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The Text of the Various Versions of the Articles of Faith
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Articles of Faith | Text of Various Versions
The Text of the Various Versions of the Articles of Faith
Below, one can read the text of the different versions of the Articles of Faith written by early Latter-day Saints.
Oliver Cowdery (1834)
That our principles may be fully known we here state them briefly:
We believe in God, and his Son Jesus Christ. We believe that God, from the beginning, revealed himself to man; and that whenever he has had a people on earth, he always has revealed himself to them by the Holy Ghost, the ministering of angels, or his own voice. We do not believe that he ever had a church on earth without revealing himself to that church: consequently, there were apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers, in the same.—We believe that God is the same in all ages; and that it requires the same holiness, purity, and religion, to save a man now, as it did anciently; and that as HE is no respecter of persons, always has, and always will reveal himself to men when they call upon him.
We believe that God has revealed himself to men in this age, and commenced to raise up a church preparatory to his second advent, when he will come in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
We believe that the popular religious theories of the day are incorrect; that they are without parallel in the revelations of God, as sanctioned by him; and that however faithfully they may be adhered to, or however zealously and warmly they may be defended, they will never stand the strict scrutiny of the word of life.
We believe that all men are born free and equal; that no man, combination of men, or government of men, have power or authority to compel or force others to embrace any system of religion, or religious creed, or to use force or violence to prevent others from enjoying their own opinions, or practicing the same, so long as they do not molest or disturb others in theirs, in a manner to deprive them of their privileges as free citizens—or of worshiping God as they choose, and that any attempt to the contrary is an assumption unwarrantable in the revelations of heaven, and strikes at the root of civil liberty, and is a subversion of all equitable principles between man and man.
We believe that God has set his hand the second time to recover the remnant of his people, Israel; and that the time is near when he will bring them from the four winds, with songs of everlasting joy, and reinstate them upon their own lands which he gave their fathers by covenant.
And further: We believe in embracing good wherever it may be found; of proving all things, and holding fast that which is righteous.
This, in short, is our belief, and we stand ready to defend it upon its own foundation when ever it is assailed by men of character and respectability. And while we act upon these broad principles, we trust in God that we shall never be confounded!
Neither shall we wait for opposition; but with a firm reliance upon the justice of such a course, and the propriety of disseminating a knowledge of the same, we shall endeavor to persuade men to turn from error and vain speculation; investigate the plan which heaven has devised for our salvation; prepare for the year of recompense, and the day of vengeance which are near, and thereby be ready to meet the Bridegroom!
OLIVER COWDERY. Kirtland, Ohio, October, 1834.
Joseph Young (1836)
Source: Joseph Young cited in John Hayward, The Religious Creeds and Statistics (1836): 139-140; cited in John W. Welch and David J. Whittaker, "’We Believe…’. Development of the Articles of Faith," Ensign 9/9 (September 1979): 51-55.
‘This Church was organized on the 6th of April, 1830, in the State of New York, and its principal articles of faith are,
‘1. [1] A belief in one true and living God, the creator of the heavens and the earth, and in his Son Jesus Christ, who came into this world 1800 years since, at Jerusalem; was slain, rose from the dead, ascended on high, and now sits on the right hand of the Majesty in the heavens; [3] that through the atonement thus wrought out, all men may come to God and find acceptance; all of which they believe is revealed in the holy Scripture.
2.‘ [4] That God requires all men, wherever his gospel is proclaimed, or his law known, to repent of all sins, forsake evil, and follow righteousness; that his word also requires men to be baptized, as well as to repent; and that the direct way pointed out by the Scriptures for baptism, is immersion. After which, the individual has the promise of the gift of the Holy Spirit…. This gift of the Holy Spirit, was anciently bestowed by the laying on of the apostles’ hands: [5] so this church believes that those who have authority to administer in the ordinances of the gospel, have this right and authority….
3.[10] That God will, in the last days, gather the literal descendants of Jacob to the lands anciently possessed by their fathers; that he will lead them as at the first, and build them as at the beginning…. [7] And that, as men anciently saw visions, dreamed dreams, held communion with angels, and conversed with the heavens, so it will be in the last days, to prepare the way for all nations, languages and tongues, to serve him in truth.
‘4. That the time will come when the Lord Jesus will descend from heaven, accompanied with ten thousand of his saints; that a mighty angel will lay hold on the dragon, bind him, cast him into the pit….
5. They believe in the resurrection of the body; that all men will stand in the presence of God, and be judged according to the deeds, or works, done in this life.’”
Orson Pratt (1840)
Source: Orson Pratt, An Interesting Account of Several Remarkable Visions (Edinburgh, Scotland: Ballantyne and Hughes, 1840), ??. off-site off-site Full title GL direct link [citation needed]
We now proceed to give a sketch of the faith and doctrine of this Church.
First, We believe in God the Eternal Father,and in his Son Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost, who bears record of them, the same throughout all ages and for ever.
We believe that all mankind, by the transgression of their first parents, and not by their own sins, were brought un- [p. 25] der the curse and penalty of that transgression, which consigned them to an eternal banishment from the presence of God, and their bodies to an endless sleep in the dust, never more to rise, and their spirits to endless misery under the power of Satan; and that, in this awful condition, they were utterly lost and fallen, and had no power of their own to extricate themselves therefrom.
We believe, that through the sufferings, death, and atonement of Jesus Christ, all mankind, without one exception, are to be completely, and fully redeemed, both body and spirit, from the endless banishment and curse, to which they were consigned, by Adam's transgression; and that this universal salvation and redemption of the whole human family from the endless penalty of the original sin, is effected, without any conditions whatsoever on their part; that is, that they are not required to believe, or repent, or be baptized, or do any thing else, in order to be redeemed from that penalty; for whether they believe or disbelieve, whether they repent or remain inpenitent, whether they be baptized or unbaptized, whether they keep the commandments or break them, whether they are righteous or unrighteous, it will make no difference in relation to their redemption, both soul and body, from the penalty of Adam's transgression. The most righteous man that ever lived on the earth, and the most wicked wretch of the whole human family, were both placed under the same curse, without any transgression or agency of their own, and they both, alike, will be redeemed from that curse, without any agency or conditions on their part. Paul says, Rom. v. 18. "Therefore, as by the offence of one, judgment came upon ALL men to condemnation; even so, by the righteousness of one, the free gift came upon ALL men unto the justification of life." This is the reason, why ALL men are redeemed from the grave. This is the reason, that the spirits of ALL men are restored to their bodies. This is the reason that ALL men are redeemed from their first banishment, and restored into the presence of God, and this is the reason that the Saviour said, John xii. 32, "If I be lifted up from the earth I will draw ALL men unto me." After this full, complete, and universal redemption, restoration, and salvation of the whole of Adam's race, through the atonement of Jesus Christ, without faith, re- [p. 26] pentance, baptism, or any other works, then, all and every one of them, will enjoy eternal life and happiness, never more to be banished from the presence of God, IF they themselves have committed no sin: for the penalty of the original sin can have no more power over them at all, for Jesus hath destroyed its power, and broken the bands of the first death, and obtained the victory over the grave, and delivered all its captives, and restored them from their first banishment into the presence of his Father; hence eternal life will then be theirs, IF they themselves are not found transgressors of some law.
We believe that all mankind, in their infant state, are incapable of knowing good and evil, and of obeying or disobeying a law, and that, therefore, there is no law given to them, and that where there is no law, there is no transgression; hence they are innocent, and if they should all die in their infant state, they would enjoy eternal life, not being transgressors themselves, neither accountable for Adam's sin.
We believe that all mankind, in consequence of the fall, after they grow up from their infant state, and come to the years of understanding, know good and evil, and are capable of obeying or disobeying a law, and that law is given against doing evil, and that the penalty affixed is a second banishment from the presence of God, both body and spirit, after they have been redeemed from the FIRST banishment and restored into his presence.
We believe, that the penalty of this second law can have no effect upon persons who have not had the privilege, in this life, of becoming acquainted therewith; for although the light that is in them, teaches them good and evil, yet that light does not teach them the law against doing evil, nor the penalty thereof. And although they have done things worthy of many stripes, yet the law cannot be brought to bear against them, and its penalty be inflicted, because they can plead ignorance of, but by the law of their conscience, the penalty thereof being a few stripes.
