| 237 and qualified by the wisdom and intelligence that God has imparted, they were prepared to unfold the gospel of Jesus Christ to a fallen world. If this has been God's way of dealing with the children of men, it naturally follows that it will continue to be, and if the preachers of the gospel in primitive days, were thus called and empowered, it follows as a natural consequence, that it will continue to be, and that as God is immutable, and unchangeable, whenever he calls men in any age of the world, he will qualify, and inspire them, in the same manner. And if they are thus taught, whether in this age, in ages that are past, or that are yet to come, there will be a uniformity in doctrine, and ordinances, they will teach the same things. There have been many who have professed to be called of God; but their doctrines have been diverse, and their ordinances conflicting. The reason of this difference is, that they have not been taught of God, nor inspired from on high; but their learning has been merely scholastic and their wisdom the science of men. Thus situated, it is impossible that they should teach correct principles; for man is finite and fallible, and God is infinite and infallible, and it is impossible for the people of this, or of any other age, to comprehend the Creator without being taught of him.
The disjointed manner in which sectarianism has placed the gospel, renders it extremely ludicrous; one having taken one part, and another another part. Now the ordinances, gifts and powers of the gospel are not one, but many; yet being many, they are not divided, but the one gospel, proceeding from the same spirit One, two, nor three items do not compose the gospel any more than if we were to take two or three leaves out of a book, and call it a book. As it takes all the leaves to make a book perfect, so it requires all the ordinances, gifts, blessings, powers, and priesthood, of the gospel to make it complete. It may, with propriety, be compared to a chain, which, if any link is broken, it destroys the force of the whole. So, in like manner, if one principle of the gospel is destroyed, it renders the whole imperfect. The Savior told his disciples to "teach ALL things whatsoever he had commanded them." Hence this gospel, in all its parts, must be preached to every nation, before the Messiah will come; and men must be inspired, to prepare them for the accomplishment of so great a work.
According to the statement of the "Universal Geography," there are three thousand and twenty six different languages. It must be obvious to every reflecting mind that it is absolutely necessary for the gifts and powers of the gospel to be restored before the gospel can be preached to all of those nations and tongues; and if it is not, the Messiah cannot come, for the preaching of the gospel to all nations is one of the great signs that must take place, preparatory to the coming of the Son of Man.
This brings to our minds forcibly the necessity of the gift of tongues in order that the gospel may be preached unto all nations, in their own tongue; for the best linguist in the world cannot understand more than twenty different languages, or tongues: and if they do not and cannot learn them, it is absolutely necessary that ministers of the gospel should be inspired with the gift of tongues, as the Apostles were on the day of Pentecost, to prepare them for this arduous undertaking. Many, because they possess not those gifts, and not having the honesty to acknowledge the reason of this deficiency, tell us that we have no more need of them; but if they can accomplish this work without the power of God, the fullness of the gospel, and the gift of tongues, they will accomplish more than has been done by the so-called preachers of the gospel for the last seventeen hundred years.
Mr. John Wesley informs us, in his fourteenth sermon, that the reason why these blessings were lost, was because the christians had turned heathens again, and had nothing left but the dead form, without the power-and we presume that if others would open their eyes, they would see the like discrepancies.
I would remark, in regard to the gosple [gospel] being a witness unto all nations, that there is a striking concedence between this and the testimony of our Savior, concerning his disciples: "Ye are my witnesses, as also is the Holy Ghost, that bears witness of me." They were the acknowledged, authorised [authorized] heralds of salvation; to them was given the keys, that they might unlock the kingdom unto others, preach salvation themselves, and ordain others to this authority. They were the only persons who could properly be called witnesses of the Savior, in that day; they have been with our Savior and seen his miracles; they had witnessed his life, death, resurrection, and ascension; they had felt the prints of the nails in his hands, and in his feet; they had seen him transfigured on the mount and ascend into heaven, and after his death and resurrection they saw and conversed with him forty days, and afterwards saw him ascend into heaven, in a cloud. He afterwards appeared unto them, and became their benefactor, instructor, and friend: thus situated and endued with this power, they were certainly, of all men upon the face of the earth, most competent to be his witnesses.
The Holy Ghost was also another witness of
(page 237) |
