Show tabernacle SUNDAY MORNING JAN 30 1853 SERMON BY PARLEY P PRATT brethren mid and friends I 1 am glad to see you yoi once more and for the privilege of meeting with you I 1 did not expect to address you this morning not being well in health but atthe request of my brother who presides over me and in the absence of many who in might ight edify you I 1 rise to speak a short time and will then give place to others I 1 desire your prayers that my body may be strengthened and also for the gift of the holy spirit without which no man can edify his fellow man we are told by the prophet of old in the good old bible and by that peculiar prophet that the christian world that portion of them that esteems the bible consider a clearer and more eloquent prophet than any other whose prophecies are on record the prophet isaiah we are told by him that the lord would at sometime lift up a standard to the people an ensign to the nations and that he bokil would u not only ohly do this but do it as a manifestation which should result in the great restoration of all thi things spoken by the prophets in t the he restoration of the twelve tribes of israel from the four quarters of the earth to their own country nationality institutions and religion that they may again be nationalized established and reinstated instated re in their covenant renewed unto them as in days own priesthood rulers gov governor e anor and consequently the their irown own blessin blessings go I 1 say we are told by one of the jrr pr prophets whose ara rd d that dra would be arted r ed up or manifested in order to bring about that great restoration what isthan is that standard let us reason a little upon pon that subject this morning some might say i it t was a book it might be in a certain sense e e A dictionary of a language is sometimes called a standard that is something established something that la is a sufficient authority something to which all would refer as to a sample or doctrine to decide any question or uncertainty in the meaning of words in point of principle or doctrine a book might be considered to contain truths that we might calla call a standard but I 1 do not understand the prediction to which I 1 cefer as exclusively pertaining to a book but rather to a religion to a set of principles dev developed loped to a covenant established bli shed or to carry it out more fully to a people organised organized sed gathered together and established in in one having one faith one spirit one baptism one god one eternal and everlasting covenant by which they are all united and one set of principles by which they are governed for where such a government may be subdivided sub divided by local circumstances whether they are written in a book or in a thousand books or whether they are taught and acted upon without any book whether the people could read a book or could not nothing short of the development of certain principles of religion law and government embraced by a certain portion of people by which they see eye to eye in which they are united and by the spirit of which they are made one in light and truth and fellowship gathered organized planted established in short a system containing a development of all the principles that constitute a heavenly government vern ment nothing short of this if I 1 under understand the prediction of isaiah would be considered 9 by the jews and by the other tribes of israel wherever they are found and finally by the whole of the gentile world that may live to see it as a standard this would he be something worthy to be called a standard something to which they can look and come to and be organized consolidated nationalized and governed by 2 politically and religiously or more truly and consistently speaking religiously beca because use that includes all the political governments that is worth naming or striving for in heavenor heaven or on earth A system of reli religion gion i or a peo people ale organized upon it would include every branch of government that they could possibly need for their dwelling with each other for their organization peace welfare defence order happiness and for their dwelling with neighbouring neighbour ing nations A system of religion that is from heaven never would stop short of including all these prine principles irles therefore it is inconsistent it is because of the ignorance that is in the world that the two terms political government and religious ious government are used men have been in in the habit of walkin walking g wil with of being organized and identified with r religions elig s more or less false and not sufficient in themselves to carry out all the principles of government they are a kind of sunday convenience separate and distinct from the every day affairs of life a kind of a big religious cloak to put on for that day but not to be considered to have anything to do with every day affairs this kind of religion not being sufficient for the happiness and government vern ment enlightenment and improvement education and regulation of mankind or society in in all its branches of course they would get up go something else separate from it and call that the policy of civil government I 1 do not blame them for a false religion or one partly false and partly true never was calculated to answer the purpose A religion not wholly true could not possibly develop all the resources principles branches departments officers and powers adapted to the government organization peace order happiness and defence of society and for its regulation while dwelling with foreign departments and powers 2 61 A I 1 i 4 1 9 those imperfect m erbec systems i winch it are a mixture liap of truth and error 0 that existed in the world and d they had no better of course needed s something 0 m et hing else besides those sunday affairs b besides this machinery of th theories e ories it needed something of every day pra practical etidal utility and this they call civil government and politics distinct from religion though in some dome countries couk tries they bler ded with it the other and both were in force but I 1 use the terms 94 politics polities and acre re ligion 15 to adapt myself to those absolute ideas that are about passing away with us but under which a great majority of mankind still labor in addressing the saints I 1 make no distinction when I 1 say a religious system I 1 mean that which unites principles of political government a and n d religion which is perfect perfectly Y sufficient and completely c adapted to all the wants of cities boroughs counties states s tates kingdoms empires empi resti or the world or a mi million ton of worlds that system of religion or government just which you please to call it that regulates things in heaven and for which all men pray whether they realise nealise it or not when they say thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven it is as much as to say 0 god sweep away all 01 the falsehood and abuses of power there are in the world whether religious or political down with the tyrants down with the abuses down with the false nobility down with pride extravagance and idleness of the one class and down with the hard trials want oppression and poverty that is heaped upon the other class do away with all this kinge raft raft and republican craft that is in the world and in the place of all these falsehoods of government and ie religion ligion in political and social soc ial life introduce that eternal government that pure order of things those eternal principles and institutions which govern society in those better worlds the worlds of immortality and eternal life that is what a man prays for as well as I 1 can tell it when he says thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven sweep away all abuses all corruption all false falsehood h all war all ungodly y and selfish ambition and in its place introduce a new government for universal man a system that will touch all his wants religiously