We believe that all who have done evil, having a knowledge of the law, or afterwards, in this life, coming to the knowledge thereof, are under its penalty, which is not [p. 27] inflicted in this world, but in the world to come. Therefore such, in this world, are prisoners, shut up under the sentence of law, awaiting, with awful fear, for the time of judgment, when the penalty shall be inflicted, consigning them to a second banishment from the presence of their Redeemer, who has redeemed them from the penalty of the FIRST law. But, enquires the sinner, is there no way for my escape? Is my case hopeless? Can I not devise some way by which I can extricate myself from the penalty of this SECOND law, and escape this SECOND banishment? The answer is, if thou canst hide thyself from the all-searching eye of an Omni-present God, that he shall not find thee, or if thou canst prevail with him to deny justice its claim, or if thou canst clothe thyself with power, and contend with the Almighty, and prevent him from executing the sentence of the law, then thou canst escape. If thou canst cause repentance, or baptism in water, or any of thine own works, to atone for the least of thy transgressions, then thou canst deliver thyself from the awful penalty that awaits thee. But, be assured, O sinner, that thou canst not devise any way of thine own to escape, nor do any thing that will atone for thy sins. Therefore, thy case is hopeless, unless God hath devised some way for thy deliverance; but do not let despair seize upon thee: for though thou art under the sentence of a broken law, and hast no power to atone for thy sins, and redeem thyself therefrom, yet there is hope in thy case; for he, who gave the law, has devised a way for thy deliverance. That same Jesus, who hath atoned for the original sin, and will redeem all mankind from the penalty thereof, hath also atoned for thy sins, and offereth salvation and deliverance to thee, on certain conditions to be complied with on thy part.
We believe that the first condition to be complied with on the part of sinners is, to believe in God, and in the sufferings and death of his Son Jesus Christ, to atone for the sins of the whole world, and in his resurrection and ascension on high, to appear in the presence of his Father, to make intercessions for the children of men, and in the Holy Ghost, which is given to all who obey the gospel.
That the second condition is, to repent, that is, all who believe, according to the first condition, are required to [p. 28] come humbly before God, and confess their sins with a broken heart and contrite spirit, and to turn away from them, and cease from all their evil deeds, and make restitution to all they have in any way injured, as far as it is in their power.
That the third condition is, to be baptized by immersion in water, in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, for remission of sins; and that this ordinance is to administered by one who is called and authorized of Jesus Christ to baptize, otherwise it is illegal, and of no advantage, and not accepted by him; and that it is to be administered only to those persons, who believe and repent, according to the two preceding conditions.
And that the fourth condition is, to receive the laying on of hands, in the name of Jesus Christ, for the gift of the Holy Ghost; and that this ordinance is to be administered by the apostles or elders, whom the Lord Jesus hath called and authorized to lay on hands, otherwise it is of no advantage, being illegal in the sight of God; and that it is to be administered only to those persons, who believe, repent, and are baptized into this church, according to the three preceding conditions. These are the first conditions of the gospel. All who comply with them receive forgiveness of sins, and are made partakers of the Holy Ghost. Through these conditions, they become the adopted sons and daughters of God. Through this process, they are born again, first of water, and then of the spirit, and become children of the kingdom--heirs of God--saints of the most High--the church of the first-born--the elect people, and heirs to a celestial inheritance, eternal in the presence of God. After complying with these principles, their names are enrolled in the book of the names of the righteous.
They are then required to be humble, to be meek and lowly in heart, to watch and pray, to deal justly; and inasmuch as they have the riches of this world, to feed the hungry and clothe the naked, according to the dictates of wisdom and prudence; to comfort the afflicted, to bind up the broken-hearted, and to do all the good that is in their power: and besides all these things, they are required to meet together as often as circumstances will admit, and partake of bread and wine, in remembrance of the broken [p. 29] body, and shed blood of the Lord Jesus; and, in short, to continue faithful to the end, in all the duties enjoined upon them by the word and spirit of Christ.
"It is the duty and privilege of the saints thus organized upon the everlasting gospel, to believe in and enjoy all the gifts, powers, and blessings which flow from the Holy Spirit. Such, for instance, as the gifts of revelation, prophecy, visions, the ministry of angels, healing the sick by the laying on of hands in the name of Jesus, the working of miracles, and, in short, all the gifts as mentioned in Scripture, or as enjoyed by the ancient saints." We believe that inspired apostles and prophets, together with all the officers as mentioned in the New Testament, are necessary to be in the Church in these days.
We believe that there has been a general and awful apostasy from the religion of the New Testament, so that all the known world have been left for centuries without the Church of Christ among them; without a priesthood authorized of God to administer ordinances; that every one of the churches has perverted the gospel; some in one way, and some in another. For instance, almost every church has done away "immersion for remission of sins." Those few who have practised it for remission of sins, have done away with the ordinance of the "laying on of hands" upon baptized believers for the gift of the Holy Ghost. Again, the few who have practised this last ordinance, have perverted the first, or have done away the ancient gifts, and powers, and blessings, which flow from the Holy Spirit, or have said to inspired apostles and prophets, we have no need of you in the body in these days. Those few, again, who have believed in, and contended for the miraculous gifts and powers of the Holy Spirit, have perverted the ordinances, or done them away. Thus all the churches preach false doctrines, and pervert the gospel, and instead of having authority from God to administer its ordinances, they are under the curse of God for perverting it. Paul says, Gal. i. 8, "Though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed."
We believe that there are a few, sincere, honest, and humble persons, who are striving to do according to the best of their understanding; but, in many respects, they [p. 30] err in doctrine, because of false teachers and the precepts of men, and that they will receive the fulness of the gospel with gladness, as soon as they hear it.
The gospel in the "Book of Mormon," is the same as that in the New Testament, and is revealed in great plainness, so that no one that reads it can misunderstand its principles. It has been revealed by the angel, to be preached as a witness to all nations, first to the Gentiles, and then to the Jews, then cometh the downfall of Babylon. Thus fulfilling the vision of John, which he beheld on the Isle of Patmos, Rev. xiv. 6, 7, 8, " And I saw," says John, "another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, saying, with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him, for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters. And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication."
Many revelations and prophecies have been given to this church since its rise, which have been printed and sent forth to the world. These also contain the gospel in great plainness, and instructions of infinite importance to the saints. They also unfold the great events that await this generation; the terrible judgments to be poured forth upon the wicked, and the blessings and glories to be given to the righteous. We believe that God will continue to give revelations by visions, by the ministry of angels, and by the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, until the saints are guided unto all truth, that is, until they come in possession of all the truth there is in existence, and are made perfect in knowledge. So long, therefore, as they are ignorant of any thing past, present, or to come, so long, we believe, they will enjoy the gift of revelation. And when in their immortal and perfect state--when they enjoy "the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ"--when they are made perfect in one, and become like their Saviour, then they will be in possession of all knowledge, wisdom, and intelligence: then all things will be theirs, whether incipalities or powers, thrones or dominions; and, i [p. 31] short, then they will be filled will all the fulness of God. And what more can they learn? What more can they know? What more can they enjoy? Then they will no longer need revelation.
We believe that wherever the people enjoy the religion of the New Testament, there they enjoy visions, revelations, the ministry of angels, &c. And that wherever these blessings cease to be enjoyed, there they also cease to enjoy the religion of the New Testament.
We believe that God has raised up this church, in order to prepare a people for his second coming in the clouds of heaven, in power, and great glory; and that then the saints who are asleep in their graves will be raised, and reign with him on earth a thousand years.
And now we bear testimony to all, both small and great, that the Lord of Hosts hath sent us with a message of glad tidings--the everlasting gospel, to cry repentance to the nations, and prepare the way of his second coming. Therefore repent, O ye nations, both Gentiles and Jews, and cease from all your evil deeds, and come forth with broken hearts and contrite spirits, and be baptized in water, in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, for remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, by the laying on of the hands of the Apostles or Elders of this church; and signs shall follow them that believe, and if they continue faithful to the end, they shall be saved. But woe unto them, who hearken not to the message which God has now sent, for the day of vengeance and burning is at hand, and they shall not escape. Therefore, REMEMBER, O reader, and perish not!
Orson Hyde (1842)
Source: Orson Hyde, Ein Ruf aus der Vüste, Eine Stimme aus dem Schoose der Erde. Kurzer Ueberblick des Ursprungs und der Lehre der Kirche "Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints" in Amerika, Gekannt von Manchen Unter der Benennung: "Die Mormonen." [published in 1960 in English as A Cry from the Wilderness, a Voice from the Dust of the Earth] (Frankfurt am Main, Germany, 1842), ??. [citation needed]
Anyone who wished to undertake a complete explanation of the wonderful and mysterious existence of the Godhead would only reveal his weakness and his foolishness. If we survey nature’s expansive kingdom, what do we see that we can fully comprehend? Nothing! Now if nature has so artfully hidden from our eye that fine plan by which it drives its grand mechanisms, what must we think of that being whose voice gave nature its existence and filled all its parts with life and movement!?
