| Show J 7 W VY il ly brug BrUa irim young anely AND WILLARD RICHARDS do youa believe ine inc lection and reprobation to prevent prevent the necessity y of read crepeau cg a thousand times what may be said at once we purpose to answer this oft off asked quest question loti in writing eo so that the saints may learn doctrine and all may u understand n der stand that such t lection a and nd reprobation as is tau taught ht ia to the old and andr andI bew new vew sew Testament testaments 83 and aud other revelations from god we fully believe in 14 with evory every other othen principle of righteousness and we nse ask this favor of all into inta whose hands our answer may lume fume that they will not condemn until they have llave read it through iu in the spirit of meekness meek ness nesa and prayer the lord jehovah hath bath spoken through isaiah xiii alii 1 saying behold Je hold hoid my servant whom I 1 uphold mine elect ia lit whom my soul delih deligh teth evidently referring to the lord jesus christ the son bon of god chosen or elected by the father 1 peter i 1 20 who verily was fore ordained before the foundation of the world but was manifest in these last times limes for you who by him do believe in god to serve ili lit him m I 1 in n the redemption of the world to be a covenant of the people isa isa tsa h a lighton the gentiles and the glory of his people israel him of thu thy quick and dead acab x 42 that through him forgiveness ot of sins might be preached acts 38 unto all who would be obedient unto hia hla gospel 11 blaik xvi 16 17 BE javery fery high hig priest mastbe must be ordained heb v I 1 and if f christ had bad not received ordination he be would not have had power to ordain OE liers aa its he did aheu lie he ordained the twelve mark iii ill 14 to take a part in the ministry which he had bad tee Tec received elved of lof his father also john xv 10 Y have not me buti but I 1 li bave vo chosen you sou and ordained you jott that ye ve should go and und bring forth erdl fruity lieb heb v 4 for no noman man thi honor bonor unto himself but he that is blaaw called of as was aaron v 5 so also christ glorified 1 not himself to be made an high priest but he lie that said unto him phou thou aio ait my son this day have bavel I 1 begotten thee no being eau can give that hat which he does nol not ot pos pus ebs consequently no man can confer elio the priesthood on another if he has not himself i first received it aud and the PrICA priesthood hood is of such much a nature that it is impossible to investigate vesti gate the principles of election reprobation etc without touching lupoli the priesthood also and although ome borne L may say that christ ai god needed no ordination hav lag it eternally yet christ says ays matt 18 all power is given to me in heaven and on oil baitt ea itt which could not have been it ho bo was in eternal oases alon aion and la in tila the previously quoted verse wo we dib dim discover caver that he be that said unto hl him I 1 in t e nib nia father eather glorified him to be made an high priest or ordained him hlub to the work of creating the world tind and all things upon it col i 1 16 for b by y him were ail all things created that wre are in hedv heaven and that are in the earth etc andoe and of redeeming the same from the fall tu tir the judging of the quick and dead for the right of judging rests reals in the ib 0 priesthood and U it is through mis medium that the fa uber uben hath committed all judgment unto the tsou tiou sohn jhn john v 22 refer lit anig to ilis ins unearth it was necessary ary that curit chrit should receive the priesthood hood to qualify him to mini wini minister ster iter before his hia father unto the children of men mea so as tu redeem and save them th e m luea duea it bet bee tu reasonable abie able any man mail take it upon him to do a part of the same work or lor to assist in lit the same priesthood who has not been called by the spirit of prophecy or revelation as was Aaron anu ana ordained accordingly and can it be expected that a man will wilt be called by revelation who does not believe in revelation or r will any man niah submit to ordination for the fulfillment of iw aTe revelation or callin CA in which he hulf haiie ilo ho faith falth we think not that we may learn still further that god calls or elects particular invin iab n to particular works or ou whom to confer special blessings in Is we read isaiah xiv 4 for J jacob Z ob my servants sake and israel mine mine elect I 1 have called thee 0 Gj aru rusby by thy name to t be a deliver to my people israel and to help belp to plant them on my holy ajl w a mounil mountain ln isaiah icv 9 ae see con ton cong nexion for tor formula mine elect shall inherit it and my servants shall dwell there even on the mountains of palestine the land of canaan which god had before promised to abraham Abra liam llam and his 8 and the particular reason why abraham was chosen or elected to be the father of this blessed nation is clearly told by the lord gen au for I 1 know him that he will command his bis children and his houi household after him and they shall keep the way of the lord to do justice and judgment that the lord may bring upon abraham that which lie he halh hath spoken of himi him 1 I and this includes the general principle of