Show ID rs 0 0 U TP S 0 Y IK mob MOE kii gai wt W t DELIVERED ji in the assembly nali nail salt lae laft gug cry january 1881 1 Id SPORTED BY JOHN IRVINE therefore leaving the principles of tile the doctrin doctrine e of christ let us go on unto perfection not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward god 1101 of the doctrine of baptisms and of laying on of hands and of resurrection of the dead ana and of eternal judgment I 1 have read the first and second verses of the eth chapter of pauls epistle to the hebrews having been requested to occupy a portion of the time allotted to our afternoon service I 1 desire an interest in your faith and prayers and confidence that I 1 may be enabled to say those things that will be acceptable to our common father and god in the heavens and will be for our good the latter day saints who have congregated gre gated together this afternoon for religious G worship come for a particular and specified object having in view the strengthening of their spiritual natures the receiving of light intelligence and knowledge from froni oil on ill lil high gh on matter pertain unto eternal etero life to enable us to accomplish this object lt at is necessary that we draw in ou our minds from the things by which we are surrounded rounded bur and ena endeavor eavor to concen citrate our faith upon the duties that devolve upon us in religious worship A aud and it is no meaningless phrase when all an elder of israel asks the faith and prayers of israel in his behalf that lie he ibay be clothed upon by the inspiration tion of the idol holy spirit to say those things that wll will be for the good of the people we have laid down here certain principles of the gospel that that I paul raul taught to the hebrews near 2000 years ago but linci ginel principles ples pies that were not new evening even esen in that at day on the contrary principles of eternal truth that have always existed that always will exist that cannot be chan changed ed in their form cannot be annihilated annihilate a through the unbelief of the human family for they are self seif elf eif existent and do not depend upon the belief or unbelief of men for their sustenance or for their destruction in this consists their greatness M that they are not dependent upon the marm arm of flesh eor tor lor their existence for they were just as true when rejected by the hebrews in it days of old as they tiley were in lil times before that as they are today to day accepted by a rew tew of the human family but rejected by the great mass the latter day saints then feel to congratulate themselves upon this point that they llave have their faith upon a rock that cannot be destroyed and that will exist not only through the ages of time but through out all the endless ages of eternity having existed in eternity in the past it exists today to day and will exist in it the eternities to come these principles s are plain and simple so plain and so simple that jesus in ills his day speaking in regard to them told the people that a wayfaring man though a fool need not err therein that on the contrary they were suited to the capacity of the whole human family the unlearned as well as the learned and there was this peculiar feature when they were promulgated in the days of jesus that as a r rule nule e it was the unlearned of the human family that were willing to yield obedience in that day and age of tile the world that it was the common PC people ople opie who heard him gladly that the teachers of the jews they who had control of the synagogues who stood in the foremost places in th the nation rejected the lowly nazar ine inc and ilis his teachings while fishermen from the shores of the sea of galilee galileo heard and received him gladly gladi y that peculiar feature to a greater ogreater or less ex tent adheres adherer to those prinell principles neif I 1 es today to day gathered from the middle walks of life from the various nations of the earth coming from the east cast and from to the west from the north and from the south forthe gos gospels eils ells sake gathered to together ether III in these valleys of the mountains aalfs the latter day saints are willing to sacrifice the good opinion of the world willin willing to sacrifice all that man holds ilean licar near and ana dear to him for the sake of the truth willing to forsake kindred and home the graves of our ancestors ce and those associations that bind themselves round the heart coming in here for the sole purpose of being in instrumental shrum in the hands of god in establishing his king kingdom dom in braingin bringing to pass ills his purposes in proclaiming tho aho glad tidings of the gospel aidin tidings s that were the shepherds s upon the plains plains of bethlehem I 1 1800 years ago I 1 on earth peace good will vill toward men bringing with us a broad charity and philanthropy for the world de string desiring to better the human family and allowing our charity to go out broader than that even reaching behind the veil taking hold upon the things pertaining not only to this life tut redeeming those thoss who have ceedee us into the spirit world allow lc ung our charity to go out so BO broad that v zivo a possible sai dal salvation to every don soa and d 4 daughter of adim adam that ever 4 came me