Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1892-12-12
SUNDAY SERVICES.
The Divinity Of Christ oni Salvation
through Him.

O'Clock y. M, FIesiueh'
Cannon presiding.
The choir sang the hymn beginning
The choir saug'
tord thou wilt hear me when ipfayi
lam forever thinci
PRAYER was offered by James u
Woods.
Behold tho rrca, Bcdocmor de-
Abrolon law to satisfy
The Priesthood OF the Nineteenth
ward ofilciatcd In the administrator
OF the Sacrament.
ELDER CHARLES W. PESRosE
was the speaker. lie commenced by
reading John 1. lila.
This, he said. IN n portion oil the
record left by John, the beloyel
disciple, one OF the Twelve. IL Is 10 be
supposed that these special witnesses
of tho Lord were we'll acquainted
with Him-who He was, whence
He came and why lie came. In TINS
age, men suppose Themselves In pos
session OF great deal more knowledge
OF divine things than there was IN
the days OF tho Lord, but " this were
true, II IN singular that there N 10
much contention among men IN REGARD
10 what IL the pure Gospel OF Chrisi.
Even today there are eminent pfenvh-
erson trial for teaching what others
consider contrary TO the truth, and
the Judges themselves are divided IN
their opinions about the cases they
are 10 try. The Apostles certainly
knew something definite about these
things, and II we understand what
they have recorded, we too may OBJ
tain deilitc knowledge.
As 10 the character OF Christ.
we have the testimony OF thoeo
who knew Him best, that He wn not
only n great teacher, n great cxamplar
among men, tut that He was the Son
Of God, who came from God aud went
back 10 God AFTER His work was I'M
ished. John speaks OF Him as the
"Wordv OF God, who was In the "be.
ginning"
According TO John there IL mort
than one God, startling as this an.
nouncement may seem TO modern
theologiaus. John certainly In the
portion We have read speaks OF two
distinct persons ard Gays both nfe God.
And In the account OF the baptism OF
Jesus, we arc told that the Holy
Ghost rested upon Him anu
n voice said: "rhis Ia my beloved
Son." Here are three distinct
substances, and they are all
Of the 9odhead. In the account given
by Moses OF the creation we are TOLD
God said, 'Let US make man after our
likeness,0 which indicates plurality.
All things were made by Him whom
John calls tho Sword" and further,
ain Him was light" NO that this per.
son was certainly more than human
being. With this agrees the revela-
ton given by Joseph the Prophet, that
the light Of this world Il through Him.
All things are OF God aud by Jesus, IN.
light anu the lie OF men. Every man
who comes Into tho world has portion
OF the light Of Christ, which ~ thu
Spirit Of truth, who comes from God
and leads to God, aud all might by
presence Of God. But there In also left
isan evil influence, ~ there IL n good
influence, neither OF which IL forced
upon man.
There IL u disposition among people
TO do away with the idea OF u personal
God and n personal devil. The ten
dency Of modern thought Is 10 accept n
good principle and an evil principle,
but II seems only reasonable 10 suppose
that, II there aro good and evil princi-
pies, there must DO persons embOd ying
these principles. We read that Christ
after His baptism, wns tempted by
Satan. And the tempter was
not mere principle, but a
person. Jesu, argued with him,
talking TO him.
Jesus II the only begotten Of the
Father, the express image OF Him, and
rs Jesus Ia q person, so the Father Ia.
Man was made In the likeness OF the
Father, but Christ was the express
image OF Him, because He was the
firstborn, the beginning Of the ere
alton, the firstborn according TO the
spirit and the only begotten according
to the flesh.
These ideas conveyed In the
Scripture are different from those that
have obtained currency Ia the world,
aud II is important 10 the Saints 10
understand this correctly, Tor Christ IL
our mediator, our savior. He came
into the world as we have done,
borne by a woman. He grew up, lived,
suffered and died. And, n these
things are not true, religion Ia merely
ainyth, II Christ was only great
teacher, the New Testament IL not
true, aud each one may NJ well make
religion for himself. Jesus claimed
that He was with the Father before the
world was. He claimed TO be the light
anu the life OF the world ard sont His
disciples to preach salvation in His
name. The people OF the nineteenth
century need 10 have these truths again
proclaimed, that they may not DO led
away by worldly philosophy.
The speaker mentioned how the
world had abandoned the first principles
OF the Gospel and then testified that tho
Gospel had been restored again In this
age through the Prophet Joseph, to
whom the Son OF God appeared and
revealed the truth, and now In this
Church everything Is done In the
name OF the Son.
Christ came 10 the world In order 10
give Himself M a sacrifice. He did no
voluntarily. Our iirst parents chose to
transgress the law OF God, nnd death
was introduced into the world, but M
all die through that trnnsgressiou a,
life shall come 10 all mankind through
the work OF Christ. For Ia the fesur.
fection all shall rice. He died that all
might live. lie died that men
may be redeemed from their sins.
Death, sorrow, suiierings exist in the
world ~ consequence OF tho trans.
gtession. These experiences came as
a curse Int they urov.d A hlasaln,, ,,t