John Taylor's sermon on revelation - March 17, 1872
In rising to address the congregation this afternoon, I do so, as I
always do, with very great pleasure. It always affords me gratification
to contemplate the things pertaining to the Church and kingdom of God,
and to the interests of humanity on the earth. I love to speak of these
things, I am always pleased to hear of them, and I am as willing to
listen to the truth when emanating from some person else as I am to
communicate it to others, as it may be made manifest to me. I feel as
our Elders generally do - that we are seeking to communicate - not our
own special ideas, or any peculiar theory that we may have entertained;
but, under the guidance of the Almighty, that we may instruct and teach
as we may be led and guided by the Spirit of the living God. (1)
I feel, as it is expressed in the Scriptures, "That it is not in man to
direct his steps," and it is not especially in man to teach things
pertaining to eternity, or to the everlasting welfare of the human
family, unless he be under the guidance and direction of the Almighty,
and feels that he is simply an instrument in His hands to unfold and
develop certain principles that are made manifest unto him. I feel
always willing to hear, to teach, to receive instruction, or to
communicate unto others those principles that are calculated to promote
their happiness and well-being in time and in eternity. These things
lie at the foundation of the happiness of the human family; they
emanate from God, our Father, in whom, we are told, "we live and move
and have our being," and upon whom we are dependant for all the
blessings we enjoy, whether they pertain to this world or the world to
come. Ignorant of all true principles without inspiration from him, we
feel at all times that it is necessary for us to be under his guidance
and direction, and to seek for the aid of his Holy Spirit, that we may
be led and taught, instructed and directed in all of our acts and
associations in life, that we may be prepared for any events that may
transpire, associated with the affairs of this world or relative to the
world to come. We look upon ourselves as eternal beings, and that God
is our Father. We are told in the sacred record of truth that he is the
God and Father of the spirits of all flesh - of all flesh that has
lived, that now lives or that will live; and it is proper that we
should have just conceptions of our relationship to him, to each other,
to the world wherein we live, to those who have existed before us, or
to those who shall come after us, that as wise, intelligent beings,
under the inspiration of the Almighty, we may be able to conduct our
steps so that our pathway in life may be such as to secure the approval
of a good conscience and of God, angels and good men; and that whilst
we live upon the earth we may fulfil in an honorable manner the measure
of our creation, and, obeying our Creator, feel that he is indeed what
the Scriptures represent him to be, and what we believe him to be -
"the God and Father of the spirits of all flesh." (2)
There is a feeling generally extant in the world that God is a great
and august personage who is elevated so high above the world, and is so
far separated from humanity that it is impossible to approach him, and
although the Christian religion, under whatever form it may be
practised, teaches mankind to pray unto God in the name of the Lord
Jesus Christ, yet it is very few who suppose that their prayers amount
to anything, that God will listen to their supplications, or that they
will prove of any special benefit. A feeling of this kind tends more or
less to unbelief instead of faith in God, and hence we find very few
men in our day who act as men of God did in former days, that is, seek
unto him for guidance and direction in the affairs of life. If we
examine what is termed the sacred history of the Bible, we shall find
that in the various ages of the world, until soon after Christianity
was introduced, there was a feeling among men to call upon God and to
have their prayers answered - a feeling that if they would approach the
Most High and call upon his name in faith, he would answer their
supplications and give unto them wisdom, intelligence and revelation
for the guidance of their feet in the pathway of life; and it was not
based as it is now, generally, upon some old theories, or upon
communications made unto others; but if we trace the records of
Scripture through, we shall find that men generally sought for
themselves guidance and direction and revelation adapted to the
peculiar circumstances in which they were placed. (3)
If we go back to the time when Adam first made his appearance on the
earth, the Lord God we are told communicated with him, gave him certain
commandments, told him what he should do and what he should not do; and
when he transgressed the law, we are told that he heard the footsteps
of the Lord in the garden, and he heard his voice speaking unto him,
and when, at the dictum of the Almighty, he was expelled from the
paradise in which he lived, an angel was placed there as a guardian to
prevent his return. (4)
From the accounts that we have in our possession of events that took
place soon after that time, we learn that the Lord communicated his
will unto others, and there was a man called Enoch, a very remarkable
personage, whose history is very brief indeed, considering the
important events that transpired during his day. We are told that he
walked with God, had communication with him, and that "He was not, for
God took him." Our recent revelations give us information pertaining to
this same man - that he gathered together a people, that he taught them
the principles of the Gospel, that he gathered together all who would
listen to the principles of truth previous to the flood, and that he
and his city were translated, or as the account of the Bible says - "He
was not, for God took him." (5)
By and by another event transpired. The people became excessively
wicked and corrupt, so much so, that, as the Scriptures informs us,
"Their thoughts were only evil, and that continually;" and in
consequence of this the Lord decreed that he would destroy the people
from the face of the earth. But before he did it he gave revelation
unto Noah, telling him that the destruction of all flesh upon the earth
had been decreed by the Almighty in consequence of the wickedness of
the people; and Noah had special revelation given to him adapted to the
