as things gravitate on this globe towards the center thereof.\nIt will be so in the spiritual world; for earthly things are after\nthe pattern of heavenly things. Thus each individual will have an\nopportunity, at some time, of hearing and receiving the truth. And,\nthank God, we have the assurance that the time will come when the great\nmass of the human family will cheerfully bow the knee to the Great\nEternal Father and accept Jesus Christ, the Elder Brother, as their\nRedeemer. They will receive the Gospel in the spirit, if they did not\nin the flesh; and then they will be judged according to their works.\nThe Father will find a place for them all, somewhere in His great\nuniverse, where they can be happy, where they can fill the measure of\ntheir creation, where they can progress forever, learn more and more,\nbecome better, brighter and more glorious, and unite with Him in His\ngreat and glorious purposes concerning His children.\n\nThis is the Gospel of Christ as we understand it. Now contrast that, my\ndear friends, for a moment, with the religion that is commonly taught\nin the Christian world by people who say that we are illiberal. What do\nthey tell us? \"If you do not believe in Jesus Christ while you dwell in\nthe flesh, when you die you will go to hell.\" What is hell? \"It is a\nplace of burning torment, where you will welter in misery so great that\nno tongue can tell it, forever and forever, and there will be no end to\nit.\" And some of them will tell you that God, before the foundations of\nthe earth, in the very {75} beginning, chose a few out of the rubbish\nof nature to be saved and exalted to His divine glory, and the rest\nwere doomed to everlasting condemnation and ceaseless misery in flames\nand torment with the devil and his angels. Which is the more liberal\ndoctrine of the two?\n\n\"Everlasting Punishment.\"\n\nBut what about this \"everlasting punishment?\" Does not the Bible teach\neverlasting punishment? Yes. If I had time I would read something\nfrom Section 19 of this Book of Doctrine and Covenants in regard to\nthat; but I will briefly allude to it. The Lord revealed to Joseph\nSmith that \"eternal punishment is God's punishment,\" because God is\neternal. The meaning of that is this: An eternal Being, having eternal\nlaws, has also eternal penalties; and those who will not obey the laws\nmust suffer the penalties. The penalty will abide forever, because\nit is eternal; but a man will not suffer it forever. Each individual\nwill receive of that punishment that which eternal justice will mark\nout as his due. To illustrate it in a simple way: Here we have a\npenitentiary. Some men go in there for six months and when their time\nexpires they come out; but the penitentiary still abides. It is there\nfor all transgressors. Men go in there for a year, or two years, as the\ncase may be, and when they have served their term they come out; but\nthe penitentiary still remains. So with the judgments of our Eternal\nFather. He is endless, eternal; His laws are eternal. His punishment\nis eternal. But He is just, and He will give to all who disobey His\nlaws just that meed of eternal punishment which they ought to have,\nand no more. They will be judged \"according to their works.\" If they\nare worthy of but few stripes, they will not have many; if they are\nworthy of many, they will not get off with a few. If they ought to pay\n\"the uttermost farthing\" without being forgiven, they will have to pay\nit. If there are circumstances in their case which warrant forgiveness\nafter a certain amount of punishment, the Lord will forgive them and\ndeliver them.\n\nWork in the Spirit World.\n\nThe organization of His Church is for the proclamation of the Gospel,\nnot only in the flesh, but also in the spirit. The Church on earth is\nunited with the Church behind the veil. The Prophet Joseph Smith, who\nwas martyred for the word of God and testimony of Jesus and who sealed\nhis testimony with his blood, and his brother Hyrum, opened the door\n{76} of salvation to the spirit world for the last dispensation, as\nChrist opened it for the time that He went there. Our Apostles, Elders\nand brethren who have followed, who have laid down their lives for the\ntruth, who have been worn out in the service of God and in laboring\nfor the salvation of mankind, are also laboring there among the hosts\nthat sit in darkness. We who still remain in the flesh expect, when\nour earthly work is done, to follow on; and the priesthood which\nthe Almighty has given us wherewith to labor for the uplifting and\nsalvation of mankind in the flesh, will be our authority and power when\nwe pass behind the veil and mingle with the spirits of the departed.\nThe Gospel will be preached to every creature, whether in the body or\nout of the body, \"the quick and the dead.\" Christ preached the Gospel\nto those that were dead as well as to the quick, and we expect to\nfollow in His footsteps, according to His promise, \"He that believeth\nin me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than\nthese shall he do, because I go to the Father.\"\n\nMy friends, I have only just touched on the outer rim of this great\ntheme of salvation. Our Heavenly Father prepared the plan of salvation\nbefore this earth rolled into being, before the cornerstones thereof\nwere laid, \"when the morning stars sang together and all the sons of\nGod shouted for joy,\" and when Jesus, our Elder Brother, \"the Lamb\nslain from the foundation of the world,\" was prepared for the sacrifice\nto come in the meridian of time. And Lucifer, who was cast down with\nhis hosts, and who leads men astray, will not gain the victory. He\nwill not triumph over the Redeemer. Christ will \"destroy death, and\nhim that hath the power of death, which is the devil;\" and, as I have\nread to you, He will redeem all that the Father hath placed in His\npower--all His brothers and sisters. They in the spirit will be brought\nout of darkness and punishment, and they will all reach some condition\nin the places prepared of God. In the many mansions that there are in\nthe Father's kingdom they will all find a place, after they have paid\nthe penalty, where they can bow the knee to the Lord and be happy; for\nthough \"Adam fell that men might be, men are that they may have joy.\"\nGod has created us to give us happiness and pleasure.\n\nCherish No Evil Feeling.\n\nMy brethren and sisters, let us take care that having received the\nGospel, we are led by the spirit thereof and are kind to one another,\nand that we cherish the spirit of {77} kindness to the world, even\nto those who may persecute us, and deride us, and say all manner of\nevil against us falsely. Do not cherish the spirit of retaliation and\nrevenge in your hearts. \"Vengeance is mine: I will repay, saith the\nLord.\" It is not for us to take vengeance. Let us entertain the kindest\nfeelings we can. Where it is appropriate, let us say as Jesus did,\n\"Father, forgive them; they know not what they do.\" Oh! I wish that I\ncould say that with regard to some of those who speak evil of us--that\nthey know not what they do; I would cherish in my heart a feeling of\nsympathy and pity for them; but I know to the contrary. Many of them\nknow what they are doing; and when they speak falsely against us they\ndo it wilfully, with a knowledge that they are telling that which is\nuntrue. But even then we leave them in the hands of our Eternal Father;\nfor He will deal out a righteous judgment to all. We can afford to pity\nthem; for they will reap the consequences of their wicked acts, as sure\nas the sun rises and sets, and as sure as justice will have its own.\nLet us be kind to one another. Let us help one another on the road of\nlife, and be a comfort and a blessing to those with whom we associate,\ninstead of a curse. Put away all our evil feelings, our jealousies, our\nfaultfinding, our irritability, our disposition to say and do things\nthat are bad, and let the Spirit that comes from Christ our Redeemer\nflow down into our souls and quicken and enlighten us. I know that that\nSpirit is in the Church. I know it is a reality. I know this Church\nis the Church of Christ, that He has established it, that He is with\nit, and that His revelations and His Spirit are in it. I know it by\nexperience. I know what I am talking about, just as sure as I know that\nI am standing here. I know this work will prosper and go on. Barriers\nmay be raised in its way; its enemies may come against it like a flood,\nand weapons may be formed to attack it; but \"no weapon that is formed\nagainst it shall prosper, and the tongue that rises in judgment against\nit God will condemn.\" The truth will be triumphant; the Gospel will\nbe preached to every creature; the honest will be gathered out; the\nkingdom of our God will be built up; Christ our Redeemer will come; the\nearth will be redeemed from sorrow, from sin, and from the power of\nSatan, and Jesus will \"reign in Mount Zion and Jerusalem, and before\nHis ancients gloriously,\" and a rich reward shall come to all those who\nare faithful in Him.\n\nMay God help us to perform our part in this great and glorious work,\nand may we obtain the crown in the kingdom of our Father, for Christ's\nsake. Amen.\n\n{78}\n\n\n\nMORMONISM JUDGED BY ITS EFFECTS.\n\nBy Elder C. W. Penrose, In Millennial Star, 1866.\n\nAs every tree is known by its fruits, so every principle may be known\nby its influences, and every system by its effects. \"Mormonism\" has\nbeen introduced into the world upwards of thirty-six years; and\nalthough no fair opportunity has been granted, for the development of\nits influences, yet by its inherent vitality, it has forced itself into\nnotice and power; and its effects have been sufficiently manifested, to\nenable us to judge the nature of the cause that produced them.\n\nFirst, let us examine the effects produced upon the minds of those who\nembrace \"Mormonism.\" One of the promises held out by its advocates,\nis that those who obey its precepts shall \"come to a knowledge of the\ntruth.\" Now this is a blessing which professing Christians of modern\ntimes are sadly deficient of. They believe, they hope, they desire,\nbut do not come to any definite knowledge in relation to God and their\nposition before him. But those who have embraced \"Mormonism,\" in every\nplace where you meet them, whether in Britain, France, Switzerland,\nGermany, Scandinavia, Africa, India, America, or the islands of the\nsea, all testify that they know they have embraced the truth, that\ntheir sins are remitted, and that they are accepted of God, and brought\ninto communion with Him. Doubt has fled from them, and faith has grown\ninto knowledge.\n\nAnother effect of \"Mormonism\" is, that it abolishes the fear of death.\nAll its faithful adherents will testify that the terror of death has\nentirely departed from them. The great mass of mankind are haunted\nwith a dread of entering upon that \"undiscovered country, from whose\nbourne no traveler returns.\" Even to the most pious members of the\nvarious \"Christian\" sects, there is something awful and terrible in\ndeath. This fear brings the whole world into bondage; but \"Mormonism\"\nbringing knowledge to the mind, liberates it from doubt and fear, and\nestablishes the soul in \"the liberty of the Gospel.\"\n\n\"Mormonism\" creates or induces faith in the human soul. This faith is\nexhibited practically. When the \"Mormons\" are sick, they send for the\nElders of the Church, who anoint {79} them with oil, and lay their\nhands upon them, believing in the promise of God that \"the prayer\nof faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise them up.\" In\nthousands of instances their faith has been effectual; disease has fled\nbefore it; the eyes of the blind have been opened, the tongue of the\ndumb has been unloosed, the ears of the deaf have been unstopped, the\nlame man has \"leaped like the hare,\" and the spirit of life, invoked\nby the power of faith, has forced the \"King of Terrors\" to relax\nhis grasp and retire from his intended victim. Scores of thousands\nof the \"Mormons\" have braved the perils of the treacherous sea, and\nencountered the dangers of the wild prairies, and the mountain heights,\nin obedience to the commandment of God, because of their faith in\nHis promises to them. Few of them would have left the homes of their\nforefathers, but for this faith. Numbers of them had a natural and\nintense dread of the briny deep, until \"Mormonism\" animated them with\nfaith to go anywhere, or do anything that God commanded them, relying\nupon His guidance and protection. By the faith with which \"Mormonism\"\nhas inspired them, the Elders of Israel have gone forth, \"without purse\nor scrip,\" to the four quarters of the globe, preaching the Gospel of\nLife and Salvation, looking to God for their daily support, and for\nwisdom to acquire a knowledge of languages, and customs, and nations,\nand men; exhibiting in their labors, a faith unparalleled in the\nhistory of the world. If believing the promises of God were \"accounted\nfor righteousness\" in Abraham, so it will be in the Saints of this\ndispensation, who have proved by their faith and their works, that they\nare in very deed \"the children of Abraham.\"\n\n\"Mormonism\" also produces peace of mind in all who are faithful to its\nprinciples. That inestimable boon for which millions seek in vain,\nis found in \"Mormonism.\" It is one of its pre-eminent effects. The\nsoul, freed from its load of long-accumulated guilt, lifted up from\nthe depths of fear and doubt, into a perfect consciousness of its\nfreedom, lit up by the lamp of the spirit of truth, strengthened by a\nfull knowledge of its acceptance with God, feels a soft, gentle calm\ngathering around it like a heavenly halo, centering to its inmost\ndepths, and establishing therein \"the peace of God which passeth all\nunderstanding.\"\n\nThe result of these several effects of \"Mormonism,\" united upon the\nmind, is the grand desideratum of humanity, viz., happiness. The\npursuit of happiness is the great motive power of all exertion. The\n\"Mormons\" we make bold to say, are the happiest people to be found\nupon the face of the earth. {80} Living without the fear of death,\nbelieving that there is no phase of existence more important than the\npresent, they work to enjoy life today, having no dread of tomorrow.\nUnderstanding through the teachings of \"Mormonism\" that all things in\nthe universe which are calculated to impart joy, are ordained of God\nfor His creatures, they seek lawfully to obtain them, and to use them\nwithout abusing them. They can rejoice in the midst of the most trying\ncircumstances. While misrepresented, ridiculed, persecuted, abused, and\ndeprived of their just rights, they richly enjoy the happiness which\ntheir enemies ineffectually strive to obtain. The absence of sadness\nand grief from their countenances is so noticeable, that the pious,\nlong faced, \"Miserable sinners\" of the various sects declare, with\nuplifted eyes that \"the Mormons have no religion in them.\" Happiness\nfills their hearts, gladness smiles upon their faces, and joy sparkles\nin their eyes.\n\n\"Mormonism\" has the power of uniting its adherents in a manner\nvery different and far superior to any other system in the world.\nThe unity of the \"Mormons\" is noticed and acknowledged by their\nbitterest enemies, while, at the same time, the disunion among all\nother religious bodies, and political organizations, is admitted and\ndeplored. There is a spirit in \"Mormonism,\" which leads its followers\ninto unity of sentiment, belief and action. No matter how varied\ntheir opinions before; no matter how diverse their sentiments, when\nthey embrace \"Mormonism,\" they are \"all baptized by one spirit into\none body;\" they have \"one Lord, one faith, and one baptism,\" and \"one\nhope of their calling.\" They are inspired with a desire to gather from\nall the countries of the earth to one place, and to act in concert\ntogether, to accomplish one object, viz., to build up the universal\nkingdom of the one God. This power of unity is so great, that all the\nefforts made by its opponents to dissolve or weaken it, are perfectly\nfutile, and in fact only serve to defeat their intended object,\nrendering its unity more compact, and consequently its strength more\npotent and enduring.\n\n\"Mormonism\" is the pioneer of intelligence. Mark the path of its\ntravel, whether by its own free will, marching forth to fight its way\namong the nations, or driven out from the haunts of men, staining\nits track with its own blood; wherever it has paused for a season,\nor made a permanent location, newspapers, schools, organizations for\nimprovement, etc., start into life and flourish. It is a friend to all\ntrue art and real science, and wars against nothing but that which\ndebases and destroys.\n\n{81} \"Mormonism\" has taken many thousands of poor, honest people,\nwho were miserably dragging out their almost worthless existence,\nin poverty and servitude, and placed them in a position to become\nindependent, free and comfortable, with an object in life to stimulate\nthem to virtuous and intelligent action. It has transplanted them from\nthe over-crowded, badly-governed, and vice-reeking countries of the\nOld World, into the virgin soil, the pure atmosphere, and the free\ninstitutions of the New World, and that in a new part, where there is\nroom to move, and where the corruptions of modern civilization find no\nelement on which to flourish. It has given them an inheritance upon the\nearth, a spot they can call their own, and bequeath to their children,\nand it has given them a voice in all affairs which concern their well\nbeing and progress. It will continue the good work of emancipation, and\nbring joy and gladness to the honest among the down trodden millions.\n\n\"Mormonism\" has solved the great problem of the social evil, and has\nshown the world how a community can exist and thrive, in the nineteenth\ncentury, without a \"loathsome ulcer\" of female prostitution. It has\ngiven a practical answer to the difficult question of \"adequate female\nemployment,\" and shown how every woman can have opportunity to \"fill\nthe measure of her creation,\" and become an honorable wife and happy\nmother, instead of pining in single misery, toiling for a scanty meal,\nor wasting a short and shameful life, in pandering to the filthy lusts\nof the worst men.\n\n\"Mormonism\" has planted itself in a spot given up by all the world\nto the solitude of barbarism, and has developed the sudden wealth of\na vast region supposed to be barren and worthless. Its effects may\nbe seen in the fruitful fields, the lovely orchards, the tasteful\ndwellings, the handsome stores, the stately public building,\ntabernacles and school houses, the pleasant shade trees, the sweet\nscented flowers, and the life bearing water courses, and also may be\nheard in the hum of industry, the stir of trade, and melody of the\nsong of praise, and the harmony of musical instruments, in more than a\nhundred towns and cities, where nineteen years ago not a single human\nhabitation could be seen, save the rude wick-e-up of the wandering\nIndian, nor a sound of human life could be heard except the horrid yell\nof the red man, shrieking through the affrighted air, and awakening\nthe startled echoes in the stillness of the mountains. Its effects may\nbe seen in the order, peace, unity, sobriety, virtue, intelligence,\nfaith, fortitude, wealth, and happiness of its followers, the most {82}\nlaw-abiding, God-fearing, truth-loving and practical people upon the\nface of the earth.\n\nAre not the fruits borne by the tree of \"Mormonism,\" in the short space\nof thirty-six years from the planting of the seed, good, sound and\nabundant? And is not every tree known by its fruits?\n\n\"Mormonism\" is a stem planted by the hand of the Lord; watered by\n\"the blood of Saints and of Prophets;\" it flourishes gloriously. Its\nroots are striking deeper every day, and its thriftly branches shoot\nforth vigorously. The blasts of hell cannot wither it; the fire of the\nworld's wrath cannot touch it; but while \"every tree that the Father\nhas not planted shall be rooted up,\" this \"plant of renown,\" which is\nthe \"kingdom of heaven,\" growing up on the face of the earth, shall\nstretch out its mighty boughs, and yield forth its precious fruit, till\nthe whole earth reposes under its shelter, and the heavenly ones shall\n\"lodge in the branches thereof.\"\n\n    \"_We have been driven time after time, and that without cause;\n    and smitten again and again, and that without provocation; until\n    we have proved the world with kindness, and the world has proved\n    us, that we have no designs against any man or set of men; that we\n    injure no man; that we are peaceable with all men, minding our own\n    business, and our business only_.\"\n\n    --_Joseph Smith, September, 1, 1838_.\n\n{83}\n\n\n\nThe \"Reorganized\" Church vs. Salvation For the Dead.\n\nBy Joseph F. Smith, Jr.\n\n    \"And Saviors shall come up on Mount Zion to judge the Mount of Esau\n    and the Kingdom shall be the Lords.\" Obadiah, 21st verse.\n\nThe so-called \"Reorganized\" church, which is so bitter in its\nantagonism towards the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, has\nclaimed from its beginning to be teaching and practicing the doctrines\nof the Gospel as they were revealed from God through the Prophet Joseph\nSmith. Its officers declare that they are walking in the footsteps\nof the martyred Seer; hewing closely to the line, and observing in\nall things the commandments which were given from God through his\ninstrumentality, without variation, change, or loss of power from all\nthat pertains to the salvation of the human family in this dispensation\nof the fullness of times.\n\nTheir foundation is built upon the absurd and misty claim that the\nChurch of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which was established\nApril 6, 1830, through the labors of Joseph Smith the Prophet and the\nwill of God, was \"rejected with its dead for transgression of its\nmembers,\" and that the \"Reorganized\" church is a \"new organization\" [1]\nwhich God raised up to succeed the original--but as they would have us\nbelieve, \"rejected\"--Church.\n\nIt is not my purpose to discuss the foolish question of the \"rejection\nof the Church,\" but to examine the Reorganite position in regard to\nsalvation for the dead; and to show their lack of harmony with the\nteachings of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints pertaining\nto the dead, as those teachings have been revealed through the\nlatter-day Prophet.\n\nIt stands to reason that if the Lord rejected His Church _with its\ndead_ because of transgression, or any other cause {84} whatever, that\nHe would not raise up a substitute church to carry on His work on earth\nand still keep the dead--who could in no wise be held responsible\nfor the rejection--in suspension, and deny to them the privilege of\nreceiving the ordinances of the Gospel by proxy according to the\nrevealed plan of God as it was ordained from before the foundations of\nthe world were laid, as a means of salvation to those who die without\na knowledge of the Gospel. To any reasonable mind this truth would\nneed no argument. Yet the \"Reorganized\" church declares that the Lord\ndid this very thing; and in the light of the revelations given to the\nProphet Joseph as well as those in the ancient Scriptures, which bear\non this subject of salvation for the dead, their declaration is fatal\nto their organization; it stamps it as fraudulent and their officers as\nimpostors. A church without salvation for the dead, according to the\nrevealed will of God to the Prophet Joseph Smith, cannot be the Church\nof Christ.\n\nWhen the Angel Moroni appeared to Joseph Smith on the night of\nSeptember 21, 1823, he imparted to the youthful Seer many truths of the\ngreatest importance pertaining to the restoration of the Gospel and the\nestablishment of the Church which, the angel said, was about to take\nplace. These instructions were of such weight that they were repeated\ntwice more that night and again the following day, in order that this\nyoung man, upon whose shoulders the burden of the latter day work\nshould rest, might be sufficiently impressed with the greatness and\nimportance of his mission. Among the instructions given by the angel\nat this time, the doctrine of salvation for the dead had an important\npart. This heavenly messenger said that the prophecy of Malachi the\nProphet was about to be fulfilled, and he quoted the fourth chapter of\nMalachi, but with this variation:\n\n    \"For, behold, the day cometh that shall burn as an oven, and all\n    the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly shall burn as stubble;\n    for they that come shall burn them, saith the Lord of hosts, that\n    it shall leave them neither root nor branch. * * * Behold, I will\n    reveal unto you the Priesthood, by the hand of Elijah the prophet,\n    before the coming of that great and dreadful day of the Lord. And\n    he shall plant in the hearts of the children the promises made to\n    their fathers, and the hearts of the children shall turn to their\n    fathers; if it were not so, the whole earth would be utterly wasted\n    at his coming.\" (History of the Church, Vol. I, page 12.)\n\nAt that time the full meaning and glory and significance of this\ninstruction were not understood by the Prophet, although it made a deep\nimpression on his mind. On the 3d day of April, 1836, it was fulfilled,\nfor Elijah the Prophet {85} appeared in the Kirtland Temple to Joseph\nSmith and Oliver Cowdery, and conferred upon them this Priesthood and\nthe keys of the salvation for the dead stating that--\n\n    \"Behold the time has fully come, which was spoken of by the mouth\n    of Malachi, testifying that he (Elijah) should be sent before the\n    great and dreadful day of the Lord come. To turn the hearts of the\n    fathers to the children, and the children to their fathers, lest\n    the whole earth be smitten with a curse. Therefore the keys of this\n    dispensation are committed into your hands, and by this ye may know\n    that the great and dreadful day of the Lord is near, even at the\n    doors.\" (Doc. and Cov. 110: 13-16. History of \"Reorganized\" Church,\n    Vol. 2, page 47.)\n\nFollowing the bestowal of this Priesthood with its keys, the spirit\nof salvation for the dead was poured out in abundance upon the heads\nof the Prophet and his people whose hearts began to turn toward their\ndead fathers. After the Church settled in Nauvoo, baptism for the dead\nwas instituted, the Lord, at first, permitting the ordinance to be\nperformed in the Mississippi river, but later revealing to the Saints\nthat the proper place for this and other rites for the salvation of\nthe dead, must be performed in a Temple built purposely for such\nordinances, and that only in times of their extreme poverty could\nthese ordinances be performed elsewhere by His people. Such a temple\nthe Saints were commanded to build, and on the 21st of November, 1841,\nbaptisms for the dead, which had been discontinued in the river at\nNauvoo by command of God, October 3, 1841, were resumed in the font of\nthe Lord's House, which had been dedicated for that purpose. [2] These\nordinances continued to be performed until the Temple was completed and\nthe Saints were driven from Nauvoo. The spirit of Elijah's work, which\nhad rested so mightily upon the Prophet Joseph, continued with Brigham\nYoung and the \"Mormon\" people during their travels in the wilderness,\nand when they arrived in the valleys of the Rocky Mountains, the first\ncommandment to them from the Lord, was to build a Temple to His name,\nwhere the ordinances of salvation for the living and for the dead could\nbe performed. This work was done as speedily as possible and from that\nday to the present the spirit of Temple building and of Temple work for\nthe salvation of mankind has continued with the Church.\n\nThis action on the part of the Church under the leadership of the\nsuccessors of Joseph Smith is in harmony with the Scriptures and the\nteachings and commandments given to the {86} Prophet. He declared that\nbaptism for the dead--the opening of the prison house to them that sit\nin darkness, and the proclamation of liberty to the captives--was the\nmost glorious of all subjects belonging to the everlasting Gospel,\nand so greatly was he wrought upon by this work that the subject\noccupied his mind almost constantly before his death. Moreover, a\nshort time before his martyrdom, the Prophet bestowed upon the Twelve\nApostles--who constitute the second quorum in the Church--all the keys\nand all the ordinances and Priesthood necessary for them to hold in\norder to carry on this great and glorious work of universal salvation.\n\nThat the Twelve did receive these keys and powers, we learn from the\nfollowing quotations from the Times and Seasons. Orson Hyde, one of\nthat quorum, said:\n\n    \"Before I went east on the 4th of April (1844) last, we were in\n    council with Brother Joseph almost every day for weeks, said\n    Brother Joseph in one of those councils, there is something going\n    to happen; I don't know what it is, but the Lord bids me to hasten\n    and give you your endowment before the Temple is finished. He\n    conducted us through every ordinance of the Holy Priesthood, and\n    when he had gone through with all the ordinances he rejoiced very\n    much, and said, now if they kill me you have got all the keys,\n    and all the ordinances and you can confer them upon others, and\n    the hosts of Satan will not be able to tear down the Kingdom as\n    fast as you will be able to build it up; and now, said he, on your\n    shoulders will the responsibility of leading this people rest.\"\n    (Times and Seasons, Vol. 5, page 651.)\n\nThis testimony is corroborated by the testimony of Elder Wilford\nWoodruff, which is found in the same volume, page 698, wherein he says:\n\n    \"And when they (the Twelve) received their endowment, and actually\n    the keys of the Kingdom of God, and oracles of God, keys of\n    revelation, and the pattern of heavenly things; and thus addressing\n    the Twelve (Joseph) exclaimed, 'Upon your shoulders the Kingdom\n    rests, and you must round up your shoulders and bear it, for I have\n    had to do it until now.'\"\n\nSister Bathsheba W. Smith, wife of George A. Smith, one of the Twelve\nto whom these keys were given, was present in the council meetings\nabove referred to, and in an affidavit, dated November 19, 1903, says:\n\n    \"In the year 1844, a short time before the death of the Prophet\n    Joseph Smith, it was my privilege to attend a regular prayer circle\n    meeting in the upper room over the Prophet's store. There were\n    present at this meeting most of the Twelve Apostles, their wives\n    and a number of other prominent brethren and their wives. On that\n    occasion the Prophet arose and spoke at great length, and during\n    his remarks I heard him say that he had conferred on the heads of\n    {87} the Twelve Apostles all the keys and powers pertaining to the\n    Priesthood, and that upon the heads of the Twelve Apostles the\n    burden of the Kingdom rested, and that they would have to carry it.\"\n\nHaving shown the consistency of the Church of Jesus Christ of\nLatter-day Saints with regard to the doctrine of salvation for the\ndead; and having shown that the keys of this work, and all other keys\npertaining to the salvation of mankind have continued with the Church,\nwe will now consider the attitude of the \"Reorganization\" in relation\nto this grand and eternal principle of the redemption of the dead.\n\nAt first the founders of the \"Reorganized\" church appeared to favor\nit and declared that when the \"Reorganization\" was established that\nthis principle would be practiced, for as the \"rejection of the church\nproduced an effect on the dead,\" said they, \"as well as on the living,\nso will the reorganization.\" [3] But when the \"reorganization\" took\nplace the change that was promised in regard to the dead was not\nfulfilled, and since that time to the present day--over forty-five\nyears--baptism for the dead, Temple building and Temple work, have\nnever been, by that organization, practiced or entertained. In fact\nthey have turned about face and have rejected peremptorily the doctrine\nof baptism for the dead and now declare that _it is not binding on\nthem_.\n\nIn a resolution adopted by that church, April 9, 1886, the following\nstartling declaration was made:\n\n    \"That as to the alleged 'Temple building and ceremonial endowments\n    therein,' that we know of no Temple building, except as edifices\n    wherein to worship God, and no endowment except the endowment of\n    the Holy Spirit of the kind experienced by the early saints on\n    Pentecost day.\n\n    \"'Baptism for the dead' referred to belongs to those local\n    questions of which the body has said by resolution:\n\n    \"'That the commandments of a local character, given to the first\n    organization of the church are binding on the Reorganization only\n    so far as they are either reiterated or referred to as binding by\n    commandment to this church.' And that principle has neither been\n    reiterated nor referred to as a commandment.\" [4]\n\nIn February, 1904, the president of that \"organization\" declared that\nbaptism for the dead was a _permissive rite_, [5] and that it was\ntaken from the Church, \"and if subsequently it was to be engaged in,\"\nsaid he, \"and enjoyed by the same people, it must be restored again\nby revelation and command, and could not be assumed as being held\nover by suffrance. We do not {88} know of any revelation or command\nauthoritatively promulgated renewing the privilege.\"\n\nHis statement is a flat acknowledgment that he does not hold the keys\nof this work and that they can only be received by revelation. That\nhe does not hold the keys is true. That he did not receive them from\nhis father he admits, [6] and William Marks, William W. Blair and\nZenas H. Gurley, who \"ordained\" him to his office of president of the\n\"Reorganized\" church, never held them. They could only be obtained\nfrom the Prophet Joseph Smith, and from him, as has been shown, the\nTwelve received them in 1844. \"Young Joseph\" might truthfully have gone\nfurther and declared that if the privilege was taken away, before it\ncould again be practiced with authority and power that the keys of the\nPriesthood which were held by Elijah would again have to be restored.\nHis statement is an unqualified admission that the work of Elijah was\nperformed in vain. He challenges that prophet's statement, _that the\ntime had fully come_. He acknowledges that, in spite of all the efforts\nof the \"Reorganization\" in the attempt to save souls, the whole earth\nis in danger of being \"_smitten with a curse_\" and \"_utterly wasted_\"\nat the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord, _which is\n\"near, even at the doors_.\" If this statement of the president of the\n\"Reorganized\" church is true, then the members of his church stand in\njeopardy every hour; darkness covers the face of the earth; there is no\nsalvation for the children of men; the word of the Lord has failed, and\ndestruction awaits the earth and her inhabitants.\n\nIn declaring that baptism for the dead was a \"_permissive rite_\" he\nshows a willful lack of understanding pertaining to the great eternal\nplan of salvation which was revealed through his Prophet father. In\ndeclaring that baptism was a local commandment to the Saints at Nauvoo,\n_not binding on the members of the \"Reorganization_\" the members of\nhis church acknowledge that the hand of Jehovah is not guiding them;\nthat they are floundering in the mire of unbelief and ignorance. They\nmake light of one of the \"_most glorious subjects belonging to the\neverlasting Gospel_.\"\n\nYes, the authorities of the \"Reorganized\" church have declared by\nconference resolution that baptism for the dead _is {89} not binding_\non them because it was a _local commandment_, and \"_has never been\nreiterated nor referred to as a commandment_!\"\n\nJudged by the Reorganite standards of faith and doctrine will\nthis statement bear the light of investigation? Baptism a _local\ncommandment, not binding on the Saints_! \"To the law and the\ntestimony,\" said Isaiah, \"if they speak not according to this word, it\nis because there is no light in them.\"\n\nIn section 128 of the Doctrine and Covenants (sec. CX Reorganite\nedition), verse 17, in a revelation [7] to the Prophet Joseph Smith, we\nread the following:\n\n    \"I will give you a quotation from one of the Prophets, who had his\n    eye fixed on the restoration of the priesthood, the glories to be\n    revealed in the last days, and in an especial manner this _most\n    glorious of all subjects belonging to the everlasting gospel_,\n    viz.: the baptism for the dead; for Malachi says, last chapter,\n    verses 5, 6, 'Behold I will send you Elijah the prophet, before\n    the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord; and he shall\n    turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the\n    children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a\n    curse.'\"\n\nNot only is the Priesthood which was revealed by Elijah the Prophet,\npertaining to the \"most glorious of all subjects belonging to the\neverlasting Gospel,\" but it is of the most importance, for the Prophet\nJoseph says:\n\n    \"The _greatest responsibility_ in this world that God has laid upon\n    us, is to _seek after our dead_. The apostle says they without us\n    cannot be made perfect. Now I will speak of them: I say to you,\n    Paul, you cannot be perfect without us; It is necessary that those\n    who have gone before, and those who come after us should have\n    salvation in common with us, and thus hath God made it _obligatory_\n    to man. Hence God said he would send Elijah.\" (Times and Seasons,\n    6: 616.)\n\nMoreover, at the conference of the Church held October 3, 1841, he\npresented,\n\n    \"Baptism for the dead as the only way that men can appear as\n    saviors on Mount Zion. The proclamation of the first principles of\n    the Gospel was a means of salvation to men individually, and it was\n    the truth, not men, that saved them; but men by actively engaging\n    in rites of salvation _substitutionally_, become instrumental in\n    bringing _multitudes of their kin_ into the kingdom of God. * * *\n    There is {90} a way to release the spirit of the dead; that is by\n    the power and authority of the Priesthood--by binding and loosing\n    on earth.\n\n    \"This doctrine appears glorious inasmuch as it exhibits the\n    greatness of divine compassion, and benevolence in the extent of\n    the plan of human salvation. This glorious truth is well calculated\n    to enlarge the understanding, and to sustain the soul under\n    troubles, difficulties, and distresses. * * *\n\n    \"This doctrine, he said, presents in a clear light the wisdom and\n    mercy of God, in preparing an ordinance for the salvation of the\n    dead, being baptized by proxy, their names recorded in heaven, and\n    they judged according to the deeds done in the body. _This doctrine\n    was the burden of the Scriptures. Those Saints who neglect it, in\n    behalf of their deceased relatives, do it at the peril of their\n    own salvation_.\" (Times and Seasons, Vol. 2, pages 577-578, also\n    History of \"Reorganized\" Church, Vol. 2, pages 545-546.)\n\nNow, whom shall we believe? The \"Reorganized\" church that has rejected\nbaptism for the dead, declaring it to be a _local commandment not\nbinding on them_, or the Prophet Joseph Smith who declares that it is\nthe burden of the Scriptures, and that if we neglect it it is at the\nperil of our own salvation?\n\nThe significance of this principle is even more emphatically expressed\nin section 128 of the Doctrine and Covenants (CX Reorganite edition).\nLet me quote:\n\n    Verse 5. \"You may think this order of things to be very particular,\n    but let me tell you, that they are only to answer the will of\n    God, by conforming to the ordinance and preparation that the Lord\n    ordained and prepared before the foundation of the world, for the\n    salvation of the dead, _who should die without a knowledge of the\n    Gospel_.\"\n\n    Verse 8. \"For out of the books shall your dead be judged, according\n    to their own works, whether they themselves have attended to the\n    ordinances in their own _propria persona_ or by means of their own\n    agents, according to the ordinance which God has prepared for their\n    salvation from before the foundation of the world, according to the\n    records which they have kept concerning their dead.\"\n\n    Verse 15. \"And now, my dearly beloved brethren and sisters, let\n    me assure you that these are principles, in relation to the dead\n    and the living, that cannot be lightly passed over, as pertaining\n    to our salvation, for their salvation is necessary and essential\n    to our salvation, as Paul says concerning the fathers, 'that they\n    without us cannot be made perfect, neither can we without our dead\n    be made perfect.'\"\n\n    Verse 18. \"It is sufficient to know * * * that the earth will be\n    smitten with a curse, unless there is a welding link of some kind\n    or other, between the fathers and the children, upon some subject\n    or other, and behold what is that subject? It is the baptism for\n    the dead. For we without them cannot be made perfect; neither can\n    they without us be made perfect. Neither can they nor we be made\n    perfect without those who have died in the Gospel also; for it is\n    necessary in the ushering in of the dispensation of the fullness\n    of times, which dispensation is now beginning to usher in, that\n    a whole and complete and perfect union and welding together of\n    dispensations, and keys, and powers, and glories should take place,\n    and be revealed, from the days of Adam even to the present time;\n    and not {91} only this, but those things which never have been\n    revealed from the foundation of the world, but have been kept\n    hid from the wise and prudent shall be revealed unto babes and\n    sucklings in this the dispensation of the fullness of times.\"\n\nFrom the original manuscript history of the Prophet Joseph Smith, now\nin the Historian's office, Salt Lake City, I obtain the following under\ndate of January 20, 1844:\n\n    \"Preached at the southwest corner of the Temple to several thousand\n    people, although the weather was somewhat unpleasant. My subject\n    was the sealing of the hearts of the fathers to the children, and\n    the hearts of the children to the fathers.\"\n\nOf this discourse a synopsis was reported by Elder Wilford Woodruff,\nfrom which the Prophet Joseph records the following in that history:\n\n    \"The Bible says, 'I will send you Elijah the Prophet before the\n    coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord; and he shall turn\n    the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the\n    children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a\n    curse.'\n\n    \"Now, the word _turn_ here should be translated _bind_, or seal.\n    But what is the object of this important mission? or how is it to\n    be fulfilled? The keys are to be delivered, the spirit of Elijah\n    is to come, the Gospel to be established, the Saints of God to be\n    gathered, Zion built up, and the Saints to come up as saviors on\n    Mount Zion.\n\n    \"But how are they to become saviors on Mount Zion? By building\n    their temples, erecting their baptismal fonts, and going forth and\n    receiving all the ordinances, baptisms, confirmations, washings,\n    anointings, ordinations, and sealing powers upon their head, in\n    behalf of all their progenitors, who are dead, and redeem them\n    that they may come forth in the first resurrection and be exalted\n    to thrones of glory with them; and herein is the chain that binds\n    the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the children to the\n    fathers, which fulfills the mission of Elijah. And I would to God\n    that this Temple was now done, that we might go into it, and go to\n    work and improve our time, and make use of the seals while they are\n    on earth.\n\n    \"_The Saints have not too much time to save and redeem their dead_,\n    and gather together their living relatives, that they may be saved\n    also, _before the earth will be smitten_, and the consummation\n    decreed falls upon the world.\n\n    \"I would advise all the Saints to go to with their might and gather\n    together all their living relatives to this place, that they may\n    be sealed and saved, that they may be prepared against the day\n    that the destroying angel goes forth; and if the _whole Church_\n    should go to _with all their might to save their dead_, seal their\n    posterity, and gather their living friends, and spend none of their\n    time in behalf of the world, _they would hardly get through before\n    night would come when no man can work_.\"\n\nOn the 12th of May, 1844, the Prophet Joseph said:\n\n    \"It is not only necessary that you should be baptized for your\n    dead, but you will have to go through all the ordinances for them,\n    same as you have gone through to save yourselves. There will be\n    144,000 {92} saviors on Mount Zion, and with them an innumerable\n    host that no man can count.\"\n\nWe learn from the foregoing quotations the following important facts\npertaining to the salvation of the dead:\n\n    1. Salvation in behalf of the dead is the binding or sealing of the\n    hearts of the fathers and the children, the welding link. (Doc. and\n    Cov., 128: 18, Reorganite edition CX: 18.)\n\n    2. It is the most glorious subject belonging to the everlasting\n    Gospel. (Doc. and Cov., 128: 17, Reorganite edition CX: 17.)\n\n    3. It is the greatest responsibility in this world that God has\n    laid upon us--to seek after our dead. (Times and Seasons, Vol. 6,\n    page 616.)\n\n    4. It is obligatory to man. (Times and Seasons, Vol. 6, page 616.)\n\n    5. Without it the whole earth and its inhabitants would be smitten\n    with a curse. (Malachi 4: 6. Doc. and Cov. 128: 18, Reorganite\n    edition, CX: 18.)\n\n    6. It is an eternal doctrine prepared before the foundation of the\n    world. (Doc. and Cov. 128: 5, 8, 18, Reorganite edition CX: 5, 8,\n    18.)\n\n    7. It is the burden of the Scriptures. (Times and Seasons, Vol. 2,\n    page 578, Reorganite church history, Vol. 2, page 546.)\n\n    8. If we neglect it it is at the peril of our own salvation. (Times\n    and Seasons, Vol. 2, page 578, Reorganite church history, Vol. 2,\n    page 546.)\n\n    9. Through it we become saviors on Mount Zion, and may save\n    multitudes of our kin. (Times and Seasons, Vol. 2, page 577,\n    Reorganite church history, Vol. 2, page 545.)\n\n    10. We without our dead and our dead without us cannot be saved\n    with a perfect salvation. (Doc. and Cov. 128: 18, Reorganite\n    edition CX: 18.)\n\n    11. We cannot lightly pass this doctrine over as pertaining to our\n    salvation. (Doc and Cov. 128: 15, Reorganite edition CX: 15.)\n\n    12. The time granted to the Saints to redeem their dead and gather\n    and seal their living relatives before the earth shall be smitten\n    with a curse, is none too long.\" (History of Joseph Smith, January\n    20, 1844.)\n\nNow, my Reorganite friends, in the face of this how dare you presume\nto circumscribe, limit and profane this doctrine of salvation for\nthe dead? Why do you call this eternal and most glorious principle a\n\"_permissive rite_,\" a \"_local commandment_?\" and declare before God\nthat _it is not binding on you_? God has declared it to be ordained\nbefore the foundations of the world were laid for the salvation of the\ndead who die without a knowledge of the Gospel--an eternal principle,\nthe burden of the Scriptures, obligatory to man. Are you in harmony\nwith the word of God? Were your leaders inspired to declare in the\nface of Jehovah's commands that this eternal principle was a \"_local\ncommandment_\" not given to _them_ as a _commandment_? Binding only\non the Saints at Nauvoo? Do you not fear and tremble for your own\nsalvation in neglecting {93} the salvation of your dead? If the Jews\nwho lived in the days of Christ will have to answer for \"all the\nrighteous blood shed upon the earth from the blood of righteous Abel\nunto the blood of Zacharias, son of Barachias,\" because they neglected\nthe salvation of their dead as well as their own salvation, pray tell,\nwhat will your punishment be? (See Times and Seasons, Vol. 3, pages\n760-761.) Remember that _you_ without _your dead_ cannot be made\nperfect.\n\nConfronted by this evidence, for you to declare that your leaders are\ninspired and that yours is the Church of Christ, is most preposterous!\n\nThat the salvation of the dead is a Bible doctrine practiced by the\nancient Saints, we learn from the writings of Peter (I Peter 3: 18-20)\nand Paul (I Cor. 15: 29), and the Revelator John (Rev. 22: 12). Isaiah\nprophesied of it (Is. 42: 6, 7 and 61: 1, 2), and our Redeemer taught\nit to the Jews (John 5: 28, 29), not as a _local commandment_, but as\nan eternal Truth and a principle of the greatest importance to the\nwhole human family. And for that reason \"Christ also hath suffered for\nsins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put\nto death in the flesh, but quickened by the spirit, by which also he\nwent and preached (not in vain) unto the spirits in prison.\"\n\nThe keys of the Priesthood belong to the presiding officer of the\nChurch and must be held in order that the ordinances of a perfect\nsalvation may be administered to the Saints and in behalf of the dead.\nThe keys of the Priesthood could only be received from the one who held\nthem, the Prophet Joseph Smith, who received them from the heavens. Any\nman claiming to be the President of the High Priesthood without these\nkeys is an imposter. We have been given a key by which the impostor may\nbe detected, for we have the word of the Lord that,\n\n    \"The great and grand secret of the whole matter, and the _summum\n    bonum_ of the whole subject that is lying before us, consists in\n    obtaining the power of the Holy Priesthood. For him to whom these\n    keys are given there is _no difficulty_ in obtaining a knowledge\n    of facts in relation to the salvation of the children of men, both\n    as well for the dead as for the living.\" (Doc. and Cov. 128: 11,\n    Reorganite edition CX: 11.)\n\nThis declaration from the Lord through the Prophet Joseph Smith is most\nexplicit. We may ask: Has the president of the 'Reorganized' church\nobtained this Priesthood? No, he has not! Then there is no wonder that\nhe cannot obtain \"_knowledge of the facts_ in relation to the salvation\nof the children of men, both as well for the dead as for the living.\"\n{94} If he had obtained the keys would it be possible for him to lead\nhis people for more than forty-five years without a _knowledge_ of this\npower which the Lord through the Prophet declares _is not difficult\nfor him who holds the keys and the powers of the Holy Priesthood_, and\nwhich is the \"sealing and binding power, and in one sense of the word\nthe keys of the kingdom which consists in the keys of knowledge?\" If\nhe held these keys would it be possible that this grand and glorious\nprinciple would have been neglected for so long a time when his father\nthe Prophet declared that in this day there was \"not too much time to\nsave and redeem\" the dead and gather the living relatives that they\nalso may be saved, before the consummation decreed falls upon the\nworld? Would it be possible, if he held these keys, for him to declare\nthat this doctrine was a _local commandment_, a _permissive rite_, not\nbinding on the Saints? Verily No!\n\nThe Lord declared in 1842, that He was about to restore to earth many\nthings pertaining to the Priesthood (Doc. and Cov. 127: 5, Reorganite\nedition CIX: 5), and that only in Temples could the fullness of the\nPriesthood be restored (Doc. and Cov. 124: 28, Reorganite edition CVII:\n10). Did the word of the Lord fail? Did the Lord make a mistake? If the\ncontention of the \"Reorganized\" church is true, He did. But Latter-day\nSaints know better. On our part we will accept the word of the Lord.\n\nSince the \"Reorganized\" church does not build Temples, and knows of\n\"no temple building except as edifices wherein to worship God and\nno endowment except the endowment of the Holy Spirit of the kind\nexperienced by the early Saints on Pentecost day,\" it is to be expected\nthat their president should be ignorant of the \"fullness of the\nPriesthood\" and therefore experience great \"_difficulty_ in obtaining\nknowledge.\" If the elders of that church had read in the CVII section\nof their Doctrine and Covenants (L. D. S. edition 124: 39-42) they\nwould have discovered that the doctrine of \"ceremonial endowments\" is\nthere taught most plainly:\n\n    \"Therefore, verily I say unto you, that your anointings, and\n    your washings, and your baptisms for the dead, and your solemn\n    assemblies, and your memorials for your sacrifices, by the sons\n    of Levi, and for your oracles in your most holy places, wherein\n    you receive conversations, and your statutes and judgments, for\n    the beginning of the revelations and foundation of Zion, and for\n    the glory, honor and endowment of all her municipals, are ordained\n    by the ordinances of my holy house, which my people are always\n    commanded to build unto my holy name.\n\n    \"And verily I say unto you, let this house (Nauvoo Temple) be {95}\n    built unto my name, that I may _reveal mine ordinances therein_,\n    unto my people; for I deign to reveal unto my Church, things which\n    have been kept hid from before the foundation of the world; things\n    that pertain to the dispensation of the fullness of times; and _I\n    will show unto my servant Joseph all things_ pertaining to this\n    house and _the Priesthood thereof_.\"\n\nNow, if all the foregoing passages are true--and they must be if Joseph\nSmith was a Prophet of God, which he was--then these things pertaining\nto the Priesthood were revealed to him; and salvation for the dead\nis just as binding on us and just as important as salvation for the\nliving. One depends upon the other, and they are binding on all the\nchildren of men. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints cannot\nteach one without the other, for they are inseparable. A house divided\nagainst itself cannot stand.\n\nRepent, therefore, and receive the Gospel, save yourselves with your\ndead by becoming saviors on Mount Zion, before the consummation decreed\nfalls upon the earth; and by hearkening to these things, you will not\nbe \"smitten with a curse\", nor \"utterly wasted\" when the dreadful day\nof the Lord does come.\n\n    \"Brethren, shall we not go on in so great a cause? Go forward and\n    not backward. Courage, brethren; and on, on to the victory! Let\n    your hearts rejoice and be exceedingly glad. Let the earth break\n    forth into singing. Let the dead speak forth anthems of eternal\n    praise to the King Immanuel, who hath ordained before the world\n    was, that which would enable us to redeem them out of their prison;\n    for the prisoner shall go free!\" (Doc and Cov. 128: 22, Reorganite\n    Doc. and Cov. 110: 22.)\n\nAn Editorial From the Times and Seasons Written by the Prophet\nJoseph Smith.\n\n    The great designs of God in relation to the salvation of the human\n    family are very little understood by the professedly wise and\n    intelligent generation in which we live; various and conflicting\n    are the opinions of men concerning the plan of salvation; the\n    requisitions of the Almighty; the necessary preparations for\n    heaven; the state and condition of departed spirits; and the\n    happiness, or misery that is consequent upon the practice of\n    righteousness and iniquity according to their several notions of\n    virtue, and vice. The Mussulman condemns the heathen, the Jew and\n    the Christian, and the whole world of mankind that rejects his\n    Koran as infidels, and consigns the whole of them to perdition.\n    The Jew believes that the whole world that rejects his faith, and\n    are not circumcised are Gentile dogs, and will be damned. The\n    heathen are equally as tenacious about their {96} principles,\n    and the Christian consigns all to perdition who cannot bow to\n    his creed and submit to his _ipse dixit_. But while one portion\n    of the human race are judging and condemning the other without\n    mercy, the great Parent of the universe looks upon the whole of\n    the human family with a fatherly care, and paternal regard. He\n    views them as His offspring; and without any of those contracted\n    feelings that influence the children of men, causes \"_His sun_ to\n    rise on the evil and the good, and sends _His rain_ on the just\n    and the unjust.\" He holds the reins of judgment in His hands; He\n    is a wise lawgiver, and will judge all men not according to the\n    narrow contracted notions of men, but \"according to the deeds\n    done in the body whether they be good or evil;\" or whether those\n    deeds were done in England, America, Spain, Turkey, India: He will\n    judge them \"not according to what they have not, but according to\n    what they have;\" those who have lived without law will be judged\n    without law, and those who have a law will be judged by that law;\n    we need not doubt the wisdom and intelligence of the great Jehovah.\n    He will award judgment or mercy to all nations according to their\n    several deserts, their means of obtaining intelligence, the laws by\n    which they are governed; the facilities afforded them of obtaining\n    correct information; and His inscrutable designs in relation to the\n    human family; and when the designs of God shall be made manifest,\n    and the curtain of futurity be withdrawn, we shall all of us\n    eventually have to confess, that the Judge of all the earth has\n    done right.\n\n    The situation of the Christian nations after death is a subject\n    that has called forth all the wisdom and talent of the philosopher\n    and the divine; and it is an opinion which is generally received,\n    that the destiny of man is irretrievably fixed at his death;\n    and that he is made either eternally happy, or eternally\n    miserable,--that if a man dies without a knowledge of God, he must\n    be eternally damned, without any mitigation of his punishment,\n    alleviation of his pain or the most latent hope of a deliverance\n    while endless ages shall roll along. However orthodox this\n    principle may be, we shall find that it is at variance with the\n    testimony of holy writ; for our Savior says that all manner of sin,\n    and blasphemy shall be forgiven men wherewith they shall blaspheme;\n    but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven,\n    neither in _this world_, nor in the _world to come_; evidently\n    showing that there are sins which may be forgiven in the _world to\n    come_; although the sin of blasphemy cannot be forgiven.\n\n    Peter also in speaking concerning our Savior says that \"He\n    went and preached unto spirits in prison, which sometime were\n    disobedient, when once the long suffering of God waited in the\n    days of Noah.\" I Pet. iii: 19, 20. Here then, we have an account\n    of our Savior preaching to the spirits in prison; to spirits that\n    had been imprisoned from the days of Noah; and what did He preach\n    to them? that they were to stay there? Certainly not; let His own\n    declaration testify: 'He hath sent me to heal the broken hearted,\n    to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to\n    the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised.\" Luke iv: 18.\n    Isaiah has it: \"_To bring out the prisoner from the prison_, and\n    them that sit in darkness _from the prison house_.\" Is. xlii: 7.\n    It is very evident from this that He not only went to preach to\n    them, but to deliver, or bring _them out of the prison house_.\n    Isaiah in testifying concerning the calamities that will overtake\n    the inhabitants of the earth says: \"The earth shall reel to and\n    fro like a drunkard, and shall be removed like a cottage; and\n    the transgressions thereof shall be heavy upon it; and it shall\n    fall and not {97} rise again. And it shall come to pass in that\n    day, that the Lord shall punish the hosts of the high ones that\n    are on high, and the kings of the earth upon the earth. And they\n    shall be gathered together as prisoners are gathered in the pit,\n    and shall be _shut up in prison_, and after many days _shall they\n    be visited_.\" Thus we find that God will deal with all the human\n    family equally; and that as the antediluvians had their day of\n    visitation, so will those characters referred to by Isaiah, have\n    their time of visitation and deliverance, after having been many\n    days in prison.\n\n    The great Jehovah contemplated the whole of the events connected\n    with the earth, pertaining to the plan of salvation, before it\n    rolled into existence, or ever the \"morning stars sung together\n    for joy,\" the past, the present and the future, were, and are with\n    Him one eternal now; He knew of the fall of Adam, the iniquities\n    of the antediluvians, of the depth of iniquity that would be\n    connected with the human family; their weakness and strength, their\n    power and glory, apostasies, their crimes, their righteousness and\n    iniquity; He comprehended the fall of man and their redemption; He\n    knew the plan of salvation and pointed it out; He was acquainted\n    with the situation of all nations and with their destiny; He\n    ordered all things according to the counsel of His _own_ will, He\n    knows the situation of both the living and the dead, and has made\n    ample provision for their redemption according to their several\n    circumstances and the laws of the Kingdom of God, whether in this\n    world, or in the world to come. The idea that some men form of the\n    justice and mercy of God, is too foolish for an intelligent man\n    to think of; for instance it is common for many of our orthodox\n    preachers to suppose that if a man is not what they call converted,\n    if he dies in that state, he must remain eternally in hell without\n    any hope:--\n\n        \"Infinite years in torment must he spend\n         And never, never, never, have an end.\"\n\n    And yet this eternal misery is made frequently to rest upon the\n    merest casualty,--the breaking of a shoe-string, the tearing of\n    a coat of those officiating, or the peculiar location in which\n    a person lives may be the means indirectly of his damnation, or\n    the cause of his not being saved. I will suppose a case which is\n    not extraordinary: Two men who have been equally wicked, who have\n    neglected religion, are both of them taken sick at the same time;\n    one of them has the good fortune to be visited by a praying man,\n    and he gets converted a few minutes before he dies; the other\n    sends for three different praying men, a tailor, a shoemaker and a\n    tinman. The tinman has a handle to solder on to a can; the tailor\n    a button-hole to work on some coat that is needed in a hurry; and\n    the shoemaker has a patch to put on somebody's boot; they none\n    of them can go in time, the man dies and goes to hell; one of\n    these is exalted to Abraham's bosom; he sits down in the presence\n    of God, and enjoys eternal, uninterrupted happiness, while the\n    other who was equally as good as he, sinks to eternal damnation,\n    irretrievable misery and hopeless despair; because a man had a\n    boot to mend, the button-hole of a coat to work, or a handle to\n    solder on to a saucepan. The plans of Jehovah are not so unjust;\n    the statements of holy writ so visionary; nor the plan of salvation\n    for the human family so incompatible with common sense; at such\n    proceedings God would frown with indignation, angels would hide\n    their heads in shame; and every virtuous, intelligent man would\n    recoil. If human laws award to each man his deserts, and punish all\n    {98} delinquents according to their several crimes; surely the Lord\n    will not be more cruel than man, for He is a wise Legislator and\n    His laws are equitable, His enactments more just and His decisions\n    more perfect than those of man; and as man judges his fellow man\n    by law, and punishes him according to the penalty of that law,\n    so does the God of heaven judge \"according to the deeds done in\n    the body.\" To say that the heathen would be damned because they\n    did not believe the gospel would be preposterous; and to say that\n    the Jews would all be damned that do not believe in Jesus, would\n    be equally absurd; for \"how can they believe on him of whom they\n    have not heard; and how can they hear without a preacher; and _how\n    can he preach except he be sent_;\" consequently neither Jew nor\n    heathen can be culpable for rejecting the conflicting opinions of\n    sectarianism, nor for rejecting any testimony but that which is\n    sent of God, for as the preacher cannot preach except he be sent,\n    so the hearer cannot believe without he hears a sent preacher; and\n    cannot be condemned for what he has not heard; and being without\n    law will have to be judged without law.\n\n    When speaking about the blessings pertaining to the gospel, and\n    the consequences connected with disobedience to its requirements,\n    we are frequently asked the question, What has become of our\n    fathers? Will they all be damned for not obeying the gospel,\n    when they never heard it? Certainly not. But they will possess\n    the same privilege that we here enjoy, through the medium of the\n    _everlasting_ Priesthood, which not only administers on earth but\n    in heaven, and the wise dispensations of the great Jehovah; hence\n    those characters referred to by Isaiah will be visited by this\n    Priesthood, and come out of their prison, upon the same principle\n    as those who were disobedient in the days of Noah, were visited by\n    our Savior (who possessed the everlasting Melchisedek Priesthood)\n    and had the gospel preached to them by Him in prison; and in order\n    that they might fulfill all the requisitions of God, their living\n    friends were baptized for their dead friends, and thus fulfilled\n    the requirement of God which says: \"Except a man be born again of\n    water, and of the spirit he can in no wise enter into the kingdom\n    of heaven;\" they were baptized of course, not for themselves, but\n    for their dead. Crysostum says that the Marchionites practiced\n    baptism for the dead, \"after a catachumen was dead they hid a\n    living man under the bed of the deceased; then coming to the dead\n    man they asked him whether he would receive baptism, and he making\n    no answer, the other answered for him, and said that he would be\n    baptized in his stead; and so they baptized the living for the\n    dead.\"\n\n    The church of course at that time was degenerate, and that\n    particular form might be incorrect, but the thing is sufficiently\n    plain in the Scriptures, hence Paul, in speaking of the doctrine,\n    says, \"Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if\n    the dead rise not at all? why are they then baptized for the dead?\"\n    I Cor. 15: 29.\n\n    Hence it was that so great a responsibility rested upon the\n    generation in which our Savior lived; for, said He, \"That upon you\n    may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth from the blood\n    of righteous Abel, unto the blood of Zacharias, son of Barachias,\n    whom ye slew between the temple and the altar. Verily I say unto\n    you, all these things shall come upon this generation.\" Matt,\n    xxiii: 35, 36.\n\n    Hence as they possessed greater privileges than any other\n    generation, not only pertaining to themselves but to their dead,\n    their sin was greater, as they not only neglected their own\n    salvation but that {99} of their progenitors, and hence their blood\n    was required at their hands. And now as the great purposes of God\n    are hastening to their accomplishment and the things spoken of in\n    the prophets are fulfilling, as the Kingdom of God is established\n    on the earth, and the ancient order of things restored, the Lord\n    has manifested to us this duty and privilege, and we are commanded\n    to be baptized for our dead, thus fulfilling the words of Obadiah\n    when speaking of the glory of the latter day. \"And saviors shall\n    come up on Mount Zion to judge the remnant of Esau; and the\n    kingdom shall be the Lord's.\" A view of these things reconciles\n    the Scriptures of truth, justifies the ways of God to man, places\n    the human family upon an equal footing, and harmonizes with every\n    principle of righteousness, justice and truth. We will conclude\n    with the words of Peter: \"For the time past of our life may suffice\n    us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles. * * * For, for this\n    cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they\n    might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according\n    to God in the spirit.\"--Times and Seasons, Vol. 3, pages 759-761.\n\n    \"_That moment that men seek to build up themselves, in preference\n    to the kingdom of God, and seek to hoard up riches, while the widow\n    and the fatherless, the sick and afflicted around they are in\n    poverty and want, it proves that their hearts are weaned from their\n    God_.\"\n\n    --_Brigham Young_.\n\n    \"_We glory in our tribulation, because we know that God is with us,\n    that He is our friend, and that He will save our souls. We do not\n    care for them that can kill the body; they cannot harm our souls_.\"\n\n    --_Joseph Smith, December 16, 1818_.\n\nFootnotes:\n\n1. In a number of articles by Zenas H. Gurley, one of the founders\nof the \"Reorganized\" church, in the _Saints Herald_, Vol. I, the\n\"Reorganization\" is referred to as \"a new organization of the Church.\"\nThis agrees with the statement of the president of that church, in the\n_Saints Herald_, Feb. 17, 1904. Said he: \"The Church, using the word to\nmean the Church rejected, has not been again received.\"\n\n2. The font was dedicated November 8, 1841, by President Brigham Young\nin the presence of and under the direction of the Prophet Joseph Smith.\nMillennial Star 18: 744-745.\n\n3. History of \"Reorganized\" church, Vol. 3, page 245.\n\n4. Conference resolutions pamphlet of \"Reorganized\" church, page 82.\n\n5. Editorial in \"Saints Herald,\" Feb. 17, 1904.\n\n6. In his testimony before the Circuit Court, at Kansas City, in the\n\"Temple Lot\" suit, he said: \"No, sir, I did not state that I was\nordained by my father; I did not make the statement. I was not ordained\nby my father as his successor; according to my understanding of the\nword _ordain_, I was not.\" Plaintiff's Abstract, page 79, paragraph 126.\n\n7. In a communication from the president of the \"Reorganized\" church,\nwhich is now in the hands of the writer, the statement is made that\nthere is nothing in sections 127 and 128 (CIX and CX \"Reorganite\"\nedition) of the Doctrine and Covenants, \"to indicate that they are\nrevelations. These articles refer only to the baptism for the dead.\"\nThe Prophet Joseph, however, in these articles on baptism for the dead\ndeclares that they _are_ revelations. See sec. 127, verses 4, 6, 8 and\n10; also 128, verse 2.\n\n{100}\n\n\n\nACKNOWLEDGE YOUR FAULTS.\n\nBy Elder Orson F. Whitney in Millennial Star, 1882.\n\n\"He that humbleth himself shall be exaulted.\"--_Jesus_.\n\nIf there is one thing more than another in the character of a\ngreat man which challenges respect and admiration, and proves most\nconclusively his worthiness to the title, it is the readiness with\nwhich he acknowledges a fault, confesses an error, and manifests\nsincere repentance for wrong-doing. We would not be understood as\naffirming that none are great but those who evince this disposition,\nfor that would be to the exclusion of many whose virtues well merit\nconsideration and esteem; but we do feel confident in asserting that\namong the great they are the greatest, among the noble the noblest, and\namong the admired, most deserving of admiration.\n\nMany people consider it an evidence of weakness to acknowledge a\nmistake or to own that they are ever in the wrong, and flatter\nthemselves with the idea that they display true courage and heroic\nfirmness by refusing to repent of an evil act, by declining to concede\na personal imperfection, or persisting in a mistaken belief or practice\nafter having been convinced of the error of their course. A more\negregious blunder could scarcely be committed. The facts are exactly\nto the contrary. It is weakness which induces anyone, after having been\npersuaded of an error, to still cling to that error. It is not courage,\nit is cowardice, not firmness, but stubbornness, which prevents a\nperson from acknowledging a fault, or repenting of an evil deed.\nThe man of genuine courage is he who dares confess his follies and\nimperfections; the soul of strength and firmness, which everybody must\nhonor and admire, is the one which forsakes and resists the allurements\nof evil, and stands up for the right in the face of every opposing\npower or influence.\n\nVarious opinions are entertained as to what constitutes greatness of\ncharacter. With the ignorant masses it would be aristocratic rank,\nhigh official station, or the possession of unlimited wealth; with\nthe more enlightened classes, military prowess or great intellectual\nachievements; but to the true Christian there is but one idea worthy\nto be accepted as a {101} criterion of guidance in the carving out\nand formation of a perfect character. The noblest Being that ever\nwalked the earth, could claim no worldly rank or aristocratic title;\nthe mightest character the world has ever seen came neither to dazzle\nby intellectual brilliance nor to devastate with fire and sword; the\nwealthiest and greatest of all the sons of God had not bread to eat\nnor where to lay his aching head. He was one who preached purity of\nmind and lowliness of heart, and practiced what he preached with all\nconsistency. He taught his followers that moral worth was superior to\nmental endowment; that humility, not haughtiness, was characteristic\nof nobility on high; that all who would be masters hereafter, must\nexpect to be servants in this probation; that it was far more heroic\nto save than to slaughter mankind, and that the chief lesson of life\nwas to learn to sacrifice earthly things in order to lay up treasures\nin heaven. He taught that repentance of sins must necessarily precede\nredemption therefrom, since it was impossible for sin to inherit His\nholy kingdom. He exhorted to beware of self-righteousness, and declared\nthat the publican, who with bended head and humility of heart cried\nout, \"God be merciful unto me a sinner,\" was more to be justified\nthan the proud and boastful Pharisee, who, instead of confessing his\nsins and humbly suing for forgiveness, stood erect in self-righteous\nconceit, thanking the Lord that he had no sins, and congratulating\nhimself that he was pure and holy in the eyes of that being whose voice\ncalls all men to repentance, and declares that all who say they are\nwithout sin deceive themselves and the truth is not in them.\n\nTwo classes of Pharisees abound in modern society; those who actually\nimagine they are without fault, and those who, though conscious of\ndefects, stubbornly refuse to acknowledge them. The former, enveloped\nin pious vanity and lulled into fancied security by the delusive hope\nthat their souls are already \"saved,\" sit down in the very midst\nof the fight, take off their armor and lay aside their weapons, as\ncomplacently as if the battle was already won; while the others, like\nthe inmates of a beleaguered city, conscious of weakness and certain\nof eventual defeat, but wilfully preferring death and dishonor to the\nmerciful alternative of an honorable surrender, entrench themselves\nbehind the weak walls of arrogance and pride, and await the onslaught\nof the all-conquering foe. Poor dupes of priestcraft and iniquity! The\nblind worshipper of self, however rapt in the ecstasies of sanctified\negotism, will find too late that the warfare against sin ends only with\nlife itself, and that \"hopes of salvation,\" without truth for a {102}\nbasis and reason for a guide, are as ineffectual as faith without works\nor zeal without judgment. As for those who knowingly wed themselves to\nerror, loving darkness rather than light, and choosing the paths of sin\nto the ways of righteousness, the day of their disaster is near. The\nbattering rams of eternal truth will soon be leveled at their crumbling\nwalls, the refuge of lies will be swept away, and the acts of folly and\nwickedness they were once ashamed to confess, proclaimed in a voice of\nthunder from the house tops. It is a great mistake to suppose anything\nis to be lost by acknowledging sin, and covenanting to forsake it\nforever. On the contrary, everything is to be gained. God has declared\nthat he cannot look upon sin with the least degree of allowance. How\nthen can a man please God if he will not repent of his sins? How can\nhe repent if he will not acknowledge that he has sins? And how can\nhe claim that he has no sins without branding himself as a liar and\nconsequently as a sinner in the sight of heaven?\n\nIt is the act of a hero to acknowledge an error. It is the act of a\ncoward to deny or resent a righteous accusation. Herod was a coward\nwhen he imprisoned and beheaded John the Baptist for reprimanding him\nfor committing the crime of adultery. David was never more a hero than\nwhen, on being accused of a similar misdeed, he humbly acknowledged his\ntransgression. The contrast is sublime. Herod, the petty tetrarch, with\nthe instincts of a guilty coward, resenting the imputation and wreaking\nvengeance upon his accuser; David, the illustrious monarch, with a\nthousand fold his power and prestige, bending from his throne before\none of the meanest of his subjects, and humbly confessing the crime of\nwhich he was accused. David before Goliath was not so brave a man as\nDavid before Nathan the Prophet. Deprive him of one dark stain upon\nhis life, and the royal son of Jesse stands out as one of the grandest\ncharacters in the history of the world. A king, wealthy and powerful,\na warrior, mighty and renowned, a poet whose genius was the literary\nsplendor of his age; but as a king he was never greater, as a warrior\nnever mightier, as a poet never grander or more sublimely pathetic,\nthan when he bowed his head and wept, exclaiming, \"I have sinned\nagainst the Lord.\"\n\n{103}\n\n\n\nAN INTERVIEW IN THE ATLANTA CONSTITUTION ON THE \"MORMON\" FAITH,\n\nWith Ben. E. Rich, of\n\n_The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints_.\n\n(From the Atlanta Constitution, March 26, 1899.)\n\nThe Mormon conference held in Atlanta during the past week was fairly\nwell attended, and the elders were assigned to their new fields of\nlabor, and have left the city in pairs. It is the policy of the Mormon\nchurch to send their elders out two by two, traveling without purse\nor scrip; they receive no remuneration, so far as earthly reward is\nconcerned, for the labor performed in the missionary field. They are\ncalled from the farm, from the store and other avocations of life to\ngo to the various parts of the earth and proclaim the gospel as they\nunderstand it; remaining from two to three years, or until they are\nhonorably released to return to their homes.\n\nElder Ben. E. Rich is President of the Southern States Mission, and has\ncharge of the elders traveling in the states of Virginia, Tennessee,\nKentucky, Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, Florida, South Carolina,\nNorth Carolina and Georgia. He was present at the conference just\nclosed, and gave The Constitution the following interview concerning\nthe doctrines of the Mormon faith. We present the same to our readers,\nas Mormonism from a Mormon standpoint:\n\nReporter--\"Mr. Rich, I understand you are an Elder in the Mormon\nChurch. Why is it called by that name?\"\n\nElder Ben. E. Rich--\"I am an Elder in the Church of Jesus Christ of\nLatter Day Saints. That is its proper title, as recognized by all its\nmembers. The word 'Mormon' is taken from {104} the Book of Mormon. It\nis the name of a prophet of God who lived on the American continent\nseveral hundred years ago, and who compiled and abridged the writings\nof other prophets who preceded him, and left his record, which was\nburied in a hill and was obtained by the Prophet Joseph Smith in this\ncentury and translated by him, through the gift and power of God.\"\n\n\"Oh, that I suppose is the Mormon Bible?\"\n\n\"No, sir; the 'Mormon' Bible is the same as that which is received\nthroughout Christendom, commonly known as the King James translation.\nWe use no other Bible. The Book of Mormon is a record of the history\nand revelations of God to the people who formerly inhabited the Western\nHemisphere, while the Bible records the history and revelations given\nupon the Eastern continent. They both run together and harmonize, being\ninspired with the same spirit, but they are separate and distinct, and\nthe Book of Mormon is not called the Bible by the Latter Day Saints.\"\n\n\"Well, is not the Book of Mormon an addition to the Bible, and is it\nnot in violation of the last chapter in the Bible, which says, 'If any\nman shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues\nthat are written in this book?'\" (Rev. xxii: 18.)\n\n\"It is an addition to the Bible in one sense of the term, but not in\nthe sense of the prohibition which you have cited. Man is forbidden to\nadd to the words of the book which John the Beloved wrote by divine\ncommand, and is called the Apocalypse, or Book of Revelation. Compilers\nplace that book last in the canon of scripture, but scholars state that\nthe epistles of John were written later than the Revelation. Be that as\nit may, John himself must proclaim further revelation after writing the\nbook, for he was told while in the vision, 'Thou must prophesy again\nbefore many peoples and nations and tongues and kings.' (Rev. x: 11.)\nThere is no contradiction in this, because God, through His servants,\nor in any way He pleases, may reveal His will, give commandments and\nmanifest light and truth. It is preposterous to think that God sealed\nup His own lips when He merely forbade man to add to what He reveals.\nThat is a standing commandment, as it was embodied in the Mosaic law.\n'Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye\ndiminish aught from it.' (Deut. iv: 2.) The common rendering of the\nwords in the Book of Revelation when applied to the law given thousands\nof years before, would make all the prophets and apostles and Jesus\nChrist Himself transgressors of the commandment. It {105} simply means\nthat when God reveals anything, man shall not add to or take from that\nwhich He communicates.\"\n\n\"But, seeing that we have the word of God, the Bible, and Christian\nchurches teaching what is in the Bible, what need is there of another\nchurch and another revelation?\"\n\n\"The very fact that there are so many conflicting churches, all\nprofessing to establish their opposing creeds upon the Bible, is\nevidence of itself that something more is needed, to set mankind right\non the doctrine of Christ and make the word of God plain to the common\nunderstanding. No two churches or religious organizations understand\nthe Scriptures alike. Even preachers of the same denomination disagree\nas to the meaning of certain passages, and Christendom, so-called,\nis therefore a very Babel of confusion. 'God is not the author of\nconfusion.'\" (I. Cor. xiv: 33.)\n\n\"But, do you mean to say that the Book of Mormon will set these matters\nright and clear up all that is obscure in the Bible?\"\n\n\"No, we do not make any such claim as that. The Book of Mormon merely\ndiscloses what was taught on this land centuries ago by divine\ncommandment and revelation, as the Bible relates what was taught ages\nago in Palestine, except that the Book of Mormon is very much plainer\nand couched in much simpler language. But it is valuable as casting\nlight on the Jewish scriptures and in being the record of God's\ndealings with a large portion of the human family, who could not be\nreached by the prophets and apostles who ministered on the Eastern\nHemisphere. It gives an account of a visit made by Jesus Christ after\nHis resurrection, to the people on this land, and the establishment\namong them of His church, organized on the same pattern as the\nchurch in Palestine, with the same doctrines, ordinances, gifts and\nblessings. All this being made much more definite than it is in the\nJewish scriptures, the Book of Mormon is therefore a great aid to the\nunderstanding of Christian truth. But we do not depend upon any book\nfor the gospel which we preach or the order of the church to which we\nbelong.\"\n\n\"Do you not, then, take your doctrines, authority and church discipline\nfrom either the Book of Mormon, or the Bible or both?\"\n\n\"No, sir. Everything in our church organization, its principles,\nordinances, authority and administrations, has been revealed directly\nfrom Heaven in the nineteenth century. We refer to the Bible and the\nBook of Mormon to show that our church and all pertaining to it are\nexactly similar to what {106} Christ set up and organized when He was\non earth in both hemispheres and that He is 'the same yesterday, today\nand forever.'\"\n\n\"How is your church organized, and wherein does it differ from other\nChristian churches?\"\n\n\"It is actually and really the Church of Jesus Christ, because it is\norganized under Christ's direct supervision and commandment, He having\nrevealed Himself to Joseph Smith, the Prophet, and having continued to\ncommunicate the will of the Father by revelation down to the present\ntime. The church is composed of persons who, having come to the years\nof accountability, have been led to believe in God the Father, in\nHis Son Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Spirit, have repented of their\nsins and have been baptized or buried in water by immersion for the\nremission of sins, and have received the gift of the Holy Ghost by the\nlaying on of the hands of persons divinely authorized to administer in\nthe name of Jesus Christ. They are entitled through faith and obedience\nto these ordinances to the enjoyment of all the gifts, manifestations,\nrevelations, signs, healings and other blessings which belonged to the\nprimitive Christian church, the members of which were called Saints.\nThose disciples of the Savior were called 'Christians' in derision by\ntheir enemies, just as the Latter Day Saints are nicknamed 'Mormons' in\nthese times.\"\n\n\"But, do they really have these gifts, and were they not all done away\nwith after the days of the apostles?\"\n\n\"They do enjoy all those gifts and manifestations according to their\nfaith and fidelity, the Lord, through His spirit dividing to every one\nseverally as He wills.\" (See I Cor. xii.)\n\n\"If those gifts were done away after the days of the apostles it was\nbecause living faith had departed and a dead form had taken its place.\nIn support of the 'done away' idea the words of Paul in I Corinthians\nxiii: 8, are quoted: 'Charity never faileth, but whether there be\nprophecies they shall fail, whether there be tongues they shall cease,\nwhether there be knowledge it shall vanish away,' but they neglect to\nadd verses 9 and 10, which are part of the Apostle's statement. He\nsays: 'For we know in part, and we prophesy in part, but when that\nwhich is perfect is come then that which is in part shall be done\naway.' So then it is not until that which is perfect is come that\nthese gifts are to be done away. To emphasize this the Apostle adds\n(xiii: 12): 'Now I know in part, but then shall I know even as also\nI am known.' He follows this up by saying: 'Follow after charity and\ndesire spiritual gifts, but rather that we may prophesy.' And again\nhe says: {107} 'Wherefore brethren covet to prophesy and forbid not\nto speak with tongues' (xiv: 1-39). That which is perfect is not yet\ncome, unless it be perfect confusion, and instead of advancing toward\nthe perfection of which the Apostle spoke, modern Christianity has\nlost the gifts which he exhorted them to desire and strive for. The\nChurch of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints seeks after the gifts and\nenjoys them, and in that respect differs from orthodoxy, so-called\nChristianity.\"\n\n\"Is there any other difference between your church and others?\"\n\n\"Yes, there is this essential difference--for one thing, the authority\nto preach and administer the ordinances of the gospel held by the\nearly apostles and others has been restored and is now held by the\napostles and elders and other ministers in the Church of Jesus Christ\nof Latter Day Saints, and that church has in it apostles, and prophets,\nevangelists, pastors, teachers, bishops, elders, deacons, and all the\nofficers which we read about in the New Testament. (See I Corinthians\nxii: 28; Ephesians iv: 11-12; I Timothy iii: 1-8; Titus i: 5.)\n\n\"But did not Jesus give authority to all His ministers when He said,\n'Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature?'\"\n\n\"If you will read the chapter from which you quote, you will see that\nthis authority given by the Savior was only to the eleven apostles--one\nof the twelve having betrayed Him--whom he had called and ordained for\nthe work of the ministry and whom he afterwards endowed with power\nfrom on high. They had authority when so directed by the Holy Ghost\nto ordain others to assist them in the work of the ministry, but, as\ncommanded in Hebrews v: 5, 'No man taketh this honor unto himself, but\nhe that is called of God as was Aaron.' It is only by revelation and\ncommandment of God that men are authorized to minister in His name.\nModern ministers repudiate the doctrine of immediate revelation, and\ndeclare that there has been no divine communication by revelation since\nJohn received his vision on the island, Patmos. They, therefore, cut\nthemselves off from divine authority and proclaim themselves man-made\nministers, teaching by their own learning and destitute of that divine\ninspiration which is essential to an authorized minister of Christ.\nIn this you will see a wide difference between the organization and\nauthority of the 'Mormon' church and the churches of discordant\nChristendom.\"\n\n\"You say that the authority of the apostleship and {108} ministry has\nbeen restored. That implies that it had been lost or taken away?\"\n\n\"Certainly. The early apostles predicted an apostacy and departure\nfrom the true faith and the introduction of heresies by false\nteachers, and their prophecies were literally fulfilled. (See Acts xx:\n29-30; Galatians i: 6-9; II. Thessalonians ii: 1-12; I. Timothy iv:\n1-3; II. Timothy iii: 1-7; II. Peter ii: 1-3; Revelation xii: 1-6;\nRevelation xiv: 8.) After the apostles were slain and other men holding\nauthority departed from the earth, darkness came in upon the churches,\npersecution had its influence in driving many persons into the beggarly\nelements of the world, paganism began to be mingled with the remnant of\ntrue Christianity, the Roman state, which had fought the church, became\namalgamated with what was left of it, and priestly power foreign to\nthe spirit of Christ was exalted, clothed with purple and fine linen,\nthe ordinances were changed, the pure spirit of the gospel departed,\nhuman authority took the place of the divine, the apostacy became\ngeneral and finally universal. Papal power held sway everywhere until\nthe Reformation, when schisms and new theories divided Christendom,\nand sects have multiplied from that time until the present, none of\nthe leaders of these movements claiming to have received revelations\nfrom God, but all giving their own interpretations to the dead letter\nof former divine communications, and thus while there have been hosts\nof good people and many learned and pious preachers, the authority of\nthe apostleship and priesthood of the primitive Christian church has\nnot been had among men, and so 'confusion worse confounded' has come\nupon the world, and heathen and professing Christian are alike, without\ndivine authority.\"\n\n\"In what way do you claim this authority has been restored?\"\n\n\"In the first place, the angel whom John saw in the vision, as\nrecorded in Revelation xiv: 6-7, came to Joseph Smith and revealed\n'the everlasting gospel to be preached to every nation, kindred,\ntongue and people.' The first principles of the Gospel are, faith in\nGod, and in Jesus Christ His Son, repentance of all sin, baptism by\nimmersion in water for the remission of sins, and the gift of the\nHoly Ghost by the laying on of hands. Baptism and the laying on of\nhands, to be effectual, must be administered by divine authority. This\nhaving been withdrawn from the earth centuries ago, it could only be\nrestored by divine communication. Therefore, in the next place, John\nthe Baptist, who was beheaded after acting as the {109} forerunner\nof Christ, was sent from heaven as the forerunner of Christ's second\nadvent, and ordained Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery (May 15, 1829),\nto the authority and priesthood which He held when on earth. They\nwere thus commissioned to baptize each other. They could also preach\nrepentance and baptize all who received their word, but they could not\nconfirm them by the laying on of hands. Subsequently, however, they\nwere visited by the apostles Peter, James and John, who were pillars\nof the early Christian church, holding the keys of the kingdom, and\nthey ordained Joseph and Oliver to the Holy apostleship--the higher\nor Melchisedek priesthood, with power to confer the Holy Ghost upon\nbaptized believers, and to usher in the last dispensation, 'the\ndispensation of the fullness of time,' spoken of in Ephesians i: 10.\n\n\"Under this authority the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day\nSaints was organized in the state of New York, April 6, 1830, six\nmembers conforming to the laws of the state in signing papers for\nits incorporation. The gospel was preached, repentant believers\nwere baptized, the Holy Ghost was poured out upon them, the sick\nwere healed, the heavens were opened, visions and dreams and divine\nmanifestations, with the gift of tongues, interpretations, prophecy,\nwisdom, knowledge, discerning of spirits and numerous revelations,\nwere the consequence, and the union thus promoted became a marvel to\nunbelievers. As the work progressed elders were ordained under the same\nauthority who went out without purse and scrip, as did the servants of\nGod of old, meeting with the same kind of success and the same sort of\npersecution. Thus the church was built up, and under divine direction\nwas set in order on the same pattern as the church which Christ and His\napostles organized in person.\"\n\n\"Will you explain the order of that organization as it now exists in\nyour church?\"\n\n\"Yes, sir. The apostleship is the highest office in the church. It\nholds the keys of the priesthood after the order of Melchisedek and\nincludes all the lesser offices in the church. Three apostles stand at\nthe head and are called the first presidency, that is to say one man\nis the president of the whole church, having the power and the right\nto receive revelations from God for its guidance and to regulate its\naffairs in all the world. He has two counselors, and this trinity is\nthe highest presiding authority in the church on earth. Next are the\ntwelve apostles, or special witnesses of Jesus Christ, {110} holding\nauthority to open the door of the gospel to all nations, and under\nthe direction of the first presidency, to regulate its affairs in all\nnations. They have the same authority, power and spirit as the apostles\nof old and act in a similar capacity in the latter days. Next to them\nare the seventies, seventy elders ordained and appointed for the\npurpose are organized into a quorum or council, seven of their number\nbeing their presidents. There are a large number of these quorums of\nseventy in the church, each quorum having seven presidents of its own,\nbut all being under the supervision of the first seven presidents of\nthe seventies. They form an appendage to the apostleship and act under\nthe direction of the twelve apostles, as missionaries in all the world.\nThey are expected to be minute men and to go when called and preach the\ngospel, without salary or any earthly reward. The high priests are a\nbody of church officers to minister in the organized branches of the\nchurch, as presiding officers or standing ministers among the saints,\nthe elders who are not of the seventies are also standing ministers,\nappendages to the high priesthood and are organized into quorums, each\nnumbering ninety-six and presided over by three of their number, a\npresident and two counselors. All these orders which I have named are\nincluded in the higher or Melchisedek priesthood.\n\n\"Next in order come the priests after the order of Aaron, having\nauthority to baptize, administer the Lord's supper, preach, teach,\nexpound, exhort and invite all to come unto Christ; also to visit the\nmembers of the church and instruct them in church duties. Forty-eight\nof these priests form a quorum, presided over by three of their\nnumber. As appendages to their office, there are the teachers and the\ndeacons. Twenty-four of the teachers form a quorum, presided over\nby three of the number. They are to watch over the church, see that\nthere is no iniquity in it and assist the priests in their duties,\nbut they cannot administer ordinances. Twelve deacons form a quorum,\npresided over by three of their number. Their duty is to attend to\nthe smaller temporalities of the branches of the church where they\nreside. The offices of priest, teacher and deacon are in the lesser or\nAaronic priesthood, the chief officer of which is the bishop. A bishop\nshould be a lineal descendant of Aaron, but in the absence of such a\ndescendant a high priest in the Melchisedek order may be set apart and\nappointed to act in that capacity.\n\n\"The church in Zion, that is, the place where saints are gathered, is\norganized in this way. Each settlement of the saints form a bishop's\nward, over which a bishop and two {111} counselors, who are also high\npriests set apart for that position, are appointed to take charge.\nThey take care of the temporal affairs of the church in their ward,\nlook after the poor, give advice to all that seek for it, and as high\npriest preside over public meetings and have the oversight of church\naffairs in their locality generally. They also form a spiritual court\nto hear charges against accused members and decide upon them after\nhearing evidence on both sides. In cases of dispute between church\nmembers which cannot be settled by the parties or with the aid of the\nvisiting teachers, the bishopric try the case and render a decision\nwhich must be according to justice and equity. If either of the parties\nis dissatisfied an appeal can be taken to the high council of the stake\nof which the ward forms a part. Usually all the wards in a county are\norganized into what is called a stake of Zion. This is presided over\nby a high priest with two counselors appointed and set apart for the\npurpose. The high council which is also organized in each stake of Zion\nis composed of twelve high priests set apart to that office and with\nthe stake presidency, forming a court of appeal, to which cases from\nthe bishops' courts may be taken and where justice may be secured. They\nare also original tribunals for decisions in doctrines and discipline.\nThe decisions of the high council are final, unless on revision by the\nfirst presidency error is discovered when the case may be remanded for\na new trial. The benefits of these church tribunals are had without\ncost to any of the parties, all these church officers serving without\nremuneration.\n\n\"All the stakes of Zion are under the direction of the presidency of\nthe church and are visited by them or by the apostles, and quarterly\nconferences are held in each of them for general instruction and for\nmaking such changes as many be necessary to their proper management.\nThe officers named are also presented before the people in conference\nassembled for their votes, every member, male and female, having a\nvoice in church affairs, and they vote upon the acceptance or rejection\nof those officers. At the general conferences, held semiannually, the\nfirst presidency, apostles and all leading officials of the church\nare also presented for the approval or disapproval of the body of the\nchurch.\n\n\"Outside of Zion each mission has a president who takes charge of all\nits affairs, and each branch of the mission has a branch president,\namenable to a conference president, and he to the president of\nthe mission, who also directs the labors of the traveling elders,\nmissionaries sent to labor in the field. Thus the whole church is so\norganized that each officer has his {112} defined place and sphere of\nauthority and the whole system inspired by one spirit moves like a\nwell regulated living body, the president or head of the whole church,\nwho is a prophet, a seer and a revelator, directing it under divine\nauthority and inspiration.\"\n\n\"What is the attitude of your church in regard to other Christian\ndenominations?\"\n\n\"It recognizes truth wherever it is found. It regards all human effort\nfor the development and promulgation of truth as good and blessed of\nDeity. It recognizes the benefits which have come to mankind through\nthe labors of good men and women everywhere, no matter what sect they\nbelong to or what language they speak. But it has no affiliation with\nerror. Truth and error will not combine. There can be but one Church\nof Jesus Christ, no matter how many branches it may have nor how many\nmembers. It is unreasonable and also unscriptural to say that the one\nliving and true God, and Jesus Christ whom He has sent, would establish\na number of discordant contending religions. The good intentions,\nsincerity of motives and pious acts of men and women are no proof of\nthemselves that they are divinely authorized. They are to be admired\nand respected for what they are, but this should not deceive any one\nas to what they are not. Heathendom as well as Christendom furnishes\nstriking illustrations of purity of conduct and sincerity, but in\nneither instance does this prove correctness of principle or divinity\nin organization. Christ when on earth established but one church.\nAll others were outside of its pale. It is the same today. There is\nonly one true Church of Christ, and it is that which He Himself has\nestablished and which He recognizes and directs. All others are the\ninstitutions of men, to be valued for what they are worth, but not to\nbe viewed as divinely established. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter\nDay Saints has no quarrel with any of them; it does not attempt to\ndeprive them of any light they may have, but only endeavors to correct\ntheir errors and bring them into greater light, that they may receive\ngreater blessings, with full and complete salvation in the kingdom of\nGod.\"\n\n\"Is it necessary for preachers and members of other churches to be\nbaptized anew in order to enter your church and be saved?\"\n\n\"The voice of God is to all people, without exception, repent and be\nbaptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission\nof sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost and shall\nknow that you have received {113} the truth and that God and Jesus\nChrist His Son have manifested themselves in this age of the world, and\ncan be approached as of old, and that the blessings and gifts enjoyed\nin former days may be had in their fulness in these days. This is the\nonly way of salvation and in this church is the only divine authority\nto administer the ordinances of salvation. They who receive this gospel\nand endure unto the end will be saved; they who wilfully reject it will\nbe condemned.\"\n\n\"Is it necessary that baptism should be administered by total\nimmersion? Will not sprinkling or pouring water upon the candidate be\nsufficient?\"\n\n\"Baptism means immersion. It is a burial in water and afterwards\nthe coming forth into a new life. It is symbolical of death and the\nresurrection. Paul said: 'Therefore we are buried with Him by baptism\ninto death; that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the\nglory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.\nFor if we have been planted together in the likeness of His death, we\nshall be also in the likeness of His resurrection' (Roman vi: 4-5). The\nbeliever becomes dead to sin by repentance; he is buried from the old\nlife by baptism. Coming from the womb of water into the air, he is born\nof water. Through remission of sins given in baptism, but proceeding\nfrom the atonement, he is born of the water and is thus prepared as\na new creature in Christ Jesus to receive the Holy Ghost and thus be\nborn of the spirit. Jesus said when on earth, 'Except a man be born of\nwater and of the spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.' (John\niii: 5.) He set the example. He was baptized by John, His forerunner,\nin the river Jordan. When 'He came up straightway out of the water the\nheavens were opened and the spirit of God descended like a dove and\nlighted upon Him.' Thus He was born of the water and of the spirit and\nleft us an example that we should follow in His steps. All other forms\nof baptism are inventions of men, and are not recognized of God; nor\nis this form, accepted of heaven unless administered by one who has\nthe divine right to do so, in the name of the Father, and of the Son,\nand of the Holy Ghost. The Lord accepts only such ordinances as are\nperformed by His authority and according to His commandment.\"\n\n\"Would you baptize infants by immersion?\"\n\n\"We would not baptize infants at all. That would be a mockery in the\nsight of God. Faith and repentance must precede baptism. Infants cannot\nbelieve and they have nothing to repent of. Jesus did not baptize\nlittle children, but laid His hands on them and blessed them, saying,\n'Of such is the {114} kingdom of heaven' (Matthew xix: 13-15). We give\nnames to infants and bless them after this pattern, but do not baptize\nchildren until they come to years of accountability, are able to\nunderstand right from wrong, to believe in Christ and repent of their\nsins. We baptize no children less than eight years of age.\"\n\n\"If the world has been without divine authority, and the ordinances\nyou speak of are necessary for salvation, do you mean to say that all\nthe millions of good people who have died since the days of the early\napostles and elders are lost?\"\n\n\"No, we do not believe any such monstrous thing. I might ask you\nwhat has become of all the millions of good people in heathen lands,\nand other places where the name of Jesus Christ was never preached.\nWe are told in Scripture that there is 'no other name given under\nheaven whereby we must be saved' (Acts iv: 12). But I will answer you\ndirectly. God has revealed that the gospel of Jesus Christ will be\npreached to every creature. Those who do not hear it in this life, will\nhear it in the life to come. The idea that God's mercies extend only to\nthe narrow sphere of this mortal life, is unworthy of Him whose 'tender\nmercies are over all His works,' and whose justice and mercy endure\nforever. When Jesus was put to death in the flesh, he was quickened by\nthe spirit, and as the Scriptures tell us, 'He went and preached to\nthe spirits in prison, which sometimes were disobedient when once the\nlong suffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the Ark was\npreparing' (I Peter iii: 18-20). This shows that spirits after they\nleave the body can be preached to and instructed. The purpose of this\nis shown by Peter in the fourth chapter, sixth verse. He says: 'For\nthis cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, that\nthey might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according\nto God in the spirit.' Thus all mankind will have the opportunity of\nhearing the one true and everlasting gospel, either in the body or out\nof the body. It is the intelligent immortal entity in the body which\nreceives or rejects light and truth and is the responsible being.\nIt is no less a thinking, sentient, responsible person when out of\nthe body than when clothed with mortality. The spirit can believe or\ndisbelieve, repent or remain unregenerate, bow to the divine command\nor persist in rebellion. But the earthly ordinances belong to this\nmaterial world, and therefore cannot be performed in spirit spheres.\nYet Jesus declared, 'except a man be born of water and of the spirit he\ncannot enter into the kingdom of God.' Baptism, the laying on of hands\nand similar ceremonies must therefore be {115} attended to by some\none on earth for and in behalf of the dead. This is what the Apostle\nPaul referred to when teaching the Corinthians the doctrine of the\nresurrection. He asked: 'Else what shall they do which are baptized for\nthe dead, if the dead rise not at all? Why are they then baptized for\nthe dead' (I. Cor. xv: 29). It is clear from this that the Corinthian\nsaints understood baptism for the dead better than the resurrection of\nthe dead. We do not, however, depend on that Scripture or any other\nancient writing for this doctrine. It has been revealed from heaven in\nthese latter days, and everything pertaining to that sacred ordinance\nhas been made known; and the temples which have been erected by the\nsaints in Zion, at immense cost, have been reared with a special view\nto the solemnization of ordinances in behalf of the dead.\"\n\n\"But what will become of people who reject what you call the one only\nplan of salvation? Will they be doomed to eternal woe? Do you believe\nin everlasting punishment?\"\n\n\"Everlasting punishment is God's punishment. That is to say, as God is\neternal and His law is eternal, there is punishment eternally ready for\nthe transgressor. But the justice and mercy of God are also eternal.\nTherefore as every man is to be judged according to his works (Rev. xx:\n12), those who are worthy of many stripes will receive their measure of\nthat eternal punishment, and those who are worthy only of a few stripes\nwill receive but their portion. Some will be forgiven in this world\nthrough repentance and obedience, others in the next world, and some\nwill have to pay the uttermost farthing. (Luke xii: 47-48; Matt, v: 26;\nI. Tim. v: 24; Matt, xii: 32; I. John v: 16.) They who sin against the\nHoly Ghost by denying it after having received it, who wilfully sin\nagainst light and truth and become fully possessed of the evil one so\nthat they cannot repent, are 'sons of perdition' for whom there is no\nredemption. They are doomed with the devil and his angels forever. All\nthe rest will be brought forth in the due time of the Lord in the ages\nto come and placed in some degree of happiness and glory.\"\n\n\"Do you believe then that there will be different degrees of glory in\nheaven?\"\n\n\"I certainly do. Will not justice so determine? Is not every man to\nbe judged according to his works? Would it be right for the good,\nthe true, the just and the pure to reap no fruit from their tree of\nrighteousness? Is not every soul better for the doing of that which is\nright, and the worse for the doing of that which is wrong, and will God\nbe less fair {116} and equitable than man? Have you not read what Paul\nsays: 'There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon,\nand another glory of the stars. For one star differeth from another\nstar in glory; so also is the resurrection of the dead?' (I. Cor. xv:\n41-42.) The glory of the sun, which is the celestial glory, is for\nthose who receive the gospel, are baptized into Christ, remain faithful\nto the end, overcome all things, and therefore inherit all things, come\nforth in the first resurrection and are made kings and priests unto God\nand His Christ forever (Rev. xx: 4-6). They become like the Father and\nthe Son, dwell in their presence and partake of their glory.\"\n\n\"What do you mean by that? How can man be like God? Is He not a spirit\nwithout form, immaterial and incomprehensible?\"\n\n\"That is a dogma of spurious Christianity, mingled with vain\nphilosophy. Jesus Christ was the express image of the Father. Man also\nis made in the image of the Father and the Son. Jesus Christ, after\nHis resurrection, when he ascended to the Father, was in the same form\nand shape and appearance as when in mortality. Those who are in Christ\nare to be like him in every respect. (Heb. i: 3; I. John iii: 1-2;\nPhil, iii: 21.) God is a spirit; so also is man. (Job xxxii: 8.) But\nthe Father is a person, just as the Son is, one being like the other\nin all respects. Jesus is a spirit, dwelling in a spiritual body; the\nFather is the same, but the Holy Spirit which proceeds from the Father\nand the Son permeates space and by it God is omnipresent. Our Father,\nthe Father of Our Lord Jesus Christ, who is our Elder Brother, made\nus all after His own image and likeness (Gen. i: 27). It is strange\nthat professing Christians who regard Jesus Christ as God and admit\nHis personality, form and tangible shape, are horror-stricken when\nthe Latter Day Saints declare that God the Father is a similar being,\nthat statement being borne out by the Scriptures of the Old and New\nTestaments. The Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost, though one in\npurpose, design and act, are separate and distinct personalities. The\nSon came from the Father, prayed to the Father, obeyed the Father,\nwent back to the Father and sat at His right hand, and sent the Holy\nSpirit after He left the earth to be a Comforter to His disciples.\nJesus prayed that all who believed on Him should become one, as He and\nthe Father are one (John xvii: 20-21). This shows that the unity of the\nGodhead is not identity of person, as many believe, and it is clear\nto those who understand, that Our Heavenly Father is an individual,\njust as Christ is, and we shall all be when brought into their {117}\npresence. We worship the Father, in the name of the Son, under the\ninfluence of the Holy Ghost, and expect to fully comprehend them all\nin the future and perfect state. This is life eternal, that they might\nknow Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent'\n(John xvii: 3).\"\n\n\"You have spoken of the atonement of Christ for the sins of mankind,\nand yet you insist upon baptism for the remission of sins. How do you\nreconcile these two doctrines?\"\n\n\"There is nothing in them at variance with each other. The atonement\nof Christ was for two purposes. First, for original sin, that is, the\nsin committed by our first parents in the garden of Eden; and second,\nfor actual sins, that is, those committed by mankind individually.\nAtonement for the first is unconditional, for the second it is\nconditional. The posterity of Adam had nothing to do with the atonement\nfor that sin. Its consequence was death, not only to Adam, but to all\nhis descendants. The atonement will bring life to every creature of\nAdam's race. 'For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be\nmade alive.' (I. Cor. xv: 22.) 'The first man Adam was made a living\nsoul, the last Adam was made a quickening spirit (verse 45). Jesus\nsaid, 'Marvel not at this, for the hour is coming in the which all that\nare in the graves shall hear His voice and shall come forth. They that\nhave done good unto the resurrection of life, and they that have done\nevil unto the resurrection of damnation' (John v: 28-29). This shows\nthat although every one who died through Adam's fall will be raised\nfrom the dead through Christ's atonement, 'some will be raised to\neverlasting life and some to shame and everlasting contempt' (Daniel\nxii: 2). This is because the atonement for actual sins committed by\nmankind was made conditionally, that is, conditioned on their reception\nof Jesus Christ as their Savior, manifested by obedience to His Gospel.\nThe righteous and the wicked will all be raised from the dead, but they\nwill then all be judged according to their works. 'He that believeth\nand is baptized shall be saved; he that believeth not shall be damned'\n(Mark xvi: 16). Remission of sin comes through the atonement. 'Without\nthe shedding of blood there is no remission of sin' Heb. ix: 22). But\nthis remission is given in baptism preceded by repentance and faith.\nThe first condition is faith in Christ, the second is repentance, the\nthird is baptism. That baptism is for the remission of sins. (See\nMark i: 4; Acts ii: 37-38; I. Pet. iii: 21.) That is why baptism is\nessential and why Jesus told Nicodemus: 'Except a man be born of water\nand of the spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God' (John iii:\n5). The baptized, {118} repentant believer receives remission of sins,\nis a new creature and ready for the reception of the Holy Ghost or\nbirth of the spirit. This, as I have explained to you, is conferred by\nthe laying on of hands by men having divine authority. Thus you see\nremission of sins is through the atonement, but is given in baptism.\nAnd thus there is no discrepancy between the two doctrines.\"\n\n\"But how do you understand this scripture, and others to the same\npurport, 'God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son,\nthat whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting\nlife?' (John iii: 16.) Does not that show that belief in Christ is\nalone sufficient for salvation?\"\n\n\"No, it does not, for verse 5 of the same chapter from which you quote\nmakes birth of water and of the spirit essential. The key to this\nwhole question is in the meaning of belief in Christ. Jesus said: 'He\nthat believeth on Me, the works that I do shall he do also' (John xiv:\n12). He also said: 'Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord,\nshall enter into the kingdom of heaven but he that doeth the will of\nmy Father which is in heaven.' Also he said: 'Every one that heareth\nthese sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a\nfoolish man which built his house upon the sand' (Matthew vii: 21-27).\n'Faith without works is dead, and it is only by works that faith is\nmade manifest' (James ii: 17-26). Belief in Christ comprehends belief\nin His doctrine, manifested by obedience to His gospel. Any other kind\nof faith is spurious, dead and of no effect. Peter proclaimed Christ's\ngospel, being full of the Holy Ghost, and he taught the people first\nto believe in Christ, and when they showed faith and asked what they\nshould do, he answered: 'Repent and be baptized every one of you in\nthe name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall\nreceive the gift of the Holy Ghost' (Acts ii: 37-38). If Peter had\nbeen a modern minister, he would have said in answer to the question,\n'Men and brethren, what shall we do?'--as may be heard from almost\nevery pulpit nowadays, 'Poor sinners, you can do nothing; Christ has\ndone it all. Only believe and you shall be saved and heaven is yours\nforever.' But Peter taught Christ's gospel, which is a gospel of good\nworks, proceeding from living faith. When Christ sent him and the other\napostles to proclaim that gospel he said: 'Go ye, therefore, and teach\nall nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son\nand of the Holy Ghost, teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I\nhave commanded you' (Matt, xxviii: 19-20).\n\n{119} \"Paul is supposed to be the author of the doctrine of salvation\nby faith alone without works. But by reading his epistle to the Romans,\nwhich is quoted chiefly in that direction, it will be seen that it was\nthe works of the law of Moses that Paul showed were insufficient, and\nthat the first essential to salvation was faith in Christ, but not a\ndead faith; it was one that led to obedience, as Christ taught: 'Man\nshall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out\nof the mouth of God' (Matthew iv: 4). And that Paul believed in the\nefficacy of good works, Romans ii: 3-10, of which I shall quote but\ntwo verses: 'Tribulation and anguish upon every soul of man that doth\nevil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile. But glory, honor and\npeace to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the\nGentile.' There is nothing, in my opinion, so conducive to sin as the\nabsurd and anti-Christian doctrine that mere belief in the atonement of\nChrist will absolve people of the grossest sins and crimes and fit them\nfor the presence of Him who is pure and holy. It is a soul-destroying\nheresy, the invention of men and contrary to ancient as well as modern\nrevelation.\"\n\n\"It is generally supposed that the Mormons have lax ideas of morality\nand peculiar marriage customs. What is the truth of these charges?''\n\n\"There are no people in the world who have stricter ideas and rules\nconcerning morality than the Latter Day Saints have. Sexual relations\noutside of marriage are considered a deadly sin. Violations of chastity\nare viewed as next to murder in enormity. Chastity is enjoined upon\nboth male and female. A young man should be as pure as a young woman.\nOne has no more license than the other as to morals under Mormon\nteachings. We believe that the union of the sexes in marriage is\nessential to perfection. 'Neither is the man without the woman, neither\nthe woman without the man, in the Lord' (I. Cor. xi: 11). The celestial\nkingdom where God and Christ dwell is a state of perfection. Those\nwho enter into that glory will be perfect. Therefore we believe in\ncelestial marriage, which is eternal marriage--the marriage that was\nsolemnized between Adam and Eve by the Almighty in the Garden of Eden.\nThey were immortal beings. Death had not entered into the world. There\nwas no sin, therefore there was no death. The immortal pair were made\none flesh. No man could put them asunder. That was an eternal union.\nIf they were separated by death, which was the wages of sin, they were\nreunited through the atonement of the Savior, and thus restored to\ntheir former condition. So, in the {120} resurrection they will not\nbe married or given in marriage, for they were united in celestial\nmarriage before they became mortal. The Lord has revealed in this age\nof the world that order of celestial or eternal marriage, so that what\nis sealed by it on earth is sealed in heaven, and remains in and after\nthe resurrection. The husband will be restored to the wife and the wife\nto the husband, and together as one they will enter, if worthy, into\nthe fulness of the glory of the Lord. If a man thus married should\ntemporarily lose his wife by death, and should marry another by the\nsame law, they would both be his in the world to come. Previous to the\nenactment of laws forbidding polygamy and punishing it as a crime,\nthe church taught the doctrine of plural marriage, and to a small\nextent comparatively it was practiced under the most sacred covenants\nand obligations of chastity and purity. But since those laws, after\nmuch litigation and much suffering on the part of many persons, were\ndeclared constitutional by the supreme court of the United States the\npractice of marrying more than one wife, in violation of our laws, has\nceased; the President of our church issued a Manifesto to this effect.\nNo matter what may be preached or published to the contrary, what I say\nto you is the truth, which you can depend upon. Polygamous or plural\nmarriages are forbidden by the constitution of the state of Utah and a\npenalty of $500 fine and five years imprisonment is imposed upon those\nwho violate this provision. One of our doctrines is that we must obey\nthe constitutional laws of the land. We, therefore, submit and leave\nthe result with the Lord. But what God hath joined together, no man\ncan put asunder. Therefore, marriages solemnized by His authority and\ncommandment will continue, if the parties are faithful, in this world\nand in the world to come. But the parties are under solemn obligations\nto preserve themselves for each other only, and sexual crimes and\nimmoralities are viewed by the Latter Day Saints with the utmost\nabhorrence.\"\n\n\"What about heaven and hell? Do you believe when people die they go\neither to heaven or to hell, or do you deny hell and disbelieve in a\ndevil?\"\n\n\"We believe in a personal Satan, as we believe in a personal Deity.\nThe being who deceived Eve and tempted Jesus is a fallen spirit, the\nembodiment of the principle of evil as God is the embodiment of all\nthat is good. A principle in the abstract is of no force or effect.\nThere must be some being through which it is manifest. We do not\nbelieve in the mythological evil one with horns and hoofs, nor in a\nliteral bottomless pit of fire and brimstone. But we believe that\nthere {121} are many evil spirits who, under that being called the\ndevil and Satan, tempt human beings and lead them astray if possible,\nand who are enemies to Christ and to the truth. They will eventually\nbe banished from this earth when Christ's work of salvation is made\ncomplete. Hell is a place and condition of torment, in which the\nsuspense and remorse and anguish of soul of the wicked, waiting for\njudgment and not knowing what their fate will be, is as 'the worm that\ndieth not and the fire that is not quenched.' This they will endure\nas long as justice demands, and until they repent and turn to God and\nare perfectly willing to obey Him. When they are released, in future\nages, their destiny will be as they have fixed it themselves by their\nown acts and according to the eternal principles of justice and mercy\nextended by the all-wise Judge, the eternal Father. We believe in\nheaven as a place and a condition. This earth, when it is redeemed and\nrestored to its paradisaic state, will be a heaven. Sin, darkness,\nsorrow, pain and death will be banished from it. The righteous in\ntheir glorified, resurrected state will dwell upon it in everlasting\npeace and joy. After it has been purified with fire and made a new\nearth, righteousness will dwell in it. The thorn and the brier having\ndeparted, the fig tree and the myrtle tree will bloom and bear fruit in\nthe place thereof. The enmity between man and brute will be no more.\nThere will be nothing to hurt or destroy. The flowers of Eden will\nblossom, the tree of life will bear its glorious fruits, the river of\nlife will flow forth from the throne of God; the globe itself will be\nas a sea of glass mingled with fire. Christ will dwell upon it as King;\nthe Father will visit it and grace it with His presence. Everything\nthat is upon it, above it, around it and beneath it will be sanctified,\nbeautiful and glorified, and praise to God and the Lamb will ascend\nfrom every part and from every creature, Satan and his hosts will be\nvanquished, and Adam and his posterity will be redeemed from the curse\nand everything that hath breath will glorify the great Creator; every\nknee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is the Lord, to the\nglory of God the Father, and He will be all in all.\"\n\n{122}\n\n\n\nTWO LETTERS TO A BAPTIST MINISTER.\n\n_Rev. J. Whitcomb Brougher, pastor First Baptist Church, Chattanooga,\nTenn., delivered two sermons from his pulpit upon \"Mormonism\". They\nwere tirades of falsehoods and misrepresentations from beginning to\nend; they were filled with much bitterness and hatred, and during one\nof his sermons he came as near advocating mob violence as he dared.\nThese wholesale attacks called out the following open letters to the\nminister, which appeared in the Chattanooga News. (There have been many\ncalls for copies of these letters, and to meet these demands they are\nnow published in pamphlet form_.)\n\nChattanooga, Tenn., Dec. 25, 1899.\n\n_Rev. J. Whitcomb Brougher, Chattanooga, Tenn_.\n\nMy Dear Sir:--Upon my return from Chicago Friday evening my attention\nwas called to an article in the Chattanooga _News_ of Dec. 18, 1899,\npurporting to be a partial report of a sermon delivered by you, in\nyour church, the First Baptist, on the the subject of \"Mormonism and\nPolygamy.\" I take it from what parties who were present have told\nme that the report is substantially correct. I am an Elder in the\nChurch of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, in charge of the \"Mormon\"\nMissionary work in the south, headquarters in this city, and as a\nrepresentative of the people whom you have without foundation so\nunjustly charged with being all that is unholy, I feel it a duty, so\nfar as possible in a short letter, to disprove your unwarranted attack.\nWith a desire to be fair I hope, as a matter of justice, that you will\ndeign to read and consider what follows as a reply to the very unkind\nthings you have said about an honest, God-fearing people. There are two\nsides to every question, and the good book, which you claim to take for\nyour \"rule of faith and practice,\" says he that judgeth a matter before\nhe heareth it is not wise.\n\nIt is apparent, from the newspaper report, that you are either woefully\nignorant of what the world is pleased to nickname Mormonism, or else\nyou are filled with prejudice and {123} prompted by sinister motives.\nCertainly no intelligent, fair-minded person would make the statements\nattributed to you on that Sunday evening, in this enlightened age, if\nonly a casual investigation of the subject in hand had been made. We\nadmit that, like the Saints 1800 years ago, we are everywhere spoken\nevil against, and your sermon has the appearance of being conceived\nin the gall of bitterness, and contains all the earmarks of certain\ntracts that have been written and widely distributed by our enemies.\nThe _News_ stated you handled the subject without gloves, and I trust\nthat if occasionally, in the course of this letter, I exhibit the bare\nknuckles, you will not be offended. I assure you that my only desire\nin writing this is to set you right, if you are after truth, on the\nquestion of salvation; and to correct the general impression \"can\nany good come out of Nazareth\" created against my people by the many\nfalsehoods circulated about them.\n\nYour first misstatement is that \"Mormonism is based on a tissue of\nlies.\" Did you have the Bible in view when you said this, or where did\nyou obtain the information? Had you, before delivering your sermon,\never conversed with a \"Mormon?\" Have you ever read any of our works,\ntreating on the founding and the fundamental principles of the religion\nyou are seeking to belittle and trample in the mire? You failed to\nquote any authority for this extraordinary assertion, and surely you\nwould not go to the writings of a Methodist minister, or the writing of\nsome enemy of Mormonism, as authority on our belief. If you wished to\nlearn of the Catholic faith would it be fair to obtain your information\nfrom a Presbyterian clergyman? In all fairness should not the rule\nyou apply to others apply to us? You have simply quoted from our\nenemies. By using that rule of reasoning we can even do away with the\nresurrection of the Master, for did not the Roman soldiers say that\nChrist was not resurrected, but that while they slept the friends of\nthe Redeemer came and stole the body away? Only the friends of Christ\nsaid He was risen, and you build your faith on what our Savior and His\nfriends said. In handling this question why did you not take the Bible,\n\"the rule of your faith and practice,\" and expose \"Mormonism\" principle\nby principle? Perhaps you have profited by the experience of others\nbefore you and are too wise to undertake such a large contract? Our\nfaith would be popular today if it had only a form of godliness, and we\ndefy you or any other man to prove from the Bible, or the great book of\nreason, that \"Mormonism is based on a tissue of lies.\"\n\nYou say that Joseph Smith was an idle, vicious disreputable {124}\nyoung man, etc. Again, we ask from what source did you receive your\ninformation? Again the answer comes back, from our enemies. Joseph\nSmith was an honest, sober, industrious young man, and we furnish just\nas many reputable witnesses to this effect as you can furnish that he\nwas the embodiment of all that was bad. Why, the enemies of our Savior\nsaid He was a winebibber, a blasphemer, etc. Did that prove Him such?\nIn the case of Christ you would answer no, but in the case of Joseph\nSmith we presume you would say yes. According to a brass tablet, found\nin the year 1280 among a quantity of records of the Kingdom of Naples,\nin the city of Aquilla, Pontius Pilate sentenced Jesus to be nailed to\nthe cross for six reasons, as follows:\n\n    \"1. Jesus is a disturber of the peace.\n\n    \"2. Jesus has taught the people sedition.\n\n    \"3. Jesus is an enemy of the laws.\n\n    \"4. Jesus calls Himself the Son of God.\n\n    \"5. Jesus calls Himself the King of Israel.\n\n    \"6. Jesus disturbed the worship of the temple by leading a mob of\n    people with palms in their hands.\"\n\nThis sounds very much like the usual charges made against Joseph Smith\nand the Mormon Elders, at the present time, does it not? Joseph Smith\nsealed his testimony with his blood. He was dragged before the courts\nof the land, by his enemies, some forty-eight times, and the courts\nalways pronounced him not guilty. Go to the court records and see. His\nenemies admitted they could not reach him through the law, and declared\nthat powder and ball should.\n\nEvidently you have heard of the Book of Mormon, for you mention it.\nGet one and read it, and then you will be better able to tell what\nthe Latter-day Saints claim for that sacred book. You claim the Book\nof Mormon found its origin in the old Solomon Spaulding MSS. Your\nreference to this long since exploded theory as accounting for this\nbook gives one who is the least bit informed a key to the ancientness\nof the falsehoods from which you preached your sermon. After you have\nread the Book of Mormon go to Oberlin college, Oberlin, O., and there\nexamine the old Spaulding MSS., and compare the two; then, if you are\nwise, you will never rehash that old dried up argument again. The Book\nof Mormon does not conflict in points of doctrine with the Bible, and\nit gives a history of the people who once inhabited this continent,\naccounting for the origin of the American Indians.\n\n{125} You again display your ignorance of the subject in hand when you\nsay that we place Joseph Smith above Jesus Christ. A greater falsehood\nnever was told, but we are pleased to inform you that we believe Joseph\nSmith to be a Prophet of God, and that he was the instrument in the\nhand of God in restoring again the Gospel to earth. Is this a crime? If\nwe believed more in Joseph Smith than in Jesus, would we not have named\nthe church after him, as some of our enemies have named theirs after\ntheir founders, instead of calling it the Church of Jesus Christ of\nLatter-day Saints? You know on one occasion the Saints were asking Paul\nabout the second coming of our Savior, and Paul, in second Thes. 2:\n3-4, said that He (Jesus) was not to come until or except there should\nbe a falling away first, showing that there was to be an apostasy from\nthe Gospel. Space will not permit me to quote the many other passages\nin the Bible proving that there was to be an apostasy, and that in\nthe latter days a restoration was to take place, as per the dream of\nNebuchadnezzar, interpreted by Daniel, and according to Revelations,\n14th chapter, 6th verse, the restoration was to be made by an angel.\nNow, if that restoration has not been made, it is yet to be made,\nand believers in the Bible at least should be looking for that angel\nwhich was to fly through the midst of heaven. No doubt you believe\nthat we are living in the latter days, and we ask, is there anything\nunreasonable, especially if we consider Holy Writ, in our claiming that\nthe angel seen by John has flown, appeared to Joseph Smith, and thus\nfulfilled the prophecy that the Gospel was to be restored? We can give\nyou an abundance of Scripture to prove our point, and if you would read\nour literature you would have a much more intelligent conception of\n\"Mormonism and Polygamy.\" To truth seekers, those who are willing to\nlay aside hatred, prejudice, and investigate, we say we are prepared to\ngive reason and Scripture to prove every doctrine we advocate. Robert\nIngersoll says, in his \"Best Argument Against Christianity,\" that there\nis more proof for the miracles of Joseph Smith than there is for those\nperformed by Christ.\n\nAnother proposition laid down by you is \"Its doctrines are likewise\n\nPERNICIOUS AND BLASPHEMOUS.\"\n\nThen you quote from the Journal of Discourses and dilate upon our\nbelief in the materiality of God, etc. We are very sorry to know that\nyou deny the existence of a God that is to some extent comprehensible,\nand you again make yourself ridiculous in the eyes of those who know\nsomething of both {126} sides of the question. You put it down as\nblasphemy to believe it possible that we, the children (remember\nchildren) of God, can become like unto our Father. Did you ever analyze\n\"Our Father which art in heaven?\" Your \"rule of faith and practice\"\nsays man was created in the image of God. It further says that Jesus,\nour elder brother, was in the image of God, so much so that He said\n\"he that hath seen me hath seen the Father.\" Why did He say this?\nBecause Jesus was in the \"express image\" of the Father, and in seeing\none, we would virtually see the other. Jesus had flesh and bones, a\nbody like ours, and the Bible informs us that He ascended into heaven\nafter His resurrection, having the same body that He had at the time\nof His crucifixion. Jesus was so much like other men that He was\ncalled the carpenter's son, and for daring to say He was the Son of\nGod His enemies hanged Him on the cross. Now, as Jesus was like we\nare, and is like we are, having a body of flesh and bones, and is in\nthe express image of the Father, must not God have a body of flesh and\nbones? How will you twist the Scripture to make Him out otherwise? What\ndo you think of Jesus becoming so corrupt as to eat fish after His\nresurrection? Are you prepared to say He did not? Do you remember that\nthe angel said (Acts 1: 11), \"Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up\ninto heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven,\nshall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into heaven?\" Jesus\nwent away into heaven with a body of flesh and bones. Do you think He\nwill return, as promised, with a body of flesh and bones, or do you\nthink He will be just a shadow? Now, is it blasphemy, according to\nScripture, to believe God to be a tangible being, with body, parts\nand passions? Are we criminals, and to be ostracized from society,\nfor believing in the Bible? We refer to a living, practical belief.\nIn your researches of the Bible perhaps you have relied too much on\n\"Commentaries\" (private interpretations of the Scripture), and if you\nwill call at our office we will be pleased to point out to you many\nessential truths which apparently have escaped your notice, and which\nspace will not permit giving in this short communication.\n\nYou will remember that the \"wise men\" took issue with Jesus, and that\nHe chose the illiterate fisherman to be His chief Apostle. Is it not\npossible that the \"wise men\" of today might learn wisdom pertaining to\nsalvation from the humble \"Mormon\" Elder? Pardon the digression. I said\nthat you denied {127}\n\nTHE EXISTENCE OF A GOD,\n\nand if the above is not sufficient I will now prove it to you. You are\nin a worse condition than the infidel, because the infidel says \"I\ndon't know,\" while a definition of your God implies a pure and simple\n\"nothing,\" an \"immaterial\" being. You charge us with believing in a\nmaterial God--\"gross materiality\" you call it, a God with body parts\nand passions, etc., which from what you have read above, you will see\nwe are pleased to acknowledge. From your charge we can take it in no\nother way, and arrive at no other conclusion than that you believe in\na God without body, parts and passions, and as the definition goes,\nnowhere present yet everywhere present, etc. The definition of your God\n\nREMINDS ME OF A STORY.\n\nAt a circus one clown asked a brother clown if he had ever seen\n\"nothing.\" The answer was in the negative. Well, says the first, I\nwill show it to you; shut your eyes. The second shut his eyes and\nthe first said: \"What do you see?\" The answer came \"nothing.\" \"Just\nas I expected,\" said the first; \"you have seen it, open your eyes.\"\nNow, Brother Brougher, shut your eyes and what do you see? \"Nothing,\"\nof course; well, that's him. The mysterious Santa Claus is \"not in\nit\" with such a being. Let me ask now seriously, can you conceive of\nanything \"immaterial?\" Pray how are we to know a being without a body,\nparts or passions? John says it is life eternal to know God, but it\nis a puzzler to figure out how we can know a being that is everywhere\npresent and yet nowhere present. Are you not mistaken? Of course the\nthings of God are understood by the Spirit of God, but it surely would\ntake a very strong pair of spiritual spectacles to see a being that is\nnowhere present, without parts or body to see. Perhaps you will turn\naway from this in disgust, and impatiently say that I don't understand\nthe beauty of your God, but how can I understand the beauty if it has\nnone? Can you figure anything but zero out of it? Come, be honest (if\nyou can't be decent), and forsake your idol.\n\nThere are many passages in the Bible to prove that\n\nGOD HAS A BODY, PARTS AND PASSIONS,\n\nflesh and bones, just as have His children. For instance, Adam heard\nthe voice of the Lord, Gen. 3: 9-10. He must have a voice. God talked\nwith Noah, Gen. 8: 13-21, and remembered, Noah, 8-1. So He must have a\nmouth, tongue and a memory. {128} Abraham ate and talked with the Lord,\nGen. 18. Jacob saw God face to face. Moses talked to Him as one speaks\nwith a friend, Ex. 33-11. Moses saw His back parts, Ex. 23; the heavens\nare the works of Thine hands, Heb. 1: 10; and John says in Revelation,\nfirst chapter, that God has a head, and that He has hair like wool.\nFrom these passages we learn that God has a face, back parts, head,\nhair, hands, etc., and it ought to be conclusive evidence of God being\na reasonable being. Then the Bible is full of passages telling us of\nthe love, mercy, hatred, etc., of our Father in heaven, which are all\npassions, are they not? We have only referred to a few quotations\non this point, but before closing the subject I cannot refrain from\nquoting Deut. 4: 28, which says \"that the time should come when the\nchildren of Israel should so far degrade themselves as to worship gods,\nthe work of men's hands, wood and stone, which neither see nor hear,\nnor eat nor smell.\" Can you get any inference from this Scripture other\nthan that God is possessed of all these faculties? Are you certain you\nare not an Israelite, come to fulfill the above prophecy? Can you show\none passage of Scripture to prove that God has neither body, parts, nor\npassions? No, you cannot.\n\nYou make the terrible charge that\n\nWE BELIEVE IN MANY GODS.\n\nWe solemnly plead guilty to believing in many Gods. If this is a crime\nit is time for a new translation of the Holy Scriptures. Does not the\ngood book say \"and God said, let us make man in our own image?\" What\nare you going to do with the words \"us\" and \"our\" in this Scripture?\nDoes this not prove a plurality of Gods? Ex. 15-11 says \"who is like\nunto Thee, O Lord, among the gods?\" Deut. 10-17: \"Lord, your God is God\nof gods and Lord of lords.\" Paul also refers to the King of Kings and\nthe Lord of Lords, 1 Tim. 6-15, also see 2 Chron. 2-5, Psalms 86-8,\nDan. 2-47, Dan. 4-8, Dan. 11-36. If you desire any more Scripture\non this subject we will be pleased to give you chapter and verse.\nNotwithstanding we believe that there are many Gods, we worship only\none God, the Father of Jesus Christ. Our enemies do not put it in this\nlight, do they? The Devil is anxious to have you believe a lie and be\ndamned.\n\nYou next prate about \"Mormonism\" being\n\n\"A SYSTEM OF LUST\"\n\nand that \"social purity\" is almost an unknown quantity in {129} Utah,\nand sing the old familiar song about polygamy. Don't you think you\ncould do better by looking closer to home? If the truth were known\nyou would probably find more polygamy (on the European plan) than\never was known among the Mormons (on the Patriarchal plan). In fact,\nyou say adultery and fornication are destroying the nation. We agree\nwith you that these evils exist to an alarming extent, but most\nemphatically deny that there is any more cause, at least, to make the\nMormons a special object of purity work than there is to purify other\ncommunities. If Mormonism is indeed a monster, as you claim, and if\nsocial purity, as you assert, is almost unknown among us, then what a\nhorrible condition the Mormon people must be in. But stay; the Master\nsays \"By their fruits ye shall know them.\" Mormonism goes into the\nentire civilized world, and in this age, as in the days of Christ, it\nis the poor, and you will claim the ignorant, who embrace it. Very\nwell, Mormonism takes them to a place where you claim social purity is\nalmost unknown; what a horrible condition these poor, ignorant, deluded\ncreatures must be in in a few years.\n\nNow, listen, Brother Brougher: 90 per cent, of the Mormon people\n\nLIVE IN THEIR OWN HOMES\n\nand upon their own farms. Utah stands equal to Massachusetts in\neducation--the rate of illiteracy is about 3 per cent. She stands\nhead and shoulders above 90 per cent, of the states in the union when\nit comes to educational facilities, and until the advent of what you\ncall civilization came to Christianize us poor heathens, there were no\nbrothels or saloons in Utah. And yet, social purity, you say, is almost\nunknown among us. I leave the public to judge the tree by its fruits,\nand in passing your wholesale libel upon men, women and children,\nwill drop you by saying \"from the abundance of the heart the mouth\nspeaketh.\" To your heart let me say \"thou shalt not lie,\" and \"thou\nshalt not bear false witness,\" while to your mouth let me prescribe\nsoap and water. I do not care to\n\nDISCUSS POLYGAMY\n\nwith you, because there is a law in Tennessee against teaching it,\nand punishing those who do teach it; we should obey the law, and\nright here let me inform you that the twelfth article of our faith\nreads: \"We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers,\nand magistrates, in obeying, honoring and sustaining the law.\" This\npart of our religion is taught and as carefully kept as any other\npart of our religion. However, {130} Roberts will be cast out of\nthe House of Representatives, and you ministers who are to receive\ncongratulations for accomplishing this mighty victory over B. H.\nRoberts should keep your sleeves rolled up until you succeed in also\nbanishing the polygamous Bible from the national headquarters. The\nBible teaches polygamy, and, looking through your eyeglasses, is\ntherefore antagonistic to the \"purity of the American home,\" and a law\nbreaker, in the state of Tennessee. I enter this complaint against the\nDivine record, and will now proceed to convict the prisoner at the bar.\nIn accusing the Bible of being antagonistic to purity in the American\nhome, by charging that it teaches polygamy, I ask that, in addition\nto the evidence which I shall produce, all the evidence introduced\nagainst Roberts be accepted and made a part of the case. Now, if I can\nestablish that the Bible is a teacher of polygamy, I contend I have\nmade my case, and ask that the law be enforced and the offending parts\nof the Bible cast out.\n\nAbraham was a polygamist and the friend of God. God knew he was a\npolygamist when He made him His friend. Jacob had four wives, and their\npolygamous sons, we are informed, are to be honored by having their\nnames inscribed over the pearly gates of the beautiful city. Suppose\nyou were to fool Saint Peter and get into heaven, how would you feel\nclasped to the bosom of the polygamous Abraham? Do you suppose that you\ncan sufficiently humble yourself to go in at one of those polygamous\ngates and mingle with the polygamous sons of Jacob? Moses had more than\none wife, and yet he was a Prophet of God. Just think of a polygamist\nleading the chosen people of the Lord. All the Judges of Israel and all\nher chosen kings which were appointed by God, including Saul, David and\nSolomon, were polygamists, and the descendants of these polygamists\nwere highly honored of the Lord. The Prophet Samuel, and even Jesus,\nour Saviour, came through polygamous lineage. The Bible also says\nthat polygamous relations shall exist in the last days when men would\nbecome decimated, that their scarcity would cause seven women to take\nhold of one man and desire to be called by his name to take away their\nreproach, Isa. 4-1. Are we not informed that David did not sin except\nin the case of Uriah, the Hittite? Did not the Lord say through Nathan\nthe prophet that He, the Lord, had given David Saul's wives? If all\nthese parties could find favor with God, although they were polygamists\nand God knew it, would it be unscriptural to believe that polygamists\nmight find favor with our Heavenly Father in these days? The Bible does\nnot say that we shall have no more than one wife, {131} and can we get\nanything else out of these instances than that the Bible sanctions\npolygamy? Of course you will say that Paul says a Bishop is to be the\nhusband of one wife, but we ask does he say a Bishop cannot have more\nthan one wife? Now, from these passages of Scripture, I ask that the\nprisoner, the Bible, be convicted and be punished under the laws of\nTennessee.\n\nWe are charged with being\n\n\"DISLOYAL AND UN-AMERICAN.\"\n\nTo substantiate this statement would you bring forth the record of the\nfamous Utah batteries in the Philippines? Or would you point to the\nMormon battalion in the war with Mexico, or to the raising of the Stars\nand Stripes on Ensign Peak, when the Mormon Pioneers entered Salt Lake\nvalley? Kindly furnish proof. Your rule of faith and practice says \"by\ntheir fruits ye shall know them,\" and we are perfectly willing to be\njudged by that rule, in loyalty as in all other things.\n\nTo create a greater impression upon your hearers, I am also informed\nthat you said we would be willing to pay the railroad fare of any of\nthe fair mothers and daughters of this land to Utah, if they could but\nbe induced to identify themselves with the \"monstrous and destroying\nsystem.\" Did you believe that when you said it? We again ask for proof.\nRemember that the burden of proof falls on the accuser. This is only\nanother of the falsehoods circulated about the Latter-day Saints, and\nyou cannot point to a single instance. We do not coax, or persuade,\nor inveigle people into our church. We lay before them the principles\nof the Gospel, and if they want to accept them, all well and good, we\nrejoice over it; but if they do not choose to accept it, we do not send\nthem to the bottom of a bottomless pit, there to fall into a lake of\nfire and brimstone and burn, and sizzle and fry forever and forever.\nYour hell is as big a monstrosity as your God. Incomprehensible,\nunfathomable, beyond the bounds of time and space, reason and\neverything else.