Chapter XIX: Conclusion (1)

Kind reader, a word before we separate; if you are not a member of what is commonly called the Mormon Church, having read the foregoing pages, you must certainly acknowledge that you know more concerning its doctrines, from a "Mormon" standpoint, than you ever knew before.

We have tried to present to you, in a plain and very simple {282} manner, some of the first principles of our faith, the true gospel of Jesus Christ. What do you think of them? Will they, or will they not, stand scrutiny? It is left with you to answer, and as God has blessed you with free agency, it is your privilege to judge and decide.

Do not treat these doctrines indifferently, nor carelessly throw them aside.

Should they be true, the message is of the utmost importance to you. Surrounded with so many proofs, the faith of the Latter-Day Saints demands your further investigation.

Books, tracts, and sermons, in great numbers, and within easy reach, are at your command. Read, listen, investigate! Thousands have done so before, and bear testimony to having received a knowledge of the divine truth, as herein presented.

I part from you with the words of the poet--

"Know this, that every soul is free
To choose his life and what he'll be,
For this eternal truth is given,
That God will force no man to heaven.

"He'll call, persuade, direct aright--
Bless him with wisdom, love, and light--
In nameless ways be good and kind
But never force the human mind.

"Freedom and reason make us men;
Take these away, what are we then?
Mere animals, and just as well,
The beasts may think of heaven or hell."

{283}

NIGHT OF THE MARTYRDOM.

BY APOSTLE ORSON HYDE, IN HIS PUBLICATION, "THE FRONTIER GUARDIAN," UNDER DATE OF JUNE 27, 1849, ISSUED AT COUNCIL BLUFFS, IOWA.

Twenty-seventh of June, 1844. Eventful period in the calendar of the nineteenth century! That awful night! I remember it well: I shall never forget it! Thousands and tens of thousands will never forget it! A solemn thrill--a melancholy awe comes o'er my spirit! The memorable scene is fresh before me! It requires no art of the pencil, no retrospection of history, to portray it. The impression of the Almighty Spirit on that occasion will run parallel with eternity! The scene was not portrayed by earthquake, or thunderings, and lightnings, and tempests; but the majesty and sovereignty of Jehovah was felt far more impressively in the still, small voice of that significant hour, than the roaring of many waters, or the artillery of many thunders, when the spirit of Joseph was driven back to the bosom of God, by an ungrateful and bloodthirsty world! There was an unspeakable something, a portentious significancy on the firmament and among the inhabitants of the earth. Multitudes felt the whisperings of woe and grief, and the forebodings of tribulation and sorrow that they will never forget, though the tongue of man can never utter it. The Saints of God, whether near the scene of blood, or even a thousand miles distant, felt at the very moment the Prophet lay in royal gore, that an awful deed was perpetrated. O, the repulsive chill! the melancholy vibrations of the very air, as the prince of darkness receded in hopeful triumph from the scene of slaughter! That night could not the Saints sleep, though uninformed by man of what had passed with the Seer and Patriarch, and far, far remote from the scene; yet to them sleep refused a visitation--the eyelids refused to close--the hearts of many sighed deeply in secret, and inquired, "Why am I thus?"

One of the Twelve Apostles, while traveling a hundred {284} miles from the scene of assassination, and totally ignorant of what was done, was so unaccountably sad, and filled with such unspeakable anguish of heart without knowing the cause, that he was constrained to turn aside from the road and give utterance to his feelings in tears and supplications to God. Another Apostle, twelve hundred miles distant, while standing in Faneuil Hall, Boston, Massachusetts, with many others, was similarly affected, and was obliged to turn aside to hide the big tears that gushed thick and long from his eyes. Another, President of the High Priests, while in the distant state of Kentucky, in the solitude of midnight, being marvelously disquieted, God condescended to show him, in a vision, the mangled bodies of the two murdered worthies, all dripping in purple gore, who said to him, "We are murdered by a faithless state and cruel mob."

Shall I attempt to describe the scene at Nauvoo on that memorable evening? If I could, surely you would weep, whatever may be your faith or skepticism, if the feelings of humanity are lodged in your bosom; all prejudice and mirth would slumber, till the eye of pity had bedewed the bier, and the heart had found relief in lamentation. Before another day dawned, the messenger bore the tidings into the afflicted city; the picket guards of the city heard the whisper of murder in silent amazement, as the messenger passed into the city. There the pale muslin signal for gathering the troops hung its drooping folds from the Temple spire (as if partaking of nature's sadness), and made tremulous utterance to the humble soldiery to muster immediately. As the dawn made the signal visible, and the bass tone of the great drum confirmed the call, fathers, husbands, and minor sons, all seized the broken fragment of a dodger, or a scanty bone, for the service that might be long and arduous before their return, or swallowed some thickened milk (as might be the case), and fled to the muster ground; the suspicious mother and children followed to the door and window, anxious to see the gathering hosts emerge from their watch-posts and firesides, where rest and food were scanted to the utmost endurance. The troops continued to arrive, and stood in martial order, with a compressed lip and a quick ear. They waited with deathly but composed silence, to hear the intelligence that mournful spirits had saddened their hearts with during the night. The speaker stood up in the midst, not of a uniform soldiery of hirelings, for they had no wages; their clothing was the workmanship of the diligent domestic--the product of wife and daughters' arduous toil; their rations {285} were drawn from the precarious supplies earned in the intervals between preaching to the states and nations of the earth, and watching against the intrusions and violence of mobs. The speaker announced the martyrdom of the Prophet and Patriarch, and paused under the heavy burden of the intelligence.

