TRUE RELIGION Consists in the Love of God, Faith in His Son, Repentance and Forsaking of Sin, Obedi- ence of the Ordinances, and Keeping of the Law. As Set Forth Forcibly by President Wilford Woodruff, In Fatherly Admonition to the Lat- ter day Saints. EDITOR HERALD: Receiving a letter from you, some time since, wherein you solicit for publication "an array of sentiments from the leading men of the Territory," etc I now at the last moment, after having been so busy, undertake, with pleasure, to comply with your request. RELIGIOUS. The majority of the people of this Territory are a religious people By revelation and inspiration from Almighty God the Latter day Saints are called upon to perpetuate and establish righteous principles, not only in the Territory, but throughout the earth. The Dis pensation of the Fulness of Times is ushering in upon the inhabitants of the earth, and with it are re- ceived the principles of Eternal Life, the greatest gift of God to man. The Latter day Saints who constitute the largest proportion of the people who inhabit these Rocky Mountain vales have revealed to them this gift through Jesus, the Mediator—the Savior of the world. Therefore, Oh! ye Latter day Saints, Oh! ye House of Israel, and Oh! ye inhabitants of the earth, re- member! that when God, the Father, gave His only begotten son as a ransom for your sins, He gave a Christmas gift that cannot be ex- celled---the gift of eternal life! Through this gift ye can possess the riches of Eternity. Should there not be something given in return as an acknowledg- ment for this gift? It cannot be bought with money, so far as the riches of this world is concerned it is without price. But the price of it is, the love of God the Father, faith in His Son Jesus, repentance and the forsaking of sin, obedience to the sacred ordinance of baptism, and the laying on of hands for the reception of the Holy Ghost, and then the keeping of all His holy and revealed laws. This is true religion. These are some of the religious principles adopted by the Latter-day Saints, and how to obtain the gift of eter- nal life should be the highest am- bition of every man, woman, and child. The earth groans under a false Christianity. The true Chris- tian principles that were advocated by the Savior and His Apostles are no longer practised throughout modern "Christendom." The earth is deluged with false Gospel, false religion, and with different systems and plans of salvation. The inhab- tants of the earth are being "tossed to and fro by every wind of doc- trine." [Ephesians 4:14] False teachers "having a form of godliness but denying the power thereof" have sprung up in every land and clime; parties, sects, and organizations under religious garbs are extending their multita- rious false theories, enveloping the mind of man with a hopeless faith. [2 Timothy 3:5] The signs of the times portend the fulfillment of the prophecies that have been made concerning the great wickedness that should be upon the earth in the latter days, when great plagues shall be poured out upon the world and Angels pour out the vials of the wrath of Almighty God. But pre- vious to this all people are to be warned by the proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, committed through the Angel that John the Revelator saw "flying through the midst of Heaven, having the ever- lasting Gospel to preach to every nation, kindred, tongue, and peo- ple, saying with a loud voice, 'Fear God, and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment is come.' " [Revelation 14:6-7] That Angel has flown, the Gospel proclamation has been sent forth to the world for the last half century and over, and we may expect the judgments to follow these declara- tions, for it is decreed "the hour of His judgment is come." The Latter-day Saints have gath- ered to these mountain vales, by the revelations of God, to prepare a place of refuge, for the gathering in of Israel, that the honest in heart from all nations might have a place of safety and escape the judgments of the wicked. And while the wick- ed rule and the people mourn, the Saints of the Most High will con- tinue to establish the principles of righteousness, the principles of free- dom and true government, until the Lord Himself comes to reign as "King of Kings and Lord of Lords." SOCIAL. The social condition of the Lat- ter day Saints is founded upon their unity. "In unity there is strength." "United we stand, divided we fall," is our true maxim: And as Paul, the Apostle of old, said to the Former-day Saints, so say I to the Latter-day Saints. "Be ye not unequally yoked to- gether with unbelievers; for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what com munion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?" (2 Cor VI., 14, 15, 16) These questions of Paul's are rel evant and very important to the social status of the Latter-day Saints, for, as Paul further says: "What agreement hath the Temple of God with idols? for ye are the Temple of the Living God; as God hath said: 'I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. Wherefore come out from among, and be ye separate; saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing, and I will receive you; and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.' " (2 Cor. VI; 16, 17, 18) As a people, we cannot affiliate with the world, nor the things of the world, and keep ourselves pure and unspotted from the world. The Savior says "If ye were of the world, the world would love his own, but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you." (S. John, XV, 19.) The Latter-day Saints are "chosen out of the world" and ga- thered here into the tops of the mountains for the purpose of build- ing up the Church of Christ, that in this Church they might be taught more fully the ways of the Lord and learn to walk in His paths, that they may be prepared to establish the Kingdom of God spoken of by Daniel, the Prophet, that he saw should be set up in the latter days by the God of Heaven, and which shall never be destroyed or left to other people, but shall stand forever. [Daniel 2:26-47] Now, the Latter-day Saints, un- derstanding their calling, cannot afford to mingle, in their associa- tions, with the world; for in the very nature of things the two ele- ments will not unite and still re- main in a healthy and prosperous condition. "Love not the world, neither the things of the world; if any man loves the world the love of the Father is not in him," so say the Scriptures; and those who are not for the Kingdom are against it. [1 John 2:15] Therefore, as the chosen people of God, we ought to honor our Father who has chosen us, and be very careful whom we associate with. In all our dealings and as- sociations let them be with the Latter-day Saints. Be watchful of the sons and daughters of Zion that they do not become "unequally yoked together with unbelievers." [2 Corinthians 6:14] Let the sons of Zion take the daughters of Zion to wife. Let the people of God be united in all things, politically, religiously, socially, commercially, and industrially. "If ye are not one ye are not mine" says the Sa- vior [Doctrine and Covenants 38:27]; and also, He says: "Be ye one as the Father and I are one." [John 17:21-22] If the Latter-day Saints will adhere and give heed to these wise sayings, the Lord, in His own due time,—in the time of the harvest, shall send forth His reapers, the Angels, who shall gather out the tares to be burned; and "The Son of Man shall send forth His angels, and they shall gather out of His Kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; and shall cast them into a furnace of fire; there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the King- dom of their Father," (St. Matthew, xiii; 41, 42, 43.) Wishing your patrons a "Merry Christmas!" and a "Happy New Year!" I remain Your Brother in the Gospel, W. WOODRUFF. HISTORIAN'S AND RECORDER'S OFFICE OF THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS, SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH.