A Discourse

Delivered by Elder Amasa Lyman, at the Conference.

It is with a degree of satisfaction that I address you, after the variety that has graced the feast during the last few days, in which the beasts, spoken of by Daniel and John have been served up in good style, and rendered quite palatable.

On reflecting upon the subjects that have been agitated and discussed since the sitting of our conference, it has occurred to my mind that nothing has been said in direct reference to the Book of Mormon, a belief in the truth of which, constitutes one of the peculiar characteristics by which we as Latter Day Saints are distinguished from those who do not believe in any revelations but those contained in the Bible. My reasons for offering such reflections on this subject as shall be suggested to my mind, are, that they may chance to fall upon the ear of some one enquiring [inquiring] after the truth: being aware that I also address a number who are called with me to take a part in bearing the truth before the world, to rend asunder the veil of darkness that has obscured the light of truth, and let it shine in the face of men. In making my remarks I shall not dwell upon the scripture, but offer some plain reasons that may be deduced from certain plain statements in the scriptures, thus learning who, according to the Bible, reason and good logic, are deceived in believing, and impostors for teaching, as do the Latter Day Saints; and believing that God ever did and ever will give revelations for the salvation of mankind; and others for teaching as they do, and professing to believe that all revelations is contained in the Bible. To carry out the investigation proposed we shall be led to inquire after the facts upon which is predicated the necessity of revelation to any of the numerous progeny of Adam, in any portion of the habitable earth. To commence, then, we ask the question, had Jehovah an object in the creation of the human race? if so, the nature of that object? that we may be prepared to judge whether it could be accomplished without revelation or not. That we may learn that he had an object, and something of its nature, we will hear the words of the apostle Paul to the Hebrews, ii : 10, For it became him for whom are all ;things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. Here we have a statement by inspiration, in relation to the purpose of God, in the creation of man, which was to make them sons of God. That we my be satisfied whether there exists a possibility that he

should be foiled in his purpose or change his mind, we will hear the testimony of James i : 17, Every good gift, and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variableness neither shadow of turning. If the apostle has told the truth in this matter we cannot expect a change to suit the caprice of the creature man; we have already learned that the purpose of God was to bring many sons unto glory; that it was impossible to accomplish this without revelation, we infer from the scriptural testimony; for, say the evangelist, "he, the Lord came to his own but his own received him not, but unto as many as received him gave he power to become the sons of God, even as many as believed on his name." By this scripture we learn that men had power to become the sons of God by believing on the name of Jesus. The question here arises, could they have had it without? if so, then we must charge the omnipotent God with an incompetency of judgement [judgment] that would disgrace beings of less capacity than himself by calling into requisition means that the accomplishment of his work did not require. Inasmuch then as it was his purpose to make sons of the human race, there was left no alternative but to reveal himself or not accomplish his object in the creation of men. From our examination of this subject thus far, we learn that the accomplishment of the object for which men were created demanded that God should reveal himself-for says the Apostle Paul, "How shall they believe on him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? and how shall he preach except he be sent?" Again: the justice of God requires that he should give to his creatures as manifestation of his law, that he might, in justice, bring them into judgment before him, that every creature might receive according to their works. Having reasoned thus far in relation to the principles that govern revelation, we learn that, just as sure as God did purpose from before the foundation of the world to save men, so sure it is that he purposed to reveal himself for its accomplishement [accomplishment]. We will conclude our reasoning on this point with a reference to the declaration of Jesus, recorded by John: "This is eternal life, that they may know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent;" and 'no man' says the apostle, 'can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost." For the history of the facts from which we have made the preceding deductions, we are indebted to the Bible-and for the Bible, we are indebted to the Jews. The next thing to be examined, is the extent to which the Bible record may be applicable to the human family, as a rule to fix their future destinies in the day of retribution according to their works. To set this matter in order, and upon principles not to be mistaken, we shall commence and aportion the scriptures as they were given, and as they must appear in that day when the books are opened, and the dead judged out of the things written in them. What portion, then, will it be by which the people anterior to the flood can be justified or condemned, but that which was revealed to them, so that the judgment of that people make use of that portion of the Bible given to them-the people from Noah to Moses, that portion revealed to them-from Moses to Christ, that portion given to them-which takes us through the Old Testament, and when the people to whom the apostles preached the gospel shall come into judgment, it will require the word spoken to them. Thus we have used all revelations of God in both Old and New Testaments, and but a small portion of the family of man yet received their doom. Thus far our investigation has been confined to the dealing of God with that portion of the human race located on the continent of Asia, and have made that portion of the earth the principal theatre [theater] of all His wondrous works; but we will now enlarge our view of the subject, and cast a look across the wide waste of waters, where the great western continent stretches itself between the two extremities, North and South, with its unnumbered millions of inhabitants, and inquire if they bear the same relation to God as the people of Asia. If we contemplate their physical organization and mental endowments, we find them the same. If the fact that the Greek, the Jew, or the Roman were not able to "believe on him of whom they had not heard," it was equally so with the American-so that, reasoning from analogy, we conclude them to be a part of the same great family, blessed with the same endowments, subjected to the ills of mortality, and the same inability so save themselves from the ruinous effects of the fall.

