LECTURES

ON

THE ARTICLES OF FAITH

OF THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS.




LECTURE I.

INTRODUCTORY.


=1. Importance of Theological Study.=--In the short period of time
that measures the span of mortal existence, it is not possible for man
to explore any considerable portion of the vast realm of knowledge; it
becomes, therefore, the part of wisdom to select for study the
branches that promise to prove of the greatest worth. All truth is of
value--above price indeed in its place; yet with respect to their
possible application, some truths are of incomparably greater worth
than are others. A knowledge of the principles of trade is essential
to the success of the merchant; an acquaintance with the laws of
navigation is demanded of the mariner; familiarity with the relation
of soil and crops is indispensable to the farmer; an understanding of
the profound principles of mathematics is necessary to the engineer
and the astronomer; so too is a practical knowledge of God essential
to the salvation of every human soul that has attained to powers of
judgment and discretion. The value of theological knowledge,
therefore, ought not to be under-rated; it is doubtful if its
importance can in any way be over-estimated.

=2. What is Theology?=--The word "theology" is of Greek origin; it
comes to us from _Theos_, meaning God, and _logos_--a treatise, or
discourse, signifying by derivation, therefore, collated knowledge of
Divinity, or the science that teaches us of God, implying also the
relation existing between the Supreme Being and His creatures. The
term is of very ancient usage, and may be traced to pagan sources.
Plato and Aristotle speak of theology as the doctrine of Deity and
divine things. Concisely defined, theology "is that revealed science
which treats of the being and attributes of God, His relations to us,
the dispensations of His providence, His will with respect to our
actions, and His purposes with respect to our end."[1]

  [1] See Doc. & Cov. supplement to Lecture I on Faith; Buck's
  Theological Dictionary, p. 582.

=3.= It has been held by some as a truth, that theological knowledge
is not properly a subject for analytical and otherwise scientific
treatment on the part of man; that inasmuch as a true conception of
Deity, with which theology has primarily to deal, must necessarily be
based upon revelation from the source divine, we can but receive such
knowledge as it is graciously given; and that to attempt critical
investigation thereof by the fallible powers of human judgment would
be to apply as a measure of the doings of God the utterly inadequate
wisdom of man. Many truths are beyond the scope of unaided human
reason, and theological facts have been declared to be above reason;
this is true so far as the same remark might be applied to any other
kind of truth; for all truth, being eternal, is superior to reason in
the sense of being manifest to reason, but not a creation of reason;
nevertheless truths are to be estimated and compared by the exercise
of reason.

=4. The Extent of Theology.=--Who can survey the boundaries of this
science? It deals with Deity--the fountain of knowledge, the source of
wisdom; with the proofs of the existence of a Supreme Being, and of
other supernatural personalities; with the conditions under which, and
the means by which, divine revelation is imparted; with the eternal
principles governing the creation of worlds; with the laws of nature
in all their varied manifestations. Primarily, theology is the science
of God and religion; it seeks to present "the systematic exhibition of
revealed truth, the science of Christian faith and life." But in a
more general sense, theology has to do with other truths than those
which are specifically called spiritual; its domain is co-extensive
with that of truth.

=5.= The industrial pursuits that benefit mankind, the arts that
please and refine, the sciences that enlarge and exalt the mind, are
but fragments of the great though yet uncompleted volume of truth that
has come to earth from a source of eternal and infinite supply. The
comprehensive study of theology, therefore, would embrace all known
truths. God has constituted Himself as the great teacher;[2] by
personal manifestations or through the ministrations of His appointed
servants, He instructs His mortal children. To Adam He introduced the
art of agriculture,[3] and even taught by example that of
tailoring;[4] to Noah and Nephi He gave instructions in ship
building;[5] Lehi and Nephi were taught of Him in the arts of
navigation;[6] and for their guidance on the water, as in their
journeyings on land, He prepared for them the Liahona.[7] a compass
operated by a force more effective than that of terrestrial
magnetism; furthermore, Moses received divine instructions in
architecture.[8]

  [2] See Key to Theology, by Parley P. Pratt, chap. i.

  [3] Gen. ii, 8; Pearl of Great Price: Moses iii, 15.

  [4] Gen. iii, 21; Pearl of Great Price: Moses iv, 27.

  [5] Gen. vi, 14: I Nephi xvii, 8; xviii, 1-4.

  [6] I Nephi xviii, 12, 21.

  [7] I Nephi xvi, 10, 16, 26-30; xviii, 12, 21; Alma xxxvii, 38.

  [8] Exo. xxv, xxvi, xxvii.

=6. Theology and Religion=, though closely related, are by no means
identical. A person may be deeply versed in theological lore, and yet
be lacking in religious, and even in moral traits. Theology may be
compared to theory, while religion represents practice; if theology be
precept, then religion is example. Each should be the complement of
the other; theological knowledge should strengthen religious faith and
practice. As accepted by the Latter-day Saints, theology comprehends
the whole plan of the gospel. "Theology is ordered knowledge,
representing in the region of the intellect what religion represents
in the heart and life of man."[9] Knowledge may have to do with the
intellect only, and however sublime its import, it may fail to affect
the hardened heart.

