Classic Audiobook Collection - Anthology of Early Mormon Doctrine and Apologetics by Various ~ Full Audiobook [religion]

Episode Date: May 28, 2025

Anthology of Early Mormon Doctrine and Apologetics by Various audiobook. Genre: religion Anthology of Early Mormon Doctrine and Apologetics gathers key short writings from the early decades of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, offering a front-row view of how a new American faith explained itself to believers, critics, and the wider public. Framed by three influential pieces from Joseph Smith Jr. on his history, theology, and political thought, the collection moves through spirited defenses of prophetic calling and divine authority (including work by Orson Pratt), introductions to foundational doctrines of salvation and revelation, and clear, argumentative essays meant to answer common objections. Along the way, prominent Latter-day Saint voices such as Parley P. Pratt, Orson Pratt, and later writers like Orson F. Whitney and James E. Talmage lay out core teachings, clarify misunderstandings, and press the case for the movement's legitimacy. The anthology closes by widening the lens to questions of governance: how the church should be ordered internally, and how Latter-day Saints understood civic life, law, and political responsibility in a contentious era. Part theological primer, part historical snapshot, and part debate, this collection is designed for listeners who want to hear early Mormon ideas in the words of the people who shaped them. For ad-free listening try our premium subscription Chapters (Approximate) (00:00:00) Chapter 01 (00:19:53) Chapter 02 (01:03:09) Chapter 03 (01:49:54) Chapter 04 (02:16:56) Chapter 05 (02:47:12) Chapter 06 (03:08:08) Chapter 07 (03:34:34) Chapter 08 (04:07:43) Chapter 09 (04:40:43) Chapter 10 (05:30:30) Chapter 11 (06:11:51) Chapter 12 (07:03:06) Chapter 13 (07:47:31) Chapter 14 (08:18:17) Chapter 15 (08:46:42) Chapter 16 (09:17:14) Chapter 17 (09:41:44) Chapter 18 (10:11:48) Chapter 19 (10:53:50) Chapter 20 (11:26:45) Chapter 21 (11:56:06) Chapter 22 (12:33:07) Chapter 23 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Wentworth Letter by the prophet Joseph Smith. Church History At the request of Mr. John Wentworth, editor and proprietor of the Chicago Democrat, I have written the following sketch of the rise, progress, persecution, and faith of the latter-day saints, of which I have the honor under God of being the founder. Mr. Wentworth says that he wishes to furnish Mr. Bastow, a friend of his, who is writing the history of New Hampshire with this document. As Mr. Bastow has taken the proper steps to obtain correct information,

all that I shall ask at his hands is that he published the account entire, unguarnished, and without misrepresentation. I was born in the town of Sharon, Windsor County, Vermont, on the 23rd of December, AD 1805. When 10 years old, my parents removed, to Palmire, New York, where we resided about four years, and from thence we were moved to the town of Manchester. My father was a farmer and taught me the art of husbandry. When about 14 years of age, I began to reflect upon the importance of being prepared for a future state, and upon inquiring of the plan of salvation, I found that there was a great clash in religious sentiment.

If I went to one society, they referred me to one plan and another to another. Each one pointing to his own particular creed as the sumum bonum of perfection, considering that all could not be right and that God could not be the author of so much confusion, I determined to investigate the subject more fully, believing that if God had a church, it would not be split up into factions, and that if he taught one society to worship one way and administer in one set of ordinances, he would not teach another principles which were diametrically. opposed. Believing the word of God, I had confidence in the declaration of James. If any man lack

wisdom, let him ask of God who giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not, and it shall be given him. I retired to a secret place in a grove, and began to call upon the Lord, while fervently engaged in supplication. My mind was taken away from the objects with which I was surrounded. And I was enrapped in a heavenly vision and saw two glorious personages, who exactly resembled each other in features and lightness, surrounded with a brilliant light which eclips the sun at noonday. They told me that all religious denominations were believing in incorrect doctrines, and that none of them was acknowledged of God as his church and kingdom. And I was expressly commanded to not go after them, at the same time receiving a promise that the fullness of the gospel

should at some future time be made known unto me. On the evening of the 21st of September, AD 1823, while I was praying unto God and endeavoring to exercise faith in the precious promises of Scripture, on a sudden alight like that of day, only of a far purer and more glorious appearance and brightness, burst into the room. Indeed, the first sight was as though the house was filled with consuming fire. The appearance produced a shock that affected the whole body. In a moment the personage stood before me, surrounded with a glory yet greater than that which I was already surrounded.

This messenger proclaimed himself to be an angel of God, sent to bring the joyful tidings that the covenant which God made with ancient Israel was at hand to be fulfilled, that the preparatory work for the second coming of the Messiah was speedily to commence, that the time was at hand for the gospel, in all its fullness, to be preached in power, unto all nations that a people might be prepared for the millennial reign. I was informed that I was chosen to be an instrument in the hands of God to bring about some of his purposes in the glorious dispensation. I was also informed concerning the Aboriginal inhabitants of this country, America,

and shown who they were and from whence they came, a brief sketch of their origin, progress, civilization, laws, governments, of their righteousness and iniquity, and the blessings of God being finally withdrawn from them as a people was made known unto me. I was also told where there was deposited some plates on which were engraven and abridgment of the records of the ancient prophets that had existed on this continent. The angel appeared to me three times the same night and unfolded the same things. After having received many visits from the angels of God unfolding the majesty and glory of the events that should transpire in the last days, on the morning of the 22nd of September, AD 1827,

the angel of the Lord delivered the records into my hands. These records were engraven on plates which had the appearance of gold. Each plate was six inches wide and eight inches long and not quite so thick as common tim. They were filled with engravings in Egyptian characters and bound together in a volume as the leaves of a book with three rings running through the whole. The volume was something near six inches in thickness, a part of which was sealed.

The characters on the unsealed part were small and beautifully engraved. The whole book exhibited many marks of antiquity in its construction and much skill in the art of engraving. With the records was found a curious instrument, which the ancients called Urim and Thumim, which consisted of two transparent stones set in the rim of a bow, fastened to a breastwork. plate. Through the medium of the Urim and Thummem, I translated the record by the gift and power of God. In this important and interesting book, the history of ancient America is unfolded from its first settlement by a colony that came from the Tower of Babel, at the confusion of languages to the beginning of the 5th century of the Christian era. We are informed by these records that America

in ancient times has been inhabited by two distinct races of people. The first were called Jaredites and came directly from the Tower of Babel. The second race came directly from the city of Jerusalem, about 600 years before Christ. They were principally Israelites of the descendants of Joseph. The Geronites were destroyed about the time that the Israelites. came from Jerusalem, who succeeded them in the inheritance of the country. The principal nation of the second race fell in battle towards the close of the fourth century. The remnant are the Indians that now inhabit this country. The book also tells us that our Savior made his appearance upon this continent after his resurrection,

that he planted the gospel here in all its fullness and richness and power and blessing, that they had apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers, and evangelists, the same order, the same priesthood, the same ordinances, gifts, powers, and blessings as were enjoyed on the eastern continent, that the people were cut off in consequence of their transgressions, that the last of their prophets who existed among them was commanded to write an abridgment of their prophecies, histories, et cetera, and to hide it up in the earth, and that it should come forth and be united with the Bible for the accomplishment of the purposes of God in the last days. For a more particular account, I would refer to the Book of Mormon, which can be purchased at

Nauvu or from any of our traveling elders. As soon as the news of this discovery was made known, false reports, misrepresentation, and slander flew as on the wings of the wind in every direction. The house was frequently beset by mobs and evil-designing people. Several times I was shot at and very narrowly escaped, and every device was made use of to get the plates away from me. But the power and blessing of God attended me, and several began to believe my testimony. On the 6th of April, 1830,

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was first organized in the town of Manchester, Ontario County, State of New York. Some few were called and ordained by the Spirit of Revelation and prophecy and began to preach as the Spirit gave them utterance. And though weak, yet were they strengthened by the power of God. And many were brought to repentance, were immersed in the water, and were filled with the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands.

They saw visions and prophesied. Devils were cast out and the sick healed by, the laying on of hands. From that time, the work rolled forth with astonishing rapidity, and churches were formed in the states of New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois,

and Missouri. In the last name state, a considerable settlement was formed in Jackson County. Numbers joined the church, and we were increasing rapidly. We made large purchases of land, our farms teamed with plenty, and peace and happiness were enjoyed in

our domestic circle and throughout our neighborhood. But as we could not associate with our neighbors, who were many of them, of the basest of men, and had fled from the face of civilized society to the frontier country to escape the hand of justice in their midnight rebels, their Sabbath breaking, horse racing, and gambling, they commenced at first to ridicule, then to persecute. And finally, an organized mob assembled and burned our houses, tared and feathered and whipped many of our brethren, and finally drove them from their habitations, who, houseless and homeless, contrary to law, justice and humanity, had to wander on the bleak prairies till the children left the tracks of their blood on the prairie. This took place in the month of

November, and they had no other covering but the canopy of heaven. In this inclement season of the year. This proceeding was winked at by the government, and although we had warranted deeds for our land and had violated no law, we could obtain no redress. There were many sick who were thus inhumanly driven from their houses and had to endure all this abuse and to seek homes where they could be found. The result was that a great many of them, being deprived of the comforts of life and the necessary attendances died. Many children were left orphans, wives, widows, and husbands widowers. Our farms were taken possession of by the mob.

Many thousands of cattle, sheep, horses, and hogs were taken. Our household goods, store goods, and printing press and type were broken, taken or otherwise destroyed. Many of our brethren were moved to clay, where they continued until 1836. three years. There was no violence offered, but there were threatenings of violence. But in the summer of 1836, these threatenings began to assume a more serious form. From threats, public meetings were called, resolutions were passed, vengeance and destruction were threatened, and affairs again assumed a fearful attitude. Jackson County was a sufficient precedent, and as the authorities in that county did not interfere,

they boasted that they would not in this, which on application to the authorities we found to be too true. And after much violence, privation, and loss of property, we were again driven from our homes. We next settled in Caldwell and Davies counties, where we made large and extensive settlements, thinking to free ourselves from the power of oppression by settling in new counties with very few inhabitants in them. But here we were not allowed to live in peace. But in 1838, we were again attacked by mobs. An exterminating order was issued by Governor Boggs. And under the sanction of law, an organized banditti ranged through the country,

robbed us of our cattle, sheep, horses, hogs, etc. Many of our people were murdered in cold blood. The chastity of our women was violated, and we were forced to sign away our property at the point of the sword. and after enduring every indignity that could be heaped upon us by an inhuman, ungodly band of marauders, from 12 to 15,000 souls men, women, and children were driven from their own firesides and from lands that they had warranted deeds of, houseless, friendless, and homeless in the depth of winter, to wander as exiles on the earth, or to seek an asylum in a more genial climb and among a mother.

and less barbarous people. Many sickened and died in consequence of the cold and hardships they had to endure. Many wives were left widows and children's orphans and destitute. It would take more time than is allotted me here to describe the injustice, the wrongs, the murders, the bloodshed, the theft, misery, and woe that have been caused by the barbarous, inhuman, and lawless proceedings with the state of Missouri. In the situation before alluded to, we arrived in the state of Illinois in 1839, where we found a hospitable people and a friendly home, a people who were willing to be governed by the principles of law and humanity. We have commenced to build a city called Navu in Hancock County.

We number from 6 to 8,000 here beside vast numbers in the county around and in almost every county of the state. We have a city charter granted us and a charter for a legion, the troops of which now number 1,500. We have also a charter for a university, for an agricultural and manufacturing society, and have our own laws and administrators and possess all the privileges that other free and enlightened citizens enjoy. Persecution has not stopped the progress of truth, but has only added fuel to the flame. is spread with increasing rapidity, proud of the cause which they have espoused and conscious of our innocence and of the truth of their system amidst calumny and reproach, have the elders of this church gone forth and planted the gospel in almost every state in the Union. It has penetrated

our cities, it has spread over our villages, and has caused thousands of our intelligent, noble, and patriotic citizens to obey its divine mandates and be governed by its sacred truths. It's also spread into England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales, in the year 1839, where a few of our missionaries were sent over 5,000 joined the standard of truth. There are numbers now joining in every land. Our missionaries are going forth to different nations, and in Germany, Palestine, New Holland, the East Indies, and other places, the standard of truth has been erected. No unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing. Persecutions may rage, mobs may combine, armies may assemble, calumny may defame, but the truth of God will go forth boldly, nobly and independent, till it has penetrated

every continent, visited every climb, swept every country, and sounded in every ear, till the purposes of God shall be accomplished, and the great Jehovah shall be, shall say the work is done. 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 these ordinances are, First, faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, second, repentance, third, baptism by immersion for the remission of sins, fourth, laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost. We believe that a man must be called of God by prophecy and by laying on of hands by those who are in authority to preach the gospel and administer in the ordinances thereof.

We believe in the same organization. that existed in the primitive church, that is, apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers, evangelists, etc. We believe in the gift of tongues, prophecy, revelations, visions, healing, interpretation of tongues, etc. We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly. We also believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God. We believe all that God has revealed, all that He does now reveal, and we believe that that he will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the kingdom of God. We believe in the literal gathering of Israel and in the restoration of the ten tribes,

that Zion will be built upon this the American continent, that Christ will reign personally upon the earth, and that the earth will be renewed and receive its paradisiic glory. We claim the privilege of worshipping Almighty God, according to the dictates of our conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may. We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law. We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men. Indeed, we may say

that we follow the admonition of Paul. We believe, all things, we hope all things. We've endured many things and hoped to be able to endure all things. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report, or praiseworthy, we seek after these

things. Respectfully, etc. Joseph Smith. End of the Wentworth letter by the prophet Joseph Smith. Divine authority. Or the question

Was Joseph Smith Sent of God? By Orson Pratt Part 1 of 2 This is a Libravox recording. All Libravox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit Libravox.org

Read by James Bleckley. Divine Authority, or the question, Was Joseph Smith Sent of God? by Orson Pratt, one of the 12 apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. A few days since, Mrs. Pratt and myself, together with some others, were kindly invited to take tea with various respectable gentlemen of this town, Liverpool, who, though not connected with our church, yet was with his family sincerely inquiring after the truth. They seemed fully convinced in relation to the most important features of our doctrine, and were desirous of extending their investigation still further.

We hope that their researches may happily result in a full conviction of the truth, and that they might obtain that certainty, so much to be desired, as to the divine authority of the great and important message now revealed from heaven, a message which must assuredly prove a savor of life or death to the generation now living. This message is beginning to awake the attention of the honest, virtuous, and upright among all classes of society. They seem to be aroused from the slumber of ages. A message of simple truth, when sent from God, when published by divine authority through divinely inspired men, penetrates the mind like a sharp, two-edged sword, and cuts asunder the deeply rooted prejudices,

the iron-bound sinews of ancient error and tradition made sacred by age and rendered popular by human wisdom. It severs with undeviating exactness between truth and falsehood, between the doctrine of Christ and the doctrines of men. It levels with the most perfect ease every argument that human learning may array against it. Opinions, creeds invented by uninspired men,

and doctrines originated in schools of divinity, all vanish like the morning do, all sink into insignificance when compared with a message direct from heaven. Such a message shines upon the understanding like the splendors of the noonday sun. It whispers in the ears of mortals saying, This is the way. Walk you in it. Certainty and assurance are its constant companions. It is entirely unlike all plans or systems ever invented by human authority. It has no alliance, connection, or fellowship with any of them.

It speaks with divine authority. And all nations, without an exception, are required to obey. He that receives the message and endures to the end will be saved. He that rejects it will be damned. It matters not what his former righteousness may have been. None can be excused. As a specimen of the anxious inquiry, which now pervades the minds of many in relation to this church, we publish the following extract from a letter, which was kindly read to us during our aforementioned visit by the gentleman who received it from his friend in London.

We were struck with the apparent candor, the sound judgment, and the correct conclusions of the author of the letter, and earnestly solicited the privilege of publishing it. Permission was granted on the condition that we would withhold names. We here present it to our readers and shall endeavor in the same same. spirit of candor to answer the all-important inquiries contained in it. July 15th. My dear sir, I have been expecting time after time to be able to return to you the letters you so kindly left with me. As I informed you in my last, I cursorily read through the letters and then handed the book to Mr. Blank. With him it is at the present time. The impression made

thereby on his mind is very remarkable, and he requests me to inform you that if you will allow him, he means to keep the book, if you will please to let him know the price thereof. He and I concur in our view of Mormonism at present. Do you inquire what the view is? I will then proceed to state it. We consider that the proofs which Mormonism gives of the apostasy are, without question, clear and demonstrative. We entirely concur also in the appearance and reign of our Lord. We are persuaded that all the preachers and teachers of the day are without authority, that their teachings and interpretations are uncertain as to the truth, that the translations of the Scripture being done without inspiration are also uncertain.

All his uncertain, melancholy thought, a deplorable picture, but a true one. The different teachers doing the best they can. All jarring, all cawereing, all contending, the result division, multiplied division, and they have a right if they think proper to divide from an authority merely human. But their multiplied division is a multiplied proof that they are wrong, that they are without that spirit who guides into truth, and truth is one. My dear sir, the saints have made out a strong and irrefragable of case to show that a authority to teach is nowhere, if not with them. But the proposition that they have authority to teach, interpret, etc., is one that at present does not create a conviction in Mr. Blank or My Mind.

We admit it is very reasonable to suppose that, under such circumstances, God would raise up and send one invested with authority. Whether Joseph Smith was such and one, is the all-important question. I also admit that so far as I am acquainted with his history, there is something very remarkable about him. Perhaps I should be fully convinced if I were more fully read in writings relating to him. I wish I lived near to you,

and then I would read more fully on the subject. I confess my mind is much concerned to arrive at a clear conclusion upon the point. Mr. Blank wishes you, if you will be so good, to select a few books that you think clearly prove the divine mission of Joseph Smith and send them in a parcel to him with the prices. He will feel much obliged and will send you a post-office order for the amount. He believes your selection will be a judicious one. I have heard Mr. Banks twice since I saw you and other individual teachers also. There is much in their public services I approve. I am strong.

with the simplicity of their celebration of the ordinances. Mr. Banks and the others assert strongly the divinity of Joseph Smith's mission. This is, however, not enough. The Church of the early saints had proofs to give by inspired apostles like Peters, inspired deacons like Stephen, inspired evangelists like Philip, inspired prophets like Agabus, and inspired prophetesses like Philip's daughters. All this was the result of the spirit being in and with them in authority and power. The Church of the latter day ought to be the same, if having the same spirit and authority of power. These sects are without these proofs, therefore they are sects groping at the dark, and hoping and thinking and guessing that they

are right, and all this convinces that they are not the church, the body of Christ. Bodies they are of their doctors and founders, sure enough. Now I think the church, Church of the Latter-day Saints must resemble the original, or it is at once proved only a sect. One result of my conversation with you and Banks perusing the letters is, that I can be no longer connected with any sect. So far as I see, I can, without difficulty, confound an argument, plain scriptural argument, any into whose company I am at any time thrown. The Methodist system, I am convinced is the worst, because its pretensions are highest. I stand therefore fully alone.

I declare I should be glad to be convinced that Mormonism is what it professes to be. I would join it today if my mind could be convinced that its elders had authority to baptize me for the remission of sins and lay hands on me for the gift of the Holy Ghost. These sacred ordinances I would obey gladly if I knew men having authority to administer them. to have these ordinances administered without divine authority as mere child's play. Thus you see my position. A Methodist leader, an old friend, said to me the other day,

Are you connected with the Church of Christ now? I hear you are not with us now. I answered, Where is the Church of Christ? He answered that it is found among the different sects. I then inquired, are you in the Church of Christ? For if you are, you must be a member of all the sects. This rather puzzled him. I then asked him,

Show me the sect that resembled the church at the beginning. Does any one of them, or do they all put together resemble the church at the beginning? He said certainly not. I inquired, why not? He was shrewd enough to be silent and to see that his own mouth must condemn his sect and all the sects. Observe, in the absence of the spirit, men must do as well as they can. This I am trying to do, only I confess that I am poor, blind, and naked, bereft of the glory of the certainty of the authority and the truth of the Church of Christ. The sects, however, are satisfied, though poor, blind and naked, to boast of the increase of goods, chapels, rich friends, preachers, etc., etc. So much for my present views and standing, I suppose by this time you have acted on your convictions and are joined to the saints. In all honesty, you ought, I confess. The moment the conviction is,

that define authority and certainty of teaching is with them, that moment I will join them. Farewell, my respectful regards to Mrs. Blank, and ever believe me, my dear sir, yours very truly. First, the author of the above letter has carefully examined the present state of the world and declares himself fully convinced of the awful apostasy which now so universally prevails. He unhesitatingly admits that all authority to teach, to administer ordinances, to build up the Church of Christ, has entirely ceased from the earth, that all is uncertain. He also admits that it is very reasonable to suppose that under such circumstances, God would raise up and send one invested with authority. Whether Joseph Smith was such a one is the all-important question. Yes, indeed, it is an important question, and one that involves the fate of the present generation.

If Joseph Smith was not sent of God, this church cannot be the Church of God, and the tens of thousands who have been baptized into this church are yet in their sins, and no better off than the millions that have gone before them. The form, without the power and authority, is no better than the hundreds of human forms that have no resemblance to the ancient pattern. Indeed, it is more dangerous because better calculated to deceive. Other churches do not profess to have inspired apostles, prophets, prophetesses, evangelists, etc. Hence we know, if the New Testament be true, that they cannot be the Church of God. But the Latter-day Saints profess to have all these officers and gifts among them, and profess to have authority to administer in every form, ordinance, and blessing of the ancient church.

that so far as the officers, doctrines, ordinances, and ceremonies are evidence, this church can exhibit a perfect pattern. In these things, then, both ancient and modern saints are exactly alike. By the New Testament, then, we cannot be condemned. If the Latter-day saints are not what they profess to be, one thing is certain, that no one will ever be able to confute their doctrine by the scriptures, however, imperfect to the people may be. Their doctrine is infallible. Can this be said of any other people who have existed on the Eastern Hemisphere during the last 1700 years? No. Their doctrines have been a heterogeneous mixture of truth and error that would not stand the test one moment when measured

by a pattern of inspiration. Some disparity could be seen and pointed out. Some deviation either in the organization or in the ordinances of the gospel could be. be shown to exist. And now after so many centuries have elapsed and when human wisdom has been exerted to its utmost strength, and the most exalted and gigantic talents displayed to lay a stable foundation whereupon to build, we awake and behold all an empty bubble, a vain show, a phantom of man's creation, with scarcely a vestige of ancient form, to say nothing of the power. In the midst of all this thick darkness, a young, illiterate, obscure, and inexperienced man announces a message from heaven, before which darkness flees away. Human dogmas are overturned. The traditions of ages are uprooted.

All forms of church government tremble like an aspen leaf at its approach, and the mighty fabric of popular sectarianism is convulsed and shaken to its very foundation. How happens all this? If Joseph Smith were an imposter, when's his superior wisdom? What power enervated his mind in laying the foundation of a church according to the ancient order? How could an imposter so far surpass the combined wisdom of 17 centuries as to originate a system diverse from every other system under heaven, and yet harmonize with the system of Jesus and his apostles in every particular? What? An imposter discover the gross darkness of ages and publish a doctrine perfect in every respect,

against which not one scriptural argument can be adduced? The idea is preposterous. The purity and infallibility of the doctrine of this great modern prophet is a presumptive evidence of no small moment in favor of his divine mission. We do not pretend that a perfect doctrine is an infallible evidence, in favor of the divine authority of the one who teaches it. We can conceive it possible, though not probable, for a man to teach a doctrine unmixed with error, and yet be without authority to administer its ordinances. Svedenborg, Irving, and many others taught doctrines in some respects true, and in other respects false,

hence their authority should be rejected, even though they should perform miracles. We have no examples on the rest of the rest of, of history of a doctrine perfect in every respect being taught by any person or persons unless they were inspired with divine authority. If Joseph Smith taught a doctrine in any respect false, he should be rejected as an imposter, though he should, like the magicians of Egypt, turn rivers of water into blood or create frogs in abundance, or even raise the dead like the Witch of Endor. On the other hand, if he taught a true and

perfect doctrine, he might be sent of God, though he himself should perform no miracle, like John the Baptist, or the prophet Noah, or many other prophets in the Old Testament. In ancient times, many great prophets were sent of God, and we have no record of their doing miracles. Yet their respective messages were of infinite importance, and could not be rejected without condemnation. Where is there a man, no matter how great his attainments that can show Mr. Smith's doctrine to be false. Did the ancient saints teach baptism to the penitent believer for the remission of sins? So did Mr. S. Did they teach the laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Spirit? So did Mr. S. Did the former day saints teach that apostles, prophets,

evangelists, pastors, teachers, deacons, bishops, elders, etc., all inspired of God were necessary in the church? So did Mr. S. Did the ancient saints teach that dreams, visions, new revelations, ministering of angels, healing, tongues, interpretation, and all other spiritual gifts were necessary in the church? So did this modern prophet. Where then is the discrepancy between the ancient and modern teachings? Nowhere. The teaching of the one is as perfect as the other, and we again assert that this perfect coincidence

in teaching in every point is a strong presumptive evidence that Mr. Smith was sent of God. Second, in what manner does Joseph Smith declare that a dispensation of the gospel was committed unto him? He testifies that an angel of God, whose name was Moroni, appeared unto him, that this angel was formerly an ancient prophet among a remnant of the tribe of Joseph on the continent of America. He testifies that Moronai, revealed unto him where he deposited the sacred records of his nation some 1400 years ago, that these records contained the everlasting gospel as it was anciently taught and recorded by this branch of Israel.

He gave Mr. Smith power to reveal the contents of those records to the nations of the earth. Now, how does this testimony of Joseph Smith agree with the book of John's prophecy given on the Isle of Patmos? John testifies that when the dispensate, of the gospel is again committed to the nations, it shall be through the medium of an angel from heaven. J. Smith testifies that a dispensation of the gospel for all nations has been committed to him by an angel.

The one uttered the prediction, the other testifies its fulfillment. Though Mr. Smith had taught a perfect doctrine, yet if he had testified that his doctrine was not restored by an angel, all would at once have known him to be an imposter. How came Mr. Smith, if an imposter, to not only discover a perfect doctrine, but also to discover the precise medium through which that doctrine should be restored to the earth? Did Svedenborg, Irving, Wesley, or any other persons,

not only teach a pure system, but at the same time did they declare that it was committed to them by an angel from heaven? If not, however pure and holy, teaching, they were not divinely authorized to administer in ordinances. If Mr. Smith had professed to have accidentally discovered those records, and that he was inspired to reveal their contents through Urim and Thumim, or if he had professed to have received a message of the gospel through the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, or the Urim and Thumim, or in any other way but that of the ministering of an angel, we should, without further inquiry, have known him to be with

without authority. How came Mr. Smith, if a deceiver, to think of all this? Did Martin Luther, Wesley, Whitfield, Svedenberg, or Irving think of this? Whence his superior intellect, his depth of understanding, his extensive foresight, that he should so far surpass all former impostors for 1700 years. John testifies that when the everlasting gospel is restored to the earth, it shall be by an angel. Smith testifies that it was restored by an angel and in no other way. This is another presumptive evidence that he was sent of God. Third, a revelation and restoration to the earth of the everlasting gospel through the angel

Moroni would be of no benefit to the nations unless someone should be ordained with authority to preach it and administer its ordinances. Moroni might reveal a book containing a beautiful and glorious system of salvation, but no one could obey even its first principles without a legally authorized administrator, ordained to preach, baptize, lay on hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost, etc. Did Moroni ordain Mr. Smith to the Apostleship and command him to administer ordinances? No, he did not. But why not confer authority by ordination as well as reveal the everlasting gospel?

Because in all probability, he had not the right to do so. All angels have not the same authority. They do not all hold the same keys. Moronai was a prophet, but we have no account of his holding to the office of an apostle, and if not, he had no right to ordain Mr. Smith to an office which he himself never possessed. He no doubt went as far as he was authorized, and that was to reveal the stick of Ephraim, the record of his fathers containing the everlasting gospel. How then did Mr. Smith obtain the office of an apostle if Moroni had no authority to ordain him to such an office?

Mr. Smith testifies that Peter, James, and John came to him in the capacity of ministering angels, and by the laying on of hands ordained him an apostle, and commanded him to preach, baptize, lay on hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost, and administer all other ordinances of the gospel, as they themselves did in ancient days. Did Svedenborg, did Irving's apostles,

or did any other impostors during the long age of darkness profess that the Apostleship was conferred upon them by those who held at last, by an angel who held the office himself? No, and therefore they are not apostles, but deceivers. If Mr. Smith had pretended that he received the Apostleship by the Revelation of the Holy Ghost, without an ordination under the hands of an Apostle, we should at once know that his pretensions were vain, that he was a deceiver. if an imposter, how came Mr. Smith to discover this? Why did he not, like the Irvingites, assume the

apostleship without an apostle to ordain him? How came he to possess so much more wisdom than Irving as to discover that he could not be an apostle without being ordained under the hands of an apostle? If Mr. Smith be a false apostle, it must be confessed that he has exhibited far more judgment than all the false apostles who have preceded him, learned and talented as they were. Is this not another presumptive evidence of Joseph Smith's divine mission? Such a correctness upon matters of so great a moment, and upon subjects on which millions have heretofore erred,

indicates something more than human. It indicates inspiration of the Almighty. The purity of Mr. Smith's doctrine, the perfect coincidence of his testimony with that of John's in relation to the manner of the restoration of the everlasting gospel to the earth and the consistency of his testimony in relation to the manner of the restoration of the apostleship are strong presumptive evidences that beautifully harmonize with and strengthen each other. The evidence is therefore accumulative and increases with every additional condition or circumstance

in a multiplied ratio, and seems almost irresistibly to force conviction upon the mind. Fourth, Joseph Smith not only professes through the medium of angels to have received a dispensation of the gospel and the power and authority of the apostleship, but he also professes to have received, through revelation and commandment from God, a dispensation for the gathering of the saints from all nations. Now the doctrine of the gathering of the saints in the last days must either be false or true. If false, then Jay Smith must be an imposter. It matters not how correct he may have been in all other points of his system. If this one point, the doctrine of the gathering, be false, he must be a deceiver. Why? Because he professes to have received

this doctrine by direct revelation and commandment. On the other hand, if the doctrine of the gathering of the saints be a true doctrine and scriptural, this will be another presumptive evidence that Mr. Smith was sent of God. Now, a doctrine may be true and not be scriptural. As for example, Newton's doctrine or law of universal gravitation is a true doctrine, but not a scriptural one. that is, it can neither be proved nor disproved by the scriptures. So Noah's doctrine of gathering into an ark,

Lot's doctrine of fleeing out of Sodom, Christ's doctrine to depart out of Jerusalem and flee to the mountains to escape destruction were all true, but neither of them could be proved or disproved by any scripture given to any of the former prophets. So likewise, Mr. Smith's doctrine of the gathering of the saints in the last days might be true, even though there should be no former scripture that predicated such an event. But in this case, such a doctrine would be no evidence that Mr. Smith, who advocated it,

was sent of God. But if such a doctrine can be proved to be a scriptural doctrine, that is, if the gathering of the saints was predicted in ancient scriptures as an event to take place in a certain age, in a certain way, and through certain means, means, and Mr. Smith comes in that age professing to have a message to gather the saints in such way, and by such means as the scriptures have foretold, then the exact and perfect agreements between the professed message of Mr. Smith and the scriptural predictions relating to such a message or work would be a presumptive evidence of great weight in favor of his divine mission. The doctrine of the gathering of the people of God, including Israel, is one so clearly

predicted by the inspired writers that it seems almost superfluous to refer to the numerous passage relating to it. The dispensation in which the people of God were to be gathered in one is called by the Apostle Paul, the dispensation of the fullness of times, which he represents as being an event then in the future. John, nearly 100 years after the birth of our Savior, saw the wonderful events and sceneries of unborn generations displayed in majestic and awful grandeur before him. He saw the churches of Asia, then under his own personal watch care, lukewarm, corrupted, and about ready to be moved out of their place. He saw the universal apostasy that was soon to succeed and hold dominion for ages over all kindreds and tongues

under the name of the mother of harlots, the great Babylon that should make all nations drunk with her wickedness. He saw that after the nations had been thus overwhelmed in thick darkness for ages, without the Church of God, without apostles, without prophets, without the ministering of angels, without one cheering message from heaven, that there would be one more proclamation of mercy made to all people, one more dispensation of glad tidings from the heavens to be ushered in by an angel restoring the everlasting gospel, which was to receive a universal proclamation to all the inhabitants of the earth, accompanied with a loud cry that the hour of God's judgment is come. He saw the universal proclamation of this warning message immediately

followed by another angel, proclaiming the complete overthrow and downfall of Babylon. Between the interval of the flying out of these two angels, he heard another voice from heaven, saying, come out of her, my people, that ye not be partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues, for her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities. Remember that this voice, commanding the people to come out of Babylon, was to be a voice from heaven. It was not to be a cunningly devised plan of uninspired man brought about by human ingenuity,

but it was to be a voice from heaven, a message sent from God, a new revelation commanding the saints to come out of Babylon previous to its downfall. How came Mr. Smith, if an imposter, to get not only all the other particulars, which we have mentioned perfectly exact, but also to discover that their must be be a gathering of the saints out of Babylon, and that the work must immediately follow the introduction of the gospel by an angel. Why did he not say, my doctrine is true, and if you will embrace it, you can be saved and still remain where you are? It matters not how correct his doctrine might have been in all other points. If he had told his disciples to remain among

the corrupt nations and not gather together, this alone would have exposed the cloven foot, and proved him to be a deceiver. Svidnborg, Wesley, Irving, and a numerous host of others during the last 1700 years, have entirely neglected the gathering, which proves that they were without authority, that a dispensation of the gospel was never committed to them, that the voice from heaven to come out of Babylon

had never saluted their ears. Previous to the restoration of the gospel by an angel, God had no people in Babylon, and therefore could not call them out. An unauthorized, uninspired priesthood, preaching a perverted gospel, could never raise up a people of God in Babylon, for they themselves are Babylon,

and all their converts or children are begotten after their own likeness with Babylon-ish inscriptions upon their foreheads. It's only when the gospel, apostleship, and power are again restored in the way and manner predicted that a people of God can be raised up. among the nations. It is then, and not till then, that the voice is heard from heaven, calling that people out from among the nations. Mr. Smith did not forget this. It is marvelously strange indeed that he should be an imposter, yet embracing his system every particular that was to

characterize the great dispensation of the latter times. It matters not how diverse the points of his doctrine were to the popular current among the great modern systems of religion, he seems to have introduced his system without paying the least regard as to what would be popular or unpopular, as to whether it would suit the learned or the unlearned, as to whether it would suit the temporal circumstances of man or not. He did not stop to make the inquiry, whether the gathering of the saints would be congenial to the feelings of those who occupied splendid mansions, upon fine farms, surrounded with every luxury of life. He did not stop to consider any of those things, but spoke as one having authority, saying, Thus saith the Lord, upon every point of doctrine which he promulgated.

Now, for a young man, inexperienced and illiterate, to profess to give the word of the Lord upon subjects of so great a moment, to reveal doctrines which were directly opposed not only to his own traditions, but to the teachings and doctrines of the most popular, numerous, and prospels. powerful sects of the day, and at the same time have those doctrines exactly accord, not only with the ancient gospel, but with every minute prediction relative to the dispensation of the last days, is an evidence that carries truth upon the face of it, and leaves a deep and lasting impression upon every reflecting mind, and we can hardly refrain from assenting in our hearts that surely he must have been sent of God.

Fifth What else, besides the everlasting gospel, does the Book of Mormon profess to contain? It professes to contain a brief but faithful history of a small branch of the tribe of Joseph, and the revelations given to them both before and after Christ, written by a succession of prophets who were the literal descendants of Joseph. Hence it professes to be in the full sense of the word, the writings or records of the tribe of Joseph. It contains numerous and pointed predictions,

showing expressly that the age in which their records should, by the power of God, be revealed to the nations, should also be the day in which Israel should be gathered, and that their records, in conjunction with the records of the Jews, should be the powerful instruments in the hands of the servants of the God in bringing about that great work. Now, how does this account? with the word of the Lord to Ezekiel upon the same subject.

Ezekiel was commanded to write upon two sticks, one for Judah and the other for Joseph, after which he was commanded to join them together into one. And when the children of Israel should make inquiry what these two united writings of Judah and Joseph meant, he was to say unto them that the Lord God would join the writings of Joseph with those of Judah, immediately after which he would take,

the children of Israel from among the heathen, whither they were gone, and would gather them on every side, and bring them into their own land, and that he would make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel, and that one king should be king to them all, and that they should no more be two nations or kingdoms. Ezekiel testifies that the writings of Joseph should be joined with the writings of Judah. Mr. Smith, presents this generation with a book, consisting of several hundred pages professing to be the sacred writings of the inspired prophets of the tribe of Joseph, who anciently inhabited the Great Western Hemisphere. Ezekiel testifies that Israel should be gathered, never again to be scattered

immediately after the union of these two records. The professed record of Joseph, brought to light by Mr. Smith, testifies in the most positive language, that this is the age, which Israel shall be gathered through the instrumentality of the word and power of God, contained in the two records. Ezekiel uttered the prediction, Mr. Smith presents a professed fulfillment. This is another presumptive evidence in favor of the divine authority of his mission. For if the gathering of Israel had not been included in the mission of Mr. Smith as an important part of the great work of the last dispensation, all would have had good reason for rejecting

him without further inquiry. The ministering of an angel, the restoration of the gospel, the conferring of the apostleship, the setting up of the kingdom of God, the gathering of the saints, the revelation of the record of Joseph, and its union with the Jewish record, and the restoration of all the house of Israel to their own lands, are the wonderful events to be fulfilled in the great dispensation of the fullness of times. Whatever person or persons are divinely commissioned to us usher in that dispensation must have the keys of authority to perform every work pertaining therein two. If Joseph Smith had included all these remarkable events in his mission accepting one, then that one exception would be sufficient to prove him to be acting without authority.

