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past sins committed, and lastly, such a permit us to exhort you, my dear confession must be accompanied with a reader, to repent of every evil which solemn covenant or promise to sin no we have pointed out to you in this more; and the heart should be fixed article, and of every other sin which and immovable in this covenant. All you may be guilty of. Repent with persons who will do these things will all your heart. Be determined that have a measure of the Spirit of Christ you will neither eat, nor sleep, until resting upon them, imparting humili- you have commenced the infinitely ty, and meekness, and lowliness of important work. Remember how heart. But still this repentance does much you have at stake that it is not guarantee to them a remission of no less than the eternal happiness of sins; it only prepares the heart to the soul, eternal life beyond the grave. obey properly a great and holy ordi- Oh, how many millions have gone nance which God has instituted ex-down to their graves in an impenitent pressly for the remission of sins. We state! you may in an unexpected mean the ordinance of Baptisın. As moment be cut off also. Oh then give this holy ordinance is of so much heed to the warning voice; let your importance, and instituted expressly heart be humble, and your spirit be for the benefit of penitent believers, contrite; confess your sins before that they may obtain forgiveness of God, and forsake them, and prepare all past sins, we feel it our duty to yourself in all things to receive forsay a few words on the nature of this giveness through the ordinance of institution. But, in the meantime, Baptism. before we enter into its investigation,

BAPTISM FOR THE REMISSION OF SINS.

BY THE EDITOR.

Having treated upon the subject of already shown that the first requireFaith and Repentance, in the preced-ment is to have Faith or belief in the ing Nos. of this volume, we will now words of Christ and his atonement proceed to show the way in which and that the second requirement is to the truly penitent believing soul may repent with a humble and contr'te be pardoned of all his past sins. It heart, entering into a covenant to forhas pleased God to ordain Baptism sake all sin. Both these conditions or Immersion in water, as the medium may be strictly complied with, and yet through which the truly penitent past sins remain unforgiven. Why? should be forgiven of all the sins he Because the individual, as yet, has has commi ted. Baptism does not atone not complied with the third condition for ins, but it is an institution grant-through which forgiveness is granted. ed to man, because of the atonement By complying with the first two conof Christ. The atonement is made ditions, he has received a measure of by the blood of Christ, but man can- the spirit of Christ by which his heart not receive the blessings of the atone- is melted down into humble contriment legally and fully without strict- tion: This spirit of meekness and ly complying with the conditions or- lowliness of heart is imparted to him dained of God. One of the choice as a preparation to receive the holy blessings purchased by the precious ordinance of Baptism acceptably in blood of Christ is the forgiveness of the sight of God; and when this orsins, but all mankind do not have their dinance is complied with by the hesins forgiven, but only such as claim lieving penitent, then comes the Rethe purchased blessings by complying mission of sins; all former transwith the requirement. Now we have gressions are blotted out. Oh what

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it will be a solemn mockery before God, and highly sinful in His sight. But who in this generation have authority to baptize? None but those who have received authority in the church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints: all other churches are en

joy now fills the heart! He is indeed, a new creature! born of water! and adopted in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost into the family of Christ! one of the sons of God! his sins, though many, are freely pardoned! they no longer stand recorded against him! Oh who would not re-tirely destitute of all authority from pent and be baptized to receive so great a blessing, and to be filled with such great joy! Alas! there are many who care not for these things; and the forgiveness of sins and the joys of heaven, are treated with indifference; and they go down to their graves in impenitence without any preparation for the great judgment.