  [9] W. E. Gladstone.

=7. The "Articles of Faith."=--The beliefs and prescribed practices of
most religious sects are usually set forth in formal creeds. The
Latter-day Saints announce no creed as a complete code of their faith;
for while they hold that the precepts of eternal life are
unchangeable, they accept the principle of continuous revelation as a
characteristic feature of their belief. However, when asked for a
concise presentation of the principal religious views of his people,
Joseph Smith, the first prophet of the Church in the present
dispensation, announced as a declaration of belief the "Articles of
Faith of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints." These
include the more essential and characteristic features of the gospel
as accepted by this Church; but they are not complete as an exposition
of our belief, for by one of the Articles it is declared, "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." From the time of their first
promulgation, the Articles of Faith have been accepted by the
people,[10] and on October 6, 1890, the Latter-day Saints, in general
conference assembled, re-adopted the Articles as part of their guide
in faith and conduct. As these Articles of Faith present the leading
tenets of the Church in systematic order, they suggest themselves as a
convenient outline for our plan of study.

  [10] See Note 1.

=8. The Standard Works of the Church= form our written authority in
doctrine; but they are by no means our only sources of information and
instruction on the theology of the Church. We believe that God is as
willing to-day as He ever has been to reveal His mind and will to man,
and that He does so through chosen and appointed channels. We rely
therefore on the teachings of the living oracles of God as of equal
validity with the doctrines of the written word, the men in chief
authority being acknowledged and accepted by the Church as prophets
and revelators, and as being in possession of the power of the holy
Priesthood. The written works adopted by the vote of the Church as
authoritative guides in faith and doctrine are four,--the Bible, the
Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great
Price. Other works have been and are being issued by officers and
members of the Church, and many such books are unreservedly sanctioned
by the people and their ecclesiastical authorities; but the four
publications named are the only regularly constituted standard works
of the Church. Of the doctrine treated in the authorized standards,
the Articles of Faith may be regarded as a fair, though necessarily
but an incomplete epitome.


JOSEPH SMITH, THE PROPHET.

=9. Joseph Smith=, whose name is appended to the Articles of Faith,
was the prophet through whom the Lord restored to earth in these the
last days the Gospel, and this in accordance with predictions made in
previous dispensations. The question of the divine authenticity of
this man's mission is an all-important one to earnest investigators of
Latter-day Saint doctrines. If his claims to a God-given appointment
be false, forming, as they do, the foundation of the Church in the
last dispensation, the superstructure cannot be stable; if, however,
his purported ordination under the hands of heavenly personages be a
fact, one need search no further for the cause of the phenomenal
strength and growing power of the restored Church. The circumstances
of the divine dealings with Joseph Smith, the marvelous development of
the work instituted by this modern prophet, the fulfilment through his
instrumentality of many of the grandest predictions of old, and his
own prophetic utterances with their literal realizations, will yet be
widely acknowledged as proof conclusive of the validity of his
ministry.[11] The exalted claims maintained for him and his life's
work, the fame that has made his name known for good or evil among
most of the civilized nations of the earth, the vitality and growing
strength of the religious and social systems which owe their origin as
nineteenth-century establishments to the ministrations of this man,
give to him an individual importance warranting at least a passing
consideration.

  [11] See Note 3.

=10. His Parentage and Youth.=--Joseph Smith, the third son and fourth
child in a family of ten, was born December 23d, 1805, at Sharon,
Windsor County, Vermont. He was the son of Joseph and Lucy Mack
Smith--a worthy couple, who though in poverty lived happily amid
their home scenes of industry and frugality. When the boy, Joseph, was
ten years old, the family left Vermont and settled in the State of New
York, first at Palmyra, and later at Manchester, Ontario County. At
the place last named, the future prophet spent most of his boyhood
days. In common with his brothers and sisters, he had but little
schooling; and for the simple rudiments of an education, which by
earnest application he was able to gain, he was mostly indebted to his
parents, who followed the rule of devoting a portion of their limited
leisure to the teaching of the younger members of the household.

=11.= In their religious inclinations, the family favored the
Presbyterian church, the mother and three or four of the children
having united themselves with that sect; but Joseph, while at one time
favorably impressed by the Methodist creed, kept himself free from all
sectarian membership, being greatly perplexed over the strife and
dissensions manifesting themselves among the churches of the time. He
had a right to expect that in the Church of Christ there would be
unity and harmony; yet in place of such he saw among the wrangling
sects only confusion. When Joseph was in his fifteenth year, the
region of his home was visited by a storm of fierce religious
excitement, which, beginning with the Methodists, soon became general
among all the sects; there were revivals and protracted meetings, and
the manifestations of sectarian rivalry were many and varied. These
conditions added much to the distress of the young searcher after
truth.

=12. His Search for Truth and the Result.=--Here is Joseph's own
account of his course of action:--

     "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._'[12] Never did any passage of scripture come
     with more power to the heart of man than did this 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, would
     never know, for the teachers of religion of the different sects
     understood the same passage 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 1820. 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.

