The Latter-day Saints are often accused by the people in the Christian
world of being very much deluded. Our religion is counted a delusion
and a snare. I was thinking, however, during the meeting this afternoon about the great number of Christian preachers who today are
standing up in various parts of the world informing the people who
listen to them that simple belief on the Lord Jesus, who died on
Calvary, is all that is necessary to save them and exalt them in the
presence of God the Father. And it seems to me that if there is one
delusion more pernicious than another it is that very doctrine, which
seems to be a fundamental principle of all the various Christian
sects. You will find, go where you will in the Christian world and
listen to any of the great preachers of the day, that this is the
common topic of discourse. Jesus Christ is preached—which is quite
right, I am very glad that he is—as the Savior of the world. So we
testify as Latter-day Saints. In connection, however, with this great
truth which is proclaimed to the inhabitants of the earth by men
professing to be sent of God, is preached the great error that mere
belief in the work which Jesus Christ wrought out is sufficient for
the salvation of the people. The inhabitants of the earth are informed
that it is not by any works of righteousness which they may perform
that they can gain any favor whatever in the sight of God, but it is
the righteousness of Christ alone which is acceptable to the Father
and which they can gain the benefit of if they simply believe in him.
When we search the Scriptures and read the sayings of Jesus Christ,
and of his servants whom he sent forth to preach the Gospel, we do not
find any such statement as this. We find, it is true, that the
apostles of the Lord Jesus preached Christ and him crucified to the
world wherever they had an opportunity; they directed the attention of
the people, Jew and Gentile, wherever they went, to Jesus of Nazareth
who was slain on Calvary as the Redeemer of the world, and faith in
him was declared to be absolutely necessary. But we do not find that
in proclaiming faith in the Lord Jesus Christ to that generation they
informed the people that a mere belief in Christ was all that was
needful; we find that, in addition to teaching the principle of faith
in God and in his Son Jesus Christ, they taught the people it was
necessary to observe certain rules, and commandments, to obey certain
forms and ordinances, to comply with certain conditions that they
might obtain the benefit of the shedding of Christ's blood. We find by
searching the New Testament, which contains some of the teachings of
the apostles and some of their letters to the churches, that the
doctrine was held forth by them that "the blood of Christ cleanseth us
from all sin." We find that this applied, as they taught it, not only
to what is called original sin, but also to actual sin. The sin which
our first parents committed in the Garden of Eden is called original
sin; and the sins committed individually by the inhabitants of the
earth, are called actual sin, for "all have sinned, and come short of
the glory of God." The apostles sent forth to preach the Gospel by our
Savior himself, taught the people that through the shedding of
Christ's blood remission of sin might come to all and that mankind
might be redeemed from sin, original and actual. But we find this
distinction in their teaching in regard to original sin, and their
teaching in regard to individual sin; that the blood of Christ redeems
mankind from the effects of the fall and will eventually bring up all
who died in Adam—"For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ
shall all be made alive" —but that while people had nothing whatever
to do with the sin which Adam committed and therefore have nothing
whatever to do with the work of atonement for that sin, yet for their
own sins there is some action required on their part that they may
obtain redemption therefrom, inasmuch as the blood of Christ was shed
for original sin unconditionally, but for the remission of actual sin
conditionally.
God, when he placed our first parents in the Garden of Eden put before
them a certain tree, the fruit of which he said, "they should not
partake of, if they did they should surely die." They partook of that
tree in disobedience to the divine commandment, and planted the seeds
of death in their bodies, and that death has passed upon all their
posterity. "It is appointed unto men once to die." This act of our
first parents introduced death into the world. Death came by sin, and
death has passed upon all the posterity of Adam and Eve. Jesus came in
the meridian of time as "the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of
the world," to bring mankind up from the effects of the transgression
of our first parents. Hence he is called "the Second Adam," and we are
told that as in the first Adam all die, even so in Christ, the second
Adam, shall all be made alive again. And he himself proclaimed that
the time should come, "in the which all that are in the graves shall
hear the voice of the Son of God 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," or in the words of the
inspired translation, "they that have done good, in the resurrection of
the just, and they that have done evil, in the resurrection of the
unjust." It is through the transgression of Adam that we have to
suffer what is called the temporal death. Through that transgression
our spirits have become separated from our bodies; our immortal
spirits held by these mortal tabernacles must be taken out, and our
bodies must return to the ground and crumble into dust; but by the
atonement wrought out by the Lord Jesus Christ the time is to come
when all who lived in the body shall live in the body again. Christ
was raised from the dead and became "the firstfruits of them that
slept;" afterwards they that are Christ's at his coming will be
brought forth. This is the first resurrection. "Blessed and holy,"
says the Apostle John in his vision, "are they that hath part in the
first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they
shall be priests of God and of his Christ, and shall reign with him a
thousand years." After that John saw, that "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."
