Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1906-01-20

LOrd mas commissioned certain per-
son TO do certain work. so long as
that person Is In discharge OF that
work, his voice should be obeyed, when
It Is given In his name. rs though
It was from the Deity himself. Mind
you. I say, that so long as he is in the
Office OF his calling. that person In dis
charge OF that work should receive the
same implicit obedience, by those who
are presumed to obey as though the
Deity himself were speaking
Can Mr.. Smith find IN any Of the dis
courses delivered under the peculiar
circumstances existing away back in
1857, IA stronger enunciatlon OF the doc
trne that he now condemns, that he
himself promulgated In the discourse
from which we have quoted, which he
delivered as late as 1868?
Discourslng further on the 'unques-
tloning obedience Of Abraham. which
he highly extolled he asked again and
remarked.
But did he hesitate? No he went
with blind faith and blind obedience,
letter. so far as all practical purposes
are concerned. And that is why TO
me. 1t seems that this Is one OF the
most striking examples of obedience.
And what was the result? Abraham
today stands as a figure scarcely par
alleled by any other man except the
Christ man, In all the history OF the
world, either sacred or profane. And
why? Simply because In him was man
ifested sor'e Of the mos implicit obe-
dlence that the world has ever known.
And ! am of the opinion that only In
so far az we manifest obedience some
what similar 10 this, will We be proilted
or benefited in our RELIGIOUS life. II
seems to me that this faith that shal
impel us always TO obedience Is the
one chief principle that shall hnally
win for US eternal glory and bliss.
He went on to talk about Soldiers Of
the cross and the necessity of Implicit
obedience to commanding officers by
valiant soldiers in the army Of the
Lord and asked:
what does 1t mean? Does 1t mean
that when we receive a command we
should say, I do not know whethes
or not to obey that command. II does
not appeal to my Intelligence; that man
did not know what he WAS talking
about. Is II the right of the so der
to rebel and say ] VIII not do that
because | know that the consequences
will be badT No. He simply goes
ahead and does II and In doing what Is
the mistake OF another man, he wins
glory"
He then quoted from the Doctrine ana
Covenants TO show that In 1884 the LORD
complained Of the Latter-day Saints,
that they had not learned to be obe-
dent. and that therefore they must
needs be chastened until they learn ope-
dienee, II It must needs be by the THINGS
they suffer" Then he went on to apply
this to circumstances existing at the
time OF his preaching. as follows'
you have been called upon within
the past few months to do a little more
In financial way than possibly you
ever were before And you
hesitate on the ground We'll, do NOT
believe that those men that are placed
I'm charge are doing just exactly right;
those men do not know any more than
I do about those things; and ] do not
believe am compelled to render obeli-
ence to them until see II just exactly
my way Did Abraham talk like that?
Is It well for you to talk like that?
There is good deal more of It in the
same vein, which we have not space
enough to reproduce. Our readers,
however, can find 1t all In the Saints
Herald Of February II, 1903. But we
must quote one more paragraph from
this precious sermon by Fred NJ. Smith.
1t Is this, as a summary Of the whole
DISCOURSE
you can talk OF intelligent compile
ance all you lease; you can talk OF In
telligent obedience all you please; but
there comes a time In the life of every
man. there come times in the life OF
every man, when he cannot rely one
moment on his intelligence. nor on his
mental force, nor on his reason There
are times In the life Of every man when
he must be led absolutely by faith,
blind faith and II Is then that he rem
ders obedience that makes him truly
great IN the eyes of the Redeemer. And
/ would to God that the time would
hasten when we. as a people. as Latter
day Saints. would realize the lessons TO
be learned from the obedience OF Abra-
ham, aud place ourselves so strictly IN
the line of duty, that we can express
the sentiment Though he slay me,
yet Will ] trust In him.
1t seems, then. that the gentleman
who has come to Utah to rescue the
Latter-day Saints from the alleged 'un-
questioning obedience which he as.
serts they are subject to, is an advo-
cate OF Implicit obedience, blind obedi.
enoe, unreasoning obedience, tuIntelll-
gent obedience, and that this should ex-
tend not only to compliance with a a..
rect revelation from God to the in,
dividual, az in the case Of Abraham,
but 10 implicit obedience unto any per-
son who IL commissioned Of the Lord 10
do certain work, In financial as well
as other things, and that his voice
should be obeyed "as though It wa,
from the Deity himself"
Now, we reafiirm, and again declare.
that "unquestionlng obedience to men"
Is not doctrine OF the Church 10 which
we belong, and Is not required OF It's
members. And our assailant has not
been able TO establish his charge in all
the quotations that ne has culled from
almost forgotten discources, delivered
In times of peculiar need for unity and
compliance with wise counsel among
the Saints. Even then there was no
compulslon. The advice delivered was
suited 20 the occasion. There was no
penalty FOR noncompliance. Appeals
were made to the good sense, lnteIli-
gence and faith OF the people. The free
1ERnpV NJ nnnn