James E. Talmage

“ Behold, the days come, saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord: And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the Lord, and shall not find it. ”

“ Wherefore, as it is written, they are Gods, even the sons of God Wherefore all things are theirs, whether life or death, or things present, or things to come, all are theirs and they are Christ's and Christ is God's. And they shall overcome all things; Wherefore let no man glory in man, but rather let him glory in God, who shall subdue all enemies under his feet—These shall dwell in the presence of God and his Christ for ever and ever. ”

“ And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give, glory to him ”

“ And it is pleasing unto me that they should not be used only in times of winter, or of cold, or famine. All grain is ordained for the use of man and of beasts, to be the staff of life, not only for man but for the beasts of the field, and the fowls of heaven, and all wild animals that run or creep on the earth; And these hath God made for the use of man only in times of famine and excess of hunger. All grain is good for the food of man, as also the fruit of the vine, that which yieldeth fruit, whether in the ground or above the ground. ”

“ Neglect, wilful procrastination, evil life here shall surely be a handicap to eternal progress; but however far behind his more faithful fellows a sinner may fall, he shall yet advance if he will but repent and try. Is it empty assumption to say that such doctrine as this, given to the world through the Book of Mormon in 1830, is more vital than the dogmas of neverending torment and eternal damnation? ”

“ In Latter-day Saint communities the families owning their own homes constitute 75 per cent of the whole number of families. Think what this means the absence of rent-collector or landlord, whose shadow too often converts the home into a dreary house.
Yes, "Mormonism" is alive. The world is better for its presence. It extends to all peoples the invitation to come, to drink at its fountains, to partake of its fruits, and to rejoice in the countless blessings offered by the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ our Lord. ”

“ Hear now the word of "Mormonism" on the matter and note the time of its enunciation. In 1830 the Book of Mormon was given to the world. Therein we read, in an epistle of the ancient prophet Mormon to his son Moroni:
"Listen to the words of Christ, your Redeemer, your Lord and your God. Behold, I came into the world not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance: the whole need no physician, but they that are sick; wherefore little children are whole, for they are not capable of committing sin; wherefore the curse of Adam is taken from them in me, that it hath no power over them ”

“ It was long taught that the body is a hindrance and a burden to the spirit, a thing to be contemned and despised. Carried to its inevitable extreme this belief led to the abnormalities of asceticism, monastic isolation, celibacy, and resultant evils. The spirit of this age impels to healthful living, to the preservation of the body and the conservation of its God-given functions, to the prudent observances of sanitation and hygiene, to abstinence from intoxicants, narcotics and stimulants generally. ”

“ Even the Catholic church has modified its teaching on this subject and today permits its members to believe that children who die without baptism pass to a state of partial happiness and content, though forever denied the supreme blessing of the beatific vision of God. It is conceded, of course, that no dictum, dogma, or doctrine of men can determine the fate of souls, infant or adult, in the hereafter; nevertheless, theological teachings have direct effect upon the thoughts and lives of mankind. ”

“ But surely the Gospel is more than a book. The Holy Bible prescribes administrative ordinances as essential to salvation baptism by water and the bestowal of the Holy Ghost by the authoritative imposition of hands, the rebirth of water and of the Spirit, without which, unless the Lord Christ spoke to Nicodemus falsely, no man can enter the kingdom of God. ”

“ Every Latter-day Saint is expected to be true to the sanctity of his individual testimony. He is directly answerable to his God. As to his conviction that the Gospel taught by the Church is genuine, he is held to have undergone the test prescribed by the Christ that of doing the will of God and thus learning for himself that the doctrine is true. The peace and satisfaction evinced by converts to "Mormonism" well nigh surpasses human belief.
(D) A self-supporting organization, not dependent upon the gifts of a wealthy few, but upon the proportionate giving of all. ”

“ Dead things may grow, as witness the tiny salt crystal in its mother-brine at first a microscopic cube, then a huge hexahedron limited only by the size of the container or other external conditions. Development, however, is the characteristic of life to which mere growth is essentially secondary and subordinate. The acorn holds in potential reserve all the possibilities of the stately oak; within the tiny egg of the butterfly lies the future caterpillar and the hidden glory of the mature imago.
The vital character of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was evident from the first. ”

“ And who overcome by faith, and are sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise, which the Father sheds forth upon all those who are just and true. They are they who are the church of the First Born. They are they into whose hands the Father has given all things—They are they who are Priests and Kings, who have received of his fullness, arid of his glory, And are Priests of the Most High, after the order of Melchizedek, which was after the order of Enoch, which was after the order of the Only Begotten Son ”

“ Far below the lowest of these is the state prepared for the hopelessly unregenerate, those who have sinned against light and knowledge, those who, having learned the laws of righteousness and having received the testimony of the Christ have ruthlessly trodden the priceless pearls into the mire, those few who are fit companions for the devil and his angels throughout eternity, those who are known by the awful name "sons of perdition." ”

