Liberality of the "Mormon" Faith. A Discourse by
Charles W. Penrose. Delivered in the Tabernacle,
Salt Lake City, Sunday Afternoon, August 19, 1900.
Reported by Arthur Winter.
I am thankful for the opportunity of meeting with the Latter-day Saints in this Tabernacle, and I trust that our assembling together will not be in vain, but be profitable to all of us. I have been called upon to address the congregation. I desire to do so under the influence of that Spirit which guides into all truth, and which makes plain the things of God to the minds of men. I trust that this Spirit will not only rest upon me, to enlighten my mind and to give me words which will be of benefit to those who hear, but that it may also rest upon the congregation, that we may be able to see "eye to eye."
One mark of true religion is a regard for the welfare of other people. True religion does not make people selfish. It creates in their hearts a feeling of chanty and a desire to bless; not to injure in any way, not to wish the downfall or hurt of a fellow creature, but rather to desire his uplifting, and benefit, and comfort, and joy. Our Heavenly Father created the earth upon which we live for the comfort and happiness of His creatures. The plan of salvation, which was prepared before the foundations of the world, was designed for the improvement, the benefit and the ultimate salvation of all His sons and daughters. When we have a desire in our hearts to bless and benefit mankind, we have the right side. When we feel a spirit of revenge, of retaliation, and a desire to do harm, that is not of God, but is from beneath. Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, we are told, "came into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved." That was the purpose of the coming of our Savior Jesus Christ in the flesh, and of the atonement that He wrought out for mankind by His death on the cross. The spirit of Christ is the spirit of salvation, the spirit of blessing, the spirit to do good, to improve the condition of the human race, and to prepare us all for the presence of our Eternal Father and to enjoy the glory of His kingdom.
One of the great differences between the faith of the Latter-day Saints and that of most of the denominations called "Christian" is that the Latter-day Saints teach that salvation is for all people, of all ages, of all races, of all colors, who can be saved. The doctrine that the Lord has revealed through His servant the Prophet Joseph Smith is that salvation is to come unto all, and that none will be lost who can possibly be redeemed; that the plan of salvation is as broad as the fall of man. Our first parents broke a divine law, and through their disobedience death came into the world. As by disobedience of one man sin, and death as the wages of sin, came into the world, so by the atonement and obedience of one, life and salvation will ultimately come to all the family of Adam. "As in Adam all die, so in Christ shall all be made alive." This doctrine was enunciated by the Apostle Paul in his epistle to the Corinthians. The full meaning of that is not explained in the old scriptures, neither is it understood generally in the Christian world, but it was revealed in great plainness to the Prophet Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon. I will not read to you the vision which was given to them, explaining this doctrine of salvation, but will perhaps read a few verses of it, so that the full extent of the plan of salvation may be comprehended to some little degree by the congregation.
Let me say, first, that the book from which I am about to read contains some of the revelations of God to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in this age of the world, and we regard these as Scripture. We believe in the Bible. We believe that "holy men of old wrote and spoke as they were moved upon by the Holy Ghost." We also believe that the same Spirit in this age of the world will make plain the things of God exactly in the same way as they were revealed in former times. In other words, we believe that the Spirit is the same in all ages, and that God and Christ are "the same yesterday, today and forever." If God could reveal His word through Prophets in ancient times, certainly He can reveal His word, through Prophets in modern times. If not, why not? What reason is there that God should not make manifest His truth in the nineteenth century as well as in the first century, or in times before the beginning of the Christian era? Has the Eternal Father ceased to have power to make Himself manifest? Has He bound Himself with an oath and promise that He would not speak again, after He revealed Himself through the Prophets and Apostles in the first age of the Christian era and before that time? If so, where is His word and promise recorded? I know of nothing of the kind in the book that is supposed to contain the Holy Scriptures. The Bible contains some few things revealed by the Lord through His servants in former days, and by reading it carefully I find that it contains an abundance of promises that in the last times, in the times of "the restitution of all things spoken of by the holy Prophets since the world began," in the "dispensation of the fullness of times" in which God is to gather together in one all things that are in Christ, there is to be more light, more revelation, more manifestation of the power of God, greater miracles and greater outpouring of the Spirit and the knowledge of God, until the time shall come when a man shall not have to say to his neighbor, "Know ye the Lord, for all shall know Him, from the least unto the greatest," and "the knowledge of God shall cover the earth as the waters cover the great deep;" so the prophets of old predicted. This being so there is nothing unscriptural or unreasonable in the idea that God should reveal His word in this age of the world as He revealed it in former times, and as it was customary with Him when He had any special work to perform among the children of men, or any special truth to reveal, to raise up a prophet or prophets through whom His word was communicated, that in the last days He should act in the same way, seeing that He is an unchangeable Being.
We testify that in the nineteenth century our Heavenly Father has been pleased to open the heavens once more, and to send His Son Jesus Christ, our Redeemer, with a message of life and light, similar to that which He proclaimed when He tabernacled in mortality. We testify that angels have come down from the courts of glory, bringing light and truth for the enlightenment and salvation of all the human family, and a message to be carried to "every nation, kindred, tongue and people."
We recognize the fact that throughout Christendom there are various religious societies, composed in the main of good people, and having among them very talented men, some of whom minister in the name of the Lord without authority, while others explain the Gospel according to their understanding of it—which is very limited; and that there are people of all sects and denominations who desire to serve the Lord and walk in His ways, but who cling to the notions and ideas which have been handed down to them by tradition. We do not wish to interfere with any of them in their religious rights and privileges. We recognize the right of every man to worship God according to the dictates of his own conscience, and think that people ought not to be molested in that worship, and that they should be perfectly free to carry out their religious convictions, so long as they do not infringe upon the rights and liberties of others. That is the line we draw, and when men step beyond that, then the secular law ought to step in and protect people in the exercise of their rights, and from the designs and wicked acts of those who seek to infringe upon them.
But while we recognize this, we do not lose sight of this one great fact, which all people should consider; that as there is but one God for us to worship, there can be but one true religion. A variety of Gods might introduce a variety of creeds; but "there is one God even the Father, of whom are all things, and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things." Therefore, the religion of God and Christ must be one. Truth is not divided against itself. Truth and error will clash, but truth and truth will always harmonize. Anything that God reveals must be true, for He is truth; and everything that comes by the way of Jesus Christ, His beloved Son, must be true, for He is the way, the truth and the life. No error will be introduced into the world under the direction of the Father, or of the Son. And the Holy Ghost is "the Spirit of truth." It guides into all truth. It takes of the things of the Father and of the Son and reveals them unto men. It will not substantiate or reveal any error; but it will manifest truth and make it plain. Therefore, all that is error in the world, whether it be among Christians or pagans, is not of God, and is not recognized of Him. It will not lead to God; it will not benefit mankind; but it will do injury. It is the truth that exalts, that ennobles, and that will save mankind. Falsehood and error will not. Anything that is contrary to truth cannot be of God, but may be of that Evil One, who was "a liar from the beginning."
