=Article 7.=--We believe in the gift of tongues, prophecy,
revelation, visions, healing, interpretation of tongues, etc.
=1. Spiritual Gifts Characteristic of the Church.=--It has been
already affirmed, that all men who would officiate with propriety in
the ordinances of the Gospel must be commissioned for their exalted
duties by the power and authority of heaven. When so divinely
invested, these servants of the Lord will not be lacking in proofs of
the Master's favor; for it has ever been characteristic of the
dealings of God with His people, to manifest His power by the bestowal
of a variety of ennobling graces, which are properly called gifts of
the Spirit. These are oft-times exhibited in a manner so different
from the usual order of things as to be called miraculous and
supernatural. In this way did the Lord make Himself known in the early
times of scriptural history; and from the days of Adam until the
present, prophets of God have generally been endowed with such power.
Whenever the priesthood has operated through an organized Church on
the earth, the members of the flock have been strengthened in their
faith, and otherwise blessed in numerous related ways, by the
possession of these graces within the Church. We may safely regard the
existence of these spiritual powers as one of the essential
characteristics of the true Church; where they are not, the priesthood
of God does not operate.
=2.= Mormon[656] solemnly declares that the days of miracles will not
pass from the Church, as long as there shall be a man upon the earth
to be saved; "For," says he, "it is by faith that miracles are
wrought; and it is by faith that angels appear and minister unto men;
wherefore if these things have ceased, wo be unto the children of men,
for it is because of unbelief, and all is vain." And Moroni, standing
on the threshold of the grave, bears an independent testimony that the
gifts and graces of the Spirit will never be done away as long as the
world shall stand, except it be through the unbelief of mankind.[657]
[656] Moroni vii, 35-37.
[657] Moroni x, 19, 23-27.
=3.= Hear the words of this prophet addressed to those "who deny the
revelations of God and say that they are done away, that there are no
revelations nor prophecies, nor gifts, nor healing, nor speaking with
tongues, and the interpretation of tongues. Behold I say unto you, he
that denieth these things knoweth not the Gospel of Christ; yea he has
not read the scriptures; if so, he does not understand them. For do we
not read that God is the same yesterday, to-day, and forever, and in
him there is no variableness neither shadow of changing? And now, if
ye have imagined up unto yourselves a god who doth vary, and in him
there is shadow of changing, then have ye imagined up unto yourselves
a god who is not a God of miracles. But behold, I will show unto you a
God of miracles, even the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and
the God of Jacob; and it is that same God who created the heavens and
the earth, and all things that in them are."[658]
[658] Mormon ix, 7-11.
=4. Nature of Spiritual Gifts.=--The gifts here spoken of are
essentially endowments of power and authority, through which the
purposes of God are accomplished, sometimes with accompanying
conditions that appear to be supernatural. By such the sick may be
healed, malignant influences overcome, spirits of darkness subdued,
the Saints, humble and weak, may proclaim their testimonies and
otherwise utter praises unto God in new and strange tongues, and
others may interpret these words; the feeble human intellect may be
invigorated by the heavenly touch of spiritual vision and blessed
dreams, to see and comprehend things ordinarily withheld from mortal
senses; direct communication with the fountain of all wisdom may be
established, and the revelations of the Divine will may be obtained.
=5.= These gifts have been promised of the Lord unto those who believe
in His name;[659] they are to follow obedience to the requirements of
the Gospel. Among believers, they are to serve for encouragement, and
as incentives to higher communion with the Spirit.[660] They are not
given as signs to gratify carnal curiosity; nor to satisfy a morbid
craving for the wonderful. Men have been led to the light through
manifestations of the miraculous; but events in the lives of these
show that they are either such as would have found a knowledge of the
truth in some other way, or they are but superficially affected, and
as soon as the novelty of the new sensation has exhausted itself they
wander again into the darkness from which they had for the time
escaped. Miracles are not primarily intended, surely they are not
needed, to prove the power of God; the simpler occurrences, the more
ordinary works of creation do that. But unto the heart already
softened and purified by the testimony of the truth, to the mind
enlightened through the Spirit's power and conscious of obedient
service in the requirements of the gospel, the voice of miracles comes
with cheering tidings of a loving Parent's continued favor, with fresh
and more abundant evidences of the magnanimity of an all-merciful
God.[661]
[659] Mark xvi, 16; Doc. and Cov. lxxxiv, 64-73.
