Charles W. Penrose Collected Discourses 1886-1898
Charles W. Penrose, March 22, 1891
THE LORD'S PRAYER
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DISCOURSE
Delivered by Elder Charles W. Penrose,
in the Tabernacle in Salt Lake City,
Sunday, March 22, 1891.
Collected Discourses, Vol.2, Charles W. Penrose, March 22, 1891
It is a great pleasure to me to meet with the Saints in this large assembly to-day. Having been called upon to address you, I desire to be inspired by the Holy Spirit, in order that I may be directed to say something whereby the congregation may be blessed and edified.
Collected Discourses, Vol.2, Charles W. Penrose, March 22, 1891
As a foundation for a few remarks I wish to read a few verses of scripture, which are familiar to all of us, and are found in the Gospel according to Matthew, chapter vi:9-13.
Collected Discourses, Vol.2, Charles W. Penrose, March 22, 1891
The prayer contained in this passage is commonly called "The Lord's Prayer." Christ gave it to His disciples as a pattern or sample of prayer. It was not given to be repeated at all times, as many Christians hold; nor is the idea conveyed that no prayer is complete without these words being contained therein. The two preceding verses give the reason why our Lord taught His disciples this form of prayer:
But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do; for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. Be not ye therefore like unto them; for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of before ye ask Him.
Collected Discourses, Vol.2, Charles W. Penrose, March 22, 1891
Christ uttered this before He gave the prayer, and at the close He added:
For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your Heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
Collected Discourses, Vol.2, Charles W. Penrose, March 22, 1891
It seems that many who have accepted the Christian religion and profess to believe in Christ have often departed very far from this mode of prayer. They have forgotten the instructions just read, and act as if they expected to be heard because of their many words. They also use what here are called vain repetitions. Now, prayer is not acceptable for its rhetoric. It is that which comes from the heart, the sincere sentiment, the secret feeling, which ascends to our Father and which He, who sees in secret, will reward openly. It is not a multitude of words and repetitions that is pleasing to the Lord, but the earnest desire of a humble heart. And this will be answered, no matter how broken or ungrammatical the language may be. On the other hand, no matter how flowery the language of the petition may be, if it does not convey the feelings of the heart, it is not true prayer.
Collected Discourses, Vol.2, Charles W. Penrose, March 22, 1891
It is a custom among many Christians to strive to use the most eloquent language in their prayers, formulating them more for the congregation than for God; as was once said of a prayer in the east, that it was "the most elegant prayer ever delivered to a Boston congregation." Now, we should notice what Christ says on this subject and pray in secret, that we may be rewarded openly, and when we pray in public we should pray for the congregation, expressing their desires and asking for the blessings which they need; believing and expecting that the petition will be answered.
Collected Discourses, Vol.2, Charles W. Penrose, March 22, 1891
The Lord's prayer contains a great deal of doctrine and many principles. The first sentence is: "Our Father which art in heaven." Two ideas are prominent here. First, we are taught to address God as our Father. He is the Father of us all, the author of our existence, for we sprang from Him. He is, as Paul puts it, "the Father of our spirits" (Heb. xii:9), our great Progenitor, and this not in a mystical or figurative sense, but in truth and reality. The spiritual fact of our being has come from above, while the physical part has been composed from the elements of the earth beneath. Man is a dual being, having two natures, and as to our spiritual nature, God is our Father as He is the Father of Jesus Christ, for He said: "I ascend to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God."
Collected Discourses, Vol.2, Charles W. Penrose, March 22, 1891
If, then, God is our Father, it follows that all mankind are brothers and sisters, no matter of what color, race, blood or nationality they may be. The great eternal God being the Father, we are all brethren in the spirit if not in the flesh. This idea ought to be understood by all, so that all may treat each other as brothers, members of the same great family.
Collected Discourses, Vol.2, Charles W. Penrose, March 22, 1891
Secondly, we learn that the great Being to whom we are to pray has a location, a habitation--"heaven." Usually, among the Christians, it is supposed that God is a being that fills up all space without occupying any room in it, that "His centre is everywhere and His circumference nowhere." Here we learn to say: "Our Father which art in heaven." It is not said, "who fills heaven, earth and hell," but who dwells in heaven. So also Christ, when He returned to God, ascended up to heaven. There is where our Father in His personality dwells. He is a being, with individuality and form, in the likeness of which we are made. For this reason Paul says we are not to cover our heads when we pray. This idea is different from that generally entertained by the "Christian" world, but it is one of the fundamental doctrines of the Latter-day Saints.
Collected Discourses, Vol.2, Charles W. Penrose, March 22, 1891
The next sentence is: "Hallowed be thy name." The name of God must be kept in sacred reverence. Men have no right to use it for unholy purposes. It is a law that it shall be kept holy, and the Saints are under sacred obligations to keep this law. It is to be hoped that they do so, and are not among those who use the profanity heard upon the street. The principle taught in this prayer, not to use the sacred name in vain, nor even repeat it solemnly too often, is illustrated by the fact that the name of the High Priesthood was changed and called the Priesthood after the order of Melchisedek, instead of the Priesthood after the order of the Son of God, "in order to avoid the too frequent repetition of the name of Deity." Remember, therefore that this name should never be taken in vain.
Collected Discourses, Vol.2, Charles W. Penrose, March 22, 1891
"Thy kingdom come." There is a great deal of meaning in these few words, which many fail to comprehend. The words mean that the kingdom of heaven is to come here upon this earth. Most "Christian" people expect to go somewhere to enter that kingdom, but we are taught to pray for its advent here. The same idea is conveyed in the succeeding words: "Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven." When this is fulfilled, the kingdom will be here. And it is the very design of our being here, that the world shall be prepared and sanctified until this kingdom extends from pole to pole and from shore to shore. The grand object which the servants of the Most High have always had in view was to prepare the earth for this happy event. Our Savior says, in His sermon on the mount, "the meek shall inherit the earth." John in his glorious vision saw this consummated, when he beheld the great redeemed multitude who were to be crowned and reign with their Savior in glory on the earth. He heard the song of the redeemed that Christ had saved them by His blood, out of every nation and tongue, and that they should reign with Him upon the earth. Therefore we are taught to pray that the kingdom may come, and to labor that the earth may be sanctified. This prayer will be fully answered when all wickedness has been overcome and Satan is bound; when there shall be no more sorrow, and no more pain, and no more death, but God shall wipe away all tears from the eyes of His once afflicted children, and dwell with them and be their God. John saw the earth thus sanctified, and it appeared like a sea of glass, mingled with fire. The same glorious condition of the earth is predicted by the ancient Prophets, who said that the lamb and the lion should lie down together, the enmity between man and beast should depart, the sting be taken from the serpent, and there would be nothing to hurt and destroy, but the earth should be full of the knowledge of God, and the reign of righteousness would be established. When this is fulfilled, the kingdom will have come, the will of God will be done on the earth indeed, and Christ will stand at the head of the human race, while God will be "all in all."
Collected Discourses, Vol.2, Charles W. Penrose, March 22, 1891
Did not all the Prophets of old look forward to such a time, and did not our Savior send His disciples to proclaim that the kingdom was at hand? He gave a great many parables concerning this kingdom. He compared it, among other things, to a grain of mustard seed that grew and became the greatest tree on earth. That is, commencing with a small beginning, but, like all God's works, gradually growing and developing until fully developed and complete. The Prophet Daniel saw it as the "little stone, cut out of the mountain without hands," which smote the great image and shattered its fragments to the four winds, and then became a great mountain and filled the whole earth. The idea conveyed in both these prophecies is the same; the kingdom is not to come instantaneously in its fulness, but is to grow from a small beginning and is to be upon the earth, which is our birthplace according to the flesh and our future home and heaven. The earth fulfills the law of its creation and shall therefore be glorified and become a fit dwelling place for the sanctified, fitted for the presence of God and clothed with His glory.
Collected Discourses, Vol.2, Charles W. Penrose, March 22, 1891
The Church and the kingdom are not identical, although they are closely connected. In the Church is the Gospel of the kingdom. It is a preparation for that divine government. It will not be fully established until Christ comes, who is the King. We are living in the days of the coming of the kingdom. As members of the Church we are commanded to be subject to the powers that be, to the established governments under which we live, as long as they exist, for "the powers that be are ordained of God," but we are approaching a time when all things on earth must give way for the heavenly kingdom. The kingdoms of this world are to become the kingdom of God and His Christ. Let us prepare ourselves for the events that are coming, and when we pray: "Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven," do our part in the work to prepare the way for its advent.
Collected Discourses, Vol.2, Charles W. Penrose, March 22, 1891
"Give us this day our daily bread." The question might be asked, why should we pray for daily bread when we have all we need? The answer is, this prayer is not one to be offered in a selfish spirit. We pray, our Father, not my Father, "give us our daily bread." There are many who have not their daily bread, and we should pray for them, as well as for them, as well as for ourselves. And as we pray for them, we should, as far as we can, help them to what they need, because there is little good in praying for a blessing which we are not willing ourselves to bestow upon them. That is why James says:
If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, and one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit? (James ii:15, 16.)
Collected Discourses, Vol.2, Charles W. Penrose, March 22, 1891
Do not forget the needs of others, and you who have plenty, see that others also have what they need, no matter what their creed, race, or other differences may be. There is on the earth enough for all, and to spare. The lack is in the unequal distribution. When the kingdom has come and God's will is done on earth as in heaven, all shall have plenty and none will suffer lack.
Collected Discourses, Vol.2, Charles W. Penrose, March 22, 1891
"Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors." How many of us would really obtain full forgiveness if we were to be dealt with according to the spirit of this prayer? It is to be feared that there would be a big account on the books against many of us. The most frequent difficulties that arise among brethren are concerning temporal matters. We become hard and exacting. Yet, we are taught to forgive freely, as it is written: "I the Lord forgive whom I will forgive, but I require you to forgive all men." This is the lesson conveyed to us in this prayer. When a man owes us anything, it is natural to feel that it must be collected, and we are often ready to press our brother to the last cent of interest; to take him by the throat and say, "Pay me what thou owest." The Spirit of Christ, however, is one of mercy and forgiveness, and this is what we should cultivate. Let us take care that we treat our fellowmen as we would be done by, and as we desire to be treated by our heavenly Father. There are those who will have to suffer the penalty of their debts to God in prison, and not come out till they have paid the utmost farthing, receiving the same measure they have meted to others.
Collected Discourses, Vol.2, Charles W. Penrose, March 22, 1891
I do not intimate that a man should not be careful to pay his debts. On the contrary, every one should endeavor to do that. The poor have no right to think that the rich to whom they owe money have enough and to spare, and that this justifies them in breaking their promises and not fulfilling their obligations. If the poor man borrow aught, it is his duty to pay it. If we make a promise, we should keep it even to our own hurt. Truce breaking--covenant breaking, promise breaking--is one of the sins of the age and is displeasing to God. But notwithstanding this, let us not be too exacting against one another, but act in the spirit of forbearance and mercy, which is the spirit of the Gospel.
Collected Discourses, Vol.2, Charles W. Penrose, March 22, 1891
"Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil." It is clear that God does not, personally, lead anybody into temptation, but He sometimes permits things to occur which He might have prevented--things that are in the nature of temptations to us. This is necessary, for man has a free agency, and he must have full opportunities to choose between good and evil, in order that he may be judged according to his works. Men often go into temptations themselves and blame it to somebody else, as Adam laid the blame of the fall on his wife, and she laid it on the serpent. We are taught to pray that we be not led into temptation, and at the same time it is expected that we will take care not to run into temptation ourselves. It is safest to keep as far away as possible from the edge of a precipice. If we are not on our guard, but rush into danger, we may fall, notwithstanding all our good resolutions.
Collected Discourses, Vol.2, Charles W. Penrose, March 22, 1891
While we dwell on earth we will be subject to temptations. Jesus was tempted in various ways, but He overcame, and afterwards He was able to say: "The prince of this world cometh, but he hath nothing in me." There was not a chord, not a string in his nature which the tempter could bring into vibration. It would be a good thing if we could say the same; if we, by perseverance, could overcome all the influences of the tempter. Let us pray for this deliverance from evil.
Collected Discourses, Vol.2, Charles W. Penrose, March 22, 1891
"For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever." Truly, God is to be glorified for all things that are good. The honor of our salvation is to be ascribed to Him. By His grace Jesus came and atoned for the sins of the world. Without Him there would be no salvation for the living and no redemption for the dead. God laid the plan for our deliverance, and to Him is, therefore, due all the glory and all the honor. We may labor faithfully for the building up of His kingdom, but to Him belongs the glory for what we may accomplish. The breath we breathe is His air; the soil we till is His earth; the power of vitality in our being is His Spirit: all power, all wisdom is His. All intelligence flows from Him. We are His creatures, the workmanship of His hands. Whatever we can do as farmers, mechanics, writers, artists, preachers, statesmen, rulers, all is due to Him. The glory to be revealed and the dominion to be established are His, and we can therefore truly say: "Thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory, forever. Amen."
Collected Discourses, Vol.2, Charles W. Penrose, March 22, 1891
This prayer is full of inspiration. Every sentence is a text for a sermon. We are admonished to "search the Scriptures." I am afraid this is not so fashionable among us as when we first heard the Gospel. We then searched diligently, and the result was that we learned that the Scriptures, the Bible, the Book of Mormon and the Book of Doctrine and Covenants, harmonized, blended together as so many drops of water, and all led to the same truths. We found that "intelligence cleaveth to intelligence, truth to truth." We found unanimous testimony concerning Christ and His work, and the plan of salvation He came to introduce.
Collected Discourses, Vol.2, Charles W. Penrose, March 22, 1891
I bear my testimony to you that I know that the ideas conveyed in the Lord's prayer are true; that the Gospel is true; that God is in very deed our Father and that He lives; and this gives me unspeakable joy and satisfaction. I know that He who died on Calvary is the Christ; that He rose again and ascended to heaven, and that He will come again to establish His kingdom. I also know that the day of His coming is drawing near. I testify that this Gospel is the Gospel of that kingdom, and that the signs of the times indicate the speedy advent of the happy day.
Collected Discourses, Vol.2, Charles W. Penrose, March 22, 1891
I testify that Joseph Smith was a Prophet of God, raised up as a forerunner of the coming of Jesus Christ in His kingdom, and that this work of God will spread and prevail. May God bless us and help us to be faithful, that we may be prepared for the approaching kingdom, that when He shall reign in Zion and Jerusalem we may be counted worthy to reign with Him in glory. Amen.
Charles W. Penrose, October 6, 1891
REMARKS
Delivered by Elder Charles W. Penrose,
at the General Conference, held Tuesday Morning,
October 6, 1891.
Collected Discourses, Vol.2, Charles W. Penrose, October 6, 1891
We have had an excellent time during conference thus far, as the instructions imparted have done me good, and I hope they will benefit all who have assembled. If we observe these teachings in our daily lives we will be a better people than we have been. We have received good counsel, calculated to make us better in every department of life.
Collected Discourses, Vol.2, Charles W. Penrose, October 6, 1891
If there are any people in the world who need to exercise Christian charity they are the Latter-day Saints. False reports are constantly spread concerning our actions and faith. It seems that those who are opposed to us cannot tell the truth about us either by pen or speech. If we had not the truth they would not be compelled to resort to misrepresentation in seeking to overturn our position. We are called to exercise charity not only to each other, but to all mankind. God does not judge by outward appearances, but by the intent and motive. If those who make errors design in their hearts to do right, God is merciful to them. When people continually resort to calumny and falsehood it is difficult to exercise charity to those who indulge in it. The world has been flooded with misrepresentations concerning the Latter-day Saints. This has occasionally occurred in high places. But we should possess our souls in patience. We should also lift up our hearts and rejoice that we are made to suffer such injustice for truth's sake.
Collected Discourses, Vol.2, Charles W. Penrose, October 6, 1891
A new assault has been made against the Church. In all the books and articles that I have read that have been penned in hostility, there has not been one that has not contained falsehood. The Utah Commission, sent here under the Edmunds act, have made a majority report to the Secretary of the Interior, in which they do great injury to this community. It may appear in the Deseret News. It might be deemed questionable whether we should publish such things against ourselves. But it appears to me that they should be submitted to the Saints that they may weigh them. It is not necessary to publish everything of a scurrilous character that is said against us, as it would engross too much of our attention to the exclusion of subjects that are more profitable. It is necessary that the Saints should know what is said against them, and that some one should show the other side. When the Church is belied there ought to be a refutation of the misstatements. The majority of the Utah Commission, in the report alluded to, have sought to make it appear that the people are dominated by their leaders in political matters--that they are by them treated as political serfs. The object is that we might be kept in Territorial vassalage and be denied the rights accorded to other people. It may be ungenerous to say so, but it looks as if the Utah Commission were influenced by a desire to retain their places and salaries. They may possibly, however, believe their own statements, although they are false.
Collected Discourses, Vol.2, Charles W. Penrose, October 6, 1891
The report states that forty-one male persons in 1890 entered into the relation of plural marriage. They give no names or other data. The reason is obvious. In the manifesto issued by the President of the Church this statement was denied most emphatically. The action of the head of the Church was endorsed by the people in General Conference. The report says that the commission had had information that in 1891 eighteen such marriages occurred. I know of no such marriages in 1891, and do not believe one has taken place. The commission cast reflections upon the sincerity of the Church in the issuance of the manifesto and of the community in the dissolution of the People's party and the division of the people on national party lines. Any person who witnessed the spirit of the people when this division took place might have imagined that they were a little too intense and zealous on the question. We ought to know whether we are sincere and whether we have been coerced or dictated by the leaders of the Church. I have been in the Church many years, and am acquainted with the leaders of it, and have traveled a good deal among the people. I know that I have not been dominated or coerced in political matters. I have never seen anything of that character. The people have voted as they pleased. We have had the secret ballot, and the authorities of the Church could not know how a person voted if they wished to. The francise was taken from the women of Utah because it was claimed that they voted as they were told, just as if a woman could be induced to do anything that she didn't want to.
