



Produced by Kimball Gardner, Mormon Texts Project Intern
(MormonTextsProject.org).






THE GOSPEL.

AN

EXPOSITION OF ITS FIRST PRINCIPLES.


BY

ELDER B. H. ROBERTS,

Author of Life of John Taylor; Outlines of Ecclesiastical History; New
Witnesses, Etc.

Revised and Enlarged Edition.

PUBLISHED BY

GEORGE Q. CANNON & SONS CO.,

Salt Lake City, Utah.

1893.


"Religion, my honored friend, is surely a simple business, as it
equally concerns the ignorant and the learned, the poor and the rich."
--Burns.



PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION.

This work has been written for the purpose of instructing the youth of
Zion in the first principles of the gospel.

For the most part our parents have been converted to the gospel while
living in the various States of this country, or in foreign lands, by
the preaching of the servants of God sent forth of him to proclaim the
ushering in of the Dispensation of the Fullness of Times, and to call
mankind to repentance. They carefully and thoroughly examined every
principle advanced by them; for notwithstanding the doctrines taught by
the Elders were older than the earth, and in various dispensations have
been expounded by prophets and apostles whose testimony is recorded in
the Bible, yet something in the spirit by which they were proclaimed,
and the manner in which they were combined, made them a new gospel--a
new religion.

Not only did our parents hear the public discourses of the servants
of God, but in the home circle--to which they invited the teachers of
the seemingly New Faith--the gospel, the harmony and beauty of its
principles, the consistent blending in it of justice, and mercy, its
sanctifying influence upon the human character, its spirit and powers,
were all common topics of their conversation; until they not only
intellectually assented to it as a grand system of truth, but also
became imbued with its spirit, and felt and enjoyed its powers.

With the youth of Zion it has been different. Being removed from the
errors of the sectarian world, it has been thought they would accept
the gospel as a matter of course. It may be stated as a general truth,
that too much in this respect has been taken for granted; and in too
many instances our youth have not been instructed so thoroughly in
the things of God as they ought to have been. Many have grown up in
lamentable ignorance of even the First Principles of the gospel--which
ignorance is often confounded with unbelief, or mistaken for infidelity.

To such the gospel has only to be presented intelligently, and in its
native simplicity, to be accepted. "Whoever examined our religion,"
said one of the Fathers of the early Christian Church, "but what he
accepted it?" So now: the Gospel has only to be understood to be
admired and believed.

It is to place within their reach a thorough exposition of the First
Principles of the gospel that this work has been prepared, and is now
presented to the youth of Zion: and it is the earnest hope of the
author that by a patient perusal of these pages those who now believe
the gospel will find their faith strengthened and confirmed; and those
who do not believe it, be convinced of its truth.

It is but fair to the writer to say that the work has been written amid
the busy scenes of missionary life in a foreign land. Its preparation
has been frequently interrupted by travel, and the performance of many
other duties requiring the writer's attention. If this work, therefore,
in point of excellence shall fall below what was desired by the General
Superintendency of the Mutual Improvement Associations, at whose
instigation it was written, it is hoped these circumstances will in
some degree excuse it.

The Author.



PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION.

I had determined in the second edition of this work to very much alter
its general plan and enlarge it; but a number of friends who have used
"The Gospel" as a text-book in our Church schools, in Improvement
Associations and theological classes, persuaded me not to materially
change or too much enlarge it. Their experience in using the little
work as a text-book gives weight to their opinions, and I have so far
yielded to their judgment that I have made but few changes, and those
merely verbal, in this edition of the book.

I have, however, added as a supplement, a series of articles originally
written for _The Contributor_, on "Man's Relationship to Deity." Those
articles were intended in the first place to be supplemental to "The
Gospel," and as the theme has a close relation to the subject of which
the work treats, I thought it would increase the interest in the whole
subject to publish them in this edition.

The Author.



CONTENTS.

Chapter I.--Introductory
Chapter II.--General Salvation
Chapter III.--General Salvation
Chapter IV.--General Salvation
Chapter V.--Individual Salvation
Chapter VI.--Principles and Ordinances
Chapter VII.--Faith
Chapter VIII.--Faith.--The Bible
Chapter IX.--Faith.--The Old Testament
Chapter X.--Faith.--The New Testament
Chapter XI.--Faith.--The New Testament
Chapter XII.--Faith.--The New Testament
Chapter XIII.--Faith.--Tradition
Chapter XIV.--Faith.--Revelation
Chapter XV.--Faith.--The Character of God
Chapter XVI.--Faith.--Course of Life
Chapter XVII.--Repentance
Chapter XVIII.--Repentance
Chapter XIX.--Repentance.--Historical Illustration
Chapter XX.--Repentance.--Historical Illustration
Chapter XXI.--Baptism
Chapter XXII.--Object of Baptism
Chapter XXIII.--The Subjects for Baptism
Chapter XXIV.--The Mode of Baptism
Chapter XXV.--The Holy Ghost
Chapter XXVI.--The Holy Ghost.--Who May Receive It
Chapter XXVII.--The Holy Ghost.--How Imparted
Chapter XXVIII.--The Holy Ghost.--Character and Source
Chapter XXIX.--The Holy Ghost.--Its Power
Chapter XXX.--Authority
Chapter XXXI.--Laws of Spiritual Development
Chapter XXXII.--History of the Gospel
Chapter XXXIII.--Salvation for the Dead
Conclusion
Supplement.--Man's Relationship to Deity


THE GOSPEL.


CHAPTER I.

INTRODUCTORY.

In the investigation of any subject, it is of first
importance that the terms employed be thoroughly understood; hence, I
begin the subject in hand by asking and answering the question, What
is the Gospel? The definition to the term I shall derive from the
scriptures; not from one passage alone, but from the consideration of a
number of passages.

The Apostle Paul, in defining the Gospel, calls it: "The power of God
unto salvation to every one that believeth".[A]

[Footnote A: Rom. i: 16.]

From other scriptures, to be considered presently, we shall see that
Paul could not have meant a mere intellectual assent to the truth of
the several principles composing the Gospel, but an active, living
faith in them--a belief which accepts them, not in theory only, but
in practice also--a belief which leads up to an implicit obedience to
the ordinances and precepts of the Gospel. It is only such a belief
that can make the Gospel the power of God unto salvation. In proof of
this I call attention to the following scriptures: "Not every one that
saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but
he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven * * * Therefore
whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken
him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: and the rain
descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that
house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And every
one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be
likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: and
the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat
upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it."[B]

[Footnote B: Matt. vii: 21, 24-27.]

"Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and
receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your
souls. But be ye doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving your
own selves."[C]

[Footnote C: James i: 21,22]

And now to come to a passage which must set at rest forever all
controversy on the question. In speaking of Jesus, the writer of the
book of Hebrews says: "Though he were a son, yet learned he obedience
through the things which he suffered, and being made perfect, he became
the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him."[D] Not to
those who do not obey him.

[Footnote D: Heb. v: 8,9.]

From these scriptures we deduce the following definition: The Gospel is
the power of God unto salvation unto every one who believes and obeys
it.



CHAPTER II.

GENERAL SALVATION.

Having defined what the Gospel is, it is my purpose now, for
convenience, to separate the subject into two grand divisions. These I
shall call respectively: General Salvation, and Individual Salvation.

By General Salvation, I mean a salvation that is as universal as the
race of man; that will extend to the sinner as well as to the saint;
to the unbeliever, as well as to him who believes; to the impenitent,
as well as to the penitent; in short, a salvation that is secured to
every son and daughter of Adam, irrespective of his or her belief or
unbelief, obedience or disobedience.

By Individual Salvation, I mean a salvation from certain consequences
that result from transgressing one or more of God's holy laws; a
salvation secured by complying with certain conditions specified in
the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and which can only be secured to those who
fulfill said conditions.

First, then, as to General Salvation: Whatever mystery may hang over
man's existence, he is conscious of these two facts: first, that he
does exist; and second, judging from all human experience, as well as
by the decrees of God, the time will come when he will die. No matter
how strong the body, how perfect the health, or how buoyant the spirit,
man knows that sooner or later time will sap the vital forces, unbend
the body's strength, and in a few years the all-beholding sun shall
see him no more in all his course.

The experience of the race proves that man is dust, and to dust he must
return. It is true that a few, for the time being, have escaped this
fate, through being translated by the special providence of God; as in
the case of Enoch and many of his people;[A] the prophet Elijah;[B]
the three Nephite apostles,[C] and also John, the apostle.[D] But even
those who have attained this peculiar privilege, will doubtless yet
have to pass through the mysterious change we call death, in order that
the decrees of God may be fulfilled. This calamity of death, then,
falls upon all mankind; and it was brought into the world through no
act of theirs.

[Footnote A: Pearl of Great Price pp. 18, 19, 22.]

[Footnote B: II. Kings ii., Doc. and Cov. Sec. cx. 13.]

[Footnote C: III. Nephi xxvii: 7-33.]

[Footnote D: St. John xxi: 21-25, Doc. and Cov. Sec. vii.]

Adam transgressed the commandments given to him by his God; and through
that act, sowed the seeds of death, and became mortal, and his progeny
inherited, as a legacy, that mortality, and so death passed upon all
mankind. And since death was brought upon mankind through no act or
fault of theirs, justice demands that they should receive full and
complete redemption from that evil which falls upon them through the
acts of another, over which they had no control.

Such redemption has been wrought cut through the Atonement of Jesus
Christ; and, in proof that that redemption from the consequences of
Adam's transgression is universal, extending alike to the righteous and
unrighteous, I cite the following scripture: "And many of them that
sleep in the dust of the earth, shall awake, some to everlasting life,
and some to shame and everlasting contempt."[E]

[Footnote E: Dan. xii: 2.]

From this it appears that not only the righteous--those who are worthy
of everlasting life--are to come forth from their graves, but also the
wicked--those worthy only of shame and everlasting contempt. To this
agrees the testimony of Jesus, "For as the Father hath life in himself;
so hath he given to the Son, life in himself.

"Marvel not at this; for the hour is coming, in the which all that
are in their graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth; they
that have done good unto the resurrection of life, and they that have
done evil unto the resurrection of damnation."[F] Or, as the last two
clauses were given to the Prophet Joseph Smith, by inspiration: "They
who have done good in the resurrection of the just, and they who have
done evil in the resurrection of the unjust."[G]

[Footnote F: John v: 26, 28, 29.]

[Footnote G: Doc. and Cov. Sec. lxxv: 16, 17.]

This, too, is in harmony with Paul's teaching, pronounced on the
occasion of his defense before Felix: "After the way which they call
heresy, so worship I the God of my fathers, believing all things which
are written in the law and in the prophets; and have hope towards God,
which they themselves also allow, that there shall be a resurrection of
the dead, both of the just and the unjust."[H]

[Footnote H: Acts xxiv: 14, 15.]

If it were necessary to add anything more to this array of testimony,
it would be found in the words of John the Revelator. In the twentieth
chapter of Revelations is given an account, first, of the resurrection
of the just, and their reign of peace upon the earth for a thousand
years; and then follows a description of the general resurrection in
which the writer says: "And I saw the dead, small and great, stand
before God. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death
and hell delivered up the dead which were in them, and they were judged
every man according to his works."[I]

[Footnote I: Rev. xx: 12, 13.]

It is certain, then, that the resurrection of the dead is universal,
extending alike to all classes and races of men. And thus there is a
general salvation from the consequences of Adam's fall. "For as by the
offense of one (Adam) judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even
so by the righteousness of one (Christ) the free gift came upon all men
to the justification of life."[J] And again, "Since by man came death,
by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die,
even so in Christ shall all be made alive."[K]

[Footnote J: Rom. v: 18.]

[Footnote K: I. Cor. xv: 21, 22.]

The reader will observe that the redemption is as universal as the
fall. If it were possible, still more explicit is the testimony of the
Book of Mormon on this subject of man's redemption, as will be seen
from the following passages: "And he (Christ) shall come into the world
to redeem his people; and he shall take upon him the transgressions
of those who believe on his name; and these are they that shall have
eternal life, and salvation cometh to none else; therefore the wicked
remain as though there had been no redemption made, except it be the
loosing of the bands of death; for behold, the day cometh that all
shall rise from the dead and stand before God, and be judged according
to their works."

"Now there is a death which is called a temporal death; and the death
of Christ shall loose the bands of this temporal death, that all shall
be raised from this temporal death: the spirit and the body shall be
re-united again in its perfect form; both limb and joint shall be
restored to its proper frame, even as we now are at this time; and we
shall be brought to stand before God, knowing even as we know now, and
have a bright recollection of all our guilt. Now, this restoration
shall come to all, both old and young, both bond and free, both male
and female, both the wicked and the righteous; and even there shall
not so much as a hair of their heads be lost; but all things shall be
restored to its perfect frame, as it is now, or in the body, and shall
be brought and be arraigned before the bar of Christ the Son, and God
the Father, and the Holy Spirit, which is one eternal God, to be judged
according to their works, whether they be good or whether they be
evil."[L]

[Footnote L: Alma xi: 40, 41, 42, 43, 44.]

"Behold I have given unto you my gospel, and this is the gospel which
I have given unto you, that I came into the world to do the will of
my Father, because my Father sent me; and my Father sent me that I
might be lifted up upon the cross; and after that I had been lifted
up upon the cross, that I might draw all men unto me; that as I have
been lifted up by men, even so should men be lifted up by the Father,
to stand before me, to be judged of their works, whether they be good
or whether they be evil. And for this cause have I been lifted up;
therefore, according to the power of the Father, I will draw all men
unto me, that they may be judged according to their works."[M]

[Footnote M: III Nephi xxvii: 13-15.]

"Behold, he (Christ) created Adam, and by Adam came the fall of man.
And because of the fall of man, came Jesus Christ, even the Father and
the Son; and because of Jesus Christ, came the redemption of man. And
because of the redemption of man, which came by Jesus Christ, they
are brought back into the presence of the Lord; yea, this is wherein
all men are redeemed, because the death of Christ bringeth to pass
the resurrection, which bringeth to pass a redemption from an endless
sleep, from which sleep all men shall be awoke by the power of God,
when the trump shall sound; and they shall come forth, both small and
great, and all shall stand before his bar, being redeemed and loosed
from this eternal band of death, which death is a temporal death."[N]

[Footnote N: Moroni ix: 12, 13.]

Still, some of skeptical inclination, will refuse to admit that justice
has its perfect development in this scheme of redemption through
Christ's Atonement. They insist that the sin of Adam should not be
visited upon his posterity even for a moment. Why should man die? How
is it that through the sacrifice of one who is innocent, salvation may
be purchased for those under the dominion of death?



CHAPTER III.

GENERAL SALVATION.

In answer to the questions with which the last chapter closed, I may
say that however difficult it may be to comprehend fully all things
connected with man's fall, and God's plan for his redemption, we may be
assured that the fall was not a blunder, nor was it an accident. The
prophet Lehi bowed down under the weight of years, when giving his last
testimony and instructions to his son Jacob, said: "Behold, all things
have been done in the wisdom of him who knoweth all things. Adam fell
that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy."[A]

[Footnote A: II Nephi II: 24, 25.]

All that has befallen man, we may rest assured, is essential to his
eternal and perfect happiness. From our limited experience, we know
that men learn to appreciate the joys of prosperity by drinking deeply
from the cup of adversity; they learn to prize the boon of health, by
languishing upon the bed of affliction; they learn the value of wealth,
by experiencing want and poverty; the sweets of life are rendered still
more sweet by the draughts of bitterness we are compelled to drink; and
the ever intermittent gleams of sunshine are made more bright by the
renewing storms which darken the sky; and thus--

    "Tis sorrow builds the shining ladder up, Whose golden rounds are
    our calamities."

As it is with these things I have mentioned, so it is in respect to the
greatest blessing Deity can bestow upon man--the gift of eternal life.
How great that gift, it is difficult for us to understand. It is not to
live merely three score years, nor a thousand years, nor ten thousand
years, but eternally; and while

    "The stars shall fade away, the sun himself Grow dim with age, and
    nature sink in years; Man shall flourish in immortal youth. Unhurt
    amid the war of elements, The wreck of matter and the crash of
    worlds."--

But in order that his children might know how to prize the greatest
of all his gifts. Deity has ordained that they should pass through
the dark valley of death; and in the meantime, by passing through
this probation we call life, they might have the opportunity of
demonstrating before the heavens their integrity to principles of
righteousness and truth; and by coming in contact with evil, they might
forever prize that which is pure and good: that vice might ever be
hideous to them, and virtue lovely--and thus the eternal happiness of
man be made secure. Thus with death, as with many other things, that
which at times we consider our greatest calamity, turns out to be our
greatest good.

As to the second question[B]--How is it that through the sacrifice
of one who is innocent salvation may be purchased for those under
the dominion of death?--I will observe, in passing, that what should
most concern us, is, not so much _how_ it is that such is the case, but
is it a _fact_. Is it true that God has established such a scheme of
redemption, is what should concern us most.

[Footnote B: See Discourse of J. Taylor, J. of D. vol 10, p. 114.]

To that question the blood sprinkled upon a thousand Jewish altars,
and the smoke that darkened the heavens for ages from burnt offerings,
answers yes. For those sacrifices, and that sprinkled blood were but
typical of the great sacrifice to be made by the Messiah.

Even the mythology of heathen nations retains the idea of an atonement
that either has been, or is to be made for mankind. Fantastic,
distorted, confused; buried under the rubbish of savage superstition it
may be, but it nevertheless exists. So easily traced, so distinct is
this feature of heathen mythology, that some writers have endeavored
to prove that the gospel plan of redemption was derived from heathen
mythology. Whereas the fact is that the Gospel was understood and
extensively preached in the earliest ages;[C] men retained in their
tradition a knowledge of those principles or parts of them, and however
much they may have been distorted, traces of them may still be found in
nearly all the mythologies of the world.

[Footnote C: See Pearl of Great Price, Writings of Moses, pp. 12 to
31. Gal iii, 8. Heb. iv, 2, in connection with latter part of chap iii.
I Cor. X, 1-4. Mediation and Atonement by the late Prest. John Taylor
--Appendix.]

The prophets of the Jewish scriptures answer the foregoing question
in the affirmative. The writers of the New Testament make Christ's
Atonement the principal theme of their discourses and epistles. The
Book of Mormon, speaking as the voice of an entire continent of people,
whose prophets and righteous men sought and found God, testifies to the
same great fact. The revelations of God as given through the Prophet
Joseph Smith are replete with passages confirming this doctrine, and
lastly, the Saints who have received this doctrine and walked in
obedience to the laws of heaven, bear testimony that the Spirit of God
has borne record to their spirits that the Atonement of Christ is a
grand reality.

This evidence is more than sufficient, it seems to me, to establish the
_fact_ of the atonement beyond the possibility of a doubt; and if there
are some things in it not within the scope of our comprehension, still
there is sufficient foundation for our glorious hope of eternal life
through its power; for the evidence proving the fact of that Atonement
is sufficient, wanting nothing, either in quality or quantity.

The Atonement is not the only fact which man accepts without being
able to comprehend it. Such facts exist all about us. For example,
here stands a row of trees; here is the plum tree, the peach, pear,
apple, cherry and the apricot. They send their roots down into the
same soil; their fibres become interlaced in it; and yet each tree has
the mysterious power to draw from the same soil the substances which
produce its own peculiar fruit. So it is throughout the vegetable
kingdom. But how it is that the peach tree produces the peach, while
the plum tree, from the same soil, produces the plum; or how one plant
produces wheat, while another at its side produces barley, we cannot
tell. But there is the fact; and how stupid would he be considered
who rejected the fact, because, forsooth, he cannot understand the
mysterious powers or forces which produce it!

As Bishop Watson remarks to Sir Edward Gibbon, in the letters which
comprise his Apology for Christianity:--"In physics you cannot
comprehend the primary cause of anything: not of the light by which you
see; nor of the elasticity of the air by which you hear; nor of the
fire by which you are warmed. In physiology you cannot tell what first
gave motion to the heart, nor what continues it, nor why its motion
is less voluntary than the lungs; nor why you are able to move your
arms to the right or left by a simple volition; * * * nor comprehend
the principle by which your body was at first formed, nor by which
it is sustained, nor by which it will be reduced to earth." The list
might be indefinitely extended, for the facts in nature which are
incomprehensible are more numerous than those of revelation. And yet
those who insist that all the facts connected with revelation should
be of such a character that they are perfectly comprehended, refuse
not to accept the facts in nature because they are incomprehensible.
Why cannot they treat with equal fairness the facts of revelation and
leave it to time and further revelation to make that clear which is now
obscure?



CHAPTER IV.

GENERAL SALVATION.

Unbelievers delight to represent God, the great Law Giver, as
unspeakably cruel in demanding such an Atonement as Christ made for the
salvation of the children of men. But let it be borne in mind that he
who made the Atonement did so voluntarily. Testifying to his disciples
respecting the matter he says: "Therefore doth my Father love me,
because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. No man taketh
it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down
and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of
my Father."[A]

[Footnote A: John x. 17,18.]

When his enemies gathered about him,--a former friend betraying him
with a kiss,--and Peter prepared to defend him with the sword, he
chided him for his rashness, commanding him to put up his sword, and
added: "Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall
presently give me more than twelve legions of angels? But how then
shall the scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must be?"[B]

[Footnote B: Matt. xxvi: 53, 54.]

Thus down to the very last moment, it appears that Jesus could have
been delivered from the sacrifice had he so willed it. But the
principle which was the guiding-star of his life--"Father, not my will,
but thy will be done" influenced him in this instance, and he drank of
the cup given him of his Father, and wrung out the dregs in agony; but
he did it voluntarily, and that, too, out of his great love for mankind.

Among men we sometimes see this willingness to suffer for others. Men
there are who would lay down their lives for their friends. In the
times when imprisonment for debt was customary in England, we often
meet instances where out of pure love and kindness towards his fellows,
a man under no obligation whatever to do so, has paid the debts of the
unfortunate, satisfied the demands of the law, and set the captive
free. It is related of Lord Byron that when he was a lad attending
school, a companion of his fell under the displeasure of a cruel,
overbearing bully, who unmercifully beat him. Byron happened to be
present, but knowing the uselessness of undertaking a fight with the
bully, he stepped up to him and asked him how much longer he intended
to beat his friend. "What's that to you?" gruffly demanded the bully.
"Because," replied young Byron, the tears standing in his eyes, "I will
take the rest of the beating if you will let him go."

That partakes to some extent, at least enough so for illustration, of
the spirit by which the Son of God was actuated when he offered himself
a ransom for mankind, to redeem them from the power and dominion of
death, from which they were powerless to free themselves.

There was something more, however, in the suffering of the Messiah than
merely the ordinary pangs and terrors of personal death. As stated
by the late President John Taylor, "The suffering of the Son of God
was not simply the suffering of personal death; for in assuming the
position that he did in making an atonement for the sins of the world,
he bore the weight, the responsibilities and the burden of the sins of
all men, which, to us, is incomprehensible. As stated, 'The Lord your
Redeemer suffered death in the flesh; wherefore he suffereth the pains
of all men.' And Isaiah says: 'Surely he hath borne our griefs and
carried our sorrows;' also, 'The Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of
us all;' and again, 'he hath poured out his soul unto death, and he was
numbered with the transgressors, and he bear the sins of many;' or, as
it is written in the second book of Nephi, 'For behold, he suffereth
the pains all men, yea the pains of every living creature, both men,
women and children, who belong to the family of Adam; 'whilst in Mosiah
it is declared, 'he shall suffer temptations and pains of body, hunger,
thirst and fatigue, even more than man can suffer, except it be unto
death; for behold, blood cometh from every pore so great shall be his
anguish for the wickedness and abominations of his people.'"[C]

[Footnote C: Mediation and Atonement ch. xxi.]

By this Atonement of Messiah's there is especially one fact thrown
out into bold relief, that is, the great love of God and Christ for
mankind. When you come to think of the unspeakable agony, of the
anguish of heart, of the pains that racked the body and distressed the
mind of the Savior at the time of his betrayal, and during his trial
and crucifixion, you may begin to see how great the love of the Father
for mankind must be, when he would consent for his only begotten Son
to pass through this great humiliation and affliction, in order to
redeem mankind from the bonds of death. On such contemplation increased
emphasis will be given to the passage--"In this was manifested the
love of God towards us, because that God sent his only begotten
Son into the world that we might live through him."[D] And also to
this--"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son,
that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting
life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn, the world,
but that the world through him might be saved."[E]

[Footnote D: I. John iv: 9.]

[Footnote E: John iii. 16, 17.]

Then what shall we say for the greatness of the love of the Son of God,
who of his own free will volunteered to take upon himself the task of
man's redemption! Not only of redeeming him from death, but from the
consequences of all sins, that is, on certain conditions, as we shall
see further on!

I have often thought that the love of a son for his mother must ever
be made stronger, and become more sanctified, through bringing to mind
the sufferings which brought her to the very gates of death, to give
him life; her subsequent devotion, anxiety, toil and watchfulness in
the years of his childhood and youth, making her a being "enskyed and
sainted," to him. So it is with Christ. The recollection of the love he
bears for us as manifested in the sufferings he endured in our stead,
for upon him was laid the iniquity of us all, and by his stripes are
we to be healed--the recollection, I say, of his excruciating agony in
Gethsemane, where he sweat great drops of blood, in the council chamber
of the Jews, in the streets of Jerusalem at the hands of the rabble,
and finally upon Calvary, in order to satisfy the inexorable claims of
justice, must seal and make perfect the bond of love which connects us
with him; and bears witness to the world how great, how infinite the
love of Christ for us, how great the price paid for our ransom. Well
may the Apostle say--"Ye are not your own, for ye are bought with a
price."[F]

[Footnote F: I Cor. vi. 19, 20.]

In the Atonement made for man, there is a nice balancing of the
relative claims of Justice and Mercy. The law given to man being
transgressed, Justice demanded the payment of the penalty, which
was death. And as Adam had no power to liberate himself from the
captivity thereof, his sleep in the grave must have been eternal; so
also with all his posterity to whom his mortality was bequeathed as
an evil legacy, had not Mercy put in her claims and prevented Justice
from being cruel. The Son of God having it given him to have life in
himself,[G] and being capable of making an infinite atonement, he stood
forth as the great friend of man and offered himself as a sacrifice to
satisfy the claims of Justice. That offering was accepted by the great
Law Giver, and upon the demands of Justice being satisfied,--the law
having no further claim upon him, the captive is set free from the
dominion of death.

[Footnote G: John v: 26.]

Mercy is not permitted to rob Justice, but she claims her own. Justice
is not permitted to be cruel, but he retains his dignity--his demands
are satisfied. As the late President Taylor very beautifully and very
truthfully said: "Is justice dishonored? No; it is satisfied; the debt
is paid. Is righteousness departed from? No; there is a righteous act.
All requirements are met. Is judgment violated? No; its demands are
fulfilled. Is mercy triumphant? No; she simply claims her own. Justice,
judgment, mercy and truth all harmonize as the attributes of Deity.
Justice and truth have met together, righteousness and peace have
kissed each other, justice and judgment triumphant as well as mercy
and peace; all the attributes of Deity harmonize in this great, grand,
momentous, just, equitable, merciful and meritorious act."[H]

[Footnote H: Mediation and Atonement, ch. xxiv. To the reader who
would make a more thorough investigation of this subject than these
pages afford, I refer him to the following passages and works. Book of
Mormon, II Nephi, Chap. ii. Mosiah xv, 18-27. Alma xxxiv, 7-17. Alma
xlii, 1-26. Doc. and Cov. Sec lxxvi, and especially the "Mediation and
Atonement" by the late Prest. John Taylor Also Watson's Apology for
Christianity, Letter vi. Jenyn's Internal Evidences of the Christian
Religion, the concluding chapter.]

Through this Atonement, made by Messiah, a full and complete redemption
from the consequences of Adam's transgression is brought about; that
is, a victory over the grave is secured; and that, too, through the
merits of Jesus Christ, And while the law transgressed by Adam has been
vindicated, the posterity of Adam, who became subject to death through
his disobedience, are redeemed from the grave without anything being
required of them. For as their agency was not concerned in bringing
about the mischief, neither is anything demanded of them in order to
obtain redemption from it.

So far salvation is free, universal, and unconditional extending to
every man, woman and child who has ever breathed the breath of life.
And hence the Prophet Joseph Smith wrote as one of the articles of our
faith--"We believe that men will be punished for their own sins, and
not for Adam's transgression."

This is what I mean, then, by General Salvation Free redemption for
all mankind through the resurrection from death, which was the great
penalty affixed to the law that Adam transgressed. This is what the
Atonement of Christ accomplished for man, but this is not all it did,
as we shall see when we come to speak of Individual Salvation.

Meantime, through the fall, comes our present state of probation; our
opportunities for gaining an experience in this life; of coming in
contact with good and evil; learning to love the one and despise the
other, by seeing them placed in contrast with each other, working out
their respective results, to the production of happiness on the one
hand, and misery on the other. From which experience we shall learn
on what basis rests the eternal felicity of intelligences, and how to
perpetuate it throughout the ages yet unborn.



CHAPTER V.

INDIVIDUAL SALVATION.

Having dealt with what I called General Salvation, I now turn to
Individual Salvation. You have seen that man is redeemed from the evils
brought upon him through Adam's sin, without any act of belief or
obedience being required of him. This is because his agency or will was
not exercised in breaking the law given to Adam. The calamity overtakes
him through no fault of his; and consequently his deliverance, so far,
comes without his seeking--in fact, it comes independent of him. In
this matter, man is passive, being acted upon by the relative claims of
Justice and Mercy.

But apart from the transgressions of our first parents, there is a
vast amount of sin, crime and corruption in the world. Envy, hatred,
malice, contention, evil-speaking, jealousy, and covetousness abound;
to say nothing of the greater evils of lying, drunkenness, stealing,
fornication, adultery, and debauchery of every description, which would
be improper even to name.

Selfishness is the starting point of the present system of
industrialism; chicanery and fraud enter into all the avenues of trade;
dishonesty walks the streets without shame; licentiousness revels in
its own wantonness; whoredoms are poisoning the life's blood of the
nations; prostitution flaunts its shame upon the streets, and takes up
its abode in the very shadow of the church, where men meet to worship
God. Instead of beautifying the earth, man is but making many portions
of it sink-holes of iniquity; where poverty, misery, degradation,
drunkenness, crime and sin lie festering in their filthiness under
the sunlight of heaven, until the very earth is defiled under the
inhabitants thereof.

Now, who is responsible for all these evils, this seething mass of
iniquity, which blights like a hell-sent plague this fair creation of
ours--the earth? I answer that every man and every woman and every
child, who has arrived at the years of accountability--who understands
the difference between good and evil--is responsible for it, so far,
and to that extent that his or her individual acts contribute to the
grand aggregate of crime in this sin-stained world.

In the commission of these individual sins, too, man's agency becomes
a factor. He sins knowingly willfully, and sometimes wantonly. He
transgresses the laws of God and of nature in spite of the protests of
his conscience, the convictions of his reason and the promptings of
his judgment. He becomes desperately wicked and so depraved that he
actually seeks evil and loves it. He hugs it to his bosom and cries,
"Evil, be thou my good; sin, be thou my refuge!"

For the transgression of that law which brought death into the world.
Justice had no claims upon the posterity of Adam, because their agency
was not concerned in it, hence a free redemption was provided from
the calamity that overtakes them. But in the case of these individual
sins, where the agency of every person is exercised, justice demands
that the penalties affixed to the violated laws be satisfied, and
the transgressors punished. But here again the principle of mercy is
active. As I have before stated, the victory over death is not the only
benefit arising from the Atonement of the Messiah; but by the sacrifice
which he made he purchased mankind as an inheritance for himself, and
they became of right under his dominion, for he ransomed them from
an endless sleep in the grave. Nor is that all, but as the scripture
saith: "He hath borne our griefs and carried our sorrows * * * He was
wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the
chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are
healed * * * The Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all."[A] So
that his Atonement not only broke the bonds of death, but also atoned
for the individual sins of men on condition of their obedience--their
loyalty to Christ, who by virtue of his Atonement redeemed them from
endless death, and therefore of right became their lawgiver, and had
power given him to dictate the terms upon which the full benefits of
his Atonement should be applied to individuals, in order to release
them from the penalties which follow as a consequence of their personal
violations of the principles of righteousness.

[Footnote A: Isaiah liii: 5,6.]

First, however, let us settle it in our minds from authority that the
Atonement of Christ has this two-fold force that I have ascribed to it,
viz.: that it redeems all mankind from death; and also redeems them
from the consequences of personal sins, through obedience to Christ.

The first part of the proposition has already been discussed and proven
in those chapters devoted to the consideration of General Salvation,
and those arguments need not be repeated here.

That the second part is true is evident from such scripture as: "He
that believeth and is baptized shall be saved, and he that believeth
not shall be damned;"[B] and, "Being made perfect, he became the author
of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him."[C] But while you
are under the necessity of sustaining the proposition, so far as the
Jewish Scriptures are concerned, by inference, by conclusions drawn
from the consideration of numerous passages, in the Book of Mormon we
have passages which at once sustain the doctrine: "And also his blood
atoneth for the sins of those who have fallen by the transgression of
Adam, who have died not knowing the will of God concerning them, or
who have ignorantly sinned. But woe, woe unto him who knoweth that he
rebelleth against God; _for salvation cometh to none such, except it be
through repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ_."[D]

[Footnote B: Mark xvi. 16.]

[Footnote C: Heb. v: 16.]

[Footnote D: Mosiah iii: 11, 12.]

Alma, in answering a question asked him by the lawyer Zeezrom, said of
Jesus:--"And he shall come into the world to redeem his people; and
he shall take upon him the transgressions of those who believe on his
name; and these are they that shall have eternal life, and salvation
cometh to none else; therefore the wicked remain as though there had
been no redemption made, except it be the loosing of the bonds of
death; for behold the day cometh that all shall rise from the dead and
stand before God and be judged according to their works."[E]

[Footnote E: Alma xi: 40,41.]

Still more plain in relation to the effect that Messiah's Atonement
has upon the personal sins of men, is the word of the Lord through the
Prophet Joseph Smith to Martin Harris, warning him to repent lest his
sufferings be sore--how sore, how exquisite, how hard to bear he knew
not: "For behold, I God, have suffered these things for all that they
might not suffer if they would repent, but if they would not repent,
they must suffer even as I, which suffering caused myself, even God,
the greatest of all, to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every
pore, and to suffer both body and spirit; and would that I might not
drink the bitter cup and shrink--nevertheless, glory be to the Father,
I partook and finished my preparations unto the children of men."[F]

[Footnote F: Doc. and Cov. Sec. xix, 16-18. See also Mosiah iii, 20,
21.]

These passages to my mind prove the dual character of Messiah's
Atonement--the redemption from the consequences of Adam's
transgression, from death; and redemption from personal sins on
condition of implicit obedience to the laws of Christ--to the gospel,
which we have already seen is the power of God unto salvation to
everyone who believes and obeys it.

It will doubtless be observed by the attentive reader that upon this
showing those who die before they are capable of knowing good or evil,
before they arrive at the years of accountability and who, therefore,
are pure and innocent, are saved by the merits of Jesus Christ alone.
Being redeemed from the death brought upon them by the fall of Adam,
by the Atonement made by Christ, and having committed no personal sins
--dying in the days of their innocence--they have nothing to repent of.
Having broken no law. Justice has no claim upon them; they fall into
the arms of Mercy alone, and there they are secure. Well might Jesus
exclaim--"Suffer little children to come unto me, for of such is the
kingdom of heaven!" But those who interpret that scripture to mean that
little children have to be baptized or perform or have performed for
them any other ordinance, in order that they might come unto Christ,
or to save them in the kingdom of God, are woefully ignorant of the
gospel, and fail to grasp the grandeur, the consistency the perfection
there is in it.

It was doubtless these considerations which caused Mormon to say,
in writing to his son Moroni: "Listen to the words of Christ your
Redeemer, your Lord and your God. Behold I came into the world not
to call the righteous but sinners to repentance: the whole need no
physician, but they that are sick; wherefore little children are whole
for they are not capable of committing sin, wherefore the curse of
Adam is taken from them in me, that it hath no power over them; * * *
and after this manner did the Holy Ghost manifest the word of God unto
me, wherefore my beloved son, I know that it is solemn mockery before
God that ye should baptize little children. Behold I say unto you that
this thing shall ye teach, repentance and baptism unto those who are
accountable and capable of committing sin; yea, teach parents that
they must repent and be baptized and humble themselves as their little
children, and they shall all be saved with their little children. And
their little children need no repentance, neither baptism* * * Little
children are alive in Christ, even from the foundation of the world."[G]

[Footnote G: Moroni viii, 8-12.]

No less implicit is the word of the Lord through the Prophet Joseph
Smith: "But behold I say unto you, that little children are redeemed
from the foundation of the world through mine Only Begotten. Wherefore
they cannot sin, for power is not given unto Satan to tempt little
children, until they begin to become accountable before me."[H]

[Footnote H: Doc. and Cov. Sec. xxix, 46, 47.]

Moreover, it appears that Mercy has special claims upon those men and
women, and also upon nations and races who know not the laws of God,
or have never heard the gospel. The first Nephi in speaking of the
Atonement of Christ and its effects where proclaimed and rejected,
says: "Wherefore he has given a law; and where there is no law given
there is no punishment; and where there is no punishment, there is no
condemnation; and where there is no condemnation, the mercies of the
Holy One of Israel have claim upon them because of the Atonement; for
they are delivered by the power of him (Christ); for the Atonement
satisfieth the demands of his justice upon all those who have not the
law given to them, that they are delivered from that awful monster,
death and hell and the devil, and the lake of fire and brimstone (see
Alma xii, 17),[I] which is endless torment; and they are restored to
that God who gave them breath, which is the Holy One of Israel."[J]

[Footnote I: The torments of the ungodly sinners are likened unto a
lake of fire and brimstone by this writer, Nephi--not that sinners
are plunged into a lake of fire and brimstone as so-called orthodox
Christians teach. Indeed, in the above passages there is a definition
of what the lake of fire is--it is "endless torment," which ever exists
for the punishment of impenitent sinners--each one partaking of it to
such a degree and for such time as is necessary to satisfy the demands
of justice. In the very chapter above quoted Nephi says of the wicked:
"And their torment is as a lake of fire and brimstone, whose flames
ascendeth up for ever and ever, and have no end."]

[Footnote J: II. Nephi ix, 25, 26.]

And so Moroni: "For the power of redemption Cometh on all they that
have no law; wherefore he that is not condemned, or he that is under no
condemnation cannot repent; and unto such baptism availeth nothing."[K]

[Footnote K: Moroni viii, 22.]

To this also agrees the teachings of Paul: "For as many as have sinned
without law shall also perish without law;[L] and as many as have
sinned in the law, shall be judged by the law."[M]

[Footnote L: I venture the suggestion, basing it on the sense of the
whole passage, that it should read: "Shall also be judged without the
law."]

[Footnote M: Rom. ii, 12.]

So also the word of the Lord to Joseph Smith: "And again I say unto
you, that whosoever having knowledge, have I not commanded to repent?
And he that hath no understanding it remaineth in me to do as it is
written."[N]

[Footnote N: Doc. and Cov. Sec. xxix, 49, 50.]

Hence it is that the heathen nations who have had no law given to them,
and have died without law, will have part in the first resurrection.[O]

[Footnote O: Doc. and Cov. Sec. xlv, 54. See also Mosiah xv, 24, 25.]

Still, those who have died without law are placed at this disadvantage;
that if they are not under the condemnation of the law, through not
having had it delivered to them, neither are they sanctified by the
law, and consequently their development in spiritual knowledge and
experience is not such as may warrant us in expecting that they
are prepared to inherit the same degree of glory with those who
have received the law of the gospel, faithfully observed all its
requirements and through their obedience have become sanctified by it,
and inherit the celestial glory, the highest of all. Therefore, it is
written of those who die without the law: "These are they who are of
the terrestrial [world], whose glory differs from that of the church of
the First Born, who have received the fullness of the Father, even as
the moon differs from the sun in the firmament. Behold _these are they
who died without law_."[P]

[Footnote P: Doc. and Cov. Sec. lxxvi, 71, 72.]

I know of nothing that is written, however, which prevents us from
believing that they may, eventually, enter the celestial kingdom. Of
one thing at least we may rest assured, and that is, that they will
receive all the glory, all the exaltation, that their capacity can
comprehend and enjoy, and they will be satisfied with the mercy and
justice of God.[Q]

[Footnote Q: See chapter on Salvation for the Dead.]

But now to return to those to whom the gospel is preached, and who can
only hope for salvation from the penalties affixed to sin, by obeying
the precepts and ordinances thereof. How far is their obedience taxed?
What principles are they to accept, what precepts practice, what
ordinances observe?

To the first question I make answer: That since Christ ransomed
mankind by his own death and suffering, from an endless sleep in the
grave, in order to attain the additional grace of an immunity from the
consequences of our personal violations of the laws of righteousness--a
forgiveness of sins--man's obedience to him must be implicit and
absolute. It is the duty of man to obey the whole Gospel, all precepts,
all ordinances, as far as they are made known unto him--in short, it is
binding on him to live by every word which proceedeth from the mouth
of God. In proof of this, I have only to add that when Jesus commanded
his apostles to go into the world and preach the Gospel he said: "Go
ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the
Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe
_all_ things whatsoever I have commanded you."[R]

[Footnote R: Matt. xxviii, 19, 20.]

There is no one single thing, however great, that man can do and then
be under no further obligations to continue to observe the laws of
righteousness. The reply of Jesus to the young man who came running
to him saying, "Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may
have eternal life?" was--"If you will enter into life, keep the
commandments." The young man asked, "which;" that is, which of the
commandments must he keep. And here I will say that by reading a little
between the lines it is not difficult to see that the young man had an
idea that there was some great thing he could do, and by that one act
secure eternal life. But the answer of Jesus dispelled that illusion,
for he said:--"Thou shalt do no murder, thou shalt not commit adultery,
thou shalt not steal, thou shalt not bear false witness; honor thy
father and thy mother; and thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. The
young man sayeth, all these things have I kept from my youth up; what
lack I yet? Jesus said unto him, if thou wilt be perfect, go and sell
all thou hast and give it to the poor, * * * and come and follow me."[S]

[Footnote S: Matt. xix: 16-22.]

It will be observed from the foregoing that it was not enough that the
young man keep the commandments in the law of Moses, not enough that he
sell all that he had and give it to the poor, but he must then come and
follow his Master. How much that means! But I shall not particularize,
I shall sum up the matter by saying' that this case, together with the
observations in the preceding chapters, plainly proves that if man
would be perfect, if he would obtain the full benefits of Messiah's
atonement, complete absolution from his personal violation of holy,
righteous laws, as well as deliverance from the grave, his obedience to
the laws of Christ--the Gospel, must be implicit, absolute.



CHAPTER VI.

PRINCIPLES AND ORDINANCES.

In this chapter I shall deal briefly and collectively with those
principles that must be accepted, the ordinances that must be observed,
the precepts that must be followed and the kind of a life that must be
led in order to secure a forgiveness of individual sins, and obtain and
grow in the favor of heaven--in short, what laws and ordinances man is
required to obey in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

I shall enter into no analysis of the respective principles spoken
of, but shall merely point them out, and enter into a more particular
consideration of them further on in the work.

Certain it is that faith enters into and forms a part of the Gospel.
Men are required to believe in God, and in Jesus Christ: and by that
I mean, not merely an assent to their existence, but an acceptance of
the whole system of truth revealed by them for man's salvation. Faith
of necessity is a factor in the Gospel, because it is the incentive
to all action; for unless men believe in God's existence, and in
the revelations and commandments which he has given them, they will
consider themselves under no obligations to obey him; and hence will
neglect the things which concern their salvation. It was the knowledge
of this fact, doubtless, which led Paul to say: "He that cometh to God
must believe that he is (i.e. exists), and that he is a rewarder of
them that diligently seek him."[A] And Jesus, too, when he said: "If ye
believe not that I am he (the Redeemer, the Son of God), ye shall die
in your sins."[B]--had the same thing in his mind.

[Footnote A: Heb. xi: 6.]

[Footnote B: John viii: 24.]

Hence, I say, faith is of necessity a part of the Gospel, a fundamental
principle of it; and therefore much importance is given to it by the
writers of Scripture. How great that importance is may be learned from
the fact that Jesus said, on the one hand, "He that heareth my word,
and believeth on Him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not
come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life":[C] while
on the other hand He said, "He that believeth not shall be damned."[D]

[Footnote C: John v: 25.]

[Footnote D: Mark xvi: 16.]

Belief in God and in Jesus Christ--in the sense I have described in
the foregoing--when once fixed in the mind and heart, leads men to
obedience to God's laws. It leads them to repentance and every other
good work.

Repentance is made particularly prominent in the scheme of man's
salvation. It was taught by John the Baptist in the wilderness of
Judea; the main feature of his mission seemed to have been to call men
to repentance. It was taught, too, by Messiah himself. On the occasion
of some telling him of certain Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled
with their sacrifices, he said: "Suppose ye that these Galileans were
sinners above all Galileans, because they suffered these things? I tell
you nay; but except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish."[E]

[Footnote E: Luke xiii: 1, 3.]

Going to the time when the Apostles began to fulfill the mission
given to them to preach the Gospel, it will be found that this same
principle, in connection with others, is urged upon the acceptance
of the people. On that occasion Peter preached a discourse in which
he proved from the old Scriptures that Jesus was the Messiah, and in
answer to the cries of the people, "Men and brethren, what shall we
do?" he answered, "Repent and be baptized every one of you, in the name
of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the
gift of the Holy Ghost."[F]

[Footnote F: Acts ii: 38.]

Following this case is another, also recorded in the Acts of the
Apostles, in which the Gospel was taught and obeyed by the people of
Samaria, under the teachings of one Philip and the apostles Peter and
John. In this latter case there is a development of the same principles
that were taught on the day of Pentecost. I can do no better than quote
the passage which gives the history of the circumstance: "Then Philip
went down to the city of Samaria and preached Christ unto them. And the
people with one accord gave heed unto those things which Philip spake,
hearing and seeing the miracles which he did. For unclean spirits,
crying with loud voices, came out of many that were possessed with
them; and many taken with palsies, and that were lame, were healed. And
there was great joy in that city: * * * [and] when they believed Philip
preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of
Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. * * * Now when
the apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received
the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John: who, when they
were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost
(for as yet he was fallen upon none of them; only they were baptized in
the name of the Lord Jesus). Then laid they their hands on them, and
they received the Holy Ghost."[G]

[Footnote G: Acts viii: 5-8, 12, 14-17.]

The same principles that are here taught--the same ordinances
that were observed by the people of Samaria--are enumerated in
another scripture, as the "principles of the doctrine of Christ."
The language is: "Therefore not[H] leaving the principles of the
doctrines of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the
foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith towards God,
of the doctrines of baptisms, and of the laying on of hands, and of
resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment, and this will we do
if God permit."[I]

[Footnote H: I quote the passage here as it stands in the inspired
translation of the Bible--or, rather, what should be called the
inspired revision of the Bible--by the Prophet Joseph, that is, "not
leaving the principles," etc.; and it seems to me that all must agree
that that is right. For, admitting that faith, for instance, is a
principle of the doctrine of Christ--and it is enumerated as one in
this very passage--how can that principle be left and we go on unto
perfection? It is a principle that enters into religious life, no
matter how far advanced in all that is excellent the individual may be.
It is a principle that underlies the actions of the Gods, and enters
into their life and work--"by faith the worlds were made." We might as
well admonish the mathematician to leave the fundamental principles of
his science and expect him to go on unto perfection. But he cannot do
it. The simple principle of addition, subtraction, multiplication and
division, enter into his calculations, whatever his advancement in the
science of numbers; and in like manner the fundamental principles of
the gospel are connected with our spiritual advancement, and we cannot
leave them, and go on to perfection--hence Joseph Smith's rendering
must be correct.]

