PERSONAL MANIFESTATIONS OF GOD THE ETERNAL FATHER AND OF HIS SON JESUS
CHRIST IN MODERN TIMES.
A NEW DISPENSATION.
In the year of our Lord 1820 there lived at Manchester, Ontario county,
state of New York, a worthy citizen named Joseph Smith. His household
comprized his wife and their nine children. The third son and fourth
child of the family was Joseph Smith Jr., who at the time of which we
speak was in his fifteenth year. In the year specified, New York and
adjacent states were swept by a wave of intense agitation in religious
matters; and unusual zeal was put forth by ministers of the numerous
rival sects to win converts to their respective folds. The boy Joseph
was profoundly affected by this intense excitement, and was particularly
puzzled and troubled over the spirit of confusion and contention
manifest through it all. As our present subject has to do with him
specifically, and in view of the transcendent importance of his
testimony to the world, his own account of what ensued is given
herewith.
"Some time in the second year after our removal to Manchester,
there was in the place where we lived an unusual excitement on
the subject of religion. It commenced with the Methodists, but
soon became general among all the sects in that region of
country. Indeed, the whole district of country seemed affected
by it, and great multitudes united themselves to the different
religious parties, which created no small stir and division
amongst the people, some crying, 'Lo, here!' and others, 'Lo,
there!' Some were contending for the Methodist faith, some for
the Presbyterian, and some for the Baptist.
"For notwithstanding the great love which the converts to these
different faiths expressed at the time of their conversion, and
the great zeal manifested by the respective clergy, who were
active in getting up and promoting this extraordinary scene of
religious feeling, in order to have everybody converted, as they
were pleased to call it, let them join what sect they
pleased--yet when the converts began to file off, some to one
party and some to another, it was seen that the seemingly good
feelings of both the priests and the converts were more
pretended than real; for a scene of great confusion and bad
feeling ensued; priest contending against priest, and convert
against convert; so that all their good feelings one for
another, if they ever had any, were entirely lost in a strife of
words and a contest about opinions.
"I was at this time in my fifteenth year. My father's family was
proselyted to the Presbyterian faith, and four of them joined
that church, namely--my mother Lucy; my brothers Hyrum and
Samuel Harrison; and my sister Sophronia.
"During this time of great excitement, my mind was called up to
serious reflection and great uneasiness; but though my feelings
were deep and often poignant, still I kept myself aloof from all
these parties, though I attended their several meetings as often
as occasion would permit. In process of time my mind became
somewhat partial to the Methodist sect, and I felt some desire
to be united with them; but so great were the confusion and
strife among the different denominations, that it was impossible
for a person young as I was, and so unacquainted with men and
things, to come to any certain conclusion who was right and who
was wrong.
"My mind at times was greatly excited, the cry and tumult were
so great and incessant. The Presbyterians were most decided
against the Baptists and Methodists, and used all the powers of
either reason or sophistry to prove their errors, or, at least,
to make the people think they were in error. On the other hand,
the Baptists and Methodists in their turn were equally zealous
in endeavoring to establish their own tenets and disprove all
others.
"In the midst of this war of words and tumult of opinions, I
often said to myself, What is to be done? Who of all these
parties are right; or, are they all wrong together? If any one
of them be right, which is it, and how shall I know it?
"While I was laboring under the extreme difficulties caused by
the contests of these parties of religionists, I was one day
reading the Epistle of James, first chapter and fifth verse,
which reads: _If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God,
that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it
shall be given him._
"Never did any passage of scripture come with more power to the
heart of man than this did at this time to mine. It seemed to
enter with great force into every feeling of my heart. I
reflected on it again and again, knowing that if any person
needed wisdom from God, I did; for how to act I did not know,
and unless I could get more wisdom than I then had, I would
never know; for the teachers of religion of the different sects
understood the same passages of scripture so differently as to
destroy all confidence in settling the question by an appeal to
the Bible.
"At length I came to the conclusion that I must either remain in
darkness and confusion, or else I must do as James directs, that
is, ask of God. I at length came to the determination to 'ask of
God,' concluding that if He gave wisdom to them that lacked
wisdom, and would give liberally, and not upbraid, I might
venture.
"So, in accordance with this, my determination to ask of God, I
retired to the woods to make the attempt. It was on the morning
of a beautiful, clear day, early in the spring of eighteen
hundred and twenty. It was the first time in my life that I had
made such an attempt, for amidst all my anxieties I had never as
yet made the attempt to pray vocally.
"After I had retired to the place where I had previously
designed to go, having looked around me, and finding myself
alone, I kneeled down and began to offer up the desires of my
heart to God. I had scarcely done so, when immediately I was
seized upon by some power which entirely overcame me, and had
such an astonishing influence over me as to bind my tongue so
that I could not speak. Thick darkness gathered around me, and
it seemed to me for a time as if I were doomed to sudden
destruction.