Collected Discourses, Vol.2, Charles W. Penrose, October 6, 1891
We are a free people, and our leading men have not led us into bondage. The statements to the contrary are untrue. I am sorry for a man who bears false witness against his neighbor, for God will judge him. In the future, as in the past, the people will be free and they will join whatever political party they please to identify themselves with.
Collected Discourses, Vol.2, Charles W. Penrose, October 6, 1891
The Latter-day Saints are an honest and sincere people. As a citizen of the United States, I protest against my acts and theirs being misrepresented to the government of the United States.
Collected Discourses, Vol.2, Charles W. Penrose, October 6, 1891
The speaker continued for some time, showing that the charge of there being an amalgamation of church and state in Utah is baseless and untrue.
Collected Discourses, Vol.2, Charles W. Penrose, October 6, 1891
President Woodruff said: I want to bear record to this congregation, and to heaven and earth, that what Brother Penrose has said is true; and as a proof of this I will say that I had a great desire in my heart at the last election, that we might have some Republicans in our legislature, and have not got one. Here is Brother Lund. [Brother Lund is one of the Apostles.] I believe he is a Republican. He ran, but did not get elected. This shows that if I had anything to do with it, I certainly had no influence with the people; for we have got no Republicans in the legislature.
* * * * * * *
THE COMMITTEE REPORT
Collected Discourses, Vol.2, Charles W. Penrose, October 6, 1891
It was announced that the committe on resolutions had entered the building and were ready to report. The conference voted unanimously to hear the committe.
Collected Discourses, Vol.2, Charles W. Penrose, October 6, 1891
The following were then read by Hon. John T. Caine:
President Wilford Woodruff and members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, in General Conference assembled:
Collected Discourses, Vol.2, Charles W. Penrose, October 6, 1891
Brethren and Sisters.--Your committee appointed to formulate an expression of the conference relative to certain statements made by the majority of the Utah Commission, in their report to the Secretary of the Interior for the year 1891, beg leave to report the accompanying preamble and resolutions, and recommend their adoption by the conference.
Collected Discourses, Vol.2, Charles W. Penrose, October 6, 1891
Very respectfully, JOHN CLARK,
Collected Discourses, Vol.2, Charles W. Penrose, October 6, 1891
W. H. ROWE,
Collected Discourses, Vol.2, Charles W. Penrose, October 6, 1891
CHAS. W. PENROSE,
Collected Discourses, Vol.2, Charles W. Penrose, October 6, 1891
JOHN T. CAINE, Salt Lake City, Oct. 6, 1891. FRANKLIN S. RICHARDS.
PREAMBLE AND RESOLUTIONS.
Collected Discourses, Vol.2, Charles W. Penrose, October 6, 1891
Whereas, the Utah Commission, with one exception,1 in their report to the Secretary of the Interior, for 1891, have made many untruthful statements concerning the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the attitude of its members in relation to political affairs; and
Collected Discourses, Vol.2, Charles W. Penrose, October 6, 1891
Whereas, said report is an official document, and is likely to greatly prejudice the people of the nation against our Church and its members, and it is therefore unwise to allow its erroneous statements to pass unnoticed:
Collected Discourses, Vol.2, Charles W. Penrose, October 6, 1891
Now, therefore, be it resolved by the the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, in General Conference assembled, That we deny most emphatically the assertion of the Commission that the Church dominates its members in political matters, and that church and state are united. Whatever appearance there may have been in past times of a union of church and state, because men holding ecclesiastical authority were elected to civil office by popular vote, there is now no foundation or excuse for the statement that church and state are united in Utah or that the leaders of the Church dictate the members in political matters; that no coercion or any influence whatever of an ecclesiastical nature has been exercised over us by our Church leaders in reference to which political party we shall join, and that we have been and are perfectly free to unite with any or no political party, as we may individually elect; that the People's party has been entirely and finally disolved, and that our fealty henceforth will be to such national political party as seems to us best suited to the purposes of republican government.
Collected Discourses, Vol.2, Charles W. Penrose, October 6, 1891
Also, be it resolved, That we do not believe that there have been any polygamous marriages solemnized among the Latter-day Saints during the period named by the Utah Commission; and we denounce the statements which convey the idea that such marriages have been contracted as false and misleading; and that we protest against the perversions of fact and principle and intent contained in the report of the Commission, and declare that the manifesto of President Woodruff forbidding future plural marriages was adopted at the last October Conference in all sincerity and carried out in letter and in spirit; and all statements to the contrary are entirely destitute of truth.
Collected Discourses, Vol.2, Charles W. Penrose, October 6, 1891
And be it further resolved, That we appeal to the press and people of this country to accept our united declaration and protest, to give it publicity, and to aid in disseminating the truth, that falsehood may be refuted and justice be done to a people continually maligned and almost universally misunderstood. And may God defend the right.
Collected Discourses, Vol.2, Charles W. Penrose, October 6, 1891
A motion was made to receive and adopt the preamble and resolutions, when a gentleman in the audience asked if a "Gentile and a sinner" might be allowed to make a few remarks. It was Mr. Charles Ellis.
Collected Discourses, Vol.2, Charles W. Penrose, October 6, 1891
President Cannon--Yes, we have no objection; you are at liberty to do so; but won't you come to the stand?
Collected Discourses, Vol.2, Charles W. Penrose, October 6, 1891
Mr. Ellis--If you can hear me I will talk here.
Collected Discourses, Vol.2, Charles W. Penrose, October 6, 1891
President Cannon--You cannot be heard there as well as here.
Collected Discourses, Vol.2, Charles W. Penrose, October 6, 1891
Voices in the congregation--Go up to the stand.
Collected Discourses, Vol.2, Charles W. Penrose, October 6, 1891
After a brief pause Mr. Ellis went forward, and, taking a position on the lower stand, said: I simply want to say that so far as the resolutions just read go, I would like to see something added to this effect:
Collected Discourses, Vol.2, Charles W. Penrose, October 6, 1891
That whereas, the people called "Mormon" have conceded every demand made upon them by the government of the United States, therefore they, as American citizens, loving their country and having the best government in the world, pledge themselves to loyalty to that government, demanding in return that the United States goverment shall guarantee to them all the rights and privileges of fair-play and equality before the law, to the protection of life and liberty and the pursuit of that happiness which it guarantees to every other sect that is based upon the Bible. (Loud applause.)
Collected Discourses, Vol.2, Charles W. Penrose, October 6, 1891
Elder B. H. Roberts said: It appears to me that in dealing with the matter to which our attention was called this morning, namely, the misrepresentations that are contained in the report of the Utah Commission, there is one thing that the Latter-day Saints should recognize. That is, that in adopting these resolutions which have been formulated by the committee appointed by this conference we are acting in harmony, not only with what reason would prompt men to do, but likewise in accordance with the expressed will of the Almighty.
Collected Discourses, Vol.2, Charles W. Penrose, October 6, 1891
In 1839, the Lord saw proper to give instruction to the Saints as to how they should conduct themselves in relation to those who persecuted them. In that revelation, written or indited by the Prophet of God while incarcerated in Liberty jail, through the oppressions of Missouri, we find this statement:
And again, we would suggest for your consideration the propriety of all the Saints gathering up a knowledge of all the facts, and sufferings and abuses put upon them; . . . and also of all the property and amount of damages which they have sustained, both of character and personal injuries, as well as real property; and also the names of all persons that have had a hand in their oppressions, as far as they can get hold of them and find them out; and perhaps a committee can be appointed to find out these things, and to take statements and affidavits, and also to gather up the libelous publications that are afloat; and all that are in the magazines, and in the encyclopedias, and all the libelous histories that are published, and are writing, and by whom, and present the whole concatenation of diabolical rascality, and nefarious and murderous impositions that have been practised upon this people, that we may not only publish to all the world, but present them to the heads of government in all their dark and hellish hue, as the last effort which is enjoined on us by our Heavenly Father.
WILFORD WOODRUFF,
GEORGE Q. CANNON,
JOSEPH F. SMITH, First Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Collected Discourses, Vol.2, Charles W. Penrose, October 6, 1891
It seems to me that the attention of this conference should be called to this great fact--that we owe it to ourselves, we owe it to God and to the character that we are establishing, not to permit these infamous statements--either made by design or through ignorance--to pass out among the people of this nation without a flat and emphatic contradiction. (Applause.) We are enjoined by the spirit and letter of this revelation to say that these things are false; that they are untrue in every particular; and further, we should say to the people of the United States that we claim the right to be heard upon this subject; that we have been lied about long enough; that we have been misrepresented to our injury and without protest as long as we intend to be. I conclude my remarks with the closing words of the resolution, "And may God defend the right," for I believe He will. (Prolonged applause and a chorus of voices: "Amen.")
Collected Discourses, Vol.2, Charles W. Penrose, October 6, 1891
The preamble and resolutions were unanimously adopted by the congregation raising the right hand and shouting "Aye."
Collected Discourses, Vol.2, Charles W. Penrose, October 6, 1891
Hon. John T. Caine read the following:
DECLARATION OF THE FIRST PRESIDENCY OF THE CHURCH:
Collected Discourses, Vol.2, Charles W. Penrose, October 6, 1891
Concerning the official report of the Utah Commission made to the Secretary of the Interior, in which they allege, "During the past year, notwithstanding the 'manifesto,' reports have been received by the Commission of eighteen male persons who, with an equal number of females, are believed to have entered into polygamous marriages during the year," we have to say it is utterly without foundation in truth. We repeat in the most solemn manner the declaration made by President Wilford Woodruff at our General Conference held last October, that there have been no plural marriages solemnized during the period named.
Collected Discourses, Vol.2, Charles W. Penrose, October 6, 1891
Polygamy or plural marriage has not been taught, neither has there been given permission to any person to enter into its practice, but on the contrary, it has been strictly forbidden.
Collected Discourses, Vol.2, Charles W. Penrose, October 6, 1891
Apostle Moses Thatcher moved that we receive, endorse and adopt as true the statement of the Presidency.
Collected Discourses, Vol.2, Charles W. Penrose, October 6, 1891
Unanimously adopted.
Collected Discourses, Vol.2, Charles W. Penrose, October 6, 1891
Hon. John T. Caine next came forward and said: I move that the conference now adopt the sentiments expressed by the gentleman who modestly denominates himself "a Gentile and a sinner."
Collected Discourses, Vol.2, Charles W. Penrose, October 6, 1891
This motion was carried unanimously.
1. The single exception was made by General John A. McClernand, a member of the Utah Commission, who wrote a minority report which referred to official court records that showed that only four cases of violation, instead of the eighteen asserted by the majority report (Clark, 3:218).
Charles W. Penrose, May 15, 1892
THE FAITH OF THE LATTER-DAY SAINTS
_______________
DISCOURSE
Delivered by Elder Charles W. Penrose,
at the Sunday Services held in the Tabernacle,
Sunday, May 15, 1892.
Collected Discourses, Vol.3, Charles W. Penrose, May 15, 1892
I have been requested to speak to the congregation this afternoon, and I rise to do so with pleasure, and also with some timidity. This is generally felt by our brethren when called to speak in this large meeting house, from the fact that it is not our custom to prepare discourses for the occasion. So, like my brethren who are called upon from time to time to occupy this stand, I have to rely upon the faith and sympathy of this congregation, and upon the Holy Spirit, which I pray and desire may rest down upon me and upon all who are present, that our minds may be mutually enlightened, that we may be able to understand that which is brought before our attention.
Collected Discourses, Vol.3, Charles W. Penrose, May 15, 1892
We have met this afternoon, as is our custom on the Lord's Day, to partake of the Holy Sacrament, to worship before the Lord, to sing His praises, and to be instructed--to have our minds drawn away from the common things of life, and directed towards the object of our salvation, towards God and His Son Jesus Christ, and to those things which have been revealed to us for our edification and obedience.
Collected Discourses, Vol.3, Charles W. Penrose, May 15, 1892
The Latter-day Saints are a body of worshipers who believe in God. They believe in the God of the Bible. They believe in Jesus Christ. They believe that Jesus of Nazareth was the Son of God. They also believe that all men and women who dwell on the earth are the sons and daughters of God; but in a special sense they believe in Jesus Christ as the Son of God--His only begotten Son according to the flesh. They believe, also, that by obedience to the commandments which God gives through Jesus Christ all mankind may be saved; and that without obedience to those things they cannot be saved and exalted in the presence of the Father. The Latter-day Saints believe that in these days, in the nineteenth century, God has manifested Himself again as He did in times of old; that Jesus Christ who died on Calvary has revealed Himself, and that He has re-established His Church in the same form and after the same pattern in which He established it when He dwelt on the earth in the flesh. They believe that there is but one Gospel of Jesus Christ, one true religion, and that if people desire to obtain the blessings of God in this life, and to dwell in His presence, to enjoy the fulness of His glory in the next life, they must be obedient to that Gospel. At the same time, they accord to all persons, everywhere, the right to worship God according to the dictates of their consciences, to worship as seems right in their eyes; to believe that which commends itself to their judgment; to form religious societies, to publish their opinions, to preach what they think is right, to build up their societies according to their best judgment for the good of mankind, to be perfectly free, so far as conscience is concerned, and in the spreading forth of principles which they may believe to be right, no matter how erroneous they may seem to us, and to do all things that are deemed to be religious, so long as they do not infringe upon the rights of others.
Collected Discourses, Vol.3, Charles W. Penrose, May 15, 1892
I have with me this afternoon a small card containing the Articles of Faith of the Latter-day Saints, which I will read to the congregation, as there may be many present who are not acquainted with our doctrine. No doubt all people have heard something about the Latter-day Saints, or "Mormons," as they are more commonly called. They have heard, no doubt, a great many very foolish things about us--a great many erroneous things--because I know that misrepresentations have been made concerning us, our faith, our designs, our course of life, and our objects in being here in these mountain valleys. These misrepresentations have been scattered broadcast throughout the world. "Falsehood," we are told, "will go a league before Truth can get its boots on," and this has been the case very much in regard to the people called "Mormons," or Latter-day Saints. The term "Mormon" is not the name we should be known by. The disciples of Jesus Christ, the members of His Church, in early days, so we read in the New Testament, were first called Christians at Antioch. I do not know where the Latter-day Saints were first called "Mormons," but this is the name by which they are generally known in the world, because they believe in the Book of Mormon. It would be just about as reasonable to call us Pauls or Peters, or Jameses, or Johns, because we believe what Paul wrote, what James wrote, what Peter wrote, and also what Mormon wrote.
Collected Discourses, Vol.3, Charles W. Penrose, May 15, 1892
Our proper title is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is His Church, built up according to His directions, and we are called Latter-day Saints to distinguish us from the former-day Saints. The proper name by which the members of Christ's Church were known in the olden time, if ye may believe the Bible, both the Old and New Testament, was Saints. Those who believe in God and keep His commandments, who live for Him and for the truth, are called Saints; and we are desirous of being Saints, of striving to be Saints. We do not pretend to be very much better than other people in the world, but we are joined together in the Church of Jesus Christ in order that we may become Saints, be prepared for the presence of God, to enjoy His society and the society of His Son Jesus Christ, and all the good, the noble and the best of the earth who will be saved in His glory. So the proper name of this Church is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and these are the Articles of Faith of that Church, as arranged by the Prophet Joseph Smith:
Collected Discourses, Vol.3, Charles W. Penrose, May 15, 1892
ARTICLES OF FAITH
OF THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS
1. We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost.
2. We believe that men will be punished for their own sins, and not for Adam's transgression.
3. We believe that through the atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel.
4. We believe that these ordinances are: First, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, Repentance; third, Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; fourth, Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost.
5. We believe that a man must be called of God, by "prophecy, and by the laying on of hands," by those who are in authority, to preach the Gospel and administer in the ordinances thereof.
6. We believe in the same organization that existed in the primitive Church, viz: Apostles, Prophets, Pastors, Teachers, Evangelists, etc.
7. We believe in the gift of tongues, prophecy, revelation, visions, healing, interpretation of tongues, etc.
8. We believe the Bible to be the word of God, as far as it is translated correctly; we also believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God.
9. We believe all that God has revealed, all that He does now reveal, and we believe that He will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the kingdom of God.
10. We believe in the literal gathering of Israel and in the restoration of the Ten Tribes. That Zion will be built upon this continent. That Christ will reign personally upon the earth, and that the earth will be renewed and receive its paradisic glory.
11. We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where or what they may.
12. We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers and magistrates, in obeying, honoring and sustaining the law.
13. We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men; indeed we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul, "We believe all things, we hope all things;" we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things.