But where we ask, is there one exception? What particular event or circumstance pertaining to the dispensation of which he professed to hold? the keys as he excluded from his system. Did John predict the restoration of the gospel by an angel? It's included in Mr. Smith's system. Did John predict that the saints should receive a message from heaven commanding them to come out of Babylon? It is also included in the system of Joseph Smith, and the saints are now obeying it. Did Ezekiel predict the final gathering of Israel as an immediate result of the union of the two records of Joseph and Judah? Mr. Smith also includes this in his system. The two records are already united in their testimony

and will soon accomplish the purpose for which they were set forth. What then is lacking? Is there any of the prophets or inspired writers of ancient times who have pointed out some other way for the latter-day dispensation to be brought about? Can any man show that the gospel will not be restored by an angel, or that the saints will not be called out of Babylon by a message from heaven, or that the record of the tribe of Joseph will not be joined with the Jewish record of the Bible, or that Israel would not be gathered to their own lands through the instrumentality of more revelation, or that the kingdoms of God will not be set up in the latter days to break in pieces all other kingdoms, or that apostles and prophets will not be restored to the earth as in ancient times,

if all these things are possible, probable, and scriptural, If all these events must come to pass in their time and in the manner predicted, can anyone show that this is not the time? That the Book of Mormon is not the record of Joseph Smith about which Ezekiel prophesied. Can anyone show any cause why Joseph Smith should not receive the ministering of an angel, why he should not be ordained an apostle or prophet or receive revelations and commandments from God? if the apostle is to be restored by an angel, it must be restored at first to some person. Why not that person be Mr. Smith? If the records of two different tribes are to be joined in one,

why not the Book of Mormon and the Bible be the two records? And why not Mr. Smith be the instrument in the hands of God fulfilling this prophecy? If these things are not, not the fulfillment of these ancient predictions, will the generation that lives when they do come to pass be any more believing now than they are at present in this work? Will they be any more ready to receive new revelations, visions, angels, or ancient sacred records than they are now? When God sets up his kingdom, will mankind be any more willing to receive the apostles, prophets, or inspired officers of that kingdom than they are now? One thing is certain. If the angel is not come, if the gospel is not restored, if the records of Joseph are not revealed, then there is no kingdom of God on the earth.

No authority to preach or administer the ordinances among men. All is gross darkness, all is uncertainty, and our only alternative is to wait till the voice of the angel is heard, till the great work of the last dispensation is ushered in. But will we then receive it? Will not our prejudices be as great then as they are now against Mr. Smith? Are there any qualifications that Mr. Smith should possess, that he did not possess? Were there any doctrines which he advocated adverse to scriptural doctrine? Were there any principles connected with his system inconsistent with the prophecies? If then perfection characterizes every doctrine embraced in the great scheme of this modern prophet, who can say that he was not sent of God?

Who dares oppose so great and perfect a system Without the least shadow of evidence to prove its falsity? Who so lost to every sense of reason and sound judgment As to not perceive an overwhelming evidence flowing in from every quarter To establish the divine mission of Joseph Smith? Who that has examined his mission or system impartially Can bring even one evidence against it? Are we not bound then to yield at least our faith on the side of evidence?

What excuse then can the learned and the great and the wise of the earth render for opposing a work of so great importance with not but ridicule, slander, and vile reproaches? Let them bring forth their strong reasonings, or else let them hear and say, It is truth. End of Define Authority, or the question, Was Joseph Smith Sent of God by Orson Pratt, Part 1 of 2. Divine Authority, or the question,

Was Joseph Smith Sent of God? By Orson Pratt, Part 2 of 2. This is a Libravox recording. All Libravox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit Librevox.org. Read by James Bleckley. 6th.

The perfect agreement between the prediction of Isaiah Chapter 29 and Mr. Smith's account of the finding and translation of the Book of Mormon is another collateral proof that he was divinely commissioned. Mr. Smith testifies that the plates from which that book was translated were taken out of the ground.

from where they were originally deposited by the prophet Moroni, that the box containing them was composed of stone, so constructed as to exclude in a great degree the moisture of the soil, that with the plates he discovered a eurum and thumbum, through the aid of which he afterward was enabled to translate the book into the English language. Soon after obtaining the plates, a quantity of the characters were correctly transcribed, and sent to some of the most learned, individuals in the United States to see if they could translate them. Among the rest, they were presented to Professor Anthon of New York City, but no man was found able to read them by his own learning or wisdom. Mr. Smith, though an unlearned man, testifies that he was commanded to translate them through the inspiration of the Holy Ghost by the aid of the Urim and Thumim, and that the Book of Mormon is that translation.

Now Isaiah says to Israel, 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.

Who cannot perceive the perfect harmony between Isaiah's prediction and Mr. Smith's testimony? Isaiah, as if to impress it upon the minds of those who should live in future generations gives no less than four repetitions of the same prediction in the same passage, informing us in the most definite language that after Israel should be brought down,

they should speak in a very familiar manner out of the ground, and whisper low out of the dust. Mr. Smith has been an instrument in the hands of God of fulfilling this prediction to the very letter. He has taken out of the ground, the ancient history of one half of our globe, the sacred records of a great nation of Israel, the writings of a remnant of the tribe of Joseph,

who once flourished as a powerful and great nation on the Western Hemisphere. The moldering ruins of their ancient forts and towers and cities proclaim their former greatness, in mournful contrast with their present sad condition. They have been brought down like all the rest of Israel, but the words of their ancient prophets speak out of the ground and whisper out of the dust, to the ears of the present generation,

revealing in a very familiar manner the history of ancient America, which before was entirely unknown to the nations. Isaiah says that Israel should speak out of the ground. Mr. Smith says that he obtained the writings of Joseph from out of the ground. Now, if Mr. Smith had professed that he had got his book as Svedenborg obtained his,

or as the shakers obtained theirs, that is, if he had professed, to have obtained this book to usher in the last dispensation in any other way but out of the ground, we should have had reason to suppose him a deceiver, like Svedenborg and thousands of others. Again, Isaiah says, that the vision of all is become unto you as the words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one that is learned, saying, read this, I pray thee, and he say if, I cannot, for it is sealed. And the book is delivered to him that is, not learned, saying, read this, I pray thee, and he say if I am not learned. Wherefore the Lord said,

For as much as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honor me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear towards me is taught by the precepts of men. Therefore, behold, I will proceed to do a marvelous work among this people, even a marvelous work and a wonder, for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of the of their prudent men shall be hid. All this was fulfilled before Mr. Smith was aware that it had been so clearly predicted by Isaiah. He sent the words of a book, which he found,

as before stated, to Professor Anthon. But it was a sealed writing to the learned professor. The Aboriginal language of ancient America could not be deciphered by him. He was as much puzzled as the wise men of Babylon were to interpret the unknown writing upon the wall. Human wisdom and learning, in this case, were altogether insufficient. It required another Daniel, who was found in the person of Mr. Smith.

What a marvelous work. What a wonder! How the wisdom of the wise and the learned was made to perish by the gift of interpretation given to the unlearned. If the Book of Mormon is what it professes to be, a sacred record, then it must be the very book mentioned in Isaiah's prediction. For the prophet Nephi, one of the writers of the Book of Mormon, who lived upwards of 2,400 years ago, informs us that their writings

should be brought to light in the last days in fulfillment of Isaiah's prediction. He also delivers a prophecy in relation to the same book and predicts many events in connection therewith, which are not mentioned by Isaiah. We hear give an extract from his prediction, and also his quotations from Isaiah. Behold, in the last days,

or in the days of the Gentiles, yeah, behold all the nations of the Gentiles and also the Jews, both those who shall come upon this land and those who shall be upon other lands, yeah, even upon all the lands of the earth. Behold, they will be drunk with iniquity and all manner of abominations, and when that day shall come they shall be visited of the Lord of hosts, with thunder and with earthquake and with a great noise, and with storm and with tempest and with flame of devouring fire. and all the nations that fight against Zion and that distress her shall be as a dream of a night vision.

Yeah, it shall be unto them, even as unto a hungry man, which dreameth, and behold, he eateth, but he awaketh, and his soul is empty. Or like unto a thirsty man, which dreamt, and behold, he drinketh, but he awaketh, and behold, he is faint, and his soul hath appetite. Yeah, even so shall the multitude of all the nations be that fight against Mount Zion. For behold, all ye that do iniquity, stay yourselves in wonder, for ye shall cry out and cry, yeah, ye shall cry drunken, but not with wine, you shall stagger, but not with strong drink. For behold, the Lord hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep. For behold, ye have closed your eyes, and you have rejected the prophets, and your rulers and the seers hath he covered because of your iniquity.

And it shall come to pass, that the Lord God shall bring forth unto you the words of a book, and they shall be the words of them who have slumbered. And behold, the book shall be sealed, and in the book shall be a revelation from God, from the beginning of the world to the ending thereof. Wherefore, because of the things which are sealed up, the things which are sealed shall not be delivered in the day of the wicked, and abomination of the people. Wherefore the book shall be kept from them.

But the book shall be delivered unto a man, and he shall deliver the words of the book, which are the words of those who have slumbered in the dust, and he shall deliver these words unto another. But the words which are sealed he shall not deliver, neither shall he deliver the book. For the book shall be sealed by the power of God, and the revelation which was sealed shall be kept in the book

until the own due time of the Lord, that they may come forth. For behold, they reveal all things from the foundation of the world and to the end thereof. And the day cometh that the words of the book which were sealed shall be read upon the housetops, and they shall be read by the power of Christ, and all things shall be revealed unto the children of men which ever have been among the children of men, and whichever will be even unto the end of the earth. wherefore at that day when the book shall be delivered unto the man of whom I have spoken the book shall be hid from the eyes of the world that the eyes of none shall behold it save it be that three witnesses shall behold it by the power of God

besides him to whom the book shall be delivered and they shall testify to the truth of the book and the things therein and there is none other which shall view it save it be a few according to the will of God, to bear testimony of His word unto the children of men. For the Lord God hath said that the words of the faithful should speak as if it were from the dead, wherefore the Lord God will proceed to bring forth the words of the book, and in the mouth of his many witnesses as seemeth him good, will he establish his word, and woe be unto him that rejecteth the word of God. But behold, it shall come to pass that the Lord,

Lord God shall say unto him to whom he shall deliver the book, take these words which are not sealed and deliver them to another, that he may show them unto the learned saying, Read this, I pray thee. And the learned shall say, bring hither the book, and I will read them. And now, because of the glory of the world, and to get gain, will they save this? And not for the glory of God.

And the man shall say, I cannot bring the book, for it is sealed. Then shall the learned say, I cannot read it. Wherefore it shall come to pass that the Lord God will deliver again the book and the words thereof to him that is not learned, and the man that is not learned shall say I am not learned. Then shall the Lord God say unto him, the learned shall not read them, for they have rejected them, and I am able to do mine own work. Wherefore thou shalt read the words which I shall give unto thee. Touch not the things which are sealed, for I will bring them forth in my own due time, for I will show unto the children of men that I am able to do

mine own work. Wherefore, when thou hast read the words which I have commanded thee, and obtain the witnesses which I have promised unto thee, then shalt thou seal up the book again, and hide it up unto me, that I may preserve the words which thou hast not read, until I shall see fit in my own wisdom to reveal all things into the children of men. For behold, I am God, and I am a God of miracles, and I will show unto the world that I am the same yesterday, today, today, and forever, and I work not among the children of men, save it be according to their faith. And again it shall come to pass, that the Lord shall say unto him that shall read the words that shall be delivered to him, for as much as this people draw near unto me with their mouth, and

with their lips do honor me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear towards me is taught by the precepts of men. Therefore I will proceed to do a marvelous work among this people. Yeah, marvelous work and a wonder, for the wisdom of the wise and learners shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent shall be hid, and woe unto him that seek deep to hide their counsel from the Lord, and their works are in the dark, and they say who seeth us, who knoweth us? And they also say, surely, your turning of things upside down shall be esteemed as the potter's clay. But behold, I will show unto them, saith the Lord of hosts, that I know all their works. For shall the work say of him that made it, he made me not? Or shall the thing framed

say of him that framed it? He had no understanding. But behold, saith the Lord of hosts, ice will show unto the children of men that it is not yet a very little while and Lebanon shall be turned into a fruitful field and the fruitful field shall be esteemed as a forest and in that day shall the deaf hear the words of the book and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity and out of darkness and the meek also shall increase

and their joy shall be in the Lord and the poor among men shall rejoice in the Holy One of Israel for as shortly as the Lord liveth, they shall see that the terrible one is brought to naught, and the scorner is consumed, and all that watch for iniquity are cut off, and they that make a man an offender for a word, and lay a snare for him that reproveth in the gate, and turn aside the just for a thing of naught. Therefore, thus saith the Lord who redeemed Abraham concerning the house of Jacob, Jacob shall not now be ashamed, neither shall his face now wax pale.

But when he seeth his children the work of my hands in the midst of him, they shall sanctify my name, and sanctify the Holy One of Jacob, and shall fear the God of Israel. They also that erred in spirit shall come to understanding, and they that murmured shall learn doctrine. Here it will at once be perceived that the Book of Mormon, Mormon is actually the book predicted by Isaiah, or else it must be an imposture. The book mentioned by Isaiah was to have every characteristic which seems to accompany the

Book of Mormon. Did Isaiah predict that the deaf should hear the words of the book and the eyes of the blind see out of obscurity, out of darkness? It has been fulfilled by the coming of the book of Mormon. Did Isaiah say that in the day his predicted book should speak out of the ground, than those who erred in spirit should come to understanding, and they that murmured should learn doctrine? It has been fulfilled to the very letter through the instrumentality of the Book of Mormon. Tens of thousands of honest men

who erred in spirit because of the doctrines and precepts of men have come to understanding. Many points of doctrine, which had been in controversy for ages, are made perfectly plain in the Book of Mormon. Hence, those who have murmured, because of the darkness and obscurity thrown over the scriptures by human wisdom and learning

have learned doctrine. Did Isaiah prophesy that when the predicted book should make its appearance, that then the house of Jacob should no longer be made ashamed, neither should the face of Jacob any more wax pale? The Book of Mormon has come, declaring that the time is at hand for the gathering of the house of Jacob, no more to be scattered.

Did Isaiah predict that in the day of the revelation of a certain book, the terrible one, should be brought to naught, the scorner be consumed, and all that watch for iniquity be cut off, and finally that all the nations who should fight against Mount Zion should pass away as the dream of a night vision, and be destroyed by earthquake and the flame of devouring fire? The Book of Mormon comes testifying that the hour of these judgments is at hand. And finally, there is no circumstance mentioned by Isaiah connected with the revelation and translation of the book he mentions,

but what is connected with the book of Mormon. If Joseph Smith was an imposter and wished to pall himself off upon the world as a great prophet who was to usher in the preparatory dispensation for the coming of the Lord, how came he to discover all these minute particulars contained in Isaiah's prophecy, so as to so exactly and perfectly incorporate in his great scheme of imposture each and every one of them. If this illiterate youth was a deceiver, he has far outstretched all the learned divines or impostors of the last 1800 years. He has made his great and extended scheme to harmonize in every particular, not only with the ancient gospel but with the ancient prophecies, and this too so perfectly that no one can detect the delusion.

Reader, does not such a scheme savour very strongly of the truth? Does it not require a greater effort of mind to disbelieve such a scheme than it does to believe it? If such a scheme cannot be credited, where is there a scheme or system in the whole world that can be credited? Can you find a scheme more perfect than the one introduced by Mr. Smith? Can you find one equal to it in perfection? Can you find one that contains one twentieth part of the truth, which you find a scheme? his system contains. If then you doubt the authority of Mr. Smith, how much more ought you to doubt the authority of every other man now on the earth? If Mr. Smith's perfect scheme should be rejected,

surely all other schemes or doctrines which can be shown to be ten times more imperfect, should also be rejected. If any are to be received, surely that one should be received which seems to contain all the elements of a true doctrine, and in which there cannot be detected the least evidence of imposter. To invent a scheme apparently every way suited to the last dispensation or preparatory work for the Second Advent of our Lord, to have that scheme agree in every minute particular with the endless circumstances and numerous events predicted by the ancient prophets bespeaks a wisdom far superior to that of man. It bespeaks the wisdom of God. This endless train of circumstances, all harmonizing, all combining, all concentrating, as it were into one focus,

carries with it such irresistible evidence of truth that is almost impossible for the careful investigator to reject the divinity of Joseph Smith's mission. Like investigating the works of nature, the more he examines, the more he perceives the wisdom of the deity and stamped upon every sentence. 7th. According to the Book of Mormon, all of the great western continent, with all the valleys, hills and mountains, riches and resources pertaining thereunto, was given to the remnant of Joseph as their land of promise. The Almighty sealed this covenant and promise by an oath, saying that the land should be given unto them forever. The Western world, including both North and South America, is the land of the land of promise to that remnant of Joseph, in the same sense that the land of Palestine is a promised land unto the twelve tribes of Israel. Now this testimony of the Book of Mormon agrees most perfectly with the prophetic blessing placed upon the head of Joseph by the Patriarch Jacob, who, just previous to his death, called together his sons and predicted upon each what should befall them or their tribes in the last days. The blessing upon the tribes

of Joseph is as follows. Joseph is a fruitful bow, even a fruitful bow by a well, whose branches run over the wall. The archers have surely grieved him and shot at him and hated him, but his bow abode in strength, and the

arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob. From thence is the shepherd, the stone of Israel. Even by the God of thy father, who shod help thee, and by the Almighty who shall bless thee with blessings of heaven above. Blessings of the deep that lieeth under.

Blessings of the breasts and of the womb. The blessings of thy father have prevailed above the blessings of my progenitors, unto the utmost bound of the everlasting hills. They shall be the head of Joseph, and on the crown of the head of him that was separate from his brethren. In the preceding chapter, when blessing the two sons of Joseph, he says, Let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth. And again, his seed shall become a multitude of nations.

From these predictions, it will be perceived that Jacob prevailed with God and obtained a greater blessing in behalf of the tribe of Joseph than what Abraham and Isaac, his progenitors, had obtained. While the blessing of Jacob's progenitors was limited to the land of Palestine, Joseph had confirmed upon him a blessing or country above or far greater than Palestine. A country at a distance represented by the utmost bounds of the everlasting hills. Some of the branches of the fruitful bow of Joseph were to spread far abroad from the parent tree. They were to run over the wall of the mighty ocean.

They were to become a multitude of nations in the midst of the earth. There among the everlasting hills they were to be made strong by the hands. of the mighty God of Jacob. It was to be there, among the multitude of nations of the posterity of Joseph, that the shepherd, the stone of Israel, was to establish a kingdom, which should break in pieces all other kingdoms and fill the whole earth. In America, there is a multitude of nations called by us Indians. These Indians evidently sprang from the same source, as is indicated by their color, features, customs, dialects, traditions, etc., that they are of Israelit's origin, is also evident from their religious

ceremonies, their language, their traditions, and the discovery of Hebrew inscriptions, etc. If America is not the land given to a branch of Joseph, where or in what part of the globe shall that tribe receive the fulfillment of Jacob's prediction? Where, if not in America, has a land been peopled by a multitude of the nations of Joseph? Can a multitude of the nations of Joseph be found in Europe, Asia, or Africa, or in any of the adjoining islands? If not, then America seems to be the only place where that great prediction could receive its accomplishment. The Book of Mormon testifies that America is the land of Joseph, given to them by promise. Is not this an additional evidence that Mr. Smith was sent of God?

If Mr. Smith was an imposter, how came he to discuss? that the tribe of Joseph was to be favored so much above all the other tribes of Israel. Perhaps it may be replied that it was easy to discover that from the scriptures. But we ask, why did not Svedenborg, Wesley, Irving, or some of the other impostors of former times make this scriptural discovery and incorporate it into their pretended dispensations? It would be at first thought far more natural to suppose the American Indians to be, to be the ten lost tribes of Israel. Indeed, this is the opinion of many of the learned to the present day. Why did not this modern prophet, if a deceiver, form his deceptive scheme more in accordance

with the opinions of the learned? Or why should he choose a remnant of the tribe of Joseph to people ancient America? Out of the twelve tribes of Israel, why did he select only a branch of one tribe to people this vast continent? All can now persecut. why the Book of Mormon should profess to be the history of a remnant of one tribe, instead of being the history of the ten tribes. All can see why America should be represented as a promised land to Joseph instead of being given to Rubin, Simeon, or any of the other tribes. All can now see, though it was not seen at the first, that if the Book of Mormon is different from what it now is, that is, if it professed to contain a history of the ten law,

tribes, or if it had given the great Western continent to any other people or to any other tribe than that of Joseph, that it would have proved itself false. It would not have been the book or record which the prophets predicted should come forth to usher in the great work of the last days. An imposter would be obliged to take into consideration all the minute circumstances, many of which are in direct opposition to the established traditions of the day. Yet none of them could be neglected without proving fatal to his scheme. But Mr. Smith, with all the accuracy of a profound mathematician, has combined all the minute elements of both doctrine and prophecy in his grand

wonderful scheme. Nothing is wanting. Whatever department of his system is examined, it will be found in vulnerable. What an invaluable amount of evidence to establish the divine mission of the prophet Joseph Smith. Eight. In the Book of Mormon, we are given the names and locations of numerous cities of great magnitude, which once flourished among the ancient nations of America. The northern portions of South America, and also Central America, were the most densely populated. Splendid edifices, polices, towers, forts, and cities were reared in all directions. A careful reader of that interesting book can trace the relative bearings and distances of many of these cities from each other.

and if acquainted with the present geographical features of the country, he can, by the descriptions given in that book, determine very nearly the precise spot of ground they once occupied. Now, since that invaluable book made its appearance in print, it is a remarkable fact that the moldering ruins of many splendid edifices and towers and magnificent cities of great extent have been discovered by Catherwood and Stevens and the interior wilds of Central America. in the very region where the ancient cities described in the Book of Mormon were said to exist. Here, then, is a certain and indisputable evidence that this illiterate youth, a translator of the Book of Mormon, was inspired of God.

Mr. Smith's translation describes the region of country where great and populous cities anciently existed, together with their relative bearings and approximate distances from each other. years after, Mrs. Catherwood and Stevens discovered the ruins of 44 of these very cities, and in the very place, described. What but the power of God could have revealed beforehand this unknown fact, demonstrated years after by actual discovery? Ninth The fulfillment of a vast number of prophecies delivered by Mr. Smith is another infallible evidence of his divine mission. Out of the many hundreds of fulfilled predictions uttered by him, we select the following as examples.

One. Soon after Mr. Smith found the plates, he commenced translating them. He had not proceeded far before he discovered from his own translation of the prophecy of Nephi, as before quoted, that three witnesses beside himself should behold the book by the power of God, and should know and testify of its truth. some length of time after this, or in the month of June, AD 1829, the Lord gave a revelation through Mr. Smith to Oliver Cowdry, David Whitmer, and Martin Harris, promising them that if they would exercise faith, they should have a view of the plates, and also of the

Urim and Thumman. This prediction was afterwards fulfilled, and these three persons send forth their written testimony in connection with the Book of Mormon to all nations, kindreds, tongues, and peoples declaring that an angel of God descended from heaven, and took the plates and exhibited them before their eyes, and that at the same time the voice of the Lord from the heavens testified to them of the truth contained in Mr. Smith's translation of these records. Now, an imposter might indeed predict the raising of three witnesses, but he could never call down an angel from heaven in the presence of these witnesses to fulfill his prediction.

2. Before the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints had any existence upon the earth, the prophecy of Moronai was translated and printed in the Book of Mormon. It is expressly predicted in this prophecy that in the day that the book shall be revealed, the blood of the saints should cry unto the Lord from the ground, because of the wickedness of the people, and that the time should come soon when because of the cries and mourning of widows and orphans, whose husbands and fathers should be slain by wicked hands, the Lord should avenge the blood of the saints.

And again in August, 1831, the word of the Lord came to Mr. Smith, saying that the saints should be scourged from city to city, and from synagogue to synagogue, and that but few of those then in the church should stand to receive an inheritance. The blood of many hundreds of saints who have been slain and martyred in this church

is an incontrovertible evidence of the truth of the prediction. Surely Mr. Smith must have been a prophet of God to have foreseen not only the rise of the Church of the Saints, but that their blood should cry aloud from the ground for vengeance upon the nation who should perpetrate these bloody deeds. No human foresight could have seen the bloody sceneries that were to take place after the rise of the church.

All natural appearances in the United States were against the fulfillment of this dreadful prediction. Every religious society throughout the whole country was strongly guarded against persecution and religious intolerance by the strong arm of the civil law. The glorious constitution of this great and free people proclaimed religious freedom to every son and daughter of Columbia's soil. Yet in the midst of this boasted land of freedom and religious rights, where universal peace seemed to have selected her quiet dwelling place, the voice of the great prophet is heard predicting the rise of the latter-day church, and the bloody persecutions that should follow her from city to city, and from synagogue to synagogue.

Never were there any prophecies more literally and palpably fulfilled since the creation of the earth. If the foretelling of future events that could not possibly have been foreseen by human wisdom, events too that to all outward appearances were very unlikely to come to pass, If the predicting of such events and their subsequent fulfillment constitute a true prophet, then Joseph Smith must have been a true prophet, and if a true prophet, he must have been sent of God. 10th. There are many thousands of living witnesses who testify that God has revealed unto them the truth of the Book of Mormon,

by dreams, by visions, by the revelations of the Holy Ghost, by the ministering of angels and by his own voice. Now, if Mr. Smith is an imposter, all these witnesses must be impostors also. Perhaps it may be said that these witnesses are not impostors, but are deceived themselves. But we ask, can any man testify that he knows a false doctrine to be true and still not be an imposter?

Men frequently are deceived when they testify their opinions, but never deceived when they testify they have a knowledge. Such must either be impostors or else their doctrine must be true. Now, would it not be marvelously strange indeed if even three or four men who were entirely disconnected, being strangers to each other, should all undertake to deceive mankind by testifying that an angel of God had descended before them, or that a heavenly vision had been shown to them, or that God had in some of the marvelous way manifested to them the divine authenticity of the Book of Mormon? If the testimony of three or four impostors would appear marvelous, how infinitely more marvelous would appear the testimony of tens of thousands of impostors in different countries, widely separated from each other, and who never saw each other's faces, and yet all endeavoring to palm upon the world the same great imposition.

If many thousands of witnesses do testify boldly with words of soberness that God has revealed to them that this is his church or a church, kingdom that was to be set up in the last days, then we have an overwhelming flood of collateral evidence to establish the divine mission of Joseph Smith. 11th. The miracles wrought by Joseph Smith are evidences of no small moment to establish his divine authority. In the name of the Lord, he cast out devils, healed the sick, spoke with new tongues, interpreted ancient languages, and predicted future events. Many of these miracles were wrought before numerous multitudes of both believers and unbelievers, and upon persons not connected with our church. And again, the numerous miracles

wrought through the instrumentality of thousands of the officers and members of this church are additional evidences that the man who was instrumental in founding the church must have been sent of God. The thousands of six, that have been miraculously healed in all parts of the world where the gospel is preached, give forth a strong and almost irresistible testimony that Mr. Smith's authority is from heaven. Although the great majority of mankind consider miracles to be an infallible evidence in favor of the divine authority of the one who performs them, yet we do most distinctly dissent from this idea.

If miracles be admitted as an infallible evidence, then all that have ever wrought miracles must have been sent of God. The magicians of Egypt wrought some splendid miracles before that nation. They created serpents and frogs and turned rivers of water into blood. If miraculous evidence is infallible, the Egyptians were bound to receive the contradictory messages of both Moses and the magicians as of divine authority. According to this idea, the witch of Endor must have established her divine mission, beyond all controversy by calling forth a dead man from the grave in the presence of Saul,

King of Israel. A certain wicked power described by John was to do great wonders and miracles and cause fire to come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men. If miracles were infallible evidences, surely no one should reject the divine authority of John's beast. Again, John saw three unclean spirits like frogs. which he expressly says are the spirits of devils working miracles which go forth unto the kings of the earth

and of the whole world to gather them to battle of that great day of God Almighty. The learned divines and clergy of the 19th century boldly declare that miracles are an infallible evidence of the divine mission of the one who performs

them. If so, who can blame the kings of the earth and these learned divines and all their followers for embracing the message of these divinely inspired devils. For according to their argument, they should in no wise reject them, for they prove their mission by evidences which they say are infallible. We shall expect in a few years to see an innumerable host of sectarian ministers as well as kings taking up their line of march for the Great Valley of Armageddon near Jerusalem, thus prove by their works that they really do

believe in the infallibility of miraculous evidence. Devils can work miracles as well as God, and as they have already persuaded the religious world that miracles are infallible evidences of divine authority, they will not have much difficulty among the followers of modern Christianity in establishing the divinity of their mission. But the Latter-day Saints do not believe in the infallibility of miraculous evidence. We believe that miraculous gifts are absolutely necessary in the Church of Christ, without which it cannot exist on the earth. Miracles, when taken in connection with a pure, holy, and perfect doctrine, reasonable and scriptural, is a very strong collateral evidence in favor of that doctrine, and of the divine

authority of those who preach it. But abstract miracles alone, unconnected with any other evidences, instead of being infallible proofs are no proofs at all. They are as likely to be false as true. So baptism for the remission of sins is essential in the Church of Christ, and when taken in connection with all other points of doctrine embraced in the gospel is a presumptive evidence for the divine authority of the person who preaches it. But baptism for the remission of sins unconnected with other parts of the doctrine of Christ would be no evidence either for or against the divine authority of any man. The many thousands of miracles wrought in this church, being connected as they are with an infallible doctrine, and with a vast number

of other proofs, have carried an almost irresistible conviction to the mind of the vast multitudes, who have, in consequence, yielded obedience to the message, and become in their turn the happy recipients of the same power of God, by which they themselves can also heal the sick and work by faith in the name of the Lord, thus demonstrating to themselves the truth of the Savior. promise, that is, that certain miraculous signs shall follow them that believe. There is one thing connected with Joseph Smith's message which will at once prove him to be an imposter, or else a true prophet. It is a certain promise contained in revelation, which was given through him to the apostles of this church in the year 1832. It reads as follows,

go ye into all the world and whatsoever place you cannot go into ye shall send that the testimony may go from you into all the world and to every creature and as I said unto mine apostles even so I say unto you

for you are mine apostles even as God's high priests ye are they whom my father have given me ye are my friends therefore as I said unto mine apostles I say unto mine apostles I say unto you again that every soul who believeth on your words and is baptized by water for the remission of sins

shall receive the Holy Ghost and these signs shall follow them that believe in my name shall they do many wonderful works in my name they shall cast out devils in my name they shall heal the sick in my name they shall open the eyes of the blind and unstop the ears of the death and the tongue of the dumb shall speak and if any man shall administer poison unto them, it shall not hurt them, and the poison of a serpent shall not have power to harm them. Verily, verily, I say unto you, they who believe not on your words, and are not baptized in water in my name for the remission of their sins, that they may receive

the Holy Ghost, shall be damned, and shall not come into my father's kingdom, where my father and I am. And this revelation unto you and commandment is, in force from this very hour upon all the world. Here then, this great and modern prophet has presented himself before the whole world with a bold, unequivocal promise to every soul who would believe on his message, a promise to that no imposter would dare to make with the most distant hope of success. An imposter might indeed make such a promise to his followers, but they would never realize a fulfillment of it. If these miraculous signs have not followed, according to the above promise, then the tens of thousands

who have complied with the conditions would know Joseph Smith to be an imposter, and with one accord would turn away, and that would be the end of the imposition. But the very fact that vast multitudes are annually being added to the church, and continue therein year after year, is a demonstrative evidence that the promise is fulfilled, that the Holy ghost is given, and the miraculous signs also. Dare any other societies in all the world make such a promise unto the believers in their respective systems? No, they dare not. They know full well that it would be the speedy downfall and other overthrow of their vain, unauthorized, and powerless religions. Oh, what a wide and marked difference between the religion of Joseph

Smith and that of Protestant and Catholic religion, between his authority and and that of sectarian divines. The one promises all the miraculous gifts of the Holy Ghost to his followers, the other is as powerless as the dry stubble prepared for the burning. While the followers of this great prophet cast out devils, speak with new tongues, heal the sick, open the eyes of the blind, cause the lame to walk, obtain heavenly visions, and converse with angels, the followers of those unauthorized, deluded, and crafty sects,

not only deny these great and glorious gifts or impute them in these days to the power of the devil, but they grasp the sword and firearms and deadly weapons to kill off the saints and drive them from the face of what they call civilized society. While the one class are suffering martyrdom by scores for their testimony, the other class are rolling in all the luxuries and splendors of great Babylon, with fat salaries of from 10 to 27,000 pounds sterling per annum. As we have briefly examined into the nature of the evidences in favor of Joseph Smith's divine mission, it may be well at the close of this number to give a short summary of the proofs and arguments

contained in the foregoing. 1. Joseph Smith's doctrine is reasonable, scriptural, perfect, and infallible in all of its precepts, commands, ordinances, promises, blessing, and gifts. In his organization of the church, no officer mentioned in the New Testament organization is omitted. Inspired apostles and prophets are considered as necessary as pastors, teachers, or any other officer. 2. Joseph Smith's account of the restoration of the gospel by an angel, of his taking out of the ground of the sacred records of the tribe of Joseph, of their subsequent translation by the gift of God,

and of the great western continents being given to a remnant of Joseph, where they have grown into a multitude of nations, are all events clearly predicted by the ancient Jewish apostles and prophets, together with the minute circumstances connected therewith. The times and seasons in which these events should transpire, and the purposes which they should accomplish are all also plainly foretold. Joseph Smith presents the world with the fulfillment at the predicted time. in the predicted manner, and for the predicted purpose as anciently specified.

3. Joseph Smith incorporates in his mission the gathering of the saints out of Babylon, and every other predicted event that was to characterize the great preparatory dispensation for the second advent of our Lord. 4. The revelation in the Book of Mormon, pointing out the location of man ancient cities, the ruins of which were subsequently discovered by Catherwood and Stevens, the direct and palpable fulfillment of many of the prophecies of Joseph Smith, which no human sagacity could have foreseen, all natural appearances and circumstances being entirely against their expected fulfillment, the raising up of numerous other witnesses who also testify to the ministering of angels

and the manifestations of the power of God confirmatory of this message, the performance of many splendid miracles by Mr. Smith and his followers, and the bold unequivocal promise of the miraculous gifts to all who should believe and embrace this message, all are evidences such as no imposter has ever given or ever can give. They are evidences such as will prove the salvation of every creature that receives the message and the damnation of every soul that rejects it. End. Of divine authority. Or the question, was Joseph Smith sent of God? By Orson Pratt, Part 2 of 2.

The Plan of Salvation by Elder John Morgan, part 1 of 2. This is a Libravox recording. All Libravox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visitlibrovox.org. read by James Bleckley The Plan of Salvation by Elder John Morgan In the midst of the Christian world there are very many conflicting theories in relation to man's existence here and hereafter

also as to the duties he owes to himself his fellow man and to his creator it is an undisputed question that some knowledge of where we came from, why we are here and where we go after we leave this probation is essential to the enjoyment and well-being of the human family. In the following pages of this tract, we shall seek to briefly set forth the beliefs of the Latter-day Saints on these points. While they may differ widely from the accepted ideas of the Christian world, we may be allowed to mildly suggest that this difference is not so much between the sects of the day and the Latter-day Saints,

as it is between those sects and the Bible, a fact for which we are in no sense responsible, and a fact which we can in no wise alter or change, even were we so disposed. It is deemed proper in the commencement of this investigation to refer to another point so that we may clearly understand each other. It is this. Sincerity of belief does not by any means establish the correctness of a principle, testimony of an unimpeachable character can alone do that. Man's belief does not affect a principle in the least. The whole world may believe it, and yet it be untrue.