  [12] James i, 5.

"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 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 a
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 above 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._'"[13]

  [13] Pearl of Great Price: Extr. Hist. of Jos. Smith, 10-17.

=13.= In answer to his prayer for guidance as to which of the sects
was right, he was told to join none of them, for all were wrong, with
their creeds which are an abomination in the sight of God, and their
professors who are corrupt, in that they draw near with their lips
while their hearts are far from the Lord, teaching for doctrine the
commandments of men, having a form of godliness while denying the
power thereof.

=14.= Such knowledge as has been communicated in this unprecedented
revelation was not to be held secret within the heart of the youth. He
hesitated not to impart the glorious truths, first to the members of
his family, who received his testimony with reverence, and then to the
sectarian ministers, who had labored so diligently to convert him to
their several creeds. To his surprise, these professed teachers of
Christ treated his statements with the utmost contempt, declaring that
the day of revelation from God had long since passed away; and that
the manifestation, if indeed he had received any such at all, was
surely from Satan. Nevertheless, the ministers exerted themselves,
with a unity of purpose strangely at variance with their former
hostility toward one another, to ridicule the young man, and to
denounce his testimony. The neighborhood was aroused; persecution,
bitter and vindictive, was waged against him and his family; he was
actually fired upon by a would-be assassin: yet through it all he was
preserved from bodily injury; and in spite of increasing opposition he
remained faithfully steadfast to his testimony of the heavenly
visitation.[14] In this condition of trial, he continued without
further manifestation for three years, constantly expecting, but never
receiving the additional light and added instructions for which he
yearned. He was keenly sensitive of his own frailty and conscious of
human weaknesses. He pleaded before the Lord, acknowledging his errors
and craving help.

  [14] See Note 2.

=15. Angelic Visitations.=--On the night of September 21st, 1823,
while praying for forgiveness of sins and for guidance as to his
future course, he was blessed with another heavenly manifestation.
There appeared in his room a brilliant light, in the midst of which
stood a personage clothed in white, and with a countenance of radiant
purity and loveliness. The celestial visitor announced himself as
Moroni, a messenger sent from the presence of God; and then he
proceeded to instruct the youth as to some of the Divine purposes in
which Joseph was to take a most important part. The angel said that
through Joseph as the earthly instrument the true Church would be
again established upon the earth; that his name would be known among
all nations and tongues, honored by the good, reviled by the wicked;
that a record, engraven on plates of gold, giving a history of the
nations that had formerly lived upon the western continent and an
account of the Savior's ministrations among the people on this land,
was hidden in a hill near by; that with the plates were two sacred
stones, known as Urim and Thummim, by the use of which, men in olden
times had become seers, and that through those instruments God would
enable Joseph to translate the record engraved on the plates.

=16.= The angelic messenger then repeated several prophecies which are
recorded in the ancient scriptures; some of the quotations were given
with variations from our Bible readings. Of the words of Malachi the
following were quoted: "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, and it shall leave them neither root nor branch."[15] And
further:--"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. 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."[16] Among other scriptures, Moroni
cited the prophecies of Isaiah relating to the restoration of
scattered Israel, and the promised reign of righteousness on
earth,[17] saying that the predictions were about to be fulfilled;
also the words of Peter to the Jews, concerning the prophet who Moses
said would be raised up, explaining that the prophet referred to was
Christ, and that the day was near at hand when all who rejected the
words of the Savior would be cut off from among the people.[18]

  [15] Compare Malachi iv, 1.

  [16] Compare Malachi iv, 5-6.

  [17] See Isaiah xi.

  [18] Compare Acts iii, 22-23.

17. Having delivered his message, the angel departed, the light in the
room seeming to condense about his person, and disappearing with him.
But the heavenly visitant returned a second and a third time during
the night, each time repeating the instructions, with additional
admonitions as to the requirements, and warnings regarding temptations
that would assail the youthful seer. On the following day, Moroni
appeared to Joseph again, reciting anew the instructions and cautions
of the preceding night, and telling him to acquaint his father with
all he had heard and seen. This the boy did, and the father promptly
testified that the communications were from God.

=18.= Joseph soon repaired to the hill described to him in the vision.
He recognized the spot indicated by the angel, and with some labor
laid bare a stone box containing the plates and other things spoken of
by Moroni. The heavenly messenger again stood beside him, and forbade
the removal of the contents at that time, saying that four years were
to elapse before the plates would be committed to his care, and that
it would be his duty to visit the spot at yearly intervals. On the
occasion of each of these visits the angel instructed the young man
more fully regarding the great work awaiting him.

=19.= It is not the purpose of the present lecture to review in detail
the life and ministry of Joseph Smith;[19] so much attention has been
given to the opening scenes of his divinely-appointed mission, in view
of the unusual importance associated with the ushering in of the
modern or new dispensation of God's providence. The bringing forth of
the plates from their resting-place of centuries, their translation by
divine power, and the publication of the record as the Book of Mormon,
shall receive attention on a later occasion; for the present it is
sufficient to say that the ancient record has been translated; that
the Book of Mormon has been given to the world; and that the volume is
accepted as scripture by the Latter-day Saints.

