| Show ba b a SM V BY ELDER cias dias W i h oh DELIVERED 00 suk vait lake city sun dyg afternoon june ath 1884 it 11 21 1 REPORTED BY JOHN joun IRVINE lune christs last w words on the cross true faith in christ exhibited by obeying his commandments mand ments popular belief that christ hag baa done everything need needful fill his work not finished on the cross present revelation and ancient scripture where whery was jesus daring the time between his de death ath and his resurrection preaching the gospel to the dead christs ie resurrection ilis llis body raised ile he obtained the keys of bell and of death lie he became 11 the resurrection and the life the other sheep of israels fold jesus among the Nep hites their record the book of mormon ilis his work among the lost ten tribes works Y yet et future suture the resurrection of all that are in their graves the redemption of tile the earth the victory over satan meaning cleaning of it Is finished what i mankind have to do to be saved Essential essentiality uty tty of gospel ordinances recapitulation exhortation to good works I 1 have been ben requested to address the con congregation this afternoon an and darise arise to no do so I 1 trust that I 1 1 shall smi have the attention of the cong congregation re atlon and the faith and prayers of the ke latter day saints that the spirit of god may rest upon me to enlighten my mind and suggest such thoughts to me as will be profitable for this con congregation re atlon to re fleet upon the elders elder s of of this church nave been commanded of the lord to seek dill diligently antly for his spirit and when they are called upon to speak in the name of the lord to speak as they are moved upon by the holy ghost and if they have not the S spirit J rit they are not to teach the gospel gospe in ancient days the apostle says came not with enticing words of mans wisdom but in demonstration and power of the spirit the latter day saints believe in that doctrine and look for the inspiration and whispering xing of the holy ghost in all their public alic exercises and the servants of god in this church have beetled been led to understand fully that by their own wisdom and understand understanding im and learning if they have any they are not qualified to iea aea preach eh the dospel gospel of jesus christ it in must be preached if at all under the influence of the spirit that cometh f from rom god and by which alone the things of god can be discerned yet at the same time they are commanded to seek out of the best books words ot of wisdom to seek for knowledge by learning and by study and by faith and to treasure up in their hearts continually the words of life the promise is gyc given to them that when it is needful the spirit ot god shall rest upon them and take of those things which A they have treasured up in their hearts hed bed an and bring forth things both new and ana old f for sor or the benefit of those who listen to theiu their words I 1 trust that this afternoon this good sprit will not only rest upon the speaker but upon the near hear ers that we may all be edified together ana and that we all may be able to see eye to eye I 1 will take a text of scripture as a foundation for some remarks til this is 1 afternoon and if I 1 am led by the spirit of th the lord eLord will endeavor to convey some thoughts in connection with this passage it irwill will be found in the goth verse of the gospel according to st john when jesus therefore had received the vinegar he said Itis it is finished and he bowed his head and gave up the ghost weare we are partaking this afternoon of bread and water in commemoration of the death and sufferings of jesus christ our savior the bread representing his body and the water in lieu of wi wine 1 11 e representing his blood we do not use wine in the sacrament because the lord has told us not to use wine as a beverage and not to use it in the sacrament except it be pure wine of the grape of the vine of our own make water being the purest element that exists on the earth we use that in lieu of the wine under the direction and approval of our heavenly father we believe therefore in jesus christ that is in jesus of nazareth who was called the christ and who died on calvary being put t to 0 death by the jews we believe belleve athe in the atonement which christ wrought out for the human family b by y the shedding of his blood and in token ot of our be lief we on the sabbath day or on the lords day the first day of the week break bread and drink water to commemorate meni me orate his death and sufferings to show him that we believe in him uini that we are willing to give evidences of our faith not bonfy only by words but by our works that we are willing to take upon us his name and kep kee tile tiie the commandments mand ments which he has given to us and also to show that we believe in his coming again as king of KI kings and lord of lords to reign over the face of the earth and also in token of our fellowship one with another as brethren and sisters believing in the th same god and in the same savior and looking for the same salvation now novy while we believe in the atonement of ol jes jesus as christ in the great work which ile he wrought out for the human family doing something for them which they were not able to do for themselves at