The whole world may refuse to believe it, and yet it be true. The unbelief of the people of Noah's day did not stay the flood. The unbelief of the Jews did not prove Jesus an imposter, and the killing of the apostles did not prove their doctrines' fault. The assassination of Joseph Smith was no proof one way or another as to the divine nature of his authority. Neither will the rejection of the doctrines he taught prove them wrong. If they are true, though he was slain, his followers mobbed, driven, and persecuted, yet in the end they will rise triumphant over every obstacle and grow stronger and stronger,

as error shall grow weaker and weaker. In presenting the principles of pre-existence, the first principles of the gospel and baptism for the dead, we shall simply quote scripture, and we again state that if there is any difference of opinion it is between the reader and a holy writ. The Apostle Paul's injunctions to the Thessalonians was, prove all things, hold fast that which is good. And the wise man Solomon's assertion was, He that judgeth a matter before he, he, that judgeth a matter before he, heareth it is not wise. Let us then refer to the word of the Lord, which is the end of the argument, and see what the teachings of the great creator of all are. Speaking to Job, one of the most ancient writers of the Bible, he says, who is this that darketh counsel by words without knowledge? Gird up thy loins like a man, for I will demand of thee, and answer thou me. Where wast thou,

when I laid the foundations of the earth, when the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy. Job certainly must have been somewhere when the foundations of the earth were laid, or why the query? There was doubtless more meaning to the words when all the sons of God shouted for joy than one at first supposes. The reader asks, who were these sons of God? Luke, in giving the genealogy of the human family, gives the necessary information on this subject, which was the son of Enos, which was the son of Sef, which was the son of Adam, which was the son of God. But let us turn to another text. One of the ancient writers says,

Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was, and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it. Let us ask ourselves, how would it be possible to return to a place, point, or locality, which we had never visited? How could we return to God unless we had once been in his presence? The logical conclusion is unavoidable, that to enable us to return to him, we must have once enjoyed his association, which must have been in a pre-existent state, before our spirit became clothed with this body of flesh and bone. Again, we find that the apostles must have had some conception of pre-existence, judging from their question to Jesus, Master, who did sin, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?

It will doubtless require no argument to convince the reader that the justice of God would scarcely permit the punishment of the individual before the crime was committed. If so, then the sin must have been committed before he came upon the earth, for he was born blind. It was evident that the question was not a doubtful one in the minds of the apostles as to whether a man could sin previous to his existence in the flesh, but as to whether this particular man had sinned or not. Paul in his writings to the Hebrews says, Furthermore, we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence.

Shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of Spirits and live? Here we gain the information as to who the sons of God were who shouted for joy in the beginning. We also learn the reason why we address him as our Father, which art in Heaven, to distinguish him from the Father of our earthly tabernacles. In other words, he is the Father of the Spirits that inhabit our bodies, in precisely the same sense that our earthly fathers are the fathers of our bodies of flesh and bone. When death ensues, we bury the earthly body which decomposes and mingles with the elements surrounding its place of deposit. But what of the spirit which returns unto God who gave it?

When Jesus appeared to the disciples after his resurrection, they were affrighted, and supposed they had seen a spirit. but he corrected them saying, Handel me and see me, For a spirit hath not flesh and bones, As ye see me have. From these words we gather the information That man, while existing as a spirit, Did not have a body of flesh and bone,

But nevertheless existed in the exact shape and form That he now possesses. He had eyes to see, ears to hear, And many other faculties with which man is here endowed. He was also doubtless in possession of intelligence and much that goes to a noble man. He had the ability to pass from place to place, increase in knowledge, and perform certain duties that devolved upon him in that sphere of action. An unembodied spirit is one that has not yet taken upon itself a body. An embodied spirit is one dwelling in the flesh.

A disembodied spirit is one that has passed. through this stage of existence, and laid its body down in the grave, to be finally taken up again, united, spirit and body, by those of the righteous, never more to be separated. The word of the Lord to Jeremiah was, before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee, and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations. Here we have the sure word of the Lord relating to one of the children of men, who was but a type of the rest, only that in this particular case we have the fact made known that, for good and sufficient reasons, our common father in the heavens, saw proper to ordain

one of his children to a certain office prior to sending him down upon the earth. Having so gained the confidence of his father, while in his first or pre-existent state, He was ordained to a high and holy calling, previous to his advent upon the earth, and we learned from holy writ that this confidence was not misplaced, but that he, in honor, fulfilled his mission and proved himself true to the trust reposed in him, not veering or turning a hair's breath from the line of his duty, though met by obstacles sufficient to appall the stoutest heart. The reader will please be cautious not to confound the principle of four or

ordination without of predestination, in the case of Jeremiah, for there is a broad distinction between the two. A man may be foreordained, set apart, or commanded to do a certain work, yet he retains his agency in the matter, and it is optional with him whether he performs the duty assigned to him or not. If predestined to perform a certain work, there would be no choice but for him to do that work. Not having any choice, he would not. He would not. incur the responsibility of his own actions, nor control them, but would be controlled by the power which predestined him. While Jeremiah was foreordained to be a prophet to the nations, we do not read that he was predestined to fill the office of a prophet by any means.

The principle of pre-existence is plainly illustrated in the life of our Savior, who thus spake to the people. What, and if ye shall see the Son of man to send up to where he was before. Again, and no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven. To all human appearance, Jesus resembled very much the rest of the children of our common father. So close was this resemblance that those by whom he was surrounded failed to see any contrast between him and any ordinary man. They inquired of each other, is this not the carpenter's son, is not his mother called Mary, and his brethren, James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? Let us ask ourselves the question. Is it so difficult to comprehend our own pre-existence

when that of Jesus is so plainly taught and also that of many of the Bible characters of whom we read? Paul, the great apostle, speaking of himself, says, in hope of eternal life which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began. Here was a promise made to Paul of eternal life before the world began, conditioned upon obedience, as was said to Cain aforetime, if thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted. Yet notwithstanding this promise, Paul was under the necessity of performing certain duties to enable him to claim the promise made.

After being stricken with blindness on the way to Damascus and hearing the voice of a risen Redeemer, he was told to arise and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do. After fasting in prayer, he was visited at the end of three days by one Ananias, who had been commanded the Lord in vision to visit Paul, and was furthermore told that he was a chosen vessel.

or in other words, one whom the Lord hath made promises to before the world began, and who had a mission to perform before Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel? The question of Ananias was, And now why tarriest thou? Arise and be baptized and wash away thy sins calling on the name of the Lord. We have presented for the consideration of the reader, but a few biblical proofs of man's pre-existence out of the many that can be selected. Yet consider that sufficient, has been advanced to show conclusively that the claim of the

latter-day saints to a belief in this principle is founded upon holy writ. Their ideas only coincide with the prophets and servants of God in all ages of the world who have alluded to this subject. Having answered the question, where did we come from? Let us now consider why we are here. A wise creator must have had some great object in view at the creation of the earth, and placing upon it his children to pass through what they are called upon to while in this probation. A knowledge of this object is almost positively necessary to enable the human family to act well their part. Let us then examine what he had in view. The primary object of man's existence upon the earth is to obtain a body of flesh and bone, for without this it is impossible to advance in the

grand scale of being in which he is to move in the eternal worlds. It is necessary also for him to learn by actual experience the difference between good and evil, as was said of our first parents, and the Lord God said, behold, the man is become as one of us to know good and evil. It is necessary that man tastes the bitter to enable him to appreciate the sweet. No proper appreciation of the value of eternal life could be arrived at without having experienced its opposite. A man must feel the effects of sickness to enable him to fully appreciate the great boon of health. He must feel the effects of pain before he can enjoy immunity therefrom. He must feel the influence and power of death before he can appreciate eternal life.

life. You must comprehend the effects of sin before he can enjoy the rest promised to the faithful. There are many experiences that he can gain in the flesh that cannot be obtained elsewhere. There are ordinances to be performed and eternal unions to be perfected that in the wise economy of the great creator must be affected here on the earth. Baptism for the remission of sins and marriage for eternity are prominent features of duty that devolve upon man in his second state, or during his existence upon the earth. It is not all of man's duty to care for himself alone, to selfishly neglect his fellow man, and seek aggrandizement himself at their expense. Do unto others as ye would they should do unto

you, is called the golden rule, by which men should be governed in this life. In brief, man has a work to do to prepare himself for a future and exaltation in the eternities to come. He is called upon to work out his salvation with fear and trembling, for the work done in this life will have its influence in that to come. By obedience to the principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ, he prepares himself for the grand and glorious exaltation held in reserve for those who worship God in spirit and truth. As Jesus says to his apostles, I go to prepare a place for you, for in my father's house there are many mansions. Having learned why we are here, let us examine what is the nature of the duties devolving upon us.

Faith. To enable a man to perform any work whatever requires that he have faith in the ultimate result of the work. No farmer would plant unless he expected to reap. No builder build unless he expected to inhabit. no speculator invest unless he expected to increase his means, no journey would be attempted unless there existed hope of reaching the destination. So likewise, no commandment of God would be obeyed unless there existed faith that certain blessings would follow obedience. With this idea plainly before us, we can comprehend the assertion of the Apostle Paul to the Hebrews, but without faith it is impossible to please him, for he that cometh to God, God must believe that He is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

We find the active workings of the principle of faith in the many cases of healing performed by our Savior. Thy faith has made thee whole was the invariable remark he made to one at all. We find him speaking to the apostles in the strongest terms about their lack of this great principle. Upon one occasion, they came to him with the question, why could we not cast him out? And Jesus said unto them, because of your unbelief, for verily I say unto you, if you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, remove hence to yonder place, and it shall remove, and nothing shall be impossible unto you. And again we read, and he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief.

Or, in other words, they had no faith in the claim he made to being the Messiah. Consequently, they were deprived of the blessings that fell to those that had faith, as mankind today are depriving themselves of many great and glorious blessings through their unbelief in the divine calling of Joseph Smith, the prophet and seer. We often hear the same cry today that greeted the evening. years of Jesus, Master, we would seek a sign from thee, but he answered and said into them, an evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign. What was true of the generation was true of the individual, and what was true then is true now, which places sign seekers in a most

unenviable position, but doubtless where they justly belong. Faith is not produced by sign singing, but in the words of Paul, faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. After the death and resurrection of Jesus, he left this grand test of faith upon record to serve as a guide for all future generations, and these signs shall follow them that believe or have faith. In my name they shall cast out devils, they shall speak with new tongues, up serpents, and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them. They shall lay hands up in the sick, and they shall recover. But, says one, was it not intended that these gifts and blessings should be limited to the days of the apostles and to the apostles themselves?

Read again, shall follow them that believe. And again, the preceding verse reads, he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved. If you limit the signs following the believer to the day of the apostles, you must also limit salvation to that day. But it is today, as it was in the day that Paul wrote to the Hebrews, for unto us was the gospel preached, and well as unto them, but the word preached did not profit them,

not being mixed with faith in them that heard it. The cultivation of this principle of faith is the first step in our duties in this life. The second step is that of repentance. Repent and turn yourselves from all your transgressions, so iniquity shall not be your ruin. Let the wicked forsake his way. Repent every one of you. Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. understand that repentance does not consist in mourning over sins committed than repeating the same

sin or one equally heinous, but that Ezekiel meant for the people to cease from doing wrong, to quit their evil practices, and walk in the paths of rectitude, virtue, and true holiness. For godly sorrow worketh repentance to the salvation not to be repented of, but to the sorrow of the world worketh death. We believe that the sorrow of the world here alluded to is the too prevalent practice of crying, groaning, and moaning over our wrongdoing and then continuing the same practice. The third step for man to take in this life to secure salvation in the eternal world

is to be baptized. He that believeth, that is, he that hath faith, and is baptized, shall be saved. was the emphetic assertion of our Savior. Again, we find that man came under condemnation by refusing obedience to this commandment, but the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the counsel of God against themselves not being baptized of Him.

So the world of today will, in the end, find themselves under condemnation for refusing to obey this principle of the gospel. Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, He cannot enter into the kingdom of God. Paul, writing to the Hebrews, says, Therefore, leaving the principles of the doctrines of Christ, let us go on unto perfection,

not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works or of faith toward God, of the doctrine of baptisms and of laying on of hands. Here are four principles all classed together, all equally important, all equally necessary, and all required at our hands by those fixed and eternal laws of truth and justice by which the worlds are governed, and by which we may return back into the presence of God and dwell with the just, the true, and the pure of all ages. The fourth step necessary for man to take while in this state of probation is to receive the laying on of hands.

For the reception of the Holy Ghost, this is a principle to a great extent, ignored by the Christian world, yet plainly taught in the scriptures. Peter and his brethren of the twelve had doubtless all been baptized and endeavored to lead holy lives during their association with Jesus, yet we find him just previous to his ascension on high telling them, Behold, I send the promise of my father upon you, but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem until ye be imbued with power from on high, and he led them from out as far as to Bethany,

and he lifted up his hands and blessed them. We find a still further explanation of the manner of obtaining this gift and blessing in the acts of the apostles, where he commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which saith he ye have heard of me, for John truly baptized with water, but ye shall shall, be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence. Turning to the account of the ministry of Philip in Samaria, we find that after the Samaritans had exercised faith sufficient to cause them to repent, they had been baptized under the hands

of Philip. Now when the apostles, which were at Jerusalem, heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John, who, when they were come down prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Ghost, for as yet he was fallen upon none of them, only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus, then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost. Paul, writing to Timothy, charged him thus. Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of hands of the Presbytery, and again, wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by putting on of my hands. We also call attention of the reader to the account of

Paul's visit to the baptized saints of Ephesus, and his inquiry of them. Have ye received the Holy Ghost since He believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost. They then were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus, and when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them, and they spoke with tongues and prophesied. Sufficient has doubtless been said to clearly establish the fact that the gift of the Holy Ghost was formerly obtained by the laying on of the hands of those who held the authority to do so. nowhere do we find that the order here laid down has been supplanted or annulled. On the contrary, the Apostle spoke in the strongest terms against any innovation

from the established forms that Jesus had taught them. Paul, writing to the Galatians, speaks of those who were perverting the gospel, doubtless teaching that the laying on of hands was not necessary or else that it was done away with, and says, 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. End of the Plan of Salvation by Elder John Morgan, Part 1 of 2. The Plan of Salvation by John Morgan, Part 2 of 2. This is a Librevox recording. All Libravox recordings are in the public domain.

information or to volunteer, please visit Librovox.org. Read by James Blackley. The reader has now examined the fourth step for man's advancement in the probation in which he is now living, and in the words of our Savior, he that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. We have traced man from a pre-existent state before the world. began, where he dwelt in the presence of the Father and of our elder brother, Jesus, and mingled with the spirits who have or shall come into this sphere of action.

As it is beautifully expressed in one of the songs of Zion, O my Father, thou that dwellest in the high and glorious place, when shall I regain thy presence, and again behold thy face? In thy holy habitation did my spirit once reside. In my first primeval childhood was I nurtured near thy side. For a wise and glorious purpose thou hast placed me here on earth, and withheld the recollection of my former friends in birth, yet oft times a secret something whispered, You're a stranger here,

and I felt that I had wandered from a more exalted sphere. This is certainly a grander and nobler conception of man's origin than that of some of the would-be philosophers of today who advocate the idea of evolution from a lower scale. Having described the nature of the duties to have faith in God and his promises, to repent of his sins, to be baptized for their remission, and to receive the laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost, that he must perform in this the light, to lay a foundation for future exaltation, we now turn to the consideration of man's future existence. Upon this subject, there is a great diversity of opinion among men, and almost every possible conjecture has, from time to time, held the attention of the human family. If we are to judge by the accepted creeds of the Christian world, we find that an almost universal belief exists in future punishment. We find also that the fear of future punishment is used as a mighty

power to influence the minds of the people in a religious sense. The fearful horrors of the never-ending punishment of the guilty are portrayed in the liveliest colors from the Christian pulpits of the land. They are so clearly defined that in many instances we find that the love and justice of God are lost sight of in the description of the fearful character of the punishment he inflicts, not so much upon unbelievers as upon those who reject the creeds, articles of faith and discipline, whereby men seek to know God. Let the reader lay aside preconceived notions, traditions, and prejudice, and examine this subject with a desire to know the truth.

We shall again refer to Holy Writz, and ask the candid attention of the reader to the proofs we place before him. If we had the history of two persons, the one good and the other bad, after they left the earth, or laid down their bodies and death, it would serve as a guide to decide upon the future destiny of the whole human family. Fortunately, there is left upon record such information, and by it we can determine this all-important question. No one will dispute the assertion that Jesus of Nazareth was appropriately termed the just one, a person of pure and holy life. The confession of guilt by one of the men crucified beside Jesus is testimony enough to convict him of being a bad man. We received the due reward of our deeds,

but this man hath done nothing amiss, were the words of the malefactor, thus confessing that death was the proper penalty for the many crimes he was guilty of. Now here are two persons who were born upon the earth, lived out a certain number of years, and then laid down their lives, their body becoming cold and inanimate in death, while their spirits freed from their earthly tenements passed into another stage of existence, leaving their remains to be cared for in the ordinary rights of sepulchre.

While suffering the agonies of crucifixion, a conversation was carried on between them, which will serve our purpose in opening up an investigation. And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom, and Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise. The request of the thief was so far favorably looked upon

that he had the promise that he should accompany Jesus to a place which he designated as paradise. He could not have consistently granted him the privilege of entering into his kingdom when he had replied to Nicodemus, except a man be born of water, baptized, and of the spirit, received the laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost. He cannot enter into the kingdom of God. the thief, not having attended to these ordinances, could lay no claim to that privilege, but, says Jesus, today shall thou be with me in paradise. We are aware that the majority of the Bible-believing world are of the opinion that the thief

was permitted to enter heaven and enjoy the presence of God. But is this idea a correct one? Let us candidly examine it and see, for upon it hangs a great principle of truth. After the body of Jesus had lain three days in the tomb, the Spirit again entered into it. The angels rolled away the stone from the mouth of the sepulchre, and the resurrected Redeemer of the world walked forth, clothed with an immortal body of flesh and bones. Mary, who seems to have had some special interest in the Savior, came early to the tomb, and weeping discovered that the body of her master was not there.

A voice spake to her, saying, Mary, she turned herself and said unto him Rabonai, which is to say master. Jesus saith unto her, touch me not, for I am not yet ascended to my father, but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascended unto my father and your father, and to my God, and your God. Here we have the assertion of Jesus himself that during the three days immediately subsequent to his crucifixion, while his body lay in the tomb, his spirit did not go into heaven or the presence of his father. Logically, it must follow, neither did that of the thief. The generally accepted idea, therefore, of the thief being saved must inevitably fall to the ground. Jesus asserted that,

Today shall thou be with me in paradise, and upon his return to the earth he informed Mary that he had not descended to his father. The question naturally arises, Where had he been during these three days? We are not left in doubt upon this point, but Scripture plainly points out the character of the duties he was called upon to perform while his body rested in peace in the new made tomb of Joseph. He to whom Jesus transferred the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and who stood at the head of the

twelve apostles, would certainly be accepted as a competent witness in this matter, and by turning it to his epistles we gain this information. For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the spirit. Also, he went and preached unto the spirits in prison. Here we have an account of what he was doing during the three days' absence from the body, preaching unto the spirit in prison. Also a very clear explanation as to where the thief went.

It was to a prison world, where he could have an opportunity to hear the Savior preach the gospel of deliverance to the captive spirits, which some time were disobedient, when once the long-suffering of God, waited in the days of Noah. We now understand what Isaiah the prophet meant when speaking of Jesus. He says that thou mayest say to the prisoners go forth. And again he hath sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and the opening of the prison to them that are bound. And again, to open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison

and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house. How appropriately do these passages coincide with and support the assertion of Peter, relative to Jesus preaching to the spirits in prison? Men who in the days of the flood failed to obey the commandments of God, and for two thousand long, weary years had suffered the penalty for their wrongdoing, had been fulfilling the principle so clearly enunciated by our Savior when he said, verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing. And that servant, which knew his lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will,

shall be beaten with many stripes. But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. With what joy must these long-suffering spirits held in confinement have greeted the Redeemer when he appeared and preached to them the glad tidings of great joy, and presented for their acceptance the everlasting gospel? Through its means they could have their prison doors opened and themselves delivered from the grasp of Lucifer, the Son of the Morning, who is appropriately described as one who made,

the earth to tremble and did shake kingdoms, that made the world as a wilderness and destroyed the cities thereof, that opened not to the house of his prisoners. How grand and glorious is the plan of salvation that the Creator has ordained for his children, reaching from eternity to eternity, and covering in its details every possible emergency, controlling, guiding, and directing their footsteps while in a pre-existent state, teaching them while so much. upon the earth, and extending beyond the grave into the spirit world, there to cause their hearts to rejoice and gladden under its benign influence, growing and increasing in might and majesty, power and glory, as the ages roll by, until the inspired words of our divine master shall be

fulfilled, every knee shall bow, and every tongue confess. Well, might Jesus say to the apostles just previous to his death. Verily, verily, I say unto you, the hour is coming and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the son of God, and they that here shall live. Marvel not at this, for the hour is coming in which all that are in the graves

shall hear his voice. Turning again to the epistle of Peter, we find this assertion, who shall give account to him, who is ready to judge the court, quick and the dead. For, for this cause, was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit. Jesus, upon one occasion, when explaining the gospel to the apostles, said,

whoever speaketh a word against the son of man, it shall be forgiven him. But whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world, to come. This imperfect plainness explains itself to mean that there is a class of sins that can be forgiven in this world and a class that cannot, also that there is a class of sins that can be forgiven in the world to come, and a class that cannot. Peter, speaking of the patriarch David, says, for David is not ascended into the heavens. But David himself, knowing full well that the mercy of the Lord endureth forever, says, for thou will not leave my soul in hell. He knew that after he had paid the penalty of the deeds done in the body, there would be a way whereby he might

gain a place in the midst of the righteousness in the presence of God. If the present generation desire to know what will be the result of their disobedience to the proclamation of the principles of the gospel, and their contending against the servants of God who proclaim them, let them read what Isaiah says, The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall be removed like a cottage. And it shall come to pass in that day that the Lord shall punish the hosts of the high ones that are on high, and the kings of the earth upon the earth, and they shall be gathered together as prisoners are gathered in the pit and shall be shut up in the prison, and after many days they shall be visited. After having waited, perhaps, as long as they did who

rejected the word of God in the days of Noah, after having passed through perchance thousands of years of punishment, until they have paid the uttermost farthing, then the gospel will again be presented to them, and they will be visited. Another opportunity will be given to them to hearken unto the truth, but in the meantime the saints of former and latter days will have advanced in the scale of progression and passed beyond the reach of those who today reject the counsel of God against themselves being not baptized. A separation will have taken place, in which there shall be weeping and wailing, sorrow and mourning, over the neglect to obey the gospel when there was opportunity. In accordance with divine law, they were judged every man according to their works, not indiscriminately consigning all grades and classes of sinners to the same punishment and that to continue forever, but meeting out judgment according to their works,

some with many stripes, some with but few. Would it not be liable upon justice if a judge, presiding over one of our ordinary courts, should award to every criminal brought before him the same punishment. If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him? Certainly the law of the poor, weak, mortal man is not superior to that of the judge of all. Paul beautifully and aptly expresses the principle in writing to the Corinthians, If, in this life only, we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.

But knowing that the gospel would be preached to the spirits in prison, and that untold millions of those who failed to accept the gospel here would do so there, he felt to rejoice in his heart instead of being the most miserable of men. He was fully aware that there was but one way to be saved, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, that it was positively misdivorably necessary for man to pass through the door to enter into the sheepfold, that the many devices whereby men sought to save themselves must of necessity fail, for God's house is a house of order. He knew there was only one name under heaven whereby men might be saved, that obedience to this

law was a prime necessity to salvation, for in vain do you say, Lord, Lord, and do not. the things I command you. Knowing these facts, the life of every good and true man, as was Paul, would be rendered miserable at the thought that so many millions of the human family must irretrievably perish, and be subject to torture throughout all the eternities to come. But understanding the great principle of the mission of our Savior to the present world, they can rejoice in the fact that the plan of salvation is a complete one. They have hoped that, not only in this life, but in the life to come, the gospel will be preached and men be taught its precepts. We here introduce the evidence of some learned men, who have a reputation for scholarly ability far and wide.

Professor Taylor Lewis, a prominent English writer, states, We are taught that there was a work of Christ in Hades. He descended into Hades. He made proclamation in Hades. He made proclamation in Hades. to those who are there in ward. Bishop Alford says, I understand these words of 1st Peter 319, to say that our Lord in his disembodied state did go to the place of detention of departed spirits and did there announce his work of redemption,

preach salvation in fact to the disembodied spirits of those who refuse to obey the voice of God when the judgment of the flood was hanging on, them. Professor A. Hinder Cooper, a German writer, says, In the second and third centuries, every branch and division of the Christian church, so far as their records enable us to judge, believed that Christ preached to the departed spirits. These writers were willing to ignore the teaching of tradition, and let the words of inspired men mean just what they said without any private

interpretation. God, being no respecter of persons, it would be manifestly unjust for one portion of the human family to have the privilege of hearing the sound of the gospel in this life, while so great a proportion never hear it, and lie under condemnation from that fact. No, the plan of salvation is complete, and reaching from our pre-existent state applies to our present condition, and will extend to the future state, until every son and daughter of Father Adam has had ample opportunity to embrace its tenets and live in accordance with its spirit.

We have now examined the gospel proof of pre-existence, and quoted the testimony of Jesus and many of the servants of the Most High. We've gone over the ground of the duties that pertain to this life, connected with faith, repentance, baptism, for the remission of sin, and the laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost,

and examined the scriptures relative to preaching to the spirits in prison. Footnote A. Should the reader desire a more complete treatise on these important points, we refer him to tract number one. End footnote. We now take one more step in our investigation and shall endeavor to learn if there is a way wrought out for the deliverance of the prisoners bound and captive in the grasp of Satan.

The fact of their being preached to is one evidence that something could be done to mitigate their condition, for it would be cruelty intensified if, after being taught the gospel, it would be necessary to inform them that there was no deliverance. The word of the Lord through the prophet Malachi was, Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet, before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord, and he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse. Here was a work for the translated prophet of Israel to perform at some future period of time, with some fearful consequence of noncompliance placed before us, that the Lord would smite the earth with a curse. The nature of that work is briefly set forth as turning the hearts of the fathers to the children

and that of the children to the fathers. The Apostle Paul asserts that they without us could not be made perfect, or in other words, that their salvation was necessary to our happiness or perfection. Jesus, speaking to Nicodemus, says, Verily, verily I say unto thee, except a man be born of water and of the spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. But asks the reader, How shall a spirit be born of water or baptized in water?

Very many of those who have gone into the spirit world had never submitted to the ordinance of baptism, while vast numbers of those who had been baptized had the ordinance administered by persons who had no rightful authority whatever, and whose acts God will not by any means recognize. They stand in the same position to the kingdom of God that a man does who, as alien to the government of the United States, has received his papers of citizenship from a man who held no office under government, and as a consequence had no authority to confer those rights upon anyone. Paul, writing to the Hebrews, speaks of baptism in the plural, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and efferves.

faith towards God, and of the doctrine of baptisms. Many have supposed this passage to sanction the idea of different modes of baptism, but by turning to another of Paul's epistles, we learn clearly his meaning. We gain also the information how we may be instruments in the hands of a wise creator in doing a work for the dead. else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead if the dead rise not at all? Why are they then baptized for the dead? We have here an explanation as to how their prison doors may be opened, and they set free

by the ordinance of the gospel through the baptism for the dead. Those that are in the flesh can do a vicarious work for their dead and become saviors upon Mount Zion. We here insert an account of the visit of Elijah to the earth in fulfillment of the prophet of the Lord through Malachi. On the third day of April 1836, the prophet Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdry, while in the temple at Kirtland,

had a vision of the heavens opened, and Elijah the prophet, who was taken to heaven without tasting death, stood before them and said, behold the time has fully come, which was spoken of by the mouth of Malachi, testifying that he, Elijah, should be sent before the great and dreadful day of the Lord come to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the children to the fathers, lest the whole earth be smitten with a curse. Therefore, the keys of this dispensation are committed into your hands, and by this ye may know that the great and dreadful day of the Lord is near,

even at the doors. Elijah the prophet having come and conferred the authority to baptize for the dead, the latter-day saints are assiduously engaged in erecting temples, wherein this ordinance may be performed. The object of Elijah's visit having been partially accomplished, in causing the hearts of the fathers, dead and gone, to turn to the children here on earth, the children are feeling after their fathers and seeking to open their prison doors,

and to bring them through the door of baptism into the sheepfold. Not only are the elders of Israel traveling, preaching the gospel, and baptizing the people by the thousand, but the saints are flocking to the temples of the Lord and redeeming their dead from the grasp of Satan. They are performing a great and mighty work for the human family who have lived upon the earth in different ages of the world's history, and who, in some instances,

by revelation make manifest to their children or friends the fact that they have accepted the gospel in the spirit world. The patriarchs and prophets of former days, with Peter, James, and the apostles who lived in the meridian of time, with Joseph Smith, Brigham Young, and other prophets of the dispensation of the fullness of times in the latter days, are earnestly engaged in the work of giving information and directing the preaching of the gospel in the spirit world. Associated with our Father in the heavens, with the angels, and the good and true of the earth, we can afford to smile at the puny efforts of man

to overthrow the work of God. What man can strive against the bucklers of Jehovah? Can the designs that have been in process of fulfillment since the world began now be stayed in their onward progress because they do not happen to meet the approval, of people of today? In conclusion, let us examine one more question that is doubtless presented itself to the mind of the reader, and that is the question of future punishment. If, by preaching to the spirits in prison, bringing them to a knowledge of the truth and being baptized for them,

releasing them from their prison house, it logically follows that there must be an end to future punishment. We hear the question asked, do not the Scriptures say it is eternal punishment and everlasting punishment? We answer yes, but let us not put any private interpretation on these terms, but correctly understand their meaning. Eternal punishment is God's punishment, everlasting punishment is God's punishment, or in other words, it is the name of the punishment God inflicts he being eternal in his nature. Whosoever, their therefore receives God's punishment, receives eternal punishment, whether it is endured one hour, one day, one week, one year, one age, and they were judged every man according to their

works. Some shall be beaten with few and some with many stripes. Here we have plainly set forth the fact that all men are not punished alike, that some receive a greater punishment than others, that as their works are, so shall be the punishment awarded them. And I saw the dead small and great standing before God, and the books were opened, and another book was opened, which was the book of life, and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books according to their works, and the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them. These were the words of John upon the Isle of Patmos, and most impressively, he adds,

And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book. We consider that enough has been said to establish the principles we have advanced, and we call upon all to whom these words shall come, to exercise faith in the gospel of Jesus Christ, to repent of their sins, to be baptized for the remission of them, to receive the laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost,

and then to serve the God of Israel with all their might, mind, and strength. Produced by Villeat Brown McCurtrick and Jared Ure, Mormon Text Project Intern, Mormon TextProject.org. End of the Plan of Salvation by John Morgan, Part 2 of 2. Outlines of Mormon Philosophy by Lycurgus A. Wilson, part one of three. This is a Libravox recording. All Libravox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit Libravox.org. read by James Bleckley

Outlines of Mormon philosophy or the answers given by the gospel is revealed through the prophet Joseph Smith to the questions of life by Lycurgis A. Wilson Introductory History relates of Hypatia, the daughter of Theon, an eminent mathematician

of Alexandria, that before being committed to the flames by an ignorant mob, she exclaimed, who am I? When's am I, and whither am I going? These questions, elaborated and particularized, are universal. They belong neither to any time nor sect nor civilization. They are the questions of life. They recur to us at every turn in life, and when life nears its close, the master thought with studious men is that they shall soon know the answer. But from that born, no traveler returns, as the poet has it, to enlighten those who remain. And so we are beset by limitations.

Swung into space with no means of exploring it, bound to this whirling ball, circumscribed in all our activities, without power to determine our lot here, the moment of our entrance, nor to extend the time of our exit. When we seek to know the mysteries of life, our condition is, in a way, as would be that of a family, inhabiting from time out of mind a miniature island in mid-ocean, without means of communicating with the world, should they, by conjecture, try to learn the history and civilization of mankind. Our means of observation of the forces about us are very limited. Tradition is cut off at our birth, reason stands powerless for want of analogy, and the only recourse we have for direct communication with reality is revelation.

Professor Lewis, in his biographical history of philosophy, closes the door of inquiry upon us in this way. To aspire to the knowledge of more than phenomena, their resemblances and successions, is to aspire to transcend the limitations of human faculties. To know more, we must be more. In the midst of these perplexities comes the gospel to us as a welcome, gracious visitor from the realms beyond the reach of our knowledge. The object of this work, as intimated by the text, is to suggest a firm central point about which may be grouped in orderly arrangement all our knowledge, and our guide shall be revelation. In this endeavor we shall be assisted materially if we attempt however crudely a classification of the subject matter, and we shall therefore consider, first, the universal, all-prevailing eternal conditions of existence under the head of one conditions precedent.

Second, the inception, purpose, plans, covenants, and perpetuity of this system of organization in which we now find ourselves under the head of two, the gospel. Third, the results, the fruits of this all-wise arrangement under the head of three conditions subsequent. It may be said at the outset that the attempt here made is to present in order and to hold up as the answer to all the problems of life, the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, as restored to the earth through the prophet Joseph Smith. There are only two reasons that come to why this effort may not be acceptable. One is a disbelief on the part of the reader in the divinity of the gospel. The other is the inadequacy of this presentation. To the former objection is sufficient for the inquiring mind to say, judge for yourself whether or not the gospel, as here set out,

answers every requirement of life, where other systems of philosophy all fail. To the latter we reply, no attempt is here made to present in detail the principles of the gospel, but only to sketch the outlines. And moreover, the reader is at perfect liberty to supply whatever deficiency he may detect. Part 1. Conditions Precedent. Space, Time, Matter, Intelligences. 1. As to Space. The schoolboy is told that the idea held general in the days of Columbus, was that if the venturesome ships were to sail too far out on the ocean, they would fall off into space. And in his silent meditations, he often wonders where, in such a case, those ships would have gone. The natural answer to his mind is that they would have gone down.

But when he learns later that the words down and up relate only to the earth, and that in speaking of space, there are no such terms as up or down, or east or west, or north or south, all of his ideas of direction are at sea. His conception of space increases, however. Later in school life, he studies with interest the movements of the planetarium and is surprised to find the Earth, whose geographical extent has hitherto seemed so vast, represented by such an insignificant ball so near the sun. This, however, is only the beginning of his surprises. He's told later that large as the solar system seems, yet if our sun viewed from one of the fixed stars

were as large as the orbit of Neptune, it would be eclipsed by a pinhead held at arm's length. And so his ideas of space continue to enlarge as he grows in understanding. As we study Herschel's diagram of the group of stars in which we dwell and let the mind contemplate with the astronomer the nebulae, supposed by some to be other groups of stars much more magnificent than our own,

the mind is lost in wonder at the immensity of space and the grandeur of the works of God. But even this is simply a beginning. The Lord gives us a still deeper insight into the situation when he reveals to us the fact that all these vast systems, as well as other systems, of which as yet we know nothing, are revolving around other systems, which are all controlled from a common center. His first creation, the great Kolob.

When, therefore, the Lord, standing in the midst of his works, comprehending and controlling them all, speaks to us of the immensity of space, how shall mortal, finite man state his conception of space? How far is the philosopher advanced above the schoolboy with his query about the ships of Columbus? So far as reason can answer the questions as to the bound of space, it is answered by Professor Orson Pratt. Discussing the necessity for endless time and boundless space, he says,

that there must be an endless duration and a boundless space are necessary truths, which cannot possibly be conceived to be otherwise than they are. These are necessary truths, whether any being exists to conceive them as, such or not. Indeed, if there were no being in existence, the same unalterable and unchangeable necessity would characterize these truths. Endless space and duration cannot be created nor annihilated by any being, but their continuance has been and must be eternal. These truths do not admit of being proved, for that which has no beginning cannot be preceded by a cause. And where no cause exists, there cannot possibly be any foundation for reasoning. There can be no reason why space and

duration are as they are, and yet we perceive a necessity for them to be as they are. But we have a more sure word than unaided reason can offer. We are not left without revelation on this subject, meager though the reference may be. The prophet Joseph Smith, speaking of the light of the sun, remarks, the sun has no beginning nor end. The rays which proceed from himself have no bounds, consequently they are eternal. From this simple statement, we receive more information than any man in our present condition, uninspired by the Lord could ever attain. Indeed, this very question is classed by the philosopher Herbert Spencer as among those the answer to which is unknowable. But when we have this basic fact from which to reason, we are safe and concluding that if there are no bounds to the light of the sun, then it must follow that space is boundless.

Two, as to time. Another of the questions of life, the answer to which is classed by Herbert Spencer as among the unknowable, is time. And of the same mind, apparently is Thomas Carlyle, who says, the illimitable silent, never-resting thing called time, rolling, rushing on. This is forever very literally a miracle, a thing to strike us dumb. All sorts of ideas have been advanced in all ages of the world as to the mystery of time, and even its very existence has been called in question, as witness the following. But the present has no duration and is not time at all. It is but the plain which, without thickness divides past and future.

Time then is not made up of past, present and future, but of past and future only. And as these do not exist, time itself cannot exist. But the only question that concerns us here in our search for eternal conditions is as to the duration of time. As to this, we may again refer to the reasoning of Orson Pratt. And we have also an additional and final assurance from the Lord when he says in speaking to Abraham, If there be two spirits, and one shall be more intelligent than the other,

yet these two spirits, notwithstanding, one is more intelligent than the other, have no beginning, they existed before. They shall have no end, they shall exist after, for they are nullaeum, or eternal. The inference is plain. If spirits always existed and always will exist, There never was a beginning, and there never will be an end of time. 3. As to Matter. Some writer has characterized the passage in Genesis, God said, Let there be light, and there was light, as the perfection of beauty and expression.

