While looking up 19th-century Latter-day Saint discussions of John 6 for a lesson I will be teaching this Sunday, I came across the following from Brigham Young:
It is an easy matter for me to
understand the information the Lord has imparted to me, and then communicate
the same to you. Will the bread administered in this ordinance add life to you?
Will the wine add life to you? Yes; if you are hungry and faint, it will
sustain the natural strength of the body. But suppose you have just eaten and
drunk till you are full, so as not to require another particle of food to
sustain the natural body; you have eaten all your nature requires; do you then
receive any benefit from. the bread and wine as mere articles of food? As far
as the emblems are concerned, you receive strength naturally, when the body
requires it, precisely as you would by eating bread, and drinking wine, at any
other time, or on any other occasion.
In what consists the benefit we
derive from this ordinance? It is in obeying the commands of the Lord. When we
obey the commandments of our heavenly Father, if we have a correct
understanding of the ordinances of the house of God, we receive all the promises
attached to the obedience rendered to His commandments. Jesus said—Verily,
verily I say unto you, except ye eat the flesh of the Son of God, and drink his
blood, ye have no life in you. Again, "He that eateth me,"
"shall live by me." Again, "Whose eateth my flesh, and drinketh,
my blood, hath eternal life." "For my flesh is meat indeed, and my
blood is drink indeed."
Can you understand these sayings
of the Saviour? These sayings are but isolated portions of the vast amount of
instructions given by him to his followers in his day. Had a thousandth part of
his teachings to them been handed down to us, and all his doings been
faithfully recorded and transmitted to us, we should not have known what to do
with such a vast amount of information. The Apostle says, "And there are
also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written
every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books
that should be written."
Allow me to explain this text.
The Apostle could not possibly mean what the language of the quotation implies
—that the whole earth would have been covered with books to a certain depth;
no, but he meant, by that saying, there would have been more written than the
world of mankind would receive, or credit. The people then were as they are in
this day—they are continually reaching after something that is not revealed,
when there is more written already than they can comprehend. Instead of saying
the world could not contain the books, we will say there would have been more
written than the people would carry out in their lives.
I will now tell you what the
Saviour meant by those wonderful expressions touching his body and blood. It is
simply this—"If you do not keep the commandments of God, you will have no
life of the Son of God in you." Jesus, as they were eating, took the
bread, and blessed it, and broke it, and gave it to the disciples, and said,
"Take, eat; this is my body. And he took the cup and gave thanks, and gave
it to them; saying, Drink ye all of it; for this is my blood of the New
Testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins." What were they
required to drink it for? What are we partaking of these emblems for? In token
of our fellowship with him, and in token that we desire to be one with each
other, that we may all be one with the Father. His administering these symbols
to his ancient disciples, and which he commanded should be done until he came,
was for the express purpose that they should witness unto the Father that they
did believe in him. But on the other hand, if they did not obey this
commandment, they should not be blessed with his spirit.
It is the same in this, as it is
in the ordinance of baptism for the remission of sins. Has water, in itself,
any virtue to wash away sin? Certainly not; but the Lord says, "If the
sinner will repent of his sins, and go down into the waters of baptism, and
there be buried in the likeness of being put into the earth and buried, and
again be delivered from the water, in the likeness of being born—if in the
sincerity of his heart he will do this, his sins shall be washed away. Will the
water of itself wash them away? No; but keeping the commandments of God will
cleanse away the stain of sin.
When we eat of this bread, and
drink of this water, do we eat the literal flesh of the Son of God? Were I a
priest of the Roman Catholic church, and had been trained from my youth in that
faith, I might believe fully, with my whole heart, that my prayers would
transform the bread of the eucharist into the literal flesh, and the wine into
the literal blood, of the Son of God. But notwithstanding my faith on that
matter, the bread and wine would be just the same in their component parts, and
would administer to the mortal systems of men, or of beasts, the same amount
and kind of nutriment that the same quantity of unblessed bread and wine would.
