Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1892-01-25

claimed To luU Wufll hy NNFris Wutu
Chrlat would come. hu J1hu the Ban.
tist was the precursor of Jesus Christ.
John did mol clme iu his purple aud
tlne linen, VITA The Insignia Of
power, civil ~ worldly. upon his brow;
the only power which he mad was
such o. Cod Almighty conferred upon
him, anu he called on men 10 repent,
for the Kingdom " heaven was a.
hand. But as IN former daya 70 in
the latter. The people di1 not want
JOnu the Baptist and his ieachiuga;
they spurned him because OF Ill
humility au1 refused 10 hear him be-
cause he came from the humber mass.
-. And In ih,so latter days the
world said. ave 10 not want Joseph
smith ana HE teachings" btcause be
came from tic humu'rst ranks u the
people. The Latier-lny Saints were,
however proud u the fact that he
came from the ye0maury OF the New
England State, i0f the noblcst souls
aud the best blood Of this
continent came from the old
Puritan stock. And such was he; Ills
pareuiagu went back 10 the Puritan
fathers. So tho world rejected him
tue Causc II did not
appeal 10 thum M they desired. The
greatest truth had the humhiesi
origin; the greatest truth always
sprang iiom the humhlcat sources.
The world rejected Normonism le-
cause Il had, comparatively speaking,
20 faw adhcreuis. Il seemed 10 him
that the logic Of history would say
We should rather accept it because %
wa unpopular. Because Df the eSlst-
ence VI evil, he believed that truth
could never reign supreme Ux-
cept by contest aud controversy.
Did they not appreciate truth
the more when they had 10
struggle for II? n II wcrs popular 30
serve God nud easy to carry out the
teachings which Ho gave "a, there
would he no credit for men In fnith-
fully serving Him. There was no
credit In man being honest II there
were no temptations around him; tue
credit lay Ia his resistance Of tempia-
ton or evil when tho opportunities TO
no wrong were multiplied. so with
the principles which God had given
for tho salvation NJ the world; being
unpopular, they became more precious
because Of their unpopularlty. II we
could ride on the wave OF popularity
into the Kingdom Of God we would
he unit Tor the glory and purity which
existed there. Publication could only
come by our passing through the fiery
furnace.
The world WINS foil Of idolntry today,
though We said that 1t died with tlc
medieval ayes. Men might not
now bow down TO craven images
or worship the sun, moon or stars, but
they bowel down TO their wealth,
10 social distinction, 10 splendor aud
power, to the rlohus u the world ana
society. They were idolAtor az tho
throne Of Babylou, and womhiped the
Idol Of the world az did those men, In
ages that were gone, the idOis mada 10y
their own hands. ilOlatry was ponu.
lar Ia The world today. tive. popular
10 follow some faith, 10 seUk distinction
In the eyes Oh the world, regardless OF
the means employed 10 reach some Gle.
waited position. But the word VI God
came aud struck nj the baseui the idoll-
trous System. The axe was laid nj the
root OF the tfee--ths tree which had
been planted ia n Christian land aud
waiered by the idolatrous teachings
which had been given from tho uulpils
for 70 many ycars-thls tres which hnd
borne so much purnloious fruit, which
had pf0slituted the best minis Of tho
world aud made infdpl, out q thou.
sands Of the human iamily--this tree
which had Inconsistency written upon
Il. every bough and leaf. Tie
axe OF truth, the axe " revelation, was
laid at tue root Of this tree Of idOlalry
and false teaching, and the work "
destruction would 70 on until the tree
should bo "hown down aud cast into
the ilro."
Where would they find. today
Church which cOrrrspouded az theirs
did 10 the pattern which Jesus Christ
laiI down. Whore was tue house
that was built ~ this one was, accord.
ing 10 the plans OF the Divine Archi-
tect2 In modern Chrislendom the
foundation was forgotten, aud tho SUI
per-truCluru showed that " had been
founded by mans wis l1m instead u
by Divine guidance. To the Latter
day Saints he would say, "Let u build
Alright let IA build our tOuudG.
ton properly, putting 1t upon
the cornerstone OF the four
principles Of tie Gospel; build the
foundation upon revelation and ac-
cording 20 the teachings of jesus
Christ in the meridian OF time" Lat.
ter-day Saints should never loFe the
opportunity Of bearing their testimony
10 the divinity Of the work which GOd
had revealed through the Prophet
Joseph Smith. Let not the world
blame them ifthey were ic1noclasls, II
lheir system did so against the pro.
conceived aysnms VI the world andth
traditions Rugged NO bllndly by the
people for 30 many centuries. The
best friend was not the one who
praised them most, not the one who
was always 1atterlng thum; but the
trucst frieni vas he who saw tho error
and tried 10 Rad the eIring into tue
hight and proper way.
God was sustaining this wofh; He
would continue ~ support it; and the
duty OF the Latt0r-day Saints was to
help 1t by their iaith, prayers
aud work, supporting those whom
God had plat1,d At tho head Of His
Church. Though thoy could not an he
lcAdVa Ia the Church Of ChIisl, yet
there was something Tor each Of them
10 DO. lie himself would rather tullsr
death tea Thousand times than have
the fire OF the Gospel 20 out within
his breast. GODS work was the para.
mount labor Of his HE; they should
sacrifice everything for It's maiuten.
anCe; aud hc iOlt confident that Al
they went forward IN this spirit God
would bring them to victory The
haven would open unto them, aud
they would receive the reward which
lie had promised to all His hitniul
children,