--- title: Improvement Era description: Monthly periodical of the Mormon church, 1897 onward. This library holds the issues of November 1897 to December 1930. authors: - Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations collections: - periodicals tags: - magazine - improvement-era periodical: Improvement Era volume: 4 number: 1 published: 1900-11 publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations publisher_place: Salt Lake City language: en type: magazine reference: 'Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations, "Editor’s Table," *Improvement Era* 4, no. 1 (November 1900): 51–60.' source: url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera0401unse transcription: Transcribed from the Internet Archive scan of each issue (the item for each issue is named in the issue's own source); unnumbered advertising leaves are omitted, printed page numbers are kept as page markers. identifier: improvementera0401unse start_page: 51 end_page: 60 rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1900-11) source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera0401unse publication_year: 1900 note: The Internet Archive item metadata carries a blanket "© Copyright by Intellectual Reserve, Inc." notice. The library owner judged it inapplicable because this issue was published in 1900, before 1931; a scan-level notice does not restore copyright. --- # Editor’s Table EDITOR'S TABLE . THE DOOR INTO THE CHURCH. Among the questions which have been asked of the ERA is this one: What ordinance of the Gospel is the acknowledged step into The Church? Or, is baptism efficacious without confirmation,-i. e., are man's sins forgiven at the completion of the baptism of water ? The question is fully and correctly answered in the following discussion by Dr. George H. Brimhall, and Professors N. L. Nelson and J. B. Keeler, of the Brigham Young Academy: "Verily, verily," said our Savior, "he that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber; but he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep." From this passage three inferences may be drawn: (1) There is a door to the kingdom of God. (2) This door is the same by which Christ himself entered. (3) Men who try to enter by any other way will be ejected as thieves and rob- bers. To discover the door into the Kingdom of God, we have but to turn to Matthew 3: 13-17, which gives an account of Christ's entrance therein. When John marveled that Jesus should present himself for baptism, the Savior replied: "Suffer it to be so now, for thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness." In other words, "Suffer it to be so, for this is the pattern for all to follow. No one can enter the kingdom of God save through baptism." 52 IMPROVEMENT ERA . But note now this fact: no sooner was Christ baptized than the covenant he had made was confirmedby his receiving the Holy Ghost. Wherefore Christ says: "Except a man be born of the water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter thekingdom ofGod." There are thus two doors, it seems-an outer and an inner. Baptism admits through the first, and confirmation through the second. It is possible for people to be kept, as it were, in the outer court of the kingdom for an indefinite length of time: as witness the case of the twelve Ephesians recorded in the nineteenth chap- ter of Acts. They had been baptized according to John'sbaptism, but had not so much as heard about the Holy Ghost. Paul evi- dently doubted the validity of the authority which had baptized them, for he knew that John always told hisdisciples of Christ who should baptize "with fire and with the Holy Ghost." At any rate, he rebaptized them; "and whenhe had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came upon them, and they spake with tongues and prophesied." They were now in the kingdom, but had not been before.* Some interesting questions spring up relative to this subject. The first naturally is, what constitutes baptism; but as this is so often and so thoroughly discussed in many of our commentaries, let us pass to another, viz: What is confirmation? In its widest sense, confirmation is evidently the witness of the Holy Ghost that the ordinance of baptism just performed is counted valid by God, (1) as a token of the remission of the sub- ject's sins, and (2) as a testimony of his acceptance in the king- dom of God. In other words, just as baptism is the witness from the earth-side of life that a covenant has been made, so confirma- tion is the witness of the heaven-side. Entrance into the king- dom requires both witnesses. To hold that baptism by water is sufficient is like holding that a contract is valid without ratification or consummation; as for instance, a marriage ceremony without the living together of husband and wife. As to the means through which the Holy Ghost confirms the *This thought is further explained, and emphasized by the following citations from the Doctrine and Covenants: Section 20: 41-43; 68: 25- 27; 33: 11; 35: 6; 39: 6, 23; 52:10; 53: 3; 55: 1-3. EDITOR'S TABLE. 