election i a that god chose elected or ordained aenid jesus christ his son to be the creator crealor eie cie ator alor governor saviour eav loun lour and judge of the world and abraham to be the father of f the faithful on account of his foreknowledge of their obedience to his will and commandments which agrees with the saying I 1 in the 2 tim ii 11 21 if a man purge himself from these he shall non boa be a vessel unto honour sanctified and meed meet for the In masters asters use and prepared unto every good work 1 I thus if lV appears that god has chosen or elected certain individuals individual to pel per tain blessings er or to td the performance bince bf bt certain works and that we may way more fully understand the movements of the supreme governor of the universe in the order of election we proceed to quote the sacred writers rom viii 29 30 for whom he did foie fole foreknow know he also ald aid predestinate to be conformed to the image of hission his hon lion that he might be the firstborn first born agolig many bro brethren thren moreover whom he did pre predestinate them lie he also call cali called dand daud and whom ho called them he aiso also justified and und whom he jus tilled them he aiso also glori ned ded 11 and aud whom did he foreknow those that loved him as we find in the verse of the same chapt chapter er for we know that all things W work ork together forbid to them t hat that love god to them who are the called according to his purpose and who are the called according to bis his purpose those whom before he fore knew knewl fer far he be foreknew foreknow fore knew that those who loved him would do his will wil and work rf righteousness piteousness and it Is vain for m meu men eu to sy say they love god if they do not hot keep his hs commandments cain found it so when he be presented an unrighteous of erins erias for god said bald unto him gen iv 7 aj if thou doest well thou not noli be accepted and yet yel he was nou not accepted but choso whoso keeneth his word fo in him verily is the ibe love of god perfected ana hereby know we that we are in him 1 I 1 john jolin ii 5 or that we are the called according to Ms purpose 11 but did not gud god foreknow all things and allm en surely ku own unto god are all alf hig his works from the begin beginning nin g of the world acts xv 18 1 but au t does doea that prove that thai all men would aou id jove jovo him and keep his bis comman commandments dm ants so that he would predestinate them u unto nto eternal life ilfe certainly not net for that would make god to foreknow things which were nt not to be and to pro men to that unto which they could never attain matt matt malt vil vii 13 For fbi wide is the gate and broad is the way that to destruction and many there bo be which go in thereat the principles of gods gous kingdom are perfect e r fact and harmonious antl anil the scriptures c r of truth must also agree in all their parts so that one sentiment thereof shall not destroy another and when we read that thai whom he did foreknow he also did predestinate and that known unto god are all his hia works so that thai it might appear from an abstract view thereof that god foreknow fore knew all and consequently predestinated all to be conformed to the im image age of his son we ought also to read mark that shall be damned and john vili 24 itye if ye believe not that I 1 am he ye shall die in your sins also matt xiv 41 depart from me ye so cursed for I 1 was an hungered and ye gave me no meat etc paul referring to the saints rom rom bom i 1 7 calls calia them beloved of god called to be saints and says rom viii vili 1 there Is no condel nation to them which are in christ jesus who walk not after the flesh but nat aft after erthe the spirit 11 and je goes so s on to o show in hi his s epistle to the Rt mans that the law the law of carnal commandments given to the children of israel ael tho the cov eov covenant enaut peo pied pie could not make the comers comert thereunto perfect see also heb x I 1 1 but was given for a school maste masto to bring us unto christ gal iii ill 24 so that when he had come M and of feard linnis himself bif without w spot fid unto nto god I 1 cheb heb ik 14 UT the sacrifice of the law should be dono done away in him that the honest iu ili healt hc ail ait all mig mit unto the perfect law of liberty james 1 25 or the gospel of christ walking no longer after the flesh but hut after the spirit and be of that number who love iod lod god and keep his commandments that they might be called according to tb his purpose rom bom bom rom mil all 28 and these were the individuals referred to whom god foreknow nore fore knew such as abelseth dek abraham abrahim lot isaac jacob joseph moses caleb joshua the harlot hariot dahab who wrought righteousness by hiding the servants of god when their lives were bought nought by their enemies gideon barak sampson jephtha lavid hamuel samuel and the prophets heb af 4 31 t falth faith subdued kingdoms wrought righteousness obtained promises I 1 stopped the mouths of or lions quenched quen ched the violence c e of firel fire escaped the edge of the sword out ox or weakness were made mildo strong 1191 rigs waxed valiant in fight and turned to flight the armies of the aliens these all died in faith having baying kept the commandments