Chapter IX: Appendix: Outline for class review of the Lectures 463-477 (7)

=21.= It is blasphemous to thus attribute caprice and vindictiveness to the Divine nature. In the justice of God, no soul shall be condemned under any law which has not been made known unto him. It is true, eternal punishment has been decreed as the lot of the wicked; but the true meaning of this terrible expression has been given by the Lord Himself:[425] eternal punishment is God's punishment; endless punishment is God's punishment, for "Endless" and "Eternal" are among His names, and the words are descriptive of His attributes. No soul will be kept in prison or continued in torment beyond the time requisite to work the needed reformation and to vindicate justice, for which ends alone punishment is imposed. And no one will be permitted to enter any kingdom of glory to which he is not entitled through obedience to law.

[425] See page 63; Doc. and Cov. xix, 10-12.

=22. The Gospel to be Preached to the Dead.=--It is plain, then, that the gospel must be proclaimed in the spirit world; and that such work is provided for, the scriptures abundantly prove. Peter, describing the mission of his Redeemer, thus declares this truth:--"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."[426] The inauguration of this work among the dead was effected by Christ in the interval between His death and resurrection. While His body lay in the tomb, His spirit ministered to the spirits of the departed:--"By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison; which sometime were disobedient when once the long-suffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls, were saved by water."[427]

[426] I Peter iv, 6.

[427] I Peter iii, 18-20.

=23.= Other scriptures sustain the position, that while in a disembodied state, Christ went elsewhere than to the place usually termed heaven,--the abode of His Father; and that He labored among the dead, who greatly needed His ministry. One of the malefactors who suffered crucifixion by His side, through humility won from the dying Savior the promise, "To-day shalt thou be with me in Paradise."[428] And three days afterward, the Lord, then a resurrected Being, declared to the sorrowing Magdalene, "I have not yet ascended to my Father."[429]

[428] Luke xxiii, 39-43.

[429] John xx, 17.

=24.= If it was deemed proper and just that the gospel be carried to the spirits who were disobedient in the days of Noah, is it not reasonable to conclude that like opportunities shall be placed within the reach of others who have rejected the word at different times? For the same spirit of neglect and disobedience that characterized the time of Noah has ever existed.[430] And further, if, in the plan of God, provisions be made for the redemption of the wilfully disobedient, of those who actually spurn the truth, can we believe that the still greater multitudes of spirits who have never heard the Gospel are to be left in punishment eternally? No; God has decreed that even the heathen nations, and those that knew no law, shall be redeemed.[431] The good gifts of the Father are not confined to this sphere of action, but will be distributed in justice throughout eternity. Upon all who reject the word of God in this life shall fall the penalties provided for such act; but after the debt has been paid, the prison doors shall be opened, and the spirits once confined in suffering, now chastened and clean, shall come forth to partake of the glory provided for their class.

[430] Luke xvii, 26.

[431] Doc. and Cov. xlv, 54.

=25. Christ's Work among the Dead was Foretold.=--Centuries before Christ came in the flesh, the prophets rejoiced in the knowledge that through Him would salvation be carried to the dead as well as to the living. Speaking of the punishment to be brought upon the proud and haughty of the earth, Isaiah declares: "And they shall be gathered together, as prisoners are gathered in the pit, and shall be shut up in the prison, and after many days shall they be visited."[432] The same great prophet thus testifies concerning the work of the coming Redeemer; He is "to open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house."[433] And David, singing to the music of inspiration concerning the redemption from the grave, exclaims: "Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope. For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. Thou wilt shew me the path of life; in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore."[434]

[432] Isa. xxiv, 22.

[433] Isa. xlii, 6-7.

[434] Psa. xvi, 9-11.

=26. Work of the Living for the Dead.=--The redemption of the dead will be effected in strict accordance with the law of God, which is written in justice and framed in mercy. It is alike impossible for any spirit, in the flesh or disembodied, to obtain even the promise of eternal glory, except on condition of obedience to the laws and ordinances of the gospel. And, as baptism is essential to the salvation of the living, it is likewise indispensable to the salvation of the dead. This was known by the Saints of old, and hence the doctrine of baptism for the dead was taught among them. In an epistle addressed to the Saints at Corinth, Paul expounded the principles of the resurrection, whereby the bodies of the dead are to be brought forth from the graves. "Christ the first fruits, and afterward they that are Christ's," and as proof that this doctrine of the resurrection was included in the gospel as they had received and professed it, the apostle asks: "Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all? why are they then baptized for the dead?"[435] These words are unambiguous, and the fact that they are presented without explanation or comment argues that the principle of baptism for the dead was understood among the people to whom the letter was addressed.

[435] I Cor. xv, 29. See "The House of the Lord," p. 92.

=27.= The necessity of vicarious work is here shown,--the living laboring in behalf of the dead; the children doing for their progenitors what is beyond the power of the latter to do for themselves. Many and various are the interpretations rendered by erring human wisdom on this plain statement of Paul's; yet the simple and earnest seeker after truth finds little difficulty in comprehending the meaning. In words which form the closing sentences of the Old Testament, the prophet Malachi predicted the great work to be carried on in behalf of the dead during the latter days: "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord: And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse."[436] It is a current belief among many Bible students, that this prophecy had reference to the birth and ministry of John the Baptist,[437] upon whom indeed rested and remained the spirit and power of Elias, as the angel had foretold;[438] but we have no record of Elijah ministering unto John; and moreover the results of the latter's ministry warrant no conclusion that in him did the prophecy find its full realization.

