HOW TO OBTAIN REVELATION FROM GOD--JOSEPH SMITH'S COURSE--SAVED FROM
DEATH BY A FALLING TREE, BY OBEYING THE VOICE OF THE SPIRIT--A COMPANY
OF SAINTS SAVED FROM A STEAMBOAT DISASTER BY THE SPIRIT'S WARNING--PLOT
TO WAYLAY ELDER C. C. RICH AND PARTY FOILED BY THE SAME POWER.
In order to obtain revelation from God, and in order to know, when we
do obtain revelation, whether it is from God or not, we must follow the
teachings of the revelations of God unto us. St. James says: "If any
man lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally,
and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him." Again, it is said,
"Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it
shall be opened unto you."
It was upon this promise that Joseph Smith went before the Lord and
prayed in the name of Jesus Christ, and asked for knowledge, wisdom and
understanding, in order to know what to do to be saved; and he proved
the promise of St. James before the Lord, and the heavens were opened
to his view, and the Father and Son were revealed unto him, and the
voice of the great Eloheim unto him was: "This is my beloved Son, hear
ye Him."
This was the first revelation of God to him. He did hearken to the
voice of Jesus Christ all his life afterwards, and received a code of
revelations and the word of the Lord unto him as long as he dwelt in
the flesh.
Joseph Smith left as strong a testimony as was ever given to the human
family, and sealed that testament with his own life and blood.
We all have to pursue the very same course in order to obtain
revelations from God. But I wish to impress this truth upon the rising
generation and all who read this testimony, that the Lord does not give
revelations or send angels to men or work miracles to accommodate the
notions of any man who is seeking for a sign.
When we have the principles of the gospel revealed to us through the
mouth of the Savior, or by inspired prophets or apostles, we have no
need to ask the Lord to reveal that unto us again. While the priesthood
is restored to the earth, and the revelations of God are revealed to us
through the mouths of prophets and apostles concerning the fullness of
the gospel--doctrine, ordinances and principles, we should study them,
and treasure up knowledge by faith. We should study out of the best
books, and the Holy Ghost will bring to our remembrance those things
which we stand in need of, in the self-same hour that we are called to
teach the people.
But when any priest, elder, prophet, apostle, or messenger is sent of
God to preach the gospel, gather the Saints, work in temples or perform
any work for the Lord, and that man is faithful and humble before the
Lord, in his prayers and duty, and there is any snare or evil in his
path, or the righteous to be sought out, or danger to the emigration of
the Saints either by sea or land, or knowledge needed in a temple, then
the Lord will reveal to him all that is necessary to meet the emergency.
The teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith to President John Taylor and
the rest of us was to obtain the Holy Spirit, get acquainted with it
and its operations, and listen to the whisperings of that Spirit and
obey its voice, and it soon will become a principle of revelation unto
us.
We have found this true in our experience, and in order to prove
whether a revelation is from God or not we follow out the principles
revealed to us, and if we find that which was manifested to us proves
true, we know it is from God; for truth is one of His attributes, and
the Holy Ghost deceiveth no man. When a man becomes acquainted with the
whisperings of the Holy Ghost, which is revelation, he should be very
careful to obey it, for his life may depend upon it.
Revelation is one of the gifts of the Holy Ghost, and for the benefit
of my young friends who may read this work, I will give an account of a
few instances from my own experience of listening to the revelations of
the Holy Ghost to me.
In 1848, after my return to Winter Quarters from our pioneer journey, I
was appointed by the Presidency of the Church to take my family and go
to Boston, to gather up the remnant of the Latter-day Saints and lead
them to the valleys of the mountains.
While on my way east I put my carriage into the yard of one of the
brethren in Indiana, and Brother Orson Hyde set his wagon by the side
of mine, and not more than two feet from it.
Dominicus Carter, of Provo, and my wife and four children were with me.
My wife, one child and I went to bed in the carriage, the rest sleeping
in the house.
I had been in bed but a short time when a voice said to me: "Get up,
and move your carriage."
It was not thunder, lightning or an earthquake, but the still, small
voice of the Spirit of God--the Holy Ghost.
I told my wife I must get up and move my carriage. She asked: "What
for?"
I told her I did not know, only the Spirit told me to do it.
I got up and moved my carriage several rods, and set it by the side of
the house.
As I was returning to bed, the same Spirit said to me, "Go and move
your mules away from that oak tree," which was about one hundred yards
north of our carriage.
I moved them to a young hickory grove and tied them up. I then went to
bed.
In thirty minutes a whirlwind caught the tree to which my mules had
been fastened, broke it off near the ground and carried it one hundred
yards, sweeping away two fences in its course, and laid it prostrate
through that yard where my carriage stood, and the top limbs hit my
carriage as it was.
In the morning I measured the trunk of the tree which fell where my
carriage had stood, and I found it to be five feet in circumference. It
came within a foot of Brother Hyde's wagon, but did not touch it.
Thus by obeying the revelation of the Spirit of God to me I saved my
life and the lives of my wife and child, as well as my animals.
In the morning I went on my way rejoicing.
While returning to Utah in 1850 with a large company of Saints from
Boston and the east, on my arrival at Pittsburg I engaged a passage
for myself and company on a steamer to St. Louis. But no sooner had I
engaged the passage than the Spirit said to me, "Go not on board of
that steamer, neither you nor your company."
I obeyed the revelation to me, and I did not go on board, but took
another steamer.
The first steamer started at dark, with two hundred passengers on
board. When five miles down the Ohio river it took fire and burned the
tiller ropes, so that the vessel could not reach the shore, and the
lives of nearly all on board were lost either by fire or water. We
arrived in safety at our destination, by obeying the revelation of the
Spirit of God to us.
In another instance, after attending a large annual conference in Salt
Lake City, and, having a good deal of business to attend to, I was
somewhat weary, and at the close of the conference I thought I would
repair to my home and have a rest.
As I went into the yard the Spirit said to me, "Take your team and go
to the farm," which is some three miles south of the Tabernacle.
As I was hitching the horse to the wagon Mrs. Woodruff asked where I
was going.
I said, "To the farm."
"What for?" she asked.
"I do not know," I replied; but when I arrived there I found out.
The creek had overflowed, broken through my ditch, surrounded my home
and filled my barn-yard and pig pen. My wife was wading in the water,
trying to turn it from the lot to save the home and family.
Through my own exertions I soon turned it, and prevented much damage
that might have occurred had I not obeyed the voice of the Spirit.
This same Spirit of revelation has been manifested to many of my
brethren in their labors in the kingdom of God, one of which I will
here name.
Elder Chas. C. Rich was going from Sacramento to San Bernardino with
a company of brethren. He had in his possession a large amount of
money to make payment on their land purchase. This was known to some
road agents in the vicinity, who gathered a company of robbers and
went on ahead of Brother Rich and lay in ambush, intending to kill the
"Mormons" and rob them of their money.
Before reaching the company of robbers Brother Rich came to a by-path
or trail. The Spirit then told him to take that path.
The brethren with him marveled at his course, not knowing that enemies
awaited them, but they arrived in safety at San Bernardino with their
lives and their money, while the robbers wondered why their prey did
not come.