But here I must pause; my pen shall touch lightly, as it must feebly, that hallowed--that solemn and ever-memorable hour! The towering indignation; the holy and immutable principle of retribution for crime that dwells eternally in the bosom of God, insensibly impelled the right hand almost to draw the glittering sword, and feel the sharpness of the bayonet's point and its fixedness to the musket's mouth. But the well-planted principle of self-command, and also of observing the order of Heaven and the counsel of the Priesthood, soon returned the deadly steel to the scabbard; and the victorious triumph of loyalty to God, in committing evil-doers to Him that judgeth righteously, and who hath said, "Vengeance is mine, and I will repay," prevailed over the billows of passion; and in the transit of a fleeting moment the holy serenity of the soldiery, depicted by an occasional tear, showed to the angels and men that the tempest of passion was hushed, and wholly under the control of the spirit of wisdom and of God!

_It is just as mean and contemptible in the eyes of angels and the
Almighty, to go to law, and thereby wrong a fellow-being, as it is
to steal his property._

--_Brigham Young_.

{286}

DOCTRINES OF THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS: ITS FAITH AND TEACHINGS.

BY ELDER JOHN MORGAN.

_"Search the Scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and
they are they which testify of me."_--JOHN v. 39.

_"To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this
word, it is because there is no light in them."_--ISAIAH VIII., 20.

We believe in God the Eternal Father, and in His Son Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost.

We believe that men will be punished for their own sins, and not for Adam's transgression.

We believe that, through the atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel.

We believe that to obtain salvation it is necessary to _obey_ the following principles of truth.

FAITH.

The principle of faith is the moving cause of all action. A man must have faith to believe that God will answer his prayers before he will offer them. It requires faith to accomplish any given work to which we set our hands.

Noah had faith in the promise God made to him, while the world of mankind perished through their lack of faith. Faith caused Noah to act, while the unbelieving people of his day, who had not faith, derided and refused to accept his testimony, and the result was that Noah and his household were saved, while destruction overtook the unbelievers.

Lot believed the word of the Lord and fled out of Sodom while the people stood still and perished.

The same results follow the acceptance or rejection of the principle in all ages of the world.

{287} "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of
God" (_Rom. x._, 17). "But without faith it is impossible to please
Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He
is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him" (_Heb. xi._, 6).
"For unto us was the Gospel preached, as well as unto then.: but the
word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with _faith_ in
them that heard it" (_Heb. iv._, 2).

REPENTANCE.

Repentance we believe to be sorrow for and turning from sin, not moaning and groaning over the past and continuing the same way of living; but to quit lying, drinking, swearing, stealing, and to be honest, virtuous, charitable, forgiving, and to serve God in spirit and truth--_this_ is repentance.

"Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish" (_Luke xiii._,
3). "Repent ye, and believe the Gospel" (_Mark i._, 15). "Repent *
* * * every one of you" (_Acts ii._, 38). God "commandeth all men
everywhere to repent" (_Acts xvii._, 30). "Wherefore putting away
lying, speak every man truth with his neighbors * * * neither give
place to the devil. Let him that stole steal no more: * * * Let no
corrupt communication proceed out Of your mouth, * * grieve not
the Holy Spirit of God. * * * Let all bitterness, and wrath, and
anger and clamor, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with
all malice" (_Eph. iv._, 25-31). "Envyings, murders, drunkenness,
revelings, and such like: of the which * * they which do such
things shall _not_ inherit the kingdom of God" (_Gal. v._, 21).

BAPTISM.

The necessity for baptism was plainly taught by our Saviour and the Apostles. Comparatively speaking, it stood in the same light to the kingdom or church of God that the oath of allegiance does to any temporal government. Jesus stated to Nicodemus that a man could not enter the kingdom of God without having first obeyed this ordinance.

To become a citizen of an earthly government where a person is not born so, a man is required to subscribed to a certain prescribed oath. To become a citizen of the government of God requires that a person must be baptized in water, in obedience to the command of the Great Head of the government, and the laws of the kingdom as they are found in the Bible, the book of commandments for the Church of Christ.

"Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature.
He that believeth and is _baptized_, shall be saved:" (_Mark xvi._,
15, 16). "Verily, I say unto thee, except a man be _born of water_
and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God" (_John,
iii._, 5). "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, _baptizing_
them in the name {288} of the Father, and of the Son and of the
Holy Ghost" (_Matt. xxviii._, 19). "Repent, and be _baptized, every
one_ of you" (_Acts ii._, 38).

