V THE SPECIAL WITNESS OF JESUS

The end of the period of preparation.

It was the day of the baptism. Jesus had completed the years of preparation for His ministry¹ of service. We know very little of what He did during the eighteen years from the time of His first visit to the temple to the time of His baptism. The historian Luke tells us that Jesus went down to Nazareth with His parents and was subject to them. "And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature², and in favour with God and man." The day of the baptism was momentous³, however; for it was the day on which the special witness of Jesus made special recognition of Him as the Christ.

The testimony⁴ at the baptism.

John the Baptizer was performing the ordinance⁵ of baptism in the river Jordan for all those who requested it. Thither⁶, then Jesus went; for He, too, wished to be baptized. But when Jesus approached, John felt that in Him was One greater than he; just such a One as he had himself predicted, whose shoestrings⁷ he was unworthy to untie⁸. When, therefore, Jesus asked for baptism, John replied, "I have need to be baptized of Thee, and comest Thou to me?"

"And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now; for thus it becometh us to fulfill⁹ all righteousness. Then he suffered Him.

"And Jesus, when He was baptized, went up straight-way out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto Him, and he (John) saw the Spirit of God {42} descending¹⁰ like a dove, and lighting¹¹ upon Him. And, lo, a voice from heaven, saying, This is my Son, in whom I am well pleased."

John's testimony.

A little later, John bore testimony to those assembled about him, thus: "I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and It abode¹² upon Him. And I knew Him not: but He that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, the same is He which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost. And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God."

Who the Comforter is.

Now, this Spirit that John saw descending like a dove and lighting upon Jesus was the same Spirit that Jesus later promised—as we learned in the preceding chapter—and that was to testify of Him. Concerning this Spirit Jesus said also just before His crucifixion, "I tell you the truth; It is expedient¹³ for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send Him unto you."

Who, then, is this Spirit, this Comforter? Jesus tells plainly: "The Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name. He shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever¹⁴ I have said unto you." The Holy Ghost, then, is a special witness to Jesus; and the Holy Ghost is a member of the Godhead in heaven. When Jesus commissioned the apostles after His resurrection to preach the Gospel, He said to them, "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing {43} them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost." It is further clear that, as a member of the Godhead, the Holy Ghost is a member separate and distinct from God and the Son; for at the baptism of the Son, all three were individually and separately present.

The mission of the Holy Ghost.

The duties of the Holy Ghost are many. When Nicodemus came by night to be instructed by Jesus, Jesus assured him that, "except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God;" for, said He, "that which is born of the Spirit is spirit." This means, of course, that when one receives the gift of the Holy Ghost, one enters upon a new spiritual life. And in bringing about such a new spiritual life, the Holy Ghost convinces the sinner of his evil deeds, and leads him to the truth, testifying as we have already learned of the Christ.

The Holy Ghost in Jesus and the apostles.

Jesus, himself, was "full of the Holy Ghost." After the ascension. His promise of a Comforter was literally¹⁵ fulfilled to the Apostles. On the day of Pentecost, they "were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance¹⁶."

The Holy Ghost amongst the Nephites.

On the American continent, too, as you must remember, Jesus chose twelve apostles. The Holy Ghost rested mightily¹⁷ upon them, and the way in which Jesus conferred the Holy Ghost on them is interesting. The third Nephi records the incident in these words: "It came to pass that when Jesus had made an end of these sayings, {44} He touched with His hand the disciples¹⁸ whom He had chosen, one by one, even until He had touched them all, and spake unto them as He touched them." Moroni describes the incident more fully¹⁹: "The words of Christ, which He spake unto His disciples, the twelve whom He had chosen, as He laid His hands upon them. And He called them by name, saying, ye shall call on the Father, in my name, in mighty²⁰ prayer; and after ye have done this, ye shall have power that on him whom ye shall lay your hands, ye shall give the Holy Ghost; and in my name shall ye give it, for thus do mine apostles."

How to confer the Holy Ghost.