The atonement wrought out by the Lord Jesus Christ for original sin
will apply just as far as the effects of the sin are felt. As all the
posterity of Adam died through that sin, even so all the posterity of
Adam will be raised up again through the atonement. "But every man in
his own order," says the apostle, "Christ the firstfruits; afterward
they that are Christ's at his coming;" and then after the thousand
years have passed away, the rest of the dead, as John said, will be
brought forth and judged each one according to the deeds done in the flesh. All must give an account unto the great eternal Father.
We are responsible for the acts done in the flesh, for like as it was
in the case of our first parents, good and evil, truth and error, are
placed before us, and every individual is left free to choose the good
and refuse the evil, or to choose the evil, and refuse the good, as he
pleases. Both are set before us and, if we yield to either, it will
lead us in either direction. There is, however, a spirit in man, born
in him, which comes from God, the fountain of light and truth. This
light is planted in the breast of every man and every woman who
breathes the breath of life. It is the true light that lighteth every
man that cometh into the world, and if people would listen to the
whispering of that still small voice, be led by that natural light and
natural inspiration, they would be led up to God. By this natural
light, by this general inspiration, if people would listen to its
whisperings, and be guided thereby, they would be led up to the
fountain of light. "Every good gift," says the Apostle James, "and
every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of
lights, in whom there is no variableness, neither shadow of turning."
But on the other hand there must be, as the Book of Mormon says, "an
opposition in all things," and there is a spirit of evil, a spirit of
darkness, which draws downward to death, and a spirit of light which
leads upward to life; the one leads to Satan and his works, the other
to God and to righteousness. But the inhabitants of the earth
generally have been more prone to listen to the inspiration of the
spirit of darkness as did our first parents, than to listen to the
still small voice of light and life in their souls.
All people must give an account of the deeds done in the body
according to the measure of light they have received, and the
opportunities they have had of obtaining that light, while they dwelt
in the flesh. Some people have lived on the earth when God has sent
his servants inspired of him to make plain his ways, while others have
tabernacled in the flesh when no inspired voice was heard, when no
communication was open between the heavens and the earth. And he who
is just, who is the embodiment of the eternal principles of justice,
will deal out to all according to their light and according to the
opportunities they have had of obtaining that light, but all must be
judged, all must appear before the judgment seat of Christ and give an
account for their individual works.
Now, we will take the case of an individual who has broken all the
laws of God and perhaps all the laws of man, and finally has shed the
blood of a fellow creature, and is condemned by the laws of man to
die; he is, in fact, unfit to live, unfit to associate with mortal
beings, therefore, they must needs thrust him out of the world that he
may mingle with immortal beings. Where do they send him to? A minister
will come and preach to him, and tell him that all he has to do is to
cast his soul on Jesus; that he has just to believe that Christ died
for him, and the righteousness of the pure, immaculate, sinless,
Christ will be grafted into that rotten branch, so that he will have
the fruits of righteousness and peace. That is according to the modern
Gospel. The man believes this, he confesses Christ with his lips and
acknowledges him with his tongue, and straightway is strung up between
the heavens and the earth, and choked to death; his spirit is
forced out of his body, and ushered into the presence of the eternal
Father to stand before his spotless throne, and is deemed fit to dwell
in the society of the pure and holy ones on high. That is according to
the modern Gospel, but not according to the ancient Gospel of Jesus
Christ, the everlasting Gospel which says "no murderer hath eternal
life abiding in him."
But someone may ask, "Is there no efficacy, for actual sin, in the
atonement wrought out by Jesus Christ? Is there no method by which
people can obtain a forgiveness of their individual sins?" Yes, there
is a way, and that is the plan of the true Gospel, but it does not
consist in mere belief in the righteousness of another; mere belief in
the righteousness of somebody else will not make us any better ourselves.