[Footnote I: Heb. vi: 1-3.]

It is scarcely necessary for me to say that these doctrines must be
accepted, and the ordinances observed by those who would obtain favor
with God, and the remission of their sins; for I have already pointed
out the fact, that implicit obedience to the law of Christ--the
Gospel--is the only means of salvation for man. And furthermore it is
written: "Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of
Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he
hath both the Father and the Son."[J]

[Footnote J: II. John ix.]

It would seem, then, that it is binding upon man to receive the whole
Gospel, with all its principles, precepts, ordinances and sacraments.
And not only are they to be received but the candidate for eternal
life should continue therein. He must not be content with being born
of the water and of the spirit into the kingdom; he should not forever
remain in his childhood in spiritual things: but as the natural child
gradually obtains control over the limbs, and makes them obey his will,
either to stand erect, walk, or run; and so continues until he develops
into the skillful workman whose hand is able to execute whatever his
brain conceives--so in spiritual things--those born into the kingdom
of God should grow in grace and in the knowledge of the truth. The
injunction placed upon those who accept the faith of the Gospel[K] is
that they add to their "faith, virtue; and to virtue, knowledge; and
to knowledge, temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience,
godliness; and to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly
kindness, charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make
you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of
our Lord Jesus Christ."[L]

[Footnote K: The reader will observe that the words of Peter which I
quote in the above are addressed by him "to them that have obtained
like precious faith" with himself--to the Saints (see 1st verse of
the chapter quoted), hence I say the injunction is to those who have
accepted the Gospel--to the children of the Kingdom.]

[Footnote L: II. Peter i: 5-8.]

Such, in brief, is the Gospel of Jesus Christ as taught by the Messiah
and his apostles in Palestine. The same was taught by the prophets and
apostles among the Nephites on the western hemisphere. The same is
restored to the earth in our day through the revelations of God and
the inspired teachings of Joseph Smith, and other men whom the Lord
has raised up in this generation. Such are the principles which in
the aggregate constitute the power of God unto salvation to those who
believe and obey them.



CHAPTER VII.

FAITH.

It is now my purpose to enter into a more particular consideration of
the respective principles and ordinances which constitute the Gospel,
or plan of man's salvation.

First in order, both from necessity and because of its importance, is
the principle of faith. And following the same method of investigation
I adopted at the commencement of this inquiry, _viz_: defining as clearly
as I am able, the meaning of the words and terms used, I come to the
question. What is faith? And in answer say that it is an assurance in
the mind of the existence and reality of things which one has not seen,
or which to him have not been demonstrated. It may be an assurance in
the mind of the existence of some Being whom we have not seen, but
whose works are visible, and who has been seen by others; or it may be
of the transpiring of some event at which we were not present, but of
which others bear witness; or it may be an assurance of the correctness
of certain deductions based upon scientific calculations, though the
principles of the science, and the method of dealing with them, by
which the conclusions are reached, we neither understand nor are able
to follow; in whatever it may be, that assurance of the mind which
accepts as truth those things which one has not seen, and does not
know for a certainty from his own experience to be absolutely true, is
faith. For example, to bring to our aid the assistance of illustration,
few, perhaps none of my readers have ever seen the Lord Jesus Christ;
yet the writers of the New Testament bear testimony to the reality of
his existence, and relate the circumstances which make up his eventful
career. The writers of the Book of Mormon do the same in relation to
his labors on the western hemisphere Joseph Smith testifies that, in
vision, he saw both Jesus and his Father, in the spring of 1820.[A]
Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon bear record that they saw him in
February, 1832;[B] and Oliver Cowdery and Joseph Smith say they saw him
in the Kirtland Temple, in April, 1836.[C] These evidences establish an
assurance, or faith, in the mind, concerning the existence of Jesus,
the Lord.

[Footnote A: Pearl of Great Price, p. 59.]

[Footnote B: Doc. and Cov., sec. 76.]

[Footnote C: Doc. and Cov., sec. 110.]

Again, none of us, and perhaps no one living, was at the battle of
Waterloo; yet the fact of that battle taking place is testified to
by many historians; no one doubts it, and the evidence in the case
is so certain, that one may say he has perfect faith or assurance,
approaching almost within the lines of absolute knowledge, that the
event transpired--that assurance in the mind is faith.

Still another illustration: Mathematicians claim that they can weigh
the earth, and measure the distance between our planet and the sun.
One may not be acquainted with the methods of their calculations,
or the principles involved in them, yet such is the character and
learning of the thoughtful men who make the claim, that we accept
their statements and conclusions as true, though we may not be able
ourselves to comprehend the science which reveals to them, perhaps to
the certainty of demonstration, these facts:--this confidence in their
statements--this assurance of the mind, is faith.

Other elements enter into this principle, but at this stage of our
investigation, I desire to present the subject in its simple rather
than in its complex character.

A step further in the investigation of this principle brings us to the
consideration of the facts upon which faith rests, or from which it
springs. I think a careful reading of the remarks already made in this
chapter will lead the reader to see that faith is based upon evidence,
upon testimony. It is the evidence we have in the testimonies of the
writers of our Scripture, and the prophets of God to which I have
alluded, supported to some extent also by the glorious works of nature,
that creates in the mind faith in the existence of God. That Paul held
these views, that is, that faith is based upon evidence, is clearly
seen in this passage: "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the
Lord shall be saved. How, then, shall they call on him in whom they
have not believed? And how shall they believe in him of whom they have
not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall
they preach except they be sent? So then faith cometh by hearing, and
hearing by the word of God;"[D] or, in plainer terms--"faith cometh by
hearing the word of God."[E]

[Footnote D: Rom. x: 13-17.]

[Footnote E: I understand that such is the rendering of this
passage--Rom. x: 17--by the Prophet Joseph.]

Faith is based upon evidence, then, and here I would remark, that the
faith will be true or false according as the evidence or testimony is
truthful or untruthful. Evidence is to faith what the fountain is to
the stream; and as an impure fountain cannot send forth pure streams,
so incorrect evidence cannot establish a true or profitable faith.

By way of illustration I borrow the following from the Works of Orson
Pratt:

"When Europeans first began their explorations in the New World, the
Indians whom they met were much amazed at the power and explosive
properties of gun-powder, and asked many questions respecting the
manner in which it was produced. The Europeans, taking advantage of
the ignorance of the savages, and seeing an opportunity to increase
their wealth by the deception, told the Indians that it was the seed
of a plant which grew in the lands they had come from, and doubtless
it would thrive in their land also. The Indians, of course, believed
this statement and purchased the supposed seed, giving in exchange for
it large quantities of gold. In implicit faith they carefully planted
the supposed seed, and anxiously watched for its sprouting and the
appearance of the plant; but it never came. They had faith in the
statements made to them by the Europeans, but as these statements were
false, and therefore the evidence on which the Indians based their
belief untrue, their faith was vain."

Thus must it ever be. Only correct evidence, only truthful testimony
can produce fruitful, profitable faith. No matter how sincere one's
belief may be in an error, that will not transform the error into
truth. The sincere faith of the Indians in what the Europeans had said
about the "gun-powder seed" did not make that substance produce a plant
yielding gun-powder. And so faith in false doctrines, founded upon
false testimony, cannot savor of salvation.

It is also worthy of note, in passing, that the character and intensity
of the faith depends largely upon the quality and quantity of the
evidence. If a credible witness testifies to any matter of fact,
however strange or unusual the fact may be, one would have some degree
of faith in it; but if another witness to the fact, equally credible
with the first, also testifies to the same thing, one's faith would
be greatly increased; and so as the evidence was multiplied the faith
would grow, until at last faith would become so perfect that it would
pass almost into the domain of knowledge.

So much for faith in general. Now to consider it as a principle
of revealed religion. Here it occupies a prominent place. It is
the foundation on which religion rests, and the source of all
righteousness. In religion, it is in God that faith centers; it is to
him that religious faith directs the eyes of man, and bids him hope
through Christ to obtain eternal life. And as this is the primary
principle in religion, it is my purpose to show from the Scriptures
that there is an abundance of evidence which, if carefully considered,
will not fail to produce faith in the mind of him who is desirous to
know the truth as to the existence of God, the divinity of Christ's
mission and the truth of the Gospel.

Before I proceed with that investigation from the Scriptures, however,
I think it will be profitable to inquire briefly into the authenticity
and credibility of the Scriptures themselves; that is, as to the
Jewish Scriptures; for I consider such an inquiry respecting our
other Scriptures, the Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants and the
revelations contained in the Pearl of Great Price, as altogether
unnecessary here.

The reason that I undertake to devote several chapters to this
inquiry, is because some have supposed that the testimony of the Bible
respecting God is so far imperfect that it is scarcely reliable. And
to the extent of my ability, I desire to check a growing skepticism
in relation to the Bible, and therefore will endeavor to prove that
not only are the revelations contained in the Bible sufficient to
lay a sure foundation for an intelligent belief in God, but that the
Bible itself is both authentic and credible. I must ask my readers to
remember, however, that this of itself is a subject for a volume, and
I can but devote a few pages to it; and therefore ask that too much be
not expected.



CHAPTER VIII.

FAITH.--THE BIBLE.

A word, in passing, on the Bible as a whole, I am of the opinion that
a very great many people look upon the Bible as simply one book, one
testimony--one witness for God; when in fact it is not _one_ book, but
a collection of books; not one witness for God, but the collected
testimony of many witnesses for him.

The word does not come, I am assured on very good authority, from the
word _biblos_, as many have supposed; nor does it signify _the book_ by way
of eminence--the Book of books, but it is a word derived from the Greek
biblia, meaning _the books_, and is a term first applied by Chrysostom
to denote the collection of small books which constitute the Old and
New Testaments; and this term with the prefix "Holy," soon came into
general use. This is how the Jewish Scriptures came to be called the
Holy Bible; meaning, really, the holy or sacred books. The Bible is
made up of sixty-six distinct books, bound together in one volume, and
written by about forty different authors. And if each book is not a
separate and independent witness for God, it cannot be denied that each
author is.

The first of the sacred writers is Moses, whom Bacon calls "God's first
pen;" the last is the Apostle John. These two writers, the first and
the last, are separated by a period of some two thousand years; and
the men who wrote as they were moved upon by the Holy Ghost, in that
lapse of time, and whose works have been preserved to us in the Bible,
occupied various positions in life, ranging from the grand old war
king of Israel, David, and the wise king Solomon, down to the humble
shepherd Amos, the despised tax collector Matthew, and Peter, the
unlearned fisherman. But whatever the condition of life occupied by
these men, or whatever the nature of their respective writings, whether
histories, biographies, poems, prophecies, or only didactic discourses
on morals or religion, they all, in some way or other, bear witness
to the existence of God, and give us some information respecting his
character and attributes.

It is now our task to inquire briefly into the authenticity and
integrity of these writings. For convenience I shall take up the two
Testaments, the Old and the New, separately:

First, then, the Old Testament: It is maintained by the best biblical
scholars, that the books which now constitute the Old Testament,
were collected as we have them, immediately after the return of the
Jews from the captivity in Babylon; that would be about the middle
of the fifth century, B. C. The work is ascribed to Ezra, Nehemiah;
and the men of the great synagogue. In proof of this they point
to the testimony of the son of Sirach, who flourished between the
years 310-370, B. C.;[A] and who speaks of the canon--with its three
divisions as finally made up.[B] By the "three divisions," I mean those
divisions made by the Jews in their scriptures, and which are supposed
to be contemporary with the completion of the canon. Those divisions
are (1) the Pentateuch, or Law;[C] (2) the Prophets; and (3) the
Hagiographa.[D] It is of these divisions that the son of Sirach speaks.

[Footnote A: _Vide_ Kitto.]

[Footnote B: See the prologue to the Book of Ecclesiasticus, in the
Apocrypha.]

[Footnote C: The five books of Moses--Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus,
Numbers, and Deuteronomy.]

[Footnote D: This is a Greek term for the sacred writings not included
in the other two divisions. The Talmud places the following books in
this division: Ruth, Psalms, Job, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Canticles,
Lamentations, Daniel, Esther, Ezra and Chronicles. The books not
included in this list, nor in the Pentateuch, of course, constitute the
division called the Prophets.]

Josephus in his first book against Apion (section viii) enumerates
twenty-two books, "Which contain the record of all the past times;
which are justly believed to be divine; and of them, five belong to
Moses, which contain his laws, and the traditions of the origin of
mankind till his death. This interval of time was little short of three
thousand years; but as to the time from the death of Moses till the
reign of Artaxerxes, king of Persia [5th cent. B. C.], the prophets,
which were after Moses, wrote down what was done in their time in
thirteen books, the remaining four books[E] contain hymns to God and
precepts for the conduct of human life. It is true our history hath
been written since Artaxerxes, very particularly, but hath not been
esteemed of the like authority with the former by our forefathers,
because there has not been an exact succession of prophets since that
time."

[Footnote E: Our thirty-nine books of the Old Testament were so grouped
by the Hebrews as to make but twenty-two, which accorded with the
twenty-two letters of the Hebrew alphabet. What are generally known as
the minor prophets, twelve in number, are connected as one book. The
Book of Ruth was coupled with Judges; Ezra with Nehemiah; Lamentations
with Jeremiah; while the two books of Samuel, Kings and Chronicles were
counted but one each.]

This testimony settles the question back to the commencement of the
fifth century B. C., that is, for a period of about twenty-four hundred
years the authorship of the respective books of the Old Testament has
been ascribed to the men who today are regarded as their authors. The
rabbis say: "The wise men have left us the Law, the Prophets, and
the Hagiographa, combined into one whole;" and then they specify the
authors of the sacred books. That specification ascribes the respective
books to the men now regarded as the author of them. The Talmud says:
"Moses received the law at Sinai, and transmitted it to Joshua; Joshua
to the Elders; the Elders to the Prophets; the Prophets to the men of
the Great Synagogue," and, as we have seen, it was Ezra, Nehemiah,
and the men of the Great Synagogue who made up our present collection
of books known as the Old Testament. Josephus in speaking of those
who wrote the scriptures says--"Every one is not permitted of his
own accord to be a writer, nor is there any disagreement in what is
written; they being only prophets that have written the original and
earliest accounts of things as they learned them of God himself by
inspiration; and others have written what hath happened in their own
times, and that in a very distinct manner also."[F]

[Footnote F: Josephus against Apion, Book I, Sec. 8.]

From the books of the Old Testament something may be learned as to
the manner in which the original parchments of the sacred books were
preserved previous to the days of Ezra, extending as far back even as
to Moses himself--1451 B. C. and some of the passages that I shall
notice--belonging to a subsequent period to Moses, yet previous to the
days of Ezra--refer to a collection of sacred books that leave small
doubt that the books of Moses and other sacred writings were the ones
to which allusion is made.

We are told that after Moses wrote the Law, he delivered it to the
priests, the sons of Levi, with a commandment to put it in the side
of the Ark of the Covenant,[G] that it might be there for a witness
against Israel, whom Moses by the spirit of prophecy, foresaw would
turn away from God.

[Footnote G: Deut. xxxi: 9, 24, 25, 26.]

In laying down the duties of the future King of Israel, Moses says:
"And it shall be when he sitteth upon the throne of his kingdom, that
he shall write him a copy of this law in a book out of that which is
before the priests, the Levites"[H]--showing that it was the intention
of Moses to have the Law always preserved by the priests. When Joshua
had completed the book that bears his name, it is said: "And Joshua
wrote these words in the book of the Law of God";[I] which was
doubtless the book which Moses had placed in the Ark of the Covenant in
care of the priests.

[Footnote H: Deut. xvii: 18.]

[Footnote I: Joshua xxiv, 26.]

When the form of government of Israel was changed into a monarchy,
Samuel explained the character of the new kingdom to the people, "and
wrote it in a book and laid it up before the Lord."[J] This was three
hundred and fifty years after Moses, and yet the practice of laying up
these important records before the Lord, as Moses had done with his
books, still prevailed; and I doubt not were placed side by side with
the books of Moses and Joshua, if not attached to them.

[Footnote J: I. Sam. x: 25.]

Four centuries and a half later than Samuel, bringing us to about 640
B. C., in the reign of good king Josiah, Hilkiah, the high priest, when
the temple was undergoing some repairs, found the Book of the Law in
the house of the Lord,[K] and sent it to the king, who read it; and
when he saw how far Israel had departed from the observance of it, and
the judgments pronounced against them on condition of their forsaking
the law, he sought to lead his people to repentance.

[Footnote K: II. Kings xxii--see the whole chapter.]

Isaiah, some seventy years before this, when wishing to confirm some
of his own prophecies, recommended the people to seek out the Book of
the Lord and read it.[L] The value of this passage is, that it gives
us the testimony of Isaiah that such a book as "the Book of the Lord"
was known to the people, that they had access to it, that it was a
recognized authority on questions about which there might arise doubts.
And there can scarcely be two opinions as to this book, alluded to by
Isaiah, being either the original or an authorized copy of the writings
placed in the keeping of the priests, and found by Hilkiah.

[Footnote L: Isaiah xxxiv: 16.]

We have traced this matter down to 640 B. C.; there is one more step to
take, to reach Ezra, in whose days the books of the Old Testament were
collected, some one hundred and eighty-five years after the date above
noted.

What became of the sacred records of the Jews at the time Jerusalem
was laid waste by Nebuchadnezzar, about 588 B. C.,[M] is difficult to
learn. But the document granting permission to Ezra and the priests
to go and rebuild the temple at Jerusalem is addressed to him thus:
"Artaxerxes, king of kings, unto Ezra, the priest, a scribe of the law
of the God of heaven, perfect peace." Then follows permission for all
the people of Israel in his realm to go to Jerusalem with Ezra. He then
continues: "Forasmuch as thou art sent of the king * * * to inquire
concerning Judah and Jerusalem, _according to the law of thy God which
is in thy hand_."[N] From this it appears that during the captivity the
priests were permitted to retain possession of the sacred records. At
any rate Ezra had them when he departed from Babylon for Jerusalem, so
that they had been preserved, and that, doubtless, by the priests. This
brings us to the period when the books of the Bible were collected as
we have them today. And from that time, more than two thousand years
ago, until the present, the Old Testament has been what it is now; the
multiplication of copies and of translations, as well as the subsequent
controversies between Jews and Christians, combined to secure the
sacred writings against alterations.

[Footnote M: This is the Hebrew Chronology, according to Usher.]

[Footnote N: Ezra vii: 12-14.]

No one will contend that the Old Testament contains all the writings of
the Jews, perhaps not all the sacred or inspired writings; for there
are a number of books and writings of prophets referred to in these
very books of the Old Testament, which are not to be found in the
collection. But that fact does not destroy the value of these we have,
or refute the testimony they bear for God. That very care which may
have excluded from the sacred collection some books which were really
inspired, has also prevented many worthless and uninspired books from
becoming connected with the word of God.

What is set down so far in this chapter relates to the Hebrew version
of the Scriptures alone; but about three hundred years B. C., by some
set down at 285 B. C., an event occurred which did much to preserve the
integrity of the Hebrew Scriptures; by that I mean the probability of
alterations being made in them was lessened, and they the more likely
to be brought down to us just as they were written originally.

At the date above given, Ptolemy Philadelphus, King of Egypt, was
gathering up the books which constituted the splendid Alexandrian
Library, and being informed by his librarian, Demetrius Phalerius,
concerning the Hebrew Scriptures, he at once set himself at work to
procure a Greek translation of them. The better to secure this object
he set at liberty many Jews in his kingdom, and sent word to the high
priest at Jerusalem, Eleazar, his desire, asking that six Elders from
each tribe of Israel, such as were skilled in the law, should be sent
to him to translate their Scriptures for him. This was done, and it is
said that the work was completed in seventy-two days.[O]

[Footnote O: For a full account of this matter see Antiquities of the
Jews by Josephus, Book xii, chapter ii.]

This translation is called the _Septuagint_, meaning the seventy, often
represented by the Roman numerals LXX; but whether it is so called
because it was translated by about seventy Elders, or for the reason
that the translation occupied about seventy days is not clear. At any
rate copies of this translation were multiplied, and in the days of
Messiah's personal ministering in Judea was the version most in use,
and the one he and his Apostles usually referred to, when sustaining
their teachings by that which aforetime had been written by inspiration.

That this is true is evident from the following facts: There are in
the New Testament 225 quotations from the Old;[P] and of these over
one half, that is 120, agree _verbatim_ with the Septuagint. "That these
quotations," says an able writer, "must have been taken from the
Septuagint is plain from the _copia verborum_, the remarkable fertility
of expression, in the Greek language, which forbids us to believe that,
had the quotations been from the Hebrew, the Greek rendering would have
agreed _verbatim_ with the passages in the Septuagint version. Of any
Old Testament passage made up of only ten words, there are not fewer
than thirty modes of translating it into Greek; and such indeed are the
possible varieties, that if thirty different persons were translating
into Greek a Hebrew sentence of _three lines_, none of them, though all
were to give a perfectly correct rendering, would be found exactly
agreeing in the Greek words employed, or in the collection of these."

[Footnote P: The only books in the Old Testament not quoted in the New
are Ruth, I. and II. Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, Ecclesiastes,
Song of Solomon, Lamentations, Obadiah, Nahum and Zephaniah.]

Again, of the one hundred and five remaining quotations in the
New Testament, from the Old, thirty-nine agree _verbatim_ with the
Septuagint, except that a synonymous word occurs once in two or three
lines. There are next, twenty-two quotations agreeing _verbatim_ or
nearly so, with the Septuagint, but even in sense differing from the
Hebrew text. Hence out of the two hundred and twenty-five quotations
in the New Testament from the Old, we may say that not fewer than one
hundred and ninety must have been taken from the Septuagint version.

From about three centuries B. C., then, the Old Testament has existed
at least in two languages, and this has contributed much, as I before
said, to prevent the corruption of the text and preserve the integrity
of the Scriptures; for if changes were made in the Hebrew, it would be
discovered from the LXX.; and if alterations were made in the LXX.,
it could be detected from the Hebrew. There were other translations
made of the Scriptures into still other languages, but as my space is
limited, I cannot give an account of them here.

We have now seen how the books of the Old Testament, as we have them
at the present day, were collected by Ezra, some 2400 years ago; we
then went to the last book written by Moses--Deuteronomy--and from it
learned that his writings were deposited in the ark of the covenant in
charge of the priests and Levites; how Joshua and Samuel also laid up
their writings before the Lord; and how Isaiah referred the Jews to
these sacred writings in confirmation of his own prophecies; how when
in 640 B. C. the temple was undergoing some repairs the high priest
found in it an ancient copy of the law; and how Ezra in Babylon had the
sacred writings in his possession, so that he at that time would have
no difficulty in fixing upon the authorship of the sacred books then
before him.

I shall further examine this question of the authenticity of the Old
Testament in my next chapter, but the testimony I shall there consider
will also have a bearing upon its integrity, and will likewise tend
to confirm the claims as to its containing the revelations of God to
the Jews; and to this latter consideration I especially invite the
attention of the reader.



CHAPTER IX.

FAITH.--THE OLD TESTAMENT.

Certain it is that the Hebrew Scriptures, the Old Testament, the same
collection of books that we now have, was recognized by the Lord Jesus
Christ and the prophets and apostles of that dispensation as the word
of God, and was referred to by them as "the law and the prophets."
This is evident from the fact of their frequently appealing to those
scriptures to sustain their own doctrine and teachings. Nearly every
book of the Old Testament is quoted in the New, and therefore all the
evidence which may be amassed in support of the divinity of Christ and
the inspiration of the New Testament, sustains also the authenticity
and inspiration of the Old; for the inspired writers of the former
appeal to the latter as an unquestioned authority in matters relating
to God. Hence, whatever evidence sustains the New Testament, supports
also the Old. I trust the reader will bear this in mind, and when I
have considered and proved, as I hope to do, the authenticity and
credibility of the New Testament, remember that it is a witness for the
Old Testament, an important, I might say an infallible one, since it is
inspired; it comes as from God.

In our day the evidences which support the authenticity of the Jewish
Scriptures have accumulated in a most remarkable manner. In 1835 the
two rolls of papyrus, one filled with the writings of Joseph, who was
sold into Egypt, and the other with those of Abraham, came into the
hands of Joseph Smith. The roll containing the writings of Abraham was
translated by the prophet, at least in part, and is published in the
Pearl of Great Price under the title of the Book of Abraham. The manner
in which these rolls of papyrus came into Joseph Smith's possession was
as follows:

In 1831 the celebrated French traveler, Antonio Sebolo, penetrated
Egypt as far as the ancient city of Thebes, under a license procured
from Mehemet Ali--then viceroy of Egypt--through the influence of
Chevalier Drovetti, the French consul. Sebolo employed 433 men for four
months and two days; and entering the catacombs near ancient Thebes on
the 7th of June, 1831, they procured eleven mummies. These were shipped
to Alexandria, and from thence the great traveler started with his
treasures for Paris. But _en route_ for the French capital, Sebolo put in
at Trieste, where he was taken sick, and after an illness of ten days
died. This was in 1832. Previous to his death he willed his Egyptian
treasures to his nephew, Michael H. Chandler, who was then living in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, but whom Sebolo believed to be in Dublin,
to which city he ordered the mummies shipped.

Mr. Chandler ordered the mummies forwarded to New York, where he
took possession of them. There the coffins for the first time were
opened, and in them were found two rolls of papyrus covered with
engravings. While still in the custom house, Mr. C. was informed by a
gentleman, a stranger to him, that no one in the city could translate
the characters, but was referred to Joseph Smith, who, the stranger
informed him, possessed some kind of gift or power by which he had
previously translated similar characters.

Joseph Smith was then unknown to Mr. C. The mummies were shipped to
Philadelphia, and from there Mr. C. traveled through the country,
exhibiting them and the rolls of papyrus. He finally passed through
Kirtland, where Joseph Smith was residing. Joseph, seeing the rolls of
papyrus and the record upon them, had the Saints purchase them, and
they were translated as before stated.[A]

[Footnote A: The above I have condensed from the account given of this
matter by the Prophet Joseph in his history.]

This Book of Abraham, while it has no direct reference to the works
of Moses, gives an account of the creation of this earth, which,
substantially, is the same account as that given by Moses;[B] and
is, at least, a strong collateral evidence to the correctness of the
account in Genesis.

[Footnote B: Pearl of Great Price, pp. 41-45]

In the year 1830, the visions of Moses, through which he was enabled to
write the account of the creation in Genesis, and the history of the
world down to the time of the Flood, were revealed to Joseph Smith.
This part of the world's history, as given to the Prophet Joseph, is
substantially the same as that in Genesis, only more full and perfect
than that; the Lord pointing out here and there where the record of
Moses, as we now have it in the Bible, has been marred because of
changes made by wicked men. Still, as I say, the accounts substantially
agree, and in the revelations to which I have called attention the Lord
says over and over again that these things he revealed to Moses, and
that Moses bore record of them.[C]

[Footnote C: Pearl of Great Price, pp. from 1 to 31.]

This is testimony of the most direct character as to the authenticity
of the books in our Bible giving this history. All ancient tradition
says Moses wrote Genesis, and now in this day, a revelation is given
from God to Joseph Smith, saying that an account substantially the same
as that in Genesis was revealed to Moses, and that he recorded it.

I come now to the strongest witness of all for the authenticity, and
also the divinity of the Jewish Scriptures; I mean the Book of Mormon.
In the first place let me say that the Book of Mormon itself, as an
inspired book, rests on so sure a basis, that however much men may be
disposed to doubt the authenticity, credibility, and inspiration of
the Jewish Scriptures, they cannot, if they investigate the claims of
the Book of Mormon doubt its truth.[D] And in these Nephite Scriptures
is contained the most direct and positive proofs relative to the
authenticity of the Bible.

[Footnote D: Those who desire to prosecute an investigation of this
subject win do well to read the "Divine Authenticity of the Book of
Mormon," by O. Pratt; and "A New Witness for God," by the author of
this work.]

According to the Book of Mormon, Lehi and his family left Jerusalem in
the first year of the reign of Zedekiah, about 600 B. C. Soon after
leaving Jerusalem, from his camp in the wilderness Lehi sent his sons
back to that city to obtain the genealogies of his fathers, and a
record of the Jews. In this mission his sons were successful, returning
to their father's encampment in the wilderness with a set of brass
plates on which the record and the genealogies were written.

The return of the sons of Lehi to their father was celebrated with
great rejoicing. Nephi in his account of it says: "And after they had
given thanks unto the God of Israel, my father, Lehi, took the records
which were engraved upon the plates of brass, and he did search them
from the beginning. And he beheld that they did contain the five books
of Moses, which gave an account of the creation of the world, and also
of Adam and Eve, who were our first parents; and also a record of the
Jews from the beginning, even down to the commencement of the reign of
Zedekiah, king of Judah, and also the prophecies of the holy prophets,
from the beginning, even down to the commencement of the reign of
Zedekiah; and also many prophecies which have been spoken by the mouth
of Jeremiah."[E]

[Footnote E: I. Nephi v: 10-13.]

Here is a direct reference to the Jewish Scriptures, in which five
books are accredited to Moses--the same number as in our present
Bible--and the prophecies of Jeremiah are also mentioned.

Then in a vision, in which the future was unfolded to Nephi, he saw
that a book would go from the Jews to the Gentiles, and that it
would be like the record upon the brass plates. This is the passage:
"The angel said unto me, Knowest thou the meaning of the book? And I
said unto him, I know not. And he said. Behold it proceedeth out of
the mouth of a Jew; and I, Nephi, beheld; and he said unto me, the
book that thou beholdest is a record of the Jews, which contains the
covenants of the Lord which he hath made unto the house of Israel;
and it also containeth many of the prophecies of the holy prophets;
and it is a record like unto the engravings which are upon the plates
of brass, save there are not so many; nevertheless they contain the
covenants of the Lord, which he hath made unto the house of Israel;
wherefore, they are of great worth unto the Gentiles."[F]

[Footnote F: I. Nephi xiii: 21-23.]

Nephi further informs us that it was his practice to read frequently
to his people from these brass plates, that they might be informed
concerning the dealings of God with their forefathers; and all through
the Nephite Scriptures these brass plates are referred to. Moreover,
whole chapters, and sometimes several chapters together, especially
from the writings of Isaiah,[G] are transcribed from the brass
plates to the record made by Nephi; and comparing these transcribed
portions of the Old Testament found in the Book of Mormon with the
parts which correspond to them in our present English version of
the Jewish Scriptures, it will be seen that the difference is but
slight; substantially they agree. The circumstance not only proves the
authenticity of the Scriptures, but it is also a strong proof of the
integrity of our present version of them.

[Footnote G: See I. Nephi, chapters xx, xxi; II. Nephi vii, viii; also
II. Nephi, from the xii to xxiv.]

It is true the Book of Mormon informs us that many plain and precious
parts of this book, which proceeds from the mouth of the Jew, are taken
away and others corrupted, but that does not affect the statement I
make that the substantial agreement between these passages in the Book
of Mormon and Bible, proves, in the main, the integrity as well as the
authenticity of the Jewish Scriptures. Here, so far as the authenticity
of the Old Testament is concerned, I shall, for the present, rest my
case; and proceed with a like inquiry as to the New.



CHAPTER X.

FAITH.--THE NEW TESTAMENT.

There is an impression existing, and it is one encouraged by infidel
writers, that the acceptance of the books now comprising the New
Testament, was the arbitrary action of a council of bishops three or
four hundred years A. D. This I believe to be a wrong impression. I do
not think the list of books that now constitute the New Testament was
made up in an arbitrary manner, at one time, or by any single council.
It can be shown that the books and epistles now in the collection
known as the New Testament, were accepted as inspired writings by the
Christian churches, before the councils of the church undertook any
discussion of the subject; and even when this question was before those
councils, they merely decided what books before-time had been regarded
by the churches as inspired.

The first council which undertook to pronounce a decision on the
subject was that of Laodicea in the year 363 A. D. "Probably the decree
of this council," as Archdeacon Paley remarks, "rather declared than
regulated the public judgment, or, more properly speaking, the judgment
of some neighboring churches, the council itself consisting of no more
than thirty or forty bishops of Lydia and the adjoining countries;"
and after this council the question, "What books were entitled to be
received as Scripture?" was discussed with great freedom, and without
any reference to the declaration made by the council of Laodicea.[H]

[Footnote H: Paley's Evidences, Part I, ch. ix.]

The list of inspired books of the New Testament, as we have them now,
was accepted by the council of Hippo, held 393 A. D. The third council
of Carthage, 397 A. D., and also the sixth of Carthage, 419 A. D.,
confirmed the decisions of the first. Thus, from that early date, the
authorship and inspiration of the books of the New Testament may be
said to have been fixed.

True, certain early Christian writers doubted the inspiration and
authenticity of some of the books now in the New Testament; II Peter,
the Epistle to the Hebrews, the Epistle of James and the Apocalypse[I]
being among those whose inspiration and authenticity were questioned;
and some Bible scholars since those days have held the same doubts; but
the preponderance of evidence is in favor of the inspiration of all the
books of the New Testament, and of their being the productions of the
men accredited in those early days, and by the councils named, with
having written them.

[Footnote I: Revelations of St. John.]

It is quite evident, however, that the New Testament does not contain
all the inspired writings of the apostles and disciples, since there
are references in the books of the New Testament to other books
written by the same authors, which would certainly be equally inspired
with those we now have in the collection. Such, for instance, as
another epistle to the Corinthians,[J] also a second epistle to the
Colossians,[K] and another book of Jude.[L] Still, because some
inspired books were lost, and others rejected by these councils,
that does not affect those that remain as to their authenticity or
inspiration; though had we those inspired books that were lost or
rejected, many passages in the books that have been preserved to us
might be made more plain.

[Footnote J: I. Cor. v.]

[Footnote K: Col. iv: 16.]

[Footnote L: Jude 3.]

Could it be proven even, that some of the books now retained in the
New Testament collection were uninspired, and not written by those
now accredited with being their authors, that would not affect these
books about whose authenticity and inspiration there has never been
a question. Suppose all those books I have named as having had their
authenticity questioned, should turn out to be forgeries, we would
still have the four Gospels, the Acts, the thirteen Epistles of Paul
that stand unquestioned; and as long as even one of these books remains
unshaken as to its authenticity and inspiration, you have a witness
for God and Christ in it--an exposition, to some extent, at least, of
the character and attributes of Deity. For the New Testament, like the
Old, is not one book, but a collection of books; each independent of
the other. It is not one witness for God and Christ, but a collection
of the testimonies of a number of witnesses. And if it could be proven
(but I do not think it can be) that some of these books were of such
doubtful origin that they are unworthy a place in the collection, it
does not follow that the other books of the New Testament are also of
doubtful origin and unworthy of confidence.

Furthermore, if it be admitted (and I am willing to admit it) that
some of the texts in the books comprising the New Testament have been
corrupted or changed, and portions thereof taken away, while these
things tend to, and do weaken the testimony of the witnesses, and make
many parts obscure, and even contradictory, still, after making all
these concessions, enough remains uncorrupted and unimpaired, to give
us in those books strong and reliable witnesses--whose testimony cannot
be impeached--for God. And while some parts have been corrupted, and
thus rendered imperfect, yet the narrative of the life of Christ, the
Gospel he advocated, the moral precepts he inculcated in his system
of truth, together with the revelations contained in those Scriptures
respecting the character and attributes of Deity, are all substantially
correct.

I refer again to the manner in which the list of books now composing
the New Testament was decided upon. I have already stated that I do not
think it was by the arbitrary decision of any one council at any one
time, that the selection of this list of books was made and all others
rejected. On the contrary it was most probably the work of years.
"The most plausible supposition," says an unquestioned authority, "is
that each of the most influential churches founded by the Apostles in
person, made for its own use a collection of all the writings duly
ascertained to be apostolic and inspired. The epistles sent to the
different churches were soon, doubtless, communicated to the sister
associations for the strengthening of each other's faith, hope and
virtue." Indeed the Apostle Paul, in one instance at least, commands
an interchange of apostolic writings. In his epistle to the Colossian
saints he says: "And when this epistle is read among you, cause that
it be read in the church of the Laodiceans, and that ye likewise read
the epistle from Laodicea."[M] Doubtless, as stated by Chambers, "The
brotherly love which was a notable feature of primitive Christianity,
led Christians everywhere to make common property of the local messages
from apostles, as valuable to them all alike. Nor did they ever dream
of withholding from their brethren copies of such inspired writings as
had come into their own hands. No general order from the apostles was
needed to prompt individual Christians or congregations that had been
favored with an inspired communication to make it equally well known to
every neighbor. There must have been the most cordial reciprocity of
communication in this matter, an unreserved sharing of new Scripture
with each other; the fair and full interchange of apostolic oracles
leading to such a multiplication, that each church possessed, for the
benefit of its members, a copy of all inspired writings previously
issued by the Apostles."[N] And here let me add, that in the
multiplication of copies, it is not to be wondered at if the originals
were soon lost sight of, or worn out by constant use.

[Footnote M: Col. iv: 16.]

[Footnote N: Information for the People, Vol. II Art. Bible.]



CHAPTER XI.

FAITH.--THE NEW TESTAMENT.

The earliest reference we have to any writings or collection of
writings now in the New Testament, and in which they are recognized
as authoritative scripture, is in the second Epistle of Peter. That
apostle, writing about the year 65 A. D., says: "Account that the long
suffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul
also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you; as
also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which
are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned
and unstable wrest as they do _the other scriptures_, unto their own
destruction."[A]

[Footnote A: II. Peter iii: 15, 16.]

It will be observed that the reference to the Epistles of Paul is of
such a character that it leads us to infer that those Epistles were
well and generally known by the church at large; for this Epistle of
Peter's which we quote, is written to no particular branch of the
church, but "to them that have obtained like precious faith with us
through the righteousness of God and our Savior Jesus Christ;"[B] in
other words, to the church universal; and it can scarcely be doubted
that some of the larger branches of the church, even in that early day,
had the Epistles of Paul in a collected form. It will also be observed
that Peter places these Epistles of Paul on equal authority with
Scripture by saying, that the unlearned and unstable wrest them, "_as
they do also the other scripture_, unto their own destruction."

[Footnote B: II. Peter i: 1.]

There is a tradition that the apostle John, on his return from his
banishment to Patmos--96 A. D.--made a collection of what he considered
the inspired writings of the apostles and disciples of Christ; but
the tradition seems not to be well founded. It is generally admitted,
however, that he must have had before him the three other gospels when
he wrote the one which bears his name, because his book called "The
Gospel according to St. John," is supplemental in its character, and
in it he gives prominence to those incidents in the life of his Master
and the doctrines he taught, about which the other writers are either
silent or have said but little. This peculiarity is accounted for by
the supposition that John had before him the other three narratives of
his Master's life and mission, and that he sought to make prominent
what they had omitted or treated but briefly, that the church--in the
four books--might have a complete history of Messiah's life, and labors
and doctrines.

In his admirable work on the "Evidences of Christianity," Archdeacon
Paley maintains that the following allegations respecting the books
comprising the New Testament are capable of proof; in fact, to my mind,
the learned Archdeacon does prove them, and places them beyond the
power of successful contradiction:

I. That the historical books of the New Testament, meaning thereby
the four Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles, are quoted, or alluded
to, by a series of Christian writers, beginning with those who were
contemporary with the apostles, or who immediately followed them, and
proceeding in close and regular succession from their time to the
present.

II. That when they are quoted, or alluded to, they are quoted or
alluded to with peculiar respect, as book _sui generis_;[C] as possessing
an authority which belonged to no other books, and as conclusive in all
questions and controversies amongst Christians.

[Footnote C: That is, of its own kind.]

III. That they were, in very early times, collected into a distinct
volume.

IV. That they were distinguished by appropriate names and titles of
respect.

V. That they were publicly read and expounded in the religious
assemblies of the Christians.

VI. That commentaries were written upon them, harmonies formed out of
them, different copies carefully collated, and versions of them made in
different languages.

VII. That they were received by Christians of different sects, by many
heretics as well as Catholics, and usually appealed to by both sides in
the controversies which arose in those days.

VIII. That the four Gospels, the Acts of the Apostles, thirteen
Epistles of St. Paul, the first Epistle of John and the first of Peter,
were received, without doubt by those who doubted concerning the other
books which are included in our present canon--[authorized list].

IX. That the Gospels were attacked by the early adversaries of
Christianity, as books containing the accounts upon which the religion
was founded.

X. That formal catalogues of authentic scriptures were published, in
all of which our present sacred histories were included.

XI. That these propositions cannot be affirmed of any other books
claiming to be books of scripture; by which are meant those books which
are commonly called apocryphal books of the New Testament.[D]

[Footnote D: Evidences of Christianity, part I. ch. ix. I would also
recommend my readers to carefully study Dr. Lardner's Credibility
of the New Testament, from which Dr. Paley obtains much, I may say
nearly all of the material for his own admirable work. There is also a
fine article on the subject, in Chamber's Information for the People,
entitled _History of the Bible_; and another in Dr. Kitto's Biblical
Literature, under the heading, _Canon of Scripture_.]

Out of these eleven propositions I shall deal with but two, viz.:
the first and tenth; referring my readers to Dr. Paley's work, for
information as to the other propositions. And what is said here of
these propositions, I shall select or condense from Paley's work,
sometimes using his language as well as his facts, without troubling
myself to indicate the quotations.

Well, then, as to his first allegation, viz.: that there are a series
of Christian writers, beginning with those contemporary with the
apostles, and extending on down to the present, who have quoted the
chief books of the New Testament. To begin with, there is an epistle
ascribed to Barnabas,[E] the companion of Paul, in some of his
missionary tours. It is quoted as an Epistle of Barnabas, by Clement
of Alexandria, A. D. 194; by Origen, A. D. 230; by Eusebius, A. D.
315, and more frequently by writers after that time, and is referred
to by the writers above named, as an ancient work in their time, and
as well known and read among Christians, though not accounted a part
of scripture. It purports to be written soon after the destruction of
Jerusalem under Titus.

[Footnote E: There is a manuscript copy of this epistle in connection
with a copy of the New Testament entire, dating back to the fourth
century, now in the St. Petersburg Library. It was found by Tischendorf
in the convent of St. Catherine on Mount Sinai, in 1859, and is known
as the Sinaitic Manuscript--the oldest one in existence.]

In this epistle appears the following remarkable passage: "Let us,
therefore, beware lest it come upon us, _as it is written_; There are
many called, few chosen." From the expression, "as it is written,"
we infer, with certainty, that at the time when the author of this
epistle lived, there was a book extant well known to Christians, and
of authority among them, containing the words "many are called, few
chosen." Such a book is our present Gospel of St. Matthew, in which
this text is twice found,[F] and found in no other book which existed
in those days; therefore Barnabas must have referred his readers to
Matthew's Gospel. Furthermore, the writer of the epistle was a Jew. The
phrase, "It is written," was the very form in which the Jews quoted
their scriptures. Hence, it follows that he would not have used this
phrase, and without qualification, of any books but what had acquired
scriptural authority. So that while the quotation "many are called, few
chosen," confirms the existence of Matthew's Gospel; the expression "It
is written," gives to it the authority or dignity of scripture.

[Footnote F: Matt. xx: 16; xxii: 14.]

There are other passages in the epistle which are the same in sentiment
as some of the passages in Matthew,[G] some in which we recognize the
same words. For example, "Give to every one that asketh thee;" and he
says that Christ chose as his apostles men who were great sinners that
he might show that he came, "not to call the righteous, but sinners to
repentance."

[Footnote G: Matt. v: 42; ix: 13.]

There is also extant an epistle of Clement, bishop of Rome, whom the
ancient writers without doubt or scruple assert to have been the
Clement whom Paul mentions in Phil. iv, 3.[H] This epistle is spoken
of by the early Christian writers as an epistle acknowledged by all.
Of it Irenaeus says (writing in the second century) it was "written by
Clement, who had seen the blessed apostles, and conversed with them,
who had the preaching of the apostles still sounding in his ears, and
their traditions before his eyes." Dionysius, bishop of Corinth (the
epistle is addressed to the Church of Christ) says, about the year 170
A. D., that the epistle of Clement "had been wont to be read in that
church from ancient times."[I]

[Footnote H: "With Clement also, and with other my fellow-laborers
whose names are written in the book of life."]

[Footnote I: A copy of this epistle dating back to the fifth century,
is connected with the Alexandrian manuscript of the New Testament now
in the British Museum. The manuscript was given to Charles the I. in
1628 by Cyril Lucas, Patriarch of Constantinople.]

In the said epistle are found the following passages, evidently taken
from our New Testament scriptures: "Especially remembering the words of
the Lord Jesus which he spake, teaching gentleness and long suffering,
for thus he said: 'Be ye merciful, that ye may obtain mercy;[J] forgive
that it may be forgiven unto you;[K] as you do so shall it be done unto
you; as ye judge so shall ye be judged; as ye show kindness, so shall
kindness be shown unto you; with what measure ye mete, with the same
shall it be measured to you.'"[L]

[Footnote J: Matt. v: 7.]

[Footnote K: Luke vi: 37, 38.]

[Footnote L: Matt. vii: 1, 2.]

In another place he says: "Remember the words of the Lord Jesus, for he
said: 'Woe to that man by whom offenses come; it were better for him
that he had not been born, than that he should offend one of my elect;
it were better for him that a millstone should be tied about his neck,
and that he should be drowned in the sea than that he should offend one
of my little ones.'"[M]

[Footnote M: Matt. xviii.]

The reference in the foregoing to the passages I have indicated is too
palpable to leave any room for doubt.

Connected with the Sinaitic manuscript copy of the New Testament,
now in the St. Petersburg Library, to which I have already called
attention in a foot note, is a manuscript copy of the "Shepherd" or
"Pastor" of Hermas, dating from the fifth century; but that copies
of it existed at a still earlier date is evident from the fact that
it is quoted by Irenaeus, A. D. 178; by Clement of Alexandria, A. D.
194; by Tertullian, A. D. 200; Origen, A. D. 230. In this ancient work
are many allusions to and some direct quotations from the Gospels of
Matthew, Luke and John. Of the allusions may be cited, the confessing
and denying of Christ;[N] the parable of the seed sown;[O] and the
comparison of Christ's disciples to little children. Of the more direct
quotations I mention the following: "He that putteth away his wife and
marrieth another, committeth adultery;"[P] the singular expression,
"having received all power from his Father," is undoubted allusion to
Matthew xxviii, 18; and Christ being the "Gate," or only way of coming
"to God," in plain allusion to John xiv, 6, and x, 7, 9.

[Footnote N: Matt. x: 32,33. Luke xii: 8,9.]

[Footnote O: Matt. xiii: 3. Luke viii: 5.]

[Footnote P: Luke xvi: 18.]

