Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1896-12-12

and beat upon the house we have erect
ed, it shall not fall. i say TO you here
today, that there never has been 4 man
or a woman in all Israel, and there never
will be, who is keeping the command.
ments of God and has not committed
sin, who will ever lose the testimony OF
the Spirit of God and be found in oppo
siiion to His work. The individual that
fails to obey the commandments oi God
and to recognize the authority Of God
upon the earth, he is the one that loses
the light and Inspiration OF the Spirit OF
God aud turns away. You cannot find
in the history OF the Church an individ.
ual that lost the Spirit OF God while
keeping the commandments oil God
Men obey the Word OF Wisdom; they
obey the law OF uthing; they attend to
their meetings.; they magnify the Priest
hood that is placed upon them, and they
grow from day to day in the light and
inspiration OF the Spirit of God, and the
testimony of Jesus never dims within
them. But men break the Word Of
Wisdom year after year, and they lose
certain portion OF the Spirit OF God.
They fail to labor diligently and faith
fully in the discharge OF the duties and
obligations resting upon them, aud they
oseph Smith stated that whenever
man neglect ed known duty, 10 matter
what 1t was, he had taken the first step
to apostasy. | say that every Latter.day
Saint knows that it is his duty o obey
the law of tithing and the Word OF
Wisdom, and TO labor diligently and
faithfully TO discharge any duty that de-
vclvcs upon him as holder OF the
Priesthood; and when any man neglects
any one OF these known duties unless
the Prophet Joseph Smith stated that
which was NOT true, such an indtvidu al
has taken the first step TO apostasy. We
| want to remember that this teaching OF
the Prophet Joseph Smith is in direct
harmony with the sayings that have
| read to you today. We arc told by our
| Savior to Judge not, that we be not
| Judged; that il we do the things He tells
us, we shall build our house upon the
rock, and it matters not what storms
come, whether they be in the shape OF
sickness, or the loss Of our beloved
ones, or financial distress OF any kind,
or political troubles, they will have no
effect upon our faith. We ourselves can
make a success of lite, or we can make
a failure. No one can prevent me or
you from arriving at hat Office or call
ing in the Priesthood where we can do
the most good, except ourselves can
deprive myself OF advancement, OF pro-
giession, and Of increasing in the Spirit
oil God, by falling 10 keep the command
ments OF God; but there is no living man
who can deprive me ol the Priesthood
OF God il | keep His commandments.
To return to the subject OF faith and
works. will read few more passages
OF scripture:
II ye love me, keep my commandments.
| He that hath my commandments, and keep
eth them, he it IS that loyeth me; and he that
| loyeth me shall be loved OF my Father, and
will love him, and viii nantes; myself to him.
John NV, IS. al.
do YOU desire the love of God, the
author OF your existence, the Father Of
your spirits? Then say TO YOU, keen
the commandments of God, and His
Only Begotten Son has promised thai
you shall be loved OF Him. What else
does He promse2 That He will love
you, and will manifest himself unto
you. say to you that co know that
God lives, and that Jesus is the Christ.
| do know that il you will keep the COM
mandments OF God, you will receive
this same knowledge. And also say TO
you, that il you Go not keep the COM
mandments OF God, although you may
once have had the light and inspiration
OF the Spirit of God, 1T will not stay with
you. There is no promise made to any
| man that he can retain the testimony
that Jesus is the Savior OF the world and
! at the same time fail to keep the COM
uiandments Of God.
Be We doors of the word and not hearers
only, deceTng your own selyes.-James |, ~.
What doth it profit my brethren, though a
man say he hath faith, and have not worls' can
| faith save HIM
If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute
| OF daily food,
And one OF you say unto them, depart in
peace. be ye warmed and filled; Notwithstanding
| We give them not those things which are neediul
| TO the body; what doth ii profit:
Eyei so faith. II it hath not works, is dead.
being alore.
Yea, ma1 may say. thou hast faith, and /
| have work; show me thy faith without thy
works. and will show thee my faith by my
works.
Thou believest that there is one God; thou
doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.
| james II, 1919.
If this language that have just
| quoted is CORE CT, the devils believe in
I
cried out and testified that He was the
Son of God. Did that knowledge save
themo Will the knowledge that you and
| have save usa The more abundantly
we have been blessed OF God, the more
testimonies we have received OF the
| divinity of the mission of the Prophet
1 Joseph Smith, the oftener we have seen
| the sick healed, the oitener we have
seen the manifestations OF the gilt Of
tongues and tue gift OF prophecy, the
greater is our responsibility 10 labor for
| the onward advancement OF the work Ct
| God. or those to whom much is given,
much is expected AS we grow and in
| crease in knowledge and in the testimony
of the Spirit OF God, we must also grow
| and increase in labor and effort for the
advancement OF the work oil God, or we
will lose the Spirit of God. 1t is not a
knowledge that God lives that will save
us, it is Keeping the commandments OF
| God.
But wilt thou know. o vain man, tina, faith
without works Is deadf
Was no, Abraham our father justified by
works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon
the altar
Seest thou how faith wrought with his works
and by works was faith made perfect;
And the scripture was fulfilled which saith,
Abraham believed God, and II was imputed un-
to him for righteousness and he was called the
friend Of God.
Ye see then how that by works a man /.
| iustfed, and not BY faith only.