It affirms that there was a yesterday as there is a today, and shall be a tomorrow, in the dealings of God with men; that

    Through the ages one increasing purpose runs;

and that purpose,—­the working out of a divine plan, the ultimate object of which is the salvation and exaltation of the human family.

The central feature of that plan was the earthly ministry and redeeming sacrifice of the Christ in the meridian of time; the consummation shall be ushered in by the return of that same Christ to earth as the Rewarder of righteousness, the Avenger of iniquity, and as the world’s Judge.

The Church holds that in the light of revelation, ancient and modern, and by a fair interpretation of the signs of the times, the second coming of the Redeemer is near at hand.  The present is the final dispensation of the earth in its present state; these are the last days of which the prophets in all ages have sung.

But of what use are theories and philosophies of religion without practical application?  Of what avail is belief as a mere mental assent or denial?  Let it develop into virile faith; vitalize it; animate it; then it becomes a moving power.  The Latter-day Saints point with some confidence to what they have attempted and begun, and to the little they have already done in the line of their convictions, as proof of their sincerity.

For the second coming of the Redeemer, preparation is demanded of men; and today, instead of the single priest crying in the wilderness of Judaea, there are thousands going forth among the nations with a message as definite and as important as that of the Baptist; and their proclamation is a reiteration of the voice in the desert—­“Repent Repent! for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.”

The philosophy of “Mormonism” rests on the literal acceptance of a living, personal God, and on the unreserved compliance with his law as from time to time revealed.