"Reproving betimes with sharpness, when moved upon by the Holy Ghost, and then showing forth afterwards an increase of love toward him whom thou hast reproved, lest he esteem thee to be his enemy;
"That he may know that thy faithfulness is stronger than the cords of death;
"Let thy bowels also be full of charity towards all men, and to the household of faith, and let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly, then shall thy confidence wax strong in the presence of God, and the doctrine of the Priesthood shall distil upon thy soul as the dews from heaven.
"The Holy Ghost shall be thy constant companion, and thy sceptre an unchanging sceptre of righteousness and truth, and thy dominion shall be an everlasting dominion, and without compulsory means it shall flow unto thee for ever and ever."—(D. and C. 121:34-46.)
An Echo from Eternity.—Can anyone, enlightened by the Holy Spirit, doubt the heavenly origin of such wise and sublime instructions? Are they not virtually an echo from the heights of eternity, where the Gods sat in council before the foundation of the world, and decreed freedom, not tyranny; persuasion, not compulsion; charity, not intolerance, to be the platform upon which the servants of God should stand?
"Wherefore, because that Satan rebelled against me, and sought to destroy the agency of man, which I, the Lord God, had given him, and also that I should give unto him mine own power, by the power of mine Only Begotten I caused that he should be cast down." (Moses 4:3.)
A Gold and Silver Shield.—But there is another side to the question. It is a gold and silver shield that we are contemplating. If those bearing the priesthood are careful to confine themselves to the lawful and legitimate exercise of the sacred powers conferred upon them, acting as men of God should act, and doing no other things than those commanded by divine revelation or inspired by the Holy Spirit; what then? In that event the responsibility shifts to other shoulders, and just how weighty the responsibility is, the Savior himself tells in the following prophetic parable:
How God Will Judge the World.—"When the Son of Man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:
"And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:
"And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.