[660] Matt, xii, 38, 39; xvi, 1-4; Mark viii, 11, 12; Luke xi,
16-30.
[661] See Note 6.
=6.= Yet even to the unbeliever, the testimony of miracles should
appeal, at least to the extent of argument favoring an investigation
of the power through which these acts are wrought; in such cases
miracles are as "a loud voice addressed to those who are hard
of hearing." The purpose of spiritual gifts in the Church is
explicitly set forth in a revelation from the Lord through Joseph
Smith:--"Wherefore, beware lest ye be deceived; and that ye may not be
deceived, seek ye earnestly the best gifts, always remembering for
what they are given; For verily I say unto you, they are given for the
benefit of those who love me and keep all my commandments, and him
that seeketh so to do, that all may be benefited that seeketh or that
asketh of me, that asketh and not for a sign that he may consume it
upon his lusts."[662]
[662] Doc. and Cov. xlvi, 8, 9.
=7. Miracles= are commonly regarded as supernatural occurrences,
taking place in opposition to the laws of nature. Such a conception is
plainly erroneous, for the laws of nature are inviolable. However, as
human understanding of these laws is at best but imperfect, events
strictly in accordance with natural law may appear contrary thereto.
The entire constitution of nature is founded on system and order; the
laws of nature, however, are graded as are the laws of man. The
application of a higher law in any particular case does not destroy
the efficacy or validity of an inferior one; the lower law is as fully
applicable as before to the case for which it is framed. For example,
society has enacted a law forbidding, on peril of heavy penalties, any
man appropriating the property of another; yet oftentimes officers of
the law forcibly seize the possessions of their fellow-men, against
whom judgments may have been rendered; and such acts are done to
satisfy, not to violate justice. Jehovah commanded "Thou shalt not
kill," and mankind has re-enacted the law, prescribing penalties for
violation thereof. Yet sacred history testifies, that, in certain
cases, the Lawgiver Himself has directly commanded His servants to
vindicate justice by taking human life. The judge who passes the
extreme sentence upon a convicted murderer, and the executioner who
carries into effect that dread mandate, act not in opposition to "Thou
shalt not kill," but actually in support of this decree.
=8.= With some of the principles upon which the powers of nature
operate, we are in a degree acquainted; and in contemplating them we
are no longer surprised, though deeper reflection may show that even
the commonest occurrence is wonderful and strange. But any event
beyond the ordinary is pronounced miraculous, supernatural, if not
indeed unnatural, and we are more or less awe-stricken by the
same.[663] When the prophet Elisha caused the axe to float in the
river,[664] he brought to his service, through the exercise of the
authority of the priesthood, a power superior to that of gravity.
Without doubt, the iron was heavier than the water; yet by the
operation of this higher force it was supported, suspended, or
otherwise sustained at the surface, as if it were held there by a
human hand, or rendered sufficiently buoyant by attached floaters.
[663] See Note 1.
[664] II Kings vi, 5-7.
=9.= Wine ordinarily consists of about four-fifths water, the rest
being a variety of chemical compounds the elements of which are
abundantly present in the air and soil. The ordinary method--what we
term the natural method--of bringing these elements into proper
combination is by planting the grape, then cultivating the vine till
the fruit is ready to yield its juice in the press. But by the
exercise of a power not within purely human reach, the Savior, at the
marriage in Cana,[665] called those elements together, and brought
about a chemical transformation within the water-pots of stone,
resulting in the production of pure wine. So, too, when the multitudes
were fed, under His priestly touch and authoritative blessing the
bread and fishes increased in substance, as if the seasons of years
had been consumed in their growth according to what we consider the
natural order. In healing the leprous, the palsied, and the infirm,
the disordered bodily parts were brought again into their normal and
healthful state; the impurities operating as poisons in the tissues
were removed by means more rapid and effectual than those which depend
upon the action of drugs and medicine.
[665] John ii, 1-11. See "Miracles" in "Jesus the Christ," pp.
147, 151.