[436] Mal. iv, 5-6.

[437] Matt. xi, 14; xvii, 11; Mark ix, 11; Luke i, 17.

[438] Luke i, 17; Doc. and Cov. xxvii, 7.

=28.= We must therefore look to a later date in the world's history for a fulfillment of Malachi's prediction. On the 21st of September, 1823, Joseph Smith[439] received a visitation of a heavenly being who announced himself as Moroni, sent from the presence of God. In the course of his instructions to the chosen youth, this heavenly personage quoted the prophecy of Malachi, already referred to, but in language slightly different from, and certainly more expressive than, that appearing in the ordinary translation of the scriptures; the angel's version is 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. 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 plant in the hearts of the children the promises made to the fathers, and the hearts of the children shall turn to their fathers; if it were not so the whole earth would be utterly wasted at His coming."[440]

[439] See page 10.

[440] Compare verses 1, 5, and 6, Mal. iv.

=29.= In a glorious manifestation to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery, given in the Kirtland Temple, April 3, 1836, there appeared unto them Elijah the prophet, who was taken to heaven without tasting death; he declared unto them: "Behold, the time has fully come which was spoken of by the mouth of Malachi, testifying that he (Elijah) should be sent before the great and dreadful day of the Lord come, 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. Therefore 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."[441]

[441] Doc. and Cov. cx, 13-16.

=30. The Fathers and the Children Mutually Dependent.=--One of the great principles underlying the doctrine of salvation for the dead is that of the mutual dependence of the fathers and the children. As the Prophet Joseph taught the Saints,[442] but for the establishment of a connecting link between the departed fathers and the living children, the earth would be smitten with a curse. The plan of God provides that neither the children nor the fathers can alone be made perfect; and the necessary union is effected through baptism and associated ordinances for the dead. The manner in which the hearts of the children and those of the fathers are turned toward one another is made plain through these scriptures. As the children learn that without the aid of their progenitors they cannot attain perfection, assuredly will their hearts be opened, their faith will be kindled, and good works will be attempted, for the redemption of their dead; and the departed, learning from the ministers of the gospel laboring among them, that they must depend upon their children as vicarious saviors, will seek to sustain their still mortal representatives with faith and prayer for the perfecting of those labors of love.

[442] Doc. and Cov. cxxviii, 18; see also this entire section and
sec. cxxvii.

=31.= And love, which is a power in itself, is thus intensified. Aside from the emotions which are stirred within the soul by the presence of the Divine, there are few feelings stronger and purer than the love for kindred. Heaven would not be all we wish were family love unknown there.[443] Affection there will differ from its earthly type, in being deeper, stronger, purer. And thus in the mercy of God, His erring, mortal children, who have taken upon themselves the name of Christ on earth, may become, in a limited sphere, each a savior in the house of his fathers, and that too by vicarious labor and sacrifice, rendered in humility, and, as represented in the baptismal ordinance, typical of the death, burial, and resurrection of the Redeemer.

[443] See Note 4.

=32. The Labor for the Dead is Two-fold.=--That performed on earth would be incomplete but for its supplement and counterpart beyond the vail. Missionary labor is in progress there, whereby the tidings of the gospel are carried to the departed spirits, who thus learn of the work done in their behalf on earth. What glorious possibilities concerning the purposes of God are thus presented to our view! How the mercy of God is magnified by these evidences of His love! How often do we behold friends and loved ones, whom we count among earth's fairest and best, stricken down by the shafts of death, seemingly in spite of the power of faith and the ministrations of the Priesthood of God! Yet who of us can tell but that these may be permitted to minister in the labor of redemption beyond, preaching perhaps the gospel to the spirits of their forefathers, while others of the same family are officiating in a similar behalf on earth?

=33.= As far as the Divine will has been revealed, it requires that the outward ordinances, such as baptism in water, the laying on of hands for the bestowal of the Holy Ghost, and the higher endowments that follow, be attended to on earth, a proper representative in the flesh acting as proxy for the dead. The results of such labors are to be left with God. It is not to be supposed that by these ordinances the departed are in any way compelled to accept the obligation, nor that they are in the least hindered in the exercise of their free agency. They will accept or reject, according to their condition of humility or hostility in respect to things divine; but the work so done for them on earth will be of avail when wholesome argument and reason have shown them their true position.

TEMPLES.

=34. Temples or Other Sacred Places= are required for the performance of these holy ordinances. Whenever an organization of the priesthood has existed on earth, the Lord has required the preparation of places suited to His use, where the rites of His Church could be performed. It is but proper that such a structure should be the result of the people's best efforts, inasmuch as it is made by them an offering unto the Lord. In every age of the world, the chosen people have been a temple-building people. Shortly after Israel's deliverance from the bondage of Egypt, the Lord called upon the people to construct a sanctuary to His name, the plan of which He minutely specified. Though this was but a tent, it was elaborately furnished and appointed, the choicest possessions of the people being used in its construction.[444] And the Lord accepted this offering of His wandering people, by manifesting His glory therein, and there revealing Himself.[445] When the people had settled in the promised land, the Tabernacle of the congregation was given a more permanent resting place;[446] yet it still was honored for its sacred purpose, until superseded by the Temple of Solomon as the sanctuary of the Lord.

[444] Exo. xxv; xxxv, 22. See "The House of the Lord," ch. ii.