"But, exerting all my powers to call upon God to deliver me out
of the power of this enemy which had seized upon me, and at the
very moment when I was ready to sink into despair and abandon
myself to destruction--not to an imaginary ruin, but to the
power of some actual being from the unseen world, who had such
marvelous power as I had never before felt in any being--just at
this moment of great alarm, I saw a pillar of light exactly over
my head, above the brightness of the sun, which descended
gradually until it fell upon me.
"It no sooner appeared than I found myself delivered from the
enemy which held me bound. When the light rested upon me I saw
two personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description,
standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling
me by name, and said, pointing to the other--_This is my beloved
Son, hear him!_
"My object in going to inquire of the Lord was to know which of
all the sects was right, that I might know which to join. No
sooner, therefore, did I get possession of myself, so as to be
able to speak, than I asked the personages who stood above me in
the light, which of all the sects was right--and which I should
join.
"I was answered that I must join none of them, for they were all
wrong; and the personage who addressed me said that all their
creeds were an abomination in his sight; that those professors
were all corrupt; that 'they draw near to me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me; they teach for doctrines the
commandments of men, having a form of godliness, but they deny
the power thereof.'
"He again forbade me to join with any of them; and many other
things did he say unto me, which I cannot write at this time.
When I came to myself again, I found myself lying on my back,
looking up into heaven.
"Some few days after I had this vision, I happened to be in
company with one of the Methodist preachers, who was very active
in the before mentioned religious excitement; and, conversing
with him on the subject of religion, I took occasion to give him
an account of the vision which I had had. I was greatly
surprised at his behavior; he treated my communication not only
lightly, but with great contempt, saying, it was all of the
devil, that there were no such things as visions or revelations
in these days; that all such things had ceased with the
apostles, and that there would never be any more of them.
"I soon found, however, that my telling the story had excited a
great deal of prejudice against me among professors of religion,
and was the cause of great persecution, which continued to
increase; and though I was an obscure boy, only between fourteen
and fifteen years of age, and my circumstances in life such as
to make a boy of no consequence in the world, yet men of high
standing would take notice sufficient to excite the public mind
against me, and create a bitter persecution; and this was common
among all the sects--all united to persecute me.
"It caused me serious reflection then, and often has since, how
very strange it was that an obscure boy, of a little over
fourteen years of age, and one, too, who was doomed to the
necessity of obtaining a scanty maintenance by his daily labor,
should be thought a character of sufficient importance to
attract the attention of the great ones of the most popular
sects of the day, and in a manner to create in them a spirit of
the most bitter persecution and reviling. But strange or not, so
it was, and it was often the cause of great sorrow to myself.
"However, it was nevertheless a fact that I had beheld a vision.
I have thought since, that I felt much like Paul, when he made
his defense before King Agrippa, and related the account of the
vision he had when he saw a light, and heard a voice; but still
there were but few who believed him; some said he was dishonest,
others said he was mad; and he was ridiculed and reviled. But
all this did not destroy the reality of his vision. He had seen
a vision, he knew he had, and all the persecution under heaven
could not make it otherwise; and though they should persecute
him unto death, yet he knew, and would know to his latest
breath, that he had both seen a light, and heard a voice
speaking unto him, and all the world could not make him think or
believe otherwise.
"So it was with me. I had actually seen a light, and in the
midst of that light I saw two personages, and they did in
reality speak to me; and though I was hated and persecuted for
saying that I had seen a vision, yet it was true; and while they
were persecuting me, reviling me, and speaking all manner of
evil against me falsely for so saying, I was led to say in my
heart: Why persecute me for telling the truth? I have actually
seen a vision, and who am I that I can withstand God, or why
does the world think to make me deny what I have actually seen?
For I had seen a vision; I knew it, and I knew that God knew it,
and I could not deny it, neither dared I do it, at least I knew
that by so doing I would offend God, and come under
condemnation.
"I had now got my mind satisfied so far as the sectarian world
was concerned; that it was not my duty to join with any of them,
but to continue as I was until further directed. I had found the
testimony of James to be true, that a man who lacked wisdom
might ask of God, and obtain, and not be upbraided."[1523]
In this wise was ushered in the Dispensation of the Fulness of
Times.[1524] The darkness of the long night of apostasy was dispelled;
the glory of the heavens once more illumined the world; the silence of
centuries was broken; the voice of God was heard again upon the earth.
In the spring of A.D. 1820 there was one mortal, a boy not quite fifteen
years old, who knew as well as that he lived, that the current human
conception of Deity as an incorporeal essence of something possessing
neither definite shape nor tangible substance was as devoid of truth in
respect to both the Father and the Son as its statement in formulated
creeds was incomprehensible. The boy Joseph knew that both the Eternal
Father and His glorified Son, Jesus Christ, were in form and stature,
perfect Men; and that in Their physical likeness mankind had been
created in the flesh.[1525] He knew further that the Father and the Son
were individual Personages, each distinct from the other--a truth fully
attested by the Lord Jesus during His mortal existence, but which had
been obscured if not buried by the sophistries of human unbelief. He
realized that the unity of the Godhead was a oneness of perfection in
purpose, plan, and action, as the scriptures declare it to be, and not
an impossible union of personalities, as generations of false teachers
had tried to impress. This resplendent theophany confirmed the fact of a
universal apostasy, with the inevitable corollary--that the Church of
Christ was nowhere existent upon the earth. It effectively dissipated
the delusion that direct revelation from the heavens had forever ceased;
and affirmatively proved the actuality of personal communication between
God and mortals.
