Some Mistakes Made While Preaching the Gospel

SOME MISTAKES MADE WHILE PREACHING THE GOSPEL. BY W. A. MORTON.

I will now make mention of a serious error into which the writer, in connection with many other elders, fell when he firstbegan to preach the gospel. My zeal was unbounded. T

wanted to convert everybody I me.. For three months, I preached night and day to my relatives, and was rewarded with cold indif- ference. At the end of that time, they manifested no more de- sire for the gospel than if they had never heard it. This annoyed me very much. I denounced them as being wilfully blind, and separated myself from their company. I began to practice the "hermit act," shutting myself up in my rooms, studying the Church works, and raising daily in my own estima- tion, while my relatives became to me objects of contempt instead of pity. Paul warned the Saints in his day not to be righteous over- much, and the Lord warned me in a dream against being zealous over-much. I retired to rest one night feeling very much annoyed because my relatives would not believe my testimony that I knew that Joseph Smith was a true Prophet of the Lord. I had been asleep for some time when I was awakened by a voice repeating the following lines:

The world will never adjust itself To suit your whims to the letter, Some things must go wrong Your whole life long, And the sooner you know it the better.

812 IMPROVEMENT ERA.

From that moment, I ceased worrying concerning my relatives and •friends; they as well as the mankind had their free- rest of agency, to choose the truth or reject it. God had given them this privilege; why should I seek to rob them of it, and coerce them into believing as I did. I began to manifest a more cheer- ful and loving disposition, and at the end of twelve years, I was

made happy by seeing some of those whom I had denounced as wilfully blind and disobedient come forward, and, of their own free-will and choice, apply for baptism. I believe that many of the elders have been in too great a hurry; they have been very anxious to baptize people, and it can- not be denied that many have received this ordinance before they i were ready for it. We have been more interested in the quantity than in the quality. I was talking with a returned missionary, a few days ago, and he told me that he had excommunicated twenty people from the Church, nearly all of whom had been rushed into the water before they were converted. John the Baptist has set us an example: he refused to baptize many people who came unto him, because they were not converted; and the Apostle Paul, see- ing how soon some people had departed from the faith, thanked God that he had baptized none of them. When elders realize that their reward will be just as great, if they are faithful in preaching the gospel, though none should receive it, as if all who heard them received it, then they will not worry and hurry so much. Noah preached for one hundred and twenty years with- out converting a single soul. Because of this, did he fail to re- ceive his reward? No; he was blessed for his labors, the Lord knowing how faithful he had been. I know that many of us have over-stepped the bounds of the

natural in order to get people to join the Church. Instead of persuading people to accept the gospel in a natural way —for the truth's sake —we have, not intentionally, it is true, resorted to unnatural measures. How often has the writer, with many others, told the people of the signs and miracles that would follow them if they would only obey the gospel. Not long ago I saw a man near the post office in Salt Lake City, who reminded me of many a young missionary. He had the agency of a patent electric belt. In order to gather a crowd, he spent nearly an hour in performing

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feats of ventriloquism, and sleight of hand; then he began and explained the merits of his belt, and persuaded people to buy. Now this is not at all unlike the way some of our missionaries have "advertised" the gospel. They have spent a great deal of time in talking about the spiritual gifts which would follow the people if they obeyed the gospel, instead of telling them of the gift of eternal life which they would receive through Jesus Christ our Lord. I can speak boldly and say that in many instances the atonement of the Savior has been lost sight of in the preaching of miraculous manifestations. What is the gift of healing, the gift of prophecy, the gift of tongues, and the interpretation of tongues; in brief, what are all the gifts mentioned in the twelfth chapter of 1st Corinthians compared with the great gift of eter- nal life which Christ our Redeemer purchased for us with his own body on the tree? All these things shall pass away, but through-

out the countless ages of eternity, we shall continue to enjoy the benefits of the atonement. Munsey, instead of offering prizes, put the money into his magazine, and people bought it because of its merits. Let us stop offering prizes in the shape of signs and miracles, and preach the gospel of Christ in plainness and simplicity, and let people accept it for its own, the truth's sake, and not because they expect to be healed ofsome physical infirmity. Jesus made mention of a people who would come to him at the last day seeking for recog- nition because they had done certain wonderful works in his name. "Many shall come in that day," said he, "and shall say, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name; and in thy name have cast out devils; and in thy name have done many wonderful works. Then will I profess unto them, I never knew you; depart from me, ye

that work iniquity." Jesus never tried to convert people by miracles; on the contrary, he rebuked those who followed him because of the miracle of the loaves and fishes which they had seen him perform. When he healed a person, he invariably told him to tell no one about it. A man who builds his house on mir- acles, builds on a very shaky foundation. There is but one rock on which we can build with perfect safety, and that rock is Christ. As the poet has said:

814 IMPROVEMENT ERA.

On Christ, the solid rock, I stand, All other ground is sinking sand.

I will relate a circumstance which came under my observation a number of years ago, and which brought humiliation to a num- ber of elders. A young woman embraced the gospel in the north of Ireland. For a long time she had been hungering and thirsting after righteousness. The Lord knew this, and in his mercy he sent an elder to her with glad tidings which filled her soul with unquenchable joy. She was an invalid; she had not been able to use her limbs for years, and in other ways was greatly deformed. A natural compassion for the bosoms of the Saints. her filled

We felt that here was a case on which the Lord ought to surely manifest his power. We would fast and pray in her behalf, that when she was baptized she might be healed. Fast and prayer meetings were held, and the Lord was implored (commanded would be nearer the truth) to heal the afflicted one. The majority of all present felt that she would be healed, but some doubted. An over-zealous elder assured the young woman that as soon as she came up out of the water, she would be made whole every whit. Well, the morning of her baptism came. A number of the young lady's friends were invited to witness the ceremony, but more properly speaking, the miracle. A carriage was hired, and the young woman was driven to the public baths. There the driver was dismissed, told that his services would no longer be required, as the young lady was going to walk home. The pro- prietor of the baths was invited in to witness the miracle. And a miracle was performed that day, but it was far different to what we expected. The young woman was baptized and confirmed, but she was not healed. Something almost bordering on consternation seized some of the elders as they saw their promises fall to the ground unfulfilled. The young woman looked up, her face beam- ing with joy, and said: "Brethren, don't feel bad. I have not

been healed as you promised me I would be, but I have a stronger testimony than the testimony of healing. The Lord has fulfilled his promise, and has given me the testimony of his Holy Spirit, which bears witness with my spirit that I have done his holy will."