But we venture to place over against it another. This, however, directly from a divine source through the prophet Joseph Smith. What could be more succinct or beautiful or more richly laden with truth respecting conditions precedent than the words, the elements, are eternal? That expression is worth more to the scientists who will receive it than all the fine-spun theories of so-called philosophy. An acceptance of this truth would put to rest no end of controversy. Since the earliest times investigators have believed in the transmutation of matter, that if they could only find the secret they could, for instance, turn silver into gold, and again, it has been the belief until recent years that matter could be annihilated.

Now, however, the idea is accepted throughout the entire scientific world that no particle of matter can be destroyed. It may be changed from one form into another as water is converted into steam, but the elements remain unchanged. The transmutation theory, however, still haunts the human mind. The elements are eternal. The prophet Joseph Smith adds to this nugget of truth, another beautiful thought when he says, Hence we infer that God had materials to organize the world out of chaos, chaotic matter,

which is element, and in which dwells all the glory. From which we may be assured that in the gospel scheme of organization, life's drama in the large, matter plays no unimportant part. We therefore may conclude that all the matter now existing always existed and always will exist, that there never was any more matter than there is at present and there never will be any more than there is now. 4. As to intelligences. Notwithstanding the desire for knowledge, this simplicity of truth has ever entailed upon it an unfriendly reception at the hands of men. It seems to be almost a law of the human mind that our preconceived notions, whether true or

false, stand in the way of new ideas. And usually our principal effort is put forth in trying to reconcile a new thought with the old theory, rather than in an endeavor to give each its proper valuation. And this is preeminently the case in relation to our ideas on the eternal existence of personal individual intelligences. We can easily conceive of eternally existing matter, but not so of spirits. Perhaps an excuse is afforded to us in the fact that God is our father, but no earthly father who understands the gospel thinks for a moment that his children had no existence until they were begotten by him. He knows they have existed in the spirit world, equally with himself. He is their father by reason of having given them a tabernacle in which to dwell,

and in the same way did God become our father. Man has a spiritual body as well as a body of flesh and bones, or as Paul has it, there is a natural body and there is a spiritual body. This explains the teachings as to the body, the astral body, and the aura of the yogis of India, and is explained by the Lord as follows. For I the Lord God created all things of which I have spoken spiritually, before they were naturally upon the face of the earth. And I the Lord God had created all the children of men and not yet a man to till the ground. For in heaven created I them, and there was not yet flesh upon the earth, neither in the water, neither in the air. And I the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life.

And man became a living soul, the first flesh upon the earth, the first man also. Nevertheless, all things were before created, but spiritually they were created and made according to my word. But the whole scheme of the progress of the spirit is detailed in another revelation from the Lord. This, however, is in the doctrine and covenants. For by the power of my spirit I created them, yeah, all things both spiritual and temporal. Firstly, spiritual, secondly temporal, which is the beginning of my work, and again, firstly temporal and secondly spiritual, which is the last of my work. That is to say, first, the spirit is clothed upon with a spiritual body and afterwards with a temporal or mortal body. Secondly, the spirit at the time of the resurrection is again clothed upon with the same body

just as it is laid down, and afterwards the body, at the time of the restoration, undergoes a change by which it is not only restored to its proper form in case of malformation, but is rendered immune to the disabilities of mortality, as was the case with the Savior when he passed into the room where the 12 were assembled, though the door was locked, or with the angel Moroni when he passed up through the ceiling of the room at the close of his first interview with the prophet Joseph Smith or made himself visible or invisible at will. Another cause of misconception is the meaning we attach to the word creator in describing our relationship to the Lord. We usually take the expression, he is our creator, to mean that we had no existence as individuals until he called us into being.

and this in the face of his own declarations to the contrary. He says to Abraham, as herein before quoted, If there be two spirits and one shall be more intelligent than the other, yet these two spirits, notwithstanding one is more intelligent than the other, have no beginning. They existed before and they shall have no end. They shall exist after, for they are nolayim or eternal. The construction of this statement seems purposely designed to negative the doctrine that spirits owe their origin to God,

for in that case one might well question the justice of the Creator in giving one spirit so much more intelligence than another. But the fact is, as the prophet Joseph Smith has said, God never had the power to create the spirit of man at all. God himself could not create himself, as if determined so to state, the fact that his meaning could not be misunderstood, the prophet Joseph further says, I have another subject to dwell upon, which is calculated to exalt man. But it is impossible for me to say much on this subject. I shall therefore just touch upon it, for time will not permit me to say all.

It is associated with the subject of the resurrection from the dead, the mind of man, the immortal spirit. Where did it come from? All learned men and doctors of divinity say that God, created it in the beginning, but it is not so. The very idea lessens man, in my estimation, I do not believe the doctrine, I know better. Continuing, he adds, we say that God himself is a self-existent being. Who told you so? It is correct enough, but how did you get it into your heads? Who told you that man did not exist in like manner upon the same principles? Man does

exist upon the same principles. The mind or the intelligence which man possesses is co-equal with God himself. And again, there was never a time when there were not spirits, for they are co-equal with our Father in heaven. From all of which we may conclude that all the spirits now existing always did and always will exist, that the spirits now existing are all that ever did or ever will exist. Summary of Conditions Precedent. Summarizing conditions precedent, we therefore find, one, that space is, has always been, and ever must be without bounds.

Two, that time never had a beginning and cannot have an end. Three, that matter is uncreated, indestructible, eternal. Four, that intelligences always were and always will be individual entities. and, however, varied in capacity, never had a beginning and never can never be annihilated. A broad and boundless space, therefore, with unlimited time in which to learn and labor, are intelligences surrounded by matter. End of Outlines of Mormon Philosophy by Lycurgus A. Wilson, Part 1 of 3. Corruption

Outlines of Mormon Philosophy by Lycurgus A.E. Wilson, part two of three. This is a Libravox recording. All Libravox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit Libravox.org. Read by James Bleckley. Part two. The Gospel. Inception, purpose, plan, covenants, perpetuity. 5. Inception of the Gospel The glory of God is intelligence. Perhaps our best conception of chaos in miniature may be had by observing the floating, restless, erratic particles of matter

to be seen in the path of a ray of sunshine when admitted into a dark room. One's uppermost longing at such a time is to introduce order into this jarring, discordant sphere, And that condition and that sentiment have no doubt met before. The psychologist would trace the desire back to a time before the formation of Kolob, when myriads of eternal self-existent spirits lived in the midst of boundless space, surrounded by unlimited, indestructible, unorganized matter in a universal chaos. It may be asked if there ever was such a chaotic condition. So far as the creations of God are concerned, it would appear that there was, for we are informed that Kolob is the first creation.

Turn now from this chaos in the streak of sunshine, chaos in the small, and let the mind contemplate that chaos at large, before any of the vast concourse of worlds that role in space were formed, when the matter-composing Kolob was yet unorganized, and the first desire that presents itself to the mind is to know how all this beautiful system by which we are not surrounded was evolved from that riot of matter, where this order had its inception, how God came to be God. In what is, without doubt, the most wonderful revelation ever given to mankind, in that it reaches the first first, back and state some of the most important truths, the prophet Joseph Smith, speaking at the funeral of Elder King Follett at Nauvoo, explains in the simplest terms the sublime conception. First, however, let him state his purpose. In order to understand the subject of the dead, for the consolation of those who mourn for the loss of their friends, it is necessary that

we should understand the character and being of God, and how he can, came to be so, for I'm going to tell you how God came to be God. We have imagined and supposed that God was God from all eternity. I will refute that idea, and will take away and do away the veil, so that you may see. The mind is here carried back to a time antedating anything of which we have an account anywhere else in the world, and that there may be no doubt as to the time in person referred to, the prophet is very explicit. With reference to the time, he says, You asked the learned doctors why they say the world was made out of nothing,

and they will answer, doesn't the Bible say he created the world? And they infer from the world create that it must have been made out of nothing. Now, the word create came from the word bow-row, which does not mean to create out of nothing. It means to organize. The same as a man would organize materials and build a ship. Hence, we infer that God had materials to organize the world out of chaos, chaotic matter, which is element, and in which dwells all the glory.

Elements had an existence from the time he had. The pure principles of element are principles which can never be destroyed. They may be organized and reorganized, but not destroyed. they had no beginning and can have no end. As to the personage meant, one may say, there are many gods, an almost endless chain of creators, to which one does the prophet refer? We are not left in doubt, for he explains,

if the veil were rent today, and the great God who holds this world in its orbit and who upholds all worlds and all things by his power, were to make himself visible. I say if you were to see him today, you would see him like a man in form. And further, my object is to find out the character of the only wise and true God and what kind of a being he is. With these prefatory remarks, the prophet Joseph proceeds to tell how God came to be God, in what must appeal to one as among the divinest words ever uttered.

He says, God himself, Finding he was in the midst of spirits and glory because he was more intelligent, saw property institute laws, whereby the rest could have a privilege to advance like himself. The relationship we have with God places us in a situation to advance in knowledge. He has power to institute laws to instruct the weaker intelligences, that they may be exalted with himself, so that they might have one glory upon another, and that all knowledge, power, glory, and intelligence, which is requisite in order to save them in the world of spirits. No wonder, then, in the ecstasy of the moment, he exclaimed,

This is good doctrine. It tastes good. I can taste the principles of eternal life, and so can you. They are given to me by the revelations of Jesus Christ, and I know that when I tell you these words of eternal life as they are given to me, you taste them, and I know you believe them. You say honey is sweet, and so do I. I can also taste the spirit of eternal life. I know it is good, and when I tell you of these things which were given to me by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, you are bound to receive them as sweet, and I rejoice more and more. Here then is the inception of the gospel, the course of study under which we are now working, the plan of salvation, by virtue of which all the creations of God, beginning with Kolob, were made, instituted in the beginning by our Father, to which Jesus the Christ exceeded in the great council in heaven before this earth was made.

Whether or not in the vast eternities preceding the creation of Kolob, other plans have been tried and found wanting, we are not told. But the fact that, as the prophet Joseph tells us, God worked out his kingdom with fear and trembling would indicate that he had seen many failures. It should be noted here that the ruling sentiment in the inception of the gospel was the most unselfish love of the great God for his fellow creatures. Not satisfied with his own power, glory, and intelligence, he must, by force of his affection for those of lesser estate, formulate a plan by which they might arrive at the same station as himself.

It will not, therefore, be surprising to find that love occupies a high place among the virtues cultivated by the gospel. Six. Purpose of the Gospel The instructor in school or college before commencing his work carefully lays out his courses of study with a definite purpose in view for each course. and is able at the outset to give not only an outline of the work to be done, but the purpose of each course, so that he can tell the applicant for instruction which course will fit him,

for example, for practice as a civil engineer. And this line of procedure is of great importance. Under such an arrangement, the student at every stage of his advancement will have in mind the purpose of his work, and whatever the obstacles in his path may be will be impelled to press on with confidence in the wisdom of each step, and an assurance that success will finally crown his best endeavors. It is therefore necessary for us to inquire the purpose for which the gospel was instituted, and aside from the inference that may be drawn from what has already been said on the inception of the gospel,

the Lord has given us a direct statement of his designs. After giving an account of a vision in which Moses beheld the earth and all the inhabitants thereof, the record proceeds, and it came to pass that Moses called upon God, saying, Tell me, I pray thee, why these things are so, and by what thou madest them. And behold, the glory of God was upon Moses, so that Moses stood in the presence of God, and he talked with him face to face. And the Lord God said unto Moses, For my own purpose have I made these things.

Here is wisdom, and it remaineth in me. And by the word of my power have I created them, which is my only begotten son, who is full of grace and truth. And worlds without number have I created, and I also created them for mine own purpose. And by the son I created them, which is mine only begotten. And the first man of all men I have called, Adam, which is many, but only an account of this earth and the inhabitants thereof give I unto you.

For behold, there are many worlds that have passed away by the word of my power, and there are many also which now stand, and numberless are they unto man. But all things are numbered unto me, for they are mine, and I know them. And it came to pass that Moses spake unto the Lord, saying, be merciful unto thy servant, O God, and tell me concerning this earth, and the inhabitants thereof, and also the heavens, and then thy servant will be content. And the Lord God spake unto Moses, saying, the heavens, they are many, and they cannot be numbered unto man, but they are numbered unto me, for they are mine, and as one earth shall pass away, and the heavens thereof, even so shall others come, and there is no end to my works,

neither to my words. For this is my work and my glory, to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man. We have here then a plain statement of the purpose of the Lord in formulating the gospel, and we may now inquire as to the course of procedure to be followed to accomplish the object in view. 7. The plan of the gospel. We may use still further the comparison of the instructor,

and pupil. The plan of the work he is to pursue is laid before the student at the outset. All the steps of his progress are pointed out to him from the opening of his course until his graduation. In outline, he can trace his work throughout, and can tell at any stage of his advancement how far he has come, and what yet remains to be done before he can claim his diploma. Just so the Lord has outlined the course of procedure under the gospel plan, and and as with the student, so we may know how far we have advanced. Following is a remarkable disclosure in which we have the plan outlined. And they who keep their first estate shall be added upon,

and they who keep not their first estate shall not have glory in the same kingdom with those who keep their first estate. And they who keep their second estate shall have glory added upon their heads forever and ever. When the time had arrived for the council in heaven to name a Savior, according to the plan of the Father, to come to the earth in the meridian of time and make possible the resurrection from the dead, there was a rebellion, the account of which gives us an indication of the dividing point in our progress between the first and second estates. It reads as follows,

And the Lord said, Whom shall I send? and one answered like unto the son of man, here am I, send me. And another answered and said, Here am I, send me. And the Lord said, I will send the first, and the second was angry,

and kept not his first estate, and at that day many followed after him. Additional information as to the proportion of that host of spirits who followed after him is given in the doctrine and covenants. For behold, the devil was before Adam, for he rebelled against me, saying, Give me thine honor, which is my power.

And also a third part of the hosts of heaven turned he away from me because of their agency, and they were thrust down, and thus came the devil and his angels. We learn, therefore, that according to the plan of the gospel, there are two estates with varying glories attached to each, that one third of the host of heaven

into the midst of whom the Lord came down in the beginning, had not made sufficient progress when the time came for peopling this earth to keep their first estate, and that the two-thirds who remained faithful up to that time were introduced to the next step of advancement by being permitted to take bodies upon this earth, and are accordingly on the way to the keeping of the second estate, to which is attached the glory of eternal lives. Here then, with an illustration in the case of this earth is the outlined plan of the gospel. Eight, covenants of the gospel. Pursuing the comparison of the instructor and students still further,

we find that their relations are governed by an implied contract from beginning to end. The student who sets out to take a course of instruction in civil engineering, for instance, agrees on his part to follow the directions of the instructor throughout the term of years prescribed to complete the work. On the part of the instructor, an agreement is made that if the student will so follow the course laid out for the stated number of years, he shall receive a diploma as a civil engineer. It is proper, therefore, first to make an inquiry as to the agreement, if any, entered into in the beginning between the great formulator of this course of study we are pursuing and the world of mankind. It is interesting to note here that the late President Lorenzo Snow looked upon the passage about to be quoted, I came down in the beginning, in the midst of all the intelligences thou hast seen, as going the furthest back of any of the revelations we have direct from the Almighty.

We may here gather from the following quotation the covenant entered into by the spirits in the beginning. I came down in the beginning in the midst of all the intelligences thou hast seen. Now the Lord has shown unto me, Abraham, the intelligences that were organized before the world was. And among all these there were many of the noble and great ones. And God saw these souls that they were good. And he stood in the midst of them and said, These I will make my rulers. For he stood among those that were speaking.

and he saw that they were good. And he said unto me, Abraham, thou art one of them. Thou was chosen before thou was born. And there stood one among them that was like unto God. And he said unto those who were with him, we will go down. For there is space there, and we will take of these materials. And we will make an earth whereon these may dwell.

And we will prove them herewith, to say, see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them. The spirits, therefore, after this plan of the gospel had been presented to and accepted by them, had agreed to do all things whatsoever the Lord their God should command them. In accord herewith is the statement of President Joseph F. Smith that not order, but obedience is the first law of heaven. As to the covenant made by the Lord in his part of the contract, we read in the Doctrine and Covenants. And also, all they who receive this priesthood receiveeth me, saith the Lord.

For he that receiveth my servants, receiveth me, and he that receiveth me, receiveth my father. And he that receiveth my father, receiveth my father's kingdom. Therefore all that my father hath shall be given unto him. And this is according to the oath and covenant which belongeth to the priesthood. Therefore all those who receive the priesthood receive this oath and covenant of my father, which he cannot break. As it is designed in the gospel plan for the redemption of the dead that all men who have arrived at years of accountability and who during their lifetime here were subject to law, shall have the priesthood conferred upon them, either in person or by proxy. It will be seen how wide the application of this covenant will accept.

extend. The great covenants pertaining to the gospel are, accordingly, on the part of the spirits, obedience to whatever law is given to them, on the part of the Lord to those who are the most faithful, a fullness of his glory. But as will be seen hereafter, provision is made for all, even for the least of his creatures. 9. Pertuity of the Gospel certainly a system of such grandeur and comprehensiveness as the gospel must have within itself the seeds of perpetuity. No catastrophe the mind of man can contemplate would compare with that which would result if all this beautiful fabric should at some time by any mischance go to pieces. But the elements not only of continuity but of continuous growth are in the gospel.

and the wisdom of God shall not be destroyed. The spirits, whether they place themselves under the course of instruction provided for in the gospel or not, are eternal, as are also the elements with which under its plan they become united. And by following the thought behind the revelation, here to be quoted, we may trace therein the design of the maker for the stability of his work. In relation to the union of spirit and element, we read in the doctrine and covenants, For man is spirit, the elements are eternal, and spirit and element inseparably connected, receiveth a fullness of joy, and when separated, man cannot receive a fullness of joy.

Here, without doubt, it may be noted in passing, we have one of the great discoveries by which God came to be God. As to the continuity of the union between spirit and matter, we quote the words of the prophet Amalek, recorded in the book of Mormon. Now behold, I have spoken unto you concerning the death of the mortal body, and also concerning the resurrection of the mortal body. I say unto you that this mortal body is raised to an immortal body, that is from death, even from the first death unto life, that they can die no more. their spirits uniting with their bodies never to be divided, thus the whole becoming spiritual and immortal, that they can no more see corruption. Our next step will be a consideration of the priesthood, which is designed by the gospel plan to form a never-ending bond of union between those who arrive at their exaltation under its provisions.

We read in the Book of Mormon. This high priesthood, being after the order of his son, which order was from the foundation of the world, or, in other words, being without beginning of days or end of years, being prepared from eternity to all eternity, according to his foreknowledge of all things. We may now turn to a consideration of the process by which an increase of the dominion of all those who are faithful is provided for in the gospel. In the doctrine and covenants we read, And again, verily I say unto you, If a man marry a wife by my word, which is my law,

and by the new and everlasting covenant, and it is sealed unto them by the Holy Spirit of promise, by him who is anointed, unto whom I have appointed this power, and the keys of the priesthood, and it shall be said unto them, ye shall come forth in the first resurrection, and if it be after the first resurrection in the next resurrection, and shall inherit thrones, kingdoms,

principalities, and powers, dominions, all heights and depths, then shall it be written in the Lamb's Book of Life that he shall commit no murder whereby to shed innocent blood. And if you abide by my covenant and commit no murder whereby to shed innocent blood, it shall be done unto them in all things whatsoever my servant have put upon them in time and through all eternity, and shall be of full force when they are out of the world, and they shall pass by the angels and the gods, which are set there to their exaltation and glory in all things, as hath been sealed upon their heads, which glory shall be a fullness and a continuation of the seeds forever and ever. Then shall they be gods because they have no end.

Therefore shall they be from everlasting to everlasting, because they continue. Then shall they be above all, because all things are subject unto them. Then shall they be gods because they have all power. It is not the purpose of this work to go outside of the strict boundaries of Revelation, but one cannot refrain at this point from giving a little reign to the spirit of inquiry. When this glorious consummation shall have been obtained, will not the whole process of world-making and world-peopling in this order of spirits be gone all over again?

Shall spirits, who have never heard of this plan of organization, be visited by such a being, who shall afterward be in a position to say, in the beginning, I came down into the midst of these spirits and taught them this same gospel plan. A new earth was formed, another Adam came upon it, a savior was provided. In the enduring union between the spirits and element, in the eternal nature of the bond entered into by those who receive the holy priesthood, and in the never-ending increase of those who properly contract the marriage relation, is manifest therefore the wisdom of God in providing for the perpetuity and growth of his dominion, as well as for the exaltation of those spirits who render obedience to the gospel.

Summary of the Gospel Summarizing the outline of the Gospel here presented, we find first that the Gospel had its inception when God finding he was in the midst of spirits and glory because he was more intelligent, saw property institute laws whereby the rest could have a privilege to advance like himself. Second, that the purpose of God in so doing was to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man. Third, that under the plan of the gospel there are two estates, the keeping of both of which shall entitle the spirits to be added upon forever and ever. Fourth, that the covenants entered into by the parties involved were, on the part of the spirit, obedience in all things to whatsoever the Lord their God should command them,

or in other words, to the best light under which they lived upon the earth, and on the part of the Lord, that all who receive the Holy Priesthood and are faithful thereto shall receive a fullness of his glory. Fifth, that the perpetuity of the gospel plan is assured by the increased power of those who receive bodies, with which their spirits shall be inseparably connected, by the eternal bond entered into under the covenant of the Holy Priesthood, and by the enduring union of the sexes in a never-ending increase of posterity. End.

of Outline of Mormon Philosophy by Lycurgus A. Wilson, Part 2 of 3. Outlines of Mormon philosophy by Lycurgus A. Wilson, part 3 of 3. This is a Libravox recording. All Libravox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit Libravox.org. Read by James Bleckley. Part 3. Conditions Subsequent. Nature, Man, General, Special. Nature

But only an account of this earth and the inhabitants thereof I give unto you. Book of Moses, Chapter 1, verse 35. We come now to consider the fruits of this tree of life, the gospel, as relates to nature, the environment of man. While we may view with wonder and with awe the marvelous works of God about us in the heavens, still our interests as ourselves are confined to the earth upon which we dwell. It is true the Lord has given us some notion of the vastness of his works, of Kolob, the first creation, nearest the celestial or residence of God,

first in government last pertaining to the measurement of time, whose day is equal to a thousand years, according to the measurement of this earth, of Oliblish, which is the next grand governing creation, holding the key of power also pertaining to other planets, and has revealed to us that were it possible that men could number the particles of the earth, yeah, and millions of Earths like this,

it would not be a beginning to the number of His, creations. Yet a knowledge of his dominions, except in a general way, concerning any other of his creations than this earth, is withheld from us. We have, however, a number of revealed truths concerning the earth that would add greatly to the interest as well as to the enlightenment of the scientific world if they were accepted. If, for instance, it had been known to, and received by science that this Earth was organized or formed out of other planets which were broken up and remodeled and made into the one on which we live, how many vain theories and how much useless work would have been saved? How many times the Earth, or portions of it in another

planet, was peopled by the Lord before Adam was placed upon it, we are not informed. But from the fact that he was commenished to replenish or refilis, or refiltered. We may infer that it had in some form been inhabited before our first parents came here, but of this no account is given us by revelation. How fully and how wisely the earth was prepared before being sent on its present voyage, with provisions, with material for clothing, with fuel, and with all the necessities and comforts of life, is matter of common knowledge. The Lord has given us the name by which,

which this part of his dominion is known to him, as Idumea. And as to the order to which it belongs among his diversified creations, we have a wonderful revelation in the doctrine and covenants as follows. The poor and meek of the earth shall inherit it. Therefore it must need to be sanctified from all unrighteousness, that it may be prepared for the celestial glory, for after it hath filled the measure of its creation, it shall be crowned with glory, even with the presence of God the Father, that bodies of the celestial kingdom may possess it

forever and ever. For this intent was it made and created, and for this intent are they sanctified. And again, verily I say unto you, the earth abideth the law of a celestial kingdom, for it filleth the measure of its creation and transgresseth not the law, wherefore it shall be sanctified. Yeah, notwithstanding it shall die, it shall be quickened again, and shall abide by the power by which it is quickened, and the righteous shall inherit it. The following passage, respecting the final condition of the earth, gives further light upon this beautiful thought. The prophet Joseph Smith says, this earth, in its sanctified immortal state, will be made like unto crystal, and will be a Eurum and Thumim to the inhabitants who dwell thereon,

whereby all things pertaining to an inferior kingdom, or all kingdoms of a lower order, will be manifest to those who dwell on it, and this earth will be Christ's. As to the final conditions of the animals and plants of the earth, the Lord explains, For all old things shall pass away, and all things shall become new, even the heaven and the earth, and all the fullness thereof,

both men and beasts, the foul of the air and the fishes of the sea, and not one hair, neither moat shall be lost, for it is the workmanship of mine hand. From all of which, and from other like revelations, too numerous to mention here,

we gather, that while we may see, speculate upon the multitude of the Lord's creations we have, except from our observations of the heavens about us, and the meager information vouchsafed us by revelation, no detailed account of any planet, but of the earth on which we dwell. That the earth is on the way to eternal celestial glory, where it will shine of its own light, in which condition it will be inhabited by celestial beings, not only by mankind, but by the elect of the animal and vegetable kingdom as well.

Man. General considerations. And it came to pass that Moses looked and beheld the world upon which he was created. And as Moses beheld the world in the ends thereof, and all the children of men which are and which were created of the same, he greatly, marveled and wondered. Book of Moses, Chapter 1, verse 8. The fruits of the gospel, as relates to the peopleing of the earth through Adam, are not fully ripe. The generations of that lineage are still incomplete, but it is interesting to study the general outline of the plan which was laid for that

purpose before the earth was formed, a part of which has now been rendered into history. As made known to John the Revelator on the Isle of Patmos, this plan presented to him by signs, the meaning of which was revealed to the prophet Joseph Smith, contemplated the division of human history into seven periods of one day each, according to the Lord's reckoning. The first should be a day of peace, the second a day of war and conquest, the third a day in which commerce should have its rise. The fourth, a day of war.

The fifth, a day of persecution. The sixth, a day of preparation for the Sabbath, or millennium. The seventh, a day of peace and rest. Let the student follow down the history of the world with this outline in mind, and he cannot fail to be impressed with the coincidence so far of the prophecy and its fulfillment. Not only were the period set and the work to be accomplished in each determined, but the order in which the spirits to take bodies on this earth should come forth was outlined before the earth was made. Abraham says, as here and before, quoted,

Now the Lord has shown unto me Abraham, the intelligences that were organized before the world was. And among all these, there were many of the noble and great ones. And God saw these souls that they were good, and he stood in the midst of them, and he said, these I will make my rulers, for he stood among those that were spirits, and he saw that they were good. And he said unto me, Abraham, thou art one of them. Thou wast chosen before thou wast born. When we recall the promise made to Abraham after his advent upon the earth, that through him and his seed, should all the children of the earth be blessed, when we see in the history of the world how the seed of Israel has been, scattered among all nations, and when we witness the purpose of the Lord, now going forward, to gather into one family under that lineage all the descendants of Adam, this passage and

that promise take on peculiar significance. Furthermore, that the course of the star of empire was set from the first is evident from the revelation given to Adam three years before his death at the altar of Adam Andi Ahman, as related in the doctrine and covenants. We read, as Adam stood up in the midst of the congregation, and notwithstanding he was bowed down with age, being full of the Holy Ghost, predicted whatsoever should befall his posterity unto the latest generation. Among those spirits, in the midst of whom the Lord stood when he saw and chose as his rulers, the noble and great ones, there were no doubt many who were less intelligent. How could these spirits be so placed in the generations of Adam's race as to

make the most of them? The solution of the problem is disclosed in the following extract from the Book of Mormon. For behold, the Lord doth grant unto all nations of their own nation and tongue to teach his word. Yeah, in wisdom, all that he seeth fit that they should have, therefore we see that the Lord doth counsel and wisdom according to that which is just and true. Superior minds, that is to say, have been sent to the earth among all people in all ages of the world, to teach, to bring forth new inventions, to give laws, to make discoveries, to establish or to overthrow governments, according to the varying capacities and intelligence and necessities of the people among whom they were appointed by the supreme head to labor. The sentiment awakened by a

contemplation of this passage of Scripture is one of the utmost reverence, admiration, and love for a being of such wisdom and mercy. But not only has the Lord determined the general course of civilization on the earth, but even the work of individuals, apart from his prophets, has been under his direction, as was that of Columbus, of whom we read in the book of Mormon as follows. And I looked, and I beheld a man among the Gentiles who was separated from the seed of my brethren by many waters, and beheld the spirit of God that it came down and wrought upon the man, and he went forth upon the many waters, even unto the seed of my brethren, who were in the promised land.

instances of this character, however, are too numerous to mention here, but they show that not only in a general way, but in many details, the peopling of the earth has proceeded under a well-defined, predetermined plan. Not only has the history of mankind on the earth been outlined from the beginning, but the rewards awaiting them, according to the light they have received and their obedience thereto have been fixed, for it will be remembered from what we will be remembered from what we are being, was developed under the head of covenants of the gospel, that all who have taken bodies upon the earth in the lineage of Adam are under the same promise of obedience to whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them in their day and generation. After describing the torment of those spirits who become sons of perdition, the revelation to the prophet Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon continues, and again we bear record. for we saw and heard that this is the testimony of the gospel of Christ,

concerning them who come forth in the resurrection of the just, they are they who received the testimony of Jesus, and believed on his name and were baptized after the manner of his burial, being buried in the water in his name, and this according to the commandment which he has given, that by keeping the commandments they might be washed and cleansed from all their sins, and receive the Holy Spirit, by the laying on of the hands of him who is ordained and sealed unto this power,

and who overcome by faith and are sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise, which the Father sheds forth upon those who are just and true. They are they who are priests and kings, who have received of his fullness and of his glory, and are priests of the Most High after the order of Melchizedek, which was after the order of Enoch, which was after the order of the only begotten son. Wherefore, as it is written, they are gods, even the sons of God.

Wherefore all things are theirs, whether life or death or things present or things to come, all are theirs, and they are Christ's, and Christ is gods. And they shall overcome all things. Wherefore let no man glory in man, but rather let him glory in God, who shall subdue all enemies under His feet. feet, these shall dwell in the presence of God and His Christ forever and ever. These are they whom he shall bring with him when he shall come in the clouds of heaven to reign on the earth over his people. These are they who shall have part in the first resurrection. These are they who are just men,

made perfect through Jesus, the mediator of the new covenant, who wrought out this perfect atonement through the shedding of his own blood, these are they whose bodies are celestial, whose glory is that of the sun, even the glory of God, the highest of all, whose glory the sun of the firmament is written of as being typical. And again, we saw the terrestrial world, and behold and lo, these are they who are of the terrestrial, whose glory differs from that of the church of the firstborn, who have received the fullness of the Father, and, even as that of the moon differs from the sun in the firmament. Behold, these are they who died without law,

and also they who are the spirits of men kept in prison, whom the sun visited and preached the gospel unto them that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, who received not the testimony of Jesus in the flesh, but afterwards received it. These are they who are honorable men on the earth, who were blinded by the flesh, craftiness of men. These are they who receive of his glory but not of his fullness. These are they

who receive of the presence of the sun, but not of the fullness of the Father, wherefore they are bodies terrestrial and not bodies celestial, and differ in glory as the moon differs from the sun. These are they who are not valiant in the testimony of Jesus, wherefore they obtain not the crown over the kingdom of our God. And now, this is the end of the vision, which we saw of the terrestrial, that the Lord commanded us to write while we were yet in the spirit.

And again, we saw the glory of the telestial, which glory is that of the lesser. Even as the glory of the stars differs from that of the glory of the moon and the firmament, these are they who received not the gospel of Christ, neither the testimony of Jesus. these are they who deny not the Holy Spirit, these are they who are thrust down to hell,

these are they who shall not be redeemed from the devil until the last resurrection, until the Lord, even Christ the Lamb, shall have finished his work. These are they who receive not of his fullness in the eternal world, but of the Holy Spirit through the ministration of the terrestrial, and the terrestrial through the ministration,

of the celestial, and also the celestial receive it of the administering of angels who are appointed to minister for them, or who are appointed to be ministering spirits for them, for they shall be heirs of salvation. And thus we saw in the heavenly vision the glory of the telestial, which surpasses all understanding, and no man knows it except him to whom God has revealed it. And thus we saw the glory of the terrestrial, which excepted it. And thus we saw the glory of the terrestrial, which excepted in all things the glory of the telestial, even in glory and in power and in might and in dominion. And thus we saw the glory of the celestial, which excels in all things, where God, even the father, reigns upon his throne forever and ever, before whose throne all things bow in humble

reverence and give him glory forever and ever. They who dwell in his presence are the church of the first born, and they see as they are seen. and know as they are known, having received of his fullness and of his grace, and he makes them equal in power and in might and in dominion. And the glory of the celestial is one, even as the glory of the sun is one. And the glory of the terrestrial is one, even as the glory of the moon is one. And the glory of the telestial is one, even as the glory of the stars is one. For as one star differs from another star in glory,

Even so differs from one another in glory in the celestial world. These are they who are liars and sorcerers and adulterers and horror-mongerers and whoever loves and makes a lie. These are they who are cast down to hell and suffer the wrath of almighty God, until the fullness of times when Christ shall have subdued all enemies under his feet and shall have perfected his work. When he shall deliver up the kingdom and present unto the Father spotless, saying,

I have overcome and have trodden the wine press alone, even the wine press of the fierceness of the wrath of Almighty God, then shall he be crowned with the crown of his glory to sit on the throne of his power to reign forever and ever. But behold and low, we saw the glory and the inhabitants of the celestial world, that they were as innumerable as the stars in the firmament of heaven, or as the sand upon the seashore and heard the voice of the Lord saying, These all shall bow the knee,

and every tongue shall confess to him who sits upon the throne forever and ever, for they shall be judged according to their works, and every man shall receive according to his own works, his own dominion in the mansions which are prepared, and they shall be servants of the most high, but where God and Christ dwell they cannot come, worlds without end. From all of which it appears that the history of mankind was pre-arranged from beginning to end

before the foundations of the earth were laid. Man. Special considerations. Adam fell that man might be, and men are that they might have joy. 2. Nephi, Chapter 2, verse 25. Many of the results of the gospel with regard to man have been dwelt upon in the discussion up to this point, but there remained some considerations of importance yet to be detailed, particularly the object of his coming to this earth. We turn now, therefore, to a study of the special end in view under the gospel plan,

enclothing the spirit with mortality. The purpose of man's existence here is twofold. One object is manifest from a revelation already quoted as follows, For man is spirit. The elements are eternal, and spirit and element inseparably connected receive a fullness of joy. And when separated, a man cannot receive a fullness of joy. The spirit of man we here learn must become inseparably connected with element in order to receive the fullness of joy designed for him by the gospel.

Therefore, he must take upon him a mortal tabernacle, and for that reason, having advanced in intelligence far enough to retain his first estate, he's sent to an earth. Under the divine plan, a Savior, one who is given power to lay down his life and to take it up again, is provided, to become the first fruits of the resurrection, to open the grave, that the spirit and body may be reunited, never more to be separated. Another object of our coming here is equally important and relates to our spiritual growth. We may use a comparison. The teacher in school, acquainted with the order in which the different powers of the mind develop in childhood,

adapts his instructions to the growth in progress at any particular period. While not at all neglecting the general training of the child, he will direct his efforts particularly at different stages of the child. progress to the development, for example, of perception, of imagination, of comparison or reason in his pupil, as the mind under his charge grows in power. This procedure is necessary from the fact that, as psychologists will tell us, unless the powers of the mind are exercised as they develop, they remain dormant or only partially developed, as, for instance, the love of poetry or of music, if these pleasures are not

cultivated in childhood. And just so, we may be assured, is the plan of the gospel adapted to the development of the powers of the spirit of man in the different stages of his progress through the first and second estates. At what stage of progress, then, it may here be asked, have we now arrived? And what powers of the soul are the experiences of mortality specially designed to enlarge? man finds himself thrust into the world surrounded by sorrow, injustice, and poverty. And if he contemplates these conditions without knowing the purpose of the Lord in sending him here,

he may exclaim with Schopenhauer, If God made the world, I should not care to be God. But the gospel testifies to the mercy and wisdom and goodness of the Lord, for in it we learn that the very conditions of which the philosopher complains are designed to develop the attributes for the full growth of which the spirit is given the schooling of mortality. Let us consider. We are here cut off from any understanding of our pre-existent state or any knowledge of the hereafter, and must perforce accept the providences of the Lord and his designs for our future welfare on trust,

and so the attribute of faith is developed. Furthermore, notwithstanding all the failures and sorrows and trials of life, we are impelled by an innate self-renewing power to press on to the end, thus exercising hope. Dr. Johnson has well said, it is necessary to hope, though hope should always be deluded, and its frustrations, however frequent, are yet less dreadful than its extinction. And again, all our environments, as children, as husbands or wives, as parents, as brothers or sisters, as rulers, as ruled, as king or shepherd, as neighbors or as citizens, call on our affections, and so is love developed. The attributes of faith, hope, and love, or as Wagner has it, in his simple life, confidence, hope, and kindness, are, moreover, ever spoken of by inspired writers as those most to be cultivated. And two, these qualities and the means for their exercise are universal. They obtain alike with all classes in all ages of the world. man therefore is placed upon the earth to develop spiritually in faith, in hope, and in love,

but most of all, as is consonant with the part that sentiment played in the inception of the gospel, in love. Accordingly, Paul exclaims, And now abideth faith, hope, charity. These three, but the greatest of these is charity. Further and final evidence as to the importance of the cultivation of love is found in the reply of the Savior to the lawyer who asked, Master, which is the great commandment in the law? For Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul and with all thy mind.