circumstances which surrounded him, and the age in which he lived. He
was not told to build a city, to preach the Gospel and gather the
people as Enoch had done; but he was told that the wickedness of all
flesh had come up before the Almighty and that he had determined to
destroy them with a flood; and Noah, believing in God and in the
revelation which he gave unto him, according to the testimony of the
Scriptures, built an ark, and gathered into that ark himself and wife,
his sons and their wives, and two - male and female - of the various
kinds of beasts, birds and creeping things that dwelt on the face of
the earth. History records the coming of the flood, the destruction of
the world by it, and the preservation in the ark of those who had
listened to the word of God and to whom he communicated his will. (6)
Subsequent to this time a variety of singular circumstances transpired
and there existed many prominent characters both good and bad,
worshipers of God and worshipers of idols. We find that after the
re-peopling of the earth after the flood men set to work to build a
tower, and the Lord confused their languages and scattered them from
hence, throughout all the earth. About this time a singular kind of
personage appeared on the stage of action, named Abraham. He had been
taught by his father to worship idols; but the Lord had manifested
himself to him on certain occasions and instructed him in the true
religion. He did not teach him as he taught Enoch, or as he had taught
Noah; the circumstances of Abraham were different from those of Enoch
and Noah, and if Abraham had the history of their times, as he
unquestionably had, for Abraham was contemporary with Noah and Noah
with Adam, and must have been acquainted with the events which had
transpired, from the days of Adam at least from information given by
Adam to Noah and by Noah to himself, he would know that the revelations
they received were not applicable to his case, but he needed revelation
from God for his own guidance and direction, that he might be led
aright, and that he might be able to instruct his children after him in
the path they should tread, in the principles, doctrines and ordinances
that should be according to the mind and will of God. (7)
There is something humorous in a history that we have in relation to
this personage. The priests of those days offered sacrifices to their
gods, and, like the priests of these days, they were generally opposed
to new revelation from God. Abraham's father had instructed him in the
doctrines of these idols, and had sought to induce him to have faith in
them and in their power, authority, and dominion, telling him what
great personages they were. But Abraham, inspired by the Lord, went on
a certain occasion into the temple of these gods and smote them right
and left, upsetting and breaking them in pieces. His father came in and
asked what he had been doing, what great sin this was that he had
committed, why he was so sacrilegious in his feelings and so wicked as
to seek to destroy these gods? Said he, "Father, I did not do anything
to them, they quarreled among themselves and went to work fighting and
knocked one another down, broke one another's heads and knocked off one
another's arms and legs." "Oh," said his father, "my son do not tell me
anything of that kind, for they are made of wood and they could not
move or stir from their place nor knock one another down; it has been
some other agency that has done it." "Why, father," said he, "would you
worship a being that could not stir or move, that had hands and could
not handle, that had legs and could not walk, a mouth that could not
speak, and a head and it was of no use? Would you worship a being like
that?" But nevertheless our history informs us that the priests were
angry and stirred up his father against him. But the Lord inspired
Abraham to leave there. The Bible tells us the Lord said to him: "Get
thee up from thy father's house, from the land wherein thou wast born,
and go up to a land I will show unto thee, and which I will afterwards
give unto thee for an inheritance." And we are told that "he went up,
not knowing whither he went." (8)
There is something very peculiar about this little history, so far as
we have it in the Bible. I think I see this man of God rising up, after
he had incurred the displeasure of the priests and his father, and had
slain these gods, making preparations to leave his native country. I
fancy I see some of his neighbors coming to him, and saying: "Abraham,
where are you going?" "Oh," says he, "I do not know." "You don't know."
"No." "Well, who told you to go?" "The Lord." "And you do not know
where you are going?" "Oh, no," says he, "I am going to a land that he
will show me, and that he has promised to give me and my seed after me
for an inheritance; and I believe in God, and therefore I am starting."
There was something very peculiar about it, almost as bad as us when we
started to come off from Nauvoo: we hardly knew where we were going,
but we could not have rest, peace or safety among the Christians,
consequently we left them and started off to the Rocky Mountains, under
the direction of God, hardly knowing whither we went, just as Abraham
did, and I do not think we were any bigger fools than he, for he went
just about as we did, not knowing whither he went. (9)
Afterwards the Lord gave him a son, for when he was an old man, and his
wife Sarah was seventy years old, they were childless, and at this
advanced age the Lord gave them a son. There had been no event of that
kind ever transpired before in the history of the Bible, and if it were
the Bible they had to look at, it would have been of no use to them,
for they could not get any instructions there how they were to act; but
he feared God and put his trust in him, and the Lord gave him
revelation. The angel of the Lord, we are told, visited Abraham and his
wife, and told her she should have a son. Sarah was a good deal amused
at it, and laughed over the matter, for she was about seventy years old
and thought it rather strange that she should have a son at that age,
and she laughed at the idea, as many of our old sisters would
unquestionably do now if they were told such a thing. It seems all very
natural when you look at it just about as it is. And when the angel
asked her why she laughed, she lied and said: "I did not laugh," she
did not want to have it known that she laughed at what the Lord said.
