[Footnote B: Isaiah 24: 5.]
[Footnote C: See Mormon Doctrine, 6th leaf.]
The true church must always conform to the pattern of the primitive church of Jesus Christ and His Apostles in every respect, unless there is clear and undisputable authority in the scriptures for a divergence in any particular, and I have not been able to find any such authority in any portion of the New Testament. So that if the Church of England (for that is the only church with which I am concerned at present) is dissimilar in her organization or in her doctrines and ordinances from the primitive church, she can be but a very imperfect imitation of that church at best.
Well, on turning to the Bible I found that the church which Jesus Christ planted on earth consisted of "First apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues."[A] Elders, too, were ordained in all churches.[B] Then again evangelists and pastors are mentioned.[C] We further read why all these inspired apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers were absolutely necessary in the church, namely, "for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ."[D] St. Paul in writing to the Corinthians very clearly described the church of Christ, and he showed that not one of its members could be dispensed with without thoroughly disorganizing the body. He was then specially speaking of the various gifts of the Holy Spirit of God, which were considered so essential to the maintenance of the true church of Christ, and it will be seen that He practically forbade any one of the members of the church (Christ's body) to say of those miraculous gifts "We have no need of thee."[E]
[Footnote A: I Cor. 12: 28.]
[Footnote B: Acts 14: 23.]
[Footnote C: Eph. 4: 11.]
[Footnote D: Eph. 4: 12.]
[Footnote E: I Cor. 12: 21-28.]
Now I vainly look for a church of this pattern in the Church of England or in any of the other churches in Christendom, except in that of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints I can find no apostles, no prophets, no workers of miracles, no discerners of spirits, no gifts and no interpretations of tongues; but I find popes, cardinals and archbishops. By what authority then was the organization of Christ's church altered, and her most important members lopped off? For I have already made mention of the reasons given by St. Paul why inspired apostles, prophets, and the wonderful gifts of the Holy Spirit, were absolutely necessary in the church of Jesus Christ as founded by Him. And I fail to discover any good reason why the church should now be able to get on without them any more than it found itself able to get on without them in former times. On the contrary, I am clearly of opinion that they must be just as essential now as in days of old, and that to their absence must be attributed all the discord, ill-feeling, and confusion that reign supreme in and between the very numerous sects in Christendom, all of which profess themselves to be members of the true church of Jesus Christ. All these different sects or churches, if I may so call them, are admittedly without the miraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit spoken of by St. Paul, for they do not teach nor do they appear to allow that gifts of prophecy and miracles are actually necessary in these days. Indeed, they apparently consider that these gifts are not needed at all; the very thing which St. Paul forbids them to do when he says that, in respect to the Spirit's wonderful gifts, no member of Christ's church must say, "We have no need of thee."[A] So that prophets and workers of miracles have altogether ceased to be, although I can find no authority whatever in the Bible for their ceasing to exist. Inasmuch as they were necessary "for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ,"[B] how can saints now be perfected or the work of the ministry be efficiently and satisfactorily performed, or the body of Christ (the true church) be edified in these days? The Bible shows us that it was always through prophets that God revealed His will, commands, and instructions to His church under all the changing and trying circumstances through which she has had to pass since the world commenced. And it seems to me to be altogether opposed to scripture and to reason to conclude that in these admittedly evil days it is unnecessary for Him to intimate His will and commands, and to instruct His people in exactly the same way, in order that His church may continue to be guided through the great difficulties and trials that must beset her. For the teachings of Jesus Christ and His Apostles I prefer to go direct to the Bible and be guided thereby, than to go to any of the churches of Christendom which teach doctrines not in accordance therewith. For instance, Jesus Himself said that miraculous signs should follow believers,[C] but the churches do not teach this doctrine. Then again St. Paul, writing under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, recorded that apostles and prophets were necessary in the church, not only for his days, but "till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: that we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive."[D] How different this appears to be from the teachings of the various churches and sects in Christendom! In this passage of scripture which I have just quoted, St. Paul not only tells us how long apostles and prophets would be necessary in the church of Jesus Christ, but also how the church would be affected if prophecy ceased. As inspired by God, he distinctly asserts that apostles and prophets would be required till we attain to perfect men, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ. I think it will be admitted that we have not reached this perfection as yet. Again, St. Paul showed that if we had no apostles and prophets, the church would be tossed to and fro, and carried about with every kind of doctrine, etc. What do we see in the churches of Christendom but this very result, when we contemplate the numerous discordant and opposing religious denominations and sects, all teaching divers doctrines and ordinances? Thus it seems evident to me that a church, devoid of inspired prophets and the miraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit, all of which played so very important a part, in the opinion of the apostles of Christ, in the primitive church, cannot possibly be anything but in error. This view is strengthened by the words of St. Peter, who tells us that the Spirit would continue to manifest His marvelous powers in the true church while the world lasted, if the people would submit themselves to the ordinances of the gospel, and obey God's commandments. He was preaching on the day of Pentecost, just after the Holy Ghost had fallen upon the assembled disciples, and had sat upon each of them in the form of cloven tongues like as of fire,[A] and he called upon all his hearers to repent, and to be baptized for the remission of their sins, and he promised them the gift of the Holy Ghost. Then he went on to say that this promise was not for those people only, but unto them and their children, and also to all who were afar off, even as many as the Lord our God should call.[B]