Charles W. Penrose

“ When our Elders go out, instead of meeting them with argument, these men stir up the people to oppose them by force. They have stirred up Congress to pass inimical laws to oppress the "Mormons," to deprive them of the commonest rights of citizens, to take their leaders and put them to death. This is the spirit that has been arrayed against this Church from the beginning. ”

“ In the last chapter of the Book of Revelation are we not told that, "if any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book?" Yes; but we are also told that, "if any man shall take away the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book." The angel merely told John what God told His servants in former times, that when He gave a revelation, man should not add to it. ”

“ Because they pretend to greater light; because they claim to live in an age of gospel blaze, and christianity, as they term it, has attained such a high standard of excellence that they need no divine revelation. And yet when you investigate their condition, you will find they do not comprehend the Gospel; they differ amongst themselves, they contend with each other even on fundamental principles. They have no positive knowledge in regard to the things of God. Some of the clergy teach what they believe, and others teach what they do not believe, being infidel at heart. ”

“ WE are living in the latter days, at a time which all the prophets of God, who lived upon the earth in former times looked forward to with anticipation. The servants of God whose writings have been handed down to us in the book called the Bible, were all blessed in their day and generation with some foresight in regard to the last great dispensation of God's mercy to man. The Spirit of God opened up to them views concerning the great latter-day work, which God should perform, in which He would consummate His purposes, in which He would perfect His work, in regard to the people of this earth. ”

“ Infidelity will increase, for the Spirit of God is being withdrawn from them, because they receive not the truth when it is presented to them. And nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and people against people. War will be poured out eventually upon all nations; the only place where there will be peace and safety will be in the Zion of God. The judgments we read of in the revelations will all be poured out just as the Prophets have predicted and just as John the beloved has declared. ”

“ So this Gospel that John saw the angel bringing to earth was for the benefit of generations to come, for the Christians as well as those who are termed the heathen. We who are styled "Christians" are in the habit of calling all other nations heathen; I am inclined to believe that there are a great many people who are "christian" heathen.
This revelation that was given to John will seem very strange to a great many people, who are under the impression that the everlasting Gospel has been upon the earth ever since it was taught by Jesus Christ and His Apostles. ”

“ Others began to preach for hire and divine for money, making merchandise of the souls of men. And thus the apostasy went on until darkness covered the minds of the people, and paganism was introduced into the Christian church. And the time came when that wicked power spoken of in the Revelation overcame the saints. The Spirit of God left the polluted church. The body became dead. Just as when the spirit of man leaves his body, the carcass begins to crumble; every particle seems desirous to get away from every other particle. So it was after the time that the Apostles fell. ”

“ The servants of God are going out among the Gentile nations preaching the Gospel of the kingdoms, and bearing testimony that it is His cause; not preaching what they think, or giving expression to any opinions they may have formed, but from knowledge of the will of God through the testimony of Jesus, which is the spirit of prophecy which they obtained by bowing in obedience to the ordinances of the Gospel They know what they preach. They do not go out with the "enticing words of man's wisdom," but to preach the everlasting Gospel as God has revealed it, as He has manifested it from on high. ”

“ John saw that the whole earth would go astray; and all the Apostles spoke more or less of the time when people would depart from the Church, when they would "not endure sound doctrine, but after their own lusts they would heap to themselves teachers having itching ears;" and says the Apostle, "they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned into fables;" their teachers shall "preach for doctrine the commandments of men;" and the Apostle might have added, that if they did not preach to suit the people, they would discharge them and hire others. ”

“ The wicked oppose the message of truth they bear; and the most vehement opponents to it are those who profess the most piety. They have it in their hearts to destroy or bring trouble upon t, his people. Why? They do not know why themselves. It is because they shut their own hearts to the truth like the Pharisees of old, who made long prayers that they might be heard and seen of men, and not entering the kingdom themselves, they will not suffer those who would, to enter therein. They have the same spirit in their hearts that slew the prophets and put Christ to death. ”

“ In the first place we read that "God will do nothing except He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets." And we are told in the revelation from which I quoted concerning the general apostasy, when all nations shall become drunken from drinking the contents of that golden cup in the hands of the mother of abominations, an angel should come and bring to the earth again the everlasting Gospel. ”

“ The Apostles saw that the time would come when the people would be "heady and high-minded, lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying the power thereof;" when false teachers would arise and "make merchandise of the souls of men, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction," "and many," we are told, "shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of." ”

“ They did not as a general thing possess much learning; in fact, they were to some extent ignorant, that is, they were not versed in the learning of the world. "Not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble are called: but God hath chosen the foolish things of the earth to confound the things which are mighty." ”

“ The Lord poured out His Spirit upon the people and gave them visible manifestations of His power, in addition to the inspiration of the Holy Ghost which made them all see and comprehend alike, and which bore witness to the divine mission of Christ and to the mission of the Apostles whom He had sent forth. These signs were seen in their midst, which comforted and made them strong. But after a time the people began to go astray. Wicked men took the Apostles and put them to death. ”

“ Because the men who teach this doctrine do not receive any visitations from heaven themselves. They have no communication with the powers on high. The heavens to them are indeed as brass. They pray, but they do not expect to receive any answer to their prayers, except in some mystical fashion which neither they nor anybody else can understand. They do not expect to receive answers to their prayers as the prophets of old did. ”

“ We are told to fear God and work righteousness, and call upon His Holy name and He will be nigh to answer, "Ask and ye shall receive, seek and ye shall find, knock and the door shall be opened unto you ”

“ It is true there have been sincere men who have labored for the benefit of humanity, and who have done a great deal of good; and they will be rewarded by the Almighty for all the good they have accomplished. ”

“ They would tell you further, that they know it will remain and prevail; that all that has been designed must be accomplished under its auspices; and the work which has been begun must continue and grow—because it is the work of God—even until the whole earth is subdued unto Him, and all things are prepared for the coming of Him whose right it is to reign ”

“ They are not sent to preach to please the popular ear, but to deliver in plainness, as the Spirit shall give them utterance, the message of salvation, whether the people believe it or not. And our missionaries find that the same spirit exists to-day that the servants of God had to meet and contend with anciently. ”

“ Wherein men have administered in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost, and at the same time acknowledge that they have had no communication with those higher powers, declaring, that the Holy Trinity has ceased to speak to men, they show by their own words and make actual confession that they have no authority. ”

“ This is the spirit by which Christ was crucified on the cross. This is the spirit by which Peter was crucified head downward. This is the spirit by which others were thrown unto wild beasts and some were cast into caldrons of boiling oil. And this is the spirit that is exhibited in the latter times by some who claim to be ministers of the Gospel.
The work of gathering has commenced, then. That is part of the work of the dispensation of the fullness of times, the gathering of the people of God in one. The Saints of God will be gathered. The wicked may do what they please. They may pass laws ”

“ That spirit will measurably rest down upon the brute creation. "The lion and the lamb will dwell together, and the little child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice den." The earth itself shall feel the influence of that divine spirit, and cease to bring forth thorns and briars, and in the place thereof "shall spring up the fig and the myrtle tree;" ”