\n\nI must not forget the preface of your remarks to the effect that there\nwere some things about the \"Mormon\" church that\n\nMUST BE GIVEN UP\n\nbefore it could be looked upon as a Christian church. What constitutes\na Christian? Is it not one who lives up to the Gospel of Christ? We\nare very anxious to be set right; if we are wrong, we would like you\nto take your \"rule of faith and {132} practice\" and point out to us\nwherein we differ with the Bible. I have made somewhat of a study of\nthe teachings of our Savior and would be pleased to have you answer\nthe following questions, keeping in view the injunction of Isaiah,\n\"to the law and to the testimony, and if they speak not according to\nthese words it is because there is no light in them;\" also the word of\nPaul to the Galatian Saints to the effect that if any man preach any\nother Gospel than that which he preached, let him be accursed. First,\nwhere does the Bible give you authority to call your church \"The First\nBaptist?\" In Ephesians 5: 23-24 it is recorded as wives take husbands'\nnames, so the church takes the Savior's name (Jesus Christ); how do you\nharmonize that passage with the name of your church? Can you find any\nother name given God's people than \"Saints\" of the Most High?\n\nWHO CALLED YOU TO PREACH?\n\nPaul says, Heb. 5-4, \"and no man taketh this honor unto himself but\nhe that is called of God as was Aaron.\" Remember Paul says \"no man,\"\nand you know Aaron was called by revelation through a Prophet of God.\nWere you called by a Prophet of God? If you say the Bible gives you\nauthority to preach, then \"any man\" can get a Bible and thereby have\nauthority to preach, baptize and minister in the ordinances of the\nGospel.\n\nOn the same principle, and with as much propriety, I could purchase a\nlaw book and set myself up to be a justice of the peace, or Governor of\nTennessee. Is this not so? \"Now, therefore, ye are no more strangers\nand foreigners, but fellow-citizens with the Saints, and of the\nhousehold of God; and are built upon the foundation of the Apostles and\nProphets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief corner-stone in whom all\nthe building fitly framed together groweth into an holy temple in the\nLord.\" (Eph. 2: 1.8-21.) No one will dispute that the foundation of\nApostles and Prophets is revelation. Christ said to Peter: \"Upon this\nrock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail\nagainst it.\" Is your church founded on revelation--living, modern,\nand not dead? \"And He gave some, Apostles; and some, Prophets; and\nsome, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; for the perfecting\nof the Saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the\nbody of Christ; till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of\nthe knowledge of the Son of God, etc. (Eph. 4.) Have you Prophets and\nApostles in your church? These officers were {133} to remain in the\nchurch until \"we all\" come into a unity of the faith.\n\nARE WE TO A UNITY?\n\nSurely you and I are not in a unity of the faith, and what about the\nhundreds of other denominations claiming to be the true followers\nof Christ? Do we need perfecting and edifying? If so, we must need\nProphets, and Apostles, and all the other officers mentioned by Paul,\nto perfect us, and to keep us from being driven and tossed to and fro\nby every wind of doctrine. Can you find any Scripture changing this\norder of things? You cannot.\n\nDo you believe that signs shall follow the believers, as recorded in\nMark, 16th chapter? We have no record of this promise to the believers\nbeing repealed, and Paul says (I Cor., 13th chapter), that spiritual\ngifts were to remain in the church until that which is perfect is come.\nHas perfection come? Peter says (Acts 2: 38) that baptism is for the\nremission of sins. Do you believe it?\n\nYou teach that\n\nBAPTISM IS NOT ESSENTIAL\n\nto salvation, and that it is only an outward sign of an inward grace.\nJesus says, Mark 16: 16: \"He that believeth and is baptized shall be\nsaved: but he that believeth not (and consequently is not baptized)\nshall be damned.\"\n\nPeter commanded the people on the day of Pentecost to be baptized.\nPeter was the chief Apostle and had the power to bind on earth and it\nshould be bound in heaven. Does this not make baptism a command of God?\nIf it is a command of God is it not essential to salvation? If this is\nnot essential, why not do away with that part of the commission which\ncommands His disciples to go and preach? Are you sure the teachings of\nyour church are in strict accord with the Divine record?\n\nJames says, 5: 14-16: \"Is any sick among you, let him call for the\nElders of the church; and let them pray over him, anoint him with oil\nin the name of the Lord; and the prayer of faith shall save the sick,\nand the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they\nshall be forgiven him.\" Do you call for the Elders? You took for\n\nYOUR SUBJECT LAST NIGHT\n\n\"If Christ should come to Chattanooga, where would He go?\" Now, Brother\nBrougher, stand up. If He should come, where would He go? He commanded\nthat His Gospel should be {134} made free and His ministers should\ntravel without purse or scrip. If He were hunting for His friends,\nwould He call upon those who declare that His promises have fallen\nto the ground unfulfilled, and that the blessings do not follow the\nbelievers? He has placed Apostles and Prophets in the church, with\na decree that they should remain until we all come to a unity of\nthe faith. Would He call those His friends who declare \"they are no\nlonger needed and are not to remain until we all come to a unity of\nthe faith?\" He told the generation to whom He came (1800 years ago)\nthat their great sin consisted in worshiping dead Prophets, while they\npersecuted those who believed in living oracles. Would He call on those\nwho engage in the same business today? He never resorted to abuse\nfor an argument. If He came would He love those who do? He was not a\ncharacter assassin. Would He love those who are? But stay, we do not\nknow where He would go, or whom He would call upon, because when He was\nhere before, He said: \"I came not to call the righteous, but sinners,\nto repentance,\" and He might say that His mission was not entirely\nfinished, and we cannot tell where He would go, but you might possibly\nsee him.\n\nNow, Brother Brougher, just a word. Did you ever listen to an argument\nagainst \"Mormons\" from the standpoint of Scripture and reason? No, you\nnever have and you never will. Did it ever occur to you that it was a\nmost cowardly ambition which induces you to attack a party in a place\nand at a time when retaliation would have been anything but decent? If\nso, will you grant us the privilege of defending ourselves from the\npulpit and before that congregation which were so disgraced by your\ntirade on Sunday evening?\n\nNow, in conclusion, let me say that we are not here to stir up strife,\nbut we propose to defend ourselves whenever attacked; so I close,\nwishing you a merry Christmas and a happy New Year.\n\nBEN. E. RICH.\n\nChattanooga, Tenn., Dec. 25, 1899.\n\n_Rev. (?) J. Whitcomb Brougher, Chattanooga, Tenn_.\n\nMy Dear Sir:--Your second installment of abuse, falsehood and\nmisrepresentation, called \"Is Mormonism Anti-Christian,\" I see, by the\n_News_ of Jan. 1, was duly delivered, as per previous announcement.\nAs some well-meaning people might take your performance in earnest,\nI hope you will take it in {135} good part if I make a brief reply\nbefore the incident is closed. I am glad that this is a country\nof free speech, free thought, and religious liberty, even though\nnarrow-minded religious bigots cannot comprehend this basic principle\nof our heaven-born government, and sometimes abuse it. American history\ntells us that during the revolutionary days of America's struggle for\nindependence the British once had Gen. Marion and his little band of\nstruggling patriots surrounded; that the British, in order to tantalize\nthe starving patriots, fired wheat from their cannon into the American\ncamp, and as I have authentic evidence of having descended from one\nof those hungry defenders of the flag, and also that I have proof,\nbeyond truthful contradiction, that my progenitor was once a member\nof George Washington's body guard, I trust you will have no serious\nobjections to my calling myself an American by birth, and entitled to\na small portion of the freedom of speech and thought guaranteed to\nAmericans by our constitution. Should there be any objections upon\nthe possible ground that your progenitors possibly have been on the\nother side of that fight, I pray you to let family feuds, for this\noccasion at least, be buried. No people on earth love liberty and true\nAmericanism more than my people, and no people realize to a greater\nextent that the favorite weapons brought against truth are, generally,\nridicule and billingsgate; and in a vain attempt to successfully answer\nmy former letter you liberally employed this unsavory method with the\nhope of laughing the case out of court. We have not been accustomed to\nthrowing mud in order to bolster up our cause, but in this case, if\nI should stoop to a little ridicule, avoiding slush, I hope you and\nthe public will pardon me. I understand from parties who witnessed\nyour performance last Sunday night, that the recital of your little\npiece would have done much credit to a Punch and Judy show; but, shorn\nof its stagey effects and set in cold type, without even a moving\npicture accompaniment, I hope that I may be forgiven if I do not fully\nappreciate the force of your masterful (?) logic. I have no doubt\nthat the thinking people of this city can, without any assistance,\ndistinguish between inflated sophistic bombast, and logic; but a little\nairing and brushing always takes away the mold, removes the rubbish and\ngives things a more healthful appearance. Now, as the physician said to\nhis patient, \"just hold still, and I will not insert the knife deeper\nthan is absolutely necessary.\"\n\nYou claim to be a true representative of the meek and lowly Master, who\nsaid He \"came not to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.\"\nYou are loud in condemning \"us\" as {136} sinners; yet you said, in\nyour letter to the News, announcing your attack upon me and my faith,\nthat you were not here to convert the Latter-day Saints, that the work\nwas not worth the candle. How very Christ-like! What a humble follower\nof the Lamb, and how faithfully you endeavor to follow the example of\nthe Master, who said there was more joy in heaven over one sinner who\nrepenteth than over ninety and nine that needed no repentance; but\npardon me--I had forgotten that we are now living in modern times, and\nare told by such eminent divines as yourself that the Bible does not\nmean what it says.\n\nIn the same letter, mentioned above, you also declare you are not here\nfor the purpose of proselyting, which means, of course, that you do not\nintend to waste your time by calling anyone to repentance. In view of\nthis, may I ask, is your mission here simply to love Jesus for $1,800\nper year, and not for a blessed cent less? Great man! Paul told Timothy\nthat the time would come when they would heap to themselves teachers,\nhaving itching ears, and I suppose it becomes necessary, in order that\nthese words might be fulfilled, for some one to be engaged in tickling\nears, even though it becomes rather expensive. Of course I understand\nthat the march of progression changes things, and perhaps this doctrine\nof Christ, that \"the physician is not for the whole but for the sick,\"\nhas evolved as completely as the Golden Rule, for we now have it, at\nleast to a very large extent, \"Do others or they will do you, and do it\nfirst.\" The theory is just the same as it used to be, but it is only,\nas you say, \"symbolic or a figure of speech,\" the practical part having\nbeen done away with--\"we have no need of thee.\"\n\nThrough force of habit (we presume), in your brief note to the _News_\nyou again charged us with creeping into houses and leading captive\nsilly women, laden with sins, etc. Knowing it impossible to furnish\nproof, you hide behind the miserable subterfuge that you have only time\nto sound the key of warning. Our challenge still holds good that you\ncannot point to a single instance.\n\nYou think it a shame and a disgrace that Chattanooga is the\nheadquarters for our missionary work in the south, and no doubt if\nthe solid element of this community, as you assert, thought likewise,\nyou would favor and advocate burning us at the stake. However, as you\nare a newcomer here, I feel that you are excusable, in a measure, for\nthis rash and un-American statement. We know, as well as you, like our\nMaster and the Former Day Saints, we are not popular, and we can also\ntake consolation that in the world's history {137} non-conformists to\npopular opinion have always been placed in the selfsame category. For\na good many years, over twenty, we have had our headquarters here, and\nit is strange that, before your advent, the good people of this city\ndid not discover that we were a disgrace and a detriment to this city.\nDuring the time we have been located here we have been associated,\nin a business way, with not a few representative men of Chattanooga,\nand believe we enjoy their confidence as being honest, paying our\nbills, etc., and have heard no complaints of any of them missing their\nwives or daughters, or of any charge being lodged against any of our\nrepresentatives of conduct unbecoming true ladies or gentlemen. Our\nexpenditures in this city amount to something like $25,000 per year,\nand I may be excused for mentioning this item, in that you mentioned\nmoney on Sunday night in various ways. I wish briefly to explain this,\nknowing full well your ambition to misjudge and misrepresent us in\nthis, as in other matters. We have laboring in this mission about 500\nElders, sometimes more and sometimes a little less, and in coming\nhere they are called from the plow, the smithy, the work-bench, the\nmachine shop, the counting room, the mine, and the various avocations\nof life. Some of them leave lucrative position, worth to them, in some\ninstances, one or two thousand dollars per year, or more, while others\nagain are the sons of poor widows and men of humble circumstances\nfinancially, but all willing to battle for the Gospel. Now, these\nmen leave their homes, all that is dear to a human, and come among\nstrangers, unto them, a strange land, to preach an unpopular doctrine;\nto be hated and despised, sometimes brutally treated, because of their\nconvictions, traveling without purse or scrip, and depending upon God\nto raise up friends to give them a place to sleep and something to\neat. These men give their time to the church free of charge, and pay\ntheir own expenses, such as clothing, railroad fare, literature, etc.,\nnecessary to carry on their work.\n\nWhen an Elder arrives in this city he is assigned to his field of\nlabor, and remains in the field usually from two to three years; when,\nin the course of his labors, it is necessary for him to have books,\ntracts, clothing, and other supplies, he sends here for us to send\nhim these needed articles, while the money to pay for the same, if\nthe Elder is unable to bear the expense himself, is forwarded here by\nrelatives and friends, or in some cases by brothers and sisters in the\nchurch at his home. This explains how we dispose of money in this city.\n\nSome of our Elders have been shot to death by mobs, some {138} have\nbeen cruelly beaten, while others have died in the harness of natural\ncauses.\n\nCould you do as these men do for your religion?\n\nCould you stand to be held up to the derision of the world, leave a\ncomfortable home and work without a salary, derided by such men as\nyourself, and your mother charged with being worse than a harlot; all\nfor the love of the Master's cause?\n\nSome of our Elders now in the field were with the rough riders in\nthe late war with Spain, others were with the Utah batteries in the\nPhilippines, and some of them returned home about the time the call to\narms was sounded, in just enough time to discard their Prince Albert\ncoats and don the uniform of Uncle Sam.\n\nIs this disloyalty? Could you do as much for your religion and your\ncountry?\n\nWe try to mind our own business, and if the good people of this city\nor any other place do not care to come out and hear me or any other\nMormon Elder preach, that is their business. All I ask is fair play and\nnothing more. Giving the people an opportunity to hear the Gospel is\na large part of the mission of a servant of God, and when it has been\npreached in all the world for a witness, then shall the end come, then\nwill it be said, as it was said once before by our Master, \"how oft\nwould I have gathered you, but ye would not.\" I remember, too, that\nJesus said: \"Wide is the gate and broad is the way that leadeth to\ndestruction, and many there be that go in thereat; while straight is\nthe gate and narrow is the way which leadeth unto life, and few there\nbe that find it.\"\n\nChrist also said that people would kill His disciples and think they\nwere doing God's service, and that all who would follow Him must needs\nsuffer persecution. Are you persecuted? Is it right to look for the\ntrue Church of Christ in popularity? When a church becomes popular and\npersecution ceases, one of the promises of our Savior ceases to be\nfulfilled, for persecution is one of the marks by which we are to know\nthe true church, says the Bible. Don't you think it is time to begin to\nlook for the cause of the trouble? What do you really sacrifice for the\ncause of the Master?\n\nYou misunderstand me when you try to make believe that I claim my\narguments are new. They are old, very old, and are the same as those\nused by Paul and Peter. I hope you will not misrepresent me on that\npoint again. They may not be Christian, in the accepted use of the\nterm today, but, {139} according to Scripture, they were accepted as\nChristian over 1,800 years ago.\n\nI did not think I hit so hard when I asked for a chance to give my\nside of the story before your congregation; I have always been taught\nto hear both sides before passing judgment, and perhaps it might not\nbe amiss to say here that it is somewhat of a custom among my people\nto loan, as you would put it, preachers of other denominations their\nchurches, congregations, and a choir to sing for them. There would be\nno objection even to the Rev. Dr. Talmage, so lovingly quoted by you,\npreaching in our great Tabernacle at Salt Lake City, if he desired\nto do so, and be furnished with a congregation numbering thousands\nand a choir of 500 voices to sing for him. I thought your superior\n(?) Christianity would make you as fair and generous as the despised\nMormons, but I see I overestimated you. Our large Tabernacle at Salt\nLake City seats from ten to twelve thousand, our organ is second\nlargest in the world, and our choir, as I stated above, consists of 500\nvoices.\n\nWe think our singers are of the best, as they were given the second\nprize at the world's fair (the first prize being carried off by\nthe famous Welsh singers). No minister of good character has ever\nbeen denied a hearing in that building, and among the many who have\noccupied our famous pulpit I mention the following prominent churchmen,\nrepresenting various denominations:\n\n    Bishop Kingsley, of Ohio. Rev. A. N. Fisher, of Nevada. Dr.\n    Tiffany, of Iowa. Dr. Allen, of Wyoming. Rev. Hiram McKee, of\n    Missouri. Dr. J. H. Vincent, of New York. Gen. Booth, of the\n    Salvation Army, London. Mr. D. L. Moody. Dr. Reiner, of New York.\n\nPerhaps these eminent divines would have been refused a hearing had the\nMormon people been as narrow and contracted as some of their enemies.\n\nWhen you advise your congregation not to go to hear us, is it not good\nproof that you are afraid to have your people find out the truth about\nus and learn the true nature of our faith?\n\nAs expected, you made no effort to expose the principles we teach from\nreason and the Scripture; you claim it would take a lifetime to expose\nthe errors of Mormonism. Well, {140} now, Brother, don't you think you\nare a little bit inconsistent? Did you not speak before you thought?\nJust think what would be accomplished if you could only prove Mormonism\nto be false. We are informed by our enemies, and they preach it to the\npeople, that the very existence of our government and free institutions\nis threatened by this Mormon octopus, and often has it been pointed\nout, by preachers and politicians, that we already control four or five\nstates, almost a sufficient number of senators to give us a balance of\npower in the United States senate. Then the Rev. T. C. Iliff, and other\nof our enemies, who are proselyting in Utah, say if it were not for our\nleaders we would be good people; and that it is our priestcraft that\nmakes us bad; fully admitting that they think we have a soul to save.\nDon't you think you could afford to try and call us to repentance? Is\nit not worth the candle? Inasmuch as Dr. Iliff was in this city a few\nmonths back, lecturing on Mormonism, soliciting donations, is it not\npossible that some of Chattanooga's good people gave of their means to\nbe used in converting us \"heathens,\" and no doubt we were considered\n\"worth the candle?\" Would it not be well worth a man's life to prove\nMormonism false, if it would save the nation from going to pieces and\nbe the means of saving some 300,000 or 400,000 or more souls for Jesus?\nMinisters all over the country are crying that thousands are being won\nover to the Mormon faith every year, and would it not be worth the\ncandle to check this mighty stream of human souls, which, as you say,\n\"are going to certain destruction?\"\n\nAs to Joseph Smith, you rehashed the same old stuff, which I have\nalready answered, but I should have thought you would have remembered\nto tell the people, in your eagerness to be fair, what such men as\nJosiah Quincy, George Bancroft, the historian, and other prominent and\nwell known men say. In another column we have taken pains to give a few\nsayings in our favor from men of undoubted veracity, but as they are\nnot clippings from your style of authors perhaps they will not suit you.\n\nHowever, they will go to show that there are two sides to this\nquestion, as well as every other question.\n\nOn the Book of Mormon you manufacture another Spaulding story with a\nhope of covering your defeat on this point, but we want to say to you\nhere that the manuscript of Oberlin college is the very manuscript of\nwhich it was falsely said years ago furnished the inspiration for the\nBook of Mormon, and as President Fairchild said in his affidavit and\naccount {141} of the manuscript published in the New York World, the\nopponents of Mormonism will have to look elsewhere for an explanation\nof the Book of Mormon.\n\nYou admitted to two of our young men who called on you a few days ago,\nthat you had never read anything about us except from our enemies.\nSolomon says he that judgeth a matter before he heareth it is not wise.\nHow Solomon-like you are.\n\nYou felt very badly because I did not break the law, so you could\nprosecute me for teaching polygamy, didn't you? You remind me of a\nbooby, who, in playing with his big brother, cried out, \"Ma, he won't\nlet me hit him.\" Solomon and David both sinned, we admit, but you took\nspecial pains not to tell the audience \"when\" they transgressed. But\nthen this was necessary in order to keep your \"clay brick\" logic from\ngoing to pieces. Does the fact that God has a body, parts and passions,\ndebar Him from being an intelligent being, omnipresent, etc.? The\nglory of God is intelligence, and He, being a real live God, and not\na nonentity, would His materiality prohibit Him from controlling the\nintelligences for the just governing of His children and the universe?\nLet us look at your syllogism. \"A brick is made of clay, a man is made\nof clay, therefore a man is a brick.\" Now let us construct one from\nthe Bible, taking care to have our premises correct. \"All sons are\nin the image of their fathers, Jesus was a Son, therefore He was in\nthe 'express' image of His Father.\" Now, Brother Brougher, what was\nthe image of His Father? Jesus had a body of flesh and bones--can you\nexplain or ridicule it away? If the words \"God is a spirit\" mean that\nHe has neither body, parts or passions, then are we to dispense with\nour body, parts and passions in order to worship Him in \"spirit\" and in\ntruth? When you find some quotation in the Bible that suits your idea,\nyou seem to be willing to take the words literally. If the symbolical\nor figurative parts of the Bible are so plain, why is there such a wide\ndifference of opinion, among the learned even, as to its teachings? I\nremember that Peter declared that \"no prophecy of the Scripture is of\nany private interpretation.\" I do not mention this by way of belittling\nyour great knowledge of interpretation and for calling me a fool for\ntaking the book literally, but speak of it that the public might know\nhow ignorant and how very little Peter really knew about how to read\nthe Bible.\n\nYou say Mark 16: 16 is spurious, to justify yourself in not believing\nbaptism to be essential to salvation, don't you? {142} \"Only believe\nand you shall be saved;\" you may just as well say to the farmer, \"only\nbelieve in planting and your crop will grow.\" But let us see where\nyour declaration \"that this part of the Bible is spurious\" leads us.\nThere are other passages of Scripture which say baptism is essential\nto salvation. Are they also spurious? John 3: 5 reports Jesus saying\nto Nicodemus, \"except a man be born of water and of the spirit, he\ncannot enter the kingdom of God.\" Matthew says, 3: 13-15, that it\nwas necessary for our Savior to be baptized in order to fulfill all\nrighteousness. Jesus also says, Matt. 28, in giving the Apostles their\ncommissions to go to teach all nations, baptizing them that believe;\nand Paul also enumerates in Heb. 6 that baptism is a doctrine of\nChrist. We are told that it was necessary for Paul to be baptized,\nlikewise the jailor, the people at Ephesus, the people at Samaria,\nthe eunuch, and even a man as just as was Cornelius could not escape,\nand according to St. Luke, \"some rejected the counsel of God against\nthemselves, not being baptized.\" According to the practice generally\nin vogue, is it not about time for a revision of the Bible, that the\noffending parts may be cast out? Ought you not to use your potent\ninfluence to accomplish this end, as I contended in my former letter?\nYou charge me falsely with misquoting Mark 16: 16, because I placed\nwithin the quotation an interpolation in brackets, and if this is\nmisquoting I surely had no intention of doing so. Any school boy would\nhave known that the words in brackets were mine. You say the passage\ndoes not mean what my interpolation indicated, but you failed to point\nout what it did mean. Look at it again, even if it is spurious and\nof no consequence. The words \"belief\" and \"baptism\" are placed on\neven terms by our Savior, and there is no other conclusion but that\nthe believer must be baptized (unless it is one of your figures of\nspeech). This being true, the unbeliever very naturally would not be\nbaptized and be damned, as Christ says, in consequence of unbelief and\nnonconformity to this ordinance. Really, brother, over whose \"shop\"\nshould the sign \"All kinds of turning and twisting done here\" be\nplaced? I am perfectly willing to leave that to an intelligent public.\nYou entertained your congregation last Sunday evening by relating to\nthem a pretty fable about a jackass, who was in the woods braying. It\nwas nicely related and caused much laughter and mirth; and no one could\nbecome offended by a jackass story; therefore, kindly allow me the same\nprivilege, Brother Brougher, as I also have a jackass story.\n\n\"Once upon a time\" there was a jackass who imagined he {143} was\npreaching the same Gospel that was taught many hundreds of years ago;\nhe stood before a large, fashionable congregation of people and started\nto bray. He opened his mouth and said: \"Oh, money, oh, money, thy\npraises I'll sing; thou art my Savior, my God and my King; 'tis for\nthee that I preach, 'tis for thee that I pray, and make a collection\ntwice each Sabbath day. Money's my creed, and I won't pray without it,\nthe heavens are closed against those who doubt it This is the essence\nof popular religion, come regular to church and be plucked like a\npigeon. I'll have carriages, horses, servants and all, I'm not going\nto foot it like Peter and Paul; neither, like John, feed on locusts\nand honey, so out with your purse and down with your money. I gather\nmy knowledge from wisdom's great tree, and the whole of my trinity is\nD. D. and C.; dimes, dollars and cents are all that I crave, from the\nfirst step on earth to the brink of the grave. In the cold earth I may\nsoon be laid low, to sleep with the just, that have gone long ago; I\nshall slumber in peace till the great resurrection, and be first on my\nlegs to make a collection.\" Then he blessed the contribution boxes and\nthe show closed.\n\nNow, dear brother, don't you think that my jackass story equals yours,\nand contains a better moral? I am sure it is just as funny; so now we\nare even, on jackass stories, anyhow.\n\nWe see how careful the nations of the earth are in throwing their\nprotecting arms around the principle of authority; how careful they\nare that all representatives acknowledged by them are endowed with\nproper authority from their respective governments. In this nation of\nours no man has the right to initiate a foreigner into the government\nunless he be endowed with authority, beyond the question of a doubt;\nthe government would undoubtedly punish any man who might read of a\ncommission given to others, and then take the authority unto himself to\ninitiate foreigners into the government of the United States.\n\nWe see the same careful protection thrown around the principle of\nauthority throughout the different states of the union; throughout\nthe different counties of the state, and throughout all the different\ncities of the various counties. All will admit that without this\nstrict attention to authority, there would be no law, no order and no\nprotection. Out of all known governments the great government of God,\naccording to our opinion, is the only one that treats the principle of\nauthority in a careless and reckless manner. Anciently a prophet of\nGod, through the principle of revelation, called Aaron to the ministry;\nat a later period, an Apostle of Jesus {144} Christ said that no man\nwas to take this honor unto himself save he be called of God, as was\nAaron. Yet men of our day will read where men were commissioned by\nJesus Christ eighteen hundred years ago, with authority to initiate\nforeigners into the great government of God, and by virtue of that\nauthority, given to others, they take the honor unto themselves; while\ndeclaring that the great God has sealed up the system of revelation;\nand through the heavens, as you say, being as brass above our heads,\nno man can be called, as was Aaron. In the face of all this, any man\npurchasing a Bible, which contains that commission once given to\nothers, imagines he is called of God to preach the Gospel; and the\nresult is we are living in a babel of confusion; God says \"He is not\nthe author of confusion.\"\n\nOf course I realize these words of mine will have no weight upon you,\nbut they may be read by some fair-minded, thinking man, who may stop,\nponder and investigate.\n\nBy innuendo you advocated mob violence in your sermon last Sunday\nnight. Do you think it was becoming to a man who professes to be a\nrepresentative of the meek and lowly One whose mission was peace on\nearth and good will to man? In carefully looking over the history\nof this Mission for a number of years back and noting the number of\nmobbings to which our Elders have been subjected, and the number is not\nsmall, we find by careful comparison that 90 per cent of the mobbings\nhave been led in person or inspired by so-called Christian ministers.\n\nDo you think you were serving God on the Sabbath when you so nearly\nsanctioned brute force against a people who have never harmed you or\nany of the good people of Chattanooga? Do you really believe that such\na course will make you popular with the liberty-loving and law-abiding\npopulation of your new home? Think over the matter carefully and\nperhaps you will admit you over-reached yourself a little.\n\nYou took for your text, \"Answer a fool according to his folly.\" In\nclosing allow me to respectfully present you with the words of our\nMaster, \"He who calleth his brother a fool is in danger of hell fire.\"\n\nRespectfully,\n\nBen E. Rich.\n\n{145}\n\n\n\nMORMONS AND MORMONISM.\n\nThe Mormon People, Their Industry, Education and Morals--What is\nThought of These People by a Non-Mormon of Many Years' Residence Among\nThem.\n\nLecture by Charles Ellis, a Non-Mormon.\n\nNo cause has so often led to strife as bigotry of religious devotees.\nIn no name has hate so largely gathered harvest of death as in that of\nGod. No prophet ever proclaimed a new word of the Infinite who was not\nmet with abuse. Many of the noblest men who have stood God-tongued on\nearth have received not only vilification, but martyrdom. Not one of\nthem has escaped the cry of \"infidel, atheist, impostor.\" Even Jesus\nwas crucified as a malefactor. His simple religion of love for God\nand to man was lost in a cobra-filled jungle of theology. For more\nthan 1800 years Christianity has not been the religion of Christ. The\nChristianity that boasts of having civilized the world is a mass of\ndogmatic bran that makes poor bread of life--intellectually a bran-mash\nfor hidebound bigots who send all but a \"predestined and foreordained\"\nbaker's dozen to eternal torment because they will not take the\nmedicine. It has been itself partially civilized by the natural\ndevelopment of the human mind, but is still much like that \"white\nsepulchre,\" fair to see, but full of lying dogmas, hypocrisy and sham.\n\nInto this cloaca of pretence, the Mormons say God sent Joseph Smith\nto destroy its rot with the quicklime of a new revelation from heaven\nof priesthood, prophecy and providence. The Lord God Omnipotent, so\nthe story runs, came to this youth and informed him that the Gospel of\nJesus had been lost to the world through the wickedness of men; that\nthe religions of the present were a sham, that the churches were all\nwrong, and that the true Gospel would be restored for the salvation of\nmankind through him.\n\nIt is not surprising that Mormonism met with obloquy from its birth.\nIt would have been marvelous had not that obloquy become violence when\nthe \"new dispensation\" showed a {146} degree of success that roused the\nfears of the evangelical churches, out of which converts to the new\nsect were taken. The Mormon missionaries of those early years believed\nthe \"fullness of time\" had come, and that \"the Lord\" was speedily to\nappear, sweep false Christianity from the earth and establish His own\nkingdom. They believed it their duty to cry aloud, to warn the nations.\nThe boldness of the proclamation that all churches were without\nrecognition in the sight of God, and the only true Gospel was this \"new\ndispensation,\" was enough to arouse an opposition that has never wholly\nceased and is now raging more fiercely than ever. The rapid growth of\nthe new old faith embittered the sects and carried them to the shedding\nof innocent blood, for many of the early Mormons suffered martyrdom for\ntheir faith. Yet the blood of martyrs is still the seed of the church.\n\nIt is immaterial here whether Mormonism was born of God or of man. I am\nnot discussing its origin. No matter what its source, it was sure to\nmeet opposition. Had it come with such pomp that the world could have\nbeheld angelic heralds, it would have been denounced as vile. It has\nbeen so with the founders of all religions. The prophets are always\nstoned, The Buddha was accused of consorting with courtesans. Jesus'\nenemies said harlots were His chosen companions. Mahomet was the called\nslave of an ambitious mistress. Garrison and Phillips were denounced as\ninfidels and atheists. Joseph Smith was branded a fraud and lecher.\n\nBut as time rolls away from the days when an agitator lived, hatred of\nhim is forgotten and he is remembered in the results of his agitation.\nThe Buddha preceded Jesus many centuries and has a following today\nof 400,000,000. Jesus is buried beneath a mountain of dogma, but\n300,000,000 are seeking eternal life in His name. Mahomet came 700\nyears later and his people number 170,000,000. Only sixty-nine years\nago came Joseph Smith, and his following is already half a million.\nGive Mormonism 1,200 years, as Mohammedanism has had, or 1,900 years,\nas Christianity has had, and what was said of its founder will be\nforgotten, but his following may then compare satisfactorily with what\nthe older faiths accomplished.\n\nHad Joseph Smith never declared himself a polygamist he would have\nbeen killed. The sects were too fanatical in the wild west to permit\nso active a rival to exist. Had the Mormons remained east of the\nMissouri, Brigham Young would have been killed and the church would\nhave been destroyed {147} by wholesale massacre. It was only their\nisolation among the mountains that saved Mormonism and the Mormons\nfrom annihilation. Even that would not have saved them had they not\nincreased so rapidly by conversions and immigration that before their\nenemies realized their growth they had become too strong to be removed.\nThey have survived the hate that carried off their leader at Nauvoo.\nThey have proved themselves sublime stayers. They have nobly earned\nthe right to the home they have made in \"the great American desert,\"\nand they are entitled to full liberty of conscience to practice their\nreligion, as well as to the same protection the nation gives to all\nother churches.\n\nIf people must follow some leader in the name of God it makes little\ndifference what his name, when or whence he came, as far as the\nnational government is concerned. As long as his followers are honest,\nindustrious, virtuous and progressive they will advance from existing\nto better conditions, whether they follow Moses, Jesus, Mahomet, Calvin\nor Joseph, and our government, guaranteeing rights of conscience to\nall, cannot dictate what their religion shall be. No matter what Joseph\nSmith may have been, the people of the United States should not allow\nthemselves to be governed, by what was said against him, in their\njudgment of the Mormon and Mormonism, as they are now.\n\nBy Their Fruits.\n\nIf history is reliable many of the popes were steeped in crime, yet\nwe do not condemn the Catholic church of today by that history.\nProtestantism has done many cruel things in red-handed fanatical rage,\nbut we do not now hold it responsible for crimes of its past. The\ndaily press frequently tells of crimes committed by ministers of the\nGospel, but we do not condemn the class for the misdeeds of some of its\nmembers. Neither should we condemn the Mormons and Mormonism of today\nfor what their enemies said of them forty, fifty or sixty years ago.\nPut Joseph Smith down, then, as one of the men who have started new\nsystems of religion, and judge him now by the results of his system, as\nwe judge all others.\n\nMany of the Jews are grand people, notwithstanding some of their\nleaders ages ago were bad. There are many excellent men and women in\nthe churches, notwithstanding the fact that Christianity has drenched\nthe earth in blood. Mohammedanism has done a great work among its\npeople, {148} notwithstanding all Christendom looks upon its founder as\nan impostor. Tried thus, what can be said of the Mormons and Mormonism?\n\nInto the Desert.\n\nIt would be manifestly unfair to judge either Mormons or Mormonism by\nthat stormy career which preceded the hegira to Utah. Mormonism had\nno opportunity to show its merits in a country where its enemies gave\nit little time to act save in self-defense. It was aggressive in its\ndenunciation of existing churches as ungodly frauds and they attacked\nit with violence, kept it acting on the defensive, forced it from place\nto place, and finally drove it out of the United States. Having at\nlast found a spot a thousand miles from a \"Christian\" and subject only\nto the possible encroachments of Indian tribes, less barbarous than\neastern Christians had been towards them, the Mormons and Mormonism\nwere, for the first time in their history, in a condition to show what\nthe people and their religion were.\n\nWhen Brigham Young and his band of searchers for the new Holy Land\nentered the valley of the Great Salt Lake there was no white man there\nto give them a welcome, and therefore no alleged Christian present\nto disturb their hope. They had traveled far and fared hard. As they\nemerged from a rugged canyon the magnificent valley before them was\nthe most inviting spot they had seen, and the leader chose it at once\nas their future home. Along the mountain streams, that ran gurgling\nthrough the valley to lose themselves in the saltest sea upon the\nearth, there was pasturage for the cattle, but for the men, exiles from\nso-called Christian civilization, there was nothing save an opportunity\nto gird their loins, forget their hunger and compel the stubborn glebe\nto yield them food.\n\nLike the Pilgrim Fathers.\n\nWhen the Pilgrims landed in Plymouth Bay they met such a welcome of\ndreary desolation as the Mormons received in the Salt Lake Valley.\nAs the Pilgrims crossed the Atlantic to find a land where they could\npractice their religion, so had the Mormons crossed the plains of the\ncontinent. But they must live. In all this wide mountain land no furrow\nhad been turned. It was mid-summer and the wanderers had little to\ncarry them through the approaching winter. They must close with the\nopportunity and stake all on the hazard. They put in crops and the\nseed baked in the hot earth or the frost {149} came before anything\ncould mature. They made huts to shelter themselves against the winter,\nbuilt a wall to guard against Indian attacks (or was it the Christians\nthey had fled from at Nauvoo) and pulled through until spring came,\nand then they went out upon the foothills and dug the roots of the\nsago lily for food. They planted and watered and saw their seed spring\nand saw crickets come down upon the green spots, like Missouri and\nIllinois Christians, and devour their hope. They fought crickets, made\nirrigating ditches, cleared off sage, increased their fields, smothered\ngrasshoppers, praised the Lord and grew until, in five years, the\nvalley had become a hive of busy human bees, not a drone among them\nall, and hundreds of baby bees crawling about the open doors of humble\nhomes in which patient, plodding, hopeful, prayerful women were the\ngrandest heroes of all. But the people crowded in so rapidly that for a\ndozen years or more all were harassed by hard want. Luxuries there were\nnone. It was one long, ceaseless struggle to live. Women who came then\nas little girls have pictured to me the cheerless years of their young\nlives here when all were poor.\n\nTheir Staff and Comforts.\n\nWhat sustained those people in that long ordeal? Faith, the strongest\npower in all the world. Their religion was an enthusiasm. To them \"God\"\nwas a living presence. He had \"called\" them. He had led them forth\nfrom persecution. He would remain their friend and they must succeed.\nWithout that faith they would never have come--having it they could not\nfail. But to my mind a very important adjunct was the pluck that has\nmade the white race superior to obstacles and the master spirits of the\nworld. When we consider what the Mormons underwent to achieve success\nhere their constancy and heroism deserve sublimest commendation, and\nthey who will not concede this because the Mormons will not send them\nto congress or subscribe their creeds are not true Americans--have\nnever known the meaning and the glory of our \"religious freedom.\"\n\nWe honor the Pilgrims for their heroism in crossing the ocean and\nfounding a home in the forest of the new world. Why? Not because\nof their religion. They were bigots and sometimes murderers. They\ntortured, killed, or banished men and women who would not accept their\ntheology. We may despise their religion, but we must honor their\ncourage and be thankful for their success. Without them we never {150}\nwould have had our government, the light of the world and the hope\nof mankind. But their base of supplies in Europe was nearer to them,\nmore accessible, than were the stores from which the early Mormons\ncould draw. The Pilgrims had means; the Mormons had none. When driven\nfrom Nauvoo many of them were so destitute that agents were sent\nthrough the east soliciting aid to save the people from starvation,\nand one of these agents was Lorenzo Snow, now President of the Mormon\nChurch. Hundreds of the famished refugees died, in 1846, along the\nmalaria-poisoned bottoms of the Missouri river.\n\nFrom robbery, murder and exile in Missouri and Illinois to success\nand independence in Utah, the history of the Mormons is a record\nof privation, hardship and endurance unequalled since the days of\nthe Moors in Spain, the Huguenots in France, and the Protestants in\nHolland, when murder sought to exterminate all heresy in the name of\nthe Catholic church for the glory of God. It was the same spirit in\nthe Protestant heart that sought the destruction of Mormonism. But no\nreligion can be wholly bad or lacking in points of great merit that\ncould produce the magnificent results that have sprung from the Mormon\noccupation of Utah.\n\nIn Thirty-Two Years.\n\nBriefly, now, let us see what the Mormons did in Utah through the years\nwhen they were nearly the entire population and while the industries\nand the progress were almost wholly their own.\n\nIn 1880, thirty-two years after the arrival of the Mormons in Utah,\nthey had 9,452 farms, the average size being twenty-seven acres.\nThe population of the territory was then 143,963, of which 115,000\nwere Mormons, 99 per cent of whom were living in homes of their own.\nTo bring this land into productive farms there had to be done an\ninconceivable amount of work that was not directly productive. The\nland was covered with sagebrush and other wild shrubs and grasses that\nmade it as hard to clear as swamp land in the east. In addition to\nclearing the land it had to be lined with ditches to carry water to\nthe growing crops. On those 9,452 farms there were several thousand\nmiles of ditching. All of this work was dead capital. It was the\n\"plant\" of the farmers and was put in solely by the toil of a people\nwho never knew when it was \"sundown.\" But it was done and the farms\nwere yielding great crops of small grain, corn, potatoes--all the {151}\nvegetables of garden and field, and the fruits--apples, pears, plums,\napricots, peaches, grapes, berries--everything that the climate would\nsustain. Live stock had risen from zero to millions in the shade of\nthe mountain. There were herds of sheep, cattle and horses, and the\ngreat American lard producer was not wanting. Home manufactories were\nprosperous at several points. Stores were in evidence everywhere.\n\"Zion's Co-operative Mercantile Institution\" was the center of a\nmagnificent trade at Salt Lake, extending throughout the territory.\nTemples had been built or were under construction at four points in\nthe territory. Meeting houses had been erected in every direction.\nAcademies were being started in Salt Lake, Logan and Provo. The people\nwere united and persistent in their determination to succeed, and\nunder the guiding will of Brigham Young this most remarkable effort\nof colonization had been quietly carried forward in spite of the\ncontinual harassment of the people by government officials, goaded by\nthe anti-Mormon ministers of the east. In thirty-two years the exiled\nMormons had become too strong to be despoiled again, and all that\ntime this alleged destroyer of the American home, polygamy, was being\npracticed, and thousands of the most intelligent, honest, virtuous and\nindustrious men and women of the state today were the offspring of such\nmarriage relations. Why do not the Mormon haters of today attempt to\ndestroy the force of this fact? Because they know that they would fail.\n\nEducation.\n\nA common charge against the Mormons for years, and revived now, was\nthat they were ignorant, illiterate and had no use for schools save to\nteach their theological dogmas. But in 1870, only twenty-three years\nafter the first Mormon immigration, the percentage of school attendance\nin Utah was higher than in Pennsylvania, New York and Massachusetts.\nIn 1881 the school population of Utah, from 6 to 18 years of age,\nwas 43,353 and the average daily attendance was 44 per cent. There\nwere then 395 schools in Utah. In 1888 the commissioner of schools,\na government official, reports 344 school districts and 460 public\nschools in Utah. The school population was 54,943, of which 47,371 were\nMormons. The number of scholars enrolled was 32,988, of which 30,721\nwere Mormons. The value of district school property was $542,755, and\nthe amount paid for teachers in the public schools for the year ending\nJune 30, 1888, was $293,085. Yet the {152} anti-Mormon still screeches\nhis old cry that those were Mormon schools.\n\nLet us see. The school commissioner referred to was not only a United\nStates official, but he was also a non-Mormon. Yet he reported that the\n460 public schools of Utah were \"non-sectarian.\" Then he enumerated\neighty-nine denominational schools, of which only four were Mormon. The\ntext books used in the schools, a list of which was given, set at rest\nthe charge that Mormons were opposed to education; and the average of\neducation of those who were trained in them is proof that they were not\ntheological schools. According to the United States census for 1880 the\npercentage of persons in Utah of 10 years and upward who could not read\nwas five. In Rhode Island at the same time it was seven, and in the\nUnited States at large thirteen. The average illiteracy in Mormon Utah,\nthirty-two years after its settlement by people absolutely without\nmeans and obliged to toil early and late to find a mere subsistence,\nwas less than in twenty states and territories in the union.\n\nThe growth of schools in Utah is full of evidence that the Mormons\nwere the friends of education. Remember that for years there was no\nmoney in Utah, yet the people built houses in which they lived, as\nwell as hundreds of meeting houses. The first meeting houses were\n\"boweries\"--posts set in the ground, a flat roof of poles shingled\nwith bushes cut in foliage. I have seen several of these old places of\nworship. But as soon as practicable every ecclesiastical \"ward\" had its\n\"dobe\" meeting house, which was also school house. But \"Utah's best\ncrop\" would soon overflow any ordinary Mormon meeting house and more\nschool room would become necessary. On Sunday the bishops of a ward\nwould say:\n\n\"My brothers and sisters, we need more school room in this ward. What\nwill you do to provide it?\"\n\n\"I will give a team ten days.\"\n\n\"I will give a thousand 'dobes.'\"\n\n\"I will give two weeks' work.\"\n\n\"I will give twenty bushels of wheat.\"\n\nThus it would go, and the school room would come as a labor of love\nand without the passing of a dollar. Today there are no people in the\nnation so eager to learn as are many of the young Mormons whom I have\nmet in my travels about Utah. The State University, the public schools,\nall schools are full. The Mormon Church has its special schools, as\nother sects have in Utah, and their theology has its place in the\nstudies, but the Mormons have no desire to introduce {153} Mormon\ntheology into the public schools and are opposed to the introduction of\nany other theology, as of course they should be.\n\nMorals.\n\nIn 1876 there were thirteen counties in Utah without saloon, brewery,\ngambling house, brothel, lawyer, doctor, beggar, parson or politician,\nand the population was exclusively Mormon.\n\nIn the winter of 1881-2 there were fifty-one prisoners in the Utah\npenitentiary. Only five were Mormons, and yet the Mormon population\nof the territory exceeded that of the anti-Mormon 500 per cent. From\n1877 to 1882 the jail of Salt Lake county received only three Mormons.\nIn 1881 there were 1,020 arrests in Salt Lake City, of which 103 were\nMormon men and boys and six Mormon women; 657 non-Mormon men and 194\nnon-Mormon women. In 1882 the number of arrests in the same city was\n1,561, of which 188 were Mormons and 1,373 non-Mormons. In that year\nthere were sixty-six barrooms in the city, and sixty of them were kept\nby non-Mormons. There were fifteen billiard and bowling rooms and seven\ngambling houses, all kept by non-Mormons.\n\nThe above, as well as the following statistics, are taken from \"The\nPalantic,\" published by A. M. Musser from the Utah penitentiary records\nfor the year ending June 30, 1884. Mr. Musser showed that, with the\npopulation of Utah 83 per cent Mormon and the non-Mormon population\nonly 17 per cent, there were thirteen Mormon and seventy-eight\nnon-Mormon prisoners--a difference of 600 per cent in favor of the\nMormons. Add to this the difference in percentage of population, and\nwe have over 1,000 to one in favor of Mormon morality as compared with\nthat of the non-Mormon population of that period.\n\nIt should be understood that the above statement is not intended to\ncharacterize the whole non-Mormon population. All through the Utah\nyears there have been non-Mormons here who were the most exemplary\npeople. They came in to stay, to engage in business, to make homes.\nThey have never engaged in the local disputes. They have never been\nanti-Mormons. Because they would not join the raid against the people\nthey were for years sneered at as \"jack-Mormons.\" The criminal element\nreferred to in these statistics as \"non-Mormons,\" it is safe to say,\nshould have been put down as \"anti-Mormons.\"\n\nWhen the first edition of this pamphlet was issued the {154}\nanti-Mormon paper of the city and several anti-Mormon parsons of Utah\nand Canada undertook to answer these statistics by claiming that the\nMormons referred to were all \"Latter-day Saints,\" while none of the\n\"non-Mormons\" were \"Christians.\" For answer I will say that the record\nshows that of the seventy-eight \"non-Mormons\" in the Utah penitentiary\nand referred to above, forty-five were members of Christian churches.\nTo show that this class of Utah non-Mormons were not worse than\nChristians generally, I refer to statistics furnished the Deseret News\nrecently by Ephraim Ainsworth.\n\nIn 1889 Ohio had 942 convicts in penitentiary--826 of them belonged\nto Christian churches. In 1893 Canada had 11,810 convicts--Catholics,\n4,395; Church of England, 3,621; Methodists, 1,624; Presbyterians,\n1,495; other sects, 698; Atheists, none. In 1896 the Kansas\npenitentiary had 343 Methodists, 41 Presbyterians, 61 Campbellites,\nother sects 12. In 1896 the Michigan state reformatory had as inmates\n226 Methodists, 84 Baptists, 31 Episcopalians, 28 Congregationalists,\n18 United Brethren, 229 Catholics, 65 Presbyterians. From the Tennessee\nstate prison, no date given, is reported 873 convicts--870 Christians\nand three who would not state their religion. Thirty years ago a\nUnitarian minister named Hatch made a careful investigation of criminal\nstatistics of the United States and Territories and published the\nstatement that 7 per cent of male convicts in the penitentiaries of the\ncountry were ministers. Utah has had her full share of them in the last\nthirty years, though she has kindly permitted them to run away, making\nno attempt to capture them, save in the case of a parson who killed his\nvictim, cut her body up and attempted to burn it. A reward was offered\nfor him, but he is probably sending heretics to hell yet for Christ's\nsake. It is said \"there are none righteous, no, not one;\" that is, we\nall \"live in glass houses\" perhaps.\n\nIf the faces of children are an index to the morals and self-control of\nparents, many Mormons have only to point to their offspring to prove\ntheir own general purity. Indeed, it would be difficult to find finer\ntypes of manhood and womanhood that are to be seen among the Mormons,\nand this applies as well to polygamous as to monogamous offspring.\n\nRight here, at the risk of being misunderstood, I want to say a word\nabout Mormon polygamy. It was not established for the gratification of\n\"lust,\" as has been so often averred, but was, I think, a conscientious\neffort to improve humanity by stirpiculture. It was the only\nconsiderable effort ever so {155} made among civilized people. I think\nit would have been better to have given it a scientific instead of a\ntheological basis. In the country at large monogamous marriage has long\nbeen degenerating. With its degradation society must sink to conditions\nthat must eventually, if not arrested, destroy our civilization.\nReligion may insure humanity against fabled fire after death, but it\ncannot breed out defects of will and taints of blood. Nobility of\nperson, life, character is born, not made by creeds. Humanity can\nnever be Godlike or fit for \"the kingdom\" until it is bred up from\nits sometimes lower than \"beastly\" level. Mormon polygamy was the\nbeginning of such an effort. It has been killed by ignorant prejudice.\nBut soon or late the world will see the infinite need of wisdom and\nscience in the production and development of children, and then it\nwill be understood that the marriage system must be reconstructed.\nMormon polygamy was not the \"beastly\" thing a nation of adulterers\ncalled it. It grew out of the belief that life is eternal, that there\ncan be no marrying in the future life; that women not married here can\nnever marry, but must be the servants of those who were married on\nearth for all time here and hereafter. It grew out of the belief that\nwoman gains her \"exaltation\" in the kingdom with her husband, and he\nin part through the excellence of his family. It was the Mormon women\nwho wanted polygamy. But no woman would enter that relation through\n\"lust.\" She could only enter it by conquering her passions, and in\ndoing that she prepared herself to become a divine mother. It is only\nwhen women can learn to do this and compel men to respect their rights\nin gestation, as all other female mammals do their mates, that mankind\ncan be saved from--itself. I am not advocating Mormon polygamy, but the\nphysical improvement of humanity as the natural and also the scientific\nbasis of mental and moral improvement. Sometime this great truth will\nreceive the recognition denied it now.\n\nI come back now and say that, taking polygamy and all into careful\nconsideration, the morals of the Mormon people have always been as\ngood as the best in the nation, and through the thirty-two years when\nthe population of Utah was almost wholly Mormon and \"this people\" had\nnot come under the influence of those who wanted saloons, brothels and\ndance halls opened to tempt young Mormons, their morals were infinitely\nsuperior to anything to be found in the rag-tag-and-bobtail element\nthat for years existed on the {156} western frontier and found in Utah\nthe only oasis of the mountains.\n\nHad the Mormons been Methodists the praises sung over their success\nin Utah would have been heard around the world. But if they had been\nMethodists they would not have been driven out of the United States.\nHad they been bogus Christians they would have been too busy sending\nother people to hell to have ever thought of colonizing on a barren\ndesert 1,000 miles from heretics. The sublime industry and heroic\nachievements of the Mormons among the mountains of the west have\nbeen studiously ignored and viciously misrepresented, not because of\nany real or suspected immorality or menace to \"the American home,\"\nbut simply and solely because they were heretics to other sects.\nAnti-Mormonism never did and does not now care for polygamy--it hates\nthe Mormon Church. A mean, whiskey-guzzling government official in\nUtah once said to me: \"Damn 'em, all 'e rights 'e Morm's hez is t'\npay taxes! 'Fthey don' like that I'm gitout!\" That was for years the\nanti-Mormon spirit in Salt Lake City. The struggle was to get control\nand tax the Mormons out. That, too, was done largely. That is, many\nof the poorer Mormons were forced to leave their homes in the city on\naccount of increased taxation levied by anti-Mormon officials. That old\nspirit is now revived by this new crusade, not because of polygamy but\nbecause the Mormons were compelled to take the power to levy taxes out\nof the hands of their enemies.\n\nA popular impression has been craftily created by the anti-Mormons of\nUtah that its priesthood and polygamy are the cause of all hostility\nto Mormonism. The shallowness of the pretense is easily seen when you\nconsider that the most vicious of anti-Mormons accept the Bible as\nthe infallible word and will of God. Yet the Bible teaches priesthood\nand polygamy. Hence priesthood and polygamy cannot be the secret of\nanti-Mormonism. The Protestants have been trying for a century to get\nGod into our national constitution and to make Jesus Christ the ruler\nof the nation. Catholics and Protestants outnumber Mormons a thousand\nto one. As long as they believe in theocracy they cannot quarrel with\nthe Mormons for holding the same belief. But if they were afraid the\nMormons might get into the kingdom ahead of them they would become\njealous, and jealousy is the womb of hate. The evangelical churches\nfought Mormonism from its appearance, not because of polygamy and\npriesthood, for there was neither {157} priesthood nor polygamy in\nit then, but because it was a more enticing faith than their own.\nMormonism was running smoothly and growing rapidly without original\nsin, total depravity and eternal torment as its steady theological\ndiet. Therefore, it was infidelity. Therefore, it must be destroyed.\nAdvocates of the undying worm, the lake of fire and the endless roast\ndrove the Mormons out of the United States. When they made the Utah\ndesert a prosperous land, adventurers crowded in to make speculation\nand riot among them, but found them united against invaders. That\nwas put down against them. Yet a people driven into exile five times\nwould be idiotic not to unite for their own protection, and, as soon\nas possible, prepare themselves to refuse to be driven again. When\ntheir old enemies learned what advancement the Mormons had made\nin Utah they came to send them to perdition again, but it was too\nlate. Then they raised the outcry against polygamy. That brought in\nthe aid of congress, the destruction of the incorporated church and\nthe confiscation of church property, but did not crush Mormonism. A\nthousand polygamists went to the penitentiary, and still Mormonism\nwould not collapse. The Mormons did not hanker after salvation from a\nhot spell in another life. They were too busy. They had hell enough\nhere. There was no brimstone in their conception of the hereafter.\nA few might falter, but the mass stood by their faith, submitted\nas best they could to the insolence of their enemies, waiting upon\nthe Lord to rescue them. Then came the scheme to disfranchise them.\nDisfranchisement was the culmination of forty years of effort to\nconquer the Mormons. If this calamity should fall the people would\nbe at the mercy of unscrupulous legislators who would practice the\nsentiment of him who said all the rights the Mormons had were to\n\"pay taxes\" or \"git out.\" Before this danger the leader yielded and\ndeclared that to save the people from ruin he would take no more plural\nwives (he was then about 90) himself and would advise his people to\ndo likewise. That was in September, 1800. Two weeks later the church,\nin conference, accepted the advice of its president that polygamous\nmarriages should cease.\n\nThen it was seen that the Mormons would not abandon their homes--that\ntheir persecutors should not grow rich upon property the fleeing Saints\nmust sacrifice. They had conquered by yielding, and there was no other\nscheme to be sprung upon them. Those who hoped to crush Mormonism\nwere forced to accept the situation. The old political status {158}\ndisappeared and Mormons and Gentiles came together as democrats or\nrepublicans, each party seeking to gain control of available public\noffices. Men who had for years studied how they might throw increased\ndifficulties upon the Mormons were tumbling over each other in their\neagerness to reach the Mormon leaders, to profess their profound esteem\nand to make known their willingness to aid the Latter Day Saints by\naccepting office at their hands. The new love was touching, but it was\nsincere? We shall see. The Mormons were rejoiced to find at last an\natmosphere of at least seeming peace about them, and gladly gave their\nold enemies the offices they desired. The offices secured, the men who\nwere going to \"boom Utah\" proceeded to a recklessness of \"improvement\"\nthat increased public debt and taxes to an alarming degree. The Mormons\ndisliked to protest; they could not \"grin,\" so they bore it with long,\nsober faces. Then statehood was secured and the Mormons began to elect\ntheir own more cautious men. The new lovers, chiefly office seekers,\nscented defeat. The old snarl appeared. Startled politicians appealed\nto willing ministers who needed funds sadly--and the old outcry against\nthe Mormons and polygamy was revived in 1898.\n\nThe New Crusade.\n\nWhat basis is there for this renewed fight against the Mormons? When\nWilford Woodruff declared that he would advise the people to cease\nplural marriages, and when his advice was accepted by vote of the\nchurch, there were men living in Utah who were already in polygamy.\nMost of them were old men, but there were young and middle-aged men\nwho had more than one wife. All through the government fight against\npolygamy these men had lived with their wives as far as they could in\nsecrecy. Would they be likely to abandon their wives when peace had\nbeen received?\n\nTo the Mormons, marriage is one of the most sacred of their ordinances.\nIt is solemnized by a priest in the name of God. It is \"sealed\" in\nheaven also and is to continue forever. The true Mormon cannot ignore\nthe claims of his plural wife without being false to his vows and his\nGod. No manifesto of Wilford Woodruff, no vote of conference, could\nannul a plural marriage or engage that any Mormon should cease to care\nfor his plural wives. This fact was as well known by every non-Mormon\nin Utah in 1890 as it is today. It was understood by every gentile\npolitician, by every {159} representative of the government, by every\nminister in Utah, that polygamists had been all along secretly living\nwith their polygamous wives. All knew that this would continue, yet\nall agreed that no further notice should be taken of the matter and\npolygamy should be left to die its natural death. That understanding\nreached, no further effort was made to arrest \"cohabs.\" Polygamists\nlived openly with their wives and, as was expected, children were here\nand there born--in one instance, at least, we have heard of \"twins.\" So\nmatters stood from the close of 1890 for seven years. In 1897 we had a\nsemi-centennial celebration of the arrival of the pioneer Mormons. In\nthat \"jubilee\" Mormons and non-Mormons all joined heartily, including\nthe ministers who have since become rabid anti-Mormons; including also\nthe editor of the anti-Mormon paper who was so harmonious then that\nhe delivered an address when the Brigham Young statue was unveiled,\nwho was so inspired by the holy ghost or some other spirit (he is\nmore familiar with other spirits) as to declare in his paper that the\nMormons had founded the \"new civilization.\" Yet at that very moment\nhe and all non-Mormons in Utah knew that those who were in polygamy\nwhen \"the manifesto\" was issued, in 1890, had been living openly with\ntheir wives for seven years and that children were being born in some\nof the families. No objection was made, I repeat, until the Mormons,\nto stay the increase of public debt, began to fill important public\noffices with prudent men of their faith. There is no evidence that\nthe church had anything to do with this. It was the work of men who\nowned property, and were anxious to protect it. That this is true is\nseen in subsequent political action. A majority of the Mormons are\ndemocrats. The democrats were rapidly getting control of the state.\nIn the municipal election of Salt Lake last November the republicans\nelected their ticket over a known democratic majority of voters.\nWhy? Because the republicans ran their canvass on the line of the\nanti-Mormon elections of a decade ago--the gentile democrat voted the\nrepublican ticket. That is, while the Mormons have kept the compact\nmade when the people divided on national party lines, in 1891, the\nothers have largely broken it and we have now the democratic and\nrepublican parties with the republican party working as an anti-Mormon\nparty largely. The excitement in Washington over the fact that the\nrepublican Utah postmasters at Provo and Logan have been all along in\nthe same boat with democratic Roberts is amusing because of the frantic\nefforts of men to show that they did not know that those men were\n{160} old polygamists and had been living with their wives since the\n\"manifesto\" of 1890. Of course they knew it. No man could have lived\nin Utah since 1890 without knowing it. From 1890 until statehood came\nUnited States district attorney and marshal for Utah knew it, and yet\nso generally was it understood that the old condition was to be left\nto die of old age that those officers made almost no effort to disturb\n\"cohabs.\" The postmasters in Provo and Logan were chosen because they\nwere influential republicans, and their wives did not count--then. The\nanxiety over them now is that this excitement will defeat the hope of\nthe republicans to carry Utah in 1900, and when this whole matter is\nanalyzed it is found that the anti-Mormon agitators of Utah, with one\nexception, are republicans, and the exception is a democrat who, having\nmost earnestly defended the Mormons ten years, was not recognized by\nthem when they were distributing political offices. The Catholics in\nUtah are democrats and they have taken no part in this crusade. But\nthe evangelical ministers and sects are republicans. The ministers\nhave worked hard for 25 years to \"save\" the Mormons and yet have never\n\"saved\" one who was in good standing in his own church. When polygamy\nwas given up, eastern interests in Utah missions fell, funds went low\nand the wolf was howling in the back yard. The politicians who had\nlived for years on salaries as government officers or later in state\nor city offices were in the same \"fix\"--they had to raise hell or\nstarve--they did the first and, if I am not much mistaken, will do the\nsecond also or--\"git out.\"\n\nAmnesty.\n\nTo make clear the subsequent action of the chief factor in the new\ncrusade it is necessary to call attention to what is known as \"the\namnesty.\" By act of congress polygamous Mormons were disfranchised.\nWhen peace was declared these men wanted their disability removed. A\nwell-meaning but not sagacious Mormon took it upon himself to secure\nthat result. He went for advice to the man who had tried for years\nto obtain the disfranchisement of all Mormons. That person seems to\nhave expected such a visit. He advised a petition to the President\nof the United States for amnesty. The unsuspecting Mormon swallowed\nthe hook and asked his adviser to write such a petition. It was,\nperhaps, already written. The adviser, swearing he would never consent,\nconsented and the petition was produced. It was carried at once to\nPresident Woodruff, lying sick at home. The sick man, unable to even\n{161} read the petition, signed it. With his name attached it was taken\nto the Apostles and all signed. The petition went to Washington, and,\nafter much unavoidable delay, was granted. But the course of the writer\nof the petition, in the new crusade, his continual use of his petition\nagainst the Mormons, might possibly be taken as evidence that he was\nshrewdly forging a weapon that he might use against his quondam friends\nif his love for them should grow cold, or if his ambition were not\nsatisfied. That is, it was well known here that when statehood should\ncome to Utah The-man-who-wrote-the-petition would be a candidate in\nthe first state legislature for the office of United States senator.\nIt was necessary, therefore, to have a republican legislature. To that\nend the writer of the petition exerted himself to defeat the democratic\nparty in the election of 1895. The democrats were frothing over a\nsuspicion that prominent Mormon church officials were secretly aiding\nthe republicans. Democrats were crying bad faith on the part of the\nchurch. The-man-who-wrote-the-petition defended the church officers\nand charged the democrats with intent \"to give Utah a black eye;\" with\na desire \"to keep immigrants from coming here;\" with \"the awakening\nof unworthy suspicions against us all;\" with trying \"to alarm the\ncountry;\" with committing \"an outrage.\" A few days before election,\nin 1895, The-man-who-wrote-the-petition, the man who, for more than a\nyear, has found nothing too scurrilous to publish against the Mormons,\nthe man who expected to be elected to the senate in January, 1896, said:\n\n\"There is not a man, woman or child in Utah who for one moment thinks\nthere is any agreement or thought of restoring polygamy, or that it\ncould be possible even if such a thought was in the mind of a few\nbigots.\"--Salt Lake Tribune, October 19, 1895.\n\n\"There is going to be no revival of polygamy; there is going to be no\nreturn to church rule.\" (The same, Oct. 22, 1895.)\n\nThe legislature was republican, but The-man-who-wrote-the-petition\nwas \"not in it.\" In the race for senatorship he was shut out in first\nheat. That straw of ingratitude broke the candidate's editorial back\nand he seems to have waited for an opportunity to use his petition.\nThe Deseret News says he was paid for it at the time it was written,\nor, perhaps, concocted, but the action of the legislature was a deadly\nfrost and the bloom of his young love for the Mormon church was killed.\n\n{162}\n\nThe Secret Opened.\n\nIn 1897, the Mormons, aided and abetted by many of the most influential\nnon-Mormons, made a non-partisan effort to secure much needed municipal\nreforms. The movement was largely successful, but was hotly denounced\nby the office seekers of the republican and democratic parties as a\n\"trick\" of the church to restore political control over its people.\nIn Salt Lake City the feeling was bitter and an attempt was made to\nresurrect the anti-Mormon \"liberal\" party. Failing in that, the excited\npoliticians appealed to the clergy. A Presbyterian paper in Salt Lake\nbegan the publication of sundry articles running back into early Mormon\nliterature, culling the crudities, slips and discrepancies to be found\ntherein and using them to condemn the Mormons and Mormonism of today--a\ncourse that would be paralleled by attacking the Presbyterians of the\npresent with the fanaticism, folly and worse of \"no papacy\" days.\nThis publication was scattered over the country and started up the\nsmouldering non-Mormon fire. The smoke encouraged the clergy in Utah\nto believe that there actually might be something in their sensational\ntalk about polygamy. Then they got together in the summer of 1898 and\nadopted a series of resolutions declaring that plural marriages are\nstill being contracted, that the Mormons control the state, injure the\npublic schools, and that old Mormon Utah is on deck again. A few weeks\nlater came the state democratic convention to nominate candidates and\nB. H. Roberts was nominated for congress. He was one of the men who\nwere in polygamy when plural marriage was stopped. From the day of\nRoberts' nomination the writer of that petition found his opportunity\nand from then until now has not ceased to vilify the Mormons. He\ninsisted that the election of Roberts would create a storm and then\ncreated it himself--a very common trick of false prophets. He revelled\nin his petition. That is, he sprung the trap he himself had set. I\nthink he was trying to force the Mormon church to declare for the\nelection of the republican ticket, for there was to be another election\nof a senator in 1899.\n\nIn addition to his use of the petition he reprinted the testimony of\nPresident Woodruff before a Master of Chancery and tried to prove\nthat the manifesto of 1890 prohibited cohabitation among those then\nin polygamy. He knew that the president of the church could not annul\na marriage. He knew that the hearing was held preliminary to a decree\nrestoring what {163} remained of the escheated church property. He\nknew that property was worth millions of dollars and the church needed\nit. There was not an attorney engaged in that hearing who did not want\nthe church to get back its property. There was not a non-Mormon in\nUtah then mean enough to wish that the church might not get it. But\nthere must be a record to the effect that polygamy had been given up.\nSo President Woodruff consented to say that he included \"cohabs\" in\nhis manifesto. At that time the editor of the Salt Lake Tribune was\nfriendly, as I have shown, and although it now seeks to brand President\nWoodruff as a liar it said then that the manifesto \"went only to the\npoint of plural marriages,\" and added \"we believe that the rule laid\ndown has been as sacredly kept by this people as it would have been\ndone by any other people; that the Mormons and Gentiles have a right\nto say that the change amounts to a transfiguration.\" The measureless\ninfamy of the disappointed office seeker now seeking to pile odium upon\nthe honored dead will be a fitting monument to his malodorous memory\nin Utah for years to come; and if our good old friend did stretch the\ntruth to save that property it was a lie like that of Hugo's nun, the\nrecording angel dropped a tear upon the slate and rubbed it out.\n\nAll this insanity of excitement through the country over alleged\npolygamous marriages has been created by a few men who are now laughing\nover their success in fooling the people. They have hunted these\nmountain states over--have imported special aid from New York--have\ndeclared that plural marriages are being contracted, and yet have\nnot been able to find one case. Defeated in that they have arrested\nseveral men for \"unlawful cohabitation\" and advertised that as proof of\npolygamous marriages.\n\nAvowing, with maledictions upon it, that polygamy is the \"twin-relic\nof barbarism\" and must die, they yet will not let it die, but drag it\nfrom its senile sleep, enhorse and caparison it like a waxen image of\nsome old Catholic saint and lead it in triumphal procession through the\nland to excite the clamor of women gone hysterical through brooding\nin nightly loneliness over the clandestine amours of their monogamous\nhusbands with other women more charming than themselves!\n\nIf polygamy were permitted to die a natural death the evangelical\nchurches would lose their last foothold against the rising tide of\nMormonism. It is not polygamy that disturbs them, but the steady growth\nof the Mormon church. Right or wrong, there is a current running to the\nMormon church with {164} increasing volume and velocity. The Mormon\nchurch and faith have been a boon to hundreds of thousands as poor\nas were those who heard Jesus gladly. It is today nearer to being a\nsuccessful effort to inaugurate the Brotherhood of Man than anything\never tried.\n\nIn Conclusion,\n\nI want to say that what is here presented does not err from truth\nand was not written with either knowledge or consent of any member\nof the Mormon church. It stands upon my personal knowledge. I am\nnot a member of any church, and view all sects philosophically. I\ncannot perceive that any religion has been of divine origin, in\nthe theological sense of the terms. To my mind they are all human,\nvery human, in their origin. But, conceding to all the rights of\nintellectual liberty I claim for myself, I question not the right of\nthe people to any religion that satisfies them. In so far as creeds\nand dogmas impose upon credulity, I claim the right to protest. Thus I\nhave long protested against Calvanism in all its varieties as a wholly\nunjustifiable cruelty forced upon humanity through its ignorance and\nfear. I gladly admit that theology, like everything else, is subject\nto the progressive influence of the ages, and realize that the God of\nCalvin is not as mean as he was 400 years ago--has been much improved\nin the last 100 years under our free government and public education. I\ncheerfully concede that all theologians mean to be honest in the dogmas\nthey create, and I believe that all churches sincerely endeavor to hold\ntheir people to defined standards of moral life. But I lay this against\nthem--that they would have men and women practice moral living, not for\nitself, but to secure a definite reward after we have ceased to live\nhere, a reward called \"salvation\" from threatened ills and horrors that\nexist only in the excited imagination of ignorance and superstition. It\nis childish--it is the mother bribing her boy with bread and jam, or\nfrightening him with threats of \"the bad man.\"\n\nYou see, then, that I am one of that class of persons called by all\nthe professors of all the thousand and one varieties of so-called\nChristianity \"an infidel.\" It is the easiest thing in the world to\ncall people by opprobrious names, as the history of these unpopular\nMormons makes manifest. In fact, no new thought appears that is not\ninfidelity to some older one--no new issue that is not maligned by the\nsatisfied believer in some old one. The term \"infidel,\" as applied\nto persons who think for themselves, do their own business with the\nInfinite, and {165} decline proffered rewards based on fear of God, is\none of merit rather than reproach. Jesus was the great infidel of his\ntime--crucified for truth derided by the prevailing orthodoxy of his\nday.\n\nThere are two kinds of infidelity in the world. One comes by growing\nup out of existing beliefs, the other by falling below them. The only\nharmful infidelity exists in the churches, and consists of professing\none code of morals and living another. For instance, all Christians\ncall Sunday the Lord's day and pretend to keep it holy, a sacred day\ndevoted to the worship of God. Yet half of them, in this country, keep\nit as a day of frolic and dissipation. That does not harm the day, does\nnot injure God, but it makes hypocrites of professing Christians. They\nare infidels who have fallen below their religion. For instance, again,\ntake the seven million names of American people who petitioned congress\nto expel the Utah congressman. It is safe to say a large percentage of\nthe signers were children who did not know what they were doing, but\nwhose names were taken by Christian adults with intent to deceive.\n\nA long study of religions convinces me that all mean to do good, yet\nfail, in great part, because they work for a wrong purpose. That is,\nthey work, not for this life, but for one to be sometime somewhere\n\"above the stars,\" in a locality that has never been more than a myth;\nand the object of working for that unreality is to escape another\nmythical locality below the earth, in the earth, or somewhere else\nequally uncertain. This would do in a world peopled with ignorant\nsavages, but will not do for intelligent men and women. This fact is\nrecognized by the churches. They spend their money chiefly to carry\ntheir religion to the \"heathen,\" realizing that it is useless at\nhome. The religions of the world need reconstructing. They have much\nto learn and unlearn. I know of no church working so zealously for\nwhat it believes to be the good of humanity as Mormonism. I know its\nleaders, its system, its work. Its directors, as a whole, are sincere,\nconscientious, clean, honest men. If they err, it is not from evil\nintent. To them the presence of God is a living faith. It may be an\nerror, but the faith is there, and the work is the result.\n\nMormonism is peculiar in this: it does not regard this life as a\npreparation for an eternity of idle psalm-singing in a future existence\nLord-knows-where, but a school of moral training for an eternal life\nright here after \"the resurrection.\" To this end it aims to make its\npeople intelligent, capable, honest, moral, successful now, as the\nproper means of reaching the greatest {166} happiness then. This may\nbe a practical basis for a possible end. Its enemies say it is based\non fraud. Well, it is said they cannot demonstrate that Christianity\nwas not based on fraud--cannot demonstrate that Jesus ever existed. But\nChristianity is here, and, whether He lived or not, it will remain.\nIf it should transpire that Joseph Smith was not the founder of\nMormonism, that the engraved \"plates\" had no existence, Mormonism is\nhere, the faith is here, and it too will remain. We can only dismiss\nall questions of \"fraud\" and choose--the best. The best is that which\nis most beneficent in practical helpfulness. Tried thus, Mormonism\npossesses merit that cannot be ignored by any who would concede equal\nrights--fair field and no favors--to all. I see in it what to me\nare weaknesses, but in what system do they not exist? They are the\nweaknesses of its youth and are being outgrown--would be outgrown\nfaster but for the malevolent opposition that drives it back upon\nitself. But let no enemy of Mormonism flatter himself that it can be\nkilled by vituperation. It is the most remarkable movement in the\nreligious world since the days of Mahomet--the most wonderful religious\nmovement in forty generations. The thunder and lightning of its\nenemies cannot strike it down. It must fall, if fall it must, as other\nreligions have fallen--by its own decay after it has lived its natural\nlife. Keeping Roberts out of congress will not arrest its course, and\nit is highly probable that the time will come when the American people\nwho want no church interference with our national government may be\nglad to have the aid of the now maligned Mormons.\n\nConsider that there are today 1,700 young Mormons tramping over this\ncontinent in city, town and hamlet--young men who are so circumspect\nin all their deportment that not even the most bitter enemies of their\nfaith have the hardihood to raise their voices against them--young men\nwho are steadily making the fundamental principles of their faith known\nto the people. There has been nothing like it in the world for hundreds\nof years, nothing in so-called Christian countries since the steady\npersistence of the Protestants on the continent and in Great Britain,\nand it is going to produce great results. The Mormons might be called\nthe non-Conformists of this country and in spite of all efforts to the\ncontrary they are going to wield an influence upon its future. One of\nthe Utah men in Washington fighting the Mormons was honest enough to\ntell the truth when he said in a public meeting: \"It is not polygamy\nbut Mormonism we want to check.\" But it won't check or {167} warp and\nis growing, and I write with a growing interest in its success. In\n1718 there came 900 non-Conformists from Ulster county, Ireland, to\nBoston. They were Scotch-Irish Protestants seeking religious freedom.\nThey introduced the Irish potato in New England. Some of them gave to\nolder Yankees a few potatoes with instructions for planting them. They\ngrew, blossomed, and bore fruit, but the Yankees cooked the seed balls\nand said they found them anything but good. Next spring when spading\nup their gardens they found the potato crop. Mormonism presented to\nChristian sects a new theological potato, so to speak. They tried it,\nate the wrong end of the growth and denounced it. But there will come\na new spring in which old sectarian gardens will be plowed up and then\nthe real fruits of Mormonism will be discovered--and will be found to\nbe both palatable and healthful.\n\n    \"_Where there is no change of priesthood, there is no change of\n    ordinances, says Paul. If God has not changed the ordinances and\n    the priesthood, howl ye sectarians! If He has, when and where\n    has He revealed it? Have ye turned revelators? Then why deny\n    revelation_?\"\n\n    --_Joseph Smith, The Prophet_.\n\n    \"_All who live according to the best principles in their\n    possession, or that they can understand, will receive peace, glory,\n    comfort, joy, and a crown that will be far beyond what they are\n    anticipating. They will not be lost_.\"\n\n    --_Brigham Young_.\n\n{168}\n\n\n\nProphets and Apostles Necessary.\n\nBy the Late President, George Q. Cannon, in Millennial Star, 1866.\n\nThe assertions made by the Latter-day Saints that God has raised up a\nProphet and Apostles in these days, who have the authority to teach\nand instruct men in the principles of His kingdom, and that their\nteachings and counsels are entitled to consideration and obedience,\nare statements that are looked upon by many to be little less than\nblasphemous. Many cannot conceive how individuals, who are apparently\nso sane and possessed of good judgment on other subjects, should be so\nvisionary, and so wholly absorbed in the strange belief of there being\nmen who hold this power on the earth in these days. They, nevertheless,\nbelieve that men clothed with this power have existed upon the earth\nat various times, who were inspired to speak and write; and they are\nquite willing to receive the writings, said to be theirs, upon very\nslight testimony, and rest all their hopes of future and eternal\nblessedness upon their veracity. They have an idea that it is perfectly\nreasonable to believe in the words of the Apostles and Prophets who\nlived thousands of years ago, and they think that, were they alive now,\nthey could place all reliance and confidence in their words as the\nword of God. Peter, James and John, with their brethren, are looked up\nto as having been something superior to mortal, and many, forgetting\nthat they were but human, think that it would only be necessary, did\nthey live now, for them to declare this message and state that they\nwere empowered to teach it, and men without the slightest demur would\ninstantly embrace its doctrines. This professed admiration of dead\nProphets and Seers, however, is not confined to this generation alone;\nit was a characteristic of other generations. The Jews, when Jesus was\nin their midst, would build and adorn the tombs of the Prophets {169}\nwhom their fathers had slain, and say that if they had lived in the\ndays of their fathers they would not have persecuted or killed them,\nwhile at the same time they were thirsting for the blood of the Son\nof God, and they did not rest until He had shared the same fate with\nthe Prophets whom they so ostentatiously honored. But what is there\nvisible at the present time from which we can infer that were any of\nthe ancient Prophets or Apostles in the midst of this generation, they\nwould be any better treated, or their teachings given more heed to,\nthan they were in the generation in which they lived? The present ideas\nof professing Christians--that the canon of Scripture is full--and that\nthere is no further need of direct revelation--would not admit of their\nrecognizing a Prophet or an Apostle, should they be so fortunate as to\nhave one sent into their midst. They are, in this respect, in a similar\nsituation to the Jews at the time of the advent of the Messiah. They\nwere in possession of the writings of the Prophets, and held them as\nthe present sects of Christendom hold the Bible. Their writings were\ntheir oracles, and they indulged in the idea, as the modern sects do\nabout the Bible, that they contained all that was necessary to lead\nthem to salvation, until Shiloh should come, without the aid of any\nProphets or Apostles to act as living oracles in their midst. They\ndoubtless imagined that they were warranted in this belief by their\nsacred Scriptures, in the same manner that many at the present day\nimagine that the present Scriptures, composed of the writings of the\nancient Prophets and Apostles, warrant them in rejecting all further\nrevelation. This misapprehension of the Jews was followed by terrible\nresults; they ceased to have a national existence, and they were\nscattered and dispersed abroad.\n\nIf the Scriptures the Jews had and the Scriptures we at present have\nare examined, it will be found that there is a greater amount of\nevidence in our possession in favor of the idea of living oracles, or\nProphets and Apostles, being raised up and inspired in these days,\nthan there was among the Jews in the days of the Apostles to support\nthem in believing that they would make their appearance at that time.\nIn fact the Scriptures cannot be fulfilled until these things take\nplace. Prophecy upon prophecy has been uttered and recorded, pointing\nclearly and definitely to the _last days_--to the time when God should\nagain set His hand the second time to recover the remnants of His\npeople; when He would send for many fishers and they would fish them,\nand for {170} many hunters and they would hunt them; when His Kingdom\nwould again be built up, and their judges be restored as at the first,\nand their counsellors as at the beginning; when many nations would\nbe seized with the desire to go up to the mountain of the Lord, to\nthe house of the God of Jacob, that they might be taught in His ways\nand be able to walk in His paths. To fulfill these prophecies--which\nwere, no doubt, given with the expectation of their being as literally\naccomplished as the prophecies in relation to the Messiah which the\nJews misapprehended--men holding power and authority equal with the\nmen of old who were called to perform similar works, have to be raised\nup; and if they are raised up and inspired, they must have equal power\nto teach, counsel and direct the children of men, and their teachings,\ncounselings, and directions will be as obligatory upon mankind as\nthe teachings, counselings and directions of the ancients. Since the\ncreation of man and the first revelation of God's will unto him, we\nhave no account of the Lord ever having a people upon the earth, or\na system which He recognized as being His, without also having men\nof this description--men with whom He could communicate, and through\nwhom His mind and will could be made known to the people. They were\nthe living oracles, possessing living Priesthood, through which they\ncould obtain light and intelligence from the Almighty, to expound with\nauthority to the children of men; and their words, whether delivered\norally or written, were equally binding upon the people with the words\nof any preceding servant of God. That this was the case all sacred\nhistory bears abundant evidence.\n\nThe necessity of inspired men, in order that the prophecies may be\nfulfilled, must be apparent. Man has always been the instrument which\nthe Lord has used to accomplish His purposes. But apart from the\nprophecies which set forth in unmistakable language, that the days\nof revelation and intercourse between the Deity and man will again\nbe restored, there is an abundance of evidence to prove that there\ncannot be a Church of Christ on the earth without having Prophets\nand Apostles as its officers. They were not to be confined to the\nearly days of Christianity alone, but were to be continued \"until\nall should come to the unity of the faith, unto the knowledge of the\nSon of God;\" they were to be as necessary \"for the perfecting of the\nSaints, for the work of the ministry, and for the edifying of the body\nof Christ,\" as evangelists, pastors and teachers are. To assert that\n{171} Prophets and Apostles are no longer needed would be to assert\nthat evangelists, pastors and teachers are likewise unnecessary. The\ngreat head of the Church, in its organization, had a definite object\nin placing these officers in His Church and that object could not be\naccomplished except by their perpetuity. When these officers ceased\nto be recognized then the Church ceased to be the Church of Christ.\nIt would be considered a very great departure from the spirit of the\nGospel to assert that pastors and other ministers--such for instance as\nteachers and evangelists--were no longer needed; and yet the evidence\nnecessary to support their recognition as officers of the Church proves\nthat not only they are necessary, but that Prophets and Apostles also\nare required. The proofs brought forward to substantiate the idea that\nProphets and Apostles are no longer needed will apply with much force\nto the other officers in the Church; and if the necessity for one or\ntwo of the callings in the Church has ceased to be, it can easily\nbe proved that there is no further necessity for the remainder. The\nbelief that these callings are no longer needed has been inculcated\nin Christendom by both precept and example. A false Christianity has\nflourished for centuries, and men have been taught to rely upon it\nas the religion of Jesus, and not seeing these callings filled in\nit, it has required but little persuasion to cause them to fall into\nthe erroneous belief that they were only designed for the days when\nChristianity was first preached. If one, more inquiring and penetrating\nthan his fellows, should ascertain by a perusal of the Scriptures, that\nthere was nothing to discountenance the idea of the perpetuity of such\ncallings, and should make inquiries to know why they did not at present\nexist, his doubts would be removed by pointing him to Christianity as\nit exists around him, flourishing and yet destitute of these offices;\nand its existence without them must be received as evidence that the\nLord had altered the organization of His Church and deemed these\noffices unnecessary. Men instead of making their belief conform to the\nBible have endeavored to distort it and make it correspond with their\nideas and systems; when the plainly written word would not admit of\nthat they have endeavored to hide their errors and the incorrectness\nof their position, by stating that the Scriptures have a spiritual\nmeaning--and they do not literally mean what their language denotes,\nbut they require to be spiritualized to be understood. Miserable\nsubterfuge! What a cunning device of the adversary of souls and his\nagents, to {172} entrap and deceive mankind! Impress upon the people\nthat these are no longer necessary, and they will cease to look for\nthem; persuade them to believe that the word of God has a different\nmeaning from the one apparent on its face, and they will see nothing\ncondemnatory of sin and the commission of gross wrong; Satan's victory\nand triumph will then be easy.\n\nThe correctness of the position we have assumed in stating that\nProphets and Apostles are as necessary in the Church of Christ now\nas they ever were, is not at all affected by the truth or falsity\nof the doctrines we believe in and teach. Because the Latter-day\nSaints believe in these things does not detract one iota from their\ntruth. These officers would be indispensably necessary, wherever a\nChurch of Christ existed, if we as a people, were extinct. If men\nbelieve the Bible they must believe as Latter-day Saints, and if\nthere is a Church of Christ upon the earth there must of necessity\nbe Prophets and Apostles, and if there are Prophets and Apostles,\nthey have the right to teach and instruct mankind in the principles\nof the Lord's Kingdom, and their teachings and counsels are entitled\nto consideration and obedience. A great many find considerable fault\nwith the Latter-day Saints because they rely so much upon the words of\ntheir Prophets and Apostles. They think it decidedly anti-republican;\nand some, to give vent to superabundance of their spleen, occasionally\ncall Brigham Young and his brethren hard names, because they, being\nmen, make themselves equal with the Apostles. These individuals,\nwith their present feelings, had they lived in any other generation\nwhen Prophets and Apostles were upon the earth, would have taken a\nprecisely similar course to oppose them. It is not the individuals\nthey are warring against--though many of them, no doubt, think that\nit is--but it is the principle. How much more republican would we be,\nif we paid no attention to their teachings, than we are at present?\nCan not we exercise our rights and privileges as republicans, to as\nfull an extent by doing right as by doing wrong--by being obedient\nto the will of the Almighty as by being disobedient? The Latter-day\nSaints cannot fail to hearken to and have confidence in the words of\ntheir leaders, so long as they believe as they do about the necessity\nof Prophets and Apostles, and the authority they hold; and while they\nretain this belief, the only thing that will destroy this confidence\nis to prove that they do not hold this authority, and are not Apostles\nand Prophets. So long {173} as we know that men have this authority\nit makes but little difference to us what their names may be. And the\nmoment the Latter-day Saints became convinced that Joseph and Brigham\nYoung were Apostles of Jesus Christ, they were as willing to believe\ntheir testimony and to hearken to their counsel and teachings, as they\nwould have been to have believed and hearkened to those of the ancient\nApostles.\n\n    \"_If we could see our heavenly Father, we should see a being\n    similar to our earthly parent, with this difference: our Father\n    in heaven is exalted and glorified. He has received His thrones,\n    His principalities and powers, and He sits as a governor, as a\n    monarch, and overrules kingdoms, thrones and dominions that have\n    been bequeathed to Him, and such as we anticipate receiving. While\n    He was in the flesh, as we are, He was as we are_.\"\n\n    --_Brigham Young_.\n\n    \"_Whatever God requires is right, no matter what it is, although\n    we may not see the reason thereof until long after the events\n    transpire_.\"\n\n    --_Joseph Smith, August 25, 1842_.\n\n{174}\n\n\n\nCOMPREHENSIVE SALVATION, OR THE GOSPEL TO THE LIVING AND THE DEAD.\n\nBy John Nicholson.\n\nAn Elder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.\n\nFirst Principles--Authority--Miraculous\nGifts--Organization--Apostasy--Restoration--The Gospel Preached to the\nSpirits of the Departed--Different Degrees of Glory--Turning the Hearts\nof the Fathers to the Children, and the Children to their Fathers.\n\nHonest professing Christians, of every creed, must freely admit that\nthe position of the Latter-day Saints in regard to what are called\nthe first principles of the doctrine of Christ is invulnerable. They\nmust acknowledge that faith in God, the Eternal Father, in His Son\nJesus Christ and the divinity of His mission, and in the Holy Ghost,\nis unquestionably Scriptural. They must accede also that repentance of\nsins, as preparatory to their remission, occupies the same Biblical\nposition. Neither can they consistently question the object of baptism,\nbeing for the remission of sins--\"Repent and be baptized every one of\nyou, in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of sins.\" Nor can\nthe mode (immersion) be questioned by them. Paul, in his epistle to the\nRomans, likens baptism, administered in the proper form, to the burial\nand resurrection of Christ; a very beautiful figure--immersion in the\nliquid element. No other method bears the remotest resemblance to being\nburied and resurrected. Nor do {175} unprejudiced investigators for\nreligious truth deny that the baptism of true Christianity, as taught\nand administered by John the Baptist, Christ and His disciples, was\nintended, not for infants, but only for those persons who had reached\nthe years of accountability. This must be obvious, because before\npeople were baptized for the remission of sins it was necessary, as a\npreparation, that they should believe and repent, a process impossible\nto little children. The latter being, according to the Savior, of the\nKingdom of Heaven, have no sins to remit, for no unclean thing can\nenter the heavenly kingdom. Sinfulness is uncleanness.\n\nIt is easy for the Saints to show that the ordinance administered in\nthe Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, of the \"Laying on of\nhands for the gift of the Holy Ghost,\" is strictly a Bible practice.\nRead, for instance, the 8th chapter of the Acts, and numerous other\npassages, \"Then laid they their hands upon them and they received the\nHoly Ghost.\" [1]\n\nThe necessity of authority to enable man to represent Jesus on the\nearth in the ministry of the Gospel, is also admitted freely by the\nunprejudiced. The absence of such authority among the lifeless sects\nis conspicuous. Paul lays down an unqualified rule upon this point:\n\"No man taketh this honor unto himself, but he that is called of God,\nas was Aaron.\" Aaron was called of God by revelation from Him, through\nthe Prophet Moses. The sects of to-day repudiate revelation and its\nnecessity, and how therefore can they be in possession of an authority\nthat can only be given by that means? It is impossible. [2]\n\nHonest-hearted people who profess a belief in the Bible cannot and do\nnot deny that a true Church of Christ must necessarily enjoy the fruits\nof the Spirit. These are the gifts enumerated by Paul in the 12th\nchapter of Corinthians. How can a belief in such things be repudiated\nwhen they existed in the primitive Church, which was the genuine Church\nof Christ, established by Himself? If the true Church is extant now,\nits peculiarities and blessings must be the same. [3]\n\nIt surely will be admitted that the Church will not only be the same\nin doctrine, ordinances, spirit, gifts and authority, {176} but also\nin organization and officers. Hence, as in primitive times, it will\nincorporate apostles, prophets, and other inspired men, who were given\nto the Church to edify its members until they \"all come to a unity of\nthe faith.\" It may be well to ask how a Church could be the Church of\nChrist denuded of some of its most conspicuous doctrines, ordinances,\nspirit, gifts, officers and organization. [4]\n\nIn fact so wide is the gulf that separates the true Church--that\ndescribed in the Scriptures--from the repudiative, revelationless,\nspiritless, disjointed churches of the day that it is difficult to\ndiscover even a remote resemblance. But these things are very plain and\nclear. They must be obvious to fair, candid truth-lovers. And as that\nis the only class whom the glorious light of revealed Gospel truth will\nbe likely to impress with its beauty, it is to such that we, in the\npresent writing, appeal.\n\nHow clear is the wide discrepancy between the primitive Church, the\ntrue Church, and the sects of \"Christendom\" in every feature. How\noften we have listened to exclamations of astonishment from the lips\nof persons when this remarkable difference was first explained to them\nby the elders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. They\nhave wondered that so potent a fact did not strike them before. This\namazement has been increased when their attention has been called to\nthe predictions of the inspired apostles and prophets regarding the\napostasy from the ancient faith of the Saints. In fact Paul positively\ndeclares, in the 2nd chapter of 2nd Thessalonians that \"That day\n(meaning the second coming of Christ) shall not come except there come\na _falling away_ first.\" But it is not our purpose to elaborate upon\nthis subject, preferring that our readers should peruse the Scriptures\nrelating to it, guided by the passages to which their attention is\ndirected by note. [5]\n\nThe seeker after religious truth turns to the glorious promise of a\nrestoration of the ancient order of the Church of Christ, as to a ray\nof sunshine penetrating the surrounding gloom. Jesus Christ, teaching\nhis disciples upon the signs of his coming, predicted, as among the\nindications of the approach of the great event, the preaching of \"This\nGospel of the Kingdom\" for a witness. John the Revelator, while gazing\ndown the flowing stream of time, saw not only the restoration of the\nGospel, but the manner of its being committed to man, {177} (by a holy\nangel). The angel who showed him these things was not an imaginative\nbeing, depicted according to the fancy of an artist. He was one of the\nprophets who had kept the faith and gone into the presence of God, at\nwhose command he visited the Revelator. But let the reader search the\nScriptures upon these points, for we speak according to the \"law and\nthe testimony.\" The foregoing truths have been frequently and ably set\nforth in various writings of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day\nSaints and are constantly laid before the public in plainness by the\nelders in their preaching of the word of God. This being the case it\nis not our present purpose to enter upon an elaboration of them. Our\nposition, thus far, being established upon a sound scriptural basis, we\nwill undertake to answer some objections which leap into the minds of\nsome inquirers in opposition to the claims of the Latter-day Saints to\nbeing in possession of the pure Gospel restored.\n\nFrom what we have already shown it cannot be truthfully denied that the\nScriptures faithfully describe the doctrines, principles, ordinances,\npowers, gifts, organization and authority enjoyed by the Church\nestablished by Christ and his ancient apostles.\n\nAll Bible believers must admit that that Church was a true one, having\nbeen set up under the personal supervision and by direction of the\nDivine Master himself.\n\nThe fact also stares all people broadly in the face that between that\ntrue and ancient Church and the sects of so-called Christendom, now\nexisting, there is an irreconcilable difference in almost every respect.\n\nThe only logical conclusion that can be reached in reasoning upon\nsuch a condition is, that the primitive Church being the true one,\nhaving divine sanction and approval, all churches differing from\nit must necessarily be spurious. However unpalatable so evident a\nsituation may be to professing Christians, it should be accepted by\nthem with becoming grace and composure that they may be prepared for\nthe revelation to come. God is consistent and truthful in all his\nways, and what he says he will do, whether by his own voice or by the\nutterances of his inspired servants, he will fulfil. Our readers,\nif they be consistent Bible believers, are constrained to accept of\nthe fact presented in the sacred record, that the Lord did purpose,\nsubsequent to a great apostasy, to reveal from heaven the true order of\nthe Gospel. This belief being established in their minds, probably the\nchief difference in their position and ours is that while they merely\nadmit the {178} existence of such a precious prophetic promise we\nadvance a step further, taking the ground that it has been fulfilled.\nThe message we declare is that God raised up the Prophet Joseph Smith,\nto whom and to others he sent angels who conferred upon them the\nauthority of the Holy Priesthood, enabling them to legally officiate in\nthe ordinances of the Gospel. We announce that God has set up, in this\nage, by revelation, the true Church of Christ, to prepare the way for\nhis second coming, which is near at hand. [6]\n\nA prominent objection urged against the Latter-day Saints is that they\nare exclusive in their views. They are charged with being contracted in\ntheir opinions. This arises from their claim to being the only people\nhaving the true plan of salvation. If our readers will calmly weigh\nthe matter, they will be free to admit that as in all other respects\nthey resemble the ancient Church of Christ, so they do in this. The\ndisciples of the Lord held that they were right and, as a logical\nsequence, all others were wrong, because all systems differing from\none that is correct must necessarily be spurious. The ancient Saints\nwere correct in this position, for as they presented the light to the\nworld, the existing sects had no longer an excuse for remaining in\ndarkness. If the Latter-day Saints are in possession of the same saving\nprinciples, their position in regard to the sects of this day is the\nsame.\n\nThe Redeemer himself was exceedingly exclusive, as witness the decisive\nquality of his language to Nicodemus, \"Except a man be born of water\nand of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.\" This was\na definite rule, laid down by the highest authority, to which not the\nslightest intimation of an exception was made. All must receive the\ngenuine baptism of water and of the Spirit, the former administered\nby immersion, and the latter by the laying on of hands, or remain\nforever outside the pale of God's heavenly Kingdom. This is unqualified\nexclusiveness, based upon the laws which have been revealed from\nheaven, and which are eternal in their nature and effects.\n\nBut the objector, unwilling to release an apparently feasible opposing\npoint, may say he can see where this exclusiveness might be justifiable\nin its application to the generations of men living when the genuine\nplan of salvation was upon the earth. Those living contemporaneously\nwith the Gospel plan might respond to the invitation to come and bask\nin its saving sunshine. {179} The justice, however, of placing a bar to\nthe entrance into God's kingdom in the way of people who are not living\non this earth when the oracles and Gospel of the Redeemer are upon it,\nis questioned. It is argued that surely a just God could not and would\nnot exclude from the benefits of saving truth the myriads of honest\nsouls who have lived out their \"brief hour\" in this sphere according to\nthe best light they possessed, and passed along to the next. Those who\nraise this point \"Do err, not understanding the Scriptures.\"\n\nThe great Gospel plan is both comprehensive and grand. It is worthy\nof the Great Being who instituted it for the redemption of His\nchildren. But how ignorant, because of sectarian gloom and apostasy,\nare the people concerning the magnitude of the Gospel scheme, and the\nfar-reaching nature of its saving power and principles. By the magic\ntouch of truth, aided by the scriptures, we hope to shed a ray of light\nupon this subject. We propose to show that the Gospel is not only\napplicable in the process of saving the living, but includes within its\nbroad folds, salvation for the dead. The reader need not be startled\nat this proposition. It is strongly supported by the Bible, which, if\nhe profess to be a Christian, he should surely be ready to accept as\ncompetent authority.\n\nThe preaching of the Gospel of life and salvation is not confined to\nthis life. \"Glad tidings of great joy\" are also conveyed to the spirits\nof the dead, in the sphere in which they dwell pending the resurrection\nof their bodies. In addition to His mission on earth the Redeemer\nperformed another in the spirit world. Before He consummated His mortal\nministry by suffering an ignominious death, he spoke of his prospective\nlabors in the sphere beyond, when he said, \"Verily, verily, I say unto\nyou, the hour is coming and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice\nof the Son of God: and they who hear shall live.\" (John v, 25.)\n\nSome will, in a contumacious spirit, contend that he spoke in a\nfigurative sense, of the \"dead in trespasses and sins.\" This is an\nuntenable position, for why should he speak of a purpose to do in the\nfuture that which he was at the same moment engaged in, being then in\nthe act of addressing the unrepentant Jews? But the 28th verse of the\nsame chapter is sufficient to explode the flimsy subterfuge. It shows\nthat he had reference to those whose bodies were at that time sleeping\nin the comb, \"Marvel not at this; for the hour is coming, in the which\nall that are in their graves shall hear his voice.\" This was spoken\ntoo, in connection with an assertion that {180} those who were obedient\nshould come forth at the \"resurrection of the just.\"\n\nLet not the reader suppose that the subject of salvation for the dead\nis merely treated upon by a few passages of scripture. In Peter's\n1st epistle iii chapter, 18th and 19th verses, there is a definite\nstatement to the effect that after Christ was \"put to death in the\nflesh,\" he was \"quickened by the spirit, by which also he went and\npreached to the spirits in prison.\" The object of this preaching to\nthe departed spirits of men is plainly defined in the 6th verse of the\nfollowing chapter, being \"That they be judged according to men in the\nflesh but live according to God in the spirit.\" The object was the same\nas that of the declaration of the words of life to the living; to bring\nthe ungodly to repentance and newness of life.\n\nEven the Protestant religion does not entirely ignore the visit of\nthe Redeemer of the world to the shades of the departed, although\nthe recognition of the important fact is given in an undefined and\nambiguous way. This is because of a lack of understanding, in the\nabsence of the spirit of revelation, of the Scriptures. The great\ntruths of the Bible can only be comprehended by the investigator being\nin possession of a portion of the spirit that inspired the speakers\nand writers of the divine record. However, the 3rd and 4th Articles\nof Religion state that \"Christ died for us and was buried, so also is\nit to be believed that he went down into hell.\" Also that \"he rose\nagain from death, took again his body of flesh and bones, wherewith\nhe ascended into heaven.\" It will be seen that the sphere which Peter\ninforms us is for the confinement of the spirits of departed humanity,\nis denominated in the \"Articles of Faith,\" as \"hell,\" but both point to\na visit by Christ to a place or condition differing essentially from\nheaven or earth.\n\nThis position is borne out by the Savior's own declaration to Mary,\nwhen he forbade her to touch him, for the reason that he had not yet\nascended to His Father. This shows he had not yet been to heaven. He\nhad been engaged in the work entrusted to Him by the Father, among the\nintelligences that had once existed on the earth. This accounts for\nthe remark of Jesus, while hanging upon the cross, to the thief who\nsuffered a similar fate at the same time: \"To-day shalt thou be with\nme in paradise.\" Some unadvisedly suppose the thief went direct to\nheaven. On the contrary it is evident he went to a place where departed\nspirits abide until the resurrection. Christ, as we have shown by the\nremarks of Peter, went to {181} such a place, in the spirit, during\nthe time intervening between His crucifixion and resurrection. The\nword paradise, therefore stands for such a place, for on the same day\non which the promise was made to the thief, the latter's spirit was to\nbe in the Redeemer's presence. There he could be taught of the Lord of\nheaven and earth and, if so disposed, \"Live according to God in the\nspirit.\"\n\nThe reader may endeavor to find other objections to our proposition\nthat the saving message and power of the Gospel reaches the dead who\ndie in ignorance of it. He may take issue with us upon the saying of\nthe Savior, heretofore quoted, \"Except a man be born of water and of\nthe spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.\" This, being a rule\ndevoid of exception, it may be a question as to how those who have died\nwithout a knowledge of the Gospel can possibly gain an entrance into\nthe heavenly kingdom, in view of the impracticability of a spirit's\nbeing baptized by immersion, or \"born of water.\" We at once admit that\na spirit cannot personally comply with this ordinance, excepting in\none way. A departed intelligence can have that ordinance performed by\nsubstitute, and his acceptance of that performance will constitute,\naccording to the statutes of the Gospel, compliance with the law, and\nentitle him to the privileges of the kingdom of God.\n\nWe trust the reader will not suddenly, in his feelings, object to the\nvicarious administration of the ordinance of baptism in water. Baptism\nfor the dead is Scriptural, and is a saving provision of the Almighty\nGod, showing the magnitude of His mercy. Let us turn our attention\nto the 15th chapter of Corinthians. Paul offers strong reasoning in\nsupport of the resurrection of the body. One of the most potent of his\npoints was that if the heretics who declaimed against that sublime\ndoctrine were right, the ordinance of the being baptized for the dead\nwould be a useless performance. Paul was, of course, right, for the\nchief object of such an ordinance must be to entitle the dead, among\nother blessings, to a part in the resurrection. This agrees with the\nannouncement of Jesus, to the effect that the dead would soon hear his\nvoice, and they who did good would have part in the resurrection of\nthe just. Here are the words of Paul: \"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?\" Thus even the dead are not exempt from the\nexceptionless rule laid down by Christ, that the birth of water and of\nthe spirit is an imperative condition of entrance into the kingdom of\nGod. The only difference between the living and the dead is that the\n{182} former are required to receive it in person and the latter by\nproxy.\n\nHow easy for the reader to say, I do not believe one person can do\nanything in connection with salvation that will affect another. But\nwere such an objection valid, the whole fabric of Christianity would be\nswept away. That saving plan is built upon this very principle. \"As in\nAdam all die, so in Christ shall all be made alive\" (1 Cor. xv, 22).\nThe atonement is a vicarious work. Who shall say that Christ has not\ndone a saving work for us? He died that we might live!\n\nThe principle of one being representing another runs throughout the\nwhole of the dispensations of God to men. We have already stated\nthat the atonement was vicarious, and this is the foundation of\nChristianity. The whole mission of the Savior was a work based on the\nlaw of substitution in another respect. He came as the representative\nof the Father. He represented neither himself nor his own doctrine. \"My\ndoctrine is not mine, but his that sent me. If any man will do his (the\nFather's) will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or\nwhether I speak of myself\", (John vii, 16, 17). How often He announced,\nin the meekness of his spirit, \"I came not to do my own will, but\nthe will of my Father who sent me.\" He was the substitute, deputy or\nrepresentative of that Great Being who, after his baptism in water, at\nthe hands of John, to \"fulfill all righteousness,\" proclaimed him his\nSon.\n\nSo is the law of substitution exhibited in the sending forth of the\nancient disciples. They were the representatives of Jesus Christ, to\nperform His work, not their own. Neither had they power to do any\nwork save it was in His name, so that through them as His deputies or\nsubstitutes, did He accomplish His purposes. So emphatically did they\nrepresent Him that those who rejected them committed the rebellious\ncrime, in that act, of rejecting Him, and consequently of rejecting\nthe Father also. Thus it will be seen that substitution runs through\nthe whole superstructure of genuine Christianity, and cannot be\nconsistently cast aside or even treated slightingly.\n\nThe first object of baptism is that the repentant believer receiving it\nmay obtain a remission of sins. If this be the result sought and gained\nby obedience to this law in the case of a living person, so must it\nbe in the cases of the dead who receive this ordinance by the law of\nsubstitution. Paul says we are buried with Christ \"by baptism into his\ndeath; that like as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the\n{183} Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life\", (Rom.\nvi, 4). Thus, in connection with the baptism for the remission of sins,\nthe disciple engages to refrain from evil-doing in future, by adopting\na \"newness of life.\" So also do the spirits of the departed, whom Peter\ninforms us had the Gospel preached unto them, that they, might reform,\nby \"living according to God.\"\n\nThe reader may be seized with a momentary feeling of astonishment at\nthe innovatory character of this doctrine upon existing so-called\nChristian systems of religion. The latter, so far as Protestantism is\nconcerned, teach that the condition of human intelligences cannot be\naffected, so far as a reformatory process is concerned, after death.\nJesus Christ, speaking of the \"sin against the Holy Ghost,\" said,\nthat \"All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men,\"\nexcepting this one. Of this unpardonable offence He said: \"It shall not\nbe forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come\"\n(Matt, xii, 31, 32). This announcement of the Redeemer implies the\napplication of a forgiveness or remission of sins in the world to come.\nElse what would be the use of stating it as a fact that this special\nsin could not be forgiven in the world to come. Why thus particularize\nit in reference to the future life, unless it were an exception to the\nrule? The only sensible inference to be drawn from the statement is\nthat other sins are forgiven in the future life. The plain meaning of\nthe passage is that all other sins shall be forgiven either here or\nhereafter. The mode of obtaining that forgiveness or remission of evils\ncommitted is the same in the case of the dead as the living, being\nthrough the application of the law of baptism, received by proxy by the\nformer and in person by the latter.\n\nWere it suited to our purpose, we might show that every law of the\nGospel, being eternal, compliance alone with the conditions of the\nsame brings the promised blessing. The application of the statutes of\nheaven is universal, whether to the living or the dead. If the latter\nare required to have the law of baptism attended to in their behalf to\nentitle them to a remission of sins, so must the birth of the spirit\nbe undergone to ensure for them an entrance into the kingdom of God.\nFor, \"Except a man be born of water and of the spirit\", he cannot enjoy\nthat blessed privilege. If the vicarious principle in the Gospel plan\nrequire the birth of the water for departed spirits, so also must the\nlaying on of hands be received in the same manner--by substitute. Thus\nwe might go on to exhibit to the admiring contemplation of the lovers\nof truth {184} the exceeding greatness of the scheme of redemption,\nconsistent, yet simple in every part. Showing also the mercy and\njustice of the Most High, who has provided for the eternal peace of all\nhis children who will obey his laws.\n\nLet us contemplate for a moment those contracted systems which confine\nthe application of the saving power of the Gospel to this life, as\ncompared with the infinitely broad plan of which Christ is the head.\nEvery professing Christian pretends to believe that \"There is none\nother name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved,\"\nexcept that of Christ. Myriads of human intelligences come upon this\nearth and pass away without ever hearing of the name of the Savior.\nAre these immortal beings to be kept in outer darkness throughout\neternity? While revolving ages roll around, shall no ray of salvation\never illumine the gloom of their prison house? And this because they\ndid not bow in submission to a name with the sound of which their ears\nhad never been saluted? Where would be the justice of such a state of\nfacts? Yet salvation can only be made attainable through the name of\nour blessed Savior. Let us rather consider the magnanimity and justice\nof our Heavenly Father, by admitting that the gates and \"everlasting\ndoors\" are lifted up, and the message of the King of Glory carried to\nthe captives, that they may be set free.\n\nHow otherwise would we suppose that the Redeemer could be the ultimate\nvictor, conquering \"death, hell and the grave,\" triumphing over the\nunavailing efforts of the Devil to drag humanity down to eternal\ndarkness. The number of human intelligences receiving the message of\nChrist in this life is insignificant compared with the teeming hosts\nwho either never heed or never hear His name. Yet it is only through\nhis name that redemption can be procured. Therefore were the Gospel\ntrumpet not sounded, nor salvation offered in the spheres beyond, it\nwould not be Christ but the arch-adversary who would, in the great day\nof the Lord, sound the note of victory. Salvation for the dead as well\nas the living is not only Scriptural, but it appeals to our reason, as\nthe only scheme consistent in magnitude and mercy with the character\nand attributes of the King of Heaven.\n\nWe have shown, in the foregoing pages, that the preaching of the Gospel\nto, and the vicarious performance and administration of its eternal\nordinances for the dead, are in strict harmony with the doctrines\nof the holy Scriptures. The application of the saving principles of\nthe Divine system to the {185} dead has been clearly explained as a\nnecessity, to make the work of human redemption complete, rendering our\nGreat Captain, Christ, the triumphant victor, and Satan the prostrate,\nvanquished foe. The mighty host of the redeemed, as compared with\nthose who will be destroyed as \"vessels of wrath,\" will be as the\nvastness of the oceans to the insignificant stream. Those doomed to\neverlasting ostracism from each and all of the mansions and kingdoms of\nthe Father, prepared as places of glory and rest for His children, will\nbe comparatively few, as all manner of sin shall be forgiven unto men,\neither in time or eternity, except the one crime which is unto eternal\ndeath--the sin against the Holy Ghost. A just and merciful God has not\ncreated man that he might forever endure eternal misery, but rather\nthat he might dwell in realms of everlasting joy.\n\nIt is generally taught that after death there are but two separate\nand distinct divisions--heaven and hell--into the first of which the\nrighteous are admitted, and into the second the wicked are thrust. In\neither one it is believed, by most professing Christians, that there\nare no degrees of bliss or exaltation on the one hand, or exquisiteness\nof torture on the other. But how such unreasonable views can be\nentertained, in the face of the plain declaration of Scripture, is not\neasily accounted for.\n\nIn explanation of the grand fact that there were many dwelling places\nin the sphere beyond, Jesus said to his disciples, \"In my Father's\nhouse are many mansions; if it were not so I would have told you. I\ngo to prepare a place for you\", (John xiv, 2). In the following verse\nJesus assigns as a reason for this preparation that it was for the\npurpose of having them dwell in His presence, \"That where I am there\nye may be also.\" There can be no other inference drawn from this\nstatement than that there will be others who will dwell in the mansions\nof the Father, the kingdoms of our God, who will not enjoy the exalted\nprivilege of being in the immediate presence of the Redeemer.\n\nHow beautiful is the explanation of the Apostle Paul upon the doctrine\nof degrees. Speaking of the condition of those who have died and shall\nbe again quickened into life by the power of the resurrection, he says:\n\"There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial, but the glory\nof the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another.\nThere is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and\nanother glory of the stars; for one star differeth {186} from another\nstar in glory. So also is the resurrection of the dead\" (1 Cor. xv,\n40-42). Here are three distinct degrees, mansions or kingdoms that are\nspoken of, and how appropriately are they compared to the shining orbs\nthat illumine the heavenly expanse. The analogous figure used to convey\nto the mind a glimmering of the innumerable differences that will\nexist in the third grade of the final abodes of human intelligences,\nimmediately impresses the mind with the minuteness of detail in the\nprovisions of the divine scheme, in the wonderful adaptability to the\ncapacities and conditions of an infinite variety of individualities.\nNot only is there a condition of future existence that will be as the\nstars compared with the greater lights that revolve in space, but in\nthat plane of existence there shall be differences as peculiar and\napparently as numerous as those which characterize the shining worlds.\n\nIn speaking of the merciful providence of the Most High in preparing\nultimate abodes suited to the capacities of His children, surely Paul\nwas a good authority. Not only was he able to speak advisedly by the\nmanifestations of the Spirit of Truth, that was in him by virtue of\nhis holy apostleship, but he had, while still a dweller in mortality,\nbeen made an actual partaker of the glories of the other world. He had\nreceived a foretaste of the exquisiteness of heavenly bliss, having\nbeen, by the goodness of God, made a visitant to one, at least, of the\nfuture degrees. Speaking of his personal experience, he said: \"I knew a\nman in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot\ntell; God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven\" (2 Cor.\nxii, 2). Taking this statement, as all professing Christians should,\nas worthy of credence, the only logical conclusion to be arrived at is\nthat there are at least three heavens, the mention of a third rendering\nthe existence of two others imperative. For our part we will accept\nthe statement of an authority like Paul in preference to that of a\nwholesale combination of uninspired expounders and commentators, who\nstand upon different ground from that taken by him.\n\nThose who sleep in Christ shall be raised from the dead at His coming\nwith power and great glory, in the latter days. They shall reign with\nhim on the earth a thousand years. During that blissful period the\nvicarious work for the dead shall proceed, until the work of redemption\nshall be complete, and all, at the end of that time of rest, the\nthousand years--\"one clay with the Lord,\"--the dead, both small and\ngreat, shall be raised. Then shall come the judgment. The {187} sons of\nGod, the intelligences whom He created for His glory, shall be assigned\nto the mansions and kingdoms for which they have fitted themselves,\nby their course in this life and while in the spirit. And all shall\nacknowledge that God is just, and merciful, and full of loving\nkindness, and shall give glory to Him who sitteth upon the throne and\nto the Lamb forever and ever.\n\nThere is an unbroken harmony between the teachings and announcements of\nJesus and all the ancient prophets and apostles with those of Joseph\nSmith, who was raised up to usher in the great last dispensation.\nThis beautiful blending should strike the investigator as remarkable.\nHe should inquire whether a system so complete could possibly be the\nproduct of mere human ingenuity. It certainly is a most striking and\nunusual phenomenon. This unanimity of doctrine, principle and sentiment\nis all the more astounding in view of the otherwise heterogeneous,\ndiscrepant and conflicting religious maelstrom presented by so-called\nChristendom. This blending of the teachings of the ancients with those\nof the modern prophet is at least refreshingly new in this age of\nfrenzied religious perplexity.\n\nLet us consider the statements of Joseph Smith in regard to the future\nconditions of the human family, side by side with the utterances of\nthe Savior and the Apostle Paul. At Hiram, Portage County, Ohio, U. S.\nA., the modern prophet and Sidney Rigdon were permitted to behold a\nglorious vision, by which their minds were opened to a comprehension of\nthis great subject. A portion of what they saw they were commanded to\nwrite and is published in section 76 of the latest edition of the Book\nof Doctrine and Covenants. Concerning those who place themselves beyond\nthe pale of redemption, by committing the sin against the Holy Ghost,\nit is written: \"Thus saith the Lord concerning all those who know my\npower and have been made partakers thereof, and suffered themselves,\nthrough the power of the devil, to be overcome, and to deny the truth\nand defy my power--They are they who are the sons of perdition, of whom\nI say that it had been better for them never to have been born, for\nthey are vessels of wrath, doomed to suffer the wrath of God, with the\ndevil and his angels in eternity; concerning whom I have said there is\nno forgiveness in this world nor in the world to come.\"\n\nSpeaking of those who shall come forth in \"the resurrection of the\njust,\" it is stated: \"They are they who received the testimony of\nJesus, and believed on his name and were baptized {188} after the\nmanner of his burial, being buried in the water in his name, and this\naccording to the commandment which he has given, that by keeping the\ncommandments they might be washed and cleansed from their sins, and\nreceive the Holy Spirit by the laying on of the hands of him who is\nordained and sealed unto this power,\" etc.\n\n    \"These are they whose bodies are celestial, whose glory is that of\n    the sun, even the glory of God, the highest of all, whose glory the\n    sun of the firmament is written of as being typical.\n\n    \"And again we saw the terrestrial world, and behold and lo, these\n    are they who are of the terrestrial, whose glory differs from that\n    of the Church of the First Born, who have received the fullness\n    of the Father, even as that of the moon differs from the sun in\n    the firmament. Behold these are they who died without law, and\n    also they who are the spirits of men kept in prison, whom the\n    Son visited, and preached the Gospel unto them, that they might\n    be judged according to men in the flesh, who received not the\n    testimony of Jesus in the flesh, but afterwards received it. These\n    are they who are honorable men of the earth, who were blinded by\n    the craftiness of men. These are they who receive of His glory but\n    not of His fullness. These are they who receive of the presence of\n    the Son, but not of the fullness of the Father; wherefore their\n    bodies are terrestrial, and not bodies celestial, and differ in\n    glory as the moon differs from the sun, etc.\n\n    \"And again we saw the glory of the telestial, which glory is that\n    of the lesser, even as the glory of the stars differs from the\n    glory of the moon in the firmament. * * * These are they who shall\n    not be redeemed from the devil, until the last resurrection, until\n    the Lord, even Christ the Lamb shall have finished his work.\"\n\nWhether the reader receive our testimony to the fact that Joseph Smith\nwas a prophet or not, he at least cannot truthfully deny that between\nhis teachings and those of the Bible there is a connecting chain\nbinding them together in a harmonious whole. Not only is this beautiful\nblending manifested in the statements made in the foregoing pages,\nbut in all the great principles enunciated by the latter-day prophet.\nThe more the candid truth-seeker investigates the subject, the more\nwill this unanimity become apparent, as a result of his unprejudiced\nresearches.\n\nAll the holy prophets, from the beginning of the world, have taken\nup the theme of the glorious coming of the Son of Man in the latter\ndays, to reign on the earth. In connection with this stupendous event\nthey have depicted, in graphic and prophetic measure, the terrible\nscenes that are to precede it. The wicked who will not listen to the\nmandates of heaven are to be swept from the earth by judgments, as\nwith the overwhelming rush of a flood. Famine, plague, pestilence,\nwar, commotions, uprisings and destructions, in all the most appalling\nforms, will visit those who delight in revelling in the {189} filth\nof iniquity that now rises as an offence in the sight of the hosts of\nheaven. The period of those tribulations, which have already begun to\nappear, has been characterized as the \"Great and dreadful day of the\nLord.\" This fearful time, \"when the wicked shall slay the wicked,\" is\na necessity as a preparatory process before the coming of the King\nof Kings. A millennium--a reign of righteousness and peace--would be\nan impossibility with myriads of human beings on the earth that are\nsunk in the slough of corruption, delighting in deeds of violence and\nstrife. They repent not, and to introduce purity and peace, those\nwhose lives are in contravention of, instead of in harmony with those\nconditions, must be blotted out of existence. Therefore it is decreed\nin the heavens that those who remain at His coming will be those only\nwho will bow to His sceptre, deporting themselves in accordance with\nrighteousness and truth.\n\nWere it not for the realization of a glorious promise the earth,\nbecause of the corruption of those living upon it, would be smitten\nwith an irretrievable curse. The nature of that promise is set forth in\nthe 5th and 6th verses of the last chapter of Malachi: \"Behold, I will\nsend you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful\nday of the Lord. And he will turn the heart of the fathers to the\nchildren, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come\nand smite the earth with a curse.\"\n\nWhat a beautiful and singular harmony is presented between the\nnature of this great promise and the principles set forth in the\npresent writing--the Gospel to the dead as well as the living. In the\ndispensation of the meridian of time, introduced by the Redeemer in\nperson, the heavenly message of glad tidings was, as herein exhibited,\nnot only to men dwelling in the flesh, but also to those living in the\nspirit. The Latter-day Saints claim that the latter-day dispensation\nwas opened by the raising up of the Prophet Joseph Smith. That great\nand good man, and his brother Hyrum, Patriarch of the Church, met a\nfate similar to that of the Savior. They were slain by a furious mob\nof religious bigots, for no other reason than asserting that God had\nagain spoken from heaven as of old. Like the ancient prophets they\nclung to their integrity with their latest breath, and sealed their\ntestimony with their blood. But, like their great Master, their mission\nwas not confined to the sphere of the living. As in His case, it\nextended also to that of the spirits of the departed. Hence, when the\nprophet had accomplished the work by revelation from God, of setting\nup the true Church of Christ, with {190} apostles and prophets, high\npriests, seventies, elders, priests, teachers, deacons, and every\nother officer, and all the necessary councils, courts and other\norganizations, as in former days, he was called hence to open up a new\nand later dispensation in the life beyond. The work he had been the\nhonored instrument in inaugurating here could be perpetuated, under\ndivine guidance, by those remaining behind who held similar priesthood\nand authority to that which had been conferred upon him, and which\nbelongs to him in eternity. That same commission that enabled him to\nperform a work here, is of effect in the realms beyond the grave. Thus\nan unbroken chain is formed, welding the visible Church of the First\nBorn on this side with the same eternal system behind the veil. By\nthis means there is established a common bond of union between the\nchildren--the obedient in this generation--and the fathers who have\npassed to the other sphere.\n\nMalachi, whom we have quoted, spoke the words of inspiration, and we\nclaim they have received a literal fulfillment. If our reader profess\nto be a believer in the Bible he must, to be consistent, either accept\nas a truth that Elijah the prophet has come, or that he will come some\ntime in the future. Seeing the finger of prophecy points to the coming\nof that departed prophet, for a special purpose, our claim that his\nvisit is an accomplished fact is worthy of investigatory consideration.\nWe declare that he actually appeared to the Prophet Joseph Smith and\nOliver Cowdery, in a temple that had been reared by the Latter-day\nSaints, and dedicated to the Lord for holy purposes, at Kirtland, State\nof Ohio, United States of America. This visitation occurred on the 3rd\nof April, 1836. They were visited by others of the ancient prophets\nsuccessively on the same occasion, each conferring upon them the keys\nand authority pertaining to his special dispensation, that all the\npowers pertaining to each might be incorporated in the most stupendous\nof them all--that of the latter days to prepare for the coming of the\nSon of Man. We quote from the account of the event, given on page 405\nof the latest edition of the Book of Doctrine and Covenants: \"After\nthis vision had closed, another great and glorious vision burst upon\nus, for Elijah the prophet, who was taken to heaven without tasting\ndeath, stood before us and said--Behold, the time has fully come, which\nwas spoken of by the mouth of Malachi, testifying that he (Elijah)\nshould be sent before the great and dreadful day of the Lord come, to\nturn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the children to the\nfathers, lest the whole earth be smitten with a curse. {191} Therefore\nthe keys of this dispensation are committed into your hands, and by\nthis ye may know the great and dreadful day of the Lord is near, even\nat the doors.\"\n\nFrom the hour that that glorious vision was opened to the view of those\nwhose eyes were favored to behold it, the effects of the visit of the\ngreat Elijah took root, until the outspreading branches from the seed\nthen sown have extended to the uttermost parts of the earth. A great\nwork is in progress, but because \"darkness covers the earth and gross\ndarkness the people,\" the world comprehend it not. This is because\nthey are not repentant, neither are they born of water and of the\nspirit, without which process man cannot even see, to say nothing of\nentering, the kingdom of God. The elders of the Church of Jesus Christ\nof Latter-day Saints are carrying the Gospel to the nations, travelling\nwithout purse and scrip, as in olden times. Great companies of those\nwho believe their testimonies are departing for the gathering place\nof the Church, month by month and year by year. A leading influence\nthat causes them to wend their way to the appointed land where the\nlatter-day Zion is to be built up, is the turning of their hearts\nto the fathers who have passed before them without the privilege of\nembracing the plan of salvation on the earth. Baptism, confirmation\nand other ordinances can only be attended to in holy structures called\ntemples, reared to the Most High for sacred purposes. The Saints flock\ntogether to aid in the rearing of such buildings, that they may enter\nthem and officiate for the fathers who have gone before, that they may\nbe \"judged according to men in the flesh, live according to God in the\nspirit,\" and have part in the blessings and privileges of the Gospel of\nthe Redeemer.\n\nThus are the words of Malachi fulfilled, in the turning of the hearts\nof the children to the fathers. The children are manifesting their\nsolicitude for the salvation of the dead by their works. The Saints, in\nthe fruitful valleys of the mountains of the north-western portion of\nAmerica, are engaged in the building of temples to the God of Heaven,\nand they operate in full faith of co-operation on the part of the\nfathers for whom they are working. They have abundant evidence that\nthe turning of their hearts to the fathers is met with a responsive\nreciprocal echo from the spirits of the departed, to whom the Gospel\nis being preached. One temple, devoted to the performance of vicarious\nand other ordinances, is completed and two others are in the course\nof construction. It is a portion of the faith of the Saints also that\nthe great work of redemption of the dead will be prosecuted throughout\n{192} the Millennial reign, until, at the end of the thousand years\nof peace, Christ shall have put all things under his feet, being\nthe great conqueror of \"death, hell and the grave.\" When the great\nwork of redemption is completed, He will present the Kingdom, in its\nperfection, to His Father, who shall tell His Only Begotten to retain\nit and reign over it for ever and ever.\n\nWe are aware of our inability to present even a remote portrayal of the\ngreatness of the glorious plan arranged in heaven for the redemption of\nhumanity. But however faint the result of our endeavor, it is perhaps\nsufficient to show that the saving plan bears upon it the stamp of\nDeity. It is a system that, because of its magnitude, magnanimity and\nbeauty, appeals to the intellectual, moral and religious nature of man.\nAnd when the hosts of the redeemed shall sing the new song of praise to\nGod and the Lamb, it will be the manifestation of a clear comprehension\nof so grand a scheme, taking within its broad folds not only living\nraces of men but, stretching wide into eternity, embracing all things\nthat were, that are, and that still lie in the bosom of the future.\n\nSummary.\n\nIt may be well to consider what, in the foregoing pages, we have\nbeen successful in establishing. The points which have been the most\nconspicuously and clearly defined may be stated as follows:\n\n_Firstly_.--That the true Church of Christ is, in the nature of its\ndoctrines, principles, authority, gifts, power and organization,\npeculiar and distinct from all other systems.\n\n_Secondly_.--That the sects claiming to be Christian widely differ in\nnumerous essential vital particulars from the true Church as described\nin the Scriptures, this discrepancy being sufficient to invalidate\ntheir claim to being the Churches of Christ. It would be illogical and\nunscriptural to assume that anything that differs from that which is\ntrue can possibly be in itself correct.\n\n_Thirdly_.--That apostasy from the original and pure order of the\nGospel as established by Christ and His divinely commissioned servants,\nis clearly foretold in Holy Writ; and that the discrepant condition\nof professing Christian Churches is an existing proof of the genuine\ncharacter of those predictions.\n\n_Fourthly_.--That a latter day restoration of the true Gospel is\nprophetically promised in the Scriptures. The setting up, {193} by\nrevelation, of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, after\nthe ancient pattern, sustains the validity of the prophecies given to\nthat effect.\n\n_Fifthly_.--That the comprehensive and far-reaching nature of the\nGospel renders it applicable to the whole human race; that, consistent\nwith its intrinsically liberal character, it provides for the correct\nteaching, improvement and ultimate salvation of the dead as well as the\nliving. This fact alone should cause a sentiment of adoration to ascend\nto God from the heart of every human being to whom it is communicated.\n\n_Sixthly_.--That the sectarian dogma of one universal heaven and hell,\nmaking but two distinct ultimate abodes for the multifarious grades of\nhuman intelligences, is an unscriptural fallacy, inconsistent with the\njust decree that men shall be rewarded according to their works.\n\n_Seventhly_.--That the Scriptures promise a visit, before the end of\nthe rule of wickedness, from Elijah the Prophet, to restore the keys\nand powers pertaining to the turning of the hearts of the children to\nthe fathers, etc. In verification of the claim put forth by the Saints\nthat that prediction has been fulfilled, the feelings of the children\nare being strongly inclined to their progenitors.\n\n_Eighthly_.--That the propositions advanced are not only sustained by\nappeals to reason, but are so markedly scriptural that we are surely\nnot claiming too much in assuming that the professed believer in Holy\nWrit is left with but two alternatives to choose from. He must either\ndiscard the sacred record as unworthy of his retention, or accept of\nthe doctrines and principles herein set forth and clearly established.