What is to be done then? Here the Gospel is very plain and simple,
when pointed out by one who understands it. But "How 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?" It is men
who are not sent who preach the nonsense we hear in the world. It is
men who are not sent who deceive mankind with their strong delusions,
and then turn round and call the Latter-day Saints deluded. If they
were sent of God they would not preach such nonsense, they would not
deceive mankind and thus become the cause of so much sin and evil in
the world. For while people believe that at the last moment, at the
last gasp of their existence, they may cast their souls on Jesus, and
by believing in his virtue escape the penalty of their sins, they will
continue to sin on, like many of these false teachers who revel in sin
up to their very eyes, and will die in their sins and go down into the
pit where they must wait until they are released, in the time and way
of the Lord. The doctrine of belief without works is a strong
delusion. There is more to do, according to the Gospel, than merely to
believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. Belief in the Lord Jesus Christ is
necessary. That is the foundation, it is the root of the matter, but
it is not all the matter. "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou
shalt be saved." Why? Because if you have true faith in Christ, if you
really believe on him, you will believe in his sayings and keep his
commandments. Hear him: "If ye love me, keep my commandments."
"Not
every one that saith, 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."
When Jesus Christ sent his apostles unto all the world after he had
risen from the dead, he commanded them to "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." They were to go out and preach to all the world,
baptizing those that believed, and then proceed to teach all things
whatsoever he had commanded them. Christ taught his disciples many
principles while he tarried with them in the flesh, and after he had
risen from the dead he continued his instructions from time to time.
He also told them that when he went away the Comforter should come to
reveal unto them the things of the Father and the Son, and to guide
them unto all truth; for it is only by receiving truth and living it
that people can be saved and exalted. "Sanctify them through thy
truth," prayed the Savior, "thy word is truth." The Holy Ghost, the
Comforter, was to come, therefore, to make plain the truth, and to
reveal things past, present, and to come. It is necessary, however, to
have faith in Christ. Why? Because every blessing that flows to the
inhabitants of the earth from God the eternal Father comes through
Jesus Christ. We must first of all believe in God, then believe in
Jesus Christ, and if we really do believe in God and in Jesus Christ
we will find out in ourselves that we have broken the commandments
of God and of his Son Jesus Christ, and the desire will enter our
hearts to turn away from sin. Thus it is said, "whosoever heareth these
sayings, and doeth them, I will liken unto a wise man, which built his
house upon a rock." It is taught by some that repentance is the first
principle of religion, but if a man does not believe in God, will he
pray unto him? What has a man to repent of except the breaking of the
commandments of God? And how shall he feel anything to repent of if he
does not believe in God? It is necessary therefore to have faith
first, and then comes repentance, a determination to forsake evil, and
this is what the ancient apostles taught.
What next? We find that wherever the apostles went, whenever they
found a people who believed in Jesus and repented of their sins they
baptized them. By sprinkling a little water in their face? Or by
making the sign of the cross upon their foreheads? No. They were taken
down into the water and buried there in the likeness of Christ's death
and burial and raised up in the likeness of his resurrection, that
henceforth, having "put off the old man with his deeds" they might
walk in newness of life, observe his laws and keep his commandments,
and follow his footsteps, for he "left us an example, that we should
follow in his steps." Then the apostles laid their hands upon those
that were baptized, and we read that they received the Holy Ghost, the
Comforter, the spirit of truth, which opened up a communication
between each individual soul and the fountain of light and eternal
truth, which testified that they had been washed clean from their
sins. How washed? By water? Yes, and no. Water does not wash away sin,
but if people desire remission of their actual sins they must be
baptized. Thus it must be, "to fulfil all righteousness." Even Christ
himself had to be baptized to fulfil that commandment, and if he had
not obeyed it there would have been no manifestation of the Holy Ghost
resting upon him in the sign of a dove, and a voice from heaven
declaring, "'This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased." Christ
left us this example, and his apostles followed in his footsteps,
baptizing according to the commandment for the remis sion of sins. John the Baptist also taught this same doctrine when he went out
to preach in Judea, and when the people came to him confessing their
sins he baptized them in Jordan for the remission of sins. "I
indeed baptize you," says John, "with water; but one mightier than I
cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to loose; he shall
baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire."
Baptism for the remission of sins!
