Defense of the Faith and the Saints (Volume 2 of 2)Roberts, B. H. (Brigham Henry)
Religion
Defense of the Faith and the Saints (Volume 2 of 2)
Roberts, B. H. (Brigham Henry)
Latter Day Saint churches
We move forward now in our investigation of this charge of yours. You
say of us, that "Adding no spiritual truth to the aggregate of things
already revealed * * * contributing nothing to reverence for God or
to justice and mercy towards men, 'Mormonism' claims to be the only
authorized church of Christ on earth, and sets up a wholly unbiblical
test of salvation."
Gentlemen, you may not believe, of course, the claims of the "Mormon"
Church, but you cannot in truth say that we apply an "unbiblical test
of salvation." I pray you think of it for a moment. What is the claim
made for Joseph Smith? That he was a prophet sent of God with a divine
message, with a dispensation of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Now,
just for a moment, just for the sake of the argument, suppose that
claim to be true, is the test we apply, at all, much less "wholly,"
unbiblical? May one reject God's message and stand uncondemned before
God? Assuredly not. What was the example Jesus set? This: "He that
believeth and is baptized shall be saved, and he that believeth not
shall be damned." He was but proclaiming the message that God had given
to him, and he laid down this principle as connected with the authority
and commission he had bestowed upon the apostles when sending them into
the world: "He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth
me receiveth him that sent me." What do we do, when we proclaim the
divine message with which the Prophet Joseph Smith was commissioned to
the world but just apply this same principle? Nothing more than this,
and of course we could do nothing less. As I remarked a moment ago, you
may refuse, as you do, to believe this message and testimony, but you
cannot say in truth that there is anything unbiblical in the principles
on which we proceed to make this declaration to the world: and, by the
way, don't you claim the same thing for your message? If you don't,
what does your message amount to? Are you not ministers of Jesus
Christ? Have you not come with the gospel of Jesus Christ? Can men
reject you and your doctrine and your message and still be secure in
the favor of God? Gentlemen, if you take that position, I brand you as
false teachers, untrue servants--not representatives of the Master. You
are weaker than water spilled upon the ground which one may not gather
again, if you come with a message one may reject with impunity. You are
talking an infinite deal of nonsense when you undertake criticism of
this kind.
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