--- title: Times and Seasons description: Issues of 1842 to 1843. 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: 4 number: 7 published: 1843-02-15 publisher: E. Robinson and D. C. Smith; later John Taylor publisher_place: Commerce and Nauvoo, Illinois language: en type: article reference: "“Righteousness,” *Times and Seasons* 4, no. 7 (February 15, 1843): 106–108." printed_title: Righteousness. source: url: https://archive.org/details/per_utah-and-the-mormons_times-and-seasons_1843-02-15_4_7 transcription: Text from the Centerplace.org transcription (https://www.centerplace.org/history/ts/v4n07.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_1843-02-15_4_7 start_page: 106 end_page: 108 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 1843 (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_1843-02-15_4_7 publication_year: 1843 --- # Righteousness "He that doeth righteousness, is righteous." is the solemn declaration of an ancient servant of God, and if we examine the sacred oracles of divine truth, we shall find that although it is "not for works of righteousness which we have done; but by grace are we saved, through faith, and that not of ourselves, it is the gift of God," yet every man of God has performed works of righteousness; he has been moral, virtuous, upright and consistent in his deportment, and that he was saved by works, as well as by faith. It is true, that our Saviour [Savior] reprobates the self-righteousness of the Jews, he condemns their practices, and disapproves of their conduct, and some men laboring under a mistake, think it was for their good works that they stood reproved by the Savior of the world; a greater error than which, could not be entertained by the human family. Our Savior reproved the Pharisees, not for their virtue, but for their hypocracy [hypocrisy], deceit, and abomination. They fasted, they prayed, they gave alms, they paid tythes [tithes] of all they possessed, all of which of themselves, abstractly, were good, and they were not condemned for these deeds, but for turning the temple of God into a den of thieves, for oppressing the widow, the orphan and the destitute, for rejecting the testimony of God, and persecuting his servants; and for neglecting judgment, mercy and the love of God.-Hence they were called "whited walls and painted sepulchres [sepulchers,"] they made long prayers; but it was "for a pretence [pretense]." They also disfigured, or made long faces, and appeared outwardly fair to men; but like whited walls and painted sepulchers, they were fair on the outside, while "within they were nothing but rottenness and dead men's bones. It was then for their corruptions, their abominations and their hypocray [hypocrisy] that they stood condemned, and not for their good works, or their righteousness. Some have supposed that Paul did away with the necessity of good works, by telling us that It is 'not through works of righteousness that we have done, but by grace that we are saved, through faith, and that not of ourselves, it is the gift of God.' We shall find however, that this reasoning is very fallacious. Paul understood himself perfectly. He might indeed be an "Hebrew of Hebrews;" and after the strictest manner of his sect, lived a Pharisee; but if his Pharisaism taught him to be a persecutor and murderer of the saints, and a shedder of innocent blood, his proceedings were not very righteous, he stood culpable before the Most High, and he needed to be cleansed in the atoning blood of Christ; to repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of his sins, before he could receive the approbation of heaven. The young Pharisee might say 'all these things have I observed from my youth up, what lack I yet?' A new dispensation was then ushered in, the gospel of eternal trnth [truth] was unfolded; the kingdom of heaven was being preached, and all men rushed unto it; and it was necessary that he should sell what he had and give to the poor; follow our Savior; obey the gospel; be governed by his teachings, and obey his precepts. There were many in those days who thought that if they fulfilled the moral law, that they were pursuing the right course, doing the will of God, and would be saved. Paul tells them something else; that in the fulness [fullness] of time God sent forth his Son into the world to redeem those that were under the law; hence if redemption was needed, they were not in a salvable state without redemption, and he thus speaks emphatically of the necessity of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, as being the great foundation of a sinner's hope; for if Christ was not the Messiah, then indeed was their faith vain, as was also the preaching of the apostles and elders.-This was the doctrine that was taught by our Savior, and by all the apostles. 'He that believeth and is baptised [baptized] shall be saved, and he that believeth not shall be damned.' So that it was no matter how often a man prayed, how much alms he gave, how often he fasted, or how punctual he was in paying his tithes, if he believed not he would be damned. James contends very strenuously for works, especially in the following extract from the second chapter: "What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, an have not works?-Can faith save him? If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, and one of you say unto them, depart in peace, be thou warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit? Even so faith, if it hath not works is dead, being alone; yea, a man may say, thou hast faith, and I have works: show me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew [show] thee my faith by my works. Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also, believe, and tremble. But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? Was not Abraham our father, justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the alter [altar]? seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect? and the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the friend of God. Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only. Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way? for as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also." The thing is here very clearly and pointedly set forth, and although Paul speaks so much about faith, he contends as strenuously for works; he complains that some had turned the grace of God into laciviousness [lasciviousness], and positively says, that "If any man defile the Temple of God him will God destroy." And farther remarks, "know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaterers, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God." 1 Cor. vi:9, 10. Many of the ancients pleaded before God their righteousness and good deeds, as even being meritorious; hence Job says, "my righteousness I hold fast, and will not let it go." Job xxvii:6. David says, in speaking on the same subject, "O Lord my God, if I have done this; if there be iniquity in my hands; if I have rewarded evil unto him that I was at peace with; (yea I have delivered him that is without cause mine enemy:) let the enemy persecute my soul and take it; yea let him tread down my life in the earth, and lay mine honor in the dust, selah." . . . . . ."The Lord shall judge the people: judge me, O Lord, according to my righteousness, and according to mine integrity that is in me." Psa. vii. And Nehemiah, after testifying concerning Tobiah, and casting his goods out of the Temple, and contending with the nobles for not bringing their tithes into the treasury, says, "Remember me O my God, concerning this, and wipe not out my good deeds that I have done for the house of my God, and for the offices thereof;" and after contending with the nobles for breaking the Sabbath, he says unto some strangers that came into among them to try to lead the Jews astray. "Then I testified against them and said unto them, "why lodge ye about the wall? if ye do so again I will lay hands on you," and because some of the Jews had married strange wives, he chased one of them away from him, and says. "I contended with them, and cursed them, and smote certain of them, and plucked off their hair, and made them swear by God, saying, ye shall not give your daughters unto your sons, or for yourselves." For these and other things he says, "remember me O my God concerning this also, and spare me according to the greatness of thy mercy." The righteousness of Nehemiah seems indeed to be of a very singular cast, yet as a prophet of the Lord he pleads his deeds before God, as being meritoririous [meritorious]. Nor were the apostles forgetful of these things. Peter in speaking to Cornelius says "I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: but in every nation he that feareth him and worketh righteousness is accepted of him." Acts x:34, 35. John says, "Every one that doeth righteousness is born of God." And again, "whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God." 1 John. And we are told in Rev. xix:8, that "the fine linen, is the righteousness of the saints." We know that "Abraham believed God and it was accounted unto him for righteousness:" but then James tells us that his "faith was made perfect by his works." So that we shall find after all, that it is not the hearer, nor the believer, alone, but the doer of the word, that is justified; and that whatever virtue there is in faith, that without works it is dead; even as the body without the spirit is: and that faith is of no use unless it works by love, and purifies the heart." And hence Paul speaks about the saints, in his day, "having on the breastplate of righteousness;' and being "filled with the fruits of righteousness." The gospel indeed makes us freee [free]: but let us be careful how we use our freedom, and not turn the grace of God into laciviousness [lasciviousness]; as says Peter, "As free and not using your liberty for a cloak of maliciousness, but as the servants of God." The Lord has done great things for us, he has revealed unto us "the abundance of peace and truth;" he has made manifest his will, and unfolded his purposes; he has put us in possession of great blessings, even the blessings of the new and everlasting covenant, and has planted in our bosoms a hope that blooms with immortality and eternal life. Let us then walk worthy of the high vocation to which we are called, and as free servants of God be governed by his law, keep his commandments, and do his will; for man shall "not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth from the mouth of God." Paul has very clearly elucidated this subject in the following words, the which, if we observe we shall do well. "For brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another. For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another. This I say then, walk in the spirit, and ye shall not fulfil [fulfill] the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the spirit, and the spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. But if ye be led by the spirit, ye are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revilings, and such like; of the which I tell you before, as I have told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, long suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance; against such there is no law. And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh, with the affections and lusts. If we live in the spirit, let us also walk in the spirit. Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another." "Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself lest thou also be tempted. Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil [fulfill] the law of Christ. For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself. But let every man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself, alone, and not in another."