THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST.

BY ELDER ORSON F. WHITNEY, IN MILLENNIUM STAR, 1882.

The Gospel of Christ is the science of salvation. Like any other genuine science, it is based upon eternal truth, and is the compiled, epitomized result of experience, profound research and intelligent reflection. It is the condensed product of divine wisdom, the summum bonum of celestial knowledge, the key to all heavenly mysteries, and the only way that leadeth unto everlasting life. It embraces all truth, whether known or unknown. It incorporates all intelligence, both past and prospective. No righteous principle will ever be revealed, no truth can possibly be discovered, either in time or in eternity, that does not in some manner, directly or indirectly, pertain to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is the way of salvation in this life; it is the means of exaltation in the life to come. It can never be dispensed with, for it will never cease to be necessary. It is a medium of never-ending exaltation and advancement. It encompasses all virtue, and precludes all vice. Error cannot invade its dominions, nor truth transcend its boundaries. Eternal life, because it includes all other gifts, is called the greatest gift of God. The Gospel of Jesus Christ, because it comprehends all principles of progression, is the only means by which eternal life may be attained and perpetuated.

The principles which compose the Gospel—not merely the first principles, but all that have been or will ever be revealed—are self-existent and everlasting in their nature. They have existed from all eternity, and will endure through all the eternities to come, for they are absolute, essential, uncreated truths, without beginning of days or end of years, the same yesterday, today and forever. Concerning the time, place and method of their compilation—if we may with propriety assume such an event ever to have occurred—the legislative process of appropriation, arrangement and systemization, whereby these self-existent laws were rendered subservient to the designs of Deity, and made applicable to and operative in the salvation and exaltation of human souls and worlds, it is not man's present province to inquire. Such a question would necessarily involve the consideration of the beginning of God's limitless creations, the beginning of things which to us have no beginning, a subject so vast and incalculably comprehensive as to be beyond the conception of any intellect of inferior capacity to that Master mind which designed and organized the heavens and the earths, and numbered by and known unto whom, alone, are all the creations which His mighty hand hath made. It should, therefore, suffice us to know that the Gospel in its present form is of inconceivable antiquity; that ages on ages before the foundations of this earth were laid, ere the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy, at the hour of its nativity, this everlasting scheme has been adopted by the heavenly powers as the means of its predestined sanctification; and moreover that through the application and operations of this same unchangeable, puissant plan, millions on millions of worlds, with all their countless hosts of human and other inhabitants, had been redeemed and glorified prior to the period when this little planet, our mother earth, was numbered among the creations of God.

Nothing could be more at variance with all correct ideas concerning the character and attributes of the great Creator, than to suppose the plan of life and salvation to be the peculiar property of any one planet, of any one people or of any particular period of human history. The simple fact of there being but one such plan in existence—a point which is not conceded as self-evident, is susceptible of the plainest possible proof—should be sufficient to refute all such attenuated notions. For, with this fact once admitted, and a moment's reflection being given to the bewildering myriads of worlds which the Creator has called into existence, the numberless multitudes of His creatures which people them, and the almost universally acknowledged love, providence, care, protection and solicitude which the eternal parent continually evinces for the humblest of His offspring and all the workmanship of His hands, where is the soul so narrow and so bigoted, not to say irreverent and profane, that would dare to deliberately ascribe to such being—a being so wise, powerful, impartial, merciful and magnanimous as God is known and recognized to be—so unwise, weak, petty, puny, unjust and unmerciful a policy as the one we have in reference! And yet, strange to say, there are millions of souls who have held, and other millions who still hold—unless we marvelously misinterpret them —opinions of this very character. There are many doubtless who would declare, without giving the matter a second thought, that the foregoing arguments in support of the scope and antiquity of the Gospel were nothing more nor less than stupid nonsense and blasphemous presumption, and in the same breath would asseverate the truth and consistency of the petty theory which we denounce—and we maintain with good reason—as false and flimsy in every particular, wholly unfounded in reason or in revelation, and altogether unworthy of belief. There are those who, not content with the supposition that the Gospel is solely the property of this planet, are as resolutely of the opinion that it dates its origin from that momentous period in the history of the world when the Son of God came down to perform His mighty mission, in the midst of the children of men, and that previous to that memorable epoch there had been no such plan known, in any age, by any portion of the human family. Consequently their position, if they have any, must be that the all-wise Legislator who framed the only code of laws whereby eternal life is made obtainable, allowed four thousand years to pass away, taking with them into endless torment, multitudes of His begotten sons and daughters, many of them among the most righteous men and women that have ever walked the earth, before He placed within the reach of fallen humanity the only way possible for men to be saved. Such a theory might have done for the dark ages, or at the present time may suit the narrow views of such as "know not God nor the things of God," but to all whose understandings have been quickened and enlightened by the high-soaring, deep-searching Spirit of Truth, such absurd notions are not overfraught with sense and consistency.