"Why," says one, "I thought the blood of Christ redeemed us from our
sins." And so it does. Water itself will not wash away guilt. If a
person has no faith in Christ, and has not repented of his sins,
baptism will be of no avail. But baptism properly administered by one
who has a right to administer in the name of the Father, and of the
Son, and of the Holy Ghost, will avail. The person to be baptized must
go down into the water and therein be buried for a remission of sins,
having repented, and having faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and in his
atoning blood, for the blood of Christ was shed, "for the sins of the
whole world." But the "whole world" will not receive the benefit of
the atonement unless they comply with the conditions laid down,
namely: faith, repentance, and baptism. They who do not receive this
ordinance cannot enter into the presence of the Father, for "except a
man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the
kingdom of God." So said Jesus. This is a little different from the
teachings of modern divines, is it not? Yes, but it is according to
the teachings of Christ and his apostles.
Now, then, in regard to the administration of this ordinance. Men must
have a right to administer before they do anything in the name of the
Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. I ask who has that
right? There are a great many ministers standing up in the various
chapels and churches today administering in the name of this holy
trinity. You can see men in the Christian world stand up before a
congregation and sprinkle a little water upon an unconscious babe, and
call it baptism, and actually do it in the name of the Father, Son,
and Holy Ghost! Who sent them? Who told them to do this sprinkling? Did
God the Father, or the Son, or the Holy Ghost? No. Did any person to
whom God has spoken, having authority from God to ordain, appoint them
to that office? No. Why! Because for hundreds of years communication
with the eternal world has been shut off, inasmuch as the people who
profess the Christian religion have not even believed in the doctrine
of present communication with God. They have been contented with the
old revelations contained in the book we call the Bible, which
contains a few of the things that God revealed hundreds of years ago.
They do not believe in having communication with the heavens. How did
they get this authority, then? When did a man ever get authority from
God to sprinkle and call it baptism, or to baptize an infant in any
form? It is not to be found in the Bible. "He that believeth and is
baptized shall be saved," so Christ said. And you will find that
wherever the apostles went, faith was the first principle they taught.
"If thou believest with all thine heart thou mayest," said Philip to
the eunuch who sought to be baptized. Baptism without faith and
repentance is valueless, it is void; and baptism administered by one
who has not the right to attend to that ordinance in the name
of the holy trinity is also void. Supposing men were to come to us
with as groundless claims in temporal things as they do in spiritual.
Supposing a man came from Germany to this country and professed to be
a minister from the German court. We would ask to see his credentials,
and if he had been sent as an ambassador for that people, he would be
able to show his authority. Supposing all that he had to prove his
right to represent the German Empire was, he felt called in his heart
to do so. We should consider him a fit subject for a lunatic asylum.
But there are men administering in these sacred things (administering
in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost),
ordinances to which God never appointed them, for they say there is no
communication between them and God, nor has there been among the
inhabitants of the earth for hundreds and hundreds of years. They say
the canon of scripture is full; God talks no more with the inhabitants
of the earth. Where, then, do they get the right to administer in the
name of the Lord? I tell you as sure as they do this they will be
called to account and held guilty of taking the name of the Lord in
vain. How did the apostles of the Lord Jesus Christ get the authority
to baptize? Christ gave it to them. How did Christ get the authority?
Did he assume it himself? No. Jesus said, "I come not to do my own
will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me." It was his
Father in heaven who called him to be a high priest after the order of
Melchizedek, and Moses and Elias who had previously held that
priesthood, administered to him in the mount. Thus Christ received
that holy priesthood, after the order of Melchizedek, which embraced
all the higher powers and comprehended the lesser or Aaronic
priesthood (for the greater includes the lesser), and he ordained his
apostles to that priesthood. "As my Father hath sent me," said he,
"even so send I you." They obtained their ordination from Christ, and
therefore had a right to baptize and also to call others as the Holy
Ghost directed.
"But," says one, "there are many people who have felt called in their
hearts, they have had the spirit of the Gospel. Have they not a right,
seeing they believe in Christ, to administer in these ordinances?"
Certainly not, not a particle of right. Let us look at Paul and his
history, related by himself, Saul, of Tarsus, who went to persecute
the Saints and was smitten to the earth by the light from the glorious
presence of the lately risen Jesus. He was led blind into the city to
which he carried letters intended to be used in the persecution and
annoyance of the saints. Says Paul: "And one Ananias, Came unto me, and
said, Brother Saul, receive thy sight. And the same hour I looked up
upon him. And he said, The God of our fathers hath chosen thee, that
thou shouldst know his will, and see that Just One, and shouldst hear
the voice of his mouth. For thou shalt be his witness unto all men of
what thou hast seen and heard. And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be
baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord."
