Show I 1 I 1 6 GOSPEL O 0 S P E L TRUTHS 1 I 1 1 Z As yB ishop 0 P hatney THE FIEST FIRST principles I 1 ti I 1 I 1 I 1 4 tho enemies truth could I 1 I 1 not pass the sounds bounds set sot by 1 the A almighty mighty I 1 i w I 1 i I 1 bishop 0 F volney was waa called to address ail dress the congregation in tho the tabernacle clr er le salt sali lake city city on sunday last to the Deseret neus news he h e said im lie arose to speak more from a sense of duty than of pleasure there was a happiness in speaking of the principles of aa gospel but there was aleo also a feeling pf timidity when tab greatness great nesa of the subject and tile weakness of the individual were considered si lie did not ariso in his own strength but relied upon tile he holy spirit for inspiration and guidance he could say with paul that he was not ashamed asha ined of the gospel of christ borho for he knew as he be knew ho lived that it was the power of god unto salvation in contemplating this fact the question arose as to what is the gospel and what we could do to reap its benefits the gospel of christ waa a code of lawa laws or series s ari ei of principles elevating ele yating and exa exalting in in in their tendency which reach from heaven ta to carthand eart hand from earth to h heaven emanating from the realms of eternal life and forming as it were a ladder ortruth of truth and salvation which if tread round by round will lead leaa us ba back ek into the presence of our father and gad go d brethren and sie fere he would not on thia this occasion restrict chef terms to the tile latter day saints but include the whole human family the children of one common parentage in whose welfare vel fare the saints were interested and whose salvation kal were laboring for fur for the ailts realized that in n bringing salvation fu fd others they were working but out their own salvation they also realized realize 4 the necessity pf f faith and Tork eoJ loving all man fai hind lid and manifesting that love by heir lr labors it bad had been riou pion ever since the organization of the church to labor for tho the of their heir fel and preach 11 l 1 I 1 I 1 0 ehmed POW cr er which had been newly restored tobe to be taken no more from the earth those who accused the saints as a Clai claired reb of finy other motive than seeking to bring about on oil earth good will to men cither either knew nothing of their motives or wilfully calumniated and land aspersed them if belief alone on the lord jesus christ was sufficient for salvation the devils in hell could be saved for they believed and trembled because of that belief moreover they declared that ahat jesua jests was the christ and yet would not obey him those of mankind who practiced the same doctrine how much better were they those who manifested a spirit of hatred and anti animosity sity against the saints and a against the truth had bad not tl the e L spirit P it of christ within them tho the speaker 1 leker would that the christian world could d realize their inconsistency those of them who were guilty of it they wha say they believe in in christ and do not manifest the same a spirit larit of love justice and mercy that tie he did deceive themselves and are deceived by the evil one the gospel of christ teaches that faith is its first principle the tree upon which grows the arnit of life and salvation tho the principle of actions in all animated nature no man could please god without ite it and it was the duty of all to carefully cultivate it this wag was a world where we aro are required to walk by faith we colonger no longer behold the face of our father tho the brightness of the our spirits is partially veiled by our mortal tabernacle wo we are walking in tho the dark dark valley of the shadow of death with naught but the light which god bestows to guide cuide us back to the brightness of eternity there was a time when we had bad greater licht than at the present but we are exiled for a season reason that we might give greater proofs of our integrity and return to our heavenly home in in a more advanced conditions formerly we walked by sight but in learning to walk by faith we manifest greater and gaina gain a more precious ex 1 perince than wo we could when jesus was resurrected he ile appeared pe red to his ilia disciples who had irea returned to their nets thinking their deliverer had gone abe tuo vay ay of all alesh and pao gave them great joy in making himself u known to them one ortho disciples pa waa was absent when their lord when he lie returned and heard the plad glad tidings he said he lie would not believe belleve unless lie felt the tile wounds in ili the lord lords bide side and in husbands hia his handa bands the lord had bad compassion on oil thomas for his doubting spirit and appeared to tolaro him chiv ing him the opportunity he lie had de abi desired red thomas was wad melted at the sight and sank down in the dunt