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Show Till: ELKMKT OF CHItlS-T1AMTV CHItlS-T1AMTV AllOXii L.tTTtCK-ItAY L.tTTtCK-ItAY .NAl.Vr.S. .1 l;.-ourw by Her. C. ('. Smt-n, ih lin rvd Stiii'l"' J-Jrcniiff, June 15, 187o. Every influential religion must contain a large clement of truth. The prevalent religion here has exerted ex-erted a wide influence. Hence it must possess truth. This element must be common to all similar religions. Jt is for the purpose of ascertaining the extent of the common ground that this nliieet. has been taken. " in this way alone can those holding diil'erent views arrive ar-rive at a common understanding. The old story of the shield composed of dillerent metals on its opposite sides is in point. So long as men observed ob-served it from dillerent points of view they disputed respecting its composition. composi-tion. Xot until they changed places and occupied common ground was harmony of opinion possible. But have Latter-Day Saints and Christians any tiling in common? Yes, They agree in the main respecting the being be-ing and attributes of God; the creation; crea-tion; the fall of man : redemption through Christ; the conditions of salvation sal-vation by repentance; faith, and the observance)' thc'sacraincnts; the gift and influence of the Divine Spirit; the iiuthority of the ten commandments: command-ments: the immortality of the soul, and future rewards and punishments. In addition to these, Latter-Day Saints hold doctrines peculiar to themselves; respecting the materiality and liu-may liu-may shape of God; the previous existence of the .spiritual part of man; plurality of wives; the gathering of the saints; the perpetuity of the priestly, prophetic and apostolic otli- ecrs of the Church; the origin, authority author-ity and exclusive importance of their system; baptism for the dead; and the importance and perma nance of supernatural spiritual gifts in the Church. Respecting polygamy it should be said that it is plainly con? denmed in the Book of Mormon, ri'lt Jacob pp. llo-llli. Mosiah p. Iti7, Ether p. ", as well as in the book of doctrines and covenants, Sec. CIX., ). oo0-;ol, where the contracting con-tracting panics are required to take the following obligation: "You both mutually agree to be each other's companion, husband and wife, observing ob-serving the legal rights belonging to this condition: that is, keeping yourselves your-selves wholly for each other and from all others during your lives." Respecting the first announcement and sultsequent republication of these doctrines it should be lxme in mind that Joseph Smith had been surrounded sur-rounded by Christian influences and manifestly attempted to clothe his utterance ut-terance in" biblical language, that his preachers were men trained under Christian influence-, who naturally fell into Christian channclsof thought and modes of cxpres-ion: that for the time being doe-trim's startling start-ling or offensive to Christian ears were retired and only the most familiar or acceptable were iidvuneed into prominence; and that these doctrines were preached lo congregations con-gregations educated under Christian pastors. The inevitable consequence was that from the start a large Christian Chris-tian element existed among Latter-day Latter-day Saints. Men did not receive this system so much ;is a new religion as a revival of the old, vitalized bv a living prophet and authenticated" b-mir.u-ulous spiritual gifts. Fired with a zeal for G.-i and the salvation of the race, men and women of sclf-sacri-riciug dispositions and cenerous impulse-, embraced the new faith ;hh1 stood ready to sacrifice all to perpetuate perpetu-ate and propagate it. In response to their faith ana zeal genuine conversions conver-sions took place, men received peace in U-lioving and joyj in the Holv Gnost: and wonderful sniritual girh-are girh-are -slid to have been enjoved. The new p-vjsclytes were taught" that thev suoiud gather out of aii nations to this; country And they came, braving tiie o.nitumoly of rnends, the sacrifice sacri-fice of homt-s. tlie perils of the journey jour-ney and the liap'-Iiips of -uixhiirig a n'.v country. These facts tog.jtner with tlie conceded industry" and honesty of the ma-scs hen? -urli.