Its form _should be by immersion_. "Buried with Him in baptism,
wherein also ye are risen with Him through faith" (_Col. ii._, 12.)
"Were all baptized of Him in the River of Jordan" (_Matt. iii._, 6;
_Mark i._, 5-9). "Jesus when he was baptized, went up straightway
out of the water" (_Matt. iii._, 16; _Mark i._, 10). "John also
was baptizing in Aenon near to Salim, because there was much water
there" (_John iii._, 23). "And as they went on their way, they came
unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what
doth hinder me to be baptized? And Philip said, If thou believest
with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I
believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. And he commanded the
chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water,
both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him. And when they were
come up out of the water" (_Acts viii._, 36-39).

ITS OBJECT.-"John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the
baptism of repentance for the _remission of sins_" (_Mark i._, 4).
"And he came into the country about Jordan, preaching the baptism
of repentance for the _remission of sins_" (_Luke iii._, 3 ). "Then
Peter said unto them, Repent and be baptized every one of you,
in the name of Jesus Christ, for the _remission of sins_" (_Acts
ii._, 38). "Arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins" (_Acts
xxii._, 16).

RECEPTION OF THE HOLY GHOST BY THE LAYING ON OF HANDS.

The vital importance of this ordinance seems to be entirely overlooked by the majority of the Christian world, yet the most emphatic stress was placed upon it by the early teachers of Christianity. It is referred to frequently by every writer in the New Testament.

The nature of its workings and the manner of obtaining it were carefully dwelt upon by the various writers, and it does seem that only willful blindness could so far lead the people away from the primitive custom and practice of laying on of hands to acquire this gift.

But some may answer, "We are already in possession of the Holy Ghost."

We ask then, "Will it do the same things it did anciently?" If not, why not? What has caused it to lose its power, and become the uncertain teacher it is to-day? For if the Christian world of the present age is in possession of this blessing, why does it teach the people of one church that a certain principle is true, and the people of another church that the same principle is untrue? What of the multiplied thousands of beliefs, creeds, faiths, dogmas and doctrines that flood the land? Are they all inspired by the Spirit of God, the gift of the Holy Ghost, and sustained by the doctrines of the Bible? If not, which are right and which wrong?

{289} These are questions of great importance, and should be well considered. Let the word of God speak for itself in the following quotations:

"And when Paul had _laid his hands_ upon them, the Holy Ghost
came on them; and they spake with tongues and prophesied" (_Acts
xix._, 6). "Then laid they their _hands_ on them, and they received
the Holy Ghost. And when Simon saw that through _laying on of the
Apostles' hands_ the Holy Ghost was given, he offered them money"
(_Acts viii._, 17-19). "Neglect not the gift that is in thee,
which was given thee by prophecy, with the _laying on of hands_
of the _presbytery_" (_I. Tim. iv._, 14). "Wherefore I put thee
in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in
thee by the _putting_ on of my hands" (_II. Tim. i_. 6). "Of the
doctrine of baptisms, and of _laying on of hands_" (_Heb. vi._,
2). "Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have
you ignorant. * * * For to one is given by the Spirit the word of
wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; to
another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing
by the same Spirit; to another the working of miracles; to another
prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another, divers
kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues" (see
context, _I. Cor. xii_). "Our Gospel came, in power * * and in the
Holy Ghost" (_I. Thess. i._, 5). "And ye SHALL receive the _gift_ of
the Holy Ghost" (_Acts ii._, 38).

We here introduce the testimony of some of the Christian writers who wrote immediately after the death or banishment of the Apostles:

Tertullian, in the second century, says: "After baptism, succeeds the _laying on of hands_, with prayer, calling for the Holy Ghost."

Cyprian, writing in the third century, says: "Our practice is, that those who have been baptized in to the church should be presented that by prayer and _imposition of hands_ they may receive the Holy Ghost."

Augustine, in the fourth century, says: "We still do what the Apostles did when they _laid their hands_ on the Samaritans and called down the Holy Ghost upon them" (_Gahan's Church History, page 73; Mosheim's Church History, volume I, page 91_).

AUTHORITY.

We believe that a man must be endowed with authority before God will recognize his acts as a minister of the Gospel.

"Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you and ordained you"
(_John xv._, 16).

"For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man; but holy
men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost" (_II. Peter
i._, 21).

{290} "He that receiveth whomsoever I send receiveth me" (_John
xiii._, 20).

"As thou has sent me into the world" (_John xvii._, 18).

"Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and
whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven"
(_Matt. xviii._, 18).

"And when they had ordained them elders in every church" (_Acts
xiv._, 23).

"How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed?
and how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? and
how shall they hear without a preacher? and how shall they preach
except they be sent? (_Rom. x._, 14, 15).

