| Show I 1 tso ISO O BY ELDER H W jn in the salt sall lake city sunday Aftem afternoon oon may 15 1881 reported BY JOHN IRVINE HOWEVER disagreeable it may be to my iny personal feeling to stand before a congregation congregations the consciousness which the elders of this church poss sess that they have had committed to them the author authority ltv of the holy priesthood and that they are entitled to the inspiration of the holy ghost and that they possess the faith and prayers of the saints who are their associates in the church those who understand their needs is enough I 1 think to buoy up an individual when ho he is ii called upon suddenly to address the people indeed it Is these thoughts alone which give me courage at the prent present time I 1 count aprin a measure of the holy spirit I 1 count upon the faith and prayers of the saints and while I 1 taire take up a little time I 1 hope that that which may be said will be profitable and advantageous to all who listen and to the speaker himself numerous have been the methods and channels through which the human family from time to time have received intelligence preaching is as old as history men have learned from each other the results of individual lex experience lence has been bean transmitted to tze tee those ose who had less opportunity and in this way knowledge has been increased in one from the reso resources arces arees of another but christians believe I 1 think as a it rule that men have not always been dependent upon those who dwell in the flesh for the in intelligence which they have acquired those who have accepted the bible the old and new testament will understand that there have havo been in past ages other methods by which intelligence 11 was communicated than fence simply through men who dwelt in the flesh spiritual communication is ono one of the corner stones of the old book it is filled with instances where not directly of earth have visited members of the human family and communicated with them from time to time abraham whom christians look upon as the father of the faithful was one who was privileged to receive angelic visitations lot was another of those who had experience of this character te and BO so were many of the ancients from the beginning down to the time of our lord and savior jesus christ whose divine mission was announced by the visitations and communications of the angelic hosts whatever the character of these angels might have been whether they were resurrected beings who had dwelt upon the earth whether they were those of higher grades archangels as they are called or dr whether they were designed and appointed specially to minister to individual men which of these varieties they may have belonged to it is very evident that the scriptures are full of the history of angelic communication and that they were the instruments in the hands of the almighty sent to communicate muni cate ilia his will under certain conditions it is quite true that in our age this las been accounted one of the lost arts it has been numbered among the things that had been but had bad fallen into disuse something that had become obsolete or ud unnecessary necessary in the advanced con of human intelligence but the same scriptures which tell of such visits in ancient times also point out with remarkable distinctness ness that there would be periods in tile the history of the human family when this angelio augello communication would be again restored and that messengers would ngam again come from the heavens to communicate with the children of men and introduce anew a new condition of things thing sor or prepare for conditions which must and wiil will exist in order that the economy of god might be saved hence we have an account it in the revelations of st john of the diffie different rent angels that were to follow mow each other in the bev sev era eral oral epochs or dispensations of providence among mankin mankind if we nave have an account of the opening of the seven seals betas wb which leh ieh according to that record is to be done by angels angela appointed by divina divine authority for the 11 1 resa ress purpose in the unfolding of fht ext 2 divine program in tu hu human ah cieto f W uw ia pa m there of one ono particular angel of whom it is said that he was seen flying through the midst of heaven having the everlasting gospel to preach unto those that dwell upon theearta the earth that this was to be in the far distant future from rom the period when john dwelt upon the earth and was a prisoner on the isle of patmos patinas Is abundantly evident to all who have been but casual readers of the sacred scripture but to those who have been students of that book boob to those who have sought to read it understandingly to make it their rule of life and to be guided by it in their travels and through its teachings to fit themselves for the future this statement could not pass with common notice it no doubt has arrested their attention many a time as covering a berles series of interesting and important periods of events while in the nineteenth century such an idea by religionists has hns been ignored being considered unnecessary yet the documents have come down to us from the primitive times and the assertion is not denied that such an occurrence was to take place at some period veriod of human history hist orv if the word was to be fulfilled now I 1 think that there are advantages to be derived from this angelic communication muni cation whenever a man realizes who and why he Is upon the earth whenever ho be realizes the instinct instincts which are implanted within him and which mahe make him soar after something that goes beyond the reach of human life and time I 1 think every one will agree that t here there is a vast field and need also for the acquis lon ion of intelligence that would tend to the advancement of thou thousands sands Rands and millions of the human family ideas that could be communicated in regard to the past ideas in regard to the present ideas in regard to the future might thus be obtained those ideas ideal are not particularly particular iv within the range of the schools lq colleges and educational institutions of mankind they must come from a source and through channels where there have been larger opportunities tuni tunit ties les for the acquisition of the knowledge which pertains to the designs of tb the tho n creator I 1 think that all thoughtful men and thoughtful women have felt within themselves that there were a great many problems in regard to human existence upon which they would like to have light nna and intelligence they would like to understand and haye have a as ag g surety as to whether a man was anything any thing more than a mere animal in creation whether it wag waa his destiny only cato to eat and to drink oar for far tomorrow we die or whether his existence was of a continuous character whether after having laid down this tabernacle of flesh he be would be privileged to enjoy again the associations which have been agreeable to hita bita on earth whether the family circle would be burst asunder or whether continuing to exist he be would be divested ina lna in a great measure of the temptations which seem to influence him on the right hand and on the left and which appear to lead so many thousands of the human family down to degradation and death it appears tome to me that there are questions in connection with all ail these things that thousands would like to solve and questions which really never can be solved by the ordinary wisdom and know ledge which pertain to the educational facilities of mankind now in reading these prophecies concerning berning the future angelic visitations t that at are to take place in the tile history of mankind I 1 have no doubt that those who have pondered over these prophecies have thought that in these thebe visitations they would find the key which should undock the past the present and the future and be of