of we the moat hig b having obtained ithe i he promise of a glor gior glorious lous ious inheritance and are waiting the fulfillment of the promise romise which they obtained heb hob reb xi 40 god having provided some belter better thing for ua us that they without us should not be lie made per fea fed 11 the prophet alma bears beara a 0 similar testimony to the other prophets concerning election in chapter book of mormon saying this la Is the manner alten alter which they were ordained being called and pre pro prepared from the foundation of the world acco according arding to thedore the foreknowledge knowledg bof of gj god od on account accounts of their f r ex exceeding beeding ce eding faith and good works wo rca nia in the first place being left lent to choose good op or evil therefore they having chosen good and exercising exceeding great faiths faith falth are called culled with a holy holi calling yea with that holy calling which was waa prepared with and accor dlug diug toa preparatory lory tory redemption tor ifor such a anu and U thas they have been called to th this nis als holy calling on account of their faith while others would reject re tue tuo the spirit of god on account of the b hardness of their hearts and blindness of their minds while ifft if it had bad not been for this they might have bad as great privilege as their brethren or in fine in the first place they were on the same standing with their brethren thus this holy calling being prepared from the foundation or of the world for such as would not harden their hearts being in and through the atonement of the begotten bons sons tsou who was prepared and thus being called by this holy boly calling and ordained unto the ho hood od of the holy order of god to each his big commandments unto tho children of meuy memy mem men that they also might enter into his rest this thia high ark prk airhood being after the order of his son which order was from thu the of the or in other uther words being without t beginning ot 0 days daya or end of years being prepared from eternity to all eterei eternity ty according to his foreknowledge of all things 11 rom ix 11 1112 12 for rhe fhe children being not rot yet jet born neither having done any good or evil that the purpose of god according to election might stand not of works but of him that call eth it was said unto her the elder shall berve berve serve the jo younger unger As we have before shown why god chose abraham to be the rather lather of the faithful faith falth fu viz because he knew know he would command his children and his household blo fio after him BO so now we see aee by bj this why the purposes of god od according to election should stand aland tan d and that for his oaths sake ge gen n 16 1617 17 18 by myself nave ills I 1 sworn saith the lord for tor lecause thou hast bast done this thing tiling and hast bast not withheld thy sog son gon son thine only bon son that in blessing I 1 will bless thee and in multiplying I 1 will wiil multiply thy seed teed as the stars of the ilie heaven and hud as the sand which Is upon the sea shore and thy seed shall possess the gate ot of his enemies and in thy seed shall all the nations liati ons of the earth be blessed because thou hast bast obeyed my voice here the lord jesus coming through the seed beed of abraham is again referred to through chose SHUe rings and death or in whom all the nations of the earth earlb were to be blessed or made alive as they had died in adam 1 I cor xv 22 in this election is made nani fest for god elected or cho chose se he children of israel to be his pe cullar culiar people peole and to them belong the covenants and promises and dol JOL tub tiie blessings received by the gentiles come through if t hb he do cove covenants ve a nanis a t to abraham and his bis seed for through the unbelief of the jews rom 1117 al 17 they were beok broken off and the gentiles gen Geu tilea were grafted iu in but they stand by faith laith rom rom bom xi 20 and not by the oath of elect election lor lot 1 therefore it becq be cometh meth them to fear lest they cease quickly to bean bear fruit and be broken enn eff verbe verse verse 21 that the jews may be grafted in again for they shall be grafted in again averse 23 if they in un belief tife tile th e gentiles became par partakers takers era cra bf bi the b edings of election and promises through faith and obedience as peter say bay 8 writing to the strangers scattered abroad 1 I 1 pet chap who were the Gentl les lea the elect according to the foreknown fore knowl edge of god the father through tigh of the spirit unto obedience 1 I 1 petery peter lii ili ii aj for ye SO are a chosen chuse generation i a roy royal priesthood an holy nation matron a becu liar people that ye should Jilie shuw shew W forth the praises of him who hath bath called you I 1 out of darkness dar kuess buesa into his marvellous marvello marv ellous us light verse 10 which in id times timesia past at were not a people but now are ehe people of god which had bad not obtained mercy merdy but now have obtained mercy 11 why were they a oe culiar cullar people because god had chosen that generation of gentiles and conferred cont coni erred on them tho the kles kies sings which descended through tha the Pries priesthood tho od and the covenants |
