VO, UTAH GIFT TO THE G. H. BRIMHALL LIBRARY OF THEOLOGY By . A.n£%Xjfr» \A/rQ>jL OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. NOTES. 1. The Year of Messiah's Birth : — " The Birth of Christ was first made an era, from which to reckon dates," says the learned translator of Dr. Mosheim's Institutes, — Murdock — "by Dionysius Exiguus, [Di-o-nish-i-us Exs-ig-u-us] about A. D. 532. He supposed Christ to have been born on the 25th of December, in the year of Rome 753, and this computation has been fol- lowed in practice to this day ; notwithstanding the learned are well agreed that it must be incorrect." It will be seen, however, from what follows, from the same author, that all is uncertainty with the learned in respect to this subject : " To ascertain the true time of Christ's birth, there are two principal data afforded by the Evangelists: I. It is clear, from Matt. ii. 1, etc., that Christ was born before the death of Herod the Great, who died about Easter, in the year of Rome 749 or 750. Now, if Christ was born in the December next before Herod's death, it must have been in the year of Rome 748 or 749 ; and, of course, four, if not five years anterior to the Dionysian or Vulgar era : II. It is proba- ble, from Luke iii., 1, 2, 23, that Jesus was " about'' thirty years of age in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar. Now, the reign of Tiberius may be considered as commencing at the time he became sole emperor, in August of the year of Rome 767 ; or (as there is some reason to suppose that Augustus made him partner in the government two years before he died), we may begin his reign in the year of Rome 765. The fifteenth year of Tiberius will therefore be either the year of Rome 781 or 779. From which deduct 30, and we have the year of Rome 751 or 749 for the year of Christ's birth ; the former two and the latter four years earlier than the Dionysian computation. Comparing these results with those obtained from the death of Herod, it is generally supposed the true time of Christ's birth was the year of Rome 749, or four years before the Vulgar era. But the conclusion is not certain, because there is uncertainty in the data. (1 ) It is not certain that we ought to reckon Tiberius' reign as beginning two years before the death of Augustus. (2.) Luke says 'about thirty years of age." This is indefinite and maybe understood of twenty-nine, thirty, or thirtyrone years. (3.) It is not certain in which of the two years men- tioned Herod died; nor how long before that event the Savior was born. Respecting the month and day of Christ's birth, we are left almost wholly to conjecture." It will be demanded on what authority I have gone counter to the conclu- sions of the learned on this subject by keeping to the Dionysian date, — so far, at least, as the year is concerned. My answer is that in the revelation on Church government in the Doctrine and Covenants (Sec. XX.), the following in respect to the rise of the Church is given : " The rise of the Church of Christ in these last days, being one thousand eight hundred and thirty years since the com- ing of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in the flesh, it being regularly organized and established agreeable to the laws of our country, by the will and commandments of God. in the fourth month, and on the sixth day of the month, which is called April." THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE CHURCH. 1" I believe that this better than any other authority fixes the time of the birth, or the " coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in the flesh ;" and that, ;is to the year at least, agrees with the Dionysian computation.— Roberts. 2. The Day of Messiah's Birth :— " Strictly speaking, if this Church was organized ' one thousand eight hundred and thirty years since the coming of our Lord and Savior in the flesh," then the sixth of April must have been the anniversary of the Savior's birthday. If the organization of the Church had been before or subsequent to that date, if only by one or any number of days, the great event would have been more or less than one thousand eight hundred and thirty years, by just so many days. [This argument also holds good as to the year of Christ's birth.] Opinions formed by the study of chronological events may or may not be accurate. But we would scarcely think the Lord would make any mistake about dates. Least of all he who was born on that day, and on that day thirty-three years later was crucified."— Joseph F. Smith. " Let us inquire if the day observed by the Chriskian world as the day of His (Christ's) birth— the 25th of December— is or is not the real Christmas day. A great many authors have found out from their researches that it is not. I think that there is scarcely an author at the present day that believes that the 25th ol December was the day that Christ was born on. * * I* It is generally believed and conceded by the learned who have investigated the matter, that Christ was born in April. * * * It is stated that according to the best of their (the learned) judgment from the researches they have made, Christ was crucified on the 6th of April. That is the day on which this Church was organ- ized. But when these learned men go back from the day of his crucifixion to the day of his birth, they are at a loss, having no certain evidence or testimony by which they can determine it."— Orson Pratt. 3. Humble Nativity of Messiah : — " In the rude limestone grotto at- tached to the inn as a stable, among the hay and straw spread for the food and rest of the cattle, weary with their day's journey, far from home, in the midst of strangers, in circumstances so devoid of all earthly comfort or splendor that it is impossible to imagine a humbler nativity, Christ was born. Distant but a few miles, on the plateau of the abrupt and singular hill now called Jebel Fureidis, or ' Little Paradise Mountain,' towered the palace — fortress of the Great Herod. The magnificent houses of his friends and courtiers crowded around its base. The humble wayfarers, as they passed near it, might have heard the hired and voluptuous minstrelsy with which its feasts were celebrated, or the shouting of the rough mercenaries whose arms enforced obedience to its despotic lord. But the true King of the Jews— the rightful Lord of the universe— was not to be found in palace or fortress. They who wear soft clothing are in kings' houses. The cattle stables of the lowly caravan-seriai were a more fitting birthplace for him who came to reveal that the soul of the greatest monarch was no dearer or greater in God's sight than the soul of his meanest slave ; for him who had not where to lay his head ; for him who, from his cross of shame, was to rule the world ! "—Cannon Farrnr. 4. Character of Herod : — "Now some there are who stand amazed at the 18 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. diversity of Herod's nature and purposes ; for when we have respect to his mag- nificence, and the benefits which he bestowed on all mankind, there is no possibility for even those who, had the "least respect for him, to deny, or not openly confess, that he had a nature vastly beneficent; but when anyone looks upon the punishment he inflicted and the injuries he did, not only to his subjects, but to his nearest relatives, and takes notice of his severe and unrelenting dispo- sition there, he will be forced to allow that he was brutish, and a stranger to all humanity, * * * If anyone was not very obsequious to him in his language, and would not confess himself to be his slave, or but seemed to think of any innovation in his government, he was not able to contain himself, but prosecuted his very kindred and friends and punished them as if 'hey were enemies ; and this wickedness he undertook out of a desire that he might be himself alone honored. * * * A man he was of great barbarity towards all men equally, and a slave to his passion; but above the consideration of what was right." — Josephus. 5. Last Illness of Herod :— " But now Herod's distemper greatly in- creased upon him after a severe manner, and this by God's judgment upon him for his sins ; for a fire glowed in him slowly, which did not so much appear to the touch outwardly, as it augmented his pains inwardly ; for it brought upon him a vehement appetite to eating, which he could not avoid to supply with one sort of food or other. His entrails were exulcerated, and the chief violence of his pain lay on his colon ; an aqueous and transparent liquor also had settled itself upon his feet ; * * * and when he sat upright he had a difficulty of breathing which was very loathsome, on account of the stench of his breath, and the quickness of his returns. He had also convulsions in all parts of his body, which increased his strength to an unsufferable degree. It was said by those who pretended to divine, and who were endowed with wisdom to fore-tell such things, that God inflicted this punishment on the king on account of his great impurity ; yet was he still in hopes of recovering, though his afflictions seemed greater than anyone could bear." — Josephus. REVIEW. i. In what year of Rome was Messiah born? 2. State the reasons for placing the date of Messiah's birth in the year of Rome 753. (See notes i and z.) 3. Give the name of Messiah's birthplace. 4. For what is Ephratah noted? (Note.) 5. Who was the mother of Jesus ? 6. Relate what you can of Mary, and the announcement that she should be the mother ot the Son of God. 7. Relate the circumstances under which Christ was born. THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE CHURCH. 19 8. Give an account of the visitation of the angels to the shepherds. 9. What is Cannon Farrar's translation to the title of the angelic song? 10. Give an account of the Magi's visit to Jerusalem in search of the Christ. 11. What signs were given of Messiah's birth to the people on the Western Hemisphere? 12. By what divine providence was Messiah's life preserved in infancy? 13. What was the character of Herod the Great? (Note 4) 14. Describe Herod's last illness and death. (Note 5) 15. Where did Joseph settle on his return from Egypt? 16. What prophecies were fulfilled by Messiah being taken into Egypt and Nazareth? JUTLiNES OK ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. SECTION II.* 1. State of the Religious World at Messiah's Birth:— At the time of the birth of the Son of God, the enfeebled world was tottering on its foundations. The national re- ligions which had satisfied the parents, no longer proved sufficient for the children. The new generations could not repose contented within the ancient forms. The gods of every nation, when transported to Rome — then the dominant political power in the world — there lost their oracles, as the nations themselves had there lost their liberty. Brought face to face in the capital, they had destroyed each other, and their divinity had vanished. A great void was thus occasioned in the religion of the world. 2. A kind of deism, destitute alike of spirit and of life, floated for a time above the abyss in which the vig- orous superstitions of antiquity had been engulfed. But like all negative creeds it had no power to reconstruct. All nations were plunged in the grossest superstition. Most of them, indeed all, except the Jews, supposed that each country and province was subjected to a set of very powerful beings whom they called gods, and whom the people, in order to live happily, must propitiate with various rites and ceremonies. These deities were sup- posed to differ materially from each other in sex, power, nature and offices. Some nations went beyond others in impiety of worship, but all stood chargeable with ab- * I have condensed much of the matter in the first part of this section from the learned works of D'Aubigne, Dr. Mosheim, Gibbon and Josephus, sometimes using even their phraseology without further acknowledgment than this note. — Author. THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE till Kill. 21 surdity if not gross stupidity in matters of religion. I See note 1, end of Section. ) 3. Thus every nation had a class of deities peculiar to itself, among which one was supposed to be pre-emi- nent over the rest, and was their king, though subject himself to the laws of fate, or to an eternal destiny. The oriental nations had not the same gods as the Gauls, the Germans, and the other northern nations; and the Grecian deities were essentially different from those of the Egypt- ians, who worshiped brute animals, plants, and van '.us productions of nature and art. Each nation, likewise, had its own method of worshiping its gods; differing widely from the rites of other nations. But, from their ignor- anec or from other causes, the Greeks and Romans main- tained that their gods were universally worshiped; and they therefore gave the names of their own gods to the foreign deities, which has caused great confusion and er- rors in the history of ancient religions even in the works of the learned. 4. Heathen Toleration — Its Cause : — The variety of gods and religions in the Pagan nations produced no wars or feuds among them. Each nation, without con- cern, allowed its neighbors to enjoy their own views of re- ligion, and to worship their own gods in their own way. Nor need this tolerance greatly surprise us. For they who regard the world as divided, like a great country, into numerous provinces, each subject to a distinct order of deities, cannot despise the gods of other nations nor think of compelling all others to pay worship to their national gods. The Romans in particular, though they would not allow the public religions to be changed or multiplied, yet gave the citizens full liberty to observe foreign religions in private, and to hold meetings and feasts, and to erect temples and groves to those foreign 22 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. deities, in whose worship there was nothing inconsistent with the public safty and existing laws. (See note 2 end of section.) 5. Character of Heathen Gods: — The greater part of the gods of all nations were ancient heroes, famous for their achievements and their worthy deeds; such as kings, generals and the founders of cities; and likewise females who were highly distinguished for their deeds and dis- coveries, whom a grateful posterity had deified. To these some added the more splendid and useful objects in the natural world, among which the sun, moon, and stars, being pre-eminent, received worship from nearly all; and some were not ashamed to pay divine honors to mountains, rivers, trees, the earth, the ocean, the winds and even to diseases, to virtues and vices, and to almost every conceivable object, or, at least, to the deities sup- posed to preside over these objects. 6. The worship of these deities consisted in numerous ceremonies with sacrifices, offerings, and prayers. The ceremonies, for the most part, were absurd and ridiculous' and what was worse yet, debasing, obscene and cruel. The whole pagan system had not the least efficacy to excite and cherish virtuous emotions in the soul. For in the first place, the gods and goddesses to whom the pub- lic homage was paid, instead of being patterns of virtue, were patterns rather of enormous vices and crimes. They were considered as superior to mortals in power and as exempt from death, but in all things else as on a level with man. In the next place, the ministers of this re- ligion, neither by precept nor by example, exhorted the people to lead honest and virtuous lives, but gave them to understand that all the homage required of them by the gods was comprised in the observance of the traditional rites and ceremonies. And lastly, the doctrines inculcated THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE CHURCH. lii! respecting the rewards of the righteous and the punish ments of the wicked in the future world, were some of them dubious and uncertain, and others more adapted to promote vice than virtue. Hence the wiser Pagans them- sevles, about the time of the Savior's birth, contemned and ridiculed the whole system. 7. Mysteries of Paganism :— It is contended by those who would dignify paganism, that back of its com- mon worship, among the orientals and Greeks at least, certain recondite and concealed rites called mysteries — containing in them the essence of true religion — existed: and that back of its idolatry stood and was recognized the true God, of which the images worshiped were but the material representatives. To these mysteries, how- ever, very few were admitted. Candidates for initiation had first to give satisfactory proof of their good faith and patience, by various most troubesome ceremonies. When initiated they could not divulge anything they had seen, without exposing their lives to imminent danger. Hence the interior of these hidden rites is at this day but little known, and therefore but an imperfect judgment may be formed as to their virtue. But what glimpses are ob- tained of the rites of these mysteries do not prepossess one in their favor; for in many of them many things were done which are repugnant to modesty and decency, and in all of them that are known, the discerning may see that th< deities there worshiped were more distinguished for their vices than for their virtues. (See note 3, end of section.) 8. Paul's Arraignment of the Pagan World:— Paul, .the great apostle of the Gentiles, brings a ter- rible indictment against the pagan world of his day, and also against the more ancient pagans, and avers that there was no excuse for their idolatry or wickedness: 24 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. " For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath showed it unto them. For the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, nei- ther were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing them- selves to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image like to cor- ruptible man, and to birds, and four-footed beasts and creeping things. Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dis- honor their own bodies between themselves; who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshiped and served the creature more than the Creator. * * * For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections; * * * and even as the}' did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient: being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covet- ousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity: whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, dis- obedient to parents, without understanding, covenant- breakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerci- ful : who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.* (See note 4, end of section.) Epistle to RnmanS i : 18-32. THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE CHURCH. -') 9. Political State of the World at Messiah's Birth: At the birth of Jesus Christ the greater part of the civ- ilized world on the eastern hemisphere was subject to the Romans. Their remoter provinces they either ruled by means of temporary governors and presidents sent from Rome, or suffered them to live under their own kings and laws, subject to the control of the Roman empire. 10. The senate and people of Rome, though they had not lost all the appearance of liberty, were really under the authority of one man. Augustus: who was clothed with the titles of emperor, sovereign pontiff, censor, tribune of the people, pro-consul: in a word, with every office which conferred general power and pre-eminence in the com- monwealth. 11. The Roman government, if we regard only. its form and laws, was sufficiently mild and equitable. But the injustice and avarice of the nobles and provincial governors, the Roman lust of conquest and dominion, and the rapacity of the publicans who farmed the revenues of the state, brought many and grievous evils upon the peo- ple. The magistrates and publicans fleeced them of their property on the one hand, while, on the other, the Roman lust of dominion required armies to be raised in the pro- vinces— a thing which was very oppressive to them, and the occasion of almost perpetual insurrection. This, however, is true more especially of the days which pre- ceded the reign of Augustus [Au-gus-tus.] The principal conquests of the Romans were achieved under the republic. It was left for Augustus to adopt that policy which aimed merely to preserve those dominions which had been ac- quired by the policy of the senate, the active emulation of the consuls and the martial enthusiasm of the people. Under his reign the Roman people themselves seem to 2G OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. have relinquished the ambitious design of subduing the whole earth. (See note 5, end of section.) 12. This widely extended dominion of one people, or, rather, of one man, was attended with several advan- tages:. 1. it brought into union a multitude of nations differing in customs and languages; 2. it gave freer ac- cess to the remotest nations; 3, it gradually civilized the barbarous nations, by introducing among them the y Roman laws and customs; 4, it spread literature, the arts and philosophy in countries where they were not be- fore cultivated, and guaranteed the protection of its laws to the people even in the remotest provinces. (See note 6. end of section.) 13. Moreover, at the birth of Messiah, the Roman empire was freer from commotion than it had been for many years. Though it cannot be said that the whole world was in profound peace, yet there can be no doubt that the period when the Savior was born, if compared with the preceding times, was peculiarly peaceful — a condition quite essential to the introduction of the gos- pel and the extensive preaching of it. Nor is it too much to say that the Lord raised up the great Roman empire that under its beneficent yet powerful sway, the glad tidings of great joy, the gospel of Jesus Christ, might be widely preached among men. 14. Of the state of those nations which lay beyond the boundaries of the Romr i empire we may not learn so much as of Rome. It is sufficient to know, however, that the Oriental nations were pressed down by a stern des- potism, which their effeminacy of mindand body, and even their religion, led them to bear with patience; while the northern nations enjoyed much greater liberty, which was protected by the rigor of their climate and the consequent energy of their constitutions, aided by their mode of life. THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE CHURCH. Z i 15. Political and Religious State of the Jews:— The condition of the Jewish people among whom the Savior was born was scarcely any better than that of other nations. Herod, called the Great, then governed, or, rather, oppressed the Jewish nation, though only a tributary king under the Romans. He drew upon him- self universal hatred by his cruelties, jealousies and wars; and he exhausted the wealth of the unhappy nation by his mad luxury, his excessive magnificence, and his immoderate largesses. Under his administration Roman luxury and licentiousness spread over Palestine. In re- ligion he was professedly a Jew. but he copied the man- ners of those who despise all religion. 16. The Romans did not wholly prohibit the Jews from retaining their national laws, and the religion estab- lished by Moses. "They had their high priests, council or senate (Sanhedrim,)* and inflicted lesser punishments. They could apprehend men and bring them before the council; and if a guard of soldiers was needful, could be assisted by them upon asking the governor for them; they could bind men and keep them in custody; the council could summon witnesses, take examinations, and. when the}- had any capital offenders, carry them before the governor. This governor usually paid a regard to what they offered, and if they brought evidence of the fact, pronounced sentence according to their laws. He was the proper judge in all capital causes."! 17- The measure of liberty and comfort allowed to the Jews by the Romans was well nigh wholly dissipated, first by the cruelty and avarice of the governors and by the frauds and rapacity of the publicans; and second, by the profligacy and crimes of those who pretended to be *See note (7), end of section. t Dr. Lanlner. 28 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. patriots and guardians of the nation. Their principal men, their high priests, were abandoned wretches, who had purchased their places by bribes or by deeds of iniquity, and who maintained their ill-acquired authority by every species of dishonest acts. The other priests, and all who held any considerable office, were not much better. The multitude, excited by such examples, ran headlong into every sort of iniquity, and by their unceasing robberies and seditions they excited against themselves both the justice of God and the vengeance of man. 18. Religious Divisions: — Two religions may be said to have flourished in Palestine at the times of which we write; viz., the Jewish and the Samaritan; between the followers of which there was a deadly hatred. The na- ture of the former is set forth in the Old Testament. But in the age of the Savior it had been corrupted by the traditions of the people, who were divided into sects filled with bitterness against each other. Chief among these sects were the Pharisees [Fa-ri-sees,] and Sad- ducees [Sad-du-seezs.] 19. Pharisees and Saddueees.— While these two sects agreed as to a number of fundamental princi- ples of the Jewish religion, they differed on questions of the highest importance, and such as related to the salvation of the soul. First, they disagreed respect- ing the law which God had given them. The Phari- sees superaddedTo the written law an oral or unwritten law. handed down by tradition, which the Saddueees re- jected, adhering alone to the written law. They differed, too, as to the import of the law. The Pharisees held to a double sense of the scripture, the one literal, the other figurative; while the Saddueees held only to the literal sense of the Bible. To these contests concerning the THE ESTABLISHMEN J >!■ THE CHURCH. 29 laws were added others on subjects of the highest moment; particularly in respect to the rewards and punishments announced in the sacred writings. The Pharisees supposed them to affect both body and spirit — in whose pre-exist- ence and eternal existence the}' believed — and that pun- ishments and rewards extended beyond the present life. The Sadducees believed in no future retributions. They were sceptical of the miraculous; and denied the exist- ence of spiritual beings, the immortality of the soul, the resurrection of the body. They were deists, in fact; viewing the Supreme Being as a quiescent Providence calmlv surveying and ruling the regular working of nat- ural laws. They gave themselves up to ease, luxury, self- indulgence, and were not indisposed to view with indif- ferent liberality the laxity of heathen morals and the pro- fanity of idol worship. They included in their numbers the leading men of the nation, were the aristocracy in fact, while the Pharisees, on the other hand, were the common people: proud of their unblemished descent from Abraham, exclusive, formal, self-righteous, strict observers of external rites and ceremonies even beyond the require- ments of the law. 20. Such were the chief sects among the Jews. There were others, but they were of minor importance. Both Sadducees and Pharisees looked for a deliverer; not, how- ever, such a one as God had promised; but a powerful warrior and a vindicator of their national liberties, a king, a ruler. All placed the sum of religion in an observance of the Mosaic ritual, and in certain duties toward their countrymen. All excluded the rest of mankind from the hope of salvation, and. of course, whenever they dared, treated them with hatred and inhumanity. To these fruit- ful sources of vice, must be added various absurd and superstitious opinions concerning the Divine Nature, 30 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. genii, magic, etc., which they had imbibed from sur- rounding nations. 21. Samaritans: — The Samaritans [Sa-mar-i-tans] were colonists sent by the king of Assyria (as-syr-rya), Shalmaneser, [Shal-ma-ne-zer] to people the land after he had carried captive the Israelites, in the latter part of the eighth century, B. C. They were a mixed people from various eastern nations, conquered by this same king — and they brought with them their various forms of national idolatry. A plague breaking out among them, however, led them to petition for a priest of the god of the country, to teach them the old form of worship. He was stationed at Bethel (beth-el,) and the Samaritans endeavored to combine a formal reverence of God with the practice of their own idolatrous rites. After the captivity of Judah, they sought an alliance with the returned Jews (536 B. C. ), with whom they intermarried. On Ezra enforcing the Mosaic law agaist mixed marriages — three quarters of a century later — Manasses [Ma-nas-ses,] a Jewish priest, who had married the daughter of Sanballat, [San-bal-lat], chief of the Samaritans, headed a secession at Shechem [Shek-em.] The Samaritans taught the Mosaic ritual and erected a rival temple to that at Jerusalem, on Mont Gerizim [Ger-i-zim.] This mixed community before the time of the Savior began toclaim descent from the patriarchs and a share in the promises. Their religion was less pure than that of the Jews, as they adulterated the doctrines of the Old Testament with the profane rites of the Pagan religion. 22. Such was the state of the world — such the condi- tion of the Jews at the time of Messiah's bi*th; and surely that condition justified the pity and also the stern reproofs — nay, the severe rebukes administered, as we shall see, by the Son of God in the course of his ministry. THE KS'J ABLISHMEN1 _oi' THE CHURCH. .">1 NOTES. 1. State of the World at Messiah's Birth: — The world had grown old, and the dotage of its paganism was marked by hideous excesses. Atheism in belief was followed, as among all nations it has always been, by degradation of morals, iniquity seemed to have run its course to the very farthest goal. Phrtosophy had abrogated its boasted functions except for the favored few. Crime was universal, and there was no known remedy for the horror and ruin which it was causing in a thousand hearts. Remorse itself seemed to be exhausted, so that men were past feeling. There was a callosity of heart, a pet- rifying of the moral sense, which even those who suffered from it felt to be abnormal and portentious. Even the heathen world felt that "the fullness ot the time" had come.— Canon Farrar . 2. Policy of Rome in Respect to Religion:— The policy of the emperors and the senate, so far as it concerned religion, was happily seconded by the reflections of the enlightened, and by the habits of the superstitious part of their subjects. The various modes of worship, which prevailed in the Roman world, were all considered by the people as equally true ; by the philosopher as equally false ; and by the magistrate as equally useful. And this toleration produced not only mutual indulgence, but even religious concord. * * * Avarice and taste very frequently despoiled the vanquished nations ol the elegant statues of their gods and the rich ornaments of their temples ; but in the exercise of the religion which they derived from their ancestors, they uniformly exper- ienced the indulgence, and even protection of the Roman conquerors. The province of Gaul seems, and indeed only seems, an exception to this universal toleration. Under the specious pretext of abolishing human sacrifices, the emperors Tiberius and Claudius suppressed the dangerous power of the Druids ; but the priests themselves, their gods and their altars, subsisted in peaceful obscurity till the final fall of paganism. * * Rome gradually became the common temple of her subjects ; and the freedom of the city was bestowed on all the gods of mankind. — Gibbon. 3. Mysteries of the Pagan Religion:— It has been maintained that the design ofcat least some of these mysteries was to inculcate the grand principles of natural religion, such as the unity of God, the immortality of the soul, the importance of virtue, etc., and to explain the vulgar polytheism as symbolical of these great truths. But this certainly needs better proof. It is more probable that the later pagan philosophers, who lived after the light of Christianity had exposed the abominations of polytheism, were the principal authors of this moral interpretation of the vulgar religion, which they falsely pretended was taught in the mysteries, while in reality, those mysteries were probably mere supplements to the vulgar mythology and worship, and of the same general character and spirit. — Murdock. 4. State of Religion in Rome:— A modern writer describing the relig- ious state of Rome at the time of Julius Cuesar — it could not have been much changed at the birth of Messiah, sixty years later — says: " Religion, once the '.\'Z OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. foundation of the laws and rule of personal conduct, had subsided into opinion. The educated in their hearts disbelieved it. Temples were still built with increasing splendor ; the established forms were scrupulously observed. Public men spoke conventionally of Providence, that they might throw on their oppo- nents the odium of impiety ; but of genuine belief that lite had any serious meaning, there was none remaining beyond the circle of the silent, patient, ignorant multitude. The whole spiritual atmosphere was saturated with cant— cant moral- cant political, cant religious ; an affectation of high principle which had ceased to touch the conduct, and flowed on in an increasing volume of insincere and unreal speech. The truest thinkers were those who, like Lucretius, spoke frankly out their real convictions, declared Providence was a dream, and that man and the world he lived in were material phenomena, generated by natural forces out of cosmic atoms, and into atoms to be again resolved." — Fronde. 5. Policy of Augustus as to Conquests.— Inclined to peace by his temper and situation, it was easy for him to discover that Rome, in her present exalted situation, had much less to hope than to fear from the chance of arms ; and that, in the prosecution of remote wars, the undertaking every day became more difficult, the event more doubtful, and the possession more precarious and less beneficial. The experience of Augustus added weight to these salutary reflections, and effectually convinced him that by prudent vigor of his counsels, it would be easy to secure every concession which the safety or the dignity of Rome might require from the most formidable barbarians. * * * On the death of the emperor, his testament was (publicly read in the senate. He bequeathed, as a valuable legacy to his successors the advice of confining the empire within those limits which nature seemed to have placed as its permanent bulwarks and foundations; on the west the Atlantic Ocean; the Rhine and Danube on the north ; the Euphrates on the east ; and towards the south the sandy deserts of Arabia and Africa. — Gibbon, Decline and Fall, Vol. I, Chap. 1 6. Mission and Character of the Roman Empire: — As the soil must be prepared before the wheat can be sown, so before the kingdom of heaven could throw up its shoots there was needed a kingdom of this world where the nations were neither torn to pieces by violence nor were rushing after false ideals [as to governments] and spurious ambitions. Such a kingdom was the empire of the Caesars— a kingdom where peaceful men could work, think and speak as they pleased, and travel freely among provinces ruled for the most part by Gallios who protected life and property, and forbade fanatics to tear each other to pieces for their religious opinions. " It is not lawful for us to put a man to death," was the complaint of the Jewish priests -to the Roman governor. Had Europe and Asia been covered with independent nations, each with a local relig- on represented in its ruling powers, Christianity must have beerc-stifled in its cradle. If St. Paul had escaped the Sanhedrim of Jerusalem, he would have been torn to pieces by the silversmiths at Ephesus. The appeal to Cussar's judgment seat was the shield^ef his mission, and alone made possible his suc- cess.— Froude. THE ES I \r.UMl\ii;\ I OF rill. CHURCH. .'!.'! 7. The Sanhedrim of tho Jews:-" The Council " of the Jewish Church and people was a theocratic oligarchy, which after the return from the captivity, (536 B. C.,) ruled the new settlement, being in all causes and over all persons, ecclesiastical and civil, supreme. It is supposed to be suggested by the old institution of seventy-two Elders (six from each tribe), appointed by Moses, at Jethro's [Jeth-ro] suggestion, to relieve him in the administration of justice, (Ex. xviii, 14 : Num. xi, 16). Having died out in the age succeeding Joshua, and being superceded under the monarchy, it was revived either by Ezra, or after the Macedonian ascendency. It consisted of an equal number of priests, scribes and elders, all of whom must be married, above thirty years of age, well iustructed in the law, and of good report among the people. This con- stituted the Supreme Court of judicature and administrative Council, taking cognizance of false doctrine and teaching, as well as breaches of the Mosaic Law, and regulating both civil and religious observances peculiar to the Jewish nation. The power of life and death had been taken from it by the Roman government which otherwise covenanted to respect its decrees. The council usually met in the hall Gazith, within the Temple precincts, though special meetings were sometimes held in the house of the High Priest, who was generally, (though not necessarily) the president. There were also two vice- presidents, and two scribes — clerks — or "heralds," one registering the votes of acquittal (or noes), and the other those of convictions lor ayes), and a body of lictors or attendants. The assembly sat in the form of a semi-circle, the president occupying the center of the arc, the prisoner that of the center of the chord, while the two " heralds " sat a little in advance of the President, on his right and his left. — Oxford Teacher's Bible — Addenda. REVIEW. 1. State the religious condition of the world at Messiah's birth. 2. What was the cause ot heathen religious toleration ? 3. What was the policy of Rome in respect to religion ? (note 2) 4. What w^as the nature of the heathen gods ? 5. Describe the character of heathen worship. 6. What can you say of pagan mysteries ? (note 3) 7. Give the substance of Paul's arraignment of the pagan world. 8. What was the political state of the world at Messiah's birth ? 9. Describe the general character of the Roman government. 10. Enumerate the advantages the Roman government gave to the world. 11. How did these advantages affect the work of Christ ? 12. What was the state of the nations outside of the Roman empire ? 13. Who was the king of the Jews at Messiah's birth ? 14. What was the political state of the Jews at that time ? 15. What can you say of religion among the Jews at this period? 16. What were the religious divisions in Palestine? 34 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. 17. State the doctrines of the Pharisees. The Sadducees. 18. What was the character of the Deliverer expected by both Pharisees and Sadducees? 19. Did Jesus Christ answer their expectations ? 20. Tell what you can of the Samaritans? 21. Describe the Sanhedrim of the Jews. (Note 7) THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE CHURCH. 35 SECTION III. 1. Childhood and Youth of Messiah :— Returning from Egypt in obedience to the commandment of God, Joseph, the husband of Mary, with the infant Savior, went into Galilee, and lived at Nazareth — the most de- spised village of the most despised province in all Pales- tine. (Note 1. end of Section.) Of his childhood but little information can be obtained from any authentic source. All that may be learned from the biographies in the Gospels is that after the settlement in Nazareth, the child grew and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom ; and the grace of God was upon him. 2- Luke tells us that when twelve years of age, Jesus accompanied his mother and Joseph to Jerusalem, to at- tend the feast of the Passover. (See note 2, end of sec- tion. ) When they started on the return to Nazareth, Jesus remained behind at Jerusalem without their knowledge. Thev supposed him to be in the company, but when after a whole day's journey he did not appear, they made in- quiry for him among their kindred, and not finding him, returned to Jerusalem in search of him. After three days' anxious inquiry they found him in the temple, sit- ting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them and asking questions. Answering his mother's gentle re- proof for remaining behind, he said: "How is it that ye sought me? Wist ye not that I must be about my Father's business?" Thus early in life, just emerging from child- hood, it seems that the Son of God had the inspiration of his mission resting upon him. Yet in loving obedience he went with them down into Nazareth, "and was subject :;<;; outlines of ecclesiastical history. unto them." With the return to Nazareth the authentic history of the childhood and youth of the Son of God ends: further than we learn from the remark of Luke that "Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man." But what the details of his life and development were for the next eighteen years, we do not know. (See note 3, end of Section.) 3. In the New Testament apocrypha there are won- derful and miraculous stories of his carrying spilt water in his robe; of his pulling a short board to its requisite length; of moulding sparrows out of clay and then clap- ping his hands at which they are made alive and fly away: how he vexes and shames and silences those who wish to teach him: how he rebukes Joseph or turns his playmates into kids: how he strikes dead with a curse the boys who offend or run against him, until at last there is a storm of popular indignation, and his mother fears to have him leave the house — and a hundred other things equally ab- surd which mar rather than embellish the childhood and youth of Jesus, which the silence of his reliable biog- raphers dignifies and exalts. 4. John the Baptist: — In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, there came preaching through- out the wilderness of Judea [Ju-de-a] a strange character, called John the Baptist. He was the son of Elizabeth, who was a descendant of Aaron, and a cousin to Mary, the mother of Jesus. His father was a priest of the temple, named Zacharias. Zacharias and Elizabeth were both well stricken in years, when there appeared unto the former, in the temple, as he was burning incense upon the altar, the angel Gabriel [Ga-bri-el] who announced to him that his wife would bear him a son, and that he must call his name John. The angel also said that John should be great in the eyes of the Lord: THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE CHURCH. 37 that he should be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb. He was to have power also to turn unto their God many of the children of Israel, and to go before the Lord in the spirit and power of Elias to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the dis- obedient to the wisdom of the just: to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.* 5. In due time all that the angel promised came to pass. The child was born, and when eight days old he was circumcised and named John. On that occasion his father who had been dumb from the time of the visitation of the angel prophesied that the child should be called the prophet of the Highest; that he should go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways; give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission of their sins, through the tender mercy of God; and give light to them that sit in darkness, and in the shadow of death. f 6. That the child grew and waxed strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his showing unto Israel; J that he had his raiment of camel's hair; a leath- ern girdle about his loins; that his food was locusts and wild honevt is all we know of him until the word of the Lord came to him in the wildernessj commanding him to cry repentance, and proclaim the coming of the kingdom of heaven. 7. The Voice from the Wilderness :— The burden of John's message consisted of three great declarations: Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand; prepare ye the way of the Lord make his paths straight; there cometh one after me mightier than I am, whose shoe lat- * Luke i t Matt, i t Luke li 38 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. chet I am unworthy to loose, he will baptize you with fire and with the Holy Ghost. 8. When the multitude flock ed to hear the teaching of John and the Pharisees and Sadducees came also — with guile in their hearts and deceit on their lips, he rebuked them, called them a generation of vipers and told them to bring forth fruits mete for repentance, and not to pride themselves on being the children of Abraham, for God was able of the very stones about them to raise up chil- dren unto Abraham. He warned them that the ax was laid at the root of every tree, and that tree which brought not forth good fruit was to be destroyed. 9. That was a strange voice to the people of that gen- eration, accustomed as they were to hear only the accents of flattery or subserviency. Without a tremor of hesita- tion he rebuked the tax gatherers for their extortion; the soldiers for their violence; the Sadducees and Pharisees for their pride and formalism; and warned the whole people that their cherished privileges were worse than valueless if without repentance they regarded them as a protection against the wrath to come. 10. So unusual a teacher as John the Baptist could not fail to attract attention in Judea where all men were anticipating the coming of a deliverer. Hence, as the Jews listened to his teachings so inspired with the power of God, they wondered if he were not the Messiah. This he denied. They asked him then if he were not Elias. This too he denied (see note 5 end of section); and claimed only to be the voice of one crying in the wilderness: "Make straight the way of the Lord."* 11. The Baptism of JeSUS: — When -John came into the region about Bethabara [Beth-ab-a-rah] on the THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE CHI kill. .1!) Jordan* among others who came to be baptized was Jesus. When John saw him he hesitated, and knowing by the inspiration within him what he was soon to know by a more splendid manifestation of God's power, viz., that this was the Son of God, he said: "I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?" "Suffer it to be so now," replied Jesus, "for thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness, "f 12. Then John baptized him and as Jesus came up out of the water the heavens were opened unto him (that is unto John; see note 6 end of section,) and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting upon him; and he heard a voice from heaven saying: "This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased. "| This splendid spiritual manifestation was a sign to John that this was the Son of God, the One who was to baptize with the fire and the Holy Ghost, the Messiah who was to take away the sins of the world. For he who had sent him to baptize with water, had said to him: "Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost"§ 13. The Martyrdom Of John:— Having borne wit- ness that Jesus was the Son of God, John seems to have completed the mission given to him at that time, and soon after fell a victim to the malice of a wicked woman and a weak prince. Herod Antipas [Anti-pas; J the son of Herod the Great, who was made Tetrarch of Galilee on the death of his father, married the daughter of Aretas [Ar'-e-ta,] king of Arabia. But forming also an * The location of Bethabara is uncertain. tMatt. iii. jMatt. iii. I John i: 32, 33. 40 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. unholy attachment for Herodias [He-ro'-di-as] his brother Philip's wife, he soon became involved in a course of guilt with her. For this he was reproved by John who told him it was not lawful for him to have her. Herod at the instance of Herodias cast John into prison for his temerity in reproving their wicked course, and would have put him to death, but he feared the multitude who esteemed John a prophet. 13. The revengeful spirit of Herodias, however, was not satisfied with the bonds and imprisonment of John; she determined to have his life. On Herod's birthday, in the midst of the feast, she sent her daughter to dance for the amusement of the company, which greatly pleased Herod, and he promised her with an oath that he would give her whatsoever she should ask; and the damsel being instructed of her mother demanded the head of John the Baptist. It was with sorrow that Herod, bad as he was, heard this demand, yet for his oath's sake, and ashamed to manifest weakness in the presence of those who sat at meat with him, he sent and beheaded John in the prison, and had the head brought in and given to the damsel in a charger. Thus fell the first martyr in that dispensation. (See note 7 end of Section.) NOTES. 1. Nazareth: — Nazareth was in Galilee, a part of Palestine, which was held ■n disesteem for several reasons : It had a provincial dialect ; lying remote from the capital, its inhabitants spoke a strange tongue, which was rough, harsh, and uncouth, having a peculiar combination of words, and words also peculiar to themselves. Its population was impure, being made up not^enly of provincial Jews but also of heathens of several sorts, Egyptians, Arabians, Phoenicians. As Galilee was a despised part of Palestine, so was Nazareth a despised part of Galilee, being a small, obscure, if not mean place. Accordingly its inhabitants were held in little THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE CHURCH. 4] consideration by other Galileans, and, of course, by those Jews who dwelt in Judea. Hence the name of X.izarene came to bear with it a bad odor, and was nearly synonymous with a low, ignorant and uncultivated, if not un-Jewish per- son.— Biblical Literature, Kilts. 12. The Passover: — The Passover, like the Sabbath and other institutions, had a two-fold reference — historical and typical. As a commemorative institu- tion it was designed to preserve among the Jews a grateful sense of their redemp- tion from Egyptian bondage, and with the protection granted to their first born, on the night when all the firstborn of the Egyptians were destroyed (Exodus xii: 27): as a typical institute its object was to shadow forth the great facts and conse- quences of the Christian sacrifices (1. Cor. v: 7). That the ancient Jews under- stood this institution to prefigure the sufferings of the Christ is evident, not only from the New Testament, but from the Mishna, where, among the five things said to be contained in the (rVeat Hallel (a hymn composed of several songs and sung after the Paschal supper), one is, the suffering of Messiah, for which they refer to Ps. cxvi. * * * * * The Passover also denotes the whole solemnity, commencing on the 14th and ending on the 21st day of Nisan .— Kiltn. 3. The Youth of Christ: — It is written that there was once a pious, godly bishop who had often earnestly prayed that God would manifest unto him what Jesus had done in his youth. Once the bishop had a dream to this effect: He seemed in his sleep to see a carpenter working at his trade, and beside him a little buy who was gathering up chips. Then came in a maiden clothed in green, who called them both to come to the meal, and set porridge before them. All this the bishop seemed to see in his dream, himself standing behind the door that he might not be perceived. Then the little boy began and said : Why does that man stand there? Shall he not also eat with us? And this so frightened the bishop that he awoke. Let this be what it may, a true history or a fable, I none the less believe that Christ in his childhood and youth looked and acted like other children, yet without sin, in fashion like a man. — Martin Luther. 4. Messiah's Life for Thirty Years : —What was his manner of life during those thhty years? It is a question which the Christians cannot help ask- ing in deep reverence, and with yearning love ; but the words in which the gos- pels answer it are very calm and very few. ***** His development was a strictly human development. He did not come to the world endowed with infinite knowledge, but, as St. Luke tells us, he gradually advanced in wisdom. He was not clothed with infinite power, but experienced the weakness and imperfections of human infancy. He grew as other children grow, only in a childhood of stainless and sinless beauty — as the "flower of roses in the spring of the year and as lilies by the waters." ***** It was in utter stillness, in prayerfulness, in the quiet round of daily duties — like Moses in the wilderness, like David among the sheepfolds, like Elijah among the tents of the Bedouin, like Jeremiah in his quiet home at Anathoth, like Amos in the sycamore groves of Tekoa — that the boy Jesus prepared himself, amid a hal- 3 42 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. lowed obscurity, for his mighty work on earth. His outward life was the life of all those of his age, and station, and place of birth, He lived as lived the other children of peasant parents in that quiet town, and in great measure as they live now. — Canon Farrer. 5. Was John The Elias?— "Art thou Elias?" said the messengers from Jesus to John. "And he saith, I am not;" (John i.) Afterwards, as Jesus, Peter, James and John were descending the mountain on whose summit they had seen in vision Moses and Elias, the following conversation occurred : Jesus: Tell the vision to no man, until the son of man be risen again from the dead. Disciples: Why then say the scribes that Elias must first come? Jesus: Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things; but I say unto you that Elias is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed. * * * * Then the disciples knew that he spake unto them of John the Baptist. (Matt, xvii.) From this it appears that John denied being Elias, while Jesus declared that he was, and in consequence much controversy has arisen on this subject. The matter may be easily under- stood, however, when it is known that Elias is the name of a person, the name of a prophet who lived, doubtless, in the days of Abraham (Doc. and Cov. Sec. ex : 12) and who also appeared to Jesus on the occasion above named ; Elias is also the name of an office — the office of Restorer. "The spirit of Elias," said the prophet Joseph (March 10, 1844) "is to prepare the way for a greater revela- tion of God, which is the priesthood of Elias. * * * * And when God sends a man into the world to prepare for a greater work holding the keys of the power of Elias, it was called the doctrine of Elias, even from the early ages of the world." Hence any man who came to prepare the way for a greater revelation was an Elias, and in this sense John the Baptist was pre-eminently Elias ; but it is equally true that he was not Elias. the prophet who lived in the days of Abraham, who appeared unto Jesus in the mountain and who also appeared to the Prophet Joseph and Oliver Cowdery in the Kirtland Temple. — Roberts. In the new translation of the New Testament, by the Prophet Joseph Smith, the difficulty in respect to the denial of John that he was Elias is easily understood. We quote the passage : " This is the record of John, when the Jews sent priests and seventies from Jerusalem, to ask him : Whoartthou? And he confessed and denied not that he was Elias; but confessed, saying, I am not the Christ. And they asked him, saying : How art thou then Elias? And he said, / am not that Elias who teas to restore all things. And they asked him, saying, Art thou that prophet? And he answered, No." (St. John i. 20 — 22.) From the above it may be plainly seen that while John was not the particular Elias who is to restore all things, yet he is an Elias because he restored some things in respect to the gospel. 6. John the Only Witness of the Descent of the Holy Ghost :— I suppose that John the Baptist was the only one who was a witness of the Holy Ghost resting upon Jesus in the form of a dove. In all the accounts given of this THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE CHURCH. 43 event, except by Luke, the pronoun " he" referring to John, is used. While'in Luke it is not said that anyone else saw it, but it is merely stated that " the Holy Ghost descended in bodily shape like a dove and rested upon him,"' John's own testimony is as follows : "I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon Him. And I knew Him not; but He that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending and remaining on him, the same is.he which baptizeth with the Holy- Ghost."— The Gospel fnote), Roberts. 7. The Pate of Herod, Autipas :— He was not allowed to enjoy his prosperity long. His nephew Agrippa having obtained the title of king. Herodias urged him to make a journey to Italy and demand the same honor. He weakly assented to his wife's ambitious representations ; but the project proved fatal to them both. Agrippa anticipated their design ; and when they appeared before Caligula, they were met by accusations of hostility to Rome, the truth of which they in vain attempted to disprove. Sentence of deposition was accordingly passed upon Herod, and both he and his wife [Herodias] were sent into banishment and died at Lyons in Gaul. — Kitto. 8. The Sign of the Dove:— "The Holy Ghost descended in the form of a dove, or rather in the sign of a dove in witness of that administration [Messiah's baptism]. The sign of the dove was instituted before the creation of the world, a witness for the Holy Ghost, and the devil cannot come in the sign of a dove. The Holy Ghost is a personage, and is in the form of a personage. It does not confine itself to the form of a dove, but in the sign oi a dove. The Holy Ghost cannot be transformed into a dove ; but the sign of a dove was given to John to signify the truth of the deed, as the dove is an emblem or token ol truth and innocence." — Joseph, Smith. REVIEW. i. State what you can of the childhood of Christ. 2. What can you say of Nazareth ? 3. What happened when Jesus was twelve years old? 4. Describe the Passover (note 2.) 5. What can you say of the fabulous stories related of the childhood and youth of Christ ? 6. At what time did John the Baptist appear as a preacher? 7. Who were trie parents of John ? Whatltheir descent? 8. Relate all you can concerning John's birth and childhood. 9. What was the burden of John's message? 10. How did he treat the deceitful Pharisees and Sadducees? 11. As whom did some of the Jews regard John ? 12. What was the extent of his pretensions? 13. What can you say of Elias? (Note 5.) 14. Relate the baptism of Jesus. 15. Tell the story of John's martyrdom. 16. What was the fate of Herod Antipas ? (Note 7.) 44 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. SECTION IV. 1. The Temptations of Jesus :— After his baptism [esus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, where he fasted forty days and forty nights. Then at the moment of his great physical weakness Lucifer came tempting him; but all the allurements of the wily foe were thwarted, from the challenge to turn the stones into bread to the offer of the kingdoms of this world and the glory of them. After his failure to seduce Jesus to sin, Lucifer left him — "for a season," and angels came and ad- ministered unto him. (See note 1 and 2 end of section. ) 2. Commencement of Christ's Ministry :— Having in all things resisted the temptations of Lucifer, Jesus returned from the wilderness into Galilee, the Spirit of God resting upon Him in mighty power. It was then that he began His great ministry among the people teaching in their synagogues, astonishing all with the graciousness of His doctrines, and His power in healing the sick, until His fame extended throughout the land, and great multitudes of people from Galilee, and also from Decapolis (De-kap- o-lis), Jerusalem and other parts of Judea followed him. 3. The Doctrines Christ Taught:— The burden of His teaching at this period of His ministry seems to have been: "Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."* In addition to this, He also taught beautiful truths and moral precepts in brief, emphatic sentences (see note 3 end of section), that were especially comforting to the THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE CHURCH. 4.") poor; such as, "Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven: Blessed are they that mourn; for they shall he comforted: Blessed are the meek; for they shall inherit the earth: Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness; for they shall be filled: Blessed are the pure in heart; for they shall see God." 4. In some things His teachings seemed to come in conflict with the traditions of the people; and, indeed, with the law of Moses itself, as witness the following: "Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, thou shalt not kill: and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: but I say unto you, that whosoever is angry with his brother without cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say unto his broth- er, raca,* shall be in danger of the council; but whoso- ever shall say, thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire. " Again: "ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shall per- form unto the Lord thine oaths: But I say unto you swear not at all, * * * but let your communications be yea, yea; nav, nay. Ye have heard that it hath been said, an eye for an eye. and a tooth for a tooth; but I sav unto you, that ye resist not evil. * * * Ye have heard that it hath been said, thou shalt love thy neighbor, and hate thine enemy: But I say unto you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you. " 5. Yet Jesus claimed that He came not to destroy the law nor the prophets, but to fulfill them, and declared that though heaven and earth should pass away not one * That is, vain fellow. 40 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. jot nor title of the law should pass away but all should be fulfilled. Still it cannot be denied that some of His teachings set aside many parts of the law of Moses, and seemed to be in conflict with its spirit. 6. The Gospel Supplants the Law:— The seeming conflict, referred to in the last paragraph, between the law of Moses and the teachings of Messiah disappears when it is understood that the gospel of Jesus Christ was about to supplant the law. The gospel, under Moses was offered to ancient Israel, before they received the law of carnal commandments; but they would not live in ac- cordance with its divine precepts, but hardened their heartsjagainst it until the gospel, as also the higher priest- hood, was taken from among them. The lesser priesthood, which holds the keys of the ministering of angels and the preparatory gospel, repentance and baptism, and the law of carnal commandments (the spirit of which is an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth) remained with them,* to educate and instruct them, that they might be prepared eventually for the fullness of the gospel. When Jesus began His ministry by proclaiming His gospel, the law of Moses was about fulfilled, and many of the carnal Commandments and precepts were being pushed aside by the more excellent precepts of the gospel, even as the sacri- fices and burnt offerings were to be discontinued after Messiah should be offered up as a sacrifice, of which the sacrifices before mentioned were but types and symbols. (See note 4 end of section. ) 7. Twelve Apostles Called:— From among the dis- ciples which followed him Jesus selected twelve men whom he called apostles. Their names were: Simon, commonly called Peter; Andrew, brother to Peter; * Doc. and Cov. lxxxiv i 17-27. THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE CHURCH. 47 James, the son of Zebedee, sometimes called James the Elder; John, brother to James above named; Philip; Bartholomew; Thomas; Matthew, the publican, author of the book of Matthew in the New Testament; James, the son of Alphaeus, designated also as James the less, per- haps to designate him from James the elder, or because of his small stature;* Lebbaeus, usually called by his surname Thaddaeus; Simon, the Canaanite; and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him. 8. These twelve men Jesus sent out on a mission to the cities of Israel, forbidding them to go into the way of the Gentiles, or into the cities of the Samaritans- Their mission was to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. f They were sent without purse and without scrip, nor were they to provide themselves with two coats nor take thought as to what they would eat, or where- withal they should be clothed; but they were to trust to the Lord, being assured that the laborer is worthy of his hire. 9. The burden of their message was to be: "The king- dom of heaven is at hand. " They also received power from their Master to heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: and were admonished, since they had received freely, to give as freely to others. Jesus told them they were going as sheep among wolves; that they would be brought before governors and kings for his sake; that they would be delivered up to councils, and scourged in the synagogues; that they would be hated of all men for his sake; but they were also given the comforting assurance that they who would endure to * Biblical Literateur. — Kitlo. t Matt. x. 48 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. the end should be saved.* These apostles went forth through the towns of Judea preaching the gospel and healing the sick. 10. Seventies Called:— The harvest being great and the laborers few, Jesus called seventies into the min- istry to aid the twelve apostles. He sent them two and two before him into every city and place where he him- self expected to go. The commission powers and instructions which the seventies received were nearly the same as those given to the twelve apostles, f These seventies went forth as the apostles had done and returning from their labor bore record that the power of God was with them in their ministry and that the very devils were subject to them in the name of Jesus. | 11. The Order of Events: — It would be difficult if not impossible to relate even the chief events in the life of Messiah in the order in which the}' occurred, since no little confusion exists in respect to the succession of events in the narratives of the New Testament. (See note 5 end of section. ) Nor is it necessary to our pur- pose to dwell in detail or in sequence upon those mat- ters. It is sufficient for us to know that after the events we have already noted Messiah's mission was more boldly declared. He proclaimed himself to be the Son of God; the Messiah of which the scriptures had borne record :§ He taught men that God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son to redeem it, that whosoever would believe in him might have everlasting life. || In addition to this great doctrine we have seen that he taught repent- * Matt. x. t Compare Luke x. with Matt. x. % Luke x. # |ohn v. |: John iii. THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE CHURCH. 49 ance; lie likewise taught that men must be born (bap- tized i of the water and of the spirit before they could enter into the kingdom of heaven;* he made and baptized more disciples than John;t he also taught the doctrine of the resurrection of the dead, and announced himself as possessing the keys and powers thereof. J 12. The Divinity of Messiah's Mission :— Jesus sustained the divinity of his mission by pointing to the conformity of the facts connected with his career with the predictions of the scriptures ;§ by the testimony which John the Baptist bore;|| by the works which He did — his wonderful miracles wherein the power of God was made manifest;** and lastly, and best of all, the testimony of the Father himself which was promised unto all those who would do His (the Father's) will, ft NOTES. 1. Order of the Temptations : — The order of the temptations is given differently by St. Matthew and St. Luke. St. Matthew placing second the scene on the pinnacle of the temple, and St. Luke the vision of the kingdoms of the world. Both orders cannot be right, and possibly St. Luke may have been influenced in his arrangement by the thought that a temptation to spiritual pride and the arbitrary exercise of miraculous power was a subtler and less transpar- ent, and therefore more powerful one than the temptation to fall down and recognize the power of evil. * * * The considerationlthat St. Mat- thew, as one of the Apostles, is more likely to have heard the narrative imme- diately from the lips of Christ— gives greater weight to the order which he adopts. — Canon Farrer. * John iii tjohn iv % John v: 24-30. § John v : 39-47- John v : 32-35- ** John v : 36. x tt John v : 37. 39- 14-18. 50 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. '2. More than Three Temptations :— The positive temptations of Jesus were not confined to that particular point of time when they assailed Him with concentrated force. [In the wilderness.] * * * But still more fre- quently in after life was He called to endure temptation of another kind— the temptation of suffering, and this culminated on two occasions, viz., in the conflict of Gethsemane, and in that moment of agony on the cross when He cried, " My God, my God! why hast thou forsaken me?" — Ullman. 3. Manner of Christ's Teaching :— Next to what our Savior taught, maybe considered the manner of His teaching, which was extremely peculiar ; yet, I think, precisely adapted to the peculiarity of His character and situation. His lessons did not consist of disquisitions ; of anything like moral essays, or like sermons, or like set treaties upon several points which He mentioned. When He delivered a precept, it was seldom that He added any proof or argument, still more seldom that He accompanied it with, what all precepts require, limitations and distinctions. His instructions were conceived in short, emphatic, sententious rules, in occasional reflections or in sound maxims. I do not think this was a natural, or would it have been a proper method for a philosopher or a moralist ; or that it is a method which can be successfully imitated by us. But I contend that it was suitable to the character which Christ assumed, and to the situation in which, as a teacher, He was placed. He produced himself as a messenger from God. He put the truth of what he taught upon authority. [I say unto you swear not at all ; I say unto you, resist not evil ; I say unto you, love your ene- mies]. In the choice, therefore, of His mode of teaching, the purpose by Him to be consulted was impression ; because conviction, which forms the principal end of our discourse, was to arise in the minds of His followers from a different source, from their respect to His person and authority. Now, for the purpose of impression singly and exclusively, I know nothing which would have so great force, as strong, ponderous maxims, frequently urged, and frequently brought back to the thoughts of the hearers. I know nothing that could in this view be said better than, Do unto others as ye would that others should do unto you; The first and great commandment is, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God; and the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. — Christian Evidences — Paley. 4. The Law Added to the Gospel : — The Mosaic Law never was considered, by those who understood it, " an everlasting covenant." It was given for a special purpose, and when it had accomplished that purpose, it was laid aside. We read in Galatians iii : 8, that "the scriptures foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abra- ham, saying : In thee shall all the nations of the earth be blessed." From this it appears that the gospel was preached unto Abraham. In Hebrews (iv : 2.), Paul in speaking of ancient Israel says : " For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them [ancient Israel] ; but the word preached, did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it." Not only then was the gospel preached unto Abraham, but also unto the children of Israel. Now let us go back to the3rd chapter of Galatians ; for Paul having stated that the gospel was THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE CHURCH. 51 preached unto Abraham, asks this question (verse 19): " Wherefore then serveth the law [if the gospel was preached] ? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed [Christ] should come to whom the promise was made. Added? Added to what? Added to the gospel, which before that time had been preached unto Abraham, and also to ancient Israel. But the Israelites under Moses were unable to live the perfect law of the gospel. They were not strong enough to overcome evil with good, as the gospel requires, so a law of carnal commandments was " added '' to the gospel — a law which included the principal of an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth — a law which was suited to their capacity. Paul speaking of this subject in the same chapter of Galatians (23-25 verses), says : " Before faith came we were kept under the Hw, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed. Wherefore the law [the law of Moses] was our school-master to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after that faith has come we are no longer under a school-master." From these passages of scripture we learn this : The gospel was preached unto Abraham, and also to ancient Israel. The Israelites were unable to live the law of the gospel, hence a law of carnal commandments, known as the law of Moses was given as a school master to bring them up to a higher law ; Christ came and introduced that higher law — the gospel ; explained its principles and pointed out the difference between it and the law of Moses. The gospel took the place of the law of Moses, which was laid aside, having fulfilled the object for which it was added to the gospel. — Lecture on mission of Joseph Smith, Boberts. 5. Neglect of Chronological Order in New Testament Narra- tives : — The four gospels narrate the principal events connected with our Lord's abode on earth, from his birth to his ascension. There must, therefore be a general resemblance between them, though that of John contains little in common with the others, being apparently supplemetary to them. Yet there are« considerable diversities both in the order in which facts are narrated, and in the facts themselves. Hence the difficulty of weaving the accounts of the four into a continuous and chronological history. It is our decided conviction that all the evangelists have not adhered to chronological arrangement. The question then arises, have all neglected the order of time? Newcome and many others espouse this view. " Chronological order,'' says the writer, "is not precisely ob- served by any of the Evangelists ; St. John and St. Mark observe it most ; and St. Matthew neglects it most." — Davidson, Biblical Literature. REVIEW. 1. What followed the baptism of Jesus ? 2. What can you say of the order of the temptations ? (note 1) 3. What was the commencement of Christ's ministry? 4. What was the character of Christ's doctrines at this period? XI OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. 5. State how the gospel supplanted the law of Moses, (note 4) 6. Name the Aposties whom Jesus called. 7. What was the first mission of the Twelve? 8. What was the nature of the commission given to the Apostles ? 9. State the calling and commission of the Seventies. 10. What can you say of the order of chronological events in the New Testa- ment ? (note 5) 11. To what several circumstances did Messiah point as giving evidence of the divinity of His mission ? 12. Quote the passages of scripture cited in the text. THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE CHURCH. 53 SECTION V. 1. The Common People Hear Jesus Gladly:— The mission of Jesus was full of comfort to the poor. As one of the signs that he was the promised Messiah, he said to a delegation of John's disciples — "The poor have the gospel preached to them."* He claimed to be anointed of the Lord to that work: and in doing it was fulfilling that which had been predicted by the prophets."]" He often reproved the rich, not merely because they were rich, however, but because of their pride and hypo- crisy which led them to oppress the poor. In like manner he reproved the chief elders and scribes and Pharisees who loved to go in long clothing, who loved to receive salutations in. the market places, who coveted the chief seats in the synagogues and the uppermost rooms at the feasts ; who devoured widows houses, and for a pretense made long prayers. | This with a free reproof of their other vices and crimes brought upon him the enmity of the wealthy, and of the rulers of the people; but the common people heard him gladly. | (See note 1, end of section. ) 2. Religious Jealousy— Political Fear :— Another thing which embittered the minds of the chief priests and elders against Jesus was religious jealousy. The numerous evidences of his divine authority, to be seen in his character and works, led many of the Jews to * Matt, xi : 26. t Matt, iv : 16-24. J Mark xii. 54 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. revere him as the Son of God. Especially was this the case after he raised Lazarus from the dead.* They said: "If we let this man alone all men will believe in him; and the Romans will come and take away both our place and nation. " It was religious jealousy that dictated the first half of the sentence; and political fear the rest. The Jews had but a precarious hold upon their political rights; already it had been intimated that Jesus was king of the Jews;f and if the people should under a sudden impulse accept him as king, the result, in their judg- ment, must be a loss of those political rights which the Romans permitted them to exercise. To allow Jesus, therefore, to continue preaching was dangerous to their supposed honors and privileges; and this consideration was sufficient to induce the leading men among all parties to plot against his life. 3. The Charges Against Jesus :— The principal charges which the Jews brought against Jesus were: (1) violation of the Sabbath; he had healed a man on the Sabbath day, and had commanded him to take up his bed and walk:£ (2) blasphemy; he had said God was his Father, "making himself equal with God" (see note 2, end of section) :§ (3) It was said that he was king of the Jews; and, on one occasion, the people hearing of his coming to Jerusalem took palm branches and went out to meet him shouting Hosannah: blessed is the king of Israel that cometh in the name- of the Lord. || For this he was said to be an enemy to Caesar's government and a seditious person. * John xi. fMatt. ii. X John v: i- \ John v. 17, I John vii. 18. 1 3. THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE CHURCH. .).) 4. Treason of Judas : — For some time the efforts of the chief priests to arrest Jesus were baffled. They feared to proceed openly against him lest the people would stand in his favor and overthrow them. At last, how- ever, Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, met with some of the chief riders and promised to betray him to them in the absence of the multitude. This offer they gladly ac- cepted and agreed to pay him thirty pieces of silver for his treachery. 5. Institution of the Sacrament: — The time chosen by Judas for the betrayal of his Master was the night of the passover feast. Jesus with the twelve ate the feast in an upper room in Jerusalem. It was on this occasion that he instituted the Sacrament of the Lord's supper. He took bread and gave thanks, broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying: This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me. He also took wine, gave thanks, saying as He gave it to them: This cup is the New Testament in my blood which is shed for many for the remission of sins.* 6. After the supper was over, having sung a hymn, Jesus with the twelve, excepting Judas Iscariot, went out to the garden of Gethsemane [Geth-sem-e-na] where Jesus prayed in great agony of spirit so that he sweat great drops of blood. He prayed that the bitter cup of suffering now about to be held to his lips might be re- moved from him. Thrice he so prayed, but closod each petition to his Father with — "yet, not my will, but thy will be done. " 7. The Betrayal : — Meantime, Judas Iscariot having stolen out in the midst of the feast, went to the chief priests and directed a multitude with a company of Matt. xxvi. 56 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. Roman soldiers to the garden, and running to Jesus cried, " Hail Master!" and kissed him. That was the sign agreed upon by the traitor and those who came to make the arrest, that they might know which one to take. And when they had secured him, they took him first to the house of Annas [An-nas], who, after questioning him. sent him bound to Caiaphas [Kai-ya-fas], the high priest, where he was arraigned before the Sanhedrin [San- he-drin]. 8. The Trial : — The court before which Jesus was arraigned was not one before which his case was to be investigated, they had come together with the fixed deter- mination to adjudge him guilty: hence they sought for witnesses who would testify something against him that would furnish a pretext for putting him to death. Many false witnesses testified against him: but their testimony was unsatisfactory and failed of its purpose. At last the high priest, evidently losing patience at the silence of the prisoner — for he made no defense against the charges of the false witnesses — adjured him by the living God to say if he were the Christ, the Son of God. Jesus ac- knowledged that he was. and told them that hereafter they should see him at the right hand of power, coming in the clouds of heaven. At this the high priest rent his clothes, saying, " he hath spoken blasphemy," and claimed that they had no need of further witnesses, since they themselves had heard his "blasphemy" (see note 3, end of section). The council at once decided him worthy of death. 9. Christ Before Pilate and Herod:— The Romans had taken from the Sanhedrin of the Jews the power of executing those whom it adjudged guilty of death, unless the sentence was confirmed by the Roman governor; hence THE ESTABLISHMENT 01 THE CHURCH. f>7 after sentence of death was passed upon Jesus by the Sanhedrin they took him to Pilate's judgment hall to have that sentence confirmed. 10. Learning incidentally that Jesus was a Galilean, and belonged to Herod's jurisdiction, Pilate sent him to Herod who. at the time, was in Jerusalem. Before Herod Jesus was silent; neither the contempt of the murderer of his forerunner, nor the mockery of the common soldiers could provoke him into breaking his dignified silence. So in ridicule of his claims to kingship — although, as Jesus himself said, his kingdom was not of this world* — Herod clothed him in gorgeous apparel and sent him back to Pilate. 11. Satisfied that there was nothing in Messiah's conduct worthy of death, Pilate sought to let him go: but the Jews insisted upon his execution. It was the custom among the Jews to have released to them a prisoner at the feast of the Passover, and on that ground Pilate sought to release Jesus; but the Jews would not listen to it, and preferred that the robber Barabbas, a murderer, should be released. They told Pilate that whosoever made himself a king was an enemy to Caesar; and if he let Jesus go he was not Caesar's friend. By such arguments on the part of the chief priests, and the persistent crv of the people to crucify him. Pilate was over-awed, and at last confirmed the sentence of death. (See note 4, end of section.) 12. The Crucifixion : — From the hall of judgment Jesus was led into the common hall, where the soldiers stripped him of his own raiment, and put upon him a scarlet robe in mockery of his claims to kingship. They also platted a crown of thorns and placed it on his brow. 36. 58 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. and for a scepter gave him a reed in his right hand. They bowed the knee before him, and mockingly cried: "Hail, king of the Jews!" They spit upon him, beat him with their hands and with the reed they had given him for a scepter. 12. From the common hall he was led away under a guard of soldiers to a place called Golgotha [Gol-go- tha], which, as well as its Latin equivalent — Calvaria Calvary* — means, the place of a skull. Here Jesus was stripped, and nailed to the cross, which was erected between two other crosses, on each of which was a thief. Above his head in Latin, Greek and Hebrew was fixed the superscription written by Pilate — " This is the King of the Jews. " As he hung there between the two thieves, the soldiers mocked him as did also the chief sreibes and the Pharisees, saying: He saved others, let him save himself, if he is Christ, the chosen of God; let him come down from the cross and we will believe him; he trusted in God, let Him deliver him now, if He will have him; for he said, I am the Son of God. In the midst of his great suffering, in which his mental agony was greater than his physical pain; the Son of God cried, "Father, forgive them, they know not what they do." 13. At the sixth hour — mid-day — there was a darkness that spread over the whole land, and continued until the ninth hour (see note five, end of section). About the ninth hour Jesus said: "Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit," then he bowed his head and" expired. At the same moment the veil of the Temple was rent from top to bottom, an earthquake shook the solid earth and * Luke alone calls it Calvary; Matthew, Mark and John call it Golgotha. They each have reference to the same place, which was known by the two different names. THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE CHURCH. 59 rent the rocks, all the elements of nature seemed agitated as if anxious to bear witness that a God had died! 14. The Convulsions of Nature on The Western Hemisphere — On the western hemisphere during the cru- cifixion of our Lord, the elements of nature were more dis- turbed than on the eastern hemisphere. During the time that Jesus was upon the cross, great and terrible tempests accompanied with terrific lightning raged throughout the land. Earthquakes shattered cities into confused piles of ruins; level plains were broken up and left in confused mountainous heaps: solid rocks were rent in twain; many cities were swept out of existence by fierce whirl-winds; others were sunk into the depths of the sea; others covered with mountain chains thrown up by the convulsions of the trembling earth: and others still were burned with fire. For the space of about three hours this awful dis- turbance of the elments continued during which the whole face of the land both in North and South America was greatly changed, and most of the inhabitants destroyed. After the storm and tempest and the quakings of the earth had ceased, there followed intense darkness which lasted for three days, the time that Jesus was lying in the tomb.* 16. The Burial: — Towards evening of the day of the crucifixion, Joseph of Arimathsea [Ar-ra-ma-thee-ya], a rich man and a disciple of Jesus, went to Pilate, and begged that the body of the Lord be given him that he might bury it. Pilate granted the request; and Joseph took the body, wrapt it in clean linen and put it in his own new tomb. The Pharisees also went to Pilate and reminded him how Jesus had said when living that after three days in the tomb he would rise again, and asked that the sepulchre wherein he was buried should be *III Nephivii <><> OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. placed under guard until the third day should pass, lest his disciples should come and steal his body by night, and then spread abroad the rumor that he had arisen from the dead. Pilate granted them permission to seal up the sepulchre and set a watch to guard it. (See note (>, end of section.) NOTES. 