great value in the salvation of the human family salvation from ignorance from sin and salvation from death these are the things which men everywhere need they need to be saved from themselves they need to be saved from each other they need to b ba saved in regard to the future according to the scriptures and the generally received notions of the christian world now this angel that was to come in the latter times was declared to be one who was to bring the everlasting gospel in order that it might be preached among all nations now the everlasting gospel whatever t at may mean is something that is divine in its character it is not nut conjured up by cunning and design designing ingmen men godias god was its author in fact the scriptures pay that his son jesus jebus was the 9 author and finisher pf af the christian fait falt 1 on earth oarth therefore th tk fare of IN that jp we must gineman give man an account of his hla origin of the necessity of the circumstances cum stances of the present and eom Bom something ething of his future there 19 is is 19 one thing which strikes the reader as being very peculiar in regard to this angel coming to the human family it is implied upon the surface and in its depths aiso also that there would be no necessity of sending the gospel if the children of man had the gospel already this would be superfluous then when this thib th ie angel comes cornea is he to come to christendom or ia Is he to come to heath beath heathendom endom Is he to come como to men that have not heard beard of jesus know nothing of god know nothing of the salvation or is he to come to the christian world if he is to come to heathendom it of course would be to bring salvation the redemption demp tion of the soul and body of man but if he is to come to christendom it would almost seem to imply that amid them even the gospel of redemption was or misunderstood for in all the creations of our god there does not appear to be anything any thin of an unnecessary character cliar cilar aeter acter there are no steps taken in his government that are inapplicable to the existing condition of things but the fact that an angel was to come in fhe the dispensation of the falness of times naturally implies that the gospel would not be at that time preached on the face of the earth now this ia Is rather an awkward conclusion to arrive at when all christendom ia Is paid to be doing eo so much in regard to the building of churches the teaching of religion the payment of ministers the bending sending of the go so called gospel to the heathen and the furnishing bibles to all the nations of theearta the earth and on reflecting upon the visits of this angel a man would naturally enquire if this angel is going to bring the gospel in what does the G gospel consist and na rim a necessary consequence he would also begin to enquire aa ag to what the records say which have come down to us from ancient time times he would look into the new testament he would read the sayings of those whose names have become historic he would read the sayings of the great teacher who was sent bent from heaven even jesus christ the righteous and he would read the acts and doings in that book boob of his successors the apostles and of the primativa prima prim tive church und ind from this recard record he be would endeavor to find out what the gospel was as preached in ancient thu times ea and after he hohag had bad done this he would begin to contrast the christian organizations with which he was surrounded the theories which christians hold the doctrines which they teach teaell and put them side by bide side in parallel columns with the teachings of the ancient church he would institute comparisons and BO so woid show a desire debre to understand the necessity for this angel coming expressly from heaven to pre preach achs the everlasting gospel unto them that dwell upon the earth and to every nation and kind kindred and tongue and people 21 and in taking the new now testament for his guide in pondering the acts and teachings of jesus and his apostles he would begin to understand that there was method and order in connection with that gaspe gospe pel pei that it consisted of a series of principles principle bof of ideal ideas and thoughts and practices which were intended to work out some rome desired end hence it was said eald that the gospel in and clent times wa the power of god unto salvation it was an important thing it was something of value it was something calculated to effect a mans interests in time and in eternity it was flabe the power of god unto salvation and I 1 do not think that in any obber other recognized record are we so likely to nind find a portrayal of that gospel in its purity and original simplicity as in the record called the new testament when we come to search that we real ze that jesus professed to be the son of god he encouraged his followers follo to exercise faith falth in his father and in regard to his works he told them that ho he did nothing of himself but abut thit which he had bad been peen the Father do that did he and that which he did before his apos ties tics and which he commanded them to ao was according to the commandments whick he had received of the father I 1 think the christian world will be willing to ad knowledge acknowledge that this faith in god was a principle which was calculated to enhance the welfare of the human family it was calculated to infuso infuse high abd add ad lofty thoughts into the man or man who accepted it faith falth in the tho of god faith th that 14 t th they W 6 me hie phildren ph falth faith alth phi IW faith that he was able to teach them the purpose of their existence and the design that he had in their creation creations faith that he was able to hear and answer their prayers and the man who enjoyed this faith in god after he had been taught it was a man who was likely not only to feel higher conceptions in regard to humanity BO so far as ho he himself was concerned but there would be bound to spring up in his hia heart feelings growing out of thib thia in regard to his brotherman brother man and to his sister bister woman he would be bound to look upon them with more regard for their interests Interest ss and salvation upon the earth than he would have done without this conception he would be interested te in the moral mental and spiritual condition of his neighbor he would be interested in imparting to his neighbor the truth and thus the spirit of faith in god would begin to spread and exercise a salutary influence wherever it was felt among those who received it anajesus An and dJesus jesus was not satisfied only with teaching this chiq faith in god but he realized that there would grow out of it these or similarly certain principles of action with regard to the conduct of those who received it A man would begin to realize that inasmuch as he was wag a child of god that he had in many respects been unworthy of that position that he had been guilty of many acts both of commission and omission that were derogatory to euch ench origin and he be would naturally begin to repent to be lorry sorry for having committed himself in this way and not to be sorry only but to jay everything of thib this character aside in order that lie might stand approved of god his heavenly father hence there would grow out of faith the spirit of repentance for pat sins and then it was found that there was an ordinance in the gospel by which through divine appointment ft a man wag was enabled to receive the remission of his sins consequent on the sacrifice that was to be offered on calvery that ordinance of the church as established by jeus was the ordinance of water baptism for the re mission of sin bin this was one of the principles of the gospel one of the principles of salvation pal sal one of the steps in the educational process of those who submitted themselves to the authority of the great teacher jesus christ now there far a a vast |
