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


weak, falible man, who only very
short time afterwards denied that he
knew Christ and cursed and swore
that he knew not the mani! Then'
Peter only lived a short time on earth
He was cruclfied we are told IN MS
tory, with his head downward. If, |
therefore. the Church was built on n |
man. when the man was gone, the |
foundation on which the Church was
built would go too, 1t would appear
But this Idea is not prevalent In , the
Protestant part Of Christendom. The |
ideas of the ministers of the various |
churches differ somewhat as to the |
meaning of this scripture.
Now, the Latter-day Saints view II
in this light: They believe that the
principle OF revelation by which Peter
knew that Jesus was the Christ
rock on which. Chrlst's Church is
bullt-the revelation of GOO to man,
the spirit of revelation. Without
IT there can he no real Church OF
Christ. II is the life OF It. the light
of It, the power of IT. Take 1t away,
and only the dead form will be left.
This spirit of revelation by which Peter
knew that Jesus was the Christ is the
very foundation of the Church OF
Christ. IT is true that another figure
Is used in the scriptures, where 1t
says the Church is built on the foun-
Christ being the chief corner stone;
but the Church, as l have said, and
Its ministers would be nothing without
this spirit of revelatlon-the light that
comes from God, to the soul OF man.
| Every man who stands as a minister
in the Church of Christ needs 1t.
Every member of the Church needs 1t.
| Without n person Is born of that
| Spirit. MS well as of the water, he can
not enter the kingdom of God. so Jesus
taught. 1t was by that spirit that the
| Church of old was baptized into one
| body, whether they We're jew or Gen
| tile. bond or free" they were all made
to drink into that one Spirit" 1t was
| the spirit of revelation. 1t was the
same Spirit by which the old Prophets
We're inspired, by which they wrote
the books which are contained in the
| Bible. and many other books that have
been lost and are not compiled in this
volume.
II was by that Spirit that the Apos-
ties preached. It was under the in
| nuence of that Spirit that they min
| lstered. 1t was because they minis
tered under the inspiration and power
| of the Holy Ghost that their ministra-
tons We're effectual and were ac-
| knowledged in heaven. And without
| that Spirit and its guidance. without
| the ordinances were performed under
| Its Influences none of these things
| would be acknowledged on high. 1t
| was because the Apostles of old were
led by that Spirit, and minstered by
| II. and attended to the ordinances of
the Gospel in that Spirit, that the peo-
pie were baptized into 1t and that their
| acts performed on earth in the name
of the Father and of the Son and of
the Holy Ghost We're acknow
lodged in the heavens when they
baptized n repentant sinner who be-
lleved in Christ. for the remission of
sins his sins were loosed on earth and
were loosed in heaven. When they
laid hands upon the baptized believer,
and said. Receive we the Holy Ghost"
and sealed that Holy Spirit of promls,
upon his head. the Holy Ghost came
into the enlightened soul-that repent
ant, baptized believer, and sealed him
a member of Christ's Church on
earth and that was sealed and ac-
| knowledged and recorded in heaven.
What they did on earth by the power
of that Priesthood and authority which
Christ gave to them was acknowledged
above. No man can confer the Holy
Ghost of himself. He may lay his
hands upon person and say, Re
ceive the Holy Ghost" but that Holy
Ghost is not at the beck and call OF
any one, unless II be by the power of
God conferred upon man, and then it
Is just the same as though the Father
had performed or spoken 1t. So the
authority that Christ gave to Peter
and to the Apostles in former times
was acknowledged in heaven; and
when they baptized people they re
ceived the remission of their sins in
baptism, through the blood of Christ
which was shed for the remission of
sins, and they were washed and made
clean; they were regenerated; their
souls We're born anew-born first of
the water, and then, by the laying on
of the hands of the servants of God
the Holy Ghost came upon them and
they were renewed in their spirits
baptized In the Spirit OF God. The acts
of the servants of God in loosing their
sins by baptism, and in sealing the Holy
Ghost by the laying on of hands, We're
acknowledged in the eternal worlds
and the power of God accompanied
their administrations.
But after the time of the ancient
Apostles this power departed from the
earth. The wicked put to death those
men upon whom Christ bestowed this
power and authority; and those whom
they had called to their aid under the
enlightening power of the Holy Ghost.
We're put to death, or banished, or put
In dungeons, or cast to wild bensts.
In this way the lights that God had
placed in the earth to illuminate man.
kind We're put out by the hand of
wickedness; and darkness came upon
the earth, and gross darkness upon the
the people. They went into idolatry
and mariolatry and into isms, and
notions and ideas, by the vagaries of
men. by the teachings of men, by the
wisdom-or, rather, the folly of men;
and for hundreds of years the people
We're cropping like blind men for the
wall, being taught for doctrine the
commandments of men, having Il form
of godliness and denying the power
thereof-this power that I have read
to you in this chapter. The Apostles
of old predicted that the time would
come when they would have such
forms, but they would deny the
power.
You who are present in this congre-
cation this afternoon know very well
that the established theory in all the
ranks of modern Christendom Is that
the voice Of revelation has ceased
that there Is no power on earth now Ia
bind and II shall be bound In heaven; M
power on earth now to loose and II
shall be loosed in heaven; but man
kind are taught by the wisdom OF
men, and they actually think that is
better state of things than the con
dition In which the Christian Church
was. In the primitive times. why
they say this Is an age of Gospel
blaze; this is an age OF learning: this
Is an age of mans wisdom. We have
seminaries, colleges, and universities;
and we train our young men in the
principles of theology, and they are
thoroughly equipped and instructed
and there is no need OF revelation. We
have the f,ible. and we do not need any