duat exclaiming 10 0 lord my god ile was doubles an honest man mail but lit lie had not the faith tp beli belief eXio beholding the savior illen told tild hie his disciples that it was more blessed to believe without seeing that it was better to trust in him without a sign than to demand a miracle before being convicted at one on time when the of or ancient ancient I 1 israel surrounded tho tile city vity of dothan the servant of the prophet het elis elisha m doubted for their deliver deliverance iiii and ats chei weep a miraculously ty opened opel ivil that he lie SAW w the tile spiritual arti armies fles of god arrayed to defend the tile city had he lie brasted in ili god as elijah did without 11 a miracle be a greater ni measure in the preset preterit it time I 1 if r in ill tile the presence of trial and persecution and in darkness daik nesa iyer were true ye ive show our superiority perio perlo rity os or thoe those who persecuted q tp voy vav thera yas a time when there tit groi yasa yas a rebellion in heaven li eaven when the salil I 1 4 I 1 ill child ran of god we were retried tried and p put to the test of their integrity r when whan 11 lucifer sought to usurp the tile throne aliro e of godana god Go dand and to supersede 41 savior or 01 mankind him who was wag chosen chozen for that great calling at that if bitne me two thirds of the hosts of heaven refused to take up arms against god some from motives of truth and valor some from personal interest or policy these we ro lof privileged r to take dign upon P them bodies bodle of flesh but the 0 others t erg were cast out to wander without bodies up and U nd down the earth trying and tempting the children of men in that trial faith was also manifested but the spirits there bad greater e ater knowledge than we b have ave though their knowledge could not n ot have been per feet since one third of them did not seem to realize that truth was invincible and could not he be overthrown and that god would be inevitably triumphant um urn now the tile vail vall was dropped and another scene one of comparative darkness enshrouded us in this darkness we were called upon to walk by faith and not b by y sight aa as then and trust in god e even v en though ho be slay ua us and greater would bo be the integrity of those who vero were true and had faith in a world like this than those who must have signs and miracles to convince thelly and to see god face to face before they would believe in him the prophet joseph laid it down as a principle that those who sought for signs were adulterers even as christ also pointed them faith in god could only bo be manifested by works I 1 aben like trees were kno known wil by their fruits if tho fruit was good the tree could not be evil if the stream was pure it v was as a slander upon truth to say the fountain was impure that faith was false and hypocritical which was held by many who professed christianity but who hated and oppressed 0 pres seath their air fellow men such coufa could not escape the damnation of hell those who talked of thundering he the seventh commandment into the saints with shot and shell she 11 and anti cannon of the biggest bore were ahe of the devil hell bell though clothed in the livery of heaven christ sent hie ills disciples to preach love mercy truth and righteousness not hatred and revenge and told them they were cent sent out as lamba lambs among wolves and would he be put to death for his names sake bake the tree of christianity might be known by its fruits if christiana loved ono ona mother and their fellow men they might be known as the disciples of christ bat but not otherwise and they whose faith in him was perfect would be found manifesting love and charity eves towards the M cormons mormons Mor or m mons one cut but it was fashionable to hate the latter day saints who I 1 had ad a liying living faith in lit god and sought sough tto to I 1 make it manifest f prin principle aple of repentance by reforming their lives and turning away from evil thero there were many who claimed to bear the name of christ who were a disgrace before earth and heaven somo some of these could be found among the latter day saints aud bud god would permit his people to be persecuted until they were purified pur ined and the wrath bf afman man would thus be made to praise him and the abundance of thip wrath he lie would restrain the enemies of the be truth could not pass the bound beet by the almighty ho lie alio bade the waves to bo be stayed would say a to tho foes ortruth of truth hitherto shall thou come bat but no farther touch not mine anointed do my prophets no harm or an hundred fold will be required at your hands no weapon formed against zion would proper the saints were blessed if they were persecuted for righteousness evil yere were spoken of them falsely but how would it be if there were spots in their armor and if much of the evil said of them