Collected Discourses, Vol.3, Charles W. Penrose, May 15, 1892
I think if these articles of our faith were scattered a little more extensively throughout the world, the erroneous ideas which a great many people have entertained concerning us would be somewhat corrected. As I before stated, we believe that there is but one true religion. We believe that because there is but one God for the inhabitants of the earth to worship, when they worship anything but that one true God, they commit idolatry. We believe that this one true God has a religion which He desires the inhabitants of the earth to follow, which He revealed in former times for their guidance, and which He has revealed anew in these latter times. God the Infinite, the Eternal, the All-wise, would not make a dozen or a hundred different religions to confuse and bewilder poor humanity. There can be but one true religion, because there is but one true God to worship. At the same time, all people on the earth are at liberty to receive that religion or to reject it, or, if they so desire, to make other religions. But for this they will have to answer to Him when every man is judged according to his works. Neither can they receive those blessings either in this world or the world to come that they would have received had they obeyed the true Gospel. But we believe that there will be a period in the history of all men and women when they will come to an understanding of the true Gospel, either in this world or in the world to come. For we believe that man is immortal; that the spirit of man will endure when the body goes into the grave; that the body will be raised again from the dead, and that in the resurrected body each individual will stand before God and "Give an account of the deeds done in the body." We do not believe that this mortal sphere in which we dwell is all there is of life, nor the only place where the mercy of God can reach His creatures. We believe that the tender mercies of God are over all His works, that throughout all His universe His power reaches, the light of His truth can penetrate, and His salvation can be extended, and that those who do not have the privilege of learning and understanding the one true way of life while they dwell in mortality, will find the opportunity hereafter in the various mansions prepared for the children of men when they depart hence.
Collected Discourses, Vol.3, Charles W. Penrose, May 15, 1892
We believe that all people will at some time hear the Gospel--the Gospel of Jesus Christ--the true plan of salvation. We believe in a "defined plan of salvation;" that it was prepared by God; that true religion originates with God--that it comes from God downward to man, and not from man upward to God. Though men may seek out many inventions and make many religions, yet the true religion of God must come from God; the religion of Jesus Christ must come from Jesus Christ. Christ and the Father are one, not one in person, but one in mind, one in spirit, one in doctrine, one in principle, one in all things in which two or more individuals can be perfectly and entirely united.
Collected Discourses, Vol.3, Charles W. Penrose, May 15, 1892
When Jesus was baptized in Jordan, in coming out of the water, the Father spoke from heaven, saying, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased;" and the Holy Ghost descended upon Him in the form or sign of the dove. This shows that they are separate and distinct as to personality, as to substance, and yet one in essence, in principle, in faith, in doctrine, and in all things in which different persons can possibly be united. Well, then, the religion of God is the religion of Jesus Christ, and the religion of Jesus Christ is the religion of the Father. It is said He declared: "My doctrine is not mine, but His that sent me; and if any man shall do His will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God or whether I speak of myself." True religion, then, comes from God, through Jesus Christ, and all mankind may be saved by obeying its principles. All mankind, except those who are unsavable, will at some time be saved by the one Gospel. As Christ preached it to men in the flesh, when He dwelt on the earth before His crucifixion, so after He was slain and His body lay in the tomb, "He went," as Peter says, and "preached to the spirits in prison" who were "disobedient in the days of Noah, while the ark was preparing." He went and preached to them the same Gospel which He preached to men in the flesh, as we are told by the same Apostle. What I have just quoted you will find in the third chapter of the first epistle of Peter, nineteenth and twentieth verses. In the next chapter and sixth verse we are told: "For, for this cause was the Gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit." They were not men in the flesh; they were men in the spirit. Christ went and preached to them while His body lay in the tomb: "Being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the spirit, He went and preached unto the spirits in prison." He descended into Hades. He said to them in darkness, "Show yourselves." "He led captivity captive."
Collected Discourses, Vol.3, Charles W. Penrose, May 15, 1892
This is one of the principles of our faith, and we expect that the time will come when the heathen nations that have not heard of Jesus Christ will have the Gospel preached to them in the spirit, as those people did who dwelt on the earth before the days of Jesus. There are the millions of Jews who have departed from this life in unbelief--very much through no fault of their own, but through the errors of their ancestors. Every soul of them, according to our faith, will hear the Gospel. All men, in order to be judged by it, must hear it. But "how can they hear without a preacher, and how can he preach except he be sent?" He must be sent of God, not of man. Men have a right to preach; they have a right to lecture, to publish, to spread abroad their opinions and views; but to preach the Gospel and administer in the ordinances of it with authority as the Lord has appointed, man has to be called of God to be appointed, to be ordained, to receive authority, or his ministrations will not be effectual. And the time will come when, as Jesus preached to the spirits in prison, so His servants, called, ordained and appointed of Him, will go to the thousands and millions of those who are dead, and publish the Gospel of peace. And it shall come to pass, as Isaiah said, that God shall "punish the host of the high ones that are on high, and the kings of the earth upon the earth. And they shall be gathered together, as prisoners are gathered in the pit, and shall be shut up in the prison, and after many days they shall be visited" (Isaiah xxiv: 21,22). They, also, will hear the word of the Lord. As Christ went to preach deliverance to the captives, the opening of the prison to them that were bound, to declare the acceptable year of the Lord, as Isaiah predicted (lxi chapter: 1,2 verse), so His servants, clothed with His authority, will preach the Gospel to "every creature," until "every knee shall bow, and every tongue confess that Jesus is the Christ, to the glory of God the Father."
Collected Discourses, Vol.3, Charles W. Penrose, May 15, 1892
That is the kind of Gospel the Latter-day Saints believe in. They are not so narrow and contracted in their ideas as some people imagine. The Gospel that we have received takes in all humanity. Those who have lived upon the earth in former days--those that dwell among the nations to-day--heathens, Christians, Mahommedans, Jews, all people everywhere, at some time, whether in this world or in the world to which we are all hastening, will hear the sound of the one Gospel and have an opportunity of receiving it or rejecting it for themselves, of their own volition and through their individual agency.
Collected Discourses, Vol.3, Charles W. Penrose, May 15, 1892
We also believe that in this one Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ there are laws and ordinances and precepts which must be observed, or the blessings cannot come. We believe that all blessings are predicated upon law. To every law there is a blessing, and also a penalty. He that obeys the law will receive the blessing; he that does not obey it will not receive the blessing. There is no favoritism in this, but the principle of law, and obedience thereto is required. He that wilfully rejects the law of God, that closes his eyes to the light, that will not look upon it nor try to receive it and comprehend it, is under condemnation, and will be punished for his transgressions.
Collected Discourses, Vol.3, Charles W. Penrose, May 15, 1892
As I have read to you, the fundamental principles of this Gospel, its beginnings, are faith in God and in Jesus Christ. Next, repentance; then baptism for the remission of sins; then the laying on of hands for the giving or imparting of the Holy Ghost; and to him who receives these fundamental principles will be added line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little, until he is thoroughly furnished unto all good works.
Collected Discourses, Vol.3, Charles W. Penrose, May 15, 1892
Faith is the first principle of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Without faith it is impossible to please God; without faith no one can approach God properly. It is by faith that the blessings of God are drawn down upon us. It is by faith that every blessing pertaining to the Gospel of Jesus Christ is imparted and without faith there is no true religion. This faith must be not simply an assent of the mind to the fact that God lives, that Jesus of Nazareth was His Son, but a living principle in the soul which is quickened and aroused by the preaching of the word. Faith cometh by hearing the word of God. When that word is preached by authority, under the influence and power of the Holy Ghost, faith is aroused or quickened, or brought forth in the soul of man, and he is led to God his Father, and to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. Acting upon that living faith--for "faith without works is dead"--he goes on to the next principle, which is repentance, and that means not simply a sorrow for sin, mourning over past follies, but a fixed and firm determination to do right in the future by the help of God; to turn from evil, to put away error, to depart from all that is foolish and vain, and lay hold upon that which is right and true. This is real repentance.
Collected Discourses, Vol.3, Charles W. Penrose, May 15, 1892
When a person believes and thus repents he is a fit subject for baptism, that is, to be buried in water in the likeness of the death and burial of Christ, to be brought forth in the likeness of His resurrection; in that He receives remission of sins. Not that remission of sins comes from the washing of water or from anything that is material. Remission of sins comes from God by Jesus Christ, through His atonement, He dying for our sins, He paying the death penalty for us. But He has only paid the penalty for the actual transgressions of those who will obey His commandments. Christ's atonement is perfect and complete for the transgression of Adam, which is called original sin. "As in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive." As through the transgression of one, death has come upon the race, so by the atonement of Christ shall life--the resurrection of the body--come to all the race--the good, the bad, the indifferent, the black and the white, the bond and the free. Every son and daughter of Adam who suffers death because of the sin of Adam, will be raised from the dead by the righteousness and atonement of Jesus Christ. But in regard to actual transgression, the deeds we have ourselves committed, in order to obtain remission of sins we must obey the commandments of Jesus Christ. He died for the transgression of Adam unconditionally; He died for the personal transgressions of all men conditionally; and the conditions are that we obey His commandments and receive His Gospel. And so when the repentant believer is taken down into the water and buried there by one who has the right to use the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost--by one called, appointed and ordained, who so acts on behalf of Deity--when that repentant believer is thus buried in the water in the likeness of Christ's death and burial, and is raised up again in the likeness of Christ's resurrection, he receives the remission of sins through his obedience to that ordinance. The remission comes from God through Jesus Christ, and is given in baptism. That baptism is the one appointed by Jesus Christ. Different baptisms have been appointed by men. But we have one Lord, one faith, and one baptism; that is the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins, and in that baptism the individual who is properly baptized, having faith, and having repented, has a regeneration worked upon him by the power of God. Old things have passed away; all things become new. He is cleansed, he is purified; he comes forth clean from the water, and though his sins were as scarlet, they are washed whiter than snow. He is a newborn babe before his God, and his past sins are blotted out. He is then prepared to receive the Holy Ghost, which "dwelleth not in unclean tabernacles," and by the laying on of the hands of men called and appointed for that purpose the Holy Ghost is imparted to the baptized, repentant believer.
Collected Discourses, Vol.3, Charles W. Penrose, May 15, 1892
Now, what is the effect of this Spirit upon this person? It is this: He is "born of the Spirit." As his body was enveloped in the waters of baptism, so his soul is enveloped in the Holy Ghost, and he is baptized with divine fire; he is filled with light, and the power of God rests upon him; he receives a testimony that he is accepted of God. Doubt flees away; all dubiety concerning his acceptance with God is gone; he is a new creature in Christ Jesus, and henceforth he is expected to walk in newness of life. He is "born of the water and of the Spirit," and made a citizen of the kingdom of God.
Collected Discourses, Vol.3, Charles W. Penrose, May 15, 1892
The Holy Spirit is divine light. As the light of the sun reveals the physical objects of creation, so the Holy Ghost reveals spiritual things--the things of God. They are thus made plain to the soul of man. That is the Spirit which guides unto all truth. It takes of the things of the Father and of the Son, and shows them unto him, and also reveals things to come. It makes manifest the past, makes clear the present, rolls up the curtain which hides the future, and he is brought into communication with His Father who dwells in heaven, and he is prepared for the ministrations of the Son, even Jesus Christ.
Collected Discourses, Vol.3, Charles W. Penrose, May 15, 1892
The Holy Ghost, which is received in the Gospel of Christ, is not merely an imaginary influence. It is not simply the good feeling created in the soul by the acceptance of divine truth, as some people try to make out. It is an outpouring of the power of God upon the individual, it is a divine manifestation to him. There may be nothing physical about its effects; he may not see anything wonderful with his natural eyes, or feel any abnormal power resting upon him to affect his body in a supernatural way, but he has within him that "still small voice" which penetrates all the innermost recesses of the heart, which manifests to him that which is right and true, and also that which is untrue, that he may be able to choose between light and darkness, between truth and error. God will give unto him such gifts as he seeks for by faith and prayer. As in the olden times, when the Saints would meet together, some had the gift of tongues, some prophecy, some visions to relate, some divine dreams, some a relation of the healing power made manifest in their behalf. So "the fruits of the Spirit" are to-day not only love and joy, the peace which "passeth all understanding," patience, forbearance, brotherly kindness, charity--not only these, but the gifts of prophecy, of tongues, of interpretation, of healings, of visions, of manifestations of the power of God in various ways, and no gift that was bestowed upon the early Saints is withheld from the Latter-day Saints, according to their faith and their diligence in seeking it. These are additional witnesses to them that they are accepted of God and in His Church.
Collected Discourses, Vol.3, Charles W. Penrose, May 15, 1892
Now, I repeat this afternoon, from personal knowledge, I know these things are so. This congregation are my witnesses, and they exist throughout all these valleys of the mountains, and they have come here because they have received these things. The Elders of the Church went to them and preached faith, and repentance, baptism, and the laying on of hands, and they saw by reading the Scriptures that these were the old doctrines, that this was "the old path" restored, and they commenced to walk in it, and have found "rest to their souls." They repented, they were baptized and received the Holy Ghost. They knew they had received it, and that is why they are here. That is my testimony; that is why I am here--because I believed, and repented, and was baptized, and received the Holy Ghost, and knew that I had received it. I know that this is the power of God, that it is the same Spirit which rested upon the people of God of old, by which the Scriptures were written, by which holy men of old wrote and spoke. It is the same divine Spirit, and it is free to all who will obey the Gospel.
Collected Discourses, Vol.3, Charles W. Penrose, May 15, 1892
These are simply the first principles, the foundation of the doctrines of Christ. If any man has this gift of the Holy Ghost he is prepared to receive every principle as it comes to him, that is true and divine. When God speaks, His word will find an echo in the heart of him that has that Spirit. When the light of God comes down from on high there will be something to correspond with it in the soul of that man. The reason why there is so much confusion and strife in the world in regard to religion is because the Holy Ghost in the same degree and measure of power as given in the Gospel of Christ of old has not been among men for so long. But it has been restored in the day in which we live, and this is our testimony to the world. This is what we are here for, and our mission to mankind is to call upon all people everywhere to repent, to obey the everlasting Gospel, for the hour of God's judgment is at hand.
Collected Discourses, Vol.3, Charles W. Penrose, May 15, 1892
A great change is about to come over this planet. It is about to prepare for the coming of Him whose right it is to reign. And as one of the signs preceding His advent, "this Gospel of the kingdom is being preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations before the end shall come" (Matt. xxiv: 14). I bear witness of it to-day to this congregation. I know that it is true. I know that God has spoken again from the heavens, that He has set up His Church again upon the earth, that this Gospel which we have received is His. The truth of it is stamped upon my whole being, in every part of my organism. I know it in my mind and soul, I feel it in my body; every part of me responds to the testimony that I know I have received from God. And this is the testimony of all the faithful Latter-day Saints. This is why we are willing to suffer all things, to endure all things, for the Gospel's sake. As I read to you, "we have endured a great many things, and we hope to be able to endure all things." We are getting along to the time when we can take joyfully the spoiling of our goods. It has been rather a hard thing to bear; but we are beginning to see the hand of God in it, and rejoice in it.
Collected Discourses, Vol.3, Charles W. Penrose, May 15, 1892
Now, we believe we ought to have the privilege of publishing this Gospel. We do not wish to infringe upon the rights of others. We believe that all people should have that freedom. That is part of our faith. Let me read to you a verse or two from the Book of Doctrine and Covenants. This book that I hold in my hand (the Book of Doctrine and Covenants) we read as we do the Book of Mormon, and as we do the Bible. We believe that the things written in this book have come from God, for the benefit of mankind. But we do not believe that we ought to try to force these things upon anybody:
We believe that religion is instituted of God, and that men are amenable to Him, and to Him only, for the exercise of it, unless their religious opinions prompt them to infringe upon the rights and liberties of others. But we do not believe that human law has a right to interfere in prescribing rules of worship to bind the consciences of men, nor dictate forms for public or private devotion; that the civil magistrate should restrain crime, but never control conscience; punish guilt, but never suppress the freedom of the soul.
We believe that all religious societies have a right to deal with their members for disorderly conduct, according to the rules and regulations of such societies, provided that such dealings be for fellowship and good standing. But we do not believe that any religious society has authority to try men on the right of property or life, to take from them this world's goods, or to put them in jeopardy of either life or limb, neither to inflict any physical punishment upon them. They can only excommunicate from their society, and withdraw from them their fellowship (Section cxxxiv: 4,10).
Collected Discourses, Vol.3, Charles W. Penrose, May 15, 1892
I read this that our friends present may have an idea of what we think we may do, and what we ought not to do; and to show that if those who belong to our Church transgress the rules of the Church, they can be dealt with for their fellowship, and for that only. We do not believe that we have any right to deprive them of property. We do not believe that we have a right to punish them physically. We do not believe that we have a right to inflict any penalty upon them, except it be in relation to their fellowship. They can be suspended from fellowship, or they can be excommunicated for transgression, and that is the end of our power in this Church concerning them. That is what we believe. That is what we practice.
Collected Discourses, Vol.3, Charles W. Penrose, May 15, 1892
Now, then, while we claim the right to do all these things for ourselves, because in it we infringe upon the rights of no others, we also extend this privilege to everybody else. And we do not think it right for any government, or any society, or any institution, to interfere with that full freedom and liberty which the Lord has given to His creatures. We believe that governments have a right to punish crime; we believe they have a right to say what is crime. We also believe in the rights of citizens to contest before the courts of their country every point of difference that they may have with the law-making power. But we believe that governments, societies and institutions should not try to interfere with religious freedom. We believe in religious liberty in the fullest sense of the word; not in license, not in breaking the laws of our country, not in doing that which is essentially evil, but only in doing that which is good. And as to the right of believe, we believe that is of itself free to everybody. We do not believe that governments can interfere with that if they try. So when the Constitution of the United States, in its first amendment, says: "Congress shall pass no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof," we think it means just what it says; that it does not simply mean the right of people to believe what seems right to them. People talk about believing what they please. People cannot do that. They cannot believe what they please. I believe some things that don't please me until I get to understand them aright. I disbelieve some things that would please me, only I find out that they are wrong. It is not what pleases me, or what suits me, but that which seems to be right in my eyes that I believe. It is true, we can close our eyes to the truth. We can shut up the windows of our souls, as we do sometimes the windows in our houses, and pull down the blinds to shut out the glorious sunlight, for fear of spoiling the carpets; but if we let the sunlight in--let the light of the sun of righteousness penetrate our souls--we can see and understand that which is true and that which is right. It is by closing our eyes, by loving darkness rather than light, that we bring ourselves under condemnation.