1. The Common People Begin Reforms : — The case of the common people hearing Jesus gladly is not singular; it may be said to be true in nearly all great movements. It is a truth so generally accepted that a modern writer (Lew Wallace) has said : " To begin a reform, go not into the palaces of the great and rich ; go rather to those whose cups of happiness are empty — to the poor and humble.'' 2. Jesus' Defense Against the Charge of Blasphemy:— The fol- lowing scene occurred in Solomon's porch, at the temple, where Jesus was walk- ing. A number of Jews gathered about him and said: How long dost thou make us to doubt? If thou be the Christ tell us so plainly. Jesus: — I told you and ye believed not ; the works that I do in my Father's name, they bear witness of me. * * * I and my Father are one. [Then the Jews took up stones to stone him.] Jesus: — Many good works have I showed you from my Father; for which of those works do you stone me ? Jews: — For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God. Jesus: — Is it not written in your law ; I said ye are Gods ? If he called them Gods unto whom the word of God come, and the scripture cannot be broken, say ye of him whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent unto the world, thou blasphemest ; because I said, I am the Son of God ? If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not. Then they sought again to take him, but he escaped out of their hands. (John x.) 3. The Law Against Blasphemy:— The law against blasphemy is to be found in Leviticus (xxiv. 15, 16) and is as follows : " Whosoever curseth his God shall bear his sin ; and he that blasphemeth the name of the Lord, he shall surely be but to death, and all the congregation shall certainly stone him ; as well the stranger as he that is born in the land, when he blasphemeth the name of the Lord, shall be put to death." The Jews claimed that Jesus was guilty of THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE CHURCH. Gl blasphemy, because he claimed to be the Son of God, thus making himself equal with God; when to their eyes he was merely a man. Therein consisted his alleged blasphemy. Christ's own defense against the charge (see note above) is the best answer to the sophistry of the Jews by which they tried to make it appear that he had broken this law. — Roberts. 4. Character of Pilate:— If we now wish to form a judgment of Pilate's character, we easily see that he was one of that large class of men who aspire to public offices, not from a pure and lofty desire of benefitting the public and advancing the good of the world, but from selfish and personal considerations, from a love of distinction, from a love of power, from a love of self indulgence ; being destitute of any fixed principles, and having no aim but office and influence, they act right only by chance and when convenient, and are wholly incapable of pursuing a consistent course, or of acting with firmness or self- denial in cases in which the preservation of integrity require the exercise of these qualities. Pilate was obviously a man of weak, and therefore, with his temptations, of corrupt character.— J". B. Beard, D. D., Member of the His- torical Theological Society, Leipzig. 5. The Three Hours' Darkness:— In the gospel of Matthew and Luke, we read that while Jesus hung upon the cross, "from the sixth-hour there was darkness over all the land to the ninth hour." Most of the ancient commenta- tors believed that this darkness extended to the whole world. But their arguments are now seldom regarded as satisfactory, and their proofs even less so. Of the latter the strongest is the mention of an eclipse of the sun, which is referred to this time by Phlegon Trallianus, and, after him by Thallus. But even an eclipse of the sun could not be visible to the whole world ; and neither of these writers names the place of the eclipse. Some think it was Rome ; but it is impossible that an eclipse could have happened from the sixth to the ninth hour both at Rome and Jerusalem. * * * That the darkness could not have pro- ceeded from an eclipse of the sun is further placed beyond all doubt by the fact that, it being then the time of the Passover, the moon was at the full. This darkness may, therefore, be ascribed to an extraordinary and preternatural obscuration of the solar light, which might precede and accompany the earth- quake which took place on the same occasion. For it has been noticed that often before an earthquake such a mist arises from sulphurous vapors as to occasion a darkness almost nocturnal. — Biblical Literature — Kitto. 6. Fate of the Chief Actors in Christ's Cruciftxiou: —Before the dread sacrifice was consummated, Judas died in the horrors of a loathsome suicide. Caiaphas [the High Priest and President of the Sanhedrin] was deposed the year following. Herod died in infamy and exile. Stripped of his procura- torship very shortly afterwards, on the very charges he had tried by a wicked concession to avoid, Pilate, wearied out with misfortunes, died in suicide and banishment, leaving behind him an execrated name. The house of Annas was destroyed a generation later by an infuriated mob, and his son was dragged through the streets and scourged and beaten to his place of murder. Some of those who shared in and witnessed the scenes of that day— and thousands ol their chil- 62 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. dren — also shared in and witnessed the long horrors of that siege of Jerusalem, which stands unparalleled in history for its unutterable fearlulness. — Canon Farrar. REVIEW. i. What class of people heard Jesus gladly? 2. What classes of people did Jesus reprove ? Why ? 3. What was it that embittered the minds of the chief priests and rulers against Jesus ? 4. Enumerate the charges against Jesus. 5. In what manner did Jesus defend himself against the charge of blasphemy (note 2)? 6. Who betrayed Jesus ? 7. What time was chosen by Judas to betray Jesus ? 8. Give an account of the institution of the sacrament. 9. Tell the story of the betrayal. 10. State the circumstances of the trial of Jesus before the Sanhedrin. 11. Why did the Jews take Jesus before Pilate ? 12. Why did Pilate send him to Herod ? 13. What was Messiah's treatment at the hands of Herod? 14. What the deportment of Jesus? 15. How did Pilate look upon Jesus ? 16. In what manner did the Roman governor try to save Jesus? 17. What was the character of Pilate? (note 4) 18. Tell the story of the crucifixion. 19. What occurred on the Western hemisphere at the crucifixion, and during the time Jesus was in the tomb ? 20. Tell about the burial of Jesus. 21. What was the fate of those who judged and condemned Jesus ? (note 6) THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE CHURCH. 63 SECTION VI. The Resurrection : — Notwithstanding the sealed se- pulchre, the armed watch, on the third day after his burial, the Son of God arose from the dead, as he him- self predicted he would.* A number of women coming to the sepulchre early in the morning, for the pur- pose of finishing the work of embalming his body, found the grave untenanted and an angel present who announ- ced the resurrection of the Lord; and commanded them to go and inform his disciples that he was risen from the dead and would go before them into Galilee, where he woidd appear unto them. 2. According to Matthew's account of the resurrection an angel from heaven came to the sepulchre wherein Jesus was laid, and rolled back the stone from its mouth; at his presence the soldiers who had been stationed as a guard to prevent the disciples from coming and stealing the body, became as dead men. Recovering from their stupor, some of the watch made their way to the chief priests and related what had happened. The chief priests and elders immediately assembled in council, and bribed the soldiers to say that they had fallen asleep, and during that time the followers of Christ had come and stolen his body. They agreed also that if the rumor of their falling asleep while on watch — a capital offense for a Roman soldier — should come to the ears of the governor, they •Those predictions are found in the following passages: John ii : 18-22; x. 17, 18 ; xiii. 31-33. Matt, xii : 38-42 ; xvi : 21-23 ! xvi' : l~9- Mark ix : 30- 32 ; x : 32-34- 64 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. would pursuade him and secure them from punishment. It was in this way that the disappearance of the body of Jesus was commonly explained by the Jews who crucified him. * 3. The Appearances of Jesus After His Resurrec- tion : — There are some slight discrepancies in the writ- ings of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John in respect to the order of the appearances of Messiah after his resurrection, as indeed there is in respect to the order of the events connected with his trial, condemnation and death; but the following may be regarded as being as nearly correct as may be ascertained from the fragmentary character of the four gospels (see notes 1, 2, and 3, end of section). 4. First, to Mary Magdalene, in the garden where the tomb in which he had laid was located ;f second, to the women returning from the sepulchre on their way to de- liver the angel's message to the disciples ;| third, to two disciples going to Emmaus;§ fourth, to Peter;| fifth, to ten apostles in an upper room;|| sixth, to the eleven apostles, also in an upper room;^[ seventh, to seven apostles at the sea of Tiberias;** eight, to eleven apostles in a mountain in Galilee ;|f ninth, to above five hundred brethren at once;§§ tenth, to James;|||| and finally to Paul while on his way to Damascus.^ * Matt, xxviii. f John xx : 14-17. X Matt, xxviii : 9. \ Luke xxiv: 13-31. || Luke xxiv : 34 and I Cor. xv : 5. f John xx : L9. ** John xx : 26; Mark xvi : 14. ft John xxi : 1-24. XX Matt, xxviii : 16. $$ I. Cor. xv : 6. llil. Cor. xv:7. iff I. Cor. xv : 8. THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE CHURCH. G5 5. In all Jesus was with his disciples on the eastern hemisphere for forty days after his resurrection,* during which time he taught them all things pertaining to the kingdom of heaven, and authorized them to go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature, baptiz- ing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost, teaching them to observe all things whatsoever he had commanded them; and promised that he would be with them even unto the end of the world, f 6. Moreover he told them that these signs should follow them that believed: In his name they should cast out devils; they should speak with new tongues, take up serpents, and even if they drank any deadly thing he promised that it should not harm them; they should lay hands on the sick, and they should recover. 7. The Ascension :— Having thus taught the gospel to the people of the eastern hemisphere, organized his church and commissioned his apostles to teach the gospel to all nations, he prepared to depart from them. It was most probably at Bethany [Beth-a-ny] that this solemn parting occurred. His forerunner, John the Baptist, had promised that he who should come after him — Jesus — the Christ would baptize them with the Holy Ghost, and Mes- siah just previous to leaving the apostles told them that the promise was about to be fulfilled. He therefore com- manded them to tarry in Jerusalem until they were endowed with that power from on high. Then he lifted up his hands and blessed them, after which he was parted from them, and a cloud received him out of their sight. J 8. As they were still looking steadfastly toward heaven, two men — angels — in white apparel stood by them, and * Acts i. t Matt, xxviii. X Luke xxiv : 49, 53 ; Acts bt) OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. declared that this same Jesus whom they had seen go into heaven, should come in like manner, that is, in the clouds of heaven and in great glory.* 9. The Appearing of Messiah to the Nephitts:— Jesus, before his crucifixion, told his disciples at Jerusalem that he was the good shepherd that would lay down his life for the sheep. He told them plainly, also, that he had other sheep which were not of that fold; "Them also I must bring," said he, "and they must hear my voice; and there shall be one fold and one shepherd."! 10. This saying, like many others which he delivered to them the apostles did not understand, because of their unbelief. And because of their unbelief and their stiff- neckedness Jesus was commanded by his Father to say no more to them about it. J But it was the Nephites on the continent of America whom Jesus had in mind when he uttered the saying recorded in John's gospel. § "Other sheep I have which are not of this fold," etc. 1 1. What length of time intervened between Messiah's departure from his disciples at Jerusalem and his ap- pearance among the Nephites is not known. It was not, however, until after he had ascended into heaven. || His appearing to them was in this manner: 12. The few people upon the western hemisphere — and they were the more righteous part both of the Nephites and the Lamanites — who survived that terrible period of destruction which lasted during the time that Jesus hung upon the cross, ^[ and the three succeeding days of dark- * Acts i ; Matt. xvi. f John x: 16. J HI Nephi xv : 18. § III Nephi xv : 21. 1 III. Nephi xi : 12. % Section V, paragraph 14. THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE CHURCH. 67 ness, were gathered together about the temple in the land Bountiful.* And as they were pointing out to each other the changes that had occurred because of the earth- quakes and other convulsions of the elements, while the Messiah suffered upon the cross, they heard a voice speaking unto them as if from heaven. They at first did not understand the voice they heard; but the third time it spoke they understood it, and it made their hearts burn within them and their whole frame to quake, and these are the words which the voice spake: "Behold my be- loved Son in whom I am well pleased, in whom I have glorified mv name; hear ye him." And looking up into heaven from whence the voice came, they saw a man des- cending clothed in a white robe. The multitude were breathlessly silent, for they supposed an angel had appeared unto them; but as soon as Jesus was in their midst he stretched out his arm and said: "Behold I am Jesus Christ, whom the prophets testified should come into the world. * * * I am the light and life of the world; and I have drunk out of that bitter cup which the Father hath given me, and have glorified the Father in taking upon me the sins of the world. " 13. At this announcement the people fell prostrate and worshiped him. But he commanded them to arise and come unto him that they might thrust their hands into his side, and feel the prints of the nails in his hands and in his feet, that they might know that he was the God of Israel, and the God of the whole earth who had been slain for the sins of the world. f (See notes 5, 6, and 7, end of section.) This the people did, and then again they *The land Bountiful was in the northern part of South America. till. Nephi xi : 14. 68 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. worshiped him, and shouted aloud: "Hosanna! blessed be the name of the Most High God!" 14. The Church Established in America: — After these things, Jesus proceeded to teach them his gospel and establish his church among them. It will be suffi- cient to say here that the Messiah taught the people on the western continent the same great moral truths that he taught the Jews; that he established the same ordinances for the salvation of the people; that he chose Twelve \postles to whom he committed power to preach his gospel, and administer in its ordinances; that a church was organized which was called the Church of Christ; that Jesus bore record of the great truth of the resurrection of the dead; that the Saints enjoyed the same spiritual graces and powers that the church in Palestine did, only more abundantly because of their greater faith; that two years after the appearance of Messiah all the people on the continent accepted the gospel and were baptized; that they had all things common and were a blessed and prosperous people among whom were no strifes or jealou- sies or contentions, and every man did deal justly one with another. 15. They increased rapidly in numbers and went forth and built up the waste places, and rebuilded many of the cities which had been ruined by the earthquakes and by fires. They walked no more after the ordinances of the law of Moses, but they practiced the principles of the doctrines of the gospel of Christ, and thus the first century of the Christian era passed away. 16. All the members of the first quorum of the twelve whom Jesus called on the western hemisphere died within the first century of the Christian era, except the three to whom he had granted the privilege, as he did THK ESTABLISHMENT OF THE CHURCH. »>!> unto John the beloved disciple, * of remaining on the earth until he came in his glory. The places of those who died were filled by ordaining others, and thus the quorum of apostles was perpetuated, f NOTES. 1. The Gospels but Fragmentary Histories:— Although skeptics have dwelt with disproportioned persistency upon a multitude of discrepancies in the four-fold narrative of Christ's trial, condemnation, death, and resurrec- tion, yet these are not of a nature to cause the slightest anxiety to a Christian scholar; nor need they awaken the most momentary distrust in anyone who — even if he have no deeper feelings in the matter — approaches the gospels with no pre- conceived theory, whether of infallibility or of dishonesty, to support and merely accepts them for that which, at the lowest, they claim to be — histories, honest and faithful, up to the full knowledge of the writers, but each, if taken alone, con- fessedly fragmentary and obviously incomplete. After repeated study, I declare, quite fearlessly, that though the slight variations are numerous — though the lesser particulars cannot in every instance be rigidly and minutely accurate — though no one of the narratives taken singly would give us an adequate impres- sion— yet, so far from their being, in this part of the gospel story, any irrecon- cilable contradiction, it is perfectly possible to discover how one Evangelist supplements the details furnished by another, and perfectly possible to under- stand the true sequence of the incidents by combining into one whole the separate indications which they furnish. — Canon Farrar. 2. Tbe Bible Corrupted by the Gentiles:— And it came to pass that I , Nephi, beheld that they [the Gentiles] did prosper in the land ; [America] and I be- held a book [the Bible], and it was carried forth among them. And the angel said unto me, Knowest thou the meaning of the book.? And I said unto him, I know not. * * * And he said unto me, The book which thou beholdest, is a record of the Jews, which contains the covenants of the Lord which he hath made unto the house of Israel. * * * Thou hast beheld that the book proceeded forth from the mouth of a Jew ; and when it proceeded forth from the mouth of the Jew, it contained the plainness of ths gospel of the Lord, of whom the twelve apostles bear record ; and they bear record according to the * See John xxi : 21-25 ; HI- Nephi xxviii. t Let those who would be more minutely informed upon the ministry of Mes- siah on the western hemisphere, study carefully the book of III. Nephi, where the history of that important event is recorded. 70 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. truth which is in the Lamb of God ; wherefore these things go forth from the Jews in purity, unto the Gentiles, according to the truth which is in God. And after they go forth by the hand of the twelve apostles of the Lamb, from the Jews unto the Gentiles, thou seest the foundation of a great and abominable church, which is most abominable above all other churches ; for behold, they have taken away from the gospel of the Lamb, many parts which are plain and most precious ; and also many covenants of the Lord have they taken awav ; and all this have they done, that they might pervert the right ways of the Lord; that they might blind the eyes and harden the hearts of the children of men. * * * Because of these things which are taken away out of the gospel of the Lamb, an exceeding great many do stumble, yea, insomuch that Satan hath great power over them. — Vision of Nephi, 1. Nephi xiii. 3. Missing Parts of the Scripture :- No better evidence can be given that the Jewish scriptures are fragmentary and corrupted than the fact that reference is made in them to books and scriptures which are not now extant— that have been destroyed. The following are such references taken from the New Tes im nt : Scriptures of Abraham's Time; — " And the scriptures foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abra- ham " (Gal. hi.. 18). The Christian world siys, " Moses was God's first pen ;" but it appears from the above quotation that some one wrote scriptures even before Abraham's days, and he read them, learned the gospel from them and also learned that God would justify the heathen through faith. Prophecy of Enoch: — Speaking of characters who are like "raging waves of the sea foaming out their own shame," Jude says : " And Enoch the seventh from Adam prophesied of these, saying, Behold the Lord cometh with ten thous- and of his saints, to execute judgment upon all, etc.," (Jude 15, 16), From this it appears that Enoch had a revelation concerning the glorious coming of the Son of God to judgment. May not the prophecy of Enoch have been among the scripture with which Abraham was acquainted ? Another Epistle of Jude: — " When I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should contend earnestly for the faith once delivered unto the Saints " ( Jude 3). We have but one epistle of Jude. Would not the epistle on the "common salvation " be as important as the one and the only one we have from Jude's pen? Anottier Epistle to the Ephesians: — In Ephesians iii. and 3rd, Paul alludes to another epistle which he had written to that people, but of which the world has no knowledge except this reference which is made by its author. This epistle contained a revelation from God. An Epistle to the Laodicians: — '" When this epistle [Collosians] is read among you, cause that it be read also in the church of the Laodiceans, and that ye likewise read the epistle from Laodicea" (Col. iv. 16). The epistle to the Laodiceans is among the scripture that is lost. THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE CHURCH. 71 Another Epistle to the Corinthians:— In the first letter to the Corinthians is this statement : "I wrote unto you in the epistle not to keep company with forni- cators" (i Cor. v., 9). From this it would appear that our so-called first epistle to the Corinthians, is really not the first, since Paul in it speaks of a former letter he had written, and which was doubtless as good scripture as the two which have been preserved. The books mentioned in the Old Testament, but which are missing, are more numerous than those in the New Testament. In the following passages some few of the many lost books are referred to : 1. Chron.. xxix. 29 ; II. Chron., ix. 29 ; II. Chron.. xii. 15; I. Sam , x. 25; I. Kings, iv. 32. 33. — Roberts. 4. Traditions of Aborigines Respecting Messiah:— It is beyond all question that the descendants of the Nephites and Lamanites — the American Indians — have kept in their traditions a recollection — though perhaps a distorted one — of the memorable visit of Messiah to their forefathers. "The chief divinity of the Nahua nations," says Bancroft in his Native Races, "was Quetzal- coatl, the gentle God, ruler of the air, controller of the sun and rain, and source of all prosperity. ** * From toward the rising sun Quetzalcoatl had come ; and he was white, with large eyes and long, black hair and copious beard. He finally set out for some other country* and as he departed from them "his last words were that one day bearded white men, brethren of his, perhaps he himself, would come by way of the sea in which the sun rises, and would enter in and rule the land; and from that day, with a fidelity befitting Hebrews waiting tor the coming of Messiah, the Mexican people watched for the fulfillment of this prophecy, which promised them a gentle rule, free from bloody sacrifices and oppression." — Roberts. 5. The Incarnation Believed by the Mexicans:— How truly surprising is it to find that the Mexicans who seemed to have been unacquainted with the doctrine of the migration of the soul, should have believed in the incar- nation of the only Son of the supreme God ! — Humboldt. 6. Crucifixion and Atonement Believed in by Mexicans:— Quetzal- coatl is there [in a certain plate where that god is represented] painted in the attitude of a person crucified, with the impression of nails in his hands and feet, but not actually upon the cross. * * * The seventy-third plate of the Borgian MS. is the most remarkable of all, for there Quetzalcoatl is not only represented as crucified upon a cross of Greek form, but his burial and descent into hell are also depicted in a very curious manner. * * * The Mexicans believe that Quetzalcoatl took human nature upon him, partaking of all the infirmities of man, and was not exempt from sorrow, pain or death, which he suffered voluntarily to atone for the sins of man." — Antiquities of Mexico — Kinrjsborough. * It must be remembered, that Jesus told the Nephites that he was going to visit the lost tribes whom the Father had led away. They, too, were to have the gospel preached to them (in. Nephi, xv and xvi.) 72 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. 7. Christ and Quetzalcoatl:— The story of the life of the Mexican divinity, Quetzalcoatl closely resembles that of the Savior; so closely indeed that we can come to no other conclusion than that Quetzalcoatl and Christ are the same being. But the history of the former has been handed down to us through an impure Lamanitish source, which has sadly disfigured and perverted the original incidents and teachings of the Savior's life and ministry. — Mediation and Atonement— President John Taylor. REVIEW. 1. What occurred on the third day of Christ's burial? 2. State the several prophecies made by Jesus which were fulfilled in his resurrection? (note.) 3. Relate the account of the resurrection as given by Matthew. 4. In respect to what are there slight discrepancies in the writings of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John? 5. What can you say of the fragmentary character of the New Testament "gospels?" (note 1 and 2.) 6. State the most probable order in which Jesus made his several appear- ances after the resurrection. 7. How long was Jesus with his disciples on the eastern hemisphere after his resurrection ? 8. What notable commission did Jesus give to the Apostles before leaving them ? 9. What signs did Messiah say should follow believers ? 10. Describe the last parting of Jesus from his disciples. 11. What prophecy did Jesus make to his disciples at Jerusalem that they did not understand ? 12. Give an account of Messiah's visit to the Nephites. 13. What did Jesus do among the Nephites ? 14. What was the effect that followed the preaching of the gospei and the organization of the church? 15. What course was pursued as to the quorum of the apostles ? 16. Relate the several traditions of the Mexicans respecting the visit of Mes- siah to this land. THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE CHl'KCH. SECTION VII. 1. Vacancy in the Quorum of the Twelve Filled :— The first official business which occupied the attention of the authorities of the church after the ascension of the Lord — according to our Christian annals — was filling up the quorum of the twelve. Judas by his treason had for- feited his apostleship and was dead, and hence it became necessary to ordain another to fill his place. Peter when presenting this matter before the church, appeared to lay some stress upon the necessity of choosing some one of the brethren who had been with them from the beginning — "from the baptism of John unto that same day that he (Christ) was taken up," that he might be a witness with the rest of the apostles of the things which Jesus did and also a witness of his resurrection. 2. "And they appointed (nominated) two, Joseph called Barsabas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias. And they prayed. * * * Thou, Lord, which knowest the hearts of all men, show whether of these two thou hast chosen. * * * And they gave forth their lots (or, gave their votes);* and the lot fell upon Matthias. " From that time he was numbered with the apostles. (See note 1, end of section.) *In his Comment de Rebus Christ, p. 78-80, the learned Dr. Mosheim has a note on this passage in which his aim is to prove that the correct translation from the Greek of the phrase usually rendered they gave forth their lots, should be they gave their votes. While it is but proper to say that the Doctor's trans- lation is very generally rejected by the learned, still their will be no question with those who understand the order of the priesthood arid the manner of filling vacancies in its quorums, that Dr. Mosheim is correct in his interpretation as to the meaning of the passage. 5 74 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. 3. The filling of this vacancy in the quorum of the twelve — the only instance of the kind mentioned in the New Testament — may be taken as a proof that it was clearly the understanding of the apostles that the quorum of the twelve was to be perpetuated. It was so understood in the church on the western continent, for the fourth Nephi informs us that as the apostles whom Jesus had chosen passed away, others were ordained in their stead;* and thus the quorum was kept full, but for how long cannot be ascertained. 4. The Holy Ghost Given : — The first time the gospel was preached publicly after the ascension of Messiah was on the day of Pentecost, most probably seven days after the ascension. f The church had assembled and suddenly the promised baptism of the Holy Ghost — promised both by John the Baptist and Messiah]; — took place, for the spirit came like the rushing of a mighty wind and filled the house where the saints were as- sembled; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost. It rested upon them visibly like cloven tongues of fire; and they began speaking in other tongues, that is, in languages before unknown to them, as the spirit gave them utterance. 5. The occurrence was soon noised about the city and the multitude came together, to witness this strange event. In that great concourse of people thus hastily assembled * IV. Nephi, i. 14. f Pentecost came fifty days after the Passover, on which day the Lord Jesus was crucified. Allowing that he laid three days in the tomb, and was with his disciples forty days after his resurrection (Acts i. 3), forty-three days of the fifty between Passover and Pentecost are accounted for, leaving but seven days between ascension and the day of Pentecost, when the promise of the baptism of the Spirit was fulfilled. — The Gospel (note) p. 189. X Luke iii. 16. Matt. iii. 11. Acts i. 4, 5. THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE CHURCH. 75 were devout men out of every nation under heaven (see note 2, end of section), and they were confounded with astonishment since every man heard the gospel in his own language.* "Are not all these which speak Gali- leans," said they, "and how hear we every man in his own tongue, wherein we were born?" All were amazed, and some inquired one of another, "What meaneth this?" Others mockingly said, "These men are full of new wine. " 6. To this latter remark the apostle Peter replied that the saints were not drunken as had been supposed, and reminded the accusers that it was but the third hour of the day. Men were not likely to be drunk so early. The apostle further informed them that this power which they witnessed was the same as that of which Joelf spoke when he said that in the last days the Spirit of God should be poured out upon all flesh, and make the sons and daughters of men to prophesy, young men to see visions and old men to dream dreams, etc. (See note 3 and 4, end of section.) 7. Having corrected the slander uttered by those in- clined to mock at the power of God, Peter continued his discourse, and proved from the scriptures and from the marvelous works of the Lord Jesus while among them, that he was both Lord and Christ. Then a^ great mul- titude was converted, and cried as with one voice, "Men and brethren, what shall we do?" To which Peter an- swered, "Repent and be baptized everyone of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye * The languages spoken are enumerated by the writer of the The Acts, ii. tjoel ii. 28. 76 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. "* He in- formed them that this promise of the Holy Ghost — and, of course, of salvation — was both to them and to their children, in fact to all whom God should call.f There were added to the church that day, three thousand souls. 8. The Rise of Opposition: — Being now endowed with power from on high, the apostles continued to preach in and about Jerusalem with great success, the Lord working with them and confirming their ministry by signs and wonders following the believers. 9. The chief priests and rulers among the Jews became alarmed at the boldness of the disciples of Jesus and the rapidity with which faith in the gospel spread among the people. They were in imminent danger of being adjudged by the people guilty of executing an innocent man; nay, more, of putting to death Messiah. 10. They therefore had some of the apostles brought before them and sought to intimidate them with threats not to preach any more in the name of Jesus. To these threats the apostles made answer: "Whether it is right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God judge ye."| Leaving the presence of the council the * I think it proper here to call the attention of the student to the fact that the principles of the gospel in this discourse of Peter's are stated in the same order that they were unfolded in the ministry of John the Baptist and Messiah. First, John came bearing witness of one who should come after him— Christ, the Lord. Hence, he taught faith in God ( John i. 15, 16, also ve*rses 19 — 36). After that, the burden of his message was, " Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand;" then followed his baptism in water with a promise that they should receive the Holy Ghost. So Peter first taught the people faith in the Lord, proving from the scripture that Jesus was both Lord and Christ ; and when they believed that, then he taught them repentance and baptism for the remission of sins, and promised them the Holy Ghost. t Actsii. 38, 39. t Acts iv. 19. THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE CHURCH. * I apostles preached even more boldly in the name of Jesns. A second time were they brought before the chief rulers, to answer for a disregard of the orders of the council which charged them with threats not to teach in the name of Jesus; "and behold," said they, "ye have filled Jeru- salem with your doctrine and mean to bring this man's blood upon us. " 11. The answer of Peter, who spoke also for the rest of the apostles, was even bolder than before. "We ought to obey God rather than man," said he, "the God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree. Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a prince and a Savior, for to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. And we are witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him. "* 12. The boldness of his answer gave deep offense and led the chief rulers to take counsel how they might slay them. But Gamaliel [Ga-ma-li-el], a learned doctor of the law, advised them against such proceedings. His advice was to let the men alone, for if the work they had in hand was of men it would come to naught. If it were of God, nothing which they could do would over- throw it; and they might be found fighting against God. f 13. The counsel of Gamaliel prevailed in part at least. The apostles were not killed at that time; but they were once more forbidden to speak in the name of Jesus, beaten and then set free. The apostles rejoiced at being found worthy to suffer shame for the name of Jesus, and not heeding the orders of the council continued preach- ing in the temple and in private houses. * Acts v. 26 — 32. f Acts v. 34 — 42. 78 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. 14. Temporal Concerns -.—So completely did the apostles and the other disciples give themselves to the work of the ministry, that complaint was made by the Grecians because the widows and poor were neglected. Whereupon the twelve called the church together and pro- posed that seven men of good report be chosen and set apart to see after these affairs, that they themselves might give their attention wholly to the ministry, as it was not profitable for them to neglect that in order to "wait on tables. " The plan pleased the church and the seven men were appointed.* 15. All Thing's in Common : — The effect of the gospel upon the saints at Jerusalem was very marked. They were of one heart and of one mind: they had all things in common, and those who possessed houses or * It is generally supposed by Biblical scholars, Mosheim, Neander, Kitto, Murdock and many others, that these men were deacons only. There is nothing, however, in the Acts of the Apostles or other parts of the New Testament which would lead one to believe that such was the case. We have evidence on the other hand that one of them at least held a higher priesthood than the office ot Deacon. In modern revelation we have it stated that neither teachers nor dea- cons have authority to baptize, administer the sacrament or lay on hands for the Holy Ghost (Doc. land Cow, Sec. xx. 58); yet we have Philip, one of the seven, going down into Samaria, teaching the gospel and baptizing the people (Acts viii.), hence we may know that he held a higher priesthood than that of deacon. Yet when it became necessary to confer the Holy Ghost upon these same converts by the laying on of hands, Philip, it would seem, had not the authority to do it; but the Apostles hearing that Samaria had received ihe word, sent Peter and John down and they conferred upon the Samaritans the Holy Ghost. And though Philip was present he appears to have taken no part in it. It is therefore reasonable to conclude that since Philip, had authority to baptize, he therefore must have held an office higher than that of deacon, or even of teacher ; but since he evidently had not authority to lay on hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost, his office was something less than that of an Eider. Hence it is most likely that he was a priest— priests have the right to baptize but not to lay on hands for the reception of the Holy Ghost (Doc. and Cov., Section xx.) — as perhaps also were his six associates, appointed to preside over the temporal affairs of the Church, especially to see after the poor. THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE CHURCH. 79 lands sold them and brought the price of the things and laid it at the apostles' feet. Distribution was made unto every man as he had need; and there was none among them that lacked for that which was necessary.* 16. Persecution: — A great presecution arose against the church at Jerusalem, within the first year after Messiah's ascension, so that most of the brethren, except the apostles, were scattered abroad throughout Judea and Samaria. Everywhere they went they preached the gospel, so that great good came out of what was intended to be an evil, as the gospel was more widely preached. Philip, one of the seven who had been appointed to look after the temporal affairs of the church, was among the number driven from Jeru- salem by the persecution. He went to the city of Samaria where the people listened to his teachings, ac- cepted his testimony and were baptized both men and women. The apostles hearing of his success, sent to Samaria Peter and John; and when they came they laid their hands upon those who had been baptized and they received the Holy Ghost :t and thus the work was established there. 17. Paul: — It was during this persecution that Saul, of Tarsus, afterwards better known as Paul, the apostle of the Gentiles, manifested his bitterness towards the saints. He witnessed the stoning to death of Stephen, one of the seven men appointed to look after the tem- poral affairs of the church at Jerusalem. He held the *Acts iv : 32-37. fActs viii : The student will observe that the same order of presenting and accepting the gospel is observed in the account given of its introduction into Samaria as was observed in the teaching of John the Baptist and Jesus, and also of Peter, on the dav of Pe ntecost. 80 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. clothes of those who killed him; and being exceedingly vexed at what he regarded a superstition, he followed the saints into distant cities, breathing out threatenings and slaughter against them. He went to the high priest and obtained letters of authority from him to the rulers of the synagogue at Damascus, that if he found any of the saints there he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. On his way to Damascus, however, the Lord Jesus appeared to him, and Paul, blinded by the glory of the vision, and humbled because he found he had been fighting against God, was led by his companion into the city where a dis- ciple of the name of Ananias was sent by the Lord to restore to Paul his sight and baptize him. He was after- wards made an apostle and became zealous for the truth.* (See note 4, end of section. ) 18. The Gospel Taken to the Gentiles: -The apostles, being Jews themselves, appear to have shared the common prejudices of their race against the Gentiles; and treated them as if they had no lot nor part in the gospel of Christ. It was not the design of the Lord, however, to thus restrict the application of the gospel. Jesus, himself, while he had said that he was sent but to the lost sheep of the house of Israel, f had also said: "And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me."\ Hence when Cornelius, of Caesarea, a devout man, one that feared God, though a Gentile, sought the Lord by prayer and good works, he found him; for an angel was sent to him who told him his prayers and alms were accepted of God, and that he had come to direct him to send men to Joppa for Simon Peter, who Avould be able to tell him what he ought to do. The devout * Acts ix. f Mait. xv 24. % John xii. 32. THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE CHURCH. 81 Gentile immediately started the messengers to find the apostle. 19. Meantime Peter himself was prepared by a vision to go with the gospel unto one whom both he and all his race regarded as unclean. In vision he thought he be- held a great net let down from heaven, filled with all manner of four-footed beasts, fowls of the air and creep- ing things. And a voice said to him, "Rise, Peter, kill and eat." "Not so, Lord," was his reply, "for I have never eaten anything that was common or unclean. " "What God hath cleansed," said the voice that spoke to him, "that call not thou common or unclean." This was done thrice, and as he was yet pondering what the vision could mean, the messengers of Cornelius were at the gates enquiring for him; and he was commanded by the spirit to go with them, doubting nothing, for God had sent them. 20. Peter was obedient to the inspired commandment, and went to the house of Cornelius, where he found many of the devout Gentile's friends and kinsmen gathered to- gether in anticipation of his coming. Cornelius having informed the apostle how he came to send for him, Peter exclaimed: "Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons; but in ever}' nation he that feareth him and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him. " He then proceeded to preach to Cornelius and all present the gospel. As he did so the Holy Ghost fell upon them to the astonishment of all the Jews who had accompanied Peter; tor they heard them speak in new tongues and magnify God. Cornelius and his friends were baptized and thus the door of the gospel was opened to the Gentiles.* * This case of Cornelius marks an exception— the only one recorded in the New Testament — to that order in the gospel to which attention has been drawn 82 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. 21. Rapid Growth of the Work :— The knowledge once established in the minds of the apostles that God granted to the Gentiles repentance unto life, seemed to unshackle those who were to preach the gospel, and gave a broader meaning in their minds to their commission to "Go unto all the world and preach the gospel unto every creature." Evidently before this they did not com- prehend it in its fullest sense. 22. The apostles appear to have remained in Jerusa- lem a number of years — twelve years, tradition says — pre- siding over the church and directing the labors of those preaching the gospel. Churches, or, more correctly speak ing, branches of the church were built up in Antioch [An-ti-ok], Damascus [Da-mas-kus] and other cities of Syria [Sir-ia]. The work also spread into Asia Minor, Greece and Rome; and everywhere great success attended the preaching of the elders, until the gospel was firmly established in various parts of the Gentile world. So extensive was the preaching of the ambassadors of Christ in those early days of the church, that we have Paul say- ing (about thirty years after the ascension of Messiah) that it had been preached to every creature under heaven* (See note 5, end of section.) several times in this section; that is, these Gentiles received the Holy Ghost before baptism in water. The object of the deviation from the rule is obvious. It was that the Jews might have a witness from God that the gospel was for the Gentiles as well as for the House of Israel. But according to the Scriptures, and I may say according to the nature and relationship of these several principles and ordinances of the gospel to each other, the reception of the Holy Ghost comes after repentance and baptism, the one leading up logically to the other, which follows in beautiful and harmonious sequence. *Col. i.23. THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE CHURCH. 83 NOTES. 1. Was Matthias Called of God?— In consequence of Matthias having been chosen by "lot," it may be a question in the minds of some as to his being called of God. A careful consideration of all that was done in connection with that circumstance will dispel all doubt in relation to it. It must be observed that after Joseph Barsabas and Matthias were nominated for the place in the quorum of the Twelve, the Apostles prayed, saying : "Thou Lord, which knowest the hearts of all men, show whether of these two Thou hast chosen." Before his ascension Jesus had said to these men, "If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. * * * Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you ; * * * that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you." Therefore when these Apostles asked which of the two men nominated God had chosen, and they gave their votes and Matthias was the one selected, God in that way answered their prayer, and Matthias was thus called of God. Again, to be called by a divinely appointed authority is to be called of God. No one can denv that the Apostles were a divinely appointed authority, hence to be called by them was to be called of God.— Roberts. 2. Peutecost: — Pentecost is the name given in the New Testament to the Feast of Weeks, or of Ingathering, celebrated on the fiftieth day from the Pass- over. It was a festival of thanks for the harvest. It was also one of the three great yearly festivals, in which all the males were required to appear before the Lord at the place of his Sanctuary. Josephus in three places in his writings, viz. in the fourteenth book of Antiquities, ch. xiii. 4; Ibid. xvii. ch. x. 2; and in his second book of the Wars of the Jews, ch. iii 2. — speaks of this festival as bring- ing together great numbers of the Jews from all parts of the world, and sustains the statement in Acts ii. that there were in Jerusalem at Pentecost "Jews devout men, out of every nation under heaven," who came running together on hearing that the disciples of Jesus were speaking in unknown tongues. We cannot re- frain from remarking that it was a most opportune time for such a demonstration, since these men would carry the rumor of these things and the substance of the remarkable sermon they heard to the distant lands from which they had come, and thus the news of the gospel would be spread abroad. — Roberts. 3. Joel's Prophecy: — It is very generally supposed among Christians, that this out-pouring of the Holy Ghost on the day of Pentecost was the fulfill- ment of Joel's prophecy, that is, its complete fulfillment. A careful examination of the prophecy, however, will clearly demonstrate that this is not the case. The prophecy will be found in Joel ii. 28-32, and the particulars enumerated in it are as follows: The spirit of the Lord is to be poured out upon all flesh: At Pente- cost it was poured out upon a few of the disciples of Jesus only ; the sons and daughters of the people were to prophesy ; we have no account of their doing so at Pentecost : old men were to dream dreams and young men see visions; there is no account of this taking place on the occasion in question ; wonders were to be shown in the heavens and in the earth, blood and fire and pillars of smoke, 84 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. the sun is to be turned into darkness, the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of the Lord come, yet on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem deliverance was to be found. These things unquestionably point to the glorious coming ot the Son of God to judgment (see Matt, xxiv) ; and certainly they were not ful- filled on the day of Pentecost by the outpouring of the Holy Ghost on a few oi the disciples of Jesus. Still Peter said, referring to the spirit poured out upon the disciples : " This is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel," and then quoted the passage. He doubtless meant ; This spirit which you now see poured out upon these few men. is that spirit which Joel spoke of, and which will eventually be poured out upon all flesh, not only upon men and women, but upon the brute creation as well, so that the lion and the lamb shall lie down together and a little child shall lead them, and they shall not hurt nor destroy in all God's holy mountain. I have deemed it necessary to make this note, first, because of the very general belief among Christians that the prophecy of Joel was fulfilled on the day of Pentecost; and second, because the prophecy is one that was quoted by the angel Moroni on the occasion of his first visit to Joseph Smith, concerning which he said, it was not yet fulfilled but soon would be, (Pearl of Great Price, page 50), hence, since this heavenly meseenger puts its fulfillment in the future, it ■could not have been fulfilled on the day of Pentecost two thousand years ago. Roberts. 4. Description of Paul :— He is about five feet high; very dark hair ; dark complexion; dark skin; large Roman nose; sharp face; small black eyes, pene- trating as eternity ; round shoulders ; a whining voice, except when elevated, and then it almost resembled the roaring of a lion. He was a good orator, active and diligent, always employing himself in doing good to his fellow-man. — Joseph, Smith, at the organization of a school for instruction, Jan. 5th, 1841. 5. Travels of the Apostles Uncertain :— The ambassadors of Christ on leaving Jerusalem traveled over a great part of the world, and in a short time collected numerous religious societies in various countries. Of the churches they founded, not a small number is mentioned in the sacred books, especially in the Acts of the Apostles. Besides these, there can be no doubt they collected many others, both by their own efforts and by the efforts of their followers. But how far they traveled, what nations they visited, or when and where they died, is exceedingly dubious and uncertain. — Mosheim. 6. Divine Aid in Propagation of the Gospel:— The causes must have been divine which could enable men .destitute of all human aid, poor and friendless, neither eloquent nor learned, fishermen and publicans, and they too Jexos, that is, persons odious to all other nations, in so short a time to persuade a great part of mankind to abandon the religion of their fathers, and to embrace a new religion which is opposed to the natural dispositions of men. In the words they uttered there must have been an amazing and a divine power controlling the minds of men. To which may be added miracles, prophecies, the detection of mens secret designs, magnanimity in the midst of perils, contempt for all the objects of ordinary ambition, a patient and cheerful endurance of sufferings worse than death, as well as of death itself, and finally, lives of the purest and most un- THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE CHURCH. blemished character. That the ambassadors of Jesus Christ were in fact thus furnished for their work, is a truth perfectly clear and obvious. And if we sup- pose them not to have been so furnished, no probable reason can be assigned for so rapid a propagation of Christianity by this small and feeble band. — Moshiem-. 7. Rapid Spread of the Gospel : — Thus, then, under a celestial influ- ence and co-operation, the doctrine of the Savior, like the rays of the sun. quickly irradiated the whole world. Presently, in accordance with divine prophecy, the sound of his inspired evangelists and apostles had gone throughout all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world. Throughout every city and village, like a replenished barn-floor, churches were rapidly abounding and filled with members from every people. Those who, in consequence of the delusions that had descended to them from their ancestors, had been fettered by the ancient disease of idolatrous superstition, were now liberated by the power of Christ, through the teachings and miracles of his messengers.— Eusebeus, icriting of the period between 37-41 A. D. REVIEW. i. What was the first official business of the authorities of the church after the resurrection ? 2. State the manner of filling the vacancy in the quorum of the twelve. 3. What of Mosheim's translation of the phrase: "they give forth their lots?" (note ) 4. Was Matthias called of God? (note 1) 5. What evidence can you refer to in proof that the quorum of Twelve Apostles was to be perpetuated ? 6. When was the gospel first publicly preached after the resurrection? 7. How long between the ascension and Pentecost? (note 2) 8. Describe the events in the church on the day of Pentecost. 9. What circumstance is an evidence that the statement of scripture is true that there were devout men from many nations in Jerusalem at that time ? (note 2) 10. Was the outpouring of the Holy Ghost on the day of Pentecost a complete fulfillment of Joel's prophecy quoted by Peter ? (note 3) n. How does the order of principles taught by Peter on the day of Pentecos compare with the order of principles taught by John the Baptist and Messiah ? (note ) 12. Describe the rise of opposition to the church. 13. What answer did Peter make to the mandates of the rulers not to teach in the name of Jesus ? 14. What was the counsel of Gamaliel to the Jews? 86 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. 15. To what extent did his counsel prevail ? 16. What arrangements were made in the church in respect to looking after the poor? 17. What priesthood did the seven most likely hold? (note) 18. Give an account of the introduction of the gospel among the Samaritans. 19. What was Paul's course at the first towards the church ? 20. Relate the circumstances of his conversion. ax. Give a description of Paul, (note 4) 22. What were the views entertained by the Jews toward the Gentiles? 23. Relate how the gospel was introduced to the Gentiles. 24. State the exception to the order of the gospel in the case of Cornelius. 25. What was the object of the exception? 26. What effect on the church did carrying the gospel to the Gentiles have ? 27. How long is it supposed the Twelve remained at Jerusalem ? 28. What can you say of the spread of the work during the first century ? (notes 5, 6, 7) THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE CHURCH. 87 SECTION VIII. 1. Review: — We have now related the chief events connected with the introduction of the gospel and the establishment of the Church by the personal labors of Messiah and those immediately connected with him. We may now review the doctrines that he taught, which, taken in the aggregate, constitute the gospel; and ex- amine the character of the organization he founded — the Church. 2. The Mission of Messiah :— Jesus Christ came into the earth to accomplish two great purposes; first, to redeem mankind from the consequences of Adam's transgression; second, to save them from the conse- quences of their own sins. The first is a general salva- tion, which, without any conditions whatever, will be applied to all mankind, irrespective of their obedience or disobedience to God, their righteousness or wicked- ness, their belief or unbelief. The redemption will be as universal as the fall. The second may be re- garded as a particular salvation, dependent upon faith in, and obedience to the gospel of Christ by the indi- vidual. 3. The Fall: — When Adam and Eve were placed in the garden of Eden, there were certain laws given to them by their Creator, the penalty of violating which was death and banishment from the presence of God. They transgressed the laws and became subject to the penalty. Nor was that all; but by their transgression, having become mortal, they bequeathed that mortality to their offspring; and thus death passed upon all mankind. 98 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. and that, too, through no act or fault of theirs. Their agency was not exercised in the matter, and therefore justice would require that they should receive a full and complete redemption from the evil which overtakes them through the actions of others over which they had no control. 4. General Salvation:— Such a redemption was wrought out through the atonement of Jesus Christ, and that its benefits are to be universal, so far as redeeming mankind from the consequences of Adam's transgression is concerned, is evident from the fact, First. That the resurrection from the dead is univer- sal, as the scriptures witness: — "And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to ever- lasting life, and some to shame and everlasting con- tempt."* "For as the Father hath life in himself, so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself. * * * * Marvel not at this; for the hour is coming, in which all that are in their graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good unto the resurrec- tion of life, and they that have done evil unto the resurrection of damnation, "f Or. as the last two clauses were given to the Prophet Joseph Smith by inspiration — "They who have done good in the resurrection of the just; and they who have done evil in the resurrection of the unjust. | "After giving a full account of the resurrec- tion of the righteous and their reign upon the earth a thousand years, the writer of the Apocalypse [A-poc-a- lypse] says: "And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God. * * * And the sea gave up the * Dan. xn : 2. f John v : 26. 28, 29. t Doc. and Cov. lxxvi : 16, 17. THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE l'HI'KCH. '.If> dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them, and they were judged every man according to his works."* Second. The scriptures plainly declare that the redemp- tion of men from the consequences of Adam's transgres- sion shall be universal: "For as by the offense of one [Adam] judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men to the justification of life, "f "Since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order; Christ the first fruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming. Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. For he must reign till he hath put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. "J "Behold, he (Christ) created Adam, and by Adam came the fall of man. And because of the fall of man, came Jesus Christ even the Father and the Son; and because of Jesus Christ, came the redemption of man. And be- cause of the redemption of man, which came by Jesus Christ, they are brought back into the presence of the Lord; yea, this is wherein all men are redeemed, because the death of Christ bringeth to pass the resurrection, which bringeth to pass a redemption from an endless sleep, from which sleep all men shall be awoke by the power of God, when the trump shall sound; and they shall come forth, both small and great, and all shall stand * Rev. xx : 12, 13. t Rom. v : 18. See whole chapter. % I. Cor. xv : 21-26. 6 100 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. befoie his bar, being redeemed and loosed from this eternal band of death, which death is a temporal death."* 5. Through the atonement made by Messiah, therefore, a full and complete redemption from the consequences of Adam's transgression is brought about; that is, a victory over the grave is secured, and that. too. through the merits of Jesus Christ. And while the law transgressed by Adam has been vindicated, the posterity of Adam who became subject to death through his disobedience, are re- deemed from the grave without anything being required of them. For as their agency was not concerned in bring- ing about the mischief, nothing is required of them in order to obtain redemption from it. So far salvation is free and universal. [See note 1, 2 and 3, end of section.] 6. The Atonement a Fact Proven by Evidence :— It is often asked: "How is it that through the sacrifice of one who is innocent salvation may be pur- chased for those undei the dominion of death?" We observe, in passing, that what should most concern man is, not so much how it is that such is the case; but is it a fact. Is it true that God has established such a scheme of redemption, is what should concern him. To that question the blood sprinkled upon a thousand Jewish altars, and the smoke that darkened the heavens for ages from burnt offerings, answer yes. For those sacrifices, and that sprinkled blood were but typical of the great sacrifice to be made by the Messiah. Even the mythology of heathen nations retains the idea of an atonement that either has been, or is to be * Mormon ix : 12, 13. Other evidences from the Xephite scriptures will be found in Alma xi : 40-44. HI. Nephi xxvii : 13-15. II. Nephi ii. Mosiah xv : 18-27. Alma xxxiv : 7-17. Alma xiii : 1-26. THE ESTABLISHMENT OF TH1. CHURCH. 1 01 made for mankind. Fantastic, distorted, confused, buried under the rubbish of savage superstition it may be, but it nevertheless exists. So easily traced, so distinct is this feature of heathen mythology, that some writers have endeavored to prove that the gospel plan of re- demption was derived from heathen mythology. Whereas the fact is that the gospel was understood and extensively preached in the earliest ages; men retained in their tradi- tion a knowledge of those principles, or parts of them, and however much the}' may have been distorted, traces of them mav still be found in nearly all the mythologies of the world. The prophets of the Jewish scriptures answer the question in the affirmative. The writers of the New Testament make Christ's atonement the principal theme of their discourses and epistles. The Book of Mormon, speaking as the voice of an entire continent of people whose prophets and righteous men sought and found God, testify to the same great fact. The revelations of God as given through the Prophet Joseph Smith are replete with passages confirming this doctrine. The evidence is more than sufficient, to establish the fact of the atonement beyond the possibility of a doubt; and if there are some things in it not within the scope of our comprehension, still there is sufficient foundation for the glorious hope of eternal life through its power. 7. Claims of Mercy and Justice Balance:— In the atonement there is a nice balancing of the relative claims of justice and mercy. The law given to man having been transgressed, justice demanded the payment of the penalty, which was death. And as Adam had no power to liberate himself from the captivity thereof, his sleep in the grave must have been eternal; so also with all his posterity to whom his mortalitv was bequeathed as an 102 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. evil legacy, had not Mercy put in her claims and pre- vented Justice from being cruel. The Son of God having it given to him to have life in himself,* and being cap- able of making an infinite atonement, he stood forth as the great friend of man and offered himself as a sacrifice to satisfy the claims of Justice. That offering was ac- cepted by the great Law Giver, and upon the demands of Justice being satisfied, — the law having no further claim upon him, — the captive is set free from the domin- ion of death. Mercy is not permitted to rob Justice, but she claims her own. Justice is not permitted to be cruel, but he retains his dignity — his demands are satisfied. As the late President Taylor very beautifully says: "Is justice dishonored? No; it is satisfied; the debt is paid. Is righteousenss departed from? No; there is a righteous act. All requirements are met. Is judgment violated? No; its demands are fulfilled. Is mercy triumphant? No; she simply claims her own. Justice, judgment. mercy and truth all harmonize as the attributes of Deity. Justice and truth have met together, righteousness and peace have kissed each other, justice and judgment triumph as well as mercy and peace; all the attributes of Deity harmonize in this great, grand, momentous, just, equitable, merciful and meritorious act. "f 8. The Sacrifice of Messiah Voluntary: — Unbelievers delight to represent God, the great Law Giver, as un- speakably cruel in demanding such an Atonement as Christ made for the salvation of the children of men. But let it be borne in mind that He who made the Atone- ment did so voluntarily. Testifying to His disciples re- specting the matter He says: "Therefore doth my Father * John v: 26. f Mediation and Atonement, xxiv. THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE CHURCH. 103 love me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I re- ceived of my Father."* When his enemies gathered about him, — a former friend betraying him with a kiss, — and Peter prepared to defend him with the sword, he chided him for his rashness, commanding him to put up his sword, and added: "Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels? But how then shall the scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must be?"f Thus down to the very last moment, it appears that Jesus could have been delivered from the sacrifice had he so willed it. But the principle which was the guiding star of his life — "Father, not my will, but thy will be done" — influenced him in this instance, and he drank of the cup given him of his Father, and wrung out the dregs in agony; but he did it voluntarily, and that, too, out of his great love for mankind. 9. The Love of God made Manifest in the Atone ment : — By this Atonement of Messiah's there is especially one fact thrown out in bold relief, that is, the great love of God and Christ for mankind. When one thinks of the unspeakable agony, of the anguish of heart, of the pains that racked the body and distressed the mind of the Savior at the time of his betrayal, and dur- ing his trial and crucifixion, he may see how great the love of the Father for mankind must be, when he would consent for his only begotten Son to pass through this great humiliation and affliction, in order to redeem man- kind from the bonds of death. On such contemplation *John x: 17, 18. t Matt, xxvi: 53, 54. 1U4 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. increased emphasis will be given to the passage — "In this was manifested the love of God towards us, be- cause that God sent his only begotten Son into the world that we might live through him."* And also to this — "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved, "f Equally great appears the love of the Son of God, who of his own free will volunteered to take upon himself the task of man's redemption. 10. Individual Salvation: — As before stated, Messiah came not only to redeem man from the consequences of the fall, but to save him also from the consequences of his own personal sins. The redemption from the fall is universal and unconditional, because the penalties fol- lowing it were entailed upon the race through no action of theirs, but through the transgressions of Adam. The redemption from the consequences of man's personal sins, however, is bottomed upon conditions, because his agency is a factor in the violations of the law. He sins knowingly, willfully, and sometimes wantonly. He transgresses the laws of God and of nature in spite of the protests of his conscience, the convictions of his reason, and the promptings of his judgment. He becomes desperately wicked and so depraved that in some cases he actually seeks evil and loves it. He hugs it to his bosom and cries: Evil, be thou my good; sin be thou my refuge! 11. In cases of such violation of the laws of God, Jus- tice demands that the outraged laws should be vindicated * I. John iv : g. f John iii : 16, 17. THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE CHURCH. 105 by the punishment of the transgressor. But here again the principle of Mercy is active. By the sacrifice which he made, Messiah purchased mankind as an inheritance for himself, and they came of right under his dominion; for he not only ransomed them from an endless sleep in the grave, but " He hath borne our griefs and carried our sorrows. * * * He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities, the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and by his stripes we are healed. The Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all."* [See note 4, end of section.] It was these considerations, doubtless, which led the Apostle to say to the saints — "Ye are not your own; for ye are bought with a price, "t Still more plain in relation to the effect that Messiah's Atonement has upon the personal sins of men, is the word of the Lord through the Prophet Joseph Smith to Martin Harris, warning him to repent lest his sufferings be sore — how sore, how exquisite, how hard to bear he knew not: "For behold, I God, have suffered these things for all that they might not suffer if they would repent, but if they would not repent, they must suffer even as I, which suffering caused myself, even God, the greatest of all, to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body and spirit; and would that I might not drink the bitter cup and shrink — nevertheless, glory be to the Father, I partook and finished my preparations unto the children of men."| (Doc. and Cov., Sec. xix, 16-18. See also Mosiah iii, 20, 21.) The Gospel, page 25. * Isaiah liii : 5, 6. f I. Cor. vi : 19, 20. J Doc. and Cov., Sec. xix, 16-18. See also Mosiah iii, 20, 21. The Gospel, page 25. 106 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. 12. Conditions of Salvation :— Messiah having thus ransomed mankind by his own suffering and death, he becomes the law-giver to our race and of right prescribes the conditions upon which the full benefits of his great atonement shall be applied to individuals. Those conditions he has prescribed, and they constitute the Gospel. It was these conditions which he authorized his Apostles to proclaim to the world, saying: "All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost; teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you."* 13. Following the Apostles in their fulfillment of this commission, we have them persuading people to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ as the Savior of the world, as the only one to whom they may look for salvationf — the resurrection and the life. Men in whose minds this faith was created they commanded to repent and be baptized in the name of- Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and promised them on the condition of their obedience the gift of the Holy Ghost. % By repentance they meant a deep and heartfelt sorrow for sin, accompanied by a reformation of life ; § by baptism they meant immersion in water in the likeness of Christ's burial and resurrec- tion ;|| and the Holy Ghost was imparted by the laying on of hands and prayer.** 14. These things, connected with the Godly walk and * Matt, xxviii : 18-20. f Acts iv : 12. jActsii: 22-47. Acts viii : 5-25. §11. Cor. vii: 8-10. H Rom. vi : 3-5. **Acts viii: 14-18. THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE CHURCH. 1 07 conversation after obeying them* — constitutes the laws of adoption into the Church of Christ. These are the con- ditions on which man receives the full benefit of the atonement of Jesus Christ — a forgiveness of sins and power through the Holy Ghost to overcome all evil pro- pensities within himself, until he becomes pure in heart and every way made ready and worthy for the kingdom of God. This is the gospel of Jesus Christ, as taught by Jesus and his apostles. [See note 6 end of section.] 15. The Church: — In order to propagate the gospel, and teach, encourage, instruct, preserve and finally per- fect those who accepted it, Messiah organized his Church. He bestowed upon its members certain great and precious spiritual gifts and graces, such as the power to speak in new tongues and interpret them; to receive revelation, to prophesy, to see visions, receive the visita- tion of angels, to possess the gift of wisdom, knowledge, faith, discernment of spirits, and healing the sick.f 16. The description of the Church organization in the New Testament is extremely imperfect, owing, no doubt, to the fragmentary character of the Christian annals. While the distinctions between the respective offices in the Priesthood, and the definition of the duties of each officer are even less satisfactory; still there is enough written to enable us to get an outline of the wonderful organization. 17. Messiah, during his personal ministry, organized * The injunction placed upon those who accept the faith of the gospel is that they add to their "faith virtue; and to virtue, knowledge ; and to knowledge, temperance ; and to temperance, patience ; and to patience, godliness ; and to godliness, brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness, charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruit- ful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. (2 Peter i: 5-8.) — The Gospel, page 37. f Mark xvi. 1. Cor. xii. 108 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. a quorum of Twelve Apostles, to whom he gave very great powers and authority, even to be witnesses of him among the people, to build up his Church by the pro- clamation of the gospel, to heal the sick, open the eyes of the blind, raise the dead and cast out devils.* He likewise organized quorums of seventies, unto whom he gave similar powers to those bestowed upon the apostles. f 18. \fter his resurrection Messiah was with his apostles and disciples forty days, during which time he was teaching them all things concerning the kingdom of God.^ Hence we have these men after his ascension organizing branches of the Church wherever they found people who received their testimony. In some instances they ordained elders to preside over these branches ;§ and in other instances bishops were appointed. || 19. Paul in giving a description of the organization of the church says: "And* God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healing, helps, governments, diversities of tongues. Are all apostles? are all prophets? are all teachers? are 'all workers of miracles? have all the gifts of healing? do all speak with tongues? do all interpret"^ The implied answer is that all are not apostles, nor prophets, nor teachers, etc., in the church of Christ, but that the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth.** * Malt. x. Acts i : 4-8. f Compare Luke x with Matt. x. X Acts i: 3. \ Acts xiv : 23. Acts xx : 17, 28. || Phil, i : 1. Titus i : 5-7. \ I. Cor. xii: 28-30. ** Eph. iv : 16. THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE CHURCH. 109 20. Preceding the first quotation we made from Paul,* he compares the church of Christ to the body of a man, which, though it be composed of many members, yet it is but one body, and all the members thereof are needful to it. "The eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee; nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of thee. Nay, much more, those members of the body which seem to be more feeble are necessary." This is equivalent to saying that the apostle cannot say to the elder, I have no need of thee; nor the deacon to the bishop, I have no need of thee; nor the seventy to the priest, I have no need of thee. The argument is that all the offices, even those which seem the least necessary, are all needful to the existence of the church of Christ, and everyone is forbidden to hold as unnecessary his brother officer. 21. Moreover, the apostle insists that there should be the same bond of sympathy between the members of the church of Christ that there is in the members of the human body; that there should be no schism in it, and that the members should have a care one for another; that when one member suffers all the members suffer with it; or if one member be honored all rejoice with it. 22. In another description of the church the same writer, after saying again that God had given to men "some apostles, and some prophets, and some evange- lists, and some pastors and teachers" — he also enumer- ates the objects for which this peculiar organization was given: — 1. For the perfecting of the Saints. 2. The work of the ministry. 8. Edifying the body of Christ. 4. To prevent the Saints being carried about by * I. Cor. xii. 110 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cun- ning craftiness whereby they lie in wait to deceive. 23. He very plainly intimates, too, that this organization was designed to be perpetuated until the saints all come to the "unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God — unto a- perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ."* Furthermore, we suggest that it must be obvious, since the church organ- ization was given to perfect the saints, to the work of the ministry, to edify the body of Christ, to prevent the saints being carried about by every wind of doctrine or being deceived by cunning men — that so long as there are saints who need perfecting, so long as there is a necessity for work in the ministry, so long as the church of Christ needs edifying, or the Saints need to be guarded from heresy or the deceitfulness of false teachers — just so long will this organization of the Church with apostles and prophets, seventies, and elders, bishops and teachers and deacons be needed; and since the kinds of work enumerated in the foregoing will always be necessary, we reach the conclusion that the Church organization as established by the Aposles was designed to be perpetual. [See note 5 end of section.] 24. Officers of the Church to be Divinely Ap- pointed:— Moreover it is apparent that these officers of the church were called of God. Concerning the apostles Jesus said: "Ye have not chosen me but I have chosen you, and ordained you that ye may bring forth fruit."f When seven men were chosen to look after the poor and minister to them they set them before the apostles, who, when they had prayed, laid heir hands upon them and ordained them to their calling. J *Eph. iv. t John xv : 16. J Acts v: i-6. THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE CHURCH. Ill 25. So in the case of Paul. It was not enough that he saw and spoke with Messiah, for afterwards when the Lord would have him engage in the work of preaching the gospel and administering in the ordinances thereof, the Holy Ghost said unto certain prophets at Antioch, "Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them. And when they had fasted and' prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away. "* 26. Furthermore, as Paul went about confirming the soids of saints, he ordained elders in every church. "f He did not suffer men to take the authority on themselves to minister in the things of God; but warned the Saints against such characters. ' 'Take heed unto yourselves, "said he to the elders of Ephesus, "and to all the flock over which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the flock of God * * * For I know this, that after my departing, shall grievous wolves enter in, not sparing the flock. And of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them. "J 27. The general law of the church is expressed in the following: — "Every high priest taken from among men is ordained for men in things pertaining to God that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins. * * * And no man taketh this honor unto himself, but he that is called of God as was Aaron. "§ The manner in which Aaron was called to the priest's office is recorded in the writings of Moses as follows: The word of the Lord * Acts xiii : 1-3. f Acts xiv : 2. 3. J Acts xx : 28, 29. §Heb. v. 1,5. 112 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. came to that prophet saying: "Take thou unto thee Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him from among the children of Israel that he may minister unto me in the priest's office, even Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazer and Ithamar, Aaron's sons"* 28. It may be objected that this was the law relating to the calling of high priests alone, but if high priests were to be called in this manner, is it not reasonable to conclude that all who administer in things "pertaining to God" must be called in the same manner — that is, of God? So far as the scriptures are concerned, and on subjects of this character their authority is conclusive, wherever we have an account of men administering in the things pertaining to God, and their administrations are accepted of 'him, they have either been called directly by revelation from him, or through inspiration in those who already had authority from God to act in his name; and to be called by a legitimate, divinely established authority is to be called of God. [See note G end of section.] 29. The Church on the Western Hemisphere :— The Book of Mormon is no more explicit in its description of the church organization than the New Testament. This is owing to the fact that the Book of Mormon is but an abridgement of the Nephite annals; and we are informed by Mormon, who made the abridgement, that not an hun- dredth part of the things which Jesus taught to the Nephites could be recorded in his abridged record — hence the meagre description of the church organization. f From Mormon's abridged account of Messiah's visit and labors among the Nephites, however, it appears that * Ex. xxviii : i. fill. Nephi xxvi : 6, 7. THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE CHURCH. 113 Jesus chose from among the faithful men who believed on him, twelve apostles,* unto whom he gave power to preach repentance, baptize for remission of sins,f lay on hands for the Holy Ghost, | and organize the Church. § But the details of this work are not given. It is evident, however, that the Apostles ordained sub- ordinate officers, since Moroni informs us of the manner in which they ordained priests and teachers ;|| and he also refers to the office of elders.^" 30. Thus in the Book of Mormon, as in the New Testament, may be seen only the faint outlines of that wonderful organization, the church of Christ. A full description of it. together with the callings and authority of the respective officers and persons of which it is com- posed, will be reserved for part IV of this work. 31. The acceptance of the gospel by the Nephites was followed by the same results as when accepted by the Jews and Gentiles of the eastern hemisphere. The sick were healed, the dead were raised, the lame walked, the deaf heard, and the blind received their sight. Peace, love, sobriety, justice and an absence of greed and pride char- acterized the conduct of the saints of the western hem- isphere; and here, too, they had "all things common among them, therefore they were not rich and poor, bond and free, but they were all made free, and partakers of the heavenly gifts."** * III. Nephi xii. t III. Nephi. xi. Jill. Xephi xviii : 37; also Moroni ii. \ in. Xephi xxvii : and IV. Nephi i : 1 || Moroni iii. *[ Moroni vi. ** IV. Nephi i : 1-7. 114 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. NOTES. 1. The Redemption Unconditional : — We believe that through the sufferings, death and atonement of Jesus Christ, all mankind without one excep- tion, 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 trans- gression ; and that this universal salvation and redemption of the whole human family from the endless penalty of the original sin, is effected without any condi- tions whatsoever on their part : that is, that they are not required to believe or repent, or be baptized, or do anything else, in order to be redeemed from that penalty ; for whether they believe or disbelieve, whether they repent or remain impenitent, whether they are 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 condi- tions on their part.— Bemarkable Visions— Orson Pratt. 2. The Atonement Universal in its Application :— Transgression of the law brought death upon all the posterity of Adam, the restoration through the Atonement restored all the human family to life. " For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. ' So that whatever was lost by Adam was restored by Jesus Christ. The penalty of the transgression of the law was the death of the body. The atonement made by Jesus Christ resulted in the resurrection of the human body. Its scope embraced all peoples, nations and tongues. " For all my Lord was crucified, For all, for all my Savior died." Meditation and Atonement — John Taylor. 3. The Atonement a Mystery : — As stated elsewhere, in some myster- ious, incomprehensible way, Jesus assumed the responsibility which naturally would have devolved upon Adam ; but which could only be accomplished through the mediation of himself, and by taking upon himself their sorrows, assuming their responsibilities and bearing their transgressions or sins. In a manner incomprehensible and inexplicable, he 1 ore the weight of the sins of the whole world; not only of Adam, but of his posterity; and in doing that, opened the kingdom of heaven, not only to all believers and all who obeyed the law of God, but to more than one-half of the human family who died before they came to years of maturity, as well as to the heathen, who having died without law, will through his mediation be resurrected without law, and be judged without law, and thus participate according to their capacity, works and worth, in the blessings of his atonement.— Mediation and Atonement— John Taylor. 4. The Means of Escape from Penalties of Personal Sins: — THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE CHURCH. 