Although we cannot fully comprehend the Godhead, yet there are various general indications in scripture that enable us to discover some features of its character. And by means of these sources from which we can draw instruction, the following is the result of our investigation.
There are two persons who constitute the great incomparableness, the highest governing force over all things, by which everything is created, visible and invisible, be it in Heaven, on Earth or under and in the same, or in the vastness of space. These two are the Father and the Son. The Father is a spiritual person full of glory and power and possessing all perfection. The Son, who was eternally in the presence of the Father, bears his perfect likeness and shares all his glory, power, and perfection. Human beings were created according to the image of similarity of these two persons and therefore bear in their divine features the emblems of power and government and were placed above all created beings. But how miserably have human beings deviated from God! And how many by their unworthy behavior will yet dishonor this noble heavenly image that they have been deemed worthy to bear!
The Son took on a human body in the womb of the blessed virgin after he had been conceived in purity by the Holy Ghost. He was born into this world amidst the jubilations of angelic singers who swelled their voices to the highest notes to give praise and honor to the prince of Bethlehem. “Glory to God in the highest and peace to men of good will on Earth.” Thus sang the choir of singers. The sins of the world were inflicted on this heavenly visitor, the son of the most high God. Meekly, subject to the opposition of sinners, he journeyed through his active life while proclaiming the will of His heavenly Father and doing good to body and soul of mankind until at last it pleased the children of Earth to drag Him for His good deeds before a worldly judgment seat, where he was unjustly condemned and sacrificed on the cross with utmost cruelty.
But now, disembodied, he goes to the spirits of mankind who long had lingered in the vestibule—he strides over the boundaries of their dark dwelling-place—proclaims the gospel to them—opens the gates of their prison for the weary prisoners, and commands their tears to flow no more. O you faithless ones who did not repent to Noah’s sermon; but now a friend has come to your aid!
On the third day, He rose from the dead, and after He had given yet more instruction to His disciples, He ascended to His home, bringing with Him to the heavenly court the rich booty of victory over death, the grave and Hell. There He took His seat to the right of the Father and has now become our mediator and advocate; for through His death and through His mediation, people can be saved if they obey His commandments and keep themselves unspotted from the world. Through this man, righteous judgment will come over all flesh, for He possesses the same will as the Father, and this will is the Holy Ghost, which is the executive representative of the Father and the Son. He is a glorious messenger of truth and comfort, sent by the Father through the Son into the hearts of all those who walk upright before him; and these three, namely the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost, are one. Therefore all those who keep his commandments will ascend from grace to grace and become heirs of the kingdom of God and fellow heirs of Jesus Christ. The closer they come to God through obedience, the more they will lose of their own will and receive of that of the Lord or of the Holy Ghost. They will be transformed again into His image and into His similarity with Him Who fills all things fully, and become one with the Son as the Son is one with the Father. O man, whoever you may be, consider well what is placed in your domain. Do not affix the predispositions of your heart to common and useless things, but remember instead the grand destination that awaits all those who make virtue their companion and salvation the goal of their labors.
This sanctified treasure trove is recognized by the members of our church and we feel obligated to illustrate the just and holy commandments contained therein through example in our daily conduct. However, we do not want this to be understood as if the Holy Ghost had specifically emphasized each of these clauses, or as if all the ceremonies that were practiced among the Jews had also been imposed on us. Yet no part of sacred scripture can be found that would not provide some example to humble followers of Christ from which they might draw useful instruction.
No one has the right to add anything to these scriptures, and less still to take anything away; neither could he do so without drawing the justified ire of the divine head of the church upon him. See Rev. 22:18-19. Should it however please the Lord himself to subsequently give humankind a new revelation, be it through his own voice from Heaven, through the ministration of an angel, through the Holy Ghost, or through divine vision, this would be no addition or the work of men at all, but only the work of Him who has declared by the mouth of His Son that all hidden things will be revealed and all secrets brought to light. Therefore those who have will have further cause to expect still more, for the apostle James has said: “If any of you are in need of wisdom, let it be asked of God, who is generous to all people and will not make it the object of reproach, and it will be given to him.”
And Jesus has further said: “You will receive all things whatsoever that you request with firm faith.” Therefore the eternal word of life says, “To him who believes, all things are possible.” And it is my constant prayer and my unshakable faith that Heaven may continue to reveal His Word to us until the knowledge and glory of God will fill the entire earth and the nations will know war no more. But he whose superstition and tradition will mislead him to reject every new proclamation of truth from Heaven or from Earth (see Psalm 85:11) “will be like the heat of the wilderness and will never see when prosperity is coming.”
The man who prudently pursues the acquisition of earthly riches will use his entire current wealth for some certain and profitable business and then seek to increase it through industriousness and personal effort. Thus should the follower of Christ do. He should make the best possible use of the words of the Lord already given and, on the path of self-denial, prayer and strict obedience, seek to obtain still more, for Christ has said: “He who seeks will find.” The children of light should be just as wise in their time as the children of the world; but the Lord has said that they are not, and this is to be lamented. The fear persists that many will bind and bury their talent in a book.
The belief that brings us salvation is the certainty with which we hope to obtain things unseen, and therefore it is also the primary driving force of all human actions. With this certainty, the plowman tills his field, the sailor traverses the wide sea and the manufacturer, mechanic and craftsman pursues his trade with like mind, each one hoping to obtain something that he does not see at the moment, but of which he is sure, namely wealth.
Should the plowman believe that his field will provide him a bountiful harvest without plowing or tilling it — would his faith alone be sufficient to grant him the harvest? No!
Should the seaman believe that he could amass the riches of India through his maritime trade, but without ever going on board a ship to stretch his sails to the wind — would his faith alone bring him the longed-for wealth? No! Or should the merchant believe that he can increase his property through purchase and sale, but without buying and selling — would his belief alone suffice to bring about the desired increase? No! So it is with all classes of people in the business dealings of this world, and the same principle also applies in relation to the true riches that are stored up for us in heaven. If someone hopes to get hold of them, he must both work and believe; for faith and work are the two wings with which the Christian flies from Earth to Heaven. Take one of them away, and the other is no longer of any use to him, for he cannot fly with one wing.
Faith is obtained by hearing the word of God explained by a preacher who does not speak such words as taught by human wisdom, but such words as the Holy Spirit utters them when he compares spiritual things with spiritual. The whole expanse of nature with all its blossoming enticements opens a flood of light to the contemplating mind in relation to the eternal power and majesty of God, the invisible creator. The shady grove, the powerfully flowing stream, the lofty mountains and the expansive plains proclaim the work of an almighty hand. The heavens with their countless worlds that decorate the blue dome of night prove to every eye the existence of a more than human power.
Who can contemplate nature in its eternal unfolding without asking what secret spring may lie concealed under the veil by which the countless bodies move in space with such regularity and order? And all this changing and unfolding is only there for human convenience.
One may use whatever name one likes to refer to this power by which nature moves, and yet every principle of truth and justice would forever justify its claim on our most sincere and humble worship. Because no one will deny that first, it is great; and second, no one can deny that it is good. Therefore that which is infinitely great and infinitely good demands a tribute from dependent beings, and since God required only a broken heart and a contrite spirit, in addition to the obedient observance of His good and salvific laws, who could be so ungrateful as to withhold this sacrifice from the Lord?
The Lord Jesus has been given to us as a redeemer and as an object of our faith, and no human being can come to the Father but through Him. To him has been given a name under Heaven and among men by which we can all be saved. He and He alone is our mediator. He has borne our sorrow and taken our misery upon himself, and He kindly invites us to Him to be saved through Him.
O man! the creator seeks to penetrate you with his holy word by the mouth of His servants; he tries to penetrate you when He shows you His divine image in the works of nature as if in a mirror, and he desires to animate with His holy spirit which, like the wind, can be more easily felt than seen.
But should you refuse to turn your heart to him, despite the persuasiveness of these eloquent advocates, know that you are lost, for the Lord himself has said: “He who does not believe will be damned.”
Perhaps some persons will say: “I believe with all my heart that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and also in His holy religion, but will you also tell us what we have to do to enjoy this religion and enter into the kingdom of God?”
I am most delighted to hear such a full and open confession of the first principle of the Christian religion, for it is precisely such a confession that the gospel requires, and I am delighted to step forward to suggest a second principle.