"And no man taketh this honor unto himself, but he that is called
of God, as was Aaron" (_Heb. v._, 4).[A]

[Footnote A: "Is not Aaron the Levite thy brother? I know that
he can speak well. And also, behold, he cometh forth to meet thee:
and when he seeth thee he will be glad in his heart. And thou shalt
speak unto him, and put words into his mouth: and I will be with
thy mouth, and with his mouth: and will teach you what he shall
do." (_Exodus iv._, 14, 15.)]

"But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel
unto you, than that which we have preached unto you, let him be
accursed" (_Gal. i._, 8).

These were the principles taught by the Savior and His Apostles, and we see no reason for their alteration and change to the present accepted ideas of the Christian world; and but for

APOSTACY.

of the primitive Christian church, they would have remained emphatically the same, with _apostles, prophets, healings, gifts, tongues, etc._, to the present day.

Paul, by the Spirit of the Holy Ghost, wrote to the Saints, prophesying of the future. "Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the _latter times_ some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils" (_I. Tim., iv_,1).

"And it shall be, as with the people, so with the priest; as
with the servant, so with his master; as with the maid, so with
her mistress; as with the buyer, so with the seller; as with the
lender, so with the borrower; as with the taker of usury, with
the giver of usury to him. * * * The earth also is defiled under
the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws,
changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant (_Isaiah,
xxiv._, 2-5).

"And he shall speak great words against the Most High, and shall
wear out the Saints of the Most High, and think to change times and
laws: and they shall be given into his hands until a time and times
and the dividing of them" (_Dan. vii._, 25).

"And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the {291}
beast. * * * And it was given unto him to make war with the Saints,
and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds,
and tongues, and nations" (_Rev. xiii._, 4-7).

"Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus
Christ. * * * Let no man deceive you by any means: FOR THAT DAY
SHALL NOT COME, except there come a FALLING AWAY FIRST" (_II.
Thess. ii._, 1-3).

"This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters,
proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
without natural affection, truce-breakers, false accusers,
incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors,
heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;
having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof; from
such turn away" (_II. Tim. iii._, 1-5).

"For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine;
but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers,
having itching ears; and they shall turn away their ears from the
truth, and shall be turned unto fables" (_II. Tim. iv._, 3, 4).

"The priests thereof teach for hire." (_Micah iii._, 11).

From the foregoing the reader can readily see that the prophets and apostles of God were looking forward to the time when the Saints would be overcome, their church broken up, their officers killed, and no one left upon the earth with authority to administer in the ordinances of the Gospel. No prophets, no apostles, no gift of the Holy Ghost, no one to act as a mouthpiece to the children of men. Only darkness and unbelief, war and bloodshed, strife and contention, division and discord, lo here and lo there.

Through all the long ages, from the day when the power of a corrupt and licentious church overcame the Saints of the Most High, drove them into dens and caves of the mountains; caused them to wander, clothed in sheep skins and the skins of wild animals; killed the prophets of God, and drove the priesthood from the face of the earth, men, left to their own devices, went into such excesses that angels must have wept over their condition.

The laws of God were ignored, the ordinances were changed, and the everlasting covenant was broken. The "woman" (church) arrayed in purple and scarlet, drunken with the blood of the Saints, mystery, Babylon the great, the mother of harlots, rose up and bore universal sway; and, as time passed by, gave birth to a legion of Children--churches (_Rev. xvii._, 4-6).

"The mystery of iniquity doth already work; only he who now letteth
will let, until he be taken out of the away. And then shall that
Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of
His mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of His coming"
(_II. Thess. ii._, 7 8).

{292} These were the words of the great Apostle; and, reader, by examining the balance of the chapter, you can form some idea of the great power that was to grow up and deceive the nations of the earth, perverting the Gospel, teaching men and women that prophets and apostles were not necessary, that the gifts of the Holy Ghost were no longer required; until to-day warring, jarring Christianity has become a spectacle to the whole world.

Confusion confounded reigns supreme--wars and rumors of wars on every hand--until the heart sickens and the soul faints in contemplation of the terrible condition to which poor, suffering, deceived and misguided humanity has been brought.

The power of the evil one would seem to have obtained universal sway over the hearts of men, leading them on the broad road to destruction, with no power sufficient to stem the nightly current of sin.

RESTORATION.

But a just God has decreed that the day should come when "Righteousness shall cover the earth, as the waters cover the great deep," or in other words, "at the end of a time and times and dividing of time," He would again assert His power and authority on the earth, and bring to pass His purposes.

"And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a
kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not
be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume
all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever" (_Dan. ii._, 44).

This prophecy of Daniel affords us some conception of the power of the kingdom. By reading the entire chapter we learn that Daniel's interpretation of the king's dream ended with the setting up of the kingdom of God upon the earth never more to be thrown down.

The Babylonish kingdom, which flourished in the days of Daniel, in the fifth and sixth centuries before Christ, was succeeded by the Medo-Persian government from 538 to 331, B. C. The Macedonian kingdom, founded by Alexander the Great, continued from 331 to 161, B.C.; while the Roman empire succeeded the last named kingdom, from 161, B. C., to 483, A. D.

