wicked, and find a place where they might worship God unmolested, the
Latter-day Saints fled to the Rocky Mountains. Here, and here only,
during the temporary isolation sought and found by them in the chambers
of "the everlasting hills," could they hope to be let alone long
enough to become strong enough to accomplish their greater destiny.
For there was more in that enforced exodus and the founding of this
mountain-girl empire than the surface facts reveal. If tradition can be
relied upon, Joseph Smith prophesied that the Elders of Israel would
save this Nation in the hour of its extremest peril. At a time when
anarchy would threaten the life of the Government, and the Constitution
would be hanging as by a thread, the maligned and misunderstood
"Mormons"--always patriotic, and necessarily so from the very genius of
their religion--would stand firm upon Freedom's rocky ramparts, and as
champions of law and order, of liberty and justice, call to their aid
in the same grand cause kindred spirits from every part of the nation
and from every corner of the world. All this preparatory to a mighty
movement that would sweep every form of evil from off the face of the
land, and rear the Zion of God upon the spot consecrated for that
purpose. This traditional utterance of their martyred Seer is deeply
imbedded in the heart and hope of the "Mormon" people.
"Mormonism's" Monument.--The State of Utah with its fringe of offspring
settlements, is no adequate monument to Latter-day Israel. Zion is
their monument, and it will stand in Jackson County, Missouri. Ephraim
is but getting ready for his mighty mission--the Lion crouching before
he springs.
Footnotes
1. D. and C. 5:19; 45:31, 68, 69; 63:33; 88:87-91; 97:22, 23; 115:6.
2. See "Prophecies of Joseph Smith and their Fulfillment," by Nephi L.
Morris, p. 20.
3. D. and C. 61:4-6, 14-16, 19. Compare Moses 7:66 and Rev. 16:3, 4.
4. D. and C. 87:6.
5. "There is no war coming," said Doctor Jordan to the press
representatives who flocked to interview him on his return, in 1910,
from Europe, where he had been lecturing on "Universal Peace." "The
only battle between England and Germany will be on paper." In his
book, "War and Waste," published a few years later, he said of the
"Great War of Europe which never comes": "The bankers will not find
the money for such a fight, the industries of Europe will not maintain
it, the statesmen cannot. . . . . There will be no general war until
the masters direct the fighters to fight. The masters have much to
gain, but vastly more to lose, and their signal will not be given." In
August, 1912, the Doctor delivered a spoken address to the same effect
in the Salt Lake Tabernacle. This was just two years before the war
that "could not come"--came.
6. Matt. 24:6.
7. "The Kingdom of God," July, 1849.
8. "Mill. Star" Oct. 24, 1857. Orson Pratt, then presiding over the
European Mission, had been called home, owing to a prospect of serious
trouble between Utah and the United States Government. A false report
that the "Mormons" were in rebellion against the Federal authority had
caused the Government to send an army, under General Albert Sidney
Johnston, to put down the alleged insurrection. Brigham Young, Governor
of the Territory (now State) of Utah, proclaimed martial law and made
preparation to resist the "invaders." A part of the preparation was
the withdrawal of all "Mormon" missionaries from the outside world. It
remains but to say that "The Utah War" ended by peaceable adjustment
and without bloodshed.
PART THREE
A MARVEL AND A WONDER.
ARTICLE TEN.
The Wisdom That Perishes.
The wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of
their prudent men shall be hid.--Isaiah 29:14.
The Wise and Prudent.--Most strikingly have these prophetic words
been realized by "Mormonism," in its relations to the lofty and the
learned who have endeavored in a worldly way and by means of human
wisdom, to account for and dispose of it. Strange it is that men and
women, intelligent, educated and profound, do not see in this great
religious phenomenon something more than a topic to be treated lightly,
or in a spirit of harshness and intolerance. Giants in intellect as to
other themes, when they deal with the doctrines, aims and attitude of
the Latter-day Saints, they seem suddenly changed into dwarfs, mere
children, as powerless to cope with the mighty problem as were the
learned Rabbis in the Temple with the youthful and divine Son of God.
