Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1892-09-20


he did. IA a Prophet OF God satlsilug
me AZ to whether he is speaking by the
gnirit of God or not Tests vary nccotj-
ing 10 times nud circumstances. That
which might have been very excel
lent test 1900 years ago might not be
60 much OF q test now. Yet when y
man todev confcDsef Jesus ne dosf not
fro,t hv the spirit oil God. There n no
doubt about that. That hiss not
changed. IL 10 the spirlt Of Goi that
prompts men 10 Acknowledge Jcsus,
lust ~ much now Ms ~ ever sid. Bot
I il IA not such test now ~ u was Ia
nnoie ut DAYS. There were very few
then that care DO a., and whenever
they lid A., they I'D II, - may boz said,
aimoat with the fear OF their lives he.
fof. them, because the whole world
wa arrayed agnlnst the Savior, and
ready tu pounce upon any man who
acknowledges Him 10 be tho Son Of
Got.
Bnt we can test tho spir.ls nov.
Everything that IL good cometh FROM
God. / care not where " may be. Do
other churches have good IN ihcm ~
well a. the Church VI Christi Ger
tainly. Tho Greeks bad good among
them. They bad truths among them
when Paul and the other servants Of
Gnd proclaimed the Gospel gt Athens.
When they preached IN Rome there
was good am )ng the Romans. 10 would
DO folly TO say that the servants Of
Jusus were the sole possessofs Of all
the truth there was In the world, as II
would be Tor ua, claiming 10 be the
Church Of Christ, 10 cay all the truth
Ui The world Ia In our possession alone.
This would 10 n proposicroua and ab.
Aurl claim that could not be- sustained
by facts. There u truth throughout
the earth. Men are possessed Of II
cvoryw here. Even the pagane possess
II, aud according TO the light which
they have aud their lives being In &C.
cordnuce with that llght, they are nc.
cUptod Of G0d. Every sincere man
who lives up to the light that he has Il
accepted Of God TO that extent. Before
God, IN his infinite wisdom and mercy,
revealed the everlasting Gospel In
this dispenaation, there were great
numbers OF faithful mon and
women living on the earth, aud, accord.
ing to tho light they had, lived
RcCeplgbly 10 God. You have known
| them, doubtless. have heard OF them.
Among my own ANCESTOR, among your
ancestors, among tho ancestors Of all
the members Of this Church there were
people OF this description, living up TO
the light that they had, woTshiping
/ God to the best OF their knowledge,
receiving from God n portion OF His
Holy spirit, filled with good thoughts
and holy aspirations, leading moral
| lives, and doing unto their ncighbors
what they would have their nuighbors
/ do unto them. The earth had many,
many such people In It, aud the vati.
Gus secls had these people IN them.
\ And 80 II is today. Our Elders are
/ commanded 10 10 out and Ind these
people; "a hnd the honest, the meek,
/ the humble, and the people who want
| 10 know about God. We are seat out
I with this message 70 the inhabitants Of
| the uRrth-tO proclaim the glad tidings
that the silonce which has been I'M
| broken for 70 many centuries has ut
| lnst been broken and that God has re-.
yualed Himself; that He has restored
the everlasting Gospel In its perfection,
with the Holy Pflesthood; that He
has organized His Church according
TO the ancient pattern. Our Elders
| conrJantly bear this message ana this
testimony to the inhabitants OF the
earth.
John, In this chapter that have
road, makes n remarkable ststehent.
was reminded while reading II Of n
similar statement that " made IN one
Of tie revelations that the Prophet
Joseph received. John says, ave arc
Of Gods" no question about that In his
mind; hU says this In mo- doubtful tone,
hut in the most positive terms "he
4 h..u lac. lsaN
Is not oi God heareth not u. Hereby
know We the spirit OF truth aud the
spirit Of errur.H In section 50 OF tho
Book % Doctrine aud Covenants the
Lord, In speaking through the Prophet
Joseph, snya'
For tho word Of the Lord ia truth, and
whatsoever IA truth IN light and whatsu-
ever 10 light IL Spirit, oven the Spirit NJ
Jesus Christ. Aud the Spirit giycth
light 20 uvCry man that csnolh into tho
world; and The Spirit enlightonoth every
man through the world, that hourkenolh
TO the voice oi tho Spirit; aud every one
that hcNtkouClh to tho voice VI tho spirit
oUmoth unto God, oNrA the FathoI
And the Father toaohuih him OF tho
covenant which hc has renewed and con.
nunci upon you, which IL confirmed
Upon You Tor your sHkes, and not fur
your sal.cE only, but for tho sake OF The
whole world;
And tho whole world 10th la sin. and
groaneth under darkn0,s and under tho
bondage OF sin;
And by this you may know thoy are
undor the bondage of sin, because they
come not unto m0.
For whose comoth not unto mo rs under
tho bondage " ain;
Aud whose reccyOih not my voice h.
not acquainted with my dice, and Is not
Of mu;
Now here is the EXPIRE. sion:
And by this sou may know tho rirh-
toous from tho wicked, ana that the IS hole
world groanoth under sin and darkness
oven now,
This corresponds exactly with what
John said. Tho two Apostles received
the same ideGs, through inspiration
from God, and both have recorded thoss
ideas, one upwards Of 1900 years ago,
the other within sixty ytarc. This IL
tho rulo by which we may know that
the world grOanolh under the bondage
Of sin.
There IL this that every human be
ing who has Joined this Church.
knows: TINT when he heard the testi-
mOny OF the servants VI God there was
spirit IN bis heart that bore testimony
10 him that that was Of God, that that
voice was OF The True Shepherd. Thou.
sands have stiiied that feeling within
them. beliove there have been thou.
sands who have visited this tabernacle
aud have heard the words OF God from
His servants, borne testimony by the
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