to the penitent malefactor who suffered on a cross by his side, we learn that he had been in paradise. Peter tells us where else he was that he was preaching to the spirits in prison, to those who had been disobedient in the days of Noah when the long-suffering of God waited while the ark was preparing. If it was deemed necessary or just that the gospel be carried to spirits that were disobedient or neglectful in the days of Noah, are we justified in concluding that others who have rejected or neglected the word of God shall be left in a state of perpetual condemnation?

"Mormonism" claims that not only shall the gospel be carried to the living, and be preached to every creature, but that the great missionary labor, the burden of which has been placed on The Church, must of necessity be extended to the realm of the dead. It declares unequivocally that without compliance with the requirements established by Jesus Christ, no soul can be saved from the fate of the condemned; but that opportunity shall be given to every one in the season of his fitness to receive it, be he heathen or civilized, living or dead.

The whole duty of man is to live and work according to the highest laws of right made known to him, to walk according to the best light that has been shed about his path; and while Justice shall deny to every soul that has not rendered obedience to the law, entrance into the kingdom of the blessed, Mercy shall claim opportunity for all who have shown themselves willing and eager to receive the truth.

It will be seen, then, that "Mormonism" offers no modified or conditional claims as to the necessity of compliance with the laws and ordinances of the gospel by every independent inhabitant of earth unto whom salvation shall come. It distinguishes not between enlightened and heathen nations, nor between men of high or low intelligence; nor even between the living and the dead. No human being who has attained years of accountability in the flesh, may hope for salvation in the kingdom of God until he has rendered obedience to the requirements of Christ, the Redeemer of the world.

But while thus decisive, "Mormonism" is not exclusive. It does not claim that all who have failed to accept and obey the gospel of eternal life shall be eternally and forever damned. While

boldly asserting that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the sole repository of the Holy Priesthood as now restored to earth, it teaches and demands the fullest toleration for all individuals, and organizations of individuals, professing righteousness; and holds that each shall be rewarded for the measure of good he has wrought, to be adjudged in accordance with the spiritual knowledge he has gained. And for such high claims combined with such professions of tolerance, The Church has been accused of inconsistency. Let it not be forgotten, however, that toleration is not acceptance. I may believe with the utmost fulness of my soul's powers that I am right and my neighbor is wrong concerning any proposition or principle; but such conviction gives me no semblance of right for interfering with his exercise of freedom. The only bounds to the liberty of an individual are such as mark the liberty of another, or the rights of the community. God himself treats as sacred, and therefore as inviolable, the freedom of the human soul.

Know this, that every soul is free
To choose his life and what he'll be;
For this eternal truth is given

That God will force no man to heaven.

He'll call, persuade, direct aright,

Bless him with wisdom, love, and light;
In nameless ways be good and kind,
But never force the human mind.

"Mormonism" contends that no man or nation possesses the right to forcibly deprive even the heathen of his right to worship his

deity.

Though idolatry has been marked from the earliest ages

with the seal of divine disfavor, it may represent in the benighted mind the sincerest reverence of which the person is capable. He should be taught better, but never compelled.

In further defense of the Latter-day Saints against the charge

of inconsistency for this their tolerance toward others whom they verily believe to be wrong, let me again urge the cardinal principle that every man is accountable for his acts, and shall be judged in the light of the law as made known to him.

There is no claim of universal forgiveness; no unwarranted glorification of Mercy to the degrading or neglect of Justice; no thought that a single sin of omission or of commission shall fail to leave its wound or scar. In the great future there shall be found a place for every soul, whatever his grade of spiritual intelligence may be. "In my Father's house are many mansions," declared the Savior to his apostles; and Paul adds, "There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial; but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another. There is one glory of the sun and another glory of the moon and another glory of the stars; for one star differeth from another star in glory. So also is the resurrection of the dead."