[445] Exo. xl, 34-38.

[446] Josh. xviii, 1.

=35.= This temple, one of the most gorgeous structures ever erected by man for sacred service, was dedicated with imposing ceremonies; but its splendor was of short duration; for, within less than forty years from the time of its completion, its glory declined, and finally it fell a prey to the flames. A partial restoration of the temple was made after the Jews returned from their captivity; and through the friendly influence of Cyrus and Darius, the temple of Zerubbabel was dedicated.[447] That the Lord accepted this effort of His people to maintain a sanctuary to His name, is fully shown by the spirit that actuated its officers, among whom were Zechariah, Haggai, and Malachi. This temple remained standing for nearly five centuries; and, but a few years before the birth of the Savior, the reconstruction of the edifice was begun by wicked Herod the Great, and the term "Temple of Herod" passed into history.[448] The veil of this temple was rent at the time of the crucifixion,[449] and in the year 70 A. D. the destruction of the building was accomplished by Titus.

[447] I Kings vi, viii.

[448] Ezra i, iii, vi.

[449] Matt. xxvii, 50.

=36. Modern Temples.=--From that time until the present dispensation, no other temples have been reared on the eastern continent. It is true, imposing edifices have been erected for the purposes of worship; but a colossal structure does not necessarily constitute a temple. A temple is more than a church-building, a meeting-house, a tabernacle, or a synagogue; it is a place specially prepared by dedication unto the Lord, and marked by His acceptance, for the performing of the ordinances pertaining to the Holy Priesthood. The Latter-day Saints, true to the characteristics of the chosen of God,[450] have been from the first a temple-building people. Only a few months after the organization of the Church in the present dispensation, the Lord made reference to a temple which was to be built.[451] In July, 1831, the Lord designated a spot in Independence, Mo., as the site of a future temple;[452] but the work of construction thereon has not yet been consummated, as is likewise the case with the temple site at Far West, on which the corner-stones were laid July 4, 1838, and relaid April 26, 1839.

[450] Doc. and Cov. cxxiv, 39. See "The House of the Lord."

[451] Doc. and Cov. xxxvi, 8.

[452] Doc. and Cov. lvii, 3.

=37.= The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has constructed temples, each an imposing and costly structure, at Kirtland, Ohio; Nauvoo, Illinois; St. George, Logan, Manti, and Salt Lake City, Utah; Cardston, Canada; and Laie, Hawaiian Islands. The temples at Kirtland and Nauvoo were abandoned as the members of the Church who had built them through sacrifice yet untold were driven westward by the force of persecution. The building at Kirtland is now used as an ordinary meeting-house by a small sect that is but little known and that evinces no activity in the sacred labors for which temples are built. The temple at Nauvoo was destroyed through malicious incendiarism. The magnitude and grandeur of the sacred labors accomplished in the temples of the present dispensation, for the salvation of both the living and the dead, give assurance of the Lord's gracious acceptance.[453]

[453] For a comprehensive treatment see the author's work. "The
House of the Lord"--a study of holy sanctuaries, ancient and
modern: 336 pp. with illustrations.

NOTES.

=1. Usage of the Term "Baptize" in Ancient Times.=--The following
instances show the ordinary meaning attached to the Greek term
from which our word "baptize" is derived. In all, the idea of
immersion is plainly intended.--(For these and other examples,
see Millennial Star, Vol. XXI, pp. 687-688.)

Polybius, a writer of history, who flourished during the second
century before Christ, uses the following expressions: In
describing a naval conflict between the Carthaginian and Roman
fleets off the shores of Sicily he says, "If any were hard
pressed by the enemy they withdrew safely back, on account of
their fast sailing into the open sea: and then turning round and
falling on those of their pursuers who were in advance, they gave
them frequent blows and 'baptized' many of their vessels."--Book
I, ch. 51.

The same writer thus refers to the passage of the Roman soldiers
through the river Trebia: "When the passage of the river Trebia
came on, which had risen above its usual current, on account of
the rain which had fallen, the infantry with difficulty crossed
over, being 'baptized' up to the chest."--Book III, ch. 72.

Describing a catastrophe which befell the Roman ships at
Syracuse, Polybius states: "Some were upset, but the greater
number, their prow being thrown down from a height, were
'baptized' and became full of sea."

Strabo, who lived during the time of Christ, used the term
"baptized" in the same sense. He thus describes an instrument
used in fishing: "And if it fall into the sea it is not lost:
for it is compacted of oak and pine wood: so that even if the oak
is 'baptized' by its weight, the remaining part floats and is
easily recovered."

Strabo refers to the buoyancy of certain saline waters thus:
"These have the taste of salt water, but a different nature, for
even persons who cannot swim are not liable to be 'baptized' in
them, but float like logs on the surface."

Referring to a salt spring in Tatta, the same writer says: "So
easily does the water form a crust round everything 'baptized'
into it that if persons let down a circlet of rushes they will
draw up wreaths of salt."

Speaking of a species of pitch from the lake Sirbonis, Strabo
says: "It will float on the surface owing to the nature of the
water, which, as we said, is such as to render swimming
unnecessary, and such that one who walks upon it is not
'baptized.'"

Dio Cassius, speaking of the effects of a severe storm near Rome
says: "The vessels which were in the Tiber, which were lying at
anchor near the city, and to the river's mouth, were 'baptized.'"