Repentance is that feeling of heartache and sorrow for offenses committed against God that fills a person with the firm intention to avoid the sins and injustices they have committed and to change their entire way of life. Repentance is a doctrine that aims only for humility, brings refinement as its consequence, and strives only to strip the faithful of pride and arrogance and to bring them to the foot of the cross where the stream of grace flows so that they may be washed clean of their guilt and their defilements. Repentance is in fact like the physician’s medicine, which is unpleasant to taste but beneficial to the health of the body.
To be sure, the worldly-minded person does not like to slacken in his striving for prosperity and greatness, nor does the man of pleasure wish to part with those enchanting delights that almost everywhere and in different forms and guises try to divert his steps from the path of virtue and piety. The rich man will also find it difficult to donate his goods generously to the poor, and the proud and arrogant have no desire to walk in the valley of humility.
We may often in fact find the names of such persons engraved on stone within a church; but if the words of Jesus count as reliable truth, know that their names are not recorded on the list of those who have been sanctified to shine in honorable memory on that day when those who have gone through great tribulation and have washed their garments clean and white in the blood of the Lamb will be crowned with immortal honors at the right hand of their Lord and King.
During the course of my life, I have wandered through different areas and met people of different stages. I saw the rich man rolling in his splendor, radiant with gold and diamonds, as if he had wrapped the broad folds of the starry sky around himself. I saw the poor man also! Some were so miserable that to them, life seemed only a burden that was given to them to perpetuate their misery so that the cup of their tribulations would be filled already here on this Earth.
But what my eye turned to with greatest interest was to see the strong arm of political power stretch a golden canopy over the church. It is not fitting for me to condemn everything that I cannot harmonize with my feelings; yet I have seriously deliberated about the truth of a church under such circumstances that is able to accommodate in its bosom principles and modes of practice that are contrary to pure and unsullied religion. The hand of winter spreads a white mantle over the face of Earth and for moments hides its malformations; but when the sun comes and pours out its warming rays again over the Earth, her snowy veil melts away and every coarse and unsuitable place appears to the eye. So too the time is now drawing near when the concealing veil that has been cast over all nations will be rent in two, like the veil of the temple at the crucifixion of Christ; and everything that is secret will be brought to light, and “then shall every man’s work be tried of what sort it is.”
Whoever will look back with unprejudiced mind at the beginning of Christianity must confess that a great difference prevails between the state of the earlier church and the present one. For the great founder of the Christian faith could in truth say: “The foxes have their dens and the birds their nests, but the Son of Man alone has no place to lay His head.” He also said “that the servant is not above his master, nor the disciple above his master”; and as for me, I would like to add that it is most unnatural for a stream to rise against its source; but modern Christianity has risen up against its ancient source and has drawn clouds of worldly honor around itself. Should I pass judgment on this order of things? No! My master has not authorized me to do this. But He has authorized me to say “that the day will come that will burn like an oven, and that all the proud and those who practice injustice will be like stubble. And the day will come when it will burn away, root and branch, says the Lord!” If then all the proud and all those who practice injustice will be burned away, who can be saved? If I had the eloquence of an angel, and if I had as many tongues as Hydra, I would use them all to preach repentance to this generation.
But a man asks me how he should go about the work of repentance. Sober observation and consideration must be his first steps. He might consider that it is a virtuous being against whom he has sinned and whose laws he has transgressed — a being who has always acted only for his benefit, not refusing even His Son to die for him — a being who wanted to lift him into the other world and make him shine with a glory like the Sun in the firmament. The next step is that he might often visit the place of secret prayer to pour out his soul before God. Let him banish every vain thought from his mind and make a firm decision to devote himself to service and the worship of the Lord; and I can tell him with certainty that he need not wait long on this path until a ray of divine compassion warms him and his icy heart melts into tears of joy that testify of a humble spirit. And then let him bring thankful praise to his Lord and God.
If a person has advanced so far in his striving for eternal life, he is a suitable object for the baptism of water, for he already believes and has sincerely repented of his sins.
Baptism is the act of immersing or submerging the body in water in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost. It is an ancient custom to which the Lord Himself submitted as He sojourned here on earth to fulfill the will of His father and to set us an example worthy of our imitation. How proud the river Jordan must have been to have been allowed to receive into its embracing floods a person as exalted as the Son of God.
This holy and solemn ordinance was presented by John the Baptist in the wilderness of Judea as a means for the remission of the sins of the people. A multitude of men and women recognized the correctness of his teaching; they sincerely confessed their sins and afterwards descended into the waters of Jordan by the hand of this strange but holy prophet of God.
Our blessed Lord not only taught the necessity of each person’s submission to this ordinance, but also affirmed it in the most definite terms. His own words are: “If someone is not born again of the water and the Holy Ghost, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.” And on another occasion, He again said about baptism: “He who believes and is baptized will be saved, but he who does not believe will be damned.” Baptism is therefore an important condition for the forgiveness of sins, for our Lord said to the apostle Peter: “Whose sins you forgive, I will also forgive them”; and Peter, filled with the Holy Ghost on the feast of Pentecost, and bearing the keys of the kingdom of Heaven, rejoiced greatly to be able to say to the questioning Jews: “Repent and be baptized everyone in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.” So if Peter promised the people forgiveness of sins under such conditions, there is no doubt that the Lord forgave them under the same conditions.
We do not want this to be understood as saying that the water alone has the power to cleanse us from the stains of sin. A piece of blank paper alone is by itself of very little value, but if it has received the banker’s stamp, assurance and signature for 500 florins, it is of just the same value. The same is true of water baptism, and according to the Savior’s assurance, we must regard it as a remission of sins, provided that it is performed by a person authorized by God to do so.
We do not baptize anyone unless he has arrived at the age of reason and has recognized for himself that he has sinned against his God. We consider this course of action to be in complete accordance with the content of the Bible; it is only expounded more clearly and exactly in the ancient records of America, of which we have already written at the beginning of this book. That is why we cannot consider baptizing, or rather sprinkling children with water in any other light than as a merely human ordinance or rather a perversion of the ancient practice, which was introduced in the church long ago when the lamp of direct inspiration was extinguished. It seems to me that this modern innovation took into account the convenience of practice more than the word or spirit of the true and living God.
Although this latter manner has long been practiced and has been almost universally introduced, and has even been affirmed by great and learned men, I have read concerning a man greater than all of them that He descended into the River Jordan and there was baptized. It should be noted here that the long practice and universal introduction of an incorrect principle so little sanctifies it or transforms it into a truth as a sin is sanctified through universal practice or transformed into a principle of righteousness before God.
The same earth that we inhabit was first baptized in water to cleanse it from sin and defilement – and one day it will be baptized again, although not with water, but with fire and the Holy Ghost. It will be freed from the consequences of its fall to become a paradise again where the Lord himself will dwell with all the meek when there will be no one to molest or make afraid. Then they will receive the promised inheritance, for: “Blessed are the meek, for they will possess the earth.” The waters of the flood served Noah as a highway that brought him from the ancient world that was doomed to destruction for the sake of its sins and corruption, into a world cleansed and purified from evil upon which Heaven poured out its blessings and gave the promises of sowing and harvest and the time of day and night. While this venerable patriarch and father of a new world was marveling at the scenes around him and contemplating the important and mighty deeds of Jehovah, the triumphal arch appeared in the clouds, resplendent with all the different hues of the rainbow as a good omen and a felicitation for the earth upon its receiving its new monarch.
The apostle Peter says about this: “In the same way, baptism redeems us.” It leads us out of the world and brings us into the kingdom of God, where the promises of eternal life spring up around us and scatter their heavenly fragrances to refresh and strengthen us on our journey through life.
Whenever a person dies, the friends of the deceased immediately prepare to offer him the final service of their benevolence by burying him in the earth. And it is rare for the tears of love to fall upon his grave without being mixed with the hope that he might rise again after death to receive a place of rest in his time, beyond the grave.
So it is with a person who truly believes in Christ and sincerely repents of his sins. He may be considered dead, that is, dead to sin, and the service of friendship that we can offer him afterwards is that we bury him in the water of baptism with the blessed hope that he will not only rise from this watery grave as a new creature, alive in Christ, but that he will also rise from the dead on the day of the resurrection of the just, to be received with them into the heavenly paradise, where he will forever enjoy the fruits of his obedience to the decrees of Heaven.
