Latest / Philosophy and Faith / 60 - Book of Mormon - Joseph Smith Jr
Transcript
- 0:00Speaker 1: Morona, Chapter eight, an epistle of my father Mormon written
- 0:04Speaker 1: to me, Morone. And it was written unto me soon
- 0:08Speaker 1: after my calling to the ministry. And on this wise
- 0:11Speaker 1: did he write unto me, saying, my beloved son, Morona,
- 0:14Speaker 1: I rejoice exceedingly that your Lord Jesus Christ hath been
- 0:19Speaker 1: mindful of you, and hath called you to his ministry
- 0:22Speaker 1: and to his holy work. I am mindful of you
- 0:25Speaker 1: always in my prayers, continually prying unto God the Father,
- 0:30Speaker 1: in the name of his holy child Jesus, that He,
- 0:33Speaker 1: through his infinite goodness and grace, will keep you through
- 0:37Speaker 1: the endurance of faith on his name to the end.
- 0:40Speaker 1: And now, my son, I speak unto you concerning that
- 0:43Speaker 1: which grieveth me exceedingly, for it grieveth me that there
- 0:47Speaker 1: should be disputations rise among you. For if I have
- 0:50Speaker 1: learned the truth, there have been disputations among you concerning
- 0:54Speaker 1: the baptism of your little children. And now, my son,
- 0:58Speaker 1: I desire that ye should labor diligently that this gross
- 1:02Speaker 1: error should be removed from among you. For for this
- 1:06Speaker 1: intent I have written this epistle. For immediately after I
- 1:10Speaker 1: had learned these things of you, I inquired of the
- 1:13Speaker 1: Lord concerning the matter. And the word of the Lord
- 1:16Speaker 1: came to me by the power of the Holy Ghost, saying,
- 1:20Speaker 1: listen to the words of Christ, your Redeemer, your Lord,
- 1:23Speaker 1: and your God. Behold, I came into the world not
- 1:27Speaker 1: to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. The whole
- 1:31Speaker 1: need no physician, but they that are sick. Wherefore little
- 1:36Speaker 1: children are whole, for they are not capable of committing sin.
- 1:40Speaker 1: Wherefore the curse of Adam is taken from them in me,
- 1:44Speaker 1: that it hath no power over them, and the law
- 1:47Speaker 1: of circumcision is done away in me. And after this
- 1:50Speaker 1: manner did the Holy Ghost manifest the word of God
- 1:53Speaker 1: unto me. Wherefore, my beloved son, I know that it
- 1:57Speaker 1: is solemn mockery before God that ye should baptize little children. Behold,
- 2:03Speaker 1: I say unto you that this thing shall ye teach
- 2:06Speaker 1: repentance and baptism. Unto those who are accountable and capable
- 2:11Speaker 1: of committing sin. Yea teach parents that they must repent
- 2:15Speaker 1: and be baptized, and humble themselves as their little children,
- 2:19Speaker 1: and they shall all be saved with their little children.
- 2:23Speaker 1: And their little children need no repentance. Neither baptism. Behold,
- 2:29Speaker 1: baptism is unto repentance, to the fulfilling the commandments, unto
- 2:33Speaker 1: the remission of sins. But little children are alive in
- 2:37Speaker 1: Christ even from the foundation of the world. If not so,
- 2:42Speaker 1: God is a partial God, and also a changeable God,
- 2:45Speaker 1: and a respector to persons. For how many little children
- 2:49Speaker 1: have died without baptism. Wherefore, if little children could not
- 2:54Speaker 1: be saved without baptism, these must have gone to an
- 2:57Speaker 1: endless hell. Behold, I say unto you that he that
- 3:01Speaker 1: supposeth that little children need baptism is in the gall
- 3:05Speaker 1: of bitterness, and in the bonds of iniquity. For he
- 3:09Speaker 1: hath neither faith, hope, nor charity. Wherefore should he be
- 3:14Speaker 1: cut off, while in the thought he must go down
- 3:17Speaker 1: to hell? For awful is the wickedness to suppose that
- 3:21Speaker 1: God saveth one child because of baptism, and the other
- 3:24Speaker 1: must perish because he hath no baptism. Well be unto
- 3:29Speaker 1: them that shall pervert the ways of the Lord after
- 3:31Speaker 1: this manner, for they shall perish except they repent. Behold,
- 3:36Speaker 1: I speak with boldness, having authority from God, and I
- 3:40Speaker 1: fear not what man can do. For perfect love casteth
- 3:44Speaker 1: out all fear, and I am filled with charity, which
- 3:48Speaker 1: is everlasting love. Wherefore all children are alike unto me.