115 After this full, complete and universal redemption, restoration, and salvation of the whole of Adam's race through the atonement of Jesus Christ. * * * 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. * * * 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 law, and that a 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 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 inflicted in this world but in the world to come. * * * " But," inquires the sinner, "is there no way of escape? Is my case hopeless ? " * * * The answer is, if thou canst hide thyself from the all-searching eye of an omnipresent God, that he shall not find thee, or if thou canst prevail with him to deny justice its elaim, or if thou can'st clothe thyself with power, and contend with the Almighty and prevent him from executing the sentence of the law, then thou canst escape. * * * But be assured, O sinner, that thou canst not devise any way of thine own to escape, nor do anything which 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 he who gave the law has devised a way for thy deliverance. That same Jesus, who hath atoned for the original sin [Adam's transgression] , 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. * * * 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 * * * and in the Holy Ghost. * * * That the second condition is to repent. * * * That the third condition is to be baptized for the remission of sins. * * * And that the fourth condition is to receive the laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost. * * * They are then required to be humble, to be meek and lowly in heart, to watch and pray and deal justly. * * * And, in short, to continue faithful to the end in all the duties enjoined upon them by the word and Spirit of Christ. — Remarkable Visions — Orson Pratt. 5. Pour Opinions on Church Government :— How far even wise men and Christian scholars have gone astray in relation to church government may be judged from the following opinions on the subject : Those who imagine that Christ himself or the apostles by his direction or authority appointed a certain fixed form of church government are not agreed what that form was. The principal opinions that have been adopted upon this head may be reduced to the four following : First, is that of the Roman Catholics who maintain that Christ's intention and appointment was that his followers should be collected into one sacred empire subject to the government of St. Peter and his successors, and divided like the 7 116 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. kingdoms of this world into several provinces; that in consequence thereof Peter fixed the seat of ecclesiastical dominion at Rome, but afterwai ds to alleviate the buiden of his office divided the church into three greater provinces according to the division of the world at that time, and appointed a person to preside in each who was dignified with the title of Patriarch ; that the European Patriarch resided at Rome, the Asiastic at Antioch, and the African at Alexandria ; that the bish- ops of each province among whom there were various ranks, were to reverence the authority of their respective patriarchs, and that both bishops and patriarchs were to be passively subject to the supreme dominion of the Roman Pontiff. This romantic account scarcely deserves a serious refutation. The Second opinion concerning the government of the church makes no mention of a supreme head or of patriarchs constituted by a divine authority ; but it supposes that the apostles divided the Roman empire into as many ecclesiastical provinces as there were secular or civil ones ; that the metropolitan bishops; that is, the prelate who resides in the capital city of each province, pre- sides over the clergy ot that province, and that the other bishops were subject to his authority. This opinion has been adopted by some of the most learned of the Romish church, and has also been favored by some of the most eminent British divines. Some Protestant writers of note have endeavored to prove that it is not supported by sufficient evidence. The third opinion is that of those who acknowledge that when the Christians began to multiply exceedingly metropolitans, patriarchs and archbishops were indeed created but only by human appointment and authority ; though they con- fess at the same time that it is consonant to the orders and intentions of Christ and his apostles that there should be in every Christian church one person in- vested with the highest authority and clothed with certain rights and privileges above the other doctors of that assembly. This opinion has been embraced by many English divines of the first rank in the learned world ; and also by many in other countries and communions. The fourth, and last opinion is that of the Presbyterians who affirm that Christ's intention was that the Christian doctors and ministers should all enjoy the same rank and authority without any sort of pre-eminence or subordination or distinction of rights and privileges. — Mosheim Vol. i, pages 67, 68. Note Murdock. " The truth of the matter is," remarks Dr. Maclaine, " that Christ by leaving this matter undetermined, has of consequence, left Christian societies a discre- tionary power of modelling the government of the church in such a manner as the circumstantial reasons of times, places, etc., may require ; and therefore the ivisest government of the church is the best and the most divine; and every Christian society has a right to make laws for itself; provided that these laws are consistent with charity and peace and with the fundamental doctrines and princi- ples of Christianity.' Of this it is only necessary to say that Christ did not leave this matter undetermined but established his church government as explained in the regular text of this work. The ivisest form of church government is that which God gave ; it is at the same time the best and not only the most dinne THE ESTABLISHMENT OF nil church. 117 but the only one that can lay any claim to being so; and for the church or any branch thereof to establish any other government for itself is an unjustifiable departure from the order of God. — Roberts. 6. Authority from God Needful :— We are informed in the scriptures, that the Lord wrought special miracles by the hands of Paul, whom he had called to be his servant. The sick were healed, and evil spirits were cast out of those who were possessed. " Then certain of the vagabond Jews, exorcists, took upon them to call over them which had evil spirits, the name of the Lord Jesus, say- ing, We adjure you, by Jesus whom Paul preacheth. And there were seven sons, of one Sceva, a Jew, and chief of the priests, which did so. And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know, but who are ye? And the man in whom the evil spirit was, leaped on them, and overcame them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of the house, naked and wounded." (Acts xix: 13-16.) These men presumptuously took it upon themselves to act as those who had authority, and the result was that not even the devils would respectltheir administrations, much less the Lord. There is a principle of great moment associated with this incident. The question is, if these men, when acting without authority from God could not drive out an evil spirit, would their administration be of force, or have any virtue in it, had they administered in some other ordinance of the gospel, say baptism for the remission of sins, or the laying on of hands for the reception of the Holy Ghost? Manifestly it would not. Hence we come to the conclusion, so well expressed in one of our articles of faith — " A man must be called of God by prophecy and by the laying on of hands by those who are in authority to preach the gospel and administer in the ordinances thereof." — The Gospel — Roberts. REVIEW plan What two great purposes were contemplated in Messiah's mission ? Relate the fall of man and its consequences. What is general salvation ? How do you prove that there will be a general salvation ? Why is redemption from Adam's transgression unconditional ? (note 4) How are the claims of justice and mercy balanced in the atonement? Was Messiah's atonement voluntary? What can you say of the love of God as it appears in the atonement ? What is meant by individual salvation ? In what does it differ from general salvation ? By what consideration does mercy mitigate the claims of justice in the of redemption ? What are the conditions of salvation ? (.note 6) For what several purposes did Messiah institute his church ? 118 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. 14. Why is it that the description of the Church of Christ is so imperfect in the New Testament ? 15. Enumerate the powers granted to the Twelve. 16. What other officers did he call to the ministry upon whom he bestowed similar powers? 17. What other officers were appointed in the Church ? 18. Give Paul's description of the church. 19. State the particular objects to be accomplished by the church organiza- tion. 20. What reasons can you give for believing that the church as organized by Messiah is to be perpetuated? 21. What are the four leading opinions in respect to church government? (note 7) 22. What is the truth in respect to church government? (note 7) 23. Is the Book of Mormon description of church organization more complete than that of the New Testament? Why ? 24. Give an account of the organization of the church on the western hemisphere. 25. What followed the preaching of the gospel and the organization of the church on the western hemisphere? PART II. THE APOSTASY. SECTION I. In Part I. our narrative was confined mainly to those propitious circumstances which made for the successful introduction of the gospel and the founding of the church of Christ. In Part II. we are to deal with those ad- verse events which led finally to the subversion of the Christian religion. We commence with the 1. Persecution of the Christians by the Jews:— The Messiah forewarned his disciples that they would be persecuted of the world, pointed out the reasons for it, and comforted by reminding them that the world had hated him before it hated them; that the servant was not greater than his lord; and for that matter all the prophets which were before them had been persecuted by the generations in which they lived, and that, for the reason that they were not of the world, therefore the world hated and destroyed them.* 2. Two special reasons may be assigned for the perse- cution of the saints by the Jews. They looked upon Christianity as a rival religion to Judaism, a thing of itself sufficient to engender bitterness, jealousy, persecu- tion. Then if Christianity should live and obtain a respectable standing, the Jews of that generation must ever be looked upon as not only putting an innocent man to death, but as rejecting and slaying the Son of God. To crush this rival religion and escape the odium which the successful establishment of it would inevitably fix upon them, were the incentives which prompted that * These statements are sustained in the following scripture. Matt, x : 16- Luke vi : 22-26. Tohn xv : 18-22. 122 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. first general persecution which arose against the church in Jerusalem, and that commenced in the very first year after Messiah's ascension. 3. The extent of the persecution or the time of its continuance may not be determined; but that it was murderous may be learned from the fact that Stephen was slain,* as was also James, the son of Zebedee,f and James, the Just, brother of the Lord.^ The Apostle Peter was imprisoned and would doubtless have shared the fate of the other martyrs, but that he was delivered by an angel. § 4. Nor was this persecution confined alone to Jeru- salem ; on the contrary the hate-blinded high priests and elders of the Jews in Palestine conferred with the Jews throughout the Roman provinces, and everywhere incited them to hatred of the Christians, exhorting them to have no connection with, and to do all in their power to destroy the "superstition," as the Christian religion was then called. Nor were they content with what they themselves could do, but exhausted their ingenuity in efforts to incite the Romans against them. To accomplish this they charged that the Christians had treasonable designs against the Roman government, as "appeared by their acknowledging as their king one Jesus, a malefactor whom Pilate had most justly put to death. "|| 5. The Jews themselves, however, were in no great favor with Romans since their impatience at Roman restraint led them to be constantly on the eve of rebel- * Act* vii : 55-60. t Acts xii : £, 2. JEusebius Bk. II. ch. xxiii. # Acts xii. || Mosheim Part I. ch. v. Illl APOSTASY. 123 lion and sedition, and frequently to break out into deeds of violence against the Roman authority. This lack of favor rendered the power of the Jews unequal to their malice against the church of Christ. 6. The imperious nation, too, whose forefathers had rejected the prophets and at the last had crucified the Son of God with ever)' circumstance of cruelty, crying out in the streets of their holy city, "crucify him, and let his blood be upon us and on our children,"* were about to meet the calamities which their wickedness called down upon them. The Roman emperor Vespasian [Ves-pa'-zhe-an], tired of their repeated seditions, at last sent an army under Titus to subjugate them. The Jews made a stubborn resistance and a terrible war fol- lowed. Jerusalem, crowded with people who had come into the city from the surrounding country to attend the Passover, was besieged for six months, during which time more than a million of her wretched inhabitants per- ished of famine. The city was finally taken, the walls thereof thrown down and the temple so completely destroyed that not one stone was left upon another. Thousands of Jews were cut to pieces, and nearly a hundred thousand of those taken captive sent into slavery.f All the calamities predicted by the MessiahJ befel the city and people. Jerusalem from that time until now has been trodden down of the Gentiles; and will be until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. 7. According to Eusebius, the Christians escaped these calamities which befell the Jews; for the whole body of the church at Jerusalem, having been com- manded by divine revelation, given to men of approved * Matt, xxvii : 22-25. t Joseph us' Wars of the Jews, Bk. vi. ch. ix. j Luke xxi: 5-9, 20-24. 124 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. piety, removed from Jerusalem before the war and dwelt at Pella, beyond Jordan, where they were secure from the calamities of those times.* 8. Persecution by the Romans:— It is more difficult to understand why the Romans should persecute the Christians than it is to see why the Jews did it. The Romans were polytheists, and affected the fullest religi- ous liberty. The author of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire claims that this period of Roman history was the golden age of religious liberty. And such was the multitude of deities collected in Rome from various nations, and such the variety of worship to be seen in the great capital of the empire, that Gibbon has said " Rome gradually became the common temple of her subjects; and the freedom of the city was bestowed on all the gods of mankind, "f Furthermore, the same high authority says: "The various modes of worship which prevailed in the Roman world, were all con- sidered by the people as being equally true; by the philo- sophers as all equally false; and by the magistrates as equally useful. And thus toleration produced not only mutual indulgences, but even religious concord." 9. The student who would learn why the mild and beautiful Christian religion was alone selected to bear the wrath and feel the vengeful power of Rome, must look deeper than the reasons usually assigned for the strange circumstance. It is superficial to sav that the persecution was caused by the charges of immorality. The Roman authorities had the best of evidence that the charges were false. [See note 1 end of section.] Equally * Eusebius Bk. III. ch. v. The Saints were also warned to flee from Jerusa- lem by Messiah Himself when they should see armies begin to encompass it. — See Luke xxi: 20-24. t Decline and Fall Vol. I. ch. i. <£g2^ HE APOSTASY, 125 absurd is it to assign as a cause the supposed atheism of the Christians, for that was the condition of nearly- all Rome; while the charge that they were traitors to the emperor, and expected to see the empire supplanted by the kingdom of Christ — wiiich some assign as the chief cause of Roman persecution — was treated with contempt by the emperors. [See note 2 end of section.] 10. The true cause of the persecution was this: Satan knew there was no power of salvation in the idola- trous worship of the heathen, and hence let them live on in peace, but when Jesus of Nazareth and his followers came, in the authority of God, preaching the gospel, he recognized in that the principles and power against which he had rebelled in heaven, and stirred up the hearts of men to rebellion against the truth to overthrow it. This was the real cause of persecution, though it lurked under a variety of pretexts, the most of which are named in the above supposed causes. 11. The First Roman Persecution:— The first em- peror to enact laws for the extermination of Christians was Nero. [See note 3 end of section.] His decrees against them originated rather in an effort to shield himself from popular fury than any desire that he had to protect the religion of the State against the advancement of Christianity. Nero, wishing to witness a great con- flagration, had set fire to the city of Rome. The flames utterly consumed three of the fourteen wards into which the city was divided, and spread ruin in seven others. It was in vain that the emperor tried to sooth the in- dignant and miserable citizens whose all had been con- sumed by the flames, and neither the magnificence of the prince, nor his attempted expiation of the gods could remove from him the infamy of having ordered the con- flagration. 126 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. 12. "Therefore," writes Tacitus, the most trust- worthy of all historians, "to stop the clamor Nero falsely accused and subjugated to the most exquisite punish- ments a people hated for their crimes called Christians. The founder of the sect, Christ, was executed in the reign of Tiberius, by the Procurator Pontius Pilate. The pernicious superstition, repressed for a time, burst forth again; not only through Judea, the birth-place of the evil, but at Rome also, where everything atrocious and base centers and is in repute. Those first seized, confessed; then a vast multitude, detected by their means, were convicted, not so much of the crime of burning the city as of hatred of mankind. And insult was added to their torments; for being clad in skins of wild beasts they were torn to pieces by dogs; or affixed to crosses to be burned, were used as lights to dispel the darkness of night, when the day was gone. Nero devoted his garden to the show, and held circensian [sir- sen-shan] games, mixing with the rabble, or mounting a chariot, clad like a coachman. Hence, though the guilty and those meriting the severest punishment, suffered, yet compassion was excited, because they were destroyed, not for the public good, but to satisfy the cruelty of an individual."* 13. Time of the Persecution:— The time of this persecution is fixed by the date of the great conflagration, which Tacitus set down as commencing on the 18th of July, A. D. 65. It lasted six days; and soon after that the persecution broke out. 14. Continuance and Extent of the Persecution: — How long this persecution lasted, and whether it was confined to the city of Rome or extended throughout the Annals lib. xv. ch. 44. THE APOSTASY. 127 empire is difficult to determine. From some remarks made by Tertullian [Ter-tul-li-an], writing in the next century, it would seem that the decrees of Nero against the Christians of Rome were general laws, such as those afterwards passed by Domitian. But the inferences of his language are generally discredited or accounted the result of Tertullian's fervid rhetoric; and Gibbon's con- clusion that the persecution was confined within the walls of Rome generally accepted.* It was in this persecution, to the tradition of the early Christian fathers, according that Peter and Paul suffered martyrdom. 15. The Second Persecution :— The second persecu- tion against the Christian church broke out in the year A. D. 93 or 04, under the reign of Domitian. It was during this persecution that the Apostle John was banished to Patmos. Eusebius states that at the same time, for pro- fessing Christ, Flavia Domitilla, the niece of Flavius Clemens, one of the consuls of Rome at that time, "wras transported with many others, by way of punishment, to the island of Pontia. " The pretext for this persecu- tion is ascribed to the fears of Domitian that he would lose his empire. A rumor reached him that a person would arise from the relatives of Messiah who would attempt a revolution; whereupon the jealous nature of the emperor prompted him to begin this persecution. In it both Jews and Christians suffered, the emperor order- ing that the descendants of David, especially, should be put to death. An investigation of the prospects of a revolution arising from such a quarter caused Domitian to dismiss the matter with contempt and order the per- secution to cease. f [See note 2, end of section.] t Decline and Fall I. ch. xvi. See also Guizot's note on same page. X This is according to the testimony of Eusebius, quoting Hagesippus and Turtullian (Eusebius Book iii, ch. xx.) But other authorities claim that Do- mitian's edicts against the Christians were not revoked until after his death. 128 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. NOTES. 1. Pliny's Testimony to the Morality of the Christians:- The character which this writer gives of the Christians of that age [His celebrated letter was written to Trajan early in the second century], and which was drawn from a pretty accurate inquiry, because he considered their moral principles as the point in which the magistrate was interested, is as follows: — He tells the emperor that some of those who had relinquished the society, or who, to save themselves, pretended that they had relinquished it, affirmed " that they were wont to meet together on a stated day, before it was light, and sang among them- selves alternately a hymn to Christ as a God ; and to bind themselves by an oath, not to the commission of any wickedness, but that they would not be guilty of theft, or robbery, or adultery ; that they would never falsify their word, or deny a pledge committed to them when called upon to return it." This proves that a morality more pure and strict than was ordinary, prevailed at that time in Chris- tian societies. — Paley's Evidences. 2. Interview of Domitian and the Relatives of the Lord:— There were yet living of the family of our Lord the grandchildren of Judas, called the brother of our Lord according to the flesh. These were reported as being of the family of David, and were brought to Domitian by the Evocaties. For this emperor was as much alarmed at the appearance of Christ as Herod. He put the question whether they were of David's race and they confessed that they were. He then asked them what property they had, or how much money they owned. And both of them answered, that they had between them only nine thousand denarii, and this they had not in silver, but in the value of a piece of land, containing only thirty-nine acres : from which they raised their taxes and supported themselves by their own labor. Then they also began to show their hands, exhibiting the hardness of their bodies, and the callosity formed by incessant labor on their hands, as evidence of their own labor. When asked also, respecting Christ and his kingdom, what was its nature, and when and where it was to appear, they replied that it was not a temporal nor an earthly kingdom, but celestial and angelic ; that it would appear at the end of the world, when coming .in glory he would judge the quick and dead, and give to every one according to his works. Upon which Domitian despising them made no reply ; but treating them with contempt, as simpletons, commanded them to be dismissed, and by a decree ordered the persecution to cease. — Heaesipiis, quoted by Eusebius. 3. Character of Nero: — Nero was the incarnation of depravity — the very name by which men are accustomed to express the fury of unrestrained malignity. Bad as he was he was not worse than Rome. She had but her due. Nay, when he died the rabble and the slaves crowned his statue with garlands and scattered flowers over his grave. And why not? Nero never injured the rabble, never oppressed the slave. He murdered his mother, his brother, his wife and was the tyrant of the wealthy, the terror of the successful. He rendered poverty sweet, THE APOSTASY, 129 for poverty alone was secure ; he rendered slavery tolerable, for slaves alone or slavish men were promoted to power. The reign of Nero was the golden reign of the populace, and the holiday of the bondman. — Bancroft. REVIEW. i. Of what did Messiah warn his followers? 2. What reason may be assigned for the hatred of the world towards the people of God ? 3. What special reason can you assign for the persecution of the Christians by the Jews ? 4. What can you say of the bitterness and extent of the first great persecu- tion ? 5. What circumstance rendered the Jewish power to injure the Christians unequal to their malice? 6. Describe the great conflict between the Jews and the Romans. 7. By what means did the Christians living at Jerusalem escape the calam- ities of those times ? 8. What makes it difficult to understand why the Romans persecuted the Christians? 9. What can you say of the charges of immorality as justifying Roman per- secution ? (note 1 ) 10. What of the charge of treason ? (note 2) 11. What was the true cause of the persecution ? 12. Who was the first emperor to enact laws against the Christians ? 13. What was the character of Nero ? (note 3) 14. What was the incentive which prompted Nero to persecute the Chris- tians ? 15. What was the duration and extent of the first Roman persecution ? • 16. Under whose reign did the second Roman persecution begin ? 17. On what was the persecution based ? 130 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. SECTION II. 1. Condition of the Church in the Second Cen- tury:— During the second century the church had many seasons of immunity from persecution. The Roman emperors for the most part were of a mild and equitable character, and at the beginning of the century there were no laws against the Christians, as those enacted both by Nero and Domitian had been repealed. The first by the senate, the second by his successor, Nerva. * Still it must not be supposed that the saints were free from persecution. Their troubles arose, however, rather from the tumults of the rabble at the instigation of the pagan priests than from any desire of the emperors to oppress them. 2. As the Christians had no temples, no altars, no clouds of incense, no smoking victims — in short, as they had none of the pomp and circumstance in their simple religion which attended pagan worship, they were open to the charge of atheism by the great body of the people of the Roman empire; and, in their judgment, deserved the severest tortures and death, " If the empire had been afflicted by any recent calamity," remarks Gibbon, "by a plague, a famine, or an unsuccessful war; if the Tiber had, or if the Nile had not, risen above its banks; if the earth had shaken, or if the temperate order of the seasons had been interrupted, the superstitious pagans were convinced that the crimes and impurities of the Christians, who were spared by the excessive lenity of the Mosheim's Eccl. Hist. I. Second Cent. ch. ii THE APOSTASY. L3J government, had, at length, provoked the divine justice. "* And however virtuous the emperors were, however mild or equitable in character the governors of the provinces, it is certain they did not hesitate to appease the rage of the people by sacrificing a few obnoxious victims. 3. The Persecution Under Marcus Aurelius :— The stranges.t fact of all connected with the persecutions of this century is that the saints suffered most under the most virtuous of the emperors — Marcus Aurelius [Mar-cus An-re-li-us]. who allowed the judges to put many of the saints accused of crime to the torture. Among those of note who fell in this persecution were Polycarp, the bishop of Smyrna. [See note 1. end of section], and Justin Martyr, the philosopher. The persecution was most severe in Gaul (France) , the churches of Lyons and Vienne being well nigh utterly destroyed. The unparal- leled cruelties practiced upon the saints in those cities are related at length by Eusebiusf in letters written by those who survived the persecution. [See note 2, end of section.] 4. The Edicts Of Severus : — Early in the third century a law was enacted by the Emperor, Severus, [Se-ver-us], making it criminal for any person to abandon the religion of his fathers for that of the Christians or the Jews. The object of the law was to stay the propagation of Christianity which was spreading abroad on every hand; and while it was not intended to increase the hardships of those already Christians, it nevertheless encouraged the governors and judges of some of the provinces — especially those of Egypt and other parts of Africa and Asia — to sorelv afflict the saints. Manv of * Decline and Fall, vol. I. ch. xvi. t Eusebius Eccl. Hist. Bk. v. ch. i. and 132 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. the poor were put to death — thousands of them if we may credit Eusebius — a*nd many of the rich intimidated into paying large sums of money to the judges to secure them from torture and death. Still this persecution was not long continued, nor was it general throughout the empire, and after it subsided there was a long period of peace — pity it is we have to say that it was more hurtful to the church than the periods of the cruelest persecu- tion. 5. Persecution Under Decius Trajan : — In the middle of this century under the reign of Decius Trajan [De- ci-us Tra-jan] the severest and most disastrous persecu- tion of all befell the Christians. The emperor must have been impelled both by his fear of the Christians and his attachment to the ancient religion of the Romans to publish his terrible edicts by which he hoped to destroy the Christian church. The governors of the provinces were ordered, on pain of forfeiting their own lives, either to exterminate all Christians utterly, or bring them back by pains and tortures to the religion of their fathers. Even Gibbon, whose constant effort is to belittle the sufferings of the early Christians, says of this persecution: "The bishops of the most considerable cities were removed by exile or death; the vigilance of the magis- trates prevented the clergy of Rome during sixteen months from proceeding to a new election and it was the opinion of the Christians that the emperor would more patiently endure a competitor for the purple than a bishop in the capital. "* 6. For more than two years the persecution raged with unmitigated fury; and great multitudes of Chris- tians, in all the Roman provinces, were butchered in Decline and Fall vol. I. ch. xvi THE APOSTASY. 138 the most inhuman manner. "This persecution," writes Dr. Mosheim, "was more cruel and terrific than any which preceded it; and immense numbers, dismayed, not so much by the fear of death as by the dread of the long continued tortures by which the magistrates endeav- ored to overcome the constancy of the Christians, pro- fessed to renounce Christ, and procured for themselves safety, either by sacrificing — i. e., offering incense before the idols— or by certificates purchased with money.'* [See note 3, end of section.] 7. The immediate successors of Decius continued this persecution, which with a pestilential disease which pre- vailed in many of the Roman provinces greatly increased the hardships of the saints; but the latter part of the century passed away in peace. 8. The Diocletian Persecution :— In the commence- ment of the fourth century a peculiar state of affairs existed in the Roman empire. In 284 A. D., Diocletian [Di-o-kle-shan], a native of Dalmatia [Dal-ma-shi-a], whose parents were slaves, was proclaimed emperor. The year following, feeling that the extent of the empire was too vast to be managed by a single mind, he chose a colleague, one Maximian [Max-im-i-an], an unlettered soldier, with whom he shared the authority of emperor and the title of "Augustus," Soon afterwards they each chose a colleague with whom they shared their authority. These were Constantinus [Con-stan-ti-nus], Chlorus [Klo-rus] and Galerius, [Gade-ri-us]. On their ascension to this honor they each took the title of "Caesar," and so matters stood at the opening of the fourth century. 9. The church had peace at the opening of this cen- | Mosheim's Eccl. Hist. vol. I. cent 134 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. tury and at first there were no indications that it would be broken. But early within that period Diocletian was persuaded to undertake the suppression of the Chritsian religion. This he attempted by demanding that the Christians give up their sacred books; if they refused the)' were put to death. The constancy of all the Chris- tians, no, not even that of all their bishops and clergy, was equal to this trial, and many voluntarily surrendered the sacred writings in their possession, to save themselves t from punishment and death. V 10. The royal palace at Nicomedia being twice set on fire, soon after the first edict of Diocletian was published, the crime was charged to the Christians, and led to the issuance of a second edict which caused many Christians to suffer the penalties inflicted on incendiaries — torture and death. Following this came rebellion against Roman authority in Nicomedia and Syria. This too was charged to the intrigue of Christians [see notes 4 and 5, end of section], and was made a pretext for throwing all bishops and ministers into prison. A third edict authorized the employment of torture to compel them to offer sacrifices to the gods of the heathen. It was hoped by Diocletian that if these leaders of the church could be forced into acts of apostasy the people would follow. A great multi- tude, therefore, of excellent men in all parts of Christen- dom— excepting Gaul — were put to death, and others condemned to labor in the mines. 11. But Diocletian was disappointed in the effects of these assaults on the leaders of the church. The mem- bers thereof remained obdurate in their adherence to the Christian faith; whereupon he issued a fourth edict, directing the magistrates to compel all Christians to offer sacrifice to the gods and to use tortures for that purpose. THE APOSTASY. L35 As the governors yielded strict obedience to these orders. t the Christian church was reduced to the last extremity."* •^ 12. "With the exception of Gaul," says Schlegel, "streams of Christian blood flowed in the provinces of the Roman empire. Everywhere the Christian temples lay in rums, and assemblies for worship were all suspended. The major part had forsaken the provinces and taken refuge among the barbarians. Such as were unable or unwilling to do this, kept themselves concealed, and were afraid for their lives if they appeared in public. The ministers of Christ were either slain, or mutilated and sent to the mines, or banished from the country. The avaricious magistrates had seized upon nearly all their church property and their private possessions. Many through dread of undergoing torture, had made away with their own lives and many apostatized from the faith; and what remained of the Christian com- munity consisted of weak, poor, and timorous persons, "f Truly it would appear from this that the beast unto whom was given power "to make war with the saints and overcome them"t had at last triumphed. 13. End of Pagan Persecution;— This, however, was to be the last great persecution of the Christians by the heathens. In 305 Diocletian, to the surprise of his own and all succeeding ages, resigned the empire and compelled his associate, Maximian, to do the same. This left the empire in the hands of the two Caesars, who became the emperors. Like their pre- decessors they chose colleagues; but Constantius Chlorus, dying at York, in Britain, his son, Constantine * Mosheims Eccl. Hist. vol. I. cent. iv. ch. i. f Quoted by Murdock in Mosheim. — See note — Mosheim Eccl. Hist. vol. I. p. 2IO. t Revelation ch. xiii. 1-7. 13G OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. [Kon-stan-tin] , afterwards called the Great, was pro- claimed emperor by the army. The associate of his father, Galerius, and the two Caesars refused to ratify the election, and civil war ensued which lasted for eighteen years- Finally, however, Constantine prevailed over all his rivals and became sole emperor, A. D., 323. Being, like his father, favorably disposed towards Christianity, his acces- sion to the throne brought universal peace to the church. 14. The Luminous Cross Seen by Constantine :— It was during the above-mentioned civil war, while marching against the forces of Maxentius [Max-en-ti-us], one of the rebellious Caesars, that Constantine and his army are said to have seen near midday, in the heavens, a luminous cross bearing this inscription in Greek: " By This Conquer." The same night Christ appeared to him in a. dream accompanied with the same sign and instructed him to make a standard bearing the cross as a protection against his enemies. The circumstance is related at great length in the life of Constantine by Euse- bius, on whose sole authority the story rests. It is regarded as suspicious that he makes no reference to the matter in his Ecclesiastical History, written only twelve years after the event. [See note 7, end of section.] The story is altogether rejected by some writers as the cunning invention of interested priests seeking to make the cross an object of veneration; and even Christian writers of high standing — among them Mosheim — consider the story to be doubtful. 15. Constantine and his Friendliness to Christian- ity:— With the accession of Constantine to the imperial throne, as before remarked, the peace of the church was assured. His father had favored the Christians, and in the cruel persecution under Diocletian, he kept the pro- vinces of Gaul free from the effusion of Christian blood; THE APOSTASY. 1^7 and his son seems to have fallen heir to his father's friendliness for the Christian faith. 16. It is difficult to determine the motives of Con- stantine for favoring the Christian cause and resolving upon the destruction of the pagan religion. Whether it was the appearance of the miraculous cross in the heavens, as some aver, the influence of Helena, his mother,* as Theodoret claims, or through the arguments of an Egyptian priest who promised him absolution for the crime of murder if he would accept Christianity. f But, let" the motive be what it may, benevolence, policy, con- viction or remorse, coupled with a hope of forgiveness, Constantine from the time of his accession to the throne became the avowed protector of the Christian church; and at length by his powerful influence made Christianity the reigning religion of the Roman empire. J The exiles were recalled: those condemned to labor in the mines were released; they who had been robbed of their property were reinstated in their possessions, and the demolished Christian temples were ordered to be rebuilt and enlarged. The church militant after the emperor's edicts of tolera- tion became the church tranquil, so far as external oppostion was concerned. Her ministers were welcomed into the court of the emperor, admitted to the imperial table, and even accompanied the monarch in his expedi- tions. Wealth, honor and imperial patronage were bestowed almost without measure on the Christian church. From the position of a despised, persecuted religion, *Acording to Eusebius, however, Helena was converted to Christianity by her son— de Veto, Constantine I. iii. ch. 47. f Constantine had caused to be put to death through jealousy and on what, to say the least, was very slight and very suspicious testimony, his son Crispus- his wife Fausta, and his brother-in-law Licinius. X Decline and Fall vol. I. ch. xvi. 138 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. Christianity was suddenly exalted to the very throne of the Roman world. Yet these things which are usually accounted among the good fortunes of the church, were, as we shall yet see, disastrous to the purity of the Christian religion. 17. Progress of the Church Under the Patronage of Constantine*. — The court of Constantine was converted of course; but it is to be feared that it was the hope of wealth and honor, the examples of the emperor, his ex- hortations, his irresistible smile, rather than the truths of Christianity which wrought a change in the hearts of the obsequious crowd that filled the palace. A number of cities manifested a forward zeal in a voluntary destruction of their temples and idols; but it is more than likely that the municipal distinctions and popular donations which were held out as a reward for such conduct, rather than belief in the Christian faith is what inspired the icon- oclasts. Twelve thousand men and a proportionate number of women and children were baptized in a single year in Rome; but how far did the twenty pieces of gold and a white garment promised to each convert by the emperor influence the conversion of this great number? Nor was the influence of Constantine in respect to the Christian religion confined within the provinces of the empire. It extended to the barbarous peoples outside; who, while they had held in disdain a despised and proscribed sect, soon learned to esteem a religion which had been so lately embraced by the greatest monarch, and the most civilized nation of the globe.* 18. The Character of Constantine:— It is as difficult to come to a right conclusion as to the real character of Constantine as ft is to decide the motives which led him Decline and F..11 vol. I. ch. THE APOSTASY. 139 to accept the Christian religion; tor in the former as in the latter case the authorities are conflicting. The Christ- ians who were favored by his actions extol him for his virtues: while the pagans who were despoiled by him, execrate him for his crimes. "It is certain, however, that he put to death his own son Crispus, and his wife Fausta, on a suspicion that was at least precarious. He cut off his brother-in-law Licinius, and his offending son, con- trary to his plighted word; and, according to Schlegel and Gibbon, he was much addicted to pride and vol- uptuousness. He pursued the great objects of his ambition through the dark and bloody paths of war and policy, and after the victory, abandoned himself without moderation to the abuse of his good fortune. As he advanced in years he seems to have declined in the practice of virtue, blighting in his old age, when a con- vert to the Christian faith, and famed as the protector of the Christian church, the fair promises he gave in his youth, and while a pagan, of being a truly virtuous prince. It is not likely that the patronage of such an emperor would contribute to the real progress of religion or assist in the establishment of the church of Christ." NOTES. 1. The Martyrdom of Polycarp:— Presently the instruments prepared for the funeral pile were applied to him. As they were on the point of securing him with spikes he said : ' Let me be thus, for he that gives me strength to bear the fire, will also give me power without being secured by you with these spikes, to remain unmoved on the pile. They therefore did not nail him, but merely bound him to the stake. But he, closing his hands behind him, and bound to the stake as a noble victim selected from the great flock an acceptable sacrifice to Almighty God, said : ' Father of thy well-beloved and blessed Son, Jesus Christ, through whom we have received the knowledge of thee, the God of angels and power and all creation, and of all the family of the righteous, that -J 140 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. live before thee, I bless thee that thou has thought me worthy of the present day and hour to have a share in the number of the martyrs and in the cup of Christ, unto the resurrection of eternal life, both of the soul and body, in the incor- ruptible felicity of the Holy Spirit. Among whom may I be received in thy sight this day as a rich and acceptable sacrifice, as thou the faithful and true God hast prepared, hast revealed and fulfilled. Wherefore on this account, and for all things I praise thee, I bless thee, I glorify thee through the eternal High Priest, Jesus Christ, thy well beloved Son. Through whom be glory to thee with Him in the Holy Ghost, both now and forever. Amen.' After he h.id repeated Amen, and had finished his prayer, the executioners kindled the fire. — Eltsebius. 2. A Second Century Persecution : — Would the reader know what a persecution in those days was, I would refer him to a circular letter written by the church at Smyrna soon after the death of Polvcarp, who it will be remem- bered had lived with St. John ; and which letter is entitled a relation of that bishop's martyrdom. ' The sufferings,' say they, ' of all the other martyrs were blessed and generous which they underwent according to the will of God. For' so it becomes us, who are more religious than others, to ascribe the power and ordering of all things unto Him. And indeed who can choose but admire the greatness of their minds, and that admirable patience and love of their Master, which then appeared in them ? Who when they were so flayed with whipping, that the frame and stricture of their bodies were laid open to their very inward veins and arteries, nevertheless endured it. In like manner, those who were condemned to the beasts and kept a long time in prison, underwent many cruel torments, being forced to he upon sharp spikes laid under their bodies, and tor- mented with divers other sorts of punishments ; that so, if it were possible, the tyrants by the length of their sufferings might have brought them to deny Christ.— PaU]). 3. The Persecution Under Decius Trajan : — This persecution was more terrible than any preceding one, because it extended over the whole em- pire, and because its object was to worry the Christians into apostasy by extreme and persevering torture. — The certificated or libellatici, are supposed to be such as purchased certificates from the corrupt magistrates, in which it was de- clared that they were pagans and had complied with the demands of the law, when neither of these was fact. To purchase such a certificate was not only to be partaker in the fraudulent transaction, but it was to prevaricate before the public in regard to Christianity, and was inconsistent with that open confession of Christ before men, which He Himself requires. — Murdock. (note in Mos- heim, vol. I. cent. iii. p. i. ch. ii.) 4. The Insurrection of Syria and Nicomedia :— Some degree of probability could be attached to the charge against the Christians of causing the insurrection from the fact that their inconsiderate zeal sometimes led them to deeds which had an aspect of rebellion. At the commencement of this perse- cution, for example, a very respectable Christian tore down the imperial edict against the Christians which was set up in a public place. — Schlegel. THE APOSTASY. 141 5. Unwise Zeal of* the Christians:— Several examples have been preserved of a zeal impatient of those restraints which the emperors had pro- vided for the security of the church. The Christians sometimes supplied by their voluntary declaration the want of an accuser, rudely disturbed the public service of paganism, and rushing in crowds round the tribunal of the magistrates, called upon them to pronounce and to inflict the sentence of the law. The be- havior of the Christians was too remarkable to escape the notice of the ancient philosophers ; but they seemed to have considered it with much less admiration than astonishment. Incapable of conceiving the motives which sometimes trans- ported the fortitude of believers beyond the bounds of prudence or reason, they treated such an eagerness to die as the strange result of obstinate despair, of stupid insensibility or of suspicious frenzy. — Gibbon. 6. Spirit of the Christian Martyrs:— The spirit of the Christian martyrs, at least of the first three centuries may be learned from the epistle of Ignatus of Antioch, who, early in the second century was taken from Syria to Rome where he suffered martyrdom by being thrown to the wild beasts. On his journey to Rome, under sentence of death, he wrote an epistle to the Roman Saints from which the following passage is taken : 'I write to the churches and I declare to all, that willingly I die for God, if it be that you hinder me not. I beg of you, do not become to me an unseasonable love. Let me be of the beasts, by whose means I am enabled to obtain God. I am God's wheat, and by the teeth of the beasts am I ground, that I may be found God's pure bread. Rather entreat kindly the beasts that they may be a grave for me and may leave nothing of my body ; that not even when I am fallen asleep, I may be a burden upon any man. Then I shall be in truth a disciple of Jesus Christ, when the world seeth not even my body. Supplicate our Lord for me, that by these instruments I may be found a sacrifice to God. I am not commanding you like Peter and Paul; they were apostles, I am a condemned convict : they were free, I am hitherto a slave. But if I suffer, I am a free man of lesus Christ. and I shall rise from the dead, in him a free man. And now since I am in bonds, I learn to desire nothing. From Syria to Rome I am cast among beasts by sea and by- land, by night and by day ; since I am bound between ten leopards, who get worse when I do good to them. But by their ill-treatment I am furthered in my apprenticeship ; still by that I am not justified. May I have to rejoice of the beasts prepared for me ! and I pray that they may be found ready for me, and I will kindly entreat them quickly to devour me, and not as they have done to some, being afraid of them, to keep from touching me. And should they not be willing., I will force them. "— Ignatius' Epistle to the Romans. 7. Constantino's Luminous Cross: — Now if this narrative [by Euse- bius] is all true, and if two connected miracles were actually wrought as here stated, how happens it that no writer of that age, except Eusebius, says one word about the luminous cross in the heavens? How came it that EusebhiN him- self said nothing about it in his Ecclesiastical History, which was written twelve years after the event, and about the same length of time before his life of Con- stantine ? Why does he rely solely on the testimony of the emperor and not 142 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. even intimate that he even heard of it from others ; whereas, if true, many thou- sands must have been eye witnesses of the fact. What mean his suggestions, that some may question the truth of the story ; and his caution not to state anything as a matter of public notoriety, but to confine himself simply to the emperor's private representation to himself. * * * But how came the whole story of the luminous cross to be unknown to the Christian world, tor more than twenty- five years, and then to transpire only through a private conversation between Eusebius and Constantine ? — Murdoch. REVIEW. i. From what scorce did the persecution of the Church come during the 2nd century ? 2. What charge did pagan priests bring against the Christians ? 3. What in the estimation of the ignorant pagans gave the color of truth to their charge ? 4. To what circumstance were the calamities which befell the empire usually attributed ? 5. What strange fact meets us in connection with the persecution of the 2nd century ? 6. What two noted martyrs were put to death in the reign of Marcus Aurelius ? 7. Describe the martyrdom of Polycarp. 8. What was the nature of some of the tortures inflicted on the Christians? (note 2) 9. What was the nature and purpose of the edicts of Severus? 10. What was the effect of this persecution and the period of peace which followed it ? 11. What can you say of the persecution under Trajan ? 12. What does Gibbon say of it? 13. How long did it continue ? 14. What means of avoiding the severe tortures were offered the Christians? 15. What was the effect of this persecution ? 16. What other circumstance added to the afflictions of the Christians? 17. What changes in respect to the Roman government took place early in the 4th century? 18. What method did Diocletian adopt for the suppression of the Christian religion ? 19. What special crimes were charged to the Christians in the reign of Diocletian ? 20. What can you say of the zeal of the Christians ? (notes 4 and 5) 21. What effect did these persecutions have on the Church ? THE APOSTASY. 14!> 22. What event put a stop to the pagan persecutions? 23. Relate the circumstances which led to Constantino becoming emperor of Rome. 24. What effect did his accession to the throne have upon the Christian church ? 25. By what circumstance is Constantine said to have been converted to the Christian religion ? 26. What evidences exist against the probability of this story ? 27. What good service did the father of Constantine do the Christians in the Diocletian persecution ? 28. What are the several motives assigned for Constantine's friendliness to the Christian church ? 29. What can you say of the emperor's treatment of the Christians? 30. What considerations very likely influenced converts when Constantine extended his patronage to the Church? 31. What was the character of Constantine? 144 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY, SECTION III. 1. The Accusations of the Pagans:— The simplicity of the Christian religion was made a reproach to the church of Christ by the pagan priests. The saints were accused of atheism, an accusation which found support in the fact that the primitive church had no temples, no incense, no sacrifice, no incantations, pomp or ceremony in its worship. "The Christians have no temples, there- fore they have no gods,"' was an argument sufficiently convincing to the heathen. It was but natural, perhaps, that the Christians should seek to cast off this reproach: but the desire to do so led to the introduction of many ceremonies quite at variance with the religion of Jesus Christ, and eventually subverted it altogether. 2. Outward Ordinances of the Christian Religion; — The outward ordinances of the gospel consisted of baptism, the laying on of hands for the imparting of the Holy Ghost, and the Lord's Supper. The laying on of hands was also employed in ordaining men to the Priest- hood and in administering to the sick. In the latter case it was accompanied by anointing with oil. 3. While it does not appear that there was any specific law commanding or regulating fasts, the ancient saints occasionally joined abstinence from their food with their prayers, and especially when engaged in great undertakings. But the frequency of his fasts and the time of its continuance was left to each man's judgment. 4. They met on the first day of the week — Sunday — for worship [see note 1, end of section], the meetings, Mil. VPOSTASY. 14") during the first century, being held in most instances in private houses. The ceremonies were of the simplest character. They consisted of reading the scriptures, the exhortation of the president of the assembly — "neither eloquent nor long, but full of warmth and love;" the testimony of such as felt moved upon by the Holy Ghost to bear testimony, exhort or prophesy: the singing of hymns; the administration of the Sacrament and prayers.* [See note 2, end of section.] 5. Baptism: — Baptism was administered by immers- ing the candidate in water. The only pre-requisites were faith in Jesus Christ and repentance. As soon as the candidate professed these he was admitted into the church by baptism, f In a short time, however, the simplicity of this ordinance was corrupted and burdened with useless ceremonies. In the second century the newly baptized converts, since by baptism they had been born again, were taught to exhibit in their conduct the innocence of little infants. Milk and honey, the common food of infants, was administered to them, after their baptism to remind them of their infancy in the church. Moreover, since by baptism they were released from being servants of the devil, and became God's free men, certain forms borrowed from the Roman ceremony of manumission of slaves was employed in baptism. As by baptism also they were supposed to be made God's soldiers, like newly enlisted soldiers in the Roman army, they were sworn to obey their commander, etc. 6. Further Additions of Ceremonies to Baptism:— A century later (the third) further ceremonies were added. It was supposed that some evil spirit was resident in, all * Mosheim vol. I. Book i. part ii. ch, iv. tActsii: 41. Acls viii : 12.35-40. 140 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. vicious persons and impelled them to sin. Therefore, before entering the sacred fount for baptism, an exorcist by a solemn, menacing formula declared them free from the bondage of Satan, and hailed them servants of Christ.* After baptism the new converts returned home, "decorated with a crown and a white robe; the first being indicative of their victory over the world and their lusts, the latter of their acquired innocence. "| 7. We have already noted the fact that baptism was administered in the days of the apostles as soon as pro- fession of faith and repentance were declared, but in the second and third century baptism was only administered twice a year, and then only to such candidates as had gone through a long preparation and trial. |- The times chosen for the administration of the ordinance were on the vigils of Easter and Whitsuntide, § and in the fourth century it had become the custom to accompany the ceremony with lighted wax candles, to put salt — an emblem of purity and wisdom — in the mouth of the baptized, and everywhere a double anointing was •That exorcism was not annexed to baptism, tili some time in the third cen- tury, and after , the admission of the Platonic philosophy into the church, may almost be demonstrated. The ceremonies used at baptism in the second century are described by Justin Martyr in his^second apology, and by Turtullian in his book de Corono Milltis. But neither makes mention of exorcism. This is a cogent argument to prove that it was admitted by Christians after the times of these fathers and of course in the third cenuury. Egypt perhaps first received if. —Murdock's Mosheim vol. I. p. 190.— (Note) t Mosheim vol. I, book i. part ii. ch. iv. + According to Schlegel, the so-called apostolic constitution (b. viii ch. 32) en- joined a three years' course of preparation ; yet with allowance of some excep- tions. ? That is, the evening preceding the day on which Messiah is supposed to have arisen from the dead, and the evening preceding the seventh Sunday after Raster, the anniversary of Pentecost when the Holy Ghost was poured out upon the Apostles in a remarkable manner (Acts ii.) THE APOSTASY. 147 administered to the candidates, the one before the other after baptism.* 8. The Form of Baptism Changed:— It must have been early in the third century that the form of baptism began to be changed. Up to this time it had been per- formed only by immersion of the whole body. But in the first half of the third century, Cyprian, Bishop of Carthage, during a controversy respecting the re-baptism of those who in times of persecution had denied the faith, decided that those whose weak state of health did not permit them to be immersed, were sufficiently baptized by being sprinkled. f The first case of this kind of bap- tism is related by Eusebius. The person to whom it was so administered 'was Novatus [No-va-tus], a desperate heretic, who created a schism in the church and became the founder of a sect. He was among the number of so-called Christians who put off baptism as long as he dared, in order to enjoy a life of sin and then through baptism, just before death, obtain forgive- ness for them — a custom very prevalent in those times. Novatus being attacked with an obstinate disease, and supposed to be at the point of death, was baptized by having water sprinkled upon him as he lay in bed; "if indeed,." says Eusebius, "it be proper to say one like him did receive baptism. "J 9. This innovation continued to spread until now the general rule among so-called Christian sects is to baptize by sprinkling or pouring. For this change there is no warrant of revelation.- It dest: 's the symbol there is in baptism as taught by Messiah and his apostles — *Mosheim vol. I. book ii., part ii. ch. iv. t Cyprian's Epistles, letter 76. jEusebius Eccl. Hist. b. vi, ch. 43. 9 148 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. that of a burial and resurrection — of a death and birth — a death unto sin, a birth unto righteousness. [See notes 3 and 4, end of section.] It is one of those innovations which changed an ordinance of the everlasting covenant. 10. Baptism Misapplied: — About the time that the form of administering baptism was changed it began to be miss-applied, that is, it was administered to infants. Just when this custom came into vogue may not be determined, but clearly it has no warrant for its existence either in the doctrines or practice of the apostles or any New Testament writer. [See note 5, end of section.] No truth is more plainly taught by the apostles than that baptism is for the remission of sins, and must be pre- ceded by faith and repentance; and as infants are incapable of sin, or of exercising faith, or of repenting, evidently they are not fit subjects for baptism. 11. Still it became the custom in the latter part of the second century or early in the third to baptize infants. In the year 253 A. D., a council of sixty bishops, in Africa — at which Cyprian, bishop of Carthage, presided — had up for consideration the question whether infants should be baptized within two or three days. after birth, or whether it should be deferred until the eighth day, as was the custom of the Jews in respect to circum- cision. The council decided that they should be baptized at once, that is within a day or two after birth. * It will be observed that the question was not as to whether infants should be baptized or not, but when they should be baptized, within ?. day or two after birth or not until they were eight days old. The matter was treated in VIilner*s Church Hist. vol. I. pp. 429, 430. THE APOSTASY. 149 the council as if infant baptism was a custom of long standing. This proves, not that infant baptism i^ a correct doctrine, or that it was derived from the teachings and examples of the apostles — as some aver* — but that in a century or so after the introduction of the gospel, men began to pervert it by changing and misapplying its ordinances. The false doctrine of infant baptism is now practiced by nearly all so-called Christian churches, . Catholic and Protestant. 12. The Sacrament: — Much as the simple rite of baptism was burdened with useless ceremonies, changed in its form and,, mis-applied; it was not more distorted than was the sacrament of the Lord's Supper. The na- ture of the sacrament — usually called the Eucharist — and the purposes for which it was instituted are so plain that he who runs may read. 13. From Paul's description of the ordinance, it is clear that the broken bread was an emblem of Messiah's broken body; the wine an emblem of his blood, shed for sinful man; and his disciples were to eat the one and drink the other in remembrance of him until he should return; and by this ceremony show forth the Lord's death, t 14. It was designed as a memorial of Messiah's great Atonement for mankind, a token and witness unto the Father that the Son was always remembered. It was to be a sign that those partaking of it were willing to take *Such is the opinion of Milner — Church Hist. vol. I. p. 430. •tC f The Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread : and when he had given thanks, he brake it and said, " Take, eat : this is my body, which is broken for you : this do in remembrance of me." After the same man- ner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying : "This cup is the new testament in my blood : this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. For as often as ye eat this bread and drink this cup, ye do show the Lord's death ill he come.'— Paul to the Corinthians, (i Cor. xi. 23-26). 150 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. upon them the name of Christ, to always remember him, and keep his commandments. In consideration of these things being observed, the saints were always to have the Spirit of the Lord to be with them.* In this Spirit and without great ceremony [see note 7, end of section] the sacrament was administered for some time. 15. Administration of the Sacrament Corrupted: — In the third century there were longer prayers and more ceremony connected with the administration of the sacra- ment than in the century preceding. Disputations arose as to the proper time to administer it. Some considered the morning, others the afternoon, and some the evening the most suitable time. All were not agreed either as to how often the odinance should be celebrated. Gold and silver vessels were used, and neither those doing penance, nor those unbaptized, though believers, were permitted to be present at the celebration of the ordinance; < which practice it is well known, was derived from the pagan mysteries. /t Very much of mystery began to be associated r~ * These facts are clearly taught by Messiah when he established the sacrament among the Nephites ; aud of course it was* established among the Jews for the same purpose that it was among the Nephites. After having broken the bread and blessed it, and passed it to the multitude, Messiah said : " This shall ye do in re- membrance of my body, which I have shown unto you. And it shall be a testi- mony unto the Father that ye do always remember me. And if ye do always remember me, ye shall have my Spirit to be with you." So when he had ad- ministered the wine : " Blessed are ye for this thing which ye have done ; * * * this doth witness unto the Father that ye are willing to do that which I have commanded you; And this shall ye always do to those who repent and are bap- tized in my name ; and ye shall do it in remembrance of my blood which I have shed for you, that ye may witness unto the Father that ye do always remember me. And if ye do always remember me, ye shall have my spirit to be with you.'W- III. Nephi, xviii. See also Moroni iv and v where the prayer of consecration is given. fMosheim's Ecclesiastical History Vol. I, book i. Cent, iii., part 2, chapter iv. The banishment of unbaptized people from sacrament meetings was forbidden among the Nephites by Messiah. III. Nephi xviii, 22-33. THE APOSTASY. 15] with it even at an early date. The bread and the wine through the prayer of consecration were considered to undergo a mystic change by which they were converted into and became the very body and blood of Jesus Christ; so that they were no longer regarded as emblems of Messiah's body and blood, but the body and blood itself.* This is the doctrine of^transubstantiation. 16. This dogma established it was but a little step to the "elevation of the host;" that is, the elevation of the bread and wine before it was distributed, so that it might be viewed with reverence by the people. Thus came the adoration of the symbols. 17. Institution Of the MaSSI— Hence came also the Mass, or the idea of a sacrifice being connected with the celebration of the Eucharist. It was held that as Jesus was truly present in the bread and wine he could be offered up, and was truly offered up as an oblation to * Protestants combating the Catholic idea of the real presence of the flesh and blood in the Eucharist — transubstantiation — have endeavored to prove that this doctrine was not of earlier origin than the eight century. In this, however, the evidence is against them. Ignatius, bishop of Antioch, writing early in the second century says of certain supposed heretics: "They do not admit of Eucharists and oblations, because they do not believe the Eucharist to be the flesh of our Savior Jesus Christ, who suffered for our sins. ' (Epistles of Ignatius to the Smyrneans.) So Justin Martyr, also writing in the first half of the second century : — " We do not receive them [the bread and the wine] as ordinary food or ordinary drink ; but as by the word of God Jesus Christ, our Savior, w^s 3. 60— note. 17<> OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. conquests and reprisals of each other's ecclesiastical provinces. 27. The Ascendency of the Roman Pontiffs :— Gradually, however, the Roman pontiffs surpassed their eastern competitors in the struggle for power. The first reason for this will be found in the superior activity and that restless energy of the western people. While the east was at a standstill in its missionary enterprises, at this period, the west was using its best endeavors to ex- tend the faith among the barbarous peoples of Germany and Briton: and everywhere they went they taught submission to the decrees of the Roman pontiff. Not onlv did Rome send missionaries to the barbarians, but the barbarians came to Rome. They came with arms in their hands, and as conquerors, it is true, and in the clos- ing years of the fifth century obtained an easy victory over the western division of imperial Rome. But if imperial Rome was vanquished, there rose above its ruins and above the kingdoms founded upon them by the all-conquering barbarians, papal Rome, in majesty no less splendid than imperial Rome in her palmiest days; and in the course of time, the victorious barbarians bowed in as humble submission to the wand of the popes as their ancestor had to the eagle-mounted standards of the emperors. 28. Another reason why the Roman pontiff out- stripped his eastern rival in the struggle for supremacy will be found in the superstitious reverence in which the barbarous nations that fell under the influence of Roman missionaries were accustomed to hold their priests. In the days of paganism in Gaul (France) and Germany the priests reigned over both people and magistrates, con- trolling absolutely the jurisdiction of the latter. The proselyte to the Christian faith among them, readily THE APOSTASY. 171 transferred that devout obedience which the}- had given to pagan priests, to the Christian bishops. The latter were not slow in appropriating to themselves all the honors the rude barbarians had before paid to their pagan priests. While the extraordinary reverence — which amounted to worship, according to some authori- ties— they bestowed upon their chief priest, was readily transferred to the pope. [See note 6, end of section.] 29. The Great Division of the Church in the Ninth Century : — The jealousy of the bishops of Rome and Constantinople finally ended in a division of the church, which remains to this day. It occurred in this manner: About the middle of the ninth century the emperor of the east — Michael — removed Ignatius, [Ig- na-shi-us] bishop of Constantinople — whom he accused of treason — and set up one Photius [Fo-shi-us] in his place. Ingatius appealed to the bishop of Rome, Nicolaus I. Nicolaus [Nik-o-laus] called a council, which decided that the election of Photius was irregular and unlawful, and pronounced that he, with all his adherents, was unworthy of Christian communion. Instead of being humbled by this decree, and much less frightened at it, Photius convened a council and in turn excommunicated the bishop of Rome. 30. To follow the controversies in respect to religion which followed this action, and the contests which arose about the jurisdiction over certain ecclesiastical provin- ces, to note the criminations and recriminations, the excommunications and counter excommunications would be not only a dreary task but one which the' limits of this work preclude. Let it be sufficient to say that the breach made in the church in the middle of the ninth century, and which had its origin in the mutual jealousies of the bishops of Rome and Constantinople, rather than 172 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. in the wrong done to the deposed Ignatius, or doctrinal difference which afterwards arose — continued to widen and has proven to be a chasm which up to the present it has been impossible to bridge. 31. Means by Which Roman Pontiffs Gained Ascendency : — The popes of Rome, however, easily out- stripped the prelates of Constantinople in wealth, in pride, in power, in the magnificence of their courts, in the veneration paid them by their subjects, in the extent of territory they brought under their jurisdiction, in the influence wielded in the affairs of the world. For by encouraging appeals to themselves; by assuming the care of all the churches, as if it were a part of their official duty; by appointing vicars in churches, over which they had no claims to jurisdiction; by assuming to be judges where they should have only been mediators; by requir- ing accounts to be sent to them of the affairs of foreign churches; by imposing the rites and usages of their own church upon all others, as being of apostolic origin; by insisting that their elevation was due to the pre-eminence of the Apostle Peter— whose successor they claimed to be; by maintaining that their fancied prerogatives belonged to them by divine right; by threatening with excommunication all who would not submit to their decrees;* by accepting the homage which the barbarians anciently bestowed upon their pagan priests ;f by assum- ing the temporal power of princes, and obtaining large grants of lands from kings and emperorsj [see note 7, end of section] — by these means was that splendid * See Bossuefs Universal History vol. I. p. 558. ./. Andrew Cramer, Ger- man translation, f See Eccl. Hist. (Mosheim) bk. Ill, part ii. ch. ii. G. XEccl. Hist. (Mosheim) bk. III. part ii. ch. ii. 11. i hi vpos i is\ . 17:; though corrupt power established, before which nion- archs trembled, and which for ages ruled the destinies of Europe. 32. Rise of the Temporal Power of the Pope:— The Roman pontiffs, not satisfied with claiming to hold the keys of heaven, determined through the pres- tige which this claim gave them to rule the earth. 33. The popes were at first dependent for their elec- tion upon the suffrages of the clergy and people of Rome. The election after the days of Constantine had also to receive the approval of the emperor. But in course of time all this was changed. The popes suc- ceeded at last in conferring the privilege of electing a successor to the chair of St. Peter upon the clergy alone; and finally lodged that power in the college of cardinals.* The next step was to render the election independent of the sanction of the emperors. This, too, was finally accomplished. But no sooner was the church thus made independent of kings and emperors than the former began to dominate the latter, whose power was weakness in comparison with that of the popes. 34. They assumed the right not only to excommuni- cate and anathematize kings, but to free their subjects from their allegiance, and thus encourage rebellions and regicides. They assumed the power to inflict temporal punishments for violations of God's laws; and then claimed the power to remit those punishments for a * The cardinals are senators of the church and counselors of the successors of St. Peter. There are now three orders of cardinals, viz., bishops, priests and deacons ; six of these are bishops, fifty are priests and fourteen deacons. Six- tus V. [between A. D. 1585 and 1590] fixed the number of cardinals at seventy in order to imitate the ancient Sanhedrin of the Jews which was composed oil seventy elders, and it is this assembly which is now called the Sacred College. — Hist, of all Religions (Burder) p. 336. 174 OUTLINES OK ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. consideration paid into the sacred treasury.* Claiming to be the true successors of the humble fisherman of Galilee — St. Peter — and the vicars of the still more humble Nazarene, their crowns, and thrones and courts as far outshone in splendid worldly grandeur those of kings and emperors, as their pride and arrogance sur- passed the pomp and vain glory of the princes of this world; until, at last, the pope exalted himself "above all that is called God, or that is worshiped; "so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.f" [See notes 9 and 10, end of section.] NOTES. 1. Apostasy in the Days of the Apostles :— The great apostasy of the Christian church commenced in the first century, while there were yet in- spired apostles and prophets in their midst ; hence Paul, just previous to his martyrdom, enumerates a great number who had " made shipwreck of their faith," and " turned aside unto vain jangling ; " teaching " that the resurrection was already past ; " giving " heed to fables and endless genealogies," " doubting * Apologists for the popes may say what they will about purchased indul- gences not being intended to remit sins, or a grant of permission to commit sin ; and claim that they are only a remission of the whole or part of the temporal punishment due. to sin. But if indulgences remit the temporal penalties of sins, what is that but the remission of sin, or at least of its effects, which, for all prac- tical purposes, would be the same as remission of sin ? And if penalties attached to sins are set aside in advance of the commission of the sins, what is that but a license to commit sin? " Come," said Tetzel, in selling indulgences in Germany early in the i6th century, " come and I will give you letters all properly sealed, by which even the sins that you intend to commit may be pardoned. * * * There is no sin so great, but that an indulgence cannot remit. — Hist. Reforma- tion, D'Aubigne's. bk. Ill, ch. i. Tetzel defends this doctrine in his Anti- theses 99, ioo, ioi. [See note 8, end of section. J + 11. Thess. ii.4. THE APOSTASY. 17.~> about questions and strifes of words whereof came envyings, railings, evil sur- misings, perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness." This apostasy had become so general that Paul declares to Timothy, " that all they which are in Asia be turned away from me ; '' and again he says, " at my first answer, no man stood with me, but all men forsook me ; "he further states that " there are many unruly, and vain talkers, deceivers," "teaching things which they ought not, for filthy lucre's sake." These apostates, no doubt, pretended to be very righteous ; "for," says the apostle, " they profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable and disobedient and unto every good work reprobate. — Orson Pratt. 2. Karly Decline of the Church : — About the year of our Lord sixty, he [James] wrote his Catholic epistle. * * * By the practical turn of his doctrine, by his discanting on the vices of the tongue, of partiality to the rich, and of contemptuous treatment of the poor in Christian assemblies, and by his direction against vain swearing, it is but too evident that the church had considerably declined from its original purity and simplicity; and that the craft ot Satan, aided ever by human depravity, was wearing out apace the precious fruits of that effusion of the spirit, which has been described [alluding to the effusion on the day of Pentecost].— Milner, Vol. 1, page 34. 3. Powers and Duties of Bishops— First and Second Cen- tury : — We may define in a few words the narrow limits of their [the bishops] original jurisdiction, which was chiefly of a spiritual, though in some instances of a temporal nature. It consisted in the administration of the sacraments and discipline of the church, the superintendency of religious ceremonies which im- perceptibly increase in number and variety, the consecration of ecclesiastical ministers to whom the bishops assigned their respective functions, the manage- ment of the public fund, and the determination of all such differences as the faithful were unwilling to expose before the tribunal of an idolatrous judge. These powers, during a short period, were exercised according to the advice of the presbyteral college [the Elders of the church], and with the consent and approbation of the assembly of Christians. The primitive bishops were con- sidered only as the first of their equals, and the honorable servants of a free people. Whenever the Episcopal chair became vacant by death, anew president was chosen among the presbyters [Elders] by the suffrage of the whole congre- gation, every member of which supposed himself invested with a sacred and sacerdotal character.— Gibbon (Decline and Fall.ch. xv.) 4. Usurpation of Provincial Councils : — As the legislative authority of the particular churches was insensibly superseded by the use of councils, the bishops obtained by their alliance a much larger share of executive and arbitrary power; and as soon as they were connected by a sense of their common interest, they were enabled to attack, with united vigor, the original rights of their clergv [the Elders and deacons] and people. The prelates of the third century imper- ceptibly changed the language pf exhortation into that of command, scattered the X 176 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. seeds of future usurpations, and supplied, by scripture allegories and decla- matory rhetoric, their deficiency of force and reason. They exalted the unity and power of the church as it was represented in the Episcopal office, of which every bishop enjoyed an equal and undivided portion- Gibbon {Decline and Fall ch. xv.) 5. Cyprian's Opposition to the Bishop of Rome:— Rome experi- enced from the nations ot Asia and Africa a more vigorous resistance to her spiritual than she had formerly done to her temporal dominion. The patriotic Cyprian, who ruled with the most absolute sway the church of Carthage and the provincial synods, opposed with resolution and success the ambition of the Roman pontiff, artfully connected his own cause with that of the eastern bishops, and, like Hannibal, sought out new allies in the heart of Asia. If this punic war was carried on without any effusion of blood, it was owing much less to the moderation than to the weakness of the contending prelates. Invectives and excommunications were then the only weapons ; and these during the progress of the whole controversy, they hurled against each other with equal fury and devotion.— Gibbon (Decline and Fall, Vol. I, Ch. xv.) 6. Reverence of the Barbarians for the Popes : — That these pagan nations had been accustomed to treat their idolatrous priests with extraordinary reverence, is a fact well known. When they became Christians they supposed they must show the same reverence to the Christian priests. Of course they honored their bishops and clergy, as they had before honored their Druids ; and this reverence disposed them to bear patiently their vices. Every Druid was accounted a very great character, and was feared by every one ; but the chief Druid was actually worshipped. When these people became Christians, they supposed that the bishop of Rome was such a chief Druid ; and that he mus4 be honored accordingly. And this was one cause why the Roman pontiff ob- tained in process of time such an ascendency in the western countries. The patriarch of Constantinople rose indeed to a great elevation ; but he never at- tained the high rank and authority of the Roman patriarch. The reason was that the people of the east had not the same ideas of the dignity of a chief priest as the people of the east had. — Schleyel. 7. Grant of the Roman Dukedom to the Popes :— Charles [Charle- magne], being made emperor and sovereign of Rome and its territory, reserved indeed to himself the supreme power, and the prerogatives of sovereignty ; but the beneficial dominion, as it is called, and subordinate authority over the city and its territory, he seems to have conferred on the Romish church. This plan was undoubtedly suggested to him by the Roman pontiff; who persuaded the emperor, perhaps by showing him some ancient though forged] papers and docu- ments, that Constantine the Great (to whose place and authority Charles now succeeded) when he removed the seat of empire to Constantinople, committed the old seat of empire, Rome and the adjacent territories or Roman dukedom, to the possession and government of the church, reserving, however, his imperial prerogatives over it ; and that, from this arrangement and ordinance of Constan- THE APOSTASY. 177 tine, Charles could not depart, without incurring the wrath of God and St. Peter. — Mosheim. 8. Copy of an Indulgence :— May our Lord Jesus Christ have mercy on thee, N. N., and absolve thee by the merits of his passion ! And I, in virtue of the apostolic power that has been confided in me, absolve thee irom all ecclasias- tical censures, judgments, and penalties which thou mayst have incurred; more- over, from all excesses, sins and crimes that thou mayst have committed, how- ever great and enormous they may be, and from whatsoever cause, were they even reserved for our most holy father the pope and for the apostolic see. I blot out all the stains of inability and all marks of infamy that thou mayst have drawn upon thyself on this occasion. I remit the penalties that thou shouldst have endured in purgatory. I restore thee anew to participation in the sacra- ments of the church. I incorporate thee afresh in the communion of saints, and re-establish thee in the purity and innocence which thou hadst at thy baptism. So that in the hour of death, the gate by which sinners enter the place of torments and punishment shall be closed against thee, and, on the con- trary, the gate leading to the paradise of joy shall be open. And if thou shouldst not die for long years, this grace will remain unalterable until thy last hour shall arrive. In the name of the Father, Son. and Holy Ghost. Amen. (Friar John Tetzel, Commissary, has signed this with his own hand.) — D'Aubigne's Hist. Bef., Book III, Ch.i. 9. The Absolute Power of the Popes (i3th century):— All who had any share in the government of the church, were alike sovereign lords ; at least in their feelings and dispositions they stiffly maintained with violence and threats, with both wiles and weapons, those fundamental principles of the popish canon law, that the Roman pontiff is the sovereign lord of the whole world, and that all other rulers in church and state have so much power and authority as he sees fit to allow them to have. Resting on this eternal principle as they conceive it to be, the pontiffs arrogate to themselves the absolute power, not only of conferring sacred offices or benefices as they are called, but also of giving away empires, and of divesting kings and princes of their crowns and authority. The more intelligent indeed, for the most part considered [general] councils as superior to the pontiffs ; and such of the kings as were not blinded by supersti- tion, restrained the pontiffs from intermeddling with worldly or civil affairs, bid them be contented with the regulation of things sacred, maintained their power to the utmost of their ability and even claimed for themselves supremacy over the church in their respective territories. But they had to do these things cautiously, if they would not learn by experience that the pontiffs had very long arms. — Mosheim. 10. Character of Language Employed by the Popes Against Kings (8th century): — [As a sample of the arrogant language employed by the popes towards kings and emperors, we present the following taken from an epistle of Pope Gregory III, addressed to the eastern emperor Leo III. Leo at 178 oil LINKS OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. the time was opposing with commendable zeal the use of images in divine worship:] Because you are unlearned and ignorant, we are obliged to write to you rude discourses, but full of sense and the word of God. We conjure you to quit your pride, and hear us with humility. You say that we adore stones, walls and boards. It is not so, my lord ; but those symbols make us recollect the persons whose names they bear, and exalt our grovelling minds. We do not look upon them as gods ; but if it be the image of Jesus, we say, ' Lord, help us.' If it be his mother, we say, ' pray to your Son to save us.' If it be a martyr, we say. ' St. Stephen, pray for us. We might as having the power of St. Peter, pro- nounce punishments against you; but as you have pronounced the curse upon yourself, let it stick to you. You write to us to assemble a general council ; of which there is no need. Do you cease to persecute images, and all will be quiet. We fear not your threats ; for if we go a league from Rome toward Campania, we are secure." — Certainly this is the language of anti-Christ supporting idolatry by pretenses to infallibility, and despising both civil magistrates and ecclesiastical councils.