_An Elder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints_.
"Prove all things: hold fast that which is good."--1 Thess. v, 21.
"And this Gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for
a witness unto nations, and then shall the end come."--Matt. xxiv. 14.
At a time like the present, when all society is impressed with a
foreboding of coming changes in the affairs of men, we may, with
propriety, call the attention of those who look to the Scriptures for
divine guidance to the foregoing important text. It was given by the
Savior as a warning, and its fulfillment is to be a sign of the end of
the world as it is, under man's dominion, and of the coming of Jesus
Christ, according to the predictions of the Prophets. It is like all
other warnings given of God, simple, easy to be understood, and sure to
be fulfilled. Let us try to understand its meaning and spirit, without
prejudice and in the fear of God.
What is to be understood by _this_ Gospel of the kingdom? Is it
possible that another Gospel might have been mistaken for the one of
which Jesus spoke? Paul, in his epistle to the Galatians (1-8, 9),
prohibits any one from preaching any other Gospel than he had preached,
and, no doubt, it was the danger of a false or perverted Gospel being
accepted for the true one which led the Savior to express himself as
he did, when he said _this Gospel_. He certainly had reference to the
Gospel which he had taught and sent his Apostles to teach, and to none
other. Let us try to find it. There is no other religious system like
it, and we cannot find it unless we are guided strictly by the word of
God.
{136} It is important it should be known to us, so that when it is
preached as a "sign" of coming judgments and of the end of the world,
we may be enabled to recognize it. Some may say, "we have had the
Gospel preached for generations." Not the Gospel spoken of by Jesus,
for its restoration was to be a Latter-day work and a "sign" or
warning; something strange and remarkable. An appeal to the word of
God will, however, decide the matter for such as seek the truth, and
if we teach not according to the Scriptures, there can be no light in
us. Besides, Christianity, as it is called, is represented by many
forms and faiths, and without reference to the Bible it would be very
difficult to make a distinction with any degree of assurance. We could
not accept all the systems of Christianity as the Gospel of Christ, for
the Apostle Paul says there is but one faith (Eph. 4-5), and to receive
one religious system on the recommendation of its teachers as the true
Gospel, and reject all the rest, without a substantial Scriptural
reason, would be unwise, as we would still be in doubt. The true
Gospel is one, not many systems. All but one are perversions of the
Gospel of Christ, as truly now as anciently. I submit that the surest
way to find the Gospel is to find it from the revelations of God, as
taught by Jesus and other inspired men, and accept their doctrines
even if we must, by so doing, reject the faith of our fathers, as it
is God's ways and not man's we should seek and walk in, if we wish to
obtain eternal life. Jesus says to his Apostles (Mark 16-15), "Go ye
into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature," and we
believe they did so, and will endeavor to find what their instructions
were. What effect did Jesus expect from the preaching? _faith_, for he
continues (Mark 16-16) by saying, "he that believeth," etc., shall be
saved. Again, Paul, when asked by the jailor what he should do to be
saved, says (Acts 16-30, 31), "_believe_ on the Lord Jesus Christ,"
both of which Scriptures establish the fact that _faith_ is the first
principle or condition upon which salvation is promised; or, in other
words, the first principle of the Gospel of Christ, or the beginning
of true Christian worship. Faith must be the first principle of
revealed religion as it is the first effect created in us, through the
administration of the word. We hear and faith is the first consequence,
the most immediate, natural and unchangeable result. The Scriptures say
(Rom. 10-17), "faith cometh by hearing," and our experience confirms
this. The principles of the Gospel are always the same, for the same
purpose, and invariably taught in the same order.
Repentance of all sin is the second principle of the unchangeable {137}
plan through which salvation is promised. Peter, the Apostle, tells
the gathered multitude on the day of Pentecost, who already believed
that Jesus was the Christ, and who then asked what they should do,
that they should _repent_, and be baptized every one of them. (Acts
2-38). Repentance, according to the Scriptures, follows faith. But is
it necessarily so? It is, for we cannot repent before we believe; we
cannot repent of sin against God, until we believe that there is a God.
We cannot repent of a wrong done by us, against our fellow-man until we
believe we have wronged him. The propriety of the advice of the Apostle
is very apparent. His hearers, under the influence of the power which
rested upon the Apostles, believed that he whom they had crucified was
the Christ. Repentance of the part they took in that great wickedness
was to be expected. Baptism, being promised after repentance, and
the history stating that many were baptized, we must conclude that
repentance was a result of the preaching, and that effect agrees with
the organization of our natures.
Baptism is the third principle of the Gospel of Christ, and follows
repentance; Peter places it there when he says, "Repent and be
baptized," and John preached the "Baptism of repentance for the
remission of sins." (Mark 1-4). A little reflection will show how
consistent the Scriptural citations are. Baptism is an ordinance of the
Gospel, administered for a special purpose--as well as being simply a
commandment, namely: for the "remission of sins." It is not reasonable
to suppose that any person could receive the remission or forgiveness
of sins without repentance, or that any one would desire baptism that
his sins might be washed away (Acts 22-10) without having already
repented. Baptism necessarily follows repentance, as through its
administration the sins repented of are remitted: thus our necessities,
and the Scriptures are in unison. This order must be right, as each
principle follow as an effect of the one preceding it.
