Show THIS THE CHURCH CANNOT fellowship LOW SHIt EVIL NOR NOB ITS perpetrators WE have received a correspondence from a man who holds a responsible ecclesiastical position in a ward of millard stake taking it as a whole our judgment is that no good purpose would be sub served by its publication i this opinion is based on the fact that certain evils that are aie described being strictly local should be dealt with within in that capacity with a view to their correction so lar far as the church is concerned in that regard they come more or less under the immediate purview of the writer of the te communication if any good would result from f rom more pointedly des iguaL ing the particular settlement involved and giving publicity to the full details this would ue be doue done one aue ot the lanien lamentable table feal features sires described is the imbi imbibing im biDing of strong drink by a number ot youths causing the usual disgraceful i results of fighting profanity and disturbance of the peace not mot the smallest among the wrongs perpetrated was the dispensing by ane coop co op stoie of the place ot of therile the vile stuff which produced these shameful and ana demoralizing effects that institution was consequently the first cause ot or the commotion such participation being discreditable so far as persons claiming claimina to be lat ter day saints take part in or aid any such disreputable and proceedings they should be dealt with in an ecclesiastical capacity with a view to bringing them to repentance and in case they continue in their wickedness aness the church should manifest that it has no fellowship fellows bip for such doings or those who engage in them thib TAis applies everywhere else as well as to the me locality alluded to if the I 1 law of god in relation to offenders offen deis is trampled under toot foot and those who set it at defiance are not dealt with in the spirit ot or it these whose duty it is to see i it enforced participate in the guilt involved the writer of the letter asserts in pretty plain terms that one of his counselors in the position he occupies is not acting in harmony with the interests of the community the columns of a newspaper are not the proper medium through which to prefer that charge neither is the general public the props proper r party before whom it should be laid each stake and ward is in an organized condition and all mabers of that character should be dealt with and adjusted before and by the courts and authorities therein it may here be stated however that no body of the church can prosper when there is a want of harmony among the presiding officers A jar at the head causes a shock to affect all the subordinate members of the body no schism of blat character should be permitted to exist while upon this ibis subject we will take the liberty of reproducing from the columns of the juvenile instructor an article from tile the pen of the editor of that magazine it covers a good deal of ground upon an important subject and is in exact harmony with our own views there seems to be among many of the officers of the church a want of understanding respecting justice and mercy A good many seem to have the mea idea that they are prompted by feelings of mercy for the sinner when they tolerate him and do not deal strictly with him the most merciful bishop is the one who requires the sinners to comply with the law of god if a member of his ward commits a wrong he instructs his teachers to visit him and lay before him the law and its penalty if the sinner repents he ought to be and will be willing to comply with every requirement qui rement of the law he will satisfy the full demands of justice and say 1 I have sinned I 1 have broken the law ol 01 god I 1 am sorry and repent thereof and am willing to endure the f full all penalty of the law I 1 this is the f feeling which every true penitent has when he sees his sin in the true light every officer of the church who loves js justice tice feels the same he way may pity the tag sinner he may have deep regret because he yielded to te temptation and transgressed the law of god but he will feel fed that mercy cannot rob justice desiring the salvation of the sinner he knows that the best service he can render reader him is to have bave him comply strictly with the full demands of justice when this is done mercy can interpose and claim its rights on behalf of the sinner but not until then here it is where many well meaning officers and members err they assert the claim of mercy on behalf of the sinner before justice is satisfied and the result is if their views prevail a patched up apy miserable affair that leaves the sinner iu in a bad plight dissatisfied with hims himself if and self condemned because he il leelsie eels in his secret heart that he has not made the proper atonement for his sin who is the best friend to the sinner the officer who calls him to a account for his transgression or the officer who through a feeling of mistaken clemency permits him to pass along without making the necessary reparation the latter is not a true friend to the man who sins he is really his enemy A bishop who permits a man to go on in the transgression of the law of god may think himself a kind and benevolent man mae but so far as that transgressor is concerned he is doing him a great injury for if he truly loved the sinners soul sad and had his bis salvation at heart he would take every means in his power to check him in his wickedness and to bring him to a realizing sense of his true condition by promptly attending to this a person who has taken the first step in sin may be checked in his downward course his r conscience may be pricked and he may be aroused to his danger Whereas if he be allowed to proceed and take one step after another without rec receiving received eiviD remonstrance or warning the difficulty of repenting is greatly ha increased creased who can tell how many men and women might have been saved from falling into grave transgressions or in some cases into apostasy if some kind friend or friends had visited and plead with and warned them in time from reports come which show there is a great lack of vigilance and care on the part of the officers in dealing with transgressors men and women are permitted to hold a membership in the church some of whom say they have no faith in this principle or the other principle of the gospel and others of whom are guilty of sins such as drunkenness sabbath breaking blasphemy back biting not tb mention sins or of a grosser fracter Mr character acter yet they are tolerated as members their names are permitted to remain upon the books of the church and notwithstanding the bad character of their lives if they chose to come to meeting they are permitted to partake of the sacrament without a question or a remonstrance the president or bishop who will permit such characters to remain connected with the church or to share in its odin ordinances ances will have a great sin to answer for and condemnation will rest upon him |