Saul attended to the ordinance and was baptized. "Well, now," says
one, "surely Saul had a right to preach the Gospel. He had seen Jesus
and heard his voice. A miracle had been wrought upon him and he was
told that he should be a witness unto all men." No, he had not yet the
right. The hands of the servants of the Lord had not yet been
laid upon him. But we read in the thirteenth chapter of Acts, that
while certain prophets and teachers were waiting before the Lord, "the
Holy Ghost said, 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." It is written, "No man taketh
this honor unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron."
Aaron was called by Moses, who received divine authority by direct
communication from God. Aaron, it appears, could talk better than
Moses, but Moses was the man called to hold the keys of the ministry.
If any man desires to act in the holy ministry he must first be
baptized for a remission of his sins and receive the gift of the Holy
Ghost, otherwise he cannot be a teacher unto others. And even then,
although he may have had visions, although he may have seen the Lord
and had the glories of heaven opened unto his view, though the curtain
that hides the future may have rolled up before him like a scroll, so
that he could gaze into the glories of the eternities, all this would
give him no authority whatever to administer in the name of the
Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. He must be called, he
must be ordained, he must receive the authority of the holy
priesthood.
Well, what condition has the Christian world been in for centuries?
Just the same in a great many respects as the heathen world. The
people have been in the depths of error. Darkness has covered the
earth and gross darkness the people. "Stay yourselves and wonder,"
says the Prophet Isaiah, speaking of the latter times, "cry ye out and
cry: they are drunken, but not with wine: they stagger, but not with
strong drink. For the Lord hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep
sleep, and hath closed your eyes: the prophets and your rulers, the
seers hath he covered." And the Lord said that in that very time, when
the people should be in this condition, when they should draw near
unto him with their mouth, and honor him with their lips, while their
hearts were far from him, "I will proceed to do a marvelous work among
the people, even a marvelous work and a wonder: for the wisdom of the
wise men shall perish and the understanding of their prudent men shall
be hid. * * * And in that day shall the deaf hear the words of the
book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity, and out of
darkness. The meek also shall increase their joy in the Lord, and the
poor among men shall rejoice in the Holy One of Israel." Just as the
prophet predicted so it has been in the age in which we live. Out of
darkness has come forth light. God, from his holy dwelling place,
looked down upon the world and beheld that all had gone astray, that
none were doing good, no not one. They were divided and contentious,
jangling and quarrelling about creeds. Men were crying lo! here, and
lo! there; in fact the blind were leading the blind and both were
falling into the ditch together. The Lord beheld this from his holy
habitation and again restored the truth from the eternal world. He
sent his holy angels and revealed anew the everlasting Gospel. Truth
came out of the earth, and righteousness looked down from heaven and
both joined in one, gave joy to the meek, and became a power among men
in the earth.
God called Joseph Smith to the great work of ushering in the
last dispensation. He made manifest to him the truth, sent angels to
him, enlightened his mind and gave him the gift and power of the Holy
Ghost, and as Moses and Elias came to Christ in the Mount, so also did
Peter, James and John ordain Joseph Smith to the Melchizedek
priesthood. The authority of that priesthood is here now, and the
servants of God who are called by that authority go forth and preach
the Gospel to every creature, for a witness unto all nations,
declaring that the end is near, and that the second advent of the Lord
is close at hand. People are called upon everywhere to repent of their
sins; to be baptized for the remission of sins, and to receive the
gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands, and whenever people
have received the Gospel and obeyed its ordinances his blessings have
come to them. The Holy Ghost, the Comforter, which speaks direct to
their souls, has borne witness that their sins are remitted, that they
are raised to a newness of life, and that if faithful unto the end
they will be received back into the presence of the Father, to dwell
in his society and glory. This is a privilege offered to all the
inhabitants of the earth who will believe in this Gospel of the
latter days. Yet it is no new thing. It is the old Gospel restored.
Not a doctrine, not a principle, not a precept therein, but what may
be found in the old Scriptures. And this is what people call delusion!
The Gospel came to us in the various nations of the earth, some
belonging to the various religious sects, and some belonging to no
sect whatever, and when we received and obeyed it a power took hold
of us superior to anything we have ever experienced before, and
witnessed to us in an unmistakable manner the truth of this work. It
is not a phantom. It is not something imaginary, but it is a solemn
fact, as certain as the fact of our existence. No one can reason us
out of it, or force us out of it. Why? Because it is stamped upon our
spiritual nature, it is a part of our very being. God Almighty has
revealed this truth to our souls, and we know it as we know we live.
That is why we are here.