  [19] See Note 5.

=20. Later Developments: the Martyrdom.=--In due time, the Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was organized, the Priesthood having
been restored through the ordination of Joseph Smith by those who had
held the keys of that authority in former dispensations. From an
initial membership of but six persons, the Church grew to include
thousands during the life-time of the Prophet Joseph; and the growth
has continued with phenomenal rapidity and stability until the present
time. One by one the powers and authorities possessed by the Church of
old were restored through the man who was chosen and ordained to be
the first elder of the latter-day dispensation. With the spread of the
Church, persecution increased, and the effect of evil opposition
reached a climax in the cruel martyrdom of the prophet, and his
brother Hyrum, then patriarch of the Church, June 27, 1844. The
incidents leading up to and culminating in the foul murder of these
men at Carthage, Illinois, are matters of common history. Suffice it
to say that prophet and patriarch gave the sacred seal of their life's
blood to the testimony of the truth, which they had valiantly
maintained in the face of intolerant persecution for nearly a quarter
of a century.[20]

  [20] See Note 4.

=21. Authenticity of Joseph Smith's Mission.=--The evidence of divine
authority in the work established by Joseph Smith, and of the
justification of the claims made by and for the man, may be summarized
as follows:

I. Ancient prophecy has been fulfilled in the restoration of the
gospel and the re-establishment of the Church upon the earth through
his instrumentality.

II. He received by direct ordination and appointment, at the hands of
those who held the power in former dispensations, the authority to
minister in the various ordinances of the gospel.

III. His possession of the power of true prophecy, and of other
spiritual gifts, is shown by the results of his ministry.

IV. His doctrines are both true and scriptural.

Each of these classes of evidence will receive attention and find
ample demonstration in the course of our study of the Articles of
Faith; and a detailed consideration will not be attempted at this
stage of our investigation; a few illustrations, briefly stated,
however, may not be out of place.

=22. I. The Fulfilment of Prophecy=, wrought through the life work of
Joseph Smith, is abundantly shown. John the Revelator, from his
prophetic vision of the latter-day dispensation, understood and
predicted that the gospel would be again sent from the heavens, and be
restored to the earth through the direct ministration of an
angel:--"And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having
the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth,
and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people."[21] A
partial fulfilment of this prediction is claimed in the manifestation
of the angel Moroni to Joseph Smith, as already described, whereby the
restoration of the gospel was announced, and the speedy realization of
other ancient prophecies was promised; and a record, described in part
as containing "the fulness of the everlasting gospel," was committed
to his care for translation and publication among all nations,
kindred, and tongues. The remainder of John's fateful utterance,
regarding the authorized call for repentance and the execution of
God's judgment preparatory to the awful scenes of the last days, is
now in process of rapid and literal fulfilment.

  [21] Rev. xiv, 6. See Note 9.

=23.= Malachi predicted the coming of Elijah specially commissioned
with power to inaugurate the work of co-operation between the fathers
and the children, and announced this mission as a necessary
preliminary to the advent of "the great and dreadful day of the
Lord."[22] The angel Moroni confirmed the truth and significance of
this prediction in an emphatic reiteration.[23] Joseph Smith and his
associate in the ministry, Oliver Cowdery, solemnly testify that they
were visited by Elijah the prophet, in the temple at Kirtland, Ohio,
on the third day of April, 1836; on which occasion the heavenly
messenger declared that the day spoken of by Malachi had fully come;
"Therefore," continued he, "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."[24] The
particular nature of the union of the fathers and the children, upon
which both Malachi and Moroni laid great stress, has been explained as
consisting in the work of vicarious ordinances, including baptism for
the dead who have passed from earth without a knowledge of the gospel.
In teaching this doctrine, and in complying with its behests, the
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints stands to-day alone
amongst all the sects professing Christianity.

  [22] Mal. iv, 5-6.

  [23] See page 11.

  [24] Doc. & Cov. cx, 13-16.

=24.= The ancient scriptures are teeming with prophecies concerning
the restoration of Israel in the last days, and the gathering of the
chosen people from among the nations and from the lands into which
they have been led or driven as a penalty for their waywardness and
sin.[25] Such prominence and importance are attached to this work of
gathering, in the predictions of olden times, that from the days of
Israel's exodus, the last days have been characterized in sacred writ
as a gathering dispensation. The return of the tribes after their long
and wide dispersion is made a preliminary work to the establishment of
the predicted reign of righteousness with Christ on the throne of the
world; and its accomplishment is given as a sure precursor of the
millennium. Jerusalem is to be re-established as the City of the Great
King on the eastern Hemisphere; and Zion, or the New Jerusalem, is to
be built on the western continent; the Ten Tribes are to be brought
back from their hiding place in the north; and the curse is to be
removed from Israel.[26] From the early days of Joseph Smith's
ministry, he taught the doctrine of the gathering as imposing a
present duty upon the Church; and this phase of the Latter-day Saint
labor is one of its most characteristic features. Joseph Smith and
Oliver Cowdery declare that the authority for prosecuting this work
was committed to the Church through them by Moses, who held the keys
of authority as Israel's leader in former times. Their testimony is
thus stated, in the description given of manifestations in the
Kirtland Temple, April 3, 1836:--"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."[27] As to the earnestness with which this labor has been
begun, and the fair progress already made therein, consider the
hundreds of thousands belonging to the families of Israel already
gathered in the valleys of the Rocky Mountains, about the house of the
Lord, now established; and hear the hymn of the chosen seed among the
nations, chanted to the accompaniment of effective deeds, "Come, and
let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, and to the house of the God
of Jacob; and He will teach us of His ways, and we will walk in His
paths; for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the Lord
from Jerusalem."[28]