I now come to Ignatius, who became bishop of Antioch about thirty-seven
years after the ascension of Messiah; and therefore, from his time and
station, it is probable that he had known and conversed with many of
the apostles. Some of the epistles of this bishop are referred to by
Polycarp, his contemporary, the bishop of Smyrna; and some are quoted
by Irenaeus, A. D. 178; and by Origen, A. D. 230. In these epistles
are plain and undoubted allusions to the Gospels of Matthew and John,
of which the following are but specimens: "Christ was baptized of John
that all righteousness might be fulfilled by him."[Q] "Be ye wise as
serpents in all things and harmless as a dove."[R] "Yet the Spirit is
not deceived, being from God, for it knows whence it comes and whither
it goes."[S]

[Footnote Q: Matt. iii: 15.]

[Footnote R: Matthew x: 16.]

[Footnote S: John iii: 18]

I now pass over several writers in whose works are similar quotations
from the scriptures to those already noted; among them Polycarp, a
convert to Christianity through the teachings of the Apostle John; as
also Papias, his companion; Justin Martyr, separated from the last
named by but twenty years; and also Hegesippus, who came about thirty
years after Justin. This brings us to the year 170 A. D. At this time
the churches of Lyons and Vienna in France, sent a relation of the
sufferings of their martyrs to the churches of Asia and Phrygia. This
epistle is found entire in the works of Eusebius [315 A. D.], and in it
are direct allusions to the Gospels of Luke, John and the Acts of the
Apostles. The one to John is, "Thus was fulfilled that which was spoken
by the Lord, that whosoever killeth you, will think that he doeth God's
service."[T]

[Footnote T: John xvi: 2.]

At that time these churches in France had for their bishop Pothinus,
then about ninety years old, whose time, therefore, must have joined on
to the times of the apostles.

"The evidence now," says Dr. Paley, "opens upon us full and clear."
Irenaeus succeeded Pothinus as bishop of Lyons. In his youth he had
been a disciple of Polycarp, who was a disciple of John. * * * He
asserts of himself and his contemporaries, that they were able to
reckon up in all the principal churches the succession of bishops
from the first. * * * The testimony which this writer affords to the
historical books of the New Testament, to their authority, and to the
titles which they bear, is expressive and positive. One principal
passage runs as follows:

"We have not received the knowledge of the way of our salvation by
any others than those by whom the Gospel has been brought to us.
Which Gospel they first preached, and afterward by the will of God,
committed to writing, that it might be for time to come the foundation
and pillar of our faith. For after that the Lord rose from the dead,
and they [the apostles] were endowed from above with the power of the
Holy Ghost coming down upon them, they received a perfect knowledge of
all things. They went forth to all the ends of the earth, declaring to
men the blessings of heavenly peace, having all of them, and every one
alike, the Gospel of God. Matthew then, among the Jews, wrote a Gospel
in their own language, while Peter and Paul were preaching the Gospel
at Rome, and founding a church there; and after their exit, Mark also,
the disciple and interpreter of Peter, delivered to us in writing the
things which had been preached by Peter; and Luke; the companion of
Paul, put down in a book the Gospel preached by him (Paul). Afterward
John, the disciple of the Lord, who also leaned upon his breast, he
likewise published a Gospel while he dwelt at Ephesus, in Asia."

Nor is this writer less explicit respecting the book of the Acts of the
Apostles.

The force of the testimony we have considered will be strengthened by
remembering that it is the testimony, and the concurring testimony
of writers who lived in countries remote from each other. Clement
flourished at Rome; Ignatius at Antioch, and Irenaeus in France.

I deem it unnecessary to pursue this inquiry further, and shall close
by remarking that Clement of Alexandria, one of the most voluminous
of Christian writers, follows Irenaeus at a distance of but sixteen
years. In the works of Clement which remain, the four gospels are
repeatedly quoted by the names of their authors, and the Acts of the
Apostles is expressly ascribed to Luke. This brings us to the year 194
A. D. Tertullian joins on to Clement, and is no less explicit in his
reference to the New Testament than the writers who preceded him. Then
follow numerous writers, among them Origen, A. D. 230; Eusebius, 315;
and Jerome, A. D. 392.

So numerous are the references to scripture, in the writings of these
men, that were our books of scripture lost, some aver, that they
could be reproduced from the works of these writers alone. From the
date last given, there can be no question as to the existence of
our New Testament or of its acceptance by the whole of Christendom,
as containing the account of those events on which Christianity was
founded.



CHAPTER XII.

FAITH--THE NEW TESTAMENT.

I now come to the tenth allegation of Dr. Paley, _viz_.: "Formal
catalogues of authentic scriptures were published, in all of which our
present sacred histories were included."

In the writings of Origen which remain, and in some extracts preserved
by Eusebius, from works of his which are now lost, there are
enumerations of the books of scripture, in which the four Gospels and
the Acts of the Apostles are distinctly and honorably specified, and in
which are no books beside what are now received. The date of Origen's
works is 230 A. D.

Athanasius, about a century afterwards (330 A. D.), delivered a formal
catalogue of the books of the New Testament, containing our scriptures
and no others; of which he says, "In these alone the doctrine of
religion is taught; let no man add to them, or take anything from them."

About twenty years after Athanasius (350 A. D.), Cyril, bishop of
Jerusalem, sent forth a catalogue of the books of scripture, publicly
read at that time in the Church of Jerusalem, exactly the same as ours,
except that the book of Revelation is omitted.

Fifteen years after Cyril (365 A. D.), the council of Laodicea
delivered an authoritative catalogue of Canonical Scripture, like
Cyril's, the same as ours, with the omission of Revelation.[A]

[Footnote A: I have taken the preceding paragraphs of this chapter
entire, from Paley's Evidences of Christianity Part I., chap, ix, sec.
10]

About thirty years later, that is, in 393 A. D., followed the council
of Hippo, which delivered a catalogue of the books of the New
Testament, which agrees with that now in our common English version.
This was followed by the third council of Carthage, in 397 A. D., and
by the sixth of Carthage 415 A. D., both of which confirmed the list of
sacred books made out by the council of Hippo.

It seems to me that proving these two propositions selected from Dr.
Paley's list, is sufficient to make out a case for the authenticity
of the books of the New Testament; but when the reader remembers that
the nine other allegations we quoted in chapter eleven can also be
sustained by undeniable proofs, the case is made out so clearly that
there can be no room for doubt.

Then the Book of Mormon comes in also as a witness for the New
Testament as well as for the Old. Not so much a witness for the
authenticity of the books composing it, however, as for the correctness
of what is contained in them.--The writers in the Book of Mormon
who bear a direct testimony as to what the New Testament scriptures
contain, and in that way indirectly establish their authenticity and
credibility may be divided into two classes, prophetic and historical.
By the former, I mean those who by the inspiration of heaven foresaw
the birth and mission of Jesus Christ as it all, afterwards came to
pass; by the latter, I mean those who lived at the time and were
witnesses to the personal ministrations of Messiah, on the western
hemisphere, and made a record of those things they saw and heard.

Of the first class, the prophetic, the first Nephi stands out most
prominently; for he gives such a vivid description of the leading
outlines of Messiah's life and labors on the earth, that it makes one
feel in very deed that "prophecy is but history reversed," for had he
lived and written in the first century of the Christian are instead of
the fifth century preceding it, I feel sure that he could not have been
more vivid or exact in writing the life, mission and doctrines of the
Son of God;[B] and all that he predicts is in strict accord with what
is contained in the New Testament.

[Footnote B: For the remarkable prophecies which foretell the events
here alluded to, I refer my readers to the xi, xii, xiii and xvi
chapters of I. Nephi, Book of Mormon.]

Next to Nephi we may place King Benjamin, whose testimony is found
in the book of Mosiah, chapter iii, and next to him, Abinadi, whose
prophecies in relation to the coming and mission of Jesus, are
contained in the thirteenth, fourteenth, fifteenth and sixteenth
chapters of Mosiah; and, lastly, Samuel, the Lamanite prophet, whose
testimony is in the fourteenth chapter of Helaman.

All these prophets give the outlines of the life and mission of Jesus
Christ, and, as before stated, what they say is in strict accord with
what is written in the New Testament, by those who witnessed the events
that these prophets of the Western hemisphere foretold.

On the other side of the line, that is, of the historical witnesses,
they who lived at the time Jesus visited the western hemisphere and
wrote an account of what took place, the III Nephi, the one whom the
Lord made the chief of the apostles, is most conspicuous. He records
the fact of Messiah's visit to the Nephites, after his resurrection
and departure from his disciples in Judea; and gives a most particular
account of the several visits of Jesus to his people, and of his
organizing a church, after the pattern of the one organized in
Jerusalem; also of the doctrines and moral precepts which he taught; in
all of which there is a substantial agreement with what is recorded in
the New Testament.[C]

[Footnote C: The reader is recommended to read carefully the whole Book
of III Nephi, and compare it with the teachings of the New Testament.]

Thus the Book of Mormon, is an additional witness for Jesus, testifying
as well as the New Testament, that he is both Lord and Christ. It also
sustains the New Testament, that is, if it does not directly prove
the authenticity of the various books composing it, it does prove the
correctness of what is contained in them, by testifying that the same
person who was crucified by the Jews is the Son of God, the Savior
of the world, and that he taught the same doctrines, ordinances, and
precepts, and organized his church on the Western hemisphere after
the pattern of that described in the New Testament; and all this, I
take it, is very strong proof of the correctness of what is recorded
in the New Testament scriptures--it is, in fact, the testimony of a
mighty and numerous people, speaking from the silence of past ages,
bearing witness of the truth as contained in the Jewish scriptures;
and, withal, is such an evidence of their authenticity, and, likewise
of their integrity, in the main--speaking now of both the Old Testament
and the New--and of the correctness of the matter they contain, that
before this new witness for God unbelief must hide its head; atheism
must stand rebuked; the scorner is reproved; they that watch for
iniquity are cut off; the terrible ones are brought to naught; they
that erred in spirit come to understanding; they that murmured learn
doctrine; the meek increase their joy in the Lord and the poor among
men rejoice.[D]

[Footnote D: Isaiah xxix: 18-24.]

I have been led thus far into an investigation of the authenticity of
the Jewish scriptures touching, too, here and there, the question of
the integrity and truthfulness of them, by a desire to fix in the mind
of the reader the fact that our principal volume of scripture is worthy
of all confidence so far as the question of authenticity is concerned.

I am aware, however, that after treating of the question of
authenticity, there still stands the question of credibility. After
proving the authenticity of a book, I believe the further questions may
be asked, and usually with great propriety--"Is it worthy of belief?
Can it be believed? Is it credible?" To this rule I make one exception,
and in the case in hand it is important. That exception is this: If it
can be proven that God is the author of the book, or, what would be
equivalent, if those who wrote it were inspired by his Holy Spirit,
then if you prove such an authenticity as that, you prove at the same
time the credibility of the book. For, let it be proven clearly that
the book emanates from God directly or indirectly, then who could doubt
its truth, its wisdom, or the events, however wonderful, it relates?
Or who could question the mercy and justice of the acts of God as
represented in that book or books that are the fruits of inspiration?

It matters not how at variance their contents may seem to be with our
supposed knowledge of the laws of nature; our knowledge of those laws
are so limited; our understanding of the mechanism of the universe
so imperfect; our acquaintance with the universe and the forces that
operate in it so insignificant, that let it be clearly proven that a
revelation from God contradicted our supposed facts, and I believe the
wisest, and best among the children of men, with becoming humility
that would but add to their dignity, would bow in submission to the
revelation.

Neither does it matter how much the conduct of Deity, as represented in
such books, may violate what we understand to be the relative claims of
stern Justice and sweet Mercy; our knowledge of the operation of those
qualities, and their effect upon men in time and in eternity, and under
varied conditions, is so uncertain and imperfect that we are liable to
confound good with evil, and that which is indeed an infinite mercy, we
may condemn as a piece of barbaric cruelty. In this matter we would bow
also, and say, "Thy will, O Lord, be done," righteous must be all thy
judgments, merciful are thy ways! Shall not the God of the whole earth
do right?

In connection with these observations, I would remark, that throughout
the Jewish scriptures, that is, in their composition, in their
diction as well as in the excellence of their matter, whether in
the historical, legislative, poetic, or prophetic books of the Old
Testament; or in the gospel histories, the epistles or prophetic books
of the New, everywhere may be traced the inspiration of Heaven; and the
style and matter of the whole volume proclaims that the Spirit which
prompted the writers and brought those books into existence, is divine.

Then again, if the prophecies contained in the volume of scripture be
studied, and their fulfillment traced out in the history of the rise
and fall of nations, cities and peoples; in the calamities that have
overtaken the Jews[E] and their country; in the coming of Messiah and
the work he performed, all of which was foretold by those holy men of
God who spake as they were moved upon by the Holy Ghost--if all these
prophecies and their fulfillment be considered, it seems to me that
there is an accumulation of evidence to the divinity of the Jewish
scriptures, that must break down all the petty objections that unbelief
can array against them. And indeed, I may say, that such has been the
effect of these considerations on the human understanding that the
noblest and brightest intellects of all ages have been so impressed
with them, that they have yielded a ready assent to their divine
inspiration, and worshiped the God whose character and attributes are
unfolded in the revelations contained in them.[F]

[Footnote E: "You may question, if you will" says Bishop Lightfoot in
the _Quarterly Review_ for April, 1888, "every single prophecy in the Old
Testament, but the whole history of the Jews is one continuous prophecy
more distinct and articulate than all. You may deny, if you will, every
successive miracle which is recorded therein; but again, the history of
the Jews is from first to last one stupendous miracle, more wonderful
and convincing than all."]

[Footnote F: In making this observation I do not close my eyes to the
fact that there are exceptions to this general assertion; nor will I
be so unjust as to claim that among unbelievers there are none who are
honest in that unbelief There have been men in all ages, or nearly so,
who have doubted the truth of the Jewish scriptures, and some of them
have been most brilliant in intellect, and not a few most upright in
their manner of life, but these are the exceptions, not the rule; and
the remark on this point in the text holds good.]

Now, if to these evidences, which have been sufficient to convince
men of powerful intellect, as well as of the masses of Christendom,
be added the further fulfillment of prophecy in respect to taking the
Gospel from the earth and then restoring it in the last days, much of
which--pertaining to the restoration of the Gospel--has been fulfilled
in our day; and then to this be added the testimony contained in the
Book of Mormon to the divinity and general truth of the Bible; and to
this the testimony in the Book of Abraham and the visions of Moses,
as revealed to Joseph Smith and now contained in the Pearl of Great
Price--pray tell me, youth of Israel, where is there room for unbelief
on your part? Or where is there excuse for infidelity?

Let me remind my readers, that the Bible is a record of man's
crimes and vices, as well as of his righteousness and virtues. It
as faithfully records the former as the latter. But because it thus
faithfully records the evils that men did as well as the good, it must
not therefore be concluded that God sanctioned or condoned those evils.
It was the doing of those very evils that brought down the displeasure
of God upon those guilty of them. And what is true of individuals in
this respect, is also true of peoples and nations.

Then again, as to the Old Testament, let it be remembered that when
the Lord took the children of Israel from the land of Egypt to make
of them a people for himself, he presented them first with the Gospel
of Christ, with all its mercy and inspiring love and gentleness; but
they would not live in accordance with its high moral precepts, nor
reflect in their lives its spiritual excellence. Accordingly, a less
perfect law was given to Israel; a law which in the New Testament is
everywhere called "the law of carnal commandments;" a law more in
keeping with their moral development; a law which breathed less of
mercy, forgiveness and love and more of exacting, relentless justice;
demanding an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth--and this was to
be their schoolmaster, to prepare them for the more excellent law of
the Gospel of Christ.[G] Many things in that law of the Old Testament
are imperfect, and must not be taken as reflecting the full glory
and excellence of the divine wisdom or goodness. On the contrary it
is plainly stated, and that too by the voice of inspiration, in the
New Testament, that it was a law carnal and imperfect, yet withal
containing more excellence than the people seemed able in those days to
attain unto.

[Footnote G: In proof that the Gospel was first offered to ancient
Israel, and then because of transgression the law of carnal
commandments, I invite the reader's attention to the following
scriptures: Heb., latter part of chap. iii, in connection with Heb. iv:
1, 2; I Cor. x: 1-4; and Gal. iii; also Doc. and Cov., sec. 84; see
also the chapter on History of the Gospel in this work.]

Add these considerations to the fact that in some of its details and in
its translation the Bible has been marred by the hand of man; a number
of sacred books lost, and some plain and precious parts taken away from
those we have, and it is not surprising that men find imperfections in
it, and some things difficult to harmonize with our ideas of the mercy
and justice of God.

Yet, with all its imperfections, in the main it is true, and may be
relied upon as a witness for God; that is, as to his existence, his
character and attributes; and also to the existence, character and
mission of his Son, Jesus Christ, the Redeemer of the world, and of
the plan of salvation--the Gospel. What it says of those, and topics
associated with them, may be relied upon as God's truth; for the
evidences of its authenticity and credibility are so numerous, I may
say so overwhelming, that for my part, I see not how intelligence can
disbelieve it.



CHAPTER XIII.

FAITH--TRADITION.

Having now concluded our inquiry as to the authenticity and credibility
of our principal volume of scripture--the Bible; having proven,
as I hope, to the satisfaction of my readers, that the Bible is
authentic, and worthy of their confidence in what it says of God, of
Christ and the Gospel, I have only to remark that the evidence it
contains--especially when considered in connection with that found
in the other scriptures, the Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants
and Pearl of Great Price--is sufficient to plant in the mind an
intelligent belief in God, in Christ and in the Gospel as the plan of
man's redemption. And now, after so long a digression, I return to the
subject of faith in God.

I have already remarked[A] that faith is the first principle of
religion, and that religious faith centers in God, to whom men look for
salvation. I have also remarked that it is absolutely necessary for
those who come to God to believe that he exists, for unless that fact
is firmly fixed in their minds, men will consider themselves under no
obligations to obey him.

[Footnote A: Chapter vii.]

The first evidence men have of the existence of God comes from
tradition, from the testimony of their fathers; and this has been the
case from that event known as the Fall, until the present. Nor is
this evidence unworthy our serious attention; it rests upon a surer
foundation than is usually accorded it. Suppose we go back to its
beginning, to its first introduction into the world, and observe how
well founded it is.

According to the account given by Moses in Genesis, previous to the
Fall, Adam associated with God; conversed with him respecting the
works of creation, and gave names to the cattle, and all living things
upon the earth. How long continued, or how intimate that association
was, we are not informed in Genesis; but, at all events, it was long
enough continued, and sufficiently intimate to fix definitely in the
mind of Adam the fact of God's existence. Then when Adam and his wife
transgressed God's law, their recollection of his existence did not
vanish, but they tried to hide from his presence; and were afterwards
visited of the Lord, who reproved them for their sin and pronounced the
penalty which would overtake them for their transgression.

All I wish to call attention to in this is the fact that they knew
positively of the Lord's existence before their transgression, and they
did not forget it after that event; but on the contrary had a lively
recollection of what they had seen and heard before they fell, and
related it to their children, who, in turn, transmitted it to their
children, and so from generation to generation the tradition of God's
existence has been handed down until the present time.

But other considerations are yet to be noticed in respect to this
tradition. It will be remembered that Adam and all the patriarchs
previous to the Flood lived to a very great age. Adam lived nine
hundred and thirty years, and during that time Seth, Enos, Cainan,
Mahalaleel, Jared, Enoch, Methuselah and Lamech, the father of Noah,
were born. Indeed the last named was fifty-six years old[B] when Adam
died; so that for a number of years he must have had the pleasure of
Adam's acquaintance; while the patriarchs between Adam and Lamech
all associated with him for hundreds of years, and would learn well
the story that the grand patriarch of our race would have to tell
respecting Eden before the Fall.

[Footnote B: See Doc. and Cov. II Lecture on Faith, verse 30.]

Then again, we are told in Genesis[C] that when Lamech was one hundred
and eighty-two years old he begat Noah; and since Lamech was fifty-six
years old when Adam died, Adam had been dead but one hundred and
twenty-six years when Noah was born. After the birth of Noah, Lamech
lived five hundred and ninety-five years, so that Noah associated
with his father, who had seen Adam, for more than five hundred years;
and also with a number of the other patriarchs--with Enos, the
grandson of Adam, and son of Seth--with Cainan, Mahalaleel, Jared
and Methuselah.[D] Then, the sons of Noah, Shem, Ham and Japheth,
all of whom were born before the Flood, would likewise be acquainted
with a number of these worthies who had lived with Adam and heard his
testimony of God's existence.

[Footnote C: Gen. v: 28, 29.]

[Footnote D: Those desiring a more minute account of these points are
referred to the Doc. and Cov., II Lecture on Faith.]

Again, Noah lived three hundred and fifty years after the Flood; that
would give him ample time and opportunity to teach his posterity for
several generations the tradition respecting God, which he had received
from a number of patriarchs, who lived previous to the Flood, and thus
the said tradition became firmly fixed in the minds of men.

Traces of that tradition, and of these patriarchs connected with
it, may be found in nearly all, and so far as I know, in all the
mythologies of the world, as well in ancient as in modern times; as
well in the mythology of the civilized Greeks and Romans, as in that of
India, China, Egypt, and that of the American Indians. The tradition
has evidently been corrupted, added to and twisted into fantastic
shapes by the idle fancies of corrupt minds, but despite all the
changes made in it, traces of this tradition are discoverable in the
mythology of all lands.

I believe, too, with Crabb, "That the fictions of mythology were not
invented [always] in ignorance of divine truth, but with a willful
intention to pervert it; not made only by men of profligate lives
and daring impiety, who preferred darkness to light, because their
deeds were evil, but by men of refinement and cultivation, from the
opposition of science, falsely so-called; not made, as some are pleased
to think, by priests only, for interested purposes, but by poets and
philosophers among the laity, who, careless of truth or falsehood,
were pleased with nothing but their own corrupt imaginations and vain
conceits."[E]

[Footnote E: Crabb's Mythology of all Nations, pp. 174-5.]

Thus the tradition of the patriarchs was, in time, degraded, by some
branches of their posterity, to mythology--a muddy, troubled pool,
which, like a mirror shattered into a thousand fragments, reflects
while it distorts into fantastic shapes the objects on its banks.
Still, under all the rubbish of human invention may be found the
leading idea--God's existence, and that fact alone, however misshapen
it may be, proves how firmly fixed in the human mind is the tradition
of the fathers; while the universality of that tradition goes very far
towards proving its truth. When once the idea of the existence of a God
is suggested to the mind of man by the testimony of the fathers, and
represented as he is by that tradition, as the Creator of the heavens
and the earth, and also as the great governing power throughout the
universe,--very much is discovered in the marvelous works of nature
to strengthen and confirm, almost to a certainty, the truth of that
tradition.

Man is conscious of his own existence, and that existence is a
stupendous miracle of itself; he is conscious, too, of other facts. He
looks out into space in the stillness of night, and sees the deep vault
of heaven inlaid with planetary systems, all moving in exact order and
harmony, in such regularity that he cannot doubt that intelligence
brought them into being, and now sustains and directs the forces that
preserve them. Thus the heavens declare the existence of God as well
as his glory. This thought is in harmony with the tradition of his
fathers, and he recognizes the identity between the intelligence that
he knows must control the universe, and the God of which his fathers
testify.

Nor is this all: but in the mysterious changes which take place on our
own planet, in the gentle Spring, luxuriant Summer, fruitful Autumn and
blighting Winter, with its storms and frosts--the "mysterious round"
which brings us our seed time and harvest, and clothes the earth with
vegetation and flowers, perpetuating that wonderful power we call life,
the strangest fact in all the works of nature--in these mighty changes,
so essential and beneficent, man recognizes the wisdom and power of God
of whom his fathers bear record.

As the heavens declare his existence and glory, so, likewise, do these
changes and a thousand other things, connected with our earth, until
lost in wonder and admiration, one exclaims with Paul, "The invisible
things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being
understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and
godhead."[F] Or else he calls to mind another scripture, still more
sublime--"The earth rolls upon her wings, and the sun giveth his light
by day, and the stars also giveth their light, as they roll upon their
wings in their glory, in the midst of the power of God. * * * Behold,
all these are kingdoms, and any man who hath seen any or the least of
these, hath seen God moving in his majesty and power."[G]

[Footnote F: Rom. i: 20.]

[Footnote G: Doc. and Cov. Sec. 88: 45-47.]

    "But wandering oft, with brute unconscious gaze, Man marks not
    Thee; marks not the mighty hand, That, ever busy, wheels the silent
    spheres!"

This much we may say, in conclusion, the tradition of the fathers,
confirmed by the power of God as manifested in the works of nature,
lays a broad foundation for an intelligent belief in God's existence.



CHAPTER XIV.

FAITH.--REVELATION.

The evidence of tradition, confirmed by the works of nature, created
the assurance or faith in the minds of men that God existed; and that
faith led them to the performance of works of righteousness that
they might win his approbation; for doubtless, side by side with
the tradition of his existence, came also the idea that he loved
righteousness and truth, and those who wrought them. In other words,
it is but reasonable to suppose that Adam brought from the period of
his life on the other side of the Fall, some recollection of God's
character and attributes, as well as of his being: And so well pleased
was the Lord with the faith and works of some of these men, that he
revealed himself to them, made them acquainted with his laws, purposes
and designs, and conferred upon them authority to act in his name, as
his messengers to the children of men who had not sufficient faith to
seek for and enter into his presence. Such men have lived in various
ages of the world, and have ever been (or would have been, had the
people only received them) a blessing unto their generation.

Such a character was Enoch, whom we are told walked with God,[A] and
received a revelation from the Lord in which was made known to him
events to take place even down to the glorious coming of the Son of God
to execute judgment on the wicked.[B]

[Footnote A: Gen. v: 24.]

[Footnote B: Jude, 14, 15. For a more detailed account of the
revelations of God to Enoch, and the mighty work which that patriarch
did, the reader is referred to the Pearl of Great Price, pp. 18 to 29
inclusive.]

Noah also, the tenth from Adam, received a revelation from God, and was
made a messenger to the people of his generation, but they refused to
receive his testimony, and perished in their sins.

After Noah comes Abraham. He received special revelations from God,
being visited by him in the plains of Mamre as the patriarch dwelt
in a tent. It was at that time he received the promise of a son, and
was told of the intention of the Lord to destroy the wicked cities
of the plain, Sodom and Gomorrah; whereupon Abraham pleaded for the
righteous that might be in the cities.[C] The Lord also gave him other
revelations concerning the organization of the heavens and the laws by
which they are governed; the order which was followed in the creation
of this earth, and some things pertaining to the redemption of man.[D]

[Footnote C: Gen. xviii.]

[Footnote D: Pearl of Great Price--Book of Abraham, pp. 33-47.]

The Lord also appeared unto Jacob in dreams and visions, and sent
angels unto him, and to his son Joseph also, but we pass by these and
come to the prophet Moses.

The first revelation the Lord gave to Moses, that we have any account
of, was at the burning bush, in Mount Horeb. There the Lord said to
him: "I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac,
and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to
look upon God."[E] Then and there the Lord commissioned him to go and
deliver Israel, in the performance of which labor he received many
manifestations that God was with him.

[Footnote E: Exodus iii: 6.]

In Exodus[F] we have an account of God's glorious descent upon Sinai in
the presence of all Israel, and the revelations that he gave to them
by his own voice: "And God spake all these words, saying, I am the
Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out
of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other Gods before me."[G]
Then follow nine other commandments: "And all the people saw the
thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the
mountain smoking: And when the people saw it, they removed and stood
afar off. And they said unto Moses, speak thou with us, and we will
hear; but let not God speak with us lest we die. * * * And the Lord
said unto Moses, thus thou shalt say unto the children of Israel, ye
have seen that I have talked with you from heaven."[H]

[Footnote F: Exodus xix, xx.]

[Footnote G: Exodus xx: 1-3.]

[Footnote H: Exodus xx: 18, 19-22.]

Subsequently to this there was another grand revelation which the Lord
gave to a number of the leading Elders of Israel. Moses thus records
it: "Then went up Moses and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of
the Elders of Israel: and they saw the God of Israel: and there was
under his feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone, and as it
were the body of heaven in its clearness, and upon the nobles of the
children of Israel, he laid not his hand: also they saw God, and did
eat and drink."[I]

[Footnote I: Exodus xxiv: 9-11.]

Moses after this left the other Elders and went into the mount, where
he received the law of the Lord written by the hand of God on tables
of stone, and also was instructed how to build a tabernacle and the
ark of the covenant. Indeed, throughout the lifetime of Moses the
manifestations of God's power, and the revelations of his existence
were frequent, and came in so direct a manner that there is left no
room for doubt; for the Lord knew Moses face to face, so also knew
Moses the Lord, and left his testimony on record.

Time would fail me to tell of the revelations which God gave of himself
to Joshua, and the judges whom he raised up to rule in Israel; to
Samuel, and David and Solomon, and the prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah,
Ezekiel, Daniel and the rest. I pass by all these and come to the
dispensation opened by the preaching of John the Baptist.

The first direct revelation of God's existence after the opening
of that dispensation was at the baptism of Jesus, the Son of God.
Matthew's testimony respecting this revelation is as follows: "And
Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water:
and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he [John][J] saw the
Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting upon Him; and lo, a
voice from heaven, saying, this is my beloved Son in whom I am well
pleased."[K] With this also agrees the testimony of both Mark and John.

[Footnote J: I supposed that John the Baptist was the only one who was
a witness of the Holy Ghost resting upon Jesus in the form of a dove.
In all the accounts given of this event, except by Luke, the pronoun
"he" referring to John, as in Matthew, is used. While in Luke it is
not said that anyone else saw it, but the fact is merely stated that
"the Holy Ghost descended in bodily shape like a dove and rested upon
him." John's own testimony is as follows: And John bore record saying,
I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon
him. And I knew him not; but he that sent me to baptize with water, the
same said unto me, upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending and
remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost.
(John i: 32, 33.)]

[Footnote K: Matt. iii: 16, 17.]

Then next in order, that is the next direct revelation, is on the
occasion of the transfiguration of Christ on the Mount, thus related
by Matthew: "After six days he taketh Peter, James and John, his
brother, and bringeth them up unto the high mountain apart, and was
transfigured before them: And his face did shine as the sun, and his
raiment was white as the light. And behold there appeared unto them
Moses and Elias, talking with him. Then answered Peter, and said unto
Jesus, it is good for us to be here, if thou wilt, let us build three
tabernacles; one for thee, one for Moses and one for Elias. While he
yet spake a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out
of the cloud, which said: This is my beloved son in whom I am well
pleased; hear ye him."[L] This same circumstance is also related by
Mark and Luke.

[Footnote L: Matt. xvii: 1-5.]

The New Testament is replete with testimonies of the existence of God,
both direct and indirect, but I shall here notice but one more; it will
be found recorded in the Acts of the Apostles.[M] It is given at the
martyrdom of Stephen. The Jews were so stung by Stephen's reproofs for
their hardness of heart, that they rushed upon him, "But he, being full
of the Holy Ghost, looked steadfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of
God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God, and said. Behold I
see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing on the right hand
of God."

[Footnote M: Chapter vii.]

As before stated, the testimonies in the New Testament to the existence
of God and his Son Jesus Christ are numerous. Indeed, I may say it is
the one grand truth which the writers in that volume of revelation
testify to; and around this primary fact, and dependent upon it for
their existence and importance, are arranged all the other facts
pertaining to man's redemption and future existence.

But I wish to turn from the witnesses in the Jewish scriptures to
others; for, numerous as those witnesses for God and Christ are among
the Jews, they are not the only ones.

In the Book of Mormon is an abridgment of the record of Ether, called
the Book of Ether. It gives a brief account of a colony which the
Lord led from the tower of Babel, where he confounded the language of
the people, to the Western hemisphere. The prophet who, under God's
direction, led this people in their journey, was the brother of one
Jared. At the command of God he had built eight barges or vessels in
which his company was to cross the mighty deep; and the brother of
Jared prayed to the Lord that he would provide a means whereby they
might have light in the barges, and he presented to the Lord sixteen
small stones and asked that he would touch them with his finger and
make them luminous, that they might give them light. And as the Lord,
in answer to the earnest prayer of his servant stretched forth his hand
to touch the stones, the brother of Jared saw the finger of the Lord,
and he was struck with fear. Yet receiving encouragement from God, he
asked the Lord to show himself to him, a petition which the Lord, in
consequence of the great faith of the man, granted him, and testified
to the redemption that he was yet to work out for the salvation of man.
The testimony of the brother of Jared was placed upon record and was
abridged by Moroni, and now comes to us in the sacred pages of the Book
of Mormon[N] as a witness for God.

[Footnote N: See Book of Ether in Book of Mormon, ch. iii.]

In the account given An the Book of Mormon of that colony which was led
from Jerusalem, about six hundred B. C., by Lehi; and in the history of
the nations that grew out of that colony, and flourished on the Western
hemisphere, are many testimonies as to the existence of God; too many,
in fact, to be enumerated here. All I can say is, that their prophets
were visited by angels from heaven, and they were instructed by dreams
and visions, in which were shown to them, in remarkable plainness, the
coming and mission of Messiah; the object to be attained by, and the
power of the Gospel of Christ. In all these things they were taught by
the inspiration of heaven, accompanied by wonderful demonstrations of
the presence and power of the Lord.

Then, in III Nephi, in the Book of Mormon, is an account of two
visits of the risen Redeemer to the Nephites (descendants of the
aforementioned Lehi), and of his labors among that people. Here, as
in Jerusalem, Jesus announced himself as the Son of God, and bore
testimony to the existence of his Father. The multitude, to whom he
first revealed himself, had the satisfaction of beholding the wounds in
his hands and in his feet and in his side; and this, that they might
know in very deed, that he was the one who had been slain in Jerusalem
by the Jews, for the sins of the world--that he was the one of whom
their prophets from the beginning had testified.

In the Book of Mormon, then, as in the Bible, is found a volume of
testimony of God's existence; indeed, I may say the accumulated
testimony of all the prophets of the Western hemisphere.

I now turn to the testimony of the prophet of our own day.

Joseph Smith, in giving an account of how he came to seek the Lord,
informs us that he read that passage in James which says: "If any of
you lack wisdom let him ask of God that giveth to all men liberally and
upbraideth not; and it shall be given him."[O] In obedience to that
injunction, he retired to the woods to call upon the Lord, to learn
from him which of all the religious sects he should join, for their
division and contentions had perplexed his mind. For what occurred on
that occasion I quote his own words:

[Footnote O: James i: 5.]

"After I had retired to the place where I had previously designed to
go, having looked around me and finding myself alone, I kneeled down
and began to offer up the desires of my heart to God. I had scarcely
done so, when immediately I was seized upon by some power which
entirely overcame me, and had such astonishing influence over me as
to bind my tongue so that I could not speak. Thick darkness gathered
round me, and it seemed to me for a time as if I were doomed to sudden
destruction. But, exerting all my powers to call upon God to deliver me
out of the power of this enemy, which had seized upon me, and at the
very moment when I was ready to sink into despair and abandon myself to
destruction, not to an imaginary ruin, but to the power of some actual
being from the unseen world, who had such a marvelous power as I had
never before felt in any being--just at this moment of great alarm,
I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head, above the brightness
of the sun, which descended gradually until it fell upon me. It no
sooner appeared than I found myself delivered from the enemy which
held me bound. When the light rested upon me, I saw two personages,
whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in
the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by my name and said
(pointing to the other), _this is my beloved son, hear him_."[P]

[Footnote P: Pearl of Great Price, pp. 87, 88.]

Such is the testimony that Joseph Smith bears to the existence of God
and his Son Jesus Christ; but there are other testimonies to follow.

In a revelation called "A Vision,"[Q] is found the testimony of both
Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon, from which I make the following extract:

"We, Joseph Smith, Jun., and Sidney Rigdon, being in the Spirit on the
sixteenth of February in the year of the Lord 1832, by the power of the
Spirit our eyes were opened and our understandings were enlightened,
so as to see and understand the things of God--even those things which
were from the beginning before the world was, which were ordained of
the Father, through his Only Begotten Son, who was in the bosom of
the Father, even from the beginning, of whom we bear record, and the
record which we bear is the fullness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, who
is the Son, whom we saw, and with whom we conversed in the heavenly
vision. * * * And while we meditated upon these things, the Lord
touched the eyes of our understandings and they were opened, and the
glory of God shone round about; and we beheld the glory of the Son, on
the right hand of the Father, and received of his fullness; and saw the
holy angels, and they who are sanctified before his throne, worshiping
God and the Lamb, who worship him forever and ever. And now, after the
many testimonies which have been, given of him, this is the testimony
last of all which we give of him, that he lives; for we saw him, even
on the right hand of God, and we heard the voice bearing record that he
is the Only Begotten of the Father--that by him and through him, and
of him the worlds are and were created, and the inhabitants thereof
begotten sons and daughters unto God."

[Footnote Q: Doc. and Cov., sec. lxxvi.]

Surely their testimony lacks nothing to be desired either as to
directness or plainness.

In the Kirtland Temple, on the third of April, 1836, another revelation
of the existence of the Son of God was given, and another witness
was added to the list of those who in this dispensation have beheld
the Lord--this was Oliver Cowdery. I quote the following from the
revelation:

"The vail was taken from our [the prophet Joseph's and Oliver's] minds
and the eyes of our understanding were opened. We saw the Lord standing
upon the breastwork of the pulpit, before us, and under his feet was
a paved work of pure gold, in color like amber. His eyes were as a
flame of fire, the hair of his head was white like the pure snow, his
countenance shone above the brightness of the sun, and his voice was as
the sound of the rushing of great waters, even the voice of Jehovah,
saying--I am the first and the last, I am he who liveth, I am he who
was slain, I am your advocate with the Father. Behold, your sins are
forgiven you, you are clean before me, therefore lift up your heads
and rejoice; let the hearts of your brethren rejoice, and let the
hearts of all my people rejoice, who have, with their might, built this
house[R] to my name, for behold I have accepted this house, and my name
shall be here, and I will manifest myself to my people in mercy in this
house."[S]

[Footnote R: The Kirtland Temple.]

[Footnote S: Doc. and Cov., sec. ex, 1-7.]

Such, in brief, are some of the direct testimonies we have from the
Jewish and Nephite scriptures, and from the writings of inspired men in
our own day concerning the existence of God and his Son Jesus Christ.
And surely if human testimony can establish anything--any matter of
fact, then the fact of God's existence is so established. The testimony
comes from such a variety of sources, is delivered in so many different
ages, from the first to the present, yet all blending so harmoniously,
that it leaves nothing to be desired in point of consistency or
harmony, quality or quantity.

Let me here observe, in concluding this chapter, that God is no
respecter of persons; but they who will approach him in faith, as these
characters did, whose testimonies we have been examining, may have
a knowledge of his existence also. But--adapting to my purpose the
language of the Doctrine and Covenants[T]--after any portion of the
human family are made acquainted--either through tradition, or the
testimony of those who have sought and found him--with the important
fact that there is a God who has created and does uphold all things,
the extent of their personal knowledge respecting his character and
glory, will depend upon their diligence and faithfulness in seeking
after him; until, like Enoch, the brother of Jared, Moses, Joseph
Smith, and Oliver Cowdery, they shall obtain faith in God, and power to
behold him face to face.

[Footnote T: Lecture II, on Faith, verse 55.]



CHAPTER XV.

FAITH.--THE CHARACTER OF GOD.

Although belief in the fact that God exists is of first importance, it
is not all that is necessary to an intelligent faith. It is the primary
element, perhaps, but there are others in addition to that which are
needful to a rational exercise of faith--such an exercise of faith that
will lead to eternal salvation in God's Kingdom. Something must be
known of the character of God, of his attributes; for I hold this truth
to be self-evident, that without some knowledge of God's character men
cannot intelligently exercise faith in him. Without that knowledge
faith will ever be imperfect, unsatisfactory, weak and comparatively
unfruitful. Hence, we next proceed to inquire into the character of
Deity, as he has revealed it to his children; and as we are dependent
upon revelation for the knowledge of God's existence, so are we
dependent upon revelation for what knowledge we have of his character.

But before I proceed immediately to inquire into the character of the
Deity, I think it necessary to remark that men, who exercise faith
in God, must not only believe that he is, but recognize him as the
creative power by whom all things are made and sustained; that they
recognize him as the Supreme Ruler of the universe. As I understand it,
that much is implied in the term God. Indeed, unless God is regarded
as the supreme governing power, men could not center their faith in
him for life and salvation. For if the idea existed that his power was
not supreme, absolute--fear would be engendered in the hearts of men
that there existed still other powers who would overturn his purposes,
and prevent a fulfillment of his promises; and where such fear exists
there faith cannot be perfected. There is abundant testimony in the
scriptures, however, which proves God to be the creator and sustainer
of all things that exist, and the supreme power of the universe. In
proof of this I quote the following: "Before the mountains were brought
forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from
everlasting to everlasting, thou art God."[A] "And thou. Lord, in the
beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are
the works of thy hands: they shall perish; but thou remainest; and they
shall wax old as doth a garment; and as a vesture shalt thou fold them
up, and they shall be changed; but thou art the same, and thy years
shall not fail."[B]

[Footnote A: Psalms xc: 2.]

[Footnote B: Heb. i: 10-12.]

The scriptures, however, are more specific than this as to the works of
creation in connection with our earth and the heavens connected with
it. It is written: "God * * * hath in these last days spoken unto us by
his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, _by whom also he
made the worlds_."[C]

[Footnote C: Heb. i: 1, 2.]

From this it appears that God through and by Jesus Christ created the
worlds, not only one world, but doubtless many; and this agrees with
a number of other scriptures. The apostle John says, in opening his
Gospel--in plain allusion to Christ: "All things were made by him; and
without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and
the life was the light of men."[D] Paul also says: "But to us there
is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him;
and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him."[E]
"And hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son, * * * who is
the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature; for
by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in
earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or
principalities, or powers: All things were created by him, and for him:
And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. And he is
the head of the body, the church; who is the beginning, the firstborn
from the dead, that in all things he might have the pre-eminence. For
it pleased the Father that in him should all fullness dwell."[F]

[Footnote D: John i: 3, 4.]

[Footnote E: I. Cor. viii: 6.]

[Footnote F: Col. i: 13-19.]

It was doubtless these considerations which led President Young to
say: "Christ is the author of this earth, of men and women, of all the
posterity of Adam and Eve, and of every living creature that lives upon
the face of the earth, that flies in the heavens, that swims in the
waters, or dwells in the field. Christ is the author of salvation to
all this creation, to all things pertaining to this terrestrial globe
we occupy."[G]

[Footnote G: Journal of Discourses, Vol. III, p. 80.]

Christ being, under the direction of the Father the Creator and
Redeemer of the earth, he and his Father have a proprietorship in this
earth, and by virtue of that are the Supreme Governing Power in it. The
Lord Jesus Christ, under directions from his Father, created it; he
then redeemed it by his own suffering; he is now, and has been from the
beginning, watching over it; and will yet sanctify it, and present it
to the Father a glorious, celestial sphere to be added to the redeemed
and glorified kingdoms of God. "Remember the former things of old,"
saith the Lord through Isaiah, "for I am God and there is none else; I
am God and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning,
and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying my
counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure."[H]

[Footnote H: Isaiah xlvi, 8-10.]

From the scriptures, then, we get abundant evidence that God is the
creator of, and the power that sustains the heavens and the earth, and
the Supreme Ruler of them; so that no fear need exist in the mind of
any who put their trust in God, that other powers will or can thwart
his purposes, for having all power in heaven and in earth, he is able
to fulfill his promises.

I now come to the character of the Deity, as we have it revealed to us
in the scriptures. The references I make are brief, though sufficient,
I hope, for my purpose. I assure my readers, however, that they may be
indefinitely extended, as the scriptures are replete with such passages.

Moses says: "And the Lord passed by before him and proclaimed, the
Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering and abundant
in goodness and truth."[I] "The Lord executeth righteousness and
judgment for all that are oppressed. He made known his ways unto
Moses, his acts unto the children of Israel. The Lord is merciful
and gracious, slow to anger and plenteous in mercy. But the mercy of
the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him,
and his righteousness unto children's children; to such as keep his
covenants and to those that remember his commandments to do them."[J]

[Footnote I: Exodus xxxiv: 6.]

[Footnote J: Psalms ciii: 6, 7, 8, 17, 18.]

"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh
down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither
shadow of turning."[K] "For I am the Lord, I change not; therefore ye
sons of Jacob are not consumed."[L] "For God doth not walk in crooked
paths, neither does he turn to the right hand nor to the left, or vary
from that which he has said, therefore his paths are straight, and his
course is one eternal round."[M] "Listen to the voice of the Lord your
God, even Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, whose course is
one eternal round, the same today as yesterday and forever."[N]

[Footnote K: James i: 17.]

[Footnote L: Mai. iii: 6.]

[Footnote M: Doc. and Cov., sec, iii: 2.]

[Footnote N: Doc and Cov., sec. xxxv: 1.]

"God is not a man that he should lie, neither the son of man that
he should repent."[O] "Into thy hand I commit my spirit; thou hast
redeemed me, O Lord God of Truth."[P] "He is the rock, his work is
perfect; for all his ways are judgment; a God of truth and without
iniquity, just and right is he."[Q]

[Footnote O: Numbers xxiii: 19]

[Footnote P: Psalms xxxi: 5.]

[Footnote Q: Deut. xxxii: 4.]

Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons, but in every
nation he that feareth God and worketh righteousness is accepted with
him.[R]

[Footnote R: Acts x: 34, 35.]

"He that loveth not, knoweth not God; for God is love: * * * and he
that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him."[S] "For God
so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever
believeth on him should not perish but have everlasting life."[T]

[Footnote S: John iv: 8-16.]

[Footnote T: John iii: 16.]

I can think of no greater evidence of God's love than that exhibited
in the act of permitting his Son, Jesus Christ, to come to the earth
and suffer as he did for the sins of the world, that they might not
suffer if they would but conform to his laws and thus accept the terms
of salvation. It would seem, too, that the same attribute of love
exists in the breast of the Son, for the sacrifice he made for the
redemption of the world was a voluntary act. He was not compelled to
make the atonement, but of his own free will he volunteered to become
our ransom.[U]

[Footnote U: Pearl of Great Price, p. 41]

He himself testified: "Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay
down my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but
I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power
to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father."[V]

[Footnote V: John x: 17, 18.]

Thus, the atonement of Jesus, for the children of men, was a voluntary
act; and his death and suffering for the world, was the strongest
expression of his love it is possible to conceive--"Greater love hath
no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends."

From the foregoing testimonies we learn the following things respecting
the character of God.

"First, that he is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, abundant
in goodness, and that he was so from everlasting, and will be so to
everlasting.

"Secondly, that he changes not, neither is there variableness with him;
but that he is the same from everlasting to everlasting, being the
same yesterday, today, and forever, and that his course is one eternal
round, without variation.

"Thirdly, that he is a God of truth and cannot lie.

"Fourthly, that he is no respecter of persons, but in every nation he
who fears God and works righteousness is accepted of him.

"Fifthly, that he is love."[W]

[Footnote W: I quote the above paragraphs from the III. Lecture on
Faith, Doc. and Cov.]

