Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1890-05-31

chose twelve men 10 be His apostles.
He ordained them. Eleven Of them
were true and faithful men. One OF
them was a hypocrite and n thief,
and afterwards a base traitor. Does
not our experience in this Church
prove TO us that Judas might be all
this without being predestined to be
so viles Have we not seen in our
day men violate the commands OF
God in what some might term
little things, and go on, step by step,
from one degree Of sin 20 another,
until they would betray the LORDS
annointed? And can any who were
familiar with such cases, and who
watched the gradual descent Of these
men to evil, doubt for moment
that they had their agency? They
chose 10 commit sin. They had their
agency in doing so. They did not
repent, and the most dreadful results
| followed.
God knew His Son Jesus Christ
before He was born IN the nesh
and He was ordained before the
foundation Of the earth was laid.
| He was the Lamb slain, We are told,
/ before the foundation Of the earth.
| That is, IL was known that lie
would be SLANT il was known that
a generation would be found upon
earth al the time the Savior came
who would be 50 hard in their
hearts that they would reject Him
and cruelty Him. God foreknew
this. He predicted il. We have
the record OF it. Isaiah predicted 1t
with great plainness, and other
Prophets alluded 10 Il. Moses pre-
dicted ti,nt the Lord would raise up
n Prophet like unto himseIt-re-
frrring to the Son OF God. And In
the Book Of Mormon We find a
great many predictions Recorded
with the utmost plainness concern
! ing the life OF the Savior, the perse-
cutions that lie should endure, and
the death that lie should suffer.
This was revealed by the spirit Of
prophecy. God, in His Infinite
knowledge, understanding and COM
pretending the end from the begin
ming, knowing the hardness Of heart
Of that generation, inspired His
servants the Prophets TO redict this,
and they foretold it with the utmost
accuracy. But you must not i'm
agine That becsuse Uf this those
who murdered the Savior Ya.;. pre-
destined or compelled TO DO what
they did. On the contrary, they
did IL because they wished 10 do il.
In the exercise Of their agency they
chose evil rather than good. They
hated virtue, they hailed purity.
Full Of the traditions Of their
fathers, they hated the Son Of Cod.
aud theg hailed Him 20 prison and
10 death.
We must always remember that
God knew His children before they
came here. Speaking 10 jeremiah,
He said: "BefOre | formed thee in
the belly ! knew thee; and before
thop earnest cut Of the womb /
sanctified thee, and ' ordained thee
. Prophet unto the nalions'" lie
knew jeremiah before he made his
appearance in the flesh, and He
knew that ne would be 4 Prophet,
for He knew the spirit Of the man,
and He knew also the course that
he would take. So with the other
Prophets and Apostles. God, in
His infinite merry, has revealed 10
us that We had prc-existenCe, that
we lived with Him before We came
here in the flesh, just as our Savior
did. The Apostle Paul, quoting Fl. m
the Psalms, says Of the Savior,
"Thou hast loved righteousness,
and hated in;quity; therefore God,
even thy God, hath anOintcd thee
with the oil VI giadness above thy
fellOws.'' Who were His fellows?
We were His ieIloWs-Ye who are
here today, and I'll the children Of
men upon the face Uf the earth. /
We were al companions OF tine Son
Of God in the eternal worlds, born
il the spirit, living with Christ be-
fore Re became cur earthly Savior.
God foreOriaiGcd Him, chose Him, |
elected Him, TO come forth and per
form the work Of a Savior upon the /
earth. He was ordained 10 this cx-
pies work, God knowing before
hand that He would 90 this. So 1
with the Apostles, with the Prophets, /
and with all OF ms. We were sent I
here on earth. foreOrdained to do l
good. TO keep the compartments OF !
tl0d, and to bC saved. for God loves /
all His children, and would save .
every human soul. He would not |
tia; any one should be lost; hut He /
desires the salvation Of all. And all !
will be saved, except the sous OF per- /
ditiOn. This is the grand truth that |
God has revealed unto Us in these /
last days: that every human being 1
will bc saved except certain class I
who commit the objectionable sin
they who shed innocent blood, they /
who are accessory thereto, or who |
consent to the shedding Of innocent
blood. For them there Is no saliva
ton, VT arr told. Therefore, Jesus /
said: ''All manner Of sin and bias /
Ihcmy shall tie forgiven unto men: I
but the Llasphemy against the Holy /
Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men.
And whCSCcver spcaketh wOnl 1
against the Son Of man, IL shall ne
forgiven him; but whose ever speak
eth against the Holy Ghost, it shall
not be forgiven him, neither in this
world, neither in the world to
come.'' Every sin not OF this I'M
pardOuable character will receive
forgiveness, sooner or later. But I
will il not he punished? Yes. There
is punishment affixed TO every sin.
No man can commit sin without
raeafx-fpsr fIa rst.-.f =, !, v,sn,.F sI,.r.e,r Z
He viii have 70 expiate that sin,
ei;he. in this life OF in the life h.
come. For there is a penalty affixed
10 every tTansgreSsion Of the laws
VI God, and we shall have TO pay
The penalty unless we repent Of our
sins, and by going forth into the
waters OF baptism, obtain n re-
OF them, according to the
promise which God has given. In
his way cur sins can be RENTED
md be blplted cut, ami we be re-
ieved from the penalty that is
ifIixed to sin.
These features OF the Gospel, as
hey have been revealed 10 US, |
link, must fill every soul who con-
them with gladness, with
Oy, with satisfaction. The idea
hat has been preached 10y ignorant
eachers who have put erroneous
on the worts Of the
Bible for so many generations con-
,erning the punishment that God
las affixed to sins has filled men
With great horror, and has driven
reliably great many into atheism
II unbeiief respecting God, because
hey could not reconcile such teach
ngs with the character Of a Be-
ng such IS our God IS. Before
his Church was Organized, the
.Ord gave n revelation unto the
'rOphet Joseph Smith, in which
his was explained, and Il was ex-
lained with such clelrness that Il
hid might understand il; that be-
ause GOd's punishment IS eternal
it docs not necessarily
JllOw that the being who receive
is consigned to il eternaliy. For
prison might stand for a
undred years. lt might be a place