The Latter-day Saints claim a revelation of the present dispensation as supplementing that just quoted. From this later scripture, we learn that there are three well-defined degrees of glory in the future state, with numerous, perhaps numberless, gradations. There is the celestial glory provided for those who have lived the whole law, who have accepted the testimony of the Christ, who have complied with the required ordinances of the gospel, who have been valiant in the cause of virtue and truth in all respects.

Then there is the terrestrial glory, comparable to the first as is the moon to the sun. This shall be given to the less valiant, to many who are nevertheless among the worthy men of the earth, but who perchance have been deceived as to the gospel and its requirements.

The telestial glory is for those who have failed to live according to the light given them; those who have had to suffer the results of their sins; those who have been of Moses, of Paul, of Apollos, and of any one of a multitude of others, but not of the Christ.

We hold that there is a wide difference between salvation and exaltation; that there are infinite gradations beyond the grave as there are here, and as there were in the state preceding this.

"Mormonism" is frequently spoken of as a new religion, and The Church as a new church, a mere addition of one to the many sects that have so long striven for recognition and ascendency among men. It is new only as the spring-time following the

darkness and the cold of the year's night is new. The Church is a novel one only as the ripening fruit is a new development in the course of the tree's growth. In a general and true sense, “Mormonism" is not new to the world. It is founded on the gospel of Christ which antedates this earth. The establishment of The Church in the present age was but a restoration. True, The Church is progressive as it ever has been; it is therefore productive of more and greater things as the years link themselves into the centuries; but the living seed contains within its husk all the possibilities of the mature plant.

This nineteenth century gospel is the old one, the first one, come again. It demands the organization and the authority characteristic of The Church in former days, when there was a Church of God upon the earth; it expects no more consideration, and scarcely hopes for greater popularity, than were accorded the primitive Church. Opposition, persecution, and martyrdom have been its portion, but these tribulations it accepts, knowing well that to bear such has been the lot of the true Church in every

age.

"Mormonism" is more than a code of morals; it claims a higher rank than that of an organization of men planned and instituted by the wisdom and philosophy of men, however worthy. It draws a distinction between morality and religion; and affirms that human duty is not comprised in a mere abstinence from sin. It regards the strictest morality as an indispensable feature of every religious system claiming in any degree divine recognition; and yet it looks upon morality as the alphabet from which the words and sentences of a truly religious life may be framed.

ever

How

euphonious the words, however eloquent the periods, to

make the writing of highest worth, there must be present the

divine

thought; and this, man of himself cannot conceive.

It affirms that there was a yesterday as there is a today, and shall be a tomorrow, in the dealings of God with men; that

Through the ages one increasing purpose runs;

and that purpose,-the working out of a divine plan, the ultimate object of which is the salvation and exaltation of the human family.

The central feature of that plan was the earthly ministry and

the redeeming sacrifice of the Christ in the meridian of time; the consummation shall be ushered in by the return of that same Christ to earth as the Rewarder of righteousnes, the Avenger of iniquity, and as the world's Judge.

The Church holds that in the light of revelation, ancient and modern, and by a fair interpretation of the signs of the times, the second coming of the Redeemer is near at hand. The present is the final dispensation of the earth, in its present state; these are the last days of which the prophets in all ages have sung.

But of what use are theories and philosophies of religion without practical application? Of what avail is belief as a mere mental assent or denial? Let it develop into virile faith; vitalize it; animate it; then it becomes a power for good or for ill. The Latter-day Saints point with some confidence to what they have attempted and begun, and to the little they have already done, in the line of their convictions, as proof of their sincerity.

For the second coming of the Redeemer, preparation is demanded of men; and today, instead of the single priest crying in the wilderness of Judæa, there are thousands going forth among the nations with a message as definite and as important as that of the Baptist; and their proclamation is a revival of the voice in the desert-"Repent! Repent! for the Kingdom of Heaven is at

hand."

The philosophy of "Mormonism" rests on the literal acceptance of a living, personal God, and on the unreserved compliance with his law as from time to time revealed.