The Gospel: An Exposition of its First Principles: Revised and Enlarged EditionRoberts, B. H. (Brigham Henry)
Religion
The Gospel: An Exposition of its First Principles: Revised and Enlarged Edition
Roberts, B. H. (Brigham Henry)
Latter Day Saint churches
Paul wrote an epistle to the Corinthian saints, reproving them for
their sins, and his sharp reproofs filled them with sorrow. In a
subsequent epistle to the same people, and alluding to the effect of
his former epistle, he said: "Though I made you sorry with a letter, I
do not repent. * * * I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that
you sorrowed unto repentance; for ye were made sorry after a godly
manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing. For godly sorrow
worketh repentance unto salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow
of the world worketh death."[G]
[Footnote G: II. Cor. vii: 8-10.]
From this passage it appears that Paul recognized two kinds of sorrow,
or repentance, one of which has need to be repented of, because
unfruitful of reformation, and therefore not profitable in the way of
salvation--the sorrow of the world which worketh death. On the other
hand is godly sorrow, or repentance which bringeth salvation, known
to both men and angels, aye, and likewise to God, by the fruit it
bears--good works--forsaking evil, producing a reformation of life.
It leads one who stole to steal no more; one in the habit of getting
drunk, to get drunk no more; one who blasphemed the name of God to
do so no more; and so on as to all things in which man violates the
sacred principles of righteousness. It is written in James: "Submit
yourselves, therefore, to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from
you. Draw nigh to God and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands,
ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. Be afflicted and
mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy
to heaviness. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall
lift you up."[H]
[Footnote H: James iv: 7-10.]
Because of the stress here laid upon the necessity of humility, and
the people being commanded to mourn and weep, to let their laughter be
turned to mourning, and their joy to heaviness, some religious teachers
(like the Pharisees and scribes of old who tithed mint and anise and
cummin, but omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy
and faith) give so much attention to weeping, mourning and crying
aloud, in order to appear to be afflicted, that they have overlooked
the weightier matters--cleansing their hands, purifying their hearts,
resisting the devil and drawing nigh unto God. These ought they to
do, and not leave the other--the weeping and mourning, inasmuch as it
arises from a deep and heartfelt conviction of sinfulness--undone.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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