— Winer (Church History, Vol. Ill, Page 159). REVIEW. i. Was the early church organization perpetuated? 2. What reasons can you assign for the failure to do so ? 3. What can you say of the early apostasy in the church ? (Note 1, 2.) 4. What course was pursued by the apostles in respect to organizing churches ? 5. In what light were the apostles regarded by the saints? 6. In what condition were the churches left at the death of the apostles ? 7. Was there such a thing as subordination among the churches, or rank among the bishops ? 8. What was the manner of electing bishops ? 9. What was the nature of the bishop's duties in the early churches ? (Note 3.) 10. Describe the growth of iniquity among the bishops. 11. Give an account of the origin of metropolitan bishops. 12. Describe the rise and influence of councils. (Note 4.) 13. What was the conduct of the lower officials in the church ? 14. What was the moral status of the church officials in the 2nd and 3rd cen- turies ? 15. Tell what important change was made in the form of church government in the 4th century. 16. Describe the outlines of Roman government under Constantine. 17. Tell how the church government was made to correspond with it. 18. What circumstances led to the pre-eminence of the bishop of Rome ? Mil APOSTASY. 179 19. What reasons can be urged against the idea that the bishop of Rome suc- ceeded to the apostleship of Peter and the presidency of the universal church ? 20. What is the scriptural basis of the claims of the bishops of Rome to pre- eminence ? 81. Refute the idea that Jesus built his church upon Peter. 22. Refute the argument that the bishops of Rome must have succeeded to the apostleship of Peter, because Jesus promised to be with the apostles unto the end of the world. 23. To what extent did the early Christian fathers admit a primacv to the bishops of Rome? 24. State the controversy which arose between the bishop of Rome and the bishop of Constantinople. 25. Through what cause did the Roman pontiffs finally force an acknowledge- ment of their independency? (Note 6.) 26. What led to the great division of the church in the 9th century ? 27. By what means did the Roman pontiffs outstrip their eastern rivals? (Note 7.) 28. What of the sale of indigencies? (Note.) 29. What was the climax of papal power? 180 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. SECTION V. 1. Simplicity of Public Worship Changed :— The public worship of the primitive Christians, as we have seen,* was very simple, but its simplicity was soon corrupted. The bishops and other public teachers in the third century, framed their discourses and exhortations according to the rules of Grecian eloquence; "and were better adapted," says a learned writer,! "to call forth the admiration of the rude multitude who love display, than to amend the heart. And that no folly and no senseless custom might be omitted in their public assem- blies, the people were allowed to applaud their orators, as had been practiced in the forums and theaters; nay, they were instructed both to applaud and to clap the preachers. " 2. This was a wide departure from that spirit of meekness and humility enjoined by Messiah upon his ministers. And when to these customs was added the splendid vestments of the clergy, the magnificence of the temples, with all the pageantry of altars, surrounded with burning tapers, clouds of incense, splendid images, the chanting of choirs, processions and other mummeries without number — one sees but little left of that simple worship instituted by the Messiah and his apostles. [See note 1, end of section.] 3. About the third century incense began to be used. The Christians of the first and second centuries abhorred * Page 153. t Mo&heim. THE APOSTASY. IS] the use of incense in public worship as being a part of the worship of idols.* It first became a custom to use it at funerals against offensive smells; then in public worship to disguise the bad air of crowded assemblies; then at the consecration of bishops and magistrates, and by these steps at last degenerated into a superstitious rite. 4. In the fourth century matters became still worse. "The public supplications by which the pagans were accustomed to appease their gods, were borrowed from them, and were celebrated in many places with great pomp. To the temples, to water consecrated in due form, and the images of holy men, the same efficacy was ascribed and the same privileges assigned as had been attributed to the pagan temples, statues and lustra- tions before the advent of Christ, "t 5. The Vorship Of Martyrs :— In the third century also arose the worship of martyrs. It is true that worship or adoration was relative, and a distinction was made between the worship of martvrs and the worship paid to God; but by degrees the worship of the martyrs was made to conform with that which the pagans had in former times paid to their gods. J This was done out of indiscreet eagerness to allure the pagans to embrace Christianity. § [See note 2, end of section.] 6. Decline of Spiritual Gifts : — While pagan cere monies and rites were increasing in the church, the gifts and graces characteristic of apostolic times, seemed to have gradually departed from it. Protestant writers insist that the age of miracles closed with the fourth or • Tertullian's Apology, ch. xlii. f Mosheiui's Eccl. Hist. vol. I. bk. ii. part ii. ch. i Historie de Manicheism, torn ii. p. 642. \E/ty. Hist. ( Mosheim) vol. I. bk. ii. part ii. 182 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. fifth century, and that after that the extraordinary gifts of the Holy Ghost must not be looked for. ■6a*k€rrrc writers on the other hand, insist that the power to per- form miracles has always continued in the church; yet those spiritual manifestations which they describe after the fourth and fifth centuries savor of invention on the part of the priests and childish credulity on the part of the people; or else what is claimed to be miraculous falls far short of the power and dignity of those spiritual manifestations which the primitive church was wont to witness. 7. The virtues and prodigies ascribed to the bones and other relics of the martyrs and saints are purile in comparison with the healings, by the anointing with oil and the laying on of hands, speaking in tongues, interpretations, prophecies, revelations, casting out devils in the name of Jesus Christ; to say nothing of the gifts of faith, wisdom, knowledge, discernment of spirits, etc. — common in the church in the days of the apostles.* 8. Nor is there anything" in the scriptures or in reason that would lead one to believe that they were to be dis- continued. Still this plea is made by modern Christians — explaining the absence of these spiritual powers among them — that the extraordinary gifts of the Holy Ghost were only intended to accompany the proclamation of the gospel during the first few centuries until the church was able to make its way without them, and then they were to be done away. It is sufficient to remark upon this that it is assumption pure and simple, and stands with- out warrant either of scripture or right reason; and proves that men had so far changed the religion of Jesus I Cor. xii : 8-io. mi. apostasy. is:; Christ that it became a form of godliness without the power thereof. [See notes 3 and 4, end of section.] 9. Causes and Manner of Excommunications : — It appears to have been the custom of the apostles in the case of members of the church grievously transgressing the moral law of the gospel to require repentance and confession before the church; and in the event of a stubborn adherence to sin the offender was excommuni- cated, that is, he was excluded from the communion of the church and the fellowship of the saints. For the crimes of murder, idolatry and adultery some of the churches excommunicated those guilty of them forever; in other churches they were received back, but only after long and painful probation. 10. The manner in which excommunication was per- formed in apostolic times is not clear, but there is every reason to believe the process was very simple. In the course of time, however, this simple order of excommuni- cation was changed, by being burdened with many rites and ceremonies borrowed from pagan sources.* It was not enough that the fellowship of the saints be with- drawn from the offender and he left to the mercy of God, or the buffetings of Satan, according as he was worthy of the one or the other; but the church must load him down with anathemas too terrible to contemplate. The power of excommunication, too, eventually, passed from the body of the church into the hands of the bishops, and finally into those of the pope. At first excommuni *Thatitwas proper for the Christian bishops to increase the restraints upon the licentiousness of transgression, will be readily granted by all who consider the circumstances of those times. But whether it was'for the- advantage of Christi- anity, to borrow rules for this salutary ordinance from the enemies of truth, and thus to consecrate, as it were, a part of the pagan superstition, many persons very justly call in question.— Eccl.. Hist. {Mosheim) Book I, Cent. 2, Part u, Cfi. Hi. t 184 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. cation meant the loss of the fellowship of the saints, and such other punishments as God himself might see fit to inflict; the church leaving the Lord to be the minister of his own vengeance. But gradually it came to mean in some instances banishment from home and country, the confiscation of property, the loss not only of religious fellowship with the saints, but the loss of civil rights, and the rights of Christian burial. In the case of a monarch excommunication absolved his subjects from their allegiance; and in the case of a subject, it robbed him of the protection of his sovereign. No anathema was so terrible but it was pronounced against the excommunicated, until the sweet mercies of God were overshadowed by the black pall of man's inhumanity. 11. Admixture of Pagan Philosophy with the Christian Religion: — The thing which contributed most to the subversion of the Christian religion was the em- ployment of pagan philosophy to explain Christian doc- trine. This brought about an admixture of these two dis- cordant elements that, while it failed to purge pagan phil- osophy of its errors, corrupted the doctrines of Christ and laid- the foundations for those false notions in respect to God which obtain in the so-called Christian world unto this day. 12. Christian Doctrine Respecting God : — The scriptural doctrine in regard to God — and of course, that is the true Christian doctrine — is this: There is a being of infinite goodness and power, in form like man — for man was created in his image* — who, with his Son, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost, constitute the great creative, and ^governing power or grand Presidency of the heavens and the earth. As persons, the Father, Son, *Gen. i: 26,27. Jesus Christ was in the form of man, yet he is said to be the express image of God's person. Heb. i. : 1—3. Mil M'OSTASY. 185 and Holy Ghost are separate and distinct, yet one in attributes, one in purpose; the mind of one beini; the mind of the others. 13. That they are distinct and separate as persons was plainly manifested at the baptism of Jesus. On that occasion, as Jesus came up out of the water, John saw the Holy Ghost descend upon him, and at the same time the voice of the Father was heard speaking from heaven, saying: "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."* Here we see the persons of the Godhead present but distinct from each other. Stephen, the martyr, in the presence of the angry crowd which took his life, saw the heavens open and "Jesus standing on the right hand of God. "| Here, too, the Father and Son are seen and, according to the testimony of the holy man, they are distinct persons. 14. Yet .Jesus said to the Jews: "I and my Father are one. * * Believe that the Father is in me and I in hiim "J But this oneness cannot have refer- ence to the persons' Aubigne' s Hist, of the Beforma- tion. 7. Excommunication of Luther: — The excommunicating bull was an attack upon the rights of the German churches. For Luther had appealed to an ecclesiastical council ; and in consequence ot this appeal the pope could no 252 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. longer have jurisdiction of the case. Hence the number of Luther's friends in- creased the more after the publication of this bull. — Schlegel. 8. The Character of Luther: -Seckendorf * * * defies all the ad- versaries of Luther to fix any just censure on his character except what may be ranked under two heads, Viz., a disposition to anger, and an indulgence in jest- ing. Beyond all doubt the Saxon reformer was of a choleric temper, and he too often gave way to this constitutional evil, as he himself laments. Neither is it to be denied that he also too much encouraged his natural propensity to facetious- ness. The monks of his time were in general guilty of the like fault, and often to so great a degree as very improperly to mix scurrilities with sacred subjects. Moreover, the vices and follies of those whom Luther opposed, afforded a strong temptation both to the spirit of anger and of ridicule. For however severe he may be thought in many of his invectives, we are compelled by unquestionable evidence to confess that his keenest satirical pieces never reached the demerits of those who ruled the church in that age. But after all that can be said in mit- igation, it must be owned that a reformer ought to have considered not so much what they deserved as what became the character he had to support; VIZ., that of a serious Christian, zealous for the honor of his God, displeased with the vices of his clerical brethren, and grieved on account of the pitiable ignorance of the people, yet more desirous of curing the prevailing evils than of exposing them. —Milner. 9. The Pestilence and the Council of Trent:— The report of a pestilence was a mere pretense. The Pope Paul [II., was equally zealous of the council which had not been disposed in all respects to govern itself by his pre- scription, and of the governing power of the emperor, which he did not wish to see farther increased by the council. He indeed hated the Pro- testants, but he dW not wish to see the emperor, under color of enforc- ing the decrees of the council, acquire a more absolute authority over Germany. He had already withdrawn his troops from the imperial army ; and he now wished to see the council dispersed. The Spanish members opposed him ; but he found means to prevail. — Schlegel. REVIEW. i. What centuries may be considered as the age of moral and spiritual darkness ? 2. What power was supreme in those ages? 3. Give an instance illustrating the pride and insolence of the popes. (Note 1.) 4. What was Henry IV. 's offense? 5. From what period do historians date the " revival of learning?" THE "REFORMATION." 253 6. What several inventions and circumstances contributed to the intellectual awakening of Europe ? 7. What effect did the fall of the eastern division of the Roman empire have on the west ? 8. What was the influence of ancient literature on the west ? (Note 2.) 9. What circumstance led to the enlargement of the liberty of the masses? 10. Describe land tenure under the feudal system. 11. What were the Crusades? 12. Who aroused the nations of western Europe to undertake the Crusades ? 13. What effect did the Crusades have on the feudal system of land tenure and liberty ? 14. What did this enlarged liberty prepare the people for? 15. What event is usually considered the beginning of the " Reformation?" 16. Give an account of the birth and parentage of Martin Luther. 17. What schools did he attend and with what result? 18. What effect was produced by his visit to Rome? 19. State the origin of indulgencies. 20. What doctrine respecting the efficacy of Christ's blood was advanced by- Pope Clement VI ? 21. What doctrine is held by the Roman Catholic church about the atonement of Christ for sin ? 22. Of what did the temporary punishments for sin usually consist — that is in early times ? 23. What changes were made later? 24. Describe the traffic in indulgencies. 25. What excuse was made by the pope for the vigorous sale of indulgencies in the 16th century? 26. Who hawked indulgencies in the part of Germany where Luther lived ? 27. What was the character of Tetzel ? (Note 5). 28. In what spirit was Luther's controversy with Tetzel regarded at Rome? 29. What aroused the pope from his indifference ? 30. In what way did he meet the difficulty? 31. What course was pursued by Cardinal Cajetan and what was the resuit? 32. What difference in respect to authorities to be appealed to in the settle- ment of controversy existed between Luther and the cardinal ? 33. What act of Leo X. led Luther to appeal to a general council ? 34. State what two parties existed in the Roman Catholic church and what their difference. 35. Describe how the controversy on free will arose. 36. State the respective positions of Eckius and Carolstadt in the controversy. 37. What discussion arose between Luther and Eckius after the debate on free will ? 38. What position did Eckius take in relation to the supremacy of the pope ? 39. What was Luther's position ? 40. What was the effect of the discussion ? 254 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. 41. Relate the circumstance of Luther s excommunication. 42. How did Luther treat the bull of excommunication? (Notes 6 and 7.) 43. State how Luther came to be summoned before the diet at Worms. 44. What two questions confronted Luther at the diet ? 45. How did he answer them ? 46. By what means was Luther protected from the vengeance of the pope ? 47. What at last called him from his retirement? 48. Who succeeded Leo X. ? 49. What demand was made upon Pope Hadrain by the German princes ? 50. What event prevented the assembling of the council ? 51. What course did Pope Clement VII. follow ? 52. How did the death of Frederic, the Wise, and the succession of John, his brother, affect the " Reformation?" 53. What did John's course threaten to produce ? 54. What circumstance prevented it? 55. Relate what transpired at the diet at Spire. 56. • By what means did the German emperor decide to settle the religious con- troversy in his realm ? 57. State what you can of the Augsburg confession of faith. 58. What unreasonable demand did the emperor make of the Protestants ? 59. What compromise was affected ? 60. What difficulty arose concerning convening the council? 6r. What reverses did the Protestants sustain in the conflict of arms ? 62. What finally resulted from all this agitation ? 63. Give the character of Luther. (Note 8.) REFORM VTION. " 255 SECTION II. 1. Controversy on the Question of Grace:— It is now for us to consider the principles at issue in the "Reformation." Luther at the first began his opposition to the pope by denouncing indulgences, and there can be no question but he and every other honest Christian had just cause of complaint and indignation against this infamous traffic, and against the church for permitting it. Yet it cannot be denied that there was a wide difference between the doctrine of the Catholic church respecting indigencies [see note 1, end of section], and the things taught by the infamous John Tetzel. This is evident from the fact that Tetzel, with other agents of the pope, were censured for their over zeal and excesses in dealing in indigencies. * Miltitz, whom the pope had appointed to treat with Luther to bring about his reconciliation with the church, meeting with Tetzel at Leipsic, twice rebuked him with the greatest severity before the bishops of his province, on account of his iniquitous proceedings in the sale of indulgences, and he finally died neglected and alone — "deserted by all the world." [See note 2, end of section.] 2. These abuses in the sale of indulgences and the other corruptions which had crept into the church formed a just cause of complaint; but they were not the * Luther himself testifies to this. In the Latin preface to the first volume of his works, the " Reformer" says: " In the year 1517, when I was a young preacher, and dissuaded the people from purchasing indulgencies. * * * I felt assured I should have the pope on my side : for he himself, in his public decrees had condemned the excesses of his agents in this business." 250 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. true point at issue in the controversy. Some time before he opposed indulgencies, Luther, if we may believe D' Aubigne [Do-ben-ya] — had imbibed ideas in respect to the part which the grace of God takes in the salvation of man that would have led him to oppose the church of Rome if the abuses in the matter of indulgencies had never existed. In order that the student may grasp this subject in its fullness, and the better understand this con- troversy between Luther and the Catholic Church, we shall make a careful statement of the facts which enter into the question of God's grace and the free will of man: /. Power of Deliberation: — The mind is conscious of a power of deliberation: before the intellect passes the different motives of action, interests, passions, opinions, etc. The intellect considers compares, estimates, and finally judges them. This is a preparatory work which precedes the act of will. 2. Liberty, Free. Agency or Will: — When deliberation has taken place — when man has taken full cognizance of the motives which present themselves to him, he takes a resolution, of which he looks upon himself as the author, which arises because he wishes it, and which would not arise unless he did wish it — here the fact of agency is shown; it resides complete in the resolution which man makes after deliberation; it is the resolution which is the proper act of man, which subsists by him alone; a simple fact independent of all the facts which precede it or sur- round it. j. Free Will, or Agency Modified: — At the same time that man feels himself free, he recognizes the fact that his freedom is not arbitrary, that it is placed under the dominion of a law which will preside over it and in- fluence it. What that law is will depend upon the educa. "the REFORMATION." 257 tion of each individual, upon his surroundings, etc. To act in harmony with that law is what man recognizes as his duty; it will be the task of his liberty. He will soon see, however, that he never fully acquits himself of his task, never acts in full harmony with his moral law. Morally capable of conforming himself to his law, he falls short of doing it. He does not accomplish all that he ought, nor all that he can. This fact is evident, one of which all may give witness; and it often happens that the best men, that is, those who have best conformed their will to reason have often been the most struck with their insufficience. 4. Necessity of External Assistance : — This weakness in man leads him to feel the necessity of an external sup- port, to operate as a fulcrum for the human will, a power that may be added to its present power and sustain it at need. Man seeks this fulcrum on all sides; he demands it in the encouragement of friends, in the councils of the wise; but as the visible world, the human society, do not always answer to his desires, the soul goes beyond the visible world, above human relations, to seek this ful- crum of which it has need. Hence the religious senti- ment develops itself; man addresses himself to God, and invokes his aid through prayer. 3. Man Finds the Help he Seeks: — Such is the nature of man that when he sincerely asks this support he obtains it; that is, seeking it is almost sufficient to secure it. Whosoever feeling his will weak invokes the encourage- ment of a friend, the influence of wise councils, the sup- port of public opinion, or who addresses himself to God by prayer, soon feels his will fortified in a certain measure and for a certain time. 6. Influence of Spiritual World on Liberty: — There are spiritual influences at work on man — the empire of the 258 OUTLINES ())•' ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. spiritual world' upon liberty. There are certain changes, certain moral events which manifest themselves in man without his being able to refer their origin to an act of his will, or being able to recognize the author. Certain facts occur in the interior of the human soul which it does not refer to itself, which it does not recognize as the work of its own will. There are certain days, certain moments in which it finds itself in a different moral state from that which it was last conscious of under the operations of its own will. In other words, the moral man does not wholly create himself; he is conscious that causes, that powers external to himself act upon and modify him imperceptibly* — this fact has been called the grace of God which helps the will of man, while others see in it the evidences of predestination. 3. The Pelagian View: — From these facts men arrive at different conclusions. Some regarding only the power of man to deliberate on any proposed course of conduct, and his ability to decide for himself what course he will pursue, ignoring the spiritual influences which operate on him, and taking no account of the aid which comes to man through prayer — believe that man's conduct de- pends entirely upon his will. '"Tis in ourselves that we are thus or thus," say they; and hence reject the grace of God and the influence it exerts on human conduct. Such was the conclusion arrived at by Pelagius who flourished early in the fifth century. He asserted that human nature is not fallen — that there is no hereditary corruption, and that man having the power to do good has onlv to will in order to perform. His doctrine has * The foregoing six statement of facts I have summarized from M. Guizot's excellent work on the Civilization of Europe. THE "REFORMATION." -.V.I been revised several times, and has drawn to it not a few believers. 4. Catholic View : — Others regarding all the facts else- where enumerated — man's power to deliberate, his ability to decide upon his course, his failure to do all that his reason teaches him it is his duty to do, his need of help from a source external to himself, the assistance he can and does obtain through prayer, and, lastly, the influence of spiritual forces upon man — leads them to the conclusion that it is through a union of the grace of God and the free will of man that men arrive at last at righteousness. Such was the teaching of the Roman Catholic church. 5. Protestant View : — Others still, looking only upon the influence of the spiritual world on man, and noting how very far he comes short of doing all his reason teaches him it is his duty to do, conclude that man has no power whatsoever to do good of himself, that he can exercise no will to work righteousness until after the grace of God makes him righteous, and that it is that grace altogether which causes him both to will and to do good works. 6. Luther's Fundamental Doctrine:— Luther be longed to this last-named class. Long before he came to an open rupture with the pope, he taught the doctrine of predestination, and of salvation through faith alone: — Ci'The excellent, infallible, and sole preparation for grace is the eternal election and predestination of God." "On the side of man there is nothing that goes before grace, unless it be impotency and even rebellion." P\Ve do not become righteous by doing what is righteous; but having become righteous we do what is righteous. "*J>" Since the fall of man, free will is but an idle word; and if man *D'Aubigne's Hist. Ref., Vol. I, Pages 82, 83. 260 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. does all he can. he still sins mortally." "A man who imagines to arrive at grace by doing all that he is able to do, adds sin to sin, and is doubly guilty." "That man is not justified who performs many works; but he who without works, has much faith in Christ."*? "What gives peace to our consciences is this — by faith our sins are no longer ours, but Christ's, on whom God has laid them all; and, on the other hand, all Christ's righteous- ness belongs to us, to whom God has given it. "f Thus taught Luther, and this became the first, the main theo- logical question of the "Reformation." "The point which the 'reformer' had most at heart in all his labors, con- tests and dangers," says a respectable authority, "was the doctrine of justification by faith alone. "| [Note 3, end of section]. 7. It is but just to the "reformer," however, that it should be known that he did not himself reject good works, but on the contrary exhorted men to practice them; but he condemns those who did them with an idea that by them they would be justified, or that tbey were necessary to salvation. He held also that in order to do good works men must first be justified, and that good works done before justification were even sinful. § 8. The Mischief of Luther's Doctrine:— Though Luther did not reject good works, and though he held * D' Aubigne's History of the Reformation Vol. I, Book III, Page 119. t Ibid, Page 122. % Miner's Ch. Hist., Vol. IV, Page 514. § Men desire to do good works before their sins are forgiven, whilst it is neces- sary for sin to be forgiven before men can perform good works. It is not the works that expel sin ; but the sin being expelled good works follow. For good works must be performed with a joyful heart, with a good conscience towards God, that is, with remission of sins.— D'Aubigne's Hist. Ref, Vol. I, Page 117. "The works of the righteous themselves would be mortal sins, unless being filled with holy reverence for the Lord, they feared that their works might in truth be mortal sins."— Ibid, Page 119. THE "REFORMATION." 26] that justifying faith would produce them, yet his doc- trine has been the source of much mischief in the world. When it was charged by his vicar general, Staupitius, that his doctrines were the delight of debauches, and that many scandalous practices were the consequences of some of his publications, he could not deny the charge, but contented himself by saying, "I am neither afraid of such censorious representations, nor surprised to hear them."* His doctrine of salvation by faith alone, as stated by Melancthon, with his approval, stands thus: "Man's justification before God proceeds from faith alone. This faith enters man's heart by the grace of God alone, "f This leaves man a passive creature in relation to his salvation. He is helpless to procure it; he can do nothing to hasten it; he is helpless; he must wait the divine workings of the grace of God. "As all things which happen," says Melancthon, "happen neces- sarily, according to the divine predestination, there is no such thing as liberty in our wills."]; [Note 4, end of section]. Other followers of Luther, among them one Nicholas Amsdorf, went so far as to maintain that good works were a hindrance to salvation. § 9. By denying the existence of human liberty, and maintaining that all things happen necessarily, the "reformers," with Luther at their head, laid themselves open to the charges made by the partisans of the church of Rome, viz: Their doctrine threw open a door to the most unbounded licentiousness, since it furnished men with this defense for the crimes they committed — "We could do no other, our fate did not permit us to do otherwise." By saying that good works were not neces- •Milner's Church Hist., Vol. IV, Page 379. - iD'Aubigne's Hist. Bef., Vol III, Page 340. t Ibid. I Mosheim's Eccl. Hist., (Murdoch) Vol. Ill, Page 147 (second edition). Zhl OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. sary to salvation, and assisted in no way to procure it, the "reformers" took away the chief incentive to good works, and removed the principal restraint to the doing of evil. 10. Moreover, their doctrine rendered void the ordi- nances and works required by the gospel; neither re- pentance nor baptism, nor any other act of obedience to God is essential if salvation is by faith alone. To say that it is a doctrine adverse to the whole tenor of scrip- ture, notwithstanding a few isolated passages depended upon by the "reformers" and their successors to support it, is not necessary here. It is sufficient to remark that it is a doctrine which would render the commandments of God incompatible with the powers and capacity of his creatures; a doctrine which destroys at once the con- sistency of God and the moral responsibility of man; and therefore a doctrine most pernicious and dangerous to entertain. [See note 5, end of section.] 11. Luther on the Danger of his Doctrine:— It proved to be so even during the lifetime of Luther; for it led some of his followers to believe that Christ had abolished the moral law; and that Christians, therefore, were not obliged to observe it.* Luther himself saw the danger of his doctrine and thus spoke of it: "If faith be preached, as of necessity it must be, the greater part of mankind will interpret the doctrine in a carnal way, and so understand spiritual liberty as to allow indulgences of the flesh. This we may see in all the ranks of life. All profess themselves to be evangelical; all boast of their Christian liberty; and yet give way to their lusts and passions, for example to covetousness, pride, envy, pleasures, and such like. Who discharges his duty *This doctrine was called Antinomianism ; many believed it and followed it to its verv extremes. THE "REFORMATION." 263 faithfully? Who serves his brother in a true spirit of charity? The disgrace which such conduct brings on the profession of the gospel puts me sometimes so out of temper that I could wish these swine, that tread precious pearls under their feet, were still under the tyranny of the pope; for it is impossible that a people so much resembling those of Gomorrah, should be kept in due subjection by the mild maxims of the gospel of peace."* 12. It counts for nothing that Luther denounced this corrupt state of morals among his followers; it was the legitimate outgrowth of his fundamental doctrine — the doctrine of nearly all Protestants — of justification by faith alone, a faith which man had no part in generat- ing, but which came through the grace of God alone. The tree of his planting produced bitter fruit; it was vain for him to proclaim against the fruit so long as he insisted that it was a good tree on which it grew. 13. Teaching1 of the Church of Rome on Justifica- tion:— The Catholic Church at the time, whatever errors in respect to other doctrines it entertained, held that salvation, justification before God, resulted through the exertion of man's free will, aided by the grace of God. It came through a union of faith and works on the part of man, and the rich out- pouring of grace on the part of Deity; a doctrine which man is conscious of as operating upon and in- fluencing human conduct, and at once in harmony with the whole tenor of revelation, and consonant with the great facts underlying the free will of man which have been already stated in this section. * From Luther's Commentary on the Epistle to the Galatians, quoted by Mil- ner, Vol. IV., Page 520. 264 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. 14. Unfortunately for the Catholic Church, she did not stop here, but attached too great importance to ex- ternal marks of repentance, to works of penance — to tears, fastings, mortifications of the flesh, and pilgrim- ages. Men were required to go bare-footed, to wear coarse raiment next their bodies, to become exiles from their homes or to renounce the world and embrace a monastic life. Finally in the eleventh century voluntary whippings were added to these other punishments [see note 6, end of section] ; and men learned to look upon these works of penance as purchasing a forgiveness of sins, and paid little attention to the inward regeneration of the heart. "As confession and penance are easier than the extirpation of sin and the abandonment of vice, many ceased contending against the lusts of the flesh, and preferred gratifying them at the expense of a few mortifications."* Especially did this become the case when the doctrine was promulgated that substitutes could be hired to receive the punishment originally inflicted upon the offender, and monks and priests could be found willing to undergo it for a consideration. 15. The church trusted too much in the works of penance, and did not insist stoutly enough upon re- pentance— a godly sorrow which worketh a reformation of life. If the "reformers" went to one extreme in at- tributing man's justification wholly to the act of faith and the grace of God, the Catholic Church went to the other in assigning too much value to works of penance and performances of human invention for the forgiveness of sins. D'Aitbigne's Hist. Be/. Vol.1, Page 15. THE "reformation." 265 NOTES. 1. Indulgencies to be Accompanied by Amendment of liife :— The doctrine and the sale of indulgencies were powerful incentives to evil among an ignorant people. True, according to the church, indulgencies could benefit those only who promised to amend their lives, and who kept their word. But what could be expected from a tenet invented solely with a view to the profit that might be derived from it ? The vendors of indulgencies were naturally tempted for the better sale of their merchandise to present their wares to the people in the most attractive and seducing aspect. The learned themselves did not fully understand the doctrine. All the multitude saw in them was that they permitted men to sin ; and the merchants were (not over eager to dissipate an error so favorable to their sale. — D' Aubigne. 2. Death of Tetzel: — While the proper nuncio [Miltitz] was negotiating a reconciliation in Germany, Tetzel, the wretched subaltern, whose scandalous conduct had so disgraced his employers, met with the reward which frequently awaits the ministers of iniquity. He found himself deserted ;by all the world. Miltitz, in particular had treated him so roughly that this daring and boisterous instrument of papal avarice and extortion actually fell sick, wasted away and at last died of a broken heart. A dreadful lesson ! This unhappy man left the world, as far as appears, destitute of comfort in his own soul, after he had ministered a false peace to thousands. — Milner. 3. Luther on Justification by Faith : — I observe that the devil is continually attacking his fundamental article by means of his doctors, and that in this respect he can never cease or take any repose. Well, then, I, Doctor Martin Luther, unworthy herald of the gospel ot our Lord Jesus Christ, confess this article, that faith alone without works justifies before God ; and I de- clare that it shall stand and remain forever in despite of the emperor of the Ro- mans, the emperor of the Turks, the emperor of the Tartars, the emperor of the Persians— in spite of the pope and all the cardinals, with the bishops, priests, monks and nuns — in spite of kings, princes and nobles, and in spite of all the world and of the devils themselves ; and that if they endeavor to fight against this truth they will draw the fires of hell upon their heads. This is the true and holy gospel, and the declaration of me, Doctor Luther, according to the teach- ing of the Holy Ghost.— D' Aubigne (Hist. Bef. Vol. I. p. 70.) 4. Effects of Predestination on the Mind:— To what purpose shall I labor in the service of God? If I am predestinated to death [that is spiritual death] I shall never escape from it ; and if I am predestinated to life [that is to salvation] even though I do wickedly, I shall.no doubt, arrive at eternal rest. — Raban, quoted by Guizot. 5. Evil Residts of the Doctrine of Justification by Faith Alone:— The serious evil involved in Luther's doctrine of justification by faith without works is perhaps best seen in a quotation from Fletcher, of Madeley, the most able disciple of John Wesley and his successor. Fletcher accuses one Richard Hill, Esq. — who accepted in its widest sense the doctrine of justification 266 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. by faith alone — with saying : " Even adultery and murder do not hurt the pleas- ant children, but rather work for their good. God sees no sin in believers, what- ever sin they may commit. My sins might displease God : my person is always acceptable to him * * * It is a most pernicious error of the schoolmen to distinguish sins according to the fact, and not according to the person. Though I blame those who say, let us sin that grace may abound, yet adultery, incest and murder, shall, upon the whole, make me holier on earth and merrier in heaven.'' —End of Beligious Controversy p. 90. 6. The Works in which Catholics Trusted :— In the eleventh cen- tury voluntary flagellations were superadded to these practices [fastings, pilgrim- ages etc.]; somewhat later they became quite a mania in Italy, which was then in a very disturbed state. Nobles and peasants, old and young, even children of five years of age, whose only covering was a cloth tied round the middle, went in pairs by hundreds, thousands and tens of thousands, through the towns and villages, visiting the churches in the depth of winter, Armed with scourges, they flogged each other without pity, and the streets resounded with cries and groans that drew tears from all who heard them.— D' Aubigne. REVIEW. i. What difference existed between the teachings of the Catholic church and the conduct of its agents in the matter of indigencies ? (Note i.) 2. Was the sale of indigencies the chief cause of Luther's revolt from Rome? 3. What doctrines did Luther entertain which would at last have led him to oppose the Catholic church ? 4. What is the power of deliberation ? 5. Explain what liberty or free agency is. 6. In what way is man's will or free agency modified ? 7. What is it that convinces man of the necessity of external help to aid his will? 8. What does man's experience teach him when he seeks external help ? 9. What influence is man conscious of as operating upon him in moral and spiritual affairs ? 10. State the Pelagian view on the subject of grace and free will. 11. State the Roman Catholic view. 12. State the Protestant view. 13. What was Luther's fundamental doctrine ? 14. In what light did Luther hold good works ? 15. What mischief arose out of Luther's doctrine ? 16. What did Luther himself say respecting the danger of his doctrine 17. What were the teachings of the Roman church on justification ? THE "REFORMATION." 2fi7 18. To what extreme did the church of Rome go in the matter of good works ? 19. What was the nature of the works in which Roman Catholics trusted too much ? (Note 6.) 20. What influence on morals did the doctrine have that substitutes could be employed to receive punishment for sins? OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. SECTION III. 1. The Growth of Luther's Rebellion:— The thing most important, the one which drew with it the gravest consequences, and which led to the greatest good pro- duced by the "Reformation," was the rebellion of Luther against the authority of the pope. He did not come out in open rebellion at the first, but arrived at that state by gradual and imperceptible steps. When his opposition to the sale of indulgencies met with repoof from the pontiff, he appealed from the pope ill-informed to the pope better-informed. When that pope better informed still held him to be in error and refractory, he appealed to a general, free council of the whole church; but when no heed was taken of this appeal, and Leo, pressed by Eckius, Cajetan and others, excommunicated him, he then answered by burning the pope's bull of excommuni- cation, and stood in open rebellion to the authoritv of the pontiff. When the pope appealed to Emperor Fred- erick to make the excommunication of some force by the power of the secular authority vested in him, the em- peror, contrary to the protests of the pope's legates, resolved to give the "reformer" a hearing before pro- ceeding against him. Accordingly Luther was summoned before the diet at Worms, where he not only insisted upon having a hearing before a free, general council of the church, but a council that would accept the Bible as the final authority upon the questions at issue between himself and the pontiff. 2. The Catholic Rule Of Faith:— This was demanding more than the pope could grant; for the Catholics have never exalted the Bible above the church, but have the "reformation." 269 always held that the scriptures must be accepted as con- strued by the church, and in the days of Luther the pope was the church. The Catholic rule of faith in respect to the laws by which the church is to be governed is: The word of God, at large whether written in the Bible or handed down from the apostles by tradition, and as it is understood and explained by the Catholic church."* Besides their rule of faith, which is scripture and tradi- tion, Catholics acknowledge an unerring judge of contro- versy, or sure guide in all matters relating to salva- tion— viz., the church, "f 3. This rule employed to interpret the Bible and to settle controversies that might arise, Luther rejected. Writing in defense of his conduct in burning the papal bull of excommunication and the Decretals of the popes, he said: "Let no man's good sense be so far seduced as to reverence the volumes I have burnt, on account of their great antiquity or their high titles. Let every one first hear and see what the pope teaches in his own books, and what abominable, poisonous doctrines are to be found among the sacred, spiritual laws; and then let him freely judge, whether I have done right or not in burning such writings." 4. Among the teachings in the Decretals which Luther held up for special condemnation were the follow- ing: (1) "The pope has the power to interpret scripture, and to teach as he pleases; and no person is allowed to interpret in a different way. (2) The pope does not derive from the scripture but the scripture derives from the pope, authority, power and dignity." He then affirms that comparing together the different parts of the canon law, its language amounts to this: "That the End of Religious Controversy, Page SO. id. 270 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. pope is God on earth; above all that is earthly or heavenly, temporal or spiritual; that all things belong to the pope; and that no one must venture to say, what doest thou?"* It was against this arbitrary authority that Luther rebelled. 5. Attempted Settlement by a General Council :— At last when through the influence of the emperor the pope consented to appoint a council, a difficulty arose as to where it should be held. The pope on his part seemed determined to have it assemble in Italy,or in some country where his influence would predominate; the "reformers" were equally determined to submit their cause to no council outside of Germany. The difficulty had arisen in Germany; they insisted it should be settled by a council in Germany, or by a diet of the empire. The cause was never fairly tried by a council of the whole church; the revolt against the authority of the pope was sustained by an appeal to arms, as related in section I., Part III. of this work. 6. Revolution, not Rebellion: — Had that revolt against the Catholic church been a revolt against legiti- mate authority, it would have been rebellion; but as it was against a usurped and hence an illegitimate authority, it was a justifiable revolution. For in ecclesiastical gov- ernment, no less than in civil government, if a long train of abuses renders it odius, and they who execute it are tyrannical and usurp authority which the law of God does not sanction, by which unrighteous dominion is exercised over the minds of men, it is the right of the people to resist such authority, and refuse to sustain those who exercise that unrighteous dominion to please their vanity or gratify their ambition. * Milner's Church Hist., Vol. IV, Page 500. THE " REFORMATION. " 27] 7. True Position, but a Corrupt Church:— The posi- tion that the church, officered by inspired prophets and apostles — men having by virtue of their priesthood and official position a right to the inspiration and revelations of God — the position that the church of Christ so officered, has the right to decide upon all controversies and to determine the meaning of scripture, is beyond all questioning, a true position. But the difficulty with the Roman Catholic church was that it was no longer the church of Christ, as already proven in Part II. of this work. It had no prophets or apostles, no men who had a right to the revelations of God. The popes and bishops of the church taught that revelation had ceased; and they depended on scripture and tradition alone, interpreted by themselves, for their guide. The power the church pos- sessed was usurped power merely, the growth of ages. It had become both arrogant and insolent, and at last intol- erable, and when a man was found possessing the courage to resent its presumption and defy it, he found plenty to applaud and sanction his act. 8. True Cause of the Reformation: — We cannot ascribe the "Reformation" to accidents and mischances, such for instance as the jealousy of Luther because the sale of indulgencies was entrusted to the Dominican monks instead of to the order of Augustine monks, to which he belonged* — we cannot assign the cause of the "Reformation" to this, neither can we go to the other extreme and say that the great revolution of the sixteenth *Such is the cause assigned for the " Reformation" by Catholics: John Mil- ner, the noted Catholic Divine, author of The End of Beligious Controversy, page 105, says: "As to Martin Luther, he tesifies, and calls God to witness the truth of his testimony, that it was not willingly (that is, not from a previous discovery of the falsehood of his religion) but from accident, (namely, a quarrel wit i the Dominican Friars, and afterwards with the pope) that he fell into his broils about religion." 272 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. century resulted solely from a pure desire to reform the abuses that had arisen in the church, or bring back Christianity to its primitive purity. Not a few of the princes that favored Luther in his revolt against the pope did so from other motives than those prompted by a desire to reform the church. 9. Many of the temporal monarchs and princes were jealous of the power exercised within their dominions by the Roman pontiffs, as it lowered the dignity of their own position. They were tired, moreover, of the assumed right of the pope to enter their dominions, and, under one pretext or another, tax their subjects and thus not only impoverish the people, but reduce the revenue of the temporal rulers. It will be found, therefore, that the jealousy, ambition and interests of these princes, and not a desire to establish pure religion, made them factors in the great revolution. [See note 1, end of section.] 10. The people also were tired of the dominion asserted over their minds by the papal authority, and were only too glad to escape from that thraldom under any pretext whatsoever. The preceding century had brought a great intellectual awakening to Europe, and men were no longer content to have questions of fact and belief decided by the authority of the church. They insisted that human reason and individual judgment had a right to investigate and to be satisfied on these questions; and the securing of that freedom was not only the leading principle of the sixteenth century revolution, but its greatest achievement. [See note 2, end of section.] 11. Revolution, not Reformation: — It is absurd to say that the revolution of the sixteenth century was a reformation, if by that it is meani that it re-established the THE REFORMATION." 273 primitive doctrines of Christianity, purified the morals of the people, or gave birth to a better ecclesiastical govern- ment. It did no such thing. The "reformers" declaimed against some of the abuses of the Catholic church, such as denying the sacramental cup to the laity, the celibacy of the clergy, the absurdities of the mass, fasts and cere- monies of human invention, the whole system of monkery, and the great usurpation of authority by the church; and consequently did not include any of these abuses — ex- cept perhaps the last — in the system of religion they founded. Still their doctrines led them into serious errors and great disorders. 12. Private Interpretation of the Bible and its Effects: — The evils that arose from the doctrine of justifi- cation by faith alone, we have already noticed.* The disorders that grew out of the doctrine of private inter- pretation of scripture is yet to be consideed. When Luther refused to longer recognize the authority of the church in matters of doctrine, he still was aware that men would need some authority to decide controversies that would arise, consequently he held up the Bible as the final arbiter of all questions touching faith and morals. But the Bible had to be construed, its meaning made plain, and as each one was left to explain it in his own way. the utmost confusion prevailed. On the great fundamental principle of the Protestants — justification by faith alone — Osiander, a Lutheran, says: "There are twenty several opinions, all drawn from the scriptures, and held by different members of the Augsburg, or Lutheran Confession."! When the "reformers" from the several parts of Germany consulted together, and with *See preceding section. t Archdeacon Blackburn's Confessional, Page 10. 274 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. them the "reformers" from other states met with a view to come to some understanding in respect to religion and modes of worship, it was soon apparent that they were hopelessly divided, not only upon matters unimportant, but also upon fundamental principles. Luther had rejected the authority of the church and set up the tri- bunal of private interpretation of scripture in its stead. A Dumber of his disciples proceeding on the same prin- ciple, rejected some of his doctrines and undertook to prove from the scriptures that he was in error and that the "Reformation" needed reforming. 13. "Carolstadt, " says the author of the "End of Re- ligious Controversy," "Zuinglius, Okolampadius, Muncer and a hundred more of his followers, wrote and preached against him and against each other with the utmost virulence, whilst each of them still professed to ground his doctrine and conduct on the written word of God alone. In vain did Luther denounce hell fire against them; in vain did he threaten to return back to the Catho- lic religion; he had put the Bible into each man's hand to explain it for himself, and this his followers continued to do in open defiance of him, till their mutual contra- dictions and discords became so numerous and scandalous as to overwhelm the thinking part of them with grief and confusion.''* [See note 3, end of section.] 14. The Multiplication of Sects:— The division of the "reformers" into numerous sects has ever been a re- proach to Protestants, and likewise an evidence of the weakness of their position. Men of different capacities and dispositions examined the Bible; the)' found it no systematic treatise upon religion and morals, but a mis- cellaneous collection of inspired writings, dealing with * End of Religious Controversy, Page 100. Kill )KM.\ 1'ION. liistorical events, connected, in the main, with the peo- ple of God: prophecies, dreams, revelations, doctrines, and morals; written at different times, to different peo- ples, and under a great variety of circumstances. In addition to all this, manX plain and precious parts have been taken away from it;* other parts have doubtless been purposely changed by designing men;t which, with the imperfections arising from its transla- tion from the original languages in which it was written, has made it an uncertain guide, taken alone, for the church or for individuals; and as Protestants insisted upon the right of private judgment in the interpreta- tion of the Bible, it is not surprising that a great variety of opinions were entertained, or that numerous sects were founded upon them. It was a great evil; much confusion and disorder arose out of it; but it was an evil that could not be avoided. It was one of those periods of time when liberty was a cause of disorder, but the at- tainment of liberty through that disorder more than out- weighed the evils that arose from it. 15. The Error of the Reformers:— The great error which the "reformers" made was in not giving full appli- cation to their principle of the right of private judgment in matters of religion. They claimed the right to revolt from the Catholic church, to interpret the Bible for themselves, and to found their mode -of worship upon their own conceptions of what was required by the revelations of God; but when others differed from them, and desired to exercise the same liberty, the "reformers" were themselves intolerant, and attempted to compel men by force to accept their religious faith and modes of worship. It is this intolerance which is the chief reproach • I Nephi j- Hi: 2B. 28-3$ ilbid. 276 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. applied' to the "Reformation" by its enemies, and it must be admitted that it somewhat sullies the glory of its achievements. [See note 4, end of sectioe.] NOTES. 1. Motives Back of the "Reformatiou": — The Protestant historian, Mosheim, with whom Hume agrees, admits that several of the principal agents n this revolution were actuated more by the impulse of passion and views of merest than by a zeal for true religion (Maclaine's Mosheim, vol. iv. p. 135). He had before acknowledged that King Gustavus introduced Lutheranism into Swe- den in opposition to the clergy and bishops, not only as agreeable to the genius and spirit of the gospel, but also as favorable to the temporal state and politica \ constitution of the Swedish dominions. He adds that Christiern who introduced the Reformation into Denmark, was animated by no other motives than those of ambition and avarice. Grotius, another Protestant, testifies that it was sedition and violence which gave birth to the Reformation in his own country — Holland. The same was the case in France, Geneva and Scotland. It is to be observed, that in all these countries the Reformers, as soon as they got the upper hand, be- came violent persecutors of the Catholics. Bergier defies Protestants to name so much as a town or village in which, when they became masters of it, they tol- erated a single Catholic— End of Religious Controversy. {Note) p. 105. 2. The Cause and Leading Principle of the Reformation : — In my opinion the Reformation neither was an accident, the result of some cas- ual circumstance, or some personal interests, nor arose from unmingled views of religious improvement, the fruit of Utopian humanity and truth. It had a more powerful cause than all these ; a general cause to which all the others were sub. ordinate. It 'Lwas a vast effort made by the human mirid to achieve its freedom ; it was a new-born desire which it felt to think and judge, freely and independ- ently, ot facts and opinions which, till then, Europe received or was considered bound to receive from the hands of authority. It was a great endeavor to eman- cipate human reason, and to call things by their right names ; it was an insurrec- tion of the human mind against the absolute power of spiritual order. Such, in my opinion, was the true character and leading principle of the Reformation. * * * Not only was this the result of he Reformation, but it was content with this result. Whenever this was obtained no other was sought for ; so en- tirely was it the very foundation of the event, its primitive and fundamental char- acter 1***1 repeat it ; whenever the Reformation attained this object, it accommodated itself to every form of government and to every situation. — Quizot. 3. Unhappy Divisions Among1 "Reformers":— Capito, minister of Strasburg, writing to Forel, pastor of Geneva, thus complains to him : " God 1 III " REFORMATION. " 21 1 has given me to understand the mischief we have done by our precipitancy in breaking with the pope, The people say I know enough of the gospel. I can read it for myself. I have no need of you." In the same tone Dudith writes to his friend Beza : " Our people are carried away with every wind of doctrine. If you know what their religion is today, you cannot tell what it will be tomorrow. In what single point are those churches which have declared war against the pope agreed amongst themselves? There is not one point which is not held by some of them as an article of faith, and by others as an impiety ! In the same sentiment, Calvin, writing to Melancthon, says: " It is of great importance that the divisions, which subsist among us should not be known to future ages : for nothing can be more ridiculous than that we who have broken off from the whole world, should have agreed so ill among ourselves from the very beginning of the Reformation." — End of Religious Controversy, Page 101. 4. The Reproach of the "Reformation":— What were the re- proaches constantly applied to the " Reformation" by its enemies? Which of its results are thrown in its face, as it were, unanswerable? The two principal reproaches are, first, the multiplicity of sects, the excessive license of thought, the destruction of all spiritual authority, and the entire dissolution of religious society: secondly, tyranny and persecution. " You provoke licentiousness," it has been said to the " Reformers": "you produce it ; and, after being the cause of it you wish to restrain and repress it. And how do you repress it ? By the most harsh and violent means. You take upon yourselves, too, to punish heresy, and that by virtue of an legitimate authority. " — Guizot. REVIEW. i. What was the matter of chief importance in the Reformation? 2. Describe the growth of Luther's conflict with the pope. 3. Describe the Catholic rule of faith. 4. What demands contrary to that rule did Luther make ? 5. What difficulty arose in respect to settling the controversy by an appeal to a general council. 6. What can you say of the revolt of Luther to the Catholic church authority ? 7. What can you say of the right of the true church of Christ to settle controversies and determine the meaning of scripture? 8. Why was the Catholic church unqualified to render discisions on such matters? 9. What several causes are assigned for the " Reformation " by Catholics and Protestants respective \ rNote.) 10. What was the true cause ? 11. What several considerations aided the " Reformation.' 27* OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. 12. Was the religious movement of the 16th century a reformation or a rev- olution ? 13. What can you say of the evils which arose from the private interpretation of the Bible? 14. What caused the multiplication of sects among the Protestants? 15. What makes the Bible an insufficient guide in matters of faith and wor- ship? 16. What was the great error of the Reformers ? REFORMATION. " 27!> SECTION IV. 1. The Reformation in Switzerland: — So far we have considered this sixteenth century revolution as it affected the German empire alone. It was not confined, however, to that country. As a matter of fact the so- called "Reformation" began in Switzerland before it did in Germany. Ulrich Zwingle, born in Wildhausen, Can- ton of St. Gall, Switzerland, 1484, attacked many of the errors of the Catholic Church, before Luther began his opposition. 2. In 1516, Zwingle openly declaimed against many Catholic abuses, such as monastic vows, pilgrimages, relics, offerings and indigencies. He also taught that the Bible was the only standard of religious truth. In 1518, one Samson came into Switzerland to sell indul- gences. The year following Zwingle opposed him and drove him from Zurich. Four years later the Swiss "Reformer" was accused of hersey by adherents of the Roman pontiff, and brought before the council of Zurich. He presented sixty-seven doctrinal propositions before the council which he agreed to defend by the scriptures against all opposers. The council before which his cause was tried decided that the controversy must be settled by an appeal to the Bible, and Zwingle triumphed. At the conclusion of the hearing the council decreed that the "Reformer" should be allowed to teach as he had formerly done unmolested; and that no preacher in the canton should teach any doctrine he could not prove by the Bible. The year following — 1524 — the council "reformed" the public worship, that is, they 280 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. adopted the principles and methods of worship pro- posed by Zwingle. 3. In 1531, the Catholics in the surrounding cantons attacked Zurich, and early in the battle, Zwingle, while leading the Protestant forces, was slain, his body hacked to pieces and afterwards burned. [See note 1, end of section.] 4. John Calvin: — Zwingle was succeeded in the leadership of the Swiss "Reformers" by John Calvin, a talented but austere man, a native of Noyon, France. [See note 2, end of section.] He more than any other man — Luther excepted — influenced the character of the Protestant churches. He held many views that were at variance with those of Zwingle. The latter taught that civil rulers possessed absolute power in religious matters, and subjected the ministers altogether to their authority. Calvin held that the church should be free and independent of the state; that it should govern itself by its own offi- cers whom the church and not the state should appoint: he limited the power of the state over the church to giving it external protection. Zwingle recognized a gradation of officers in the Christian church: Calvin held that all were equal. Suitable persons appointed and ordained with the consent of the members of the church, con- stituted, in his theory of church government, a legitimate ministry to preach the gospel and administer the sacra- ments. But for the government of the church a number of men were chosen by the people from among the most venerable and respectable of the congregation. These men were called presbyters or elders. They were all equal in authority, and even the preaching minister was in no sense superior to them in office. 5. The elders of a single church or congregation con- vened in council constituted the church session; councils nil "reformation." l'KI composed of representatives from the several churches in a province, constituted synods or consistories; while ;i general council composed of elders from all the churches was known as the general assembly. The elders in these several councils were all regarded as equal in authority and had full power to enact laws relating to religious matters and to establish the discipline of the church. Such is the order of church government founded by Calvin, and known as Presbyterianism. 6. Difference of Opinion on the Eucharist:— As already stated in a previous section, the Catholics maintained that in the eucharist the bread and the wine were converted by consecration into the very body and blood of Messiah. Zwingle maintained that the bread and wine were symbols merely of Christ's flesh and blood, employed to call to mind his death, and the blessings procured to man by that death. Calvin stood between these two extremes, as also did Luther, and while they disagreed with Catholics, and would not concede that fhe bread and wine were changed to the very body and blood of Christ, neither would they concede that the bread and wine were merely symbols, but insisted upon a sort of spiritual presence. That is, the)' held that the saints in the exercise of faith in partaking of the sacrament, do become united in a certain mystic way with Christ, and from this union receive an increase of spiritual life. 7. Predestination: — Another thing in which Calvin differed from Zwingle was in relation to the celebrated doctrine of an absolute decree of God respecting the salvation of men. Calvin emphasized the doctrines of Luther and Melancthon in regard to the part which the grace of God takes in the salvation of men; and perhaps carried it further than they would have done, certainly 282 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. further than Zwingle did. On this point Calvin taught that God had elected some persons from all eternity to everlasting life; and had appointed others to everlasting punishments; and that for this he had no other ground except his own pleasure, or his most free and sovereign will. This is the doctrine of predestination. 8. The Spread of Calvin's Doctrines:— It was some time before the Swiss could be brought to accept these doctrines so at variance with or not found in the teachings of Zwingle. Yet by the perseverance and the high repu- tation for learning and piety of Calvin they were very generally accepted in Switzerland; and after him, such was the success of his pupils, that large bodies of Protestants in other nations accepted his doctrines. Especially was this the case in France, England, Scot- land, and even in German}'. 9. The "Reformation" in France:— In France, though in the main her people adhered to the Catholic Church, the "Reformation" found its most faithful adherents, and there they suffered the most violent persecutions. The Protestants were opprobriously called Huguenots [Hu-ge-nots] — the origin of the appelation is uncertain. Among these French Protestants were men of high character, and not a few bishops of the church. The king and the magistrates, however, protected the ancient religion by the sword, by penal inflictions; and a large number of pious and good people were put to death, among them not a few of the nobility. [See notes 3 and 4, end of Section.] 10. The "Reformation" in Sweden:— In Sweden the "Reformation" made rapid headway. Its doctrines were introduced into that country by Olaus Petri, whose zeal for the cause was warmly seconded by the king, Gustavus Vasa, who while in exile at Lubec, during the 111!. " REFORMATION. " 2SI1 revolution of 1523, learned something of the "reformed" religion. For some time before 152!) Sweden had been ruled by Danish kings; but in that year, in consequence of the tyranny practiced by Christiern II. of Denmark, a revolution was inaugurated by Gustavus Vasa, which ended in Christiern being driven from Sweden. Gustavus was chosen king in his stead. While prejudiced in favor of the "reformed " religion, he acted with great moder- ation. He invited learned Protestants from Germany whom he directed to instruct his people in the Bible and the Protestant faith. The Bible translated by Olaus Petri he caused to be published and disseminated. In 152fi. a great discussion on religion was held at Upsal at the instance of the king, between Olaus Petri and Peter Gallius, a Roman Catholic. Gallius seems to have been so far defeated, even in his own estimation, that in the \ear following, in the assembly of the states at Westeras, he recommended the "reformed" religion of Luther to the representatives of the nation. After a long discussion, and much opposition from the bishops, it was finally harmoniously decreed that the "reformed" religion should be introduced. From that time until now the power of the pope in Sweden has been prostrated. [See note 5, end of section.] 11. Denmark: — In Denmark the "reformation" was not accomplished so happily. Christiern, whose authority, as we have seen, was overthrown in Sweden, sought to establish the "reformed" religion in Denmark, but more from a desire to deprive the Bishops of their power, and confiscate their property, than from a right zeal for true religion. In 15211 he invited Martin Reyn- hard, a disciple of Carolstadt, to Denmark, and made him professor of theology at Copenhagen. Reynhard stayed 284 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. about a year. When he left the king sent for Carol- stadt. He remained but a short time; and then the' king invited Luther himself to come, but the "Reformer" would not accept the invitation. All these failing him. the king set about the work of "reformation" himself, but as he was a tyrant, his people conspired against him, and banished him from the kingdom, in 152:*. He was succeeded by his uncle, Frederic, Duke of Holstien and Sleswick. 12. Frederic was as anxious as Christiern had been to see the "reformed" religion established in Denmark, but he was more prudent than his nephew. He per- mitted the leaders among the Protestants to teach publicly the doctrines of Luther, and in time these raised up a strong following. In 1527 the king procured a decree from the senate, at the diet of Odensee, giving religious liberty to the people. By this decree the Danes were left free to embrace the new religion, or continue members of the Catholic Church as they saw proper. The successor of Frederic — Christian III. — went further than this, however, in the interest of the "Re- formation." He stripped the bishops of their odious power, confiscated the church property, much of which, however, he restored to the original owners, from whom it had been obtained, it is alleged, by base arts. He called John Bugenhagius from Wittemburg, and with his assistance regulated the religious affairs of his realm by making the "reformed" the estab- lished religion of his kingdom. The action of Christian III. seems harsh, but a circumstance which mitigates if it does not destroy the harshness of his measures, was the insufferable arrogance, pride and power of the bishops, which were a constant menace to THE "REFORMATION." 285 the power of the monarch, and did much to eclipse his glory. [See note 6, end of sction.] 13. Holland: — Perhaps from being contiguous to German}-, the Netherlands — Belgium and Holland — soon partook of the spirit of the "Reformation" — the desire to be free. The writings of Luther were early received and widely read by the Netherlanders. This alarmed the Catholics who, in 1522,'established the Inquisition there and persecuted with great vigor all who accepted the doctrines of the "Reformers." It is estimated that in those provinces which, taken together, constitute the Netherlands, in the reign of Charles V. alone — from 1519 to 1&52 — not less than 50,001) persons lost their lives in consequence of their defection from the church of Rome. But notwithstanding this severe persecution, adherents to the Protestant faith increased. The tyranny of their oppressors seemed to increase the boldness of the people in clamoring for the rights of conscience; and towards the close of the sixteenth century seven of the provinces successfully revolted againts the Duke of Alva, viceroy of the Catholic monarch, Phillip II. of Spain. These re- volting provinces formed the Dutch Republic, and in a short time became the most formidable maritime power in the world. They suffered the most and wrought the most in behalf of the liberty of conscience, the freedom of com- merce, and the liberty of the state. It is said by one historian that "In freedom of conscience, they were the light of the world."* It is well known that for many years their land was the asylum for the oppressed, especially for those persecuted for their religion. 14. England: — The "Reformation" in England took on a different aspect to what it did in the other countries. 286 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. When Luther began his assault upon the Church of Rome, the English monarch, Henry VIII. , appeared as a champion on the side of the Roman pontiffs. He wrote a book against Luther in defense of the seven sacraments of the Catholic Church, which met with such favor in the eyes of the pope that he conferred upon Henry the title of "Defender of the Faith. " Henry's book appeared in 1522. Soon after this the king began to question the legality of his marriage with Catharine of Aragon. 15. Catharine had been the wife of the king's deceased brother, Arthur; and a marriage with a deceased brother's widow was regarded as'contrary to the law of God*. Henry therefore applied to the Pope for the annul- ment of his marriage, since his "conscience" would not permit him to cohabit longer with his deceased brother's wife. The conduct of the king, however, was such as to give strong ground to the belief that it was his love for Ann Boleyn, an English lady of high birth, and not con- scientious scruples as to the lawfulness of his marriage with Catharine. The queen's beauty had faded and some disease, it is said, had rendered her person less agree- able. Still, to do Henry justice, it must not be concealed that his father had scrupled the legitimacy of the marriage; a foreign court had made it an objection to intermarriage^ with his children by this wife; and the people of England very generally entertained fears respecting the succession to his crown, and these political considerations doubtless had their influence. t Still it * It must appear remarkable that such an idea could become prevalent since it is provided in the law of God to ancient Israel that the brother should marry the deceased brother's widow. — Deut. xxv: 5,6: 9, 10. f Hume's Hist, of England vol. iii. ch. xxx. THE "REFORMATION." 2S7 will not be denied that after' the king had fallen in love with Ann Bolevn. his love for her and not political con- siderations, or religions scruples was the incentive that prompted him to seek a divorce. 16. The Rupture with the Pope:— The pope* Clement VII., evaded a direct answer to Henry's appeal. Catherine was the aunt of Charles V., and perhaps Clement feared that he would offend that monarch. — to whom he looked to suppress the "Reformation" in Germany, — if he granted the divorce. Henry, impatient of these enforced delays, consulted the universities of Europe, and as most of them pronounced marriage with a deceased brother's wife unlawful, he divorced Catherine without the consent of the pope. A quarrel ensued between the king and the pontiff, which resulted in the former casting off the authority of the latter, and the pope excommunicated the king. In 1533 Henrv was declared head of the British church and Defender of the Faith, by the English parliament. He thereupon ejected the monks from their possessions, disposed of their prop- erty at his own good pleasure, and abolished in toto the authority of the pope in England. 17. No other country in all Europe was so well pre- pared for the Sixteenth Century Revolution as England. A century and a half before either Luther or Zwingle were heard of, John Wycliffe proclaimed against the cor- ruption and abuses of the Catholic Church, denounced the pope as Anti-Christ*, and preached against the doctrine of transubstantiation. He also translated the Scriptures and circulated them among the common people. Two years before his death, however, he was * On one occasion he declared the pope to be " The proud, worldly priest Rome, the most cursed of clippers and purse-kervers fcut-purses)." 288 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. summoned before a church council by which, notwith- standing he defended himself with great ability, many of his doctrines were condemned, and he himself was restricted in his ministry to the parish of Lutterworth, i,n Leicestershire, where he died. [See note 7, end of section]. His teachings, however, had made a deep impression upon his countrymen, and he left many followers, who were called by their opponents Lollards. The Lollards were a proscribed sect in England, and as they avoided persecution, but little was heard of them. Still they cherished the doctrines of their leader and transmitted them to their children, so that when Luther and the other continental "Reformers" began their work, there were many in England who sympathized with them; and when Henry VIII. considered it to his interests to revolt against the authority of the pope, he found large numbers of his people not only ready to support him in casting off that authority, but anxious to go much further in that revolt than the king desired. [See note 6, end of section]. They bad viewed the rupture between the king and the pope with deep satis- faction; but they were soon to learn that the defection of the monarch was not to bring religious liberty to Eng- land, or establish there the doctrines of Wycliffe or Luther. It was but a change of masters that had taken place, and the king was as despotic as the pope. [See note 9, end of section.] Although Henry had thrown off the authority of the pontiff, he would tolerate but few changes in the forms and ceremonies of religion. More changes were introduced in the reign of EdwardVL, the son of Henry VIII. by Jane Seymore; and still more in the reign of Elizabeth, his daughter by Anne Boleyn. 18. The Puritans: — But these changes came far short of satisfying the English Protestants, who were called "the reformation." 289 Puritans. They demanded almost a complete abolition of the rites and ceremonies of the Roman Church, which the)' denounced as idolatrous. The most of them favored the presbyterian form of church government, or a still simpler method which would recognize each congrega- tion as a complete church within itself. Those who con- tended for this more simple form of church government were called Independents. The Puritans were frequently rude and clamorous in their demands for further refor- mation; and on their part the adherents of the estab- lished religion were intolerant, and persecuted to im- prisonment, exile or death the Puritans. [See note 10, end of section.] 19. The " Reformation " in Scotland:— All things considered, the "Reformation" in Soctland — that is the overthrow of the authority of the pope — was accom- plished with as little trouble as it was in England; and accompanied by less injustice to Catholics. In Scotland, as in England, the doctrines of Wycliffc had many silent adherents, and such was the frame of the popular mind that only the leadership of bold men was needed to make a successful revolt against the authority of the pope. That leadership was found in John Knox.* Knox was thirty-eight years of age when he openly declared himself a Protestant, and began his work of "reform." About three years later Cardinal Beaton, a proud, arrogant man, and of course the head of the Catholic church in Scotland, was assassinated. His castle — St. Andrews — was taken possession of by the band of nobles and others who had murdered him, and it became for a time the stronghold of Protestantism. To * Knox was born in the year 1505, near Haddington, Scotland. Died at Edin- burgh, 1572. 290 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. this place Knox repaired, and there in the parish church of St. Andrews first became famous as a preacher. In a short time, however, the fortress was surrendered, and Knox was sent to the French galleys a prisoner. After two years he was set at liberty, and allowed to depart for England, where he lived for years, on terms of intimacy with Cranmer and other English "reformers." On the accession of Queen Mary,* Knox retired to Germany and Switzerland, residing chiefly in the latter place, where he learned and became attached to both the doctrines and form of church government taught by Calvin. 20. In 1559 political necessity compelled the govern- ment in Scotland to become more lenient towards the nobles favoring the "Reformation," and Knox returned to Scotland, where his impassioned denunications of the idolatry of the mass and of image-worship aroused the pent up enthusiasm of the people. Indeed the people went far beyond what Knox intended; riots ensued, churches and monasteries were destroyed, and the whole country, already suffering the evils of civil war, was plunged into greater disorder. At last through the assistance of Queen Elizabeth, of England, a truce was proclaimed, and a parliament chosen to settle the troubles. The parliament met in 1560, and its delibera- tions resulted in the overthrow of the old religion, and the establishment of the "Reformed church," based on the doctrines and church polity of Calvin. In the midst of the harshness which attended the overthrow of the old religion there was a singular instance of moderation which will be looked for in vain in other countries where the "Reformation" succeeded. According to Hallam, it * Daughter of Henry VIII. and Catherine of Aragon. She was a bigoted Catholic ; married Philip II. of Spain, also a Catholic. THE "REFORMATION." 291 was agreed in the settlement made by the parliament of 1560, "That the Roman Catholic prelates, including the regulars, should enjoy two thirds of their revenues, as well as their rank and seats in parliament; the remaining third being given to the crown, out of which stipends should be allotted to the Protestant clergy.'* "Whatever violence may be imputed to the authors of the Scots' Reformation," continues Mr. Hallam, "this arrangement seems to display a moderation which we would vainly seek in our own't — the English Reformation. 21. Unfortunately, as in England, after the authority and religion of the pope were overthrown in Scotland, the religious difficulties were far from settled. A contro- versy arose between the church and the crown on the subject of authority. It will be remembered that Calvin insisted that the church should be independent of the state, X and nowhere was it so strenuously insisted upon as in Scotland; not only did it demand of the secular authority freedom from interference, but assumed the right to reprove the king and his court, and that too in no guarded language. In 1584 Andrew Melville was sum- moned before the king's council, to give an account of some seditious language employed by him in the pulpit against the court. He declined the jurisdiction of the council on the ground that he was responsible only to the church for such language; and the king could not judge of the matter without violating the immunities of the church. § * Hallam' s Const. Hist. England, p. S12. t Ibid. + Page 280. # Precedents ior such an immunity it would not have been difficult to find ; but they must have been sought in the archives of the enemy. It was rather early for the new republic to emulate the despotism she had overthrown. — Hal- lam, Hist, of Eng. 18 2!»2 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. 22. The king and council, however, did not hesitate to declare the supremacy of the secular power, and thus was begun a controversy which, united with the attempts on the part of the sovereigns and parliament to restore the Episcopal form of church government, led to violent persecutions on the part of the secular authority, and to heroic resistance on the part of the people of Scotland. In that protracted struggle, prosecuted by both parties with varying fortunes, the people were at last successful; though their victory was not secured for them until the Stuart line of monarchs were driven out of Scotland and England by the revolution of 1688, which dethroned James II. of England and VII. of Scotland, and placed William, Prince of Orange, and Mary, his wife, on the British throne. 23. The Discovery of America— Its Influence on Liberty: — It is significant that about the time of the "Revival of Learning" in Europe, America was dis- covered by Columbus, led hither by the inspiration of God. [Note 11, end of section.] Between this struggle for liberty in the Old World and the discovery of the New there was doubtless a providential connection. God knew there could be but a stunted growth of the tree of liberty in the Old World, hence he opened the way for it to be planted in a land more congenial to its growth. The whole continent of America is a land consecrated by the decrees of Almighty God to Liberty, and the people who inhabit it are assured by that same decree of their freedom.* Hence when a fullness of liberty was denied the Puritans in England, they fled to America, and here found room for the planting of col- onies "where they could enjoy the libety denied them in Book of Mormon, Ether, ch. THE "REFORMATION." ^!>!> the Old World, and the founding of the New England colonies (now the New England States) was the result. 