53 ordinance of baptism, this is by the laying on of hands. If it be asked why this is so, the answer is, simply because God has so ordained. There are two instances on record when the Spirit con- firmed baptism without the laying on of hands, (so far as we know) . The one was that of Christ, the other that of Joseph Smith and - Oliver Cowdery. In the case of the Savior, the Holy Ghost mani- fested itself in the sign of a dove, and a voice from heaven said, "This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased." In the case of Joseph and Oliver, "the ordinance of baptism by water was immediately followed by a most glorious baptism of the Holy er Ghost." Divine joy and inspiration fell upon the two brethren and each in turn exercised to a remarkable degree the spirit of proph- ecy.* It will be noticed, however, that these two exceptions mark the beginning of dispensations. There was at hand no one with authority to confer the Holy Ghost by laying on of hands. But even if we had not these good reasons, the simple fact that God ordained that confirmation is to be by laying of hands must for- ever dispose of the question. Another question is often forced upon the attention of elders in the missionary field, viz: whether a person can be saved without baptism. To people unacquainted with the work being done in the spirit-world, and with the doctrine of baptism for the dead, it seems monstrous injustice to say that no one can enter the king- dom without baptism and confirmation, yet that is precisely what Christ said to Nicodemus. Here is a re-statement of his words as they occur in the Doctrine and Covenants, section 84, verse 74. It is worthy of study in this connection, especially the words which are italicized. "Verily, verily, I say unto you, they who believe not on your words, and are not baptized in water, in my name, for the remis- sion of their sins, that they may receive the Holy Ghost, shall be damned, and shall not come into my Father's kingdom, where my Father and I am." There remains finally the question: Do baptism and the laying on of hands constitute entrance into the kingdom of God? That * See Millennial Star, vol. 3, p. 148. 54 IMPROVEMENT ERA . depends. Baptism followed by confirmation, i. e., the outpouring of the Holy Ghost-certainly does; for such an entrance is attested both by earth and heaven. But baptism and the laying on of hands, with no outpouring of the Spirit, may or may not be a valid entrance. Consider first the case of the man without faith and repentance-say, one who for ulterior purposes, submits to these ordinances ? Is he a member of The Church? Perhaps. Is he in the kingdom of God? Who would dare say so ? Summing up, therefore, we may say, baptism when followed by the confirmation of the Holy Ghost constitutes entrance to the kingdom of God; but it does not constitute salvation or exaltation any more than entrance into a college constitutes an education. But the ordinances themselves are not efficacious save only when accompanied by faith and repentance; for no man can enter the kingdom of God till the kingdom of God has first entered into him. REMARKABLE DISCOVERIES AT NIPPUR. Among the notes, in the ERA for August appeared the fol- lowing: The archæologists uncovered Nippur the other day, with its palaces and courts and abodes of those who were great and mighty, more than 2,500 years before Abraham. There is just one lesson that these ancient ruins teach, and that is the nothingness of fame and that the only real things in life are love and duty.-Albert J. Beveridge. One of our friends has written asking to know what about the remarkable discoveries at Nippur. In reply to his request, the following quotation is reprinted from the London Daily News, whose correspondent has given an account of the disclosures by the expedition sent out by the Pennsylvania expedition. These discoveries are said to carry back the Babylonian civilization to a periodmany thousands of years before Christ, and to identify Nip- EDITOR'S TABLE. 55 pur with Calneh, the city of Nimrod, and one of the four cities mentioned in Genesis, 10: "And Cush begat Nimrod: he began to be amighty one in the earth. He was a mighty hunter before the Lord: wherefore it is said, Even as Nimrod the mighty hunter before the Lord. And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, and Erech, and Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar." Says the correspondent of the News: "First and most important is the discovery of the library of the great temple at Nippur. As far back as eleven years ago, when Dr. Peters, of New York, was at the head of the expedition, Professor Hilprecht pointed out that the remains of this library would be found at the very place where the discovery has taken place this year. The find has been much more important than could have been anticipated. In the course of three months no less than seventeen thousand two hundred tablets, covered with cuneiform writing, have been recovered. The tablets are histor- ical, philological, and literary. They treat of mythology, of gram- mar and lexicography, of science, and of mathematics. There is reason to believe that they will for the first time enable the world to form an adequate idea of life in Babylonia