Show DISCOURSE bg r eider JOSEPH P F SIT delivered in the edth ward ak rooms fait soli zake lake 6 city sunda vunda sunday afternoon aslet Afler noon feb ath 1873 REPORTED BY D IV W EVANS A AN ancille lille preparing the f the thought upon my mind to make a few remarks on the tile subject although I 1 will not promise to confine myself to it I 1 desire to be led by the tiie spirit of the lord bord I 1 the sacrament of the lords supper P e is a very important and sacred ordinance however simple gimple it may appear to our out is one which mak will add to our acceptance before god or to our condemnation it was instituted by the savior in tilo tile place of the law of sacrifice which was given to adam and which continued with his children down to the days of christ but which was fulfilled ful filed in his death he being the great sacrifice for sin of which the sacrifices jen sen joined in the law given to adam were wore a similitude the tile lord designed in the beginning to th place before man the kno knowledge atif of good and evil and gave gate him a coman commandment dment to cleave to good rood and abstain from evil but if he should fall he would give to him the law of dacri sacrifice fice lice and provide a savior for him that he might be brought back again into the pre pres 8 ance aaice and favor of god and partake of eternal life with him this was the plan of redemption chosen and instituted by the almighty before man min was placed on tile tiie earth and when man did fall fali falchy by transgressing thelah the law which was given kiven him the lord gave to him the lav law of sacrifice and made it clear to ills his understanding that it was for tile tiie purpose of reminding him of that great event that should transpire in the meridian of time thereby ho he and all his posterity might bo be brought forth by the power of redemption and the resurrection from the dead 1 and sund partake of eternal ilfe life WR with god in ilus his kingdom for this re reison ison adam and his posterity from generation to generation observed this law and continually looked forward to a time when there sli hii should duld be provided for them a means meana of redemption from the rall fall and irid restoration from death to life fbi foi death was ivas tile the penalty of og the law transgressed which man was as powerless to avert avort the fiat of god being in the day that thou tilou eanest thereof thou surely burely die I 1 and this penalty was wm to follow upon 4 au 1 11 flesh all being lus its as helpless and mid dependent thi smatter their only onis hope of redemption from the grave gravo and the power of death was in the savior whom god had promised who hd should suffer death but being without sin having himself never transgressed any law being without blemish pure and liol holy hols he should havo have power to break the bands of death ileath and from the grave hse hise to immortal life ilfe thereby opening the wa way fur for all ali who should follow him hithe in the regeneration to come conic forth to life again redeemed from the penalty of the law and from tile tiie sin of tra transgression ion lon to eternal life ilfe in anticipation P at on therm there fore of this gre great t sacrifice which was to be offered for adam and his seed they offered sacrifices more or less iem acce acceptably p and nd in conformity to tile the pattern given in iii proportion portion to the knowledge of god G orro ONro and of the gospel which they tiley had and their faithfulness new from generation fo to generation to the days of jesus jeus they vicy would take the firstlings finst first lings of their nocks hocks the best fruits of their elds fields ji and those things which were emblematic of purity innocence and perfection symbolical of him mim who was without sin and as fa a lamb slain from the foundation of the world and odner onder sacrifices unto godin god in memory of him and the matchless and wonderful deliverance to be wrought out for them by him undoubtedly the knowledge of this tilis law and of other rites and ceremonies was carried by the posterity of adam into all lands and continued with themi them more or less pure to the flood and through noah who was a preacher of righteousness to those who succeeded him spreading out into all nations and countries adam and noah being tho tile first of their dispensations to receive them from god what wonder then that wo we should find relics relics of christianity eo to sm snik speak ik among the heathens athens he and nations who know not christ and choso whoso hasior histories les las date back beyond the days of M moses mosos oses oges and oven beyond be tho the flood independent of ot and apart fronelle records of the bible the ground taken by infidels that tha christianity sprang from tha the heathen it being found that they ha have haye lyte lyie 1110 many rights similar to those rge recorded p J in the bible elble ac is only avain and foolish attempt to blind the eyes of men and dissuade them from their faith in the redeemer of the world and from their thein belief in the thi serl seri scriptures of divine truth for if the be heathen heather ather athen have doctrines and ceremonies resembling to some ex tent those which A aro are rii rip recorded jn in the scriptures it only proves what Is plain to the