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34 - Book of Mormon - Joseph Smith Jr · Philosophy and Faith

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  Speaker 1: Alma chapter thirty three. Now, after Almah had spoken these words,
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  Speaker 1: they sent forth unto him, desiring to know whether they
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  Speaker 1: should believe in one God that they might obtain this
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  Speaker 1: fruit of which he had spoken, or how they should
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  Speaker 1: plant the seed or the word of which he had spoken,
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  Speaker 1: which he said must be planted in their hearts, or
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  Speaker 1: in what manner they should begin to exercise their faith.
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  Speaker 1: And Almah said unto them, behold, ye have said that
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  Speaker 1: ye could not worship your God because ye are cast
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  Speaker 1: out of your synagogues. But behold, I say unto you,
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  Speaker 1: if ye suppose that ye cannot worship God, ye do
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  Speaker 1: greatly err. And ye ought to search the scriptures. If
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  Speaker 1: ye suppose that they have taught you this, ye do
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  Speaker 1: not understand them. Do ye remember to have read what Zenus,
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  Speaker 1: the prophet of Old, has said concerning prayer or worship.
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  Speaker 1: For he said, thou art merciful, O God, For thou
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  Speaker 1: hast heard my prayer even when I was in the
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  Speaker 1: world wilderness. Yea, thou wast merciful when I prayed concerning
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  Speaker 1: those who were mine enemies, and thou didst turn them
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  Speaker 1: to me? Yea, O God, And thou wast merciful unto
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  Speaker 1: me when I did cry unto THEE in my field,
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  Speaker 1: when I did cry unto THEE in my prayer, and
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  Speaker 1: thou didst hear me. And again, O God, when I
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  Speaker 1: did turn to my house, thou didst hear me in
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  Speaker 1: my prayer. And when I did turn unto my closet,
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  Speaker 1: O Lord, and prayed unto THEE, Thou didst hear me. Yea,
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  Speaker 1: Thou art merciful unto thy children when they cry unto THEE,
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  Speaker 1: to be heard of THEE and not of men, and
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  Speaker 1: thou wilt hear them. Yea, O God, Thou hast been
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  Speaker 1: merciful unto me and heard my cries in the midst
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  Speaker 1: of thy congregations. Yea. And thou hast also heard me
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  Speaker 1: when I have been cast out and have been despised
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  Speaker 1: by mine enemies. Yea, Thou didst hear my cries andwst
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  Speaker 1: angry with mine enemies, and thou didst visit them in
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  Speaker 1: thine anger with speedy destruction. And thou didst hear me
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  Speaker 1: because of mine afflictions and my sincerity. And it is
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  Speaker 1: because of thy son that thou hast been thus merciful
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  Speaker 1: unto me. Therefore I will cry unto THEE in all
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  Speaker 1: mine afflictions, for in THEE is my joy. For thou
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  Speaker 1: hast turned thy judgments away from me because of thy son.
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  Speaker 1: And now Almah said, unto them, do ye believe those
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  Speaker 1: scriptures which have been written by them of old? Behold,
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  Speaker 1: if ye do, ye must believe what Zenus said. For behold,
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  Speaker 1: he said, thou hast turned away thy judgments because of
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  Speaker 1: thy son. And behold, my brethren, I would ask if
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  Speaker 1: ye have read the scriptures. If ye have, how can
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  Speaker 1: ye disbelieve on the Son of God? For it is
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  Speaker 1: not written that Zenis alone spake of these things. But
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  Speaker 1: Zenik also spake of these things. For behold, he said,
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  Speaker 1: thou art angry, o Lord with this people, because they
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  Speaker 1: will not understand thy mercies which thou hast bestowed upon
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  Speaker 1: them because of thy son. And now, my brethren, ye
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  Speaker 1: see that a second prophet of old has testified of
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  Speaker 1: the Son of God. And because the people would not
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  Speaker 1: understand his words, they stoned him to death. But behold,
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  Speaker 1: this is not all. These are not the only ones
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  Speaker 1: who have spoken concerning the Son of God. Behold, he
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  Speaker 1: was spoken of by Moses, Yea and behold, a type
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  Speaker 1: was raised up in the wilderness, that whosoever would look
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  Speaker 1: upon it might live. And many did look and live.
