"We believe that the penalty of this seccmd law can have no effect upon persons who have not had the privi- lege in this life of becoming acquainted therewith ; for although the light that is in them teaches them good and evil, yet that light does not teach them the law against doing evil, nor the penalty thereof. And although they have done things worthy of many stripes, yet the law can- not be brought to bear against them and its penalty be inflicted, because they can plead ignorance thereof. Therefore they will be judged, not by the revealed law ■which they have been ignorant of, but by the law of their conscience, the penalty thereof being a few stripes.
" We believe that all who have done evil, having a knowledge of the law, or afterwards in this life coming to the knowledge thereof, are under its penalty, which is not inflicted in this world, but in the world to come. Therefore such in this world are prisoners, shut np under the sentence of the law, awaitin" with awful fear for the time of judgment, when the penalty shall be inflicted, con- signing them to a second banishment from the presence of their Kedeemer, who had redeemed them from the penalty of Vae first law. But, inquires the sinner, is there no way for my escape? Is my case hopeless? Can I not devise some way by which 1 can extricate myself from the pen- alty of this second lari; and escape this second banishment f The answer is— If thou canst hide thyself from the all- searching eye of an omnipresent God, that he shall not find thee, or'if thou canst prevail with him to deny justice its claim, or if thou caust clothe thyself with power and contend with the Almighty, and prevent him from exe- cutiug the sentence of the law, then thou canst escape. If thou canst cause repentance, or baptism in water, or any of thine own works to atone for the least of thy trans- gressions, then thou canst deliver thyself from the awful penalty that awaits thee. But be assured, O sinner, that thou canst not devise any way of thine own to escape, nor do anything that will atone for thy sins. Therefore thy case is hopeless unless God hath devised some way for thy deliverance ; but do not let despair seize upon thee, for though thou art under the sentence of a broken law, and hast no power to atone for thy sins and redeem thy- self tberefrom, yet there is hope in thy case, for he who gave the law has devised a way fi)r thy deliverance. That same Jesus who hath atoned for the original sin, and will redeem all mankind from the penalty thereof, hath also atoned for thy sins, and offereth salvation and deliverance to thee on certain conditions to be complied with on thy part.
"We believe that the first condition to be complied with on the part of sinners is to believe in God, and in the sufferings and death of his Son Jesus Christ to atone for the sins of the whole world, and in his resurrection and ascension on high to appear in the presence of his Fa- ther to make intercession for the children of men, and in the Holy Ghost, which is given to all who obey the Gos- pel.
" That the second condition is to repent— that is, all who believe according to the tirst condition are required to come humbly before God and confess their sins with a broken heart and contrite spirit, and to turn away from them, and cease from all their evil deeds, and make res- titution to all they have in any way injured, as far as it is in their power. _ " That the third condition is to be baptized by immer- Bion in water, in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ohost,/or remission of sins; and that this ordinance is to be administered by one who is called and authorized of Jesus Christ to baptize ; otherwise it is illegal and of no advantage, and not accepted by him; and that it is to be administered only to those pei'sons who believe and re- pent according to the two preceding conditions.
"And that the fourth condition is to receive the laj/ing on ofha)ids in the name of Jesus Christ for the gift of the Holy Ghost; and that this ordinance is to be adminis- tered by the apostles or elders whom the Lord Jesus hath called and authorized to lay on hands; otherwise it is of no advantage, being illegal in the sight of God ; and that It is to be administered only to those persons who believe, repent, and are baptized into this Church, according to the three preceding conditions. These are the first condi- tions of the Gospel. All who comply with them receive
forgiveness of sins and are made partakers of the Holy Ghost. Through these conditions they become the adopt- ed sons and daughters of God. Through this process they are born again, tirst of- water and then of the Spirit, and become children of the kingdom— heirs of God— saints of the Most High— the Church of the first-born— the elect people, and heirs to a celestial inheritance eternal in the presence of God. After complying with these principles, their names are enrolled in the book of the names of the righteous.