A few years ago some American missionaries, who were stationed among our Western Indians to instruct and civilize them if possible, undertook to translate a certain part of the New Testament into their language. Several Indians believed in it, as a consequence of which the priests suggested to them that they be should baptized. The necessary arrangements were made accordingly, and a basin with water was procured. As soon as the Indians saw it, they asked, Why is this water here? The priest answered: To baptize you with it. What! said the poor Indians, Are you intending to put us into this basin? Oh no! answered the ministering priest, I just want to sprinkle you with it. Immediately the Indians went and got the same translation from the scriptures and said to the priest: “Then you have given us the wrong book, because this one here says that we must be buried with Christ in baptism.”
I have added this anecdote here only to show the impression the scriptures made on the unprejudiced spirit of these native-born sons of the forest. And in consequence of the numerous examples recorded in the scriptures where the ancient Christians gathered in droves on the banks of the river to practice this sacred custom, and went to where there was much water and then descended and were buried in the water – I cannot understand how people who have read their Bible come to a different conclusion regarding this topic than to the one the poor Indians came to. St. Paul said (Rom. 6:4-5): “For we are buried with him through baptism to death, so that, just as Christ rose from the dead, through the glory of the Father, we too may walk in a new life.”
“If we are planted together (with him) in resemblance of his death, we will also be so in resemblance of the resurrection.”
This is an ordinance that is carefully observed in our church, and no one can be regarded as a member of it unless he has been confirmed by the laying on of hands of the elders. After the candidate has been baptized, it is the duty of the priest exercising his office to explain to him the benefit and the specific nature of this ordinance, and to make it understandable to his intellect. After this happens, he must proceed to turn to Almighty God in solemn prayer and lay hands on the candidate in the name of Jesus so that he may thus dedicate him to the service of the Lord and confirm upon him the blessings of the Holy Ghost.
Now if everything has been done in a sober, clear, and reverent way, then we have cause to expect the approval of Heaven, which will graciously preserve the fruits of our labor for us for eternal life after we have been faithful devotees of virtue and righteousness. Since those who exercise the office of priesthood comprise the connecting link, so to speak, between Christ and his people, then by the laying on of their hands, we are given a part of that spirit that flows from the bosom of the most high God. And just as the branches of the vine draw their nourishment from the sap that rises from the roots and brings life and vigor to their farthest ends, so also the Spirit of God, which flows from the eternal source, conducts life, health and joy to all members via the channel of the priesthood and imparts to them those feelings that create a glorious and heavenly bond among them and with their eternal Head, where they in this way become one with Christ, just as Christ is one with the Father. For when one member suffers, they all suffer, and when one member is honored, they rejoice together. About this, Christ says to his disciples: “He who receives you receives me, and he who receives me receives the Father who sent me. And those who despise you despise me, and in despising me they also despise Him who sent me.” And again he said: “Whatever you have done to one of the least of my brothers, you have done it to me.”
This exalted institution was established by our Lord himself just before He suffered on the cross with the intention that it should always remain among us and be immortalized in His church until He comes in his glory to reign on Earth, at which time he has promised to drink wine again with his children in his father’s kingdom.
One intention of this institution in the church was that through it, this momentous truth should always remain in the memory of its members: that the body of Christ was broken for their sins and his blood was shed to wash away their crimes.
In our church, this sacrament is administered on the first day of the week, which is currently our Sabbath. In the beginning, however, the seventh day was the Sabbath; and we suppose that the first will again be the last, and the last just as the first. Instead of this sacrament lessening in solemnity and seriousness in people’s view through frequent use (as some suspect), prior experience has taught us the opposite. For its more frequent reception calls for more frequent confession from all those who do evil; and this confession is usually followed by a reproof appropriate to the nature of the transgressions. This rebuke, which the spirit of the Lord inflicts on the sinner through his servants, cannot be truly congenial to the guilty conscience, for it is powerfully piercing and commanding and calculated to humble and suppress the spirit of indulgence for sin and ultimately force it to flee from its abode like an unwelcome guest.
Those who engage in virtuous acts most often also love virtue the most, and for them, it never loses its importance. But those who seldom lay their obeisances on its altar cannot be regarded as particular favorites at its court. “By their fruits will you recognize them,” said One who was wiser than me. The organization of our church is such that all of these duties can be performed with the greatest of ease and very little expenditure of time.
Bread and wine are blessed by the presiding priest and distributed to all members by the elders. After the bread and wine have thus been blessed and consecrated, we regard both as if they were in power and essence truly the flesh and blood of our Lord Jesus, who died for us, although it is not His true flesh and blood.
To make this subject clearer, I will give an example. The Lord commanded Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac as a burnt offering for him, and Abraham, who was immediately willing to obey the divine command, made preparations for it. When everything was prepared, Abraham took the knife to deliver the death blow to his son; but the voice of an angel from Heaven stopped his hand, and the Lord accepted the ram for a burnt offering in place of the son of promise. So Isaac was sacrificed symbolically, but in very self in power and effect, and God always looked upon Abraham as if he had truly offered his son to Him, although the ram was sacrificed in his place at the altar.
So it is with the holy sacrament. God looks upon us as if we really consumed the flesh and blood of his son, although received it only symbolically. However, through the prayers and blessings of the priest, bread and wine receive from God that power that cannot be seen with the profane eye but is only felt by humble hearts.
Those who participate in this sacrament with faith and purity receive spiritual power and divine comfort. We consider the frequent repetition of this divine ordinance to be unavoidably necessary in order to keep the church in a condition of continued health and growth.
But spiritual death strikes him who approaches this holy feast with an unclean spirit or with hatred for his brother.
Whenever a member of our church becomes guilty of immoral behavior or an offense against its rules, a confession on his part as well as a sincere promise of improvement becomes necessary in order to preserve his right to fellowship. If the offense was in secret, then he must confess it inwardly before his God and before those persons who were thereby offended; but if his offense was public, he must confess publicly and submit to public rebuke. If the guilty person should refuse to confess or submit to the regulations of the church, however, he is expelled from it and his name is stricken from the book.
The church with a presiding elder is a competent tribunal to settle all disputes and complaints that may arise under ordinary circumstances. But we also have a higher tribunal before which important cases are heard, and this consists of twelve high priests, all of whom must be men of experience and high moral worth. If these twelve should not be able to deny their opinion in some matter, then the matter in question is submitted to the president of this council, who must possess the gift of prophecy. He then presents it to the Lord in solemn prayer and implores him for enlightenment and instruction. And the word of the Lord thus received puts an end to all disputes.
A person who has been expelled from fellowship in our church cannot return to it until he publicly confesses the misdeeds for whose sake he was cast out. He must then however be baptized and confirmed again before he can again be recognized as a participating member.
It is an indispensable duty of parents, imposed on them by the strictest bonds of nature and by the express word of the Lord, to raise their children in virtue and righteousness and to instill in their tender souls the true principles of piety and religion. All parents in our church who neglect these duties to their children are considered to be members acting contrary to the law and are admonished and treated accordingly.
All children who have been properly brought up and instructed and have thus reached their eighth year are considered at this time to have come to the knowledge of good and evil and are therefore capable of exercising faith and having remorse for theirs sins. Therefore they are baptized at this age and confirmed as members of the Church; and not sooner.
All those children who are under eight years of age and whose parents belong to our congregation must be brought to our church, where the elders lay their hands on them and bless them in the name of the Lord and consecrate them to the service of the Most High. (But no sprinkling with water takes place.)
Since a creature is considered responsible only for the real transgressions that it committed itself, and since sin is only attributed where a law was given — then a little unthinking child, susceptible to no law, has full claim to immortality and eternal life (“because for such,” says Christ, “is the kingdom of heaven”) through the merit of the death of our Savior. And this right can only be forfeited by the transgression of a law that is known when they have reached the age of reason, and such a transgression of the law mentioned makes repentance and baptism necessary for the remission of sins.
The idea that the Lord has given his people a revelation or command in present times is as far removed from the beliefs of the largest part of the religious world as Lot was from Sodom on its evil day. But we have long since learned that the unbelief of a benighted world cannot serve as a guide for us, and because we are not of the same opinion as it, it regards us as deceivers, hypocrites and blasphemers. And under this prejudice, we were compelled to suffer not only the falsity and abuse of their tongues, but also their instruments of torture and cruelty, and even death. And yet we believe in revelations! The blood of our martyrs rises up from the sacrificial altar to Heaven and there champions our cause before the judgment seat of grace with such mighty eloquence that Jehovah’s compassion is awakened, and He sends down light and knowledge on us, like quickening showers, even like balming dews.