=10.= No earnest observer, no reasoning mind, can doubt the existence
of intelligences and organisms which the senses of man do not reveal.
This world seems but the temporal embodiment of things spiritual. The
Creator has told us that He formed all things spiritual before they
were made temporal.[666] The flowers that flourish and die on earth
are perhaps represented above by imperishable blossoms of transcendent
beauty and entertaining fragrance. Man is shaped after the image of
Deity; his mind, though darkened by custom and weakened by injurious
habit, is still a fallen type of immortal thought and Divine reason;
and though the space separating the human and the Divine in thought,
desire, and action, be as wide as that between sea and sky, for as the
stars are above the earth so are the ways of God above those of man,
yet we may affirm a strict analogy between the spiritual and the
temporal. When the eyes of Elisha's servant were opened, the man saw
the hosts of heavenly warriors covering the mountains about
Dothan,--footmen, horsemen, and chariots, armed for fight against the
Syrians.[667] When Israel encompassed Jericho,[668] may we not
believe that the Captain of the Lord's host[669] and his heavenly
train were there, and that before their angelic powers, sustained by
the faith and obedience of the mortal army, the walls were leveled?
[666] See Note, page 199.
[667] II Kings vi, 13-18.
[668] Josh. vi.
[669] Josh. v, 13, 14.
=11.= Some of the latest and highest achievements of man in the
utilization of natural forces approach the conditions of spiritual
operations. To count the ticking of a watch a hundred miles away; to
speak in but an ordinary tone and be heard across the country; to
signal from one hemisphere and be understood on the other though
oceans roll and roar between; to bring the lightning into our homes
and make it serve as fire and torch;--are not these miracles? The
possibility of such would not have been received with credence before
their actual accomplishment. The President of the Republic, sitting in
his chair of state at the nation's capital, talks with all parts, even
with the ends of this great country; and if the apparatus be in order,
if operators and officials be true, he is rightly informed of every
movement of importance anywhere in the land. The orbs of the universe
are as truly connected by a system of inter-communication,
surprisingly perfect in its action and adaptation. These and the other
innumerable miracles of creation are accomplished in strict accordance
with the laws of nature, which are the laws of God. But we must return
to a further consideration of the specific manifestations of spiritual
gifts within the Church.
=12. An Enumeration of the Gifts of the Spirit= cannot be made
complete by man, so numerous, so extensive are the blessings of the
Father for His children. Yet the more common of these spiritual
manifestations have been specified by inspired scriptural writers, and
by the sure word of revelation. Paul writing to the Corinthian
Saints,[670] Moroni inditing his last appeal to the Lamanites,[671]
and the voice of the Lord directed to the people of His Church in this
dispensation,[672] each names many of the great gifts of the Spirit.
From these scriptures, we learn that every man has received some gift
from God; and in the great diversity of gifts all do not receive the
same. "To some it is given by the Holy Ghost to know the differences
of administration.... And again it is given by the Holy Ghost to some
to know the diversities of operations whether it be of God, that the
manifestations of the Spirit may be given to every man to profit
withal. And again, verily I say unto you, to some it is given by the
Spirit of God, the word of wisdom; to another it is given the word of
knowledge, that all may be taught to be wise, and to have knowledge.
And again to some it is given to have faith to be healed; and to
others it is given to have faith to heal. And again to some it is
given the working of miracles, and to others it is given to prophesy,
and to others the discerning of spirits. And again, it is given to
some to speak with tongues; and to another it is given the
interpretation of tongues; and all these gifts cometh from God for the
benefit of the children of God."[673]
[670] I Cor. xii, 4-11.
[671] Moroni x, 7-19.
[672] Doc. and Cov. xlvi, 8-29.
[673] Doc. and Cov. xlvi, 11-26; see also I Cor. xii, 4-11.
