Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1895-02-16

| a great deal OF the inndelity That now
reigns among the children Of men,
because they very wisely conclude that
/ God could not possibly be the Author Of
so much confusion and false doctrine.
DR.. Nelson, IN his work on infdelty,
makes use Of the following: "lnhdels
are made from two causes, the first or
/ primary cause IS the dcpravity OF our
natures; the second IS our lack Of knowl-
edge" Now. at first glance It seems
/ astounding 10 say that such men as Vol
| taitc, David Hume, Thomas Paine,
/ Colonel ingefsoll and Others, were iublcl
from want of knowledge. Bear iu mind,
! however, those two causes. ln the FIRST
/ place, the primary causc-orginal de-.
praviiy--givcs us tendency to lean
| towards the side Of lalsehood aud
wickedncss. and TO discriminate against
| the revelations OF God in favor OF Things
/ OF a carnal nature. And this first cause
/ leads to the second. because II we are
I inclined to ialsgh1od, II We desire that
| which Is unHghtcous, unholy. or impure,
/ We are not likely TO seek alter the things
| Of God with n view to find them true
| but rather 10 find flaws 90 them. In this
| connection ] remember what Thomas
| Carlyle said about Nultairc. lie said
Noltaire was disqualified from being a
testator on this subject because he was
10 no sense religious although he criti-
cizcd religion so sifcnuou3ly and ear.
ncsty without, he says. possessing any
knowledge oil Christianity beyond the
most superficial Take the case OF the
great inhdcl, DAVID Hume, the leader Of
the inhdels In his day in England. and
well known as an cssayist and historian.
Dr. Johnson once said In a company OF
literary gentlemen: mo honest man
can be an unbelievcr IN the Bible after
giving Il a proper Investigation "Ex-
cusc me, SIR" said one, u think you
VIII make an exception in the case Of
David Hume" mo. sir, said the Doc
tor. "Mr Hume once admitted to q cler-
gyman in the lshupfic OF Durham that
he had never read even the New Tcs-
lament with attention" What does
Thomas Paine, the great anu-christian,
sayP 81 keep no Bible Yet how bit.
tcrly he rallied against iu lie was one
OF a class that took q certain ground.
lie became q specialist ON that ground.
aud in that order OF reasoning. aud he
rehashed the doctrines OF neEdtists that
had gone before him, and with that
stuck-in.irddC he went before the world
Haley the astronomer, happened 10 say
M the presence OF the great Sir Isaac
Newton that he was an uuuclicyef boz
Christianity. Sir Isaac turned 10 him IN
his calm, digniicd manner. and said.
"Sr, ] have studied those subjects and
you never have. DO not disgrace your.
self rs a philosopher by pretending 10
pass an opinion upon a subject with
which you are not acquainted" What
IS the secret OF al thiss Was not Hal.
ley learned mann Yes, and a man OF
great ability. Was not David Hume q
learned mann Yes. Was not Thomas
Paine a man OF great ability Yes.
What was the trouble ,hen2 The
trouble was defined by the Earl OF
Rochester. lie had been an inhde but
was converted 10 "a beiei iu the Bible.
lie says, The bad heart, the bad hear.
is the father OF iufdcl thought" Tie
fool hatn said In his heart tnot IN his
head there Is no Cod" It's like the
case OF a woman who looked into a
mirror, and seeing wrinkles upon her
lace, she was SO disguised that she
smashed the mirror. because IL showed
the truth. So with many men; they do
not Ike that system which shows 40 the
wrinkles and defects OF their character,
and they Try TO break Il and disqualiiy
u from having any influence against
them.
maintain then that one Of the princl.
pal reasons why the children Of men
are so careless about this message that
has been delivered TO them by line
Laltcr-day Saints is simply that they do
not incline towards righteousness. Per.
adventure too, some have heard of or
read the history OF the Latter.dav
SAINTS; OF their prosecutions. OF their
suilcungs IN Missouri and Illinois; of
the maftyrdom OF their leaders. OF the
dlsinterestcd and sel.sacnfcing labors
perioumed by those who have been nj
the head OF our affairs, and OF our people
generallyi and they realize that't mas
been a history OF hardships and s'rug
giles, trials and priyations. And they
do not want any Of that, or as little as
possible, In their lives, forgetting that
WIN all these trials and suiiefings, even
though called 10 pass through the fiery
furnace, That there Is an abiding power
OF salvation in aud around those indi-
vlduais who are called to endure them
that such are buoyed up and sustained
by that Great Being who has called
upon us TO do His will aud keen Ills
commandments under all circumstance
/ say they lose sight Of that part OF H.
aud TINS ls no wonder. The Apostle tx.
plans ~ The natural man receiyeth
not the things OF the Spirit OF Cod. for
they are ioOlishness unto him: neither
can he know them, because they are
spiritually dlscvrned." There AZ ,
scientific formula That no force can act
except where there are prc-establshed !
relations existing between that force
and the things on which lbs ENERGIES |
are TO work" Il is precisely SO Win
the religion Of Jesus Christ. Tia divine |
message comes from heaven To the |
children OF men, 10 Is ioolishncss TO the |
children OF men, unless-NhaR Unless |
there are pTe'eNlsing relations within |
the Individual breast and the divine |
message What are those pre.existinp |
relatlonsf Now, II any one here denies |
that mans FIRST duty IS 10 God. his |
Father aud Creator, that he Is obligated |
TO md out His will and then To do IL |
nave nothing at present TO say to him. |
But to those who are willing 10 admit
that they are the offspring OF the Great
Father VINO created Us all, and who feel
that II is their duty and privilege To try
and find out II He has anything Tor
them TO perlorm-l say II they feel this
way that pre- established relation Is an
their hearts, and when they hear tbts
message they may not necessarily 20 10
President Woodruff the President OF
the church OF Jesus Christ OF Lalter-day
SAINTS, but do expect, considering the
Importance OF the message that rs de.
lNered by this Church. and the eyiden-
ces OF sincerity and integrity manifested
uN Ill