--- title: Times and Seasons description: Issues of 1844 to 1845. 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: 5 number: 8 published: 1844-04-15 publisher: E. Robinson and D. C. Smith; later John Taylor publisher_place: Commerce and Nauvoo, Illinois language: en type: article reference: "“Dissertation Upon Christ's Parable of the Laborers and the Vineyard,” *Times and Seasons* 5, no. 8 (April 15, 1844): 503–504." printed_title: DISSERTATION UPON CHRIST'S PARABLE OF THE LABORERS AND THE VINEYARD. source: url: https://archive.org/details/per_utah-and-the-mormons_times-and-seasons_1844-04-15_5_8 transcription: Text from the Centerplace.org transcription (https://www.centerplace.org/history/ts/v5n08.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_1844-04-15_5_8 start_page: 503 end_page: 504 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 1844 (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_1844-04-15_5_8 publication_year: 1844 --- # Dissertation Upon Christ's Parable of the Laborers and the Vineyard (SEE MAT. 20th CHAP.) (Continued.) In our last, we settled the question relative to the terms "laborers," "vineyard," and 'hour;" and spoke of the manner in which Noah, Lot, and Abraham were called to perform the works of the Lord; and we will now continue the subject in its proper order down to the present time. The circumstances, in which the Israelites were placed at the time Moses was called to do the majestic work of God, which his future history unfolds to our views, is well known to every biblical student; therefore, it would be superfluous to attempt to give a full detail of them; but it is sufficient to say, that the time had arrived for the Lord to deliver the progeny of Jacob, from the hands of their oppressors, and reinstate them upon the land of their fathers, and there establish them as an independent nation by themselves. Moses was called to superintend this work, as far as was in the power of man so to do, by revelation through the agency of an angel, and by the voice of God. Aaron was also called by revelation, and consecrated to the priest's office by the imposition of the hands of Moses. See Exo: iv;27.-Du. xxviii; 41. All will admit that Moses received many revelations which were adapted to the work that the Lord had to accomplish in this age of the world. An ark would have effected nothing towards the deliverance of the house of Israel: the reason is obvious; they were not to be saved from a universal and overwhelming flood; but to be delivered from Egyptian bondage, and located within the land of Canaan. Many prophets, during the Mosaic dispensation, received the word of the Lord, or communications from him upon the same principle as those whom we have before mentioned, and in accordance to the directions given to him, and not to those of some other persons. At the commencement of what we term the Christian dispensation, the Lord had a most stupendous work to perform; therefore Christ came into the world, and died the ignominious death of the cross, to atone for the sins of the world, established his kingdom, and chose many disciples, and commissioned them to proclaim the gospel to the whole world. The revelations that were given to these servants of God, were special; and such as suited the work they were to do. Thus, we discover that all the servants of God, in every dispensation up to this time, were called by immediate revelation from God, and certainly every reasonable person will readily admit that it must of necessity follow that those who were to be called at the "eleventh hour;" should be called in the same way. But the question now arises in the mind, what was the object or design of the special or immediate revelations that all the above individuals received? In order to satisfy our readers upon this point, we will go back and take another view of the subject. It is evident that the plan of salvation, of law of righteousness, was made known to Adam and others in the Antediluvian age, as well as those who lived after it; and whatever was the plan of salvation or redemption then, has been ever since, and is now, the same; hence it appears that these ancients done [did] one thing which was a great violation of the masterly tradition of the sectarian world, which is, that a new revelation cannot be given without revealing a new gospel. This is certainly the very climax of absurdity. The apostle Paul gives us to understand, that life and immorality was brought to light through the gospel. See 2d Tim: i; 10; and surely all the patriarchs that lived before the flood thoroughly understood this principle. He also says, "the gospel was preached to Abraham." See Gal: iii, 8. Again, that it was preached to the children of Israel in the wilderness. See Heb: iv: 2. Now the matter stands thus; the gospel is the invariable plan of redemption, or in other words, it is the scheme which mankind are taken from the state which sin and corruption has reduced them to; and inducted them into the kingdom of God, where they can sustain the character of saints and servants of God; therefore revelations were not given to make known this plan to all these men; for they previous to receiving them, had obeyed its precepts. Furthermore, it is the very height of absurdity, to suppose that because the Lord commissioned many of the ancient saints to go forth into his vineyard and work, that we have a right to do the same.-Every man must receive a commission for himself; for whom alone it will answer, and no other. But how often it is, we hear men at the present time, say that they are called and commissioned to preach the gospel, and when interrogated upon the subject, they will refer to the commission of the apostles, which say they, is sufficient for all ministers of the gospel, in all future generations. To this we reply, we might as well contend, that because we have a transcript from the original copy of General Washington's commission authorizing him to act as commander-in-chief of the American forces, that we are authorized to act in his stead. The one would be just as reasonable as the other. Having said so much in regard to the manner in which the ancient servants of God, were called to the ministry, and the design of new revelation, we will now return to the subject matter of the parable. (To be Continued.)