That there is an abundance of error in the "Christian" world as well as some truth, must be patent to everybody who has investigated the conditions of mankind in the present day, because these multifarious sects and denominations are discordant. They do not unite—except on special occasions when they meet together to denounce the "Mormons"; they can unite on that question sometimes. The spirit of division, strife and contention exists among people called Christians as well as among people called Pagans. That fact alone makes it evident that there is a great deal of error existing in what is called Christendom. That is because these various systems which have been established are the inventions of men. They may have been good men who started these different sects—I will not judge that matter; that is with the Eternal Judge—but these sects were the offspring of men. These men may have read the Scriptures, and have entertained certain ideas founded upon their reading; and they may have established these different systems in accordance with their sincere ideas of what was right. But sincerity of itself is not a conclusive evidence of truth. The heathen is just as sincere in his idol worship as the "Christian" is in his various modes of bowing down to Deity; and certainly the Latter-day Saints have manifested their sincerity before the whole world as well as before the heavens. The Elders of this Church who go out into the world to proclaim the Gospel as they understand it, manifest their sincerity. Yet our "Christian" friends will not recognize them as Christians, nor believe that they are right. They go out without purse or scrip, without fee or reward. They are not paid for their work. They make sacrifice of home and its comforts, and leave their loved ones behind, and go to face a frowning world, to meet persecution and obloquy, and sometimes imprisonment, stripes and death. What for? To proclaim that which they know in their hearts is true. They are sincere enough, but that does not prove that they are right. Our "Christian" friends will acknowledge that. On the other hand, the sincerity that may be exhibited in the various "Christian" sects by the people who compose the members, and by the preachers who teach them, is not of itself an evidence that they are right or that they have the truth. But the fact that they are divided and conflicting is proof enough that there is a great deal of error among them.
Now, that which comes from God is truth. If Jesus Christ has a church on the earth under His direction and inspiration, containing men whom He has appointed, who hold His authority, who are sent by His word, and who have the divine authority to administer in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, that church will have the truth. It will not have error intermingled with it, because it will be directed by Christ, being His Church. Men may build up a church and call it the Church of Christ, but that does not make it so; it is the church of the men who organized it. If John Wesley—a good man, as I believe with all my heart, a mighty man, who did a great and good work in the earth—organized a religious society and called it the Church of Christ, that does not make it so, and it is nothing more than the church of John Wesley. If other good men assemble together and agree on points of doctrine and organize a religious society that society is theirs. It is not God's unless He ordered it, revealed it, and accepted it.
I think that these simple ideas will be received by this congregation and by any reasonable person. If Jesus Christ had a church on the earth in the first century, it was the Church that He established. There is evidence that He did establish a church. By reading the New Testament it is plain that He organized it Himself; therefore it was His Church. He placed in it apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers, (so we read in the epistle to the Ephesians, 4th chapter,) "for the perfecting of the Saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ; till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God." These men were sent out to preach the Gospel without purse or scrip. They were commanded to "go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature." And the principles which they taught were the principles of Jesus Christ. The plan of salvation that they introduced was divine. It was not their own. When Paul preached to the Gentiles and Peter preached to the Jews, they preached the same Gospel, the same doctrine, by the same Spirit. The people who received their word and repented of their sins, believing in the Lord Jesus Christ, were all baptized by one spirit into one body. There was but one body, no matter how many members there were in it; there was but one church, no matter how many branches there might be to it. The Church was one, the Gospel was one, the God they worshipped was one, the Savior was one. There was "one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all;" and the path that they walked in was the one way marked out by the Lord Jesus Christ, who said, "Wide is the gate and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat; because straight is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it."
These men whom the Lord placed in His Church had the word of the Lord. God revealed Himself unto them. Jesus Christ manifested Himself unto them. This is one of the characteristics of the Church. It was in communication with its Divine Author. The spirit that came down from heaven was in these men; not only in them, but in the body of the Church. The whole body was quickened by it, led by it, and inspired by it. Therefore the truth was in the Church. But there came a great change after the Apostles were slain. Darkness came in like a flood and overspread the earth, as the prophet of old foresaw when he said that "darkness would cover the earth and gross darkness the people." Because of that darkness which has overspread the earth has come the condition that exists in the Christian world today.
Now, in this age of the world, I repeat, our Heavenly Father has been pleased to reveal Himself again. Hear it! oh, ye people! As sure as the sun shines in the heavens, as sure as we are in this Tabernacle this afternoon, the Mighty God, even the Lord, hath spoken, and is "calling the earth from the rising of the sun to the going down thereof." His word to all people is that the Gospel in its purity has been restored; His Church has been set up again on the earth, under His personal direction; Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors and Teachers once more are endowed with the Spirit that comes from on high, and all people who receive their testimony and are obedient to the Gospel are baptized by one spirit into one body, whether they be Jew or Gentile, bond or free, and they are all made to partake of one Spirit. This Gospel and the proclamation thereof is to all the world, to every creature. This is the commandment of God to His servants in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. And all people will hear the sound thereof, no matter how much it may be opposed. The Elders of this Church, going out as the servants of God did of old, are endowed with the same authority, the same power, and the same right to administer in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. And the word of Christ is to them as it was to the early Apostles: "He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth Him that sent me. And he that rejecteth you rejecteth Him that sent me." The word of the Lord to all people everywhere is to turn from their wickedness, from their corruptions, from their false creeds, from their bowing down to anything that is not God, from the notions and ideas of men that have been preached in the world for the doctrines of Christ, and come unto God their Eternal Father in humility, in contrition, repenting of their sins, confessing them, and forsaking them.
This is a corrupt age. The world is full of evil. That perhaps may be considered an extravagant term, for there is without doubt a great deal of good in the world as well as evil; but I mean to say that evil abounds everywhere. Take your "Christian" cities—those that have the most churches and chapels dedicated to "Christian" service—and sin, corruption, vice, and evils that are unmentionable, abound in them. The word of God to all people is to repent, and turn from iniquity, and come unto the Lord, that they may be saved. This Gospel will be preached to every nation, tongue and people. The barriers that are now in the way of the progress of the servants of God will be broken down. War, plague, pestilence, famine, earthquake, the devouring fire, the cyclone and the whirlwind will be agencies in the hands of an offended Deity to open up the way for the spread of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Nations that today sit in darkness will hear it, and the "Christian" nations will hear it; for the word of the Lord is to the priest as well as to the people, to the king as well as to the peasant, to those in high places as well as to those who grovel in filth and dirt on the earth or beneath its surface. To all people everywhere this Gospel is to go. Those nations where it is now impossible to proclaim the Gospel freely will be so overturned in the providences of our Father in this fast age, that all nations will be opened and the Elders of this Church will carry the message to the uttermost parts of the earth.