For the fourth time since the Savior's birth in the flesh, the voice of
the Father had attested the Son's authority in matters pertaining to
earth and man.[1526] In this latter-day revelation of Himself, as on the
earlier occasions, the Father did no more than affirm the fact of the
Son's identity, and command that He be obeyed.
"A MESSENGER SENT FROM THE PRESENCE OF GOD."[1527]
For about three and a half years following the glorious appearing of the
Father and the Son to Joseph Smith, the youthful revelator was left to
himself, so far as further manifestations from heaven were concerned.
The period was one of probation. He was subjected to the sneers of
youths of his age, and to aggressive persecution on the part of older
men, "who," as he very justly and somewhat accusingly remarks, "ought to
have been my friends and to have treated me kindly, and if they supposed
me to be deluded to have endeavored in a proper and affectionate manner
to have reclaimed me."[1528] He pursued his usual vocation, that of farm
work in association with his father and brothers, from whom he received
kindness, consideration, and sympathy; and in spite of raillery, abuse,
and denunciation from the community at large he remained firm and
faithful in his solemn avouchment that he had seen and heard both the
Eternal Father and Jesus the Christ, and that he had been instructed to
join none of the contending sects or churches because they were all
fundamentally wrong.
On the night of the 21st of September 1823, while engaged in fervent
prayer to God in the solitude of his chamber, Joseph observed the room
become illuminated until the light exceeded that of a cloudless noon. A
glorious personage appeared within the room, standing a little space
above the floor. Both the body of the visitant and the loose robe he
wore were of exquisite whiteness. Calling Joseph by name he announced
himself as Moroni, "a messenger sent from the presence of God"; and
informed the young man that the Lord had a work for him to do, and that
his name should come to be spoken of both for good and for evil among
all nations, kindreds, and tongues. The angel told of a record engraven
on plates of gold, which contained an account of the former inhabitants
of the American continent, and the fulness of the everlasting gospel as
delivered by the Savior to those ancient people; and furthermore, that
with the record were a breastplate, and the Urim and Thummim, which had
been prepared by divine instrumentality for use in translating the book.
The place at which the plates and the other sacred things were deposited
was shown to Joseph in vision, and so clear was the demonstration that
he readily recognized the spot when he visited it next day.
The angel quoted several passages from the Old and one from the New
Testament, some verbatim, and some with small variations from the
Biblical version. Joseph's statement concerning the scriptures cited by
Moroni is as follows:
"He first quoted part of the third chapter of Malachi, and he
quoted also the fourth or last chapter of the same prophecy,
though with a little variation from the way it reads in our
Bibles. Instead of quoting the first verse as it reads in our
books, he quoted it thus:
"_For behold, the day cometh that shall burn as an oven, and all
the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall burn as stubble;
for they that come shall burn them, saith the Lord of Hosts,
that it shall leave them neither root nor branch._
"And again, he quoted the fifth verse thus: _Behold, I will
reveal unto you the Priesthood, by the hand of Elijah the
prophet, before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the
Lord._
"He also quoted the next verse differently: _And he shall plant
in the hearts of the children the promises made to the fathers,
and the hearts of the children shall turn to their fathers; if
it were not so, the whole earth would be utterly wasted at his
coming._
"In addition to these, he quoted the eleventh chapter of Isaiah,
saying that it was about to be fulfilled. He quoted also the
third chapter of Acts, twenty-second and twenty-third verses,
precisely as they stand in our New Testament. He said that that
prophet was Christ; but the day had not yet come when they who
would not hear his voice should be cut off from among the
people, but soon would come.
"He also quoted the second chapter of Joel, from the
twenty-eighth verse to the last. He also said that this was not
yet fulfilled but was soon to be. And he further stated that the
fulness of the Gentiles was soon to come in."[1529]
The messenger departed, and the light disappeared with him. Twice during
the same night, however, the angel returned, each time repeating what
had been said at his first appearing and adding words of instruction and
caution. On the next day Moroni appeared to the young man again, and
directed him to inform his father of the visitations and commandments he
had received. Joseph's father instructed him to obey the messenger's
instructions and testified that they were given of God. Joseph then went
to the locality specified by the angel, on the side of a hill called in
the record Cumorah, and immediately identified the spot that had been
shown him in vision. By the aid of a lever he removed a large stone,
which proved to be the cover of a stone box wherein lay the plates and
other articles described by Moroni. The angel appeared at the place, and
forbade Joseph to remove the contents of the box at that time. The young
man replaced the massive stone lid and left the spot.