- 3:53Speaker 1: Wherefore I love little children with a perfect love, and
- 3:56Speaker 1: they are all alike and partakers of salvation. For I
- 4:01Speaker 1: know that God is not a partial God, neither a
- 4:04Speaker 1: changeable being. But He is unchangeable from all eternity to
- 4:09Speaker 1: all eternity. Little children cannot repent. Wherefore it is awful
- 4:14Speaker 1: wickedness to deny the pure mercies of God unto them,
- 4:18Speaker 1: for they are all alive in Him because of His mercy.
- 4:21Speaker 1: And he that saith that little children need baptism denieth
- 4:25Speaker 1: the mercies of Christ and setteth a naught the atonement
- 4:29Speaker 1: of Him and the power of His redemption. Woe unto such,
- 4:34Speaker 1: for they are in danger of death, hell and an
- 4:37Speaker 1: endless torment. I speak it boldly. God hath commanded me
- 4:42Speaker 1: listen unto them and give heed, or they stand against
- 4:45Speaker 1: you at the judgment seat of Christ. For behold that
- 4:49Speaker 1: all little children are alive in Christ, and also all
- 4:53Speaker 1: they that are without the law. For the power of
- 4:56Speaker 1: redemption cometh on all them that have no law. Wherefore,
- 5:00Speaker 1: he that is not condemned or he that is under
- 5:03Speaker 1: no condemnation cannot repent, And unto such baptism availeth nothing.
- 5:09Speaker 1: But it is mockery before God, denying the mercies of
- 5:13Speaker 1: Christ and the power of His Holy Spirit, and putting
- 5:17Speaker 1: trust in dead works. Behold, my son, this thing ought
- 5:21Speaker 1: not to be for repentance is unto them that are
- 5:24Speaker 1: under condemnation and under the curse of a broken law.
- 5:28Speaker 1: And the first fruits of repentance is baptism. And baptism
- 5:32Speaker 1: cometh by faith unto the fulfilling the commandments. And the
- 5:36Speaker 1: fulfilling the commandments bringeth remission of sins. And the remission
- 5:41Speaker 1: of sins bringeth meekness and lowliness of heart. And because
- 5:46Speaker 1: of meekness and lowliness of heart cometh the visitation of
- 5:50Speaker 1: the Holy Ghost, which comfort her fillth with hope and
- 5:53Speaker 1: perfect love, which love endureth by diligence unto prayer, until
- 5:58Speaker 1: the end shall come, when all the saints shall dwell
- 6:02Speaker 1: with God. Behold, my son, I will write unto you
- 6:06Speaker 1: again if I go not out soon against the Lamanites. Behold,
- 6:11Speaker 1: the pride of this nation or the people of the Nephites,
- 6:14Speaker 1: hath proven their destruction except they should repent. Pray for them,
- 6:19Speaker 1: my son, that repentance may come unto them. But behold,
- 6:23Speaker 1: I fear lest the Spirit hath ceased striving with them.
