Blessed Are the Merciful

"BLESSED ARE THE MERCIFUL.' BY ELDER BEN E. RICH, PRESIDENT OF THE SOUTHERN STATES MISSION.

"How great, how glorious and complete, Redemption's grand design, Where justice, love and mercy meet In harmony divine !"

Our religion teaches us that by walking in the footsteps of the great Master, we will gain eternal life. We must, therefore, cultivate his character and attributes, and delight in the principles of virtue, excellence, truth, meekness, long-suffering, charity, self- denial and mercy. God is a God of mercy. He is full of compas- sion, and many a time he has turned away his anger, forgiven in- iquity, and destroyed not the transgressor. Though he cause grief, yet does he have compassion according to the multitude of his mercies. Comprehending how weak we are, how organized, and how the spirit and the flesh are continually at war, he not only reveals himself in the lessons of nature, but takes us by the hand, and with the love of a parent, leads us onward and upward "Along the line of limitless desires."

Nothing can supercede God as the ground and stimulus of the highest devotion. It is our duty to try and become like unto him.

Jesus looked in mercy upon his persecutors, while with derision they dressed him in purple, placed upon his head the crown of thorns, and mockingly bowed before him. He was indeed their King, notwithstanding their mockery; and with that spirit belong- ing to the Gods, which we are considering, this great and mighty

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King of kings, while bleeding upon the cross, lifted his eyes heavenward with the mercy of his gospel saying, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." To be clothed with love and mercy is to be God-like. To be a petty tyrant is to make our faith and calling sounding brass and a tinkling cymbal. To hear both sides of a question before passing judgment, and even then, to be willing to go more than half way with out-stretched hands towards a brother; and at all times remembering the words of him who said, "Judge not, lest ye be judged," and "I will forgive whom I will forgive, but unto you it is commanded that you forgive all

mankind;" with these thoughts uppermost in one's mind, to say from the heart, when facing a real or imaginery enemy, "The Lord judge between thee and me," is to be like unto the Captain of our salvation, who died upon the cross. Many professing Christians, and even a few among our own people, as soon as they are endowed with a little brief authority, exercise unjust dominion over their brethren. Where much is given, much will be required. Remember it, oh !ye Saints, who have been given the light of the gospel; and have had bestowed upon you the Aaronic or the Melchizedek Priesthood; perchance you have been called to preside over a quorum, or as a bishop you ;

have been called to act as a father over a ward, or a president over a stake. Do you cultivate mercy ? Do you read the words "Though I speak with the tongues of of Paul to the Corinthians, men and angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass and a tinkling cymbal." When we compare Godly acts with some of the petty, tyranni- cal methods of persons, who, thanks be to God, only occasionally drift into the Church to receive a little "brief authority," then do

we realize that the gospel net does indeed gather of all kinds, the choicest among the best, and at times the basest among the worst. There are two mighty powers at work upon the earth. The power of light and the power of darkness. Christ, the Captain of

our salvation, stands as a representative of light, of faith, of hope, of charity, of mercy, of righteousness. Lucifer, the ambitious one, who rebelled in the heavens, stands as the captain of destruc- tion, representing envy, hatred, tyranny, false ambition and malice.

The choice should be easily made; but how careful we should be to

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keep the windows of heaven open, and the doors of hell closed. Faith, hope, charity, mercy, and forgiveness, are the keys that are continually opening the windows of heaven, and they act as bars and bolts in keeping the doors of hell closed. Were we looking for acts of mercy, would we go to the life of Cambyses, that great Persian king? He it was who called three brothers to his army. The father of those boys, inasmuch as they were his only support, appealed to the king to leave one of them at home with him to help him get a living. The monarch, though unused to having his decision set aside, granted the aged man's re- quest. He immediately called his servants, and had them put the three brothers to death, and carry them into the presence of the stricken father. Surely that is not the mercy shown by God Is !

he not grieved when we adopt harsh measures instead of the more merciful ones? If travelers were to stop in a house, and in the presence of him who built and furnished it, were to destroy the food and injure the furniture he had provided for all, he would be grieved and justly incensed. It would be an ungrateful disregard of his wishes, and an abuse of his goodness. So it is when men per- vert the works and ways of God. He has commanded, "Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful." "For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shown no mercy.'' How was it when the Scribes and Pharisees brought unto Jesus a woman who had sinned? After continued asking and tempting him as to what should be done with her, he slowly lifted himself up from the sand and said: "He that is without sin among you, let him cast the first stone." One by one the accusers slipped away, and again, when Jesus lifted his head, he found him- self alone with the woman. As no man had condemned her, Jesus said, "Neither do I condemn thee; go and sin no more." It seems so hard to bring into our everyday life the little things that are approved by our Father. In dealing with our fel- low-men, the mercy and justice that characterized his life, is often not shown. Many of our own people demand full payment, even as Shylock with the pound of flesh. As the globe we inhabit is com- posed of small particles, so also is the walk of man made up of acts performed from day to day; the aggregate of these acts which are performed through life, makes up the conduct that will