The same author thus alludes to the fate of some of Curio's
soldiers while fleeing before the forces of Juba: "Not a few of
these fugitives perished, some being knocked down in their
attempts to get on board the vessels, and others, even when in
the boats, being 'baptized' through their weight."

Alluding to the fate of the Byzantians who endeavored to escape
the siege by taking to the sea, he says: "Some of those, from the
extreme violence of the wind, were 'baptized.'"

=2. Baptism among the Greeks.=--"The native Greeks must
understand their own language better than foreigners, and they
have always understood the word baptism to signify dipping; and
therefore from their first embracing of Christianity to this day
they have always baptized, and do yet baptize, by
immersion."--_Robinson._

=3. Early Form of Christian Baptism.=--History furnishes ample
proof that in the first century after the death of Christ,
baptism was administered solely by immersion. Tertullian thus
refers to the immersion ceremony common in his day: "There is no
difference whether one is washed in a sea or in a pool, in a
river or in a fountain, in a lake or in a channel: nor is there
any difference between those whom John dipped in Jordan, and
those whom Peter dipped in the Tiber.... We are immersed in the
water."

The following are but a few of the instances on record (see
Millennial Star, Vol. XXI, pp. 769-770):

Justin Martyr describes the ceremony as practiced by himself.
First describing the preparatory examination of the candidate, he
proceeds: "After that they are led by us to where there is water,
and are born again in that kind of new birth by which we
ourselves were born again. For upon the name God, the Father and
Lord of all, and of Jesus Christ, our Savior, and of the Holy
Spirit, the immersion in water is performed, because the Christ
hath also said, 'Except a man be born again, he cannot enter into
the kingdom of heaven.'"

Bishop Bennet says concerning the practices of the early
Christians: "They led them into the water and laid them down in
the water as a man is laid in a grave; and then they said those
words, 'I baptize (or wash) thee in the name of the Father, Son,
and Holy Ghost'; then they raised them up again, and clean
garments were put on them; from whence came the phrases of being
baptized into Christ's death, of being buried with Him by baptism
into death, of our being risen with Christ, and of our putting on
the Lord Jesus Christ, of putting off the old man, and putting on
the new."

"That the apostles immersed whom they baptized there is no
doubt.... And that the ancient church followed their example is
very clearly evinced by innumerable testimonies of the
fathers."--_Vossius._

"Burying as it were the person baptized in the water, and raising
him out again, without question was anciently the more usual
method."--_Archbishop Secker._

"'Immersion' was the usual method in which baptism was
administered in the early Church.... Immersion was undoubtedly a
common mode of administering baptism, and was not discontinued
when infant baptism prevailed.... Sprinkling gradually took the
place of immersion without any formal renunciation of the
latter."--_Canon Farrar._

=4. The Fathers and the Children.=--"The revelation in our day of
the doctrine of baptism for the dead may be said to have
constituted a new epoch in the history of our race. At the time
the Prophet Joseph received that revelation, the belief was
general in Christendom that at death the destiny of the soul was
fixed irrevocably and for all eternity. If not rewarded with
endless happiness, then endless torment was its doom, beyond all
possibility of redemption or change. The horrible and monstrous
doctrine, so much at variance with every element of Divine
justice, was generally believed, that the heathen nations who had
died without a knowledge of the true God, and the redemption
wrought out by His Son Jesus Christ, would all be eternally
consigned to hell. The belief upon this point is illustrated by
the reply of a certain Bishop to the inquiry of the king of the
Franks, when the king was about to submit to baptism at the hands
of the bishop. The king was a heathen, but had concluded to
accept the form of religion then called Christianity. The thought
occurred to him that if baptism were necessary for his salvation,
what had become of his dear ancestors who had died heathens? This
thought framed itself into an inquiry which he addressed to the
bishop. The prelate, less politic than many of his sect, bluntly
told him they had gone to hell. 'Then, by Thor, I will go there
with them,' said the king, and thereupon refused to accept
baptism or become a Christian."--Geo. Q. Cannon's _Life of Joseph
Smith_, p. 510.

=5. Temples and Sacred Places.=--"When the Lord brought Israel
out of Egypt, determined to make that people a nation to Himself,
as soon as they had arrived at a safe distance from surrounding
peoples, He required them to build a Tabernacle, which is
sometimes called the Temple, wherein He could institute certain
ordinances and regulations for their guidance and worship. This,
at the commencement of their pilgrimage in the wilderness, was
made portable, and of the costliest and best material within
their reach; and one of the tribes was set apart to have charge
of it and its appurtenances. Such has ever been the purpose of
the Lord. This served them through their journey and in the
promised Canaan, until suitable wealth enabled Solomon to erect a
magnificent Temple on Mount Moriah, since called 'The Hill of
Zion,' to which all Israel came annually to worship or attend
conference. The Lord has informed us (Doc. and Cov. cxxiv, 39)
that His people are always commanded to build Temples, or holy
houses, unto His holy name. This accounts for our reading in the
Book of Mormon of so many Temples having been erected on this
continent. It also explains why the Prophet Joseph so early
taught the commencement of a Temple in every important location
of the Saints."--_Compendium_, F. D. Richards and J. A. Little,
pp. 301-302. Consult: Exo. xxv-xxviii; I Kings vi-viii; Ezra vi;
II Nephi v, 16; and compare Jacob i, 17; ii, 2-11; Mosiah i, 18;
ii, 6-7; Alma xvi, 13; xxiii, 2; xxvi, 29; Helaman iii, 9; x, 8;
Doc. and Cov. i, 7-9; lxxxiv, 3-5, 31; xcvii, 10; cxxiv, 29-51,
55. See also _Temples_, J. M. Sjodahl, Salt Lake City, 1892. See
"The House of the Lord, a Study of Holy Sanctuaries, Ancient and
Modern," by James E. Talmage, Salt Lake City, 1912.