Especially is this the case when they approach the question in a
captious mood, determined to find fault, to berate and ridicule, rather
than to fairly investigate. They cannot analyze, cannot even grasp
it, and appear incapable of forming any just or adequate conception
regarding it. To reply to all the bitter assaults made upon my religion
and my people would be impossible, even were it worth while. I shall
not attempt the hopeless task. It will suffice my purpose to consider
here some of the more temperate judgments passed upon the subject,
giving to each such comment as may be deemed necessary.
A Catholic Opinion.--Many years ago there came to Utah a learned
doctor of divinity, a member of the Roman Catholic Church. I became
well acquainted with him, and we conversed freely and frankly. A great
scholar, with perhaps a dozen languages at his tongue's end, he seemed
to know all about theology, law, literature, science and philosophy,
and was never weary of displaying his vast erudition. One day he said
to me: "You Mormons are all ignoramuses. You don't even know the
strength of your own position. It is so strong that there is only one
other tenable in the whole Christian world, and that is the position of
the Catholic Church. The issue is between Catholicism and Mormonism.
If we are right, you are wrong; if you are right, we are wrong; and
that's all there is to it. The Protestants haven't a leg to stand on.
If we are wrong, they are wrong with us, for they were a part of us and
went out from us; while if we are right, they are apostates whom we cut
off long ago. If we really have, as we claim, the apostolic succession
from St. Peter, there was no need for Joseph Smith and Mormonism; but
if we have not that succession, then such a man as Joseph Smith was
necessary, and Mormonism's attitude is the only consistent one. It
is either the perpetuation of the Gospel from ancient times, or the
restoration of the Gospel in latter days."
My reply was substantially as follows: "I agree with you, Doctor,
in nearly all that you have said, but don't deceive yourself with
the notion that we "Mormons" are not aware of the strength of our
position. We are better aware of it than anyone else. We have not all
been to college; we cannot all speak the dead languages; we may be
'ignoramuses,' as you say; but we know that we are right, and we know
that you are wrong." I was just as frank with him as he had been with
me.
An Episcopal View.--At a later period I conversed with another man
of culture, a bishop of the Episcopal Church. He affirmed that if
Joseph Smith, at the beginning, had become acquainted with that
religious organization, he would have been content, and would have
looked no further for spiritual light. "But," said the Bishop, "Joseph
encountered the Methodists, the Baptists, the Presbyterians, and other
sects; and their creeds failing to satisfy him, he sought elsewhere.
Now the Episcopalians have an unbroken succession of authority all down
the centuries, and if Joseph Smith had only formed their acquaintance,
he would never have gone to the trouble of organizing another church."
A Psychological Notion.--Still another scholar, a student of psychology
and an applicant for a doctor's degree at Yale University, presented,
in a thesis forming the basis for the degree, the theory that Joseph
Smith was an epileptic, and that this accounted for his mental attitude
and marvelous assertions. That is to say, the Seer did not actually
behold the wonderful manifestations described by him, but only imagined
that he beheld them. A distinct departure, this, from the charge of
conscious duplicity, usually flung at the founder of "Mormonism." He
was sincere, then, however much mistaken, and was not guilty of intent
to defraud. So far, so good. But in the mind of the author of this
remarkable hypothesis, the magnificent organization of the "Mormon"
Church, conceded by intelligent observers of all creeds and parties
to be one of the most perfect systems of government in existence,
to say nothing of its sublime doctrines, replete with poetry and
philosophy, couched in logical and majestic phrasing--all this sprang
from the diseased brain of a fourteen-year-old boy who had fallen in
an epileptic fit! Self-evident absurdities need no argument. They have
only to be stated, and they confute themselves. [1]
Learning's Lack of Knowledge.--And these are some of the views that
learned men take of "Mormonism." With all their learning, they are
not able to come to a knowledge of the Truth. They do not begin to
dream of the greatness of God's work, the grandeur of Christ's cause.
They comprehend but in part its real aims and attitude. Even the most
conservative assume that Joseph Smith stumbled upon something of which
he did not know the true value, and that it was sheer luck which
gave to this religion its vantage ground, its recognized strength
of position. Never was there a grosser error. There are concepts as
much higher than these, as the heavens are higher than the earth. The
"Mormons" are not the "ignoramuses," when it comes to a consideration
of the Gospel's mighty themes.