=13. The Gift of Tongues and Interpretation.=--The gift of tongues
constituted one of the first miraculous manifestations of the Holy
Ghost unto the apostles of old. It was included by the Savior among
the special signs appointed to follow the believer; "In my name," said
He, "they shall speak with new tongues."[674] The early fulfillment of
this promise in the case of the apostles themselves was realized on
the succeeding Pentecost, when they, having assembled in one place,
were filled with the Holy Ghost and began to speak in strange
tongues.[675] When the door of the Gospel was first opened to the
Gentiles, the converts rejoiced in the Holy Ghost which had fallen
upon them and which gave them utterance in tongues.[676] This gift
with others manifested itself among certain disciples at Ephesus,[677]
on the occasion of their receiving the Holy Ghost. In the present
dispensation, this gift, again promised to the Saints, finds frequent
exercise. Its chief employment is in the function of praise rather
than that of instruction and preaching; and this is agreeable to
Paul's teaching, "For he that speaketh in an unknown tongue speaketh
not unto men but unto God."[678] An unusual manifestation of the gift
was witnessed on the occasion of the Pentecostal conversion of the
Jews, already referred to, when the apostles addressing the multitude,
were understood by all the diversified company, each listener hearing
their teachings in his own tongue.[679] This special gift was here
associated with higher endowments of power; the occasion was one of
instruction, admonition, and prophecy. The gift of interpretation may
be possessed by the one speaking in tongues, though more commonly the
separate powers are exercised by different persons.
[674] Mark xvi, 17.
[675] Acts ii, 4.
[676] Acts x, 46.
[677] Acts xix, 6.
[678] I Cor. xiv, 2.
[679] Acts ii, 6-12.
=14. The Gift of Healing= was exercised extensively in the
dispensation of the Savior and His apostles; indeed, healing
constituted by far the greater part of the miracles wrought at that
time. By authoritative ministrations, the eyes of the blind were
opened; the dumb were made to speak; the deaf to hear; the lame leaped
for joy; afflicted mortals, bowed with infirmity, were lifted erect
and enjoyed the vigor of youth; the palsied were made well; lepers
were cleansed; impotence was banished; and fevers were assuaged. In
this, the dispensation of the fulness of times, this power is
possessed by the Church, and its manifestation is of frequent
occurrence among the Saints. Thousands of blessed recipients can
testify to the fulfillment of the Lord's promise, that if His servants
lay hands on the sick, they shall recover.[680]
[680] Mark xvi, 18; see also Doc. and Cov. lxxxiv, 68.
=15.= The usual method of administering to the sick is by the
imposition of hands of those who possess the requisite authority of
the priesthood;--this being agreeable to the Savior's instructions in
former days,[681] and according to Divine revelation in the present
day.[682] This part of the ordinance is usually preceded by an
anointing with oil previously consecrated. The Latter-day Saints
profess to abide by the counsels of James of old,[683] "Is any sick
among you? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them
pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; and the
prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up;
and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him."
[681] The same; see also James v, 14, 15.
[682] Doc. and Cov. xlii, 43-44.
[683] James v, 14, 15.
=16.= Though the authority to administer to the sick belongs to the
elders of the Church in general, some possess this power in an unusual
degree, having received it as a special endowment of the Spirit.
Another gift, allied to this, is the power of exercising faith to be
healed;[684] which is manifested in varying degrees. Not always are
the administrations of the elders followed by immediate healings; the
afflicted may be permitted to suffer in body, perhaps for the
accomplishment of Divine purposes,[685] and in the time appointed of
the Lord, His children pass through bodily death. But let the counsels
of God be observed in administering to the afflicted; then if they
recover, they live unto the Lord; and the assuring promise is added
that those who die under such conditions die unto the Lord.[686]
[684] Doc. and Cov. xlvi, 19; xlii, 48-51; see also Acts xiv, 9;
Matt, viii, 10; ix, 28, 29.
[685] See instances of Job.
[686] Doc. and Cov. xlii, 44-46.
=17. Visions and Dreams= have constituted a means of communication
between God and His children in every dispensation of the priesthood.
