Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1897-12-04
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should he bound in heaven. and what
soever they should loose ON earth |
should be loosed in heaven. Matt.
xviii; 49,.
That was most extraordinary pow
er, given by Jesus Christ to His disci-
pies; and He did nothing but that
which He was commanded to do by
His Father. Said He to His Apostles,
las my Father hath sent me. even so
send l you" The power that God gave
toHim, He gave to them: for He was to
stay but n little while among them.
He understood about His decease
which He should accomplish at Jeru-
SALEM" He understood that He should
he lifted up upon the cross, and that
His body should be inferred in the
tomb and that on the third day He
should rise from the dead Sos before
going, He left the authority which
God had given Him with His Apostles.
He gave them this extraordinary pow
er and authority-the keys of the
kingdom of heaven--that what they
should bind on earth should he bound
in heaven, and whatsoever they should
lose on earth should he loosed in hea-
ven. Peter, who was the chief of the
Apostles, the head Of the Apostleship.
was specially given these keys. He
stood at the head of the Church In
connection with James and John. as
the Apostle Paul relates. after Christ
had left the Church; and after his de-
parture from the earth. Peter, James
and John We're evidently the presiding
authority in the Church, and they
with the other Apostles held the power
to bind and loose ou earth.and what
they did by the authority thus vested
In them was acknowledged in heaven.
This was because the authority that
they received was not of man. No
man could confer this power. No
man could of himself assume it:
he might do SO in name and
by vain pretcnse. but he would
not be Acknowledged in hea-
ven. This power that Peter and
the Apostles possessed. which was
given to them of Jesus Christ. who re-
ceived 1t of the Father, was of such
character that 1t was acknowledged
In the heavens above. What they per-
formed by that authority was recog-
nized there. and was exactly the same
as though Jesus Christ or the Father
had performed that act in person.
This power and authority has not
been on the earth for long time. 1t
Is true that in certain sense the
church OF Rome-the Catholic church
as it is called-assumes to hold 1t. 1t
claims that the pope of Rome is the
successor of st. Peter. Yet, strange to
say. the pope of Rome is not an
atNfcI1t, anu ibtt fipl tltlll W NC az
Apostle. He is the bishop of the
church of Rome. He is recognized as
the father of the church. so to speak.
He is so sustained by the people. He
does not claim to he an Apostle. Nell
Their does he claim this power of revela-
ton that Peter had. Peter was able
to say Thou ore the Christ. the Son
of the living Cod" How did Peter
know that? He knew II because 1t
had been revealed to him from heaven.
God had revealed that to Peter. He
did net obtain 1t merely by reelection,
by study, by searching the old Scrip
lures and learning about the Messiah
that was to come. He may have done
all that, but he could not know that
Jesus was the Christ, the Son of the
living God. except IL had been revealed
to him. Jesus laid that down as
principle of the faith. mo man know
eth the SON." said He, "but the Father;
neither knoweth any man the Father
save the Son, and he TO whomsoever
the Son viii reveal Him." tMatthew
ri: 27) This principle of revelations of
communication direct from God to man.
was the very life Of the Church that
Jesus Christ established when He was
on earth. 1t was by IT that Peter knew
that Jesus was the Christ 1t was by
that revealing spirit that the members
of the Church obtained the same tes-
timony. AS the Apostle Paul wrote con-
corning II. mo man can say that
Jesus is the Lord. but by the Holy
Ghost" And the Holy Ghost is n
shirt of revelation. II manifests the
things of the Father and of the Son
II shows them unto men and women,
II they are prepared to receive those
Impressions. This Is that spirit of truth
| that Christ promised He would send
| after He left. He says: "If I - not
away, the Comforter will not come I'M
- 4 =
| Him unto you" He told His Apostles
not to go out to preach the Gospel to
| every creature until they had been en-
| dowed with power from on high.
"Tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem
| said He, until We he endued with pow
\ err from on high" duke xiv: 49.)
1 They did so. and they received that
| glorious blessing and rift on the day
| of Pentecost, as we read in the second
chapter Of the Acts of the Apostles.
| This spirit Is the spirit of revelation.
| 1t communicates the thinrs of God to
| men: and no man kncweth the things
of God. hut by the influence Of that
! spirit The light that comes down to
/ us, or. Mt any rate appears to do so,
| from the sun; IL thnt which illumin-
, ates our natural vision, that reveals TO
| us the visible objects of creation. and
| without which we could see nothing.
! no matter how well our eyes might be
| organized or now strong our powers
| of vision might be, even so only by tho
| Spirit of God. which is the light of
| God. which is the spirit of truth. which
| Is the spirit of revelation. can VIC fully
| comprehend the things of God.
This Spirit is the great need of all
| humanity-the Holy Ghost, the Spirit
that comes from the presence of God
| to enllghten the souls of men. BY
that Spirit the things of God may he
| n1aatly- n tho Visible
| objects of the physical creation are
perceived by the natural eye with the
| aid Of natural light Without the
| natural light we cannot see natural
things: without divine light the Spirit
of Cod, we cannot discern and
comprehend spiritual things. Peter
| had received this Spirit In
| n sufficient outnouring that he was
| able to know that Jesus was tho
christ God had revealed II to him
| He knew II. He was not in doubt u
! was not mere matter Of faith with
| him. He did not say. 81 believe. I think
| ! hone, that thou art the Christ" hut
CHOU art tho Christ. the Son OF thu
| living Cod" blessed art thou
simon Bariona," was the answer
"for flesh and blood hath not revealed
Il unto thee, but my Father which Il
in heaven" And Jesus went on e
say: Thou art Peter. and upon this
rock / Will build my Church; and TIL
gates of hell shall not prevail against
It,"
There has been great deal Of dis