Lecture First

1. Faith being the foundation of all righteousness.

9. ...faith is the assurance which men have of the existence of things which they have not seen, and the principle of action in all intelligent beings.

10. ...it is faith, and faith only, which is the moving cause of all action in them; that without it both mind and body would be in a state of inactivity, and all their exertions would cease, both physical and mental.

11. Are you not dependent on your faith, or belief, for the acquisition of all knowledge, wisdom, and intelligence? Would you exert yourselves to obtain wisdom and intelligence, unless you did believe that you could obtain them?

Would you have ever asked, unless you had believed that you would receive? Would you have ever sought, unless you had believed that you would have found? Or, would you have ever knocked, unless you had believed that it would have been opened unto you? In a word, is there anything that you would have done, either physical or mental, if you had not previously believed? Are not all your exertions of every kind, dependent on your faith?

Turn your thoughts on your own minds, and see if faith is not the moving cause of all action in yourselves; and, if the moving cause in you, is it not in all other intelligent beings?

12. And as faith is the moving cause of all action in temporal concerns, so it is in spiritual;

13. As we receive by faith all temporal blessings that we do receive, so we in like manner receive by faith all spiritual blessings that we do receive. But faith is not only the principle of action, but of power also, in all intelligent beings, whether in heaven or on earth.

15. ...that the principle of power which existed in the bosom of God, by which the worlds were framed, was faith; and that it is by reason of this principle of power existing in the Deity, that all created things exist;...all things in heaven, on earth, or under the earth exist by reason of faith as it existed in Him.

16. It is the principle by which Jehovah works, and through which he exercises power over all temporal as well as eternal things.

17. Who cannot see that if God framed the worlds by faith, that it is by faith that he exercises power over them, and that faith is the principle of power? And if the principle of power, it must be so in man as well as in the Deity?

18. The Saviour says ( Matthew 17:19, 20 ), in explaining the reason why the disciples could not cast out the devil, that it was because of their unbelief -- "For verily I say unto you" (said he), "if ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place,' and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you."

19. Moroni, has given us the following account of faith as the principle of power.

...it was the faith of Alma and Amulek which caused the walls of the prison to be rent,

...it was the faith of Nephi and Lehi which caused a change to be wrought upon the hearts of the Lamanites, when they were immersed with the Holy Spirit and with fire,

...it was by faith the mountain Zerin was removed when the brother of Jared spake in the name of the Lord.

20. ...the prophets, through faith subdued Kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword; out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens, and that women received their dead raised to life again, etc.

21. Joshua, in the sight of all Israel, bade the sun and moon to stand still, and it was done.

22. ...the sacred writers say that all these things were done by faith. God spake, chaos heard, and worlds came into order by reason of the faith there was in Him. So with man also; he spake by faith in the name of God, and the sun stood still, the moon obeyed, mountains removed, prisons fell, lions' mouths were closed, the human heart lost its enmity, fire its violence, armies their power, the sword its terror, and death its dominion; and all this by reason of the faith which was in him.

24. Faith, then, is the first great governing principle which has power, dominion, and authority over all things; by it they exist, by it they are upheld, by it they are changed, or by it they remain, agreeable to the will of God. Without it there is no power, and without power there could be no creation nor existence!