"Nay, but," said he, "thou didst laugh." And as the time came round, lo
and behold she had a son and called his name Isaac. And after this the
Lord seemed determined to try Abraham and see whether or not he would
be faithful to him and obey him in all things. He had obeyed him in
breaking up those Gods, and in leaving his father's house and going up
to a land that he had shown unto him, and the Lord was determined to
try him to the uttermost, and see whether he would obey him yet
further. "Now," said he, "Abraham, take thy son, thine only son Isaac,
and go to a place that I will indicate, and offer him up as a burnt
offering before me." That was a curiosity, it had something odd and
strange about it. It was not really what you would call philosophical;
it was not in accordance with any principles that we could understand
anything about, in our day; and it would have been difficult for
Abraham to have reasoned it out why he should be called to offer up his
son as a sacrifice. Nothing of the kind had ever transpired before as a
precedent; no such thing written in the Bible that had taken place
among men before. In offering up his only son there was something very
peculiar, not especially as a sacrifice, but it came in contact with
every parental feeling which he must necessarily have felt for his only
child. This, in and of itself, rendered it one of the most severe and
painful trials that could be placed upon man; but there was something
else connected with this which was explained by the Prophet Joseph
Smith, who, when speaking of these things, said God was determined in
these days to have a tried people as he had in former times, and that
he would feel after their heartstrings and try them in every way
possible for them to be tried; and if he could have invented anything
that would have been more keen, acute, and trying than that which he
required of Abraham he would have done it. But that, no doubt, was one
of the greatest trials that could have been inflicted on any human
being. Notice the old gentleman tottering along with his son, brooding
over the promises of God and the peculiar demand now made upon him.
Says he: "Isaac, let us go up into the mountain here, and offer a
sacrifice to the Lord." And he took him along; they ascend the
mountain, they gather together some rocks and together build an altar;
they gather the fuel and place it on that altar; and when everything is
prepared Isaac says: "Father, here is the altar and here is the wood,
but where is the sacrifice." What would the feelings of a father be
under such circumstances? Says he, with a heart gushing with sorrowful
emotions, "My son, God will prepare himself a sacrifice," and finally
the old man gave his son to understand that he was the sacrifice, and
he bound him and placed him on the wood upon the altar, and lifted the
knife to strike the fatal blow, and while his arm was outstretched the
Lord spake, saying: "Abraham, lay not thine hand upon the lad, for the
Lord shall provide thee a sacrifice," and he looked round and found a
ram in a thicket, and he placed it on the altar and offered a burnt
offering before the Lord. The Lord then took him aside and said: "Lift
up thine eyes eastward, westward, northward and southward, for to thee
and to thy seed after thee will I give this land; and thy seed shall be
as numerous as the stars in the heavens, and like the sand on the sea
shore so shall they be innumerable; and in blessing I will bless thee,
and in multiplying I will multiply thee, and in thee and in thy seed
shall all the families of the earth be blessed." The Lord proved him
and found him faithful in all things. That was a severe test to human
nature; but there were other ideas crowding on his mind that were ten
thousand times more formidable than these paternal feelings which
gushed and welled up in his bosom when told to offer up his son as a
sacrifice. What was it? Why the Lord had told him that he would make of
him a nation and a multitude of nations, and that he should be the
father of many nations, and yet he told him to go and offer up his only
son. And he was an old man and his wife an old woman; and it was not
only the idea of taking the life of his son that was crowding upon his
mind, but the cutting him off in regard to posterity and the promises
that God had made to him in regard to the magnitude of the peoples that
should arise from him, or from his loins, and leaving him, as it were,
a dry root, helpless, hopeless, tottering on the grave without any
heir. Paul very justly remarks that in the midst of all these things,
"he staggered not through unbelief, but was strong in faith giving
glory to God; believing that he from whom he had received him, as it
were from the dead, would be able, if he had even slaughtered his son,
to raise him from the dead." He was strong in faith, says Paul, "giving
glory to God." He had had the visions of his mind unfolded in regard to
the future; he had looked through the dark vista of future ages.