- 6:27Speaker 1: And in this part of the land they are also
- 6:30Speaker 1: seeking to put down all power and authority which cometh
- 6:33Speaker 1: from God. And they are denying the Holy Ghost. And
- 6:37Speaker 1: after rejecting so great a knowledge, my son, they must perish, Son,
- 6:42Speaker 1: unto the fulfilling of the prophecies which were spoken by
- 6:46Speaker 1: the prophets, as well as the words of our Savior himself. Farewell,
- 6:50Speaker 1: my son, until I shall write unto you, or shall
- 6:54Speaker 1: meet you again, Amen, Moroni. Chapter nine, My loved son,
- 7:01Speaker 1: I write unto you again that ye may know that
- 7:03Speaker 1: I am yet alive. But I write somewhat of that
- 7:06Speaker 1: which is grieve us. For behold, I have had a
- 7:10Speaker 1: sore battle with the Lamanites, in which we did not conquer,
- 7:14Speaker 1: and Archiantus has fallen by the sword, and also Lram
- 7:18Speaker 1: and Amrod yea, and we have lost a great number
- 7:21Speaker 1: of our choice men. And now behold, my son, I
- 7:25Speaker 1: fear lest the Lamanites shall destroy this people, for they
- 7:29Speaker 1: do not repent, and Satan stirreth them up continually to
- 7:33Speaker 1: anger one with another. Behold, I am laboring with them continually,
- 7:38Speaker 1: And when I speak the word of God with sharpness,
- 7:41Speaker 1: they tremble in anger against me. And when I use
- 7:44Speaker 1: no sharpness, they hearten their hearts against it. Wherefore I
- 7:48Speaker 1: fear lest the spirit of the Lord hath ceased striving
- 7:51Speaker 1: with them. For so exceedingly do they anger, that it
- 7:55Speaker 1: seemeth me that they have no fear of death. And
- 7:58Speaker 1: they have lost their love one towards another, and they
- 8:01Speaker 1: thirst after blood and revenge continually. And now, my beloved son,
- 8:07Speaker 1: notwithstanding their hardness, let us labor diligently, for if we
- 8:12Speaker 1: should cease to labor, we should be brought under condemnation.
- 8:16Speaker 1: For we have a labor to perform whilst in this
- 8:18Speaker 1: tabernacle of clay, that we may conquer the enemy of
- 8:21Speaker 1: all righteousness and rest our souls in the Kingdom of God.
- 8:26Speaker 1: And now I write somewhat concerning the sufferings of this people,
- 8:30Speaker 1: For according to the knowledge which I have received from Amaron. Behold,
- 8:34Speaker 1: the Lamanites have many prisoners which they took from the
- 8:38Speaker 1: Tower of Shariza. And there were men, women and children,
- 8:42Speaker 1: and the husbands and fathers of those women and children
- 8:45Speaker 1: they have slain, and they feed the women upon the
- 8:48Speaker 1: flesh of their husbands, and the children upon the flesh
- 8:52Speaker 1: of their fathers. And no water, save a little, do
- 8:55Speaker 1: they give unto them. And notwithstanding this great abomination of
- 9:00Speaker 1: the Lamanites, it doth not exceed that of our people
- 9:03Speaker 1: in Moriantum. For behold, many of the daughters of the
- 9:07Speaker 1: Lamanites have they taken prisoners. And after depriving them of
- 9:11Speaker 1: that which was most dear and precious above all things,
- 9:14Speaker 1: which is chastity and virtue. And after they had done
- 9:18Speaker 1: this thing, they did murder them in a most cruel manner,
- 9:22Speaker 1: torturing their bodies even unto death. And after they have
- 9:26Speaker 1: done this, they devour their flesh like unto wild beasts,
- 9:30Speaker 1: because of the hardness of their hearts, and they do
- 9:33Speaker 1: it for a token of bravery. Oh, my beloved son,
- 9:38Speaker 1: how can a people like this that are without civilization?
