Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1896-01-18
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continue IN error. then they are under
the bondage OF sin and in transgression,
and the traditions OF the fathers hinder
their progress to the extent to which
they yield to them.
Now, in the Gospel Of Jesus Christ
we are taught principles Of truth. The
word OF God is truth There is no word
that God hath spoken TO the children OF
men for their guidance that Is not true.
Aud IL is the business OF men and
women especially those In this Church
to learn what Is the word and will OF
God. When they have learned It, 1t is
their duty to accept Il IN their hearts,
incorporate Il in their lives, ard abide
by II. Then they become the disciples
OF Christ in very deed. Then they shall
know the truth. They shall not merely
believe the truth because II is stated
by one In whom they have confidence,
but they shall know the truth. and the
truth shall make them free, IL Is
only the truth that can make men
free. Sin and error will not; nor
will tradition. unless the tradition
be right and come down through the
proper channel. There are holy tra-
dilions that have been transmitted TO
the children OF men as well as erroneous
traditions. One OF the holy traditions
that has come down from Adam to the
present day Is, that there is a God In the
heavens, and that lie Is the ruler Of the
heavens and OF the earth; that He has
sent His children upon this earth to In
habit Il and to have a probation, as the
prophets have told us IN the books. that
we might serve God aud become con.
formed TO the image and likeness OF
Jesus Christ, and be exalted Into the
presence OF the Father, from whence we
came. This is a tradition holy aud true.
II was handed down from the beginning
OF man-,hat Is. from the beginning Of
mans existence upon the earth. AS to
the beginning Of creation, no man knows
anything about that. IL was in the
beginning that God created the heay-
ems and tue earth, and " there is any
man ON earth that eau tell me when the
beginning" was, then / will tell him
when God created this earth and the
heavens that are above II, But in the
beginning Of mans existence upon this.
earth God taught him by His own pres.
cnce. by the word OF His own mouth.
He walked and talked with him face to
face, rs one man walks aud talks with
another. That was the beginning OF
Adams race upon this earth that We
now inhabit; and from Adam down to
the present there has been handed down
from generation to generation the tradi-
ton that God did walk and talk with
Adam face to face, and that Adam was
placed upon this earth by the wisdom Of
the Almighty for purpose. That pur.
pose was a great and glorious one. Man
is not here simply to eat and drink OF
the material elements that surround him,
and then to die and be forgotten. We
are here in form and feature like the Son
OF God, and He IN form and feature is
like the Father. We read In Genesis
that God created man In his own i'm.
age, in the image Of God created he
him: male and female created he them"
We are thus far IN the image OF God.
but mentally, spiritually, We have van
dered far from Him. II was no more
designed or decreed in the beginning
that man should be like God physically
than Il was that he should be like Him
mentally and spiritually; for a man is not
entirely like God II he Is only like Him
In physical appearance. II takes some.
thing more than this to make a man like
Jesus Christ; for Christ had intelligence.
lie not only had intelligence, but He APP
piled that intelligence in the doing OF
good and In tue making Of men Tree
from the errors OF the world and the evil
traditions OF the fathers. He declared
In words OF truth and soberness, I'll We
continue in my word, then are ye my
disciples indeed; and We shall know the
truth, and the truth shall make you iree.|
No man is like God unless he Is free.
God is free. Why Because lie possesses
all righteousness, all power and all wis.
dom. lie also possesses His agency,
and His agency Is exercised In doing
that which is good, and not that which
is evil. So no man can be like unto Him
until he can subject himself unto that
which is righteous, pure and good, and
until he can iorsake error and sin and
overcome himself. "Choose ye this day
whom We will serve" II we are like
unto Jesus Christ, we will serve God,
and say in our hearts, Father not my
will, but thine, be done" II we are like
the Savior, we will say that he who
would be greatest among you must be
the least OF all and the most subject unto
the requirements Of heaven. lie that is
most plant and submissive TO the will OF
God shows the greatest wisdom among
all men. lie that sets up his opinion in
opposition TO the wishes and purposes OF
the Lord Is OF all men the faTthest from
God in that regard. Though he may be
fashioned and formed in the image and
likeness OF the Father, yet he is most
unlike The Son unless he can say in his
heart, 'Father, not my will, but thine,
be done" 1t Is the will OF the Lord
that we should possess this spirit, and
understand this truth. II Is true that
there is to US but one God, the Father,
and that all men will have TO be subject
unto Him and are required 10 obey His
commandments, IN order that they may
be tree, and the disciples oil Christ in
deed.
There is a weakness in mainland as
they say in the South, 1t Is a powerful
weakness-to serve himself, to crafty
his own desires, TO accom- lish his own
purposes, no matter what II costs to
others. Regardless OF the evil conse-
quences that may flow unto Others, he
seeks to crafty his own ambitions, his
desires for his own ACKNOWLEDGMENT and
the promotion Of his selfish interests.
This is one of the errors OF the age. II
Is one OF those weaknesses that make
man unlike his Master, separating him
from God and the truth, and causing
him to become a law unto himself
This is wrong. If were to dwell in
community and had no other desire
thanto build up myself and enlarge my
own possessions, and by any and all
means within my power, not stopping