[34] Acts iii, 19-21.
[35] Doc. & Cov. cxii, 30-32.
=27. II. Joseph Smith"s Authority= was conferred upon him by direct ministrations of heavenly beings, each of whom had once exercised the same power upon the earth. We have already seen how the angel Moroni, formerly a mortal prophet among the Nephites, transmitted to Joseph the appointment to bring forth the record which he, Moroni, had buried in the earth over fourteen hundred years before. We learn further, that on the 15th of May, 1829, the lesser or Aaronic Priesthood was conferred upon Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery by the hand of John the Baptist,[36] who came in his immortalized state with that particular order of priesthood which comprises the keys of the ministrations of angels, the doctrine of repentance and of baptism for the remission of sins. This was the same John who, with the voice of one crying in the wilderness, had preached the self-same doctrine, and had administered the same ordinance in Judea as the immediate forerunner of the Messiah. In delivering his message, John the Baptist stated that he was acting under the direction of Peter, James, and John, apostles of the Lord, in whose hands reposed the keys of the higher or Melchizedek Priesthood, which in time would also be given. This promise was fulfilled a month or so later, when the apostles named manifested themselves to Joseph and Oliver, ordaining them to the apostleship,[37]
which comprises all the offices of the higher order of priesthood, and which carries authority to minister in all the established ordinances of the Gospel.
[36] Doc. & Cov. xiii.
[37] Doc. & Cov. xxvii, 12.
=28.= Then, some time after the Church had been duly organized, authority for certain special functions was given, the appointing messenger being in each case the one whose right it was so to officiate by virtue of the commission which he had held in the days of his mortality. Thus, as has been seen, Moses conferred the authority to prosecute the work of gathering; and Elijah, who, not having tasted death, held a peculiar relation to both the living and the dead, delivered the authority of vicarious ministry for the departed. To these appointments by heavenly authority should be added that given by Elias, who appeared to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery, and "committed the dispensation of the gospel of Abraham," saying as was said of the Father of the Faithful and his descendants in olden times, that in them and in their seed should all succeeding generations be blessed.[38]
[38] Doc. & Cov. cx, 12.
=29.= It is evident, then, that the claims made by the Church with respect to its authority are complete and consistent as to the source of the powers professed, and the channels through which such have been delivered again to earth. Scripture and revelation, both ancient and modern, support as an unalterable law the principle that no one can delegate to another an authority which the giver does not possess.
=30. III. Joseph Smith was himself a true Prophet.=--This statement, if fully substantiated, would be of itself sufficient proof of the validity of the claims of this modern prophet, and the test is not difficult of application. In the days of ancient Israel, an effective method of trying the claims of a professed prophet was prescribed:-- "When a prophet speaketh in the name of the Lord, if the thing follow not, nor come to pa.s.s, that is the thing which the Lord hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously; thou shalt not be afraid of him."[39] Conversely, if the words of the prophet are made good by fulfilment, there is at least proof presumptive of his genuineness. Of the many predictions uttered by Joseph Smith and already fulfilled or awaiting the set time of their realization, a few citations will suffice for our present purpose.
[39] Deut. xviii, 22.
=31.= One of the earliest prophecies declared by him, which, while not his independent utterance but that of the angel Moroni, was nevertheless given to the world by Joseph Smith, had special reference to the Book of Mormon, of which the angel said: "The knowledge that this record contains will go to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, under the whole heaven."[40] This declaration was made four years before the work of translation was begun, and fourteen years before the elders of the Church began their missionary labor in foreign lands. Since that time the Book of Mormon has been translated into seventeen foreign languages, and is published in fifteen tongues; and the work is still in progress.
[40] Times and Seasons, Vol. II, No. 13.
=32.= In August, 1842, while the Church was suffering persecution in Illinois, and when the western part of the continent was but little known and only as the territory of an alien nation, Joseph Smith prophesied "that the Saints would continue to suffer much affliction, and would be driven to the Rocky Mountains," and that while many then professing allegiance to the Church would apostatize, and others, faithful to their testimony, would meet the martyr"s fate, some would live to "a.s.sist in making settlements and build cities and see the Saints become a mighty people in the midst of the Rocky Mountains."[41] The literal fulfilment of this prediction, uttered in 1842, and it may be added, foreshadowed by an earlier prophecy in 1831,[42] the one five, the other sixteen years before the migration of the Church to the West, is attested by the common history of the settlement and development of this once inhospitable region. Even the skeptic and the p.r.o.nounced opponents of the Church admit the miracle of the establishment of a mighty commonwealth in the valleys of the Rocky Mountains.
[41] Millennial Star, Vol. XIX, p. 630. Also Hist. of the Ch., Vol. V, p. 85.
[42] Doc. and Cov. xlix, 24-25.
