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
And now I want to turn "reviewer" myself a while. I want to review some
things which the ministers of the association before us stand for, at
least some of them stand for what I shall refer to; and I only regret
that we can't take up each one in turn and examine his doctrines. But
we all proceed, as far as we can, on this occasion. I turn "reviewer"
because I want to show our young people who are represented here, that
these gentlemen, standing for such principles as their church creeds
represent are scarcely in a position to make an assault upon our
doctrines on any score of inconsistency or repulsiveness; and second,
by placing our doctrine in contrast with theirs, I desire to show the
youth of Israel, whose representatives are here, the greatness and
grandeur and the divinity of those principles for which their fathers
have stood, and for which we stand, for the ensign given into the hands
of our fathers we will sustain and carry to still greater heights of
success.
Of the doctrine of the Godhead, taught and advocated by the sectarian
world, I have already said something and pointed out the inconsistency
of these ministers, holding Jesus to be divine--nay more, to be Deity,
and yet proclaiming against our views of God being a personage of
tabernacle, a personage of flesh and bone as well as of spirit--in a
word, an exalted, a perfected man--Christ Jesus resurrected from the
dead and possessing all power in heaven and in earth. I shall leave
them, of course, to patch up the contradictions of their creeds on that
subject, I am not concerned about them.
And now, to turn to another portion of the creed, held at least by the
Presbyterian ministers before us, and by some other members of the
Ministerial Association--our reviewers. I read from the Westminster
Confession of Faith, chapter iii, section 3.
"By the decree of God, for the manifestation of his glory, some
men and angels are predestinated unto everlasting life, and others
foreordained to everlasting death.
"Sec. 4.--These angels and men, thus predestinated and
foreordained, are particularly and unchangeably designed, and
their number is so certain and definite, that it cannot be either
increased or diminished.
"Sec. 5.--Those of mankind that are predestinated unto life, God,
before the foundation of the world was laid, according to his
eternal and immutable purpose and the secret counsel and good
pleasure of his will, hath chosen in Christ unto everlasting
glory, out of his mere free grace and love, without any foresight
of faith or good works, or perseverance in either of them, or any
other thing in the creature as conditions, or causes moving him
thereunto; and all to the praise of his glorious grace."
Now listen to this:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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