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  Speaker 1: But few understood the meaning of those things, and this
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  Speaker 1: because of the hardness of their hearts. But there were
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  Speaker 1: many who were so hardened that they would not look.
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  Speaker 1: Therefore they perished. Now the reason they would not look
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  Speaker 1: is because they did not believe that it would heal them. Oh,
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  Speaker 1: my brethren, if ye could be healed by merely casting
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  Speaker 1: about your eyes, that ye might be healed, would ye
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  Speaker 1: not behold quickly? Or would ye rather harden your hearts
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  Speaker 1: in unbelief and be slothful, that ye would not cast
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  Speaker 1: about your eyes, that ye might perish. If so, woe
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  Speaker 1: shall come upon you. But if not so, then cast
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  Speaker 1: about your eyes and begin to believe in the Son
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  Speaker 1: of God, that he will come to redeem his people,
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  Speaker 1: and that he shall suffer and die to atone for
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  Speaker 1: their sins, and that he shall rise again from the dead,
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  Speaker 1: which shall bring to pass the Resurrection, that all men
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  Speaker 1: shall stand before Him to be judged at the last
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  Speaker 1: and judgment day according to their works. And now, my brethren,
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  Speaker 1: I desire that ye shall plant this word in your hearts.
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  Speaker 1: And as it beginneth to swell, even so nourish it
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  Speaker 1: by your faith, and behold it will become a tree
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  Speaker 1: springing up in you unto everlasting life. And then may
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  Speaker 1: God grant unto you that your burdens may be light
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  Speaker 1: through the joy of His Son. And even all this
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  Speaker 1: can ye do if ye will amen Alma chapter thirty four.
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  Speaker 1: And now it came to pass that after Almah had
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  Speaker 1: spoken these words unto them, he sat down upon the ground,
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  Speaker 1: and amulch arose began to teach them, saying, my brethren,
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  Speaker 1: I think that it is impossible that ye should be
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  Speaker 1: ignorant of the things which have been spoken concerning the
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  Speaker 1: coming of Christ, who is taught by us to be
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  Speaker 1: the son of God. Yea. I know that these things
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  Speaker 1: were taught unto you bountifully before your dissension from among us.
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  Speaker 1: And as ye have desired of my beloved brother, that
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  Speaker 1: he should make known unto you what ye should do
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  Speaker 1: because of your afflictions. And he hath spoken somewhat unto
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  Speaker 1: you to prepare your minds, yea. And he hath exhorted
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  Speaker 1: you unto faith and to patience, yea, Even that ye
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  Speaker 1: would have so much faith as even to plant the
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  Speaker 1: Word in your hearts, that ye may try the experiment
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  Speaker 1: of its goodness. And we have beheld that the great
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  Speaker 1: question which is in your minds is whether the Word
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  Speaker 1: be in the Son of God, or whether there shall
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  Speaker 1: be no Christ. And ye also beheld that my brother
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  Speaker 1: hath proved unto you in many instances that the Word
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  Speaker 1: is in Christ unto salvation. My brother has called upon
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  Speaker 1: the words of Zenus that redemption cometh through the Son
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  Speaker 1: of God, and also upon the words of Zenich. And
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  Speaker 1: also he has appealed unto Moses to prove that these
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  Speaker 1: things are true. And now behold, I will testify unto
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  Speaker 1: you of myself that these things are true. Behold, I
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  Speaker 1: say unto you that I do know that Christ shall
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  Speaker 1: come among the children of men to take upon him
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  Speaker 1: the transgressions of his people, and that he shall atone
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  Speaker 1: for the sins of the world. For the Lord God
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  Speaker 1: hath spoken it. For it is expedient that an atonement
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  Speaker 1: should be made, for according to the great plan of
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  Speaker 1: the Eternal God, there must be an atonement made, or
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  Speaker 1: else all mankind must unavoidably perish. YEA all are hardened.