Inspired by the spirit of revelation he contemplated the purposes of
God as they rolled forth in all their majesty and glory and power, and
considered that he was to be one of the great actors in this great
world drama that should be exhibited in the after ages of time, and in
the eternities that were to come. Jesus said of him, "Abraham saw my
day and was glad." But he saw in this, apparently, all his hopes
blasted; but notwithstanding he had faith and confidence in God, and he
stood there like the beaten anvil to the stroke, or the sturdy oak
defying all storms and blasts and influences. He was strong in faith,
giving glory to God. Nothing but the spirit of revelation could have
given him this confidence, and it was that which sustained him under
these peculiar circumstances. (10)
He then told him that, by and by, his seed should go down into bondage
in Egypt, and should remain there four hundred years, and that then
they would be delivered. He also made promises concerning his
posterity, telling him they should inherit that land; and yet, singular
to say, notwithstanding these revelations and promises from the Lord,
several thousand years after, when Stephen was referring to these
promises, he said "he gave him none inheritance in it, no not so much
as to set his foot;" but he told him that he would "give it to him, and
to his seed after him, for an everlasting inheritance." And as we have
to do with a truthful God, and with eternal things, we expect that
these promises will be literally fulfilled, and that God will
accomplish all things that he spoke to him pertaining to his seed. But
there was one peculiarity about this that I wish to notice in
connection with others - that when God gave revelations to the human
family in the different ages of the world it was particularly adapted
to the circumstances in which they were placed. They were not
dependant, as Christians are now, simply on the Bible or upon some old
revelation, from which they could learn many great things, but they
could not learn what was necessary, what plan it was proper for them to
adopt under the peculiar circumstances in which they were placed. (11)
We find, in continuing the history of these things, that after the
children of Israel had been in Egypt for a length of time, God sent
them a deliverer - he raised up Moses and inspired him with the
principle of revelation, told him he had a work for him to do, that he
was to deliver Israel from the bondage that had been placed upon them
by the Egyptian kings. Moses shrank from the responsibility, and told
the Lord that he was a "man of stammering tongue and of slow speech,"
and that he was not competent to perform a work of such magnitude. The
Lord told him never to mind, it would be all right, that he would
provide a spokesman for him in Aaron his brother, and Aaron should be a
mouthpiece to the people, and Moses should be as a god to Aaron and
dictate him in the course that he should take. And this very Moses
gives us an account of all the histories that we have in relation to
the dealings of God with the human family from Adam's day until the
time in which he lived. There was something peculiar about the mission
that he had. He was sent on several occasions to present himself before
the Egyptian king with a message from the Lord that he should let his
people Israel go, and in these various messages you will find, just as
I stated before, the revelations that he had were adapted to the
particular circumstances he was placed in. He was not told to build a
city as Enoch had been, and to gather a people together to be
translated; he was not told to build an ark, as Noah did; he was not
told to leave his father's house and go to a strange land, as Abraham
was; he was placed in other circumstances - he was going to be the
deliverer of Israel from Egyptian bondage, and to lead them to that
land which God had promised Abraham, and consequently he had to have
direct communication with the Lord - revelation to guide him in the
course that he should pursue in the work that he had to perform. The
result was that after many revelations he took Israel out of Egypt, he
brought them into the wilderness, he passed them through the Red Sea,
and he went upon the mountain, conversed with God and received from him
tables of stone written by his own hand for the guidance of the people,
and was under the direction of the Almighty in all his moves. He built
an ark, not according to his own judgment or wisdom, not according to
anything that he read of in the Bible, nor according to any previous
revelation or communication; but the Lord told him to see "that he made
all things according to the pattern that he had shown him in the
mount," and he did so. And the people traveled on through that
wilderness, and were there for forty years, a pillar of fire leading
them by night and a cloud by day; and when that pillar of fire or cloud
rested they rested, when it lifted up they moved, and followed its
guidance. And Aaron went and ministered in the Tabernacle and
approached before the Holy of Holies, and all these sayings, doings and
events that then transpired were under the immediate revelation,
dictation and guidance of the Almighty. The Lord at that time desired
to make of Israel a great nation, a kingdom of priests. They had the
Gospel preached unto them in the wilderness, so Paul tells us, but they
were rebellious, wayward and stiffnecked. It was the design of the
Almighty to lead them into the presence of God, that they might see him
as Moses did, and as the seventy Elders of Israel did, that they might
converse with him and obtain intelligence from him, and be under his
special guidance and direction; but they could not endure the Gospel,
and therefore we are told "the law was added because of transgression."
What was it added to? (12)
Why, to the Gospel. What was the Gospel? A principle of revelation; it
always was. It was the same Gospel that Jesus had that was revealed to
them. The Scriptures tell us that it "brings life and immortality to
light;" and whenever in any age of the world men had a knowledge of
life and immortality, of the purposes of God and his future designs,
and of the future estate of mankind, it came through the Gospel, for it
is the Gospel that brings life and immortality to light; and wherever
the Gospel exists, there exists a knowledge of life and immortality;
and wherever a knowledge of life and immortality does not exist the
Gospel does not exist. The children of Israel, then, were placed under
the law - a schoolmaster, we are told, "a yoke that neither they nor
their fathers were able to bear." This Peter tells us. (13)
Then there were other Prophets after Moses appeared on the stage, such
as Job, Elijah, Elisha, Isaiah, Jeremiah and many others, who had