Collected Discourses, Vol.3, Charles W. Penrose, May 15, 1892
But as a rule people believe that which seems right to them. We accord that right to everybody. We are struggling for that ourselves. And in all that we have done to battle for the rights of freedom in religion, we have had as much in view the rights of our friends who are not of our faith as our own rights. I can say this conscientiously for the leaders of the Latter-day Saints. I am acquainted with them. I know their opinions and views in regard to this matter. Our desire is that all men should be free. Liberty should prevail everywhere. There is no bondage in this Church. There is no oppression in this Church. People are not here, and are not kept here, by the power of man. They are here, as I have told you, because they have received the truth, and the truth has set them free. They have turned their backs on their native lands, they have left the graves of their fathers, they have forsaken their relatives and their kindred in distant countries, and have come up here, as the Prophet Micah saw they would in the last days, into the tops of the mountains, where the house of the Lord is being reared in the latter days, that they might learn of Him:
But in the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills, and people shall flow unto it.
And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and He will teach us of His ways, and we will walk in His paths; for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
Collected Discourses, Vol.3, Charles W. Penrose, May 15, 1892
They have come here in that spirit, and they are exercising freedom of conscience as far as they are permitted to do so. And they do not think any power has a right to infringe upon their property any more than they have a right to interfere with and invade the property of others. In our efforts to maintain our religious rights and privileges, we are also battling for the rights of others; and we are just as anxious for the rights of our neighbours to worship as they see right, as for ourselves in the way that we see right. The line of demarcation between religious liberty and the law--for all things must be governed by law--is this: When any man or society or organization attempts to infringe upon the rights and liberties of others, then we believe that the secular law may step in and restrain them, so that there may be liberty for all, not favors for a few. We do not believe that it is right to establish a national church. We do not believe it is the right of the church to dominate the state. We believe the two institutions are separate. At the same time we believe that a man's conscience, regulated by his religion, ought to govern him in all the affairs of life, secular and religious. We do not believe it is right to do anything that is wrong. We believe that the Spirit of God should be with us in all that we do, to guide us in all our affairs; that we should carry the Spirit of God into the workshop, into the office, into the field, into the kitchen, into the dining-room, on the mountain top or in the valley, on land or on the sea, on the surface of the earth or down in its bowels; wherever we go we believe that the Holy Ghost should be in our hearts, to guide us and direct us in all that we do and say, that we may be sanctified unto God in our bodies and our spirits, which are His; and this spirit should affect us in every affair of life and inspire us in all our actions. At the same time the machinery of religion and the machinery of the state should be kept separate and apart, and it has been so in these valleys. I want to say this to correct ideas that have gone abroad concerning this matter.
Collected Discourses, Vol.3, Charles W. Penrose, May 15, 1892
When we were a Territorial government, under the auspices of our leaders, we never established anything that would infringe upon the religious rights of others. The religion of the Church and the machinery of the state were kept apart. They are so to-day. If Utah were one of the states of the Union, church and state would be separate and distinct, just as much as they are anywhere. While we believe that the men who stand at the head of our Church are inspired of God, called of God, appointed and ordained to minister to us for the Lord, we do not believe that they should occupy the place of the state, or that the religion that we hold should be established as a state religion. Freedom to all men, freedom to all sects, freedom to all parties, is our motto. As one of our deceased Apostles has it, in a hymn that we have in our hymn book:
Collected Discourses, Vol.3, Charles W. Penrose, May 15, 1892
Freedom, peace, and full salvation
Collected Discourses, Vol.3, Charles W. Penrose, May 15, 1892
Are the blessings guaranteed--
Every tongue and every creed!
Collected Discourses, Vol.3, Charles W. Penrose, May 15, 1892
Liberty to every nation,
Collected Discourses, Vol.3, Charles W. Penrose, May 15, 1892
I bear testimony to you that I know this Church is the Church of Jesus Christ; that it has been built up by the power of God; that God Almighty has revealed it; that Jesus Christ, His Son, has manifested Himself, and that this Church is His Church, because He has built it up, and He guides and directs and controls it, through His servants who stand at the head of the Church. They are but men. We do not worship any man. We do not worship Joseph Smith, as some people imagine; but we look upon him as a very great Prophet, and we have reasons for this. We believe that God the Father and Jesus Christ, His Son, appeared to him, and opened to him this last dispensation--"the dispensation of the fulness of times." We believe that Peter, James and John came down and ordained him an Apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ, conferring upon him all the keys, authority and power which they held while they were in the flesh. We believe that that same authority and Priesthood are in the Church to-day. We believe that the man who stands at the head speaks for the Lord to the people. At the same time we believe in the right of every member of the Church to have the Holy Ghost and the light of God for himself or herself, that we may see eye to eye.
Collected Discourses, Vol.3, Charles W. Penrose, May 15, 1892
We have been baptized into one spirit, into one body, and we see alike on the fundamental principles of our faith. Thank God, there is no division among us in regard to this. The prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled: "The watchmen are lifting up the voice; with the voice together do they sing; for they do see eye to eye, now the Lord is bringing again Zion." We look upon Joseph Smith, who was the instrument in the hands of God of bringing in Zion, of opening this dispensation, of establishing this Church according to the ancient pattern, with Apostles, with Prophets, with Evangelists, with Pastors, with Teachers, and all the gifts, and helps, and graces and powers belonging to their ministry, as a great Prophet, because he has brought forth more truth, he has settled more difficulties in regard to doctrine, chased away more darkness, brought in more light, than any man that has lived upon the earth since the days of Moses, excepting Jesus Christ, our Lord and our Redeemer. But we do not worship Joseph Smith, nor any other man. We worship God, our Father in the heavens, in the name of Jesus Christ, under the influence of the Holy Spirit.
Collected Discourses, Vol.3, Charles W. Penrose, May 15, 1892
I bear my testimony to this congregation that Joseph Smith was a Prophet of the living God, and that he was killed, not for his transgressions, not for his crimes, but because he had the testimony of Jesus and the authority of the holy Apostleship, and wicked men sought his blood as they shed the blood of the Prophets, and seers and martyrs of old. The same spirit that hung Christ upon the cross, that crucified Peter with his head down, that put John the Apostle into a cauldron of boiling oil, drove the Saints from the place where they were congregated, and put to death their Prophet and Patriarch. I bear my testimony before the heavens and the earth that Joseph Smith was a Prophet of the living God, and that he sealed his testimony with his blood.
Collected Discourses, Vol.3, Charles W. Penrose, May 15, 1892
I say to all this congregation, we are the children of God. Our time on earth is short. We must all meet before the judgment seat of Christ, to give an account for the deeds done in the body, and then those who have obeyed the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, and received the witness of His Spirit, and have sanctified themselves before God, will shine like the sun in the firmament, no matter how much they were despised, and misrepresented, and oppressed on earth. They will enter into the celestial glory, which is the highest of all. Others will occupy the terrestrial glory, which is like the glory of the moon compared with that of the sun. Still others, and they more numerous, will have a glory that is as the glory of the stars, and as one star differs from another star in glory so also will it be with them in the resurrection from the dead. If you want a celestial glory; if you want to obtain a crown in the kingdom of the Father, seek unto the Lord, call upon Him; ask Him as I did, in the name of Jesus Christ, to manifest to you whether He has in very deed opened up the communication again that has been so long lost between the heavens and the earth; ask Him whether Joseph Smith was His servant; ask Him if this Gospel that the Latter-day Saints have received, and as a witness to which they are gathered here in these mountain heights, is indeed "the Gospel of the kingdom." If you will do this in sincerity of heart, and in faith believing that God will give you an answer, He will reveal it to you. And if He does, beware that you do not reject it and turn away from it, and shut your eyes to the light; for this is condemnation, "that light has come into the world and men love darkness rather than light, because their deeds are evil." Is it not true that Christ said, "Ask and ye shall receive, seek and ye shall find, knock and the door shall be opened unto you." Joseph Smith did that and he received his answer. The Lord appeared to him and made a Prophet of him, and he has laid the foundations of this work, and the Gospel of the kingdom that he has introduced is being preached in all the world, and will be as a witness until the Lord shall come.
Collected Discourses, Vol.3, Charles W. Penrose, May 15, 1892
I pray God to bless this congregation, and bless the words and testimony that I have offered, and may we all be guided in the way of everlasting life, and obtain the rich inheritance of the one true religion, and be crowned with celestial glory in the presence of our God. This is my prayer through Jesus Christ. Amen.
Collected Discourses, Vol.3, Charles W. Penrose, May 15, 1892
Charles W. Penrose, June 25, 1893
WORSHIPPING THE WORD, THE BIBLE
______________
DISCOURSE
Delivered by Elder Charles W. Penrose,
in the Tabernacle, Salt Lake City,
Sunday, June 25, 1893.
Collected Discourses, Vol.3, Charles W. Penrose, June 25, 1893
I am pleased to see so many people gathered in this house to-day to worship the Lord our God. While many are seeking pleasure in different directions, it is gratifying to think that so many of the Saints have regard for the day which has been set apart for rest and for the worship of God, and are gathered in this Tabernacle to partake of the Sacrament, and to manifest their faith in the Gospel by their presence and their veneration of this day, which has been held sacred by the worshippers of the true and living God for many hundreds of years. It may be said, however, that for several centuries the seventh day was regarded as the Sabbath. This is the first day of the week. I do not know that it matters so much which day is observed so that we keep a sabbath--one day out of seven--as a day of rest and of worship. That is the spirit of the matter, and it is the spirit that "giveth life;" the letter, we are told, "killeth."
Collected Discourses, Vol.3, Charles W. Penrose, June 25, 1893
I had no expectation whatever of addressing you; in fact, I had invited some others to speak to you this afternoon; but I received a request from those whom we all respect that I should address the congregation. I have no subject prepared, have nothing outlined in my mind to speak to you about; but, responding to this request, I ask you to help me by your attention and your faith and prayers, that I may be inspired by the Holy Spirit to bring forth something which will be profitable for us to reflect upon. As I said to you just now, the Spirit is the life. It is the Spirit that gives life to all animated things. Without it there would be no life. And it is the same in natural things as it is in spiritual things. We need the Holy Spirit this afternoon to quicken our understandings, and to enable us to comprehend the things of God. No man knoweth them, we are told in the Scriptures, but the Spirit of God, and that Spirit "searcheth all things, yea the deep things of God." It is the Spirit which enlightens as well as gives life, and we need it this afternoon in our worship, because we are told that, "God is a Spirit: and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth."
Collected Discourses, Vol.3, Charles W. Penrose, June 25, 1893
As to the day, however, when the people should assemble specially to worship God, we Latter-day Saints are not left in any doubt. God has revealed to us, in the age in which we live, that the first day of the week--Sunday--is the day on which we should assemble and offer up our sacraments before Him and pay our vows to the Most High. "And on this day thou shalt do no other thing, only let thy food be prepared in singleness of heart, that thy feasting may be perfect, or, in other words, that thy joy may be full." He has told us that if we will keep this day and make it holy unto Him, and also observe the other commandments which He has given unto us, the good things of the earth shall be ours, as well as the blessings of heaven. Let us remember this, my brethren and sisters, and always observe the Sabbath day to keep it holy; and as God has set apart this first day of the week for the Latter-day Saints to observe as a sabbath, let us observe it in the spirit of it, and we shall receive the blessing which pertains to the observance of that day; for all the blessings of God are predicated upon certain laws, and he who keeps the law receives the blessing, and he who breaks the law receives not the blessing, but is liable to the penalty which attaches to every law that God gives. We do not, however, wish to observe the Sabbath after the puritanical order. God does not desire to bring us into bondage. He has not told us that we may not smile on the Sabbath day, nor even laugh, if there is something to laugh at. It is proper to sing, if we sing proper songs. If there are any songs that might not be termed spiritual exactly, if they are pure and contain good sentiment, and are enlightening to the mind and enlivening to the heart, they are all right. There is a time and place for everything. In our meetings of worship we should join in the hymn, in the psalm, and in the spiritual song, as well as in the prayer and partake of the sacrament, and rejoice before the Lord. And we should not do this with a mournful countenance, but with a joyful heart and a glad countenance; for God delights in this. This idea of mourning and sorrow, and a long face, as a part of religion, is all wrong. It never was a part of the religion of Jesus Christ, but is an invention of man.
Collected Discourses, Vol.3, Charles W. Penrose, June 25, 1893
In connection with the idea that came to my mind when I arose to speak to you, that the letter killeth and the spirit giveth life, I will read to you a passage of Scripture from the second epistle of Paul to Timothy, 3rd chapter, 15-17 verses:
And that from a child thou hast known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness;
That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.
Collected Discourses, Vol.3, Charles W. Penrose, June 25, 1893
I read this to you this afternoon because my mind was turned to a topic of public discussion in the day in which we live, and one which has caused the expulsion of some eminent preachers, of various denominations, from the societies to which they belonged. The idea embodied in the creeds of various orthodox denominations is that the Bible, containing the Old and New Testament, as translated in the time of King James, contains the very word of God; that all the books in the Bible are inspired books, that all the chapters in each of those books are inspired chapters; that all the verses are inspired, and that all the words are inspired, and some go as far as to say that every letter is inspired. That is the old idea that is contained in a number of the creeds, as they now exist, in written form. This idea is still entertained--that is, it is said to be entertained, and I suppose we must give credit for sincerity to those who utter it, although it is hard to believe--by a great many men who are learned, eloquent, trained in the understanding of the Scriptures after the manner of men, and educated to deliver their ideas to the public, and they wield a great influence in what is called Christendom. They say they believe that this book, and all the verses in it, and all the expressions in those verses, are inspired of God--the very words of God Almighty. When pressed to a very close point on this, some of them will admit, however, that what we have is simply a human translation of the words that men wrote when they were inspired of God. They go back to the idea that the original Scriptures were inspired; that those things that were written by the prophets, the translation of which we have in this book, were the very words of God, the same as though God had spoken them Himself to the people, and that they have been handed down to us and translated for our benefit into the English language. But these gentlemen I have been speaking about, some of whom have been excommunicated from their churches, and others stand in a state of suspension, say they do not believe that the Bible is literally the word of God. They do believe that holy men of old were inspired; they do believe that some of their words have been handed down to us in their original purity; but they believe that those men were but men, and that they wrote to the best of their ability, although they were assisted by the gift and power of the Holy Ghost. They think, too, that a great many interpolations have been made, and that a great many things have been omitted from the ancient books. They think that some books were not altogether written by inspiration, but men wrote them according to the best knowledge and understanding that they had. And while they endeavor to cling as closely as they can, in order to be as orthodox as possible, to the old ideas of the creeds, yet they show by their expressions that they discard that idea, or, as they say, they have grown out of it; their minds have expanded; they are not tied down by the rules, ceremonies and ordinances of their church, but they have been led to think for themselves, apart from their creeds, and they have formed more advanced ideas.
Collected Discourses, Vol.3, Charles W. Penrose, June 25, 1893
Now, what do the Latter-day Saints hold in regard to the Scriptures? As far as the text that I have just read to you is concerned, they understand it as it is written. The Apostle Paul, writing to Timothy, said that "From a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus." That is taken as evidence by some of our learned Christian friends that this Bible is inspired, because it goes on to say "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable, etc." But let us look into this text a little. When Timothy was a child, what scriptures did he have? He certainly did not have the New Testament--it was not written. He certainly did not have this book that is called the Bible, for it was not compiled; in fact, the Bible was not compiled until centuries after Timothy was dead. Therefore, he could not have had the Bible in its present form, and the scripture with which he was acquainted when a child was not that which is now called the Holy Scriptures. What did he have? Why, Timothy, with the rest of the people who believed in the Old Testament Scriptures among the Jews, had the law and the writings of the prophets. They had some books that we do not have. We can read about them in those that we do have. He certainly did not have the New Testament. He did not have the four gospels, as they are called, nor the epistles that the Apostles wrote to the churches. He had the letter, after he got to be a man, that Paul wrote to him; but when he was a child he did not have any of the New Testament, and he may not have had some of the books that we call the Old Testament.