God; and any person who receives Baptism or the Lord's supper from their hands will highly offend God; for he looks upon them as the most corrupt of all people. Both Catholics and Protestants are nothing less than the "whore of Babylon" whom the Lord denounces by the mouth of John the Revelator as having corBaptism is just as essential to sal- rupted all the earth by their fornicavation, as Faith and Repentance.- tions and wickedness. And any perWithout being immersed in water no son who shall be so wicked as to reman can enter into the fulness of Ce-ceive a holy ordinance of the gospel lestial glory for baptism is instituted from the ministers of any of these for the remission of sins; and if a per- apostate churches will be sent down son does not take the necessary steps to hell with them, unless they repent to obtain pardon of sins, of course, of the unholy and impious act. If he cannot be saved in the kingdom of any penitent believer desires to obtain God. Jesus did not shed his blood forgiveness of sins through baptism, to save us in our sins, but to open a let him beware of having any thing to way whereby man might obtain for- do with the churches of apostate giveness through Faith, Repentance, Christendom, lest he perish in the and Baptism and no man can be awful plagues and judgments, denounsaved who neglects either of these ccd against them. The only perprinciples. Many have been taught sons among all nations, kindreds, to seek forgiveness by prayer, and tongues, and people who have authorhave been told that baptism being on-ity from Jesus Christ to administer ly an outward ordinance would not any gospel ordinance are those called avail any thing, and that it is to be ad- and authorized among the Latter-day ministered to those only who have Saints. Before the restoration of the already received forgiveness: these church of Christ to the earth in the are doctrines of false teachers, and year 1830, there have been no people they are the wicked traditions hand-on the earth for many generations ed down by apostate Christendom. possessing authority from God to minBaptism is a condition of forgive-ister gospel ordinances. We again reness, and to teach mankind to seek for pardon in any other way than the one set forth in the gospel, is a wicked perversion of truth, and all such false teachers will, if they do not repent, be sent down to hell; for cursed be that man or angel who preaches another gospel, or perverts the true gospel of Christ.

peat, beware of the hypocritical false teachers and imposters of Babylon.

Another great abomination practiced among Christendom is the Baptism of infants and little children.This wicked doctrine was invented by the devil, in order to blind the minds of the children of men, and make them think that infant baptism Baptism in order to be acceptable is all sufficient, and that the baptism in the sight of God must be adminis- of adults for the remission of sins is tered by a man ordained of God and not necessary, provided that they authorized of Jesus Christ, otherwise, were sprinkled in infancy. All in

fants and little children are free from in water for a remission of all their sin, having been redeemed from the transgressions: and if they will not fall by the blood of Christ, and that do this, the sins that they have comtoo without any conditions of Faith, mitted in their ignorance, will be Repentance, or Baptism. All such answered upon their heads, as if they are innocent before God, and are al- had done them with a knowledge of ready prepared to inherit the kingdom the will of God. Parents who are of heaven. Therefore, for parents to guilty of having their infants baphave their little children bap ized is tized must repent of the evil, or they awfully wicked before God; it is a cannot be saved. solemn mockery of the ordinances of It is unnecessary for us to appeal the gospel; and unless parents re-to the scriptures in proof of the docpent of this great wickedness, they trine of Faith, Repentance, and Bapwill go down to hell. No doubt but tism as taught in these articles: for many have committed this great evil this we have already done in a series in their ignorance, but now God of pamphlets which we have formerly calls them to repent of this evil and published. of every other sin, and be immersed

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Formation of the Earth-Its Division into Islands and Continents-Its Restoration to its Antediluvian Condition,.

Repentance,..

Baptism for the Remission of Sins,.

Notice to Subscribers,..

WASHINGTON CITY, D. C.

EDITED AND PUBLISHED BY ORSON PRATT,

At $1 per annum, invariably in advance.

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All ye inhabitants of the world, and dwellers on the earth, See Ye, when He lifteth up an Ensign on the Mountains.-Isaiah XVIII, 3.

VOL. II.

MAY, 1854.

No. 5.

NEW REVELATION.

BY THE EDITOR.

There is no subject which is more sanctimonious, as long as he knows ridiculed by the religious world, at that they have no faith in New Revethe present day, than that of New lation. The devil rejoices, and his Revelation. All Christendom profess angels are glad, when they look over to admit that the Father, Son, and their wide spread dominions, and beHoly Spirit, are still in existence, and hold countless churches and synathat they are unchangeable in their gogues professedly built to the God attributes, and that there are just as of ancient revelation, and contemplate many angels now as in ancient times; the hundreds of millions whom they but to assert that any of these holy have deluded with the idea that all beings have communicated any New New Revelation is unnecessary. So Revelation to man since the first cen- long as the devil can deceive the tury of the Christian era, is consider- people with this anti-christian and ed, if not blasphemy, something near unscriptural doctrine, he knows that akin to it. he is sure of them.

