Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost; for the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our G.o.d shall call.
Repent and come to the anxious seat (penitent form), every one of you, and cry, "Lord, Lord," and may be you will get forgiveness of sins; and you may be baptized or not; but if you do, you will not get the Holy Ghost as they did anciently, for such things are done away.
It shall come to pa.s.s in the last days, saith G.o.d, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; etc.
And in these last days the Lord will not pour out His Spirit so as to cause our sons and daughters to prophesy, our old men to dream dreams, and our young men to see visions; for such things are no longer needed, and it is all a delusion, and none but the ignorant believe such things.
Covet earnestly the best gifts, but rather that ye prophesy.
Do not covet any of the supernatural gifts, but especially beware of prophesying, for such things are done away.
Covet to prophesy, and forbid not to speak with tongues.
Do not prophesy, and it is all a delusion to speak in tongues.
But in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.
It matters not what kind of doctrine, or what system, a man embraces, if he is only sincere and worships Jesus Christ.
I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes; even so, Father, for so it seemed good in thy sight.
We thank G.o.d that He has revealed nothing to any person, wise or simple, for many hundred years, but that our wise and learned men have been able to know G.o.d without a revelation, and that we shall never be favored with any more.
No man knoweth the Son but the Father, neither knoweth any man the Father save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal Him.
We all know G.o.d in this enlightened age, and yet neither the Father nor the Son has revealed any thing to any of us, for we do not believe revelations are necessary now.
And this is life eternal, that they might know Thee the only true G.o.d, and Jesus Christ, whom Thou hast sent.
And we cannot know for ourselves, by any positive manifestation, in these days, but must depend on the wisdom and learning of men.
I thank my G.o.d always on your behalf, for the grace of G.o.d which is given you by Jesus Christ, that in everything ye are enriched by Him in all utterance, and in all knowledge, even as the testimony of Christ (the spirit of prophecy) was confirmed in you, so that ye come behind in no good gift, waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
We thank the Lord always, in behalf of the Church in these days, that she has no supernatural gifts given unto her, and that she is not enriched by Christ, neither in the gift of utterance, nor in the gift of knowledge; neither has she the testimony of Jesus (the spirit of prophecy) confirmed in her, and she comes behind in all the gifts; nor is she waiting for, or expecting, the coming of the Lord; for He has come once, and never will come again till the great and last day, the end of the earth.
The foolishness of G.o.d is wiser than men; and the weakness of G.o.d is stronger than men. For you see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many n.o.ble, are called: but G.o.d hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and G.o.d hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty, and base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath G.o.d chosen; yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are; that no flesh should glory in His presence.
The wisdom of men, and the learning of men, are better than the inspiration of the Almighty, for that is not needed any longer; for you see your calling, brethren, how that the wise and learned, and n.o.ble, and mighty are called in these days; for we have chosen such to confound the foolish, the unlearned, and the ignorant; yea, to confound the base things of the world which are despised, that flesh might glory in His presence.
And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of G.o.d; for I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ and Him crucified. And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling. And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man"s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power; that your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of G.o.d.
And we, brethren, when we came unto you, came with excellency of speech, and with the wisdom and learning of man; and our speech and our preaching were with enticing words of man"s wisdom, not in demonstration of the Spirit and power, for that is done away; that your faith should not stand in the power of G.o.d, but in the wisdom of man.
But we speak the wisdom of G.o.d in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which G.o.d ordained before the world unto our glory; which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
But we speak the wisdom of man in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom which none but the learned knew; for had others known it, they would never have been under the necessity of employing us to tell it to them.
But G.o.d hath revealed them unto us, by His Spirit; for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of G.o.d.
But G.o.d hath revealed nothing unto us by His Spirit; for the wisdom and learning of man search all things; yea, all the deep things which are necessary for us to know.
For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? Even so the things of G.o.d knoweth no man, but the Spirit of G.o.d.
For what man knoweth the things of man, save the spirit of man, which is in him? even so the things of G.o.d knoweth no man by the Spirit of G.o.d in these days, for it is done away, or it reveals nothing.