This is the first and great commandment, and the second is like unto it. Thou shalt love thy neighbor is thyself. that there is a reason, and what the reason is, for the paramount importance of the cultivation of the attributes of faith, hope, and love in the present stage of our progress, is disclosed in a remarkable passage in the Book of Mormon. It reads as follows, Behold, I will show unto them that faith, hope, and charity bringeth unto me, the fountain of all righteousness, and I, Moroni, having heard thee, words was comforted and said, O Lord, thy righteous will be done, for I know that thou workest unto the children of men according to their faith. For the brother of Jared said unto the mountain Zeran, remove, and it was removed. And if he had not had faith, it would not

have moved. Wherefore thou workest after men have faith. For thus didst thou manifest thyself unto thy disciples. For after they had faith and did speak in thy name, thou didst show thyself unto them in great power. And I also remember that thou hast said that thou hast prepared a house for man. Yeah, even among the mansions of thy father, in which man might have more excellent hope, wherefore man must hope, or he cannot receive an inheritance in the place which thou hast prepared. And again I remember that thou hast said that thou hast loved the world, even unto the laying down of thy life for the Lord, that thou mightest take it again to prepare a place for the children of men. And now I know that this love which thou hast had for the children of men is charity, wherefore except men shall have charity, they cannot inherit that place which thou has prepared in the mansions of thy father. We may here summarize the last topic.

Why is man thrown into the world without a knowledge of his pre-existence of the purpose for which he is here or of his destination, that faith may be engendered in his bosom? Why is his life made up of failures, of disappointments, of sorrow, that he may cultivate hope? Why is he surrounded by the ties of kinship? Why are sickness and sorrow and death all of about him, why are care and responsibility the portion of each individual in every station in life? That the attribute of sympathy, of affection of love may be developed within him? Why does he stand in particular need at this stage of his advancement of faith, hope, and love? He has kept his first estate and is well on the way towards his trial for the keeping of his second estate, where he will require the attributes of a God,

and these three, faith, hope, and love, are the means by which the exercise of which he must acquire the power to reach that exalted destination. Herein is the justice of God in his dealings with mankind made manifest. For in the light of eternity, who should care for worldly honors or a seat among the mighty?

The poor and humble have within their reach every facility for advancement that is vouchsafed to any in this state of probation. Indeed, it would seem that even more opportunity to gain eternal riches is afforded the meek of the earth than is given to those most highly favored of the world. The gospel is, therefore, at once the true incentive to, and the sufficient justification of the simple, the courageous, the hopeful, and the kindly life. Conclusion. What then of our text?

Does the gospel, as revealed by the Lord through the prophet Joseph Smith, furnish a thoughtful man with a firm center about which he can organize his knowledge of the world? Could any man originate a system of philosophy at once so simple, so reasonable, so comprehensive, and so beneficent? Do not the answers it gives to the questions of life bear all the marks of divinity? in answer we shall here revert both by way of summary and by way of conclusion to those universal questions with which we opened this discussion and answer them in behalf of each son and daughter of Adam. Who am I? Whence am I? Why am I here? Whither am I going? From the time when as an intelligent

self-existent independent being, a broad and boundless space surrounded by exhaustless, indestructible matter, with limitless time in which to operate, I received a knowledge of the gospel plan which was formulated by the great God who upholds this world and all worlds in all things by his power. I have been pursuing the course of advancement therein provided under the covenant that if I shall render obedience to him in all things, I shall become like him, or that failing in so high in exaltation, I shall have glory added upon my head forever, in degree according to my faithfulness. Having kept my first estate, I am here to take upon my spirit a body, thus inseparably connecting spirit and element, and to exercise particularly the attributes of

faith, hope, and love, that in so doing I may gain power, and may thereby be enabled to keep my second estate. From this state of probation I am going to the world of spirits for a season, and later to a reunion with my body, where I shall be given all the glory I am capable of receiving, conditioned always upon my faithfulness to the light the Lord has given me here. For this is the message of the gospel to each soul in the world. Be true to the light God gives you, and perform with integrity the work he has assigned you exercising faith, hope, and charity. So doing, you may rest your soul secure in the arms of his love. End of Outlines of Mormon Philosophy by Lycurgus A. Wilson, Part 3 of 3.

The King Follett Discourse, as recorded in the times and seasons by the prophet Joseph Smith. This is a Libravox recording. All Libravox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit Libravox.org. Read by James Bleckley. Conference Minutes Continuation of last April's conference. The president, having arrived, the choir sang a hymn. Elder A. Lyman offered a prayer.

The president then arose and called the attention of the conference. upon the subjects which were contemplated in the four part of the conference. As the wind blows very hard, it will be hardly possible for me to make you all here unless there is profound attention. It is of the greatest importance and the most solemn of any that can occupy our attention, and that is the subject of the dead. On the decease of our brother, Follett, who was crushed to death in a well, I have been requested to speak by his friends and relatives. and inasmuch as there are a great many in this congregation who live in this city as well as elsewhere and who have lost friends, I feel disposed to speak on the subject in general

and offer you my ideas so far as I have ability, and so far as I shall be inspired by the Holy Spirit to dwell on this subject. I want your prayers and faith, the instruction of Almighty God, and the gift of the Holy Ghost, that I may set forth things that are true, that can easily be comprehended and shall carry the testimony to your hearts. Pray that the Lord may strengthen my lungs, stay the winds, and let the prayers of the saints to heaven appear, that it may enter into the ear of the Lord of Sabawath, for the effectual prayers of righteous men availeth much, and I verily believe that your prayers shall be heard before I enter into the investigation fully

of the subject that is laying before me. Before entering fully into the investigation, I wish to pave the way. I will make a few preliminaries, in order that you may understand the subject when I come to it. I do not calculate to please your ears with superfluity of words or oratory, or with much learning, but I calculate to edify you with the simple truths from heaven. In the first place, I wish to go to the beginning of creation. There is the starting point. In order to be fully acquainted with the mind, purposes, decrees, etc.

Of the great Elohim that sits in yonder heavens, it is necessary for us to have an understanding of God himself in the beginning. If we start right, it is easy to go right all the time. But if we start wrong, it is a hard matter to get right. There are a very few beings in the world who understand rightly the character of God. They do not comprehend anything. that which is past or that which is to come, and consequently, but a little above the brute beast. If a man learns nothing more than eat, drink, sleep, and does not comprehend any of the designs of God,

the beast comprehends the same thing. It eats, drinks, sleeps, and knows nothing more, yet knows as much as we, unless we are able to comprehend by the inspiration of Almighty God. I want to go back to the beginning, and so lift your minds into a more lofty sphere, a more exalted understanding that what the human mind generally understands. I want to ask this congregation, every man, woman, and child, to answer the question in their own heart. What kind of a being is God? Ask yourselves. I again repeat the question. What kind of a being is God?

Does any man or woman know? Have any of you seen him, heard him, communed with him? Here is the question that will, peradventure, from this time hereforth, occupy your attention. The apostle says, this is eternal life, to know God and Jesus Christ whom he has sent. If any man inquire what kind of a being is God, if he will search diligently his own heart, if the declaration of the apostle be true, he will realize that he has not eternal life. There can be eternal life on no other principle. My first object is to find out the character of the only wise and true God.

And if I should be the man to comprehend God and explain or convey the principles to your heart so that the spirit seals it upon you, let every man in one. henceforth put their hand on their mouth and never say anything against the man of God again. But if I fail, if it becomes my duty to renounce all my pretensions to revelation, inspirations, etc., and if all are pretensions to God, they all be as bad off as I am at any rate. There is not a man but would breathe out an anathema if they knew I was a false prophet, and some would feel authorized to take away my life. If any man is authorized to take away my life who says I am a false teacher,

then upon the same principle I am authorized to take away the life of every false teacher, and where would be the end of blood, and who would not be the sufferer? But no man is authorized to take away life in consequence of their religion, which all laws and governments ought to tolerate right or wrong. If I show verily that I have the truth of God, and show that 99 out of 100 are false teachers while they pretend to hold the keys of God, and to kill them because they are false teachers, it would deluge the whole world with blood. I want you all to know God, to be familiar with Him, and if I can bring you to Him,

all persecutions against me will cease. You will know that I am his servant, for I speak as one having a authority. What sort of a being was God in the beginning? Open your ears and hear all ye ends of the earth, for I am going to prove it to you by the Bible, and I'm going to tell you the designs of God to the human race, and why he interferes with the affairs of man. First, God himself, who sits enthroned in yonder heavens, is a man like unto one of yourselves. That is the great sin. secret. If the veil was rent today and the great God who holds this world in its orbit and upholds all things by his power, if you were to see him today, you would see him in all the person, image,

and very form as a man. For Adam was created in the very fashion, an image of God. Adam received instruction, walked, talked, and conversed with him as one man talks and communes with another. In order to understand the subject of the dead, for the consolation of those who mourn for the loss of their friends, it is necessary they should understand the character and being of God, for I'm going to tell you how God came to be God. We have imagined that God was God from all eternity. These are incomprehensible ideas to some, but they are the simple and first principles of the gospel, to know for a certain the character of God that we may converse with him as one man with another, and that God himself, the Father of us all, dwelt on earth the same as Jesus Christ himself did,

and I will show it from the Bible. I wish I had the trump of an archangel. I could tell the story. in such a manner that persecution would cease forever? What did Jesus say? Mark it, Elder Rigdon. Jesus said, As the father hath power in himself, even so hath the son power. To do what?

Why? What the father did? That answer is obvious. In a manner to lay down his body and take it up again. Jesus, what are you going to do? To lay down my life as my father. did and take it again. If you do not believe it, you do not believe the Bible. The scriptures say it and I defy all the learning and wisdom, all the combined powers of earth and

hell together to refute it. Here then is eternal life to know the only wise and true God. You have got to learn how to be gods yourselves, to be kings and priests to God the same as all gods have done by going from a small degree to another, from grace to grace, from exaltation to exaltation, until you're able to sit in glory as doth those who sit enthroned in everlasting power. I want you to know that God in the last days, while certain individuals are proclaiming his name, is not trifling with you or me. It is the first principles of consolation? How consoling to the mourner when they are called to part with a husband, wife, father, mother, child, or dear relative to know that although the earthly tabernacle shall be dissolved,

that they shall rise in immortal glory, not to suffer, sorrow, or die anymore, but they shall be heirs of God and joint heirs with Jesus Christ. What is it to enhance? To inherit. To enhance. the same glory, the same power, and the same exultation, until you ascend the throne of eternal power the same as those who are gone before. What did Jesus do? Why, I do the things I saw my father do when worlds came rolling into existence. I saw my father work out his kingdom with fear and trembling, and I must do the same. When I get my kingdom, I shall present it to my Father so that he obtains kingdom upon kingdom, and it will exalt his glory, so that Jesus treads in his tracts to inherit what God did before. It is plain beyond disputation,

and you thus learn some of the first principles of the gospel, about which so much have been said. When you climb a ladder, you must begin at the bottom, and go on until you learn the last principle. It will be a great while before you have learned the last. It is not all to be comprehended in this world. It is a great thing to learn salvation beyond the grave. I suppose I'm not allowed to go into an investigation of anything that is not contained in the Bible, and I think there are so many wise men here who would put me to death for treason. So I shall turn commenter today. I shall comment on the very first Hebrew word in the Bible. I will make a comment on the very first sentence of the

history of in the Bible. Beroschete, I want to analyze the word, Baif in, by, through, in, and everything else, Roche, the head, Shate, grammatical termination. When the inspired man wrote it, he did not put the baif there. A man, a Jew, without any authority, thought it too bad to begin to talk about

the head. It read first the head one of the gods brought forth the gods. That is the true meaning of the words. Barau signifies to bring forth. If you do not

believe it, you do not believe the learned man of God. No man can learn you more than what I have told you. Thus the head of God brought forth the gods in the Grand Council. I will simplify it in the English language. Oh, you lawyers, you doctors who have persecuted me, I want to let you know that the Holy Ghost knows something as well as you do. The head God called together the gods and sat in Grand Council. The ground counselors sat in yonder heavens and contemplated the creation, the worlds that were created at that time.

When I say doctors and lawyers, I mean the doctors and lawyers of Scripture. I have done so here, too, to let the lawyers flutter and everybody laugh at them. Some learned doctor might take a notion to say, the scriptures say thus and so, and are not to be altered, and I'm going to show you an error.

I have an old book of the New Testament, in Hebrew, Latin, German, and Greek. I've been reading the German and find it to be the most correct, and it corresponds nearest to the revelations I have given for the last 14 years. It tells about Jacoboy, the son of Zebedee. It means Jacob. In the English New Testament, it is James. Now, if Jacob had the keys,

you might talk about James through all eternity and never get the keys. In the 21st verse of the 4th chapter of Matthew, it gives the word Jacob instead of James. How can we escape the damnation of hell except God revealed to us? Men bind us with chains. Latin says Jacobod means Jacob. Hebrew says it means Jacob. Greek says Jacob. German says Jacob. I thank God I have got this book and thank him more for the gift of the Holy Ghost. I have got the oldest book in the world, but I've got the oldest book in my heart. I have all the four Testaments. Come here, you learned men, and read if you can.

We should not have introduced this testimony. Were it not to back up the word rush, the head, father of the gods. I should not have brought it up only to show that I am right. When we begin to learn in this way, we begin to learn the only truth. true God and what kind of a being we've got to worship. When we know how to come to him, he begins to unfold the heavens to us and tell us all about it. When we're ready to come to him, he is ready to come to us. Now I ask all the learned men who hear me, why the learned men who are preaching salvation say that God created the heavens and the earth out of nothing. And the

reason is they are unlearned. They account it blasphemy to come. contradict the idea they will call you a fool. I know more than all the world put together, and the Holy Ghost within me comprehends more than all the world, and I will associate with it. The word create came from the word barrao. It does not mean so. It means to organize, the same as a man would organize a ship. Hence, we infer that God had materials to organize.

the world out of chaos, chaotic matter, which is element, and in which dwells all the glory. Element had an existence from the time he had. The pure principles of elements are principles that can never be destroyed. They may be organized and reorganized, but not destroyed. I have another subject to dwell upon, and it is impossible for me to say much, but I shall just touch upon them. For time will not permit me to say all. So I must come to the resurrection of the dead, the soul, the mind of man, the immortal spirit. All men say God created it in the beginning. The very idea lessons man, in my estimation.

I do not believe the doctrine. I know better. Hear it all ye ends of the world, for God has told me so, I will make a man appear as a fool before I get through. If you don't believe it, I'm going to tell of things more noble. We say that God himself is a self-existing God. Who told you so? It's correct enough, but how did it get into your heads? Who told you that man did not exist in like manner upon the same principles?

Refers to the old Bible. How does it read in the Hebrew? It don't say so in the Hebrew. It says God made man out of the earth and put into him Adam's spirit, and so became a living body. The mind of man is as immortal as God himself. I know that my testimony is true, hence when I talk to these mourners, what have they lost? They are only separated from their bodies for a short season. Their spirits existed, co-equal with God, and now they exist in a place.

where they converse together, the same as we do on earth. Is it logic to say that a spirit is immortal and yet have a beginning? Because if a spirit have a beginning, it will have an end. Good logic. I want to reason more on the spirit of man, for I'm dwelling on the body of man, on the subject of the dead. I take my ring from my finger and liken it unto the mind of man, the immortal spirit, because it has no beginning. suppose you cut it in too, but as the Lord lives there would be an end. All the fools, learned and wise men from the beginning of creation

who say that man had a beginning proves that he must have an end, and then the doctrine of annihilation would be true. But if I'm right, and I might with boldness proclaim from the housetops that God never did have the power to create the spirit of man at all, God himself could not create himself. Intelligent exists upon a self-existent principle. It is a spirit from age to age, and there is no creation about it. All the spirits that God ever sent into the world are susceptible of enlargement. The first principles of man are self-existent with God,

that God himself finds himself in the midst of spirits and glory, because he was greater, and because he saw property institute laws, whereby the rest could have a privilege to advance like himself, that they might have one glory upon another in that knowledge, power, and glory, etc., in order to save the world of spirits. I know that when I tell you these words of eternal life that are given to me, I know you taste it, and I know you believe it. You say honey is sweet, and so do I.

I can also taste the spirit of eternal life. I know it is good, and when I tell you these things that were given me by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, you are bound to receive it as sweet, and I rejoice more and more. I want to talk more of the revelation of man to God. I will open your eyes in relation to your dead, all things whatsoever God of His God, of His God, His infinite wisdom has seen proper to reveal to us, while we are dwelling in mortality in regards to our mortal bodies, are revealed to us in the abstract and independent of affinity of this mortal tabernacle, but are revealed to us as if we had no bodies at all.

And those revelations which will save our dead will save our bodies, and God reveals them to us in view of no eternal dissolution of the body. Hence the responsibility, the awful responsibility, that rests upon us in relation to our dead. For all the spirits

who have not obeyed the gospel in the flesh, must either obey the gospel nor be damned. Solem thought. Dreadful thought. Is there nothing to be done? No salvation for our fathers and friends who have died and not obeyed.

the decrees of the Son of man? Would to God that I had 40 days and nights to tell you all, I would let you know that I am not a fallen prophet. What kind of characters are those who can be saved, although their bodies are decaying in the grave? When His commandments teach us,

it is in view of eternity. The greatest responsibility in this world that God has laid upon us is to seek after our dead. The apostle says, they without us cannot be made perfect. Now, I will speak of them. I say to you, Paul, you cannot be perfect without us. It is necessary that those who have gone before and those who come after us should have

salvation in common with us. And thus have God made it obligatory to man. Hence God said he should send Elijah, etc. I have a declaration. to make as to the provisions which God have made to suit the conditions of man, made from before the foundation of the world. What is Jesus said? All sins and all blasphemies, every transgression except one that man can be guilty of, there is a salvation for him, either in this world or in the world to come. Hence, God have made a provision that every spirit in the eternal world

can be ferreted out and saved unless he has committed that unpardonable sin, which cannot be remitted to him, that God has wrought out a salvation for all men unless they have committed a certain sin. Every man who has got a friend in the eternal world can save him unless he has committed the unpardonable sin. And so you can see how far you can be a savior. A man cannot commit the unpardonable sin after the dissolution of the body. There is a way possible for escape. Knowledge saves a man. And in the world of spirits, a man cannot be exalted but by knowledge.

So long as a man will not give heed to the commandments, he must abide without salvation. A man is his own tormentor and is his own condemner. hence the saying they shall go into the lake that burns with fire and brimstone. The tormentor of the mind of man is as exquisite as a lake burning with fire and brimstone. So is the torment of man. I know the scriptures. I understand them. I said, no man can commit the unpardonable sin after the dissolution of the body, but they must do it in this world.

Hence the salvation of Jesus Christ was wrought out for all men in order to triumph over the devil. For if it did not catch him in one place, it would in another, for he stood up as a savior. The contention in heaven was, Jesus said there would be certain souls that would not be saved, and the devil said he could save them all. The grand counsel gave in for Jesus Christ, and so the devil rebelled against God and fell. and all who put their heads for him. All sins shall be forgiven except the sin against the Holy Ghost. After a man has sinned against the Holy Ghost, there is no repentance for him.

He's got to say that the sun does not shine while he sees it. He's got to deny Jesus Christ when the heavens were open to him. And from that time, they begin to be enemies, like many of the apostates of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. When a man begins to be an enemy, he hunts me. They seek to kill me. They thirst for my blood. They never cease.

He has the same spirit that they had who crucified the Lord of Life. The same spirit that sins against the Holy Ghost. You cannot bring them to repentance. Awful is the consequence. I advise all of you to be careful what you do. You may, by and by, find out, you have been deceived. Stay yourselves.

Do not give way. You may find out that someone has laid a snare for you. Be cautious. Wait, when you find a spirit that wants bloodshed, murder, the same is not of God, but is of the devil. Out of an abundance of the heart, man speaketh. The man that tells you words of life is the man that can save you. I warn you against all evil characters,

who sin against the Holy Ghost, for there is no redemption for them in this world or in the one to come. I can enter into the mysteries. I can enter largely into the eternal worlds. For Jesus said, in my father's house are many mansions, etc. There is one glory of the sun, another glory of the moon, another glory of the stars, etc. We have reason to have the greatest hope and consolations for our dead,

for we have aided them in the first principles, for we have seen them walk in our midst and seen them sink asleep in the arms of Jesus. And hence is the glory of the sun. You mourners have reason to rejoice, speaking of the death of elder King Follett, for your husband has gone to wait until the resurrection, and your expectations and hope are far above what man can conceive,

for why has God revealed it? us. I am authorized to say by the authority of the Holy Ghost that you have no occasion to fear, for he is gone to the home of the just. Don't mourn, don't weep. I know it by the testimony of the Holy Ghost that is within me. Rejoice, O Israel, your friends shall triumph gloriously, while their murderers shall welter for ages. I say this for the benefit of strangers. I have a father, brother, and friends who are gone to a world of spirits. They're only absent for a moment. They are in the spirit. And when we depart, we shall hail our mothers, fathers, friends, and all whom we love. There will be no fear of mobs, etc., but all will have an eternity of felicity.

mothers you shall have your children for they shall have eternal life for their debt is paid there is no damnation awaits them for they are in the spirit as the child dies so shall it rise from the dead and be forever living in the learning of God it shall be the child the same as it was before it died out of your arms children dwell in exercise power in the same form as they laid them down. The baptism of water without the baptism of fire and the Holy Ghost attending it is of no use. They are necessary. He must be born of water and the spirit in order to get into the kingdom of God. In the German, the text bears me out the same as the revelations which I have given for the last 14 years. I have the testimony to put in their teeth. My testimony

has been true all the time. We will find it in the Declaration of John the Baptist. Reads from the German, John says, I baptize you with water. But when Jesus comes, who has the power, he shall administer the baptism of fire and the Holy Ghost. Great God. Where is now the sectarian world?

And if this testimony is true, they are all damned as clearly as anathema can do it. I know the text is true. true. I call upon all you Germans who know that it is true to say I, and there were loud shouts of I. Alexander Campbell, how are you going to save them with water alone? For John and his baptism was nothing without the baptism of Jesus Christ. There is one God, one father, one Jesus, one hope of our calling, one baptism. All these three baptisms, only make one. I have the truth, and I met the defiance of the world to contradict me if they

can. I've now preached a little Latin, a little Hebrew, Greek, and German, and I have fulfilled all. I am not so big a fool as many have taken me to be. The Germans know that I read the German correct. Here at all ye ends of the earth, all ye sinners, repent, repent, turn to God, for your religion won't save you, and you will be damned. Do not say how long, but those who sin against the Holy Ghost cannot be forgiven in this world or in the world to come. They shall die the second death, as they concoct scenes of bloodshed in this world, so they shall rise to that resurrection, which is the lake of fire and brimstone.

Some shall rise to the everlasting burning of God, and some shall rise to the everlasting burning of God, and some shall rise to the damnation of their own filthiness, as exquisite as the lake of fire and brimstone. I have intended my remarks to all, both rich and poor, bond and free, great and small. I have no enmity against any man. I love you all. I am your best friend,

and if persons miss their mark, it is their own fault. If I reprove a man, he hates me. he's a fool, for I love all men, especially these my brethren and sisters. I rejoice in bearing the testimony of my aged friends. You never knew my heart. No man knows my history. I cannot tell it. I shall never undertake it.

If I had not experienced what I have, I should not have known it myself. I never did harm to any man since I have been born in the world. my voice is always for peace. I cannot lie down until all my work is finished. I never think any evil nor anything to the harm of my fellow man. When I am called at the trump of the archangel and weighed in the balance, you will all know me then. I add no more. God bless you all. Amen. The choir sung a hymn at half past five o'clock,

and dismissed with a benediction. End of the King Follett discourse, as recorded in the times and seasons, by the prophet Joseph Smith. Absurdities of Immaterialism by Orson Pratt, part one of four. This is a Libravox recording. All Libravox recordings are in the public domain.

For more information or to volunteer, please visit Libravox.org. Read by James Bleckley. Absurdities of immaterialism, or a reply to TWP-Tilder's pamphlet entitled The Materialism of the Mormons or Latter-day Saints examined and exposed. By Orson Pratt, one of the 12 apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. What is truth? This is a question which has been asked by many.

It is a question supposed to be of difficult solution. Mr. Taylor, in his tract against materialism, says, It is a question which all the philosophers of the Grecian and Roman schools could not answer. He seems to think the question was unanswerable until the introduction of the gospel, since which time he considers that the veil is taken away, and that we now enjoy the full blaze of truth. He further confidently asserts that with the materials afforded us in the Sacred Book, meaning the New Testament, we are enabled satisfactorily to answer the question, what is truth?

What does this author mean by the foregoing assertions? Does he mean that no truth was understood by the Grecian Roman schools? That no truth was discerned by the nations during the first 4,000 years, after the creation? Or does he mean that the gospel truths were not understood until they were revealed? He certainly must mean the latter and not the former. Both the Romans and Grecians could, without the least a difficulty, answer the question, what is truth? Nothing is more simple than an answer to this question. It is a truth that something exists in space, and this truth was just as well perceived by all nations before the book called the New Testament existed as afterwards.

It is a truth that the three angles of a triangle are equal to two right angles. This was not learned from that sacred book, the Bible. We admit that the question, what is gospel truth, could not be answered by anyone to whom the gospel had never been revealed. Dr. Good, in his Book of Nature, says, General Truth may be defined the connection and agreement or repugnancy and disagreement of our ideas. This definition we consider erroneous,

for it makes the general truth dependent on the existence of ideas. Now, truth is independent of all ideas. It is a necessary truth that space is boundless and that duration is endless, abstract from all connection and agreement of our ideas, or even of our existence, or the existence of any other being. If neither the universe nor its creator existed, these eternal, unchangeable, and necessary truths would exist unperceived and unknown. Truth is the relation which things bear to each other.

Knowledge is the perception of truth. Truth may exist without knowledge, but knowledge cannot exist without truth. The New Testament unfolds not all the truths which exist, but some few truths of infinite importance. The vast majority of truths of less importance were discovered independently of that book. The followers of Joseph Smith, says this author, hold the doctrine of the materiality of all existence in common with the ancient academics.

This, sir, we admit. Our belief, however, in this doctrine, is founded not on any modern supernatural revelation unfolding this doctrine as the author insinuates, but on reason and common sense. The doctrine of immaterialism in our estimation is false, and in the highest degree absurd and unworthy the belief of any true Christian philosopher.

The author of the Treatise Against Materialism has stated his first proposition as follows. The philosophy of the Mormons is irrational. What the author means by this proposition is that it is irrational to believe all substance material. To substantiate this proposition, he sets out in quest of proof. An immaterial substance is the thing wanted. No other proof will answer. If he can prove the existence of an immaterial substance, his point is gained, his proposition established, and the irrationality of the material theory will be demonstrated. As we are about to launch forth into the wide field of existence in search of an immaterial substance, it may be well to have the term correctly defined, so as to be able to distinguish such a substance from matter.

It is of the utmost importance that every reasoner should clearly define the terms he employs. Two contending parties may use the same word in altogether different meanings, and each draw correct conclusions from the meaning which he attaches to the same word, hence arise endless disputes. As we have no confidence in the immaterial theory, we shall let the immaterialist define his own terms. we shall give Taylor's definition. What is meant by an immaterial substance is merely this,

that something exists which is not matter, and is evidently distinct from matter, which is not dependent on matter for its existence, and which possesses properties and qualities entirely different from those possessed by matter. Taylor's tract against materialism, page 14. This definition of an immaterial substance is ambiguous. It needs another definition to inform us what he means. Does he mean that all of the properties and qualities of an immaterial

substance are entirely different from those possessed by matter, and that it possesses no properties in common with matter? Or does he mean that while it possesses some properties and qualities entirely different from matter, it inherits others in common with matter. If the latter be his meaning, we see no reason for calling any substance immaterial. Iron possesses some properties and qualities entirely different from all other kinds of matter, and other properties inherits in common with every other kind. Shall we therefore say that iron is not matter? Among the various kinds of matter, each has its distinct properties and its common properties.

And notwithstanding, each possesses entirely different properties and qualities from all other kinds, yet each is called matter because it possesses some properties in common with all other kinds. Hence the term matter should be given to all substances, which possess any properties in common, however why they may differ in other respects. A substance to be immaterial must possess no properties or qualities in common with matter. All its qualities must be entirely distinct and different. It is to be regretted that our opponent has not defined an immaterial substance more clearly. As he is ambiguous in his definition, we shall presume that he entertains the same views

as the modern advocates of immaterialism generally entertain. That celebrated writer Isaac Taylor says, A disembodied spirit, or we should rather say an unembodied spirit, or sheer mind is nowhere. Place is a relation belonging to extension, and extension is a property of matter, but that which is wholly abstracted for matter, and in speaking of which we did not,

that it has any property in common therewith, can in itself be subjected to none of its conditions, and we might as well say of a pure spirit that it is hard, heavy, or red, or that it is a cubic foot in dimensions, as say that it is here or there. It is only in a popular and improper sense that any such affirmation is made concerning the infinite spirit, or that we speak of God as everywhere present. Using the term as we use them of ourselves, God is not here or there. When we talk of an absolute immateriality,

continues this author, and wish to withdraw mind altogether from matter, we must no longer allow ourselves to imagine that it is or can be in any place, or that it has any kind of relationship to the view. visible and extended universe. Taylor's Physical Theory of Another Life, Chapter 2. Dr. Good says, The metaphysical immaterialists of modern times

freely admit that the mind has no place of existence, that it does exist nowhere, while at the same time, they are compelled to allow that the immaterial creator or universal spirit exists everywhere, substantially as well as virtually. Goods, Book of Nature, Series 3, Lecture 1 Dr. Abercrombie, in speaking upon matter and mind, says that in as far as our utmost

conception of them extends, we have no grounds for believing that they have anything in common. Abercrombie on the intellectual powers, Part 1, Section 1. With these definitions, we shall follow our opponent in his his researches after an immaterial substance. After taking a minute survey of man, he believes he has found something in his composition and in connection with his bodily organization, something immaterial. He says the spirit is the purely immaterial part, which is capable of separation from the body and can exist independently of the body. The body is that material part formed out of the

dust of the ground, and is the medium through which the mind is manifested. Taylor's tract against materialism, page 8. That the mind or spirit is capable of separation from the body, and can exist independently of the body we most assuredly believe. But that it is immaterial, we deny, and it remains for Mr. Taylor to prove its immateriality. His first proof is founded on his own assertion that mind is simple, not compounded. If this assertion be admitted as true, it affords not the least evidence for the immateriality of mind. Every material atom is simple, not compounded.

Is it therefore not matter? Must each simple, uncompounded elementary atom be immaterial? Mr. Taylor next says, Mind is not perceivable to corporeal organs. Matter is so perceivable. This assertion is altogether unfounded. Corporial organs can perceive neither matter nor mind. The mind alone can perceive.

Corporial organs are only the instruments of perception. Bishop Butler, in his analogy, expressly says that our organs of sense prepare and convey on objects in order to their being perceived in like matter as foreign matter does, without affording any shadow of appearance that they themselves perceive. Butler's analogy, Part 1 Chapter 1. The mind clearly perceives its own existence as well as the existence of other matter. Perception, then, is a quality peculiar to that kind of matter called mind. Mr. Taylor's further remarks that all the qualities of matter are not comparable with the more excellent qualities of mind, such as power and intelligence.

We are willing to admit that power and intelligence and some other qualities of mind are far superior to the qualities of other matter. But we do not admit that the superiority of some of the qualities of a substance prove its immateriality. The superiority of some qualities has nothing to do with the immateriality of the substance. Oxygen possesses some qualities not only distinct from but superior to, those qualities possessed by barium, strontium, silicium, glucinium, zirconium, and many other metals and material substances. Yet no one from this will draw the conclusion that oxygen is immaterial. Oxygen is material, though it possesses some distinct and superior qualities to other matter.

So mind or spirit is material, though it differs in the superiority of some of its qualities from other matter. It is strange indeed to see the inconsistencies of this learned author. He remarks, Mind thinks, matter cannot think. It is the existence of this thinking principle, which clearly proves the immortality of the mind or spirit. This method of reasoning may be termed Petitio Principi, begging the question. First, he assumes that matter cannot think, and second, draws the conclusion that a thinking

substance is immaterial. This conclusion is a legitimate one if the premises are granted, but the premises are assumed, therefore the conclusion is false. prove that mind is not matter before you consume that matter cannot think. It would seem from the assertions of this author that the quality of thinking is to be the touchstone, the infallible test, the grand distinguishing characteristic between material and immaterial substances. It matters not in his estimation how many qualities different substances inherit in common, if one can be found that thinks it must be immaterial.

There is no one substance out of the 50 or more substances discovered by chemists, but what possess some qualities entirely different from any of the rest. Therefore, each substance, when compared with others, has equal claims with that of the mind to be placed in the immaterial list. In proving that mind is immaterial, it is not even. enough to prove that it has some properties entirely distinct from other substances, but must be proved to have no properties in common with matter. Nothing short of this will agree with the modern notions of immateriality.

It must be shown that mind or spirit has no relation to duration or space, no locality, that it must exist nowhere, that it has no extension, that it exists not now and then, neither here nor there, that it cannot be moved from place to place, that it has no form or figure, no boundaries or limits of extension. These, according to the definitions of modern immaterialists, are the negative conditions or qualities absolutely necessary

to the existence of all immaterial substance. While the opposite of these, or the positive quality, or conditions are absolutely necessary to the existence of all material substance. How do you distinguish, inquires Mr. Tilder, between any two given substances, such as that a block of stone is not a log of wood? He answers, because they possess different qualities, and then declares, so also you distinguish between mind and matter. But the different qualities by which a block of stone is distinguished from a log of wood do not prove either the stone or the wood to be immaterial.

Neither do the different qualities by which the substance called mind is distinguished from any other substances prove either the mind or the other substances to be immaterial. So far as the different qualities are evidences, the mind has as good a claim to material is the stone or wood. The properties of body continues our learned opponent are size, weight, solidity, resistance, etc.

Those of the mind are joy, hope, fear, etc. But weight is not joy, resistance is not hope, size is not fear. Therefore, as a block of stone is not a log of wood, so mind is not matter.

That a stone possesses many different qualities from wood, and that a mind possesses many different qualities from other substances, we by no means deny. But that these different qualities prove stone or wood or mind or any other substance to be immaterial, we do deny. We care not how many different properties mind possesses over and above other substances. That is altogether foreign from the question. But is it destitute of any or all of the properties which other substances possess? Is the question? Is it destitute of size, weight, solidity, resistance, etc? If not, then the mind possesses all of the essential characteristics of matter, though its peculiar

and distinct properties should be multiplied to infinity. This author calls weight, one of the properties of matter. What is weight? It is nothing more nor less than force. Matter approaches to or presses on other matter with weight or force or power. Now matter either exerts this force of itself or else it is impelled either directly or indirectly by other substances, possessing intelligence, power, and other properties of mind. If matter exerts this power of itself, then it exhibits one of the properties of mind. But if the seat of this power is in that substance called mind, then it is mind that exhibits the power called weight, and not other substances. Mr. Taileder informs us that it is mind and mind alone which is the seat of power.

Taylor against materialism, page 12. If this be true, and we feel no disposition to deny it, then weight is not the property of unintelligent matter, but a property of mind. And the same reasoning will apply to all other forces or powers which are generally ascribed to unintelligent matter. They are only the powers or forces of mind, or else other substances exhibit powers or forces which are common to mind. In the latter case, mind could not be immaterial. In the former case, unintelligent matter. matter, if such exist, is deprived of every force usually ascribed to it. It can have neither gravitation, attraction,

repulsion, chemical affinity, nor any other conceivable force. Though deprived of all energy or force, unintelligent matter would still be possessed of those inert qualities, if indeed they may be called qualities essential to its existence. These qualities, or rather, conditions necessary to its existence are duration, extension, or place, solidarity, figure, etc. An immaterial substance must have none of these conditions or qualities. It's amusing to trace this author's process of reasoning.

He first assumes premises entirely false, argues from the same, shows the deductions to be absurd, and triumphantly exclaims, mind then is not matter. We will quote the following specimen. If the mind, says the author, be material and the brain nothing but a large gland, secreting the various affectations of thought, hope, joy, memory, etc., then all these affections or qualities are material, and must be also little particles of matter, of different forms and dimensions and perhaps various colors. Then we might, with the utmost propriety, without the shadow of an absurdity, logically say,

the twentieth part of our belief, the half of a hope, the top of memory, the corner of a fear, the north side of a doubt, etc. Mind, then, is not matter. Taylor against materialism, page 15. It will be perceived that this logical author, in the foregoing quotation, confounds affections or qualities with mind. That is, he supposes thought, hope, joy, memory, etc., all to be material as well as the mind. He then introduces a material brain that secretes the material affections. But what becomes of the material mind, he does not tell us.

