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Show 4 -- s 4 A Church Deportment , r , 1 Josepli.: Visit 1 ' '11 '; ,- 1, t ; .;' I To, i ', ... missouri ' , . - , : )3y , ' i , , 4 ',j f ' It r4 . that the land should be purchased the saints!' What Joy, what satisfaction, must have filled the lieart of the Young PrOphet when he learned that the Lord had designated the gathering place for His Saints: the land of Mit- souri: that Independence was to be the 'center place, and that "the spot fof the Temple is lying Westward, dona upon a lot which is not far frOin the court house." On Tuesday, August 2nd, af group of members from Colesvilicy Nevi York, began the erection of thie .first house to be constructed by the!Saints In Jackson County. 'Twelves men, of vihorn Joseph was one, carried, the first log "in honor of the twelve, tribes of Israel." "At the seine time,"iwrites by, - - 'j.'t.4.T1).0 .'Pr.615h0, t ' Preston Nibley CHAPTER X PART fit first after the arrival 8uriday THE : of Joseph and his brethren in Illsseurt, a meeting was held "aver the botindary of the United States, wherein Were present spectinens of all the families of the earth; Shem, Hain and Japheth; quite- - a respectable number of Negroesdescendants of Ham; FIC. Vferal of the Lamanites, or Indians-- representative of Shem; and the balance was. made up of citizen4 of the surrounding country, and fully repreDented s themselves as pioneers' of the West. At this meeting, two were bapin tised, who had previously-believe- d ' tile fulness of the Gospel." Shortly after his arrival Joseph recelved two revelationS which were highly important In the first, the place of the city of Zion, and the spot. for the building of the Temple were designated. , t "Hearken, 0 ye Elders of My who God, saith the Lord, your Church, ilave assembled yourselves tegether, according to My commandments, In this land, which is the land of Missouri., which is the land which I have appointed and consecrated for the gathering of the Saints: Whiarefore, this is the land of Promise, and the place for the city of Zion. And thus lialth the Lord your God, if yoti will receive wisdom, here is wisdom: Be- hOld, the place which is now called Independence Is the center place, sink the spot for the Temple is lying west-- , Ward, upon fa lot which is not for from the court house; Wherefore It is wis- , ; . I ...i . , , ,,,.. ,, ' k , I' '.' , i . : 1 .1 1 1 , : ; ;; i - i ., a , . z - - ' ' ' ' 7 s , ' k- - Akeirt 14 r .' i - , .. 1 , i . . ' , , i ...., 1 ; :',..i' lie . , . ' - ,, ,.. '''k,, f , . ' ", APIP it. , e - 't ' Ilii.' . 4'.- , ' '' y I I ' , , , ' i . I , ie .7 , : ' i- - '. ,. - e.,:: '' tg ,, - , , 1 , , - ;;tj,;44- , : ., t'kl''' ' , , ' 1 , L -- 1' 4...,,, 7 i . , , i ' e , - , Joseph, "through praYer, thelland of Zion was consecrated and dedicated by Elder Sidney Higdon for the gathering Of the Saints. It was a season of joy to those present, and itiforded a glimpse of the future, which time will yet unfold to the satisfaction of the faithful. The following day, Wednesday, August 3rd, the site for the Temple, "a little west of Independence" was dedicated by the Prophet, in the presence of Sidney Medial, Edward Part- W. W. Phelps,Oliver Ovwdery, Martigen Harris and Joseph Coe. la April of this year, 1939,A visited Independence and the TemPle Lot, and was told there by President Elias S. Woodruff of the Central States Mission that the 'lot" ,originallyy purchased by the brethren coosisted of sixty-threacres, for 'which they paid two dollars per acre. On a piece of high ground on this tract Joseph dedicated "the spot for the Temple." It is a matter of great regret that the words of Joseplits prayer On this occasion were not written down; ever, there are two recorded revelations that he received timing this imsame week which describe-th- e portance of the events that Weretaklag place. In the first there is a blessing and commandment. "Behold, blessed, i saith the Lord, are they who have come up unto this land with an eye single to My glory, according to My coniinandinents; For those that live shall Inherit the earth. and those that die shall rest ,from all their labors, and their works shall fol-- , low them, and they shall receive a crown in the mansions of My Father, which I have prepared for them; Yea, blessed are they those feCts stand upon the land of Zion, who have obeyed My Gospel, for they shall receive for their reward the good things of the earth; and it shall bring,forth its strength(and they shall also be crowned with blessings from above,,Yea, and with contniandment not a few; and with revelations in their time: they that are faithful and diligent before Me. Wherefore I give unto them a .eommandinent saying thus: Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all (Continued on page Eight) ,, l 4 , i 1 ,:. , .. . . , .: , THE PROPHETJOSEPH SMITH , Ancient Sacrifice And The Gospel , , 1 ; . A I ). The Feast of the Passover, insti(Continued from- Page Two) tuted by Moses before the aospek-wacustoms with ,foreign strange people was partially for to ,his. Would he be treated by these given the Israelites, this same They were compurpose. natives as an usurper, an inleiloper manded to use In the sacrifice a male or ,; the or' a trespasser? Except , lamb without 'blemish and not to exditine call to go to this new land, ceed one year in age. (Ex.', 4:3) The Abraham must have crossed the Jotlamb, symbok of innocensi, fittingly dan with many misgivings. As it was the Christ Being young and typified extreme 'care antLa delicate approach the tender merwould have to be exercised. This he tender, it symbolized cies of flint who has spol;en in: this could he realized and knew dottlitless "Listen to the voice of succeed only with the help of the 'day saying: your Redeemer, the