Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1905-01-14

the Almighty, Ut whose presence thcy
have made their covenants.
n the question is asked, whether such
solemn pledges are necessary TO the
furtherance OF o moral life, the answer
ls, that all nations and all peoples In
an ages, have considered some pledges
part Of good public policy. Kings and
rulers solemnly vow. In the presence OF
God, 10 fulhll the duties OF their offices,
citizens ana subjects pledge themselves
to obedience and faithfulness, Ohiclas
ON entering upon their career, give sol
cmn pledges to do right: witnesses are
pledged 70 speak the truth, ana soldiers
10 give their lives. In these cases the
covenants are made in the form Of an
oath In the Church, there are no
"oaths," but solemn promises, or dec
laraions, but the underlying principle
is the same, Surely, there must be good
and sufficient reason, I'm human nature
itself, for a practice that has become
as universal as the need Of the uniting
Of human beings into societies, Ger
tain II IL, II experience Is authority, that
a solemn pact made with God IN holy
places has saved many from a relapse
into a life OF sin and shame. II has
given strength IN the hour Of tempta-
ton, and been an incentive TO efforts
for good. Every Christian minister re-
CARDS his oath Of office" as a help to
him in the fuiilment Of his duties. The
covenants Of the Latter-day Saints are
to them similar help. They are test,
too. For he who viii break his cove
nants, voluntarily made before his
Maker Is useless as a citizen Of the
kingdom Of God, or soldier In the
ranks Of the host, Of the Lord
THE QUESTION OF SECRECY.
Another question may be asked II
the Latter-day Saints have no other
VOWS and obligations than the COW
enants to do right and live moral lives,
why all this secrecy II their COW
enauts are in the nature OF those en-
tered into by former-day Saints at the
altar OF sacrifices, and by Christians
generally at the Sacramento table why
are they attended to in secret?
when Jehovah, In the Mosaic dispen-
sation commanded His people to rear
a Tabernacle In the wilderness, and
later a Temple in Jerusalem, He or
dained that the structure itself, and
the ground upon which It stood, should
be consecrated, and not soul was per-
mitted TO enter the sacred precincts,
except the consecrated priests And
even they were not given access at all
times, or for trivial purposes Ex-
act rules were laid down, which to
break was death, In one part Of the
sacred structure no one dared to enter
except the chief High Priest,
and he only once year. SO
sacred was this spot, that
Jews today refuse to walk upon
the temple ground in Jerusalem, fear
ing that by so doing they might tres
pass upon the place over which once
stood the Holy Of Holes why all this
secrecy Why were not the people per-
mitted to assemble in the Tabernacle
then, as they do in the churches and
chapels now? Why such exclusiveness?
The Jews used to regard the name Of
God so holy that they never pronounced
It, for fear OF PROCLAMATION. Even in
reading their Scriptures, they read Ad-
onal instead Of jehovah Why? Be
cause they understood this principle;
that what Is the subject Of daily talk
must lose that which makes II sacred
to us, Familiarity" It Is said, "breeds
contempt" Mary, the mother Of Jesus
did not talk and gossip about those
sweet things which heavenly messen-
gers communicated 20 her, They We're
too sacred to expose TO public gaze. She
kept them In her heart and contemplate
ed them, aud 50 she had strength and
consolation In the hour Of trouble. That
which is sacred must be shielded from
the daily, worldly influences. That is a
sufficient answer to the question Of se-
crecy The Lord Himself sought the
secluded places, in the mountain region,
for special communication with His
Father and He eniolned upon His dis
ciples 20 pray IN sccuslon. Can any
one with Christian experience ask,
Why2
THE CHURCH NOT SECRET.
And yet, the Church is not a secret
society. Ancient Israel was not a Sc
cret society although It had It's TEN.
pie from which practically ali the world
was excluded Any society has a right
to privacy, but the exercise OF that
right does not make the society secret.
Clubs have their private premises,
where IntrusIons are not tolerated.
Families have right to privacy. But
that docs not make the club and the
family secret societies. Nor does the
fact that the Church has its Temples.
which are not open to the public, jus-
tify the charge that the Church is a
secret society.
In Macedonia there exists govern
ment whose members are not publicly
known but who nevertheless exercise
all the functions OF a government. They
meet in secret they administer laws,
they levy taxes. Their hand is felt
everywhere, but no one knows where is
the brain that directs that hand. They
are spoken OF as the Macedonian com
m'''ee' but they are really Il secret gov
ernment' Now, that is a secret society
other secret societies have been known