communication with God and received a knowledge of his will and
purposes, and prophesied under the inspiration of the Almighty and
testified of events that should afterwards transpire. To these men we
are indebted for the Bible, that is, for the Old and New Testaments; to
them and their revelations, to the communications that they had, the
ministering of angels and the opening visions, and the unfolding of the
purposes of God, and the various histories and dealings of God with the
people; to them are we indebted for the Bible that we Christians of the
present day talk so much about. To these men who made this Bible we are
indebted for any knowledge that they had about God; and that Gospel, we
are told, brings life and immortality to light. (14)
We are now sometimes told by people here, at this present day, that we
have the Bible to go by. Indeed? We have the Bible, have we? Yes. Who
made that Bible? Did the Christians? No, they did not. The early
Christians had something to do with making the New Testament
Scriptures, but not the old Testament; and then, as I have told you
heretofore, these men always had revelation given them adapted to the
peculiar circumstances in which they were placed. (15)
But you read the Bible through, and you will find that the Scriptures
that are given to us are simply an account of revelations,
communications, prophecies and the ministering of angels, and the power
of God made manifest to the ancient people of God who had the Gospel. (16)
What! do you mean to say, then, that all these men had the Gospel? I
most assuredly do, for without that they could not have had a knowledge
of life and immortality. Did Abraham have it? Yes, if Paul told the
truth, he did. What does he mean when he says, "God, foreseeing that he
would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the Gospel
unto Abraham?" (17)
What does he mean when he tells us about Moses and the children of
Israel? Says he: "We have the Gospel preached unto us as well as they;
but the word preached unto them did not profit them, not being mixed
with faith in those who heard it; wherefore the law was added because
of transgression." What was it added to? Why, to the Gospel, for they
had the Gospel before, and the law was added not as a peculiar kind of
a blessing that some people speak of, but as a peculiar kind of a curse
- the law of carnal commandments - "a yoke that we nor our fathers were
able to bear." (18)
And when Jesus came, what did he bring? Why, the Gospel, and with that
Gospel light and revelation and communication with God, and ministering
of angels and the gifts of tongues and healing and prophecy, and the
power of God made manifest among the people as it was in former times. (19)
Life and immortality were again brought to light, the heavens were
again unveiled, angels ministered to man, and they had a knowledge of
things to come. The law was added because of transgression, and when
the Gospel came, it came not to do away with the law or the Prophets,
but to fulfil them. It was not a law of carnal commandments and
ordinances, but "the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus, which
makes us free from the law of sin and death;" the law of the Gospel
whereby men were adopted into the family of God, and became "heirs of
God and joint-heirs with Jesus Christ," that "if we suffer with him,"
as he once said, "we shall also reign with him, that both may be
glorified together." It was a thing that adopted them into the family
of God, and made them heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ his Son,
and one of the principles of eternal life, and like all other
revelations, was adapted peculiarly to the position that they then
occupied. It was called the Gospel, and there was a Priesthood
connected with it, and what was that called? (20)
Why, the Melchizedek Priesthood? What did the Melchizedek Priesthood
do? It held the keys of the mysteries of the revelations of God. And
who was Christ? He was a Priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.
And what did he introduce? The Gospel. And who was Melchizedek? A man
that blessed Abraham we are told, and to whom Abraham paid tithes of
all that he possessed; and Paul tells us that, "Verily the less is
blessed of the greater," and this Melchizedek was greater than Abraham
was, although Abraham was the father of the faithful. What kind of a
thing did Jesus introduce when he came? He introduced the Gospel; he
had the Priesthood after the order of Melchizedek. What did Melchizedek
have? Why, the Priesthood after the order of the Son of God, if you
please. If Christ's Priesthood was after his order, the Melchizedek
Priesthood must be after the order of the Son of God. And if Christ
introduced the Gospel, Melchizedek had the Gospel, and Melchizedek
blessed Abraham, and he had the Gospel preached to him, so says the
Bible that the Christians profess to believe in. (21)
Well, then, if this has been the way of God's dealing with the human
family in all ages, it would seem that he would continue to deal with
men on the same principle now. John the Revelator speaks of a time when
"an angel should fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting
Gospel to preach to those who dwell on the face of the earth, and to
every nation, kindred, tongue and people, crying with a loud voice,
Fear God and give glory to him, for the hour of his judgment is come."
Who was it that saw this? Why John, on the Isle of Patmos. But didn't
he have the Gospel? Yes. (22) But
he saw that a certain power would arise that would make war against the
Saints and overcome them, that they should be given into the hands of
this power to a certain time. Then he tells us afterwards that, after
all these events should have transpired, and all the apostacy and the
rising of "Mystery Babylon," the "Mother of Harlots," and the
abominations that should exist on the face of the earth, says he, "I
saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven having the everlasting
Gospel to preach to them that dwell on the face of the earth." What do
you mean by the everlasting Gospel? Why, the same Gospel that Jesus
taught, the same Gospel that Abraham, Moses, Enoch and Adam had - that
everlasting, eternal, unchangeable principle that brings men into
relationship with their God, unveils the heavens and the purposes of
God to the human family, and leads them in the paths of life. "I saw
another angel flying through the midst of heaven having the everlasting
Gospel to preach unto those who dwell on earth, to every nation,
kindred, tongue and people, crying with a loud voice, Fear God and give
glory to him, for the hour of his judgment is come, and worship him
that made the heaven, the earth, the seas, and the fountains of water."