The idea which seems to prevail that the Gospel of Jesus Christ, that marvel of all that is wise, just, comprehensive and powerful, was devised for the redemption of a solitary world, or for the benefit of one, to the exclusion of another portion of its inhabitants, is on a par with the ancient but long since exploded hypothesis that the sun, moon and stars were only temporary luminaries, hung up in the midst of the firmament, for the purpose of lighting this little earth through its mortal probation, and which, like so many lamps, whose "occupation would be gone," having survived the necessity of their invention, would be extinguished and put away forever, as soon as the earth had completed its temporal career. But happily the light of divine truth, beaming through the atmosphere of science, has dispelled that senseless delusion. Furthermore, it is now known, thanks be to God for reopening the long closed oracles of eternity, that not only are there other worlds than this, but like this, those other worlds are inhabited, peopled by beings similar to the occupants of earth, the population of one planet differing only from those of others in the various degrees of perfection which they have severally attained through the principles of the Gospel of unceasing progression. By those who have bowed in humility before the fountain of all truth and intelligence, and taken a fresh draught of the renovating waters of life, it is now understood that that God who never spoke or wrought in vain, or created anything to subserve a puerile purpose, instituted the plan of salvation for the temporal and spiritual regeneration, not only of His offspring upon this planet, but likewise of those upon multitudes of similar planets, which have been or will yet be brought forth, redeemed and celestialized by the application of its wonder-making power. It is now definitely known that the Everlasting Gospel did not originate on this earth at all, nor for the first time appear in the midst of mankind when John the Baptist came forth proclaiming its initiatory principles in the wilderness of Judea. However strange it may have appeared to the bigoted and benighted Jews, who for centuries, through unbelief and hardness of heart, had been deprived of its gifts and blessings, it was not by any means "a new thing under the sun." Its introduction in those days was simply a restoration of the Gospel, and that highly favored period was but one among many such dispensations, and neither the first nor the last which the descendants of Adam were destined to receive. It was simply the dispensation of the meridian of time, during which the sacrificial Lamb, "slain from the foundation of the world," descended from celestial glory to pay the penalty of man's original sin, and by the retroactive and proactive virtue of His atonement, make it possible, through obedience to His Gospel, for all men in all ages to be saved.

Is it a thing so strange and unaccountable to the Christian world, that such men as Adam, Enoch, Noah, Abraham and other ancient worthies who walked and talked with God, as friend to friend, and were clothed upon with the fullness of the authority of His Holy Priesthood, should have been vouch-safed the precious privilege of yielding obedience to the Gospel of Jesus Christ—"the only name given under heaven whereby man can be saved?" Were Peter, James, John, Paul and others who happened to be living upon the earth when the Savior came and were permitted to partake of the blessings which flow from obedience to the principles of eternal life, more worthy of that privilege than their predecessors, the more ancient patriarchs and prophets of God? Such an idea is repugnant to reason, and utterly unentitled to credence or respect. Let those continue to cherish such thoughts who persist in rejecting the genuine faith and perpetuate the narrowness of their minds by shutting out the soul expanding influences of the gift of the Holy Ghost. For our own part we prefer to know otherwise, to rejoice in the conviction obtained through compliance with the Gospel of the Son of God, that this same everlasting, unchangeable plan of redemption, without which no man can be elevated to the presence of his Maker, was known to the human family at various times during the intervening ages between the creation and the coming of Christ, and in every instance was revealed and established for the identical purposes which induced its institution in the days of the Savior, and for which it has again, for the last time, been brought back to earth in this the dispensation of the fullness of times. It is true that the Holy Bible, which all Christians profess to believe, and which so far as correctly translated, the Latter-day Saints actually do believe, though plainly foretelling the Gospel's restoration in the latter days, is more or less silent upon the subject of the dispensations preceding the meridian of time. But it is also true that that good old book is silent upon a great many other important points, thanks to the interpolations, erasions, alterations and rejections of uninspired translators, commentators and compilers, to whose unauthorized, blind and blundering administrations in the premises, are largely due the endless divisions, discords and differences, which have raked and rent asunder the religious world for centuries. But independent of the taciturnity of the Scriptures, and aside from the incontrovertible evidence furnished by modern revelation, we respectfully submit to the consideration of all candid, unbiased believers in God and the Gospel of Salvation, whether the views we maintain, compared with the opinions we oppose, are not more consistent with reason, more harmonious with the Spirit of Holy Writ, and more perfectly in unison with all advanced ideas respecting the wisdom, power, justice, mercy and magnanimity of Almighty God?