If bread and wine are blessed, dedicated, and sanctified, through the sincerity
and faith of the people of God, then the Spirit of the Lord, through the
promise, rests upon the individuals who thus keep His commandments, and are
diligent in obeying the ordinances of the house of God. So I understand all the
ordinances of the house of the Lord. You know we used to get down upon our
knees and pray for the remission of sins; and we would pray until we got peace
of mind, and then we thought our sins were forgiven. I have no fault to find
with this, it is all right. Many in this way have been made to rejoice in the
hope of eternal life, to rejoice in the gift of the Spirit of the Lord, and in
the light of His countenance. Many received heavenly visions, revelations, the
ministering of holy angels, and the manifestations of the power of God, until
they were satisfied; and all this before the ordinances of the house of God
were preached to the people. They obtained those blessings through their faith,
and the sincerity of their hearts. It was this that called down heavenly
blessings upon them. It was their fervency of spirit, and not their obedience
to the celestial law, through which they received such blessings; and it was
all right. What is required of us when the law comes? We must obey it, as old
Paul did. He was a servant of God in all good conscience, when he took care of
the clothes of those who stoned Stephen to death; but when the law came, sin
revived in his, and he said, "I died." That is, his former notions of
serving God, his former incorrect traditions, all appeared to him in their true
light, and that upon which he had trusted for salvation as baseless as a dream,
when the law of the Lord came by Jesus Christ; and in it he found the promises
and the gifts and the blessings of the holy Gospel, through obedience to the
ordinances. That is the only legal way to obtain salvation, and an exaltation
in the presence of God. (Brigham Young, “The Gospel—Growing in Knowledge—the
Lord's Supper—Blessings of Faithfulness—Utility of Persecution—Creation of
Adam—Experience,” October 23, 1853, JOD 2:3-5)
It is also striking that Brigham understands that water
baptism is the instrumental means of remission of sins; getting immersed in
water merely does not bring about remission of sins and regeneration.
Here
is the transcription from the Pitman version from LaJean Carruth:
it would be an easy matter for me
to understand what the Lord has given me and then to tell you what I understand
will the bread add life to you will the wine add life to you yes if you are
hungry and fainting it sustains the body but suppose you have just eat drunk
and you are full you need not another mouthful not another particle no crumb to
sustain your natural body you have all your nature requires is there any
benefit do we receive strength as far as these emblems are concerned you
receive strength naturally precisely as you would from eating bread and
drinking wine at any other place or on any other occasion but where is the
benefit this is the question it is in obeying the commandment of the Lord when
we obey the commandment of Lord our Father if we have a correct understanding
of ordinances of house of God we receive precisely according to promises given
through that commandment Jesus says if you eat not you drink not you have no life
in you again he that eateth of this bread eats of my body how can you
understand that he that drinks of this cup drinks my blood how can you
understand that I can tell you in a word not the hundredth thousand millionth
part of instructions he gave to his disciples was handed to us no if acts words
and saying and doing of Savior had been written there would have been more than
they known what done with it apostle says world would not receive it you may
understand it so. Or say more books that covered the earth to the depth of
[illegible] done the people no good I will tell you what the apostle meant by
that saying I will take this New Testament and now then suppose I am one of his
apostle [sic] I am preaching to the people explaining as fast as I can possibly
faster than they can understand the people were then as they are now why not
tell us something more I will say there is more written than you can understand
though that is the way I explain it instead of saying the world could not
contain there is more written than you carry out in your lives that will
explain it now I will tell what the Savior meant and what I mean if you don't
keep the commandments of God you will have no life of the Son of God in you
Jesus says take this bread and eat of it take this cup and drink of it what for
I want you should do it in token of your fellowship with me that your desire to
be one with each other with me as I and Father are one I want you should take
this as proof testimony if you do this in all sincerity you shall have my Holy
Spirit to attend the ordinances but if you don't you shall not have my spirit
just as it is in the case of baptism has water any way to wash away sin no
certainly not the efficacy of water can't wash away your sins but the Lord says
if you will repent of your sins go down in water baptized and there be buried
in likeness of being put into earth and being born again and when you are
brought forth if you do this in all sincerity your sins shall be washed away
will the water wash them away how many times this question asked elders no but
keeping the commandments of God will wash them away and cleanse us from all the
sin when we eat of this bread and drink of water do we eat the flesh of Son of
God do we drink his blood perhaps if I was a Catholic priest I would pray over
it and turn it into blood and bread into flesh in my own estimation but it would
be just as good for chickens mice or person to eat as it was before or any of
the creatures of God to eat but if it was dedicated sanctified and blessed
through the sincerity faith of people to before/bear/br/bfr[?] themselves the
Spirit of Lord there the promise rests upon the individual who keeps the
commandments and ordinances of house of God so I understand all the ordinances
of the house of the Lord one the same as another we used to get down you know
and pray for remission of sins how long would we pray until we got peace of
mind then we thought our sins were forgiven all right many have been made to
rejoice in the hope of eternal life to rejoice in the gifting of the Spirit of
the Lord in the light of his countenance many have received vision and visions
and revelations and ministering of angles the manifestations of power of God
until they are satisfied and were satisfied before the ordinances of house of
God was preached to the people that is through their sincerity their faith that
called down the blessings it was their fervency of spirit to yield obedience to
all the requirements of law when they that received the blessing of light what
will we do when the law comes we will have to do the whole of it as Paul did a
servant of God in all good conscience when he held clothes of those stoned
Stephen but when he the law came then sin revived in him and he said I died that
is to his former notions of serving God it was all gone when the law came he
found the law promises the covenants and blessings of holy gospel through the
ordinances of his house and that is the legal way to preserve them to
themselves and be saved by them well simply in a few words that is the way I
understand all the ordinances of house of God there is no [perform?]