As Jesus Himself did, then, amongst the Nephites, and as He instructed the Nephite apostles to do, so also did the Jewish apostles. They conferred the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands. It is the proper way. When the Church was re-established by the great American, Joseph Smith, the ordinance of the laying on of hands was restored with it.

Nature of the Holy Ghost.

Now, you may be wondering, what kind of being is the Holy Ghost, that it may be conferred by the laying on of hands? Many people have wondered about the same thing. Indeed, even learned men have wondered so much that they have become utterly²¹ confused. Yet, here again, the truth is very simple. Jesus said to Joseph Smith, "The Father has a body of flesh and bones as tangible²² as man's; the Son also; but the Holy Ghost has not a body of flesh and bones, but is a personage of Spirit. Were it not so, the Holy Ghost could not dwell in us."

{45} Importance of the Holy Ghost.

You can readily see that the Holy Ghost is a very important personage. First, He is a member of the Godhead. Then, through His influence we are led from darkness into light, and are thus enabled to recognize the truth. Then He testifies of Jesus Christ, and of God who sent Him. Indeed, so important is the testimony of the Holy Ghost that Jesus Christ Himself asserted that all sins may be forgiven except the sin against the Holy Ghost. And to Joseph Smith, Jesus said that the blasphemy²³ against the Holy Ghost consisted in the denying of the testimony that Jesus is the Christ, after having once received that testimony, and thus approving of His death. The denial of such a testimony would be the denial of the Holy Ghost also; for "no man can know that Jesus is the Christ, but by the Holy Ghost."
THE REFERENCES

Matt. 3:13-16. John 3:34.

John 1:32-35. Acts 2:1-4.

John 16:7, 8, 13. 3 Nephi 18:36, 37.

John 14:26. Moroni 2:1,2.

Matt. 28:19. Doc. and Cov. 33:15.

John 6:53. Doc. and Cov. 130:22.

Luke 4:1-20. Doc. and Cov. 132:27.
THE QUESTIONS

1. How old was Jesus when He went to John to be baptized?

2. Why was Jesus baptized?

3. How did John recognize Jesus as the Son of God?

4. Who is the Comforter?

5. What is His relation to God and to Jesus?

6. What is the mission of the Holy Ghost?

7. How is the Holy Ghost conferred?

8. What kind of being is the Holy Ghost?

9. Why is the Holy Ghost of special importance?

1 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

2 stature   

n.（高度）水平，（高度）境界，身高，身材

参考例句：

• He is five feet five inches in stature.他身高5英尺5英寸。
• The dress models are tall of stature.时装模特儿的身材都较高。

3 momentous   

adj.重要的，重大的

参考例句：

• I am deeply honoured to be invited to this momentous occasion.能应邀出席如此重要的场合，我深感荣幸。
• The momentous news was that war had begun.重大的新闻是战争已经开始。

4 testimony   

n.证词；见证，证明

参考例句：

• The testimony given by him is dubious.他所作的证据是可疑的。
• He was called in to bear testimony to what the police officer said.他被传入为警官所说的话作证。

5 ordinance   

n.法令；条令；条例

参考例句：

• The Ordinance of 1785 provided the first land grants for educational purposes.1785年法案为教育目的提供了第一批土地。
• The city passed an ordinance compelling all outdoor lighting to be switched off at 9.00 PM.该市通过一条法令强令晚上九点关闭一切室外照明。

6 thither   

adv.向那里；adj.在那边的，对岸的

参考例句：

• He wandered hither and thither looking for a playmate.他逛来逛去找玩伴。
• He tramped hither and thither.他到处流浪。

7 shoestrings   

n.以极少的钱( shoestring的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Laura loved him and he was ready to kiss her shoestrings. 劳拉爱他，他都乐于吻她的鞋带。 来自互联网
• Result: The strong shoestrings were easily restored in the semi-solid medium with rich organic nitrogen source. 结果：在富含有机氮的半固体培养基上蜜环菌最易形成粗壮的菌索。 来自互联网