Since the organization of our church, it has pleased the Lord to give us various revelations and commands through his holy priesthood by which many passages in the scriptures have been shown and made clear to us that were formerly obscure and mysterious for us. In short, it seems that the finger of divine inspiration has touched each obscure place in the Bible so that the truth of it may shine in our hearts like the illuminating glow of a lamp in a dark place.
I cannot fail to remark here about the difference of the people of God in earlier days and about the difference of those who call themselves his people in these days. In the old days they regarded their condition as most deplorable if the Lord did not speak to them, but today they consider it to be the highest presumption or folly to even even accept the possibility that the Lord would speak to them again. The ancients regarded dreams, prophecies and visions just as a lady regards her diamonds; but our modern people look upon such privileges just as a pig looks at a pearl. Had I not experienced too frequently how often one is inclined to trample such things underfoot, I would not have dared to speak as I have done. And if it were given to the bright seraphim, who draw near to the throne of the Most High and bask in the ray of immortality, to weep over mortals’ lack of faith and irrationality, then the Earth would be covered in heavenly tears as with dew.
We believe in prophecies, we believe in revelations; for they were given not only to the ancients, but also to us. We believe in visions, and we also believe that God warns and admonishes his people through dreams. We also believe in efficacious prayers for our sick and anoint them with consecrated oil in the name of the Lord. We lay our hands on them and the Lord answers our prayer. He heals our sick and makes the lame leap in joy.
In our church there is no priest who receives a salary for his preaching. Instead they are all dependent on the generosity of the people among whom they work. We do not wear our clothing in a certain style or with the intention of being thus distinguished from other fellow citizens. Instead we only provide ourselves with such clothing as is good and decent and least distinguished from the people.
We also believe that it is lawful and just if a priest decides to take a wife; however, he cannot choose a second for himself as long as the first is alive. If she is dead, however, he has complete freedom to remarry. We regard this as honorable and praiseworthy before God and man, for it seems to us that the man might one day be accountable for this great and special purpose of his creation.
The use of tobacco is not allowed in our church, especially not by priests. Although this custom is prevalent almost everywhere, we can only regard it as a very filthy one that uses a plant for a purpose for which it was truly not created.
One will recall that a previous article spoke of the various revelations and commands that the Lord has given us since the organization of our church. And in order to show more clearly the nature of our maintenance, I will here insert a few excerpts from them.
“And again I say unto you, my friends (for from now on I will call you my friends), it is also expedient that I give you this command so that you may become as my friends in the days when I journeyed with them to preach the gospel in my strength. I did not suffer them to carry a bag or bundle or even just two garments with them. Behold! I am sending you out to test the world, and every laborer is worthy of his payment. And each one who goes forth to preach the gospel of the Kingdom of God and who will not fail to proceed faithfully in all things shall not become darkened or weary in spirit, body or limbs, and no hair of his head will fall to Earth unheeded.”
“Therefore let none among you from this hour on take bag or bundle with him when he goes forth to proclaim the gospel of the Kingdom of God. For behold! I am sending you to rebuke the world for its unjust deeds and to proclaim to it a judgment that will come over it. And whoever receives you, I will be there also” — for:
“I will be at your right hand, and at your left, and my spirit will dwell in your hearts, and my angels will be around you to support you.
“Whoever receives you, receives me, and he who nourishes or clothes you or provides money will in no way lose his reward. But he who does not do these things cannot be my disciple; for only in this will you recognize my disciples. If anyone gives you a cloak or an entire garment, take the old one and cast it among the poor, and continue on your way in gladness. If someone does not receive you, then depart from him alone with yourselves and wash your feet, even with water, with pure water, in heat or in cold, and give testimony against him to your Heavenly Father and return no more to him. And in whatever village, or in whatever city you enter, do the same. Regardless of this, seek diligently and do not hesitate; and woe to the house, the village or the city that casts you out, or your words or my testimony. Yea, woe upon the city, the village and the house that casts out you or your words or my testimony, for I the Almighty have stretched out my hands over the nations to scourge them for their ungodliness.”
We have received the word of the Lord on this subject, explaining to us the nature and character of it to our utmost satisfaction. Although the scriptures are almost completely silent concerning this ecclesiastic practice, there are sufficient allusions to it in them to draw our attention to the fact that this practice was neither unknown nor neglected in the ancient church. But if it had not pleased the Lord in His great kindness to clearly show us the apposite peculiarities of this subject, we would never have discovered its beauty through the faint glimmer that the scriptures cast upon it.
There are many who have died without ever having had an opportunity to be properly baptized (immersed) during their lifetime by any authorized person whom the Lord has acknowledged. Therefore it has pleased our Heavenly Father to grant the members of the church the excellent privilege of being baptized for their deceased friends with whom they were personally acquainted before their death. It is assumed in this, however, that they never had the opportunity to become acquainted with our doctrine and to follow it before their death, and did not do so – then we cannot be baptized for them.
What is gained by doing this is the following. When the gospel is preached to the spirits of people in limbo who were disobedient to God’s commands in their lifetime, and when they are then inclined to repent and believe, then those who have been baptized for them can step forward on Judgment Day and claim them as heirs of the Kingdom of God and, united with them, enjoy a glory like that of the Sun. In this way we can become saviors of men, whereas if no one were baptized for these departed people, in all probability their sufferings would be prolonged, and they would one day inherit another abode whose glory is lesser, like the faint glimmer of a distant star.
How must such a person feel on the day of judgment who was given the opportunity to do so much good in his life, both for himself and for others, and not to have done it?! Who will be so simple-minded, so slow to understand, and so bound to the traditions of the fathers, that he will not want to rise to the call of human kindness and prove himself awake to the tender feelings of sympathy and benevolence, both for himself and for others! The apostle St. Paul said in the first letter to the Corinthians, chapter 15, etc.: “What else would they do who are baptized for the sake of the dead, if it is certain that the dead will not be resurrected? Why are they baptized for them?”
Prayer is one of the primary obligations of the Christian, and he is reliant on it for any consideration that might stir his ambition or instill it in him, for it is just as necessary for his growth and thriving as rain is for the fields. But wherever this obligation is neglected, the Spirit of the Lord can [not] dwell.
The man or the woman of each house or each family in our church is obliged to call together all those subject to them at an appropriate hour of the morning and evening each day when they collectively kneel before the Lord and offer their innermost wishes to Him in the name of Jesus. In the prayer, one speaks, and at the end of the same, all answer in unison: Amen.
We do not have any characteristic forms of prayer except for the Lord’s prayer: “Our Father who art in Heaven,” etc., because everyone must ask for themselves for the things they need, and we believe that the simple, unadorned language of the heart, as guided by our needs, is more pleasing before God than all the learned eloquence of the wise of this world put together.
All members of our Church, both old and young, are invited to offer their prayers to the Lord daily both in solitude and in fellowship, and whoever neglects this duty among us is called to account for it before the authorized persons of our church.
Our worship service usually begin Sunday mornings at ten o’clock. It opens with prayer and song, and then an address is given to the people; it may be followed by some exhortations. Several songs are struck up after this, and thus the morning worship service is concluded at twelve o’clock.
The afternoon is given to songs, exhortations, and the administration of the holy sacraments of confession, the Lord’s Supper and confirmation, as well as with the blessing of children and other activities appropriate to the circumstances.
The American government is not affiliated, either directly or indirectly, with any religion. It grants tolerance and protection to all religions, but shows preferential favor to none. Our governors incidentally determine and announce certain days of fasting and prayer or public thanksgiving, and the people are invited to observe them. This is not a law, however, and it is left up to the will of the people, who nevertheless always have enough respect for their legislators to agree with their wishes and announcements, just as any people should do in things that are good and useful for them.
Other days are added to these from time to time by our presiding elders as circumstances warrant when, with fasting and prayer, thanks are offered to the Lord Almighty for the abundant kindness He has shown us.
No work is undertaken on the first day of the week, namely Sunday. The merchants’ shops are closed on Saturday evenings and not reopened until Monday morning. Making social calls or holding social gatherings on the Sabbath day, as is the custom in Europe, is forbidden in America by popular influence.
It therefore seems very strange to an American to see the Sabbath, which after all is the Lord’s day, mostly devoted to pleasure and recreation, and he sees himself compelled to count this phenomenon among those new things that he observes in foreign lands.
This is an ordinance in our church that is performed by its serving members. It is also performed by other members, although not as an ecclesiastic ordinance, but as an example of humility and condescension in small religious circles and families. Just as Christ washed the feet of His disciples, they also washed them for each other.
