all the obedient. And Adam and Eve blessed the name of God, and they made all things known to their sons and daughters."* Thus the principles of the gospel were taught from the beginning among the children of Adam. Some believed and accepted them, many others rejected them, bringing down upon their heads the wrath of God, for his anger was kindled against them because of their rebellion. In course of time, when the inhabitants of the earth were sufficiently corrupt, he caused the floods to come upon them, sweeping them off the earth. Noah, who was a preacher of righteousness, continued to preach these saving principles. The gospel was also taught to Abraham, and has always been among men when they were prepared to receive it. Latter-day Saints have been severely criticised by many professing Christians for believing it necessary to comply with these first principles of the gospel. We are told that such views make us narrow and illiberal, for we reject and damn all who do not accept "Mormonism" and the ministration of our elders, while they on the other hand give a broader interpretation of the scriptures, holding it but necessary to believe in Christ-to confess him with the mouth and to believe in the heart that Christ was raised from the dead. Or, as it is expressed, Nothing, either great or small, Nevertheless, there is but one plan of salvation, and one door into the sheepfold. "He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber."† We have not made the way narrow nor the gate strait, that few there be that find it! Nor was ours the edict, "Not every one that saith Lord, Lord, shall enter *Book of Moses 5:11, 12. into the kingdom of heaven, but he that doeth the will of the Father."* The fact that certain laws must be observed, and ordinances complied with, is not the ruling of the Latterday Saints, but the divine mandate of the Author of our salvation, who has said he will judge all men according to their works and opportunities. We are merely complying with the teachings of the Master which we have received, and which are requisite to salvation. If belief alone were sufficient, then even the devils, who fear and tremble, would be saved. They recognized the Savior and declared on several occasions that he was the Son of God. And the devils in the days of the sons of Sceva declared that they knew Jesus and Paul, yet they were far from the road to salvation. Notwithstanding the apparently narrow construction of the Latter-day Saints pertaining to the scriptures—and we most emphatically declare that all men must obey these laws if they would be saved, excepting those who die without law, and therefore are not judged by law§we are broader and more liberal in our teachings than the believers in the faith-only theory of salvation, who would save all who profess a belief in the name of the Redeemer, but reject all others, consigning them to everlasting destruction without one ray of hope, simply because they did not confess that Jesus was the Christ. This view condemns all who lived at a time or place that the knowledge of the Redeemer of the world could not reach them. They would reject this vast majority of the human family, men, women and children, to eternal damnation. without the fault being their own! With the Latter-day Saints this is not so. While it is true we teach that a man must comply with these principles of the gospel in order to receive salvation and exaltation in the kingdom of heaven-which is proved by many passages of scripture-nevertheless, we hold out the hope that all may be saved, in some degree of glory, excepting the sons of perdition; for the Lord intends to save all the workmanship of his hands, save these few who will not receive salvation. Our doctrine consigns none others to perdition, but holds forth the hope that all will eventually be saved in the kingdom of God at some time and in some degree of glory. Little children are redeemed from the foundation of the world through the atonement, "Wherefore, they cannot sin," the Lord has said, “for power is not given unto Satan to tempt little children, until they begin to become accountable before me; for it is given unto them even as I will, according to mine own pleasure, that great things may be required at the hand of their fathers. And again, I say unto you, that whoso having knowledge, have ĺ not commanded to repent?”* He that declares that little children are born in sin, and therefore require baptism, denies the mercy of the Father and does not understand the nature and significance of the atonement. The Savior said: "Suffer little children and forbid them not to come unto me, for of such is the kingdom of heaven." The Prophet Mormon sums the whole matter up in the following words: Little children cannot repent; wherefore it is awful wickedness to deny the pure mercies of God unto them, for they are all alive in him because of his mercy. And he that saith, that little children need baptism, denieth the mercies of Christ, and setteth at naught the atonement of him and the power of his redemption. Wo unto such, for they are in danger of death, hell, and endless torment. I speak it boldly, God hath commanded me. Listen unto them and give heed, or they stand against you at the judgment seat of Christ. For behold that all little children are alive in Christ, and also all they that are without the law. For the power of redemption cometh on all they that have no law; wherefore, he that is not condemned, or he that is under no condemnation, cannot repent; and unto such baptism availeth nothing. But it is mockery before God, denying the mercies of Christ, and the power of His Holy Spirit, and putting trust in dead works. *Doc. and Cov. 29:46-49. Behold, my son, this thing ought not to be; for repentance is unto them that are under condemnation and under the curse of a broken law. And the first fruits of repentance is baptism, and baptism cometh by faith, unto the fulfilling the commandments; and the fulfilling commandments bringeth remission of sins.* The question naturally arises, if all must accept the principles of the gospel and be baptized for the remission of their sins, what of the dead who died without receiving the remission of their sins, or accepting Christ while they were in the flesh? They cannot be baptized in water now and have hands laid on their heads for the gift of the Holy Ghost, for these things of necessity pertain to this mortal probation. Therefore, it would be impossible for them to be baptized now or even after the resurrection, for they would no longer be mortal, but subject to the laws and regulations of that life which is to come. These ordinances must be performed in this life, or, if for the dead, vicariously by some one who is in mortality, the living acting as proxy for the dead. Again we hear the objection raised that this is impossible; that one man cannot stand, or answer for another's sins; but that every man must stand for himself. This is true so far as it is possible to be done. But occasions have arisen where the man guilty of transgressing the law was unable to redeem himself. And punishment for sin is for the propitiation of sin, and in such cases there is nothing in the scriptures forbidding one to stand vicariously for another when circumstances render it impossible for the first to comply with the law. In ancient Israel they had the scapegoat. On the head of this goat Aaron placed both his hands and confessed over him all the iniquity of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat, and then sent him away "by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness." And the goat bore upon him all their iniquities into the wilderness "unto a land not inhabited."† This was but one instance. In various ways vicarious of *Moroni 8:19-25. Leviticus 16:20-22. See also Leviticus chapters 4 and 5. ferings have been made and accepted. Then why should it be considered a strange thing for the Latter-day Saints to believe that the children have the privilege to stand vicariously for their dead fathers, and by proxy perform these ordinances, that belong to this life, in their behalf? The fact is, the whole plan of redemption is based on vicarious salvation.-One without sin standing for the whole human family, all of whom were under the curse. It is most natural and just that he who commits the wrong should pay the penalty-atone for his wrong doing. Therefore, when Adam was the transgressor of the law, justice demanded that he, and none else. should answer for the sin and pay the penalty with his life. But Adam, in breaking and law, himself became subject to the curse, and being under the curse could not atone, or undo what he had done. Neither could his children, for they also were under the curse, and it required one who was not subject to the curse to atone for that original sin. Moreover, since we were all under the curse, we were also powerless to atone for our individual sins. It therefore became necessary for the Father to send his Only Begotten Son, who was free from sin, to atone for our sins as well as for Adam's transgression, which justice demanded should be done. He accordingly offered himself a sacrifice for sins, and through his death upon the cross took upon himself both Adam's transgression and our individual sins, thereby redeeming us from the fall, and from our sins, on condition of repentance. Let us illustrate: A man walking along the road happens to fall into a pit so deep and dark that he cannot climb to the surface and regain his freedom. How can he save himself from his predicament? Not by any exertions on his own part, for there is no means of escape in the pit. He calls for help and some kindly disposed soul, hearing his cries for relief, hastens to his assistance and by lowering a ladder gives to him the means by which he may climb again to the surface of the earth. This was precisely the condition that Adam placed himself and his posterity in when he partook of the forbidden. fruit. All being together in the pit, none could gain the |