But to show to every reflecting mind that if the Bible is true, our conclusions are correct, we will now advert to some statements in the scriptures. We commence with Acts, 17: 26, "And hath made of one blood all nations of men to dwell upon all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed and the bounds of their habitation." we would here remark that if there is any truth or good sense in the word of the Apostle, that wherever there are nations of men that dwell on the face of the earth they are of the same blood-made by the same God and Father of all, consequently bearing the same relation to God, by creation. But have they, we would now enquire [inquire], been

equal sharers in the rich promises made for the salvation of men, and revealed in Asia? Admitting the truth of the religious dogmas which say that the Bible contains all revelations of the age, we answer they have not, for it was not until about the end of the fifteenth and beginning of the sixteenth century that the vast continent on which we dwell became known to modern geographers, thus opening the way that the Canonical law might visit the western continent, whereas the Scriptures inform us that as early as the founding of Babel, a few years subsequent to the flood, men were scattered into all the earth, according to Genesis 11: 8. So the Lord scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of ALL the EARTH, and they left off building the city. America, therefore, must have received her portion. But, says the grave objector to the faith of the Saints, how came they here, as the art of ship building was not known? At the same time, however, he will tell us, with all the apparent sanctity that religion can inspire, that he believes the Bible with its account, that God took dust and made a man, and him a living soul-but still; can have no conception how he could, not make men, but merely transport them to this part of the earth; for the moment we leave the objector to wonder at the deep mystery of his own ignorance, while we examine a little farther the tendency of that anti-biblical doctrine which tells us that the Bible contains all the words of God, which word, says the Savior, is to judge all men at the last day; to which also agrees the declaration of John, who says, Revelations 20: 12, "And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works." The revelator here speaks of a plurality of books, which the advocates of many of the religious dogmas of the age tell us is the Old and the New Testaments-a flimsy evasion of the truth, but in perfect keeping with the bigotry and holy ignorance of the age. For present convenience we suppose ourselves having an existence in the time when all the numerous progeny of Adam are called into judgment before God, in whom there is no injustice whatever, to be judged out of the things written in the books according to their works, the men of Asia, Africa, or Europe, might be required to pass under the ordeal of the word there written from the fact that he might have been one of the favored few to whom God had had respect in the day of revelation in the east, but in the vast assemblage we find a multitude whose lot has not been cast in the great theatre [theater] of revelation in Asia, who, if the popular theories of the age are correct, must have lived in ignorance of those sublime truths which are found in the Bible, so that we not only find them brought to be judged and condemned for not having kept a law they never knew, but for the first time to have the idea suggested to their minds of its existence, or the existence of a God, to whom they were amenable. I speak of those who dwelt here anterior to the discovery of this continent by the Europeans. Humanity shudders at the thought. Justice outraged, retires from the scene, while a shade, blacker than midnight, is cast on the character of that God in whom all perfection dwells. Angels unnumbered weep over the scene. Millions of human beings consigned to eternal fire, because they have not obeyed a law they never heard. Shame-shame to the intelligent man or woman that would believe it; and condemnation and perdition to them that teach it. But John heard individuals around the throne of God saying that they had been redeemed out of every kindred, tongue, people and nation, and were made unto God kings and priests. Revelations, 5:9. And as men were not made kings and priests in Asia without revelations, we conclude that, as in God there is "no shadow of turning," it required the same cause to produce the same effect in America.-This principle carried out, would extend the benefits of revelation to all people; that when they are brought into judgment, and the books opened, out of which they are to be judged, it will be the law they have known-consequently by it they are either justified or condemned.-Thus God is just, and the protecting ægis of the plan of salvation is universally thrown around suffering humanity. Thus the justice, mercy, and immutability of God, together with the necessities of the creature man, form the considerations that influence the counsels of omnipotence in preparing the means of salvation.