After our priests have been called and ordained, they must take their position immediately. If they are commanded to travel and preach, they must go, but if they are intended for local service, they must stay. If, over the course of two or three years, they have proven faithful in the fulfillment of the duties of their calling and have been found good by God and the church, they are called to a solemn meeting. And, in communal prayer and fasting, the president of the church girds himself with a cloth and washes and dries their feet, and then their heads and bodies are anointed with consecrated oil. This washing is a sign that they have cleansed their garments from the souls of men; and they are then recognized as citizens of the Lord after they have shed all the obligations under which they stood toward the world.
And forever after we must serve the Lord in all purity and righteousness in whatever office He has called us, either to travel and preach or to preside over churches.
It is a law of our church for every father to call his children together at some convenient time to lay his hands on them and bless them before he dies.
If a case should occur that there are persons in our church whose fathers are dead or are not of our faith, then we have a patriarch whose business is to lay his hands on them and to bless them in the place of their fathers so that no one remains without a father’s blessing, which is considered very important in our church.
All persons in our church are allowed to marry as soon as they reach the proper age, provided that they are not closely related. The members of our church have been solemnly directed (but not entirely forbidden) not to marry anyone of any other religion. Those who do so are considered unwise and weak in faith.
Joseph Smith (1842)
Letter sent by Joseph Smith to John Wentworth, (1 March 1842); Times and Seasons 3/9 (1 March 1842): 709-710; reprinted in History of the Church 4:537. Canonized as Articles of Faith.
[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 1st, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; 2d, Repentance; 3d, Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; 4th, Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost.
[5] We believe that a man must be called of God by "prophesy, and by 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, &c.
[7] We believe in the gift of tongues, prophesy, revelation, visions, healing, interpretation of tongues &c.
[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 T, and that the earth will be renewed and receive its paradasaic glory.
[11] We claim the privilege of worshipping 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 thing, 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.
J.H. Flanigan (1849)
Source: J.H. Flanigan, Mormonism Triumphant! Truth Vindicated. Lies Refuted, The Devil Mad, and Priestcraft in Danger!!! Being a Reply to Palmer’s Internal Evidence Against the Book of Mormon (Liverpool: Printed by R. James, 1849): 32
Latter-day Saints’ Faith
We believe in God the eternal Father, and his son Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost.
We believe that through the atonement of Christ all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the gospel.
We believe that these ordinances are:--1st. Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. 2nd. Repentance. 3rd. Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins. 4th. Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Spirit. 5th. The Lord’s Supper.
We believe that men must be called of God by inspiration, and by laying on of hands by those who are duly commissioned to preach the gospel and administer in the ordinances thereof.
We believe in the same organization that existed in the primitive church, viz., apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers, evangelists, &c.
We believe in the powers and gifts of the everlasting gospel, viz., the gift of faith, discerning of spirits, prophecy, revelation, visions, healing, tongues, and the interpretation of tongues, wisdom, charity, brotherly love, &c.
We believe the word of God recorded in the bible, we also believe the word of God recorded in the Book of Mormon, and in all other good books.
We believe all that God has revealed, all that he does now reveal, and we believe that he will yet reveal many more great and important things pertaining to the kingdom of God and Messiah’s second coming.
We believe in the literal gathering of Israel, and in the restoration of the ten tribes; that Zion will be established upon the western continent, that Christ will reign personally upon the earth a thousand years, and that the earth will be renewed and receive its paradisiacal glory.
We believe in the literal resurrection of the body, and that the dead in Christ will rise first, and that the rest of the dead live not again until the thousand years are expired.
We claim the privilege of worshipping Almighty God according to the dictates of our conscience unmolested, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how or where they may.
We believe in being subject to kings, queens, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honouring, and sustaining the law.
We believe in being honest, true, chaste, temperate, benevolent, virtuous, and upright, 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 very many things, and hope to be able to ‘endure all things.’ Everything virtuous, lovely, praiseworthy, and of good report we seek after, looking forward to the ‘recompense of reward.’
Jesse Haven (1853)
Source: David J. Whittaker [Historians Corner, edited by James B. Allen], "Early Mormon Imprints In South Africa," Brigham Young University Studies 20 no. 4 (Summer 1980), 401-416. Original: Jesse Haven, Some of the Principle Doctrines or Belief of the Church (Cape Town, South Africa, 1853), PAGES? [citation needed]
The appearance in Cape Town, South Africa, on 8 June 1853 of Some of the Principal Doctrines of Belief of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints marks the printed beginnings of the Mormon missionary effort in that area of the world. Its author, Jesse Haven, was the first president of the South African Mission of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Called during a special missionary conference in Salt Lake City on 28-29 August 1852….
SOME OF THE PRINCIPAL DOCTRINES, &c.
"We believe in God the Eternal Father, and in His Son Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost."
We believe that God is a distinct personage, having body and parts like man, for we read that God said "Let us make man in our own image, after our likeness."
We believe the personage of God, can no more than the person of man, be in two separate and distinct places at the self same instant of time.
We believe the personage of God is filled with the Holy Ghost, and this Holy Ghost or Spirit of God, is diffused through all space, and by this spirit, God is every where present beholding the works of his hands.
"We believe that men will be punished for their own sins, and not for Adam's transgression."
We believe Christ atoned for the original sin of Adam, therefore little children that die, without one exception, will be saved.
"We believe that through the atonement of Christ all mankind may be saved by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel.
"We believe that these ordinances are; 1st. Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; 2nd. Repentance, 3rd. Baptism by immersion for the remission of Sins; 4th. Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost.
"We believe that a man must be called of God by "prophecy, and by laying on of hands" by those who are in authority to preach the gospel and administer in the ordinances thereof.
"We believe in the same organization that existed in the primitive Church, viz. Apostles, Prophets, Pastors, Teachers, Evangelist, &c.
"We believe in the gifts of tongues, prophecy, revelation, visions, healing, interpretation of tongues, &c.
"We believe the Bible to be the Word of God as far as it is translated correctly," and a history of the House of Israel.
"We believe the Book of Mormon to be the Word of God," and a history of the branch of one of the Tribes of Israel, viz: the Tribe of Joseph, it also contains a short history of a people called "Jaredites."
"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.
"We believe in the literal gathering of Israel, and in the restoration of the Ten Tribes. That Zion will be built upon the American continent. That Christ will reign personally upon the earth, and that the earth will be renewed and receive its paradisiac glory."
We believe in the baptism for the dead, a doctrine spoken of by Paul but not explained. This doctrine when rightly and fully understood, appears one of the most glorious doctrines revealed for the salvation of the human family.
We believe in future rewards and punishments, and that mankind will be rewarded according to their works or deeds done in the body. Paul speaks of three different glories, viz. "One glory of the Sun, and another glory of the Moon, and another glory of the Stars," to one of these glories all of the human family will go, except those who commit the unpardonable sin; for them there is no kingdom of glory, but they will become the sons of Perdition, and will have no forgiveness in this world nor in that which is to come. All the human family, except these sons of Perdition, by the death and resurrection of Christ, will be redeemed in the own due time of the Lord from the power of the devil, and be brought into one of the above glories. Paul speaks of being "caught up to the third heaven," showing distinctly that there are three different degrees of glory.
We believe that those who obtain the glory of the Sun, will enjoy the presence of God and His Son Jesus Christ.
We believe that those who will be like the glory of the Moon, will enjoy the "presence of the Son, but not the fulness of the Father."
We believe those who will be like the glory of the Stars, will not enjoy the presence of the Father neither of the Son, but will receive the "Holy Spirit through the ministration" of the other glories, and will also be administered to by Angels. These will not come forth in the first resurrection, but will be shut up in prison through the millennial reign of Christ and His Saints upon the earth, after which, they will be brought forth to inherit a glory they have lived for.
We believe God has raised up a Prophet to whom He has revealed the fullness of the everlasting gospel, and as the forerunner of the second coming of Christ upon the earth.
We believe the Lord is now sending forth His servants for the last time to prune His vineyard,--calling upon all to repent and be baptized for the remission of sins.
We believe as soon as a person receives and obeys the gospel, it is his duty, as soon as circumstances will permit, to gather out from amongst the wicked, and go to the place the Lord has appointed for the gathering of His people in the last days.
We believe the judgments of God, such as war, famine, pestilence, &c. are soon to be poured out upon the nations of the earth. Therefore the Lord is now saying by His Servants, "Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues."
We believe woman is naturally more virtous, pure, and religiously disposed than man, therefore, more women than men, will receive and obey the gospel in the last days, and be gathered to Zion.