  [25] See Lectures on Article 10, pp. 326-366.

  [26] See pp. 326-383.

  [27] Doc. & Cov. cx, 11.

  [28] Micah iv, 1-2.

=25.= The bringing forth of the Book of Mormon is held by the
Latter-day Saints to be a direct fulfilment of prophecy.[29] In
predicting the humiliation of Israel, to whom had been committed the
power of the priesthood in early days, Isaiah gave voice to the word
of the Lord in this wise:--"And thou shalt be brought down, and shalt
speak out of the ground, and thy speech shall be low out of the dust,
and thy voice shall be, as of one that hath a familiar spirit, out of
the ground, and thy speech shall whisper out of the dust."[30] The
Book of Mormon is verily the voice of a people brought low, speaking
from the dust, for from the dust the book was literally taken. The
volume professes to be the history of but a small division of the
house of Israel,--a part of the family of Joseph indeed, who were led
by a miraculous power to the western continent six centuries prior to
the Christian era. Of the record of Joseph, and its coming forth as a
parallel testimony to that of Judah, or the Bible in part, the Lord
thus spake through the prophet Ezekiel:--"Moreover, thou son of man,
take thee one stick, and write upon it, For Judah, and for the
children of Israel his companions: then take another stick, and write
upon it, For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of
Israel his companions: And join them one to another into one stick;
and they shall become one in thine hand. And when the children of thy
people shall speak unto thee, saying, Wilt thou not show us what thou
meanest by these? Say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I
will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and
the tribes of Israel his fellows, and will put them with him, even
with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they shall be
one in mine hand."[31] The succeeding verses declare that the
gathering and restoration of Israel would immediately follow the
united testimony of the records of Judah and Joseph. The two records
are before the world, a unit in their testimony of the everlasting
Gospel; and the work of gathering is in effective progress.

  [29] See Lectures on "Book of Mormon," Article 8, pp. 261-307.

  [30] Isa. xxix, 4; see also II Nephi iii, 19.

  [31] Ezek. xxxvii, 16-19.

=26.= It is further evident from the scriptures, that the dispensation
of the Gospel in the latter days is to be one of restoration and
restitution, a "dispensation of the fulness of times" in very truth.
Paul declares it to be the good pleasure of the Lord, "That in the
dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one
all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on
earth; even in him."[32] This prediction finds a parallel in an
utterance of the prophet Nephi:--"Wherefore all things which have been
revealed unto the children of men, shall at that day be revealed."[33]
And in accord with this is the teaching of Peter: "Repent ye
therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when
the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; And
he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: Whom
the heavens must receive until the times of restitution of all things,
which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the
world began."[34] Now comes Joseph Smith with the declaration that
unto him has been given the authority to open up this, the
dispensation of fulness, restitution, and restoration; and that
through him the Church has been endowed with all the keys and powers
of the priesthood, held and exercised in earlier periods: Unto the
Church "is the power of this priesthood given, for the last days, and
for the last time, in the which is the dispensation of the fulness of
times, which power you hold in connection with all those who have
received a dispensation at any time from the beginning of
creation."[35] The actual possession of these combined and unified
powers is sufficiently proved by the comprehensive work of the Church
in its present scope of operation.

  [32] Eph. i, 9-10.

  [33] II Nephi xxx, 18.

  [34] Acts iii, 19-21.

  [35] Doc. & Cov. cxii, 30-32.

=27. II. Joseph Smith's Authority= was conferred upon him by direct
ministrations of heavenly beings, each of whom had once exercised the
same power upon the earth. We have already seen how the angel Moroni,
formerly a mortal prophet among the Nephites, transmitted to Joseph
the appointment to bring forth the record which he, Moroni, had buried
in the earth over fourteen hundred years before. We learn further,
that on the 15th of May, 1829, the lesser or Aaronic Priesthood was
conferred upon Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery by the hand of John the
Baptist,[36] who came in his immortalized state with that particular
order of priesthood which comprises the keys of the ministrations of
angels, the doctrine of repentance and of baptism for the remission of
sins. This was the same John who, with the voice of one crying in the
wilderness, had preached the self-same doctrine, and had administered
the same ordinance in Judea as the immediate forerunner of the
Messiah. In delivering his message, John the Baptist stated that he
was acting under the direction of Peter, James, and John, apostles of
the Lord, in whose hands reposed the keys of the higher or Melchizedek
Priesthood, which in time would also be given. This promise was
fulfilled a month or so later, when the apostles named manifested
themselves to Joseph and Oliver, ordaining them to the apostleship,[37]
which comprises all the offices of the higher order of priesthood,
and which carries authority to minister in all the established
ordinances of the Gospel.