=33.= A most remarkable prediction regarding national affairs was uttered by Joseph Smith, December 25th, 1832; it was soon thereafter promulgated among the members of the Church, and was preached by the elders, but did not appear in print until 1851.[43] The revelation reads in part as follows:--"Verily thus saith the Lord, concerning the wars that will shortly come to pa.s.s, beginning at the rebellion of South Carolina, which will eventually terminate in the death and misery of many souls. The days will come that war will be poured out upon all nations, beginning at that place; For, behold, the Southern States shall be divided against the Northern States, and the Southern States will call on other nations, even the nation of Great Britain; ... And it shall come to pa.s.s, after many days, slaves shall rise up against their masters, who shall be marshalled and disciplined for war." Every student of United States history is acquainted with the facts establishing a complete fulfilment, even to the minutest detail, of this astounding prophecy. In 1861, more than twenty-eight years after the foregoing prediction was recorded, and ten years after its publication in England, the Civil War broke out, beginning in South Carolina. The ghastly records of that fratricidal strife sadly support the prediction concerning "the death and misery of many souls." It is well known that slaves deserted the South and were marshalled in the armies of the North, and that the Confederate States solicited aid of Great Britain. While no open alliance between the Southern States and England was effected, the British government gave indirect a.s.sistance and substantial encouragement to the South, and this in such a way as to produce serious international complications.
Vessels were built and equipped at British ports in the interests of the Confederacy; and the results of this violation of the laws of neutrality cost Great Britain the sum of fifteen and a half millions of dollars, which sum was awarded the United States at the Geneva arbitration in settlement of the "Alabama claims." The Confederacy appointed commissioners to Great Britain and France; these appointees were forcibly taken by United States officers from the British steamer on which they had embarked. This act, which the United States government had to admit as overt, threatened for a time to precipitate a war between this nation and Great Britain.
[43] See Pearl of Great Price, British edition of 1851, and Millennial Star, Vol. XLIX, p. 396. The prophecy is now a part of the Doctrine and Covenants, see section lx.x.xvii.
=34.= The revelation cited, as given through Joseph Smith, contained other predictions, some of which are yet awaiting fulfilment.[44] The evidence presented is sufficient to prove that Joseph Smith is prominent among men by reason of his instrumentality in fulfilling prophecies uttered by the Lord"s representatives in former times, and that his own claim to the rank of prophet is abundantly vindicated.
But the endowment of prophecy so richly bestowed upon this Elias of the last days, and so freely yet unerringly exercised by him, is but one of the many spiritual gifts by which he, in common with a host of others who have received the priesthood from him, was distinguished.
The scriptures declare that certain signs shall attend the Church of Christ, among them the gifts of tongues, healing, immunity from threatening death, and the power to control evil spirits.[45] The exercise of these powers, resulting in what are ordinarily termed miracles, is by no means an infallible proof of divine authority; for many true prophets have wrought no such wonders, and men have been known to work miracles at the instigation of evil spirits.[46]
Nevertheless, the possession of the power implied by the working of miracles is an essential characteristic of the Church; and when such acts are wrought in the accomplishment of holy purposes, they serve as confirmatory evidence of divine authority. Therefore we may expect to find, as find we do, in the ministry of Joseph Smith and in that of the Church in general, the attested record of miracles, comprising manifestations of all the promised gifts of the Spirit. This subject will be further considered on another occasion.[47]
[44] See Doc. and Cov. lx.x.xvii, 5-7.
[45] Mark xvi, 16-18; Luke x, 19, etc.; Doc. and Cov. lx.x.xiv, 65-72.
[46] Exo. vii, 11, 22: viii, 7, 18; Rev. xiii, 13-15: xvi, 13-14.
[47] See Lecture on Article 7, pp. 219-239.
=35. IV. The Doctrines Taught by Joseph Smith= and by the Church to-day are true and scriptural. To sustain this statement we must examine the princ.i.p.al teachings of the Church in separate order. The Articles of Faith furnish us a convenient summary of many of the doctrines pertaining to the latter-day work; and these we will proceed to study in the course of the lectures that are to follow.
NOTES.
=1. The "Articles of Faith"= date from March 1, 1841. They const.i.tute a portion of a letter from the Prophet Joseph Smith to a Mr. Wentworth, of Chicago. The "Articles" were published in the History of Joseph Smith: (See _Millennial Star_, vol. XIX, p.
120; also _Times and Seasons_, vol. III, p. 709.) As stated elsewhere, the Articles have been formally adopted by the Church as an authorized summary of its princ.i.p.al doctrines.
