--- title: Times and Seasons description: Issues of 1840 to 1841. authors: - Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints editors: - Ebenezer Robinson - Don Carlos Smith - Smith, Joseph, Jr. - Taylor, John collections: - periodicals tags: - newspaper - times-and-seasons - nauvoo - nineteenth-century periodical: Times and Seasons volume: 2 number: 22 published: 1841-09-15 publisher: E. Robinson and D. C. Smith; later John Taylor publisher_place: Commerce and Nauvoo, Illinois language: en type: article reference: "“Election and Reprobation,” *Times and Seasons* 2, no. 22 (September 15, 1841): 539–542." printed_title: Election and Reprobation. source: url: https://archive.org/details/per_utah-and-the-mormons_times-and-seasons_1841-09-15_2_22 transcription: Text from the Centerplace.org transcription (https://www.centerplace.org/history/ts/v2n22.htm), with its page breaks; this Internet Archive scan is the reference copy (its OCR was used only as a witness for OCR repair) identifier: per_utah-and-the-mormons_times-and-seasons_1841-09-15_2_22 start_page: 539 end_page: 542 curator_note: A Mormon newspaper published by the church in Nauvoo; included for historical study. Inclusion does not imply endorsement. rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1841 (Nauvoo, Illinois); published before 1931, so public domain in the United States source: https://archive.org/details/per_utah-and-the-mormons_times-and-seasons_1841-09-15_2_22 publication_year: 1841 --- # Election and Reprobation Concluded. Why were they a peculiar people? Because God had chosen that generation of Gentiles, and conferred on them the blessings, which descended through the priesthood, and the covenants unto the house of Israel, or grafted them into the good olive tree; [Rom xi, 17] and thus the house of Israel became ministers of salvation to the Gentiles; and this is what the house of Israel was elected unto, not only their own salvation, but through them salvation unto all others. [John iv, 22] for salvation is of the Jews; [Rom. xi, 11] and through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles. Among the promised seed, we find Jesus Christ neither last nor least, but the great high priest and head of all, who was chosen to lay down his life for the redemption of the world, for without the shedding of blood there could be no remission of sins. [Heb. ix, 22]. [Deut. vii, 6, 7, 8, 9.] Moses bears a similar testimony with Peter and Paul to the principles of election; for thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy God; the Lord thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth. The Lord did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people, but because he would keep the oath which he had sworn unto your father's hath the lord brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondmen, from the had of Pharoah king of Egypt.-Know therefore that the Lord thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations, which proves the long continuance of the blessings of this highly favored people. And the Lord said unto her, (Rebecca, Gen. xxv, 23] the elder shall serve the younger. And why? Because that Isaac, the father of Esau and Jacob, the husband of Rebecca, and the son of promise to Abraham, was the heir; and as Esau was the elder son of his father Isaac, he had a legal claim to the heirship; but through unbelief, hardness of heart, and hunger, he sold his birthright to his younger brother, Jacob. [Gen. xxv, 33.] God knowing before hand that he would do this of his own free will and choice, or acting upon that agency which God has delegated to all men, said to his mother, the elder shall serve the younger; for as the elder son, Esau, has sold his birthright and by that means lost all claim to the blessings promised to Abraham, those blessings and promises must have failed, if they had not descended with the purchased birthright unto the younger son Jacob, for there was no other heir in Israel's family; and if those blessings had failed, the purposes of God according to election must have failed, in relation to the posterity of Israel, and the oath of Jehovah would have been broken; which could not be, though heaven and earth were to pass away. Rom. ix. 13,-As it is written Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated. Where it is written? Malachi, i, 2, verses. When was it written? About 397 years before Christ, and Esau and Jacob were born about 1773 years before Christ, [according to the common computation of time in scripture margin,] so that Esau and Jacob lived about 1376 years before the Lord spoke by Malachi, saying, Jacob have I loved but Esau have I hated, as quoted by Paul. This text is often brought forward to prove that God loved Jacob and hated Esau, before they were born; or, before they had done good or evil; but if God did love one and hate the other, before they had done good or evil, he has not seen fit to tell us of it, either in the Old or New Testament, or any other revelation; but this only we learn that 1376 years after Esau and Jacob were born, God said, by Malachi, Jacob have I loved and Esau have I hated; and surely that was time sufficient to prove their works, and ascertain whether they were worthy to be loved or hated. And why did he love the one and hate the other? For the same reason that he accepted the offering of Abel, and rejected Cain's offering; because Jacob's works had been righteous, and Esau's wicked; and where is there a righteous father who would not do the