Now a religion that excludes New Revelation from its principles, is just the very religion that suits the devil: he is well pleased with it. He cares not how moral people may be, nor how genteel and polished in their de portment, nor how much they go to church, nor how many prayers they pretend to offer up, nor how pious they may be in every respect, if they will only disbelieve in New Revelation; for he knows well that God has nothing to do, nor never had, with any religion that did not acknowledge Prophets and Revelators, through whom He could speak and reveal His will to his sons and daughters.

How well pleased his satanic majesty must have been, when he prevailed upon the "Third Council of Carthage," at the close of the fourth century, to sit in judgment upon the manuscript copies of the word of God, compiling a few of them into a volume, and rejecting all the others, and then passing an ecclesiastical law that no other books or revelations should ever be added to the canon or volume. This bound all their deluded followers to reject, in every succeeding generation, every thing in the form of New Revelation. Oh! how the hosts of hell must have exulted over their signal success in thus cutting off all further communication between God and man!

'The devil knows that God never had a church on the earth without having inspired men in it. No other And again what could have more church gives him any uneasiness. He gratified Satan when he found that likes to see them pray and be very the religion of the Romish Church

and do them away, will be cut off from among the people, and be sent down to hell to suffer with the devil who has deceived them, and by whom they have been led captive to reject and deny the gifts of the Holy Ghost and the powers and glory of God's kingdom.

did not altogether suit all the people, | ministering of angels, and by the mirthan to have them, under the name of aculous gifts and power of the Holy Protestants, invent some new forms Ghost. All who deny these things, of religion, excluding prophets, and binding the people to believe in only the sixty-six books of the Bible. This newly invented religion, inasmuch as it made the canon of scripture full, and would in no wise admit prophets to add any new books to the volume, was just as acceptable to the devil as the religion of the Catholics; for what the Catholics did not catch, the other impositions would.

they will receive more, when God in mercy offers it to them. The very Bible, which they pretend is enough, will rise up in judgment against apostate Christendom, and condemn them, because in it is taught the doctrine of continued revelation, which they have the great wickedness to reject.

If this generation are asked to give a reason for rejecting all revelation later than John the Revelator's day, But the moment that God sent their answer is, almost universally, angels from heaven to earth, and "We have enough, and need no raised up inspired men, and once more;" and we reply, yes, they have more restored the true Christian enough to send them to hell, unless Church to the earth, the devil, with all his combined armies of Catholics and Protestants, was enraged. For God to dare restore the religion of the Bible again to the earth, by sending prophets and inspired men, by giving visions, and by sending angels, as He did in all other ages when His religion was on the earth, was more than the But why is the devil so angry with devil could bear without making a a church under the guidance of New tremendous exertion to put it down. Revelation? Because he knows that To undertake to put it down by scrip- a people who live near enough to the ture, reason or argument, was entirely Lord to receive information from Him, in vain, though this was attempted in will receive by that means a knowlsome few instances at first, but it al-edge of all his cunning plans, and deways resulted in the most disastrous tect the cunning devices by which he consequences to the devil's kingdom. has blinded the nations of apostate The devil soon found that there was Christendom so long. To have the annot the least shadow of evidence to cient and venerated systems of priestsustain the Catholic and Protestant craft exposed, and the false doctrines, imposition against the doctrine of which he has taken so much pains to continued revelation. This forlorn introduce and maintain for so many hope having utterly failed him, his centuries, overturned by the restoranext and most successful operation tion of true Christianity again to the was to ridicule and denounce the doc-earth, is calculated to make the hellish trine, and lie about it, and, if possible, to close the eyes, and ears, and hearts of the people effectually against it. But even in this thing he will be defeated; though he may for a time tri- Fear and trembling seize upon the umph, yet the refuge of lies shall be wicked priests, whenever the sound swept away, and God will show unto of ancient Christianity, with its revethe honest in heart, with power and lations, prophecies, visions and the great glory, that He is the same yes-gifts and powers of the Holy Ghost, terday, to-day and for ever, and that he is a God who delights to reveal Himself by revelations, and dreams, and visions, and prophecies, by the

hosts and all under their influence, who delight in darkness, to tremble with anxiety and through fear of the consequences.

approach their neighborhood. Their craft is in danger-they fear for their rotten, corrupt forms of religionthey fear that the people will get their

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