These governments successively represented the head of gold, the breast and arms of silver, the belly and thighs of brass, and the legs of iron.

Now, lastly, should come the kingdoms represented by the feet and toes, or the KINGDOMS OF TO-DAY, partly strong and partly broken. In the days of THESE kings should the God of heaven set up a kingdom never more to be thrown down.

{293} "But," says one, "that was accomplished in the days of Christ!"

No, certainly not; for if so, why then did He, when He instructed His disciples to pray, tell them to pray for an already accomplished fact: "Our Father, which art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. _Thy kingdom come_. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven?" Have Christians throughout the world, for nearly two thousand years past, been taught to pray for the coming of an event which had already transpired?

The dividing of times has not yet come: but by turning to the Book of Revelation, we read how the power and authority of God, and the principles of the true and everlasting Gospel were to be restored to the earth; how the kingdom spoken of by Daniel, and prayed for by the disciples, was to be set up never more to be thrown down, how the kingdoms of this world were to become the kingdom of our Lord and His Christ; how the promise of Jesus was about to be made good, that upon this ROCK (of revelation) would He found His church, and the gates of hell should not prevail against it, and how the Saints should possess the kingdom of the Most High.

John the Revelator, bound and captive upon the Isle of Patmos, had the vision of heaven opened up to him, and he saw an angel leave the throne of God and wend his flight to this planet. A new song was being sung in heaven; the day and hour had come when the dispensation of the fullness of times was to be ushered in (_Eph. i._, 10; _Matt. xxiv._, 31), when God would send His angels to bring order out of chaos, system out of confusion, and gather His people (the honest-in-heart) together in one place, that they might prepare themselves to welcome the _Great King_ of the world when He should come in clouds of glory, surrounded by His angels.

"I saw," says John, "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
saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to Him: for the
HOUR OF HIS JUDGMENT is come" (_Rev. xiv._, 6, 7).

This, then, was how the gospel was to be restored to the earth.

"But," says the reader, "I thought the Gospel was already upon the earth."

If so, what necessity was there for an angel to come from heaven with the everlasting gospel, if it was already being taught to men? And, dear reader, you can readily see that none are excepted. It was to every _nation, kindred, tongue, {294} and people_--proving conclusively that the Gospel was not on the earth, but that the day had come when darkness covered the earth and gross darkness the people.

How must the angels around the throne have shouted for joy when the decree went forth, and the commandment was given for the initiatory steps to be taken to reclaim this planet from the grasp of "Lucifer the son of the morning," and to fit and prepare it for the habitation of angels, celestialized beings and God!

How must our mothers, fathers, brothers and sisters, in the spirit world, with all the saints of by-gone ages, have rejoiced to know that the redemption of the world was nigh, and the promise of Paul to the Thessalonians (_I., iv._, 16) that "the dead in Christ shall rise first," was to be made good!

Reader, we now beg of you to lay aside prejudice, and to examine what follows, with an honest intention and a desire to do right; to know the will of God and to do it; for great and mighty events are daily transpiring, that were prophesied of by all the holy prophets, from the days of Adam down until today.

The Gospel that the angel was to bring back to the earth was for every nation.

Angels have not, in times gone by, preached to or taught the masses of the people, but have delegated this power to men. So, in this instance, men became the recipients of the precious charge, the _Everlasting Gospel_.

TESTIMONY OF THE THREE WITNESSES.

"Be it known unto all nations, kindreds, tongues and people, unto
whom this work [A] shall come. * * We declare with words of
soberness, that an angel of God came down from heaven, and
he brought and laid before our eyes, that we beheld and saw
the plates, and engraving thereon; and we know that it is by the
grace of God the Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, that we beheld
and bear record that these things are true, and it is marvelous
in our eyes, nevertheless the voice of the Lord commanded us that
we should bear record of it, wherefore to be obedient unto the
commandments of God, we bear testimony of these things. And we know
that if we are faithful in Christ, we shall rid our garments of the
blood of all men, and be found spotless before the judgment-seat of
Christ, and shall dwell with Him eternally in the heavens.

"OLIVER COWDERY,

"DAVID WHITMER,

"MARTIN HARRIS."

[Footnote A: The Book of Mormon.]

We have now hurriedly traced the outlines of the doctrines of Jesus Christ as they were in the primitive Christian church; {295} the apostacy of the people from the truth, the fulfillment of the prophecies of great and mighty prophets; the building up of an apostate church, the whore of all the earth, the mother of harlots; noticing the fact that she gave birth to a numerous offspring, who, true to their born instincts, as like begets like, are to-day vigorously engaged in throwing stones at their mother church, or grandmother, as the case may be.

We have shown how the Gospel was to be restored to the earth, and have given the testimony of the three witnesses to the Book of Mormon. We will now examine further proof relative to this remarkable proclamation.