thein were true in such a case all tho the they might expect was in being humbled to the dust that they might repent of their evil deeds more blessed were they if there were no sinful spots in their lives and the enemy were forced to resort to falsehood but until the inside of the platter was cleansed and we ceased to cherish and hold in fellowship tho thi c corrupt and anti ungodly no matter who the they are we could not call upon god wit with K the same faith and hope for deliverance liv eratico in 1884 t the lord commanded his saints through Ili his prophet and revelator president john Tay lorto set order and cleanse out iniquity from the church and promised on that condition ondi tion that their enemies should not have power over them thein since that time tile saints had been steadily going into bondage what then was president taylor a false prop liet who am isaiah the lord that have promised and have not fulfilled I 1 corl command imand and a man obeys not I 1 revoke and they receive not the blessing they say ili their hearts tins this not the wort work of 01 tue the lord for ills ilia promises are not fulfilled but woe unto such for their reward burketh beneath and not from above thus theford fives gives us our answer let us not be hypocrites and find fault with tho the almighty ty and his ills servants because be calise the promises ere are not fill fill edween we have failed to abide by the conditions the saints would con continue tintie to go into bow bondage lalle until th they es did repent and would not bo be derived cleansed cleansed the inside of or ahe he platter if gehad we had obeyed those words of odthe lie lord through president tay ta r lor the wrath of our ell enemies emlea won have been turned away and the faints sainta would have been invincible In cible 01 bod ol would never desert I 1 11 hie is people oe break his ilia promises to them but always fulfil if they were worthy of their fulfillment the armies of joshua of old were invincible so long as they kept the tile commandments command macuta of god and the of jericho were lovely Jove leI before Buti Rut when aclan Ala disobeyed obeyed and ginned abay qed like ike frightened war denof at mi aa q not until israel aided hd goda power abil I 1 rast reat o 0 alon them jn in the present day thestine the same saine conditions awauld prevail when the salau wera purified deliverance o 0 cune come this how ever did not Justify their persecutors flioy tho to who oppressed them would have to meet the responsibility the principle of baptism fur thare mission of f sin sins a of deatle and resurrection was wa the ulala of the gospel hail had allanea Alla wea eu repentance pen tance tince jesus honored the of god jolin h the h baptist and anti was immersed by him in tile river jordan I 1 1 diato to fulfil the th elaw law knowing knowl that john had been wen sent ang and had lind not eo gone no without aut bority ag a 3 many man do how ilow when he waa was b baptized the I 1 holy loly ghost decender dec ended on him and a voice declared from heaven this 1 Is my beloved son I 1 hi a whom I 1 am well pleased plea sedwell wal pleased for honoring the priesthood la it a man who was less than himself and submitting to the ordinance of bap baptism bistu john was the forerunner of christ and his star waned before the rising aun of righteousness christ biad exemplified the principle that whosoever would be chief among you let him be the servant of all I 1 ho wae an example in all that was good and great and sent ills 1 disciples disciple i to proclaim claim his ills gospel of peace on earth and t good will to men after baptism tho the fourth principle of the gospel found application the laying on of the hands bands for the gift of the holy ghost this was the light which guided into all truth which took ap up the things of god and revealed them unto men which kindled in the soul like a lire fire according t to 0 the fuel osgood of good works which kept it 9 alive until the whole body was filled with light tho the eye was made single to the elory glory of god and becoming like unto him men were fitted and prepared to dwellen dwell in his ilia presence these were the four first principles of the gospel the gateway through which to attain salvation there were others principles beyond which led upward and slid onward to tho the presence of god they were wire principles of truth and p purity also and no ono one could reject them without condemnation dem nation they were for the purification fi and salvation of man kindall who would receive and obey them none others could pass by the angels and gods to their exaltation the gospel had been restored through abr ough joseph josepp smith and hie his testimony was in force on all the world in obedience thereto the sainta should repent of evil and folly and live worthily that they might receive rec elire an exaltation in the tile presence pre senco of god |