Now in regard to people who will not receive the Gospel when it is presented to them. When they reject it, they reject the Lord. But are they to be everlastingly lost and destroyed? If so, only a few people among the great family of the Eternal Father would obtain the blessings of salvation. What I will read to you from this book relates to the final condition of the human race. As I said, I will not attempt to read the whole of it; it would take too long. I will read only a few verses. But I recommend all people to read it fully. I consider it the most glorious manifestation of light and truth concerning the future of mankind that has ever been put in print. There is nothing in the Bible equal to this manifestation from God, of His plans and purposes regarding His children who dwell on the earth. The first part of this revelation contains the statement that Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon, being in the Spirit on the 16th day of February, 1832, were surrounded by His power and light, and they beheld the Father seated upon His throne, and Jesus Christ, His Son, at His right hand, and the angels that surround the throne and worship before their face. The Lord manifested in this vision the conditions of the human family in the world to come, who will be partakers of the various degrees of glory—the celestial glory, the terrestrial glory, and the telestial glory. The part I wish to read is this:
"And this is the Gospel, the glad tidings which the voice out of the heavens bore record unto us:
"That He came into the world, even Jesus, to be crucified for the world, and to bear the sins of the world, and to sanctify the world, and to cleanse it from all unrighteousness;
"That through Him all might be saved whom the Father had put into His power and made by Him,
"Who glorifies the Father, and saves all the works of His hands, except those sons of perdition, who deny the Son after the Father has revealed Him;
"Wherefore He saves all except them: they shall go away into everlasting punishment, which is endless punishment, which is eternal punishment, to reign with the devil and his angels in eternity, where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched, which is their torment.
"And the end thereof, neither the place thereof, nor their torment, no man knows." (Doctrine and Covenants, section 76, vs. 40-45.)
My friends, the great truth is declared in this revelation that Jesus Christ will ultimately save ALL mankind, except a few who are called the sons of perdition, "who deny the Son after the Father has revealed Him." This is a very different idea of the plan of salvation to that which is entertained by most if not all our "Christian" friends, who say that we are very illiberal. They have an idea that the Latter-day Saints are very exclusive and illiberal in their religion. I wish to say here that there is no creed in Christendom which is so liberal as that which is believed in by the Latter-day Saints. We do not hold that all who differ with us in regard to the principles of salvation will be irretrievably lost. We do not consign our "Christian" friends, as they do us, to an everlasting hell, to frizzle and fry in brimstone and fire while eternity comes and goes; not at all. We do not believe that our Eternal Father will condemn any person who acts according to his sincere belief and who endeavors, as far as he can, to understand and practice what is true. The understanding and the practice of truth is that which exalts; and the time will come—according to our faith—when everybody who dwells on the earth, and those who have dwelt here and have gone away, will hear the sound of this one Gospel; for, as I said, there can be but one Gospel, one way of salvation, and all those who do not get into that one way are in the broad way.
There are millions and millions of heathens who never heard the name of Jesus Christ. What is to become of them all? There are millions of Jews who reject Jesus Christ as the Savior of the world. Are they all to be lost eternally? They will be, according to the doctrines of some of our very liberal "Christian" friends. According to their doctrines, no one will be saved who does not believe in Jesus Christ. And they have warrant for that in the Scripture; for "there is none other name given under heaven whereby men can be saved, than the name of Christ Jesus." That being true, all who do not hear the name of Jesus Christ and believe in Him will be condemned. If, therefore, only while men dwell in the flesh they may hear the name of Christ and have the privilege of obeying His Gospel, then the vast majority of the human race, the sons and daughters of the Eternal God, will be doomed to everlasting punishment, according to the modern creeds. But according to what the Lord has shown to this Church by revelation, this Gospel will be preached to every creature. If people do not hear it while they dwell in the flesh, they will hear it after they leave the body. That is contrary to the doctrine of modern Christendom, I am aware. It comes right in contact with one of the tenets of faith of all "Christian" sects. They do not believe in the doctrine of preaching to men after they are dead. They do not believe that there is salvation for mankind after they leave this body. To use expressions common with them, "As the tree falls, so it lies;" "as death meets us, so judgment finds us;" "There's no repentance in the grave, or pardon offered to the dead." That is modern "Christianity."
But that is not the Christianity of Christ. I would direct the attention of my friends to the book of the Prophet Isaiah. I will not take time to turn to it this afternoon. Read the 61st chapter, 1st verse, and you will find there this prophecy concerning the coming of the Redeemer: (See also 42nd chapter, 7th verse.)
"The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord."
Jesus Christ accepted that as a prediction concerning Himself, as you will read in the Gospel according to St. Luke, (iv, 18) by getting up in the synagogue on the Sabbath day and reading that Scripture to the Jews, testifying that it referred to Himself. Jesus, while He dwelt in the flesh, preached good tidings to the meek. He healed the sick; He comforted those that mourned; He bound up the brokenhearted. But how about proclaiming liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that were bound? The Apostle Paul says that when Jesus was raised up on high "He led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men." How did He lead captivity captive? Why, Peter explained it, but the eyes of the "Christian" world have been closed to it for hundreds of years. In the 3rd chapter of the 1st Epistle of Peter, 18-20 vs., we read:
"For 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."
Now, mark it. He was put to death in the flesh; He was quickened by the Spirit; and He went—where? Our "Christian" friends say He went up to heaven. That is a mistake, because Jesus after His resurrection, when He appeared to Mary in the garden, said, "Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father." (John xx, 17.) Where did He go, Peter? Let us hear what he says:
"By which also He went and preached unto the spirits in prison."
Yes; Isaiah said He should "preach deliverance to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that were bound." He went and preached unto the spirits in prison. Who were they, Peter? He tells us:
"Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing."
Now, if we will take that just as it stands, and leave out the interpretations given by uninspired men and the nonsense preachers weave around it to mystify, we can understand it right enough. Jesus Christ was put to death in the flesh; He was quickened by the Spirit; His body lay in the sepulchre, while He went and preached to the spirits in prison, who had been there since the days of the flood. What did He preach to them? We can find that out by reading the sixth verse of the next chapter of this epistle:
"For, 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."
Here is an account of what was preached to them and the object of the preaching. He preached the Gospel to them, the same Gospel that He preached in the flesh. He preached it to them that they might be judged as men in the flesh are, because they had the same Gospel preached to them. They could not be judged like men in the flesh unless they had the same Gospel preached to them as men in the flesh had. The heathen who never heard the Gospel cannot be judged like those who have heard it; but if they hear it in the spirit, then they can be judged in the same way as other men are judged in the flesh; and they may live according to God in the spirit, because they can repent and receive that Gospel.
