A Divine Standard

A Divine Standard BY WILLIAM HALLS The strife and contention among men, and the difference in their conceptions of right and wrong, good and evil, truth and error, show the necessity of a standard to which all important questions could be submitted and determined. It must be of divine appointment, and therefore infallible. If the Christian churches had such a standard to which their doctrines, ordinances, ceremonies and discipline could be submit- ted and tested, and such rulings accepted, there would be but one Church united in one body. Jesus prayed that his disciples might be one as he and his Father are one. Such a Church cannot exist in the absence of such a standard. The Lord called Moses, and through him gave to Israel a divine standard ; and all the commandments, statutes and ordin- ances came through that channel. As long as they were obedient, they had peace and protection, but they were inclined to rebellion and Moses warned them of their danger, and foretold what would follow disobedience. When Jesus came, he found the Jews in darkness and error, division, strife and contention, they having departed from the law given through Moses. Jesus established his Church with apostles and prophets, and sent them to preach the gospel in all the world. There is but one Savior, one gospel, one divine standard. But when the apostles were gone, the standard was gone ; and Jews and Gentiles, left without divine guidance, wandered in darkness and error till our Father and Jesus Christ, his Son, de- scended from heaven and called Joseph Smith, through him opened a new dispensation, restored the divine standard, and all the doctrines, ordinances and ceremonies both for the salvation of the living and the redemption of the dead. The ordinations and orders of the Priesthood, and the discipline and order of govern- ment were all given to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, through that divine standard. By this authority elders were sent into the states to preach the gospel, to call men to repentance, and also to warn them of judgments to come. Soon after the Church was organized this warning was given : "And even now let him that goeth to the east teach them that shall be converted to flee to the west, and that in consequence of that which is coming on the earth." "And after your testimony cometh wrath and indignation upon the people."

A DIVINE STANDARD 1063 The Lord revealed to Joseph Smith the coming of the Civil War, and all the members of the Church were counseled to move west, till finally they reached the Rocky Mountains, not by acci- dent but by design. During that war, they were in peace and safety while the blood of thousands was being shed. For more than half a century hundreds of elders having divine authority have been preaching the gospel to the nations, especially in Europe, calling them to repentance and warning them of judg- ments to come, and those who received their message and gath- ered to the mountains are now in safety while war is raging in their native lands. xAs the words of Moses have been fulfilled in the scattering of Israel, and the words of Jesus, in the dispersion of Judah, so will the words of Joseph Smith be fulfilled in the sal- vation of those who receive the gospel, and the destruction of those who reject it. The same principle that applies to the religious world is also true of the political world. Before universal peace can prevail, there must be a universal standard under which all nations will unite, and the United States of America may serve as an exam- ple. If every state in the Union were an independent nation, each must maintain an army ; and if any one were invaded by a for- eign power, it must defend itself alone. But all being united un- der a federal constitution, if a state were invaded the general government with all the states of the Union would come to its aid. In like manner, to insure peace to the nations, there must be a world's congress in which every nation is represented, by which all disputes will be settled. All nations must disarm and the gen- eral government maintain an army and navy sufficient to enforce the decrees of the congress, to protect the weak and restrain the strong. While human nature remains unchanged, and carnal de- sires persist, men must be controlled by law. If the regard for law is weak, it must be supplemented by the fear of punishment ; but when respect for law is strong, there is little fear of punish- ment. Under such a government, every nation may, if desired, retain its identity, having its rights and limits defined. As all official acts of the government would be issued in one language, all nations would study and speak that language, which would be one means of uniting the people. Preliminary to such a condition, the rulers, nobles, proud and haughty, must be humbled. War, famine, and pestilence will re- duce strong nations till "all hands are weak, all hearts are faint, and shaken are the powers that be ; and the great to great exclaim, 'Alas, are you as weak as we?' And the answer comes on the blast, 'Our glory's gone, our day is past.' " Then, and not till then. will men be willing to unite under a common standard that insures "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." In the evils that come upon the world, the Saints will hardly

1064- IMPROVEMENT ERA escape ; as far as they partake of the sins of Babylon, they will receive of her plagues. This nation, though it will not be brought into bondage to other nations, is likely to have trouble at home. There are many evils in this land that call for sincere repentance ; there is a disregard, a lack of reverence, for the sacred scriptures, for the Christian Sabbath, for the marriage covenant. Children disobey their parents, and are without natural affection. Intem- perance and sexual vice are sapping the physical, moral, and spir- itual lives of hundreds of thousands of the young men, and tens of thousands of the fair daughters of our land. There is discon- tent among the masses ; secret combinations are being formed ; pride, vanity, extravagance, and a reckless pursuit of pleasure, are bankrupting too many among all classes. With such a sow- ing, what will the harvest be? Still, the Lord is watching over his vineyard ; the wheat is being gathered into the granary and when many of the wicked are destroyed, and few men left, and the earth is filled with mourning, "The sun of righteousness will arise, with healing in his wings," and "The Wonderful Counselor, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace," will say to the troubled waters, "Peace, be still." The widow and the fatherless will be comforted, and the earth will rest a thousand years, under the divine standard of the King Immanuel. MA NCOS, COLORADO Wanted " 'Wanted. — Boy babies.' This is the cry of the statesmen of Europe." — News item. "Wanted. — Boy babies!" And wherefore, wherefore? To cast to the tortures of Moloch once more, To feed the grim demon, insatiable war? "Wanted. — Boy babies!" Must women e'er bear The anguish of travail that man may ensnare Her most priceless gift in accursed warfare? "Wanted. — Boy babies!" Oh, where are the ones She bore and she nourished, her sons, cherished sons? Crushed in your Juggernaut march — Oh, her sons! "Wanted. — Boy babies!" Then cease from your strife, Ye statesmen; oh, think of the mother, the wife! Never have ye agonized to give life. "Wanted. — Boy babies!" Ye ask it again, When she gave you her best, and her best ye have slain? Oh, have ye no mercy? Have ye no shame? Grace Ingles Frost