- 9:42Speaker 1: And only a few years have passed away, and they
- 9:45Speaker 1: were a civil and a delightsome people. But, oh, my son,
- 9:49Speaker 1: how can a people like this whose delight is in
- 9:52Speaker 1: so much abomination? How can we expect that God will
- 9:56Speaker 1: stay his hand and judgment against us? Behold, my heart
- 10:01Speaker 1: cries woe unto this people. Come out in judgment, O God,
- 10:06Speaker 1: and hide their sins and wickedness and abominations from before
- 10:10Speaker 1: thy face. And again, my son, there are many widows
- 10:14Speaker 1: and their daughters who remain in Shariza, and that part
- 10:18Speaker 1: of the provisions which the Lamanites did not carry away. Behold,
- 10:22Speaker 1: the army of XENOPHI has carried away and left them
- 10:25Speaker 1: to wander whithersoever they can for food. And many old
- 10:29Speaker 1: women do faint by the way and die. And the
- 10:33Speaker 1: army which is with me is weak. And the armies
- 10:36Speaker 1: of the Lamanites are betwixt Shariza and me. And as
- 10:39Speaker 1: many as have fled to the army of Arin hath
- 10:42Speaker 1: fallen victims to their awful brutality. Oh, the depravity of
- 10:47Speaker 1: my people. They are without order and without mercy. Behold,
- 10:51Speaker 1: I am but a man, and I have but the
- 10:54Speaker 1: strength of a man. And I cannot any longer enforce
- 10:57Speaker 1: my commands. And they have become strong in their perversion.
- 11:02Speaker 1: And they are alike brutal, sparing, none neither old nor young.
- 11:07Speaker 1: And they delight in everything save that which is good,
- 11:10Speaker 1: and the suffering of our women and our children, upon
- 11:13Speaker 1: all the face of this land doth exceed everything. Yea
- 11:17Speaker 1: tongue cannot tell, neither can it be written. And now
- 11:22Speaker 1: my son, I dwell no longer upon this horrible scene. Behold,
- 11:26Speaker 1: thou knowest the wickedness of this people. Thou knowest that
- 11:30Speaker 1: they are without principle and past feeling, and their wickedness
- 11:34Speaker 1: doth exceed that of the Lamanites. Behold, my son, I
- 11:38Speaker 1: cannot recommend them unto God, lest he should smite me.
- 11:43Speaker 1: But behold, my son, I recommend thee unto God. And
- 11:47Speaker 1: I trust in Christ that thou wilt be saved. And
- 11:51Speaker 1: I pray unto God that he will spare thy life
- 11:54Speaker 1: to witness the return of his people unto Him, or
- 11:57Speaker 1: their utter destruction. For I know that they must perish
- 12:01Speaker 1: except they repent and return unto Him. And if they perish,
- 12:05Speaker 1: it will be like unto the Jaredites, because of the
- 12:08Speaker 1: wilfulness of their hearts, seeking for blood and revenge. And
- 12:13Speaker 1: if it so be that they perish, we know that
- 12:16Speaker 1: many of our brethren have deserted over unto the Lamanites,
- 12:20Speaker 1: and many more will also desert over unto them. Wherefore,
- 12:24Speaker 1: write somewhat a few things, if thou art spared, and
- 12:27Speaker 1: I shall perish and not see THEE. But I trust
- 12:31Speaker 1: that I may see THEE soon, for I have sacred
- 12:34Speaker 1: records that I would deliver up unto THEE my son.
- 12:37Speaker 1: Be faithful in Christ. And may not the things which
- 12:40Speaker 1: I have written grieve THEE to weigh THEE down unto death.
- 12:45Speaker 1: But may Christ lift THEE up. And may his sufferings
- 12:48Speaker 1: and death and the showing his body unto our fathers,
- 12:52Speaker 1: and his mercy and long suffering, and the hope of
- 12:55Speaker 1: his glory and of eternal life rest in your mind forever.