LECTURE VIII.

THE HOLY GHOST.

=Article 4.=--We believe that the first principles and ordinances
of the Gospel are:--... (4) Laying on of hands for the gift of
the Holy Ghost.

=1. The Holy Ghost Promised.=--John the Baptist, proclaiming in the wilderness repentance and baptism by water, foretold a second higher baptism, which he characterized as being of fire and the Holy Ghost; this was to follow his administration,[454] and was to be given by that Mightier One whose shoes the Baptist considered himself unworthy to bear. That the holder of this superior authority was none other than the Christ is proved by John's solemn record:--"Behold the Lamb of God.... This is he of whom I said, After me cometh a man which is preferred before me.... 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."[455]

[454] Matt. iii, 2-3, 11; Mark i, 8; Luke iii, 16.

[455] John i, 29-33.

=2.= In declaring to Nicodemus[456] the necessity of baptism, the Savior did not stop with a reference to the watery birth alone, that being incomplete without the quickening influence of the Spirit; born of water and of the Spirit is the necessary condition of him who is to gain admittance to the kingdom. Many of the scriptural passages quoted in proof of the purpose and necessity of baptism, show baptism by fire and the Holy Ghost to be closely associated with the prescribed ordinance of immersion in water.

[456] John iii, 3-5.

=3.= Christ's instructions to His apostles comprise repeated promises concerning the coming of the "Comforter," and the "Spirit of Truth,"[457] by which expressive terms the Holy Ghost is designated. In His last interview with the apostles, at the termination of which He ascended into heaven, the Lord repeated these assurances of a spiritual baptism, which was then soon to take place.[458] The fulfillment of this great prediction was realized at the succeeding Pentecost, when the apostles, having assembled together, were endowed with mighty power from heaven,[459] being filled with the Holy Ghost so that they spake in tongues other than their own as the Spirit gave them utterance. Among other manifestations of this heavenly gift, may be mentioned the appearance of flames of fire like unto tongues, which rested upon each of them. The promise so miraculously fulfilled upon themselves was repeated by the apostles to those who sought their instruction. Peter, addressing the Jews on that same day, declared, on the condition of their acceptable repentance and baptism, "Ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost."[460]

[457] John xiv, 16-17, 26; xv, 26; xvi, 7, 13.

[458] Acts i, 5.

[459] Acts ii, 1-4.

[460] Acts ii, 38.

=4.= Book of Mormon evidence is not less conclusive regarding the Holy Spirit's visitation unto those who obey the requirements of water baptism. Nephi, Lehi's son, bore solemn record of this truth,[461] as made known to him by the voice of God. And the words of the resurrected Savior to the Nephites come in plainness indisputable, and with authority not to be questioned, proclaiming the baptism of fire and the Holy Ghost unto all those who obey the preliminary requirements.[462]

[461] II Nephi xxxi, 8, 12-14, 17.

[462] III Nephi xi, 36; xii, 2.

=5.= Unto the Saints in the dispensation of the fulness of times, the same great promise has been made. "I say unto you again," spake the Lord in addressing certain elders of the Church, "that every soul that believeth on your words, and is baptized by water for the remission of sins shall receive the Holy Ghost."[463]

[463] Doc. and Cov. lxxxiv, 64.

=6. Personality and Powers of the Holy Ghost.=--The Holy Ghost is associated with the Father and the Son in the Godhead. In the light of revelation, we are instructed as to the distinct personality of the Holy Ghost. He is a Being endowed with the attributes and powers of Deity, and not a mere thing, force, or essence. The term Holy Ghost and its common synonyms, Spirit of God,[464] Spirit of the Lord, or simply, Spirit,[465] Comforter,[466] and Spirit of Truth,[467] occur in the scriptures with plainly different meanings, referring in some cases to the person of God, the Holy Ghost, and in other instances to the power or authority of this great Being. The context of such passages will show which of these significations applies.

[464] Matt. iii, 16; xii, 28; I Nephi xiii, 12.

[465] I Nephi iv, 6; xi, 8; Mos. xiii, 5; Acts ii, 4; viii, 29; x,
19: Rom. viii, 10, 26; I Thess. v, 19.

[466] John xiv, 16-26; xv, 26.

[467] John xv, 26; xvi, 13.

=7.= The Holy Ghost undoubtedly possesses personal powers and affections; these attributes exist in Him in perfection. Thus, He teaches and guides,[468] testifies of the Father and the Son,[469] reproves for sin,[470] speaks, commands, and commissions,[471] makes intercession for sinners,[472] is grieved,[473] searches and investigates,[474] entices,[475] and knows all things.[476] These are not mere figurative expressions, but plain statements of the attributes and characteristics of this great Personage. That the Holy Spirit is capable of manifesting Himself in the true form and figure of God, after which image man is shaped, is indicated by the wonderful interview between the Spirit and Nephi, in which He revealed Himself to the prophet, questioned him concerning his desires and belief, instructed him in the things of God, speaking face to face with the man. "I spake unto him," says Nephi, "as a man speaketh; for I beheld that he was in the form of a man, yet nevertheless I knew that it was the Spirit of the Lord; and he spake unto me as a man speaketh to another."[477] However, the Holy Ghost does not possess a tangible body of flesh and bones, as do both the Father and the Son, but is a personage of spirit.[478]

[468] John xiv, 26; xvi, 13.