  [36] Doc. & Cov. xiii.

  [37] Doc. & Cov. xxvii, 12.

=28.= Then, some time after the Church had been duly organized,
authority for certain special functions was given, the appointing
messenger being in each case the one whose right it was so to
officiate by virtue of the commission which he had held in the days of
his mortality. Thus, 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," saying as was said of the
Father of the Faithful and his descendants in olden times, that in
them and in their seed should all succeeding generations be
blessed.[38]

  [38] Doc. & Cov. cx, 12.

=29.= 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.

=30. III. Joseph Smith was himself a true Prophet.=--This statement,
if fully substantiated, would be of itself sufficient proof of the
validity of the claims of this modern prophet, and the test is not
difficult of application. In the days of ancient Israel, an effective
method of trying the claims of a professed prophet was prescribed:--
"When a prophet speaketh in the name of the Lord, if the thing follow
not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the Lord hath not
spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously; thou shalt not
be afraid of him."[39] Conversely, if the words of the prophet are
made good by fulfilment, there is at least proof presumptive of his
genuineness. Of the many predictions uttered by Joseph Smith and
already fulfilled or awaiting the set time of their realization, a few
citations will suffice for our present purpose.

  [39] Deut. xviii, 22.

=31.= One of the earliest prophecies declared by him, which, while not
his independent utterance but that of the angel Moroni, was
nevertheless given to the world by Joseph Smith, had special reference
to the Book of Mormon, of which the angel said: "The knowledge that
this record contains will go to every nation, and kindred, and tongue,
and people, under the whole heaven."[40] This declaration was made
four years before the work of translation was begun, and fourteen
years before the elders of the Church began their missionary labor in
foreign lands. Since that time the Book of Mormon has been translated
into seventeen foreign languages, and is published in fifteen tongues;
and the work is still in progress.

  [40] Times and Seasons, Vol. II, No. 13.

=32.= In August, 1842, while the Church was suffering persecution in
Illinois, and when the western part of the continent was but little
known and only as the territory of an alien nation, Joseph Smith
prophesied "that the Saints would continue to suffer much affliction,
and would be driven to the Rocky Mountains," and that while many then
professing allegiance to the Church would apostatize, and others,
faithful to their testimony, would meet the martyr's fate, some would
live to "assist in making settlements and build cities and see the
Saints become a mighty people in the midst of the Rocky
Mountains."[41] The literal fulfilment of this prediction, uttered in
1842, and it may be added, foreshadowed by an earlier prophecy in
1831,[42] the one five, the other sixteen years before the migration
of the Church to the West, is attested by the common history of the
settlement and development of this once inhospitable region. Even the
skeptic and the pronounced opponents of the Church admit the miracle
of the establishment of a mighty commonwealth in the valleys of the
Rocky Mountains.

  [41] Millennial Star, Vol. XIX, p. 630. Also Hist. of the Ch.,
  Vol. V, p. 85.

  [42] Doc. and Cov. xlix, 24-25.

=33.= A most remarkable prediction regarding national affairs was
uttered by Joseph Smith, December 25th, 1832; it was soon thereafter
promulgated among the members of the Church, and was preached by the
elders, but did not appear in print until 1851.[43] The revelation
reads in part as follows:--"Verily thus saith the Lord, concerning the
wars that will shortly come to pass, beginning at the rebellion of
South Carolina, which will eventually terminate in the death and
misery of many souls. The days will come that war will be poured out
upon all nations, beginning at that place; For, behold, the Southern
States shall be divided against the Northern States, and the Southern
States will call on other nations, even the nation of Great
Britain; ... And it shall come to pass, after many days, slaves shall
rise up against their masters, who shall be marshalled and disciplined
for war." Every student of United States history is acquainted with
the facts establishing a complete fulfilment, even to the minutest
detail, of this astounding prophecy. In 1861, more than twenty-eight
years after the foregoing prediction was recorded, and ten years after
its publication in England, the Civil War broke out, beginning in
South Carolina. The ghastly records of that fratricidal strife sadly
support the prediction concerning "the death and misery of many
souls." It is well known that slaves deserted the South and were
marshalled in the armies of the North, and that the Confederate States
solicited aid of Great Britain. While no open alliance between the
Southern States and England was effected, the British government gave
indirect assistance and substantial encouragement to the South, and
this in such a way as to produce serious international complications.
Vessels were built and equipped at British ports in the interests of
the Confederacy; and the results of this violation of the laws of
neutrality cost Great Britain the sum of fifteen and a half millions
of dollars, which sum was awarded the United States at the Geneva
arbitration in settlement of the "Alabama claims." The Confederacy
appointed commissioners to Great Britain and France; these appointees
were forcibly taken by United States officers from the British steamer
on which they had embarked. This act, which the United States
government had to admit as overt, threatened for a time to precipitate
a war between this nation and Great Britain.

