| 656 as far as the law or the gospel will allow him to be. Therefore, we set it down as a fact that no man is perfect, no not even in his own sphere, except he obeys the gospel, and in vain may we talk about being perfect, sanctified or hnly [holy], if we have not obeyed the gospel, nay if we have not obsyed [obeyed] every principle of it.-We are induced to believe that there are many who profess to be perfect, that have not obeyed the fulness [fullness] of the gospel, and do not even believe that the promised blessings of the gospel of peace, by which our knowledge is increased, are for them; and indeed they are ignorant of the means by which they can be made perfect.
Now according to the scriptures the matter stands thus--we are commanded to be perfect as our Father who is in heaven is perfect, and as there is order and perfection in all his works, or as he has adopted certain rules, and conforms to them; so must we conform to the law of the Lord or the gospel, in all respects, or it cannot be said in truth that we are perfect. When we say that the Lord acts conformably to certain rules, we mean to be understood that he has devised certain rules for his own course and procedure: for instance, it is written that he cannot lie. The reason is, it would be a breach of the law that he has adopted: he will not cast off the righteous, because it would be a breach of promise: he will not let the reprobate go unpunished, because it would sacrifice the rights of justice. But let us more particularly enquire [inquire] what men must do to be perfect in their sphere.
It is positively affirmed in the bible that before obedience to the perfect law of liberty, men are foreigners, aliens, and strangers to God; therefore, in order for them to be assimilated unto the likeness of God in the least degree, and be perfect as he is, it is necessary for them to obey the perfect law which is: first, to repent of their sins, or in other words forsake them; and in a word, break off from sin and work righteousness; second, to be baptized for the remission of sins, (see Acts, ii. 38.) and for the adoption into the kingdom of God, and so take up their cross and follow Christ in the work of the regeneration; third, receive the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands. (See Acts, viii. 17. do. xix. 6.) The above are what the Apostle terms the (first) principles of the gospel, and it is self evident that no person can be perfect in any science without learning the elementary principles of the same.--Neither will it answer for him to learn the first principle, but pay no attention to the second: he must learn them in rotation, and occording [according] to order, or he cannot make any proficiency in the science; so it is, a man cannot make any proficiency in the religion of heaven, except he obeys every principle of it according to order. It is the very heighth [height] of folly for any man to talk about being perfect, holy or sanctified, if he has not repented of his sins, and been baptized for the remission of them, and received the holy spirit by the laying on of hands.
But obeying the first principles of the gospel, is not all. The apostle says, that the church was organized with apostles, prophets, &c., for the perfecting of the saints, and the work of the ministry. Thus they anciently had inspired men among them, who could receive revelations from the Lord, and thus instruct the church with things of importance, which increased their knowledge. The more intelligence a man receives the nearer he comes to perfection. As we have before said, a man is not perfect in his sphere of action except he obeys the gospel in all respects, and orders his conduct in such a way as becomes a righteous man, and avails himself of all the intelligence, and spiritual blessings that are within his reach. And it is said, "The Lord is the same yesterday, to day and forever;" consequently he has not contracted the sphere, and agency of man, nor decreed that he will in the future refuse to bestow the same blessings upon those who become his saints, that he bestowed anciently upon his people. Surely, the people of God are as susceptible of attaining to the high standing now-a-days, as they were formerly. The blessings that the ancients received, and which are for us, are the spirit of prophecy or revelation, visions, administration of angels, &c.; therefore, we conclude that the profession of perfection, of those who deny that these gifts and graces of the gospel are for us, is hypocritical. These gifts are for the people; therefore, they cannot be perfect without them: for it is by the spirit of prophecy or of revelation, that we can obtain a knowledge of God; "No man can say that Jesus Christ is the Lord except it is by the Holy Ghost." The more of this Spirit that the prophets received, the more they
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