Four years later, the plates, the Urim and Thummim, and the breastplate
were delivered into Joseph's keeping by the angel Moroni. This Moroni,
who now came as a resurrected being, was the last survivor of the
Nephite nation; he had completed the record, and then shortly before his
death had hidden away the same in the hill Cumorah, whence it was
brought forth through his instrumentality and delivered to the modern
prophet and seer, Joseph Smith, September 22, 1827. That record, or,
strictly speaking a part thereof, is now accessible to all; it has been
translated through divine instrumentality and is now published in many
languages as the Book of Mormon.[1530]
THE AARONIC PRIESTHOOD CONFERRED BY JOHN THE BAPTIST.
On the 15th of May, 1829, Joseph Smith and his scribe in the work of
translating the Nephite record, Oliver Cowdery, retired to a secluded
glade to pray. Their special purpose was to inquire of the Lord
concerning the ordinance of baptism for the remission of sins, some
account of which they had found on the plates. Joseph writes:
"While we were thus employed, praying and calling upon the Lord,
a messenger from heaven descended in a cloud of light, and
having laid his hands upon us, he ordained us, saying:
"_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 again from the earth, until the sons of Levi do offer
again an offering unto the Lord in righteousness."_[1531]
The angelic visitor stated that his name was John, the same who is
designated in the New Testament, John the Baptist; and that he had acted
in ordaining the two under the direction of Peter, James, and John, who
held the keys of the Higher or Melchizedek Priesthood. He explained that
the Aaronic Priesthood did not comprize "the power of laying on hands
for the gift of the Holy Ghost";[1532] but he predicted that the Higher
Priesthood, having this power, would be conferred later. By his express
direction, Joseph baptized Oliver, and the latter in turn baptized
Joseph, by immersion in water.
THE MELCHIZEDEK PRIESTHOOD CONFERRED BY PETER, JAMES, AND JOHN.
Shortly after their ordination to the Lesser or Aaronic Priesthood,
Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery were visited by the presiding apostles
of old, Peter, James, and John, who conferred upon them the Melchizedek
Priesthood and ordained them to the Holy Apostleship. In a later
revelation the Lord Jesus thus specifically acknowledges the respective
ordinations as having been done by His will and commandment:
"Which John I have sent unto you, my servants, Joseph Smith,
jun., and Oliver Cowdery, to ordain you unto this first
priesthood which you have received, that you might be called and
ordained even as Aaron.... And also with Peter, and James, and
John, whom I have sent unto you, by whom I have ordained you and
confirmed you to be apostles, and especial witnesses of my name,
and bear the keys of your ministry, and of the same things which
I revealed unto them: Unto whom I have committed the keys of my
kingdom, and a dispensation of the gospel for the last times;
and for the fulness of times, in the which I will gather
together in one all things, both which are in heaven, and which
are on the earth."[1533]
ESTABLISHMENT OF THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS.
On the sixth day of April A.D. 1830, the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints was formally organized, at Fayette, Seneca county, New
York, in accordance with the secular law governing the establishment of
religious associations. The persons actually participating in the
organization numbered but six, such being the minimum required by law in
such an undertaking; many others were present however, some of whom had
already received the ordinance of baptism for the remission of sins. By
revelation to Joseph Smith, the Lord had previously specified the day on
which the organization was to be effected, and had made known His plan
of Church government--with detailed instructions as to the requisite
conditions for membership; the indispensability of baptism by immersion,
and the precise manner in which the initiatory ordinance was to be
administered; the manner of confirming baptized believers as members of
the Church; the duties of elders, priests, teachers, and deacons in the
Church; the exact procedure to be followed in the administration of the
Sacrament of the Lord's Supper; the order of Church discipline, and the
method of transferring members from one branch to another.[1534] The
baptized converts present at the organization were called upon to
express their acceptance or rejection of Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery
as elders in the Church; and in accordance with the unanimous vote in
the affirmative the ordination or setting apart of these two men as
respectively first and second elder in the new organization was
performed.[1535]
While the Book of Mormon had been in course of translation, particularly
during the two years immediately preceding the organization of the
Church, several revelations had been given through Joseph the prophet
and seer, relating to the work of translation and to the preparatory
labor necessary to the establishment of the Church as an institution
among men. The Author of these several revelations declared Himself
definitely to be Jesus Christ, God, the Son of God, the Redeemer, the
Light and Life of the World, Alpha and Omega, Christ the Lord, the Lord
and Savior.[1536] As early as A.D. 1829, the calling of the Twelve
Apostles was indicated, and appointment was made for the searching out
of the Twelve who should stand before the world as special witnesses of
the Christ; these were subsequently ordained to the Holy Apostleship,
and the council or quorum of the Twelve has been recognized, and
instructions concerning their exalted duties have been given, in
numerous revelations of later dates.[1537]
In such manner has the Church of Jesus Christ been reestablished upon
the earth, with all the powers and authority pertaining to the Holy
Priesthood as committed by the Lord Jesus to His apostles in the period
of His personal ministry. The inauguration of a new dispensation of the
gospel, with a restoration of the Priesthood, was absolutely necessary;
since through the apostasy of the Primitive Church there lived not a man
empowered to speak or administer in the name of God or His Christ. John
the Revelator saw in his vision of the last days an angel bringing anew
"the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and
to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, saying with a loud
voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is
come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the
fountains of waters."[1538]
Such an angelic embassage would have been but a needless and empty
display, and therefore an impossibility, had the everlasting gospel
remained upon the earth with its powers of priesthood perpetuated by
succession. The scriptural assurances of a restoration in the last days
through direct bestowal from the heavens is conclusive proof of the
actuality of the universal apostasy. Moroni came to Joseph Smith as "a
messenger sent from the presence of God," and delivered a record
containing "the fulness of the everlasting gospel," as it had been
imparted to the Lord's people in ancient times; and the world-wide
distribution of the Book of Mormon, and of other publications embodying
the revealed word in modern times, and the ministry of thousands who
labor in the authority of the Holy Priesthood combine as the loud voice
addressed to every nation, crying: "Fear God, and give glory to him; for
the hour of his judgment is come."
