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


amy other church-for this reason: The
Gospel she teaches and the authority
she claims not only pertains to the gem
GRAFTON now living, but to the past and
To the future generations of men. The
Church OF Jesus Christ Of Latter day
Saints stands here IN the dispensation
OF the fullness of times. in the which
God has dccreed that He would gather
together all things in one, both In
heaven and on Garth, even In Him,
Christ Jesus. We're there peculiar pow
ers and keys OF authority held In the
days OF the Patrorchs? Yes The
great personages that held those pow
urs came to the Prophet who stands
al the head OF this dispensation. Joseph
Smith, and bestowed those keys of au-
thority and powers upon him. Did
Moses possess the keys of the gather
ing of Israel and the restoration OF the
tribes of Israel to their landsI Yes;
and he came to the Temple Of God in
Kirkland and yielded up his keys of
power and authority, SO that the great
head Of the Church today holds In his
hands this power once possessed by
that mighty servant OF God, and we
are working to accomplish the gather
ing Of Israel, the restoration Of Israel
to the lands promised unto the fathers.
Did the Prophet Elijah hold peculiar
keys of power in his day? Yes;
Keys by which the hearts of the chill
hearts OF the fathers turned to the chill
dren. And the Lord promised before
the great and terrible day of His
judgment should come He would send
the Prophet Elijah, and the object of
his mission should be the turning of
the hearts Of the fathers to the children
and Of the children to the fathers,
lest the whole earth should be smitten
with a curse Mt the glorious coming of
the Lord Malachi "; 30 And
those keys were bestowed upon
Joseph Smith, and are now
held by the great heed Of the
church, Wilford Woodruff, his legal sue
cessor. Behold Che power restored
which shall make thu Gospel Of the SON
of God effective to I'll the generations
Of men as well to those who have ltovel
when It was not on the cdrth. as 10
those living when divine authority was
on the earth. and the mercy OF God
by this means -h0O be extended unto
all men-thnt Is tho opportunities Of
receiving the Gospel rhall be extend
ed unto oil men. whether they have
lived in former ages or now.
This restored Gospel also looks into
the future. II anticipates the coming
of the Son Of God In glory. and to thu
church has beer given the work ~
preparing the inhabitants ui the Garth
for the glorious coming OF Jesus Christ
As the ocean ultimately receives into Its
bosom all the streams Of earth 80 TINS
dispensation Of the fullness of times
opened through the revelations OF GOD
to Joseph Smith. receives from all form
err dlspensations. keys Of power and au-
thority by which all things shall be
gathered together In this dispensatioil
Of the fulness of times. a universal
Church, this Church Of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints. most truly
DO the terms which describe the
10, oh oil Ftl
be Apostolic is, that she shall re-
ceive organization from Apostolic au-
thorlty? II so. then behold the Church
OF Jesus Christ Of Latter day Saints,
the most Apostolic of all the churches
that exist; for the reason that II was
Peter. James and John who conferred
the holy Apostleship upon the head OF
the Prophet Joseph and he upon oth-
! ers; so that this power Is here. and
the keys thereof. and the authority to
establish the Church of Christ by di-
rect Apostolic authority IL resident In
the Prophet of God who was called to
this work
Here then stands the Church of
Christ. with these powers, with this
commission to preach the Gospel In all
the world To me. my brethren and
sisters. her claims are consistent her
strength resistless. her future glorious.
and her triumph shall yet be splendid.
! There is no question in my mind as to
where the Church of Christ is. ! find
| her. the bride OF the Lamb of God, here,
and | find her strength bottomed in
| the declarations Of God: that He, the
Righteous Judge Of the whole earth,
I hath declared Himself concerning the
contending sects that exist in the
world, that they are not His Church
or Kingdom--that they teach for doc
trine the commandments of men. But
God has restored His Gospel, re-estah-
lished His Church. and given to men
| divine authority to speak and admin
igter in His name. And who shall pre-
vail against the Church OF God that
He hath thus established and founded
in the truth
But. Notwithstanding our own as
surance OF the truth OF these matters,
we very naturally turn TO such facts
of history or prophecy that will aid us
in presenting these truths TO our fell
low men: for to this end have they
been given To us, thnt is to teach them
to our fellow men, We stand. as a COM
munity. in the same position that the
1 ApOstle Paul stood In as an individual.
I He said. "yvue IL ne, If l preach not the
/ Gospel of Christ" so with US: Woe
/ he unto us If we preach not these glad
| tidingg of the Gospel Of the Son of God
/ restored The responsibility OF bear
| ing witness TO the truth rests upon us;
| and we cannot wait until we become
u
/ ophies of the world. or skilled orators.
| The affairs Of God cry haste. and
| spced must answer them. And as in
| former times, as I read Mt the opening
| of my remarks, in the Scripture. God
| took the weak things of the earth with
| which to accomplish His purposes, 20
now He has chosen the weak things OF
| the world men whose preaching and
| whose words stand not in the wisdom
/ that the knowledge OF the world teach
/ es. but stand In the power OF God, He
must uphold His word; He must sus-
tain His servants, else they shall never
| he able to perform the task before
them. our reliance is not In the wis
( dom Of man; 1t is not IN the ability OF
man: II is not In his eloqucnce; but
| n is in the power OF God. and there
we must rest our case. our words arc
weak: the Gospel we preach, ito the
| Greeks" may now as of old seem fool
ish, hut II is the power Of God. never
theless. to those who are humble and
| helleye The power OF God and not
| the power OF man has drawn this peo-
Pile together. and holds them here in
| the snlendld unity that Is an object
| lesson TO the world. testlfying that here
! Christ is not divided but is One: and
! His Church IL one. I rejoice In this
| atrcngth of the Church Of Christ
! Y have lately listened much to a
/ learned gentleman from the East who
| with frankness that I admired, tells
| us that our caust Is stronger than we
/ Put Il. There Is more in "Mormonsm''
! than we are able to present, I am hap
l ny that he made that remark. Without
| a moments hesitation. Mt tho time of