the same time we believe in keeping keepin 11 the laws and commandment atla alib and counsels which jesus christ revealed in times of old and chien lie has renewed to his church in these latter times by present revelation while we depend upon the shed blood of christ that we may obtain the remission of sins and enter into the tiie kingdom of our lord we also believe it is absolutely necessary to do those works that jesus christ has commanded our faith then is a faith that includes or is exhibited by works we do not believe that that which is called faith which simply consists of belief in jesus belief that lie he lives belief that he died died for the world is sufficient that is not a saving faith we believe that that which will bring people to salvation Is a faith that is exhibited in carrying out the commandments and counsels of jesus christ and that this is the meaning of the text which says believe in the lord jesus christ and thou be saved 11 but it is often claimed by professors of religion and by professed teachers of religion claiming to have authority to preach the gospel that jesus christ did all the work that is necessary for tile the salvation of the human family when he died upon the cross that ile he finished his work on the cross I 1 and therefore there is nothing left for the inhabitants of the earth to do and in support of this idea this text I 1 have just read to you is very often cited when jesus jeans therefore had received the vinegar he said it is finished and lie bowed his head and gave up tile the ghost from this text tile the idea has gone forth into the world that this work that christ performed upon the cross was the unace finale of the work of salvation t that bothin nothing else remained to be done that christeas christ Chris thas has done it all that he has finished his work for all the inhabitants of the earth and all they have to do is to look to him and they will be saved now we regard this as a very great mistake and we regard it so because of the commandments and re revelations ons of god to the latter da day oay saints in this a age e of the world IV we 0 believe in the bible the books of the old and new testament but we do not take our faith from that book we do not depend upon it for our ideas in regard tore to religion lidon ildon the doctrines and arinel principles I 1 I 1 e s which sich gich we believe have come down adolv n from from god to us in this age of the world by present revelation but they correspond ond with the doctrines taught hy by jesus jesus and by his apostles in ancient times and so we very often refer to the scriptures in proof of the truth of that which we teach we having received the gospel in our own time tim e by direct revelation from god preach the doctrines that god has revealed and refer to the old scriptures crip t ures in truth of that which we advance now I 1 will endeavor this afternoon in the first place to show you from the serl seri scriptures 1 tures that jesus christ did not fini ninish finish st ills his work for the salvation of the human family when he died on the cross that there was consid considerable erable to do and and considerable was done as we find on record the deanin meaning of lof this passage we will endeavor to understand der stand before we get through did jesus christ finish ills liis work for the salvation of the race when he bowed his head upon the cross and gave up the ghost no we say and 1 I think the scriptures will bear us out in this view on the third day after this occurrence one of ills his disciples a woman called mary was in the atar ear den near where lie he had been buried and a personage appeared there whom she supposed to be the gardener she had learned that the body of jesus was no longer in the tomb and she stepped forward to speak to this person whom she supposed to be the gardener to ask him where they had bad aasen taken the body jesus for it was jesus himself called her by name she sprang sprang forward as though to embrace I 1 him I 1 and he said what touch me not mary iary for I 1 am not vet ascended to my eather rather but go ta tor my brethren and say unto them I 1 ascend unto my my father an and d your father and to my god goa and your G god oper john 17 kowit appears from this that though jesus christ gave up the ghost that he died on the cross that ills his lifeless body was taken down from the cross and laid in the tomb ile he had not been to the father touch me not for I 1 am not yet ascended to my father now the question arises where was jesus during tile the time that elapsed between ills his giving ivin lvin up p the ghost host and the time when ble bie he appeared pa ato to mary in the garden arden on the third day where had he ide been we know where ills his bod body was ills his body was put in a sepulchre in a new tomb hewn liewig out of the rock in which no iuan inan had lain A stone was placed at the door thereof and roman soldiers were placed as guard but where was jesus the tiie real person the intelligent being bein that came out of that body the tile ghost alle alie spirit the reality the personality of jesus for the real man is the im immortal mortal spirit of man and the real jesus was wag va that living being that came from the father jesus declared he came forth f from roin rhu rhe father and was going