FURTHER COMMUNICATIONS FROM THE HEAVENS TO MAN.
Following the organization of the Church as heretofore described, direct
communication between the Lord Jesus Christ and His prophet Joseph was
frequent, as the needs of the Church required. Numerous revelations were
given, and these are accessible to all who will read.[1539] A marvelous
manifestation was granted to the prophet and his associate in the
presidency of the Church, Sidney Rigdon, the record of which appears as
follows:
"We, Joseph Smith, jun., and Sidney Rigdon, being in the Spirit
on the sixteenth of February, in the year of our Lord, one
thousand eight hundred and thirty-two, by the power of the
Spirit our eyes were opened and our understandings were
enlightened, so as to see and understand the things of God--even
those things which were from the beginning before the world was,
which were ordained of the Father, through his Only Begotten
Son, who was in the bosom of the Father, even from the
beginning, of whom we bear record, and the record which we bear
is the fulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ, who is the Son,
whom we saw and with whom we conversed in the heavenly vision;
For while we were doing the work of translation, which the Lord
had appointed unto us, we came to the twenty-ninth verse of the
fifth chapter of John, which was given unto us as follows.
Speaking of the resurrection of the dead, concerning those who
shall hear the voice of the Son of Man, and shall come forth;
they who have done good in the resurrection of the just, and
they who have done evil in the resurrection of the unjust. Now
this caused us to marvel, for it was given unto us of the
Spirit; and while we meditated upon these things, the Lord
touched the eyes of our understandings and they were opened, and
the glory of the Lord shone round about; and we beheld the glory
of the Son, on the right hand of the Father, and received of his
fulness; and saw the holy angels, and they who are sanctified
before his throne, worshiping God, and the Lamb, who worship him
for ever and ever. And now, after the many testimonies which
have been given of him, this is the testimony last of all, which
we give of him, that he lives; for we saw him, even on the right
hand of God, and we heard the voice bearing record that he is
the Only Begotten of the Father--that by him and through him,
and of him the worlds are and were created, and the inhabitants
thereof are begotten sons and daughters unto God."[1540]
The vision was followed by further revelation both through sight and
hearing; and the Lord showed unto His servants and proclaimed aloud the
fate of the wicked and the characteristic features of the varied degrees
of glory provided for the souls of mankind in the hereafter. The several
states of graded honor and exaltation pertaining to the telestial, the
terrestrial, and the celestial kingdoms were revealed, and the ancient
scriptures relating thereto were illumined with the new light of
simplicity and literalness.[1541]
PERSONAL APPEARING OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST IN THE KIRTLAND TEMPLE.