From the foregoing observations concerning the character, origin, object, powers and possibilities of the great science of salvation, the inquiring mind would naturally be led to the consideration of the question, What is the Gospel of Jesus Christ? or, in other words—since the impracticability of completely answering so comprehensive an interrogation has already been shown—what are its initiatory principles? At the risk of wearying some of our veteran readers, already conversant with the subject, but with a sincere desire to benefit them, as well as others who are less fortunate with respect to the information involved, we here propose to present a brief digest of what are familiarly known to the Latter-day Saints as the first principles of the Gospel; the code of laws which constitute the beginning of salvation's endless system; the preface, as it were, to the book of everlasting progression; the four primitive archways by which the path of eternal progress is attained, and through which the souls of all men must pass in order to reach the celestial presence of their Maker. These four principles, it will be seen, are serial and progressive in their nature, each one naturally leading into its successor, paving the way before and preparing the soul for its reception.

FAITH.

The Holy Bible informs us that without faith it is impossible to please God. Such a declaration even from a source less sacred, need occasion no surprise whatever; for without faith it is impossible to do anything. From the smallest act to the mightiest achievement, all things are the effects of faith. It is the cause of every consequence, the power by which all things possible are performed. Nothing was ever accomplished either in heaven or on earth that was not preceded and accompanied by the exercise of faith. The insect creeps, the bird flies, the fish swims, by faith; the flowers spring, the grasses grow, the trees bloom and bear, by faith; the infant prattles, the man toils, the God creates, upholds, redeems and glorifies His workmanship, by faith. It is the main-spring of life, the motive power of creation, the active principle of the entire universe. Hence it is necessarily the first principle of the Gospel, the initial element of salvation, the basic principle or foundation law upon which all other laws and principles rest. The soul that would attain salvation must first believe salvation possible. He must believe in God as the Giver of salvation. He must believe in Christ, as its Author and Mediator. He must believe in the Gospel, as the medium through which salvation is secured, and in the divine authority of the individual who as a servant of God administers the ordinances of the Gospel in His behalf. Having exercised faith to the extent thus indicated, he is in a position to undertake the succeeding venture, to ascend the next step higher upon the grand stairway leading to eternal life.

REPENTANCE.

Sin cannot inherit the Kingdom of God. It is so entirely opposed, so essentially antagonistic to the spirit of righteousness, that the two cannot possibly dwell together. God does not look upon sin with the least degree of allowance. Consequently the soul which aspires to His presence, which expects to behold His face and be able to endure His glory, must be previously cleansed and purified from all sin. Now, no soul was ever successful in getting rid of its sins that did not first sincerely repent of them. No fault was ever corrected that was not first discovered and confessed; no habit was ever reformed that had not first been freely acknowledged; and no sin can in any wise be remitted until its perpetration has been truly repented of, and its perpetrator is resolutely resolved against its repetition. It is useless for any accountable being to say that he is without sin. The Scriptures declare that all men are sinful and that no man can truthfully claim exemption from the universal imputation. Little children (under eight years) are not responsible for their acts, and being sinless and therefore unable to repent, are redeemed by the blood of Christ from the foundation of the world. But all accountable souls, to whom the Gospel of salvation is sent, must repent of and forsake their evil ways, habits, deeds and desires, if they wish to make any headway in the pursuit of the precious prize of everlasting exaltation.

BAPTISM BY IMMERSION.