\n\nAppeal and Testimony.\n\nWe appeal to every unconverted soul to whose notice these words shall\nbe brought, to stop and reflect upon the importance of the message we\ndeclare. The note of warning is not to one nation or people, but to\nthis whole generation of men. The proclamation of the Gospel, that\nwas to be delivered by a holy angel in the latter days, was to be to\n\"every nation, kindred, tongue and people.\" It was to be universal.\nNone were to be exempt; not even those who would be professed followers\nof the Savior, for all were to be, at the time of the beginning of the\nrestitution of all things, out of the way of the True Shepherd.\n\nReader, we appeal to you to step forward and, with an unbiased mind,\ninvestigate, that you may be able to intelligently {194} decide whether\nor not the claim of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints be\nlegitimate or otherwise. Be \"fearless of the world's despising,\" for\nthis was the independent position assumed by the former-day disciples\nof the Redeemer. Think of the great prize that awaits him who listens\nto the voice of the True Shepherd, rather than to the alluring popular\npraise of the multitude, and endures to the end.\n\nWe not only plead with you to consider the eternal welfare of your\nown soul, but, in the name of Jesus Christ, we testify to you that\nGod the Eternal Father, has at last broken the speechless gloom of\ncenturies. He has spoken from heaven and established his authority\non the earth. If you have, by evil and false reports regarding the\nSaints, been surrounded by prejudice, break down the repulsive barrier.\nDraw the bolts and throw open the shutters of your mind, that the\nglorious sunlight of eternal truth may enlighten your soul with its\nilluminating beams. Remember the Saints of former days: how they were\nvilified, abused, maltreated and murdered for the truth's sake. Search\ndiligently for the truth as it is in Christ, and when you have found\nit, treasure it as a gem of priceless value. It will lead you to seek\nfor a duly commissioned servant of the Most High God, and inspire you\nto request him, after you have repented of your sins, to baptize you\nfor the remission of the same, and to lay hands upon your head that\nyou may receive the gift of the Holy Ghost; for thus did the ancients.\nYour thus becoming \"like a little child,\" by obedience to the Lord's\nwill, makes you a citizen of the kingdom of God, and by continued\nfaithfulness, you can _know_, and not merely _believe_, that the\ndoctrine, instead of being human, is divine.\n\nLiverpool, England, January 12th, 1880.\n\nFootnotes:\n\n1. _First Principles_--John iii, 5; Luke vii, 29; Mark xvi, 15, 15;\nMatt. xxviii, 19; Acts ii, 38, 39; x, 48; Mark i, 4; Luke iii, 3; Acts\nxxii, 16; Matt. iii, 6; Acts viii, 12, 36, 38; Rom. vi, 4; John iii, 23.\n\n2. _Authority Needed_--Heb. v, 4; Luke xxiv, 49; Acts xiii, 2-4; Rom.\nx, 14, 15.\n\n3. _Gifts_--1 Cor. xii chap.; John xiv, 26; Acts xix, 6; Mark xvi, 17,\n18.\n\n4. _Organization_--Eph. iv. 11-13; 1 Cor. xii, 14-15; 17-29.\n\n5. _Apostasy_--Isaiah xxiv, 5; 1 Tim. iv, 1-3; 2 Tim. iii, 1-5; iv, 3,\n4; 2 Thess. ii, 1-3.\n\n6. _Restoration_--Rev. iv, 1; xiv, 6, 7; xxii, 8, 9,; Matt. xxiv, 14.\n\n{195}\n\n\n\nTHE MEANS OF ESCAPE, OR, EXISTING EVILS AND THEIR CURE.\n\nBy John Nicholson.\n\nAn Elder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.\n\n    \"Now learn a parable of the fig tree: When his branch is yet\n    tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh; So\n    likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is\n    near, even at the doors.\"--Matt. xxiv. 32, 33.\n\nWe live in strange times. Human affairs are hastening to a crisis.\nInternational struggles are imminent, \"nation rising against nation,\"\nfor supremacy and existence. Civilized governments are threatened by\nan internal and destructive agency, in the form of communism. This\nsecret combination assumes different names and forms, according to the\nfancy of its devotees and the various stages of its advancement. It is\nCommunism in France, Socialism in Germany, Internationalism in Spain\nand Italy, Nihilism in Russia, and similar sentiments and principles\nare cloaked under a variety of titles in America and the United Kingdom\nof Great Britain. These societies are opposed in spirit to all the\nrestraints of law; they are an increasing power, causing thrones to\ntotter and soon, through their agency, governments will crumble and\nfall.\n\nOn February 9th, 1831, the great Prophet of the latter-days received\na revelation from God, on this subject. He was told to instruct the\nelders of the Church who should go to the east, to \"teach them that\nshall be converted to flee to the west, and this in consequence of that\nwhich is coming upon the earth, and of _secret combinations_.\" The\nprophecies in the Book of Mormon are plain on this subject, stating\nthat \"secret combinations to get power and gain,\" should be among the\nnations in the latter times, and would be a sign that the destruction\nof those governments in which they should exist would be near at hand.\n\nThe prevailing conflict between capital and labor is {196}\nirrepressible, strikes being of almost daily occurrence. The increase\nof labor-saving machinery is creating over-stocked markets. This\nand other causes create a decline in trade for which there is no\ncure. Consequently the condition of the poorer classes grows from\nbad to worse. They will continue in that situation until driven, by\ndesperation, to deeds of violence, scenes of anarchy and bloodshed will\nensue and Babylon shall fall. \"The merchants of the earth shall weep\nand mourn over her; for no man buyeth her merchandise any more\" (see\nRev., chap, xviii).\n\nSecularism and infidelity are sweeping over the nations like a mighty\nflood. Having broken through the restraining influence of religious\nfeeling, the masses are plunging into a vortex of ruin, by indulgence\nin every species of iniquity. Crime is increasing with such rapidity\nthat the cities of the world are fairly reeking with corruption. The\nearth is in \"commotion\" with the news of \"famines, pestilence, wars\nand rumors of war.\" It has almost come to the point when \"men's hearts\nare failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which\nare coming on the earth.\" (Luke xxi, 26.) The present phase of things\nis because the world has been for centuries and is now in apostasy\nfrom the true order of the Gospel. Isaiah (xxiv, 5), being enabled to\nbehold, by prophetic power, the existing condition of affairs, said:\n\"The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because\nthey have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the\neverlasting covenant.\"\n\nSpeaking of what should be previous to the second coming of Christ,\nPaul said (ii. Thess. ii. 3), \"Let no man deceive you by any means; for\nthat day shall not come, except there come a _falling away_ first, and\nthat man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition.\"\n\nThe reader may say: \"I can clearly see the perplexing dilemma the world\nhas reached, but it is easier to point out an evil than the means of\nescape from it.\" It is not our intention to leave the matter in a\nmaze of doubt, for as surely as God, through His servants, predicted\nthe \"falling away,\" when men should have \"a form of godliness but\ndenying the power thereof;\" so also, by the voice of revelation, did\nHe proclaim that, in the latter times it would be restored. (Rev. xiv.\n6.) \"And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the\neverlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and\nto every nation, kindred, tongue and people.\" Also, in telling his\ndisciples what should be the signs of his coming, Christ gave as one\nof them (Matt. xxiv. 14): \"And {197} this gospel of the kingdom shall\nbe preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then\nshall the end come.\"\n\nWe make the solemn declaration that the fullness of the everlasting\nGospel, with all its gifts, authority, and blessings has been restored,\nthrough the instrumentality of the Prophet Joseph Smith, in this age.\nThis restoration came not by the will or power of man, but by the power\nof the Living God.\n\nWe extract the following from an article under the head of \"Church\nHistory,\" written in 1842, by Joseph, the Prophet:\n\n    \"I was born in the town of Sharon, Windsor County, Vermont, U.\n    S. A., on the 23d of December, A. D. 1805. When ten years old my\n    parents removed to Palmyra, New York, where we resided about four\n    years, and from thence removed to the town of Manchester, U. S. A.\n\n    \"My father was a farmer and taught me the art of husbandry. When\n    about fourteen years of age, I began to reflect upon the importance\n    of being prepared for a future state, and, upon inquiring the plan\n    of salvation, I found that there was a great clash in religious\n    sentiments. Believing the word of God, I had confidence in the\n    declaration of James, 'If a man lack wisdom let him ask of God,\n    who giveth to all men liberally and upbraideth not, and it shall\n    be given him,' I retired to a secret place in a grove and began to\n    call upon the Lord. While fervently engaged in supplication, my\n    mind was taken away from the objects with which I was surrounded,\n    and I was enwrapped in a heavenly vision, and saw two glorious\n    personages who exactly resembled each other in features and\n    likeness, surrounded with a brilliant light, which eclipsed the\n    sun at noon-day. They told me that all religious denominations\n    were believing in incorrect doctrines, and that none of them was\n    acknowledged of God as His Church and Kingdom. And I was expressly\n    commanded to 'go not after them;' at the same time receiving a\n    promise that the fullness of the Gospel should at some future time\n    be made known unto me.\"\n\nOn the 21st of September, A. D. 1823, Joseph Smith was visited by an\nangel from the courts of glory, who instructed him further regarding\nthe coming forth of the work of the Lord in the last days. This\nheavenly messenger informed him concerning certain plates that were\nhid in a hill, and on which was recorded the history of two races of\npeople who had inhabited the American Continent, one descended from a\nsmall colony that was led out of Jerusalem about 600 years B. C.; and\nthe other from a company that was led to the American Continent by\nthe power of God, at the time the Lord confounded the language of the\npeople who built the Tower of Babel. Those records, together with the\nUrim and Thummim, by means of which sacred instruments he was enabled\nto translate them, were committed to him, producing what is known as\nthe Book of Mormon. This record is in exact harmony with the doctrine\nand principles contained in the Scriptures of {198} the Old and New\nTestaments, and embodies many prophecies that have been fulfilled, many\nthat are now being verified and others relating to events still in the\nfuture.\n\nOn the 15th of May, 1829, Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery were visited\nby John the Baptist, an angelic messenger from God, by whom they\nwere ordained to the Aaronic Priesthood, which holds the keys of the\nministering of angels and the gospel of repentance and of baptism by\nimmersion for the remission of sins. Subsequently, by direct revelation\nfrom God, they were ordained to the Melchisedek Priesthood, which holds\nthe keys of the laying on of the hands for the reception of the Holy\nGhost. They were also commissioned to ordain others to the same great\nauthority and to organize the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day\nSaints, which was done on the 6th day of April, 1830, in the town of\nFayette, Seneca County, State of New York, United States of America.\nFrom that time the work spread in every direction, the word being\nconfirmed by signs following the believers, as it was anciently, when\nholy men of old went forth administering among the people by the power\nand authority of the God of Israel.\n\nIn ancient times nearly the whole of the Prophets, and the Saviour\nHimself and His Apostles, were the objects of bitter persecution. The\nintroduction of the same principles, in this age, has produced the same\neffect. From the time Joseph Smith received his first vision till now,\nthe work which he was the honored instrument in establishing has met\nwith the most intense opposition. The Saints were robbed, plundered,\nand many of them slain by ruthless mobs in the States of New York,\nOhio, Missouri and Illinois, the Prophet himself and his brother, Hyrum\nSmith, having been martyred in cold blood, on the 27th of June, 1844,\nin the last named State. Finally the Saints, being driven from the\nhaunts of civilization, sought out a home in the northwestern wilds of\nAmerica, which, by the practical working out of the principles for the\nespousal of which they were derided, driven, and \"everywhere spoken\nevil against,\" they are fast causing to \"blossom as the rose,\" by the\nblessing of God.\n\nThe Saints, under the organization of the Church of Christ, as it\nexisted anciently, with Apostles and Prophets, High Priests, Seventies,\nElders, Bishops, Priests, Teachers, Deacons, Helps, Governments, etc.,\nare establishing a purer and better order of society than exists\nanywhere else on the earth. They are progressing, by the application\nof measures for the benefit of the whole people, to that unity that\nwill prepare them {199} to receive the Lord Jesus Christ, whose\ncoming we declare to be near at hand. Strikes and other evils that\nare distracting the social systems abroad are unknown among them.\nThe Saints are nearing a union of sentiment and action that causes\npeace to abound among them and comparative plenty to prevail. Under\nthe guiding spirit of inspiration from God, the people are being\neducated to a higher standard of morality in its broadest sense,\nincluding the business relations of life. By the gradual introduction\nof co-operative institutions, involving mutual interests, they are\nsuccessfully progressing to the desirable point of unity in temporal\nas well as spiritual things. They are building up settlements, towns\nand cities, in which peace prevails and the hum of industry and song of\nrejoicing are heard. They are erecting Temples and Tabernacles for the\nadministration of the sacred ordinances and the worship of the True and\nLiving God. This noble work is being done by people of a great variety\nof nationalities, heretofore of different customs and habits, speaking\ndifferent languages, but infused with one spirit, into which they have\nbeen baptized, which is the Spirit of Christ.\n\nThe Elders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are\nnot hirelings, who \"divine for money.\" At the call of the Saviour,\nthey cheerfully sacrifice the interests of business and the comforts\nand endearments of home, going forth, like the disciples of old, to\nevery part of the world where they can find an opening. Their message\nis to call upon the people to believe in God, the Eternal Father and\nin His Son, Jesus Christ; to repent of their sins, be baptized in\nwater, by immersion, for the remission of the same, receive the laying\non of hands for the reception of the Holy Ghost and obey the great\ncommand--\"Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her\nsins and that ye receive not of her plagues.\" (Rev. xviii. 4.)\n\nMany thousands are heeding the warning and are gathering from the\nnations with the Church year by year, for this is the ark of safety\nprovided for the righteous from the abominations and calamities of the\nlast days.\n\nHear it, O ye inhabitants of the earth, for we bear witness, in the\nname of Jesus Christ, that God has again spoken from the heavens and\nrevealed the everlasting Gospel, for the salvation of all who believe\nand obey. It is a law of the Scriptures that \"in the mouths of two or\nthree witnesses shall every word be established,\" and there are tens of\nthousands who can testify to the truth of these things.\n\nLiverpool, England, November 15th, 1878.\n\n{200}\n\n\n\nThe Latter-Day Prophet.\n\nBy John Nicholson.\n\nAn Elder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.\n\nProphets Needed and Should be Expected--Organism of the Church\nof Christ--Effects of Obedience to the Doctrines Introduced by\nJoseph Smith--The Book of Mormon Authentic--Modern Prophecy and its\nFulfillment.\n\nWas Joseph Smith an authorized prophet of God? This is a question of\nmomentous importance. Like every matter involving the weal or woe of\nmankind, the answer should not be given in haste. The evidence should\nbe carefully scanned and weighed before a decision is reached. He who\njumps at conclusions regarding men and things, whether for or against,\nwithout a scrutinizing examination, is liable to err in judgment.\nSuch a person is likely also to be guilty of injustice. In addition\nto the vital interests involved, that kindly liberality that should\ncharacterize the behavior of man to his fellow, requires that a plea\nin behalf of the divinity of the mission of Joseph Smith should be\ncandidly and impartially considered.\n\nThe popular voice is against the validity of the claim of Joseph Smith\nto being a true prophet. Public sentiment on such a subject has no\nforce. If it have any bearing upon it at all it must be favorable,\nbecause of precedents. If popular repudiation is evidence against the\ngenuineness of Joseph Smith's claim, it would be equally sensible to\nrecognize its potency as directed against the rejected Redeemer of the\nworld, whose sufferings and death were effected by the tide of the\npopular will. The same may be as readily applied to nearly the whole\nof the holy prophets since the world began, against whom the waves of\npopular feeling, as a rule, surged like the waters of an angry sea.\n\n{201} The prevailing idea regarding prophets is that, in the language\nof the generality of so-called Christian teachers, \"they are not\nneeded now. They were merely required to establish the Church of\nChrist in its incipiency.\" Of course some excuse must be advanced for\nthe non-existence of divinely commissioned and inspired men in the\nvarious churches. It would not do to say such men are needed, because\nthe question as to why they do not have them would immediately arise.\nHowever, we think it is not only an easy matter to show, scripturally,\nthat such men are not only needed, but that the existence of the true\nChurch of Christ without them is an absolute impossibility.\n\nWe direct the reader to the 4th chap, of Paul's Epistle to the\nEphesians. The 8th verse says: \"When he (Christ) ascended up on high,\nhe led captivity captive and gave gifts unto men.\" Now read from\nthe 11th to the 14th verse, inclusive: \"And he gave some, apostles;\nand some, _prophets_; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and\nteachers; for the _perfecting of the Saints_, for the _work of the\nministry_, for the edifying of the body of Christ; till we all come\nto a _unity_ of the _faith_, and of the knowledge of the Son of God,\nunto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of\nChrist. That we _henceforth_ be no more children, tossed to and fro,\nand carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men,\nand cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive.\"\n\nTake the assertions of the apostate so-called Christian Churches in\nregard to the non-essentiality of inspired apostles and prophets and\nplace them in juxtaposition with the teachings of Paul, and what do\nwe discover? We observe the widest discrepancy between them. Those\ninspired men were given to the Church \"for the perfecting of the\nSaints.\" Consequently, before it can be established that they are no\nlonger needed it must first be proved that the Saints or members of the\nChurch have reached perfection. To claim that this is the case would be\ntoo glaringly absurd in the face of existing facts. Imperfection being\nthe evident condition of the professors of what is termed Christian\nreligion, the necessity of the agencies appointed of God to bring about\na more perfect state must be admitted as reasonable and scriptural.\n\nAnother object of the existence in the Church of inspired apostles and\nprophets, etc., was \"the work of the ministry.\" They being appointed\nof God, and not of men, for that purpose, to assume that because they\ndo not exist in the churches is sufficient evidence that they are\nnot required is equal to an {202} assumption that \"the work of the\nministry\" is unnecessary. The untenable claim that men endowed with\ndivine authority and prophetic gifts were only necessary in the rise\nof the primitive Church flies before the scriptural statement that\nthey were to remain \"till we all come to a unity of the faith.\" An\nunprejudiced, dispassionate Christian reasoner will at once freely\nadmit that the present distracted, divided, embittered, controversial\ncondition of Christendom presents anything else than a united state,\nwhich inspired men were commissioned, by heavenly teachings, to bring\nabout. The desirableness of that unity is most clearly defined, in the\nreason that, \"we _henceforth_ be no more children, tossed to and fro\nand carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men.\"\nThat is plainly the present condition of religious affairs, the people\nbeing wafted about by every whimsical, sensational breeze of doctrine.\nIt is made a matter of lucrative trade by mercenary individuals, to\nplay upon the wayward, flitting religious sentiments of the misguided\nmasses. We say to the people, be not deceived by those who \"make\nmerchandise of the souls of men,\" by teaching the repudiation of\ninspired apostles and prophets. Those holy men can alone relieve the\nearnest worshipper from being engulfed in the turbulent sea of doubt\nand place his feet upon the steadfast rock of certainty.\n\nThere can be no question as to the present existence of prophets,\nthrough whom the will of God could be taught, being desirable. Then,\nthe Almighty being just and unchangeable, why should it be considered\nunlikely that He should give good gifts to men now as well as\nanciently? If the people now are as deserving as the ancients were,\nwhy should the present generation be denied the enjoyment of equal\nprivileges in relation to being divinely taught? Surely there can be no\nreason.\n\nAmong the innumerable unfounded false popular impressions regarding\nthe Latter-day Saints is one to the effect that they do not believe\nin the teachings of the Old and New Testaments. Some of the more\nignorant people go so far in misconception of their true character as\nto be imbued with the utterly preposterous idea that they do not even\nbelieve in the Savior at all. The very name of the organization--the\nChurch of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints--a title we claim to have\nbeen given by revelation from God, should be enough to explode the\nlatter fallacious view. And in regard to the belief of the Saints\nin the teachings and doctrines of the Bible, the organism of the\necclesiastical body should be evidence enough on that point. All the\nofficers and councils named in the New Testament are included in it;\nhence there are apostles, high priests, {203} seventies, elders,\nbishops, priests, teachers and deacons, the duties and functions\nof those several offices of the genuine priesthood being clearly\nunderstood and defined. It is required that every officer should\nunderstand the character of his position and the relationship he\nsustains in it towards all other authorities, producing the most\ndesirable unity and beautiful harmony.\n\nThis symmetrical perfection, this shapely figure, the result of the\nmost exquisite niceness of organization and completely detailed\ndefinition of the functions of each portion of the body-religious is,\nin our view, a very decided evidence of the divinity of the mission\nof the great prophet of the nineteenth century. It accords with the\nfrequently recurring scriptural figure by which the true Church of\nChrist is compared, in its perfection of parts and harmonious blending\nof divisions, to the human body. The preservation of this completeness\nis an absolute necessity. How can the human bodily structure be deemed\nperfect when it is decapitated, when denuded of its extremities, or\nwhen the trunk is lacerated or divided into pieces? No detached part\ncan, in its separate capacity, be denominated a body, neither can the\norganism be called perfect when deprived of even the most inferior of\nits members. How then, on the same ground, can a church, as compared to\na body, be called the Church of Christ if it repudiate or is devoid of\napostles, prophets, high priests, seventies and other vital parts that,\naccording to New Testament teachings, comprise necessarily the most\nimportant portions of that harmonious organization inaugurated among\nmen by the Savior of the world and His ancient apostles?\n\nHow anxious the Apostle Paul was to impress upon the minds of the\npeople the positiveness of the necessity for the preservation of the\norganization of the Church in its entirety. Hear what he says on the\nsubject, 1 Cor. xii. 14-21: \"For the body is not one member, but many.\nIf the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body;\nis it therefore not of the body? And if the ear shall say, Because I am\nnot the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? If\nthe whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were\nhearing where were the smelling? But now hath God set the members every\none of them in the body, as it hath pleased him. And if they were all\none member, where were the body? But now are they many members, yet\nbut one body. And _the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of\nthee; nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you_.\"\n\n{204} To show that Paul had special reference, in his advocacy of\nthe preservation of the body in the perfection of its parts, to the\nofficers and gifts of the Church, it will profit the reader to peruse\nthe 27th and 28th verses of the same chapter: \"Now _ye_ are the body of\nChrist, and members in particular. And God hath set some in the Church,\nfirst apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that\nmiracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of\ntongues.\"\n\nAfter this pattern has the Church, revealed anew in this age, been set\nup through the instrumentality of the young man Joseph Smith who, like\nhis Divine Master, was slain on account of the testimony he bore to a\nperverse generation; and our reader may well pause and ask himself the\nvital question, where else in all the world can I find a church similar\nto that of ancient times?\n\nBut we hasten to explain other and equally potent evidences that\nestablish the divinity of Joseph Smith's mission and the validity of\nhis claim to being a prophet. We will first consider the character of\nhis teachings and administrations and their effects upon those who\naccept them. He announced that the Kingdom of Heaven was at hand;\nthat the Lord was about to commence His marvelous latter-day work, by\npreparing for the coming of the Savior. He and his associate apostles\nand prophets taught the same Gospel that Christ and the ancient\napostles preached: Faith in God the Eternal Father, in His Son Jesus\nChrist, repentance of sins, baptism, by immersion, for the remission of\nsins, and the laying on of the hands of those holding divine authority\nfor the bestowal of the Gift of the Holy Ghost.\n\nThe elders of the Church constantly preached these doctrines and\nthey are explained so clearly in many pamphlets and more extensive\npublished works, that it is not our purpose to enter upon an elaborate\ndissertation regarding them in this writing. In fact so plainly are\nthese the doctrines taught by Christ and His apostles, in the same\norder as they are given in the preceding paragraph, that a labored\nexplanation in support of them should be unnecessary to convince any\nconsistent, intelligent, professing Christian that they are strictly\nbiblical, and, without exception, absolutely essential.\n\nWhat we wish more particularly to refer to now is the promise given to\nthe obedient believers of the bestowal upon them of the Holy Ghost. No\nimpostor could make such an offer without subjecting himself to the\ncertainty of discovery. Here was a distinct assertion that a clearly\ndefined effect would be produced by a plainly stated cause, the former\nbeing the {205} reception of the Holy Ghost, produced by obedience\nto the doctrines and ordinances before enumerated. Here was an offer\nexactly similar to that made to the people in ancient times. Christ and\nthe ancient apostles promised that the obedient should _know_ of the\ndoctrine, and miraculous signs should follow the believer. They \"laid\ntheir hands upon them and they received the Holy Ghost.\" How easy it is\nto test this matter.\n\nThe question now to be considered is this: Is the promised effect\nreally produced upon those who obey the doctrines taught by Joseph\nSmith and incorporated in the faith and practice of the Church he was\ninstrumental in establishing? If the affirmative of this question can\nbe proved, then it follows that he was indeed a prophet of the Living\nGod, specially raised up and appointed. What greater evidence could be\ngiven than the testimony of those who have tested the efficacy of the\npromise for themselves. As to the extent and existence of this proof\nwe have but to refer the reader to the scores of thousands of members\nand officers of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. These\nwill unhesitatingly testify that, as an effect of their obedience, they\nhave received the Comforter, the Holy Ghost, by whose operations it has\nbeen manifested to their minds that God has begun a marvelous work in\nthe earth, having commenced to set up the Kingdom whose existence is\nprophetically predicted in the second chapter of Daniel. An application\nto this source will also inform the inquirer that the gifts promised to\nbelievers exist in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.\n\nProceeding upon the legitimate assumption that the effect of obedience\nto the requirements of the doctrines of faith, repentance, baptism for\nthe remission of sins, and the laying on of hands, does produce the\npromised imparting of the Holy Ghost, what is the proper conclusion? It\nmust be that Joseph Smith was a true Prophet, for the reason that the\ngiving of the Holy Ghost necessarily shows divine recognition. No such\neffect could possibly result from the teachings and administrations of\nan impostor.\n\nThe reader may say that he is not willing to accept of the testimony\nof the Latter-day Saints, on the ground of the probability of their\nbeing interested witnesses. What reason would he have for supposing\nthen, that he would have received the evidence of the Former-day\nSaints? They were open to the same objection, if it be one, and they\nhad no more proof to advance that their claim was valid than is now\noffered in support of the same Gospel restored in its power in these\ndays. One thing is very evident in this connection: there is but one\n{206} process by which the position of the Latter-day Saints can be\nconsistently refuted. That is by the testing method, which is open to\nall. It consists of implicit compliance with the conditions stated to\nbe requisite to insure a personal testimony or witness to the obedient.\nUntil the opponents of the divine system take this course, consistency\nwould appear to demand that they hold their peace, lest they be,\nignorantly or otherwise, found fighting against God. However, as the\nSaints know, experimentally, that honest truth-seekers receive, through\nobedience, the witness of the Spirit, they know the work they are\nengaged in is secure from successful assault from that method.\n\nThe reader has probably been heretofore misled regarding the faith and\ndoctrines professed by the Latter-day Saints, and may consequently be\nsurprised at their being identical with the teachings of the Bible. He\nhas perhaps been under the impression that the Old and New Testaments\nwere discarded and what is known as the Book of Mormon adopted instead.\nSuch an impression, which is only too general, is altogether erroneous.\nIt is true, however, that, in addition to the Bible, the Saints accept\nthe Book of Mormon as a divine revelation, it being in accordance with\nthe genius of their faith, to adopt whatever the Almighty chooses to\noffer for the information and salvation of His children.\n\nWe are aware that, in consequence of the false teachings of uninspired\nmen, who \"teach for hire and divine for money,\" the people generally\nhave a prejudice against receiving any revelations not contained in the\nBible. They have been erroneously informed that the canon of Scripture\nis full, and God would no more speak to His children, but preserve\nthe gloom of an unbroken silence towards them. What an unnatural and\nunreasonable doctrine this is! Yet, to delude the ignorant into an\nacceptance of this discouraging dogma, those who drag religion down to\nthe degrading position of a mere mercantile basis, triumphantly quote\nthe 18th and 10th verses of the last chapter of Revelation: \"If any man\nshall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that\nare written in this book; and if any man shall take away from the words\nof the book of _this_ prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the\nbook of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are\nwritten in this book.\"\n\nTo offer this passage as evidence of the fullness of the scriptural\ncanon is exceedingly absurd. It simply had reference to the enlargement\nor reduction of the book of John's prophecy, for at the time it\nwas written the Bible had not been {207} compiled. Consequently it\ncould have no reference to the Old and New Testaments, which are a\ncompilation of various books. It is certainly right that man should\nnot, with impunity, add to or take from what God has revealed, although\nthe Almighty can certainly do so at any time, according to His good\nwill and pleasure. However, should the Lord, in His mercy, reveal\nanother book or prophecy, it would be distinct of itself and not\nnecessarily an addition to one that He had already given, and might\nrelate to another subject, as in the case of books in general, which\nare books of themselves and not mere additions to others.\n\nThere is a regrettable lack of information regarding the Book of\nMormon in the world at large. It will be profitable to first consider\nthe manner in which this record was, by the matchless power of God,\nbrought to the light. This will necessarily have to be done briefly. If\nthe reader desire more detailed particulars, he can obtain them by a\nperusal of more elaborate writings, which can be had through any of the\nauthorized agents of the Church.\n\nIn the year 1820, when Joseph Smith was in the fifteenth year of his\nage, he resided, with his parents and other members of the family,\nin the town of Manchester, Ontario County, New York, United States\nof America. There was, in that vicinity, at that time, a religious\nrevival, causing him to be seriously impressed with a desire to serve\nGod. The conflict of jarring sects caused him perplexity as to which he\nwould be justified in joining. Being struck with the reasonableness of\nthe scriptural promise that God would give wisdom to those who asked\nHim for it in faith, he retired to a wood or grove, and prayed for the\ninformation of which he felt he stood so much in need.\n\nIn answer to his fervent and simple petition, a glorious vision opened\nto the gaze of the suppliant youth. A radiant pillar of fire appeared,\ndescended and encircled him about. In the midst of this brilliant\ncolumn were two glorious personages, the brightness of whose presence\nwas beyond the power of human description, eclipsing that of the sun\nwhen he shines in noonday splendor. One of those heavenly beings spoke\nto Joseph, calling him by name and saying, pointing to the other, \"This\nis my beloved Son, hear him.\"\n\nJoseph, when sufficiently recovered from the sensations that possessed\nhim, inquired which of all the sects he should join. The personage who\naddressed him commanded him to identify himself with none, as all had\ngone astray, and were an abomination in His sight. \"They draw near to\nMe with their lips, {208} but their hearts are far from Me; they teach\nfor doctrine the commandments of man, having a form of godliness, but\nthey deny the power thereof.\" He was also told many other things of\ngreat importance.\n\nHow forcibly the honest inquirer must be struck with the clearness with\nwhich the position of the sects was portrayed by these holy beings--the\nFather and the Son. Religious professors have a form of worship but\ndeny revelation, and the power of godliness made manifest by the\nexercise of miraculous gifts; they also repeat printed prayers which,\nbeing manufactured by others, cannot proceed from the hearts of those\nwho mechanically utter them.\n\nJoseph obeyed the command he received, to abstain from joining any of\nthe religious denominations. On the night of September 21st, 1823,\nafter having retired to bed, he was engaged in fervent prayer to the\nAlmighty for the forgiveness of his sins, and a manifestation that\nwould satisfy his mind as to his standing before the Lord.\n\nWhile thus employed a personage of great beauty, dressed in white\nraiment, presented himself before him. The room was lighted up by the\nglory of his presence, the brightness of the light being most intense\nin close proximity to the person of this heavenly being. The name\nof this visitant was Moroni. He told Joseph that God had a work for\nhim to do that would cause his name to be spoken of for good or evil\namong all people. We will here quote from the personal history of the\nprophet: \"He said there was a book deposited, written upon gold plates,\ngiving an account of the former inhabitants of this continent, and\nthe source from whence they sprang. He also said that the fullness\nof the everlasting Gospel was contained in it, as delivered by the\nSavior to the ancient inhabitants; also that there were two stones in\nsilver bows--and these stones, fastened to a breastplate, constituted\nwhat is called the Urim and Thummim--deposited with the plates; and\nthe possession and use of these stones were what constituted seers in\nancient or former times; and that God had prepared them for the purpose\nof translating the book.\"\n\nThis holy messenger gave Joseph many precious instructions relative to\nthe coming forth of the record, and the setting up and establishment\nof the work of God in the last days, quoting several passages from the\nprophecies of the Bible, notably the third chapter of Malachi; eleventh\nchapter of Isaiah; third chapter of Acts; second chapter of Joel, from\nthe twenty-eighth to the last verse. These predictions, he stated, were\nsoon to be fulfilled. Joseph was also shown, by {209} the opening of\nthe vision of his mind, by the power of the Almighty, the place where\nthe plates were deposited. He was visited twice subsequently by the\nsame personage, the same night, and on each occasion the instructions\ngiven on the first visit were repeated.\n\nPassing over many intermediate circumstances which transspired up to\nthe time of the plates with the Urim and Thummim being committed to\nthe charge of the youthful prophet, it must suffice, in the present\nwriting, to state that he received them from the Angel Moroni, on the\n22nd day of September, 1827.\n\nThe prophet copied a number of the characters, which were very finely\nengraved on the plates, and, by means of the Urim and Thummin,\ntranslated some of them. These were taken by Martin Harris, to\nProfessor Anthon, of New York, who stated that the translation was\ncorrect. On being shown the portion of the transcript that was not\ntranslated, he said the characters were Egyptian, Chaldiac, Assyriac\nand Arabic, and that they were genuine characters. The professor gave\nMr. Harris a certificate to that effect, but on learning that the young\nman Joseph had the plates revealed to him by an angel, he demanded it\nback and tore it up, saying there was no such thing now as ministering\nof angels. He requested that the plates be brought to him and he\nwould translate them. Mr. Harris replied that a portion of them was\nsealed and he was forbidden to bring them. Professor Anthon retorted,\n\"I cannot read a sealed book.\" Mr. Harris also visited Dr. Mitchell,\nwhose statement coincided with that of Professor Anthon, regarding the\ngenuineness of the characters and translation.\n\nIn the midst of great difficulties and perplexities, out of all of\nwhich Joseph and the friends the Lord raised up to him were delivered\nby His matchless power, the work of translation was completed and the\nBook of Mormon was finally published, in the early part of the year\n1830.\n\nLimited space will not admit of a detailed account of the narrative\nportion of this remarkable record. This information can best be gained\nfrom the Book itself. It contains an account of the doings of the\nrighteous and the wicked of the ancient inhabitants of America. It\nincludes information relative to the dealings of God with the people,\ndescribing the works of many mighty prophets, seers and revelators.\nThe sayings of these inspired men have slumbered in the dust for ages,\nbut have spoken again from the ground in deep and piercing tones, in\naccordance with the recorded promise of our {210} heavenly Father\nregarding the accomplishment of His marvelous work in the latter days.\n\nThe Prophet Isaiah must have beheld the coming forth of this record as\na testimony to all men of the care which the Almighty has exercised\nover the nations of men, in every part of the earth, in all ages.\nHear his words as found in the 29th chap., 11th to 14th verse: \"And\nthe vision of all is become to you as the words of a book that is\nsealed, which men deliver to one that is learned, saying, Read this I\npray thee: and he saith, I cannot, for it is sealed. And the book is\ndelivered to one that is not learned, saying, Read this I pray thee:\nand he saith, I am not learned. Wherefore the Lord said, forasmuch\nas this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do\nhonor me, but have removed their hearts far from me, and their fear\ntoward me is taught by the precept of men. Therefore, behold, I will\nproceed to do a marvelous work among this people, even a marvelous work\nand a wonder: for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the\nunderstanding of their prudent men shall be hid.\"\n\nSo truly have the words of Isaiah received a verification, that some\nportions of the passage just quoted read like a record made subsequent\nto the transpiration of the events to which they allude.\n\nIn the interview between Mr. Harris and the learned Professor Anthon,\nthe latter actually said, \"I cannot read a sealed book.\" The youthful\nJoseph, diffident and unlearned, was enabled, by the gift and power of\nthe Almighty, to read the historic narrative of the mighty races of the\npast, and give to the world a book, the authenticity of which is proved\nby evidences that cannot be successfully controverted. The unlearned\nyouth received the power to accomplish this because the set time had\ncome for the fulfillment of the promise of the Most High to begin a\nmarvelous work in the earth; not by the esteemedly wise and learned,\nbut by humble instruments, that no flesh might glory in His presence.\n\nMany people appear to be contracted in their views regarding the\ndealings of the Almighty with His children. They conclude that the\nBible must necessarily be the only record of signal manifestations\nof the power of Omnipotence in behalf of mankind. Such a view is\nbiblically incorrect, for that good book speaks of the great works\nto be performed in the gathering of Israel in the latter days. It is\nreasonable to anticipate that when those occurrences take place, an\naccount of them will be written and published, that it may be perused\nwith {211} wonder and thanksgiving by future generations. The record\nthus made will be as clearly sacred history as the Bible itself.\n\nThe question as to the origin of the American Indians is a subject of\ndeep interest to many advanced minds. Investigation for information\nbearing upon it has received a powerful impetus by discoveries of the\nruins of vast cities and gigantic aqueducts, requiring the exercise of\ngreat architectural and engineering skill in their construction. These\nand other relics of past races, abounding in Central, the southern part\nof North, and in South America, give indisputable evidence of these\nregions having been inhabited, many centuries ago, by multitudinous\nenlightened populations that had attained a high state of civilization.\nThe Book of Mormon, which gives an authentic history of those peoples,\ndissolves the mystery that heretofore enshrouded this department of\nresearch. It tells who those people were and from whence they sprang.\nIt tells of a small colony, by commandment of God and led by His\nall-powerful hand, leaving Jerusalem, and after hazardous journeyings\nlanding on the shores of America. It gives an account also of another\nparty, consisting of Jews, going to the same continent subsequently,\nand amalgamating with the descendants of the first colonizers. A brief\nhistorical sketch is also given of a colony that left the Tower of\nBabel at the time of the confusion of languages.\n\nThe existence of the ruins indicating the former presence of great\npopulations, well advanced in arts and manufactures, was unknown to\nJoseph Smith when he translated the Book of Mormon, yet the closest\nscrutiny and comparison that have yet been given have failed to show a\nsingle discrepancy betwixt the record he was the instrument in bringing\nforth and publishing and even the most recent discoveries, to which we\nhave not space, however, to refer.\n\nThese ruins give unmistakable proof that remarkably advanced races have\ndwelt on the American Continent in the ages of the past. How reasonable\nit is to suppose that our Heavenly Father should have manifested\nHimself to them as He did on the Eastern Hemisphere. And if it be fair\nto infer that He did so exhibit His goodness and loving-tenderness, the\nsubsequent inference that a record of these divine operations would be\nkept is equally so. How natural also to expect that He, as in the case\nof the Bible, would not suffer such a history to be lost, but rather\nthat He would preserve it for the general benefit of erring humanity,\nthat they might have additional testimony concerning a crucified\nand risen Redeemer. If the world would receive it, what a powerful\ncombination the {212} two records--the Bible and Book of Mormon--would\nmake. The one relates to the dealings of God with His people in the\neastern part of the world, and the other in the west. They both\nharmonize, each testifying of the same everlasting plan of salvation,\nthrough the atonement of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.\n\nHear the words of Ezekiel, 37th chap., 19th verse: \"Say unto them, Thus\nsaith the Lord God; behold, I will take the stick of Joseph, which is\nin the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel, his fellows, and will\nput them with him, even with the stick of Judah, and make them one\nstick, and they shall be one in mine hand.\"\n\nIt is well understood that the meaning of stick is a book or record,\nthe Jewish custom being to have the law and history written upon a long\nscroll of parchment, rolled upon a stick. The Book of Mormon is the\nstick of Joseph. With the exception of the Book of Ether, relating to\nthe Jaredites, who sprang from a colony that left the Tower of Babel at\nthe time of the confusion of languages, the record gives the history of\na branch of the house of Joseph, Lehi, the head of the little colony\nthat emigrated from Jerusalem to America six hundred years before\nChrist, being a lineal descendant of Manasseh. According to revelations\ngiven in these days, the overwhelming majority of the people composing\nthe Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are of the blood of\nscattered Ephraim, to whose hands the record or stick of Joseph is\nconfided, as prophesied by Ezekiel.\n\nWe hold that Jesus Christ not only manifested Himself to His disciples\nat Jerusalem, establishing His fold--His Church--in that region, that\nHis sheep might be protected and fed, but He did the same in other\nparts of the earth. Is He not the Shepherd of all those who are willing\nto serve Him? Did He not say to His ancient Jewish disciples, \"Go\nye into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature?\" He\nrequired them to go to every part of the earth that was then known on\nthe eastern hemisphere. This did not include the American Continent.\nAre we to infer from this that, because of the inability of these\nwitnesses, from lack of geographical or other information, which God,\nin His wisdom, may have seen fit to withhold from them, the peoples\nof the great western continent should be left without a knowledge of\na crucified and risen Redeemer? Surely this would be tantamount to an\nimputation of injustice against Omnipotence, as there is no other name\nunder heaven whereby salvation can be obtained except that of Jesus.\n{213}\n\nWith the loving Redeemer the welfare of His sheep, or disciples, was\nHis constant theme and anxiety. On one occasion He was conversing on\nthis subject with His Jerusalem flock, when He uttered the following\nstatement, as recorded in John 10th chap., 15th and 16th verses: \"As\nthe Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father; and I lay my life\ndown for the sheep. And _other sheep I have which are not of this fold;\nthem also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall\nbe one fold and one shepherd_.\"\n\nThe plain inference to be drawn from this clear statement is that\nthere were other sheep or people who would become disciples of Christ\nthat had not yet heard His voice, but should hear it. It is evident\nalso that the Palestine disciples were unacquainted with the sheep to\nwhom the Savior alluded. He here expressed His intention to establish,\namong those _other sheep_, His fold, or Church, similar to the one in\nPalestine, comprising apostles, prophets, seventies, elders, and all\nthe other officers, gifts and powers, the fold of Christ being the same\nwherever found, there being but one fold and one shepherd.\n\nThe question now to be considered is, Who were the other sheep to\nwhom Jesus referred? The Book of Mormon unfolds this mystery. From\npage 501 to 540 of the last edition of that record will be found an\naccount of the visit of the Redeemer to the Nephites, shortly after\nHis crucifixion and resurrection at Jerusalem. It is one of the most\nbeautiful and pathetic narratives it has been our lot to peruse. His\nwonderful ministrations and exhibitions of power are described in\nsimple but explicit language, and details of His selection of twelve\nspecial witnesses or disciples, and the organization of His fold, or\nChurch, are given. This history, replete with divine instruction,\nexplains the import of the remark of Jesus to His disciples at\nJerusalem. He informed the Nephites of the statement He made to\nthe Jews in reference to them, and said the reason He did not tell\nthem more was because of the weakness of the faith of His flock in\nPalestine. He also informed the Nephites that He had received a\ncommandment from the Father to visit the Ten Tribes of Israel.\n\n\"In the mouths of two or three witnesses shall every word be\nestablished,\" are the words of the sacred book. What shall we say then\nabout the evidence of the witnesses whose testimony is appended to the\nBook of Mormon? Three men, besides the Prophet Joseph Smith, solemnly\ndeclare to all people that they beheld with their eyes the plates with\nengravings, containing the record, and the angel who manifested {214}\nthem; also that they heard the voice of God from heaven declaring\nthese things to be true and faithful and commanding them to bear\nrecord concerning them to all the world. None of these witnesses\nhave ever denied their testimony. Oliver Cowdery and Martin Harris\nhave gone behind the veil, but David Whitmer, at this date, still\nlives. He severed his connection with the Church, but still bears a\ndisinterested testimony to the truth of the solemn statement published\nin connection with the Book of Mormon. No longer since than September,\n1878, Elders Orson Pratt and Joseph F. Smith visited Mr. Whitmer, who\nwas residing in Richmond, Missouri, U. S. A., and at the interview he\ngave many interesting details in reference to the angelic ministration,\nthe plates and other important matters. An account of the visit was\npublished in numbers 49 and 50 of Vol. 40 of the Millennial Star. He\nhas also been interrogated by many persons having no connection with\nthe Church, his testimony being unvarying as to the Divine authenticity\nof the Book of Mormon.\n\nEight other witnesses testify to having beheld and handled the plates\nand seen the hieroglyphical engravings thereon. True, wicked, designing\nmen have endeavored to destroy the validity of this testimony by\nfabricating absurd stories regarding the origin of the Book of Mormon.\nThis is an old device of Satan and his emissaries to cover up the truth\nand destroy the work of God. Such machinations are similar to the\nattempt that was made by leading Jews to induce the Roman soldiers to\nstate that the body of Christ had been carried away, so that a belief\nin His resurrection might be stifled. The testimony of the witnesses\nstands unimpeached, and is in force in all the world, being directed to\nevery nation, kindred, tongue and people.\n\nThe social structures of the nations are being undermined and\nthreatened by a strange revolutionary movement. Thrones and empires\nseem to be almost trembling in the balance. This is notably the case\nwith the great Russian despotism. The spirit of murder and incendiarism\nseems to be in the air, filling the high ones of the earth with\naffright. Foul murder and destructive fire are born of the plottings\nof secret societies, organized for purposes of assassination, power\nand plunder. All civilized nations are more or less affected by this\nhideous affliction, which hangs over some of them like an incubus. It\nis a sign of the times. The prophet Moroni, by whose hands the plates\nof the Book of Mormon were hid up in the Hill Cumorah, wrote concerning\nthis very condition. He knew that his words would come forth and be\npublished to the Gentiles, {815} in the latter days, and he directed\na prophetic statement to them, which will be found on page 588 of the\nlast edition: \"Wherefore, O ye Gentiles, it is wisdom in God that those\nthings should be shown unto you, that thereby ye may repent of your\nsins, and suffer not these murderous combinations to get above you,\n_which are built up to get power and gain_, and the work, yea, even the\nwork of destruction come upon you. * * * Wherefore the Lord commandeth\nyou _when ye shall see these things come among you_, that you shall\nawake to a sense of your awful situation, _because of this secret\ncombination which shall be among you_.\" The same prophet also says:\n\"And whatsoever nation shall uphold such secret combinations, to get\npower and gain, until they shall spread over the nation, behold, they\nshall be destroyed.\n\nWhat could be plainer than the fulfilment of these predictive words,\nestablishing the prophetic character of the record. If the objector\nshould interpose that he does not believe this prediction was made\nfourteen hundred years ago, that would not help his side of the\nquestion, as it would be a mere shifting of the prophetic mantle from\nthe shoulders of Moroni to those of Joseph Smith. At the time the book\nwas translated and published those secret murderous combinations were\nalmost non-existent compared with their present extent, foothold and\npower. They now exist to a greater or less degree in all nations, and\nwill continue to increase until they create what the Book of Mormon\nterms \"a great division among the people,\" and every man's hand will be\nagainst his neighbor.\n\nAt Kirtland, Ohio, U. S. A., Feb. 9, 1831, a revelation was given\nthrough Joseph, the Seer, on this very subject, the following passage\noccurring: \"And behold, it shall come to pass that my servants shall be\nsent forth to the east and to the west, to the north and to the south;\nand even now, let him that goeth to the east, teach them that shall be\nconverted to flee to the west, and this in consequence of that which is\ncoming on the earth, and of _secret combinations_.\" Let the inhabitants\nof the earth take warning, for as the Lord liveth and He has spoken\nby the mouths of His prophets, a dark and evil day is at the doors.\nGod has decreed that the earth shall not much longer groan under the\noppressive influence of misrule and misery.\n\nIt is stated in the Book of Mormon that the prophets among the ancient\nNephites, being permitted to behold, by prophetic power, that their\ndescendants would drift into great wickedness, and in consequence, be\ndestroyed by the Almighty, as He had decreed that every people upon\nthat land who would {216} not keep His laws should be swept away when\nthey should be fully ripe in their abominations. They therefore, by\nfaith and prayer, to the Father in the name of Jesus Christ, obtained\na promise that a remnant should remain, and that the record which had\nbeen kept should be preserved, and carried to them by the Gentiles in\nthe latter days.\n\nWe prefer to give the exact words of the prophet Nephi, which will be\nfound on page 122, latest edition:\n\n\"And now I would prophesy somewhat more concerning the Jews and the\nGentiles. For after the book of which I have spoken (Book of Mormon)\nshall come forth, and be written unto the Gentiles, and sealed up again\nunto the Lord, there shall be many which shall believe the words which\nare written; and they shall carry them forth unto the remnant of our\nseed. And then shall the remnant of our seed know concerning us, how\nthat we came out from Jerusalem, and that they are descendants of the\nJews. And the Gospel of Jesus Christ shall be declared among them;\nwherefore they shall be restored unto the knowledge of their fathers,\nand also to the knowledge of Jesus Christ, which was had among their\nfathers, and then shall they rejoice, for they shall know that it is a\nblessing unto them from the hand of God; and their scales of darkness\nshall begin to fall from their eyes; and many generations shall not\npass away among them, save they shall become a white and delightsome\npeople.\"\n\nThese words have received a literal fulfillment. In the first place,\nmany have believed \"the words which are written,\" the tens of thousands\nof Latter-day Saints who have accepted the Book of Mormon as an\nauthentic record bearing ample witness to that fact. This prophecy was\nuttered over two thousand years ago, and yet the facts incorporated are\nas plain as if penned subsequent to their accomplishment. The skeptic\nmay say he does not believe in the ancient character of the record, and\ntherefore of the prophecy; but that it originated with Joseph Smith.\nThat would not make the position of the unbeliever much more tenable,\nas it would be merely shifting the prophetic gift to other shoulders,\nfor the Book of Mormon was published before the Church of Jesus Christ\nof Latter-day Saints was organized, and consequently before Joseph\nSmith could possibly have known, by ordinary natural means, that many\nwould believe the words of the book.\n\nBut, to the other portion of the prediction. The book or history has\nbeen carried to the remnant, by the Gentiles. From shortly subsequent\nto the organization of the Church a good deal of missionary labor\nwas performed by the elders among {217} the Lamanites, in the hope\nof bringing them to a knowledge of the Gospel. But all efforts to\npenetrate their darkened minds appeared futile. The message appeared to\nfall upon ears of stone. Evidently the time, in the providence of the\nAlmighty, for that race, who had fallen so low in the scale of being,\nto accept of the knowledge that was had among their fathers, had not\narrived.\n\nSuddenly however, as the sun breaks over the eastern horizon,\ndispelling the gloom of night, a light broke forth among them. Without\neffort or influence from any human source they came forward in large\nnumbers, declaring they had received heavenly visitations, indicating\nplainly to them that they must go to the elders of the Church, be\nbaptized by them, by immersion, in water, for the remission of sins,\nforsake their evil and idle habits, and seek for the counsel of the\nservants of God. The applications for baptism and instruction were\nfirst made to Elder George H. Hill, of Ogden, and Elder W. H. Lee, of\nGrantsville, as many as three hundred waiting upon the former at one\ntime. The movement appeared to be simultaneous in many places, east,\nwest, north and south. It commenced in the summer of 1874, and has been\nsteadily developing ever since.\n\nFor the benefit of these people, who are descendants of a branch of\nthe house of Israel, three large farms have been secured by the Church\nof Christ, one in Malad Valley, Northern Utah, another in Tooele\nCounty, to the westward, and another in Thistle Valley, in the South.\nThey are beginning to cultivate the soil, and take on the habits of\ncivilization, thus commencing to fulfil the predictions of the Book of\nMormon concerning them.\n\nThe report of a conference held in the town of Ephraim, San Pete\nCounty, Utah, U. S. A., by President John Taylor and other authorities,\nlast winter (1879-80), is before us. It tells of a Relief Society in\nThistle Valley, composed of white and Indian women in about equal\nnumbers, and of their industry and philanthropy in donating means for\nthe building of a Temple to the Most High. It was also represented, by\nElder Spencer, who has the oversight of the Indians in Thistle Valley,\nthat the Lamanitish brethren and sisters were as willing as the white\nmembers of the Church to aid in every good work.\n\nThese may be viewed as small matters, but they are cited from the midst\nof a multitude of evidences showing the educational, softening and\nmodifying tendency of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, as preached by the\nservants of God, and which {218} the ancient prophets declared would be\nreceived by these hitherto degraded people, the aborigines of America,\nand lift them to a more enlightened plane of life. It will be seen that\nthe leaven has already commenced to actively work among them, verifying\nthe genuine character of the prophecies concerning them. Whatever\nmanifests the authenticity of the Book of Mormon, supports the claim of\nJoseph Smith to being a prophet of the Living God.\n\nBefore leaving this part of the subject, we will refer to a fact\nthat must strike the reader as a strong evidence of the prophetic\ncorrectness of the Book of Mormon, and, consequently, of the\ngenuineness of the claim that Joseph Smith was sent of God. The book\nstates that the Savior gave it as a sign that when the Lamanites\n(American Indians) should begin to believe its contents, the work of\nthe Father, to prepare the way for the gathering of the _whole_ house\nof Israel should commence.\n\nWe will quote the 7th verse of the 21st chapter of 3rd Nephi, page 527\nlatest edition B. M.: \"And when these things come to pass, that thy\nseed shall begin to know these things, it shall be a sign unto them,\nthat they may know that the work of the Father hath already commenced\nunto the fulfilling of the covenant which he has made unto the people\nwho are of the house of Israel.\"\n\nAlso the 28th verse: \"Yea, and then shall the work commence, with the\nFather, among all nations, in preparing the way whereby his people may\nbe gathered home to the land of their inheritance, and they shall go\nout from all nations.\"\n\nAs shown in the foregoing, the aborigines have already begun to\nbelieve, and to manifest the accuracy of the sign we have but to point\nto the political events in connection with the East that have occurred\nduring the last five years. In that time there has transpired the\nRusso-Turkish war, the Berlin Treaty, incorporating political freedom\nfor the Jews in Roumania; the Anglo-Turkish Convention, including the\ncession of the Island of Cyprus to Great Britain, and the establishment\nof a British protectorate over that portion of the Ottoman dominion\nwhich includes Palestine. These are all occurrences confined within\nthe limited period which has expired since the Lamanites began to\nbelieve and receive the Gospel. It requires no straining of points to\nreconcile these events with the commencement of the preparatory work\nof the Father for the gathering of the remnants of His ancient people\nto their own land. The Jews themselves are beginning to recognize this\nfact. So also are many professing Christians, who, although {219}\ndestitute of authority from Jesus Christ and devoid of the Gospel of\nfaith, repentance, baptism for the remission of sins, and the laying\non of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost in its fullness, have some\nfaith in the fulfillment of the prophecies relating to the gathering of\nIsrael.\n\nWe think it proper to state, incidentally, that since the original\ntranslation into English, the Book of Mormon has been translated into\nand published in Welsh, Danish, French, German, Italian, the language\nof the Sandwich Islanders, and Swedish. It has also been translated\ninto and a portion of it published in the Spanish language.\n\nJoseph Smith, the great latter-day prophet, announced to the world\nfifty years ago, that the fullness of the Gentiles would come in and\nIsrael be restored to the lands of their inheritance in the same\ngeneration existing when he made the prediction; or, that there were\npersons then living who would not sleep in death until all should be\nfulfilled in relation to the covenant made with the house of Jacob. But\nit is not till now, when the tree is so plainly putting forth its buds,\nthat some of the more orthodox Bible believers among the sects are\nbeginning to observe the portentous character of the signs of the times.\n\nThe fulfilled predictions of Joseph Smith are very numerous. But we\nare only enabled in the present writing, to comparatively do little\nmore than touch upon his prophetic character. A prophet \"is a person\nilluminated, instructed, or inspired by God to announce future events.\"\nWe have, we believe, succeeded in showing that such was the calling for\nwhich Joseph was divinely selected.\n\nAmong the subjects upon which Joseph Smith was called to exercise the\nprophetic gift was the wars that were, in this generation, to produce\nupon the earth, the most terrible scenes of destruction and carnage. We\nhere present an extract from a revelation given Dec. 25th, 1832:\n\n    \"Verily, thus saith the Lord, concerning the wars that will shortly\n    come to pass, beginning at the rebellion of South Carolina, which\n    will eventually terminate in the death and misery of many souls.\n    The days will come that war will be poured out upon all nations,\n    beginning at that place.\n\n    \"For behold the Southern States shall be divided against the\n    Northern States, and the Southern States will call upon other\n    nations, even the nation of Great Britain, as it is called, and\n    they also shall call upon other nations, in order to defend\n    themselves against other nations; and thus war shall be poured out\n    upon all nations.\n\nWe presume our reader is aware that the first shot of the American war\nof the rebellion was fired in South Carolina, {220} and that during\nthe progress of that fratricidal and bloody conflict, the Southern\nConfederacy sent Messrs. Mason and Slidell to the Court of St. James,\nwith full powers to treat with the British Government to secure\nthe aid of the latter in accomplishing the object of the secession\nfrom the Union of States. These are matters of history. These two\nrepresentatives of the Confederacy were brought into more than ordinary\nnotoriety by the fact of their having been taken, by federal authority,\nfrom the deck of a British vessel, but subsequently liberated on demand\nof the government of Great Britain.\n\nThe fact that Joseph Smith prophesied the breaking out of the American\nwar, together with some striking details connected with it, twenty-nine\nyears before its occurrence, cannot be denied, the prediction having\nbeen published to the world almost ever since it was enunciated. This\nstamps him as a foreteller of future events. As the declaration is\ngiven with such exactness, it could not have been the result of mere\nhuman ingenuity or foresight. In fact, so absent was the general\nanticipation of such a disaster that the production was treated with\nridicule, contempt and scorn, as soon as published. From whence came\nJoseph's gift to foresee and foretell? It must have emanated from a\npower and intelligence greater than that naturally possessed by man. It\nis evident that his mind was illuminated by the God of Heaven.\n\nThe other portion of the prediction relating to Great Britain will\nalso be fulfilled, as well as every word that has been uttered by the\ngift and power of the Most High. She will yet call upon other nations.\nThe tocsin of war will sound and armed hosts will meet in the crash\nof battle, for war will be poured out upon all nations. This is the\ngreat day of preparation for the controversy of the Lord of Hosts with\nthe inhabitants of the earth. Europe is alive with armed men. She is\nbristling with bayonets and fearful of the approach of the inevitable\nconflict.\n\nPerplexity and distress already appear. These are but the beginning\nof sorrows. Knowing what is coming upon the earth, a day of calamity,\nwe call upon all men and women to receive the message of the Gospel,\nrestored to the earth in this generation, through the instrumentality\nof a prophet. We call upon all to repent, be baptized by one holding\nauthority by immersion in water for the remission of sins, and receive\nthe Holy Ghost, by the laying on of hands. We testify, in the name of\nJesus Christ, that this is the will of God, manifested in these days,\nby revelation and commandment.\n\nLiverpool, England, April 6th, 1880.\n\n{221}\n\n\n\nTHE GOSPEL OPENS COMMUNICATION WITH JEHOVAH.\n\nParagraphs from a sermon delivered by President John Taylor, June 12,\n1853.\n\nWe contemplate with joy that the heavens have been opened, that truth\nhas been revealed; and the power of God developed; that angels have\nmanifested themselves, that the glory of the eternal world has been\nmade known, and that we have been made participators in that light,\nglory, and intelligence which God has been pleased to reveal for the\nblessings, salvation and exaltation of the human family in this time\nand throughout all eternity.\n\nWe believe that God has set His hand in these last days to accomplish\nHis purposes, to gather His elect from the four winds, even to fulfill\nthe words which He has spoken by all the holy prophets, to redeem the\nearth from the power of the curse, to save the human family from the\nruins of the fall, and to place mankind in that position which God\ndesigned them to occupy before this world came into existence, or the\nmorning stars sang together for joy.\n\nI know, that as other men, we have our trials, afflictions, sorrows\nand privations; we meet with difficulties; we have to contend with the\nworld, with the powers of darkness, with the corruptions of men, and a\nvariety of evils; yet, at the same time through these things we have\nto be made perfect. It is necessary that we should have a knowledge of\nourselves, of our true position and standing before God, and comprehend\nour strength, our weakness, our ignorance and intelligence, our wisdom\nand our folly, that we may know how to appreciate true principles, and\ncomprehend, and put a proper value upon all things as they present\nthemselves before our minds. It is necessary that we should know our\nown weaknesses, and the weaknesses of our fellow-men; our own strength,\nas well as the strength of others; and comprehend {222} our true\nposition before God, angels and men; that we may be inclined to treat\nall with due respect, and not to over-value our own wisdom or strength,\nnor deprecate it, nor that of others, but put our trust in the living\nGod, and follow after Him, and realize that we are His children, and\nthat He is our Father, and that our dependence is upon Him, and that\nevery blessing we receive flows from His beneficent hand.\n\nIt was necessary when the Savior was upon the earth, that He should be\ntempted in all points, like unto us, and \"be touched with the feeling\nof our infirmities,\" to comprehend the weaknesses and strength, the\nperfections of poor fallen human nature. And having accomplished\nthe thing He came into the world to do; having had to grapple with\nhypocrisy, corruption, weakness, and imbecility of man; having met with\ntemptation and trial in all its various forms, and overcome, He has\nbecome a \"faithful High Priest\" to intercede for us in the everlasting\nKingdom of His Father. He knows how to estimate and put a proper value\nupon human nature, for He having been placed in the same position as\nwe are, knows how to bear with our weaknesses and infirmities, and can\nfully comprehend the depth, power, and strength of the afflictions and\ntrials that men have to cope with in this world, and thus understanding\nand by experience, He can bear with them as a father and an elder\nbrother.\n\nConfusion, disorder, weakness, corruption, and vice of every kind are\nabounding, and the whole world seems to be confused and retrograding.\nThe human family have departed from the principles which God has laid\ndown for their guidance, direction and support; they have forsaken Him\nthe fountain of living waters, and hewn out to themselves cisterns,\nbroken cisterns, that can hold no water.\n\nHave we united with this Church because we expect to become more\nhonorable in the eyes of the world? No. I think this work would have\nbeen the last ship we should have boarded, if that had been what we\nsought.\n\nNothing but a sterling desire to do the will of God will cause men to\nendure the contumely and reproach of their fellow men, and associate\nthemselves with the people denominated Latter-day Saints or \"Mormons.\"\n\nIf I knew no other religion than the religions that are propagated\nabroad, I would not be a religious man at all, but I would lay it all\naside, as something beneath my notice, and worship God as the great\nSupreme of the Universe, according to my own judgment, independent\nof the opinions of man, {223} and without having any regard to the\nridiculous dogmas taught in the world.\n\nWe believe that angels have appeared, that the heavens have been\nopened. We believe in the eternal principles, in an eternal Gospel,\nan eternal Priesthood, in eternal communications and associations.\nEverything associated with the Gospel that we believe in is eternal.\n\nIf hell is a place of misery, and heaven a place of happiness, I want\nto know how to escape the one, and obtain the other. If I cannot know\nsomething about these things which are to come in the eternal world,\nI have no religion, I would not have any, I would not give a straw\nfor it. It would be too low and groveling a consideration for a man\nof intelligence, in the absence of this knowledge. If there is a\nGod, I want a religion that supplies some means of certain tangible\ncommunication with Him. If there is a heaven, I want to know what sort\nof a place it is. If there are angels, I want to know their nature, and\ntheir occupation, and of what they are composed. If I am an eternal\nbeing, I want to know what I am to do when I get through with time;\nwhether I shall plant corn and hoe it, or be engaged in some other\nemployment. I do not want any person to tell me about a heaven that\nis \"beyond the bounds of time and space,\" a place that no person can\npossibly know anything about, or ever reach, if they did. I do not wish\nany person to frighten me nearly to death, by telling me about a hell\nwhere sinners are roasted upon gridirons, and tossed up by devils upon\npitchforks, and other sharp-pointed instruments. These notions are\ntraditionary, and have come from the old mother church.\n\nI love to view the things around me; to gaze upon the sun, moon and\nstars; to study the planetary system, and the world we inhabit; to\nbehold their beauty, order, harmony, and the operations of existence\naround me. I can see something more than that mean jargon, those\nchildish quibbles, this heaven beyond the bounds of time and space,\nwhere they have nothing to do but sit and sing themselves away to\neverlasting bliss, or go and roast on gridirons. There is nothing like\nthat to be found in nature--everything is beautifully harmonious, and\nperfectly adapted to the position it occupies in the world. Whether\nyou look at birds, beasts, or the human system, you see something\nexquisitely beautiful and harmonious, and worthy of the contemplation\nof all intelligence. What is man's wisdom in comparison to it? I could\nnot help but believe there was a God, if there was no such thing as\nreligion in the world.\n\n{224} If the Kingdoms of God were governed by the same confused order\nof things that are characteristic of the governments of this world, we\nwould have had planet dashing against planet in wild confusion, and\nmillions of their inhabitants sent to desolation in a moment.\n\nMan is an intelligent being, but how far does his intelligence fall\nshort of that which regulates the world! He cannot even govern himself,\nhe never was able to do it, and never will be able until he receives\nthat wisdom and intelligence which comes from God. If every man can\nobtain intelligence of that kind, and from that source, which governs\nthe world, and supplies all its wants; if he can receive it from God,\nas his instructor, he is then able to govern himself, possessing\nintelligence which he now knows nothing about; and intelligence which\nindeed is worthy of God and man. If I cannot have a portion of that\nintelligence and that wisdom, if the great Eloheim cannot impart a\nportion of that spirit to me, and teach me the same lessons that He\nunderstands, I want nothing to do with a system of theology at all.\n\nI believe in every true principle that is imbibed by any person or\nsect, and reject the false. If there is any truth in heaven, earth,\nor hell, I want to embrace it, I care not what shape it comes in to\nme, who brings it or who believes in it, whether it is popular or\nunpopular. Truth, eternal truth, I wish to float in and enjoy.\n\nIf any man under the heavens can show me one principle of error that I\nhave entertained, I will lay it aside forthwith, and be thankful for\nthe information. On the other hand, if any man has got any principle\nof truth, whether moral, religious, philosophical, or of any other\nkind, that is calculated to benefit mankind, I will promise him I will\nembrace it, but I will not partake of his errors along with it.\n\nIf you have got a thing that nobody can overturn, but can be sustained\neverywhere; that bids defiance to the wisdom and intelligence of the\nworld to find one fault in it, you must say it is right, until it is\nproven to be wrong.\n\nIf I have got principles which are out of the power of man to prove\nfalse, I consider they are right, and I stand upon them as a sure\nfoundation.\n\nThe world is confused, it is in darkness and ignorance, and knows\nnothing about God, His purposes, designs, or the object of His\ncreations. God knows how to touch my understanding, and how to touch\ntheirs; and if they live and die without a knowledge of God, and His\nlaw, we are told that they will be judged according to the light they\nhave, and not {225} according to that they have not. Those that have\nlived without law, will be judged without law.\n\nIf a man cannot stand up in the defense of truth, to the death, it is\nnot worth having, and he is not a man who is acknowledged or considered\nworthy among the Saints.\n\nThose who have received pure and heavenly principles, and lived up\nto them, and kept the celestial law of God, will enjoy a celestial\nKingdom. Those who have not attained to this perfection but can obey\na terrestrial law, will receive a terrestrial glory, and enjoy a\nterrestrial Kingdom, and so on. But I believe, furthermore, that there\nare eternal grades of progression, which will continue worlds without\nend, and to an infinity of enjoyment, expansion, glory, progression,\nand of everything calculated to ennoble and exalt mankind.\n\n    \"_Love is one of the chief characteristics of Deity, and ought to\n    be manifested by those who aspire to be the sons of God. A man\n    filled with the love of God is not content with blessing his family\n    alone, but ranges through the whole world anxious to bless the\n    whole human race_.\"\n\n    --_Joseph Smith, The Prophet_.\n\n    \"_If we are here by chance, if we happened to slip into this world\n    from nothing, we shall soon slip out of this world to nothing;\n    hence nothing will remain_.\"\n\n    --_Brigham Young_.\n\n{226}\n\n\n\nA WORD OF ADVICE.\n\nBy Elder P. P. Pratt, in Millenial Star, 1846.\n\nAs the Elders and others in the Kingdom of God go forth in the\ndischarge of their duties, in proclaiming the word of the Lord and\nin administering in the ordinances of the Kingdom of God, they will\ndoubtless find the enemy always on the alert to ensnare them if\npossible and bring them and their mission into contempt. There will be\nfound a great need for wisdom on all occasions, that the enemy may not\ngain the advantage over them.\n\nIn the first place we would advise the Elder, or whatever else he\nmay be, never to lose sight of his high calling of God in Jesus\nChrist--never to forget the authority of that portion of the Priesthood\nwhich has been conferred upon him. We do not give this advice in order\nthat the brother might be puffed up with the idea of the dignity of his\ncalling, by no means; neither will the contemplation of it produce that\neffect, for inasmuch as we are called of God according to the order of\nHis Kingdom, therefore, we of ourselves have not assumed the office\nwhich we hold, neither do we usurp an authority to which we have no\nlegal claim; and since it is entirely of the Lord and not of ourselves,\nwe shall be led to glorify Him and look for the assistance of His\nspirit in discharging the varied duties of the same.\n\nBut now if an officer of the Church be brought into contact with some\none opposed to the work of the Lord, and he forgets his Priesthood and\ncalling, what is the result? He is left to his own resources as an\nindividual, which in many cases may not equal those of his adversary,\nand thus he may suffer an apparent defeat in the eyes of others, and\nthe influence of the principles of truth may be lessened thereby.\n\nIn our own experience with the ministers of the day, we have found them\nvery desirous of evading the great first principles of salvation, by\ncalling for evidence of the truth of the Book of Mormon, which were we\nto furnish, as might be done, both with regard to internal and external\nevidence, as well as the researches of travelers accumulating a mass of\n{227} proof as abundant as can be brought in testimony of anything, yet\nit would be deemed insufficient. And why? We answer, because spiritual\nthings are spiritually discerned; and as no man knoweth the things of\na man, save the spirit of man which is in him, even so the things of\nGod knoweth no man but the spirit of God. And inasmuch as the Book\nof Mormon is a divine record, so assuredly would the individual be\nunable to discern the same. But he might reply that he believed the\nScriptures of the Old and New Testaments, and was satisfied with the\nevidence adduced in their favor; yes, and so would he have believed\nin the Book of Mormon had it been in existence with him and he had\nbeen taught to reverence it in a manner similar to the Bible; or we\nwould carry it farther and say, had the person's lot been cast in\nTurkey, he would have grown up in a full belief in the authenticity\nof the Koran of Mahomet. But it is not such an evidence as this that\ncan give satisfaction to the Saint of God. Multitudes express their\nbelief and full confidence that Jesus was the Savior of men, but it is\na conviction that has been instilled into the mind in early youth, and\nhas grown with their growth; yet still it is not an evidence that will\nsatisfy a child of God.\n\nWe read that no man can say that Jesus is the Christ, but by the Holy\nGhost, and on the same principle no man can speak as to the true nature\nof the Scriptures, Book of Mormon, or any other sacred record, but\non the same principle; we might therefore reason with persons until\ndoomsday, who are not in the covenant, and yet fail to convince them.\n\nWe see then the absurdity of being led into a snare of this kind; it is\nneither more nor less than this, as it were laying aside our Priesthood\nand the duties of it, to endeavor by our own abilities to convince a\nman that we hold before him the light of truth, at the same time that\nhe has no organs of vision to discern it.\n\nBut there is a ground on which the servant of the Lord can stand\nsecurely; he can speak of the alienated condition of mankind, he can\nteach the great law of adoption into the Kingdom of God, and he can\nbear a faithful testimony of the reality of Christianity and of the\nsigns following the believer. He may enlarge on his _knowledge_ of the\nScripture by the reception of that spirit by which alone the truth can\nbe known, and if he be successful in securing obedience to the first\nprinciples of truth, the work will be accomplished with regard to\nestablishing the truth of the Book of Mormon, as well as every other\nportion of sacred writ.\n\nWe have not made these remarks because evidence cannot {228} be\nadduced, but to show the irrationality of endeavoring to make a man see\nwithout eyes, or in other words, without the capability of discerning\ntruth when placed before him.\n\nLet, therefore, every servant of the Lord bear with him at all times\na consciousness of his Priesthood and calling, and when he is so\ncircumstanced as to find it of no avail, his labor in that quarter\nis finished; for if he be not successful in the discharge of his\nlegitimate authority and duty, it will be utterly in vain to seek to\neffect conviction in any mind by falling back upon his own acquired\nresources.\n\nIf we know anything of our own assurance we would most assuredly\nsay that the power by which success is accomplished is to be found\nin connection with a proclamation of the _fullness_ of the Gospel.\nChristianity has been presented to mankind as a mere speculative\ntheory, without the power of godliness accompanying it, and when on\nthe contrary it is presented in all its glorious fullness and reality\nto the honest-hearted, it becomes an agency of power which will either\nprove effective, or it will be in vain to resort to other means.\n\nLet individuals but conceive for once the glorious reality of truth,\nstripped of every mixture of error, and they will turn in disgust from\nthe mere theoretical and heartless system with which beforetime they\nmay have been associated.\n\nWe do not think it will be out of place here to give a word of caution,\nthough we have frequently done it before, in relation to the exercise\nof wisdom in all the public labors of the servants of the Lord.\n\nLet them watch narrowly that Satan deceives them not by causing them\nto lose sight of the object of their mission and calling in the\nproclamation of salvation, and leading them to enlarge and dilate upon\nthe erroneous systems of the day. Perhaps there is no habit in which\nthe servant of the Lord becomes so blinded as this when he has once\nindulged in it.\n\nThe absurdities in connection with modern creeds and systems are so\nnumerous that they appear apparently endless in the contemplation, and\nif the devil can so far deceive a person as to lead him to forget the\nGospel and turn his attention to them, he will take their attention,\nthen he will take care that he lacks not for matter on the subject.\nThere is nothing to be accomplished by such a mode of proceeding,\nsave to exasperate the feelings of individuals, and prevent them from\nreceiving at our hands the word of life which we have to offer.\n\nWe make these remarks as cautionary to all, and when we call to mind,\nas the result of our own experience, the individuals {229} who were the\nmost prone to indulge in such a course, we find them now ranked among\nthe apostates from the truth; and as their spirit at that time was to\ndestroy rather than to build up, so it is with them now, and they will\nseek to overthrow the Kingdom of God with as much zest as they once\nlabored to overthrow the varied systems around them.\n\nBut it may be asked, have we not in the Christian warfare, power to\npull down the strongholds of sin and Satan? Truly we have; but how is\nit most effectively accomplished? We answer by the establishment of the\nprinciples of truth, by exhibiting the glorious Gospel of salvation,\nand until the hearers themselves shall appreciate its truth and beauty\nand turn in disgust from the deformity of those systems with which they\nhave been connected.\n\nLet us draw a parallel case: We know that the Kingdom of God in these\nlast days shall be established, that it shall be built up and never\ncome to an end; but while conscious of this important fact, would it\nbe our business to go to every court in Europe or the world and decant\nupon the evils of their various governments, and that in consequence\nof the false principles upon which they are based, they must come to\ndestruction; certainly wisdom would not dictate such a course, but\ninstead thereof, let us who have embraced truth seek to build up the\nKingdom by a proclamation of those principles which shall fit men\nto become citizens of the same, and teaching the great principle of\ngathering, that they may be delivered from judgment, and in Mount Zion\nand in Jerusalem find salvation therefrom.\n\nThere is an honor, a dignity, and a responsibility connected with the\nPriesthood which we would wish should never be forgotten; it is nothing\nless than to be ambassadors of Jesus Christ and when successful in that\nembassy the reward shall be to shine as the stars in the firmament and\nas the sun forever and forever.\n\n{230}\n\n\n\nA PROPHET OF LATTER DAYS.\n\nBY ELDER EDWIN F. PARRY, LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND.\n\nA GLORIOUS THOUGHT.\n\nWould it not be joyful news to the seeker after truth to be assured\nthat a prophet had been raised up in latter days? How glorious would be\nthe thought that the Lord had again spoken from heaven! The direct word\nof God to man in this age ought to be sufficient to settle all disputes\nconcerning the way of salvation.\n\nSHOULD PROPHETS BE EXPECTED IN OUR DAY?\n\nIs it in accordance with scripture to expect prophets to come in these\nlatter days? Let us search the scriptures and learn what they teach.\n\nGOD'S WORD INDICATES THAT A PROPHET SHOULD COME.\n\nThe Bible is a record of God's dealings with His prophets in past ages.\nIt shows that He always raised up such men whenever He intended to\nperform any special work among mankind. One of the ancient prophets\ndeclared:\n\n    Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret to\n    his servants the prophets.\" (Amos 3: 7)\n\nThe whole book of divine scripture confirms these words of Amos.\nWhenever it mentions an important event in the world's history it\nspeaks of a prophet in connection with it.\n\nPROPHETS SENT TO ANNOUNCE ALL IMPORTANT EVENTS\n\nBefore destroying the earth with a flood the Lord sent Noah to cry\nrepentance unto the people, that they might escape destruction if they\nwould obey him. In all following ages of which the Bible speaks to the\nLord sent prophets to warn the people before He brought destruction\nupon them. The Savior says,\n\n{231}\n\n    But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of\n    man be.\" (Matthew 24: 37).\n\nThis being true we are to expect that some prophet will be sent to warn\nthe world of the destruction of the wicked. That the wicked will be\ndestroyed at that time is evident. St. Paul says that when the Savior\ncomes He will take \"vengeance upon them that know not God, and that\nobey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.\" (II Thessalonians 1:8).\n\nPOSITIVE PROMISE OF THE LORD TO SEND A MESSENGER.\n\nThe Prophet Malachi, speaking in the name of the Lord, says:\n\n    Behold, I will send my messenger and he shall prepare the way\n    before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his\n    temple.\" (Malachi 3:1).\n\n    This is another proof that a divine messenger is to be sent to\n    prepare the way for the coming of the Lord. That this passage does\n    not refer to His first coming is shown by the following verse,\n    which reads,\n\n    \"But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when\n    he appeareth? for he is like a refiner's fire, and like fullers'\n    soap.\" (Malachi 3: 2).\n\nNECESSITY OF PROPHETS AND APOSTLES IN THE CHURCH.\n\nThe words of Jesus show that inspired prophets and apostles are\nnecessary in His Church. He commanded His disciples in these words,\n\n    \"Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name\n    of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: TEACHING THEM\n    TO OBSERVE ALL THINGS WHATSOEVER I HAVE COMMANDED YOU.\" (Matthew\n    28: 19, 20).\n\nIf all things whatsoever Jesus commanded are to be taught today how\ncan one teach them unless he be inspired of God? It needs a prophet to\nreveal these things anew to mankind, for the Bible does not contain\nALL the teachings and doings of the Savior. St. John in speaking\nof the doings of Jesus, says that \"even the world itself could not\ncontain the books that should be written.\" (John 21: 25).\n\nCHURCH FOUNDED UPON PROPHETS AND APOSTLES.\n\nThe Apostle Paul gives us to understand that Christ's church is\nfounded upon apostles and prophets:\n\n    \"Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but\n    fellow-citizens with the saints, and of the household of God; and\n    are {232} BUILT UPON THE FOUNDATION OF THE APOSTLES AND PROPHETS,\n    JESUS CHRIST BEING THE CHIEF CORNER STONE.\" (Ephesians 2: 19, 20).\n\nPOWER GIVEN APOSTLES AND PROPHETS.\n\nApostles and prophets in olden times were men who received power from\nthe Lord to act in His name.\n\n    \"And when he called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them\n    power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all\n    manner of sickness and all manner of disease.\" (Matthew 10: 1).\n\n    \"Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and\n    whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.\"\n    (Matthew 18: 18).\n\nThey were also men who \"spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.\"\n(II Peter 1: 21).\n\nOBJECT OF INSPIRED MEN IN THE CHURCH.\n\nSt. Paul tells why apostles and prophets and other officers are in the\nChurch.\n\n    \"For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry,\n    for the edifying of the body of Christ: . . that we henceforth be\n    no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every\n    wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness,\n    whereby they lie in wait to deceive.\" (Ephesians 4: 12, 14).\n\nHOW LONG THEY SHOULD REMAIN.\n\nHe shows plainly that these inspired officers should remain in the\nChurch of Christ \"till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of\nthe knowledge of the Son of God.\" (Ephesians 4: 13). As that condition\nhas not yet been attained, there is still need of apostles and\nprophets to bring mankind to the \"unity of the faith.\" This desirable\nstate cannot be brought about without living apostles and prophets,\nwho are inspired of God. People are divided in their opinions about\nthe meaning of many things written by ancient apostles and prophets,\nand they will not unite without receiving new revelation to enlighten\nthem. Some may be led to think prophets are no longer needed in the\nChurch because of the words of Paul:\n\n    \"Whether there be prophecies, they shall fail. . . For we know\n    in part, and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect\n    is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.\" (I\n    Corinthians 13: 8, 9, 10).\n\nThe time he speaks of, \"when that which is perfect is come,\" has not\nyet arrived. When it does come prophecies may fail or be \"done away;\"\nbut that time will be when \"they {233} shall teach no more every man\nhis neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord; for\nthey shall know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them,\nsaith the Lord.\" (Jeremiah 31: 34; Hebrews 8: 11).\n\nIS THE CANON OF SCRIPTURE FULL?\n\nThe following words of St. John are supposed by some to imply that no\nmore revelation is to be given:\n\n    \"For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the\n    prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things,\n    God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book.\n    (Revelation 22: 18).\n\nThe apostle here only warns man against adding to the words of the\nprophecy of his book. He says nothing about the Bible as a whole; nor\ndoes he say that God will not add any more revelations to His word.\n\nWITHOUT MODERN REVELATION BIBLE PROPHECIES CANNOT BE FULFILLED.\n\nThe Bible contains many predictions concerning marvelous events to take\nplace in latter days, just before or at the time of the second coming\nof Christ.\n\nThe Gospel of the Kingdom is to be preached in all the world as a\nwitness to all nations. (Matthew 24: 14; Revelation 14: 6).\n\nThe Lord's elect is to be gathered from the uttermost parts of the\nearth. (Mark 13: 27; Isaiah 11: 11, 12).\n\nThe house of the Lord is to be established in the top of the mountains.\n(Isaiah 2: 2, 3; Micah 4: 1, 2).\n\nThe Lord is to set up a Kingdom which shall never be destroyed, nor\nleft to other people. (Daniel 2: 44).\n\nThe gifts of the gospel as enjoyed in the days of Christ's former\napostles are to be restored. (Isaiah 35: 5, 6).\n\nAccording to the ancient predictions, many other great things are to\ntake place in latter days. But how can they be accomplished unless\nthe Lord directs what is to be done by revealing \"His secret unto His\nservants the prophets,\" and by sending His messenger to \"prepare the\nway\" before Him?\n\nSufficient proof has been given to show that apostles and prophets\nshould be in the Church of Christ, and that we should expect prophets\nto be raised up by the Lord in these latter days.\n\n{234}\n\nTREATMENT OF PROPHETS IN PAST AGES.\n\nThe scriptures furnish abundant evidence to prove another peculiar fact\nrespecting the Lord's holy prophets. That is, they have always been\nmisunderstood, reviled, persecuted and spoken evil of. Jesus says to\nHis disciples,\n\n    \"Blessed are ye when men shall revile you, and persecute you,\n    and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my\n    sake. . . . FOR SO PERSECUTED THEY THE PROPHETS WHICH WERE BEFORE\n    YOU.\" (Matthew 5: 11, 12).\n\nOur Savior Himself met with the same kind of treatment. He is spoken of\nas a \"stumbling stone and rock of offense.\"\n\nJESUS A STUMBLING STONE.\n\nThe Gospel narrative as given by the four evangelists, shows very\nclearly that He was indeed a stumbling stone to the Jewish nation. He\ndid mighty miracles before their eyes. They were in possession of the\nprophecies concerning His coming and ministry; but He did not fulfill\ntheir preconceived and erroneous ideas of what they expected of Him,\nand so they refused to accept Him as their Redeemer.\n\nMANY PROPHETS REJECTED.\n\nThe Prophet Noah was rejected by all in his day except his own family.\nHis message, no doubt, was regarded as a very strange and extraordinary\none. It was hard to accept. No such thing as a flood covering the\nentire earth was known up to that time, and how could they accept his\nwarning only through simple faith?\n\nWhen Moses, under the direction of the Lord, undertook to free the\nIsraelites from bondage in Egypt the people whom he was sent to deliver\nmurmured against him, notwithstanding the Lord performed such mighty\nwonders in their behalf.\n\nWhen Jeremiah and Ezekiel predicted the downfall of Jerusalem in\ntheir day they were not believed. The historian Josephus says that\nZedekiah, the king, refused to believe the prophets because Jeremiah\nforetold that he, the king, should be taken captive to Babylon, while\nEzekiel said he should not see Babylon. These two prophecies seemed to\ndisagree, so Zedekiah made this apparent disagreement an excuse for not\nbelieving either of the two prophets. Yet they were both correct in\ntheir utterances. The king was taken to Babylon, but he never saw the\ncity, for his eyes were put out before he arrived there.\n\n{235}\n\nPERSECUTION TO FOLLOW ALL INSPIRED TEACHERS.\n\nThe words of Jesus to His disciples about the prophets before them\nbeing persecuted convey the idea that those who should follow would get\nthe same reception.\n\n    \"If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you.\" (John\n    15: 20).\n\nSo says the Savior to His apostles; and so it was. They were persecuted\nand put to death. It is reasonable to believe that other prophets might\nbe treated in a similar manner. If it is to be as in the days of Noah\nat the time of the coming of the Son of man, then we may expect that\nthe great majority of mankind will reject the message of salvation\nproclaimed to them by the prophets which the Lord will send.\n\nCONCLUSIONS DRAWN FROM SCRIPTURES QUOTED.\n\nThe scriptures pointed out in the foregoing clearly show these facts:\n\n1. THAT PROPHETS ARE SENT BY THE LORD TO ANNOUNCE ALL IMPORTANT EVENTS\nCONNECTED WITH HIS PURPOSES.\n\n2. THAT A PROPHET SHOULD BE RAISED UP IN LATTER DAYS TO PREPARE FOR\nCHRIST'S SECOND COMING.\n\n3. THAT APOSTLES AND PROPHETS ARE ALWAYS NECESSARY IN THE CHURCH OF\nCHRIST.\n\n4. THAT THE TRUE CHURCH IS BUILT UPON APOSTLES AND PROPHETS.\n\n5. THAT THE CANON OF SCRIPTURE WAS NOT COMPLETED IN FORMER DAYS.\n\n6. THAT WITHOUT NEW REVELATION THE BIBLE PROPHECIES CANNOT BE FULFILLED\n\n7. THAT IN ALL PAST AGES PROPHETS HAVE BEEN PERSECUTED.\n\nWAS JOSEPH SMITH A PROPHET?\n\nTESTIMONY OF HIS WORKS.\n\nThe passages of scripture already given prove beyond question that a\nprophet is to be raised up to prepare the way before the coming of the\nLord. If the Bible prophecies are to be fulfilled we are certainly\njustified in believing that this should be the case.\n\nSo far as known only one man of the nineteenth century claimed to be\nthe inspired messenger sent to prepare the way {236} of the Lord. His\nname was Joseph Smith. He was born on the 23rd day of December, 1805,\nin Sharon, Windsor County, Vermont, (U. S. A.)\n\nJUDGING BY THE FRUITS.\n\nLet us test the claims he made by the teachings of the scriptures, and\nsee if they are worthy of acceptance.\n\n\"Beware of false prophets,\" says the Savior; then He adds, \"Ye shall\nknow them by their fruits. . . A good tree cannot bring forth evil\nfruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.\" (Matthew 7:\n15, 16, 18).\n\nThis test which the Savior gives is a good one to be guided by.\n\nJOSEPH SMITH'S CLAIM.\n\nJoseph Smith claimed that when between fourteen and fifteen years of\nage, while praying for religious guidance, he had a vision in which he\nsaw both God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ. He described them as\ntwo glorious personages in the form of man and exactly resembling each\nother in features. They told him that all religious denominations at\nthat time were believing in incorrect doctrines, and that none of them\nwas acknowledged of God as His church and kingdom; and they promised\nthat the fullness of the Gospel should at some future time be made\nknown unto him.\n\nHIS CLAIM COMPARED WITH SCRIPTURE.\n\nThere is nothing contrary to scripture in this claim. That God is a\npersonage in form like a man harmonizes with what the Bible says:\n\n    \"So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created\n    he him; male and female created he them.\" (Genesis 1: 27).\n\nThat Jesus Christ was in feature like His Father is stated by St. Paul:\n\n    \"Being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his\n    person.\" (Hebrews 1: 3).\n\nThat holy beings appear to men is also scriptural. The Savior appeared\nto Paul. (Acts 22: 6-11). Cornelius saw in vision an angel of God.\n(Acts 10: 1-6).\n\nThat the various churches of the day were believing incorrect doctrine\nand were not acceptable unto the Lord, is also {237} apparent when\ntheir teachings are compared with the doctrines of the Bible. [1]\n\nPREDICTIONS THAT THE GOSPEL SHOULD BE RESTORED.\n\nThat the fullness of the Gospel should be restored to the earth in\nlatter days is predicted in the scriptures. When Jesus was asked by His\ndisciples what should be the sign of His second coming, and of the end\nof the world, He replied\n\n    \"This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for\n    a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.\" (Matthew\n    24: 14).\n\nThe Apostle John in reference to events that should take place in\nlatter days, says:\n\n    \"And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the\n    everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and\n    to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, saying with\n    a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his\n    judgment is come.\" (Revelation 14: 6, 7).\n\nThe Prophet Daniel foretells that the kingdom of God shall be set up\n\"in the latter days.\" He says,\n\n    \"And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a\n    kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not\n    be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume\n    all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever.\" (Daniel 2: 44).\n\nThe Prophet Isaiah predicts that the Gospel blessings shall be enjoyed\nin the last days, when the house of Israel is to be gathered. If the\nmiraculous blessings of the Gospel are restored then it will be evident\nthat the fullness of the Gospel will be also be restored. Isaiah says\nconcerning the time when \"the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and\ncome to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads:\"\n\n    \"Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the\n    deaf shall be unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap as an hart,\n    and the tongue of the dumb sing.\" (Isaiah 35: 5, 6).\n\nSpeaking of what the Lord will do when Israel is gathered in the latter\ndays, Jeremiah records these the Lord's words:\n\n    \"I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed\n    you with knowledge and understanding.\" (Jeremiah 3: 15).\n\nIf pastors according to the Lord's heart are to feed the people with\nknowledge and understanding, they will surely reveal {238} to the\npeople the true Gospel of Christ. That these scriptural passages have\nreference to the restoration of the fullness of the Gospel in latter\ndays will be made more plainly apparent as we proceed, and show their\nactual fulfillment.\n\nJOSEPH SMITH TREATED THE SAME AS ANCIENT PROPHETS.\n\nAs soon as Joseph Smith made known what he had seen in this vision,\nhe was ridiculed, reviled and persecuted. This persecution and\nmanifestation of hatred towards him continued throughout his life.\nBeing only fourteen years of age when it commenced it certainly could\nnot have been because of any wrong he had done. As with the Savior, he\nwas hated without a cause, and in fulfillment of the words of Jesus, he\nwas persecuted for righteousness' sake. This treatment given him is of\nitself an outward proof that he was an inspired man.\n\nACCOUNT OF SOME OF HIS WORKS.\n\nSome years later this young man received other visions and\ninstructions, an account of which is herewith given in his own language:\n\n    \"On the evening of the 21st of September, A. D., 1823, while I was\n    praying unto God, and endeavoring to exercise faith in the precious\n    promises of scripture, on a sudden, a light like that of day, only\n    of a far purer and more glorious appearance arid brightness, burst\n    into the room: indeed the first sight was as though the house was\n    filled with consuming fire. The appearance produced a shock that\n    affected the whole body. In a moment a personage stood before me\n    surrounded with a glory yet greater than that with which I was\n    already surrounded. This messenger proclaimed himself to be an\n    angel of God sent to bring the joyful tidings that the covenant\n    which God made with ancient Israel was at hand to be fulfilled,\n    that the preparatory work for the second coming of the Messiah was\n    speedily to commence; that the time was at hand for the gospel in\n    all its fullness, to be preached in power unto all nations, that a\n    people might be prepared for the millennial reign.\n\n    \"I was informed that I was chosen to be an instrument in the\n    hands of God to bring about some of His purposes in this glorious\n    dispensation.\n\n    \"I was also informed concerning the aboriginal inhabitants of\n    this country, and shown who they were, and from whence they came;\n    a brief sketch of their origin, progress, civilization, laws,\n    governments, of their righteousness and iniquity, and the blessings\n    of God being finally withdrawn from them as a people was made known\n    unto me. I was also told where there were deposited some plates,\n    on which were engraven an abridgment of the records of the ancient\n    prophets that had existed on this continent. The angel appeared to\n    me three times the same night, and unfolded the same things. After\n    having received many visits from the angels of God, unfolding the\n    majesty and glory of the events that should transpire in the {239}\n    last days, on the morning of the 22nd of September, A. D., 1827,\n    the angel of the Lord delivered the records into my hands.\n\n    \"These records were engraven on plates which had the appearance of\n    gold. Each plate was six inches wide and eight inches long, and not\n    quite as thick as common tin. They were filled with engravings,\n    in Egyptian characters, and bound together in a volume, as the\n    leaves of a book, with three rings running through the whole.\n    The volume was something near six inches in thickness, a part\n    of which was sealed. The characters on the unsealed part were\n    small and beautifully engraved. The whole book exhibited many\n    marks of antiquity in its construction, and much skill in the art\n    of engraving. With the records was found a curious instrument,\n    which the ancients called 'Urim and Thummim,' which consisted\n    of two transparent stones set in the rim of a bow fastened to a\n    breastplate.\n\n    \"Through the medium of the 'Urim and Thummim' I translated the\n    record, by the gift and power of God.\n\n    \"In this important and interesting book the history of ancient\n    America is unfolded, from its first settlement by a colony that\n    came from the tower of Babel at the confusion of languages, to\n    the beginning of the fifth century of the Christian era. We are\n    informed by these records that America in ancient times had been\n    inhabited by two distinct races of people. The first were called\n    Jaredites, and came directly from the tower of Babel. The second\n    race came directly from the city of Jerusalem, about six hundred\n    years before Christ. They were principally Israelites, of the\n    descendants of Joseph. The Jaredites were destroyed about the time\n    that the Israelites came from Jerusalem, who succeeded them in the\n    inheritance of the country. The principal nation of the second race\n    fell in battle towards the close of the fourth century. The remnant\n    are the Indians that now inhabit this country. This book also\n    tells us that our Savior made His appearance upon this continent\n    after His resurrection, that He planted the gospel here in all its\n    fullness, and richness, and power, and blessing; that they had\n    apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers and evangelists; the same\n    order, the same Priesthood, the same ordinances, gifts, powers and\n    blessings as were enjoyed on the eastern continent; that the people\n    were cut off in consequence of their transgressions; that the last\n    of their prophets who existed among them was commanded to write an\n    abridgment of their prophecies, history, etc., and to hide it up\n    in the earth, and that it should come forth and be united with the\n    Bible for the accomplishment of the purposes of God in the last\n    days. For a more particular account I would refer to the Book of\n    Mormon.\n\n    \"As soon as the news of this discovery was made known, false\n    reports, mis-representations and slander flew, as on the wings of\n    the wind, in every direction; the house was frequently beset by\n    mobs and evil designing persons. Several times I was shot at, and\n    very narrowly escaped, and every device was made use of to get the\n    plates away from me, but the power and blessing of God attended me,\n    and several began to believe my testimony.\n\n    \"On the 6th of April, 1830, the Church of Jesus Christ of\n    Latter-day Saints was organized in the town of Fayette, Seneca\n    County, State of New York. Some few were called and ordained\n    by the spirit of revelation and prophecy, and began to preach\n    as the Spirit gave them utterance, and, though weak, they were\n    strengthened by the power of God, and many were brought to\n    repentance, were immersed in the water, and were filled with the\n    Holy Ghost by the {240} laying on of hands. They saw visions and\n    prophesied, devils were cast out, and the sick healed by the laying\n    on of hands.\"\n\nBIBLE PROPHECIES FULFILLED.\n\nThe statements in the foregoing quotation are all in harmony with Bible\nprophecies.\n\nFirst.--That an angel should come in latter days to restore the\neverlasting Gospel to the earth is foretold in the passage already\nquoted from the writings of St. John. (Revelation 14: 6, 7).\n\nSecond.--That a preparatory work should be done before the second\ncoming of the Messiah is evident from the Savior's words. (Matthew 24:\n14, 31).\n\nThird.--That a chosen messenger should be sent of the Lord to prepare\nHis way before His second coming is predicted by an ancient prophet.\n(Malachi 3: 1).\n\nFourth.--That a favored people of the Lord, aside from the Jews, dwelt\nupon the earth in the days of the Savior, is to be inferred from the\nBible. The Savior said to His disciples:\n\n    \"Other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must\n    bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold,\n    and one shepherd.\" (John 10: 16).\n\nIt is believed by some that the \"other sheep\" Christ mentioned were\nthe Gentiles that accepted the Gospel through the teachings of His\nApostles. This cannot be His meaning, for He had no \"other sheep\" among\nthe Gentiles, for none of them, of which there is any record, believed\nat that time. He also said: \"I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of\nthe house of Israel\" (Matthew 15: 24). There is no account of Him going\nto visit the heathen, or of the latter hearing His voice.\n\nThe remarkable volume known as the Book of Mormon gives an account of\nthe Savior's visit to the \"other sheep\" which He declared should hear\nHis voice.\n\nFifth.--That the record of this chosen people of the western world\nshall be joined with that of the Jews, is alluded to by Ezekiel in the\nfollowing language:\n\n    \"Moreover, thou son of man, take thee one stick, and write upon it,\n    For Judah, and for the children of Israel his companions: then take\n    another stick, and write upon it, For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim,\n    and for all the house of Israel His companions: And join them one\n    to another into one stick; and they shall become one in thine hand.\n    And when the children of thy people shall speak unto thee, saying,\n    Wilt thou not show us what thou meanest by these? Say {241} unto\n    them, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I will take the stick of\n    Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel\n    his fellows, and will put them with him, even with the stick of\n    Judah, and make them one stick, and they shall be one in mine hand.\n    And the sticks whereon thou writest shall be in thine hand before\n    their eyes. (Ezekiel 37: 16-20).\n\nIn ancient times writings were rolled upon sticks and a record received\nthe name \"stick.\" The Bible is a record of the Jews, or Judah and his\ncompanions, while the Book of Mormon is a record of the descendants of\nJoseph. Since the latter book has been brought to light the two have\npractically become one in the hands of the Lord. Proofs that the Book\nof Mormon is authentic and divine will be given in another chapter.\n\nSixth.--The sacred instruments called the Urim and Thummim, which\nJoseph Smith says he used in the translation of the ancient writings,\nare named in the scriptures. (Exodus 28: 30). That they were used for\nthe purpose of getting information from a divine source is also evident\nfrom the Bible. (Numbers 27: 21; I Samuel 28: 6). The scriptures\nmention them as being connected with a breastplate. (Leviticus 8: 8).\n\nCHURCH ORGANIZATION THE SAME AS FORMERLY.\n\nSeventh.--The character of the church which the Lord commanded Joseph\nSmith to organize is strictly in harmony with the church of Christ of\nformer days. It was established by revelation from God, as Jesus said\nHe would build His church when He declared to Peter,\n\n    \"Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hath not\n    revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And I say\n    unto thee, that thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my\n    church.\" (Matthew 16: 17, 18).\n\n\"This rock,\" mentioned in the above quotation refers to the principle\nof revelation by which Peter knew Jesus was the Son of God.\n\nFurther in harmony with the description of the church of Christ as\ncontained in the Bible this latter-day church was \"built upon the\nfoundation of the apostles and prophets,\" with Jesus Christ as the\n\"chief corner stone,\" (Ephesians 2: 20): for the Lord revealed anew\nto Joseph Smith that there should be \"first apostles, secondarily\nprophets,\" etc., as described by Paul (1 Corinthians 12: 28). Besides\nthis, as Joseph Smith testifies, those who were called to assist him\nin the ministry {242} were \"called and ordained by the spirit of\nrevelation and prophecy,\" as men were anciently. (Acts 13: 1-3; 14: 23;\nHebrews 5: 4).\n\nSAME DOCTRINES AS IN FORMER DAYS.\n\nThose who believed in the Gospel as taught by this latter-day prophet,\nwere called upon to repent of their sins, then they were immersed in\nthe water, or baptized, and \"were filled with the Holy Ghost by the\nlaying on of hands.\" Those who complied with the requirements which\nJoseph Smith said were necessary in order to enter into the Church of\nChrist, received the Holy Ghost under his administration. This fact is\nindisputable evidence that he was authorized of God. It also shows that\nhis teachings were just the same as those of the former apostles, for\nthey taught the same order of principles of initiation into the church\nof Christ. (Acts 2: 38; Hebrews 6: 1, 2).\n\nTHE HOLY GHOST RECEIVED.\n\nIt may be asked, what proof can be given that those who obey the\nordinances of the Gospel as taught by Joseph Smith receive the Holy\nGhost. In answer it can be said that they enjoy the promised blessings\nor fruits of the Spirit. They receive a knowledge that the doctrine is\nof God, as promised by the Savior.\n\n    \"Jesus answered them, and said, My doctrine is not mine, but his\n    that sent me. If any man will do his will, he shall know of the\n    doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.\"\n    (John 7: 16, 17).\n\nSt Paul says,\n\n    \"The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering,\n    gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance.\" (Galatians 5:\n    22, 23).\n\nAll these blessings they also partake of.\n\nHOW TO OBTAIN PROOF.\n\nAnyone who desires to be assured that these blessings are enjoyed as\nclaimed can satisfy himself by obeying the same doctrines in humility,\nand receiving the same blessings; for as the Apostle Peter declared,\n\n    \"The promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are\n    afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.\" (Acts 2:\n    39).\n\n{243}\n\nNo stronger proof of the fact can be received than that of actual\nexperience. This evidence is within reach of all that are sincere in\ntheir inquiries and desirous of learning the truth.\n\nOUTWARD PROOFS.\n\nAs outward proof that the Holy Ghost is received by those who obey the\nordinances of the Gospel as advocated by Joseph Smith and by the Church\nof Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, they enjoy the spiritual gifts\npromised to the believers.\n\nAs Joseph Smith states, after the Church was organized its members \"saw\nvisions and prophesied, devils were cast out, and the sick healed by\nthe laying on of hands.\" These gifts were promised by Christ as signs\nfollowing the believers, (Mark 16: 17, 18); and St. Paul says they were\nin the church in the days of the apostles. (I Corinthians 12).\n\nAs evidence that the miraculous gifts of the Gospel are in the Church\nof Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the following testimonies given\nby persons who have recently witnessed or experienced the gifts are\ninserted. They are only a few among the many hundreds that might be\noffered if space would allow.\n\nTESTIMONY OF WITNESSES.\n\nThe following letter was addressed to the editor of the _Millennial\nStar_, a Latter-day Saint magazine, published at 42 Islington,\nLiverpool, England:\n\n    \"With pleasure I write to inform you that through the\n    administration of Elders C. Measom and G. II. Meadows, on Sunday,\n    March 7, 1897, and by the power of God after being confined to\n    my bed for two years suffering greatly with pains in my head,\n    etc., I was enabled to get up and walk into the next room, where\n    I partook of refreshments and sat up for six hours. I have been\n    free from pain since the pain left me, which was before their hands\n    were removed from my head. I am fifty-one years of age, and have\n    been brought up in the Church of England. Since the Elders named\n    came to labor in this district, I have had frequent conversations\n    with them, which, with the loan of books, has enabled me to have\n    faith to believe that God would use them as His instruments for\n    my recovery. I am not a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of\n    Latter-day Saints, but hope to be so shortly.\n\n    Yours respectfully,\n\n    \"Mrs. E. Bond.\"\n\n    _Castle Hill, Warwick, March 9, 1897_.\n\nThe subjoined article is a testimony from outside the Church, impartial\nand unimpeachable. It appears in the Zanesville, O., _Daily Signal_ of\nDecember 20th, 1897, under the caption \"A Modern Miracle.\"\n\n    {244} \"Mr. Matthew Gray of the seventh ward is perhaps the happiest\n    person in Zanesville to-day; so he seemed, at least, when seen at\n    his pleasant Abington Avenue home by a _Signal_ representative at\n    an early hour this morning.\n\n    \"And, too, there is nothing strange or remarkable about Mr. Gray's\n    happiness, though it was the result of one of the strangest and\n    most remarkable faith tests ever enacted in this city; and the\n    story of Mr. Gray's miraculous cure of a relentless affliction will\n    be read with much interest.\n\n    \"In October, three years ago, Matthew Gray was stricken with\n    paralysis, the terrible disease affecting his entire left side.\n    For a year to the month Mr. Gray was able to walk with the help of\n    crutches, but during the following October, two years ago, he was\n    the recipient of a second stroke of paralysis, and from that time\n    until yesterday Mr. Gray had been deprived of all use of his left\n    side, the entire left portion of his body being apparently dead,\n    his left arm being limp and palsied at his side and his left foot\n    and leg were in the same inanimate condition.\n\n    \"Such, in brief, has been Matthew Gray's condition for more\n    than three years, and two years of that time he has either sat\n    helplessly in his large arm chair or has lain in bed seemingly\n    waiting for the death angel to relieve him of his suffering.\n\n    \"Last Thursday two visitors, peculiarly clad, knocked at the\n    Gray homestead and were granted admission to the afflicted man's\n    chamber. These visitors were two Mormon Elders who have been in\n    Zanesville for the past few weeks, and whose mission to the Clay\n    city has been regarded with only passing interest. . . . .\n\n    \"Now for the interesting part of the story, related to a _Signal_\n    reporter by Mr. Gray himself, and given as near as possible in his\n    own words:\n\n    \"'Last Friday four Mormon Elders called at my home here. They were\n    very genteel in appearance and actions and asked me if I wouldn't\n    like to look over some of their tracts, etc., and also asked me\n    if I would not let them cure me by faith. I consented and they\n    impressed upon me very strongly that I should not have faith in\n    them but should place all my faith in God as it was through Him and\n    not them that my cure would be accomplished. This liberal statement\n    on their part and their own sincerity aided me materially, for I\n    always knew that God alone could cure me, and, do you know, I have\n    always thought that God would cure me.\n\n    \"'As I said before, I consented and they set Sunday afternoon at\n    2 o'clock for the time of holding the meeting, and additionally\n    stated that from then, Friday morning, until after the faith\n    meeting they would not eat anything, as a period of fasting seemed\n    necessary.\n\n    \"'Sunday afternoon, or yesterday afternoon, at 2 o'clock the four\n    Elders came here to my home and after repeatedly instructing me to\n    put my faith in God they knelt at my bedside in prayer, my wife\n    being the sixth occupant of the room.\n\n    \"'Following this first prayer, and while I was sitting here in my\n    big arm chair, one of the Elders liberally anointed my head with\n    oil--sacred oil--and after that was done they formed a circle\n    around my chair, each one placing his right hand on my head and\n    all placed their left hands on each other's shoulders. I had\n    perfect faith in all that they were doing, and, while each of\n    the four Elders earnestly {245} prayed, I, too, bent my head in\n    reverence and appealed with all the faith at my command to God for\n    deliverance from my affliction.\n\n    \"'Finally they concluded and one of the Elders commanded me to\n    walk. All at once I became possessed of an almost superhuman desire\n    to get up and walk, and when I tried to, after my muscles quivered\n    for a brief instant, I raised my left arm and then stood up. I took\n    a step and found I could move my left leg. I took another step and\n    walked out into the kitchen and back. After awhile I made the round\n    trip to the kitchen again and while on the third trip, my left\n    ankle turned slightly and I sat down.\n\n    \"'While I am profusely thankful to the four Elders for the interest\n    that they manifested in my case, I want it distinctly understood\n    that I look to God as my deliverer and not to them.'\n\n    \"When seen by the _Signal_ representative this morning, Mr. Gray\n    was sitting in his big arm chair with his left foot in a bucket\n    of hot water--a household remedy for sprains. To illustrate the\n    extent of his cure the happy gentleman shook hands with the writer,\n    using first his right hand and next his left hand, and the latter\n    member, which for three years had remained dead almost at his\n    side, contained a strong and hearty grip. Many times he raised his\n    left arm above his head and waved it to and fro to illustrate the\n    positive use he had of the member, and while relating the above\n    experience he gesticulated as freely with his left arm as with the\n    right. Many times he lifted the left foot from the water without\n    any apparent effort and accompanied the pleasant movement with a\n    smile almost glorious in its extent and meaning.\n\n    \"Matthew Gray is a well-known citizen of Zanesville. He was born\n    and raised in Muskingham County and he and his good wife have\n    reared a family of ten children, all but one of whom reside in the\n    county.\"\n\nEdward F. Turley, one of the Latter-day Saint Elders who administered\nto Mr. Gray, relates the circumstances of the remarkable healing in\na letter to the _Deseret News_, written from Zanesville, Ohio, on\nDecember 20, 1897. His version is as follows:\n\n    \"Last Thursday while out tracting I met a lady very much opposed to\n    us. Among other things, she said: 'If you people have power to heal\n    the sick as you claim, why don't you heal this man next door, who\n    has been an invalid for twenty-nine months. He hasn't been on his\n    feet for that length of time.' I said to the person that the signs\n    followed the believers to-day as much as anciently.\n\n    \"I called on this gentleman, Matthew Gray, who has been an invalid\n    for twenty-nine months. I asked him if he had faith enough to\n    believe that he could be healed by the power of God. 'Yes,' said\n    he. I told him we would be there on Sunday at 2 p.m. We called\n    according to appointment. Less than three minutes after the\n    administration he commenced shaking. His whole frame shook. He\n    commenced rising up in his chair. His wife then threw her arms\n    around him and they both shouted: 'Bless the Lord. The Savior has\n    come! I know these are the servants of the Lord.' Father, mother\n    and a grown daughter were so overjoyed that they wept. The man\n    walked into the kitchen three times. For twenty-nine months his\n    entire left {246} side had been paralyzed. The three persons bore\n    testimony that this was the first time their father had walked for\n    twenty-nine months.\"\n\nThe _Deseret News_, a paper issued in Salt Lake City, Utah, of February\n24, 1898, publishes a letter, written by a United States soldier\nstationed at Fort Huachuca, Arizona. The writer's name is Arthur M.\nSwigart. His letter is dated February 9, 1898, and reads as follows:\n\n    \"While living in Denver I had the fortune to become acquainted with\n    some of the Saints there. After being thoroughly convinced of the\n    authenticity of the Gospel as taught by them, I made application\n    for baptism, but before the day appointed for this ordinance to\n    take place I threw my left knee out of joint and fractured my knee\n    cap. I was a soldier at the time and was taken to the government\n    hospital, where I spent nine weeks, and was pronounced a cripple\n    for life by Major Munn, surgeon U.S.A. On the second day of July,\n    1897, I was baptized by Elder H. S. Ensign, and when I came up from\n    the water I was a sound man; and on December 16, 1897, I stood the\n    examination at the recruiting office at Evansville, Indiana, and am\n    again in the service of the United States.\n\n    \"If you deem my testimony worthy of publication and think by it\n    some may be led to investigate the truths of our precious Gospel,\n    please publish it.\"\n\nBelow is an extract from a letter written by Henry Coulam, a Latter-day\nSaint missionary who was at the time of writing (December 1, 1896), in\nBradford, Yorkshire, England:\n\n    \"While laboring in Keighly last winter, and going with tracts from\n    house to house, I came to a lady standing outside by the door. She\n    asked me if I had something good. I answered, Yes, at the same time\n    giving her a tract entitled 'The Only Way to be Saved.' I then\n    commenced to talk to her about the Gospel, and of its restoration\n    with its gifts and blessings. She invited me into the house, where\n    I found her two daughters, one of whom, a young lady of about\n    seventeen years, was lying in bed, and had been home from her work\n    two weeks.\n\n    \"The mother said to me, 'Mr., I want you to lay hands on my girl: I\n    do not want to lose her.'\n\n    \"I told her that the signs were for those who believed, and\n    explained more fully to her the Gospel and its blessings for those\n    who lived up to its blessings.\n\n    \"She replied, 'Mr., I know you have the authority and if you will\n    administer to my daughter, she will get better.'\n\n    \"After talking further to her and seeing that she was sincere, I\n    turned to the daughter and asked her if she had faith and wished me\n    to administer to her.\n\n    \"'Yes,' she answered.\n\n    \"I went back to my lodgings, got a bottle of consecrated oil and\n    returned to the house. The mother and I knelt down by the bed and\n    I offered a short prayer, after which I anointed the daughter with\n    oil, and rebuked the disease.\n\n    {247} \"In four days from that time, the young lady went to her\n    work, and has continued to do so.\"\n\nElder C. L. Galbraith, another Latter-day Saint missionary, writing\nfrom South Shields, June 3, 1897, relates a case of healing by the\npower of the Lord:\n\n    \"Not long since I was in Sunderland attending our meetings which we\n    hold every Sunday afternoon and evening. After the first meeting\n    I walked to Ryhope, where I partook of a meal with a friend. On\n    my return in company with some members of the Church we passed by\n    an aged sister's home. After we had passed the house I said to\n    those with me, 'I feel like I should have called in to see Sister\n    Chalder, but we have not time.'\n\n    \"We continued on some distance when I again felt impressed more\n    strongly than before to return. I turned to the brethren who were\n    with me and said, 'We must go back.'\n\n    \"We turned and did so. On entering we found Sister Chalder lying in\n    bed and very sick indeed; in fact those present thought her time\n    had come, as she is far past the appointed lease of life. When she\n    recognized us her countenance brightened and she endeavored to\n    speak to us. Her voice was very weak, and we had to draw near to\n    her in order to distinguish what she said.\n\n    \"'I am so glad you have come!' she repeated, 'I have been praying\n    to God that you might come, that I might be healed.'\n\n    \"Those present with the old lady did not believe as we do. The\n    gentleman, whose name was Woodruff, said, 'I do not believe in the\n    ordinance of laying on hands for the healing of the sick.'\n\n    \"I told him to remain and see whether God would not keep His\n    promise wherein He said by the mouth of His Apostle James: 'Is any\n    sick among you? let him call for the elders of the Church; and let\n    them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord:\n    and the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall\n    raise him up.' (James 5: 14, 15).\n\n    \"After the ordinance Sister Chalder raised up and said she was\n    better.\n\n    \"Mr. Woodruff said, 'This is my first time to see anything like\n    that.'\n\n    \"He was as white as a corpse. To-day he is a living testimony that\n    she was healed. So did all present say they knew it was the power\n    of God made manifest.\"\n\nThousands of other miracles have been witnessed by those who have\nobeyed the Gospel. The blind have received their sight, the dumb have\nbeen made to speak, the deaf have had their hearing restored, and the\nsick have been healed of all manner of diseases. In short, all the\npromises made by the Savior to the believers have been realized by the\nLatter-day Saints as fully as they were by the former-day Saints. To\nthese facts there are thousands of living witnesses to-day. Many of\nthose who have witnessed these manifestations of God's goodness, and\nmany others who have received them, {248} have had their testimonies\npublished to the world, and there are many such testimonies on record\nin the printed literature of the Church.\n\nANCIENT PROPHECIES BEING FULFILLED.\n\nSome five months after the organization of the Church of Jesus Christ\nof Latter-day Saints the Prophet Joseph Smith received a revelation\nfrom the Lord which among other things declared:\n\n    \"And ye are called to bring to pass the gathering of mine elect,\n    for mine elect hear my voice and harden not their hearts; wherefore\n    the decree hath gone forth from the Father, that they shall be\n    gathered in unto one place upon the face of this land, to prepare\n    their hearts and be prepared in all things against the day when\n    tribulation and desolation are sent forth upon the wicked; for the\n    hour is nigh, and the day soon at hand when the earth is ripe: and\n    all the proud, and they that do wickedly, shall be as stubble, and\n    I will burn them up, saith the Lord of Hosts, that wickedness shall\n    not be upon the earth.\"\n\nTHE GATHERING OF ISRAEL.\n\nThe gathering of Israel in the last days is predicted by many of the\nancient prophets. Jeremiah records these words of the Lord:\n\n    \"I will take you one of a city and two of a family, and I will\n    bring you to Zion: and I will give you pastors according to mine\n    heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding.\"\n    (Jeremiah 3: 14, 15).\n\n    \"And I will gather the remnant of my flock out of all countries\n    whither I have driven them, and will bring them again to their\n    folds; and they shall be fruitful and increase.\" (Jeremiah 23: 3).\n\nOther prophets make similar predictions. The Savior said to His\ndisciples that His elect should be gathered together \"from the four\nwinds, from one end of the heaven to the other.\" St. John says:\n\n    \"And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my\n    people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive\n    not of her plagues.\" (Revelation 18: 4).\n\nThe evidence that this revelation Joseph Smith claimed to have received\nis genuine is in the fact that the elect are being gathered. Ever since\nthe revelation was made known the Latter-day Saints have been gathering\nto a designated place.\n\nTrue to the prediction of Jeremiah, those who accept the Gospel and\ngather to Zion are very frequently \"one of a city, and two of a\nfamily.\" The further fulfillment of the same {249} prophecy, they are\nbeing fed \"with knowledge and understanding.\" The Latter-day Saints are\ntaught to understand the Gospel for themselves, so that they do not\nneed to depend upon others, and each one is thereby fitted to teach\nits principles. The way is also pointed out to them whereby they can\nreceive a knowledge from heaven of the truth of the doctrines they are\ntaught, so that they are not deluded nor misled by the teachings of\nmen. The pastors who feed them with this \"knowledge and understanding\"\nare according to the Lord's heart, in this much at least: they labor to\nsave mankind through the love they have for them. They do not \"teach\nfor hire,\" nor \"divine for money.\" Their services are given freely, and\nthe Gospel is taught by them without money and without price.\n\nThe gathering of the Lord's people \"one of a city, and two of a\nfamily,\" brings about many conditions which the Savior said would be\nthe result of the preaching of His gospel; and in numerous cases the\nLatter-day Saints realize in their own experiences, the fulfillment of\nsuch words as the following spoken by the Savior:\n\n    \"Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to\n    send peace, but a sword. For I am come to set a man at variance\n    against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the\n    daughter in law against her mother in law. And a man's foes shall\n    be they of his own household.\" (Matthew 10: 34, 36).\n\n    \"And ye shall be betrayed both by parents, and brethren, and\n    kinsfolks, and friends.\" (Luke 21: 16).\n\nThe Latter-day Saints are not of the world in their ways. They are\ntaught to strictly abstain from the sinful practices in the world, and\nare therefore looked upon as a peculiar people. As the Savior said\nwould be the case, because they are not of the world, the world hate\nthem, and often persecute them. They rejoice, however, in the promise\nof Jesus, which they find to be true:\n\n    \"There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or\n    father, or mother, or wife, or children, or land, for my sake, and\n    the gospel's, but he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time,\n    houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and\n    lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life.\"\n    (Mark 10: 29, 30).\n\nGATHERING PECULIAR TO LATTER-DAY SAINTS.\n\nIt is a significant fact that there are no other people than the\nLatter-day Saints who make any profession that they have been commanded\nof the Lord to gather, nor are there any {250} others who are making\nany efforts with such an object in view.\n\nThere is something remarkable about this gathering. When people accept\nthe Prophet's teachings they get the spirit of gathering, and they\nhave to be restrained from going in too great haste. While a love for\nkindred and for native country is natural to the human heart, those who\nreceive the truth of this newly revealed Gospel, become filled with the\ndesire to leave all and gather with the Saints. This is a strong proof\nthat the Lord is working upon the hearts of mankind to bring about the\nfulfillment of His words through the ancient prophets; and it proclaims\nthe divine calling of Joseph Smith.\n\nThe Latter-day Saints also believe that the Jews will eventually be\ngathered to Jerusalem, as has been predicted in past ages. The Prophet\nJoseph Smith taught this, and took steps toward the accomplishment of\nthat great event.\n\nEVENTS IN THE HISTORY OF THE SAINTS.\n\nAfter being driven from their homes several times, and enduring all\nmanner of persecution for the sake of their religion, the Latter-day\nSaints were finally compelled to leave the confines of civilization and\nseek a home in the unknown wilderness of the western part of America.\nBy divine guidance they were led to the valleys of the Rocky Mountains.\nWithout any knowledge of the country they planted themselves in the\nvalley of the Great Salt Lake in what is now known as the State of\nUtah. Here in a desolate waste they determined to make their home,\nnotwithstanding the fact that adventurers who were better acquainted\nwith the country, declared that no civilized men could live there.\n\nWORDS OF THE PSALMIST FULFILLED.\n\nThe journey of the Latter-day Saints to this their new home, as well as\nmany other events of their experience, appear to be a fulfillment of\nancient prophecy. The Psalmist says:\n\n    \"O give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good: for his mercy\n    endureth for ever. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom he\n    hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy; and gathered them out\n    of the lands, from the east, and from the west, from the north,\n    and from the south. They wandered in the wilderness in a solitary\n    way; they found no city to dwell in. Hungry and thirsty, their\n    soul fainted in them. Then they cried unto the Lord in their\n    trouble, and he delivered them out of their distresses. And he\n    led them forth by the right way, that they might go to a city of\n    habitation.\" (Psalm 107).\n\n{251} The Latter-day Saints are the only religious body that has been\ngathered out \"from the east, and from the west, and from the north,\nand from the south.\" As before stated they are the only people who\nadvocate the doctrine of gathering. When driven, by persecution, from\ntheir homes in Nauvoo, Illinois, they were \"redeemed from the hand of\nthe enemy,\" they \"wandered in the wilderness in a solitary way,\" and\nthey \"found no city to dwell in.\" They experienced hunger and thirst,\nand \"their soul fainted in them.\" The Lord \"led them forth by the right\nway,\" for they knew nothing themselves of the place to which they were\nbeing led.\n\nEventually they came to a place designated by the prophet of the Lord\nas the spot on which to build \"a city of habitation.\" There they\nestablished themselves, and through the marvelous blessings of the\nLord, the wilderness has been redeemed and the desert made to \"blossom\nas the rose.\"\n\nISAIAH'S PREDICTION FULFILLED. Two of the ancient prophets make\nthis prediction:\n\n    \"And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of\n    the Lord's house shall be established in the top of the mountains,\n    and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow\n    unto it. And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go\n    up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob;\n    and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths:\n    for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord\n    from Jerusalem.\" (Isaiah 2: 2, 3; Micah 4: 1, 2).\n\nThe state of Utah, and the surrounding country occupied by the\nLatter-day Saints is situated on what is called the \"back bone of the\nAmerican Continent,\" in the \"tops of the mountains.\" In Salt Lake City,\nthe headquarters of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,\nthere stands a temple erected and dedicated to the name of the Lord.\nIn three other cities of Utah are similar buildings, all of which are\nraised to the name of the Most High, by the Latter-day Saints; and by\nthe way, they are the only temples in the world dedicated to the Lord,\nand in which the holy ordinances pertaining to His house are performed.\n\nThe mountain on which the temple built by the Latter-day Saints stands\nis established \"in the top of the mountains,\" \"exalted above the\nhills,\" and people from all nations are flowing unto it as they are\nbeing gathered out \"from the four winds, from one end of heaven to\nthe other.\" \"Many people,\" as the prophet predicted, go and say \"Come\nye, and let us go {252} up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house\nof the God of Jacob,\" and they are being taught His ways, by men who\nunderstand them through the revelations received from Him: for they\nbelieve in present revelation, and enjoy that gift among the others of\nthe true Gospel of Christ.\n\nIt may be contended that this and the other prophecies concerning the\ngathering of Israel refer to the gathering of the Jews to Jerusalem. It\nis true that there are predictions that the Jews shall be gathered to\nJerusalem, but throughout the scripture prophecies there are two places\nof gathering mentioned--Zion and Jerusalem. Both places are mentioned\nin the quotation given above. The prophet also says: \"O Zion, that\nbringest good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain.\" There are\nno high mountains in Jerusalem. The top of the highest mountain peak in\nall of Palestine is 331 feet below the valley of the Great Salt Lake,\nin which Salt Lake City is situated.\n\nA PROPHECY OF MALACHI.\n\nThe following prediction is one made by an ancient prophet:\n\n    \"Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of\n    the great and dreadful day of the Lord: and he shall turn the heart\n    of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to\n    their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.\"\n    (Malachi 4: 5, 6).\n\nThe Prophet Joseph Smith testifies that this was fulfilled on the third\nday of April, 1836. At that time the body of the Church of Jesus Christ\nof Latter-day Saints was situated in Kirtland, Ohio, where they had\nerected a temple to the Lord. It was in this temple that the vision\nwas received by Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery, in which the Prophet\nElijah appeared unto them. They describe his appearance and message as\nfollows:\n\n    \"After this vision had closed, another great and glorious vision\n    burst upon us, for Elijah the prophet, who was taken to heaven\n    without tasting death, stood before us, and said--Behold, the\n    time has fully come, which was spoken of by the mouth of Malachi,\n    testifying that he (Elijah) should be sent before the great and\n    dreadful day of the Lord come. To turn the hearts of the fathers to\n    the children, and the children to the fathers, lest the whole earth\n    be smitten with a curse. Therefore the keys of this dispensation\n    are committed into your hands, and by this ye may know that the\n    great and dreadful day of the Lord is near, even at the doors.\"\n\n{253}\n\nSALVATION FOR THE DEAD.\n\nThrough the Prophet Joseph Smith was revealed the doctrine of salvation\nfor the dead, a doctrine that had not been understood in the world for\nmany centuries until he taught it. It is nevertheless a scriptural\ndoctrine, and is referred to by Peter:\n\n    \"For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the\n    unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in\n    the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: by which also he went\n    and preached unto the spirits in prison; which sometime were\n    disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days\n    of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight\n    souls were saved by water.\" (I Peter 3: 18-20).\n\nIt is also referred to by Paul:\n\n    \"Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the\n    dead rise not at all? Why are they then baptized for the dead?\" (I\n    Corinthians 15: 29).\n\nPreaching the Gospel to the dead is referred to in several places in\nthe scriptures. (John 5: 25, 28; I Peter 4: 6).\n\nThat one person can perform a Gospel ordinance for and in behalf of\nanother accords with the teachings of the scriptures. Christ did\nvicarious work for all mankind when He atoned for the sins of the\nworld. By that atonement He brought about the resurrection from the\ngrave, and made man's eternal salvation possible, as declared by the\nApostle Paul:\n\n    \"As in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.\" (I\n    Corinthians 15: 22).\n\nAlso in these words:\n\n    \"Being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto\n    all them that obey him.\" (Hebrews 5: 9).\n\nIt is evident from the teachings of the Savior that there is a\nnecessity for such a provision in the plan of redemption. Christ\nemphatically declared that a man cannot enter the kingdom of heaven\nwithout baptism. He said to Nicodemus,\n\n    \"Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter\n    into the kingdom of God.\" (John 3: 5).\n\nIn sending His disciples to teach all nations, He commanded them to\nbaptize those who believed. Many good people have died without baptism,\nnot having had the privilege of being baptized in this life; as they\ncannot themselves attend to that ordinance after death, there is a\nway provided for them {254} to receive admission into the kingdom of\nheaven. The Savior has declared, they cannot do so without baptism;\ntherefore someone else must attend to that ordinance for them. Those\nwho die without the privilege of receiving the Gospel will have an\nopportunity to hear and accept it in the spirit world, and the outward\nordinances necessary to salvation can be attended to in their behalf by\nliving persons.