Probably the material mind is stowed away in some extremity of the body in the foot or big toe, so as not to interfere with its material affectations, which are secreted in the material brain at the other extremity. After imagining up such an unheard-of being, no wonder that he should discover some absurdities in its composition. No wonder that in such a creature of his own invention there should be not only the corner of fear and the north side of a doubt, but a cubical imagination with horns to it. No wonder that such frightful absurdities should cause a man as great as tailor to exclaim with the upper part of a five-corner assurance that mind then is not matter.

It would be a logical conclusion from his logical absurdities founded on his material affections of a material mind. mind. But who does not know that thought, hope, joy, memory, and all other affections or qualities are not substances of any kind, but merely different operations or states of the mind? A material mind possessing the power to think, to feel, to reason, to remember, is not the brain, nor secretions of the brain, nor any other part of the fleshy tabernacle, but it is the being that inhabits it, that preserves its own identity, whether in the body or out of it, and remains unchangeable in its substance whenever changes may happen to the body. This material spirit or mind existed before it entered the body,

exists in the body, will exist after it leaves the body, and will be reunited again with the body in the resurrection. As another specimen of monstrous absurdities logically deduced from absurd premises, we quote the following. Materialism, he remarks, is not only relative but absolutely absurd. If mind be matter or matter-mind, then we may have the square or cube of joy or grief, of pain or pleasure. we may divide a great joy into a number of little joys, or we may accumulate a great joy by heaping together the solid parts of several little joys. We shall then have the color and shape of a thought.

It will be either white, gray, brown, crimson, purple, or it may be a mixture of two or more colors. Then we shall have a dark gray hope, a bright yellow sorrow, A round, brown, tall pain, and an octagonal green belief, an inch of thought, a mile of joy. We do most cordially agree with Mr. Taileder that these results would be not only relatively absurd, and only equalled by the absurdity of the premises from which they were deduced. He has assumed that the several states or conditions of the mind, such as joy, grief, pain, pleasure, thought, etc., are material as well as the mind.

With same propriety, he might have assumed that motion is material, as well as the matter moved. Joy is no more a substance than motion. Both are merely the states or conditions of substance. As great absurdities could be deduced from assuming that motion is material, as there can be from Mr. Taylor's assumption that joy is material. As an illustration, let us take this author's own words with the exception of substituting iron for mind, motion, for the affections of the mind. It will then read thus.

If iron be matter or matter iron, then we may have the square or cube of a solid motion. We may then divide a great solid motion into a number of little solid motions, or we may accumulate a great solid motion by heaping together the solid parts of several little solid motions. We shall then have a color and shape of a motion. It will be either white, gray, brown, crimson, purple, or it may be a mixture of two or more colors. Then we shall have a dark gray motion, a round, brown, tall, motion, an inch or a mile of solid motion, etc. It is strange that Mr. Taylor did not close

his train of reasoning by saying mind, therefore is not matter, and then we could have completed the parallel by saying iron, therefore is not matter. If such reasoning proves mind immaterial, similar reasoning will prove any other substance immaterial. Mr. Orson Pratt, observes our author, calls matter into existence, of which the world knows but little. He has not only intelligent matter, but all-wise and all-powerful matter. This matter is capable of division and parts, for all matter has length, breadth, and thickness. Then we shall have the half of an intelligent atom of matter, the eighth of an all-wise atom, the thousandth parts of an all-powerful atom.

Such are the absurdities which the Latter-day Saint embraces. Here, the author seems to have recovered partially from the wild absurd notions of applying the term material to the affections, and is willing to apply it to substance where it belongs. But he speaks of the division of atoms which does not accord with the general notions of modern philosophy. The immortal Newton says, It seems probable that God, in the beginning, formed matter in solid masses, hard, impenetrable, movable particles. This does not favor the divisibility of atoms.

Newton further observes, the nature may be lasting, the changes of corporeal things are to be placed only in the various separations, and new associations and motions of these permanent particles. Compound bodies being apt to break, not in the midst of solid particles, but where those particles are laid together and touch only in a few points. These are the views entertained by philosophers generally at the present day, with the exception of here and there an isolated individual who advocates the theory of the infinite divisibility of matter. Perhaps our author may be of that class, for he speaks of the division of atoms. It is admitted that substance is capable of division and subdivision until arriving at its ultimate atoms, after which all further separation ceases.

This division of the same kind of substance does not alter or change the nature or properties of the respective parts. If they possessed attractions when united, they also pose a little bit of the same. possess it when separated, or else attraction is the result of union and ceases with it. So in relation to intelligent substance without regard to its materiality or immateriality, if it is intelligent as a whole, it is intelligent in its respective parts after division, or else the intelligent power is the result of the union of unintelligent parts and ceases when the union ceases.

Therefore, if the intelligent substance, called mind, is intelligent as a whole, it is intelligent in all its parts. And there would be no more absurdity in speaking of the half, the eighth, or the thousandth part of an intelligent substance, than there would be in speaking of the half, the eighth, or the thousandth part of an attracting substance. And yet Mr. Taylor exclaims, Such are the absurdities which the latter-day saint embraces. Perhaps our author's immaterial mind or spirit will not suffer him to believe that the whole spirit of man is made up or consists of parts. If the spirit of man is a substance, as Mr. Tilder admits, though he denies its materiality, then it must be either a simple, uncompounded being or atom,

or a united collection of some beings or atoms. Bishop Butler supposes that the spirit of man to be a single, simple, indivisible being. He remarks that, since consciousness is a single and individual power, it should seem that the subject in which it resides must be so, too. that is the conscious being. He further says that we have no way of determining by experience what is the certain bulk of the living being each man calls himself. And yet, continues he, till it be determined that it is larger in bulk

than the solid elementary particles of matter, which there is no ground to think any natural power can dissolve, there is no sort of reason to think death to be the dissolution of it, of the living being, even though it should not be absolutely indisurptable. Butler's analogy, Part 1, Chapter 1. Our author seems to be a little more positive than Butler, and asserts, apparently without any doubt, that mind is simple, not compounded. Taylor against Materialism, page 14.

Here, then, according to both Butler and Taylor, we have a simple, uncompounded, indivisible, little atom of conscious substance, or, in other words, an intelligent atom. The terms atoms and being are synonymous when applied to a simple indivisible substance so small that Butler intimates that its bulk has not been determined to exceed the solid elementary particles of matter. If the spirit of one man is a little atom of intelligent substance having bulk, the spirit of every other man is a similar atom. Hence, in the human bodies now living on the earth, there must exist nearly 1,000 million of intelligent atoms, each conscious of its own existence and capable of originating motion independently of the others. Mr. Teldar says, this intelligent atom or spirit is capable of separation from the body and can exist independently of the body. This being admitted, there must be many thousand million of intelligent atoms which

once inhabited bodies but now exist independently of them. This is the legitimate result of the theory which assumes that the spirit of man is a little conscious being, a substance, simple, uncompiled, and indivisible, capable of existing either in or out of a body. Where then, Mr. Taileder, is the absurdity of believing, as the saints do, in the existence of immense numbers of intelligent atoms? It agrees most perfectly with the results of your own theory. The only difference is in the name. You call these little indivisible substances immaterial.

We call them material. You apply to them the same. same powers that we do. You believe them to be conscious, intelligent, and thinking atoms as well as we. The name of a substance does not alter its nature, as, for instance, some call one of the constituent elements of the atmosphere azote, others call it nitrogen, but all admit that it possesses the same nature and properties. If this indivisible conscious being or atom of substance possesses bulk, as Bishop Butler intimates, then in this respect, it is like the atoms of all other substances, and therefore it must be matter. If some atoms can possess various

degrees of intelligence, wisdom, and power, whether in the body or out of it, then there is no absurdity in the theory that there are other atoms which are all wise and all-powerful. Mr. Tilder admits that there must be a God, and that he is an all-wise and all-powerful being or a substance, that substance must be either a simple, uncompounded, indivisible being, or atom, or a collection of such beings or atoms. If it be an indivisible being or atom, it would prove the existence of one, all-wise, all-powerful being or atom. If it be a collection of such beings or atoms, then the theory of all-wise and all-powerful atoms of substance is established. All theistic writers admit the existence of such a substance.

It is not the existence of the substance that is questioned, but it is its nature. One class calls it immaterial another material. Mr. Tilder has undertaken to prove that it is, immaterial, but as yet he has not furnished us with even the most distant shadow of an evidence, unless, indeed, his own assertions are evidence. Indeed, he has nowhere attempted to prove that the spiritual substance of either man or the deity possesses no properties in common with other substances admitted to be of matter. As another specimen of Taylor's logic, we quote the following. There is another conclusion,

equally absurd. If the existence of an immaterial substance be denied and thinking be ascribed to matter, and that is, the mind must always think in the same way, in the same direction. As a proof of this assumption, our author refers to the writings of Priestley as follows. If man, says Dr. Priestley, be a material being and the power of thinking the result of a certain organization of the brain, does it not follow that all his functions must be regulated by the laws of mechanism, and that of consequence all his actions proceed from an irresistible necessity? The doctrine of necessity, continues Priestley, is the immediate result of the doctrine of the materiality of man,

for mechanism is the undoubted consequence of materialism. We are willing to admit that an irresistible necessity would be the inevitable consequence of assuming that the power of thinking is the result of a certain organization of the brain. But this is a most absurd assumption. For if the power of thinking be the result of a certain organization of the brain, then when that organization ceases, the power of thinking would cease also, and there could be no separate existence for the mind or spirit. But we believe that the power of thinking is not the reason.

result of a brain organization but the original property of that substance called spirit or mind, which can exist independently of a brain organization and entirely separate and apart from the body. Priestley asserts that mechanism is the undoubted consequence of materialism, but this is a baseless assertion. Mechanism implies the incapability of acting only according to the laws of mechanism, as it is acted upon. Hence, an irresistible necessity characterizes all of its movements. But not so with an intelligent thinking substance.

It can originate its own motions and act according to its own will, independently of the laws of mechanism. Hence, a perfect freedom characterizes all of its movements. Before Priestley or any other man can logically assert that mechanism is the undoubted consequence of materialism, He must first prove that matter cannot think and will and move, or in other words, he must prove that mind is not matter.

Our author endeavors to overthrow materialism because of the absurdities which Darwin advocated. He quotes the words of that author as follows. Ideas are material things. They are contractions, motions, or configurations of the fibers of the organs of sense. Here, exclaims Mr. Tilder, is the real perfection of materialism. It destroys man's accountability to God. There is then no such thing as praise or blame, fear, or hope, reward, or punishment, and consequently, no religion.

How, inquires our author, can the Mormons reconcile this conclusion with their religious fabric built on revelations and visions? If their God be a material being, he must necessarily act mechanically. We reply that we do not wish to reconcile our religious fabric with Darwin's absurdities. Darwin has assumed that ideas, contractions, motions, or configurations are all material. What man, disencumbered of a straight waistcoat could ever believe in such ridiculous nonsense? It is only equaled by Taileder's material joys and sorrows, of which we've already had occasion to speak. The substance of the deity, nor no other intelligent substance, is dependent on the contractions, motions, or configurations of organical fibers for its actions.

But it is a self-moving substance, not subject to the laws of necessity or mechanism like unintelligent matter. The last consideration says this immaterialist author, which it is necessary to advance for the real existence of mind is consciousness. Taylor's tract against materialism, page 18. The real existence of mind is not doubted by us. Mr. Taylor has strayed entirely from the question. The question is not whether the mind has a real existence, but whether it is immaterial.

It is generally considered, remarks this author, that in a few years our bodies are entirely changed. How then, on the material scheme, can a Mormon tell that he is the same person now that he was 20 years since, or shall be 10 years hence? We reply that it is only the substance of the material body that is constantly changing, while the material spirit which inhabits the body remains unchangeable.

Personal identity consists not in the identity of a changeable body, but in the identity of an unchangeable substance called spirit, which feels, thinks, reasons, and remembers. The Athenian galley, which was sent out every year to Delos for a thousand years, had been repaired so often that every part of its material, had been changed more than once, therefore it did not remain the same identical substance during that period of time. But if a certain unchangeable diamond had been carried within this galley for 1,000 years, it would be the same identical substance still, though the galley that carried it had been changed ever so often.

So likewise, let the material body meet with an entire change every few years, the unchangeable material spirit which carries within will remain the same identical substance still. Indeed, if Bishop Butler's intimation be correct that the spirit of man is a small indivisible being or atom whose bulk has not been determined to exceed the size of small elementary particles of matter, then it would be impossible for such a small, conscious, indivisible atoms, to change its substance in the least degree, and therefore it must preserve its entire identity

under all possible circumstances. Our author next inquires, how can spiritual matter occupy the same space with the matter of which the body consists? We answer that it cannot occupy the same identical space with other matter, for this is in all cases an absolute impossibility. It can only occupy its own space in union with the matter of which the body consists. Every particle of the body occupies a distinct space of its own, and no two particles of the body can exist in the same space at the same time. Neither can any atom of spirit occupy the same space at the same time with any other atom or substance. All substances are porous. It can be proved that the component particles of all known substances are not in absolute contact. For all bodies composed of these particles

can be compressed, and their dimensions reduced without diminishing their mass. All organized substances are porous in a high degree, that is, their volume consists partly of material particles and partly of interstitial spaces, which space are either absolutely void and empty, or filled by some substance of a different species from the body in question. Lardner's Scientific Lectures, Volume 2, Lecture 1. The material body being porous, there is room for the material spirit to exist in close connection with its component parts, and this too without infringing upon the impenetrability of substances.

If the material spirit be as small as Bishop Butler intimates, it will not occupy much room in the body. Many millions of millions of such spirits, if not larger in bulk than the elementary particles of bodies, could occupy much less room than a cubic inch of space. We have now examined all of Mr. Taylor's arguments, if indeed they may be called arguments, which have been adduced in support of his first proposition,

which it will be recollected was stated in these terms. The philosophy of the Mormons is irrational, or in other words it is irrational to believe in the materiality of all substance. How far he has supported this proposition our readers can judge for themselves. He has not brought forth the least shadow of evidence to prove that such a thing as an immaterial substance exists. He has indeed argued that such a thing as mind or spirit has a real existence, that it thinks and feels and is conscious. In all these things, he agrees with us, without the least variation. He argues that the substance called mind possesses many different and superior qualities to all other substance.

His views in this respect do not differ in the least from ours. He has clearly exhibited the absurdities of Priestley, Darwin, and various other writers, who have made mind the results of the motions of the brain or of its organization. We agree with him most perfectly in the rejection of such absurdities, but in no place has he brought forth argument, reason, or evidence, to prove that the substance called mind possesses no properties in common with other substances. therefore he has utterly failed in establishing his proposition. As no immaterialist can, from experiment, reason or any other process whatsoever,

glean the least shadow of evidence in favor of the immateriality of any substance, therefore we shall now on our part show, one, that immaterialism is irrational, opposed to true philosophy, 2. That an immaterial substance cannot exist. End of absurdities of immaterialism by Orson Pratt, Part 1 of 4. Absurdities of Immaterialism by Orson Pratt, Part 2 of 4. This is a Libravox recording. All Libravox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit

Libravox.org, read by James Bleckley. Immaterialism is absurd and opposed to true philosophy. 1. The immaterialist assumes that God consists of an immaterial substance, indivisible in its nature, whose center is everywhere and circumference nowhere. The indivisibility of a substance implies impenetrability, That is, two substances cannot exist in the same space at the same time. Hence, if an indivisible substance exists everywhere, as it cannot be penetrated,

it will absolutely exclude the existence of all other substances. Such a substance would be a boundless, infinite solid, without pores, incapable of condensation, or expansion, or motion, for there would be no empty space left to move to. Observation teaches us that this is not the case. Therefore, an infinitely extended indivisible immaterial substance is absurd in the highest degree and opposed to all true philosophy. 2.

The immaterialist teaches that the godhead consists of three persons of one's substance and that each of these persons can be everywhere present. Now, in order to be everywhere present, each of these persons must be infinitely extended, or else each must be susceptible of occupying two or more places at the same time. If a substance be infinitely extended, it ceases to be a person.

For to all persons, there are limits of extension called figure, but that which is not limited can have no figure, and therefore cannot be a person. Therefore, it is absolutely necessary that a person should be included in a finite extent. Now, that which is limited within one finite extent cannot be included within some other extent at the same time. Therefore, it is utterly impossible for a person to be in two or more places at the same time, hence immaterialism is totally absurd and unphilosophical. 3. The immaterialist teaches that the substance of the deity is not only omnipresent and indivisible,

but that all other substances are contained in his substance, and perform all their motions in it without any mutual action or resistance. The profound and illustrious Newton in the scolium at the end of the Principia had fallen into this error. He says, God is one and the same God always and everywhere. He is omnipresent not by means of his virtue alone, but also by his substance, for virtue cannot subsist without substance. In him all things are contained and move, but without mutual passions, God is not acted upon by motions of the bodies, and they suffer no resistance from the omnipresence of God. Here we have an omnipresent substance, which is said by immaterialists to be so compact as to be indivisible,

with worlds moving in it without suffering any resistance. This is the climax of absurdity. All masses of substance with which we are acquainted are susceptible of division, yet even in these bodies cannot move without being resisted. How much more impossible it would be. for worlds to exist and move in an indivisible substance without resistance. Yet this is the absurdity of the immaterial hypothesis. There is nothing too ridiculous or too unphilosophical

to be incorporated in an immaterial substance when its existence has been once assumed. The reflecting mind turns away from such fooleries with the utmost disgust, and feels to pity these men, who have degraded the great and all-wise creator and governor of the universe by applying to him such impossible, unheard-of, and contradictory qualities. The heatham, in their wildest imaginations, never fancied up a god that could begin to compare with the absurd qualities

ascribed to the immaterialist's god. An immaterial substance cannot exist. 1. We shall first endeavor to show what is absolutely essential to the existence of all substance. It will be generally admitted that space is essential to existence. Space, being boundless, all substances must exist in space. Space is not the property of substance, but the place of its existence. Infinite space has no qualities or properties of any description accepting divisibility. Some eminent philosophers have supposed extension to be a property of space, but such a supposition is absurd. Extension is space itself, and not a property of space.

As well, we might say that azote is a property of nitrogen, whereas they are only two different names given to the same substance, as to say that extension is a property of space. Infinite space is divisible, but otherwise, it cannot possibly be described, for it has no other properties or qualities by which to describe it. It has no boundaries, no figure, no other conceivable properties of any description. It has a variety of names such as space, extension, volume, magnitude, distance, etc., all of which are synonymous terms. 2. Duration is also essential to the existence of substance. There can be no sense of

such things existence without duration. Duration, like infinite space, is divisible, but otherwise it has no properties or qualities of any description. Like space, we can call it by different names, as duration, time, period, etc. But to give it any other kind of description would be absolutely impossible. Infinite space can only be distinguished from duration by certain imaginary qualities, which can be assigned to finite portions of it, but which cannot be assigned to duration. We can conceive of cubical, prismatic, and spherical portions of space, but we cannot conceive of portions of duration under any kind of shape. Both space and duration are entirely powerless, being immovable,

yet both are susceptible of division to infinity. To assist us in our future remarks, we shall, give the following definitions. Definition 1. Space is magnitude, susceptible of division. Definition 2, a point is the negative of space, or the zero at which a magnitude begins or terminates. It is not susceptible of division. Definition 3, duration is not magnitude, but time susceptible of division. Definition 4. An instant is the negative of duration, or the zero at which duration begins or terminates. It is not susceptible of division. Definition 5, matter, is something that occupies space between any two instance and is susceptible of division and of being removed from one portion of space to another. Definition 6.

Nothing is the negative of space, of duration, and of matter. It is the zero of all existence. 3. Modern immaterialists freely admit, as we have already shown, that a disembodied spirit is nowhere. We must no longer allow ourselves to imagine, says the immaterialist, that it is or can be in any place. Taylor's Physical Theory of Another Life, Chapter 2. But that which does not occupy any place or space has no magnitude, and is not susceptible of division.

Therefore, it must be an unexended point or nothing. See definitions 2 and 6. The negative of both space and matter. That is, the negative of all existence. immateriality is a representative of nothing. Immaterial substance is only another name for no substance. Therefore, such a substance does not and cannot exist. 4.

Having shown that an immaterial substance can have no existence because it has no relation to space, we shall next show that it can have no existence, because it has no relation to duration. Isaac Taylor says, That which is wholly abstracted from matter, and in speaking of which we deny that it has any property in common therewith, can in itself be subjected to none of its conditions. One of the conditions absolutely essential to the existence of matter is duration or time.

See definition five. That which is not. subjected to the condition of duration must be subjected to the condition of an instant, which is the negative of duration. But nothing is also the negative of duration and of substance, see definition 4 and 6. Therefore, that which has no duration is nothing, and cannot be a substance. Hence, an immaterial substance cannot exist. There are many truths which may be called first truths, or self-evident truths, which cannot be demonstrated because there are no truths of a simpler nature that can be adduced to establish them. Such truths are the

foundation of all reasoning. They must be admitted without demonstration, because they are self-evident. That space and duration are essential conditions to the existence of all substance may be denominated a self-evident truth. If so, it is useless to undertake to prove it. And in this case, the foregoing need not be considered as a demonstration, but merely different forms of expression representing the same self-evident truth. Immaterialists are atheists. There are two classes of atheists in this world.

One class denies the existence of God in the most positive language. The other denies his existence in duration or space. One says, there is no God. The other says, God is not here or there any more than he exists now and then. Isaac Taylor's physical theory of another life, Chapter 2. The infidel says, God does not exist anywhere. The immaterialist says He exists nowhere

Good's Book of Nature The infidel says there is no such substance as God The immaterialist says There is such a substance as God But it is without parts First of the 39 articles Also First Article Methodist Discipline

The atheist says There is no such substance as spirit The immaterialist says, A spirit, though he lives and acts, occupies no room, fills no space, in the same way and after the same manner as matter. Not even so much as does the minutest grain of sand. Reverend David James on the Trinity in Unitarianism Confuted,

Lecture 7, page 382. The atheist does not seek to hide his inner, infidelity, but the immaterialist, whose declared belief amounts to the same thing as the atheists, endeavors to hide his infidelity under the shallow covering of a few words. The thinking principle, says Dr. Thomas Brown, is essentially one not extended and divisible, but incapable by its very nature of any subdivision into integral parts. Brown's Philosophy of the Human Mind Lecture 97

What is this, but the rankest kind of infidelity couched in a blind, plausible form? That which is not extended and not divisible and without parts cannot be anything else than nothing. Take away these qualities and conditions and no power of language can give us the least idea of existence. The very idea conveyed by the terms, existence is somewhat extended, divisible, and with parts. Take these away and you take away

existence itself. It cannot be so much as the negative of space or what's generally called an indivisible point, for that has a relation to the surrounding spaces. It cannot be so much as the negative of duration, or what is generally called an indivisible instant, for that has a relation to the past and future. Therefore, it must be the negative of all existence, or what is called absolutely nothing. Nothing, and nothing only, is a representative of that which has no relation to space or time, that is unexended, indivisible, and without parts. Therefore, the immaterialist is a religious atheist.

He only differs from the other classes of atheists by clothing and evil. indivisible, unextended nothing with the powers of a God. One class believes in no God, the other class believes that nothing is God, and worships it as such. There is no twisting away from this. The most profound philosopher in all the ranks of modern Christianity cannot extricate the immaterialists from atheism. He cannot show the least difference between the idea represented by the world

nothing, and the idea represented by that which is unexended, indivisible, and without parts, having no relation to space or time. All the philosophers of the universe could not give a better or more correct definition of nothing. And yet this is the God worshipped by the Church of England, the Methodists, and millions of other atheists, according to their own definitions, as recorded in their respective articles of faith. An open atheist is not so dangerous as the atheist who couches his atheistical doctrines under the head of articles of religion.

The first stands out, with open colors and boldly avows his infidelity. The latter, under the sacred garb of religion, draws into his yawning vortex, the unhappie millions who are persuaded to believe in and worship an unexended, indivisible, nothing without parts, deified into a god. A pious atheist is much more serviceable in building up the kingdom of darkness than one who openly, and without any deception, avows his infidelity. No wonder that this modern god has wrought no miracles, given no revelations since his followers invented their articles of religion.

A being without parts must be entirely powerless and can perform no miracles. Nothing can be communicated from such a being, for if nothing, give nothing, nothing will be received. If at death his followers are to be made like him, they will enjoy with some of the modern pagans all the beauties of annihilation. To be made like him, admirable thought, how transcendently sublime to behold an innumerable multitude of unexended nothings, casting their crowns at the feet of the great, unexended infinite nothing, filling all spacing it without parts. There will be no danger of quarreling for want of room, for the Reverend David James says 10,000 spirits might be

brought together into the smallest compass imaginable, and there exist forms without any inconvenience for want of room. As materiality, continues he, forms no property of a spirit. The space which is sufficient for one must be amply sufficient for myriads, yeah, for all that exist. Reverend David James on the Trinity in Unitarianism Confuted, Lecture 7, page 382. According to this, all the spirits that exist could be brought together into the smallest compass imaginable, or in other words into no compass at all. For he says a spirit occupies no room and fills no space. What an admirable description of nothing! Nothing occupies no room and fills no space. If myriads of nothings were brought together into the smallest compass imaginable,

they would there exist without any inconvenience. for want of room. Everything which the immaterialist says of the existence of spirit will apply without any variation to the existence of nothing. If he says that his God cannot exist here or there, the same is true of nothing. If he affirms that he cannot exist now and then, the same can, in all truth, be affirmed of nothing. If he declares that he is unexended, so is nothing. If he asserts that he he is invisible and without parts, so is nothing. If he declares that a spirit occupies no room and fills no space, neither does nothing.

If he says a spirit is nowhere, so is nothing. All that he affirms of the one can in like manner and with equal truth be affirmed of the other. Indeed, they are only two words, each of which express precisely the same idea. There is no more absurdity in calling nothing a substance and clothing it with almighty powers than there is in making a substance out of that which is precisely like nothing and imagining it to have almighty powers. Therefore, an immaterial God is a deified nothing, and all his worshippers are atheistical idolaters.

A spiritual substance is material. That spirit or mind has a relation to space is evident from the fact of its location in the body. The body itself exists in space, therefore every particle of substance which it contains must exist in space. No point can be assumed in the body, but what has a relation to the surrounding space or extension. Therefore, spirit must have a relation to extension or it cannot exist in the body. unexended points have relation to space, though they are no part of space and do not occupy space. But an unextended substance, to have no relation to space, cannot be as much as a point. A point is a located nothing, but an unextended substance is nothing, having no location.

What can be more unphilosophical, contradictory, and absurd, than to a that something can exist that is unexended, that occupies no room, fills no space, has no parts. We ask our readers to pause for a moment and endeavor to conceive of a substance that has no parts. Gasp it if you can in your imaginations. Think of its existing where there is no space. Conceive if you can in your imaginations. Think of its existing where there is no space. conceive if you can of a locality outside the bounds of a boundless space. Do not your judgments and every power of your minds revolt at the absolute absurdities and palpable contradictions. By this time, perhaps, you are ready to inquire. Can it be possible that any man in

all the world could believe in such impossibilities? Yes, it is possible. These very absurdities now stand in bold relief, not only in the most approved philosophical works of modern times, but incorporated in the very articles of religion which millions have received as their rule of faith. That spirit or mind has a relation to duration, is manifest in the act of remembering. Through the memory, the mind perceives itself to be the same conscious being now that it was of, an hour, a day, a year ago. It perceives that itself has existed through a certain period of duration. There is as much certainty of its own relations to duration as there is of any such relation in any other substance whatsoever. If there is no certainty that mind has a relation to duration,

there is no certainty that any other substance has such a relation. Hence, all would be uncertainty, even our own existence. Bishop Berkeley denied the existence of the material world, and the first article of his religion swept away the immaterial world from space, and the modern immaterialist sweeps it away from all relation to time. So between them, space and time are pretty well cleaned out, not so much as a nest egg left to replenish the great infinite void. mind, like all other matter, is susceptible of being moved from place to place. We see this

exemplified in the movements of the mind through the medium of the body which conveys it from place to place on the surface of the earth. But though man was stationary upon the earth's surface, the earth itself, with all its inhabitants, is moving with the rapid velocity of 19 miles every second, which proves to a demonstration that the mind is capable of being moved from place to place with a velocity far exceeding that of a cannonball. But motion involves the ideas of both space and time. Mind cannot be moved without being moved in space. It cannot pass from point to point instantaneously. However rapid the velocity, time is an essential ingredient. to all motion. That eminent and profound philosopher, the late Professor Robinson of Edinburgh,

says, in motion we observe the successive appearance of the thing moved in different parts of space. Therefore, in our idea of motion are involved the ideas or conceptions of space and time. All things are placed in space in the order of situation. All events happen in time in the order of succession. No motion can be conceived as instantaneous, for since a movable in passing from the beginning to the end of its path passes through the intermediate points. To suppose the motion along the most minute portion of the path instantaneous is to suppose the movable in every intervening point at the same instant. This is inconceivable and absurd.

Robinson's Mechanical Philosophy, Volume 1 Introduction. The motion of mind, therefore, is another positive proof that it has a relation to both space and duration. Extension and resistance, says Dr. Thomas Brown, are the complex elements of what we term matter. Nothing is matter to our conception or a body to use the simpler synonymous term which does not involve these elements. Figure, magnitude, divisibility, are only different models. modifications of extension. Solidity, liquidity, viscosity, hardness, softness, roughness, smoothness, are different modifications of resistance. All these terms are only extension and resistance, modified in a certain degree and under other names. Our notion of extension is supposed by Dr.

Brown to be acquired from our notion of time as successive, involving length and divisibility. Our notion of resistance he supposes to be obtained through our muscular organs. These organs are first exerted and then excited by something without, and in their turn excite the mind with a feeling of resistance. The feeling of resistance combined with the feeling of extension gives us the notion of matter. If Dr. Brown's views be correct, no one can acquire a notion of matter by seeing, hearing, tasting, smelling or simple touch. Either or all of these will only produce certain feelings in the mind without giving us any notion

of external extended resistance. A muscular effort opposed by some substance or foreign body is the only possible way, according to his theory, for the infant mind to obtain a notion of extended solidity or resistance. Brown's philosophy of the human mind from the 20th to the 29th lecture inclusive. If solidity and extension then are the essential characteristics of matter, and if the resistance of a muscular effort be the only possible way of learning these characteristics, it may be asked how did Dr. Brown learn that the rays of light are material. He is frequently in his philosophy called light material? Has light in any way resisted his muscular efforts? Have the

muscular organs ever been able to grasp a ray of light? Have the particles of light either singly or collectively ever acted upon our muscular organs in such manner as to give us a notion of extension and resistance? Have they ever affected the mind in any way only to impart to it the feeling of color? Does not Dr. Brown himself repeatedly affirm that light can only impart the sensation of color, and that extension, magnitude, figure, solidity can never be known by the sense of seeing? Does he not assert that nothing is matter to our conception which does not involve these elements? Why then does he assume light to be material? If then, light can be ranked as a material substance without exhibiting the least resistance to the muscular organs,

why not mind or spirit be considered material also? Why believe that light consists of inconceivably small vibratory or emanating particles of matter from the mere affectation of mind called color, and yet be unwilling to believe that the mind affected is material? If that which produces a sensation or feeling be regarded a solid extended substance, independently of muscular resistance, where is the impropriety in regarding that which receives the sensation of feeling as a solid extended substance also?

Dr. Brown and all other immaterialists universally believe that the sensation of smell is produced by small material particles, acting upon our olfactory. nerves. But we ask, how is Dr. Brown or any other person to determine those odorous particles to be material? It may be said that we determine them to be solid and extended by tracing them to the substances from which they emanate. But can it be proved that they constitute any part of the solid extended substance from which they emanate, any more than light as part of the substance from which it emanates? We know a rose to be solid and extended, not from our sensation of vision or smell, but from the sensation of resistance which it offers to our muscular organs when we attempt

to grasp it. But because a rose is solid and extended, that does not prove that light and fragrance, by which we discern its color and smell, are any part of the rose. If Dr. Brown's theory be true, It is absolutely impossible to prove that the odiferous particles which affect us with the sensation of fragrance are a solid extended substance. These particles of odor appear indeed to have been connected in some way with the bodies from which they emanate. But there is no possible means for the muscular powers to determine them to be part of these bodies, any more than the colored light or the heat which are also transmitted from them. No one in speaking of a rose would think of classifying heat and light as a portion of its solid substance, yet both heat and light, like the particles of odor, are intimately connected with it, and are constantly being thrown off from it.

What is there, inquires Dr. Brown, which we can discover in the mere sensation of fragrance, that is itself significant of solidity, extension, or whatever we may regard as a sense, to the existence of things without. As a mere change in the form of our being, it may suggest to us the necessity of some cause or antecedent of the change. But it is far from implying the necessity of a corporeal cause, any more than such a direct corporeal cause as implied in any other modification of our being, intellectual or moral, in our belief, for example, of the most abstract truth, at which we may have arrived by slow development of proposition after proposition in a process of internal reflective analysis,

or in the most refined and sublime of our emotions, when without thinking of any one of the objects around, we have been meditating on the divinity who formed them, himself the purest of spiritual existences. Our belief of a system of external things, then, does not as far as we can judge from the nature, of the feelings arise from our sensations of smell more than from any of our internal pleasures or pains." Brown's philosophy of the human mind, Lecture 20. Odorous particles,

then, have never been submitted to Dr. Brown's only test of materiality, and yet he, and all other immaterialists, without any hesitation, pronounce them to be matter. The spirit, like these particles of odor can exist in connection with the body or separate from it, and yet it forms no part of the fleshy tabernacle. If, like the particles of odor, it really eludes the grasp of the muscular organs, and if neither these odiferous particles nor the spirit can be proved by any muscular effort to have solidity and extension, why then should one be called material and the other immaterial. If the mind be

unexended, how can it receive any sensations from things without? It could not act upon bodily organs, for they are extended. Neither could bodily organs act upon it. Philosophers have endeavored to invent numberless hypotheses to account for the action of matter on the mind,

which they have assumed to be immaterial. The old peripatetic doctrine of perception, by species or phantasms, which for so many centuries held so unlimited a sway in the philosophic world, was probably originated to connect material with immaterial substances. When this absurdity slowly died away, other hypotheses, no less erroneous, immediately supplied its place. Descartes, seeing no possibility of any reciprocal action between matter and something that was inextended, invented his system of occasional causes, and represented the external world entirely incapable of affecting the mind in any way whatsoever.

He ascribed all the sensations and affections of the mind to the immediate agency of the deity, virtually rendering external objects entirely useless to the mind. This conjecture has been modified by succeeding philosophers without, however, removing its absurdities. It is useless to revert to all the absurd theories which have from time to time distracted the metaphysical world, and which have been originated for no other purpose than to uphold the still greater absurdity of immaterialism. Philosophers of ancient times imagined the existence of an immaterial suburb. unextended in its nature like nothing. To support this wild and vague imagination, learned metaphysicians have given birth to innumerable conjectures in order to connect

this imaginary substance with the material world. Dr. Brown, however, being a little more wise than the immaterialist who preceded him, does not attempt to connect the mutual affections existing between matter and mind by substituting some kind of conjectural intervening causes. Instead of this, he advocates the direct affection of the mind by the presence of material objects, that the change of state in the one is produced by the change of state in the other, independently of intervening causes. Now this in our view is really what happens. We believe that matter can only act upon mind because mind is an extended material substance. But Dr. Brown supposes there is no absurdity in matter acting upon that

which is unexended. He endeavors to substantiate the possibility of the direct mutual affections of mind and matter by referring to some examples of matter acting upon matter as in gravitation. Brown's philosophy of the human mind, lecture 30. But we do not conceive these cases to be in the least analogous. For there is no absurdity in supposing one extended substance to act upon another, which is also extended. But for extended substances with parts to act upon unextended substances is without a parallel and inconceivably absurd. Indeed, there could be no action at all. An immaterial mind could not act upon an immaterial mind any more than nothing could act upon nothing. To talk about matter affecting that which is inextended and without parts, is to talk about matter affecting nothing.

The very fact of the external organs affecting the mind without any intervening cause, the same as other matter affects other matter, is an argument of the strongest kind in favor of the materiality of mind. A piece of iron is affected in a certain manner by introducing into its presence a loadstone. So the mind is affected in a certain manner. by the presence of light upon the retina, or by the presence or odor upon the olfactory nerve. If then mind can be directly affected by other substances, the same as matter directly affects matter. Why should it be called an immaterial substance? If resistance to our muscular efforts, as Dr. Brown supposes, be our only test of solidity and extension and consequently of matter,

then mind itself has the greatest claims to materiality. A muscular effort is nothing more than an effort of the mind. Without the mind, the muscles are incapable of any effort whatsoever. Two men stretch out their arms, press their hands together, and resist each other with great force. In this example, as it is commonly said, the muscular efforts of the one are resisted by the muscular efforts of the other. But as the muscles have no power of the power of,

themselves, the facts of the case are that the mind of the one truly resists the mind of the other through the medium of their respective muscles. If that which causes resistance then be material, mind must be material. If two bodies of iron, of equal size were moving with equal velocities towards each other, upon meeting they would destroy each other's motion, and the next moment, though in contact, there would be no signs of resistance, not so with the resistance which mind offers to mind through the medium of the muscular organs. The resistance can be continued at the option of the two resisting minds.

