A Voice of Warning by Parley P. Pratt (read aloud books .txt) 📕

Next, we call to mind the jailor and his household, who were baptized the same hour they believed, without waiting for the day; and Lydia and her household, who attended to the ordinance the first sermon they heard on the subject. Also Philip and the eunuch, who stopped the chariot at the first water they came to, in order to attend to the ordinance, although the eunuch had heard of Jesus, for the first time, only a few minutes before. Now, I gather from all those examples of ancient days, and from the precepts laid down in them, that baptism was the initiating ordinance, by which all those who believed and repented were received and adopted into the church or kingdom of God, so as to be entitled to the remission of sins, and the blessing of the Holy Ghost; indeed, it was the ordinance through which they became sons and daughters; and because they were sons, the Lord shed forth the Spirit of His Son into their hearts, crying, Abba, Father. It is true, the Lord poured out the Holy Ghost upon Cornelius and his friends, before they were baptized; but it seemed necessary, in order to convince the believing Jews that the Gentiles also had part in this salvation. And I believe this is the only instance, in the whole record, of the people receiving the Holy Ghost without first obeying the laws of adoption. But mark! Obeying the laws of adoption would not constitute a man an heir of the kingdom, a citizen entitled to the blessings and gifts of the Spirit, unless those laws and ordinances were administered by one who had proper authority, and was duly commissioned from the King; and a commission given to one individual could never authorize another to act in his stead. This is one of the most important points to be understood, as it brings to the test every minister in Christendom; and questions the organization of every church on earth, and all that have existed since direct inspiration ceased.

Now, in order to come at this subject in plainness, let us examine the constitution of earthly governments in regard to the authority and laws of adoption. We will say, for instance, the President of the United States writes a commission to A. B., duly authorizing him to act in some office in the government, and, during his administration, two gentlemen from Europe come to reside in this country, and, being strangers and foreigners wishing to become citizens, they go before A. B., and he administers the oath of allegiance in due form, and certifies the same, and this constitutes them legal citizens, entitled to all the privileges of those who are citizens or subjects by birth. After these things, A. B. is taken away by death, and C. D., in looking over his papers, happens to find the commission given to A. B., and, applying it to his own use, assumes the vacant office; meantime, two foreigners arrive, and apply for citizenship, and being informed by persons ignorant of the affairs of government, that C. D. could administer the laws of adoption, they submit to be administered unto by C. D., without once examining his authority; C. D. certifies of their citizenship, and they suppose they have been legally adopted, the same as the others, and are entitled to all the privileges of citizenship. But by and by, their citizenship is called in question, and they produce the certificate of C. D.; the President inquires— "Who is C. D.? I never gave him a commission to act in any office, I know him not, and you are strangers and foreigners to the commonwealth, until you go before the legally appointed successor of A. B., or some other of like authority, who has a commission from the President direct in his own name." In the meantime, C. D. is taken and punished according to law, for practising imposition, and usurping authority which was never conferred upon him.

And so it is with the kingdom of God. The Lord authorized the Apostles and others by direct revelation, and by the spirit of prophecy, to preach and baptize, and build up His church and kingdom; but after a while they died, and a long time passed away, and men, reading over their commission, where it says to the eleven Apostles—"Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature," etc., have had the presumption to apply these sayings as their authority, and without any other commission, have gone forth professing to preach the Gospel, and baptize, and build up the church and kingdom of God; but those whom they baptize never receive the same blessings and gifts which characterized a saint or citizen of the kingdom in the days of the Apostles. Why? Because they are yet foreigners and strangers, for the commission given to the Apostles never commissioned any other man to act in their stead. This was a prerogative the Lord reserved unto himself. No man has a right to take this ministry upon himself, but he that is called by revelation, and duly qualified to act in his calling by the Holy Ghost.