  [43] See Pearl of Great Price, British edition of 1851, and
  Millennial Star, Vol. XLIX, p. 396. The prophecy is now a part of
  the Doctrine and Covenants, see section lxxxvii.

=34.= The revelation cited, as given through Joseph Smith, contained
other predictions, some of which are yet awaiting fulfilment.[44] The
evidence presented is sufficient to prove that Joseph Smith is
prominent among men by reason of his instrumentality in fulfilling
prophecies uttered by the Lord's representatives in former times, and
that his own claim to the rank of prophet is abundantly vindicated.
But the endowment of prophecy so richly bestowed upon this Elias of
the last days, and so freely yet unerringly exercised by him, is but
one of the many spiritual gifts by which he, in common with a host of
others who have received the priesthood from him, was distinguished.
The scriptures declare that certain signs shall attend the Church of
Christ, among them the gifts of tongues, healing, immunity from
threatening death, and the power to control evil spirits.[45] The
exercise of these powers, resulting in what are ordinarily termed
miracles, is by no means an infallible proof of divine authority; for
many true prophets have wrought no such wonders, and men have been
known to work miracles at the instigation of evil spirits.[46]
Nevertheless, the possession of the power implied by the working of
miracles is an essential characteristic of the Church; and when such
acts are wrought in the accomplishment of holy purposes, they serve as
confirmatory evidence of divine authority. Therefore we may expect to
find, as find we do, in the ministry of Joseph Smith and in that of
the Church in general, the attested record of miracles, comprising
manifestations of all the promised gifts of the Spirit. This subject
will be further considered on another occasion.[47]

  [44] See Doc. and Cov. lxxxvii, 5-7.

  [45] Mark xvi, 16-18; Luke x, 19, etc.; Doc. and Cov. lxxxiv,
  65-72.

  [46] Exo. vii, 11, 22: viii, 7, 18; Rev. xiii, 13-15: xvi, 13-14.

  [47] See Lecture on Article 7, pp. 219-239.

=35. IV. The Doctrines Taught by Joseph Smith= and by the Church
to-day are true and scriptural. To sustain this statement we must
examine the principal teachings of the Church in separate order. The
Articles of Faith furnish us a convenient summary of many of the
doctrines pertaining to the latter-day work; and these we will proceed
to study in the course of the lectures that are to follow.


NOTES.

     =1. The "Articles of Faith"= date from March 1, 1841. They
     constitute a portion of a letter from the Prophet Joseph Smith to
     a Mr. Wentworth, of Chicago. The "Articles" were published in the
     History of Joseph Smith: (See _Millennial Star_, vol. XIX, p.
     120; also _Times and Seasons_, vol. III, p. 709.) As stated
     elsewhere, the Articles have been formally adopted by the Church
     as an authorized summary of its principal doctrines.

     =2. Joseph Smith's Early Persecution.=--The Prophet wrote as
     follows concerning the persecution of his boyhood days, which
     dated from the time of his first mention of his vision of the
     Father and the Son:--"It has often caused me serious reflection,
     both then and since, how very strange it was that an obscure boy,
     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, so as to create in them a spirit of the hottest
     persecution and reviling. But strange or not, so it was, and was
     often cause of great sorrow to myself. However, it was,
     nevertheless, a fact that I had had 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 a 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; ... 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 unto me, or one of them did; 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 for telling the truth?
     I had actually seen a vision, and who am I that I can withstand
     God?" _Pearl of Great Price_:--Extracts from the History of
     Joseph Smith: 23-25.

     =3. Tribute to Joseph Smith.=--While few people outside the
     Church have had much to say in commendation of this modern
     prophet, it is interesting to note that there are some honorable
     exceptions to the rule. Josiah Quincy, a prominent American, made
     the acquaintance of Joseph Smith a short time before the latter's
     martyrdom; and after the tragic event he wrote: "It is by no
     means improbable that some future text-book, for the use of
     generations yet unborn, will contain a question something like
     this: What historical American of the nineteenth century has
     exerted the most powerful influence upon the destinies of his
     countrymen? And it is by no means impossible that the answer to
     that interrogatory may be thus written: _Joseph Smith, the Mormon
     Prophet_. And the reply, absurd as it doubtless seems to most men
     now, may be an obvious commonplace to their descendants. History
     deals in surprises and paradoxes quite as startling as this. The
     man who establishes a religion in this age of free debate, who
     was and is today accepted by hundreds of thousands as a direct
     emissary from the Most High,--such a rare human being is not to
     be disposed of by pelting his memory with unsavory epithets....
     The most vital questions Americans are asking each other today
     have to do with this man and what he has left us.... Burning
     questions they are, which must give a prominent place in the
     history of the country to that sturdy self-asserter whom I
     visited at Nauvoo, Joseph Smith, claiming to be an inspired
     teacher, faced adversity, such as few men have been called to
     meet, enjoyed a brief season of prosperity, such as few men have
     ever attained, and, finally, forty-three days after I saw him,
     went cheerfully to a martyr's death. When he surrendered his
     person to Governor Ford, in order to prevent the shedding of
     blood, the Prophet had a presentiment of what was before him. 'I
     am going like a lamb to the slaughter,' he is reported to have
     said, 'but I am as calm as a summer's morning. I have a
     conscience void of offence, and shall die innocent.'" _Figures of
     the Past_ by Josiah Quincy, p. 376.