I conclude this chapter with the remarks made upon these attributes of
Deity, to be found in one of the lectures on faith in the Doctrine and
Covenants:

"An acquaintance with these attributes in the divine character, is
essentially necessary, in order that the faith of any rational being
can center in him for life and salvation. For unless he was merciful
and gracious, slow to anger, long suffering and full of goodness,
such is the weakness of human nature, and so great the frailties
and imperfections of men, that unless they believed that these
excellencies existed in the divine character, the faith necessary to
salvation could not exist; for doubt would take the place of faith,
and those who know their weakness and liability to sin, would be in
constant doubt of salvation, if it were not for the idea which they
have of the excellency of the character of God, that he is slow to
anger and long suffering, and of a forgiving disposition, and does
forgive iniquity, transgression and sin. An idea of these facts does
away doubt, and makes faith exceedingly strong.

"But it is equally as necessary that men should have the idea that
he is a God who changes not, in order to have faith in him, as it is
to have the idea that he is gracious and long suffering; for without
the idea of unchangeableness in the character of the Deity, doubt
would take the place of faith. But with the idea that he changes not,
faith lays hold upon the excellencies in his character with unshaken
confidence, believing he is the same yesterday, today and forever, and
that his course is one eternal round.

"And again, the idea that he is a God of truth and cannot lie, is
equally as necessary to the exercise of faith in him as the idea of
his unchangeableness. For without the idea that he was a God of truth
and could not lie, the confidence necessary to be placed in his word,
in order to the exercise of faith in him could not exist. But having
the idea that he is not man, that he cannot lie, it gives power to the
minds of men to exercise faith in him.

"But it is also necessary that men should have an idea that he is no
respecter of persons, for with the idea of all the other excellencies
in his character, and this one wanting, men could not exercise faith
in him; because if he were a respecter of persons, they could not
tell what their privileges were, nor how far they were authorized to
exercise faith in him, or whether they were authorized to do it at all,
but all must be confusion; but no sooner are the minds of men made
acquainted with the truth on this point, that he is no respecter of
persons, than they see that they have authority by faith to lay hold on
eternal life, the richest boon of heaven, because God is no respecter
of persons, and that every man in every nation has an equal privilege.

"And lastly, but not less important to the exercise of faith in God, is
the idea that he is love; for with all the other excellencies in his
character, without this one to influence them, they could not have such
powerful dominion over the minds of men; but when the idea is planted
in the mind that he is love, who cannot see the just ground that men of
every nation, kindred, and tongue, have to exercise faith in God so as
to obtain eternal life!

"From the above description of the character of the Deity, which is
given him in the revelations to men, there is a sure foundation for the
exercise of faith in him among every people, nation, and kindred, from
age to age, and from generation to generation."[X]

[Footnote X: Doc and Cov., Lectures on Faith, No. III.]



CHAPTER XVI.

FAITH.--COURSE OF LIFE.

I have now considered two elements which enter into the principle of
faith, and which are essential to its existence; _viz_., a belief in the
being of God; and, secondly, the nature of his character. There is
still one more thing that must be considered, one more element that
must enter into this principle of faith, before it can become a living,
active power in the life of man--and that is, herein the worth of
faith exists. I may say of faith as Guizot does of science, that it
may be a beautiful thing of itself, but it becomes a thousand times
grander and more beautiful when it becomes a power; when it becomes
the parent of virtue. Indeed if it does not become a power in the life
of man, an incentive to noble deeds, it is a dead faith, and is as the
body without the spirit, or as salt without its savor--it is good for
nothing.

The third element which is essential to faith as a power in the life
of man, centers in and depends upon man rather than God. A belief
in the fact that God exists, with a correct idea of his character
is sufficient for man to exercise faith in him, but man must know
something about himself also; that is, he must know that the course
of life he is pursuing is in accordance with the will of heaven--is
approved of God, before faith can become perfect, or have any marked
influence with the heavens. This truth is self-evident. For what
confidence can one have that his petition will be heard and answered
by the Lord, if all the time he is conscious that he habitually,
perhaps wantonly, violates the law of God--if he blasphemes the name
of Deity, or speaks lightly, and may be slightingly, of sacred things,
or walks contrary to the expressed will of the Lord in the matter of
truthfulness, sobriety, chastity, honesty and brotherly kindness? What
confidence, I ask, can such a person have that his petitions will be
sufficiently respected either to be heard or granted? The understanding
answers, none. It stands to reason that such persons must repent, and
that earnestly, with real intent, with a fixed determination to respect
God and his laws, before they can hope for the powers of heaven to be
influenced by them. It is the prayer of the righteous man that availeth
much.

On the other hand, if one walk in all honesty of heart before God; if
to the best of his ability and knowledge, making due allowance for
human frailty--and I do not under-estimate its influence in hindering
that perfect walk with God, that is desirable--he keeps the laws of his
God, sacrificing his good name among men, if need be, or leaving father
or mother, houses or lands, wives and children, counting all things but
dross, when compared with the excellence of the knowledge of God--being
faithful through good and through evil report--resulting, as it must
do, in a consciousness of the approval of heaven--how strong will his
confidence become in the presence of the Lord, and what blessings can
the heavens withhold from him?

It was this consciousness of having walked truly before his God,
which, when the word of the Lord came to him, that he should surely
die, enabled king Hezekiah to turn to the Lord, in confidence, and
say: "Remember, now, O Lord, I beseech thee, how I have walked before
thee in truth, and with a perfect heart, and have done good in thy
sight."[A] And before Isaiah had left the house of the king, the word
of the Lord came again to him, bidding him to return to the king with
the glad message that his prayer had been heard, and fifteen years had
been added to his life.

[Footnote A: Isaiah xxxviii.]

It was this consciousness, coupled with a belief in God's existence
and a knowledge of his character, that enabled the ancient saints to
endure their sore afflictions, taking joyfully the spoiling of their
goods. By combining these elements of faith they produced a power by
which they "subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises,
stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the
edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in
fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. Women received their
dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting
deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection: and others
had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and
imprisonment: they were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted,
were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and
goatskins; being, destitute, afflicted, tormented. Of whom the world
was not worthy, they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens
and caves of the earth."[B]

[Footnote B: Heb. xi: 33-38.]

Such is Paul's testimony respecting the faith and the power thereof
among the saints on the Eastern hemisphere; and if we turn to the
sacred pages of the Book of Mormon, a like record of sacrifice and
heroism could be drawn up to the credit of the saints living on the
Western hemisphere.

And so also with the Saints in this present dispensation. It was
through faith that the Prophet Joseph Smith had the heavens opened
to him and received a glorious vision of God the Father and his Son
Jesus Christ; it was through faith that he received the gold plates on
which were engraven the history and scriptures of the Nephites, and
translated them into the English language; it was by the power of faith
that he organized the church and the quorums of the priesthood. It was
by the power of faith, too, that the Saints endured the persecutions
heaped upon them in Missouri, the land of Zion, taking joyfully the
spoiling of their goods, being whipped, imprisoned and murdered. It
was by faith they gathered at Nauvoo and converted its swamps into a
beautiful city, its wilderness into fruitful fields and erected the
beautiful temple in the days of their poverty. By faith they restrained
their anger when their prophet and patriarch were murdered while
under the plighted faith of the State of Illinois, and committed no
depredations on the ungodly within their power in retaliation for the
cowardly assassination of their leaders.

By faith they followed the prophet Brigham into the desert, going a
thousand miles beyond the borders of civilization among savage Indian
tribes, their only hope of protection being in the God of Israel.
By faith they subdued the sterile soil and made it yield them the
bounties of life, and filled the once barren wastes of the Rocky
Mountain valleys with towns and villages; farms, gardens, orchards
and happy homes for an extent of more than five hundred miles; and
by faith they have calmly endured fines, confiscations, exile and
imprisonment--persecution under the forms of law--at the hands of the
United States government, rather than be untrue to their God.

Such experiences as these I have referred to in the history of the
Saints, both of ancient and modern times, demonstrates to the heavens
the strength or quality of faith possessed by the Saints, and also
exhibits faith as a principle of power, for such it is; who can doubt
it when we are told that through faith the worlds were framed by the
Word of God;[C] and through faith the saints in all ages of the world
have been able to perform the works already set down to their credit.

[Footnote C: Heb. xi: 3.]

Another result flows from these experiences--these sufferings, trials
and sacrifices of the saints. They bring to the faithful who endure
them the assurance--nay, the knowledge of their acceptance with God.
This knowledge occupies an important place in religion, for it is
through that knowledge and through that alone, that men will be able
to endure the trials that ever have and ever will, in a state of
probation, beset the pathway of candidates for the celestial kingdom
of God. "Such was and ever will be the situation of the saints of
God, that unless they have an actual knowledge that the course they
are pursuing is according to the will of God, they will grow weary
in their minds, and faint; for such has been, and always will be the
opposition in the hearts of unbelievers and those that know not God,
against the pure and unadulterated religion of heaven (the only thing
which insures eternal life), that they will persecute to the uttermost
all that worship God according to his revelations, receive the truth
in the love of it, and submit themselves to be guided and directed by
his will; and drive them to such extremities, that nothing short of an
actual knowledge of their being the favorites of heaven, and of their
having embraced that order of things which God has established for the
redemption of man, will enable them to exercise that confidence in him,
necessary for them to overcome the world, and obtain that crown of
glory which is laid up for them that fear God. . ."

"For unless a person does know that he is walking according to the
will of God, it would be offering an insult to the dignity of the
Creator, were he to say, that he would be a partaker of his glory when
he should be done with the things of this life. But when he has this
knowledge, and most assuredly knows that he is doing the will of God,
his confidence can be equally strong that he will be a partaker of the
glory of God."

"Let us here observe, that a religion that does not require the
sacrifice of all things, never has power sufficient to produce the
faith necessary unto life and salvation; for, from the first existence
of man, the faith necessary unto the enjoyment of life and salvation
never could be obtained without the sacrifice of all earthly things.
It was through this sacrifice, and this only, that God has ordained
that men should enjoy eternal life; and it is through the medium of the
sacrifice of all earthly things, that men do actually know that they
are doing the things that are well pleasing in the sight of God. When a
man has offered in sacrifice all that he has for the truth's sake, not
even withholding his life, and believing before God that he has been
called to make this sacrifice because he seeks to do his will, he does
know, most assuredly, that God does and will accept his sacrifice and
offering, and that he has not, nor will not, seek his face in vain.
Under these circumstances, then, he can obtain the faith necessary for
him to lay hold on eternal life."

"It is in vain for persons to fancy to themselves that they are heirs
with those, or can be heirs with them, who have offered their all in
sacrifice, and by this means obtained faith in God and favor with him,
so as to obtain eternal life, unless they, in like manner, offer unto
him the same sacrifice, and through that offering, obtain the knowledge
that they are accepted of him. * * * From the days of righteous Abel to
the present time, the knowledge that men have that they are accepted in
the sight of God, is obtained by offering sacrifice. And in the last
days, before the Lord comes, he is to gather together his saints who
have made a covenant with him, by sacrifice: 'Our God shall come, and
shall not keep silence: a fire shall devour before him, and it shall
be very tempestuous round about him. He shall call to the heavens
from above, and to the earth, that he may judge his people. Gather my
saints together unto me; those that have made a covenant with me by
sacrifice.'"[D]

[Footnote D: Psalms i: 3-5.]

"Those, then, who make the sacrifice, will have the testimony that
their course is pleasing in the sight of God; and those who have this
testimony will have faith to lay hold on eternal life, and will be
enabled, through faith, to endure unto the end, and receive the crown
that is laid up for them that love the appearing of our Lord Jesus
Christ. But those who do not make the sacrifice cannot enjoy this
faith, because men are dependent upon this sacrifice in order to obtain
this faith; therefore they cannot lay hold upon eternal life, because
the revelations of God do not guarantee unto them the authority so to
do, and without this guarantee faith could not exist."

"All the saints of whom we have any account, in all the revelations
of God which are extant, obtained the knowledge which they had of
their acceptance in his sight through the sacrifice which they offered
unto him; and through the knowledge thus obtained their faith became
sufficiently strong to lay hold upon the promise of eternal life, and
to endure as seeing him who is invisible; and were enabled, through
faith, to combat the powers of darkness, contend against the wiles of
the adversary, overcome the world, and obtain the end of their faith,
even the salvation of their souls."[E]

[Footnote E: Doc. and Cov., Lecture on Faith, No. VI.]

This, then, is my exposition of the grand principle of faith: It is an
assurance of the mind of the existence or reality of things not seen,
or that have not been demonstrated to any other of the senses. It takes
root in evidence, more or less convincing to the understanding; and the
strength of the faith depends largely upon the quality and quantity
of the evidence. The more unquestionable, the more overwhelming the
evidence, the more strong and immovable will be the faith.

As a principle of religion, faith centers in God, and bids man hope for
salvation and eternal life. I have endeavored to show in the foregoing
pages that in order that faith may be intelligently exercised in God,
it is essential that there should be a belief in his existence, and
correct ideas as to his character. I trust that the evidences pointed
out as to the fact that he exists have been sufficient to produce that
belief; and that the testimonies adduced have been of a character to
fix in the mind of the reader a just estimate of his character. If
that has been accomplished, then I feel assured that a faith has been
established in the mind that will lead to repentance, to an effort
to yield obedience to the laws of heaven. That effort persevered in
will, in time, bring the consciousness that the course of life being
pursued is in accordance with the will of heaven, and by a union of
these three elements, that is, a belief in the existence of God, a
correct conception of his character, and a knowledge that the course
of life pursued is approved of him--will render faith perfect, will
constitute it a principle of power, the incentive to all action--as
really it is, whether in temporal or spiritual things--leading from one
degree of knowledge or excellence to another, from righteousness to
righteousness, until the heavens will be opened to them and they will
hold communion with the Church of the First Born, with Jesus Christ,
and with God the Father, and thus will they make their calling and
election sure--through faith ripening into knowledge.



CHAPTER XVII.

REPENTANCE.

In saying that the first result of belief in God, and in the
revelations which he has given is _repentance_, I shall raise no
controversy, for it is a truth generally accepted; indeed it follows
faith in logical sequence. No sooner does conviction of God's
existence, and of the truth of the revelations which he has given
of himself, and of his laws, dawn upon the mind, than man becomes
conscious of his being a violator of the holy and just laws of heaven.
In the days of his unbelief and spiritual darkness he sinned recklessly
and wantonly, without regard to God and often in defiance of him;
but when belief takes hold of the mind, and when mere belief begins
to ripen into intelligent faith through becoming acquainted with the
character of the Deity--when it becomes clear to the understanding
that he is the creative and sustaining power of all things; when it is
understood that from him man derives his existence and that in him he
lives, and moves and has his being; and when it is further known that
his laws are beneficent and good, shaped for the purpose of ennobling
man and exalting him; when some revelation of the great love of God and
his Son Jesus Christ rushes in upon the mind like a flood of heavenly
light into darkness--how the haughty, rebellious spirit is humbled, the
heart softened, and the whole demeanor changed! With what contrition
does the man, truly convinced of all these things we have enumerated
respecting the Deity, seek the throne of grace and cry aloud: "O God!
Have mercy upon me a sinner!" For almost at the same moment that faith
took hold of him, he began to understand how great his sins were before
God. And that realization growls upon him as conviction, becomes more
certain, until the spirit is bowed down with sorrow because of his
many violations of the laws of righteousness. Nor do these remarks
apply only to those who have been enormously wicked. Take those of a
naturally good disposition, and who have followed the light of reason,
and even they, in taking a retrospective view of their lives, will find
that they have fallen far short of coming up to what they conceived
to be their duty. Even the light they possessed--I mean aside from
the revelations of God--revealed to them a higher moral excellence
than they have attained. They have not done as well as they could
have done. This fact is evident--one of which all may give witness.
This being true, that is, man seeing that he has come short of doing
his whole duty according to his natural conceptions of what that duty
is, how much more distant from the goal of desired excellence will he
esteem himself when the light of revelation breaks in upon his life,
bringing into bolder relief his mistakes, and revealing to him a purer
moral and spiritual life than it was possible for his mind, unaided by
revelation, to conceive? I venture the assertion that even the best
men--by that I mean those who have best conformed their lives to the
rules of conduct dictated by reason--will be ready to say with the
apostle, "All have sinned and come short of the glory of God."

Hence they, as well as those guilty of more flagrant sins, will, as
faith takes possession of their minds, be brought to repentance through
its influence, and be led to seek forgiveness of their sins, and
reconciliation with God.

That repentance is the first result growing out of faith in God and the
Gospel, is abundantly proven from the scriptures. The multitude that
assembled on the day of Pentecost, and listened to the remarks of the
apostles, and even heard them speak in tongues, by the power of the
Holy Ghost, were ready to scoff at those things, and even went so far
as to say that these men were drunken with new wine; but when Peter
arose and reasoned with them from the scriptures, proving from the law
and the prophets that Jesus, whom the Jews had slain, was both Lord
and Christ, his words and testimony were accompanied by so much of the
power of God, that conviction took hold of the people, and, as with
one voice, they cried, "Men and brethren, what shall we do?" In this
instance, then, the first fruits of that faith which had been created
in the minds of this people, was a desire to know what they were to
do; and the first words that the inspired apostle said in reply were,
"Repent, every one of you."[A]

[Footnote A: Acts ii.]

Paul, of Tarsus, afterwards the great apostle to the Gentiles, at first
persecuted the disciples of Jesus, casting both men and women into
prison for what he considered their blasphemous faith. And when Stephen
was martyred, Paul stood by and held the clothes of those who did the
ghastly, cruel deed. He appears to have been proud of and zealous in
the prosecution of this work of opposition; but when the Lord appeared
to him on the way to Damascus, and announced himself as Jesus whom he
persecuted, the ambitious, arrogant Paul was immediately humbled to the
dust, and in tremulous accents he inquired, "Lord, what wouldst thou
have me to do?"[B] How deep the sorrow, how sincere the repentance was
which began in the very moment of his learning the fact that Jesus was
the Lord, is witnessed by his life of zealous labors and his suffering
in the interest of the kingdom of Messiah.

[Footnote B: Acts ix.]

The Book of Mormon also furnishes a number of examples of like
character. When a church was established among the Nephites, in
the reign of good King Mosiah, about 100 B. C, the work of God was
bitterly opposed, derided and persecuted by the sons of King Mosiah,
and especially by Alma, one of the sons of the first Alma, and a man
of great influence and consummate eloquence. Paul-like, these men went
about doing all the mischief to the people of God within their power;
but at last an angel of the Lord appeared to them, to bring them to
a knowledge of the truth, and this occurred in answer to the fervent
prayers of their parents. The glory of God shone about the angel, and
his voice shook the earth. Alma was smitten dumb for a season, and
had to be carried to the presence of his father; and when his speech
returned to him, the eloquent scoffer of a few days before, was as
humble as a child, and as penitent and submissive as it is possible
for man to be. He repented of all his former sins, and throughout the
remainder of his eventful life, was a zealous missionary and a faithful
witness for God.[C]

[Footnote C: The history of this case is in the Book of Mosiah, Book of
Mormon, ch. xxvii.]

Similar in point, too, is the case of Zeezrom, the lawyer, who
withstood, for a time, the teachings of Alma and Amulek, but was
brought to faith and repentance through the manifestation of the power
of God.[D] Enough, however, has been said in relation to a fact that
in the very nature of things is largely self-evident; and surely after
the illustration it has received, will not now be questioned; that is,
that repentance is the first result growing out of faith in God and
in revelation; and therefore it is the subject that, according to the
natural order of things, must now receive our attention.

[Footnote D: See Book of Alma, xi-xvi.]



CHAPTER XVIII.

REPENTANCE.

Something of the importance of the subject of repentance, as connected
with the Gospel, may be learned from the stress laid upon it by those
who have been sent of God to instruct the people in the ways of
life. The burden of John the Baptist's teaching was, "Repent ye, for
the kingdom of heaven is at hand."[A] Jesus also told the people of
Jerusalem, that except they repented, they should perish.[B] When upon
the Western hemisphere, among the Nephites, he also taught repentance
as one of the conditions of salvation, saying to them, "Whosoever will
hearken to my words, and repenteth and is baptized, the same shall be
saved."[C] And of course it follows that those who repented not, and
were not baptized, could not be saved.

[Footnote A: Matt. iii: 2.]

[Footnote B: Luke xiii: 1-5.]

[Footnote C: III. Nephi xxiii: 5.]

When the apostles, that were chosen in Judea, began the execution of
the commission given them, _viz_., to go and teach all nations, the very
first thing they required the people who received their words to do
was that they should repent.[D] Paul bears witness, that though in the
days of ignorance God winked at sins, when the Gospel was declared
unto the people, he commanded men everywhere to repent. And in this
last dispensation, the Lord inspired his servant Joseph Smith to say,
"We know that all men must repent, and believe on the name of Jesus
Christ, * * * or they cannot be saved in the kingdom of God."[E]

[Footnote D: Luke xiii: 1-5.]

[Footnote E: Doc. and Cov., sec. xx: 29.]

From these scriptures it is evident that repentance is one of the
conditions of salvation, and, indeed, reason, no less forcibly than
revelation, would teach us that it is one of the conditions on which
salvation is predicated. It must forever precede a forgiveness of
sins. He who is impenitent is in no condition to receive a forgiveness
of sins; he does not desire it; he would not receive it; he refuses
to surrender, and however much men and angels may deplore his state
of mind, one cannot conceive how God would forgive anyone in open
rebellion to him and his laws, and who persists in that rebellion. Not
until the spirit is humbled, not until the heart throbs with genuine
sorrow for repeated violation of God's holy laws, not until the
citadel of sin is surrendered, can man hope for forgiveness, or expect
salvation.

But what is repentance? I shall venture as a definition this,
Repentance is a deep and heartfelt sorrow for sin, producing a
reformation of life. That is the significance of the word to my mind as
associated with the Gospel; and I think such a definition arises from
the spirit, and, I may say, the letter of the scriptures.

"Repent, and turn yourselves from your transgressions; so iniquity
shall not be your ruin. Cast away from you all your transgressions,
whereby you have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new
spirit, for why will ye die, O house of Israel?"[F]

[Footnote F: Ezek. xviii: 30, 31.]

Such was the word of the Lord to Israel through the prophet Ezekiel.
I call the attention of the reader to the fact, that the idea of
turning away from transgressions, and making a new heart and a new
spirit, or in other word, a reformation of life, is associated with the
commandment to repent, and forms part of it.

Paul wrote an epistle to the Corinthian saints, reproving them for
their sins, and his sharp reproofs filled them with sorrow. In a
subsequent epistle to the same people, and alluding to the effect of
his former epistle, he said: "Though I made you sorry with a letter, I
do not repent. * * * I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that
you sorrowed unto repentance; for ye were made sorry after a godly
manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing. For godly sorrow
worketh repentance unto salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow
of the world worketh death."[G]

[Footnote G: II. Cor. vii: 8-10.]

From this passage it appears that Paul recognized two kinds of sorrow,
or repentance, one of which has need to be repented of, because
unfruitful of reformation, and therefore not profitable in the way of
salvation--the sorrow of the world which worketh death. On the other
hand is godly sorrow, or repentance which bringeth salvation, known
to both men and angels, aye, and likewise to God, by the fruit it
bears--good works--forsaking evil, producing a reformation of life.
It leads one who stole to steal no more; one in the habit of getting
drunk, to get drunk no more; one who blasphemed the name of God to
do so no more; and so on as to all things in which man violates the
sacred principles of righteousness. It is written in James: "Submit
yourselves, therefore, to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from
you. Draw nigh to God and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands,
ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. Be afflicted and
mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy
to heaviness. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall
lift you up."[H]

[Footnote H: James iv: 7-10.]

Because of the stress here laid upon the necessity of humility, and
the people being commanded to mourn and weep, to let their laughter be
turned to mourning, and their joy to heaviness, some religious teachers
(like the Pharisees and scribes of old who tithed mint and anise and
cummin, but omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy
and faith) give so much attention to weeping, mourning and crying
aloud, in order to appear to be afflicted, that they have overlooked
the weightier matters--cleansing their hands, purifying their hearts,
resisting the devil and drawing nigh unto God. These ought they to
do, and not leave the other--the weeping and mourning, inasmuch as it
arises from a deep and heartfelt conviction of sinfulness--undone.

But at present there is too much of what Paul would call "worldly
sorrow" mixed up with the idea of repentance. Too much mourning over
sin, yet running into temptation; an excess of lamentation and not
enough of turning away from evil; in a word, the sorrow of the world,
which worketh death, is too prevalent. How weary must be the old, old
story to God and angels, as well as to men--"we have done those things
we ought not to have done, and have left undone those things we ought
to have done!"

Then again, the sorrow of the world, the sorrow which worketh death,
is too generally accepted for genuine repentance; the latter may be
known and distinguished from the former by its being accompanied by
a reformation of life, a turning away from that which is evil--the
kind of repentance required in the Gospel, the only kind that will be
accepted of God, or that savors of salvation. God, whom we esteem as
a being in whom all the fullness of perfection dwells, must ever be
more pleased with the substance of worship, or religion, or repentance
than with the forms pertaining to it, and this is abundantly proven by
instances recorded in holy writ.

In the days of Israel's captivity in Babylon, certain messengers from
those who were captive, Sherezer and Regem-melech and their men, went
up to Jerusalem to inquire of the prophets and priests of the Lord if
Israel while in captivity should keep the fast of the fifth month,
and weep, separating themselves as they had hitherto done. In answer
to these inquiries the word of the Lord came through the prophet
Zechariah, and he asks: "When ye fasted and mourned in the fifth and
seventh month, even those seventy years, did ye at all fast unto me,
even to me? And when ye did eat, and when ye did drink, did not ye eat
for yourselves and drink for yourselves? Should ye not hear the words
which the Lord hath cried by the former prophets, when Jerusalem was
inhabited and in prosperity, and the cities thereof round about her,
when men inhabited the south and the plain?"

He reminds them that through the former prophets he had commanded
Israel to execute true judgment, to show mercy and compassion every
man to his brother; to oppress not the widow and the fatherless, the
stranger nor the poor; to let none imagine evil in his heart against
his brother. But these things they neglected to do, and the Lord
permitted their enemies to scatter them among strange nations.

As a final answer to those messengers, however, the Lord said: "These
are the things which ye shall do: speak ye every man the truth to his
neighbor, execute the judgment of truth and peace in your gates: and
let none of you imagine evil in your heart against his neighbor: and
love no false oath: for all these are things which I hate, saith the
Lord." And then the Lord, on condition of their doing this, promised
them that "The fast of the fourth month, and the fast of the fifth, and
the fast of the seventh, and the fast of the tenth, shall be to the
house of Judah joy and gladness and cheerful feasts; therefore love the
truth and peace."[I]

[Footnote I: Zech., chapters vii and viii.]

Surely, after the spirit of this circumstance is carefully considered,
it will be admitted that I am right in my statement, that God is more
pleased with the substance of repentance, than with the weeping and
mourning attendant upon it; more satisfied with the reformation of the
sinner, than with his affliction.

Then, how reasonable and righteous is this law of repentance! When one
guilty of violating the laws of heaven desires forgiveness, the very
least thing that can be expected of him is that he will refrain from
doing again those things which constituted his offense, and form an
honest resolution to refrain from evil.

Moreover, repentance is chiefly beneficial to the person who practices
it. The commandment from God to repent--always given in connection
with the declaration of the Gospel--is really nothing more than an
invitation to do one's self a kindness. It can only be an abomination
to fools to depart from evil. It is written, also, that "Righteousness
exalteth a nation; but sin is a reproach to any people."[J] And as it
is with a nation, so it is with individuals.

[Footnote J: Proverbs of Solomon.]

Again, the voice of inspiration says: "As righteousness tendeth to
life, so he that pursueth evil, pursueth it to his own death." To
repent, then, means to turn aside from the path which leads to death,
and choose that which leads to life--to life eternal. And while the
angels in heaven may rejoice over one who turns from the error of his
way; yet, the chief good arising from the reformation of the sinner, is
reaped by himself.

Since God, then, in this matter of repentance seeks only the good of
those of whom the requirement is made, "Let the wicked forsake his
wicked way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him turn unto
the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God for he will
abundantly pardon."[K]

[Footnote K: Isaiah lv: 7.]



CHAPTER XIX.

REPENTANCE.--HISTORICAL ILLUSTRATION.

Historical illustration of the truth of the statement made by Isaiah,
with which our last chapter closed, and which in effect says that the
Lord will have mercy on the penitent sinner and abundantly pardon
him--would be easy, whether in the experience of individuals or of
peoples and nations.

When Cain was crest-fallen because the offerings of his more righteous
brother were accepted, while his own half-hearted and begrudgingly-tendered
offerings were rejected, the Lord said to him, "Cain, why art
thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen? If thou doest well,
shalt thou not be accepted?"[A] So it would seem that the Lord was
just as ready to receive Cain as he was Abel, if the former would only
repent.

[Footnote A: Gen. iv: 6, 7.]

In my first chapter on repentance (chapter xvii), I referred to the
case of Paul's conversion, and I only name it again in order to call
the reader's attention to the readiness with which the Lord forgave him
fully, and made him an honored servant in his church on his turning
away from his sins. In the same chapter reference is also made to the
case of Zeezrom, the lawyer, to Alma, the son of the first Alma, and
to the sons of Mosiah his companions, all of whom, like Paul, were
among the chief of sinners, because they persecuted the Church of God;
but on their sincere repentance, as in Paul's case, the Lord freely
and abundantly pardoned them. Among the remarkable characters of old,
perhaps none are more interesting than the person known in the Book of
Ether as the brother of Jared.[B] He is the prophet whom God chose to
lead away a colony from the great tower, built shortly after the flood,
to the choice land of America. After this colony had been led from the
tower into the wilderness, they pitched their tents in a land they
called Moriancumer, by the sea-side; and here they dwelt for four years.

[Footnote B: See Book of Mormon.]

During this season of rest and peace they forgot their God, and
neglected to call upon him. It seems, too, that the brother of Jared
was guilty of this thing, as well as his brethren. At last the Lord
appeared to the brother of Jared in a cloud, and reproved him for his
neglect, and for the space of about three hours he chastened him for
his sins. "And the brother of Jared repented of the evil which he had
done, and did call upon the name of the Lord for his brethren who were
with him. And the Lord said unto him, I forgive thee and thy brethren
of their sins; but thou shalt not sin any more, for ye shall remember
that my spirit will not always strive with man; wherefore, if ye will
sin until ye are fully ripe, ye shall be cut off from the presence
of the Lord."[C] Note how readily the Lord forgave as soon as the
transgressors repented!

[Footnote C: Book of Ether, in Book of Mormon, ch. ii.]

Time would fail me to tell of Laman and Lemuel, the elder brothers
of Nephi, who so frequently were in rebellion against God, and their
younger brother, whom the Lord had chosen to be a leader and a prophet
unto them. How often they assaulted his person, bound him with cords,
scorned his teachings, rejected his warnings and trampled the message
of God under their feet! Yet as often as they repented both Nephi and
the Lord forgave them, and that freely.

The experience of these persons, and that of many others related
in holy writ, is surely sufficient to prove the willingness of God
to forgive. Yet, take one more evidence of it, not from personal
experience, however, but from the spirit of the teachings of the Son of
God. On a certain occasion the apostle Peter came to Jesus and said:
"Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him; till
seven times? Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee until seven
times: but until seventy times seven."[D]

[Footnote D: Matt. xviii: 21, 22.]

Since the Lord requires so much mercy, such a generous spirit
of forgiveness in his children, may it not be reasonably
concluded--inasmuch as every noble quality that man possesses, is, in
Deity, enlarged and perfected--that God is infinitely more forgiving
than he has commanded his children to be? Such a conclusion, it seems
to me, is but reasonable; and, indeed, it is needful that such an idea
respecting the character of God, should exist in the minds of men; for,
as I have remarked elsewhere, such is the weakness of man, and the
frequency of his transgressions of God's law, that unless he knows that
the Lord is merciful, slow to anger, long-suffering, and always ready
to forgive, he would become disheartened; gloomy despair would drive
hope from the soul; and, hope once destroyed, leaves man a prey to all
the fiends of hell. He will then give a loose rein to every passion,
and under the whip and spur of his desperation, ride recklessly to
certain and everlasting destruction. He would have no good, he would
know no evil. Lucifer-like, he would exclaim:

    * * * "Whither shall I fly? Which way I fly is hell--myself am
    hell! And in the lowest deep, a lower deep Still opening wider,
    threatens to devour me!"

But man is rescued from this gloomy prospect by the assurance of God's
longsuffering and willingness to forgive; by knowing that while man
may drive compassion from his heart, God never will. Yet stay! there
is something more. Because of the loving kindness of our Father in
heaven, as abundantly manifested in his willingness to pardon our
transgressions, let us not lay the flattering unction to our souls
that we can go on sinning, carelessly and recklessly, without making
any effort to resist evil, relying, nay, rather, presuming upon the
kindness of God to forgive. Such a course would be doing despite to the
grace of God; it would be an unmitigated insult to the Most High; a
most presumptuous sin, deserving the severest condemnation.

The Lord is faithful to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from our
transgressions,[E] but it is on condition of our repentance, that we
confess our sins, and make a manly, determined effort to forsake them.
Therefore, while the tender mercies of our God, and his readiness to
forgive should encourage men "to pray and not faint," and by that means
seek forgiveness of sins, they should also remember that it is decreed
that the Spirit of the Lord will not always strive with man,[F] and
that there are some sins that may not be forgiven either in this life,
or in that which is to come.[G]

[Footnote E: I. John i: 9.]

[Footnote F: Gen. vi: 3.]

[Footnote G: Matt. xii: 31, 32.]



CHAPTER XX.

REPENTANCE.--HISTORICAL ILLUSTRATION.

If we turn to the history of peoples and nations in order to learn
the lessons which their experiences teach, we shall find that the
hand-dealings of God with them as collected bodies, as well as the
experiences of individuals, demonstrate the same great facts of God's
long-suffering and abundant mercy, and of his willingness to pardon on
the first manifestation of sincere repentance.

It was not until the antediluvians had become thoroughly corrupt,
not until every imagination of the thoughts of their hearts was evil
continually,[A] and they rejected the teachings of Noah, and were
beyond the hope of reformation, that the Lord sent the flood upon them
and cut them off that they might not perpetuate in their posterity
their corruption.

[Footnote A: Gen. vi.]

Next in chronological order to the antediluvians stands the people
of Jared; and from the brief history we have of them in the Book of
Mormon, consisting of an abridgement of the twenty-four plates of the
prophet Ether, we learn that they were frequently in rebellion against
God, and continually straying from his precepts and ordinances. Yet
as often as they repented he forgave them; and not only that, but
supplemented that forgiveness by such periods of prosperity, that one
would think that even if they knew no more than the dumb ass that
merely knows his master's crib, they must have been aware that it was
to their present as well as to their eternal interests to live in
obedience to the will of heaven. Yet sin, individual and national, was
added to sin, transgressions followed close upon the heels of each
other, and secret combinations were formed for robbery and to obtain
political power, spreading rapine, murder and terror throughout the
land, and menacing always the security of the political fabric.

In the midst of all this the Lord labored patiently for their
reformation, sending his servants, the prophets, to them, to teach
them the way of life and encourage them to observe the statutes and
judgments of the Lord. When persuasion failed, then warning was given
of calamities and judgments, followed by the chastening hand of God;
but all to no purpose; reform they would not. They killed the prophets,
and persecuted those who attempted to follow their counsels until
they filled up the cup of their iniquity, and the Spirit of the Lord
entirely withdrew from them, and then began that series of wars in the
sixth century B. C., which finally ended in the extermination of the
entire people.[B]

The history of ancient Israel, as recorded in the Bible, is very
similar to this. The Lord took them from the bondage of Egypt, to
sanctify them a people unto himself. He gave them Moses and Aaron and
other wise, faithful men to be their teachers, and led them from the
dominion of Egypt towards a choice land, their journey being attended
by such displays of God's glory and power as are seldom witnessed by
the inhabitants of the earth. The Gospel of the Son of God was first
presented to them, but when they would not abide its requirements, the
law of Moses, a less excellent law, was given to be their school-master
to bring them to Christ.[C] And when they complained against the free
constitution that had been given them, and would no longer sustain the
judges whom the Lord raised up to be their leaders, he gave them a
kingdom according to their desires,[D] but warned them of the bondage
to which it was liable to lead.

[Footnote B: See the Book of Ether, Book of Mormon, for their history.]

[Footnote C: Gal. iii; Heb. iv.]

[Footnote D: I. Sam. viii.]

The consequences of obedience to the laws which the Lord gave them
through Moses, even before the death of that great leader, were plainly
set before them; and surely the advantages that are there set forth,
leave nothings to be desired, no matter how ambitious of place, power,
honor, wealth, glory and dominion a nation might be. And, on the
other hand, in case of their forsaking their God and his laws, the
judgments, calamities, distress, wars, famines, pestilences, dishonor
and destruction that follow, as a consequence of their apostasy from
God, are drawn with such vividness, even down to the minutest detail,
that had these things been written after they came to pass--after
the threatened judgments were visited upon Israel, and especially
upon Judah--in a word, if they had been written as history instead
of prophecy--they could scarcely be more circumstantial than the
prophetic words of Moses.[E]

[Footnote E: See Deuteronomy xxviii.]

But notwithstanding all these promises of favor and blessing on the one
hand, and the forewarnings of calamity on the other, Israel rebelled
against God, wholly rejected him, and trampled upon his counsels.
The generous instructions of the teachers whom the Lord raised up to
instruct them in the things of righteousness and true government, were
unheeded. They killed the force and spirit of the law of Moses by
their vain traditions. The warnings of the prophets were unheeded, and
the prophets themselves were stoned and murdered. The earnest appeals
of Lehi, the sharp reproofs of Ezekiel, the prophetic pleadings of
Jeremiah as well as the poetic fire and more splendid prophecies of
Isaiah could do no more than to bring them to a partial repentance.

These means of correction failing, there was occasional chastisement
administered in wars, partial famines and seasons of captivity, to
remind them that justice was not dead, though at times it appeared to
sleep, and as a foretaste of the terrible wrath which would overtake
them if they persisted in their rebellion and wickedness. But all
this was of no avail. Neither the instructions of wise teachers, nor
reproofs of special messengers from God were sufficient to bring them
to repentance: Neither moving eloquence, nor prophetic warnings, nor
inspired portrayals of certain calamities could soften their obdurate
hearts. Even chastisement failed to produce any permanent reformation.

Finally, the Son of God came among them; but him they rejected, accused
and condemned of blasphemy, before their senate, and sentenced him who
did no sin to death; led him before Pontius Pilate, the Roman judge,
and, under the pressure of popular clamor, compelled that functionary
of the Roman government, against the sense of his better judgment, to
sign the warrant for his death; and then, amid the cry of "Let his
blood be upon us and our children," led him away to his crucifixion.

The climax of their apostasy and rebellion had now been reached.
Nothing more to their damnation could they add. They had sowed the
wind, they must now reap the whirlwind. So they have. The full fury
of outraged justice and righteousness broke upon them with a force
that was irresistible. The Romans under Titus besieged their city,
Jerusalem, and successfully cut off all supplies of food or assistance
from the surrounding country. To the horrors of war waged by the
Romans was added that of civil conflict within the walls of the city,
more fruitful in calamity and cruelty than the actual conflict with
the Roman soldiery. As if of distress there was not already enough,
famine preyed upon them, and a million people perished from lingering
starvation. If men were brutal, women became fiendish, and fed upon the
flesh of their own offspring.[F]

[Footnote F: An incident of this kind is thus related by Josephus:
"There was a certain woman who dwelt beyond Jordan; her name was Mary,
her father was Eleazar, of the village of Bethezob, which signifies
the house of Hyssop. She was eminent for her family and her wealth,
and had fled away to Jerusalem with the rest of the multitude, and was
with them besieged therein at this time. The other effects of this
woman, had been already seized upon, such, I mean, as she had brought
with her out of Persia, and removed to the city. What she had treasured
up besides, as also what food she contrived to save, had also been
carried off by the rapacious guards, who came every day, running into
her house for that purpose. This put the poor woman into a very great
passion, and, by the frequent reproaches and imprecations, she cast at
these rapacious villains, she had provoked them to anger against her;
but none of them--either out of the indignation she had raised against
herself, or out of consideration for her case--would take away her
life: and, if she found any food, she perceived her labors were for
others, and not for herself, and it was now become impossible for her
anyway, to find any more food, while the famine pierced through her
very bowels and marrow, when also her passions were fired to a degree
beyond the famine itself; nor did she consult with anything, but with
her passions and the necessity she was in. She then attempted a most
unnatural thing--and snatching up her son, who was a child, sucking
at her breast, she said, 'O, thou miserable infant! for whom shall I
preserve thee in this war, this famine, and this sedition? As to the
war with the Romans, if they preserve our lives, we must be slaves.
This famine also will destroy us even before that slavery comes upon
us. Yet are these seditious rogues more terrible than the other. Come
on; be thou my food, and be thou a fury to these seditious varlets, and
a by-word to the world, which is all that is now wanting to complete
the calamities of the Jews.' As soon as she had said this, she slew
her son, and then roasted him, and ate the one-half of him, and kept
the other half by her, concealed. Upon this the seditious came in,
presently; and, smelling the horrid scent of this food, they threatened
her, that they would cut her throat immediately if she did not show
them what food she had gotten ready. She replied that she had 'saved a
very fine portion for them;' and, withal, uncovered what was left of
her son. Hereupon they were seized with a horror and amazement of mind,
and stood astonished at the sight, when she said to them: 'Come eat
of this food for I have eaten of it myself. Do not you pretend to be
either more tender than a woman, or more compassionate than a mother;
but if you be so scrupulous and do abominate this my sacrifice, as I
have eaten the one half, let the rest be preserved for me also.' After
which those men went out trembling, being never so much affrighted at
anything as they had been at this, and with some difficulty they left
the rest of that meat to the mother. Upon which the whole city was
full of this horrid action immediately; and while everybody laid this
miserable case before their own eyes, they trembled, as if this unheard
of action had been done by themselves. So, that those that were thus
distressed by the famine, were very desirous to die: and those who
were already dead were esteemed happy, because they had not lived long
enough, either to hear or to see such miseries." (Wars of the Jews;
Josephus, Book VI: chapter iii.)

I advise my readers to compare this incident and other calamities
--described by Josephus in these "Wars of the Jews"--with the
prophecies which foretold these evils, found in Deuteronomy, xxviii.]

At last the Romans forced an entrance into the city, and they with
sword and flame were permitted to complete the ruin so well nigh
accomplished by the Jews themselves. The beautiful temple was thrown
down so that not one stone was left upon another which had not been
thrown down. This was done by the Roman soldiery in their mad search
for gold. Jerusalem was laid waste and desolate. Hundreds of thousands
of her people were put to death, and the remainder of them taken into
captivity, or driven into exile.

From that time until now, for more than eighteen centuries, they have
remained a broken, scattered people; despised, hated, distrusted,
unfriended, oppressed; a hiss and a by-word in every land where they
have sought a home. They have learned by a sad experience that it is a
terrible thing to reject the tender mercies of God, and fall under his
displeasure.

Turning again to the Western hemisphere, we have the experience of
Israel in the East duplicated in that of the Nephites and Lamanites;
the same lesson is taught by their experience, viz., that it is a
fearful thing to rebel against God, and reject and fight against
his truth. The half-naked American savage, with the desolation that
surround him in a splendid land (I mean at the time it was discovered
by the Europeans) and filled as it is with the ruins that testify to
the grandeur of his departed glory, is a warning of deep significance
to the nations now in the zenith of their power, not to follow in his
footsteps and reject the counsels of God against themselves.

What shall I say of the cities of Tyre and Sidon, of Nineveh with
her hundred gates; of Babylon, "the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of
the Chaldees excellence," with her mighty walls, her strong gates
and towers, her palatial residences, her magnificent temples, her
hanging gardens, the wonder and admiration of all who beheld them!
Where are all these? Crumbled into shapeless heaps of ruins that are
scarcely sufficient to show where they once stood--nothing left of
them but their names. Where, too, are the grand empires of Assyria and
Babylon, of Egypt and Persia, of Macedonia and Greece? and, lastly,
where is Rome, the most stupendous political fabric yet constructed by
the wit of man--where are all these? Where is their strength, their
glory, their pride--nay, I ask more, where are the principles that
formed the basis of their constitutions, the ideas by which they were
governed--principles which they expected would forever perpetuate their
institutions--where are all these things, as well as the empires
themselves? Like the gorgeous temples, and cloud-capped towers of the
cities we have named, they have dissolved into thin air, like the
baseless fabric of an empty vision. Look at your maps of today, and
you shall find no line or trace of them, not even of the boundaries
which once marked the extent of their dominion. All is lost except
their names and their history. As in the sight of God the mountains
are as unstable and transient as the clouds, so nations rise and pass
away. But seek out the causes of their dissolution, look well into
it, and you will find that these nations no less than the children of
Israel, both Jews and Nephites, were guilty of violating righteous
principles, as they understood them, of refusing to repent, and of
rejecting the counsels of God, and fighting against his truth. They
were guilty of oppression, pride, licentiousness; they tyrannized over
the meek and lowly; they wrung from the hands of the poor the wealth
their labor created, that they might consume it upon their lusts. These
abominations were the causes of their overthrow, and as one reviews the
rise and fall of great kingdoms, republics, and splendid empires, he
concludes that Byron might well say--

    There is the moral of all human tales;
        'Tis but the same rehearsal of the past;
    First freedom, and then glory--when that fails,
        Wealth, vice, corruption--barbarism at last:
    And history with all her volumes vast
        Hath but one page!

What lessons are here spread out for the reading of the nations today!
True, they might be offended if one should tell them that there
was danger threatening them for their wickedness, for they esteem
themselves righteous; so did the people of the ancient cities and
kingdoms I have named. It might be held treasonable, to say that the
present governments, which encumber the earth, will pass away like
the others have--like the chaff of the summer's threshing floor--for
they think they have laid the foundation of their respective political
fabrics on so sure a basis, that they will be perpetuated forever. So
thought the Babylonians, the Greeks, and especially the Romans; but
they have passed away, and have left nothing behind them, but their
names and the lessons which their follies and crimes teach.

But I fear you have forgotten in this long digression the subject in
hand--repentance. Of the things I would have you remember, this is the
sum: True repentance is sincere sorrow for sin, accompanied by a firm
resolution to forsake that which is evil. The legitimate fruits of such
sorrow--repentance, is a reformation of life. And if, peradventure,
through weakness of human nature one should fall into transgression,
even after setting his heart to work righteousness, let him not be
discouraged, but repeat his repentance, and I believe the experiences
I have pointed out in these pages, both individual and national,
demonstrate that God is good, and "goodness still delighteth to
forgive." He is merciful and willing to pardon abundantly those who are
sorry for their offenses, and will make a manly effort to reform. But
on the other hand, those who mock him, and presumptuously sin, thinking
to impose upon his long-suffering, have need to fear, both persons and
nations, for all history teaches that it is a fearful thing to fall
under the displeasure of the Most High.



CHAPTER XXI.

BAPTISM.

"Except be born again he cannot see the kingdom of God."[A] Such was
the statement of Jesus to Nicodemus, a Pharisee, and a ruler of the
Jews, who came to Jesus by night to be taught of him. The statement of
the Son of God created no little astonishment in the mind of Nicodemus,
and he inquired if a man could be born again when he was old; could he
enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born. Jesus then gave
an answer which was explanatory of his first statement: "Except a man
be born of water and of the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of
God."[B]

[Footnote A: John iii: 3.]