24. Catholics Seek Liberty in America:— Nor were the Puritans the only ones who sought liberty in the New World. Even the Catholics came; for they, no less than the Puritans, were persecuted in England. Sir George Calvert, whose title- was Lord Baltimore, a Roman Catholic, desiring to establish a colony in America that would be a place of refuge for persecuted Catholics, obtained a charter for that territory com- prised within the boundary lines of the State of Mary- land. Before the charter was signed, Sir George died; but it was made out to his son Cecil, who carried out his father's designs. The charter granted to Lord Balti- more was unlike any which had hitherto passed the royal seal, in that it secured to all who should settle in the colony, religious liberty. That is, Christianity was the recognized religion, made so by the law of the land, but no preference was given to any sect or party. 25. Puritan Intolerance: — Unfortunately all the colonies were not founded in the same liberal spirit as Maryland. The Puritans tnemselves seemed not to have learned toleration by the persecutions they had suffered; but, on the contrary, when they found themselves pos- sessed of power, they forgot right and persecuted all those not of their own way of thinking. This led to the founding of other colonies where greater religious liberty was granted; such as Pennsylvania, settled by the Quak- ers, Rhode Island, by Roger Williams, a Baptist, driven by Puritan intolerance from Massachusetts. 26. Common dangers, however, taught these colonists toleration. They were surrounded by hordes of savages, against whom they were compelled frequently to combine. The wars between the French and the English extended 294 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. to their respective settlements in America, and this cir- cumstance drove the English colonists together and taught them toleration. They were driven into a still closer union by the oppression of England, and forgot their religious differences in the presence of the great danger of losing all their freedom, civil as well as re- ligious. When they had achieved their independence, and necessity and experience taught them that a national government — an indissoluble union of the colonies must be formed, widsom clearly suggested that the chief corner- stone of the new temple of liberty must be religious free- dom. Hence in the constitution which they adopted, freedom to worship God according to the dictates of con- science is guaranteed. [See note 12, end of section.] 27. The Hand of God Manifested:— If in the rise of the great Roman Empire we see the hand of God pre- paring the way for the introduction of the gospel under the personal administration of the Son of God; that under the protection of that great government the apostles of Messiah might visit every land and deliver the glad tidings of great joy — if in this the hand of God is visible, it is equally clear that the meaning of this sixteenth century revolution which we have been considering, together with the subsequent founding of a great republic in the New World, pledged to the maintenance of religi- ous liberty — it is clearly the meaning of all this htat God was preparing the way for a restoration of the gos- pel— the ushering in of the Dispensation of the Fullness of Times. [See note 13, end of section.] That revo- lution of the sixteenth century wasthe first glimmerings of the dawn which heralded the approaching day; the light became clearer in America in the establishment of religious liberty under the constitution of the United THE " REFORMATION. " 295 States; the sun rose when the Lord introduced the Dispensation of the Fullness of Times by revealing himself and his Son Jesus Christ to the Prophet Joseph Smith. NOTES. 1. Zwingle : — Zwingle discovered the corruptions of the church of Rome, at an earlier period than Luther. Botli opened their eyes gradually, and alto- gether without any concert ; and without aid from each other. But Zwingle was always in advance of Luther in his views and opinions ; and he finally carried the Reformation somewhat farther than what Luther did. But he proceeded with more gentleness, and baution not to run before the prejudices of the people ; and the circumstances in which he was placed did not call him so early to open combat with the powers of the hierarchy; Luther, therefore, has the honor of being the first to declare open war with the pope, and to be exposed to persecu- tion. He also acted in a much wider^sphere. All Germany, and even all Europe, was the theatre of his operations. Zwingle moved only in the narrow circle of a single canton' of Switzerland. He also died young, and when but just com- mencing his career of usefulness. And these circumstances have raised Luther's fame so high that Zwingle has almost been overlooked. — Murdock. 2. Calvin : — John Calvin was born in the year 1509 ; and in his studies con- nected law with theology, studying the former at the command of his father, and the latter from his own choice ; and from Melchior Valmar, a German and professor of Greek at Bourges, he acquired a knowledge of the evangelican ["Reformed"] doctrines. After the death of his father, he devoted himself wholly to theology, and publicly professed the reformed doctrine, which he spread in France with all diligence. His name soon became known in Switzer- land as well as in France; and Farell and Viret [two Swiss " Reformers"] be- sought him, as he was traveling through Geneva, to remain there and aid them in setting up the new church. But in the year 1538, great dissension arose in Geneva; and Calvin and his assistant, Farell, severely inveighed from the pulpit against the conduct of the council, which resolved to introduce the ceremonies agreed on at Bern, in the ordinances of baptism and the Lord's supper, and to reject those which these ministers wished to have adopted : and the consequence was, that Calvin and Farell were banished from the republic. * * * But in the year 1541, at the pressing and repeated invitations of the Genevans, he re- turned to them again, and there officiated with great perseverance, zeal, prudence arrd disinterestedness, till his death in 1564. His great talents and virtues were shaded by the love of control, by a want of tenderness, and by a passionate vigor against the erring.— Schlegel. 3. The "Reformation" in France: — France was the first country 296 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. where the Reformation that commenced in Germany and Switzerland, very soon and under the severest oppressions, found many adherents. No country seems to have been so long and so well prepared for it, as this : and yet here it met the most violent opposition ; and nowhere was it later, before it obtained legal toleration. Nowhere did it occasion such streams of blood to flow ; no- where give birth to such dreadful and deadly civil wars. And nowhere have state policy, court intrigue, political parties and the ambition of greatness had so powerful an influence on the progress and fortunes of the reformation, as in France. — Schroeckh. 4. Massacre on St. Bartholomew's Eve : — During the civil wars which desolated France from the year 1560 up to the edict of Nantes — which secured religious toleration for the Protestants, 1598 — occurred the massacre of St, Bartholomew's eve. A peace was concluded in 1570, by which toleration was granted the Protestants. The terms of the treaty were enforced with much apparent zeal by the French court, for the purpose, as Protestant writers claim, of lulling the Protestants into security preparatory to their assassination by order of the king. The bloody scene began at midnight of the 22nd of August, 1572. The signal for the beginning of the massacre was the tolling of the great bell of the palace. The scene of blood and murder continued for three days. During v>hich time five hundred noblemen and about six thousand other Protestants were butchered in Paris alone. Orders were dispatched to all parts of the em- pire for a similar massacre everywhere. More than thirty thousand — some say seventy thousand — perished by the hands of the royal assassins ; and the pope ordered a jubilee throughout Christendom — Murdock. 5. The Decision to Introduce the "Reformed" Religion into Sweden : — This decision was the effect especially of the firmness and resolution of the king [Gustavus Vasa], who declared publicly that he would rather resign his crown and retire from the kingdom, than rule over a people subjected to the laws and authority of the Roman pontiff, and more obedient to their bishops than to their king. — Mosheim. 6. The Danish and Swedish Bishops Stripped of Power: — Violent measures were adopted, and the bishops, against their wills and their efforts to the contrary, were deprived of their honors, their prerogatives and their possessions. Yet this reformation [?j of the clergy in both those northern kingdoms, was not a religious, but a mere civil and secular transaction ; and it was so necessary that it must have been undertaken if no Luther had arisen. For the bishops had by corrupt artifices got posse.-sion of so much wealth, so many cattle, such revenues and so great authority, that they were far more pow- erful'than the kings, and were able to govern the whole realm at their pleasure ; indeed they had appropriated to themselves a large portion of the patrimony of the kings and of the public revenues. Such therefore was the stale both of the Danish and the Swedish commonwealths in the time of Luther, that either the bishops, who shamefully abused their riches, their prerogatives and their honors, must be divested of the high rank they held in the state, and be deprived of their ill-gotten wealth, or the ruin of those kingdoms, the irreparable detriment of the THE "REFORMATION." 2!»7 public safety and tranquility, and the sinking of their kings into contempt with an utter inability to protect the people must be anticipated. — Mosheim. 7. Wycliffe : — John Wycliffe, the greatest of all the " Reformers before the Reformation," was born in 1324, and is supposed to have been a native of the parish of Wycliffe, near the town of Richmond, Yorkshire. He studied at Ox- ford, but little is known of his university career. Wycliffe appears to have been a man of simple faith and of earnest and manly courage. He made a strong impression upon his age ; an impression that was not effaced at the time of the "Reformation." The Lollards, as his disciples were called, were .to be found, not only among the poor, but in the church, the castle and even the throne. Wycliffe died in the year 1384. 8. England Prepared, for the "Reformat ion" :— No revolution has been more gradually prepared than that which separated one half of Europe from the communion of the Roman see ; nor were Luther and Zwingle any more than occasional instruments of that change which, had they never existed, would at no great distance of time been effected under the names of some other reformers. At the beginning of the sixteenth century, the learned, doubtfully and with caution, the ignorant with zeal and eagerness, were tending to depart from the faith and rites which aut \ prescribed. But probably not even Ger- many was so far advanced , ,s course as England. Almost a hundred and fifty years before Lu' nearly the same doctrines as he taught had been main- Wycliffe, whose disciples usually called Lollards, lasted as a numerous though obscure and proscribed sect, till aided by the confluence of foreign streams, they swelled into the Protestant church of England. We hear, indeed, little of them during some parts of the fifteenth century, for they generally shunned persecution; and it is chiefly through records of persecution that we learn of the ex- istence of heretics. But immediately before the name of Luther was known, they seem to have become more numerous, or to have attracted more attention ; since several persons were burned for heresy, and others abjured their errors in the first years of Henry YIU's reign. Some of these, as usual among ignorant men, engaging in religious speculation, are charged with very absurd notions ; but it is not so material to observe their particular tenets as the general fact that an in- quisitive and sectarian spirit had begun to prevail. — Hallam's Const. Hist. Eng. 9. Henry VIII. and His Revolt Against Rome : — Soon after Henry was declared by Parliament the only supreme head on earth of the church of England, the authority of the pope was finally abolished, and all tri- butes paid to him were declared illegal. But although the king thus separated from the church of Rome, he professed to maintain the Catholic doctrine in its purity, and persecuted the reformers most violently ; so that while many were burned as heretics for denying the doctrines of Catholicism, others were execu- ted for maintaining the supremacy of the pope. As therefore the earnest adher- ents of both religions were equally persecuted and equally encouraged, both parties were induced to court the favor of the king, who was thus enabled to as- sume an absolute authority over the nation, and to impose upon it his own doc- 298 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. trines as those of the only true church. * * * When news of these proceed- ings reached Rome, the most terrible fulminations were hurled by the pope against the king of England whose soul was delivered over to the devil, and his dominions to the first invader; all leagues with Catholic princes were declared to be dissolved— his subjects were freed from their oaths of allegiance, and the no- bility were commanded to take up arms against him. But these missives which half a century before would have hurled the monarch from his throne and made him a despised outcast among his people, were now utterly harmless. The papal supremacy was forever lost in England. — Wilson; Hist. U. 8. Appen- dix Voyaqe and Discoveries, p. 153. 10. The Puritans : — The Puritan party professing to derive their doctrines directly from the scriptures, were wholly dissatisfied with the old church system, which they denounced as rotten, depraved and defiled by human inventions, and they wished it to undergo a thorough reform, to abandon everything of man's devise, and adopt nothing, either in doctrine or discipline which was not directly authorized by the word of God. Exceedingly ardent in their feelings, zealous in their principles, abhorring all formulism as destructive of the very ele- ments of piety, and rejecting the regal as well as papal supremacy, they de- manded in place of the liturgical service, an effective preaching of the gospel, more of the substance of religion, instead of what they denominated its shad- ows ; and so convinced were they of the justness of their views and the rea- sonableness of their demands, that they would listen to no considerations which pleaded for compromise or delay. — Wilson, Hist. U. S. Appendix Voyage and Discoveries, p. 157. 11. Columbus Inspired of God :— And it came to pass that I looked and beheld many waters ; and they divided the Gentiles from the seed of my brethren. And it came to pass that the angel said unto me, Behold the wrath of God is upon the seed of thy brethren. And I looked and beheld a man among the Gentiles who was separated from the seed of my brethren by the many waters; and I beheld the Spirit of God, that it came down and wrought upon the man ; and he went forth upon the many waters, even unto the seed of my brethren, who were in the promised land. And it came to pass that I beheld the Spirit of God, that it wrought upon other Gentiles ; and they went forth out of captivity upon the many waters: * * * [and] I beheld many multitudes of the Gentiles upon the land of promise. — Nephi's Vision, Book of Mormon, Ch. xiii: 10-14. 12. Religious Liberty in the Constitution :— The parts of the United States' Constitution which secure religious freedom are the clause in article vi. which says : " No religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States;" and the first Amendment which says: " Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibit the free exercise thereof." Respecting these two clauses in the Constitution, Judge Story remarks : "' We are not to attribute this prohibition of a national religious establishment to an indifference to religion in general, and especially to Christianity, (which none could hold in more reverence, than the framers of the THE "reformation." 299 Constitution), but to a dread by the people of the influence of ecclesiastical power in matters of government ; a dread which their ancestors brought with them from the parent country, and which unhappily for human infirmity, their own conduct, after their emigration, had not, in any just degree, tended to de- minish. It was also obvious, from the numerous and powerful sects existing in the United States, that there would be perpetual temptations to struggles for ascendency in the national councils, if any one might thereby hope to found a permanent and exclusive national establishment of its own ; and religious perse- cutions might thus be introduced, to an extent utterly subversive of the true in- terests and good order of the Republic. The most effectual mode of suppressing the evil, in the view of the people, was tn strike down the temptations to its in- troduction.'' 13. Hand of the Lord in the Establishment of the United States' Government : — That the hand of Almighty God was in the work of founding the Government of the United States is plainly declared in one of the revelations to Joseph Smith : " It is not right that any man should be in bondage one to another. And for this purpose have I established the constitu- tion of this land, by the hands of wise men whom I raised up unto this very purpose, and redeemed the land by shedding of blood " {Doc. and Cov., Sec. < J: 7.9, SO). Nor are thoughtful historians blind to the fact that the hand of God has had much to do with those revolutions which finally produced the great Republic of the New World. Commenting on the war of the American Revolu- tion, Marcus Wilson says: "The expense of blood and treasure which this war cost England was enormous; nor, indeed, did her European antagonists suffer much less severely. The United States was the only country that could look to any beneficial results from the war, and these were obtained by a strange union of opposing motives and principles, unequaled in the annals of history. France and Spain, the arbitrary despots of the Old World, had stood forth as the protectors of an infant republic, and had combined, contrary to all the principles of their political faith, to establish the rising liberties of America. They seemed but as blind instruments in the hands of Providence, employed to aid in the founding of a nation which should cultivate those republican virtues that were destined yet to regenerate the world upon the principles of universal intelligence, and eventually to overthrow the time-worn system of tyrannical usurpation of the few over the many." REVIEW. i. Was the " Reformation" confined to Germany? 2. When did the " Reformation " first begin ? 3. Who was the leader of the movement in Switzerland? 4. State what you can of the " Reformation" in Switzerland under Zwingle. 5. What fate befell the young " Reformer?" 6. State the chief difference in methods of work« between Luther and Zwingle (note 1). 300 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. 7. Who succeeded in the leadership of the " Reformation " in Switzerland? 8. Where and when was Calvin born ? 9. State the points of difference in the views of Calvin and Zwingle. 10. Describe the Presbyterian system of church government. 11. Give a sketch of the life and character of Calvin (note 2). 12. State the several views of the " Reformers" in respect to the Eucharist. 13. What difference existed between Calvin and Zwingle on the subject of predestination ? 14. What can you say of the spread of Calvin's doctrine? 15. Describe the " Reformation " in France. 16. What can you say of the persecution of the Protestants in France ? (note 3.) 17. Give a description of the massacre of St. Bartholomew's eve. 18. State what you can of the " Reformation" in Sweden. 19. Tell how the " Reformation " in Sweden was accomplished. 20. On what ground can the king and people of Sweden and Denmark be justified in stripping the Catholic bishops of their power and wealth ? (note 5.) 21. Give an account of the " Reformation" in Holland. 22. What was the attitude of Henry VIII. of England at the beginning of the " Reformation " in Germany ? 23. What title did his defense of the Roman Catholic sacraments secure for him ? 24. What circumstance was it that afterwards estranged Henry from the pope? 25. What was the conduct of Pope Clement VII. in this controversy ? 26. What course did Henry adopt? 27. What resulted from the king's conduct? 28. How did the friends of the " Reformation" in England receive the rup- ture of the king and pope ? 29. Did the rupture between king and pope help the " Reformation " in England ? 30. What were the " Reformers " in England called ? 31. What were the demands of the Puritans in respect to religion? (note 8). 32. When denied religious liberty in England to what country did the Puritans go? 33. What influence on liberty did the discovery of America have? 34. What can you say of the inspiration of Christopher Columbus? (note 9). 35. What people beside Puritans sought religious liberty in the new world ? 36. Give an account of the settlement of Maryland. 37. What can you say of Puritan intolerance ? 38. What circumstances taught them, at least, partial toleration ? 39. What power was working in all those changes which brought freedom to man ? (note 11). 40. What was the ®bject of enlarging the liberties of mankind ? PART IV. THE RESTORATION OF THE GOSPEL. SECTION I. 1. The Dispensation of the Fullness of Times:— By a dispensation, in connection with the work of God, we mean " the opening of the heavens to men, the bestowing of the Holy Priesthood with all its powers upon them, and the organization and building up of the church of Christ upon the earth, for the salvation of all who will obey the gospel. "* By the Dispensation of the Fullness of Times we mean the last dispensation, the one in which all things, in Christ, whether in heaven or in earth, shall be gathered together in one;| a dis- pensation which will include all other dispensations — one which will encompass all truth. As the rivers of the earth all eventually find their way to the ocean and empty into it, so all former dispensations will run into, and become part of, the Dispensation of the Fullness of Times, in which the work of God, in respect to the salvation of man and the redemption of the earth, will be consummated-l [See note 1, end of section.] 2. Birth and Parentage of Joseph Smith :— Joseph Smith, the man whom God appointed to stand at the head of the Dispensation of the Fullness of Times, and be the great Prophet, Seer, Revelator and President thereof, was born in the year of our Lord 1805, on the 23rd of December, in Sharon, Windsor [Win-sor] County, State of Vermont. His father's name was Joseph^ Smith, and his mother's maiden name Lucy Mack. * Jaques' Catechism, Page 77. t God having made known unto us * * * that in the dispensation of the fullness of times, he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth ; even in him. (Ephesians i : g, io.) J Note 2, end of section. 304 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. Joseph and Lucy Smith had nine children, six sons and three daughters. The sons in the order of their age were Alvin, Hyrum, Joseph, Samuel Harrison, William, Don Carlos; the daughters, Sophrona, Catherine, Lucy. 3. The parents of the prophet were of humble origin and poor, having to labor with their hands, hiring ou by day's work, and otherwise to obtain a livelihood for their large family. In consequence of their poverty, they could give their children but very limited opportunities for attending school; yet Joseph learned to read, to write, and had some knowledge of the rudimentary principles of arithmetic. 4. When Joseph was ten years of age his father moved from the State of Vermont to that of New York, settling in Palmyra, Ontario County.* Four years later the family moved from Palmyra to Manchester, in the same count)'. 5. Religious Agitation: — While the Smith family lived in Manchester, when Joseph was in his fifteenth- year, there was an unusual excitement on the subject of religion. It began with the Methodists, but soon be- came general among all the sects, and union revival meetings, in which all sects took part, were held in the vicinity of Manchester. ('The Smith family, being by nature religiously inclined, became interested in these meetings, and several of them, viz., Joseph's mother, his brothers Hyrum and Samuel Harrison, and his sisters Lucy and Sophrona, were converted to the Presbyterian faith. Joseph's own mind was much wrought up by this religious agitation, and at one time he became somewhat partial to the Methodist persuasion. 6. He was greatly perplexed, however, by the strife *Ontario County has since been divided and the north part of it, in which Palmyra is located, is called Wayne County. THE RESTORATION OF THE GOSBEL. 305 among the sects, and the divisions which existed. The Presbyterians were opposed to the Methodists and Baptists; and these last named sects, though not agree- ing with each other, were equally opposed to the Presby- terians. Why should the church of Christ be split up into fractions? Is God the author of confusion? Would he teach one society to worship one way, and administer one set of ordinances; and then teach another society quite a different system of worship, and another set of principles and ordinances different from those taught the first? Such were the questions Joseph Smith frequently asked himself when he reflected upon the confusion he witnessed. 7. In the midst of the war of words and tumult of opinion that accompanied this agitation, Joseph would often say to himself, What is to be done? Who of all these parties are right? 8. Joseph Smith's First Prayer and Vision:— While floundering in the midst of these difficulties he came to the following passage in the first chapter of the Epistle of James: "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally and up- braideth not; and it shall be given him." This passage impressed him with great force. It was the voice of God to him. If any man lacked wisdom he did; and here was counsel given directing how to obtain it, with a promise that he should receive it and not be upbraided for asking. He at last decided to follow the divine in- junction. 9. It was in the morning of a beautiful, clear day, early in the spring of eighteen hundred and twenty, that Joseph put his resolution into effect. He selected a place in a grove near his father's house for that purpose. It was his first attempt to pray vocally, and he was some- 306 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. what timid; but finding himself alone he knelt down and began to offer up the desires of his heart to the Lord. He had scarcely began to pray when he was seized by some power which threw him violently to the ground, and it seemed for a time that he was doomed to sudden destruction. It was no imaginary power but some actual being from the unseen world. His tongue for a time was bound that he could not speak; darkness gathered about him; but exerting all his powers he called upon God to deliver him out of the hands of his enemy, and at the very moment he was ready to give up in despair and abandon himself to destruction, he beheld a pillar of light immediately over his head descending towards him. Its brightness was above that of the sun at noon-day, and no sooner did it appear than he was freed from the enemy which had held him bound. 10. When the light rested upon him he beheld within it two personages standing above him in the air, whose brightness and glory defy all description, but they exactly resembled each other in form and features. One of them, pointing to the other said: "Joseph, this is my BELOVED SOX. HEAR HIM." 11. Joseph's purpose in calling upon the Lord was to learn which of the sects was right, that he might know which to join. As soon, therefore, as he gained his self- possession, he addressed these questions to the person- ages to whom he was directed. To his astonishment he was told that none of the sects were right, and that he must join none of them. He was further told by the person who addressed him, that all their creeds were an abomination in his sight; that those professors were all corrupt; that they drew near to him with their lips, but their hearts were far from him; that they taught for doctrine the commandments of men; that they had a form Mil RESTORATION OF THE GOSPEL. 307 of godliness, but denied the power of God. And he was commanded the second time to join none of them. 12. There were many other things which Jesus said to Joseph on this occasion, but the prophet never recorded them further than to say that he received a promise that the fullness of the gospel would at some future time be made known to him. 13. The Importance of the Vision:— This splendid revelation is of vast importance: First, it dispels the vagaries that men had conjured up in respect to the person of Diety. Instead of being a personage without body, parts or passions, it revealed the fact that he had both body and parts, that he was in the form of man, or, rather, that man had been made in his image.* Second: it clearly proves that the Father and Son are distinct persons, and not one person as the Christian world believes. The oneness of the Godhead, so fre- quently spoken of in scripture, must therefore relate to oneness of sentiment and agreement in purpose. Third: it swept away the rubbish of human dogma and tradition that had accumulated m all the ages since Messiah's personal ministry on earth, by announcing that God did not acknowledge any of the sects of Christendom as His * While the Prophet Joseph in describing this first great vision refers to the Lord and His Son Jesus Christ as two glorious personages without giving at that time any particular description of their persons, it is clear that they were; in the form of men. Teaching the church the character of the Godhead some years later, the prophet said : " God himself was once as we are now, and is an ex- alted Man and sits enthroned in yonder heavens. That is the great secret. If the vail was rent today and the great God who holds this world in its orbit, and who upholds all worlds and all things by his power, was to make himself visible — I say if you were to see him today, you would see him like a man in form — like yourselves, in all the person, image and very form as a man, for Adam was created in the very fashion, image and likeness of God, and received instruction from and walked and talked, and conversed with him, as one man talks and com- munes with another."— {Journal of Discourses, Vol. VI, Page 3.) 19 308 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. church, nor their creeds as His gospel. Thus the ground was cleared for the planting of the truth. Fourth : it showed how mistaken the Christian world was in claiming that all revelation had ceased — that God would no more reveal himself to man. Fifth: the vision created a witness for God on the earth: a man lived who could say to some purpose that God lived and that Jesus was the Christ, for he had seen and talked with them. Thus was laid the foundation for faith. We shall see, anon, how the foundation was broadened. 14. The Interval of Three Years:— For three years after this first vision, Joseph received no other visitation or revelation; and as he had been forbidden to join any of the religious sects then existing, he stood alone. It was a period of severe trial. A few days after his first vision, he related the circumstance to a Methodist minister who had been active in the religious agitation before mentioned. To the lad's surprise he treated his story with the utmost contempt; and declared it to be from the devil, as the Lord gave no revelations in these days, those things having ceased with the. Apostles. Making his vision public brought upon him the ridicule and indignation of the whole neighborhood, especially of the ministers. In this trying period of three years, he was guilty of some youthful follies; but he was true to God, and continued in the face of all opposition to maintain that he had received a revelation from Him. 15. The First Visit of Moroni:— On the 21st of Septem- ber, 1823, having retired for the night, he betook himself to prayer to obtain the forgiveness of his sins, and a manifestation that would enable him to know his stand- ing before the Lord. While thus engaged the room began to be filled with light, and presently a personage appeared by his bedside, standing in the air. [See note THE RESTORATION OF THE GOSPEL. :!(>!> 3, end of section.] He said that he was a messenger sent from the presence of God to Joseph, and that his name was Moroni. He announced to the youth that the Lord had a work for him to do; and that his name would be had for good and evil among all nations. 16. The Book Of Mormon: — The angel informed Joseph of the existence of the Book of Mormon, a record engraven upon gold plates, giving an account of the ancient inhabitants of the American Continent and their origin. He said, also, that it contained the everlast- ing gospel as taught by the Savior to the ancient in- habitants of this Western hemisphere. Deposited with the record was the Urim and Thummim, consisting of two stones fastened in silver bows, attached to a breast-plate. The Lord had prepared this instrument for the purpose of translating the record. A vision of the hill where the sac- red plates were hidden was given to the youthful prophet. 17. Ancient Prophecies Quoted by Moroni:— After relating these things, the angel began quoting from the prophecies of the Old Testament. He first quoted part of the third chapter of Malachi;* and then the fourth chapter. The first verse of the fourth chapter he quoted as follows: "For, behold, the day cometh that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly shall burn as stubble; for they that come shall burn them, saith the Lord of hosts; that it shall leave them neither root nor branch. " The fifth and sixth verses he quoted — "Behold, I will reveal unto you the priesthood by the hand of Elijah, the prophet, before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. And he shall * Most likely the first part of the third chapter, as that relates to the coming of a messenger to prepare the way for the glorious coming of Messiah. [See Mai. iii : i-6.] 310 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. plant in the hearts of the children, the promises made to the fathers, and the hearts of the children shall turn to their fath- ers; if it were not so, the whole earth would be utterly wasted at His coming* 18. Moroni also quoted the eleventh chapter of Isaiah, and said the predictions in it were about to be fulfilled. They relate to the glorious restoration of the house of Israel from their long dispersion, and the reign of peace and righteousness on the earth. He quoted also the twenty- second and twenty-third verses of the third chapter of Acts: "For Moses truly said unto the fathers, a prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you. And it shall come to pass, that every soul which will not hear that prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people." Moroni explained that the prophet here spoken of was Jesus Christ; but the day when they who would not hear his voice should be cut off from among the people had not yet come, but it would soon come. 19. The angel quoted from the twenty-eighth verse to the end of the second chapter of Joel; and said that it was soon to be fulfilled. It predicts the out-pouring of God's Spirit upon all flesh; the signs in the heavens and the earth which are to precede the glorious coming of Messiah; and foretells the safety which shall be found in Mount Zion and Jerusalem in those troublous times. 20. The Warning's of Moroni:— After making these and other explanations the light within the room seemed * Pearl of Great Price, page 50. The words in Italics indicate the differ- ence between the passages as quoted by Moroni and as they stand in our Eng- lish version of the Bible. The student should compare the passages as quoted above with the Bible and mark how superior the angel's rendering of them is. THE RESTORATION OF THE GOSPEL. 311 to condense about the person of the angel and he departed. Shortly, however, he returned and repeated what he had said on his first appearance, and again withdrew. To Joseph's astonishment he appeared the third time and again repeated his message. 21. In his first appearance that eventful night the angel told Joseph that when he obtained the plates con- taining the record of the ancient inhabitants of America, together with the breast plate and the Urim and Thum- mim — the full time for them to be given to him had not then arrived — he was to show them to no person except those to whom he should be commanded to show them. He was told that if he violated this commandment he would be destroyed. At his third appearing that same night the angel cautioned Joseph, saying that Satan would try to tempt him, in consequence of the poverty of his father's family, to obtain the plates for the purpose of getting rich. This he forbade him, saying that he must have no other object in view in getting the plates but to glorify God, and must be influenced by no other motive than that of building up His kingdom. 22. The Fourth Appearance of Moroni:— The whole night was consumed in these interviews with the angel. In the morning of the day following, Joseph went to his usual labors, but was so exhausted and faint that he found himself unable to pursue them. His father who was laboring with him, observing that he was ailing, directed him to go home. In attempting to climb the fence out of the field where he was working, his strength entirely failed him and he fell unconscious to the ground. When he became conscious, the angel who had visited him the night before was standing by him calling his name. He repeated again the things of the night before, and commanded Joseph to go and tell his father of them. 312 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. This he did, and his father testified that they were of God, and counseled his son to be obedient to the heavenly vision. 23. Cumorah and Its Treasures:— Joseph went immediately to the hill Cumorah* where the ancient record was hidden. So vivid had been his vision of the place the night before that he had no difficulty in recog- nizing it. [See note 4, end of section.] 24. On the west side of the hill Cumorah, not far from the top, under a stone of considerable size, lay the .plates, deposited in a stone box. Removing the soil from around the edges of the stone box with the aid of a lever, he raised it up and to his joy beheld the plates, the Urim and Thummim and breast plate, just as described by the angel. He was about to take these treasures from the box when the messenger of the previous night again stood before him, and told him again that the time for bringing them forth had not yet arrived, and would not until four years from that date. The angel instructed him to come to that place in just one year from that time and he would meet with him, and that he should continue to do so until the time for obtaining the plates for translation had come. Accord- ingly at the end of each year Joseph went to the place appointed, and every time met the same heavenly messen- ger who gave him instruction and intelligence in respect to the work of the Lord, and how his kingdom was to be conducted in these last days. 25. Translation and Publication of the Book of Mormon: — On the 22nd of September, 1827, the plates, together with the Urim and Thummim and breast plate, * That was the name of the hill among the Nephites. The Jaredites, a still more ancient people, called it Ramah. THE RES ["OR \ I ION OF I 111'. GOSPEL. 313 were given into the hands of Joseph Smith by the angel Moroni, with a strict charge to keep them safe, saying that he [Joseph] would be held responsible for them; that if he should carelessly let them go, or through any neglect of his, he would be cut off; but if he would use his best endeavors to preserve them, they should be pro- tected. He soon learned the necessity of the strict charge given to him by Moroni, for no sooner was it learned that he had the plates than every kind of device, not even omitting that of violence, was employed to wrest them from him. He guarded them safely, however, and' in the midst of much persecution and many difficulties, succeeded by the help of the Lord and the assistance of Martin Harris, a well-to-do farmer, Oliver Cowdery, a young school teacher, who acted as his scribe in much of the work of translation, and the Whitmer family — with this assistance he succeeded in completing the translation and publishing the work in the year 1829. 26. The Witnesses:— In the course of the work of translation, Joseph and those assisting him, learned from the record itself that it would be hidden from the eyes of the world, that the eyes of none might behold it except three witnesses that should see it by the power of God — besides him to whom the record would be given to translate — and a few others who should view it that they might bear witness of the work of God to the children of men.* 27. Oliver Cowdery, David Whitmer and Martin Harris desired to become the three witnesses named, and obtained that privilege from the Lord. Some time in June, 1829, the promise that they should have a view of the plates, the Urim and Thummim and breast plate • Book of Mormon, p. 114, 1 15. 314 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. was fulfilled. The angel Moroni appeared unto them exhibited to them those sacred things, and commanded them to bear witness of their existence to the world. This they did, and their testimony is published upon the fly-leaf of all copies of the Book of Mormon. 28. The plates were exhibited by Joseph Smith to eight other witnesses whose testimony and names are also published on the fly-leaf of all copies of the Book of Mormon; NOTES. 1. The Fullness of Times :— Now the thing to be known is, what the fullness of times means, or the extent and authority thereof. It means this, that the dispensation of the fullness of times is made up of all the dispensations that have ever been given since the world began, until this time. Unto Adam first was given a dispensation. It is well known that God spake to him with His own voice in the garden, and gave him the promise of the Messiah. And unto Noah also was a dispensation given. * * * And from Noah to Abraham, and from Abraham to Moses, and from Moses to Elias, and from Elias to John the Baptist, and from them to Jesus Christ, and from Jesus Christ to Peter, James and John, the apostles all having received their dispensation. by revela- tion from God to accomplish the great scheme of restitution, spoken by all the holy prophets since the world began, the end of which is, the dispensation of the fullness of times in which all things shall be fulfilled that have been spoken of since the earth was made.— Joseph Smith, Mill. Star, vol. XVI. p. 220. 2. The Name of Joseph Foretold : — The Book of Mormon contains a remarkable prophecy by Joseph, the favorite son of Jacob, by which the name of the Prophet Joseph Smith and of his father were foretold. The Prophet Lehi, who it will be remembered, left Jerusalem six hundred years B. C, and who was acquainted with the Jewish scriptures, says, in blessing his son Joseph : " For Joseph [the one sold into Egypt by his brethren] truly testified sav- ing : A seer shall the Lord my God raise up, who shall be a choice seer unto the fruit of my loins. * * * Behold that seer will the Lord bless ; and they.that seek to destroy him shall be confounded. * * * And his name shall be called after me [Joseph]; and it shall be after the name of his father. And he shall be like unto me ; for the thing which the Lord shall bring forth by his hand, yb the power of the Lord shall bring my people unto salvation. " — (//. Nephi, ch. Hi.) THE RESTORATION OF THE GOSPEL. 315 3. Description of Moroni:— He had on a loose robe of most exquisite whiteness. It was a whiteness beyond anything earthly I had ever seen ; nor do I believe any earthly thing could be made to appear so exceedingly white and brilliant; his hands were naked and his arms also, a little above the wrist ; so, also, were his feet naked, as were his legs a little above the ankles. His head and neck were also bare. I could discover that he had no other clothing on but this robe, as it was open, so that I could see into his bosom. Not only was his robe exceedingly white, but his whole person was glorious beyond description, and his countenance truly like lightning.— Joseph Smith, Pearl of Great Price, p. 4U. 4. Description of Cumorah : — As you pass on the mailroad from Pal- myra, Wayne County, to Canandaigua, Ontario County, New York, before ar- riving at the little village of Palmyra, you pass a large hill on the east side of the road. Why I say large, is because it is as large, perhaps, as any in that country. The north end rises quite suddenly until it assumes a level with the more south- erly extremity, and I think I may say, an elevation higher than at the south, a short distance, say half or three-fourths of a mile. As you pass towards Ca- nandaigua it lessens gradually, until the surface assumes its common level, or is broken by other smaller hills or ridges, water-courses and ravines. I think I am justified in saying that this is the highest hill for some distance round, and I am certain that its appearance, as it rises suddenly from a plain on the north, must attract the notice of the traveler as he passes by. The north end, (which has been described as rising suddenly from the plain) forms a promontory without timber, but covered with grass. As you pass to the south you soon come to scattering timber, the surface having been cleared by art or wind ; and a short distance further left, you are surrounded with the common forest of the country. It is necessary to observe that even the part cleared, was only occupied for pas- turage ; its steep ascent and narrow summit not admitting the plough of the hus- bandman with any degree of ease or profit. It was at the second mentioned place, where the record was found to be deposited, on the west side of the hill, not far from the top down its side ; and when myself visited the place in the year 1830, there were several trees standing — enough to cause a shade in summer, but not so much as to prevent the surface being covered with grass, which was also the case when the record was found. — Oliver Coiodery. 5. Analysis of the Book of Mormon: — 1. The Construction of the Record: — The Book of Mormon is an abridg- ment made from more extensive records kept by the ancient civilized people of America — chiefly by the people known in the Book of Mormon as Nephites. The abridgment, for the most part, is made by one Mormon, a Nephite prophet, who was born 311 A. D., and slain by his enemies in the year 400 A. D. The parts which are not his abridgment are the first 157 pages (N. E.), which bring us to the "Words of Mormon," page 158; and from page 563 (s. E.) to the end of the volume — sixty pages. This latter part of the record was made by Moroni, the son of Mormon, who was also the one who hid up the plates containing his 20 316 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. father's and his own abridgment, in the year 421 A. D.; and who, having been raised from the dead, revealed the existence of these plates to Joseph Smith. The first 157 pages are a verbatim translation from what are known as the "smaller plates" of Nephi — we will explain: The first Nephi, who left Jerusalem with a small company of colonists led out from that city by his father, Lehi, 600 B. C, and who afterwards became their leader, prophet, and their first king — made two sets of plates, on which he proposed engraving the history of his people. On the larger of these two sets he engraved an account of his father's life, travels, prophecies, etc., together with his genealogy; and upon them also he recorded a full history of the wars and contentions of his people, as also their travels, and an account of the cities they founded and colonies they established. These larger plates were preserved in the care of succeeding kings, or judges of the republic when the kingdom was transformed into one ; and, in a word, upon them was written a full history of the rise and fall of the nations which existed in America, from the landing of this colony from Jerusalem to 400 A. D., a period of nearly one thousand years. It is quite evident that as these plates were transmitted from king to king, or from one ruling judge of the republic to another, or given into the possession of a prophet, that they each recorded the historical events of his own day, and gave to such account his own name— hence Mormon found in these " larger plates" of Nephi, the Book of Mosiah, the Book of Alma, the Book of Heleman, etc. Furthermore, it happened that there were colonies from time to time that drifted off into distant parts of the land and became lost for a season to the main body of the people ; and there were missionary expeditions formed for the con- version of the Lamanites ; and these parties, whether missionary or colonial, gen- erally kept records ; and when these colonists or missionary parties were found, or returned to the main body of the people, their records were incorporated within the main record, being kept by the historian — hence there was, sometimes, a book within a book, and the current of events was interrupted to record the history of these detached portions of the people, or some important missionary expedition. Mormon, when abridging these plates of Nephi, gave to each particular divi- sion of his abridgment the name of the book from which he had taken his ac- count of the events recorded — hence the Books of Mosiah, Alma, Helaman and III. and IV. Nephi in his abridgment. He also, in some instances at least, fol- lowed the subdivisions we have alluded to, hence we have the record of Zeniff within the Book of Mosiah (page 181, N. E. ); the account of the church founded by the first Alma (page 213) ; and the account of the missionary expedi- tions of the sons of Mosiah to the Lamanites within the Book of Alma (page 283.) 2. Complexity of the Literary Style of the Book : — Again we caution the student to remember that the Book of Mormon is, for the most part, an abridgment from the " larger plates " of Nephi ; but it is quite evident that Mormon frequently came to passages upon the plates of Nephi which pleased him so well that he transcribed them upon the plates containing his abridgment III!. RESTORATION OF THE GOSPEL. 317 verbatim. An example of this will be found beginning on page 163, in the sec- ond line of the ninth paragraph, and ending with page 169— the words of King Benjamin to his people. The words of King Benjamin are also renewed on page 170, in the second line of the fourth paragraph, and continue to the close ot the chapter. There are many such passages throughout Mormon's abridgment. In addition to this, Mormon frequently introduces remarks of his own by way of comment, warning, prophecy or admonition, and since there is nothing in the text, either quotation marks or a change of type to indicate where these com- ments, or what we might call annotations, begin or end, they are liable to con- fuse the reader — a difficulty that we hope will be obviated by this caution. So much for Mormon's abridgment. Now to consider the part of the work done by his son Moroni. This is from page 563 to the end of the volume. He closes up the record of his father, Mormon, and then gives us an abridgment of the twenty- four plates of Ether, which were found in North America by the people of Limhi, in the second century B. C; and then concludes his work with notes on the man- ner of ordaining priests and teachers, administering the sacrament of the Lord's supper, baptism, spiritual gifts, together with a sermon and some of his father's letters. In his abridgment of the record of the Jaredites, the peculiarity of mixing up his comments, admonitions and prophecies with his narrative, is even more marked than in the abridgment of Mormon, therefore the reader will need to be doubly on his guard. 3. How the " Smaller Plates " of Nephi came to be Attached to Mor- mon's Abridgment: — We have already said that the first 157 pages of the Book of Mormon were not a part of Mormon's abridgment. Those pages are a verba- tim translation of the "smaller plates' of Nephi, and became connected with Mormon's abridgment in this manner: Mormon had abridged the "larger plates " of Nephi as far as the reign of King Benjamin, and in searching through the records which had been delivered to him, he found the " smaller plates" of Nephi. They contained a brief history of events connected with the departure of Lehi and his colony from Jerusalem to their landing in America, and thence down to the reign of this King Benjamin — covering a period of about 400 years. These plates were made by Nephi, that upon them might be engraven an ac- count of the ministry of the servants of God, among his people, together with their prophecies and teachings. They contain, in other words, an ecclesiastical history of the Nephites, while the " larger plates " of Nephi contained a political, or secular history of the same people. (I. Nephi ix; xix: 1-5.) Mormon was particularly well pleased with the contents of these " smaller plates " of Nephi, because upon them had been engraven so many prophecies concerning the coming and mission of the Messiah ; and instead of condensing the history recorded on them into an abridgment, he took the plates and attached them to the abridgment of Nephi's " larger plates." " And this I do for a wise purpose," says Mormon, " for thus itwhispereth me according to the Spirit of the Lord which is in me." (Words of Mormon, page 159 N. E.) Nephi, also, in speak- ing of these " smaller plates," says, " the Lord hath commanded me to make these plates for a wise purpose in him, which purpose I know not." (I. Nephi ix: 5.) 318 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. 4. The Wise Purpose :— By Mormon attaching these " smaller plates " of Nephi to his own abridgment of Nephi's " larger plates," it will be observed there was a double line of history of the Nephites for about 400 years, and the wisdom of this arrangement is seen in the following: When Joseph Smith had translated the first part of Mormon's abridgment — amounting to 116 pages of manuscript, he listened to the importunities of Martin Harris, who was giving him some as- sistance in the work of translating, and who desired to show that portion of the work to his friends. The result was the manuscript was stolen from Harris ; the records were taken from Joseph by the angel, and he lost his power to translate for a season. After a time, however, he was permitted to go on with the work, but the Lord made it known to him that it was the design of those into whose hands the manuscript had fallen to wait until he had translated that part again, and then by changing the manuscript in their possession, would bring it forth and claim that he could not translate the same record twice alike ; and thus they would seek to overthrow the work of God. But the heavenly messenger commanded Joseph Smith not to translate again the part he had already translated, but instead thereof he should translate the " smaller plates " of Nephi, and that account was to take the place of Mormon's abridgment up to the latter days of the reign of King Benjamin. (Doc. and Cov., Sec. 10.) Thus it is that we have the " words of Mormon," beginning on page 158, explaining how the " smaller plates " of Nephi came into his possession and attached to the plates containing the record he himself was making, and con- necting the historical narrative of the "smaller plates" of Nephi with his own abridgment of Nephi's " larger plates." The " words of Mormon," interrupting as they do the history of the Nephites, have caused no little contusion in the minds of unthoughtful readers; but after it is understood that they are merely the link connecting the ecclesiastical history engraven on the "smaller plates" of Nephi to Mormon's abridgment, and that they take the place of the first part of Mormon's record, the difficulty will disappear. 5. Difference in the Literary Style of the " Smaller Plates " and Mor- mon's Abridgment: — One thing we cannot forbear to mention, and that is, in the parts of the Book of Mormon translated from the " smaller plates " of Nephi, we find none of those comments or annotations mixed up with the record that we have already spoken of as being peculiar to the abridgment made by Mormon — a circumstance, we take it, which proves the Book of Mormon to be consistent with the account given of the original records from which it was translated. The value of this fact appears if we stop to consider how destructive to the claims of the book it would be if the peculiarity of Mormon's abridgment were found in that part of the book which claims to be a verbatim translation of the " smaller plates " of Nephi. There will be found, however, in this translation direct from the " smaller plates " of Nephi, as also in Mormon's abridgment, extracts from the old Jewish Scriptures — especially from the writings of Isaiah — this is ac- counted for by the fact that when Lehi's colony left Jerusalem, they took with them copies of the books of Moses and the writings of the prophets, and the record of the Jews down to the commencement of the reign of Zedekiah, all THE RESTOR \ I rON OF THE GOSPi I . 318 of which were engraven on plates of brass (see I. Nephi v: 10-13), and the Nephite historians transcribed passages from these sacred records into their own writings. 6. The Transcribed Passages: — There are a few suggestions about these transcribed passages which may be valuable to the student, as they furnish an indirect evidence to the truth of the Book of Mormon. The Nephites having transcribed passages from the brass plates they carried with them from Jerusa- lem into their records, wherever such passages occur in the Book of Mormon, and corresponding passages are found in our English Bible, it will be seen by the reader that so far we have two translations of the writings of the old Hebrew- prophets; and it will be found on comparison that the passages in the Book of Mormon are stronger and more in keeping with the sense sought to be expressed by the prophet than the corresponding passgaes and chapters in the Bible. As a proof of this I ask the student to compare I. Nephi xx and xxi, with Isaiah xlvii and xlix. In some instances there are sentences, in the Book of Mormon version of pas- sages from Isaiah, not to be found in our English version, as witness the fol- lowing: BOOK OK MORMON. BIBLE. O house of Jacob, come ye and let O house of Jacob, come ye and let us walk in the light of the Lord ; yea, us walk in the light of the Lord. — Isa. come, for ye have all gone astray, ii: 5. every one to his wicked icays. — II. Nephi xii: 5. In other instances it will be found that the sense of the passages is different, and that the passages in the Book of Mormon best accord with the sense of the whole : BOOK OF MORMON. BIBLE. Therefore, O Lord, Thou hast for- Therefore hast Thou forsaken Thy saken Thy people, the house of Jacob, people, the house of Jacob, because because they be replenished from the they replenished from the east, and east, and hearken unto soothsayers like are soothsayers like unto the Philis- the Philistines, and they please them- tines, and they please themselves with selves with the children of strangers. — the children of strangers. — Isa. ii: 6. II. Nephi xii: 'J. Their land is also full of idols — they Their land also is full of idols ; they worship the work of their own hands, worship the work of their own hands, that which their own fingers have that which their own fingers have made ; and the mean man boweth not made ; and the mean man boweth down, and the great man humbleth down, and the great man humblelh himself not, therefore, forgive him not. himself; therefore, forgive him not. — —II. Nephi xii; 8, 9. Isa. ii: 8, 9. 21 32.0 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY BOOK OF MORMON. Thou hast multiplied the nation, and increased the joy : they joy before Thee according to the joy in harvest, and as men rejoice when they divide the spoil. — II. Nephi xix: 3. BIBLE. Thou hast multiplied the nation, and not increased the joy : they joy before Thee according to the joy in harvest, and as men rejoice when they divide the spoil. — Isa ix: 3. Observe, too, the difference in the clearness of the following passages : BOOK OF MORMON. BIBLE. And when they shall say unto you, seek unto them that have familiar spir- its, and unto wizards that peep and mutter ; should not a people seek unto their God ? for the living to hear from the dead ?— II. Nephi. xviii: 19. And when they shall say unto you, seek unto them that have familiar spir- its, and unto wizards that peep and that mutter ; should not a people seek unto their God? for the living to the dead.— Isa. viii: 19. Again, the English translators of the Bible, in order to make the sense of vari- ous passages more clear, inserted here and there, words of their own ; which are always written in italics, that the reader might know what words have been in- serted by the translator, and for which he will find no equivalent in the original text. It is worthy of note that in those transcribed passages from the brass plates into the Book of Mormon, in almost every instance, the words in the Book of Mormon version are different to those substituted by the translators of the common English version ; or are left out, as follows : BOOK OF MORMON. BIBLE. What mean ye ? ye beat my people to pieces, and grind the faces of the poor. — II. Nephi xiii: 15. What mean ye that ye beat my people to pieces, and grind the faces of the poor? — Isa. Hi; 15. The above is a case where the inserted word of the translator, which I have written in italics, is omitted, and to my mind the passage as it stands in the Book of Mormon is the stronger and more beautiful. Here is a passage where different words are used than those inserted bv the translators : BOOK OF MORMO . Say unto the righteous, that it is well with them ; for they shall eat the fruit of their doings. Woe unto the wicked ! for they shall perish ; for the reward of their hands shall be upon them. — II. Nephi xiii: 10,11. Say ye unto the righteous, that it shall be well xoith him; for they shall eat the fruit of their doings. Woe unto the wicked ! it shall be ill with him; for the reward of his hands shall be given him. — Isa. Hi: 10,11. I think it will be readily conceded that the above passage as it stands in the Bjok of Mormon is much superior to the version given in our common Bible. THE RESTORATION OF THE GOSPEL. iiliJ And when it is remembered that Joseph Smith and those who assisted in trans- lating that work were most likely uninformed as to the supplied words of the translators being written in italics, it is an incidental evidence that those passages in the Book of Mormon to which are found corresponding passages in the Hible, were not merely copied from the Bible, but in the Book of Mormon we have really another translation of those passages taken from original records of the Hebrews, uncorrupted by the hand of man, and hence more perfect. 7. .1 Means of Testing the Truth of the Book of Mormon: — One sug- gestion more I would make to the readers of the Book of Mormon : that is, that they read it prayerfully with a real desire to know if it is of God. If they will pe- ruse it with that desire in their hearts, I am sanguine that the Spirit of God which searches all things, yea, the deep things of God, will bear witness to their undef- standing that the book is of divine origin, and they will have a witness from God of its truth. Such a promise in fact, is contained within the book itself. When Moroni was closing up the sacred record previous to hiding it up unto the Lord until the time should come for it to be revealed as a witness for God, he en- graved the following passage on the plates as words of counsel to those into whose hands the record should fall : " And when ye shall receive these things (i. e., the things written in the Book of Mormon) I would exhort you that ye would ask God the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true ; and if ye shall ask with a sin- cere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, He will manifest the truth of it unto you by the power of the Holy Ghost; and by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things." (Moroni x : 4, 5.) Here, then, is a means by which every person into whose hands the Book of Mormon falls may find out for himself, not from human testimony, not from the deductions of logic, but through the power of the Holy Ghost, whether the Book of Mormon is of divine origin or not. This test must be final, either for or against it, to every individual who complies with the conditions enjoined by Moroni. Those conditions are, that they into whose hands the record falls shall inquire of God with a sincere heart, with real intent, and having faith in Christ ; and to those who so proceed he promises without equivocation that they shall receive a manifestation of its truth by the power of the Holy Ghost. Therefore, if these directions are complied with faithfully and honestly, and the manifesta- tion follows not, then they may know it is not of God, If the manifestation comes, of course the divine origin of the book is confirmed, for the Holy Ghost would not confirm by any manifestation of its power an imposition. REVIEW. 1. What is a dispensation in connection with the work of God ? 2. In what does the dispensation of the fullness of times differ from other dispensations? 3. State where and when the Prophet Joseph was born. 322 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. 4. What was the condition and standing of the prophet's parents? 5. State what you can aboutLthe movements of the Smith family until its settlement in Manchester. 6. What occurred in^ Manchester when the prophet was in his fifteenth year ? 7. What influence did this religious revival have on the Smith family? 8. What reflections did it give binh to in the boy Joseph ? 9. What circumstance was it that decided the course of Joseph? 10. Describe the first great vision | Joseph received. 11. What sectarian vagary is dispelled by this vision ? 12. What were the 'prophet's subsequent teachings relative to the personage of God? (Note.) 13. What does! the1 vision teach in respect to the Father and Son being dis- tinct persons ? 14. What greatjrtruth respecting the character of the creeds and sects of Christendom'.is learned froirf the vision ? 15. What did it prove in regard to the false idea that God would give no more revelation to man ? 16. What other important thing'did this first vision accomplish ? 17. How long was it after the prophet received his first vision before any other revelation was given'him? 18. How was ^Joseph's announcement that he had received a revelation from God treated I y[the ministers? 19. What can you! say of the prophet's conduct during the above mentioned interval of three years? 20. Give an account of Moroni'slfirst visit to the Prophet Joseph. 21. Give a description of Moroni. (Note 3.) 22. What ancient record did Moroni reveal the existence of? 23. Enumerate the several ancient prophecies quoted by Moroni. 24. What cautions did Moroni give Joseph before finally leaving him ? 25. Relate Moroni's fourth appearance to Joseph. 26. Give an account of Joseph's first visit to Cumorah. 27. By what name was this same hill known among the Jaredites? 28. Give;a description of Cumorah. 29. What arrangements for future visitations did Moroni make with Joseph ? 30. When were the [plates of the Book of Mormon together with the Urim and Thummim given into[the possession of Joseph ? 31. What individuals and family rendered Joseph valuable assistance while translating the Book of Mormon ? 32. How many'especial witnesses were raised up to the Book of Mormon ? 33. State how the.Book^of Mormon was constructed. 34. Describe the complexity^of the style in which the Book of Mormon is written. 35. How did the "smaller plates'' of Nephi come to be attached to Mor- mon's abridgement ? THE RESTORATION OF THE GOSPEL. '.V2A 36. For what wise purpose were they attached to Mormon's abridgement ? 37. What difference in style of composition is noticeable between these smaller plates " and Mormon's abridgement ? 38. What can you say of the transcribed passages from the brass plates ? 39. What direct means exists for testing the truth of the Book of Mormon ? 324 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. SECTION II. 1. The Restoration of the Aaronic Priesthood:— While engaged in the work of translating the Book of Mormon, Joseph and Oliver found reference made in the record to baptism for the remission of sins; and on the 15th of may, 1829, they went into the woods to inquire of the Lord about it. While thus engaged a messenger from heaven descended in a cloud of light, and announced himself to be John, the same that is called the Baptist,* in the new Testament. He placed his hands upon the heads of Joseph and Oliver and ordained them to the Aronic Priesthood. f He explained that this priesthood held the keys of the ministration of angels, the gospel of repentance and of baptism for the remission of sins, but had not the power of laying on hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost. He promised them also that the priest- hood he then conferred upon them should never be taken again from the earth, until the sons of Levi offer an offering unto the Lord in righteousness. [See note 1, end of section.] 2. John stated that he was acting under the direction of Peter, James and John who held the keys of the *This messenger was a resurrected personage. It will be remembered that John the Baptist was beheaded by Herod Antipas before the crucifixion of the Lord ; and that after the resurrection of Messiah " the graves were opened ; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose and came out of the graves after his [Christ's] resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many " (Matt, xxvii: 52, 53). As John the Baptist was one of the most worthy of the saints, and a martyr for righteousness, it is but reasonable to conclude that he was among the number resurrected immediately after the resurrection of Jesus. t For the words of the angel see Doc. and Cov., sec. xiii. THE RESTORATION OF THE GOSPEL. 325 Melchisedek Priesthood, which he said would in due time be conferred upon them. He then commanded Joseph to baptize Oliver, and afterwards Oliver was to baptize Joseph.* After their baptism they were both filled with the spirit of prophecy and predicted many things concerning the rise and progress of the work. The angel also commanded them to each re-ordain the other to fhe priesthood — Joseph to first ordain Oliver, and afterwards Oliver to ordain Joseph. To this com- mandment the}' were obedient, and thus the Aaronic priesthood, the power from God which gives the right to those who receive it to preach repentance and administer baptism for the remission of sins, was restored to men. 3. For a season, doubtless in order . to avoid persecution, which constantly increased in bitterness. Joseph and Oliver kept their baptism and ordination to the Aaronic priesthood a secret; but as men's minds were wrought upon to inquire after the truth, they at last let it be known that they had received authority to baptize for the remission of sins, and a number of people received the ordinance at their hands. 4. Restoration of the Melchisedek Priesthood:— Some time in June, 1829,^ the promise made by John the Baptist to Joseph and Oliver, at the time he conferred the Aronic priesthood upon them — viz., that they should ♦These baptisms were, ol course, by immersion. The Savior when teaching the Nephiteshow to baptize, said : " Ye shall go down and stand in the water, and * * * these are the words ye shall say, calling them by name, saying — Having authority given me of Jesus Christ, I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son. and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. And then shall ye immerse them in the water, and come forth again out of the water." (III. Nephi xi: 23-26.) It was this passage which led Joseph and Oliver to inquire of the Lord about baptism with the result stated in the text. t See Cannon's Life of Joseph Smith, p. 73. 326 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. receive the higher or Melchisedek priesthood was ful- filled. This priesthood was conferred upon them by Peter. James and John, probably in the wilderness, between Harmony, Susquehanna County, and Coles- ville. Broome County, on the Susquehanna river.* [See note 2, end of section.] It is quite evident from the prominence given to these three apostles in the New Testament, that they held the keys of this priest- hood ; and that of the three Peter was the chief. To him the Lord said: "I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatsoever thou shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."! It was eminently proper therefore that these three apostles should be the ones to restore to the earth the Melchis- edek priesthood by conferring the apostleship upon Joseph and Oliver. 5. As after receiving their ordination under the hands of John the Baptist they were required to re- ordain each other, so after receiving the apostleship un- der the hands of Peter, James and John they re-ordained each other, Joseph first re-ordaining Oliver, and after- wards accepting re-ordination at his hands. X 6. The power and authority of this Melchisedek Priesthood [see note 3, end of section,] is to hold the keys of all the spiritual blessings of the church, and those holding it have the privilege of receiving the mys- teries of the kingdom of heaven — they have the right to have the heavens opened unto them — to commune with the general assembly and church of the First * Dor. and Cov., sec. cxxviii: 20; also article by Joseph F. Smith on Re- storation of the Melchisedek Priesthood. Contributor Vol. X, p. 310. f Matt, xvi : 19. % Cannon's Life of Joseph Smith, p. 73. THE RESTORATION OF THE GOSPEL. 327 Born, and to enjoy the communion and presence of God the Father, and Jesus the Mediator of the new cove- nant.* Hence, clothed with this power, Joseph and Oliver were authorized to organize the Church of Christ in the earth. 7. The Organization of the Church of Christ:— In all things, however, the two young men waited for direction from the Lord, and hence did not undertake to organize the church until he commanded them. It was in obedience to a commandment from the Lord, there- fore that they appointed the sixth day of April, 1830, as the time to organize the church. Six persons! who had been baptized and a few of their friends, met at the house of Peter Whitmer, Sen., in Fayette, Seneca County in the State of New York, to effect that organization. The meeting was opened by solemn prayer, after which, according to previous commandment, the prophet Joseph called upon the brethren present to know if they would accept himself and Oliver Cowdery as their teachers in the things of the Kingdom of God; and if they were willing that he should proceed to organize the church according to the commandment of the Lord. To this they consented by unanimous vote. Joseph then or- dained Oliver an elder of the Church of Jesus Christ ;| after which Oliver ordained Joseph an elder of the said church. The sacrament was administered and those who * Doc and Cor., sec. cvii: IS, 19. fTheir names were Joseph Smith, Oliver Cowdery, Hyrum Smith, Peter Whitmer, Jun., Samuel H. Smith, and David Whitmer. There were a number of others who had been baptized, but as six persons were sufficient to fill the re- quirements of the laws of the State of New York in respect to organizing religious societies, the church was organized with that number. X The words " of Latter-day Saints," were not used until some time after April 26, 1838, when thev were added by revelation from the Lord. (Doc. and Cov., sec. cxv.) 328 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. had been previously baptized were confirmed members of the church and received the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands. Some enjoyed the gift of prophecy and all rejoiced exceedingly. [See note 4 end of section.] 8- While the church was yet assembled a revelation was received from the Lord,* directing that a record be kept in the church, and that in it Joseph be called a seer, a translator, a prophet, an apostle of Jesus Christ, an elder of the church; and the church was commanded to give heed to all his words and commandments which he should receive from the Lord, accepting his word as the word of God in all patience and faith. On condition of their doing this, the Lord promised them that the gates of hell should not prevail against the church ; but on the contrary he would disperse the powers of darkness from before them and shake the heavens for their good. 9. The Voice of God and the Voice of the People in ChUPCh Government: — Thus the church was organ- ized; and in that organization we see the operation of two mighty principles — the voice of God: the consent of the people. At the time that Joseph and Oliver received instruction to ordain each other to be elders of the church, they were told to defer their ordination until such time as it would be practicable to get their brethren who had been and who would be baptized assembled together: for they must have the sanction of their brethren before they ordained each other elders of the Church ; and their breth- ren must decide by vote whether they would accept them [Joseph and Oliver] as spiritualt teachers. Thus, notwith- * See Dog. and Cov. sec. xxi. t The revelation giving these instructions was given in the chamber of Peter Whitmer, Sen., and is the " voice of God in the chamber of old father Whitmer,' alluded to in the letter of Joseph to the church under date of Sep. 6th, 1842, con- tained in sec. cxxviii of the Doc. and Cov. [Ill RESTORATION OF rill-: GOSPEL. 329 standing Joseph and Oliver had been ordained apostles un- der the hands of Peter, James and John, and had doubtless re-ordained each other as already stated,* yet when it come to being ordained ciders of the Church^, and made the spirit- ual leader of it, it must be done by the common consent of the church; and thus early we see enforced that law which says: "All things shall be done by common con- sent in the church, by much prayer and faith. "% But no sooner was the church organized than a prophet. a seer, a translator, is appointed and the church com- manded to give heed to his words, and to receive them as coming from the mouth of the Lord himself. Here in the very inception of the church organization is clearly established the great truth, the grand principle, that in the government of the church there is to be a union of the voice of God and the consent or voice of the people. Not vox popult, vox Di'i:^ nor vox Dei, vox popu!i;\\ but VOX Dei rt vox populi.^ 10. Revelation on Church Government and Discipline; — Previous to the organization of the church, a very important revelation was given — in fact it was the revelation which pointed out the date on which the church was to be organized** — which teaches many impor- * Page 326. t It is the law of the church that " no person is to be ordained to any office in this church, where there is a regularly organized branch of the same, without the vote of that church." (Doc. and Cov., sec. xx: 65.) tDoc. and Cov., sec.xxvi. \ The voice of the people is the voice of God, {| The voice of God is the voice of the people. *[ The voice of God and the voice of the people. ** This revelation is the one found in sec. xx., Doc. and Cov. The Prophet Joseph precedes it in his history with these remarks : " Among many other things of the kind [spiritual manifestations], we obtained of Him the following, by the spirit of prophecy and revelation, which, not only gave us much infor- 330 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. tant truths and points out the duties of the members of the church, and also the duties of the officers of the church — so far as the officers of the church at that time had been given. That revelation announces the follow- ing doctrines: — /. Of the Existence of God: — There is a God in heaven, who is infinite and eternal, from everlasting to everlast- ing— unchangeable; the framer of heaven and earth, and all things which are in them: IT. Of the Creation and Fall of Man: — God created man, male and female after his own image, and in his own likeness created he them. He gave them command- ment that they should love and serve Him, and that He should be the sole object of their worship. But by the transgression of these holy laws, man became sensual and devilish — fallen man: III. Of Jesus Christ: — The Almighty God gave his Only Begotten Son as a ransom for fallen man, as it is written of Him in the scriptures, he suffered tempta- tions, but gave no heed to them; he was crucified, died, and rose again the third day; he ascended into heaven to sit on the right hand of his Father, to reign with Al- mighty power according to the will of God. As many as believe on him and are baptized in his holy name, enduring in faith to the end — shall be saved. Not only those who believe after he came in the flesh; but all those who from the beginning, believed in the words of the holy prophets, who testified of him in all things. IV. Of the Holy Ghost and the Trinity .—The Holy mation, but also pointed out to us the precise day upon which, according to His will and commandment we should proceed to organize His church once again here upon the earth." Then followed the revelation above referred to. Hist. Joseph Smith, Mill. Star {Supplement) vol. xiv.p. 22. THE RESTORATION OF THE GOSPEL. 331 Ghost beareth record of the Father and of the Son is God's witness. The Father, Son and Holy Ghost con- stitute the Holy Trinity — one God or grand Presidency of heaven and earth, infinite, eternal. V. Of Justification and Sanctification: — Justification and sanctification come through the grace of God, and are just and true principles. That is, the grace of God supplies the means or conditions of justification and sanctification, and it is for man to apply those means. The means or conditions of justification and sanctifica- tion are that men love and serve God with all their might, mind, and strength. That would lead them to exercise faith in God, repentance of sin and baptism for the remission of sins, laying on of hands for the Holy Ghost, and the pursuit of a godly life and conversation — the old conditions of salvation.* VI. Of Falling from Grace: — It is possible for men to all from grace and depart from the living God, there- fore the saints are admonished to take heed and pray always, least they fall into temptation. Even those who are sanctified are cautioned to take heed. VII. Of Baptism: — All who humble themselves before God, and desire to be baptized and come forth with broken hearts and contrite spirits, and witness before the church that they have truly repented of all their sins, and are willing to take upon them the name of Jesus Christ, having a determination to serve Him to the end. and truly manifest by their works that they have re- ceived of the spirit of Christ unto the remission of their sins — shall be received by baptism into the church. f * See part I. t Subsequently when some persons desired to join the church without bap- tism at the hands of the elders, having been baptized by the ministers of other churches, the Lord said : " All old covenants have I caused to be done away in :532 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. No person, however, can be received into the church of Christ, unless he has arrived unto the years of account- ability* before God, and is capable of repentance. VIII. Of t lie manner of Baptism: —The person who is called of God, and has authority from Jesus Christ to bap- tize, shall go down into the water with the person who has presented him or herself for baptism, and shall say — calling him or her by name — "having been commissioned of Jesus Christ, I baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen, "t Then shall he immerse him or her, and come forth again out of the water. IX. Of Confirmation: — Confirmation into the church follows baptism and is performed by the laying on of hands, by those who have authority in the church. The Holy Ghost is imparted in the same manner. There is no form of words given, so far as we know, for confirming persons of the church and' imparting the Holy Ghost; but judging from the forms given for baptism, administering the sacrament, etc, a simple form would be most proper. But whatever other words are used, the following should not be omitted : I confirm you a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; and say unto you, re- this thing, and this is a new and an everlasting covenant, even that which was from the beginning. Wherefore, although a man should be baptized an hun- dred times, it availeth him nothing, for you cannot enter in at the straight gate by the law of Moses, neither by your dead works. For it is because of your dead works, that I have caused this last covenant and this church to be built up Hnto me even as in days of old. Wherefore enter ye in at the gate, as I have commanded , and seek not to counsel your God." Doc. and Cov. Sec. xxii. * Eight years is fixed as the age of baptism for children. Doc. and Cov. Sec. lxviii. 27. t These are the same words given to the Nephites, except that the opening clause in the Hook of Mormon is, " having authority given me of Jesus Christ " (III. Nephi xi: 25), and that means the same as " Having been commissioned of jesus Christ," etc. THE RESTORATION OF IMF. GOSPEL. '■>'■'>'•> ceive ye the Holy Ghost. Those officiating would of course be careful to do this in the name of Jesus Christ, or their administration would be of none effect. X. Of the Duties of Members: — It is the duty of the members of the church to manifest righteous- ness by "a Godly walk and conversation;" to abstain from ill feeling toward each other, neither indulging in lying, back-biting nor evil speaking. It is also their duty to pray vocally and in secret. They are required to meet together often to partake of bread and wine in re- membrance of the Lord Jesus, which is to be admin- istered by the elder or priest* in the following manner: kneeling with the church he consecrates the emblems of the body and blood of Christ in these words: BLESSING OX THE BREAD. "O God, the Eternal Father, we ask thee in the name of thy Son Jesus Christ to bless and sanctify this bread to the souls of all those who partake of it, that they may eat in remembrance of the body of thy Son, and witness unto thee, O God, the eternal Father, that they are wdling to take upon them the name of thy Son, and always remember him and keep his command- ments which he has given them, that the)' may always have his spirit to be with them. Amen." BLESSING ON THE WINE.f "O God, the Eternal Father, we ask thee in the name of thy Son Jesus Christ, to bless and sanctify this wine * All officers in the church holding higher authority than those named would, of course, have authority to administer the sacrament. f A few months after the organization of the church, viz., early in the month of August, 1830, when the Prophet Joseph left his house in Harmony, Penn., for the purpose of procuring wine to administer the sacrament to a few sainls visiting 3S4 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. to the souls of all those who drink of it, that they may- do it in remembrance of the blood of thy Son, which was shed for them; that they may witness unto thee, O God the Eternal Father, that they do always remember him, that they may have his spirit to be with them. Amen. " XI. Of the Duties of Saints Respecting Children: — Every member of the church having children is required to bring them to the elders, before the church, who are to lay their hands upon them and bless them in the name of Jesus Christ.