This is clear and plain to those who desire to understand it. But when men do not want the truth; when men live by publishing falsehoods; when men preach for hire and divine for money, and their craft is in danger, they do not want to see it, nor do they want their congregations to perceive it. We can thus understand what I read to you just now from this modern revelation. Jesus Christ died for the sins of the world, and He will eventually save all, except a few who are called the sons of perdition, who deny the Son after the Father has revealed him, who sin against the Holy Ghost, and against light and truth, and who are irredeemable. But all things that can be saved will be; for our God is a great economist. Everything in His universe is put to a good use, and nothing is lost. Not a particle of matter is annihilated. You may burn a substance and destroy its present form, but the particles thereof remain, the original elements abide; they are indestructible, and God has a use for them somewhere in His universe. Our Heavenly Father will save everything that can be saved, and He will put it somewhere where it can be of use. All His sons and daughters, at some time or other in the eternity to come, will hear the Gospel, and will bow the knee; for as we are told in the New Testament, "As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to Me, and every tongue shall confess to God." And also: "Every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father." (Philip, ii: 2.) And then when they do bow the knee and receive Christ as their Redeemer, He will redeem and save them; He will take them out of the prison house, and He will lead captivity captive, again and again, until every son and daughter of Adam's race who can be saved will be brought out of hell and death, darkness and despair, suffering and punishment, and placed somewhere where they can enjoy existence and glorify their God and be of benefit to one another.
That is the Gospel of Jesus Christ as revealed to the Latter-day Saints. That is the Gospel in which we delight. Salvation! Oh, the joyful sound! We do not wish to condemn; we do not wish to injure; we do not wish to curse; we do not wish to revile our enemies. We are glad in the thought that even those who revile us, and persecute us, and say all manner of evil against us falsely for Christ's sake, will some day or other understand the truth as it is; and we hope, as instruments in the hands of God, that we will peradventure be chosen to help them out of darkness, out of despair and punishment, when they have paid their dues, because the authority that God has revealed continues and abides. It seals on earth and it is sealed in heaven. It does not depart with the body. The men whom God has called in this generation to labor for His cause, when they die and lay their bodies down, like their Great Master will go into the spirit world where there are myriads of people who need enlightenment—"Christians," pagans, heathens, all races, all tribes, all tongues. The work of the servants of God is to them in the spirit as well as to men in the flesh. They are to preach the Gospel to every creature, and the sound thereof will go to the uttermost bounds of the spiritual world as well as to the natural world; and every immortal spirit, son or daughter of the great Eternal Father, will have an opportunity to bow the knee and accept the truth.
But they will not all be saved in the same degree of glory. That would be unjust. God is just as well as merciful. His mercy balances with His justice, and His justice with His mercy. One will not rob the other. There are eternal principles from which even He cannot swerve and still be God. God must govern Himself by the eternal principles of right. This He teaches to His children, and so far as we conform to that, so far will be our power, our glory, our joy and our exaltation in worlds to come. The Gospel is preached to men and women in the flesh; and if they repent, and are baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, by one having divine authority, and receive the Holy Spirit by the laying on of hands, as a gift of God to enlighten their minds and guide them into all truth, and they abide in it and are really baptized into Christ, then when Christ appears in His glory they will be with Him, and be numbered as His jewels. They will be "Christ's at His coming." They will have part in the first resurrection. They will be clothed with glory, immortality and eternal life. They will dwell in the presence of the Father and of the Son forever. They will be crowned with the power of His might. Those who belong to them, if also faithful, will share this glory with them—the husband with the wife, the parents with the children. The beginning of their glory will be the foundation of their family government, under their Eternal Father, for ever and ever; and their increase in numbers, in power, in might, in dominion, in intelligence, in everlasting progress, in all that is good and beautiful and happifying, will have no end. This is in the celestial glory—the glory that is typified by the sun. Then there are others who receive not the Gospel of Christ in the flesh, but afterwards receive it in the spirit; they will receive a terrestrial glory, typified by the moon. There will be millions of the heathen nations, who knew not God on the earth, but who will receive the truth in the other world, and they will inherit a glory of the kind that I have here briefly alluded to. Then there is a vast number, which cannot be counted by mortal man, who will be thrust down to punishment. Justice will claim its own. Some will be beaten by a few stripes, and some by many stripes. Some will be forgiven in the next world for sins that they did not repent of in this world, and others may have to pay "the uttermost farthing." Eternal justice will deal out to every soul that which should be his; for all shall be judged according to their works. But through the power of the atonement of our Lord Jesus Christ, when they are willing to accept it and to conform to the principles of eternal life, they will be brought out of their punishment and sorrow, and they will be placed in a degree of glory suited to their capacity and condition. That glory is called the glory of the stars; and as one star differs from another star in glory, so also will be their several conditions.
Eternal justice and eternal mercy will each operate in every individual case, and a just and righteous judge will deal out that which belongs to all. He will not judge as men do, by the sight of the eye and the hearing of the ear; but He will judge according to justice and righteousness and according to the motives and intents of the hearts of the children of men. Men strive to do right sometimes and fail. God will judge them accordingly. There are people born with certain tendencies and proclivities; there are others who have environments around them which almost impel them to do that which is evil. God will comprehend all this, and judge accordingly. He will deal out to every man as his works shall be, and according to the desires of his heart and his efforts to do good or to do evil. He who wilfully does evil will reap evil. There is an eternal law of compensation, which God cannot turn aside and be God. Every tree will bring forth its own fruit. Every seed will bear of its kind. "He that sows to the flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that sows to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life eternal."