We believed there has been a law revealed, by which a man in Zion, and in Zion only, or at the place the Lord has commanded His people to gather, can have more than one wife; and this law is under the strictest regulations.
We believe this law is not given to gratify the lusts of men but given for the exaltation of both men and women,--giving to every woman the privilege of filling up the measure of her creation, and lawfully, and honorabley and virtuously obeying the first and great command, "Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth."
We believe on the account of the wars that are soon to be amongst the nations of the earth, the the wicked will slay the wicked,--men will be killed off, and the women will flee to Zion for safety; then this prophecy will be fulfilled, "And in that day seven women shall take hold of one man, saying, we will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel; only let us be called by thy name, to take away our reproach." Isaiah.--4th.--1st. Does a woman take the name of a man unless she is married to him?
We believe in marrying for time and for all eternity; and this ordinance must be attended to in this life, if it is not, husband and wife will be deprived of each other in the life to come. "For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the Angels of God in Heaven," that is, "they remain separately and singly, without exaltation, in their saved condition, to all eternity," and "are appointed angels in heaven, which angels are ministering servants, to minister for those who are worthy of a far more, and an exceeding, and an eternal weight of glory."
"We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege let them worship how, where, or what they may.
"We believe in being subject to Kings," Queens, "Presidents, Rulers, Magestrates" and all who are in authority over us, "and in obeying, honoring and sustaining the law."
"We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtous, and in doing good to all men."
"We believe in seeking after truth, and are willing to receive and embrace it, from any and every one that has truth to impart.
John Taylor (circa 1855–57)
Source: "A Short Account of the Faith and Doctrines of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints," The Mormon [edited by John Taylor from February 17, 1855 to September 19, 1857]; reprinted Deseret News 13. 51 (September 14, 1864): 395.
We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in his Son Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost, who bears record of them forever.
We believe that all mankind, through the transgression of our first parents, were brought under the curse and penalty of transgression, but that through the sufferings, , death and atonement of Jesus Christ, all are to be redeemed from any effects of original transgression; that as they were placed under a penalty without any act of their own, so they were delivered from it precisely on the same terms. ‘For as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so, by the righteousness of one, the free gift came upon all men unto the justification of life’ [Romans 5. 18]
We believe that little children are innocent, and not under transgression; that they are incapable of obeying any law, not believing good or evil; and Jesus says, ‘Of such are the kingdom of heaven; but they, when they arrive at years of maturity, and know good from evil, and are capable of obeying or disobeying a law; if they then transgress, they will be condemned for breaking a known law.
We believe that no man will be condemned for not obeying a law that he does not know; and that consequently millions of the human family who have never had the gospel are better off than those who have had that privilege, and disobeyed it. That mankind will be judged according to what they have, and not according to that they have not done ‘according to the deeds done in the body.’
We believe that faith in God, and in the sufferings, death and atonement of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and in his resurrection and ascension on high, and in the Holy Ghost, which is given to all who obey the gospel, and is one of the first conditions.
That the next is to repent of—to confess, and to turn away from their sins, and make restitution to all whom they have injured, as far as it is in their power.
'That the third is to be baptized by immersion in water, in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, ‘for remission of sins.’ And that this ordinance must be performed by one having authority, or otherwise it is of no avail.
'The fourth is, to receive the laying on of hands, in the name of Jesus Christ, for the gift of the Holy Ghost. And this ordinance must also be administered by the Apostles, or Elders, whom the Lord Jesus has called to lay on hands, nor then it is it of any advantage except to those persons who have complied with the afore-named three conditions.
'We believe that the Holy Ghost is the same now, as it was in the apostolic days formerly, and that when a church is organized, it is their privilege to have all the gifts, powers and blessings which flow from the Holy Spirit.
‘Such, for instance, as the gifts of revelation, prophecy, visions, the ministry of angels, healing the sick by the laying on of hands in the name of Jesus, the working of miracles, and, in short, all the gifts as mentioned in Scripture, or as enjoyed by the ancient saints.’
We believe that baptized apostles and prophets, together with all the officers as mentioned in the New Testament, are necessary to be in the Church in these days.
‘We believe that there has been a general and awful apostasy from the religion of the New Testament, so that all the known world have been left for centuries without the Church of Christ among them; without a priesthood authorized of God to administer ordinances; that every one of the churches have perverted the gospel; some in one way and some in another. For instance, almost every church has done away’ immersion for remission of sins.’ Those few who have practiced it for remission of sins, have done away the ordinance of the laying on of hands’ upon baptized believers for the gift of the Holy Ghost. Again, the few who have practiced the last ordinance have perverted the first, or have done away the ancient gifts, powers and blessings which flow form the Holy Spirit, or have said to inspired apostles and prophets, we have no need of you in the body in these days. Those few, again, who have believed in and contended for the miraculous gifts and powers of the Holy Spirit, have perverted the ordinance or done them away. Thus, all the churches preach false doctrines and pervert the gospel, and instead of having authority from God to administer its ordinances, they are under the curse of God for perverting it. Paul says, Gal 1. 8, ‘Though we or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you, than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.’
‘We believe that there are a few sincere, honest and humble persons who are striving to do according to the best of their understanding; but, in many respects, they err in doctrine because of false teachers and the precepts of men, and that they will receive the fulness of the gospel with gladness as soon as they hear it.’
'We believe in the Bible, the Book of Mormon, and in living and continued revelation, but we also believe that no new revelation will contradict the old.
‘The gospel in the ‘Book of Mormon’ is the same as that in the New Testament, and is revealed in great plainness, as that no one that reads it can misunderstand its principles. It has been revealed by the angel to be preached as a witness to all nations, first in to the Gentiles, and then to the Jews, then cometh the downfall of Babylon. Thus fulfilling the vision of John, which he beheld on the Isle of Patmos, Rev. 14. 6, 7, 8, ‘And I saw’, says John, ‘another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation and kindred, and tongue, and people, saying, with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him, for the hour of his judgment is come; and worship him that made heaven and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters. And there followed another angel saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.’
‘Many revelations and prophecies have been given to this church since its rise, which have been printed and sent forth to the world. These also contain the gospel in great plainness, and instruction of infinite importance to the Saints. They also unfold the great events that await this generation; the terrible judgments to be poured forth upon the wicked, and the blessings and glories to be given to the righteous. We believe that God will continue to give revelations by visions, by the ministry of angels, and by the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, until the saints are guided into all truth.’
‘We believe that whatever the people enjoy the religion of the New Testament, there they enjoy visions, revelations, the ministry of angels, etc. And that wherever these blessings cease to be enjoyed, there they also cease to enjoy the religion of the New Testament.
‘We believe that God has raised up this church, in order to prepare a people for his second coming in the clouds of heaven, in power, and great glory, and that then the Saints who are asleep in their graves will be raised, and reign with him on earth a thousand years.’
We believe that great judgments await the nations of the earth, on account of their wickedness, and that when the gospel shall have been sufficiently proclaimed, if they reject it, they will be overthrown and destroyed; that plagues, pestilence and famine will be multiplied upon them; that thrones will be cast down, empires overthrown, and nations destroyed; that when the Spirit of God ceases to restrain the people, the world will be full of blood, carnage and desolation; that peace will be taken from the earth, and from among all people, religions and irreligions. ‘It shall be as with the people, so with the priest,’ etc. Isa.
We believe that the Lord will gather his people from among all nations, unto a land of peace, ‘and give them pastors after his own heart, who shall feed them with knowledge and understanding,’ and they shall be the only people upon the earth that shall not be at war with one another.’
‘We believe that the ten tribes of Israel, with the dispersed of Judah, shall soon be restored to their own lands, according to the covenants which God made with their ancient fathers, and that when this great work of restitution shall take place, the power of God shall be made manifest in signs, and wonders, and mighty deeds far exceeding anything that took place in their exodus from Egypt. Jerusalem will be rebuilt, together with a glorious temple, and the Lord shall visit them also, as well as his Saints in Zion. In that day, the name of the Lord shall become great unto the ends of the earth, and all nations shall serve and obey him, for the wicked shall have perished out of the earth.’
We believe in all principles of truth that have been revealed; in all that is now being revealed, and are prepared to receive all that God will reveal.
We believe that the gospel now being preached by the Latter-day Saints is to call the honest in heart out of Babylon, ‘that they partake not of her sins, nor receive of her plagues.’
We believe in morality, chastity, purity, virtue and honesty; and wish to promote the happiness of our fellow men.