In less than three and a half years after its organization the Church
began the erection of the first temple of modern times at Kirtland,
Ohio. The work was undertaken in compliance with a revelation from the
Lord requiring this labor at the hands of His people. The Church
membership was small; the people were in poverty; the period was one of
determined opposition and relentless persecution.[1542] Be it understood
that to the Latter-day Saints a temple is more than chapel, church,
tabernacle, or cathedral; it is no place of common assembly even for
purposes of congregational worship, but an edifice sacred to the
ordinances of the Holy Priesthood--distinctively and essentially a House
of the Lord. The temple at Kirtland stands today, a substantial and
stately building; but it is no longer in possession of the people who
reared it by unmeasured sacrifice of time, substance, and effort
extending through years of self-denial and suffering. Its corner-stones
were laid July 23, 1833, and the completed structure was dedicated March
27, 1836. The dedicatory service was made ever memorable by a
Pentecostal outpouring of the Spirit of the Lord accompanied by the
visible presence of angels. In the evening of the same day the several
quorums of priesthood assembled in the house, and a yet greater
manifestation of divine power and glory was witnessed. On the succeeding
Sunday--April 3, 1836--after a service of solemn worship, including the
administration of the Lord's Supper, the prophet Joseph and his
counselor, Oliver Cowdery, retired for prayer within the veils enclosing
the platform and pulpit reserved for the presiding authorities of the
Melchizedek Priesthood. They bear this solemn testimony to the personal
appearing of the Lord Jesus Christ at that time and place:
"The veil was taken from our minds, and the eyes of our
understanding were opened. We saw the Lord standing upon the
breast work of the pulpit, before us, and under his feet was a
paved work of pure gold in color like amber. His eyes were as a
flame of fire, the hair of his head was white like the pure
snow, his countenance shone above the brightness of the sun, and
his voice was as the sound of the rushing of great waters, even
the voice of Jehovah, saying--I am the first and the last, I am
he who liveth, I am he who was slain, I am your advocate with
the Father. Behold, your sins are forgiven you, you are clean
before me, therefore lift up your heads and rejoice, let the
hearts of your brethren rejoice, and let the hearts of all my
people rejoice, who have, with their might, built this house to
my name. For behold, I have accepted this house, and my name
shall be here, and I will manifest myself to my people in mercy
in this house, Yea, I will appear unto my servants, and speak
unto them with mine own voice, if my people will keep my
commandments, and do not pollute this holy house, Yea the hearts
of thousands and tens of thousands shall greatly rejoice in
consequence of the blessings which shall be poured out, and the
endowment with which my servants have been endowed in this
house; and the fame of this house shall spread to foreign lands,
and this is the beginning of the blessing which shall be poured
out upon the heads of my people. Even so. Amen."[1543]
After the Savior's withdrawal, the two mortal prophets were visited by
glorified beings, each of whom had officiated on earth as a specially
commissioned servant of Jehovah, and now came to confer the authority of
his particular office upon Joseph and Oliver, thus uniting all the
powers and authorities of olden dispensations in the restored Church of
Christ, which characterizes the last and greatest dispensation of
history. This is the record:
"After this vision closed, the heavens were again opened unto
us, and Moses appeared before us, and committed unto us the keys
of the gathering of Israel from the four parts of the earth, and
the leading of the ten tribes from the land of the north. After
this, Elias appeared, and committed the dispensation of the
gospel of Abraham, saying, that in us, and our seed, all
generations after us should be blessed. After this vision had
closed, another great and glorious vision burst upon us, for
Elijah the prophet, who was taken to heaven without tasting
death, stood before us, and said--Behold, the time has fully
come, which was spoken of by the mouth of Malachi, testifying
that he (Elijah) should be sent before the great and dreadful
day of the Lord come, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the
children, and the children to the fathers, lest the whole earth
be smitten with a curse. Therefore the keys of this dispensation
are committed into your hands, and by this ye may know that the
great and dreadful day of the Lord is near, even at the
doors."[1544]
JESUS THE CHRIST IS WITH HIS CHURCH TODAY.
Right gloriously has the Lord brought about a fulfilment of the promises
uttered through the mouths of His holy prophets in by-gone ages--to
restore the gospel with all its former blessings and privileges; to
bestow anew the Holy Priesthood with authority to administer in the name
of God; to reestablish the Church bearing His name and founded upon the
rock of divine revelation; and to proclaim the message of salvation to
all nations, kindreds, tongues, and peoples. In spite of persecution
both mobocratic and judicially sanctioned, in spite of assaults,
drivings, and slaughter, the Church has developed with marvelous
rapidity and strength since the day of its organization. Joseph, the
prophet, and his brother Hyrum, the patriarch of the Church, were
brutally slain as martyrs to the truth at Carthage, Illinois, June 27,
1844. But the Lord raised up others to succeed them; and the world
learned in part and yet shall know beyond all question that the Church
so miraculously established in the last days is not the church of Joseph
Smith nor of any other man, but in literal verity, the Church of Jesus
Christ. The Lord has continued to make known His mind and will through
prophets, seers, and revelators whom He has successively chosen and
appointed to lead His people; and the voice of divine revelation is
heard in the Church today. As provided for in its revealed plan and
constitution, the Church is blessed by the ministry of prophets,
apostles, high priests, patriarchs, seventies, elders, bishops, priests,
teachers, and deacons.[1545] The spiritual gifts and blessings of old
are again enjoyed in rich abundance.[1546] New scriptures, primarily
directed to present duties and current developments in the purposes of
God, yet which illuminate and make plain in simplicity the scriptures of
old, have been given to the world through the channel of the restored
priesthood; and other scriptures shall yet be written. The united
membership of the Church proclaims:
"We believe all that God has revealed, all that He does now
reveal, and we believe that He will yet reveal many great and
important things pertaining to the Kingdom of God."[1547]
The predicted gathering of Israel from their long dispersion is in
progress under the commission given by the Lord through Moses. The
"mountain of the Lord's house" is already established in the top of the
mountains, and all peoples flow unto it; while the elders of the Church
go forth among the nations, saying: "Come ye, and let us go up to the
mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will
teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion
shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem."[1548]
Within sacred temples, the living are officiating vicariously in behalf
of the dead; and the hearts of mortal children are turned with
affectionate concern toward their departed ancestors, while disembodied
hosts are praying for the success of their posterity, yet in the flesh,
in the service of salvation.[1549] The saving gospel is offered freely
to all, for so hath its Author commanded. Through the medium of the
press, and by the personal ministrations of men invested with the Holy
Priesthood whom the Church sends out by thousands, this Gospel of the
Kingdom is today preached throughout the world. When such witness among
the nations is made complete, "then shall the end come"; and the nations
"shall see the Son of Man coming in the clouds of heaven, with power and
great glory."[1550]
NOTES TO CHAPTER 41.