We will trace the Gospel plan a little further. It is a code of
divine laws, calculated to improve the human race. Being perfect,
every principle is revealed in its order, and for its own special
purpose. Faith, Repentance and Baptism, as taught in the foregoing
pages, administered by one having authority, prepares a disciple to
receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, as promised in Acts 2-38, which
is the Comforter spoken of by Jesus, that would lead the Saints into
all truth. How consistent are the doctrines of Christ, as taught in
the word of God. Faith is begotten in the human mind by preaching,
repentance naturally follows, and baptism is then administered {138}
that the sins repented of may be washed away, preparing the sinner for
the greatest gifts of God to man, the Holy Spirit, which is the seal
of adoption into the Kingdom of God. No man can enter into the Kingdom
except he be born of the water and of the Spirit (John 3-5).
The Holy Spirit, the Comforter, is given to all those who comply with
the conditions herein set forth, by the laying on of the hands of the
Elders of the Church of Christ, according to the ancient practice (Acts
8-18), in explanation of which I will quote from Paul's first epistle
to the Corinthians, 12th chap., 4th to the 12th verse:
"Now there are diversities of gifts, by the same Spirit.
"And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord.
"And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which
worketh all in all.
"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
the interpretation of tongues.
"But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to
every man severally as he will.
"For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of
that one body, being many, are one body; so also is Christ."
The fact of these miracles not existing in the so-called Christian
churches of the present day, is no reason that we should deny the
necessity of their existence. If they were enjoyed by the early Saints,
why should not the Saints of God possess them now? If God promised
these gifts to all those who kept his commandments in former times, and
to their children, and to all that were afar off, even unto as many as
the Lord our God should call (Acts 2-39), why should not the Church
enjoy them now? If they were necessary for the comfort, encouragement,
or edifying of the ancient Church (1 Cor. 14-12), why should not the
followers of Christ be benefitted by them now? To these questions we
can only answer, there is no reason. The word of God directs us to
seek for and cultivate them (1 Cor. 14-1 & 39). We should therefore
be prepared to reject every statement to the effect {139} that our
heavenly Father did not intend that they should continue on the earth,
as the promises of God are true, and not one jot or tittle of them will
fall to the ground unfulfilled.
The next question of importance connected with this subject is that
of authority; the authority which man must hold from God to make his
administrations valid. We should not be prepared to acknowledge the
action of any man who might take upon himself the direction of our
affairs, but we ought to be prepared to sustain those whom we _send_ or
have commissioned to represent us. We understand this well enough to
know that we should not expect a firm or company to be responsible to
us for what a pretended agent might promise. It would simply be absurd
on our part to do so. How much less then could we look for our heavenly
Father to sustain those who administer in holy things without authority
from Him? How foolish for us to expect that the special blessings of
the Almighty would follow the pretensions of a fraud!
We are instructed by the words of Jesus, when He said, "As my Father
sent me, so send I you" (John 20-21). And we are warned by Paul in the
following words: "And no man taketh this honor unto himself, but he
that is called of God as was Aaron" (Heb. 5-4.) The honor here referred
to is the "Priesthood," or the authority to administer in the things
of God, as will be seen by reference to the preceding verses. How was
Aaron called? We answer by direct revelation from God (Ex. 4, 14 to
16). Modern ministers are now set apart by men who deny the necessity
of revelation altogether, or take unto themselves the authority they
seem to have, because they _feel_ they are called to preach and
administer in the ordinances of the House of God. There is in this no
higher calling than may be found among the Hindoos, and the anger of
the Lord is kindled against all those who solemnly attempt to usurp the
powers and privileges of the holy "Priesthood," and he will destroy
their influence among the people.
Beloved friends, be not deceived by those who take unto themselves
the "honor" of the Priesthood, and who preach for hire and divine
for money, for they are not _sent_, and they preach not according
to the law and the testimony, and Paul says that if "we or an angel
from heaven preach any other Gospel unto you than that which we have
preached unto you let him be accursed" (Gal. 1-8).
The principles herein explained are true and faithful, and confirmed
by Holy Writ. The Elders of the "Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints," who preach them, have not discovered {140} them by their own
wisdom, for they have been revealed from heaven, by the power of God,
through the Prophet Joseph Smith, and are now being preached as a
witness of the speedy coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. This Gospel is
preached as before without money and without price, by those whom _God
has sent_, who have met with opposition in every form, and many of them
have suffered even unto death. Still the work is onward, the kingdom is
being set up, and it will grow and increase until it fills the whole
earth.
We testify of its divinity, and that it is being preached in
fulfillment of the prediction of Christ, as a "witness" to all nations
of his near approach. But "as it was in the days of Noah, so shall it
be in the days of the coming of the Son of Man" (Matt. 24-37 to 40);
many will reject the message and perish.
LIVERPOOL, February 1st, 1879.
_We came to this earth that we might have a body and present it
pure before God in the Celestial Kingdom. The great principle of
happiness consists in having a body. The devil has none, and this
is his punishment. When cast out by the Savior he asked to go into
the herd of swine, preferring a swine's body to none._
--_Joseph Smith, The Prophet_.
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