* him at his home,— he had gone but a short distance when he was met by a heav- enly messenger and received the revelation contained in the Doc. and Cov. sec. xxvii, a portion of which is as follows : " Listen to the voice of Jesus Christ, your Lord, your God and your Redeemer, whose word is quick and powerful. For behold I say unto you, that it mattereth not what ye shall eat or what ye shall drink when ye partake of the sacrament, if it so be that ye do it with an eye sin- gle to my glory , remembering unto the Father my body which was laid down for you and my blood which was shed for the remission of your sins : wherefore, a commandment I give unto you, that ye shall not purchase wine, neither strong drink of your enemies ; wherefore you shall partake of none except it is made new among you ; yea, in this my Father's kingdom which shall be built up on the earth." This revelation is the authority the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has for using water instead of wine in the sacrament. * It must be remembered that this revelation was given before the church was organized ; at that time there were a number who had been baptized, and who had children not old enough to be baptized, and had not yet been blessed of the elders, This commandment therefore was directed more especially to them, but applies, of course, to people placed in like circumstances. Subsequently, in November, 1831, the Lord said: " Inasmuch as parents have children in Zion, or in any of her Stakes which are organized, that teach them not to understand the doctrine of repentance, faith in Christ, the Son of the living God, and of bap- tism and the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands when eight years old, the sin be upon the heads of the parents ; for this shall be a law unto the inhabitants of Zion or in any of her Stakes when organized ; and their children shall be baptized for the remission of sins when eight years old and receive the laying on of hands, and they shall also teach their children to pray and walk up- rightly before the Lord." (Doc; and Cov. sec. lxviii: 25-28.) THE RESTORATION OF THE GOSPEL. 335 XII Duties of Officers — Elders:* — Elders have authority to preside over meetings and conduct them as prompted by the Holy Ghost. They also have authority to teach and expound the scriptures; to watch over the church; to baptize; to lay on hands for the bestowal of the Holy Ghost; confirm those baptized, members of the church; administer the sacrament, and ordain other Elders and al- so priests, teaches, and deacons. — Priests: — It is the duty of priests to preach, teach, and expound scripture; to visit the home of each member and exhort them to pray vocally and in secret and attend to all duties. They may also baptize and administer the sacra- ment, ordain other priests, teachers and deacons, take the lead of meetings when no elder is present, and in a gen- eral way assist the elder; but they have no authority to lay on hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost or confirmation in the church. — Teachers: — The teacher's duty is to always be with the church, watch over and strengthen it; to see that there is no iniquity in it, and that the members there- of meet together often, and all do their duty. Teach- ers may warn, expound, exhort, teach and invite all to come unto Christ, and take the lead of meetings when no elder or priest is present; but they have not the authority to baptize, administer the sacrament or lay on hands. — Deacons: — Deacons are appointed to assist the teach- ers in the performance of their duties. They may * The term " elder " is both a general and a specific title. That is, it may be applied to an apostle or a seventy ; as, for instance, in the revelation under con- sideration (Doc. and Cov. sec. xx.), it is said: " An apostle is an elder," etc. We shall see also further on that it is the name of a specific office in the Church ; that ninet;- six elders constitute a quorum ; that they constitute a standing min- istry in the Stakes of Zion ; and that they have authority to do all that is enumer- ated in the text above. 336 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. also warn, expound, exhort, teach and invite all to come unto Christ, but like teachers have no au- thority to baptize, administer the sacrament, or lay on hands. XIII. Conferences: — The several elders comprising the church of Christ are to meet in conference once in three months, or from time to time as the said conference shall appoint, to do whatever church business is necessary. It is the duty of the several branches of the church to send one or more of their teachers [or other represen- tatives] to attend the conferences of the church, with a list of the names of those who joined the church since the last conference, that a record of the names of the whole church may be kept by one who shall be ap- pointed to that work; and the names of those who are ex- pelled from the church are also to be sent up to the con- ferences, that their names may be blotted out of the general record of the church. Members removing from the church where they reside are to take a letter certi- fying that they are regular members in good standing, and that when signed by the regular authorities of the church from whence they move is to admit them into the fellowship of the Saints in the church to which they go. Such is the plan of government and discipline contained in the revelation given just previous to the organization of the church; and in it one may observe the germ of that more complete organization of the church which will be treated more fully in another section. The above was sufficient for the church in its infancy. 11. Commencement of the Public Ministry:— On Sunday, the 11th of April, 1830, the first pubile dis- course was preached. It was delivered \>y Elder Oliver Cowdery, at the house of Peter Whitmer, in Fayette. THE RESTORATION OF THE GOSPEL. 337 After the services six persons were baptized. Thus began the public ministry of the church. 12. First Miracle in the Church :— In this same month of April the first miracle in the church was per- formed. It occurred in this manner. The Prophet Joseph went on a visit to Mr. Joseph Knight, at Colesville, Broome County, New York. This gentleman had rend- ered the prophet some timely assistance while translating the Book of Mormon, and he was anxious that Mr. Knight and his family should receive the truth. While in Mr. Knight's neighborhood the prophet held a num- ber of meetings. Among those who regularly attended was Newel Knight, son of Joseph Knight. He and the prophet had many serious conversations on the subject of man's salvation. In the meetings held the people prayed much, and in one of the aforesaid conversa- tions with the prophet, Newel Knight promised that he would pray publicly. When the time came, however, his heart failed him, and he refused, saying that he would wait until he got into the woods by himself. The next morning when he attempted to pray in the woods, he was overwhelmed with a sense of having neglected his duty the evening before in not praying in the presence of others. He began to feel uneasy and continued to grow worse both in mind and body, until upon reaching home his appearance was such as to alarm his wife. He sent for the prophet, who, when he came, found Newel in a sad condition and suffering greatly. His visage and limbs were distorted and twisted in every shape imaginable. At last he was caught up off the floor and tossed about most fearfully. The neighbors hearing of his condition came running in. After he had suffered for a time, the prophet suceeded in getting him by the hand when Newel immediately spoke to him, saying he 338 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. knew he was possessed of the devil and that the prophet had power to cast him out. "If you know I can, it shall be done," replied the prophet ; and then almost uncon- sciously he rebuked Satan and commanded him to depart from the man. Immediately Newel's contortions stopped, and he spoke out and said he saw the devil leave him and vanish from sight. 13. "This was the first miracle which was done in this church or by any member of it," writes the prophet; "and it was done not by man, nor by the power of man, but it was done by God, and by the power of godliness; therefore let the honor and praise, the dominion and the glory, be ascribed to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, for ever and ever. Amen." 14. The First Conference: — The first conference of the church was held the first day of June, 1830. About thirty members were in attendance, besides a number of unbaptized believers and others anxious to learn. The sacrament was administered, a number who had been baptized were confirmed, and brethren were called and ordained to various offices of the priesthood. The time was spent in prayer, singing, instruction and exhortation. The Holy Ghost was abundantly poured out upon the saints. Some prophesied, and others were wrapped in heavenly vision, until their bodily strength was ex- hausted. When restored they shouted Hosannah to God and the Lamb, and related the glorious things they had seen and felt while in vision. [See note 4, end of section.] Thus the ministry of God's servants began to be confirmed by the signs and the gifts of the Holy Ghost following those who believed. 15. Errors Of the Saints:— It would be unreasonable to suppose that the members of the church fell into no errors. Some time in the summer of 1830. while the THF RESTORATION OF THE GOSPEL. 339 prophet was still living in Harmony, Penn., and Oliver Cowdery was with the Whitmer family in New York, he received a letter from Oliver informing him that he [Oliver] had discovered an error in one of the revela- tions, and added: "I command you in the name of God to erase these words [having named the passage] that no priest-craft be among us."* The prophet wrote im- mediately asking by what authority Oliver took it upon himself to command him to altar or erase, to add to, or diminish a revelation or commandment from Almighty God. Joseph followed his letter in a few days, and was grieved beyond measure to find that the whole Whitmer family sustained Oliver in the position he had taken. By labor and perseverance, however, he convinced them that they were in error and the difficulty was settled. 16. Scarcely had this trouble subsided when another arose. In the month of August, 1830, in consequence of persecution having grown extremely bitter in Harmony and vicinity, the prophet removed with his family to Fayette, New York, at the invitation of the Whitmers, to live with them. On arriving there he learned that Hyrum Page was in possession of a stone which he called a seer stone, and through which he was receiving revelations for the church in respect to the up-building of Zion, church government, etc. The Whitmers and the inconstant Oliver accepted these revelations and much harm was being done. A conference was to convene on the first of September, but before it assembled the prophet inquired of the Lord and obtained a reve- lation on the subject which was directed more especially *The closing phrases of paragraph 37, sec. xx, Doc. and Cov., are what Oliver objected to — " And truly manifest by their works that they have received of the Spirit of Christ unto the remission of sins." 340 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. to Oliver Cowdery.* In regard to the subject in hand, it contained the following: Oliver was to be heard by the church in all things whatsoever he taught by the Comforter, concerning the revelations and commandments; and if led by the Comforter to teach by way of command- ment, he had permission to do it; "But thou shalt not write by way of commandment," said the Lord to him, "but by wisdom. And thou shalt not command him who is at thy head and at the head of the church." No one was to receive commandments and revelations in the church, that is for the church, except Joseph the prophet ; for the Lord had given him the keys of the mysteries and revelations, until he appointed unto the church another in his stead. Oliver was commanded to take Hiram Page aside by himself and tell him that the reve^ lations which he had written from that stone were not of the Lord, but that Satan had deceived him and they must be given up, for he had not been appointed to receive revelations neither would an}' one be appointed contrary to the church covenants, which provided that all things must be done in order and by common consent of the church. 17. During the conference the subject of the revelations from Hiram Page's seer stone wras discussed, and after much consideration, the whole church, including Hyrum Page, renounced the stone and all things connected with it; and the church was made to understand more clearly that there is but one on the earth at a time who is author- ized to receive the word and commandment of the Lord for the Church, f * Doc. and Cov. sec. xxviii. t Doc. and Cov. xxviii and sec. xliii: 1-6. THE RESTORATION OF* THE GOSPEL. 341 NOTES. 1. The Visitation of John the Baptist:— On a sudden, as from the midst of eternity, the voice of the Redeemer spake peace to us, while the vail was parted and the angel of God came down clothed with glory, and delivered the anxiously, looked for message, and the keys of the gospel of repentance ! What joy ! what wonder! what amazement! While the world was racked and distracted — while millions were groping as the blind for the wall, and while all men were resting on uncertainty, as a general mass, our eyes beheld, our ears heard. As in the blaze of day; yes, more — above the glitter of the May sun- beam which then shed its brilliancy over the face of nature ! Then this voice, though mild, pierced to the center, and his words, " I am thy fellow servant," dis- pelled every fear. We listened, we gazed, we admired ! 'Twas the voice of an angel from glory, 'twas a message from the Most High ! And as we heard we rejoiced, while His love enkindled upon our souls, and we were wrapt in the vis- ion of the Almighty ! Where was room for doubt ? Nowhere ; uncertainty had fled, doubt had sunk no more to rise, while fiction and deception had fled for- ever | * * * Think for a moment what joy filled our hearts, and with what surprise we must have bowed (for who would not have bowed the knee for such a blessing) when we received under his hand the holy priesthood as he said, " Upon you my fellow servants, in the name of Messiah, I confer this priesthood and this authority, which shall remain upon earth, that the sons of Levi may yet offer an offering unto the Lord in righteousness." — Oliver Cowdery. 2. Melchisedec Priesthood Restored:— We cannot fix the exact date when this priesthood was restored, but it occurred sometime between the 15th of May, 1829, and the 6th of April, 1830. We can approximate within a few months of the exact time, but no further, from any of the records of the church. Joseph, the Prophet, designates the place where their ordination took place, in his address to the saints, written September 6th, 1842, as follows: " Again what do we hear ? * * * the voice of Peter, James and John in the wilderness, between Harmony, Susquehanna County, and Colesville, Broome County, on the Susquehanna River, declaring themselves as possessing the keys of the Kingdom and of the Dispensation of the Fullness of Times." And in a reve- lation given September, 1830, referring to Joseph and Oliver, the Lord said in reference to partaking again of the sacrament on the earth, that the " hour cometh that I will drink of the fruit of the vine with you on the earth, and with Moroni, * * * and also with Elias, * * * and also with John, the son of Zacharias, * * * and also with Peter, James and John whom I have sent unto you, by whom I have ordained you and confirmed you apostles and especial witnesses of my name. * * * It would appear from the instruc- tions given in the revelation, dated June, 1829, [Doc. and Cov. sec. xviii], that the apostleship had been conferred on Joseph Smith, Oliver Cowdery and David Whitmer. If this supposition is correct, it reduces the period of uncertainty 342 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. when this glorious event actually took place to a few weeks, or from the middle of May to the end of June. — Joseph F. Smith, Contributor vol. x. p. 310. S Why the Higher Priesthood is Called After Melchisedek: — There are in the church two priesthoods * * * Why the first is called the Melchisedek Priesthood, is because Melchisedek was such a great high priest. Before his day it was called the Holy priesthood, after the order of the Son of God ; but out of respect or deference to the name of the Supreme Being, to avoid the too frequent repetition of his name, they, the church, in ancient days called that priesthood after Melchisedek, or the Melchisedek Priesthood. — Doc. and Cov. Sec. cvii. 4. Visions at the First Conference of the Church : — Among those who received visions was Newel Knight, who was so completely overcome by the power of the spirit that he had to be laid on a bed, being unable to help himself. " By his own account of the transaction," says the Prophet, " he could not under- stand why we should lay him on the bed, as he felt no sensibility of weakness. He felt his heart filled with love, with glory, and pleasure unspeakable, and could discern all that was going on in the room ; when all of a sudden a vision of futurity burst upon him. He saw there represented the great work which through my instrumentality was yet to be accomplished. He saw heaven opened and beheld the Lord Jesus Christ, seated at the right hand of the majesty on high, and had it made plain to his understanding that the time would come when he would be admitted into His presence to enjoy His society lor ever and ever." REVIEW. i. Relate the circumstances which led to the restoration of the Aaronic Priesthood. 2. What explanation did the angel make concerning this priesthood ? 3. What reason have you for believing that John the Baptist would be among the resurrected saints spoken of by Matthew? (Note.1 4. Under whose direction did John say he was acting? 5. What promise did he make to them about the Melchisedek iPriesthood? 6. What commandment did the angel the.n give to Joseph and Oliver? 7. How were these baptisms performed? (Note.) 8. What commandment did the angel give in relation to re-ordination ? 9. What course did Joseph and Oliver pursue after their ordination? 10. About what time was the Melchisedek Priesthood restored? (Note 2.) 11. By whom and in what locality was it restored ? 12. What made it especially appropriate that these three apostles should re- store that priesthood ? 13. What is the power or authority of the Melchisedek Priesthood ? THE RESTORATION OK THE GOSPEL. 343 14. What particular power did this priesthood give to Joseph and Oliver ? 15. When was the church organized ? 16. How many persons effected the organization ? 17. Were six persons all who had been baptized up to that date — 6th of April, 1830? 18. Relate the circumstances connected with the organization of the church. 19. What was the organization then called ? 20. When was the phrase " of Latter-day Saints," added as a part of the name of the church ? 21. What spiritual manifestations were experienced at the organization of the church ? (Note 4.) 22. What important revelation was given immediately after the church was organized? 23. What two mighty principles are seen operating at the organization of the church ? 24. What can you say of the union of these two principles in church govern- ment? 25. What revelation is it that commanded the organization of the church ? (Note.) 26. State what that revelation says upon the existence of God: 27. — Of the creation of man : 28. —Of Jesus Christ : 29. —Of the Holy Ghost: 30. — Of justification and sanctification : 31. — Of falling from grace : 32. — Of baptism : 33. — Of the manner of baptism : 34. — Of confirmation : 35. — Of the duties of members : 36. — Of the duties of parents respecting their children : (Note.) 37. —Of the duties of officers — elders: (Note.) 38. — Of priests : 39. — Of teachers : 40. — Of deacons : 41. — Of conferences. 42. In what manner did the public ministry of the church begin ? 43. Relate the first miracle performed in the church. 44. When was the first conference of the church held, and what occurred? 45. What error did Oliver Cowdery and the Whitmer family fall into ? 46. How was Hyrum Page deceived by Lucifer? 47. What greatprinciple concerning revelations to the church was brought out by these errors ? 344 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. SECTION III. 1. First Mission to the Lamanites: — At the con- ference held in Fayette, New York, September, 1830, the first mission to the Lamanites was appointed. In the revelation* which corrected the evils introduced by Hiram Page's "seer stone," Oliver Cowdery was ap- pointed to a mission to the Lamanites; and before the conference was adjourned another revelation was given appointing Parley P. Pratt, Peter Whitmer, Jr., and Ziba Peterson to accompany him. Great promises are contained in the Book of Mormon concerning the Laman- ties, and the elders at that conference hoped that the time had come for their fulfillment. [See note 1, end of section.] 2. En route for their field of labor — the western part of the State of Missouri — the elders of the Lamanite mission stopped at Kirtland, in the north-eastern part of Ohio. Here they found a society of reformed Bap- tists, sometimes called Campbellites, after Alexander Campbell, the chief founder of the new sect. Their pastor was Sidney Rigdon. Elder Parley P. Pratt had formerly been a member of this sect, and he presented to his former co-religionists the Book of Mormon, and with his associates preached the fullness of the gospel to them, which, finally, Mr. Rigdon and nearly all his congregation accepted. 3. The Lamanite mission continued its journey west- ward, and in mid-winter reached the city of Independ- *Doc. and Cov. sec. XIIVIIl. THE RESTORATION OF THE GOSPEL. 345 ence, in the western borders of Missouri. Crossing the frontier, several meetings were held with the Delaware Indians, which had the effect of arousing the jealousy of the sectarian missionaries among them. Such was their influence with the Indian agents that they suc- ceeded in getting the elders banished from the territory. Returning to Independence, they sent one of their num- ber, Parley P. Pratt, to report their labors to the Prophet. 4. The First Commandment to Gather:— In Decem- ber, 1830, the Lord gave a revelation* to the church in New York, requiring the Saints in that State to move into Ohio by the time Oliver Cowdery returned from his mission to the Lamanites. This is the first direct com- mandment to the church to gather. During the winter of 1830-31, the Saints obeyed this commandment, the most of them settling in Kirtland. The Prophet Joseph and his family arrived there about the first of February, 1831. Before the coming of the New York Saints there was a church at Kirtland of about one hundred mem- bers, most of whom had been drawn from the Campbell- ite sect. 5. The First Bishops of the Church;— On the 4th of Februray, 1831, the Lord by ievelationf commanded that Edward Partridge should be "appointed by the voice of the church, and ordained a bishop." Edward Part- ridge was a merchant in Kirtland, of whom the Prophet said: "He was a pattern of piety, and one of the Lord's great men, known by his steadfastness and patient en- durance to the end;" and of whom the Lord said, in the revelation appointing him bishop — "His heart is pure before me, for he is like unto Nathaniel of old, in whom * Doc. and Cov., sec. xxxvii. t Doc. and Cov., sec. xli. 34G OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. there is no guile." He was required to give up his busi- ness of merchant, and devote all his time in the labors of the church. He was not to be the only bishop, in the church, however, as in the November following (1831), the Lord said: "There remaineth * * * other bis- hops to be set apart unto the church, to minister even according to the first."* In December of that year, Newel K. Whitney was appointed a bishop over the church in Kirtland and vicinity [see note 2, end of sec- tion] ; while Edward Partridge was bishop in Zion and the regions round about. 6. The Bishopric: — Although nothing is said in the revelation which appointed Edward Partridge bishop about the rights and powers of his office in the church, yet here, doubtless, will be the most proper place to speak of bishops in respect to their rights and authority. I. The bishopric is the presidency of the Aaronic Priesthood ;f and since that priesthood has most to do with administering the "outward ordinances, the letter of the gospel, "| the bishops will find their chief employ- ment in the temporal affairs of the church. Indeed the Lord plainly says: "The office of a bishop is in admin- istering all temporal things. "§ By ministering in tem- poral things we mean attending to the tithing, caring for the poor, and when the law of consecration shall be ob- served by the church, the bishops will receive the con- secrations, settle people on their possessions, divided their inheritances unto them, || keep the Lord's store house, etc. [See note 3, end of section.] * Doc. and Cov., sec.lxvin. t Doc. and Cov., sec. evil : Jo. t Ibid, verse 20. % Ibid, verse 68. || Doc. and Cov., sec. Iviii: IT. THE RESTORATION OF THE GOSPEL. ill" //. The bishops are also to be judges among the people, to sit in judgment on transgressors, to hear testimony and give decisions according to the laws of the kingdom which are given by the prophets of God.* The bishop's court is the first court of record in the church ; that is, a record is kept of the trial and preserved; whereas in any investigation cf diffiuclties that may be had before the teachers or others, no record is kept. An appeal lies from the bishop's courts to the high council having jurisdiction. For want of a better expression we may say there are several kinds of bishops; first, the general pre- siding bishop of the church; second, traveling bishops; third, local or ward bishops. t III. Presiding Bishop of the Church: — This bishop is the President of the Aaronic Priesthood throughout the church: he has a jurisdiction over all other bishops, priests, teachers and deacons; and a general supervision of the temporal affairs of the church, subject, of course, to the counsel of the Presidency of the Melchisedek Priesthood. Of right this bishop should be the first-born among the sons of Aaron; "For the first-born holds the right of the presidency over this [the Aaronic] priesthood, and the keys or authority of the same. No man has a legal right to this office, to hold the keys of this priesthood, except he be a literal descendant and the * Doc, and Cov. sec Iviii: 15-18. Ibid sec. cvii: 72-75. f There are bishops holding different positions : Bishop Partridge was a gen- eral bishop over the land of Zion ; while Bishop Whitney was a general bishop over the Church in Kirtland, Ohio, and also over the eastern churches until afterwards appointed as presiding bishop. * * * There are also ward bishops, whose duties are confined to their several wards. * * • There are also bishops' agents, such as Sidney Gilbert [he was Bishop Partridge's agent in Zion, Missouri], and others. Items on Priesthood by the late President John Taylor. 348 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. first-born of Aaron."* But before the first-born among the literal descendants of Aaron can legally officiate in this calling, he must first be designated by the First Presidency of the Melchisedek Priesthood; second, he must be found worthy of the position, and that includes his capacity to fill the office with ability, honor and dignity; third, he must be ordained under the hands of the First Presidency of the Melchisedek Priesthood. f But by virtue of the decree concerning the right of the priesthood descending from father to son, the first-born of the sons of Aaron may claim their anointing, if at any time they can prove their lineage or do ascertain it by revelation from the Lord under the hands of the First Presidency. X A literal descendant of Aaron when appointed as above described, may act without coun- selors, except in a case where a President of the High Priesthood after the order of Melchisedek is tried. In that event he is to be assisted by "twelve counselors of the High Priesthood."! But when no literal descendant of Aaron can be found, as a High Priest of the Melchise- dek Priesthood has authority to officiate in all the lesser offices, he may officiate in the office of bishop; provided he is called, set apart and ordained unto that power under the hands of the First Presidency of the Melchisedek Priesthood, and is assisted by two other high priests as counselors. || This bishop, whether a * Doc. and Cov. sec. Ixviii : 17, IS. \Doc. and Cov. .sec. Ixviii : 20. X Doc and Cov., sec. Ixviii: 21. \ And in as much as a President of the High Priesthood shall transgress, he shall be had in remembrance before the common council of the church, who shall be assisted by twelve counselors of the High Priesthood ; and their decision upon his head shall be an end of controversy concerning him. (Doc. and Cov., sec. cvii : 82, 83.) \ Doc. and Cov. sec. Ixviii : 19. THE RESTORATION OF THE GOSPEL. 349 descendant of Aaron or a high priest appointed to officiate in that calling, cannot be tried or condemned for any crime save before the first presidency of the church. If he be found guilty on testimony that cannot be impeached, he is to be condemned.* These are the powers, prerogatives and privileges of the Presiding Bishop of the church. IV. Traveling Bishops: — These are bishops appointed to preside as such over large districts of country in which there are a number of branches of the church, and among which they would be expected to travel, to set in order temporal affairs and preside over those holding the Aaronic Priesthood. Newel K. Whitney when called to preside over the church at Kirtland and the regions round about was a traveling bishop, and best illustrates this order of bishops. Some eight or ten months after his ordination he was called upon by the Lord to travel among all the churches of the east, "searching after the poor, to administer to their wants by humbling the rich and the proud. "| He was also sent to the cities of New York, Albany and Boston, to warn the inhabitants thereof of judgments to come and to preach the gospel. V. Local or Ward Bishops: — By local bishops we mean those ordained and set apart to preside over a single ward or branch of the church; and whose jurisdiction is strictly limited to that ward or branch. Both traveling and local bishops must either be high priests or literal descendants of Aaron. If the latter, then from among the first-born of the sons of Aaron. | * Do-, and Gov. sec. Ixvih : 22-24. t Doc. and Cov. sec.lxxxiv: 112. I think a careful reading of sec. lxviii of the Doc. and Cov., will justify this conclusion — that not only the office of presiding bishop of the church should be filled by the first born of the sons of Aaron, but that the traveling and local 350 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. In the event of their being descendants of Aaron, they should possess the same privileges in their sphere as the presiding bishop would in his; that is, they could act without counselors, but must be found worthy men designated and ordained by the First Presidency of the church, or by their direction. If high priests appointed to act in these bishoprics, then they must be designated and set apart by the same authority as literal descendants of Aaron, and assisted by two counselors who are also high priests. They would form the presidency over the Aaronic Priesthood in the districts over which they preside, have an oversight of all the temporal concerns thereof, and in addition to that act as the common judge in that ward or district assigned to them. 7. Zion: — The Book of Mormon prophecies predict the founding of a glorious city upon the American continent to be called New Jerusalem, or Zion. [See note 4, end of section.]* It was but natural, therefore, that the first elders of the church should be anxious to learn where it was to be built and seek to found it. The Book of Mormon, while clearly predicting that the city will be established, fails to give its location. In March, 1831, however, the Saints were commanded to gather up their riches that they might purchase an inheritance that the Lord promised to point out to them some time in the future, the New Jerusalem — "a city of refuge, a bishops also, so far as can be, should be chosen from among the first born of the sons of Aaron. The following passage seems especially clear on the question: " There remaineth hereafter, in the due time of the Lord, other bishops to be jet apart unto the church, to minister even according to the first; wherefore they shall be high priests who are worthy, and they shall be appointed by the first presidency of the Melchisedek Priesthood, except they be literal descendants of Aaron, and if they be literal descendants of Aaron they have a legal right to the bishopric, if they are the first born among the sons of Aaron." Sec. lxviii : 14-16. *Book of Ether, ch , xiii., and JIT. Nephi ch xx. THE RESTORATION OF ["HE GOSPEL. 351 place of safety for the Saints of the Most High"* — Zion. In June, 1831, a conference convened at Kirtland, and the Lord called twenty-eight elders to go through the Western States by different routes, two by two, preaching by the way, baptizing by water and the laying on of hands by the water sidcj" They were to meet in Western Missouri to hold a conference, and if faithful the Lord promised to reveal to them the place of the city of Zion. 8. About the middle of July the Prophet Joseph and a number of these brethren arrived at Independence, meeting with Oliver Cowdery and his associates — the mission to the Lamanites. A few days afterwards a revelation was received^ declaring Missouri to be the land which God had appointed for the gathering of the Saints, the land of promise, the place of the city of Zion, Independence being the "center place." The site of the temple which the Lord has decreed shall be built in this generation, upon which his glory shall rest, and in which the sons of Moses and of Aaron shall offer an acceptable offering to the Lord — was declared to be a short distance west of the court house. On the morning of the 3rd of August, 1831, the Prophet Joseph, with the other elders that had arrived at Independence, met at the temple site and dedicated it as the place for the building of a temple. [See notes 5 and 6, end of section. Meantime a company of Saints known as the Colesville Branch — from their having lived at Colesville, Broome County, New Yorlv, — had arrived in Missouri, and having received instructions to purchase the lands in the regions * Doc. and Cov, sec. xlv. t Doc. and Cov. sec. Hi. t Doc. and Cov. sec. Ivii. 352 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. round about Zion, they secured a tract of land in a fertile prairie some ten or twelve miles west of Independence, in Kaw township, not far from the present location of Kansas City. On the 2nd of August — the day preceding the dedication of the temple site — in the settlement of the Colesville Saints, the first log was laid for a house, as the foundation of Zion. The log was carried by twelve men in honor of the Twelve Tribes of Israel; and Elder Sidney Rigdon consecrated and dedicated the land of Zion for the gathering of the Saints. [See note 7, end of section.] 9. The Law of Consecration: — It is said of the early Christian Saints that they "were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common-"* It was doubtless a desire to imitate this condition of affairs which led the followers of Sidney Rigdon, at Kirtland, to establish the "common stock" plan of living. That is, the whole community attempted to live together as one family, having all things in common. Nearly all the "family" joined the church; and when the Prophet Joseph settled in Kirtland, about the 1st of February, 1831, he persuaded them to abandon that plan of living, for the more perfect law of the Lord.t The more perfect law was the law of consecration. * Acts iv: 32. tThe branch of the church in this part of the Lord's vineyard [Kirtland], which had increased to nearly one hundred members were striving to do the will of God so far as they knew it, though some had strange notions, and false spirits had crept in among them. With a little caution and some wisdom, I soon assisted the brethren and sisters to overcome them. The plan of " com- mon stock," which had existed in what was called " the family," whose members generally had embraced the everlasting gospel, was readily abandoned for the more perfect law of the Lord, and the false spirits were easily discerned and rejected by the light of revelation.— Josep h Smith,— Mill. Star Supplement to vol. xiv.p. 56. THE RESTORATION 01 ["HE GOSPEL. :!.").''> 10. Preparations for the introduction of this law- was first made by the appointment of a bishop, who should have authority to administer in temporal things. The bishop was called by revelation on the 4th of February, 1831.* On the 9th of the same month the Lord in a revelation gave the first instruction about the law of consecration. | From that and subsequent revelations we summarize the following in relation to that law : I. The person desiring to make the consecration brings his possessions to the bishop and delivers them unto him — consecrates them unto the Lord, giving them up absolutely, with a deed and a covenant that cannot be broken.;}; 11. The person so consecrating his possessions, whether it be much or little, if it be a full consecration, has claim upon the bishop for a stewardship out of the consecrated properties of the church, an inheritance for himself and his family, § from the management of which, by industry and economy — for this law contemplates industry and economy on the part of those who embrace it|| — they may obtain a livelihood. But the possessions * Doc. and Cov. sec. x/i. t Doc. and Cov. sec. x/ii. j Doc. and Cov. sec. x/ii: 30-32. 'i Doc. and Cov. sec. x/ii: 32. In the very revelation in which the first instructions on the subject of conse- cration and stewardship are given the Lord says: " Let all thy garments be plain and their beauty the beauty of the work of thine own hands. * * * Thou shalt not be idle, for he that is idle shall not eat the bread nor wear the garments of the laborer." (Uoc. and Cov. sec. xlii : 40-42.) In a subsequent revelation, referring to the inhabitants of Zion who were liv- ing under this law of consecration, the Lord said: "And the inhabitants of Zion, also, shall remember their labors, inasmuch as they are appointed to labor in all faithfulness, for the idler shall be had in remembrance before the Lord." Doc. and Cov. sec. Ixviii : 30. 354 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. consecrated are the Lord's, or else the consecrations are vain, and the whole proceedings farcical.* The inheritance given to the individual is given to him as his stewardship, of which he must render an account unto the bishop, f The steward is responsible for his stewardship in time and in eternity unto the Lord. J The stewardships are to be secured to those to whom they are given by a written deed, that they may not be deprived of their inheritance.! III. After men have received their stewardships the income from them, over and above that which is needful for the support of themselves and their families, is also to be consecrated unto the Lord, and taken to the Lord's store house to be distributed to the poor, to supply stewardships to those who have not yet received them, to purchase lands for the public benefit, to build houses of worship, temples, etc., etc. || IV. In the event of any steward needing means to improve his stewardship, or for any other righteous purpose, he has a claim upon the Lord's store house, and so long as he is in full fellowship with the church, and is a wise and faithful steward, on application to the treasurer of the general fund, he is to be supplied with that which he needs; the treasurer, of course, being accountable to the church for his management of the general fund, and subject to removal in the event of incompetency or transgression.^ * Doc. and Cov. sec. civ: 54-57. "J" Doc. and Cov. sec. Ixxii : 2-3. J Doc. and Cov. stc. civ. # Doc. and Cov. sec. li : 4-5. || Doc. and Cov. sec. xlii : 33-35. \ Doc. and Cov. sec. civ : 70 77. THE RESTORATION OF THE GOSPEL. 355 V. Each steward is independent in the management of his stewardship. He must pay for that which he buys; he can insist on payment for that which he sells. He has no claim upon the stewardship of his neighbor; his neighbor has no claim upon his stewardship; but both have claim, as also have their children — when they shall become of age and start in life for themselves* — upon the surplus in the Lord's store house to aid them in the event of their needing assistance. f The various churches, or branches of the church, are each to be independent in the management of their respective store houses^, subject of course to a general supervision of the Presiding Bishop of the church and of the First Presidency thereof. 11. Reflections: — Such is the law of consecration and stewardship given to the church as early as the first and second year of its existence in this last dispensation; under which law, and under no other, the Saints are to build up the Zion of God, the New Jerusalem upon this continent. § The law is designed to humble the rich and the proud and raise the poor and the lowly, || that men might be equal in temporal possessions according to *" All children have claim upon their parents for their maintenance until they are of age. After that they have claim upon the church, or in other words, upon the Lord"s store house, if their parents have not wherewith to give them inheritances. And the store house shall be kept by the consecrations of the church, and widows and orphans shall be provided for as also the poor." (Doc. and Cov. sec. lxxxiii : 4-6.) fSec. xlii: 53-54. And you are to be equal, or in other words, you are to have equal claims on the properties for the benefit of managing the concerns of your stewardships, every man according to his wants and needs inasmuch as his wants are just. (Doc. and Cov. sec. lxxxii : 17). % Doc. and Cov. sec. li : 10-/3, also verse 18 which say the law laid down in verses 10-13 sna" be an example to all churches. \ Doc. and Cov. sec. cv: /-j also sec. Iviii : jj, j6. || Doc . and Cov. sec. xlii : jg. 356 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. their families, their circumstances, their wants and their needs.* There is enough in the earth and more than enoughf to supply the necessities and the reasonable luxuries desired by man if the wealth created by his industry was but more equally distributed. The plan which the Lord has revealed to accomplish this, however, does not aim at the destruction of the individuality of men. It makes no attempt to control men in the detail management of their stewardships, or the disposal of their time, or to set taskmasters over them, but only to control and dispose of the surplus arising from their labors in the management of their respective steward- ships. 12. In consequence of the unsettled state of the church arising from the persecutions and drivings inflicted upon the Saints during the time they were settling in Missouri, coupled with their inexperience, their pride, covetousness, greed and disobedience, they failed to live up to the requirements of the law of consecration, and in 1838 the lesser law of tithing was given, and has obtained unto this day. This law of tithing requires that the Saints pay first their surplus property to the bishop, and after that those who have been so tithed shall pay one-tenth of their income annually. This is the law of tithing now binding on the church. J * Doc. and Cov. sec. li : j. t Doc. and Cov. sec civ : /j- % Doc. and Cov. sec. cxix. THE RESTORATION OF THE GOSPEL. 357 NOTES. 1. Promises to the'Liamanites : — Then shall the remnant of our seed know concerning us, how that we came out from Jerusalem, and that they are descendants of the Jews. And the gospel of Jesus Christ shall be declared among them ; wherefore they shall be restored unto the knowledge of their fathers, and also to the knowledge of Jesus Christ, which was had among their fathers. And then shall they rejoice; for they shall know that it is a blessing unto them from the hand of God; and their scales of da/kness shall begin to fall from their eyes; and many generations shall not pass away among them, save they shall be a white and delightsome people. — Prophecy of Nephi, Nephi II. ch. xxx. 2. Newel K. "Whitney's Appointment to be Bishop : — Though in natural gifts few men were better qualified for such a position, he nevertheless distrusted his ability, and deemed himself incapable of discharging the high and holy trust. In his perplexity he appealed to the prophet : " I cannot see a bishop in myself, Brother Joseph : but if you say it's the Lord's will, I'll try. ' " You need not take my word alone," answered the prophet, kindly, " go and ask Father for yourself." Newel felt the force of this mild rebuke, but determined to do as he advised and seek to obtain the knowledge for himself. His humble, heartfelt prayer was answered. In the silence of night and the solitude of his own chamber, he heard a voice from heaven : " Thy strength is in me." The words were few and simple, but for him they had a world of meaning. His doubts were dispelled like the dew before the dawn. He straightway sought the prophet, told him he was satisfied and was willing to accept the office to which he had been called. 3. The Sphere of the Aaronic Priesthood : — The lesser priesthood is a part of or an appendage to the greater, or the Melchisedek Priesthood, and has power in administering outward ordinances. The lesser or Aaronic Priest- hood can make appointments for the greater, in preaching, can baptize, admin- ister the sacrament, attend to the tithing, buy lands, settle peopie on possessions, divide inheritances, look after the poor, take care of the properties of the church, attend generally to temporal affairs, act as common judges in Israel and assist in ordinances of the temple, under the direction of the greater or Melchisedek Priesthood. They hold the keys of the administering of angels and administer in outward ordinances, the letter of the rjospel and the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. Items on Priesthood. John Taylor. 4. Zion : — The word Zion is variously employed : " This is Zion, the pure in heart" (Doc. and Cov.). In this instance the word refers to a people who are declared to be the pure in heart. In the south part of Jerusalem is a hill fre- quently spoken of in Jewish scripture as Zion or Mount Zion. Then Enoch the seventh from Adam gathered the righteous and built a city, " that was called the city of Holiness, even Zion." The Lord in speaking to Enoch about the great events to take place in the last days, in which He would come to the earth in His glory, said He would with righteousness and truth sweep the earth as with a 358 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. flood to gather His elect to " an holy city * * * and it shall be called Zion, a new Jerusalem." The Nephite prophet, Moroni, tells us that Ether in vision saw the days of the coming of the Son of Man, and that "he spake concerning a new Jerusalem upon this land (America)," that was to be built up unto the remnant of the seed of Joseph (Ether xiii). Jesus also after His resur- rection, when He visited the Nephites on the American continent, told them that He would establish them upon this land, and if the Gentiles would not harden their hearts, but would repent of their sins, they should be included in the covenant, and should assist in building up the city of Zion or New Jerusa- lem (III. Nephi, xx). '/The word Zion then, is applied to a people ; it is the name of a hill in the south part of Jerusalem ; it is the name of a city built by Enoch and his people ; it is to be the name of a city built in the last days by the saints of the Most High upon the continent of America. — Missouri Persecutions. 5. Western Missouri, (1831) :— It was a country whose richness and fertility of soil far surpassed anything which they [the saints] had ever before seen. It was a country abounding with springs and rivulets of the purest kind of water, whose crystal streams flowed in luxuriant abundance in almost every grove and prairie. A great variety of the most excellent timber bordered upon the rivers and water-courses. These shady and delightful groves were from one to three miles in width, extending many miles in length, while the rich rolling prairies, covered with a gorgeous profusion of wild flowers of every varied hue, lay spread around among the intervening groves. Their grassy surfaces extend- ing for miles, presented the delightful appearance of a sea of meadows. It was a new country ; but few inhabitants had as yet formed settlements within its borders. These consisted principally of emigrants from the southern states. — Orson Pratt. 6. The Temple Site :— Taking the road running west from the court house for a scant half mile, you come to the summit of a crowning hill, the slope of which to the south and west is quite abrupt but very gradual toward the north and east. * * * This is the temple site. It was upon this spot on the third day of August, 1831, that Joseph Smith, Sidney Rigdon, Edward Partridge, W. W. Phelps, Oliver Cowdery, Martin Harris and Joseph Coe and another person whose name I cannot learn, for there were eight in all — men in whom the Lord was well pleased, assembled to dedicate this place as the temple site in Zion. The eighty-seventh psalm was read. Joseph [the prophet] then dedicated the spot where is to be built a temple on which the glory of God shall rest. Yea the great God hath so decreed it saying : " Verily this generation shall not all pass away until an house shall be built unto the Lord, and a cloud shall rest upon it, which cloud shall be even the glory of the Lord, which shall fill the house. * * * And the sons of Moses, and also the sons of Aaron shall offer an acceptable offering and sacrifice in the house of the Lord, which house shall be built unto the Lord in this generation, upon the consecrated spot as I have appointed. " (Doc. and Cov. sec. Ixxxiv : 5, 31.)— Missouri Persecu- tions. 7. The Founding of Zion :— Thus the work of building up Zion com- THE RESTORATION OF THE GOSPEL. 359 menced, and though the commencement was humble in the extreme, the final result shall be the erection of a city that shall be the crowning glory of the whole earth ; a city from which shall go forth the law of the Lord unto all nations, for is it not written : " Out of Zion shall go forth the law?" (Isaiah ii.) It shall be a city of refuge, for the Lord has said : " Every man who will not take up his sword against his neighbor, must needs flee to Zion for safety." The wicked will consider her inhabitants terrible, while the righteous out of every nation will come unto it with songs of everlasting joy in their hearts. (Doc. and Cov. sec. x\v.)— Missouri Persecutions — Roberts. REVIEW. i. When and under what circumstances was the first mission appointed to the Lamanites ? 2. What important circumstance occurred in the experience of the Laman- ite mission en route for the west ? 3. What success attended the mission to the Lamanites? 4. When was the first commandment given to the church to gather ? 5. To what place did the Church first gather ? 6. Who was the first Bishop in the Church ? 7. What was his character ? 8. State what you can of the sphere of labor belonging to the bishopric. 9. What can you say of bishops as judges in Israel ? 10. How many kinds of bishops are there? 11. Tell what you can of the authority, rights and powers of the Presiding Bishop of the Church. 12. What difference exists in respect to a bishop who is a literal descendant of Aaron and one who holds the office by virtue of holding the High Priest- hood? 13. Is being a descendant of the first born among the sons of Aaron all suf- ficient to qualify a man to be a bishop ? 14. What is the exception to the rule that a bishop who is a literal descendant of Aaron can act without counselors? 15. Describe traveling Bishops.' 16. Give an example of such a bishop in the Church. 17. What is meant by local bishops ? 18. Describe their power and jurisdiction. 19. How did the first Elders of the Church learn that Zion was to be built in America? 20. What various significations are attached to the word Zion? (note 4). ax. What circumstances led a number ot the Elders to western Missouri? 22. What was revealed to them there? 23. Where is Zion located ? 24. Describe the land of Zion. (Note 5). 360 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. 25. What promises are made respecting a temple in that land ? (Note 6). 26. What caused the people in Kirtland before they heard the gospel to have all things in common ? 27. What course did Joseph Smith take relative to this subject ? (Note). 28. In what way were the people prepared for the introduction of the law of consecration ? 29. Describe the law of consecration. 30. What purposes are designed to be accomplished in the law of consecra- tion ? 31. What circumstances prevented the successful operation of this law in Missouri? THE RESTORATION OF THE GOSPEL. 361 SECTION IV. 1. Persecution: — From the very commencement the work of the Lord in these last days met with the most violent opposition. No sooner did Joseph Smith declare that he had received a revelation from God than it brought upon him the ridicule and wrath of many who heard of it. The stream of hatred grew broader and deeper as the work progressed. Joseph himself endured many vexatious persecutions, and those who believed in his teachings were doomed to share them. The first general persecution of the church, however, occurred in Missouri. 2. The people among whom the Saints settled in Jackson County, Missouri, were ignorant, jealous, bigoted, and superstitious. They were also given to Sabbath-breaking, drunkenness, profanity, horse racing and gambling. It will be seen at once, therefore, that there could be but little fellowship between them and the Saints. [See note 1, end of section.] Moreover, they were principally from the Southern States, and slave- holders; and as the Saints were from the free States of the north, they were inclined to be suspicious of them. It was an easy matter, therefore, for demagogues to persuade the Missourians that it was the design of the Saints to supplant them in the possession of the country. 3. Expulsion of the Saints From Jackson County:— The Saints themselves were not as prudent as they should have been. Many boasted that God would destroy the wicked and give their possessions as inheritances unto the righteous. Many more failed to live up to the moral precepts of the gospel, and were disobedient to the counsels of the Lord. This gave the wicked great 362 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. power over them, and the result was that the jealousy and wrath which had been burning for some time in the hearts of the old settlers finally broke out into deeds of violence. Almost the entire population about Inde- pendence arose and drove the Saints from the county under circumstances of the utmost cruelty.* Twelve hundred people were driven from their possessions, and about two hundred of their homes and one grist mill were burned. This was in the fall and winter of 1833-34. [See note 2, end of section.] 4. Zion'S Camp: — The exiled Saints found a tem- porary abode in Clay County — the next county north of Jackson — and in the meantime the Lord commanded the Prophet Joseph to gather up the strength of the Lord's house — the young and middle-aged men in the church — for the purpose of going to the assistance of their brethren in Missouri, and to redeem Zion.t In the spring of 1834, therefore, about one hundred and fifty of the brethren from the churches in the eastern States assembled at New Portage, Ohio, about fifty miles from Kirtland; and this number was increased to about two hundred by the time the camp reached Missouri. They took with them money to purchase lands, food and clothing to assist their destitute brethren, and it was also the determination of the camp to help their exiled friends maintain their possessions when the Governor of Missouri re-instated them upon their lands. J But en route *For a detailed account of this event and the causes leading up to it, see the author's work on the " Missouri Persecutions." iDoc. and Cov., sec. ciii. J Daniel Dunklin, Governor of Missouri, agreed to call out the militia of the State and re-instate the exiles on their lands ; but he claimed that he had no authority to keep a force under arms to protect them after they were restored. Hence the coming of Zion's camp to so strengthen the brethren that they could hold their own against the mob when once placed back in their homes. THE RESTORATION OB THE GOSPEL. .".(i.-; to Missouri the brethren did not live up to the require- ments made of the camp. Some of them were dis- obedient, even rebellious, toward the prophet, and the Lord was not well pleased with them. 5. As the camp approached Jackson County it was met by delegations inquiring into their designs for approaching Jackson County. Various reports had been spread abroad in respect to their intentions, and some of them were of a character to create alarm. In order to correct these false reports the brethren made the follow- ing statement: "In the first place it is not our intention to commit hostilities against any man, or set of men; it is not our intention to injure any man's person or property except in defending ourselves. * * * It is our intention to go back upon our lands in JacksQn County by order of the executive of the State, if possible. We have brought our arms with us for the purpose of self-defense, as it is well known to almost every man of the State, we have every reason to put ourselves in an attitude of defense, considering the abuse we have suffered in Jackson County. We are anxious for a settle- ment of the difficulties existing between us, upon honorable and constitutional principles."* 6. The brethren also made a proposition to submit their losses to a committee of impartial arbitrators, and another to buy out those of the old settlers who could not live with them. But before matters were brought to an investigation and adjustment the Lord in a revela- tion to the prophet, f gave instructions which led to the abandonment of any attempt at that time to redeem Zion. 7. The Lord in this revelation declared that Zion * Missouri Persecutions. t Doc. and Cov., sec. cv. The revelation was given on Fishing River, Missouri. 364 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. might have been redeemed by that time, had it not been for the transgressions of his Saints. The)' had not been obedient to the requirements made of them. They had withheld their means, and in their hearts had said "Where is their God? Behold he will deliver them in time of trouble, otherwise we will not go up unto Zion, and we will keep our moneys." Besides these evidences of a want of a faith, they lacked that unity required by the law of the celestial kingdom, and it is only through the observance of that law that Zion can be redeemed. The Lord, therefore, commanded the elders to wait a season for the redemption of Zion, until the Saints should obtain more experience, learn obedience, and until means could be raised to purchase all the lands in Jackson County that could be purchased and also in the sur- rounding counties; and until the Lord's army had become very great, and sanctified before him. And when this was done the Lord promised to hold his people guiltless in taking possession of that which was their own; and they should possess it forever. He had permitted the elders composing the camp to come thus far, for a trial of their faith; and now he had prepared a great endowment for them in the house which he had commanded to be built in Kirtland. Those who could stay in Missouri were to do so, but those who had left their families in the east were at liberty to return. In obedience to the commandment to await for a season the redemption of Zion, the Camp of Zion was disbanded early in the morning of the 25th of June. A number remained in Missouri, but the most of the camp returned to the east. 8. Relieved now of the immediate responsibility of redeeming Zion, the brethren who returned from Missouri and the churches in the east devoted their THE RESTORATION OF THE GOSPEL. 365 attention to building up Kirtland as a Stake of Zion, and completing the temple, the foundation of which had been laid about a year before.* The declaration of the Lord in that revelation given on Fishing River, Missouri, to the effect that he had prepared a great endowment for the faithful elders in the house which he had commanded them to build in Kirtland, hastened the work, as they were anxious to receive those spiritual blessings. 9. High Councils: — Meantime the Lord had given many important revelations in respect to the priesthood and the organization of the church. In February, 1834, — a few months previous to Zion's Camp starting for Missouri — the First High Council of the Church was organized. This council was appointed by revelation for the purpose of settling important difficulties that might arise in the Church, and which could not be settled in the bishop's courts to the satisfaction of the parties. 10. The High Council is composed of Twelve High Priests, presided over by one or three presidents, as circumstances may determine. The High Council cannot act unless seven of its members are present; but seven have the power to appoint other high priests to act temporarily in the place of absent councilors. When- ever a High Council is organized, the twelve members draw lots for their places. Those who draw the even numbers — two, four, six, eight, ten, twelve — are to stand in behalf of the accused; those drawing the odd numbers in behalf of the accuser. In every case the accused has a right to half the council to prevent injury or injustice. The councilors who represent the accused and accuser respectively, do not become partisans bent on winning their case irrespective of its righteousness * The corner stones of the Kirtland temple were laid on the 23rd of July, 1833, 366 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. or justice; on the contrary every man is to speak according to equity and truth; and aside from that are merely to see that each party to the issue involved has justice accorded him, and that he be not subjected to insult or injury. [Note 3, end of section.] 11. Whenever the council convenes to act on any case, the twelve councilors are to consider whether it is very difficult or not. If it be not a difficult case, then only two of the councilors, one for the accused and accuser respectively, are appointed to speak. But if the case is accounted difficult, then four are appointed to speak; if still more difficult, six; but in no case are more than six to speak. In all cases both the accuser and the accused are to have the privilege of speaking for them- selves, after the evidence is all in and the councilors appointed to speak have all spoken. 12. The evidence all in, the speakers for the accused and the accuser have spoken, as also the accused and the accuser, the president gives a decision according to the understanding he has of the case and calls upon the twelve councilors to sustain it by vote. But should the councilors who have not spoken, or any one of them, discover an error in the decision of the president, they have the right to manifest it and the case has a re- hearing. If after a careful re-hearing, additional light is thrown upon the case, the decision is altered accordingly: But if no additional light is given the first decision stands unaltered. Such are the general outlines of the organization of a High Council and the manner of procedure before it. [Notes 4 and 5, end of section.] 13. Different Kinds of High Councils :— There are three kinds of High Councils in the Church. They are similar in organization, and the manner of procedure is THE RESTORATION OF THE GOSPEL. : i t*> 7 practically the same before them all; but they differ in authority and jurisdiction. /. The Traveling High Council: — This Council consists of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus Christ. They are a traveling, presiding high council; and, laboring under the direction of the First Presidencv of the Church, they have the right to build up the Church, and regulate all the affairs of the same in all the world.* Whenever they sit as a High Council, there is no appeal from their decisions — that is, they can only be called in question by the general authorities of the Church in the event of transgression."!" //. The Standing High Councils at the Stakes of Zion: — The church is divided into branches or wards with appropriate officers; and these branches, wards, and settlements of the Saints are grouped for convenience into Stakes of Zion. In each Stake there is a Standing High Council, limited in its jurisdiction to the affairs of that particular Stake where it is located. III. Temporary High Councils: — The high priests abroad, that is, outside of the organized Stakes of Zion, whenever the parties to a difficulty, or either of them demand it, and the high priests abroad deem the case of sufficient importance to justify such action, are authorized to organize a Temporary High Council to try the case. The ^council is to be organized after the pattern and proceed in the same manner as those at the Stakes of Zion. 14. Organization of the Quorum of Twelve Apos- tles:— As early as June, 1821), the Lord revealed that there would be twelve especial witnesses or apostles * Doc. and Cov. sec. cvii : 23-33. f Doc. and Cov. sec. cii : 30-32, also sec. cvii : 32. 24 368 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. called to preach the gospel to the nations of the earth. But it was not until several months after the prophet returned from the Zion's Camp expedition that such a quorum was organized. In the month of February, 1835, however, a general conference was called, and the three especial witnesses to the Book of Mormon selected the men — under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, for they were appointed to that mission by revelation — who were to constitute the quorum of the Twelve Apostles* or especial witnesses. 15. Organization of Quorums of Seventies:— In the same month — February, 1835 — the first quorum of seventies was organized by the Prophet Joseph and his two counselors and others. Shortly afterwards the second quorum was also organized. These quorums, as would be inferred from their being called seventies' quorums, consist of seventy men. Seven presidents preside over each quorum, and the first seven presidents — the presidents of the first quorum — preside over all the quorums of seventies in the church. 16. About a month after the organization of these quorums — 28th of March, 1835 — a revelation was given, f in which the duties of the apostles and seventies are made clear, as well as the duties of other officers.]; We * Their names were Lyman E. Johnson, Brigham Young, Heber C. Kimball, Orson Hyde, David W. Patten, Luke S. Johnson, Wm. E. McLellin, John F. Boynton, Wm. B. Smith, Parley P. Pratt, Thomas B, Marsh, Orson Pratt. t Doc. and Cov. sec, cvii. | The circumstances under which this revelation (contained in section cvii. Doc. and Cov,) was given are highly interesting; they are as follows: On the afternoon of the 28th of March the twelve met in council and had a time of general confession, "On reviewing our past course," writes Orson Hyde and Wm. E. McLellin, clerks of the meeting, " we are satisfied, and feel to confess also, that we hare not realized the importance of our calling, to that degree that we ought; we have been light minded and vain, and in many things done wrongs- THE RESTORATION OF THE GOSPEL. 369 have now. however, readied a point in the historical development of the church of Christ where we can consider it as a system of ecclesiastical government; and to that consideration the next section is devoted. NOTES. 1. Character of I lie Old Settlers in Jackson County :— Speaking of his arrival in Independence and meeting with Oliver Cowdery and other brethren there, the Prophet Joseph says: " It seemed good and pleasant for brethren to meet together in unity. But our reflections were great, coming as we had from a highly cultivated state of society in the East, and standing now upon the confines and western limits of the United States, and looking into the vast wilderness of those that sat in darkness ; how natural it was to observe the degradation, leanness of intellect, ferocity and jealousy of a people that were nearly a century behind the time and to feel for those who roamed about without the benefit of civilization, refinement or religion; yea, and to exclaim in the language of the prophets, ' when will the wilderness blossom as a rose ? When will Zion be built up in her glory, and where will thy temple stand, unto which all nations shall come in the last days?' " Missou ri Persecutions— Hoberts. 2. Persecution in Jackson Comity :— The month of November, 1833 was big with important events for the members of the Church in Jackson County. That month witnessed the expulsion of twelve hundred American citizens from the homes which they had purchased from the general government. The events of that month branded the sovereign state of Missouri with an in- famy that will cling to her as long as the name is remembered on earth or in heaven ; and when her officials of that period shall stand before the bar of God, wrong. For all these things we have asked the forgiveness of our Heavenly Father ; and wherein we have grieved or wounded the feelings of the Presidency, we ask their forgiveness, The time when we are about to separate is near, and when we shall meet again, God only knows; we therefore feel to ask of him whom we have acknowledged to be our prophet and seer, that he inquire of God for us and obtain a revelation (if consistent^, that we may look upon it when we are separated, that our hearts may be comforted. Our worthiness has not in- spired us to make this request, but our unworthiness. We have unitedly asked God our Heavenly Father to grant unto us through his seer, a revelation of his mind and will concerning our duty the coming season, even a great revelation, that will enlarge our hearts, comfort us in adversity and brighten our hopes amidst the power of darkness." (Mill. Star vol. xv. p. 245). The revelation which was given in answer to this request is one of the most splendid contained in the Book of Doctrine and Covenants. 37U OUTLINES OF^ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. gouts of blood will be found on their ministerial vestments — it will be the stain, too, of innocent blood! * * *st Early in the spring the mob burned the houses belonging to the Saints. According to the testimony of Lyman Wight (Times and Seasons for 1843, p. 264), two hundred and three dwelling houses dn one grist mill were so destroyed. — Missouri Persecutions. — Roberts. 3. Fair Dealing in High. Councils :— The council should try no case without both parties being present, or having had an opportunity to be present; neither should they hear one party's complaint before his case is brought up for trial ; neither should they suffer the character of any one to be exposed before the high council without the person being present and ready to defend him or herself ; that the minds of the councilors be not prejudiced for or against any one whose case they may possibly have to act upon. — Joseph Smith Hist, under date of July 11th, 1840. 4. Order in High Councils : — In ancient days councils were conducted with strict propriety ; no one was allowed to whisper, be weary, leave the room or get uneasy in the least until the voice of the Lord by revelation, or the voice ■of the council by the spirit was obtained. * * * It was understood in ancient days that if one man could stay in the council, another could; and if the Pres- ident could spend his time, the members could also. — Joseph Smith. Hist. under date of Feb. 12th, 1834. 5. Just Judgment Demanded in High Councils : — No man is capable of judging a matter in council unless his own heart is pure ; and we fre- quently are so filled with prejudice, or have a beam in our own eye that we are not capable of passing right decisions. * * * Our acts are rendered, and at a future day they will be laid before us; and if we should fail to judge right, and injure our fellow beings, they may be there perhaps, and condemn us . There they are of great consequence, and to |me the consequence appears to be of force beyond anything which I am able to express. — Joseph Smith. Hist, under date of Feb. 12th, 1834. REVIEW. 1. What can you say of the opposition which the work of God has met with in these last days? 2. Where did the first general persecution begin? 3. What was the character of the people in western Missouri ? (Note.) 4. Relate the expulsion of the saints from Jackson County. 5. What event brought Zion's camp into existence ? 6. Relate its history. 7. What prevented Zion's camp from redeeming Zion? 8. When was the first High Council organized? 9. For what purpose are such councils organized? 10. Describe the High Council. THF RESTORATION OF THE GOSPEL. 371 ii. What are the privileges of the accused and accuser before the council ? 12. What rule obtains as to the decision of the president of the council ? 13. What is to be the course of the High Council in respect to deportment, fair dealing and judgment ? (See notes 3, 4 and 5.) 14. How many kinds of high councils are there? 15. Describe each. 16. When did the Lord first reveal that there would be a quorum of Twelve Apostles called ? 17. When and in what manner were the members of this quorum selected? 18. When were seventies quorums first organized? 19. State what you can concerning the presidency of the seventies' quorums. 37_! OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL Hi SECTION V. 1. Priesthood — Priesthood is power which God gives to man, by which man becomes an agent of God; an authorized officer of his kingdom, with the right and power to teach the laws of the kingdom, and administer the ordinances by which foreigners and aliens are admitted to citizenship. It gives man the right and power to act in God's stead, — thus: If a man endowed with the proper degree of the priesthood takes one who believes in the gospel and baptizes him for the remission of sins in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost, the act of that authorized servant of God is just as valid as if the Lord Jesus Christ himself did it, and remission of sins will follow. So also if an authorized servant of God lays on hands to impart the Holy Ghost, the Holy Ghost will be given, inasmuch as all is done as the law of the Lord directs. So in preaching, exhorting, warning; whether it is by God's own voice, or the voice of his servants, it is the same.* Man through receiving the priesthood becomes God's agent; and the Lord is bound to recognize the ministrations of his agents so long as they act in accordance with the terms by which they hold that agency. Such is priesthood. 2. Spirit of Government by the Priesthood:— The government of the priesthood is exercised through the channels of love, knowledge and righteousness. The rights of the priesthood are inseparably connected with the powers of heaven, and the powers of heaven can only be controlled upon the principles of righteousness, f No * Doc. and Cov. sec. i: 38. t Doc. and Cov. sec. cxxi: SO. I HE RES l <>ka I [ON OF THE GOSPI I . •'!".'! power can or ought to be maintained by virtue of the priesthood, only by persuasion, by long suffering, by gentleness and meekness and by love unfeigned; by kindness and pure knowledge, which shall greatly enlarge the soul without hypocrisy and without guile; reproving betimes with sharpness, when moved upon by the Holy Ghost, and then showing forth afterwards an increase of love, lest those reproved esteem those reproving as enemies.* Such is the spirit of government under the priesthood: it may be summed up in this: men are to be taught correct principles and then govern themselves. f 3. The ChUPCh : — From the gospel and the priest- hood comes the church. The church is the medium through which the gospel is promulgated — by which it is made known among the children of men. It is the system of government by which those who accept the gospel are controlled in things religious. It is the government of God on earth pertaining to religious affairs. The Lord *Doc. and Cov. sec. exxi : 41,44. These views from the revelations ot the Lord to Joseph Smith are in strict accord with the teachings of Jesus Christ to the twelve apostles among the Jews. To them he said: "Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them. But it shall not be so among you; but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; and whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant : even as the Son of Man came not to be ministered unto but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many." (Matt, xx : 25-28.) Peter it would seem remembered the spirit of these instructions, as years afterwards we have him saying to those set to govern the churches : " Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the over- sight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly ; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind ; neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being ensamples unto the flock." (I Peter v : 2, 3.) fThis it appears is the view Joseph Smith took of the subject. Replying to a question of Judge Stephen A. Douglas, how he governed so easily so large a people as the saints were at Nauvoo, the prophet replied, " I teach them correct principles and they govern themselves." 374 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. hath clothed it with his authority, which is his power; and it hath authority not only to teach the gospel, but to execute its laws, and inflict the penalties attached to a violation thereof — at least so far as dealing with the membership of transgressors is concerned; as for other penalties that will fall upon the violators of Divine law, the Father hath reserved that to himself, and will in his own time and way vindicate his own laws, having due regard to the relative claims of justice and mercy. The authority of the church comes from the priest- hood, and may be said to be the collected authority of all the quorums of the priesthood combined — the aggre- gation of God's authority in the earth, in relation to things religious. Such is the church. 4. Division of the Priesthood :— In the church of Christ there are two grand divisions of priesthood; or rather its powers are grouped under two great heads — for all priesthood comes from God, is power from him, and therefore cannot properly be regarded as two different priesthoods.* The two divisions of priesthood are named respectively the Melchisedek Priesthoodt and the Aaronic Priesthood. J The Melchisedek Priesthood minis- ters more especially in spiritual things; it holds the keys of all the spiritual blessings of the church, is entitled to * In answering the question : was the Priesthood of Melchisedek taken away when Moses died, the Prophet Joseph said : " All priesthood is Melchisedek, but there are different portions or degrees of it. That portion which brought Moses to speak with God face to face was taken away ; but that which brought the ministry of angels remained."— Hist, of Joseph Smith,. See also Doc. and Cov. sec. cxii : 4, 5. fThe reasons for calling this first division the Melchisedek Priesthood are given in note 3, section ii of part iv. J The reason for calling the second division the Aaronic Priesthood, is because it was a priesthood conferred upon Aaron, the brother of Moses, and his sons after him. It is a division of the priesthood which belongs of right to the house of Aaron. (See Doc. and Cov., sec. cvii : 13, 14.) THE RESTORATION OF THE GOSPEL. .'!7."> receive the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, to commune with the church of the First Born, and enjoy the communion and presence of God the Father, and his Son Jesus Christ.* The Aaronic Priesthood ministers more especially in temporal things; it holds the ke)'s, however, of the ministering of angels and the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.t 5. Officers of the Priesthood :— The officers of the Melchisedek Priesthood are Apostles, Seventies. Patri- archs, High Priests, Elders. The officers of the Aaronic Priesthood are Bishops. Priests, Teachers, Deacons. Of necessity there are presidents, or presiding officers grow- ing out of, or appointed from among those who are ordained to the several offices in these two preisthoods. % 6. Presidencies in the Melchisedek Priesthood- First Presidency : — Since of necessity there are presid- ing officers growing out of the priesthood, there is a president appointed from the High Priesthood to preside over that priesthood. He is called President of the High Priesthood of the Church; or, Presiding High Priest over the High Priesthood of the church. § This President of the High Priesthood also presides over the whole church; he is a seer, a revelator, a translator and a prophet, having all the gifts of God which he bestows upon the head of the church. || Two other High Priests, \ * Doc. and Cov.,sec.cvii: IS, 10. t Doc. and Cov., sec.cvii: 20. %Doc. and Cov., sec.cvii: 21. \ Doc. and Cor., sec. cvii: 65, 66. || Ibid, verse 91. 92. * It must be remembered by the student that apostles are also high priests. In fact the apostleship circumscribes all priesthood, hence it happens that some men who have not been directly ordained high priests, but who were apostles, have acted in the quorum of the first presidency of the church. Brigham Young did so. [See note 2, end of section.] 376 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. associated with the President of the High Priesthood as counselors, all being appointed and ordained to that office, and upheld by the confidence, faith and prayer of the church, form the quorum of the First Presidency of the Church;* and they preside over all quorums, over Zion and all the Stakes thereof: over all wards and branches of the church in all the world. The president in this quorum is to be like unto Moses, t therefore he is the prophet and law-giver unto the church — the mouth- piece of God unto it. 7. The Traveling* Presiding" Hig"h Council : — The Twelve Apostles, or special witnesses of the name of Christ in all the world, are a traveling, presiding High Council, and have the power to officiate in the name of the Lord, under the direction of the First Presidency of the church, to build up the church and regulate all the affairs of the same in all nations. In all large branches of the church, or the Stakes, of Zion. the}" are authorized to ordain patriarchs, as thev may be designated unto them by revelation; it is the duty of the Twelve also to ordain and set in order all other officers in the church. These Twelve Apostles form the second general presiding quorum in the church, and are equal in authority and power to the quorum of the First Presidency..! 8. The Presiding" Quorum of Seventy:— The Seventy are appointed to act in the name of the Lord under the direction of the Traveling High Council m building up the church and regulating all the affairs of the same in all nations. $ The quorum of Seventy is presided over * Do<\ and Cov., sec. cvii: 22. t Ibid, verse 91. i Doc. and Cov. sec. cvii. 23, 24, 33, 39, 58. \Doc. and Cov. sec. cvii. 3-t. THE RESTORATION OF I III. GOSPEL. U77 by seven presidents, and the senior of the seven — that is, the senior by ordination, not by age — presides over the six. This quorum is equal in authority to the Travel- ing High Council — the quorum of the Twelve Apostles.* In addition to presiding over the first quorum of Seventy — to which quorum they belong — the First seven Presi- dents were authorized in the beginning to choose other seventy, beside the first, until seven times seventy had been chosen — if the labor in the ministry required itf — and preside over them. Each quorum has its council of seven presidents; but the First Seven Presidents preside over all these quorums and all their presidents. The seventies are special witnesses for the Lord in all the world,! and are especially chosen to preach the gospel abroad; the responsibility of declaring the great message of God unto the world rests upon them particularly, laboring, of course, under the direction of the Twelve; and the Twelve are to call upon the Seventy in preference to any others when they have need of assistance to fill the calls tor preaching and administering the gospel. § 9. We have spoken of these three quorums being equal in authority: but every decision made by either of them, in order to make such decision of the same power or validity one with the other, must be by unanimous voice of the respective quorums; that is, every member in each quorum must be agreed to its decisions, or such decisions are not entitled to the same blessings as the *Doc. and Cov. sec.cvii. verses 2.">, 2H. |Up to the present date — 1892 — there have been one hund£d and seven quo- rums of seventies organized. The Prophet Joseph Smith said that this choosing of seventies was to go on— if the labor in the vineyard required it, " even until there are one hundred and forty and four thousand thus set apart for the min- istry.' —Hist. Joseph Smith under date May 2nd, 1835. %Doc. and Cor. sec. evil. I Doc. and Cor. sec cvii: SS. 378 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. decisions of the quorum of the First Presidency. When circumstances render it impossible to be otherwise, a majority may form a quorum.* The decisions of these quorums of course are to be made in righteousness, in holiness and lowliness of heart. If so made there is no appeal from their decision; but in case that any decision of these quorums is made in unrighteousness, it may then be brought before a general assembly of the several quorums of the priesthood which constitute the spiritual authorities of the church. 10. Patriarchs: — These officers hold the keys of blessings in the church. The order of this priesthood was confirmed to be handed down from father to son, and rightly belongs to the literal descendants of the chosen seed, to whom the promises were made.f There is one general and a number of local patriarchs in the church. The first is Patriarch to the whole church, and he may minister in any branch or Stake in it, his jurisdiction in blessing the people being co-extensive with the church. He holds the keys of the patriarchal blessings upon the heads of all the Lord's people. And whomsoever he blesses shall be blessed, and whomsoever he curses shall be cursed; and whatsoever he binds on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatsoever he looses on earth shall be loosed in heaven. J He holds the sealing blessings of the church, "even the Holy Spirit of promise, " whereby men are sealed up unto the day of redemption, that they may not fall, notwithstanding the hour of temptation that may come upon them.f The local patriarchs referred to above are patriarchs appointed *Doc. and Cov. sec. cvii: 27, 28. t Doc. and Cov. sec. cvii. 39-41. %Doc. and Cov. sec. cxxiv; Ul-93. i Ibid verse 124. THE RESTORATION OF THE GOSPEL. 