Collected Discourses, Vol.3, Charles W. Penrose, June 25, 1893
The saying of the Apostle Paul to Timothy, then, has no particular bearing upon the question of the authenticity of the scriptures as we have them, nor as to the value of the scriptures as an unerring guide. It is written here, "All scripture is given by inspiration of God." But you will find the word "is" in italics. What does that signify? It signifies that the translators, when translating the New Testament, interjected that word to make sense, as they understood it. It is not claimed that the men who translated the Old and New Testaments, in the time of King James, were inspired of God. They were learned men, experienced men, educated men, and no doubt they did the best they could, and gave to the work committed to them the benefit of their erudition, their experience, and their research. But sometimes they found passages that would not make exact sense as they read them in the original, and therefore they interpolated some words, which are placed in italics in this translation. Suppose we read this passage without that little word: "All scripture given by inspiration of God is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness." Don't you think that would make a good deal better sense? It seems to me that it would. And let me here say, from what we have learned by direct revelation from God to the people in these days, that is the correct rendering. That is the spirit of it, and the understanding that we should have is that all scripture which is given by inspiration of God is profitable. When you say that all scripture is given by inspiration of God, you say something that is not true; for scripture means anything that is written, and there are a great many things written that are not written by inspiration of God. But all scripture, that is given by inspiration of God, is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness, no matter when it is given, or by whom it is given, so long as it comes from God through the channel that He has appointed. When God reveals anything to mankind, and it is written, that is Holy Scripture, and it is profitable, more particularly to those to whom it is specially given. There are many things contained in the Bible, which were specially written for the people who lived at the time they were given. They are profitable to us, although we live under different circumstances and conditions, that we may read what God gave to people in former times, and also that, so far as they are adapted to us, we may apply them in our lives and profit by them. But, after all, we are more particularly interested in that which God has for us, and our minds should be directed to the Lord to obtain that which is for our guidance, for our profit, for our edification. It is well to have these things that God revealed in ancient times, and if anything therein is applicable to all people, in all generations, among all races, and under all circumstances, why, then they are very valuable to us. And so this Bible has been handed down to us in these times, and it is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness.
Collected Discourses, Vol.3, Charles W. Penrose, June 25, 1893
But to go back to the idea in regard to the authenticity of these scriptures. Are all the books that are contained in the Bible written by inspiration of God? The book itself does not claim it anywhere that I can find. In fact, as I told you, this book is a compilation of books, made hundreds of years after the inspired Apostles and Prophets, whose writings are contained therein, were gone from this stage of action; and some things that the holy Prophets wrote were thrown away or lost, and are not to be found in this compilation. What proof have we that all the books contained in this record were inspired of God? Why, someone will say, did not Jesus say, "Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life; and they are they which testify of Me"? Yes, He did. But let us look at that. This is one of the texts quoted by those who claim special and verbal inspiration for the Bible. Now, what scriptures did Jesus refer to? He could not refer to the New Testament--not a line of it was written when Jesus uttered that momentous saying, "Search the scriptures." What scriptures? Why the scriptures they had, not the scriptures they had not. What were these scriptures? Did He mean the book of Chronicles was scripture? Did He mean the book of Jonah was scripture? He did not say so. Did He mean that the book of Kings or the book of Esther was scripture? He said, "They are they which testify of me." Now, you turn over the pages of the Old Testament and find out the books contained therein which testify of Jesus--which foreshadow His coming, which predict His appearance, which tell of the works He will do, which speak of the plan of redemption, which refer to Him in any way; they are the scriptures that He referred to. He did not say that they had eternal life in them. But He found that the Pharisees, the Sadducees, the Scribes and the rest of the sects were in the same condition that people are in to-day--worshipping the word, bowing down before the letter; and he said, "Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life; and they are they which testify of Me," and "I am the way, the truth, and the life"--not the dead word, not scripture, not anything that is written; not a book that can be buried in the fire, but the living Christ. "I am the way, the truth, and the life; no man cometh unto the Father but by Me." So Jesus Christ was not a scripture worshipper, and the words that are quoted by those who worship the Bible--the bibliolaters--go right against their theory. The Old Testament contains a number of books which speak of the Messiah. They are valuable to us. They point out His coming; not only His first coming, when He was led "like a lamb to the slaughter," but His second coming, in the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory, as the King of kings and Lord of lords. They speak of Him being led, as I say, like a lamb to the slaughter, and, "as a sheep before its shearers was dumb so opened He not His mouth;" but they also speak of His coming, and placing His feet upon the Mount of Olives, and its dividing in the midst thereof. They speak of Him as coming as a meek and lowly person, and also as the Great I Am, to sit upon the throne of His father David and reign as king of all the earth. These, I say, are valuable books, and all the books contained in the Old Testament are valuable to us who live in these times; but it does not follow that every word that they contain is the very word of God. Take some parts of the book of Chronicles and they will not comport with what we read in the book of Kings; there is contradiction in minor things. So in regard to other books. If we take just the letter of the Old Testament we find a great many things that are foolish. I might quote a number of them if there were time. I will quote one in the book of Isaiah. It speaks about a great battle that was fought, and says:
Then the angel of the Lord went forth and smote in the camp of the Assyrians a hundred and fourscore and five thousand; and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses.--Chap. 37, v.36.
Collected Discourses, Vol.3, Charles W. Penrose, June 25, 1893
There is some mistake there in the wording. God does not make mistakes.
Collected Discourses, Vol.3, Charles W. Penrose, June 25, 1893
In the third chapter of the book of Genesis we read that Adam and Eve "heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day." Well, voices do not walk. There is a verbal mistake.
Collected Discourses, Vol.3, Charles W. Penrose, June 25, 1893
In Genesis xxiii, we read, that "God did tempt Abraham," while in the New Testament (James iii) it says, "God tempts no man." How do we account for this? Infidels bring such passages forth as proof that the Bible is not the word of God; and it is not the word of God in the sense people try to make it appear. The Bible itself does not claim any such thing.
Collected Discourses, Vol.3, Charles W. Penrose, June 25, 1893
There is a great dispute as to whether Moses wrote the Pentateuch--the "five books of Moses," as they are called. What is the reason of so much contention? We say, in the first place, that Moses wrote the books. How do we know? Because the Lord has said so. He has said that He inspired Moses to write these books. But years after the time of Moses--in the time of Ezra--these books were revised; and there may have been other revisions; and the books as they have been handed down to us are not just as they were originally written. For instance, in the last chapter of the Book of Deuteronomy we read:
So Moses the servant of the Lord died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the Lord. And He buried him in a valley in the land of Moab, over against Bethpeor: but no man knoweth of his sepulchre unto this day.
Collected Discourses, Vol.3, Charles W. Penrose, June 25, 1893
Do you think God revealed that? I am satisfied He did not. The person who revised these books added that by way of explanation. How do they know he died, or how do they know the Lord buried him? They simply learned that Moses went out of the midst of the people; they did not know what became of him; so they supposed he died and that the Lord buried him, because nobody else had done so. "No man knoweth of his sepulchre unto this day." No wonder; because he did not have any sepulchre. According to what we have learned, he was treated the same as Elijah was; not taken up in a chariot of fire perhaps, but translated, quickened by the power of God, that he might remain as a witness of the Lord unto the last day. He appeared with Elijah to Jesus in the mount of transfiguration. It is appointed unto all men once to die; but some men have been translated, as it was in the days of Enoch, and they will like others pass through the great change. I just refer to this to show you that Moses could not have written that, although it is recorded in one of these books that were written by Moses--the fifth book, called Deuteronomy.
Collected Discourses, Vol.3, Charles W. Penrose, June 25, 1893
I might quote a number of passages from the Bible to show there are mistakes in it. As to the Bible being all the word of God, why, we have the word of the devil there. The devil spoke to Eve and we have his words. We have the words of an ass, spoken to Balaam. We have the words of wicked men and women. We have words of no inspiration at all, as well as words that were inspired of God. If you will examine this matter closely for yourselves, you will find that what I am telling you is the absolute truth.
Collected Discourses, Vol.3, Charles W. Penrose, June 25, 1893
It is no use for men to be bound up with creeds, if the creeds are not true. I believe in being bound by a creed, if that creed is the word of the Lord, and is as true as the law of mathematics. It is good to have rules, and regulations, and fundamental principles, to which we can apply as a standard of truth, and to which we can bring other things to test them, to find if they are true. There are fundamental principles in all sciences; and when anything is contradictory to these fundamental principles, the scientist knows it is erroneous. So it should be, and is, in true religion. There are fundamental principles, and we can bring other truths to them, and if they harmonize with them, then they are right; if they do not, then there is something wrong about them. But the Bible is not such a standard. Yet it is the only standard that Christendom claims to-day. The only standard that the various sects have is the written word--the letter which killeth. Books which they claim were written by inspiration, every word of them the word of God, as I have shown to you, contain the word of the devil, the words of wicked men and women, the word of the serpent, as well as some speculations, some ideas that men had, and histories of things that men wrote. You take the book of Chronicles and the book of Kings, containing histories of the same things, and they do not exactly harmonize. That shows that both books were not written by inspiration of God; perhaps neither of them was. But they are very valuable because we get from them a great deal of information.
Collected Discourses, Vol.3, Charles W. Penrose, June 25, 1893
The Latter-day Saints were accused in the beginning of this Church of not believing in the Bible; but the people who now compose the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints were once perhaps as big Bible-worshippers as anybody, only they have learned a little better. The Bible was brought to them by the Elders of this Church, to prove the truth of the doctrine which was preached to them. It was not claimed that these doctrines were taken out of the Bible; it was claimed that God had revealed them; but they were referred to the Bible, to prove that these principles were true, and that they were the same principles that were believed in and obeyed by the people of old, who were Christians. Therefore, the claim that the people of the Church did not believe the Bible was not true. In latter times it has been claimed that they believed too much of the Bible. That is what Henry Ward Beecher said. He said: "It is a mistake to suppose that these Mormons out in Utah are not Bible believers; they believe in it like thunder." That was his remark. The fault that he found was that we believed in it too much. We do believe in the Bible. We believe that holy men of old wrote as they were moved upon by the Holy Ghost. We believe that what they wrote was scripture. We believe that it is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction and for instruction in righteousness; and we believe that these things are able to make people wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus, just as it was with Timothy. Timothy could not be saved by merely believing in the Bible; but the scriptures which he had when a child bore witness of the Messiah, pointed to the time when Christ should come; and because of the wisdom that he gained from them, they were able to make him wise unto salvation through faith in Christ Jesus, and by his faith in Jesus Christ he obtained a knowledge of what was essential to salvation, and by obedience to that he could be saved. But he could not be saved by the dead letter, or by reading a book. Some people are so full of idolatry about this book that they think if they only read the Bible with a long face on a Sunday they are sure to be saved; and if they carry one, particularly if it is gilt-edged, in a nice, clean white pocket-handkerchief, to show their reverence for it, they are in the way to be saved. They sometimes sing:
Collected Discourses, Vol.3, Charles W. Penrose, June 25, 1893
Holy Bible, book divine;
Collected Discourses, Vol.3, Charles W. Penrose, June 25, 1893
Precious treasure, thou art mine--
Collected Discourses, Vol.3, Charles W. Penrose, June 25, 1893
Mine to carry in a pocket-handkerchief.
Collected Discourses, Vol.3, Charles W. Penrose, June 25, 1893
The Latter-day Saints believe in the teachings of the Bible; but they do not worship it. They believe that there is a means whereby people may be brought into possession of the same spirit by which the prophets were actuated who wrote these things, contained in the Bible. That is what gives life and light. That is the power of God unto salvation; not a dead letter. They believe that by reading the scriptures they can find out something in regard to that. We can read of the operations of this Spirit upon the holy men of old who wrote as they were moved upon by the Holy Ghost. We can read about the operations of the Spirit as it existed in the Christian Church, through reading the writings of the New Testament, which Timothy did not have when he was a child. We are more favored than he was. By reading the Old and New Testaments we learn something of the dealings of God with men hundreds of years ago, and we also read that God is the same "yesterday, to-day and forever;" that He is "no respecter of persons," and therefore we come to the conclusion that to-day people may obtain the same gifts, blessings, inspiration and communion with God that the ancients had, because God is always the same. We can learn of that from the Bible. But we also learn from one of the writings of the ancient Apostles that there is something more than this mere letter which we ought to depend upon for guidance and direction.
Collected Discourses, Vol.3, Charles W. Penrose, June 25, 1893
The Apostle Peter, in speaking to the Saints on this subject, said:
We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your heart.
Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.
For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.--2 Peter i: 19-21.
Collected Discourses, Vol.3, Charles W. Penrose, June 25, 1893
Peter had reverence for the words that were spoken by holy men of God as they were moved upon by the Holy Ghost, and he wanted the people to understand in his day that they had no right to attach private interpretations to the words of these prophets. That has been the mischief in the ages that have intervened since darkness came on the earth--since the death of the Apostles. Private interpretations have been put upon these sayings, and people have gone astray, and they have divided, quarreled and fought, and drenched the earth with blood, because of their private interpretations of these sayings of the old prophets. But mark the words of Peter: "We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light which shineth in a dark place." Now, what did he refer to? Why, he referred to this same spirit. He was talking to them about the living oracles they had in their midst--Apostles that Christ had set in the church for a guide. Christ never told the church that He gave them a book for a guide. He gave them living men, inspired by the same spirit that the men had who wrote the old scriptures; Apostles that He had called and ordained and sent among them, clothed with the power of God, filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spoke by the Holy Ghost. They also wrote some things by the Holy Ghost, and they were for the good of the people to whom they were written, and for our profit, so many of them as we have; a great many of them are lost. But, says Peter, "We have also a more sure word of prophecy." What is it? Why, this spirit that is like a light shining in a dark place--the light of the Lord, the Holy Ghost, the Comforter, the spirit of truth, which guides into all truth, and which takes of the things of the Father and shows them unto His children. That is the more sure word of prophecy. That is the spirit which giveth life, while this book is the dead letter that killeth, if we have nothing else, because we contend over its meaning and do not comprehend its teachings. That is what the Apostle Peter referred to, and what all people on the face of the earth need. If they want to understand the things of God they must have the Spirit of God, the light of God, and therein discover the things of God clearly. The Bible is all right. We venerate it. The Lord has told us that we should do so and remember the former holy scriptures, as well as the latter day scriptures that He has given us.
Collected Discourses, Vol.3, Charles W. Penrose, June 25, 1893
We believe in the writings of the Apostles; but we look upon them in the light in which they exist. They have been handed down to us through men who were not inspired. They have been translated by men according to their best wisdom. We have not a single document containing the original scriptures. We have not one of the Hebrew writings of the old prophets. We have not one of the New Testament writings of the Apostles. They are not in existence, or, if they are, nobody knows where they are. The books which were used in the translation of the Bible were not the original writings; they were copies, and there were a great number of different copies, and they conflicted one with another in a great many important particulars. We want to look at these things as they are, and not have our eyes blinded. We do not wish to worship books, but we want to believe them so far as they are true. I believe the Bible to be the most valuable book in the world. I do not think there is any book more valuable to the nations than the Bible; and I cordially endorse the efforts that have been made by the British and Foreign Bible societies, which have printed books by the million and sent them abroad in different languages among the nations of the earth. It is a grand book. It is beautiful in its composition, the most of it. There are mistakes in it. There are some things that are childish; some things that there is no need for us to pin our faith to at all; but these things which relate to God, to Jesus Christ, to our salvation, to our moral conduct, and that are guides to us in this life and unto eternal life, are invaluable. There are a great many of them in the Bible, and if we can only get the same spirit in our hearts that the Prophets and Apostles had who wrote these things, then we can comprehend these sayings in the spirit of them and get their full value.
This is the great need of the people in this century. That is what these men need who meet in their synods and conventions, when they excommunicate men for standing up for that which they believe to be right. I do not know but they are perfectly justified in it, though. When a man professes to be a minister of any religious denomination and voluntarily takes its articles, thirty-nine or any other number, and, with uplifted hand to heaven, or by writing his name, subscribes to that creed and says he believes it, and promises to be a true and faithful minister of that creed, if he then preaches something contrary to it, he should either go out of that church and preach as an independent preacher, or in some denomination with which his ideas harmonize, or he should be cut off that church, unless the church likes to remodel its creed in harmony with that which he believes. But while that creed remains as the doctrine of the church, he has no business in that church as its minister, and he should go out of it like a man. So I have no respect for men who act as some of them have acted, and I have no sympathy for them as martyrs. People are not burned at the stake nowadays; people are not tied to the wheel; they are not stretched on the rack; they do not have thumbscrews applied to them; nor are they thrust into dungeons if they dissent from the creeds of the times. So these gentlemen, who contend over what they believe to be right about the Bible, have a perfect right to do so, but not as representatives of a religion that they do not believe. Let them go out like men and preach their doctrines where they can get people to hear them.
Collected Discourses, Vol.3, Charles W. Penrose, June 25, 1893
But it would be a good thing if all these creeds could be revised in harmony with these scriptures; for, strange to say, though these people tie themselves right down to the written word, and say that the Bible contains the very word of God, yet you read it to them and they will not hearken to your words, and they will not order their lives in accordance with the book. Let us refer to a little scripture. There was a man by the name of Nicodemus, who came to Jesus by night. He was afraid to come in the daytime, because the religion of Christ was unpopular. Here was a man that had the old scriptures and he came to Jesus to be instructed. What did Jesus say to him?
Except a man be born again, he cannot enter the Kingdom of God.
Collected Discourses, Vol.3, Charles W. Penrose, June 25, 1893
They will believe that. What else did He say? Nicodemus was startled. He took the words of Christ literally, and he said, "How can a man be born when he is old?" Jesus said:
Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God.--John iii:5.
Collected Discourses, Vol.3, Charles W. Penrose, June 25, 1893
That is Jesus Christ's statement, and it is in the New Testament. It is what they call the word of God. We tell them that this is one of the doctrines of Christ, that a man must be born of water as well as of the spirit. Well, there are millions of them that will turn away at once. They do not believe there is any need of the birth of the water; they say it is the mere form, a mere ceremony, an old, antiquated custom; and another thing, it is good enough, if you believe in baptism, to have a little water sprinkled on you. That is what they say. These very ministers, who have been suspending men from the ministry, because they say the Bible does not contain in every respect the very word of God, say you may take a little infant and sprinkle a little water upon it and that is baptism! Can they find that in the New Testament? No, they cannot. In the first place, this has to be a birth of water. Is there any similitude of birth in sprinkling a little water or pouring a little on the head of a baby, or making the sign of the cross? Not a bit. But you take a person down into the water, as Jesus was taken into Jordan, and immerse that person; bury him in the water and raise him up from the water into the air, there is a likeness of a new birth. That person is buried from the old life, and comes out of the womb of the waters to the air and breathes a new life.
