--- title: Improvement Era description: Monthly periodical of the Mormon church, 1897 onward. This library holds the issues of November 1897 to December 1930. authors: - Smith, Joseph F. collections: - periodicals tags: - magazine - improvement-era periodical: Improvement Era volume: 6 number: 1 published: 1902-11 publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations publisher_place: Salt Lake City language: en type: magazine reference: 'President Joseph F. Smith, "Editor’s Table—Only One Way," *Improvement Era* 6, no. 1 (November 1902): 64–65.' source: url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera0601unse 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: improvementera0601unse start_page: 64 end_page: 65 rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1902-11) source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera0601unse publication_year: 1902 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 1902, before 1931; a scan-level notice does not restore copyright. --- # Editor's Table—Only One Way EDITOR'S TABLE. ONLY ONE WAY. There is an inclination with some of the young men of Zion to count of little importance the value of the most precious boon that has been given to the Latter-day Saints as a people; viz., the authority from God to act in his name, and to be the Church of Christ. The Lord called upon Joseph Smith the Prophet, and spake unto him from heaven, and gave him commandments, and also gave commandments to others, that they should proclaim them unto the world, that faith might increase, and that the everlast- ing covenant might be established, and the fullness of the gospel The Lord then declared: proclaimed to the ends of the earth. "And also those to whom these commandments were given, might have power to lay the foundation of this Church, and to bring forth out of obscurity and out* of darkness, the only true and living Church upon the face of the whole earth, with which I, the Lord, am well pleased, speaking unto the Church collectively and not individually." (Doctrine and Covenants, section 1: 30). Thus we see how this people were separated from the world, and made peculiar. The Prophet Joseph was appointed to receive commandments and revelations in the Chur_;h (sec. 28: 2), and none other was to hold this position until he should be taken; (43: 2), and none other was to be appointed unto this gift except through him; that is, throagh the power and authority of the Priesthood which he possessed. It is well known that, prior to his death, he called the Twelve, upon whom as a body were bestowed the full powers of the Priest- hood, who in turn bestowed it upon President Brigham Young ac- : EDITOR'S TABLE. 65 cording to the spirit of inspiration, and the Church covenants, which provide that "all things must be done in order, and by com- mon consent in the Church, by the prayer of faith," (Section 28 13). From him it was bestowed in turn upon President John Taylor, and then upon those who have succeeded him as presiding High Priests of the Church unto and including the present day. So that this is the Church of Jesus Christ, "the only true and liv- ing Church upon the face of the whole earth." The point is, therefore, that every person who wishes to be- long to the Church of Christ must submit himself to its consti- tuted authority, and muf t bow to its ordinances and obey the com- mandments. In the words of the Lord: "He that is ordained of me shall come in at the gate." There can be no compromise. Every man must enter in at the gate of baptism who desires to become a member of the Church of Christ, and in entering there- in, he covenants to keep the commandments, and accepts the authority of the Priesthood. No organization of people calling themselves a church, how- ever they might believe in the doctrines of the Church of Christ, could be united as a body thereto, except in the appointed way. The members of such organization individually would have to sub- mit to the ordinance of baptism, which is the gateway of entrance into the Church. And that ordinance would have to be performed by persons holding authority. It would not suffice that such per- sons had once been baptized into some other church, for baptism to be effective must be performed by a person holding authority. The same doctrine applies to individuals. Now when any person affects to believe that such baptism is not necessary, or makes light of the authority by which such ' baptism is performed, that person is in danger of condemning himself, or in other words, excluding himself from the blessings, by thus darkening his mind by vanity and unbelief. The Lord has commanded his servants to go out to reprove the world of all their unrighteous deeds, to teach them of the judgments to come, and to send into all the world the message of the gospel, which is unto all who have not received it, that the testimony may be proclaimed unto every creature; and he has further declared that whosoever believeth on their words, and is