Hence, mind exhibits resistance in a greater degree than other substances, and should therefore, according to Dr. Brown's test, be considered material in preference to all other substances. No two atoms of spirit or any other matter can occupy two or more places at the same time. We have never known of a circumstance, of the spirit of man, residing in the body and out of it at the same time. No particles of light, odor, heat, electricity can occupy two places at once. These substances can only be extensively diffused by being extensive in quantity. The particles of light, which enter the right eye, are not the same which enter the left eye.

Though their qualities may be exactly alike, yet they are separate individual substance, as much so as if they were millions of miles asunder. The same is true of the atoms of spirit and all other substances. End of absurdities of immaterialism by Orson. Pratt, Part 2 of 4. Absurdities of Immaterialism by Orson Pratt, part 3 of 4. This is a Libravox recording.

All Libravox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visitlibrovox.org. Read by James Bleckley. Of the essence of substances. philosophers of modern times have asserted that we know nothing of the essence of bodies. It is affirmed that all that can be known of mind or matter are merely its properties. Dr. Abercrombie says, we talk indeed about matter and we talk about mind. We speculate concerning materiality and immateriality until we argue ourselves into a kind of belief that we really understand something of the subject.

The truth is we understand nothing. Matter and mind are known to us by certain properties, but in regard to both, it is entirely out of the reach of our faculties to advance a single step beyond the facts which are before us. Whether in their substratum or ultimate essence they are the same, or whether they are different we know not, and never can know in our present state of being. Abercrombie on the Intellectual Powers Part 1, Section 1. There are many truths that we ascertain by reflection, independently in a great measure of our senses. We are assured and know in our minds that duration must be endless, that space must be boundless,

not because we have learned these truths directly through the medium of our senses, or have been able to demonstrate them by any process of reasoning, in the same way we know concerning the essence of bodies. Instead of being entirely ignorant on the subject, as modern philosophers assert, it is directly the opposite. We know the essence of all substances. Solidity is the only essence in existence. Although the ultimate atoms of matter cannot come under the cognizance of our senses, and we cannot demonstrate their solidity by any process of reasoning, yet we are nonetheless assured of their solidity. We believe that they are solid because it is impossible for us to believe otherwise.

We are as certain that the ultimate atoms of all substance are solid as we are that they exist. What we mean by solidity is that all substances completely fill a certain amount of space, and that it is impossible for them ever to fill a greater or less amount of space. The amount of absolute space occupied by any substance is constant. That is, the elementary atoms cannot be increased or decreased in magnitude in the least degree. Particles may be divided, but their respective parts occupy the same amount of space when separated as when united. Condensation or expansion is not a property of the ultimate atoms of bodies, but merely the relation which these atoms sustain to each other. When a collection of atoms called body are forced into a closer connection with each other, the body is said to be condensed. When their relative distances are increased, the body is expanded. The maximum of density excludes all pores.

In such a condition, the space is wholly occupied. Any further condensation is absolutely impossible. A bar of iron varies its dimensions with its temperature. while the atoms of which the bar consists remain unchangeable in size. The pores of the iron increase in the same proportion as the bar increases and diminishes the bar diminishes. Solidity is universally supposed to be a property of atoms, but this is an error. Solidity is not a property, but only another name for the essence. A property must be a property of something.

But solidity is not a property of anything, it is the essence itself, the thing that exists aside from all properties and powers. If we suppose solidity to be a property, then it is evident that there must be a distinction between atoms as possessors and solidity as the thing or property possessed. But we find it impossible to conceive of atoms separate and apart from solidity. Deprive atoms of solidity, and they are deprived not of a property but of existence itself, and nothing remains. Solidity is associated with existence, and we cannot conceive of the one independently of the other. Solidity, then, is the essence to which all qualities belong. Taste, smell, color, weight, etc. are the affections of solids. Every feeling or thought is the feeling or thought of solids.

All the powers of the universe, from the almighty powers of Jehovah, down to the most feeble powers that operate, are the powers of solid atoms. We can conceive of solid atoms existing without powers, but we cannot conceive of atoms existing without solidity. Therefore, the very essence of all substance is solidity. Love, joy, and all other affections are only the different. states of this existence. When the essence or solidity of substance is considered by itself, independently of its powers, there cannot possibly be any difference in atoms, only in their magnitude and form. The essence of all substance is precisely alike when the essence alone is considered. Substances can only differ in their magnitude form and susceptibilities, but not in their

essences, for they are and must be alike. The immaterialist's only possible argument refuted. The only possible argument which the immaterialist pretends to bring forward in support of the in extension and indivisibility of a thinking substance, and consequently of its immateriality, is founded on the self-consciousness of such substance. A thinking substance is conscious of its own individual unity. It is conscious that itself is not many beings but one. Mankind universally feel their own individual unity when each contemplates himself.

Each one is certain that it is the same being that rejoiced yesterday who remembers today, that all past and present affections are the affections of one being and not of many. The absolute oneness of a thinking being is supposed to be inconsistent with a plurality of parts. To avoid this supposed inconsistency, the immaterialist assumes that such a substance is without parts. Dr. Brown says that the very notion of plurality and division is as inconsistent with the notion of self as the notions of existence and non-existence. Brown's philosophy of the human mind, lecture 46. that by the term plurality, he means the plurality of parts, as well as a plurality of atoms,

is very evident from the whole tenor of his reasoning. If the materialist, as Dr. Brown again says, assert thought to be the affection of a single particle, a monad, he must remember that if what he chooses to term a single particle be a particle or matter, it too must still admit of division. It must have a top and bottom, a right side and a left. It must, as is demonstrable in geometry, admit of being cut in different points by an infinite number of straight lines, and all the difficulty of the composition of thought, therefore, remains precisely as before. If it be supposed, continues he, so completely divested of all the qualities of matter as not to be extended nor consequently divisible,

it is then mind which is asserted under another name, and everything which is at all important in the controversy is conceded. Brown's philosophy of the human mind, lecture 46. A unity of substance consisting of parts is supposed by Dr. Brown and other immaterialists to be not only relatively, but absolutely absurd. But this supposed absurdity is only imaginary, and is founded wholly on supposition and false reasoning, and not on our self-consciousness.

Self-consciousness teaches us the unity of self, but it does not teach us that a unity of self is inconsistent with a plurality of parts, and consequently inextended. The absolute oneness, or unity, of a thinking being can by no means be denied. Every man in all the world, the savage as well as the philosopher, is conscious that what he calls himself is not many but one.

But no man is conscious that the thinking substance called self does not consist of a plurality of parts. No one is conscious that self is inextended. Indeed, in the very notion of unity is involved the notion of a plurality of. parts. In abstract numbers themselves, a unit consists of an unlimited number of fractional parts. A unit of time is composed of innumerable parts called moments. A unit of space embraces a countless number of fractional spaces. A unit of substance is composed of an immense number

of fractional parts. Without a plurality of parts, we can form no notion whatsoever of unity. If consciousness, therefore, teaches us of the unity of self, it must teach us of a unity consisting of parts, otherwise it teaches us nothing. The unity of the thinking being, then, proves to a demonstration that it consists of parts, and consequently must be extended. The term unity, when applied to time, space, or substance, is entirely indefinite as to quantity. Any quantity, either great or small, may be assumed as a unit. In a multitude of human beings a man. In a bodily organ, a molecule of any compounded substance which enters into its composition. And in a molecule, an atom may be assumed as the unit.

In an atom, there is an indefinite number of parts, either of which may be chosen as a unit. But when we descend the scale still farther and speak of that which has no parts, we can form no possible conception of a unit of in extension. The term nothing, instead of unity, is the only applicable term for that which is in extended. To think of unity in reference to external things, we think of something that has parts. So likewise, to feel the unity of the mind is to feel that it has parts. If the unity or oneness of the mind is any evidence in favor of its being inextended and without parts, the unity or oneness of all other substances is equal evidence of their inextension. All the atoms of every substance in the immensity of space, when considered separately and apart, are units.

That is, each atom is not many substances, but one. Therefore, if the unity of substance necessarily implies the inextension of space, substance, every atom in the universe must be inextended and without parts, and consequently immaterial. If it be said that the universe contains no substances that can be called units, but that each atom is a plurality of substances, this would not obviate the difficulty in the least. It would only be adding absurdity to absurdity. For a plurality to exist without the possibility of a unity's existing is inconceivable nonsense. A plural number without a singular, or many substances to coexist

without the possibility of the existence of any single one, is as grossly absurd as immaterialism itself. Hence, unity implies parts as much as plurality. Therefore, wherever a unity or plurality of substance exists, their matter exists, with all its essential characteristics. No doubt, but that the immaterialist absurdity was invented principally to combat the gross errors which have been embraced by some materialists, both in ancient and modern times. The great majority of materialists have contended that thought and feeling are the results of organization, beginning and ceasing with it. Hobbes, Spinoza, Priestley, Darwin, and numerous other individuals have strenuously adverse.

this inconsistency. They have asserted that particles of matter have no susceptibilities of thought and feeling when unorganized, but as soon as they were brought together into a certain system, the result of such union is thought and feeling. Dr. Brown, in combating this vague conjecture, has clearly shown that a system of particles can have no properties as a whole which it does not possess in its individual parts, and consequently that a thought, or a joy, or a fear, or any other affections of the mind cannot possibly be the affections resulting from a plurality, but in all cases must be the affections or feelings of every part of a substance. We most cordially believe with Dr. Brown that a system of particles cannot possibly possess a property which the individuals composing the system do not possess. Had this great philosopher and

metaphysician stopped here, his reasoning would have been amply sufficient to have overthrown the errors of Priestley, Darwin, and others who have supposed thought to begin and end with organization. But by supposing an individual unity to be inconsistent with extension and parts, he has advocated an absurdity still more glaring than the one which a part of his reasoning has so successfully overthrown. There is another great. gross error of a very different nature from the one advocated by Priestley and his followers, which Dr. Brown also very clearly exposes. This error consists in assuming thought, hope, fear, joy, sorrow, desire, and all other affections to be little particles of matter.

We are not aware, however, that there was ever a human being so void of common sense as to advocate this palpable inconsistency. It is very evident that this error is not necessarily incorporated with that absurd notion which supposes thought and other affections to be a property of an organized system of particles, but not a property of each individual particle. The two errors are widely different. The one supposes a thought or feeling to be a property, not of a single particle, but of a collection of particles. the other supposes a thought or feeling to be a little particle of matter itself

and not a property of either a particle or a collection of particles. The former error has had numerous advocates in such men as Priestley, Darwin, etc., but the latter so far as we are aware, has had no advocates. Dr. Brown, however, has attacked not only the former but the latter error, as though it really had an existence in some popular theory. If thought be little particles of matter, Dr. Brown justly argues that it will be not more absurd to talk of the twentieth part of an affirmation or the quarter of a hope or of the top of a remembrance and the north and east corners of a comparison, then of the twentieth part of a pound, or of the different points of the compass in reference to any part of the globe of which we may be speaking. We agree with him most perfectly in saying that with every effort of attention which we can give to our mental analysis, we are as incapable of forming any conception of what is meant by the quarter of a doubt or the half of a belief,

as of forming to ourselves an image of a circle without a central point, or of a square without a single angle. Dr. Brown also endeavors to bring this mode of reasoning to bear against the absurdity which supposes thought to be a quality of a collection of particles arranged in the form of an organ, but not a quality of single particles. But it is evident that the arguments which entirely demolish one error leave the other entirely untouched. The weakness of Dr. Brown's argument, when wrongfully applied against the last-named error, will more fully appear by reference to his own words, which read as follows. Even though it were admitted, however, in opposition to one of the clearest truths in science, that an organ is something more than a mere name for the separate and independent bodies which it denotes,

and that our various feelings are states of the censorial organ, it must still be allowed that if 200 particles existing in a certain state form a doubt, the division of these into two equal aggregates of particles, as they exist in this state at the moment of that particular feeling, would form halves of a doubt, that all the truths of arithmetic would be predictable of each separate thought, if it were a state of a number of particles. By a little reflection, it will be seen that Dr. Brown's inference is entirely unfounded. If 200 particles existing in a certain state form a doubt, it does not necessarily follow that the division of these into two equal aggregates of the particles would form halves of a doubt. If 200 pounds of weight attached to a certain machine will produce a result called motion, it does not necessarily follow that 100 pounds will produce a result called half a motion. If exactly 200 particles organized into a certain form were requisite to produce a certain thought, then it is evident that to alter in the least either the number or organization would be a complete destruction of that particular thought

instead of forming fractions of it. This is what Priestley and his followers assert. They say that thought begins and ends with the organization, and that the single individuals entering into the system form no thought nor fractions of a thought. This absurdity, therefore, remains untouched by this argument of Dr. Brown. It is effectually demolished, however, by another species of argument used by him to which we have already referred. He has proved Priestley's theory to be false, not by supposing that the fractions of a doubt could be made to result from it, but by clearly showing that an organ is only a name for a collection of many substances,

which cannot possibly possess any property as a whole, which the individuals do not possess when existing singly. He has also proved the theory which asserts that a thought or a feeling is a little particle of matter to be false because it involves the absurdity of fractional thoughts, hopes, fears, etc. But there is one more theory which we venture to propose. that we believe to be impregnable, which no philosopher or metaphysician ever has or ever can refute. The theory may be stated as follows. A thought, hope, fear, joy, or any other feeling is not a little particle of matter,

nor the result or quality of a collection of particles called an organ or a system of organs, but is the state or affection of a single individual substance, having extension and parts and all the essential characteristics belonging to all other matter. There is no absurdity in speaking of the half or of a quarter, of or of any other fractional part of this substance, but there would be a great absurdity in speaking of the fractional parts of its mere states or affections. The half or a thousandth part of a thinking substance is as reasonable as the half or a thousandth part of an attracting substance.

But the top or bottom of a thought would be as absurd as the top or bottom of attraction. The north or east side of a substance which remembers is just as correct as the north or east corners of a substance which possesses a chemical affinity. But the north side of a remembrance would be as inconsistent as the north side of a chemical affinity. Hence, none of the arguments which are so successfully brought to bear against the other two theories will in the least affect this. It is invulnerable in every point at which it may be assailed. Every conceivable part of this substance, however minute,

possesses the same property as the whole. A thought or any other state of feeling is, therefore, perceived by every possible part of which a whole consists. A unity of substance, as we have already had occasion to remark, consists of an immense number of fractional parts. These, in order to constitute unity, must be so closely connected with and related to each other that whatever state or affection one might happen to be in, all the rest must immediately be notified of the same.

If one part be affected with pain, every other part must be conscious of it. If one part rejoices, hopes, or fears, the whole must, by sympathy, rejoice hope or fear in the same manner. But if one part could suffer, while another part was unconscious of such suffering, or if the affection of one part had no tendency to affect another, then the individual unity would be destroyed, and the substance would be as many distinct thinking-feeling beings as there were parts unconscious of the affections of the others. It is not necessary that a thinking substance should be limited to magnitudes or quantities

that are exceedingly minute in order to constitute a unity. Large amounts of substance are as consistent with unity as small ones. But in all cases, whether the quantity be large or small, it is necessary that the parts should bear that relation to each other, that when one is affected every other should be affected also. Otherwise, it could not be a unity. The feeling or thinking substance of an elephant or whale is as much an individual unity as the feeling, substance, or spirit,

of a nat or an amululculae, though the magnitude of the former far exceeds that of the latter. It is the peculiar organization or relation, relation of parts in such a manner as to be all conscious of each other's affection which constitutes the unity without any regard to the size or amount of substance organized. When the several parts are so organized as to think, remember, hate, love, and feel alike, under the different circumstances to which the organization may be exposed, the whole is one individual unity or being. If the mind or spirit be of the same magnitude as the body, then the impressions received through the various organs of a human body would only have to be transferred to the

distance of about five feet, in order that every part of the mind might be a like consciousness of such impressions. Let the velocity be ever so rapid. Time would be an essential ingredient to the transfer of these communications from part to part. If they were communicated with the velocity of sound, those parts of the mind the most distant from the one first affected would receive the impression in the 200th part of a second. If the transfer was rapid as light, the impression would be conveyed to the most distant extremities of the mind in the 200 millionth part of a second. These inconceivably minute portions of time would be altogether imperceptible to the mind.

Hence, whenever any part of the mind is affected through its sensorial organs, every other part seems to be affected in the same instant. Whereas in reality, the affection is conveyed successively from part to part, the same as sound or light is conveyed from a sounding or luminous body. The conveyance of internal thoughts or emotions of any kind form one part of the mind to the other.

is probably equal in velocity to the transfer of the various notions gained by sensation. Therefore, in consequence of the inconceivable velocity with which all thoughts and sensations are conveyed from one extremity of mind to another, it is impossible for one part of the mind to have a thought, sensation, or feeling of any kind, which the other parts of the mind can, during any term of time that is appreciable, be ignorant of. It is for this reason that the whole of the mind thinks, the whole of the mind loves, the whole of the mind hates, the whole of the mind wills, etc. If the term of time were of any appreciable length in which thoughts and feelings are conveyed from one part of the perceptive mind to the other then, while one part of the mind was hating an object, another part of the same mind might be loving it because of newly discovered qualities, and while a part of the mind in one foot was suffering intense pain caused by treading upon hot iron,

another part of the mind in the other foot, not having had time to receive the information, would venture also into the same danger. Were it possible for the different parts of the mind to feel and to think without being able to communicate their respective feelings to each other, then every part that thus, thought and felt would be a distinct individual, as much so as if it were separated for miles from all the rest, or as if it were a separate organization. In this case, the whole being or mind, which we termed before I, would cease its individual unity. Each part which thought and felt independently could appropriate to itself the term I, and with the greatest propriety could apply the

term you to every other part which thought had felt distinctly and differently from itself. It is therefore because all parts of the mind seem to be affected in the same way, and apparently at the same time, that it is felt to be a single individual mind. It is this and this only that constitutes the unity of a thinking being, and not, as the immaterialist asserts, a something without parts, which, from its very nature, could constitute neither a unity, nor a plurality, nor anything else, but nothing. If the human spirit be nearly the same form and magnitude as the fleshy tabernacle in which it dwells, it must be composed of an immense number of particles, each of which is susceptible of almost an infinite variety of thoughts, emotions, and feelings.

Whence originated these susceptibilities? Are they the results of organization? Did each particle obtain its susceptibilities by being united with others? This would be impossible. For if a particle were entirely destitute of the capacity of thinking and feeling, no possible organization could impart to it that power. The power to think and feel is not, nor cannot be derived. from any arrangement of particles.

If they have not this power before organization, they can never have it afterwards. It follows then that if ever there were a time when the particles of the human spirit existed in a disorganized state, each particle so existing must have had all the susceptibilities of feeling and thoughts that it now has. And consequently, each particle must have been a separate, independent being of itself. Therefore, under such circumstances, one particle would have been no more affected with the state or condition of others than one man is affected with the pleasures or pains

of others with whom he's not associated. How, then, it may be asked, can these separate, independent beings be so united as to form but one being, possessing the same susceptibilities as each of the individuals of which it's composed. The answer to this question may be more clearly understood by the following illustration. Let a certain number of iron filings exist in a scattered condition, widely separated from each other. It is evident that each possesses the susceptibility of magnetism, such as are brought within the influence of a lodestone or magnet, under favorable circumstances, will exhibit all the magnetic phenomena,

while others, unconnected and at a distance, will remain entirely unaffected. But let all these filings be firmly united together into one bar of iron, and be exposed to the influence of a magnet or loadstone, and they will then be affected alike. Those which were before the Union distinct individual particles, exhibiting at the same time different,

acceptabilities and qualities, according to the different circumstances in which they were placed, are, by their union, consolidated into one mass. In this condition, if one part be magnetized, the whole will be magnetized. If one part be moved, the whole will be moved. Therefore, the particles in this bar, though distinct parts of the same substance, can no longer be considered a distinct individuals, because they are no longer affected differently, but alike. So it is with the human spirit. Its particles previous to the organization are, as above-stated, separate, and distinct beings. And the organization of each are entirely independent

of the state of the others. But when organized into a person, all particles must from henceforth be subject to the same influences, and though they are distinct parts of the same substance, yet they are one in all their thoughts and feelings, and it is this which constitutes individuality in all intelligent organizations. If a bar of iron, weighing one pound, had the power of expressing its different qualities, it could, with the greatest propriety, say,

I am heavy, I am magnetized, I move. The term I would represent the whole bar, consisting of an infinite number of parts, all affected precisely in the same moment and in the same manner. Now, no one would for a moment suppose the pound of iron to be immaterial and without parts, because the term I was representative of a single individual bar. So likewise, in the expressions I think, I feel, I remember, the term I is representative of the whole being,

every part of which thinks, feels, and remembers in the same moment and in the same manner. The arguments which Dr. Brown has used, Brown's philosophy of the human mind, Lecture 46, against the materiality of the mind, would apply with the same force against the materiality of iron or any other substance. For if thought or feeling prove the unity and inextension of mind, weight, magnetism, or must, will, with as much reason, prove the unity and in extension of iron. Mr. Tilder has asserted that the materialism of the Mormons is not only unscriptural, but anti-scriptural. Taylor against materialism, page 21.

First, he undertakes to show that it is unscriptural, by asserting that it is in opposition to the spirituality of the divinity. Tailder Against Materialism, page 22. We readily admit that any system which is in opposition to the spirituality of the divinity is not only unscriptural but dangerously false. That the spirits of the Father and the Son, as well as the Holy Spirit, consist of a substance purely spiritual, can by no means be denied by any believer in the Sacred Scriptures.

It is a doctrine firmly believed by us and all the Latter-day Saints. It is a doctrine most definitely expressed and advocated in our pamphlet on the kingdom of God, and that too, on the very first page from which Mr. Taileder makes copious extracts. It is there that we have definitely spoken of the spirits of the father and son. It is there that we speak of the Holy Spirit. It is there that we have expressly said that God is a spirit. And yet in the face of all these declarations, Mr. Tilder has had the heartyhood to say that our theory is in opposition to the spirituality of the divinity. Instead of this, it is the material theory alone that establishes the very existence of spirit.

Take away the materiality of spirit, and you at once destroy its very existence, as we have abundantly shown in the foregoing pages. The immaterialists have aimed a deadly blow at the foundation of all spiritual existence by denying an extension and parts. We, in opposition to this unphilosophic, unscriptural and atheistical doctrine, have most clearly expressed our beliefs in a real, tangible substance called spirit, which has extension and parts like all other matter. In the case of the angel's visit to Abraham and of their partaking of food,

who, inquires Mr. Taileder, would conclude that they must have fleshy bodies. Taileder against materialism, page 24. We answer that a fleshy body and a spiritual body are entirely different things. One is a body of material flesh.

The other is a body of material spirit. They are entirely different kinds of matter, as much so as iron and oxygen. Jesus says, God is spirit, and again he says, a spirit hath not flesh and bones.

From these sayings of Jesus, we can see that spiritual matter and fleshy or bony matter are distinct substances. These passages are sometimes quoted as a supposed proof of immateriality. But everyone

knows that there are millions of substances that are not flesh and bone. A house, a stone, or a tree, hath not flesh and bones any more than a spirit. Shall we therefore say that all these substances are immaterial? If a spirit must be immaterial because it hath not flesh and bones, then every substance in the universe except flesh and bones must be immaterial. Mr. Taylor supposes of the persons who appeared to Abraham and ate and walked and conversed with him were only bodily forms, assumed in mercy to man. But we ask, how does our author know but what these bodily forms were the real true substantial forms of these beings instead of assumed ones? He seems to think that it might be assumed with equal propriety that the divine being is a rock, a fortress, a tower, a shield, a buckler, because he is so styled in the Bible.

But did he ever appear in the form of a rock or a fortress to any person anciently? Did he ever appear to Abraham, to Jacob, to Moses, to the 70 elders of Israel, to Micaiah, to Isaiah, or to the Jewish nation when he walked among him? them in the flesh as a tower, a shield, or a buckler. No, he appeared to them all as a person. If the three persons whom Abraham saw had appeared like a shield or any other inanimate thing, they would not have been called men. It was because they resembled the human species that they were thus called. Mr. Taylor says, this scheme contradicts itself, for if Christ were possessed of a body of flesh and blood, how could he become incarnate? The Mormons believe, continues he, in the incarnation,

but this contradicts it. Their doctrine implies that he had a body before he was incarnate, or he had a body before he had a body, or he had a body and had not a body at the same time. Taildustract, page 26. This author must be very ignorant of our doctrine if he supposes that think that Christ had a body of flesh and blood before His incarnation. Christ before His incarnation was a spiritual body, and not a body of flesh and bones. It was the body of His spirit, and not a fleshly body that was with the Father in the beginning, when God said, let us make man in our likeness and in our image. Whenever he appeared before he dwelt in flesh, it was

the pure spiritual matter only which was seen. The spiritual body of Christ has hands, face, feet, and all other members, the same as his body of flesh and bones. The spiritual bodies of all men were created in the likeness of the spiritual body of Christ when they were first created. That spiritual bodies are capable of condensation is evident from the fact of their occupying the small bodies of infants. The spirits of just men, who have departed from the fleshy tabernacle, have been seen by the inspired writers, and from their description of them, we should not only judge them to be of the same form, but likewise of about the same size as man in this life.

These departed spirits, then, which are about the same magnitude as men in the flesh, once occupied infant bodies. There are only two methods by which to account for their increase in magnitude. One is by an additional quantity of spiritual matter, being gradually and continually incorporated in the spiritual body, by which its magnitude is increased in the same way and in the same proportion as the fleshly body is increased, and the other is by its elasticity or expansive properties

by which it increases in size as the tabernacle of flesh and bones increases until it attains to its natural magnitude, or until its expansive and cohesive properties balance each other, or are in a state of equilibrium. The latter method seems to be in accordance with Scripture. The spiritual body of Christ,

when seen previous to his incarnation, is not represented as an infant in stature, but as a man, and consequently his spirit must have been the size of a man. Therefore, when he came and dwelt in the infant tabernacle of flesh born of a virgin, his spirit must have been greatly condensed, and did not completely regain its former magnitude until the fleshy tabernacle had attained its full growth. As a further evidence of the condensation of spiritual matter,

we read of seven devils being cast out of man, Magdalene, and of a legion of others inhabiting one man, and which, after being cast out, entered a large herd of swine. Now these devils were once angels who kept not their first estate. Those angels who kept their first estate, that have been seen, appear about the size and of the form of men, in so much as they are frequently called men in the scriptures. it is reasonable to suppose that those angels who fell did not, to any great extent, alter their size and form. Therefore, they must have been very much condensed and crowded when a legion of them entered one body.

That the different particles of a spirit are not all in actual contact is very evident from the fact that a spiritual body can alter its dimensions by condensation or expansion. It is also evident from the fact of its entering into union with flesh and bones and also withdrawing itself at death. If the particles were in contact and inseparably connected, there would be no possibility of getting in and out of a fleshly body, unless by entirely dissolving its parts. But as it is, each refined particle of the spirit can, like heat or electricity, pass between the fleshly particles, and thus the whole body of spiritual particles can liberate themselves, and by their own self-moving powers and free will, can still preserve and maintain their own organization.

Here is manifested the great superiority of spiritual matter to all other matter. Each particle has the power of self-motion. The whole mass of particles have power to preserve themselves in an organized form as long as they please. should they by any contingency be disarranged, as in passing in or out of a body, they can with the greatest ease resume their former position and maintain their bodily organization, either in or out of a fleshly tabernacle. Mr. Tilder, in speaking of the seven devils which possessed Mary Magdalene says,

If they were material, they must have condensed themselves into a very small space. He then remarks, no doubt the reader questions, the possibility of any sane person first embracing and then calmly propagating such errors. Taylor's tract, page 28. But we calmly ask Mr. Taylor, which would be the most reasonable and philosophic? To believe that seven substances could all occupy the same space at the same time, or to believe, as we do, in the condensation of substance. The former is an admitted absurdity, but the latter is something that is constantly taking place in a great variety of substances. None could believe the former, unless his mental vision was obscured and his eyes blinded by the absurd, insane notions of priestcraft and false tradition. But any man of sound sense, who dares think for himself, could believe the latter because it does not involve

an absurdity. The Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon the Savior, and like as cloven tongues of fire on the apostles. How can a dove, inquires Mr.

Tilder, extend through all space and intermingle with all the matter? It is, he asserts, a clear impossibility. We readily admit that a dove or a cloven tongue of fire cannot be omnipresent. It is, as Mr. Taylor says, a clear impossibility. And it is likewise just as

impossible for a person to be everywhere present as it is for a dove. Why should our author suppose it possible for a person to be everywhere present when he admits that a dove could not be in the same condition? The cloven tongues of fire that appeared unto the disciples on the day of Pentecost were only parts of that all-wise substance which extends through space. The cloven tongue of fire which rested upon one man was not the same that rested upon all the others. Hence, there was a plurality of them that appeared. The prophet Joel informs us that in the last days

the spirit shall be poured out upon all flesh. No two persons can receive the same identical particles of this spirit at the same instance. A part, therefore, of the Holy Spirit will rest upon one man, and another part will rest upon another. If the Spirit rests upon all flesh at the same time, then there will be as many parts of the Spirit as there are distinct individuals in whom it dwells. No one of these parts of the Spirit can be everywhere present any more than a dove. Each part can occupy only one place at a time. If the whole be indifferent, in quantity, it can extend through infinite space. If it be finite in quantity, it can only occupy

finite space. That different parts of this spirit can assume different shapes is evident from its appearing as a dove at one time and as cloven tongues of fire at another. It is also evident from the fact of the Savior speaking of the Holy Spirit as a personage. Howbeit when he the spirit of truth is come, he will guide you into all truth, for he shall not speak of himself, but whatsoever he shall hear, that he shall speak, and he will show you things to come. John 16, verse 13. There is no more inconsistency in one part of the Holy Spirit existing in the form of a person than there is in another part existing in the form of a dove,

and several other parts existing in the form of clove and tongues of fire. That the all-powerful matter called the Holy Spirit is very widely diffused is evident from the fact that the time will come will be poured out upon all flesh. It is very certain that the psalmist had some idea of the immense quantities of this substance and of its extensive diffusions when he exclaims, "'Wither shall I go from thy spirit, etc.' "'The spirit of God moved upon the face of the deep, "'and by his spirit the heavens were garnished.

"'When we speak of the spirit of God extending through all space, "'we do not mean that it absolutely fills every minute portion of space, "'for if this were the case, there would be no room for any other matter. "'A substance, to absolutely fill all space, would be an infinite solid, without pores and immovable in all its parts. Therefore, the spirit exists in different parts of space in greater or less degrees, of density, like heat, light, or electricity. It is this glorious and all-powerful substance that governs and controls all other substances

by its actual presence, producing all the phenomena ascribed to the laws of nature. In it we exist. We live, we move, and buy. By it, we receive wisdom and knowledge, and are guided into truth in proportion as we permit it to dwell within us and receive its heavenly teachings. End of absurdities of immaterialism by Orson Pratt, Part 3 of 4. Absurdities of Immaterialism by Orson Pratt, Part 4 of 4. This is a Libravox recording. All Libravox recordings are in the public domain.

For more information or to volunteer, please visit Libravox.org. Read by James Bleckley. Second, The next consideration, says our author, is their denial of the infinity, perfection, and omnipresence of the godhead. Tail distract, page 31. Under this head, he quotes many passages of Scripture

to show that the purpose, presence of God fills heaven and earth, and that the heaven of heavens cannot contain him. All these things we freely admit. The Holy Spirit is called God in the Scriptures, as well as the Father and Son. This, we presume Mr. Tilder will admit. It is God the Holy Spirit, then, that is everywhere substantially and virtually. The Holy Spirit is infinitely perfect and wise, one in substance, but one in wisdom, power, and glory, and goodness.

Jesus prayed that all his disciples might be made one, as he and his father are one. If Jesus and the Father are one person, then all the disciples must, according to the prayer of Jesus, lose their individual identity and become one person. This would be perfect nonsense. Therefore, Jesus and the Father are two persons, or, two substances, the same in kind, but not the same in identity, in the same sense that his disciples are different persons and consequently distinct substances. His disciples are to be made one with him and with each other, the same as Jesus and the Father are one. That is, they are to be

one in wisdom, power, and glory, but not in person and substance. The substance, the substance, the substance of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost are three distinct substances, as much as the substance of three men are distinct. These three substances act in concert, in the same way that all the innumerable millions of his disciples, after they are glorified, will act in concert. The disciples will then be like him. Their glorified bodies will be similar to that of Christ, but not the same as Christ's. They will all maintain their separate individualities like the Father and Son. The oneness of the Godhead may be in some measure illustrated by two gallons of pure water,

existing in separate vessels, representing the Father and Son, and an ocean of pure water representing the Holy Spirit. No one would say of these three portions of water that they were identically, the same. Every portion would be a separate substance of itself, yet the separate portions would be one in kind, one in quality, but three in separate distinct identities. So it is with the Godhead, so far as the spiritual matter is concerned. There is the same power, wisdom, glory, and goodness in every part, and yet every part has its own work to perform, which accords in the most perfect harmony with the mind and will of every other part. Each atom of the Holy Spirit is intelligent,

and like all other matter, has solidity, form, and size. It is because each acts in the most perfect union with all the rest, that the whole is considered one Holy Spirit. All these innumerable atoms are considered one Holy Spirit in the same sense that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are considered one God. The immense number of atoms, though each is all-wise and all-powerful, is by virtue of their perfect concord and agreement but one Holy Spirit, the same as the intelligent particles of a man's spirit are by their peculiar union, but one human spirit. Their unity or oneness does not consist in that inexplicable, incomprehensible, immoral, something, without extension or parts, as taught in the first of the 39 articles.

But it consists in a unity or oneness of wisdom, power, and glory, each part performing its own splendid works and operations in union with the mind and will of every other part. No one part can perform any work but what is the mind of the whole. Therefore, in this sense, it is the same mind, the same will, the same wisdom that pervades the whole. Mr. Taileder, in order to establish his views of a God without parts, quotes from the theological works of a very celebrated writer

on the omnipresence of God, which reads as follows. The essential presence is without any division of himself. I fill heaven and earth, not part in heaven and part in earth. I fill one as well as the other. One part of his essence is not in one place and another part of his essence in another place. He would then be changeable. For that part of his essence which was now in this place, he might alter to another, and place that part of his essence which were in another place to this.

But he is undivided everywhere. It is impossible that one part of his essence can be separated from another, for he is not a body to have one part separable from another. the light of the sun cannot be cut into parts, it cannot be shut into any place and kept there, it is entire in every place. Shall not God, who gives the light that power, be much more present himself? Whatsoever hath parts is finite, but God is infinite, therefore hath no parts of his essence. Besides, if there were such a division of his being, he would not be the most simple and uncompounded being, but would be made up of various parts. He would not be a spirit

for parts are evidences of composition, and it could not be said that God is here or there, but only a part of God is here, and a part of God is there. But he fills heaven and earth. He is as much a God in the earth beneath as he is in heaven above. The Lord, he is God in heaven above, and upon the earth beneath, there is none else, Deuteronomy 4, verse 39. Entirely in all places, not by scraps and fragments of his essence. Charnock on the omnipresence of God. Of all the absurdities ever imagined up by mortal man in relation to God, the above caps the climax.

One part of his essence, says Charnock, is not in one place, and another part of his essence in another place, how does he exist? According to this theologian, the whole of the essence of God entire must exist in every place. The whole of his essence, not a part, must exist in every cubic inch of space. In one cubic foot of space, according to Charnock, there would be 1,728 cubic inches, each containing the whole of the essence of God. As each cubic inch of space is susceptible of being divided into an infinite number of fractional spaces, each fractional space must contain the whole of the essence of God.

Hence the whole of his essence would be repeated an infinite number of times in every cubic inch. Therefore, if the whole of the essence of God constitutes God, we shall have an infinite number of gods in every cubic inch of inch of. of space. But the absurdity does not stop here. Charnock admits the omnipresence of God, he supposes his essence to fill the infinity of space. Now, the whole of this infinitely extended essence must exist in the smallest fractional space that can be imagined, and must be repeated an infinite number of times in all finite spaces, in order that the whole of his essence may be in every possible space. It is impossible, says Char knock, that one part of his

essence can be separated from another. But we ask, are not the different parts of space separated from each other? And if he fills all space, then his essence that is in one part of space must be separate from his essence in another part of space. If the whole of his essence, occupies a cubic foot of space on the earth, and the whole of his essence occupies another cubic foot of space at the distance of the sun, how is it that these essences at this great distance are not separate from each other? But does not every schoolboy know that the whole of any essence

cannot be in two separate places at the same instant? And does not everyone know that the whole of an essence infinitely extended cannot possibly exist in a finite space. Charnock endeavors to illustrate his absurdities by referring to the rays of light. The light of the sun, he says, cannot be cut into parts. It is entire in every place. What does the great theologian mean by this? Does he mean that the light of the sun is without parts like his God? Or that the whole light of the sun is without parts like his God? or that the whole light of the sun is in every place? Does the whole light of the sun enter our eyes,

or only a part of his rays? If the whole light of the sun is entire in every place, then the intensity of his light must be equal in all places. If this be the case, philosophers must be entirely mistaken, for they say that light varies in intensity inversely as the square of the distance from the luminous body. They inform us that a body situated it twice or three times the distance of the earth from the sun will enjoy only one-fourth or one-ninth of the amount of light that we enjoy.