Spiritual Illumination.--Yet it is not because of native
"smartness"--not because the followers of Joseph Smith are brainier
than other people, that they have a greater knowledge of God and
are capable of loftier ideals in religion. It is because they have
received, through the gift of the Holy Ghost, a perceptive power, a
spiritual illumination, which the world, with all its learning, does
not possess, and without which no man can comprehend Divinity or
divine purposes. It cannot be had from books or schools. Colleges and
universities cannot impart it. It comes only in one way--God's way,
not man's. The Latter-day Saints possess it because they have bowed
to the will of Heaven and rendered obedience to its laws, thus making
themselves worthy of the inestimable boon. All men may have it upon
precisely the same conditions.
Still Another Misconception.--My Episcopalian friend said to me on
another occasion: "My main objection to Mormonism is its narrowness,
its illiberality. You Mormons are not interested in anything going on
outside of your own social and religious system. You are insulated,
wrapped up in yourselves, you take no note of what other peoples are
doing, and you give them no credit for the good they accomplish. For
instance"--he went on--"the Bible is retranslated, with a view to
making it plainer and more intelligible; but you attach no importance
to work of that kind. Ancient ruins are uncovered, buried civilizations
brought to light, mystical inscriptions on old-time obelisks deciphered
and interpreted, in order to acquaint the present with the past; but
you put no value upon such enterprise. Hospitals are founded; missions
maintained; Christ's name is carried to the heathen; the Bible is
published by millions of copies, and persistent efforts are made to
place one in every home. But you take no account of these things; you
do not commend such labors--you deem them all vain and of no worth."
Not Narrow and Illiberal.--The Bishop's remark surprised me. I was
astonished that one so well informed in other ways could entertain
such an opinion of the Latter-day Saints. There may be such a thing
as a narrow "Mormon;" there may be such a thing as a narrow notion in
the mind of some "Mormon;" but there never has been and never will be
such a thing as a narrow "Mormonism." To those who know it best, it is
a synonym for largeness and liberality, another name for all that is
generous charitable and sublime.
Takes Note of All.--So far from ignoring what other peoples and other
systems are doing, the typical "Mormon" takes careful note of all that
happens; and the spirit of his religion, "the Spirit that searcheth all
things," enables him to assign events and achievements to their proper
place in the universal scheme. He appreciates and applauds every step
in the march of progress. "If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of
good report, or praiseworthy, we seek after these things." So says the
Church in its Articles of Faith.
The Fruit of Falsehood.--How, then, do such gross misunderstandings
arise? They spring from prejudice and faulty inference. They are the
fruit of falsehood, and of that propensity in most people for allowing
themselves to be influenced by a one-sided statement--too often by mere
rumor and hearsay. Confounding principle with practice, they mistake
the conduct and expressions of individuals connected with a cause, for
the cause itself, its character, its spirit, and the ends at which it
aims.
Translation and Discovery.--Contrary to my Christian friend's erroneous
deduction, the Latter-day Saints _are_ interested in the retranslation
of the Scriptures. And why should they not be? Joseph Smith was a
translator. Did he not translate the Book of Mormon and the Book of
Abraham? We believe the Bible to be the word of God only so far as it
has been translated correctly. Our Prophet also revised, by the Spirit
of Revelation, the English version of the Hebrew Scriptures, making it
in many respects more comprehensible, and at the same time restoring to
it many "plain and precious things" that had been taken away. [2] Why
should we not attach importance to work of that kind?
As for archaeological discoveries, we hail them with joy, especially
those that throw any light upon the Book of Mormon, that silent witness
"whispering from the dust" [3] of America's "buried civilizations."
Christian Endeavor and "Mormon" Propaganda.--Go on, good Christian
brother! Build as many hospitals and found as many missions as you
like. Spread the glad tidings over the world, and sound the Savior's
name from pole to pole. You cannot blazon the fame of Jesus Christ too
far or too widely to suit us. You cannot publish too many Bibles, nor
place them in too many homes. Such enterprise makes the follow-up work
of the "Mormon" missionary just that much less difficult. It virtually
introduces the message that he comes to proclaim. The Stick of Joseph
and the Stick of Judah are "one in the hand of Ephraim," [4] Latter-day
Israel, chosen and commissioned to prepare the way before Messiah's
coming.
Footnotes
1. For further particulars of the epileptic theory, see Woodbridge
Riley's book, "The Founder of Mormonism," and Robert C. Webb's
admirable answer thereto in Chapter 26 of "The Real Mormonism."