[469] John xv, 26.

[470] John xvi, 8.

[471] Acts x, 19; xiii, 2; Rev. ii, 7; I Nephi iv, 6; xi, 2-8.

[472] Rom. viii, 26.

[473] Eph. iv, 30.

[474] I Cor. ii, 4-10.

[475] Mos. iii, 19.

[476] Alma vii, 13.

[477] I Nephi xi, 11.

[478] Doc. and Cov. cxxx, 22.

=8.= Much of the confusion existing in our human conceptions concerning the nature of the Holy Ghost arises from the common failure to segregate our ideas of His person and powers. Plainly, such expressions as being filled with the Holy Ghost,[479] and the Spirit falling upon men, have reference to the powers and influences which emanate from God, and which are characteristic of Him; for the Holy Ghost may in this way operate simultaneously upon many persons, even though they be widely separated; whereas the actual person of the Holy Ghost cannot be in more than one place at a time. Yet we read that through the power of the Spirit, the Father and the Son operate in their creative acts and in their general dealings with the human family.[480] The Holy Ghost may be regarded as the minister of the Godhead, carrying into effect the decisions of the Supreme Council.

[479] Luke i, 15, 67; iv, 1; Acts vi, 3; xiii, 9; Alma xxxvi, 24;
Doc. and Cov. cvii, 56.

[480] Gen. i, 2; Neh. ix, 30; Job xxvi, 13; Psalms civ, 30; Isa.
xlii, 1; Acts x, 19; I Nephi x, 19; Alma xii, 3; Doc. and Cov. cv,
36; xcvii, 1.

=9.= In the execution of these great purposes, the Holy Ghost directs and controls the numerous forces of Nature, of which indeed a few, and these perhaps of the minor order, wonderful as even the least of them seems to man, have thus far been made known to the human mind. Gravitation, sound, heat, light, and the still more mysterious, seemingly supernatural power of electricity, are but the common servants of the Holy Spirit in His operations. No earnest thinker, no sincere investigator supposes that he has yet learned of all the forces existing in and operating upon matter; indeed, the observed phenomena of nature, yet wholly inexplicable to him, far outnumber those for which he has devised even a partial explanation. There are powers and forces at the command of God, compared with which, electricity, the most occult of all the physical agencies controlled in any degree by man, is as the pack-horse to the locomotive, the foot messenger to the telegraph, the raft of logs to the ocean steamer. Man has scarcely glanced at the enginery of creation; and yet the few forces known to him have brought about miracles and wonders, which but for their actual realization would be beyond belief. These mighty agencies, and the mightier ones still to man unknown, and many, perhaps, to the present condition of the human mind unknowable, do not constitute the Holy Ghost, but the mere means ordained to serve Divine purposes.

=10.= Subtler, mightier, and more mysterious still than any or all of the physical forces of nature, are the powers that operate upon conscious organisms, the means by which the mind, the heart, the soul of man may be affected. In our ignorance of the true nature of electric energy, we speak of it as a fluid; and so by analogy the forces through which the mind is governed have been called spiritual fluids. The true nature of these higher powers is unknown to us, for the conditions of comparison and analogy, so necessary to our frail human reasoning, are wanting; still the effects are experienced by all. As the conducting medium in an electric current is capable of conveying but a limited current, the maximum strength depending upon the resistance offered by the conductor, and, as separate circuits of different degrees of conductivity may carry currents of widely varying intensity, so human souls are of varied capacity with respect to the diviner powers. But as the medium is purified, as the obstructions are removed, so the resistance to the energy decreases, and the forces manifest themselves with greater perfection. By analogous processes of purification, may our spirits be made more susceptible to the power of life, which is an emanation from the Spirit of God. Therefore are we taught to pray by word and action for a constantly increasing portion of the Spirit, that is, the power of the Spirit, which is a measure of the favor of God unto us.

=11. The Office of the Holy Ghost= in His ministrations among men is very fully described in scripture. He is a Teacher sent from the Father;[481] and unto those who are entitled to His tuition He will reveal all things necessary for the soul's advancement. Through the influences of the Holy Spirit, the powers of the human mind may be quickened and increased, so that things past may be brought to remembrance. He will serve as a guide in things divine unto all who will obey Him,[482] enlightening every man,[483] in proportion to his humility and obedience;[484] unfolding the mysteries of God,[485] as the knowledge thus revealed may tend to spiritual growth; conveying knowledge from God to man;[486] sanctifying those who have been cleansed through obedience to the requirements of the gospel;[487] manifesting all things;[488] and bearing witness unto men concerning the existence and infallibility of the Father and the Son.[489]

[481] John xiv, 26.

[482] Doc. and Cov. xlv, 57.

[483] Doc. and Cov. lxxxiv, 45-47.

[484] Doc. and Cov. cxxxvi, 33.

[485] I Nephi x, 19.

[486] Doc. and Cov. cxxi, 43.

[487] Alma xiii, 12.

[488] Doc. and Cov. xviii, 18.

[489] John xv, 26; Acts v, 32; xx, 23; I Cor. ii, 11; xii, 3; III
Nephi xi, 32.

