22nd Sunday President Joseph Smith
deliverd an interesting discourse at the
Temple to an inter large congregation among
other things he treated upon the kingdom
of God & the baptism of John. He remarked
some say the kingdom of God was not set
up on earth untill the day of pentecost & that
John did not preach the Baptism of repen
tance for the remission of sins But I say in
the name of the Lord that the kingdom
of God was set up on earth from the days
of Adam to the present time whenever
there has been a righteous man on earth unto
whom God revealed his word & gave power
& authority to administer in his name:
And whare theire is a Priest of God, A minister
who has power & Authority from God to
administer in the ordinances of the Gospel
& officiate in the Priesthood of God, theire
is the kingdom of God & in consequence
of rejecting the gospel of Jesus Christ & the
Prophets whom God hath sent, the judgm-
ents of God hath rested upon people, cities &
nations in various ages of the world, which
was the case with the cities of Sodom & gomo-
roah who were destroyed for rejecting the
Prophets. Now I will give my testimony
I care not for man I speak boldly & faith-
fully & with authority. How is it with the
kingdom of God, whare did the kingdom
of God begin, whare their is no kingdom
of God their is no salvation. What consti-
tutes the kingdom of God
Whare there is a prophet, a priest, or a righ-
teous man unto whom God gives his oracles
there is the kingdom of God, & whare the
oracles of God are not there the kingdom
of God is not. In these remarks I have
no allusion to the kingdoms of the earth, we
will keep the Laws of the Land, we do not
speak against them we never have, & we
can hardly make mention of the state
of Missouri of our persecutions there &c
but what the cry goes forth that we are
guilty of larceny, Bur[g]lary, arson treason &
murder &c &c which is fals, we speak of
the kingdom of God on the earth not the
kingdoms of mem. The plea of many in
this day is that we have no right to receive
revelations. But if we do not get revelations
we do not have the oracles of God & if they
have not the oracles of God they are not
the people of God But say you what will
become of the world or the various professors
of religion who do not believe in revelation &
the oracles of God as continued to his
Church in all ages of the world when he
has a people on earth. I Tell you in the
name of Jesus Christ they will be damned
& when you get into the eternal
world you will find it to be so they cannot
escape the damnation of hell
As touching the gospel & Baptism that John
preached I would say that John came preach-
ing the gospel for the remission of sins he
had his authority from God & the oricles
of God were with him & the kingdom of [God]
for a season seemed to rest be with John
alone. The Lord promised Zecheriah that he
should have a son [Luke 1:13], which was a desendant
of Aaron & the Lord promised that the
priesthood should continue with Aaron & his
seed throughout their generations [Exodus 40:15].
Let No man take this honour upon himself
except he be called of God as was Aaron, &
Aaron received his call by Revelation [Hebrews 5:4]. An
angel of God Also appeared unto Zecheriah
while in the Temple [and said] that he should have a
son whose name should be John & he should
be filled with the Holy Ghost [Luke 1:11-13] Zecheriah was
a priest of God & officiating in the Temple &
John was a priest after his fathe[r] & held the keys
of the aronic priesthood & was called of God
to preache the Gospel & the kingdom of God
& the Jews as a nation having departed
from the Law of God & the gospel the Lord
prepared the way for transfering it to the gentiles
But says one the kingdom of God could
not be set up in the days of John for John
said the Kingdom was at hand But I would
ask if it could be any nearer to them than
to be in the hands of John, the people need
not wait for the days of Pentecost to find
the kingdom of God for John had it with
him, & he came forth from the wilderness
crying out repent ye for the kingdom of
heaven is at hand [Matthew 3:2] as much as to kaul out
here I have got the kingdom of God & I am
coming after you. Ive got the kingdom
of God & you can get it & I am coming
after you & if you dont receive it you
will be damned & the scriptures represent
that all Jerrusalem went out unto Johns Baptism
Here was a legal administrator, & those that were
baptized were subjects for a king & also the laws
& oracles of God were there therefore the king-
dom of God was there, for no man could have
better authority to Administer than John &
our Savior submitted to that authority himself
by being Baptized By John therefore the
kingdom of God was set up upon the earth
even in the days of John their is a difference
between the kingdom of God & the fruits &
blessings that flow from that kingdom
becaus their was more miracles, gifts, gracsvisions
healings, tongues &c in the days of Jesus Christ
& the Apostles & on the day of pentecost than
under Johns Administration, it does not
prove by any means that John had not the
kingdom of God; any more than it would
that a woman had not a milk pan because she
had not a pan of milk, for while the pan might
be compared to the kingdom the milk might
be compared to the blessings of the kingdom
John was a priest after the order of Aaron
& had the keys of that priesthood & came forth
preaching repentance & Baptism for the remis-
sion of sins but at the same time crys out
there cometh one after me more mighter than
I the latches of whose shoes I am not worthy
to unlose, & Christ came according to the words of
John, & he was greater than John because he
held the keys of Melchisedic Priesthood
& the kingdom of God & had before revealed the
priesthood to Moses, yet Christ was baptised
by John to fulfill all righteousness & Jesus
in his teaching says upon this rock I will
build my Church & th[e] gates of hell shall not
prevail against it [Matthew 16:18] what rock, revelation
Again he says except ye are born of the water
& the spirit ye cannot inter into the kingdom
of God [John 3:5], And though the heavens & earth
should pass away my words shall not pass away [Matthew 24:35]
If a man is born of the water & the spirit
he can get into the kingdom of God
it is evident the kingdom of God was on
the earth & John prepared subject[s] for
kingdom by preaching the gospel to them
& Baptising them & he prepared the way [doo]
before the Savoior or came as a fore runner
& prepared subject for the preaching of
Christ, & & Christ preached through
Jerrusalem on the same ground whare
John had preached & when the Apostles were
raised up they worked in Jerrusalem
& Jesus commanded them to tarry there
untill they were endowed with power from
on high had they not work to do in Jer
rusalem, they did work, & prepared a
people for the pentecost The kingdom of
God was with them before the day of pen-
tecost as well as afterwords & it was allso
with John & he preached the same gospel
& Baptism that Jesus & the Apostles preached
after him The endowment was to
prepare the desiples for their mission into
the world. Whenever men can find out
the will of God & find an Administrator
legally authorized from God there is the
kingdom of God but whare these are not, the
kingdom of God is not All the ordinances
systems, & Administrations on the earth is
of no use to the children of men unless
they are ordained & authorized of God
for nothing will save a man but a leger [legal]
Administrator for none others will be
acknowledge either by God or Angels
thei I know what I say, I understand
my mishion & business. God Almighty is my
shield & what can man do if God is my
friend I shall not be sacrafised untill
my time comes then I shall be offered
freely, all flesh is is as grass, & a governor
is no better than other men when he dies he
is but a bag of dung I thank God for preserving
me from my enemies I have no enmity
I have no desire but to do all mem [men] good I feel
to pray for all mem we dont ask any people
to throw away any good they have got
we ownly ask them to come & get more
what if all the world should embrace this
gospel they would then see eye to eye & the
blessings of God would Be poured out upon
the people which is my whol soul Anen
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Whare there is a prophet, a priest, or a righ- teous man unto whom God gives his oracles there is the kingdom of God, & whare the oracles of God are not there the kingdom of God is not.
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