| Show 1 1 It i J JJ i THE J GOSPEL DISPENSATION I i 1 Salt Imko City Olt I lit at t tho thu 1 at I ji r H 1101 W I fl I l by br y F I I E ELDER MATTHIAS F COWLEY Tile Tho Great Grent nod and Foiling j Away of Off Was WUSi I f r novation to Understand i Not Modo i N ii My ty brethren and sisters ster In tu tua occupying I ng nga a n of ot your time tItie I that you will me In by your prayon Ir of at atC i faith C I know that tho Iho Gospel Is true that tho standard and abil ability I also al o know h MM ity of oC man does doeR Ilo not flut compare with it tN q t nd that It is II I only by the tho Inspiration of oC I the Holy Spirit that tho the Saints aInt are arc edl M lied This ThI is U ono one of at the distinctive fea Cea features en end d tures of ot the Gospel We are command commanded W Tt ed cd to trust In UI Him for tor what shall bo ijo said to the people and not only that but hut the High Priest or Elder I lder who pro prot Iro t sides over oyer the meeting Is I to conduct i the meeting by 11 Y tho the Holy Ghost When that Is Ia done nil ollis Is well and anel the Saints of oC God are arc edified and anI strengthened In tn r ii their faith I I The Tue testimonies which are oro borne to fc the people by lW tho the Saints S have hao a P most peculiar wound sound to i lo Iio are ore not of oC our faith The testimony I 4 mony which Elder 1 A C Clayton has II borne to us UI that the tho truo true Gospel has hns hasi i been r stored restored Is one that tho the world seem unprepared to receive They feel teel t I that it Is presumption on our part to 4 i bear such lIuch a n testimony and that It casts caste i a I reflection upon them hem iem and their faith This testimony U Is i borne however not notto notto t to Injure or offend but because tho the con conviction cony I y has come to us ua that the tho Gospel 1 hai hili ha been restored res to the earth by reve rove revelation roves s L jL lation In tho the nineteenth century It la Is ini i borno borne to the people to benefit and ond bless ii I them tem t and not to detract In any sense ii from Cram the tho truth they already have IN When wo we 0 reflect carefully and with prayerful hearts having hn a n i desire to toi i learn the truth und and not to establish 1 somo some theory of or our own wo we must be bo convinced of ot one ann on great reat truth which stands out prominently In the religious I world today and that Is h It Is IsI I Impossible for Cor mankind by b their In Intellectual efforts only to ascertain 1 1 what Is the true truo plan of ot salvation I Ir Ij remember r reading some somo time ago aeo In h Smiths Dictionary of at the work endorsed by ministers rs I of at Christian churches a statement to the effect that wo we must not expect to toJ find In any faction of at Christianity Christian It n nOlI nir r rin in all nil the tha factions combined the Church J r of at Christ as lIe He established It consist consisting ing In Its Church government of Apt Apos Apostles AJl ties and anti such tich other om cers as aa are designated In the New Tes Testament TesI I actuated In their ministry by bythe b byI I the Girt gift and power pow r of or the tho Holy Ghost Then tho the very peculiar statement IH Is made male that we wo still have hru Apostles and Prophets upon the earth hut but they the do donot doL L not know their places In the thu Church ChurchIn In III the tho face faco or of such ft a 1 declaration It Is j remarkable tor for men professing to be ministers of at the word of or God to state I that It Is not necessary that we should l Inspiration and revelation from Cram fromi i nod Clod as aB It was wat enjoyed In ancient times i This seems Mems a n very ery striking tion and yet It Is In fulfillment of or prophecy The he Apostle Paul In boar bear 3 hAg Ing III testimony concerning the tho condition I of oC mankind In the last days as found recorded In his second letter to Tim Timothy TimI Im I othy makes this statement Tin TIm FORETOLD This know also that In the last days das perilous times shall hall come I For Far men shall be he lasurs of at their own oln bt selves covetous boasters proud bias t disobedient to parents un unthankful unthankful unthankful thankful unholy t Without natural affection truce I false accusers Incontinent 4 fierce de of ot those that are aregood good Traitors heady lovers loers of ot pleasure Furo more than lovers of oC God Having a 11 form torm of or godliness but denying the power thereof thereat There Is no ambiguity about that H It means exactly what It says and one I thing we wo learn tram front It Is that the at large largo In the last days dan would be tc despisers of at that are good How Ho strikingly this reminds us of oC the of ot Jesus when lie He raid If It I had not conic como and spoken to them they had not had sin but now ness they have he no cloak for Cor their xv 22 12 And this Is th j condemnation thai tutt light Ight Is come Into the world and men loved darkness rather than light be beis is enuse their deeds doda were John Ill 11 IllAnd 19 I And Antl that did not only onI apply to the 4 telf skeptics mid Infidel it Indeed It applied more distinctly to lo those who were wIro religious to the th Pharisees sees and Sadducees and other religious sects many of or t whom pretended to be bl lieve In the law of at Moses