| Show ORTHODOX ENOY A PREACHER named daniel D DT torrey orrey has lately been ordained and placed in charge of a congregational church at arcester Dr cester r there is nothing remarkable in this bare fact and it would not be worth special cilLI notice if it were not for another fact chich which is that the rent leman thus non hon wed gred was not long ago rejected as a foreign missionary oy by the denomination which now recognizes him as a home minister the reason mr torrey was rejected reacted as a heathen converter cop verter was because he be hoped and thought it possible that in toe next world the beat heathen lien who never heard of christ in this world might have an opportunity of hearing bearing believing Ievin gand and being saved he affirm this he did not declare it was taught in holy writ he did not announce that he would preach this for doctrine he simply thought it likely and hoped it would be so this was deemed sufficient latent heresy to disqualify him tor for foreign missionary service naw it may be that such a topic or coll conjecture ita or speculation on the part a t of a preacher is contrary to the dogmas og ut the religious body known a as congregationalist Congregation alisi s or independents and therefore it may be perfectly consistent tor for that body to decline send ing as a missionary to the heathen a preacher who entertains it but this being the case where is the consistency of placing him in charge of a home congregation Is it possible that what is heresy for the heathen is fouad doctrine for americans or that what is false la in the fiji islands is true in massachusetts jr to bring it ii closer to the exact situation that a minister may hope for the future salvation of departed heathen while in the united states but must not indulge in such a desire or hypothesis hypothec sis in congo or it is very strange that reli religious lous leaders in the nineteenth century have such auch a strong antipathy against even a bare hope that there way may be what they call 11 a future probation 11 it exhibits the effect u upon on the human mind of a dogma that tas has keen been handed down through a series of gene generations rations it shows how blind to easom ti and truth and scripture people taj become through the influence of ion it suggests that if religious achels hers trained lor for their profession an bp be so dense mistaken and foolish in oae one important doctrine of the faith they may be equally so s m reference to others aud and li ir proves to those who have been en ss enlightened as to the divine plan of salvation atlon that such teachers are on entirely without divine authority ut hority to expound the principles I 1 of eternal life ache oil postles apostles ol of jesus christ emphatically y declared that there is 11 no oher bilter pime name under heaven but his i whereby man can be saved he announced himself with ath a double verily that except a man be rn oc water and of ahe the spirit he met ot enter into the kingdom Ing dorn of wey J a T these hese are fundamentals ey are essentials of the the christian pried creed but there are facts which chic h are re indisputable that must be taken ri ato consideration T birst arst millions upon mill millions jons of 0 mankind lived and go f e T celbre before jesus was born 1 into ito this worl world wh who 0 never heard of H him and jhb were not born of water and of the spirit second millions upon millions more have lived since his birth and died in the same condition reason asks is it possible that a just god has condemned these countless hosts of immortal souls to endless doom because they have not believed in something or somebody they have never heard of every soul unbiased by toe the horrible horil bie dogma formulated by 47 cloistered monks and celibate priests with warped and twisted minds wilt will answer no it is not pus possible sible what follows then why either that the enunciations renunciations of christ and his hie apostles on tais ques question tiou were wrong or that there are some means prepared by which the dead who have not heard the gospel of christ may have the sanie same opportunities as the living rhe first alternative cannot be conceded scarcely even considered what is there then cheh against the second nothing out but the notions which men professing to be ministers ot of christ but having no more authority tr om him to sneak in his hairfe than ts to represent or act for the kins kings or govern in int rits of earth have conceived or im irom others theres no in the grave nor pardon offered to the dead is a modern conceit there is nothing in the book from which the sects frame their creeds which announces that the gospel of salvation can only oaly be offered to people in the body this is an iB inference ference which has been drawn uy oy theologians from inspired writings which they have misunderstood and strange to say to their unreasonable and cruel imaginings and either close their eyes tu those scripture passages which are to the very contrary or endeavor to explain them away for instance the apostle peter 1 I 1 peter 3 c 1820 18 20 v states very plainly that jesus christ after being put to death cleath