Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1901-04-13

nave developed system OF theology
which is departure from the true
GOSPEL and from the spirit which char
| acterlzed and always viii characterize
| The true servants OF God IN their min
Istratons among the people
NECESSITY or REVELATION.
The Apostle Peter in the first chap
ter Of his second Epistle, says:
I'VE have also a more sure word of
prophecy"
| | would that men today had a more
| sure word of prophecy than their own
opinions and the Interpretation placed
upon the Bible by uninspired men.
| Peter proceeds to say.
mo prophecy Of the Scriptures Is of
| any private Interpretation. For the
| prophecy came not In old time by the
! viii of man. but holy men Of God spake
as they were moved upon by the Holy
Ghost
There Is not theological teacher on
| The face Of this earth that can polnt me
| to one servant Of God whose name Is
recorded between Genesis and Revela-
| uon, who did not speak by the gift and
power of the Holy Ghost; and you can
not point to any period In the history
| OF Gods people, either antedating the
coming OF the Messiah or during the
ministry OF His Apostles, when they
We're guided solely by Scriptures which
mad been written hundreds Of years be-
fore. They were not directed that way.
Moses was commanded to build tab
ernacle In the wilderness. Why did
he do III Was It by virtue of what
God had said TO Enoch. or to Abraham?
No. God commanded Noah TO build
an ark. Why did he do It? Not by
virtue OF some previous revelation, but
because God spoke 70 him. II was a
revelation to meet the necessities of
the time. Another thing, You cannot
point me to dispensation OF the Cos.
pei among men when, Notwithstanding
the Interchangeable character of the plan
OF salvation. there did not exist circum-
stances which demanded immediate
revelation from God to guide the people
In the performance of their duty. And
you cannot point TO any Prophet who
has not required inspiration TO under
stand the things spoken by God to His
predecessors. Did not the Son OF Cod
try to teach His Apostles what had
been written concerning Him by the
Prophets, and did they not, even
tbs n they We're His immediate
followers misunderstood the scriptures
until they were endowed with the pow
er OF the Holy Ghost? When He, In
speaking Of His body. said Destroy
TINS temple and In three days will
raise II up" they did not understand
Him. Notwithstanding the plalnness Of
the predictions Of Isaiah concerning the
Messlah-how that He should be born
Of a virgin, in Bethlehem; that He
should be called out Of Egypt; that He
should be numbered with the transgres-
sors, and that His grave should be made
with the rich, etc.-al Of which the
Apostles had to read, they did not COM
prehend them. They had not thought
II possible that their Lord and Master
would be slain, and when He was cruel |
ned, with disappointment they turned
to their fishing nets. After the oruciAx- |
lon, as two of His disciples walked |
along toward Emmaus converslng as |
they went over that which had trans |
plred in jerusalem He appeared before |
them as stranger. and said What |
manner or communications are these |
that We have one to another, as We walk, |
and are sad?" One of them, whose name |
was Cleopas, said unto Him, art thou |
only stranger In Jerusalem. and hast |
not known the things which are come |
to pass there In these days?" Then |
Jesus said TO them, 20 fools and slow
Of heart to believe all that the prophets |
have spoken" And they were His dis |
oples, yet did not understand Him! |
Luke, In the Acts Of the Apostles, SAYS |
that on one occasion the Apostles asked |
the Savior, Lord, wilt thou at this |
time restore again the kingdom to Is |
rael?" Jesus replied ut Is not for you |
to know the times or the seasons, which |
the Father hath put In His own power" |
Now, there was falling away. As |
long as there Is not q church estab- |
lished upon the earth, having at its head |
an inspired man with authority TO |
speak and act In the name of God and |
to receive the revelations Of His will, |
there will be no unity of the faith and |
no understanding of the Gospel The |
Prophets, High Priests, Seventy, Elders, |
New Testament speaks OF Apostles and |
Bishops, Priests, Teachers and Dea-
cons, and where Is there theologian |
from the days OF Martin Luther, who |
rebelled against the Roman Catholic |
church, down 70 the present day, who |
has been able TO point out what are |
the distinctive duties Of an Apostle, or |
tell what duties pertain to the office Of |
an Elder or Seventy, that do not per- |
tain TO some other office in the Church? |
They cannot do II. and II cannot be |
done without revelation from God. The |
New Testament is but fragmentary In |
its character, and there Is scarcely a |
subject or a doctrine In ii that is eluci- |
dated FROM beginning to end IL was not |
necessary These epistles Of the New |
Testament were written 10 men and |
women already in the Church. IL |
President Angus NJ. Cannon were to |
write an eplstle 70 the Saints Of the |
Salt Lake Stake Of Zion be would not |
have 70 tell them all about faith re-
pentance and BAPTISM his letter would |
doubtless be applicable 10 the circum-
stances surrounding the people. So Il |
was in those days. While the epistles
contain fragments of doctrine in some
more extensively than in others, stlll |
they were Written to apply to the con
ditions surrounding the Saints In those
days and dWelt upon those subjects
that were especially needed by the
members Of the Church. Roger VIII
Hams, who az one time was the pastor
OF the Oldest baptist church IN America
(the church still stands IN Providence.
Rhode lslanD resigned his pastorate
OF that church, and gave as his reason
for doing so that he had not authority
from God 10 preach the Gospel. Meth
er was such authority upon the earth.
but the day would come when il would
be among tie children Of men. John
Wesley, in speaking of the lack of splr-
itual life which characterized the
Christian churches, says In his cath
sermon, THE reason signs do not fol-
low the believers now Is not be-
cause, as ls vugarly supposed, they
are no longer needed but because
the Christian has turned heather
again and has only dead form left"
This was the statement OF John Wesley
"a broad and candid statement. ] find
In this book hymn from Wesicy's
collection regarding the primitive
Church OF Christ and the contrast be-
tween II and the systems OF religion eX-
tant in his day. He says;
o what an age of golden daysl