“ The one-time general conception of heaven and hell is regarded today as antiquated, unreasonable, unscriptural and untrue. I speak of the heaven and the hell once thought of as the only places or conditions prepared for the souls of men, to one or the other of which states every being that has or shall have tabernacled in the flesh is to be consigned, perhaps on a very narrow margin of merit or desert. ”

“ A coherent and mutually helpful body, in which the ties and prejudices of diverse nationality and of varied tradition are swallowed up in the common love for the Gospel and in the individual testimony of its genuineness. When one of the early presiding officers of the Church was asked by an earnest investigator wherein lay the secret of the marvelous influence by which so great an aggregation of foreign and otherwise diverse people were governed, the answer was: "We teach them correct principles and they govern themselves." ”

“ Growth produces big things, and not only things of this sort but men. Between bigness and greatness, however, there is a distinction of kind, not alone of degree. Growth is a measure of bulk, of quantity ”

“ We believe that a man must be called of God, by "prophecy, and by the laying on of bauds," by those who are in authority, to preach the gospel and administer in the ordinances thereof.
6. We believe in the same organization that existed in the primitive church, namely, apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers, evangelists, etc.
7. We believe in the gift of tongues, prophecy, revelation, visions, healing, interpretation of tongues, etc. ”

“ Its methods of work are those of reason and persuasion, coupled with a fearless affirmation of testimony as to the surpassing importance of its message, which message it labors to convey to every nation, kindred, tongue and people.
"Mormonism" lives because it is healthy, normal and undeformed. In general, a healthy organism is assured of life, barring destruction from external violence or deprivation of physical necessities; whereas one that is abnormal and sickly is doomed to decline. ”

“ Whatever may be the answer to the query, the fact that the Church met determined opposition, increasingly severe from the beginning, is abundantly attested by history. While active persecutors and openly avowed assailants were comparatively few, the majority of those who gave any attention to the matter treated "Mormonism" with aggressive disdain; and contempt in the affairs of human endeavor has not infrequently proved itself a more effective weapon than physical assault. ”

“ In the revelations of the current dispensation we read that children are accounted innocent before God until they come to the age of understanding and accountability, and that baptism is required of all who have attained that condition. ”

“ Opposition to the Church, the pitiless maltreatment to which its people have been subjected, comprising mobbings, drivings, spoliation, scourgings, assassination, and murder marked by every conceivable accompaniment of barbarity, have operated to strengthen the Church, body and soul. ”

“ Development is a gradation of quality; its terms are "so good" or "so bad." America boasts of a constantly increasing host of big men; the great men of the land may be more easily counted. And as with men so with institutions. ”

“ In the material support of the Church as a human institution the widow's penny is as acceptable as are the goldpieces of the millionaire. The system of tithepaying has been a success in the Church from the first. Every member should consider it a duty to pay a tenth of his income, whether that tenth for any given period be a dime or a thousand dollars ”

“ We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to ALL MEN; indeed we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul, "We believe all things, we hope all things," we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy we seek after these things. ”

“ Only in such soil could the germ of the Gospel of true liberty sprout and thrive.
"Mormonism" lives because its claims are consistent and its position impregnable. It affirms the literal fulfilment of scriptural predictions of a great falling away from the truth, a cessation of spiritual gifts and Divine authority, in short a world-wide apostasy from the Church established by the Lord Jesus Christ in the meridian of time. This condition of apostasy is that pictured by Isaiah:
"The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof ”

“ And, again, strong drinks are not for the belly, but for the washing of your bodies. And again, tobacco is not for the body, neither for the belly, and is not good for man, but is an herb for bruises and all sick cattle, to be used with judgment and skill. ”

“ A community whose vital statistics tell of prolonged life, high birth and low death rates, high marriage rate, few divorces, and general material prosperity. I present to you a few comparisons of data obtained from the Presiding Bishopric of the Church, showing the condition of Latter-day Saints in the organized stakes of Zion, for the six-year period ending with the year 1915, as contrasted with the latest reports for such States of the Union as maintain statistical bureaus and are classed in official reports as the registration area. ”

“ This effect of the Gospel is apparent in the happiness and satisfaction manifest among those who have become members of the Church after real repentance. Apostasy from the Church is a rare phenomenon. Even excommunication for failure to live aright is more common ”

“ Hot drinks against which the people are warned have been and are understood to include tea and coffee, and the inhibition was preached and published prior to the discovery by chemists that theine, caffeine and kindred alkaloids are of pronounced deleterious and actually poisonous effect. ”

“ Authority to officiate in the ordinances of the Gospel was brought by angel messengers, and they the very ones in whom were vested the powers of the respective order of Priesthood in the earlier Gospel dispensation. ”

“ It utters solemn warning, however, against procrastination and wilful neglect here, holding that this life is strictly a probationary period given unto men for repentance and valiant service, and that to neglect is to lose the ability to repent. ”