Show T arc A rc I 1 Is 8 so som bom M calling ethin etUin beautiful and aaa gud god u d 1 k rn in a plan pian of salvation of this ut kind id it is comprehensive it shows that th the me mery cey rey of god is extended to his children and that he has prel prepared lared the way whereby they who die in ignorance of the gospel may receive the benefit thereof it causes a feeling of rejoicing in the breasts of those who receive the gospel when they find that their parents and ancestors back to the time when wilen the gospel el was on the earth anciently who have died led in ignorance are not debarred debarres de barred from its blessings bul but but can receive if they will all the blessings and benefits of that gospel jn the due time of the lord this vinci principle also explains that saying of paul au I 1 in reference to the resurrection where in reasoning upon the truth of that principle he says I 1 else what shall they theado dp which are baptized for the dead if the dead rise not at all why are they then baptized for the dead of what avail would baptism for the dead have been if the dead never rose but there was a principle there that paul understood by which the living saints could be ba baptised poised barti bartl sed for their relatives who had died in ignorance of the gospel of jesus christ whether father mother brother sister child remote ancestor or friend whereby they could stand in the stead of that individual and be baptised baptized sed or immersed in water for and in their beha behalf if and then have hands laid upon them for and in their behalf and have all the ordinances din ances of the gospel of jesus christ performed in their behalf though they could not be there themselves in person yet these individuals who represent represented ea them could render a vicarious oss off ering for them and render a vicarious obedience for the one who had gone on the same principle that jesus our lord andIN and master Taster did for us all he acts for us all he has atoned for us all he stands in the stead of all the children of ofa men his atonement and re dempt loe iori saves all who will be saved from their sins in like manner can we each one une of us stand iri in each others behalf in behalf of all those who have gone the privilege of hearing while ia in the flesh the gospel in its fullness the son for the father the daughter for the mother the grandson for the grandfather great grandfather or remote ancestor the granddaughter grand daughter for theand the grandmother aunt or remote anees ances ancestor or or female briend in this manner each could stand for the other this principle dp opens ens up the way of salvation for all the e children ll ildren lidren of men from the days when the gospel was on the earth before if it opens up the wa way by which ever every v humair being who has lived and died in ignorance of this gospel who has never heard the plan of salvation who has never nevor known the mode which lie he borshe or she bhe should adopt in order to receive the blessings of celestial lory glory this principle opens up a way by which all such can avail themselves of the blessings of the gospel of christ and by which they may be rescued from the grasp of the adversary but how many latter day saints a appreciate P preci ate these blessings I 1 recollect K the time when the saints went forward by hundreds and thousands to be baptized for their dead relatives they went forward and were were immersed for them for the siant jant ofa ora of a better place after the permission was given they were immersed in the waters of the mississippi and the feeling was very general in elation relation to it there was great anxiety manifested by many to attend to this ordinance the arh privilege ge has been extended in this city it is known that we have a font prepared ared tor lor this purpose but there nas has been been a great lack of interest on the part of the latter day saints of late years respecting spec ting this matter such a feeling is unpardonable it 1 is i s a privilege eatery every one should seek and embrace dod god has kl lessed essed us with revelation on these mat tins tirs ti rs ho he has made them plain and sim plim so that we can understand them he has borne testimony by the revelations of jesus christ to our hearts that 1 lis ild iid 8 principle is true and if all the world sneer and cry delusion and say i is s inconsistent and ridiculous we jk olow abw it is true god has sealed it upon ur hearts by the testimony of his holy spirit we know this as we do in revels i ion to the Hol hoi and to the principle of baptism gathering tithing r any other of the duties that dev devolve olve upon fis fig us they all come in contact with the tile traditions of f the world they are directly op opposed to their belief but we know them to be of god and rejoice in goerg ferth and carrying them into exe 41 ution if not for the rey revelation elation given on on this principle we should be in a very singular condition we should bo be at a loss to knop know what god would do with thosa aho vho haro hare died in ignorance of the gospel we Wb should not know how to reconcile the various parts of the plan of ea eji a ol 01 lia isi rh ike imp i iu itu ir alere would be inco inconsistency sis tency teney connected with it we wa might say as the world say why is it that I 1 am privileged to listen to the servants of god and in obeying the ordin ordinances allm arim of the dospel gospel AV while hile hiie my connections or many 0 of them have died without suck such sueh such privileges such reflections would arise in our minds and we should labor under a great amount of uncertainty and doubt and we should not feel that confidence in the lord which we now have but