Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1901-12-21

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In southern Europe and throughout
Asia Minor. But IL did not continue
with them; for aH the Apostle Paul
stated to the Romans, III God spared
not the natural branches, take heed
lest he also spare not thee" He warned
them that they were following after the
example Of unbellef, as had the Jews
before them, aud showed them the con-
sequences. He predicted that there
would be a falling away among them
You VIII find recorded IN the Goth chap
ter of Acts that when he was in the
city Of Mlletus he called for the elders
of the Church at Ephesus, and he said
unto them;
Take heed therefore unto yourselves,
and to all the flock, over the which lhe
Holy Ghost hath made you oyerseers, TO
feed the church Of God, which he hath
purchased with his own blood.
For ! know this, that after my de-
parting shall grlevous wolves enter In
among you, not spOring the flock.
Also of your own selves shall men
arise, speaking peryerse things, to draw
away disciples after them"
One Of the peryerse things which they
we're teaching was that the day of the
coming of the Messiah was near at
hand. Paul, In writing to the Thessa.
lonlans upon this subject, says;
Now we beseech you, brethren, by
the coming Of our Lord Jesus Christ
and by our gathering together unto
him,
That We be not soon shaken in mind
or be troubled neither by spirit nor by
word, nor by letter as from us, so that
tho day Of Christ Is at hand
Let no man deceive you by any
means; for that day shall not come, ex-
oept there come falling away first,
and that man OF sin be revealed, the
son OF perditlon,"
FALLING AWAY PREDICTED.
There was 60 come falling away
first and that implies turning aside
from and a subyerting Of the simple
principles that had been enuncIated by
the Messiah, and d turning away from
the organization of the Church as He
mad established II upon the earth.
we may turn TO the words OF the
Apostle John upon the Isle Of Patmos
when the voice OF the Almighty called
him and said, Come up blther, and |
VIII show thee things which must be
hereafter" In that glorious VII
sion he saw the last days and the
manifestations Of the power
OF God among the children Of men. But
before that great and glorious day he
saw that there should be falling
away In the very first part OF his
revelation Is warning to the seven
churches In Asia. He commanded
them to repent and do their first works
over again or the Lord will come UNI
to thee quickly, and viii remove thy
candlestick out of his place" In the
18th chapter of that inspired apoca-
lypse, John says concerning the great
beast which we understand TO repre-
sent the Roman empire, "And It was
given unto him to make war with the
SAINTS, and TO overcome them, and
power was given him over all kindreds,
and tongues and nations"
Ihese predictions are plain, both In
the Old and New Testaments, regard
ing the apostasy from the everlasting
covenant as expressed by the Prophet
Isaiah In the 2ith chapter of his writ
ings, You may trace this unchange-
able fact in the history of the world
from the days when the Apostles were
destroyed. There has been a conten-
ton among the chllden OF men respect
Ing the doctrines Of the Gospel and the
prophecies Of the holy scriptures. duo
to the fact that mankind have not been
guided by that spirit Of inspiration and
revelation which inspired the ancient
Apostles OF the Lord Jesus Christ. All
along through the ages since the Apos-
tles fell asleep there have been theolo-
CLANS who have had sparks Of inspira-
ton TO discern the condition Of the re-
ligious world, and they have had the
courage to stand up and declare that
the world was without the true Gospel
Of Jesus Christ Roger Williams, the
pastor Of the Oldest Baptist church In
America, (and his old church
still stands in Providence Rhode
that he had not authority to
his pastorate, but said that the Gospel
would yet be restored to the earth in
It's purity and power. John Wesley, in
his 9ith sermon, stated that the reason
the signs did not follow the believers
was not as vulgarly supposed, because
they were no longer needed, but be-
cause "tbe Christians have turned
heather again, and have only a dead
form left We have several of
Wesley's hymns In our collection; for |
want to say that the Latter-day Saints
believe in all truth. Truth Is truth
whereer It's found, whether on Chris
tian or on heather ground" Where
there have been sparks of inspiration,
whether uttered In poetry or In any
other manner, we have adopted them
for we say that Christ Is the light and
life Of the world. and that there are
good people IN all the denominations
of Chrlstendom, and there are good peo-
pie outside OF Chrlstendom We have
In this hymn book from which we sing
the praises Of the Almighty, hymns
from what Is called "Wesley's Collec-
tlon," and one Of them expresses the
sentiments Of the author regarding the
condition Of the Christian world. | win
read few verses from It. II refers
TO the ancient Saints of God, the i'm
portance Of divine authority, and the
necessity OF that authority being con-
tlnued upon the earth In order that
men may enjoy the blessings of eter-
nal life, 1t says
Meek, simple followers Of the lamb
They lived and spake and thought the
same;
They ioyfully consplred to raise
Their ceaseless sacrifice of praise.
There was no speculation among
them in regard TO the things Of God.
They thought and spake the same, be-
cause they had been baptized by one
Shirt into one body, They were not
led by the speculative theories Of men,
but they were united, because the Holy
Ghost was the source OF their in
spiration and knowledge concerning the
things Of Cod
with grace abundantly endued,
A pure believing multitude,
They all were Of one heart and soul
And heavenly love inspired the whole
oh. what an age Of golden daysl
Oh. what a choice, peculiar race!
Washed In the Lambs all-cleansing
blood
Anointed Kings and Priests to God.
Where shall we wander now to find
Successors they have left behind?