\n\nSince this doctrine has been revealed, the hearts of the children have\nbeen turned to their fathers, for many thousands of those who have\naccepted the doctrine have manifested their solicitude for the welfare\nof their dead ancestors by having the necessary ordinances performed\nfor them in the temples which the Latter-day Saints have built for that\npurpose.\n\nFACTS PROVEN.\n\nIt has been shown in the foregoing--\n\nThat the Claims made by Joseph Smith are in Harmony with the Holy\nScriptures.\n\nThat the Doctrines He Taught are the same as those of the Savior and\nHis Disciples.\n\nThat a Number of Ancient Predictions have been Fulfilled Through his\nMinistry.\n\nThat the Lord's work begun by the Ministry of Joseph Smith is Destined\nto bring about the Fulfillment of all the inspired prophecies\nconcerning the Latter Days.\n\nThat the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Possesses the same\nCharacteristics as that of Former Days.\n\n\n\nJOSEPH SMITH'S WORKS.\n\nEVIDENCE OF HIS INSPIRATION.\n\nSCRIPTURAL TESTS.\n\nThe Bible tells how true and false prophets may be known:\n\n    \"The prophet which prophesieth of peace, when the word of the\n    prophet shall come to pass, then shall the prophet be known, that\n    the Lord hath truly sent him.\" (Jeremiah 28: 9).\n\n    {255} \"When a prophet speaketh in the name of the Lord, if\n    the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing\n    which the Lord hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it\n    presumptuously: thou shall not be afraid of him.\" (Deuteronomy 18:\n    22).\n\nIf a man prophesies and his prophecy is fulfilled, he is to be regarded\nas a true prophet. If he prophesies and his predictions are not\nfulfilled, he should be counted as a false prophet. Let us apply this\nscriptural test to the words of Joseph Smith.\n\nPREDICTION OF THE ANGEL.\n\nThe prophecy which he records as having been made by the first angel\nwho visited him: that his name should be had \"for good and evil among\nall nations, kindreds and tongues; or that it should be both good and\nevil spoken of among all people,\" is a proof of inspiration. That\nprediction has been fulfilled. Among all people who have heard his\nteachings there have been some who have accepted them and have spoken\ngood about his name, while those who have rejected his message have\ninvariably spoken evil of him. Not being satisfied to leave him alone,\nthey have maliciously defamed his character and denounced him.\n\nNONE CAN STOP GOD's WORK.\n\nIn a revelation given to the Prophet at an early day, the Lord said,\n\n    \"And the voice of warning shall be unto all people, by the mouths\n    of my disciples, whom I have chosen in these last days. AND THEY\n    SHALL GO FORTH AND NONE SHALL STAY THEM, for I the Lord have\n    commanded them.\"\n\nAt a later date the Prophet wrote these words:\n\n    \"No unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing. Persecution\n    may rage, mobs may combine, armies may assemble, calumny may\n    defame, but the truth of God will go forth boldly and independently\n    till it has penetrated every continent, visited every clime, swept\n    every nation and sounded in every ear, till the purposes of God\n    shall be accomplished and the Great Jehovah shall say the work is\n    done.\"\n\nIn nearly every country to which they have gone, vigorous efforts\nhave been made from time to time to stop the Latter-day Saints from\npreaching the Gospel, but true to the Lord's promises these attempts to\nhinder His work have failed in every instance, and His work still goes\non.\n\n{256}\n\n\"A MARVELOUS WORK.\"\n\nIn the very first revelations given by the Lord through Joseph Smith,\neven before the Church was organized, it was declared that \"a marvelous\nwork is about to come forth among the children of men.\" There are\nhundreds of thousands of people who have associated themselves with\nthat work who can testify that it is most marvelous in its character.\nAside from these people there are many of the most intelligent men\nof the century who have declared in their public utterances and have\nplaced themselves on record by their writings that there is something\nvery wonderful about the work established through Joseph Smith.\n\nTESTIMONY OF DISINTERESTED MEN.\n\nMr. Josiah Quincy, an eminent American scholar, in his interesting\nwork entitled \"Figures of the Past,\" gives his estimation of the great\nprophet in these words:\n\n    \"It is by no means improbable that some future text-book, for the\n    use of generations yet unborn, will contain a question something\n    like this: What historical American of the nineteenth century has\n    exerted the most powerful influence upon the destinies of his\n    countrymen? And it is by no means impossible that the answer to\n    that interrogatory may be thus written: JOSEPH SMITH, THE MORMON\n    PROPHET. And the reply, absurd as it doubtless seems to most men\n    now living, may be an obvious commonplace to their descendants.\n    History deals in surprises and paradoxes quite as startling as\n    this. The man who established a religion in this age of free\n    debate, who was and is to-day accepted by hundreds of thousands\n    as a direct emissary from the Most High--such a rare human being\n    is not to be disposed of by pelting his memory with unsavory\n    epithets. . . The most vital questions Americans are asking\n    each other to-day have to do with this man and what he has left\n    us. . . . Burning questions they are, which must give a prominent\n    place in the history of the country to that sturdy self-asserter\n    whom I visited at Nauvoo. Joseph Smith, claiming to be an inspired\n    teacher, faced adversity such as few men have been called to meet,\n    enjoyed a brief season of prosperity such as few men have ever\n    attained, and finally, forty-three days after I saw him, went\n    cheerfully to a martyr's death.\"\n\nHon. John A. Cockerill, a United States Senator, in an article\npublished in the _Cosmopolitan_, a New York magazine, says, in\nreference to Utah, and its people, and their leader Brigham Young:\n\n    \"Thus, within the short space of half a century, a great State has\n    sprung up in the land, as it were, before our eyes. _Its fame, with\n    that of its founder, has become world-wide_. . . It is seldom given\n    to the founder of a state that the body which he has organized\n    {257} shall grow to such marvelous completeness and maturity within\n    fifty years.\"\n\nPROPHECY ABOUT WAR.\n\nThe following revelation was given to Joseph Smith on the 25th of\nDecember, 1832:\n\n    \"'Verily, thus saith the Lord, concerning the wars that will\n    shortly come to pass, beginning at the rebellion of South Carolina,\n    which will eventually terminate in the death and misery of many\n    souls.\n\n    \"The days will come that war will be poured out upon all nations,\n    beginning at that place;\n\n    \"For behold, the Southern States shall be divided against the\n    Northern States, and the Southern States will call on other\n    nations, even the nation of Great Britain, as it is called, and\n    they shall also call upon other nations, in order to defend\n    themselves against other nations; and thus war shall be poured out\n    upon all nations.\"\n\nFULFILLED TWENTY-EIGHT YEARS AFTERWARDS.\n\nThe great civil war between the southern and northern States of America\nwas a literal fulfillment of the prophetic utterance, so far as it\nreferred to the first conflict. That war began with the bombardment of\nFort Sumter in the harbor of Charleston, South Carolina, on the 12th\nday of April, 1861, over twenty-eight years after the prediction was\nmade, and it terminated in the \"death and misery of many souls,\" for\nthe loss of life it caused is estimated at fully 1,000,000 men. History\nshows that the Southern States did call upon Great Britain and other\nnations for assistance, as predicted by the Prophet.\n\nPREDICTED MEN'S LIVES WOULD BE SPARED.\n\nIn November, 1838, Joseph Smith and several of his brethren were tried\nby a court-martial of their enemies, and were condemned to be shot in\nthe presence of their families and friends. To all human appearances\nthere was no hope for them to be spared alive. They were prisoners in\nthe hands of an infuriated mob; their death sentence had been passed,\nthe hour of execution set, and preparations for carrying out the\nsentence were being made. With this terrible fate impending the Prophet\ntold his fellow-prisoners to be of good cheer, as the Lord had made it\nknown to him that not one of them should die. The mob disagreed among\nthemselves as to how the execution should be proceeded with, and the\nfalsely condemned men, after a lengthy imprisonment, regained their\nliberty. Thus were the Prophet's words verified.\n\n{258}\n\nTHE SAINTS' EXODUS FORETOLD.\n\nOn August 6, 1842, when the Latter-day Saints were situated in\nIllinois, their great leader wrote in reference to a previous utterance\nof his:\n\n    \"I prophesied that the Saints would continue to suffer much\n    affliction and would be driven to the Rocky Mountains, many would\n    apostatize, others would be put to death by our persecutors, or\n    lose their lives in consequence of exposure or disease, and some\n    of you will live to go and assist in making settlements and build\n    cities and see the Saints become a mighty people in the midst of\n    the Rocky Mountains.\"\n\nEvery statement in the foregoing prediction was subsequently fulfilled.\nMobs continued to afflict the Saints until they were forced to abandon\ntheir homes. Many apostatized, and others were put to death by their\npersecutors, or lost their lives in consequence of exposure. The\nProphet himself, with his brother Hyrum, was martyred less than two\nyears after the prophecy was uttered; and his own martyrdom was a\nfulfillment of a prophecy he made. When, to save a massacre of the\nSaints he delivered himself up to the pretended requirements of the\nlaw, being promised protection by the governor of the State, he said:\n\n    \"I am going like a lamb to the slaughter; but I am calm as a\n    summer's morning; I have a conscience void of offense towards God,\n    and towards all men. I shall die innocent and it shall yet be said\n    of me--he was murdered in cold blood.\"\n\nThis prediction concerning his own death is all the more remarkable\nfrom the fact that he had been arrested upon false charges many times\nbefore this. But, being entirely innocent, it was impossible to convict\nhim of any crime. The premonition he had when he surrendered to the\ndemands of the Governor of Illinois, when he said \"I am going like a\nlamb to the slaughter,\" was the unerring inspiration of God, which had\never been his guide through life.\n\nThe country the Prophet referred to as the \"Rocky Mountains\" was but\nlittle known at the time he spoke of it; and the Indian traders, and\n\"trappers\" who were familiar with the country said nothing could be\nraised there, and it was totally unfit for the establishment of a\ncommunity of people. Five years after the prophecy was made many of\nthe Saints were settled in the Rocky Mountains, and they and their\ndescendants are becoming a \"mighty people\" in the midst thereof.\n\n{259}\n\nGATHERING PREDICTED.\n\nOn the 11th of September, 1831, the Lord said through Joseph Smith,\n\n    \"For behold, I say unto you that Zion shall flourish, and the glory\n    of the Lord shall be upon her, and she shall be an ensign unto the\n    people, AND THERE SHALL COME UNTO HER OUT OF EVERY NATION UNDER\n    HEAVEN.\"\n\nIn 1831, when the above words were uttered, the Church of Jesus Christ\nof Latter-day Saints was composed of people who were converted in the\nneighborhood where the Prophet and other leading men operated--only\na small portion of the United States. Since then the work has spread\nthroughout the world, and there are now gathered with the Saints people\nfrom nearly every nation under heaven.\n\nJOSEPH SMITH AS AN EXPOUNDER OF SCRIPTURE.\n\nThe manner in which he expounded the scriptures of the Old and New\nTestaments, and in which he harmonized passages that were apparently\ncontradictory, and made every Bible doctrine so plain to the\nunderstanding, is strong proof that he was inspired of Heaven. No\ntheologian of recent times has been able to do this as has been done by\nJoseph Smith, although many learned men have made the attempt.\n\nCHURCH ORGANIZATION.\n\nThe wonderful church organization which was effected through him is in\nitself an evidence of his divine inspiration.\n\nIf a builder should succeed in erecting one of the most magnificent\nstructures the world has ever seen, without any previous training\nand without any plans to guide him, he would be looked upon as the\nmost remarkable genius that ever was known. The church organization\ninstituted by Joseph Smith is like a complete structure, perfect in\nevery detail, and yet built up piece by piece without any preconceived\nplan being drawn up or experiment being made, so far as the Prophet\nwas concerned. The only idea he had of the grand system he was putting\nin order was revealed to him at various times as occasion required.\nBut when the whole order of church government was revealed it was\ndiscovered to be perfect, and though the Church has now existed for\nsixty-eight years there has never arisen any occasion for changing the\norder laid down in the beginning. Its workings have been harmonious\nin every detail; and should the Church increase {260} in numbers\nindefinitely there would be no occasion for making any change in the\nsystem revealed through the Prophet Joseph Smith.\n\nALL HIS WORKS PROCLAIM HIM A PROPHET.\n\nA thorough acquaintance with the works of Joseph Smith must convince\nthe student of them that he was truly a Prophet of God. If it be denied\nthat he was such, how shall the superior wisdom that prompted his words\nand actions be accounted for? His ideas of theology, of philosophy,\nof statesmanship, and even astronomy and other branches of learning,\nwere far in advance of what was known to the world in his day; and\nsince then many of his doctrines have been accepted by the learned, and\nadvocated as new discoveries. The most reasonable way of accounting for\nthe wonderful works of Joseph Smith is to acknowledge that he was a\nProphet of God, sent as a divine messenger to open up the dispensation\nof the fullness of times, and to prepare for the second coming of the\nLord Jesus Christ, whose glorious reign is near at hand.\n\n\n\nTHE BOOK OF MORMON.\n\nAN EVIDENCE OF THE INSPIRATION OF JOSEPH SMITH.\n\nITS PURPORT.\n\nBefore the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was organized,\nthe Prophet Joseph Smith brought forth a book--the most remarkable work\nof the age. It purports to give an account of the ancient people of the\nAmerican continent and the dealings of the Lord with them. The Prophet\nclaimed that it was translated by the power of the Lord from writings\nengraved upon plates that had the appearance of gold. The plates\nwere found buried on the side of a hill in New York state, and their\nwhereabouts was revealed to the Prophet by an angel.\n\nThis explanation of the origin of the book, called the Book of Mormon,\nwas most incredible to many of those who heard it, for angels had long\nsince ceased to visit mankind; and they had been taught that the age\nof prophets and revelation was past. But the fact that the book was\nin existence could not be denied, for it was printed and published to\nthe {261} world. To charge Joseph Smith or any other man or set of men\nwith having written it for the purpose of deception would be equal to\nattributing to man super-human wisdom, and ability that is possessed\nonly by heavenly beings. It would be giving him much less credit\nfor supernatural ability to accept his own claim that he was merely\ninspired of the Lord to bring the book forth; for all the learned men\nin the world could not by their own wisdom produce such a work as the\nBook of Mormon. As evidence of this assertion, it is only necessary\nto become acquainted with the contents of the book. If a person will\ntake the pains to read it he will find it refers in the course of\nthe narrative it contains, to many facts of history, and numerous\ngeographical and geological statements. Besides, it teaches religious\ndoctrines, and records a great many prophecies.\n\nIMPOSSIBLE TO WRITE WITHOUT DIVINE AID.\n\nNow just consider what an impossible task it would be for any man,\nwithout divine aid, to write an historical narrative of this character.\nIt is filled with hundreds of statements concerning history, geography,\ngeology, and religion, and yet does not contain one assertion regarding\nany of these subjects that does not agree in perfect harmony with\nwhat is known respecting them. It might be claimed that with a great\namount of research it would be possible for a writer to do this;\nits statements agree also with every fact respecting the topics it\nmentions, that has become known during the many years of research\nsince the Book was published, and that, too, in this age of critical\ninvestigation.\n\nAgain, the book contains as much reading matter as does the Old\nTestament. It is a continuous, unbroken history of a people for a\nthousand years, written originally by a succession of historians. Facts\nmentioned by one writer are referred to quite frequently by another, so\nthat it would be no easy matter for a most careful writer with all the\ningenuity that man is capable of exercising to originate a work of such\ncharacter and magnitude without it making contradictions of itself.\n\nPROPHECIES IN THE BOOK OF MORMON.\n\nWhatever success an impostor might have in deceiving people with a\nfictitious book, there are some things he cannot do. Should he succeed\nin making the book consistent with all known truths of history, science\nand religion, he would find it impossible to make accurate predictions\nconcerning {263} the future. This power is not possessed by man, unless\nconferred upon him by the Lord. The Book of Mormon cannot therefore be\nclassed among human impositions, for it contains prophecies that were\nnot fulfilled at the time it was published, but that have since been\nverified.\n\nSpeaking of the coming forth in this age of the record which he\ncompiled, the Prophet Mormon says,\n\n    \"And it shall come in a day when the blood of saints shall cry unto\n    the Lord, because of secret combinations and the works of darkness.\"\n\nThe Book of Mormon was printed before the Church of Jesus Christ of\nLatter-day Saints was organized, so that it could not be told at that\ntime, except by inspiration that the blood of saints in the present\nage should cry unto the Lord, because of the works of darkness. There\nwas no religious persecution going on at that time; but it was not\nlong before the blood of many of the Latter-day Saints was shed as the\nresult of persecution.\n\nA BIBLE! A BIBLE!\n\nThe Prophet Nephi, referring also to the period when the record should\nbe revealed in the latter time, and when the Lord should proceed to\nrecover His chosen people, the house of Israel, records the words of\nthe Lord to him as follows:\n\n    \"And my words shall hiss forth unto the ends of the earth, for a\n    standard unto my people, which are the house of Israel. And because\n    my words shall hiss forth, many of the Gentiles shall say, a Bible!\n    a Bible! We have got a Bible, and there cannot be any more Bible.\"\n\nSince the publication of the Book of Mormon the Lord's words have gone\nforth \"unto the ends of the earth,\" and the Latter-day Saints who\nhave carried His words and declared them in nearly all countries have\nusually been answered with these words, \"A Bible! a Bible! We have got\na Bible, and there cannot be any more Bible.\" The general belief is\nthat the Bible is the only book in existence containing the word of the\nLord.\n\nISAIAH'S PROPHECY.\n\nThe Prophet Nephi reiterates the prediction recorded in the\ntwenty-ninth chapter of Isaiah, concerning the coming forth of a book,\nand which the Latter-day Saints maintain refers to the Book of Mormon.\nThe prophecy is as follows:\n\n    \"And the vision of all is become unto you as the words of a book\n    that is sealed, which men deliver to one that is learned, saying,\n    Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I cannot; for it is sealed:\n    and the {263} book is delivered to him that is not learned, saying,\n    Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I am not learned. Wherefore\n    the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their\n    mouth, and with their lips do honor me, but have removed their\n    heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the\n    precept of men: therefore, behold, I will proceed to do a marvelous\n    work among this people, even a marvelous work and a wonder: for the\n    wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of\n    their prudent men shall be hid. . . . . And in that day shall the\n    deaf hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall\n    see out of obscurity, and out of darkness.\" (Isaiah 29: 11, 12, 13,\n    14, 18).\n\nThe first part of this prophecy was literally fulfilled when a man\nnamed Martin Harris, with the permission of Joseph Smith, took a\ncopy of some of the characters from which the Book of Mormon was\ntranslated--the \"words of a book\"--to Professor Anthon, a learned\nprofessor of languages in New York City, and the latter made the\nstatement, \"I cannot read a sealed book.\" Unwittingly, he used almost\nthe identical words of Isaiah's prediction.\n\n\"And the book is delivered to him that is not learned,\"--this was\nfulfilled when the book was delivered to Joseph Smith, an unlearned\nyouth. How accurately this prophecy was fulfilled is shown by the\nfact that the _words_ of the book were delivered to the man that was\nlearned, while the book itself was delivered to him that was not\nlearned.\n\nThe portion of the prophecy which reads: \"Therefore, behold I will\nproceed to do a marvelous work among this people, even a marvelous\nwork and a wonder,\" is also being fulfilled. The work done by the\nLord through the instrumentality of His servant Joseph Smith and the\nLatter-day Saints, is looked upon as marvelous even by those who do not\nbelieve Joseph Smith to be a prophet, nor the Latter-day Saints to be\ninspired of Heaven, for this work attracts the attention of the whole\nworld. An acquaintance with what the Lord has done and with what is now\nbeing done through their ministry is of sufficient importance to be\ncalled \"a marvelous work and a wonder.\" The Gospel has been preached\nin nearly all the civilized and several of the uncivilized nations,\na church has been established that attracts the attention of all the\nworld, and its name and the prophet's name are known among every\nnation; a commonwealth has been built up that has won the admiration\nof all that are acquainted with it; people from all nations have been\ngathered together to form this commonwealth; and missionaries by the\nthousands are sent to proclaim to mankind everywhere the glad tidings\nof the \"marvelous work.\"\n\n{264} Since the restoration of the Gospel with all its blessings in\nthese latter days the remainder of Isaiah's words have been verified.\nThe deaf have been healed and enabled to \"hear the words of the book,\"\nand the blind have had their sight restored, and have thus been enabled\nto \"see out of obscurity, and out of darkness.\"\n\nBOOK GIVES A TEST OF ITS TRUTH.\n\nThe last chapter in the Book of Mormon contains these words:\n\n    \"And when ye shall receive these things,\" [the records contained\n    in the Book of Mormon] \"I would exhort you that ye would ask God,\n    the eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not\n    true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with a real intent,\n    having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you,\n    by the power of the Holy Ghost.\"\n\nHere is a promise that no impostor would dare to make, for he could\nnot expect it to be fulfilled, and it would only furnish a means of\ndetecting his deception.\n\nThe spirit in which the Book of Mormon is written is of such a nature\nthat it impresses the reader with the honesty and earnestness of the\nwriter. Its language is very plain, showing that the writer made no\nattempt at literary embellishment, but had only one object in view,\nwhich was to state the simple facts, and make the Gospel plain for the\nbenefit of mankind. The style of the writing is peculiar to itself, and\ndifferent from all other writings extant. These facts concerning the\ncharacter of the book prove its authenticity.\n\nATTESTED BY DIRECT EVIDENCE.\n\nThe truth of the Book of Mormon is attested by the strongest direct\nevidence that it is possible to obtain. To show this it will perhaps\nbe as well to consider what constitutes direct evidence. Evidence\nis understood to be the means of proving an unknown or a disputed\nfact. There is what is called \"circumstantial evidence\" and \"direct\nevidence.\" The first is that kind of testimony which deals with\ncircumstances that are connected with the fact to be proven. As, for\nexample, footprints in the snow, are proof to an observer of them\nthat someone has been where the snow lies since it fell, although the\nobserver has not seen any person there. The marks in the snow are\ncircumstantial evidence that he is correct in his conclusion. Direct\nevidence is the testimony of a witness to what he has seen, felt, or\nknown by his own senses.\n\n{265} It is a question of dispute whether direct or circumstantial\nevidence is the stronger, though the first is usually considered so. As\nagainst direct evidence it is claimed that witnesses may be mistaken,\ndeceived or may wilfully falsify, while circumstances it is said cannot\nmislead.\n\nThe evidences already set forth to prove the truth of the Book of\nMormon are what would be called circumstantial. The only evidence\nmankind have, aside from inspiration, that the Bible is true is\nindirect or circumstantial. What is unique about the Book of Mormon\nis that it is sustained by direct testimony, corroborated by\ncircumstantial evidence which proves that the witnesses were not\nmistaken nor deceived, and that they did not tell falsehoods. Following\nthe title page of the Book of Mormon is printed the testimony of three\nwitnesses, who give their deposition in the following earnest and\nemphatic words:\n\nTESTIMONY OF THREE WITNESSES.\n\n    \"Be it known unto all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people unto\n    whom this work shall come, that we, through the grace of God the\n    Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, have seen the plates which\n    contain this record, which is a record of the people of Nephi, and\n    also of the Lamanites, their brethren, and also of the people of\n    Jared, who came from the tower of which hath been spoken; and we\n    also know that they have been translated by the gift and power of\n    God, for his voice hath declared it unto us; wherefore we know of a\n    surety that the work is true. And we also testify that we have seen\n    the engravings which are upon the plates; and they have been shown\n    unto us by the power of God, and not of man. And we declare with\n    words of soberness, that an angel of God came down from heaven, and\n    he brought and laid before our eyes, that we beheld and saw the\n    plates, and the engravings thereon; and we know that it is by the\n    grace of God the Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, that we beheld\n    and bear record that these things are true; and it is marvelous\n    in our eyes, nevertheless the voice of the Lord commanded us that\n    we should bear record of it; wherefore, to be obedient unto the\n    commandments of God, we bear testimony of these things. And we know\n    that if we are faithful in Christ, we shall rid our garments of the\n    blood of all men, and be found spotless before the judgment-seat\n    of Christ, and shall dwell with him eternally in the heavens. And\n    the honor be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost,\n    which is one God. Amen.\n\n    \"Oliver Cowdery,\n\n    \"David Whitmer,\n\n    \"Martin Harris.\"\n\nNo stronger testimony of the existence of a fact ever has been or can\nbe given than this. Nothing less than a direct revelation from heaven\nto an individual personally can furnish him more convincing proof than\nis given by the testimony of {266} these three witnesses. What greater\nevidence can one ask or desire than this? Here is the most solemn\nstatement made by three men, of sound mind and strict veracity who\nsay the voice of God declared unto them that the Book of Mormon was\ntranslated by the gift and power of God, and that an angel from heaven\nshowed them the plates from which the record was translated, and that\nthey know it to be true. Such testimony would be ample to establish a\nclaim in any court on earth.\n\nTESTIMONY OF WITNESSES UNCHANGED.\n\nMany years after the first publication of the Book of Mormon with the\nnames of the three witnesses attached, a gentleman inquired of Oliver\nCowdery if he believed the Book of Mormon to be true. The questioner\nread from the book the names of the three witnesses, and exclaimed,\n\"Mr. Cowdery, do you believe this book?\"\n\n\"No, sir,\" was Cowdery's reply.\n\n\"But,\" said the gentleman, \"your name is attached to it, and you\ndeclare here that you saw an angel, and also the plates from which the\nbook purports to be translated; and now you say you don't believe it.\nWhich time did you tell the truth?\"\n\nMr. Cowdery replied, \"My name is attached to that book and what I\nthere have said is true. I did see this; I know I saw it, and faith\nhas nothing to do with it, as a perfect knowledge has swallowed up the\nfaith which I had in the work, knowing, as I do, that it is true.\"\n\nA few days previous to his death David Whitmer, another of the\nwitnesses, called his family and a number of his friends together and\ndelivered to them his dying testimony. To his physician he said, \"Dr.\nBuchanan, I want you to say whether or not I am in my right mind before\nI give my last testimony.\" The doctor replied,\n\n\"Yes, you are in your right mind, for I have just had a conversation\nwith you.\"\n\nThen, addressing all who were gathered at his bedside, he said, \"Now\nyou must be faithful in Christ. I want to say to you all that the Bible\nand the record of the Nephites (Book of Mormon,) are true, so you can\nsay that you have heard me bear my testimony on my deathbed. All be\nfaithful in Christ and your reward will be according to your works. God\nbless you all. My trust is in Christ forever, worlds without end. Amen.\"\n\nMartin Harris, the third witness, continued to testify to {267} the\ntruth of his statement concerning the Book of Mormon until the day of\nhis death, which occurred July 10, 1875. The three men were regarded by\ntheir neighbors as strictly truthful and honest.\n\nTESTIMONY OF EIGHT WITNESSES.\n\nBesides the three above named witnesses, there are eight others whose\ntestimony concerning the Book of Mormon is given to the world. Their\ntestimony is as follows:\n\n    \"Be it known unto all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people unto\n    whom this work shall come, that Joseph Smith, Jr., the translator\n    of this work, has shewn unto us the plates of which hath been\n    spoken, which have the appearance of gold; and as many of the\n    leaves as the said Smith has translated, we did handle with our\n    hands; and we also saw the engravings thereon, all of which has the\n    appearance of ancient work, and of curious workmanship. And this we\n    bear record with words of soberness, that the said Smith has shewn\n    unto us, for we have seen and hefted, and know of a surety that the\n    said Smith has got the plates of which we have spoken. And we give\n    our names unto the world, to witness unto the world that we have\n    seen; and we lie not, God bearing witness of it.\n\n    \"Christian Whitmer, Hiram Page, Jacob Whitmer, Joseph Smith, Sen.,\n    Peter Whitmer, Jr., Hyrum Smith, John Whitmer, Samuel H. Smith.\"\n\nSECULAR PROOF OF THE BOOK OF MORMON.\n\nProof that the Book of Mormon is authentic will also establish the\ndivine mission of the Prophet Joseph Smith. Herewith are presented some\nof the external or outside evidences of the truth of that remarkable\nwork known as the Book of Mormon.\n\nThe principal statements contained in the Book of Mormon concerning\nwhich there is a possibility of confirmation or corroboration in the\nannals of modern exploration and research are these:\n\n1. That America was once peopled by a colony who went from Asia at the\ntime of the confusion of tongues, when the inhabitants of the earth\nundertook to build the Tower of Babel; and that these colonists and\ntheir descendants flourished for a period of some sixteen or seventeen\ncenturies, being a highly civilized race, but finally became extinct.\n\n2. That America was again peopled, this time by a colony of the Hebrew\nrace which came from Jerusalem 600 years B. C. That they observed the\nlaws of Moses, had a record of the creation, the flood, etc.\n\n{268} 3. That they, too, developed into a great and highly civilized\ncommonwealth.\n\n4. That they had a knowledge of the coming of the Christ, and that He\nappeared unto them and taught them the Gospel.\n\n5. That terrible convulsions and destruction of life and property took\nplace at the time of Christ's crucifixion.\n\nCOLONISTS FROM THE TOWER OF BABEL.\n\nThe Book of Mormon states that a man named Jared, and his brother, and\ntheir families, with some other men and their families, being led by\nthe Lord, went from the great tower, at the time the Lord confounded\nthe language of the people, and crossed over to America in barges.\nThere they multiplied and became a great nation, spreading over the\nland northward, or North America. Finally, about 600 years before\nChrist the nation became extinct through internal warfare. (See Book of\nEther).\n\nJosephus, the Jewish historian, speaking of the events at the time of\nthe dispersion from the Tower of Babel says\n\n    \"After this they were dispersed abroad, on account of their\n    languages, and went out by colonies everywhere; and each colony\n    took possession of that land which they light upon, and _unto\n    which God led them_; so that the whole continent was filled with\n    them, both the inland and maritime countries. There were some also\n    who _passed over the sea in ships_, and inhabited the islands.\"\n    --_Antiquities of the Jews_, Book I, Chapter 5.\n\nThis account of course does not state specifically that any colony went\nto America, but it says that colonies went EVERYWHERE, and that some of\nthe people went in ships to distant lands, and to places where God led\nthem.\n\nThat two distinct races of civilized beings inhabited ancient America\nis testified to by a number of archaeologists and explorers. A\ncorrespondent to the St. Louis (Missouri) _Globe-Democrat_ writing from\nTombstone, Arizona, in 1895, says:\n\n    \"The remarkable picture rocks and boulders, with strange symbols\n    upon them, left by the pre-historic races of Arizona, have been\n    the cause of much discussion among those who have seen them as to\n    who these ancient hieroglyphic-makers were. These rock records may\n    be divided into three different kinds, which, it is thought, were\n    made by _two different races. The first, or very ancient race_,\n    left records on rocks, in some instances of symbols only, and in\n    other instances of pictures and symbols combined. The later race,\n    _which came after the first race had vanished_, made only crude\n    representations of animals, birds or reptiles, not using symbols or\n    combinations of lines.\"\n\n{269} Chamber's Encyclopaedia, under the subject heading \"Nicaragua\"\ncontains this statement:\n\n    \"Nicaragua, like the states north of it, was a center of Aztec\n    civilization; but the Aztecs were preceded by another race likewise\n    civilized, who have left stone sculptures and monumental remains.\"\n\nThat the origin of the extinct race which formerly inhabited North\nAmerica is believed by students of American antiquity to date back to\nthe time of the building of the Tower of Babel the following gives\nevidence:\n\n    \"One of the arts known to the builders of Babel was that of\n    brickmaking. This art was also known to the people who built the\n    works in the West. The knowledge of copper was known to the people\n    of the plains of Shinar; for Noah must have communicated it, as\n    he lived a hundred and fifty years among them after the flood.\n    Also copper was known to the antediluvians. Copper was also known\n    to the authors of the western monuments. Iron was known to the\n    antediluvians. It was also known to the ancients of the West.\n    However, it is evident that very little iron was among them, as\n    very few instances of its discovery in their works have occurred;\n    and for this very reason, we draw a conclusion that _they came to\n    this country very soon after the dispersion_.--(Priest's _American\n    Antiquities_, 1833).\n\nThe following is from Rev. D. Lowry's Reply to Official Inquiries\nrespecting the Aborigines of America, written in 1848, and given in\nSchoolcraft's \"Ethnological Researches,\" &c., vol. iii., published in\n1853.\n\n    \"In view of the best light and information which I have been\n    able to collect on the subject, my opinion is that the earliest\n    inhabitants of America were the descendants of Ham, the youngest\n    son of Noah; and that THE FIRST SETTLEMENT WAS MADE SHORTLY AFTER\n    THE CONFUSION OF TONGUES AT THE BUILDING OF THE TOWER OF BABEL.\n    Moses tells us that about that period 'the Lord scattered the\n    people abroad upon the face of the whole earth.' (Gen. 2: 8, 9).\n    America, then, according to this portion of sacred history, was at\n    that time re-occupied by man; for the writer could not have meant\n    by 'all the earth' only about one-half of it.\"\n\nProfessor T. H. Lewis, an archaeologist of St. Paul, Minnesota, (U. S.\nA.), who a few years since, made some explorations among the mounds\nand earthworks of North Dakota, is of the opinion that there were\ntwo separate races in Ancient America. He derived this opinion from\nexamining mounds and their contents, which are found in that locality\nand in many other parts of North America. (Correspondent to Denver\n_News_, 1890.)\n\nProfessor F. W. Putnam, in an article in the _Century Magazine_ for\nMarch, 1890, on \"Prehistoric Remains in the Ohio Valley,\" advocates\nhis belief, based upon discoveries and {270} observations in ancient\nburying grounds, that two races have inhabited America in olden times,\nand that one originated from the north and the other from the south.\n\nThe Book of Mormon makes it clear that the Jaredites occupied that part\nof the country known as North America, (See Book of Omni, 1: 23), while\nthe race that succeeded them originated in South America, but spread\ntowards the north. (See Book of Alma, 22: 30-34).\n\nA correspondent writing to the New York _Herald_ from San Diego,\nCalifornia, under date of December 10, 1849, says:\n\n    \"Unlike anything heretofore discovered on this continent, or indeed\n    in the whole world, we here have presented to our views, as we now\n    firmly believe, the unbroken history of a people that existed not\n    only for a great length of time since the building of the Egyptian\n    pyramids, but contemporary with them, and, what is more wonderful\n    still, far back and yet still farther into the mazes of antiquity.\"\n\nIn Harper's _Weekly_ for October, 1879, (published in New York), is an\narticle by Henry C. Walsh, entitled \"Copan: a City of the Dead.\" In it\nhe says:\n\n    \"During the progress of the excavations made by the last Peabody\n    expedition Mr. Gordon discovered a stone pavement at the southern\n    end of the great plaza. By digging downwards he came to the walls\n    and chambers of a building more ancient than and of a different\n    character from those now above the surface. Here were found\n    tablets inscribed with characters varying materially from those\n    on the known monuments. In the adjoining structures above ground\n    were found blocks of stone, used in the construction, which\n    had evidently been cut from older sculptures. _All this points\n    to successive periods of occupation_, of which there are other\n    evidences.\"\n\nORIGIN BEFORE THE CHRISTIAN ERA.\n\nThe Book of Mormon states that about 600 years before the birth of\nChrist a small colony of the Hebrew race left Jerusalem and was led\nby the Lord to the shores of America. This colony was composed, on\nthe commencement of its journey, of two heads of families, Lehi and\nIshmael, their wives and children, and a man named Zoram. They observed\nthe law of Moses, and took with them a record of their forefathers,\ncontaining the five books of Moses, giving an account of the creation\nof the world, of Adam and Eve, and also of the Jews from the beginning\ndown to the commencement of the reign of Zedekiah, king of Judah. This\nrecord was engraved on plates of brass. The youngest of the four sons\nof Lehi, Nephi by name, was the leading spirit in the company. He\nalso commenced a record of their doing, which he engraved {271} upon\nplates of metal in the language of the Egyptians, and in what their\ndescendants called reformed Egyptian characters. (See I Nephi, also\nMosiah 1: 4, and Mormon 9: 32-33).\n\nThat the origin of the American Indians dates back to some period\nbefore the Christian era is testified to by a number of archaeologists.\nProfessor Waterman, of Boston, Massachusetts, in a lecture delivered\nin the Fine Arts Academy, Bristol, in 1849, speaking of the time the\nforefathers of the Indians went to America, says:\n\n    \"When and whence, then, did they come? Albert Galatin, one of\n    the profoundest philologists of the age, concluded that, so far\n    as language afforded any clue, the time of their arrival could\n    not have been long after the dispersion of the human family. Dr.\n    Morton, after a series of investigations of many of the human\n    crania found in the sepulchral mounds concluded that they must have\n    dated back _at least_ 2000 _or_ 3000 _years_. It would not seem\n    that all the family to which they belonged came with them, as they\n    were but representatives of a people still in existence in the Old\n    World, or who had become extinct since they emigrated. This people\n    could not have been created in Africa, for its inhabitants were\n    widely dissimilar to those of America; nor in Europe, which was\n    without a native people agreeing at all with American races: then\n    to Asia alone could they look for the origin of the American.\"\n\nNot only does the above quotation express the opinion of scholars that\nthe race referred to originated before the Christian era, but that it\noriginated in Asia, which agrees with the statements in the Book of\nMormon.\n\nThe following is taken from the Abb\u00e9 Don Lorenzo Hervas' Letter to the\nAbb\u00e9 Clavigero upon the Mexican Calendar, translated by Cullen and\npublished in England in 1787:\n\n    \"This Calendar has not been the discovery of the Mexicans, but a\n    communication from some more enlightened people; and as the last\n    are not to be found in America, we must seek for them elsewhere,\n    in Asia or in Egypt. This supposition is confirmed by your\n    affirmation, that the Mexicans had their Calendar from the Toltecas\n    (originating from Asia), whose year, according to Boturini, was\n    exactly adjusted by the course of the sun, _more than a hundred\n    years before the Christian era_.\"\n\nDr. Wendell Mees, of Ithaca, New York, in an article published in a\nScandinavian paper, _Verdens Gang_, sets forth his views in regard to\nthe origin of the Aztecs, or ancient inhabitants of Mexico. He is of\nthe belief that they went over to America \"_as early as the fourth\ncentury before Christ_.\"\n\nOF HEBREW ORIGIN.\n\nThe evidences that the American Indians are of Hebrew origin are quite\nnumerous and most conclusive.\n\n{272}\n\nThe following is from Adair's \"_History of the American Indians_,\"\npublished in London, in 1775:\n\n    \"All the various nations of Indians seem to be of one descent. They\n    call a buffalo, in their various dialects, by one and the same\n    name, 'Yanasa.' And there is a strong similarity of religious rites\n    and of civil and martial customs among all the various American\n    nations of Indians we have any knowledge of on the extensive\n    continent, as will soon be shown. Their language is copious\n    and very expressive, for their narrow orbit of ideas, and full\n    of rhetorical tropes and figures, like the orientalists. . . .\n    From the most exact observations I could make in the long time\n    I traded among the Indian Americans, I was forced to believe\n    them lineally descended from the Israelites, either while they\n    were a maritime power or _soon after the general captivity_: the\n    latter, however, is the most probable. ... As the Israelites were\n    divided into tribes, and had chiefs over them, so the Indians\n    divide themselves. Each tribe forms a little community within the\n    nation; and as the nation hath its particular symbol, so hath each\n    tribe the badge from which it is denominated. The sachem of each\n    tribe is a necessary party in conveyances and treaties, to which\n    he affixes the mark of his tribe, as a corporation with us doth\n    their public seal. If we go from nation to nation among them, we\n    shall not find one who doth not lineally distinguish himself by\n    his respective family. . . . Every town has a state-house, or\n    synedrion, as the Jewish sanhedrim, where, almost every night,\n    the head men convene about public business. . . . These Indian\n    Americans pay their religious devoir to _Loak Ishtohoollo-Aba_,\n    'the great, beneficent, supreme, holy spirit of fire,' who resides\n    (as they think) above the clouds, and on earth also with unpolluted\n    people. He is with them the sole author of warmth, light, and\n    of all animal and vegetable life. They do not pay the least\n    perceivable adoration to any images, or to dead persons, neither\n    to the celestial luminaries, nor evil spirits, nor any created\n    being whatsoever. . . . They flatter themselves with the name\n    _hottuh oretoopah_, 'the beloved people,' because their supposed\n    ancestors, as they affirm, were under the immediate government of\n    the Deity, who was present with them in a very particular manner,\n    and directed them by prophets, while the rest of the world were\n    aliens and outlaws to the covenant. . . . The Indian language and\n    dialects appear to have the very idiom and genius of the Hebrew.\n    Their words and sentences are expressive, concise, emphatical,\n    sonorous, and bold, and often, both in letters and signification,\n    synonymous with the Hebrew language. . . They use many plain\n    religious emblems of the Divine names, Yohewah, Yah, and Ale; and\n    these are the roots of a prodigious number of words through their\n    various dialects. . . In conformity to, or after the manner of the\n    Jews, the Indian Americans have their prophets, high priests, and\n    others of a religious order. As the Jews had a sanctum sanctorum,\n    or most holy place, so have all the Indian nations. . . . . The\n    Indian tradition says that their forefathers were possessed of\n    an extraordinary divine spirit, by which they foretold things\n    future, and controlled the common course of nature; and this they\n    transmitted to their offspring, provided they obeyed the sacred\n    laws annexed to it. . . . As the prophets of the Hebrews had\n    oracular {273} answers, so the Indian magi (who are to invoke Yo\n    He Wah and mediate with the supreme holy fire, that he may give\n    seasonable rains), have a transparent stone of supposed great power\n    in assisting to bring down the rain. . . . The Hebrews offered\n    _daily sacrifice_. . . . The Indians have a similar religious\n    service. . . . The Indians have among them the resemblance of the\n    Jewish _sin offering_ and _trespass-offering_. . . . The Indians\n    observe another religious custom of the Hebrews in making a\n    _peace-offering_. . . . They always celebrate the annual expiation\n    of sins in their religious temples. The red Hebrews imagine their\n    temples to have such a typical holiness, more than any other\n    place, that if they offered up the Annual Sacrifice elsewhere,\n    it would not atone for the people. . . . The Hebrews had various\n    _ablutions_ and _anointings_, according to the Mosaic ritual,\n    and all the Indian nations constantly observe similar customs\n    from religious motives. . . . In the coldest weather, and when\n    the ground is covered with snow, against their bodily ease and\n    pleasure, men and children turn out of their warm houses or stoves,\n    reeking with sweat, singing their usual sacred notes, _Yo, Yo_,\n    &c., at the dawn of day, adoring Yo He Wah, at the gladsome sight\n    of the morn; and thus they skip along, echoing praises, till they\n    get to the river, when they instantaneously plunge into it. . . .\n    This law of purity (bathing in water) was essential to the Jews,\n    and the Indians to this day would exclude the men from religious\n    communion who neglected to observe it. . . . 'Tis well known that\n    oil was applied by the Jews to the most sacred as well as common\n    uses: their kings, prophets, and priests, at their inauguration\n    and consecration, were _anointed with oil_. . . . Like the Jews,\n    the greatest part of the Southern Indians _abstain_ from the most\n    things that are in themselves, or in general apprehension of\n    mankind, loathsome, or _unclean_. . . . They reckon all birds of\n    prey and birds of night to be unclean and unlawful to be eaten. . .\n    None of them will eat of any animal whatsoever, if they either know\n    or suspect that it died of itself. . . . They reckon all those\n    animals to be unclean that are either carnivorous or live on nasty\n    food, as hogs, wolves, panthers, foxes, cats, mice, rats. . . . The\n    Indians, through a strong principle of religion, abstain in the\n    strictest manner from eating the _blood_ of any animal. . . . The\n    Indian _marriages, divorces_, and _punishments_ of _adultery_ still\n    retain a strong likeness to the Jewish laws and customs in these\n    points. . . . . Many other of the Indian _punishments_ resemble\n    those of the Jews. . . The Indians strictly adhere more than the\n    rest of mankind to that positive, unrepealed law of Moses, 'He\n    who sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed.' . . .\n    There never was any set of people who pursued the Mosaic law of\n    _retaliation_ with such a fixed eagerness as these Americans. . .\n    They forgive all crimes at the Annual Atonement of sins, except\n    murder, which is always punished with death. . . . The Israelites\n    had _cities of refuge_, or places of safety, for those who killed\n    a person unawares and without design. . . . According to the same\n    particular divine law of mercy, each of these Indian nations have\n    either a house or town of refuge, which is a sure asylum to protect\n    a manslayer, or the unfortunate captive, if they can once enter\n    into it Before the Indians go to war, they have many preparatory\n    ceremonies of _purification_ and _fasting_, like what is recorded\n    of the Israelites. . . . The Indian ark is deemed so sacred and\n    dangerous to be touched, either by their own sanctified warriors\n    or the spoiling enemy, that they durst not {274} touch it upon\n    any account. . . . The warriors consider themselves as devoted\n    to God, apart from the rest of the people, while they are at war\n    accompanying the sacred ark with the supposed holy things it\n    contains. . . . When they return home victorious over the enemy,\n    they sing the triumphal song to Yo He Wah, ascribing the victory to\n    him, according to a religious custom of the Israelites, who were\n    commanded always to attribute their success in war to Jehovah, and\n    not to their swords and arrows.\n\n    \"The Indian manner of _curing their sick_ is very similar to that\n    of the Jews. They always invoke Yo He Wah a considerable space of\n    time before they apply any medicines, let the case require ever so\n    speedy an application. The more desperately ill their patients are,\n    the more earnestly they invoke the Deity on the sad occasion. . . .\n    The Indians deem the curing their sick or wounded a very religious\n    duty, and it is chiefly performed by their supposed prophets and\n    magi, because they believe they are inspired with a great portion\n    of divine fire. . . . The surviving brother, by Mosaic law, was to\n    _raise seed_ to a deceased brother who left a widow childless, to\n    perpetuate his name and family, and inherit his goods and estate,\n    or be degraded. The Indian custom looks the very same way; yet\n    it is in this as in their law of blood--the eldest brother can\n    redeem. . . Emanuel de Moraes and Acosta affirm that the Brazilians\n    marry in their own family or tribe. And Jo. de Laet says they call\n    their uncles and aunts 'fathers and mothers,' which is a custom of\n    the Hebrews and of all our North American Indians; and he assures\n    us they mourn very much for their dead, and that their clothes are\n    like those of the early Jews. . . Acosta writes that the clothes\n    of the South American Indians are shaped like those of the ancient\n    Jews. . . Laet, (in his description of America), and Escarbotus\n    assure us they often heard the South American Indians to repeat the\n    sacred word _Halliluiah_, which made them admire how they first\n    attained it. And Malvenda says that the natives of St. Michael had\n    tombstones, which the Spaniards digged up, with several ancient\n    Hebrew characters upon them. Peter Martyr writes that the Indian\n    widow married the brother of her deceased husband, according to\n    the Mosaic law. . . . Robert Williams, the first Englishman in New\n    England, who is said to have learned the Indian language, in order\n    to convert the natives, believed them to be Jews.\"\n\nSquier's \"Antiquities of the State of New York,\" published in Buffalo,\nin 1851, confirms a number of the statements made by Adair, which are\nreproduced in the above extracts from his \"History of the American\nIndians.\" Squier's work also mentions other similarities that exist\nbetween the customs of the Israelites and the Indians.\n\nINDIAN CUSTOMS.\n\nSchoolcraft's \"Ethnological Researches,\" Vol. I (published in 1851)\nsays respecting some of the Indians' customs:\n\n    \"In regard to the manners, customs, habits, &c, of the wild tribes\n    of the Western territory, a true and more correct type than any\n    I have ever seen may be found in the ancient history of the Jews\n    or {275} Israelites after their liberation from Egyptian bondage.\n    The 'Medicine Lodge' of the Indian may be compared to the place of\n    worship or tabernacle of the Jews; and the sacrifices, offerings,\n    purifications, ablutions, and anointings may be all found amongst\n    and practiced by those people. The manner of mourning for a\n    deceased relative is very similar to that of the Israelites. . . .\n    There could be very numerous and similar analogies made between the\n    manners and customs of those people and those of the Jews.\"\n\nThe following is taken from Civero and Von Tscudi's \"_Peruvian\nAntiquities_,\" translated from the original Spanish by Dr. Hawks, and\npublished in New York in 1854.\n\n    \"Like the Jews, the Indians offer their first fruits; they\n    keep their new moons, and the feast of expiations at the end\n    of September, or in the beginning of October; they divide the\n    year into four seasons, corresponding with the Jewish festivals.\n    According to Charlevoix and Long, the brother of a deceased husband\n    receives his widow into his house as a guest, and after a suitable\n    time considers her as a legitimate consort. In some parts of North\n    America circumcision is practiced, and of this Acosta and Lopez\n    de Gomara make mention. But that which most tends to fortify the\n    opinion as to the Hebrew origin of the American tribes, is a\n    species of ark, seemingly like that of the Old Testament; this the\n    Indians take with them to war: it is never permitted to touch the\n    ground, but rests upon stones or pieces of wood, it being deemed\n    sacrilegious and unlawful to open it or look into it. The American\n    priests scrupulously guard their sanctuary, and the high priest\n    carries on his breast a white shell adorned with precious stones,\n    which recalls the _Urim_ of the Jewish high priest; of whom we are\n    also reminded by a band of white plumes on his forehead.\"\n\nINDIAN PRACTICE RESEMBLING THE PASSOVER.\n\n    \"It is not generally known that there is a marvelous coincidence\n    between the traditional stories of the North American Indians and\n    the Bible story of the Israelites in Egypt. For instance, in the\n    spring of each year, about the time of the Jewish Passover, a white\n    dog--the animal must be without spot and blemish--is sacrificed\n    by the Blood Indians of North-West Canada. The coincidence would\n    be greater if a sheep were used; but there _are no sheep_ in the\n    territory, and hence a white dog is used. The blood of the animal\n    is then sprinkled on the entrances to the Indian tepees or wigwams.\n    The flesh, of the animal is afterwards roasted at midnight, and the\n    whole camp partake of it, _with loins girt_, and in full marching\n    order, just as the Israelites did in the time of Pharaoh. When\n    the food has been eaten, the entire camp silently march into the\n    woods, a distance of several miles. There the medicine-men go\n    apart, and privately plant some tobacco-seed, the fruit of which,\n    when ripe, is used for the same ceremony the following year. This\n    is a marvelous coincidence, and the missionaries to that region\n    say the custom has been handed down from times immemorial. This\n    curious tradition is now published for the first time.\"--_Sunday\n    Companion_, November 28, 1896.\n\n{276}\n\nTRADITION OF A SACRED BOOK. A work on the origin of the American\nIndians, by C. Colton, (London, 1833), says respecting their\ntraditional belief:\n\n    \"They assert that a book was once in possession of their\n    ancestors, and along with this recognition they have traditions\n    that the Great Spirit used to foretell to their fathers future\n    events; that He controlled nature in their favor; that angels\n    once talked with them; that all the Indian tribes descended from\n    one man, who had twelve sons; that this man was a notable and\n    renowned prince, having great dominions; and that the Indians, his\n    posterity, will yet recover the same dominion and influence. They\n    believe, by tradition, that the spirit of prophecy and miraculous\n    interposition, once enjoyed by their ancestors, will yet be\n    restored to them, and that they will recover the book, all of which\n    has been so long lost.\"\n\nThis tradition is a remarkable corroboration of the record contained in\nthe Book of Mormon.\n\nThe testimony on record to prove that the Ancient Indians are of\nIsraelitish origin is too voluminous to reproduce here. The above\nis sufficient and conclusive. Lord Kingsborough's great work on the\n\"Antiquities of Mexico,\" published in 1830-37, was written especially\nto prove that the Indians were Israelites.\n\nACQUAINTED WITH THE OLD TESTAMENT RECORD.\n\nThat the ancient inhabitants of America were acquainted with the record\nof many events recorded in the Old Testament is amply shown by their\ntraditions, their paintings, books and inscriptions.\n\nLord Kingsborough says concerning the Mexican Indians:\n\n    \"I cannot fail to remark that one of the arguments which persuades\n    me to believe that this nation descends from the Hebrews is to see\n    the knowledge they have of the book of Genesis. . . . .\n\n    \"It is impossible on reading what Mexican Mythology records of the\n    war in heaven, and the fall of Zontemoque and other rebellious\n    spirits; of the creation of light by the word of Toncatlecuti,\n    and of the division of the waters; of the sin of Yzclacolinhqui,\n    and his blindness and his nakedness; and of the temptation of\n    Suchequecal and her disobedience in gathering roses from a tree,\n    and the consequent misery and disgrace of herself and all her\n    posterity, not to recognize scriptural analogies. But the Mexican\n    tradition of the deluge is that which bears the most unequivocal\n    marks of having been derived from a Hebrew source. This tradition\n    records that a few persons escaped in the Ahuchueti, or ark of\n    fir, when the earth was swallowed up by the deluge, the chief of\n    whom was named Palecath of Cipaquetona: and he invented the art of\n    making wine; that Xelua, one of his descendants, or at least one\n    of those who escaped in the ark, was present at the building of\n    a high tower, which the succeeding generation constructed with a\n    view of escaping from the deluge, should it {277} again occur: the\n    Toncatlecutli, incensed at their presumption, destroyed the tower\n    by lightning, confounded their language and dispersed them; and\n    that Xelua led a colony to the new World.\"--Mexican _Antiquities_,\n    Vol. VI, p. 401.\n\nTRADITION OF MOSES.\n\nThe same writer also makes the following statement respecting the\nancient Americans' knowledge of the story of Moses:\n\n    \"A very remarkable representation of the ten plagues which God\n    sent on Egypt, occurs in the eleventh and twelfth pages of the\n    Borgian Ms. Moses is there painted, holding up in his left hand his\n    rod, which became a serpent; and, with a furious gesture, calling\n    down the plagues upon the Egyptians. These plagues were frogs,\n    locusts, lice, flies, etc., all of which are represented in the\n    pages referred to; but the last and most dreadful were the thick\n    darkness which overspread Egypt for three days, and the death of\n    the firstborn of the Egyptians.\n\n    \"The curious symbol of one serpent swallowing up others,\n    likewise occurs in the nineteenth page of the same Ms. It is not\n    extraordinary that the Mexicans, who were acquainted with one\n    portion of the exodus--that relating to the children of Israel\n    journeying from Egypt--should also not have been ignorant of\n    another.\"\n\nTRADITION OF EVE.\n\nBernardino de Sahagun, a Franciscan missionary and historian of the\nsixteenth century, author of \"Historia Universal de Nueva Espa\u00f1ia,\"\nsays concerning the Aztec tradition of Eve:\n\n    \"This woman was the first who existed in the world, and the mother\n    of the whole human race; who was tempted by the serpent who\n    appeared to her in the terrestrial paradise, and discoursed with\n    her, to persuade her to transgress the command of God, and that is\n    likewise true, that after having committed sin, etc., she bore a\n    son and a daughter at the same birth, and that the son was named\n    Cain and the daughter Calmana; and that afterwards she brought\n    forth a second birth, Abel, and his sister Delborah, so that she\n    bore them by twin birth.\"\n\nProf. Short, in his \"North Americans of Antiquity,\" page 238, quotes\nfrom the native writer, Intellxochitl, as follows:\n\nTRADITION OF THE FLOOD.\n\n    \"It is found in the histories of the Toltecs, that this age and\n    first world, as they call it, lasted seventeen hundred and sixteen\n    years; then men were destroyed by tremendous rains and lightnings\n    from the sky, and even all the land, without exception of anything,\n    and the highest mountains were covered up and submerged in water\n    'caxolmoletli' or fifteen cubits, and here they add other fables\n    of how men came to multiply from the few who escaped from this\n    destruction in a toptlipetlacali, this word signifies a close\n    chest.\"\n\n    {278} \"No tradition has been more widely spread among nations than\n    that of a Deluge. . . . It was the received notion under some\n    form or other, of the most civilized people in the Old World, and\n    of the barbarians of the New. The Aztecs combined with this some\n    particular circumstances of a more arbitrary character, resembling\n    the accounts of the east. They believed that two persons survived\n    the Deluge, a man named Coxcox and his wife. Their heads are\n    represented in ancient painting, together with a boat floating on\n    the waters at the foot of a mountain. A dove is also depicted,\n    with a hieroglyphical emblem of language in his mouth, which he is\n    distributing to the children of Coxcox, who were born dumb. The\n    neighboring people of Michoacan, inhabiting the same high plains\n    of the Andes, had a still further tradition, that the boat in\n    which Tegpi, their Noah, escaped, was filled with various kinds of\n    animals and birds. After some time, a vulture was sent out from it,\n    but remained feeding on the dead bodies of the giants which had\n    been left on the earth, as the waters subsided. The little humming\n    bird, _huitzitzilin_, was then set forth, and returned with a twig\n    in his mouth. The coincidence of both these accounts with the\n    Hebrew and Chaldean narratives is obvious.\"--\"Conquest of Mexico,\"\n    by W. H. Prescott, (pages 463-4).\n\nLED BY YOUNGEST BROTHER.\n\nFernando Montesinos, the Spanish historian of Peru says of the\nPeruvians:\n\n    \"That nation was originated by a people led by four brothers, the\n    youngest of these brothers assumed supreme authority, and became\n    the first of a long line of sovereigns.\" (See Book of Mormon, Book\n    of Jacob, 1: 9-11).\n\nENGRAVED ON PLATES OF METAL.\n\nA writer by the name of C. W. Wandell says:\n\n    \"There can be no well-founded objection to the Nephite record, from\n    the material on which it is engraved; for the gold plate worn on\n    Aaron's head, on which was written 'Holiness to the Lord,' proves\n    that the idea was known to them. Bishop Watson says: 'The Hebrews\n    went so far as to write their sacred books in gold, as we may learn\n    from Josephus compared with Pliny.' (Watson's Bib. and Theo. Dic.\n    Art. Writings).\n\n    \"Nor is the modern, book-like form of the volume any argument\n    against its antiquity; for Bishop Watson in the same place says:\n    'Those books which were inscribed on tablets of wood, lead, brass\n    or ivory were connected together by rings at the back, through\n    which a rod was passed to carry them.'\"\n\nEGYPTIAN WRITINGS.\n\nA writer in the _Foreign Quarterly Review_ for October, 1836, says:\n\n    \"Lastly, the eye of the antiquarian cannot fail to be both\n    attracted and fixed by evidences of the existence of two great\n    branches of the {279} hieroglyphical language--both having striking\n    affinities with the Egyptian, and yet distinguished from it by\n    characteristics perfectly American. One is the picture-writing\n    peculiar to the Mexicans, and which displays several striking\n    traits of assimilation to the anaglyphs, and the historical tablets\n    of the Egyptian temples. The second is a pure hieroglyphical\n    language, to which little attention has hitherto been called, which\n    appears to have been peculiar to the Tultecan or some still more\n    ancient nation that preceded the Mexicans; which was as complete\n    as the Egyptian in its double constituency of a symbolic and a\n    phonetic alphabet, and which, as far as we can judge, appears to\n    have rivalled the Egyptian in its completeness, while in some\n    respects it excelled it in its regularity and beauty.\"\n\n    Dr. August Le Plongeon, the eminent archaeologist of New York, in\n    the _Review of Reviews_ for July, 1895, announces the discovery of\n    the _sacred alphabet_ of the Mayas (the Indian tribe of Central\n    America) is practically identical with that of the Egyptians, and\n    that the grammatical structure of the two tongues is strikingly\n    similar, many words and characters having the same meaning in\n    both. His conclusion is that both these people acquired the art of\n    writing from a common source.\n\n    This is in strict harmony with the statements made in the Book of\n    Mormon. Nephi states in the first chapter of his book (Book or\n    Mormon, page 1) that he made his record, which was sacred, in \"the\n    language of the Egyptians.\" Mosiah confirms this statement (Mosiah\n    1: 4); and Mormon says that it was written in characters which his\n    people called \"reformed Egyptian,\" (Mormon 9: 32).\n\n    The Book of Mormon states that the descendants of the colonists\n    from the Tower of Babel and of those from Jerusalem attained to\n    a high degree of civilization, were acquainted with many arts;\n    and also that they became very wicked, and destroyed each other\n    in fiercely-fought battles. (See Mormon, chapter 6; also Ether,\n    15: 2). The record gives the information that the first nation\n    cultivated all kinds of fruit and grain; that they manufactured\n    silk and fine linen, and possessed gold, silver and other precious\n    things; that they had domestic animals, such as cattle, sheep,\n    goats, swine, horses, elephants and others. (See Book of Ether,\n    9: 17, 18, 19). The second nation found these same animals in the\n    country (see I Nephi 18: 25). It is also recorded that the latter\n    people built cities (Alma 21: 2) and temples (II Nephi 5: 16); that\n    they had coins of gold and silver (Alma 9: 4-19), and used these\n    and other metals in the arts, (Jarom 1: 8); and that many records\n    were kept by the people, (Helaman 3: 13).\n\n    The evidences that the ancient peoples of America were {280} highly\n    civilized are numerous and undisputable. Only a very few of the\n    many descriptions of ancient ruins discovered in various parts of\n    America are given in the following extracts:\n\nEVIDENCES OF ADVANCED CIVILIZATION--RUINS DISCOVERED.\n\n    \"Much has been done in recent years to throw light upon the history\n    of the ancient races of the east, but comparatively little interest\n    has been taken, even by American archaeologists and scientists,\n    in the ancient and marvelous civilization whose traces are to be\n    found scattered over our continent, particularly in Central America\n    and Mexico. That a civilization once flourished in these regions,\n    much higher than any of the Spanish conquerors found upon their\n    arrival, there can be no doubt. By far the most important work\n    that has been done among the remains of the old Maya civilization\n    has been carried on by the Peabody Museum of Harvard College,\n    through a series of expeditions it has sent to the buried city\n    now called Copan, in Spanish Honduras. In a beautiful valley near\n    the borderland of Guatemala, surrounded by steep mountains and\n    watered by a winding river, the hoary city lies wrapped in the\n    sleep of ages. The ruins at Copan, although in a more advanced\n    state of destruction than those of the Maya cities of Yucatan, have\n    a general similarity to the latter in the design of the buildings\n    and in the sculptures, while the characters in the inscriptions\n    are essentially the same. It would seem, therefore, that Copan\n    was a city of the Mayas; but if so it must have been one of their\n    most ancient settlements, fallen into decay long before the cities\n    in Yucatan reached their prime. The Maya civilization was totally\n    distinct from the Aztec or Mexican; it was an older and also a much\n    higher civilization.\n\n    \"So far the Peabody expeditions have confined their attention to\n    the temples and palaces, and though for several seasons quite a\n    little army of natives has been engaged in excavating, yet the work\n    that has been accomplished amounts to little in comparison with\n    that which remains to be done. To clear the main structure alone\n    will be the work of years. Could the vast structures be restored,\n    our greatest buildings would seem as pygmies in comparison;\n    and certainly no city of the modern world could boast such a\n    profuseness and richness of carved and sculptured ornamentations.\"\n    --Henry C. Walsh, _in Harper's Weekly, October_, 1897.\n\nINDIANS ALL OF ONE ORIGIN.\n\nMr. Bradford in his researches into the origin of the red race, adopts\nthe following conclusions in regard to the ancient occupants of North\nAmerica:\n\n    \"That they were all of the same origin, branches of the same race\n    and possessed of similar customs and institutions.\n\n    \"That they were populous and occupied a great extent of territory.\n\n    \"That they had arrived at a considerable degree of civilization,\n    were associated in large communities and lived in extensive cities.\n\n    \"That they possessed the use of many of the metals, such as lead,\n    copper, gold, and silver, and probably the art of working in them.\n\n    \"That they sculptured in stone and sometimes used that material in\n    the construction of their edifices.\n\n    {281} \"That they had the knowledge of the arch of receding steps;\n    of the art of pottery, producing urns and utensils formed with\n    taste and constructed upon the principles of chemical composition;\n    and the art of brick-making.\n\n    \"That they worked the salt springs, and manufactured salt.\n\n    \"That they were an agricultural people, living under the influence\n    and protection of regular forms of governments.\n\n    \"That they possessed a decided system of religion, and a mythology\n    connected with astronomy, which, with its sister science, geometry,\n    was in the hands of the priesthood.\n\n    \"That they were skilled in the art of fortification.\n\n    \"That the epoch of their original settlement in the United States\n    is of great antiquity; and\n\n    \"That the only indications of their origin to be gathered from\n    the locality of their ruined monuments, point toward Mexico.\"\n    --_Baldwin's Ancient America_.\n\nRUINS IN YUCATAN.\n\n    \"Yucatan is the grave of a great nation that has mysteriously\n    passed away and left behind no history. Every forest embosoms the\n    majestic remains of vast temples, sculptured over with symbols of a\n    lost creed, and noble cities, whose stately palaces and causeways\n    attest in their mournful abandonment the colossal grandeur of\n    their builder. They are the gigantic tombs of an illustrious race,\n    but they bear neither name nor epitaph. The conscience-stricken\n    awe with which the Indian avoids them as he relates a confused\n    tradition of a whole people extinguished in blood and fire by his\n    forefathers--a ferocious and cannibal race delighting in human\n    sacrifices--are all that even conjecture can say of the manner in\n    which the ancient occupants of Yucatan were blotted, en masse,\n    from the page of existence. The barbarous exterminators remained\n    the masters of the country, and built them rude huts under the\n    shadow of those immense edifices which are still the marvel and the\n    mystery of Yucatan. On many of these singular edifices is stamped\n    the blood-red impress of a human hand--a fit symbol of the rule of\n    blood to which it has so constantly been the victim. This 'bloody\n    hand' was imprinted with evident purpose on the still yielding\n    stucco of the new-built walls, and presents every line and curve\n    in life-like distinctness; but the explanation of the symbol is\n    unknown.\"--_New York Sun, June 8_, 1848.\n\nANCIENT GLASS JAR.\n\n    \"In the shaft of J. L. Duncan and Co., on the ridge between the\n    Middle and South Yubas, in this county, at the distance of 176 feet\n    below the surface of the ground, was found, on the 26th December, a\n    curiously-fashioned glass bottle or jar, which was dug up in hard\n    cement. After removing the reddish coating, an eight of an inch\n    thick, which attached to the outside, and thoroughly washing it,\n    it was found to be of a light color and perfectly transparent. It\n    somewhat resembled a small-sized pickle-jar, but has a longer neck\n    and a flat bottom. It must have been lying in the silent spot where\n    it was found for many hundred years.\"--_Nevada Journal_.\n\nA RUINED CITY.\n\n    \"I must not, however, forget to mention that there has lately been\n    discovered, in the province of Vera Paz, 150 miles north-east\n    {282} of Guatemala, buried in a dense forest, and far from any\n    settlements, a ruined city, surpassing Copan or Palenque in extent\n    and magnificence, and displaying a degree of art to which none of\n    the structures of Yucatan can lay claim.\"--_From a letter by Mr. E.\n    G. Squier, read before the American Ethnological Society, October_\n    17, 1849.\n\nANCIENT COINS AND IMPLEMENTS.\n\n    \"While some hands were digging out a cellar in Botetourt County,\n    Va., they came upon a quantity of coin, consisting of some eight\n    pieces, in an iron box about 14 inches square. The coin was larger\n    than a dollar, and the inscription in a language wholly unknown\n    to any person in the vicinity. Upon digging down some 16 inches\n    lower, they came to a quantity of iron implements of singular and\n    heretofore unseen shape. Several scientific gentlemen have examined\n    into the matter, and have come to the conclusion that the coins,\n    together with the other curiosities, must have been placed there at\n    an extremely early date, and before the settlement of the country.\"\n    --_New York Despatch_.\n\nThe Book of Mormon states that at the time of the Savior's crucifixion\na great and terrible destruction took place upon the continent of\nAmerica. It also contains a record of the Savior's appearance and\nministry on that continent after His resurrection. (See III Nephi).\n\nDESTRUCTION AT THE TIME OF THE CRUCIFIXION.\n\nConcerning the destruction that occurred at the time of the\ncrucifixion, the record says:\n\n    \"And it came to pass in the thirty and fourth year, in the first\n    month, in the fourth day of the month, there arose a great storm,\n    such an one as never had been known in all the land;\n\n    \"And there was also a great and terrible tempest; and there was\n    terrible thunder, insomuch, that it did shake the whole earth as if\n    it was about to divide asunder;\n\n    \"And there were exceeding sharp lightnings, such as never had been\n    known in all the land.\n\n    \"And the city of Zarahemla did take fire;\n\n    \"And the city of Moroni did sink into the depths of the sea, and\n    the inhabitants thereof were drowned;\n\n    \"And the earth was carried up upon the city of Moronihah, that in\n    the place of the city thereof, there became a great mountain;\n\n    \"And there was a great and terrible destruction in the land\n    southward.\n\n    \"But behold, there was a more great and terrible destruction in the\n    land northward; for behold, the whole face of the land was changed,\n    because of the tempest, and the whirlwinds, and the thunderings,\n    and the lightnings, and the exceeding great quaking of the whole\n    earth;\n\n    \"And the highways were broken up, and the level roads were spoiled,\n    and many smooth places became rough,\n\n    \"And many great and notable cities were sunk, and many were {283}\n    burned, and many were shook till the buildings thereof had fallen\n    to the earth, and the inhabitants thereof were slain, and the\n    places were left desolate;\n\n    \"And there were some cities which remained; but the damage thereof\n    was exceeding great, and there were many in them who were slain.\"\n    (Ill Nephi 8: 5-15).\n\nRUINS ON THE RIDGE OF A MOUNTAIN,\n\nMr. William Niven, a well-known American mineralogist of New York gives\nthe following account of discoveries he made in the mountains of the\nstate of Guerrero, Mexico. His exploring trip was taken in the year\n1894:\n\n    \"About noon we camped at a spring in a deep canyon. The guide\n    promised to show us the first sign of ruins at a place called Yerba\n    Buena. We soon saw the first evidences of pre-historic structures,\n    which, however, were little more than foundations. But the surprise\n    at the top of the hill removed all doubts of the Indian's veracity,\n    for there before us was what was once evidently a great temple,\n    occupying a space of 200x300 feet. Climbing to the top of one tower\n    I found it covered with charcoal dust to the depth of eighteen\n    inches. Then we mounted our horses and traveled till dusk, nearly\n    ten miles, among the ruins of what was at one time a great city.\n    The houses, substantially built of stone and lime, had been from\n    fifty to eighty feet square. The ruins were found only on the\n    ridges of the mountains, while on the sides near the summit were\n    visible many foundations. After descending from the summit 400 or\n    500 feet there were no signs of ruins of any description. . . .\n    The ruins which I was fortunate enough to discover in Guerrero are\n    very extensive--much more so than I at first supposed. At a rather\n    rough estimate I should say that territory of over 900 square miles\n    was literally covered, foot by foot, with sections of ruins. Every\n    ridge and hilltop bore the remains of ancient temples, some of them\n    mammoth in proportions. . . . The ruins have the appearance of\n    belonging to one vast city, and subsequent investigations bore out\n    my first impressions on the matter. During the time I was occupied\n    in excavating I visited the ruins of twenty-two temples, with\n    altars in the centre of all of them from five to twenty feet high\n    and from ten to fifteen feet square.\"\n\nMr. Niven, in giving his opinion about the destruction of the great\ncity says:\n\n    \"Who were these people and how came they to disappear I cannot\n    answer. My impression is that once upon a time the country was one\n    vast plain. It was probably _submerged by a titanic convulsion of\n    nature_, and with it disappeared its people and their primitive\n    civilization. Later the _land was thrust up again_, as we see it\n    now, a barren, desolate waste. As the nearest water supply is\n    several miles distant, and that only a small spring, it is evident\n    that some great transformation in nature has taken place since the\n    land was populated.\"\n\nHow the ruined city visited by Mr. Niven came to be located upon\nmountain ridges can be understood from what is {284} recorded in the\nBook of Mormon. The city of Moronihah is mentioned as one which was\ndestroyed by being covered with earth and a mountain being raised in\nplace of it. It is quite probable that this pre-historic city situated\nin the interior of Mexico met a similar fate to that of Moronihah, and\nwas thrown up into its present position by some mighty upheaval of the\nearth's crust, for it is not at all likely that the city was originally\nbuilt upon a mountain. Mr. Niven's impression that the country was\nonce a vast plain is consistent with what may be inferred from the\naccount given in the Book of Mormon; and his belief that the remarkable\ntransformation of the country was caused by some great convulsion of\nnature is also in harmony with the statements made in the sacred book,\nand goes to confirm the truth of it.\n\nDESTROYED BY THE ACTION OF HEAT.\n\nAnother testimony to the destruction that took place, evidences of\nwhich still remain, is given in the following extract from the _San\nFrancisco Herald_:\n\n    \"Captain Walker assures us that the country from the Colorado to\n    the Rio Grande, between the Gila and San Juan, is full of ruined\n    habitations and cities, most of which are on the table-land. . . .\n    On that occasion he had penetrated about midway from the Colorado\n    into the wilderness, and had encamped near the Little Red River,\n    with the Sierra Blanca looming up to the south, when he noticed at\n    a little distance, an object that induced him to examine further.\n    As he approached, he found it to be a kind of citadel, around which\n    lay the ruins of a city more than a mile in length. It was located\n    on a gentle declivity that sloped towards Red River, and the lines\n    of the streets could be distinctly traced, running regularly at\n    right angles with each other. The houses had all been built of\n    stone, but _all had been reduced to ruins by the action of some\n    great heat, which had evidently passed over the whole country_. It\n    was not an ordinary conflagration, but must have been some fierce,\n    furnace-like blast of fire, similar to that issuing from a volcano,\n    as the stones were all burnt--some of them almost cindered, others\n    glazed as if melted. This appearance was visible in every ruin he\n    met with. A storm of fire seemed to have swept over the whole face\n    of the country, and the inhabitants must have fallen before it. In\n    the centre of this city we refer to rose abruptly a rock of 20 or\n    30 feet high, upon the top of which stood a portion of the walls of\n    what had once been an immense building. The outline of the building\n    was still distinct. . . . All the south end of the building seemed\n    to have been burnt to cinders and to have sunk to a mere pile of\n    rubbish. Even the rock on which it was built appeared to have been\n    partially fused by the heat.\"\n\nREMAINS FOUND UNDER LAVA BEDS.\n\nIn an article which appeared in the San Francisco _Bulletin_ several\nyears ago, Dr. D. L. Yates, says:\n\n    {285} \"It was said that California possesses some of the oldest\n    known relics on the continent. The first authenticated record of\n    the original occupants was found on the Table Mountain region in\n    Tuolumne County, and is of an age prior to the great volcanic\n    outburst. Fossil remains of the rhinoceros and an extinct horse\n    are found under the lava layers forming the Table Mountains,\n    which are 1,400 feet thick, 1,700 feet wide and many hundreds of\n    feet high, where the river beds have been washed out and have\n    been covered again to the depth of from three thousand to four\n    thousand feet more since the flow of the lava. This lava rests on\n    a bed of detritus, which is often entered by running tunnels. The\n    human relics and stone implements found in these formations give\n    evidence of human habitants differing from any known since. There\n    have been found spear heads, a pipe of polished stone, two scoops\n    of steleitic rock (resembling the grocer's scoop), an implement\n    of aragonite, resembling an unbent bow, but the use of which is\n    unknown and cannot be conjectured, a stone needle, with notches\n    at the larger end, and the finest charmstones that have ever been\n    found.\n\n    \"There have been brought to light the fossils of nine mastodons,\n    twenty elephants, various pachyderms in the Table Mountains,\n    numerous evidences of animal life in the calcareous formations in\n    the Texas flats, obsidian spear heads, fossils of the elephant,\n    horse and camel about Hornites, bones and evidences of pre-historic\n    human industry in Tulare, and in Trinity and Siskiyou many proofs\n    of the contemporaneous existence of man and extinct mammals.\"\n\nDISCOVERY OF A HIDDEN CITY.\n\nThe Philadelphia Record, z, few years ago published the following\ndespatch from Fort Davis, Texas:\n\n    \"A strange discovery has been lately made by a surveying party\n    of the Kansas City, El Paso and Mexico Railroad, at a point in\n    Southern Mexico, not very far from Las Cruces. Here, amid a\n    tremendous lava flow, a veritable sea of obsidian or black glass, a\n    hidden city has been discovered. . . .\n\n    \"The obsidian, molten or black glass at the moment of cooling\n    evidently became agitated, for it now lies in ragged waves and\n    billows of fantastic shape, some of the ridges from twelve to\n    fourteen feet high and capped like the sea waves with a combing\n    crest of greenish white. The action of the winds and elements have\n    literally burned some parts of this region into powdered dust.\n\n    \"At the northern extremity, where the unknown city lies partly\n    uncovered, the ruins of gigantic stone buildings peer forth\n    into the light of day. Some of these buildings are simply\n    tremendous. . . .\n\n    \"The whirlwind and sand augers have scooped out the dust, and thus\n    exposed the city. No legend or story exists to show how or when it\n    was founded, or whether it was abandoned or destroyed. The latter\n    seems most likely, and probably, too by an earthquake, at some\n    remote period which threw the lava and fire up. No volcano is known\n    to exist in the neighborhood.\"\n\nEVIDENCES OF GREAT ERUPTIONS.\n\nMany discoveries have been made that give evidence of great eruptions\nin America. The _San Francisco Herald_ stated {286} some years ago that\nMr. Butterfield, in running a tunnel in Table Mountain, near Sonora,\nCalifornia, found a trunk of a large pine tree, one hundred and ten\nfeet from the surface of the ground.\n\nMorse's Universal Geography states that in Cincinnati the stump of\na tree was found ninety-nine feet below the surface of the ground,\nand another stump containing marks of an axe and iron rust was found\nninety-four feet deep in the earth. Ancient implements have been found\nat various depths in the earth, and in widely separated parts of the\ncountry, which all go to confirm the account given in the Book of\nMormon concerning what happened upon the American continent at the time\nof the crucifixion.\n\nTHE MESSIAH KNOWN TO THE ANCIENT INHABITANTS OF AMERICA.\n\nJames Wells, D.D., in the _Sunday Magazine_, says:\n\n    \"_A Savior, at once human and divine_, has a supreme place in the\n    creed of the Red-man. The thoughtful Indians also felt the pressure\n    of the solemn facts and needs of life. They groped in the darkness,\n    and stretched forth hands of entreaty to God. In their deep need,\n    they yearned for a teacher and helper; and somehow or other, they\n    believed that he had come, or would yet come to them. They had dim,\n    confused suggestions and cravings that could find their realization\n    only in Christ. Their traditions are rich in myths and legends\n    which cluster round Hiawatha, the messenger and representative of\n    God. They regard Hiawatha as the relative of the Great Spirit and\n    they call him 'uncle,' that is, kinsman. Schoolcraft has collected\n    the Hiawatha legend in a very interesting book.\n\n    \"Hiawatha was a sort of Red Indian Messias. Though a heavenly being\n    he was born a child on earth, and his birth was wondrous. He came\n    into the world long ago and instituted 'the Grand Medicine.' He had\n    super-human powers, and used them all to bless men. In sending him,\n    the Creator smiled upon His helpless children. All the evil spirits\n    strove against him, but he conquered them and gained strength from\n    the struggle. He used to spend days in fasting and prayer, and he\n    went about continually doing good. He prophesied that, after he had\n    left them, they would take to quarreling and fighting, and that\n    they would be driven from their hunting-grounds far westward. He\n    told them of the isles of the blest and the land of the hereafter.\n    They also believe that he conducts souls to the other world; and\n    they expect him to come again to the earth.\"\n\nTHE CROSS AS AN EMBLEM.\n\nPrescott, in his \"Conquest of Mexico,\" page 465, speaks of the\nastonishment of the Catholic priests, who accompanied the expedition of\nCortez, and found Christian rites practiced by Indians. He says:\n\n    {287} \"They could not suppress their wonder, as they beheld the\n    cross, the sacred emblem of their own faith, raised as an object\n    of worship in the temples of Anahuac. They met with it in various\n    places; and an image of a cross may be seen at this day, sculptured\n    in bas-relief on the walls of one of the buildings of Palenque,\n    while a figure bearing some resemblance to that of a child is\n    held up to it, as if in adoration. Their surprise was heightened,\n    when they witnessed a religious rite which reminded them of the\n    Christian communion. On these occasions, an image of the tutelary\n    deity of the Aztecs was made of flour of maize mixed with blood,\n    and, after consecration by the priests, was distributed among\n    the people, who, as they ate it, 'showed signs of humiliation\n    and sorrow, declaring it was the flesh of the Deity.' How could\n    the Roman Catholic fail to recognize the awful ceremony of the\n    eucharist? . . . . . With the same feeling they witnessed another\n    ceremony, that of the Aztec baptism. . . . The Jewish and Christian\n    schemes were strangely mingled together, and the brains of the\n    good fathers were still further bewildered by the mixture of\n    heathenish abominations, which were so closely intertwined with the\n    most orthodox observances. In their perplexity they looked on the\n    whole as the delusion of the devil, who counterfeited the rites of\n    Christianity and the traditions of the chosen people, that he might\n    allure his wretched victims for their own destruction.\"\n\nKNOWLEDGE OF THE GODHEAD.\n\n    \"Las Casas, bishop of Chiapa, relates in his apology, which is in\n    Ms., in the convent of St. Dominic, that when he passed through\n    the kingdom of Yucatan, he found there a respectable ecclesiastic,\n    of mature age; he charged him to proceed into the interior of\n    their country, giving him a certain plan of instruction, in order\n    to preach to them: at the end of a year, thus he wrote to the\n    bishop--he had met with a principal lord, who informed him that\n    they believed in God, who resided in heaven, even the Father, the\n    Son, and the Holy Spirit. The Father was named Yeona, the Son\n    Bahab, who was born of a virgin, named Chibirias, and that of the\n    Holy Spirit was called Euach. Bahab, the Son, they said, was put\n    to death by Euporo, who scourged Him, and put on His head a crown\n    of thorns, and placed Him with His arms stretched upon a beam of\n    wood, and that on the third day He came to life, and ascended\n    into heaven, where He is with the Father; that immediately after\n    the Euach came in His place as a merchant, bringing precious\n    merchandise, filling those who would with gifts and graces,\n    abundant and divine.\"--_Antiquities of Mexico_.\n\n    \"The virgin is represented by the Indian paintings, of whom the\n    great Prophet should be born, and that His own people would\n    reject and meditate evil against Him, and would put Him to death;\n    accordingly He is represented in the paintings with His hands and\n    feet tied to the tree.\"--_Monarquia Indiana_.\n\nTRADITION OF CHRIST.\n\nRosales in the \"History of Chili,\" says,\n\n    \"The inhabitants of this extreme southern portion of America,\n    situated at the distance of so many thousand miles from New Spain,\n    and who did not employ paintings to record events, accounted for\n    their knowledge of some doctrines of Christianity by saying, that\n    in {288} former times they had heard their fathers say, a wonderful\n    man had come to that country, wearing a long beard, with shoes\n    and a mantle such as the Mexicans carry on their shoulders, who\n    performed many miracles, cured the sick with water, caused it\n    to rain that their crops of grain might grow, kindled fire at a\n    breath, healing the sick, and giving sight to the blind, and that\n    he spoke with as much propriety and elegance in the language of\n    their country, as if he had always resided in it, addressing them\n    in words very sweet and new to them, telling them that the Creator\n    of the universe resided in the highest place of heaven, and that\n    many men and women resplendent as the sun dwelt with Him.\"\n\nBAPTISM KNOWN.\n\nHerrera, a Spanish historian of the sixteenth century, in his history\nof America, volume 4, page 172, says, \"Baptism was known in Yucatan;\nthe name they gave it signified to be born again.\"\n\n#STRONG PROOFS OF THE TRUTH OF THE BOOK OF MORMON. # The foregoing\ntestimony taken from the works of secular writers confirms in a\nremarkable manner the historical part of the Book of Mormon, and is\na strong proof that that record is authentic. Much more evidence of\na similar character is to be had, but space will not admit of it\nhere. The proof adduced in support of the authenticity of the Book\nof Mormon by the discoveries and observations of modern explorers is\nmade the more forcible by the fact that they who have furnished it\nwere not believers in the divinity of the book. Many, if not all of\nthem, published to the world the results of their researches, and\ntheir conclusions respecting them, without knowing anything about the\ncontents of the book, and therefore they had no predilection for it.\nIt might be truthfully added that among all the discoveries made that\nfurnish any information respecting the ancient Americans nothing has\nbeen found to conflict with or disprove any assertion contained in that\nmost remarkable volume, the Book of Mormon.\n\nCONCLUSION.\n\nNo attempt has been made herein to present an exhaustive treatise on\nJoseph Smith's divine mission. The evidences of his inspiration have\nbeen referred to very briefly; and hundreds of other proofs equally\nstrong, and which are well known, have not even been mentioned.\n\nThe Latter-day Saints do not, however, depend upon outward evidences\nfor their knowledge that Joseph Smith was a {289} prophet. They have\nplaced their trust in the promise of the Savior, as recorded by John:\n\n    \"My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me. If any man will do\n    his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or\n    whether I speak of myself.\"\n\nThey have also accepted the admonition of the Apostle James:\n\n    \"If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all\n    men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.\"\n\nThey have sought to do the will of the Lord, and have prayed to Him\nfor wisdom and their prayers have been answered. They have received\na testimony from above that the Gospel as revealed anew through the\nProphet Joseph Smith is true. This same source of divine information is\nopen to every one who will humble himself, and will obey the Gospel,\nwith an honest desire to serve the Lord.\n\nINDEX OF CHAPTER CONTENTS ON THIS TRACT.\n\nCHAPTER I.\n\n    A Glorious Thought--Should Prophets be Expected in our day?--God's\n    Word Indicates that a Prophet should Come--Prophets sent to\n    Announce all Important Events--Positive Promise of the Lord to\n    send a Messenger--Necessity of Prophets and Apostles in the\n    Church--Church Founded upon Prophets and Apostles--Power given\n    Apostles and Prophets--Object of Inspired Men in the Church-How\n    long they should Remain--Is the Canon of Scripture Full?--Without\n    Modern Revelation Bible Prophecies Cannot be Fulfilled--Treatment\n    of Prophets in Past Ages--Jesus a Stumbling Stone--Many Prophets\n    Rejected--Persecution to Follow all Inspired Teachers--Conclusions\n    Drawn from Scriptures Quoted.\n\nCHAPTER II.\n\n    Was Joseph Smith a Prophet?--Testimony of His Works--Judging\n    by the Fruits--Joseph Smith's Claim--His Claim Compared with\n    Scripture--Predictions that the Gospel should be Restored--Joseph\n    Smith Treated the same as Ancient Prophets--Account of Some of\n    his Works--Bible Prophecies Fulfilled--Church Organization the\n    Same as Formerly--Same Doctrines as in Former Days--The Holy\n    Ghost Received--How to Obtain Proof--Outward Proofs--Testimony of\n    Witnesses--Ancient Prophecies Being Fulfilled--The Gathering of\n    Israel--Gathering Peculiar to Latter-day Saints--Events in the\n    History of the Saints--Words of the Psalmist Fulfilled--Isaiah's\n    Prediction Fulfilled--A Prophecy of Malachi--Salvation for the\n    Dead--Facts Proven.\n\n{290}\n\nCHAPTER III.\n\n    Joseph Smith's Works--Evidence of his Inspiration--Scriptural\n    Tests--Prediction of the Angel--None can Stop God's Work--\"A\n    Marvelous Work\"--Testimony of Disinterested Men--Prophecy about\n    War--Fulfilled 28 years Afterwards--Predicted Men's Lives Would be\n    Spared--The Saints' Exodus Foretold--Gathering Predicted--Joseph\n    Smith as an Expounder of Scripture--Church Organization--All his\n    Works Proclaim him a Prophet.\n\nCHAPTER IV.\n\n    The Book of Mormon--An Evidence of the Inspiration of Joseph\n    Smith--Its Purport--Impossible to Write Without Divine\n    Aid--Prophecies in the Book of Mormon--A Bible! A Bible!--Isaiah's\n    Prophecy--Book Gives a Test of its Truth--Attested by Direct\n    Evidence--Testimony of Three Witnesses--Testimony of Witnesses\n    Unchanged--Testimony of Eight Witnesses--Secular Proof of the Book\n    of Mormon--Colonists from the Tower of Babel--Origin Before the\n    Christian Era--Of Hebrew Origin--Indian Customs--Indian Practice\n    Resembling the Passover--Tradition of a Sacred Book--Acquainted\n    with the Old Testament Record--Tradition of Moses--Tradition of\n    Eve--Tradition of the Flood--Led by Youngest Brother--Engraved\n    on Plates of Metal--Egyptian Writings--Evidences of Advanced\n    Civilization--Ruins Discovered--Indians all of One Origin--Ruins\n    in Yucatan--Ancient Glass Jar--A Ruined City--Ancient Coins and\n    Implements--Destruction at the time of the Crucifixion--Ruins on\n    the Ridge of a Mountain--Destroyed by the Action of Heat--Remains\n    Found under Lava Beds--Discovery of a Hidden City--Evidences of\n    Great Eruptions--The Messiah Known to the Ancient Inhabitants\n    of America--The Cross as an Emblem--Knowledge of the\n    Godhead--Tradition of the Christ--Strong Proofs of the Truth of the\n    Book of Mormon--Conclusion.\n\nFootnotes:\n\n1. See Tract No. 3, \"Marks of the Church of Christ.\"\n\n{291}\n\n\n\nMARKS OF THE CHURCH OF CHRIST.\n\nTHE OUTWARD SIGNS BY WHICH IT MAY BE KNOWN.\n\nBY EDWIN F. PARRY, LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND.\n\nOUTWARD SIGNS BY WHICH CHRIST S GOSPEL MAY BE KNOWN--CHARACTER OF HIS\nCHURCH KNOWLEDGE THE OUTCOME OF TRUE FAITH--HOW IT MAY BE OBTAINED--AN\nILLUSTRATION--PARABLE OF THE SOWER--WHERE IS THE TRUE GOSPEL AND CHURCH\nOF CHRIST?\n\nMANY FORMS OF RELIGION.\n\nThere are many religions in the world. Teachers of one form of religion\nwill tell us they are right. Those who teach another form will make the\nsame claim for themselves. All religions have some truth, or people\nwould not believe in them.\n\nONLY ONE PERFECT RELIGION.\n\nThe Savior taught only one form of religion. That one is called the\nGospel of Jesus Christ. It embraces all truth, and contains nothing but\ntruth.\n\n    \"There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one\n    hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and\n    Father of all.\" (Ephesians 4: 4, 5, 6).\n\nJESUS CHRIST THE AUTHOR OF SALVATION.\n\nAll Christians believe that salvation is only to be gained through\nJesus Christ, the Savior of the world.\n\n    {292} \"'I am the way, the truth, and the life; no man cometh unto\n    the Father, but by me.\" (John 14: 6).\n\n    \"For there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby\n    we must be saved.\" (Acts 4: 12).\n\nThe holy scriptures justify us in rejecting all religions that do not\nteach belief in Christ.\n\nWHICH RELIGION CONTAINS ALL TRUTH?\n\nThere are many varieties of religion even among Christian believers.\nBut the whole truth is what we want. None but the true Gospel can be\nacceptable to the Lord.\n\n    \"Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness.\" (Matthew\n    6: 33).\n\nHow are we to know which religion contains all truth?\n\nTHE BIBLE WILL GUIDE US.\n\nThe Bible will assist us in making this discovery. It tells us many\nthings which Jesus taught as His Gospel. Any teaching contrary to what\nHe gave cannot be true.\n\n    \"Though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel\n    unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be\n    accursed.\" (Galatians 1: 8).\n\nThe Gospel which the Savior taught has not changed. It is the same\nto-day as it was when He dwelt upon the earth.\n\nFAITH A DOCTRINE OF CHRIST.\n\nThe first and principal doctrine taught by Christ was faith.\n\n    \"God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that\n    whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting\n    life.\" (John 3: 16).\n\nOur Savior knew that if people truly had abiding faith in Him they\nwould follow Him. They would love Him and obey all His teachings.\n\n    \"He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also.\"\n    (John 14: 13).\n\n    \"If a man love me, he will keep my words.\" (John 14: 23).\n\nREPENTANCE NECESSARY.\n\nAnother commandment taught by Christ was that of repentance. {293} True\nrepentance is sorrow for sins and a turning away from them. The first\nwords recorded of the Savior's preaching were:\n\n    \"Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.\" (Matthew 4: 17).\n\nDeep humility always accompanies true faith and repentance. Without it\nmen cannot be saved.\n\n    \"Whosoever shall not receive the Kingdom of God as a little child\n    shall in no wise enter therein.\" (Luke 18: 17).\n\nIn the days of Christ's ministry, those who believed on Him and\nsincerely repented of their sins were then ready to receive the next\nordinance of the Gospel. They were humble and willing to obey.\n\nBAPTISM.\n\nChrist was baptized Himself. He told John it was necessary for Him \"to\nfulfill all righteousness.\" He taught that it was necessary for all men\nto be baptized.\n\n    \"Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter\n    into the kingdom of God.\" (John 3: 5).\n\n    \"He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved.\" (Mark 16: 16).\n\nChrist's disciples also taught the same. When those who believed\nPeter's preaching on the day of Pentecost asked what they should do to\nbe saved, he replied,\n\n    \"Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus\n    Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of\n    the Holy Ghost.\" (Acts 2: 38).\n\nThese passages of scripture prove that Jesus and His disciples taught\nbaptism.\n\nTHE HOLY SPIRIT.\n\nThe last passage quoted shows that the gift of the Holy Ghost was to\nbe given to those who obeyed the principles of faith, repentance and\nbaptism.\n\nTHE TEN COMMANDMENTS.\n\nThe teachings of the Savior show that it is necessary to observe the\nten commandments given through Moses. Upon one occasion a man asked\nwhat good thing he should do to gain eternal life. Jesus replied, \"Keep\nthe commandments,\" and then named some of them. (Matthew 19: 17, 18).\n\n{294}\n\nOTHER COMMANDMENTS.\n\nBesides the ten commandments, the Savior gave new ones which He said\nshould be obeyed. Many of these are recorded in the fifth, sixth and\nseventh chapters of Matthew.\n\nTEST DOCTRINES BY CHRIST'S WORD.\n\nIn our search for the true Gospel we can safely reject any teaching\nthat does not agree with Christ's word. Anyone who says we can be saved\nwithout obeying His commandments is in error.\n\n    \"Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments,\n    and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom\n    of heaven.\" (Matthew 5: 19).\n\n    \"He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a\n    liar, and the truth is not in him.\" (I John 2: 4).\n\nAny teacher who adds to these any doctrines of men is a false teacher,\nand should not be followed.\n\n    \"In vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the\n    commandments of men.\" (Mark 7: 7).\n\nMANY CLAIM TO BE TRUE TEACHERS.\n\nThe teachers of many forms of religion claim that they teach these\ndoctrines of the Gospel of Christ. How are we to decide which one is\nright?\n\nHOW FALSE TEACHERS MAY BE KNOWN.\n\nThe Savior has furnished a test by which we can prove false teachers.\nHe says, \"Beware of false prophets.\" (Matthew 7: 15). He further adds,\n\"Ye shall know them by their fruits.\" (10). \"By their fruits\" means by\ntheir works or by their teachings. False prophets or teachers teach\nfalsehoods, and their works are evil. True prophets teach truth, and\nlive righteously. They will not teach anything contrary to the words of\nthe Savior.\n\nHOW TRUE BELIEVERS MAY BE KNOWN.\n\nThe Savior tells us how we might know true believers. He says,\n\n    \"These signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they\n    cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take\n    {295} up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing it shall\n    not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall\n    recover.\" (Mark 16; 17, 18).\n\nThe nineteenth verse of the sixteenth chapter of Mark states that these\nsigns did follow the believers in the days of Christ's early apostles.\nThese signs are outward evidences that people are true believers in the\nGospel. The absence of them is a proof that faith is lacking, for the\nsame cause will always produce the same effect.\n\nOTHER PROOFS.\n\nIf a person truly believes in the Gospel, sincerely repents of his\nsins, is baptized for the remission of sins, and has hands laid upon\nhim for the reception of the Holy Ghost, he should know that he has\nreceived the true Gospel.\n\n    \"Jesus answered them, and said, My doctrine is not mine, but his\n    that sent me. If any man will do his will, he shall know of the\n    doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.\"\n    (John 7: 16, 17).\n\nOFFICE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.\n\nThe Holy Ghost was promised to those who obeyed the Gospel. To all who\nreceive it, it bears witness to the truth of the Gospel.\n\n    \"But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the\n    Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father,\n    he shall testify of me.\" (John 15: 26).\n\n    \"Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you\n    into all truth.\" (John 16: 13).\n\nIf people receive the Holy Ghost they will be led into all truth,\naccording to the promise of Christ. If they are led into all truth they\nwill be led to understand and believe alike.\n\nHOW THE SAVIOR'S DISCIPLES MAY BE KNOWN.\n\nJesus told how His disciples may be known:\n\n    \"A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as\n    I have loved you that ye also love one another. By this shall all\n    men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.\"\n    (John 13: 34, 35).\n\nWhen people are divided in their religious views it shows that they do\nnot love each other, and are not the disciples of Christ. If they did\nlove each other they would be united. If they possessed the Holy Spirit\nthey would be joined together in love.\n\n{206}\n\n    \"The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering,\n    gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance.\" (Galatians 5:\n    22, 23).\n\nTHE CHURCH JESUS ORGANIZED.\n\nWhen Jesus dwelt upon the earth He organized a church. Those who\nbelieved on Him and obeyed the Gospel became members of that one church.\n\nST. PAUL DESCRIBES IT.\n\nThe Apostle Paul told the Ephesian saints they were established upon\nthe foundation of apostles and prophets.\n\n    \"Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but\n    fellow-citizens with the saints, and of the household of God; and\n    are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus\n    Christ himself being the chief corner stone.\" (Ephesians 2: 19, 20).\n\nHe had reference in these words to the church of Christ.\n\nTHE CHURCH COMPARED TO A MAN'S BODY.\n\nHe again likened the church to the body of a man. (I Corinthians 12).\nHe showed that the members of the church were like the members of a\nman's body, and altogether they made a complete whole.\n\n    \"For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members\n    of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ. For\n    by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews\n    or Gentiles.\" (I Corinthians 12: 12, 13).\n\nSt. Paul continues by explaining that all the members of the body of\nChrist, or officers of the church of Christ, are dependent upon each\nother, and each is needed in his place. One cannot do without the\nother, any more than a man's body can be complete without every limb\nand organ.\n\nOFFICERS NAMED.\n\nThis same apostle names some of the officers of the church of Christ.\nHe also names in the same connection some of the gifts that are always\nto be found in that church.\n\n    \"And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily\n    prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts\n    of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues.\" (I\n    Corinthians 12: 28).\n\nWHAT THESE OFFICERS WERE FOR.\n\nIn another place he tells the reason for having these officers in the\nchurch.\n\n    {297} \"For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the\n    ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ. . . . That we\n    henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried\n    about with every wind of doctrine.\" (Ephesians 4: 12, 14).\n\nThese officers were to continue in the church, \"till we all come to the\nunity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God.\" (Eph. 4:\n13).\n\nNEED OF APOSTLES AND PROPHETS.\n\nPeople differ in their opinions regarding the Gospel. There is,\ntherefore, a need of apostles and prophets to declare the word of God\nto them. His revealed word will settle all differences and bring those\nwho believe on it to a unity of the faith.\n\nWHAT ST. PAUL'S WORDS PROVE.\n\nThe scriptures just quoted prove that apostles and prophets must always\nbe in the church of Christ. Any church not founded upon apostles and\nprophets, with Christ as the chief corner stone, is not the true church\nof Christ. Any religious organization that rejects these and the other\nofficers mentioned as belonging to Christ's church, or does away with\nthe miracles, gifts of healing, helps, governments, and diversities of\ntongues, is not the true church.\n\nPOWER TO DO MIRACLES.\n\nWhen Jesus called unto Him twelve apostles He \"gave them power against\nunclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness\nand all manner of disease.\" (Matthew 10: 1). When He sent them out to\npreach the Gospel, He told them to say, \"The kingdom of heaven is at\nhand.\" He also told them to \"Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise\nthe dead, cast out devils.\" (Matthew 10: 7, 8).\n\nAUTHORITY TO ACT IN CHRIST'S NAME.\n\nMen have no right to choose for themselves to be Christ's apostles or\nministers of His Gospel. He said to His disciples,\n\n    \"Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you.\"\n    (John 15: 16).\n\nSt. Paul says concerning the holy priesthood of Christ,\n\n    \"No man taketh this honor unto himself, but he that is called of\n    God, as was Aaron.\" (Hebrews 5: 4).\n\n{298} He also says, \"God hath set some in the church, first apostles,\nsecondarily prophets, thirdly teachers.\" (I Corinthians 12: 28). This\nshows that it was not man's right to place men in positions in the\nchurch, unless God authorized them to do so.\n\nJesus said John the Baptist was the greatest of prophets, yet he did\nnot presume to baptize with the Holy Ghost, although he had the right\nto baptize with water. John understood that men should be specially\nauthorized to act in any calling.\n\nRESULT OF ACTING WITHOUT AUTHORITY.\n\nWe read in the scriptures, (Acts 1: 13-17), that certain Jews at one\ntime undertook to act in the name of the Lord. They tried to cast out\nevil spirits. But they had no authority, and were overpowered by the\nevil spirits, and duly punished for taking upon themselves to act in\nthe name of the Messiah without authority.\n\nCONCLUSIONS DRAWN FROM PASSAGES MENTIONED.\n\nFrom the scriptures mentioned, together with many others of like\ncharacter, we may conclude that Christ's true apostles have power over\nunclean spirits and over diseases. They also have authority to act in\nHis name. We can as well conclude that those who think it unnecessary\nto be authorized to minister in the ordinances of the Gospel are in\nerror. Men may without authority attempt to teach the same doctrines as\nJesus taught; they may organize a church after the same pattern; and\nsome may even perform miracles by the power of the evil one, as did the\nmagicians before Pharaoh in the days of Moses; but without authority\nfrom heaven to do so their pretensions are vain. We may justly reject\nany who may have a form of godliness but deny the power thereof.\n\nALL TRUE DISCIPLES PERSECUTED.\n\nThe disciples of Christ were told that they would have to suffer\npersecution. The Savior informed them that this should be the case, and\nled them to expect it.\n\n    \"If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because\n    ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world,\n    therefore the world hateth you. . . If they have persecuted me,\n    they will also persecute you.\" (John 15: 19, 20).\n\n    \"Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you: for so did\n    their fathers to the false prophets.\" (Luke 6: 26).\n\n{299} The Apostle Paul says, \"All that will live godly in Christ Jesus\nshall suffer persecution.\" (II Timothy 3: 12).\n\nOUTWARD SIGNS OF THE TRUE CHURCH.\n\nMost of the marks pointed out herein are outward signs by which the\ntrue Gospel and church of Christ may be known. The disciples of Jesus\nmay always be recognized by the following signs which have already been\npointed out:\n\nThey will Obey and Teach the Ordinances that Christ has said Must be\nObeyed.\n\nThose Ordinances are:\n\nFirst, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ;\n\nSecond, Repentance;\n\nThird, Baptism by Immersion for the Remission of Sins;\n\nFourth, Laying on of Hands for the Gift of the Holy Ghost.\n\nThey will Teach the Necessity of Obeying all the Lord's Commandments.\n\nThe Signs or Blessings Promised the Believers will Follow them,\n\nThey will be United, and will Love one Another.\n\nThey will be Organized into a Church after the Pattern Mentioned in the\nScriptures.\n\nThey will have Apostles and Prophets at their Head, who will have Power\nand Authority to Act in Christ's Name.\n\nThey will be Persecuted as Long as Wickedness Reigns in the Earth.\n\nFAITH NEEDED.\n\nThe pointing out of the marks by which the disciples of Christ are\nto be known may assist one in searching for the truth. But faith on\nthe part of the individual himself is needed to guide him. It is very\nimportant to salvation.\n\nHOW TO GET FAITH.\n\nThe question may be asked, how can this faith so necessary to salvation\nbe gained?\n\n    \"Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.\" (Romans\n    10: 17).\n\nWhen one hears the Gospel of Christ--the \"glad tidings of {300} great\njoy\"--naturally he should wish it were true, because it is so good.\nThat wish or desire will help greatly to awaken belief in his mind.\nWhen a person hopes a thing is true he becomes interested in finding\nout if it be true. Prejudice is a foe to faith. It often causes one to\nturn away from that which is good.\n\nKNOWLEDGE OF THE GOSPEL NECESSARY TO SALVATION.\n\nIt is necessary for every individual to know for himself concerning the\ntruth of the Gospel of Christ.\n\n    \"This is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God,\n    and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.\" (John 17: 3).\n\nThere is a way to get this knowledge. That way is similar to the way in\nwhich we obtain other knowledge. It is by putting works with our faith.\n\n    \"Hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.\"\n    (I John 2: 3).\n\nFaith comes by hearing, knowledge by doing. Knowledge is the result of\nfaith.\n\nHOW KNOWLEDGE IS GAINED.\n\nWhen a child is told that he can learn to read and write by following\nthe instructions of his teacher he is likely to believe it. If he is\ntold so by his parents or some one whose word he can rely upon he will\nbelieve with much assurance or confidence, which is called faith. That\nfaith causes him to act. He follows the instructions of his teacher,\nand in time learns to read and write. His faith is then turned to\nknowledge. He does not depend upon the testimony of some one else. He\nknows from actual experience that the arts of reading and writing can\nbe learned by taking the course marked out. It is the same with the\nGospel. When it is obeyed it brings knowledge to the individual.\n\nGROWTH OF FAITH ILLUSTRATED BY A PARABLE.\n\nOne of our Savior's parables shows very beautifully how the word of\nGod, when received in the heart, begins to grow and expand. In His\nparable of the sower He likens the word of God, or the Gospel, to\na seed. (Luke 8: 5-16). Embodied within a tiny seed is the germ or\nsource of a most marvelous power. It is one of the greatest forces of\nthe natural world. Under proper conditions that little mite of matter\nis capable of the most remarkable development. When {301} a gardener\nobtains a precious kind of seed, or one that will produce a desirable\nfruit, he will preserve it with care. He will thoroughly prepare the\nsoil in which he plants it, and will do all in his power to favor its\ngrowth. The desire to receive the good fruit he has been told it will\nproduce makes him hope that the seed is good. That hope or wish will\ninspire him with enough faith to make the test.\n\nIn due time after planting he finds that the seed has commenced to\ngrow. It puts forth tiny leaves that appear above the soil, and his\nfaith is strengthened. He is assured that the seed had the germ of\nlife within it when he received it. He continues to favor its growth,\nby keeping down the weeds, by protecting it from the scorching heat\nof the sun and the blighting breath of the wind and frost. By doing\nthis the gardener sees that the plant continues to increase in size\nand strength. Thread-like roots spread out in all directions beneath\nthe soil to secure hold therein, as well as to procure sustenance for\nits life and growth A tender twig shoots upward to receive additional\nsustenance from the air and the sunlight. Day by day and year by\nyear the plant continues to grow and gain strength, until eventually\nit becomes a mighty tree. The heat of the sun now only causes it to\ngrow the stronger, and the fierce winds to make its root more firmly\nplanted, so that no ordinary force can resist its power of expansion.\n\nIn due season the tree produces fruit of its kind. Its seeds ripen\nand fall to the earth, and they in turn grow, and thus the species is\nperpetuated forever.\n\nWith the ripening of the fruit the faith of the man who planted the\ntree is ripened into perfect knowledge. He knows what was told him\nabout the seed was true, having thoroughly tested it.\n\nWORD OF GOD LIKE A SEED.\n\nThe word of God, or the Gospel of Jesus Christ, is in character like\nthe seed. As the seed contains within it such great physical force,\nso the word of God possesses most wonderful spiritual power. When the\nGospel of Christ is heard by one who has a desire to obtain its fruits,\nthat desire will awaken within him a spark of belief. That belief will\ncause him to prepare his heart for the reception of the word of God. He\nwill plant it there by seeking to obey its teachings. When once planted\nthere, if cherished, shielded and protected it will grow. Its effect\nwill be similar to that of {302} the seed buried in good soil. Its\nroots of faith will sink deep in the heart and become firmly planted\nthere. Hope, like a tender twig, will spring heavenward. By this the\nperson will know that the seed was good Day by day and year by year it\nwill strengthen, until neither the heat of temptation nor the storms\nof adversity can disturb it or uproot it from the heart. It, too, in\ntime will bring forth fruit, the fruit of eternal life. Such is the\nwonderful character of the word of God, or the Gospel of Jesus Christ.\n\nWHERE IS THE TRUE GOSPEL AND CHURCH OF CHRIST?\n\nThe reader may ask the question, Is the Gospel of Christ, with all its\nattendant powers, gifts and blessings, upon the earth to-day? If it is,\nit must be of the character described herein. It must be the same as it\nwas anciently, for it is everlasting and unchangeable in its nature.\n\nIT IS UPON THE EARTH.\n\nThere is a church that claims to teach the very same doctrines that\nChrist taught. Its members claim to enjoy the same blessings promised\nthe believers. They claim to have the same organization, with living\napostles and prophets at the head. These officers claim to have\nreceived the same power and authority as Christ's first apostles had.\nThey and their followers have been evil spoken of and persecuted for\ntheir religion ever since they were first organized as a church. They\nmanifest all the outward signs by which the followers of Christ may be\nknown. They make the same promises as the former disciples of Jesus\nmade to those who obey the Gospel. The many thousands who have accepted\ntheir teachings and obeyed them testify that the promises made to them\nhave been received.\n\nTHEIR CLAIMS DIFFERENT TO ALL OTHERS.\n\nThe claims of the members of this Church are different from those of\nall other professors of religion. They claim to have received their\ndoctrines and their authority direct from heaven, by the visitation of\nholy angels. There is no other source from which it could be received.\nThe name by which this Church is known is the Church of Jesus Christ of\nLatter-day Saints. The Lord in a revelation commanded His latter-day\ndisciples to take upon themselves this name.\n\nThe message of the restoration to earth of the true Gospel of Christ\nis a glorious one. All who hear it should rejoice in {303} the\ncontemplation that the Lord has again spoken from heaven. The message\nis such a good one that all mankind should desire and hope that it is\ntrue. If they will do this, they will be led to investigate it. Then\nthey will learn for themselves that it is indeed the Gospel of Christ.\n\nThe Elders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, bear\nwitness to the truth of this divine message which they are proclaiming\nto the nations of the earth. They kindly ask all to lay aside prejudice\nand examine their claims in the spirit of humility and prayer.\n\n    \"_Do you suppose that this people will ever see the day that they\n    will rest in perfect security, in hopes of becoming like another\n    people, nation, state, kingdom or society? They never will. Christ\n    and Satan never can be friends. Light and darkness will always\n    remain opposites_.\"\n\n    --_Brigham Young_.\n\n    \"_Though our religious principles are before the world, ready\n    for the investigation of all men, yet we are aware that the\n    sole foundation of all the persecution against us has arisen in\n    consequence of calumnies and misconstructions, without foundation\n    in truth or righteousness_.\"\n\n    --_Joseph Smith_.\n\n{304}\n\n\n\nSIGNS OF CHRIST'S SECOND COMING.\n\nWHAT THE BIBLE SAYS CONCERNING HIS ADVENT.\n\nBY ELDER EDWIN F. PARRY, LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND.\n\nWHAT THE SAVIOR AND HIS APOSTLES AND THE ANCIENT PROPHETS SAY\nCONCERNING IT--THE MANY THINGS TO TAKE PLACE BEFORE THAT GREAT\nEVENT--THE SIGNS ALREADY APPEARING.\n\nSCRIPTURAL PROOF THAT HE WILL COME.\n\nThe holy scriptures supply many proofs that Christ will again come to\nearth. After His resurrection He appeared to His disciples, and was\n\"seen of them forty days.\" Then \"he was taken up; and a cloud received\nhim out of their sight.\" While the disciples were looking towards\nheaven as He went up, two men (angels) in white apparel stood by them\nand said:\n\n    \"Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same\n    Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in\n    like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.\" (Acts 1: 11).\n\nMANNER OF HIS APPEARANCE.\n\nChrist's second coming will be both glorious and terrible.\n\n    \"They shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with\n    power and great glory.\" (Matthew 24: 30; Mark 13: 26; Luke 21: 27).\n\n    \"For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his\n    angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.\"\n    (Matthew 16: 27; Mark 8: 38).\n\n    \"And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus\n    shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, in flaming\n    fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not\n    the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: who shall be punished with\n    everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the\n    glory of his power.\" (II Thessalonians 1: 7, 8, 9).\n\nTIME OF HIS COMING.\n\nThe day and the hour of the Messiah's coming is not known.\n\n    \"But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels\n    {305} which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father. Take ye\n    heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is.\" (Mark 13:\n    32, 33).\n\nMANY SIGNS OF HIS COMING TO APPEAR.\n\nThe Bible foretells many things that shall take place before the Savior\ncomes to reign in glory upon the earth.\n\nWARS, FAMINES AND EARTHQUAKES.\n\nChrist's disciples asked Him to tell them what should be the sign of\nHis coming, and of the end of the world. He answered them in these\nwords:\n\n    \"Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name,\n    saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. And ye shall hear of\n    wars and rumors of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these\n    things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall\n    rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; and there shall\n    be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.\"\n    (Matthew 24: 4, 5, 6, 7).\n\nGOSPEL OF THE KINGDOM TO BE PREACHED.\n\nIn addition to this he mentioned another sign. He said:\n\n    \"And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world\n    for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.\"\n    (Matthew 24: 14).\n\nThese words have no reference to the ministry of Christ's former\ndisciples. The end of the world, or the end of the reign of wickedness,\ndid not follow their preaching. The Savior certainly referred to a\ntime in the future. He spoke of a special message of the Gospel of the\nkingdom to be restored in latter days, otherwise the preaching of it\nwould not be a witness or sign to all nations of the near approaching\nend, as He said it should be.\n\nJOHN'S PROPHECY.\n\nThe beloved Apostle John, in the book of Revelation, foretells many\nthings that should take place after the time of his writings. One thing\nhe describes in these words:\n\n    \"And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the\n    everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and\n    to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, saying with\n    a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his\n    judgment is come.\" (Revelation 14: 6, 7).\n\nJohn evidently refers to the same event as does the Savior. The coming\nof an angel with the Gospel message for all nations, as predicted by\nJohn, should be in the hour of God's {306} judgment. That is at the\nsame time referred to by Jesus, when He said wars and rumors of wars,\nfamines, pestilences, and earthquakes should occur; for these things\nare some of God's judgments.\n\nPREDICTIONS OF DANIEL.\n\nThe Prophet Daniel also foretells a similar event, which he says,\n\"_shall be in the latter days_.\" After describing the image\nNebuchadnezzar saw in his dream, Daniel explains the meaning of it. He\nsays the image represented Nebuchadnezzar's kingdom and the kingdoms\nthat should be built up after it. The fourth great kingdom--the Roman\npower--should be divided, and a number of kingdoms should grow out of\nit. Then he declares a wonderful event shall take place. He says:\n\n    \"And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a\n    kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not\n    be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume\n    all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.\" (Daniel 2: 44).\n\nWHAT DANIEL REFERS TO.\n\nSome may think this prophecy refers to the establishing of the kingdom\nof heaven on earth in the days of Christ's first coming. This cannot\nbe the case. God's kingdom at that time did not \"break in pieces and\nconsume\" the one great kingdom then existing--the Roman empire. On the\nother hand the worldly powers, which St. John describes as a \"beast,\"\nmade \"war with the saints,\" and overcame them, and got power over all\nkindreds, and tongues and nations. (Revelation 13: 7).\n\nThe kingdom referred to by Daniel, as he plainly says \"_shall not_ be\nleft to other people,\" while the Gospel of the kingdom in the days of\nChrist's former Apostles was rejected by the Jews and _left to other\npeople_. It was taken to the Gentiles.\n\nCONCLUSIONS DRAWN FROM THESE PREDICTIONS.\n\nThe Apostle John, in speaking of the great event of the future, says he\nheard voices in heaven saying--\n\n    \"The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our\n    Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.\"\n    (Revelation 11: 15).\n\nThis is also in harmony with Daniel's prediction about the kingdom of\nGod being set up in the latter days.\n\n{307} As all these prophecies so nicely agree, we are forced to the\nconclusion that the Gospel of Christ is to be preached in all the world\nin latter days as a witness, or sign, of the coming of the Messiah and\nthe establishment of His kingdom.\n\nGOD'S ELECT TO BE GATHERED.\n\nOther significant events should precede the Savior's second coming. He\nmentions them also:\n\n    \"But in those days, after the tribulation, the sun shall be\n    darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars\n    of heaven shall fall, and the powers that are in heaven shall be\n    shaken. . . . . . And then shall he send his angels, and shall\n    gather together his elect from the four winds, from the uttermost\n    part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven.\" (Mark 13: 24,\n    25, 27; Matthew 24: 29, 31).\n\nSt. Luke adds that there shall be \"upon the earth distress of nations,\nwith perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; men's hearts failing\nthem for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on\nthe earth.\" (Luke 21: 25, 26).\n\nThat all these things shall be signs of His coming is to be understood\nfrom what the Savior adds:\n\n    \"When ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at\n    the doors.\" (Matthew 24: 33; Mark 13: 29; Luke 21: 31).\n\nANCIENT PROPHECIES CONCERNING THE LAST DAYS.\n\nMore than twenty of the ancient prophets and apostles whose writings\nare in the Bible predict events that shall happen in the last days,\nor near the time of Christ's second coming. Many of them prophesy\nconcerning the gathering of the Lord's chosen people, the descendants\nof Israel. They not only foretell the gathering of the Jews but also\nthe whole house of Israel. Some of the other tribes as well as that\nof Judah are scattered among all nations. The Prophet Jeremiah says\nconcerning this gathering:\n\n    \"Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that it shall\n    no more be said, The Lord liveth, that brought up the children of\n    Israel out of the land of Egypt; but, The Lord liveth, that brought\n    up the children of Israel from the land of the north, and from all\n    the lands whither he had driven them: and I will bring them again\n    into their land that I gave unto their fathers. Behold, I will send\n    for many fishers, saith the Lord, and they shall fish them; and\n    after will I send for many hunters, and they shall hunt them from\n    every mountain, and from every hill, and out of the holes of the\n    rocks.\" (Jeremiah 16: 14, 15, 16).\n\n{308} The Prophet Isaiah says:\n\n    \"And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set\n    his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his\n    people. . . . . And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and\n    shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the\n    dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.\" (Isaiah 11:\n    11, 12).\n\nThe Prophets Isaiah and Micah declare:\n\n    \"It shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the\n    Lord's house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and\n    shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto\n    it. And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to\n    the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and\n    he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for\n    out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from\n    Jerusalem.\" (Isaiah 2: 2, 3; Micah 4: 1, 2).\n\nGATHERING OF ISRAEL A SIGN OF CHRIST'S COMING.\n\nFrom what the prophets have said it is evident that this gathering of\nIsrael shall be connected with Christ's reign upon earth, and will\ntherefore be a sign of His coming. The Prophet Ezekiel predicts that\nIsrael shall be gathered, and in the same connection declares the word\nof the Lord, saying:\n\n    \"I will place them, and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in\n    the midst of them forever.\" (Ezekiel 37: 26).\n\nThe setting of the Lord's sanctuary in the midst of them forever must\nhave reference to the establishing of His kingdom never more to be\nthrown down.\n\nIn connection with this gathering Isaiah speaks of a time when enmity\namong the animal creations shall cease, and when \"the earth shall\nbe full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea,\"\n(Isaiah 11: 9), indicating that the gathering will be near the time\nwhen peace and righteousness shall prevail upon the earth.\n\nSIGNS FOLLOWING THE BELIEVERS.\n\nThat the blessings of the Gospel, which were in the church in the days\nof Christ and His apostles, will be restored at the time when the\ngathering of Israel shall take place is shown by what Isaiah foretells:\n\n    \"Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the\n    deaf shall be unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap as an hart,\n    and the tongue of the dumb sing.\" (Isaiah 35: 5, 6).\n\nA MESSENGER TO APPEAR.\n\nThere is still another sign to mark the coming of the {309} Messiah.\nThe whole volume of sacred scripture gives proof that it will be\nmanifest.\n\nThe Prophet Malachi, repeating the Lord's words to him concerning His\ncoming in glory, says:\n\n    \"Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way\n    before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his\n    temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in:\n    behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of hosts.\" (Malachi 3: 1).\n\nThe following verse shows that this prophecy does not refer to Christ's\nfirst coming:\n\n    \"But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when\n    he appeareth? for he is like a refiner's fire, and like fuller's\n    soap.\" (Malachi 3: 2).\n\nIt appears from this prediction of Malachi that the Lord will send a\nmessenger to prepare the way for His second coming, as was done at the\ntime of His first coming. It is reasonable to believe this, for it is\nin full harmony with the teachings of the scriptures. The Prophet Amos\nsays:\n\n    \"Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret\n    unto his servants the prophets.\" (Amos 3: 7).\n\nABUNDANCE OF SCRIPTURE TO PROVE IT.\n\nThe whole Bible history bears witness to the truth of these words of\nAmos. It is a record of God's dealings with mankind through the agency\nof \"his servants the prophets,\" The sacred book tells us nothing\nconcerning the things of God but what has been revealed by His holy\nprophets. In connection with all important events it relates, we\nread of some inspired men appearing. These prophets were raised up\nto deliver special messages from the Lord direct to the people. From\ntime to time the Lord has such messages to declare to mankind. In all\npast ages He has proclaimed them by the mouths of His prophets. The\nLord spoke to these men with His own voice, sometimes face to face,\nsometimes from the midst of a cloud or from a burning bush, and at\nother times by a voice from heaven.\n\nBefore the Lord destroyed the inhabitants of the earth with a flood, He\nraised up the Prophet Noah to warn the people of the danger they were\nin, and to point out to them a way of escape.\n\nWhen the Lord was about to raise up a chosen people of the posterity of\nAbraham, He told that patriarch of His intention. {310} He also renewed\nthe promise to Jacob, by speaking unto him, and Jacob prophesied\nconcerning his posterity.\n\nAfter the children of Israel became slaves to the Egyptians, and when\nthe Lord was about to free them, He revealed His intentions to the\nProphet Moses. He chose this man to prepare the people for deliverance\nand to lead them out of Egypt.\n\nWhen the Jews were about to be taken captives by the Babylonians,\nprophets were sent to warn them of their danger. Jeremiah and Ezekiel\nwere two of those prophets. The people heeded not their warning, and\nmany were slain or taken as prisoners.\n\nWhen the Lord was about to destroy Nineveh, unless the people repented\nof their sins, He sent the Prophet Jonah to call them to repentance.\nThe people listened to and obeyed his words and were saved.\n\nWhen the Jewish kingdom was about to be entirely overthrown for the\nlast time, John the Baptist and the Savior Himself appeared to point\nout the way for the people's salvation; but they were rejected by the\ngreat majority.\n\nTHE FUTURE DETERMINED BY THE PAST.\n\nJesus says about His second advent:\n\n    \"But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son\n    of man be.\" (Matthew 24: 37).\n\nAs Noah was sent to warn the people of the approaching flood in his\nday, is it not reasonable to expect that a prophet will be sent in the\nlatter days to warn the people of the destruction of the wicked, when\nthe Savior comes to take vengeance upon them?\n\nThe Bible fully establishes the fact that all important things done by\nthe Lord in past ages have been preceded by the appearance of inspired\nprophets. Surely the greatest event of the world's history--Christ's\nglorious reign on earth--will be preceded by the appearance of divinely\ninspired messengers!\n\nSIGNS ENUMERATED.\n\nScriptural testimony has been presented in the foregoing to show that a\nnumber of signs of Christ's second coming will be made manifest to the\nworld before His appearance takes place:\n\nThere will be Wars and Rumors of Wars, Famines, and Pestilences, and\nEarthquakes.\n\n{311} The Gospel of the Kingdom shall be Preached in all the World for\na Witness unto all Nations.\n\nThe Sun and Moon shall be darkened, the Stars of Heaven shall Fall, and\nthe Powers of Heaven shall be Shaken.\n\nThe Lord's Chosen People will be Gathered.\n\nThe House of the Lord shall be established in the Top of the Mountains.\n\nAll the Gifts and Blessings of the Gospel shall be Restored.\n\nA Messenger shall Come to Prepare the Way Before the Lord.\n\nAPPEARANCE OF THE SIGNS.\n\nThe order in which these signs will appear is not clearly stated in the\nscriptures. It is consistent to believe that several will be apparent\nat once. Famines and pestilences often occur as the results of war.\n\nThe preaching of the Gospel and the gathering of the Lord's elect will\ntake time, and may proceed together. It is plainly evident that before\nthe preaching or the gathering the Lord's authorized messenger must\nappear to begin the work and to show how the Lord desires it carried\nout.\n\nSIGNS ALREADY APPARENT.\n\nThe \"wars and rumors of wars,\" the rising of \"kingdom against kingdom,\"\nthe \"distress of nations,\" and the \"famines, pestilences, and\nearthquakes\" of the present time proclaim that THE COMING OF THE LORD\n\"IS NEAR, EVEN AT THE DOORS.\" The desire awakened among the Jews to\nreturn to Jerusalem, and the efforts being made for them to do so, are\nalso witnesses that THE TIME OF THEIR \"REDEMPTION DRAWETH NIGH.\"\n\nWHO BELIEVES THESE THINGS.\n\nBut what about the messenger to prepare the way before the Lord? How\nabout the preaching of the Gospel of the kingdom in all the world?\nWhere are the gifts and blessings of the Gospel--the signs to follow\nthe believers? Where are the chosen people being gathered? And where is\nthe house of the Lord being established?\n\nIn this age of unbelief who is looking for the fulfillment of these\nimportant events which must surely come to pass? Well might the Savior\nask the question: \"When the Son of {312} Man Cometh, shall he find\nfaith on the earth?\" \"As the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming\nof the Son of man be.\" There were but few believers in Noah's day.\n\nA PEOPLE PREPARING FOR CHRIST'S COMING.\n\nThe Latter-day Saints claim that the divinely inspired messenger has\ncome to prepare the way before the Lord. They know that the gifts,\npowers and blessings of the Gospel have been restored, for they are\npartakers of them. Among them the eyes of the blind have been opened,\nthe ears of the deaf unstopped, and the lame healed. Their missionaries\nin a humble way have been proclaiming the Gospel of the kingdom for\nover sixty years; and thousands of them are among the nations of\nthe earth declaring it at the present time. Many of those who have\nbelieved their message have been gathered out from all nations, \"from\nthe four winds,\" from the \"islands of the sea,\" from the \"mountains\"\nand \"hills,\" and the \"holes of the rocks.\" They have built the Lord's\nhouse in \"the top of the mountains,\" where \"all nations shall flow unto\nit,\" as they are now doing. There they are being taught the Lord's\nways, that they might more fully \"walk in His paths.\" The claims of the\nLatter-day Saints are worthy of the earnest and prayerful consideration\nof all who are seeking to prepare for the coming of the Lord.\n\n    \"_We have turned the barren, bleak prairies and swamps into\n    beautiful towns, farms and cities, by our industry; and the men\n    who seek our destruction and cry thief, treason, riot, are those\n    who themselves violate the laws, steal and plunder from their\n    neighbors, and seek to destroy the innocent, heralding forth lies\n    to screen themselves from the just punishment of their crimes by\n    bringing destruction upon innocent people_.\"\n\n    --_Joseph Smith_.\n\n{313}\n\n\n\nSAVED BY GRACE THROUGH OBEDIENCE.\n\nIMPORTANT QUESTIONS CONCERNING SALVATION ANSWERED BY THE WORD OF GOD.\nEDWIN F. PARRY, LIVERPOOL ENGLAND.\n\nBIBLE TEACHINGS UPON THIS SUBJECT--IMPORTANT QUESTIONS CONCERNING\nSALVATION ANSWERED BY THE WORD OF GOD SALVATION FREE TO ALL WHO WILL\nOBEY--FAITH ALONE WILL NOT SAVE--TRUE FAITH CANNOT BE SEPARATED FROM\nWORKS OF OBEDIENCE--ILLUSTRATIONS OF SALVATION BY GRACE.\n\nIS SALVATION FREE TO ALL?\n\nThe Bible plainly says that it is. St. Paul tells us that our Savior\n\"Will have all men to be saved.\" (I Timothy 3: 4). John tells us that\n\n    \"God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that\n    whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting\n    life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world;\n    but that the world through him might be saved.\" (John 3: 16, 17).\n\nARE ALL MEN SINNERS?\n\nThe Bible says so.\n\n    \"There is none righteous, no, not one.\" (Romans 3: 10).\n\n    \"For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and\n    sinneth not.\" (Ecclesiastes 7: 20).\n\n    \"If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth\n    is not in us.\" (I John 1: 8).\n\nWHAT IS THE LORD'S INVITATION AND PROMISE TO SINNERS?\n\nHe invites them to come unto Him, and promises them rest unto their\nsouls and forgiveness of their sins.\n\n    \"Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will\n    {314} give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I\n    am meek and lowly of heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.\n    For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.\" (Matthew 11: 28-30).\n\n    \"Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord; though your\n    sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be\n    red like crimson, they shall be as wool.\" (Isaiah 1: 18).\n\nCAN SINFUL MAN SAVE HIMSELF?\n\nNo. The Apostle Paul says salvation \"is the gift of God,\" (Ephesians 2:\n8); he also says,\n\n    \"The wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life.\"\n    (Romans 6: 23).\n\nTHEN BY WHAT MEANS CAN MAN BE SAVED?\n\nOnly through the grace of God, which means by His goodness, favor, or\nkindness.\n\n    \"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of\n    yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man\n    should boast.\" (Ephesians 2: 8, 9).\n\nDOES THIS MEAN THAT WE ARE TO DO NOTHING?\n\nCertainly not, for the next verse of St. Paul's writing states that we\nmust perform good works.\n\n    \"For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good\n    works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.\"\n    (Ephesians 2: 10).\n\nWHAT IS THIS GIFT OF GOD WHICH BRINGS SALVATION TO MAN?\n\nIt is the atonement made by Jesus Christ, by which He took away the sin\nof the world.\n\n    \"For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the\n    unjust, that he might bring us to God.\" (I Peter 3: 18).\n\n    \"Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.\"\n    (John 1: 29).\n\nFROM WHAT IS MAN SAVED BY CHRIST'S ATONEMENT?\n\nFirst, from the effects of Adam's fall, which is death.\n\n    \"For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of\n    the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be\n    made alive.\" (I Corinthians 15: 21, 22).\n\nSecond, from the sins man himself commits, provided he accepts the\ngrace which Christ offers.\n\n    {315} \"And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours\n    only, but also for the sins of the whole world.\" (I John 2: 2).\n\nHOW CAN MAN RECEIVE THE GREAT GIFT OF SALVATION FROM SIN?\n\nOnly by obeying the Gospel of Jesus Christ; that is, by doing what He\nhas commanded. There is no other way. St. Paul says of Christ:\n\n    \"Being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto\n    all them that obey him.\" (Hebrews 5: 9).\n\nThe Savior Himself says:\n\n    \"Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the\n    kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my father which is\n    in heaven.\" (Matthew 7: 21).\n\n    \"If ye love me, keep my commandments.\" (John 14: 15).\n\n    \"He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that\n    loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I\n    will love him, and will manifest myself to him.\" (John 14: 21).\n\nSHALL WE BE JUDGED ACCORDING TO OUR BELIEF OR ACCORDING TO OUR\nOBEDIENCE?\n\nThe scriptures tell us that every man will be rewarded according to his\nworks.\n\n    \"For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his father with his\n    angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.\"\n    (Matthew 16, 27).\n\n    \"Who will render to every man according to his deeds: to them who\n    by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honor and\n    immortality, eternal life: but unto them that are contentious, and\n    do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and\n    wrath.