rosell and had hall upon the tho pulpits In their synagogues the law the Prophets and the which they ed ld to expound for tor the Ml atlon of the people It was this class of oC people who vho fought with exceeding bitterness the testimony of oC the Lord Lorl Jesus Christ and when hen He lie denounced them for their hypocrisy they prided themselves s In having paid their th lr tithes on the mint the emits and the tho cummin p He did not deny the tho propriety of their observing the law laT of oC Moses MoseA OSe so far ns as Its application wa appropriate to them before the coming and offering of or the tho Messiah and He III unto them that It was san right for Cor them to do that but hut they the had ha omitted the weightier w mat ml I of at the law Judgment merry mercy mere and I faith These The e ought ye to have hIO done donI and not to leave loae the other undone He lie t jent sent out Hit IIi Apostles as II Ills His HI duly au servants end said pahl unto them themI I lie He that you OU me aol and he that recel eth me him that me Matthew x 40 O lie He that you OU me 1 and am he that de me him I that sent x Ie They shall put you 01 out of oC the tile syna synagogues synagogues 3 yea ea the time cometh that who whosoever 4 you will think that he Go xvi 2 I Occasionally they the found In their min mm if I letry try tr a 11 man like Gamaliel who isho had bad r sense enee enough to o 0 know c I t all men were responsible to tood find od tnt the exercise of oC their n In worship that the tho 4 boundary to human rights on th rt ft of ot the wn Wit the line that vented that exen ire e of fi rr dom om from l upon the till rights right of others I they the were shout to ly lar y nt upon Peter leter and onI John Gamaliel r In their midst and r n from these there men and let S for tor or If IC this counsel coun 1 or this Oils of or Men hlen iten It will come to nought If tf It to he b of or ye p cannot annot over oer i in th v It Km test k t haply ye 1 be fount found tOil nIl even een 5 to Act v r M SK 39 j To how su u that the Apostle I tle Paul Paulin In r tended to t n this prophecy that I 1 1 it h hive have too the rest read concerning oo the last days clays to world oId I 1 wish with to call your our 1 Mt to this vere having a n aJ form orm of but J t denying the po pow I thereof I i h to the th This prophecy world then op ap It hB ha 4 n Ihl ih U UI te o of the h t a rrt that at In the ration of this mony WhIch our ur Elden fl r are bear I Ji lug Ing to tho Iho world without any hops vt it f financial reward the lIU ro t comes from thOM who prof the name of at the The act which l v been boen t the tha Church luw many man times como come from tho the hands or of religious poo peo pie mobs have been und and led lell by religious ministers tol which l In w resulted in 11 the tho h of ot tho the blood of ot innocent young oung men wlm wiit like Clayton have 1110 gone Ione forth Curth to bar their th lr testimony to the world to twin out the tue fact tact that It Is It not un to bellove that such lIuch a n Ion of or orthe the Gospel ns liS this should be e upon the earth preceding tho the com Ill Illat of at the Messiah Ie IN THU WAY The Tue question Is U frequently asked by those who listen to this testimony hat the tho Gospel hiss hns been restored and that thai Joseph Smith was a Prophet of oC Joll hod oil why lm lusts there thero bc bo ben n such uch a It long Ions period of or darkness the martyrdom of or tho the Apostles and the of oC the Gospel through Joseph Smith The i o on Is It Is la not nOI only answered In li I the scrip scriptures tures but It U Is ii answered In the h history ory which has been made mado by Jy mankind dur duro tog Ilig the tho last Insl eighteen centuries Con Can tho the condition of men trout from the tue time the Apostles Ml MI It Is III hugh hl hughly h iv ly Improbable that the Son of oC God Dad could have established and und maintained Ills 1118 Church upon the earth unless s He lie had operated contrary to the tha way wa In which He lie usually does doe Men en are arc loft left to the i of at their own agency You xou re ro remember member that on one occasion tho the Apon Apos ties tle proposed proponed to defend the Savior Salor by force torce and the Apostle Peter Pelm drew drow ft n sword and smote oft off the tho car ear of oC ft a hypo hype hypocritical critical servant of ot the high priest hut but Jesus said sold Put lut up again thy sword Into Its place for tor all alt they that take the sword shall perish with the sword J thou that I cannot now no pray aray to my Father r and He lie shall presently give fIve me more than twelve legions of ot angels It lies has hl not nol been becis In iii Inthe Inthe the purposes of ot God to prevent the tho martyrdom of or His Ills Apostles and Prophets ets It U lb a It philosophical fact tact that the tha themore themore more n a principle has line tho the stamp of oC al dl l vinity upon It tho the more Intensely it Is It opposed by the world simply because the tue adversary of or all nil righteousness un understands lIdl something of ot tho truth Ho lie ws cast out from tho the presence Of or God Got for tor against Him and he lie lisa has not forgotten all tho the principles Which he understood In hl his hIli state stall He lie was wa present when tho thu plan