Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1903-09-19

speak with tongues2 do all interpret
but covet earnestly the best gifts:
and yet show 1 unto you a more ex-
cellent way."--I Corinthians ~; 1881.
Now, my friends, | want you TO UNI
derstand distinctly that the Church
which God established through Christ
and His Apostles was one body no
matter how many branches or how
many members there were. IL was
perfectly and compactly joined togeth.
er. Each member OF the Church was
Il member of the body and the Apostles
and other authorities were placed In
the Church, as nave READ TO you. Ion
the work OF the ministry. Tor the per-
fecting OF the saints. tor the edirying
OF the body of Christ, until they should
come, not only to the unity OF the faith.
but to the KNOWLEDGE OF the Son
of God; that they might not be tossed
TO and fro and carried about with
every wind OF doctrine, but that they
might all be united together, baptized
by one Spirit into one body, and en-
joyng the gifts OF tongues, interpre-
tations, prophecy, healing etc.
Just take glance at mat kind OF
church, with apostles and prophets aud
inspired teachers, with these gifts and
blessings and powers. with the Holy
Ghost present and given to the menu
bers, everyone who was baptized re-
celving the Holy Ghost through the
laying on of hands, manifestlng these
gifts OF the Spirit, and having the uni
" of the faith, no confusion or conten-
ton In regard to doctrine, understand
ing IL alike, and these inspired men
teaching and guiding and leading them
to the unity of the faith and the
knowledge OF the Son of God. Oh,
what difference between that kind
of church and modern Christendom In
the nineteenth and twentieth centuries!
| do not want TO say anything against
any denomination. That is not what /
am preaching for. IL III to proclaim the
truth, and II will come In contact with
error powerfully enough to make that
manifest. We do not want to do any
injury to or hinder anybody from pro-
claiming anything that is true. Any
thing that IL good anything that leads
TO good, TO virtue, To honor, TO integrl-
ty, to uprightness, to the benefit OF
mankind and the amelioration OF the
condition of the children of men, we
recognize as coming from God; but that
which is error, that which IL imposture,
that which is pretentious, that which
pretends to be of God and IL only of
man, that of course, we come in con-
tact with. not purposely but because
the truth comes In contact with err
ror,
This il the kind of church that Christ
established. II lasted upon the earth
for some time In that condition. But
after awhile, as predicted by the Apos-
ties, II became corrupted You can
read In the Eplstle OF Peter, In the
Epistle of Paul to the Thessalonians,
and In other Epistles, that the time
would come when the people would
not endure sound doctrine, but. as one
Apostle says, after their own lusts
shall they heap TO themselves teach
ers. having itching ears, and they shall
turn their ears away from the truth
and be turned unto fables III
declared that through covetousness
men would arise and make mer-
chandise Of them, and the Apos-
ties all foresaw that the time
would come when darkness would in
tervene and overspread the earth. and
when the power and Spirit of the AL
mighty In the Church would be with
drawn In the first few chapters OF
Revela tlon-the vision that John had
on the Isle OF Patmos-the condition
OF the churches Is portrayed. There
We're only seven of them that were
worthy OF word from the Lord, and
He declared tNt II they would not re-
pent He woulu come and smite them
with the sword of His mouth. John,
In this vision, was commanded 10 write
to these seven churches and give them
the word of the Lord, and picture be-
fore them the wickedness and corrup-
tlon that had come In among them.
"a "a
scarlet colored beast, full of names
of blasphemy; and the woman was ar
rayed in purple and scarlet, and decked
with gold and precious stones and
pearls, having golden cup in her hand
full of denominations and fllthiness; and
he behed that she made "all nations
drink OF the wine Of the wrath of her
fornication." Now, that this was
something to take place after Johns
day you can learn by reading the 4th
chapter, first verse, which says: After
this looked. and, behold. "A door was
opened In heaven: and the first voice
which heard was as 1t were of trum-
pet talking with me: which said. Come
up hither, and ] will show thee things
which must be hereafter" And IN the
last chapter OF the book we are told
that no man shall add to the words OF
the PROPHECY OF this book"
This was a prediction that was given
to John, part In literal language and
part In figurative form, but these
things were explained az he went on
He saw this woman. clothed as | have
shown YOU and sitting upon scarlet
coolred beast. and he saw that she had
power 10 make all nations on the earth
drunken out Of that golden cup. Pre-
yious TO thta you will read that John
saw the Church OF Christine pure
Church--figured As woman, clothed
with the sun. the moon under her feet.
and crown TO ~ stars upon her head.
and he beheld that she brought forth
man child, and the child was caught up
unto God and to His throne, while the
woman fed into the wilderness, be-
cause of the power OF the eva one that
was after her I'm the form of dragon.
The pure Church taken away. the false
church came in and overspread the
earth and gross darkness the people"
But In the midst OF this darkness
there have been great many good men
and women. who have striven TO serve
God and 60 do His will, and the Lord
has been with them. There have arisen
reformers also from time TO time who
have seen errors existing In the world
hltu nave Nlltu W ulNf AHtili Oul anu
bring In the truth But where has
there been an Apostle of the Lord
Jesus Christ? Where has there been
Prophet OF the Most High God1
Where has been the power Of the
Holy Ghost by which the prophets
wrote and spoke? Where the baptism
by immersion by one having authority,
for the remission of sins2 Where the
outpourlng OF the Holy Grost In the
gifts and blessings and signs which
Christ promised to them that believed
Have not these things gone from tho
earth7 Certainly Ask the preachers
about them and they say. "Oh they
are done away They were all right IN
the time OF Christ aud His Apostles
hut now they are no longer needed
because we are living IN an age Of
Gospel blaze" indeed Indeed? And
yet they are divided and contendlng
about doctrlne-cannot see eye TO eye
not baptized into one body--split up