"Why am I a Latter-day Saint?" The answer I give to myself is this, "I am a "Mormon" because "Mormonism" is truth, and truth is light, and light makes all things beautiful." Therefore "Mormonism" is a thing of beauty and a joy forever. Another reason is, because "Mormonism" teaches me that it is my duty to love the Lord my God and to keep all His commandments. We are all familiar with that famous signal that flew from the masthead of the Victory on a certain occasion-"England expects every man to do his duty." The Lord expects just as much, and it is at our peril we neglect our duty to our Creator. I am a "Mormon" because "Mormonism" gives me life that thrills my whole soul; it teaches me that I am, not a worm of the dust, but a child of God; it has given me freedom that I was unacquainted with before. "He is the freeman who the truth makes free, and all are slaves besides."

Let us, my dear brethren and sisters, stand fast in the liberty with which God has made us free; let us show our appreciation of this liberty by loving and serving Him who purchased it for us. Let us emulate the noble and heroic lives of the faithful men and women who have gone on before us, suffering tribulation for our sakes. Let us remember that we are members of the Church of Jesus Christ, and that as members of such a glorious organization it behoves us to live godly, righteous and sober lives, and show to the world that we are what we profess to be-saints of the latter days. May the Lord help us to be faithful, so that at last we may be worthy of a place in His celestial kingdom!-EDMUND W. DENNIS.

A NEW CONVERT'S TESTIMONY.

MY DEAR BROTHERS AND SISTERS:

It gives me great pleasure to bear my humble testimony to the truth of the gospel taught by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Some months ago I was handed a tract by Elder Wm. W. Dummer, which I read and compared with the Word of God. I saw the teachings were true and scriptural. From time to time I got other tracts and books from the elders, which I studied carefully and compared with the doctrines taught in the Bible. I started to attend the services of the Latter-day Saints, and they did my soul good. I never got better spiritual food than I did at their meetings. So after praying for wisdom from my Heavenly Father as to how to act, I felt led by the Spirit to join the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. One evening after the meeting was over I asked the elders if they would come and hold cottage meetings at our house, which they did several times. We had good times, and although a great many people do not believe in the doctrines, and have told me to be very careful for fear of making a mistake, I tell one and all to study the doctrines of Christ and to compare them with the doctrines of

the Latter-day Saints, and to pray to God for wisdom, and if they do I have no doubt that, like me, they will receive a testimony that the gospel taught by the Latter-day Saints is the gospel of Jesus Christ. But many people are afraid of the consequences, afraid to come out and separate themselves, afraid of persecution; but our Savior said: "Blessed are ye when men shall revile you and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad; for great is your reward in heaven." And again He said: "He that taketh not up his cross and followeth after me is not worthy of me." I thank God for sending Elders Dummer and Hatch to Portadown, for I know that they are ministers of God, and that they are teaching the true gospel of Jesus Christ. I know that Joseph Smith was a true prophet of God, and that the Book of Mormon is the word of God. In spite of all the evil one and his agents may try to do, they cannot stop the work of God, for He who is for us is greater than all that can be against us. I was baptized on Sunday, the 27th ult., in Belfast, Ireland, and I pray that my Heavenly Father may give me grace, wisdom and power to walk worthily in His sight, that I may press onward, upward and heavenward, and to so live that at last when the call comes I may be counted worthy to hear the welcome words, "Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world." Your sister in the gospel,

MARTHA MCWADE.

Salt Lake Bureau of Information.-Several years ago the Church erected on the temple square in Salt Lake City a neat and substantial building, to be used as a bureau of information. It has been under capable management, and has a staff of well informed and courteous guides who take pleasure in enlightening visitors concerning Utah and its people, in conducting them through the tabernacle, and explaining to them the faith of the Latter-day Saints. All this is done without any expense to the tourists, the guides refusing all tips that are offered them. The Bureau was an inspiration, and has been the means of correcting the false impressions which thousands of people in the eastern states, and also in Europe, had entertained respecting the "Mormons." During the year 1907, no fewer than two hundred thousand visitors were entertained at the Bureau in the temple grounds alone. Besides these, there were many thousands of visitors to the City of the Saints who did not register at the Bureau. A conservative estimate would place the number of visitors to Salt Lake City annually at three hundred and fifty thousand. What a cloud of witnesses to the beauties of Zion, to the peace, and order, and prosperity that prevail among the Latter-day Saints and to the splendid commonwealth which the "Mormons" have established in the midst of a barren desert. Success to the Bureau!

THE LATTER-DAY SAINTS' MILLENNIAL STAR.

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 1908.

"MORMONISM" AND THE BIBLE.

OPPONENTS of the gospel restored to earth in these latter-days are ever ready and on the look-out to find some point in its doctrine or utterance of its advocates on which to base an argument against its divinity. It is sometimes stated by our elders that we do not take our religion from the Bible, or indeed from any ancient Scripture or revelation. This is construed by sophistical persons so as to give them cause to declare that the Latter-day Saints do not believe in the Bible. When the eighth of our Articles of Faith is cited which says: "We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly," objection is at once raised to the latter clause "as far as it is translated correctly." Thus they attack us from both points although one is in contradiction to the other. The fact that we do believe the Bible and so announce, upsets the assertion that we do not believe the Bible.

