Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1894-12-08

lie concluded this part OF His mission,
lie said to His disciples, ole that
beleveth on Me, the works that do
shall he do also; and greater works than
these shall he do, because 20 unto Ny
Father" He empowered them to per.
petuate His work and gave them the
keys Of the Kingdom OF heaven. lie
gave them to the President OF the
Church Of that day, and said TO him:
And will give unto thee The keys Of he
kingdom Of heaven. and Whatsoever thou shalt
bind on earth shall he bound in heaven. and
wharocycr thou shalt loose on earth shall be-
looacd in heaven.
This was most emphatic method OF
conveying to Peter the chief Apostle
Of that age, the necessary authority that
his acts aud the acts OF those who Oper.
ated IN unison with him should be
acknowledged In heaven, because they
were legal. being authorized by the Son
Of God. When he had done this work
In this life Christ was offered up, atom
ing with His blood for the SIN Of the
be fully opened to all the children Of
God. Then the Apostle Peter said,
concerning the Savior "Being put
to death in the flesh, but quick.
ened by the Spirit, by which
also lie went and preached to the
spirits In prison." What ior' "rhat
they might be Judged according TO men
In the flesh, but live according to God
In the spirit" Thus having opened His
dispensation among men IN the flesh,
He also opened It In the world OF de.
parted spirits and preached to them the
Gospel. Aud this explains the words
OF the Apostle Paul, when he was In.
stTucting the Corinthians on the doctrine
Of the resurrection. Some of these
people not believing In the resurrection
Of the body as n fact, nor In the
atouement Of Christ, lie said, Else
what shall they do which are baptized
Tor the dead, II the dead rise not at all,
why are they then baptized for the
dead" This opens up a comprehensive
principle IN unison with the atonement
VI Jesus Christ the performance Of
vicauous work Tor the dead who heard
not the Gospel in their day.
Now. my brethren and sisters and
friends, comes a new dispeusatiOn-the
great dispensation Of the latter days,
toward which the prophets have looked
as they gazed downward along the
stream OF time; dlspensaiion into
which all the others would How as tri.
butariel into the great ocean; the days
| spoken OF when all things should be
gathered together In one. Whether the
world believe IL or not, we take the
position that this dlspensaiIon was
ushergd Ia by prophet IN these times,
and that through him the key Of knowl.
| edge was restored. What Is the key OF
/
RELATE to divine things Is revelation
| communication between our Father Ia
heaven and His children ON earth; and
without It We have no positive knowl'
edge OF heavenly conditions. The
Prophet Joseph Smith, by command
ment OF tue Almighty, as we hold, In
the nineteenth century, near It's begin.
ming, received communications from
the Most High, and on April 9th, 1850,
the true Church Of Christ was organlz.
ed, aud that Church was and Is the
samc'in all Us features as the Church
that lie established IN His day. Joseph
Smith accomplished this, and, like his
Master, he was builcted and driven from
pillar TO post from state to state; but
still, Ia the strength and power OF God
and the integrity OF his own sublime
nature, he adhered to the mission con
hdcd TO him-the most glorious mission
Of establishing the Church Of Christ
anew IN mortality. And he also, during
his lifetime, announced, by divine au
thorization, that the Gospel, is preach
ing and power was not to be limited to
this sphere. lie unlolded the glorious
plan OF Jehovah TO those who had the
privilege ol listening to his voice and
reading the revelations that were given
to him from the Most High aud com.
municated the glad tidings that there
was no principle, no ordinance, no
blessing that could bb conferred upon
man ia the flesh but what could be ap-
piled also to those who died without
them. lie announced the glorious news
that the principles OF the Gospel
that are initiatory IN their character
faith IN Christ, repentance OF sin, bap'
tism by immersion, by one holding au.
thorty, for the remission OF sins, and
! the imposition Of hands Tor the recep-
ton OF the Holy Ghost-should be
preached by the duly commissioned
servants OF the Most High who pass
into the spirit world. II was de-
clared by him that those principles
and ordinances could be applied
to our ioreiathers, who knew not the
Gospel because It's keys and powers
were not amongst them In their genera
ton. lie announced that the wcarious
part Of this labor must be performed in
| cdihces erected Tor that purpose, sacred
and holy to the Most High. That Is
the reason the LatteT-day Saints have
been temple.bullding people. That Is
why the hearts OF the Saints are directed
| in love and devotion towards tlpse
reyered structures.
After the Prophet Joseph had estab.
lished those principles, and conferred
on Others, as Jesus Christ did,
the same authority and power To
minister. to olliciatc and superlntend
that he held, then, as his Lord
and Master did, he sealed his testimony
with his blood. And as the testament
Of the Lord Jesus Christ is in force in all
the world, and has been since Ills crucl-
hXion, and was even before 1t occurred,
by the law OF sacrifice, so Is the tesla.
ment OF the Prophet Joseph Smith, a
| son OF Ephram, a descendant OF Joseph
that was sold into Egypt in force Ia all
the world, and beyond IT, reaching into
the spirit life; for he was a special ser.
want Of the Lord Jesus Christ. Then
following still further In the footsteps
Of the Redeemer, he opened the
latter.day dspensatIon TO the world
Of dsembodied spirits, to whom he pro.
claimed freedom to the captive through
the merits Of the blessed Savior. He
turned the hearts Of the fathers to the
children, having already turned the
hearts Of the children on earth IN the
| direction Of their pTOgenituTs. This.