Mr. Durant of Salt Lake City, "That Mormon"Rich, Ben. E. (Benjamin Erastus)
Religion
Mr. Durant of Salt Lake City, "That Mormon"
Rich, Ben. E. (Benjamin Erastus)
Latter Day Saints -- Fiction; Salt Lake City (Utah) -- Fiction
"All right, we will examine the Gospel of Jesus Christ from the
Bible, principle by principle. In order to have a clear understanding
concerning this, it will be necessary for us to go back to the days of
our Father Adam. Through the transgression of our first parents, death
came upon all the human family, and mankind could not, of themselves,
overcome the same and obtain immortality. To substantiate this, see
first, second and third chapters of Genesis, Romans 5th chapter and
12th verse, and I. Corinthians 15th chapter and 21st and 22nd verses.
But in order that they should not perish, God sent His Son Jesus Christ
into the world to satisfy this broken law and to deliver mankind from
the power of death. (John iii: 16; Romans v: 8; John iv: 9.) And as
all became subject to death by Adam, so will all men be resurrected
from death through the atonement of Christ (I. Cor. xv: 20-23; Rom.
v: 12-19; Mark xvi: 15, 16), and will stand before the judgment seat
of God to answer for their own sins and not for Adam's transgression.
(Acts xvii: 31; Rev. xx: 12-15; Matt. xvi: 27.) Am I right as far as I
have gone?"
"Yes," said the doctor, "I have been following you with your
quotations, and find them correct. Proceed."
"Then I have proved one of the principles of some of the so-called
Christians incorrect, for they do not believe that the wicked will
have the same chance of resurrection as the righteous. Jesus Christ
did not die for our individual sins, only on condition that we conform
to the plan He has marked out, which will bring us a remission of our
sins. The only way we can prove that we love Him is by keeping His
commandments (John xiv: 15); therefore, if we say we love God and keep
not His commandments, we are liars and the truth is not in us. (I.
John ii: 4.) I think I have proved to your satisfaction that there is
something defective with their understanding of the attributes of God,
and I think I can prove also that they do not keep His commandments.
Christ has given us to understand two things which you must remember
while on this search after the 'kingdom of God.' First, that we must
follow Him; secondly, that when He left His disciples He was to send
them the Comforter that would lead them into all truth; therefore we
must follow Christ and accept all the principles which were taught by
His disciples while in possession of the Holy Spirit, though it should
prove the world to be in error."
"Thus far your arguments are reasonable, also in accordance with Holy
Writ; and as there is no other name given us except Jesus Christ
whereby we can be saved (Acts iv: 12), you may now lay before us the
conditions; but give us chapter and verse, as I said before, that we
may know you speak correctly."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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