such as only could be possible by the discovery of a national library, recording the national progress in literature, science, and thought generally. No document is found in this collection of a later date than 2280 В. C. As this date marks the invasion of the Elamites, the fact adds confirmatory evidence that the library was destroyed during this invasion. The unexplored remains of the library are even more extensive than those already examined, and professor Hilprecht estimates that at their present rate of working five more years will be necessary to excavate and examine the contents. "In the course of the present excavations a palace belonging to the pre-Sargonic period was uncovered beneath an accumula- tion of seventy feet of rubbish on the southwestern side of the Shatt-en-Nil, dividing Nippur in two parts. Professor Hilprecht considers the discovery of this large building with 600 feet front- age, which will probably turn out to be the palace of the early priest-kings of Nippur, as the most important result of this year's campaign. Already the few rooms excavated have given valuable results in the shape of pre-Sargonic tablets, of seal cylinders of 56 IMPROVEMENT ERA. the earliest type, and clay figurines of early date and great inter- est. A large number of Hebrew and Mandæan vases, of seal cylinders, and of objects of art were discovered, among which may be noted two large stone objects once belonging to the temple outfit of Bel, a well-preserved sacrificial table, with a new inscrip- tion of King Naram-Sin, and a huge black vase dedicatedby Judea of Lagash, that is Tello, to the temple in Nippur." QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS. Form of Confirmation. Is it proper or legal to confer the Holy Ghost upon a baptized believer before he is confirmed a member of The Church ? A reply to this may be found in these words from the Doc- trine and Covenants, section xx, 41-43. It is the duty of an apostle, or elder, "to confirm those who are baptized into The Church, by the laying on of hands for the baptism of fire and the Holy Ghost, according to the scriptures; and to teach, expound, exhort, baptize and watch over The Church; and to confirm The Church by the laying on of the hands, and the giving of the Holy Ghost." The foregoing shows that confirmation and the giving of the Holy Ghost are inseparable. There is a form for special sacred work, provided by the First Presidency, which conforms exactly to the quotations above. In it the word "confirm" comes before, and not after the words "HolyGhost." Legally and logically it is dif- ficult to see how the Holy Ghost can be conferred apart from the confirmation which is "by the laying on of hands for the baptism of fire and the Holy Ghost." The giving of the Holy Ghost is, according to the revelation, the paramount feature of the confirma- tion. In the case of Cornelius, the Holy Ghost was not, in the EDITOR'S TABLE. 57 first place, givenby an ordinance performed by the Priesthood, but by special dispensation ofGod, for a specific purpose. The Sentence of Bresci. What became of Bresci, the anarchist who murdered King Humbert of Italy, last July 29? He was tried at Milan and sentenced to life imprisonment, a sentence the most severe that can be imposed under the laws of Italy for murder-a sentence which is worse, a thousand times, than death, in that country. Solitude and inaction will perhaps drive him mad; and in life imprisonment, he is as effectually buried from the world as if he were in the grave. When given an oppor- tunity to speak, at the trial, Bresci replied: "Sentence me, I am indifferent. I await the next revolution." Has Man Seen God ? "Please explain the 12th verse of the 4th chapter of 1st John." Here is the verse referred to: "No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us." The corre- sponding verse in the inspired revision of the Bible by the Prophet Joseph Smith reads thus: "No man has seen God at any time except them who believe. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and His love is perfected in us." The only difference is that in the first, a qualification is omit- ted, and it appears in the other. The latter is evidently correct, as numerous instances are related in the Bible of man having seen God. "And God spake unto Moses, and said, I am the Lord." "And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name ofGod Almighty, but by my name Jehovah was I not known unto them."