1. The Dispensation of the Fulness of Times.--"Now the thing to be known
is, what the fulness of times means, or the extent and authority
thereof. It means this, that the dispensation of the fulness of times is
made up of all the dispensations that ever have been given since the
world began, until this time. Unto Adam first was given a dispensation.
It is well known that God spake to him with His own voice in the garden,
and gave him the promise of the Messiah. And unto Noah also was a
dispensation given; for Jesus said, 'As it was in the days of Noah, so
shall it be also in the days of the coming of the Son of Man;' and as
the righteous were saved then, and the wicked destroyed, so it will be
now. And from Noah to Abraham, and from Abraham to Moses, and from Moses
to Elias, and from Elias to John the Baptist, and from then to Jesus
Christ, and from Jesus Christ to Peter, James, and John, the Apostles
all having received in their dispensation by revelation from God, to
accomplish the great scheme of restitution, spoken by all the holy
Prophets since the world began; the end of which is, the dispensation of
the fulness of times, in which all things shall be fulfilled that have
been spoken of since the earth was made."--See _Millennial Star_, vol.
16, p. 220.
2. Limitations of the Aaronic Priesthood.--After conferring the Lesser
or Aaronic Priesthood upon Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery, the
officiating angel, who had been known while a mortal being as John the
Baptist, explained that the authority he had imparted did not extend to
the laying-on of hands for the bestowal of the Holy Ghost, the latter
ordinance being a function of the Higher or Melchizedek Priesthood.
Consider the instance of Philip, (not the apostle Philip), whose
ordination empowered him to baptize, though a higher authority than his
was requisite for the conferring of the Holy Ghost; and consequently the
apostles Peter and John went down to Samaria to officiate in the case of
Philip's baptized converts (Acts 8:5, 12-17). See Doc. and Cov. 20:41,
46.
3. Priesthood and Office Therein.--It is important to know that although
Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery had been ordained to the Holy
Apostleship, and therefore to a fulness of the Melchizedek Priesthood,
by Peter, James, and John, it was necessary that they be ordained as
elders in the Church. When they received the Melchizedek Priesthood from
the three ancient apostles, there was no organized Church of Jesus
Christ, and consequently no need of Church officers, such as elders,
priests, teachers, or deacons. As soon as the Church was established,
officers were chosen therein and these were ordained to the requisite
office or grade in the Priesthood. Moreover, the principle of common
consent in the conduct of Church affairs was observed in this early
action of the members in voting to sustain the men nominated for
official positions, and has continued to be the rule of the Church to
this day. It is pertinent to point out further that in conferring upon
Joseph and Oliver the Aaronic Priesthood, John the Baptist did not
ordain them to the office of priest, teacher, or deacon. These three
offices are included in the Aaronic, as are the offices of elder,
seventy, high priest, etc., in the Melchizedek Priesthood. Read Doc. and
Cov. 20:38-67; _The Articles of Faith_, xi.
4. Modern Temples.--The Lord's gracious promise given in the Kirtland
Temple--to appear unto His servants at times then future, and to speak
unto them with His own voice, provided the people would keep His
commandments and not pollute that holy house--has been in no wise
abrogated nor forfeited through the enforced relinquishment of the
Kirtland Temple by the Latter-day Saints. The people were compelled to
flee before the fury of mobocratic persecution; but they hastened to
erect another and yet more splendid sanctuary at Nauvoo, Illinois, and
were again dispossessed by lawless mobs. In the valleys of Utah the
Church has erected four great temples, each more stately than the last;
and in these holy houses the sacred ordinances pertaining to salvation
and exaltation of both the living and the dead are in uninterrupted
progress. The temples of the present dispensation, at the time of the
present writing designated according to location, are those of Kirtland,
Ohio; Nauvoo, Illinois; St. George, Logan, Manti, and Salt Lake City,
Utah; Cardston, Canada, and Laie, Hawaii. See _The House of the Lord_,
pp. 63-232.