2. Hist. Ch. Vol. 1, p. 132. 1 Nephi 13:35, 40.
3. Isa. 29:4.
4. Ezek. 37:16-19.
ARTICLE ELEVEN.
The God Story.
Greater than it Appears.--"Mormonism" is a much bigger thing than
Catholic scholars or Episcopal bishops imagine. It is only a nickname
for the Everlasting Gospel, restored to earth in the nineteenth
century, that it might be preached "to every nation and kindred and
tongue and people," [1] as a warning to the world that the end of
wickedness is nigh, that the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand, and that the
Lord whom the righteous seek is about to "come suddenly to his Temple."
[2]
The Antiquity of the Gospel.--The Gospel originated in the heavens
before this earth was formed, and was revealed from God out of Eternity
at the very beginning of Time. It was the means whereby our great
ancestor, Adam, after his expulsion from Eden, regained the Divine
Presence from which he had been banished; and it is the means whereby
his posterity, such as are obedient to the Gospel's requirements, may
follow him into the Celestial Kingdom. The same ladder that he climbed,
until beyond the reach of the fatal consequences of his transgression,
the whole human race, inheriting from him the effects of the fall, must
also climb, or they will never see the face of God in eternal glory.
The Path to Perfection.--But the Gospel is more than a means of escape
from impending ills. To all good Christians it is as a life-boat, or
a fire-escape, a way out of a perilous situation. To the Latter-day
Saints, it is all this and more. A divine plan for human progress,
the foreordained Pathway to Perfection--such is Christ's Gospel, as
revealed to and proclaimed by Joseph the Seer.
The Word Made Flesh.--The English word "Gospel" comes from the
Anglo-Saxon "Godspell" or God-story--the Story of God. It derives its
significance from that great central idea of the Christian faith,
the coming of God as the Son of God to redeem and save mankind. "God
himself shall come down among the children of men, and shall redeem his
people; and because he dwelleth in flesh, he shall be called the Son of
God." [3] The fulfillment of this and similar foretellings is recorded
in the opening verses of the Gospel according to St. John, referring
to "The Word" that was in the beginning "with God"--the Word that "was
God," and was "made flesh." In Him, as Paul affirms, "dwelleth all the
fulness of the Godhead bodily." [4]
Basic Principles.--When we consider the Gospel, therefore, we should
bear in mind that the term means something more than faith, repentance,
baptism, and the laying on of hands for the gift (giving) of the Holy
Ghost, with other rituals and requirements in the Church of Christ.
We cannot separate "the laws and ordinances of the Gospel" from the
basic principles upon which they rest-the mighty foundation stones of
Sacrifice and Redemption, without which all this sacred legislation
would be of no effect. Nor can the basic principles and powers that
vitalize and make operative these laws and ordinances be dissociated
from the idea of Eternal Progression, the great and paramount purpose
for which the Gospel code was framed, the Gospel in its fulness
instituted. [5]
The Complete Story.--The Gospel, in its fullest scope of meaning,
signifies everything connected with the wondrous career of that Divine
Being who was known among men as Jesus of Nazareth, but who was and
is no other than Jehovah, the God of Israel, who "came unto his own,"
and was rejected by them, crucified at their instigation, and died
to redeem the world. [6] The accounts given by Matthew, Mark, Luke
and John are properly termed "gospels," for they are narratives of
the personal ministry of our Lord. But they are only parts of the
complete God-Story. [7] The Savior's life, death, resurrection and
ascension, with the conditions prescribed by him upon which fallen man
might profit further from his sacrifice for human redemption--these
are all gospel features, but not the Gospel in its entirety. The full
"Story" of the God who died that man might live, involves events both
past and future, events pre-mortal and post-mortal, scenes in which
He was chosen to play his mighty part in the great tragedy of human
experience, and scenes yet to come in which He will make another
and a more glorious appearing upon the stage of Time, enacting the
illustrious role of King of Kings and reigning over the earth a
thousand years.
Essentials to Eternal Progress.--Everything vitally connected with
man's mortal pilgrimage was understood and arranged before that
pilgrimage began. Earth's creation was but one of the pre-essentials.