in the flesh went by the spirit t and preached to the spirits in prison who were disobedient in the days day of nosh noah he further explains 4 c 6 v that the gospel was preached also to tue the dead that they might be edged according to men in the flesh flash but live according to god in the soil it it it were not for the narrow ow doami that there can be neither preaching nor re penance lance nor mercy into 0 o men after this brief earthly life sc scarcely ardely an instant in an endless eternal existence how clear just merciful rational and delightful peters announcement and explanation would appear it would harmonize completely with the doctrine that there is out but one plan of salvation that it is the gospel of christ the everlasting gospel and that his name is ia the only one whereby man can be saved for this being the flat dat of the one eternal hod god he in his ells justice ju Latice and wisdom ha has so ordered it that this gospel shall be preached to eveia eveia creature crea erea twe ture jew and 1110 christian hristian beatren and pagan africans americans americana the dwellers on the isles all races all tongues all tribes ot all generations they being the children ot of the one eternal father of abe spirits of allmen all men man is writ spirit he is in his fits spirit spiritual nal ria nature ture the offspring of god therefore he must be spirit for god is a spirit and everything be botten is of the kind of the begetter jesus is the firstborn first born he is our elder brother he is our redeemer and he be became so by birthright andl andi righteous ness A spirit can be taught out of the body by spirit teachers it can believe repent obey or disbelieve reject and be rebellious this life in the mortal body is but one step in the of ef immortal man but earthly ordinances can only be performed on earth and as the birth of water is as much a part of the gospel gospe I 1 plan as the birth of the spirit or christ himself was mistaken some means beani must be prepared whereby the ordinances unattended to by those who have died untaught lit can be performed by the living in their stead to this the apostle paul alludes when he be speaks if baptism for the dead 1 cor xv 29 1 the sophistry word twist twisting in g and s special pleading that have be been en resorted to by modern divines to explain that passage away would be vastly amusing it they were not so deplorable taken with the text we DA have v e quoted from peter toe the words of ra paul ua throw a flood of light on the plan of human redemption and show that the all wise creator has provided lor the salvation of every who will accept his terms and willingly submit to his sovereignty it does not bollow follow because eventually every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that jesus is the christ to the glory of god the father that all will enter into the fullness of joy and partake of eyer every gift and power of the redeemed abery there are some who will be kings and priests into god there are many mansions in thi the dominions of the most high there are various degrees of glory reason and revelation both declare that justice will not give to all the same reward even an it w wll 11 I 1 not condemn all to the same deg degree ree and period er at a punishment some will he beaten tj but few stripes others with many some who were not forgiven I in this world will he for forgiven ven in the world to come others w wyl III we have to stay in the everlasting punishment until they have paid the uttermost farthing justice will ony only demand its own mercy will axt not he robbed a mite of its due one of the grail grandest dest of ta the e many glorious truths reve revealed to the prophet of tae the nineteenth century joseph smi smith h is the fhe doctrine of salvation for the dead who departed without a knowledge of the gospel it is one of the signs of his a seal aseal of his divine authority a witness of his heavenly illumination it is a godlike doctrine as lar far removed from the contracted acted notions of orthodox theology as the celestial throne to is from an earthly ash heap it is full ot of hope and joy and not only promotes faith but leads to good works lor for it shows how bow the living may become saviors of the dead and it scatters to the four winds the diabolic diabolical aT theory which malies makes satan victor and ruler over the vast majority off of cods rods sons and daughters which has driven t thousands h into infidelity and which robs christ of his glory as the conqueror and deliverer who has the keys ke y a of hell and ot of death the revelation of this great truth to the prophet joseph is inel incidental rental to the opening of the dispensation of the fatness of times and fulfils fulfills the saying of the apostle that jesus was given as a ransom for all to be testified of in due time 19 91 let the christian world read the bible anew in the light of this revelation and the wise and sincere will turn from their narrow creeds and rejoice in the liberty of a go gospel that reaches to the lowest hell and soars to the highest heaven leading captivity captive and carrying ng redemption for both the living and the dead |
