| Show RELIGIOUS tendencies T TO the latter day saints it to la es ea eidly ei Uly interesting to watch the pulsation of religious life in the christian world work noting the development of thought and its obvious tendencies when the lord true to the promises iven to mis big people in former ages in the early part of this century again up D inspired men to interpret me w will these came upon a scene of darkness and confusion no less marked than that in which earlier messengers from heaven delivered their message to mankind but part of their work was to herald the approaching day of light and truth and ever since their life work was completed and they had joined the vast army arav of holy martyrs the results have been apparent hardly less strikingly outside the church than within truths at first rejected have been gradually accepted principles once ridiculed now command attention because better understood the fact is interesting because it proves that the gospel is a power unto salvation among the nations of the earth and that the great work of the church humble though her representatives may be is bearing fruit not long ago a baptist congress was held at chicago and one of the questions discussed there was Is baptism a prerequisite to the lords supper not less than four of the leading men of that denomination all of them noted for learning and integrity argued that it is not one of the speakers insisted that there is no ground for the assumption that the lords supper is a church ordinance and another speaker took the position that the new testament does not furnish a model for a true christian church he is quoted as follows we challenge the assumption that the new testament does doe s furnish us with the model of the church that the model of the church was finished in corinth or rome or ephesus that the practice of the church in the first century is a common law and all departures from that practiced practice sedition and anarchy the essence of the lords supper is in the power to discern the lords body immersed men who fall fail to discern the lords body do not observe the lords supper men who do discern the lords body observe the lords supper unquestionably this implies a revolution in the sentiment of the baptist denomination in this country on the lines previously followed by their brethren in england but it is more than that it is an implied acknowledge ment of the great truth first revealed from heaven to joseph the prophet that the church of god can be founded only on divine revelation For it if it is true that the new testament does not furnish a perfect model of the church it to la also true that no organization constructed ted according to the new testament only to ie a perfect church and that disposes of the claims of the various protestants who appeal to the written worl word it says in effect that the model must be looked for either among the ante protestant churches or nowhere on earth except in that church which is constructed like the tabernacle in the wilderness according to the pattern shown to the builders by the lord himself in heavenly visions it is the ac of one of the fundamental principles of mormonism in the wichita daily eagle of december there is an editorial notice of a little boo book k by dwight H olmstead entitled protestant faith or salvation by belief 1 it is said to be a landmark and its purpose seems to be to clear the way for a better perception tion of the true relation between faith works and salvation than that common in the world at t the present time not having seen the little volume we do not speak of its merits or demerits but merely point out that its appearance Is one evidence that the necessity of a clearer understanding a of the subject is beginning to be felt in wider circles over half a century ago joseph the prophet was led to reopen the discussion although many theologians seemed to think there was waa nothing more to say about it since the days day ot of anshelm and luther and hla his views are now found to be both scriptural and rational saving faith as he explains it is not merely the assent to a proposition but a force a power regenerating man and producing works of righteous ness bythe by the believer to a reader ot 0 the new testament the question of salvation presents many difficulties it 10 1 clear everywhere that divine law r requires of man a maximum so 80 to speak the supreme love of god and the most moat unselfish love of fellow men and that by this standard in the sight bight of god no man living shall be b justified the pauline doctrine which may justly be callea callba a paradox is that such is the relation between the son of god and the be b mevers that they although guilty fa foe his sake are accepted through WUL he therefore urges faith but not more emphasis than he gives to the necessity of good works on the part of oc the believer and in this particular a other of the new Testa testament rilent writers ex pressly states that salvation is not possible without good works no wa ow der that various explanations hav haw been offered on these seemingly coa teachings or that differ ev views have been held in different axe aab and by different men without a cob understanding of the nature st t faith and the relationship by adopt lOM of jesus to his brethren the scripture Scrip tuf teachings on this all important matter mattell must remain dark but the world 1 mb beginning to ask for light and this thi to fek one of the tendencies of the time 0 of result of theo the proclamation of the gast pel the saints have every encouragement to continue in the work entrusted bh them for their labor is not in vain |