=12.= And not alone does the Holy Ghost bring to mind the past, and explain the things of the present, but His power is manifested likewise in prophecy concerning the future;--"He shall show you things to come," declared the Savior to the Apostles in promising the advent of the Comforter. Adam, the first prophet of earth, under the influence of the Holy Ghost "predicted whatsoever should befall his posterity unto the latest generation."[490]

[490] Doc. and Cov. cvii, 56.

=13.= The power of the Holy Ghost then is the spirit of prophecy and revelation; His office is that of enlightenment of the mind, quickening of the intellect, and sanctification of the soul.

=14. To Whom is the Holy Ghost given?= Not to all indiscriminately. The Redeemer declared to the apostles of old, "I will pray to the Father and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him."[491] Clearly, then, a certain condition of the candidate is requisite before the Holy Ghost can be bestowed, that is to say, before the person can receive a right to the company and ministrations of the Spirit. God grants the Holy Ghost unto the obedient; and the bestowal of this gift follows faith, repentance, and baptism by water.

[491] John xiv, 16, 17.

=15.= The apostles of old promised the ministration of the Holy Ghost unto those only who had received baptism by water for the remission of sins;[492] John the Baptist gave assurances of the visitation of the Holy Ghost to those only who were baptized unto repentance.[493] The instance of Paul's rebaptizing the twelve disciples at Ephesus before he conferred upon them the Holy Ghost, on account of a probable lack of propriety or of authority in their first baptism,[494] has already been dwelt upon. We read of a remarkable manifestation of power among the people of Samaria,[495] to whom Philip went and preached the Lord Jesus; the people with one accord accepted his testimony and sought baptism. Then came unto them Peter and John, through whose ministrations the Holy Ghost came upon the new converts, whereas upon none of them had the Spirit previously fallen, though all had been baptized.

[492] Acts ii, 38.

[493] Matt. iii, 11; Mark i, 8.

[494] Acts xix, 1-7; see page 146.

[495] Acts viii, 5-8, 12, 14-17.

=16.= The Holy Ghost dwells not in tabernacles unfit and unworthy. Paul makes the sublime declaration that the body of man when filled with the power of the Holy Ghost becomes a temple of this spirit; and the apostle specifies the penalty prescribed for defiling a structure sanctified by so holy a presence.[496] Faith in God leads to repentance of sin, this is followed by baptism in water for the remission of sins, and this in turn by the bestowal of the Holy Ghost, through whose power come sanctification and the specific gifts of God.

[496] I Cor. iii, 16. See also vi, 19; II Cor. vi, 16; Doc. and
Cov. xciii, 35.

=17. An Exception to the Prescribed Order= is shown in the case of the devout Gentile, Cornelius, unto whom, together with his family, came the Holy Ghost, with such power that they spake with new tongues to the glorification of God, and this before their baptism.[497] But sufficient reason for this departure from the usual order is seen in the prejudice that existed among the Jews toward other nations, which, but for the Lord's direct instructions to Peter, would have hindered, if indeed it did not prevent, the apostle from ministering unto the Gentiles; as it was, his act was loudly condemned by his own people; but he answered their criticisms with a recital of the lesson given him of God, and the undeniable evidence of the Divine will as shown in the reception of the Holy Ghost by Cornelius and his family before baptism.

[497] Acts x.

=18.= And in another sense the Holy Ghost has frequently operated for good through persons that are unbaptized; indeed, some measure of this power is given to all mankind; for, as seen already, the Holy Spirit is the power of intelligence, of wise direction, of development, of life. Manifestation of the power of God, as made plain through the operations of the Spirit, are seen in the triumphs of ennobling art, the discoveries of true science, and the events of history; with all of which the carnal mind may believe that God takes no direct concern. Not a truth has ever been made the property of human kind except through the power of that great Spirit who exists to do the bidding of the Father and the Son. And yet the actual companionship of the Holy Ghost, the divinely-bestowed right to His ministrations, the sanctifying baptism with fire, are given as a permanent possession only to the faithful, repentant, baptized candidate for salvation; and with all such this gift shall abide, unless it be forfeited through transgression.

=19. The Bestowal of the Holy Ghost= is effected through the ordinance of an oral blessing, pronounced upon the candidate by the proper authority of the Priesthood, accompanied by the imposition of hands by him or those officiating. That this was the mode followed by the apostles of old is evident from the Jewish scriptures; that it was practiced by the early Christian Fathers is proved by history; that it was the acknowledged method among the Nephites is plainly shown by the Book of Mormon records; and for the same practice in the present dispensation authority has come direct from heaven.

=20.= Among the instances recorded in the New Testament, we may mention the following: Peter and John conferred the Holy Ghost upon Philip's converts at Samaria, as already noted, and the ordinance was performed by prayer and the laying on of hands.[498] Paul operated in the same manner on the Ephesians whom he had caused to be baptized; and "when he had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them, and they spake with tongues and prophesied."[499] Paul also refers to this ordinance in his admonition to Timothy not to neglect the gift so bestowed.[500] The same apostle, in enumerating the cardinal principles and ordinances of the Church of Christ, includes the laying on of hands as following baptism.[501]

[498] Acts viii, 14-17. Read the account of Simon, the magician,
in the same chapter.

[499] Acts xix, 2-6.

[500] II Tim. i, 6.

[501] Heb. vi, 1-2.