We have seen that, so far, it has been incontestably shown that if the Bible be true, in no other way than this could God's work have been brought about. We now quote from the history of Joseph Smith, the great Latter-day Prophet, Seer and Revelator:

"We [Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery] still continued the work of
translation; when in the ensuing month [May, 1829,] we on a certain
day went into the woods to pray, and inquire of the Lord respecting
baptism for the remission of sins.

"While we were thus employed, praying and calling upon the Lord, a
messenger from heaven descending in a cloud of light, and having
laid his hands upon us, he ordained us; saying unto us--_'Upon
you_, my fellow servants, in the name of Messiah, I confer the
Priesthood of Aaron, which holds the keys of the ministering
of angels, and of the Gospel of repentance, and of baptism by
immersion for the remission of sins: and this shall never be taken
from the earth, until the sons of Levi do offer again an offering
unto the Lord in righteousness.'

"The messenger who visited us on this occasion, and conferred this
Priesthood upon us, said that his name was John, the same that is
called John the Baptist in the New Testament; and that he acted
under the direction of Peter, James and John, who held the keys
of the Melchisedec Priesthood, and who in due season visit us and
confer that, the higher Priesthood, upon us, which holds the keys
of the laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost and right
to all the offices in the church."

Thus was the way opened up for the ushering in of the great latter-day dispensation and the fullness of the everlasting Gospel.

"And as it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man" (_Luke xvii._, 26); and as Noah knew when the flood was to come, and prepared himself therefor, so the comparison would not be complete unless some knew of the second coming of the Savior.

"But," says one, "of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only" (_Matt. xxiv._, 36); and the same might have been said appropriately of the {296} birth of our Lord two thousand years prior thereto. But as the first coming was heralded by angels who came to the shepherds upon the plains of Bethlehem, and lighted the earth with their glory, singing the glad songs of "Peace on earth, good will toward men," so His second coming was ushered in by visits to the earth of great and mighty angels.

John the Baptist came to confer the Priesthood of Aaron.

Peter, James and John the Revelator came to confer the Melchisedec Priesthood.

Elijah came (_Mal. iv._, 5) to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to the fathers. (_I. Peter iii._, 18, 19, 20; _iv._, 6; _I. Cor. xv._, 19-29).

Moses came to confer the keys of the gathering of the house of Israel to their promised land--the carrying of the Jews back to Jerusalem, of the ten tribes from the north country (_Jer. xxxi._, 8, 9; _Ezek. xx._, 34, 35), and of the descendants of Joseph (The American Indians) to their possessions.

Michael, or Adam, came to give the authority that links the generation of men together, from the days of Father Adam down to to-day.

In short, all the authority necessary has been received to enable men to become co-workers with Jehovah, angels and the spirits of just men made perfect, in building up an everlasting kingdom, instead of the man-made governments of today. A kingdom is to be established to which the Great King shall speedily come, "in the clouds of glory," surrounded by His angels; and the Saints of other days, who are singing the songs of heaven, will speedily have fulfilled the words of John, "He has made us kings and priests unto the Lord our God, and we shall reign on earth."

The promise of Jesus that the "meek shall inherit the earth" is coming to pass, as also the words of Job: "I know that my redeemer liveth, and that He _shall stand at the latter day upon the earth_: and though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in _my flesh shall I see God_: whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another" (_Job xix._, 25-27).

All these and many more grand and glorious promises are about to be fulfilled. The decree has gone forth, God hath declared by His own mouth, and the mouths of all the holy prophets, that His power and authority over the earth will be asserted; and who is man, to contend with God?

An appeal is made to the honest in heart to heed this call--to pause, to mediate, to ask God, "who giveth to all men liberally," for wisdom to know what to do.

{297} Here are evidences worthy of their attention:

The testimony of the _three witnesses_; the signs following the believers; the eyes of the blind opened; the ears of the deaf unstopped; the tongue of the dumb made to sing; the lame man to leap as an hart; devils cast out; unknown tongues spoken, and the interpretation thereof given by the spirit of inspiration; prophecy fulfilled, and the Spirit of God making manifest to the honest in heart the great fact that God has again spoken from the heavens.

Many questions are asked relative to our belief on the subject of gathering, and we again turn to the Scriptures to answer the questions:

These things are not done or spoken in a dark corner, but as good men as are in existence to-day testify of them.

"And it shall come to pass in the _last days_ that the mountain of
the Lord's house shall be established in the _top of the mountains_
and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow
unto it" (_Isa. ii._, 2-4).

"And he will lift up an ensign to the nations from far, and will
hiss unto them from the end of the earth: and, behold, they shall
come with speed swiftly" (_Isa. v._, 26).

"And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble
the outcasts of Israel (not the Jews alone, but _all Israel_) and
gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the
earth" (_Isa. xi._, 12).

"I will cause them to return to the land that I gave to their
fathers" (_Jer. xxx._, 3).

"Behold I will bring them from the north country and gather them
from the coasts of the earth" (_Jer. xxxi._, 814).