Baptism is symbolical of the burial and resurrection of Christ, and as an ordinance of the Gospel was instituted for the remission of sins. The only proper mode of its administration is by immersion, whereby the two events above mentioned may be illustrated. "We are buried with Him by baptism into death," says Paul, "that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together (buried in water) in the likeness of His death, we shall be also (by coming forth out of the water) in the likeness of His resurrection." Even as Christ, by descending into death, put off the mortality in which He was clothed, and rose triumphant to a higher sphere of action, so we by going down into the liquid grave, put away the sins and follies of the flesh, and are brought forth to "a life divinely new." Hence it is that baptism is also called a birth, and Christ, in declaring to Nicodemus that a man must be "born of the water and of the spirit," plainly signified emergence from the womb of the waters as a prerequisite to His entrance into the Kingdom of God. He not only pointed this out as the way in which others should walk, but by submitting to baptism himself, He set the example of "fulfilling all righteousness," and was greeted from the heavens, as the result of His obedience, by the voice of God, declaring: "This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased." Nevertheless, water of itself cannot wash away sins. Not even immersion, though in strict accordance with the method prescribed, could have the slightest effect upon the soul of the penitent sinner, unless performed by a person holding authority from on High. God recognizes no administrations but those of His chosen and commissioned servants, clothed upon with the power of the Holy Priesthood, as was John the Baptist; "called of God as was Aaron," and sent forth by the voice of divine revelation to open wide the portals of eternal life to all who are willing to walk in that straight and narrow way which, on account of worldly pride and perversity, but few souls are able to find. But all repentant believers, who are baptized in the proper manner and by the proper authority, are acceptable in the sight of high heaven, and can confidently rely upon the promise made by Peter to the believing portion of the Pentecostal multitude: "Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of your sins, and ye shall receive the

GIFT OF THE HOLY GHOST."

The Spirit of God, in certain measure, is universally distributed. It is the light which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. By it and through it all things live, move and have their being. It

But the Gift of the Holy Ghost—bestowed by the "laying on of hands" upon every faithful, penitent, baptized believer in the true Church of Christ—is a special endowment for special purposes. It may possibly be a superior quality, or it may be only an increased quantity of that universal essence which pervades all animated nature throughout the illimitable realms of space. But be that as it may, it is certain that this Gift, this Comforter, this Spirit of Truth, which sustains the soul, enlightens the mind, leads into all truth, and enables the spirit of man to comprehend the otherwise incomprehensible things of God, is an important addition to the original possession and like it is susceptible of further increase, cultivation and development. Through obedience and righteousness it may be made to grow and expand, until sin is entirely banished, until the eye is made single to the glory of God, and the whole body is filled with life and light. By disobedience and unrighteousness it will readily decrease and diminish until the light of the soul is utterly extinguished, and darkness, despair and spiritual death ensue. A fullness of God's Holy Spirit should, therefore, be the grand object of human existence, for by it alone can the soul of man be eternally exalted and glorified. Still there are various kinds of "fullness," even as there are different degrees of glory, corresponding to the various merits and capacities of those who rise in the resurrection. The fullness which each soul obtains will be of that particular glory—either Celestial, Terrestrial or Telestial—by which its body is quickened from the grave. The "fullness of the Father" constitutes Celestial exaltation, and this, though not a thing to be suddenly attained, should be the soul-absorbing aim and ambition of every son and daughter of God. We should begin to acquire it now, for all may rest assured that the dispensation of these eternal awards will be strictly in accordance with and regulated by the deeds done in the body. Christ, our Savior, it appears, acquired and possessed a fullness while on earth. But pure and spotless though He was, He did not receive that fullness at first, but afterwards received it. By constantly growing in grace and godliness, living from day to day by every word that proceeded forth from the mouth of God, He gradually became entitled to the steadily increasing possession of the Holy Spirit, till finally "it pleased the Father that in Him should all fullness dwell." We all have it in our power to do and become likewise. He is our great Guide and Exemplar. As He was pure, we must be pure; as He was obedient, we must likewise be; as He became perfect and was found free from all fault or blemish before the throne of God, even so we must become, if we expect to be conformed to His image, inherit His celestial glory, possess a fullness of His Spirit, become heirs of God, and joint heirs with Jesus Christ, and have an eternal residence in those heavenly mansions prepared for the righteous and the faithful before the foundation of the world.