saints that these i are fhe the traditions lof tile the fathers handed down from generation to generation from adam through noah and that they will cleave cleaye to the cil ell children ildren lidren to the iho latest generation though they mas may darkness and perversion until buta but a slight resemblance to their origin which was vas divine ean tan can be seen yet this is a stumbling block to some and thero there are those thos e who endeavor ei j to make progress on this foundation against the work of god but it is aliso absolute lute luto folly how do we know that the tile bible accounts oi of adam and arld io ilio succeeding generations are coi col correct regu reer how do we know anything pertaining to god and ills llis dealings with men meal anciently we know many things by tradition naturally by y intuition intuit 0 there is a spirit in man and tile alio inspiration ration of the almighty it tu understanding n a anding 11 there is an ail inherent leren principle in man that leads him bim IM to faith in a superior or a su supreme being who vilo has designed a and d created ril all things a the bibo account cou con fit leing being the most rational and indeed only historical one of the creation and the dealings of god with me nIve are constrained to accept it in the maln main maln main as truth then we behold the wonderful works of god spread out before us the tile stan starry T heavens beaven sl tile tiie sun all nil and moon tilo tile earth on which W we e elland dw its times and seasons its fruits and nd grains its herbs and varied productions its fountains and il rivens rivers mount mountains alres aires valleys and p plains and the tile mighty deep all t teeming g with ine life ire and animation also the laws that govern these vast creations and mail man the crowning C work of god on this earth lile the masterpiece if you u please whom inspiration icaco teaches 1 1 us is the he offspring of that ete eternal nial being who is is tile tiie creator of all things lings ti lie being the tile most perfect in his jils organization possessing greater attributes powers of reason and intelligence telli gence enco ence than all other beings constituting constituting him the lord of creation and the tiie blence blenco to the creator we look at these thin gsand we ire cannot but come to tile conclusion that this is not the w ork of chance but the tile result of matured matui eI designs and purposes that man is the tile son of god possessing the attributes and image of his father and in the beginning much of this thia intelligence insomuch that lie was the com companion hillon and associate of god a and dve dac dwelt dwell t with ban and J knew new no sinthe lord jord gave him tile the earth as a possession and an inheritance and laws for his government thal that that he plight fill the tile measure of his 6 creation and have haye joy therein we look at these things C in in this tilds I 1 manner mauner and ad they appear rational hild and true and we are convinced that they they are true that the tiie scriptures the bible and book of mormon are of divine origin but is this thi all wo iva have t to 0 convince us of the tile truth of these things and to confirm upon gur minds tile tiie principles laid down as of bleh which ia Is called mormonism these are th the only buly means of knowing in in regard to the truth of religion that the world claim to have or that we had prior to becoming acquainted with the doctrines af pf this church and were in it a measure satisfied because it was ivas the best light wo we possessed there aro arc thousands of the most intelli intelligent bont gont and best beat educated men that live and some of the greatest and brightest minds in many nations now engaged in the tho dl dissemination of what they believe belleve to be the gospel of jesus christ claiming no other means of mowing the truth than tradition iud and ind reason and uney luey appear to be satisfied with their convictions and faith falth millions of dollars are expended annually iii in promulgating their religion they orm compass oro pass pasa ian lan land 15 and sea to i mako oake proselytes prose lytes with no other of the truth ot tile the bible M 0 arof or of the divine annl mission of jesus christ ulan than thail thaia ha han ro d cited I 1 but we go ga farther than this although to my mind this mode of reasoning is conclusive so far as it goe sand no doubt is ion lef leftak rasto nasto to ti the hoex existence of our father and god or that lie he created all things for a wise airlie purpose for ills glory and for the glory and happiness of ills liis children that thai the earth end and the fullness thereof are gods although designed for man and his use andal and finally fo to be given to him as an everlasting r inheritance when he lie shall shail through obedience prove worthy of it but as I 1 said before we go farther than this there is a more sure word of prophecy whereunto we de do well weil to take like heed beed 11 there is revelation a means of direct communication muni cation from god to man a power which can rend the veil V between c us and god open the eyes of our understanding and bring us into proximity to him hii so that we may know him as lie is is and leam learn from his own mouth and from tile tiie mouths of his liis holy