Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1902-01-27
rs RnyElArIoN rossIRLE Nowg


rs REVELATION POSSIBLE now
n The Bubiect of divine revelation has
been brought prominently forward in
this dty 10 consequence Of o statement
drawn out IN the cross-examlnaton Of
Witness ia the Mortensen case, at
The examination before q Justice Of the
peace It is necessary, before proceed
ins ,oihvesugate theprmoiplo ihyolycd
in this matter 20 place the fact In the
case in lts true light
The statement which has caused go
much comment was not volunteered by
the witness II was not made In the
course Of bis testimony direct There
was no need for the question asked by
counsel for the defense In the cross
examination hut when The query was
put, the witness answered frankly ana
without hesitation, No special refer
enee was made 10 Il OF objection taken
against Il. The court made no tom-
ment upon t. The decision That the
defendant should be held 20 The district
court FOR trial, was not affected N ans
way by the reply Of the witness to that
incidental question
10 say then that Il was received as
evidence against the accused, and ihat
mo ones life Is safe because Of the
admission Of such testimony Is 70 Put
the whole matter In an unfair and im-
proper light, II the statement had
been offered direct as evidence against
the defendant and had been admitted
as such, there might be occasion for
advorso comment. But, as we have ex-
planned, It was not so presented There
was no jury to be influenced, anp the
court had too much sense ana legal
knowledge 70 pay any attention to it
in making 40 his decision No one That
we have heard Of prctonds for mo-
ment that II was given or received as
legal evidence against the accused II
was simply an incident that can have
no real bearing upon the case, which
has yet to be tried before a jury,
on Sunday morning, in the FIRST
Methodist church in this city, this lnat-
ter was alluded to by the preacher and
the idea Of present revelation from Gqd
to man was denounced as "fanatloism,'
and The testimony Of the witness was
also ridIculed as pretcnse Of having
"a private wire connecting him with
God" The preacher is reported in the
morning papers to have said that
"there ia greater danger from the
fanatIcal utterances Of the gentleman,
than from all the heterodoSy
that denies the miracles wrought
by Christ and uttered by professors
in the Northwestern university and
further, that no good can come from
a man pretending TO receive revelations
from God as demonstration Of the
truth Of the Gospel
It is possible that there may be some
verbal expressions in these reports
which were not the exact utterances
of the preacher. But il Is evident that
he was denounclng the doctrine of per-
sonal communication from God to man.
In this be was but following the lines
laid down in modern orthodoxy The
theory held generally among the con
Alcting sects Of the so-called Christian
world is, that the collection OF ancient
VIRTUES called the Bible Is "the only
guide in matters Of religion, This rec
ognlzes the doctrine o. revelation from
God to men In former ages while it
refuses to accept anything Of the kind
at the present time,
The preacher on Sunday repudhted
immediate revelation entirely, and de-
clared It could not stand before the
law nor as the Gospel" II Will be read
fly admitted that testimony concerning
a revelation from God win net stand
before the law as evidence against
an accused person But can It be ex-
cluded as evidence relating To the Cos
pel7 Let us see'
In the conversation held between
Jesus Of Nazareth and Simon Peter, His
Apostle Jesus asked a question con,
corning the belief Of people generally as
to his personal mission, and then lie
inquired, "Whom sayest thou that ]
am" Peter answered, Thou art the
Christ the Son Of the living Cod"
What was the response to this declar-
atlong BLESSED art thou, Simon Bar
iona, for flesh and blood hath not re-
vealed It unto thee, but my Father
which Is IN heaven.p Dld Christ de-
clare there was danger from such fan
atheism, and denounce Peter as pro
Tossing to have private wire con-
meeting him with God? DID He not
instead Of that give unto Peter the
keys OF the kingdom with power to
bind on earth ana il should be bound
IN heaven, to loose on earth and it
should be loosed IN heayen2" Matt
xvi; 13.l9) Let us hear the Christ
further on this sublect
IAN things orc delivered unto me OF
my Father and no man knoweh the
Son but the Father; neither knoweth
any man the Father save The Son and
he TO whomsoever the Son WIN reveal