That the Gospel of Jesus Christ is necessarily one and unchangeable, and with the foregoing as its first or initiatory principles, a perfect and therefore exclusive system of salvation is a proposition which, however unpopular, is susceptible, as previously asserted, of the plainest possible proof. The Holy Scriptures abound in evidences of this fact, and reason amply supports revelation in confirmation of its truth. The Apostle Peter, the highest authority of his times, after the ascension of the Savior, declares (Acts 4: 4) that "there is none other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved." This passage alone is sufficient to prove the unity of Christ as the Savior of the world and likewise to substantiate the fact that even if there could be another Gospel possessing efficacy as a medium of salvation, it also would have to be a Gospel of Jesus Christ, since He is the sole author of salvation to all the inhabitants of the earth. But Paul, another Apostle, in the fourth chapter of his epistle to the Ephesians, testifies of "one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one Spirit," and plainly demonstrates that one of the principal objects of the Gospel, by means of its inspired Priesthood and spiritual gifts, is the bringing of its believers to a "unity of the faith," previous to their being made perfect in Christ; and this, too, corresponds beautifully with the pathetic prayer of the Savior himself (John xvii.), that His disciples might be made "perfect in one," and become one with Him even as He was already one with His Father in heaven.

Paul also, in another place, denouncing the apostasy of the Galatian churches (Galatians i, 8, 9), and the efforts of certain persons to institute "another Gospel" and pervert the true Gospel of Christ, employs the following forcible language: "Though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other Gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed!" and in order to render his meaning still more plain, unmistakable and emphatic, he repeats the injunction as follows: "If any man preach any other Gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed." These inspired utterances are too obvious and intelligible to be misunderstood by any honest-hearted reader of the Holy Scriptures. They show as plainly as words can possibly show that the Gospel of Christ is one, and unchangeable in its nature, the same yesterday, today and forever; that its object is the temporal and eternal union of its converts, and that it was designed for the benefit and blessing of all humanity, especially for such as would believe and faithfully obey its principles. And why should it be otherwise? God is not the author of strife and confusion. He is essentially a lover and promoter of union, and looks with no favor upon those who evince a contrary disposition. He would be the last to encourage, either by thought, word or action, anything having the slightest tendency towards discord, disunion and division. Peace and union are among the prevailing characteristics of His nature, and order, system and eternal harmony are widely manifest in all His wondrous workmanship. We cannot conceive of such a Being, whose avowed purpose is the bringing of His offspring to a oneness of profession and practice, engaging in the institution or promotion of any cause whose inclination would be directly inimical to the attainment of His fondest desires, and laying aside the basic principles of His union-loving, harmony-enhancing nature, to inaugurate strife and contention on earth, and engender difference and disputation among His children upon that greatest and most vitally important of all questions, the eternal salvation of their souls. And would not such consequences ensue, were He to reveal to the human family more than one method of attaining salvation?

The present religious aspect of the Christian world, with its heterogeneous multiplicity of jarring, contending sects, all differing, disputing and dividing among themselves, yet each one claiming to be the true Church of Christ should be a sufficient answer. For if puny man, by apostatizing from truth and concocting such a vast variety of ways and means for worshiping his Maker, can create such a pandemonium of doctrinal discord as that which ecclesiastical Christendom—to say nothing of heathendom—displays, then what might not the Almighty accomplish in the same direction, were it not in diametrical opposition to His principles to descend to the perpetration of such folly and wickedness, and thereby defeat the fulfillment of His most cherished designs, besides dooming unnumbered myriads of His begotten offspring to spiritual death and destruction!

We might continue this argument ad infinitum from a biblical point of view, but without going further into that divine record in quest of proofs which are scattered as thickly as summer sunbeams over its sacred pages, let us now survey the subject from another standpoint and see whether reason alone will not bear out the belief that "this Gospel of the Kingdom," which was to be and now is being "preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations," before the coming of "the end," is the one and only system of salvation that has ever been or ever will be revealed from heaven for the redemption and exaltation of the human family.

