"Be it known unto all nations, kindreds, tongues and people, unto
whom this work [A] shall come. * * We declare with words of
soberness, that an angel of God came down from heaven, and
he brought and laid before our eyes, that we beheld and saw
the plates, and engraving thereon; and we know that it is by the
grace of God the Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, that we beheld
and bear record that these things are true, and it is marvelous
in our eyes, nevertheless the voice of the Lord commanded us that
we should bear record of it, wherefore to be obedient unto the
commandments of God, we bear testimony of these things. And we know
that if we are faithful in Christ, we shall rid our garments of the
blood of all men, and be found spotless before the judgment-seat of
Christ, and shall dwell with Him eternally in the heavens.
"OLIVER COWDERY,
"DAVID WHITMER,
"MARTIN HARRIS."
[Footnote A: The Book of Mormon.]
We have now hurriedly traced the outlines of the doctrines of
Jesus Christ as they were in the primitive Christian church; {295}
the apostacy of the people from the truth, the fulfillment of the
prophecies of great and mighty prophets; the building up of an apostate
church, the whore of all the earth, the mother of harlots; noticing the
fact that she gave birth to a numerous offspring, who, true to their
born instincts, as like begets like, are to-day vigorously engaged in
throwing stones at their mother church, or grandmother, as the case may
be.
We have shown how the Gospel was to be restored to the earth, and have
given the testimony of the three witnesses to the Book of Mormon. We
will now examine further proof relative to this remarkable proclamation.
We have seen that, so far, it has been incontestably shown that if the
Bible be true, in no other way than this could God's work have been
brought about. We now quote from the history of Joseph Smith, the great
Latter-day Prophet, Seer and Revelator:
"We [Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery] still continued the work of
translation; when in the ensuing month [May, 1829,] we on a certain
day went into the woods to pray, and inquire of the Lord respecting
baptism for the remission of sins.
"While we were thus employed, praying and calling upon the Lord, a
messenger from heaven descending in a cloud of light, and having
laid his hands upon us, he ordained us; saying unto us--_'Upon
you_, my fellow servants, in the name of Messiah, I confer the
Priesthood of Aaron, which holds the keys of the ministering
of angels, and of the Gospel of repentance, and of baptism by
immersion for the remission of sins: and this shall never be taken
from the earth, until the sons of Levi do offer again an offering
unto the Lord in righteousness.'
"The messenger who visited us on this occasion, and conferred this
Priesthood upon us, said that his name was John, the same that is
called John the Baptist in the New Testament; and that he acted
under the direction of Peter, James and John, who held the keys
of the Melchisedec Priesthood, and who in due season visit us and
confer that, the higher Priesthood, upon us, which holds the keys
of the laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost and right
to all the offices in the church."
Thus was the way opened up for the ushering in of the great latter-day
dispensation and the fullness of the everlasting Gospel.
"And as it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be also in the days of
the Son of man" (_Luke xvii._, 26); and as Noah knew when the flood was
to come, and prepared himself therefor, so the comparison would not be
complete unless some knew of the second coming of the Savior.
"But," says one, "of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the
angels of heaven, but my Father only" (_Matt. xxiv._, 36); and the
same might have been said appropriately of the {296} birth of our Lord
two thousand years prior thereto. But as the first coming was heralded
by angels who came to the shepherds upon the plains of Bethlehem, and
lighted the earth with their glory, singing the glad songs of "Peace on
earth, good will toward men," so His second coming was ushered in by
visits to the earth of great and mighty angels.
John the Baptist came to confer the Priesthood of Aaron.
Peter, James and John the Revelator came to confer the Melchisedec
Priesthood.
Elijah came (_Mal. iv._, 5) to turn the hearts of the fathers to the
children, and the hearts of the children to the fathers. (_I. Peter
iii._, 18, 19, 20; _iv._, 6; _I. Cor. xv._, 19-29).
Moses came to confer the keys of the gathering of the house of Israel
to their promised land--the carrying of the Jews back to Jerusalem, of
the ten tribes from the north country (_Jer. xxxi._, 8, 9; _Ezek. xx._,
34, 35), and of the descendants of Joseph (The American Indians) to
their possessions.
Michael, or Adam, came to give the authority that links the generation
of men together, from the days of Father Adam down to to-day.
In short, all the authority necessary has been received to enable men
to become co-workers with Jehovah, angels and the spirits of just
men made perfect, in building up an everlasting kingdom, instead of
the man-made governments of today. A kingdom is to be established to
which the Great King shall speedily come, "in the clouds of glory,"
surrounded by His angels; and the Saints of other days, who are singing
the songs of heaven, will speedily have fulfilled the words of John,
"He has made us kings and priests unto the Lord our God, and we shall
reign on earth."
The promise of Jesus that the "meek shall inherit the earth" is coming
to pass, as also the words of Job: "I know that my redeemer liveth,
and that He _shall stand at the latter day upon the earth_: and though
after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in _my flesh shall I see
God_: whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not
another" (_Job xix._, 25-27).
All these and many more grand and glorious promises are about to be
fulfilled. The decree has gone forth, God hath declared by His own
mouth, and the mouths of all the holy prophets, that His power and
authority over the earth will be asserted; and who is man, to contend
with God?
An appeal is made to the honest in heart to heed this call--to pause,
to mediate, to ask God, "who giveth to all men liberally," for wisdom
to know what to do.
{297} Here are evidences worthy of their attention:
The testimony of the _three witnesses_; the signs following the
believers; the eyes of the blind opened; the ears of the deaf
unstopped; the tongue of the dumb made to sing; the lame man to
leap as an hart; devils cast out; unknown tongues spoken, and the
interpretation thereof given by the spirit of inspiration; prophecy
fulfilled, and the Spirit of God making manifest to the honest in heart
the great fact that God has again spoken from the heavens.
Many questions are asked relative to our belief on the subject of
gathering, and we again turn to the Scriptures to answer the questions:
These things are not done or spoken in a dark corner, but as good men
as are in existence to-day testify of them.
"And it shall come to pass in the _last days_ that the mountain of
the Lord's house shall be established in the _top of the mountains_
and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow
unto it" (_Isa. ii._, 2-4).
"And he will lift up an ensign to the nations from far, and will
hiss unto them from the end of the earth: and, behold, they shall
come with speed swiftly" (_Isa. v._, 26).
"And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble
the outcasts of Israel (not the Jews alone, but _all Israel_) and
gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the
earth" (_Isa. xi._, 12).
"I will cause them to return to the land that I gave to their
fathers" (_Jer. xxx._, 3).
"Behold I will bring them from the north country and gather them
from the coasts of the earth" (_Jer. xxxi._, 814).
"I will bring you out from the people, and will gather you out of
the countries wherein ye are scattered" (_Ezek. xx._, 34).
"I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all
countries, and will bring you into your own land" (_Ezek. xxxvi._,
24).
"Blow the trumpet, * * gather the people, * * assemble the Elders
(_Joel ii._, 15, 16).
"And He shall send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and
they shall _gather together_ His elect from the four winds" (_Matt.
xxiv._, 31).
"That in the dispensation of the fullness of times He might _gather
together in one_ all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and
which are on earth" (_Eph. i._, 10).
"Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins,
and that ye receive not of her plagues" (_Rev. xviii._, 4).