-ient Iv 'vin'.-e tiie nirvngth and sinecritv nf ;r p hgion.x conviction--. May we inter thence aimhing concerning con-cerning correctness of their faith '.' , It has 1-.-. n ronei-d'-d that the faith of: Lt't'.T-day Saint- contains the is- -;-:-t:a. el. nut::.-nf ti;.? C:sri-!:an re- pii 'lu-'i -i hie u-nai r-iih- of o'tn-h- j t no in-in aiu i'-mieatis it- ciaim , :ng in a n- w r--v. l..ii---n. than r -.iv.hs among Mili:-.iL-ts or l'-'yi- rian- ! wi-.uM atuiieniieatc a -imiiar ciaim. j The fact is th.u in tvt-i"y naLcn he ' that f.-an in -! a::-l Wo.-kcth right-hi-ii.s.- i- a. . .t.-.l. ai:d trio'igli or-p.r- of .i.;n-..iii mav .-m-i . i a-e d" not inili'fv t t;.rt-..f -on -ere souis lo.l.il the dlMlie fa -.or. iK.ultltS m the final dav tnc w.-.l. !'-' aiv -tul.Me will !. -tiov.-l. but the gold an. I -hver will abide tnc h-ry test, in I uhal-er re!i.-i..u- .ruaui.aiioii tnat tbitnd. Fioin tiiL we may e-li-mate tin; aliir of the numerous, ''10s.- tmioni.s" tint tin- w.-rk aivtind us is trie work (.r"l..,L As far a.- the.-e les-timoiij.-s relale lo person. d e.xp'rience or -meentv thev mav be civlU'-d. but no ihi-tii.-r. If" presactl l-'"nd tins, everv CiirL-tian ciiureh niigiit claim with equal rea-oii to U- hue peculiar la'.oi lb- of lie.ivrll. The .jia.-n,.!! mav b-a-ltii' whether liie wrong- prrpetrat.il among and by t'no-e claiming to 1h- Latter-JaV Saints do not forbid Uie eoiicUi-ion that this faith contains anv con-iderable Christian Chris-tian element'.' "Tiie Jhble teaches that as in the natural so in the Chris-ti;m Chris-ti;m worM,-Vhat-tM-ver:i man sowvth that shall he al-o reap." The fruit of that law is apparent here. 1'iitmi-itod 1'iitmi-itod control of the Uxlies. souls, tam-ilies tam-ilies and pro.cii- nf men has been deK-ativl to the leader or leaders. The result has been the abuse of that power. It might haveUvn expected. ( iod never authorized any one to surrender sur-render his personality, and h:is never qualified any one "save the Divine Man to receive such a trust. Fnmi this and from the change in the staple sta-ple of the teachings here have grown the abuses so apparent. The saving truths ol" the gospel are not now as formerly preached, but tithing, plu- ; rality of wives, unquestioning olic-dience, olic-dience, the exiiluxl condition of the Saints, and tlie present degradation and prospective annihilation of the Gentiles. The harvest corresponds with the sowing. Many of the Saints have K'conie secular in their aims, servile in their submission to the rulers, ru-lers, arrogant in their ignorant pretensions, pre-tensions, and unfeeling if not malignant malig-nant toward Gentiles. Uf course there has been a corn-spouding spiritual declension, de-clension, and is to-day an almost entire en-tire absence of the love, joy, peace, gentleness, goodness and charity catalogued cata-logued in the scriptures asthe Iriiits of the spirit. Hut lei it ln noted this atlbnls no argument against the general gen-eral correctness of the first faith but only against its later perversion. If large numbers of sincere and pious persons have accented the new order of things, it is to he accounted for by their isolation and the danger lo person, family and property, of refusing. re-fusing. It rcHiired a stout heart to confront the oxperiencesof many who luul braved these dangers and then tread in their steps. Jf in casting off faith iu this" system many have guiio to an opposite extreme ex-treme and rejected all religion, that was but a natural result ot their utter disappointment here. In conclusion we should be on our guard against believing that because we possess sonie'truth every thing believed be-lieved by us must be true. Or against supposing that anybody has a proprietorship propri-etorship of truth to the exclusion of other-. More especially against allowing anv man to step between the soul and God.- The liberty of Christ is a personal per-sonal and soul liberty with which no one may meddle. Seeing that all past attempts to improve im-prove upon the Gospel of Christ are such utter failures, we should be on our guard against accepting any new so-called revelation. The human will not soon outgrow the divine man, nor human plans supercede the divine plan of salvation. |