Now, our business is to live this religion, to learn further of the
ways of God, and to do his will in all things. The matters I have been
speaking of are only the A B C of the Gospel. We must learn "line upon
line and precept upon precept," and continue to grow and increase in a
knowledge of the truth, living by "every word that proceedeth out of
the mouth of God." Now I would ask whether this is the case? Having
been redeemed, or having had our individual transgressions remitted,
are we walking in the straight and narrow way? Are we learning of God?
Are we seeking to understand more distinctly and clearly the things
that pertain to our salvation? Are we performing the task allotted to
us? For we are living in an important day. The day of the second
coming of the Savior is nigh at hand, and when he comes shall we be
found, as in the parable, among the wise or among the foolish virgins?
How is it with us this afternoon? Have we oil in our lamps to guide us
on our path? There is no need for us to do anything in the dark. We
should be the children of the light. We are accused of following our
leaders in "blind obedience." There is no such thing in the
Gospel. We have in our midst those who give us the word of the Lord in
a church capacity, "for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of
the ministry and for the edifying of the body of Christ," but it is
our privilege to have the same light. "The manifestations of the
spirit are given to every one to profit withal." The Holy Ghost is
conferred upon each individual and it is our privilege to see our way.
When the true Saints hear the word of life, there is an echo within
their hearts and a spirit which testifies to its truthfulness. When the
word comes through our inspired leaders it proceeds from the spirit of
light which guides us unto all truth. It is the privilege of every
Saint to have this light for themselves, the light of God, the light
of truth, "the light that is in all things and through all things and
round about all things, and is the law by which all things are
governed." It is our privilege to be in possession of that faith that
we may ask and receive, that we may seek and find, that we may knock
and have the door opened unto us. Well, are we doing this? If so, then
we rejoice in our religion. The world compared therewith is as nothing;
all things are as dross compared with the excellency of the knowledge
of Christ. If we are living our religion it is everything with us.
"Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these
things shall be added unto you." Earthly things perish with the using
and when we pass away we must leave them behind, but we will carry
with us the Gospel, and every one of its truths we have made our own.
We will carry with us the holy priesthood and its gifts and powers, if
we have been faithful, and will be permitted to mingle with the
spirits of just men made perfect, and rejoice in the hope of a
glorious resurrection.
Now let us strive to walk in this path that we may gain this great
glory. Let us attend to the duties we are required to perform. There
is nothing in the Gospel that is nonessential. Every principle that
has been revealed unto us is necessary for the salvation of man, for I
tell you before we are fit to dwell in the presence of God and enjoy
the fulness of his glory we must become like him. Latter-day Saints,
the ordinances of the Gospel will not save you, they are only aids to
salvation. What, then, will save us? A knowledge of truth and the
practice thereof, nothing else. We must learn the ways of God. We must
walk in his paths. We must be Saints in very deed, and walk in the
footsteps of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and then, by-and-by,
where he is we will be also. If we turn our backs upon the truth we
will go down to death; we will be beaten with many stripes, we must
suffer the consequence of our guilt, and after we have gone through
the depths of suffering and sorrow in the due time of the Lord we may
get some kind of a salvation and glory, but where God and Christ are
we cannot come, worlds without end.
I would say to my friends who are here this afternoon, that I know
this work is true. God Almighty has made it known to me. I bear this
testimony to you, and I am willing to meet it before the great
judgment seat. God has spoken from the heavens in this our day. He has
restored the Gospel of Christ and the authority to preach it. It will
go forth to every nation, kindred, tongue and people. The wise and the
prudent will not receive it, but "the poor among men shall
rejoice in the Holy One of Israel." This work will go on to this end
and purpose. Zion will be built up, Jerusalem will be redeemed, and
the time will come when Jesus, our Redeemer, shall descend in power and
great glory to reign upon the earth. I bear my testimony that this is
the work of God, that he requires our whole heart, and that we should
love our neighbors as ourselves. Let us put away our follies and our
errors. Let us not drink into the spirit of the world. Let us not
pat tern after the wickedness that is creeping into our midst. Come out
from among them and be ye separate, and touch not the unclean thing!
Be ye clean that bear the vessels of the Lord. It is only by the
practice of righteousness and personal purity, that we will be made
fit to dwell in the presence of the Lord. A doctrine contrary to this
is the worst kind of delusion.
May God help us to live the life of a Saint and finally save us in his
kingdom, is my prayer, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
- Charles W. Penrose