[Footnote B: John iii: 5.]

There can be no question about being "born of water," here alluded to,
having reference to water baptism administered to those who accept the
Gospel, and which, as administered for the first three centuries of the
Christian era, represented, most completely, a birth. The candidate for
baptism being led down into the water, had his whole person immersed in
it, then he was brought forth from that element, and gasped again the
breath of life. In order that the resemblance of a birth in this may
be clearly seen, I would remind my readers that the infant, previous
to its birth, and while in its mother's womb, lives in the element of
water, and is nourished by the generous tide of life which courses
through her veins and visits her heart. At birth, that life which was
connected with the mother is severed, the offspring comes forth from
the womb, from the element of water, and breathes the air, which then
becomes essential to its existence--it is born into this world. The
likeness, in a general way, between this natural birth and Christian
baptism, as described above, is sufficiently obvious. In both instances
the persons are brought from one element into another, from the water
in which they existed into the atmosphere.

Many and various have been the views held respecting this ordinance, as
to its necessity, its object, to whom it should be administered, and
the manner in which it should be performed. Differences of opinion on
this subject have led to schisms in the Christian world, and new sects
have been formed, and that because of peculiar views held in respect to
baptism. But with those who are willing to take as authority absolute,
the teachings of revelation as contained in the Bible, and more
especially the revelations of the Lord in these days, there need be no
confusion in relation to any of these questions that have perplexed men
in regard to this ordinance.

The necessity of water baptism may be maintained upon the broad grounds
that it is a commandment from God; for, as I have already shown in
preceding chapters, the conditions of man's salvation may be summed
up, in general terms, thus--the implicit and complete obedience to the
commandments of God; and, as it can be proven that baptism is a general
commandment to all who would be saved, therefore it follows that
baptism must be one of the things necessary to salvation.

That baptism is a general commandment all may learn who will take the
trouble to make inquiry in respect to it. John the Baptist informs us
that God sent him to baptize with water and to testify of him who was
to come after him, and who was to baptize with the Holy Ghost;[C] and
those who refused to hearken to his teachings and to be baptized of him
"rejected the counsels of God against themselves."[D]

[Footnote C: John i: 33.]

[Footnote D: Luke vii: 30.]

Jesus, himself, also, had those baptized who accepted his teachings;
and, indeed, soon after he began his public ministry, it was commonly
reported that he made and baptized more disciples than John,[E] and
when he gave his last great commission to his apostles, just on the eve
of his departure from them, he said:

[Footnote E: John iv: 1, 2.]

"Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name
of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to
observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you."[F]

[Footnote F: Matt. xxviii: 19, 20.]

When the apostles began the execution of this commission, which was
during the first pentecost after it was given them, Peter commanded
those who had been converted through his teachings, to be baptized in
the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of their sins, and then he
promised them the Holy Ghost.[G] Thus we see there can be no question
as to baptism being a general commandment, and one of the conditions
of man's salvation, and that being true, how can that condition be
neglected and still the blessing of salvation obtained?

[Footnote G: Acts ii: 37, 38.]

I may say further, by way of argument on the necessity of baptism,
that one may reasonably conclude that the Lord does not deal with
non-essentials, or require that which is not necessary of his children;
therefore from the fact that God has commanded men to be born again, as
well of water as of the Spirit; in other words, to be baptized of both
water and the Spirit, it may be taken for granted that this baptism is
essential to salvation. To question it being necessary, to say nothing
of thrusting it aside as non-essential, is to sit in judgment upon the
wisdom of God, who has ordained it as a means of salvation to man.

Is it necessary to be born naturally in order to obtain life? All will
answer: "Yes, we know of no other way, no other means by which life is
obtained." So likewise is it necessary that men should be born into the
heavenly kingdom, as well of water as of the Spirit, in order to attain
unto spiritual life in the kingdom of God; and without being born of
the water and of the Spirit, Jesus himself declares that the kingdom of
God cannot be seen, it cannot be entered into--[H] therefore baptism
must be necessary to an entrance into the kingdom of God; and as there
is, and can be, no salvation outside of that kingdom, baptism must be
necessary to salvation. Not that there is saving virtue in the water
itself, but the ordinance derives its virtue from the fact of its being
appointed by the Lord as a means of grace to man.

[Footnote H: John iii: 3, 5.]

Again, I would ask, is a forgiveness of sins necessary to salvation?
I think there can be but one answer to that question, and that in the
affirmative. Now, we are informed by both Mark and Luke that John
the Baptist "Did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism
of repentance for the remission of sins;" and Peter commanded the
multitude on Pentecost to "repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus
Christ for the remission of sins;"[I] hence it appears that baptism
is the means appointed through which forgiveness of sins is obtained,
and since it is evident that men cannot be saved in their sins, and
remission of sins comes through baptism, therefore baptism is necessary
to salvation.

[Footnote I: Acts ii: 38.]

The necessity of baptism is further demonstrated in the experience
of Paul and the devout Gentile, Cornelius, as related in the Acts of
the Apostles. It will be remembered that Paul, at first, was a great
persecutor of the saints, and that, while on the way to Damascus for
the purpose of persecuting them, the Lord Jesus appeared unto him, in a
pillar of light, above the brightness of the sun, and demanded of Paul,
"why persecutest thou me?" To which the trembling Paul said, "who art
thou, Lord?"

"I am Jesus whom thou persecutest," was the reply. "Lord," said Paul,
"what will thou have me to do?" "And the Lord said unto him, arise and
go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do."

Then the Lord sent an angel to his servant, Ananias, living in
Damascus, and directed him to go to Paul; and when Ananias came into
the presence of Paul, after announcing to him that the Lord had chosen
him for a witness for himself he said: "And now, why tarriest thou?
arise and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of
the Lord."[J]

[Footnote J: Acts ix. ch.; also the xxii. and xxvi. chapters same book.]

Thus Paul learned what the Lord would have him to do; and is it not a
fair inference that it is necessary for all sinners to do likewise,
viz., to be baptized, and wash away their sins?

Cornelius, the devout Gentile to whom we have alluded, was a man who
prayed much, gave alms to the poor, and indeed was especially loved
of the Lord. An angel was at last sent to him, to assure him that his
alms and his prayers had come up in remembrance before the Lord, and
this messenger also told him to send men to Joppa where he would find
one Peter, "And he shall tell thee what thou oughtest to do,"[K] or,
as Peter afterwards expressed it, in relating the circumstance to his
fellow apostles--"send men to Joppa, and call for one Simon, whose
surname is Peter; who shall tell thee words, whereby thou and all thy
house shall be saved."[L]

[Footnote K: Acts x: 6.]

[Footnote L: Acts xi: 13, 14.]

After Peter went into the house of this devout Gentile and heard of the
mercies of God to him, he preached Christ unto him and his household,
and as he spake of Jesus and the plan of salvation wrought out for
mankind by him, the Holy Ghost was poured out upon them as a witness
to Peter that the Gospel was for the Gentiles as well as for the Jews.
Then, turning to those that were with him, Peter said: "Can any man
forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received
the Holy Ghost as well as we? And he commanded them to be baptized in
the name of the Lord."[M]

[Footnote M: Acts x: 47, 48.]

Notwithstanding the general righteousness of Cornelius, and his
acceptance with God, it became necessary that he should be instructed
in the Gospel, and taught words whereby he and his house should be
saved; and, in connection with other things that they were taught as
necessary for their salvation, was baptism.

Paul, in writing to the Corinthian saints, uses this expression, which
to the world sounds strange and incomprehensible: "Else what shall
they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all?
Why are they then baptized for the dead?"[N] And if baptism, as some
maintain, is not essential to salvation, I would ask, why then was it
considered necessary, by the primitive Christians, that there should be
such a thing as baptism for the dead?[O] Is it not conclusive, that if
it was necessary for some one to be baptized for the dead who had not
had the privilege of attending to that ordinance for themselves, that
baptism is essential to salvation?

[Footnote N: I Cor. xv: 29.]

[Footnote O: The subject of salvation for the dead is treated at length
in a subsequent chapter, hence I enter into no explanation here.]

But now to come to the most positive of all passages in the New
Testament upon this subject: Jesus when he commissioned his apostles
used this language: "Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to
every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but
he that believeth not" [and consequently fails to repent, be baptized
or perform any other act of obedience] "shall be damned."[P] Here the
matter is before us in the most unequivocal terms; those who believe
and are baptized have the sure promise of God that they shall be saved;
while those who believe not, and therefore are not baptized, are
threatened with condemnation.

[Footnote P: Mark xvi: 15, 16]

I have thus far, confined my illustrations and arguments--upon the
necessity of baptism--to the Jewish scriptures. I have done so, because
the young Elders, into whose hands this work will fall, will doubtless
be called upon to teach this principle, and support it in the main,
upon the authority of what is written in the Bible. But if we turn to
the Nephite scriptures, the Book of Mormon, we shall find it sustains
the same views in respect to the necessity of baptism, as the Jewish
scriptures.

The Lord revealed to the first Nephi, in a vision, very much of the
life and labors of the Son of God, although the said Nephi flourished
in the fifth century B. C. Among other things, it was revealed to him,
that the Son of God would be baptized in water by a prophet who should
be raised up for that purpose. Subsequently, when Nephi desired to
impress his brethren with the importance and necessity of baptism, he
said:

"I would that ye should remember that I have spoken unto you concerning
that prophet which the Lord showed unto me, that should baptize the
Son of God, which should take away the sins of the world. And now, if
the Lamb of God, he being holy, should have need to be baptized by
water, to fulfill all righteousness, O then, how much more need have
we, being unholy, to be baptized, yea even by water. And now I would
ask of you, my beloved brethren, wherein the Lamb of God did fulfill
all righteousness in being baptized by water? Know ye not that he was
holy. But notwithstanding he being holy, he showeth unto the children
of men, that according to the flesh, he humbleth himself before the
Father, and witnesseth unto the Father that he would be obedient unto
him in keeping his commandments. * * * And again, it showeth unto the
children of men the straightness of the path, and the narrowness of
the gate, by which they should enter, he having set the example before
them. And he said unto the children of men, Follow thou me. Wherefore,
my beloved brethren, can we follow Jesus, save we be willing to keep
the commandments of the Father? And the Father said. Repent ye, repent
ye, and be baptized in the name of my beloved Son. And also, the voice
of the Son came unto me, saying, He that is baptized in my name, to him
will the Father give the Holy Ghost, like unto me; wherefore follow me,
and do the things ye have seen me do."[Q]

[Footnote Q: Book of Mormon, II. Nephi xxxi.]

The first Alma's teachings are in accord with this: "And now I, Alma,
do command you in the language of him who hath commanded me, that ye
observe to do the words which I have spoken unto you. I speak by way of
commandment unto you who belong to the church; and to those who do not
belong to the church, I speak by way of invitation, saying. Come and
be baptized unto repentance, that ye also may be made partakers of the
fruit of the tree of life."[R]

[Footnote R: Alma ix: 26, 27.]

The plain and fair inference from this last clause is, that those who
refused to be baptized, would _not_ have right to the tree of life.

Further on in his book, he says: "And not many days hence, the Son of
God shall come in his glory; * * * And behold he cometh to redeem those
who will be baptized unto repentance through faith on his name."[S]

[Footnote S: Alma v: 61,62.]

Here, again, the fair inference is, that those who would reject
baptism, could not be redeemed; hence the necessity of baptism.

Turning to the revelations which the Lord has given in this
dispensation, in which he commissioned men to preach the Gospel, he
said: "Go ye into all the world, preach the Gospel to every creature,
acting in the authority which I have given you, baptizing in the name
of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost; and he that
believeth and is baptized shall be saved, and he that believeth not
shall be damned."[T]

[Footnote T: Doc. and Cov., sec. lxviii: 8-10.]

Still more emphatic, perhaps, because it leaves nothing to implication,
is the passage which reads (and this, too, is in connection with
sending out men to preach the Gospel): "He that believeth and is
baptized shall be saved, and he that believeth not, and is not
baptized, shall be damned."[U]

[Footnote U: Doc. and Cov., sec. cxii: 29.]

Thus in the present dispensation, as well as in the former ones,
committed to the Jews and Nephites, the necessity of baptism is beyond
all question.



CHAPTER XXII.

OBJECT OF BAPTISM.

In speaking of the necessity of baptism I incidentally referred to
the object of the ordinance also; which the reader will doubtless
remember, is for the remission of sins. Such was the object for which
John the Baptist administered baptism. Mark says: "John did baptize in
the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission
of sins."[A] Luke also says: "And he [John] came into all the country
about Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of
sins."[B]

[Footnote A: Mark i: 4.]

[Footnote B: Luke iii: 3.]

Here it may be a proper time to call attention to the fact that many
seek to make nice distinctions between the baptism of John and what
they call Christian baptism; that is, baptism in the name of Jesus
after the death and resurrection of Messiah, by which members were
admitted into the Kingdom of Christ. The controversy on this subject
became particularly sharp in the sixteenth century. Zwingle and Calvin,
on the one hand, maintained that the two baptisms were identical,
and for the same purpose, only that John baptized in the name of the
future Messiah, while the apostles baptized in the name of the Messiah
already come; on the other hand, Luther, Melancthon and the Catholics
maintained there was an essential difference. The latter adopted the
views of Tertullian, who lived about the close of the second century
and the beginning of the third. To the baptism of John, Tertullian
ascribed the negative character of repentance, and to Christian
baptism the positive impartation of a new life. This distinction, it
is maintained, arises from the words of John himself; _viz_., "I indeed
baptize you with _water_ unto repentance; but he that cometh after me
is mightier than I, * * * he shall _baptize you with the Holy Ghost_
and with fire."[C] But this reason for any such distinction as that
sought to be made is worthless when it is remembered that while Jesus
did baptize with the Holy Ghost, and commissioned others to do so,
still that baptism of the Spirit did not supplant water baptism for the
remission of sins. It was simply an additional principle and ordinance
to the doctrines taught by John; and Jesus continued to authorize
water baptism before his crucifixion,[C] and commissioned his apostles
to continue it after he departed from them.[D] The New Testament is
replete with instances of water baptism standing in connection with
though, as a rule, preceding the baptism of, the Holy Spirit.[E]
Whereas, to make the words of John quoted a valid reason for supposing
a difference between the baptism of John and water baptism after Jesus
was resurrected, it would be necessary to prove that the baptism of the
Spirit took the place of water baptism as administered by John, which
is contrary to the facts in the case, as already noted.

[Footnote C: Matt. iii: 11; see also Luke iii: 16, and John i: 25.]

[Footnote D: John iii: 22, and iv: 1-3.]

[Footnote E: Matt. xxviii: 19, and Mark xvi: 15,16.]

The ordinance of baptism, associated with the proclamation of the
Gospel, in any age of the world, is always the same, whether taught by
Adam, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Moses, the Jaredite or Nephite prophets
on the Western hemisphere, or by John the Baptist among the Jews. It
was administered in the same manner, with the same object in view, and
with the same powers and graces attending it before the crucifixion
of Messiah as after that event. Only those who administered it before
Jesus came in the flesh, performed the ordinance in the name of a
future Messiah, while those who have officiated since the death of
Jesus, have done so in the name of the Messiah already come; and that
is a difference of little moment.[F]

[Footnote F: These views are capable of the strongest proofs from the
writings of Moses as revealed to Joseph Smith and now contained in the
Pearl of Great Price; from the Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants
and also from the Bible. But the reader will find a subsequent chapter
on "The History of the Gospel" in which the subject is treated at some
length, and to that chapter the reader is here referred if he now
wishes to push further his investigation.]

One thing which has contributed largely towards creating the impression
that a difference existed between the baptism of John and Christian
baptism, is the account given in Acts of Paul's finding a number of
disciples--twelve in all--at Ephesus, of whom he asked if they had
received the Holy Ghost since they believed; to which they replied,
they had not so much as heard of the Holy Ghost. "And he said unto
them, unto what then, were ye baptized? And they said, unto John's
baptism. Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of
repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him
who should come after him, that is on Christ Jesus. When they heard
this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul
had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them: and they
spake with tongues and prophesied."[G] The fact of Paul re-baptizing
those people, who, according to their statement, had been baptized
"unto John's baptism," does not necessarily argue a difference between
baptism as administered by John and Christian baptism. The circumstance
of this re-baptism may be reasonably attributed to other causes.

[Footnote G: Acts xix: 1-6.]

The preaching of John was always accompanied with a reference to one
who should follow after him, mightier than he was, whose shoe latchet
he esteemed himself unworthy to unloose: and his baptism was always
attended by the declaration: "I, indeed, baptize with water unto
repentance, but he that cometh after me is mightier than I; * * * he
shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost." So the apostle Paul, when he
found these disciples, who claimed to have been baptized unto John's
baptism, and yet had not so much as heard of the Holy Ghost, he might
well have his suspicions as to the validity of their baptism, and
suspect that some person, but partially acquainted with the doctrine
of John, and, without authority, had taken it upon himself to baptize
these parties. Upon these suspicions, and in order, doubtless, to put
the validity of their baptism beyond all question, he re-baptized them
with water, and then followed the baptism of the Spirit. This, to my
mind, is the most reasonable conclusion to come to respecting this
circumstance.

But now to return to the subject of this chapter--the object of
baptism:

We have already seen in the first paragraph of this chapter, that John
taught that baptism was for the remission of sins. If we turn to the
teachings of the apostles, we shall find that they also taught that
baptism was for that purpose. In that memorable discourse which Peter
preached at the commencement of the labor of the apostles, after the
departure of the Master, when the people, convinced by the power of God
which rested upon the apostles, that they were commissioned of God with
a message to the world, cried out as with one voice--"Men and brethren,
what shall we do?"--he replied: "Repent every one of you, and be
baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, _for the remission of sins_."[H]
Surely nothing in the way of simplicity, plainness or positiveness is
left to be desired here. He who runs may read, and the wayfaring man
though a fool, need not be in doubt in respect to the object of this
ordinance.

[Footnote H: Acts ii: 38.]

Other passages in the New Testament, however, are in harmony with this.
When Ananias, in obedience to the commandment from the Lord, went to
the afflicted and humbled Paul to tell him what he ought to do, he
commanded him to arise and be baptized, and wash away his sins.[I]

[Footnote I: Acts xxii: 16.]

Again it is said: "Know ye not that so many of us as were baptized into
Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore, we are buried
with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from
the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in
newness of life * * * knowing this, that our old man is crucified with
him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should
not serve sin."[J] In this passage also, as well as in those previously
considered, stands the grand truth that, connected with baptism is
the crucifixion of the old man of sin, the destruction of "the body
of sin;" and that as Christ arose from the grave by the power of the
Father, so those who in baptism have been buried with Christ should
also rise from the watery grave to a newness of life. What, I ask, does
all this mean, if it does not mean that through baptism it is ordained
that men receive a remission of sins, and are made new men in Christ
Jesus?

[Footnote J: Romans vi: 3-6.]

If we turn from the scriptures to the traditions of the early
Christians, we shall find that their understanding of the subject is in
harmony with the observations and deductions in the foregoing.

Justin Martyr, who wrote about the middle of the second century, in
describing the customs observed in receiving new members into the
Christian societies, says: "Those who believe and are persuaded that
the things we teach and inculcate are true, and who profess ability
thus to live, are directed to pray with fasting, and to ask of God
the forgiveness of their former sins. * * * Then we conduct them to a
place where there is water; and they are regenerated [baptized] in the
manner in which we have been regenerated [baptized]; for they receive
a washing with water in the name of the Father of all. * * * This
washing is likewise called illumination; because the minds of those
who have learned these things are enlightened." He then describes the
manner in which the sacrament of the Lord's supper was administered;
and thus concludes: "And this food is called by us the Eucharist,
which it is unlawful for any one to partake of, unless he believes the
things taught by us to be true, and has been washed [baptized] with the
washing _for the remission of sins_ in regeneration, and lives according
to what Christ has taught."[K]

[Footnote K: _Second Apology_ of Justin Martyr. Quoted in Murdock's
Mosheim, 3d ed., vol. I., p. 137--note.]

Of baptism in the third century Dr. Mosheim says: "Baptism was publicly
administered twice a year, to such candidates as had gone through
a long preparation and trial; and none were present as spectators
but such as had been themselves baptized. The effect of baptism was
supposed to be the _remission of sins_."[L]

[Footnote L: Murdock's Mosheim, vol. I (3d edition), p. 189.]

In Maclaine's translation of Dr. Mosheim's Church History is a
passage from _Letter Seventy third_, of Cyprian, Bishop of Carthage,
in which that writer says (he wrote in the third century): "It is
manifest where and by whom the _remission of sin conferred in baptism
is administered_: They who are presented to the rulers of the church
obtain by our prayers and imposition of hands, the Holy Ghost."

The following quotation will show what importance is attached to
baptism, as to its necessity and object, by the Roman Catholic Church:
"Baptism is a sacrament absolutely necessary for all, without which
no one can enter into the kingdom of God, for Jesus Christ has said,
'Amen, amen, I say to thee, unless a man be born again of water and of
the Holy Ghost, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.' Hence it was
not enough for Saul of Tarsus, converted on the road to Damascus,[M]
to believe; nor for the Chamberlain of Queen Candace, met on the
road by Philip, the Deacon;[N] they had to be baptized in order to
obtain remission of their sins, and thus be in the way of salvation;
therefore in the Nicene Creed we say: 'I acknowledge one baptism for
the remission of sins.'"[O]

[Footnote M: Acts ix: 18.]

[Footnote N: Acts viii: 38.]

[Footnote O: Catholic Belief (_Bruno_ pp. 56, 57.)]

The Book of Mormon, which we have found so explicit in its treatment
of other doctrines, is none the less so in respect to the one now
under discussion--the object of baptism. In the teachings of Alma we
have the following: "Now, I say unto you, that ye must repent, and be
born again; for the Spirit saith, if ye are not born again, ye cannot
inherit the kingdom of heaven; therefore, come and be baptized unto
repentance, that ye may be washed from your sins."[P]

[Footnote P: Alma vii: 14.]

It is written of the third Nephi, that just about the time of Messiah's
birth, "he went among the people, and also many others, baptizing unto
repentance, in the which there were a great remission of sins."[Q]

[Footnote Q: III. Nephi i: 23.]

This work he continued for more than thirty years after the sign in the
heavens of the birth of Messiah had been given. Mormon says of Nephi,
that in the thirty and third year after the birth of the Messiah, "he
preached unto them repentance, and remission of sins. Now I would have
you to remember, also," says Mormon, "that there were none brought unto
repentance, who were not baptized with water; therefore there were
ordained of Nephi, men unto this ministry, that all such as should come
unto them, should be baptized with water, and this as a witness and
testimony before God, and unto the people, that they had repented and
received a remission of their sins."[R]

[Footnote R: III. Nephi vii: 23-25.]

Lastly, in closing up his abridgment of the writings of the third
Nephi, Mormon says: "Hear the words of Jesus Christ, the Son of the
living God: * * * Turn, all ye Gentiles, from your wicked ways, and
repent of your evil doings, of your lyings and deceivings, and of your
whoredoms, and of your secret abominations, and your idolatries, and
of your murders, and your priestcrafts, and your envyings, and your
strifes, and from all your wickedness and abominations, and come unto
me, and be baptized in my name, that ye may receive a remission of your
sins, and be filled with the Holy Ghost, that ye may be numbered with
my people who are of the house of Israel."[S]

[Footnote S: III. Nephi xxx.]

Turning now to the revelations which the Lord has given on this
subject, in the dispensation of the Gospel committed to men in our day,
we find the Lord saying to Martin Harris: "And of tenets thou shalt
not talk, but thou shalt declare repentance and faith on the Savior,
and the remission of sins by baptism and by fire, yea, even the Holy
Ghost."[T]

[Footnote T: Doc. and Cov., sec. xix: 31.]

In a revelation to W. W. Phelps we hear the Lord saying: "And thou
shalt be ordained by the hand of my servant Joseph Smith, jun., to be
an Elder unto this Church, to preach repentance and remission of sins
by way of baptism in the name of Jesus Christ, the Son of the living
God."[U]

[Footnote U: Doc. and Cov., sec. lv: 21.]

The Lord, subsequently, gave the following as a standing law unto the
inhabitants of Zion and her organized stakes: "Their children shall be
baptized for the remission of their sins, when eight years old, and
receive the laying on of hands."[V]

[Footnote V: Doc. and Cov. sec. lxviii: 26, 27.]

Clearly, the object of baptism is the remission of sins.

In a revelation given to the Church in September, 1832, in which a
number of Elders are directed to go out into the world and preach
the Gospel, it is written: "Verily, verily, I say unto you, they who
believe not on your words, and are not baptized in water in my name,
for the remission of their sins that they may receive the Holy Ghost,
shall be damned, and shall not come into my Father's kingdom."[W]

[Footnote W: Doc. and Cov., sec. lxxxiv: 74.]

The teachings of Joseph Smith on this subject may be learned from this
one homely but expressive sentence: "You might as well baptize a bag of
sand as a man, if not done in view of the remission of sins and getting
of the Holy Ghost."

Here, as far as this branch of the subject is concerned, I pause; and
surely I may hope that the treatise on the object of baptism has been
sufficiently exhaustive, both as considered in the Jewish scriptures
and as understood by the early Christians, as well as in the Book of
Mormon and the revelations of the Lord in this dispensation. From all
these sources of information, we learn that baptism is an ordinance
through which it is ordained that man shall receive a remission of sins.



CHAPTER XXIII.

THE SUBJECTS FOR BAPTISM.

Having shown from all worthy sources of information that baptism is
for the remission of sins, and that necessarily repentance and faith
precede it, and, moreover, are pre-requisites thereto; it follows as
a logical sequence of these facts, that baptism can only be properly
administered to those capable of exercising faith in God, and
repentance of sin. Therefore the baptism of infants, or of children of
such tender years that they are unable to comply with these conditions
--is not in accordance with the requirements of the Gospel, and is
solemn mockery before God.

The consideration of just two facts, it seems to me, is sufficient to
destroy the doctrine of infant baptism; first, the fact that baptism
is for the remission of sins; and, second, that infants are incapable
of committing sin, cannot repent, and therefore have nothing to be
baptized for.

To avoid the irresistible force and right conclusion of this logic,
however, those who stand for infant baptism tell us that the baptism
of the infant is not for the remission of any actual sins committed by
the child, but for original sin. The Roman Catholics teach: "In baptism
all infants, without any disposition on their part being required, are
cleansed from the stain of original sin, taken into God's favor, made
members of Christ's mystical Body, and heirs of the kingdom of heaven.
They are thus regenerated, that is, in our Savior's own words, 'born
again of water and the Holy Ghost.' As they have contracted the stain
of original sin without their knowledge and personal co-operation, so
they are freed from sin without their knowledge; and the disposition
necessary for grown up persons is not required of them; for infants are
incapable of any reasoning act."[A]

[Footnote A: Catholic Belief [Bruno] p. 58.]

But this position does not help the matter any. The fact remains, that
whatever "stain" "original sin" fixes upon the individual, it is done
without the exercise of his agency; and, as said above, "without his
knowledge." Then how, I ask, can he be held responsible for it, or any
requirement, in justice, be made of him to remove the "stain" when
it was fixed upon him without the exercise of his will, "without his
knowledge," and was a thing which he was powerless to prevent? The
system of theology which teaches that God would condemn the child that
failed to receive baptism, because of this "stain" fixed upon him by
"original sin"--is not only unreasonable, it is damnable. It represents
God as a cruel monster, and drives both justice and mercy from the
economy of heaven.

It is true that from the fathers the children may inherit
concupiscence; by that I mean a blind inclination to do evil, in one
or more directions. Certain passions or mischievous appetites tending
to sinfulness is not unfrequently stamped upon the offspring by the
parents, or, as figuratively expressed by one of old, the parents eat
sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge.[B] But the
children are not responsible for that; and, as the Catholic church
teaches this blind, involuntary inclination to evil of our lower
nature, is not of itself sinful unless it be consented to by the human
will, or rendered strong by bad and not retracted habit.[C] It is not
until the will assents to that which knowledge and experience tell the
individual is sinful, that responsibility begins to attach to him. When
knowledge instructs the understanding as to that which is good and that
which is evil, and the will becomes conscious of its power to assent
to the evil or withhold its approval, then the individual becomes
accountable before God, and may reasonably be expected to be held
answerable for his acts. But it is a noted principle, both in moral
philosophy and theology, "that there is no sin where there is no will;"
and I would add, there can be no will where there is no knowledge.

[Footnote B: Jeremiah xxxi: 29.]

[Footnote C: Catholic Belief (Bruno), ch. iii. 8]

I know of no sect or party, however, or individual even, who maintains
that infants should be baptized for this concupiscence. Indeed it is
most apparent that baptism does not affect this natural tendency to
evil, since it is as marked in children who have been baptized in
their infancy as those who have not. As before stated, in substance,
the admission that baptism is for the remission of sin is fatal to the
doctrine of infant baptism, as they are incapable of actual sin; and,
"original sin" and concupiscence being fastened upon them without their
knowledge, and by circumstances they were powerless to prevent, they
cannot be held accountable for them, and should not be required to be
baptized for them.

So far I have confined my remarks to that class of people believing in
infant baptism who maintain also that baptism is for the remission of
sins. There are others, however, who do not so regard baptism; but who
look upon it merely as an ordinance by which entrance is gained unto
the spiritual kingdom of Christ. But this position does not help out
the doctrine of infant baptism. It is only by actual sin, by willful
violations of God's holy laws that men become aliens and foreigners to
the kingdom of God,[D] and, as infants and children not yet arrived at
the years of accountability are incapable of such violations of law,
they are not aliens to the kingdom of Christ; they are natural heirs
to it, and, in the days of their innocence, form part of it, for Jesus
himself said: "Suffer little children to come unto me: for of such is
the kingdom of heaven." Therefore, being already in the kingdom of
Christ, and forming part of it, they have no need of being initiated
into it by baptism or any other ceremony; it is only those who have
made themselves foreigners and aliens through transgression of the laws
of God that have need to repent of their sins, through baptism obtain a
remission of them, and thus be brought back to the state of children,
without sin, and into the kingdom of Christ.

[Footnote D: Col. i: 21, 22.]

There is nothing in the scriptures which authorizes the doctrine of
infant baptism. It is an invention by man, pure and simple.

It is true that Jesus said, when some of his disciples reproved the
people for bringing their children to the Master to be blessed, "Suffer
little children, and forbid them not to come unto me; for of such is
the kingdom of heaven."[E] But he did not baptize them. He only laid
his hands on them, and blessed them. There is nothing in the passage
which warrants the assumption that he commanded them to come unto him
by baptism.

[Footnote E: Matt. xix.]

Indeed, I believe it is generally conceded that the doctrine of infant
baptism was not introduced in the first century at all. The first
notice we have of its existence is by Tertullian, appearing against
it as a zealous opponent, in the latter years of the second century,
"A proof," says Dr. Neander, "that it was not then usually considered
as an apostolic ordinance; for, in that case, he would hardly have
ventured to speak so strongly against it."[F]

[Footnote F: Church History (Neander), Vol. I, p. 362.]

"As faith and baptism are constantly so closely connected together in
the New Testament, an opinion was likely to arise that where there
could be no faith there could also be no baptism. It is certain that
Christ did not ordain infant baptism. * * * We cannot prove that the
apostles ordained infant baptism; from those places where the baptism
of a whole family is mentioned[G] we can draw no such conclusion,
because the inquiry is still to be made whether there were any children
in those families of such an age that they were not capable of any
intelligent reception of Christianity."[H]

[Footnote G: Acts xvi: 33; I. Cor. i: 16.]

[Footnote H: Church History (Neander), Vol. I, p. 360.]

The strongest contradiction to this erroneous doctrine, however, comes
from the Book of Mormon. It appears that there arose some disputations
among the Nephites about this matter, and Mormon inquired of the
Lord in respect to it, and sent the answer he received, through the
inspiration of the Holy Ghost, to his son Moroni, and with it I shall
close my remarks on this subject:

"Listen to the words of Christ, your Redeemer, your Lord and your God.
Behold, I came into the world not to call the righteous, but sinners
to repentance; the whole need no physician, but they that are sick;
wherefore little children are whole, for they are not capable of
committing sin; wherefore the curse of Adam is taken from them in me,
that it hath no power over them; and the law of circumcision is done
away in me.

"And after this manner did the Holy Ghost manifest the word of God unto
me; wherefore my beloved son, I know that it is solemn mockery before
God, that ye should baptize little children.

"Behold I say unto you, that this thing shall ye teach, repentance and
baptism unto those who are accountable and capable of committing sin;
yea, teach parents that they must repent and be baptized, and humble
themselves as their little children; and they shall all be saved with
their little children.

"And their little children need no repentance, neither baptism. Behold,
baptism is unto repentance to the fulfilling the commandments unto the
remission of sins.

"But little children are alive in Christ, even from the foundation of
the world; if not so, God is a partial God, and also a changeable God,
and a respecter of persons; for how many little children have died
without baptism?

"Wherefore, if little children could not be saved without baptism,
these must have gone to an endless hell.

"Behold I say unto you, that he that supposeth that little children
need baptism, is in the gall of bitterness, and in the bonds of
iniquity; for he hath neither faith, hope, nor charity; wherefore,
should he be cut off while in the thought, he must go down to hell.

"For awful is the wickedness to suppose that God saveth one child
because of baptism, and the other must perish because he hath no
baptism. * * *

"Little children cannot repent; wherefore it is awful wickedness to
deny the pure mercies of God unto them, for they are all alive in him
because of his mercy.

"And he that saith, that little children need baptism, denieth the
mercies of Christ, and setteth at nought the atonement of him and the
power of his redemption.

"Wo unto such, for they are in danger of death, hell, and an endless
torment. I speak it boldly, God hath commanded me. Listen unto them and
give heed, or they stand against you at the judgment seat of Christ.

"For behold that all little children are alive in Christ, and also all
they that are without the law. For the power of redemption cometh on
all they that have no law; wherefore, he that is not condemned, or he
that is under no condemnation, cannot repent; and unto such baptism
availeth nothing.

"But it is mockery before God, denying the mercies of Christ, and the
power of his Holy Spirit, and putting trust in dead works.

"Behold, my son, this thing ought not to be; for repentance is unto
them that are under condemnation and under the curse of a broken
law."[I]

[Footnote I: Moroni, ch. viii.]



CHAPTER XXIV.

THE MODE OF BAPTISM.

There still remains to be discussed, in connection with baptism, one
thing more--the manner of administering it.

In relation to this matter there is much division among professed
believers of the Bible. One class maintaining that the immersion of
the whole body in water is the only manner in which baptism can be
administered; that immersion, in fact, and immersion only, is baptism.
Others, however, while they admit that immersion is baptism, claim that
it may be performed in some other manner, by sprinkling or pouring
water on the candidates for the ordinance.

Both parties appeal to the original Greek from which baptism and the
verb baptize is derived, one insisting that it means immersion, and
to immerse only; while the others insist that in some connections
the words in the original may mean sprinkling or pouring as well as
immersion and to immerse. And as the commandment given to the apostles
to baptize all nations[A] is given without any reference to the manner
in which the ordinance is to be administered, they maintain it is
immaterial whether it is done by immersion or by sprinkling or pouring.

[Footnote A: Matt. xxviii, 19.]

It cannot be denied that an array of respectable testimony may be
drawn up in favor of both theories; but when the meaning of the terms
are interpreted in the light of the practice of the early Christians,
those who received the doctrine of baptism from the apostles and other
servants of Christ--nay, if interpreted by the manner in which these
very apostles administered the ordinance--it is evident that immersion
alone is the proper method for baptizing for the remission of sins,
and initiation into the Church of Christ, whatever other signification
may be attached to the words in other connections; for nothing is
more evident than that immersion is the manner in which baptism was
administered by them.

Of John the Baptist it is written: "And there went out unto him all
the land of Judea, and they of Jerusalem, and were all baptized of
him _in the River Jordan_;"[B] and to this agrees also the testimony of
Matthew.[C]

[Footnote B: Mark i: 4.]

[Footnote C: Matt. iii: 5, 6.]

Again it is said of him that he baptized "in Aenon near Salim, because
there was much water there".[D] And it is said that "Jesus, when he was
baptized went up straightway out of the water;"[E] from which it is
evident that he had been down in the water. From these circumstances,
that is, from his baptizing _in_ Jordan, and near Salim "where there
was much water," and from Jesus going up out of the water after his
baptism, there can be no question but John baptized by immersion; and
there is nothing to lead us to suppose that he baptized in any other
manner.

[Footnote D: John iii, 23.]

[Footnote E: Matt. iii: 16; Mark i: 10.]

Take an account of a baptism which took place after the crucifixion
of Messiah, and we shall find the same method of administering the
ordinance observed. I allude to the baptism of the chamberlain of Queen
Candace, by Philip. This person was met by Philip in the highway, and
being invited to ride in the chamberlain's carriage he taught him
the Gospel. On belief taking hold of the chamberlain, as they came
to certain water, he inquired of Philip what hindered him from being
baptized. To which Philip answered: "If thou believest with all thine
heart thou mayest. And he answered and said: I believe that Jesus
Christ is the Son of God. And he commanded the chariot to stand still:
and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch;
and he baptized him. And when they were come up out of the water, the
Spirit caught away Philip that the eunuch saw him no more."[F]

[Footnote F: Acts viii: 36-39.]

There can be no two opinions as to the manner in which the eunuch was
baptized--it was by immersion. It would seem, too, that had Philip been
aware of any other method, that is, had he understood that sprinkling
or pouring would answer the purpose, he never would have put himself
and the chamberlain to the inconvenience of going down into the water.
It is a fair inference, under all the circumstances, that Philip knew
of no other method of baptism than by a burial in the water.

We have already referred to baptism being spoken of as being "born
of water,"[G] and to those paragraphs I call the attention of my
readers again. It will be seen that immersion best carries out that
idea; indeed, it is only by immersion and being brought forth out of
the water, in which a person is brought from one element (water) into
another (air), that a birth is represented. Sprinkling or pouring does
not represent a birth.

[Footnote G: Chapter xxi.]

In writing to the saints of Rome, Paul says; "Know ye not, that so many
of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?
Therefore we are _buried_ with him by baptism into death; that like as
Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so
we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been _planted_
together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness
of his resurrection."[H]

[Footnote H: Rom. vi: 3-5.]

In writing to the saints of Colosse, the same apostle reminds them that
they had been "_buried_ with him [Christ] in baptism, wherein also ye
are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God who hath
raised him from the dead."[I]

[Footnote I: Col. ii: 12.]

In these passages the terms "buried" and "planted" are in plain
allusion to the manner in which the saints had received the ordinance
of baptism, which could not have been by sprinkling or pouring, as
there is no burial or planting in the likeness of Christ's death, or
being raised in likeness of his resurrection in that; but in immersion
there is, and hence we conclude from all these circumstances that
baptism among the saints of God in those days was by immersion, and by
immersion alone.

Turning to other sources than the scriptures for information, we shall
find that the statement that immersion alone was practiced by the early
Christians, say for at least nearly three centuries, is sustained by
the most respectable testimony.

Speaking of baptism in the first century. Dr. Mosheim says: "In this
century, baptism was administered in convenient places, without the
public assemblies; and by immersing the candidates wholly in water."[J]

[Footnote J: Mosheim's Church History (Murdock), third edition, Vol. I,
page 87.]

Of the second century, the same learned author says: "Twice a year,
namely, at Easter and Whitsuntide, * * * baptism was administered by
the bishop, or by the presbyters acting by his command and authority.
The candidates for it were immersed wholly in water, with invocation of
the sacred Trinity, according to the Savior's precept."[K]

[Footnote K: Ibid, p. 137.]

Indeed, the first deviation from baptizing by immersion, occurs in
a case recorded by Eusebius, as happening in the third century. He
alludes to it in these detracting terms: "He [Novatian] * * * fell
into a grievous distemper, and it being supposed that he would die
immediately, he received baptism (being sprinkled with water), on the
bed where he lay, (if that can be termed baptism): Neither when he had
escaped that sickness, did he afterwards receive the other things which
the canon of the church enjoineth should be received."[L]

[Footnote L: Eusebius Eccl. Hist. b. vi, ch. 43.]

Even down to the close of the thirteenth century baptism by immersion
was the rule and sprinkling and pouring the exception.

Notwithstanding all these arguments, which are in their character
so conclusive, many worthy people there are whom they fail to
convince. What does this fact argue? That those who fail to understand
that baptism must be by immersion are woefully ignorant, or their
understanding willfully perverse? No; I would suggest that to them the
evidence is simply insufficient and unauthoritative, and that the fact
of it being so argues that there is need of some further instruction
from the Lord on the subject than is contained in the Bible; that there
is need of further revelation from God to settle the question.

In ushering in the Gospel in this dispensation the instruction so much
needed was given in April, 1830, and is as follows: "The person who is
called of God, and has authority from Jesus Christ to baptize, shall go
down into the water with the person who has presented him or herself
for baptism, and shall say, calling him or her by name--Having been
commissioned of Jesus Christ, I baptize you in the name of the Father,
and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. Then shall he immerse him
or her in the water, and come forth again out of the water."[M]

[Footnote M: Doc. and Cov., sec. xx: 73, 74]

The Book of Mormon is equally plain on this point. When Jesus gave
authority to his servants among the Nephites to baptize, he said to
them: "Verily I say unto you, that whosoever repenteth of his sins
through your words, and desireth to be baptized in my name, on this
wise shall ye baptize them: behold, ye shall go down and stand in the
water, and in my name shall ye baptize them. And now behold, these are
the words which ye shall say, calling them by name, saying. Having
authority given me of Jesus Christ, I baptize you in the name of the
Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. And then shall ye
immerse them in the water and come forth again out of the water. And
after this manner shall ye baptize in my name."[N]

[Footnote N: III. Nephi xi: 23-27.]

There can be no question as to how baptism should be administered
after such instruction as this; while the very pressing need of such a
revelation to the Christian world is a great evidence in support of its
divine inspiration.



CHAPTER XXV.

THE HOLY GHOST.

He who said a man must be born again--born of water, said also that he
must be born of the spirit;[A] and it is to that birth, or baptism of
the Spirit that we now direct the attention of the reader.

[Footnote A: John iii: 5.]

John the Baptist made reference to this matter when he was preaching
repentance and baptism throughout Judea. He told the people that he
truly baptized with water, but one should come after him, mightier than
he was, who would baptize them with the Holy Ghost,[B] Afterwards he
bore record that Jesus of Nazareth was he of whom he spake. "I saw,"
said he, "the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode
upon him [Jesus]. And I knew him not; but he that sent me to baptize
with water, the same said unto me, upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit
descending and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with
the Holy Ghost. And I saw and bear record that this is the Son of
God."[C]

[Footnote B: Mark, i: 7, 8.]

[Footnote C: John i: 32-34, in connection with verse 29-31.]

Jesus frequently alluded to this baptism of the Holy Ghost and the
powers that a possession thereof would impart to those who received
it; and, finally, after his death and resurrection, and just previous
to his departure from among his disciples in Judea, he said to them:
"Wait for the promise of the Father, which * * * ye have heard of
me. For John truly baptized with water but ye shall be baptized with
the Holy Ghost not many days hence."[D] The reference to the promise
made through John the Baptist is obvious; and the disciples who had
anxiously looked for its accomplishment, were now informed that its
fulfillment was not many days hence.

[Footnote D: Acts i: 4, 5.]

The promise was fulfilled, for in about seven days[E] after the
Messiah's ascension, on the day of Pentecost, the disciples being
assembled with one accord, in one place, "Suddenly there came a sound
from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house
where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues
like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled
with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the
spirit gave them utterance."[F]

[Footnote E: Pentecost came fifty days after the Passover, on which
day the Lord Jesus was crucified. Allowing that he laid three days in
the tomb, and was with his disciples forty days after his resurrection
(Acts i: 3), forty-three days of the fifty between Passover and
Pentecost was accounted for, leaving but seven between his ascension
and the day of Pentecost, when the promise of the baptism of the Spirit
was fulfilled.]

[Footnote F: Acts ii; 2-4.]

Thus was the promise made by John and repeated by Messiah fulfilled.

I have been particular to call attention to this promise, and its
fulfillment, because a similar promise is made to all men of all
nations, and in all generations wherever and whenever the Gospel is
proclaimed. The promise I allude to was made on this very same day of
Pentecost, on which the promise of John and Messiah was fulfilled.

Peter, under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, so abundantly given
to himself and companions on that day, preached a discourse which
convinced thousands that Jesus was both Lord and Christ, the Savior of
the world; and in answering the question of the multitude as to what
they should do, after telling them to repent, and to be baptized in the
name of Jesus Christ for the remission of their sins, he added: "And ye
shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost: for the promise is unto you,
and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the
Lord our God shall call."[G]

[Footnote G: Acts ii: 38.]

I call attention to the universality of this promise. It was made to
those who were listening to the apostles, but not to them alone, it
extended to their children, to them also that were afar off--to those
who were a hundred years off, or five hundred, or five or ten thousand
years off; the promise was to them; and as if this was not sufficiently
universal, the apostle adds, "even to as many as the Lord our God shall
call"--call, to what? to as many, of course, as are called to yield
obedience to the Gospel--to all such the promise extends.

As the promise made by John was repeated and emphasized by the Savior,
so, likewise, has this general promise, made by the apostle Peter been
repeated and emphasized by the Lord, in restoring the Gospel to the
earth in this dispensation in which we live. To the first Elders of the
Church in our day, he said: "As I said unto mine apostles, even so I
say unto you, for ye are mine apostles * * * Therefore * * * I say unto
you again, that every soul who believeth on your words, and is baptized
by water for the remission of sins, shall receive the Holy Ghost."[H]
So, to those who have faith in the revelations which the Lord has given
through the Prophet Joseph Smith, the promise of the Holy Ghost is
repeated, and assurance is made doubly sure.

[Footnote H: Doc. and Cov., sec. lxxxiv: 63, 64.]

The necessity of this baptism of the Holy Ghost is made apparent,
first, by the plain declaration of the Savior himself, wherein he
says, except a man is born of the Spirit as well as of the water, he
cannot enter into the kingdom of heaven;[I] and of course outside of
the kingdom of heaven there can be no salvation, nor perfect happiness;
second, its necessity appears from the very nature of things.

[Footnote I: John iii: 5.]

Through water baptism is obtained a remission of past sins; but even
after the sins of the past are forgiven, the one so pardoned will
doubtless feel the force of sinful habits bearing heavily upon him.
He who has been guilty of habitual untruthfulness, will at times find
himself inclined, perhaps, to yield to that habit. He who has stolen
may be sorely tempted, when opportunity arises, to steal again. While
he who has indulged in licentious practices may again find himself
disposed to give way to the seductive influence of the siren. So with
drunkenness, malice, envy, covetousness, hatred, anger, and, in short,
all the evil dispositions that flesh is heir to.

There is an absolute necessity for some additional sanctifying grace
that will strengthen poor human nature, not only to enable it to resist
temptation, but also to root out from the heart concupiscence--the
blind tendency or inclination to evil. The heart must be purified,
every passion, every propensity made submissive to the will, and the
will of man brought into subjection to the will of God.

Man's natural powers are unequal to this task; so, I believe, all will
testify who have made the experiment. Mankind stand in some need of a
strength superior to any they possess of themselves, to accomplish this
work of rendering pure our fallen nature. Such strength, such power,
such a sanctifying grace is conferred on man in being born of the
Spirit--in receiving the Holy Ghost. Such, in the main, is its office,
its work.

