A large assembly of Saints gather together at an early hour to hear a discourse deliverd upon the Subject of Baptism by Joseph the Seer; but as a young child was dead & his corpes [corpse] presented in the assembly it called for many remarks from The speaker upon death & the resurrection which were in the highest degree interesting & his remarks upon Baptism was truly glorious to the believer in Jesus Christ. The following is a brief synopsis of some of the items presented in the discours
¶ The Speaker read the 14ch Revelations. And sayes "we have
again the warning voice sounded in our midst which shows the uncertainty
of human life. And in my leisure moments I have meditated upon the subject,
& asked the question Why is it that infants innocent children are taken
away from us esspecially those that seem to be most intelligent beings"
Answer "This world is a very wicked world & it is a proverb that the
world grows weaker & wiser; but if it is the case the world grows more
wicked & corrupt. In the early ages of the world A ritheous man & a man
of God & intelligence had a better chance to do good to be received &
believed than at the present day. but in these days such a man is much
opposed & persecuted by most of the inhabitants of the earth & he has
much sorrow to pass through, hence the Lord takes many away even in
infancy that they may escape the envy of man. The sorrows & evils of
this present world & they were too pure & too lovly to live on Earth,
Therefore if rightly considered we have, instead of morning we have
reason to rejoice, as they are deliverd from evil & we shall soon have
them again, What chance is their for infidelity when we are parting
with our friends almost daily none at all The infidel will grasp at
evry straw for help untill death stares him in the face & then his
infidelity takes its flight for the realities of the eternal world
are resting upon him in mighty power & when evry earthly support &
prop fail him. He then sensibly feels the eternal truths of the
immortality of the soul
Also the doctrin of baptizing Children or sprinkling them or they must welter in Hell is a doctrin not true not supported in Holy writ & is not consistant with the Character of God The moment that Children leave this world they are taken to the bosom of Abraham 1 The ownly difference between the old & young dying is one lives longer in heaven & Eternal light & glory than the other & was freed a little sooner from this miserable wicked world Notwithstanding all this glory we for a moment loose sight of it & mourn the loss but we do not mourn as those without hope. (We should take warning & not wait for the deathbed to repent) As we se[e] the infant taken away by death, so may the youth & middle aged as, well as the infant suddenly be called into eternity,
Let this then proove as a warning to all not to procrastinate repentance or wait till a death bed, for it is the will of God that man should repent & serve him in health & in the strength & power of his mind in order to secure his blessings & not wait until he is called to die.
¶ "My intention (says the speaker) was to have treated upon the subject of Baptism, But having a case of death before us I thought it proper to refer to that subject.
I will now however say a few words upon that subject Baptism as
intended God has made certain decreas which are fixed & unalterable
for instance God set the sun, the moon, the stars in the heavens, &
give them their laws conditions, & bounds which they cannot pass except
by his command, they all move in perfect harmony in there sphere & order
& are as wonders, lights & signs unto us. The sea also has its bounds
which it cannot pass God has set many signs in the earth as well as in
heaven for instance the oaks of the forrest the fruit of the tree, the
herb of the field all bear a sign that seed hath been planted there, for
it is a decree of the Lord that evry tree fruit or herb baring seed
should bring forth after its kind & cannot come forth after any other
law or principle. upon the same principle do I contend that Baptism
is a sign ordained of God for the believer in Christ to take upon himself
in order to enter into the Kingdom of God, "for except you are born of the
water & the spirit you cannot enter into the Kingdom of God. Saith the
Savior as It is a sign of command which God hath set for man to enter into
this kingdom of God those who seek to enter in any other way will seek
in vain
for God will not receive them neither will the angels acknowledge
their works as accepted, for they have not taken upon themselves those
ordinances & signs which God ordained for man to receive in order to
receive a celestial glory, & God has decreed that all
¶ What is the sign of the healing of the sick? the laying on of hands, is the sign
or way marked out by James & the custom of the ancient saints as ordered by the
Lord & we should not obtain the blessing by pursuing any other course except
the way which God has markd out. What if we should attempt to get the Holy
Ghost through any other means except the sign or way which God hath appointed
should we obtain it certainly not all other means would fail The Lord says
do so & so & I will bless so & so their is certain key words & signs belonging
to the priesthood which must be observed in order to obtain the blessings
The sign of Peter was to repent & be baptized for the remission of sins, with
the promise of the gift of the Holy Ghost & in no other way is the gift of the
Holy Ghost obtained.
Their is a difference between the Holy Ghost & the gift of
the Holy Ghost.2 Cornelius received the Holy Ghost before he was Baptized
which was the convincing power of God unto him of the truth of the gospel but he
could not receive the gift of the Holy Ghost untill after he was Baptized, &
had he not taken this sign ordinances upon him the Holy Ghost which convinced
him of the truth of God would have left him untill he obeyed those
ordinances & received the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands
according to the order of God he could not have healed the sick or command
an evil spirit to come out of a man & it obey him, for the spirit might say
to him as he did to the sons of Scava Peter I know & Christ I know but who
are ye
It mattereth not whether we live long or
short after we come to a knowledge of these principles & obey them, I know
that all men will be damned if they do not come in the way which God has
appointed.
¶ As concerning the resurrection I will merely say that all men will
come from the grave as they lie down, whether old or young their will
not be added unto their stature one cubit neither taken from it.
3 All
being raised by the power of God having the spirit of God in their bodies
& not blood Children will be enthroned in the presence of God & the
Lamb with bodies of the same stature that were on earth, Having been
redeemed by the Blood of the Lamb they will there enjoy a fullness of
that light Glory & intelligence which is received in the celestial kingdom
of God "blessed are the dead who die in the Lord, for they rest from their
labors & their works do follow them
¶
The speaker before closing called upon
the vast assembly before him to humble themselves in faith before God & in
mighty prayer & fasting to call upon his Holy name untill the elements were
purified over our heads & the earth sanctified under our feet that the
inhabitants of this city may escape the power of the disease pestilence &
destroyer that rideth upon the face of the earth & that the holy spirit of
God may rest upon this vast multitude
¶
At the close of the meetg President Smith informed the congregation that he
should attend to the ordinance of Baptism in the
1. Possibly a reference to a vision now canonized as LDS D&C 137.
2. See JS's editorial in the 15Jun42
that who will not
obey his voice shall not escape the damnation of hell, what is the damnation
of hell, to go with that society who have not obeyed his commands Baptism is
a sign to God, to angels to heaven that we do the will of God & there is no
other way beneath the heavens whareby God hath ordained for man to come to
God & any other course is in vain. God hath decreed & ordained that man
should repent of all his sins & Be Baptized for the remission of his sins
then he can come to God in the name of Jesus Christ in faith then we have
the promise of the Holy Ghost
his to river
near his house at 2 oclock.