\" (Romans 2: 6, 7).\n\n    \"And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the\n    books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book\n    of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were\n    written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up\n    the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead\n    which were in them: and they were judged every man according to\n    their works. (Revelation 20: 12, 13).\n\nWHAT WILL BE THE PENALTY OF DISOBEDIENCE?\n\nThe Apostle Paul says the Lord Jesus will take vengeance upon those who\nobey not the Gospel of Christ.\n\n    \"And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus\n    shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, in flaming\n    fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not\n    the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.\" (II Thessalonians 1: 7, 8).\n\n{316} The Apostle James says people deceive themselves if they do not\nthe things the Lord commands:\n\n    \"Be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own\n    selves.\" (James 1: 22).\n\n    \"What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith,\n    and have not works? can faith save him? If a brother or sister be\n    naked, and destitute of daily food, and one of you say unto them,\n    Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give\n    them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it\n    profit?\" (James 2: 14, 15, 16).\n\nThe Apostle John gives this testimony concerning those who obey the\nLord:\n\n    \"Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have\n    right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into\n    the city.\" (Revelation 22: 14).\n\nARE NOT MANKIND CLEANSED FROM SIN BY THE BLOOD OF JESUS?\n\nYes, if they follow Him, that is, keep His commandments.\n\n    \"This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare\n    unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If\n    we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we\n    lie, and do not the truth: but if we walk in the light, as he is in\n    the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of\n    Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.\" (I John 1: 5, 6,\n    7).\n\n#DOES THE OBEDIENCE WHICH THE LORD REQUIRES MEAN BELIEF ONLY?\n\nNo; for true belief, or faith, cannot be separated from works. Jesus\nsays,\n\n    \"He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also.\"\n    (John 14: 12).\n\n    \"Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the\n    kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is\n    in heaven.\" (Matthew 7: 21).\n\n    \"And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I\n    say?\" (Luke 6: 46).\n\n    \"Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.\" (John 15:\n    14).\n\nThe Apostle James also tells us,\n\n    \"Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.\" (James\n    2: 17).\n\nKnowing that a man cannot show that he has faith except by his works,\nthis Apostle adds:\n\n    \"Show me thy faith without thy works, and I will show thee my faith\n    by my works.\" (James 2: 18).\n\n{317} To make it plain that a belief without works is not a living\nfaith and will not save, he says,\n\n    \"The devils also believe and tremble.\" (James 2: 19).\n\nWHAT WORKS ARE REQUIRED WITH OUR FAITH?\n\nThe ordinances of the Gospel, such as repentance, baptism and the\nlaying on of hands, and all the works of righteousness God has\ncommanded. Jesus says concerning repentance and baptism,\n\n    \"Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.\" (Matthew 4: 17).\n\n    \"Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.\" (Luke 13: 5).\n\n    \"He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved.\" (Mark 16: 16).\n\nThe Apostle Peter says,\n\n    \"Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus\n    Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of\n    the Holy Ghost.\" (Acts 2: 38).\n\nIn regard to works of righteousness Christ says:\n\n    \"Except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the\n    scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom\n    of heaven.\" (Matthew 5: 20).\n\n    \"He that endureth to the end shall be saved.\" (Matthew 10: 22).\n\nUpon this subject the Apostle Peter writes:\n\n    \"Add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; and to\n    knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience\n    godliness; and to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly\n    kindness charity.\" (II Peter 1: 5-7).\n\nDOES ANY PART OF THE BIBLE TEACH THAT MAN CAN BE SAVED WITHOUT\nWORKS?\n\nNo. The passages that some people suppose teach such a doctrine are not\nfully understood by them. Paul and Silas said to the jailer, when he\nasked them what he should do to be saved,\n\n    \"Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved and thy\n    house.\" (Acts 16: 31).\n\nThey knew that the jailer could not truly believe without obeying. That\nhe did obey is shown by the words that follow:\n\n    \"And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their\n    stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway.\" (Acts 16:\n    33).\n\nOn the day of Pentecost the Apostle Peter repeated these words from the\nprophecy of Joel:\n\n{318}\n\n    \"And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name\n    of the Lord shall be saved.\" (Acts 2: 21).\n\nBut on the same occasion he commanded every one of them to repent and\nbe baptized. (Acts 2: 38).\n\nSt. Paul says,\n\n    \"A man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.\" (Romans\n    3: 28).\n\nIt is made plain by other remarks which he makes in the same connection\nthat he refers to the Jewish law, and not to deeds of righteousness,\nnor Gospel ordinances. In no place does the Bible teach that faith\nwithout works will save.\n\nAN ILLUSTRATION.\n\nSuppose a farmer were told these words by a friend: \"If you only\nhad a horse, you might do much more work.\" The farmer would at once\nunderstand that his friend meant that he should not only procure a\nhorse, but that he should feed it, and use it in the harness in order\nto get the work performed. He would be considered a very foolish man if\nhe merely bought the horse, and never fed it or used it, simply because\nhis friend did not say the words \"You must feed it and make use of it\nafter you get it.\" The horse would soon die, and then be of no use to\nthe owner if he treated it in such a way. Anyone who says he believes\nin Jesus Christ and never obeys His commandments has but a dead faith,\nwhich is of no more use to him than is a dead horse to a farmer.\n\nWHAT KNOWLEDGE DOES THE BIBLE SAY IS NECESSARY TO ETERNAL LIFE?\n\nA knowledge of our Father in heaven, and our Redeemer.\n\n    \"This is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God,\n    and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.\" (John 17: 3).\n\nCAN THIS KNOWLEDGE BE OBTAINED WITHOUT OBEDIENCE TO THE\nCOMMANDMENTS OF THE LORD?\n\nIt cannot. The Apostle John says:\n\n    \"Hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandment.\n    He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a\n    liar, and the truth is not in him.\" (I John 2: 3, 4).\n\n{319}\n\nCAN THERE BE MORE THAN ONE WAY OF SALVATION, OR MORE THAN ONE TRUE\nGOSPEL AND CHURCH OF CHRIST?\n\nNo. The Savior taught only one way, and organized but one church. He\nsays:\n\n    \"I am the way, the truth and the life: no man cometh unto the\n    Father, but by me.\" (John 14: 6).\n\n    \"He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth\n    up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.\" (John 10: 1).\n\nSt. Paul says concerning the one Gospel of Christ:\n\n    \"Though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel\n    unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be\n    accursed.\" (Galatians 1: 8).\n\nThe same Apostle says concerning the Church of Christ:\n\n    \"There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one\n    hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism.\" (Ephesians\n    4: 4, 5).\n\nSt. John gives this warning against those who teach not the necessity\nof abiding in Christ, that is obeying all His doctrines:\n\n    \"If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive\n    him not into your house, neither bid him God speed: for he that\n    biddeth him God speed, is partaker of his evil deeds.\" (II John 10,\n    11).\n\nIF ORDINANCES AND COMMANDMENTS MUST BE OBEYED HOW ARE MANKIND SAVED\nBY GRACE, WHICH IS A FREE GIFT?\n\nThe Gospel plan is given through the grace of God. It is a gift to man.\nIf man refuses to obey it he rejects the gift, which is the only means\nof his salvation.\n\n    \"I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of\n    God unto salvation to every one that believeth.\" (Romans 1: 16).\n\nTRUTHS DECLARED BY THE WORD OF GOD.\n\nThe passages already given are from the writings and sayings of\ndivinely inspired apostles and prophets. They are the words of God, for\nthese men \"spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.\" With many other\npassages in the Bible they prove that--\n\nSalvation is Free to all. All men are Sinners.\n\n{320} The Lord Invites all Sinners to come to Him, and Promises them\nForgiveness.\n\nSinful man Cannot save Himself.\n\nHe can only be Saved by the Grace of God.\n\nHe can only partake of the Full Grace of God by Obeying the Gospel of\nChrist.\n\nObedience means to Keep the Commandments as well as to Believe.\n\nThe Bible Teaches no other way of Salvation.\n\nSALVATION AND EDUCATION.\n\nThe Gospel which redeems from sin may be likened unto a course of\neducation which redeems from ignorance. The two are so near alike\nthat if we understand the one we may be able to understand the other.\nSometimes wealthy men establish schools that are free to the public.\nAll who desire to get an education are invited to receive it freely.\nIt might be said that it is by the grace or kindness of these men that\nthose who accept their offer are educated. But to receive the education\nthey offer so freely one must comply with the rules of the school.\nHe cannot enter unless he is willing to do so. After he has entered\nthe pupil must obey the instructions given or he never will gain the\neducation offered, although it is offered freely.\n\nSalvation in the kingdom of heaven is very much the same. It is offered\nto all freely, but to receive it one must accept of the conditions\nupon which it is tendered; and he must gain it by obedience to the\ninstructions of the Savior, who made salvation free to mankind.\n\nSIN AND DEBT.\n\nSin may be likened unto a debt. Sometimes men get into debt and are\nunable to pay what they owe. Suppose a man in this condition was told\nby the man to whom he was in debt that he would be forgiven if he would\nagree to certain conditions. Such a man would not expect forgiveness\nunless he made the promise and kept his agreement.\n\nAll men are sinners before the Lord, and they cannot free themselves\nfrom their sins. The Savior, however, promises them forgiveness on\ncondition of their obedience to His commandments. How then can we\nexpect to receive forgiveness unless we accept His offer and obey His\nword?\n\n{321}\n\n\n\nTHE BEGINNING OF THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST.\n\nRULES THAT MUST BE OBEYED BY ALL WHO ENTER CHRIST'S CHURCH.\n\nBY ELDER EDWIN F. PARRY, LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND.\n\n###WHAT IS SALVATION?\n\nSalvation means redemption from eternal death, and deliverance from the\neffects of sin. It is the gift of God to man.\n\n    \"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of\n    yourselves: it is the gift of God.\" (Ephesians 2: 8).\n\nAdam's transgression, or original sin, brought eternal death upon\nmankind. The atonement made by the Savior made redemption from that\neternal death general or universal; that is, all will be redeemed from\nit. Both good and bad will be resurrected.\n\n    \"For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of\n    the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be\n    made alive.\" (I Corinthians 15: 21, 22).\n\nOUR OWN SINS.\n\nSalvation from our own sins is a special blessing of our Heavenly\nFather. It is offered freely, but all who desire it must accept it upon\nthe condition specified. That condition is obedience to the Gospel of\nJesus Christ.\n\nWHAT IS THE GOSPEL?\n\nThe Gospel of Jesus Christ is called the plan of salvation. It is a\nsystem of rules by complying with which salvation may be gained; hence\nit is called in the scriptures the \"power of God unto salvation.\"\n\n{322} There are many systems or branches of knowledge known to man,\nsuch as that of music, of chemistry, of mathematics, of geometry, etc.\nBy learning and practicing the rules of one of these systems a person\ncan receive the benefits to be had from that particular system. By\nlearning and practicing the rules of the Gospel we can receive the\nblessing it offers, which is salvation.\n\nTo enjoy the privileges and blessings of civilized society children\nhave to learn the rules or customs of civilized people. This they\ndo by obeying the teachings they receive from their parents. If an\nuncivilized man wishes to associate with civilized people, and enjoy\ntheir company, he must be willing to obey their teachings, or the rules\nof their society. The Gospel of Jesus Christ leaches the rules of\nconduct that are to be observed by all who are saved in the kingdom of\nheaven. These rules are simple, but they are very strict. They must be\nobeyed.\n\nTHE FIRST RULE--FAITH.\n\nThe first rule or principle of the Gospel is faith in God. The Apostle\nPaul says:\n\n    \"Without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh\n    to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them\n    that diligently seek him.\" (Hebrews 11: 6).\n\nIt is shown in the above passage that we cannot come to God without\nbelieving that He exists, and also that He rewards them that diligently\nseek Him. In order to believe that God rewards all that seek Him, we\nmust trust Him, or have confidence in His word. That is, we must rely\nupon His promises. This is the full meaning of faith. The same apostle\ngives this definition of faith:\n\n    \"Faith is the substance\" [assurance] \"of things hoped for, the\n    evidence of things not seen.\" (Hebrews 11: 1).\n\nThe reason why it is impossible to please God without faith is because\nHe desires that His children should come unto Him, that they might be\nsaved. It pleases Him when they keep His commandments, while He is\ndispleased when they are disobedient.\n\nNATURE OF TRUE FAITH.\n\nTrue faith is sometimes called living faith. It is capable of growing.\nWhen exercised it becomes stronger. When we {323} trust in the Lord we\nprove to ourselves that He can be relied upon. We learn that His word\ncan be depended upon, and so our confidence in Him is increased. By\nthe continued exercise of faith in God it becomes a principle of great\npower. Men by it have influence with the Lord. By it they are enabled\nto do many marvelous things. Jesus says,\n\n    \"If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that\n    believeth.\" (Mark 9: 23).\n\n    \"If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto\n    this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove;\n    and nothing shall be impossible unto you.\" (Matthew 17: 20).\n\n    \"What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye\n    receive them, and ye shall have them.\" (Mark 11: 24).\n\nPOWER OF FAITH.\n\nSt. Paul mentions many great things done by the power of faith, and\nspeaks of a number of men of old \"who through faith subdued kingdoms,\nwrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions,\nquenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of\nweakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the\narmies of the aliens.\" (Hebrew 11: 33, 34).\n\nKnowing the great power of living faith, the Savior promised with\nassurance that marvelous blessings should follow all who believe on the\nLord. These blessings, He said, should be signs or evidences of their\nbelief.\n\n    \"These signs shall follow them that believe; in my name shall they\n    cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take\n    up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt\n    them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.\"\n    (Mark 16: 17, 18).\n\nAll these blessings were enjoyed by believers in former days. They are\nalso received by true believers to-day. The result of faith is always\nthe same. If it was possible for miracles to be performed by the power\nof faith in ancient times it is equally possible to do the same by\nfaith at the present time.\n\nNECESSITY OF MIRACULOUS GIFTS.\n\nIt is necessary that the signs or gifts of the Gospel should follow\nbelievers in our day as well as in past ages. They furnish a proof of\nour faith. If our faith is not sufficient to bring to us the temporal\nblessings of God which we need or desire, then we have cause to fear\nthat our faith is not strong enough to bring to us eternal salvation.\nIt is possible for a {324} person to be mistaken in estimating his own\nfaith. Sometimes people over-estimate their strength, and only learn\nof their mistake when they make some test of it. Persons can also\noverestimate the faith they possess, and if they do not test it they\nmay deceive themselves.\n\nFaith, like bodily strength, can only be developed or increased by\nexercising it; and a person once possessing faith may lose it by\ndisuse, as one loses his strength of muscle when it is not exercised.\n\nEXISTENCE OF FAITH SHOWN BY WORKS.\n\nTrue faith is always made manifest by works. When a person has faith in\nthe Lord he will show it by his works of obedience; that is by keeping\nthe commandments of God. It is useless for any one to profess that he\nhas faith, if he does not show it by his obedience. The Savior asks the\nquestion,\n\n    \"Why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?\"\n    (Luke 6: 46).\n\nThe Apostle James says we deceive ourselves if we are not doers of the\nword:\n\n    \"Be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own\n    selves.\" (James 2: 22).\n\nHe further adds that it is not profitable to say we have faith and do\nnot perform works, and that the best way to show our faith is by our\nworks:\n\n    \"What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith,\n    and have not works? can faith save him? If a brother or sister be\n    naked, and destitute of daily food, and one of you say unto them,\n    Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give\n    them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it\n    profit? Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.\n    Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works; shew me thy\n    faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.\n    Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils\n    also believe, and tremble.\" (James 2: 14-19).\n\nANOTHER EVIDENCE OF FAITH.\n\nTrue faith can be recognized by another proof or test. When it is\nobtained it causes its possessor to be very humble. It is always\naccompanied with humility. It convinces its possessor that he is a\nsinner, and he feels penitent.\n\nTHE SECOND RULE--REPENTANCE.\n\nRepentance is the second rule or principle of the Gospel of Christ. It\nnaturally follows faith in God and Jesus Christ. True faith leads to\nrepentance of sin as one step up a ladder leads to the next.\n\n{325}\n\nMEANING OF REPENTANCE.\n\nAccording to the teachings of the scriptures, to repent means to feel\nsorrow for sins committed and to turn away from them; that is to do\nthem no more. St. Paul, in writing to the Corinthian saints, says to\nthem concerning their repentance:\n\n    \"Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed\n    to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner that ye\n    might receive damage by us in nothing. For godly sorrow worketh\n    repentance to salvation not to be repented of; but the sorrow of\n    the world worketh death.\" (II Corinthians 7: 9, 10).\n\nThe same apostle in exhorting the Ephesians to repent told them what\nthey should do, or how they should repent. He says,\n\n    \"Let him that stole steal no more.\" (Ephesians 4: 28).\n\nOne who sincerely repents will also seek to make restitution for wrongs\ndone. If he has stolen he will return, if possible, that which he has\ntaken. Such is the full meaning of repentance--to forsake sin.\n\nNECESSITY OF REPENTANCE.\n\nRepentance is very necessary to salvation in the kingdom of heaven.\nThose who have been led to exercise faith in the Lord are under great\ncondemnation if they do not repent. They are in rebellion against Him\nand cannot receive His approbation. Unless they turn from their sins\nthey are not fit subjects for His kingdom. Both John the Baptist and\nJesus began their labors in the ministry by calling upon the people to\nrepent.\n\n    \"In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness\n    of Judea, and saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at\n    hand.\" (Matthew 3: 1, 2).\n\n    \"From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the\n    kingdom of heaven is at hand.\" (Matthew 4: 17).\n\nJohn refused to baptize those who came to him, without repenting, and\ntold them to bring forth \"fruits meet for repentance.\" (Matthew 3: 7,\n8).\n\nNeither faith nor baptism will benefit a person unless he repents also.\nThe object of the Gospel is to bring mankind back to God. Through sin\nthey are separated from Him.\n\n    \"Your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your\n    sins have hid his face from you.\" (Isaiah 59: 2).\n\n{326}\n\nTo return to Him it is necessary to put away sin--to repent of it.\n\n    \"Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of\n    God?\" (I Corinthians 6: 9).\n\n    \"Except ye repent, ye shall likewise perish.\" (Luke 13: 3).\n\nIt is only upon certain conditions that the blood of Christ cleanseth\nfrom all sin:\n\n    \"If we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship\n    one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth\n    us from all sin.\" (I John 1: 7).\n\nIn order to \"walk in the light\" we must turn away from the dark paths\nof sin.\n\nTHE THIRD RULE--BAPTISM.\n\nRepentance alone does not remit sin, yet every one who is truly\npenitent desires that his sins be remitted. It is through the atonement\nof Jesus Christ that a remission of sins is obtained. To make that\natonement effective to each individual the Savior has instituted an\nordinance. By obeying that ordinance, after repenting of his sins, a\nperson can receive a remission or forgiveness of them.\n\nTRUE MODE OF BAPTISM.\n\nThe ordinance for the remission of sins is called baptism. The meaning\nof the word baptize is to immerse or dip. The only proper mode of\nbaptism is by immersion. All the baptisms described in the New\nTestament were performed by immersion.\n\nSt. Matthew says concerning the baptism of Jesus:\n\n    \"And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the\n    water.\" (Matthew 3: 16).\n\n    This shows that He must have gone down into the water. \"And John\n    also was baptizing in Aenon near to Salim, because there was much\n    water there.\" (John 3: 23).\n\nThis is also a proof that John baptized by immersion.\n\nThe baptism of the eunuch by Philip is described thus in the Bible:\n\n    \"They went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch;\n    and he baptized him. And when they were come up out of the water,\n    the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip.\" (Acts 8: 38, 39).\n\n{327}\n\nThis, again, shows the manner of baptism practiced by the Savior's\ndisciples.\n\nSt. Paul writes:\n\n    \"Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ\n    were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by\n    baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead\n    by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness\n    of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of\n    his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection.\"\n    (Romans 6: 3, 4, 5).\n\nThe apostle here likens baptism to the burial and resurrection of\nChrist. Any ordinance called baptism performed in some other way is not\nin the likeness of Christ's death and resurrection, and is not baptism\nat all.\n\nAll the early church historians testify that baptism by immersion was\npracticed during the first centuries after Christ.\n\nWHAT BAPTISM IS FOR.\n\nThe following passages of scripture show that baptism is for the\nremission of sins:\n\n    \"John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of\n    repentance for the remission of sins.\" (Mark 1: 4).\n\n    \"And he came into all the country about Jordan, preaching the\n    baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.\" (Luke 3: 3).\n\n    \"Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of\n    you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins.\" (Acts\n    2: 38).\n\nThe scriptures tell of no ordinance or means by which a remission of\nsins can be obtained without baptism. Faith and repentance are not\nsufficient. The Bible says of John the Baptist's ministry:\n\n    \"All the people that heard him, and the publicans, justified God,\n    being baptized with the baptism of John. But the Pharisees and\n    lawyers rejected the counsel of God against themselves, being not\n    baptized of him.\" (Luke 7: 29, 30).\n\nIt appears from this that those who refuse to be baptized reject the\ncounsel of God against themselves. To do this is a great sin, and the\nonly way to repent of it is to obey the counsel of God, and the counsel\nof God is to be baptized.\n\nCornelius, who is described as \"a devout man, and one that feared\nGod,\" and who was visited by an angel from heaven was commanded to be\nbaptized. (Acts 10: 48). This shows {328} that baptism is necessary for\nall mankind, no matter how righteous they may be.\n\nOTHER PURPOSES OF BAPTISM.\n\nJesus said it was necessary for Him to be baptized, in order to fulfill\nall righteousness, though He was without sin:\n\n    \"Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized\n    of him. But John forbade him, saying, I have need to be baptized\n    of thee, and comest thou to me? And Jesus answering said unto him,\n    Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfill all\n    righteousness.\" (Matthew 3: 13, 14, 15).\n\nIf it was becoming or proper that the Savior, who was without sin,\nshould obey this ordinance, how much more becoming and necessary it is\nfor all mankind, who are in sin, to follow Him and be baptized!\n\nBaptism is one of the ordinances by which persons are admitted into the\nchurch of Christ, as shown by the following scriptures:\n\n    \"Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the\n    same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.\"\n    (Acts 2: 41).\n\n    \"Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter\n    into the kingdom of God.\" (John 3: 5).\n\nTo be \"born of water\" one must be baptized in water. Upon another\noccasion Jesus said,\n\n\"He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved: but he that\nbelieveth not shall be damned.\" (Mark 16: 16).\n\nIn no part of the scripture is it stated that man can be admitted into\nthe church of Christ or be saved without baptism. It is an ordinance\nbinding upon all who have reached the age of accountability.\n\nThe words of Jesus to the thief on the cross, \"To-day shalt thou be\nwith me in paradise,\" (Luke 23: 43), are believed by some to mean that\nthe thief was promised salvation without complying with the ordinance\nof baptism. The Apostle Peter says Christ, after being \"put to death\nin the flesh,\" \"went and preached unto the spirits in prison; which\nsometime were disobedient, when once the long-suffering of God waited\nin the days of Noah.\" (I Peter 3: 18, 19, 20). Three days after His\ncrucifixion, and after He was resurrected, Jesus said to Mary: \"Touch\nme not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father.\" (John 20: 17). This\nproves that Christ did not go to heaven on the day He told the thief he\nwould be with {329} Him in Paradise; if He did not, then it is evident\nthat the thief did not.\n\nTHE BAPTISM OF INFANTS.\n\nThe baptism of infants is not an ordinance of Christ's church. He never\ninstituted such a practice, and does not require it nor approve of\nit. Baptism as has been shown, is for the remission of sins, and for\nadmission into the kingdom of God. It must follow faith and repentance.\nInfants are without sins; they are unable to exercise faith, or to\nunderstand repentance. Concerning them Jesus says:\n\n    \"Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not:\n    FOR OF SUCH IS THE KINGDOM OF GOD.\" (Mark 10: 13, 14).\n\nTHOSE WHO HAVE DIED WITHOUT BAPTISM.\n\nIf this ordinance is so essential to salvation, it might be asked,\nwhat becomes of those good people who die without baptism, not knowing\nit is necessary? Will they be lost? It might also be asked, What will\nbecome of those good people who die without believing on the Lord Jesus\nChrist, never having heard of Him? Let the scriptures answer these\nquestions:\n\n    \"And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world,\n    and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were\n    evil.\" (John 3: 19).\n\n    \"Where no law is, there is no transgression.\" (Romans 4: 15).\n\n    \"For sin is the transgression of the law.\" (I John 3: 4).\n\n    \"That servant which knew his Lord's will, and prepared not himself,\n    neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many\n    stripes. But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of\n    stripes shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much\n    is given, of him shall be much required.\" (Luke 12: 47, 48).\n\nThese passages of scripture are sufficient to make it clear that people\nare not condemned until they, after having the privilege of complying\nwith the law of God, reject it. The Lord in His infinite mercy has\nprovided means by which all who die without the privilege of hearing\nand obeying the Gospel may be saved by future compliance.[1]\n\nBut those who do hear it and refuse to obey its teachings simply\nbecause other good people before them who died without {330} the\nopportunity did not comply with them in this life, will surely be under\ncondemnation.\n\nBAPTISM A TEST OF OBEDIENCE.\n\nThe fact that baptism is a commandment of God should be enough to\nconvince any one that it must be observed. It is not an unreasonable\nrequirement. The Lord promises salvation to those who obey Him.\nBaptism is one of the tests of obedience. Nothing but a lack of\nfaith, repentance and humility will cause one to object to baptism.\nAn unwillingness to submit to baptism is a proof that faith and\nrepentance have not been complied with. Baptism therefore serves as a\ntest of one's faith and repentance, just as repentance is a test of\nfaith. A spirit of repentance and humility proves that we have faith;\nand an honest desire to accept baptism proves that we manifest faith,\nrepentance and humility.\n\nWhen these three rules or principles have been sincerely obeyed we are\nprepared for the next one. By complying with it the Lord's approval of\nour course is to be received.\n\nTHE FOURTH RULE--LAYING ON OF HANDS.\n\nFollowing the ordinance of baptism by immersion in water for the\nremission of sins, is that of laying on of hands for the reception of\nthe Holy Ghost. The manner of conferring the Holy Ghost in the days\nof the apostles was by the ordinance of laying on of hands, as the\nfollowing passages will show:\n\n    \"Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy\n    Ghost.\" (Acts 8: 17).\n\n    \"When Simon saw that through laying on of the apostles' hands the\n    Holy Ghost was given, he offered them money.\" (Acts 8: 18).\n\n    \"When Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on\n    them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied.\" (Acts 19: 6).\n\nThose who truly believe, sincerely repent of their sins, and are\nbaptized by one having authority are entitled to receive this ordinance\nof laying on of hands for the reception of the Holy Ghost. If it is\nperformed by one called of God, that is, one having authority to\nadminister His ordinances, the Lord will sanction the act by bestowing\nthe gift of the Holy Ghost upon those who receive the ordinance.\n\nNECESSITY OF LAYING ON OF HANDS.\n\nThe scriptures show that it is very essential that this ordinance be\nreceived by all who accept the Gospel of Christ. Like that of baptism,\nit is one by which mankind are admitted {331} into the church of\nGod. When the people of Samaria accepted Philip's testimony and were\nbaptized, Peter and John were sent to lay hands upon them, that they\nmight receive the Holy Ghost. (Acts 8: 14-17). If it was not necessary\nthat the people of Samaria should have this ordinance attended to the\napostles would not have gone to the trouble of sending Peter and John\nunto them for that purpose.\n\nOFFICE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.\n\nThe influence of the Holy Spirit may be felt by men and women who have\nnot complied with all these rules of the Gospel. The Spirit of the Lord\nleads people to have faith, to live good lives, and to perform many\ngood works, but it will never manifest to any one that his life is\nfully approved of the Lord without obeying these ordinances or rules of\nHis church. People should not think themselves saved because they have\nfelt the influence of the Holy Ghost prompting them to do right. If\nthey do not obey its promptings by keeping the commandments of Christ,\nthat Spirit will not remain with them. The Lord says,\n\n    \"My spirit shall not always strive with man.\" (Genesis 6: 3).\n\nJesus said to His disciples,\n\n    \"I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter;\n    that he may abide with you forever.\" (John 14: 16).\n\nThis promise of a Comforter to abide with them forever was on condition\nof obedience, as may be learned by reading what follows in the same\nchapter of John's Gospel.\n\nJesus further promised that the Holy Ghost would lead His disciples\ninto all truth:\n\n    \"When he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all\n    truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall\n    hear, that shall he speak: and he will show you things to come.\"\n    (John 16: 13).\n\nIn order to be guided into all truth, and to receive the other\nblessings conferred by the Holy Spirit, we must obey these first\nprinciples of truth that have been mentioned. Unless we do this we\nnever can make further progress.\n\nRULES HEREIN EXPLAINED.\n\nIn the foregoing the first principles of the Gospel of Christ have been\nbriefly explained, namely.\n\n1. Faith in God and in His Son Jesus Christ.\n\n2. Repentance.\n\n{332} 3. Baptism by Immersion, for the Remission of Sins.\n\n4. Laying on of Hands for the Gift of the Holy Ghost.\n\nThat this is the order in which these principles were taught by the\nSavior and His disciples, is evident from the writings of the New\nTestament.\n\nJohn the Baptist first called upon those who believed his word to\nrepent of their sins; and he refused to baptize those who did not show\nfruits of repentance. (Matthew 3: 2-8). He also promised that after\ntheir baptism of water they should receive the baptism of the Holy\nGhost. (Matthew 3: 11).\n\nTo those who believed his words, spoken on the day of Pentecost, the\nApostle Peter said,\n\n    \"Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus\n    Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of\n    the Holy Ghost.\" (Act 2: 38).\n\nThe people of Samaria who believed Philip's preaching \"were baptized,\nboth men and women.\" (Acts 8: 12). Afterwards Peter and John were sent\nto them that they might receive the Holy Ghost:\n\n    \"Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy\n    Ghost\" (Acts 8: 17).\n\nThese four rules must be obeyed in order to gain admission into\nChrist's church. They are the beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.\n\nThese doctrines were taught by the Savior and His disciples, as\nrecorded in the Bible. There is no other way of entering the Church\nof Christ. Anyone who teaches that there is some other way is under\ncondemnation. St. Paul says:\n\n    Though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel\n    unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be\n    accursed.\" (Galatians 1: 8).\n\nSt. John, in speaking of the doctrine of Christ, says:\n\n    \"If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive\n    him not into your house, neither bid him God speed: for he that\n    biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds.\" (II John 10,\n    11).\n\nAll the doctrines taught by Jesus and His disciples are believed and\ntaught to-day by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; and\nall the blessings and gifts that characterized the primitive church are\nenjoyed by the Latter-day Saints.\n\n{333}\n\nFootnotes:\n\n1. For further information upon this subject see tract No. 5, entitled\n\"A Prophet of Latter Days.\"\n\n\n\nTHE ANGEL WITH THE GOSPEL.\n\nBY ELDER ORSON PRATT, IN MILLENNIAL STAR, 1866.\n\n    \"And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven having the\n    everlasting Gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and\n    to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, saying with\n    a loud voice, fear God, and give glory to him, for the hour of his\n    judgment is come; and worship him that made heaven and earth, and\n    the sea, and the fountains of waters.\"--_Rev_. 14: 6-7.\n\nHas the angel, seen in John's vision on Patmos, yet come? Or will\nhe hereafter come? The Latter-day Saints are diligently and boldly\ndeclaring to the nations that the angel has come, that he has appeared\nunto chosen witnesses, that he has committed the everlasting Gospel to\nthem, commanding them to preach it to all people, to cry with a loud\nvoice that the hour of God's judgment is come, to call upon all to\nfear God, and give glory to Him, and worship Him, etc. There are some\nwho have heard this solemn testimony of the servants of God, who are\nin doubt upon this all important subject. They suppose that the angel\nhimself was to preach this Gospel to all mankind, and that the angel\nhimself was to cry with a loud voice, etc. And because all people have\nnot heard the angel speak, and have not heard the everlasting Gospel\nfrom his own mouth, and have not heard him cry with a loud voice, they\nsuppose he has not come and denounce the Saints as false witnesses.\nBut let unbelievers candidly investigate the words of the text, and\nsee if they are justified in drawing this hasty conclusion. By a\ncareless glance at the passage, one might suppose that the heavenly\nmessenger himself was to do all the work of preaching; but the words\nevidently do not warrant such a construction. The angel was to fly\nhaving the everlasting Gospel; but that he was to preach the same to\nall people, is not mentioned in the text; neither is it, in that place,\ndeclared that he should publish with a loud voice, to all nations, any\nproclamation. When he left the heavenly worlds and came to earth, and\ncommitted the message he was intrusted with, into the hands of chosen\nvessels, commanding them to preach it, he had fulfilled his part of\nthe sacred mission, so far as the introduction of the heavenly message\namong them was concerned.\n\n{334} The words, \"To Preach Unto Them That Dwell on the Earth,\"\ncould be fulfilled by other agents, under the angel's authority and\ndirection; and the same agency which does the preaching is also\ncommissioned to say, \"With a Loud Voice, Fear God, and Give Glory\nto Him for the Hour of His Judgment Is Come.\" If the passage had\ndefinitely said that the angel who brings the Gospel should likewise\npreach it, with a loud voice, there would have been some slight\nfoundation for apparent objections to the Saints' testimony, but even\nthen the objections would be only apparent, for this great dispensation\nis not yet ended, and there could be no evidence brought that the angel\nwould not, near the close of the dispensation, actually publish with a\nloud voice to all people, the very hour of God's judgment, in all its\nfierceness and terror, so that all people would hear His voice. But\nsuch a wonderful and miraculous proclamation in the heavens would not\npreclude the angel from sending agents just prior to prepare a people\nfor so great an event.\n\nWhen we look at the angel's mission, by the aid of reason, the\nconviction at once forces itself upon the mind that he will authorize\nmissionaries to carry the Gospel to all nations; otherwise how\ncould believing penitent souls obey the Gospel ordinances? Is it\nreasonable to suppose that the angel would travel around on the earth,\nand baptize, and confirm by the laying on of hands for the baptism\nof the Holy Ghost, and minister the sacrament, and attend to all\nchurch ordinances? It is not only reasonable, but certain, that the\neverlasting Kingdom of God will be established on the earth, through\nthe reception of the Gospel that the angel brings; if so, there must\nbe officers called and ordained, such as Apostles, Prophets, etc.,\netc., to minister ordinances; otherwise, the everlasting Gospel, though\nproclaimed in the heavens by a mighty angel, would be of no use.\nReason, therefore, would testify at once, that the angel at first only\nbrings the Gospel, and directs other inspired agents to minister in its\nnumerous ordinances, to build up the Kingdom, to publish with a loud\nvoice the solemn testimony, that the hour--the terrible hour of God's\njudgment is come.\n\nLet no one suppose that because the angel has begun the fulfillment of\nJohn's vision, that he has fully accomplished all things in relation\nto it. Hear what new revelation says upon the subject. \"And now,\nverily, saith the Lord, that these things might be known among you, O\ninhabitants of the earth, I have sent forth mine angel flying through\nthe {335} midst of heaven, having the everlasting Gospel, who hath\nappeared unto some, and hath committed it unto man who shall appear\nunto many that dwell on the earth; and this Gospel shall be preached\nunto every nation, and kindred, and tongue and people, and the servants\nof God shall go forth saying with a loud voice, fear God and give glory\nto Him, for the hour of His judgment is come; and worship Him that made\nheaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters, calling\nupon the name of the Lord day and night, saying, O, that Thou wouldst\nrend the heavens, that Thou wouldst come down, that the mountains might\nflow down at Thy presence. And it shall be answered upon their heads,\nfor the presence of the Lord shall be as the melting fire that burneth,\nand as the fire which causeth the waters to boil,\" etc. (_Doc. and Cov.\nsec. 108: par. 7_.)\n\nThis same angel is yet to appear unto many; his mission therefore is\nnot fully completed. Another grand event connected with his mission is\nto be fulfilled, when the seven angels sound their trumpets, in the\nmorning of the seventh thousand years; then all people, both in heaven\nand on earth, will hear. But we will quote the word of the Lord: \"And\nanother trump shall sound, which is the fifth trump, which is the fifth\nangel who committeth the everlasting Gospel--flying through the midst\nof heaven, unto all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people; and this\nshall be the sound of his trump, saying to all people, both in heaven\nand in earth, and that are under the earth; for every ear shall hear it\nand every knee shall bow, and every tongue shall confess, while they\nshall hear the sound of the trump, saying, fear God, and give glory to\nHim who sitteth upon the throne forever and ever; for the hour of his\njudgment is come. And again another angel shall sound his trump, which\nis the sixth angel, saying, she is fallen who made all nations drink of\nthe wine of the wrath of her fornication; she is fallen, is fallen!\"\n(_Doc. and Cov. sec. 7: par. 31-32_.)\n\nThus we have traced the great mission of the angel, from the time that\nhe flies with the everlasting Gospel, and commits it to man, until the\ngrand closing up scene of this wicked world, by the sounding of the\nseven trumpets. In this last drama the angel of the Gospel will figure\nas the fifth in the series. In that awful day, our friend, Mr. William\nBrook, of Bradford, who has written to us, asking questions upon this\nsublime subject, will have no more supposed reason to complain, because\nthe angel has not complied with all his suppositions in regard to his\nmission. Whether in heaven, {336} on earth, under the earth, or among\nthe hosts of hell, every ear will hear the sound of the trump, and\nevery knee bow, and confess to the glory of God, and acknowledge the\npower, authority and majesty of Him who sits upon the throne, and of\nHis holy angels who go forth at His bidding.\n\nBecause God has given the keys of the everlasting Gospel to the\nfifth angel, let no one suppose that he alone will act in the great\nlatter-day dispensation. Other angels have their missions to perform,\nand will assist in the wonderful work. We again quote from the\nrevelations given to that great Prophet Joseph Smith, taken from his\ninspired key to John's vision on Patmos. The Prophet inquires as\nfollows:\n\n\"What are we to understand by the four angels spoken of in the seventh\nchapter and first verse of the Revelation?\" He answers: \"We are to\nunderstand that they are four angels sent forth from God, to whom is\ngiven power over the four parts of the earth, to save life and to\ndestroy; these are they who have the everlasting Gospel, to commit\nto every nation, kindred, tongue and people; having power to shut up\nthe heavens, to seal up unto life, or to cast down to the regions of\ndarkness.\" (_Pearl of Great Price, p. 34_.)\n\nFrom the Revelation of John and from the inspired writings of other\nholy men, it seems that all the powers of heaven are exerted to\nassist in the magnificent preparations for the coming of the King of\nKings and Lord of Lords, to assume His rightful authority over this\ncreation. Shall the heavens above be aroused to the highest degree\nof expectation, and the earth still continue to slumber in midnight\ndarkness? No! verily no! In the great preparation there must be a union\nbetween the heavens and earth. The sons of earth must be awakened from\nthe deep slumbers of ages. Tidings from the great courts above must be\nsent forth by swift messengers, to the nations; the voice of heavenly\ntruth must penetrate the darkest corners of the habitable globe;\nancient dynasties and powerful governments must be overthrown; thrones\nand kingdoms and empires must be cast down; and revolution must succeed\nrevolution, until every ear shall hear and every heart be penetrated\nwith the solemn warning voice, until all shall know that the great day\nof the Lord is at hand. Swiftly moving messengers from celestial abodes\nwill freely converse with the sons of God on earth; and every angel and\nevery servant of God will know his place, and understand what part he\nis to perform in the grand preparation for the eternal union of Saints\non earth with the Saints of all ages from heaven.\n\n{337}\n\n\n\nTHE PROPHET JOSEPH SMITH ON DOCTRINE.\n\nEXTRACTS FROM A SERMON DELIVERED AT NAUVOO, JUNE 27, 1839, TAKEN FROM\nTHE HISTORICAL RECORD.\n\nFaith comes by hearing the word of God, through the testimony of the\nservants of God; that testimony is always attended by the spirit of\nprophecy and revelation.\n\nRepentance is a thing which cannot be trifled with every day. Daily\ntransgression and daily repentance is not that which is pleasing in the\nsight of God.\n\nBaptism is a holy ordinance preparatory to the reception of the Holy\nGhost; it is the channel and key by which the Holy Ghost will be\nadministered.\n\nThe gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands cannot be received\nthrough the medium of any other principle than the principle of\nrighteousness, for if the proposals are not complied with, it is of no\nuse, but withdraws.\n\nTongues were given for the purpose of preaching among those whose\nlanguage is not understood, as on the Day of Pentecost, etc.; and it\nis not necessary for tongues to be taught to the Church particularly,\nfor any man that has the Holy Ghost can speak of the things of God in\nhis own tongue as well as to speak in another; for faith comes not by\nsigns, but by hearing the word of God.\n\nThe doctrine of the resurrection of the dead and eternal judgment are\nnecessary to preach among the first principles of the Gospel of Jesus\nChrist.\n\nThe doctrine of election. St. Paul exhorts us to make our calling and\nelection sure. This is that sealing power spoken of by Paul in other\nplaces (_Eph. 1: 13, 14_): \"In whom ye also trusted, that after ye\nheard the word of truth, the Gospel of your salvation, in whom also,\nafter that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy spirit of promise\nwhich is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the\npurchased possession, unto the praise of His glory,\" that we may be\nsealed up unto the day of redemption. This principle ought (in its\nproper place) to be taught for God hath not revealed {338} anything to\nJoseph but what He will make known unto the twelve, and even the least\nSaint may know all things as fast as he is able to bear them, for the\nday must come when no man need say to his neighbor, know ye the Lord;\nfor all shall know him (who remain) from the least to the greatest.\nHow is this to be done? It is to be done by this sealing power, and\nthe other comforter spoken of, which will be manifest by revelation.\nThere are two comforters spoken of. One is the Holy Ghost, the same as\ngiven on the day of Pentecost, and that all Saints receive after faith,\nrepentance and baptism. This first comforter or Holy Ghost has no other\neffect than pure intelligence. It is more powerful in expanding the\nmind, enlightening the understanding, and storing the intellect with\npresent knowledge, of a man who is of the literal seed of Abraham, than\none that is a Gentile, though it may not have half as much visible\neffect upon the body; for as the Holy Ghost falls upon one of the\nliteral seed of Abraham, it is calm and serene; and his whole soul and\nbody are only exercised by the pure spirit of intelligence; while the\neffect of the Holy Ghost upon a Gentile is to purge out the old blood\nand make him actually of the seed of Abraham. That man that has none\nof the blood of Abraham (naturally) must have a new creation by the\nHoly Ghost. In such a case there may be more of a powerful effect upon\nthe body, and visible to the eye, than upon an Israelite, while the\nIsraelite at first might be far before the Gentile in pure intelligence.\n\nThe other comforter spoken of is a subject of great interest, and\nperhaps understood by few of this generation. After a person has faith\nin Christ, repents of his sins and is baptized for the remission of his\nsins, and receives the Holy Ghost (by the laying on of hands), which\nis the first comforter, then let him continue to humble himself before\nGod, hungering and thirsting after righteousness, and living by every\nword of God, and the Lord will soon say unto him: Son, thou shalt be\nexalted, etc. When the Lord has thoroughly proved him, and finds that\nthe man is determined to serve Him at all hazards, then he will find\nhis calling and his election made sure; then it will be his privilege\nto receive the other comforter, which the Lord has promised the Saints,\nas recorded in the testimony of St. John (_John 16: 12-27_): \"And I\nwill pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that\nhe may abide with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the\nworld cannot receive because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him;\nbut ye know him, for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you; I will\nnot leave you comfortless, {339} I will come to you. He that hath my\ncommandments and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me; and he that\nloveth me shall be loved by my Father, and I will love him, and will\nmanifest myself to him. If a man love me, he will keep my words, and my\nFather will love him, and we will come unto him and make our abode with\nhim.\"\n\nNow what is this comforter? It is no more nor less than the Lord\nJesus Christ Himself; and this is the sum and substance of the whole\nmatter: that when any man obtains this last comforter, he will have the\npersonage of Jesus Christ to attend him, or appear unto him from time\nto time, and even He will manifest the Father unto him, and they will\ntake up their abode with him, and the visions of the heavens will be\nopened unto him, and the Lord will teach him face to face, and he may\nhave a perfect knowledge of the mysteries of the Kingdom of God; and\nthis is the state and place the ancient Saints arrived at when they had\nsuch glorious visions--Isaiah, Ezekiel, John upon the Isle Of Patmos,\nSt. Paul in the three Heavens, and all the Saints who held communion\nwith the general assembly and Church of the First Born.\n\nThe spirit of revelation is in connection with these blessings. A\nperson may profit by noticing the first intimations of the spirit of\nrevelation; for instance, when you feel pure intelligence flowing from\nyou, it may give you sudden strokes of ideas, that by noticing it,\nyou may find it fulfilled the same day or soon; that is, those things\nthat were presented unto your minds by the spirit of God, will come to\npass; and thus by learning the spirit of God and understanding it, you\nmay grow into the principle of revelation, until you become perfect in\nJesus Christ.\n\nAn evangelist is a Patriarch, even the oldest man of the blood of\nJoseph or of the seed of Abraham. Wherever the Church of Christ is\nestablished in the earth, there should be a patriarch for the benefit\nof the posterity of the Saints, as it was with Jacob in giving his\npatriarchal blessings unto his sons.\n\n{340}\n\n\n\nTHE LATTER-DAY SAINTS AND THE WORLD.\n\nBY WILLIAM A. MORTON. (_Copyright by the Author_.)\n\n    \"Let us dream no dreams and tell no lies, but go on our way,\n    wherever it may lead us, with our eyes open and our heads erect.\n    If death ends all, we cannot meet it better. If not, let us enter,\n    whatever be the next scene, like honest men, with no sophistry in\n    our mouths and no masks on our faces.\"--Sir James F. Stephen.\n\nI.--THE GODHEAD.\n\nThe World:--We understand, Latter-day Saints, that you are delighted\nwhen an opportunity presents itself which enables you to explain to the\nworld the faith you believe in?\n\nLatter-day Saints:--That is true. We are always ready to give, to every\none that asks of us, a reason for the hope that is within us; for, like\nthe Apostle Paul, \"we are not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ; for it\nis the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth.\"\n\nThe World:--You testify most positively that you know that Joseph Smith\nwas a Prophet of God; that the Church of which you are members was\nestablished by Divine revelation. You claim that it is the only Church\non earth which teaches the Gospel of Jesus Christ in its fulness?\n\nLatter-day Saints:--That is our position exactly. We testify that\nGod the Father and Jesus Christ His Son appeared to the boy, Joseph\nSmith, in the year 1820. We further testify that the angel which John\nthe Revelator prophesied would \"fly in the midst of heaven, having\nthe everlasting Gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth,\nand to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, saying with\na loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his\njudgment has come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the\nsea, and the fountains of water;\" (Revelation 14: 6-7) came to Joseph\nSmith, and delivered to him a record containing the fulness of the\nGospel of the Son of God. We claim that the Church of Jesus Christ of\nLatter-day Saints is, indeed, the true Church of Christ; that it was\nestablished and named by Him; that it has the same officers, holding\nthe same Divine authority, as the primitive Church, namely, \"Apostles,\n{341} Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors, Teachers, etc.\" (Eph. 4: 11.) We\nprofess to be teaching the very same Gospel that was taught by Christ\nand His Apostles. We contend that there is but one true Gospel. Jesus\nsaid, \"Strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, that leadeth unto\nlife, and few there be that find it.\" (Matt. 7: 14.) Paul taught:\n\"There is one body, and one spirit, even as ye are called in one hope\nof your calling: one Lord, one faith, one baptism.\" (Eph. 4: 4, 5.) He\nfurther said: \"Though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other\ngospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be\naccursed.\" (Gal. 1: 8.)\n\nThe World:--Well, we have decided to follow the admonition of the\nApostle Paul--\"Prove all things; hold fast that which is good\" (I.\nThes. 5: 21)--and if you have no objection, we would like to put you on\ntrial and judge you, according to the law and the testimony, that we\nmay learn whether the doctrines which you teach are of God or whether\nyou speak of yourselves.\n\nLatter-day Saints:--We are quite willing to be put on trial, and to be\njudged as you have proposed, according to the law and the testimony;\nfor, as the Prophet Isaiah said, if we speak not according to the law\nand the testimony there is no light in us. (Isaiah 8: 20.) We have many\nwitnesses who are ready and willing to testify in our behalf, men whose\ntestimony cannot be questioned. They are not men who have followed\ncunningly devised fables, but who were eye-witnesses of the things of\nwhich they will speak. If it please the court, we are ready; let the\ntrial begin.\n\nThe World:--The first offence with which you are charged is that of\nteaching that the Godhead is composed of three separate and physically\ndistinct Persons. This, as you must know, is contrary to the teaching\nof all the churches, especially the Church of England. That church\nteaches that the Godhead is composed of three Persons, namely, Father,\nSon, and Holy Ghost, and that these three are one in substance, equal\nin power and glory. Here is an extract from the Book of Common Prayer:\n\"And the Catholick Faith is this: That we worship one God in Trinity,\nand Trinity in Unity; neither confounding the Persons: nor dividing the\nsubstance. For there is one Person of the Father, another of the Son:\nand another of the Holy Ghost. But the Godhead of the Father, of the\nSon, and of the Holy Ghost, is all one: the Glory equal, the Majesty\nco-eternal. * * * The Father eternal, the Son eternal: and the Holy\nGhost eternal. And yet they are not three eternals: but one eternal.\n* * * So the {342} Father is God, the Son is God: and the Holy Ghost\nis God. And yet they are not three Gods: but one God.\" (Book of Common\nPrayer, pp. 21, 22.)\n\nLatter-day Saints:--We are aware that that is the teaching of the\nChurch of England, but it is not in harmony with the teaching of Christ\nand His disciples. We have a witness named John who was intimately\nacquainted with the Son of God, whom we consider a most competent\nauthority to speak on this matter. He is ready to be examined.\n\nThe World:--We will be pleased to hear his testimony.\n\nTESTIMONY OF JOHN.\n\nThe World:--What is your name?\n\nJohn:--My name is John, sometimes called the Baptist.\n\nThe World:--We understand that you are a disciple of the Lord Jesus\nChrist?\n\nJohn:--I am.\n\nThe World:--Were you personally acquainted with the Messiah?\n\nJohn:--I was. I am His cousin. I was associated with Him during His\nministry.\n\nThe World:--Is it true that you were sent before His face to prepare\nHis way?\n\nJohn:--It is. The Lord sent an angel to my father, as he prayed in the\ntemple in Jerusalem, who promised him a son who would go before the\nface of the Lord and make His paths straight. I am that son.\n\nThe World:--Were you called of God to do that work?\n\nJohn:--I was. When the angel appeared to my father, he said unto him,\n\"Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elizabeth\nshall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John. * * * And\nmany of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God.\nAnd he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn\nthe hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the\nwisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.\"\nI also cite to you the testimony of John as recorded in his Gospel,\nwhich reads as follows: \"There was a man _sent from God_ whose name was\nJohn.\" (John 1: 6.)\n\nThe World:--What was the nature of your mission?\n\nJohn:--I was sent to preach repentance and water baptism. I preached in\nthe wilderness of Judaea, saying unto the people, \"Repent ye: for the\nkingdom of heaven is at hand.\" (Matt. 3: 1, 2.)\n\n{343} The World:--Were you able to bring many people unto repentance?\n\nJohn:--Yes, a great many. Mark has made the following record concerning\nmy missionary labors: \"And there went out unto him all the land of\nJudaea, and they of Jerusalem, and were all baptized of him in the\nriver Jordan, confessing their sins.\" (Mark 1: 5.)\n\nThe World:--Have you ever heard the voice of God?\n\nJohn:--I have, on several occasions.\n\nThe World:--Mention one of them.\n\nJohn:--He spoke to me when I did not know that Jesus, my cousin, was\nHis Only Begotten Son. He said to me, \"Upon whom thou shalt see the\nSpirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth\nwith the Holy Ghost.\" (John 1: 33, 34.)\n\nThe World:--Did you baptize Jesus Christ?\n\nJohn:--I did.\n\nThe World:--What took place at His baptism?\n\nJohn:--That which is recorded in Matthew 3: 16-17: \"Jesus when he was\nbaptized, went up straightway out of the water: and lo, the heavens\nwere opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like\na dove, and lighting upon him: and there came a voice from heaven,\nsaying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.\"\n\nThe World:--Then, John, according to your testimony, the three\nPersonages who constitute the Godhead are not one in substance, but are\nseparate and distinct?\n\nJohn:--They are certainly separate and distinct Personages. When Jesus\ncame up out of the water, after His baptism, and while He stood on the\nbank of the river, the Spirit of God descended like a dove and lighted\nupon Him, and at the same time the voice of the Father was heard from\nheaven, saying, \"This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.\"\nThese things I both saw and heard: I saw Jesus on the bank of the\nriver; I saw the Spirit of God descend from heaven like a dove and rest\nupon Christ; I heard the voice of God out of heaven bear testimony that\nJesus was His beloved Son.\n\nThe World (to the Latter-day Saints):--The testimony of the witness\nJohn is certainly very clear and convincing. Have you any other\nwitnesses to prove that the Godhead consists of three separate Persons?\n\nLatter-day Saints:--We have several. Here is the Apostle Peter.\n\nThe World:--We will listen to his testimony.\n\n{344}\n\nPETER'S EVIDENCE.\n\nThe World:--Your name is Simon Peter?\n\nPeter:--It is.\n\nThe World:--Are you also one of Christ's disciples?\n\nPeter:--I am one of His Apostles.\n\nThe World:--Prior to your call to the ministry what was your occupation?\n\nPeter:--I was a fisherman.\n\nThe World:--How did you receive your call to the ministry?\n\nPeter:--I was called by Christ Himself.\n\nThe World:--Is there a record of your ordination?\n\nPeter:--There is. You will find it recorded in the Gospel according to\nSaint Mark, as follows: \"And lie ordained twelve, that they should be\nwith him, and that he might send them forth to preach.\" (Mark 3: 14.) I\nam one of the Twelve.\n\nThe World:--Do you believe that God the Father, Jesus Christ His Son,\nand the Holy Ghost are three Persons in one substance?\n\nPeter:--I do not.\n\nThe World:--Can you furnish evidence that they are separate Personages?\n\nPeter:--I can.\n\nThe World:--We will listen to your evidence.\n\nPeter:--On one occasion Jesus took James and John and me up into a\nhigh mountain apart by ourselves, and there He was transfigured before\nus. His face shone as the sun and His raiment became as white as snow.\nWe beheld two heavenly messengers come to Jesus and talk with Him.\nThey were Moses and Elias. They spoke to Him of His death which He\nshould accomplish at Jerusalem. We were very much astonished at the\nthings which we saw, and as soon as Moses and Elias had departed I\nwent to Jesus and said to Him, \"Master, it is good for us to be here:\nlet us make three tabernacles: one for thee, and one for Moses, and\none for Elias.\" (Luke 9: 33.) While I was speaking a cloud came and\novershadowed us, and there came a voice out of the cloud, saying, \"This\nis my beloved Son: hear him.\" (Luke 9: 34, 35.)\n\nThe World:--Was there a record made of what took place on the occasion\nof which you speak?\n\nPeter:--There was. It is recorded in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and\nLuke. (Matthew 17; Mark 9; Luke 9.) I {345} also made a record of it in\nmy second general epistle, as follows: \"For he received from God the\nFather honor and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the\nexcellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.\nAnd this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him\nin the holy mount.\" (II. Peter 1: 17, 18.) Jesus, in speaking to us on\none occasion, said: \"I came forth from the Father, and am come into the\nworld: again, I leave the world, and go to the Father.\" (John 16: 28.)\nNow, surely you would not have me interpret Jesus' saying as meaning\nthat He had come from Himself and was going to return to Himself? I was\nwith the Savior during that awful night in the Garden of Gethsemane\nwhen in the anguish of His soul He prayed, \"Abba, Father, all things\nare possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not\nwhat I will, but what thou wilt.\" (Mark 14: 36.) I did not understand\nJesus on that occasion to be praying to Himself.\n\nThe World:--The witness is excused.\n\nThe Latter-day Saints:--Here are James and John, who will corroborate\nthe testimony of Peter.\n\nThe World:--James, you have heard the testimony of the Apostle Peter,\nwhat have you to say concerning it?\n\nJames:--I corroborate it in every particular. I was also on the mount\nand heard the voice of God bear testimony that Jesus was His Only\nBegotten Son.\n\nThe World:--The witness is excused.\n\nThe World:--John, you have listened to the testimony of your fellow\nApostles, what have you to say concerning it?\n\nJohn:--It gives me pleasure to corroborate it. They have spoken the\ntruth, and nothing but the truth. I also heard the voice of the Father\nsaying, \"This is my beloved Son, hear ye him.\"\n\nThe World:--That is all. (To the Latter-day Saints):--Have you any more\nwitnesses?\n\nThe Latter-day Saints:--We have one more, a man who laid down his life\nfor the truth's sake; his name is Stephen.\n\nStephen's testimony.\n\nThe World:--What is your name?\n\nStephen:--My name is Stephen.\n\nThe World:--What position did you hold in the Christian Church?\n\nStephen:--I was one of the seven men who were set apart by the Apostles\nto look after the temporal needs of the widows in the church. (Acts 6.)\n\n{346} The World:--Did you also proclaim publicly the Gospel, and bear\ntestimony to the divinity of Jesus?\n\nStephen:--I did.\n\nThe World:--How was your testimony received by the people?\n\nStephen:--They denounced me as a blasphemer. On one occasion when I was\npreaching to them they gnashed on me with their teeth. (Acts 7: 54.)\n\nThe World:--What happened at that time?\n\nStephen:--The Lord filled me with the Holy Ghost and opened the heavens\nto me.\n\nThe World:--What did you behold when the heavens were opened?\n\nStephen:--I beheld God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God.\n(Acts 7: 55.)\n\nThe World:--You say that you saw God, and Jesus standing on His right\nhand. Then, God and Jesus must be two separate Beings?\n\nStephen:--Certainly. Jesus was not standing at His own right hand.\n\nThe World:--You bore testimony to what you saw?\n\nStephen:--I did.\n\nThe World:--How did the people receive your testimony?\n\nStephen:--It cost me my life. They stoned me to death. (Acts 7: 59, 60.)\n\nThe World:--That is all.\n\nLatter-day Saints:--It is not necessary to call any more witnesses. We\nhave proved, most conclusively, that God the Father, Jesus Christ the\nSon, and the Holy Ghost are three separate and distinct Personages.\nJohn proved that, when he testified that he saw Jesus standing on the\nbank of the Jordan; then he beheld the Spirit of God descend from\nheaven like a dove and rest upon the Messiah, and at the same time\nhe heard the voice of God testify that Jesus was His Only Begotten\nSon. Peter testified that when James and John and himself were on the\nmount with Jesus they heard the voice of God testify that Jesus was\nHis Beloved Son. James and John corroborated his testimony. Stephen\ntestified that he, being filled with the Holy Ghost, had the heavens\nopened to him, and he saw God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of\nHis Father.\n\nThe World:--The evidence which you have produced is, indeed,\nincontrovertible. It is, to be sure, contrary to the teachings which\nwe have received in the churches and from our fathers. But we now call\nto mind the words of the {347} Prophet Jeremiah, \"O Lord, my strength\nand my fortress, and my refuge in the day of affliction, the Gentiles\nshall come unto thee from the ends of the earth, and shall say, Surely\nour fathers have inherited lies, vanity, and things wherein there is no\nprofit.\" (Jeremiah 16: 19.)\n\nII.--THE PERSONALITY OF GOD.\n\nThe World (to the Latter-day Saints):--It is true, then, as we have\nbeen told, that you believe and teach that God the Father is a personal\nBeing, possessing a definite form, with bodily parts and spiritual\npassions?\n\nLatter-day Saints:--Such is our belief and teaching.\n\nThe World:--This also is contrary to the teachings of almost every\nchurch in Christendom. The Church of England, in the first of the\n\"Articles of Religion,\" published in its Prayer Book, says: \"There\nis but one living and true God, everlasting, without body, parts or\npassions; of infinite power, wisdom and goodness.\"\n\nLatter-day Saints:--We believe in the God of the Bible, in the God of\nAbraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob; the God of all the holy Prophets,\nand the Father of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We have witnesses\nwhose testimonies cannot be impeached. They are men who can testify\nfrom actual experience, men who saw God, and who conversed with Him\nface to face, and whose testimonies should, therefore, be worthy of all\nacceptation.\n\nThe World:--We will be pleased to listen to your witnesses. Let the\nfirst witness be called.\n\nLatter-day Saints:--The first witness who will testify in our behalf is\nAbraham, \"the father of the faithful and the friend of God.\"\n\nAbraham's testimony.\n\nThe World:--What is your name?\n\nAbraham:--My name is Abraham. I was at first called Abram, but the Lord\nchanged my name to Abraham. (Genesis 17: 5.)\n\nThe World:--Have you ever had a revelation from God?\n\nAbraham:--I have had many.\n\nThe World:--Relate one.\n\nAbraham:--When my wife and I were residing with my parents in Haran the\nLord spoke to me, saying, \"Abram, get thee out of thy country, and from\nthy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew\nthen: and I will {348} make of thee a great nation, and I will bless\nthee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing; and I will\nbless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee; and in\nthee shall all the families of the earth be blessed.\" (Genesis 12: 1-3.)\n\nThe World:--You were, of course, obedient to the Lord?\n\nAbraham:--I was. I took my wife, Lot, my brother's son, and all those\nwho believed what the Lord had said to me, and, with our substance, we\nset out for the land of Canaan. While we were camped in the plain of\nMoreh the Lord appeared unto me and said, \"Unto thy seed will I give\nthis land.\" (Genesis 12: 7).\n\nThe World:--Were you visited by the Lord on any other occasion?\n\nAbraham:--I was. I was ninety-nine years old at the time. We were\nliving in the plains of Mamre. The Lord appeared to me there and said,\n\"I am the Almighty God; walk before me and be thou perfect. And I\nwill make my covenant between me and thee, and I will multiply thee\nexceedingly. * * * As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and\nthou shalt be a father of many nations. * * * And I will make thee\nexceedingly fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall\ncome out of thee.\" (Genesis 17: 1-6.) I am testifying of things which I\nhave seen with my own eyes; I saw the Lord and talked with Him face to\nface, as one man talks with another.\n\nThe World:--We have no further questions to ask the witness.\n\nLatter-day Saints:--We have another witness who is prepared to give as\nstrong and as irrefutable evidence as the previous one. His name is\nMoses.\n\nThe World:--We will listen to his testimony.\n\nTESTIMONY OF MOSES.\n\nThe World:--Your name is Moses?\n\nMoses:--It is.\n\nThe World:--Where were you born?\n\nMoses:--I was born in Egypt, of Hebrew parents.\n\nThe World:--It is true that at the time of your birth Pharaoh made a\ndecree that all the male children of the Hebrews were to be thrown into\nthe river Nile?\n\nMoses:--It is.\n\nThe World:--How did you escape the fate of the others?\n\nMoses:--My mother made a little ark of bulrushes, daubed it with slime\nand pitch, and placing me in it she took it down {349} and left it on\nthe flags by the river's brink. In a short time Pharaoh's daughter came\ndown to the river. Seeing the ark, she requested her maid to fetch it.\nOn removing the cover, she beheld me in tears. Her heart was touched,\nand she decided to keep me as her own child. My sister Miriam, who was\nin hiding near by, came forward and proffered to get a nurse for the\nbaby. The king's daughter gave her permission to do so, so she went and\nbrought my mother. When my mother arrived, Pharaoh's daughter said to\nher, \"Take this child away and nurse it for me, and I will give thee\nthy wages.\" (Exodus 2: 9.) So my mother had the pleasure of raising her\nown child, and was well paid for doing so. When I was grown I was taken\nto the court of Pharaoh, and adopted by his daughter. I was treated as\nthough I were her own son and was taught in all the learning of the\nEgyptians.\n\nThe World:--You did not take very well to Egyptian court life?\n\nMoses:--I did not; I would much rather have been with my own people. I\nfinally ran away from Pharaoh and went to Midian, where I fell in love\nwith and married Zipporah, a daughter of Jethro, a priest of Midian.\n(Exodus 2: 21.)\n\nThe World:--What occupation did you follow?\n\nMoses:--I was a sheep-herder; I tended the flocks of my father-in-law.\n\nThe World:--We have been told that on one occasion while you were\nherding the sheep you had a heavenly manifestation; is the report true?\n\nMoses:--It is. While I was tending the sheep one day I beheld a burning\nbush. I went over to see the strange sight, and as I approached the\nbush God called unto me out of the midst of the bush and said, \"Moses,\nMoses.\" And I said, \"Here am I.\" And He said, \"Draw not nigh hither;\nput off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou\nstandest is holy ground. Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father,\nthe God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.\" (Exodus\n3: 4-6.) On hearing that, I hid my face; for I was afraid to look upon\nGod. Then the Lord said unto me, \"I have surely seen the afflictions\nof my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason\nof their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows. * * * Go, and gather\nthe elders of Israel together, and say unto them, The Lord God of your\nfathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, appeared unto\nme, saying, I have surely visited you, and seen that which is done to\nyou in Egypt and I have said, I {350} will bring you up out of the\naffliction of Egypt. * * * unto a land flowing with milk and honey.\"\n(Exodus 3.)\n\nThe World:--Did you do as the Lord commanded you?\n\nMoses:--I did, and the Lord, in His infinite mercy, and by many signs\nand wonders, brought the children of Israel up out of Egypt into their\nown land.\n\nThe World:--Have you ever seen God?\n\nMoses:--I have. On one occasion I talked with Him face to face. I was\nin the tabernacle at the time. A cloudy pillar descended and stood at\nthe door of the tabernacle, and the Lord talked with me. And all the\npeople saw the cloudy pillar stand at the tabernacle door: and all the\npeople rose up and worshiped, every man in his tent door. And the Lord\nspake unto me face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend. (Exodus\n33: 9-12.) Later He hid me in the cleft of a rock, and as He passed by,\nin His glory, I beheld His back parts. (Exodus 33: 22-23.)\n\nThe World:--Did any of your associates ever see God?\n\nMoses:--Yes, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu and seventy of the elders of Israel\nand myself saw Him on one occasion. (Exodus 24: 9, 10.)\n\nThe World:--Is it true that you spent forty days and forty nights with\nthe Lord on Mount Sinai?\n\nMoses:--It is. It was on that occasion that He gave me two tables of\nstone on which He had written with His own finger the ten commandments\nfor the children of Israel.\n\nThe World:--Moses, we recognize you as one who is fully competent to\nspeak on this important matter. You have seen the Lord a number of\ntimes; you have talked with Him face to face; you have been with Him\nfor forty days and forty nights at one time; now, we would like you to\ndescribe to us, just as plainly as you can, the true and the living God.\n\nMoses:--I tell you in plainness and in all truth, that God is just\nlike a perfect man. If you could see God today you would see Him just\nas Abraham saw Him, just as I saw Him, in the form of man, for man was\nmade in the image of God. (Genesis 1: 27.)\n\nThe World:--Thank you; that is all.\n\nLatter-day Saints (to the World):--Surely the testimony of these two\nwitnesses ought to be enough to convince you that the God whom we\nworship--a God with body, parts and passions--is, indeed, the true God,\nthe God of the Bible. But these are not all our witnesses. We have\nothers, whose testimony we desire you to hear.\n\n{351} The World:--Let them come forward.\n\nLatter-day Saints:--Thomas, the World desires to hear your testimony.\n\nTESTIMONY OF THOMAS.\n\nThe World:--Were you acquainted with the Lord Jesus Christ when He was\non the earth?\n\nThomas:--I was.\n\nThe World:--What position did you hold in the Church of Christ?\n\nThomas:--I was an Apostle.\n\nThe World:--Did you see the Savior after His resurrection?\n\nThomas:--I did. I at first considered the news too good to be true.\nWhen the other Apostles told me that they had seen the risen Lord, I\nsaid, \"Except I see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my\nfinger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I\nwill not believe.\"\n\nThe World:--Did Christ show Himself to you after that?\n\nThomas:--He did. Eight days later I was with the Apostles in a house\nin Jerusalem when the Savior appeared in our midst. As soon as He\nentered the room He said, \"Peace be unto you.\" Then turning to me, He\nsaid, \"Thomas, reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach\nhither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless,\nbut believing.\" (John 20: 26, 27.) I recognized Him at once, and I\nexclaimed, \"My Lord and my God!\"\n\nThe World:--You saw the print of the nails in His hands, and the mark\nof the spear in His side?\n\nThomas:--I did.\n\nThe World:--Then, He must have appeared to you in the same body in\nwhich He was crucified?\n\nThomas:--He did, in the very same body of flesh and bones, but\nquickened by Spirit. (Luke 24: 39.)\n\nThe World:--Did you see Him after that!\n\nThomas:--I did, a number of times. One evening Simon Peter, Nathaniel\nof Cana, the sons of Zebedee, two other disciples and I went out\nfishing. We fished the entire night, but caught nothing. As we were\nreturning in the morning, we saw a \"man,\" as we supposed, standing on\nthe shore. He asked us if we had any meat, and we answered that we\nhad not. He told us to cast our net on the right side of the ship. We\ndid so, and to our astonishment we caught one hundred and fifty-three\nfishes. John was the first to recognize the \"man\" on the shore, and\nas soon as he saw who He was, he {352} exclaimed, \"It is the Lord!\"\nOn hearing that, Peter jumped into the sea and swam to the shore. We\nwere delighted to meet our beloved Redeemer once again. The Lord had\nprepared a fire of coals, and had some fish cooked. He invited us to\ncome and dine with Him, which we did, and ate heartily of bread and\nfish. That was the third time that Jesus showed Himself to us after His\nresurrection. (John 21.)\n\nThe World:--Were you present at the ascension of Christ?\n\nThomas:--I was.\n\nThe World:--Tell us what took place on that occasion.\n\nThomas:--Just before His ascension He said to us, \"Ye shall receive\npower, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be\nwitnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria,\nand unto the uttermost part of the earth.\" (Acts 1: 8.) As soon as He\nhad finished speaking He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out\nof our sight. As we stood gazing after Him, two men dressed in white\napparel appeared, and, addressing us, said, \"Ye men of Galilee, why\nstand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from\nyou into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go\ninto heaven.\" (Acts 1st chap.)\n\nThe World:--That is all, Thomas.\n\nLatter-day Saints (to the World):--We have proved by the last witness,\nan Apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ, that Christ arose from the grave\nin the same body which was nailed to the cross, but immortalized; in\nthat body He appeared to His disciples; in that same body He made a\nfire of coals on the shore and prepared food, which He ate with His\ndisciples; in that same body He ascended into heaven; in that same body\nHe shall come again to the earth.\n\nThe World:--What evidence have you that Christ shall come again in His\ncrucified body?\n\nLatter-day Saints:--We have the testimony of the Prophet Zechariah.\n\nThe World:--We will hear what he has to say.\n\nTESTIMONY OF ZECHARIAH.\n\nThe World:--Your name is Zechariah?\n\nZechariah:--It is.\n\nThe World:--Were you a Prophet in Israel?\n\nZechariah:--I was so honored of the Lord.\n\nThe World:--Did you prophesy concerning the second coming of Christ?\n\n{353} Zechariah:--I did. I prophesied and said, \"And his feet shall\nstand in that day upon the Mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem\non the east, and the Mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof\ntoward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great\nvalley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and\nhalf of it toward the south.\" (Zechariah 14: 4.) \"And one shall say\nunto him, What are these wounds in thine hands? Then he shall answer,\nThose with which I was wounded in the house of my friends.\" (Zechariah\n13: 6.)\n\nThe World:--We will excuse the witness.\n\nLatter-day Saints:--We have another witness whose testimony we would\nlike you to hear; his name is Paul.\n\nThe World:--We will be pleased to listen to his testimony.\n\nTESTIMONY OF PAUL.\n\nThe World:--Your name is Paul?\n\nPaul:--It is.\n\nThe World:--Are you an Apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ?\n\nPaul:--I am.\n\nThe World:--Have you ever seen Christ?\n\nPaul:--I have. (I Cor. 15: 8.)\n\nThe World:--What is your testimony concerning Christ?\n\nPaul:--It is the same as that of Thomas and the rest of the\nApostles--that He has a body of flesh and bones.\n\nThe World:--What is your testimony concerning God, the Father of Christ?\n\nPaul:--I testify that as Christ is so is His Father. I wrote to the\nHebrew saints on this matter, as follows: \"Who being the brightness\nof His glory, and the express image of His person, and upholding all\nthings by the word of His power, when He had Himself purged our sins,\nsat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high.\" (Heb. 1: 3.) Christ\nsaid on one occasion: \"He that hath seen Me hath seen the Father.\"\n\nThe World:--We have no further questions to ask the witness.\n\nLatter-day Saints:--We now respectfully ask you to listen to the\ntestimony of the young prophet, Joseph Smith.\n\nThe World:--We have heard a great deal concerning that young man. It\nhas been reported that he declared he had seen God the Father and His\nSon Jesus Christ.\n\nLatter-day Saints:--Such, indeed, was his testimony, and tens of\nthousands of us have received testimonies from the Lord that he spoke\nthe truth.\n\n{354} The World:--We will hear him for ourselves.\n\nTESTIMONY OF JOSEPH SMITH.\n\nThe World:--Your name is Joseph Smith, Jr.?\n\nJoseph Smith:--It is.\n\nThe World:--Are you the founder of the Church of Jesus Christ of\nLatter-day Saints?\n\nJoseph Smith:--I was simply an humble instrument in the hands of the\nLord in re-establishing, according to the revelations of God, the\nChurch of Christ upon the earth.\n\nThe World:--So, you profess to have received revelations from God?\n\nJoseph Smith:--I do. More than that: I have seen God and His Son Jesus\nChrist, and have talked with them.\n\nThe World:--We are desirous of hearing from your own lips your\ntestimony concerning this matter.\n\nJoseph Smith:--Realizing that I, as well as all other men, shall\nhave to stand some day before the judgment bar of God to be judged\naccording to my works, my testimony in this case shall be the truth,\nand the truth only, God being my witness. I was born in the year of\nour Lord one thousand eight hundred and five, on the twenty-third day\nof December, in the town of Sharon, Windsor county, state of Vermont.\nMy father, Joseph Smith, Senior, left the state of Vermont, and moved\nto Palmyra, Ontario (now Wayne) county, in the state of New York, when\nI was in my tenth year, or thereabouts. In about four years after my\nfather's arrival in Palmyra, he moved with his family into Manchester,\nin the same county of Ontario. His family consisted of eleven souls,\nnamely--my father, Joseph Smith; my mother, Lucy Smith (whose name,\nprevious to her marriage, was Mack, daughter of Solomon Mack); my\nbrothers, Alvin (who died November 19th, 1824, in the 27th year of\nhis age), Hyrum, myself, Samuel Harrison, William, Don Carlos; and my\nsisters, Sophronia, Catherine, and Lucy. Some time in the second year\nafter our removal to Manchester, there was in the place where we lived\nan unusual excitement on the subject of religion. It commenced with the\nMethodists, but soon became general among all the sects in that region\nof country. Indeed, the whole district of country seemed affected by\nit, and great multitudes united themselves to the different religious\nparties, which created no small stir and division amongst the people,\nsome crying, \"Lo, here?\" and others, \"Lo, there!\" Some were contending\nfor the Methodist faith, some for the Presbyterian, {355} and some for\nthe Baptist. For notwithstanding the great love which the converts to\nthese different faiths expressed at the time of their conversion, and\nthe great zeal manifested by the respective clergy, who were active\nin getting up and promoting this extraordinary scene of religious\nfeeling, in order to have everybody converted, as they were pleased to\ncall it, let them join what sect they pleased--yet when the converts\nbegan to file off, some to one party and some to another, it was seen\nthat the seemingly good feelings of both the priests and the converts\nwere more pretended than real; for a scene of great confusion and bad\nfeeling ensued; priest contending against priest, and convert against\nconvert; so that all their good feelings one for another, if they ever\nhad any, were entirely lost in a strife of words and a contest about\nopinions. I was at this time in my fifteenth year. My father's family\nwas proselyted to the Presbyterian faith, and four of them joined that\nchurch, namely--my mother Lucy; my brothers Hyrum and Samuel Harrison;\nand my sister Sophronia. During this time of great excitement, my mind\nwas called up to serious reflection and great uneasiness; but though my\nfeelings were deep and often poignant, still I kept myself aloof from\nall these parties, though I attended their several meetings as often\nas occasion would permit. In process of time my mind became somewhat\npartial to the Methodist sect, and I felt some desire to be united with\nthem; but so great were the confusion and strife among the different\ndenominations, that it was impossible for a person young as I was, and\nso unacquainted with men and things, to come to any certain conclusion\nwho was right and who wrong. My mind at times was greatly excited, the\ncry and tumult were so great and incessant. The Presbyterians were most\ndecided against the Baptists and Methodists, and used all the powers of\neither reason or sophistry to prove their errors, or, at least, to make\nthe people think they were in error. On the other hand, the Baptists\nand Methodists in their turn were equally zealous in endeavoring to\nestablish their own tenets and disprove all others. In the midst of\nthis war of words and tumult of opinions, I often said to myself,\nWhat is to be done? Who of all these parties are right; or, are they\nall wrong together? If any one of them be right, which is it, and how\nshall I know it? While I was laboring under the extreme difficulties\ncaused by the contests of these parties of religionists, I was one day\nreading the Epistle of James, first chapter and fifth verse, which\nreads: \"_If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to\nall men liberally, and upbraideth_ {356} _not, and it shall be given\nhim_.\" Never did any passage of scripture come with more power to the\nheart of man than this did at this time to mine. It seemed to enter\nwith great force into every feeling of my heart. I reflected on it\nagain and again, knowing that if any person needed wisdom from God, I\ndid; for how to act I did not know, and unless I could get more wisdom\nthan I then had, I would never know; for the teachers of religion\nof the different sects understood the same passages of scripture so\ndifferently as to destroy all confidence in settling the question by\nan appeal to the Bible. At length I came to the conclusion that I must\neither remain in darkness and confusion, or else I must do as James\ndirects, that is, ask of God. I at length came to the determination to\n\"ask of God,\" concluding that if He gave wisdom to them that lacked\nwisdom, and would give liberally, and not upbraid, I might venture. So,\nin accordance with this, my determination to ask of God, I retired to\nthe woods to make the attempt. It was on the morning of a beautiful,\nclear day, early in the spring of eighteen hundred and twenty. It was\nthe first time in my life that I had made such an attempt, for amidst\nall my anxieties I had never as yet made the attempt to pray vocally.\nAfter I had retired to the place where I had previously designed to go,\nhaving looked around me, and finding myself alone, I kneeled down and\nbegan to offer up the desires of my heart to God. I had scarcely done\nso, when immediately I was seized upon by some power which entirely\novercame me, and had such an astonishing influence over me as to bind\nmy tongue so that I could not speak. Thick darkness gathered around\nme, 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\nme out 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\nto destruction--not to an imaginary ruin, but to the power of some\nactual being from the unseen world, who had such marvelous power as I\nhad never 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 held\nme bound. When the light rested upon me I saw two personages, whose\nbrightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the\nair. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name, and said, pointing\nto the other--\"_This is my beloved Son, hear him_!\" My object in going\nto enquire of the Lord was to know {357} which of all the sects was\nright, that I might know which to join. No sooner, therefore, did I\nget possession of myself, so as to be able to speak, than I asked the\npersonages who stood above me in the light, which of all the sects\nwas right--and which I should join. I was answered that I must join\nnone of them, for they were all wrong; and the personage who addressed\nme said that all their creeds were an abomination in his sight; that\nthose professors were all corrupt; that \"they draw near to me with\ntheir lips, but their hearts are far from me; they teach for doctrine\nthe commandments of men, having a form of godliness, but they deny the\npower thereof.\" He again forbade me to join with any of them; and many\nother things did he say unto me, which I cannot write at this time.\nWhen I came to myself again, I found myself lying on my back, looking\nup into heaven. Some few days after I had this vision, I happened to\nbe in company with one of the Methodist preachers, who was very active\nin the beforementioned religious excitement; and, conversing with him\non the subject of religion, I took occasion to give him an account of\nthe vision which I had had. I was greatly surprised at his behavior;\nhe treated my communication not only lightly, but with great contempt,\nsaying, it was all of the devil, that there were no such things as\nvisions or revelations in these days; that all such things had ceased\nwith the apostles, and that there would never be any more of them. I\nsoon found, however, that my telling the story had excited a great\ndeal of prejudice against me among professors of religion and was the\ncause of great persecution, which continued to increase; and though I\nwas an obscure boy, only between fourteen and fifteen years of age,\nand my circumstances in life such as to make a boy of no consequence\nin the world, yet men of high standing would take notice sufficient to\nexcite the public mind against me, and create a bitter persecution;\nand this was common among all the sects--all united to persecute me.\nIt caused me serious reflection then, and often has since, how very\nstrange it was that an obscure boy, of a little over fourteen years\nof age, and one, too, who was doomed to the necessity of obtaining a\nscanty maintenance by his daily labor, should be thought a character\nof sufficient importance to attract the attention of the great ones of\nthe most popular sects of the day, and in a manner to create in them\na spirit of the most bitter persecution and reviling. But strange or\nnot, so it was, and it was often the cause of great sorrow to myself.\nHowever, it was nevertheless a fact that I had beheld a vision. I have\nthought since, that I felt much like Paul, when he made {358} his\ndefence before King Agrippa, and related the account of the vision he\nhad when he saw a light, and heard a voice; but still there were but\nfew who believed him; some said he was dishonest, others said he was\nmad; and he was ridiculed and reviled. But all this did not destroy\nthe reality of his vision. He had seen a vision, he knew he had, and\nall the persecution under heaven could not make it otherwise; and\nthough they should persecute him unto death, yet he knew, and would\nknow to his latest breath, that he had both seen a light, and heard a\nvoice speaking unto him, and all the world could not make him think\nor believe otherwise. So it was with me. I had actually seen a light,\nand in the midst of that light I saw two personages, and they did\nin reality speak to me; and though I was hated and persecuted for\nsaying that I had seen a vision, yet it was true; and while they were\npersecuting me, reviling me, and speaking all manner of evil against me\nfalsely for so saying, I was led to say in my heart: Why persecute me\nfor telling the truth? I have actually seen a vision, and who am I that\nI can withstand God, or why does the world think to make me deny what I\nhave actually seen? For I had seen a vision; I knew it, and I knew that\nGod knew it, and I could not deny it, neither dared I do it, at least I\nknew that by so doing I would offend God, and come under condemnation.\n\nThe World:--Then, according to your testimony, God the Father, and\nJesus Christ are two distinct Personages?\n\nJoseph Smith:--That is my testimony. \"The Father has a body of flesh\nand bones as tangible as man's; the Son also: but the Holy Ghost has\nnot a body of flesh and bones, but is a personage of spirit. Were it\nnot so, the Holy Ghost could not dwell in us.\"\n\nThe World:--So that if we were to see God now, we would see Him in the\nform of man?\n\nJoseph Smith:--You would. \"If the veil was rent today, and the Great\nGod, who holds this world in its orbit, who upholds all worlds and all\nthings by His power, was to make Himself visible--I say, If you were to\nsee Him today, you would see Him like a man in form--like yourselves in\nall the person, image, and very form as a man; for Adam was created in\nthe very fashion, image, and likeness of God, and received instruction\nfrom, and walked, talked, and conversed with Him, as one man talks and\ncommunes with another.\"\n\nThe World:--The witness is excused.\n\nLatter-day Saints:--This closes our case. You have heard the\ntestimonies of Abraham, Moses, Thomas, Zechariah, Paul, {359} and\nJoseph Smith. The testimonies of these servants of the Lord are similar\nin every respect. You cannot reject the testimony of Joseph Smith\nwithout rejecting the testimonies of the others. We pray you, give heed\nto these things; for \"this is life eternal: to know the living and true\nGod, and Jesus Christ, whom He has sent.\"\n\nIII.--FAITH AND WORKS.\n\nThe World:--What are the first principles and ordinances of your\nreligion?\n\nLatter-day Saints:--The first principles and ordinances of our religion\nare these: First, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, Repentance;\nthird, Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; fourth, Laying\non of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost.\n\nThe World:--Do you believe that good works must accompany faith in\norder for men to obtain salvation?\n\nLatter-day Saints:--We do. We maintain that belief alone is not\nsufficient to bring salvation to any man. \"Faith without works is\ndead.\" Faith is the first principle of the Gospel of Christ: it is the\nfoundation upon which every other principle and ordinance rests. You\nremember, the Apostle Paul said, \"But without faith it is impossible to\nplease him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that\nhe is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.\" (Heb. 11: 6.)\n\nThe World:--Well, we have been taught that all a person has to do in\norder to be saved is to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. That is the\nGospel which Paul and Silas preached to the Philippian jailor and his\nhousehold. When the jailor asked Paul and his companion what he should\ndo to be saved, they answered, \"Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and\nthou shalt be saved.\" (Acts 16: 30, 31.)\n\nLatter-day Saints:--No, that is only part of the Gospel which Paul\nand Silas preached to the jailor and his house. They did not stop at\nbelief, as the majority of preachers do in these days. But here is the\nApostle Paul; he can speak for himself.\n\nTESTIMONY OF PAUL.\n\nThe World:--Paul, when the Philippian jailor asked you and Silas what\nhe should do to be saved, what did you tell him?\n\nPaul:--We told him to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and he would be\nsaved, and also his house. (Acts 16: 31.)\n\nThe World:--We thought so. Now, if the jailor and his {360} household\nhad simply to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ in order to gain\nsalvation, why should other people have to do more?\n\nPaul:--But we did not tell the jailor and his household that that was\nall they had to do. We taught them other doctrines besides belief in\nChrist; we taught them the ordinance of baptism. Here is what the\nrecord says: \"Then he (the jailor) called for a light, and sprang in,\nand came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas, and brought\nthem out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said,\nBelieve on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy\nhouse. And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that\nwere in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night, and\nwashed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his straightway.\"\n(Acts 16: 29-33.)\n\nThe World:--You have spoken truly, Paul. We see that, according to the\nrecord, after you had told the jailor to believe on the Lord Jesus\nChrist, you taught him and his household other commandments of the\nLord, among them baptism. One more question: Did you preach to the\npeople that Jesus Christ was the author of eternal salvation?\n\nPaul:--I did.\n\nThe World:--And Jesus Christ, the author of eternal salvation, taught\nthis doctrine, that \"God so loved the world, that he gave his only\nbegotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but\nhave eternal life?\"\n\nPaul:--He did. But you have quoted only _part_ of what I said and only\n_part_ of what Christ said. I did not tell the people that Christ had\nbecome the author of eternal salvation to all those who would simply\nbelieve in Him. Here is what I said: \"Though he were a Son, yet learned\nhe obedience by the things which he suffered; and being made perfect,\nhe became the author of eternal salvation _unto all them that obey\nhim_.\" (Heb. 5: 8, 9.) Jesus did not tell the people that they would\nhave eternal life by simply believing in Him. This is what He said:\n\"Not every one that sayeth unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the\nKingdom of Heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is\nin heaven.\" (Matt 7: 21.) Now, it would appear from this that there\nwere people in the days of the Savior who believed, as thousands of\npeople believe today, that they could get into the Kingdom of God by\nsimply believing in Christ, and calling Him Lord, Lord. And in order\nto disabuse their minds of that erroneous belief. Jesus made use of\nthe words which I have just quoted. Now, do you think that I, or any\nother servant of the Lord, would {361} preach salvation through belief\nalone when Christ had condemned such doctrine? On one occasion He said:\n\"And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?\nWhosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will\nshew you to whom he is like: he is like a man which built an house,\nand digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood\narose the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake\nit: for it was founded upon a rock. But he that heareth, and doeth\nnot, is like a man that without a foundation built an house upon the\nearth; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it\nfell; and the ruin of that house was great.\" (Luke 6: 46-49.) Here is\na Gospel not only of believing, but of _doing_: a Gospel, not of faith\nalone, but of _faith and works_.\n\nThe World:--We dare not dispute what you have said; were we to do so,\nwe would be disputing the words of Christ. Permit us, however, to ask\nyou another question.\n\nPaul:--Certainly.\n\nThe World:--Isn't it a fact that Christ, when He was upon the cross,\nand just as He was about to give up the ghost, said, \"It is finished\"?\n\nPaul:--That is true.\n\nThe World:--Did Christ not mean that He had done all that was necessary\nfor man's salvation? that He had paid the price of man's redemption,\nand that there was nothing left for mankind to do?\n\nPaul:--Part of what you have said is, indeed, true: Christ atoned for\nour sins on Calvary's cross; He died that we might live, and that He\nmight present us, pure and spotless, to the Father. But when He said,\n\"It is finished,\" He did not mean that from that time henceforth and\nforever mankind would have nothing whatever to do but to believe in\nHim, and by that simple assent of their minds obtain eternal life and\nan everlasting inheritance in the Kingdom of His Father. He meant that\nHis sufferings were at an end; He meant that He had drunk the bitter\ncup to the dregs; He meant that He had done the will of the Father, and\nhad thus become, as I told the Hebrew Saints, the author of eternal\nsalvation to all those who would obey Him. After Christ had risen from\nthe dead He tarried for forty days with His disciples, during which\ntime He taught them many things pertaining to the Kingdom of God. In\ngiving them their commission, He said to them, \"Go ye, therefore, and\nteach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of\nthe Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things\nwhatsoever I have {362} commanded you.\" (Matt. 28: 19-20.) So you see,\nChrist did not tell His Apostles to tell the people that all they had\nto do was to believe in Him: they were to teach them to observe all\nthings whatsoever He had commanded them.\n\nThe World:--Did you write an epistle to the Ephesians?\n\nPaul:--I did.\n\nThe World:--Here is an extract from it to which we desire to call your\nattention: \"For by grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of\nyourselves, it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should\nboast.\" (Eph. 2: 8, 9.) Did you write that?\n\nPaul:--I did.\n\nThe World:--What did you mean by writing in this way to the Ephesians?\n\nPaul:--Merely this, and nothing more: the Ephesians, as well as many\nothers, thought to justify themselves by the works of the law--by\ncircumcision, for instance. They did not understand that the law\nhad been fulfilled in Christ, and so they wanted to continue in the\npractice of dead works. These I condemned, but I never spoke one word\nagainst the commandments of the Lord Jesus Christ. On the contrary,\nI exhorted the people to perform good works. This is what I wrote to\nthe Ephesians: \"Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth,\nthe same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free.\"\n(Ephesians 6: 8.) I wrote practically the same thing to Titus. Here\nis an extract from my letter to him: \"This is a faithful saying, and\nthese things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have\nbelieved in God might be careful to maintain good works.\" (Titus 3: 8.)\nSurely you do not think that I would write to the Ephesians one time\ncondemning good works, and write afterwards to them and also to Titus\ncommending good works? The works that I condemned were dead works, such\nas circumcision; but God forbid that I should advise anyone against\nkeeping all the commandments of the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus said that\nhe who would break one of the least of His commandments, and teach men\nto do so, the same would be called least in the Kingdom of Heaven.\n\nThe World:--That is all, Paul.\n\nLatter-day Saints:--Perhaps you would like to hear the testimony of the\nApostles John and James?\n\nThe World:--Certainly, if they can give us any additional light on the\nsubject.\n\nLatter-day Saints:--John, we would be pleased to have {363} you tell\nThe World whether you consider good works essential to salvation.\n\nJOHN'S TESTIMONY.\n\nJohn:--I am more than pleased to speak on this important matter. As an\nApostle of the Lord Jesus Christ, I taught the people to do the will of\nGod as it had been laid down by the Savior.\n\nThe World:--It is recorded in the Gospel which bears your name that\nChrist said, \"God so loved the world that he gave his only Begotten\nSon, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have\neverlasting life?\"\n\nJohn:--That is correct.\n\nThe World:--Did you not infer from that that all a man had to do in\norder to be saved was to believe in Christ?\n\nJohn:--I did not; for Christ, just a little while before, had said to\nNicodemus, who knew that Jesus was a Teacher sent of God: \"Except a\nman be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of\nGod.\" (John 3: 5.) There is something more than belief in those words.\n\nThe World:--Did you not teach the people that the blood of Jesus Christ\nwould cleanse them from all sin?\n\nJohn:--I did; but it was on the condition that they walked as Christ\nwalked. This is what I said: \"If we walk in the light, as he is in the\nlight, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus\nChrist his Son cleanseth us from all sin.\" (I John 1: 7.) After Christ\nhad taught us the principles of the Gospel, He said to us: \"If ye know\nthese things, happy are ye if ye do them.\" (John 13: 17.) Again He\nsaid to us: \"Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me\nthe works that I do shall he do also.\" (John 14: 12.) The Lord gave me\na vision when I was on the Isle of Patmos: \"and I saw the dead, small\nand great, stand before God; and the books were opened; and another\nbook was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged\nout of those things which were written in the books, according to their\nworks.\" (Rev. 20: 12.) In the face of all these things, how could I\nbelieve that belief alone in Christ was all that was necessary for\nsalvation?\n\nThe World:--The witness is excused.\n\nTESTIMONY OF JAMES.\n\nThe World:--James, were you commissioned by the Lord Jesus Christ to\npreach His Gospel?\n\nJames:--I was.\n\n{364} The World:--Did you not teach the people that all that was\nnecessary in order to attain to salvation was belief in the Lord Jesus\nChrist?\n\nJames:--How dare I teach such doctrine when the Lord had instructed us\nto teach them to observe all things whatsoever He had commanded us?\n\nThe World:--Then, you believe that in order for a man to procure\nsalvation he must have works with his faith?\n\nJames:--I do most assuredly. I taught the people that faith without\nworks is dead. Surely you have read my epistle, wherein I said: \"What\ndoth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have\nnot works? can faith save him? If a brother or sister be naked, and\ndestitute of daily food, and one of you say unto them, Depart in peace,\nbe ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things\nwhich are needful to the body; what doth it profit? Even so faith, if\nit hath not works, is dead, being alone. Yea, a man may say, Thou hast\nfaith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I\nwill shew thee my faith by my works. * * * But wilt thou know, O vain\nman, that faith without works is dead? * * * For as the body without\nthe spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.\" (James 2:\n14-18, 20, 26.)\n\nThe World:--This is certainly strange doctrine to us. We have been\ntaught from childhood that all we had to do to be saved was to believe\nin the Lord Jesus Christ.\n\nJames:--You say that that is what the preachers have taught you?\n\nThe World:--It is. The only gospel that we have been taught is the\ngospel of Belief Alone. We have never been taught that we had to do\nanything towards our salvation.\n\nJames:--You have been deceived by false teachers, whom Paul prophesied\nwould rise up in the last days. Here is the prophecy: \"For the time\nwill come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own\nlusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; and\nthey shall turn away their ears from the truth and shall be turned into\nfables.\" (II Timothy 4: 3, 4.)\n\nThe World:--Paul truly prophesied as you have said; but do you think\nhis prophecy applies to the preachers of the present time?\n\nJames:--I would prefer that you answer that question yourselves. I\nbelieve that I can make this matter very plain to you. Supposing a man\nwere to come to you at the present time and tell you that good works\nwere not at all essential to {365} salvation, that all you had to do to\nbe saved was to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ; and after he had gone\nout three Apostles of the Lord Jesus should come in and tell you that\nbelief alone would not save you, that you would have to couple works\nwith your faith, which of these men would you believe?\n\nThe World:--That scarcely needs an answer: we would, of course, believe\nthe Apostles.\n\nJames:--I thought as much. Well, Paul, John and I have told you, just\nas plainly as it is possible for us to do, that belief alone will not\nsave you: that you must have works as well as faith. And as you have\ntold me that you believe our words, I would advise you, if you do not\nwish to deceive yourselves, to be doers of the word, as well as hearers\nof it.\n\nThe World:--Thank you, James. That is all.\n\nLatter-day Saints:--The words of the Apostles are very plain, indeed;\nJames told us that what the spirit is to the body so works are to\nfaith; and that as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith\nwithout works is dead also. We would advise you to accept the teachings\nof Christ and of His inspired Apostles.\n\nThe World:--In the face of all these Scriptures, we cannot see how our\npreachers can teach that good works are not essential to salvation.\n\nLatter-day Saints:--We are not at all surprised at their doing so. If\nthe Scriptures are to be fulfilled, we must expect to see men arise\nspeaking perverse things, and drawing away disciples after them. It\nhas been clearly proven that Christ and His Apostles taught that men\nwould have to couple good works with their faith if they expected to\nget salvation. Now, any doctrine contrary to the teaching of Christ and\nHis Apostles is the doctrine of men. But as it was in the days of the\nSavior, so it is today. Christ said of the people in His day: \"This\npeople draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoreth me with\ntheir lips; but their heart is far from me. But in vain they do worship\nme, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.\" (Matt. 15: 8, 9.)\n\nThe World:--We are very thankful to you for calling our attention\nto these plain and precious truths, and the next time that we are\nvisited by our ministers we will request them to tell us who gave them\nauthority to preach that good works are not essential to salvation,\nwhen the Lord Jesus Christ and His Apostles taught that they are. For\nour ministers have most assuredly taught us that the Lord would not\naccept of any good works that we might do.\n\nLatter-day Saints:--Then He has changed since the days {366} of the\nearly Apostles. Do you not remember what happened to Cornelius?\nCornelius was not like the people of the present day, for he believed\nin having good works with his faith; and instead of the Lord being\ndispleased with him for performing good works, He sent an angel from\nheaven to tell him that his prayers and his alms had come up for a\nmemorial before God. (Acts 10: 4.) Now, if all the ministers in the\nworld told you that good works are not essential to salvation, all you\nwould have to do would be to turn to this Scripture, and there you\ncould show them how the Lord had so approved of a man's good works\nthat He sent an angel from heaven to tell him that He had accepted of\nthem, and to tell him of other things which were necessary for him\nto do. And, if that were not sufficient, you could refer them to the\nwritings of the Apostle Peter, who said: \"And besides this, giving\nall diligence, add to your 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. But he that lacketh these things is blind, and\ncannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his\nold sins. Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your\ncalling and election sure: for if ye do these things ye shall never\nfall: for so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into\nthe everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.\" (II Peter\n1: 5-11.)\n\nIV.--REPENTANCE.\n\nThe World:--You say, Faith in God and in His Son Jesus Christ is the\nfirst principle of the Gospel, and the second is Repentance?\n\nLatter-day Saints:--Yes, the second principle of the Gospel is\nrepentance.\n\nThe World:--What do you understand the term repentance to mean?\n\nLatter-day Saints:--Repentance is a deep, sincere, heartfelt sorrow\nfor sin, producing a reformation of life. It is, in a word, ceasing to\ndo evil and learning to do well. Here is the Apostle Paul, who will be\npleased to speak upon this important subject.\n\nTESTIMONY OF PAUL.\n\nPaul:--I speak from experience concerning this most essential {367}\nprinciple of the Gospel of Christ. I was, as you all know, a most\nunrelenting persecutor of the Saints. I had even gone so far as\nto assent to the death of the faithful Stephen. I was on my way\nto Damascus, with letters from the high priest, authorizing me to\nbring bound to Jerusalem all those whom I found professing faith in\nJesus Christ. I verily believed that I was doing God service. As I\nneared Damascus, the Lord checked me in my evil course and called\nme to repentance. He declared that by persecuting His saints I was\npersecuting Him, and told me to desist from my ungodly work. On\nhearing the word of the Lord, my soul was rilled with remorse, and I\nimmediately turned round and, by a life consecrated to Christ and His\ncause, sought to atone for my past offences.\n\nThe World:--Was it the Lord, then, who led you to repentance?\n\nPaul:--It was, for repentance is one of the most precious gifts of God\nto men. Through the atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ that choice gift\nhas been purchased for poor, fallen humanity. But, I would have you\nunderstand, that God is jealous of all His gifts. He does not bestow\nthem where they would not be appreciated. Repentance, like every other\ngift of God, has been promised to men on certain conditions.\n\nThe World:--Please tell us what these conditions are.\n\nPaul:--One of the conditions is that men will manifest a desire to\ncease from sin, and to work righteousness in the sight of God. The\nLord, speaking through Isaiah the prophet, made a promise unto the\nchildren of men that if they would seek Him they would find Him, and\nthat if they would forsake their evil ways and thoughts and turn unto\nHim, He would pardon their transgressions. I quote from the writings of\nthe prophet: \"Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him\nwhile he is near: let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous\nman his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have\nmercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.\" (Isaiah\n55: 6, 7.) Thus we see that the gift of repentance is promised men\non condition that they seek the Lord and forsake their evil ways and\nthoughts. The Lord has assured us that He has no pleasure whatever in\nthe death of a sinner. Speaking to the house of Israel by the mouth\nof the Prophet Ezekiel, He said: \"Say unto them, as I live, saith the\nLord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the\nwicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil\nways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?\" \"Again, when I say unto\n{368} the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; if he turn from his sin, and\ndo that which is lawful and right; if the wicked restore the pledge,\ngiven again that he had robbed, walk in the statutes of life, without\ncommitting iniquity; he shall surely live, he shall not die. None of\nhis sins that he hath committed shall be mentioned unto him: he hath\ndone that which is lawful and right; he shall surely live.\" (Ezek.\n33: 11, 14-16.) But, behold, a greater than Ezekiel has testified to\nthe same thing. Here are the words of Jesus Christ, the Author of\neternal salvation: \"I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to\nrepentance.\" (Luke 5: 32.) \"I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be\nin heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and\nnine just persons, which need no repentance.\" (Luke 15: 7.)\n\nThe World:--Thank you, Paul, for your testimony.\n\nLatter-day Saints:--We have another witness who was called by the Lord\nto preach repentance to the people of his generation.\n\nThe World:--We are ready to listen to his testimony.\n\nTESTIMONY OF NOAH.\n\nThe World:--What is your name?\n\nNoah:--My name is Noah.\n\nThe World:--Were you called by the Lord to preach repentance unto the\npeople in your day?\n\nNoah:--I was. The Lord beheld that the wickedness of the children\nof men was great upon the earth. They had entirely turned away from\nthe holy commandments which had been delivered unto them. They took\npleasure in all manner of wickedness and abominations. They were,\nas are millions of the human family at the present time, \"lovers of\npleasure more than lovers of God.\" The Lord saw that the imaginations\nof their hearts were evil continually, and that they would surely\nperish if they did not turn from their wicked, reprobate ways.\nTherefore, He called me to be a preacher of righteousness, and\ncommissioned me to go forth and cry repentance unto that wicked and\nperverse generation. I was commanded to build an ark, into which I was\nto take all those who would hearken unto my words and turn unto the\nLord. I was obedient unto the heavenly commandment, and went forth\namong the people, crying repentance unto them, and warning them to\nflee from the wrath to come. I preached not alone by precept, but by\nmy works also. I immediately set to work to construct the ark, and\nduring the one hundred {369} and twenty years while the ark was being\nprepared, I cried aloud and spared not. O, how my soul was grieved when\nI beheld the hardness of the hearts of the people, for I knew that God\nwould not be mocked, that He would not strive with them forever, but\nthat He would surely destroy them if they did not repent of their sins.\n\nThe World:--What success did you meet with, Noah, in your preaching?\n\nNoah:--Practically none. My words seemed to them as idle tales. They\nspurned the message which I brought them from their merciful Creator.\nThey ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they married and were\ngiven in marriage up till the very day that I and my family--eight\nsouls in all--entered the ark, and the Lord shut the door. Even now, I\nfancy I can hear their scoffs and scorns, their mockings and derisions,\nas we bade them a last farewell till we would meet them at the judgment\nbar of God. Then was the word of the Lord fulfilled, and His righteous\njudgments were poured out upon those wicked people and they perished\nfrom the earth. (Gen. 6: 7.) And now, in closing my testimony, I\nwill say to you, that God has not changed: He is the same yesterday,\ntoday and forever; He does not look upon sin with the least degree of\nallowance, and just as sure as God is God, so sure will His judgments\ncome upon the inhabitants of the earth in these latter-days if they do\nnot repent and turn from their transgressions. \"Except ye repent, ye\nshall all likewise perish. (Luke 13: 3.)\n\nThe World:--That is all, Noah.\n\nLatter-day Saints:--We now most respectfully ask you to listen to the\ntestimony of another servant of the Lord.\n\nABRAHAM'S TESTIMONY.\n\nThe World:--What is your name?\n\nAbraham:--My name is Abraham.\n\nThe World:--Are you prepared to give testimony concerning the matter\nwhich is before us?\n\nAbraham:--I am.\n\nThe World:--We will listen to your testimony.\n\nAbraham:--It grieves me to have to report that the inhabitants of the\ncities of Sodom and Gomorrah failed to profit by the sad fate which\nbefell the people in the days of Noah. With the history of the past\nbefore them, showing clearly God's hatred of sin, they added day by\nday to the cup of their iniquities. Their abominations at last became\nunbearable to the Lord, and He decreed that He would destroy them from\n{370} the face of the earth. I shall never forget the day that the Lord\ncame to me in Mamre and informed me of His intention of destroying the\ncities of the plains and the inhabitants thereof. My soul was filled\nwith sorrow, nevertheless I knew that all the judgments of the Lord\nwere just. I besought Him to grant me favor in His sight, which He\ndid. I asked Him if He would spare the city of Sodom provided fifty\nrighteous souls were found there. He promised me that He would spare\nthe city if it contained fifty righteous inhabitants. But alas! that\nnumber could not be found. I plead with the Lord again and again, and\nHe finally consented to turn away His judgments from Sodom if ten\nGod-fearing persons were found in the city. But ten such persons could\nnot be found, and the Lord in His anger destroyed the inhabitants of\nthose wicked cities and thus blotted out their iniquity from before His\nface. (Gen. 18: 19.) And as He spared not the cities of the plains,\nneither will He spare any other city or nation that forgets God. As\nNoah said, so say I, Woe unto the inhabitants of the earth if they do\nnot repent. Behold, ere they are aware, the Spirit of God will cease to\nstrive with them, and they shall, by their ungodly deeds, bring upon\nthemselves swift destruction.\n\nThe World:--We have listened with interest to your testimony, Abraham.\nYou are excused.\n\nLatter-day Saints:--We will now introduce a witness who will show you\nthe great blessings which came to the people of Nineveh when they\nturned from their evil ways and began to work righteousness in the\nsight of the Lord.\n\nTESTIMONY OF JONAH.\n\nThe World:--What is your name?\n\nJonah:--My name is Jonah.\n\nThe World:--Were you called by the Lord to preach repentance?\n\nJonah:--I was. The word of the Lord came to me on one occasion, saying:\n\"Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their\nwickedness is come up before me.\" (Jonah 1: 2.)\n\nThe World:--Did you do as the Lord commanded you?\n\nJonah:--I did not. I went down to Joppa, and there took ship for\nTarshish. The Lord punished me for my disobedience, and then He said\nunto me the second time, \"Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city, and\npreach unto it the preaching that I bid thee.\" (Jonah 3: 2.) So I did\nas the Lord commanded me. As I entered the city I began to cry aloud,\n\"Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown. So the {371} people\nof Nineveh believed God and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth,\nfrom the greatest of them even to the least of them. For word came unto\nthe king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, and he laid his robe\nfrom him, and covered him with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. And he\ncaused it to be proclaimed and published through Nineveh by the decree\nof the king and his nobles, saying, Let neither man nor beast, herd nor\nflock, taste any thing; let them not feed, nor drink water: but let\nman and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily unto God:\nyea, let them turn every one from his evil way, and from the violence\nthat is in their hands. Who can tell if God will turn and repent, and\nturn away from his fierce anger, that we perish not? And God saw their\nworks, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the\nevil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not.\"\n(Jonah 3: 5-10.)\n\nLatter-day Saints:--The next witness whose evidence we desire you to\nhear is John, the forerunner of Christ.\n\nTESTIMONY OF JOHN.\n\nThe World:--Your name is John?\n\nJohn:--It is.\n\nThe World:--Were you called by the Lord to preach repentance to the\npeople of your generation?\n\nJohn:--I was. I was sent before the Lord to prepare His way. I called\nupon the people to repent of their sins, for the Kingdom of Heaven was\nat hand. (Matt. 3: 1, 2.)\n\nThe World:--Were you able to bring many to repentance?\n\nJohn:--Yes, many people of Judaea and Jerusalem, upon hearing the\nproclamation, repented, came forward and confessed their sins, and were\nbaptized in the river Jordan. (Mark 1: 5.)\n\nThe World:--Are we to understand that confession of sins is essential?\n\nJohn:--Such has been the teaching of the servants of the Lord in every\ndispensation. Without confession of sins repentance is incomplete.\nHere are the words of the inspired teachers: \"He that covereth his\nsins shall not prosper, but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall\nhave mercy.\" (Prov. 28: 13.) \"If we say that we have no sin we deceive\nourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He\nis faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from\nall unrighteousness.\" (I John 1: 8, 9.) But confession should be\naccompanied with a promise and determination to sin no more. To confess\nhis sins before God will not {372} benefit a man unless his confession\nis accompanied with a determination to sin no more. He must covenant\nwith the Lord that he is willing to forsake sin, and that in future he\nwill, with His Divine assistance, yield to no evil, but will shun the\nvery appearance of it, and keep himself unspotted from the world. God\ncannot be deceived, and He will not pardon those who merely confess\ntheir sins, and still make no effort to forsake them.\n\nThe World:--Repentance is, therefore, conditional?\n\nJohn:--It is. Men must be willing to confess their sins and to forsake\nthem. They must also be willing to forgive others. In fact, Christ told\nthe people that His Father would not forgive them their trespasses if\nthey in their hearts failed to forgive those who trespassed against\nthem. These are His words: \"If ye forgive men their trespasses, your\nHeavenly Father will also forgive you; but if ye forgive not men their\ntrespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.\" (Matt.\n6: 14, 15.) And this forgiveness must be without limit. On one occasion\nPeter asked the Lord, \"How oft shall my brother sin against me, and I\nforgive him, till seven times?\" The Master answered, \"I say not unto\nthee, until seven times; but until seventy times seven.\" On another\noccasion He taught the disciples, saying, \"If thy brother trespass\nagainst thee, rebuke him, and if he repent, forgive him. And if he\ntrespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day\nturn again to thee saying, I repent, thou shalt forgive him.\" (Luke\n17: 3, 4.) Nowhere are repentance, confession and forgiveness more\nbeautifully portrayed than in Christ's parable of the prodigal son.\nAfter having wasted his substance in riotous living, and being brought\ndown so low that he had to satisfy his hunger with swine's food, the\nprodigal at last came to himself. He thought of his father's home in\nwhich he had spent so many happy years, of the good things of the earth\nwith which the tables had always been laden, of the hired servants who\nwaited upon the family. The spirit of repentance entered his heart, and\nspringing to his feet he exclaimed, \"I will arise and go to my father,\nand will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before\nthee, and am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy\nhired servants. * * * But when he was yet a great way off, his father\nsaw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed\nhim. * * * And the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best\nrobe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his\nfeet: and bring hither the fatted calf and kill it; {373} and let us\neat, and be merry: for this my sen was dead, and is alive again; he\nwas lost, and is found.\" (Luke 15: 18-20, 21-24.) In this parable is\nclearly exhibited the love and mercy of God. Verily, he that cometh to\nHim shall in nowise be cast out.\n\nThe World:--We will excuse the witness.\n\nLatter-day Saints:--This is our case. We believe we have proved most\nconclusively that repentance is essential to salvation. \"For this ye\nknow,\" said the apostle, \"that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor\ncovetous man who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the Kingdom of\nChrist and of God.\" (Eph. 5: 5.) The Lord has also said by the mouth of\nJohn the Revelator: \"The fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable,\nand murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all\nliars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and\nbrimstone: which is the second death.\" (Rev. 21: 8.) We, therefore,\nsay unto all men, \"Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever\na man soweth, that shall he also reap.\" (Gal. 6: 7.) \"We have pointed\nout all the prominent principles connected with true repentance. And it\ncan easily be seen by every honest heart, that God requires mankind to\nseek diligently to discern good from evil, and to ascertain what sins\nand evils they are guilty of; to be exercised with a Godly sorrow that\nthey have ever sinned against so great and good a Being as God; to make\nsuitable confession before God, for all past sins committed; and such a\nconfession must be accompanied with a solemn covenant or promise to sin\nno more; and the heart should be fixed and immovable in this covenant.\nAll persons who will do these things will have a measure of the Spirit\nof Christ resting upon them, imparting humility, and meekness, and\nlowliness of heart. But still this repentance does not guarantee to\nthem a remission of sins; it only prepares the heart to obey properly\na great and holy ordinance which God has instituted expressly for the\nremission of sins. We mean the ordinance of baptism.\"\n\nV.--WATER BAPTISM.\n\nThe World:--Do you believe and teach that water baptism is essential to\nsalvation?\n\nLatter-day Saints:--We do. Water baptism was commanded by the Lord, and\nwe do not teach people that they can get into the Kingdom of Heaven by\nbreaking the Lord's commandments.\n\nThe World:--Well, we have been taught that baptism is {374} not at all\nessential to salvation, that it is simply an outward sign of an inward\ngrace.\n\nLatter-day Saints:--Baptism was instituted before the foundation of the\nworld. It is an ordinance of the everlasting Gospel, and by obedience\nto that ordinance, coupled with faith, and sincere repentance, the Lord\nhas promised mankind a remission of their sins. \"We have the testimony\nof many eminent writers that baptism was practiced by the Jews, as a\nreligious ceremony, ages anterior to the birth of our Savior. It is\nsaid that the Jews not only circumcised, but baptized all new converts\nto their faith; and that in the days of Solomon great numbers were\nproselyted from the surrounding nations, and were baptized. It is by\nsome supposed that the Jews, before Christ, did not baptize those of\nJewish descent, but only such as were proselyted from foreign nations.\nBut it is certain that baptism was administered, under the law of\nMoses, unto numerous multitudes of Jews; for John the Baptist, who was\nthe legal heir of the Aaronic Priesthood, through the lineage of his\nfathers, did administer this rite to thousands of the Jews for the\nremission of their sins; and this, too, at a time when the law of Moses\nwas in full force. Even Jesus Himself had not yet been baptized. None\nof the old institution was yet abolished; and no new institutions were,\nas yet, introduced. And while under the strictest obligations to keep\nthe old law, John was baptizing; and there went out to him Jerusalem\nand all Judaea, and all the region round about Jordan, and were\nbaptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins.\" (Matt. 3: 5, 6.) We\nask you to hear the testimony of Paul on this subject.\n\nThe World:--We will be pleased to hear the Apostle's evidence.\n\nPAUL'S TESTIMONY.\n\nThe World:--Paul, did you teach the people that water baptism was\npracticed by the Israelites before the days of John the Baptist?\n\nPaul:--I did. Water baptism is one of the ordinances of the Gospel--the\ntrue Gospel, which embraces one Lord, one faith and one baptism. That\nGospel was preached to the people in the days of Abraham; and also\nto the Israelites under Moses. Have you not read what I wrote to the\nGalatians, the Hebrews and the Corinthians concerning this matter? I\nquote from my epistles: \"And the scripture, foreseeing that God would\njustify the heathen through faith, preached before the Gospel unto\nAbraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed.\" (Gal. 3: 8.)\n\"For unto us was the Gospel preached, as well {375} as unto them: but\nthe word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in\nthem that heard it.\" (Heb. 4: 2.) \"Moreover, brethren, I would not that\nye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud,\nand all passed through the sea; _and were all baptized unto Moses in\nthe cloud and in the sea_.\" (I Cor. 10: 1, 2.)\n\nThe World:--Paul, you have clearly proved the antiquity of baptism. We\nwill excuse you for the present.\n\nLatter-day Saints:--We can prove to you beyond the possibility of doubt\nthat water baptism is essential to man's salvation. As you know, nearly\nall the Christian sects believe in and practice some form of baptism,\nbut, with two or three exceptions, none of them believe that that\nordinance aids, even in the slightest degree, in the salvation of the\nsouls of men. This is a mistake. Baptism is one of the first ordinances\nof the Gospel, and is as essential to man's salvation as any other\nordinance that God has ever revealed.\n\nThe World:--We are ready to hear your witnesses on this matter.\n\nLatter-day Saints:--The first witness that we will introduce is John\nthe Baptist.\n\nTESTIMONY OF JOHN.\n\nThe World:--Your name is John?\n\nJohn:--It is.\n\nThe World:--You told us on a former occasion that you were called of\nGod to go before Christ and prepare His way.\n\nJohn:--That is correct. You will find it so recorded in John's Gospel.\n(John 1: 6.)\n\nThe World:--What did God command you to preach to the people?\n\nJohn:--Repentance and water baptism.\n\nThe World:--You say that God sent you to baptize with water?\n\nJohn:--He did. It is recorded in the scriptures: \"And I knew him not:\nbut he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon\nwhom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the\nsame is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost.\" (John 1: 33.)\n\nThe World:--What did you tell the people was the object of water\nbaptism?\n\nJohn:--I told them that it was for the remission of sins. Mark and Luke\nbear me witness. The former says: \"John did baptize in the wilderness,\nand preach the baptism of repentance for the remissions of sins.\" (Mark\n1: 4.) Luke {376} says: \"And he came into all the country about Jordan,\npreaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.\" (Luke\n3: 3.)\n\nThe World:--After what manner did you baptize?\n\nJohn:--As I was commanded by the Lord--by immersion. I took the\nrepentant believers down to the river Jordan, and there I baptized them\nby immersing them in the water.\n\nThe World:--Then you do not believe in infant sprinkling?\n\nJohn:--I do not. It is contrary to the teaching of Christ and His\nApostles. There was but one form of baptism known to them, that was\nbaptism by immersion for the remission of sins. On one occasion when\npeople applied to me for baptism, I had to take them to Aenon, near\nto Salim, \"_because there was much water there_.\" (John 3: 23.) Had I\nconsidered sprinkling just as acceptable to God as immersion, I would\nnot have taken the people to Aenon to be baptized.\n\nThe World:--You baptized Jesus Christ?\n\nJohn:--I did.\n\nThe World:--When Christ applied to you for baptism what did you say?\n\nJohn:--I said, \"I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou\nto me?\" Then Jesus said to me, \"Suffer it to be so now: for thus it\nbecometh us to fulfill all righteousness.\" (Matt. 3: 14, 15.)\n\nThe World:--You say that Christ requested you to baptize Him in order\nthat He might fulfill all righteousness?\n\nJohn:--He did. And if the Son of God, being holy, had need to be\nbaptized with water that He might fulfill all righteousness, how much\nmore need have mortal men, they being unholy, to be baptized? According\nto the words of the Savior a man cannot fulfill all righteousness if he\nfails to comply with the ordinance of baptism. I told the Pharisees and\nlawyers that they had rejected the counsel of God against themselves by\nnot being baptized. (Luke 7: 30.) And as it was in those days, so it is\ntoday--all those who slight this command of the Lord, and refuse to be\nbaptized by immersion for the remission of their sins, will, like the\nPharisees and lawyers, reject the counsel of God against themselves.\n\nThe World:--The witness is excused. (To the Latter-day Saints.) When\nwas the method of baptism changed?\n\nLatter-day Saints:--In the third century after Christ, in the case of a\nman named Novatian. Gahan, a Catholic historian, writing of him, says:\n\"Having embraced the faith, he continued a catechumen, till, falling\ndangerously ill, and {377} his life being despaired of, he was baptized\nin bed, not by immersion, which was then the usual method, but by\ninfusion, or pouring on of water.\"\n\nThe World:--Who is your next witness?\n\nLatter-day Saints:--Our next witness is the Jewish ruler Nicodemus.\n\nTESTIMONY OF NICODEMUS.\n\nThe World:--Nicodemus, had you an interview with Christ?\n\nNicodemus:--I had. I called upon Him one night and said to Him, \"Rabbi,\nwe know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these\nmiracles that thou doest except God be with him.\" (John 3: 2.)\n\nThe World:--What did Christ say in reply?\n\nNicodemus:--He told me that I would have to be born again--born of\nwater and of the Spirit. He spoke most emphatically concerning this\nmatter, saying, \"Verily, verily, I say unto thee, _except a man be born\nof water and of the Spirit_, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God.\"\n(John 3: 5.)\n\nThe World:--What did you interpret the words \"born of the water and of\nthe Spirit\" to mean?\n\nNicodemus:--I interpreted them to mean the baptism of water and of the\nHoly Spirit. Christ was born of the water and of the Spirit when He was\nbaptized; His disciples were born of the water and of the Spirit, and\nthe Savior declared that except a man receive this new birth he cannot\nenter the Kingdom of God.\n\nThe World:--We have been taught that the water which Jesus spoke of was\nthe word of God.\n\nNicodemus:--He did not tell me that. I am sure that if Christ had meant\nthe word of God He would have said so. Christ did not say one thing and\nmean another. Why should men put false sentiments into the mouth of the\nSon of God? That you may see the absurdity of this interpretation which\nmen have put upon the words of Christ, I will make a few quotations\nfrom the scriptures, substituting the words \"word of God\" for the\nword \"water\": \"And Jesus when he was baptized, went up straightway\nout of the word of God.\" \"And John was baptizing in Aenon near to\nSalim, because there were much words of God there.\" \"And he commanded\nthe chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the word of\nGod. * * * And when they were come up out of the word of God.\" u Then\nanswered Peter, Can any man forbid the word of God, that these should\nnot be baptized.\" {378} \"That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the\nwashing of the word of God by the word.\"\n\nThe World:--This certainly makes the interpretation appear most\nabsured. But, do you consider water baptism essential to salvation?\n\nNicodemus:--I do, most assuredly. I am aware that this doctrine sounds\nas strange to the people in these days as it did at first to me. But\nit is, nevertheless, true. It was not Christ's doctrine, it was the\ndoctrine of the Father who had sent Him, and who had sent John also\nwith a similar message. \"My doctrine is not mine,\" said the Savior,\n\"but his that sent me. If any man will do his will, he shall know of\nthe doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.\"\n(John 7: 16, 17.) Again He said, \"For I have not spoken of myself;\nbut the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment what I should\nsay and what I should speak. And I know that his commandment is life\neverlasting; whatsoever I speak, therefore, even as the Father said\nunto me, so I speak.\" (John 12: 49, 50.) Therefore, when Christ\nimpressed upon me the necessity of a new birth, of the water and of\nthe Spirit, He taught me a commandment which He had received from His\nFather, and which He said was life everlasting. I am surprised that\nanyone possessed of ordinary intelligence could think for a moment that\nGod, the fountain of all truth and wisdom, would send His Son down\nto the earth to teach the children of men ordinances which were not\nnecessary for them to observe. Nor can I think of anything more foolish\nthan for Christ to send out missionaries into the world to teach people\nto observe an ordinance, which, when they had obeyed it, they were no\nbetter off than they were before. How dare anyone charge the Almighty\nwith such folly?\n\nThe World:--We have no further questions to ask the witness.\n\nLatter-day Saints:--Our next witness is the Apostle Peter.\n\nPETER'S TESTIMONY.\n\nThe World:--Were you commissioned by the Lord Jesus Christ to preach\nHis Gospel?\n\nPeter:--I was. In sending His Apostles forth to preach the Gospel, the\nLord said unto them, \"Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing\nthem in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:\nteaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you:\nand {379} lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.\"\n(Matt. 28: 19, 20.)\n\nThe World:--Baptism is, therefore, a commandment of the Lord?\n\nPeter:--It is, and Christ has said, that he that breaks one of the\nleast of His commandments and teaches men to do so, the same shall be\ncalled the least in the Kingdom of Heaven. (Matt. 5: 19.)\n\nThe World:--Do you believe water baptism to be essential to man's\nsalvation?\n\nPeter:--I do. If it had not been so considered by Christ, He would\nnot have commanded us to preach it. Why send us out to tell people\nto observe an ordinance of the Gospel which it mattered not with God\nwhether they observed or not? That would not give the Lord credit for\npossessing as much intelligence as men; for no man among you would\ncommand his servants to do a certain work when it mattered not whether\nit was done or left undone. If baptism is not essential to salvation,\nthen it was needless on the part of Christ to command His Apostles\nto preach it. It was a waste of time for us to do so, for while we\nwere preaching baptism and administering the ordinances we could have\nemployed the time in preaching principles which are essential to men's\nsalvation. You will observe, Christ told us to baptize the people in\nthe name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. Now,\ndo you think for a moment that we would have used the names of the\nHoly Trinity in an ordinance in which there was no profit? Did Christ\nnot know that it was written in the Scriptures, \"Thou shalt not take\nthe name of the Lord thy God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him\nguiltless that taketh his name in vain.\" If you say that baptism is not\nessential to salvation, you make the Savior of the world a transgressor\nof God's holy commandment, for what could be more vain than to use\nthe names of the Holy Trinity in an ordinance in which there were no\nvirtue, no salvation?\n\nThe World:--You, therefore, taught the people that it was necessary for\nthem to be baptized?\n\nPeter:--I did. With the rest of the Apostles I stood up on the day of\nPentecost before a great multitude of people and declared unto them the\nmessage of life and salvation which Christ had given us to deliver. We\nspoke under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, and thousands of people\nwere pricked in their hearts, and cried out saying, \"Men and brethren,\nwhat shall we do?\"\n\nThe World:--What did you tell them?\n\n{380} Peter:--I said unto them, \"Repent and be baptized every one of\nyou in the name of Jesus Christ _for the remission of sins_, and ye\nshall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.\" (Acts 2: 38.) The same\nday three thousand souls were added to the Church. There was a most\ndevout man named Cornelius, who resided in Caesarea, who prayed to God\nconstantly and gave much alms to the people. His prayers and alms came\nup as a memorial before God, and He sent an angel to Cornelius to tell\nhim to send for me to Joppa, and that I would tell him words whereby\nhe and his house should be saved. Now, you will remember, that a short\ntime previous to this I had taught thousands of people baptism for the\nremission of sins. If I had taught them false doctrine do you think the\nLord would have sent an angel to Cornelius to advise him to send for me\nto teach him the plan of salvation? I told Cornelius the same things\nthat I declared to the people on the day of Pentecost, and commanded\nhim and his household to be baptized in the name of the Lord. (Acts 10:\n48.)\n\nThe World:--That is all, Peter.\n\nLatter-day Saints:--We now submit for your consideration the testimony\nof the Apostle Paul.\n\nPAUL'S TESTIMONY.\n\nThe World:--What is your belief concerning water baptism?\n\nPaul:--I believe and have taught that it is an essential ordinance of\nthe Gospel of Jesus Christ. When Jesus appeared to me on the way to\nDamascus, He called me to repentance and told me to go into Damascus\nand that I would there be told of all things that were commanded of me\nto do. The Lord then instructed His servant Ananias to go to me and\nto tell me to _arise and be baptised and wash away my sins_, calling\non the name of the Lord. (Acts 22: 16.) So, you see, baptism for the\nremission of sins is not my doctrine, but the Lord's. So important is\nthis ordinance in the sight of the Eternal Father that He withheld the\nHoly Ghost from twelve devout Ephesians until I had re-baptized them.\nThey had been baptized previously, but not by one holding authority\nfrom God, and so their baptism was not valid in His sight. How dare I\nteach the children of men that baptism is not essential to salvation\nwhen He who spake as never man spake had declared, \"Except a man be\nborn of water and of the Spirit he cannot enter into the Kingdom of\nGod.\"\n\nThe World:--We will excuse the witness.\n\nLatter-day Saints:--We have adduced enough evidence to {381} convince\nevery fair-minded person that water baptism is essential to his\nsalvation. We have shown that it was instituted by the Lord from the\nbeginning of the world for the remission of sins. The Israelites\nreceived the ordinance under the hands of Moses, and were all baptized\nin the cloud and in the sea. John, the forerunner of Messiah, was sent\nby God to _preach baptism for the remission of sins_. He baptized\nmultitudes of people in the river Jordan _for the remission of their\nsins_. Christ the Son of God received baptism at the hands of John in\norder that He, too, might _fulfill all righteousness_. Jesus told the\nJewish ruler that except a man were _born of water and of the Spirit_\nhe could not enter the Kingdom of God. He commanded His disciples to\n\"Go and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and\nof the Son and of the Holy Ghost.\" Peter, while preaching under the\ninfluence of the Holy Ghost, told the people on the day of Pentecost to\nrepent and _be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission\nof their sins_. The Lord Himself sent Ananias to Saul of Tarsus to\ntell him to arise and _be baptised and wash away his sins_. We preach\nthe same doctrine that was taught by Christ and His Apostles, and say\nunto you, \"Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus\nChrist, _for the remission of sins_, and ye shall receive the gift of\nthe Holy Ghost.