god has dis belled this doubt and uncertainty and in accordance with the prediction of malachi which says behold I 1 will send you vou elijah eiljah iki jali jall the prophet before the corning coming of the great and dreadful day of the lord and lie he shall turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and the hearts of the children to the fathers lest I 1 come and smite the earth with a curse 1 11 he has sent elijah the prophet he has turned the heal hearns hearts of the fathers toward howard the children and the hearts of the children toward the fathers there is no people on the face of the earth who feel this anxiety about their children that the latter day saints do and there is no people on the face of the earth who feel the anxiety about their parents and relatives that we do notwithstanding we ma may be remiss as I 1 have said but still viti with the remissness manifested now by us there is a feeling among us for our kindred that is very strong and our hearts are turned towards ahem them but god has revealed the ealing sealing power by which children can be connected with their parents fand and the parents with their parents and so on back until a complete chain is formed to adam until the entire human family is connected together in the bonds of the ever everlasting last ing covenant which god has revealed in the bonds of that covenant men may be sealed to men women to men children to parents until until all are bound indissolubly together this was the nature of the power conveyed to peter when it was said to him that whatsoever he hei should bind on earth should be bound in heaven and what so ever he loosed on earth should be loosed in heaven NOW peter as president of that dispensation had great power given to him the savior said unto him thou art peter and upon this rock I 1 will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it andl and I 1 will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven and whatsoever thou shall shail bind on earth shall be bound in heaven and whatsoever thou loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven 11 this power he gave to peter and that same power and those same keys have been restored with the res to ration of the holy priesthood to the earth peter james and john and mark the consistency of this held the keys in the previous dispensation and they came and laid their hands upon joseph smith and gave him that authority which they held nobody else could give it legally it would not have done for moroni alma john the baptist or for any other angel or bein being who had lived in a previous dispensation to have come and laid his hands upon joseph john the baptist could give the keys he held namely the keys of the or priesthood he could bestow the power and autho authority r to baptize those keys were veste vested d in joseph smith as the head of this dispensation but it was necessary that peter james and john as the first presidency of the church of the previous dispensation should come and addlay lay iny their hands upon joseph and seal upon him the authority of the Melch isedee priesthood and apostleship they conferred this upon him and by virtue of that authority joseph smith was authorized zed to bind on earth and to bind in heaven and to loose on earth and to loose in heaven by the same authority president young exercises the right aud holds the keys having received them legitimately from joseph who held them and who still holds anem but has gone behind the vail and by that sealing power and those keys children are seated sealed to their parents and wives to their husbands for time and all eternity if they are faithful and observe their covenants this sealing will hold good I 1 and will be recognized in heaven as it ig is on earth those who receive these bless biess blessings have them sealed upon them by authority which no man can revoke but which can be revoked by the transgression and wickedness only of the individual upon whom they are conferred it is by the same authority that men and women are baptized for the dead it is by this authority that they have hands bands laid upon them for the dead by this authority wives are sealed to their husbands and by the same authority wi nivea veis who may have died without re ceiling the gospel may be sealed to their husbands for time and all eternity thus god has restored to theearta the earth that knowledge which has long been taken away from it he has restored the everlasting gospel in its fullness and in the plenitude of its power he has authorized his Ber servants to officiate in these ordinances to seal on earth and it jt Is sealed seated in heaven and to loose on on earth and it is loosed in heaven pretenders Pretend aars pars may arise and the wicked may array themselves against the king dom of god and say these things are not BO so and declare that brigham is a fallen prophet as they said of joseph but the saints of god are not dismayed they know there is a power powen in 11 I 1 the holy priesthood and they know that no power on earth or in hell can deprive the the keys and power vested in the man who holds it we of all people on the face of the earth have the greatest cause to rejoice in the revelation of this knowledge and in its plainness and aad simplicity it does not come darkly or va vaguely 5 bely it is so plain lucid and clear that a wayfaring mah mafa though a fool need not err respecting it may god help us my ray brethren and sisters to appreciate our privileges and to live worthy of them that we may retain the holy ghost from this time forward until we are brought back under the guidance of the holy priesthood into the presence of our father ana and god which may he grant grani gran in the name of jesus amen |