Among those who may be accounted the benefactors of our race, we claim
for the Prophet Joseph Smith, the second place. To Him who died that
man might live, upon whom was laid the iniquity of us all; by whose
stripes we are healed; who brought life and immortality to light
through the Gospel; who by way of pre-eminence is called _the_ Son of
God, the only begotten of the Father--to Him must be assigned, forever,
the first place among the benefactors of mankind. And next to him is
the Prophet, who was chosen to stand at the head of the dispensation of
the fullness of times.
Born in obscurity--in the western wilds of the state of New York, and
of humble parents, without the advantages of worldly education; with
no knowledge of ancient languages or history to begin with; untutored
in the sciences, and unlearned in theology, Joseph Smith has done more
for the salvation of the children of men than any reformer, theologian
or ecclesiastic that has lived since the days of the earthly ministry
of the Son of God. It is to prove his right and title to the high
place we have assigned him in the roll of honor--in the list of the
benefactors of humanity--that this paper is written, rather than to
give a biographical sketch of his well known career.
Notwithstanding the very explicit revelation, which God had given of
himself; of His person, His attributes, His powers, through His Son
Jesus Christ; for in Him dwelt all the fullness of the God-head bodily,
the world had gone far astray, in its conception and knowledge of God.
Men had conjured up to themselves a being without body, without parts
and passions, and worshiped it for God--a being that never was, nor
is, nor ever shall be. Of the absurdity of such a description of God,
however, we need not speak.
Another idea equally false and equally baneful in its effects on true
religion, and as universally accepted as the above conception of the
being and character of Deity, was the doctrine that the volume of
revelation was closed.
Such was the state of the world in respect to these matters, when
Joseph Smith announced that he had received a {142} new revelation;
that he had seen both the Father and the Son, and had conversed with
them in a glorious vision, in the full light of day. His testimony was
that both Father and Son possessed a body, parts, organs, dimensions
in form like man, and each resembled the other. This revelation was
soon followed by the visitation of an angel, Moroni, one of the ancient
Prophets of the American continent, who made known the existence of
the Book of Mormon; a volume of scripture compiled from the voluminous
records kept by that enlightened people, who anciently inhabited
America, the ruins of whose civilization are the astonishment of the
archaeologists of today. Joseph Smith translated the Book of Mormon,
by the means of the Urim and Thummim, from the ancient and now unknown
language in which it was written, into English, and thus gave the
world a new volume of scripture, equal in bulk and equal in importance
to the New Testament. Thus, since faith is bottomed on evidence, the
foundation of faith was widened. The world now had two volumes of
scripture instead of one; the testimony of each sustaining the other.
That volume of scripture is not the voice of one witness merely, but
like the Bible it contains the testimony of many witnesses for God. Who
can estimate the value of this work, that comes in a day when unbelief
is prevalent in the earth, to renew and sustain the sinking faith of
humanity!
While yet the work of translating this valuable book was in progress,
the Prophet and Oliver Cowdery were visited by John the Baptist, whom
God had raised from the dead, and he conferred upon them an Aaronic
Priesthood, which holds the keys of the ministering of angels; of the
Gospel of repentance, and of baptism by immersion for the remission
of sins. This ordination, therefore, gave the Prophet and his fellow
laborer the authority to preach repentance and baptism. They began by
baptizing each other.
Subsequently they were ordained to the Apostleship under the hands of
the Apostles Peter, James and John. This gave them the right and power
to build up the Church and Kingdom of God in all the world. Accordingly
on the 6th of April, 1830, the Prophet organized the Church. The Gospel
began to be publicly proclaimed; those who believed were baptized
for the remission of sins; received the laying on of hands for the
reception of the Holy Ghost; and the gifts and powers of that spirit
were manifested among the Saints by speaking in tongues, prophecy,
revelation, visions, inspired dreams, healing the sick, and all those
gracious gifts and powers enjoyed by the ancient Saints. High Priests,
Elders, Bishops, {143} Priests, Teachers and Deacons, were ordained
as the work of the ministry increased. Branches of the Church were
organized, and men holding proper authority set to preside over them.
Finally these branches were grouped together and organized into stakes
of Zion, with a presidency of three High Priests to preside over them.
High Councils, consisting of twelve High Priests, with the Presidency
of the Stake, as the presidency thereof were organized, forming
courts possessing both original and appellate jurisdiction in the
ecclesiastical affairs of the stakes, in which they were respectively
established.
In 1835 he organized a quorum of the Twelve Apostles, men who are
chosen especially to be witnesses for the Lord Jesus Christ, and who
constitute a traveling High Council, with authority to regulate all the
affairs of the Church in all the world. At the same time quorums of
seventy were organized to be their helps in the ministry, this being
an order of the Priesthood designed to travel and preach the Gospel in
all the nations of the earth. Thus he organized the Church and all the
quorums thereof. But he did more than that.
In the Book of Mormon it is predicted that a splendid city called Zion,
or New Jerusalem shall be built upon this continent, a city noted
not for its manufactories, nor for commerce; but for its temples and
sanctuaries for worship and learning; a city on which the glory of God
will shine. The place where this city and where the chief temple is to
be built was indicated by the Prophet, and the temple site dedicated
under his direction. This was at Independence, Jackson county,
Missouri. Between twelve and fifteen hundred of the Saints gathered to
that place to lay the foundation of the city of Zion, but their enemies
prevented them by driving them away from the lands they had purchased,
and burning their houses Thus the work was hindered for the time being,
but the location of Zion was pointed out, a commencement was made, and
eventually the design of the Lord will be accomplished.