"I will bring you out from the people, and will gather you out of
the countries wherein ye are scattered" (_Ezek. xx._, 34).

"I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all
countries, and will bring you into your own land" (_Ezek. xxxvi._,
24).

"Blow the trumpet, * * gather the people, * * assemble the Elders
(_Joel ii._, 15, 16).

"And He shall send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and
they shall _gather together_ His elect from the four winds" (_Matt.
xxiv._, 31).

"That in the dispensation of the fullness of times He might _gather
together in one_ all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and
which are on earth" (_Eph. i._, 10).

"Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins,
and that ye receive not of her plagues" (_Rev. xviii._, 4).

The reader asks, "What are we to come out of?"

Out of _"Mystery, Babylon the great, the mother of harlots and
abominations of the earth"_ (_Rev. xvii._, 5).

"Who and what is that?"

"The waters which thou sawest where the whore (mystery, Babylon)
sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues"
(_Rev. xvii._, 15).

{298} So out of every nation, kindred, tongue and people shall the honest in heart be gathered to a great central gathering place, to be protected while the scourges of God pass over the earth. Read the following prophecy and study the signs of the times:

PROPHECY OF JOSEPH SMITH, THE SEER, GIVEN IN 1832.

"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 day 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, as it is called,
and they shall also call upon other nations in order to defend
themselves against other nations; and thus war shall be poured out
upon all nations.

"And it shall come to pass after many days slaves shall rise up
against their masters, who shall be marshalled and disciplined for
war.

"And it shall come to pass also, that the remnants who are left
of the land will marshal themselves, and shall become exceedingly
angry, and shall vex the Gentiles with a sore vexation;

"And thus, with the sword and by bloodshed, the inhabitants of the
earth shall mourn; and with famine, and plagues, and earthquakes,
and the thunder of heaven, and the fierce and vivid lightnings
also, shall the inhabitants of the earth be made to feel the wrath
and indignation and chastening hand of an Almighty God, until the
consumption decreed hath made a full end of all nations;

"That the cry of the Saints, and the blood of the Saints, shall
cease to come up in the ears of the Lord of Sabbaoth, from the
earth, to be avenged of their enemies.

"Wherefore stand ye in holy places and be not moved, until the day
of the Lord come; for behold it cometh quickly, saith the Lord.
Amen."

Has this prophecy been fulfilled? Let the people of the North and South answer the query.

Let the thoughtful reader stop and reflect for a moment on the condition of affairs upon the face of the whole earth. The sword is reaping its harvest of death; nation warring against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. Famine is asserting its sway and untold thousands are starving, perishing, dying for lack of food. Pestilence, in all its horrid forms, stalks in the train of these dire calamities. Earthquakes are making the earth to tremble. Storms, whirlwinds and cyclones are sweeping away cities, towns and villages. The sea, heaving itself beyond its bounds, is thundering its testimonies into the ears of the children of men. Signs in the heavens above and in the earth beneath, betoken the fact that great and mighty events are at our doors. Fear has taken hold upon the hearts of the {299} strong men and the mighty men. Man distrusts his fellowman. Nations and people have become corrupted; fraud and speculation are sapping the vitals of the man-made governments of the earth. The people are tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine that comes along, and when will the end be?

Startle not, reader, for it will not be until He comes whose right is to rule and reign as King of kings. Not until Jesus of Nazareth sets His feet upon the earth and brings order out of chaos, system out of confusion, and bids the angry waves of the sin-tossed world, "Peace, be still," will there be peace among men.

"Now," says one, "I understand His meaning when He said, 'I come not to bring peace, but a sword;'" but thanks be to the Most High, the day is near at hand when "the meek shall inherit the earth," when sorrow and sighing shall flee away, when "the tabernacle of God," will be "with men, and He will dwell with them. * * And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain" (_Rev. xxi._, 3, 4).

But oh! the woe, the want, the misery, the evils and the lamentation that will go up from the face of the earth before that day does come! All ye people of the earth, heed, oh, heed the warning voice that God sends to you and go out from the midst of Babylon ere another angel shall fly through the midst of heaven saying, "Babylon is fallen, is fallen."

Ye Saints of the living God, cease not your efforts until your feet stand in safe places, in the tops of the mountains, in the shadow of "the house of the God of Jacob," where you may more fully learn of "His ways and walk in His paths;" for the day is near at hand when "the law shall go forth from Zion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem" (_Micah iv._, 2).

The time is fast approaching when the "kingdoms of this world shall become the kingdoms of our Lord and His Christ," and when John's prophetic vision shall be fulfilled: "And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, * * * and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years" (_Rev. xx._, 4).

The time has come for the righteous-the redeemed "out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation," to be gathered out, to become kings and priests unto God, and to "reign on the earth" (_Rev. v._, 9, 10).

{300} AUTHORITY.

In brief manner this subject has been previously alluded to, but a more extended examination is deemed necessary, owing to the importance that attaches to it.