Collected Discourses, Vol.3, Charles W. Penrose, June 25, 1893
The Spirit of God is then given, and the blood of Christ is applied. As in the first birth we come into the world by water, by blood, and by spirit, and are made a living soul, so by the second birth--the birth of water and spirit and the blood of Christ--we are regenerated and started on a new life, to be new creatures in Jesus Christ, born again; born of the water and of the Spirit, that we may inherit eternal life. Jesus commanded His apostles:
Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you.--Matt. xxviii:19.
Collected Discourses, Vol.3, Charles W. Penrose, June 25, 1893
And they went out and preached and baptized, and in the Acts of the Apostles we have a history of what they did. We find that whenever they baptized people they immersed them. Paul says:
We are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection.--Rom. vi:4, 5.
Collected Discourses, Vol.3, Charles W. Penrose, June 25, 1893
Buried first from the old life, born afterwards to a new life; buried by water, and born by coming forth out of the water. You go and teach that to some of these reverend gentlemen who pin their faith to the Bible and bow down to it as if it were a deity, and they will not believe it.
Collected Discourses, Vol.3, Charles W. Penrose, June 25, 1893
We read also that Christ told His disciples to lay hands upon people to confer upon them the Holy Ghost, and they did so. We read about it in the Acts of the Apostles. On the day of Pentecost, in the very first sermon preached after the apostles were endowed and inspired by the Holy Ghost, they said:
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.--Acts ii: 37,38.
Collected Discourses, Vol.3, Charles W. Penrose, June 25, 1893
They baptized the people, and laid their hands upon them for the imparting of the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost was a revelator to them; it was light, it was life; it brought them into communion with the Father, and made them one. They were all baptized into one body, whether they were Jew or Gentile, bond or free, and all were made to drink into one spirit. They were joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment, because they had the same spirit. They did not have to quarrel over the letter of what was in the books.
Collected Discourses, Vol.3, Charles W. Penrose, June 25, 1893
We read in this same New Testament that the Lord placed in the Church apostles and prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers, for the perfecting of the Saints--not a book, not a collection of books; but apostles and prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers, "for the perfecting of the Saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man." That is how Christ's church was organized. You go to these same reverend gentlemen who worship the Bible and read to them out of the 4th chapter of Ephesians and the 12th chapter of 1 Corinthians, and what will they say? "Oh, well, we don't need any apostles nowadays. We have so many enlightened men that we don't want any apostles or prophets; and we have the Bible, so we don't need any revelation." Yes, they have so many enlightened men who can quarrel over a passage of scripture and resort to technicalities, and they can turn to them. That is all they have, and the book is their standard. But what was the standard in the church that Christ set up? Apostles; living men clothed with power and authority; men filled with the Holy Ghost, who received their information direct from the fountain of light, and who could read the old scriptures and explain them if necessary; who were the fountain of scripture themselves; so that if every book written by holy men of God in ancient times was burned, these men could bring forth the word of God to the people in their time, by the Holy Ghost, which gives life, and not by the letter that killeth. You ask these gentlemen about this organization of the Church, and they will say they do not need it nowadays. Do they believe that which they worship? No, they do not. I do not wish to say anything harsh about anybody; but that is the truth of it. They worship the book, and then do not believe it.
Collected Discourses, Vol.3, Charles W. Penrose, June 25, 1893
In the writings of the Apostle to the Corinthians, we read: "Desire spiritual gifts, but rather that ye may prophesy." Reverend gentlemen, do you believe that? Do you teach that to your congregations? Is it right to prophesy? Should people desire spiritual gifts? Should they seek to prophesy? "Oh, no! these things are all done away. You are in darkness. You don't understand these things; we do. We have been to college, and have been trained to comprehend these matters, and we do not need any prophesying nowadays. The people who pretend to be prophets are all impostors." That is what these gentlemen say, and yet the Apostle Paul says: "Covet earnestly the best gifts" and "Desire spiritual gifts, but rather that ye may prophesy." And he tells us that the fruits of the Spirit are not only joy, love, patience, long-suffering, brotherly kindness, and charity; but says he, "to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; to another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; to another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues; but all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will."--1 Cor. xii:8-12.
Collected Discourses, Vol.3, Charles W. Penrose, June 25, 1893
Then he goes on to say that all these form a part of the body of Christ--His Church--and further along says: "And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues." All these are a part of the Church of Christ. Well, if they are, where is the Church now? Where are the signs of its existence? Where are the apostles to stand first in the Church? Where are the prophets to bring forth the word of God to the people who now live, that they may not be depending upon what was said thousands of years ago to somebody else? Where are the evangelists, the pastors, the teachers, to perfect the Saints and to bring them to the unity of the faith, to the knowledge of the Son of God, "that they may henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine"? That is what they were placed in the early church for. Where are they now? They are gone; and men have built up churches; men have made creeds; men have put their private interpretations upon the sayings of the old Prophets; men have set up this Bible--this dead letter--as a deity for people to fall down and worship. The result is, they are in the dark; their learning does not profit them, nor all their training and study till their hair has turned grey or fallen out and left them bald. Why? Because the letter killeth, and the spirit has departed. Spirit maketh alive. Don't they believe in the Holy Spirit? Yes, in a sort of perfunctory fashion; but they don't believe in receiving that Holy Ghost that the prophets had. Does the Holy Ghost reveal the mind of God to-day? "Oh no," say they, "that was thousands of years ago. No such Holy Ghost now! No such manifestations now! God does not speak now! Angels do not come down now! The Holy Ghost is not like it was when the prophets and the apostles had it! There is no scripture written now! We have to go by the writings of the old, dead men, written for ages that are dead and buried." It is all nonsense. We who live on the earth in these days are the sons and daughters of the great God as much as the people who lived in the days of Isaiah, or in the days of Peter, and we need the word of the Lord to-day--the living word, the word of God spoken now. Is God dumb? Are the heavens shut up and sealed? Has God changed? Do we not need scripture now to refresh us spiritually, as well as the people who lived in the past times? Are we to chew over the old dry husks they have left, or are we to have the kernel, the living word of God to-day?
Collected Discourses, Vol.3, Charles W. Penrose, June 25, 1893
Thanks to God Almighty, the heavens have been opened again; the silence of ages has been broken. Our Father has spoken from heaven. Jesus Christ has made himself manifest. Angels have come down from the courts of glory and brought messages of life and salvation. And we have the books also; not only the Bible, but the Book of Mormon--a history of this continent, written by inspired men, translated by an inspired man. But that is a record of the past, the history of another people, the revelations to another people. It harmonizes with the Bible, and also with the Book of Doctrine and Covenants, which contains some of the revelations given through the Prophet Joseph Smith and the Prophet Brigham Young. We have in our midst, above all that, the living oracles--living apostles, living prophets; men now inspired of God, who can give us, to-day, as it is needed, the word of the Lord for our guidance. And above all that, we have the great consolation that we have this "more sure word of prophecy, like unto a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawn and the day star arises in our hearts"--the Holy Ghost, the Comforter, given to every man to profit withal, with the same gifts, the same manifestations, the same powers, the same light and the same blessings that came with it formerly. It is a comforter, it is an enlightener; it takes of the things of God and shows them to us to-day--now; and all people who live on the earth may receive that blessing if they will. How can they get it? Just as they obtained it in olden times. The word of the Lord is the same to-day as it was on the day of Pentecost. What is it? "Repent, and be baptized every one of you." Turn from your sins. Turn from your wickedness. Turn from your false creeds and your foolish notions; from your man worship, from your Bible worship, from you worship of wealth, and from your corruptions, and come unto the Lord your God. "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." And He is calling the earth from the rising of the sun to the going down thereof.
Collected Discourses, Vol.3, Charles W. Penrose, June 25, 1893
I tell you, my friends, if there are any here to-day who do not know these things are true, that I know they are true, and I bear you this testimony, and I am willing to meet it when I stand before the great white throne, and every man shall be judged for his works. I bear you my testimony that I obeyed this call, that I repented, that I was baptized, that I received the remission of my sins, that I received the Holy Ghost, and it is a reality, it is not an imaginary thing, but is just as clear and plain as the light that comes from the sun; and as that is a reality, so is the light of God that comes from the Sun of Righteousness; and it guides into truth, makes plain the things of God and dispels darkness from the human mind and fills the soul with an assurance and a confidence that nothing else can give. I know these things are true, and by its light I am able to read this Bible and find out the truth it contains and detect if there are errors; not because there is anything remarkable about me, but I have received that Spirit, and so have thousands who listen to me to-day, and all may receive it. This Gospel shall be preached to all nations and tongues, and the honest and pure in heart will hear the sound and obey it. Not many of the rich, not many of the mighty, not many of the great ones of the earth, at present, will receive this truth; but the poor and meek of the earth, as the Bible predicts, receive the truth, and they rejoice in it. This is why they are here in these mountains. This is why these valleys are peopled with Saints from all nations. They have received the Gospel, they have received the Holy Ghost, the testimony of the truth, and they have come up here that they may learn more of the ways of God from His Apostles and His servants whom He has called and inspired in this age of the world, who are the living oracles to bring forth the living word of God.
Collected Discourses, Vol.3, Charles W. Penrose, June 25, 1893
I exhort all my friends who are here to-day, if there be any not Latter-day Saints, to look into these things. I tell you they are worth everything. They are more precious than all the gold that could be piled up on the earth, and all the gems that could be brought forth from the sea. I know these things are true. God has revealed them to me by the Holy Ghost. And I bear testimony that Joseph Smith was a Prophet of God and the instrument of the Almighty in building up His Church on the earth in the latter days, and restoring the ordinances and truths of the Gospel, with the Holy Ghost and the blessings that pertain thereunto. May God bless you, and help you to understand the truth as it is in Christ Jesus. May we all have in our hearts that sure word of prophecy, the light of the Lord, to be a light to our paths, that we may not stray in the dark or go into by and forbidden paths, but pursue the straight and the narrow path, seeing our way, day by day, until we arrive at the fulness of the glory of God in His presence, through Jesus Christ. Amen.
Charles W. Penrose, January 16th, 1898
THE CALL TO ISRAEL
_________________
DISCOURSE
Delivered by Elder Charles W. Penrose,
at Salt Lake City, Utah,
January 16th, 1898.
Collected Discourses, Vol.5, Charles W. Penrose, January 16th, 1898
There is a little time left, which I am requested to occupy. I have been very much interested, as I am sure you have been, in the remarks that have been made to us by Dr. Reiner. They are very applicable to the Latter-day Saints, because of the faith that we have through the revelations of God that we are indeed Israel; not merely in a spiritual sense, but literally. We believe that we are of the seed of Abraham. God has revealed through His servants the Prophets and the Patriarchs whom He has placed in His Church, that the great body of the people are literally of Israel; that our forefathers were scattered among the nations of the earth and there intermingled with the gentiles. We are chiefly of Ephraim, and, as the Prophet Hosea predicted, "Ephraim hath mixed himself among the people." In these last days God is calling Israel from all the nations of the earth, and He has a special work for Ephraim to do. "I am a father unto Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn"--that is, the firstborn in this great latter-day work. You who have received your blessings under the hands of the Patriarchs in the Church have been told to what tribe you belong, and it appears that the great body of the Latter-day Saints are of the house of Ephraim.
Collected Discourses, Vol.5, Charles W. Penrose, January 16th, 1898
We have proved the truth of the saying made to us this afternoon, that those who come to curse either leave upon us a blessing or their curses turn to blessings. When this Church was first organized God promised to us that "no weapon formed against us should prosper; that the tongue that should rise in judgment against us should be condemned;" and our experience has shown that the word of the Lord has been fulfilled. We have been called to pass through a great many trials, afflictions and tribulations, and many have risen up to curse and to do us harm; but out of all these things the Lord has brought us off more than conqueror. And He will do so. Nothing will militate against us, but those evils which have been alluded to this afternoon, that may arise in our own midst. It is true that we need not fear any opposition from without; we need not fear any power that may rise against us, no matter of what nature it may be, no matter from what source it may come. No matter if the powers of a nation or of nations shall be brought to bear against the Church of Christ, they will not prevail; but the Church will remain, and endure, and abide. This is the beginning of that kingdom that Daniel saw in his vision, or the vision that Nebuchadnezzar had which was repeated to Daniel (Chap. 2.) This is the "stone cut out of the mountain without hands." It was to "break in pieces and consume all other kingdoms." It was not to be left to another people, but to stand forever, and no power can prevail against it.
Collected Discourses, Vol.5, Charles W. Penrose, January 16th, 1898
Our Church and our doctrines are not derived from these scriptures. We believe in the Bible; we believe in the Old Testament and in the New Testament, so far as they are translated correctly; but we believe--I was about to say, more, and I will say it--we believe more in "the living word of God, which abideth forever." And that living word comes through the living oracles, through those men whom God has called, and who have been appointed and ordained, and are endowed not only with the office and calling of the Apostleship or Eldership, but with the power and the spirit thereof, and with all the keys, blessings, privileges and rights which were enjoyed by the Apostles of old and the servants of God who ministered with them. Now, we prize these "love letters" alluded to by Dr. Reiner, the scriptures that have come down to us from times that are past. We think a great deal of them. We believe in them. We read them. We ponder upon them. We rejoice in them. But we have the same communication opened up today that was open in times past, by which these "love letters" have come down to us. God is "the same yesterday, today and forever." He is a God of revelation. He is a God who can and will, when the people are prepared for it, communicate with His children. And we proclaim to the ends of the earth that in these days God Almighty has spoken from heaven; that Jesus Christ, His beloved Son, our Elder Brother, has visited the earth again; that angels have come down from the courts on high, and have brought their messages to men on earth; that the old Apostleship has been restored by the ministration of men who held the keys thereof in former times, and that Apostleship is here with us; and one of the rights, powers and privileges of that Apostleship is to communicate with the Father and the Son, and to have the Holy Ghost as a spirit of revelation and inspiration, so that we can obtain messages from our Loved One on high today, and do not depend altogether upon the "love letters" of the past.
Collected Discourses, Vol.5, Charles W. Penrose, January 16th, 1898
It is this that arrested the attention of our friend who has spoken to us today. As he said, this is not a place for debate. We are not here for any such purpose. But seeing there is a little time to be occupied and I am requested to occupy it, I also must speak from my heart, as I believe he has spoken from his heart. He has seen some things that are good among us, and some things that appear to be weak. But we rest upon this: that God, who in ancient times spoke to the fathers by the Prophets, and who sent His beloved Son, when the proper time came, to sacrifice Himself for the sins of the world and to establish His Church among the people, has in these still later days, spoken unto us by His Prophets. In the beginning of this dispensation He raised up a Prophet. Was he one of the learned, wise and educated men of the century? No. He raised up a simple boy and spoke to him. Why did He not choose one of the learned doctors or ministers of some of the various churches that existed--men of experience and learning, who were trained in the schools of theology, and who were able to read the Scriptures in their original tongues? Simply because, perhaps as the most learned of the ancient Apostles--Paul--said, "Not many wise, not many mighty, not many learned after this world, hath God called; but He has chosen the weak things of the earth to confound the mighty." What for? "That no flesh might glory in His presence." If God had called some very learned and highly educated man to this ministry, probably he would have taken the glory to himself; or people in the world who heard him would probably say, "Oh, this man in only another learned man that has come and established a new church." But God called a weak and illiterate boy, and He raised him up to accomplish His work. He appeared to him with His Son Jesus Christ, and He said, "This is my beloved Son; hear Him;" and all the revelations that have come from the Father have come through the Son. It has been so from the beginning. Jesus, our Elder Brother, stands between us and God as the Mediator with the Father. The worlds were made by Him. All things are of the Father, but they are by and through Jesus Christ, who is the Word, and who was in the beginning with God, and who was God, and all things were made by Him. The revelations of God the Father come through Jesus Christ, His Son. This Church, from that time, has been in communication with the powers on high, through Jesus Christ. Therefore, this is the Church of Jesus Christ, because He made it, because His power is in it, and because He communicates with it. It is not the Church of Joseph Smith, or of Brigham Young, or of John Taylor, or of Wilford Woodruff, or of any man; it is the Church of Jesus Christ.
Collected Discourses, Vol.5, Charles W. Penrose, January 16th, 1898
When the Father and the Son appeared to Joseph, the Son told Joseph that he was not to go after any of the churches in the world. Why? Because they were not accepted of God. He said they had all gone out of the way; they had departed from the true order of God that was established in olden times. Therefore, when this Church was established on the earth it was organized as the only Church of Christ on earth. Now we recognize the fact that there are many good people in all the different religious denominations, and just as good people in heathendom--among those who do not believe in Jesus Christ and do not know of Him at all. We recognize the good that exists everywhere. We recognize the truth that exists everywhere. That which is true is part of our religion; for it embraces all truth. Our Church is truth's magnet; truth from anywhere and everywhere is attracted by it, comes to it, assimilates with it, has an affinity with it. Truth from every source is recognized by our Church. Another thing: We are willing to let eminent persons of other denominations, if they are respectable, appear in our public congregations and talk to us. Why? Because we think that we may be turned, possibly, from our way and adopt some other way? Not at all; but to show that we do not fear comparison with other denominations; we do not fear the truth, no matter where it may come from. If Catholicism has any truth that we have not, we will be glad to have it. If Protestantism had any truth that we have not, we welcome it. If Mohammedanism has any truth that we have not yet learned, we will be pleased to get it. If truth should come from any part of the world that we have not yet obtained, we will receive it and rejoice in it. We are not afraid to compare our Church with any other church. We are not afraid for our people to hear ministers of other denominations; and if they can convey to us anything that is of profit, we are glad to have it. We welcome the good that comes from every source; and we believe that all good and all truth come down from the "Father of light." But with Him "there is no variableness, nor even a shadow of turning." He is the same always. He always was a God of revelation, and He always will be a God of revelation. And when people seek to Him, they can find Him; when they ask, they can receive; when they knock, the door can be opened unto them, and it is opened to every one who asks in the proper way.