to the father in his prayer recorded by st john he lit said and now 0 father thou me with thine own seir seil with tm glory which I 1 had with thee before the world was he had come conle anti and in the flesh for a season where mere was he during the time 11 hin his is spirit inspirit was absent from his gils body let lut us read what the apostle peter says about it epistle of peter ird chapter 18 19 and 20 verses for christ also hath once sunn ruff suffered cred for sins ins the just tor for the unjust that thit he lle might ring bring us to god being put to 10 death in ulle ulie flesh but quickened i w the spirit toby by which also 1 almol ni preached un ull to thes thos the tho pints in y r which sometime were disobedient when once the lons long dering suffering feat of god waited in the days ol of noah while tile the ark was a preparing wherein few that is eight sou gou souls s were gaved e d by water that is what peter says in regard to the matter jesus was put to death in the flesh but quickened by the spirit by which also lie he truent terent somewhere while white ills his body was lying in the tomb jesus went away where not to the father ile he was not yet ascended to the father when he met inet mary diary in the garden where did ile he go lie he went i and nd preached unto the spirits ingris on which sometime were disobedient when once the long suffering of god waited in tile the days of noah now that is a new llev do doctrine efrine to the people of this generation but it was an old doctrine to the ancient saints and Is s a doctrine with which the latter day saints are arc familiar not from reading that text but by bv the revelations of god through t the e prophet I 1 pilet oseph joseph smith to the them by av which ic t they e learn that departed s spirits brits peo people le who have dwelt in the flesh esh and who w 0 have not nut had the privilege and opportunity of hearing bearing hear ing the gospel preached while they were alive will in the due time of the lord have the same gospel that is preached in the flesh preached to them in the spirit world it if a people have lived upon the earth at a time or in a place where the gospel could not reach them they will hear it afterwards in the spirit world and even those who had the opportunity of hearing tile the gospel here in in the flesh and have not received it after they have suffered the vengeance of god in the place prepared in the eternal punishment for the punishment is eternal it always exists but is meted out to the tile children of god as they deserve some being beaten with many stripes some being forgiven after they have suffered a certain portion of penalty while others who sinned against light and knowledge must pay the uttermost f farthing al thin lor for their transgressions after p people eop lelave have gone through this eternal punishment unish ment of god teen then a again aln ain they have ave an opportunity of receiving the gospel but they will never attain t to 0 that de degree wree gree of glory honor and exaltation th G the presence of god that they might in ight have attained unto had they received the truth when first pres prea anted to them now no w then here was ivas a peo people I 1 ic who liv lived ed u upon pon the earth in the davs days of noah noah was a preacher of righteousness 1 ous ness while theara the ark was p preparing re parino paring he preached to the pe people ople opie wear we are C told he preached years as you may find by studying the book of geneses and its chronology chrono loly but the people rejected his bis preaching they rejected the truth which noah brought to them hence they were swept OR off the face ol oi theearta the earth where did they go they went into prison as the apostle peter calls it and jesus went and preached to them what did jesus preach to them that is the next question if Ile he carried out the prophecy delivered byI byl by salah isaiah he went to preach deliverance to thein them for the prophet isaiah spoke in regard to the lord jesus who quoted the words of isaiah on a certain sabbath day when ile he went avent to the synagogue and stood up for to read and this is is what he read the spirit of he the lord god is 13 1 up upon 0 n me because the lord hath bath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek he hath bath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted broken hearted to P proclaim r 0 liberty to the captives and t the 1 ie opening of the prison to them that are bound to proclaim the acceptable year of the lord according to that prediction of isaiah when jesus went lo io preach to tile the spirits in prison ile he went to preach deliverance deliver anbe to the captives to open tile the prison to them that are bound to proclaim the acceptable year of the lord now let us read a little further f from roul the epistle of peter ath chapter and ath verse for this tius cause was the gospel prea preached thed aio alo aiso to them that arc dead that they might be judged according to mer meu in the flesh but live livo according to god in the spirit peter is speaking in regard to two classes of persons as you will find in the ath verse of this same chapter who shall gi give ve in rin account t to him that is ready to judge the quick and the dead ile he was speaking in regard to the quick that is |