379 and ordained by the Apostles to hold and exercise the powers of giving patriarchal blessings to the Saints within the branches and Stakes of Zion in which they are apponited to minister in this calling; but they are not to minister outside of their respective districts. Hence we call them local patriarchs. They possess the same powers in blessing within the district where they are appointed to labor as the general patriarch of the church does in his wider sphere. 11. High Priests I— The quorums of High Priests are designed to qualify those who shall be appointed standing presidents over different Stakes in Zion, and abroad.* They may travel and preach the gospel if they choose, for High Priests have power to preach and administer all the ordinances of the gospel; but their calling is more especially to preside. To them belongs the sphere of government in the church. From these quorums, so far as the most suitable men can be found in them, are chosen men to act as bishops — where no literal descendant of Aaron can be found — and bishops' counselors; Presi- dents of Stakes and their counselors; and also High Counselors. When men more suitable for these positions are found in other quorums of the priesthood, then they are ordained High Priests, and appointed to the presiding positions enumerated. In every Stake there is a High Priests' quorum, presided over by a president and two counselors. There is no specific number necessary to form a quorum of High Priests, the quorum includes all High Priests within a Stake or branch where it exists, be they many or few. The quorum organization is for convenience, for discipline, and for training its members in the art of government. Since to the High Priests Doc. and Cov.sec.cxxiv: 133-136. 380 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. belongs the sphere of government, we know of no posi- tion in the church which calls for higher qualities of heart and mind than that of High Priests. It is an office that requires the combination of wisdom and executive ability, a combination the rarest among men. The world has had untold thousands of learned men and orators, and multitudes of men with special great gifts; but it has had comparativelv few blessed with that combination of gifts which make men successful rulers; and yet those qualities which make men rulers are the qualities to be looked for and developed in High Priests. 12. Elders: — Elder is the lowest office in the Melchis- edek Priesthood. It is an office that is an appendage to the Melchisedek Priesthood.* Yet the Elder has the power to preach the gospel, baptize, lay on hands for the Holy Ghost, administer the Sacrament, and preside when there is no High Priest present. Indeed the Elder has a right to officiate in the High Priest's stead when there is no High Priest present. t Ninety-six Elders constitute a quorum. J The quorum is presided over by a president and two counselors, whose duty it is to instruct them in the duties of their office. There may be any number of quorums of Elders in a branch or stake of Zion.as there is no limit whatsoever in the revelations. The Elders constitute a standing ministry in Zion and her Stakes. § They are not under obligations to travel abroad as the Seventies are; but may be called upon to preside from time to time as circumstances may require. || *Doc. and Cov. Ixyxir: -J!). t Doc. and Cov., sec. cvii: 11. X Doc. and Cov., sec cvii: 89. \ Doc. and Cov. sec. cxxiv : 1ST. Doc. and Cor. sec. i rii ; SO, 90. Ibid sec. cxxiv : 140. For furthei in- formation on duties ot elders see sec. ii, part iv, of this work. THE RESTORATION OF I 111'. GOSPEL. 381 13. Presidencies in the Aaronic Priesthood:— The Aaronic Priesthood, as already remarked,* has to do more especially with the temporal affairs of the church: and the general presidency of it is the presiding bishopric of the church. The local bishops in like manner preside over the Aaronic Priesthood within their respective districts. The powers, rights, duties and responsibilities of the bishops have been treated at some length in Sec- tion III. Part IV., under the caption Tin. BISHOPRIC, and to the paragraphs on that subject the student is directed. 14. Priests : — Forty-eight Priests of the Aaronic order of Priesthood constitute a quorum. The president of this quorum is to be a bishop, for that is one of the duties of his calling to sit in council with this quorum and teach them their duties. f There is no limit to the number of quorums of Priests in the church; there may be such a quorum in every ward or branch. 15. Teachers : — Twenty-four Teachers constitute a quorum. They are presided over by a president and two counselors, who are to teach them the duties of their office. X 16. Deacons: — Twelve Deacons form a quorum. The quorum is presided over by a president and two coun- selors, who are to instruct them in the duties of their office. § The offices of Teacher and Deacon are append- ages|| to the Aaronic Priesthood, as the office of Elder and Bishop are appendages to the Melchisedek Priest- * See section iii. part iv. f See section ii. part iv. under caption Priests for expianation of their duties and powers. X For explanation of the duties and powers of teachers see caption Teachers, section ii, part iv. j5 For explanation of their duties see caption Deacons, section ii. part iv. || Doc. and Cor. sec. Ixxxiv : 30. 382 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. hood*. What is meant by appendage to the priesthood is an addition to the regular quorums of the priesthood. When so added the)' become part of the organization but in a subordinate way. Thus Elders may assist High Priests in their duties when called upon, and may officiate in their stead when there is no High Priest present; but when the High Priest is present the Elder hath no right to act in his stead except called upon. The Teacher may assist the Priest in his duties, as the Deacon may assist the Teacher in his duty,f but in that event the lesser quorums act in subordination to the ones they are authorized to assist. They were quorums added to the regular organization of the priesthood, when the duties were so multiplied that the higher and regular quorums could not discharge them. By creating these append- ages to the priesthood men could be called into requisi- tion whose widsom and experience would not justify placing upon them all the authority with the accompany- ing responsibility of the higher offices of the priesthood. 17. Territorial Divisions of the Church:— The church in relation to the territory it occupies, for convenience in government, is divided into Stakes of Zion, wards, and branches. I. Stakes: — A Stake of Zion is a division of the church territorially that embraces several wards and branches. There is no set number of wards for branches necessary to constitute a Stake. That is arranged according to convenience. The Stake is presided over by a president, who is a High Priest, assisted by two other High Priests as Counselors. They constitute the Presidency of * Doc. and Cov. sec. Ixxxiv: 29, t Doc. and Cov. sec. xx : 3S-59. THE RESTORATION OF THE GOSPEL. 383 the Stake, and. preside over the organizations in that Stake much in the same way that the President of the Church presides over the entire church; but is subject of course to the general authorities of the church. In each Stake is a Standing High Council, over which the Presidency of the Stake — or either one of them, when circumstances render it impossible or inconvenient for all to be present — preside. This forms the highest judicial tribunal in the Stake. One or more Patriarchs are appointed to confer upon the people patriarchal blessings within the Stake. The High Priests are organized into a quorum with a presidency over them as already explained.* The Elders are organized into one or more quorums, accordingly as they are numerous enough for one or a number of quorums ;f arid with the High Priests constitute the standing ministry in the Stake. II Wards : — The Stakes are divided into ecclesiastical wards, presided over by a bishopric, consisting of a bishop aided by two high priests as counselors, unless the- bishop is a literal descendant of Aaron, in which event he has authority to act as bishop without counselors. | The bishopric has a direct general presi- dency over the quorums of the lesser priesthood in his ward, and presides even over those holding the Higher Priesthood as members of his ward; but not over the quorums of the Higher Priesthood as quorums. The bishopric of a ward, like the bishopric of the church, * See caption High Priests this section, t See caption Elders this section. I See Bishopt"'c, sec. iii , part iv. 25 384 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. has to do chiefly with temporal affairs; but in nearly all cases, in fact, so far as we know, in all cases at present in the church, the bishops are high priests acting in that capacity; and since in acting as bishops they do not lose their position as high priests they have a right to minister in both temporal and spiritual affairs. It may be well to remark, however, in passing, that wherein bishops do take the lead in spiritual concerns they do it by virtue of the High Priesthood which they hold, which is the proper authority to act in spiritual matters. The ward officers consist of a quorum of Priests, of Teachers and of Deacons. Their powers and duties have already been explained.* They labor under the direction of the bishop, and are the standing ministers within the ward, to be with and watch over the church to see that each member thereof does his duty and that no iniquity is allowed to creep into the church, to corrupt it. At present in many wards there are not enough men to fill up the quorums of the Lesser Priesthood, and members of the High Priesthood are frequently found officiating as teachers, etc. Each ward is divided up into teachers' districts, and two teachers appointed to take charge of each district, and visit every family and member within it, to see that all are doing their duty; that they live, so far as may be, in peace with all men; that they are prayerful; diligent in attending public worship; and that they are honest, sober and hold no hardness against their neighbors. III. Branches: — Branches are organizations established chiefly out in the world where there are no regularly organ- ized stakes. The elders while abroad on missions in order *See caption Of the Duties of officers, Priests, Teachers, Deacons. I HE RESTORATION 01 I ill GOSPEL. 385 to preserve in the faith those who receive the gospel, organ- ize brandies, set apart elders or priests to preside, and also ordain as many other elders, priests, teachers, and deacons to assist the president of the branch as may be deemed necessary. These officers discharge the same duties in a branch that they would in a fully organized ward. Branches are also sometimes organized in outlying dis- tricts of large wards where there are not enough people to justify a complete ward organization, and yet the district is too far removed from the ward to permit the members living there to enjoy the advantages of the adjacent ward organization. In such an event the branch is usually placed under the care of the neighboring ward. 18. Helps in Government:— In addition to these regular and direct means of ecclesiastical government in the church, there are also "helps in government," or appendages to the church organization. The chief of these are: /. Female Relief Societies: — A women's association organized in each ward to relieve the poor in their distress, and visit the sick and afflicted. II Sunday Schools: — In every ward also is a Sunday school, in which the young are taught in the gospel and educated in church discipline. III Y. M. and Y. L. M. I A: — In nearly all wards also are Young Men's and Young Ladies' Mutual Improvement Associations for the instruction of the young in theology, science, history, and literature; and, in fact, in all things that tend to the development and refinement of the mind of man; but the main object of these organizations is to establish the young of both sexes in a knowledge of the truth of the gospel. IV. Primary Associations: — Primary Associations are ward organizations for juveniles too young to be con- 386 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. nected with the Improvement Associations; and were established to train the young in such moral precepts and conduct as is suitable to their years. 19. The Church Judiciary System:— So long as men are imperfect just so long will difficulties and misunder- standings arise among them. And these things will beget bitterness of feeling, enmities and animosities unbecom- ing those striving to be Saints; and hence the church must be purged of these things. Moreover, although man by nature is a religious creature, he is prone to be forgetful of religious duty; and unless a wholesome church discipline be enforced he is liable to become neglectful of his religious obligations. To settle difficul- ties, then, which may arise between members on the one hand, and to enforce church discipline on the other, there exists in the church an ecclesiastical judiciary system, that is most admirably adapted to answer the purposes for which it exists. 20. First, as to the settlement of difficulties arising between members of the church. The law of the Lord requires that if a brother or sister offend another, the one offended should go alone to the one who gave offense and tell him his fault; if he repents and seeks forgiveness, and makes restitution, then the one offended must forgive his brother and become reconciled. In the event of the offender being stubborn and impenitent; or maintaining that he hath done no wrong, then the one aggrieved should take others with him, one or more,* and in their presence, and with whatever of assistance they can render, seek justice and reconciliation with his brother. If the offender then refuse to make restitu- * When the difficulty arises in a regularly organized ward the most suitable persons to engage in such business would be the teachers of the respective parties. I II I RESTORATION OF THE GOSPEL. 387 tion and reconciliation, then the matter may be taken to the bishop's court for settlement.* Here the matter is put on trial, the statements of the respective parties received, and the testimony of witnesses admitted and a decision rendered by the bishop according to his under- standing of the case. 21. In the event of either party being dissatisfied with the bishop's decision, they may appeal to the High Council of the Stake. But if either or both of them neither take an appeal to the High Council nor comply with the bishop's decision, then they stand in danger of losing their fellowship in the church, for if men will not respect the decisions of the ecclesiastical courts, then the officers thereof must vindicate their decrees and make the courts respected by punishing those who would treat them with contempt. 22. If the case be appealed to the High Council of the Stake, it is heard on its merits in the manner already described in section four of this part, under the caption High Councils, which see. The parties must abide that decision or lose thier standing in the church. 23. Now as to those who neglect their duties; who do not so much offend against individuals as against the church, by failing to live up to the regulations it pre- scribes for its members. It is especially the duty of the teachers, priests, and bishopric to labor very assiduously to preserve their people in the faith, and by patient watchfulness; by teaching and admonition; by warning and reproof, when necessary, keep alive the spirit of the gospel in the hearts of the Saints. If, however, in spite of all these efforts to preserve the church members in an * See on this method of settling difficulties Matt, xviii: 15-17. Doc. and Cov. sec. xlii: 88-91. Book of Mormon III. Nephi, xii: 23-25. 388 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. active performance of their duties men will grow careless and transgress the law of the Lord, they are amenable to the church courts and may be tried for their fellowship. In that case they would have the same rights in the courts and the same rights of appeal as in the case of difficulty between members. 24. The only real punishment which is within the power of the church to inflict is to disfellowship or excommunicate its members. In the former case the offender is merely suspended from the privileges of church communion; this punishment may be inflicted by the bihsop, until satisfaction is made by the offender. In the latter case — excommunication — the person absolutely loses his membership in the church, together with all the priesthood he holds; and if he ever regains a standing it will be by baptism and confirmation as at the first. 25. Of course to those who hold lightly their standing in the church, suspension of fellowship, or excommuni- cation has no especial terror; but to the man of faith. whose full hopes of eternal life with all its advantages stand or fall with his standing in the church of Christ, no greater punishment can threaten him. He remembers that the Lord hath said: "Wo unto them who are cut off from my church, for the same are overcome of the world."* And, again: "Inasmuch as ye are cut off by transgressions, ye cannot escape the buffetings of Satan, until the day of redemption, "f The punishment, then, of excommunication is a serious one in the estimation of the faithful; and since man in his imperfect state is influenced to righteousness by his fear of punishment, as well as by his hope of reward, the punishment of * Doc. and Cov. sec. iv : S. t Doc. and Cov. stc. civ. g. THE RESTORATION OF THE GOSPI I . 389 excommunication hath a wholesome effect in preserving the discipline of the church. 26. Conferences of the Church:— There are two general conferences of the church each year, one conven- ing on the Gth of April, and the other on the 6th of October. Conferences are convened every three months in all the stakes of Zion; and in the respective wards once a year. The chief purpose of holding these con- ferences, aside from the giving of instructions by the general authorities, who are usually present, is to sustain by vote the officers of the church. The principle of common consent operating in the church govern- ment has already been explained;* and it only remains to say that the means by which this "common" consent is expressed — voting to sustain those proposed for the several offices — virtually amounts to an election. The elective principle in government or in societies, is not only carried out by direct means; it may be carried out by indirect means. It is just as much a fact under the form of popular acceptance as of popular choice. f It is in the form of popular acceptance that the elective principle exists in the church. 27. Reflections: — If a good system for the organization and administration of authority, and an equally good system for the security of liberty is the test of a good plan of government, then this ecclesiastical government we have described must be recognized as of the very highest order. It is elaborate in organization, but simple in its operations. There is in it a most excellent assem- blage of means to transmit the will of the central power into all departments of the society; and, on the other *See Section ii. Part IV: paragraphs 8, 9. f Guizol's Hist. Civilization. 390 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. hand, an equally efficient asesmblage of means for trans- mitting the response of the society to the central organized power. And as the whole government exists by the common consent of the church members, and elections by popular acceptance are frequent, the liberties of the people composing the church are secured. Where these facts exist, the highest order of government must result. And we may say, in conclusion, that the formation of a free ecclesiastical government on so extensive a scale is one of the most interesting problems of humanity. "It requires such refined prudence, [to form such a govern- ment] such comprehensive knowledge, and such perspica- cious sagacity, united with such almost illimitable powers of combination, that it is nearly in vain to hope for quali- ties so rare to be congregated in a solitary mind. "* Indeed it is in vain to hope for these powers in an uninspired mind. It is a task too difficult for mere human ingenuity. And when it is remembered that Joseph Smith's knowl- edge of government and history in his early life was ex- ceedingly limited; and that this system of church govern- ment was given piece-meal — as will be seen by its gradual deveopment as portrayed in this workf — it is absurd to ac- credit it to a boy's native ingenuity. It was not a system marked out in theory and then organized. On the contrary, line was given upon line, precept upon precept. An officer was given today and his duties explained; another given at another time, when the development of the work required his services, and his duties explained. After a lapse of years men began to discover that these fragments of government constituted a * Remarks of Disraeli on the formation of government in his Vindication of the English Constitution, p. 49. tThat is in Part IV. of this work. THE RESTORATION OF THE GOSPEL. 391 most elaborate yet simple system — a consistent whole, based on the highest and truest principles of government; a system that while it was suited to the conditions of the church in the earlier years of its existence, yet is capable of answering the needs of the organization should it be so expanded as to fill the earth. This is a fact as astonishing to the world as it is gratifying to the Saints. The church is its own witness that the mind which fashioned it is divine. It is too great in its organization, and yet too simple in its administration to be the crea- tion of an uninspired mind, especially of a mind so narrow in its knowledge and inexperienced in affairs related to government as that of Joseph Smith. No, neither the hand of man nor the mind of man created it; it came from God, and bears the impress of its divine creation. REVIEW. 1. What is Priesthood? 2. What is the spirit of the government by the priesthood ? 3. For what was the Church instituted ? 4. What powers and authority appertains unto it ? 5. How is the Priesthood divided ? 6. Why was the higher priesthood named after Melchisedek? (note 3. J 7. What are the powers of the Melchisedek Priesthood— of the Aaronic? 8. Enumerate the officers of the respective priesthoods. 9. What constitutes the First Presidency of the Church ? 10. What are the rights and powers of the First Presidency? 11. What are the rights and powers of the Twelve Apostles? 12. What is the mission and calling of the Seventies? 13. What are the duties and the special calling of Patriarchs? 14. What are the powers and special duties of High Priests — of Elders? 15. What can you say of Presidencies in the Aaronic Priesthood? 16. What are the privileges and duties of Priests? — of Teachers ? — o' Deacons ? 17. What is the significance of " appendage " in connection with priesthood? 392 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. 18. What can you say of the Territorial divisions of the Church ? 19. Describe the Stake organization — The organization of the ward — of the branch. 20. What institutions are recognized as helps in government? 21. What can you say of the Church judiciary system ? 22. State how difficulties are to be settled in the Church. 23. What are the means of punishment ligitimately within the right of the Church to exercise ? 24. What can you say of the effectiveness of Church punishment? 25. What regular conferences are held by the Church ? 26. What can be said of the Church as an ecclesiastical system of govern- ment? THE RESTORATION OF THE GOSPEL. 393 SECTION VI. Having paused to consider the Church as a system of ecclesiastical government, it now remains for us to return to the historical development of the work of the Lord as connected with the dispensation of the fullness of times. 1. The Kirtland Temple:— During the winter of 1835- 36 the temple at Kirtland was completed. This was the first temple built by the Church in this dispensation. It was a stone structure, eighty by sixty feet, and fifty feet to the square. At the front was a tower one hundred and ten feet high. There were two main halls fifty-five by sixty-five feet; four vestries in the front, two on each floor. There was also an attic, divided into five rooms. During the winter of 1835-6 a high school was conducted in Kirtland by H. M. Hawes, Professor of Greek and Latin,* and the rooms in the attic were used as class rooms and for the meetings of the various quorums of the priesthood. [See note 1, end of section.] 2. Dedication of the Temple:— On Sunday, the 27th of March, 1836, the temple was dedicated with imposing ceremonies, beginning early in the morning — eight o'clock — and continuing all day. As all the Saints could not be admitted at once, the Thursday following, March 31st, the ceremonies were repeated. The services con- * Besides the classic, there was an English department that included a course in common and higher mathematics, geography, English grammar, reading and writing. Hebrew was taught by Professor Seixas, a Jew, and the Elders made considerable progress in that language. These items are interesting as showing that " Mormonism " is not and was not even in (the beginning of its career, op- posed to education as many have claimed. 394 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. sisted of singing, prayer, preaching, prophesying, speak- ing in tongues, sustaining the several officers of the Church by votes of acceptance and confidence, the offering of a special dedicatory prayer,* partaking of the Lord's Supper, rendering the grand shout of Hosanna,f etc. The Spirit of the Lord was poured out in great power upon the saints, and spiritual manifestations were abundant. 3. Spiritual Manifestations in the Temple:— Fred- rick G. Williams, Counselor in the First Presidency, testified that while Elder Rigdon was making the opening prayer, an angel entered the window, and took a seat between himself and Patriarch Joseph Smith, father of the prophet, and remained there during the prayer. David Whitmer, one of the three especial wit- nesses to the Book of Mormon, also saw angels in the house. Apostle Brigham Young gave a brief address in tongues. Apostle David W. Patten, interpreted the address, and gave an exhortation in tongues himself. At a meeting in the evening George A. Smith — afterwards an apostle and Counselor to President Brigham Young — arose and began to prophesy, when a noise was heard like the sound cf a rushing mighty wind, which filled the temple, and all the congregation simultaneously arose, being moved upon by an invisible power; many fc * The prayer will be found in the Doc. and Cov. sec. cix. It was given by revelation to the prophet. E t The shout of hosanna consists in the whole congregation shouting with all the strength of their voices— accompanying it with the waving of handkerchiefs these words: HOSANNA ! HOSANNA ! HOSANNA! TO GOD AND THE LAMB! amen ! amen ! AMEN ! Those who have witnessed this shout of praise and glad- ness to God by a large congregation of saints, will never forget the power and heavenly influence that accompanies it. I Hi: RESTORATION OF nil; GOSPEL. 395 began to speak in tongues, and prophesy; others saw glorious visions. The Prophet Joseph saw that the temple was filled with angels, which fact he declared to the congregation. The people of the neighborhood came running together — hearing an unusual sound within, and seeing a bright light like a pillar of fire resting upon the temple — and were astonished at what was transpiring. Wednesday night- 30th March — while the meeting in the temple was in charge of the Twelve Apostles, the brethren continued exhorting, prophesying and speaking in tongues all night. The Savior made his appearance to some, while angels ministered to others, and it was a Pentecost and an endowment long to be remembered.* 4. Restoration of the Keys of Former Dispensa tions: — Sunday, the 3rd of April, one week following the first dedication services, there was a series of most glorious visions and revelations given in the temple. After the sacrament was administered to the congrega- tion, the curtains dividing the main hall were dropped and the Prophet Joseph and Oliver Cowdery retired into the pulpit and bowed in solemn and silent prayer. After prayer, they both beheld the Lord Jesus Christ standing upon the breastwork of the pulpit. He' announced himself as the First and the Last, the one who liveth and the one who was slain — their advocate with the Father. He declared his acceptance of the temple, and promised to appear unto his servants and speak unto them with his own voice, if the saints would but keep his com- mandments, and not pollute the temple, the fame of which he declared should spread to foreign lands. f 5. The Appearing of Moses:— After this vision * For the foregoing account of spiritual manifestations see Hist. Joseph Smith, Mill. Star, vol. 15. pages 726-28. t Doc. and Gov. sec. ex. .396 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. closed the heavens were again opened and Moses appeared before them and committed unto them the keys of the gathering of Israel from the four quarters of the earth and the leading of the ten tribes from the land of the north.* 7. The Appearing" of Elias:— Then Elias appeared and committed the dispensation of the gospel of Abra- ham, saying that in them and in their seed all generations after them should be blessed. .7 The Appearing" of Elijah:— As soon as the above vision closed, another opened before them, and Elijah the Prophet, who was taken to heaven without tasting death, stood before them, and said that the time had fully come which Malachi had spoken of, saying, that before the great and dreadful day of the Lord should come, he, Elijah, would be sent to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the children to the fathers, lest the whole earth be smitten with a curse. "f "There- fore," said Elijah to Joseph and Oliver, "the keys of this dispensation are committed into your hands, and by this ye may know that the great and dreadful day of the Lord is near, even at the doors. "J NOTES. 1. Inner Courts of Kirtland Temple : — There was a peculiarity in the arrangement of the inner court which made it more than ordinarily impres- sive— so much so that a sense of sacred awe seemed to rest upon all who entered; not only the Saints but strangers also maniiested a high degree of reverential feel- ing. Four pulpits stood one above another, in the center of the building, from north to south, both on the east and west ends ; those on the west for the presid- ing officers of the Melchisedek Priesthood, and those on the east for the Aaronic; * Doc. and Cov. sec. ex. t Mai. iv : 5, 6. % Doc. and Cov. sec. ex. THE RESTORATION OF THE GOSPEL. 397 and each of these pulpits was separated by curtains of white painted canvass, which were let down and drawn up at pleasure. In front of each of these two rows of pulpits was a sacrament table for the administration of that sacred ordi- nance. In each corner of the court was an elevated pew for the singers, the choir being distributed into four compartments. In addition to the pulpit cur- tains, were others, intersecting at right angles, which divided the main ground- floor wall into four equal sections, giving to each one half of one set ol pulpits. — Eliza Ii. Snoio. REVIEW. i. When was the Kirtland Temple completed ? 2. Give a description of it. (note i.) 3. For what were the attic rooms used ? 4. What branches were taught in the temple school ? (note.) 5. Describe the dedicatory services. 6. State what spiritual manifestations occurred during the dedicatory services. 7. Describe the vision ot the Savior given to the Prophet Joseph and Oliver Cowdery in the temple. 8. Relate the appearing of Moses — of Elias — of Elijah. 398 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. SECTION VII. The appearing of Moses in the Kirtland Temple and his restoring the keys for the gathering of Israel, marks the inauguration of a mighty work within the work of God, in this dispensation, and gives a reality to many of the predictions of the ancient prophets. To fully compre- hend this great work it will be necessaryto call the atten- tion of the student to Israel, and a brief outline of their history. 1. Who are Israel:— The children of Israel are the descendants of Abraham through the loins of Isaac and Jacob, taking their name, however,, from the last-named patriarch, whose name was changed by an angel of the Lord from Jacob to Israel, which means a prince of God. Unto Jacob by four wives were born twelve sons — the heads of the Twelve Tribes of Israel. Joseph, Jacob's son by his wife Rachel, being his father's favorite son, was hated by his brethren, and without the father's knowledge was sold to Egyptian merchants, who carried him into their own country. His cruel brethren rent his clothing and stained it in blood, then taking it to their father represented that his son had been destroyed by a wild beast. The Lord was with Joseph in Egypt, and gave him favor in the eyes of the rulers of that land, until he became second in authority in the kingdom. Having been warned in a dream of an approaching famine, some years before it took place, he laid up in store an abundance of corn, so that while famine distressed surrounding countries there was plenty in Egypt, and thither the sons of Israel went to purchase food. Joseph revealed his identity to his brethren, nil. RESTORATION OF THE GOSPEL. 399 became reconciled to them, and sent for his father and all attached to his household — about seventy souls in all — to come to him and take up their abode in Egypt. This the aged patriarch did, and ended his days there. 2. Israel Enslaved:— Sometime after Joseph's death, there arose a king who knew him not, and observing that the Israelites were likely to become more numerous than the Egyptians — since they did not murder their offspring either before or at birth, as many among the Egyptians did — this monarch enslaved them and placed task masters over them, and by oppression and the des- truction of their male offspring sought to prevent their increase. Finally the Lord raised up Moses and deliv- ered them from bondage amid a splendid display of his Almighty power, and eventually settled them in the land of Canaan — the land he had promised unto Abraham as an inheritance — where they became a mighty nation. [See note 1, end of section.] 3. Revolt Of the Ten Tribes:— As a nation the Israel- ites reached the zenith of their splendor under the reign of David and his son Solomon. At the death of the latter, 075, B. C, the kingdom was divided. Ten tribes revolted against the oppression of Solomon's successor, his son Rehoboam, and formed the king- dom of Israel, choosing for their king Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, one of Solomon's servants. The new king — a man of great valor — established his capital at Shechem [Shek-em], but fifty years afterwards it was removed to Samaria. 4. The Captivity of Israel— The Lost Tribes:— This kingdom of Israel continued its existence for about two hundred and fifty years. In that time the people may be said to have departed wholly from the paths of righteous- ness, becoming drunken, licentious and idolatrous. So 26 400 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. the Lord gave them up and Shalmaneser, a noted Assyrian king, made war upon them, utterly overcame them and led them captives into Assyria. From thence the Lord led many of them away into the north country, where, no man knoweth, and hence they are denominated the Lost Tribes. Our reason for saying the}- were led away into the north is to be found in the fact that many predictions of the prophets plainly declare that they shall come from the land of the north, a great company, etc. ;* and it must be manifest that they cannot come from the land of the north unless they are there. Messiah, when he visited the Nephites after his resurrection, plainly told them that the other tribes of the house of Israel — meaning the ten tribes — the Lord had led away out of the land;^ and he also announced his intention of visiting them, and commanded the Nephites to make a record of it that a knowledge of the existence of these "other tribes" might be made known unto the Gentiles when the Nephite records should be revealed to them. These "other tribes," Messiah spoke of, he declared to be not of the land of America, nor of the land of Jerusalem, "neither in any parts of that land round about whither I have been to minister. "| 5. The Apocryphal writer Esdras, in relating one of his visions describes one of the great characters that figured in those visions as calling unto himself a peace- ful people. "Those," said the angel sent to interpret the vision, "are the tribes which were carried away captives out of their own land in the time of Oseas * See pages 405-6-7. t Book of Mormon, II F. Nephi xv: 12-20. \ Book of Mormon, III. Nephi xvi: f—j. i Hi; RESTORATION 01 Mil GOSPEL. 4(11 (Hosea) the king, whom Salmanaser, the king of the Assyrians, took captive, and crossed them beyond the river; so were they brought into another land. But they took counsel to themselves, that they would leave the multitude of the heathen, and go forth unto a further country where never man dwelt, that they there might keep their statutes, which they never kept in their own land. And they entered in at the narrow passage of the River Euphrates. For the Most High then showed them signs, and stayed the springs of the flood till they were passed over. For through the country there was great journey, even of a year and a half, and the same region is called Arsareth (or Ararah). Then dwelt they there until the latter time, and when they come forth again, the Most High shall hold still the springs of the river again, that they may go through ; therefore sawest thou the multitude peaceable."* 6. Whatever doubt may be entertained respecting the writings of Esdras, it cannot be denied that in respect to the Ten Tribes and what became of them he is in harmony with the statement made by Jesus to the Nephites. viz: that the Lord had led them away out of the land. The Most High, according to Esdras, showing them signs by staying the springs of the flood of the Euphrates, as he will do when the time comes for them to-return.f He is also in harmony with the prophets who predict the return of Israel in the last days from that land in which they have been hidden by the Lord.| [See note 2, end of section.] 7. The Samaritans: — The country inhabited by the * //. Esdras .t Hi. t Compare with Isaiah xi : 15, 16. JSee prophecies quoted p. 405-6. 402 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. kingdom of Israel — the north half of Palestine — was taken possession of by people sent from Babylon, Persia and other countries by the Assyrian king, and these strangers, intermarrying with the few Isaelites remaining in the land, after the main body of the people had been led away into captivity, became the mixed people called Samaritans, so heartily despised by the Jews. 8. The Kingdom of Judah: — In the civil dissensions which divided the Israelites at the death of Solomon, the tribe of Benjamin remained loyal to Judah, and may be said to have almost lost its identity in the kingdom which with Judah it formed after the revolt of the ten tribes. It was a stormy career that the kingdom of Judah experienced after the said revolt. It was subject in turn to the Egyptians, Assyrians, and Babylonians. In consequence of treachery to the last-named power, Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, about 586 B. C. ,* beseiged Jerusalem, reduced the city to the utmost extremity, captured the king, put out his eyes and led him and most of the Jews captive to Babylon. The walls of the city were thrown down, the temple rifled of its sacred vessels and the city left desolate to be inhabited by strangers. The captivity of the Jews in Babylon lasted about seventy years, f The Babylonians in the meantime had been overcome of the Persians, under Cyrus the Great, who in the first year of his reign permitted the Jews to return and rebuild the city and its walls. 9. The Jews, however, never wholly regained their * I do not state this date definitely because authorities differ in respect to it ; some fixing it at 588, others at 590, and still others as in the text. The differ- ence, which is not material, arose no doubt from some giving the date at which the king of Babylon began his siege and others when it ended. f Fifty-six according to some historians. THE RESTORATION OF THE GOSPEL. 403 independence; being located between Syria and Egypt, their country was held in subjection as a province to one or the other of them according- as now one and now the other was successful in the unhappy wars which broke out between those nations. Finally Palestine became a province of Rome, but the people were allowed the freedom to worship God according to the teachings of Moses and their prophets. This was their condition at the birth and during the lifetime of Messiah.* 10. About fort}- years after the crucifixion of the Christ, the Jews foolishly rebelled against the Roman authority, which brought on a terrible war. During the siege of Jerusalem, which lasted six months, over one million of the wretched inhabitants, according to Josephus, perished of the famine. The remainder were either driven into exile or sold into slavery. The city was razed to the ground, the temple destroyed, and in their eager search for gold the Romans tore up the very foundation, and ploughed up the site, so that literally there was not left one stone to stand upon another that was not thrown down.f Since the destruction of their city and the overthrow of their nation, the Jews have been scattered among all nations, despised, hated, oppressed, until all the evil that was prophesied of by Moses;}; concerning them — when they should turn away from God and his law — came upon them. [See note 3, end of section.] 11. Miscellaneous Dispersions:— Besides the tribes of Israel that were thus dispersed, there were families of ♦See Part I, p. 27. f Matt, xxiv : 2. % Deut. xxviii : 15-68. The student should read this passage in Deuteronomy. It is without exception the most terrible warning and prophecy on record. Yet terrible as it is, it hath all overtaken Israel. 404 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. various tribes whom the Lord led away at different times into distant lands. Such as the family of Lehi of the tribe of Manasseh; and that of Ishmael of the tribe of Ephraim, both of which families, together with one Zoram — of what tribe he was is not known — the Lord led to the continent of America. The Lord also led to the same land a colony that departed from Jerusalem immediately after its destruction by King Nebuchad- nezzar, in the sixth century B. C, among whom was one Mulek, one of the sons of King Zedekiah, whose people founded the city of Zarahemla. and afterwards united with the Nephites. 12. The Blood of Israel Sprinkled Among" All Nations : — The Jews since the destruction of their city and nation by the Romans, have been scattered among all nations, but they have succeeded in a remarkable manner in preserving their identity as a distinct people. Still it is not to be doubted that there are instances where Jews have married and inter-married with the Gentiles among whom they lived, until they lost their identity, and thus the blood of Israel, unrecognized, is in the veins of many supposed to be Gentiles. 13. The tribes of Israel sent into Babylon, Assyria and the surrounding countries in like manner inter- mingled their blood with the people of those nations. Moreover, there are good reasons to believe that in that exodus of the ten tribes from Assyria to the north, many became discouraged and stopped by the way. Others unable to prosecute the journey also abandoned the expedition, and these that thus halted, . uniting and intermarrying with the original inhabitants of the land, constituted those prolific races that over-ran the western division of the Roman Empire. 14. In this manner the blood of Israel has been THE RESTORATION OF THE GOSPEL. Ulft sprinkled almost among all the nations of the earth, until the word of the Lord which says: "I will sift the house of Israel among all nations,"* has been literally fulfilled. 15. The Gathering- of Israel:— Notwithstanding Israel and Judah have thus been scattered, their temple destroyed and their chief city trodden down of the Gentiles, the remnant of this favored people of God, according to the promises of the Lord, are to be gathered together again and established upon the lands promised to their forefathers. The keys necessary for the inauguration of this work were given to the Prophet Joseph by Moses on the occasion of his appearing to hiui and to Oliver Cowdery in the Kirtland temple, and the work has begun. I think it proper here to give some of the pas- sages of scripture which promise the gatheringof I srael. 16. From the Bible: — "Hear the word of the Lord. O, ye nations, and declare it in the isles afar off, and say, He that scattered Israel will gather him, and keep him as a shepherd doth his flock. For the Lord hath redeemed Jacob, and ransomed him from the hand of him that was stronger than he. Therefore they shall come and sing in the height of Zion, and shall flow together to the goodness of the Lord, for wheat and for wine, and for oil, and for the young of the flock and of the herd: and their soul shall be as a watered garden, and they shall not sorrow any more at all. "f "Therefore, behold the days come, saith the Lord, that it shall no more be said, the Lord liveth that brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt; but the Lord liveth that brought up the children of Israel from the land of the north, and from all the lands whither he * Amos ix : 8, 9. f Jeremiah xxxi : 10-12. See also verses 7, 8. 9. 466 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. had driven them: and I will bring them again into their land that I gave unto their fathers."* "And it shall come to pass in that dayf that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, which shall be left from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea. And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth. The envy also of Ephraim shall depart, and the adversaries of Judah shall be cut off. Ephraim shall not envy Judah, and Judah shall not vex Ephraim. * * * And there shall be an highway for the remnant of his people, which shall be left from Assyria: like as it was to Israel in the day that he came up out of the land of Egypt. "J "Turn, O back-sliding children, saith the Lord: for I am married unto you : and I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion: and I will give you pastors according to my own heart, and they shall feed you with knowledge and understanding. And it shall come to pass when ye be multiplied and increased in the land in those days, saith the Lord, they shall say no more the ark of the covenant of the Lord: neither shall it come to mind. * * * At that time they shall call Jerusalem the throne of the Lord; and all the nations shall be gathered unto it, to the name of the * Jeremiah xvi ; 14, 15. fSee the verses preceding this quotation for an explanation of the time of this occurrence, Isaiah xi : 1-10. This is one of the passages quoted to Joseph Smith by the angel Moroni, who said also that " it was about to be fulfilled." See Pearl of Great Price, p. 50. J Isaiah xi : 10-12, 16. THE RESTORATION OF THE (JOSPEL. 1 07 Lord, to Jerusalem. * * * In those days the house of Judah shall walk with the house of Israel, and they shall come together out of the land of the north, to the land that I have given for an inheritance unto your fathers. "* 17. From the Book of Mormon:— "But behold thus saith the Lord God : when the day cometh that they [the Jews — see context] shall believe in me, that I am Christ, then have I covenanted with their fathers that they shall be restored in the rlesh, upon the earth, unto the lands of their inheritance. And it shall come to pass that they shall be gathered in from their long dispersion, from the isles of the sea, and from the four parts of the earth; and the nations of the Gentiles shall be great in the eyes of me, saith God, in carrying them forth to the lands of their inheritance, "t 18. From the Doctrine and Covenants:— And the Lord, even the Savior, shall stand in the midst of his people, and shall reign over all flesh. And they who are in the north countries shall come in remembrance before the Lord, and their prophets shall hear his voice, and shall no longer stay themselves, and they shall smite the rocks, and the ice shall flow down at their presence. And an highway shall be cast up in the midst of the great deep. Their enemies shall become a prey unto them, and in the barren deserts there shall come forth pools of living water; and the parched ground shall no longer be a thirsty land. And they shall bring forth their rich treasures unto the children of Ephraim. my servants. And the boundaries of the everlasting hills shall tremble at their presence. And there shall they * Jeremiah III: 15-19- tBook of Mormon II. Nephi x : 7, 8. See also I. Nephi x : 14. II. Nephi vi : 11, and also Book of Jacob v This last reference especially should be studied. 408 OUTLINES 'OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. fall down and be crowned with glory, even in Zion, by the hands of the servants of the Lord, even the children of Ephraim; and they shall be filled with songs of ever- lasting joy. Behold, this is the blessing of the Ever- lasting God upon the tribes of Israel, and the richer blessing upon the head of Ephraim and his fellows. And they also of the tribe of Judah, after their pain, shall be sanctified in holiness before the Lord to dwell in his presence day and night, for ever and for ever." [See note -t, end of section.] 19. The Preparatory Work to the Return of the Ten Tribes : — This is enough in a general way upon the return of the Ten Tribes from the north and the return of the Jews to Jerusalem. Yet there is another part of this work of gathering Israel that calls for our attention. We have described the manner in which the blood of Israel has been sprinkled among the Gentile nations. The people in whose veins that blood runs must be gathered as well as the Jews and the Ten Tribes; for the promise of gathering extends to all the children of Israel, in all the countries whither they have been scattered. Moreover, it would seem that the Ten Tribes are to come to Zion and sing in the heights thereof, and there be crowned with glory "by the hands of the servants of the Lord, the children of Ephraim. "f The gathering of Israel scattered among the Gentile nations will have made considerable progress, and Zion will be built up before the Ten Tribes will be brought from the north. This work of gathering Israel from among the Gentile nations is the work that the Church of Christ is now engaged in. The Lord has revealed the location of Zion;| it has been * Doc. and Cov. sec. cxxxiii: 2j-jj t Doc. and Cov. sec. cxxxiii: j2. J See page 350-1, this work. Ill) RESTORATION OF THE GOSPEL. 409 dedicated for the gathering together of his people Israel. Even the temple site is known and dedicated, and the sure word of God given that the temple shall be built in this generation.* The enemies of the church drove the Saints away from the consecrated land, it is true;f but their absence will only be temporary, the time will come when they will return and fulfill all that the Lord hath decreed in relation to Zion and its redemption. 20. Meantime they are budding up stakes of Zion in the Rocky Mountain valleys, and in this way are fulfill- ing predictions of the ancient prophets. Isaiah hath it written, that "In the last days the house of the Lord shall be established in the tops of the mountains, and all nations shall flow unto it. And many people shall go and say, come ye and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob, and he will teach us of his ways and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem."^ 21. It is remarkable how minutely the Latter-day Saints are fulfilling the terms of this prophecy: I. They are building the temples of God in the tops of the mountains, so that the house of the Lord is truly where Isaiah saw it would be. II. The Saints engaged in this work are people gathered from nearly all the nations under heaven, so that all nations are flowing unto the house of the Lord in the top of the mountains. [See note 5, end of section.] *Seep. 351. t For the particulars of the persecution which resulted in the banishment of the saints from that land, the student is referred to the author's work on the Missouri Persecutions. t Isaiah ii : 2, s- 410 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. III. The people who receive the gospel in foreign lands joyfully say to their relatives and friends: Come ye, and let us go up to the house of the Lord, and he will teach us of his ways and we will walk in his paths. 22. The manner in which the Saints are gathered, one here and one there, one from this city and one from that, fulfills the prophecy of Jeremiah, who, in speaking of this great gathering of Israel, represents the Lord as saying: "I will take you one of a city, and two of a family and I will bring you to Zion; and I will give you pastors according to mine own heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding."* 23. The student should be informed how it is we know the Saints are of the house of Israel. First, they fulfill the terms of the prophecies written about the gathering of Israel by the ancient prophets, as seen above; second, the patriarchs of the church, ordained and set apart to that calling by the apostles, in giving blessings to the Saints declare them to be of the house of Israel, and mainly of the tribe of Ephraim. [See note 6, end of section.] 24. Object Of Gathering": — Another object of this gathering of the people of God from among the Gentile nations — which with their wickedness, spiritual blindness, and confusion constitute Babylon — is that they may not partake of the sins of Babylon, and that they might escape the judgments and olagues decreed by God against the wickedness thereof. The Apostle John prophe- sies of this. In those visions given to him on the Isle of Patmos, showing him things that would take place in the future, he heard a voice from heaven saying:" Come out of her, [that is out of Babylon] my people, that ye Jeremiah THE RESTORATION OF THE GOSPEL. 411 be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues, for her sins have reached unto heaven and God hath remembered her iniquities. * * * There- fore shall her plagues come in one day, death and mourning and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire; for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her."* The Saints are gathering out of Babylon that they may escape these threatened judgments. NOTES. 1. Settlement of Israel in Canaan :— Of the twelve tribes of Israel, nine and a half were located to the west and two and a half to the east of the Jordan, Into this region they had been led by Joshua, Moses being only per- mitted to catch a distant glimpse of the promised land. After the death of Joshua, followed the period of judges, which lasted about five centuries. The last of the judges was Samuel, who when the people demanded a king, anointed Saul — 1095, B. C— Anderson's Gen. Hist. 2. The Departure of* the Ten Tribes for the North :— They [the ten tribes] determined to go to a country " where never man dwelt," that they might be free from all contaminating influences. That country could only be found in the North. Southern Asia was already the seat of a comparatively ancient civilization, Egypt flourished in northern Africa, and southern Europe was rap- idly filling with the future rulers of the world. They had, therefore, no choice but to turn their faces northward. The first portion of their jonwiey was not, however, north ; according to the account of Esdras, they appear to have at first moved in the direction of their old home, and it is possible that they origin- ally started with the intention of returning thereto, or probably in order to de- ceive the Assyrians, they started as if to return to Canaan, and when they crossed the Euphrates, and were out of danger from the hosts of the Medes and Per- sians, then they turned their journeying feet toward the polar star, Esdras states that they entered in at the narrow passage of the river Euphrates, the Lord stay- ing the springs of the flood until they were passed over. The point on the river Euphrates at which ihey crossed would necessarily be in its upper portion, as lower down would be too far south for their purpose. The upper course of the Euphrates lies among lofty mountains near the village of Pastash; it plunges * Rev. xviij : 4-8. 41^ OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. through a gorge formed by precipices more than a thousand feet in height and so narrow that it is bridged at the top ; it shortly afterwards enters the plain of Mesopotamia. How accurately this portion of the river answers to the descrip- tion of Esdras of the " Narrows," where the Israelites crossed. — Reynolds', Are we of Israel— pp. 26, 27. 3. Final Overthrow of Juclah :— According to Josephus (De Bell Jud. vi : 9, 3.) 1,100,000 men fell in the siege of Jerusalem by Titus, and 79,000 were captured in the whole war. Of the latter number, the greater part was distributed among the provinces, to be butchered in the amphitheaters or cast to wild beasts ; others were doomed to work as public slaves in Egypt ; only those under the age of seventeen were sold into private bondage. An equally dreadful destruction fell upon the remains of the nation, which had once more assembled in Judea, under the reign of Hadrian (A. D. 133). which Dion Cassius concisely relates. By these two savage wars the Jewish population must have been effectually extirpated from the Holy Land itself, a result which did not foHow from the Babylonian captivity. Afterwards a dreary period of fifteen hun- dred years' oppression crushed in Europe all who bore the name of Israel, and Christian nations have visited on their head a crime [the crucifixion of Mes- siah] perpetrated by a few thousand inhabitants of Jerusalem, who were not the real forefathers of the European Jews. Nor in the East has their lot been much more cheering. With a few partial exceptions, they have ever since been a de- spised, an oppressed and naturally a degraded people ; though from them have spread light and truth to the distant nations of the earth. — Biblical Literature (Kitto) vol. I. p. 39. 4. Return of the Ten Tribes From the North :— Away in yonder north countries, where I do not know, but away in those regions are ten tribes of the house of Israel. How do you know they are in the north country ? Because the Bible has told us that in the latter days they shouid come out of the north country, and if they were not in the north country they could not come from there. Jeremiah says in his thirty-first chapter — " Behold I will bring them from the noith, the blind and the lame with them, and the woman with child; they shall come, a great company out of the north countries." Where will they go to? Will they go immediately to Palestine, where they formerly had their inheritance ? No. Jeremiah tells us where they will go, he tells us there is to be a place called Zion before these tribes come out of the north countries, and when they come with a great company, the blind and the lame with them, and the Lord God leads them with supplication and with tears and with prayers, bringing them forth from those dreary, desolate, cold arctic regions : when that day shall come, there shall be a Zion prepared to receive these ten tribes, before they finally go back to Palestine. Is there anything in the scriptures about this ? Yes. In the same chapter of Jeremiah we read that, " they shall come and sing in the height of Zion." Zion, then, will have to be built up before they come ; Zion will have to be reared somewhere and prepared to receive them ; and it will be a holy place, and it will be a holy people who will build up Zion, so much so I Hi; RESTORATION OF IHK GOSPEL. H3 that the Lord will bring these ten tribes into the height of Zion, into the midst of it. — Orson Pratt — Journal of Discourses, Vol. 18, p. 22, 23. 5. All Nations Flowing Unto the House of the Lord : — One of the features in the celebration of Pioneer Day — 24th of July, the anniversary of the day the company of pioneers entered Salt Lake Valley, 1847 — in Salt Lake City, 1880, was to have represented the various nationalities composing the population of Utah. A man and a woman of each nation from which people had been gathered by the proclamation of the gospel were selected as the repre- sentatives, each pair bearing the national colors of their country. They occupied a platform in the Tabernacle during the services, and after a historical sketch of the introduction of the gospel in the various nations was read by Orson Pratt, the representatives of the nations arose and President John Taylor said: " I wish to state to the congregation that the Lord commanded his servants to go forth to all the world to preach the gospel to every creature. We have not yet been to all the world but here are twenty-Jive nations represented today, and we have thus far fulfilled our mission." 6. The Latter-day Saints of Israel : — The set time was come for God to gather Israel, and for his work to commence upon the face of the whole earth and the elders who have arisen in this church and kingdom are actually of Israel. Take the elders who are in this house [the old Tabernacle in Salt Lake City], and you can scarcely find one out of a hundred but what is of the house of Israel. * * * Will we go to the Gentile nations to preach the gospel ? Yes, and gather out the Israelites wherever they are mixed among the nations of the earth. * * * Ephraim has become mixed with all the nations of the earth, and it is Ephraim that is gathering together. It is Ephraim that I have been •searching for all the days of my preaching, and that is the blood which ran in my veins when I embraced the gospel. If there are any of the other tribes of Israel mixed with the Gentiles we are also searching after them. — Bngham Young. From A Discourse preached April 8th, 1855. REVIEW. 1. What great work did the visit of Moses to the Kirtland temple inaugu- e? 2. Who are Israel ? 3. Give a sketch of the history of Israel to the revolt of the ten tribes. 4. How came the ten tribes to revolt ? 5. Give an account of the fall of the kingdom of Israel. 6. Why are the ten tribes called the " lost tribes?" 7. What evidence have you that they are in the North ? 8. Give the evidence to be found in the words of Jesus to the Nephites, 414 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. 9. What statement does the Apocryphal writer Esdras make respecting the ten tribes? (Note 2.) 10. Who were the Samaritans ? Ii. What tribes formed the kingdom of Judah ? 12. Give an outline of the history of Judah to the birth of Messiah. 13. What befel Judah about thirty years after the crucifixion of Messiah ? (Note 3.) 14. What can you say of miscellaneous dispersions? 15. How came the blood of Israel sprinkled among all nations? 16. What promises are made to scattered Irsael ? 17. Quote the several passages from the Bible which predict the gathering of Israel. 18. Quote the passages from the Book of Mormon. 19. What work is to be done preparatory to the return of the ten tribes ? (Note 4). 20. What progress has been made in that preparatory work ? 21. What prophecies are the Saints minutely fulfilling in gathering together in the mountains ? (Note 5). 22. How do we know that the Latter-day Saints are of Israel ? (Note 6). 23. For what object are the Saints gathering from Babylon ? THE RESTORATION OF THE GOSPEL. 415 SECTION VIII. 1. Salvation for the Dead: — The appearing of Elijah, the prophet, in the Kirtland temple on the 3rd of April, 1836, was the introduction of another great work con- nected with the redemption of the human race. That work is Salvation for the Dead, the keys of which were given to the Prophet Joseph Smith by Elijah, on the occasion of the appearing mentioned above. That event was an epoch in the history of this great dispensa- tion. It began a revolution in the theology of the Christian world. Up to that time — 1836 — it was univer- sally believed by Christians that the souls of men who died without conversion to the Christian religion, were everlastingly lost. It was believed that the application of the gospel of Jesus Christ was limited to this life; and those who failed, through whatever cause, to obtain the benefits of the means of salvation it affords, are for ever barred from such benefits. "If the tree fall toward the south, or toward the north, in the place where the tree falleth, there it shall lie;"* and they argued from this that in whatever state a man died so he remained. If he died in a state of justification his salvation was assured; but if not, then justification and consequently salvation was forever beyond his hope. 2. This sectarian doctrine which does so much violence to the justice of God — since it closes the door of salvation against so many thousands of God's children through no other circumstance than that'they never so much as heard of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and there- Eccl. xi 27 416 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. fore could not either believe or obey it — arose, first, through a misconception of the doctrine of eternal punishment with which the wicked are threatened in the scriptures; and, second, through a very narrow concep- tion of the sure mercies of God. 3. Christian Dogma of Eternal Judgment :— Christians believed that to receive eternal punishment was to be punished eternally. This popular Christian error was corrected in a revelation to Martin Harris through Joseph Smith, even before the church was organized.* In that revelation it is explained that God is "Endless," that is one of his names; as also is "Eternal," one of his names. "Therefore eternal pun- ishment is God's punishment. Endless punishment is God's punishment." In other words the punishment that will overtake the wicked is Eternal's punishment; Endless' punishment. But Christians mistaking the name of the punishment for the sign of its duration, taught that men were punished eternally for the sins committed in this life. God's punishment is eternal; that is, it always exists; it is eternal as God is, but the transgressor receives only so much of it, endures it only so long as may be necessary to satisfy the reason- able claims of justice, tempered with mercy. Then, when the insulted law is vindicated, the offender is released from the punishment. But as "the bars survive the captive they enthrall," as the prison remains after the transgressor has served his time in it; so in God's government, the punishment eternally remains after transgressors have satisfied the claims of justice, and are relieved from its pains and penalties. It remains to vindicate the law of God whenever it shall be broken. The revelation was given March, 1830 ; Doc. and Cov. sec. xix. THE RESTORATION OF THE GOSPEL. H7 But men read — "He that believeth not [the gospel] shall be damned,"* and they were taught to believe that the) were damned to all eternity — that they were consigned forever to the flames of hell.f [See note 1, end of section. ] 4. One would think that right conceptions of the attributes of justice and mercy as they exist in God's character would lead men to the rejection of the horrible dogma of eternal punishment as taught by orthodox Christianity. But if that be not sufficient then the scriptures themselves refute it, as will appear in the following paragraphs: 5. Preaching" to the Spirits in Prison:— From a * Mark xvi : 16. fThe so-called early fathers of the church, Justin Martyr, Clement, of Alex- andria, Tertullian and Cyprian, all taught that the fire of hell is a real material flame, and that the wicked were punished in it eternally. Augustine in the fifth century stated the same doctrine with great emphasis and argued against those who sought to modify it. (See Augustine's City of God. Part II. book xx. and xxi). Thomas Aquinas (A-kwi-nas) of the medioeval school of theologians, rising head and shoulders above divines of his day, teaches in his Summa Theologia , that the fire of hell is of the same nature as ordinary fire, though with different properties ; that the place of punishment though not definitely known is probably under the earth. He also taught that there was no redemption for those once damned, their punishment is to be eternal. Coming to more modern times we read in the Westminster Confession of faith — adopted in the seventeenth century by the Puritan party in England — the following on the subject (ch. xxxiii). " The wicked who know not God, and obey not the gospel of Jesus Christ shall be cast into eternal torment and be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power." Question twenty-nine of the larger catechism and the answer to it are as follows: "What are the punishments of sin in the world to come? Ans. The punishments of sin in the world to come are everlasting separation from the comfortable presence of God, and most grievous torment in soul and body, without intermission, in hell fire forever." The Westminster confession and the larger catechism are still the standards of the Presbyterian churches. Indeed the above expresses the orthodox Christian faith, from the second and third centuries until the present time. 418 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. remark made in the writings of the Apostle Peter,* we learn that after Messiah was put to death in the flesh "He went and preached to the spirits in prison, which sometime [aforetime] were disobedient, when once the long-suffering of God waited in the days of Noah. " During the three days, then, that Messiah's body lay in the tomb at Jerusalem, his spirit was in the world of spirits preaching to those who had rejected the preaching of righteous Noah. The Christian traditions no less than the scriptures teach that Jesus went down into hell and preached to those there held in ward. [See note 2, end of section.] 6. Not only is the mere fact of Messiah's going to the spirit prison stated in the scripture, but the purpose of his going there is learned from the same source. "For this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit, "f This manifestly means that these spirits who had once rejected the counsels of God against them- selves, had the gospel again preached to them and had the privilege of living according to its precepts in the spirit life, and of being judged according to men in the flesh, or as men in the flesh are judged; that is, according to the degree of their faithfulness to the precepts of the gospel. 7. Naturally the question arises why was the gospel preached to the spirits in prison who had once been disobedient if there were no means by which it could be applied to them for their salvation. We can scarcely suppose that Messiah would preach the gospel to them if it could do them no good. He did not go there to *I. Peter iii : 18-21. 1 1. Perer iv : 6. THE RESTORATION Of THE GOSPEL. II 9 mock their sufferings or to add something to the torture of their damnation by explaining the beauties of that salvation now forever beyond their reach! Such a supposition would at once be revolting to reason, insulting to the justice of God, and utterly repugnant to the dictates of mercy! 8. Following that question comes another: If the gospel is preached again to those who have once rejected it, how much sooner will it be presented to those who have never heard it, who have lived in those generations when the gospel and the authority to administer its ordinances were not in the earth? Seeing that those who once rejected the offer of salvation had it presented to them again — after paving the penalty of their first disobedience — it would seem that those who lived when it was not upon the earth, or who when it was upon the earth perished in ignorance of it, will much sooner come to salvation. 9. Of the things we have written, this is the sum: (1) The gospel was preached by Messiah to the spirits in prison who had rejected the teachings of Noah; there- fore there must be some means through which its precepts and ordinances may be applied to them. (2) If the gospel can be made available to those who once rejected the proffered mercies of God, its privileges will much sooner and doubtless more abundantly be granted to those who died in ignorance of it. 10. Baptism for the Dead : — The manner in which the ordinances of the gospel may be administered to those who have died without receiving them is hinted at by Paul. Writing to the Corinthians on the subject of the resurrection, — correcting those who said there was no resurrection — he asks: "What shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at 420 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. all? Why are they then baptized for the dead?"* In this the apostle manifestly referred to a practice which existed among the Christian Saints of the living being baptized for the dead, and argues from the existence of that practice that the dead must rise, or why the necessity of being baptized for the dead. Though this is the only passage in the New Testament, or in the whole Bible, that refers to the subject, yet of itself it is sufficient to establish the fact that such a principle was known among the ancient Saints. [See notes 3 and 4, end of section. 11. From the revelations of God to the church in this dispensation the following may be learned: Elijah, in fulfillment of ancient prophecy, appeared unto Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery, and delivered to them those keys or powers of the priesthood which give to the living the right to do a work for the salvation of the dead. As a consequence the hearts of the children are turned to the fathers; and of course, since the fathers in the spirit world through the preaching of the gospel learn that it is within the power of their children to do a work for them, their hearts are turned to the children, and thus the predicted result to follow Elijah's missionis fulfilled. 12. The work that the living may do for the dead is that of attending to outward ordinances — baptisms, confirmations, ordinations, washings, anointings and seal- ings — all being appointed by revelation and direction of the Lord, and all sealed and ratified by the power of the priesthood of God which binds on earth and in heaven. It is required that all baptisms and other ordinances of the gospel performed for the dead be attended to in houses — and more properly in temples — specially dedi- I. Cor. THE RESTORATION OF THE GOSPEL. 1^1 cated for holy purposes. Those ordinances are to be faithfully- recorded by those who see and hear them performed,* that there may be valid testimony that the work has been done. These ordinances attended to on earth by the living, and accepted in the spirit world by those for whom they are performed, will make them a potent means of salvation to the dead and of exaltation to the living, since they become in very deed "saviors upon Mount Zion. " This work that can be done for the dead enlarges one's view of the gospel of Jesus Christ. One begins to see indeed that it is the "everlasting gospel;" for it runs parallel with man's existence both in this life and in that which is to come. It vindicates the character of God, for by it we may see that justice and judgment, truth and mercy are in all his ways. [See note 5, end of section.] 13. Different Degrees of Glory:— Closely associated with the subjects treated in the foregoing paragraphs of this section, is the subject of the Different Degrees of Glory. Nothing is more clearly stated in holy writ than that men will be judged and rewarded according to their works, t And as their works vary in degree of righteous- ness so will their rewards vary, and so will they have bestowed upon them different degrees of glory according as their works shall merit and their intelligence be capable of comprehending. Messiah said to his disciples: "In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you; * * * that where I am there ye ma}' be also. "| Still it is commonly held among Christian sects that he who attains heaven partakes immediate!) <>l * Doc. and Cov. sec.cxxvii. and exxviii. tRom.ii: 6-12. I. Cor. iii : 8. II. Cor. v: 10. Rev. ii : 23. Rev. xx: 12. t St. John xiv. 1-3. 422 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. the highest glories; while he „ who misses heaven goes direct to hell and partakes of all its miseries forever.* Yet nothing is clearer than the fact that there are different heavens spoken of in scripture and different degrees of glory. When Solomon dedicated the temple he had builded, he exclaimed in his prayer — "Behold the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house which I have builded !"| Paul in writing to the Corinthians says: "I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago * * * such an one caught up to the third heaven. And I knew such a man * * * how that he was caught up into Paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter. "| 14- Reasoning on the resurrection, the last writer quoted says: "There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial; but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another. There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another * An exception must be made in the case of the Roman Catholic Church. Catholics do not believe that all Christians at death go immediately into heaven, but on the contrary " believe that a Christian who dies after the guilt and ever- lasting punishment of imortal sins have been forgiven him, but who, either from want of opportunity or through his negligence, has not discharged the debt of temporal punishment due to his sin, will have to discharge that debt to the justice of God in purgatory." "Purgatory is a state of suffering after this life, in which those souls are for a time detained, which depart this life after their deadly sins have been remitted as to the stain and guilt, and as to the everlasting pain that was due to them ; but which souls have on account of those sins still some temporal punishment to pay ; as also those souls which leave this world guilty only of venial [pardonable] sins. In purgatory these souls are purified and rendered fit to enter into heaven, where nothing defiled enters." The quo- tations in the above are from Catholic Belief by Bruno, D. D. of the Catholic Church. As all works of the Catholic Church accessible to me have nothing on the different degrees of glory, I conclude that Catholic teaching is that they who attain unto heaven are all equal in glory. 1 1. Kings viii : 27. J II. Cor. xii : 1-4. THE RESTORATION OF THE GOSPEL. 423 glory of the stars: for as one star differeth from another star in glory, so also is the resurrection of the dead."* In all this, however, the great subject is but vaguelj hinted at. For a full understanding of it we are indebted to a revelation given to Joseph Smith, February Kith. 1832. From that revelation we summarize the following :f 15. The Celestial Glory:— They who receive the testimony of Jesus, that believe on his name and are baptized after the manner of his burial; that by keeping the commandments they might be washed and cleansed from all sin, and receive the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands by those having authority; who overcome by faith, and are sealed by the Holy Spirit of Promise — these become the church of the First Born. They are they into whose hands the Father hath given all things — they are priests and kings, who have received of God's fullness, and of his glory; they are priests of the Most High, after the order of Melchisedek, which is after the order of the Son of God — therefore they are Gods, even the Sons of God. All things are theirs, whether life or death, or things present, or things to come, all are theirs, and they are Christ's, and Christ is God's. * I. Cor. xv : 40-42. fThe circumstances under which the revelation was given are these: The prophet Joseph and Sidney Rigdon were engaged in revising the Jewish scrip- tures. When they came to St. John, ch. v : 29 — speaking of the resurrection of the dead, concerning those that should hear the voice of the Son of Man and come forth, instead of reading in the text of our common English Bibles — " And shall come forth ; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life ; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation," the following was given to them by the spirit : " And shall come forth, they who have done good in the resurrection of the just, and they who have done evil in the resurrection of the unjust." This reading of the passage caused them to marvel as it was given to them by inspiration ; and while they pondered on this thing the Spirit of God enveloped them, and they saw the Lord Jesus Christ and those different glories which men will inherit, an account of which is given in the text. The vision is recorded in Doc. and Cow, sec. lxxvi. 414 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. They shall overcome all things; they shall dwell in the presence of God and Christ forever and forever; they are they whom Christ will bring with him when he shall come in the clouds of heaven to reign on the earth over his people; they have part in the resurrection of the just; their names are written in heaven, where God and Christ dwell; they are just men made perfect through Jesus the mediator of the new covenant; these are they whose bodies are celestial, whose glory the sun in heaven is spoken of as typical — they inherit the celestial glory, they see as they are seen and know as they are known. 16. The Terrestrial Glory:— The terrestrial glory differs from the celestial glory as the light of the moon differs from the light of the sun. These are they who died without law, and also they who are the spirits of men in prison, whom the Son visited, and preached the gospel unto them, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, who received not the testimony of Jesus in the flesh, but afterwards received it. These are they who are honorable men of the earth, who were blinded by the craftiness of men. These are they who receive of God's glory but not of his fullness. They may enjoy the presence of the Son but not of the Father; these are they who are not valiant in the testimony of Jesus, therefore they obtain not the crown over the kingdom of God. 17. The Telestial Glory:— The telestial glory differs from the terrestrial, as the light of the stars differs from the light of the moon. The inhabitants of the telestial glory are those who neither receive the gospel of Christ in the flesh nor the testimony of Jesus in the spirit world. These are they who are thrust down to hell, and will not be redeemed from the devil until the last resurrec- I Ml. RES DORATION OF I ill GOSPEL. 12.") • tion, when Christ shall have finished his work. These are they who are of Paul and of Apollos, and of Cephas; some of Christ and some of John, some of Moses, and some of Elias: but received not the gospel nor the testimony of Jesus. These are they who will not be gathered with the Saints, to be caught up unto the church of the first born, and received into the cloud. These are liars and sorcerers and adulterers, and whoremongers, and whosoever loves and makes a lie. They suffer the wrath of God on earth and the vengeance of eternal fire; but they will be judged every man according to his works, and receive according to his works, his own do- minion, in the mansions which are prepared; and they shall be servants of the Most High,* but where God and Christ dwell they cannot come, worlds without end. They of the Telestial Glory enjoy neither the presence of the Father nor the Son, but receive the ministration of angels, and of the Holy Ghost, for even they of the Telestial Glory are accounted heirs of salvation. The prophet Joseph and Sidney Rigdon in their vision saw that the inhabitants of the telestial glory were as innumerable as the stars in the firmament of heaven, or as the sand upon the sea shore — and they heard the voice of God saying — "These all shall bow the knee and every tongue shall confess to Him who sits upon the throne for ever and ever: for they shall be judged according to their works, and every man shall receive according to his own works, his own dominions, in the mansions which are prepared, and they shall be servants of the Most High, but where God and Christ dwell they can not come worlds without end. * •' Servants of God, but not Gods nor the sons of God," remarks apostle Orson Pratt in his foot note on the passage from which this is condensed. Doc. and Cov.sec. Ixxvi : 112. 426 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. 18. Degrees Within the Three Great Kingdoms of Glory: — These are the three great divisions of glory in the world to come, but within these great divisions are subdivisions or degrees. The Prophet Joseph taught that in the celestial glory there are three heavens or degrees.* Of the telestial glory it is written: " And the glory of the telestial is one, even as the glory of the stars is one, for as one star differs from another star in glory even so differs one from another in glory in the celestial world, "f From this it is evident that there are different degrees of glory within the celestial and telestial glories; and though we have no direct authority for the statement, it seems but reason- able to conclude that there are different degrees of glory in the terrestrial world also. It appears but rational that it should be so, since the degrees of worthiness in men are almost infinite in their variety; and as even* man is to be judged according to his works, it will require a corresponding infinity of degrees in glory to mete out to every man that reward of which he is worthy, and that also which his intelligence will enable him to enjov. 19. Progress Within and From Different Degrees of Glory: — The question of advancement within the great divisions of glory celestial, terrestrial, and telestial; as also the question of advancement from one sphere of glory to another remains to be considered. In the revela- tion from which we have summarized what has been writ- ten here, in respect to the different degrees of glory, it is said that those of the terrestrial glory will be ministered unto by those of the celestial; and those of the telestial will be ministered unto by those of the terrestrial — that * Doc. and Cov. sec. cxxxi : /. f Doc. and Cov. sec. Ixxvi. Till RESTOR \ lli)N OF I Hi GOSPEL. ll'T is, those of the higher glory minister to those of a lesser glory. We can conceive of no reason for all this admin- istration of the higher to the lower, unless it be for the purpose of advancing our Father's children along the lines of eternal progression. Whether or not in the great future, full of so many possibilities now hidden from us, they of the lesser glories after education and advancement within those spheres may at last emerge from them and make their way to the higher degrees of glory until at last they attain to the highest, is not revealed in the revelations of God, and any statement made on the subject must partake more or less of the nature of conjecture. 