This, I think, is a very liberal Gospel. But we do not claim credit for it, my friends. This was not invented by the boy Prophet Joseph Smith, who was proclaimed an ignoramus, a fool, an idiot, a knave. No, he did not invent this beautiful doctrine that I have been briefly proclaiming this afternoon. It was revealed from on high. It came by the voice of God from the eternal heavens. It is too good for a man to originate. It is Godlike; it is Christlike; it is broad, beautiful, and grand. It reaches the whole of the human race, from Adam, our father, down to the last person born on this globe. The heathen, the "Christian," the Jew, the pagan, the Mohamedan, the infidel, the skeptic, the agnostic, all people, all races, all tongues, all tribes—all shall hear the Gospel. Every ear shall tingle with the sound thereof. Some may say, how can an ear tingle in the spirit? My friends, perhaps you do not know much about these things that are called spiritual. The spirit of man is an entity, a personality, a substance. It is not a mere myth, a breath. True, it is a more refined substance than that which composes our body, so much so that we cannot comprehend it in our present condition. But when the spirit goes out of the body it is an individual, in the same shape and form as the body, because the body is conformed to the spirit. Sometimes the spirit is temporarily conformed to the body in deformed persons; but these are exceptional cases. The spirit of man is a son of God, made in His image and likeness. Jesus was the express likeness of the Father, and we are His brothers and sisters. He is the oldest, "the beginning of the creation of God," "the first born of every creature" in the spirit, and "the only begotten" in the flesh. When the spirit leaves the body, there is an individual, capable of progress, capable of hearing, capable of receiving or rejecting, an individual with agency, with power to do good and power to do evil. And these spirits will be gathered together in classes. Each spirit, when it leaves the body, will gravitate to its proper place, just as naturally as things gravitate on this globe towards the center thereof. It will be so in the spiritual world; for earthly things are after the pattern of heavenly things. Thus each individual will have an opportunity, at some time, of hearing and receiving the truth. And, thank God, we have the assurance that the time will come when the great mass of the human family will cheerfully bow the knee to the Great Eternal Father and accept Jesus Christ, the Elder Brother, as their Redeemer. They will receive the Gospel in the spirit, if they did not in the flesh; and then they will be judged according to their works. The Father will find a place for them all, somewhere in His great universe, where they can be happy, where they can fill the measure of their creation, where they can progress forever, learn more and more, become better, brighter and more glorious, and unite with Him in His great and glorious purposes concerning His children.
This is the Gospel of Christ as we understand it. Now contrast that, my dear friends, for a moment, with the religion that is commonly taught in the Christian world by people who say that we are illiberal. What do they tell us? "If you do not believe in Jesus Christ while you dwell in the flesh, when you die you will go to hell." What is hell? "It is a place of burning torment, where you will welter in misery so great that no tongue can tell it, forever and forever, and there will be no end to it." And some of them will tell you that God, before the foundations of the earth, in the very beginning, chose a few out of the rubbish of nature to be saved and exalted to His divine glory, and the rest were doomed to everlasting condemnation and ceaseless misery in flames and torment with the devil and his angels. Which is the more liberal doctrine of the two?
But what about this "everlasting punishment?" Does not the Bible teach everlasting punishment? Yes. If I had time I would read something from Section 19 of this Book of Doctrine and Covenants in regard to that; but I will briefly allude to it. The Lord revealed to Joseph Smith that "eternal punishment is God's punishment," because God is eternal. The meaning of that is this: An eternal Being, having eternal laws, has also eternal penalties; and those who will not obey the laws must suffer the penalties. The penalty will abide forever, because it is eternal; but a man will not suffer it forever. Each individual will receive of that punishment that which eternal justice will mark out as his due. To illustrate it in a simple way: Here we have a penitentiary. Some men go in there for six months and when their time expires they come out; but the penitentiary still abides. It is there for all transgressors. Men go in there for a year, or two years, as the case may be, and when they have served their term they come out; but the penitentiary still remains. So with the judgments of our Eternal Father. He is endless, eternal; His laws are eternal. His punishment is eternal. But He is just, and He will give to all who disobey His laws just that meed of eternal punishment which they ought to have, and no more. They will be judged "according to their works." If they are worthy of but few stripes, they will not have many; if they are worthy of many, they will not get off with a few. If they ought to pay "the uttermost farthing" without being forgiven, they will have to pay it. If there are circumstances in their case which warrant forgiveness after a certain amount of punishment, the Lord will forgive them and deliver them.
The organization of His Church is for the proclamation of the Gospel, not only in the flesh, but also in the spirit. The Church on earth is united with the Church behind the veil. The Prophet Joseph Smith, who was martyred for the word of God and testimony of Jesus and who sealed his testimony with his blood, and his brother Hyrum, opened the door of salvation to the spirit world for the last dispensation, as Christ opened it for the time that He went there. Our Apostles, Elders and brethren who have followed, who have laid down their lives for the truth, who have been worn out in the service of God and in laboring for the salvation of mankind, are also laboring there among the hosts that sit in darkness. We who still remain in the flesh expect, when our earthly work is done, to follow on; and the priesthood which the Almighty has given us wherewith to labor for the uplifting and salvation of mankind in the flesh, will be our authority and power when we pass behind the veil and mingle with the spirits of the departed. The Gospel will be preached to every creature, whether in the body or out of the body, "the quick and the dead." Christ preached the Gospel to those that were dead as well as to the quick, and we expect to follow in His footsteps, according to His promise, "He that believeth in me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do, because I go to the Father."
My friends, I have only just touched on the outer rim of this great theme of salvation. Our Heavenly Father prepared the plan of salvation before this earth rolled into being, before the cornerstones thereof were laid, "when the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy," and when Jesus, our Elder Brother, "the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world," was prepared for the sacrifice to come in the meridian of time. And Lucifer, who was cast down with his hosts, and who leads men astray, will not gain the victory. He will not triumph over the Redeemer. Christ will "destroy death, and him that hath the power of death, which is the devil;" and, as I have read to you, He will redeem all that the Father hath placed in His power—all His brothers and sisters. They in the spirit will be brought out of darkness and punishment, and they will all reach some condition in the places prepared of God. In the many mansions that there are in the Father's kingdom they will all find a place, after they have paid the penalty, where they can bow the knee to the Lord and be happy; for though "Adam fell that men might be, men are that they may have joy." God has created us to give us happiness and pleasure.
My brethren and sisters, let us take care that having received the Gospel, we are led by the spirit thereof and are kind to one another, and that we cherish the spirit of kindness to the world, even to those who may persecute us, and deride us, and say all manner of evil against us falsely. Do not cherish the spirit of retaliation and revenge in your hearts. "Vengeance is mine: I will repay, saith the Lord." It is not for us to take vengeance. Let us entertain the kindest feelings we can. Where it is appropriate, let us say as Jesus did, "Father, forgive them; they know not what they do." Oh! I wish that I could say that with regard to some of those who speak evil of us—that they know not what they do; I would cherish in my heart a feeling of sympathy and pity for them; but I know to the contrary. Many of them know what they are doing; and when they speak falsely against us they do it wilfully, with a knowledge that they are telling that which is untrue. But even then we leave them in the hands of our Eternal Father; for He will deal out a righteous judgment to all. We can afford to pity them; for they will reap the consequences of their wicked acts, as sure as the sun rises and sets, and as sure as justice will have its own. Let us be kind to one another. Let us help one another on the road of life, and be a comfort and a blessing to those with whom we associate, instead of a curse. Put away all our evil feelings, our jealousies, our faultfinding, our irritability, our disposition to say and do things that are bad, and let the Spirit that comes from Christ our Redeemer flow down into our souls and quicken and enlighten us. I know that that Spirit is in the Church. I know it is a reality. I know this Church is the Church of Christ, that He has established it, that He is with it, and that His revelations and His Spirit are in it. I know it by experience. I know what I am talking about, just as sure as I know that I am standing here. I know this work will prosper and go on. Barriers may be raised in its way; its enemies may come against it like a flood, and weapons may be formed to attack it; but "no weapon that is formed against it shall prosper, and the tongue that rises in judgment against it God will condemn." The truth will be triumphant; the Gospel will be preached to every creature; the honest will be gathered out; the kingdom of our God will be built up; Christ our Redeemer will come; the earth will be redeemed from sorrow, from sin, and from the power of Satan, and Jesus will "reign in Mount Zion and Jerusalem, and before His ancients gloriously," and a rich reward shall come to all those who are faithful in Him.