\"\n\nVI.--THE HOLY GHOST.\n\nThe World (to the Latter-day Saints):--According to the doctrine of\nyour Church a man must be born of water and of the Spirit before he can\nenter the Kingdom of God.\n\nLatter-day Saints:--In this we simply reiterate what Jesus said to the\nanxious Jewish ruler, Nicodemus. These are His words: \"Verily, verily,\nI say unto thee, except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he\ncannot enter into the Kingdom of God.\" (John 3: 5.) These are the words\nof the Son of God, and whenever He speaks all discussion should be\nclosed.\n\nThe World:--You explained to us in the last examination that being born\nof the water means being baptized in water: what are we to understand\nby being born of the Spirit?\n\nLatter-day Saints:--To be born of the Spirit means to be baptized with\nthe Holy Ghost. All men must receive these two baptisms before they can\nbecome the sons of God. By being born of the flesh we become the sons\nof men: by being born of the water and of the Spirit we become the sons\nof God. We desire you to hear the testimony of John the Baptist on this\nimportant matter.\n\n{382}\n\nTESTIMONY OF JOHN THE BAPTIST.\n\nThe World:--John, you told us on two former occasions that you were\nsent of God to prepare the way for His Only Begotten Son. What did you\nteach the people they had to do in order to be accepted of the Lord and\nadmitted into His Kingdom?\n\nJohn:--I told them that they would have to repent, and be baptized in\nwater for the remission of their sins. I promised the people that, if\nthey would do these things, when Christ would come He would baptize\nthem with a higher baptism--the baptism of the Holy Ghost and of fire.\n(Matt. 3: 11.)\n\nThe World:--You baptized the Christ?\n\nJohn:--I did. The ordinance was performed in the river Jordan. As soon\nas Jesus came up out of the water the heavens were opened and the\nSpirit of God descended like a dove and rested upon Him, and then was\nheard the voice of God out of heaven, saying, \"Thou art my beloved Son,\nin whom I am well pleased.\" (Mark 1: 9-11.) Thus was Jesus born of the\nwater and of the Spirit, and all men must follow the example of the\nRedeemer of the world if they expect to become heirs of God and joint\nheirs with Jesus Christ.\n\nThe World:--Did you promise the Holy Ghost to all those whom you\nbaptized?\n\nJohn:--I did. I said to them, \"I indeed baptize you with water unto\nrepentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes\nI am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and\nwith fire.\" (Matt. 3: 11.)\n\nThe World:--You are excused, John.\n\nLatter-day Saints:--Our next witness is the Apostle John.\n\nTESTIMONY OF THE APOSTLE JOHN.\n\nThe World:--You are an Apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ?\n\nJohn:--I am.\n\nThe World:--John the Baptist promised those who believed in Christ and\nwho had repented and been baptized for the remission of their sins that\nthe Messiah would baptize them with the Holy Ghost and with fire. Did\nyou receive that higher baptism?\n\nJohn:--I did, but not until Christ had fulfilled His mission and\nhad returned to His Father. While the Savior was with us He was our\nTeacher, our Guide and our Comforter; but when He ascended up on high\nwe received from the Father the other Comforter, the Holy Ghost, who\nwas to {383} abide within us forever. During His sojourn with us, Jesus\nreferred quite often to the Divine Spirit which His Father would confer\nupon us after His departure. On different occasions He said to us: \"But\nthe Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in\nmy name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your\nremembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.\" (John 14: 26.) \"But when\nthe Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even\nthe Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify\nof me.\" (John 15: 26.) \"Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come,\nhe will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself;\nbut whatsoever 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, and\nshall show it unto you.\" (John 16: 13, 14.) \"And when they bring you\nunto the synagogues, and unto the magistrates, and powers, take ye no\nthought how or what thing ye shall answer, or what ye shall say: for\nthe Holy Ghost shall teach you in that same hour what ye ought to say.\n(Luke 12: 11, 12.) \"Nevertheless I tell you the truth; it is expedient\nfor you that I go away; for if I go not away, the Comforter will not\ncome unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.\" (John 16:\n7.) \"And, behold, I send the promise of my Father unto you: but tarry\nye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on\nhigh.\" (Luke 24: 49.)\n\nThe World:--How was the Holy Ghost conferred upon the people?\n\nJohn:--Through prayer and by the imposition of hands.\n\nThe World:--Did you receive the Holy Ghost in this manner?\n\nJohn:--I did, and so did the rest of the Apostles. Jesus said to us,\n\"And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter,\nthat he may abide with you forever.\" (John 14: 16.) He led us out as\nfar as Bethany, where He lifted up His hands and blessed us; He then\nbreathed on us, and said, \"Receive ye the Holy Ghost.\" (Luke 24: 50;\nJohn 20: 22.)\n\nThe World:--That is all, John.\n\nLatter-day Saints:--Our next witness, the Apostle Peter, is ready to be\nexamined.\n\nThe World:--We will listen to his testimony.\n\nPETER TESTIFIES.\n\nThe World:--Did you also receive from Christ the promise of the Holy\nGhost?\n\n{384} Peter:--I did. After His resurrection, the Lord appeared to us as\nwe were assembled together, and commanded us that we should not depart\nfrom Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, \"which,\" said\nHe, \"ye have heard of me. For John truly baptized with water; but ye\nshall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.\" (Acts 1: 4,\n5.)\n\nThe World:--When did you receive the gift of the Holy Ghost?\n\nPeter:--On the day of Pentecost. The Apostles were assembled together,\nand suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty\nwind, and it rilled all the house where we were sitting. And there\nappeared unto us cloven tongues like of as fire, and it sat upon each\nof us. And we were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak\nwith other tongues, as the Spirit gave us utterance. (Acts 2: 2-4.)\n\nThe World:--Were the Apostles the only ones who received the Holy Ghost?\n\nPeter:--They were not. The Lord is not a respecter of persons; in every\nnation he that feareth God and keepeth His commandments is accepted of\nHim. John assured all his baptized converts that they would receive\nthe baptism of the Holy Ghost. After being endowed with the Divine\nSpirit, the Apostles stood up before a great multitude of people and\nbore witness of the resurrection of Christ. Thousands of people, on\nbeholding the glorious outpouring of the Holy Ghost, and perceiving the\npower by which we spake, were pricked in their hearts, and cried out,\n\"Men and brethren, what shall we do?\" This is what I said unto them,\n\"Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ\nfor the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy\nGhost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all\nthat are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.\" (Acts\n2: 38, 39.)\n\nThe World:--Did Christ give you authority to confer the Holy Ghost upon\nthose who believed on your words and obeyed the Gospel?\n\nPeter:--He did, and also to the other Apostles. He said to us: \"But ye\nshall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye\nshall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in\nSamaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.\" (Acts 1: 8.) After\nHis resurrection the Lord appeared unto us and commissioned us to go\nforth and preach the Gospel. \"Go ye into all the world,\" said He, \"and\npreach the Gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized\nshall be saved; but he that {385} believeth not shall be damned. And\nthese signs shall follow them that believe; in my name they shall cast\nout devils; they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up\nserpents; and if they drink any deadly thing it shall not hurt them;\nthey shall lay hands on the sick and they shall recover.\" (Mark 16:\n15-18.)\n\nThe World:--Did the people who accepted the Gospel of Christ in the\ndays of your ministry receive the gift of the Holy Ghost?\n\nPeter:--They did. The Lord confirmed the words of His servants by\npouring out His Holy Spirit upon those who repented of their sins and\nwho were baptized by Divine authority for the remission of their sins.\n\nThe World:--How was the Holy Ghost conferred?\n\nPeter:--By prayer and by the imposition of the hands of authorized\nservants of God.\n\nThe World:--Can you refer us to an occasion when the Holy Ghost was\ngiven to believers?\n\nPeter:--On one occasion Philip went down to Samaria and preached the\nGospel to the inhabitants of that city. \"And the people with one accord\ngave heed unto those things which Philip spake, hearing and seeing the\nmiracles which he did. For unclean spirits, crying with loud voice,\ncame out of many that were possessed with them; and many taken with\npalsies, and that were lame, were healed. * * * When they believed\nPhilip preaching the things concerning the Kingdom of God, and the\nname of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.\" (Acts\n8: 5-7, 12.) While Philip had authority to preach the Gospel, and also\nto baptize, he did not have authority to confer the Holy Ghost. He,\ntherefore, sent word to the Apostles at Jerusalem, acquainting them of\nthe work which he had performed in Samaria, and requesting them to send\nmen endowed with higher authority, to confirm the baptized converts and\nto pray for them that they might receive the Holy Ghost. John and I\nwere sent down to Samaria, and when we met with the converts there we\nprayed for them, after which we laid our hands upon them, and the Holy\nGhost came upon them. (Acts 8: 14-17.)\n\nThe World:--We will now excuse you, Peter.\n\nThe World:--We have been taught that the signs spoken of by Peter\nwere only to follow the Apostles and the believers in that age; that\nthey were given to assist in establishing Christianity; and that when\nChristianity became established they were done away with and were no\nlonger needed.\n\nLatter-day Saints: We know that that is the teaching of {386} professed\nministers of the Gospel, but it is in direct opposition to the teaching\nof Christ and His Apostles. \"Christ places His preaching, believing,\nsalvation, and the signs that were to follow, all on an equal\nfooting; where one was limited, the other must be; where one ceased,\nthe other did. If the language limits the signs to the Apostles, it\nlimits salvation to them also. If no others were to have these signs\nfollow them then no others were to believe, and no others were to\nbe saved. If the language limits these signs to the first age or\nages of Christianity, then it limits salvation to the first ages of\nChristianity, for one is as precisely as much limited as the other;\nand where one is in force, the other is; and where one ends, the other\nmust stop. As well might we say, preaching of the Gospel is no longer\nneeded; neither faith nor salvation; these were only given at first to\nestablish the Gospel, as to say, the signs are no longer necessary,\nthey were only given at first to establish the Gospel.\"\n\nThe World--We will now excuse you, Peter.\n\nLatter-day Saints:--We have another witness, the Apostle Paul.\n\nThe World:--We are ready to hear his testimony.\n\nTESTIMONY OF PAUL.\n\nThe World:--Paul, after your conversion did you receive the gift of the\nHoly Ghost?\n\nPaul--I did. Ananias, being sent of the Lord, came to me in Damascus,\nand placing his hands upon me, said: \"Brother Saul, the Lord, even\nJesus, that appeared unto thee in the way as thou earnest, has sent\nme, that thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy\nGhost.\" (Acts 9: 17.)\n\nThe World:--Did anyone ever receive the Holy Ghost under your\nadministration?\n\nPaul:--Yes, many. On one occasion, while Apollos was at Corinth, I\npassed through the upper coasts and came to Ephesus. There I found\ncertain disciples who told me that they had been baptized. I asked\nthem if they had received the Holy Ghost since they believed, and they\nanswered that they had not--that they had not even heard of the Holy\nGhost. I asked them with what baptism they had been baptized, and they\nreplied, \"Unto John's baptism.\" I told them that John verily baptized\nwith the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people that they should\nbelieve on Him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.\nWhen they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.\nI {387} then laid my hands upon them and prayed for them that the\nLord would bestow upon them His Holy Spirit. The Lord hearkened unto\nmy prayer and acknowledged my administration, for the Holy Ghost came\nupon them and they spake with tongues and prophesied. (Acts 19: 1-6.)\nTimothy also received this precious gift by the laying on of my hands.\n(II Tim. 1: 6.)\n\nThe World:--How does the Holy Ghost operate upon those who receive it?\n\nPaul:--In divers ways. \"There are diversities of gifts, but the same\nSpirit. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to\nprofit withal. For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to\nanother the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; to another faith by\nthe same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit;\nto another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another\ndiscerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another\nthe interpretation of tongues; but all these worketh that one and\nthe selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.\" (I\nCor. 12: 4-11.) All these gifts, and many others, were enjoyed by the\nprimitive Christians, and were inseparably connected with the true\nGospel of Christ.\n\nThe World:--Did you not write an epistle to the Corinthian saints in\nwhich you told them that the gifts of prophecy, tongues, etc., would\ncease?\n\nPaul:--I did. I told them that such gifts would cease when that which\nis perfect should come. I read from my epistle: \"Charity never faileth:\nbut whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be\ntongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish\naway. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. But when that which\nis perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. * *\n* For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I\nknow in part; but then shall I know even as I am known.\" (I Cor. 13:\n8-10, 12.) I wrote an epistle to the Ephesians, in which I told them\nthat the spiritual gifts which Christ had placed in His Church were to\ncontinue \"_till we all come to the unity of the faith_.\" The following\nis an extract from my epistle: \"Wherefore he saith, when he ascended\nup on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.\" \"And\nhe gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and\nsome, pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, for the\nwork of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: till we\nall come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of {388} the\nSon of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the\nfulness of Christ.\" (Eph. 4: 8, 11-13.)\n\nThe World:--The witness is excused. (To the Latter-day Saints):--Do the\nmembers of your Church enjoy the gifts of the Holy Ghost?\n\nLatter-day Saints:--They do. \"We believe in the gifts of the Holy Ghost\nbeing enjoyed now as much as they were in the days of the Apostles;\nwe believe that the revelations of the Holy Ghost are necessary to\norganize the Priesthood; that no man can be called to fill any office\nin the ministry without it; we also believe in prophecy, in tongues, in\nvisions, in revelations, in healings; and that these things cannot be\nenjoyed without the Holy Ghost; we believe that holy men of old spake\nas they were moved by the Holy Ghost, and that holy men in these days\nspeak by the same power; we believe in its being a comforter and a\nwitness-bearer; that it brings things past to our remembrance, leads us\ninto all truth, and shows us of things to come; we believe that no man\ncan know that Jesus is the Christ but by the Holy Ghost.\"\n\nThe World:--Have you received authority from the Lord to confer the\nHoly Ghost upon those who comply with the laws and ordinances of the\nGospel?\n\nLatter-day Saints:--We have. The authority was conferred upon Joseph\nSmith and Oliver Cowdery by the Apostles Peter, James and John.\n\nThe World:--Have the gifts of the Holy Ghost been made manifest in this\ndispensation?\n\nLatter-day Saints:--They have. On the evening of March 27th, 1836,\nJoseph Smith met the quorums of the Priesthood in the Kirtland Temple\nand instructed them respecting the ordinance of the washing of\nfeet, and in relation to the spirit of prophecy. He called upon the\ncongregation to speak, and not to fear to prophesy good concerning\nthe Saints; \"for if you prophesy,\" said he, \"the falling of these\nhills, and the rising of the valleys, the downfall of the enemies of\nZion, and the rising of the Kingdom of God, it shall come to pass. Do\nnot quench the Spirit, for the first one that shall open his mouth\nshall receive the Spirit of prophecy.\" Brother George A. Smith arose,\nand began to prophesy, when a noise was heard like the sound of a\nrushing mighty wind, which filled the temple, and all the congregation\nsimultaneously arose, being moved upon by an invisible power; many\nbegan to speak in tongues, and prophesy; others saw glorious visions;\nand the Temple was filled with angels, which fact the Prophet declared\nto the congregation. The people of the neighborhood {389} came running\ntogether, hearing an unusual sound within, and seeing a bright light\nlike a pillar of fire resting upon the Temple, and were astonished at\nwhat was transpiring.\" (Compendium pp. 267-8.)\n\nThe World:--Do you promise the Holy Ghost to all those who repent and\nobey the Gospel which you preach?\n\nLatter-day Saints:--We do. In sending forth His servants in these last\ndays to proclaim the glad tidings of the Gospel of peace, the Lord\nsaid: \"Therefore go ye into all the world, and whatsoever place ye\ncannot go into ye shall send, that the testimony may go from you into\nall the world unto every creature. And as I said unto mine apostles,\neven so I say unto you, for you are mine apostles, even God's high\npriests; ye are they whom my Father hath given me--ye are my friends;\ntherefore, as I said unto mine apostles I say unto you again, that\nevery soul who believeth on your words, and is baptized by water for\nthe remission of sins, shall receive the Holy Ghost; and these signs\nshall follow them that believe. In my name they shall do many wonderful\nworks; in my name they shall cast out devils; in my name they shall\nheal the sick; in my name they shall open the eyes of the blind,\nand unstop the ears of the deaf; and the tongue of the dumb shall\nspeak; and if any man shall administer poison unto them it shall not\nhurt them; and the poison of a serpent shall not have power to harm\nthem. But a commandment I give unto them, that they shall not boast\nthemselves of these things, neither speak them before the world, for\nthese things are given unto you for your profit and for salvation.\nVerily, verily I say unto you, they who believe not on your words,\nand are not baptized in water, in my name, for the remission of their\nsins, that they may receive the Holy Ghost, shall be damned, and shall\nnot come into my Father's Kingdom, where my Father and I am. And this\nrevelation unto you, and commandment, is in force from this very hour\nupon all the world, and the gospel is unto all who have not received\nit.\" (Doc. and Cov. 84: 62-75.) All who will, with honest hearts,\nreceive the message which we bear--the message that God the Father has\nin these last days restored through the ministration of angels, the\neverlasting Gospel--shall receive a testimony by the manifestations of\nthe Holy Spirit of its Divine authenticity. And these manifestations\nshall be such as to give them perfect knowledge of its truth.\n\nVII. BAPTISM FOR THE DEAD.\n\nLatter-day Saints:--Before proceeding further, permit us {390} to ask\nyou a question or two: Have we not proved, and that, too, beyond all\ncontroversy, that a living, active and abiding faith in God the Father,\nand in His Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ, is indispensable to man's\nsalvation?\n\nThe World:--You have shown that, in order for a man to please God, not\nto mention being saved of Him, he must have faith in Him, and in His\nSon Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world.\n\nLatter-day Saints:--Have we not proven most conclusively that men must\nrepent of their sins and turn away from their iniquities before they\ncan gain access to the Kingdom of God?\n\nThe World:--Sufficient evidence has been given to prove that sincere\nand genuine repentance must be exhibited in the lives of all men who\nhope for salvation, for the decree has gone forth that no unclean thing\ncan enter the Kingdom of Heaven.\n\nLatter-day Saints:--Have we not proven that the proper mode of baptism\nis immersion, and that the object of baptism is for the remission of\nsins?\n\nThe World:--The testimony of your witnesses in regard to the mode,\nobject and essentiality of baptism cannot be refuted. Christ's answer\nto Nicodemus--\"Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit he\ncannot enter the Kingdom of God\"--should put an end to all discussion\non that subject.\n\nLatter-day Saints:--Have we not proven that after a man has complied\nwith the ordinance of baptism, he must receive the Holy Ghost by the\nlaying on of the hands of authorized servants of God?\n\nThe World:--Such was the practice in the primitive church. After\nbaptism the Apostles confirmed the believers by the laying on of hands,\nwith prayer, and conferring the Holy Ghost.\n\nLatter-day Saints:--These are the first principles of the Gospel of\nChrist, and the Apostle Paul has declared that \"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.\" (Gal. 1: 8.)\n\nThe World:--You have laid before us in a most clear and convincing\nmanner the plan of salvation. Permit us now to ask you, What is to\nbecome of those who have died in ignorance of the Gospel of Christ?\n\nLatter-day Saints:--Our reply to that question is this: God is a\nGod of mercy and justice. He does not seek a crop where there has\nbeen no seed sown. All those who have died {391} in ignorance of the\nGospel are in the hands of Him whose nature and whose name is Love,\nwhose desire is that all His children may be saved and brought to a\nknowledge of the truth. He has made provision whereby the glad tidings\nof great joy which the angel brought to the shepherds on the morning\nof the Savior's birth shall be proclaimed unto every son and daughter\nof God. The Creator has made of one blood all nations that dwell on\nthe earth. There is no respect of persons with God. His glorious plan\nof redemption was not revealed for the benefit of a favored class.\nWhen the angel of the Lord appeared to the shepherds on the plains of\nJudaea, he said unto them, \"Behold, I bring you glad tidings of great\njoy, which shall be to _all_ people.\" (Luke 2: 10.) Now, it is an\nundisputed fact that millions had died before that time without having\nheard those good tidings, just as millions have died since whose ears\nhave never been saluted with the good news of the Savior's birth, and\nof the great redemption which He purchased for the whole human family\nby the shedding of His most precious blood. Who could be so lost to all\nreason as to think for a moment that God would consign to everlasting\npunishment all those who died in absolute ignorance of His Divine laws?\nWe now ask you, as Paul asked the Roman saints, \"How then shall they\ncall on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe\nin him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a\npreacher?\" (Rom. 10: 14.) But here is the Apostle Peter, a recognized\nauthority on the doctrine of Christ. Hear what he has to say in the\nsubject.\n\nTESTIMONY OF PETER.\n\nThe World:--Peter, would you have us believe that the Gospel is\npreached to those who die in ignorance of its Divine truths?\n\nPeter:--I am surprised to hear you ask such a question when so much has\nbeen written on the matter. Jesus Christ came, not to save the living\nonly, but the dead also. He declared that if He were lifted up from the\nearth He would draw _all_ men unto Him, (John 12: 32), and that the\nhour was coming when the dead, as well as the living, would hear His\nvoice. (John 5: 25.)\n\nThe World:--Then, according to your testimony, Christ after having\npreached the Gospel to men in the flesh, went also and preached the\nsame Gospel to those who had died without having heard of its saving\nprinciples?\n\nPeter:--He did; and not to them only, but also to those {392} who\nrejected it when it was preached to them on the earth.\n\nThe World:--This is certainly strange doctrine to us. Our ministers\nhave never taught us that the dead could be saved as well as the living.\n\nPeter:--That is because they do not understand the Scriptures. The men\nwho wrote the Scriptures wrote as they were moved upon by the Holy\nGhost, and in order for men to understand the writings of the prophets\nand other inspired servants of God, they must be in possession of the\nsame Spirit, for \"the things of God knoweth no man but by the Spirit\nof God.\" If you will permit me, I will endeavor to make the Scriptures\nplain to your understanding. Noah, as you all know, was a preacher of\nrighteousness. He was called by the Lord to preach the Gospel to the\npeople of his generation. But they refused to listen to his warning;\nthey turned deaf ears to his entreaties, and at last the Lord came out\nin judgment upon them and destroyed them from the face of the earth.\nBut did He then cast them off forever? No, indeed. The Lord does not\nkeep His anger forever. He had prepared a place for them, for in His\nhouse there are many mansions. He had prepared a prison-house for the\nwicked and rebellious, and when the antediluvians were destroyed in the\nflesh, their spirits were shut up in the Lord's prison-house, where\nthey were kept for thousands of years, or in other words, till they had\npaid the uttermost farthing.\n\nThe World:--And did those people have the opportunity afterwards of\nagain hearing the Gospel?\n\nPeter:--I am coming to that. I told you those spirits were shut up in\nprison for thousands of years. Now, I do not ask you to accept of my\ntestimony alone concerning this matter. I am going to read to you what\nIsaiah the Prophet has written concerning the Lord's prison-house and\nits inmates. Here are his words: \"And they shall be gathered together,\nas prisoners are gathered in the pit, and shall be shut up in the\nprison, and after many days shall they be visited.\" (Isaiah 24: 22.)\nNow, let us stop for a moment and analyze this Scripture. There is a\ndepth of meaning in it, I assure you. Writing was not done with such\nease in Isaiah's time as it is today. The prophet did not pen the words\nwhich I have read just for pastime--they were written for our profit\nand learning. He pointed out most clearly the fate of those who would\nnot hearken to the voice of the Lord or of His servants, but spent the\ndays of their probation in gratifying their carnal appetites. They\nwere to be gathered together as prisoners, and shut up in a prison,\nwhere they were to be {393} confined for many days. But they were not\nto be left without hope. The promise was made that when they had paid\nthe penalty for their misdeeds they would be visited. This, according\nto the words of the prophet was part of Christ's missionary work: He\nwas to preach redemption not only to the living, but to the dead as\nwell; He was to visit the prisoners in the prison-house and preach\ndeliverance to them. I quote again from his writings: \"I the Lord\nhave called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will\nkeep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of\nthe Gentiles; to open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from\nthe prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison-house.\"\n(Isaiah 42: 6, 7.) Now, I desire to remind you that Christ confirmed\nthis prophecy of Isaiah. He told the people that it referred to Him,\nand that it would be fulfilled in Him. Standing up in the synagogue in\nNazareth one Sabbath day He quoted Isaiah's prophecy, as follows: \"The\nSpirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach\nthe Gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the broken-hearted,\nto preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to\nthe blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the\nacceptable year of the Lord.\" (Luke 4: 18, 19.) So, you see that part\nof Christ's work was to preach deliverance to the captives, and open\nthe prison to those who were bound.\n\nThe World:--When did the Messiah perform that work?\n\nPeter:--During the three days that His body lay in the tomb.\n\nThe World:--Was His Spirit not with His Father during that time?\n\nPeter:--According to Christ's own testimony it was not. When the Lord\nappeared to Mary, after His resurrection, He told her to touch Him\nnot, for He had not yet ascended to His Father. (John 20: 17.) In two\nepistles which I wrote to the Saints in early days I made special\nreference to Christ's visit to the spirits in prison. This is what I\nsaid: \"For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the\nunjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh,\nbut quickened by the Spirit: by which also he went and preached unto\nthe spirits in prison; which sometime were disobedient, when once the\nlongsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a\npreparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.\" (I\nPeter 3: 18-20.) \"For for this cause was the Gospel preached also to\nthem that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the\nflesh, {394} but live according to God in the spirit.\" (I Peter 4: 6.)\nWhile this doctrine may be strange to you, it was quite well understood\nby the Saints in former days.\n\nThe World:--We thank you, Peter, for your testimony.\n\nLatter-day Saints:--Before calling another witness we will quote to you\nthe comments of Professor A. Hinderkoper, a German writer, and Bishop\nAlford, on the words of Peter. The former says: \"In the second and\nthird centuries every branch and division of the Christian Church, so\nfar as their records enable us to judge, believed that Christ preached\nto the departed spirits.\" (Haley's Discrepancies of the Bible.) Bishop\nAlford says: \"I understand these words (I Peter 3: 19) to say that our\nLord in his disembodied state, did go to the place of detention of\ndeparted spirits, and did there announce His work of redemption; preach\nsalvation in fact, to the disembodied spirits of those who refused to\nobey the voice of God when the judgment of the flood was hanging over\nthem.\" We now respectfully ask you to listen to what the Apostle Paul\nhas to say on this matter.\n\nPAUL'S EVIDENCE.\n\nThe World:--Paul, do you believe that the Gospel is preached to men\nafter they depart this life?\n\nPaul:--I do. I corroborate all that the Apostle Peter has said\nconcerning salvation for the dead. This doctrine was well understood by\nthe people in our day. Jesus, you remember, told Nicodemus that except\na man were born of water and of the Spirit, he could not enter the\nKingdom of God. Now, in those days the people asked the same question\nthat many people ask today, \"If baptism is essential to salvation, what\nis to become of those who have died without having been baptized?\"\nHad the Lord failed to make provision for such people, it would have\nrevealed an imperfection in the plan of salvation, which is not the\ncase, for \"the law of the Lord is perfect.\" Peter has told you that the\nGospel was preached to the dead; I taught the people the doctrine of\nbaptism for the dead. Here is what I wrote to the Corinthians: \"Else\nwhat shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise\nnot at all? why are they then baptized for the dead?\" (I Cor. 15: 20.)\nThe Saints in former times believed in and performed a vicarious work\nfor the dead--they were baptized for their dead. But after the death of\nthe Apostles men transgressed the laws and changed the ordinances of\nthe Gospel, in consequence of which darkness covers the earth and gross\ndarkness the minds of the people.\n\n{395} The World:--You are excused, Paul.\n\nLatter-day Saints (to the World):--We desire to call your attention\nto a prophecy which was made by Malachi. He prophesied as follows:\n\"Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the\ngreat and dreadful day of the Lord: and he shall turn the heart of\nthe fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their\nfathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.\" (Mal. 4: 5,\n6.) Now, we testify to you, in all soberness, that this prophecy has\nbeen literally fulfilled. On the 3rd day of April, 1836, the Prophet\nElijah appeared to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery in the Kirtland\nTemple. Addressing them he said: \"Behold, the time has fully come,\nwhich was spoken of by the mouth of Malachi; testifying that I should\nbe sent before the great and dreadful day of the Lord come, to turn\nthe hearts of the fathers to the children, and the children to the\nfathers, lest the whole earth be smitten with a curse. Therefore the\nkeys of this dispensation are committed into your hands, and by this\nye may know that the great and dreadful day of the Lord is near, even\nat the doors.\" We have built a number of temples, in which baptism and\nother ordinances have been performed in behalf of millions of our dead\nrelatives and friends. This is also in fulfillment of the prophecy of\nMicah, who said: \"But in the last days it shall come to pass, that\nthe mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established in the top\nof the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people\nshall flow unto it. And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and\nlet us go up the mountain of the Lord, and to the house of the God\nof Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his\npaths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the Lord\nfrom Jerusalem.\" (Micah 4: 1, 2.) The work for the dead is still in\nprogress. The hearts of the fathers are being turned to the children,\nand the hearts of the children to the fathers. Blessed are all those\nwho engage in this glorious work, for great shall be their joy when\nthey meet their loved ones who have passed beyond the veil, and for\nwhom they stood as saviors upon Mount Zion.\n\nVIII.--DIVINE AUTHORITY.\n\nThe World (to the Latter-day Saints):--Do you claim to have received\nauthority from the Lord to preach the Gospel and administer in the\nordinances thereof?\n\nLatter-day Saints:--We do. The Lord has in these last days restored,\nthrough the ministering of angels, both the {396} Aaronic and\nMelchisedek Priesthood, empowering His servants to preach the Gospel,\nbaptize repentant believers for the remission of their sins, confirm\nthem members in His Church, and by prayer and the imposition of hands\ncall down upon them the Holy Ghost.\n\nThe World:--Must a man be called of God and divinely appointed before\nhe can preach acceptably the Gospel of Jesus Christ and administer its\nordinances?\n\nLatter-day Saints:--He must, as the Apostle Paul and others will\ntestify.\n\n#TESTIMONY OF PAUL. # The World:--Paul, do you consider it\nabsolutely necessary in order for a man to preach the Gospel and\nadminister in its ordinances, for him to be called of God and ordained\nby those holding Divine authority?\n\nPaul:--I do. In every dispensation of the world the Lord has chosen\ncertain men to represent Him among the people. These He called, either\nby His own voice or by the voice of His servants whom He had previously\nchosen.\n\nThe World:--Can you cite us a few examples of the calling of men to the\nministry?\n\nPaul:--I can. The Lord called Noah to be a preacher of righteousness to\nthe people of his generation; and when they would not hearken to the\ntestimony of His authorized servant, the Lord destroyed them from the\nearth. Abraham, Isaac and Jacob were called in like manner for the work\nwhich the Lord had appointed them.\n\nThe World:--How were they called?\n\nPaul:--They were called by direct revelation from heaven, the Lord\nspeaking to them by His own voice. To Abraham He said: \"Get thee out\nof thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house,\nunto a land that I will show thee: and I will make of thee a great\nnation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great and thou shalt\nbe a blessing; * * * and in thee shall all families of the earth be\nblessed.\" (Gen. 12: 1-3.) Isaac and Jacob were called in a similar\nmanner. (Gen. 28: 2-5; 28: 10-15.)\n\nThe World:--Would it be improper for a man to preach the Gospel and\nadminister its ordinances without his having been divinely commissioned\nto do so?\n\nPaul:--It would, indeed. No man has a right to take such honor unto\nhimself except he be called of God, as was Aaron. Permit me to read a\ncouple of extracts from my epistles to the Romans and to the Hebrews.\nThis is what I said:\n\n{397} \"How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed?\nand how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how\nshall they hear without a preacher? and how shall they preach except\nthey be sent?\" (Rom. 10: 14, 15.) \"And no man taketh this honor unto\nhimself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron.\" (Heb. 5: 4.)\n\nThe World:--How was Aaron called to the ministry?\n\nPaul:--He was called of the Lord through the Prophet Moses. As you well\nknow, the Lord spoke to Moses out of the burning bush, commissioning\nhim to go on a mission to Egypt and deliver the children of Israel.\nMoses reminded the Lord that he had an impediment in his speech, when\nthe Lord said to him: \"Is not Aaron the Levite thy brother? I know that\nhe can speak well. And also, behold, he cometh forth to meet thee; and\nwhen he seeth thee he will be glad in his heart. And thou shalt speak\nunto him and put words in his mouth: and I will be with thy mouth, and\nwith his mouth, and will teach you what you shall do.\" (Exodus 4: 14,\n15.) \"And the Lord said to Aaron, Go into the wilderness to meet Moses.\nAnd he went, and met him in the mount of God, and kissed him. And Moses\ntold Aaron all the words of the Lord who had sent him, and all the\nsigns which he had commanded him.\" (Exodus 4: 27, 28.)\n\nThe World:--When men are called of the Lord, through His inspired\nservants, to minister unto the people, is it necessary for them to be\nordained and set apart for their respective duties by the laying on of\nthe hands of the Lord's servants?\n\nPaul:--It is. Such has been the practice in every Gospel dispensation.\nJoshua, the son of Nun, was set apart, as directed of the Lord, through\nthe imposition of hands by Moses. Let me read to you what Moses has\nwritten on this matter: \"And the Lord said unto Moses, take thee\nJoshua, the son of Nun, a man in whom is the Spirit, and lay thine\nhands upon him; and set him before Eleazar the priest, and before\nall the congregation; and give him a charge in their sight. And thou\nshalt put some of thine honor upon him, that all the congregation of\nthe children of Israel may be obedient. * * * And Moses did as the\nLord commanded him: and he took Joshua, and set him before Eleazar\nthe priest, and before all the congregation: and he laid his hands\nupon him, and gave him a charge, as the Lord commanded by the hand of\nMoses.\" (Num. 27: 18-20, 22, 23.)\n\nThe World:--Paul, in what way were you called to the ministry, and by\nwhom were you ordained?\n\nPaul:--I was called by the Holy Ghost, and was ordained {398} under\nthe hands of Simeon, Lucius and Manaen. You will find a record of my\ncall and ordination in the 13th chapter of the Acts of the Apostles,\nas follows: \"Now there were in the church that was at Antioch certain\nprophets and teachers: as Barnabas, and Simeon that was called Niger,\nand Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen, which had been brought up with Herod\nthe tetrarch, and Saul. As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the\nHoly Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I\nhave called them. And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their\nhands on them, they sent them away.\" (Acts 13: 1-3.)\n\nThe World:--We have no further questions to ask you, Paul.\n\nLatter-day Saints:--We now respectfully ask you to hear what the\nApostle Peter has to say on this very important subject.\n\nPETER'S TESTIMONY.\n\nThe World:--Were you called of the Lord and ordained to take part in\nHis ministry?\n\nPeter:--I was. You will find an account of my call and ordination, as\nwell as that of the other eleven apostles, in the third chapter of\nMark's Gospel. It is as follows: \"And he goeth up into a mountain, and\ncalleth unto him whom He would: and they came unto him. And he ordained\ntwelve, that they should be with him, and that he might send them forth\nto preach.\" (Mark 3: 13, 14.) \"Ye have not chosen me,\" said Jesus, \"but\nI have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth\nfruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever you shall ask\nof the Father in my name, he may give it you.\" (John 15: 16.)\n\nThe World:--Must a man be called of God and ordained by Divine\nauthority before he can hold an office in the Church of Christ?\n\nPeter:--He must. The death of Judas left a vacancy in the quorum of\nApostles. In choosing his successor we appealed to the Lord to manifest\nto us His mind and will in the selection of a man to fill the vacancy.\nThere were two men. Barnabas and Matthias, whom we considered equally\nworthy of the honor. We presented these two men before the Lord in\nprayer and said, \"Thou, Lord, which knowest the hearts of all men, show\nwhich of these two thou hast chosen, that he may take part of this\nministry and apostleship, from which Judas by transgression fell, that\nhe might go to his own place.\" (Acts 1: 24, 25.) It was revealed to\nus that Matthias was {399} the Lord's choice, and he was appointed by\nunanimous vote.\n\nThe World:--Are we to understand from what you have said that it was\nthe desire of the Lord that Apostles and Prophets and all the other\nofficers should continue in the Church?\n\nPeter:--Such, indeed, was the desire of the Lord. If it had not been,\nHe would not have appointed a successor to Judas.\n\nThe World:--Our ministers have told us that Apostles and Prophets are\nnot necessary in these days; that they were placed in the Church to\nestablish Christianity, and that when Christianity was established they\nwere no longer needed.\n\nPeter:--There is nothing in the Scriptures to warrant such an\nassertion. On the contrary, it is most positively stated that the Lord\nput these officers in the Church \"for the perfecting of the saints, for\nthe work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.\" And\nthey were to remain in the church \"till we all come in the unity of the\nfaith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto\nthe measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ; that we henceforth\nbe no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every\nwind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness,\nwhereby they lie in wait to deceive.\" (Eph. 4: 12-14.)\n\nThe World:--How was the primitive Christian Church organized?\n\nPeter:--It was \"built upon the foundation of apostles and prophets,\nJesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone.\" (Eph. 2: 20.) The\nLord placed in the Church Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors,\nTeachers, etc. (Eph. 4: 11.)\n\nThe World:--The churches of the world are not organized after that\npattern?\n\nPeter:--They are not. They were not established by Christ. Had Christ\nestablished them, He would have put in them the same officers that\nHe put in the early Christian Church. The Churches of the world were\nestablished by men. They are named after men. There is Saint Paul's\nChurch, Saint Peter's Church, Saint Mark's Church, Saint Luke's Church,\nSaint John's Church, etc.\n\nThe World:--There seems, therefore, to have been an apostasy from the\nprimitive Christian Church?\n\nPeter:--There has. The Scriptures are replete with prophecies\nconcerning the great apostasy which was to take place after the death\nof the apostles. Permit me to call your attention to a few of them.\nHave you a Bible at hand?\n\n{400} The World:--We have.\n\nPeter:--Turn to the fourth chapter of Paul's second epistle to Timothy\nand read what he prophesied concerning the apostasy that was to take\nplace.\n\nThe World:--Paul prophesied as follows: \"For the time will come when\nthey will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall\nthey heap unto themselves teachers, having itching ears; and they shall\nturn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.\"\n(II Tim. 4: 3,4.)\n\nPeter:--Now turn to the 29th chapter of Isaiah and read what the\nprophet said concerning the state of the world in the last days.\n\nThe World:--Isaiah prophesied as follows: \"Stay yourselves, and wonder;\ncry ye out, and cry: they are drunken, but not with wine; they stagger,\nbut not with strong drink. For the Lord hath poured out upon you the\nspirit of deep sleep, and hath closed your eyes: the prophets and your\nrulers, the seers hath he covered. Wherefore the Lord said, forasmuch\nas this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do\nhonor me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear\ntoward me is taught by the precept of men; therefore, behold, I will\nproceed to do a marvelous work among this people, even a marvelous work\nand a wonder: for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the\nunderstanding of their prudent men shall be hid.\" (Isaiah 29: 9, 10,\n13, 14.)\n\nPeter:--How perfectly did Paul describe the condition of the world at\nthe present time! Instead of having inspired Apostles and Prophets to\nreveal to them the mind and will of the Lord, and to teach to them the\ntrue plan of salvation, the people have heaped to themselves teachers,\nhaving itching ears, and they have turned their ears away from the\ntruth and turned them unto fables. When you think of the multitude of\njarring and contending sects that are in the world today, you can see\nhow literally the prophecies of Paul and Isaiah have been fulfilled.\n\nThe World:--Were Paul and Isaiah the only ones who prophesied\nconcerning an apostasy?\n\nPeter:--They were not. There were many others who uttered similar\npredictions. But I ask you to read what Isaiah further said concerning\nthe apostasy; you will find it in the twenty-fourth chapter of his book.\n\nThe World:--Isaiah says: \"The earth also is defiled under the\ninhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed {401} the laws,\nchanged the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant. Therefore hath\nthe curse devoured the earth, and they that dwell therein are desolate;\ntherefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men left.\"\n(Isaiah 24: 5, 6).\n\nPeter:--Notice the similarity in these prophecies: Isaiah prophesied\nthat the day would come when the people would transgress the laws,\nchange the ordinance, and break the everlasting covenant. Paul declared\nthat the time would come when they would not endure sound doctrine,\nbut would heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears, who would\nturn their ears away from the truth and turn them unto fables. On\nanother occasion Paul prophesied as follows: \"For I know this, that\nafter my departure shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not\nsparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking\nperverse things, to draw away disciples after them.\" (Acts 20: 29, 30.)\nPaul lived to see the beginning of the terrible apostasy of which he\nspoke. \"I marvel,\" said he, writing to the Galatians, \"that ye are so\nsoon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto\nanother gospel: which is not another; but there be some that trouble\nyou, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.\" (Gal. 1: 6, 7.) I myself\nprophesied concerning the apostasy. Here is what I said: \"But there\nwere false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false\nteachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even\ndenying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift\ndestruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of\nwhom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. And through covetousness\nshall they with feigned words make merchandise of you.\" (II Peter 2:\n1-3.)\n\nThe World:--The prophets and apostles truly foretold an apostasy, and\nthe divided state of Christendom--the hundreds of different sects and\ndenominations, the numerous, conflicting theories which are being\nadvocated by men for the Gospel of Jesus Christ--bear incontrovertible\ntestimony that such an apostasy has taken place. Must this condition\ncontinue, or will there be a restitution?\n\nPeter:--There will be a restitution of all things spoken of by the\nmouth of the holy prophets.\n\nThe World:--Do you think the Lord will ever send us Apostles and\nProphets to teach us the true Gospel of Christ as it was taught by Him\nand His inspired servants in ancient days?\n\nPeter:--He will, for so He has declared. Here is the {402} Apostle\nJohn; I pray you, hear what he has to say concerning the restoration of\nthe Gospel in the latter days.\n\nJOHN'S TESTIMONY.\n\nThe World:--John, do you think we will ever be favored with new\nrevelation from God?\n\nJohn:--Have you forgotten what Joel prophesied concerning the last\ndays? He said: \"And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour\nout my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall\nprophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see\nvisions.\" (Joel 2: 28.)\n\nThe World:--Then, we may look for Prophets to be sent of God.\n\nJohn:--Yes, and angels also will come down from heaven to restore that\nwhich was lost. You have heard already of the great apostasy that was\nto take place; you have seen how the principles and ordinances of the\nGospel have been perverted; you see the Christian world a Babel of\nConfusion. The Lord knew that all these things would take place, and He\ndecreed that in the last days He would set His hand again to recover\nHis people from their lost and fallen state. He revealed to me that\nbefore His judgments were poured out upon the inhabitants of the earth\nHe would send an angel with the everlasting Gospel, to be preached to\nevery nation under heaven. Read, I pray you, what I said concerning\nthis matter in the fourteenth chapter of my book.\n\nThe World:--You wrote as follows: \"And I saw another angel fly in the\nmidst of heaven, having the everlasting Gospel to preach unto them that\ndwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and\npeople, saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for\nthe hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven and\nearth, and the sea, and the fountains of water. (Rev. 14: 6, 7.)\n\nJohn:--Now, I advise you to look for the fulfillment of the things\nwhich the Lord has spoken by the mouth of His holy prophets.\n\nThe World:--Thank you, John; you are excused.\n\nLatter-day Saints:--Now, we testify to you in words of soberness that\nthe angel which John predicted would come to the earth in the last days\nwith the everlasting Gospel, has come to the Prophet Joseph Smith. The\nLord also sent heavenly messengers to him and others, who conferred\nupon them Divine {403} authority, and instructed them concerning the\nrestoration of the true Church of Christ on the earth for the last\ntime, preparatory to the coming of the Son of Man. That Church has been\norganized after the primitive pattern. In it are inspired Apostles\nand Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors and Teachers. It teaches the very\nsame Gospel that was taught by Christ and His Apostles; its members\nenjoy the same gifts and blessings that were enjoyed by the former-day\nsaints: they have the gift of prophecy, revelations, visions, healings,\ntongues, interpretation of tongues, etc. And, if you desire to know the\ntruth of these things, we advise you to follow the exhortation of the\nApostle James, when he said, \"If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of\nGod, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall\nbe given him.\" (James 1: 5.)\n\n    \"_Our enemies have kicked us, and cuffed us, and driven us from\n    pillar to post, and we have multiplied and increased the more,\n    until we have become what we are this day_.\"\n\n    --_Brigham Young_.\n\n    \"_It is not our business to fight our enemies. There is no man or\n    woman on the face of the earth, but is our brother or our sister.\n    They are the children of God and we are here to bear and forbear\n    with them in their interest and for the glory of God_.\"\n\n    --_Lorenzo Snow_.\n\n{404}\n\n\n\nA CONGRESSMAN'S OPINION OF THE PROPHET.\n\n(_From the Historical Record_.)\n\nIn the winter of 1840, the Prophet Joseph Smith went to Washington,\nD. C, to petition the president of the United States and Congress to\nredress the grievances of the Saints against the people of Missouri.\nWhile at the nation's capital he had several opportunities of speaking\nin public. On the evening of February 5, 1840, he addressed a large\naudience. Mr. M. L. Davis, a member of Congress, was present. In a\nletter written to his wife the day after, he gives the following\nopinion of the Prophet:\n\n    I went last evening to hear \"Joe Smith,\" the celebrated Mormon,\n    expound his doctrine. I, with several others, had a desire to\n    understand his tenets as explained by himself.\n\n    He is not an educated man; but he is a plain, sensible,\n    strong-minded man. Everything he says is said in a manner to\n    leave an impression that he is sincere. There is no levity, no\n    fanaticism, no want of dignity in his deportment. He is apparently\n    from forty to forty-five years of age, rather above the middle\n    stature, and what you ladies would call a very good looking man.\n    In his garb there are no peculiarities; his dress being that of a\n    plain, unpretending citizen. He is by profession a farmer, but is\n    evidently well read. * * *\n\n    During the whole of his address, which occupied more than two\n    hours, there was no opinion or belief that he expressed, that\n    was calculated, in the slightest degree, to impair the morals\n    of society, or in any manner to degrade and brutalize the human\n    species. There was much in his precepts, if they were followed,\n    that would soften the asperities of man toward man, and that\n    would tend to make him a more rational being than he is generally\n    found to be. There was no violence, no fury, no denunciation.\n    His religion appears to be a religion of meekness, lowliness and\n    mild persuasion. * * * Throughout his whole address he displayed\n    strongly a spirit of charity and forbearance. The Mormon Bible,\n    he said, was communicated to him direct from heaven. If there was\n    such a thing on earth as the author of it, then he (Smith) was the\n    author; but the idea that he wished to impress was that he had\n    penned it as dictated by God. * * *\n\n    I have changed my opinion of the Mormons. They are an injured and\n    much abused people.\n\n{405}\n\n\n\nAN ANNOUNCEMENT CONCERNING THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY\nSAINTS.\n\nBY HEBER J. GRANT, TOKYO, JAPAN.\n\n    Prove all things; hold fast to that which is good.\n\n    1 Thess. 5: 21.\n\n    If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all\n    men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.\n\n    But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is\n    like a wave of the sea, driven with the wind and tossed.\n\n    James 1: 5, 6.\n\nWe, as duly authorized representatives of the Church of Jesus Christ of\nLatter-day Saints, have been sent to Japan for the purpose of teaching\nthe plan of life and salvation, as it has again been revealed from\nheaven by the true and living God to the Prophet Joseph Smith.\n\nWe earnestly entreat the people of this nation to fully investigate the\nmessage which we have come to deliver.\n\nWe testify that there is a God in heaven who is in very deed the Father\nof the spirits of all men. He is the Creator of heaven and earth, and\nall that in them is. He existed before the world was created; exists\ntoday and will exist forever. He is the same yesterday, today and\nforever. He is all powerful and to His wisdom there is no limit. He is\nno respecter of persons; is full of mercy, love and compassion, and is\nforgiving to all those who will repent of sin and seek Him and serve\nHim with full purpose of heart.\n\nAll men are well aware that compliance with the laws of a nation is\nabsolutely necessary in order to become a citizen thereof, and the\nsame applies with equal force to those who wish to become citizens of\nthe kingdom of God. A knowledge of and compliance with God's laws is\na matter of the most {406} vital consequence to all men. These laws\nare contained in the divinely inspired books known as the Bible and\nBook of Mormon. We feel assured that all who will earnestly and fully\ninvestigate will come to a knowledge of the divine authenticity of\nthese records.\n\nFor many hundreds of years after the creation of the earth God appeared\nin person, from time to time, and talked with His children and gave\ninstructions as to what was necessary for them to do in order to be\nworthy, when this life was ended, to come back and dwell forever in\nHis presence. A little over nineteen hundred years ago He sent His\nSon Jesus Christ to the earth to teach mankind the plan of life and\nsalvation. Jesus is the Savior of the world, and faith on His name and\nobedience to His commandments will take us back into the presence of\nGod where we shall dwell forever.\n\nJesus Christ called upon all men to repent, to live lives of\nrighteousness and to be baptized in water for the remission of their\nsins, and made them the promise that if they would do this and keep His\ncommandments they should know whether the doctrines He proclaimed were\nof God or man.\n\nIn the spring of 1820, God and His Son Jesus Christ visited the earth\nand talked with Joseph Smith. They afterwards sent heavenly messengers\nwho gave him the necessary instructions and authority to establish on\nthe earth the true Church of Christ. Some immediately accepted the\ndoctrines which this prophet taught, but the majority misrepresented\nhis teachings and persecuted him. False charges were preferred against\nhim, and he was imprisoned many times, but upon trial was declared\ninnocent of every charge. He lived a life of virtue and uprightness,\nmaintaining, in the face of the most bitter opposition, his testimony\nas to the truths revealed to him from heaven. Finally, while he was\nin Carthage jail, Illinois, U. S., under the pledged protection of\nthe state, awaiting a trial, to which he had voluntarily surrendered\nhimself, the jail was attacked and he was murdered by a mob of wicked\nmen. Thus did Joseph Smith, the Prophet of the nineteenth century, seal\nhis testimony with his life's blood.\n\nDr. David Nelson in his book, \"The Cause and Cure of Infidelity,\" says:\n\"A true prophet is not applauded by a majority of the wicked or by\nthe mass of the depraved. He is generally disliked by those furthest\nfrom God, and spoken evil of by those who sink deepest in sin. He is\noften not only reviled, but put to death if the laws permit; but the\nfalse prophet is neither stoned nor sawn asunder. He is often extolled\ngreatly by the most dissolute, and is at least tolerated or praised\n{407} to some extent by the leaders in depravity or the officers of\nsin.\"\n\nMany people have spoken ill of the Latter-day Saints, or as we are\ncommonly called \"Mormons.\" We ask to be judged not by the false\nstatements of our enemies, but by the infallible standard, \"By their\nfruits ye shall know them.\" Wisdom dictates that no cause should be\njudged without a hearing, and least of all when only one side has been\nheard, and that the side of its enemies. The history of the Latter-day\nSaints is before the world and speaks for itself.\n\nIn a tract entitled \"My reasons for leaving the Church of England and\njoining the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,\" the writer\nsays: \"No one who will read the whole history of the Latter-day Saints\nwith a truly honest and unprejudiced heart, and look upon the blessings\nof prosperity which they at present enjoy, can for a moment doubt that\nthey are members of a church which is under the direct guidance of God\nthrough new revelation.\n\n\"I am quite sure that any one who will read with a fair, and\nunprejudiced mind the teachings of Joseph Smith, can not but conclude\nthat he must have been inspired, especially when they consider the fact\nthat all the great and marvelous work which he performed before his\nmartyrdom was accomplished while he was still a young man, and that he\nhad never enjoyed the privileges of education and experience.\"\n\nWe call attention to the last of the accompanying Articles of our\nFaith, that \"if there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report,\nor praiseworthy, we seek after these things,\" and advise all men to do\nlikewise.\n\nIn conclusion, in all solemnity and humility, we bear testimony\nthat God lives, that Jesus Christ is His Son and the Savior of the\nworld; that Joseph Smith was the prophet of the true and living God,\ncommissioned to restore again the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the\ninhabitants of the earth. We once more entreat all men to investigate\nour message, and promise, as did our Savior, that all who will repent\nof sin and obey the Gospel shall receive a knowledge from God of the\ndivinity of the doctrines which we proclaim.\n\n{408}\n\n\n\nCORNER STONES OF REORGANIZATION.\n\nA FEW FACTS CONCERNING ITS FOUNDERS COMPILED FROM EARLY CHURCH HISTORY.\n\n    _When men come as servants of God, claiming a divine commission to\n    reorganize the Church of Christ, the searchlight of investigation\n    should be turned upon them. If they bear it there is evidence that\n    they have been sent of God. But if inconsistencies hedge their\n    entire course of life it is well for an inquirer after truth to\n    examine their AUTHORITY_.\n\n    _William Marks, Zenos H. Gurley, William W. Blair and Samuel Powers\n    ordained the Son of the Prophet to succeed his father as President\n    of the Church. William W. Blair and Samuel Powers were never\n    members of the original Church. We, therefore, pass them by, and\n    proceed to bring out a few facts from early Church history relative\n    to Marks, Gurley and Briggs, the two latter being the founders of\n    the \"Reorganization_.\"\n\nHISTORY OF WILLIAM MARKS.\n\n_WILLIAM MARKS was President of the Nauvoo Stake at the time of the\nmartyrdom of the Prophet Joseph, June 27, 1844_.\n\nSOMETHING FROM THE PROPHET'S JOURNAL.\n\n\"Whatever can be the matter with these men (Law and Marks)? Is it that\nthe wicked flee when no man pursueth? that hit pigeons always flutter?\nthat drowning men catch at straws? or that Presidents Law and Marks\nare absolutely traitors to the Church, that mv remarks should produce\nsuch excitement in their minds? The people in the town are astonished,\nalmost every man saying to his neighbor: Is it possible that Brother\nLaw or Brother Marks is a traitor and would deliver Brother Joseph into\nthe hands of his enemies in Missouri? {409} If not, what can be the\nmeaning of all this? The righteous are as bold as a lion.\"\n\nMARKS DROPPED FROM HIS POSITION AS PRESIDENT OF NAUVOO STAKE.\n_WILLIAM MARKS was dropped from his position as President of the Nauvoo\nStake at a conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day\nSaints, held October 7, 1844. (T. & S., Vol. 5, 692.) The whole Church\nvoted NOT to sustain him, excepting two votes. This action was taken\nbecause he supported the claims of Sidney Rigdon as guardian of the\nChurch_.\n\n_On December 9th, 1844--Nauvoo, Illinois, he acknowledged his error in\nthe following_:\n\nNOTICE.\n\n\"After mature and candid deliberation, I am fully and satisfactorily\nconvinced that Mr. Sidney Rigdon's claims to the Presidency of the\nChurch of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints are not founded in truth.\nI have been deceived by his specious pretenses and now feel to warn\nevery one over whom I may have any influence to beware of him, and his\npretended visions and revelations. THE TWELVE ARE THE PROPER PERSONS TO\nLEAD THE CHURCH.\" (T. & S., Vol. 5, 742.)\n\n\"Signed William Marks.\"\n\n_After making this acknowledgment he was received back into fellowship,\nbut did not again obtain his former position. He became dissatisfied,\nwithdrew from the Church and was excommunicated_.\n\nJOINS THE STRANGITE ORGANIZATION AND PLAYS A LEADING PART.\n\n_Copied from the \"Voree Record,\" official record of Strangle Church_.\n\n_Conference April 6, 1846_.\n\n\"On motion of WILLIAM MARKS, High Priest and President of the Stake at\nNauvoo, James J. Strang unanimously called to the Chair as President of\nthe Conference.\"\n\n\"On motion of Elder WILLIAM MARKS it was unanimously resolved that this\nChurch receive, acknowledge, and uphold JAMES J. STRANG as President of\nthis Church, {410} Prophet, Seer, Revelator, and Translator with our\nfaith and prayers.\"\n\n\"On motion of Elder WILLIAM MARKS it was unanimously resolved that we\nsustain and uphold Aaron Smith as Counselor to First President by our\nfaith and prayers.\"\n\n\"On motion of Elder WILLIAM MARKS, amended on motion of Elder John\nE. Page, it was resolved that the case of Elder Rigdon be laid over\nuntil the October conference for final action and in the meantime a\ndelegation be sent to visit Elder Rigdon personally on the matter by\nappointment and under instructions of the First Presidency.\"\n\n\"President James J. Strang proposed the appointment of WILLIAM MARKS,\nPresident pro tempore of the High Priest's quorum, which, being put\nseparately to the High Priests and the Conference at large, and\nunanimously approved, he was thereupon appointed.\"\n\nMARKS APPOINTED BISHOP OF STRANGITE CHURCH.\n\n\"_Voree Record\"--Conference April 8th, 1846_.\n\n\"The First Presidency presented WILLIAM MARKS for the office of\nBISHOP of the Church, and on motion of Apostle John E. Page, resolved\nunanimously (that he) be sustained.\"\n\nMARKS APPOINTED AN APOSTLE, COUNSELOR AND PROPHET.\n\n\"_Voree Record\"--Conference August 26th, 1849_.\n\n\"Brother WILLIAM MARKS was then ordained, consecrated and set apart as\nAPOSTLE of the Lord, Jesus Christ, a Counselor to the Prophet, one of\nthe First Presidency, and a PROPHET of the Most High God, under the\nhands of President STRANG and Adams.\"\n\nWILLIAM MARKS ORDAINED TO ADMINISTER BAPTISMS FOR DEAD.\n\n\"Voree Record\"--Conference of August 26th, 1849.\n\n\"Brother WILLIAM MARKS was anointed, ORDAINED and set apart to\nadminister baptisms for the Dead, under the hands of Presidents STRANG\nand Adams. * * * The choir sang a hymn, after which eucharist was\nadministered. The Conference then adjourned twenty minutes, to meet\nat the water's edge for the purpose of attending to baptisms, both\nfor the living and the DEAD. Conference {411} assembled pursuant to\nadjournment. Eight were initiated into the Church by being baptized for\na remission of their sins. After which large numbers were baptized for\ntheir deceased relatives. Adjourned.\"\n\nREVELATION OF JAMES J. STRANG GIVEN JANUARY 7TH, 1849. \"Hearken,\nO ye Saints, give ear, for the time to favor Zion is at hand, and the\ntime of her redemption draweth near. Draw near unto me and learn, for\nthe ways of men are foolishness before me. Behold ye shall be one,\nand if ye are not one, ye are none of mine. And ye shall all speak\nthe same thing. Ye are cursed; ye are confounded because ye have many\ntongues like unto mystery Babylon; and many are running to and fro,\nspeaking in their own wisdom, which is folly before me. * * * Behold my\nservant, WILLIAM MARKS, has gone far ASTRAY in departing from me, yet\nI will give unto him a little space, that he may return and receive my\nword, and stand in his place; for I remembered his works that he has\ndone in the time that is past. If he will return and abide faithful, I\nwill make him great, and his possessions shall be great, and he shall\npossess a city, and his children shall dwell therein; a nation shall\ncall him blessed. * * *\"\n\nHE REPENTS.\n\n\"_Voree Record\"--Conference of August 25th, 1849_.\n\n\"President MARKS arose and said he felt that he ought to make a\nconfession to the Saints for NOT acting in his calling and also to ask\ntheir forgiveness. Gave a brief history of the course he had pursued\nafter the martyrdom of the Prophet Joseph, testified that he had ever\nhad the fullest confidence in the work of the last days, and knew it\nwas of God, and was now determined by the help of God to go forth in\nthe discharge of HIS DUTY and act in the place in which he was called\nby revelation of God through his servant JAMES.\n\n\"President Geo. J. Adams remarked: He rejoiced with joy unspeakable to\nsee an old Saint coming back willing to do his duty, spoke very highly\nof the former faithfulness of Brother Marks in the cause of God, how\nhe had kept himself uncontaminated in the midst of the lustful and\nungodly, and concluded by offering the following resolution, which was\nsustained unanimously: Resolved, that we will forgive Brother Marks and\nsustain him in his calling by our faith, confidence, and prayers.\"\n\n{412}\n\nLEAVES STRANG AND JOINS THOMPSON'S ORGANIZATION--HIS OWN STATEMENT.\n\n\"Epistle of WILLIAM MARKS, chief evangelical teacher of the school\nof faith to all the traveling teachers' quorums and classes of said\nschool, and Jehovah's presbytery of Zion, Greeting:\n\n\"Beloved Brethren:--Having been chosen and ordained chief evangelical\nteacher of the school of faith in Jehovah's presbytery of Zion, it\nbecomes my duty to say something by way of encouragement and also\nby way of instruction to those who are placed under my care and\nsupervision; and first by way of encouragement, let me state what I\nknow in reference to the work in which we are engaged. In order to\ndo this, I must of necessity refer to my experience in the Church. I\nwas a member of the Church some ten years before the death of Joseph\nand Hyrum Smith. I was appointed President of the Stake in Kirtland,\nOhio, in 1837, and continued in that office at Kirtland until the fall\nof 1838, when I was called by revelation to Farr West, Missouri, but\nbefore I arrived there the Saints were ordered to leave the state,\nand when the Stake was organized at Nauvoo, in the fall of 1839, I\nwas appointed President thereof, and continued in that office up to\nthe death of Joseph the Prophet. I always believed the work was of\ndivine origin, and that Joseph Smith was called of God to establish\nthe Church among the Gentiles. During my administration in the Church\nI saw and heard many things that was practiced and taught that I DID\nNOT BELIEVED BE OF GOD, but I continued to do and teach such principles\nas were plainly revealed as the law of the Church, for I thought that\npure and holy principles only would have a tendency to benefit mankind,\ntherefore, when the doctrine of polygamy was introduced into the Church\nas a principle of exaltation I took a decided stand against it, which\nstand rendered me quite unpopular with many of the leading ones of the\nChurch.\" (Harbinger and Organ, Vol. 3, Pages 52-3-4, Year 1853.)\n\nAGAIN IN 1853 MARKS WRITES TO THOMPSON.\n\n\"Shabbona Grove, DeKalk County, Feb. 17th, 1853.\n\n\"Brother C. B. Thompson,\n\n\"Dear Sir:--I have some good news to communicate * * * I organized a\nquorum at Batavia. James Blakeslie {413} was chosen chief, and Jehial\nSavage, teacher. I ordained them to their offices, and they said they\nhad satisfactory evidence that the work is of God. I feel as though I\nwas well paid. Bless and praise the Lord.\n\n\"Yours in the bond of the covenant,\n\n\"Signed William Marks.\"\n\nWILLIAM MARKS SENT BY THOMPSON TO LOCATE A GATHERING PLACE.\n\n_The following appears in the \"Harbinger and Organ\" of Dec. 10th, 1853_:\n\n\"St. Joseph, Mo., Aug. 24, 1852.\n\n\"Brother Thompson:--I embrace this opportunity to drop a few lines to\nyou to let you know of our whereabouts. I arrived here with Brother\nChilds and on the 22nd of this month, found Brother Stephens and the\nmost of his family sick; and he is not able to go with us. From what\nwe can learn of the surrounding country here we think is will be very\ndifficult to obtain a suitable LOCATION FOR THE SAINTS TO GATHER TO,\nnear this place on account of the high price of land. We have agreed to\nstart from here tomorrow morning to go north, probably to the Bluffs. *\n* * We shall write you again as soon as we find a location. * * *\n\n\"Signed William Marks.\"\n\nMARKS CHANGES AGAIN AND JOINS JOHN E. PAGE'S ORGANIZATION.\n\n_The year 1855 finds him in a religions organization with John E. Page\nand others. (History of the Reorganized Church, Vol. 3, 724_.)\n\nON JUNE 11TH, 1859, HE FINDS A PLACE IN THE \"NEW ORGANIZATION.\"\n\nOn the above date he was received into this \"Organization\" subsequently\ncalled the \"Reorganized Church\" on his ORIGINAL baptism into the Church\nof Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. His ORIGINAL ordination was also\naccepted.\n\nIn the light of common sense and the following statement found in the\n\"Saints Herald\" (the official organ of the \"Reorganization\"), what of\nWILLIAM MARKS' authority? \"WHENEVER INDIVIDUALS CLAIMING AUTHORITY\n{414} UNDER THE CHURCH AS ORGANIZED BY THE FIRST JOSEPH BECAME MEMBERS\nOF ANY FACTION THEY IMMEDIATELY BECAME DIVESTED OF ALL AUTHORITY.\"\n(\"_Saints Herald,\" Vol. 4, No. 10, Page 158_.)\n\n_Why did the \"Reorganization\" receive the Apostate Marks on his\nORIGINAL baptism and ORIGINAL ordination after he had joined \"The\nStrang faction,\" \"The Thompson faction\" \"The Page faction\" and \"became\ndivested of all authority\" (as stated above)? And what of the authority\nof young Joseph who Was ordained under the hands of such men, WILLIAM\nMARKS BEING MOUTH_?\n\nFOLLOWING IS THE STATEMENT OF THE PROPHET CONCERNING APOSTATES:\n\n\"An Apostate, or one who has been cut off the Church and wish to come\nin again, the law of the Church expressly says: That such shall repent\nand be baptized and be admitted as at first.\" (T. & S., Vol. 5, 752.)\n\nRECORD OF ZENOS H. GURLEY.\n\n_ZENOS H. GURLEY was ordained a seventy in Nauvoo in 1844 under the\ndirection of President Joseph Young. (Record in Historian's office,\nSalt Lake City.)_\n\n_On April 6th, 1845, he was made the Senior President of the\ntwenty-first quorum of Seventy. (Minutes of 21st quorum_.)\n\nTHE PRESIDENT OF THE \"REORGANIZATION\" REPUDIATES AUTHORITY OF THE\nMAN WHO ASSISTED IN HIS ORDINATION.\n\n_On the 31st of January, 1905, President of the \"Reorganization\" wrote\nthe following to Elder Joseph F. Smith, Jr., relative to the limitation\nof the number of Seventy's quorums_:\n\n\"There are no provisions as revelations as law to the Church for the\norganization of more than seven quorums of Seventy; for that reason we\ndo not recognize as valid any of the ordinations in Nauvoo in 1844-5\nbeyond those of the first seven quorums; and our teaching is that the\nnumber is necessarily limited by direct provision of the law.\"\n\n{415}\n\nGURLEY ENDORSES THE COURSE OF THE CHURCH IN 1846.\n\n(_One month before the great Exodus then in preparation.) The Minutes\nof January 3rd, 1846 (21st quorum) say_:\n\n\"Zenos H. Gurley enlarged on the subject of liberally donating to\nthe Church necessity. 'God,' said he, 'had so shaped the scheme of\nsalvation as that to be saved and appear approved of God, we must\nSACRIFICE OF ALL WE POSSESS.' * * * He felt filled with the spirit. THE\nCOURSE THE CHURCH IS PURSUING HAS BEEN SPOKEN OF BY JESUS CHRIST AND\nTHE HOLY PROPHETS OF OLDEN TIMES.\"\n\nGURLEY RECEIVES HIS ENDOWMENT IN THE NAUVOO TEMPLE.\n\n\"ZENOS H. GURLEY arose and said that the Presidents of the quorum had\nRECEIVED THEIR ENDOWMENT. He observed that it was remarkable for an\nunusual outpouring of the Holy Spirit. He felt for the quorum that they\nshould receive their endowment. The Church authorities, the quorum\nof seventy in succession, should furnish the people engaged in the\nendowment, one day each, and he wanted the quorum (21st) to acquit\nthemselves from every obligation.\" (Minutes of quorum, Jan. 10, 1846.)\n\nGURLEY ON TEMPLE WORK.\n\n\"President ZENOS H. GURLEY arose and said: * * * 'The business before\nthe meeting was the arranging for the donation for the benefit of those\nof the Priesthood engaged in the Temple' (NOT ON THE TEMPLE, BUT IN\nTHE TEMPLE). He beautifully observed that it was his design and also\nthis Council's, to exalt the Twenty-first quorum and the quorum should\nreciprocally return the favors of the support and influence towards its\nwelfare.\" (Minutes of the quorum, January 17th, 1846.)\n\n\"President ZENOS H. GURLEY arose and said that the business before the\nmeeting (of the Twenty-first quorum) was to select persons to receive\ntheir ENDOWMENTS. He had received direction to select ten or twelve to\nGO IN THE TEMPLE. He desired the brethren not to think it partiality\nto make this selection. * * * The Saints who have passed through the\ntrials of the Church were generally rooted and {416} grounded in love\nand have a witness in their hearts or they would not have remained.\"\n(Minutes of the Twenty-first quorum, January 25th, 1846.) _It was ten\ndays after he made this utterance that the Exodus of the main body of\nthe Church began, and this is the last reference we have of ZENOS H.\nGURLEY while connected with the Church. What became of GURLEY? \"Because\nhe had not root he withered away_.\"\n\nJOINS THE STRANGITES--BECOMES AN ARDENT WORKER IMMEDIATELY.\n\n_ZENOS H. GURLEY writes to a Brother Cooper, Editor of the \"Strangite\nGospel Herald,\" under date of January 10th, 1850, from Pittsburg C. W\n., relating an account of his labors in the STRANGITE CHURCH. He closes\nwith these words_:\n\n\"The brethren in this place, though young, are old enough to dream of\nBEAVER (meaning Beaver Island, Strang's headquarters). Are you going to\nBEAVER in the spring? is the inquiry of many of them. * * * But, thank\nGod, if we do no more we are rightly paid for our trouble. One of the\nProphets, speaking in reference to these times, says, 'a man shall be\nmore precious than fine gold. Farewell.'\" (\"Gospel Herald,\" Page 274.)\n\n_ZENOS H. GURLEY writes to the \"Gospel Herald\" (Strangite organ) from\nSt. Lawrence under date of March 15th, 1850_:\n\n\"I am now in New York State in company with Brother Linnel, assisting\nBrother Silsby in organizing the brethren and helping them get ready\nfor BEAVER. We expect seventy or one hundred. Will leave here in May\nfor that place. I left Brother Wright on Monday last. * * *\" (\"Gospel\nHerald,\" Page 22.)\n\nGURLEY RECEIVES AN APPOINTMENT AT STRANGITE CONFERENCE.\n\n_September 16th, 1851. Beaver Island_.\n\n\"Moved and seconded that ZENOS H. GURLEY be appointed to preside\nover the branches in Western and Southern Wisconsin, west of Voree,\nby judicial appointment. Carried. * * *\" (Record of Conference, pen\nwritten.)\n\n{417}\n\nGURLEY EXCOMMUNICATED FOR HERESY FROM STRANGITES.\n\n\"James Blakeslie dropped for HERESY and Jahie Savage for the same, and\ntheir Priesthood taken from them. ZENOS H. GURLEY, ALSO PRIESTHOOD\nTAKEN FROM HIM. * * *\" (Voree Record--Conference at Enoch's Grove,\nBeaver Island, July 9, 1852.)\n\nDOUBTS FOLLOWED AFTER EXCOMMUNICATION.\n\n_By 1851, after about five years of active service, he became convinced\nthat James J. Strang was not a Servant of God. Manifestations followed\nwhich satisfied him that he should help organize another Church.\nAccordingly, he and Jason W. Briggs united their efforts and organized\nwhat is known as the \"NEW ORGANIZATION,\" which subsequently emerged\ninto the \"Re-Organized Church,\" in 1860--16 years after the Martyrdom.\nZenos H. Gurley, after following the Twelve Apostles as the presiding\nQuorum of the Church, and holding the position as Senior President of\nthe Twenty-first Quorum of Seventy up to the time of the exodus of\nthe Church from Nauvoo, in 1846, left the Church and joined James J.\nStrang, remaining with this organization until he and Briggs CREATED\nTHE \"NEW ORGANIZATION.\" In 1860 he assisted William Marks in ordaining\nthe President of the \"Reorganization.\" The question naturally arises,\nDID HE HAVE ANY AUTHORITY? We prefer to answer this question by simply\nquoting the statement found in the \"Saints Herald,\" Vol. 4, Page 158_.\n\n\"Whenever individuals claiming authority under THE CHURCH AS ORGANIZED\nBY THE FIRST JOSEPH became members of ANY FACTION, THEY IMMEDIATELY\nBECAME DIVESTED OF ALL AUTHORITY.\" (\"Saints Herald,\" Vol 4, No. 10,\nPage 158.)\n\nGURLEY'S DOUBTS FOLLOW HIS FAMILY.\n\n_Zenos H. Gurley (\"an apostle\") had been able to convert many to this\norganization, yet he was not satisfied in his own mind. In connection\nwith Jason W. Briggs (founder of the \"Reorganization), he forsook the\nChurch they claimed had been built upon \"revelations\" from divers\npersons, (\"Saints Herald\" Vol. 33, Pages 248-249.) The reasons why\nthese men withdrew from the \"Reorganization\" were as follows: That they\ncould not believe in_:\n\n{418} 1st--\"The literal gathering of the Church into Jackson and the\nadjoining counties in the State of Missouri (or any one or more places)\nknown as a local Zion.\"\n\n2d--\"Temple building and ceremonial endowments therein.\"\n\n3d--\"Baptism for the dead.\"\n\n4th--\"Tithing as a law applicable to the Church.\"\n\n5th--\"The law of consecration by which individuals are made legal heirs\nto the Kingdom of Zion.\"\n\n6th--\"A sole mouthpiece of God to the Church.\"\n\n7th--\"The plenary inspiration of and consequent absolute authority of\nwhat are called the sacred books.\"\n\n8th--\"The doctrine of 'cursing our enemies,' and of 'avenging God upon\nthem to the third and fourth generations.'\"\n\n9th--\"To the foregoing may be added the revelation of January 19, 1841,\nSection 107 D. & C. (124, our edition), which enjoins upon the Church\nthe building of a hotel, called the 'Lord's boarding-house,' for Joseph\nSmith and posterity to dwell in from generation to generation, as\nalso the promise contained therein, viz.: 'And as I said unto Abraham\nconcerning the kindreds of the earth, even so I say to my servant\nJoseph, in thee and in thy seed shall the kindreds of the earth be\nblessed.'\"\n\n\"This, coupled with the provisions in Section 43, that 'none else\nshould or could receive revelation for the Church, and the provision of\nSection 19, that the Church shall receive Joseph's words and commands\nthe same as if from God's own mouth,--establish in our judgment a\nlineal descent of authority equivalent to an imperial dynasty, which is\nforeign to the spirit and genius of the Gospel of Christ.'\"\n\nJASON W. BRIGGS, ANOTHER FOUNDER OF THE \"NEW ORGANIZATION.\"\n\n_Jason W. Briggs, who was really the founder of the \"Reorganization\"\nor who, perhaps, did more than any other man to bring about that sect,\nwas born June 20th, 1821, at Pompey, Onondaga County, N. Y. It is\nsaid he joined the church at Potosi, Wis., about 1842, but we have\nno history of this man except as we get through the records of the\n\"Reorganization.\" He remained with the church under the leadership of\nPresident Young and the Twelve until the year 1846. It is interesting\nto note in this regard that the exodus commenced February 4th, 1846, so\nwe are quite safe in saying that this man was one of the \"Fair weather\nfriends_.\"\n\n{419}\n\nJASON W. BRIGGS JOINS THE STRANGITES.\n\n_After the exodus Jason W. Briggs joined James J. Strang and in Jus\norganization labored in the ministry quite extensively (Reorganite\nHistory 3: 737), filling short missions to various parts of New York\nand in Wisconsin. In September of 1849, with B. G. Wright, he organized\nthe Waukesha branch of Mr. Strang's church (Hist, of Reorganized Church\n3: 737-8._)\n\nORDAINED A HIGH PRIEST BY JAMES J. STRANG.\n\n\"Resolved unanimously that JASON W. BRIGGS be ordained a High\nPriest. ORDINATION under the hands of President James J. Strang and\nWILLIAM MARKS, President of the stake at Nauvoo.\" (\"Voree Record of\nConferences,\" April 8th, 1846.)\n\nFOLLOWING FROM THE \"NORTHERN ISLANDER,\" JULY 31ST, 1851.\n\n\"The following letter was written in answer to one from Mr. Briggs of\nWisconsin. His letter is too scurrilous to appear in print, therefore\nwe publish only the reply of Mr. Bacon.\"\n\n\"Beaver Island, July 18th, 1851.\n\n\"Mr. Briggs:\n\n\"Sir: Some time since I received a letter from you in which you claim\nto take the liberty to write to me, on the ground that our acquaintance\nhad been such as to forbid personal enmities; and, therefore, you would\ncarry out the precept: 'Do unto others as you would have others do unto\nyou;' and that I was less orthodox in the pretences of Strang, etc.,\nthan some others. * * * I will now notice the argument, powerful as\nit may be, which you assert you have found upon examination, touching\nthe letter of appointment. But what examination can this be, in which\nyou have found out that you spoke that which was not true? WHEN YOU\nDECLARED IN PUBLIC CONGREGATIONS, AT YOUR OWN FIRESIDE, AND AT THE\nFIRESIDE OF YOUR NEIGHBORS, that Joseph Smith wrote with his own hand\nthe 'Letter of Appointment' (for you saw him in vision) AND YOUR\nSURPRISE AND FAITH IN THE 'KNOCKING SPIRITS' OF NEW YORK, FROM THE FACT\nTHAT THEY (the spirits) ASSERTED THE SAME?\"\n\n{420}\n\nBRIGGS STILL A STRANGITE IN 1848.\n\n_Jason W. Briggs represents the Beloit and Prairie branches of the\nStrangite Church at the Conference held in Voree, Wis., October 8th,\n18-18. (\"Voree Record of Conferences,\" pen written._)\n\nBRIGGS JOINS WITH WILLIAM SMITH.\n\n_In 1850 Briggs left Mr. Strang's organisation and joined with\nWilliam Smith, who had himself been a follower of Mr. Strang until\nexcommunicated from that organization for the crime of adultery. In\nWilliam Smith's Church Mr. Jason W. Briggs accepted the position\nof \"APOSTLE,\" but at the time of the disintegration of Wm. Smith's\nChurch in 1851, he withdrew, and in 1852 joined with Zenos H. Gurley.\nThese two men organized this \"NEW ORGANIZATION\" today known as the\n\"Reorganization_.\"\n\nBRIGGS FORSAKES THE CHURCH HE ORGANIZED.\n\n_Although Jason W. Briggs had received a Revelation as he alleges on\nthe 15th of November, 1851, on the prairie some three miles from town\nof Beloit, Wis., declaring that Joseph Smith of the Reorganization\nshould preside over the High Priesthood of the Church, etc., on March\n28th, 1886, he severed his connection with the church he claimed was\nof divine origin and in conversation with Elder M. F. Cowley in the\npresence of President F. M. Lyman and Elder John W. Taylor in relation\nto his revelation he said: \"I WOULDN'T LIKE TO CALL IT A REVELATION\nNOW, BUT WE LEARN BY EXPERIENCE_.\"\n\n_Reader, the above facts will be of service to you if you are\ninterested in the Great Latter-day work instituted through Joseph\nSmith, the Prophet. However things may be elsewhere, on this earth\ntruth is met everywhere by error. The false has its adherents as well\nas the true. Especially is this so in religion. Each individual must\nsift the grain from the chaff. To those who become earnest in this\nlabor, God has promised help. But without effort, without faith, there\nis no return and men are allowed to settle into that condition which\nthey are satisfied with. The positive search for the unadulterated plan\nof salvation is not usually made and many are deceived. For this reason\nmost men do not know the pure truth about religion. In the question\nbefore us we have the principle of_ {421} _AUTHORITY to consider, PUT\nWHAT FOLLOWS TO THE ABOVE TEST_.\n\n_In the economy of God's work is found a Holy Priesthood through which\nHe deals with mankind_.\n\n_Without this Priesthood the Church of God cannot exist for there would\nbe no one authorized to do the work_.\n\n_The Ancients, those who wrote the Bible, and others, held this\nPriesthood. Christ conferred it upon the APOSTLES, Seventies, etc_.\n\n_The world fell into spiritual darkness and hundreds of religions\nsprang up after this Priesthood was taken away_.\n\n_When the time came for the Restoration of the Gospel it was necessary\nthat this Priesthood be restored, Peter, James and John (the ancient\nApostles) being sent to confer the authority they held upon the Prophet\nJoseph Smith_.\n\n_Joseph Smith, the Prophet, conferred it upon others_.\n\n_At the time of the death of the Prophet the church was thoroughly\norganized with twelve apostles, etc., who held the same authority the\nTwelve held in the days of Christ, and to whom the Lord said in the\nyear 1837_:\n\n\"For unto you (the TWELVE) and those (The First Presidency) who are\nappointed with you to be your counselors and your leaders, is the Power\nof this PRIESTHOOD given for the last days and for the time in the\nwhich is the dispensation of the fullness of times.\" D. & C., Section\n112: 30.\n\n_And again_:\n\n\"The Twelve traveling Counselors are called to be The Twelve Apostles\nor Special Witnesses of the name of Christ in all the world; thus\ndiffering from other officers in the church in the duties of their\ncalling. And they form a quorum EQUAL IN AUTHORITY AND POWER to the\nthree Presidents previously mentioned.\" D. & C., Section 107: 23-4.\n\n_Now, then, notwithstanding the church had such a commission and such\npower, we are told by some that the church fell away immediately after\nthe death of the Prophet, and that the three men (Marks, Gurley and\nBriggs) whose record we have given above, and who were never even\nmembers of any general presiding quorum, were able to apostatize, join\none man made church after another, be ordained to positions in those\nchurches, and then possess AUTHORITY enough to ordain a man a Prophet,\nSeer and Revelator and earthly head of the Church of God_.\n\n{422}_In conclusion, we wish to say that there is but One at a time\nwho holds the keys and the right to receive revelation for the church,\nand that man is the President of the Church. When the First Presidency\nis disorganised through the death of the President, then, according\nto revelation, the TWELVE APOSTLES become the presiding quorum of the\nchurch, and then if the Lord has any revelations to give to His people\nthey will come through the proper channel--the President of the Twelve_.\n\n_When we see this man, or that man, or perhaps that woman or child\ngiving revelations as was the case with the \"Reorganisation,\" when\nJASON W. BRIGGS, ZENOS H. GURLEY, HENRY H. DEAM, or the daughter of\nZenos H. Gurley, received \"revelations\" bearing on the organization of\ntheir cult or the regulation of the Church, we will know assuredly that\nthese things are not of God_.\n\n    \"_The Constitution of the United States is a glorious standard; it\n    is founded upon wisdom; it is a heavenly banner; it is like a great\n    tree under whose branches men from every clime can be shielded\n    from the burning rays of an inclement sun; and Mormons as well as\n    Presbyterians, and every other denomination, have equal rights to\n    partake of the fruits of this great tree of our national liberty_.\"\n\n    --_Joseph Smith, The Prophet_.\n\n{423}\n\n\n\nIS BELIEF ALONE SUFFICIENT?\n\nELDER J. H. PAUL.\n\nThere is a very large class of professed Christians who maintain that\nif an individual does no more than simply believe in Christ, he will\nbe saved eternally in God's Kingdom of glory. We do not purpose to\ndisparage the value of belief or faith, for these principles occupy a\nvery important position in the plan of human redemption; but it is the\ndesign to show that the doctrine which predicates salvation upon belief\nonly is erroneous, and consequently dangerous.\n\nThe evangelist writes: \"And this is eternal life, that they might know\nThee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom Thou has sent\" (John\nxvii: 3). Conjoin this statement with another passage of Scripture,\nwhich reads thus: \"And hereby do we know that we know Him, if we keep\nHis commandments. He that saith, I know Him, and keepeth not His\ncommandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in Him\" (1 John ii: 3, 4).\n\nThe teachings of these Scriptures are--First: No one can be saved,\nor obtain eternal life, without a knowledge of God, and of Christ.\nSecond: Those who fail to keep the commandments of the Savior do not\npossess a knowledge of God; and hence the conclusion is inevitable\nthat there is no salvation without obedience to the Gospel laws and\nordinances. This conclusion is in direct harmony with the statements\nof the Apostle Paul, who says: \"And to you who are troubled rest with\nus, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty\nangels, in flaming fire, taking vengeance on them that know not God,\nand that obey not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: who shall be\npunished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord,\nand from the glory of His power\" (2 Thess. i: 7, 8, 9). Again: \"Go\nye, therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of\nthe Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, teaching them to\nobserve all things whatsoever I have commanded you\" (Matt, xxviii: 19,\n20). Thus the disciples were sent forth with a mission to convert all\nnations if possible, and they were instructed to enjoin upon those\nwho became Christians obedience to \"all things whatsoever\" Christ\ngave as commandments to the {424} early Apostles. His language is so\ncomprehensive that no command can be omitted.\n\n\"Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the\nchildren of Abraham\" (Gal. iii: 7). But, \"If ye were Abraham's\nchildren, ye would do the works of Abraham\" (John viii: 39). Here it is\nsubstantially stated that those who have Christian faith are adopted\ninto the family of Abraham, thus becoming his children; but this\nprivilege is accorded to those only who do the works of Abraham. How\nthis ancient Patriarch obtained the right to be called the \"Father of\nthe Faithful\" is thus set forth: \"Because that Abraham obeyed my voice,\nand kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws\" (Gen.\nxxvi: 5). These were the works of Abraham, and those who are counted\nworthy to belong to his family, or to the \"household of faith,\" must\nalso obey God's voice, and keep His charge, commandments, statutes\nand laws. According to Scripture, no evasion of this requirement is\npossible; for those who are Abraham's children obey the commandments of\nGod.\n\nSt. James speaks to the point under consideration thus:\n\n    \"But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your\n    own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he\n    is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: for he\n    beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth\n    what manner of man he was. But whoso looketh into the perfect\n    law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful\n    hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his\n    deed.\" (James i: 22-25).\n\nNow, what is the \"word?\" St. Peter answers this question decisively:\n\"Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by\nthe word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever. . . . But the word\nof the Lord endureth for ever, and this is the word which by the Gospel\nis preached unto you\" (1 Peter i: 23, 25).\n\nThus we learn that the Gospel is the word of God, and it \"liveth and\nabideth for ever.\" Whosoever, therefore, is not a doer of the Gospel\nrequirements is deceiving himself. Notice how particularly the Apostle\nstates that the blessings of the Gospel, or the perfect law of liberty,\nare obtained by doing the work enjoined by it.\n\nSt. Paul writes: \"But ye, brethren, be not weary of well doing. And if\nany man obey not our word by this epistle, note that man, and have no\ncompany with him, that he may be ashamed\" (2 Thess. iii: 13, 14). The\n\"word\" referred to in St. Paul's epistle was, for instance, that the\nSaints should not become \"weary in well doing,\" and he directed that\nthose who {425} would not obey this commandment should be excluded\nfrom the company of Christians. It is folly for us to suppose that\nthose who disqualify themselves for association with Saints on earth\nby neglecting to keep the commandments of the Lord, are fitted for the\ncompany of God, angels and saints in heaven.\n\n\"Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God; and every\none that loveth Him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of Him.\nBy this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and\nkeep His commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep His\ncommandments, and His commandments are not grievous\" (1 John v: 1-3).\nThis same writer further says: \"We know that we have passed from death\nunto life because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother\nabideth in death\" (1 John iii: 14). There is, according to this last\nScripture, not eternal life, but death abiding in the soul of every one\nwho does not love the brethren; and the first quotation assures us that\nwhere there is such a love, there is also obedience to the commandments\nof God. We cannot dissever these things, for the Almighty has joined\nthem together. It follows, from the Scriptures just considered, that\nthose who fail to obey God's Gospel commandments are abiding in death,\nnot in life.\n\nIn conformity with the direct declarations of the Scriptures which have\nbeen produced, showing that the commandments of God must be obeyed,\nwe observe that the doctrine of obedience to the law is practically\nenforced. The Lord expresses condemnation of those whose works are not\nsatisfactory. For instance:\n\n    \"And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write: These things\n    saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars;\n    I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art\n    dead. Be watchful and strengthen the things which remain that\n    are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before\n    God . . . And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write:\n    These things saith He that is holy, ... I know thy works; behold I\n    have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it; for thou\n    hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied\n    my name.\" (Rev. iii: 1, 2, 7, 8).\n\nThe judgment of the Lord is herein clearly founded upon the \"works\" in\nthese two churches. The first one whose works were imperfect was dead;\nthe second had an open door set before it because it had kept the word\nof the Lord. What the Lord thus spoke to the Churches collectively\nmust apply to the individuals comprising the society, and hence those\nwho shall have an open door (into heaven) set before them must keep\nthe commandments of God. In these cases God proceeded {426} on the\nprinciple referred to in the writings of St. James, that faith is\nmanifested by works (James ii: 18, etc.). The following passage is also\npertinent in this connection: \"For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision\navaileth nothing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love\"\n(Gal. v: 6). The plain proposition herein affirmed is that nothing\navails in Christ Jesus but a \"faith which worketh.\" It must operate\nin or by love; it is manifested by works. If it is not, it avails\nnothing, being dead. God measures faith by works--by the keeping of His\ncommandments.\n\nThe following Scripture is very decisive:\n\n    \"When the Son of Man shall come in His glory, and all the holy\n    angels with Him, then shall He sit upon the throne of His glory:\n    and before Him shall be gathered all nations: and He shall separate\n    them one from another, as a shepherd divideth the sheep from the\n    goats: and He shall set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats\n    on the left. Then shall the King say unto them on His right hand,\n    Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for\n    you from the foundation of the world: for I was an hungered, and\n    ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a\n    stranger, and ye took me in: naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick,\n    and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. Then\n    shall the righteous answer Him, saying, Lord, when we saw Thee an\n    hungered, and fed Thee? or thirsty, and gave Thee drink? when saw\n    we Thee a stranger, and took Thee in? or naked, and clothed Thee?\n    or when saw we Thee sick, or in prison, and came unto Thee? And\n    the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you,\n    inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my\n    brethren, ye have done it unto me. Then shall He say also unto them\n    on the left hand, Depart from me ye cursed, into everlasting fire,\n    prepared for the devil and his angels: for I was an hungered, and\n    ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: I was\n    a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not:\n    sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. Then shall they also\n    answer Him, saying, Lord, when saw we Thee an hungered, or athirst,\n    or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not\n    minister unto Thee? Then shall He answer them, saying, Verily I say\n    unto you, inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these,\n    ye did it not to me. And these shall go away into everlasting\n    punishment: but the righteous into life eternal\" (Matt. xxv: 31-46).\n\nThis scene, joyous on the one hand, but dark and terrible as death\non the other, is a plain revelation of the principle which shall\nprevail in the court of heaven at the great day of judgment. Those\nwhom the Savior calls cursed, and whom He overwhelms with everlasting\npunishment, are not permitted to plead justification by their belief\nalone. It is an awful question of practical godliness, of righteous\nworks. The devils themselves believe and tremble, and those who do no\nmore must take up their miserable abode with them. Such is the {427}\ndecree of Almighty God. The teachings of Scripture are as plain as they\ncan be expressed in human language, that those who do not manifest\ntheir faith by godly works are under condemnation. We learn further\nfrom the Scriptures that the righteous works specially mentioned in\nthe foregoing quotation are not the only ones required to entitle a\nperson to eternal life. For instance: \"And when He was gone forth into\nthe way, there came one running, and kneeled to Him, and asked Him,\nGood Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life? And\nJesus said unto him . . . Thou knowest the commandments: Do not commit\nadultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Defraud\nnot, Honor thy father and mother. And he answered and said unto Him,\nMaster, all these I have observed from my youth. Then Jesus beholding\nhim, loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way,\nsell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have\ntreasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me\" (Mark\nx: 17-21).\n\nA plain question was thus propounded, and it was definitely answered.\nChrist insisted upon a keeping of the commandments of God; we are to\nfollow Him--to do as He did, that is, devote our lives to doing the\nwill of the Father. The Savior assured His questioner that such was\nthe way to inherit eternal life. This doctrine is pointedly put in\nMatthew xix: 17, thus: \"But if thou wilt enter into life, keep the\ncommandments.\"\n\nAgain: \"He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved\" (Mark xvi:\n16).\n\nNow, all men believe in the truth of the doctrine taught in the text\njust quoted, or they do not. If they do not, they cannot believe in\nChrist as a Being who is full of \"grace and truth,\" as the Scripture\nasserts. If we admit for a moment that He comes short in the principle\nof truth, we shatter at once the very foundation of belief and\nconfidence, and doubt is the inevitable result. If Christ's word is\ndoubted, there is no confidence in Him. It follows, therefore, that\nthose who do not believe in the truth of the text do not believe in\nChrist. But all concede that without this belief no one can obtain\neternal life. Those who do believe the truth of the text cannot say\nthat belief alone is sufficient for salvation, since it is expressly\nstated that \"he that believeth _and is baptized_ shall be saved.\"\nChrist's own statement respecting the matter is final with all those\nthat believe in Him.\n\nThe following Scriptures are submitted:\n\n{428}\n\n    \"And why call ye me Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I\n    say?\" (Luke vi: 46). \"But He said, yea, rather, blessed are they\n    that hear the word of God, and keep it\" (Luke xi: 28). \"And this\n    is the commandment, that we should believe on the name of His Son\n    Jesus Christ, and love one another, as He gave us commandment. And\n    he that keepeth His commandments dwelleth in Him, and He in him\"\n    (1 John iii: 23, 24). \"If ye love me, keep my commandments. He\n    that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth\n    me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will\n    love him, and will manifest myself to him\" (John xiv: 15, 21).\n    \"Though He were a Son, yet learned He obedience by things which He\n    suffered; and being made perfect, He became the author of eternal\n    salvation unto all them that obey Him\" (Heb. v: 8, 9). \"What doth\n    it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have\n    not works? Can faith save him?\" (James ii: 14). \"He that saith he\n    abideth in Him ought himself also so to walk, even as He walked\" (1\n    John ii: 6). \"But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without\n    works is dead? Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when\n    he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? Seest thou how faith\n    wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect? And\n    the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and\n    it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the\n    Friend of God. Ye see then how that by works a man is justified,\n    and not by faith only. Likewise, also, was not Rahab the harlot\n    justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had\n    sent them out another way? For as the body without the spirit is\n    dead, so faith without works is dead also\" (James ii: 20-26).\n    \"Blessed are they that do His commandments, that they may have\n    right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into\n    the city\" (Rev. xxii: 14).\n\n    \"_Meddle not with any man for his religion; for all governments\n    ought to permit every man to enjoy his religion unmolested. No man\n    is authorized to take away life in consequence of difference of\n    religion, which all laws and governments ought to protect_.\"\n\n    --_Joseph Smith_.\n\n{429}\n\n\n\nTHE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS.\n\nITS RELIGION, HISTORY, CONDITION AND DESTINY. BY JAMES H. ANDERSON, OF\nSALT LAKE CITY, UTAH. 1902.\n\n    A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt\n    tree bring forth good fruit.--_Matt. vii, 18_.\n\nOf the religious denominations now in existence among men, none have\nattracted such attention from the others as the organization known as\nThe Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the members of which\nare popularly, though erroneously, called \"Mormons,\" because of their\nbelief in the divine authenticity of the Book of Mormon, a record of\nthe ancient inhabitants of America. In every nation where the fame of\nthis Church has spread, and where its Elders have appeared to teach\ntheir faith, one feature which stands preeminent is the bitterness with\nwhich they are opposed, without even the opportunity of being heard,\nprincipally by professed believers in Christianity.\n\nSome there are who are practical in their adherence to the doctrine of\nreligious toleration, and whose expansive minds lead them to refrain\nfrom passing judgment till they hear the case fairly stated. They\nhesitate to follow popular clamor, preferring to ascertain the truth\nfor themselves, rather than give assent to the voice of prejudice and\nbigotry which demanded the life of Jesus of Nazareth because He claimed\nto be the Son of God. But these are the exception; the rule has been\nto accept without question assertions made against the Latter-day\nSaints, and to decline to listen to anything in the way of denial\nor justification. With this prominent fact before us, it is beyond\ndispute that to this organization above all others in this generation\nmust be applied the saying, \"For as concerning this sect, we know that\neverywhere it is spoken against.\"\n\nDoubtless much of this antagonism is due to ignorance of the true\nbelief, aims and condition of the Latter-day Saints. Certainly it is\nlargely because of gross misrepresentations by {430} those who have\nconstituted themselves their enemies. The reason for assuming this\nposition can be left for explanation to those who occupy it. The\npurpose of the present occasion is not to consider that branch of\nthe subject, but rather to present the doctrines believed in by the\nLatter-day Saints, and the reason for that belief. The limited time at\nour disposal will admit of only a brief exposition of those doctrines;\nall who are desirous of more elaborate explanation may obtain it from\nthe published works of the Church, and from its Elders, who will be\npleased to present to investigators the Gospel message which they are\nproclaiming to the world. The present opportunity is sufficient for but\nan abridged statement, in plain and simple language, of the religious\nsystem under consideration.\n\nThis Church presents no formula of religious dogmas. Its creed is:\nThe direct revelation of God to His children. As He is without\nvariableness, and is no respecter of persons, so His laws are\nunchangeable; and whatsoever He gives by the voice of revelation is a\nlaw unto the Saints. The organization of this Church was effected at\nFayette, New York, on Sunday, the sixth day of April, 1830. Shortly\nafter this event, its presiding Apostle and Prophet, Joseph Smith, was\nasked for a concise statement of what he and his people believed, and\nin reply he wrote the following:\n\nARTICLES OF FAITH OF THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY\nSAINTS.\n\n    1. We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus\n    Christ, and in the Holy Ghost.\n\n    2. We believe that men will be punished for their own sins and not\n    for Adam's transgression.\n\n    3. We believe that through the atonement of Christ, all mankind may\n    be saved, by obedience to the laws, and ordinances of the Gospel.\n\n    4. We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the\n    Gospel are: First, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second,\n    Repentance; third, Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins;\n    fourth, Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost.\n\n    5. We believe that a man must be called of God by \"prophecy, and by\n    the laying on of hands,\" by those who are in authority, to preach\n    the Gospel and administer in the ordinances thereof.\n\n    6. We believe in the same organization that existed in the\n    primitive Church, viz: Apostles, Prophets, Pastors, Teachers,\n    Evangelists, etc.\n\n    {431} 7. We believe in the gift of tongues, prophecy, revelation,\n    visions, healing, interpretation of tongues, etc.\n\n    8. We believe the Bible to be the word of God, as far as it is\n    translated correctly; we also believe the Book of Mormon to be the\n    word of God.\n\n    9. We believe all that God has revealed, all that He does now\n    reveal, and we believe that He will yet reveal many great and\n    important things pertaining to the Kingdom of God.\n\n    10. We believe in the literal gathering of Israel and in the\n    restoration of the Ten Tribes. That Zion will be built upon this\n    continent. That Christ will reign personally upon the earth, and\n    that the earth will be renewed and receive its paradisaic glory.\n\n    11. We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according\n    to the dictates of our conscience, and allow all men the same\n    privilege, let them worship how, where or what they may.\n\n    12. We believe in being subjects to kings, presidents, rulers and\n    magistrates, in obeying, honoring and sustaining the law.\n\n    13. We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous,\n    and in doing good to all men; indeed we may say that we follow the\n    admonition of Paul, \"We believe all things, we hope all things,\"\n    we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all\n    things. If there is anything virtuous, lovely or of good report or\n    praiseworthy, we seek after these things.\n\nThe position taken by the Prophet Joseph Smith and those who have given\nheed to the doctrines he presented is that they have no new system of\nreligion to offer to the world, but that their message is the fulness\nof the everlasting Gospel; the Gospel which Paul said was \"the power\nof God unto salvation, to every one that believeth;\" the Gospel of\nwhich the Bible bears record, and which the Lord Jesus Christ and His\ndisciples taught as the commandment of God to His children. While they\ntestify that it is a new revelation to them in this dispensation,\n\"the latter days,\" and that they received through heavenly messengers\nsent from the throne of the great Jehovah all the knowledge they\npossess of the plan of salvation, and also the authority to preach\nthe Gospel and administer in its ordinances, they point out that it\nis the same Gospel and divine message that was revealed to man in\nancient days; the \"one faith\" of which Paul spake to the Ephesians; the\nEverlasting Gospel, the plan instituted by God for the salvation of His\nchildren--unchangeable, eternal, and transcendently perfect.\n\nUpon this presentation of the case, then, are they to be judged. They\nthus place every principle or doctrine within the field of comparison\nwith the Holy Scriptures, both in the Old and the New Testament.\n\n{432}\n\nTHE GODHEAD.\n\nThe first of the Articles of Faith declares a belief \"in God the\nEternal Father, and in His Son Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost.\"\nThat is, that the Father is a personage of spirit, glory and power,\npossessing all perfection and fulness; the Son a personage of\ntabernacle also, who is the express image of His Father, and possesses\nthe same fulness with the Father, in whose image also man is created;\nand the Holy Ghost, that which bears record of the Father and the Son,\nthe life-giving element in all nature, the agent of God's power, by\nwhich, through faith, all things are controlled. These three constitute\nthe Supreme governing power, the Godhead, and are one--above all, and\nin all, and through all--omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent.\n\nThe idea thus set forth is that in form man is the image of his\nCreator. The Bible contains no suggestion of a similarity in form with\nany of the other creations of the Almighty. But with respect to man\nit is distinctly expressed in Genesis i: 26, 27: \"And God said, Let\nus make man in our own image, after our likeness, and let them have\ndominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and\nover the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing\nthat creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in His own image; in\nthe image of God created He him; male and female created He them.\"\n\nPaul, in writing of God, says that Jesus was the \"express image of His\nperson\" (Hebrews i: 3), being \"in the form of God\" (Phil. ii: 6). In\nthe record which Matthew has made of the Lord's baptism, he describes\nthe action of the three who constitute the Godhead: Jesus receiving\nthe baptism of water, the \"Spirit of God descending like a dove and\nlighting upon Him,\" and a voice--the voice of the Father--uttering from\nheaven, \"This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased\" (Matt,\niii: 16, 17). The Redeemer of the world Himself testifies of their\nindividuality: \"For as the Father hath life in Himself; so hath He\ngiven to the Son to have life in Himself; and hath given Him authority\nto execute judgment also, because He is the Son of man\" (John v: 26,\n27); \"Ye have heard how I said unto you, I go away, and come again unto\nyou. If ye loved me, ye would rejoice because I said, I go unto the\nFather: for my Father is greater than I\" (John xiv: 28); \"Nevertheless,\nI tell you the truth; it is expedient for you that I go away; for if I\ngo not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I\nwill {433} send him unto you\" (John xviii: 7); \"But when the Comforter\nis come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of\nTruth, which proceedeth from the Father, He shall testify of me\" (John\nxv: 26).\n\nIn the solemn prayer offered up before His betrayal, the Divine Master\nbesought His Father, in behalf of His disciples, \"That they all may\nbe one; as Thou, Father, art in me, and I in Thee, that they also may\nbe one in us: that the world may believe that Thou hast sent me. And\nthe glory which Thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be\none, even as we are one\" (John xvii: 21, 22). The unity of purpose and\naction in all things constitutes the oneness. This union Jesus sought\nto bring to His Apostles, that, each having his distinct personality,\nthey might be one, \"even as we are one.\"\n\nMEN JUDGED BY THEIR WORKS.\n\n\"We believe that men will be punished for their own sins, and not for\nAdam's transgression.\"\n\nBy this transgression death came into the world, that men might gain\nthe experience of a mortal probation. But that man should be held\nresponsible for an act in which he had no agency would evidently be an\ninjustice. Our Father, being a just God, must therefore deal justly\nwith His children. What is the doctrine of the Scriptures respecting\nthe responsibility of men? In Jeremiah xvii: 10, it is announced: \"I\nthe Lord search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man\naccording to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.\" As\nthe laws of truth and justice are inflexible in their operation and\neffect, judgment as certainly follows evil as blessings result from\ngood deeds.\n\nThe beloved Apostle, in recording his vision of the judgment, tells\nus: \"And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the\nbooks were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of\nlife: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written\nin the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead\nwhich were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were\nin them: and they were judged every man according to their works\"\n(Rev. xx: 12, 13). Language can be no plainer to inform mankind of the\nevidence that will be adduced for or against them at the judgment-seat\nof Christ. It will be their deeds; and from the judgment they will make\nno appeal, for they cannot but realize its justice.\n\nBy the divine law, man is answerable for his own sins.\n\n{434} He is not compelled to bear the wrongs of another in the reward\nwhich he will receive at God's judgment. The transgression of Adam was\nnot ours, and can have no ill effects upon us; it rather becomes a\nblessing by the mercy of Jehovah. The Latter-day Saints believe that,\nas by Adam death came into the world, without our action, so is life\nthe free gift to all men, through the atonement of the Lord Jesus.\nThis is the doctrine of the Bible. Paul expresses it thus: \"Wherefore,\nas by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so\ndeath passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: therefore as by\nthe offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even\nso by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto\njustification of life\" (Romans v: 12, 18). The Lord has permitted no\ndoubt to remain respecting the sins for which men will be punished and\nthe good for which they will be rewarded. His word is: \"For the Son of\nman shall come in the glory of His Father with His angels; and then He\nshall reward every man according to his works\" (Matt. xvi: 27). The\ntestimony which He gave to John the Divine on the Isle of Patmos was:\n\"I will give every one of you according to your works\" (Rev. ii: 23).\n\"And behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every\nman according as his work shall be\" (Rev. xxii: 12).\n\nTHE ATONEMENT.\n\n\"We believe that through the atonement of Christ all mankind may be\nsaved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel.\"\n\nBy this atonement is brought the victory over death; the resurrection\nof the body to life; the raising of man to a position where he is not\nsubject to death. But it goes farther in the article of faith read. It\nbrings salvation by obedience to the Gospel. Salvation, then, is more\nthan a redemption from the fall. The latter comes to man without his\nagency, so far as the mere restoration to life is concerned. That is\nthe doctrine which the Apostles taught: \"For 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\" (1 Cor. xv: 21, 22). Since\nthe Savior brought to pass the resurrection and the life, His atonement\nhas a universal application, and \"there shall be a resurrection of the\ndead, both of the just and unjust\" (Acts xxiv: 15).\n\nDoes the atonement do more? The Latter-day Saints reply in the\naffirmative. Matthew (chap. i: 21) records that the {435} angel\ndeclared to Joseph, when foretelling the birth of the infant Jesus,\n\"For He shall save His people from their sins.\" The Apostle Peter says:\n\"Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name\nunder heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved\" (Acts iv: 12).\nBy obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel, salvation comes\nto man; it is that which is added to the children of men by the atoning\nblood of the Redeemer, when the requirements of His Gospel are complied\nwith. Until this is done, there is no salvation from sin. The Apostle\nJohn makes this unequivocal declaration: \"This then is the message\nwhich we have heard of Him, and declare unto you, that God is light,\nand in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship\nwith Him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth; but if\nwe walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship one\nwith another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from\nall sin\" (1 John i: 5, 7). If we would be cleansed from all sin by the\nblood of Christ Jesus, the condition is that \"we walk in the light as\nHe is in the light.\" If this be not our course, the Apostle says, \"we\nlie and do not the truth.\" To these teachings is placed the seal and\ntestimony of the Divine Master Himself, in His sermon on the mount:\n\"Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the\nkingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in\nheaven\" (Matt. vii: 21). \"In vain do ye worship me,\" said He to those\nwho followed the tradition of men instead of keeping \"the commandment\nof God\" (Mark vii: 7, 8).\n\nTHE GOSPEL ORDINANCES--FAITH.\n\n\"We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are:\nFirst--Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.\"\n\nThe principle of faith is the moving cause of all action in intelligent\nbeings. Faith in the Lord is the fundamental principle leading to\nobedience to His will. It is the assurance which we have of unseen\nthings. By its exercise we are alone able to approach the throne of\ngrace. \"Without faith it is impossible to please Him; for he that\ncometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of\nthem that diligently seek Him.\" (Heb. xi: 6). It is not a mere passive\nbelief; but being a principle of action and power, it inculcates\nworks in harmony with itself. The Savior says: \"Let not your heart be\ntroubled; ye believe in God, believe also in me. Verily, verily, I say\nunto you, He that believeth on me, the {436} works that I do shall he\ndo also; and greater works than these shall he do, because I go unto my\nFather\" (John xiv: 1, 12).\n\nIt is the belief of the Latter-day Saints that the Gospel is the\nworking law of Christ; that faith in Him, to have life, must be\naccompanied by works in accord with the mental exercise of faith. As\nthe Apostle James says: \"But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers\nonly, deceiving your own selves\" (i: 22). This Apostle writes, \"For\nas the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is\ndead also;\" and in the second chapter of his epistle (verse 14-24) he\nstates: \"What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath\nfaith, and have not works? Can faith save him? If a brother or sister\nbe naked, and destitute of daily food, and one of you say unto them,\nDepart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them\nnot those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?\nEven so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. Yea, a man\nmay say, Thou hast faith and I have works: shew me thy faith without\nthy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works. Thou believest\nthat there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and\ntremble. But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works\nis dead? Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had\noffered Isaac his son upon the altar? Seest thou how faith wrought with\nhis works, and by works was faith made perfect? And the scripture was\nfulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto\nhim for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God. Ye see then\nhow that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.\"\n\nThe Lord said, \"Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart,\nand with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and\ngreat commandment\" (Matt, xxii: 37, 38). He also explains what it is\nto love God: \"He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is\nthat loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and\nI will love him, and will manifest myself to him\" (John xiv: 21). This\nis faith in and love of God: keeping His commandments.\n\nREPENTANCE.\n\n\"Second--Repentance.\"\n\nTo those who, on the day of Pentecost, believed on the Apostles' words,\nand had awakened within their hearts faith in the Lord Jesus, Peter\ngave the law of the Gospel: \"Repent, {437} and be baptized every one of\nyou in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall\nreceive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to\nyour children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord\nour God shall call\" (Acts ii: 38, 39). This law was universal in its\napplication. It was \"to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord\nour God shall call.\"\n\nWhen John the Baptist came in the wilderness of Judea, as the messenger\nbefore the Lord, preaching \"the beginning of the Gospel of Jesus\nChrist, the Son of God,\" he proclaimed, \"Repent ye, for the kingdom of\nheaven is at hand\" (Matt. iii: 2). Of those who presented themselves\nfor baptism he required conformity to the doctrine which preceded it.\nIf they had not repented, the ordinance of baptism was refused to\nthem. When many of the Pharisees and Sadducees came, he called them a\n\"generation of vipers,\" and demanded that they \"bring forth therefore\nfruits meet for repentance\" (Matt. iii: 7, 8). God \"commandeth all men\neverywhere to repent\"--to turn from evil and walk in righteousness, for\ntherein only is salvation. The Lord says, \"Except ye repent ye shall\nall likewise perish\" (Luke xiii: 3).\n\nBAPTISM.\n\n\"Third--Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins.\" To the\nrepentant believer this is the \"baptism of repentance for the remission\nof sins\" taught by John the Baptist (Mark i: 4). On the day of\nPentecost, Peter pointed the way to salvation, \"Repent, and be baptized\nevery one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins\"\n(Acts ii: 38). When the jailer sought to be saved, Paul and Silas\n\"spake unto him the word of the Lord,\" and he \"was baptized, he and all\nhis, straightway\" (Acts xvi: 30-33).\n\nSo important is this ordinance for admission into the Church of God,\nthat the Lord Jesus insisted on receiving it at the hands of John the\nBaptist, who was authorized to administer it. John had preached that\nthere should come after him One who should baptize \"with the Holy Ghost\nand with fire,\" and when Jesus presented Himself on Jordan's banks, the\nProphet recognized that mightier One. He felt his own weakness in the\npresence of the Son of God, and said, \"I have need to be baptized of\nThee, and comest Thou to me?\" But Jesus knew the law of God. He knew\nthat it was necessary for even the Son of Man to enter at the door,\nand obey the ordinance which His Father had appointed. Therefore He\nanswered {438} John, \"Suffer it to be so now, for thus it becometh us\nto fulfil all righteousness\" (Matt. iii: 15). Then the Savior of the\nworld went down into the river Jordan, and was baptized of John. When\nHe came out of the water, there was given that glorious manifestation\nof the approval by His Father of the act of submission to the divine\nlaw, \"and lo, the heavens were opened unto Him, and He saw the Spirit\nof God descending like a dove, and lighting upon Him: and lo, a voice\nfrom heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased\"\n(Matt. iii: 16, 17).\n\nIf it was necessary for the Son of God, the Redeemer of the world, to\nreceive the ordinance of baptism at the hands of one having authority\nto administer it, that He might \"fulfil all righteousness,\" wherein\ncan sinful man hope to enter by any other way? And when that act of\nobedience to law on the part of the Divine Master was signalized by the\nglorious descent upon Him of the Holy Ghost, and brought forth from the\nEternal Father the solemn declaration that He was well pleased with the\nSon who had just passed through the baptism of water, who among men\ndare say that the ordinance is vain, and useless, and non-essential;\nthat it is not of paramount importance to those who would do the will\nof the Father?\n\nThe Lord also declared that the baptism of John was \"the counsel of\nGod\"--this ordinance that was \"the baptism of repentance for the\nremission of sins.\" Said Jesus: \"All the people that heard him, and\nthe publicans, justified God, being baptized with the baptism of John;\nbut the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the counsel of God against\nthemselves, being not baptized of him\" (Luke vii: 29, 30). As the Lord\nwent forth in His ministry, preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom, there\ncame to Him Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. To him Jesus said: \"Except\na man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God\" (John iii:\n3). Nicodemus did not fully comprehend this saying, and made further\ninquiry, receiving a reply in language that none need misunderstand:\n\"Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born of water and of\nthe Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God\" (John iii: 5).\nTherefore, when the Master commissioned His disciples and sent them\nout, after they had been \"endowed with power from on high,\" the command\nwhich they received and obeyed was: \"Go ye, therefore, and teach all\nnations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and\nof the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I\nhave commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of\nthe world\" (Matt, xxviii: 19, 20).\n\n{439} In this labor of the ministry, to which they had been called and\nordained of the Lord, He fulfilled His promise, and was with them:\n\"And they went forth and preached everywhere, the Lord working with\nthem, and confirming the word with signs following\" (Mark xvi: 20). The\nApostles taught: \"Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name\nof Jesus Christ for the remission of sins\" (Acts ii: 38); \"Know ye not,\nthat so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized\ninto His death? Therefore we are buried with Him by baptism into death:\nthat like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the\nFather, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have\nbeen planted together in the likeness of His death, we shall be also\nin the likeness of His resurrection\" (Romans vi: 3-5); \"Buried with\nHim in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with Him through the faith\nof the operation of God, who hath raised Him from the dead\" (Col. ii:\n12). Here, then, is the Gospel doctrine: Baptism by immersion for the\nremission of sins, performed by one having authority; the birth, the\nburial, the planting in the watery element, without which ordinance the\nLord has said that no man can enter the kingdom of heaven.\n\nBAPTISM FOR THE DEAD.\n\nIt may be suggested that there are millions of the human family who\nhave not had the opportunity of receiving of the baptism of repentance\nby one having divine authority--millions who never even heard of the\nname of Jesus Christ. The Latter-day Saints believe that the Gospel\nprovides for all; that there is and can be no exception; that every\none who will may partake of the waters of life freely; that God is\nno respecter of persons, but judges men by their works. A plan of\nsalvation that is adapted to the few, that does not open the door\nto every being within the great brotherhood of man, is unworthy of\nthe Creator and God of the universe. The Gospel of the Lord must be\nperfect, even as He is perfect, and reach to all humanity.\n\nThe query is made, How did the thief who died on the cross enter\nthe Kingdom of Heaven; there is no record of his baptism? Let the\nScriptures give the answer: \"And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me\nwhen Thou comest into Thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily I\nsay unto thee, to-day shalt thou be with me in paradise\" (Luke xxiii:\n42, 43). The Lord did not say he could enter His Kingdom, for He told\nNicodemus that to do that is was necessary to be \"born of the {440}\nwater and of the Spirit;\" but He promised the penitent thief that on\nthat day he should be with Him in paradise. Is that not heaven? Let us\nexamine and see, for on the proper ascertainment of this fact depends a\ngreat principle of truth.\n\nThe body of Jesus was three days in the tomb, when the spirit again\nentered into it. When the Redeemer had risen, Mary came to the\nsepulchre and found that the body of her Master was not there. She\nbegan to inquire, when she heard a voice which she recognized as that\nof the Lord, to whom she turned. \"Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not,\nfor I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say\nunto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and\nyour God\" (John xx: 17). Here is the testimony of Jesus Himself, that\nduring the three days subsequent to His crucifixion, while His body lay\nin the tomb, His spirit did not go to heaven or the presence of His\nFather. Logically, it must follow, neither did that of the thief.\n\nWhere, then, did He go? As Jesus was not in His Father's presence\nduring these three days, where was He? The Scriptures have not left us\nin doubt upon this point. Jesus transferred to Peter the keys of the\nKingdom of Heaven, and placed him at the head of the Twelve Apostles.\nSurely he is a competent witness; he says: \"For Christ also hath once\nsuffered for sins, the Just for the unjust, that He might bring us to\nGod, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: by\nwhich also He went and preached unto the spirits in prison\" (1 Peter\niii: 18, 19). During the time of His absence from the body He was\npreaching \"unto the spirits in prison\"--the place where the thief also\nwent.\n\nThis doctrine of preaching the Gospel to the dead was taught by the\nLord to His Apostles, just previous to His crucifixion: \"Verily, verily\nI say unto you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall\nhear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live. Marvel\nnot at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the\ngraves shall hear His voice\" (John v: 25, 28). On the same subject, the\nchief Apostle says: \"For for this cause was the Gospel preached also to\nthem that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the\nflesh, but live according to God in the spirit\" (1 Peter iv: 6).\n\nThe dead are to be \"judged according to men in the flesh;\" and, as the\nLord has declared that \"except a man be born of the water and of the\nSpirit\" he cannot enter the Kingdom, what shall the dead who \"hear\nthe voice of the Son of God\" do? Is the Gospel plan imperfect in that\nit does not provide a way {441} for those who have had no opportunity\nto receive that birth? God forbid. Such an injustice cannot be. Paul,\nwriting to the Corinthians respecting the resurrection, says: \"Else\nwhat shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise\nnot at all? Why then are they baptized for the dead?\" (1 Cor. xv: 29).\nThe answer is complete: The dead may be officiated for by those who\ndwell in the flesh.\n\nThis is the doctrine of salvation for the dead, an important part\nof the glorious Gospel that is as broad as the universe, and from\neverlasting to everlasting. By receiving the baptism for the dead,\nthose who have passed into the spirit world have opened to them the\ndoor of the Kingdom of Heaven. \"But one man cannot act in the place\nof another,\" is the suggestion that comes. The objector has surely\nforgotten, or has not contemplated the great truth that the whole\nGospel plan taught in the Scriptures rests upon the vicarious atonement\nof the Lord Jesus Christ.\n\nTHE HOLY GHOST.\n\n\"Fourth--Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost.\"\n\nWhen the Apostle Peter preached to those who sought salvation, he said:\n\"Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ\nfor the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy\nGhost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all\nthat are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call\" (Acts\nii: 38, 39). Here is the offer to all of this blessed boon, the gift\nof the Holy Ghost, after baptism for the remission of sins. It was to\nthem, and their children, and to all that are afar off. There was no\nexclusiveness in this; the Gospel was open to all. By conforming to its\nlaws, men receive the benefits of their own obedience. It is the great\nnatural order of cause and effect. Comply with the conditions, the\nresult must follow. The sincerely repentant believer, baptized in the\nproper manner, and by an authorized servant of God, is entitled to the\ngift of the Holy Ghost as a matter of right.\n\nHow is he to receive it? Just as did the baptized believers under\nthe ministry of the Apostles: \"Now, when the Apostles which were at\nJerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent\nunto them Peter and John: who, when they were come down, prayed for\nthem, 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\nthe Holy {442} Ghost\" (Acts viii: 14-17); \"through laying on of the\nApostles' hands the Holy Ghost was given\" (v. 18). The Ephesians also\n\"were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid\nhis hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with\ntongues and prophesied\" (Acts xix: 5,6).\n\nOf the office of the Holy Ghost the Lord says: \"Howbeit when he, the\nSpirit of Truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he\nshall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he\nspeak: and he will show you things to come. He shall glorify me: for\nhe shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you\" (John xvi: 13,\n14). Here is the promise of guidance and revelation by the Holy Ghost.\nIts gifts are wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, working of miracles,\ndiscernment of spirits, divers kinds of tongues, etc. (1 Cor. xii:\n4-11). Wherever the Holy Ghost is bestowed, there are its gifts and\ngraces manifest.\n\nDIVINE AUTHORITY.\n\n\"We believe that a man must be called of God, by 'prophecy, and by\nthe laying on of hands,' by those who are in authority, to preach the\nGospel and administer in the ordinances thereof.\"\n\nThe testimony of Scripture upon this is that Jesus \"ordained twelve,\nthat they should be with Him, and that He might send them forth to\npreach, and to have power to heal sicknesses, and to cast out devils\"\n(Mark iii: 14, 15). To His Apostles He said: \"Ye have not chosen me,\nbut I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring\nforth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever you\nshall ask of the Father in my name, He may give it you\" (John xv: 16);\nand of them, in praying to His Father, He testified: \"As Thou has sent\nme into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world\" (John\nxvii: 18). His Father had sent Him and had \"given Him authority,\"\nand in like manner He gave authority to His Apostles. They in turn\ncommissioned others to act in the ministry--\"they ordained them Elders\nin every church\" (Acts xiv: 23). As Paul has said, \"No man taketh this\nhonor unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron\" (Heb.\nv: 4). Aaron was called by the voice of God, through Moses (Exodus iv:\n14, 15).\n\nThe acts of those who are authorized to officiate in the ordinances\nof the Gospel--to whom are committed the keys of the Kingdom--are\nrecognized by the Lord, and are given full force. \"Whatsoever thou\nshalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatsoever thou shalt\nloose on earth shall be {443} loosed in heaven\" (Matt, xvi: 19). But\nthose not authorized receive no such recognition.\n\nOFFICERS.\n\n\"We believe in the same organization that existed in the primitive\nChurch, viz.: Apostles, Prophets, Pastors, Teachers, Evangelists, etc.\"\n\nThe Apostle Paul taught that there was \"one Lord, one faith, one\nbaptism,\" and said of the Redeemer, \"Wherefore He saith, when He\nascended up on high, He led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.\nAnd He gave some, Apostles; and some, Prophets; and some, Evangelists;\nand some, Pastors and Teachers\" (Eph. iv: 8, 11). He also preached:\n\"Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular. And God\nhath set some in the Church, first Apostles, secondarily Prophets,\nthirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps,\ngovernments, diversities of tongues\" (1 Cor. xii: 27, 28).\n\nGod set these in the Church, is the Apostle's testimony. Shall man say\nthat they are not proper? The Lord has never changed the organization;\non the contrary, these officers were given \"for the perfecting of the\nSaints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body\nof Christ: till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the\nknowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of\nthe stature of the fulness of Christ; that we henceforth be no more\nchildren, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of\ndoctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they\nlie in wait to deceive\" (Eph. iv: 12-14).\n\nIs there work for the ministry? Are the Saints yet to be perfected? Are\nwe still far from the unity of the faith? Are we less than the stature\nof the fulness of Christ in the knowledge of God? With the present\nspectacle of jarring sects, religious discords, and disputations of\ndoctrines, no intelligent person would venture to give other than an\naffirmative reply to these inquiries. There is evidently abundant work\nfor the ministry, and therefore a necessity for Apostles, Prophets, and\nall the officers that God has set in His Church. Wherever that Church\nis organized upon the earth, there will these officers be found, with\nall the authority, gifts and powers that accompany the offices. The\nchurch which has them not is not the Church of Christ, according to the\nevidence presented by the word of God.\n\n{444}\n\nSPIRITUAL GIFTS.\n\n\"We believe in the gift of tongues, prophecy, revelation, visions,\nhealing, interpretation of tongues, etc.\"\n\nThese are the gifts of the Spirit, which Christ promised should follow\nthe believers. They are the signs which confirmed the preaching of the\nGospel by the Apostles: \"And He said unto them, Go ye into all the\nworld, and preach the Gospel to every creature. He that believeth and\nis baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.\nAnd these signs shall follow them that believe: In my name shall they\ncast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up\nserpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them;\nthey shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover. So then\nafter the Lord had spoken unto them, He was received up into heaven,\nand sat on the right hand of God. And they went forth and preached\neverywhere, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with\nsigns following\" (Mark xvi: 15-20).\n\nOf these are the miracles wrought by our Lord and Savior. God hath\nset in the Church \"miracles, gifts of healings, helps, governments,\ndiversities of tongues\" (1 Cor. xii: 26). Never at any time has He\nsaid they should be done away. He is an unchangeable being, a God of\nmiracles to-day as much as at any period of the world's history. He\ncannot be otherwise and still occupy His exalted position. He cannot\nbe shorn of His power to manifest the gifts of His Spirit among the\nchildren of men, when the latter comply with His laws. His arm is not\nshortened, or His power to save diminished. If miracles, and healings,\nand prophecy, and the other gifts of the Spirit do not exist among men,\nit is for the same reason that in ancient days the Lord Jesus, in \"His\nown country,\" \"could do no mighty work, save that He laid His hands on\na few sick folk, and healed them,\" namely, \"because of their unbelief\"\n(Mark vi: 6, 7).\n\nThose who dwell on the earth to-day are equally the children of our\nFather with those who lived nineteen centuries ago, and have an equal\nclaim on His blessings if they observe His laws and exercise the same\nfaith in Him as did His disciples anciently. \"For the promise is unto\nyou, and to your children, and to all that are afar off,\" said Peter,\nin his proclamation of the Gospel, of which Paul said, \"But though we,\nor an angel from heaven, preach any other Gospel unto you than that\nwhich we have preached unto you, let him be accursed\" (Gal. i: 8).\n\n{445}\n\nTHE APOSTASY.\n\nThe Latter-day Saints believe that but for the apostasy of the\nprimitive Christian Church, it would have remained with the same\norganization, powers and ordinances; with Apostles, Prophets, healings,\nmiracles, and all the gifts of the Spirit, up to the present time.\nThat these ceased to exist among men is proof that there has been a\ndeparture from the Gospel. If the organization had remained it would\nhave been in the same form as God placed it, and the true successors\nto the Apostles would have followed their example when they filled the\nvacancy made in the Twelve by Judas's apostasy--by selecting Matthias\nto be numbered with the Apostles (Acts i: 26). But there was no\nsuccession to the Twelve through the generations which succeeded them,\ntherefore the organization ceased to exist among men.\n\nIf there was to be an event of such importance in the world's history\nas a great apostasy, surely the disciples would have had an intimation\nof it through the inspiration of the Holy Ghost. By reference to\ntheir writings we find that they had this knowledge, and prophesied\nconcerning it. Paul wrote to Timothy that the time would come when men\nwould not endure sound doctrine, but would heap to themselves teachers,\nand turn away from the truth. (2 Tim. iv: 3, 4). He also taught that in\nthe last days perilous times should come, when men should be \"lovers\nof pleasure more than lovers of God; having a form of godliness, but\ndenying the power thereof\" (2 Tim. iii: 1-5).\n\nTo the Thessalonians was borne this testimony respecting the great\napostasy: \"Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord\nJesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto Him, that ye be not\nsoon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word,\nnor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. Let no\nman deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there\ncome a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of\nperdition; who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called\nGod, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of\nGod, shewing himself that he is God. Remember ye not, that, when I was\nyet with you, I told you these things? And now ye know what withholdeth\nthat he might be revealed in his time. For the mystery of iniquity doth\nalready work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out\nof the way\" (2 Thess. ii: 1-7). The \"mystery of iniquity\" was making\nits influence felt at that early day. Paul had warned {446} the people\nof what was coming; as he says, \"When I was yet with you I told you\nthese things.\"\n\nIn the record of the vision given to the Apostle John, which he says\nwas \"the revelation of Jesus Christ,\" we are informed that John was\nshown \"things which shall be hereafter.\" Of one of the beasts which\nhe saw as typical of a power which should rise up in the earth, it is\nsaid, \"And it was given to him to make war with the Saints, and to\novercome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues,\nand nations\" (Rev. xiii: 7).\n\nThis is some of the scriptural evidence concerning the great power\nwhich was to deceive the nations of the earth and pervert the Gospel by\nteaching men and women that Apostles and Prophets were not necessary,\nand that the gifts of the Holy Ghost were done away, till Christendom\nhas been brought to the apostate condition in which it is to-day. So\ncomplete was the work of this \"mystery of iniquity,\" of the beast that\n\"made war with the Saints and overcame them,\" that it was necessary for\nan angel to be sent from heaven with the Gospel message for mankind.\nJohn says of this event: \"And I saw another angel fly in the midst of\nheaven, having the everlasting Gospel to preach unto them that dwell on\nthe earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people\"\n(Rev. xiv: 6).\n\nTHE BOOK OF MORMON.\n\n\"We believe the Bible to be the word of God, as far as it is translated\ncorrectly; we also believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God.