| Show VICARIOUS ordinances THE christian union of a recent date copies a portion of an artice article from this paper on the subject of baptism for the dead and confesses its ito continued lack of understanding of chathas wh athas usually been regarded d by gent gentile Is scholars as a somewhat obscure refe reference rence renca to a not very well under understood custom our briefs marks explaining the restoration ot 0 the heys keys by which the Inyl mystery tY haq has be been C n uri url looked may hot not bot havo nave contributed 1 tri buted much to the enlightenment of tho the chriatian christian unions union 6 or to dispel the obscurity that has hay surrounded the not very well understood od cub cus torm tomm 1 r referred e f 0 are d to by the apostle paul A and n d as we W a w would 0 uld ula like t the he editors af pf the tha union and fend other gokh r christian teachers to bo be bett better batter e r informed U upon this important eu subject t we will try to be a lettla more abre aho 1 ho union am answered weter a question from a the moan mean of tho the text agor 1 cor xv 29 in a very denoting as much lack vf lof information on the subject aa sa thae thai that admitted by the inquirer C arid anu it will be observed that the fhe union 81 refers to the matter in fuestion question ue stion ass asa as a 96 c custom not very well weil hewl will understood even by the best beat aig gentile entile schol scholars rs 11 the language of the text is what shall they do w which aich aro arc baptized for the dead if the dead rlee rise not at all why bre are they then baptized for the dead it la 13 evident from this that the corinthian of the primitive ahl church eurchl understood baptism for the dead better than the resurrection mom from the tha dead the apostle used fas aas asan ason an argument t in favor of the res which bome some of the cor Int hians si seem beem to hae have disputed an ordinance or br ceremony with wh which ch they were well acquainted that the living in those days clays were baptized for tiie lne dead is very cle ele clearer aror the apostle it in the above positive manner munner and used it as an admitted fact in an argument to establish something 1 in controversy it is also certain gertain that the administration of that ordinance has been discontinued in the so called christian churches and that modern ministers do not know anything about it but nut if the living were baptized for the dead in the first century why should not this thin ba done in the nineteenth con tury if it was waa necessary thena then it must be necessary nece epary now bat but the union calls it all custom ft ff it was a mere cu custom bustorf of course its ita importance is ia not very veny great but we notice that the union is in the habit of ra referring ferrIng to other ordinances of the religion established by jesus jebus christ as aa customs wor for this thia we can find no warrant in the sacred scriptures baptism was not enjoined by the savior as a ercus cub custom 27 he ele did not gome dome to endorse or approve of customs but to intro duce duee and make makke firm those things which he had received of the fath father or and in sending hla his apostles ou out t to preach the gospel he required them to teach all things whatsoever he had commanded the barthin of repentant believers was wab clearly required as an essential and there were no non essentials in the doctrines and ordinances revealed by the great master As it if has been with baptism for the dead so to some extent it has been with baptism for the living the moderns nave nava lost ost eight of its import necessity and true object it wils wilh was administered by john and by the disciples of christ for the remission of sins bins in the form both of a burial and a birth the repentant believers and none 0 others were buried from sin bin in the liquid grave and raised up to newness of life by those who were authorized to use the name lamo iamo of the Fathe and tand of the son and of the holy ghost in later times men who have never been authorized to ube use those names administer what they cull culi baptism for various objects in dlf dif different lerent ways having no right to administer the ordinance at all it is not strange that they misunderstand it in its application to the living and are in denee obscurity with regard to its ita administration for fox the dead referring to tho the restoration of the keys of elijah we stated in our former article articie which the th union QUnion does not beem to understand that in the the emple empie at hint Hirt kirtland land ohio eiljah ie prophet appeared in fulfill fulfil ment of the prediction of malachi mai Mal achl achi and there conferred the keys of the turning of athe the hearts of the fathers to the children and the hearts of the child children reh to their fathers this was on the ad bf april 1836 the words of the prophet then fulfilled are nrc in ma malarbi I 1 ach jv iv 5 6 0 the spirit and power thus made manifest and the light then revealed have opened up the preaching of bf the gospel to the dead and the tA ministration by the living in their behalf of the tho ordinal ces of the gopel gospel which belong to the flesh by this we behrn that as jesus jeans after his