upon the face of tho the earth or that shall come paul calls those principles pies ples that I 1 have read over the doctrine of christ lie he calls one of those principles les ies the doctrine of repentance the iatter latter latter day saints who have gathered from the nations of the earth will bear me out when I 1 sa say that tile tiie doctrine of repentance a as s by believed ell eli eved in ill by them i is s different in many respects to thedo irine of repentance as it existed in 11 lands from whence they came As the latter latten day y S saints understand the doctrine old kid of it repentance pen tance it is tot to turn from froni that which cli cil I 1 is wro wrong to forsake evil and cleave chave unto that that is good if a man has be been en a wrongdoer wrong doer let him be a wrongdoer wrong doer ho hio longer let him conform his life to the principles of integrity and righteousness and honor bonor let him keep the commandments of god god in their letter and in their spirit I 1 care not what the professions of a man maybe I 1 care not with what airo alro air aln of I 1 sanctity lie he may be clothed without the observance of this law in its true sense it is not repentance paul speaks of another principle that he calls raith laith and in the lith chapter of his epistle to the hebrews he be gives some information in regard to its nature and character ile he says who through faith subdued ais kingdoms d geoul wrought righteousness obtained lorom promises 1 ies les stopped the mouths of lions quenched the violence of fire escaped the the edge of the sword out of weakness were vero vere made strong waxed valiant in it fight women worden received their dead raised to life again etc faith certainly is a most I 1 important I 1 u principle and without it I 1 U ask IV s the latter day saints how long could we a body I 1 have often heard the remark made by those unacquainted with the G gospel asp ea those who knew know not the truth buty budy but yet t who sho were willing to look dispassionately tely yea even kindly upon the errors and fal fai fallacies fala faia cies acles as they termed them and believed them to be that we are indulging in the question li estion has been asked by tins class of 7 persons how illow does it come by what process is it that the latter day saints surrounded as they have been surrounded as they are today to day environed round about upon every side by that seem insurmountable and obstacles that might cause apparently the stoutest heart to quake and the firmest knees to tremble that in it their hour of trial and tribulation they always had confidence that in the outcome it would all be well weli with israel that no matter what might be doneit cone done it would in the end prove rove for kr the good of the kingdom of ad god until the motto tag they can do nothing against but only for or us has become a household word in the midst of the saints why when the powers and influences of the world are arc brought to bear upon the latter day saints whether collectively or in an individual ca capacity acety they cling to this principle of falth faith falth they believe ill in the promises of the god of israel the they believe belleve 11 e ve that god will not falsia falsify his word 1 11 they believe that god wi wit T establish ills his kingdom and bring to pass ills his purpose purposes in the earth the faith of the latter day saints is a living devold principle rin ciple A latter day saint devoid coltof of the principle of faith would be an anomaly in fact such ail an one could not be a Latt erday saint for it requires faith in the god of israel to stand the tests that they are arc called upon to pass through yet calmly and quietly deliberately libera tely with full confidence in jehovah hovah they can go forth in the discharge cha e of their d titles duties as they understand tan rd them believing that in the out come god will be their friend and protector in the future as lie he has been in the past as ile he has brought them through the trials and tribulations of days gone by so will ile he do ill in the future this principle of faith therefore that paul taught to the hebrews was vas certainly a most important one and it is one that it would be impossible for the latter day saints to have succeeded paul also speaks of the doctrine of baptisms not in the singular but in the plural apparently as though there were two b baptisms the doctrine of baptisms lie he says wo we find following ow after the principles of faith aith ail all and repentance the doctrine of baptism baptis for the remission of sins as john the forerunner of jesus taught as paul t taught aught and as jesus himself taught it I 1 t is upon record here liere that they taught b baptism for the remission of sins of th those thore ose who would submit to the 0 ordinance of baptism or in other words to more clearly explain what I 1 wish to tile the sins of human beings up till the age at which they are baptised baptized sed are recorded against thern thorn if they are willing to submit to the ordinance of baptism by immersion havin having faith falth in it god tep repenting enting of their sins ly oy one having authority god gives them nis llis promise that he will remit their sins thattil thakill tha tuli tuii 1 that have been committed in tiie