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

''AAn AAWN " III y OH 10 NAlfNlAElH
my L1rd2 Shall I sprinkle you, or pour
sVine water upon your heal, Or fhall
innorso you2" John did not PROFOUND
any such question 10 the Savior.
Neither Old the Savior suggest any
such Performance to John. But lie
came 70 BE- baptized, and John, realiz.
ing ma own unwotthlncHs 10 perform
that sacred ordinance on behalf Of the
Son Of God, hesllAted; but Jesus said,
"Suiler u 10 be ~ now. Tor thus Il be.
comuth as TO iulni al righteousness. -
That was the Snvior'a expression. Ho
looked upon IL a. essential. II
there was any being that was
ever bora on tho earth that could
have dispensed With this holyordinance,
b certainly was the Son II Coz, the
Nedeener u the world. But Hu NJ.
fcrud bimsolf ssan example 10 all the
rest Of ~; Offered Himself A. a cuudi-
uate lor this holy ordinance 10 man
10 whom God hail givou the authority
IN hApiize. John had received that
priVatnoJf from his fathers by virtue
% which tina. holy ordinance could be
administcrcd aud to administration be
recognized by God the Eternal Father.
Therefore, Jesus submitted 10 the oTGi.
nance, and testified b. al the children
Of men That should follow afterwards
thnt Il was au ordinance essential 20
ealvatiOn. His Disciples taught tue
Same doctrine, and Administered the
same ordinance uutO all who received
the Gospel anu were willing 10 cntur
into thu Church OF Christ.
After this there was another nrdl-
nance mat they looked upou ~ essen.
tial In thosu days. You remember
that one OF the dinulpies went 10
Samafia, and ho preached the Gospel
there, and Il seems that he had au.
thOfity 10 baptze, Tor he baptized the
converts; bul for some reason no did
not administer any other ordinance.
John tho Il .ptlgt did not either. He
said: ~ indeed baptize you with
water unto repentauce: hut Ne that
cometh alter me IL migh,ier than I,
whose shoes am not worthy 10 hear:
he sh1ll baptizo you with the Holy
Ghost, and with fire." When tho
Apostles heard that BamariA had TO-
celved the word, They sent two Of the
Apostles there, who, when they came
to 5smaria, anu met with tho men and
women VINO had been baptized, laid
their hands upon them and they 10.
celvcd the Holy 1host. This was an
ordinance In the ancient Church, aud
considered essential TO salvation by the
Apostles; for II they had not 80 con.
siderrd II, they certainly would not
have put tho Apostles ~ the trouble Of
going there 10 visit the Saints aud adj
minister that ordinance 10 them.
So that We have here, not Olly faith,
not only repentance, but We have bap-
tsm, and the laying on Of hands. az
ordinances In the Church OF Chfist.
Now. let me nsl, this Of all Of you,
How can It be expected that whore a
succession Of generations lay aside
these important ordinances and say
they nre not essential 10 salvation, that
the spirit and power and blessing Of
God ana the gilt OF the Holy Ghost
viii rest down upon theme 10 seems
10 mp that any on0 who would
reflect upon this sulect would DO
iotcei 10 admit that such de.
parture from the plan Of salvation
would inevitably forfeit the bltssings
that the Lord said should accompany
the administration u these ordinances.
How can men expect the Holy Ghost
10 rest upon them when they DO not
obey the ordinances which bring that
precious gift? How can they expect
any other result than that the Lord
will Withhold tbe gilt Of the Holy
Ghost when they refuse 60 obey the
oullna ncea noces ary 70 obtain ~
have alluded 10 these ordinances 20
show that there " some ground Tor tho
testimony OF the i4stler.dny Saints that
the everlasting Gospel needed 10 be-
restored 10 the eaftn; thst unluss some.
thing were done 10 restore Il there
could be no enjoyment OF the gins that
characterized the ancient Church.
Hence, II a man were u ask me, "HOw
shall | know which ui these various
Heois IA tfue?" | should tell him that
hu must look atound for n church cor.
responding ~ It's organization, IN IT,
teachings, In its claims, In ia gifts ami
bics lingo with the ancient Church
which Jesus founded.
There IA a gtea, diversity Of scots Of
the present Time, esGh QUE claiming %
DO the Church OF Christ. There IA con-
fusion IN the Sorld, and men are
distracted almost by the claims that aru
cot up 10y various Organizations. IL IL
20 wonder that men throw aside re.
hgiab entirely amt say they want
none OF II, and that thinking men
should feel Disguised, 80 to speak, with
the claims that are set forth IN tehalf
VI these various denominations. Here
In this city OF ours we have already
quite number Of organizations Of this
character, each one claiming 10 be the
Church OF Christ. Suppose our young
men md young women were TO 20
around, II they had not accepted the
Gospel as taught by the Church OF
Jesus Christ Of Latterday Saints, and
ask which ono of these Is correct,
what confusion would necessarily FOL.
low the inquiry Here IL o church
organized that denies tho divinity Of
tho Savior md the ntoning power 0f
His blood. Others believe that His
blood II nll that IL necessary 10 saliva.
ton. Ono believes That ono iUrm OF
organization ia correct another says
that different form IL tho correct one.
They are known ~ churches not 10y the
name of Jesus Christ, bot by the nance
OF the founders. These Jealous men,
believing that reforms We're necessary,
left tho bodies with which they were
connected and formed new organlza-
tons and they were called after their
names. And these have multiplied Ia
the earth until there Ia no end Of con-
fusion, strife and contention concern.
Ing the plan Of salvation aud the true
path for men amt women TO walk Ia ~
obtain eternal He.
In tho wordB that | have read in
your hearing The Apostle had this
condition OF thingd In mind. lie
advised the people 10 whom he wrote
TO try the spirits, whether they were OF
God or not; and one Of the slgns---a
most i(npoftnnt one Ia that daV-was