Collected Discourses, Vol.5, Charles W. Penrose, January 16th, 1898
When the Lord revealed the Gospel to His servant, Joseph Smith, and gave him power, by the gift of God, to translate the Book of Mormon from the hieroglyphics upon the plates which he obtained from the hands of the angel, the Lord inspired him for this work for the last days and for the last time; and the promise was given that the truth now revealed should never be taken away again. The promise was given that the authority of the Priesthood restored to earth should never be taken away again, but it should remain here, because this is "the dispensation of the fulness of times, in the which," Paul said, "God would gather in one all things that are in Him, both in the heavens and on the earth." The dispensation of the fulness of times! That was a mystery that Paul said God had made known to him, that in the dispensation of the fulness of times all should be gathered in one. Now, our testimony is, that this is that dispensation; that it has been commenced on the earth; that it will stay here; that it will accomplish the work that God has set it to do; that no power beneath the eternal heavens can move it out of its path. Individuals may fall; men may "apostatize," to repeat the phrase used by our friend this afternoon; men may turn away from the truth; but the Church will abide, the truth will remain, and the Gospel will be preached to every nation, and kindred, and tongue and people. The honest in heart everywhere will be attracted towards this Gospel. Those who have stamina enough to come out from the world in spite of all obstacles, in spite of all they may have to sacrifice in accepting the truth, will receive a testimony from God to their own souls that they have received the truth; and they will gather with the people of God, and help to build up Zion, and to establish Christ's kingdom on the earth. The elect will be gathered from the four winds, the kingdom of our God will be established, and the kingdom of our God will prevail and spread over the face of all the earth, and all the words of the Prophets concerning it will be fulfilled.
Collected Discourses, Vol.5, Charles W. Penrose, January 16th, 1898
When the Apostleship was restored, and the principles of the Gospel as taught by the ancient Apostles were made known in the Church, and the Church was organized after the primitive pattern, the promise was given by the Lord in this way: "Go ye out and preach the Gospel to every creature. And let my servants who go forth from this hour take neither purse nor scrip; but let them go forth depending upon me, and I will open up the way before them; and a hair of their heads shall not fall to the ground unnoticed. Whatsoever shall feed them, and clothe them, and give them money, the same is my disciple. And upon whomsoever they pronounce a blessing, they shall be blessed. Go ye forth, baptizing with water in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost; and lay your hands upon the persons who are thus baptized, and they shall receive the Holy Ghost. And signs shall follow them that believe. In my name, they shall speak with new tongues, they shall cast out devils, they shall heal the sick; and all the gifts pertaining to the Holy Ghost shall be given to them, as a witness and a testimony that they have received the truth." Now, men might go out and profess to have this authority; but they could not confer the Holy Ghost. They might baptize; they might lay hands upon people; but it is God who gives the Holy Ghost. Man cannot bestow it, except as he is commanded of God and is used as His instrument. Now, here are people in these mountain valleys, dwelling throughout the length and breadth of Utah, the vast majority of whom have come from the various countries of the world where this Gospel has been preached. Our simple Elders, going forth in faith, and clothed with this authority, have said to the people: "If you will believe in the Lord Jesus Christ; if you will repent of your sins (by real repentance with a determination to forsake sin and turn from wickedness and to serve God), and if you will be baptized for the remission of sins, we will promise you that you shall receive the Holy Ghost--the same Holy Ghost that the ancient Prophets had, the same Holy Ghost that ministered on the day of Pentecost, the same Holy Ghost that was in the primitive Christian Church and was manifested in the various gifts and blessings spoken of in the New Testament; you shall have that spirit, and you shall know for yourselves, by the witness thereof, that you are accepted of God and that you have received the truth." The Elders have gone to various nations in this way, and have made this promise, and nearly all the people who dwell in these mountain valleys are living witnesses of the truth of their mission.
Collected Discourses, Vol.5, Charles W. Penrose, January 16th, 1898
This is what we rest on. Argument is almost superseded by it. We have no need to prove that all these different churches in modern Christendom have gone out of the way. God Almighty has said they have all gone out of the way, and that they are not accepted of him. "They draw near to me with their mouths; they honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me; and their fear toward me is taught by the precepts of men, not by the power and demonstration of the Holy Ghost. Therefore, they are not my Church." The Lord thus establishes His Church on the earth in the last days and for the last time, and sends out His servants in all the world to bear this witness.
Collected Discourses, Vol.5, Charles W. Penrose, January 16th, 1898
This is my testimony: I know that this Church is true. I know it by the witness of the Holy Ghost. When I was a boy I heard the Gospel preached, and I believed the testimony, because I had been trained to believe in the New Testament and the Old Testament. But I went to God and asked Him to guide me; not to suffer me to be led astray. I was the only one of the family to which I belonged who accepted the Gospel, and I had to sacrifice my kindred, my surroundings, my prospects in life, so far as temporalities were concerned; but I became convinced in all my soul that this was the truth, and I went and was baptized. Then hands were laid upon me, and the Holy Ghost entered my soul; not by any physical convulsion of my body, but the light of God shone into my soul as clearly to my spirit as the sun gives me light in my eyes. And I know that that Spirit has been with me from that time, through all my experience now for about forty-eight years in the Church. Wherever I have been, in any part of the world, that Spirit has been with me to prompt me. That Spirit has revealed to me the things of God. That Spirit has shown me that which I should do, and that which I should not do. And whenever I have hearkened to that "still small voice" I have been right; whenever I have not, I have been wrong. I know by that Spirit that this is the Church of Christ. I know it will endure forever. I know that every curse heaped upon it will turn to its blessing. I know that every weapon that is formed against it will turn upon the framer. I know this work will prevail and it will spread over all the earth; for God is in it and with it. It is the Church of God; it is the Church of Christ; it is the Church of the Holy Ghost. The power and the Apostleship and ministry of Christ Jesus are in the Church, and will never be taken away again.
Collected Discourses, Vol.5, Charles W. Penrose, January 16th, 1898
In bearing this testimony we do not say anything against the good that can be done by anybody in any church; but we say that their organizations are vain, as far as God is concerned; that their administrations are void, and without authority. We say that if a man administers in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, he does wrong unless he has been appointed by the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost, to use their names. If he has not been, then he uses these sacred names in vain, and God will not hold him guiltless. We say that God has given this authority to this Church, and it is here, and will stay here. They may kill our Prophets and Apostles, as they slew Joseph Smith, the Prophet, and his brother Hyrum, the Patriarch; but that will make no difference to the Church. The Church is so organized that all the powers, gifts, spirit and influences that rested upon the leaders of the Church in the beginning have been conferred upon others. Twelve Apostles were chosen, and they were ordained to the Apostleship. The spirit of the Apostleship has been with them, and is with those who hold it today. Then come the Seventy. Seventy men ordained as an appendage to that Apostleship. If you kill off the three who form the Presidency, we have Twelve; if you kill off the Twelve, we have the Seventy. It broadens as it goes. And, thank God! there are so many Elders ordained now, having a portion of this high and holy Priesthood, that the enemy cannot destroy it, and it will not be taken away nor be left to another people, but will abide and endure forever.
Collected Discourses, Vol.5, Charles W. Penrose, January 16th, 1898
This is our testimony. When we refer to history; when we refer to the Bible; when we use any kind of argument, it is only incidental to the great fact, that God and His Son Jesus Christ revealed themselves to Joseph Smith. That is the great crucial point. That is the fact upon which we build. If God did not appear to Joseph Smith; if revelation was not given to him from God in these last days, then we are nothing as a church, although we have a great many truths collected here and a magnificent organization, and we are ahead of all the "Christian" denominations because of these things. We have found that the word of God has been fulfilled in this, that the Lord has added "line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little;" and that every soul who is baptized in water and receives the imposition of hands, with the full intent to serve God and keep His commandments, realizes and knows that his sins are remitted, that he has been regenerated, that he is made clean, that though his sins were as scarlet, he is washed white as wool. He knows also that the power of God has entered his soul, and opened up his mind, and given him to comprehend eternal things. He knows that the light grows brighter and brighter towards the perfect day, and that the Holy Ghost is the same Spirit that it was anciently. It teaches the things of the Father and the Son. It brings things past to his remembrance; it shows him things to come. It lifts up the veil that hides the spiritual world. It shows that which is about to take place on the earth. Every man, woman and child may receive that Spirit, and will be enlightened according to the degree of faithfulness and earnestness in seeking after its gifts and blessings.
Collected Discourses, Vol.5, Charles W. Penrose, January 16th, 1898
All the gifts of the Gospel are in the Church. As in the time of the Corinthian Saints, "To one is given by the Spirit of the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; to another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; to another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues." These signs have followed the believer, as the Lord said they would. These are in fulfillment of what God told the Prophet Joseph Smith, and these are the witnesses and signs of his ministry. The servants of God go out and carry these promises to all the world, and God is with them. He raises up friends for them, and gives them power to learn the languages of the world; and sometimes gives them this gift of tongues to enable them to speak to people in their own language when they do not understand the language. These are some of the signs of this ministry. But we do not rest upon them. The great thing is, the testimony of the Holy Ghost. And no one can understand the fulness of that great blessing unless he has received it. To have the power of God resting down upon him, filling his soul with His Spirit; to be baptized in it, quickened by its power to comprehend the things of eternity; to commune with his Father, and with his Elder Brother, the Lord Jesus Christ; to be prepared to receive the ministration of the angels of God; to know, without a cloud of doubt coming over his soul, that he is accepted of God and called of Him to labor for the Lord on the earth--to have and to be all this is the great boon and blessing which one enjoys who receives the gift and testimony of the Holy Ghost. And all can enjoy it; for the promise is "unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off," as Peter said on the day of Pentecost, "even as many as the Lord our God shall call." The promise is to all, for the Lord is calling all. "The mighty God, even the Lord, hath spoken, and hath called the earth, from the rising of the sun unto the going down thereof;" and this is His word to all people:
Collected Discourses, Vol.5, Charles W. Penrose, January 16th, 1898
Repent, yea repent, of your sins and your wickedness, O ye inhabitants of the earth; and turn unto me, the Lord your God, and I will abundantly pardon. Return unto me, and I will return unto you, saith the Lord of hosts. Repent of your sins, and be baptized in water for the remission of sins, and receive the imposition of hands; yea, be born of water and of the Spirit, and ye shall enter into the kingdom of God. I will visit you with the Holy Ghost, and I will reveal unto you the precious things of eternity--things that are past, things that are present, things that are to come; things in the heavens, things on the earth, and that which is about to come to pass in the nations. For this is the fulness of times, and all the truth of the past shall be gathered into this fold of Christ; all things in the heavens and on the earth shall be gathered together in one; all things spoken of by the Prophets shall be accomplished; and I will witness unto you, by my power, that you are accepted of me, saith the Lord.
Collected Discourses, Vol.5, Charles W. Penrose, January 16th, 1898
This is His voice to the ends of the earth and by His help we will carry it to every nation until the whole earth has vibrated with the sound thereof, and the upright and honest in heart have received our testimony. Then, when we have finished our work on earth, when God shall call us hence, we will go and continue our ministry in the spirit world. "And the gates of hell" cannot prevail against this Priesthood and authority; but they must yield, as they did when Christ went to preach to the spirits in prison. The servants of God in this Church, when they depart hence, carry their authority and Priesthood and power with them, and they will proclaim the Gospel in every part of that spiritual world, among the spirits in prison and among all the millions who have departed from the earth who have not heard the Gospel; and they will receive it and be gathered into this great Church of Christ, not the Church on earth, but the Church in the heavens. It will all be gathered in unity and be made one; and the Saints on high will come down to the Saints on earth, and they will be united together when the work ordained of our God is accomplished.
Collected Discourses, Vol.5, Charles W. Penrose, January 16th, 1898
I might continue this subject, but we have heard sufficient this afternoon. I thank our friend for his eloquent discourse to us this afternoon and for his good feelings towards us. And we have good feelings to him, and to all people on earth. For our mission is a mission of peace. We do not come with a sword. We do not expect to fight with carnal weapons. Our warfare is against spiritual wickedness in high places. The powers of evil that are incorporeal and the powers of evil that are in man, our work is against them. We do not expect to triumph in our might, in our strength, by our wisdom, or by our learning; but by the power of God we expect to prevail. This work will go forth conquering and to conquer, until the kingdoms of this world become the kingdom of our God and His Christ, and He shall come and reign over them "in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem and before His ancients gloriously." May the peace and blessings of God attend what has been spoken this afternoon, I ask in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Charles W. Penrose, March 13, 1898.
THE NEED FOR SCRIPTURE
________________
DISCOURSE
Delivered by Elder Charles W. Penrose,
at Salt Lake City, Utah,
March 13, 1898.
Collected Discourses, Vol.5, Charles W. Penrose, March 13, 1898
There is but a little time left for me to occupy, but I hope to speak under the same good Spirit which has prevailed while we have been listening to the remarks of Elder Grant. We are all pleased to see him and to hear his voice again in public, and I hope he will be spared many years yet to preach the Gospel of the kingdom and to bear testimony to the truths that he has briefly touched upon this afternoon.
Collected Discourses, Vol.5, Charles W. Penrose, March 13, 1898
In listening to testimonies like that which we have heard, persons who are not familiar with what God has done in the earth in the last days, and the reasons for it, are likely to ask the questions: "What need was there for John the Baptist to come and restore the authority which he had? Why did Peter, James and John come to earth to ordain men to the authority which they held? And what necessity was there for the Book of Mormon to be introduced to the people of this generation, seeing that they have the Bible? There are a great many Christian ministers, churches almost without number, and hosts of good people who believe in God the Father and in Jesus Christ and who are trying to lead devoted, holy lives. Then what need is there for all this? Why should there be a new revelation? Have we not sufficient in the scriptures--the Old and the New Testaments? And have we not plenty of preachers, and plenty of religion already?"
Collected Discourses, Vol.5, Charles W. Penrose, March 13, 1898
These are questions that arise in people's minds when they hear Latter-day Saints speak of the restoration of the Gospel and of the authority of the Holy Priesthood. For a few moments let us consider these questions. It is perfectly true that we have the Bible. What is it? It is a collection of books, said to have been written by men inspired of God. The original manuscripts, however, are not to be found; and the books that we have in the collection called the Bible refer to a great many other things that were given of God to Prophets of old which we do not find included in that book. There are also portions of it that are simply historical. Yet it is generally held by people in what is called "the Christian world" to be inspired of God, from Genesis to Revelation; that every word of it is the word of God, and that people are bound to be guided by it. Now when we look around us in the Christian world, we find the people who profess to believe this divided among themselves in regard to the meaning of the book. They have not come to the unity of the faith. The book does not bring people to a unity of understanding. Therefore we have all these different religious sects, each one claiming to be right; perhaps not all of them declaring that the others are wrong, but they are not logical unless they do, for truth is never divided against itself, and one truth never contradicts another. But we have all these different religious denominations, and we have men in them who are preachers. When we ask them where they obtained the authority to preach and to administer (for they administer ordinances) in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost, most of them will point to the last chapter of Mark or the last chapter of Matthew, where we read that Jesus gave instructions to eleven men--His Apostles. There were twelve, but one of them fell by the wayside. Judas betrayed his Master, and was not afterwards numbered among the Apostles. Jesus said to these eleven men, whom He had called, whom He had ordained, upon whom he had bestowed the same authority as the Father had given to Him:
Collected Discourses, Vol.5, Charles W. Penrose, March 13, 1898
Collected Discourses, Vol.5, Charles W. Penrose, March 13, 1898
Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
Collected Discourses, Vol.5, Charles W. Penrose, March 13, 1898
Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.
Collected Discourses, Vol.5, Charles W. Penrose, March 13, 1898
Collected Discourses, Vol.5, Charles W. Penrose, March 13, 1898
This commission, this power and this authority were bestowed solely upon these eleven men; and yet ministers of modern times will point to this scripture as the source of their authority to administer in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Suppose a man ministering now as an embassador from a foreign nation, when asked for his authority, should point to an old commission possessed by some man who lived two thousand years ago, what would you think of him? Why, you would think him a fit subject for a commission on insanity. Or if a man were to attempt to administer as a justice of the peace, or a judge, upon any such commission as that, he would very likely find his way into prison, if not into a lunatic asylum. But in these times, when you ask preachers where they obtain their authority to administer in sacred things, they point to the scriptures. Some, however, will say, I am called of God. How? Why, I feel called in my soul. Is that the way God called men in former times? Not according to the Bible, which they point to as the word of God. When men of old were called to administer in the name of the Lord, they were called by revelation from God, either direct to the individual or through some person or persons who were authorized to act for Deity. And the men who held that authority could not call men indiscriminately; they had to be led and guided by the Holy Ghost or by the voice of God. Take, for instance, the ordination of Saul of Tarsus, afterwards called Paul the Apostle. Those of you who are familiar with his history in the New Testament know that he was very active in persecuting the Saints of those times. On his way to Damascus to obtain letters whereby he could be instrumental in persecuting more severely the people of God, called Saints (they were not called Christians then, but Saints; they were first called Christians at Antioch by way of a nickname), Jesus appeared to him. He was an honest man. What he did he did sincerely. He thought he was doing God service when he went to persecute the Saints. But Christ met him on the way. His light shone forth, and the glory was so brilliant that Saul was stricken blind. Jesus asked him why he persecuted Him. Saul was carried blind into Damascus. In giving an account of this, Saul says:
Collected Discourses, Vol.5, Charles W. Penrose, March 13, 1898
Collected Discourses, Vol.5, Charles W. Penrose, March 13, 1898
And one Ananias, a devout man according to the law, having a good report of all the Jews which dwelt there,
Collected Discourses, Vol.5, Charles W. Penrose, March 13, 1898
Came unto me, and stood, and said unto me, Brother Saul, receive thy sight. And the same hour I looked up on him.