In general, visions are manifested to the waking senses, whilst dreams
are given during sleep. In the vision, however, the senses may be so
affected as to render the person practically unconscious, at least
oblivious to ordinary occurrences, while he is able to discern the
heavenly manifestation. In the earlier dispensations, the Lord very
frequently communicated through dreams and visions, often-times
revealing to His prophets the events of the future even to the latest
generations. From the multitude of instances recorded, let us select a
few. Consider the case of Enoch,[687] unto whom the Lord spake face to
face, showing him the course of the human family until and beyond the
second coming of the Savior. The brother of Jared[688] because of his
righteousness was so blessed of God as to be shown all the inhabitants
of the earth, both those who had previously existed and those who were
to follow. Unto Moses the will of God was made known with the visual
manifestation of fire.[689] Lehi received his instructions to leave
Jerusalem[690] through dreams; and on many subsequent occasions the
Lord communicated with this patriarch of the western world by visions
and by dreams. The Old Testament prophets were generally so favored;
e. g., Jacob the father of all Israel,[691] Job the patient
sufferer,[692] Jeremiah,[693] Ezekiel,[694] Daniel,[695]
Habakkuk,[696] Zechariah.[697]
[687] Pearl of Great Price: Moses vi, 27-39.
[688] Ether iii.
[689] Exo. iii, 2.
[690] I Nephi ii, 2-4.
[691] Gen. xlvi, 2.
[692] Job iv, 12-21.
[693] Jer. i, 11-16.
[694] Ezek. i; ii, 9, 10; iii, 22, 23; viii; xxxvii, 1-10, etc.
[695] Dan. vii; viii.
[696] Hab. ii, 2, 3.
[697] Zech. i, 8-11; 18-21; ii, 1, 2; iv; v; vi, 1-8.
=18.= The dispensation of Christ and His apostles was marked by
similar manifestations. The birth of John the Baptist was fore-told to
his father while he was officiating in priestly functions.[698]
Joseph, betrothed to the Virgin, received through an angel's
visit[699] tidings of the Christ yet to be born; and on subsequent
occasions he received warnings and instructions in dreams concerning
the welfare of the Holy Child.[700] The Magi, returning from their
pilgrimage of worship, were warned in dreams of Herod's treacherous
designs.[701] Saul of Tarsus was shown in a vision the messenger whom
God was about to send to him to minister in the ordinances of the
priesthood;[702] and other visions followed.[703] Peter was prepared
for the ministry to the Gentiles through a vision;[704] and John was
so favored of God in this respect that the book of Revelation is
occupied by the record.
[698] Luke i, 5-22.
[699] Matt. i, 20.
[700] Matt. ii, 13, 19, 22.
[701] Matt. ii, 12.
[702] Acts ix, 12.
[703] Acts xvi, 9; xviii, 9, 10; xxii, 17-21.
[704] Acts x, 10-16; xi, 5-10.
=19.= Most of the visions and dreams recorded in scripture have been
given to the chosen people through the ministering priesthood; but
there are exceptional instances of such manifestations unto some, who,
at the time, had not entered the fold. Such, for example, was the case
with Saul and Cornelius; but in these instances the Divine
manifestations were immediately preliminary to conversion. Dreams
with special import were given to Pharaoh,[705] Nebuchadnezzar,[706]
and others; but it required a higher power than their own to interpret
them; and Joseph and Daniel were called to officiate. The dream given
to the Midianite soldier, and its interpretation by his fellow,[707]
betokening the victory of Gideon, were true manifestations; as also
the dream of Pilate's wife,[708] in which she learned of the innocence
of the accused Christ.
[705] Gen. xli; see other instances in Gen. xl.
[706] Dan. ii.
[707] Jud. vii, 13, 14.
[708] Matt. xxvii, 19.
=20. The Gift of Prophecy= distinguishes its possessor as a
prophet,--literally, one who speaks for another; specifically, one who
speaks for God,[709] It is distinguished by Paul as one of the most
desirable of spiritual endowments, and its pre-eminence over the gift
of tongues he discusses at length.[710] To prophesy is to receive and
declare the word of God, and the statement of His will to the people.
The function of prediction, often regarded as the sole essential of
prophecy, is but one among many characteristics of this divinely given
power. The prophet may have as much concern with the past as with the
present or the future; he may exercise his gift in teaching through
the light of, and by the experience of preceding events, as in
fore-telling occurrences. The prophets of God have ever been in
special favor with Him, being privileged to learn of His will and
designs; indeed, the promise is made that the Lord will do nothing
except He reveal His secret purposes unto His servants, the
prophets.[711] These chosen oracles stand as mediators between God and
mortals, pleading for or against the people.[712]
[709] See note 2.
