Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1907-06-15
B. H. ROBERTS.

because YOU yourselves. in perform
ing the marriage ceremony say y
pronounce YOU man and wife until
death does you part" / think you
ought not to take offensc at what we
say on this subjective say your mar
rage ceremonies are of no binding eff
feet in and after the resurrection. you
make no pretensions OF marrying for
eternity The fact is you scorn and
ridtcuie II. Before leaving this group
of propositions with which | am deal
ing | desire to say respecting this
question of universal apostasy from
the Christian faith--we can sustain
the truth Of that declaration from
Scripture. from history. from the con
dition of the religious world at the
opening of the nineteenth century. We
have 10 anxiety about IL, but we have
not time on this occasion to enter into
AN argument on the Justification of our
attitude.
WHAT is THE DIFFERENCE.
But, gentlemen, Christian gentlemen.
what In reality is the difference be-
tween your attitude and ours in re-
spcct of the world at large, and the
existence of the gospel in the earth and
consequences growing out of those re-
spective attitudes? You proclaim do
you not, that there Is no other mamie
given under heaven whereby men can
be saved except the name of Jesus
Christi You insist. do you not, that
there must be acceptance of the gospel
of Jesus Christ, and do you not hold
That those who do not accept this gos-
pei cannot receive the benefits of its
salvation? Now then. after 1000 years
of PROSECUTING in the world, under the
most favorable circumstances, what is
the sum total of your achievements
Why, less than one-third of the inhab-
itants of the earth are even nominally
Christians and what is your attitude
toward Gods children whom you have
not converted? Why that they are
lost. That rs the inevitable result OF
your attitude and doctrine. Or else
you must say that men can be saved
without the gospel of Christ. Now the
difference between your position and
ours is simply this: The proposition
that you present to the world at large,
we present In you as well as to the
rest of mankind-and YOU don't like
yonr own medcine-with this eXcep-
ton. and IT is a grand exception. one
that goes far towards establishing the
divine origin of this great latter-day
work, the exception Is this that where's
as your attitude and pricniples con-
denim the great bulk of the human fam
lily To everlasting perdition-and / am
going iO talk 10 YOU about perdition
in little while, and point out what
you mean by t-while you consigu to
eternal perdition, | say the great bulk
OF our Fathers children, we proclaim
an everlasting gospel" one that shall
not only walk beside men through this
life but through all the ages that are Ia
come, You say in your review that
we contribute nothing To reverence
for God. or to justice or mercy toward
men, Well. here is one little item that
IA / tgsa
and mercy that is we hold that In any
age now or thousand years hence, or
5000 on 10000 years hence, or
l00O0,OOO years hcnce--we hold
that when an intelligence, man,
shall learn that II profiteth nothing to
violate the law Of God. but that it
prohtcth everything 10 yield obedience
To that law. ana repentance takes hold
Of him, and he stretches out his hands
toward God-through the gospel Of
Jesus Christ the hand of God will find
the mans hand ana bring him unto
salvation, That Is the difference be-
tween US. and ! leave You TO Judge
which smacks most of the inspiration
and truth Of heaven.
We take up now another group of
propositions. IT Is complained by you
gentlemen thar the Mormon Church de-
MES that the Christian churches have
been representing Christ for 100 years,
notwithstanding Christian tyrdOms,
organized charities, the reforms the
churches have fostered, the progress OF
mankind which Christians have chiefly
promoted. ! wish to explain briefly the
of the Church with reference IN
this intcrregnum between the apostaey
Of that gospel in the nineteenth century
through our prophet,
THE l.. d. s. POSITION.
our position ls this. While there was
ms universal apostacy, while the
Church of Christ as an organization
was destroyed, and replaced by the
churches Of men, Yet just as when the
sun goes down there stlli remains light
in the sky-s too. Notwithstanding this
apnsncy from the church. there still
We're left fragments OF truth among the
children VI men. aud some measure OF
the truth, thank tod, through His
mercy has always remained with man,
not only with Christians but with all
Gods children He has not left Hpself
IN any Of the ages Of the world without
His witnesses, ana He has scantitied all
generations OF men with some measure
OF the truth. therefore, when we pro-
claim this apostacy from the Christian
religion ana the destruction of tn.
Church Of christ II does not follow
that We hold that all truth, that all
virtue had departed from the world, or
that God had absolutely Withdrawn
from His creation Not so. The light
of truth burned In the bosom OF good
meE but it does not follow that be-
cause these fragments OF truth re-
manned there was necessarily the or
ganized Church OF Christ and divine
authority In the world These fras
lnenis of the truth could remain In the
so-caled Christian parts Of the world
as we now Know them To exist ~ Whht
Is called the heather world, Relative
10 the reforms you claim that your
churches have fostored and the prog
res Of mankind which Christians have
chiefly promoted YOU are aware. gen.
tlemeu, that there Is certain class Of
Thinkers anonG ISL mean IN IA"
hlisli0n world not among Mprmons