It is to be presumed that there are but few, if any, sincere believers in God or in any form of religion, bearing the name of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, who would willingly assert that the letter could be anything else than a perfect plan of salvation. The Almighty, as a perfect being, is necessarily perfect in all His ways and works, and any system or science devised by Him for the temporal or spiritual regeneration of our race, would consequently be faultless in construction, consummate in operation and thoroughly capable of fulfilling every requirement of its existence. These facts being admitted, we must immediately concede the unity and exclusiveness of the Gospel of Christ. How so? it might be asked. For the following reasons: A perfect Gospel is of necessity an exclusive Gospel, for of any two such systems, which for argument's sake, we will say might be revealed, one of them must as a matter of course be inferior. No two things can be created exactly alike, and therefore, speaking in the strictest sense of the term, no such thing as equality can possibly exist. But even if it could, in the present instance, what would be the use of two Gospels made exactly alike for precisely the same purpose? The Creator is a wise economist, but such an act would be superfluous and extravagant in the highest degree. But they could not be exactly alike. One of them, as explained, would have to be inferior, for only one of the twain could be perfect, and hence completely competent to fulfill the exact measure of their mutual formation. The superior Gospel would be the creation of God, and it alone; for the inferior one, being imperfect and therefore defective in its organization and capacity, could not possibly proceed from Him, since there is no such thing as imperfection extant in all His handiwork. It is true, His creature, man, is at present very imperfect, but not so originally. God made man upright, says Solomon, "but they have sought out many inventions." On the morning of creation, he, with all the rest of the Creator's great workmanship, was made perfect and pronounced "very good," but he afterward fell into transgression, which is always the downward path, and through his own sins and follies has steadily degenerated to his present fallen condition. Now it is only by means of a perfect Gospel that he can be regenerated and raised to the high and perfect position from which he fell, and such a one is the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the subject we are now considering.

A perfect Gospel comprehending all truth, all intelligence, all principles of progression, is necessarily sole and exclusive in its nature. It actually precludes, not only the necessity, but likewise the possibility of the existence of any other Gospel having genuine efficacy and saving virtue. For being complete and perfect in all its parts, all inclusive, all absorbent, all powerful, all sufficient in character and capability, as the greater, it would certainly comprehend the less, and not only deprive it, if existing, of any room or occasion to operate, but if not existing, would leave no extra, unusual material for its construction. So that whichever alternative is chosen, by such as may be disposed to question the validity of our position, it is clearly the case that any other Gospel, besides the only one that ever did, ever will, or in the very nature of things ever can exist, would either be superfluous or impossible; and to accuse the all-wise Creator of committing either folly, would be an insult to His intelligence and a profanation of His character. Mankind may invent, as mankind has already invented, systems upon systems of so-called religion, and falsely call them, to his greater condemnation, by the sacred name of Him who died that all men might live, and some of these man-made methods of worship, or rather idolatry, though all are imperfect and defective, like their clay creators, may be exceedingly plausible and popular with their professors, nor yet entirely devoid of grains and particles of truth. Nevertheless they are all illegal and unauthorized of God, who will utterly refuse to recognize the usurped authority, unlawful establishment and unhallowed administrations, or to accept of the fruits of any faith or form of worship, whatsoever, aside from those of the everlasting, unchangeable Gospel of His Son Jesus Christ. The Gospel of Jesus Christ! That sole and exclusive system of salvation, that perfect and perpetual science of progression, that marvelous and mysterious plan, so plain, so simple, and withal so powerful; so admirably adapted to the needs and capacity of every soul, from the highest to the humblest intelligence ever tabernacled in mortal flesh, and so amply capable of subserving the far-reaching purposes of Omnipotent Creator, as to be the all essential method of salvation in this life, and the indispensable medium of unceasing exaltation in the life to come!

It is a matter of easy comprehension in the ordinary affairs of life, why obedience to any natural law must of necessity precede the attainment of its legitimate result. The accountant at his desk knows perfectly well that in order to obtain the sum of a column of figures he must first employ one of the fundamental rules of the science of mathematics; the chemist in his laboratory is equally aware that the blending of certain elements, in accordance with established rules of the science with which he is operating, is absolutely essential to the formation of the compound which he desires; the student at school who aspires to honors and efficiency in the course he is pursuing, is fully as well satisfied that faithful application and a certain line of deportment is indispensable to insure him a successful examination, with its subsequent reward or recognition of merit; the alien desiring citizenship, when once informed of the fact, seldom, if ever, hesitates to question the advisability of "taking out his papers," or going through certain forms of law, in order that he may be qualified to exercise the rights and privileges of a member of the commonwealth; and it is self-evident that the traveler, who wishes to arrive with all possible speed and security at his destination, must previously select and intently pursue the shortest, safest and most feasible route leading in the right direction. These facts are patent to the poorest comprehension.