\"\n\nFor people who believe the Bible to be the word of God to also believe\nthat another record is His word, the two must be consistent with each\nother. There can be no conflict between them. For both to be the word\nof God, they must be divinely inspired, and their teachings be in\nperfect harmony. While it would by no means be certain that a record\nwhich has passed through so many hands as have the Bible manuscripts,\nwith a loss of some, at least, of the sacred writings, would contain a\nreference to another record which was to be made by a separate branch\nof the House of Israel, yet it would not be unreasonable to hope that\npossibly an allusion to it might be found in some of the prophetic\nwritings.\n\nThis hope is not without foundation with respect to the Book of Mormon,\nwhich is a history of a part of the House of Israel, on the American\ncontinent. The Prophet Ezekiel says: {447} \"The word of the Lord came\nagain unto me, saying, Moreover, thou son of man, take thee one stick,\nand write upon it, For Judah, and for the children of Israel his\ncompanions: then take another stick, and write upon it, For Joseph, the\nstick of Ephraim, and for all the House of Israel his companions: and\njoin them one to another into one stick: and they shall become one in\nthine hand. And when the children of thy people shall speak unto thee,\nsaying, Wilt thou not show unto us what thou meanest by these? Say unto\nthem, Thus saith the Lord God: Behold, I will take the stick of Joseph,\nwhich is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel his fellows,\nand will put them with him, even with the stick of Judah, and they\nshall be one in mine hand\" (Ezekiel xxxvii: 15-19).\n\nThe \"stick of Judah\" is the record which we have of the Jews--the\nBible; the \"stick of Ephraim\" is the other record, which we have in\nthe Book of Mormon; and both records have become one in the hand of\nthe Lord. Hosea says that to Ephraim had been written the great things\nof the law (Hosea xiii: 12), and the Savior informed His disciples of\nothers that He must visit: \"And other sheep I have, which are not of\nthis fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and\nthere shall be one fold, and one shepherd\" (John x: 16). These other\nsheep were to hear His voice--to receive a personal visit from Him.\n\nThe history of the coming forth of the Book of Mormon is, briefly\nstated, that its existence and whereabouts were revealed to the Prophet\nJoseph Smith by an angel sent from heaven. This angel said his name was\nMoroni, and that in the year A.D. 420 he had buried the sacred record\nin the hill Cumorah, which is located in the northern part of the State\nof New York. After Joseph had received several visits and had been\ninstructed by the heavenly messenger, the plates were entrusted to his\ncare, with a Urim and Thummim for their translation. Each plate was six\ninches wide and eight inches long, and not quite as thick as common\ntin. They were filled with engravings in Egyptian characters, and\nbound together in a volume, as the leaves of a book, with three rings\nrunning through the whole. The volume was something near six inches in\nthickness, a part of it being sealed. The characters on the unsealed\npart were small and beautifully engraved. The whole book exhibited many\nmarks of antiquity in its construction, and much skill in the art of\nengraving. The Urim and Thummim consisted of two transparent stones set\nin the rim of a bow fastened to a breastplate. The unsealed portion of\nthe plates was {448} translated, and the whole were again taken charge\nof by the angel. The part which had been translated was published early\nin 1830, as the Book of Mormon, according to the command of God. It is\nan abridgment made by the Prophet Mormon, father of Moroni, from the\nrecords of his forefathers. On the title page is this statement:\n\n    Wherefore it is an abridgment of the record of the people of\n    Nephi, and also of the Lamanites; written to the Lamanites who are\n    a remnant of the house of Israel; and also to Jew and Gentile:\n    written by way of commandment, and also by the Spirit of prophecy\n    and of revelation. Written and sealed up, and hid up unto the Lord,\n    that they might not be destroyed; to come forth by the gift and\n    power of God unto the interpretation thereof; sealed by the hand of\n    Moroni, and hid up unto the Lord, to come forth in due time by the\n    way of Gentile; the interpretation thereof by the gift of God.\n\n    An abridgment taken from the book of Ether also; which is a record\n    of the people of Jared; who were scattered at the time the Lord\n    confounded the language of the people when they were building a\n    tower to get to heaven; which is to shew unto the remnant of the\n    House of Israel what great things the Lord hath done for their\n    fathers; and that they may know the covenants of the Lord, that\n    they are not cast off forever; and also to the convincing of\n    the Jew and Gentile that JESUS is the CHRIST, the ETERNAL GOD,\n    manifesting Himself unto all nations. And now if there are faults,\n    they are the mistakes of men: wherefore condemn not the things of\n    God, that ye may be found spotless at the judgment-seat of Christ.\n\nSeveral persons were permitted to view the plates, among the number\nbeing the \"Three Witnesses,\" who thus testify of what they saw and\nheard:\n\n    The Testimony of Three Witnesses.--Be it known unto all nations,\n    kindreds, tongues, and people unto whom this work shall come, that\n    we, through the grace of God the Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ,\n    have seen the plates which contain this record, which is a record\n    of the people of Nephi, and also of the Lamanites, their brethren,\n    and also of the people of Jared, who came from the tower of which\n    hath been spoken; and we also know that they have been translated\n    by the gift and the power of God, for His voice hath declared it\n    unto us; wherefore we know of a surety that the work is true. And\n    we also testify that we have seen the engravings which are upon\n    the plates; and they have been shewn unto us by the power of God,\n    and not of man. And we declare with words of soberness, that an\n    angel of God came down from heaven, and he brought and laid before\n    our eyes, that we beheld and saw the plates, and the engravings\n    thereon; and we know that it is by the grace of God the Father, and\n    our Lord Jesus Christ, that we beheld and bear record that these\n    things are true; and it is marvellous in our eyes, nevertheless the\n    voice of the Lord commanded us that we should bear record of it;\n    wherefore, to be obedient unto the commandments of God, we bear\n    testimony of these things. And we know that if we are faithful in\n    Christ, we shall rid our garments of the blood of all men, and be\n    found spotless {449} before the judgment-seat of Christ, and shall\n    dwell with Him eternally in the heavens. And the honor be to the\n    Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost, which is one God.\n    Amen.\n\n    Oliver Cowdery, David Whitmer, Martin Harris.\n\nFrom that testimony they never varied. They were separated from the\nLatter-day Saints, having departed from the Church, to which they\nbelonged for a time after its organization. But nothing could induce\nthem to change their statement. It was true, and they knew it. In\ntheir old age Oliver Cowdery and Martin Harris returned to the Church.\nDavid Whitmer never did. He was the last to survive, his death having\noccurred in January, 1888, at Richmond, Missouri. When on his deathbed\nhe called his family and friends around him, and made to them a solemn\ndeclaration that he knew the Book of Mormon, and his testimony thereto,\nto be true.\n\nEight others also testify as follows:\n\n    The Testimony of Eight Witnesses.--Be it known unto all nations,\n    kindreds, tongues, and people unto whom this work shall come, that\n    Joseph Smith, Jun., the translator of this work, has shewn unto us\n    the plates of which hath been spoken, which have the appearance of\n    gold; and as many of the leaves as the said Smith has translated,\n    we did handle with our hands; and we also saw the engravings\n    thereon, all of which has the appearance of ancient work, and\n    of curious workmanship. And this we bear record with words of\n    soberness, that the saith Smith has shewn unto us, for we have\n    seen and hefted, and know of a surety that the said Smith has got\n    the plates of which we have spoken. And we give our names unto the\n    world, to witness unto the world that which we have seen, and we\n    lie not, God bearing witness of it.\n\n    Christian Whitmer, Hiram Page, Jacob Whitmer, Joseph Smith, Sen.,\n    Peter Whitmer, Jun., Hyrum Smith, John Whitmer, Samuel H. Smith.\n\nLike the three, they never faltered in maintaining that what they had\nsubscribed to respecting the Book of Mormon was the truth, and was with\nthem an absolute knowledge.\n\nOf further evidence concerning the authenticity of the Book of Mormon,\nthere is in this sketch an opportunity of saying but little. Regarding\nthe external proof, it must suffice to merely call attention to the\ndevelopments of archaeological research on the American continent. When\nthe Book of Mormon was first published it was the accepted theory of\nthe civilized world that {450} America was not peopled by any nation\nof ancient times which had made marked progress in civilization. But\nsubsequently, from the appearance of Captain Dupaix's book in 1834-5,\nfollowed by the evidence of Lord Kingsborough, Stevens and Catherwood,\nPowell, and other well-known archaeologists and explorers, a change\ncame with respect to this matter, until now there is no doubt of the\nadvanced position reached by ancient American civilization, as well\nas of the great antiquity of the native American races. The ruined\ntemples and crumbling palaces of the ancient cities of Uxmal, Copan,\nPalenque, Quiche, and scores of others, whose architecture rivals\nthat of any contemporaneous cities of the Old World, bear silent but\nincontrovertible testimony to the historical truth of the Book of\nMormon.\n\nWith internal evidence of its divine authenticity, the volume is amply\nprovided. It presents a code of ethics whose purity and godliness are\nunexcelled by any publication that has seen the light of day. In its\npages there are no anachronisms and no contradictions. The various\nwriters are in perfect accord. Compared with the great truths of\nscience and nature, there are no absurdities and no inconsistencies.\nBetween it and the Bible there is complete harmony in doctrine and\nin prophecy. It is a book that would be profitable reading to any\nthoughtful person. No intelligent, honest and sincere seeker after\ntruth can give it thorough examination and consideration, with an\nunderstanding of the circumstances under which it was brought forth,\nwithout being convinced that in giving to the world the Book of Mormon,\nGod has wrought one of the greatest miracles of any age or time.\n\nREVELATION.\n\n\"We believe all that God has revealed, all that He does now reveal, and\nthat He will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to\nthe kingdom of God.\"\n\nWhen the Lord promised His disciples the Holy Ghost, He informed them\nthat it would teach them all things (John xiv: 20); \"He shall receive\nof mine, and shall show it unto you\" (John xvi: 14). This was a direct\npromise of revelation through the medium of the Holy Ghost, therefore\nbelief in revelation is a scriptural doctrine. It is the communication\nto men of knowledge from God: \"Howbeit. when He, the Spirit of Truth,\nis come, He will guide you into all truth: for He shall not speak of\nHimself; but whatsoever He shall hear, that shall He speak; and He will\nshow you things to come\" (John {451} xvi: 13). This is the word of\nthe Lord--that the Holy Ghost should reveal things to come. The same\ncondition which caused the withdrawal of the other gifts of the Spirit\nalso caused the withdrawal of the gift of revelation. It was because\nof the apostasy--the unbelief of man. Never has the Lord said that\nHe would reveal no more to the children of men. But He has forbidden\nmen to add to or take from that which He reveals (Rev. xxii: 18, 19).\nWhenever the Almighty has authorized servants upon the earth, there is\nwith them the gift of revelation. \"Surely the Lord God will do nothing,\nbut He revealeth His secret unto His servants the Prophets\" (Amos iii:\n7). The Apostle says that if a man lacks wisdom, and asks in faith for\nGod to bestow it on him, He will do so liberally (James i: 5, 6).\n\nRESTORATION OF THE GOSPEL.\n\nThe tidings which the Latter-day Saints bear to the world are, that\nthe Gospel has been restored to earth in this dispensation; that the\npresent is the time of which Paul wrote, \"that in the dispensation of\nthe fulness of times He might gather together in one all things in\nChrist, both which are in heaven and which are on earth; even in Him\"\n(Eph. i: 10). It is this restoration which John the Revelator saw in\nvision on the Isle of Patmos, and of which he says: \"And I saw another\nangel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting Gospel to\npreach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and\nkindred, and tongue, and people, saying with a loud voice, Fear God and\ngive glory to Him; for the hour of His judgment is come: and worship\nHim that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of\nwaters\" (Rev. xiv: 6, 7).\n\nThe Latter-day Saints testify that this angel has appeared, and has\nrestored the Gospel, which is now being preached to the nations.\nIt is the same now as anciently, with all the gifts, powers and\nblessings. Nothing is lacking. It is presented to all people for their\nconsideration. The most thorough investigation is invited. There is\nnothing to conceal or hold back. It is not the province of the Gospel\nto put its light under a bushel, but to entreat all men to come forward\nand test its truth. \"Prove all things; hold fast that which is good,\"\nwas the admonition of the Apostle Paul; the same invitation is extended\nto-day.\n\nMen are given intelligence; they are in possession of reasoning power.\nIt is an insult to Deity to say that He forbids us to use these in\nseeking for knowledge. He asks for intelligent {452} conformity to the\neternal laws of truth, not for blind obedience to the dogmas of men. He\nhas given to man his free agency. As expressed in the hymn:\n\n  \"Know this, that every soul is free\n  To choose his life and what he'll be;\n  For this eternal truth is given,\n  That God will force no man to heaven.\n\n  \"He'll call, persuade, direct aright--\n  Bless him with wisdom, love and light--\n  In nameless ways be good and kind,\n  But never force the human mind.\n\n  \"Freedom and reason make us men;\n  Take these away, what are we then?\n  Mere animals, and just as well\n  The beasts may think of heaven or hell.\"\n\nThis free agency was recognized by the Divine Master who said to the\nJews, \"Search the Scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal\nlife: and they are they which testify of me\" (John v: 39). To this\ntestimony and counsel of the Lord the Latter-day Saints direct\nattention.\n\nOTHER DOCTRINES.\n\nOf the other principles believed in by the Latter-day Saints there is\nnot upon this occasion opportunity to speak at length. These are: The\ngathering of Israel; the Restoration of the Ten Tribes; the support of\nEarthly Governments for the Protection of Human Rights; the Building\nup of Zion and Rebuilding of Jerusalem; the Resurrection; the Second\nComing of Christ to reign as Lord of lords and King of kings--all\nof which are doctrines of the Bible, as clearly maintained in its\nteachings as those which have been spoken of.\n\nThe Latter-day Saints believe--indeed testify that they know they\nare fulfilling the predicted gathering of Israel in the last days by\nthe command and power of God; that their gathering on the American\ncontinent is upon the land of Zion, the land of Joseph, whose blessings\nhave prevailed \"unto the utmost bounds of the everlasting hills\" (Gen.\nxlix: 26); that the mountain of the house of the Lord is \"established\nin the top of the mountains\" (Micah iv: 1). With implicit faith that\nthe Lord will confirm their testimony, they declare that He has sent\nHis messenger before Him in latter days, to prepare the way for His\ncoming (Mala. iii: 1).\n\nIt may be well to refer to their ordinance of marriage, of which\nthere appears to be such a misunderstanding in the world. This can be\nbriefly stated. The Latter-day Saints believe {453} that marriage is\nordained of God; that He has revealed to them its everlasting covenant;\nthat when the ceremony is performed by His authority, the union of\nhusband and wife is eternal--that it is bound on earth and bound in the\nheavens. \"And they twain shall be one flesh: so then they are no more\ntwain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not\nman put asunder\" (Mark x: 8, 9). It is a covenant that is entered into\nvoluntarily by the parties; there can be no compulsion in this, or in\nany of the ordinances of the Gospel.\n\nWith the Latter-day Saints the principle of celestial marriage is the\nunion of husband and wife for time and eternity. They believe the\nfamily relation exists in the celestial kingdom of God. They also have\npronounced views upon the purpose of the union of the sexes. They do\nnot believe that its object is the gratification of passion, but that\nsuch an idea is wicked in its inception and damning in its practice.\nThey believe that a departure from the paths of virtue is punishable by\nthe severest penalties, and that the violation of the marriage covenant\nis an offense which ranks next to the crime of murder.\n\nA GLANCE AT HISTORY.\n\nThe Prophet Joseph Smith was born at Sharon, Windsor County, Vermont,\nU. S. A., December 23, 1805, his father being a farmer. In the spring\nof the year 1820, when Joseph was a little over fourteen years of age,\nhe became deeply interested in religious matters. He read the passage\nin James i: 5: \"If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that\ngiveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not, and it shall be given\nhim.\" With full reliance upon that promise in the Divine Word, this\nhumble lad prayed to God and received the heavenly manifestation. He\ncontinued faithful and was instructed by messengers from heaven, and\nreceived and brought forth the Book of Mormon. When these facts became\nknown to the people in the vicinity of where he resided, he was made\nthe object of false and slanderous reports, and severe persecutions.\nMany attempts were made to kill him, and every device was used to get\nthe plates from him; but the Lord protected him, and people began to\nbelieve his testimony. In 1829, John the Baptist came and ordained him\nto the Aaronic Priesthood; in the same year the Apostles Peter, James\nand John ordained him to the Apostleship.\n\nIn obedience to the command of God, the Church of Jesus Christ was\nonce more organized on the earth, with the promise from the Lord\nthat it would never again be taken from among {454} men; that it was\nrestored preparatory to the ushering in of Christ's millennial reign\non earth. Some of its members were ordained and sent out to preach.\nThose who received their testimony and were baptized were filled with\nthe Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands, and the word was confirmed\nwith signs following. The Church rapidly increased in membership, and\nbranches were organized in many of the States. A Temple was erected\nin Kirtland, Ohio. The State of Missouri became the principal place\nfor the gathering of the people; but because they would not join in\nthe practices of the lawless element there, and were believers in an\nunpopular religion, an organized mob drove them from their habitations,\ncontrary to law, justice and humanity, to wander on the bleak prairies,\nin wintry weather, till they left the tracks of their bleeding feet on\nthe frozen ground. Men, women and children were subjected to the most\nfiendish outrages--starved, tortured, butchered. This was in a land\nthat boasted of religious freedom and tolerance!\n\nFinally, about twelve thousand who had escaped the exterminating order\nof Missouri's mob found a resting place in Illinois, and built up the\nbeautiful city of Nauvoo. But the refuge was only temporary, for the\nbigot and the criminal united in a relentless and bloody warfare upon\nthem. Less than six years after their expulsion from Missouri, their\nProphet was assassinated in Carthage jail, while in the hands of the\nofficers of the law, and under the pledged protection of the governor\nof the State, Thomas Ford. This was on June 27, 1844. Joseph Smith had\ncommitted no offense; he was guilty of no wrong. \"The law cannot reach\nhim, but powder and ball shall!\" was the cry of his murderers. The\nblood of the martyred Prophet and his fellow-religionists still cries\nto God for vengeance!\n\nThe enemies of the Saints, however, were doomed to disappointment, for\nthe death of the Prophet did not stop the work, or break up the Church\norganization. The leadership devolved on the Twelve Apostles, with\nBrigham Young as their President; even greater energy was displayed\nthan before, and the Temple at Nauvoo was soon completed. Fiendish\nplots were laid, and barbarous plans adopted to blacken the character\nof the \"Mormon\" people, and make them appear abominable in the eyes\nof the public. Numerous atrocities were committed by the mobocrats,\nwho falsely attributed them to the Saints, and thus aroused public\nindignation against them.\n\nHoping to secure immunity from these unjustifiable attacks, they\nconsented to move from the State, the mob agreeing to {455} allow them\nto remain in peace a given time, so the exodus could be accomplished.\nThis agreement was soon disregarded by the persecutors, who were\nreckless, and impatient to despoil the Saints. When a portion of the\nlatter had left Nauvoo, the remnant was attacked by an armed force,\nand driven into Iowa in a destitute condition. General Thomas L. Kane,\nof Philadelphia, who passed that way a few days afterward, related his\nexperience in a lecture before the Historical Society of Pennsylvania.\nThe following is an extract from his address: \"Dreadful, indeed, was\nthe suffering of these forsaken beings; bowed and cramped by cold and\nsunburn, alternating as each weary day and night dragged on, they were,\nalmost all of them, the crippled victims of disease. They were there\nbecause they had no homes, nor hospital, nor poor-house, nor friends\nto offer them any. They could not satisfy the feeble cravings of their\nsick; they had not bread to quiet the fractious hunger-cries of their\nchildren. Mothers and babes, daughters and grandparents, all of them\nalike, were bivouacked in tatters, wanting even covering to comfort\nthose whom the sick shivers of fever were searching to the marrow.\nThese were Mormons, famishing in Lee County, Iowa, in the fourth week\nof the month of September, in the year of our Lord 1846. The city--it\nwas Nauvoo, Illinois. The Mormons were the owners of that city, and the\nsmiling country around. And those who had stopped their plows, who had\nsilenced their hammers, their axes, their shuttles, and their workshop\nwheels; those who had put out their fires, who had eaten their food,\nspoiled their orchards, and trampled under foot their thousands of\nacres of unharvested bread--these were the keepers of their dwellings,\nthe carousers in their Temple, whose drunken riot insulted the ears of\ntheir dying.\"\n\nOut into the trackless American wilds, into an Indian country, the\n\"Mormons\" wended their way, weary and destitute, for more than fifteen\nhundred miles, their pathway being marked by the graves of their dead.\nThe history of their privations and sufferings is harrowing in the\nextreme. The lives of not less than a thousand of their number were\nsacrificed in the relentless persecutions connected with the exodus\nfrom Illinois. But God opened their way, and as a result of their\nunity, humility and faith through severe tribulations and deep sorrows,\nthey were guided to a refuge in the valley of the Great Salt Lake.\nThree years later, in 1850, Congress created the Territory of Utah.\nUnder the territorial form of government, the governor, secretary,\njudges, marshals, postmasters, election and other territorial officers,\nare appointed by the President of the United States.\n\n{456} In their new home, the Saints increased in numbers and were\nbeginning to enjoy some of the comforts of life, as a reward of their\ntoil, when, in 1857, the national government was induced, through\nthe misrepresentations of some of its officials, to send an army\nagainst the \"Mormons,\" who prepared for another exodus, and to defend\nthemselves. But the time required in such an undertaking gave the\ngovernment an opportunity to discover that it had been misled and to\nchange its course. The record of the expedition, with its expenditure\nof twenty millions of dollars, stands as a monument of the folly of\njudging a matter hastily.\n\nThe current of popular opinion, however, had set in strongly against\nthe Saints, and it is difficult to change it; but the majority of\nthose with whom they are now in contact are not the lawless element\nof Missouri and Illinois, so that the violence of former times is no\nlonger used against the body of the people where they are known. But\nthe adverse feeling caused legislation hostile to them. They bowed to\nthe law, content to leave the issue between those who raised their\nhands against them and the God of Israel, in whose justice, mercy and\nomnipotence they have perfect confidence. Their Church property was\nseized by the government--property which was the voluntary gift of\nChurch members, for the support of the poor, the building of Temples,\nand similar purposes. But with a better understanding of the motives\nand lives of the Saints, the government recognized the great wrong\ndone, and sought to right it. The forfeited property not wasted in\nlitigation was restored, adverse legislation ceased, friendliness\nsuperseded an unjust, mistaken antagonism, and in 1896 Utah was\nadmitted to statehood.\n\nPRESENT CONDITION.\n\nThe results of the industry, integrity and thrift of the Saints, as\nshown by their present condition, are a complete refutation of the\naccusations of evil made against them. A corrupt tree cannot bring\nforth good fruit. Utah, the chief centre of their gathering place, has\na population of 270,000, seventy-five per cent, being \"Mormons.\" Ninety\npercent of the heads of families live in their own houses and on their\nown lands. The fruitful orchards, rich fields and farms, successful\nindustries and beautiful cities, towns and villages, present to the\nview a paradise upon earth; while the vigor and cheerfulness of old\nand middle-aged and young betoken the health, prosperity and happiness\nwhich are God's own gifts to this people, in whose hearts dwells more\nabundantly than in those {457} of any other community that love of God\nand of their fellow men which is the fruit of a pure and noble life in\nthe service of the great Creator.\n\nNot alone in Utah do the Latter-day Saints find a home. Their hundreds\nof settlements bedeck the mountain valleys from the province of\nAlberta, in Canada, through Montana, Oregon, Idaho, Nevada, Wyoming,\nUtah, Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico, in the United States, to\nChihuahua, in Old Mexico, on either side of a line which reaches\nfifteen hundred miles along the backbone of the American continent.\n\nAs an ecclesiastical organization, the first officers in the Church are\ndivinely commissioned Apostles of the Lord Jesus, and divine authority\nis possessed by the whole body of Priesthood, down to the office of\nDeacon. Almost the entire male membership of the Church is included in\nthis classification; while there are organizations for the women and\nchildren. Over four hundred districts, or wards, are united in larger\norganizations called Stakes of Zion, all combining in a perfect system.\n\nFUTURE DESTINY.\n\nThe Saints have an abiding faith in the future glorious destiny of\nthe work in which they are engaged. From its inception there has been\nsteady and rapid progress. Its Elders have carried the glad tidings\nto the nations as God has given them strength. They have not preached\nfor money nor divined for hire. Freely they have received; freely they\ngive. Persecution has followed those who have obeyed the Gospel, just\nas it did anciently. But with each wave of adversity the Church has\ngrown stronger, and its opponents have been restricted in their ability\nto inflict injuries on its members. Each successive blow of its foes\nhas fallen more lightly than the one which preceded it; while the\nSaints have been brightened and made better by the experience gained\nin drawing nearer to the Lord. No Latter-day Saint has any doubt of\nthe ultimate triumph of the principles he has received in the Gospel.\nThey form the plan of life, the power of God unto salvation. The Church\nis organized never again to be overcome. Its destiny is to continue\nto increase until its Founder and Head, the Lord Jesus Christ, will\nestablish His eternal kingdom, and righteousness shall rule from the\nrivers to the ends of the earth.\n\nTHE GOSPEL MESSAGE.\n\nThe purpose of the Gospel is to lead us back to God, improved by the\nknowledge and experience we have gained. {458} There is no truth in\nany department of life that is without its pale; no knowledge that is\nbeyond its reach. Its truth is the sum of all existence, the knowledge\nof things that have been, that are, and that will be. God is truth, and\nHis Gospel is the plan whereby we may be saved in His presence. This\nis the doctrine that our Lord and Savior taught; this is the message\ngiven to the Latter-day Saints, and which they proclaim to the world.\nThey call upon all men to repent and do the will of God. They invite\nsincere seekers after truth everywhere. They present to the world an\nexample of the marvelous power of the Gospel they have obeyed. By their\nfruits they show its effects. They have solved the problem of a happy,\nprosperous and contented life, free from sin and sorrow, from poverty\nand idleness, from hatred and hypocrisy. They present to the rest of\nmankind the example of a people who put into practice their belief in\nbeing honest, industrious, true, chaste, benevolent, and in doing good\nto all men. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report,\nor praiseworthy, they seek after those things.\n\nTo all men they bear the message of the Gospel which has made them\nthus. They leave no room for deceit and delusion. They claim to have\ndivine authority and divine principles, and they offer the proof, which\nis in the reach of every true, honest, virtuous man and woman. It is\nthe test which the Lord has commanded them to proffer to mankind, the\nsame that He applied to Himself: \"My doctrine is not mine, but His that\nsent me. If any man will do His will, he shall know of the doctrine,\nwhether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself\" (John vii: 16, 17).\n\nThere can be no mistake about it, for if it be not of God, He will not\ngive the knowledge. But tens of thousands of Latter-day Saints bear\nwitness that they have received the testimony from Him. It is true,\nand we bear you witness now of its truth. Hereby we know that we know\nHim, that we keep His commandments. The Apostle John says: \"Whosoever\ntransgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God.\nHe that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father\nand the Son. If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine,\nreceive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed: for he that\nbiddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds\" (2 John: 9-11).\n\nThat we do bring this doctrine, and that it is true, is the testimony\nwhich we now give, and which we will meet before {459} the pleasing bar\nof the Great Jehovah, the eternal judge of both quick and dead. And may\nthe grace of God the Father, whose throne is high in the heavens, and\nthe Lord Jesus Christ, who sitteth on the right hand of His power until\nall things shall become subject unto Him, be and abide forever with\nthose who seek to serve Him in spirit and in truth. Amen.\n\n    \"_When the day comes in which the Kingdom of God will bear rule,\n    the flag of the United States will proudly flutter unsullied on\n    the flagstaff of liberty and equal rights, without a spot to sully\n    its fair surface; the glorious flag our fathers have bequeathed to\n    us will then be unfurled to the breeze by those who have power to\n    hoist it aloft and defend its sanctity_.\"\n\n    --_Brigham Young_.\n\n    \"_How consoling to the mourners, when they are called to part with\n    a husband, wife, father, mother, child or dear relative, to know\n    that although the earthly tabernacle is laid down and dissolved,\n    they shall rise again to dwell in everlasting burnings in immortal\n    glory, not to sorrow, suffer or die any more; but they shall be\n    heirs of God and joint heirs with Jesus Christ_.\"\n\n    --_Joseph Smith, The Prophet_.\n\n{460}\n\n\n\nA WORD ABOUT SUCCESSION. (1907.)\n\n(_From Saturday's \"News_.\")\n\nA correspondent writing from Parker, Idaho, requests a reply, through\nthe columns of the \"News,\" to the question, by whom was President\nYoung ordained to the presidency of the Church? It appears that the\nemissaries of the Reorganite faction have discovered in that question\na fruitful source of sophistical controversy, and that they are\ntriumphantly asking it wherever they go.\n\nThe proper reply is, he was ordained by the Prophet Joseph to that\ncalling, when the Prophet, prompted by the Holy Spirit, conferred upon\nthe Twelve Apostles the power and authority he himself had received.\nThe following statement of facts by Elder Joseph F. Smith, Jr., can be\nverified by the authentic records of the Church:\n\nThe Prophet Joseph earnestly desired that his brother Hyrum should\nlive to succeed him in the presidency of the Church. In the year 1841,\nby command of the Lord, he ordained him to this exalted position, as\nis quite evident from the following, section 124, verses 94-5, of the\nDoctrine and Covenants:\n\n    And from this time forth I appoint unto him (Hyrum Smith) that he\n    may be a Prophet, and a seer, and a revelator unto my Church as\n    well as my servant Joseph.\n\n    That he may act in concert also with my servant Joseph, and that he\n    shall receive counsel from my servant Joseph, who shall show unto\n    him the keys whereby he may ask and receive, and be crowned with\n    the same blessing and glory, and honor, and priesthood, and gifts\n    of the priesthood, that once were put upon him that was my servant\n    Oliver Cowdery.\n\nFrom this revelation we learn that the Lord appointed Hyrum Smith both\nas Patriarch and to act in concert with his brother Joseph in the\npresidency of the Church. In accordance with this revelation, Hyrum was\nso ordained January 24, 1841. This was not in the sense of a counselor\nto {461} Joseph, for at this very appointment Hyrum was removed as\ncounselor to the president, and William Law was ordained in his stead.\n\nJoseph and Hyrum continued to so act from this time forth until their\nmartyrdom, June 27, 1844. Shortly before the martyrdom the Prophet\ntried with all his power to persuade Hyrum not to accompany him to\nCarthage, knowing full well the fate that awaited them there. Had Hyrum\nstayed behind and thereby remained in mortality, he would, by virtue of\nhis position and ordination received in 1841, have become the president\nof the Church. His brother intended that this should be (_Times and\nSeasons 5: 683_), but through his faithfulness to, and love for, his\nbrother, Hyrum fell a martyr before the Prophet Joseph did.\n\nNow mark! The Lord, who knew that Hyrum should receive a martyr's crown\nat Carthage, in the winter of 1843-4, commanded the Prophet to confer\nupon the heads of the twelve Apostles every key, power and principle\nthat the Lord had sealed upon his head. The Prophet declared that he\nknew not why, but the Lord commanded him to endow the twelve with these\nkeys and priesthood, and after it was done, he rejoiced very much,\nsaying in substance, \"Now, if they kill me, you have all the keys and\nall the ordinances and you can confer them upon others and the powers\nof Satan will not be able to tear down the kingdom as fast as you will\nbe able to build it up, and upon your shoulders will the responsibility\nof leading this people rest.\" (_Times and Seasons 5: 651_.)\n\nIn this manner the Prophet ordained the twelve Apostles, which body\nconstitutes the second quorum of the Church, equal in authority with\nthe first presidency. _Doc. and Cov. 107: 23-24_, with the keys of\nthe kingdom. Brigham Young was president of the twelve, and upon him\ndevolved the duty of presiding.\n\nTherefore, after the death of Joseph and Hyrum Smith, the twelve\nassumed, by authority of their office, the duty to preside over\nthe Church. Later, when through revelation the quorum of the first\npresidency was reorganized with three presidents--Brigham Young and\nCounselors Heber C. Kimball and Willard Richards, they claimed, and\nrightfully, that since they were ordained under the hands of Joseph\nSmith and from him had received all the keys and powers of the\npriesthood which the Prophet held, it would have been superfluous\nto have been ordained again. They were in this capacity, however,\nsustained by the unanimous vote of the Saints, {462} which was\nessential to make such ordination of force in the Church.\n\nThere is an abundance of testimony to prove that the Prophet did\nso ordain the twelve, some of which can be found in the _Times and\nSeasons_, volume 5, pages, 561, 664 and 698; also in the _Millennial\nStar_, volume 10, page 115.\n\nWe repeat that Brigham Young received all the keys, powers, authority\nand priesthood, that were held by Joseph Smith, that enabled him to\npreside over the high priesthood, from the Prophet Joseph Smith in\nNauvoo in the winter of 1843-4.\n\nThis important question was settled long ago by the entire body of the\nSaints who accepted the leadership of the twelve, after the departure\nof the Prophet and Patriarch, and sustained President Young in his\noffice. It was settled by the approval of the Almighty of the marvelous\nwork he accomplished, and which could not have been done without divine\naid and guidance. To ascribe the mighty deeds Brigham Young performed\nthrough the power of the divine Spirit which rested upon him, to the\nspirit that is the originator of secession, rebellion, apostasy, and\nfalsehood, is to come dangerously near blasphemy. What is it but a\nrepetition of the sin of the adversaries of our Lord, who, although\nthey knew that \"no man can do the miracles that Thou doest, except\nGod be with him (_John, 3: 2_); yet proclaimed to the people: \"He\nhath an unclean spirit.\" (_Mark 3: 30_.) What is it but to assail the\ndisciple with a weapon that was in vain directed against the Master?\nThere was some excuse for difference of opinion on the subject of\nsuccession, immediately after the martyrdom, because the people were\nnot in possession of full information, but there is no excuse now. To\nuse a familiar illustration: At the time of an election citizens are\nexpected to have different opinions as to candidates for office; they\nare expected to work for those whose views and principles they support.\nBut when the question is settled at the polls, loyalty demands that all\naccept the verdict and work together for the common interests of the\ncommunity. The body of the Latter-day Saints having accepted, as guided\nby the Holy Spirit, the leadership of the twelve, there was no longer\nany valid reason for seeking the leadership of other shepherds.\n\nThe trouble with some of our reorganized brethren is that they look\nupon the members of the Church as a flock of sheep, that, like\nother property, can be inherited. This is entirely contrary to the\nfundamental principles of the Gospel. The Church belongs to Christ. The\nleaders and officers are the servants of the Lord and the people of\nthe Lord. It follows {463} that the Lord raises up whoever He pleases,\nto perform the services necessary from time to time. Brigham Young\nwas every way equipped for the peculiar work needed during his time.\nWho could have done what he did? Sidney Rigdon? Lyman Wight? James\nJ. Strang? Or the founders of the so-called reorganized church? Let\nthe reader reflect on the facts history records, and then decide for\nhimself, remembering that every tree is known by its fruit.\n\n    \"_Love is one of the chief characteristics of Deity, and ought to\n    be manifested by those who aspire to be the sons of God, A man\n    filled with the love of God is not content with blessing his family\n    alone, but ranges through the whole world, anxious to bless the\n    whole human race_.\"\n\n    --_Joseph Smith_.\n\n    \"_If children have sinned against their parents, or husbands\n    against their wives, or wives against their husbands, let them\n    confess their faults one to another and forgive each other, and\n    there let the confession stop, and then let them ask pardon from\n    their God. Confess your sins to whoever you have sinned against,\n    and let it stop there_.\"\n\n    --_Brigham Young_.\n\n{464}\n\n\n\nTHE GOSPEL PIONEER.\n\nBY WM. JEFFERIES, AN ELDER OF THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY\nSAINTS.\n\n  FAITH.\n\n  Faith is the key to knowledge rare,\n  God's choice and priceless gift to man;\n  It is obtained by humble prayer\n  And practice of the gospel plan.\n  It opes the door to secrets deep--\n  Communes with God in nature's sleep.\n  Prevails with God, till mortal man\n  The glory of the Lord can scan.\n\nA thorough knowledge of the first principles is absolutely essential to\nthe acquirement of a complete understanding of any art or science. For\nexample: How can the student of arithmetic extract the cube root of any\ngiven number, or find the fifth power of another, without a knowledge\nof the first or key principles of the science of numbers? Now, if this\nis true of the arts and sciences, which, in the abstract, do not tend,\ndirectly, to save a person in the presence of God, how much more is it\ntrue in regard to the great science of theology, which must be well\nunderstood and faithfully practiced, to a given extent, in order to\nbecome a joint-heir with Jesus to the glory of the Father? And what\nscience more important than this great science of all sciences? None.\nAnd a knowledge of its first principles ranks higher in importance to\nmortals than any other knowledge attainable by Adam's fallen race;\nfor a knowledge of them, and honest obedience to them, together with\nsubsequent faithfulness, will secure a person a knowledge of the Father\nand the Son, whom to know is life eternal--the greatest gift of God to\nman. Hence the great importance of a thorough knowledge of the first\nprinciples of the great science of salvation, which I will now make a\nfeeble attempt to briefly explain.\n\nThe first initiatory principle of the glorious plan of salvation\n{465} is faith. The Apostle Paul thus defines this principle: \"Now\nfaith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things\nnot seen.\" (_Heb. xi, 1_.) Modern inspiration defines it thus: \"Faith\nis the assurance which men have of the existence of things which\nthey have not seen, and the principle of action in all intelligent\nbeings.\" (_Doc. & Cov. Lec. I, Sec. i., 9_.) And the substance of these\nquotations--between which there is no conflict--I understand to be\nthis: Faith is the assurance which men have of the existence of things\nnot seen by them in the past, of the existence of things unseen by them\nat present, of the existence of things to be seen or unseen by them in\nthe future, and the great first cause, or moving principle of action,\nand consequently, of power, in all intelligent beings, whether they\nare mortal or immortal. Now do not be startled, kind reader, at this\nexplanation. The great apostle to the Gentiles says. \"Through faith\nwe understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God.\" (_Heb.\nxi, 3_.) This is plain. Who framed the world? God, of course; and Paul\nsays He did it through faith; therefore, the assertion is correct, that\nfaith is the principle of action and power in all intelligent beings\nwhether they are mortal or immortal.\n\nFaith is produced by evidence. This is true of a false faith as\nwell as of a true faith. A false faith is the product of untrue or\nincorrect evidence, and a true faith is produced by truthful evidence;\nand, though there may be instances in which true evidence may fail\nto produce faith in the skeptical and unbelieving; and wherein false\nevidence may fail to create faith even in the over-credulous; yet when\nfaith, be it true or false, is created, I reassert that it is produced\nby true or untrue evidence. In the attempt to inspire faith in these\npropositions, I will summon a few of the ancient worthies, who, like\nAbel, though dead, speak to us in their inspired testaments, giving us\nevidence which should be faith-creating.\n\nWhen the Son of God tabernacled in the flesh, He went about doing good,\nhealing the sick, cleansing the lepers, raising the dead, and doing\nmany mighty works in fulfillment of the mission He was sent on by His\nFather; and while doing these things He was scoffed at, spit upon,\nreviled, and persecuted, and finally crucified on Calvary--suspended\nbetween Heaven and earth as though fit for neither. Bible-believers\nneed no evidence adduced here to prove this, for the facts stated are\nplain and prominent in the New Testament scriptures, and are well known\nto them, no doubt.\n\nOn the day after the crucifixion, the Chief Priests and Pharisees felt\nsomewhat troubled and anxious, and \"came {466} together unto Pilate,\nsaying, Sir, we remember that that deceiver said, while he was yet\nalive, after three days I will rise again. Command therefore that the\nsepulchre be made sure until the third day, lest his disciples come by\nnight, and steal him away, and say unto the people, he is risen from\nthe dead: so that the last error shall be worst than the first. Pilate\nsaid unto them, ye have a watch: go your way, make it as sure as you\ncan. So they went, and made the sepulchre sure, sealing the stone, and\nsetting a watch.\" (_Matt. xxvii, 62-66_.)\n\nHow vain the schemes and operations of frail man! A few more hours\npass away. The angel of the Lord came down from heaven, filled with\nthe power of God, and armed with the keys of the resurrection. The\nwatch which had been set, or the keepers, \"became as dead men.\" The\nresurrection power of God was exercised. The lifeless, mangled body\nof the lowly Nazarene was celestialized. The active spirit, which had\nbeen on an important mission to the Antediluvians, entered its immortal\nhouse, and the triumphant Jesus came forth from the silent tomb, the\nfirst fruits of the resurrection, and the glorious conqueror of death,\nhell and the grave.\n\nAs soon as some of the watch had recovered sufficiently, they \"came\nunto the city, and shewed unto the Chief Priests all the things that\nwere done. And when they were assembled with the elders, and had taken\ncounsel, they gave large money unto the soldiers, saying, say ye, His\ndisciples came by night, and stole him away while we slept. And if this\ncome to the governor's ears, we will persuade him, and secure you.\"\nSo they took the money, and did as they were taught; and this saying\nis commonly reported among the Jews until this day. (_Matt. xxviii,\n11-15_.) And, according to the generally accepted chronology, Matthew\nwrote this account about five years after the events occurred.\n\nHere prejudice, dishonesty and opposition to the purposes of Jehovah,\nprompted bribery, and bribery being assured protection from the human\npenalty for such a crime, published to the world a lie--a lie, too,\nrespecting the most important event that had ever transpired upon this\nearth, as effecting the redemption of the fallen race of our great\nprogenitor, Adam. Matthew says: \"And this saying is commonly reported\namong the Jews until this day;\" and I may add, to this day, too, for\nthe Jews not only rejected the Messiah and put him to death, and\nsubsequently believed the story of bribed and perjured Roman soldiers,\nbut they still \"deny the accomplishment of the prophecies in the person\nof Christ; alleging that the Messiah is not yet come;\" and this also\neffects their belief in the first {467} resurrection, which is past,\nalthough, according to the thirteenth article of their creed, they\nbelieve there will be a \"resurrection of the dead when God shall see\nfit.\"\n\nThis false evidence, given to the Jewish nation, produced in that tribe\nof Israel a false faith, which exists to-day, and which will continue\nto exist to a great extent among them, with all its dire consequences,\ntill He shall come in power and glory and \"stand upon the mount of\nOlives;\" (_Zech. xiv, 4_.) and they shall \"look upon\" Him whom their\nfore-fathers \"pierced;\" (_Zech. xii, 10_.) and the inquiry shall be\nmade: \"What are those wounds in thine hands?\" And he shall inform them\nthat those were the wounds \"with which he was wounded in the house of\nHis friends.\" (_Zech. xiii, 6_.)\n\nIn view of these things how necessary it is that tradition should be\ntruth. In the beginning the Lord said: \"In the day thou eatest thereof\nthou shalt surely die;\" and the serpent said: \"Ye shall not surely\ndie;\" and both declarations went to posterity, some believing one and\nsome the other. At the resurrection of the Son of God, the soldiers\nsaid: \"His disciples stole him while we slept,\" and many believed them.\nOthers said: \"He rose again and ascended to His Father,\" and a few\nbelieved this testimony; and I will now introduce an illustration of\nthis true evidence and true faith.\n\nThe Son of God had risen from the tomb. The first to discover this was\nseveral women, and the first evidence of the fact to them was, \"they\nfound not the body\" in the sepulcher. The next was the testimony of\n\"two angels in shining garments.\" Said they: \"Why seek ye the living\namong the dead? He is not here, but is risen,\" and they quoted the\nSavior's prediction of Himself, that He should be crucified, and on the\nthird day He should rise again, which the women remembered. These women\nreported to the eleven apostles, who could hardly believe the report,\nbut Peter visited the sepulcher, and found that the body of Jesus was\nnot there. Jesus showed Himself to some on the way to Emmaus, after\nwhich, and on the same day, He appeared to the eleven apostles, who\nwere somewhat terrified, and He said unto them: \"Why are ye troubled?\nAnd why do thoughts arise in your hearts? Behold my hands and my feet,\nthat it is I myself, handle me and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and\nbones, as ye see me have.\" He further said: \"Have ye here any meat?\nAnd they gave him a piece of a broiled fish, and of an honeycomb. And\nhe took it and did eat before them.\" He also referred them to His own\nwords, to the words of Moses and the prophets, which were fulfilled\nin His crucifixion and resurrection, {468} and said He, \"Ye are all\nwitnesses of these things.\" He then instructed them to tarry at\nJerusalem till they were endued with power from on high, lifted up His\nhands and blessed them, and ascended into heaven. (_Luke xxiv_.)\n\nHere was an accumulation of evidence that Jesus was resurrected from\nthe dead. He was with the apostles more or less for forty days after\nHis resurrection. (_Acts i, 3_.) They _knew_ most unmistakably that\nJesus had been resurrected. The evidences were accumulative. They knew\nalso by the revelations of God. They were prepared to testify. The\nday of Pentecost arrived. The Holy Ghost descended upon them in great\npower--it filled them; and they stood forth boldly, as the champions of\nthe risen Jesus, as His friends and true representatives, and as men of\nGod, filled with truth and the revelations and power of God, to give\nthe lie to a bribed and perjured soldiery, and all their accessories,\nand to proclaim the truth concerning the resurrection, the atonement,\nthe redemption, and the true plan of salvation for the exaltation\nof the obedient of all mankind. And Peter, as the chief apostle, is\nrepresented as testifying the most in this matter, and among other\nthings he said this: \"This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we are all\nwitnesses.\" (_Acts ii_.)\n\nHere were eleven men in one body, besides others, who were _all_\nwitnesses of the resurrection of the Savior of the world. Compare\ntheir testimony with the testimony of scared, bribed, and perjured\nguards--and what a testimony the latter was! \"His disciples stole his\nbody while we slept!\" What wondrous wisdom, consistency, and veracity,\ncharacterized the suggestors and buyers of this infamous subterfuge!\nWhat elevated manhood was exhibited by these valiant military cat-paws\nof the ancient anti-Christians! What do men know of things which\ntranspire when they are fast asleep? A parallel need not be sought for\nonly in the history of the highly-enlightened anti-\"Mormons\" of the\nnineteenth century.\n\nWhat was the result of the inspired testimonies of these eleven\napostles--Peter standing forth boldly as their principal, and\nproclaiming the truth in much power? Why, many were convinced by the\npower of the Holy Ghost, and the inquiry was made by them: \"Men and\nbrethren, what shall we do? Then Peter said unto them, repent and be\nbaptized every one you, in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission\nof sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.\" Now, did any\nof them show further evidence of conviction? Yes, about three thousand\nsouls were added to the church by baptism, on that day, and the Lord\nadded to the church daily such as {469} should be saved. (_Acts ii_.)\nHerein was true evidence and true faith clearly illustrated, and I will\nnow draw an illustration from modern times.\n\nIn the year of our Lord, eighteen hundred and twenty, the Lord spoke\nfrom the heavens to the boy, Joseph Smith, then in his fifteenth year.\nAfter a seven years' training, and particularly during the last four\nof the seven, the Lord by His angel delivered to him the sacred plates\nfrom which was translated the Book of Mormon. Nearly three years\nadditional schooling was given him in the science of theology, during\nwhich time he translated the Book of Mormon by the gift and power\nof God; and, on the 6th day of April, 1830, he, by command of God,\norganized the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Previous to\nthis time, he had testified more or less, of his visions and calling,\nbut from now till his cruel martyrdom in 1844, he boldly proclaimed\nhis divine mission, and taught the true gospel to the children of men.\nOthers associated themselves with him in this glorious testimony and\nproclamation. Many believed their words, and cast their lot with the\nmuch-persecuted people of God. This testimony and proclamation of the\nelders of Israel have continued; a people have been gathered together\nin the tops of the mountains, in fulfillment of the words of Isaiah\n(_Chap. ii_); and of the words of Micah (_Chap. iv_); and in Utah and\nother Territories; in many States of the American Union; and in many\nother parts of the earth can be found much true faith, as the result of\ncorrect evidence given by inspiration in these last days.\n\nBut while this work of presenting true evidence and inspiring true\nfaith has been going on, the adversary has not been idle. It has been\ndeclared that Joseph Smith was _not_ a true prophet, but an impostor.\nThat the Book of Mormon was _not_ translated from plates given to\nJoseph by an angel of God, but was simply a Spaulding romance. That, in\nshort the whole system of Mormonism is a monster humbug and imposture,\nand all its adherents are either deceivers or deceived. Editors,\nincited by popular clamor and prejudice, and priests, inspired by their\nsable master, have befouled the filthy stream of misrepresentation, by\npublishing dirty falsehoods and sending them broadcast on the earth\nduring the last half a century, till millions of the human family are\nprejudiced and misled; and their responsibility in this matter is equal\nto that of their prototypes, the ancient Scribes, priests, and elders\nwho framed the lie and paid their dupes to testify to it--that Jesus\nwas not resurrected, but that His disciples stole the body while {470}\nthey slept; and heaven's condemnation rests upon them for thus using\nthe power of press and pulpit. Hence, to-day there is a vast amount of\nfalse faith on the earth, which has been produced by incorrect evidence\nconcerning some of the most important events which have transpired\npreparatory to the coming of the Son of Man in the clouds of heaven in\npower and great glory.\n\nThese facts, culled from ancient and modern history, I consider\nsufficient to prove clearly to honest hearts and enlightened minds,\nthat faith is produced by evidence--a false faith by false evidence,\nand a true faith by true evidence.\n\nIn the foregoing an attempt has been made to show that faith is\nproduced by evidence; that this is true both of a false faith and a\ntrue one; and that the results are good or bad according as the faith\nis true or false. And in doing this the principle of faith itself has\nbeen taught more or less, but a few more remarks are necessary.\n\nFaith in _God_ is necessary. \"But without faith it is _impossible_ to\nplease Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that\nHe is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.\" (_Heb. xi, 6_.) And\nwho can expect to receive salvation _from_ God, if they do not believe\n_in_ Him?\n\nFaith in Jesus Christ is necessary. \"He that believeth on the Son hath\neverlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life:\nbut the wrath of God abideth on him.\" (_John iii, 36_.) Who can expect\nthe glorious benefits of the atonement, if they do not believe in the\nSavior of the world, nor in the great atonement which He made for poor\nfallen man?\n\nFaith in the servants of God is necessary, also. When Jesus sent His\nservants forth to preach the gospel, He said unto them: \"He that\nheareth you heareth me, and he that despiseth you despiseth me, and he\nthat despiseth me despiseth Him that sent me.\" (_Luke x, 16_.) \"He that\nreceiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth Him that\nsent me. He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall\nreceive a prophet's reward; and he that receiveth a righteous man in\nthe name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward.\"\n(_Matt. x, 40, 41_.) \"And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear\nyour words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the\ndust of your feet. Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable\nfor the land of Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for\nthat city.\" (_Matt. x, 14, 15_.) Neither God the Father nor God the Son\ntravel among us now to preach and administer {471} for the benefit of\nAdam's race, but they authorize mortal men to do this work; hence it is\nnecessary to receive them, treat them kindly, and have faith in them as\nthe representatives of the Father and the Son.\n\nFaith in the plan of salvation is necessary. The principles of the\ngospel must be believed in order to obtain their benefits; some of\nthose principles are set forth briefly in this little pamphlet; and\nwhen these are tested and proven to be of divine origin, conferring\nmany glorious blessings upon those who obey them, others can be found\nsuitable to advanced students in the Lord's school of divinity. The\ngospel is unchangeable and eternal. It is filled with blessings that\nare temporal, spiritual and eternal. It is free for all. \"And this\ngospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world, for a witness\nunto all nations, and then shall the end come.\" (_Matt. xxiv, 14_.) \"I\nmarvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the\ngrace of Christ, unto another gospel, which is not another, but there\nbe some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. But\nthough we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you\nthan that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we\nsaid before, so say I now again, if any man preach any other gospel\nunto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.\" (_Gal. i,\n6-9_.)\n\nBlessed are they who believe and live the fullness of the gospel of\nJesus Christ, for they shall obtain eternal life in the celestial\nkingdom of God!\n\n  REPENTANCE.\n\n  Repentance is an evidence\n  Of living, saving faith in God.\n  The sinner manifesting sense\n  In turning from the path he trod--\n  Not a sentimental sorrow,\n  Felt to-day and gone to-morrow;\n  But--by God's help I will do right,\n  And shun all wrong with all my might.\n\nRepentance is the second principle of the gospel of the Son of God. And\nhere it would be well, perhaps, to dispose of an objection which some\nmay raise in regard to this being the second principle of the gospel.\nThere are religionists who hold and teach that repentance precedes\nfaith, and this error I will briefly refer to and correct.\n\nIn the first place, let the test of reason be applied. If a man does\nnot believe in the existence of a God; nor in the {472} existence of\nthe laws of God; nor in the penalties for violating those laws; nor in\nhis own existence after what is believed by him to be the death of both\nbody and spirit; nor consequently, if he does not believe in either the\npower or opportunity to punish him for what some people may call sin,\nbut which he does not believe is a sin against anybody or anything;\nwill he be likely to be sorry for anything he has done? Will he reform\nthrough hope of reward or fear of punishment, or both combined? Will\nsuch a man repent of his sins? Every reasonable man, who studies this\nprinciple, will answer with an emphatic, No!\n\nBut if a man is taught that there is a God; that He has revealed laws\nfor the government of the actions of His earthly children; that those\nlaws embody rewards for obedience and punishments for disobedience;\nthat there is an existence after death has separated body and spirit;\nthat none can escape the results of their acts, that all will be\njudged, and then rewarded or punished, according to the deeds done\nin the body; and if he believes these teachings, _then_ he will be\nlikely to cease to do evil and learn to do well--he will repent of his\nsins, and strive to serve his God faithfully. But if, after he _has_\nbeen taught as before stated, he should fail to believe, _then_ he\nwill _not_ repent, for he is not prompted by that living faith which\nproduces sincere repentance. And this conclusion is legitimate and\nclear, no doubt, to the unbeclouded and unprejudiced mind of every\nintelligent and reasonable man.\n\nBut the testimony of inspiration as well as reason shall be given in\nthis matter, and this should be conclusive. After the crucifixion of\nthe Savior, Peter became president of the church. To him were given the\nkeys of the kingdom, and he, certainly, understood the order of the\nprinciples of the gospel, just as well as an arithmetician understands\nthe order of the first principles of arithmetic. And what position\ndid he give repentance? Did he make it precede faith? On the day of\nPentecost Peter preached to the assembled multitude. He taught the word\nof God; he quoted the Old Testament scriptures; he showed that some\nof them were fulfilled; he testified that Jesus was the Christ; he\ndeclared that they had crucified the Son of God; he taught the glorious\nprinciple of the resurrection; said he: \"This Jesus hath God raised up,\nwhereof we are _all witnesses_.\" and he told them \"that God hath made\nthat same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.\" This\ntestimony of Peter, which was accompanied by the convincing power of\nthe Holy Ghost, inspired them with faith in what he taught and prompted\nthe question: \"Men and brethren, {473} what shall we do?\" Said Peter,\nin reply: \"Repent and be baptized every one of you, in the name of\nJesus Christ, for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift\nof the Holy Ghost.\" They _had_ faith. The preaching had created it.\nPeter knew this. And he _then_ taught them the second, third and fourth\nprinciples of the gospel in their order, viz.: Repentance, remission of\nsins, and the reception of the Holy Ghost, thus establishing the order\nof those principles beyond all cavil or controversy, and for all time,\nfor the benefit of Bible-believers in all their generations throughout\nthe earth.\n\nRepentance, then, is the second principle of the great gospel plan\nof salvation, as taught by Jesus Christ and His apostles. And what\nis repentance? Is it merely sorrow for sin? No. Sorrow is a part of\nit, but it must be the right kind of sorrow. There is a sorrow which\nleadeth unto death, and a sorrow which produces true repentance. Read\nthe testimony of the apostle Paul on this point: \"For a godly sorrow\nworketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of; but the sorrow\nof the world worketh death.\" (_II Cor. vii, 10_.)\n\nReal sorrow for sin produces true repentance, and a genuine repentance\nis a forsaking of sin, coupled with a burning desire and a strong\ndetermination to keep the commandments of God, which will be shown\nin reformation of life and conduct, in a prayerful spirit, and a\nreliance upon God for strength to overcome in every hour of trial and\ntemptation. Isaiah taught repentance in these words: \"Let the wicked\nforsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him\nreturn unto the Lord, and He will have mercy upon him; and to our God\nfor He will abundantly pardon.\" (_Isa. lv, 7_.)\n\nThe scriptures contain much evidence showing what true repentance is,\nand what its fruits are; and they present us with evidence concerning\nthe repentance which is not genuine, as instance Simon the sorcerer. He\nhad believed Philip's preaching, and had been baptized; but Peter found\nhim \"in the gall of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity,\" and called\nupon him to repent of his \"wickedness.\"\n\nRepentance means forsaking sin. Let him that steals _steal no more_.\nLet him that has done wrong in any way, do so no more, but do right\nbefore God and man. In the language of the able Apostle, Orson Pratt,\n\"It would be of no use for a sinner to confess his sins to God, unless\nhe were determined to forsake them; it would be of no benefit to him\nto feel sorry that he had done wrong, unless he intended to do wrong\nno more, it would be folly for him to confess before God that he had\ninjured his fellow-man, unless he were determined to do {474} all\nin his power to make restitution. Repentance, then, is not only a\nconfession of sins, with a sorrowful, contrite heart, but a fixed,\nsettled purpose to refrain from every evil way.\"\n\nBAPTISM.\n\n  Earth's noon arrived! The Savior came!\n  And was by John of ancient fame,\n  Baptized in Jordan's sacred tide,\n  A righteous law to thus abide--\n  Example setting to all men\n  How they must all be born again:\n  Born of water--people hear it!\n  If God's kingdom they'd inherit.\n\nThere are several things connected with baptism which should be well\nunderstood before the candidate yields obedience to it. The mode, the\nobject and the necessity of it.\n\nFirst, then, the mode. Is sprinkling the correct way to baptize? Jesus\nwas the great exemplar. Was He sprinkled? John the Baptist baptized by\nimmersion. Did John baptize in the right way? Certainly he did. Would\nJesus have gone to an impostor for baptism? Would He have demanded\nbaptism by immersion of John, if sprinkling were the correct method?\nAnd if immersion had been the _incorrect_ method, would the Spirit of\nGod have descended like a dove upon Him, and His Father have uttered\nHis approval in these words: \"This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well\npleased?\" I think not. John baptized a great many in the river Jordan.\nHe baptized Jesus there. \"And Jesus, when He was baptized, went up\nstraightway out of the water.\" (_Matt. iii, 16_.) \"John baptized in\nAenon near to Salim because there was much water there.\" (_John iii,\n23_.) Philip, acting under the direction of the apostles, baptized\nby immersion. In baptizing the eunuch, \"They went down both into the\nwater, both Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him. And when they\nwere come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away\nPhilip, that the eunuch saw him no more.\" (_Acts, viii, 38, 39_.)\nIf sprinkling were all that was necessary, Paul and Silas need not\nhave taken the jailor and his household out of their house just after\nmidnight to baptize them; for they could have performed the ordinance\nin the house, and a half pint of water would have been plenty for\nthe purpose. (_Acts, xvi_.) Paul tells the Romans, \"that so many of\nus as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into His death;\n_therefore 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\n{475} so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been\nplanted together in the likeness of His death, we shall be also in the\nlikeness of His resurrection.\" (_Rom. vi, 3, 4, 5_.)\n\nNow why represent the death of the Savior, by becoming dead unto\nsin? Or His burial, by being buried in water in baptism? Or His\nresurrection, by being raised from the liquid grave in baptism, to walk\nin newness of life?--Why all this, if sprinkling were the proper mode\nof baptism? And these remarks and quotations apply to the erroneous\nprinciple of pouring as well as to sprinkling. Does either sprinkling\nor pouring represent a death, a burial, or a resurrection? Not in the\nleast. But immersion does, and it _is_ an actual burial in water.\n\nJesus said to Nicodemus: \"Except a man be born of water and of the\nspirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.\" (_John iii, 5_.)\nDoes sprinkling or pouring represent a birth? No! but immersion does.\nComing out of the element of water into the element of air, is a fair\nrepresentation of a birth, and the words of the Apostle, Orson Pratt,\nare very appropriate here. He wrote thus upon this subject: \"As the\nembryo must first be immersed in water before it can receive the\nquickening of the human spirit, so a man must _first_ be immersed in\nwater before he has the promise of the quickening or life-giving power\nof the Holy Spirit. As the infant is born, or comes forth from the\nwatery element into a new kingdom or world of existence, so a man in\nbaptism comes forth from the liquid element of water into the kingdom\nof God's dear Son, which is a new state of existence.\"\n\nThe New Testament scriptures do not furnish any authority for\nadministering baptism by a sprinkling or pouring; but the evidences\ntherein contained show most conclusively, that immersion was the\nproper mode of baptism as administered to Jesus, and practiced by His\napostles--and who but God has authority to change this ordinance? And\nwhere is the proof that He has ever changed it? It cannot be found; and\nimmersion stands to-day, unchanged and unchangeable, as the proper mode\nof administering the gospel ordinance of baptism for the benefit of\nbelieving and repentant candidates for salvation in the kingdom of God.\n\nThe object of baptism next claims our attention. And what is this\nordinance administered for? Is it simply \"an outward sign of an inward\ngrace?\" Baptism was instituted _for the remission of sins_. John went\n\"into all the country about Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance\nfor the remission of sins.\" (_Luke iii, 3_.) After the crucifixion\nof the Savior, He {476} appeared unto the Eleven and gave them the\nmission to preach the gospel to every creature; (_Luke xvi, 15-18_.)\nand on the day of Pentecost, after being filled with the Holy Ghost,\naccording to the promise of the Father, they commenced their great\nmission. On this occasion they preached to the assembled thousands of\nmany nationalities, baptism _for the remission of sins_, and about\nthree thousand souls were baptized on that day for the special purpose\nof obtaining _the remission of their sins_. The testimony of Paul\nconcerning himself is this: that Ananias said unto him: \"Arise, and be\nbaptized, and wash away thy sins.\" (_Acts xxii, 16_.)\n\nThus it is clearly established, and that, too, by evidence which no\nBible-believer can controvert, that the ordinance of baptism was\nestablished _for the remission of sins_.\n\nThe necessity of baptism must be understood. It is taught by some\nthat the observance of this ordinance is optional on the part of the\ncandidate for celestial glory. This is dangerous doctrine. There is\nno authority for it in the scriptures, Jesus and His apostles never\ntaught it. It is contrary to their teachings. Jesus never included a\nnon-essential principle in the great plan of salvation. Had not baptism\nbeen necessary, He would not have said to His apostles: \"He that\nbelieveth and is baptized shall be saved,\" (_Mark xvi, 16_). Neither\nwould He have said to them: \"Go ye, therefore, and teach all nations,\n_baptizing_ them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the\nHoly Ghost.\" (_Luke xxviii, 19_.)\n\nBaptism is as necessary as remission of sins. It was instituted and\nplaced in the great system of salvation as the ordinance of remission.\nIt was taught, accepted and administered as such, on the day of\nPentecost, to the joy of three thousand souls.\n\nPaul, after the light of heaven shone upon him, and the Lord said unto\nhim: \"Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?\" was blind, repenting,\nfasting and praying for three days; and why did not the Lord have\ncompassion upon the poor sinner in this deplorable condition, and\nforgive him, without sending him to Ananias to have the ordinance of\nbaptism administered to him? Because Paul was a sinner. He needed\nremission of sins. He needed the birth of the water to admit him into\nthe kingdom. And Jesus honored the law of remission by sending him to\none who could administer it effectually, which Jesus never would have\ndone if it had not been necessary for Paul's salvation. (_Acts ix_.)\n\nIt is believed by many that a good man will certainly be saved without\nbaptism--the Lord would not be just if he did {477} not save him,\neven if he were not baptized. Now, I presume that but few men can be\nfound who are better, in a great many respects, than was Cornelius\nof old. He was \"a devout man, and one that feared God with all his\nhouse, which gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God alway.\"\n(_Acts ix., 2_.) The Lord had so much respect for him on account of his\ngoodness, that He sent an angel to him, who said to him: \"Thy prayers\nand thine alms are come up for a memorial before God.\" (_Acts x, 4_.)\nCertainly, he was a good man; and, according to the notions of many\nreligionists, such a man ought to be saved, and will be, independent\nof any ordinances. But wait a little. What more did the angel say unto\nhim? Said he: \"And now send men to Joppa, and call for one Simon, whose\nsurname is Peter; he lodgeth with one Simon a tanner, whose house is by\nthe sea-side, he shall tell thee what thou oughtest to do.\" (_Acts x,\n3, 4_).\n\nWhat! Is it possible that a good man like Cornelius needed to do\nanything more than he was doing, in order to be accepted and justified\nbefore God? It appears that the Lord thought so; and it was of such\nimportance, too, that He sent an angel to tell him what his further\nduty was. And what was it? Peter preached the gospel to him and his\nhousehold, after his arrival among them. The Holy Ghost fell upon them\nto bear testimony to Peter's words, and as an evidence to Peter of the\nfavor they enjoyed with the Lord, and then \"he commanded them to be\nbaptized in the name of the Lord.\" (_Acts x, 4, 8_.)\n\nNow, suppose that Cornelius and his house had disregarded Peter's\ncommand to be baptized, could they have been saved? No. Why? Because\nthe angel told him that Peter should tell him words whereby he and all\nhis household should be saved. (_Acts xi. 14_). It is very evident,\ntherefore, that baptism for the remission of sins is necessary unto\nsalvation.\n\nInfant baptism, as it is erroneously termed, or infant sprinkling,\nshould receive a brief notice here. This is not authorized in the\nscriptures, neither have any of the New Testament writers alluded to\nit. Some have supposed because in a few instances whole households\nwere baptized, that possibly there were some infants among them. But\nthis supposition is a very weak foundation upon which to establish an\nimportant principle of salvation. In the households of Lydia, Cornelius\nand the jailor, there were no infants--at least, we cannot learn that\nthere were from the history given of them in the Acts of the Apostles.\nIn fact, the evidence is to the contrary. In the case of the jailor,\nPaul and Silas _taught_ him, and _all_ that were in his house, the word\nof the Lord. (_Acts xvi, 32_.) In the {478} household of Cornelius,\nthe Holy Ghost fell upon them which heard the words of Peter, and\nthey _spoke_ with tongues and _magnified_ God. (_Acts x_.) And in the\nhousehold of Lydia it is evident there were no infants any more than\nthere were in the other two households, for these reasons: The gospel\nis to be _preached_ to individuals. What is the use to _preach_ to\ninfants? They cannot understand it; they cannot have faith in it; they\ncannot repent, for they have not sinned; it is no use to baptize them,\nfor there are no sins to remit. Sin is a transgression of the law.\nThey have not transgressed any law, therefore, they are without sin.\nAnd even had infants any sins to remit, they could not be remitted by\nbaptism alone, for faith and repentance must be exercised in connection\nwith baptism, but infants cannot exercise either. Therefore, it is\nunreasonable to suppose that the apostles would attempt to teach\nor baptize infants in the households referred to, or in any other\nhouseholds--they knew better than to act so foolishly in the sight of\nGod.\n\nThere are others who have supposed that the baptism of infants is\nin the place of circumcision. But this is merely a conjecture of\nimpostors to deceive the ignorant. The scriptures do not substitute\ninfant baptism for circumcision. There is no connection or similarity\nbetween the two principles. They are no more alike than truth and\nerror, or darkness and light, or heaven and hell. Circumcision is an\nancient ceremony or operation performed exclusively on male infants\nat eight days old; but baptism is an immersion in water, of both male\nand female, when they have reached an age to be capable of sinning,\nbelieving the gospel when it is taught them, and repenting of their\nsins, so that they may have their past sins remitted according\nto the laws of God. These evidences should be conclusive to all\nBible-believers.\n\nLAYING ON OF HANDS FOR IMPARTING THE HOLY GHOST\n\n  True faith in God, repentance true,\n  Sins remitted by immersion;\n  The humble soul is born anew,\n  And the spirit takes possession.\n  By laying on of holy hands,\n  Of God's own servants here on earth;\n  Those who've obeyed the Lord's commands,\n  Will realize the Spirit's birth.\n\nAfter the candidate for eternal life has been baptized for the\nremission of his sins, and has sought unto the Lord in faith, honestly\nrepenting of his sins, and has obtained the forgiveness {479} of all\nhis past transgressions, he is entitled to the gift of the Holy Ghost.\nHe should seek for it, for the Lord has promised that he shall receive\nit, but He has established a certain ordinance through which He bestows\nthis precious gift. That ordinance is the \"Laying on of hands.\" Many\nmay question this, but the scriptures should decide the matter. Let\nus see how Paul received the Holy Ghost. Ananias received a mission\nto visit Paul, and entered into the house where he was staying, \"and\n_putting his hands on him_ said: Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus,\nthat appeared unto thee in the way as thou earnest, hath sent me, that\nthou mightest receive thy sight, and be _filled with the Holy Ghost_.\"\n(_Acts ix. 17_.) But why not fill him with the Holy Ghost without\nany administration of Ananias, seeing that he had faith, and was\nrepenting and fasting and praying before the Lord? Because the Lord had\nestablished an order in the plan of salvation. He had authorized His\nservants to observe that order in ministering the spirit as well as the\nwater, and they were to minister the spirit by the _laying on of hands_.\n\nHow did Paul administer the spirit? It is possible that he obtained his\nfirst lesson, in the administration of baptism and the laying on of\nhands, from Ananias when he himself was baptized and confirmed; but,\nwhether this was his first lesson or not, he, no doubt, learned to\nadminister the ordinances of the gospel correctly. And when he came to\nEphesus and found about twelve men who had been baptized \"unto John's\nbaptism,\" \"they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus,\" \"and when\nPaul _laid his hands upon them_, the Holy Ghost came on them, and they\nspake with tongues, and prophesied.\" (_Acts xix. 1-6_.) Thus, we see\nPaul administered the Holy Ghost by \"the laying on of hands.\"\n\nWhen Philip preached to the Samaritans, they believed and were baptized\nboth men and women. \"Now when the apostles which were at Jerusalem\nheard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent unto them\nPeter and John, who when they were come down, prayed for them that they\nmight receive the Holy Ghost; (for as yet he was fallen upon none of\nthem, only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus). Then laid\nthey their hands upon them, and they received the Holy Ghost. (_Acts\nviii, 14-17_.)\n\nNow, as they were apostles of the Lord Jesus Christ, faithful men\nwhose prayers God would hear and answer, why did not the Lord bestow\nupon those Samaritans the gift of the Holy Ghost in answer to the\nearnest prayers of His faithful servants, without the ordinance of the\nlaying on of hands? {480} Because that would have been contrary to the\nlaw laid down for the ministering of the spirit. Peter and John were\nanxious that the Lord should bless their administration for the benefit\nof those baptized believers. They desired that the Holy Ghost should\nrest down upon them in mighty power. But they could not exercise the\nauthority of the apostleship in and of themselves, and independently\nof the Lord, hence they prayed for themselves, no doubt, and that the\nSamaritans \"might receive the Holy Ghost.\" _Then_ they performed the\nproper ordinance, God honored the administration in answer to their\nprayer, and those baptized believers \"received the Holy Ghost.\" (_Acts\nviii, 17_).\n\nThe laying on of hands, then, is the Lord's ordinance for imparting the\nHoly Ghost to His believing, repentant, and baptized children, and He\nhas never made it void, or authorized any man to change it, or to teach\nthe inhabitants of the earth that it is done away and no longer needed.\n\nAUTHORITY TO PREACH AND ADMINISTER.\n\n  God's Priesthood once dwelt here on earth,\n  And gave to men their gospel birth;\n  Many who held it martyrs fell;\n  On earth in peace it could not dwell.\n  But thanks to God He has again,\n  Bestowed His Priesthood upon men;\n  And His decree has now gone forth--\n  It shall henceforth remain on earth!\n\nThe authority to preach the gospel and administer its ordinances,\nis a very important matter to be considered in connection with the\nfirst principles of the gospel. If those ordinances are administered\nby divine authority, the blessings of God will attend those\nadministrations; but if they are not, it is unreasonable to expect the\nLord will bestow such blessings; hence, it is well to ascertain who is\nin the possession of the authority of God, to act in the name of His\nson Jesus Christ, as ministers of salvation and eternal life to the\nchildren of men here on the earth.\n\nA man, to be a servant of God, must be called, authorized, and\nempowered by the Lord in some way, or how can he be a servant of God?\nMan does not recognize any other man as his servant unless he has\nappointed and authorized him in some way, neither does the Lord.\n\nJesus was sent by His Father. (_John v. 23-24, vi. 38-40, xvii, 21_.)\nThe first officers in the Church of Christ are apostles. (_Eph. iv,\n11_.) Jesus was an apostle. (_Heb. iii, v_.) He {481} called other\napostles. Said He to His apostles, \"Ye have not chosen me, but I have\nchosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit.\"\n(_John xv, 16_.) Jesus being sent of God, and being an apostle, he had\na right under the authority of His Father, to call and ordain other\napostles, and this is the way the apostles obtained the authority of\nGod, to act in the name of Jesus Christ, for the benefit of the human\nfamily. Under the direction of the Father and His Son Jesus Christ\nthey had authority to call and ordain others; but without similar\nauthority no man has a right to call and ordain others, or officiate\nin any of the ordinances of the gospel of Jesus Christ. \"No man taketh\nthis honor unto himself, but he that is called of God as was Aaron.\"\n(_Heb. v, 4_.) And how was Aaron called? The Lord told Moses to take\nhim to assist in performing a certain work. (_Exod. iv, 14-16_.) And\nno man _taketh_ the honor _unto himself_, for he must be called by the\nvoice of God through a prophet as Aaron was; or by Jesus Christ as His\napostles were, or by an angel of God, as in the case of the calling\nof Gideon to deliver Israel from the Midianites, (_Judges vi_); or by\nthe Holy Ghost, as were Barnabas and Saul, (_Acts xiii, 2_); or by the\ndirection of the Almighty, through the spirit of inspiration, operating\nin some legitimate channel.\n\nA man must be called, ordained, authorized and empowered from on\nhigh, or he is not a servant of God. And the calling, ordaining, or\nauthorizing, of one man, does not call, ordain, or authorize another.\nIt takes new revelation in each case. God must designate, in some\nway, the man for His service. A man must go forth with authority to\npreach, to call to repentance, to baptize for the remission of sins, to\nimpart the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands; and if sins are not\nremitted, and the Holy Ghost is not imparted, when the conditions are\nfaithfully observed, then the administrator is an impostor, or he is\nnot authorized to preach the fullness of the gospel to the children of\nmen. A man who is commissioned of Jesus Christ to proclaim the fullness\nof the gospel, and officiate in its ordinances for the benefit of our\nrace, will promise remission of sins and the gift of the Holy Ghost,\nin the name of Jesus Christ, and his promise never fails when the\nconditions are faithfully observed; but an impostor dare not make any\nsuch a promise to the sons of men. He has no authority from God to do\nso, and if he did make any such promise, he knows that God would not\nhonor it and fulfill it, for He did not authorize him to make it.\n\nTherefore, ye sons and daughters of men, be careful on this {482}\nquestion of authority. Try to learn where the true authority exists.\nBe assured that the administrations of a person unauthorized of\nGod will be of no benefit to you in time nor in eternity; but the\nadministrations of a man who is sent of God by new revelation, will\nbless you in this life, and you will realize it; and they will lay the\nfoundation for blessings, glory, honor, power and exaltation, in the\ncelestial worlds for ever and ever.\n\nCONCLUDING REMARKS.\n\nThe first or initiatory principles of the gospel, as herein set forth,\nare but very briefly alluded to the treatment of them herein was not\ndesigned to be exhaustive. The object was merely to give a few hints,\nand by so doing cause curiosity and interest and faith to spring up,\nand prompt honest research and prayerful investigation, which would\nlead to humble obedience to the laws of God.\n\nThe writer did not prepare this because he had anything new or original\nto offer. Every man who is warned must warn his neighbor. This is the\nword of God. My testimony must be heard. I am not justified before the\nLord if it is not. I must try to clear my garments of the blood of this\ngeneration; hence this little work.\n\nI bear my humble testimony that God has spoken from the heavens in\nthese last days. The true gospel of salvation is being taught to\nthe children of men by the Elders of the Church of Jesus Christ of\nLatter-day Saints. They taught that gospel to me. I believed it with\nall my heart. I embraced it with a sincere and honest purpose to do the\nwill of God on the earth. My sins were forgiven through the ordinance\nof baptism. The Holy Ghost was sent down from heaven and rested\nmightily upon me through the laying on of the hands of the servants of\nGod. By that spirit I was taught of God, and I learned by revelation\nthrough its agency that God lived, that He had spoken from the heavens,\nand that He had raised up a mighty prophet in the person of Joseph\nSmith. I knew that the work he had established through that prophet's\ninstrumentality was true, and that nothing could overthrow it. The\nholy Priesthood was conferred upon me. I preached to others, and\nofficiated in the ordinances of the gospel for their benefit. They also\nreceived the remission of sins and the gift of the Holy Ghost through\nmy administrations, and rejoiced in the Lord. And I know that all who\nwill yield humble obedience to the principles of the gospel, as taught\nby the Elders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, will\nreceive {483} the remission of sins and the testimony of Jesus through\nthe gift of the Holy Ghost; and by this spirit they shall know of the\ntruth of the doctrines they have obeyed. They shall know that the\nfaithful Elders of Israel are clothed with the authority of Almighty\nGod, and they shall bear testimony of these things to the children of\nmen.\n\nI bear my humble testimony of these things. God lives. His gospel\nand authority and plan of salvation are restored to the earth by the\nadministration of holy angels. The heavens are open. Man communes\nwith his God. The Millennium dawn is near. The Son of God will soon\ncome in clouds of heaven in power and great glory. He will reward the\nrighteous, and take vengeance on the wicked, as saith the scriptures.\nBlessed are they who hear the warning voice of the good shepherds of\nIsrael, for they shall escape the judgments the Lord is about to pour\nout upon the ungodly; they shall have joy unspeakable in this life; and\nin the life to come they shall enjoy the blessings of immortality in\nthe presence of the Father and the Son in the celestial worlds.\n\n    \"_Be virtuous and pure; be men of integrity and truth; keep the\n    commandments of God, then you will be able more perfectly to\n    understand the difference between right and wrong--between the\n    things of God and the things of men; and your path will be like\n    that of the just, which shineth brighter and brighter unto the\n    perfect day_.\"\n\n    --_Joseph Smith, The Prophet_.\n\n{484}\n\n\n\nGLAD TIDINGS OF GREAT JOY.\n\nGEORGE TEASDALE.\n\n    \"Wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead.\"\n    --_James ii. 20_.\n\nWe take this means of visiting you, at your hearths and homes, to\ntestify to you of the restoration of the Everlasting Gospel and the\nHoly Priesthood, by the visitation of an holy angel in fulfilment of\nthe predictions of the prophets; to usher in the dispensation of the\nfullness of times and the establishment of the kingdom of God.\n\nThe Gospel is the power of God unto salvation. (_Rom. i, 16, 17_). \"And\nbeing made perfect He (Christ) became the author of eternal salvation\nunto all them that obey him,\" (_Heb. v. 9_). Its first principles are,\nfaith, repentance, baptism, and the reception of the Holy Ghost.\n\nFAITH IN GOD.\n\n    \"But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that\n    cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder\n    of them that diligently seek him\" (_Heb. xi. 6_). \"He that heareth\n    my word, and believed on Him that sent me, hath everlasting life\"\n    (_John v. 24_). \"For therefore we both labor and suffer reproach,\n    because we trust in the living God\" (_I. Tim. iv. 10_).\n\nFAITH IN JESUS CHRIST.\n\n    \"And this is His commandment; that we should believe on the name of\n    his son Jesus Christ\" (_John iii. 23_). And this is life eternal,\n    that they might know Thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom\n    thou has sent\" (_John xvii. 3_). \"Jesus said unto her, I am the\n    resurrection and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were\n    dead, yet shall he live\" (_John ix. 25_). \"For the wages of sin is\n    death: but the gift of God is eternal life, through Jesus Christ\n    our Lord\" (_Rom. vi. 23_). \"For there is none other name under\n    heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved\" (_Acts iv. 12_).\n\nREPENTANCE.\n\n    \"Repent and turn yourselves from all your transgressions; so\n    iniquity shall not be your ruin\" (_Ezekiel xviii. 30_). \"And they\n    went out and preached that men should repent\" (_Mark vi. 12_).\n    Jesus Christ preached, \"repent ye and believe the gospel\" (_Mark i.\n    15_).\n\n{485}\n\nBAPTISM.\n\n    \"Ye must be born again (_John iii. 7_). \"Verily, verily, I say unto\n    thee, except a man be born of water, and of the spirit he cannot\n    enter into the kingdom of God\" (_John iii. 5_). \"Go ye into all the\n    world, and preach the Gospel to every creature. He that believeth\n    and is baptized shall be saved\" (_Mark xvi. 15, 16_). Peter said\n    unto them, \"Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of\n    Jesus Christ for the remission of sins\" (_Acts ii. 38_). \"And now\n    why tarriest thou? Arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins,\n    calling on the name of the Lord\" (_Acts xxii. 16_). \"Therefore we\n    are buried with Him by baptism\" (Rom. vi. 4). \"Buried with him in\n    baptism\" (_Col. ii. 12_). \"The like figure whereunto even baptism\n    doth now save us\" (_I Peter iii. 21_). \"One Lord, one faith, one\n    baptism\" (_Eph. iv. 5_).\n\nTHE HOLY GHOST.\n\n    \"And ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost\" (_Acts ii. 38_).\n    \"But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will\n    send in my name, he will teach you all things\" (_John xiv. 26_).\n    \"Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy\n    Ghost. And when Simon saw that when through laying on of the\n    Apostles' hands the Holy Ghost was given\" (_Acts viii. 17, 18_).\n    \"And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on\n    them\" (_Acts xix. 6_). \"Therefore, leaving the principles of the\n    doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again\n    the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith towards\n    God. Of the doctrine of baptism, and of laying on of hands\" (_Heb.\n    vi. 2_).\n\nORGANIZATION.\n\n    \"Now therefore ye (the Saints) are no more strangers and\n    foreigners, but fellow-citizens with the Saints, and of the\n    household of God; and are built upon the foundation of the Apostles\n    and Prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone\"\n    (_Eph. ii. 20_).\n\n    \"And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some,\n    evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of\n    the Saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the\n    body of Christ; till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of\n    the knowledge of the Son of God\" (_Eph. iv. 11-13_).\n\n    \"Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular. And God\n    hath set some in the Church, first apostles, secondarily prophets,\n    thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings,\n    helps, governments, diversities of tongues\" (_I Cor. xii. 27, 28_).\n\n    \"And no man taketh this honor unto himself, but he that is called\n    God, as was Aaron: so also Christ glorified not Himself to be an\n    high priest; but he that said unto Him, Thou art my Son, to-day\n    have I begotten thee\" (_Heb. v. 4, 5_).\n\n    \"Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling,\n    consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ\n    Jesus\" (_Heb. iii. 1_).\n\nWE BELIEVE IN CONTINUOUS REVELATIONS FROM GOD.\n\n    \"If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all\n    men liberally\" (_James i. 5, 6_). No man knoweth the Father but by\n    {486} revelation from the Son (_Luke x. 22_). \"Where there is no\n    vision, the people perish\" (_Prov. xxix. 18_). \"Surely the Lord\n    will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the\n    prophets\" (_Amos iii. 7_).\n\n    We believe it is essential to salvation to\n\nOBEY THE DOCTRINE OF CHRIST.\n\n    \"Being made perfect, He became the author of eternal salvation unto\n    all them that obey Him\" (_Heb. v. ix_).\n\n    \"Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices\n    as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than\n    sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as\n    the sin of witchcraft and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry\"\n    (_I Sam. xv. 22_).\n\n    \"And to you who are troubled, rest with us, when the Lord Jesus\n    shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, in flaming\n    fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not\n    the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ; who shall be punished with\n    everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the\n    glory of His power\" (_II Thess. i. 7-9_).\n\n    \"If we walk in the light as He (God) is in the light, we have\n    fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son\n    cleanseth us from all sin\" (_I John i. 7_).\n\n    \"And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even\n    as he is pure\" (_I John iii. 3_).\n\n    \"Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly,\n    nor standeth in the way of the sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of\n    the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord: and in His\n    law doth he meditate day and night\" (_Psalm i. 1, 2_).\n\nWhen John, the Revelator, was upon the Isle of Patmos the Lord revealed\nthe principal events that were to happen upon this earth before His\nsecond coming. It was \"The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave\nto him, to show unto His servants things which must shortly come to\npass; and He sent and signified it by His angel unto His servant John\"\n(Rev. i. 1). After showing him the apostasy of the primitive church,\nand the rise of false systems (_Rev xxii. and xxiii_.) and the fear of\nGod being taught by the precepts of men, as foretold by Isaiah (xxix.\n13, 14), he showed him the restoration of the gospel. He said, \"and I\nsaw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting\ngospel to preach to them that dwell upon the earth, and to every\nnation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, saying with a loud voice,\nFear, God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come:\nand worship Him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the\nfountains of water.\"\n\nDaniel declared that \"in the last days, the God of heaven would set\nup a kingdom that should never be destroyed\" {487} (_Dan. ii. 44_).\nIsaiah (ii. 2, 3) and Micah (iv. 1, 2) have both declared that in the\nlast days, the mountain of the Lord's house should be established\nin the tops of the mountains, and many should say, let us go up to\nthe house of the God of Jacob, that they might learn of His ways and\nwalk in His paths. It is the testimony of the thousands of Latter-day\nSaints, gathered to the mountains, that God has restored to the earth\nthe everlasting gospel; that angels have visited the earth, restoring\nthe Holy Priesthood; that Joseph Smith the Prophet-martyr of the\nnineteenth century, was the man honored of God, with others, to usher\nin the dispensation of the fullness of times and the restitution of all\nthings, in fulfillment of the prophets.\n\nThe Church of Christ was again established upon the earth on the 6th\nday of April, 1830; and, from that day to the present, has steadily\nincreased, notwithstanding the prejudice, caused by misrepresentation\nand the \"refuge of lies,\" brought to bear against it, and the\npersecution it has gone through. It has been guided to the tops of the\nmountains, and is being established in power, gathering the seed of\nIsrael from all nations where they have been scattered, teaching them\n\"the ways of the Lord,\" preparing them for the second coming of Christ,\nand offering a home for the oppressed of all nations.\n\nAll mankind are required to repent, to \"seek the Lord while He may\nbe found,\" to be baptized for the remission of their sins, that they\nmay receive the Holy Ghost, the Comforter, in God's appointed way, by\nthe laying on of hands; that they may know these things are true for\nthemselves, by the revelations of God, and gain a living testimony.\n\"If any man will do His will (that of the Father) he shall know of the\ndoctrine\" (_John vii. 17_), and no more be carried about by \"every wind\nof doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby\nthey lie in wait to deceive\" (_Eph. iv. 14_).\n\nThen flee to Zion for safety; as it is written \"come out of her, my\npeople, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not\nof her plagues\" (_Rev. xviii. 4, 5_), \"For wheresoever the carcass is,\nthere will the eagles be gathered together\" (Matt. xxiv. 28).\n\nYour kind, prayerful consideration of these truths is earnestly\ninvited. Search the scriptures; surely the signs of the times proclaim\nthe second coming of our Lord and Savior to be right at hand, but who\nshall stand when he appeareth?\n\n{488}\n\n\n\nSUGGESTIONS TO ELDERS.\n\nBY ELDER B. H. ROBERTS, IN MILLENNIAL STAR, 1888.\n\nIn the concluding paragraphs of a revelation on the subject of\npriesthood, the Lord says:\n\n\"Now let every man learn his duty, and to act in the office in which\nhe is appointed, in all diligence. He that is slothful shall not be\ncounted worthy to stand, and he that learns not his duty and shows\nhimself not approved, shall not be counted worthy to stand.\" (Doc. and\nCov., sec. cvii. 99, 100.)\n\nWe have no doubt but there is a general desire among the brethren\nof the priesthood to know their duty and then do it; especially is\nthis the case with the Elders who have been sent to these lands to\npreach the Gospel. The duties and labors of these brethren are varied,\nconsisting not only of preaching the Gospel, but also administering in\nall the ordinances and ceremonies pertaining to it. They are required\nat times to baptize people for the remission of their sins, and to\nconfirm the members of the Church and bestow upon them the Holy Ghost\nby the laying on of hands. At other times they are called upon to\nanoint the sick with oil, or to confirm the anointing performed by\nothers, and rebuke the sickness or disease, and bless with life and\nhealth those who are afflicted. Then they are called upon to administer\nthe sacrament of the Lord's Supper, and all these things should be done\ndecently, intelligently, and in order that no reproach or derision may\nbe thrown upon the work of God by reason of their awkwardness in any of\nthese things.\n\nNor is the derision from strangers, who may witness any bungling\nadministration in these ceremonies, the worst evil feared. But any\nblundering on the part of those who administer is very apt to have an\nevil effect upon the mind of those receiving the administration, and\nsometimes the adversary takes advantage of these things and creates\ndoubts or suspicions in those receiving the ordinance as to the\nvalidity or power of the administration. We are acquainted with several\n{489} circumstances where the most disastrous results have grown out of\nthis very thing. Too much care cannot be exercised in these matters.\n\nSo far as the ceremony connected with baptism is concerned, the words\nto be used are given in the Scriptures (see Book of Mormon, III Nephi\nxi, 24-26, Doc. and Cov., sec. xx, 72-74); so also in blessing the\nsacrament; but in the matter of confirming people members of the\nChurch and bestowing upon them the Holy Ghost, anointing or blessing\nthe sick, naming and blessing children, or even of ordaining men to\nthe priesthood and assigning to them their position or office in that\npriesthood, we know of no formula that is given in the Scriptures. The\nmatter seems to be left to the good taste and judgment of those who\nadminister, without binding them to any set forms. On the whole, we\nrather like the idea of these things being so left, since we can see\nit gives more liberty for the operations of the spirit of God; that\nis, the mind of the administrator being free from stereotyped forms,\nhe is at liberty to pronounce whatever the Spirit of the Lord may put\ninto his heart to say. And where the Elder has learned his duty and has\ngiven these matters careful consideration, a beautiful and powerful\nadministration is usually the result.\n\nBut, unfortunately, it sometimes happens the Elders who have never\nlearned well their duty nor considered these things carefully, are\ncalled upon to administer; and neither judgment nor good taste is\nliable to dictate what they should say; and much evil may result from\ntheir not knowing how to perform properly these duties.\n\nFor the benefit of the young and inexperienced Elders, and for the\nolder ones, too, who may have been careless hitherto in respect to\nthese matters, we offer the following suggestions:\n\nWhile the form of words are for any ordinance, as in baptism and the\nadministration of the sacrament, it should be carefully learned by the\nElders, that they may be always ready when called upon to officiate.\nAnd where no formula is given, then the objects to be accomplished by\nthe ordinance should be noted, and such a form of words fixed in the\nmind as will in the most direct and simple manner attain those objects.\nWe say direct and simple because these are qualities, excellencies,\nwe may say, which enter into all the administrations in the Gospel.\nThey are characteristics of the whole plan of salvation. In proof of\nthis we ask what could be more simple or direct, than the ceremony\nsaid at baptism: \"Having been commissioned of Jesus Christ, I baptize\nyou in the name of {490} Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost.\nAmen.\" There is not a superfluous word in it, nor is anything omitted\nnecessary to be said. So with the prayer that is given to be said in\nblessing the bread and water to be used in the sacrament. So, too,\nthese characteristics of directness and simplicity are found in the\ngreat model prayer taught by the Savior to His disciples, and to\nour own mind this beautiful simplicity and directness of everything\nassociated with the Gospel is part of its divinity, and one of the\ngreatest evidences that it emanated from God, who sustains and governs\nthe great universe by the simplest means. In those ordinances, then,\nwhere the form of words to be used is left for the administrator to\nchoose, we would say let such a choice be made as will keep those\nadministrations in harmony with the whole spirit of the Gospel--let\nsimplicity mark their outline; and let such words be employed as will\nat once accomplish the object of the ordinance. To illustrate: In\nconfirming a person a member of the Church, the Elder, calling the\nperson by name, as he should do, and then in the name of the Messiah,\nsometimes says: \"We lay our hands on your head _to_ confirm you a\nmember of the Church, etc., _and that you may_ receive the Holy Ghost,\"\nand then goes on and pronounces a number of blessings on the person;\nbut he neither, technically speaking, confirms him a member of the\nChurch nor bestows on him the Holy Ghost. It would be much better to\nmake use of such words as will at once accomplish the object. Say, for\nexample, after calling the person by name, \"In the name of Jesus Christ\nwe confirm you a member of the Church, etc., and say unto you, receive\nye the Holy Ghost.\" That really covers the ground. But if an Elder's\nheart is filled with blessing for the persons to whom he administers,\nand the Spirit prompts him to pronounce blessings upon them for their\nencouragement, or the strengthening of their hope and faith and virtue;\nor if he is prompted to tell them what particular gift the Holy Ghost\nwill develop within them, or to admonish them against evil, all well\nand good; with one of old we say, \"Quench not the Spirit, neither\ndespise prophecy,\" but let good taste and judgment and the Spirit of\nGod preside in these things.\n\nNow, as to administering to the sick. Here, from the very nature of\nthings, the manner of administration is left to the judgment of the\nElders officiating. Still there are general outlines that may be\npointed out even here. The law of the Lord to the Saints is that if\nany of them are sick, they are to call for the Elders of the Church;\nand they shall pray {491} for them, and anoint them with oil, and the\npromise is made that the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and God\nwill raise them up. (James 5: 13-16.)\n\nIt is customary for the Elders, when called upon for two or more of\nthem to go, and anoint with oil, and it is understood that another\nwill confirm the anointing, and perhaps will be moved upon to rebuke\nthe disease and bless the sick with life and health. But the one who\nanoints the sick sometimes not only does what he is appointed to do,\nbut a great deal more. He both anoints and confirms the anointing, and\npronounces every conceivable blessing upon the head of the one to whom\nhe administers. This would be all right, if he were alone, but when\nanother is to follow him it is most perplexing to that Elder, as he\nfeels that there is nothing for him to do. Let those who are called\nupon to anoint do that, and do it in the name of the Lord, and to the\nend that the person may be restored to health; but let him leave the\nrebuking of the sickness and the confirming of the anointing to him who\nshall be assigned to perform that part of the ceremony.\n\nAnother remark, in passing, respecting anointing. The law of the Lord\nis that the sick should be anointed with oil. We know of no commandment\nthat they should take the oil internally, and through the anointing the\nSpirit of the Lord will be conducted to the whole system and renovate\nit and make it whole, and there is no need of taking it internally.\nThen again some potter around with a spoon as if they were afraid that\na drop too much might be used. Never mind the spoon. Pour on oil from\nthe vessel in which it was consecrated, and don't be too careful in\nusing it. Aaron was anointed with oil, according to David, until it\nran down upon his beard on the skirts of his garments, and we have no\naccount of his complaining about it. We do not make this reference in\norder to have the Elders too lavish in the use of oil, but we do think\nmore than a drop or two should be used, and it should not be used as if\nthey were afraid of it.\n\nWe have not made these remarks for the purpose of binding up the Elders\nin their feelings when administering in the ordinances we have named,\nbut to the end that they may learn their duty in respect of these\nthings, and have greater liberty of the Spirit in the administrations,\nwhich can only come by having a consciousness of the ability to do them\nproperly and well.\n\n{492}\n\n\n\nTHE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST.\n\nBY ELDER ORSON F. WHITNEY, IN MILLENNIUM STAR, 1882.\n\nThe Gospel of Christ is the science of salvation. Like any other\ngenuine science, it is based upon eternal truth, and is the compiled,\nepitomized result of experience, profound research and intelligent\nreflection. It is the condensed product of divine wisdom, the _summum\nbonum_ of celestial knowledge, the key to all heavenly mysteries, and\nthe only way that leadeth unto everlasting life. It embraces all truth,\nwhether known or unknown. It incorporates all intelligence, both past\nand prospective. No righteous principle will ever be revealed, no truth\ncan possibly be discovered, either in time or in eternity, that does\nnot in some manner, directly or indirectly, pertain to the Gospel of\nJesus Christ. It is the way of salvation in this life; it is the means\nof exaltation in the life to come. It can never be dispensed with, for\nit will never cease to be necessary. It is a medium of never-ending\nexaltation and advancement. It encompasses all virtue, and precludes\nall vice. Error cannot invade its dominions, nor truth transcend its\nboundaries. Eternal life, because it includes all other gifts, is\ncalled the greatest gift of God. The Gospel of Jesus Christ, because it\ncomprehends all principles of progression, is the only means by which\neternal life may be attained and perpetuated.\n\nThe principles which compose the Gospel--not merely the first\nprinciples, but all that have been or will ever be revealed--are\nself-existent and everlasting in their nature. They have existed from\nall eternity, and will endure through all the eternities to come, for\nthey are absolute, essential, uncreated truths, without beginning of\ndays or end of years, the same yesterday, today and forever. Concerning\nthe time, place and method of their compilation--if we may with\npropriety assume such an event ever to have occurred--the legislative\nprocess of appropriation, arrangement and systemization, whereby\nthese self-existent laws were rendered subservient to the designs of\nDeity, and made applicable to and operative in {493} the salvation and\nexaltation of human souls and worlds, it is not man's present province\nto inquire. Such a question would necessarily involve the consideration\nof the beginning of God's limitless creations, the beginning of things\nwhich to us have no beginning, a subject so vast and incalculably\ncomprehensive as to be beyond the conception of any intellect of\ninferior capacity to that Master mind which designed and organized the\nheavens and the earths, and numbered by and known unto whom, alone,\nare all the creations which His mighty hand hath made. It should,\ntherefore, suffice us to know that the Gospel in its present form is\nof inconceivable antiquity; that ages on ages before the foundations\nof this earth were laid, ere the morning stars sang together and all\nthe sons of God shouted for joy, at the hour of its nativity, this\neverlasting scheme has been adopted by the heavenly powers as the\nmeans of its predestined sanctification; and moreover that through the\napplication and operations of this same unchangeable, puissant plan,\nmillions on millions of worlds, with all their countless hosts of human\nand other inhabitants, had been redeemed and glorified prior to the\nperiod when this little planet, our mother earth, was numbered among\nthe creations of God.\n\nNothing could be more at variance with all correct ideas concerning the\ncharacter and attributes of the great Creator, than to suppose the plan\nof life and salvation to be the peculiar property of any one planet, of\nany one people or of any particular period of human history. The simple\nfact of there being but one such plan in existence--a point which is\nnot conceded as self-evident, is susceptible of the plainest possible\nproof--should be sufficient to refute all such attenuated notions. For,\nwith this fact once admitted, and a moment's reflection being given to\nthe bewildering myriads of worlds which the Creator has called into\nexistence, the numberless multitudes of His creatures which people\nthem, and the almost universally acknowledged love, providence, care,\nprotection and solicitude which the eternal parent continually evinces\nfor the humblest of His offspring and all the workmanship of His hands,\nwhere is the soul so narrow and so bigoted, not to say irreverent and\nprofane, that would dare to deliberately ascribe to such being--a\nbeing so wise, powerful, impartial, merciful and magnanimous as God is\nknown and recognized to be--so unwise, weak, petty, puny, unjust and\nunmerciful a policy as the one we have in reference! And yet, strange\nto say, there are millions of souls who have held, and other millions\nwho still hold--unless we marvelously misinterpret them {494}--opinions\nof this very character. There are many doubtless who would declare,\nwithout giving the matter a second thought, that the foregoing\narguments in support of the scope and antiquity of the Gospel were\nnothing more nor less than stupid nonsense and blasphemous presumption,\nand in the same breath would asseverate the truth and consistency\nof the petty theory which we denounce--and we maintain with good\nreason--as false and flimsy in every particular, wholly unfounded in\nreason or in revelation, and altogether unworthy of belief. There are\nthose who, not content with the supposition that the Gospel is solely\nthe property of this planet, are as resolutely of the opinion that it\ndates its origin from that momentous period in the history of the world\nwhen the Son of God came down to perform His mighty mission, in the\nmidst of the children of men, and that previous to that memorable epoch\nthere had been no such plan known, in any age, by any portion of the\nhuman family. Consequently their position, if they have any, must be\nthat the all-wise Legislator who framed the only code of laws whereby\neternal life is made obtainable, allowed four thousand years to pass\naway, taking with them into endless torment, multitudes of His begotten\nsons and daughters, many of them among the most righteous men and women\nthat have ever walked the earth, before He placed within the reach\nof fallen humanity the only way possible for men to be saved. Such a\ntheory might have done for the dark ages, or at the present time may\nsuit the narrow views of such as \"know not God nor the things of God,\"\nbut to all whose understandings have been quickened and enlightened by\nthe high-soaring, deep-searching Spirit of Truth, such absurd notions\nare not overfraught with sense and consistency.\n\nThe idea which seems to prevail that the Gospel of Jesus Christ, that\nmarvel of all that is wise, just, comprehensive and powerful, was\ndevised for the redemption of a solitary world, or for the benefit of\none, to the exclusion of another portion of its inhabitants, is on a\npar with the ancient but long since exploded hypothesis that the sun,\nmoon and stars were only temporary luminaries, hung up in the midst of\nthe firmament, for the purpose of lighting this little earth through\nits mortal probation, and which, like so many lamps, whose \"occupation\nwould be gone,\" having survived the necessity of their invention,\nwould be extinguished and put away forever, as soon as the earth\nhad completed its temporal career. But happily the light of divine\ntruth, beaming through the atmosphere of science, has dispelled that\nsenseless delusion. {495} Furthermore, it is now known, thanks be to\nGod for reopening the long closed oracles of eternity, that not only\nare there other worlds than this, but like this, those other worlds\nare inhabited, peopled by beings similar to the occupants of earth,\nthe population of one planet differing only from those of others in\nthe various degrees of perfection which they have severally attained\nthrough the principles of the Gospel of unceasing progression. By\nthose who have bowed in humility before the fountain of all truth and\nintelligence, and taken a fresh draught of the renovating waters of\nlife, it is now understood that that God who never spoke or wrought in\nvain, or created anything to subserve a puerile purpose, instituted\nthe plan of salvation for the temporal and spiritual regeneration,\nnot only of His offspring upon this planet, but likewise of those\nupon multitudes of similar planets, which have been or will yet be\nbrought forth, redeemed and celestialized by the application of its\nwonder-making power. It is now definitely known that the Everlasting\nGospel did not originate on this earth at all, nor for the first\ntime appear in the midst of mankind when John the Baptist came forth\nproclaiming its initiatory principles in the wilderness of Judea.\nHowever strange it may have appeared to the bigoted and benighted\nJews, who for centuries, through unbelief and hardness of heart, had\nbeen deprived of its gifts and blessings, it was not by any means \"a\nnew thing under the sun.\" Its introduction in those days was simply\na restoration of the Gospel, and that highly favored period was but\none among many such dispensations, and neither the first nor the last\nwhich the descendants of Adam were destined to receive. It was simply\nthe dispensation of the meridian of time, during which the sacrificial\nLamb, \"slain from the foundation of the world,\" descended from\ncelestial glory to pay the penalty of man's original sin, and by the\nretroactive and proactive virtue of His atonement, make it possible,\nthrough obedience to His Gospel, for all men in all ages to be saved.\n\nIs it a thing so strange and unaccountable to the Christian world, that\nsuch men as Adam, Enoch, Noah, Abraham and other ancient worthies who\nwalked and talked with God, as friend to friend, and were clothed upon\nwith the fullness of the authority of His Holy Priesthood, should have\nbeen vouch-safed the precious privilege of yielding obedience to the\nGospel of Jesus Christ--\"the only name given under heaven whereby man\ncan be saved?\" Were Peter, James, John, Paul and others who happened\nto be living upon the earth when the Savior came and were permitted\nto partake of the blessings {496} which flow from obedience to the\nprinciples of eternal life, more worthy of that privilege than their\npredecessors, the more ancient patriarchs and prophets of God? Such\nan idea is repugnant to reason, and utterly unentitled to credence or\nrespect. Let those continue to cherish such thoughts who persist in\nrejecting the genuine faith and perpetuate the narrowness of their\nminds by shutting out the soul expanding influences of the gift of\nthe Holy Ghost. For our own part we prefer to know otherwise, to\nrejoice in the conviction obtained through compliance with the Gospel\nof the Son of God, that this same everlasting, unchangeable plan of\nredemption, without which no man can be elevated to the presence of\nhis Maker, was known to the human family at various times during the\nintervening ages between the creation and the coming of Christ, and in\nevery instance was revealed and established for the identical purposes\nwhich induced its institution in the days of the Savior, and for which\nit has again, for the last time, been brought back to earth in this\nthe dispensation of the fullness of times. It is true that the Holy\nBible, which all Christians profess to believe, and which so far as\ncorrectly translated, the Latter-day Saints actually do believe, though\nplainly foretelling the Gospel's restoration in the latter days, is\nmore or less silent upon the subject of the dispensations preceding\nthe meridian of time. But it is also true that that good old book\nis silent upon a great many other important points, thanks to the\ninterpolations, erasions, alterations and rejections of uninspired\ntranslators, commentators and compilers, to whose unauthorized, blind\nand blundering administrations in the premises, are largely due the\nendless divisions, discords and differences, which have raked and rent\nasunder the religious world for centuries. But independent of the\ntaciturnity of the Scriptures, and aside from the incontrovertible\nevidence furnished by modern revelation, we respectfully submit to the\nconsideration of all candid, unbiased believers in God and the Gospel\nof Salvation, whether the views we maintain, compared with the opinions\nwe oppose, are not more consistent with reason, more harmonious with\nthe Spirit of Holy Writ, and more perfectly in unison with all advanced\nideas respecting the wisdom, power, justice, mercy and magnanimity of\nAlmighty God?\n\nFrom the foregoing observations concerning the character, origin,\nobject, powers and possibilities of the great science of salvation,\nthe inquiring mind would naturally be led to the consideration of the\nquestion, What is the Gospel of Jesus Christ? or, in other words--since\nthe impracticability of completely {497} answering so comprehensive\nan interrogation has already been shown--what are its initiatory\nprinciples? At the risk of wearying some of our veteran readers,\nalready conversant with the subject, but with a sincere desire to\nbenefit them, as well as others who are less fortunate with respect\nto the information involved, we here propose to present a brief\ndigest of what are familiarly known to the Latter-day Saints as the\nfirst principles of the Gospel; the code of laws which constitute the\nbeginning of salvation's endless system; the preface, as it were, to\nthe book of everlasting progression; the four primitive archways by\nwhich the path of eternal progress is attained, and through which the\nsouls of all men must pass in order to reach the celestial presence\nof their Maker. These four principles, it will be seen, are serial\nand progressive in their nature, each one naturally leading into\nits successor, paving the way before and preparing the soul for its\nreception.\n\nFAITH.\n\nThe Holy Bible informs us that without faith it is impossible to\nplease God. Such a declaration even from a source less sacred, need\noccasion no surprise whatever; for without faith it is impossible to\ndo anything. From the smallest act to the mightiest achievement, all\nthings are the effects of faith. It is the cause of every consequence,\nthe power by which all things possible are performed. Nothing was\never accomplished either in heaven or on earth that was not preceded\nand accompanied by the exercise of faith. The insect creeps, the bird\nflies, the fish swims, by faith; the flowers spring, the grasses grow,\nthe trees bloom and bear, by faith; the infant prattles, the man toils,\nthe God creates, upholds, redeems and glorifies His workmanship, by\nfaith. It is the main-spring of life, the motive power of creation,\nthe active principle of the entire universe. Hence it is necessarily\nthe first principle of the Gospel, the initial element of salvation,\nthe basic principle or foundation law upon which all other laws and\nprinciples rest. The soul that would attain salvation must first\nbelieve salvation possible. He must believe in God as the Giver of\nsalvation. He must believe in Christ, as its Author and Mediator. He\nmust believe in the Gospel, as the medium through which salvation is\nsecured, and in the divine authority of the individual who as a servant\nof God administers the ordinances of the Gospel in His behalf. Having\nexercised faith to the extent thus indicated, he is in a position to\nundertake the succeeding {498} venture, to ascend the next step higher\nupon the grand stairway leading to eternal life.\n\nREPENTANCE.\n\nSin cannot inherit the Kingdom of God. It is so entirely opposed, so\nessentially antagonistic to the spirit of righteousness, that the two\ncannot possibly dwell together. God does not look upon sin with the\nleast degree of allowance. Consequently the soul which aspires to His\npresence, which expects to behold His face and be able to endure His\nglory, must be previously cleansed and purified from all sin. Now, no\nsoul was ever successful in getting rid of its sins that did not first\nsincerely repent of them. No fault was ever corrected that was not\nfirst discovered and confessed; no habit was ever reformed that had not\nfirst been freely acknowledged; and no sin can in any wise be remitted\nuntil its perpetration has been truly repented of, and its perpetrator\nis resolutely resolved against its repetition. It is useless for any\naccountable being to say that he is without sin. The Scriptures declare\nthat all men are sinful and that no man can truthfully claim exemption\nfrom the universal imputation. Little children (under eight years) are\nnot responsible for their acts, and being sinless and therefore unable\nto repent, are redeemed by the blood of Christ from the foundation of\nthe world. But all accountable souls, to whom the Gospel of salvation\nis sent, must repent of and forsake their evil ways, habits, deeds\nand desires, if they wish to make any headway in the pursuit of the\nprecious prize of everlasting exaltation.\n\nBAPTISM BY IMMERSION.\n\nBaptism is symbolical of the burial and resurrection of Christ, and as\nan ordinance of the Gospel was instituted for the remission of sins.\nThe only proper mode of its administration is by immersion, whereby\nthe two events above mentioned may be illustrated. \"We are buried\nwith Him by baptism into death,\" says Paul, \"that like as Christ was\nraised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also\nshould walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together\n(buried in water) in the likeness of His death, we shall be also (by\ncoming forth out of the water) in the likeness of His resurrection.\"\nEven as Christ, by descending into death, put off the mortality in\nwhich He was clothed, and rose triumphant to a higher sphere of action,\nso we by going down {499} into the liquid grave, put away the sins\nand follies of the flesh, and are brought forth to \"a life divinely\nnew.\" Hence it is that baptism is also called a birth, and Christ, in\ndeclaring to Nicodemus that a man must be \"born of the water and of\nthe spirit,\" plainly signified emergence from the womb of the waters\nas a prerequisite to His entrance into the Kingdom of God. He not\nonly pointed this out as the way in which others should walk, but by\nsubmitting to baptism himself, He set the example of \"fulfilling all\nrighteousness,\" and was greeted from the heavens, as the result of His\nobedience, by the voice of God, declaring: \"This is my beloved Son in\nwhom I am well pleased.\" Nevertheless, water of itself cannot wash\naway sins. Not even immersion, though in strict accordance with the\nmethod prescribed, could have the slightest effect upon the soul of\nthe penitent sinner, unless performed by a person holding authority\nfrom on High. God recognizes no administrations but those of His chosen\nand commissioned servants, clothed upon with the power of the Holy\nPriesthood, as was John the Baptist; \"called of God as was Aaron,\" and\nsent forth by the voice of divine revelation to open wide the portals\nof eternal life to all who are willing to walk in that straight and\nnarrow way which, on account of worldly pride and perversity, but few\nsouls are able to find. But all repentant believers, who are baptized\nin the proper manner and by the proper authority, are acceptable in the\nsight of high heaven, and can confidently rely upon the promise made by\nPeter to the believing portion of the Pentecostal multitude: \"Repent\nand be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ, for the\nremission of your sins, and ye shall receive the\n\nGIFT OF THE HOLY GHOST.\"\n\nThe Spirit of God, in certain measure, is universally distributed. It\nis the light which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. By it\nand through it all things live, move and have their being. It\n\n  \"Warms in the sun, refreshes in the breeze, Glows in the stars, and\n  blossoms in the trees, Lives through all life, extends through all\n  extent, Spreads undivided, operates unspent.\"\n\nBut the Gift of the Holy Ghost--bestowed by the \"laying on of hands\"\nupon every faithful, penitent, baptized believer in the true Church\nof Christ--is a special endowment for {500} special purposes. It may\npossibly be a superior quality, or it may be only an increased quantity\nof that universal essence which pervades all animated nature throughout\nthe illimitable realms of space. But be that as it may, it is certain\nthat this Gift, this Comforter, this Spirit of Truth, which sustains\nthe soul, enlightens the mind, leads into all truth, and enables the\nspirit of man to comprehend the otherwise incomprehensible things of\nGod, is an important addition to the original possession and like it is\nsusceptible of further increase, cultivation and development. Through\nobedience and righteousness it may be made to grow and expand, until\nsin is entirely banished, until the eye is made single to the glory of\nGod, and the whole body is filled with life and light. By disobedience\nand unrighteousness it will readily decrease and diminish until the\nlight of the soul is utterly extinguished, and darkness, despair\nand spiritual death ensue. A fullness of God's Holy Spirit should,\ntherefore, be the grand object of human existence, for by it alone\ncan the soul of man be eternally exalted and glorified. Still there\nare various kinds of \"fullness,\" even as there are different degrees\nof glory, corresponding to the various merits and capacities of those\nwho rise in the resurrection. The fullness which each soul obtains\nwill be of that particular glory--either Celestial, Terrestrial or\nTelestial--by which its body is quickened from the grave. The \"fullness\nof the Father\" constitutes Celestial exaltation, and this, though not\na thing to be suddenly attained, should be the soul-absorbing aim and\nambition of every son and daughter of God. We should begin to acquire\nit now, for all may rest assured that the dispensation of these\neternal awards will be strictly in accordance with and regulated by\nthe deeds done in the body. Christ, our Savior, it appears, acquired\nand possessed a fullness while on earth. But pure and spotless though\nHe was, He did not receive that fullness at first, but afterwards\nreceived it. By constantly growing in grace and godliness, living from\nday to day by every word that proceeded forth from the mouth of God, He\ngradually became entitled to the steadily increasing possession of the\nHoly Spirit, till finally \"it pleased the Father that in Him should all\nfullness dwell.\" We all have it in our power to do and become likewise.\nHe is our great Guide and Exemplar. As He was pure, we must be pure;\nas He was obedient, we must likewise be; as He became perfect and was\nfound free from all fault or blemish before the throne of God, even\nso we must become, if we expect to be conformed to His image, inherit\nHis celestial glory, possess a fullness of His {501} Spirit, become\nheirs of God, and joint heirs with Jesus Christ, and have an eternal\nresidence in those heavenly mansions prepared for the righteous and the\nfaithful before the foundation of the world.\n\nThat the Gospel of Jesus Christ is necessarily one and unchangeable,\nand with the foregoing as its first or initiatory principles, a perfect\nand therefore exclusive system of salvation is a proposition which,\nhowever unpopular, is susceptible, as previously asserted, of the\nplainest possible proof. The Holy Scriptures abound in evidences of\nthis fact, and reason amply supports revelation in confirmation of its\ntruth. The Apostle Peter, the highest authority of his times, after\nthe ascension of the Savior, declares (Acts 4: 4) that \"there is none\nother name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved.\"\nThis passage alone is sufficient to prove the unity of Christ as the\nSavior of the world and likewise to substantiate the fact that even\nif there could be another Gospel possessing efficacy as a medium of\nsalvation, it also would have to be a Gospel of Jesus Christ, since He\nis the sole author of salvation to all the inhabitants of the earth.\nBut Paul, another Apostle, in the fourth chapter of his epistle to the\nEphesians, testifies of \"one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one Spirit,\"\nand plainly demonstrates that one of the principal objects of the\nGospel, by means of its inspired Priesthood and spiritual gifts, is the\nbringing of its believers to a \"unity of the faith,\" previous to their\nbeing made perfect in Christ; and this, too, corresponds beautifully\nwith the pathetic prayer of the Savior himself (John xvii.), that His\ndisciples might be made \"perfect in one,\" and become one with Him even\nas He was already one with His Father in heaven.\n\nPaul also, in another place, denouncing the apostasy of the Galatian\nchurches (Galatians i, 8, 9), and the efforts of certain persons to\ninstitute \"another Gospel\" and pervert the true Gospel of Christ,\nemploys the following forcible language: \"Though we, or an angel\nfrom heaven, preach any other Gospel unto you than that which we\nhave preached unto you, let him be accursed!\" and in order to render\nhis meaning still more plain, unmistakable and emphatic, he repeats\nthe injunction as follows: \"If any man preach any other Gospel unto\nyou than that ye have received, let him be accursed.\" These inspired\nutterances are too obvious and intelligible to be misunderstood by any\nhonest-hearted reader of the Holy Scriptures. They show as plainly\nas words can possibly show that the Gospel of Christ is one, and\nunchangeable in its nature, the same yesterday, today and forever;\nthat its object is the temporal and eternal union of its converts,\nand that it was designed for the {502} benefit and blessing of all\nhumanity, especially for such as would believe and faithfully obey its\nprinciples. And why should it be otherwise? God is not the author of\nstrife and confusion. He is essentially a lover and promoter of union,\nand looks with no favor upon those who evince a contrary disposition.\nHe would be the last to encourage, either by thought, word or action,\nanything having the slightest tendency towards discord, disunion and\ndivision. Peace and union are among the prevailing characteristics\nof His nature, and order, system and eternal harmony are widely\nmanifest in all His wondrous workmanship. We cannot conceive of such\na Being, whose avowed purpose is the bringing of His offspring to a\noneness of profession and practice, engaging in the institution or\npromotion of any cause whose inclination would be directly inimical\nto the attainment of His fondest desires, and laying aside the basic\nprinciples of His union-loving, harmony-enhancing nature, to inaugurate\nstrife and contention on earth, and engender difference and disputation\namong His children upon that greatest and most vitally important of all\nquestions, the eternal salvation of their souls. And would not such\nconsequences ensue, were He to reveal to the human family more than one\nmethod of attaining salvation?\n\nThe present religious aspect of the Christian world, with its\nheterogeneous multiplicity of jarring, contending sects, all differing,\ndisputing and dividing among themselves, yet each one claiming to be\nthe true Church of Christ should be a sufficient answer. For if puny\nman, by apostatizing from truth and concocting such a vast variety of\nways and means for worshiping his Maker, can create such a pandemonium\nof doctrinal discord as that which ecclesiastical Christendom--to say\nnothing of heathendom--displays, then what might not the Almighty\naccomplish in the same direction, were it not in diametrical opposition\nto His principles to descend to the perpetration of such folly and\nwickedness, and thereby defeat the fulfillment of His most cherished\ndesigns, besides dooming unnumbered myriads of His begotten offspring\nto spiritual death and destruction!\n\nWe might continue this argument _ad infinitum_ from a biblical point\nof view, but without going further into that divine record in quest\nof proofs which are scattered as thickly as summer sunbeams over its\nsacred pages, let us now survey the subject from another standpoint and\nsee whether reason alone will not bear out the belief that \"this Gospel\nof the Kingdom,\" which was to be and now is being \"preached in all the\nworld for a witness unto all nations,\" {503} before the coming of \"the\nend,\" is the one and only system of salvation that has ever been or\never will be revealed from heaven for the redemption and exaltation of\nthe human family.\n\nIt is to be presumed that there are but few, if any, sincere believers\nin God or in any form of religion, bearing the name of the Gospel\nof Jesus Christ, who would willingly assert that the letter could\nbe anything else than a perfect plan of salvation. The Almighty,\nas a perfect being, is necessarily perfect in all His ways and\nworks, and any system or science devised by Him for the temporal or\nspiritual regeneration of our race, would consequently be faultless\nin construction, consummate in operation and thoroughly capable of\nfulfilling every requirement of its existence. These facts being\nadmitted, we must immediately concede the unity and exclusiveness of\nthe Gospel of Christ. How so? it might be asked. For the following\nreasons: A perfect Gospel is of necessity an exclusive Gospel, for of\nany two such systems, which for argument's sake, we will say might be\nrevealed, one of them must as a matter of course be inferior. No two\nthings can be created exactly alike, and therefore, speaking in the\nstrictest sense of the term, no such thing as equality can possibly\nexist. But even if it could, in the present instance, what would be the\nuse of two Gospels made exactly alike for precisely the same purpose?\nThe Creator is a wise economist, but such an act would be superfluous\nand extravagant in the highest degree. But they could not be exactly\nalike. One of them, as explained, would have to be inferior, for only\none of the twain could be perfect, and hence completely competent to\nfulfill the exact measure of their mutual formation. The superior\nGospel would be the creation of God, and it alone; for the inferior\none, being imperfect and therefore defective in its organization and\ncapacity, could not possibly proceed from Him, since there is no such\nthing as imperfection extant in all His handiwork. It is true, His\ncreature, man, is at present very imperfect, but not so originally.\nGod made man upright, says Solomon, \"but they have sought out many\ninventions.\" On the morning of creation, he, with all the rest of the\nCreator's great workmanship, was made perfect and pronounced \"very\ngood,\" but he afterward fell into transgression, which is always the\ndownward path, and through his own sins and follies has steadily\ndegenerated to his present fallen condition. Now it is only by means\nof a perfect Gospel that he can be regenerated {504} and raised to the\nhigh and perfect position from which he fell, and such a one is the\nGospel of Jesus Christ, the subject we are now considering.\n\nA perfect Gospel comprehending all truth, all intelligence, all\nprinciples of progression, is necessarily sole and exclusive in its\nnature. It actually precludes, not only the necessity, but likewise\nthe possibility of the existence of any other Gospel having genuine\nefficacy and saving virtue. For being complete and perfect in all its\nparts, all inclusive, all absorbent, all powerful, all sufficient in\ncharacter and capability, as the greater, it would certainly comprehend\nthe less, and not only deprive it, if existing, of any room or occasion\nto operate, but if not existing, would leave no extra, unusual material\nfor its construction. So that whichever alternative is chosen, by such\nas may be disposed to question the validity of our position, it is\nclearly the case that any other Gospel, besides the only one that ever\ndid, ever will, or in the very nature of things ever can exist, would\neither be superfluous or impossible; and to accuse the all-wise Creator\nof committing either folly, would be an insult to His intelligence\nand a profanation of His character. Mankind may invent, as mankind\nhas already invented, systems upon systems of so-called religion, and\nfalsely call them, to his greater condemnation, by the sacred name\nof Him who died that all men might live, and some of these man-made\nmethods of worship, or rather idolatry, though all are imperfect and\ndefective, like their clay creators, may be exceedingly plausible and\npopular with their professors, nor yet entirely devoid of grains and\nparticles of truth. Nevertheless they are all illegal and unauthorized\nof God, who will utterly refuse to recognize the usurped authority,\nunlawful establishment and unhallowed administrations, or to accept\nof the fruits of any faith or form of worship, whatsoever, aside\nfrom those of the everlasting, unchangeable Gospel of His Son Jesus\nChrist. The Gospel of Jesus Christ! That sole and exclusive system\nof salvation, that perfect and perpetual science of progression,\nthat marvelous and mysterious plan, so plain, so simple, and withal\nso powerful; so admirably adapted to the needs and capacity of every\nsoul, from the highest to the humblest intelligence ever tabernacled\nin mortal flesh, and so amply capable of subserving the far-reaching\npurposes of Omnipotent Creator, as to be the all essential method of\nsalvation in this life, and the indispensable medium of unceasing\nexaltation in the life to come!\n\nIt is a matter of easy comprehension in the ordinary affairs of life,\nwhy obedience to any natural law must of necessity {505} precede the\nattainment of its legitimate result. The accountant at his desk knows\nperfectly well that in order to obtain the sum of a column of figures\nhe must first employ one of the fundamental rules of the science of\nmathematics; the chemist in his laboratory is equally aware that the\nblending of certain elements, in accordance with established rules of\nthe science with which he is operating, is absolutely essential to\nthe formation of the compound which he desires; the student at school\nwho aspires to honors and efficiency in the course he is pursuing, is\nfully as well satisfied that faithful application and a certain line\nof deportment is indispensable to insure him a successful examination,\nwith its subsequent reward or recognition of merit; the alien desiring\ncitizenship, when once informed of the fact, seldom, if ever, hesitates\nto question the advisability of \"taking out his papers,\" or going\nthrough certain forms of law, in order that he may be qualified to\nexercise the rights and privileges of a member of the commonwealth;\nand it is self-evident that the traveler, who wishes to arrive with\nall possible speed and security at his destination, must previously\nselect and intently pursue the shortest, safest and most feasible route\nleading in the right direction. These facts are patent to the poorest\ncomprehension.\n\nWhy is it, then, that so many, to whom the above illustrations are\nso simple and self-evident, fail to see the analogy which exists\nwith reference to the great Gospel or science of salvation, and the\nobedience to its laws, principles and requirements so imperatively\nessential to admission into an eternal inheritance in the Celestial\nKingdom of God? Why is it that so many millions, notwithstanding\nthe plainest and most pointed declarations of inspired Scripture,\nthe examples and testimonies of the Savior and holy men of old,\ncorroborated by the God-given human reason, profanely and recklessly\ninsist on asserting that compliance with the sacred and everlasting\nlaws and ordinances of salvation is no longer necessary to accomplish\nthe very object of their institution, and vainly imagine or assume\nto suppose that it is possible to reach the presence of their Maker\nwithout putting into practice the immutable principles upon which all\ncelestial promises are predicated, and responding fully and faithfully\nto the requirements invariably made of those who become possessed\nof this inestimable privilege? Why is it that the accountant cannot\nsee that eternal life is the sum of all existence, and that all who\nwould obtain it must add together faith and good works, unceasingly,\nemploying all rules, both fundamental {506} and superstructive, of\nsalvation's endless science, in order to solve the otherwise insoluble\nproblem of this life and acquire the grand total of life everlasting in\nthe world to come? Why is it that the chemist cannot perceive that the\nall-containing compound of eternal happiness is only to be produced by\nthe careful and judicious mixture of the elements of eternal salvation\nwhile man yet lingers in the laboratory of his mortal probation?\nHow can the student in the precious school of earthly experience,\nwho fails to improve his time and learn well the lessons assigned\nto him in this intermediate department of God's great University,\nhope to pass a successful examination at His Judgment Seat, to merit\nor attain possession of the \"greatest gift of God,\" and be blessed\nwith the opportunities of entering upon a higher course of studies\nin a never ending future of education and experience, if he does not\nwin and present a properly signed and attested certificate of good\nconduct while here, and of complete and thorough preparation for the\nineffable and interminable hereafter? Why does the alien of the world,\nwho professes to seek Citizenship in the Celestial Commonwealth,\nfoolishly doubt the necessity of taking the oath of naturalization,\nrenouncing all foreign allegiance, responsibilities and relationship,\nand conforming to the plain and positive regulations by means of which\nalone he can even so much as enter into the Gates of the Golden City,\nto say nothing of exercising and enjoying the rights, privileges and\npossessions accorded to its humble, faithful, obedient and law-abiding\ninhabitants? Or why should the traveler of time, the pilgrim to a\npromised paradise, as he journeys through this weary wilderness,\nentertain the expectation that he can avoid the pitfalls, snares and\ndangers which beset his pathway at every step, and arrive with safety\nand all possible expedition to the flowery outskirts of the dark and\ndreary desert, where the arms of a loving and sympathetic Savior are\nwaiting open and ready to receive him, if he does not pursue the\nstraight, narrow and only practicable route tending in the proper\ndirection?--in the direction of Him who explored the waste, pioneered\nand opened up the way, brushing and clearing it with His own bleeding\nhands and feet, of many of its sharpest rocks and crudest thorns and\nbrambles, planting innumerable guideposts and danger signals along the\nline of the perilous probation, thereby making it not only possible,\nbut comparatively easy for all men to follow in His footsteps, to\ninherit bowers of eternal bliss and gardens of unspeakable glory\nbeyond, but solemnly and repeatedly asseverating, both before and after\n{507} the close of his brave and remarkable career, that there is none\nother way under the whole heaven whereby the same pilgrimage can be\naccomplished and the devoutedly wished for consummation attained.\n\nSome will doubtless contend that the cases above mentioned, though\ncapable of parabolical comparison, are not practically analogous in\ntheir nature; that the ordinary process employed by the accountant,\nthe chemist, the student, the alien and the traveler, are matters\nof plain and practical fact, self-evident truths, susceptible of\nthe easiest elucidation, and do not therefore demand, for their\nacceptance, the exercise of that faith or far-reaching credulity, so\nindispensably pre-requisite to the investigation of the Gospel, and\nthe acknowledgment of implicit obedience to its principles as the sole\nalternative to the sacrifice of all hopes of celestial exaltation. In\nreply to this argument, since to all who would put it forth it would\nbe waste of time and trouble to quote Scripture, we desire to propound\ntwo questions. By what means have the so-called self-evident truths\nof modern science, art, invention, philosophy, etc.