of oC sal salvation salvation was devised ant and perhaps In iii the of ot eternity end nn ho hi has not forgotten nil all he hi Ie learned Ho lie under understands stands to a very vely great extent the ef of of at principle upon the human mind whether under the head hend of religion or science He lie understood full tull well that no matter what whal the philosophies of at the Jews Jew were Vere ns as long ns as they did not pos possess possess sess sees divine authority and had not been sent of Jt God Dad to declare the tho plan of oC salvation In Its ss he need not hot c them particularly nor norde destroy de troy their teachers tenders divided split asunder ns as they the were verc Into Inlo so HO many sects sect Hut But when the tho Son of Oed lcd came canto mark tho the contrast In the course pursued by b Lucifer LuciCH Under the Roman empire all nil kinds of oC religion rell lon were sere toler tolor tolerated but when the tho th Son Fon of or Oath Clod established lI hell the truth In Its itA purity and power Lucifer changed tl his lila tactics You re cc remember reo member tho the Incident related by Matthew of the tho two men ascii possessed po with Ith devils coming out of or the tombs and they cried out What have we to todo todo do with thee Jesus thou Son of or God Godart Godart art thou come hither to torment us be he before tore fore the time They know that lie Ho was the Son of ot God Go Satan had not nol forgotten for his meek meet and lowly brother against whom ho he 1 had lial hn risen up IP In re rl rebellion bellion hellion You YaIr remember the tho enco of oC the Savior Sa viol when Lucifer tempt tempted ed ICI Him The Savior had been beon fasting and was wad sva n is hungered and the tempter sold eald It If thou be b the Son SOil of oC God com corn command command mand that these stones atones be made bread brem Jesus lesu answered It Is III written Man un shall Khali not live lIe by 1 bread brend alone but bitt by every word that out of oC the thc mouth of at God Lucifer was wall a n scrip He had associated n with Job he lie understood what Moses Iose had written and when the Savior was taken to the pinnacle of or tho the temple Lucifer said Bald to Him If Ir thou be hI the Son Ron of or God Jul east thyself down for It Is tl written n He Ito Khali give gle lila his charge then thee and In ID their hands they sisal shan bear bLar thee up ull lest luRt at nt any nn time thou dash thy foot toot against a n stone slone lIe HP was wall quoting train from the time Psalms of or David Dald Then he lie took tonic Him IlIum up lip on an exceeding high mountain and showed showell Him nil all time the kingdoms of or the world In nil all their wealth and grandeur ant said All 1 these timings things will I give glo lice thel If IC thou wilt fall tall down and worship me use He lie would not have hae made such ft a proposition proposition proposition tion had he ho not known that Jesus was the tho Son of or God and that through Him lIhn would come corne the redemption of at man the tho loosening of at the tIme grasp gruSI of oC Satan and tho breaking of at the th bands of ot death den tho Now after aCter the Savior BaUor had delivered ered ored truth In purity antI and power Ho lie was crucified According to Ills His Injunction the Apostles Apostle tarried at nt Jerusalem until they the were ele endowed with power front from on high anti and then they th y stood stool up and antl declared the thc plan of at salvation and Ind answered with willi authority tho time question What shall shah we wedo wedo do to be hl saved paved nut Hut tho same game treat treal treatment mont ment was accorded t to them theism as ns had been bem bc u uto to their Master and persecution per fol tol lowed until the Apostles were slain and the Saints of oC God Gal as ns a It distinct body were sere obliterated front from the face of oC the tho earth Moreover lort Oer the New Nt ew Testament Is full rull of oC testimony that there should be bea ben a n falling away before beCore the second coming df of the tIme Messiah Paul speaks 8 aks of at It In the second chapter of oC II It Some Borne had evidently been trying to Im Impress press the people with the false also Idea that the coming of or Christ was as close at nt hand and ond Paul In correcting this said Now NO we beseech you oU brethren by I tho the coming of ot our Lord Jesus Christ Chrt and by our gathering together unto J I That ye 0 be ho not soon lIoon shaken Blanken In mind or be troubled neither by spirit nor by word nor by letter as ns from tram us I as ns that th t the tIme day of oC Christ Is at hand Let no man nian deceive decole you OU by any means for Cor that day da shall shell not come ex u except except thero there come a 11 falling away first vs 1 13 ll What Is a 0 falling away unless It Ita b w a departure from that which God hiss lia established as Indispensable to sal lIal atlon And nd decidedly there has been beon beena b n nA A n I could ronld quote many tu nu sas from both the Old and New TM Fe r the apostasy front from th the Church Ua IhL iii overthrow of oC right nei land and the prevalence of oC the tho pow 1100 ow ower er tr represented by U h th tilt Roman Homan empire backed up by the dragon According to the Apostle John as recorded In the thirteenth chapter of at |
