History of Joseph Smith, the Prophet and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Joseph F. Smith
that no man can be too good to be saved, but that many may be too bad;
That it comes to declare that goodness consists in doing good, not merely in preaching it;
That it comes to show that all men's religion is vain without charity;
That it comes to open the way for Zion to rise and put on her beautiful garments and become the glory of the earth, that her land may be joined, or married (according to the known translation of Isaiah) to Jerusalem again, and they be one as they were in the days of Peleg.
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Man, being created but little below the angels, only wants to know for himself, and not by another, that, by obeying the commands of his Creator, he can rise again after death, in the flesh, and reign with Christ a thousand years on the earth without sin; be changed in the twinkling of an eye, and become a King and Priest to God in eternity—to forsake his sins, and say: Lord, I am thine! The first words of which we have any account that Jesus Christ spake concerning the things of eternal life, were, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he was baptized: and truly, if it became the Savior of the world, holy as He was, to be baptized in the meridian of time, to fulfil all righteousness, how much more necessary it is for man to be baptized in order to be saved. * * *
As this paper is devoted to the great concerns of eternal things and the gathering of the Saints, it will leave politics, the gainsaying of the world, and many other matters, for their proper channels, endeavoring by all means to set an example before the world, which, when followed, will lead our fellow-men to the gates of glory, where the wicked cease from troubling, and where the weary will find rest. That there may be errors both in us and in the paper, we readily admit, but we mean to grow better, till, from little children, we all come into the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, which we pray may be the happy lot of thousands, before He comes with the hundred and forty and four thousand that are without guile.1
To the Church of Christ Abroad in the Earth.
It is the duty of the Church of Christ, in Zion, to stand as an ensign to all nations, that the Lord has set His hand the second time to restore the house of Israel to the lands of their inheritance; and it behoves the members of this Church to manifest before the world by a godly walk, by a noble example, as well as by sterling precept; by prudence in living, by plainness in dress, by industry, by economy, by faith and works, and, above all, by solemnity, humility and patience, that this is a day of warning and not a day of many words.
This being the order in Zion, how much more necessary is it, that the churches of Christ, which have not yet come up to this land should show the world, by well ordered conduct in all things, that they are the children of the living God! It is all-important, and the salvation of many souls depends upon their faultless example. They will, therefore, knowing that the Lord will suddenly come to His temple, do their part in preparing the way, by observing the Sabbath day, and keeping it holy; by teaching their children the Gospel, and teaching them to pray; by avoiding extremes in all matters; by shunning every appearance of evil; by studying to be approved, and doing unto others as they would have others do unto them; by bearing trouble and persecution patiently, without a murmur, knowing that Michael, the Arch-angel, when contending with the devil—he disputed about the body of Moses—durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee. They will not only set an example worthy of imitation, but they will let their light so shine that others, seeing their good works may go and do likewise. Example is the great thing that defies the world with all its vain glory; by letting their moderation be known unto all men, both in dress and in living; in words and in deeds; in watching and in praying; in love and in labor, and in works as well as in faith, they, [the Saints] preach the world a lecture, they set the inquirer an example, and teach all Christendom a lesson, that studied preaching and pulpit eloquence have failed to accomplish.
Common Schools.
The disciples should lose no time in preparing schools for their children, that they may be taught as is pleasing unto the Lord, and brought up in the way of holiness. Those appointed to select and prepare books for the use of schools, will attend to that subject as soon as more weighty matters are finished.2 But the parents and guardians in the Church of Christ need not wait—it is all-important that children to become good should be taught [good]. Moses, while delivering the words of the Lord to the congregation of Israel, that is, to the parents, says, "And these words which I command thee this day, shall be in thy heart: and thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thy house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down and when thou risest up. And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thy hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes." If it were necessary them to teach their children diligently, how much more necessary is it now, when the Church of Christ is to be an ensign, yea, even an ensample to the world, for good? A word to the wise ought to be sufficient, for children soon become men and women. Yes, they are they that must follow us, and perform the duties which not only appertain to this world, but to the second coming of the Savior, even preparing for the Sabbath of creation, and for eternity.
The "Star" Office.
The Star office is situated within twelve miles of the west line of the state of Missouri; which at present is the western limits of the United States, and about 120 miles west of any press in the state, in about 39 degrees of north latitude, and about 17 1/2 degrees of west longitude, 2 1/2 miles south of Missouri river; 280 miles by land, or 500 by water, west of St. Louis; nearly 1,200 miles west of Washington; 1,300 miles from New York, and more than 1,500 miles from Boston.
Second No. of the Star.
In August we were again delighted to receive the Star. The following is extracted from the second [July] number:
The Elders in the Land of Zion, to the Church of Christ Scattered Abroad.
Brethren, we think it proper to give you some general information respecting the present state of the Church in Zion, and also the work of the gathering. Notwithstanding that nearly all Christendom doubt the propriety of receiving revelations for the government of the Church of Christ in this age, and generally adopt the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments as the only rule of faith and practice, yet we believe, from the Scriptures of truth, that to every church in past ages, which the Lord recognized to be His, He gave revelations, wisely calculated to govern them in the peculiar situation and circumstances under which they were placed, and to enable them by authority to do the peculiar work which they were to perform. The Bible contains revelations given at different times to different people, under different circumstances, as will be seen by editorial articles in this paper. The old world was destroyed for rejecting the revelations of God given to them through Noah. The Israelites were destroyed in the wilderness for despising the revelations given to them through Moses; and Christ said that the world, in the days of the Apostles, would be condemned for not receiving the word of God through them: Thus we see that the judgments of God in the past ages have come upon the people, not so much for neglecting the revelations given to their forefathers, as for rejecting those given immediately to themselves. Of the blessings of heaven it may be said, that they always rested upon the heads of those to whom they were promised. Therefore, seeing that it not only was, but, as long as God remains the same, always will be, the privilege of the true Church to receive revelations, containing blessings and cursings, peculiarly adapted to itself as a Church, we conclude that it is a mistaken notion that the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are the only rule of faith and practice; nevertheless, inasmuch as the precepts and examples contained in them are truly applicable to us under our particular circumstances, we are bound to be governed by them; and we also can receive much benefit from such prophecies as point out the events that shall take place in our day and age. Of these there are many, both in the Old and the New Testaments. They speak plainly of great things that shall be accomplished in the last days;—such as preaching the everlasting Gospel to all nations; the gathering of the elect from the four winds of heaven; the building up of Zion and Jerusalem, or the ingathering of the remnants of Jacob, and the planting them in the lands of their fathers' inheritance; the necessary