Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1897-12-04

who could not believe In Christ IL be
ing in their very nature and trainini
not to believe? What about the PEG
pie who were surrounded by such en-
vironments that they had no chanc,
TO learn of Christ? Have they all per
ished? Yes, IL what some christian
teachers say Is true. But God, Al
mighty through the great Prophet ri
the nineteenth century, Joseph Smith
upon whom he conferred the Holy
Ghost and this same power that HI
conferred upon Peter, to bind on eartl
that which should be bound in heaven
be loosed In heaven, revealed this
glorious principle of salvation, by
which we understand that the time vii
come when every soul If Adams race
VIII have an opportunity of hearing
the truth and obeying it. If. unfortu-
nately for them, they did not live on
the earth at n time when the Gospel
was here, or the Priesthood and power
of II were here, they will hear It in the
other land to which they have gone.
The truth of the everlasting Gospel
will be proclaimed In the spheres OF
the departed. and every prison house
VIII echo with Its sound: and the pris-
oners viii SO free. II they viii repent
10 be "beaten with many stripes" be-
fore they arrive at the right condition
TO receive 1t. Some win only be beaten
with "a few stripes" Some will have
W pay tllt utNtTnlOSt luTtnlnE lOf
their denominations, corruptions and
wickedness. But the time will come
thanks be to Cod when. through the
power of this holy Priesthood and this
authority. which binds and looses on
earth and II Is Acknowledged in hea-
ven. every soul will hear the sound of
the Gospel, and they will repent and
bow the knee.
Wherefore God also hath highly ex-
nlted hin,and given him name which
is above every name:
That at the name of Jesus every
knee should bow. OF things In heaven.
and things in earth, and things under
the earth;
And that every tongue should con-
Tess that Jesus Christ ~ Lord 10 the
glory of God the Father."-Phill II.
Oil.
And then from the heavens above.
ana the earth beneath. and from un-
der the earth. viii re-echo the clor-
i0us sound of honor. praise and glory
unto God and the Lamb forever. he
cause He has redeemd them by His
blood out OF every nation. and kindred,
and tongue and people" Every sou,
VIII find some place prepared where
they can glorify God. enjoy their ex-
isteuce, and receive that which they
are capable Of receivl-.- and enioyinp.
for in theFather's house are many man
sions; and as the heavenly bodies diff
fer in glory, so will II be with those
who come forth In the resurrection of
the dead
This gives n little glimpse of the
plan of salvation AZ revealed in olden |
times. and as restored in latter times. |
What desire to impress upon the |
minds of this congregation this after |
noon is. that without this power and |
authority that Christ held on 49, earth |
from the Fnther, and that He gave |
to His disciples, the door of salvation |
IL not open to the sons and daughters |
or men. This Is great power to place |
In the hands of men. But God knows |
Ills own business He understands |
His own children. He knows those |
that were foreordaned before the |
foundations of the world to come down |
on the earth at certain periods and |
perform the work that He allotted to |
them. He told Jeremiah that before |
he was born he knew him. and "or- |
dained him to be prophet to the ma
TONS You can read tl.nt In the scrip-
lures. Jeremiah 1. 81 This IL the doc
trine of Generalization and predesti-
nation that the world has gone wrons
about so much. No man is foreord~i mod |
and predestined to he saved or damned.
but there have been men chosen from
the foundations of the world even ms
Jesus Christ was chosen" the Lamb
slain from the foundations of the
world: men chosen to dwell on earth
IN otferent periods and places to ac-
complish the work OF God. God calls
them in His own time and season. and
when Iie places that authority upon
them He understands what He Is doing.
II was well understood that one of those .
Twelve whom Jesus chose would use the
power and authority that was given
Him to bring about the crucinxibn of
Christ. 1t was foreknown that he would
be son of .perdition. and that
ne would betray his Lord. All that was
necessary In the great plan. Not that
his agency was interfered with in the
slightest degree. He was left to carry
out the devices of his own base nature.
ana he betrayed Christ. Peter stumbled
and almost fell to the ground shirt
ually, hut he recovered himself. and
repented, and was willing to do any
thing that he might atone for the
fault he had committed In the hour
OF weakness when he denied that he
stood him, and told him to go and feed
Ills sheep: That was rebuke that
Peter understood; he saw that his
business was not to go fishing not to
engage In the things of this world, but
10 work for the Master. to labor for
the truth and for the salvation OF the
souls of men, And he glorlously nc
complished hir mission. He was Will
Ing to lay down his life for the truth.
and when they took him captive md
were about to cruelty him, he desired
to have his head turned downward
that he might not be placed on n level
with his Lord. He was willing To shed
his blood, that he might atone for his
faults and that he might witness that
MS testimony of Christ was true He
knew 1t was true. because God had re-
vealed II to him. and he carried that
knowledge with him to the grave. He
departed into the spirit world, and no
doubt labored there nightly, that he
might be able to finish the great worl,
that Christ had given him TO do. ana
the gates of he'll could not prevail
against him.
And that Is not all. After the long
nlsnt OF darkness that | have briefly
Alluded to;after these divisions strIfes
contentious, and mems churches thai
nave been set up-after all this. The
Lord has been pleased to reveal the
truth again, and has sent down this
same authority that Christ gave To
Peter And who brought 1t here? Who
should bring 1t here? Why. Peter came
ana brought James and John with
nm Joseph Smith. the latter-dnv
Prophet, was ordained under the hands
OF that man to whom Christ said. 81
give unto thee the keys of the king
dom OF heaven; and whatsoever thou
shalt bind on earth shall be bound in
heaven; and whatsoever thou shalt
loose on earth shall he Ioosed in
heaven" That authority has been
brought and conferred upon man upon
the earth; and although the Prophet
Joseph Smith. in his turn has senIad