Some Mistakes Made While Preaching the Gospel

SOME MISTAKES MADE WHILE PREACHING THE GOSPEL. BY ELDER WM. A. MORTON.

Of course, our elder? have made maay mistakes. Indeed, it would have been the greatest miracle ever known if they had not done so. What could be expected from young men, scarcely out of their teens, taken from almost every avocation in life, without any special preparation, and sent forth on a few weeks' notice, to preach the gospel which the Savior and his apostles taught. The Lord knows full well how many of the elders would act, and knowing that, he inspired his servant Joseph Smith to give counsel and words of warning to them, that they might know how to conduct themselves in the mission field, and thus save themselves from much persecution. Now, we know that many of the elders have suffered a great deal of persecution, and we also know that much of it came to them because they failed to hearken to the counsel of the Lord. At a conference, some time ago, the elders were reporting their labors. One of the brethren stated that he and his compan- ion had been subjected to considerable persecution, and on one oc- casion had been " rotten egged." Another missionary said that in the locality in which he and his companion had been laboring, the people had "egged" them also; "but," said he, "the eggs were served on platters." Perhaps if the former elder had acted as wisely as his fellow laborer, he would have had a different "egg" story to tell.

This is the counsel which the Prophet gave to those who might be called and sent forth to proclaim the Gospel to the na- tions of the earth: "What the elders should preach—March 30, 1836. The elders

—

610 IMPROVEMENl ERA.

met in the Kirtland Temple, to attend to the ordinance of washing of feet, under the direction of the Prophet Joseph. He made the following remarks: 'That the time that we were required to tarry in Kirtland to be endowed, would be fulfilled in a few days, and then the elders would go forth, and each must stand for him- self, as it was not necessary for them to be sent out, two by two, as in former times, but to go in all meekness, in sobriety, and preach Jesus Christ and him crucified, and not contend with others on account oj their faith, or systems of religion, but pursue a steady course. This I delivered by way of commandment; and all who observe it not will pull down persecution upon their heads, while those who do shall always be filled with the Holy Ghost. This I

pronounced as a prophecy, and sealed up with hosanna and amen." Compendium, p. 268. A short time ago I picked up a newspaper which contained an account of the experience of two young missionaries. They had been sent to open up a new district. They went around during the day and distributed tracts, and gave notice of an open-air meeting which was to be held in the evening. A large crowd of people assembled. During the meeting, the people became very angry, and at the close of the service they denounced the brethren, and told them they did not want them to hold any more meetings there. The missionaries, however, told the people that they would return the following week and hold another meeting. They kept their promise, and the next week the people were even more angry than they had been the previous week. A week later, the elders returned, and found the people filled with indignation against them. They were worked up to a "white heat," as it were. The elder gave a description of the excited condition of the people, and then added: "They were very angry, but we didn't care about that. We opened our meeting and Elder began to preach to the people about the apostasy." The elder's remarks so roused the ire of the already angry

multitude, that they ordered the missionaries to leave their city,

and threatened to do bodily violence to them if they did not do so. To preach the apostasy to a people so agitated as those people were, seems to me to have been a very unwise proceeding; it was just like shaking a red flag in the face of an angry bull.

SOME MISTAKES MADE WHILE PREACHING. 611

I think that many of the elders have been too combative, and also antagonistic. Instead of preaching Jesus Christ and him crucified, they have attacked the people's religion and ridiculed it. We do not like people to speak disrespectfully of our faith; then why should we speak disrespectfully of other people's religion? Catholicism is to Catholics what "Mormonism" is to us; the Method- ists and Baptists have as much love for their religion as we have for ours, and we should live up to our profession and allow all men to worship God according to the dictates of their own conscience. If elders would spend more time in worshiping and preaching about the true God —the God of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob — and let the Christian God alone, much better results would follow. I think

that our missionaries could profitably follow the example of St. Patrick. When that faithful missionary came to Ireland, he found the people steeped in idolatry; but it is recorded that he went to work and took down their idols so quietly that the people stood looking on, thinking all the time that he was performing an act of worship. Instead of wasting time in denouncing the bodiless, partless, passionless God of modern Christendom, let us tell the people of the true and the living God, who made the heavens and the earth, and man in his own image; instead of condemning the religion of the world, let us spend our time in proclaiming the true, pure, gospel of Christ that has been revealed in these latter days. If people

can see anything at all, they will be able to see the beauty, the truth and divinity of our religion, and they will forsake the foolish traditions and fables of their fathers, and lay hold on those better things. I remember well the first gospel sermon I ever heard. It

was preached by Elder David H. Morris, of St. George, Utah. In plain, simple language, and in a meek and quiet spirit he laid be-

fore us the gospel of Jesus Christ; he did not refer to or condemn any religion. I saw at a glance the superiority of the "Mormon" doctrine, and that night I gave up the faith of my fathers, and accepted with gladness the message of life and salvation revealed from heaven. I hope that these few suggestions may be profitable to our young missionaries.