I do not draw such a conclusion directly from any one passage of
scripture, but from the whole tenor of the teachings of the servants of
God, in both ancient and modern times.

We shall see, presently, that it is this spirit which reproves the
world of sin, of righteousness and judgment, that it guides into all
truth, takes of the things of the Father and reveals them unto the
children of men and testifies that Jesus is the Christ These things
increase knowledge and faith; and as the foundations of knowledge
and faith are broadened and deepened so are the powers to work
righteousness increased.

We shall see also that the fruits of this spirit are goodness,
righteousness, truth, love, joy, peace and gentleness, and as these
things are increased in the soul, viciousness and impurity are rooted
out, until the whole man is changed and in very deed becomes a new
creature in Christ Jesus--is numbered among the pure in heart, and
blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see and dwell with God.



CHAPTER XXVI.

THE HOLY GHOST.--WHO MAY RECEIVE IT.

The reader has observed, perchance, that John the Baptist was sent
to preach repentance and baptism before the coming of him who was to
baptize with the Holy Ghost. We may also have observed in the teachings
of Peter on the day of Pentecost, after his arguments and the power of
the Spirit by which he spake had aroused belief in the minds of the
people, that he required them to repent and to be baptized for the
remission of their sins before he gave them the promise of the Holy
Ghost.

If we turn to the account given in the Acts of the Apostles of the
conversion of the people of Samaria, we shall find the same order
observed. Philip went down to that city, taught them the word, which
they believed, they repented of their sins, and were baptized; then
Peter and John came and conferred upon them the Holy Ghost.[A]

[Footnote A: Acts viii.]

Then, again, when Paul found a number of men in Ephesus, who claimed to
have been baptized unto John's baptism, yet had not so much as heard of
the Holy Ghost, Paul was careful to re-baptize them--since there seemed
to be some doubt as to the validity of their first baptism--before he
conferred upon them the Holy Ghost.[B]

[Footnote B: Acts xix.]

It appears from these circumstances that faith, repentance, and
baptism, precede the reception or baptism of the Holy Ghost, and are,
in fact, prerequisites to a reception of it. This order, in respect to
these principles and ordinances, is further sustained by other passages
of scripture.

Just previous to his crucifixion, Jesus said to the apostles: "I will
pray to the Father, and he shall give unto you another Comforter, that
he may abide with you forever; even the Spirit of truth, _whom the world
cannot receive_ because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him."[C] It
is evident from this that the world cannot receive the Holy Ghost. And
now, who are the world? I answer, those who have not yet put on Christ;
or, in other words, those who have not yet entered into the kingdom
of God, through faith in God and Christ, repentance and baptism. They
are the world; and, according to the word of the Master, they cannot
receive the Holy Ghost.

[Footnote C: John xiv: 16, 17.]

Again: When Peter and other apostles were brought before the senate of
the Jews, accused with intent to bring the blood of Messiah upon them,
Peter answered: "The God of our fathers raised up Jesus whom ye slew
and hanged on a tree. Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a
Prince and a Savior, for to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness
of sins. And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the
Holy Ghost _whom God hath given to them that obey him_."[D] Not, mark
you, to them who have not obeyed him. This is in harmony with the
statement that the world cannot receive the Holy Ghost, and also with
the other cases we cited where the order in presenting the Gospel to
the people was faith in God and Christ, repentance, baptism for the
remission of sins, and then the reception of the Holy Ghost.

[Footnote D: Acts v: 24-32.]

There is an exception, however, to this rule in the New Testament: the
case of Cornelius the devout gentile;[E] and for this exception there
was a special reason. It seems that the apostles applied the narrow
and contracted views of the Jews to the Gospel. They thought it was
to be confined to the house of Israel--to those of the circumcision.
They appeared slow to understand that in Jesus Christ all the nations
and peoples of the earth were to be blessed, the gentiles as well as
the Jews. Consequently, when the time had come to send the Gospel to
the gentiles, the Lord opened the way by sending an angel to Cornelius
to tell him that his prayers and alms had come up for a memorial
before the Lord, and to direct him to send men to Joppa for Peter, who
would tell him what he ought to do.[F] He at once obeyed the heavenly
injunction.

[Footnote E: Some also note the case of Paul as an exception to the
rule, but I think this an error It is true Ananias, on entering the
house where Paul was, put his hands on him and said: "The Lord, even
Jesus, that appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest, hath sent
me, that thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy
Ghost. And immediately," the historian tells us, "there fell from his
eyes as it had been scales; and he received sight forthwith, and arose
and was baptized." (Acts ix: 17, 18.) But in all this I see nothing to
warrant the assumption that he received the Holy Ghost prior to his
baptism.]

[Footnote F: Acts x: 1-8.]

Meantime the Lord prepared Peter to go to the gentiles. In vision he
beheld a great net lowered down from heaven, filled with all manner
of beasts, and a voice cried unto him, "Rise, Peter, kill and eat.
But Peter said. Not so. Lord, for I have never eaten anything that
is common or unclean." "What God hath cleansed, that call not thou
common," said the voice.[G] This was done thrice, and before he had
wholly concluded what the vision could mean, the messengers from
Cornelius were at the gate,--and the Spirit told him to go with them,
for the Lord had sent them.

[Footnote G: Acts x: 9-17.]

That Peter understood the import of this vision to be that the Gospel
was for all mankind, for all races and nations, is evident from the
fact that when on the following day he went with the messengers to the
house of Cornelius, he said to him: "Ye know how that it is an unlawful
thing for a man that is a Jew to keep company, or come unto one of
another nation; but God hath showed me that I should not call any man
common or unclean. Therefore come I unto you without gainsaying, as
soon as I was sent for."[H]

[Footnote H: Acts x: 28.]

Cornelius related to him his vision and expressed himself as ready to
receive the commandments of God. Then Peter preached to him Christ and
him crucified and that whosoever believed on him should have remission
of sins. And "while Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell
on all them that heard the word. And they of the circumcision which
believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on
the gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost. For they
heard them speak with tongues and magnify God. Then answered Peter,
can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized which have
received the Holy Ghost as well as we? And he commanded them to be
baptized, in the name of the Lord."[I]

[Footnote I: Acts x: 44-48.]

Afterwards, when they of the circumcision complained of Peter going to
them who were uncircumcised, he related the whole matter to them, and
testified that as he began to speak to Cornelius and his kindred, "the
Holy Ghost fell upon them, as on us at the beginning. * * * Forasmuch,
then, as God gave them the like gift as he did unto us, who believed on
the Lord Jesus Christ, what was I, that I could withstand God."[J] When
they heard this they held their peace, and the saying went abroad that
God had also to the gentiles granted repentance unto life.

[Footnote J: Acts xi: 15-17.]

The object for deviating from the order in which the principles and
ordinances of the Gospel follow each other is obvious--it was that the
Jews might have a witness from God that the Gospel was for the gentiles
as well as for their own nation. But according to the scriptures, and,
I may say, according to the nature and relationship of these several
principles and ordinances of the Gospel to each other, the reception of
the Holy Ghost comes after repentance and baptism.

In Writing to the Corinthian saints who had received the Holy Ghost,
Paul says: "What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy
Ghost, which is in you, which ye have of God?"[K]

[Footnote K: I. Cor. v: 19]

And again: "Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the
Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him
will God destroy."[L]

[Footnote L: I. Cor. iii: 16, 17.]

From these passages this much is learned: that the man who receives
the Holy Ghost becomes a temple thereof, even the temple of God; and
since it is decreed that if a man defiles the temple of God him will
God destroy, it may be reasonably inferred that the Holy Ghost dwells
not in unholy temples; hence, through faith in God, sincere repentance
of all sins, and baptism for the remission of them, man cleanses his
temple, his body, that it may be a fit dwelling place for the Holy
Ghost.

Thus faith, repentance, water baptism, and then the baptism of the
Spirit is the order in which these principles stand, both according
to the teachings of the scriptures, and the nature of the things
themselves: the one leading up logically to the other, which follows in
beautiful and harmonious sequence.



CHAPTER XXVII.

THE HOLY GHOST.--HOW IMPARTED.

The manner in which the saints under the teachings of the apostles
received the baptism of the Holy Ghost was through the laying on of
hands. In proof of this I call attention once more to the labors of
Philip in the city of Samaria.

It is already known how he taught them the Gospel, how they believed it
and were baptized; then we are informed that "when the apostles which
were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they
sent unto them Peter and John: who, when they were come down, prayed
for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost (for as yet he was
fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the
Lord Jesus.) Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the
Holy Ghost."[A]

[Footnote A: Acts viii: 14-17.]

Previous to the labors of Philip among the Samaritans, one Simon Magus,
a magician, had given it out that he himself was some great one, and
his influence among the people was considerable. But he, too, became
converted to the teachings of Philip, and was astonished at the power
which attended his administrations, for the sick were healed, the lame
were cured, and unclean spirits cast out of those who were possessed of
them. Afterwards when the apostles John and Peter came and conferred
the Holy Ghost upon those whom Philip had baptized, Simon was present:
"And when Simon saw that through laying on of the apostles' hands the
Holy Ghost was given, he offered them money, saying. Give me also this
power, that on whomsoever I lay my hands, he may receive the Holy
Ghost. But Peter said unto him, Thy money perish with thee, because
thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money."[B]

[Footnote B: Acts viii: 18-20.]

Paul, it will be remembered, found a number of men at Ephesus who
claimed to have been baptized unto John's baptism, but when Paul
questioned them as to the Holy Ghost, they had not heard even that
there was such a spirit. So doubting the validity of their baptism,
he re-baptized them; after which, "when Paul had laid his hands upon
them, the Holy Ghost came upon them; and they spake with tongues and
prophesied."[C]

[Footnote C: Acts xix: 1-6.]

The same apostle, also, in writing to Timothy, exhorts him to "stir
up the gift of God which was in him, and which he had received by the
putting on of his [Paul's] hands,"[D] alluding, no doubt, to the time
that Paul bestowed the Holy Ghost upon him by the laying on of hands.

[Footnote D: II. Tim. i: 6.]

That this practice of laying on hands for the bestowal or baptism of
the Holy Ghost continued in the primitive Christian Church for a long
period--at least for three centuries--is evident from the following
testimony:

Of the rites and ceremonies of the third century Mosheim says: "The
effect of baptism was supposed to be the remission of sins: And it was
believed that the bishop, by the imposition of hands and by prayer
conferred those gifts of the Holy Spirit which were necessary for
living a holy life."[E]

[Footnote E: Mosheim's Church History (Murdock), Vol. I, p. 189.]

In a note on the foregoing question, Murdock, the most accurate
translator of Dr. Mosheim's great work on church history, says: "This
may be placed beyond all controversy by many passages from the fathers
of this century. And as it will conduce much to an understanding of the
theology of the ancients, which differed in many respects from ours, I
will adduce a single passage from Cyprian. It is in his Epistle, No.
73, p. 131: 'It is manifest where and by whom the remission of sin
conferred in baptism is administered. They who are presented to the
rulers of the church, obtain by our prayers and imposition of hands the
Holy Ghost.'"[F]

[Footnote F: Mosheim's Church Hist., Vol. I, p. 189.]

In another passage Cyprian writes: "Our practice is, that those who
have been baptized into the Church should be presented, that by prayer
and imposition of hands they may receive the Holy Ghost." While
Augustine, in the fourth century, says: "We still do what the apostles
did when they laid their hands on the Samaritans and called down the
Holy Ghost upon them."[G]

[Footnote G: Laying on hands was employed in the Church for other
purposes than imparting the Holy Ghost. It was the manner of
administering to the sick (Mark xvi: 18; Acts xxviii, 8); and also of
conferring authority or priesthood on men (see Acts vi: 5, 6; viii:
17; xiii: 3); but as we here are only dealing with the ordinance as
it relates to a means of imparting the Holy Ghost, I do not stop to
discuss the other purposes for which it was employed.]

In subsequent centuries, however, this part of the Gospel was lost,
or neglected by some of the sects of Christendom, and when announced
among them today, it is not unfrequently regarded as a new doctrine.[H]
Yet it is not. We have seen that it was a doctrine practiced by the
apostles and their immediate successors. Indeed it is named directly
as one of the principles of the doctrine of Christ by Paul. The
following is the passage: "Therefore not leaving the principles of the
doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again
the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward
God, of the doctrine of baptisms, _and of laying on of hands_ and of
resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment."[I] And here it
may be well to call attention to the fact, that it is written that
"Whosoever transgresseth and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ,
hath not God."[J] And since the religious world has very generally
lost sight of this important doctrine of the laying on of hands for
imparting the Holy Ghost, it is one evidence, among many others, that
they have not God; for the absence of this part of the Gospel proves
that they have not continued in the doctrine of Christ.

[Footnote H: It is a mistake to suppose all Christendom have neglected
the practice of this ordinance. The Catholics teach that "Confirmation
[by the laying on of hands] is a sacrament instituted by our Lord,
by which the faithful, who have already been made children of God by
baptism, receive the Holy Ghost by prayer, unction (or anointing with
holy oil called _chrism_), and the laying on of the hands of a bishop,
the successor of the apostles. It is thus that they are enriched with
gifts, graces and virtues, especially with the virtue of fortitude,
and made perfect Christians and valiant soldiers of Jesus Christ to
stand through life the whole warfare of the world, the flesh and the
devil. The first recorded instance of confirmation being administered
to the faithful is in the eighth chapter of the Acts of the Apostles,
where St. Peter and St. John confirmed the Samaritans who had been
already baptized by St. Philip. 'They prayed for them that they might
receive the Holy Ghost. * * * Then laid they their hands on them and
they received the Holy Ghost'"(Catholic Belief, Bruno pp. 97, 98). The
Church of England, and of course the Episcopal churches in the colonies
and the United States teach practically the same.]

[Footnote I: Heb. vi: 1, 2.]

[Footnote J: II. John: 9.]

In restoring the Gospel to the earth in the present dispensation, it
seems, from the frequency with which it is mentioned, that particular
prominence is given to this doctrine and ordinance through which the
Holy Ghost is imparted. Out of the many passages in the Doctrine and
Covenants relating to the subject I select the following:

In April, 1830, the same month and year in which the Church of Christ
in this dispensation was organized, the Lord in explaining the office
and calling of an apostle, said: "An apostle is an elder, and it is his
calling to baptize; * * * and to confirm those who are baptized into
the Church, by the laying on of hands for the baptism of fire and the
Holy Ghost, according to the scriptures."[K]

[Footnote K: Doc. and Cov., sec. xx: 38, 41.]

In a revelation to James Covill given in January, 1831, calling him to
obedience to the Gospel and appointing him to be his servant, even a
minister for Christ, the Lord said: "And this is my Gospel: repentance
and baptism by water, and then cometh the baptism of fire and the Holy
Ghost, even the Comforter, which showeth all things, and teacheth the
peaceable things of the Kingdom." After calling him to be his servant
the Lord said: "And again it shall come to pass, that on as many as
ye shall baptize with water, ye shall lay your hands, and they shall
receive the gift of the Holy Ghost."[L]

[Footnote L: Doc. and Cov., sec. xxxix; 6, 23.]

Then in a revelation given to Sidney Rigdon, Parley P. Pratt and Lemon
Copley, through Joseph the Prophet, on the occasion of these men
being sent with the Gospel to the Shakers, the Lord said: "Go among
this people and say unto them, like unto mine apostle of old, whose
name was Peter; believe on the name of the Lord Jesus. * * * Repent
and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, according to the holy
commandment, for the remission of sins; and whoso doeth this shall
receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, by the laying on of the hands of
the Elders of this Church."[M]

[Footnote M: Ibid., sec. xlix: 11-14.]

As this last is a general law, I do not consider it necessary to cite
further passages, though the revelations of the Lord contained in the
Doctrine and Covenants are replete with them. Sufficient has been said
to show that the doctrine has been made prominent in this dispensation.

To my mind this ordinance is the most philosophical of any in the
Gospel. On one occasion as Jesus passed through a throng of people, a
woman who had been troubled with an issue of blood for twelve years,
and had spent all her living upon physicians, but received no benefit
from them, came up behind him, saying in her heart, if I can but touch
the hem of his garment I shall be healed. And it was so, even according
to her faith; for pressing through the crowd she laid hold of his
garment and was immediately made whole. "And Jesus said, who touched
me?" When all denied, Peter and they that were with him said, "Master,
the multitude throng thee, and press thee, and sayest thou who touched
me? And Jesus said, somebody hath touched me; for I perceive that
virtue is gone out of me."[N]

[Footnote N: Luke viii: 43, 46.]

Now, what had happened. And why the expression--"Somebody hath touched
me; for I perceive that virtue is gone out of me." My answer would be
that the person of Jesus, aye, and also the very garments he wore, were
so charged with that divine influence, known to us as the Holy Spirit,
that when the woman with the issue of blood touched his garments, so
much of that Spirit left him to heal her that it was perceptible to
him, and he exclaimed, "Virtue is gone out of me!"

So, when a servant of God, filled with that Spirit, and with authority
to act in the name of Jesus Christ, lays his hands upon one who has
prepared himself for the reception of the Holy Ghost, through faith,
repentance, and baptism, a portion of that Holy Spirit passes from
the one who administers, to him upon whom he lays his hands and he
is baptized with it. These are the laws by which it is received and
conveyed; these are the conditions that must exist, in order that
men may obtain this holiest of all influences, and its full and free
enjoyment. And its transmission from one person to another by an
observance of the ordinances and principles of righteousness we have
now considered, is as natural and philosophical in the spiritual
things of the universe, as it is for electricity or steam to perform
the wonders which these forces are now made to enact in the commercial
and mechanical worlds; and which they will not perform, unless the
conditions by which their power is made available, are complied with.

I cannot do better in concluding this chapter than to quote a paragraph
or two from the works of Apostle Parley P. Pratt:

"To impart a portion of the Holy Spirit by the touch, or by the laying
on of hands; or to impart a portion of the element of life, from one
animal body to another, by an authorized agent who acts in the name of
God, and who is filled therewith, is as much in accordance with the
laws of nature as for water to seek its own level; air its equilibrium;
or heat and electricity their own mediums of conveyance.

"This law of spiritual fluid, its communicative properties, and the
channel by which it is imparted from one person to another, bear some
resemblance or analogy to the laws and operations of electricity. Like
electricity, it is imparted by the contact of two bodies, through the
channel of the nerves.

"But the two fluids differ widely. The one is a property nearly allied
to the grosser elements of matter; not extensively endowed with the
attributes of intelligence, wisdom, affection or moral discrimination.
It can therefore be imparted from one animal body to another,
irrespective of the intellectual or moral qualities of the subject
or recipient. The other is a substance endowed with the attributes
of intelligence, affection, moral discrimination, love, charity and
benevolence pure as the emotions which swell the bosom, thrill the
nerves, or vibrate the pulse of the Father of all.

"An agent filled with this heavenly fluid cannot impart of the same to
another, unless that other is justified, washed, cleansed from all his
impurities of heart, affections, habits or practices by the blood of
atonement, which is generally applied in connection with the baptism of
remission.

"A man who continues in his sins, and who has no living faith in the
Son of God, cannot receive the gift of the Holy Spirit through the
ministration of any agent, however holy he may be. The impure spirit
of such a one will repulse the pure element, upon the natural laws of
sympathetic affinity, or of attraction and repulsion."[O]

[Footnote O: Key to Theology, pp. 96, 97, 98.]

In other words, the Spirit of God will not dwell in unholy temples,
hence repentance and baptism for the remission of sins go before the
baptism of the Spirit that men may be cleansed of their sins, justified
before God, and their bodies by these means made fit dwelling-places
for the Holy Ghost--the living temples of God.



CHAPTER XXVIII.

THE HOLY GHOST.--CHARACTER AND SOURCE.

Can the naturalist find out and comprehend the secret of the endless
variety of life in the vegetable and animal kingdoms? Can the chemist
find out the essences of substances, or make himself master of the
secrets of great nature's laboratory where those wonderful combinations
are wrought which produce the substances that constitute the material
universe? Can the physician or surgeon with scalpel and microscope
"trace to its source the lightning of the soul"--trace out the secret
springs of life and intelligence in the human organism? Can the
astronomer, even with his mightiest telescope, penetrate to the outside
curtains of space where worlds and planetary systems do not exist--can
he circumscribe the creations of God, within the scope of his vision or
knowledge?

To all these questions a negative answer must be given; when man has
done his best, when his whole life has been spent in seeking knowledge
and finding out wisdom, even then the facts which he has mastered,
compared with those beyond the power of his intellect to comprehend,
are insignificant; and the fields of knowledge which he has explored,
compared with those wherein man has never yet set his foot, are as the
few grains of sand compared to the untold millions of such grains that
form old ocean's beach.

The great Sir Isaac Newton at the close of his life--a life devoted
to the search for knowledge in which pursuit he had been more than
ordinarily successful, and most men thought he had accomplished
something of which he could boast--said in accents most humble, "I have
been like a child playing upon the beach; I have succeeded in finding a
few pretty shells, and picking up a few pretty pebbles, but the great
ocean lies before me unexplored."

Questions and considerations like these, are calculated to reveal
the fact that man, with all his boasted intelligence, is, after all,
in this sphere of existence, "cribbed, cabined and confined" to
limits extremely narrow, so far as his ability to comprehend facts is
concerned.

The naturalist will answer "No," to the question I have set down to
him. He will tell us that he can classify the various forms of animal
and vegetable life, basing his classification upon certain similarities
of structure or habits; but when it comes to accounting for the great
variety and forms of life in animated nature; or to telling why it is
that one seed produces the mighty, sturdy oak, and another the supple
willow; or why each species of animals produces its kind--he cannot
inform you. His most careful investigations and patient watching have
failed to rob nature of these secrets.

The chemist of a century ago, who thought he had reduced compound
substances to their primary elements, and had discovered all the
primary elements of substances; could he live today, he would see his
"elements" separated and reduced, and a multitude of other elements
unknown to him, brought within the compass of chemical science;
and yet the existence of the universe itself, remaining as great a
mystery as ever. Indeed, the wonder grows rather than diminishes with
each succeeding discovery; for these things increase the mystery by
revealing the complexity and delicate combinations of substances as
they exist in their varied forms.

To the physician, the surgeon, the scientist, the mystery of life
remains as much an unsolved problem as it ever did. It is true they
claim to have traced it down to its beginning; they say it originates
in a substance known to them as protoplasm; that a single cell of this
wonderful substance has the peculiar power of producing another cell,
and this one still another. This multiplication of protoplasmic cells
continuing until it develops in the varied processes of nature into the
great variety of animal organisms known to us. Yet after all his work,
the scientist at last, with nervous hand and throbbing brow reaches a
point beyond which he cannot go, and the single cell of protoplasm,
with the peculiar power to multiply itself, is as great a mystery as
man with his complex organism of bones and nerves and muscles.

To the question I have put to the astronomer, he would doubtless
answer, with some impatience, that his best instruments but revealed to
him the nearest outposts of the stellar worlds; and that beyond these
few street lamps within his vision, with whose positions he has become
acquainted and marked down on his chart, are numberless planetary
systems out of the reach of his instruments, but whose existence is
revealed by masses of light through which he cannot penetrate. His
science is unsatisfied, the little he has learned but reveals to him
the vastness and extent of those fields of knowledge beyond his power
to enter, much less to reap.

If in relation to these grosser materials or objects, and their
relationship to each other, man's knowledge is so limited, and
his powers of comprehension so restricted, the reader will not be
astonished when I tell him there is very much that is beyond our power
to understand in relation to that most subtle, powerful, sensitive and
intelligent of all influences, known to us as the Holy Ghost.

What little may be learned of this great spiritual force in the
universe, is to be found in the revelations of God, from which we are
given to understand that this Holy Spirit which exists throughout the
universe and is the medium by which it is governed, emanates from God.

Just previous to his crucifixion, Jesus said to his disciples: "But
when the Comforter [which is the Holy Ghost--see John xiv, 26], is
come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of
Truth, _which proceedeth from the Father_ he will testify of me."[A]

[Footnote A: John xv: 26.]

And this agrees with what the Lord has revealed in this dispensation,
in respect to this Spirit. To a number of Elders who had assembled
together, to learn the will of the Lord concerning them--after
telling them that he was well pleased with them, and that their names
were written in the book of the names of the sanctified--he said:
"Wherefore, I now send upon you another Comforter, even upon you,
my friends, that it may abide in your hearts, even the Holy Spirit
of promise; which other Comforter is the same I promised unto my
disciples, as is recorded in the testimony of John.[B] This Comforter
is the promise which I give unto you of eternal life; even the glory
of the celestial kingdom: which glory is that of the church of the
first-born; even of God, the holiest of all, through Jesus Christ,
his Son: he that ascended up on high, as also he descended below al]
things, in that he comprehended all things, that he might be in all
and through all things [that is, by the power of his Spirit] the light
of truth; which truth shineth. This is the light of Christ [or Holy
Spirit]. As also he is [that is, by this Spirit--the Holy Ghost], in
the sun, and the light of the sun, and the power thereof by which it
was made. As also he is in the moon, and is the light of the moon,
and the power thereof, by which it was made. As also the light of the
stars, and the power thereof by which they were made. And the earth
also, and the power thereof; even the earth upon which you stand. And
the light which now shineth, which giveth you light, is through him who
enlighteneth your eyes, which is the same light that quickeneth your
understandings; _which light proceedeth forth from the presence of God_
to fill the immensity of space, the light which is in all things; which
giveth life to all things: which is the law by which all things are
governed; even the power of God, who sitteth upon his throne, who is in
the bosom of eternity, who is in the midst of all things."[C]

[Footnote B: John xiv.]

[Footnote C: Doc. and Cov., sec. lxxxviii: 1-13.]

The line in italics represents this "light" which quickened the
understanding of the Elders to whom the revelation was addressed, as
proceeding from the presence of God, and this is wherein the testimony
of this revelation agrees with that of John. Both testify that this
Spirit emanates from God, and that this "light" which "proceedeth forth
from the presence of God to fill the immensity of space, which giveth
life to all things, which is the law by which all things are governed,"
is identical With that Spirit of which Jesus was speaking, the Holy
Ghost, cannot be doubted. Hence, from this revelation we learn not only
the source of the Holy Ghost, but that it permeates the universe, and
is the power by which the creations of God were brought into existence,
by which they subsist, and by which they are directed in their
respective spheres in such harmony and splendor.

To these ideas respecting the Holy Ghost agree several other
authoritative passages. The Prophet Joseph Smith taught that the
Holy Ghost has not a body of flesh and bones, "but is a personage of
Spirit;" and then adds: "Were it not so, the Holy Ghost could not dwell
in us."[D]

[Footnote D: Doc. and Cov., sec. cxxx.]

Again it is written: "The elements are the tabernacle of God, yea
man is the tabernacle of God, even temples; and whatsoever temple is
defiled, God shall destroy that temple."[E] This cannot allude to God
the Father or to God the Son, because each has a tabernacle of flesh
and bones, as tangible as man's;[F] but it alludes to God the Holy
Ghost, whose tabernacle is in the elements of the universe, giving life
and light and intelligence to all things, and is the grand medium of
communication between God the Father and his Son Jesus Christ and their
vast creations.

[Footnote E: Doc. and Cov., sec. xciii; also I. Cor. iii: 16, 17; I.
Cor., vi: 19.]

[Footnote F: The Father has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as
man's; the Son also; but the Holy Ghost has not a body of flesh and
bones, but is a personage of Spirit. (Doc. and Cov., sec. cxxx: 22; see
also Lectures on Faith, v: 2, 3.)]

So much as to the source and nature of the Holy Ghost; now let us turn
our attention to what it does for those who possess it, what gifts and
graces it bestows and develops in them.



CHAPTER XXIX.

THE HOLY GHOST.--ITS POWER.

As the time drew near for Jesus to make his great sacrifice, and then
depart from the immediate presence of his disciples, he manifested a
great desire to comfort them in prospect of this separation, and this
he did by promising to send to them from the Father the Holy Ghost,
that he might abide with them for ever;[A] and in explaining to them
the powers of this Spirit, he said: "But the Comforter, which is the
Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you
all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have
said unto you."

[Footnote A: John xiv: 16, 26.]

In continuation of his remarks on this subject, he told them he had
many things to say unto them, but they could not bear them at that
time. "Howbeit," said he, "when he, the Spirit of Truth, is come, he
will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself: but
whatsoever he shall hear that shall he speak: and he will show you
things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine,
and shall show it unto you. All things that the Father hath are mine:
Therefore, said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall show it unto
you."[B]

[Footnote B: John xvi: 13-15.]

From these passages four important things are learned respecting the
powers of the Holy Ghost:

I. That he will teach all things; and, what is equivalent, "guide into
all truth."

II. He will bring all things to remembrance, that is, whatsoever things
have been stored in the mind.

III. He will show things to come.

IV. He will take of the things of God and reveal them unto men.

Of the excellence and importance of these several powers it is scarcely
needful to speak, since their excellence is evident, upon the mere
enumeration of them, yet one cannot refrain from looking at them more
in detail. How excellent a thing it is to have a teacher competent to
teach all things, and guide into all truth In view of the fact that
the saints possessed the Holy Ghost, and that the Holy Ghost has these
powers, one can understand the reasonableness of John's remarks to the
saints, in which he says: "But ye have an unction from the Holy One,
and ye know all things. * * * The anointing which ye have received of
him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the
same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie,
and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him."[C]

[Footnote C: I. John ii: 20, 27.]

Moreover, to that extent that a man is guided into all truth, he is
preserved from all error. There is no danger of his being deceived,
or led astray by every wind of doctrine, or the cunning craftiness of
false teachers, so long as he is in possession of that Spirit which
guides into all truth. So taught Isaiah, who, in speaking of the time
when the house of Israel should possess this Spirit, says: "And though
the Lord give you the bread of adversity, and the water of affliction,
yet shall not thy teachers be removed into a corner any more, but thine
eyes shall see thy teachers: And thine ears shall hear a word behind
thee, saying. This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right
hand and when ye turn to the left."[D]

[Footnote D: Isaiah xxx: 20, 21.]

As to the second power enumerated, _viz_.: the power to bring all things
to the recollection, I maintain that it would be impossible for man to
live the law of the gospel without some such grace being conferred upon
him by the Lord. The law of the gospel requires men not only to do good
to those who do good to them, but to do good to those who despitefully
use them; not only to lend to those who lend to them, but to lend to
those of whom they can hope to receive nothing in return; to revile
not those who may revile them--in a word, the law of the gospel is
summed up in this: "Be ye not overcome of evil; but overcome evil with
good."[E]

[Footnote E: Romans xii: 21. See also Matt. v, vi.]

However fine this may be in theory, or however beautiful it may look on
paper, to carry it practically into the affairs of life is difficult.

When reviled it seems but natural to answer railing with railing, blows
with blows, and for injury inflicted, return as much in kind as is
within one's power to inflict. And unless in possession of this grace
bestowed by the Holy Ghost, _viz_., having brought to one's recollection
the things of Christ's gospel, being reminded in the very moment of
temptation of these laws--when smarting under a sense of injustice,
or suffering under wrongs heaped upon one--it would be difficult if
not impossible to live up to these heavenly precepts. But by having
the Holy Spirit as one's prompter in the moments of temptation, and by
cultivating the Christian virtue of patience, this law of the gospel,
so contrary to the natural disposition, may be complied with, and the
follower of Christ, like his Master, may be able to say for those who
inflict injury upon him, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what
they do."

Thirdly, "He will show you things to come." In other words, the Holy
Ghost is the spirit of prophecy, for by it the future has been unfolded
to the minds of the prophets; and by it the scriptures were given. In
proof of this I quote the apostle Peter: "The prophecy came not in old
time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved
by the Holy Ghost,"[F] and that which they spake was written and became
scripture.

[Footnote F: II. Peter i: 21.]

When an angel visited John on Patmos and that apostle fell at his feet
to worship him, the angel said: "See thou do it not: I am thy fellow
servant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus" [which
is the Holy Ghost]: "worship God, for the testimony of Jesus is the
Spirit of prophecy."[G]

[Footnote G: Rev. xix: 10.]

These facts will exhibit the inconsistency, nay, I may say, the
absolutely erroneous position of those who insist that while the Holy
Ghost has continued with men, prophecy and revelation have ceased.

The very fact, as stated in the fourth item taken from these passages
under consideration, _viz_., that the Holy Ghost will take of the things
of the Lord and show them unto men, also proves that this Spirit is
one of revelation, and is in harmony with the scripture--"The Spirit
searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. What man knoweth the
things of man, but the spirit of a man which is in him? Even so the
things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God."[H]

[Footnote H: I. Cor. ii: 11, 12.]

In addition to these powers there is still another, and it is an
important one. The Holy Ghost is a witness for God and Christ: "When
the Comforter is come," are the words of the Son of God, "whom I will
send unto you from the Father, * * * he will testify of me."[I] The
testimony of Paul is still more emphatic than this: "No man speaking by
the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed; and no man can say that Jesus
is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost."[J]

[Footnote I: John xv: 26.]

[Footnote J: I Cor. xii: 3.]

I have shown in my remarks on the Holy Ghost being "the Spirit of
prophecy," that that Spirit and this without which no man can say that
Jesus is the Lord--"the testimony of Jesus"--are identical. Several
other powers belonging to this Spirit are also enumerated by Paul.
He gives us to understand that "There are diversities of gifts, but
the same Spirit, and there are differences of administration, but the
same Lord. * * * But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every
man to profit withal. For to one is given by the Spirit, the word of
wisdom, to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit: to another
faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same
Spirit: To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to
another discerning of spirits, to another divers kinds of tongues; to
another interpretation of tongues: But all these worketh that one and
the self same Spirit dividing to each one severally as he will."[K]

[Footnote K: I. Cor. xii: 4-22.]

In addition to this splendid array of powers and gifts of the Holy
Ghost, we are told that its fruit "is love, joy, peace, long-suffering,
gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance."[L] Indeed we
may say, in the language of Apostle Parley P. Pratt, the Holy Spirit
adapts itself to all the organs and attributes of man. "It quickens all
the intellectual faculties, increases, enlarges, expands and purifies
all the natural passions and affections; and adapts them by the gift
of wisdom to their lawful use. It inspires, develops, cultivates and
matures all the fine-toned sympathies, joys, tastes, kindred feelings
and affections of our nature. It inspires virtue, kindness, goodness,
tenderness, gentleness and charity. It develops beauty of person, form
and feature. It tends to health, vigor, animation and social feeling.
It develops and invigorates all the faculties of the physical and
intellectual man. It strengthens, invigorates and gives tone to the
nerves. In short, it is, as it were, marrow to the bone, joy to the
heart, light to the eyes, music to the ears, and life to the whole
being."[M]

[Footnote L: Gal. vi: 22, 23.]

[Footnote M: Key to Theology, p. 102.]

Such is the Holy Ghost and its sanctifying influence--such is the
Spirit given to those who accept the gospel, who believe in God and
Jesus Christ, who repent of their sins and are baptized for the
remission of them--then follows the baptism of the Spirit, in other
words, the reception of the Holy Ghost through the laying on of hands.
Then is developed one or more of its spiritual gifts, and its general
purifying influences; enlarging the understanding, ennobling every
thought, making pure the heart; in short, it draws man into a nearer
relationship with his God, and begins that spiritual education so
necessary to prepare him for the glorious presence of his Creator--his
Father.



CHAPTER XXX.

AUTHORITY.

I have now considered, at some length, the doctrines and ordinances
which constitute the First Principles of the Gospel of Christ. In
connection with these principles, however, there is another matter
which must claim the reader's attention; _viz_.: the important fact that
the gospel must be preached and its ordinances administered by those
having authority from God; or the administrations will have no binding
force in heaven or on earth, in time or in eternity.

We are informed in the scriptures that the Lord wrought special
miracles by the hands of Paul, whom he had called to be his servant.
The sick were healed, and evil spirits were cast out of those who
were possessed. "Then certain of the vagabond Jews, exorcists, took
upon them to call over them which had evil spirits, the name of the
Lord Jesus, saying. We adjure you, by Jesus whom Paul preacheth. And
there were seven sons, of one Sceva, a Jew, and chief of the priests,
which did so. And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know,
and Paul I know, but who are ye? And the man in whom the evil spirit
was, leaped on them, and overcame them, and prevailed against them,
so that they fled out of that house, naked and wounded."[A] These
men presumptuously took it upon themselves to act as those who had
authority, and the result was that not even the devils would respect
their administrations, much less the Lord.

[Footnote A: Acts xix: 13-16.]

There is a principle of great moment associated with this incident. The
question is, if these men, when acting without authority from God could
not drive out an evil spirit, would their administration be of force,
or have any virtue in it, had they administered in some other ordinance
of the Gospel, say baptism for the remission of sins, or laying on
hands for imparting the Holy Ghost? Manifestly it would not. And hence
we rightly come to the conclusion, so well expressed in one of our
articles of faith, that "A man must be called of God, by prophecy and
by the laying on of hands, by those who are in authority to preach the
gospel and administer in the ordinances thereof."

Such a conclusion as this could reasonably be drawn also from the words
of Paul in Hebrews where he says: "Every high priest taken from among
men is ordained for men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer
both gifts and sacrifices for sins: * * * And no man taketh this honor
unto himself, but he that is called of God as was Aaron."[B] The manner
in which Aaron was called to the priest's office is recorded in the
writings of Moses as follows: "Take thou unto thee Aaron thy brother,
and his sons with him from among the children of Israel, that he may
minister unto me in the priest's office, even Aaron, Nadab and Abihu,
Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron's sons."[C]

[Footnote B: Heb. v. 1, 5.]

[Footnote C: Ex. xxviii, 1.]

It may be objected that this was the law relating to the calling of
high priests alone, but if high priests are to be called in this
manner, is it not reasonable to conclude that all who administer in
"things pertaining to God" must be called in the same way--that is,
of God? So far as the scriptures are concerned, and on subjects of
this character their authority is conclusive, wherever we have an
account of men administering in the things pertaining to God, and their
administrations are accepted of him, they have either been called
directly by revelation from him, or through inspiration in those who
already had authority from God to act in his name; and to be called by
a legitimate, divinely established authority is to be called of God.

On the other hand, whenever men have taken it upon themselves to act in
the name of God, so far as any such instance is recorded, it has been
followed by some manifestation of displeasure from him.

As an example of this statement, I call attention to the case of Uzza.
The Lord appointed Aaron and his sons to take special charge of the
ark of the covenant and all the holy things belonging to it. When
it became necessary for the camp to move, after all things had been
arranged by Aaron and his sons, then the sons of Kohash were to come
to bear it; "but," said the Lord, "they shall not touch any holy thing
lest they die."[D] Some generations after this. King David undertook
to move the ark from Baalah,--called also Kirjathjearim, where it had
remained many years. Uzza and Ahio drove the cart on which the ark and
its furniture were placed, and when the company engaged in this pious
work reached Chidon, Uzza put forth his hand to steady the ark, for the
oxen stumbled, but in doing so he broke the law which had been given to
Israel[E]--he acted without authority "And the anger of the Lord was
kindled against Uzza, and he smote him because he put his hand to the
ark; and there he died before God."[F]

[Footnote D: Num. iv: 15.]

[Footnote E: Num. iv: 15.]

[Footnote F: I. Chron. xiii: 10.]

Take still another case, that of Uzziah. He was one of the kings of
Israel; and for a long time he prospered exceedingly because of his
righteousness. His enemies were smitten before him, and wisdom was
given him to fortify Jerusalem as it never had been fortified before.
But in the midst of his glory and the pride of his heart, he undertook
to minister in the temple of God in the priest's office; and appeared
before the altar to burn incense." And Azariah the priest went in
after him, and with him four score priests of the Lord, that were
valiant men: And they withstood Uzziah the king and said unto him. It
appertaineth not unto thee, Uzziah, to burn incense unto the Lord,
but to the priests, the sons of Aaron, that are consecrated to burn
incense: Go out of the sanctuary; for thou hast trespassed; neither
shall it be to thine honor from the Lord God. Then Uzziah was wroth,
and had a censer in his hand to burn incense: and while he was wroth
with the priests, the leprosy even rose in his forehead before the
priests in the house of the Lord, from beside the incense altar. And
Azariah, the chief priest, and all the priests, looked upon him, and,
behold, he was leprous in his forehead and they thrust him out from
thence; yea himself hasted also to go out, because the Lord had smitten
him. And Uzziah, the king, was a leper unto the day of his death, and
dwelt in a several house, being a leper; for he was cut off from the
house of the Lord."[G]

[Footnote G: II. Chron. xxvi.]

Swift punishment followed upon the presumptuous attempt of this king to
exercise the authority of God without having had it conferred upon him:
and we have already seen that in New Testament times the Lord would
not have respect for the administration of those who spoke in his name
without authority, no matter how nearly they conformed to the forms of
the ceremony; there was no force in it, and the devil could and did
prevail against him.

We have the testimony of Jesus respecting the authority which he had
conferred upon his apostles; said he, "Ye have not chosen me, but I
have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth
fruit."[H]

[Footnote H: John xv: 16.]

When seven men were chosen to look after the poor and minister to them,
they set them before the apostles who, when they had prayed, laid their
hands on them and ordained them to their calling.[I]

[Footnote I: Acts vi: 1-6.]

So in the case of Paul. It was not enough that he saw and spoke with
the Messiah, not enough to have Ananias come and baptize him, and
receive the Holy Ghost; for afterwards, when the Lord would have him
engage in the work of preaching the gospel and administer in the
ordinances thereof, the Holy Ghost said unto certain prophets at
Antioch, "Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have
called them. And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands
on them, they sent them away."[J]

[Footnote J: Acts xiii: 1-3.]

Furthermore, as Paul went about confirming the souls of the saints, he
ordained elders in every church.[K] He did not suffer men to take the
authority on themselves to minister in the things of God; but warned
the saints against such characters. Having assembled the elders of the
church of Ephesus, he said to them: "Take heed unto yourselves, and to
all the flock, over which the Holy Ghost has made you overseers, to
feed the flock of God. * * * For I know this that after my departing,
shall grievous wolves enter in, not sparing the flock. And of your
own selves, shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away
disciples after them."[L]

[Footnote K: Acts, xiv: 2, 3.]

[Footnote L: Acts xx: 28, 29.]

This same thing pressed itself upon his mind when he wrote his Epistle
to Timothy; for we find him exhorting that worthy man to "Preach the
word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with
all long-suffering, and doctrine, for the time will come when they will
not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap
to themselves teachers, having itching ears; and they shall turn away
their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables."[M]

[Footnote M: II. Tim. iv: 2-4.]

To this also agrees the testimony of Peter. After speaking of the
prophets that were in ancient Israel, he says: "But there were false
prophets also among the people [then addressing the saints of his own
day], even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily
shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought
them, and shall bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall
follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall
be evil spoken of."[N]

[Footnote N: II Peter ii: 1, 2.]

That is just what happened. False teachers arose, damnable heresies
crept into the churches, the Gospel was corrupted, and a few
generations after the gospel was introduced by the personal ministry
of John the Baptist and the Messiah himself, the authority of God was
taken from among men.

Hence, when a knowledge of the Gospel was restored to the earth in
this last dispensation, it became necessary to restore also the
authority to teach it, and administer its ordinances. For this purpose
John the Baptist, laboring under the direction of Peter, James and
John, was sent to restore sufficient authority to administer the
outward ordinances, to teach faith and repentance, and baptize for the
remission of sins.[O]

[Footnote O: Doc. and Cov. sec. xiii.]

Subsequently Peter, James and John were sent of the Lord[P] some
time in the early summer of 1829, and ordained Joseph Smith and
Oliver Cowdery to the holy Melchisedek Priesthood--in fact, they were
ordained apostles. [Q]And as the "Melchisedek priesthood holds the
right of presidency, and has power and authority over all the offices
in the church in all ages of the world to administer in spiritual
things"[R]--these men, Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery, had authority
to administer in all the ordinances of salvation, and to organize the
Church of Christ; which, under the direction of the Lord, they did. And
thus, not only has the Gospel been restored to the earth in this last
dispensation, but the authority to administer in all its ordinances,
and to build up the Church of Christ and the Kingdom of God on earth
has been brought from heaven and bestowed upon men.

[Footnote P: Doc. and Cov. sec. xxvii: 12.]

[Footnote Q: Doc. and Cov. sec. xx: 2, 3.]

[Footnote R: Doc. and Cov. sec. cvii.]



CHAPTER XXXI.

LAWS OF SPIRITUAL DEVELOPMENT.

If a man accepts the principles and obeys the ordinances I have now
treated upon, and I hope with sufficient clearness, and they are
administered by men having authority from God to act in his name, then
he is born again, born of the water and of the Spirit--born into the
kingdom of God, and hence is a child of God, a citizen of his kingdom.

And since by submitting to these ordinances a man is born into the
kingdom, I would remind the reader that his position in that kingdom is
closely analogous to the child just born naturally into this world. It
possesses all the faculties, all the organs, all the limbs of a man,
but they are in embryo, undeveloped. The new born infant has eyes, but
it will be some time before it will be able to distinguish objects, or
recognize even the kind face of its mother. It has ears, but it cannot
distinguish sounds; a tongue but it cannot speak; limbs but it cannot
stand or walk or run; nor has it control of the muscles of the hands or
arms--it will have to wait for growth and strength before these organs
of sense and motion are developed.

Its first attempts at the use of any of these organs will necessarily
be imperfect as to the results. The tongue will speak the first words
but brokenly; the first step will be uneven and staggering; the
movements of the hands will be erratic and awkward. But by persistent
effort the tongue that could only pronounce words brokenly, becomes,
at last, eloquent, and crowds listen spellbound by the charm of its
music. The uneven, staggering step is changed finally for the elastic
step and noble carriage of graceful manhood. The hands so awkward
become by practice the hands of the skilled artisan, competent to
execute whatever his mind may conceive. So it is with those just born
in the church of Christ. They, at their birth, are not fully developed
men and women in the things of God. It is expected that they will
have to "grow in grace and in the knowledge of God." Peter exhorted
the saints of his day to give all diligence, and add to their faith
virtue; "and to virtue knowledge; and to knowledge temperance; and
to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; and to godliness
brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. For if these
things be in you and abound," said he, "they make you that ye shall
neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus
Christ."[A] Such instructions are applicable to the Saints of this or
any other dispensation. The new born saints will find themselves in a
new atmosphere, sensitive to new forces operating upon them, new powers
developing within them: and as the young child staggers in its first
attempts to walk, and has many a fall before it will obtain complete
control over its muscles--so the new born member of Christ's church
will make many mistakes and perhaps blunders in the days of his infancy.

[Footnote A: II Peter i: 5-8.]

For this reason, that the child of the kingdom might not grow weary in
his efforts at moral and spiritual development, the Lord has revealed
his long-suffering and merciful kindness to those who strive to keep
his commandments. And such is the weakness of mankind and their
frequent violations of the laws of God that had they not the repeated
assurances in the revelations respecting God's character that he is
slow to anger, abundant in mercy and long-suffering, the heart of
man would grow faint, and his effort at spiritual development would
be palsied. But with these facts firmly impressed on their minds men
struggle on--they pray and faint not[B].

[Footnote B: Luke xviii: 1.]