This principle enters largely into every department of man's existence upon the earth. Governments are mainly founded upon it, and _authority_ is fundamentally necessary to establish republics, empires, monarchies and principalities.

The President of the United States must first conform to certain laws and requirements before his acts as President are legal and binding upon the people; so also with all the affairs of the general government. And this is likewise true of the state officials, including the governors, judges, legislators, sheriffs, magistrates, and even the unimportant office of bailiff can only be filled by a man who has fulfilled all the requirements necessary and demanded by the law of the land.

A man who would undertake to fill one of the offices alluded to, without conforming to the law, would be counted an impostor and dealt with as the law directs.

All civilized nations recognize this principle and act accordingly. Even church organizations place great stress upon the necessity that there exists for men to be ordained to their several offices; and a man, before he can legally perform, the marriage ceremony, must first conform to certain rules and laws laid down by the church authority to render the marriage legal. A lay member could not act in the capacity of an elder until authority had been granted him by those who held the power to give authority. Neither could an elder fill the office of a bishop without first conforming to certain rules.

These rules are necessary to the good government of society and the people generally, and without them confusion confounded would reign supreme.

If every man who desired to act as governor was to set up his claims and be allowed to act in that capacity, there would be an end to order. So with all other offices. A few men would sustain one man, as governor, other men would sustain another man, and still other men would sustain their man, until eventually brute force would be the means whereby men would hold their offices.

This principle applies also to admitting men to be citizens of a government. A man who comes from some foreign nation and seeks to become a citizen of the United States must obtain his papers of citizenship and take the oath of allegiance. Not only must he attend to these duties, but he must see that the {301} officer who signs his papers and administers the oath is a duly accredited officer of the government; otherwise his papers are worthless and he is not yet a citizen.

If these things be true as regards man's temporal affairs, how much more true are they when applied to eternal salvation.

Daniel, the young Hebrew prophet, had the visions of futurity opened up to him and saw the time when God would establish a kingdom upon the earth, never more to be thrown down. (_Dan. ii._, 44; _vii._, 27).

Many hundreds of years after Daniel's day, Jesus of Nazareth came upon the earth and reiterated the assertion of Daniel, and told His disciples to continue "unceasingly to pray for that kingdom to be set up," and through one of His apostles He revealed how the kingdom was to be established.

John the beloved disciple says: "I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel" [or the laws of the kingdom] "to preach" [or proclaim] "unto them that dwell on the earth" (_Rev. xiv._, 6).

It would naturally be supposed that the heavenly messenger would be endowed with authority to empower men to admit citizens into the kingdom he came to establish, and that no one could take this authority unto himself, "but he that is called of God as was Aaron;" and that he who might dare to do so, without first being authorized, would render himself liable to the penalty God's law inflicts upon all impostors, usurpers and wolves in sheep's clothing generally.

"Seek ye _first_ the kingdom of God," was the command of the Great King, who in the future is to rule over this kingdom. But before the reader can do so he must first find out what it is like; and in this matter we are not left in doubt, for Jesus and His apostles have placed upon record the names of the officers necessary in the kingdom, the necessary laws to govern and control it, the manner of admitting citizens and, in short, all the details, so that the "wayfaring man, though a fool, need not err" in seeking to obey the command, "seek ye first the kingdom of God."

By turning to the writings of Paul (_I. Cor. xii._, 28), we find that "God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers."

Now if this is the pattern of the officers of the kingdom (church), all we have to do is to start upon our search and examine the various claims that are set up; for there are a multitude of organizations that lay claim to the title of the church or kingdom of God.

It is not necessary to hunt in the midst of the heathen and {302} pagan nations of the earth, for they lay no claim to the title, but will answer you frankly, "We know nothing of your kingdom or its officers." Then let us turn to the Catholic world and examine their claims. We find that they have a pope, cardinals and priests, but no apostles nor prophets, _no officers to correspond with the description given by Paul_. Next let us view the Protestant denominations. Go back to the earliest reformers, Huss, Luther, Melanchthon, Calvin, Knox, Henry VIII, and Wesley. Examine all their organizations and we find none of them lay claim to having these officers in their churches, but, on the contrary, ignore and repudiate them by saying, "They are no longer needed."

Examine all denominations, all orders, all faiths, and we find that in this respect they are deficient and lacking, while poor, weak, fallible man sets up his judgment, and by man's wisdom seeks to enter the kingdom of God.

The Christian world acknowledges that it takes legal authority to make a man a citizen of any temporal government set up by man, but when it comes to the government of God, any man who sees proper to do so can set out with a new set of ideas, called a creed, and establish a church, baptize, bless the communion, and go forward in this way, ordaining men to various offices, and yet denying all the time that God has revealed anything, or bestowed any gift of authority.

Are these legal officers of the kingdom of God? Is the reader so far lost in the mazes of tradition as to suppose for one moment that God will recognize officers appointed in any such way, much less their acts?

But lest we do injustice to these different denominations, let us give them one more chance to prove their position correct; for we would gladly avoid seeing the whole Christian world in error and transgression.