[8] The means of getting man down upon the earth, and the means of
redeeming him from the fall, had also to be provided. The Gospel was
instituted, and an Executor appointed to put it into effect; the
machinery constructed, and the power then turned on. Eternal progress,
endless exaltation, were the sublime objects in view, and over the glad
prospect, despite the pain and sorrow that must necessarily intervene,
"the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for
joy." [9]
Elect of Elohim.--In the Eternal Councils, while the creation of "an
earth" was in contemplation, the question arose as to who among the
Sons of Deity should redeem man from the fall. Lucifer, "an angel of
God who was in authority in the presence of God," would fain have been
selected for the mighty mission; but his scheme for human redemption
was of a compulsory character, destructive of the free agency of man.
Moreover, this "Son of the Morning" had become darkened to that degree
that he demanded, in recompense for his proposed service, the honor and
glory that belong only to the Highest. [10] Therefore was he rejected,
and, rebelling, "was thrust down from the presence of God and the Son,
and was called Perdition, for the heavens wept over him." [11] "And
also a third part of the hosts of heaven turned he away . . . . because
of their agency." [12]
The Chosen of the Father stood first among all the Sons of God. [13] He
is the Father's first-begotten in the spirit, and his only-begotten in
the flesh. To him was assigned the role of Earth's Redeemer. And while
revelation is silent upon the subject, or not so specific in their
cases, we have good reason to believe that the parts played by Adam and
Eve and other "noble and great ones" in the mighty drama of Eternal
Progression, were cast at the same time. [14]
The Perfect Plan.--The Gospel, Christ's perfect plan, unlike the
defective scheme proposed by Lucifer, gives the right of choice between
good and evil. It saves men, not _in_ their sins, but _from_ their
sins--liberates them from spiritual darkness, the bondage of death
and hell, and lifts them into the joy and freedom of light and life
eternal. Hence that splendid phrase, that majestic synonym, used
by the Apostle James in describing the Gospel--"The Perfect Law of
Liberty." [15]
The Purpose Paramount.--The grand object in view when that great Law
was instituted, is clearly, though briefly, outlined in the following
passage from the writings of Joseph the Seer:
"The first principles of man are self-existent with God. . . Finding he
was in the midst of spirits and glory, because he was more intelligent
(he) saw proper to institute laws whereby the rest could have a
privilege to advance like himself. The relationship we have with God
places us in a situation to advance in knowledge. He has power to
institute laws to instruct the weaker intelligences, that they may be
exalted with himself, so that they may have one glory upon another."
[16]
The Benevolence of Deity.--And thus is shown the benevolence as well as
the power of Deity. Our Heavenly Father is no monopolist. Omnipotent
and all-possessing, he is likewise altruistic, philanthropic. He
employed his superior intelligence, which constitutes his glory, [17]
to institute laws whereby the lesser spirits surrounding him might
advance toward the lofty plane that he occupies. He proposed to lift
them to his own spiritual stature, and share with them the empire of
the universe.
Salvation and Exaltation.--The Gospel of Christ is termed by St. Paul
"the power of God unto salvation." [18] Paul might have gone further,
had he been so inclined, or had it been timely. He could have shown
that the Gospel is also the power of God unto exaltation, a plan
devised by omnipotent wisdom whereby the sons and daughters of Deity
may advance from stage to stage of soul development, until they become
like their heavenly parents, the Eternal Father and Mother, inheriting
endless thrones and dominions and receiving "a fulness of joy." [19]
This is exaltation. It is more than salvation, being an extension of
that idea or condition--salvation "added upon;" just as salvation is an
extension of, or an addition to, the idea or condition of redemption.
A soul may be redeemed--that is, raised from the dead--and yet be
condemned at the Final Judgment for evil deeds done in the body.
Likewise may a soul be saved, and yet come short of the glory that
constitutes exaltation. To redeem, save and glorify, is the threefold
mission of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Footnotes
1. Rev. 14:6.
2. Mal. 3:1.
3. Mosiah 15:1, 2; 3:5. The joyful intelligence of the advent of
the World's Redeemer, proclaimed by angels to the shepherds on the
Judean hills (Luke 2:10), furnishes another name for the Gospel--"good
tidings," or, as otherwise rendered, "glad tidings of great joy."
4. Col. 2:9. Compare Ether 3:14, and Alma 11:38, 39.