the past shall be blotted out from tile book of ills his remembrance and from froin that day forth they are free from the sins of tile past the ordinance of baptism then is not an ordinance to us of mere more form or something that is submitted iosim to simply because it is an ordinance of the tile church on the contrary it is positive ely essential to the salvation of the tile human family clitus in times of old came to jesus upon this subject and apparently asked him the question I 1 if there was some other possibly better method whereby man coulden could enter the kingdom of god and ho he was told by the redeemer Ee deemer that no llo m milr anui lir could enter the kingdom of god axce except pt he had been born of the water and of the spirit this is the law as it is laid down if there is lri ane any difference of opinion upon the part ot of any single 1 individual on this sub subject el t it is ilot flot with me but it liswith is with the te word of god as given through ills his son jesus christ that except a man be born of the water and of the spirit lie can in no wise enter the kingdom of god the latter day saints elleve believe belleve this and act accordingly that except a man be born of the water and of the spirit he could not even see the kingdom of gody godf god let alone enter therein the ordinance af pf of baptism f orthe forthe or the remission of sins is t then tell to t the lie lle latter day saints a very 1 important or t ordinance K v P raul paul faul atul speaks c s of another ordinance that lie he terms s tile th slaying claying on of hands 11 I 1 have f found iii in traveling in the midst of the christian world that th very often of ten christian people would agree with me in relation to the tile principles of which I 1 llaves have spoken they would say yes we believe that idea of faith is correct we believe that idea of repentance is ia correct we believe that idea of baptism even is correct but they were not strong enough apparently to believe in this principle called thel the laying on of hands which paul terms oneff one of the doctrines of christ we find that this principle icicle is practiced in the midst of the tiie latter day saints as also an essential ordinance that except a man being baptised baptized sed in water and horn born of the th e spirit by the tile laying oil on of hands lie he can call in no wise enter ie the kingdom of god this is the light wee vve are told that Is given to every soul that cometh upon the earth not to the latter day saints alone not to the former day saints not to those alone who were baptised baptized sed sedi but to every soul that cometh upon the earth the ordinance of baptism for the remission of sins being essential so is the ordinance of the laying anol on of hands that men may receive e the holy spirit or in other words the laying n on 01 of hands is the medium that lad iad god a has instituted for his children to be placed in communication with himself that they may receive the spirit that th at leads and guides and d directs unto all truth that brings things past to our remembrance that TS us things to come that opens up the visions of heaven and makes known unto us the mind and will oi of god I 1 remember one minister with whom I 1 had the privilege of conversing upon loomis th this p principle rinel ab leile lehe stated that it looked reasonable r ason I 1 that he lie did not know really but what it was correct and doubtless had been neglected in times gone by well tle lle got to thinking over the matter and ana he read lle lie ile he will show you things to come he tle cama to me with some questions one was do you deanto mean to hii hay sax y the holy noly S spirit VT it will show a man thing t sto 0 come 4 yes 1 well of course if it shered me thili things sto to come I 1 could tell of it 9 sews yes 99 would not that constitute me a prophet atwould it would 11 Well weli sald said lie he this generation will not endure this thing it is too strong doctrine I 1 replied that that no generation that I 1 had ever read or heard of had endured it but that in all tile the ages gone by when god had placed men be here it upon n the earth with authority to coly confer or tr this is gift ift they llad had invariably been rejected of men tills this principle is believed in and practiced by the tile latter day saints we read ill in one instance that is doubtless fresh in the minds of many of the latter day saints as contained in the ath chapter of the acts of the apostles where bertain bertaln ihen men had been bap tided but they had to send for the apostles to go go into the portion of country where those baptisms had oc oce oer burred and we ve read thell then laid they their hands on them and they received the holy ghost the latter day saints believe that not only was that principle efficacious in that direction in that day daz but that it is true today to day as then the tiie latter day saints bear testimony of its truth that having repented of their sins having faith in ill god having been baptised baptized sed having received the la laying ing on of hands hand tiley lie lle Y have received receive me the holy spirit they have received knowledge ilg jig light it ind and lud iud in teli tell gence from on high that god has revealed to theril them certain principles of |