Show THE SAINTS AND I 1 HE scriptures the NEWS a short abort time ago pub limbed a sermon by elder Fr fraaklin Fra oklin auklin D Bl IRl on the importance of keeping keepin records reo orde among those who have read this discourse la in an aa editorial writer ot the statesman in ID the jesus of that paper of september he makes the following extract from elder richards Richard ss address these theae extracts which I 1 am now reading are from a revelation which the god of heaven has ham given to us ua through the prophet joseph smith which he received soon after the organization of the church in 1830 and which are found in the pearl of great price I 1 quote from the latest edition published in 1888 in this city further farther scripture concerning this superlatively important subject may be found on pages and of the book ot of mormon he then asks have the mormons cormons with their professed reverence for the bible no thought of the curse pronounced on those who add to the things written in it the curse reft referred to in we pre presume the one found in ID the be last chapter ol 01 the Rem revelation elation of john which tile tiie oJo olo glana glans so BO often apply as an argument against continued revelation in the church Chu roli it has bas eisei been shown that this is an obvious misapplication of f the texts text all the more strange because of the frequency adu persistency with which it IS io resorted toa to as is shield against the divine truth when john joha by bv the spirit wao wa moved upon to write 1 ii 11 any man shall ball add unto these theme abi go gd Q dabal saab add unto him the plagues that tare art written in ibis book boob and if roy any man shall ball take away from he words worde or I 1 iba he book of this prophecy god glod shall take away his part out of the book of life Y he evidently referred to no n obber sacred record than the wonderful composition he was waa about to complete what other lD inte tOrenCe renor can from the us os be used the th words of the prophecy ey of tai tins is b k 10 and the book of this prophecy 10 I 1 words mean g abia boohit 0 9 inest be the book be was then writing the apocalypse for book l could not at that time wuen when the now new testament was not yet gathered into one book nor even completed comple teil rotor refer to the entire volume the spirit of the lord was anxious that the churuti should receive this magnificent prophetic composition just juat as pe nod ned by the author hence the solemn warning against any alteration therein there was a special reason for this the very scope of the apocalypse was to give gi ve the church knowledge of the impending genera apostasy and to point out the signs of its approach as well as foretell the restoration of the compel in the latter days and its final triumph but all this knowledge was necessarily conveyed in symbolical lang language oage plain to Christ christians lans to wh ahm no it WAS explained by inspired men filleul with the spirit of prophecy while to the unbelievers believers un who accused the followers of jesus of conspiracies Alost the state and society in genera it left no reasonable ground for I 1 persecution because it conveyed no intelligence to them this symbolical language necessitated a faithful presentation ot of it to the minutest ept details since any change might destroy entirely the meaning intended to be conveyed and bring confusion in tue toe whole arrangement there were therefore reasons why an injunction ju nevion should be given concer concerning Dir 9 the transmission to the church of this book that the author of the apocalypse i never regarded that book as an the last sacred record to bergiven be given to the church ts to as an plain as historical facts can make it the apostle john wrote the revelation not later than in the year 96 A D this opinion to is founded on tile ibe ahat that his exile t patmos occurred during the D clan persecution but it has ban by no men mei a been sully fully proved bomb hold bold that the exile occurred during the persecution f nero and the date of writing would then hen be 67 or 63 A D an opinion advocated adv by many but even if we accept the latest date 96 A D the faut aut remains that the apostle himself at lest least one year later wrote the gospel that bears his bis name and tb abia in yas was added to the sacred collection of the tb scriptures notwithstanding the burbe course ourbe our Be pronounced in the revelation Is there bore any further proof needed that bat imodean christians misapply the word of god in order to find an excuse tar for rejecting him hie message to them hem at able glint As a general rule it to is indeed true that chat all scripture should be recel veu just bet as god li inspired it it Is in sacrilege for or mon mn to mutilate it but the truth joek oot imply that the fountains franu efroin spring the alte flying waters ol at revelation have dried up for ever it jues joes pot kot mean the almighty at any tlene has placed himself in a paid tion lion bever again to speak to his caldr D nor does it free them thein from the obligation of 0 listening when his voice ID a heard board roe rho latter day saints accept the bible as containing the word of god they add to ti it they eliminate nothing from it they accept the avok of murvain M as also con contain talu rig abis tb word ot or hod bod to his onil obil tires they accept the doctrine and covenants as thre the word at 01 gud god given with special reference tu tc the establish ment of the church in this dispenses tion and further farther they accept the teach 1 na of the inspired servant eer vante of the lord in their as aa the word of god needed lor for instruction from time to lo time but in all this there la IS no DO ground for the charge that the mor mons inona alter the be contents tente of the scriptures the fact la Is that hat all the sacred books booke mentioned and all the teachings offous servants are iu ID such perfect accord that all must be either received or rejected together the saints simply desire debare to be to receive as aa the word of god all that bears beara suf auf evidence of emanating from the divine sou burce roe |