| 716 become one with them, not that they shall become one with others. Thus their whole theory is a failure because of a lack of practicability.
"The church is now legally one, every branch of it has legal unity with every other branch; and that legal unity is, as we understand it, in accordance with the spiritual law given to the church for its guidance, found in the Book of Covenants. It now remains for us to avail ourselves of that legal oneness to the enhancement of our spiritual unity and the advancement of our spiritual interests.
"Those who now feel like it can make a consecration 'with a bond and deed that cannot be broken.' The church itself in its corporate existence can receive gifts, donations, consecrations, legacies, and bequests for the specific uses of such purposes as such things may be devised for; and when properties are so devised and so used it is an irrevocable deed-it cannot be broken.
"We often hear of 'one mighty and strong,' who shall do wondrous things-as a man-no one believes that he is, or is to be other than a man. In what is his strength to be? His own person or the prestige of his name?
"Is he to do a work so wondrous that it is to be outside of and independent from the one great work of God, and still to be held accountable by and to that work? Is it to be a strength inherent in himself, or the reflected strength of another? Is there anything stronger than truth, the truth; God's word, the word; the word which giveth life? He then that abideth in the word, the truth, is strong-'mighty and strong.'
"In unity of the truth there is strength. This unity of truth is only to be found developed and developing where men say, 'I am desirous and willing,' and are performing. 'He who saith he loveth my work and my cause, and who doeth nothing to establish my cause and do my work, shall not have peace in eternal life,' saith the Spirit.
"There are many truths which go to make up the unity of the truth; and some of them are very strong, but are not strange truths; the corner stone of a building is neither the threshold, lintel, nor keystone of its arched doorway; nor
(page 716) |