8 untie   

vt.解开，松开；解放

参考例句：

• It's just impossible to untie the knot.It's too tight.这个结根本解不开。太紧了。
• Will you please untie the knot for me?请你替我解开这个结头，好吗？

9 fulfill   

vt.履行，实现，完成；满足，使满意

参考例句：

• If you make a promise you should fulfill it.如果你许诺了，你就要履行你的诺言。
• This company should be able to fulfill our requirements.这家公司应该能够满足我们的要求。

10 descending   

n. 下行 adj. 下降的

参考例句：

• The results are expressed in descending numerical order . 结果按数字降序列出。
• The climbers stopped to orient themselves before descending the mountain. 登山者先停下来确定所在的位置，然后再下山。

11 lighting   

n.照明，光线的明暗，舞台灯光

参考例句：

• The gas lamp gradually lost ground to electric lighting.煤气灯逐渐为电灯所代替。
• The lighting in that restaurant is soft and romantic.那个餐馆照明柔和而且浪漫。

12 abode   

n.住处，住所

参考例句：

• It was ten months before my father discovered his abode.父亲花了十个月的功夫，才好不容易打听到他的住处。
• Welcome to our humble abode!欢迎光临寒舍！

13 expedient   

adj.有用的，有利的；n.紧急的办法，权宜之计

参考例句：

• The government found it expedient to relax censorship a little.政府发现略微放宽审查是可取的。
• Every kind of expedient was devised by our friends.我们的朋友想出了各种各样的应急办法。

14 whatsoever   

adv.（用于否定句中以加强语气）任何；pron.无论什么

参考例句：

• There's no reason whatsoever to turn down this suggestion.没有任何理由拒绝这个建议。
• All things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you,do ye even so to them.你想别人对你怎样，你就怎样对人。

15 literally   

adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实

参考例句：

• He translated the passage literally.他逐字逐句地翻译这段文字。
• Sometimes she would not sit down till she was literally faint.有时候，她不走到真正要昏厥了，决不肯坐下来。

16 utterance   

n.用言语表达，话语，言语

参考例句：

• This utterance of his was greeted with bursts of uproarious laughter.他的讲话引起阵阵哄然大笑。
• My voice cleaves to my throat,and sob chokes my utterance.我的噪子哽咽，泣不成声。

17 mightily   

ad.强烈地；非常地

参考例句：

• He hit the peg mightily on the top with a mallet. 他用木槌猛敲木栓顶。
• This seemed mightily to relieve him. 干完这件事后，他似乎轻松了许多。

18 disciples   

n.信徒( disciple的名词复数 )；门徒；耶稣的信徒；（尤指）耶稣十二门徒之一

参考例句：

• Judas was one of the twelve disciples of Jesus. 犹大是耶稣十二门徒之一。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• "The names of the first two disciples were --" “最初的两个门徒的名字是——” 来自英汉文学 - 汤姆历险

19 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

20 mighty   

adj.强有力的；巨大的

参考例句：

• A mighty force was about to break loose.一股巨大的力量即将迸发而出。
• The mighty iceberg came into view.巨大的冰山出现在眼前。

21 utterly   

adv.完全地，绝对地

参考例句：

• Utterly devoted to the people,he gave his life in saving his patients.他忠于人民，把毕生精力用于挽救患者的生命。
• I was utterly ravished by the way she smiled.她的微笑使我完全陶醉了。

22 tangible   

adj.有形的，可触摸的，确凿的，实际的

参考例句：

• The policy has not yet brought any tangible benefits.这项政策还没有带来任何实质性的好处。
• There is no tangible proof.没有确凿的证据。

23 blasphemy   

n.亵渎，渎神

参考例句：

• His writings were branded as obscene and a blasphemy against God.他的著作被定为淫秽作品，是对上帝的亵渎。
• You have just heard his blasphemy!你刚刚听到他那番亵渎上帝的话了！