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  Speaker 1: YEA all are fallen and are lost, and must perish,
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  Speaker 1: except it be through the atonement, which it is expedient
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  Speaker 1: should be made. For it is expedient that there should
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  Speaker 1: be a great and last sacrifice. Yea, not a sacrifice
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  Speaker 1: of man, neither of beast, neither of any manner of foul.
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  Speaker 1: For it shall not be a human sacrifice. But it
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  Speaker 1: must be an infinite and eternal sacrifice. Now, there is
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  Speaker 1: not any man that can sacrifice his own blood, which
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  Speaker 1: will atone for the sins of another. Now, if a
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  Speaker 1: man murdereth, behold, will our law, which is just, take
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  Speaker 1: the life of his brother? I say unto you, nay,
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  Speaker 1: But the law requireth the life of him who hath murdered. Therefore,
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  Speaker 1: there can be nothing which is short of an infinite atonement,
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  Speaker 1: which will suffice for the sins of the world. Therefore
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  Speaker 1: it is expedient that there should be a great and
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  Speaker 1: last sacrifice. And then one shall there be, or it
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  Speaker 1: is expedient there should be a stop to the shedding
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  Speaker 1: of blood. Then shall the law of Moses be fulfilled. Yea,
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  Speaker 1: it shall be all fulfilled. Every jot and tittle, and
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  Speaker 1: none shall have passed away. And behold, this is the
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  Speaker 1: whole meaning of the law, every whit pointing to the
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  Speaker 1: great and last sacrifice. And that great and last sacrifice
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  Speaker 1: will be the Son of God, yea infinite and eternal,
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  Speaker 1: and thus he shall bring salvation to all those who
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  Speaker 1: shall believe on His name. This being the intent of
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  Speaker 1: this last sacrifice to bring about the bowels of mercy,
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  Speaker 1: which overpowereth justice and bringeth about means unto men, that
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  Speaker 1: they may have faith unto repentance, and thus mercy can
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  Speaker 1: satisfy the demands of justice and encircles them in the
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  Speaker 1: arms of safety. While he that exercises no faith unto
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  Speaker 1: repentance is exposed to the whole law of the demands
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  Speaker 1: of justice. Therefore, for only unto him that has faith
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  Speaker 1: unto repentance is brought about the great and eternal plan
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  Speaker 1: of redemption. Therefore, may God grant unto you, my brethren,
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  Speaker 1: that ye may begin to exercise your faith unto repentance,
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  Speaker 1: that ye begin to call upon His Holy name, that
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  Speaker 1: He would have mercy upon you. Yea cry unto Him
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  Speaker 1: for mercy, for he is mighty to save yea humble
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  Speaker 1: yourselves in continue and prayer unto him, Cry unto Him
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  Speaker 1: when ye are in your fields, YEA, over all your flocks,
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  Speaker 1: cry unto him. In your houses, yea, over all your household,
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  Speaker 1: both mourning, mid day and evening. YEA, cry unto him
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  Speaker 1: against the power of your enemies. YEA, cry unto him
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  Speaker 1: against the devil, who is an enemy to all righteousness.
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  Speaker 1: Cry unto him over the crops of your fields, that
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  Speaker 1: ye may prosper in them. Cry over the flocks of
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  Speaker 1: your fields, that they may increase. But this is not all.
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  Speaker 1: Ye must pour out your souls in your closets and
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  Speaker 1: your secret places, and in your wilderness. Yea. And when
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  Speaker 1: ye do not cry unto the Lord, let your hearts
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  Speaker 1: be full drawn out in prayer unto him continually for
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  Speaker 1: your welfare and also for the welfare of those who
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  Speaker 1: are around you. And now, behold, my beloved brethren, I
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  Speaker 1: say unto you, do not suppose that this is all
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  Speaker 1: for after ye have done all these things, if ye
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  Speaker 1: turn away the needy and the naked, and visit not
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  Speaker 1: the sick and afflicted, and impart of your substance, if
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  Speaker 1: ye have to those who stand in need, I say
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  Speaker 1: unto you. If ye do not any of these things,
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  Speaker 1: behold your prayer is vain and availeth you nothing, And
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  Speaker 1: ye are as hypocrites who do deny the faith. Therefore,
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  Speaker 1: if ye do not remember to be charitable, ye are
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  Speaker 1: as dross which the refiners do cast out, it, being
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  Speaker 1: of no worth and a trodden under the foot of men.
