Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1896-07-18

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less Him. The cause Of this decay
Ia spiritual matters IS due to false doc
irines, 20 Il Sc teachers. to men profess.
lng 20 be ministers OF Jesus Christ and
vet DENYING the power Of God, Instead
Of stirring the people UP 10 seek for the
kits and graces that adorned the Church
M ancient days aud los the power that
tie members Of the Church possessed,
the effort has been apparently To. stiile
every aspiration Of the human soul after
higher things and after greater faith,
Who Of you does not know this' There
have been thousands In the various ma
tons Of the earth who have felt that
they would make any sacrifice II they
could only be placed in such close con-
ncction with God and with molly men AS
previous generations had been when the
Gospel was preached in It's purify. Many
OF you. before you embraced the Cos
pei, have had these desires In your
hearts, and you have gone to proicssei
ministers Of Jesus Christ and asked them
concerning the gifts that existed In an.
Gent days and why they were not en-
ioyed now. What has been the answer
In every instance that have ever heard
Of the answer has been that these things
have ceased, there Is no longer need Tor
that power. God has given the Bible,
after having established His Church by
the aid OF miracles and extraordinary
power, and such manifestations are no
longer needed. In this manner teachers
protesting TO be followers Of Christ have
siiiled the aspirations OF the human soul,
and have done everything In their power
To smother the desire that would grow
up IN the human heart after those things
which God revealed to the ancicnts.
The result IS, spiritual starvation exists
today, and almost universal ignorance
prevails concerning God and His put-
poses, His Gospel, and the plan Of sal
Walton. The sources OF knowledge
have been stopped up by the want Of
faith on the part OF mankind, until today
men harden their hearts against these
things and reject them. ~
Now, the Lord has established this
Church. The Lattcr.day Saints do not
pretend that they have derived their
authority from any human source, nor
that the Gospel they teach IS from man;
Il Is from God. Men have wondered
aud been shocked sometimes, at the
statement that angels have visited the
earth again, IL Is so contrary to all
their traditions and to all the ideas that
they entertain concerning the opera
tons OF the Almighty, But when you
look at Il candidly aud understandingly,
how else-by what other authority
through what other medium-couldm men
be delivered from the dreadful condition
in which the world has been placedf II
not from heaven, from what source could
men expect to receive divine authority.
light aud knowledggl Could they get II
from their fellow men? Why, they are
split up into hundreds OF sects, having
many forms OF belief. and no one with
authority TO say, this Is the right way.'
What avail then would II be Tor any Of
the children OF men to seek for reliel
from mem There IS no other way that
can see this could be accomplished
only by the heavens being opened and
angels coming down from God with the
authority which had been withdrawn
from the earth-the authority to act IN
the name OF God. for every man must
perceive, II he reflects a moment, that
God Is too exalted and occupies too
high n position to allow men 10 act IN
His stead without receiving authority
from Him. How can man presume 10
do 50; Tor he who does so is most pre-
sumptuous, and merits the condemna-
ton and will no doubt receive the
severe punishment Of just God. There
was only one way by which this great
relorm-reiorm is too weak q word
this great reyoluuon-and that does not
cover II exactly-could be effected, and
that was by the Lord Himself sending
messengers from Himself with the
power to give this authority to man. No
other way can suggest itself to my mind.
IL required angelic minsirations, Why
Because SO far as mankind knew, there
was not a man upon the face OF the
whole earth who had the authority 10
administer m the things OF God. They
had killed every man whom they could
find that bore this authority, and every
thing had gone into darkness, the
Church had He'd, so TO speak, into the
wilderness, aud the authority which God
gave was withdrawn from the earth, be-
cause mankind were determined that no
man who held that authority should live
among them. As have said, so far as
we know there was no man upon the
face OF the earth that had the authority
to administer the ordinances OF saliva
ton to his fellow man or TO give unto
him the authority by which he could aci
In the name OF the Lord Jesus .ChTist
IL was, therefore, perfectly Logical and
reasonable that ii the Priesthood or au'
thoniy came back to earth again, ii
would have to be brought by men who
once held II in the flesh. Hence John
the Baptist came TO give unto man the
authority OF what is known as the
Aarouic Pflesthood-ihe same authority
thar he held while m the flesh, aud by
which he baptized tue Son OF God Him
sell. He bestowed that authouIy upon
his fellow servants, as ne condescenued
to call the wC-loseph Smith and MS
cumpaniOn-upun whom he laid his
hands. IL was proper that he should dc
this, holding as ne did the keys, being q
! literal descendant OF Aaron, and having
| the authority Of that Priesthood b,
descent as well as by the select on oI
| the Lord. lie was designated by the
Savior as one OF the greatest Of the
prophets, John the Baptist did no mir
aclr, 50 we are told, but Ihcre was no
| greater prophet ever lived than lohn The
Bapu5l; i4r he naI the dn ,inpui hes
and unique honor OF bapiizug the Sol
| ul God, the Redeemer OF tLs world.
When that Priesthood was restored
men could begin to baptze their fellow
men VINO believed in Jesus and repentc,
81 ,aeir sins, with tue same authority
that lohn himself exercised when n,
| baptized the Savior and others IN III,
river Jordan. Thus the foundation was
laid Tor TIE administration " mat huS
ordinance by which the sins OF tue chit
uieu vi mvn are RENTED.
Bur there was still lacking power anC