May God help us to perform our part in this great and glorious work, and may we obtain the crown in the kingdom of our Father, for Christ's sake. Amen.
By Elder C. W. Penrose, In Millennial Star, 1866.
As every tree is known by its fruits, so every principle may be known by its influences, and every system by its effects. "Mormonism" has been introduced into the world upwards of thirty-six years; and although no fair opportunity has been granted, for the development of its influences, yet by its inherent vitality, it has forced itself into notice and power; and its effects have been sufficiently manifested, to enable us to judge the nature of the cause that produced them.
First, let us examine the effects produced upon the minds of those who embrace "Mormonism." One of the promises held out by its advocates, is that those who obey its precepts shall "come to a knowledge of the truth." Now this is a blessing which professing Christians of modern times are sadly deficient of. They believe, they hope, they desire, but do not come to any definite knowledge in relation to God and their position before him. But those who have embraced "Mormonism," in every place where you meet them, whether in Britain, France, Switzerland, Germany, Scandinavia, Africa, India, America, or the islands of the sea, all testify that they know they have embraced the truth, that their sins are remitted, and that they are accepted of God, and brought into communion with Him. Doubt has fled from them, and faith has grown into knowledge.
Another effect of "Mormonism" is, that it abolishes the fear of death. All its faithful adherents will testify that the terror of death has entirely departed from them. The great mass of mankind are haunted with a dread of entering upon that "undiscovered country, from whose bourne no traveler returns." Even to the most pious members of the various "Christian" sects, there is something awful and terrible in death. This fear brings the whole world into bondage; but "Mormonism" bringing knowledge to the mind, liberates it from doubt and fear, and establishes the soul in "the liberty of the Gospel."
"Mormonism" creates or induces faith in the human soul. This faith is exhibited practically. When the "Mormons" are sick, they send for the Elders of the Church, who anoint them with oil, and lay their hands upon them, believing in the promise of God that "the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise them up." In thousands of instances their faith has been effectual; disease has fled before it; the eyes of the blind have been opened, the tongue of the dumb has been unloosed, the ears of the deaf have been unstopped, the lame man has "leaped like the hare," and the spirit of life, invoked by the power of faith, has forced the "King of Terrors" to relax his grasp and retire from his intended victim. Scores of thousands of the "Mormons" have braved the perils of the treacherous sea, and encountered the dangers of the wild prairies, and the mountain heights, in obedience to the commandment of God, because of their faith in His promises to them. Few of them would have left the homes of their forefathers, but for this faith. Numbers of them had a natural and intense dread of the briny deep, until "Mormonism" animated them with faith to go anywhere, or do anything that God commanded them, relying upon His guidance and protection. By the faith with which "Mormonism" has inspired them, the Elders of Israel have gone forth, "without purse or scrip," to the four quarters of the globe, preaching the Gospel of Life and Salvation, looking to God for their daily support, and for wisdom to acquire a knowledge of languages, and customs, and nations, and men; exhibiting in their labors, a faith unparalleled in the history of the world. If believing the promises of God were "accounted for righteousness" in Abraham, so it will be in the Saints of this dispensation, who have proved by their faith and their works, that they are in very deed "the children of Abraham."
"Mormonism" also produces peace of mind in all who are faithful to its principles. That inestimable boon for which millions seek in vain, is found in "Mormonism." It is one of its pre-eminent effects. The soul, freed from its load of long-accumulated guilt, lifted up from the depths of fear and doubt, into a perfect consciousness of its freedom, lit up by the lamp of the spirit of truth, strengthened by a full knowledge of its acceptance with God, feels a soft, gentle calm gathering around it like a heavenly halo, centering to its inmost depths, and establishing therein "the peace of God which passeth all understanding."
The result of these several effects of "Mormonism," united upon the mind, is the grand desideratum of humanity, viz., happiness. The pursuit of happiness is the great motive power of all exertion. The "Mormons" we make bold to say, are the happiest people to be found upon the face of the earth. Living without the fear of death, believing that there is no phase of existence more important than the present, they work to enjoy life today, having no dread of tomorrow. Understanding through the teachings of "Mormonism" that all things in the universe which are calculated to impart joy, are ordained of God for His creatures, they seek lawfully to obtain them, and to use them without abusing them. They can rejoice in the midst of the most trying circumstances. While misrepresented, ridiculed, persecuted, abused, and deprived of their just rights, they richly enjoy the happiness which their enemies ineffectually strive to obtain. The absence of sadness and grief from their countenances is so noticeable, that the pious, long faced, "Miserable sinners" of the various sects declare, with uplifted eyes that "the Mormons have no religion in them." Happiness fills their hearts, gladness smiles upon their faces, and joy sparkles in their eyes.
"Mormonism" has the power of uniting its adherents in a manner very different and far superior to any other system in the world. The unity of the "Mormons" is noticed and acknowledged by their bitterest enemies, while, at the same time, the disunion among all other religious bodies, and political organizations, is admitted and deplored. There is a spirit in "Mormonism," which leads its followers into unity of sentiment, belief and action. No matter how varied their opinions before; no matter how diverse their sentiments, when they embrace "Mormonism," they are "all baptized by one spirit into one body;" they have "one Lord, one faith, and one baptism," and "one hope of their calling." They are inspired with a desire to gather from all the countries of the earth to one place, and to act in concert together, to accomplish one object, viz., to build up the universal kingdom of the one God. This power of unity is so great, that all the efforts made by its opponents to dissolve or weaken it, are perfectly futile, and in fact only serve to defeat their intended object, rendering its unity more compact, and consequently its strength more potent and enduring.
"Mormonism" is the pioneer of intelligence. Mark the path of its travel, whether by its own free will, marching forth to fight its way among the nations, or driven out from the haunts of men, staining its track with its own blood; wherever it has paused for a season, or made a permanent location, newspapers, schools, organizations for improvement, etc., start into life and flourish. It is a friend to all true art and real science, and wars against nothing but that which debases and destroys.