But the reader inquires with astonishment, "What! are none of all the ministers of the present day called to the ministry, and legally commissioned?" Well, my reader, I will tell you how you may ascertain from their own mouths, and that will be far better than an answer from me; go to the clergy, and ask them if God has given them any direct revelation since the New Testament was finished; inquire of them whether the gift of prophecy ceased with the early age of the church; and, in short, ask them if revelations, prophets, the ministering of angels, etc., are needed or expected in these days, or whether they believe that these things are done away, no more to return to the earth; and their answer will be that the Bible contains sufficient, and that since the canon of Scripture was filled, revelation, the spirit of prophecy and the ministering of angels have ceased, because no longer needed. In short, they will denounce every man as an impostor who pretends to any such thing. And when you have obtained this answer, ask them how they themselves were called and commissioned to preach the Gospel, and they will be at a loss to answer you, and will finally tell you that the Bible commissioned them, saying—"Go ye into all the world," etc. Thus, you see, all who have no direct personal revelation from the King of heaven, either by angels, the voice of God, or the spirit of prophecy, are acting under authority which was given to others, who are dead, and their commission stolen, and their authority usurped; and the King will say—"Peter I know, and Paul I know, I commissioned them, but who are you? I know you not, I never spoke to you in my life; indeed you believed it was not necessary for me to speak in your day. Therefore you never sought in faith for any revelation, and I never gave you any; and even when I spake to others, you mocked them, and called them impostors, and persecuted them, because they testified of the things I had said unto them, therefore depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: for I was an hungered, and ye fed me not; I was naked, and ye clothed me not; I was a stranger, and ye took me not in; sick and in prison and ye visited me not." "Ah! Lord, when did we fail in any of these things?" "Inasmuch as you have not done it unto the least of these my brethren (taking them for impostors, because they testified of the things which I had revealed unto them), ye have not done it unto me." But to return: having examined the kingdom of God as to its offices and ordinances, and having discovered the only means of adoption into it, let us examine more fully what are the blessings, privileges, and enjoyments of its citizens. You have already seen that they were to cast out devils, speak with new tongues, heal the sick by the laying on of hands in the name of Jesus, as well as to see visions, dream dreams, prophesy, etc.

But let us look at the kingdom in its organized state, and see whether these promises were verified to Jew and Gentile, wherever the kingdom of God was found in all ages of the world.

Paul writing, first, "To the church of God at Corinth;" second, "To them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus;" third, "To them who are called to be saints;" and fourth, "To all that in every place call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord," says to them all, in 1 Corinthians, xii, 1: "Now, concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant." And then, continuing his instructions, a few verses further on, he says: "But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal; for to one is given, by the Spirit, the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; to another faith by the same Spirit; to another, the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; to another, the working of miracles; to another, prophecy; to another, discerning of spirits; to another, divers kinds of tongues; to another, the interpretation of tongues; but all these worketh that one and the self-same Spirit, dividing to every man severally as He (Christ) will. For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body; so also is Christ. For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. For the body is not one member, but many. If the foot shall say, because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? And if the ear shall say, because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling? But now hath Got set the members, everyone of them in the body, as it hath pleased Him. And if they were all one member, where were the body?" I reply, it would not exist. "But now are they many members, yet but one body. And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee; nor again, the head to the feet, I have no need of you. Nay, much more those members of the body which seem to be more feeble, are necessary; and those members of the body which we think to be less honorable, upon these we bestow more abundant honor: and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness. For our comely parts have no need: but God hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honor to that part which lacked: that there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care for one another. And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honored, all the members rejoice with it. Now, ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular. And God hath set some in the church, first, apostles; secondarily, prophets; thirdly, teachers; after that, miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues. Are all apostles? are all prophets? are all teachers? are all workers of miracles? Have all the gifts of healing? do all speak with tongues? do all interpret? But covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet shew I unto you a more excellent way." From the thirteenth verse of the above chapter, we learn that the Apostle is still speaking to the whole church in all ages, whether Jew or Gentile, bond or free, even all who should ever compose the body of Christ, and showing that Christ's body consisted of many members, baptized by one spirit into one body, possessing all these different gifts, some one gift, and some another: and then expressly says, that one member possessing one gift, should not say to another member possessing another gift, we have no need of thee.

And having