Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1898-04-02


laid:
Now / beseech you, brethren, by the
name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that
we all speak the same thing, and that
there be no divisions among you; but
that We be perfectly Joined together in
the same mind and in the same judg-
Inent.
For 1t hath been declared unto mo
OF you, my brethren, by them which
are of the house OF Chloe, that there
are contentious among you.
Now this ! sny, that every one of
you saith | am OF Paul; and / OF
Apollos. and / of Cephas, and of
Christ.
Us Christ divided? was Paul cruel
fed for you? or We're ye baptized In
the name OF Paul?
Il thank God that l baptized none
of you, but Crispus and Gaius;
Lest any should say that / had
baptized In mine own name.
And / baptized also the household
of stephanas; besides, ! know not
whether baptized any other.
For Christ sent me not to baptize.
but to preach the Gospel: not with
wisdom of words, lest the cross of
Christ should be made Of none effect.
For the preaching of the cross is
to them that perish, foolishness. but
unto MS which are saved, 1t is the
power of God.
For It is written. I will destroy the
wisdom of the wise, and will bring to
nothing the understanding of the
prudent.
Where is the wise? where is the
scribe? where is the disputer of this
world? hath not God made foolish the
wisdom OF this world?
For after that In the wisdom of
God the world by wisdom knew not
God 1t pleased God by the foolshness
of preaching to save them that be-
lieve.
For the Jews require sign, and
the Greeks seek after wisdom:
But we preach Christ crucihed, un-
To the Jews stumbling block, and
unto the Greeks foolishness;
But unto them which are called,
both Jews and Greeks, Christ the
power of God, and the wisdom of God
Because the foollshness of God Is
wiser than men; and the weakness OF
God is stronger than men.
For We see your calling. brethren,
row that not many wise men after the
flesh, not many mighty, not many
noble are called:
But God hath chosen the foolish
things of the world to cunfound the
wise; and God hath chosen the weak
things of the world to confound the
things which are mighty;
And base things of the world and
things which are desplsed, hath God
chosen, yea, and things which are not,
10 bring to nought things that are:
That no flesh should glory In His
presence.
who of God is made unto us wisdom,
and Righteousness, and sanctlfcation.
and redemption:
That according as It is written, He
that glorieth. let him glory in the
Lord"
Unfortunately some clumsy hand
has here closed this chapter. The
opening verses of the second chapter
properly belong to the words | have
just read hence l continue:
And |. brethren. when came to you
came not with eNcellency of speech or
of wisdom, declaring unto you the
testimony OF God,
For determined not to know any
thing among you. save Jesus Christ
and Him cruclfed
And | was with you in weakness,
ana IN rear, and in much trembling,
Ana my speech and my preaching
was not with entcing words Of mans
wisdom. but In demonstration of the
Spirit, and Of power.
THAT your faith should not stand I'm
the wisdom Of men. but in the power
II is not always that we preface our
remarks by reading a chapter from
the Scriptures; It Is not always that
we take text which we desire to ex-
pound. but | thought II proper on this
occasion to read this Scripture to you.
ana ] think 1t proper now to call your
attention to one or two verses that
perhaps may be regarded as a text for
mat which desire in my heart to
say:
Every one of you saith. am of
cephas; and ! OF Christ.
Is Christ dlvided?"
This was the great question which
the Apostle of the Gentiles propounded
to those Saints IN Corinth, among whom
divisions began to appear. These d.
visions, however were incipient as com
pared with those that exist in Christen-
dom today; and If those divisions ex-
listing IN the primitive Church at Cor
NTH called forth this stern reproof from
the great Apostle of the Gentiles, 1
sometimes wonder what he would say
To- torn distracted Christendon OF to-
day! Would he not with Increased EN-
phasis demand OF this Babel that exists
now In Christendom an answer to the
question, rs Christ divlded?"
The plain inference of this Scripture,
of course. is that Christ is not to be
divided: that men are under condemna-
ton who say that they are OF Paul or
of Cephas, or of Apolos 1t plainly de-
clares that the Church Of Christ Is to be
one. Yet. as men look upon Christen-
dom In Its divided condition Today, they
very naturally find themselves some
what perplered with this confusion that
exists concerning the Christian re-
llglon; and II looks exceedingly like
bigotry for anyone to stand up and
condemn this section or that section
of this so-caled Christianity.
| am reminded Mt this point of n cir
cumstance that happened within my
own experience. About year ago, in
company with q number of friends,
attended n service at the Catholic ca
thedral In New York. and listened to Il
minister of that faith preach most
excellent discourse. He was man Of
fervent spirit, man of complete conf
dence, ! take IT, in the rightfulness
of the claims of his own great church,
and his testimony concerning the truth
Of what he taught was SO fervent that
II created an impression upon the
minds Of our party. As we left the
cathedral one OF the members of our
party "a sister by the way) asked me
the question, "Who Is to say that that
man Is not right and his religion not
true? who can say that he Is mistaken
In regard to the claims of the great
Catholic church? ! should like to know
what man can sit in judgment upon
him and his faith" To which, she re-
Gently Informed me, l made this an
awer:
A. II