"Mormonism" has taken many thousands of poor, honest people, who were miserably dragging out their almost worthless existence, in poverty and servitude, and placed them in a position to become independent, free and comfortable, with an object in life to stimulate them to virtuous and intelligent action. It has transplanted them from the over-crowded, badly-governed, and vice-reeking countries of the Old World, into the virgin soil, the pure atmosphere, and the free institutions of the New World, and that in a new part, where there is room to move, and where the corruptions of modern civilization find no element on which to flourish. It has given them an inheritance upon the earth, a spot they can call their own, and bequeath to their children, and it has given them a voice in all affairs which concern their well being and progress. It will continue the good work of emancipation, and bring joy and gladness to the honest among the down trodden millions.
"Mormonism" has solved the great problem of the social evil, and has shown the world how a community can exist and thrive, in the nineteenth century, without a "loathsome ulcer" of female prostitution. It has given a practical answer to the difficult question of "adequate female employment," and shown how every woman can have opportunity to "fill the measure of her creation," and become an honorable wife and happy mother, instead of pining in single misery, toiling for a scanty meal, or wasting a short and shameful life, in pandering to the filthy lusts of the worst men.
"Mormonism" has planted itself in a spot given up by all the world to the solitude of barbarism, and has developed the sudden wealth of a vast region supposed to be barren and worthless. Its effects may be seen in the fruitful fields, the lovely orchards, the tasteful dwellings, the handsome stores, the stately public building, tabernacles and school houses, the pleasant shade trees, the sweet scented flowers, and the life bearing water courses, and also may be heard in the hum of industry, the stir of trade, and melody of the song of praise, and the harmony of musical instruments, in more than a hundred towns and cities, where nineteen years ago not a single human habitation could be seen, save the rude wick-e-up of the wandering Indian, nor a sound of human life could be heard except the horrid yell of the red man, shrieking through the affrighted air, and awakening the startled echoes in the stillness of the mountains. Its effects may be seen in the order, peace, unity, sobriety, virtue, intelligence, faith, fortitude, wealth, and happiness of its followers, the most law-abiding, God-fearing, truth-loving and practical people upon the face of the earth.
Are not the fruits borne by the tree of "Mormonism," in the short space of thirty-six years from the planting of the seed, good, sound and abundant? And is not every tree known by its fruits?
"Mormonism" is a stem planted by the hand of the Lord; watered by "the blood of Saints and of Prophets;" it flourishes gloriously. Its roots are striking deeper every day, and its thriftly branches shoot forth vigorously. The blasts of hell cannot wither it; the fire of the world's wrath cannot touch it; but while "every tree that the Father has not planted shall be rooted up," this "plant of renown," which is the "kingdom of heaven," growing up on the face of the earth, shall stretch out its mighty boughs, and yield forth its precious fruit, till the whole earth reposes under its shelter, and the heavenly ones shall "lodge in the branches thereof."
"We have been driven time after time, and that without cause; and smitten again and again, and that without provocation; until we have proved the world with kindness, and the world has proved us, that we have no designs against any man or set of men; that we injure no man; that we are peaceable with all men, minding our own business, and our business only."
—Joseph Smith, September, 1, 1838.
By Joseph F. Smith, Jr.
Copyright, 1905, by Joseph Smith, Jr.
"And Saviors shall come up on Mount Zion to judge the Mount of Esau and the Kingdom shall be the Lords." Obadiah, 21st verse.
The so-called "Reorganized" church, which is so bitter in its antagonism towards the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, has claimed from its beginning to be teaching and practicing the doctrines of the Gospel as they were revealed from God through the Prophet Joseph Smith. Its officers declare that they are walking in the footsteps of the martyred Seer; hewing closely to the line, and observing in all things the commandments which were given from God through his instrumentality, without variation, change, or loss of power from all that pertains to the salvation of the human family in this dispensation of the fullness of times.
Their foundation is built upon the absurd and misty claim that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which was established April 6, 1830, through the labors of Joseph Smith the Prophet and the will of God, was "rejected with its dead for transgression of its members," and that the "Reorganized" church is a "new organization"[1] which God raised up to succeed the original—but as they would have us believe, "rejected"—Church.
It is not my purpose to discuss the foolish question of the "rejection of the Church," but to examine the Reorganite position in regard to salvation for the dead; and to show their lack of harmony with the teachings of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints pertaining to the dead, as those teachings have been revealed through the latter-day Prophet.
It stands to reason that if the Lord rejected His Church with its dead because of transgression, or any other cause whatever, that He would not raise up a substitute church to carry on His work on earth and still keep the dead—who could in no wise be held responsible for the rejection—in suspension, and deny to them the privilege of receiving the ordinances of the Gospel by proxy according to the revealed plan of God as it was ordained from before the foundations of the world were laid, as a means of salvation to those who die without a knowledge of the Gospel. To any reasonable mind this truth would need no argument. Yet the "Reorganized" church declares that the Lord did this very thing; and in the light of the revelations given to the Prophet Joseph as well as those in the ancient Scriptures, which bear on this subject of salvation for the dead, their declaration is fatal to their organization; it stamps it as fraudulent and their officers as impostors. A church without salvation for the dead, according to the revealed will of God to the Prophet Joseph Smith, cannot be the Church of Christ.
When the Angel Moroni appeared to Joseph Smith on the night of September 21, 1823, he imparted to the youthful Seer many truths of the greatest importance pertaining to the restoration of the Gospel and the establishment of the Church which, the angel said, was about to take place. These instructions were of such weight that they were repeated twice more that night and again the following day, in order that this young man, upon whose shoulders the burden of the latter day work should rest, might be sufficiently impressed with the greatness and importance of his mission. Among the instructions given by the angel at this time, the doctrine of salvation for the dead had an important part. This heavenly messenger said that the prophecy of Malachi the Prophet was about to be fulfilled, and he quoted the fourth chapter of Malachi, but with this variation:
"For, behold, the day cometh that shall burn as an oven, and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly shall burn as stubble; for they that come shall burn them, saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch. * * * Behold, I will reveal unto you the Priesthood, by the hand of Elijah the prophet, before the coming of that great and dreadful day of the Lord. And he shall plant in the hearts of the children the promises made to their fathers, and the hearts of the children shall turn to their fathers; if it were not so, the whole earth would be utterly wasted at his coming." (History of the Church, Vol. I, page 12.)
At that time the full meaning and glory and significance of this instruction were not understood by the Prophet, although it made a deep impression on his mind. On the 3d day of April, 1836, it was fulfilled, for Elijah the Prophet appeared in the Kirtland Temple to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery, and conferred upon them this Priesthood and the keys of the salvation for the dead stating that—
"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 their 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 doors." (Doc. and Cov. 110: 13-16. History of "Reorganized" Church, Vol. 2, page 47.)