- 13:00Speaker 1: And may the grace of God, the Father, whose throne
- 13:03Speaker 1: is high in the heavens, and our Lord Jesus Christ,
- 13:06Speaker 1: who sitteth on the right hand of his power, until
- 13:10Speaker 1: all things shall become subject unto Him, be and abide
- 13:14Speaker 1: with you forever, Amen, Moroni. Chapter ten. Now I, Moron,
- 13:21Speaker 1: I write somewhat as seemeth me good. And I write
- 13:25Speaker 1: unto my brethren, the Lamanites, And I would that they
- 13:28Speaker 1: should know that more than four hundred and twenty years
- 13:32Speaker 1: have passed away since the sign was given of the
- 13:34Speaker 1: coming of Christ. And I seal up these records after
- 13:38Speaker 1: I have spoken a few words by way of exhortation
- 13:41Speaker 1: unto you. Behold, I would exhort you that when ye
- 13:45Speaker 1: shall read these things, if it be wisdom in God,
- 13:48Speaker 1: that ye should read them, that ye would remember how
- 13:51Speaker 1: merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men,
- 13:55Speaker 1: from the creation of Adam, even down unto the time
- 13:58Speaker 1: that ye shall receive thee these things and ponder it
- 14:01Speaker 1: in your hearts. And when ye shall receive these things,
- 14:05Speaker 1: I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the
- 14:09Speaker 1: Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things
- 14:12Speaker 1: are not true, And if ye shall ask with a
- 14:15Speaker 1: sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he
- 14:20Speaker 1: will manifest the truth of it unto you by the
- 14:22Speaker 1: power of the Holy Ghost. And by the power of
- 14:25Speaker 1: the Holy Ghost, ye may know the truth of all things.
- 14:29Speaker 1: And whatsoever thing is good, is just and true. Wherefore,
- 14:34Speaker 1: nothing that is good denieth the Christ, but acknowledgeth that
- 14:38Speaker 1: he is, and ye may know that he is by
- 14:41Speaker 1: the power of the Holy Ghost. Wherefore I would exhort
- 14:44Speaker 1: you that ye deny not the power of God, for
- 14:48Speaker 1: He worketh by power according to the faith of the
- 14:51Speaker 1: children of men, the same to day, and tomorrow and forever.
- 14:56Speaker 1: And again I exhort you, my brethren, that ye deny
- 14:59Speaker 1: not the gifts of God. For they are many, and
- 15:02Speaker 1: they come from the same God. And there are different
- 15:05Speaker 1: ways that these gifts are administered, But it is the
- 15:08Speaker 1: same God who worketh all in all. And they are
- 15:12Speaker 1: given by the manifestations of the Spirit of God, unto
- 15:15Speaker 1: men to profit them. For behold, to one is given
- 15:19Speaker 1: by the Spirit of God, that he may teach the
- 15:22Speaker 1: word of wisdom, and to another that he may teach
- 15:26Speaker 1: the word of knowledge by the same spirit. And to
- 15:29Speaker 1: another exceedingly great faith, and to another the gifts of
- 15:34Speaker 1: healing by the same spirit, and again to another that
- 15:38Speaker 1: he may work mighty miracles, and again to another that
- 15:42Speaker 1: he may prophesy concerning all things, and again to another
- 15:47Speaker 1: the beholding of angels and ministering spirits, and again to
- 15:51Speaker 1: another all kinds of tongues, and again to another the
- 15:56Speaker 1: interpretation of languages, and of diverse kinds of time ungs.
- 16:01Speaker 1: And all these gifts come by the Spirit of Christ,
- 16:04Speaker 1: and they come unto every man severally according as ye will.
- 16:08Speaker 1: And I would exhort you, my beloved brethren, that ye
- 16:12Speaker 1: remember that every good gift cometh of Christ. And I
- 16:15Speaker 1: would exhort you, my beloved brethren, that ye remember that
- 16:19Speaker 1: He is the same, yesterday, to day and forever, and
- 16:23Speaker 1: that all these gifts of which I have spoken, which
- 16:26Speaker 1: are spiritual, never will be done away, even as long
- 16:30Speaker 1: as the world shall stand, only according to the unbelief
- 16:34Speaker 1: of the children of men. Wherefore there must be faith.
- 16:38Speaker 1: And if there must be faith, there must also be hope.
- 16:42Speaker 1: And if there must be hope, there must also be charity.
- 16:46Speaker 1: And except ye have charity, ye can in no wise
- 16:49Speaker 1: be saved in the Kingdom of God. Neither can ye
- 16:52Speaker 1: be saved in the Kingdom of God, if ye have
- 16:55Speaker 1: not faith. Neither can ye if ye have no hope.