The religion of the Latter-day Saints has come to them by direct revelation from God in the present age of the world. It would be just as true and authentic if there were not any Bibles in existence to corroborate and substantiate its principles. It has come from the same source whence flowed the stream of inspiration to the prophets of the old dispensation and the apostles of the new. They spoke and wrote "as they were moved upon by the Holy Ghost." That is what made their utterances "Holy Scripture." The same fountain of light and truth pours forth the same divine waters now as aforetime. The cause is always the same, therefore its effects are similar. That which is spoken or written under its direct influence is the living word of God, and being adapted and delivered to the people of the present is of at least as much value as that which was manifest many centuries ago.

Belief in the revelations of the present does not involve disbelief in the revelations of the past. They do not contradict each other; they are in harmony. Principles do not change with the lapse of time, they endure and abide forever. Commandments and counsels for the direction of individuals, organizations or communities may differ according to the various circumstances in which human

beings are placed. For instance, Noah was commanded of God to build an ark. It does not follow because of that that we should build an ark. Abraham was commanded to offer his son as a sacrifice, but that is not a requirement that we should offer up our children as sacrifices. Indeed, the Lord changed His decree and relieved His faithful servant from the terrible trial which he was called upon to undergo. Numerous illustrations of this might be given, but it is not necessary; the point will be easily perceived. The plan of salvation, however, is different. It is one, not many. It is the "everlasting gospel." It is the "strait gate" and the only way into the Eternal Presence. Whether revealed in former ages or in the nineteenth or twentieth century it is the same.

While we do not take our religion from ancient records, it has the same gospel as that declared by Jesus Christ and His apostles, and we refer to their sayings as recorded in the Bible to prove to people who profess belief in that book that our doctrine is scriptural. Thus, we are believers in the Bible and use it in substantiation of that which has been revealed in the present age. It may be asked, what need is there of new revelation on matters contained in former revelations as found in the Holy Scriptures? The answer is in the language of the Bible, "The letter killeth; it is the spirit that maketh alive," and the great and widespread differences of opinion and interpretation of that which we have in the Bible renders necessary present inspiration and present revelation to place beyond cavil and dispute the invaluable things of God. Then notwithstanding the declarations of modern sects, that the Bible is the complete word of God containing all things necessary for salvation, the book itself speaks of numerous prophetic writings and revelations that are not contained in that volume. This may be easily proved as to both the Old and the New Testaments, therefore it is not complete, nor perfect, nor exclusive.

The objection to our tenet that the Bible contains the word of God "as far as it is translated correctly" though often made by persons who doubtless know better than to use it, is puerile in the face of the numerous translations and revisions that have been formulated and published. If the Bible in its popular version is to be taken literally and the translation is to be viewed as infallible, why these different later translations and why the changes of the text made in the marginal references published in the best editions of the Bible? Every copy of the book that has marginal references has also words among them giving a different meaning, the result of modern critical investigation differing from the words in the body of the text. All this goes to show that the qualification in our Article of Faith "as far as it is translated correctly" is proper and wise and rational.

Another thing: the Bible is not such a divine communication as is popularly imagined. Some people think it is a book revealed directly from the Almighty, written like the ten commandments

on the tables of stone, "by the finger of God." The truth is that the Bible is a compilation made by men claiming no revelation or inspiration from God, of a number of books written at different times by different men to different peoples. The persons who collected them selected such manuscripts as they thought proper, and discarded many others. The books which they picked out according to their human judgment were not the original writings of the prophets and apostles, but were copies or copies of copies of more ancient manuscripts, and many of these copies were various and those which seemed to be the most correct and authentic were accepted and the others rejected.

These are incontrovertible facts which informed people will not deny. We do not cite them to lessen the value and importance of the Bible but that it may stand for what it purports to be and nothing else. It does not claim to be that which is popularly supposed, and it is not to be worshipped as a fetish, but to be read and understood for whatitis and no more. Much of the Bible is written in that Oriental style which abounds in metaphor, hyperbole, figures of speech familiar to the people of the times and places where the writers flourished, but which are obscure to the ordinary English reader, and indeed to many erudite scholars. The Book cannot speak in explanation of those terms, it is a "dead letter." The spirit by which things contained in it were written can and does manifest to-day the same principles and teachings in plain and comprehensible language. Hence the need of a present living spirit to give us the living word of God.

It may be asked, do not the Latter-day Saints take the Bible literally, and if so is not that inconsistent with a proper understanding of the figurative expressions therein? The answer is, we take the narration of facts, historical and otherwise and the declarations of principles literally, but when the language is clearly figurative we receive it as such. For instance: when Christ expounds a doctrine such as "Except a man be born of water and of the spirit he cannot enter the kingdom of God” (John 3: 5) we take it as a literal explanation of his previous saying "Except a man be born again he cannot see the kingdom of God" (verse 3). So when he sent his apostles out to "teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost, teaching them to observe all things whatsoever He had commanded. (Matt. 28: 19-20.) The same with other positive instructions. But when he says "I am the true vine," "I am the door," "Take, eat this is my body," and expressions of that character, we understand that they are figurative and receive them accordingly, When He says, "If thine eye offend thee pluck it out," "If thy right hand offend thee cut it off," we know that He is using figurative language, for common sense makes that clear, and common sense is better than casuistry. And when the Holy Ghost is enjoyed, as in times of old, it aids common sense as well as acts as a revealer of hidden things.