If there is one struggle more than another in which the race is not to
the swift nor the battle to the strong, but to those who endure to the
end, it is in this struggle for eternal life. "He that shall endure
to the end the same shall be saved," were the words of Jesus, and I
know of no other condition of salvation contemplated in the Gospel of
Christ, than this. "Be thou faithful unto death," wrote John to the
saints at Smyrna, "and I will give thee a crown of life."[C] "Blessed
are they _who do his commandment_, that they may have right to the tree
of life;"[D] and with such passages the scriptures are replete.

[Footnote C: Rev. ii: 10.]

[Footnote D: Rev. ii: 14.]

There is no one great thing that man can do and then do no more and
obtain salvation. After entering into the kingdom of God, in the
manner already pointed out in these pages, it is by learning "precept
upon precept; line upon line; here a little and there a little," that
salvation will be made secure. It is by resisting a temptation today,
overcoming a weakness tomorrow, forsaking evil associations the next
day, and thus day by day, month after month, year after year, pruning,
restraining and weeding out that which is evil in the disposition, that
the character is purged of its imperfections.

Nor is it enough that one gets rid of evil. He must do good. He
must surround himself with circumstances congenial to the sensitive
nature of the Holy Ghost, that it may not be offended, and withdraw
itself from him; for if it does so, amen to his spiritual or moral
development. He must cultivate noble sentiments by performing noble
deeds--not great ones, necessarily, for opportunity to perform what
the world esteem great things, comes but seldom to men in the ordinary
walks of life; but noble deeds may be done every day; and every such
deed performed with an eye single to the glory of God, draws one that
much nearer into harmony with the Deity. And "if you wish to go where
God is," said the Prophet Joseph, "you must be like God, or possess the
principles which God possesses, for if we are not drawing towards God
in principle, we are going from him and drawing towards the devil."[E]

[Footnote E: Hist. of Joseph Smith, Apr. 10, 1842.]

Thus by eschewing the evil inclinations of the disposition on the one
hand, and cultivating noble sentiments on the other, a character may
be formed that shall be godlike in its attributes and consequently its
possessor will be fitted to dwell with God, and if so prepared, there
is no question but his calling and election are sure.



CHAPTER XXXII.

HISTORY OF THE GOSPEL.

I think it proper in this chapter to give a brief history of the
gospel--for this reason: There is a very general idea existing in the
Christian world that nothing was known of the gospel of Christ--its
principles and ordinances, until the personal ministry of the Messiah
began; whereas the truth is, the plan of redemption, the gospel, was
understood in the eternal heavens before the foundations of the earth
were laid; and was revealed to the first patriarchs of the race, and
extensively preached many centuries before the coming of Messiah in the
flesh.

In proof of the statement that the plan of redemption was understood
before even the creation of the earth, I quote the words of the Lord to
Abraham: "Now the Lord had shown unto me, Abraham, the intelligences
that were organized before the world was; and among all these there
were many of the noble and great ones; and God saw these souls that
they were good, and he stood in the midst of them; and he said. These
I will make my rulers; for he stood among those that were spirits, and
he saw they were good. * * * And there stood one among them like unto
God, and he said unto those that were with him. We will go down, for
there is space there, and we will take of these materials, and we will
make an earth whereon these may dwell; and we will prove them herewith,
to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall
command them; and they who keep their first estate, shall be added
upon; and they who keep not their first estate, shall not have glory in
the same kingdom with those who keep their first estate; and they who
keep their second estate, shall have glory added upon their heads for
ever and ever."

"And the Lord said, who shall I send? And one answered like unto the
Son of Man, Here am I, send me. And another answered and said, Here am
I, send me. And the Lord said, I will send the first. And the second
was angry, and kept not his first estate, and, at that day, many
followed after him. And then the Lord said, Let us go down: and they
went down at the beginning, and they organized and formed (that is the
Gods), the heavens and the earth."[A]

[Footnote A: Pearl of Great Price, p. 41.]

This is a brief account of the controversy there was in heaven, in
respect to the plan that should be adopted for the salvation of man,
when in his second estate.

In the writings of Moses, as revealed to Joseph Smith, the matter is
made still more clear. There we have an account of Satan appearing
before Moses, and of his seeking to induce that faithful man to worship
him instead of God; but Moses rebuked him in the name of the Lord
Jesus, and afterwards the Lord appeared unto him and said: "Satan, whom
thou hast commanded in the name of mine Only Begotten, is the same
which was from the beginning, and he came before me, saying, Behold
I, send me, I will be thy Son, and I will redeem all mankind, that
one soul shall not be lost, and surely I will do it; wherefore, give
me thine honor. But, behold, my beloved Son, which was my beloved and
chosen from the beginning, said unto me, Father, thy will be done, and
the glory be thine forever. Wherefore, because Satan rebelled against
me [his plans being rejected, as we have already seen], and sought to
destroy the agency of man, which I, the Lord God, had given him, and
also that I should give unto him mine own power, by the power of mine
Only Begotten, I caused that he should be cast down, and he became
Satan."[B]

[Footnote B: Pearl of Great Price, p. 9.]

From this we learn the cause of Lucifer's rejection and rebellion--his
plan for man's redemption was of such a character that it would have
destroyed the agency of man, and robbed God of his honor; and because
that plan was rejected, he rebelled against God and was cast out of
heaven. This was before the creation of the earth, and this controversy
about which the rebellion took place was in relation to the plan of
salvation--the gospel.

These things were revealed to the Prophet Joseph, and they throw a
perfect flood of light upon the scriptures which refer to Christ as the
"Lamb slain from the foundation of the world,"[C] From that expression
we see that Jesus was chosen to make the atonement from the foundation
of the world, and that the gospel was understood from the beginning.
The Prophet Joseph Smith said that "at the first organization in heaven
we were all present, and saw the Savior chosen and appointed and the
plan of salvation made, and we sanctioned it."

[Footnote C: Rev. xiii: 8.]

Coming to the time when the gospel was introduced among men on this
earth, we find it began by a commandment to Adam to worship the Lord
his God, and to offer the firstlings of his flock for an offering unto
the Lord. Many days after this commandment had been given, an angel of
the Lord visited Adam and asked him why he offered up sacrifices. To
which Adam replied: "I know not, save the Lord commanded me." "And the
angel spake, saying: This thing is a similitude of the sacrifice of the
Only Begotten of the Father. * * * Wherefore, thou shalt do all that
thou doest in the name of the Son, and thou shalt repent and call upon
God in the name of the Son forevermore. And in that day the Holy Ghost
fell upon Adam, which beareth record of the Father and the Son, saying,
I am the Only Begotten of the Father from the beginning, henceforth
and forever, that as thou hast fallen thou mayest be redeemed; and all
mankind, even as many as will."[D]

[Footnote D: Pearl of Great Price, p. 12.]

Enoch, several centuries after this, in describing these events that
occurred in the early experience of Adam, said: "He [the Lord] called
upon our father Adam by his own voice, saying, I am God: I made the
world, and men before they were in the flesh. * * * If thou wilt turn
unto me, and hearken unto my voice, and believe, and repent of all thy
transgressions, and be baptized, even in water, in the name of mine
Only Begotten Son, * * * which is Jesus Christ, the only name which
shall be given under heaven, whereby salvation shall come unto the
children of men, ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost." * * *
And it came to pass, when the Lord had spoken with Adam, our father,
that Adam cried unto the Lord, and he was caught away by the Spirit
of the Lord, and was carried down into the water, and was laid under
the water, and was brought forth out of the water. And thus he was
baptized; and the Spirit of God descended upon him, and thus he was
born of the Spirit, and became quickened in the inner man. And he heard
a voice out of heaven, saying, "Thou art baptized with fire, and with
the Holy Ghost. This is the record of the Father, and the Son, from
henceforth and forever; and thou art after the order of him who was
without the beginning of days or end of years, from all eternity to all
eternity. Behold, thou art one in me, a Son of God; and thus may all
become my sons."[E]

[Footnote E: Pearl of Great Price, p. 17.]

The reader will here observe that the same principles and ordinances
were taught to Adam, as the means of salvation, as have been set forth
in these pages as the First Principles of the Gospel of Christ. They
continued on through the generations of the patriarchs to the days of
Noah; and from Noah through the fathers to Abraham, and from Abraham
to Moses. At least in one of the revelations of the Lord contained in
the Doctrine and Covenants, we have the continuance of the Melchisedek
Priesthood traced out through the line of the fathers from Moses to
Abraham, from Abraham to Noah, and from Noah to Adam,[F] and I see not
how this priesthood can exist among men and not the gospel: for that is
what this priesthood is for--to administer in the ordinances of the
gospel, and it is obtained through obedience to the gospel.

[Footnote F: Doc. and Cov. sec. lxxxiv.]

That the gospel was taught to Abraham and to ancient Israel is also
evident from the Jewish scriptures. Paul, in writing to the saints in
Galatia explained to them that, "The scriptures, foreseeing that God
would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel
unto Abraham, saying, in thee shall all nations be blessed,"[G] From
this then it is clear that the Gospel was taught to Abraham.

[Footnote G: Gal. iii: 8.]

The question, however, may arise, what gospel was it? Was it the same
gospel which we have seen was taught to Adam; the same that was taught
by the Messiah and his apostles? To which I reply there is but one
gospel. There never was but one plan ordained by which mankind are to
be saved; and that is denominated in the scriptures "The everlasting
gospel," to express its sameness in all generations. Such as it was
formed in the grand council of heaven, such it has remained in all
ages, and in all dispensations. It is sealed by the precious blood of
the Son of God, and like the great Lawgiver whose mind conceived it,
whose wisdom brought it into existence, it changes not, neither is
there a shadow of variableness in it.

So thoroughly imbued with this idea was the apostle Paul that he
said--in writing his epistle to the Galatians: "Though we or an angel
from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you, than that which we have
preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now
again, if any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have
received, let him be accursed."[H] The "gospel" preached to Abraham,
was the gospel of the Son of God; there is no other.

[Footnote H: Gal. i: 8, 9.]

But I have also stated that the gospel was taught to ancient Israel in
the days of Moses; and in proof of this I offer the following:

In the third chapter of Hebrews, Paul alludes to the transgression of
ancient Israel, especially to those who, by reason of their sins, were
destroyed in the wilderness. Then, in opening the fourth chapter, he
says: "Let us therefore fear, lest a promise being left us, of entering
into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it. For unto us
[the people of his day] was the gospel preached, _as well as unto them_
[meaning ancient Israel]; but the word preached did not profit them
[ancient Israel], not being mixed with faith in them that heard it."[I]

[Footnote I: Heb. iv: 1, 2.]

Paul makes a further allusion to the gospel being with the children
of Israel, in the days of Moses. Writing to the Corinthians he said:
"Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that
all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea;
and were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; and did
all eat the same spiritual meat; and did all drink the same spiritual
drink; for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and
that Rock was Christ."[J]

[Footnote J: I. Cor. x: 1-4.]

But now to return to the epistle to the Galatians, in which we learned
the gospel was taught to Abraham. After making that statement, Paul
asks the question: "Wherefore then serveth the law?" That is, if
the gospel was preached to Abraham, how came the law of Moses into
existence, why was it given to ancient Israel and binding on them? To
which the apostle replies: "It was added because of transgression, till
the seed should come to whom the promise was made. * * * Wherefore the
law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be
justified by faith."[K]

[Footnote K: Gal. iii: 19, 24.]

The matter is still more plainly set forth in the Doctrine and
Covenants. In speaking of the priesthood and the ordinances belonging
thereto--through which ordinances "the power of godliness is
manifest; and without the ordinances thereof, and the authority of
the priesthood, the power of godliness is not manifest unto men in
the flesh; for without this"--that is without the priesthood and
its ordinances--"no man can see the face of God even the Father and
live."[L] The Lord says: "Now this Moses plainly taught to the children
of Israel in the wilderness, and sought diligently to sanctify his
people that they might behold the face of God: but they hardened their
hearts, and could not endure his presence, therefore the Lord in his
wrath (for his anger was kindled against them) swore that they should
not enter into his rest while in the wilderness, which rest is the
fullness of his glory. Therefore he took Moses out of their midst,
and the holy priesthood also; and the lesser priesthood continued,
which priesthood holdeth the key of the ministering of angels and the
preparatory gospel; which gospel is the gospel of repentance and of
baptism, and the remission of sins, and the law of carnal commandments,
which the Lord in his wrath caused to continue with the house of Aaron
among the children of Israel until John."[M]

[Footnote L: Doc. and Cov., sec. lxxxiv: 21, 22.]

[Footnote M: Doc. and Cov., sec. lxxxiv: 19, 27.]

The above is confirmed by the Jewish scriptures also; for it is written
in the concluding chapter of Deuteronomy--"There arose not a prophet
since in Israel like unto Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face, in
all the signs and the wonders which the Lord sent him to do in the land
of Egypt."[N]

[Footnote N: Deut. xxxiv: 10-12.]

Of the things we have spoken respecting the gospel being presented to
Israel, this is the sum: The Lord gave them the gospel, but because
they would not observe its sacred requirements, he took it, that is
in its fullness, from among them, and also the higher or Melchisedek
Priesthood; but left them the lesser or Aaronic Priesthood, and to the
part of the gospel which remained, _viz_., repentance and baptism for the
remission of sins, was added the law of carnal commandments, which was
to educate them for the fullness of the gospel when Messiah should come
with it. At the appointed time Messiah came and taught the gospel of
the kingdom; and though the Jews as a nation rejected him, and their
Sanhedrin sentenced him to death, yet a few received his teachings,
and among them the Lord Jesus organized His church, established his
priesthood and gave to his servants a commandment to go and teach all
nations.

They were faithful in discharging their commission, and many received
their testimony and obeyed the gospel. Satan, however, working in
the hearts of the disobedient, stirred them up to anger against the
saints of God, and they were persecuted, imprisoned, and slain. All
the apostles, save John, sealed their testimony with their blood, and
thousands of their followers were put to death. Edicts the most cruel
and heartless were formulated against them by the Roman emperors, and
executed with relentless vindictiveness, until the saints of God were
well nigh destroyed.[O]

[Footnote O: See Outlines of Ecclesiastical History, part II., "The
apostasy."]

Meantime heresies crept into the churches; false teachers arose
teaching perverse doctrines to draw away disciples after them;
the Gospel was perverted, the laws thereof were transgressed, the
ordinances were changed, the covenant was broken, until scarcely a
vestige of the gospel as delivered to men by the Son of God and his
authorized servants remained.

After the sword, the prison, the rack, and the flame in the hands of
a powerful, pagan government, together with apostate influences and
false teachers had done what they could to break down or corrupt the
church of Christ, then another evil, more dangerous than all that had
gone before was brought to bear upon it. A Roman Emperor, Constantine,
was converted to the "Christian religion"--yet by that time, 313 A.
D., no more like the religion of Christ than dim, misty twilight
is like the glorious light of the noon-day sun. He soon loaded the
bishops with new honors, dignities and powers. The churches were made
wealthy, and luxurious living succeeded the simplicity in the manner
of life characteristic of earlier times among the followers of Christ.
This luxury, ever more dangerous than storms or quicksands, poverty
or chains, proved more disastrous to the church, more fruitful in its
corruptions of the Gospel than the storms of persecution which had
beaten upon it from its inception.

Through these combined evils that I have very briefly enumerated, the
gospel was corrupted, the authority of God, the priesthood, was taken
from among men; and then followed long ages of spiritual darkness
and wickedness. At last, however, the time came to usher in the
dispensation of the fullness of times, in which all things in Christ,
both things which are in heaven and things which are in earth, are
to be gathered in one, and the work of the Father pertaining to the
salvation of this creation, the earth, and those who inhabit it, is to
be consummated.

To open up this work a prophet was raised up in the person of Joseph
Smith, and to him the Lord revealed his purposes; telling him also
that the creeds of men were an abomination in his sight; that men were
drawing near to him with their lips but their hearts were far from him;
that they taught for doctrine the commandments of men, "having a form
of godliness but denying the power thereof."[P]

[Footnote P: Pearl of Great Price, p 57.]

After this the angel Moroni was sent to reveal the Book of Mormon;
and as it contained an account of the gospel as it was taught to the
ancient Nephites on the western hemisphere by the Messiah, and the
prophets and apostles authorized to teach in his name; and as this
record had been preserved for generations from the hands of wicked men,
and has never been corrupted, it contains the fullness of the gospel in
its plainness.

While this Nephite record was in course of translation the Lord sent
John the Baptist, as already stated in the chapter on authority, to
restore the Aaronic Priesthood; afterwards Peter, James and John
came and restored the Melchisedek Priesthood, and by the authority
which these priesthoods conferred upon him, and under the direction
of the Almighty, the Prophet Joseph Smith organized the church, and
ordained men and sent them out to preach the gospel in all the world,
as a witness that the end was near. For more than fifty years has
this proclamation been sounded among the nations, and thousands have
been gathered to the place appointed for the saints to assemble and
prepare for the glorious coming of the Messiah. The work has met
storms of opposition from the press, pulpit and Congress. Ridicule
and the violence of mobs have assailed it; drivings, confiscations of
property, imprisonment, and banishment have at various times conspired
to dishearten those who have accepted it. But in spite of pulpit,
press and Congress; in spite of ridicule, the violence of mobs, unjust
imprisonment, schemes of confiscation and drivings, the church of
Christ moves steadily on to the fulfillment of its high destiny, and
the gospel is being preached in all the world.



CHAPTER XXXIII.

SALVATION FOR THE DEAD.

The reader will have observed, doubtless, that according to the history
of the gospel, as given in the last chapter, there have been long
periods of time when it has not been upon the earth.

One of these periods was from the time that Moses and the Holy
Priesthood, together with the fullness of the gospel, were taken from
among the children of Israel, until the restoration of the gospel in
the days of Messiah's ministry in the flesh. Another such period was
from the time the gospel was corrupted, in the first two or three
centuries of the Christian era, and its restoration in the present
dispensation, through the Prophet Joseph Smith.

What became of those who lived in those long periods of time--those
untold millions, who never so much as heard the gospel?--I might push
the inquiry still further, by calling attention to the fact that even
when the gospel has been upon the earth, there are countless millions
who lived and died without having an opportunity of obeying it. What is
their fate?

In order that the force of these remarks may appear more clearly, I
will refer to the present state of the religious world, that is, to the
strength of the respective religions, as represented by numbers:

According to the latest and best information on the subject, there are
throughout the world:

Roman Catholics--206,588,206

Protestants--89,825,348

Greek and Russian Churches--75,691,382

Oriental Churches--6,770,000

Making the total of all Christians--378,874,936

The other religions stand as follows:

Brahminical Hindoos--120,000,000

Followers of Buddha, Shinto and Confucius--482,600,000

Mohammedans--169,054,789

Jews--7,612,784

Parsees (fire worshipers in Persia)--1,000,000

Pagans, not otherwise enumerated--227,000,000

Making a total of--1,007,267,573[A]

[Footnote A: These statements are taken from a recent work published by
Gay Bros. & Co., New York, entitled, "What the World Believes"]

From this showing it is seen that only a little more than one-third of
the world's population are even professing Christians; the other two-thirds
know nothing of Christ or of salvation through his Gospel. No
one, however, will contend that all professing Christianity will be
entitled to salvation, for the very good reason that they do not adopt
its precepts in the practices of their lives; so that the one-third
that are enumerated as Christians would be reduced to much less than
that fraction of the world's population if this consideration is taken
into account.

Even if you grant that the gospel of Christ has been upon the earth for
the past eighteen centuries, as the Christian world claim, here is a
serious question confronting them, _viz_.: What is to be the fate of this
greater part of the children of God who have never heard of Christ, and
know nothing of the Christian religion?

This is a question which confronted those who declared that the gospel
and authority to administer in its ordinances had not been upon the
earth for a number of centuries. It is a question which confronts them
today; but it also may be asked of Christians generally, for even if
you allow that they and their fathers before them have had and still
have the gospel, here is the great majority of the human race--the
children of God--who have not had it in the past generations, and do
not have it even now. What becomes of the neglected ones?

To this question the Saints used to reply, in one of their hymns--

    "God is just is all we say, Seek no crop where 'twas not planted,
    Nor the day where reigns the night; Now the sunshine bright is
    beaming. Let all creatures see aright."

Since those days, however, further light has been revealed from heaven,
which gives enlarged views in respect to the plan of human redemption,
and brings out in strong relief the justice and mercy of God; enlarges
the hope, and dispels the gloom of wretchedness that man-made systems
of theology have cast over religion.

The principle which has performed all this, a principle which is
permeating all religious thought and shattering to their foundations
the old schools of theology, was first revealed by the prophet Elijah,
in the Kirtland Temple, in 1836.

It is written in Malachi: "Behold I will send you Elijah the prophet
before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord: And he
shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of
the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a
curse."[B]

[Footnote B: Mal. iv: 5, 6. The manner in which Moroni quoted this
scripture to the prophet Joseph Smith was, "Behold I will reveal unto
you the priesthood by the hand of Elijah the prophet, before the coming
of the great and terrible day of the Lord. And he shall plant in the
hearts of the children the promises made to the fathers, and the hearts
of the children shall turn to the fathers. If it were not so, the whole
earth would be utterly wasted at His coming." (Pearl of Great Price.)]

This prophecy, for so long before the people in the Jewish scriptures,
yet no one knowing the meaning thereof, was fulfilled by the aforesaid
coming of Elijah to the Kirtland Temple, on the 3rd of April, 1836.

This appearance of Elijah is described as follows--by the way, however,
his appearance was preceded by a vision of the Lord Jesus, then of
Moses, then of Elias, who committed the keys of the dispensation
of the gospel of Abraham--"After this vision had closed," says the
prophet, "another great and glorious vision burst upon us, for Elijah
the prophet, who was taken to heaven without tasting death, stood
before us and said. Behold, the time has fully come, which was spoken
of by the mouth of Malachi, testifying that he (Elijah) should be
sent before the great and dreadful day of the Lord come, to turn the
hearts of the fathers to the children, and the children to the fathers,
lest the whole earth be smitten with a curse. Therefore the keys of
this dispensation are committed into your hands, and by this ye may
know that the great and dreadful day of the Lord is near, even at the
door."[C]

[Footnote C: Doc. and Cov. sec. cx.]

The key of knowledge this prophet revealed was in relation to salvation
for the dead; the means by which the principles and ordinances of
salvation could be applied to those who had lived in those periods of
time when the gospel was not upon the earth; and also to those who had
lived when the gospel was on the earth, but who had not the privilege
of hearing it; aye, and even to those who had heard and rejected it;
though the spirits of this last class of persons must go to the prison
house where they will be required to pay the utmost farthing for their
wickedness in rejecting the mercies of God; and will, through their
disobedience, have shut themselves out from the heights of glory and
exaltation they might have attained unto had they but accepted the
truth in the love of it, and walked in harmony with its teachings.

This key of knowledge, I say, gives enlarged views of the mercies of
God, and reveals the fact that every man, both in time and eternity,
will always have the privilege of doing right, and reaping the reward
of his righteousness. It brought to light the grand truth that this
earth was not the only place where men could hear the gospel and give
assent to its doctrines. On the contrary it gives us to understand that
in the spirit world the gospel is preached to the departed spirits of
men, that is, to those who have departed from this life and that there
they are instructed in the way of salvation.

These facts give life and meaning to the scripture which says: "Christ
also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he
might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened
by the Spirit; by which also he went and preached unto the spirits in
prison; which sometimes were disobedient, when the long-suffering of
God waited in the days of Noah while the ark was a preparing, wherein
few, that is eight souls, were saved by water."[D]

[Footnote D: I. Peter iii: 18-20.]

In the chapter following the one I have quoted, the apostle remarks:
"For this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead,
that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live
according to God in the spirit."[E] This last quotation proves as
plainly as plain statement of holy writ can prove anything, that the
gospel is preached also to the dead, as well as to the living; and not
only that, but likewise assigns the reason why it is preached to them,
_viz_.: that those to whom it is thus preached might live according to
God in the spirit--that is, live in harmony with the precepts of the
gospel taught to them, that they may be judged as men will be who have
the gospel preached to them in the flesh.

[Footnote E: Verse 6.]

The first passage quoted gives us to understand that the spirit of
Jesus went to those spirits that were in prison--to those who had
rejected the gospel in the days of Noah, and who from the time of the
flood until Jesus visited them, had been paying the penalty of their
disobedience in the prison-house prepared for such characters.

In the light of these facts several other scriptures are made plain.
We can understand now more clearly the words of Jesus to his apostles,
when he said: "Verily, verily, I say unto you, the hour is coming and
now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God, and they
that hear shall live."[F] And also the words of Isaiah, when speaking
of the mission of the Son of God, wherein he tells us that not only is
Jesus to be a covenant unto the people, and a light unto the gentiles,
but he is also to bring out the prisoners from the prison house. This
is the passage: "I the Lord have called thee in righteousness, and will
hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of
the people, for a light of the gentiles; to open the blind eyes, to
bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness,
out of the prison house."[G]

[Footnote F: John v: 25.]

[Footnote G: Isaiah xlii: 6, 7.]

And, as it was with those who rejected the gospel in the days of Noah,
so will it be with those who reject the gospel in the days of the
coming of the Son of Man. Such is the prediction of the prophet Isaiah.
After describing the judgments that will attend the glorious coming of
the Son of God, and the punishment that shall overtake the ungodly,
he says: "And it shall come to pass, in that day, that the Lord shall
punish the hosts of the high ones that are on high, and the kings of
the earth, upon the earth. And they shall be gathered together, as
prisoners are in the pit, and shall be shut up in the prison; _and after
many days they shall be visited_."[H]

[Footnote H: Isaiah xxiv: 21, 22.]

But while the gospel is preached in the spirit world, it appears
from all that can be learned upon the subject, that all the outward
ordinances, as baptisms, confirmations, ordinations, anointings,
sealings, etc., etc., must be performed vicariously here upon earth
for those who accept the gospel in the world of spirits. This is the
work that children may do for their progenitors, and upon learning
this, the hearts of the children are turned to their fathers; and the
fathers in the spirit world, learning that they are dependent upon the
action of their posterity for the performance of the ordinances of
salvation, their hearts are turned to the children; and thus the work
that was predicted should be performed by Elijah--turning the hearts
of the children to the fathers, and the hearts of the fathers to the
children, was accomplished in restoring the key of knowledge respecting
the salvation for the dead.

This, however, is no new doctrine. We have already seen that Peter
understood that the Messiah went and preached to the spirits who had
rejected the gospel in the days of Noah; and also that the gospel was
preached to the dead--without confining it to those who lived in the
days of Noah or any other period.

Nor is this all, for Paul says to the saints at Corinth: "Else what
shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at
all? Why are they then baptized for the dead?"[I] And why, I ask, does
Paul make this very plain allusion to baptism for the dead, if there
is no such ordinance connected with the gospel? No other passage of
scripture perplexes the theologians more than this one, and they have
exhausted their ingenuity in trying to explain away the evident meaning
of it, because it is destructive of some of their horrible dogmas in
respect to the eternal damnation of those who do not have the good
fortune to become acquainted with the truth in this probation.

[Footnote I: I. Cor. xv: 29.]

"From the wording of the sentence"--else what shall they do which
are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all? Why are they
then baptized for the dead?--"the most simple impression certainly
is, that Paul speaks of a baptism which a living man receives in the
place of a dead one. This interpretation is particularly adopted by
those expounders with whom grammatical construction is of paramount
importance, and the first thing to be considered."[J] To this
rendering of the passage could be drawn up a long list of respectable
authorities, among them Erasmus, Scaliger, Grotius, Calixtus, Meyer and
De Wette.

[Footnote J: Biblical Literature (Kitto) Art. Baptism.]

Epiphanius, a writer of the fourth century, in speaking of the
Marcionites, a sect of Christians to whom he was opposed, says:
"In this country--I mean Asia--and even in Galatia, their school
flourished eminently; and a traditional fact concerning them has
reached us, that when any of them had died without baptism, they used
to baptize others in their name, lest in the resurrection they should
suffer punishment as unbaptized."[K] This proves beyond controversy the
fact that vicarious baptism for the dead was practiced among some sects
of the early Christians.

[Footnote K: Heresies, xxiii: 7.]

Another fact proves it still more emphatically than this statement
of Epiphanius. The Council of Carthage, held A. D. 397, in its sixth
canon, forbids the administration of baptism and the holy communion for
the dead; and why would this canon be formed against these practices if
they had no existence among the Christians of those days?

We have now seen, not only that baptism for the dead is a principle
known to and doubtless practiced by the Corinthian saints, in the days
of Paul--and evidently with his approval--and by some of the Christian
sects for two or three centuries after his time; but we have also seen
that it was forbidden by the council of an apostate church in the
fourth century.

In the dispensation in which we now live, however, the knowledge of the
ordinance, with a commandment to practice it, and with instructions
necessary to its practice, has been restored; and the erection of
costly temples, in which this and other ordinances for the dead may be
administered, testifies to the zeal with which the Latter-day Saints
enter into this work; and is a living testimony to the world that there
was virtue in the mission of Elijah. He succeeded in turning the hearts
of the children to the fathers; and we may reasonably conclude that
the hearts of the fathers have been turned to the children, for they
without us cannot be made perfect.

This doctrine of salvation for the dead strikes a deadly blow to
the horrible dogmas formulated by uninspired men in the dark ages
of apostasy, in relation to the eternal punishment of those who die
unconverted and in an impenitent condition. According to the aforesaid
dogmas such persons are damned to all eternity, without the least hope
for redemption; and ingenuity has exhausted itself to present to the
mind the duration of their sufferings.

In the month of March, 1830--six years before the coming of Elijah--the
Lord explained, through the Prophet Joseph Smith, the meaning of the
terms eternal punishment and endless punishment, in regard to which
men have gone astray. In that explanation it is said: "Behold the
mystery of godliness, how great is it? For, behold, I am Endless, and
the punishment which is given from my hand, is endless punishment, for
Endless is my name; wherefore

"Eternal punishment is God's punishment.

"Endless punishment is God's punishment."[L]

[Footnote L: Doc. and Cov., sec. xix: 10-12.]

The punishment takes its name from him who administers it; and, since
God is Endless, the punishment he inflicts is called endless or eternal.

And, indeed, the punishment exists eternally, and stands ready to be
applied to those who violate the laws of righteousness. But because the
penalty stands ever ready to vindicate any law which may be broken,
it does not necessarily follow that persons violating the law will
for ever have to endure punishment. Mercy, though not allowed to rob
justice, somewhere, and at some time, will step forward and claim her
own; permitting the violator of law to endure punishment no longer than
is necessary to vindicate the law, and satisfy the reasonable claims of
justice. Hence we may conclude, that while the actions of men in this
probation will greatly affect their standing in the life that is to
come, those actions do not, in every case, fix the status of men for
eternity.

This doctrine of salvation for the dead not only enlarges the hope of
man, but it gives him nobler conceptions of the character of the Deity,
and increases his admiration for him. In fact, to my thinking, this
doctrine strips the character of God in the inhuman and vindictive
cruelty which men, in the past, have delighted to represent him as
possessing; and gives new force, and, perhaps, new meaning to the
expression, "If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all
men the most miserable."

It also vindicates the wisdom of Deity; for it must be a very
imperfect wisdom that would construct a plan for the redemption of
mankind so imperfect in its operations, so limited in its application
as to miss the great majority of mankind, and leave them without
redemption throughout the countless ages of eternity. But when one is
given to understand, and surely such an understanding is given one
in the revelations of God to which the reader's attention has been
directed--when one learns that sometime in the eternities, somewhere in
the numberless creations of God, the proclamation of the gospel will
overtake all the children of our Father, and they have the privilege of
accepting it, and will be saved by it, and permitted to enjoy all the
happiness and glory their nature and degree of development enables them
to encompass--the wisdom, mercy, justice and love of God all stand out
in bold relief; and man's heart is warmed with increased admiration and
devotion to him: for it teaches him that he worships not a tyrant who
delights in the miseries and damnation of his children, but one whose
great pleasure and design it is to bring to pass the eternal happiness
of man.



CONCLUSION.

My task now draws to a close. I have completed the exposition of the
First Principles of the Gospel of Christ, contemplated in this work.
I have endeavored to explain what the Gospel is--its two-fold powers
of redeeming mankind from the consequences of Adam's transgression;
and also from the consequences of their own personal violations of the
principles of righteousness, on the condition of their repentance and
obedience.

The various principles and ordinances constituting the gospel have
been analyzed and the nature and object of each considered in detail,
and then in their relationship to each other--how one principle or
ordinance prepares the way and leads up to another: and lastly, their
application to mankind, not only in this probation, but how they follow
them into the spirit world and throughout the eternities, forever
inviting him to peace and eternal felicity.

In all this I see a most perfect system of moral and spiritual
philosophy--the perfection of beauty and goodness--a harmonious
blending of justice and mercy, of truth and love. How far these pages
exhibit those powers and beauties of the gospel, it will be for the
reader to judge. But in passing that judgment I ask him to remember
this:

    Our whitest pearls we never find,
        Our ripest fruit we never reach;
    The flowering moments of the mind,
        Drop half their petals in our speech

And in this probation I do not believe it is given to man to comprehend
all the force, the excellence, beauty and power of the gospel. These
things will be revealed in their fullness only in eternity.



SUPPLEMENT.

MAN'S RELATIONSHIP TO DEITY.



MAN'S RELATIONSHIP TO DEITY.

WHAT IS MAN THAT THOU ART MINDFUL OF HIM? AND THE SON OF MAN THAT THOU
VISITEST HIM.[A]

I.

In order to a clear understanding of man's redemption through the
atonement of Jesus Christ--the grand central truth of the gospel--it
is necessary to know something of the relationship between God and
man. The very fact that such a sacrifice was made for his redemption--
being no less than the immolation of him, who in heaven bore the second
name--argues at once some special relationship between man and Deity.
In view of the greatness and importance of that sacrifice, we may well
ask, with the Psalmist, "What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and
the son of man that thou visitest him?" These questions lead to the
investigation of man's origin; for upon his origin his relationship to
God depends.

[Footnote A: Psalms viii: 4.]

A discussion of this subject must be very imperfect, not to say
partial, that does not give some attention to the various theories--at
least to the most prominent ones--of man's origin. It is scarcely
necessary to say that theories on the subject are quite numerous and
widely different; and that in each school of philosophers are men
eminent for their learning and intelligence. All existing theories,
however, may be arranged under three headings: First, the monogenists,
who hold that mankind have descended from a single human pair, created
by Deity; and their descendants, modified by climatic influences,
food, habits of life and thought constitute the various races of
men--this is the theory of those who accept the Bible as authority
on the subject; second, the polygenists, who insist not only on one
act of creation, but upon a number of independent creations, "each
giving birth to essential, unchangeable peculiarities of a separate
race, thus constituting a diversity of species with primal adaptation
to their geographical distribution;" third, the evolutionists, who
believe all existing species are but developments of pre-existing and
lower forms of life; which, in their turn, were but developments of
still lower forms, and so on back, back until you reach the spontaneous
generation of the lowest types of vegetable and animal life, "as the
accumulation of mold upon food, the swarming of maggots in meat, * * *
the generation of insect life in decaying vegetable substances, the
birth of one form arising out of the decay of another; the slow and
gradual unfolding from a lower to a higher sphere, acting through a
long succession of ages, culminating in the grandeur of intellectual
manhood."

Of these theories the first and last only need detain us; and since the
theory of evolution is the one more generally accepted by scientific
men, and is making rapid progress among the masses, I think it proper
to state the basis of this theory more in detail.

The absurdities which theologians have associated with the first named
hypothesis of the origin of man and the universe is largely responsible
for the existence of the theory of evolution. Finding so much that was
contrary to well known facts, not so much in the theory itself, as in
the explanations of it by its advocates, induced men of intelligence to
look for some other explanation of the genesis of things.

It was doubtless observed that many remarkable resemblances exist
between man and the inferior animals. In embryonic development, in
physical structure, in material composition and the functions of
organs, man and the superior animals are strikingly alike. The skeleton
of man when examined minutely and compared with the skeletons of the
higher order of animals, seems only a modification of them, and in some
instances the modifications appear extremely slight. This resemblance
also exists among the inferior animals, and it was this, doubtless,
which gave birth to the idea of a common origin for all existing
species.

Side by side with the above mentioned facts are others that sustain,
it is claimed, the idea of common origin; and suggest an explanation
of how the varieties of animal and vegetable forms were brought into
existence. The great law of nature is for like to beget like; the
tendency of offspring is always to reproduce the parent forms, as every
seed produces its kind; that is the general law of nature, and to it a
special name is given--it is called _atavism_. But notwithstanding this
general law, there is a modification of it, a tendency to variation,
slight in some cases and more marked in others. This is a matter
of common observation. The male does not follow the precise type
of the male parent, nor does the female always inherit the precise
characteristics of the mother. "There are all sorts of intermixtures
and intermediate conditions between the two, where complexion, or
beauty, or fifty other different peculiarities belonging to either side
of the house, are reproduced in other members of the same family."
This kind of variation in cases where offspring are produced by sexual
propagation is attributed to the fact that the thing propagated
proceeds from two organisms of different sexes and temperaments.
Breeders of our domestic animals take advantage of this tendency to
variation, to produce such varieties as are most desirable; and,
indeed, for that matter, to obtain new varieties by crossing breeds.
Sometimes this tendency to variation acts in the most remarkable and
unaccountable manner, and because naturalists can assign no reason
for it. they have called it "spontaneous variation." That it may be
understood I quote instances of such variation from Professor Huxley:

Reaumur, a famous French naturalist, in an essay on variation,
relates a remarkable case of spontaneous variation which came under
his observation in the person of a Maltese, of the name of Gratio
Kelleia, who was born with six fingers upon each hand, and the like
number of toes upon each of his feet. His parents, of course, were
ordinary five-fingered persons. This was a case then of "spontaneous
generation;" and subsequent circumstances in connection with this case
prove there is a tendency in nature to perpetuate these variations.
Gratio Kelleia married, when he was twenty-two years of age, an
ordinary five-fingered lady. The result of that marriage was four
children. The first, Salvator, had six fingers and six toes, like the
father; the second, George, had five fingers and toes; but one of them
was deformed, showing a tendency to variation; the third, Andre, had
five fingers and five toes perfect; the fourth, a girl, Marie, had
five fingers and five toes, but her thumbs were deformed, showing a
tendency towards the sixth. These children grew up and when they came
to adult years married, and of course it happened that they all married
five-fingered and five-toed persons. Now let us see what happened.
Salvator had four children, they were two boys, a girl and another boy:
the first two boys and the girl were six-fingered and six-toed, like
their grandfather; the fourth child had only five fingers and five
toes. George had four children. There were two girls with six fingers
and six toes; there was one girl with six fingers and five toes on the
right side, and five fingers and five toes on the other; the fourth, a
boy, had five fingers and five toes. The third son of Gratio Kelleia,
Andre, it will be remembered, was perfectly well formed, and he had
many children whose hands and feet were regularly developed. Marie, the
last, whose thumbs were deformed, married a man with five fingers and
toes: they had four children; the first was born with six toes, but the
other children were normal.

In this case of Gratio Kelleia and his children is seen the tendency to
reproduce the parent stock, and also to perpetuate the variation which
so unaccountably appeared. That tendency to perpetuate the variation
was very strong, even though these persons with the six fingers and
toes, or who only inherited the deformity in part, intermarried with
persons ordinarily formed. What would have been the result had the
two eldest boys of Salvator taken it into their heads to marry their
first cousins, the two first girls of George? It will be remembered
that these were all of the abnormal type of their grandfather. Is it
not most likely that had these people married and their descendants
continued to intermarry with each other, that a new variety of men
having six fingers and six toes would have been the result? The second
case I quote from Huxley gives us every reason to believe that such
would have been the result:

In the year 1791 there was a farmer of the name of Seth Wright, in
Massachusetts, who had a flock of sheep, consisting of a ram and some
twelve or fifteen ewes. Of the flock of ewes, one at the breeding-time
bore a lamb which was singularly formed; it had a very long body, very
short legs, and those legs were bowed. In the part of Massachusetts
where Seth Wright lived, the fields were separated by fences, and his
sheep, which were active and robust, would roam abroad, and without
much difficulty would jump over the fences into other people's farms.
As a matter of course this gave rise to all sorts of quarrels,
bickerings and contention among the farmers of the neighborhood; so it
occurred to Seth Wright, if he could obtain a breed of sheep with bandy
legs like the one which had so strangely appeared in his flock, it
would be to his advantage, as they would not be able to jump over the
fences so readily. He acted upon that idea. He killed his old ram, and
as soon as the young one arrived at maturity he bred exclusively from
him. The result was that all the offspring were like the male parent or
female parent, there was no mixing in the offspring the peculiarities
of the parents, they were either pure "Ancons"--the name given to
the new variety--or pure, ordinary sheep. In consequence of this the
farmer in a very few years was able to get a considerable flock of
this short-legged variety of sheep and a large number of them were
soon scattered throughout Massachusetts. Here is the case then where
the tendency to perpetuate a variation culminated in the production of
a new variety. And, indeed, this is what is perpetually going on with
our domesticated animals,--by what we may call selective breeding; and
it is going on, it is claimed by evolutionists, in a natural state,
that is, where man's interference does not effect it; in other words,
variations are perpetuated by means of what Mr. Darwin has called
"natural selection."

Suppose, for instance, that by one of those unaccountable freaks of
nature a "spontaneous variation" is produced, as in the case of Seth
Wright's sheep; and further suppose that the particular characteristic
which distinguished it from the parent stock was favorable to its
persistence, by that I mean that the particulars in which it varies
from the parent stock will enable the animal, if it be a beast of prey,
to secure its food more surely either by an increase of fleetness
or stealth, by which it would the more surely run down, or steal
upon its victims, and in either case be more sure of its food and
hence more secure of existence than the stock from which it came;
and if the means of subsistence for these animals were limited, then
the variety having the peculiarity of fleetness or stealth would be
preserved and perpetuate the peculiarities imparted to it originally by
"spontaneous variation," while the original stock would perish. Thus,
as evolutionists would say, the fittest would survive in this struggle
for existence; and thus the original variation would be preserved and
perpetuated and a new variety brought into existence as effectually by
this natural means of selection as if man had superintended it for his
own benefit. That individuals in organic forms increase in a proportion
greater than the provisional means of support is a theory pretty well
demonstrated; there is, therefore, a constant struggle for existence in
nature, in which the strongest, those best fitted to live and improve
their species, prevail. Every variation, therefore, that is favorable
to races of plants or animals is seized upon by this principle of
natural selection and preserved.

Another way of preserving variations is by what our latter-day
naturalists call "sexual selection." "Throughout nature," say they,
"the male is the wooer; he it is who is armed for fight, and provided
with musical organs and ornamental appendages, with which to charm the
fair one. The savage and the wild beast alike secure their mate over
the mangled form of a vanquished rival. In this manner the more highly
favored of either sex are mated, and natural selections made by which
better ever producing better, the species in its constant variation is
constantly improved."

It is now time to pause and see what conclusions these facts have
led our scientist to draw. I have called attention to the striking
resemblance between man and the superior animals; in the development
of the embryo, in the material of which they are composed, and in
the use of organs they are alike; and especially very much alike in
physical structure, the skeleton of man only slightly varying from
that of the higher order of animals; and that resemblance in something
like gradation exists throughout the organic world. Of course there
are marked structural variations even in closely allied species, and
we have seen that there is a tendency in species to vary and also to
preserve the variation; and where the peculiarity of the variation
is favorable to the individual it is almost certain to be preserved
by the process of natural selection. New varieties thus produced may
be expected to produce still other variations that will remove them
further than ever from the stock from which their parents came, until
the variation amounts to what our naturalists denominate specific
difference. By this process what we now call varieties may eventually
become species, as our species, according to the evolutionists, were
once nothing more than varieties; and the groups which naturalists
classify as genera, families, order, classes, etc., are but the remains
of still older species, which have continued their existence side by
side with the new species, which have been produced from them by this
process of variation; and but for the fact that so many intermediate
species have become extinct, they claim that the multifarious forms of
organic life could be traced, through all the minute variations that
have occurred, back to a common origin; even back to the mysterious
substance in which life seems to generate--protoplasm.

Such are the basic principles on which is grounded the theory of
evolution, as I understand the subject from the works of its advocates,
though my effort to be brief may have rendered my statement of those
principles very imperfect.

One thing more should be stated in connection with this theory, and
that is that very long periods of time are demanded for the slow work
of variation preserved by natural selection to accomplish the wonders
attributed to it. To measure the time claimed by evolutionists by the
lapse of years is simply out of the question; they ask for a long
series of ages, each of which, though doubtless unequal, consists of
millions of years. As the Rev. George B. Cheever remarks: "The first
postulate of this philosophy is that of countless millions of years
to work in, with no Creator, and with no authority that can bring
it to book." To prove that such long periods of time have elapsed,
during which organic forms have existed on the earth, the evolutionist
triumphantly points to the revelations of geology, and there gives
proof which there is, perhaps, no denying, of the lapse of time he
pleads for; and also proof of organic forms of life in those various
ages, fossilized remains of which are found in the strata of the
earth's crust.

If you say to the advocate of evolution that it is incredible that
variations preserved by natural selection could result in the
production of such a wonderful organ as the eye; he replies "that if
numerous gradations from a simple and imperfect eye to one complex
and perfect can be shown to exist, each grade being useful to its
possessor, as is certainly the case; if further, the eye varies and the
variations be inherited, as is likewise certainly the case; and if such
variations should be useful to any animal under changing conditions
of life; then the difficulty of believing that a perfect and complex
eye could be formed by natural selection, though insuperable by our
imagination, should not be considered as subversive of the theory."[B]
But with this statement and some further observations upon it, Mr.
Darwin himself seems not altogether satisfied that he has removed the
difficulty which he admits is enough to stagger anyone; "I have felt
the difficulty," he says, "far too keenly to be surprised at others
hesitating to extend the principle of natural selection to so startling
a length."[C]

[Footnote B: Origin of Species p. 143, (American Edition, 1883.)]

[Footnote C: Ibid p. 146]

If you say that it is incredible that natural selection can account
for the production of such a wonderful thing as the mind of man--his
"reasonable soul," the reply is that instinct varies among the inferior
animals no less than physical structure, and though there may be no
perceivable proportion or gradation between structural variation and
variation of instinct; still, if the fact is admitted that among
animals instinct varies, then it is easy to conceive that some of those
variations may be favorable, and if favorable then natural selection
would perpetuate them and make them dominant. From this basis they
make another step the difference between the mental faculties of man
and animal is immense, but the high culture which belongs to man
evolutionists maintain has been slowly developed, and the separation
between the mental powers of lowest man and the highest ape is no
greater than that which exists between the lowest ape and some of the
lower forms of life, say the Zoophytes.

If you say that articulate language surely marks a wide gulf between
man and the lower animals, the reply is that animals are not devoid
of expedients for expressing emotions, and from those expedients may
have been evolved through intermediate species, now extinct, articulate
language.

If you ask why, if species have descended from other species by fine
gradations, do we not everywhere see innumerable transitional forms?
Why is not all nature in confusion, instead of the species being, as
we see them, well defined? The answer is that the intermediate species
have become extinct, that we must look upon each existing species as
having descended from some unknown forms; that natural selection acts
slowly by preserving profitable modifications. "Each new form will
tend in a fully stocked country to take the place of, and finally
exterminate, its own less-improved parent form, and other less favored
forms with which it comes in competition; thus both parent and all
transitional varieties will generally have been exterminated by the
very process of the formation and perfection of the new."[D]

[Footnote D: Origin of species, p 134.]