=2. Joseph Smith"s Early Persecution.=--The Prophet wrote as follows concerning the persecution of his boyhood days, which dated from the time of his first mention of his vision of the Father and the Son:--"It has often caused me serious reflection, both then and since, how very strange it was that an obscure boy, a little over fourteen years of age, and one too who was doomed to the necessity of obtaining a scanty maintenance by his daily labor, should be thought a character of sufficient importance to attract the attention of the great ones of the most popular sects of the day, so as to create in them a spirit of the hottest persecution and reviling. But strange or not, so it was, and was often cause of great sorrow to myself. However, it was, nevertheless, a fact that I had had a vision. I have thought since that I felt much like Paul when he made his defense before King Agrippa, and related the account of the vision he had when he saw a light and heard a voice, but still there were but a few who believed him; some said he was dishonest, others said he was mad, and he was ridiculed and reviled; but all this did not destroy the reality of his vision. He had seen a vision, he knew he had, and all the persecution under heaven could not make it otherwise; ... So it was with me; I had actually seen a light, and in the midst of that light I saw two personages, and they did in reality speak unto me, or one of them did; and though I was hated and persecuted for saying that I had seen a vision, yet it was true; and while they were persecuting me, reviling me, and speaking all manner of evil against me, falsely, for so saying, I was led to say in my heart, Why persecute for telling the truth?
I had actually seen a vision, and who am I that I can withstand G.o.d?" _Pearl of Great Price_:--Extracts from the History of Joseph Smith: 23-25.
=3. Tribute to Joseph Smith.=--While few people outside the Church have had much to say in commendation of this modern prophet, it is interesting to note that there are some honorable exceptions to the rule. Josiah Quincy, a prominent American, made the acquaintance of Joseph Smith a short time before the latter"s martyrdom; and after the tragic event he wrote: "It is by no means improbable that some future text-book, for the use of generations yet unborn, will contain a question something like this: What historical American of the nineteenth century has exerted the most powerful influence upon the destinies of his countrymen? And it is by no means impossible that the answer to that interrogatory may be thus written: _Joseph Smith, the Mormon Prophet_. And the reply, absurd as it doubtless seems to most men now, may be an obvious commonplace to their descendants. History deals in surprises and paradoxes quite as startling as this. The man who establishes a religion in this age of free debate, who was and is today accepted by hundreds of thousands as a direct emissary from the Most High,--such a rare human being is not to be disposed of by pelting his memory with unsavory epithets....
The most vital questions Americans are asking each other today have to do with this man and what he has left us.... Burning questions they are, which must give a prominent place in the history of the country to that st.u.r.dy self-a.s.serter whom I visited at Nauvoo, Joseph Smith, claiming to be an inspired teacher, faced adversity, such as few men have been called to meet, enjoyed a brief season of prosperity, such as few men have ever attained, and, finally, forty-three days after I saw him, went cheerfully to a martyr"s death. When he surrendered his person to Governor Ford, in order to prevent the shedding of blood, the Prophet had a presentiment of what was before him. "I am going like a lamb to the slaughter," he is reported to have said, "but I am as calm as a summer"s morning. I have a conscience void of offence, and shall die innocent."" _Figures of the Past_ by Josiah Quincy, p. 376.
=4. The Seal of Martyrdom.=--"The highest evidence of sincerity that a man can give his fellow-men,--the highest proof that he has spoken the truth in any given case--is that he perseveres in it unto death, and seals his testimony with his blood.... So important did such a testimony become in the estimation of Paul, that he said "Where a testament is there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. For a testament is of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth." (Heb. ix, 16-17.) In the light of this principle, and when the importance of the great testimony which he bore to the world is taken into account, it is not to be wondered at that Joseph Smith was called upon to affix the broad seal of martyrdom to his life"s work. Something of incompleteness in his work would likely have been complained of had this been lacking; but now, not so; his character of prophet was rounded out to complete fulness by his falling a martyr under the murderous fire of a mob at Carthage in the State of Illinois."--Elder B. H. Roberts, in "_A New Witness for G.o.d_,"
pp. 477-478.
=5. Joseph Smith; Further References.=--For biography, see "_The Life of Joseph Smith, the Prophet_," by Pres. George Q. Cannon.
See also "_Divine Authority, or the question, Was Joseph Smith Sent of G.o.d?_" a pamphlet by Apostle Orson Pratt; "_Joseph Smith"s Prophetic Calling_;" _Millennial Star_, Vol. XLII, pp.
164, 187, 195, 227. _Letters_, by Elder Orson Spencer to Rev. Wm.
Crowell; No. 1; "_A New Witness for G.o.d_," by Elder B. H.
Roberts.
=6. Joseph Smith"s Descent.=--"Joseph Smith was of humble birth.