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  Speaker 1: And now, my brethren, I would that, after ye have
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  Speaker 1: received so many witnesses, seeing that the holy scriptures testify
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  Speaker 1: of these things, ye come forth and bring fruit unto repentance. YEA.
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  Speaker 1: I would that ye would come forth and harden not
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  Speaker 1: your hearts any longer. For behold, now is the time
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  Speaker 1: and the day of your salvation. And therefore, if ye
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  Speaker 1: will repent and harden not your hearts, immediately shall the
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  Speaker 1: great plan of redemption be brought about unto you. For behold,
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  Speaker 1: this life is the time for men to prepare to
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  Speaker 1: meet God. YEA. Behold, the day of this life is
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  Speaker 1: the day for men to perform their labors. And now,
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  Speaker 1: as I said unto you before, as ye have had
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  Speaker 1: so many witnesses, therefore I beseech of you that ye
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  Speaker 1: do not procrastinate the day of your repentance until the end.
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  Speaker 1: For after this day of life, which has given us
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  Speaker 1: to prepare for eternity. Behold, if we do not improve
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  Speaker 1: our time while in this life, then cometh the night
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  Speaker 1: of darkness, wherein there can be no labor performed. Ye
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  Speaker 1: cannot say, when ye are brought to that awful crisis,
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  Speaker 1: that I will repent, that I will return to my God. Nay,
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  Speaker 1: ye cannot say this. For that same spirit which doth
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  Speaker 1: possess your bodies at the time that ye go out
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  Speaker 1: of this life, that same spirit will have power to
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  Speaker 1: possess your body in that eternal world. For behold, if
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  Speaker 1: ye have procrastinated the day of your repentance even until death, behold,
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  Speaker 1: ye have become subjected to the spirit of the devil,
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  Speaker 1: and he doth seal you his Therefore, the spirit of
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  Speaker 1: the Lord hath withdrawn from you, and hath no place
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  Speaker 1: in you, and the devil hath all power over you.
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  Speaker 1: And this is the final state of the wicked. And
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  Speaker 1: this I know because the Lord hath said he dwelleth
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  Speaker 1: not in unholy temples, but in the hearts of the righteous.
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  Speaker 1: Doth he dwell yea. And he has also said that
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  Speaker 1: the righteous shall sit down in his kingdom to go
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  Speaker 1: no more out, but their garments should be made white
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  Speaker 1: through the blood of the Lamb. And now, my beloved brethren,
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  Speaker 1: I desire that ye should remember these things, and that
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  Speaker 1: ye should work out your salvation with fear before God,
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  Speaker 1: and that ye should no more deny the coming of Christ,
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  Speaker 1: that ye contend no more against the Holy Ghost, but
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  Speaker 1: that ye receive it and take upon you the name
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  Speaker 1: of Christ. That ye humble yourselves even to the dust,
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  Speaker 1: and worship God in whatsoever place ye may be in,
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  Speaker 1: in spirit and in truth, and that ye live in
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  Speaker 1: thanksgiving daily for the many mercies and blessings which He
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  Speaker 1: doth bestow upon you. Yea. And I also exhort you,
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  Speaker 1: my brethren, that ye be watchful unto prayer continually, that
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  Speaker 1: ye may not be led away by the temptations of
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  Speaker 1: the devil, that he may not overpower you, that ye
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  Speaker 1: may not become his subjects the last day, for behold,
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  Speaker 1: he rewardeth you no good thing. And now, my beloved brethren,
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  Speaker 1: I would exhort you to have patience, and that ye
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  Speaker 1: bear with all manner of afflictions, that ye do not
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  Speaker 1: revile against those who do cast you out because of
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  Speaker 1: your exceeding poverty, lest ye become sinners. Liken to them,
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  Speaker 1: but that ye have patience and bear with those afflictions
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  Speaker 1: with a firm hope, that ye shall one day rest
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  Speaker 1: from all your afflictions. And of Alma, chapters thirty three
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  Speaker 1: through thirty four,