messengers his laws and will concerning us as anciently this is 19 the tile principle by which adam knew god in the tile garden where lie was placed in the tile beginning inning god came to him dabby day by gy day and conversed with him as one man converses with another giving him instructions and counsel for manawas man was war pure and when he was cast cut out god did not forsake him but appeared to him sent ills his a angels L 1 1 to communicate with him coi col concerning i c ern the plan of salvation and gave him the tile holy ghost tobe to be a light in his path through the tile world made dreary to him by being bani banished iid ild lid from the immediate presence of god men have enjoyed privileges from that day to this in proportion to their worthiness through every gospel dispensation thereby obtaining a knowledge of god for themselves not being left to the traditions of the fathers and to reason alone from time to time the lord raised u up prophets to whom lie has haa ap appeared peares either himself if or by his mes messengers augers eu gers as to abraham jacob moses Nf oses samuel isaiah jeremiah ezekiel and all the tile prophets from the beginning revealing his liis will and making known his requirements so that they have had a positive knowledge 10 given to them of god himself we lire claim that in tins this dispensation this tilis key of knowledge go has been restored to man and we stand upon tile tiie same footing with the ancients and am are not left in uncertainty or doubt the truth of the gospel being confirmed upon our understandings by inspiration and revelation from god line upon line and prece precept r t upon precept until IV we e have 0 obtained a know knowledge leme leke of god whom to know is IA life eternal the ordinances of the gospel have been restored in their purity we know why the law of sacrifice was given to adam and liow how it is that relies relics of the tile gospel are foundation found among g the heathen when jesus came callic and suffered ered the just for the tile unjust lie that was without sin for him that had llad sinned and was subject to tiie tile penalty of the law which tile tiie sinner had transgress edthe law of sacrifice was wais fulfilled and in the stead thereof lie gave another law which we call tile tiie sacrament of the lords supper by which ills lils ilfe life and mission his death and resurrection the tiie great sacrifice lie be had offered for the tile redemption demp tion of mail man should be kept in everlasting remembrance for said taid lie ile this fathis do in remembrance of me for as often as ye eat this bread and drink of this cup doye show the lord lords death till become he come Ther therefore eforo this law is to us what the law of sacrifice ac was to those who lived prior to the first of the son ron of man mail until lie shall come ag again aln ain therefore wo we must honor lionor and keep it sacredly for there thero is a easby penalty attached clied to its violation as we see hee by reading reiding the tile words of paul I 1 cor 11 27 30 80 wherefore a iNho whosoever shall hit pit this min broad bread and drink this cup of the lord unworthily ghail shall be guilty of the body antl anil id blood of the lord but let lct a man examine himself and alid eo so let him cat b that bread and drink of bit hib ait cup eup for he bo that arid and prineth dr ineth unworthily ant and drIn drinkuth keth dam damnation nation pation to himself not discerning the lords body for this cause many arc weak all nit and sickly among you yon and luany sleep alid and it is even oven more plainly given in tile book of Mormon stormon LT ormon I 1 I 1 will rend read Tend nephi chapter ath V pa gb golTl arld and arid non nom tr rit vit it came ta to pass that when j caus had these worda he lie turned his c a again aln alc ain upon tho disciples choai bo ho had hade boscn chosen and said eald unto them behold verily verily I 1 eay say unto you I 1 give rive unto youa youn you yon another nother commandment and then I 1 ennst us t bounto 0 o unto my father that I 1 may fulfill other commandments which he hath bath given me and now behold this Is the commandment which I 1 give unto you that yc ye shall not suffer any knowingly one to partake of my flesh and blood unworthily when yc ye shall shail minister it for whoso choso leateth and drinkuth arin drin keth my flesh and blood unworthily leateth and drin drinkuth keth damnation to his soul therefore if it yc know that a man is unworthy theat to cat and drink of my flesh and dood hood 1 yc to hall hail forbid him bim 11 these are some sonic of tile tiie injunctions and commandments that are ate given in relation illation to the partaking of the lords supper now let us be careful what we do that we may not incur the penalty affixed to tile the tra transgression of this tin s law remembering mem bering that the ordinances which god has given are sacred meted and binding that his laws am arc in force especially upon all that have covenanted aiton wit with him in baptism and ulon upon all unto whom they tiley come whether they embrace them or not as jesus said sald this tills is the tile condemnation of the tile world that light has come conic into to the tile world ivorid but ye yo love darkness rather than light therefore all men will be held heid |