-Exodus 6: 2, 3. In Exodus, 24th chap., it is stated that Moses, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu and seventy elders of Israel saw the God of Israel. Read the first paragraph of the Pearl of Great Price, which states that no man can endure the presence of God unless the glory of God rest upon him. The same principle is laid down in 58 IMPROVEMENT ERA . the Doctrine and Covenants, Sec. 67, par. 11: "For no man has seen God at any time in the flesh, except quickened by the Spirit of God." Witnesses in Heaven and on Earth. Explain the eighth verse of the fifth chapter of I John. How do the water and the blood bear witness in the earth? By reading the first part of the fifth chapter of I John, one can see that stress is laid on a man's being born again the same subject that is treated in John's Gospel, third chapter, verses three to eight. This birth is through the atonement of Christ, (the blood,) baptism (the water,) and the bestowal of the Holy Ghost (the Spirit.) These three, therefore, bear witness on earth of the new birth (from sin to righteousness,) just as the Father of the Word (the Son,) and the Holy Ghost bear witness in heaven. Hence, the new birth, typified by baptism, is performed on earth in the name of the three who bear witness in heaven; and thus there are three also that bear corresponding witness on earth-the Spirit, the water, and the blood. Some have also tried to show a relationship between this spiritual birth, and the water, spirit and blood of the natural, or physical, birth. This is simply an extension of the symbolism, and does not appear necessary to the interpretation of the passage in question. About Secret Societies. 1. "Why was Joseph the Prophet a Free Mason? 2. Why is Apostle Heber J. Grant an Odd Fellow ? 3. Give some Bible and Book of Mor- mon evidences that secret societies are the institutions of the evil one." 1. See "Gems from the History of Joseph Smith," in "Com- pendium of the Doctrines of the Gospel," page 274. 2. Apostle Heber J. Grant is not and never has been an Odd Fellow. 3. The following references furnish the evidences: Holy Scriptures revised by inspiration by Joseph Smith.-Gen. 5: 14-18. Pearl of Great Price-pages 13-16, edition 1891. EDITOR'S TABLE. 59 Doctrine and Covenants-section 42, par. 63-64. Book of Mormon-page 112, par. 22; page 481; page 446, par. 21-22; page 491, par. 25-30; page 492, par. 6-7; page 588, par. 22 to end of chapter; words of Christ, page 514, par. 10.. The reason why The Church, through its authority, is opposed to its members connecting themselves with oath-bound secret com- binations must be clear to every well-informed, intelligent Latter- day Saint. Revelation has plainly pointed out their origin, char- acter and tendency. The fact that many of them are of a mild type does not change the situation. Covenants they impose are liable to conflict with religious obligations, which should be held sacredly free. In their worst form, such secret associations are destructive of all good government. BOOK MENTION. Marcus King, Mormon. This is the title of a little book written by Nephi Anderson, and recently issued from the press of Cannon and Sons. The story has already appeared in the Juvenile Instructor as a serial. It deals with the life of a minister who becomes a convert to the Gospel, and who joins the Latter-day Saints. In it many of the Saints who have come from foreign lands, or who have joined The Church in mature years, will find bits of thrilling experience recalling similar episode in their own careers. The book deals with a sample experience, a case as common as one can be to all. No people in the world have a more interesting private or individual history than the converts of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In "Marcus King, Mormon," one of these private stories is told, and it will awaken many reminiscences in the lives of those who peruse it. The tendency of the work is wholesome; the lan- guage is so plain that even children become interested, andthe 60 IMPROVEMENT ERA . author shows marked and commendable improvement in literary finish. Price 20 cents.-Deseret News, Salt Lake City. TheRise and Fall of Nauvoo. In reply to several inquiries the announcement is made by the publishers, the Deseret News Co., that this new volume, by Elder B. H. Roberts will be out of press and ready for distribution on or about the 10th of November, the delay in publication being attrib- uted to the failure to obtain the necessary paper in time. TheGreat Salt Lake, Present and Past. "The Great Salt Lake, Present and Past," by James E. Tal- mage, Ph, D., F. R. S. E., F. G. S., Professor of Geology, Univer- sity of Utah, is an illustrated booklet of 112 pages, offering infor- mation, as its title indicates, of our wonderful inland lake. It is a handy compilation of a variety of articles heretofore printed in various periodicals by the author, and gives in compact form all the points of trustworthy information on record regarding the lake. The introductory gives a brief story of its discovery, and of the discoverers from La Hontan to Bridger. Then succeeds a description of the scenic beauties of the present lake and its attractions as a pleasure and health resort. These lighter matters are followed by statistical data, and by a scientific discussion of the water, the life, and the economic importance of the lake. The Great Basin, and the ancient Lake Bonneville, form the conclud- ing chapters. The community owes much to Dr. Talmage for his researches and faithful descriptions laid open, in plain language and for popular reading, in this reliable little volume. Every young man should be informed upon the subject. This record if read will prepare him to answer all questions about the lake in an intelligent manner and with only little study. Deseret News, Salt Lake City. Price 25 cents.