Why is it, then, that so many, to whom the above illustrations are so simple and self-evident, fail to see the analogy which exists with reference to the great Gospel or science of salvation, and the obedience to its laws, principles and requirements so imperatively essential to admission into an eternal inheritance in the Celestial Kingdom of God? Why is it that so many millions, notwithstanding the plainest and most pointed declarations of inspired Scripture, the examples and testimonies of the Savior and holy men of old, corroborated by the God-given human reason, profanely and recklessly insist on asserting that compliance with the sacred and everlasting laws and ordinances of salvation is no longer necessary to accomplish the very object of their institution, and vainly imagine or assume to suppose that it is possible to reach the presence of their Maker without putting into practice the immutable principles upon which all celestial promises are predicated, and responding fully and faithfully to the requirements invariably made of those who become possessed of this inestimable privilege? Why is it that the accountant cannot see that eternal life is the sum of all existence, and that all who would obtain it must add together faith and good works, unceasingly, employing all rules, both fundamental and superstructive, of salvation's endless science, in order to solve the otherwise insoluble problem of this life and acquire the grand total of life everlasting in the world to come? Why is it that the chemist cannot perceive that the all-containing compound of eternal happiness is only to be produced by the careful and judicious mixture of the elements of eternal salvation while man yet lingers in the laboratory of his mortal probation? How can the student in the precious school of earthly experience, who fails to improve his time and learn well the lessons assigned to him in this intermediate department of God's great University, hope to pass a successful examination at His Judgment Seat, to merit or attain possession of the "greatest gift of God," and be blessed with the opportunities of entering upon a higher course of studies in a never ending future of education and experience, if he does not win and present a properly signed and attested certificate of good conduct while here, and of complete and thorough preparation for the ineffable and interminable hereafter? Why does the alien of the world, who professes to seek Citizenship in the Celestial Commonwealth, foolishly doubt the necessity of taking the oath of naturalization, renouncing all foreign allegiance, responsibilities and relationship, and conforming to the plain and positive regulations by means of which alone he can even so much as enter into the Gates of the Golden City, to say nothing of exercising and enjoying the rights, privileges and possessions accorded to its humble, faithful, obedient and law-abiding inhabitants? Or why should the traveler of time, the pilgrim to a promised paradise, as he journeys through this weary wilderness, entertain the expectation that he can avoid the pitfalls, snares and dangers which beset his pathway at every step, and arrive with safety and all possible expedition to the flowery outskirts of the dark and dreary desert, where the arms of a loving and sympathetic Savior are waiting open and ready to receive him, if he does not pursue the straight, narrow and only practicable route tending in the proper direction?—in the direction of Him who explored the waste, pioneered and opened up the way, brushing and clearing it with His own bleeding hands and feet, of many of its sharpest rocks and crudest thorns and brambles, planting innumerable guideposts and danger signals along the line of the perilous probation, thereby making it not only possible, but comparatively easy for all men to follow in His footsteps, to inherit bowers of eternal bliss and gardens of unspeakable glory beyond, but solemnly and repeatedly asseverating, both before and after the close of his brave and remarkable career, that there is none other way under the whole heaven whereby the same pilgrimage can be accomplished and the devoutedly wished for consummation attained.