=21.= Alma so invoked the power of the Holy Ghost in behalf of his co-laborers:[502]--"He clapped his hands upon all them who were with him. And behold, as he clapped his hands upon them they were filled with the Holy Spirit." The Savior gave authority to the twelve chosen Nephites,[503] by touching them one by one; they were thus commissioned to bestow the Holy Ghost.

[502] Alma xxxi, 36.

[503] III Nephi xviii, 36, 37.

=22.= In this dispensation, it has been made a duty of the Priesthood "to confirm those who are baptized into the Church by the laying on of hands for the baptism of fire and the Holy Ghost."[504] The Lord has promised that the Holy Ghost shall follow these authoritative acts of His servants.[505] The ceremony of laying on of hands for the bestowal of the Holy Ghost is associated with that of confirmation in the Church. The officiating elder acting in the name and by the authority of Jesus Christ, says, "_Receive ye the Holy Ghost_;" and "_I confirm you a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints_." Even these words are not prescribed, but their meaning should be expressed in the ceremony; and to such may be added other words of blessing and invocation as the Spirit of the Lord may dictate to the officiating elder. This act completes the outward form of the baptism so indispensable to salvation--the birth of water and of the Spirit.

[504] Doc. and Cov. xx, 41, 43.

[505] Doc. and Cov. xxxv, 6; xxxix, 6, 23; xlix, 11-14.

=23.= The authority to so bestow the Holy Ghost belongs to the higher or Melchizedek Priesthood,[506] whereas water-baptism may be administered by a priest, officiating in the ordinances of the lesser or Aaronic order of priesthood.[507] This order of authority, as made known through revelation, explains that while Philip had authority to administer the ordinance of baptism to the converted Samaritans, others who held the higher priesthood had to be sent to confer upon them the Holy Ghost.[508]

[506] Doc. and Cov. xx, 38-43.

[507] Doc. and Cov. xx, 46, 50.

[508] See Acts viii, 5-17.

=24. Gifts of the Spirit.=--As already pointed out, the special office of the Holy Ghost is to enlighten and ennoble the mind, to purify and sanctify the soul, to incite to good works, and to reveal the things of God. But, beside these general blessings, there are certain specific endowments promised in connection with the gifts of the Holy Ghost. Said the Savior, "These signs shall follow them that believe: In my name shall they cast out devils, they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing it shall not hurt them: they shall lay hands on the sick and they shall recover."[509]

[509] Mark xvi, 17-18; Doc. and Cov. lxxxiv, 65-78.

=25.= These gifts of the Spirit are distributed in the wisdom of God for the exaltation of His children. Paul thus discourses concerning them: "Now, concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant.... Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.... But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit. To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gift of healing by the same Spirit. To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kind of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues. But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will."[510] No man is without some gift from the Spirit; one person may possess several.

[510] I Cor. xii, 8; see also Moroni x, 8-18.

NOTES.

=1. Effect of the Holy Ghost on the Individual.=--"An intelligent
being, in the image of God, possesses every organ, attribute,
sense, sympathy, affection, of will, wisdom, love, power and
gift, which is possessed by God Himself. But these are possessed
by man in his rudimental state in a subordinate sense of the
word. Or, in other words, these attributes are in embryo, and are
to be gradually developed. They resemble a bud, a germ, which
gradually develops into bloom, and then, by progress, produces
the mature fruit after its own kind. The gift of the Holy Spirit
adapts itself to all these organs or attributes. It quickens all
the intellectual faculties, increases, enlarges, expands, and
purifies all the natural passions and affections, and adapts them
by the gift of wisdom, to their lawful use. It inspires,
develops, cultivates, and matures all the fine-toned sympathies,
joys, tastes, kindred feelings, and affections of our nature. It
inspires virtue, kindness, goodness, tenderness, gentleness, and
charity. It develops beauty of person, form and features. It
tends to health, vigor, animation, and social feeling. It
develops and invigorates all the faculties of the physical and
intellectual man. It strengthens, invigorates, and gives tone to
the nerves. In short, it is, as it were, marrow to the bone, joy
to the heart, light to the eyes, music to the ears, and life to
the whole being."--Parley P. Pratt, _Key to Theology_, pp. 96-97
(4th ed.).

=2. The Laying on of Hands.=--From the scriptures cited, it is
plain that the usual ceremony of bestowing the gift of the Holy
Ghost consisted in part in the imposition of hands by those in
authority (Acts viii, 17; ix, 17; xix, 2-6; Alma xxxi, 36; III
Nephi xviii, 36-37; Doc. and Cov. xx, 41). The same outward sign
has marked other authoritative acts: for example, ordination to
the priesthood; and administration to the sick. It is probable
that Paul had reference to Timothy's ordination when he exhorts
him thus: "Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given
thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the
presbytery" (I Tim. iv, 14). And again, "Stir up the gift of God,
which is in thee by the putting on of my hands" (II Tim. i, 6).
The first ordination to the priesthood in latter times was done
by the imposition of hands by John the Baptist (Doc. and Cov.
xiii). That Christ in healing the sick sometimes laid His hands
upon the afflicted ones is certain (Mark vi, 5); and He left with
His apostles a promise that healing should follow the
authoritative laying on of hands (Mark xvi, 15, 18). The same
promise has been repeated in this day (Doc. and Cov. xlii,
43-44). Yet, notwithstanding the importance given to this sign of
authority, the laying on of hands is but exceptional among the
practices of the many sects professing Christianity to-day.