Mr. Durant of Salt Lake City, "That Mormon" — John Shaqi
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
"I do not see how you make that doctrine accord with the teachings of
the Bible. Did not Jesus say, 'Suffer little children to come unto me?'"
"He did, but instead of administering the ordinance of baptism unto
them, He took them in His arms and blessed them, declaring at the
same time that they were pure and free from sin like unto those who
were in the kingdom of heaven. A little child is free from sin, is
pure in heart, humble and merciful, in fact is the great example of
goodness which Christ points out for us to follow. (Mark x: 13-16.)
This ordinance, then, is for people who are old enough to embrace it
intelligently, not for children who cannot understand its significance,
and who already belong to the kingdom of heaven.
"We have now examined three of the fundamental principles of the
gospel of salvation. There is one more that I wish to touch upon,
after which we will discuss a subject that is of more interest to
you, perhaps, than any of these. The principle which I wish to speak
of now, is the gift of the Holy Ghost, which in olden times always
followed the embracing of the principles we have discussed, and when
once received brought with it some of the gifts of the gospel. When the
first sermon was delivered after the crucifixion of Christ, at the time
when the apostles were endowed with power from on high, a multitude
of people were pricked in their hearts, and asked Peter and the rest
of the apostles what they should do. Peter undertook to answer this
all-important question, and so far as authority to do so was concerned,
we must admit that he, of all men at that peculiar time, was fully
capable, for he was in possession of the keys of the kingdom of God
bestowed upon him by Christ Himself. He was the chief apostle and, with
his brethren, had been endowed with power from above. Therefore, he,
more than any minister of our day, occupied a place that enabled him to
answer correctly, and with authority."
"You are stating the case properly, but what did he tell them?" queried
the interested man of law.
"His answer is found in the second chapter of Acts, beginning with the
38th verse. You will observe that as soon as he discovered that they
had faith, he immediately taught them repentance, then baptism for the
remission of sins, and followed these doctrines with a promise of the
gift of the Holy Ghost.
"Yes, commencing at the verse mentioned it says: 'Then Peter said unto
them, Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus
Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the
Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to
all that are afar off, _even_ as many as the Lord our God shall call.'"
"But how were they to receive the Holy Ghost?"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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