Lord. Furthermore, the land was in- .HJesus I Christ habited by an idolatrous people. Great Am whose arm of mercy hath atoned for your sins." (D.. C. 201) Weuld Abraham yield to the temptatVithout blemish tha lamb also was him? world abqut tiori to be lile the To show to iehovah that he Was still symbolic of Jesus the Christ, the only One. loyal to the true God and to get his 4inless Abraham return ,Furthermore, .Gelkie affirms that suitaining help in built an altar and offered Sacrifice. lihe Iamb that was used in the Feast .This ordinance waft two-fol- d In its nattf the Passover was to be roasted, not oiled. tin the latter case the meat tufe. According to the 'writer in the ould fall to pieces and be less typi- Bible dictionary: "All the sacrifices of 'thti Old Testament had two aspects: tial of the strength and enduring pow(I On God's part they were (a) tfr of Christ's ministry and Ilis GosMeans of instruction (3) occasions pe1.1 The lamb, furthermore was to of blessings. (2) On,man's part they be raised upon the form 'of a cross. were a thankful acknowledgement of "It was trussed with spits of pomdePendence on God and a cenfession egranate wood inserted in the form of 'Sin." The offering of sacrifice was of a cross, and the whole creature this a means of renewing a Covenant, roasted entire." (3) If Gelkie is correct, this would (Mite accurately symPledge of one's loyalty to Jehovah bolize the Savior On the cross. an,4 a request for His help in return. --I- tserved practically the same purThrough the centuries from the por.e anciently that partaking of the days of Adam's first altar sacrifice saerament has since the ',days of that ordinance suffered much in Christ. In addition, this offering was change. In the days of Abrabam's in similitude of the future sacrifice of youth, in 'Ur of Chaldees, it had dethe Son of God-7-tgreatest sacrifice generated into the awful custom of of All. It thus pointed the :minds' of offering the choicest human sacrifice. Goirs children continually to the evenTorah, evidently aware that Abraham tual redemption of mankind through was his favorite child, had agreed obedience, by means of the shedding with the heathern priest to offer Abof blood of the Savior. raham as a sacrifice. "Now, at this , , , he jT ' time it was the custom, of the! priest of Pharaoh, the king Of 1gynt to offer upon the altar which was built in the land of Chaldea, for the offering into these strange gods, men, 'Women, and children." (6) (Abrahant 1,8) Three of the finest royal children been previously sacrificvirgins-haed "because of their virtue" and because "they would not bow down to worship gods of wood or off stone, therefore they were killed upon this altar. (Ibid verse 11) The Ammonites (7) practiced human sacrifice in the Valley of Hinnom, adjacent to Jerusalem. (8) They seem to have invented a great "hollow brass human like body with oxe's head, and hands stretched forth to receive" (9) into which their children were thrown to appease an angry Thus the writer of Proverbs god. well said: "Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keep-O- h the law, happy Is he. (Proverbs 29:18) Other illustrations in the Old Testament may he cited to show the corrupted form of this once 'sacred ordinance. Eventually, the Son of Man scame in the Meridian of time as the only true sacrifice. He came not to destroy the law of Moses (with its burnt etc.), but to fulfill offerings, fea-stIt. (10) In doing so, Be instituted the ordinance' of baptism, Which ordinance is to continue as long as mortals live, in the earth. But this ordinance of baptism did not entiFelY do away with the ordinance of sacrifice as many people believe. The Prophet Joseph Smith has said: "It is generally supposed that sacrifice was entirely done away with, when the great Sacrifice was offered up, and that there d !' the Ordinance will be no necessity-foof sacrifice In the future.; but those who assert this arc certainly not acquainted with duti,eit, privileges, and authority of the Priesthooa,:. or with the Prophets. The ',offering of sacrifice has ever been-- connected with, and forms a part of dhe duties of the Priesthood. It began with the Priesthood and will be continued until after the Coming of Christ, from generation to generation." (II) N0TElS 1. Thanks to modern revelation We learn that this ordintince caute not as a wish or instinct of ,:mares, but was instituted by the God of Heaven. :The writer in the Bible dictionary. based on the Cambridge CompaniOn to the Ihble says: "No Divine conunaiur can be quoted for the institution of sacrifice. the desire to offer some Lit was insune. tive in man." fp. 131) 2. Missouri Perseilitions, Roberts. p. 189. 3. For a fuller treatment of this subject 4.see The Gospel, litoberts pP, 230235. Essentials in Church History, Smith, Joseph Fielding, u. Life of Dunninghain Christ, edition of lSifl p. ti. The historian is cool)! !tied in this statement by recent findings hi the land Sc ti the Literary of ancient Itabylunia. Digest for JUne 16, 1931 7. The A IT)Inon tO,s oct tiesi,l'elltian of IAA throng)) his younger daughter who married a Canaanite. 8. 1 1011101I1 was immediately adjacent to Mt. Moriah Where it IS thought Abraham took Isaac to offer him, under covenant of God, as a human sacrifice and where Jesus the Christ on. the Cross became the greatest Sacrifice of all 9. "When it was thoroughly heated the priests put the babe into its hands whilst drums were ;beat to drown the infant's cries, lest the parent Should relent." (Fate sset's Bible , En,s-dlopcdi- 483) 10, Tanner has 4vre giesi a beautiful analogy by quoting anonymously: "The bud passes Into the rose. The bud is there no longer: but it .js fulfilled In the rose." (The New Testament Speaks. (Wert C. Tanner. p. 184) History of the Church.. vol. 4, 1)- 207. |