His parents and their progenitors were toilers, but their characters were G.o.dly and their names unstained. Near the middle of the seventeenth century Robert Smith, a st.u.r.dy yeoman of England, emigrated to the New World, the land of promise. With his wife, Mary, he settled in Ess.e.x, Ma.s.sachusetts. The numerous descendants of these worthy people intermarried with many of the staunchest and most industrious families of New England. Samuel, the son of Robert and Mary, born January 26th, 1666, wedded Rebecca Curtis, January 25th, 1707. Their son, the second Samuel, was born January 26th, 1714; he married Priscilla Gould, and was the father of Asael, born March 1st, 1744. Asael Smith took to wife Mary Duty, and their son Joseph was born July 12th, 1771. On the 24th of January, 1796, Joseph married Lucy Mack at Tunbridge in the State of Vermont. She was born July 8th, 1776, and was the daughter of Solomon and Lydia Mack, and was the granddaughter of Ebenezer Mack."--_The Life of Joseph Smith, the Prophet_, by George Q. Cannon; Chapter I. Joseph the Prophet was the third son and fourth child of Joseph and Lucy (Mack) Smith; he was born at Sharon, Vermont, December 23d, 1805.
=7. The Standard Works of the Church.=--The Bible and the Book of Mormon--the first two of the standard works of the Church--are to receive attention in later lectures (see pp. 240-307). The Doctrine and Covenants is a compilation of modern revelations as given to the Church in the present dispensation. The _Pearl of Great Price_ comprises the visions and writings of Moses as revealed to Joseph Smith, the Book of Abraham--a translation by Joseph Smith from certain ancient papyri--and some of the writings of Joseph Smith.
=8. History of the Restored Church.=--Further information regarding the life work of Joseph Smith, and the growth of the Church of Jesus Christ as restored to earth through his instrumentality, may be found in the "History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints," Salt Lake City, Utah. For a brief synopsis of Church history see "The Story of Mormonism," by James E. Talmage, Liverpool, 1907; Salt Lake City, 1910.
=9. Restoration of the Gospel.=--Plainly the vision-prophecy of John (Rev. xiv, 6, 7), relating to the restoration of the gospel to earth, could not refer to the gospel record preserved in the Holy Bible, for that record has remained in the possession of mankind. As stated in our text (page 14) a partial fulfilment is found in the visitation of Moroni and the restoration of the Book of Mormon, which is to us of modern times a new scripture, and one containing a fuller record of "the everlasting gospel."
However, a record of the gospel is not the gospel itself.
Authority to administer in the saving ordinances of the gospel is essential to the effective preaching and administration thereof; this was restored through John the Baptist, who brought the Aaronic Priesthood, and through Peter, James, and John who brought again to earth the Melchizedek Priesthood (see pp. 193, 194 herein). For commentary on Rev. xiv, 6, 7, see "The Great Apostasy," p. 168.
LECTURE II.
G.o.d AND THE G.o.dHEAD.
=Article 1.=--We believe in G.o.d, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost.
=1. The Existence of G.o.d.=--Since faith in G.o.d const.i.tutes the foundation of religious belief and practice, and inasmuch as a knowledge of the attributes and character of Deity is essential to an intelligent exercise of faith in Him, this subject claims first place in our study of the doctrines of the Church.
=2.= The existence of G.o.d is scarcely a question of rational dispute; nor does it call for proof by the feeble demonstrations of man"s logic, for the fact is admitted by the human family practically without question, and the consciousness of subjection to a supreme power is an inborn quality of mankind. The early scriptures are in no sense devoted to a primary demonstration of G.o.d"s existence, nor to attacks on the sophistries of atheism; and from this fact we may infer that the errors of doubt developed in some period later than the first. The universal a.s.sent of mankind to the existence of G.o.d is at least a strongly corroborative truth. There is a filial pa.s.sion within human nature which flames toward heaven. Every nation, every tribe, every individual, yearns for some object of reverence. It is natural for man to worship; his soul is unsatisfied till it finds a deity.
When men through transgression first fell into darkness concerning the true and living G.o.d, they established for themselves other deities; and so arose the abominations of idolatry. And yet, terrible as these practices are, even the most revolting idolatries testify to the existence of a G.o.d by declaring man"s hereditary pa.s.sion for worship.
Plutarch has wisely remarked of ancient conditions: "If you search the world, you may find cities without walls, without letters, without kings, without money; but no one ever saw a city without a deity, without a temple, or without prayers." This general a.s.sent to a belief in the existence of Deity is testimony of a high order; and in this connection the words of Aristotle may be applied:--"What seems true to some wise men is somewhat probable; what seems true to most or all wise men is very probable; what most men, both wise and unwise, a.s.sent to, still more resembles truth; but what men generally consent in has the highest probability, and approaches so near to demonstrated truth, that it may pa.s.s for ridiculous arrogance and self-conceitedness, or for intolerable obstinacy and perverseness, to decry it."[48]
[48] See Notes 1, 2, and 3.