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
Now, my friends, after that, do not complain of harshness in the
message that Joseph Smith was commissioned to give to the world ninety
years ago? He never said anything nearly so harsh as the American
universities are now saying about the churches. It seems to me as if
God had called from the high seats of learning throughout our land
the most intellectual class in the world to confirm the truth of the
message of His prophet.
The world despised the word of an unlearned youth upon this subject,
albeit coming with a message from God--from the Highest Intelligence.
What will they say now to the testimony of the learned--which confirms
the message of Joseph Smith?
WHAT MORMONISM AFFIRMS.
I do not want to take all the time, however, in discussing this
negative part of our message. I desire to say something affirmatively,
something that will dispel the gloom that this first part of our
message is likely to impress upon the minds of those who contemplate
it. In the affirmative part of our message we come to you with these
glad tidings: God has again spoken. He has renewed, so to speak,
official relationships with the world. At that time when men supposed
that God had spoken His last word in revelation; at that time, when it
was supposed angels would no more visit the earth; at that time when
men concluded that the volume of revelation was completed and forever
closed--in the very darkest hour of these great errors, lo, the heavens
open! angels visit the earth; the American volume of Scripture, the
Book of Mormon, the Scripture, of the old inhabitants of America,
before they fell into anarchy and barbarism, when they were learned and
enlightened, when they had communion with God and Christ, and received
the gospel--their record is brought forth to be a witness for God; a
witness to His justice, to His mercy; it came as a protest against
the dark and awful thought that God could possibly leave a hemisphere
to perish in ignorance of his mind and of his will, and of the gospel
of Jesus Christ! In the moment when these thoughts had crystallized
into dogma, God brushed them aside, renewed revelation, gave a new
dispensation of the gospel to the children of men, restored divine
authority, re-established the Church of Christ, deposited with her his
revealed truth, and gave her commission to make proclamation of it to
all the inhabitants of the earth--"to every nation, and kindred, and
tongue and people;" giving warning that the kingdom of God was at hand.
Our message comes then with the announcement of these great truths; and
Mormonism is this restored gospel of the Christ, this re-established
Church of Christ, or nothing. It is not a new gospel, my friends, not
a new religion. But the old gospel, the old religion and the Church of
Christ coming forth under a new dispensation. We, equally with you of
other Christian persuasions, believe there is no other name given under
heaven whereby men may be saved except the name of Jesus of Nazareth,
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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