crucifixion went and preached to the spirits in prison who were u in the day daj da a of apah ih so the sei see servants Ants of god who di die in n this dispensation preach to the inhabitants of the spirit world who did not hear bear it in its fui tui nessIn falness in this thia life the goepel to is thus preached to td them thern that are bre dead that they may be jud judged ged acco soco according to men jh in the flesh but live according ti to god in the spirit I 1 peter ill III ls ili 20 ivi ivy iv 6 the aisem disembodied bodied can bear believe repent and serve berve god but the earthly ordinances belong ablong only to this thia sphere arid and cannot be received in id he spirit world but the living may Ot bland aland andin dudin n the them pace place ol of the dead mid uld receive the ordinance di vicariously vicari busly the place the anode mode the essentials to the proper administration of bf these thebe s or ordinances dl for the debbi dead were revealed 0 othe the prophet joseph smith and by him hlin taught to this church we are building temples ju in these mountain valleys according to the pattern made known on high chief jy for the benefit of the dead because the ordinances in their behalf must be attended to as aa god ha has required for they are not I 1 customs 11 1 1 but out divinely appointed ceremony ceremonies with wlm fixed and definite ob objects jecks we h havo hayo a v 0 leam learned a d lao iao how w itla itis it is that ail kaall all men shall be judged by the one gospel how lithe lethe the fathers without us ua cannot be made ade ado perfect how saviors shall come up on ori mount zion in the last days and the kingdom shall be tho the nord lords the everlasting gospel of jesus christ Is not only to be preached to the nations of the living but to the my myrinda rinds at the is ege ajege ego of the living saints who havn have been baptized ind idd into christ ami pat on christ to represent their ances d 1 tors tord in the earth earthly sF ordinances and thus ahus become saviors of the their kindred when chez genealogical records sil all there will be bd means maahs of information in the vm temples ples pies of god by which those who hold hoid the keys may learn by revelation that which is lacking the dispensation of the falness of tim times es opened will catherin ga therin one all things in christ in the heavens and on the earth earths and complete the work of redemption demp tion begun by the Na nazarene it will not be consummated until every son bon and daughter of adams adame race whether in the world of the world has heard the glad tidings that jebus jesus esus was given as a ransom for fo ralland all ali and a that the one path of salvation is ia open opens though it is ia strait and narrow nor until every knee khali khail boband bow and every tongue confess that jebus jesus is the lord nord to the glory of god the eat Fat fattier fier 11 if the christian union does not understand what baptism for the dead means any better than before wo we arg ard very tery sorry for its obscurity of mind eor a comprehension of this broad and almighty ty plan for the hed ted redemption emption of mankind of all ages and conditions by b the same method Is ia fraught with so BO much satisfaction and falness of joy that we desire all people to participate therein however we can hb arcely scarcely expect that those who have not yet re received the divine message menage of the last dis dib pe mation matlon for them themselves sely es will t bce 8 able to grasp its lull ruil meaning in reference to the dead but we testify in all bli solemnity that god has revealed this glorious gospel of redemption for the dead as well as for the li the tho present age of doubt and agitation that the goo woodwork good work dwork Is going on that the huele hueie humble in many lands are receiving the truth that saviors are coming up to mount zion that the living are being baptized for the dead that the lost communication with the heavens Is restored that the holy apostleship is ig again on earth gaarth that the lord has hab habe hase bet ethis ethla lils lifs hand to fulfill fulfil the words of the pro lyro phet sand band that the kingdom of god is here to be thrown down no more for ever there is ia but one 0 truo trao gospo gospe and church ot of j jeana ems christ no narrow contee contracted ed huz hnz or institution it wag was qa fore the world wal was tu CT needs of the tribes weid et their varied Condi condl conditions tiong 1 1 fixed and definite in 11 mente monte and allwoo all ali who viah rdo dio ria to tn its bene beLe benefits fits must to amply laws lawa and anid annd ordin ordinances auni anni p it man be bom of wat wit wlter water spirit he cannot enter lukth dom of god is a decree tbt tit 4 be broken brohen every houi toul rm bauo 4 the opportunity of remy remt ejecting the everlasting and means are provided flip of all ail 4 to initiate the tho willing ana lbs into the kingdom and tw t god int alst all pho gho love iove govig I 1 and de delre lre ire the salvat salvation ion lom of a ponder on those these chingas 91 will inquire of god it will learn t that thib this true grue irue and anu faithful anak and such light and knowlen future ilves lives will be full fuli and rejoicing |