If you object further, and call attention to the fact that in the
great geological record, of which evolutionists boast so much, that
not even in that can be found the intermediate transitional forms that
should, according to their theory, link together by fine gradations the
species[E]--this objection, otherwise fatal to the theory of evolution,
is avoided rather than answered by putting forth the claim that the
geological record is very imperfect, and comparatively only a few of
its pages have, as yet, been read by man.

[Footnote E: Geology assuredly does not reveal any such finely
graduated organic chain; and this, perhaps, is the most obvious and
serious objection which can be urged against the theory [of evolution.]
The explanation lies, as I believe, in the extreme imperfection of the
geological record.--Darwin, Origin of Species p. 205.]

After thus escaping from the difficulty of there being no intermediate
transitional forms between the species, we come to other facts not
less important, and even, perhaps, more fatal to the hypothesis of
evolution--I refer to the phenomena presented by "hybrids," and in
order that I may not be charged with over-estimating the value of the
objection founded on this class of phenomena, I shall quote the words
of Professor Huxley, one of the chief apostles of evolution, and give
his estimate of the weight of the objections:

"There is a most singular circumstance," says the professor, "in
respect to natural species--at least about some of them--and it would
be sufficient for the purposes of this argument, if it were true
of only one of them; but there is, in fact, a great number of such
cases--and that is, that similar as they may appear to be to mere
races or breeds, they present a marked peculiarity in the reproductive
process. If you breed from the male and female of the same race, you of
course have offspring of the like kind; and if you make the offspring
breed together, you obtain the same result; and if you breed from
these again, you will still have the same kind of offspring; there is
no check. But if you take members of two distinct species, however
similar they may be to each other, and make them breed together, you
will find a check, with some modifications and exceptions-- * * * if
you cross two such species with each other, then,--although you may
get offspring in the case of the first cross, yet if you attempt to
breed from the products of that crossing, which are what are called
hybrids[F]--that is, if you couple a male and a female hybrid--then
the result is that in ninety-nine cases out of a hundred you will get
no offspring at all; there will be no result whatsoever, * * * Thus
you see that there is a great difference between 'mongrels,' which
are crosses between distinct races [varieties], and 'hybrids,' which
are crosses between distinct species. The mongrels are, so far as we
know, fertile with one another. But between species, in many cases,
you cannot succeed in obtaining the first cross; at any rate it is
quite certain that the hybrids are often absolutely infertile one with
another. Here is a feature, then, great or small as it may be, which
distinguishes natural species of animals."[G]

[Footnote F: The product of the horse and the ass--the mule--is an
example.]

[Footnote G: Huxley's Lectures, pp. 106, 107.]

Now, by the side of these facts, the sterility of species and hybrids,
let us place another; that of the fertility of varieties. So long
as you breed together descendants from a common stock they continue
fruitful to each other, without any check. Now, if naturalists cannot
produce by selective breeding varieties from a common parentage that
are infertile to each other, then it is quite clear that species did
not come from varieties by the process of variation preserved by
natural selection, since here is a phenomenon existing in connection
with species which cannot, to all appearances, be produced by breeding
together varieties. Mr. Huxley remarks on this, that if it could be
proven not only that this has not been done, but that it cannot be
done, then Mr. Darwin's hypothesis would be utterly shattered.[H] Well,
up to the present it has not been done, the gentleman last quoted
admits the fact; he asks, "what is really the state of the case? It is
simply that, so far as we have gone yet with our breeding, we have not
produced from a common stock two breeds, which are not more or less
fertile with one another."[I]

[Footnote H: Huxley's Lectures, p. 141.]

[Footnote I: Lectures, p. 141.]

What do these facts prove, I mean the sterility of species and hybrids
on the one hand, and the fertilities of varieties, descendants from a
common stock, on the other? Why that the great law of nature is, as
announced in holy writ that every seed shall produce after its kind,
and every fish, fowl, creeping-thing, beast, and man shall bring
forth after his kind[J]--that is what it proves. And though man may
for a moment by crossing species cause a slight deviation from that
great law, it can be but for an instant, the monstrosity cannot be
perpetuated, it dies out by being made unfruitful.

[Footnote J: Gen. I: 11, 12, 21, 24, 25.]

How do these facts affect the theory of evolution? Let us remember upon
what that theory rests. It rests upon the principle that lower forms
producing favorable variations and these being preserved by the process
of natural selection amount finally to the production of distinct
species; but we have seen that varieties cannot produce what may be
called the great characteristic of species--infertility to each other;
then also we have seen there is a check to variation in the sterility
of species and hybrids. Add these facts to that other fact that neither
in living nature nor in the geological records can be found the
intermediate transitional forms linking together by fine gradations the
species, and the theory of evolution lies stranded upon the shore of
idle speculation.



II.

There is one other objection to be urged against the theory of
evolution before leaving it; it is contrary to the revelations of
God. I have not in mind, at present, the revelations respecting the
creation of the earth and of vegetable and animal life; but rather the
revelations which speak of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. According
to the revelations of God contained in the Bible, man was created
just and right--"sufficient to have stood, yet free to fall." He
transgressed, in some way, the holy commandment given him, and by that
transgression became fallen man, subject to sin and death, and entailed
the same evils upon his posterity. Both he and they were powerless to
extricate themselves from the consequences of that violation of law;
but a sacrifice was prepared, a Redeemer was provided, both for Adam
and all his posterity. In the meridian of time that Redeemer appeared
in the person of Jesus of Nazareth, who eventually was offered up
a sacrifice for sinful man--he suffered for sins, the just for the
unjust, that he might bring us to God.[A] That this was the mission
of Jesus Christ is evident from the whole tenor of the scriptures.[B]
But if the hypothesis of evolution be true, if man is only a product
evolved from the lower forms of life, better still producing better,
until the highest type of intellectual manhood crowns with glory this
long continued process--then it is evident that there has been no
"fall," such as the revelations of God speak of; and if there was no
fall, there was no occasion for a Redeemer to make atonement for man,
in order to reconcile him to God; then the mission of Jesus Christ
was a myth, the coinage of idle brains, and Jesus himself was either
mistaken, or one of the many impostors that have arisen to mock mankind
with the hope of eternal life.

[Footnote A: I. Peter iii: 18.]

[Footnote B: See the chapters in "The Gospel" on General Salvation,
where this idea is treated at some length.]

Such is the inevitable result of accepting the philosophy of evolution,
after which all the world is now running--it is destructive of the
grand central truth of all revelation; as well ancient as modern; as
well the revelations given to Moses and the prophets, as those given
to the apostles of the New Testament; as well those given in Asia, as
those given in America; for the central truth of all revelation is
the fall of man, and the redemption through the atonement of Jesus
Christ. All things else contained in the revelations of God to man
are subordinate and dependent for their strength and force upon this
leading truth.

I am aware that there is a class of men who profess to be "Christian
evolutionists," and who maintain that Christianity can be made to
harmonize with the philosophy of evolution. But how are they made
to harmonize? We are told that Jesus is still a Redeemer, but in
this sense he gave out faultless moral precepts, and practiced them
in his life; and inasmuch as people accept his doctrines and follow
his example they will be redeemed from evil. But as to the fall of
man and the atonement made for him by the Son of God--both ideas are
of necessity rejected; which means, of course, denying the great
fundamental truths of revelation; it is by destroying the basis
on which the Christian religion rests, that the two theories are
harmonized--if such a process can be called harmonization. It is on
the same principle that the lion and the lamb harmonize, or lie down
together--the lion eats the lamb.

It was stated in the first part of this writing that the follies of
those who profess a belief in the theory of creation as revealed in
the Bible, were largely responsible for the existence of the theory
of evolution; that their exegesis of the revelations on the subject
were so manifestly absurd, and contradicted so many well known and
indisputable facts, that scientific men sought for other explanations
of the origin of things. The theologians in the apostate churches
of Christendom have maintained that God created the heavens and the
earth--the universe--out of nothing, in six days. A statement than
which it is impossible to conceive one more absurd, or one which
contradicts more completely every fact demonstrated by the experience
of man. Every sense, every possible conception of the mind bears
witness that from nothing, nothing comes. The idea of creating the
universe out of nothing, however, is rapidly passing away from the
minds of the present generation; and it is conceded by many theologians
that there is no warrant for such a doctrine in the scriptures; but
that it became generally accepted through a misconception of the
meaning of the word create. "The meaning of this word," says Rev.
Baden Powell, of Oxford University, "has been commonly associated with
the idea of 'making out of nothing.' But when we come to inquire more
precisely into the subject, we can of course satisfy ourselves as to
the meaning only from an examination of the original phrase." The
learned professor then proceeds to say that three distinct Hebrew verbs
are in different places employed with reference to the same divine
act, and may be translated respectively, "_create_," "_make_," "_form_ or
_fashion_." "Now," continues the professor, "though each of these has
its shade of distinction, yet the best critics understand them as so
nearly synonymous that, at least in regard to the idea of making out
of nothing, little or no foundation for that doctrine can be obtained
from the first of these words." And, of course if no foundation for the
doctrine can be obtained from the first of these words--viz., the verb
translated create, then the chances are still less for there being any
foundation for the doctrine in the verb translated, "made," "formed" or
"fashioned."

This is in harmony, too, with the teachings of the Prophet Joseph
Smith. He says "You ask the learned doctors why they say the world
was made out of nothing; and they will answer, 'Don't the Bible say
he _created_ the world? and they infer, from the word _create_ that it
must have been made out of nothing. Now the word _create_ came from the
word _baurau_, which does not mean to create out of nothing; it means to
organize, the same as man would organize materials and build a ship.
Hence we infer that God had materials to organize the world out of
chaos--chaotic matter, which is element, and in which dwells all the
glory. Element had an existence from the time he [God] had."[C]

[Footnote C: Journal of Discourses, Vol. vi: p. 6.]

Professor Baden Powell further says, "The idea of 'creation' as meaning
absolutely 'making out of nothing,' or calling into existence that
which did not exist before, in the strictest sense of the term, is not
a doctrine of scripture; but it has been held by many on the grounds
of natural theology, as enhancing the ideas we form of the divine
power, and more especially since the contrary must imply the belief
in the eternity and self existence of matter."[D] Theologians have
held, generally, that to admit the doctrine of the eternity and self
existence of matter detracted from the perfection of Deity, though how
that can appear is difficult to comprehend.

[Footnote D: Kitto's Biblical Literature, Art. Creation.]

Not only have so-called theologians been compelled to renounce the
unphilosophical idea that the universe was created out of nothing; but
they also have to admit that there are indisputable evidences of the
earth having a greater antiquity than their interpretations of the word
of God allow. That is, the earth itself bears in its own bosom the
evidence that it is more than six thousand years old. And though it may
turn out, on further investigation, that some of the claims of geology
are extremely absurd; owing to the fact, perhaps, that the founders of
that science have not considered sufficiently the effect of conditions
not now existing and forces not now in operation, but which doubtless
existed and operated in the earlier ages of our earth's existence--yet
when extremely liberal allowances for all these things are made, the
indisputable evidence adduced from the science of geology is sufficient
to establish the statement that the earth is more than six thousand
years old; and it might be added also that from the same source it is
evident that the earth was not created or organized from pre-existing
element in six days of twenty-four hours duration.

These facts which geology unquestionably demonstrates have thrown
sectarian theologians into dismay. The dogmas concerning the creation
formulated with so much pomp and circumstance by the apostate churches
of Christendom, respectable only for their antiquity, are going to
pieces before the facts discovered by geologists and churchmen, or
theologians, call them which you will, are filled with alarm lest all
confidence be lost in revelation; and many of them are making frantic
efforts to harmonize the facts of revelation with the facts of science.
Unfortunately, however, some of these proceed on lines which result
the same as the efforts of some to harmonize the theory of evolution
with the gospel--as the latter efforts end in the destruction of the
gospel, so the former end in denying the inspiration of scripture,
in relegating it to the realms of poetry, which means kicking it
contemptuously out of the domains of fact, of history. "We affirm," say
they, "that it cannot be history--it may be poetry."[E]

[Footnote E: Kitto's Biblical Literature, Vol. I., p. 486. Such also
were the views of the late Henry Ward Beecher, and in fact all of
his school, which I am sorry to say is rapidly increasing in numbers,
both in the United States and England. For the continental countries I
cannot speak.]

There is nothing in the Bible, however, which drives believers
in revelation to those straights--straights in which they throw
overboard, practically, the word of God; discard it, or, in other
words, degrade it to the level of romance--making it nothing better
than the idle coinage of the half frenzied brains of day-dreamers.
If the dogmas of apostate Christendom respecting the creation were
given over as a romance instead of the revelations of God, and those
revelations were re-examined, and especially if re-examined under
the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, it would then be found that there
is nothing in the scriptures requiring the believer in revelation to
accept the idea of recent or instantaneous creation of the earth. There
is no more warrant in the Bible for the doctrine that the earth was
begun and completed--created--about six thousand years ago, and that
instantly, at the word of God, than there is that it was made out of
nothing. On the other hand there is very much to lead one to believe
the contrary.

Six thousand years ago our earth reached that degree of perfection that
it was fitted for the abode of man; and it is interesting to note,
in this connection, that geologists have found no evidence of the
existence of man on the earth only in the strata of the earth's crust
belonging to the latest geological periods, and most probably only in
those made within the period of history. But while the Bible may teach
that it was only about six thousand years since man was placed upon
the earth, how long the period of formation lasted previous to that
time, how long it required to prepare this planet with all its wealth
of fruits and vegetables and animal life, for the abode of man, is not
known. "It is called in the scriptures," says Apostle Orson Pratt,

"Six days; but we do not know the meaning of the scriptural term
'day.' It evidently does not mean such days as we are now acquainted
with--days governed by the rotation of the earth on its axis, and by
the shining of the great central luminary of our solar system. A day of
twenty-four hours is not the kind of day referred to in the scriptural
account of the creation; the word 'day' in the scriptures seems often
to refer to some indefinite period of time. The Lord, in speaking to
Adam in the garden says, 'In the day thou eatest thereof thou shalt
surely die;' yet he did not die within twenty-four hours after he had
eaten the forbidden fruit; but he lived to be almost a thousand years
old, from which we learn that the word 'day' in this paragraph, had no
reference to days of the same duration as ours. Again it is written, in
the second chapter of Genesis, 'In the day that he created the heavens
and the earth;'[F] not six days, but 'in the day' that he did it,
incorporating all the six days into one, and calling that period 'the
day' that he created the heavens and the earth.[G]"

[Footnote F: These are the generations of the heaven and of the earth
when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made the earth and
the heavens. Genesis ii: 4.]

[Footnote G: Journal of Discourses, Vol. xiv: p. 234-5.]

As a further evidence that "day" as used in connection with the acts
of creation does not mean a period of duration of twenty-four hours,
it may be mentioned that it was not until the period called the fourth
day that the sun reflected his light upon our earth and ruled the
day; and divided the light from the darkness, giving us the day and
night regulated by the rotation of the earth upon its axis; so that
the preceding three days were not of twenty-four hours duration,
but certainly referred to some other division of time, which was
also, doubtless, employed throughout in speaking of these acts of
creation.[H] Moreover, it is said in this first chapter of Genesis,

"In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

"And the earth was without form and void; and darkness was upon the
face of the deep."[I]

[Footnote H: Respecting this creation of the sun as referred to in the
above, Apostle Orson Pratt has made some remarks at once ingenious and
instructive, he says:

"What I understand by the formation [creation] of these celestial
luminaries, is that He [God] then caused them to shed forth their light
[that is upon the earth.] I cannot suppose that it would take the Lord
six days to form such a little speck of a world as ours, and then for
Him on the fourth to form a globe fourteen hundred thousand times
larger than the earth. This does not look consistent to me. If it took
six days to form a small world like ours, we might certainly suppose
that it would require more than one day to form the sun, which contains
a quantity of matter sufficient to make some three hundred and fifty
four thousand worlds like this, and whose actual size or magnitude
is fourteen thousand times larger than our globe; consequently I
understand by the formation of the sun and moon and stars, and
setting them in the firmament of the heavens, that He merely suffered
their light to shine on the fourth day, to regulate the evenings and
mornings, that were produced prior to that time, probably by some other
cause. The Lord wanted by these luminaries to divide the day from the
night, and he set them for times and seasons in the firmament of the
heavens." _Journal of Discourses_, Vol. xvi: pp. 316-7.]

[Footnote I: Genesis i: 1,2.]

How long it remained in that condition before the Spirit of God moved
upon the face of the waters, or the six great periods of creation
began, it would be impossible to say, since we have no data in
revelation to go upon; but the duration was doubtless sufficient to
allow all the myriads of years claimed by geologists as necessary for
the formation of our planet. Then how long those periods of time were
which are called "days" in the Bible, is uncertain; but enough is known
to justify us in the belief that they were great periods of time, in
which the successive acts of creation occurred. In which continents
were up-raised, and mountains were heaved up by volcanic eruption,
exposed to warmth and light and covered with vegetation, and animal
life, and then worn away by the combined action of the atmosphere
and rains, much of their matter being carried back to old ocean's
bed, and settling there as sediment, forming new strata of rocks,
occasionally imbedding vegetables and animals which became fossilized;
and these strata, being afterwards thrown up from the bottom of the
ocean are exposed to view, and from what he there finds, the geologist
conjectures at the condition of the earth and forms his judgment as to
what animals and vegetation were then upon it--there was time for all
this, let it be performed ever so slowly.

While the Bible account of the creation gives sufficient margin to
allow all the time claimed by the geologists for that work, let their
claims be ever so extravagant, still let geologists have some modesty
about them and admit--as perforce they must--that they do not know that
the same conditions existed, or the same forces operated in those long
ages of the past that now exist and operate. Hence it is not unlikely
that changes resulting in the advancement of the earth's formation, and
in its preparation for the abode of man were much more rapid then than
now. This is not begging the question, there is no need of that; but
it is mentioned in passing, as pointing to a condition of things not
unlikely to have existed.



III.

What is most perplexing about the Bible narrative of this work of
creation is that two accounts are given of it; and apparently there
is an irreconcilable difference between them. In the first chapter of
Genesis is a statement of the creation in respect to this earth and
the heavens connected with it, from the time it was without form and
void until it was a fit dwelling place for man: or, to put it in other
words, the account seems to reach from highly attenuated nebulae to the
solid earth clothed with its wealth of vegetable and animal life, with
man placed upon it as the crowning excellence of the Creator's work.
But after this elaborate account of the creation contained in the first
chapter of Genesis, we are startled to read in the second chapter--

"These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they
were created, in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the
heavens, and every plant of the field before it was in the earth,
and every herb of the field before it grew: for the Lord God had not
caused it to rain upon the earth, _and there was not a man to till the
ground_."

One naturally pauses here to ask, what had become of the grasses,
herbs, and trees spoken of in the first chapter of Genesis? what of the
fishes of the sea, the fowls of the air, the beasts of the field? what
of man, male and female, of whose creation we have just read? and of
the commandment to multiply and replenish the earth? Is it not strange
that after reading of the creation of man in the first chapter that
we should be told in the second that there was not a man to till the
ground? Proceeding with this second account of creation the Bible says:

"But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of
the ground. And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and
breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living
soul. And the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he
put the man whom he had formed. And out of the ground made the Lord to
grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food. * * *
And out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field, and
every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would
call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living thing that was the
name thereof."

What is especially difficult in this second account of creation is
that it reverses the order of that work as given in the first. The
first account commences with the formation of the earth from chaotic
matter and then records the various steps of progress in succinct and
natural order--the same order, too, that science insists upon--up to
perfection: the second begins with an account of the creation of man,
the planting of a garden as the beginning of vegetable existence, and
then the creation of the fowls of the air and the beasts of the fields.

The writings of Moses as revealed to Joseph Smith, in December, 1830,
and now contained in the Pearl of Great Price, make this matter of the
creation of man still more emphatic by saying:

"And I, the Lord God, formed man from the dust of the ground, and
breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living
soul, _the first flesh upon the earth_, the first man also."

But if these writings of Moses make emphatic the apparent contradiction
in these two accounts of creation, they also furnish the key by which
the whole matter may be understood, and, as I think, explained. After
giving an account of the creation, much as it is contained in the first
chapter of Genesis, it is then stated--

"And behold I say unto you, these are the generations of the heaven and
of the earth, when they were created, in the day that I, the Lord God,
made the heaven and the earth, and every plant of the field before it
was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew. For I,
the Lord God, created all things, of which I have spoken, spiritually,
before they were naturally upon the face of the earth. For I, the Lord
God, had not caused it to rain upon the face of the earth. And I, the
Lord God, had created all the children of men; and not yet a man to
till the ground; for in heaven created I them; and there was not yet
flesh upon the earth; neither in the water, neither in the air; but
I, the Lord God, spake, and there went up a mist from the earth, and
watered the whole face of the ground. And I, the Lord God, formed man
from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath
of life; and man became a living soul, the first flesh upon the earth,
the first man also; nevertheless, all things were before created, but
spiritually, were they created and made according to my word."[A]

[Footnote A: Pearl of Great Price, p. 6.]

As to the character of this spiritual creation nothing is known;
nothing, so far as I know, has been revealed in relation to it. Here
let me say, by way of caution, that those who accept the revelations of
God as truth need not be alarmed or worried if they meet with things
in the sacred writings that they cannot explain or understand, as in
the case of this spiritual creation of the heavens and the earth which
preceded the natural, or what we regard as the actual creation of the
earth. In this and in all cases of like character we claim for those
who accept the revelations of holy writ as facts, what Professor Huxley
claims for those who build up theories on their conception of facts in
nature, _viz_--"There is a wide difference between the thing you cannot
explain and the thing which upsets your theory altogether." This idea
is a pendulum which should swing just as high for the believer in
revelation as for the scientist. Not that there is anything wrong with
revelation, the difficulty arises from our inability to comprehend it;
but when increased intelligence shall give us enlarged views and keener
powers of penetration, we shall then find that the revelations of God
are in strict accord with the facts in the case, and perfectly simple
however incomprehensible they may have seemed to us in the day when we
saw as through a glass darkly. But this is a digression.

Though we cannot understand the nature of this spiritual creation, yet
to learn that the first account of the creation in the Bible is of a
spiritual creation and the second of an actual or natural one, gives
some comfort, from the fact that it does away with all charges of
inconsistency or contradiction between the two accounts. For since they
are descriptions of two different things instead of one thing, there is
nothing in the law of consistency requiring the accounts of different
events to be alike.

In these articles, however, what turns out to be an account of the
spiritual creation of the earth has been spoken of and treated as
the natural or actual creation.[B] It has been treated so purposely,
because I believe the natural in the order of its creation and
development corresponds with the creation and development of the
spiritual. Furthermore, I believe the account in the first chapter of
Genesis could be safely accepted as the announcement of the general
plan of creation, not only of our planet but of all worlds; and in
it will be found ample scope for the belief that the earth came
into existence by the accretion of nubulous matter; that it took
thousands of years, yea, millions, perhaps, for the condensation and
solidification of that matter; granting as long periods as geologists
may demand for the formation of the earth's curst; that then followed
the changes which were wrought during the six great periods named
in Genesis; beginning with the production of light, and ending with
placing man upon the completed planet as its lord and sovereign under
God.

[Footnote B: I do not wish in making this distinction between the
spiritual and natural creation, and in using the word "actual" to be
understood as implying that the spiritual creation was not an actual
creation. It may have been just as tangible and actual as the creation
on which we walk. I only use the expression to make a distinction
between the natural and spiritual creations.]

The careful reader of this paper will say, however, that the statements
in the last paragraph permit all the old difficulties to surge back
upon us; all the old apparent inconsistencies between the first and
second accounts of creation in Genesis remain unreconciled. For if the
natural creation of our planet corresponded to the spiritual creation
of it, the spiritual standing in the same relationship to the natural
as the well devised plan of the architect does to the actual erection
of a building--then the account given of the spiritual creation of our
earth may as well be regarded as the account of the actual creation of
it also. But this leaves all the difficulties between the two accounts
of creation in the Bible untouched, and we must look to other facts
than those yet considered if we would see them removed.

The Prophet Joseph Smith is credited with having said that our planet
was made up of the fragments of a planet which previously existed; some
mighty convulsions disrupted that creation and made it desolate. Both
its animal and vegetable life forms were destroyed. And when those
convulsions ceased, and the rent earth was again consolidated, and it
became desirable to replenish it, the work was begun by making a mist
to rise that it might descend in gentle rain upon the barren earth,
that it might again be fruitful. Then came one of the sons of God[C]
to the earth--Adam. A garden was planted in Eden and the man placed
in it, and there the Lord brought to him every beast of the field and
every fowl of the air, and Adam gave names to them all. Afterwards
was brought to Adam his wife, whom, since she was derived from man,
he named wo-man; and she became his help-mate, his companion and the
mother of his children. In this nothing is hinted at about man being
made from the dust, and woman manufactured from a rib, a story which
has been a cause of much perplexity to religious people, and a source
of much impious merriment to reckless unbelievers. We are informed that
the Lord God made every plant of the field before it was in the earth,
and every herb before it grew[D] on our planet. As vegetation was
created or made to grow upon some older earth, and the seeds thereof
or the plants themselves were brought to our earth and made to grow,
so likewise man and his help-meet were brought from some other world
to our own, to people it with their children. And though it is said
that the "Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground"--it by no
means follows that he was "formed" as one might form a brick, or from
the dust of this earth. We are all "formed" of the dust of the ground,
though instead of being moulded as a brick we are brought forth by the
natural laws of procreation; so also was Adam and his wife in some
older world. And as for the story of the rib, under it I believe the
mystery of procreation is hidden.

[Footnote C: Lest any one should doubt that Adam was one of the sons
of God, I call attention to the verse of Luke, iii chapter, where in
tracing the genealogy of Jesus back to Adam, and coming to Cainan it
goes on to say that "he (Cainan) was the son of Enos, which was the son
of Seth, which was the son of Adam, which was the son of God."]

[Footnote D: Genesis ii: 4, 5.]

Of the things I have spoken, this is the sum: There was a planet
created on the plan of the spiritual creation described in the first
chapter of Genesis; beginning with the condensation of nubulous matter
to a "fire ball," then the cooling of the surface and thickening of the
earth's crust, and the envelopment of it in water; then came light, and
by internal eruptions portions of land were thrown above the surface
of the water--"the dry land appeared;" then came the simpler forms of
vegetation; then the sunlight visited the earth, and doubtless higher
forms of vegetation, fruit-trees and flowers and grains were brought
forth; then came the creatures that abound in the ocean, that fly in
the air, and the beasts of the earth. Not by the process of evolution,
but by the various species suitable to the condition of the earth's
development being brought from some other and older sphere, with power
to propagate their kind, until the changed conditions of the earth
became unfavorable to them, when they became extinct and were replaced
by other species of a higher type. Then came the mighty convulsions
which, for some cause or other, and doubtless for some wise purpose,
disrupted that planet; and when from its fragments a new world--our
present planet--was brought into existence, it was made the abode of
man, as described in the second account of the creation in Genesis,
which begins by placing man upon the earth, and then the inferior
animals.

Accepting this statement of Joseph Smith relative to our planet in its
present state being created or formed from the fragments of a planet
which previously existed, one may readily understand how the supposed
differences between scientists and believers in revelation have arisen.
Scientists have been talking of the earth's strata that were formed
in a previously existing planet; they have considered the fossilized
flora and fauna imbedded in those strata, and have speculated as to the
probable lapse of time since those animal and vegetable forms of life
existed; and have generally concluded that the age is so far remote
that there is no possible chance of harmonizing it with the account
of the creation as given in the Bible. Believers in the Bible, on the
other hand, have generally taken it for granted that the account of
the creation in the sacred record, would give to the earth no greater
antiquity than six thousand years; and have held that within that
period the universe was created out of nothing by the volition of
Deity--an idea so palpably absurd that intelligence, despite all church
authority to the contrary, everywhere rejects it.

The theory set forth in this writing that before Adam was paced upon
this earth to people it with his offsprings the matter of which it is
composed existed in another planet, which by some mighty convulsions
was broken up, and from its ruins was formed our present earth, at
once affords a means of harmonizing those facts established by the
researches of men and the facts of revelation. If scientists shall
claim that myriads of years or of centuries must have been necessary
to form the earth's crust, it may be allowed by the believers in
revelation, for there is nothing that would contradict that idea in the
revelations of God on the subject. If scientists shall claim that the
fossilized remains in the different strata of the earth's crust reveal
the fact that in the earlier periods of the earth's existence only the
simpler forms of vegetation and animal life are to be found, both forms
of life becoming more complex and of higher type as the earth becomes
older, until it is crowned with the presence of man--all that may be
allowed. But that this gradation of animal and vegetable life owes its
existence to the process of evolution is denied. As before explained,
the claims of evolution are contrary to all experience so far as man's
knowledge extends. The great law of nature is that every plant, herb,
fish, fowl, beast and man produces his kind; and though there may be
slight variations from that law, those variations soon run out either
by reverting to the original stock, or else by becoming incapable of
producing offspring, and thus become extinct.[E]

[Footnote E: Since beginning this writing I have found some remarks
on the subject of evolution by the late President John Taylor, which
cannot fail to be of interest to the student of the subject: "The
Animal and vegetable creations are governed by certain laws, and are
composed of certain elements peculiar to themselves. This applies
to man, to beasts, fowls, fish and creeping things, to the insects
and to all animated nature; each one possessing its own distinctive
features; each requiring a specific sustenance, each having an
organism and faculties governed by prescribed laws to perpetuate, its
own kind. * * * These principles do not change, as represented by
evolutionists of the Darwinian school, but the primitive organisms of
all living beings exist in the same form as when they first received
their impress from their Maker. There are, indeed, some very slight
exceptions, for instance, the ass may mix with the mare and produce
the mule; but there it ends; the violation of the laws of procreation
receives a check, and its operations can go no further. Similar
compounds may possibly be made by experimentalists in the vegetable and
mineral kingdoms, but the original elements remain the same. Yet this
is not the normal but an abnormal condition with them, as with animals,
birds, etc., and if we take man he is said to have been made in the
image of God, for the simple reason that he is the son of God; and
being His son, he is, of course, his offspring, an emanation from God,
in whose likeness we are told he is made. He did not originate from a
chaotic mass of matter, moving or inert, but came forth possessing,
in an embryotic state, all the faculties and powers of a God. And
when he shall be perfected, and have progressed to maturity he will
be like his father--a God, being indeed his offspring. As the horse,
the ox, the sheep and every living creature, including man, propagates
its own species and perpetuates its own kind, so does God perpetuate
His."--_Mediation and Atonement_, pp. 164, 165.]

Furthermore, since we have learned that God made "every plant of the
field before it was in the earth, and every herb before it grew" (_i.
e._ in our earth), the gradation of life forms which the naturalists
discover in the various strata of the earth's crust may reasonably be
accounted for aside from the theory of evolution--viz., by the animal
and vegetable life forms of some older earth being brought to our own;
different species being transplanted as changed conditions in the soil
and atmosphere and temperature of our earth rendered it favorable to
their production, the older species becoming extinct as the changed
conditions of the earth became unfavorable to them. Then too, the
theory advanced in this writing gives ample room for the reconciliation
of another serious difficulty between the scientist and the believer in
revelation. To the latter Adam is the first man; the former maintains
that there are evidences which prove the earth to have been inhabited
before Adam's time. Whether or not the planet which existed previous
to our own, and out of the ruins of which our own was organized was
inhabited by man as well as by vegetation and animals, I cannot say;
all remarks on this subject would be conjecture merely. But if the
researches of scientists prove beyond all question that there were
pre-Adamic races, then doubtless they were inhabitants of that world
which was destroyed, but the evidence of their existence as well as
the evidence of the existence of animals and vegetation was preserved
in the re-creation of that planet to form this earth. Though, in this
connection, I must say that so far as I have examined the works of
those who treat on the subject of pre-historic man, or pre-Adamic
races, they have hung the heaviest weights on the slenderest of
threads; and I am inclined to the opinion that Adam was the progenitor
of all races of men whoso remain have yet been found.

So much then for the different theories as to the origin of things
pertaining to our earth; as to the beginning of the universe, that
is beyond the scope of this inquiry, and may be dismissed by saying
that it had no beginning. We conclude this part by quoting one of our
hymns:[F]

    If you could hie to Kolob,[G]
        In the twinkling of an eye,
    And then continue onward,
        With the same speed to fly,

    D'ye think that you could ever,
        Through all eternity,
    Find out the generation
        Where Gods began to be?

    Or see the grand beginning,
        Where space did not extend?
    Or view the last creation,
        Where Gods and matter end?

    Methinks the Spirit whispers--
        No man has found "pure space,"
    Nor seen the outside curtains
        Where nothing has a place.

    The works of God continue,
        And worlds and lives abound;
    Improvement and progression
        Have one eternal round.

[Footnote F: L. D. S. Hymn Book, 252, 17 ed.]

[Footnote G: A planet near the residence of God.--Book of Abraham,
Pearl of Great Price, p. 30.]



IV.

I think it must be evident to all who have looked upon the dead, that
man is a dual being. Who that has stood by the bier of a friend, a
parent, child or wife, and looked upon the lifeless form stretched
upon it, but has felt that the being he loved has departed, that he is
looking upon the casket merely that contained the jewel--the spirit.
This truth forced upon man's consciousness in the presence of the dead
is also sustained by the word of God, in which it is said--speaking
of that mysterious change to which all flesh is subject, and which man
calls death--"Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was; and
the spirit shall return to God who gave it."[A]

[Footnote A: Ecclesiastes xii: 7]

It is my purpose to show in this writing, that this spirit of man
existed before it was united with the body, that it is an emanation
from Deity, and hence the relationship of Fatherhood on the part of
God, and sonship on the part of man. It is written by the Apostle Paul
that, "God who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in times
past unto the fathers, by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken
unto us by His Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, _by whom
also he made the worlds_."[B] The palpable meaning of this passage is
that God employed the spirit of Jesus Christ in creating worlds--not
one world only, but doubtless many. And if it was the spirit of Jesus
which acted as God's agent in the creation of the worlds, there can be
no doubt as to the spirit of Jesus having an existence before it was
tabernacled in the body born of the virgin Mary.

[Footnote B: Hebrews i: 1, 2.]

Nor is the above passage of scripture the only one which sustains
the fact of the existence of the spirit of Jesus Christ previous to
its union with the body. There are many expressions which fell from
the lips of our Lord himself that prove the fact. When some of his
disciples murmured at certain doctrines he had been teaching them, he
exclaims--"Doth this offend you? what and if ye shall see the Son of
Man ascend up where he was before?"[C]--doubtless referring to the
place he occupied in the mansions of his Father before the creation of
the earth.

[Footnote C: John vi: 61, 62.]

Again, just previous to his betrayal, in his prayer in Gethsemane,
he said to his Father, "I have glorified thee on the earth, I have
finished the work which thou gavest me to do. And now, O Father,
glorify thou me with thine own self, even with the glory which I had
with thee before the world was."[D] No more direct allusion to his
pre-existence could be given than this; and from it we learn that such
existence extended back to a period previous to the creation of the
earth we inhabit.

[Footnote D: John, xvii.]

To all appearances Jesus was as other men in his physical organism.
He was born of woman; nourished in the same manner and with the same
food; subject to heat and cold, hunger and thirst and weariness. He
was pre-eminently the man of sorrows, and more than other men subject
to pain. In short he possessed all the organs, dimensions, passions
and attributes of man; but in him the passions were refined and so
nicely checked and balanced, and the attributes so developed and
made subject to the will divine that he was a perfect man--a God! So
nearly did he resemble other men that his countrymen, and especially
his neighbors, failed to recognize God in him. And when he began his
mission among them they said: "Whence hath this man this wisdom, and
these mighty works? Is not this the carpenter's son? is not his mother
called Mary? and his brethren, James and Joses, and Simon, and Judas?
And his sisters are they not all with us? Whence then hath this man all
these things? And he did not many mighty works there because of their
unbelief."[E]

[Footnote E: Matt. xiii, 64-68.]

We may now turn our attention to the more immediate object of this
writing--the relationship between man and Deity.

An important inference may be reasonably based upon this similarity
between the Son of God and other men, viz: that if the spirit which
inhabited the body of Jesus had an existence before it dwelt in the
flesh, is it not possible, and, rather is it not probable, that the
spirits of other men, or of all men, also existed before they were
born into the world? Since Jesus was so much like his brethren in the
many respects noted, it requires no great effort to believe that they
resemble him in this particular matter of the pre-existence of their
spirits.

The question, however, rests upon stronger grounds than mere inference.
The Lord said to Job:

"Where wast thou when I laid the foundation of the earth? declare if
thou hast understanding. * * * Who laid the cornerstone thereof, when
the morning stars sang together and all the Sons of God shouted for
joy?"[F]

[Footnote F: Job xxxviii, 2-7.]

From this scripture one thing is certainly evident, viz: that before
the creation of this earth--before the foundation was laid or
the measuring line stretched upon it, there were "Sons of God" in
existence; and they shouted for joy; perhaps it was at the prospect of
the creation of the earth we inhabit that they shouted. And since it
was the spirit of Jesus Christ under the direction of God the Father
which created the worlds, it is but reasonable to suppose that he was
present on that occasion, and may not they have been where the spirit
of Job was also?

This doctrine of the pre-existence of spirits makes another scripture
clear: "Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee," said the Lord
to Jeremiah; "and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified
thee, and I ordained thee to be a prophet unto the nations."[G] It
was the spirit of Jeremiah which the Lord knew; which, in common with
the spirit of Jesus, of Job, of Adam, and, in short, of all men,[H]
dwelt in the presence of God; and as the spirit of Jeremiah possessed
those peculiar characteristics which are favorable to the exercise of
prophetic powers, the Lord foreordained him to be a prophet unto the
nations.

[Footnote G: Jeremiah i, 5.]

[Footnote H: At the first organization in heaven we were all present,
and saw the Savior chosen and appointed and the plan of salvation made,
and we sanctioned it.--Joseph Smith.]

In the revelations which the Lord gave to Abraham it is said:

"Now the Lord had shown unto me, Abraham, the intelligences that were
organized before the world was; and among these were many of the noble
and great ones; and God saw that these were good; and he said, these I
will make my rulers; for he stood among those that were spirits, and he
saw that they were good; and he said unto me, Abraham, thou art one of
them, thou wast chosen before thou wast born."[I]

[Footnote I: Pearl of Great Price, p. 32.]

This scripture not only proves the pre-existence of the spirits of men,
but gives us to understand that some were more highly developed than
others, were more noble, and hence set apart for special labors, some
to be rulers; others, as in the case of Jeremiah, to be prophets, each
one in the mighty multitude being assigned to the particular sphere,
and given to the particular privileges that his state of development
and degree of faithfulness entitled him to receive.

From the scriptures we learn that at one time there was war in heaven:

"And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought, and the
dragon fought and his angels. * * * And the great dragon was cast out,
that old serpent called the Devil and Satan, which deceiveth the whole
world; he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out
with him."[J]

[Footnote J: Rev. xii.]

To this also agrees the testimony of Jude:

"And the angels who kept not their first estate but left their own
habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto
the judgment of the great day."[K]

[Footnote K: Jude 6.]

I have called attention to those passages to prove that there were
some spirits who dwelt with God, so wicked and rebellious, that they
had to be cast out of heaven, and became the devil and his angels; as
well as some who had developed such nobility of character, that God had
set them apart or ordained them to be his rulers. Between these two
extremes of good and bad, obedient and rebellious were, I doubt not,
all degrees of faithfulness and nobility of conduct; and I hazard the
opinion that the amount and kind of development in that pre-existent
state influences the character in this life, and brings within reach
privileges and blessings commensurate with their faithfulness in the
spirit world. Yet, I would not be understood as holding the opinion
that those born to wealth and ease, whose lives appear to be an
unbroken round of pleasure and happiness, must therefore have been
spirits in their first estate that were very highly developed in
refinement, and very valiant for God and his Christ. Regarding this
present state of existence, where as a sphere man is sent to obtain an
experience and further develop the intelligence within him, and obtain
a knowledge of good and evil, from seeing them in contrast and contact
with each other--I hold that that condition in life which is calculated
to give the widest experience to man, is the one most to be desired,
and he who obtains it is the most favored of God.

One step more in this digression in order that I may state further
that I believe it consistent with right reason to say that some of
the lowliest walks in life, the paths which lead into the deepest
valleys of sorrow and up the most rugged steeps of adversity, are
the ones which, if a man travel in, will best accomplish the object
of his existence in this world. The stream that leaps over cliffs of
rocks, thence goes tumbling down through some canyon's rugged defile,
then divides into babbling brooks, now coquetting with the sunbeams
or dancing in the sheen of the moon, then stealing into the shade as
it meanders through the meadows, and then quickening its speed makes
a final rush down a rocky declivity into the ocean--keeps its waters
pure; while the stagnant pool is overgrown with sedges; is a place for
toads to knot and gender in; breeds miasmata and infests the air with
disease germs; its water is impure and it is altogether unlovely and
undesirable. So it is with the life of man. The conditions which place
men where they may always walk on the unbroken plain of prosperity and
seek for nothing but their own pleasure, are not the best within the
gift of God. For in such circumstances men soon drop into a position
analogous to the stagnant pool; while those who have to contend with
difficulties, brave dangers, endure disappointments, struggle with
sorrows, eat the bread of adversity and drink the water of affliction;
develop a moral and spiritual strength, together with a purity of life
and character, unknown to the heirs of ease, and wealth, and pleasure.
With the English bard, therefore, I believe

    Sweet are the uses of adversity!

And with the Scotch poet I would say that those events, usually
regarded as misfortunes,

    Give the wit of age to youth;
        They let us ken oursel';
    They make us see the naked truth,
        The real guid and ill.

    Thou losses and crosses
        Be lessons right severe,
    There's wit there, ye'll get there,
        Ye'll find nae other where

What the mountain gorge, the beatling crags, and steep declivities
are to the stream--enabling it to dash on in its course and by its
very motion purify itself--so are what we usually denominate adverse
circumstances to the life of man--they are the means of development and
of purification only--the pathway of fiery trials is the one ordained
of God for his favored sons.

In proof of this I direct you to the lives of the saints and the
prophets; but above all to the life of the Son of God himself! The life
of the Prophet Joseph Smith is an illustration second only to that of
Messiah. He was wont to say:

"I have waded in tribulation lip-deep; but every wave of adversity
which has struck me, has only wafted me that much nearer to Deity."

"Envy and the wrath of man have been my common lot all the days of my
life; and for what cause it seems mysterious, unless I was ordained
from before the foundation of the world for some good end, or bad, as
you may choose to call it. * * * It all has become as second nature to
me, and I feel like Paul, to glory in tribulation, for to this day has
the God of my fathers delivered me out of them all."

The Lord, while the prophet was a prisoner in Liberty Jail, said to him:

"If thou art called to pass through tribulation; if thou art in perils
among false brethren; if thou art in perils among robbers; if thou
art in perils by land or by sea; if thou art accused with all manner
of false accusations; if thine enemies fall upon thee; if they tear
thee from the society of thy father and thy mother, and brethren and
sisters; and if with a drawn sword thine enemies tear thee from the
bosom of thy wife and of thine offspring * * * And if thou shouldst
be cast into the pit, or into the hands of murderers, and sentence
of death be passed upon thee; if thou be cast into the deep; if the
billowing surge conspire against thee; if fierce winds become thine
enemy; if the heavens gather blackness, and all the elements combine
to hedge up the way; and above all, if the very jaws of hell shall
gape open the mouth wide after thee, know thou, my son, that all these
things shall give thee experience, _and shall be for thy good_. The
Son of Man hath descended below them all; art thou greater than he?
Therefore hold on thy way, and the priesthood shall remain with thee,
for their [the wicked] bounds are set, they cannot pass. Thy days are
known, and thy years shall not be numbered less; therefore, fear not
what man can do, for God shall be with you for ever and ever."[L]

[Footnote L: Doc. and Cov., Sec cxxii.]

If all this affliction was for the "good" of one of the most favored of
God's sons, is it not a fair conclusion that the trials and adversities
of the other sons of God are for their "good?"

Let us now consider the relationship existing between the spirits of
men and God. Zechariah speaks of God as not only laying the foundation
of the earth, but also as forming the spirit of man within him,[M]
while the writer of the book of Hebrews alludes to Jesus as the _first_
begotten[N] of God. The same writer also saith:

"We have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them
reverence; shall we not much rather be in subjection to the Father of
spirits and live?"[O]

[Footnote M: Zech. xii: 1.]

[Footnote N: Heb. i: 6]

[Footnote O: Heb. xii]

We now begin to see why Jesus taught his disciples to pray, "Our Father
which art in heaven." The words "Our Father" are not meaningless, but
express the relationship between God and man. And not in any mystical
way either, but in reality, the relationship being as much a fact as
that existing between any father and son on earth.

This relationship accounts for the interest of God in man; it explains
why he is "mindful of him;" why all created things are made but for his
use, to supply his necessities, to furnish him with comforts, or afford
him the means of experience and education. It makes us understand why
such a gulf exists between man and the rest of the animal creation--man
is the offspring of Deity and inherits his Father's attributes. It is
true those attributes are undeveloped; and often distorted even from
that degree of perfection it is possible for them to arrive at in this
state of existence; but that they exist in man is beyond all question.

The relationship between God and man also enables us to understand how
it is that God permitted such an atonement as the crucifixion of Jesus
Christ to be made for his redemption. Among men may be seen how strong
are the paternal feelings; but how much stronger and perfect they are
in God than in man is manifest in this, that "God so loved the world
that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him
should not perish but have everlasting life."[P]

[Footnote P: John iii: 16.]

Following as a consequence of the fatherhood of God is the brotherhood
of man. And since Jesus Christ is the first begotten in the spirit
world (and the "only begotten" of the Father in the flesh) it follows
that he is our elder brother; a relationship which accounts for
his willingness to make the great atonement which brings life and
immortality within the reach of his brethren.

God and Christ, then, are by no means beings afar off that man may not
know. Nor does God look upon mankind as worms or worthless things.
On the contrary they are his offspring. He regards them with all the
affection of a loving, father--

    He sees their hopes he knows their fear,
    And looks and loves his image there!

He delights not in their destruction, but would have all men to be
saved; and for that purpose has established the gospel.

I point out this noble relationship of man to Deity, not to flatter the
former, but because I believe it to be a fact. It is a theme I love to
contemplate, not because it debases Deity, but because it elevates man,
and must inspire him with noble aspirations, and to the performance
of virtuous deeds. If but once understood and realized by mankind, I
believe the conception would be a strong incentive to the reformation
of the world; as it at once explains many things which have been
regarded as mysterious, and explodes many of the absurdities which have
crept into the men-invented systems of theology. Furthermore it brings
man so near to Deity that like their Elder Brother--being in the form
of God--being the children of God--they may think as Christ did, that
it is no robbery to be equal with God,[Q] and may labor with worthy
ambition to that end. Heirs of God they are, even joint heirs with
Jesus Christ, if they obey the gospel of the Son of God; and they have
the assurance of holy writ that when he shall appear they shall be like
him.[R]

[Footnote Q: Phil. ii: 1-8.]

[Footnote R: I. John iii: 2]






End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Gospel: An Exposition of its First
Principles, by Brigham Henry Roberts

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