same thing? Who would not love an affectionate and obedient son, more than he who was disobedient, and sought to injure him and overthrow the order of his house? [objection] "But God seeth not as men seeth, and he is no respector of persons," [Act, x. 34.] True, but what saith the next verse, "He that feareth God and worketh righteousness is accepted of him; but it does not say that he that worketh wickedness is accepted, and this is a proof that God has respect to the actions of persons; and if he did not, why should he commend obedience to his law? for if he had no respect to the actions of men, he would be just as well pleased with a wicked man for breaking his law, as a righteous man for keeping it; and if Cain had done well he would have been accepted as well as Abel, [Gen. iv. 7] and Esau as well as Jacob, which proves that God does not respect persons, only in relation to their acts, [see Mat. xxv. 34, to the end,] Come ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world, for I was an hungred [hungered] and ye gave me meat, &c,; and because [because] that God blessed Able and Jacob this would not have hindered his blessing Cain and Esau, if their works had been righteous like unto their brethren; so God's choosing one nation to blessing, does not doom another to cursing, or make them reprobate, according to the reprobation of God, as some suppose; but by resisting the truth, they become reprobate concerning the faith, [2 Tim. iii. 8,] and are abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate, [Titus, i. 16] consequently, are not fit subjects for the blessings of election. Rom. ix, 15, for he saith to Moses I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion, [see Ex. xxxiii. 13, to 19.] My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest, for thou hast found grace in my sight, and I know thee by name, and I will make all my goodness to pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before thee: and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew [show] mercy on whom I will shew [show] mercy. (Rom. ix. 16.) So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth [showeth] mercy; having his eye at the same time directed towards his covenant people in Egyptian bondage. For the Scripture saith unto Pharaoh, (Ex. ix. 16, 17.) and in very deed for this cause have I raised thee up, for to shew [show] in thee my power; and that my name may be declared throughout all the earth. As yet exaltest thou thyself against my people, that thou wilt not let them go? God had promised to bring the house of Israel up out of the land of Egypt, at his own appointed time; and with a mighty hand and an out-stretched arm, and great terribleness, (Deut. xxvi. 8.) he chose to do this thing, that his power might be known and his name declared throughout all the earth, so that all nations might have the God of heaven in remembrance, and reverence his holy name;. and to accomplish this it was needful that he should meet with opposition to give him an opportunity to manifest his power; therefore he raised up a man, even Pharaoh, who he fore-knew, would harden his heart against God, of his own free-will and choice, and would withstand the Almighty in his attempt to deliver his chosen people, and that to the utmost of his ability; and he proved himself worthy of the choice, for he left no means unimproved, which his wicked heart could devise to vex the sons of Abraham, and defeat the purposes of the Most high, which gave the God of Abraham an opportunity to magnify his name in the ears of the nations, and in sight of this wicked king, by many mighty signs and wonders sometimes even to the convincing the wicked king of his wickedness, and of the power of God, (Ex. viii 28, &c.) and yet he would continue to rebel, and hold the Israelites in bondage; and this is what is meant by God's hardening Pharaoh's heart; he manifested himself in so many glorious and mighty ways, that Pharaoh could not resist the truth without becoming harder, so that at the last, in his madness to stay the people of God, he rushed into the Red sea, with all his host, and was covered with the floods. Had not the power of God been exerted in a remarkable manner, it would seem as though the house of Israel must have become extinct, for Pharaoh commanded the midwifes to destroy the sons of the Israelitish women as soon as they were born, (Ex. i, 16) and called them to account for saving the men children alive, (verse 18) and charged all his people saying every son that is born ye shall cast into the river, (verse 22) and yet God would have mercy on whom he would have mercy, (Rom. ix, 18) for he would have mercy on the godly child, Moses, (when he was hid and laid in the flags (Ex. ii, 3) by his mother to save him from Pharaoh's cruel order) and caused that he should be preserved as a prophet and deliverer to lead his people up to their own county; and whom he would he hardened, for he hardened Pharaoh by passing before him in mighty power, and withdrawing his spirit and leaving him to his own wicked inclination, for he had set taskmasters over the Israelites, to afflict them with their burdens; and caused them to build treasure-cities for Pharaoh, and mad them serve with rigor; and made their lives bitter with hard bondage, in mortar and brick and all manner of service in the field (Ex. 1st ch.) beside destroying the men children: thus proving to the God of heaven and all men that he had hardened his own hard heart, until he become a vessel of wrath fitted for destruction, (Rom. ix, 22) all this, long before God said unto Moses, I will harden his [Pharaoh's] heart (Ex. iv, 21. Are men then to be saved by works? Nay, verily, by grace are ye saved thro' faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, (Eph. ii, 8.) Not of works, lest any man should boast, (v. 9.) Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saves us, (Titus iii, 5) and yet faith without works is dead being alone, (James ii, 17.) Was not Abraham our father justified by works? (v. 21) Shall we then be saved by faith? Nay, neither by faith nor works; but by works is faith made perfect, (v. 22) but by grace are ye saved, (Eph. ii, 8,) and if by grace, then it is no more of works, otherwise grace is no grace: and if it be of works then it is no more grace; otherwise work is no more work. (Rom. xi. 6.) Ye see then how that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only, (James ii, 4), Rom. x, 3, 4. For they, [Israel] being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submiited [submitted] to the righteousness of God; for Christ is the end of the law for righteousees [righteousness] to every one that believeth, Thus the righteousness of God is made manifest in the plan of salvation by his crucified Son; for there is none other name under heaven, given among men whereby we must be saved, but the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth; (Acts iv, 10, 12,) but of this the Jews were ignorant although they themselves crucified him; and they have been going about, wandering among all the nations of the earth ever since, for the space of eighteen hundred years, trying to establish their own righteousness, which is of the law of Moses; which law, can never make the comers there-unto perfect, (Heb. x, 1;) yet notwithstanding their darkness and long dispersion, there is a remnant according to the election of grace, (Rom. xi. 5) whom God will gather from among all people whither they are scattered, and will be sanctified in them in the sight of the heathen; then shall they dwell in their land which God gave to his servant Jacob, and they shall dwell safely therein, and shall build houses, and plant vineyards, yea they shall dwell with confidence, when I have executed judgements [judgments] upon all those that despise them round about; and they shall know that I am the Lord their God; (Eze. xxviii, 25, 26. Isa xi, 11 to 16,) and when this gathering shall be completed, it shall no more be said the Lord liveth that brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt; but the Lord liveth that brought up the children of Israel from the land of the north, and from all the lands whither he had driven them; and I will bring them again unto this land which I gave unto their fathers, (Jer. xvi, 14, 15, &c. to the end). Rom. xi, 7. What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for, but the election hath obtained it? And why have they not obtained it. Because they sought it not by faith, but it were by the works of the law, for they stumbled at that stumbling-stone; as it is written behold I lay in Zion a stumbling stone and rock of offence [offense], (Rom. ix 32, 33,) to both the houses of Israel; and for a gin and for a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and many of the them shall stumble, (Isa. viii, 14, 15,) but have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid; but rather throagh [through] their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, (Rom. xi 11,) and Jerusalem shall be trodden down by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled, (Luke xxi, 24,) and when the house of Israel shall be restored to their possession in Canaan, it may truly be said the election hath obtained it; for the fulfilment [fulfillment] of God's oath of election to Abraham, as the father of the faithful, and the promises to his children will obtain that for Israel, which he has sought for in vain by the law of Moses. This is the election that we believe in, viz:-such as we find in prophets and apostles, and the word of the Lord himself, and as we have not room to give all the quotations in full, relating to election in this epistle, we would invite the Saints, to examine the Scriptures in connection with these quoted: and whenever they find election or any other principle or blessing given or applied to the house of Israel, let those principles continue with the house of Israel; and not apply that to Esau, which belongs to Jacob; or the churches of modern times, which belong to the ancient covenant people; and always ascertain how the Lord, the apostles, and prophets have applied their words, and ever continue the same application, and wisdom and knowledge will be added unto you: and in the words of the beloved Peter and Paul, we would exhort you to work out your own salvation with fear and trembling: for it is God which worketh in you, both to will and to do, of his good pleasure; [Phil. ii. 12, 13,] giving all diligence to make your calling and election sure, [2 Peter, i. 10.] for this is that sealing power spoken of in Eph. i. 13,14, In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth; the gospel of your salvation, in whom also after that ye believed ye were sealed with that Holy spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance, until the redemption of the purchased possession, until the praise of his glory, [2 Peter, i. 11,] for so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour [Savior] Jesus Christ. Amen. Brigham Young Willard Richards.