5. Consistency of the Church's Claim to Authority.--The proofs of order
and system in the restoration of authority to officiate in particular
functions pertaining to the priesthood are striking, and go to prove the
continued validity, beyond the grave, of authoritative ordination on
earth. The keys of the Aaronic order, comprizing authority to baptize
for the remission of sins, were brought by John the Baptist, who had
been especially commissioned in that order of priesthood in the time of
Christ. The apostleship, comprizing all powers inherent in the
Melchizedek Priesthood, was restored by the presiding apostles of old,
Peter, James, and John. Then, as has been seen, Moses conferred the
authority to prosecute the work of gathering; and Elijah, who, not
having tasted death, held a peculiar relation to both the living and the
dead, delivered the authority of vicarious ministry for the departed. To
these appointments by heavenly authority should be added that given by
Elias, who appeared to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery, and "committed
the dispensation of the gospel of Abraham." It is evident, then, that
the claims made by the Church with respect to its authority are complete
and consistent as to the source of the powers professed and the channels
through which such have been delivered again to earth. Scripture and
revelation, both ancient and modern, support as an unalterable law the
principle that no one can delegate to another an authority which the
giver does not possess.
6. Cessation of the Melchizedek Administration in Ancient Times.--The
Higher or Melchizedek Priesthood was held by the patriarchs from Adam to
Moses. Aaron was ordained to the priest's office, as were his sons; but
that Moses held superior authority is abundantly shown (Numb. 12:1-8).
After Aaron's death his son Eleazar officiated in the authority of the
Lesser Priesthood; and even Joshua had to take counsel and authority
from him (Numb. 27:18-23). From the ministry of Moses to that of Jesus
Christ, the Lesser Priesthood alone was operative upon the earth,
excepting only the instances of specially delegated authority of the
higher order such as is manifest in the ministrations of certain chosen
prophets, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and others. It is evident that
these prophets, seers, and revelators were individually and specially
commissioned; but it appears that they had not authority to call and
ordain successors, for in their time the Higher Priesthood was not
existent on earth in an organized state with duly officered quorums. Not
so with the Aaronic and Levitical Priesthood, however. The matter is
made particularly plain through latter-day revelation. See Doc. and Cov.
84:23-28; read the entire section; also _The House of the Lord_ pp.
235-238.
FOOTNOTES:
[1523] P. of G.P., Joseph Smith 2:5-26; also "History of the Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints," vol. 1, pp. 2-8.
[1524] Eph. 1:9, 10. Note 1, end of chapter.
[1525] See page 151 herein; Note 5, end of chapter.
[1526] For earlier instances, see pages 126, 371, and 725.
[1527] P. of G.P., Joseph Smith 2:29-54, 59; also "History of the
Church," vol. 1, pp. 10-16, 18.
[1528] P. of G.P., Joseph Smith 2:28.
[1529] P. of G.P., Joseph Smith 2:36-41; and "History of the Church,"
vol. 1. pp. 12, 13.
[1530] See B. of M., Mormon 6:6; Moroni 10:2.
[1531] P. of G.P., Joseph Smith 2:68, 69; Doc. and Cov. sec. 13;
"History of the Church," vol. 1, p. 39.
[1532] Notes 2 and 6. end of chapter.
[1533] Doc. and Cov. 27: 8, 12, 13.
[1534] Doc. and Cov. sec. 20.
[1535] Doc. and Cov. 20:2, 3; compare 21:11; see also "History of the
Church." vol. 1, pp. 40, 41. Note 3, end of chapter.
[1536] Doc. and Cov. sections 5, 6, 8, 10-12, 14-20.
[1537] Doc. and Cov. 18:27, 31-36; 20:38-44; 84:63, 64; 95:4; 107:23-25;
112:1, 14, 21; 118; 124:127-130.
[1538] Rev. 14:6, 7.
[1539] See Doctrine and Covenants, and "History of the Church."
[1540] Doc. and Cov. 76:11-24; also "History of the Church" under date
specified.
[1541] See Doc. and Cov. 76:25-119; also "The Articles of Faith," iv:29;
and xxii:18-27.
[1542] See "The House of the Lord," pages 114-123.
[1543] Doc. and Cov. 110:1-10; also "History of the Church" under date
specified. Note 4, end of chapter.
[1544] Doc. and Cov. 110:11-16. Note 5, end of chapter.
[1545] See "Plan of Government in the Restored Church," in "The Articles
of Faith," xi:13-32.
[1546] See "Spiritual Gifts" in "The Articles of Faith," xii.
[1547] No. 9 of "The Articles of Faith of the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints."
[1548] Isa. 2:2, 3; compare Micah 4:1, 2; see also Doc. and Cov. 29:8.
[1549] See "The House of the Lord," pp. 63-109.
[1550] P. of G.P., Joseph Smith 1:31, 36; compare Matt 24:14, 30.