[710] I Cor. xiv, 1-9.
[711] Amos iii, 7.
[712] I Kings xviii, 36, 37; Rom. xi, 2, 3; James v, 16-18; Rev.
xi, 6.
=21.= No special ordination in the priesthood is essential to man's
receiving the gift of prophecy; bearers of the Melchizedek order,
Adam, Noah, Moses, and a multitude of others were truly prophets, but
not more truly so than were many who exercised the Aaronic functions
only--as for example most of the Old Testament priests subsequent to
the time of Moses, and John the Baptist.[713] The ministrations of the
prophetesses Miriam[714] and Deborah[715] show that this gift may be
possessed by women also. In the time of Samuel, the prophets were
organized into a special order, to aid their purposes of study and
improvement.[716]
[713] Matt. xi, 8-10.
[714] Exo. xv, 20.
[715] Jud. iv, 4.
[716] See Note 3.
=22.= In the present dispensation, this great gift is enjoyed in a
fulness equal to that of any preceding time. The Lord's will
concerning present duties is made known to His people through the
mouths of prophets; and events of great import are fore-told.[717] The
very fact of the present existence and growing condition of the Church
is an undeniable testimony of the power and reliability of modern
prophecy. The Latter-day Saints constitute a body of witnesses,
numbering hundreds of thousands, to the effect of this, one of the
great gifts of God.
[717] Doc. and Cov. i, 4; lxxxvii.
=23. Revelation= is the means through which the will of God is
declared directly and in fulness to man. Under circumstances best
suiting the Divine purposes, through the dreams of sleep or in waking
visions of the mind, by voices without visional appearance, or by
actual manifestations of the Holy Presence before the eye, God makes
known His designs, and charges His chosen vessels to bear the sacred
messages so imparted. Under the influence of inspiration, or its more
potent manifestation--revelation, man's mind is enlightened, and his
energies quickened to the accomplishment of wonders in the work of
human progress; touched with a spark from the heavenly altar, the
inspired instrument cherishes the holy fire within his soul, and
imparts it to others as he may be led to do; he is the channel through
which the will of God is conveyed. The words of him who speaks by
revelation in its highest form, are not his own; they are the words of
God Himself; the mortal mouth-piece is but the trusted conveyer of
these heavenly messages. With the authoritative, "Thus saith the
Lord," the revelator delivers the burden intrusted to his care.
=24.= The Lord strictly observes the principles of order and propriety
in giving revelation to His servants. Though it is the privilege of
any person to live so as to merit this gift in the affairs of his
special calling, only those appointed and ordained to the offices of
presidency are to be revelators to the people at large. Concerning the
President of the Church, who at the time of the revelation here
referred to was the Prophet Joseph Smith, the Lord has said to the
elders of the Church:--"And this ye shall know assuredly, that there
is none other appointed unto you to receive commandments and
revelations until he be taken, if he abide in me.... And this shall be
a law unto you, that ye receive not the teachings of any that shall
come before you, as revelations or commandments. And this I give unto
you that you may not be deceived, that you may know they are not of
me."[718]
[718] Doc. and Cov. xliii, 3, 5, 6.
=25. The Testimony of Miracles.=--The Savior's promise in a former
day[719] as in the present dispensation[720] is definite, to the
effect that specified gifts of the Spirit are to follow the believer
as signs of Divine favor. The possession and exercise of such gifts
may be taken therefore as essential features of the Church of
Christ.[721] Nevertheless we are not justified in regarding the
evidence of miracles as infallible testimony of authority from heaven;
on the other hand, the scriptures furnish abundant proof that
spiritual powers of the baser sort have wrought miracles, and will
continue so to do, to the deceiving of many who lack discernment. If
miracles be accepted as infallible evidence of godly power, the
magicians of Egypt, through the wonders which they accomplished in
opposition to the ordained plan for Israel's deliverance, have as good
a claim to our respect as has Moses.[722] John the Revelator saw in
vision a wicked power working miracles, and thereby deceiving many;
doing great wonders, even bringing fire from heaven.[723] Again, he
saw three unclean spirits, whom he knew to be "the spirits of devils
working miracles."[724]
[719] Mark xvi, 17-18.