A temple was designed by the Prophet and built by the united efforts
of the Saints at Kirtland, Ohio. In it the Lord Jesus appeared to the
Prophet Joseph and Oliver Cowdery, and declared His acceptance of the
house which had been built to His name. On the same occasion Moses the
great leader and law giver to ancient Israel, appeared to them and
committed upon them the keys of the gathering of Israel from the four
quarters of the earth, and the leading of the ten tribes from the land
of the north. Thus the power to restore {144} Israel to their lands,
from which they have long been exiled, was given to him; and the work
of the gathering which ultimately will result in the restoration of all
the tribes of Israel to their possessions has begun.
While he was in Nauvoo he translated from the rolls of Egyptian
papyrus, obtained from the catacombs of Egypt, the Book of Abraham,
containing an account of the patriarch's sojourn in Egypt, and many
important principles relative to the work of God in the salvation of
man. He also made an inspired translation, or, what would be more
properly called an inspired revision of the Jewish Scriptures--the
Bible. That work, however, was not published during his life time, and
is practically lost to the world, because it is questionable if those
into whose hands his manuscript fell have preserved the integrity of
his work.
We should fall very short of stating the extent of the great work of
the Prophet Joseph, if we stopped with what he did for the children of
men this side of the grave. His work did not stop there. It reached
beyond. At the time Moses visited him and committed to him the keys of
the gathering of Israel, the Prophet Elijah came also, and revealed
those principles of which the prophet Malachi speaks, which are to
turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and the hearts of the
children to the fathers. The principles then revealed brought to light
the doctrine of salvation for the dead.
Thus the work accomplished through the Prophet Joseph effects two
worlds--the spiritual world as well as the one in which we dwell; and
already the work in the former exceeds that which has been done in the
latter. Salvation has been carried to those who sit in darkness in the
spirit world; their hearts have been made glad and have been turned
to their children, who can administer in the ordinance of salvation
for them. A perfect flood of light has been thrown upon the sentence
uttered by one of the prophets of old, who in speaking of the fathers,
said: "They without us cannot be made perfect."
Nor must we omit to mention the new light which the Prophet shed upon
the relationship of husband and wife. Under the darkness of an apostate
Christianity, men and women were content to be united together, as
husband and wife, until death did them part; but the Prophet Joseph
brought forth the principle that the union of man and wife was designed
in the economy of God to be eternal; that it was the means through
which the race of the Gods was {145} multiplied and new kingdoms added
to the dominions of the great Eloheim; and that as long as there was
room in infinite space, or elements in the exhaustless store-house of
nature, or as long as the bosom of the Gods glowed with affection,
just so long would new worlds be created and peopled with the ever
increasing offspring of the righteous.[A]
[Footnote A: The substance of the latter part of this paragraph is
taken from P. P. Pratt's Key to Theology.]
Nor did he merely teach this principle as a theory; a beautiful thing
to be contemplated at a distance; but qualified with the possession
of that God-given power which binds on earth and in heaven, and so
directed of the Lord, he established this order of marriage in the
Church--an order in which tens of thousands rejoice, as they look
forward with joyful anticipation, to an eternal union, with the
families they have raised up in this life, in the midst of hopes and
fears, poverty and toil, sickness and tears.
Such are the chief things accomplished by this great Prophet. We have
given but an outline of his work. A volume would scarce suffice to
point out its importance, or trace out its relationship to the general
designs of the Lord in respect to the redemption of our earth and its
inhabitants. It cannot be expected that we shall undertake it in this
brief article. Let it be sufficient here to say that even our imperfect
enumeration of what he did will prove what was claimed in the outset,
viz.: That Joseph Smith, despised as he was by the world, has done more
than any other man, save Jesus Christ, for the salvation of our race.
That the work he accomplished during his brief, but glorious career,
was wonderful, goes without saying. The wonder grows upon us as we take
into account the circumstances under which he did it. His life's labor
was performed in the midst of stupendous difficulties. Opposition met
him at every turn. Religious bigotry now ridiculed him for a fool, and
now denounced him a knave; now claiming that he was beneath contempt;
and now that he was the most dangerous imposter that had arisen since
Mohammed, and invoked all powers at its command for his destruction.
Poverty, hardship, and the hatred of his fellow men, dogged his
footsteps through all his life. He was waylaid by assassins, beaten by
mobs, cast into prisons, robbed of his property, worried with vexatious
law suits, dragged before judges and betrayed by false brethren. He
himself said in speaking of his life: "I have waded in tribulation
neck-deep, but every {146} wave that has struck me has but wafted me
nearer to Deity."
Such were the circumstances under which he stood forth as a witness
for God; brought forth new volumes of scripture; restored to earth the
Gospel of the Son of God, with authority to administer the ordinances
thereof; organized the Church; set in order the quorums of the
Priesthood, and defined their duties and powers; sent the Gospel into
every state of the Union, into Canada and England; laid the foundation
for the gathering of Israel; opened the door for the salvation of the
dead; commenced the work of building up Zion; founded Kirtland, Far
West and Nauvoo, with its magnificent temple--a work accomplished under
circumstances which give him a fame and name that cannot be slain, but
which will grow brighter as time on silent wheels rolls by.
_So soon as we discover ourselves in a fault, we should repent of
that wrong doing and as far as possible repair or make good the
wrong we may have committed._
--_Lorenzo Snow_.
_There is nothing that will lead to damnation and destruction
quicker than self-justification of sin._
--_Brigham Young_.
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