     =4. The Seal of Martyrdom.=--"The highest evidence of sincerity
     that a man can give his fellow-men,--the highest proof that he
     has spoken the truth in any given case--is that he perseveres in
     it unto death, and seals his testimony with his blood.... So
     important did such a testimony become in the estimation of Paul,
     that he said 'Where a testament is there must also of necessity
     be the death of the testator. For a testament is of force after
     men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the
     testator liveth.' (Heb. ix, 16-17.) In the light of this
     principle, and when the importance of the great testimony which
     he bore to the world is taken into account, it is not to be
     wondered at that Joseph Smith was called upon to affix the broad
     seal of martyrdom to his life's work. Something of
     incompleteness in his work would likely have been complained of
     had this been lacking; but now, not so; his character of prophet
     was rounded out to complete fulness by his falling a martyr under
     the murderous fire of a mob at Carthage in the State of
     Illinois."--Elder B. H. Roberts, in "_A New Witness for God_,"
     pp. 477-478.

     =5. Joseph Smith; Further References.=--For biography, see "_The
     Life of Joseph Smith, the Prophet_," by Pres. George Q. Cannon.
     See also "_Divine Authority, or the question, Was Joseph Smith
     Sent of God?_" a pamphlet by Apostle Orson Pratt; "_Joseph
     Smith's Prophetic Calling_;" _Millennial Star_, Vol. XLII, pp.
     164, 187, 195, 227. _Letters_, by Elder Orson Spencer to Rev. Wm.
     Crowell; No. 1; "_A New Witness for God_," by Elder B. H.
     Roberts.

     =6. Joseph Smith's Descent.=--"Joseph Smith was of humble birth.
     His parents and their progenitors were toilers, but their
     characters were godly and their names unstained. Near the middle
     of the seventeenth century Robert Smith, a sturdy yeoman of
     England, emigrated to the New World, the land of promise. With
     his wife, Mary, he settled in Essex, Massachusetts. The numerous
     descendants of these worthy people intermarried with many of the
     staunchest and most industrious families of New England. Samuel,
     the son of Robert and Mary, born January 26th, 1666, wedded
     Rebecca Curtis, January 25th, 1707. Their son, the second Samuel,
     was born January 26th, 1714; he married Priscilla Gould, and was
     the father of Asael, born March 1st, 1744. Asael Smith took to
     wife Mary Duty, and their son Joseph was born July 12th, 1771. On
     the 24th of January, 1796, Joseph married Lucy Mack at Tunbridge
     in the State of Vermont. She was born July 8th, 1776, and was the
     daughter of Solomon and Lydia Mack, and was the granddaughter of
     Ebenezer Mack."--_The Life of Joseph Smith, the Prophet_, by
     George Q. Cannon; Chapter I. Joseph the Prophet was the third son
     and fourth child of Joseph and Lucy (Mack) Smith; he was born at
     Sharon, Vermont, December 23d, 1805.

     =7. The Standard Works of the Church.=--The Bible and the Book of
     Mormon--the first two of the standard works of the Church--are to
     receive attention in later lectures (see pp. 240-307). The
     Doctrine and Covenants is a compilation of modern revelations as
     given to the Church in the present dispensation. The _Pearl of
     Great Price_ comprises the visions and writings of Moses as
     revealed to Joseph Smith, the Book of Abraham--a translation by
     Joseph Smith from certain ancient papyri--and some of the
     writings of Joseph Smith.

     =8. History of the Restored Church.=--Further information
     regarding the life work of Joseph Smith, and the growth of the
     Church of Jesus Christ as restored to earth through his
     instrumentality, may be found in the "History of the Church of
     Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints," Salt Lake City, Utah. For a
     brief synopsis of Church history see "The Story of Mormonism," by
     James E. Talmage, Liverpool, 1907; Salt Lake City, 1910.

     =9. Restoration of the Gospel.=--Plainly the vision-prophecy of
     John (Rev. xiv, 6, 7), relating to the restoration of the gospel
     to earth, could not refer to the gospel record preserved in the
     Holy Bible, for that record has remained in the possession of
     mankind. As stated in our text (page 14) a partial fulfilment is
     found in the visitation of Moroni and the restoration of the Book
     of Mormon, which is to us of modern times a new scripture, and
     one containing a fuller record of "the everlasting gospel."
     However, a record of the gospel is not the gospel itself.
     Authority to administer in the saving ordinances of the gospel is
     essential to the effective preaching and administration thereof;
     this was restored through John the Baptist, who brought the
     Aaronic Priesthood, and through Peter, James, and John who
     brought again to earth the Melchizedek Priesthood (see pp. 193,
     194 herein). For commentary on Rev. xiv, 6, 7, see "The Great
     Apostasy," p. 168.