Some will doubtless contend that the cases above mentioned, though capable of parabolical comparison, are not practically analogous in their nature; that the ordinary process employed by the accountant, the chemist, the student, the alien and the traveler, are matters of plain and practical fact, self-evident truths, susceptible of the easiest elucidation, and do not therefore demand, for their acceptance, the exercise of that faith or far-reaching credulity, so indispensably pre-requisite to the investigation of the Gospel, and the acknowledgment of implicit obedience to its principles as the sole alternative to the sacrifice of all hopes of celestial exaltation. In reply to this argument, since to all who would put it forth it would be waste of time and trouble to quote Scripture, we desire to propound two questions. By what means have the so-called self-evident truths of modern science, art, invention, philosophy, etc.—now, but not always, so easily explained and understood—become the plainly proved and firmly established facts that we find them at the present time? Does not the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the perfect and perpetual plan of salvation, purposely made simple and comprehensible—as great things invariably are—in order that even the wayfaring man, though a fool, might not needfully err therein—does it not exhibit upon its face ample and indubitable evidences of the power and efficacy which it claims, and has been proven by unnumbered millions to possess? To the first question we unhesitatingly assert, without fear of successful contradiction, that every truth now known to mortal man has at some period in its history been more or less the subject of his doubt and conjecture, if not of his open and avowed hostility and unbelief, and that without any exception their adoption, establishment and development on earth have been directly due to the exercise of what some people are pleased to confound with the term credulity, but which we prefer to designate by the more dignified and appropriate title of faith, all-powerful faith, a principle whose necessity as the foundation or mainspring of all action and success, is as self-evident as any other fact under heaven, and without which, as a necessary consequence, no truth whatever could have been brought forth, proven and perpetuated in the mind and memory of man. The exercise of faith, the humility and willingness to make experiments, the honesty and courage to proclaim results, the fortitude and patience to endure the taunts, the sneers, the threats and even persecutive violence of the ignorant, unprincipled, selfish, skeptical, unthinking and depraved—the latter incited by Satan, the resister and would-be destroyer of right, and the former pushed on and inspired by Almighty God, the great leader of the vanguard in the eternal march of human progress;—these and these alone are the invincible agencies which have converted popular opinion and transformed the once "crazy notions," "impossible theories," "wild speculations" and "manifest absurdities" of "crack-brained" genius and philosophy, into the since time-honored maxims, venerable proverbs, world-accepted facts and self-evident propositions, and the many marvelous artistic triumphs and scientific achievements now so popular and prevalent in the world, and of which the world that formerly despised and persecuted their incipiency, with its customary conceit and inconsistency, is at present so vainglorious and proud. Faith and good works, those inseparable, Siamese twins of Gospel efficacy, have done all that ever has been or ever will be done, in heaven or on earth, for the benefit and blessing of humanity, while blind, bigoted unbelief and cold-hearted skepticism, though always the loudest to boast of the world's advancement, especially if it advances in wickedness, have as invariably been the persistent opposers and stumbling-blocks in the way of all righteous progress and development. As to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, every principle of which, on fair and honest investigation, will be found abundantly capable of demonstrating its own power and saving virtue, we dare and do maintain, from ample observation and individual experience, that it requires far more credulity to disbelieve the validity of its claim to being "the power of God unto salvation," than faith for its acceptance and acknowledgment as the one and only medium through which the souls of men and the planet upon which they dwell can be saved, sanctified and celestialized forevermore.

Hear it, ye nations and inhabitants of the earth! Hear it and give heed, while yet the Gospel trump is sounding through the streets of your cities, and its receding echoes are ringing and reverberating from your hills and highways! Hear it and heed it, while the lingering twilight of hope keeps back the fast descending night of despair; while the "swift messengers" of salvation are still going forth, and the acceptance of their warning message will avail. Despise not the humble testimonies of those unlettered oracles of God, for every word they deliver is rife with the fate of men and nations, and simultaneous with their utterance on earth, the busy pens of recording angels are enrolling them upon the archives of eternal judgment. Remember that from humblest and apparently weakest causes, have ofttimes sprung the highest, wisest and mightiest results, and if the Gospel is plain and simple in construction, and its advocates and adherents among the poorest and most illiterate of men, that the Almighty has purposely made them so, that the faith of the proud world might be tested, that its population, high and low, rich and poor, learned and unlearned, might be left without excuse for its rejection, and that to God, not man, might redound all honor and glory for the triumph which His omnipotent truth is destined to achieve. Put away all prejudice and narrow pre-conceptions, close your ears against the voice of misrepresentation and calumny, shake off the cloak and coil of cowardice, smother the selfish promptings of worldly interest, and while you sacrifice the paltry things of earth, remember that you are laying up eternal treasures in heaven. "Choose ye this day whom ye will serve!" The line of demarkation is being drawn, the times of separating, sifting and sorting are at hand, and the worshipers of God and Mammom henceforth must cease to mingle and commune. The night of doubt is ended. The day of decision has dawned. Truth and Error have taken the field, their hostile hosts are already in battle array, and the trumpets of both sides are sounding loudly for volunteers, summoning the earth's inhabitants to the Armogeddon of Almighty God. On which side will you fight? Which cause are you willing to be found defending to the death? Be wise in choice. Be instant in decision! But above all things be not dazzled and deceived.