- 16:59Speaker 1: And if ye have no hope, ye must needs be
- 17:02Speaker 1: in despair. And despair cometh because of iniquity. And Christ
- 17:06Speaker 1: truly said unto our fathers, if ye have faith, ye
- 17:10Speaker 1: can do all things which are expedient unto me. And
- 17:14Speaker 1: now I speak unto all the ends of the earth,
- 17:17Speaker 1: that if the day cometh that the power and gifts
- 17:20Speaker 1: of God shall be done away among you, it shall
- 17:23Speaker 1: be because of unbelief, and woe be unto the children
- 17:26Speaker 1: of men. If this be the case, for there shall
- 17:29Speaker 1: be none that doeth good among you, know not one.
- 17:33Speaker 1: For if there be one among you that doeth good,
- 17:36Speaker 1: ye shall work by the power and gifts of God.
- 17:39Speaker 1: And woe unto them who shall do these things away
- 17:42Speaker 1: and die, for they die in their sins, and they
- 17:46Speaker 1: cannot be saved in the Kingdom of God. And I
- 17:49Speaker 1: speak it according to the words of Christ. And I
- 17:52Speaker 1: lie not, And I exhort you to remember these things,
- 17:55Speaker 1: for the time speedily cometh that ye shall now that
- 17:59Speaker 1: I lie not, for ye shall see me at the
- 18:01Speaker 1: bar of God, and the Lord God will say unto you.
- 18:05Speaker 1: Did I not declare my words unto you, which were
- 18:08Speaker 1: written by this man, like as one crying from the dead. Yea,
- 18:12Speaker 1: even as one speaking out of the dust. I declare
- 18:16Speaker 1: these things unto the fulfilling of the prophecies. And behold,
- 18:20Speaker 1: they shall proceed forth out of the mouth of the
- 18:22Speaker 1: Everlasting God, and his word shall hiss forth from generation
- 18:27Speaker 1: to generation. And God shall shew unto you that that
- 18:31Speaker 1: which I have written is true. And again I would
- 18:34Speaker 1: exhort you that ye would come unto Christ and lay
- 18:37Speaker 1: hold upon every good gift and touch not the evil gift,
- 18:42Speaker 1: nor the unclean thing, and awake and arise from the dust,
- 18:46Speaker 1: O Jerusalem, yea, and put on thy beautiful garments, O,
- 18:51Speaker 1: Daughter of Zion, and strengthen thy stakes and enlarge thy borders,
- 18:55Speaker 1: forever that thou mayest no more be confounded, that the
- 18:59Speaker 1: covenants of the Eternal Father, which he hath made unto
- 19:02Speaker 1: thee O House of Israel, may be fulfilled. YEA, come
- 19:06Speaker 1: unto Christ and be perfected in Him, and deny yourselves
- 19:10Speaker 1: of all ungodliness. And if ye shall deny yourselves of
- 19:14Speaker 1: all ungodliness and love God with all your might, mind
- 19:19Speaker 1: and strength, then is His grace sufficient for you, that
- 19:23Speaker 1: by His grace ye may be perfect in Christ. And
- 19:26Speaker 1: if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ,
- 19:29Speaker 1: ye can in no wise deny the power of God.
- 19:32Speaker 1: And again, if ye, by the grace of God, are
- 19:35Speaker 1: perfect in Christ and deny not His power, then are
- 19:39Speaker 1: ye sanctified in Christ by the grace of God through
- 19:42Speaker 1: the shedding of the Blood of Christ, which is in
- 19:45Speaker 1: the covenant of the Father. Unto the remission of your sins,
- 19:49Speaker 1: that ye become wholly without spot. And now I bid
- 19:53Speaker 1: unto all farewell. I soon go to rest in the
- 19:57Speaker 1: Paradise of God, until my spirit and body shall again reunite.
- 20:02Speaker 1: And I am brought forth triumphant through the air to
- 20:05Speaker 1: meet you before the pleasing bar of the Great Jehovah,
- 20:09Speaker 1: the eternal judge of both quick and dead, Amen, And
- 20:15Speaker 1: of Moroni, Chapters eight through ten.