politically and every other way which will organize and govern society upon the principles that society is governed in heaven I 1 pray for that day understanding it in that light and it if anybody an y body uses that prayer and do not mean it in i n that light it is for want of reflection for instance does any man in his senses nal heavens in the presence of god consists of a variety y of kingdoms empires republics and states governed by various principles ruled by aspirants and sometimes by tyrants that differ widely one from another in the principles by which eh they rule one jarring with the other and encroaching upon each other and frequently going to war having a thousand different ways of worship and of religious and political administration I 1 ask again does any sane per son who reflects believe that heaven is governed in 1 that way no every reflecting person her alieves as well as 1 I that if there is a world of immortality at all where righteousness rules that the same principles so far as they go are developed unto all and adapted to all some may have more truth ascend to greater degrees of perfection and be able to receive higher and more glorious principles of government than others even in heaven some may attain to a celestial glory of which the sun is typical others be as beings the glory of which is compared with the stars as they appear to our I 1 sight eight and differ as widely from each other as the stars differ from the sun in glory as seen by man so far as heavenly beings have become enlightened by revelation in the laws of eternal government a sameness exists in their possession of p principles of truth as far as it goes some may be in possession of the same sakne portion of truth but not possess it in falness ful ness but it is true as far as it goes by which all are in union peace love and by which they all do right and all glorify god and maintain main iain an eternal peace and bond of happiness viewing heaven thus except the degrees I 1 do not believe f differ from the ex expectations p A 1 thereafter hereafter they would not contend for or a moment 11 I 1 for the he jargon and division that exists in this world that produces what envy hatred darkness and ignorance they do not believe f for or a moment that anything of this kind exists in heaven they pray as well as we thy will be done on earth as kitisin it is in heaven they pray whether they think of it or not that all the jargon errors abuses abases darkness and ignorance that now exist in the world under the name of religion government or anything elep may all come to an end that hat sa far as there mere is unrighteousness or any error in principle thrones may be cast flown that all the powers of earth whether republic or monarchial chial that is in accordance with the law and government of heaven may pass lass away amay and those principles be introduced that govern the sanctified in heaven so far as man in this life is capable of receiving these good things and enjoying truth union union and peace then with this view of the subject that such a system introduced even efen among a few men being organized upon it and acting it out in a good measure we should call this a standard the jews look to it and call it Ic standard the ten tribes and the scattered remnants and all that appertain to the lineage of abraham isaac and jacob scattered through the world waiting for the redemption and restoration of the kingdom to israel they could look to such puch a 16 standard to the people organised organized sed upon thi thise these se principles developed from heaven and carrying it out in all its points for they are capable of governing a world or a million of worlds to this they can look and I 1 say there is a standard if all the railroads steamboats seam boats and other swift means nf conveyance with all the gold and silver were in the hands and under the control of the right lineage and all the sea captains and railroad proprietors stood ready to serve them the question would r naturally atu rally arise ae the jew turned his attention to I 1 he brightening prospect and to his own land under what STANDARD shall igo I 1 goa you may say under the colors of great britain but that is not upon what principles shall we be organized religiously and politically which of all the churches in christendom will present us with a just 11 standard s constituted to our capacity which of all the nations will present a government standard constituted to our position tion well but you say let the jews take their own standard then they will neither have the christian nor the dispensation of moses and the prophets because both of these had power in them that the jews do not profess mohave to have the christian religion ion had its inspired men apostles and prophets that the jews have not got moses and the prophets had their miracles gifts powers and oracles men who were raised up by heaven to direct make laws and governments and organize a king dora among ohp jews they have not got this either 0 the most they pretend to have is a book that gives the history of their fathers and of moses and the prophets that they lived under a dispensation pensa tion of oc priesthood revealed from heaven and which was handed banded down from the Fat fathers heri from generation to generation pene ration which priesthood held the arim and Thum mim and the charge of the holy place containing the holy things and power to inquire of god and to instruct the people in what was for their peace defence welfare government judgment and law the jews cannot say they have these things now moses and the prophets had the ministration of angels the jews at this day hav not they had I 1 living oracles from heaven the jews jew have not moses aes and the prophets had power to control the elements and work mighty wonders in the name of the lord some of them even I 1 rolled back the earth on its axis have the jews I 1 this power no to restore them to palestine and let their own institutions be a li standard 5 would be to put that there that neither resembled moses and the prophets nor jesus and the prophets but suppose we try to convert them to the present I 1 I 1 madg Ch im instituting tons says one but where is the standard who has baa got it the christian institution of ii postles and prophets ministers whose priesthood was after the order of the son of gud gid and ordained by himself for he be says As the father sent me so no r mod I 1 you you ha hare ve not chosen me but I 1 have chosen you and ordained oida ada ined you yau connected necked with this thia apostleship are the keys and powers of government the administration of ordinances and the gifts and powers of the holy spirit this is a standard which the jews and the ten tribes would all acknowledge and it is in a christian one and such a one all christendom cannot present they can present a book like the jews the one i a book that testifies I 1 that moses and the prophets had this power the other that jesus and his apostles had it but neither ol of these books can be the standard because the mere history that somebody had this power would not be a living livin standard if you present them with the mew new testament they will present i ent e you with the old and both of them had the power the jew would have to admit that the power powe and standard that his book was the key of had passed away and the christian that the angels gifts and blessings that his book gives an account of has also pawed passed awe away if isyou you tl take the monarchial standard of russia or of of other nations of europe some of these are unlimited in their provisions the sovereign is the law others are limited the sovereign only being part pad of the law and power frequent bloody wars ware arise between the monarch and the hoople that choose linn him and those who come direct to the throne by hereditary right are beset by the same evils besides that in russia there is ie one kind ot of religion in greece |