Collected Discourses, Vol.5, Charles W. Penrose, March 13, 1898
And he said, The God of our fathers hath chose thee, that thou shouldst know His will, and see that Just One, and shouldst hear the voice of His mouth.
Collected Discourses, Vol.5, Charles W. Penrose, March 13, 1898
For thou shalt be His witness unto all men of what thou hast seen and heard.
Collected Discourses, Vol.5, Charles W. Penrose, March 13, 1898
And now, why tarriest thou? Arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord (Acts xxii:12-16).
Collected Discourses, Vol.5, Charles W. Penrose, March 13, 1898
Collected Discourses, Vol.5, Charles W. Penrose, March 13, 1898
Now, one would suppose, particularly a modern Christian, that Saul was then and there authorized to go out and administer in the name of the Lord and bear this witness. He had seen Christ, he had heard the voice of His mouth; a servant of God had come to him and predicted what he should do; he had been healed by miracle. Was he not then qualified? No. You will find by reading the 13th chapter of the Acts of the Apostles, that after all this had passed by for some time, as certain prophets and teachers ministered before the Lord, the Holy Ghost said unto them:
Collected Discourses, Vol.5, Charles W. Penrose, March 13, 1898
Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them.
Collected Discourses, Vol.5, Charles W. Penrose, March 13, 1898
And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away.
Collected Discourses, Vol.5, Charles W. Penrose, March 13, 1898
Collected Discourses, Vol.5, Charles W. Penrose, March 13, 1898
That is how the Apostle Paul received his authority. Writing to the Hebrews, he says:
Collected Discourses, Vol.5, Charles W. Penrose, March 13, 1898
And no man taketh this honor unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron (Hebrews v:4).
Collected Discourses, Vol.5, Charles W. Penrose, March 13, 1898
Collected Discourses, Vol.5, Charles W. Penrose, March 13, 1898
If you will turn back to the Old Testament, you will find that Aaron was called by revelation of God through Moses.
Collected Discourses, Vol.5, Charles W. Penrose, March 13, 1898
That is God's way. The other way is man's way. This authority cannot be received from man. It must come from God.
Collected Discourses, Vol.5, Charles W. Penrose, March 13, 1898
So also Christ glorified not himself to be made an high priest; but he that said unto him, Thou art my Son, today have I begotten thee.
Collected Discourses, Vol.5, Charles W. Penrose, March 13, 1898
As he saith also in another place, Thou art a priest forever after the order of Melchisedek (Hebrews v:5,6).
Collected Discourses, Vol.5, Charles W. Penrose, March 13, 1898
Collected Discourses, Vol.5, Charles W. Penrose, March 13, 1898
As God called Christ, so Christ called His Apostles, and gave them similar authority and power, and sent them out. But that does not give anybody authority now. It must come, if at all, in the same way. But our modern minister tell us that there has been no revelation from God since the days when John the Apostle was on the island of Patmos and received that revelation which is recorded and placed last in the New Testament. The common idea is that the last few verses of the last chapter of the Book of Revelation contain the last revelation from God. A very great mistake! In the first place, the Book of Revelation is not put in its chronological order. John the Apostle wrote his gospel after that book was written, and he wrote his epistles afterwards. But passing that by, what does the Revelation say?
Collected Discourses, Vol.5, Charles W. Penrose, March 13, 1898
Collected Discourses, Vol.5, Charles W. Penrose, March 13, 1898
For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:
Collected Discourses, Vol.5, Charles W. Penrose, March 13, 1898
And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.
Collected Discourses, Vol.5, Charles W. Penrose, March 13, 1898
Collected Discourses, Vol.5, Charles W. Penrose, March 13, 1898
What book? Why, this book, this revelation that John had on the Island of Patmos, which he was commanded to write. That does not refer to the Bible. There was no such a volume then. That was compiled hundreds of years afterwards. Does it say there that God would give no more revelation? Certainly not. It simply says that man shall not add to that which God gives. No man has the right to add to the word of God. Does that take away the right of God to add to His own word or to give more revelation when He chooses? Does that muzzle Deity? Does that stop the mouth of the Almighty, that He is to speak no more to the children of men? We are told that God is an unchangeable being. Well, God from the beginning, when necessity arose and when people were prepared for His word, raised up Prophets and holy men, and inspired them to speak and to write by the power of the Holy Ghost, and that was His word. And he has not changed. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. But during the long night of darkness that has intervened since the wicked people of this earth put out the glorious lights which God set in their midst to enlighten their minds--during that long night of darkness, the people have not believed in revelation from God. Their teachers and preachers have instructed them that revelation had ceased. To use their words, "The awful voice of prophecy is closed forever." So the people have not been looking for it; and according to their faith so it has been unto them. They have had no faith that God would send angels again. They have had no faith that God would speak again from heaven. They have had no faith that Christ would manifest Himself in person. But they have been led by the doctrines and commandments of men. Still, during that long night of darkness, there have been some stars that have given a little light; and there has been the moon, which has reflected light; but not the original sunlight--that which comes from the sun of righteousness. "Darkness has covered the earth, and gross darkness the people." There have been a great many good people, a great many good preachers and lecturers, many great reformers. They have done their best. They have tried to enlighten the minds of men. Still among them all there have been so many who have preached for hire and divined for money, and have made merchandise of the souls of men, that the darkness has increased and thickened upon the souls of mankind.
Collected Discourses, Vol.5, Charles W. Penrose, March 13, 1898
Now, in these last days, to which all the Prophets and Apostles whom we read of in the Bible refer--in these last days of wickedness, of trouble, of judgments, of conflicts, of wars, and a time such as never was known from the beginning, God, the Eternal Father, who spoke in times past by the Prophets, and in the meridian of time by His Son Jesus Christ, has spoken again from the heavens, and has re-established His Church on earth--the same Church that Christ established; that is, in the same form, with the same power and authority, with the same Gospel, with the same gifts and blessings, with the same holy Apostleship. And in order that it might be fully restored these personages had to appear: John the Baptist came and ordained Joseph and Oliver, as we have heard this afternoon, to the lesser Priesthood--the Priesthood by which John had the authority to baptize for the remission of sins. He could not lay his hands upon the people that they might receive the Holy Ghost; but he promised them that there was one coming among them, mightier than he, the latchet of whose shoes he was not worthy to unloose, and He should baptize them with the Holy Ghost and with fire. Jesus Christ, after He was baptized, taught His Apostles that the time would come when this Spirit should be poured out upon them. Jesus was baptized in the river Jordan; not with water sprinkled upon Him, or with the sign of the cross upon Him; but He went into the river, and John baptized Him there. He "came up out of the water," and the Spirit of God descended upon Him in the form of a dove, and the Father said, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased" (Matt. iii:16,17). After this He went forth in His ministry. He called the Apostles, gave them authority and taught them what they should teach. They were not to go out and teach by the enticing words of man's wisdom, but in the demonstration and power of the Holy Ghost. "Tarry ye at Jerusalem," said he, "until ye are endowed with power from on high," and they waited there until the Holy Ghost came upon them on the day of Pentecost.
Collected Discourses, Vol.5, Charles W. Penrose, March 13, 1898
Now, these Apostles had the authority and power from Jesus Christ, as He obtained it from His Father. So in the last days, when the Gospel was restored and the Church of Christ was re-established, Peter, James and John, to whom Jesus gave the keys of the kingdom, came and laid their hands upon Joseph and Oliver, and ordained them to the Apostleship. Thus the Apostleship has been restored--not in name only, but in power and authority. The same power, the same Spirit, the same light, the same gift of revelation from God, are here now as they were then. It is the Church of Christ re-established. It is the only true and living Church on the face of the earth with which God is well pleased, so He says, speaking of the Church collectively and not individually.
Collected Discourses, Vol.5, Charles W. Penrose, March 13, 1898
Well, what about all these numerous Christian sects, and all the good people that have belonged to them? Are they lost? By no means. They wandered into darkness and error. We might ask the question, What has become of all the heathen who have died and never heard the name of Jesus? We are told in the Scriptures that there is no other name given under heaven whereby man can be saved but the name of Christ Jesus. What has become of all of them, then? Some of the answers of modern ministers to this question are almost too horrible to repeat. I was reading the confession of faith of one of the churches the other day, in which it was declared that there was no warrant anywhere in Scripture that any of these heathen could be saved, because they had never heard the name of Jesus.
Collected Discourses, Vol.5, Charles W. Penrose, March 13, 1898
God has revealed in these days His plan of salvation, and there is only one, because He is one. That looks to me almost like a self-evident proposition, that God, the Eternal Father, the Creator of the universe, who is one, has but one religion. Is it conceivable that that Great Being would reveal half a dozen or three or four hundred different religions, to perplex and divide mankind and to darken their understanding? He is a God of truth. His ways are the ways of truth, and they are one eternal round. "I am the Lord: I change not," is His own word. There is but one true religion. "Strait is the gate, and narrow is the way that leadeth unto life," said Jesus, the Son of God, the Great Teacher, "and few there be that find it; while broad is the way that leadeth unto destruction, and many there be that go in thereat." There cannot be more than one true religion; that is God's religion. Men have no right to invent religions; and if they do, then they are only men's religions. Jesus came to teach God's religion. He said: "I speak nothing of Myself; but that which I hear, that I speak." "My doctrine is not mine, but His that sent Me. If any man will do His will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God or whether I speak of Myself." He laid down a very simple proposition to Nicodemus, who came to Him by night, as we read in the third chapter of John, 5th verse. Said He: "Verily, I say unto you, except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." Nicodemus could not understand this, so he explained it further: "Verily, verily I say unto thee, except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God" (John iii:3, 5). Here is a plain proposition from the Savior. Here is the narrow way. He was the way, the truth, and the life. He set the example. He went into the river Jordan, and a man who was a Prophet of God, whom God had ordained and appointed, baptized Him. He was born of water. He came forth from the liquid grave, and He was born of the Spirit. Here is the pattern!
Collected Discourses, Vol.5, Charles W. Penrose, March 13, 1898
The Lord has restored the authority to administer these things. Men living on the earth now have the right to baptize in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, because that authority has been sent down from heaven. Men have been called, appointed and ordained by that authority; and what they loose on earth is loosed in heaven. When they baptize a man in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, for the remission of sins, his sins are remitted, through the blood of Christ, which was shed for the remission of sins to all who will obey Him. And when people are baptized by that authority, their sins are remitted. Then these men have authority to lay their hands upon the baptized believer, and confer upon him the gift of the Holy Ghost; and the Holy Ghost comes upon that person, he is baptized in it, and he is born of the water and of the Spirit, and he can inherit the kingdom of God. That is Christ's way. Take up the New Testament and read all through it, and you will find that that was the teaching of all the Apostles when they went out in the name of the Lord and by the authority which they held. That was the true Gospel--the beginning, if you please, of the Gospel of Christ. The Church was organized with Apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers, and all the orders which we have this afternoon lifted up our hands to heaven to sustain--not by giving them money, not by payment of hire, but to sustain them in our faith and prayers and by our obedience to their teachings. That is what we have covenanted this afternoon to do. The power and authority of this Priesthood is here, as Brother Grant has borne testimony. I bear my testimony also that Jesus is the Christ, and that He has been revealed in these last days. This is His Church; for He has set it up. He is its Living Head. It is His word that comes to the Church through the channels which He has appointed. Therefore, this is His Church; and it is rightly named, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints because we live in the latter days.
Collected Discourses, Vol.5, Charles W. Penrose, March 13, 1898
But what about all these other churches? Why, the time will come when all persons, whether they belong to a church or not, whether they live in a Christian land or not, will hear this one Gospel. I know that modern teachings are to the effect that when a man dies, that is the end of his chances. It is a most absurd proposition, and it is contrary to scripture, if we are to be guided by that. "The tender mercies of God are over all His works." When people depart out of the body, they have just as much power to believe, to repent, to reform, according to the sphere in which they move, as they have in the body. They are intelligent, responsible beings just the same out of the body as in the body. As Christ went to preach to the spirits in prison who were disobedient in the days of Noah, as recorded by the Apostle Peter in the 3rd chapter of his first Epistle, 18-20 verses, so in the good time of the Lord everyone who has breathed the breath of life and has departed out of the body into the spirit world, will have an opportunity of receiving God's truth and accepting God's religion. But they must all come to the truth, come to the life and to the light. Those that have done things worthy of stripes will be beaten, some with a few stripes, some with many; some will have to pay "the uttermost farthing" for their corruption, wickedness and abominations. Eternal justice will surely claim its own. But mercy will step in when justice is satisfied; and the time will come when every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus is the Christ, to the glory of God the Father. Christ will gain the victory, Satan will be overcome, evil will be driven away, and this earth, which God created for His children, will be purified and made glorious, like a sea of glass mingled with fire, as John saw in the Revelation. Christ will bring forth all from the grave. The sea will give up the dead which are in it; death and hell will deliver up the dead which were in them, and all will be judged according to their works. Eternal justice will point out where and what place they shall have in the "many mansions" that God has prepared for His children. He has a place for all things, and He will put all things in their place.
Collected Discourses, Vol.5, Charles W. Penrose, March 13, 1898
This, in a very brief way, is something in relation to the Gospel that God has restored in these last days. There is no time now to enter into these things in detail but I will say that this is the reason why there was need for the Gospel to be restored. This is the reason why the Book of Mormon had to be brought forth, giving the ancient history of this continent, showing how Christ came here after His resurrection and established His Church here, with the same Gospel, and power, and Priesthood that was on the eastern hemisphere. This hemisphere was not then known to that side of the earth. This book has been brought forth by the power of God, and translated by the Prophet Joseph Smith. It contains the Gospel of Christ, in its purity, in great simplicity and plainness. It is the same testimony as is recorded in the Bible. The two books run together like two drops of water, and become one; for both are true, and truth never contradicts itself. The reason why this had to come forth, with the revelation of the Priesthood and the establishment of the true Church, was because darkness had been upon the earth for hundreds of years, and the people had become divided and subdivided, and they were quarreling and jangling over points of doctrine, with no voice from heaven to decide. There was no light from out of eternity to chase away the darkness from their minds. Men were teaching by their wisdom and by their learning the things which had been taught them in college, whereas the things of God can only be made manifest by the Spirit of God. Now in these last days, in God's eternal mercy, He has established His Church again. He raise up a Prophet, whom the people of this nation put to death, like the Prophets of old were slain. "Which of the Prophets," said Jesus, "have not your fathers slain?" That has been their history from the beginning. He sealed his testimony with his blood. We who have been gathered form all nations to these mountain tops, because of our faith in the Gospel, can bear testimony that God has given us the witness that He raised this man up to introduce the latter-day dispensation, the dispensation of the fulness of times; to introduce this holy Priesthood again; to set up the Church as of old, with all the authority, and orders, and blessings, and gifts, and Spirit, and ordinances, and everything pertaining thereunto, to make it a perfect Church. God raised him up for that purpose.
Collected Discourses, Vol.5, Charles W. Penrose, March 13, 1898
And we know that this Church will abide. We know that there is no power beneath the sun that can root it out, because it is God's work. We do not profess to be anything very great. We do not profess to be very much better than our fellows, although we ought to be, for the light and truth that God has revealed to us; but to God be all the glory. It is His work. He revealed it. He will sustain it. It will abide. It will prevail. The honest and the true in all nations and climes will come to the standard that God has reared. Those that refuse the message God has sent, those that shut their eyes to the light, they must reap the consequences of their own wickedness and folly. They are in the hands of the great Creator. But the true and the good from every land will rally around this standard that God has raised. They will receive the Gospel; they will repent of their sins; they will be baptized by those that have authority to administer it for the remission of their sins; they will receive the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands. And then the light of God will illuminate their souls, and they will receive a witness from God for themselves that the work is true; for the promise is just as good today as when Christ made it with His own lips when he was on the earth--he that doeth the will of the Father shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God or not. So doubt flees, misunderstanding is scattered, and the light of the Lord shines in and our souls are filled with it, and with joy and gladness. We realize that the Comforter guides into all truth, shows things to come, and comforts our souls in the knowledge of God.
Collected Discourses, Vol.5, Charles W. Penrose, March 13, 1898
This is my testimony. I know that these things are true as I know that I stand here, and I bear my testimony to them. May God bless this testimony, and bless all who will seek unto Him for light and for truth; may the darkness be scattered, and may doubt and division, strife and evil be banished from the earth; and may the light of the Lord Jesus Christ shine forth to the uttermost parts of the earth and of the spirit world, that God may be glorified and His work consummated. Even so. Amen.
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