This was the declaration of John. (23)
Now, then, an event like this was to transpire; the everlasting Gospel
was again to be introduced to man upon the earth. Joseph Smith came
forward telling us that an angel had administered to him, and had
revealed unto him the principles of the Gospel as they existed in
former days, and that God was going to set his hand to work in these
last days to accomplish his purposes and build up his kingdom, to
introduce correct principles, to overturn error, evil, and corruption,
and to establish his Church and kingdom upon the earth. (24)
I have heard him talk about these things myself. I have heard him tell
over and over again, to myself and others, the circumstances pertaining
to these visions and the various ministrations of angels, and the
development of the purposes of God towards the human family. And what
does he do? Bring us something different? Yes, in many respects, but
not different in regard to our connection with God. Different as
regards the age in which we live and the circumstances with which he
was surrounded, but not different as it regards bringing men to a
knowledge of God. He taught precisely the same principles and doctrine
and ordinances that were taught by Jesus and his disciples in their
day. (25) He
organized Apostles; he had Prophets in his Church. He told them that
inasmuch as they would do right and keep his commandments, they should
have the gift of the Holy Ghost. (26)
He led them forth and baptized them, just as John and the disciples of
Jesus did. He baptized them in the name of Jesus for the remission of
their sins, and told them they should receive the Holy Ghost. He
organized his Church precisely upon those principles; but it was a
different dispensation - "the dispensation of the fullness of times,
when God would gather together all things in one," prophesied of by
Paul; when his people should be gathered, as the Scriptures say, from
the east, the west, the north and the south; when he would take "one of
a city and two of a family and bring them to Zion and give them pastors
after his own heart, that could feed them with knowledge and
understanding." It was a dispensation to prepare the people for the
events that should transpire on the face of the earth, that they might
no longer be led astray by the cunning craftiness of men whereby they
lie in wait to deceive, but be led by the spirit of revelation and
brought into communication with God. Hence the people that I see before
me to-day - the major part of this congregation and the people that
inhabit this Territory, have been brought together under these
auspices, by the preaching of the everlasting Gospel, by being baptized
in the name of Jesus for the remission of sins, having hands laid on
them for the reception of the Holy Ghost; and they have received of
that Spirit, and they know for themselves of the truth that they have
received, and consequently they cannot be twisted about by every wind
of doctrine. They know and appreciate the truths they have received,
and they have faith in God, for the Gospel they have obeyed leads them
to a knowledge of God, whom to know is life everlasting. (27)
Now this is the position; it is just the same as they had in former
days. The Gospel that they had in any age of the world was to lead men
to God; the Gospel that we have, and that we have taught to you, is to
lead you to God, to righteousness, to virtue, purity, integrity, to
honor, to revelation, to a knowledge of the ways of God, and of his
purposes pertaining to you and your families, to your progenitors and
your posterity; pertaining to this world and that which is to come. (28) It
is a revelation adapted peculiarly to the position that we occupy in
these last days. How very remarkable many Scriptures are on these
points, "I will take one of a city and two of a family." And what will
you do with them? "I will bring them to Zion." And what will you do
with them there? "I will give them pastors after my own heart that
shall feed them with knowledge and understanding." Not with theories,
ideas and uncertainties; not with the dogmas of men, but with the
knowledge of God, with revelation, with an understanding of the
principles of eternal truth. And this is why we are assembled here as
we are on the present occasion. What shall we do then? We will live our
religion and keep the commandments of God. Cultivate the spirit of
revelation that you have then, as the Scriptures said formerly, "As
many as are led by the Spirit of God are the sons of God." Another
passage, in speaking of certain individuals, tells them that they have
received an unction from the Holy One, and they know all things, being
instructed and taught by the Spirit of eternal truth. This is what the
Bible speaks of in former times. "And ye need not," says he, "that any
man should teach you, save the Anointing that is within you, which is
true and no lie." Let men feel the anointing of the Spirit of the Lord
and that Spirit will lead them into all truth, will bring things past
to their remembrance and it will show them things to come, as it did in
former times. (29)
I remember Joseph Smith speaking to me upwards of thirty years ago.
Says he: "Brother Taylor, you have received the Holy Ghost. Now follow
its teachings and instructions. Sometimes it may lead you in a manner
that may be contrary almost to your judgment; never mind, follow its
teachings, and if you do so, by and by it will become in you a
principle of revelation, so that you will know all things as they
transpire." How does that agree with the other - "You have received an
unction from the Holy One and know all things, and need not that any
man should teach you, save the Anointing which is within you, which is
true and no lie?" (30)
We have been taught and instructed in many principles that the world
know nothing about, and that we know nothing about, and that Brother
Young knew nothing about, nor Brother Joseph, nor the Twelve, that
nobody knew anything about until God communicated it; and you, under
the influence of that Spirit, know of a truth and rejoice in the truth,
and the truth has made you free; and when you hear men talking about
how bad they feel for you because of your fanaticism, what do you feel
like? (31)
Say you; "Poor things, you do not know what you are doing. Preserve
your pity for yourselves and your children; keep your high, exalted
notions, if you have any, for we are satisfied with ourselves and our
principles. We know in whom we have believed, and no power can overturn
us. We have been baptized into one baptism, we have partaken of the
same spirit; we are all built up together in the faith of the
everlasting Gospel, and our progress is onward, onward, onward, until
the kingdoms of this world shall become the kingdoms of our God and his
Christ, and he will reign with universal empire, until error and folly,
and vanity and corruption, and wickedness of every kind will fail and
dissolve before the rays of eternal truth which God has revealed, and
in which he will continue to reveal, until the Kingdom of God shall
prevail and extend throughout the wide world. We are happy we live, and
we rejoice in the blessings that we have received, and we pray our
Heavenly Father to keep us faithful. (32)
I will tell you the only thing I am afraid of about the Saints is that
they will forget their God and that they will not live their religion;
then again I have not that fear, because I know the generality of them
will. I know this kingdom will not be given into the hands of another
people. I know that it will continue to progress and continue to
increase in spite of all the powers of the adversary, in spite of every
influence that exists now, or that ever will exist on the face of this
wide earth. God is our God, and he will bring off Israel triumphant. (33)
May God help us to be faithful and to keep his commandments, in the name of Jesus, Amen. (34)
1) The Holy Spirit will empower believers to be witnesses for Jesus Christ.
