"Love is one of the chief characteristics of Deity, and ought to be manifested by those who aspire to be the sons of God, A man filled with the love of God is not content with blessing his family alone, but ranges through the whole world, anxious to bless the whole human race."
—Joseph Smith.
"If children have sinned against their parents, or husbands against their wives, or wives against their husbands, let them confess their faults one to another and forgive each other, and there let the confession stop, and then let them ask pardon from their God. Confess your sins to whoever you have sinned against, and let it stop there."
—Brigham Young.
THE GOSPEL PIONEER.
BY WM. JEFFERIES,
AN ELDER OF THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS.
FAITH.
Faith is the key to knowledge rare,
God's choice and priceless gift to man;
It is obtained by humble prayer
And practice of the gospel plan.
It opes the door to secrets deep—
Communes with God in nature's sleep.
Prevails with God, till mortal man
The glory of the Lord can scan.
A thorough knowledge of the first principles is absolutely essential to the acquirement of a complete understanding of any art or science. For example: How can the student of arithmetic extract the cube root of any given number, or find the fifth power of another, without a knowledge of the first or key principles of the science of numbers? Now, if this is true of the arts and sciences, which, in the abstract, do not tend, directly, to save a person in the presence of God, how much more is it true in regard to the great science of theology, which must be well understood and faithfully practiced, to a given extent, in order to become a joint-heir with Jesus to the glory of the Father? And what science more important than this great science of all sciences? None. And a knowledge of its first principles ranks higher in importance to mortals than any other knowledge attainable by Adam's fallen race; for a knowledge of them, and honest obedience to them, together with subsequent faithfulness, will secure a person a knowledge of the Father and the Son, whom to know is life eternal—the greatest gift of God to man. Hence the great importance of a thorough knowledge of the first principles of the great science of salvation, which I will now make a feeble attempt to briefly explain.
The first initiatory principle of the glorious plan of salvation is faith. The Apostle Paul thus defines this principle: "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." (Heb. xi, 1.) Modern inspiration defines it thus: "Faith is the assurance which men have of the existence of things which they have not seen, and the principle of action in all intelligent beings." (Doc. & Cov. Lec. I, Sec. i., 9.) And the substance of these quotations—between which there is no conflict—I understand to be this: Faith is the assurance which men have of the existence of things not seen by them in the past, of the existence of things unseen by them at present, of the existence of things to be seen or unseen by them in the future, and the great first cause, or moving principle of action, and consequently, of power, in all intelligent beings, whether they are mortal or immortal. Now do not be startled, kind reader, at this explanation. The great apostle to the Gentiles says. "Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God." (Heb. xi, 3.) This is plain. Who framed the world? God, of course; and Paul says He did it through faith; therefore, the assertion is correct, that faith is the principle of action and power in all intelligent beings whether they are mortal or immortal.
Faith is produced by evidence. This is true of a false faith as well as of a true faith. A false faith is the product of untrue or incorrect evidence, and a true faith is produced by truthful evidence; and, though there may be instances in which true evidence may fail to produce faith in the skeptical and unbelieving; and wherein false evidence may fail to create faith even in the over-credulous; yet when faith, be it true or false, is created, I reassert that it is produced by true or untrue evidence. In the attempt to inspire faith in these propositions, I will summon a few of the ancient worthies, who, like Abel, though dead, speak to us in their inspired testaments, giving us evidence which should be faith-creating.
When the Son of God tabernacled in the flesh, He went about doing good, healing the sick, cleansing the lepers, raising the dead, and doing many mighty works in fulfillment of the mission He was sent on by His Father; and while doing these things He was scoffed at, spit upon, reviled, and persecuted, and finally crucified on Calvary—suspended between Heaven and earth as though fit for neither. Bible-believers need no evidence adduced here to prove this, for the facts stated are plain and prominent in the New Testament scriptures, and are well known to them, no doubt.
On the day after the crucifixion, the Chief Priests and Pharisees felt somewhat troubled and anxious, and "came together unto Pilate, saying, Sir, we remember that that deceiver said, while he was yet alive, after three days I will rise again. Command therefore that the sepulchre be made sure until the third day, lest his disciples come by night, and steal him away, and say unto the people, he is risen from the dead: so that the last error shall be worst than the first. Pilate said unto them, ye have a watch: go your way, make it as sure as you can. So they went, and made the sepulchre sure, sealing the stone, and setting a watch." (Matt. xxvii, 62-66.)