Following the bestowal of this Priesthood with its keys, the spirit of salvation for the dead was poured out in abundance upon the heads of the Prophet and his people whose hearts began to turn toward their dead fathers. After the Church settled in Nauvoo, baptism for the dead was instituted, the Lord, at first, permitting the ordinance to be performed in the Mississippi river, but later revealing to the Saints that the proper place for this and other rites for the salvation of the dead, must be performed in a Temple built purposely for such ordinances, and that only in times of their extreme poverty could these ordinances be performed elsewhere by His people. Such a temple the Saints were commanded to build, and on the 21st of November, 1841, baptisms for the dead, which had been discontinued in the river at Nauvoo by command of God, October 3, 1841, were resumed in the font of the Lord's House, which had been dedicated for that purpose.[2] These ordinances continued to be performed until the Temple was completed and the Saints were driven from Nauvoo. The spirit of Elijah's work, which had rested so mightily upon the Prophet Joseph, continued with Brigham Young and the "Mormon" people during their travels in the wilderness, and when they arrived in the valleys of the Rocky Mountains, the first commandment to them from the Lord, was to build a Temple to His name, where the ordinances of salvation for the living and for the dead could be performed. This work was done as speedily as possible and from that day to the present the spirit of Temple building and of Temple work for the salvation of mankind has continued with the Church.
This action on the part of the Church under the leadership of the successors of Joseph Smith is in harmony with the Scriptures and the teachings and commandments given to the Prophet. He declared that baptism for the dead—the opening of the prison house to them that sit in darkness, and the proclamation of liberty to the captives—was the most glorious of all subjects belonging to the everlasting Gospel, and so greatly was he wrought upon by this work that the subject occupied his mind almost constantly before his death. Moreover, a short time before his martyrdom, the Prophet bestowed upon the Twelve Apostles—who constitute the second quorum in the Church—all the keys and all the ordinances and Priesthood necessary for them to hold in order to carry on this great and glorious work of universal salvation.
That the Twelve did receive these keys and powers, we learn from the following quotations from the Times and Seasons. Orson Hyde, one of that quorum, said:
"Before I went east on the 4th of April (1844) last, we were in council with Brother Joseph almost every day for weeks, said Brother Joseph in one of those councils, there is something going to happen; I don't know what it is, but the Lord bids me to hasten and give you your endowment before the Temple is finished. He conducted us through every ordinance of the Holy Priesthood, and when he had gone through with all the ordinances he rejoiced very much, and said, now if they kill me you have got all the keys, and all the ordinances and you can confer them upon others, and the hosts of Satan will not be able to tear down the Kingdom as fast as you will be able to build it up; and now, said he, on your shoulders will the responsibility of leading this people rest." (Times and Seasons, Vol. 5, page 651.)
This testimony is corroborated by the testimony of Elder Wilford Woodruff, which is found in the same volume, page 698, wherein he says:
"And when they (the Twelve) received their endowment, and actually the keys of the Kingdom of God, and oracles of God, keys of revelation, and the pattern of heavenly things; and thus addressing the Twelve (Joseph) exclaimed, 'Upon your shoulders the Kingdom rests, and you must round up your shoulders and bear it, for I have had to do it until now.'"
Sister Bathsheba W. Smith, wife of George A. Smith, one of the Twelve to whom these keys were given, was present in the council meetings above referred to, and in an affidavit, dated November 19, 1903, says:
"In the year 1844, a short time before the death of the Prophet Joseph Smith, it was my privilege to attend a regular prayer circle meeting in the upper room over the Prophet's store. There were present at this meeting most of the Twelve Apostles, their wives and a number of other prominent brethren and their wives. On that occasion the Prophet arose and spoke at great length, and during his remarks I heard him say that he had conferred on the heads of the Twelve Apostles all the keys and powers pertaining to the Priesthood, and that upon the heads of the Twelve Apostles the burden of the Kingdom rested, and that they would have to carry it."
Having shown the consistency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints with regard to the doctrine of salvation for the dead; and having shown that the keys of this work, and all other keys pertaining to the salvation of mankind have continued with the Church, we will now consider the attitude of the "Reorganization" in relation to this grand and eternal principle of the redemption of the dead.
At first the founders of the "Reorganized" church appeared to favor it and declared that when the "Reorganization" was established that this principle would be practiced, for as the "rejection of the church produced an effect on the dead," said they, "as well as on the living, so will the reorganization."[3] But when the "reorganization" took place the change that was promised in regard to the dead was not fulfilled, and since that time to the present day—over forty-five years—baptism for the dead, Temple building and Temple work, have never been, by that organization, practiced or entertained. In fact they have turned about face and have rejected peremptorily the doctrine of baptism for the dead and now declare that it is not binding on them.
In a resolution adopted by that church, April 9, 1886, the following startling declaration was made:
"That as to the alleged 'Temple building and ceremonial endowments therein,' that we know of no Temple building, except as edifices wherein to worship God, and no endowment except the endowment of the Holy Spirit of the kind experienced by the early saints on Pentecost day.
"'Baptism for the dead' referred to belongs to those local questions of which the body has said by resolution:
"'That the commandments of a local character, given to the first organization of the church are binding on the Reorganization only so far as they are either reiterated or referred to as binding by commandment to this church.' And that principle has neither been reiterated nor referred to as a commandment."[4]
In February, 1904, the president of that "organization" declared that baptism for the dead was a permissive rite,[5] and that it was taken from the Church, "and if subsequently it was to be engaged in," said he, "and enjoyed by the same people, it must be restored again by revelation and command, and could not be assumed as being held over by suffrance. We do not know of any revelation or command authoritatively promulgated renewing the privilege."
His statement is a flat acknowledgment that he does not hold the keys of this work and that they can only be received by revelation. That he does not hold the keys is true. That he did not receive them from his father he admits,[6] and William Marks, William W. Blair and Zenas H. Gurley, who "ordained" him to his office of president of the "Reorganized" church, never held them. They could only be obtained from the Prophet Joseph Smith, and from him, as has been shown, the Twelve received them in 1844. "Young Joseph" might truthfully have gone further and declared that if the privilege was taken away, before it could again be practiced with authority and power that the keys of the Priesthood which were held by Elijah would again have to be restored. His statement is an unqualified admission that the work of Elijah was performed in vain. He challenges that prophet's statement, that the time had fully come. He acknowledges that, in spite of all the efforts of the "Reorganization" in the attempt to save souls, the whole earth is in danger of being "smitten with a curse" and "utterly wasted" at the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord, which is "near, even at the doors." If this statement of the president of the "Reorganized" church is true, then the members of his church stand in jeopardy every hour; darkness covers the face of the earth; there is no salvation for the children of men; the word of the Lord has failed, and destruction awaits the earth and her inhabitants.