--now, but not\nalways, so easily explained and understood--become the plainly proved\nand firmly established facts that we find them at the present time?\nDoes not the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the perfect and perpetual plan of\nsalvation, purposely made simple and comprehensible--as great things\ninvariably are--in order that even the wayfaring man, though a fool,\nmight not needfully err therein--does it not exhibit upon its face\nample and indubitable evidences of the power and efficacy which it\nclaims, and has been proven by unnumbered millions to possess? To the\nfirst question we unhesitatingly assert, without fear of successful\ncontradiction, that every truth now known to mortal man has at some\nperiod in its history been more or less the subject of his doubt and\nconjecture, if not of his open and avowed hostility and unbelief,\nand that without any exception their adoption, establishment and\ndevelopment on earth have been directly due to the exercise of what\nsome people are pleased to confound with the term credulity, but\nwhich we prefer to designate by the more dignified and appropriate\ntitle of faith, all-powerful faith, a principle whose necessity\nas the foundation or mainspring of all action and success, is as\nself-evident as any other fact under heaven, and without which, as a\nnecessary consequence, no truth whatever could have been brought forth,\nproven and perpetuated in the mind and memory of man. The exercise of\nfaith, the humility and willingness to make experiments, the honesty\nand courage to proclaim results, {508} the fortitude and patience\nto endure the taunts, the sneers, the threats and even persecutive\nviolence of the ignorant, unprincipled, selfish, skeptical, unthinking\nand depraved--the latter incited by Satan, the resister and would-be\ndestroyer of right, and the former pushed on and inspired by Almighty\nGod, the great leader of the vanguard in the eternal march of human\nprogress;--these and these alone are the invincible agencies which have\nconverted popular opinion and transformed the once \"crazy notions,\"\n\"impossible theories,\" \"wild speculations\" and \"manifest absurdities\"\nof \"crack-brained\" genius and philosophy, into the since time-honored\nmaxims, venerable proverbs, world-accepted facts and self-evident\npropositions, and the many marvelous artistic triumphs and scientific\nachievements now so popular and prevalent in the world, and of which\nthe world that formerly despised and persecuted their incipiency, with\nits customary conceit and inconsistency, is at present so vainglorious\nand proud. Faith and good works, those inseparable, Siamese twins of\nGospel efficacy, have done all that ever has been or ever will be\ndone, in heaven or on earth, for the benefit and blessing of humanity,\nwhile blind, bigoted unbelief and cold-hearted skepticism, though\nalways the loudest to boast of the world's advancement, especially\nif it advances in wickedness, have as invariably been the persistent\nopposers and stumbling-blocks in the way of all righteous progress\nand development. As to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, every principle\nof which, on fair and honest investigation, will be found abundantly\ncapable of demonstrating its own power and saving virtue, we dare and\ndo maintain, from ample observation and individual experience, that it\nrequires far more credulity to disbelieve the validity of its claim to\nbeing \"the power of God unto salvation,\" than faith for its acceptance\nand acknowledgment as the one and only medium through which the souls\nof men and the planet upon which they dwell can be saved, sanctified\nand celestialized forevermore.\n\nHear it, ye nations and inhabitants of the earth! Hear it and give\nheed, while yet the Gospel trump is sounding through the streets of\nyour cities, and its receding echoes are ringing and reverberating\nfrom your hills and highways! Hear it and heed it, while the lingering\ntwilight of hope keeps back the fast descending night of despair;\nwhile the \"swift messengers\" of salvation are still going forth,\nand the acceptance of their warning message will avail. Despise\nnot the humble testimonies of those unlettered oracles of God, for\nevery word they deliver is rife with the fate of men and nations,\nand simultaneous {509} with their utterance on earth, the busy pens\nof recording angels are enrolling them upon the archives of eternal\njudgment. Remember that from humblest and apparently weakest causes,\nhave ofttimes sprung the highest, wisest and mightiest results, and\nif the Gospel is plain and simple in construction, and its advocates\nand adherents among the poorest and most illiterate of men, that the\nAlmighty has purposely made them so, that the faith of the proud world\nmight be tested, that its population, high and low, rich and poor,\nlearned and unlearned, might be left without excuse for its rejection,\nand that to God, not man, might redound all honor and glory for the\ntriumph which His omnipotent truth is destined to achieve. Put away\nall prejudice and narrow pre-conceptions, close your ears against the\nvoice of misrepresentation and calumny, shake off the cloak and coil\nof cowardice, smother the selfish promptings of worldly interest, and\nwhile you sacrifice the paltry things of earth, remember that you\nare laying up eternal treasures in heaven. \"Choose ye this day whom\nye will serve!\" The line of demarkation is being drawn, the times of\nseparating, sifting and sorting are at hand, and the worshipers of God\nand Mammom henceforth must cease to mingle and commune. The night of\ndoubt is ended. The day of decision has dawned. Truth and Error have\ntaken the field, their hostile hosts are already in battle array,\nand the trumpets of both sides are sounding loudly for volunteers,\nsummoning the earth's inhabitants to the Armogeddon of Almighty God.\nOn which side will you fight? Which cause are you willing to be found\ndefending to the death? Be wise in choice. Be instant in decision! But\nabove all things be not dazzled and deceived.\n\n  \"Truth, crushed to earth, will rise again,\n  The eternal years of God are hers;\n  But error, wounded, writhes with pain,\n  And dies amid his worshipers.\"\n\n{510}\n\n\n\nTHE MISUSE OF POWER.\n\nBY ELDER ORSON F. WHITNEY, IN MILLENNIAL STAR, 1882.\n\nThe severest test to which human virtue may possibly be subjected\nis the possession of unlimited power. Man may be ruled and wronged,\npersecuted and trampled upon, and the vitality and sweetness of\nhis character will survive the tyranny of his oppressors, and like\nthe shamrock of Ireland, which is said to take root and flourish\nwhen trodden under foot, gain strength and endurance from the very\nmeans employed for its destruction. But give him his own way, remove\nall restraints and barriers between him and the gratification of\nhis selfish desires, and he is a strong man indeed who completely\nwithstands the temptation.\n\nThe term power may imply lofty and influential position, boundless\nwealth, or intellectual eminence, or it may embrace in its definition\nall sources of dominion together; but whether considered singly or\ncollectively, it can make no material difference. The rule finds\ngeneral application. History is replete with examples of individuals\nand communities, kings and kingdoms, chiefs and armies, priests and\nchurches, presidents and peoples, illustrative of the almost inevitable\nmisfortune which results from investing mankind with extraordinary\npower and authority. Heroes have risen and fallen, dynasties have\nflourished and decayed, races have bloomed and withered, empires have\nbeen founded and destroyed; and in nearly every instance, either\ndirectly or indirectly, their downfall and destruction have been due\nto an improper use of the gifts and powers they were permitted to\nexercise. The opportunities afforded for the indulgence of pride and\nselfishness, the unbridled facilities presented for the gratification\nof passion, and the perpetration of every species of wickedness, with\nthe thousand and one historical proofs of the proneness even of the\ngreatest and most virtuous to succumb to these allurements of vice,\nto say nothing of the incumbent labors and responsibilities, are\nsufficient, it would seem, to make the tenure of earthly authority, or\nthe possession of vast wealth, among the most undesirable attainments.\n\n{511} Let it not be inferred that we regard such things as essentially\nevil, or consider all aims and efforts in their direction as\nnecessarily debasing in their tendency. Far from it. It is not wealth,\nbut the inordinate love of it, that is \"the root of all evil;\" it is\nnot the possession, but the perversion of power, that is the bane of\nman's happiness and prosperity. It is no more of an evil to hold power\nthan to possess wealth, and no more of a sin to possess wealth than to\nenjoy any other blessing which flows from the Giver of all good; for\nas long as heaven has gifts to bestow, there must needs be those who\nwill receive them and those who are best entitled to be the recipients\nare those who endeavor to deserve them and are qualified to use them\nin wisdom and righteousness, for the glory of God and the welfare of\ntheir fellow men. It is not the honest aim for, nor the proper exercise\nof these advantages, that are deserving subjects of deprecation and\ndisparagement, but it is the misuse of power, the prostitution of\nwealth, the neglect or abuse of any of the blessings of life, and the\nunhallowed methods employed in their acquisition, that are and ever\nwill be, legitimate objects of denunciation and discouragement. So\nfar from its being wrong to aim for superiority and excellence in any\nrighteous direction, it is exactly the reverse. Our Father in heaven\nexpects it of us. He demands that His children advance unceasingly\ntowards power, wealth and intelligence illimitable. His motto is upward\nand onward, His course is one eternal round of progression, and His\nconstant exhortation is, to follow in His footsteps; and as long as we\nhave in view the exaltation that He has attained and confine ourselves\nstrictly to the methods which He has ordained for its accomplishment,\nthere is no danger of our being too ambitious or of making an improper\nuse of the powers He will eventually bestow. But it is here in this\nweak mortal state, where our eyes are dazzled by the tinsel of earthly\nvanities, where our ears are enchanted by the dulcet but delusive notes\nof fame, and our feet are so apt to be seduced from the paths of virtue\nby the gilded snares of vice; it is here that there is an ever present\ndanger of misusing the gifts and blessings we are privileged to enjoy,\nand it is this continuous and extreme liability that should render\nthe acquisition of earthly power and wealth, to the great majority of\nmankind, exceedingly undesirable. All men who hold position do not\nabuse its privileges, and the man who serves God humbly and faithfully\nnever will, for the moment he yielded to the temptation so to do, that\nmoment would he cease to serve the Lord; but there are many, alas! who\nsadly misuse {512} the functions of their office, and prostitute every\npower and privilege to the gratification of self and the injury and\nembarrassment of their fellow men. It is dangerous to put some men into\npower. They swell up and become so distended with the ideas of their\ngreatness and importance, that we are forcibly reminded of so many\ninflated toy balloons, which the slightest prick of a pin would burst\nand ruin forever. A very small office and a very little authority is\nsufficient to intoxicate some men and render them entirely unfit for\nduty.\n\nThe Prophet Joseph, in the course of a prophecy uttered in March, 1839,\nspeaks as follows:\n\n    \"We have learned by sad experience that it is the nature and\n    disposition of almost all men, as soon as they get a little\n    brief authority, as they suppose, they will immediately begin to\n    exercise unrighteous dominion;\" and in two preceding paragraphs\n    of the same, these words occur: \"The rights of the priesthood are\n    inseparably connected with the powers of heaven, and the powers of\n    heaven cannot be controlled nor handled only upon the principles\n    of righteousness. That they may be conferred upon us, it is\n    true; but when we undertake to cover our sins, or to gratify our\n    pride, our vain ambition, or to exercise control, or dominion, or\n    compulsion upon the souls of the children of men, in any degree\n    of unrighteousness, behold the heavens withdraw themselves, the\n    Spirit of the Lord is grieved and when it is withdrawn, Amen to the\n    Priesthood or the authority of that man.\"\n\nIt is a certain indication of a weak mind when it can be overturned by\na brief draught of authority. Like a ship which spreads sail, but lacks\nthe necessary tonnage to hold it level with the sea, the individual who\nhoists his pride on high and is devoid of the indispensable ballast of\ncommon sense, will speedily run on to ruin and oblivion. Solomon never\nsaid a wiser thing than that \"Pride goeth beside destruction; and an\nhaughty spirit before a fall.\" But the truly great man is never so\naffected. Too broad and deep and sensible to be dazzled by terrestrial\nsplendor and too intent upon his purpose to be swayed or directed by\nthe flattery of the fawning multitude, instead of being elevated, he is\nmore apt to be humbled by promotion to power, or if he ever feels its\ninfluence, it is like new wine refreshing a giant, not like a seltzer\ndraught overcoming a dwarf.\n\nSome men evidently deem it their duty to be ambitious for distinction,\non the principle, we suppose, that if the mountain will not come to\nMahomet, Mahomet must go to the mountain. While this may be measurably\ntrue with regard to worldly matters, it is not so respecting the things\nof the Kingdom of God. No Latter-day Saint need aim for power or\nposition in the Church of Jesus Christ. If he be destined to {513} hold\noffice in the Priesthood, or to occupy any post of honor within the\ngift of that Priesthood, he can afford to wait in patience for it to\ncome to him, for come it will, in the due time of the Lord, Mahomet's\nmountain to the contrary notwithstanding; but if he is not destined for\nthe position to which he aspires, despite his most strenuous efforts\nhe will be the victim of disappointment; or if permitted to reach the\nheight of the ambition, it will be but to fall therefrom when his folly\nand his weakness shall have been made fully manifest. It is madness to\nrush needlessly into peril. Duty and necessity are the only motives\nwhich should impel any one into an encounter with temptation. The only\nassurance of complete victory over sin, after bravely meeting and\nconquering the temptations that can be safely met and resisted, is in\navoiding all others which God never intended us to meet, and which as\na consequence, we would find it impossible to overcome. A little done\nwell brings a much higher blessing than a great deal undertaken and\nunworthily performed. Let him who lusts after wealth and aspires to\nearthly honors beyond the station in which it has pleased the Almighty\nto place him, ponder this well in his heart. Let him ask himself if he\nis qualified to make a wise use of the things he covets, if he is able\nto bear up under the heavy responsibilities they entail, and strong\nenough to resist successfully the temptations which would assail him\non every hand; and if he is satisfied of this, let him recollect that\nGod selects for His rulers those who have been humble and faithful\nin subordinate capacities, and that it is far more admirable to wait\nfor, than to openly invite recognition and promotion. By the faithful\ndischarge of the duties of his humbler calling, let him prove himself\nworthy of the honors of a higher, and having attained the summit of his\nhopes, the possession of the power, the wealth and the intelligence he\ncraved, let him carefully exercise those gifts in the fear of the Lord\nand the love of his fellowmen, lest he prove recreant to his trust,\nturn traitor to his God and be hurled from his exaltation like Lucifer\nfrom Heaven.\n\n{514}\n\n\n\nHAPPINESS FOR THE SORROWFUL.\n\nBY APOSTLE ORSON PRATT, IN MILLENNIAL STAR, 1866.\n\nWho is the happy man? Is it the king upon his throne? Is it the mighty\nemperor who sways the destiny of millions? Does happiness consist in\nruling, in judging, in politics, in thrones, in palaces, in earthly\ngrandeur? Does it consist in the honor which man renders to his\nfellowman? Is it found in high titles, such as Right Honorable Lord\nBishop, his Holiness--the Pope, his Majesty--the King, or Emperor, his\nLordship, etc., etc.? Does happiness seek the mansions of the rich,\nthe splendid habitations and beautiful parks of the noblemen? Does\nhappiness seek the companionship of the learned, and select its abode\nin academies, colleges and universities? Has the philosopher, the\nastronomer, the chemist, the optician, the mathematician, the learned\nin any science, sought out its desirable dwelling place? Tell me, ye\nswarming millions of bygone generations, who among you were happy? Tell\nme, O sons of earth, has happiness been found by mortals? Whither shall\nI go for an answer? Let creation speak; let the earth open her mouth\nand testify. Listen! What sounds are those I hear? Can it be the low\nmurmurings of distant thunder? It cannot be! It proceeds as if from the\nbowels of the earth! But hark! Did I not hear words, articulated in a\ndeep, low, mournful sound? Has the earth, indeed, a language? Can she\nalso express her sorrows? But, listen again! She sighs! She mourns!\nShe exclaims: \"Woe, woe is me, the mother of men! I am pained! I am\nweary because of the wickedness of my children! When shall I rest,\nand be cleansed from the filthiness which has gone out of me? When\nwill my Creator sanctify me, that I may rest, and righteousness for a\nseason abide upon my face?\" Who could listen to this sorrowful, painful\nlamentation, this earnest, solemn, appeal to the Creator, and not be\nmoved? Who could reflect upon the bitterness and anguish of our great\ncommon mother, and not weep over the untold miseries she has endured\nfor six thousand years? Who so dead to sympathy, that he could not join\nwith an intensity of desire' unutterable, for the emancipation {515} of\nthe groaning captive? Oh, let the chains of old earth be burst asunder;\nlet her arise and shake her very foundations; let her put on the\nstrength and power of her Omnipotent Creator; let her gather the mighty\nwaters into one place; let her unite the islands and the continents\ninto one land, into an eternal bond of union; let the everlasting\nmountains bow their lofty heads; let the sanctifying fire of the Lord\ncleanse corruption from her face; let the redeemed captive smile as at\nthe creation's morn, and be blessed with the presence of her Creator,\nand be crowned with rest--everlasting rest.\n\nBut is there no rest for man? Must he seek, and seek in vain for\nhappiness? Where, Oh, where can the sacred gem be found? Is man forever\ndoomed to sorrow, lamentation, and ghastly death? Or is there hope?\nShall the sons of mortality appeal to the earth for aid? No, verily no;\nshe herself has need of aid. Whence, then, shall they look for help?\nFrom heaven! From the high and lofty One who sits upon the throne! From\nthe Creator, the Redeemer, the great fountain and eternal source of\nhappiness. To Him, O ye sons of sorrow, direct your cry; to Him lift up\nthe voice of supplication and fervent prayer; to Him bow your stubborn\nhearts, and wills, and yield yourselves to the voice of inspiration, to\nthe counsel of His messengers; obey the heavenly, angelic message of\nthe restored Gospel, and you shall be filled with the Holy Ghost--the\nComforter, and be born again into a kingdom of happiness. Let all\nwho seek for happiness, know assuredly, that this is the only road\nthat leads to her peaceful abode. Peace is being taken from among the\nnations. She has sought out a resting place among the mountains of\nIsrael, in the new found world. There, and there only will the weary be\nat rest, and the sons of sorrow find an heavenly balm for every wound.\nThere the great Physician will heal the soul, and the body, too. There\nthe heavens will converse with the sons of earth, and pour down the\nrich treasures of wisdom to feast the hungry, longing soul. There the\nLord has commanded the blessing, even life forever more. There, in the\nLord's mountain, will He take away the veil that is over all flesh, and\nwipe away the tears of the sorrowful, and impart a fullness of life and\neverlasting joy.\n\n{516}\n\n\n\nTHE STRAIGHT AND NARROW WAY.\n\nDOCTRINES THE SAVIOR TAUGHT.\n\nBY ELDER EPHRAIM H. NYE.\n\nIn the meridian of time, the Savior came and dwelt among the children\nof men. He was born in a stable and cradled in a manger. The days and\nyears of His childhood and youth were spent with His parents in the\nordinary walks and vocations of life. Many wonderful things occurred in\nrelation to His conception and birth: Angelic choirs from the heavens\ndescended, chanting glad tidings of great joy, peace on earth, good\nwill toward men. Herod's cunning plans were baffled; his boundless\nrage, his cruel edict, the death of the innocents; Joseph's heavenly\nwarning to flee to Egypt with the young child, his journey and return,\nhis stay in Galilee that the Scriptures might be fulfilled; all these\ndropped out of the public mind, and, as the years rolled by, were\nforgotten and lost, except by his relatives and friends.\n\nAs He sojourned among men during the years of His youth and early\nmanhood, there was little in His life to attract the attention of His\nfellows until he unostentatiously walked down into the waters of the\nriver Jordan, and there was baptized by John; and though the Holy Ghost\nwas seen to rest upon Him in the form of a dove, as He walked out\nof the water, and a voice from heaven was heard to say, \"This is My\nbeloved Son in whom I am well pleased;\" yet men did not recognize in\nHim the Son of God.\n\nThough He preached the gospel of repentance and baptism for the\nremission of sins, chose and ordained twelve Apostles and sent them\nforth to preach, and went forth healing all manner of sickness and\ndire disease, causing the blind to see, the deaf to hear, the lame to\nwalk and leap for joy, teaching as no other man had taught, healing\nas no other man had healed, rebuking as no other man had ever dared\nrebuke men for the sins they daily committed, yet they rejected Him and\ncondemned Him to a cruel death, and though He rose again (which fact\nwas noised abroad so that all the inhabitants of {517} Jerusalem were\ncognizant of it), still they could not see in Him the Savior of the\nworld.\n\nOn the great day of Pentecost, when there were gathered together devout\nmen of all the surrounding nations, \"suddenly there came a sound from\nheaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where\nthey were sitting, and there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as\nof fire, and it sat upon each of them (the Disciples) and they were all\nfilled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as\nthe Spirit gave them utterance.\"\n\nThe people of the multitude were all amazed, for they heard of the\nwonderful works of God, each in his own tongue. Peter, standing up with\nthe eleven, lifted up his voice and said unto them: \"Ye men of Judea,\nand all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken\nto my words.\" Then, repeating the words of the Prophet Joel, he showed\nto them that Christ should come, and briefly sketched the history of\nHis life, recounting His wonderful works and noble deeds, showed forth\nto the people that they had by cruel hands put Him to death, thus\ncrucifying the Lord of Glory; that in fulfillment of the Prophet's\nwords, God had raised Him from the dead; that on the third day He had\nbeen seen by the Apostles and many others with whom He had conversed,\n\"whereof we are all witnesses. Therefore, being by the right hand of\nGod exalted, and having received \"of the Father the promise of the Holy\nGhost, He hath shed forth this which ye now see and hear.\" \"Therefore,\nlet all the house of Israel know assuredly that God hath made that same\nJesus whom ye have crucified both Lord and Christ.\"\n\n\"Now when they heard this they were pricked in their hearts and said\nunto Peter and to the rest of the Apostles, Men and brethren, what\nshall we do?\" Not until this moment did they believe in Jesus of\nNazareth as the Savior of the world. Though all His wonderful works had\nbeen performed in their midst, yet not until the story of His life, His\nterrible death, His glorious resurrection, and the wonderful outpouring\nof the Holy Ghost now manifested before their eyes, did faith spring\nup in their hearts, and a desire to be partakers of the heavenly gift,\ncausing them to plead with the Apostles, \"What shall we do?\"\n\nFAITH AND WORKS.\n\nFaith is the main-spring of all action, a mighty moving power. By it\nNoah, Abraham and Moses performed their {518} wonderful works; the\nchildren of Israel passed through the Red Sea, the walls of Jericho\nfell, the harlot Rahab perished not; Gideon, Barak, David and others of\nthe prophets subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises\nand stopped the mouths of lions.\n\nThe Apostle Paul understood the wonderful power of faith when he said\n(Heb. xi, 6), \"But without faith it is impossible to please Him; for he\nthat cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder\nof them that diligently seek Him.\" This verse is self-explanatory. If\nwe did not believe that God lives and will reward those who diligently\nseek Him, we should not seek Him at all. The third verse reads,\n\"Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word\nof God.\" So then, not only could the wonderful works before recounted\nbe performed by the old worthies, but even worlds could be framed when\nnecessary through faith.\n\nBut will faith alone accomplish the salvation of the soul of men.\nAs opinions differ, and he who risks his soul's salvation upon the\nuncertainties of men's opinions, has but a vain hope of being led\naright; let the Scriptures answer the question. James 2nd ch. 14-26.\nThis declaration of the great Apostle seems to set at rest for all time\nthe theory that faith alone is sufficient to save mankind. In closing\nhis speech, he very forcibly states that, \"As the body without the\nspirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.\" Shall we not say,\nthen, that works are necessary, and if so, what are those works?\n\nREPENTANCE.\n\nAgain let the Scriptures tell the tale. Math. 3, 2d, \"In those days\ncame John the Baptist--saying 'Repent ye, for the kingdom of heaven is\nat hand.'\" Jesus came preaching the gospel of the Kingdom of God (Mark\ni, 15) \"and saying, the time is fulfilled, and the Kingdom of God is at\nhand; repent ye and believe the Gospel.\" (Mark vi, 12.) \"And they (the\nApostles) went out, and preached that men should repent.\" Jesus was\nevidently determined that there should be no mistake upon this matter\nwhen he said (Luke xiii, 3-5): \"I tell you Nay; but except ye repent,\nye shall all likewise perish. Of those eighteen upon whom the tower\nof Siloam fell and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above\nall men that dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you Nay; but except ye repent,\nye shall all likewise perish.\" The word of the Lord to Israel in the\ndays of Ezekiel was equally positive (Ezek. xviii, 30), \"Therefore\n{519} I will judge you, O House of Israel, every one according to his\nways, saith the Lord God. Repent and turn yourselves from all your\ntransgressions, so iniquity shall not be your ruin.\" Nor does it appear\nthat conditions had at all changed in the days of the Apostle Paul,\nfor we find him declaring in the most emphatic terms (Acts xvii, 30),\n\"And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth\nall men everywhere to repent.\" This, then, is the first grand step of\npreparatory work in securing salvation in the Kingdom of God.\n\nBut the question may arise in the mind of our reader, Wherein have\nI sinned? In what have I done wrong? I have complied with all the\nrequirements of the decalogue, I have lived according to the golden\nrule, doing unto others as I would be done by. What have I to repent\nof? Have you not been guilty of following after and believing in\nman-made systems of religion and of worshiping in churches erected for\nthe purpose of making merchandise of the souls of men? Look abroad upon\nthe face of the earth, search in all the Christian world for the true\nChurch of Christ as organized and recognized by Him, where do you find\nit? Like the shipwrecked mariner whose weary eye scans the vast horizon\nwith a lingering hope that a friendly sail will come to his relief,\ntill his heart grows faint and dies within him, so it is with many an\nhonest soul seeking the way to eternal life, anon as he listens to\nthe various creeds and examines the doctrines of the different sects,\nhe discovers discrepancies everywhere. No one has a perfect form of\nworship; all have dwindled in unbelief; they have departed from the\nfaith of the ancients; they have turned away from the true and living\nGod, as the Apostle Paul said (2nd Tim. iv, 3), \"For the time will come\nwhen they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts\nshall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears, and they\nshall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned into\nfables. Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof.\nPreaching for doctrine the precepts of men.\"\n\nChurches have been erected whose spires rise in every town and city,\nvillage and hamlet over all the land, in which men preach for hire and\ndivine for money; thus making merchandise of the souls of men, having,\nas Isaiah says, \"Transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken\nthe everlasting covenant,\" and \"it shall be as with the people, so\nwith the priest,\" and as Jesus said in Luke, \"Can the blind lead the\nblind? Shall they not both fall into the ditch?\" We answer {520} by\nsaying, as the Apostles of old said: \"Repent and be baptized, every\none of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of sins.\"\n(Acts ii, 38.) Yes, for the fruits of repentance are a broken heart and\na contrite spirit; and it is provided that such an one should walk in\nthe footsteps of Jesus, down into the water, and, like Him, be buried\nbeneath the liquid wave.\n\nBAPTISM.\n\nThis was the first act that Jesus did preparatory to His ministerial\nlabors, and the very last command He gave to His Apostles prior to His\nascension into heaven (Matt, xxviii, 19-20), \"Go ye therefore and teach\nall nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son\nand of the Holy Ghost, teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I\nhave commanded you.\" And what had He just commanded them?--to baptise\nall nations. The next witness testifies a little stronger (Mark xvi,\n15-16), \"And He said unto them, Go ye into all the world and preach the\nGospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be\nsaved, but he that believeth not shall be damned.\"\n\nOh, what an opportunity to secure eternal life, what a glorious\npromise, and this, too, from the Author of our salvation! Many say that\nthey believe on Him, that they have faith in Him, and yet persistently\nrefuse to accept the conditions that He has offered for their salvation.\n\nSurely no one will have the audacity to assert that He who gave His\nlife and shed His blood that we may obtain eternal life, has not\nthe right to establish the conditions upon which we may secure the\nbenefits of that atoning blood. His promise is plain, and in language\nunmistakable, \"He that believes and is baptized shall be saved.\" Let\nus not forget that the declaration is equally positive that, \"He that\nbelieveth not shall be damned.\" Nor is John the Beloved less explicit\nin his statement of what the Savior said to Nicodemus (John iii, 5),\n\"Jesus answered, verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born\nof water and of the Spirit he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God.\"\nHere is a declaration from the Great Master Himself, that ought to be\na sufficient answer to all who fondly imagine that they can find some\nother way.\n\nAgain, there are those who believe that if they live a life of honor\nand integrity among men, and serve God according to the best light they\nhave, that they will be entitled to an inheritance in the Kingdom of\nGod. To all such, let the Scriptures once more declare the fact (Acts\nx, 1-6 and 48), \"There {521} was a man in Caesarea called Cornelius,\na centurion of the band called the Italian Band, a devout man and one\nthat feared God with all his house, which gave much alms to the people\nand prayed to God always. He saw in a vision, evidently about the ninth\nhour of the day, an angel of God coming in to him and saying unto\nhim--Cornelius; and when he looked on him he was afraid and said, What\nis it, Lord? And he said unto him, Thy prayers and thine alms are come\nup for a memorial before God; and now send men to Joppa and call for\none Simon whose surname is Peter; he lodgeth with one Simon, a tanner,\nwhose house is by the seaside. He shall tell thee what thou oughtest to\ndo.\" Ah! Cornelius, you God-fearing, alms-giving, prayerful man, there\nis something that you have not done! Though your faith has reached\nunto heaven, and your prayers have been heard and your alms-giving\nconsidered by the Almighty, yet there is something for you to do of\nsuch great importance that the windows of heaven were opened and an\nangel sent forth unto you as a messenger, to notify you of the fact.\nWhat is it, Cornelius? He sent for Peter, as he was commanded, and when\nPeter came, saw his faith, and that of his household, heard their words\nand that they believed on the Lord Jesus, \"he commanded them to be\nbaptized.\" This is the door into the Kingdom of God.\n\nOBJECT OF BAPTISM.\n\nNow there is a great diversity of opinion among men as to the grand\nobject for which baptism was instituted; some believing that it should\nbe performed in the presence of a great number of people as a testimony\nto them that the humble penitent has put on Christ; others, again,\nclaiming that it is an \"outward and visible sign of an inward and\nspiritual grace,\" and still others, that it was intended as a witness\nbefore men of a \"change of heart.\" Not a word can be found in the\nScriptures to support any of these positions, but, on the other hand,\nevidence abounds in the sacred record to prove that the ordinance of\nbaptism was for the purpose of \"washing away\" or \"for the remission of\nsins.\" Let us take the testimony of Mark i, 4, \"John did baptize in the\nwilderness and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of\nsins;\" of Luke iii, 3, \"And he came into all the country about Jordan,\npreaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins;\" Acts\nii, 38, \"Then Peter said unto them, Repent and be baptized, every\none of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins.\"\nAlso Acts xxii, 16, \"And now why tarriest thou? Arise {522} and be\nbaptized and wash away thy sins.\" Here the grand question arises: of\nwhat does sin consist? Is it not the violation of law or the breaking\nof a command, and is not the sin of omission as great as the sin of\ncommission? Surely the commandment, \"Remember the Sabbath day to keep\nit holy,\" is just as binding as the one that precedes it, \"Thou shalt\nnot take the name of the Lord thy God in vain,\" yet the failure to obey\nthe one would be a sin of omission, while to break the other would be\na sin of commission. And are not the commandments issued by the Savior\nand His Apostles as much the commands of God as those uttered on Mount\nSinai? And, if so, a failure to comply when \"God commands all men\neverywhere to repent,\" as in Acts xvii, 30, or where Peter commanded\nthem to \"repent and be baptized for the remission of sins,\" as in Acts\nii, 38, brings us under the condemnation of a broken law and adjudges\nus as sinners before God.\n\nHaving now discovered the door of the straight and narrow way that\nleads to eternal life, which door is baptism, and the object of\nwhich is the remission or washing away of our sins, it now becomes\nparticularly interesting to decide who are proper candidates for\nbaptism.\n\nSUBJECTS FIT FOR BAPTISM.\n\nAmong the various sects and creeds of modern Christendom, many believe\nin the practice of baptizing little children. We unhesitatingly say\nthat no foundation or justification for such a practice can be found\nin the Scriptures. It has been shown beyond question, according to\nthe Scriptures, that baptism is for the remission of sins. Sin is the\nbreaking of a law or command of God. The child, until it comes to the\nyears of understanding, is not able to comprehend law or understand the\nbinding nature of a command; hence it is irresponsible. For where there\nis no comprehension there is no law; and where there is no law there\ncan be no sin; and where there is no sin, baptism is uncalled for and\nout of place and is in direct violation of the commands of our Savior.\nFor if by baptism one child who dies in its infancy may be ushered\ninto the arms of Jesus, and for the lack of baptism another child\ndying in its infancy is forbidden His sacred presence, then is it not\nstrange that He did not mention this important and essential ordinance\nof baptism when He said, as in Mark x, 13-16, \"And they brought young\nchildren to Him that He should touch them and His disciples rebuked\nthose that brought them. But when Jesus saw it, He was much displeased\n{523} and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto Me,\nand forbid them not, for of such is the Kingdom of God. Verily I say\nunto you, whosoever shall not receive the Kingdom of God as a little\nchild, he shall not enter therein. And He took them up in His arms, put\nHis hands upon them and blessed them.\"\n\nThe testimony of St. Luke is almost identical. It reads as follows\n(Luke xviii, 15-17): \"And they brought unto Him also infants, that He\nshould touch them, but when His disciples saw it they rebuked them.\nBut Jesus called them unto Him, and said, Suffer little children to\ncome unto me and forbid them not, for of such is the Kingdom of God.\nVerily I say unto you, whosoever shall not receive the Kingdom of God\nas a little child, shall in no wise enter therein.\" Clearly, then,\nbaptism was never intended for little children, for baptism having\nbeen instituted for the purpose of washing away sins, sins already\ncommitted, and the child not having committed any, the ordinance would\nnot apply. But what is more important, he that believes in and declares\nit necessary for the little child to be baptized, and baptizes it, is\ncommitting a most grievous sin in the sight of God; but it is not true,\nas claimed by many Christians, that the little infant that dies without\nbaptism is shut out from the presence of God, that hell is paved with\nlittle unbaptized children, and they are erecting a barrier to those\nlittle infants in the form of the ordinance of baptism and \"forbidding\"\nall such to come unto Christ, thus breaking one of His most emphatic\ncommands, uttered when \"He was much displeased\" at what the disciples\nwere doing, and said, \"Forbid them not, but suffer them to come unto\nMe.\"\n\nThe little child is pure and innocent because it can commit no sin\nuntil it comes to the years of accountability. Sin, then, conceives\nin its heart, and as it grows in years Satan tempts it and it becomes\nsinful and wicked, and the means provided by the Almighty to cleanse it\nand make it again as pure and as innocent as it was in the beginning\nof its mortal career, is the sacred ordinance of baptism. And thus may\nthe repentant sinner become like the example that Jesus set before\nthem, as shown by Matt, xviii, 2-4, \"And Jesus called a little child\nunto Him and set him in the midst of them and said, Verily I say unto\nyou, except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall\nnot enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever, therefore, shall\nhumble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the\nkingdom of heaven.\" Thus the little child is given to us as a pattern\nof purity, a sample of innocence, by {524} the Savior Himself; and the\nbare theory of baptizing such little innocents to wash away their sins\nbecomes revolting to the human mind when considered under the light of\nreason, and the practice of it is an abomination in the sight of God.\nTherefore, little children are not eligible for baptism.\n\nThis declaration stands out in bold relief when viewed in the light\nof the following passages, which plainly prove that all candidates\nfor the Kingdom of God must be capable of being taught (Matt, xxviii,\n13-20): \"Go ye, therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in\nthe name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost, teaching\nthem to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you.\" All\nmust have sufficient mental development to be capable of _believing_\nthe doctrines taught, as shown by the Savior's commandment, and Mark\nxvi, 16, \"He that _believeth_ and is baptized shall be saved, and he\nthat _believeth_ not shall be damned.\" \"But 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\" (Acts viii, 12).\n\"And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water, and the\nEunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?\nand Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest,\nand he answered and said, I _believe_ that Jesus Christ is the Son of\nGod.\" (Acts viii, 36-37.)\n\nA knowledge of the divine truths of revealed religion when once\nimpressed upon the heart, causes faith to spring forth in the soul, and\nwith admiration we reflect upon the life of Him whose wondrous love was\nmanifested toward us when He offered His life as a sacrifice for our\nsins. By comparison we realize our own unworthiness; that our feet have\nstrayed from the path of right and that we are steeped in iniquity.\n\nWith this conviction comes a resolution to turn, if possible, from our\nwicked ways and walk in newness of life. This brings repentance, a\nforsaking of sin, a reverence for Almighty God and an earnest desire to\nsearch after and serve Him in spirit and in truth. We resolve to tread\nthe path in which our Savior walked, down into the waters of baptism,\nthus following Him through the door into the Kingdom of God, that where\nHe is we may be also.\n\nSufficient mental capacity to be taught, to believe, to repent, and to\nvoluntarily offer one's self for obedience to the succeeding principle\nof the Gospel, is a prerequisite to the ordinance of baptism. Little\nchildren have not this capacity, consequently there is no law of God\nrequiring them to be baptized; {525} and all man-made systems to the\ncontrary will be null and void in the day of judgment.\n\nMODE OF BAPTISM.\n\nThere are so many conflicting opinions on this question. The orthodox\nChristian churches having departed from the faith of the Apostles, and\nbuilt up churches to themselves, for the purpose of making merchandise\nof the souls of men, have instituted the practice of sprinkling or\npouring, and call it baptism, to support which not one word can be\nfound in the Holy Writ. The whole tenor of the Scriptures from the time\nthat John the Baptist came preaching the baptism of repentance for the\nremission of sins, on through all the writings of the New Testament,\nconclusively prove the fact that baptism by immersion was the mode\ntaught and practiced by Jesus and His Apostles. Jesus, when He was\nbaptized, \"Went up straightway out of the water.\" When Philip baptized\nthe Eunuch \"They went down into the water, both Philip and the Eunuch,\nand he baptized him, and when they were come up out of the water,\" etc.\nAll this clearly indicates immersion, or why _go down into_ or _come\nup out of_ the water? Paul says to the Romans, vi, 4: \"Therefore, we\nare buried with Him by baptism into death,\" 5th, \"For if we have been\nplanted together in the likeness of his death,\" certainly there is\nnothing in a sprinkling or a pouring that represents either a burial or\na planting, but each of these passages point in unmistakable terms to\na baptism by immersion. The Apostle Paul again makes this clear in his\nEpistle to the Colossians, ii, 12: \"Buried with Him in baptism.\" When\nJohn baptized in the wilderness, \"There went out unto him all the land\nof Judea and they of Jerusalem, and were all baptized of him in the\nriver of Jordan, confessing their sins.\" (Mark i, 5.)\n\nAll the evidence contained in the sacred Scriptures points unmistakably\nto the fact that immersion was the only mode of baptism practiced by\nthe Apostles and early Christians. Profane history gives conclusive\nevidence of this fact. Speaking of baptism of the first century, Dr.\nMosheim says, \"In this century baptism was administered in convenient\nplaces within the public assemblies, and by immersing the candidate\nwholly in water.\" (Mosheim's Church History [Murdock], Third Edition,\nVol. 1, p. 87.) Of the second century, the same great author says:\n\"Twice a year, namely, at Easter and Whitsuntide, * * * baptism was\nadministered by the Bishop or by the Presbyters (Elders) acting by his\ncommand and authority. {526} The candidates for it were immersed wholly\nin water with the invocation of the sacred Trinity, according to the\nSavior's precept.\"\n\nIndeed, the first deviation from baptizing by immersion occurs in\na case recorded by Eusebius, as happening in the third century.\nHe alludes 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 enjoined should be received.\" (Ecclesiastical\nHistory, Eusebius, p. 113.) Even down to the close of the thirteenth\ncentury baptism by immersion was the rule, and sprinkling and pouring\nthe exception. Yet the innovation thus made in the third century has\nworked its insidious way among the various divisions of Christianity\nuntil today a convert can have any kind of baptism he may desire; thus\nhave they departed from the faith of the Apostles and are teaching\nfor religion the commandments of men, having \"Transgressed the laws,\nchanged the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant,\" in fulfilment\nof the words of the prophet Isaiah. (Isaiah xxiv, 5.)\n\nGIFT OF THE HOLY GHOST.\n\nThe next step in the regular order of initiation into the fold of\nChrist is to secure the birth of the Spirit, or the baptism of the Holy\nGhost; this being essential to enable us to pursue an acceptable course\nin the service of the Lord, that the Holy Ghost may be with us as an\nabiding gift, as a light to our feet and a lamp to our pathway through\nlife. The Lord in His wonderful plan for the salvation of the souls of\nmen has provided a way for the humble and penitent baptized believer\nto secure this blessed gift. (Mark i, 8.) \"I indeed have baptized you\nwith water, but He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost.\" (Acts i,\n5.) \"For John truly baptized with water, but ye shall be baptized with\nthe Holy Ghost not many days hence.\" Behold the promise fulfilled.\n(Acts ii, 2-4.) \"And suddenly there came a sound from Heaven as of\na rushing mighty wind and it filled all the house where they were\nsitting, and there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire,\nand it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy\nGhost and began to speak with other tongues as the Spirit gave them\nutterance.\" But this precious gift was not to be given until after\nJesus was glorified, as shown by {527} the following (John vii, 39),\n\"* * * For the Holy Ghost was not yet given because that Jesus was\nnot yet glorified.\" On that great Pentecostal day the Holy Ghost was\ngiven and a glorious manifestation of heavenly light appeared sitting\nupon each of the Apostles who had accompanied the Savior in all His\ntravels and had witnessed His wonderful works, and by His divine favor\nhad been made partakers of His holy ministry. They now received the\npromised blessing in rich abundance, and a way was provided by which\nthey might transmit it to others by the imposition of hands, as shown\nby the following (Acts viii, 17): \"Then laid they their hands on them\nand they received the Holy Ghost.\" Evidently the Holy Ghost came not as\nthe result of the baptism, nor in answer to the prayer of the Apostles,\nbut by the laying on of their hands, clearly showing that this was the\nmode the Lord had provided by which the Holy Ghost should be conferred\nupon baptized believers. This again is clearly set forth in Acts xix,\n5-6, \"When they heard this they were baptized in the name of the Lord\nJesus. And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came\non them, and they spake with tongues and prophesied.\"\n\nTHE BLOOD OF CHRIST.\n\nWe have now pointed out the path that leads to eternal life--the\nstraight and narrow way, and carefully noted the inscriptions along\nthe line, down into the water through the door into the Kingdom of\nGod. Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, repentance of all sins, baptism\nby immersion for the remission of sins, gift of the Holy Ghost by the\nlaying on of hands; this is the course marked out by the Father to\nprepare His children to receive the benefits of the atoning blood of\nJesus Christ.\n\nEarthly things are typical of heavenly things as set forth in the\nfollowing (1 John v, 7-8): \"For there are three that bear record in\nheaven, the Father, the Word and the Holy Ghost, and these three are\none; and there are three that bear witness in the earth, the Spirit,\nthe water and the blood, and these three agree in one.\" By the water we\nkeep the commandment, by the Spirit are we justified, and by the blood\nare we sanctified; and thus we become saints. He who has fully repented\nof his sins and been baptized for the remission thereof, and received\nthe Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands, may then partake of the\nemblems of the Savior's flesh and blood; and in that sacred ordinance\neat and drink to his soul, {528} the benefits of that atoning blood.\nAnd such have the promise of the Savior that they shall never hunger\nnor thirst. There is no other way provided on earth by which mankind\ncan secure the benefits of the atoning blood of Christ.\n\nAUTHORITY.\n\nUpon this question hinges the validity of all the acts of men. Every\nofficer of our government must be elected or appointed according to\nthe mode established by the Constitution of the United States, or his\nacts fall to the ground as null and void. The decisions of a court\ninvolving the validity of titles to land or other great interests would\nbe void if it could be shown that the judge rendering the decisions\nhad not been elected or appointed legally. Every deed issued by a\nsheriff at a sheriff's sale of real estate would be void if it could\nbe shown that the sheriff was a usurper and not legally authorized\nto officiate in the duties of the office. All naturalization papers\nissued by a judge, if it could be shown that he had never been elected\nor appointed according to the constitutional requirements, would by a\nlegal tribunal be declared worthless and the holder deprived of his\ncitizenship. In fact, the question of authority to act in any office of\nthe affairs of human life is so clearly understood by all persons of\nordinary intelligence that time would seem to be wasted in discussing\nit; but not so in questions involving the future of the human soul.\nIn these sacred and vastly more important matters upon which hang all\nour hopes of eternal life, the average man seems willing to trust to\nthe opinions of a minister of some one of the orthodox sects or to the\nwild vagaries of an upstart who cries, \"Lo, here is Christ, or \"Lo,\nHe is there,\" without for a single moment raising the question, Where\nis his authority to officiate in the sacred ordinances of the Gospel\nof Christ, or to initiate men into the Kingdom of God? The average\nmerchant in conducting his regular business, when waited upon by one\nclaiming to be an agent of a manufacturer, places his order with that\nagent fully expecting to receive the goods. As the time rolls on the\ngoods come according to the sample shown and the order given. This fact\nalone is proof to the merchant that the agent was in touch with his\nprincipal and was a duly authorized agent. But if the goods come not,\nit is strong presumptive evidence that the agent was a fraud and was\nnot authorized by the manufacturer to take orders for goods. If this\ntest be applied to the ministers of the various sects of the Christian\nworld, it will at once be found that they are self-appointed {529}\nagents, not in touch with the principal whom they claim to represent,\nas their patrons receive not the goods. In other words, the signs\npromised by the Savior are lacking and do not follow the believer,\nwhich alone is sufficient evidence that the so-called ministers were\nnever sent of God.\n\nJesus said, \"Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel to every\ncreature, he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved, but he that\nbelieveth not shall be damned. And these signs shall follow them that\nbelieve; in My name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with\nnew tongues, they shall take up serpents, and if they drink any deadly\nthing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick and\nthey shall recover.\" (Mark xvi, 15-18.) The promised blessings fail,\nthe signs do not follow, they receive not the goods. The grand secret\nof it all is, God has not sent the agents through whom they seek these\nblessings; they hold no authority to officiate in the ordinances of\nHis house; as agents they are not in touch with their principal. These\nministers are self-appointed teachers of man-made systems of religion.\nThey are teaching for doctrine the commandments of men.\n\nFrom the time the Christian Fathers fell by persecution and death,\ndown to the time the Emperor Constantine made the Christian faith\nuniversal through the Roman provinces in 323 A.D., the forms of the\nChristian religion were constantly undergoing a change. At that time\nthere were incorporated in the Christian church heathen rites, which\nwith the innovations added, down through the ages to the present time,\nstamps that church today as one entirely separate and apart from the\noriginal apostolic church. Without Apostles and Prophets through whom\nthey might obtain the word of God, the church has steadily drifted\nfrom its moorings into the broad sea of men's opinions, until it is\nsplit and divided into hundreds of different sects and creeds, no one\nof which can today present an organization that even resembles the\nform of the Church of Christ. The most important features have been\neliminated. Signs and wonders and miraculous gifts, together with the\nfruits of the Spirit, set forth by the Apostle Paul in I Cor. xii, have\ndisappeared, and but the empty and powerless form is found among the\nchildren of men. The shadow alone remains, the substance has departed.\nAnd why? Because mankind have departed from the faith of the ancients.\nThe rights, powers and privileges of the apostolic priesthood have long\nsince been withdrawn from man, and all who officiate in religious rites\ndo so without authority from the living God.\n\nIf we examine and see how the servants of God were called {530} to\nthe ministry in other ages, we can discover a guide to direct us in\nobtaining authority in this age. From out of the midst of the burning\nbush the Lord called Moses (Ex. iii), and when he (Moses) was about to\nbe succeeded by Joshua as leader, he conferred upon Joshua authority by\nthe laying on of his hands. (See Deut. xxxiv, 9.) \"And Joshua, the son\nof Nun, was full of the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands\nupon him.\" Jesus, when He entered upon His ministry, called twelve\nmen and ordained them; \"And He ordained twelve men that they should\nbe with Him, and that He might send them forth to preach.\" (Mark iii,\n14.) Again He said, \"Ye have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you and\nordained you.\" (John xv, 16.) Jesus said in His prayer unto His Father,\n\"As thou hast sent Me into the world even so have I sent them into the\nworld.\" (John xvii, 18.)\n\nThe Apostle Paul evidently had this question of authority to meet\nas he gave vent to his feelings in the following forcible language:\n\"Whereunto I am ordained a preacher and an Apostle (I speak the truth\nin Christ and lie not), a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and verity.\"\n(I Tim. ii, 7.) It was very gratifying, no doubt, to the Apostle Paul,\nto be able to declare with such emphasis the fact of his ordination;\nand no wonder, when we consider the way in which he was called. He was\njustly entitled to declare it, as will be seen by the manner of his\ncalling. \"As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Ghost\nsaid: 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, so they being sent forth by the Holy\nGhost,\" etc. (Acts xiii, 2-4.) Paul then was evidently called by direct\nrevelation of the Holy Ghost, and when the hands of the Prophets were\nlaid upon him, he was sent away, so also was his companion, Barnabas.\n\nThe author of the Epistle to the Hebrews makes a most positive\ndeclaration on this question. He says: \"For every High Priest taken\nfrom among men is ordained for men, in things pertaining to God, that\nhe may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins; and no man taketh this\nhonor to himself, but he that is called of God as was Aaron.\" (Heb. v,\n1, 4.) A glance at Exodus iv, 14-16 and 27-28, will show us how Aaron\nwas called: \"And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses, and\nHe said: Is not Aaron the Levite thy brother? I know that he can speak\nwell, and also behold he cometh forth to meet thee, and when he seeth\nthee he will be glad in his heart. And thou shalt speak unto him and\nput {531} words into his mouth; and I will be with thy mouth, and with\nhis mouth, and will teach you what ye shall do; and he shall be thy\nspokesman unto the people.\" Thus Aaron was called of God; and in all\nages when God has had a people on the earth, His servants have been\nduly called of Him and ordained, and the stamp of His approval has been\nplaced on their labors in signs and miraculous manifestations.\n\nSALVATION FOR THE DEAD.\n\nIn this age of religious freedom, when every man is at liberty to\nworship how, where or what he pleases, when the Christian church is\nsplit and divided into innumerable sects and creeds, and is still\ndividing and subdividing; where the opinions of men, crystallized\ninto creeds, pass current as systems of theological truths; while\nspiritualism in all its various forms is rampant upon the earth, and\nits younger and more delicately molded brother, theosophy, is gaining\nacceptance as a wonderful revelation from the unseen world; while\ndarkness covers the earth and gross darkness the people, and men are\ncontinually seeking for that which borders upon the sensational--the\nword of God comes forth proclaiming the principles of salvation for the\ndead as well as for the living.\n\nThat there is but one faith, one hope, one baptism, one way to obtain\neternal life, either for the living or for the dead, is clearly shown\nby the Scriptures. \"To the law and to the testimony; if they speak\nnot according to the word, it is because there is no light in them.\"\n(Isaiah viii, 20.) These shall be our guide. By this divine method we\nare willing that all shall be judged. Opinions of men are not the words\nof God, nor is the word of God to receive a private interpretation,\nas is clearly shown by the following (II Peter i, 20, 21): \"Knowing\nthis first that no prophecy of the Scriptures is of any private\ninterpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of\nman, but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.\"\nOpinions of men shall not prevail, but we will take the word of God for\nour guide. \"And when they shall say unto you, seek unto them that have\nfamiliar spirits and unto wizards that peep and that mutter, should not\na people seek unto their God for the living to the dead?\" (Isaiah viii,\n19.) Let us then go to the Scriptures, and seek the word of God for a\nknowledge of the dead.\n\nAfter Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world, fulfilled His mission\namong the living and was about to depart to the unseen world and\nperform His work for the salvation of the dead: {532} while He was\nsuffering the pangs of death upon the cross between two malefactors, He\nwas railed upon by one, yet worshipped by the other, to whom He said:\n\"Today shalt thou be with Me in Paradise.\" This saying has created a\nbelief in the Christian world that the vilest sinner on his death-bed\nor the murderer upon the gallows by confessing Christ at the last\nmoment, can be saved. But let us find out where the Savior went. Did He\ngo to His Father and God? Not if the Scriptures are true.\n\nOn the morning of the Savior's resurrection and Mary's visit to the\nsepulcher, she thought Jesus was the gardener. Yet when He said\n\"Mary,\" she at once recognized Him, and in her joy evidently sought\nto embrace Him, for it is said, \"Jesus saith unto her, touch Me not,\nfor I am not yet ascended to My Father; but go to My brethren and say\nunto them, I ascend unto My Father and your Father, and to My God and\nyour God.\" (John xx, 17.) If this be true, are we not justified in\nasking the question, \"Lord, if Thou hast not been to Thy Father and\nGod during these three days, where hast Thou been?\" Let the Scriptures\nanswer: \"For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for\nthe unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the\nflesh, but quickened by the Spirit by which also He went and preached\nunto the spirits in prison, which sometime were disobedient when once\nthe long-suffering of God waited in the days of Noah while the ark was\npreparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls, were saved by water.\" (I\nPeter iii, 18-20.) So then Christ went to the spirit world, and there\npreached the Gospel to the spirits in prison. And why? \"For, for this\ncause was the Gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they\nmight be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to\nGod in the Spirit.\" (I Peter iv, 6.) It would seem that this can need\nno explanation, for by this rule all men are to be judged by the same\nlaw, whether they hear the Gospel in life or after death. And herein is\nthe justice of Almighty God made manifest, for if it were not so, and\nif the modern Christian theory should prevail, viz., that all mankind\nwho do not confess Christ are lost, what shall be said of four-fifths\nof the people on the earth today, and those that have lived in like\ncircumstances in the heathen world, who never heard of Christ?\n\nIf, when all mankind are brought before the judgment-seat to be\njudged, and the heathen hears his sentence read by the great Judge,\n\"Depart from Me, ye cursed, into the place prepared for the devil and\nhis angels, because you never confessed {533} My name,\" would not\nthe heathen be justified in saying, \"Who art thou? I never heard of\nJesus Christ. When I was on the earth I worshipped Joss and served him\nfaithfully.\"\n\nTo punish the heathen for not confessing Christ when in fact he never\nheard of Him is contrary to the justice of an All-wise Creator. But God\nhas provided a better way. All who have never heard the Gospel in life\nwill have an opportunity after death, as clearly set forth in the above\nas in the following: \"Verily, verily I say unto you, the hour is coming\nand now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God, and\nthey that hear shall live.\" \"But,\" says the objector, \"that means all\nthey that are dead in sin,\" but read a little farther: \"Marvel not at\nthis, for the hour is coming in the which all that are in the graves\nshall hear His voice.\" (John v, 25 and 28.) Again, \"For as Jonas was\nthree days and nights in the whale's belly, so shall the Son of Man be\nthree days and three nights in the heart of the earth.\" (Matt, xii,\n40.) By these passages it is clearly apparent that the Savior fore-knew\nHis mission to the spirit world in the heart of the earth, and that\nwhile there, all who were in their graves would hear His voice.\n\nNot only was this understood by Jesus and His Apostles, but long prior\nto the Savior's day the Prophets foresaw the work He would do for the\ndead, \"I the Lord have called thee in righteousness, and will hold\nthine hand and will keep thee, and give thee a covenant of the people,\nfor a light of the Gentiles; to open the blind eyes, to bring out the\nprisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the\nprison house.\" (Isaiah xlii, 6-7.) Here the prophet foretold the labors\nof the Savior. During His sojourn in the flesh, we have no account of\nHis having brought out the prisoners from the prison, or proclaiming\nliberty to the captives, or the opening of the prison to them that\nare bound. Had He done so, the Roman government would have had a case\nagainst Him, yet Pilate found no fault in Him. Hence we must look\nelsewhere for the fulfilment of these passages.\n\n\"And it shall come to pass in that day that the Lord shall punish the\nhost of the high ones that are on high and the kings of the earth\nupon the earth, and they shall be gathered together as prisoners are\ngathered in the pit, and shall be shut up in the prison, and after many\ndays shall they be visited.\" (Isaiah xxiv, 21-2.) Here is the finale of\na terrible picture of the earth's desolation, when it is to be empty,\nturned upside down, broken, dissolved, removed like a cottage, and the\ninhabitants thereof scattered. All are to be gathered, including the\nkings, {534} and the high ones, as prisoners are gathered in the pit,\nshut up in prison and after many days visited. What will be the object\nof this visitation? Peter has already told it: as Christ visited the\nantediluvians, so when these have suffered the vengeance of Almighty\nGod in the spirit, some of His servants, ministering angels, will be\nsent to visit them and preach the Gospel to them as Jesus did.\n\n\"Lift up your heads, O ye gates, and be ye lifted up, ye everlasting\ndoors, and the King of Glory shall come in. Who is the King of Glory?\nThe Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle.\" (Psalm xxiv,\n7-8.) What was the subject of the vision thus portrayed by the prophet,\nand where was it to take place? He saw the Savior making His triumphal\nentry into the infernal regions, and with irresistible power the gate\nand doors are made to fly open and the immortal King stands in the\nmidst of prisoners of the spirit world. Thus the full import of that\nbeautiful passage of the psalmist David would read: \"Lift up your\nheads, O ye gates of hell, and be ye lifted up, ye everlasting doors of\nthe prisons of the damned, and the King of Glory shall come into the\nregions of darkness proclaiming liberty to the captives and the opening\nof the prison doors to them that are bound in hell.\"\n\nIf the antediluvians after their long sojourn in the regions of\ndarkness were had in remembrance before God so that He sent His beloved\nSon to preach to them the Gospel during the time His body lay in the\ntomb, what shall be done for those who have died since the Savior's\nvisit to the spirit world? As His Apostles and all His faithful\nfollowers served Him in life, who shall say that after death they will\nnot follow His example, and continue to serve Him by going to the\nspirit world and there preaching to the spirits in prison who have\ndied without a knowledge of the Gospel? And when these poor benighted\nbeings, after their long captivity under the reign of Lucifer, listen\nto the precious truths of the Gospel of Christ and become converted,\nstraightway the question arises, How can I obey the ordinance of\nbaptism? I am in a disembodied state of existence, yet my Savior has\nsaid: \"Except ye are born of water and of the Spirit, ye cannot enter\ninto the Kingdom of God.\" Oh, wonderful plan provided by the Almighty!\nThe living may be baptized for the dead. It is very plain that this\ngreat principle was understood by the ancient Saints, as will be seen\nby the words of the Apostle Paul, addressed to the Corinthians: \"Else\nwhat shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead arise\nnot at all, why are they then baptized for the dead?\" (I Cor. xv, 29.)\n\n{535}\n\n\n\nA MOTHER'S INFLUENCE.\n\nA FEW WORDS ABOUT THE FIELDINGS AND THE BIRTH OF PRESIDENT JOSEPH F.\nSMITH.\n\nJohn Fielding and his wife, Rachel, were natives of Yorkshire,\nEngland, having been born in 1759 and 1768, respectively. They were\nmarried at that place, and afterwards moved to Bedfordshire, where\nthey lived together for forty years in the humble and happy sphere of\nfarm life. They were both devoted Methodists, Mr. Fielding having the\ndistinction of being a local preacher, in which capacity he labored\nmost faithfully, often riding from ten to thirty miles to fill his\nappointments, but never accepting a penny for his work from the society\nwhich voted to compensate him for his services. Together with his\nfaithful wife, he lived a life of industry, sobriety and integrity\nbefore men, fearing God and keeping His commandments to the best of\nhis knowledge with all the sincerity and humility of his soul. Nine\nchildren were born of this union, among whom were Joseph and Mary, whom\nwe wish on this occasion particularly to single out in our sketch. The\nmother died in 1828, and in 1832 young Joseph left his nativity to go\nto America to prepare the way for the rest of the family to follow. He\nlocated in upper Canada, being subsequently joined by the members of\nhis family from England, his two sisters among them, who, together with\nhimself, and also other progressive spirits of the village, applied\nthemselves closely to the Scriptures. A little body of seekers after\ntruth was organized, in which was found John Taylor, who afterwards\nbecame president of the Church. The Society met several times a week in\ncompany with a Methodist preacher, to study the different religions,\nand to pray for the Lord to send them the Holy Ghost; for through their\nresearch they had been led to believe many of the principles of the\nGospel contrary to the orthodox dogmas of the times. It was during this\ntime that Apostle Parley P. Pratt went on his mission to Canada, and\nwas directed to the home of Brother Taylor. {535} He was admitted into\nthe association of investigators, and as a result Joseph Fielding, his\ntwo sisters and his family, and also John Taylor accepted the Gospel\nand subsequently moved to Kirtland. The Methodist minister being chided\nby his members, rejected the truth and became a persecutor of the\nSaints.\n\nIn 1837 the wife of the Patriarch Hyrum Smith died, leaving him with\nsix small children. Later he married again, taking to wife Mary\nFielding, one of Joseph Fielding's sisters, who had embraced the Gospel\nin Canada through the labors of Apostle Pratt.\n\nIn June, 1837, in company with Apostles Heber C. Kimball and Willard\nRichards, Joseph Fielding left Kirtland to open up the Gospel in\nEngland, being joined at New York by three other missionaries. Brother\nFielding remained on his mission four years, during which time\napproximately 7,000 souls accepted the truth. It was while he was in\nEngland that he received the following letter from his sister Mary,\nwhom it will be remembered was the wife of the Patriarch Hyrum Smith,\nin which she tells of the birth of her \"dear little Joseph F.,\" as\nthe devoted mother expressed it, who is now our worthy and honored\npresident of the Church, the letter \"F\" being the initial of the\nsurname of his uncle, Joseph Fielding. The letter is as follows:\n\n    \"Commerce, Illinois, N. America, June, 1839.\n\n    \"My Very Dear Brother--As the elders are expecting shortly to take\n    their leave of us again to preach the Gospel in my native land, I\n    feel as though I would not let the opportunity of writing you pass\n    by unimproved. I believe it will give you pleasure to hear from us\n    by our own hand; notwithstanding, you will see the brethren face to\n    face, and have an opportunity of hearing all particulars respecting\n    us and our families, from their mouths.\n\n    \"As it respects myself, it is now so long since I wrote to you,\n    and so many important things have transpired, and so great have\n    been my afflictions, etc., that I know not where to begin; but I\n    can say, hitherto has the Lord preserved me, and I am still the\n    living to praise Him, as I do this day. I have, to be sure, been\n    called to drink deep of the bitter cup; but you know, my beloved\n    brother, this makes the sweet the sweeter. I feel at this moment,\n    while reflecting on the events of the past seven months, so full\n    of matter, that I am ready to wish I could convey myself into your\n    presence for a short time, so that I might communicate verbally\n    more than I can possibly do by the pen.\n\n    \"You have, I suppose, heard of the imprisonment of my dear husband,\n    with his brother Joseph, Elder Rigdon, and others, who were kept\n    from us nearly six months; and I suppose no one felt the painful\n    effects of their confinement more than myself. I was left in a\n    way that called for the exercise of all the courage and grace I\n    possessed. My {537} husband was taken from me by an armed force, at\n    a time when I needed, in a particular manner, the kindest care and\n    attention of such a friend, instead of which, the care of a large\n    family was suddenly and unexpectedly left upon myself, and, in a\n    few days after, my dear little Joseph F. was added to the number.\n    Shortly after his birth I took a severe cold, which brought on\n    chills and fever; this, together with the anxiety of mind I had\n    to endure, threatened to bring me to the gates of death. I was at\n    least four months entirely unable to take any care either of myself\n    or child; but the Lord was merciful in so ordering things that\n    my dear sister could be with me all the time. Her child was five\n    months old when mine was born; so she had strength given her to\n    nurse them both, so as to have them do well and grow fast.\n\n    \"You will also have heard of our being driven, as a people, from\n    the state and from our homes; but you will hear all particulars\n    from the elders, so as to render it not necessary for me to write\n    them. This happened during my sickness, and I had to be removed\n    more than two hundred miles, chiefly on my bed. I suffered much on\n    my journey; but in three or four weeks after we got into Illinois,\n    I began to amend, and my health is now as good as ever it was. It\n    is now little more than a month since the Lord, in His marvellous\n    power, returned my dear husband, with the rest of the brethren, to\n    their families, in tolerable health. We are now living in Commerce,\n    on the bank of the great Mississippi river. The situation is very\n    pleasant; you would be much pleased to see it. How long we may be\n    permitted to enjoy it I know not; but the Lord knows best what is\n    best for us. I feel but little concerned about where I am, if I\n    can but keep my mind staid upon God; for, you know in this there\n    is perfect peace. I believe the Lord is overruling all things for\n    our good. I suppose our enemies look upon us with astonishment and\n    disappointment.\n\n    \"I greatly desire to see you, and I think you would be pleased to\n    see our little ones: will you pray for us, that we may have grace\n    to train them up in the way they should go, so that they may be a\n    blessing to us and the world. I have a hope that our brothers and\n    sisters will also embrace the fullness of the Gospel, and come into\n    the new and everlasting covenant; I trust that their prejudices\n    will give way to the power of truth. I would gladly have them\n    with us here, even though they might have to endure all kind of\n    tribulation and affliction with us and the rest of the children of\n    God, in these last days, so that they might share in the glories\n    of the Celestial Kingdom. As to myself, I can truly say that I\n    would not give up the prospects of the latter-day glory for all\n    that glitters in this world. O! my dear brother, I must tell you\n    for your comfort, that my hope is full, and it is a glorious hope;\n    and though I have been left for near six months, in widowhood, in\n    the time of great affliction, and was called to take, joyfully or\n    otherwise, the spoiling of almost all our goods, in the absence of\n    my husband, and all unlawfully, just for the Gospel's sake (for\n    the judge himself declared that he was kept in prison for no other\n    reason than because he was a friend to his brother), yet I do not\n    feel the least discouraged: no, though my sister and I are here\n    together in a strange land, we have been enabled to rejoice in the\n    midst of our privation and persecutions that we were counted worthy\n    to suffer these things, so that we may, with the ancient Saints who\n    suffered in the like manner, inherit the same glorious reward. If\n    it had not been for this hope, I should have sunk before this; but,\n    blessed be the God {538} and Rock of my salvation, here I am, and\n    am perfectly satisfied and happy, having not the smallest desire to\n    go one step backward.\n\n    \"Your last letter to Elder Kimball gave us great pleasure; we thank\n    you for your expression of kindness, and pray God to bless you\n    according to your desires for us.\n\n    \"The more I see of the dealings of our Heavenly Father with us as\n    a people, the more I am constrained to rejoice that I was made\n    acquainted with the everlasting covenant. O may the Lord keep me\n    faithful till my change comes! I desire that you would write us,\n    and let us know all particulars that would be interesting to us.\n    O, my dear brother, why is it that our friends should stand out\n    against the truth, and look on those that would show it to them as\n    their enemies? The work here is prospering much; several men of\n    respectability and intelligence, who have been acquainted with all\n    our difficulties, are coming into the work.\n\n    \"Sister Mary will also write to you. My husband joins me in love to\n    you. I remain, my dear brother and sister, your affectionate sister.\n\n    \"Mary Smith.\"\n\nFrom the spirit of and the facts presented in the above communication\none is able to see, not only the noble spirit and sterling character\nof that devoted and self-sacrificing mother and faithful wife, but he\nis also brought face to face with the truth too often concealed from\ndeserving recognition, that within the ranks of God's soldiery there\nare none more valiant, none more brave, none more heroic; yea, none who\nendure more of the heat and brunt of the battle than do the courageous\nand loyal-hearted wives and mothers who remain at home alone to cope\nwith the serious problems of life and to bear the responsibility of\nthe family while the husband is abroad in the ministry. And when we\nunderstand this, and recognize, too, that every true and faithful wife\nand mother realizes the importance and the magnitude of her mission,\nthen can we appreciate more fully the tenderness and sincerity of\nheart, the purity and nobility of soul revealed in woman--God's\nmasterpiece of creation--as expressed in the exalting and pathetic\nappeal of Sister Smith to her brother Joseph, \"I think you would be\npleased to see our little ones. Will you pray for us, that we may have\ngrace to train them up in the way they should go, so that they may be a\nblessing to us and the world?\"\n\nThis noble mother stayed with the body of the Church, remaining loyal\nand true to its leaders, and firm and steadfast in the faith, and\ntaught her children to follow in her footsteps. With the rest of the\nSaints, who were driven from their homes by cruel mobs incited by\nbitter apostates, and other despisers of the truth, she took her little\nfamily to the valleys {539} of the mountains--her son Joseph, although\nless than ten years of age, driving two yoke of oxen and a heavy wagon\nacross the plains, a distance of one thousand miles.\n\nSister Smith devoted the few short years of her eventful life to the\nculture and training of her children, inculcating within their minds\nthe necessity of their clinging to the faith and remaining loyal to\nthe cause of God; and although she was taken away in the fall of 1852,\nyet she had implanted within the breasts of her children a thorough\nknowledge that the Church had been restored and perfectly organized\nwith apostles and prophets, with a decree from God that it should stand\nforever and never be disorganized or thrown down, and with a love so\nstrong for the truth that their lives and characters stand out before\nthe world and before God as a monument for integrity, fidelity and\nobedience, whose every surface, polished as bright as the noon-day sun\nby the faith, the prayers and the tears of that loving and devoted\nmother, reflects honor and glory on her sacred name that will endure\nforever. What a contrast between the fruits of the influence exerted\nby this true daughter of God upon her husband's children, one of whom\nis the patriarch and the other the president of the Church of Christ\non the earth today, and that exercised by other mothers who have\ninstilled within the hearts of their children the spirit of dissension\nand rebellion against the stability of the restored Gospel of our Lord\nJesus Christ!\n\n    \"_The devil has put the whole world on the watch against us. It\n    is impossible for us to make the least move without exciting, if\n    not all the world, at least a considerable portion of it. They are\n    excited at what we do, and, strange to relate, they are no less\n    excited at what we do not do_!\"\n\n    --_Brigham Young_.\n\n{540}\n\n\n\nIS BAPTISM ESSENTIAL TO SALVATION?\n\nThis is a question of grave importance, because it involves me fate of\nevery man and woman in the world. The minds of many have been troubled\non this point, and none should rest satisfied until they have a perfect\nunderstanding in regard to it.\n\nThere is considerable discussion and diversity of opinions on this\nsubject in the so-called Christian world; and it seems that all that\nhas been said about it by uninspired men has only tended to bewilder\nthe mind. But while they cling to their own opinions and wander from\nthe truth, we much prefer believing the revealed word of God.\n\nIn Luke (_vii. 29, 30_) we read that John the Baptist, a servant of\nthe Most High, taught baptism, and those who were baptized justified\nGod, while some \"rejected the counsel of God against themselves, being\nnot baptized of him.\" No one will dare to say that men will be saved\nin rejecting the counsel of God against themselves. Then, as it is a\ncounsel of God for men to be baptized, they cannot be saved without it;\ntherefore, it is essential to salvation.\n\nThe Lord sent his angel to Cornelius, and told him to send for Peter,\nwho would tell him words by which he and all his house should be saved\n(_Acts x. 14_). Cornelius did so, and when Peter came, \"he commanded\nthem to be baptized in the name of the Lord\" (Acts x. 48). If Cornelius\nhad rejected baptism as non-essential, could he have been saved? No;\nfor the angel told him that Peter would tell him _how_ to be saved, and\nPeter \"commanded them to be baptized.\" According to this, baptism must\nbe essential to salvation.\n\nPaul, speaking to the Galatians, says: \"Ye are all the children of God\nby faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been _baptized\ninto Christ have put on Christ_\" (_Gal. iii. 26, 27_). If it is\nessential to \"put on Christ\" to obtain salvation, then it is essential\nto be baptized, for we put on Christ by baptism.\n\nJesus, in giving the apostles their commission, said: \"Go ye into all\nthe world and preach the Gospel to every creature, he that believeth\nand is baptized shall be saved; but he that {541} believeth not,\" (and\nconsequently is not baptized) \"shall be damned\" (_Mark xvi. 15, 16_).\nHere the Savior positively declares that it is the baptized believer\nwho shall be saved. Then, of course, baptism is essential to salvation,\nand who will dare to say it is not.\n\nJesus said to Nicodemus: \"Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man\nbe _born of water_\" (that is, baptized in water) \"and of the spirit,\"\n(that is, baptized in the spirit) \"he _cannot_ enter into the kingdom\nof God.\" (_John iii. 6_). If entering the kingdom of God is essential\nto salvation, then being \"born of water,\" or, in other words, being\nbaptized, is essential also, for by one we enter the other.\n\nThe Apostle Peter, in the third chapter of his first epistle, says,\nthat in the ark there were eight souls \"saved by water, the like figure\nwhereunto even _baptism_ doth also now save us.\" According to this, he\ntaught that baptism was essential to salvation.\n\nOn the day of Pentecost, many persons were convinced that Jesus was the\nChrist, which caused them to inquire of God's servants what they should\ndo, to which Peter replied: \"Repent and be baptized every one of you in\nthe name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins\" (_Acts ii. 38_). If\nbaptism was not essential to salvation, why did Peter command them to\nbe baptized?\n\nWhen John was in the wilderness he preached \"baptism of repentance for\nthe _remission of sins_\" (_Mark i. 4_). He preached the same doctrine\nin all the country about Jordan (_Luke iii. 3_). Peter commanded the\npeople to be baptized \"for the remission of sins\" (_Acts ii. 38_).\nAnanias said to Paul, \"why tarriest thou? Arise and be baptized and\n_wash away thy sins_\" (_Acts xxii. 16_). From these quotations we learn\nthat baptism is \"for the remission of sins.\" Is the remission of sins\nessential to salvation? If so, baptism must be, for one is obtained\nthrough the other.\n\nIt is repeatedly stated in the scriptures that it is they who _do the\nwill_ of God that will enter the kingdom of heaven. That it is the will\nof God for people to be baptized, no reasonable person will deny. Then,\nthey who say \"Lord, Lord,\" and reject baptism, will surely receive that\nwoeful doom, \"depart ye cursed! I never knew you.\"\n\nThe apostles spoke by the authority that God had given them. What they\ntold the people, while in the line of their duty was as binding on them\nas though the Lord had done it himself. Their words were the words of\nGod. And when {542} they commanded the people to be baptized they must\ncomply or lose salvation, for no one can be saved in disobeying God's\ncommandments.\n\nIf baptism is not essential to salvation, why does the Lord require it?\nThe fact that He requires it, is enough to prove that it is essential.\n\nSome have supposed that the thief who was crucified beside the Savior\nwent to heaven, and it is believed that he was not baptized; therefore,\nit is argued if one can be saved without baptism others can, and\nconsequently it is not essential to salvation. But this supposition is\nnot true, for Jesus said to the thief, \"_to-day_ shalt thou be with me\nin Paradise,\" and three days afterwards said to Mary, \"touch me not for\n_I have not yet ascended unto my Father_.\" According to this, Paradise\nand Heaven are two distinct places, and as Jesus did not go to Heaven,\nneither did the thief; for they were both together in Paradise.\n\n\"If it is necessary for every one to be baptized,\" asks one, \"what will\nbecome of the good people who have died without having that privilege?\"\n\nTo this we may reply that the dead who died without hearing the gospel\nwill have it preached to them as it was anciently, (_I Peter iv. 5,\n6_). They who obey it will be saved but they who reject it will be\ncondemned, as though they were in the flesh.\n\n\"But,\" says one, \"a dead person, cannot be baptized.\" Very true; but\nGod in His infinite wisdom provided a way in which the dead can be\nbaptized for, by proxy, as shown by Paul in the questions (_I Cor. xv.\n29_): \"Else what shall they do who are _baptized_ for the _dead_, if\nthe dead rise not at all? Why are they then baptized for the dead?\"\n\nPaul was not speaking about _baptism_ for the dead, but the\n_resurrection_ of the dead, and brings up baptism for the dead as a\n_proof_ of the resurrection, by asking why they were \"baptized for the\ndead if the dead rise not at all.\" But this plainly shows that \"baptism\nfor the dead\" was both believed and practiced by the early Christians.\n\nEnough has now been said to prove to any reasonable person that baptism\nis essential to salvation, and the arguments against such a doctrine\nhave been sufficiently refuted. So, let all people prepare themselves\nand be baptized, under proper authority, for the remission of sins,\nthat they may be saved in the kingdom of God; for what shall it profit\na man if he gain the whole world and lose his own soul.\n\n{543}\n\n\n\nALLEGED \"OBJECTIONABLE FEATURES\" IN THE RELIGION OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS.\n\nBY ELDER CHARLES W. STAYNER.\n\nTHE BOOK OF MORMON. One of the reasons for non-belief presented\nby those who do not obey the Gospel revealed in our day, is that our\nreligion has \"objectionable features;\" and some who have acquired\ninformation concerning the industrious and thrifty character of the\nLatter-day Saints, and their prosperous condition in Utah, carry the\nidea that were it not for its \"objectionable features,\" \"Mormonism,\" as\nit is called, might engage their attention, and that its claims would\nbe more readily entertained by the intelligent classes. One of these\n\"objectionable features\" is, that we believe in and publish a record\ncalled the Book of Mormon, which has been falsely styled the \"Mormon\nBible,\" and through which the Saints have received from their enemies\nthe name of \"Mormons.\" This book, instead of being a substitute for\nthe Scriptures, as is very incorrectly stated, is a record translated\nfrom ancient plates, found in the earth on the American Continent.\nThe record gives most valuable information concerning the origin of\nthe American Indians, a subject which has furnished a theme for much\nconjecture among the learned during the present century, and on which\nthey are still endeavoring to discover sources of information.\n\nNotwithstanding the desire to ascertain the very historical data which\nthe work contains, the Book of Mormon has not received much of their\nattention; and this reticence is the more remarkable from the fact that\nscarcely a year passes without the publication of some newly-discovered\nevidence, testifying in a most telling manner to the truth of the\naccount given in the record. Items of information are in quick\nsuccession being obtained and brought to their notice, which have been\nbefore {544} the world for about fifty years, in the record of which we\nare speaking.\n\nThe vast discoveries in Central America made by Messrs. Stephens and\nCatherwood, show conclusively the statements in the Book of Mormon to\nbe correct; and these evidences are materially increased in various\nways through the diligent researches of other discoverers, as shown\nin an article by Apostle Moses Thatcher, lately published in serial\nform in the Millennial Star. Speculations concerning the aborigines\nof that continent have furnished matter for volumes upon volumes, and\nthe discovery of a skeleton or the finding of a stone has been dilated\nupon with zeal, and supplied conceded proof of a multiplicity of these\ntheories and ideas, tending to show that the ancient inhabitants were a\ncivilized race.\n\nBut here is a work translated from the actual record of those people,\nwritten by themselves when in their strength, and engraved on plates of\ncurious and ancient workmanship, giving a lucid and narrative account\nof their settlement and social and religious progress, and hid away in\nthe earth by the inspired historian for some fourteen centuries, and\nwhose statements are sustained by undeniable proofs of a very striking\ncharacter; and yet the work is comparatively ignored, and the facts\ntherein given sought with avidity from other and less authoritative\nsources.\n\nThe reader would naturally inquire, what is the cause of this? Simply\nbecause the Book of Mormon has in their estimation an \"objectionable\nfeature.\" Its discovery was brought about by a _revelation from\nHeaven_. Mankind, and the learned in particular of our age, disdain any\nand everything that claims present revelation from God as its origin.\nIf Joseph Smith had simply stated that he had found the plates in a\nmound, and had translated them by his own skill in language, it would\nhave been regarded as a most interesting and valuable discovery, and\nthe manuscript would have been purchased at a price, and doubtless\nfound a place in the most prominent repository of curiosities. But\nthe record being reserved to come forth as a means of salvation for\nthe remnant (the American Indians and others of the seed of Israel),\nwho should be scattered and down-trodden in the last days, it was to\nhave a more dignified introduction to the notice of mankind, than a\nmere chance discovery would have afforded it. And all must concede\nthat notwithstanding the distaste of the learned, and their prejudices\nconcerning it, the Book of Mormon has been rendered much more generally\nknown through the very means of its introduction, {545} than it could\npossibly have been if simply discovered in an ordinary way. In fact,\nit is to these \"objectionable features\" that the Latter-day Saints owe\ntheir extensive advertising, and are thus brought prominently before\nthe public like the Saints of old.\n\nThe question naturally arises, why is it considered objectionable for\na book to have an inspired origin? Why repudiate as false a valuable\nrecord of the people in America, because written and brought to light\nthrough revelation, while we accept the record of the people in Asia,\ncalled the Bible, which also claims to be the writings of inspired\nprophets and sacred historians, and to contain the word of God revealed\nfrom Heaven? Prophesied of in the Bible, the Book of Mormon stands\nside by side with the Asiatic Record, as its witness rather than its\nsubstitute; it endorses by fulfillment some of the grand predictions\ntherein contained, and bears sacred testimony to the crucifixion,\nresurrection and ascension of Christ, and the introduction of the\nGospel as given us by the Evangelists.\n\nSuch, then, is the Book which is regarded as an \"objectionable feature\"\nof the religion of the Latter-day Saints; and we claim that instead\nof being a \"stumbling block,\" it should be regarded, sustained as it\nis by Scriptural history and scientific discovery, as one of the most\nconvincing proofs of the truth of the Gospel revealed to its translator.\n\nAPOSTLES AND PROPHETS. Another \"objectionable feature\" with some\nis the organization of the Church with apostles and prophets. They\ncannot deny that the ancient Church was organized in this manner\nwith an inspired priesthood and led by men \"having authority,\" being\ncommissioned of Jesus Christ to administer in the ordinances of the\nGospel; and they cannot dispute that unless so authorized their\nacts were not recognized by the Lord, nor did they receive the seal\nof the spirit. In fact, the very foundation of the Church was this\norganization. Paul says, \"it is built on apostles and prophets, Jesus\nChrist Himself being the chief corner-stone.\" He even calls Christ an\n\"apostle,\" and others call Him a \"prophet,\" showing that He did not\n\"take this honor unto Himself,\" but was \"ordained of God\" to officiate\nand acted by Heavenly authority in all His ministry. \"As the Father\n_hath sent me_, even so now send I you.\"\n\nWere it not for the \"darkness\" which was predicted should cover the\nminds of the people in the last days, we would be inclined {546} to\nmarvel at the blindness of intelligent people to these things. That\napostles and prophets should have been deemed requisite for the \"work\nof the ministry\" in the ancient Church, and yet be objects of Christian\nridicule in the last days, is certainly very peculiar! As though\nworldly learning had by right taken the place of inspiration, and a\ncollege education legally assumed the throne of divine appointment.\nThe nineteenth century is nothing if not inconsistent! And no age\nhas been marked with more flagrant outrages upon common sense in\nreligious theories and practice, than the one in which we criticise\nthe Pharisaical Jews for rejecting the Savior, and the Catholics for\nassuming a power never delegated to them by the Ancient Church. For\nwhile these are denounced--the one for inconsistency and prejudice, the\nother for bigotry and usurpation, the modern \"Pharisees\"--professedly\nthe followers of Christ, wag their heads at inspiration and\napostleship, and \"sit in high places\" and occupy \"the chief seats in\nthe synagogues,\" assuming themselves to teach the people, without even\npresenting or possessing a semblance of authority for so doing. They\nscorn any descent of authority from the Romish priesthood as corrupt,\nhence lay no claim to a \"chain of power\" from the Ancient Church; and\nif they did, it would be a futile attempt, for the Romish Church,\nthrough which came even what semblance of authority they have, cut off\nlong ago all her Protestant daughters from fellowship, and severed them\nfrom all rights and claims to the power she held.\n\nNow, when the Latter-day Saints declare a new revelation of the\napostleship, and the re-delegation to man of that sacred power of\nthe Church, these \"learned\" gentlemen with collegiate prefixes and\naffixes, turn up their theological noses at the words \"apostle\" and\n\"prophet,\" and deem the introduction of such inspired \"non-essentials\"\nas a sacrilegious innovation on the rights of the \"modern school\"\nof theology. Thus we find the world in the anomalous position of\n\"Christians\" fighting Christianity; professed believers of the Bible\nmaking war upon the Bible, religion, and in fact, on the Bible itself;\nbelievers in Christ discarding His doctrines, and parties placing their\nhope of salvation in an original form of faith, whose fundamental\nprinciples they ignore and despise! It is for the \"faith once delivered\nto the Saints\" we are called in question! And we may here say, because\nwe believe in the correctness of the original organization of Christ's\nChurch, that \"investigation into our doctrines is impeded\" (?). This\nis another of the \"objectionable features,\" which keep, forsooth,\nthe \"intelligent\" {547} classes from examining our claims to public\nattention, and is deemed a barrier to their embracing the Gospel!\n\nSIGNS FOLLOWING THE BELIEVERS. Another feature of our religion,\nwhich is considered \"objectionable\" by the religious world, is, that we\nclaim the necessity for and the existence of the spiritual gifts of the\nGospel, the \"signs\" which Christ said were to \"follow the believer.\"\nWe read that after the Savior had risen from the dead, when He was\nabout to ascend into Heaven from the Mount of Olives, He gave His\napostles a certain commission, which we find recorded in the following\nlanguage by St. Mark, in chap, xvi, 15-18: \"And he said unto them, Go\nye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature. He that\nbelieveth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not\nshall be damned. And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my\nname shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;\nthey shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing,\nit shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they\nshall recover.\" And lest any should raise objection to the standard\ntranslation of King James, which has been read in churches ever since\nthe year 1611, we also give the same passage from the New Version,\npublished last May, the chapter and verses being numbered alike: \"And\nhe said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to\nthe whole creation. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved;\nbut he that disbelieveth shall be condemned. And these signs shall\nfollow them that believe: in my name shall they cast out devils; they\nshall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents, and if they\ndrink any deadly thing, it shall in no wise hurt them; they shall lay\nhands on the sick, and they shall recover.\"\n\nThe above promise evidently furnished us a distinctive mark which\nshould characterize \"them that believe\" in Christ's Gospel. It admits\nof no other construction than that which is given by the plain\nlanguage of the Scripture. But one class of people are promised the\n\"gifts\"--the \"believers,\" but to them the promise is positive, emphatic\nand undeniable! It is possible to conceive that persons of sound moral\nprinciple might exercise sufficient faith through prayer to obtain\ncertain manifestations of God's approval, and still might not be at\nthe time actual members of the Church, but that the \"true believers,\"\nwho have become members of the Church of the {548} Savior, should be\ndestitute of these gifts is not only an improbability, but from the\nwords of the Scripture a positive impossibility!\n\nWe are led by the Savior's saying directly to the following\nconclusions: that the disciples were to preach the Gospel as it had\nbeen taught them by its Author; that some would believe its doctrines\nand be baptized, and that those who did so believe would receive the\nevidences of spiritual gifts which Christ foretold and described.\nThere can be no misconstruction of this Scripture, without sacrificing\nconsistency and stultifying the Divine word. But in order that we may\nbe still further assured concerning the literal meaning of the Savior's\npromise, let us consider whether such manifestations did actually\nfollow their administrations among the people. For direct record proof\nof this we have but to read the two following verses, which close the\nabove-named chapter: \"So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he\nwas received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God. And they\nwent forth, and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them, and\n_confirming the word with signs following_. Amen.\"\n\nBut we also find these gifts mentioned in the course of their ministry,\nand not merely referred to in a general way, but the special gifts\nparticularized which were imparted by Divine favor on certain occasions\nnamed. For instances of this kind read the Acts of the Apostles. In\nthe second chapter it is recorded that they (the Saints) were all with\none accord in one place, \"And suddenly there came a sound from heaven\nas of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they\nwere sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of\nfire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with\nthe Holy Ghost, and began to speak in other tongues, as the Spirit\ngave them utterance.\" And we find that the gifts were so marked and\nprominent in their effects on this occasion, that Peter had to give\nan explanation to the multitude who came together, showing that they\nwere the blessings of the Holy Spirit, as foretold should belong to\nthe Christian Church. Then again in the third chapter, we are informed\nthat as Peter and John went into the Temple, \"a certain man lame from\nhis mother's womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the\nTemple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms of them that entered into\nthe Temple; who seeing Peter and John about to go into the Temple,\nasked an alms. And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him, with John, said,\nLook on us. And he gave heed unto them, expecting to {549} receive\nsomething of them. Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but\nsuch as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth,\nrise up and walk. And he took him by the right hand, and lifted him\nup; and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength. And he\nleaping up stood, and walked, and entered with them into the temple,\nwalking, and leaping, and praising God. And all the people saw him\nwalking and praising God: And they knew that it was he which sat for\nalms at the Beautiful gate of the temple: and they were filled with\nwonder and amazement at that which had happened unto him.\" And in\nexplanation of this manifestation Peter said, \"And his name through\nfaith in his name hath made this man strong, whom ye see and know; yea,\nthe faith which is by him hath given him this perfect soundness in the\npresence of you all.\" Showing plainly that it was by the use of the\nname of Jesus, through the \"gift of healing,\" that this blessing was\nconferred.\n\nRead the smiting of Ananias and Sapphira at the word of St. Peter,\nwhen they withheld part of the purchase-money at the time of the\nconsecration of their substance; also the healing power manifested\nthrough the shadow of the apostle (Acts v). Now read in Acts viii, the\nmiracles performed by Philip, one of the lesser priests sent to baptize\nthe people of Samaria, verses 6 and 7: \"And the people with one accord\ngave heed unto those things which Philip spake, hearing and seeing the\nmiracles which he did. For unclean spirits, crying with loud voice,\ncame out of many that were possessed with them: and many taken with\npalsies, and that were lame, were healed.\" Also read verses from 13 to\n17 inclusive: \"Then Simon believed also: and when he was baptized, he\ncontinued with Philip, and wondered, beholding the miracles and signs\nwhich were done. Now when the apostles which were at Jerusalem heard\nthat Samaria had received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter\nand John: who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they\nmight receive the Holy Ghost: (for as yet he was fallen upon none of\nthem: only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus). Then laid\nthey their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost.\" Some may\nraise an objection here, and say that although the Holy Ghost was said\nto be given, in this instance no gifts are specially mentioned. But on\nreading the following verses we find that \"When Simon saw that through\nlaying on of the apostles' hands the Holy Ghost was given, he offered\nthem money, saying, Give me also this power, that on whomsoever I lay\nhands, {550} he may receive the Holy Ghost. But Peter said unto him,\nThy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift\nof God may be purchased with money. Thou hast neither part nor lot in\nthis matter: for thy heart is not right in the sight of God. Repent\ntherefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought\nof thine heart may be forgiven thee. For I perceive that thou art in\nthe gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity.\" This plainly\nshows that the outpouring of the Spirit produced some evidences of such\na remarkable character as to attract the attention of Simon, or he\nwould not have been tempted to \"offer money\" to the disciples for the\npower to confer such gifts.\n\nThen read in Acts ix, the case of Saul being healed of his blindness,\nunder the hands of a certain disciple named Ananias, (this is not the\nsame who was smitten at Peter's word): \"And Ananias went his way, and\nentered into the house; and putting his hands on him said, Brother\nSaul, the Lord, even Jesus, that appeared unto thee in the way as thou\nearnest, hath sent me, that thou mightest receive thy sight, and be\nfilled with the Holy Ghost. And immediately there fell from his eyes\nas it had been scales: and he received sight forthwith, and arose, and\nwas baptized.\" Also the raising of Tabitha from the dead by St. Peter,\nrecorded in same chapter.\n\nThese were literal fulfillments of the words of Jesus, spoken on the\nMount of Olives. No construction of Scripture can give them any other\nthan a literal meaning. These works were in reality performed by and\nfor those who believed. Paul had once been a disbeliever, but now a\n\"believer,\" he rejoices in the gifts and shows forth the power of God\nin the name of Jesus. And we find that these gifts were not confined\nto the Apostles, but that they existed also among the other Saints. In\nchapter xiii, 1-3, of the Acts, we are told, \"Now there were in the\nchurch that was at Antioch, certain prophets and teachers; as Barnabas,\nand Simeon that was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen,\nwhich had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. As they\nministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me\nBarnabas and Saul, for the work whereunto I have called them. And when\nthey had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent\nthem away.\" Now, these men were not apostles who prophesied, though\nperhaps prominent in the Church, but possessing the \"gifts,\" the Spirit\nspoke through them, and the Church was edified and blessed. Hence none\ncan consistently say that the \"gifts\" and \"signs\" were limited to the\napostleship, {551} and thus argue the sudden cessation of them with the\ndeath of the apostles, or that they were not to be universally enjoyed\nby all believers. Besides, the multitudes who, we are told in various\nparts of the record, \"spoke in tongues and prophesied\" when confirmed,\nfully show that the gifts were general in their character, and not\nbestowed exclusively on a special few of those who believed, or that\nany class of \"believers\" was debarred from enjoying them; but that it\nwas a foregone conclusion with the Church that these evidences _should_\nfollow, and that it was a fact in their history that they _did_ follow\nbelief and obedience to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.\n\nInstances might be multiplied to prove the existence of the gifts\namong the Saints, such for instance as the case of a certain man named\nAgabus, who had the gift of prophecy, of whom we read in the Acts of\nthe Apostles, chapter xxi, 11-13. We also read in Acts xxi, 8, 9, that\nPhilip the evangelist had _four daughters_, virgins, who possessed the\ngift of prophecy: \"And the next day we that were of Paul's company\ndeparted: and came unto Csesarea: and we entered into the house of\nPhilip the evangelist, which was one of the seven; and abode with him.\nAnd the same man had four daughters, virgins, which did prophesy.\"\nStephen also who, like Philip, was one of the lesser priests, and not\nan apostle, saw at the time of his martyrdom \"the heavens opened, and\nthe Son of man standing on the right hand of God.\"\n\nThese and many other incidents plainly show that visions, prophesyings,\ntongues, healing and the general \"gifts of the Gospel\" were\ndisseminated among the Saints, both male and female, \"severally as\nwilled by the Spirit.\" Paul says (1 Cor. xiv, 26, 27), \"How is it then,\nbrethren? when ye come together _every one of you_ hath a psalm, hath\na doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation.\nLet all things be done unto edifying. If any man speak in an unknown\ntongue, let it be by two, or at the most by three, and that by course;\nand let one interpret,\" showing that these gifts were universal among\nthe Saints, or \"believers,\" and that the possessors had to be at times\nchecked and instructed in their use.\n\nAdded to those cases recorded in the Scriptures, the blessings enjoyed\nby the Saints as the \"signs following the believer,\" are mentioned in\na general way by historians. In the _second_ century, St. Iraenaeus\ntestifies that \"the Christians, by the gift of God, cast out devils,\nhealed the sick, raised the dead, and performed miraculous works in\nthe name of Christ, in all parts of the world.\" (See Gahan's Church\nHistory, page 76.) {552} But we find that in the third century, the\ngovernment and organization of the Church began to change from the\nprimitive form established by Christ. At least in detail, if not in\na general way, some of the ordinances were even at an earlier date,\nmaterially changed and modified. Even in the second century, we find\nthe historian Gahan refers to a change in the ordinance of baptism in\nthe following pointed language. Speaking of Novation, who was ill,\n\"he was baptized in bed, _not by immersion, which was then the usual\nmethod_, but by infusion or pouring of water. On recovering he received\nnot the seal of the Lord * * says St. Pacian, that is to say, the\nsacrament of confirmation.\"--(See Gahan and Mosheim.)\n\nThere can be no doubt that this \"changing of the ordinances\" which had\nbeen established by Christ, as the means of obtaining salvation with\nits kindred blessings, gradually produced the cessation of the gifts\namong them, that to this, and also the withdrawal of the authority to\nconfer the Holy Ghost, through the martyrdom of those holding the right\nto officiate, must be imputed their absence in succeeding centuries,\nuntil at the present day these evidences of the true Gospel are even\ndiscountenanced by parties claiming to be followers of Christ, and the\nLatter-day Saints condemned as presumptuous and wicked for seeking to\npossess them, and testifying of their existence in the Church. And it\nis lamentable to know that it is considered an \"objectionable feature\"\nof the religion we profess to enjoy these blessed tokens of God's\napproval which edified, strengthened and comforted the ancient Saints,\nand which Christ declared should \"follow them that believe.\"\n\nReader, is it not strange that professing Christians should not only\nthemselves fail to obtain the gifts which are an inseparable evidence\nof the Christian religion, but that they should take up arms with the\nenemies of Christ in denouncing those who possess them,--considering\nthe existence of the gifts a bar to accepting the truth, and a\nstumbling block in the pathway of obedience? What they despise and\ndenounce, however, we, the Latter-day Saints, hold as a substantial\nevidence of the truth of the Gospel revealed to Joseph Smith, and\na standing testimony against those who \"have a form of godliness,\nbut deny the power thereof.\" And we reiterate the apostle's advice\nwhen speaking of this class, \"from such turn away!\" And the writer\nof this article desires to add his testimony to the many which have\nbeen recorded in the Church established in our day, through the\nProphet Joseph Smith, that the gifts of the Gospel promised to the\nbelievers are with the Latter-day {553} Saints! That he has seen,\nwitnessed and experienced them in his own person! That he has himself\nbeen healed under the administration of the Elders, according to the\nwords of James, recorded in chap. v. 14, 15: \"Is any sick among you?\nlet him call for the Elders of the church; and let them pray over\nhim, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: and the prayer\nof faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and\nif he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.\" That others\nhave been healed under his hands instantaneously by the power of God!\nThat some of his immediate friends and acquaintances have the gift\nof tongues, others prophesy, others see visions, and all who are\nfaithful possess the Holy Spirit, which testifies that these things are\nverily true,--that this is the veritable work of God set up for the\npreparation of a people to meet the Lord when He comes in power! And he\nbears this testimony in all sincerity, knowing that by our words shall\nwe be justified or condemned, and that both writer and reader will have\nto meet them at the last day!\n\nLiverpool, England.\n\n    \"_Posterity will yet do us the justice, when our persecutors are\n    equally low in the dust with ourselves, to hand down to succeeding\n    generations, the virtuous acts and forbearance of a people who\n    sacrificed their reputation for their religion, and their earthly\n    fortunes and happiness to preserve peace_.\"\n\n    --_Joseph Smith, July 25, 1836_.\n\n{554}\n\n\n\nLATTER-DAY SAINTS FOLLOW TEACHINGS OF THE SAVIOR.\n\nADDRESS DELIVERED AT THE SALT LAKE TABERNACLE, SUNDAY, DECEMBER 25,\n1910, BY PRESIDENT JOSEPH F. SMITH.\n\n(REPORTED BY F. W. OTTERSTROM.)\n\nIt is with a feeling of great dependence upon the Giver of all Good\nthat I arise before you, this afternoon, in the hope of saying\nsomething by the help of the Spirit of the Lord, that will be\nencouraging to the Latter-day Saints and also a comfort to them with\nreference to some of those glorious principles which we have espoused\nand which, nevertheless, are very much misunderstood and misrepresented\nby our enemies.\n\nWe do not fully realize, it seems to me, the simplicity and naturalness\nof those great doctrines that are involved in the probation of man,\nin his mortal state. Many have sought for the origin of man in his\ndevelopment from the lower animals or creatures, and it is very\ndifficult, indeed, to persuade men who are supposed to be scientific,\nto believe that the works of God are one eternal round, and that man\nis nothing more and cannot be anything less, we believe, than the\noffspring of God. No man, however scientific, however learned, however\ndeeply he may search into the secrets of nature, can ever find out\nmore than is revealed already, in the Scriptures of divine truth, with\nreference to man's origin. Men may speculate, and guess, and suppose\nmany things, and can argue themselves into queer notions and beliefs\nwith reference to man's origin, but after all it will only be their\nbeliefs, or their imaginations or conclusions from human reasoning.\nIt would be superfluous, no doubt, for me to cite my hearers to the\nGenesis in the Bible, where an account is given of man being placed\nupon the earth, formed in the image and likeness of God, being made\nin His likeness not only male but also female, for the Bible plainly\nimplies that in order that man should become like unto God, or be\ncreated in His image and likeness, he should be a dual being, that\nis, he should be not only man but that his complement or other self\nshould be woman, thus he was formed {555} in the likeness of God. Man\nwas placed in the garden that was prepared for him. He was given the\nliberty to enjoy and partake of all the fruits of the garden except the\nfruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and he was told\nthat when he should partake of that fruit, or if he should, then he\nshould surely die.\n\nYet, it was foreordained, and the first man was predestined to partake\nof that fruit in order that the greater and real purpose of God might\nbe fulfilled, for if Adam had kept the law of heaven, by refusing or\nrefraining from partaking of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good\nand evil, he would have remained forever in his innocence, without\npower of increase. Therefore, the object and purpose of God would fail\nin his being, for the great commandment that was given to him was that\nhe should multiply and replenish the earth, and have dominion over it\nand over all living creatures upon the earth, for he was made lord of\nall and above all things that were created of God, or were placed here\non the earth. Man was placed here to be the lord and master of all of\nthem. Why? Because he was God's child; because he was made or formed\nand created in the image and likeness of his Father and, shall I add\nhere, in the image and likeness of his Mother? If I should say such\na thing it would shock the Christian world, and they would ridicule\nthe thought or the idea that the original man had anything but a\nfather, and owed nothing but to his father, for his existence. In the\nrevelations that have come to us through Joseph, the prophet, and also\nthose that are contained within the lids of the Bible, we are told\nthat all things were created spiritually before they were temporally;\nin other words, they were created in the other world before they were\nplaced here--not only man, the child of God, but all the animals that\nwere placed upon the earth, and the fishes of the sea, and the birds\nof the air. All things were formed and had their existence spiritually\nbefore they were formed temporally on the earth, Even the seeds and\nherbs of the field had their existence in their spiritual state before\nthey were planted in the earth.\n\nBut when man transgressed that heavenly law, which forbade that he\nshould partake of the elements of this earth, whereby he should\nbecome of the earth, earthy, then he brought upon himself temporal\ndeath, just as God declared he would do, if he should partake of the\n\"forbidden fruit.\" Not only did he bring upon himself the temporal\ndeath, that is, the death of the body, but he also placed himself in\nsubjection to spiritual death, which death is banishment from the\npresence {556} of God into outer darkness where there is weeping, and\nwailing, and gnashing of teeth. Through this condition, brought upon\nour first parents necessarily--necessarily because it had to be, in\norder to carry out the great purpose of God to people the earth--man\nplaced himself in the most helpless condition, powerless to relieve\nhimself from the temporal death which he had brought upon himself, and\npowerless in and of himself, and through his own wisdom, to escape\neven the consequences of spiritual death--absolutely helpless. But we\nread, in the new revelation that has come through Joseph, the prophet,\nin these latest days, that the gospel which was afterwards, in the\nmeridian of time, preached by the Son of God, was also preached unto\nAdam and to his children in the early stage of man's existence in the\nearth. The same gospel of faith in God and in a Savior of the world\nand in remission of sin by repentance, and the gift of the Spirit of\nGod to lighten man in the world, in the path that should lead him\nback into the presence of God from whence he had fallen; all this was\ntaught to Adam by the angels of God who were sent to minister to him\nand to reveal to him the plan of life and of redemption. Among other\nthings, there was established, in the days of Adam, to be continued by\nhis posterity, the law of sacrifice. They were required to offer the\nsacrifice of oxen, and of sheep, and of doves, and of various animals;\nand in these sacrifices, which were given to them with commandment\nto follow and to observe, the principle was taught them that in the\nmeridian of time one should be sent, mighty and strong, with power to\nredeem and save, who should make the great sacrifice for all mankind.\nHe would relieve the children of Adam, and all the human family, from\nthe beginning down to the time of this great Savior, and thenceforth\nthrough all generations of time, until the winding up scene, or until\nevery son and daughter of Adam should have the privilege of being\nredeemed from the fallen and helpless condition into which they had\nbeen placed because of the fall of the first parents.\n\nSo, from the time of Adam until the Son of God, whose supposed natal\nday we are here, perhaps most of us, for the purpose of celebrating\nand of reflecting upon, these sacrifices were offered in anticipation\nof His coming, in anticipation of the great sacrifice that He was to\noffer, once for all, thus doing away with the shedding of the blood of\nanimals, of beasts, and of birds, whereby man could be kept in memory\nof this great principle of sacrifice which was instituted, from before\nthe foundation of the world, for the redemption of man from temporal\nand also from spiritual death; first, from the {557} temporal death\nwithout any responsibility on his part, or act of his own, without\nany required virtue, honor, or worthiness upon his own part. Inasmuch\nas death has come upon me--temporal death--not by any act of mine,\nand I am not in any way responsible for that condition in which I\nfind myself; inasmuch as you and I had no hand, in the beginning, in\nbringing about the conditions that now exist, we, by the will of God,\nand by the power of life and of salvation in the Son of God, shall be\nredeemed, every one, from the temporal death, no matter what we are\nor who we are. It matters not whether we are learned or illiterate,\nbond or free, white or black, old or young, ignorant or intelligent,\nwe shall all come forth out of the condition that has come upon us\ntemporally, and we shall have to stand before the bar of the great\nJudge, at last, to give an account of our deeds done in the flesh. Next\nto this redemption from the temporal death comes our redemption from\nthe power of the second death, but this redemption will not be brought\nto pass in our behalf independently of ourselves. We are responsible\nfor our own sins and will be held responsible for our deliverance from\nthem, for they lead to the second death.\n\nI will again tell you what the Scriptures tell us is the second death:\nIt is being cut off from God; the blessing and privilege of His\npresence; it is indeed banishment from God and from His Kingdom, and\nfrom the glory and exaltation, the joy and happiness of eternal life.\nThat is the second death, and that is what will come upon all men who\nreject the redemption that has been wrought for them in the atonement\nof the Son of God, whom we call Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ. And who\nwas Jesus, the Christ? He was both God and man. Can we accept it? Can\nwe comprehend it? It is very simple to those who will permit themselves\nto comprehend it. It is very plain if men will comprehend, firstly,\nthe fact, that God is the Father of man, spiritually, and that God is\nthe Father of Jesus Christ, both temporally and spiritually, and that\nJesus Christ is nothing more nor less than the Son of God, begotten of\nHis Father, as absolutely, and as truly as any child was begotten of\nhis earthly father. You don't need to mince the matter. How could we\nbe like God if we were not begotten in His image and in His likeness?\nThen this holy man, Jesus Christ, had God for His Father, and He had\nfor His mother the virgin, Mary, who never knew mortal man until after\nthe time that Christ was born. He had this human mother for His mother,\nand thus were joined together in Him, forever, God and man, and thus\nis explained to the human family the connection existing between God\nand man, his children, his offspring {558} in the earth. Not only is\nGod our Father, but Jesus Christ is our brother; and in the spirit\nHe is the elder brother of the human race, whereas in the flesh Adam\nwas before Him. Many other prophets, men and inspired persons were\nbefore Christ in the flesh, and yet He was the first born of God in\nthe flesh; he was God's \"only begotten Son\" in the flesh. He came into\nthe world in this way, clothed with double power--power to die, which\nHe derived from His mother; and power to resist death, if He had so\nwilled it, which He had inherited from His Father. Thus He had power\nboth to live forever and also power to pass through the ordeal of\ndeath, that He might suffer it for all men, and come forth out of the\ngrave to a newness of life--a resurrected being, to be clothed with\nimmortality and eternal life, that all men might come forth out of the\ngrave unto life eternal, if they will obey Him. They will come forth\nanyhow, either as vessels of honor or as vessels of dishonor. They will\ncome forth from the grave whether they will or not. They can't help\nthemselves. We could not help the curse of mortal death coming upon us,\nneither shall we be able to avoid or to prevent the resurrection of\nthis body from that grave; for as God raised from the dead, so will all\nmankind.\n\nThen the Latter-day Saints worship God, the Father of our Lord and\nSavior Jesus Christ, and we are instructed, and we do follow that\ninstruction, to worship God, the Father, and to call upon His name\nfor the blessings that we need, in the name of His Son, Jesus Christ.\nI do not suppose that there is a Latter-day Saint anywhere who does\nnot believe, who has not absolutely accepted in his soul the literal\nand absolute resurrection of the Lord, Jesus Christ, from the dead.\nWe accept that; it is a part of our doctrine; it is a fundamental\nprinciple of our religion. On that truth depends our hope of\neverlasting life, and, therefore, we have cast our lot into the plan of\nlife and of redemption and of salvation inaugurated by the Son of God\nwhile He was in the flesh. We depend upon it for our exaltation; upon\nit rests our hope of happiness and the privilege of entering again into\nthe presence of our Father, the Father of our spirits, and enjoying\neternities with Him. Our hope is founded on the great truth that Jesus\nrose from the dead and conquered death. Now, a great many people will\nargue that this is, in some degree, only mythical, that it cannot be\nreal or tangible. I shall take the liberty, if you will permit, to look\nat the Scripture for a moment with reference to this matter. After\nthe resurrection of Christ, abundant evidence was given His disciples\nand Saints to establish {559} the reality of His resurrection from\nthe dead. Of course, we have the testimony of the ancient disciples\nof Christ with reference to this matter, but that is not all. We read\nhere the testimony given concerning the resurrection of the Savior,\nby Luke, one of the disciples of Christ, who wrote a brief history of\nHis doings and life. We read here of two of the disciples who went to\nEmmaus with the Savior after His resurrection, and knew Him not until\nthey got there, and He broke bread, then they discovered that they had\nbeen walking and talking with the Lord:\n\n\"And they said one to another, Did not our hearts burn within us, while\nhe talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?\n\n\"And they rose up the same hour, and returned to Jerusalem, and found\nthe eleven gathered together, and them that were with them,\n\n\"Saying, The Lord is risen indeed, and hath appeared to Simon.\n\n\"And they told what things were done in the way, and how he was known\nof them in breaking of bread.\n\n\"And as they thus spake, Jesus himself stood in the midst of them and\nsaith unto them, Peace be unto you.\n\n\"But they were terrified and affrighted, and supposed that they had\nseen a spirit,\"--just as a great many professed teachers of religion,\ntoday, claim that He was but a spirit, only a spirit, and that the body\nitself does not rise, but that the resurrection from death to life is\nthe departure of the spirit from the body, the body to return to dust;\nand the spirit to return to God, redeemed and resurrected from death\nunto life eternal. This is the doctrine of some teachers of religion,\nfor I have heard them teach and preach it. We believe that the gospel\nof Jesus Christ and that the life and mission and works of the Son of\nGod are far more real and far more tangible than this. So the disciples\nof Jesus, when He appeared unto them, were terrified and affrighted,\nsupposing that they had seen a spirit.\n\n\"And he said unto them, Why are ye troubled? and why do thoughts arise\nin your hearts?\n\n\"Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself; handle me, and see;\nfor a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have.\n\n\"And when he had thus spoken, he showed them his hands and his feet.\n\n\"And while they yet believed not for joy, and wondered, he said unto\nthem, Have ye here any meat?\n\n{560} \"And they gave him a piece of broiled fish, and of an honeycomb.\n\n\"And he took it, and did eat before them.\n\n\"And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you\nwhile I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were\nwritten in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms,\nconcerning me.\n\n\"Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the\nscriptures.\n\n\"And said unto them, Thus is it written, and thus it behoved Christ to\nsuffer, and to rise from the dead the third day:\n\n\"And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his\nname among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.\n\n\"And ye are witnesses of these things,\n\n\"And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in\nthe city of Jerusalem, until ye be endowed with power from on high.\n\n\"And he led them out as far as to Bethany, and he lifted up his hands\nand blessed them.\n\n\"And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he was parted from them,\nand carried up into heaven.\n\n\"And they worshipped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy:\n\n\"And were continually in the temple, praising and blessing God.\"\n\nWe might refer you to many other passages here. We take this Scripture\nas it reads. We testify to the world that the disciple of Christ, the\napostle of the Lord Jesus, the scribe, the writer of this testimony,\nwas inspired of God to write the truth, and that he did write the truth\nand nothing but the truth. Jesus was no spirit risen out of the body,\nfor the spirit had already departed from the body and returned to\nit, and taken it up again. While the body lay in the tomb, according\nto divine truth revealed in the word of God here, he was quickened\nby the spirit and went and preached to the spirits that were in\nprison (1 Peter 3: 18-22), thus fulfilling also the prediction of the\nprophets concerning Him, that He was anointed to proclaim liberty to\nthe captives and to open the prison doors to them that were bound.\nSo, Christ went to the spirit world where darkness reigned, where the\nspirits of men were shut out from the presence of God, where they could\nonly be ministered to by messengers sent from the Lord, who possessed\na higher and a far more exceeding weight of glory. There He went, and\nwith Him went the {561} two malefactors who were crucified with Him,\nfor He said to them that day they should be with Him in \"paradise;\"\nand they were there: not in God's glorious Kingdom, but in the spirit\nworld, where Christ went. He had this great mission to perform, of\npreaching His gospel to the spirits in prison, the same gospel that is\npreached to the living, for there is but one plan of life, one gospel,\none faith, one Lord, one baptism, one Holy Spirit, that cometh from\nGod and that bringeth light and intelligence unto the children of men.\nThere is only one way; it is the straight and narrow path that leads\nback into the presence of God. That is the way that Christ trod; that\nis the way that He marked out for His disciples to tread in; and that\nis the way that you and I must go in order to obtain the reward that\nhas been promised to the faithful. But, says one, what a narrow idea\nthis is. How incompetent is such a plan as this, to reach the millions\nand millions of the human family who have, necessarily, died without\nknowing the gospel of Christ, without having heard even the name of\nJesus Christ.\n\nHow narrow, then, to say that no man can enter into the Kingdom of God\nbut by the door and through the means that Jesus Christ has offered\nto the children of men. But, no, it is not a narrow view; it is the\nbroadest possible view to take of this matter. Why, how can you, then,\nmeet the necessities of the children of men, all the myriads of spirits\nthat have passed away from this mortal stage without the knowledge\nof this gospel, without the knowledge of Jesus Christ, without the\nbenefits of the ordinances of the house of God? We will tell you, for\nit has been revealed in its fullness in this dispensation. As Christ\nwent to preach to the spirits in prison, that were disobedient when\nonce the long-suffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the\nark was preparing, in which a few, that is, eight souls were saved by\nwater, the like figure whereunto baptism doth now save us, so this\nsame plan prevails today, and the same principle. The great mission\ninaugurated by the Son of God is now being prosecuted by ten thousand\nthousands of those who have held the Melchisedek priesthood which is\nafter the order of the Son of God, men who have been endowed with power\nfrom on high to preach the gospel to the spirits in prison. Not a soul\nthat has ever lived and died from off the face of this earth shall\nescape a chance to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ. If they receive it\nand obey it, the ordinances of the gospel will be performed for and in\ntheir behalf, by their kindred, or their posterity in some generation\nof time after them, so {562} that every law and every requirement of\nthe gospel of Jesus Christ shall be carried out, and the promises and\nrequirements fulfilled for the salvation of the living and also for\nthe salvation of the dead. Mormonism, as it is called, the gospel of\nJesus Christ, as devised by the Son of God, provides that every son\nand every daughter of God, every child of the Father, every soul that\nhas descended from Adam shall have the privilege of hearing this holy\ngospel of Christ and shall come to know the truth, that His name, the\nname of Christ--Jesus of Nazareth, is the only name under heaven by\nwhich man can be saved, exalted and restored again to the presence and\nglory of God the Father.\n\nThrough Him, as I have said already, all men that have died shall be\nraised again from the dead--every one--and not only shall they be\nraised from the dead, but they shall be restored to their perfect\nframe. We will go, now, to the doctrines that we have received in the\nBook of Mormon and in the Doctrine and Covenants, the revelations that\nhave come to us through the Prophet Joseph Smith, and we will find\nthat every soul shall not only be raised from the dead, but shall be\nrestored to their perfect frame. There will be no hunchbacks in heaven;\nno one-legged or one-armed men there, nor cripples, nor any deformed\nsons and daughters of the Father in the celestial glory, for they will\nbe restored by the power of God and by the principle of life contained\nin the gospel of the Son of God. They will all be restored to their\n\"proper frame\" and \"perfect form\" mark you, \"both limb and joint.\" We\nread that, here in this good book, the Book of Mormon (Alma 11: 43-45).\nI intended, when I got up, to read you some of the doctrines of Jesus\nChrist, contained in this book, but let me say, the people of the world\ngenerally, seem to want to find out some different way from that which\nthe Lord has designated, in order that they might be saved. Some men\nwant to be saved without any righteousness on their own part, without\nany forgiveness of sin, without any repentance, without humility of\nacknowledgment that they are unworthy, except through a remission of\ntheir sins, to enjoy the blessings and inherit the glory of the Kingdom\nof God. They even hold out the idea, the erroneous, wicked, pernicious\nthought or idea, that the murderer on the scaffold can be ushered into\nthe presence of God and to the highest glory if he will only say, on\nthe scaffold, before the drop is cut, that he \"believes in the Lord\nJesus Christ.\" Why, it is infamy; it is abomination; it is the essence\nof injustice and unrighteousness.\n\n{563} No man can be ushered into the presence of God in his sins,\nand no man can receive a remission of his sins except he repent and\nburial with Christ. For God has made us free agents, to choose good or\nevil, to walk in the light or in the darkness, as we choose, and he\nhas ordained it thus that we might become like Him, that if we prove\nourselves worthy of everlasting life and glory in His presence, it will\nbe because we have repented of our sins and have obeyed and kept His\ncommandments. And, if we are doomed, or cursed, or cast out into the\nsecond death, into darkness, where the worm dieth not, and the fire is\nnot quenched, it will be because we have not obeyed the will of God,\nnor walked in the light, because we have chosen darkness rather than\nthe light, and our thoughts were evil and we did not repent, therefore,\nwe received no forgiveness or remission of our sins. The judgment of\nGod will be just, and His rewards will be just, for He will reward men\nfor their merits, and punish them for their wickedness. That is justice\nand righteousness; anything short of that, anything more or less than\nthat would come of evil and would brand the Father of all, the God of\nheaven and earth, the just Judge, as unworthy of such titles and of\nsuch glory and greatness and impartiality; for it would not be possible\nfor a just God to reward men for something that they were not worthy\nof, nor to condemn men for what they had not deserved.\n\nThen, again, Jesus told the people at Jerusalem, His disciples and\nthose who followed Him, that He had other sheep that were not of that\nfold, and He must go to them, and they must hear His voice. They must\nbe taught His gospel, that there might be one shepherd and one fold.\nWe read His words in this glorious and good book which I hold in my\nhand, which was given by inspiration from the Lord. The Book of Mormon\ntells us how the Savior of men, after He had ascended into heaven from\namong the Jews, descended upon this continent, among the inhabitants\nthat dwelt here, who had been prepared beforehand by prophets and by\ninspired men who had taught them the gospel as they understood it,\nand who had foretold them the coming of the Son of man to the earth.\nHe visited them, and He organized His Church here, as He organized it\nover there. He appointed twelve disciples here to preach the gospel\nand to lead in matters pertaining to the cause of the Kingdom that\nwas established upon this continent; and He taught them the same\ndoctrines--only they are preserved and revealed in somewhat greater\nplainness to us--that He taught the disciples and the {564} people\namong the Jews. I am going to read you some of the things that the Lord\ntaught the disciples and the people that were prepared to receive Him,\nupon this continent, after His ascension into heaven. Mark you, when He\ncame to the people here He came as the Son of God, risen from the dead.\nHe showed to these people also the evidences of His crucifixion. They\nhad heard of it by the revelations of God; they knew that He had been\ncrucified, that He had risen from the dead, and that He had established\nHis gospel and His Church there. They were expecting Him here because\nthe Lord had promised them that He would come; and He stood upon the\nearth, in the midst of them, and taught them His gospel; He ordained\nthem to His priesthood, conferring upon them His power and authority to\nadminister for the salvation of the children of men. He sent out those\nwhom He chose to be His mouthpieces and representatives, among all the\npeople of this land, to preach this gospel that Jesus had preached to\nthe Jews and had now preached to the inhabitants of this continent.\nHe came here as Jesus Christ, resurrected from the dead, clothed with\nflesh and bones as tangible as man's, capable of eating the broiled\nfish and the honeycomb--which no spirit could partake of, for a spirit\nwould not do that.\n\nIt would not be consistent with the law that governs them for a spirit\nto attempt to partake of the gross elements of this earth; but Jesus\ncould and did do it, for he was both Lord and Christ; both man and God;\npossessing the power both of God and of man; and in and through Him God\nand man are linked together as one family in the forms that they always\nexisted, just as they exist now, except at times possessing greater\nintelligence than at other times--sometimes barbarians, and ignorant,\nor enlightened and taught by prophets and inspired men that were raised\nup among them. In this way has God taught the Chinese, the Japanese,\nand other peoples of the world in their times and seasons, the wisdom\npossessed by men who have been raised up by the Lord and inspired to\ninstruct the people among whom they dwelt, for their enlightenment\nand to the leading of them into moral and righteous paths--not always\nconferring the priesthood upon them, but giving them intelligence.\nThe Lord did not have to confer the priesthood upon Columbus, when He\nmoved upon him to discover this country, but He called him for that\npurpose and moved upon him to accomplish that work, and the man thus\ninspired for that work could not help but do it. He could not forsake\nthe mission that was given him; neither could he cease until he had\naccomplished the work. We read {565} that here in this book. We are\ntold that Columbus was inspired to do the 'work that he did; and so\nhave many men, in many ages of the world, been inspired of God to do\ncertain things and teach certain precepts akin to the gospel of Jesus\nChrist in order that the people might be brought nearer to the Lord\nand that they might not be left to become wholly heathenish and wholly\nignorant, benighted and barbarous.\n\nNow, I hope you will pardon me for detaining you; but I have chosen\na few words that I want to read you, from the Book of Mormon, that\nwere translated by the gift and power of God, through Joseph Smith\nthe prophet. You will find a very great resemblance between some of\nthe words I shall read in this book and those contained in the New\nTestament of the Bible. The recorder of the circumstance and the\nutterances here referred to wrote:\n\n\"And it came to pass that when Jesus had spoken these words unto Nephi,\nand to those who had been called (now the number of them who had been\ncalled and received power and authority to baptize, were twelve), and\nbehold he stretched forth his hand unto the multitude, and cried unto\nthem saying, Blessed are ye if ye shall give heed unto the words of\nthese twelve whom I have chosen from among you to minister unto you,\nand to be your servants; and unto them I have given power, that they\nmay baptize you with water; and after that ye are baptized with water,\nbehold I will baptize you with fire and with the Holy Ghost; therefore\nblessed are ye if ye shall believe in me, and be baptized, after that\nye have seen me and know that I am.\n\n\"And again, more blessed are they who shall believe in your words\nbecause that ye shall testify that ye have seen me, and that ye know\nthat I am. Yea, blessed are they who shall believe in your words, and\ncome down into the depths of humility and be baptized, for they shall\nbe visited with fire and with the Holy Ghost, and shall receive a\nremission of their sins.\" Then he continues:\n\n\"Yea, blessed are the poor in spirit who come unto me, for theirs is\nthe kingdom of heaven.\"\n\nLet me pause just a moment here. Blessed are the poor in spirit--who\ndo what? Are they blessed simply because they are poor in spirit? No;\ndon't forget that. Let this rest upon your minds. \"Blessed are the poor\nin spirit who come unto me.\" There is the substance of it. There is the\ntruth: \"Blessed are the poor in spirit who come unto me, for theirs is\nthe kingdom of heaven.\" And thus it is made a little plainer here than\nyou will find it in the New Testament.\n\n{566} \"And again, blessed are all they that mourn, for they shall be\ncomforted;\n\n\"And blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.\n\n\"And blessed are all they who do hunger and thirst after righteousness,\nfor they shall be filled\"--what with? The Lord tells us here, \"Blessed\nare all they who do hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they\nshall be filled with the Holy Ghost.\n\n\"And blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.\"\n\nOf all people under the heavens, the Latter-day Saints should be the\nmost merciful people, the most forgiving, the most charitable, for no\nman can more easily forgive and show mercy to his fellow creatures than\nhe who has received mercy and forgiveness from God.\n\n\"And blessed are all the pure in heart, for they shall see God.\n\n\"And blessed are all the peace-makers, for they shall be called the\nchildren of God.\n\n\"And blessed are all they who are persecuted for my name's sake, for\ntheirs is the kingdom of heaven.\n\n\"And blessed are ye when men shall revile you, and persecute and shall\nsay all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake,\n\n\"For ye shall have great joy and be exceeding glad, for great shall be\nyour reward in heaven; for so persecuted they the prophets who were\nbefore you.\"\n\nNow, I cannot pursue this subject longer. I will say this, that these\nare the doctrines of Jesus Christ. These are some of the words that\nHe uttered to the people upon this continent, and these are the words\nthat He uttered to the people upon the old continent, or over there in\nJerusalem. Other words He uttered which we will not have time to refer\nto; but He taught as never man taught, and the doctrines that He taught\nare yet--almost at least--as high above the conceptions of mankind and\ntheir ability to carry them out, as the heavens are above the earth.\nYet, His doctrine is true; His precepts are righteous; His gospel is\nthe power of God unto salvation; and in proportion as man rises to a\nconception, and an acceptance of and obedience to the principles taught\nby the Son of God, the nearer he becomes like Him and like the Father\nof our spirits and the Father of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He\nwas God in the flesh; He was Emmanuel or \"God with us,\" the Savior of\nthe world. The Latter-day Saints believe in Him not only because of the\ntestimonies borne {567} of Him in the Bible--in the four gospels and\nthe Epistles of the New Testament, and the predictions of the prophets\nin the Old Testament of the Bible, concerning His coining and mission;\nnot only because of the evidences we have here in the Book of Mormon,\nwhere it is still more plainly given than it is in the Bible, nor\nbecause we also have further and stronger evidences of the divinity of\nHis mission in the revelations of the Prophet Joseph Smith, but also\nbecause we have the testimony of witnesses of these divine things and,\nespecially, of the divine mission of Jesus Christ, by and from men whom\nwe have seen in the flesh, with whom we have conversed, with whom we\nhave associated and whom we know to have been, in their lives, pure,\nupright, honest and faithful servants of the living God. Beside all\nthis we know the truth by the witness of the spirit to ourselves. Now,\nmay the Lord bless you.\n\nOf course, we understand that this is not, indeed, the natal day of\nthe Savior. He was not born on the 25th day of December; but this is\nthe day that has been accepted by the world, at least by the so-called\nChristian world, as His natal day, and we have accepted it with them.\nIt would be difficult, indeed, to break away from it and celebrate the\nanniversary of the birth of the Lord on the day that He was really\nborn. So we meet, today, to celebrate that important event and to\npraise His name. I thank my Father in heaven for the faith He has\ngiven me in the divinity of the mission of Jesus Christ. I thank Him\nfor the blessings of the holy priesthood that He has restored to the\nworld in this dispensation. I thank Him for the organization of His\nChurch. I thank Him for the ordinances of the gospel of Jesus, from\nbaptism for the remission of sins, and the laying on of hands for the\ngift of the Holy Ghost, all along to the endowment and sealing and\nhigher ordinances of the gospel of Jesus Christ, which were designed\nto prepare men, by ordination, appointment and faithfulness, to dwell\nwith God in the eternal world. May the Lord bless us and help us to be\nfaithful always, to the end, is my prayer, in the name of Jesus. Amen.","title":"Scrap Book of Mormon Literature, Volume 2 (of 2). Religious Tracts","tradition":"scripture-revelation","translated_text":null,"word_count":246760}