Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1892-07-05

IN our hearts, no ill.feeling against ou-
brethren or our sisters. We were re-
quired TO have pure hearts and humble
spirit, thereby manifosting that we
were In earnest In remembering HIN
who was pure and humble before all
men, aud worthy TO bear His name.
The truth NJ II came from GOD was
generally, II not always, distaeteiul to
the natural man. II was contrary 10 the
natural spirit Of man, because II re-
uuirtd him TO make sacrifices OF his
opinions, his notions, bis passions ami
predictions, and he rebelled insiinc.
lively against such things. The natural
Juan loved to crafty self, to give way
/ 20 his natural inclinations, to pursue
tho. things which afforded him plea
sure; and anything which required
him to deny the indulgence Of these
was liable 10 be hated by him and OPP
posed.
When Jesus sat upon the Mount OF
! Olives teaching the multitude, It was
| said they were attoDithod NJ HIS
doctrine. He taught them things to
which their ears were strangers, Us
Isracl had been schooled and dieri.
plined for fifteen hundred years
under what Ia known as the
lesser law and under the do
mlnion Of the lesser Priesthood. Moses,
In his time, had strlven earnestly TO
sanctify his people by means OF tho
higher law-the GoHpel-and by the
power Of the Mclchisodec PfiesthOod.
| He fnln would have brought them
10 that condition where they could
have gazcd, M lie guked, upon the lace
OF their Maker, talked with Him rs
. 4 - h.a HFaf
with Him upon tho Mount. But II
seemed that they were unwilling, uu.
ptepared, at that time 10 receive the
higher truth, the higher law, and the
powers Of the higher Priesthood. so
these were taken from them,
and they were left with the
Aaronlc Pfiestbood aud the law
Of carnai commandments. For fifteen
con,urlea, then, they had been schooled
under such law, which permitted re.
taliation, 10 venge, the cxacting OF IAN
eye for an eye and tooth for u tooth"
the application Of the strict principle
Of Justice which made every man
answer 10 man Tor the wrong that he
committed. So that when Jesus came,
restoring the higher law, the gospel OF
mercy, and cpjoincd upon mon that
they should forgive their enemies anu
not seek to avongs their wrongs, they
were Astonlsi I'd at what lie said. And
no wonder, when We consider AFTER
the lapse Of nearly two thou sand yenfn,
during which the world had basked, AZ
II claimed, In tho fulness OF tho light
OF the Gospel OF Jesus Christ, how
hard II 10 for the humblest and best OF
Christians TO magnify this higher law,
to learn TO return good for evil.
lie had heard men east dlscredll
upon this teaching Of tho Savior; lac
had known Latter.day Saints to argue,
to strive 20 convince Themselves aud
others, that the Lord did not mean
what He said when lie made this TO-
quirement OF His people. He did moi
think, however, that this was safe
position 10 assume. IL was more be
comipg Ina IA to take the fault upon
ourselves, TO acknowledge that II wal
Gods law, nevertheless, though W.
might not always be ready, willing, Of
able 10 keen II. We should forgive u,
we hoped to be forgiven; aud this, h'
took il, was the love that the Lon
meant TO he broad enough II
our hearts to make allowance for thI
, weaknesses Of Others aud not ~, II
harsh Judgment upon them. "Judg'
0 not, that We DO not judged"
, IL often happened that We only saw
D the outward manifestation. We saw
9 that man stumbled, fell, and conf,
y tod n mistake, hut we did not know
3 how he struggled ere he fell; We Ill,
3 not know the weaknesses that men In
. h.rlt, the burdens which they bore; ant
Z yet we brought them 10 judgment be
: fore the tribunal Of our minds an,
: hearts, and made them responsible
: perhaps, for things inherited from thei
e ancestors. We had only to measur
. the distance between tha perfect law o
: God and our Inability to keep II 10 81
= tho chasm that We were "a
! we were required 10 make before w
: called for at our hands. The speake
, was thankful to say he was not ono O
= those who believed that God did mo
, mean what lie said, who would cas-
, discredit on law which required hin
to do unto others ns he would the,
. should do unto him, though he did no
. claim the power to keep such q law u
= all times.
I lilo thought It might DO stated, AZ
o truth, that most, II not all, the wicked
Q ness and wrong doing anu slniulness q
: man was the result Of ignorance. II
made all due allowance for whit wa
x termed wilful wickedness, and tina
: desperation which impelled some me
= forward into the very Jaws OF damn
9 ton, when they knew wher
l. they were going, to some extent Q
!, least; but II We aualyzed this as far 0
u We were capable, could We not recog
y nige that those feelings OF wilflluD,
and desperation which prompted som
!, men 10 DO wrong were the results ,
dense ignorance, which, n Shskespeai
sys, " the only dar knees that I
"rhere II no darkness but ignorance,
says the immortal bard.
The Lntter.day Saints did not b.
= lleve that We Sprnng iuto existence |
an instant, suddenly, but that we .,
listed before we came upon this esrtl
A and that we were Icaplng here, 10
great extent, tho results OF our deed
!, In a previous life. This principle wa
l. recognized Ia the days Of Jesus, VIII
was asked by His disciples conccrnin
=. n certain man who WINS born bllnd, an
y whom He healed. "LOrd, did thl
man Gin, or his parents, that he WI
born blind?" they asked-showing thu
;, He had been teaching them that II wa
Iossible for man 10 sin before he cam
upon the earth, and that here he NIGH
be made 10 anawer for Il by being Dor
lame, or blind, or wanting In som
other respect. But In this Instance,
4, sccms, II was not 10, and we were nc
IN infer that such always was the casi
70 Because Jesus said that 1t was Meth,
the man nor his pareuts WIN I'M