The knowledge of the character of the Only Begotten of the Father comes
to us through the testimony, not of disinterested witnesses, but of his
friends, those who were most especially and deeply interested for their
own welfare, and the welfare of their brethren. We have no testimony
concerning the Savior's character and works, only from those who were
thus interested in his welfare and success, and in the building up of
his kingdom. It has been often said, if a disinterested witness would
testify that Joseph Smith is a prophet of God, many might believe his
testimony; but no person could be believed, by any intelligent person,
who would testify to a matter of such importance, and who would still
view it as a thing in which he had no interest. But they who are
interested, who know the {43} worth of that man and understand the
spirit and the power of his mission, and the character of the Being
that sent and ordained him, are the proper persons to testify of the
truth of his mission, and they are the most interested of any living
upon the earth. So it was with those who bore witness of the Savior,
and of his mission on the earth. 11:41.
The Latter-day Saints and every other person who is entitled to
salvation, and all except those who have sinned against the Holy Ghost,
may know that Jesus is the Christ in the same way that Peter knew it.
Miracles do not give this knowledge to mankind, though they may serve
as collateral evidence to strengthen the believer. The miracles of
Jesus were known to the Jews, yet they suffered him to be put to death
as a deceiver of mankind and one possessed of a devil. 10:193.
Who are the Saints? All those who believe in Jesus Christ and keep his
commandments. And who may be Saints? All the inhabitants of the earth,
for Jesus said, "Come unto me, all ye ends of the earth, and be ye
saved." 10:305.
All the Lord has called us to do is to renovate our own hearts, then
our families, extending the principle to neighborhoods, to the earth
we occupy, and so continue until we drive the power of Satan from the
earth and Satan to his own place. That is the work Jesus is engaged in,
and we will be co-workers with him. 10:173.
"I and my Father are one," says Jesus; what, one body? No, it never
entered the Savior's mind that such a rendering of this saying would
ever enter into the minds of persons holding the least claim to good
sense. They are no more one person than I and one of my sons are one
person. If my son receives my teaching, will walk in the path I {44}
mark out for him to walk in, if his faith is the same as mine, his
purpose is the same, and he does the work of his father as Jesus did
the work of his Father, then is my son one with me in the scriptural
sense. 10:192.
Inasmuch as the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost are one, the desire of the
Savior, as manifested in his sayings and teachings, is, that his people
should also be one, even as he and his Father are one. 6:97.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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