“But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father,
the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of
Me. And you also will bear witness, because you have been with Me from
the beginning.” John 15:26-27.
2) Unbelievers do not know or have a testimony of Jesus Christ or of God the Father.
Then they said to Him, “Where is Your Father?” Jesus answered, “You
know neither Me nor My Father. If you had known Me, you would have
known My Father also.” John 8:19.
3) The revelation of Jesus Christ is ultimate end of Biblical prophecy for the believer.
The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His
servants—things which must shortly take place. And He sent and
signified it by His angel to His servant John, who bore witness to the
word of God, and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, to all things that
he saw. Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this
prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time
is near. Revelation 1:1-3.
4) The promise of the Messiah or Savior was given to Adam and Eve by God the Father.
“And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed
and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His
heel.” Genesis 3:15
5) The Christian Gospel is not a principle but the message of Jesus Christ.
Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to
you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you
are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you—unless
you believed in vain. For I delivered to you first of all that which I
also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the
Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third
day according to the Scriptures, and that He was seen by Cephas, then
by the twelve. 1 Corinthians 15:1-4.
6) Believers will listen to and act upon the words of Jesus Christ.
“But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you;
and you shall be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and
Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Acts 1:8.
7) Abraham believed God and his faith was rewarded.
Therefore He who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among
you, does He do it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of
faith?—just as Abraham “believed God, and it was accounted to him for
righteousness.” Therefore know that only those who are of faith are
sons of Abraham. And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify
the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand,
saying, “In you all the nations shall be blessed.” So then those who
are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham. Galatians 3:5-9.
8) Would you be willing to leave your pagan family for Jesus Christ?
So Jesus said to them, “Assuredly I say to you, that in the
regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you
who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the
twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses or brothers
or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My
name’s sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life.”
Matthew 19:28-29.
9) Abraham was overjoyed to see Jesus Christ not Utah.
Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was
glad.” Then the Jews said to Him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and
have You seen Abraham?” Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to
you, before Abraham was, I AM.” John 8:56-58.
10) It was faith in the promise of God that Abraham was blessed.
Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say,
“And to seeds,” as of many, but as of one, “And to your Seed,” who is
Christ. And this I say, that the law, which was four hundred and thirty
years later, cannot annul the covenant that was confirmed before by God
in Christ, that it should make the promise of no effect. For if the
inheritance is of the law, it is no longer of promise; but God gave it
to Abraham by promise. Galatians 3:16-18.
11) Stephen was a witness for Jesus Christ not of revelation.
And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, “Lord
Jesus, receive my spirit.” Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud
voice, “Lord, do not charge them with this sin.” And when he had said
this, he fell asleep. Acts 7:59-60.
12) The law was added to Abraham’s covenant of promise so that sin would be manifested.
What purpose then does the law serve? It was added because of
transgressions, till the Seed should come to whom the promise was made;
and it was appointed through angels by the hand of a mediator.
Galatians 3:19.
13) The Christian Gospel is not a principle but the message of Jesus Christ.
But the Scripture has confined all under sin, that the promise by faith
in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. But before faith
came, we were kept under guard by the law, kept for the faith which
would afterward be revealed. Therefore the law was our tutor to bring
us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after faith has
come, we are no longer under a tutor. For you are all sons of God
through faith in Christ Jesus. Galatians 3:22-26.
14) The revelation of Jesus Christ is ultimate end of Biblical prophecy for the believer.
Then he said to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are those who are called to the
marriage supper of the Lamb!’” And he said to me, “These are the true
sayings of God.” And I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to
me, “See that you do not do that! I am your fellow servant, and of your
brethren who have the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the
testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” Revelation 19:9-10.
15) The revelation of Jesus Christ is ultimate end of Biblical prophecy for the believer.
For we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to
you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were
eyewitnesses of His majesty. For He received from God the Father honor
and glory when such a voice came to Him from the Excellent Glory: “This
is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” And we heard this voice
which came from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain. And
so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a
light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning
star rises in your hearts; knowing this first, that no prophecy of
Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by
the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the
Holy Spirit. 2 Peter 1:16-21.