[720] Doc. and Cov. lxxxiv, 65-73.
[721] See Notes 4 and 5.
[722] Exo. vii-xi.
[723] Rev. xiii, 11-18.
[724] Rev. xvi, 13-14.
=26.= Consider, in connection with this, the prediction made by the
Savior:--"There shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and
shall show great signs and wonders, insomuch that, if it were
possible, they shall deceive the very elect."[725] The invalidity of
miracles as a proof of righteousness is declared in an utterance of
Christ Jesus regarding the events of the great judgment:--"Many will
say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name?
and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many
wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you;
depart from me, ye that work iniquity."[726] The Jews, to whom these
teachings were addressed, knew that wonders could be wrought by evil
powers; for they charged Christ with working miracles by the authority
of "Beelzebub the prince of devils."[727]
[725] Matt. xxiv, 24.
[726] Matt. vii, 22-23.
[727] Matt. xii, 22-30; Mark iii, 22; Luke xi, 15. See "Jesus the
Christ," p. 265.
=27.= If the working of miracles were a distinctive characteristic of
the holy priesthood, we would look for the testimony of wondrous
manifestations in connection with the work of every prophet and
authorized minister of the Lord; yet we fail to find a record of
miracles in the case of Zechariah, Malachi, and other prophets of old;
while of John the Baptist, whom Christ declared to be more than a
prophet,[728] it was plainly said that he did no miracle;[729]
nevertheless, in rejecting John's doctrine, the unbelievers were
ignoring the counsel of God against their own souls.[730] To be valid
as a testimony of truth, miracles must be wrought in the name of
Christ, and to His honor, in furtherance of the plan of salvation. As
stated, they are not given to satisfy the curious and the lustful, nor
as a means of gaining notoriety for him through whom they are
accomplished. These gifts of the true Spirit are manifested in support
of the message from heaven, and in corroboration of the words spoken
by authority.
[728] Matt. xi, 9.
[729] John x, 41.
[730] Luke vii, 30.
=28. Imitations of Spiritual Gifts.=--The proofs already cited of
miraculous achievements by powers other than of God, and the
scriptural predictions concerning such deceptive manifestations in the
last days, ought to be our warning against spurious imitations of the
gifts of the Holy Spirit. Satan has shown himself to be an
accomplished strategist and a skilful imitator; the most deplorable of
his victories are due to his simulation of good, whereby the
undiscerning have been led captive. Let us not be deluded with the
thought that any act, the immediate result of which appears to be
benign, is necessarily productive of permanent good. It may serve the
dark purposes of man's arch-enemy to play upon the human sense of
goodness, even to the extent of healing the body, and apparently of
thwarting death.
=29.= The restoration of the priesthood to earth in this age of the
world was followed by a phenomenal growth of the vagaries of
spiritualism, whereby many have been led to put their trust in Satan's
counterfeit of God's eternal power. The development of the healing
gift in the Church today is imitated in a degree comparable to that
with which the magicians simulated the miracles of Moses, by the
varied faith cures and their numerous modifications. For those to whom
miraculous signs are all-sufficient, the imitation will answer as well
as would the real; but the soul who regards the miracle in its true
nature as but one element of the system of Christ, possessing value as
a positive criterion only as it is associated with the numerous other
characteristics of the Church, will not be deceived.
=30. Spiritual Gifts in the Church Today.=--The Latter-day Saints
claim to possess within the Church all the sign-gifts promised as the
heritage of the believer. They point to the unimpeached testimonies of
thousands who have been blessed with direct and personal
manifestations of heavenly power; to the once blind, and dumb, halt,
and weak in body, who have been freed from their infirmities through
their faith and by the ministrations of the priesthood; to a multitude
who have voiced their testimony in tongues with which they were
naturally unfamiliar; or who have demonstrated their possession of the
gift by a phenomenal mastery of foreign languages, when such was
necessary to the discharge of their duties as preachers of the word of
God; to many who have enjoyed communion with heavenly beings; to
others who have prophesied in words that have found their speedy
vindication in literal fulfillment; and to the Church itself, whose
growth has been guided by the voice of its Divine Leader, made known
through the gift of revelation.[731]
[731] Sec Note 7.