The possession of a living faith which lays hold of all the promises made in the gospel of Jesus Christ; personal communion with God through the Holy Spirit, and enjoyment of all the spiritual gifts and graces granted to the saints in any age of the world.
If asked what special benefits "Mormonism" has conferred upon mankind, my answer would be: 1st. That it presents to the world the fullness of the gospel, with the authority to administer its ordinances; that through obedience to it men may attain unto all those gifts, graces and powers known to the ancient saints. It assures them that God in his relationship to men, is the same today as he was nineteen centuries ago, that the gospel is the same now as it ever was, and all spiritual graces and powers that man ever attained to he may possess today. 2nd. That in the testimony of modern prophets and saints the evidences of God's existence and the truth of the gospel are so enlarged that the unbelief which today distresses the religious world and limits the extension of Christianity would be swept away. 3rd. That in the Book of Mormon there is evidence of the authorship of the Jewish scripture of which Christendom in the face of modern criticism—commonly called the "Higher Criticism"—stands much in need. That criticism, as is well known, is not directed so much to textual errors which may have found their way into the great collection of sacred books, as it is to utterly destroy the authorship and all idea of the divine inspiration of them. This modern criticism has decided that Moses is not the author of the Pentateuch, and indeed, the authorship not only of the Pentateuch but of nearly all the prophets and even the books of the New Testament is unsettled in the minds of many. The Book of Mormon gives an account of a colony of Israelites that left Palestine six hundred years before Christ, which colony carried with it a copy of the law of Moses and the writings of the Prophets down to the days of Jeremiah. These scriptures they preserved with great care, handing them down from generation to generation, and from them both they and their descendants learned of the hand dealings of God with his children in ancient times. When the civilization of these people on the Western Hemisphere was overthrown, and their records in order to preserve them were hidden by righteous men, the truths which their fathers had learned from them were preserved—though somewhat distorted—in their traditions. Thus is accounted for the knowledge of the creation, the flood, the coming of the Messiah, which Europeans found among the races inhabiting America at the time of its discovery. Portions of the ancient Jewish Scriptures which these colonists brought with them to America were transcribed into the Book of Mormon, and there they stand in the translations that have been made of it to testify not only to the existence of the writings of Moses and the other prophets at least six hundred years before Christ, but to testify also that the records which have come down to us from the Jews are substantially correct. More important as confirming the accuracy and inspiration of the Jewish Scriptures, more potent to silence the new forms of unbelief which have arisen in modern times, more powerful to confirm the faith of believers in God's word is this new volume of scripture—the voice of nations of people who sought and found God—than all the newly deciphered hieroglyphics of Egypt, or the still more recent evidences that come from the ancient cities of Assyria: and for this reason we make bold to invite the attention of our Christian brethren to the consideration of this New Witness for God.
Besides preaching the Gospel for the salvation of men, "Mormonism" has an especial mission, viz: to prepare the earth for the coming and reign of Messiah. This mission authorizes the servants of God to warn mankind of the judgments which shall precede that appearing, and to call upon all men to repent of their sins, that they may escape the threatened calamities. This preparatory work includes the gathering together of the dispersed tribes of Israel and placing them in possession of the lands which God, by covenant, gave to their fathers. It contemplates the erection of a great city upon this continent of America to be called "Zion," the abode of the pure in heart, from whence the law of God shall go forth to all the world. It contemplates the restoration of the Jews to the city of their forefathers, the rebuilding of Jerusalem, from whence shall go forth the word of the Lord.
Then shall the earth rest from its wickedness, as all the prophets have predicted; then shall peace and truth and righteousness spread over all the world, and all the tribes and kindreds of men shall know how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity.
Splendid as this consummation is, "Mormonism," instructed by divine wisdom, looks even beyond it, and contemplates the time when this earth shall receive even a fuller redemption, and become a celestial sphere, the abode of resurrected, celestial beings forever, who shall dwell always in the presence of God.
In conclusion, let me say that "Mormonism" accepts and includes within its boundary-lines all truth. It is progressive and is destined to become the religion of the age. Within it is scope for all the intelligence that shall flow unto it. "Within its atmosphere is room for every intellectual wing." It does not, as some have supposed, thrive best where ignorance is most profound, nor does it depend upon superstition and ignorance for its existence and perpetuity. It possesses within itself principles of native strength that will enable it to weather every storm, outlive all hatred born of ignorance and prejudice; and it will yet prove itself to be what indeed it is, the gospel of Jesus Christ, the power of God unto Salvation to all those who believe and obey it, the Church of Jesus Christ.
[1 This was written in 1893.]
[2 A slight alteration has been made in this paragraph since the publication of this article in the Improvement Era.]
II.
THE RELATIONSHIP OF THE CHURCH TO THE CHRISTIAN SECTS: THE DOCTRINE OF TWO CHURCHES ONLY.
FOREWORD.
The following is an address delivered at the seventy-sixth Annual Conference of the Church, held at Salt Lake City, in April, 1906. The remarks consider two very important statements in our authoritative books. The first one is found in the Pearl of Great Price, where the prophet Joseph states what the answer to his question was, when asking the Lord which of the sects was the true Church, and which he should join. Of that incident he said:
"I was answered that I must join none of them, for they were all wrong; and the personage who addressed me said that all their creeds were an abomination in his sight; that those professors were all corrupt:"
The second statement is in the Book of Mormon, where the declaration is made that,
"There are, save two churches only; the one is the church of the Lamb of God, and the other is the church of the devil; wherefore, whoso belongeth not to the church of the Lamb of God, belongeth to that great church, which is the mother of abominations; and she is the whore of all the earth."
The first of these statements, it is claimed, not only "unchurches all Christians," but proclaims the universal corruption of individual Christians. The second statement is generally supposed to stigmatize the Church of Rome as the church of the devil. Both these questions are considered in the article which follows.
II.
THE RELATIONSHIP OF THE CHURCH TO THE CHRISTIAN SECTS: THE DOCTRINE OF TWO CHURCHES ONLY.
Among the things important for the Saints of God to understand, among the things important for the world to understand respecting the Latter-day Saints, is the relationship that we sustain to the religious world; and I do not know that there is anything to which I could devote the few minutes at my disposal to better advantage than in pointing out that relationship, if I can obtain, through your faith and mine, the liberty that comes from the possession of the Spirit of the Lord.
The first revelation that the Lord gave to the Prophet Joseph Smith had a bearing