20. But if it be granted that such a thing is possible, they who at the first entered into the celestial glory — having before them the privilege also of eternal progress — have been moving onward, so that the relative distance between them and those who have fought their way up from the lesser glories, may be as great when the latter have come into the degrees of celestial glory in which the righteous at first stood, as it was at the commence- ment: and thus between them is an impassable gulf which time cannot destroy. Thus: those whose faith and works are such only as to entitle them to inherit a telestial glory, may arrive at last where those whose works in this life were such as to entitle them to entrance into the celestial kingdom — they may arrive where these were, but never where they are. 21. Sons Of Perdition: — There is a class of souls with whom the justice of God must deal, which will not and cannot be classified in the celestial, terrestrial or telestial glories. They are the sons of perdition. But though they will not be assigned a place in either of these grand divisions of glory, the revelation from which 428 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. we have drawn our information respecting man's future state describes the condition of these sons of perdition so far as it is made known unto the children of men. It also informs us as to the nature of the crime which calls for such grievous punishment. 22. The sons of perdition are they of whom God hath said that it had been better for them never to have been born; for they are vessels of wrath, doomed to suffer the wrath of God, with the devil and his angels in eternity. Concerning whom he hath said there is no forgiveness in this world nor in the world to come. These are they who shall go away into everlasting pun- ishment, with the devil and his angels, and the only ones on whom the second death shall have any power; the only ones who will not be redeemed in the due time of the Lord, after the sufferings of his wrath. He saves all the works of his hands except these sons of perdition; but they go away to reign with the devil and his angels in eternity, where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched, which is their torment. The end thereof, the place thereof no man knoweth. It has not been revealed, nor will it be revealed unto man, except to them who are made partakers thereof. It has been partially shown to some in vision, and may be shown again in the same partial manner to others; but the end, the width, the height, the depth and the misery thereof they understand not, nor will anyone but those who receive the terrible condemnation. 23. Such the punishment, now, as to the crime that merits it. It is the crime of high treason to God, which pulls down on men this fearful doom. It falls upon men who know the power of God and who have been made partakers of it, and then permit themselves to be so far overcome of the devil that they deny the nil. RESTORATION OF ihk GOSPEL. Il".l truth that has been revealed to them and defy the power of God. They deny the Holy Ghost after having received it. They deny the Only Begotten Son of the Fathe] after the Father hath revealed him, and in this crucify him unto themselves anew, and put him to an open shame. They commit the same act of high treason that Lucifer in the rebellion of heaven did, and hence are worthy of the same punishment with him. Thank- God, the number who commit that fearful crime is but few. It is only those who attain to a very great knowledge of the things of God that are capable of committing it, and the number among such are few indeed who become so recklessly wicked as to rebel against and defy the power of God.* But when such characters do fall, they fall like Lucifer, never to rise again; they get beyond the power of repentance or the hope of forgiveness. NOTES. 1. The Sectarian Dogma of Eternal Punishment :— There is nothing more obnoxious to a reasonable mind, a loving heart, a soul susceptible to the relative claims of justice and mercy, than the Presbyterian and other old ecclesiastical school doctrine of an eternal, material, unchanging hell of fire and torment in which the unregenerate are doomed to suffer the implacable wrath of an unrelenting Deity forever and forever, worlds without end. * * * And it is not true. It was not and is not a doctrine of Christ. It sprang from the gloom- clothed brains of cloistered monks and heretic-burning priests, bearing not a vestige of the sacred authority vested in the apostles and their immediate as- sociates. It is redolent of the Auto cle fe, and stamped with the bloody seal of apostate papal Rome. It breaths of vengeance instead of justice, and banishes sweet mercy from the economy of heaven. It makes God more cruel than the most inhuman mortal. It is a libel on the Almighty and a fruitful cause Of atheism, irreverence and doubt. — Penrose. * Those desiring to verify the statements of the text will consult with care Heb. vi : 4-8 and Doc. and Cov., sec. lxxvi : 25-48. 430 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. 2. Messiah Preaching to the Spirits in Prison :— In the second and third centuries every branch and division of the Christian church, so far as their record enables us to judge, believed that Christ preached to departed spirits. — Hinder/coper in Haley's Discrepancies of the Bible. As Christ died for us, and was buried, so also is it to be believed, that he went down into hell.— Articles of Iieligion—Chnrch oj England— Art. 111. Book of Common Prayer, p. 311. These " spirits in prison " are supposed to be the holy dead. * * * The most intelligent meaning suggested by the context is, however, that Christ by his spirit preached to those who in the time of Noah, while the Ark was a preparing, were disobedient, and whose spirits are now in prison, abiding the general judg- ment. The prison is doubtless hades, but what hades it must be determined by other passages of scripture ; and whether it is the grave or hell, it is still a prison for those who yet await the judgment day. — Cyclopaedia Biblical Literature (Kitto), p. 798. 3. Baptism for the Dead : — While not maintaining the view that there is such a thing as a living man being baptized for one who is dead, the writer in Biblical Literature (Kitto), expresses these views : " From the wording of the sentence [why then are they baptized for the dead ?] the most simple impression certainly is, that Paul speaks of a baptism which a living man receives in the place of a dead one. This interpretation is particularly adopted by those expounders with whom grammatical construction is ot paramount importance and the first thing to be considered." This view is also upheld by Ambrose among the early Christian writers ; and by Erasmus, Scaliger, Grotius, Calixtus among the moderns ; and still more recently by Augusti Meyer, Billroth and Ruckert. De Wette considers this the only possible meaning of the words. 4. Epiphanius, a writer of the fourth century, in speaking of the Marcionites, a sect of Christians to whom he was opposed, says : " In this country — I mean Asia — and even Galatia, their school flourished eminently ; and a traditional fact concerning them has reached us, that when any of them had died without baptism, they used to baptize others in their name, lest in the resurrection they should suffer punishment as unbaptized (Heresies XXVlii: 7 ). This proves beyond controversy the fact that vicarious baptism for the dead was practiced among some sects of the early Christians. Another fact proves it still more em- phatically than this statement by Epiphanius. The council of Carthage, held A. D., 397, in its sixth canon, forbids the administration of baptism and holy com- munion for the dead ; why should this canon be formed against these practices if they had no existence among the Christians of those days? — The Gospel, page 255. REVIEW. i. What great work did Elijah's visit to the Kirtland temple introduce? 2. What was the Christian belief previous to this in respect to those who died without conversion to the Christian religion ? THE RESTORATION OF THE GOSPEL. \'.'>\ 3. Through what cause did this error arise ? 4. Explain the meaning of" Eternal " punishment — " Endless " punishment. 5. What scripture teaches that Jesus preached to the spirits in prison ? 6. For what purpose was the gospel preached to those who once rejected it ? 7. If the gospel was preached again to those who once rejected it, what mav we conclude in respect to those who never heard it in this life ? 8. By what means is the gospel made available to those who died without a knowledge of it, or who hearing, rejected it ? 9. Give an exposition of baptism for the dead. (Notes 3 and 4.) 10. What is the scriptural doctrine in relation to the future rewards of men ? 11. What is the orthodox Christian view in respect to those who attain unto heaven ? 12. In what does the Catholic view differ from that of the Protestant? (Note, p. 422.) 13. What evidences in the scripture can you quote to prove that there are dif- ferent kingdoms or degrees of glory in heaven ? 14. Say what you can of the celestial glory? 15. Describe as far as you can the terrestrial glory? 16. In what does the telestial glory differ from the terrestrial? 17. What class of people inherit the telestial glory ? 18. What can you say of degrees within the three great kingdoms of glory? 19. What can you say of progress within and from the different degrees of glory? 20. What can you say of the sons of perdition and their punishment ? 81, What is the nature of their sin? 22. What of the number of those who commit it? 432 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY, SECTION IX. 1. The Breaking1 Up at Kirtland :— The keys of knowledge respecting the great doctrines treated in the last two sections were received in the Kirtland temple; and for a time it appeared that the Saints would long enjoy the blessings of their temple and the communion and instruction of heavenly messengers. But not so. With prosperity which attended them there, came pride, envyings, jealousies, and heart-burnings. Their temporal prosperity existed but a brief period. It was carried away by the wave of financial disaster which swept over the United States in 1837. Then came financial embarrass- ment, accompanied with charges and counter-charges of fraud and dishonesty. Apostasy among men high in authority was rife. Several of the Twelve Apostles went down in those dark days, and became bitter enemies to the Prophet Joseph. To such an extent did the spirit of apostasy prevail that it became murderous; and the prophet and a number of his most devoted friends had to flee from Kirtland for their lives. [See note 1, end of section.] 2. The Founding of Far West— Expulsion From Missouri : — Meantime the Saints in Missouri who were driven from Jackson County, in the latter part of 1833, removed from their temporary locations in Clay County, and settled in the new county of Caldwell, where they founded the city of Far West. It was to Far West that the Prophet Joseph and other church leaders fled when compelled to leave Kirtland. But there was little rest THE RESTORATION OF nil. GOSPEL. 133 for the church in Missouri; persecution was threatened before the prophet arrived, and his presence only seemed to hasten the impending storm. In the autumn of 1838 it broke upon the church in all its fury, and during that winter the entire church was expelled from the State by order of its Governor, Lilburn W. Boggs. [See note 2, end of section.] 3. The Rise Of Nauvoo:— While the Saints were being expelled from the State, the Prophet Joseph and several other leading elders were imprisoned in Liberty Jail, Clay County, Missouri, having been betrayed into the hands of their enemies by the treachery of false brethren. They were held on false charges of murder, arson and treason. They finally made their escape from their enemies and joined the body of the church, which had found a temporary resting place in the city of Ouincy and vicinity, in Illinois. Shortly afterwards they settled at Commerce, in Hancock County, in the same State. The church purchased several large tracts of land at this place of Dr. Galland, a Mr. White, Hubbard, Wells, Hotchkiss, and others; and soon from the wilderness and bogs of Commerce — [see note 3, end of section] — rose the city of Nauvoo — meaning The Beautiful: "Carrying with it also," says the Prophet Joseph, "the idea of rest." 4. Although both Joseph and the Saints saw some of their best days in Nauvoo, there was not much "rest" for them there, especially for the former. The toil and anxiety of founding a city, establishing manufactures, publishing a paper, and converting the surrounding country into fields and gardens; sending the apostles to preach the gospel in foreign lands, being all the time tormented by their enemies in Missouri and Illinois, kept the church, and especially the Prophet Joseph, busy dur- 434 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. ing the whole time they remained in Nauvoo. Here the translation of the Book of Abraham was published. [See note 4, end of section.] A magnificent temple was constructed in which to carry on the work of salvation for the dead, and in which the living could receive these washings and anointings, endowments and sealings, necessary to prepare them for their entrance into and their exaltation in heaven. 5. Celestial Marriage Introduced:— It was in Nauvoo also that the prophet introduced Celestial Marriage, — the marriage system which obtains in celestial worlds. It consists of the eternity of the mar- riage covenant, that is, the marriage covenant between a man and his wife is made for time and all eternity, and being sealed by that power of the priesthood which binds on earth and in heaven, the covenant holds good in heaven as well as on earth: and by reason of it men will have claim upon their wives, and wives upon their husbands, in and after the resurrection. Celestial mar- riage may also include a plurality of wives. 6. Eternity of the Marriage Covenant:— This new marriage system — new at least to this generation — com- pletely revolutionized the ideas of the Saints in respect to the marriage institution. In common with the Christian sects, they had regarded marriage vaguely as an institution to exist in this world only; and married their wives as other Christians did and now do — until death did them part. But by the revelation which the prophet made known at Nauvoo, they learned that in celestial spheres the marriage covenant exists eternally, and that the pleasing joys of family ties and associations, coupled with the power of endless increase, contributes to the happiness, power and dominion of those who attain to the celestial glory. What a revelation was here! Instead THE RESTORATION OF THE GOSPEL. 435 of the God-given power of pro-creation being one of the things that is to pass away, it is one of the chief means of man's exaltation and glory in that great Eternity, which like an endless vista stretches out before him ! Through it man attains to the glory of the endless increase of eternal lives, and the right of presiding as priest and patriarch, king and lord, over his ever increasing posterity. Instead of the commandment — "Be fruitful, multiply and replenish the earth," being an unrighteous law, it is one by means of which the race of the Gods is perpetuated, and is as holy and pure as the commandment, "Repent and be baptized." Through that law, in connection with an observance of all the other laws of the gospel, man will yet attain unto the power of the Godhead,* and like his Father — God — his * It may sound like sacrilege in modern ears to speak of man becoming a God. Yet why should it be so considered ? Man is the offspring of God, he is of the same race, and hath within him — undeveloped, it is true — the faculties and attributes of his Father. He hath also before him an eternity of time in which to develop both the faculties of the mind and the attributes of the soul — why should it be accounted a strange thing that at last the child shall arrive at the same exaltation and partake of the same intelligence and glory with his Father ? If Jesus Christ, "being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God " (Philippians ii : 6), why should it be thought blasphemous to teach that men by faith and righteousness in following the counsels of God shall at last become like him, and share in his power and glory, being a God, even a son of God? I grant vou the height from our present position looks tremendous ; yet it is not impossible of attainment, since we have eternity in which to work. Stand by the cradle of a new-born babe and contemplate it. Within that little body of organized pulp — with eyes incapable of distinguishing objects; legs un- able to bear the weight of its body — without the power of locomotion ; hands over whose movements it hath no control ; ears that hear but cannot distinguish sounds; a tongue that cannot speak— yet within that little helpless tabernacle what powers lie dormant! within that germ in the cradle are latent powers which only require time for their unfolding to astonish the world. From it may come the man of profound learning who shall add something by his own wisdom to the sum total of human knowledge. Perhaps from that germ shall come a pro- found historian, a poet or eloquent orator to sway the reason and passions of men, and guide them to better and purer things than they have yet known. Or 4B»i OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. chief glory shall be to bring to pass the eternal life and happiness of man. 7. Plurality Of Wives: — Celestial marriage, as already observed, may include a plurality of wives. This was as great an innovation as marriage for eternity. It came in conflict with the education and tradition of the Saints, and the sentiments of the age. Still God had commanded it through his prophet, and though their prejudices — the fruit of their traditions — revolted against it, the faithful to whom it was revealed, resolved to obey it. 8. It was in 1831 that plural marriage was first made known to Joseph Smith. In that year he was engaged in revising by inspiration the Jewish Scriptures;* and observing with what favor the Lord regarded the early patriarchs, and many of the kings and prophets of the Jews who had a plurality of wives, he inquired of God how it was he justified them in that thing. The Lord in answer revealed the law of celestial marriage. But the time had not come for the Saints to enter into its prac- tice, and hence the prophet kept it locked'up a secret in a statesman may be there in embryo ; a man whose wisdom shall guide the destiny of the state or perhaps with God-like power rule theworld ! If from such a germ as this in the cradle may come such an unfolding of power as we seelin the highest and noblest manhood, may it not be, that taking that highest and noblest manhood as the germ, that from it may come, under the guiding hand of our Father in heaven, a still more wonderful unfolding, until the germ of highest and noblest manhood shall develop into a God ! The distance between the noblest man and the position of a God is greater than that between the infant in the cradle and the highest development of manhood ; but if so, there is a longer time — eternity — in which to arrive at the result; and a God and heavenly influences instead of the human parent and earthly means to bring to pass thenecessary development — Roberts. * Mill. Star, Vol.xiv,p. 114. THE RESTORATION OE THE GOSPEL. CiT his own breast, with the exception of saying to one or two of his most confidential friends that plural marriage was a correct principle. [See note 4, end of section.] In 1841 the prophet introduced the practice of this prin- ciple into the church by taking to himself plural wives.* He also taught the principle to a number of the leading elders and they obeyed it. NOTES. 1. Prosperity ami Disaster which Overwhelmed the Church at Kirtland :— Speculation was rife ali over the United States at that time, [1837] and the Saints did not escape the contagion. They started a banking institu- tion, engaged in mercanti lepursuits and land speculation. For a time they were prosperous and wealth rapidly accumulated among them. Sidney Rigdon de- clared, in a burst of enthusiasm, that the glory of the latter-days was now being ushered in, and that Zion would soon become the glory of the whole earth; when the Lord for silver would bring gold ; for iron, brass ; and for stones, iron. But a wave of financial disaster swept over the entire country. Banking institu- tions went down before it ; thousands of merchants were hopelessly ruined ; and in the general disaster Kirtland did not escape, Like the inhabitants of other towns her people were overwhelmed with financial embarrassment. " Distress, ruin and poverty," says Elder Taylor, "seemed to prevail. Apostates and cor- rupt men were prowling about as so many wolves seeking whom they might devour. They were oppressive, cruel, heartless ; devising every pretext that the most satanic malignity could invent to harrass the Saints. Fraud, false accusation and false swearing, vexatious law suits, personal violence, and barefaced robbery abounded. They were truly afflicted, persecuted and tormented." — Life Of John Taylor, p. 52. *On the 12th of July, 1843, at the request of Hyrum Smith, the revelation as now contained in the book of Doctrine and Covenants was written from tbe dictation of the Prophet Joseph, by Elder William Clayton, at that time thd Prophet's scribe. The same day a copy of the revelation was made for Bishop Newel K Whitney, by Joseph C. Kingsbury. Emma Smith, the first wife of the Prophet, obtaining the revelation as first written out by Wm. Clayton, in a moment of jealousy destroyed it. Bishop Whitney's copy, however, was preserved and from it the revelation, now in the Doctrine and Covenants, was printed. It will be observed by the student from the revelation itself that the principle of plural marriage, was known and practiced before the writing of the revelation on the 12th of July, 1843. 438 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. 2. Persecution of the Saints in 3Iissouri : — This brings us to the close of our story of the Missouri Persecutions. We have seen a people start out under the direction of the Lord to build up the city of Zion to his holy name; but who, through their disobedience and failure to observe strictly those condi- tions upon which the Lord promised them success in accomplishing so great and glorious a work, were driven entirely from the State where that city is to be erected. We have seen a proud, sovereign State, with a constitution that guar- anteed the largest possible religious and civil liberty to its citizens, ignore the spirit and letter oi that constitution ; shamelessly violate the laws passed in pursuance of it; and the officers of the State, from the chief executive down, combine to destroy the Saints of God, or drive them from the State ; in accom- plishing which, they were guilty of the most cruel barbarity. It is no palliation of their offense to say that the Saints had not strictly kept the commandments of God. Their offenses were against the laws of God rather than the laws of man. So far as the State of Missouri was concerned, she was not justified in trampling on her own constitution and laws, and committing outrages that would bring to the cheek of a savage the hot blush of shame. It was a case where offenses must needs come, but woe, woe, unto them by whom they come! — Jl'ssouri Persecutions. 3. Commerce, Afterwards Nauvoo :— The place was literally a wilder- ness. The land was mostly covered with trees and bushes, and much of it was so wet that it was with the utmost difficulty a footman could get through, and totally impossible for teams. Commerce was unhealthful, very few could live there ; but believing that it might become a healtful place by the blessing of heaven to the Saints, and no more eligible place presenting itself, I considered it wisdom to make an attempt to build up a city. — Joseph Smith. 4. The Book of Abraham :— The rolls of papyrus filled with Egyptian characters and hieroglyphics, from which Joseph translated the Book of Abraham, came into his possession in the following manner : In 1831 the cele- brated French traveler, Antonio Sebolo, penetrated Egypt as far as the ancient city of Thebes, under a license procured from Mehemet Ali^ then Viceroy of Egypt — through the influence of Chevalier Drovetti, the French Consul. Sebolo employed four hundred and thirty-three men for four months and two days, either Turkish or Egyptian soldiers, paying them from four to six cents a day per. man. They entered the Catacombs near ancient Thebes, on the seventh of June, 1831, and procured eleven mummies. These were shipped to Alexandria, and from there the great traveler started with his treasures for Paris. But en route for the French capital, Sebolo put in at Trieste, where he was taken sick, and after an illness of ten days, died. This was in 1832. Previous to his death he willed his Egyptian treasures to his nephew, Michael H. Chandler, who was then living in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, but whom Sebolo believed to be in Dublin, to which city he ordered the mummies shipped. Mr. Chandler ordered the mummies forwarded to New York from Dublin where he took posses- sion of them. Here the coffins for the first time were opened, and in them was ound two rolls of papyrus covered with engraving. While still in the customs THE RESTORATION OF THE GOSPEL. 139 house, Mr. C. was informed by a gentleman, astrangerto him, that no one in the city could translate the characters ; but was referred to Joseph Smith, who, the stranger informed him, possessed some kind of gift or power by which he had pre- viously translated similar characters. Joseph Smith was then unknown to Mr. C. The mummies were shipped to Philadelphia; and from there Mr. C. traveled through the country, exhibiting them and the rolls of papyrus, reaching Kirtland in July, 1835, and the Saints purchased some of the mummies and the two rolls of papyrus, one of which was the writing of Abraham and the other of Joseph, who was sold into Egypt. The Book of Abraham has been translated and published, at least in part. [See Pearl of Great Price. Elder George Reynolds has published a work on this subject, " The Divine Authenticity of the Book of Abraham," which should be carefully studied by every Elder in Israel.] 5. The Establishment of Plural Marriage :— The principle of plural marriage was first revealed to Joseph Smith in 1831, but being forbidden to make it public, or to teach it as a doctrine of the gospel, at that time, he confided the facts to only a very few of his intimate associates. Among them were Oliver Cowdery and Lyman E. Johnson, the latter confiding the fact to his traveling companion, Elder Orson Pratt, in the year 1832. And this great principle re- mained concealed in the bosoms of the prophet Joseph Smith and the few to whom he revealed it, until he was commanded, about 1842, to instruct the leading members of the priesthood, and those who were most faithful and intelligent, and best prepared to receive it. In relation thereto, at which time and subse- quently until his martyrdom, the subject in connection with the great prin- ciples of baptism, redemption and sealing for the dead, became the great theme of his life, and as the late President George A. Smith repeatedly said to me and others — " The prophet seemed irresistibly moved by the power of God to establish that principle, not only in theory, in the hearts and minds of his brethren, but in practice also, he himself having led the way." — Joseph F- JSmith. REVIEW. i. What appeared to be the prospects of the Saints at Kirtland ? 2. What influence did wealth have upon them ? 3. What did the great apostasy at Kirtland result in ? 4. State what you can about the founding of Far West. 5. What effect did the presence of the prophet Joseph have in Missouri ? 6. Tell what you can of the expulsion from Nauvoo. 7. Where did the Church find a temporary resting'place after its expulsion from Missouri? 8. Where did the Church next settle ? 9. What is the meaning of the word " Nauvoo ?" 10. What can you say of Nauvoo being a place of rest to the prophet Joseph and the Saints ? 440 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. ii. Enumerate the several things which employed the attention of the prophet and the Saints at Nauvoo? 12. Where was celestial marriage introduced ? 13. What is celestial marriage ? 14. In what light was celestial marriage looked upon by the Saints ? 15. What was the effect of this principle upon their minds? 16. Is it sacrilege to believe that man may become like his Father — God (See note)? 17. What beside marriage for eternity may celestial marriage include ? 18. When was the rightfulness of plural marriage first made known to the prophet Joseph ? 19. About what time was this principle introduced into the Church ? 20. Under what circumstances and on what date was the revelation on celes- tial marriage written out ? (Foot note, also notes.) THE RESTORATION OF THE GOSPEL. 441 SECTION X. 1. Martyrdom of the Prophets:— The relentless persecution which had followed the Prophet Joseph Smith ever since he first announced that he had received a revelation from God, culminated at last in his and his brother Hyrum's martyrdom, at Carthage Jail, Hancock County, Illinois, on the 27th of June, 1844. Religious prejudices and political jealousies, combined with the treason of wicked apostates from the church in Nauvoo. are the forces which led to this sad result. The two brothers were murdered in Carthage prison while await- ing trial on a false charge of treason against the State of Illinois. They were under the immediate protection of the officers of the State, the Governor thereof having only the day before pledged the honor of the State for their protection. Notwithstanding all this a mob of from one to two hundred surrounded the prison where they were confined, forced the door, killed the Prophet Joseph and his brother Hyrum, and severely wounded Apostle John Taylor, who, with Willard Richards, wras a volun- tary inmate of the prison with the brothers Smith.* 2. The martyrdom of the prophet hath an importance second only to the crucifixion of Messiah: for in his martyrdom he sealed his testimony with his blood, and thenceforth it is made binding on all the world. "For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. For a testament is of force after * For a full account of this terrible tragedy the student is referred to the Life of Joseph Smith, by Geo. Q. Cannon, ch lxvi ; and the Life of John Taylor, ch. xiii, xiv, xv. 442 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. men are dead; otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth. "* The Dispensation of the Fullness of Times doubtless required a testimony such as Joseph Smith bore to the world, to be sealed with his blood, else the tragedy at Carthage would not have been permitted. 3. The Twelve Apostles Succeed in Presidency:— After the death of the Prophet Joseph the Twelve — the quorum standing next to the First Presidency, and equal in authority to that quorum — took charge of the affairs of the church. Sidney Rigdon, who with Hyrum Smith was a counselor in the First Presidency, pressed his claims to be recognized as the "guardian" or President of the church, but he was rejected by the Saints, and the Twelve were sustained for the time being as the presid- ing quorum in the church. 4. Expulsion From Illinois: — When the enemies of the Saints in Illinois saw that the killing of the prophet did not destroy the church, they agitated the question of driving them from the State, and such was the influence of the mob, and such the cowardice and weakness of the State officials, that the)- were entirely successful in the undertaking. The Saints were compelled to leave the State under circumstances of the utmost cruelty, sacrificing very much of their property, the city they had founded and the temple they had built. 5. Flight to the West— Why. — When compelled to leave Illinois, the Saints naturally turned their faces westward. The country west of the Missouri was unoc- cupied, except by wandering tribes of Indians, and they might look for that peace in the vast wilderness of the west which had been refused them in the Christian civilized States of the East. But what caused them to * Heb. ix : 16, 17. THE RESTORA HON OF 'I III GOSPE I . I 13 look to the west for an abiding place- even more than the fact that the west was unoccupied — was the frequent predictions of the Prophet Joseph that the Saints would yet remove to the valleys of the Rocky Mountains, and become a great people. [See note 1, end of section.] Here, too, in the tops of the Rocky Mountains they could fulfill better than anywhere else the predictions of the ancient prophets. [See note 2, end of section.] 6. Arrival in Salt Lake Valley: —Westward, there- fore, they turned their faces; the pioneer company consisting of one hundred and forty men and three women — crossed the plains in 1847, arriving in Salt Lake Valley on the 24th of July of that year. They made their encampment on the present site of Salt Lake City, and soon afterwards laid off the city and began the erection of permanent homes. 7. Reorganization of the First Presidency:— At Winter Quarters, December 5, 1847, the First Presidency of the church was re-organized. Brigham Young was nominated and sustained as the President, with authority to choose his two counselors. He selected Heber C. Kimball and Willard Richards for first and second counselors, respectively, and they were unanimously sustained by the church. 8. Brigham Young1:* — Brigham Young acted as the President of the Church for thirty years — for thirty-three years, if the three years that the quorum of the Twelve (of which he was president) acted as the presiding quorum of the church, be counted. In the course of these thirty-three eventful years this truly great •President Brigham Young was born in Whitingham, Windham County, Vermont, June i, 1801. He was baptized into the Church April 14th, 1832, and immediately afterwards ordained an Elder. 444 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. man conducted the exodus of the Saints from Nauvoo; »ed them across the wide extended plains which form the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains; established them in Salt Lake and surrounding valleys, located and laid out many of their settlements, and taught them not only the moral precepts of the gospel, but how to produce from the elements, sterile as they then seemed, the necessaries and comforts of life. Through his wisdom — God-given — he laid the foundation of the present com- monwealth of Utah. Just previous to his death he organized the settlements of the church into Stakes of Zion, as we now know them, and set in order the various quorums of the priesthood. 9. President Young was a natural leader among men — a master spirit. His genius especially manifested itself in his ability to organize and govern men. He had not only been the President of the Church and the first Governor of Utah, but he was also the friend of the people. In times of trial and sorrow they turned to him for comfort; in times of danger they looked to him to direct their action; in times of perplexity they went to him for the word of the Lord; and Brigham Young, full of heaven-inspired wisdom, never failed them in any of these things. [See note 3, end of section.] 10. The Twelve Again Presiding-: — At the death of President Brigham Young, August 25th, 1877, the quorum of the Twelve Apostles again became the tem- porary presiding quorum of the church, with John Taylor at their head. [See note 4, end of section.] The quorum of the Twelve continued to act as the presiding quorum of the church until the October conference of 1880, when the First Presidency was again organized. John Tavlor was chosen President, and he selected THE RESTORATION OF THE GOSPEL. I I ."» George Q. Cannon for his First, and Joseph F. Smith for his Second Counselor. 11. John Taylor: — President John Taylor came to the high office of President of the Church late in life — in his seventy-second year. He joined the church in his early manhood, in 1836, and two years later was ordained into the quorum of the Twelve Apostles. He was a trusted friend of the Prophet Joseph, and was in prison with him when he was martyred, and he himself was wounded nigh unto death. He had been prominent in all leading events of the church from the time he was ordained an apostle until he became the President thereof. He was a man of wide experience, profound judgment, and unwavering integrity. [See note 5, end of section.] He entered upon the performance of his high duties with a zeal and vigor only to be expected of a younger man. He was careful to set in order the several quorums of the priest- hood, and insist upon each man doing his duty. The seven years of his administration as President of the Church will be remembered as among the most eventful in the history of the church. It was during those years that the judicial crusade was inaugurated by the United States and most vigorously carried on against the Saints for the suppression of plural marriage. 12. Wilford Woodruff— His Administration:— Presi- dent Taylor died on the 25th of July, 1887, and once more the quorum of the Twelve apostles became the pre- siding quorum of the church. They continued to act in that capacity, with Wilford Woodruff as President, until April 7th, 1889, when the First Presidency was again reorganized, with Wilford Woodruff as President. He retained the counselors of the late Presi- dent Taylor, George Q. Cannon and Joseph F. Smith. as his counselors. 44(1 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. 13. The persecution which the United States had inflicted upon the church on the pretext of suppressing plural marriages culminated in 1890 in the discontinuance of the practice of that principle. It may be well here to enumerate those circumstances which led to the above result. It has already been stated how plural marriage was introduced and practiced in Nauvoo. After the church settled in Salt Lake Valley it was publicly pro- claimed as a doctrine of the church in 1852. The practice of it then was public, the whole church — and at that time the members of the church comprised nearly the whole community — approving the principle, which was at once recognized as a proper social as well as religious institution. 14. Enactments of Congress Against Plural Marriage : — For ten years the practice in Utah of this system of marriage met with no opposition from the United States. But in 1862 a law was enacted by Congress to punish and prevent the practice of polygamy in the Territories of the United States.* The penalties affixed were a fine, not to exceed five hundred dollars, and imprisonment not to exceed five years. For twenty years, however, the law remained practically a dead letter. It was claimed by the Saints that it was an infringement of the religious liberty guaranteed by the Constitutiont of the United States, since it prohibited the free exercise of religion. For twenty years no pronounced effort was made by the officers of the general government to enforce the law. In 1882, however, the law enacted twenty years *The first anti-polygamy law was approved July ist, 1862. t" Congress shall make no raw respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof."— Amendments to the Constitution, Article 1. • THE RESTORATION OF THE GOSPEL. 1 17 before was supplemented by what is known as the Edmunds Law. In addition to defining the crime of polygamy — for which it retained the same penalties as the law of 1862— the Edmunds law also made the cohabiting with more than one woman a crime, punish- able by a fine not to exceed three hundred dollars, and by imprisonment not to exceed six months. This law also rendered persons who were living in polygamy, or who believed in its rightfulness, incompetent to act as grand or petit jurors; and also disqualified all polygamists for voting or holding office. This law of 1882 was supplemented by the Edmunds-Tucker law — enacted in 1887 — which made the legal wife or husband, in case of polygamy or unlawful cohabitation, a competent witness, provided the accused consented thereto; it also enlarged the powers of United States commissioners and marshals, and required certificates of all marriages to be filed in the office of the Probate Court. The violation of this last provision was a fine of one thousand dollars, and imprisonment for two years. The law disincorporated the church, and ordered the Supreme Court to wind up its affairs, and take possession of the escheated property. 15. The laws were rigorously enforced by the United States officials, special appropriations being made by Congress to enable them to carry on a judicial crusade against the Saints. The prominent church officials were driven into retirement; others into exile. Homes were disrupted; family ties were rent asunder. Upwards of a thousand men endured fines and imprisonment in the penitentiary rather than be untrue to their families. Every effort of the government to deprive the people of what was considered their religious liberty was stubbornly contested in the courts, until the decision of the Supreme 443 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. Court of the United States was obtained. While some of the proceedings of the courts in Utah in enforcing the anti-polygamy laws were condemned, the laws were sus- tained as constitutional. The court also held that -the first amendment to the Constitution, which provides that Congress shall not prohibit the free exercise of religion, cannot be invoked, against legislation for the punishment of plural marriages. Meantime Government was relent- less, and still more stringent measures than those already enacted were threatened. 16. Discontinuance of Plural Marriages: — In the midst of these afflictions and threatening portents, Presi- dent Wilford Woodruff besought the Lord in anguish and prayer, and the Lord inspired him to issue the manifesto which discontinued the practice of plural marriages. At the semi-annual conference in October following, the action of President Woodruff was sustained by a unani- mous vote of the conference, and plural marriages are discontinued in the church. [See notes 6, 7, 8, end o section.] 17. In this matter of plural marriage, the Latter-day Saints are neither responsible for its introduction nor for its discontinuance. The Lord commanded its practice, and in the face of the sentiment of ages, and in opposi- tion to the teachings of their own traditions, many of the Saints obeyed the commandment, and in the midst of weakness, difficulties and dangers sought to carry out that law as revealed to them. For about half a century they maintained its practice in the face of opposition sufficient to appal the stoutest hearts. They defended it in the public press, proclaimed it from the pulpit, debated it on the platform with all who chose to assail it, and practiced it in their lives, notwithstanding fines and imprisond ents threatened; and when the power of the THE RESTORATION OF THE GOSPEL. 449 government was vigorously employed to enforce its laws against this institution, hundreds of men cheerfully endured both fines and imprisonment rather than be untrue to it. A whole generation had been born and had grown to manhood and womanhood in this marriage system, and the affections of family ties were entwined with it. Then, under the pressure of suffering brought upon the people through the laws of the United States, the Lord inspired the President of the Church to pro- claim its discontinuance, and the people with hearts bursting with grief submitted to the will of heaven, and there the matter rests. If the labors and sufferings of the church of Christ for this principle have done nothing more, this much at least has been accomplished — the Saints have borne testimony to the truth. And it is for God to vindicate his own law and open the way for its establishment on the earth, which doubtless he will do when his kingdom shall come in power, and when his will shall be done in earth as it is in heaven. 18. Laying- the Cap-stone of the Salt Lake Tem- ple:— One of the most pleasing and at the same time one of the most important events in the history of the church during the administration of President Woodruff, was laying the cap-stone on the Salt Lake Temple, on the 6th of April, 1892. It was laid by President Woodruff amid the rejoicing of thousands of the Saints; and a resolution was adopted to complete the sacred edifice and dedicate it on the Gth of April, 1893 — forty years from the time the corner-stones thereof were laid. 19. The Growth and Present Condition of the Church (1892) :— Since the Saints settled in the valleys of the Rocky Mountains the church has been making steady growth in numbers, and its territorial boundaries are constantly extending. The church is no longer 450 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. confined within the boundary lines of the Territory of Utah. It has four stakes organized in the State of Idaho, one in the State of Colorado, one in Wyoming, four in the Territory of Arizona, and colonies in Mexico and Canada. The settlements of the Saints are noted for peace and good order; for the cleanliness, thrift, sobriety and the comfortable circumstances of the people. But few individuals in the church can be considered wealthy, yet as a whole the community is rich, most of the people owning their homes, the lands they cultivate and the flocks and herds they tend. The land has been blessed for their sakes, and made to yield in its strength. They are a contented, happy, and fast becoming a mighty people. They are diligently preaching the gospel to the world, having sent missionaries to nearly all the nations of the earth. In the British Isles, and among the Scandinavian and German people the missionaries have been especially successful. Of late years great progress has been made also among the natives of New Zealand, Sandwich Islands, and other islands of the Pacific, notably in Samoa. 20. The church is also devoting much of its energies to the work for the dead. Four magnificent temples have been reared by the Saints. One in St. George, dedicated January 1st, 1877; one in Logan, dedicated 17th of May, 1884; another in Manti, dedicated 21st of May, 1888; and one in Salt Lake, to be dedi- cated on the 6th of April, 1893. In these temples the faithful Saints are doing a noble and a mighty work for their ancestors, as well as a very important work for the living. 21. A Preparatory Work:— The work of God, as revealed through the Prophet Joseph Smith, hath a THE RESTORATION OF THE GOSPEL. 15] peculiar significance to this generation. It is essentially a preparatory work; its direct mission is to prepare for the glorious coming of the Son of God to reign over the earth. Nothing can be more explicitly stated in the scripture than the fact that the Son of God will come to the earth in the glory of his Father, to reward the righteous with a speedy resurrection from the dead, and destroy the wicked by the judgments of famine, pesti- lence, and war; to establish his kingdom in power, bringing in a reign of peace, liberty and righteousness. In proof of this let the student consider the following scripture: /. Promise of Messiah 's Glorious Return: — "And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. And, while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men [angels] stood by them in white apparel; which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into*[heaven? This same Jesus, which is taken up from you*into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven."* "For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father, with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works, "f II. Messiah to Come to Judgment:— "Vox if we believe that Jesus died, and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord, shall not pre- vent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shal ♦Acts i: 9-1 1. t Matt, xvi : 27. -452 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the Archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord."'* "And to you who are troubled rest with us. when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, in flaming fire, taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power: when he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day. "t But of the day and hour of Messiah's coming no man knoweth. * [See note 9, end of section. J III. The World to be Warned of Coming Judgments: — To a number of elders in Kirtland,in 1S32. who had been called to the ministry, the Lord gave these instructions, and, of course, they apply to all elders called to the same ministry: — "Teach ye diligently and my grace shall attend you, that you may be instructed more perfectly in theory, in principle, in doctrine, in the law of the gospel, in all things that pertain unto the kingdom of God that is expedient for you to understand. * * * That ye may be prepared in all things when I shall send you again to magnify the calling whereunto I have called you, and the mission with which I have commissioned you. * I. Thess. iv : 14-17. t II. Thess. i : 7-10. % Luke xii: 40. II. Peter iii : 10. Doc. and Cov., sec xlix : 607. THE RESTORATION OF THE GOSPEL. 453 "Behold, I sent you out to testify and warn the people, and it becometh every man who is warned to warn his neighbor. Therefore they are left without excuse, "and their sins are upon their own heads. * * Therefore, tarry ye, labor diligently, that you may be perfected in your ministry to go forth among the Gentiles for the last time, as many as the mouth of the Lord shall name, to bind up the law and seal up the testimony, and to prepare the Saints for the hour of judgment which is to come; that their souls may escape the wrath of God, the desola- tion of abomination which awaits the wicked both in this world and the world to come. * * * Abide ye in the liberty wherewith ye are made free; entangle not your- selves in sin, but let your hands be clean, until the Lord come; for not many days hence and the earth shall tremble and reel to. and fro as a drunken man, and the sun shall hide his face, and shall refuse to give light, and the moon shall be bathed in blood, and the stars shall become exceeding angry, and shall cast themselves down as a fig that falleth from off a fig tree. "And after your testimony cometh wrath and indigna- tion upon the people; for after your testimony cometh the testimony of earthquakes, that shall cause groanings in the midst of her, and men shall fall upon the ground, and shall not be able to stand. And also cometh the testimony of the voice of thunderings, and the voice of lightnings, and the voice of the waves of the sea heaving themselves beyond their bounds. And all things shall be in commotion; and surely men's hearts shall fail them; for fear shall come upon all people; and angels shall fly through the midst of heaven, crying with a loud voice, sounding the trump of God, saying, Prepare ye, prepare ve, O inhabitants of the earth; for the judgment of our 454 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. God is come; behold and lo! the bridegroom cometh, go ye out to meet him."* IV. The Coming of the Kingdom of God from Heaven:— Hearken, and lo, a voice as of one from on high. * * * Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. The keys of the kingdom of God are com- mitted unto man on the earth, and from thence shall the gospel roll forth unto the ends of the earth, as the stone which is cut out of the mountains without hands shal roll forth, until it has filled the whole earth; yea, a voice crying — Prepare ye the way of the Lord, prepare ye the supper of the Lamb, make ready for the Bridegroom; pray unto the Lord, call upon his holy name, make known his wonderful works among the people; call upon the Lord, that his kingdom may go forth upon the earth, that the inhabitants thereof may receive it, and be pre- pared for the days to come, in the which the Son of man shall come down in heaven, clothed in the brightness of his glory, to meet the kingdom of God which is set up on the earth, "f V. A Prayer: — "Wherefore may the kingdom of God go forth, that the kingdom of heaven may come, that thou, O God, mayest be glorified in heaven so on earth, that thy enemies may be subdued; for thine is the honor, power and glory, forever and ever. Amen. "| 22. Conclusion: — Such then is the work of God in the great Dispensation of the Fullness of Times — a pre- paratory work for the glorious coming and reign of Messiah. It is the gospel of Jesus Christ restored to the earth through the ministration of angels to Joseph Smith * Doc. and Cov. sec. Ixxxviii: "j8-g2. Doc. and Cov., sec. Ixv. X ibid. THE RESTORATION OF THE GOSPEL. I .">."> and others whom the Lord called to the work. In it are found all the principles, ordinances, authorities, powers, gifts, graces, callings and appointments necessary to accomplish the eternal salvation of the living and the dead — it is the fullness of the gospel; and has or will gather into it all that has ever been revealed concerning the redemption of the earth and the human race. This great work of God, as we have seen, contemplates the gathering of Israel and the restoration of the "lost tribes;" the return of the Jews to Jerusalem, which they will rebuild; the redemption of the Lamanites and the building of a glorious city upon the American continent to be called Zion; the advent of Messiah in power and glory to reign in righteousness over the earth for a thousand years, with all the ancient Saints and those of modern days who are worthy; it contemplates the final redemption of the earth, and teaches that it will become a celestial sphere, the abode of resurrected celestial beings forever. This work of God accepts and includes within its boundary lines all truth. It is progressive and is destined to become the religion of the age. Within it is scope for all the intelligence that shall flow unto it — "within its atmosphere is room for every intellectual wing!" It does not, as some have supposed, thrive best where ignorance is most profound; nor does it depend upon superstition for its existence or perpetuity; but it possesses within itself principles of native strength that will enable it to weather every storm, outlive all hatred born of ignorance and prejudice, and will yet prove itself to be what indeed it is — the power of God unto salva- tion to all those who believe and obey it. 450 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. NOTES. 1. Prophecy that the Saints Would Remove to the West :— I passed over the river to Montrose, Iowa, in company with General Adams, Colonel Brewer and others, and witnessed the installation of the officers of the Rising Sun Lodge of Ancient Order of Masons, at Montrose, by General James Adams, deputy Grand Master of Illinois. While the deputy Grand Master was engaged in giving the requisite instructions to the Master-elect, I had a con- versation with a number of the brethren in the shade of the building on the sub- ject of our persecutions in Missouri, and the constant annoyance which has fol- lowed us since we were driven from that state, I prophesied that the Saints would continue to suffer much affliction and would be driven to the Rocky Mountains, many would apostatize, others would be put to death by their perse- cutors, or lose their lives in consequence of exposure or disease, and some of you will live to go and assist in making settlements and build cities and see the Saints become a mighty people in the midst of the Rocky Mountains. — Joseph Smith's journal for 6th of August, 1842. 2. Why the Church Came West : — " Many living witnesses can testify that we proposed moving to California [Then a general name for the great West, including what is now Utah] leaving the land of our oppression, preaching the gospel to the Lamanites, building up other temples to the living God, establish- ing ourselves in the far distant West. The cruel and perfidious persecutions that we endured, tended to hasten our departure, but did not dictate it. It jeo- pardized our lives, property and liberty, but was not the cause of our removal. Many a time have I listened to the voice of our beloved prophet, while in council, dwell on this subject with delight ; his eyes sparkling with anima- tion, and his soul fired with the inspiration of the Spirit of the living God. ' It was a theme that caused the bosoms of all who were privileged to listen, to thrill with delight ; intimately connected with this, were themes upon which prophets, patriarchs, priests and kings dwelt with pleasure and delight ; of them they prophesied, sung, wrote, spoke and desired to see, but died without the sight. My spirit glows with sacred fire while I reflect upon these scenes, and I say, O Lord hasten the day ! Let Zion be established ! Let the mountain of the Lord's house be established in the tops of the moun- tains!"— a thing, I may add — and which he plainly intimates — could not have been done had the Saints remained in Nauvoo. The Saints did not come to the Rocky mountain valleys because they were compelled to by their enemies, they came here because it;was their destiny to come ; because the Lord would have them here ; and because there were problems to work out in connec- tion with the work of God which could be worked out nowhere else. — Life of John Taylor, p. 179. 3. Character of Brigham Young : — Brigham Young was colonizer, statesman, philosopher, philanthropist, reformer, prophet-leader, priestly-king, an honest man, God's noblest work ! * * * His greatness shines forth in conduct and leadership and colonization and in the building of a mighty commonwealth in THE RESTORATION OF THE GOSPEL. 457 these mountain valleys. * * * On all great occasions promptness and decision were characteristics of his organization ; and let a question arise where it might, all Israel felt when it reached God's prophet-leader, it would find proper solution, and when solved would be endorsed by wisdom, — 31oses Thatcher. 4. Succession of the Twelve on the Death of President Young : —On the 4th of September, 1877, the two counselors of the late President Young and ten of the Twelve Apostles— Orson Pratt and Joseph F. Smith, the other two members, were absent in England— held a meeting and waited upon the Lord. With humble, contrite and saddened hearts they earnestly sought to learn his will concerning themselves and the Church. The Lord blessed them with the spirit of union, and revealed to them what steps should be taken, and the following is what was done : Elder Taylor was unanimously sustained as the President of the Twelve ; and with the same unanimity it was voted that the Twelve Apostles should be sustained as the presiding authority in the Church, while the counselors to the late President Young, John W. Young and Daniel H . Wells, were sustained as one with, counselors to and associated in action with the Twelve Apostles. To facilitate the transaction of business it was also voted that for the time being President Taylor should be assisted by John W. Young, Daniel H. Wells and George Q. Cannon, in attending to business connected with the temples, the public works and other financial affairs of the Church.— Life of John Taylor. 5. John Taylor :— There was a beautiful harmony in the character of his mind and the lineaments of his person. If the habitation was splendid, the inmate was worthy of it. His noble form and bearing were but the outward ex- pression of the spirit within. A universal benevolence, powerful intellect, splendid courage, physical as well as moral, a noble independence of spirit, coupled with implicit faith and trust in God, a high sense of honor, unimpeach- able integrity, indomitable determination, and a passionate love of liberty, justice and truth marked the outlines of his character. — Life of John Taylor. 6. The Discontinuance of Plural Marriage : — The clause in Pres- ident Woodruff's manifesto which discontinued plural marriage is as follows : " In- asmuch as laws have been enacted by Congress forbidding plural marriages, which laws have been pronounced constitutional by the court of last resort, I hereby declare my intention to submit to those laws, and to use my influence with the members of the Church over which I preside to have them do likewise. * * * And I now publicly declare that my advice to the Latter-day Saints is to refrain from contracting any marriage forbidden by the law of the land." Following is the resolution presented to the semi-annual Conference in the October following. It was presented by Lorenzo Snow the President of the Twelve Apostles : — " I move that, recognizing Wilford Woodruff as the President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and the only man on the earth at the present time who holds the keys of the sealing ordinances, we consider him fully authorized by virtue of his position to issue the manifesto which has been read in our hearing, and which is dated September 24th, 1890 ; and that as a church in general conference assembled, we accept his declaration concerning 458 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. plural marriages as authoritative and binding." The vote to sustain the foregoing motion was unanimous. 7. Basis on "Which the Manifesto Was Issued: — Verily, verily I say unto you, that when I give a commandment to any of the sons of men, to do a work unto my name, and those sons of men go with all their might, and with all they have to perform that work, and cease not their diligence, and their enemies come upon them, and hinder them from performing that work, behold it behoveth me to require that work no more at the hands of those sons of men, but to accept of their offerings: [Revelation given 19th, Jan. 1841. Doc. & Cov. Sec. cxxiv.] It is on this basis that President Woodruff has felt himself justified in issuing this manifesto. * * * We have waited for the Lord to move in this matter; and on the 24th of September, President Woodruff made up his mind that he would write something, and he had the spirit of it. He had prayed about it and had besought the Lord repeatedly to show him what to do. At that time the spirit came upon him, and the document that has been read in your hearing was the result. I know that it was right, much as it has gone against the grain with me in many respects. * * * But when God speaks, and when God makes known his mind and will I hope that I and all Latter-day Saints will bow in submission to it. — Geo. Q. Cannon, in a sermon Oct. 6th, 1890. I want to say to all Israel that the step which I have taken in issuing this manifesto has not been done without earnest prayer before the Lord. * * * I have done my duty, and the nation of which we form a part must be responsible for that which has been done in relation to that principle [Plural marriage.]— President Woodruff, in a Sermon Oct. 6th, 1S90. 8. Testimony from God Promised that the Manifesto was In- spired:—I have received a revelation and a commandment from the Lord, which I have not revealed to any man, which I shall reveal to this assembly, and the command of the Lord I shall give to this people, which is this : The Lord has revealed to me that there are many in the Church who feel badly tried about the manifesto, and also about the testimony of the Presidency and Apostles be- fore the master in chancery, The Lord has commanded me to put the follow- ing question to the Saints, and those who will give strict attention to it shall have the Holy Ghost to be with them to inspire them to answer that question for them- selves, and the Lord has promised that the answer will be to all alike. The ques- tion is this: which is the wisest course for the Latter-day Saints to pursue — to continue to attempt to practice plural marriage, with the laws of the nation against it and the opposition of 60,000.000 of people and at the cost of the con- fiscation and loss of all the temples, and the stopping of the ordinances therein, both for the living and the dead, and the imprisonment of the First Presidency and Twelve, and the leaders of heads of families in the Church, and the confisca- tion of the personal property of the people fall of which of themselves would stop the practice), or after doingl and suffering what we have through our adherence to this principle, to cease the practice and submit to the law, and through doing so leave the prophets, apostles and fathers at home, so that they can instruct the THE RESTORATION OF THE GOSPEL. !.")!> people and attend to the dut-es of the Church, and also leave the temples in the hands of the Saints so that they can attend to the ordinances of the gospel, both for the living and the dead ? Now the inspiration of the Lord will reveal to any person which course wisdom would dictate us to pursue. And the Latter-day Saints throughout all Israel should understand that the First Presidency of the Church and the Twelve Apostles are led and guided by the inspiration of the Lord, and the Lord will not permit me nor any other man to lead the people esOtky.— President Woodruff, 'at Box Elder Quarterly Conference, Oct. 25th, 1891. Juvenile Instructor, vol. xxvi: p. 671. 9. Sign of the Coming, of Messiah :— I have asked the Lord concerning His coming ; and while asking the Lord, He gave me a sign and said : " In the days of Noah I set a bow in the heavens as a sign and token that in any year that the bow should be seen the Lord would not come ; but there should be seed time and harvest during that year ; but whenever you see the bow withdrawn, it shall be a token that there shall be famine, pestilence and great distress among the nations, and that the coming of the Messiah is not far distant. * * * Jesus Christ never did reveal to any man the precise time that He would come."— Joseph Smith. REVIEW. i. Relate the circumstances connected with the martyrdom of Joseph and Hyrum Smith. 2. Who succeeded to the Presidency of the Church after the death of the prophet Joseph ? 3. Give an account of the expulsion of the Church from Illinois. 4. State the reasons why the Church in its flight went westward. 5. Give an account of the arrival in Salt Lake valley. 6. When and where was the First Presidency of the Church re-organized? 7. State the leading achievements in the career of Brigham Young. 8. What was the character of President Young? (Note 3). 9. Who again took the Presidency of the Church at the death of Brigham Young ? 10. When was the First Presidency again organized ? 11. State what you can of the life and character of John Taylor. 12. For what is John Taylor's administration noted ? 13. Who succeeded to the Presidency of the Church after the death of Pres- ident Taylor ? 14. What led to the discontinuance of the practice of plural marriage ? 15. When was plural marriage publicly announced as a doctrine of the Church ? 16. Give a history of the enactments of Congress against plural marriage. 460 OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. 17. State in what spirit these laws were enforced 18. State in what way plural marriage was finally discontinued. 19. What was the basis of this action of the Church ? (Notes 6, 7, 8). 20. Were the Saints responsible either for the introduction or discontinuance of plural marriage ? 21. What has been their course in relation to this principle since its introduc- tion ? 22. Give an account of the laying of the cap-stone on the Salt Lake Temple. 23. Make a statement of the growth and present condition of the Church. 24. What is the immediate purpose of the work began by the Prophet Joseph Smith? 25. State several promises to be found in the Jewish sciiptures respecting the glorious return of Messiah. 26. Quote those that predict Messiah will come to judgment. 27. What hath God decreed concerning the time of His coming ? (Note 9.) 28. For what especial purpose hath God sent forth His servants to the world in this dispensation ? 29. What will be the crowning event to the work of this dispensation ? 30. State what is contemplated kby the work of God in the dispensation of the fullness ot times. INDEX. Announcement, Angelic, 12. Augustus, 12, 32. Athanasius, 194. Apostles, Twelve, 46, 47. " Quorum filled, 73, 74. Actors, in Christ's crucifixion, Fate of,6i. Adam, Fall of, 87. Atonement, Fact of, 100, 101. " Mercy and justice of, 101. " of Christ voluntary, 102. " Love of God in, 103. " universal in application, 114. Atonement, a mystery, 114. Anti-Christ, Rise of, foretold, 217. Anarchy, Reign of, 225. Albert, Archbishop of Mentz, 236. Authority from God needful, 117. Aurelius Marcus, 131. Apostasy — see Part II. " Mn days of apostles, 174 (note). adrrfittPd by Christian writers, 213. Apostasy predicted in the scriptures, 215-220. Augsburg, Confession of, 245. Alva, Duke of, 285. America, Discovery of, 292, 298. " Influence of on liberty, 292. " Catholics seek liberty in, 293. Associations, Primary, 385. Abraham, Book of, 434, 438. Agitation, Religious in N. Y., 304. Apostles, Twelve, organized, 367. " Traveling, presiding high coun- cil, 376. Apostles equal in authority with first presidency, 376. Apostles, Quorum of Twelve, succeed to presidency, 442. Apostles a second time succeed to pre- sidency, 444. Bethlehem, 11. Blasphemey 54, 60. Bible corrupted, 69. Bishops, Manner of electing, 159. Bishops Equality among changed, 159, 160. Bishops, Pre-eminence of Roman, 163, 165, 170, Bishops, Objections to, 164. " of Constantinople, 168. Bishopric, Powers of, 346. Bishops First in the Church, 345. " Presiding, 347. " Traveling, 348. " Local or Ward, 349. Baptism, 145 " form changed, 147. " of children, 148, 154. " symbol of burial and resurrec- tion, 153. Baptism, Manner of, among Nephites, 154- Baptism Of, 331 (note). " Of the manner of 332. Baptist, John, restorer Aaronic Priest- hood, 324. Bull of excommunication burned, 240, 251. Boleyne Anne, 287, Bartholomew's Eve, St., Massacre on, 296. Clergy, Celibacy of 205. Cayetan, Cardinal Thomas, appointed to hear cause of Luther, 237. Cayetan urges Luther's excommuni- cation, 240. Charles V. Emperor Germany, 240. " rupture with pope, 243. " decides against Protestants, 246. Charles annuls edict of Worms and Augsburg, 247. Conferences appointed 336. " The first 338. Clement VII. succeeds Leo X.. 243. " rupture with Charles V. 244. " proposes conucil in Italy, 247. Calvin, John 280, 295. " Views on church government, 280. Calvin, John, views on Eucharist, 281. " Spread of his doctrine, 282. Confirmation, Manner of, 332. 162 Christian II. King of Sweden and Denmark, 283. Christian II. driven from Sweden, 283. " Invites Reynhard, Carolstadt and Luther to Denmark 284-5. Christian banished from Denmark 284. Christian III. of Denmark regulales religious affairs of his kingdom, 284. Consecation, Law of, 352-3-4-5-6. Cumorah, Treasures of, 312. " Description of, 315. Cowdery, Oliver, one of the three wit- nesses, 313. Cowdery, Oliver, involved in errors, 339- Commerce, afterwards Nauvoo, 433, 438. Crucifixion, 57, 58. Church, in America, 68, 112, 113. Church, The, 107. 14 Officers of, divinely called, no, Church government, Opinions of, 115, 116. Church, Condition of, 2nd century, 130. " Early decline of, 175. " Progress of, under Constantine, 138. Church organization not perpetuated, 157- Church, Establishment of, by apostles, 157. 158. Church, Government of, modeled on plan of civil government, 162. Church division of 7th century, 171. Moral condition of, 206. " Condition of, in 4th cent., 207. " " " in 5th, cent., 208- 210; subsequent to 3rd cent., 210. Church, condition of, in 10th cent., 211, 212. Church destroyed, 212. " Nephite, 222. " Ami Christian, Nephite, 222. Attempt to reorganize Nephite, 224. Church, Distinct Protestant, founded, 243- Church, A corrupt, 271. " Organization of, by Joseph Smith, 324. Church, members of, Duties of, 333. '« The, what it is, etc., 373. " Territorial divisions of, 382. " Judiciary system of, 386-7-8. Church, Conferences of, 389. Governmen, Reflection on, 389, 390. Church, Growth and present condition of, 449, 45°- Cyprian, 168, 176. Cornelius, 81. Constantine, 135, 136, 139. Friendliness to Christians, 136, 137. Constantinople taken by Turks, 130. Cross, Luminous, 136, 141. Christians, Unwise zeal of, 141. Ceremonies, Addition to, 145. Crusades, the, Influence of, on liberty, 231. Councils, Rise of, 160. " Usurpatations of, 175. " Nicene, The, 193, 194. " General, appeal to, 237. " Desire for general, 237 (note). " Difficulty of locating one, 247 " Trent, The, 248, 252. " Attempt to settle difficulties by, 270. Councils, High, organized, 365. " High, how organized, 365-6. " Different kinds of, 366. " Traveling High, the, 367. " High standing The, 367. " High, Temporary, 367. " High, Fair dealing in, 370. " High, Order in, 370. " High, Just judgment in, 370. Darkness Three hours' 59-61. " Age of, 229. Domitian, 127, 128 (note). Diocletian, 132, 133, 134. Distinctions Class, among Nephites, 222. " Revival of. 223. Dispersions. Miscellaneous, 403. Dispensation of Fullness ot Times, Preparation for Opening the, 294. " Meaning of, 303, 314. Dispensation of the Fullness of Times, Character of, 450,455. Deacons, Duties of, 335. " Quorums of, 381. Diet at Worms, 240,241. (note). " at Spire, The, 244. Diet at Augsburg, the, 245-6. Duties of members, 333. " of elders, 335. " of priests, 335. 4(i3 Duties of teachers, 335. " of deacons, 335. Dead, Salvation for, 415. " Baptism for, 419, 420-I, 430. Events, order of, 48. " Chronological order neglected, Eckius, John, theologian of Ingolstadt, 236. " Discussion with Carol- stadt, 238. " Discussion with Luther, 2389- Elders, Duties of, 335. " Quorums of, 380. Edicts of Severus, 131. Eucharist, see sacrament. Excommunication, Manner of, 183. Elias, Appearing of, 396. Elijah, Appearing of, 396. Fear, Political, 53. Feudalism, Breaking up of, 231. Free will, Discussion on, 238. Frederick, elector of Saxony, 240. " Death of, 243. " Duke ct Holstein, and Sles- wick succeeds Chiistian II. of Denmark, 284. " Gives religious liberty to "Denmark, 284. Faith, Catholic, rule of, 268-9. Far West, Founding of, 432. Godhead, Oneness of, 185-6. '• Illustration of, 198. " Man may attain unto, 434. ('note) Gods, Heathen, 22. God, Christian doctrine respecting, 184-7. " Orthodox view of, 192. " Sabellian Theory of, 192. " Arian Theory of, 192. " Immateriality of, 195-7- " Appears to Joseph Smith, 306. " Form of, etc., 307. (note.) " Existence of, 330. Gospel, supplants the law, 46. " Order of principles, 75-6. " Spread of, 82, 84. 85. " Messiah, author of, 199. " Fragmentary histories of, 69: Moral precepts, Departure from, 202. y.o Gamaliel, 77. Gentiles, Gospel taken to, 80, 81. Gregory vii., 229. Gifts, Spiritual, 107. " Decline of. 181, 182, 198. " On continuance of, 198. Government, Roman, 25, 27. " Helps in, 385. George, Duke of Saxony, joins in the demand for a general council, 237 (note.) " At the discussion between Luthur and Eckius, 239. " On the corruptions of the church, 250. Grace, Controversy on, 255. " Facts which enter the question of, 256, 257, 258. " Pelagian view of, 258. Cathoiic view of. 259 " Protestant view of, 229. " Falling from, 331. Gallius, Peter, Gathering, first commandment to gather, 345- '« Object of, 410. Glory, Different degrees of, 412, 422. " Celestial, The, 423. " Terrestrial, The, 424. " Telestial, The, 424, 425. " Degrees, within the three great divisions, 426. " Progress within degrees of, 426, 427. Herod the great, 14. 15, 17, 18. " Antipas, 39, 43. Herodias, 40. Henry IV., Humiliation of, 229, 249. Hermit, Peter the, 232. Harris, Martin, one of the three wit- nesses, 313. Hosanna, Shout of, 394. Huguenots, Character of, 282. Henry VIII , of England, champion of Roman church, 286. •' Marriage to Catherine of Aragon, 286. " Divorce of, 286, 287. " Rupture with the pope, 287, 297. House of the Lord, All nations to flow unto the, 413. Immaterialists, Atheists, 200. 464 Indigencies, Origin of, 233. " Nature of, 234. " Traffic in, 235. " Position of Catholic Church respecting, 255. " To be accompanied by reformation, 265. Interpretation, of Bible, Private, 269. " Private, effects of, 273, 274. Israel, Who are, 398. " Enslaved, 399. Revolt of Ten Tribes of, 399. Captivily of, 399. " Scattering of, 400, 401. " Miscellaneous dispersion of, 403. 404. •' Blood of, sprinkled in all na- tions, 404 The gathering of, 405. " Ten tribes of, preparatory work to their return, 408. Settlement of, in Canaan, 411. •' Latter-day Saints of, 413. Jesus Christ, 11, 12. " Birth of, 16, 17. " Childhood of, 35, 36, 41. " Baptism of, 38. " Temptation of, 44. Ministry of, 44. " Doctrines of, 44, 45. " Divinity of, 49. " Manner of teaching, 50. Common people hear, 53. " Charges against, 54. •' Defense of, 60. " Betrayal of, 55. Trial, 56. Before Pilate and Herod, 56, 57- Crucifixion of, 57. Burial of, 59. " Resurrection of, 63, 64. " Ascension, 63. Appearance among Ne- phites, 66, 67. " Mission of, 87, 330. " Appears to Joseph Smith, 306. " Appears to prophet Joseph and Oliver Cowdery, 395. Joseph, husband of Mary, 11, 12. "John, the Baptist, 36, 37. " Mission of, 37, 38. John, the Baptist, Martyrdom of, 39. " Was he Elias, 42 " Restores Aaronic Priest- hood, 324, 341. Jealousy, Religious, 53. Jews, State of, 27 " Judgment upon, 123. Judas 55. John, the apostle, 220. John, prince, succeeds Frederic the wise. 243. " signs Augsburg confession. 246. Judah, Kingdom of, 402. " Final overthrow of, 412. Justification, by faith alone, Luther on, 260, 265. " Evil results of, 265. " Catholic Church on, 263. " and sanctification, 331. Judgment, eternal Christian dogma of, 416, 417. (note). " True doctrine of, 416. Knox. John, Scotch reformer, 289. " Sent to French galleys, 290. " his work in Scotland, 291. Keys of former dispensations restored, 395- Kirtland, breaking up at, 437. Knight, John, 337. Newel, 337. Law added to gospel, 46, 50. Life, Double rule of, 202, 203. " Origin of false idea of moral, 203, 205. Lying, accounted a virtue, 206. Learning, Revival of, 229. Leo x., indifference to German agita- tion. 236. " Luther's appeal from, 237. " Death of, 242. Logus, Plato's, 191. " In Trinity, 191. Luther, Martin, Birth, etc., 233. " preaching of, 233. " on indulgencies, 250, " visits Rome Ibid. " Condemned and excom- municated, 240, 251. " burns pope's bull, 240, 251. " before the Diet at Worms, 241. 165 Luther, Martin, bis answer to Diet, 241. confinement at Wart- burg. 242. Death of. 248. Character of. 252. Fundamental doctrine of, 25 Mischief of his docTine, 260-1-2. on danger of his doc- trin>- - Literature. Greek. Influence Liberty, Religious, secured . 2 Religious. Secured I Constitution, 298. Messiah, see "esus Christ. Mary, mother of Tesus. n. 12. Magi. : Mysteries. Pagai Mary Magdalen Matthias. 73. 83. Metropolitans. Origin of, 160. - • . Commencement of, in the Church, 337. Martyrs. Christ. an, worship of, 181. Maximilian I. Emperor oJ Germanv. 237- Melancthon. Philip, drafts religious dratts Augsburg Confession. 245 Mission. First, to Lamanites, ;-_ Manifesto, discontinuing plural mar- riage Moroni, first visit to Joseph Smith, 308. .cient prophecies quoted bv. 309- ■ Warning to Joseph Smith, 311. f onrth appearance of. 311. ;-..;--' : . ■ . reation and Fall of, 330. Missouri, Western, 358. Character of old settlers, 369. : IfonuB, Book :•'. 309. : '.z:~ :r I ::■::'..- 7 : 7. ". ' zaz'r. -. first view or' Tnmiililinii and pabfi- cation of, 312 13. of. MutyidMi :f Aeptopbets, _:. Moses, appearing of. 395. Marriage, Celestial, introduce Covenant. Eternity of the,4U. Phnal,436. Establishment of p'^; PiuraJ, Enactments of Con- gress agair. I Inral, ;.- r.rinued, 448. Nazareth. Nature, convulsions of, 59. note;. Nephites. Destruction of. 224. Nuremberg, the truce at Nauvoo, the ri=- Opposition, Rise of. j€ - - Officials, Church. Corruption of, 161. Ordinances. Outward Organizations. Revival of Secret, 223. Paganism, Mysteries of, 23. Passover Penteccr - •• Prophecies of ap : Paul III. Pope succeeds Clement, VII. ■* Calls Council of Trer - : Popes rise of temporal power of. 172. iracter of bag 1 : by Jews. 121. Romans. : 1- "• V-i- LTnder Die : ■• Ead of Pagi- Among Nephr.es . Phi'osophy. Pagan, mixed with Christian Gnostic and New Platonic, I . r r- . e to which it ted, 189. •. origin of m.- of Fa 466 Protestant Objection to Catholic abuses, 245, 246. " Reverses of, 248. " Victory of, 248, 249. Presbyterian form of church govern- ment, 280 1. Predestination, Melancthon on, 261. " Luther on, 259. " Effect of on the mind, 265. Petri, Olaus, 282. " Discussion with Peter Gallius, 283. Philip II. of Spain, 285. Puritans, not satisfied with reformation, 288 9. " Intolerance of, 293. " Character of, 298. Prophecies, Ancient, quoted by Moroni, 3°9- " On gathering of Israel, 405, 406, 407. Priests, duties of, 335. " Quorums of. 381. " High, duties and powers of, 379- Partridge, Edward, appointed bishop, 345- Pioneers, Arrival of in Salt Lake Val- ley, 443- Priesthood. Nature of, 372 " Spirit of government by, 372-3- " Divisions of, 375. " Officers of, 375 " Mekhisedek, restoration of, 325 Time of restoration of, 341. " Why so called, 342. " Presidencies in, 375. " Aaronicr Restoration of, 324. " Bishopric presidency of, 34°- " Sphere of, 357. " Presidencies in, 381. Presidency, First, reorganized, 443. Persecution, early church, 861. " In Jackson County, Mo. 361, 369. Perdition, Sons of, 427 8-9. Punishment, eternal, Sectarian dogma of 416, 429. Patriarchs, duties and callings, 378-9. Resurrection 63, 64. Relatives of Jesus, 128. Rites, pagan joined to Christian, 155. Rebellion, Luther's, 268. " Revolution, not, 270. Reformation, True cause of, 271-276. " Catholic view of, (note) 271. " Revolution not, 272. ." Motives back of, 276. " Reproach of, 277. " In Switzerland, 279. " In France, 282, 295. '■' In Sweden, 282, 296. " In Denmark, 283, 296. Rigdon, Sidney, accepts the gospel, 344- Reformers, The error of, 275. " Divisions among 276. Signs of Christ's birth 13, 14. Sign of dove, 43. Sadducees 28, 29. Samaritans, 30. Sanhedrin, 33. Scripture, Missing parts of, 70. Salvation, General, 98, 99. " Individual, 104, 105. " Conditions of, 106. Sacrament, 55. " Corrupted, 150. " Suppression of half, the 152. " Administration, Manner of, 155. " Views of Calvin and " Zwingle on 281. " Manner of administering, 333. (note) Serfdom, Release of masses from, 230. Smalcald, League of, 246. Samaritans, 401. Sects, Multiplication of 274-5. Saints, Latter-day, added to Church title 327. Errors of 338. Expulsion of from Mo. 361. Expulsion of from Illinois 442. Flight of to the west 442. Schools, Sunday, 385. Sanctification, 331. Smith Joseph, birth and parentage of, 303. " first prayer and vision, 3°5- " name foretold, 314 " martyrdom of, 441. 467 Societies, Female relief, 385. Seventies, 48. Organization of, 368. " Presiding quorum of, 376. Nature of calling, powers, etc., 377. Spirits, in prison, Preaching to, 417, 418. Messiah preaching to, 430. Toleration, Heathen, 21. Temptations, Order of, 49. Manner of, 50. Traditions, 71, 72. Temporal affairs, 78. Tacitus, 126. Trajan. 132. Tetzel, John, his connection with indi- gencies, 236. Luther's assault upon, 236. rebuked by Miltitz, 255. Character of (note), 251. Death of 255, 265. Teachers, False, to arise, 215. " Duties of, 335. Quorum of, 381. Trent, Council of, 248. Pestilence at, 252. Trinity, Doctrine of, 331. Tribes, ten, Revolt of, 399. Ten Lost, 399. " Ten, depart for north, 411. Ten, Return of, 408-9, 412. Temple, Site of, in Jackson Co., 358. Kirtland The, 393, 396. Dedication of, 393. Manifestations in, 394. Visions in, 395-6. Salt Lake, Laying capstone of, 449. Taylor, President John, 445. Description of, 457. Urban II. favors crusades, 202. United States government, Hand of God in establishment of, 299. Vassa, Gustavus, King of Sweden, 282. Voice of God and of the people in Church Government, 328. Vision, Joseph Smith's first, 305. " importance of Joseph Smith's first, 307. At first Conference of the Church, 342. Works, Good, Luther on, 259, 260. Kind of, which Catholics trusted in, 264, 266. Whitney, Newel K. appointed Bishop, 346-357. Whitmer, David, one of the Three Witnesses, 313. Wycliffe, John, English Reformer, 287, 288-297. Witnesses, Three, 313, World, Condition of, etc, 20. " Pagan, 23, Arraignment of, 23, 24. " State at Christ's Birth, 25, 26. Worship, on Sunday, Reason Why, 153. " Description of, 153. Simplicity of Changed, 180. of Martyrs, 181, 197. in Fifth Century, 197. Wards, how Organized, 383-4, Woodruff, President Wilford, 446. " his Administration, 446. " Issues Manifesto, 448. " Lays Capstone Salt Lake Temple, 449. Y. M. & Y. L. I. A., 385. Young, Brigham, Birth, etc., 443 (note). Chosen President of the Church , 443- " Character of, 444. Zwingle. Birth, Teaching, etc., 279, 295. " Slain, 280. Recognized Gradation in Church Officers, 280. Views on Eucharist, 281. Views on Predestination, 281. Zion, Location of, etc., 350-1-2, 357-8. " Camp of, 262-3-4. " Stakes of, 383. THE WORKS OF B. H. ROBERTS: LIFE OF JOHN TAYLOR, Third President of the Church of Jesus Christ, in the Dispensation of the Fullness of Times, is a handsome volume of four hundred and sixty-eight pages, and containing ten illustrations finely executed, and the portrait of President John Taylor as the frontispiece. These are all well executed, and the steel engraving of the subject of the work is a striking and pleasing likeness. Deserel News:— "The literary ability displayed in the book is to be highly commended. The volume is from the pen of Elder B. H. Roberts and be has treated his theme in an able manner. The interest of the reader is maintained throughout. The life of President Taylor abounded with incidents of uncommon import. They are presented in forcible and pleasant style. The language is simple yet eloquent, and not overloaded with rhetoric." Price, Full Cloth, $2.50; Half Leather, $3.00; Full Leather, $4.00; Morocco, extra gilt, $5.00. THE GOSPEL:— An exposition of the First Principles thereof. The second edition of this work is now being published. Of the merits of this work it is needless to speak since they are already recognized in the demands for another edition. In this second edition the author has revised some por- tions of the work, and adds a supplement on the subject of "Man's Rela- tion TO Deity." In sad subject the various theories of man's origin are considered— especially the theory of Evolution— and the true relationship between Deity and man pointed out. GmtrUniior.—" 'The Gospel ' by Elder B. H. Roberts answers more questions, arising among young missionaries, in the space devoted to the exposition of its first principles, than any work yet published among us." THE OUTLINES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY:— A work of four hundred and seventy-live pages, especially dedicated to the Seventies, but valuable to all students of this department of knowledge. The work is divided into four parts: Part I. deals with "The Establishment of the Ohukoh," through the ministry < f Jesus Christ and His Apostles; Part II., with "The Apostasy;"' Part III., with "The Reformation," or revolution of the 16th Century; Part IV., with "The Restoration of the Gospel." The work will be of great service to the quorums of the Priesthood, the improvement Associations and advanced theological classes in Sunday Schools. Price $1.75. NEW WITNESSES FOR GOD:— {In course of preparation.) The new wit nesses are the Rook of .Mormon and the Prophet Joseph Smith; and this work will consider the divine authenticity of the first and the divine mis- sion of the second. The manuscr.pt is nearly completed and will doubt- less be published during the present year, THE SCRAP BOOK:— In this work will be presented a choice selection of the author's miscellaneous writings including the beautiful story of " CORIAN- ton, Mariam, ' a story of Zarahemla; and also "Spirit Prompting," "The Tennessee Ma88A< re," "Items of Missionary Experience," etc., etc. " THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS" and "THE RISE AND FALL OF NAUVOO":— This will be a reproduction in book form of a series of articles published some years ago in the "Contributor," and repeatedly asked for in book form. The articles will be carefully revised, and enlarged and relate in greater detail the story of those stirring times in the history of the Church than any other publication among us. The author visited all the places in Missouri and Illinois where the Church located and therefore adds the charm of description of places, to the narration of events that transpired- w o o c w C/> 0 & q £> H H r1 HH HH O z £ on W O ►— 1 hrj GO H 0 ^ ►< DATE DUE OCT 0 4 K m SEP 2711 :» AUG 0 8 2( 01 0CT 02 ?flf!7 m 1 s 'MU/ ?nn7 DEMCO 38-297 1197 00139 651 fr