16) John Taylor did not believe in progressive revelation or have a testimony of Jesus Christ.
Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the
preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery
kept secret since the world began but now made manifest, and by the
prophetic Scriptures made known to all nations, according to the
commandment of the everlasting God, for obedience to the faith—to God,
alone wise, be glory through Jesus Christ forever. Amen. Romans
16:25-27.
17) Gospel is defined as good news. The Christian Gospel concerns Jesus Christ.
Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated
to the gospel of God which He promised before through His prophets in
the Holy Scriptures, concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who was
born of the seed of David according to the flesh, and declared to be
the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the
resurrection from the dead. Romans 1:1-4.
18) The law was added to Abraham’s covenant of promise so that sin would be manifested.
For the promise that he would be the heir of the world was not to
Abraham or to his seed through the law, but through the righteousness
of faith. For if those who are of the law are heirs, faith is made void
and the promise made of no effect, because the law brings about wrath;
for where there is no law there is no transgression. Romans 4:13-15.
19) The Christian Gospel concerns Jesus Christ.
And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the
Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish
but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only
begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have
everlasting life. John 3:14-16.
20) The promise of God given to Abraham is extended to believers through faith not the Melchizedek priesthood.
There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there
is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if
you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to
the promise. Galatians 3:28-29.
21) The Christian Gospel concerns Jesus Christ not the Melchizedek priesthood.
For such a High Priest was fitting for us, who is holy, harmless,
undefiled, separate from sinners, and has become higher than the
heavens; who does not need daily, as those high priests, to offer up
sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the people’s, for this
He did once for all when He offered up Himself. For the law appoints as
high priests men who have weakness, but the word of the oath, which
came after the law, appoints the Son who has been perfected forever.
Hebrews 7:26-28.
22) The Christian Gospel is the message of Jesus Christ.
If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater; for
this is the witness of God which He has testified of His Son. He who
believes in the Son of God has the witness in himself; he who does not
believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed the
testimony that God has given of His Son. 1 John 5:9-10.
23) The Christian Gospel is the message of Jesus Christ.
And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this
life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have
the Son of God does not have life. These things I have written to you
who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you
have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of
the Son of God. 1 John 5:11-13.
24) The Christian church never had to be reestablished by Joseph Smith.
He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered
and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus
answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh
and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.
And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build
My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. And I
will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind
on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will
be loosed in heaven.” Matthew 16:15-19.
25) Mormons do not preach the Christian message.
For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom; but we preach
Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks
foolishness, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ
the power of God and the wisdom of God.1 Corinthians 1:22-24.
26) The gift of the Holy Spirit was received through sincere belief in Jesus Christ.
Then Peter opened his mouth and said: “In truth I perceive that God
shows no partiality. But in every nation whoever fears Him and works
righteousness is accepted by Him. The word which God sent to the
children of Israel, preaching peace through Jesus Christ—He is Lord of
all—that word you know, which was proclaimed throughout all Judea, and
began from Galilee after the baptism which John preached: how God
anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who
went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil,
for God was with Him. And we are witnesses of all things which He did
both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem, whom they killed by
hanging on a tree. Him God raised up on the third day, and showed Him
openly, not to all the people, but to witnesses chosen before by God,
even to us who ate and drank with Him after He arose from the dead. And
He commanded us to preach to the people, and to testify that it is He
who was ordained by God to be Judge of the living and the dead. To Him
all the prophets witness that, through His name, whoever believes in
Him will receive remission of sins.” While Peter was still speaking
these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard the word.
Acts 10:34-44.
27) Baptism is not the Christian Gospel message of Jesus Christ.
For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not
with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of no
effect. For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are
perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 1
Corinthians 1:17-18.
28) John Taylor was under the curse of God for preaching a different gospel.
I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in
the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, which is not another; but
there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of
Christ. But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other
gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed.
Galatians 1:6-8.
29) The revelation of Jesus Christ is ultimate end of Biblical prophecy for the believer.
For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I
still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ. But I make
known to you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not
according to man. For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught
it, but it came through the revelation of Jesus Christ. Galatians
1:10-12.
30) The Holy Spirit will empower believers to be witnesses for Jesus Christ.
Then He said to them, “Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary
for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, and
that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to
all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And you are witnesses of these
things. Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in
the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.”
Luke 24:46-49.
31) The Holy Spirit will empower believers to be witnesses for Jesus Christ.
Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the
people and elders of Israel: If we this day are judged for a good deed
done to a helpless man, by what means he has been made well, let it be
known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of
Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the
dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole. This is the ‘stone
which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief
cornerstone.’ Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no
other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
Acts 4:8-12.
32) The eternal truth of God is Jesus Christ.
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” John 14:6.
33) The kingdom of God is not a bogus church based in Utah.
Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would
come, He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God does not come with
observation; nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed,
the kingdom of God is within you.” Luke 17:20-21.
34) God will preserve believers through Jesus Christ forever. Amen.
Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we
ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory
in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever.
Amen. Ephesians 3:20-21.