But how could this be possible if the whole light of the sun instead of part is entire in every place? It takes light over eight minutes to come from the sun to the earth. Charnock says the light of the sun cannot be cut into parts. This is not true. For if an opaque body, one million of miles in diameter, were to be placed at any given instant halfway between the Earth and Sun, the light of the Sun would still continue to be seen for upwards of four minutes after the intervention of this body. The rays of light between the Earth and the opaque body would be entirely cut off from the rays on the opposite side of the body. It matters not whether the corpuscular or the undulatory theory of light be adopted, whether the particles of light emanate from the sun, or merely vibrate. Each atom is separate from every other atom, and each is only a part of the great whole.

An infinite number of parts enter into the vast assemblage of luminous atoms. Light radiates from the sun in all directions, and fills the surrounding spaces by a part being in one space and a part in another, and not, like Mr. Charnock's God, the whole being repeated in every part of space. That part of the essence of light, which is in one place, cannot by any possibility be in any other place at the same instant. In one sense, it may be said to be one light,

or the same light, because the properties are alike. Each particle is a distinct, separate essence from every other particle, but the qualities of each are alike or similar. Therefore, in this sense, we may speak of the light of the sun as one light, though it possesses an infinite number of parts, the same as we speak of God being one God, though the parts of his essence are infinite in number. Mr. Charnoch says, Whatsoever hath parts is finite, but God is infinite, and therefore hath not parts of his essence. Space, likewise, is infinite, and therefore, according to this gentleman's logic,

it can have no parts. Duration is infinite, and therefore it must also be without parts. What would a cubic inch of space be? Any man that was not insane, would it once say that it is a part of space? Therefore, if an infinite space or an infinite duration can have parts, why not an infinite essence have parts? The Lord, He is God in heaven above, and upon the earth beneath, there is none else. Deuteronomy 4, verse 39. Such a passage when referring to the person of God should be understood the same as we would understand a similar expression concerning any ruler.

For instance, it can be said of Her Majesty. She is queen in Great Britain and also in Canada, and there is none else. That is, there is none else that is queen in those two places. This would have no reference to her person being in those two places at the same time. It only shows that she should be the only acknowledged queen in these two places. But when God says, I fill heaven and earth. He has reference to His Holy Spirit, a part of which fills heaven and another part fills the earth. That part which fills the earth has the same wisdom, knowledge, glory, and power as the part that fills the heaven.

Hence, though distinct and separate essences, their perfections and attributes are one. One wisdom, one glory, one power, pervade every part of this glorious essence. This oneness is such that the part which, which fills the earth will never act contrary to the will of the part which fills the heavens. The essence possesses a plurality of parts, but the wisdom possesses no divisibility of parts. It is infinite wisdom in every part. Wisdom cannot be divided into parts any more than love, hope, joy, or fear. A truth is identically the same truth, whether possessed by one or a million persons, and is not susceptible of being divided into fractions.

The Holy Spirit is called the Spirit of Truth. Though the essence that possesses this truth may be divided into an infinite number of parts, occupying an infinite number of separate spaces, yet the truth that pervades them all is one truth. It is the indivisibility and unity of these perfections or qualities that constitute the oneness of the God-Hare. Third, Mr. Taileder supposes my assertion that there is no such thing as moral image to be unscriptural,

and that it denies in some respects the moral perfections of the Godhead. Taylor's tract page 33. We still maintain that there cannot be any such thing as moral image independently of an essence or substance to which it belongs. and this is the only sense which we intended to convey in our tract on the kingdom of God. Indeed, it is there expressly said that morality is a property of some being or substance. A property without a substance or being to which it appertains is inconceivable. A property can never have figure, shape, or image of any kind. This is a truth admitted by all philosophers.

Sir Isaac Newton is, in the scolium at the end of the Principia. In speaking of God says, He is omnipresent, not by means of his virtue alone, but also by his substance. For virtue cannot subsist without substance. Virtue or morality cannot subsist without substance.

Hence, it can have no image without substance. Substance alone can have an image. Such an image may have the property of virtue or of morality, and by reason of this property may be called a virtuous image, or a moral image. It is in this sense alone that the Apostle Paul applies the term image to the new man. Ye have put on the new man which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him, Colossians 3, verse 10. ye have put on the new man after which God is created in righteousness and true holiness

Ephesians 4 verse 24 Now what is this new man? It is the spirit of man, renewed in its properties, but not changed in its substance or essence. This substance previously to the renewal of its qualities was immoral. After the renewal it became moral or virtuous, possessing the same quality in a degree as the substance or image of the deity. The substance of the deity may be termed a moral substance or image, the same as the substance of gold is called a yellow substance

or yellow image if it resembles a person. The yellowness of gold could not be an image independently of the substance, neither could the morality of the deity be an image independently of his essence. The spiritual substance of man was formed in the beginning after the same image as the spiritual substance of the persons of the father and son. Previously, to the fall, these spirits were all moral in their nature. By the fall, the spirits of men lost their morality and virtue, but not their essence. That continued the same.

By the new birth, man regains his morality and virtue, while the essence remains the same. It now becomes a moral virtuous image, whereas the same substance was before immoral. Paul, in speaking of the resurrection, says, as we have borne the image of the earthly, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly. 1. Corinthians 15 verse 49. This cannot mean a heavenly image without substance. For when man rises from the dead, he certainly will rise with flesh and bones. The immortal bodies of the saints, when they rise from the grave, will be fashioned, as Paul says, like unto the glorious body of Jesus Christ. As Jesus ascended into heaven with a body of flesh and bones, so will his saints bear the same image, having flesh and bones after the image of the heavenly.

that these glorious bodies of immortal flesh and immortal bones will be moral images, in the sense above stated, there is no doubt. But such a thing is a moral image in the sense that the immaterialists use the term is a clear impossibility. Such an image, as we remarked in our treatise on the kingdom of God, never can and never will have an existence only in the brains of modern ideas. Dahlichers. Fourth, Mr. Taylor falsely accuses us of denying the personality of each person in the Trinity, making each to be only a part in the Godhead. Taylor's tract, page 34. This author very well knows that the personalities in the Godhead are not denied by us.

It will be seen on the very pages to which he has so frequently referred that we believe the father and son to be two separate. distinct personages, as much so as fathers and sons of the human race. It will there be seen that we also believe the Holy Spirit to be a separate distinct substance from the two substances of the father and son. That all may see that this author has wrongfully accused us of denying the personality of each person of the Trinity, we make the following extract from our treatise on the kingdom of God. The godhead consists of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

The Father is a material being, the substance of which he is composed is wholly material. It is a substance widely different in some respects from the various substances with which we are more immediately acquainted. In other respects, it is precisely like all other materials. The substance of his person occupies space the same as other matters. It has solidity, length, breadth, and thickness, like all other matter. The elementary materials of his body are not susceptible of occupying at the same time, the same identical space with other matter. The substance of his person, like other matter, cannot be in two places the same instant.

It also requires time for him to transport himself from place to place. It matters not how great the velocity of his movements, time is an essential ingredient to all motion, whether rapid or slow. It differs from other matter in the superiority of its powers, being intelligent, all-wise, and possessing the power of self-motion to a far greater extent than the coarser materials of nature. God is a spirit, but that does not make him an immaterial being, a being that has no properties in common with matter. The expression, an immaterial being is a contradiction in terms. Immateriality is only another name for nothing.

It is the negative of all existence. A spirit is as much matter as oxygen or hydrogen. It has many properties in common with all other matter. Chemists have discovered between 50 and 60 kinds of matter, and each kind has some properties in common with all other matter, and some properties peculiar to itself, which the others do not inherit. Now, no chemist in classifying his substances would presume to say, this substance is material, but that one is immaterial,

because it differs in some respects from the first, he would call them all material, though they in some respects differed widely. So the substance called spirit is material, though it differs in a remarkable degree from other substances. It is only the addition of another element of more powerful nature than any yet discovered. He is not a being without parts, as modern idolaters teach, for every whole is made up of parts. The whole person of the father consists of innumerable parts, and each part is so situated as to bear certain relations of distance to every other part. There must also be to a certain degree of freedom of motion.

among these parts, which is an essential condition to the movement of his limbs, without which he could only move as a whole. All the foregoing statements in relation to the person of the father are equally applicable to the person of the son. The Holy Spirit, being one part of the Godhead, is also a material substance of the same nature and properties in many respects as the spirits of the Father and Son. It exists in vastness. It exists in vastness. immeasurable quantities in connection with all material worlds. This is called God in the scriptures, as well as the Father and Son. God the Father and God the Son cannot be everywhere present. Indeed, they cannot be even in two places at the same instant. But God, the Holy Spirit,

is omnipresent. It extends through all space, intermingling with all other matter. Yet no one atom of the Holy Spirit can be in two places at the same instant, which in all cases is an absolute impossibility. It must exist in inexhaustible quantities, which is the only possible way for any substance to be omnipresent. All the innumerable phenomena of a universal nature are produced in their origin by the actual presence of this intelligent, all-wise, and all-powerful material substance called the Holy Spirit. It is the most active matter in the universe, producing all its operations according to fixed and definite laws enacted by itself, in conjunction with the Father and the Son. What are called the laws of nature are nothing more nor less than the fixed method by which

this spiritual matter operates. Each atom of the Holy Spirit is intelligent, and like other matter, has solidity, form, and size, and occupies space. Two atoms of this spirit cannot occupy the same space at the same time. In all these respects, it does not differ in the least from all other matter. Its distinguishing characteristics from other matter are its almighty powers and infinite wisdom, and many other glorious attributes which other materials do not possess. If several of the atoms of this spirit should exist united together in the form of a person, then this person of the Holy Spirit would be subject to the same necessity as the other two persons of the Godhead, that is, it could not be everywhere present.

No finite number of atoms can be omnipresent. An infinite number of atoms is requisite to be everywhere in infinite space. Two persons, receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit, do not receive at the same time the same identical particles, though they each receive a substance exactly similar in kind. It would be as impossible for each to receive the same identical atoms at the same instant as it would be for two men at the same time to drink the same identical pint of water. Kingdom of God Part 1, page 4. From this extract, it will be perceived that the Father's Son and Holy Spirit are believed by us to be three distinct material substances, the same in kind but not the same in identity. The person of the Father is a body of spirit consisting of parts. Mr. Tilder inquires, what does the author mean by the elementary materials of his body?

Is his body a compounded substance capable of being reduced to original and simple elements? We answer that the elements of his body are the different parts of which it consists, the whole being compounded of elementary parts. The Godhead may be further illustrated by a council consisting of three men, all possessing equal wisdom, knowledge, and truth, together with equal qualifications in every other respect. Each person would be a separate, distinct person or substance from the other two, yet the three would form but one council.

Each alone possesses, by supposition, the same wisdom and truth that the three united or the one council possesses. The union of the three men in one council would not increase the knowledge or wisdom of either. Each man would be one part of the council when references made to his person, but the wisdom and truth of each man would be the whole wisdom and truth of the council, not a part. If it were possible to divide truth and other qualities of a similar nature into fractions, so that the father should have a third part of truth, the third part of wisdom, the third part of knowledge, the third part of love, while the Son and the Holy Spirit possessed the other two-thirds of these qualities or affections,

then neither of these persons could make one. one God, but only a part of a God. But because the divisibility of wisdom, truth, or love is impossible, the whole of these qualities dwell in the Father. The whole dwells in the Son. The whole is possessed by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is one part of the Godhead. In essence, the whole of God and wisdom, truth, and other similar qualities. If a truth could become three truths distinct from each by dwelling in three persons or substances, then there would be three gods instead of one. But as it is, the Trinity is three in essence, but one in truth and other similar principles. The oneness of the godhead, as described in the scriptures, was never intended to apply to the

essence, but only to the perfections and other attributes. If the Father possesses infinite wisdom and knowledge, why, some may ask, can he not get along with his work without the assistance of the Son and Holy Spirit? We answer, The Son is necessary to reconcile fallen man to the Father, and the Holy Spirit is necessary to sanctify and purify the affections of men, and also to dwell in them as a teacher of truth. Immense quantities of this substance are also necessary

in order to be present in connection with all other substances, to control and govern them according to fixed and definite laws that good order and harmony may obtain in every department of the universe. The father and son govern the immensity of creation, not by their own actual presence, but by the actual presence of the spirit. The union of these three does not give any additional wisdom and knowledge to either, but by the union they are able to carry on certain works which could not be carried on by one, singly. One singly, as for instance the Father, could have power to do all things not inconsistent

with his perfections and attributes. That is, he could act where he was present, but without the assistance of the Holy Spirit or some other being, he being a person could not act where he is not present. By the union of the three, each is able to act in all places through the assistance of the others. The persons of the Father and Son can be in heaven, and yet, through the agency of the spirit, act upon the earth. An omnipresent person is impossible, but an omnipresent substance, diffused through space, is not only consistent, but reasonable. Persons, through the medium of such an all-wise and all-powerful substance, can exercise almighty power, at the same time in the most distant departments of creation.

Without such a substance with which they were in union, they could not carry on the grand and powerful operations of universal nature, for no substance can act where they are not present. Perhaps the objector may refer to matter attracting matter as a proof that it can act where it is not present. But we are bold to affirm that such a thing as attraction cannot possibly exist. for matter to draw a distant matter towards itself, and consequently act where it is not present, would be as utterly impossible as it would be for a person to be in two or more places at the same time.

All the phenomena of universal gravitation can be accounted for upon principles infinitely more simple and consistent than to ascribe to matter the impossible power of acting where it is not present. The author may, at some future time, give his view, with regard to the powers of nature and the laws by which it is governed, but to enter in this work into a full development of our theory in relation to those intricate, though sublime subjects, would be a digression foreign to the objects we have in view in this treatise. No doubt many apparent objections to our view of the godhead will arise

in the minds of many who have been traditionated in the absurd doctrines of immaterial. Not long since a series of questions were propounded to the Latter-day Saints by the Reverend F. Austin, a Roman Catholic minister, a few of which, relating to the nature of God, we insert here together with our answers. The whole series of questions, together with the answers, will be published in the millennial star. Question. If the God of the Mormonites be like a man in figure, we must supposit. the organs of the senses to have the same uses, and to be dependent on the same sources of information. His ears, in consequence, for hearing, must be dependent on the transmission of sound. How then, can he hear his people praying to him in Europe when he is in America?

Answer. Because the figure of two substances are alike, that is no evidence that the qualities of the two substances are alike. A wax figure may be in the shape of a man, and yet we all know it has not the qualities of man. A wise man may have the figure of a foolish man, and yet be far superior to him in the qualities of wisdom, knowledge, and understanding. God may have the figure of a man, and yet have many qualities and susceptibilities which man has not got. The resemblance of figure, then, has nothing to do as to whether other qualities, shall be alike or unlike. The spiritual body of the deity is altogether a different kind of substance from the fleshy body of man, yet they may resemble each other in figure. Their substances are

entirely different, therefore, though the figures should resemble each other, this is no evidence that all the qualities must be alike. The ear of the fleshly body may be affected by the vibrations of our atmosphere. The ear of a spiritual body may be affected in an entirely different manner, and yet their figures may resemble each other. The ear of the fleshly body may be affected by the vibrations of many elastic substances besides the atmosphere. Sound is conveyed through various mediums with different degrees of velocity. The ear of the spiritual body may be affected not only by the atmosphere and other elastic mediums which affect the ear of flesh, but it also may be affected by a vast number of other, more subtle and refined mediums,

which may transfer sound with a velocity immensely superior to any motion with which we are acquainted. A refined medium which would convey sound with no greater velocity than that of light would carry information from Europe to America in less than the 60th part of a second. But if God foreknowes all things, he must have foreknown all about our prayers millions of ages before we were born, and must also have foreknown the precise time when we would pray, and the kind of spirit or feeling and the degree of faith that would accompany each prayer. And if he knew all these things before they come to pass, he must certainly know them the moment they do come to pass, and therefore, with a foreknowledge of all things, there would

be no necessity of his receiving information of our prayers by the transmission of sound. He would know and understand our prayers the moment they were offered up, the same as he knew them and understood them in ages before they were offered up. He that formed the ear, shall he not hear? because God knows the nature of music that is no reason why he may not rejoice in hearing music. One use then of the ears of his spiritual body is, no doubt, to hear and rejoice in delightful music. Not that it increases his knowledge,

but it is joyful to his ear. The ear of man serves a double purpose. It is not only a medium of information, but a medium of sounds that are delightful to the mind. The ear of the Lord may be delighted with sounds, though he receive no additional knowledge by those sounds. Question. If he be like a man, his legs must be the organs of motion. If not, what purpose do they serve?

If they are, are they good for walking through the air as well as on land? Or has he wings? Or how? Or some organ of motion we have not got. And if we have not got this organ, how can we be created to his image and lightness, supposing the resemblance in everything? Answer. The resemblance between man and God has reference, as we have already observed to the shape or figure. Other qualities may or may not resemble each other.

Man has legs, so has God, as is evident from his appearance to Abraham. Man walks with his legs, so does God sometimes, as is evidence from his going with Abraham towards Sodom. God cannot only walk, but he can move up or down through the air without using his legs, as in the process of walking. See Genesis 17, verse 22, also 11, verse 5, also 35, verse 13. A man wrestled with Jacob until the breaking of day. after which Jacob says, I have seen God face to face and my life is preserved. Genesis 32, verse 24 through 30.

That this person had legs is evident from his wrestling with Jacob. His image and likeness was so much like man's that Jacob at first supposed him to be a man. See 24th verse. God, though in the figure of a man, has many powers that man has not got. He can go upwards through the air. He can waft himself from world to world by his own self-moving powers. These are powers not possessed by man only through faith, as in the instances of Enoch and Elijah.

Therefore, though in the figure of a man, he has powers far superior to man. Question. When God appears surrounded with glory, is this glory essential to him or not? If essential, how can he lay it aside, as he seems to have done when he appeared to Abraham? If his appearing so does not prove it essential, how does his appearance in the form of a man prove that form essential to him? Answer, the glory of God is essential to him under all circumstances, whether his person is visible or invisible, whether man is permitted to behold that glory or not.

He never lays aside his glory, though he may not always render it visible to mortals. The God of glory, says the martyr Stephen, appeared unto our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Quran. Acts 7, verse 2. But because he showed Abraham his person, it did not necessarily follow that he must also show him his glory. The person of God is one thing, glory is another. They are inseparably connected. He cannot divest his person of his glory nor lay it aside, but he can hide his glory from the gaze of man, or he can reveal it, and his person also, or he can reveal his person and not his glory. The visibility or the invisibility of the glory of God does not render it non-essential to him. The glory is just as essential

as his image and likeness, and his image and likeness resembling that of man's is as essential as his glory. Neither can be laid aside, though one or both may be rendered visible or invisible. Question. If his presence do not extend beyond his size, that is the size of a man, how could he divide the waters of the sea?

How could he hold them up? If they were a solid mass, it might be conceived, but all the strength in the world won't hold up water, and it must be remembered that a person must be present where he acts. Answer. He could divide the waters of the sea and hold them up by the actual presence of His Holy Spirit, which not only moves upon the face of the waters,

but is likewise in and through the waters, governing them and controlling all the elements according to the mind of God. It is the actual presence of this spirit that produces all the phenomical, ascribed to the laws of nature, as well as many of the deviations from those laws commonly called miracles. It extends like the golden rays of the bright luminary of heaven through all extent. It spreads life and happiness through all the varied species of animated beings

and gilds the starry firmament with a magnificent splendor, celestial, immortal, and eternal. End of Absurdities of Immaterialism by Orson Pratt, Part 4 of 4. The Strength of the Mormon Position by Elder Orson F. Whitney, part one of three. This is a Libravox recording. All Libravox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit Libravox.org. Read by James Bleckley. The Strength of the Mormon Position by Elder Orson F. Whitney

of the Council of the Twelve Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Upon the pinnacle of the temple in Salt Lake City, there stands the gilded statue of an angel in the act of sounding a trumpet, symbolizing the restoration and proclamation of the everlasting gospel in fulfillment of the scripture which says, And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, the everlasting gospel to preach to 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. Revelation 14, verse 6 and 7. Early Christian annals

History, tinged with tradition, affirms these to be the circumstances under which those words were uttered. The Savior had chosen twelve apostles, and had commissioned them to go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. Obedient to the divine mandate, they had gone forth, and within 50 years had lifted the gospel standard in every considerable city of the Roman Empire, which then had sway over the known world. One by one the apostles had been taken. James was slain with the sword at Jerusalem. Peter was crucified, and Paul beheaded, and Rome all had suffered martyrdom for the word of God and the testimony of Jesus, all save one, concerning whom Peter had inquired, Lord, what shall this man do? And the Savior,

answering, had said, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? Modern revelation confirms the ancient tradition that John, the beloved disciple, did not die, but obtained a promise from the Lord that he should remain in appalled. earth, not subject to death and bring souls to him. He was to prophesy before nations, kindreds, tongues, and peoples, and continued till the Lord came in his glory. An attempt was made upon John's life, but it proved ineffectual. He was thrown into a cauldron of boiling oil, but escaped miraculously. John on Patmos In the 96th year of the Christian era, this man was on the Isle of Patmos. He was on the Isle of Patmos.

in the Aegean Sea. Patmos was the Roman Siberia. To that desolate place, the empire banished its criminals, compelling them to work in the mines. John was in exile for the truth's sake, but the Lord had not forgotten his servant, though men had rejected him and cast him out. The heavens were open, and he was shown many things pertaining to the future. He foresaw the apostasy of the Christian world, its departure from the faith once delivered to the saints, the falling away for told by the Apostle Paul, but John also looked forward to a time when that faith would be restored, and when the hour of God's judgment would come. The dead, small and great, would stand before the great white throne and be judged out of the things written in the books, every man according

to his works. Joseph Smith. To the latter-day saints, these are the days of that predicted restoration, and Joseph Smith was the divinely appointed agent for bringing back the everlasting gospel. Who was this Joseph Smith? He was a farmer's boy, born in the mountains of Vermont, December 23, 1805, but living with his parents in the backwoods of Western New York when his career as a prophet began. He had been much exercised upon the subject of his soul's salvation, a religious revival having recently occurred in his neighborhood. The ministers of the various sects united in calling upon the people to repent, each one urging them to join his particular congregation,

and disputing among themselves upon points of doctrine and authority. The situation bewildered the boy, who was an honest seeker after light, anxious to know the true church in order that he might join it. One day, while reading the scriptures, he chanced upon the fall. following passage. If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and abradeth not, and it shall be given him. Profoundly impressed by these sacred words, he resolved to test the promise by asking from God the wisdom of which he stood in need. With that object in view, he retired to the woods near

his father's house and knelt in prayer. No sooner had he begun to pray than he was seized upon by a power which filled his soul with horror and paralyzed his tongue so that he could no longer speak. So terrible was the visitation that he almost gave way to despair, but he continued praying, for there are two ways of offering prayer, orally and in secret. He had been praying orally, but could not now supplicate in that manner, being unable to move his lips. Yet he continued to pray with the soul's sincere desire, and just at the moment when he feared that he must abandoned himself to destruction, he saw directly over his head, a light more brilliant than noon day. In the midst of a pillar of glory, he beheld two beings in human form, one of whom

pointed to the other, said, This is my beloved son. Hear him. As soon as the light appeared, the boy found himself delivered from the fettering power of the evil one. When he could again command utterance, he inquired of his glorious visitants which of all the religious denominations was right, which one was the true Church of Christ? To his astonishment, he was told that none of them was right, that they had all gone out of the way, and were teaching for doctrine the commandments of men. The Lord did not recognize any of them, but was about to restore the gospel and the priesthood and establish his church once more in the midst of mankind. This was Joseph Smith's first vision and revelation. It came in the spring of 1820 when he was a few months over 14 years

of age. The greater part of this wonderful manifestation was the part that did not speak, the silent revealing of God as a personage, a truth plainly taught in Scripture. See Genesis chapter 1, verse 26 and 27, Philippians chapter 2, verse 5 through 8. Colossians 1, verse 13 to 15, Hebrews 1 to 3, but ignored or denied by modern Christianity. Three years later, the youth received a visitation from an angel who gave his name as Moroni, the same who is represented by the statue on the Salt Lake Temple. This angel announced himself as the last in a line of prophets who administered to an ancient people called Nephites, a branch of the House of Israel, not the lost tribes, as is often asserted, but a portion of the tribe of Joseph.

They had crossed over from Jerusalem about the year 600 BC, and with a remnant of the tribe of Judah, which joined them later, had inhabited the Americas down to about the beginning of the fourth Christian century. At that time, the civilized, though degenerate nation, was destroyed by a savage faction known as Lamanites, ancestors of the American Indians. The Book of Mormon The angel showed to Joseph where a record of the Nephites had been deposited and subsequently delivered it into his hands with interpreters, Urim and Thumim, by means of which the youth translated the record into English and gave to the world the Book of Mormon.

It was so named for its compiler, the Nephite prophet, Mormon, whose son and survivor Moroni had buried the metallic plates containing it in a hill, where they were found September 22, 1823. The hill, Comera, called Mormon Hill, by the present-day inhabitants of that region, is between Palmyra and Manchester in the state of New York. For their belief in the Book of Mormon, the Latter-day Saints are termed Mormons and their religion Mormonism. This book tells how the Savior, after his resurrection, made himself known to the Nephites, the other sheep referred to in John 1016,

and organized his church among them after the pattern of his church at Jerusalem. Choosing 12 special witnesses, he gave to three of them the same promise that he had given to the Apostle John, that they should remain upon earth superior to death and bring souls to him. He prophesied,

concerning America, the land of Zion, the place for the New Jerusalem, a holy city to be built by a gathering of scattered Israel prior to his second coming. The Nephite record, containing the fullness of the gospel as delivered to that ancient people, is a history of this chosen land and a prophecy of its future. It predicts that great work introduced by the Letterday Prophet, a work so marvelous in some of its phases that most men rejects. it, deeming it a fable. But the Christian world, with the Bible in its hands, should have been prepared for something of this kind.

The Hebrew seers prophesied concerning it. Isaiah foretold a marvelous work and a wonder, declaring at the same time that the wisdom of the wise should perish and the understanding of the prudent be hid, meaning evidently that human sagacity and worldly knowledge should stand confounded before it, that prophet speaking in the name, of the Lord, gave as the reason for such an innovation,

this people draw near me with their mouth and with their lips do honor me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear towards me is taught by the precept of men. A brief yet comprehensive description of the state of the religious world at the time of the advent of Mormonism. Divine authority. While the Book of Mormon was in course of translation, John the Baptist, as an angel from God conferred upon Joseph Smith and his scribe, Oliver Cowdery, the Aronic Priesthood, which holds the keys of outward ordinances and ministers in temporal things. Subsequently, the Melchizedek priesthood,

holding the keys of spiritual mysteries, and including the Aronic, as the greater includes the less, was conferred upon them by three other heavenly messengers. The Apostles Peter, James James and John. Thus empowered, the two young men with four associates organized on the 6th of April, 1830, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This event took place in Fayette, Seneca County, New York. Thus was restored the ancient faith, with the powers of the eternal priesthood, the delegated divine authority that enables men to act as God's representatives and without which no man can lawfully administer the sacred ordinances of the gospel. No man takeeth this honor unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron.

Thus was reestablished the true Church of Christ, and the prophetic ensign lifted for the gathering of scattered Israel, an event preparatory to the Savior's Second Coming. A Catholic utterance Many years ago, a learned man, a member of the Roman Catholic Church, came to Utah and spoke from the stand of the Salt Lake Tabernacle. I became well acquainted with him, and we conversed freely and frankly. A great scholar with perhaps a dozen languages at his tongue's end, he seemed to know all about theology, law, literature, science, and philosophy. One day he said to me, you Mormons are all ignoramus. You don't even know the strength of your own position. It is so strong that there is only one other tenable in the whole

Christian world, and that is the position of the Catholic Church. The issue is between Catholicism and Mormonism. If we are right, you are wrong. If you are right, we are wrong, and that's all there is to it. The Protestants have an leg to stand on, for if we are wrong, they are wrong with us since they were a part of us and went out from us. While if we are right, they are apostates when we cut off long ago. If we have the apostolic succession from St. Peter, as we claim, there was no need of Joseph Smith and Mormonism. But if we have not that succession, then such a man as Joseph Smith was necessary, and Mormonism's attitude is the only consistent one. It is either the perpetuation of the gospel from ancient

times, or the restoration of the gospel in latter days. My reply was substantially as follows, I agree with you, Doctor, in nearly all that you have said. But don't deceive yourself with the notion that we Mormons are not aware of the strength of our own position. We are better aware of it than anyone else. We have not all been to college. We cannot all speak the dead languages. We may be ignoramus's, as you say, but we know that we are right, and we know that you are wrong. I was just as frank with him as he had been with me.

An Episcopal view At a later period I conversed with another man of culture, a bishop of the Episcopal church. He affirmed that if Joseph Smith at the outset of his career had become acquainted with the Episcopalians, he would have been content and would have looked no further for spiritual light. The trouble is, said the bishop, Joseph encountered the Methodists, the Baptists, the Presbyterians, and others with their conflicting creeds and claims. Those failing to satisfy him, he'd sought elsewhere. Now, the Episcopalians have an unbroken succession of authority all down the centuries,

and if Joseph Smith had become informed as to them, he would never have taken the trouble to organize another church. And these are some of the views that learned men take of Mormonism. With all their learning, they are not able to come to a knowledge of the truth. They do not begin to dream of the greatness of God's work, the grandeur of Christ's cause. They have no idea of the real strength of its position. They assume that Joseph Smith stumbled upon something

of which he did not know the true value, and that it was sheer luck which gave to Mormonism its vantage ground, its recognized strength of position. Never was there a grosser error. There are concepts as much higher than these as the heavens are higher than the earth. The Mormons are not ill. ignoramus when it comes to a consideration of the gospel's mighty themes.

The real reason. Yet it is not because of human smartness, not because the followers of Joseph Smith are brainier than other people, that they have a greater knowledge of God and are capable of loftier ideals in religion. It is because they have received, through the gift of the Holy Ghost, a perceptive power, a spiritual illumination which the world, with all its culture, does not possess,

and without which no man can know God or comprehend his purposes. It cannot be had from books and schools. Colleges and universities cannot impart it. It could come only one way, God's way, not man's. The Latter-day Saints have it, not because of any greater natural ability than other men or women possess, but because they have bowed in obedience to the divine will, thus making themselves worthy to receive this inestible boon.

All mankind may have it upon precisely the same conditions. Another objection. The Episcopal bishop, whom I have mentioned remarked to me on another occasion that his main objection to Mormonism was that we Mormons were not interested in anything going on outside of our own community. He declared that we gave no credit to other peoples or to other citizens, systems for the good they were accomplishing. For instance, said he, we retranslate the scriptures,

making them more plain, more intelligible, with a view to enlightening mankind thereon. But you give us no credit for that. We uncover ancient cities, buried civilizations, here in America and elsewhere. We decipher old-time inscriptions on obelisks and documents, etc., seeking to acquaint the present with the past.

But you put no value on such work. We found hospitals and infirmaries, maintain missions, carry the name of Christ to the heathen, publish the Bible by millions of copies, and are endeavoring to place one in every home. But you take no account of these things. You are not interested in our efforts. You think them all vain and of no worth. Not a narrow religion. The remark surprised me.

I was astonished that any well-informed person, could entertain such an opinion respecting us in our religion. There may be such a thing as a narrow Mormon. There may be such a thing as a narrow notion in the mind of some Mormon. But there has never been and there never will be such a thing as a narrow Mormonism. Far from ignoring what other peoples and other systems are doing, it takes account of everything and assigns to its proper place in the universal scheme. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report, or praiseworthy, we seek after these things.

So says the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in one of its articles of faith. Mormonism is a much bigger thing than Catholic scholars or episcopal bishops imagine. It is the greatest system of philosophy that the world has ever known, the grandest poem that divine genius ever created, the mightiest melanchest melancholy. ever struck from the vibrant harps of eternity. It is the sublime drama of all the ages, and the last act is now on, the final scene, about to unfold. What Mormonism stands for.

Mormonism stands for the restoration of the gospel in this dispensation. But that is not all. It stands for the gospel itself, in all the dispensations, as those periods are termed during which God's during which God has spoken to man and dispensed from heaven these saving principles and powers. This is but one of a number of such periods, reaching from the days of Adam down to the present time. The gospel preached by the ancient twelve was a restored gospel, just as much as it is today. It had been upon the earth before the age of the apostles. Christianity, the faith of the once despised Christians, is now Mormonism, the religion of the

unpopular Mormons. What matter the names bestowed upon it by men? Truth is not to be disposed of by pelting it with epithets. The character of a jewel is not changed by covering it with rubbish and dirt. A diamond is a diamond, whether it sparkles in the dust at your feet or glitter in the diadem of a queen. Mormonism is not a product of the 19th century. Joseph Smith did not originate it, nor did any other man. What is called Mormonism is the everlasting gospel, the religion of all the ages. God's great plan for the salvation of the human family,

and not only their salvation, but their exaltation if they obey it in fullness. The gospel has a threefold power. It redeems, saves, and glorifies. Redemption is resurrection, but that is not sufficient. It is not enough that man be brought forth from the grave. All men, grieve. and bad will be resurrected, but resurrection is not salvation any more than salvation is exaltation.

Many redeemed from the grave will be condemned at the final judgment for evil deeds done in the body, and many will be saved, yet come short of that glory that constitutes exaltation. God's greatest gift, eternal life, has been offered to man again and again, in a series of dispensations of which this is the greatest and the last. The winding up scene, the final act of the play, such is the dispensation now opened, wherein will be brought to a glorious finale, the whole of God's mighty work pertaining to this planet,

a work which begun at the very dawn of creation and continued down to this day, 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, even in Him. The God's story. What is generally termed the gospel relates to the laws and ordinances of the gospel. See LDS Articles of Faith.

But the term in the broadest sense means far more. The English word gospel comes from the Anglo-Saxon Godspel, or God-Story. Here we have the four. Here we have the four Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, all narratives of the Christ, but in reality only parts of the complete God's story, which comprises the heavenly, as well as the earthly career of our Redeemer. Three personages composed the Godhead, the Father, Son, and the Holy Ghost, and it was the second of these who became the Savior.

The Word, who was made flesh, as mentioned by St. John. The gospel in its fullness signifies everything connected with Jesus Christ, past or present. The son's entire career, from the time he left his celestial throne, to that time he returned thither, glorified with that glory which he had with the Father before the world was. The Son is one with the Father, not in person, but in power, will, wisdom, and authority. He is God, but he is called the Son of God because he came for him. from the Father to manifest in the flesh the fullness of the Godhead bodily. The Path to Perfection The Gospel had its origin before the foundation of the world.

God, finding he was in the midst of spirits and glory, because he was more intelligent, saw property institute law whereby the rest could have a privilege to advance like himself. The Gospel, therefore, is not a mere, fire escape, a wary out of a perilous situation. It is a divine plan for human progress, the path to perfection, and was instituted as such before man was in a position to be redeemed or saved, before any such exigency had arisen. It was established before Adam's fall, and in the prospect of that fall, which was a step in the onward march to the eternal goal. Adam fell that men might be,

that is mortal men, for by the fall those spirits in the midst of which God found himself were to secure bodies and become souls, capable of endless increase and advancement. Adam did that for the race. He gave us one of the most precious boons that man can possess, a body, without which the spirit would be imperfect and could not be exalted. But Adam could do no more, and a still greater boon had to be given, in order. order that the fall might be effectual, and the gospel plan be made operative for the ends in view. The machinery was ready, but the power had to be turned on. The fall had a two-fold direction, downward, yet forward, and though designated as a blessing, there was a penalty attached. Death came into the world, spiritual and temporal death, eternal banishment from the divine presence,

and man's progress would have halted then and there, would have utterly and permanently ceased, had not something been done to lift him from his fallen state, and open the way that he might go on to perfection. Adam gave us earthly life, but the greater boon, eternal life, is the gift of the Redeemer and Savior. Descending from his glorious throne,

he became mortal for man's sake, and by dying burst the bands of death, thus making eternal progression possible. Fall and redemption. Adam's transgression was malim prohibitum, or wrong because forbidden, not malum in se, or wrong in itself. It had a beneficent purpose, but it put the world in pawn, and death was the pawnbroker,

with a two-fold claim upon all creation. Adam could not redeem himself, and the human race which sprang from him was likewise powerless. No part of what had been pledged could be used as the means of redemption. Something not subject to death was required ransom. The life of a god was the price of the world's freedom, and that price was paid by the sinless one, the lamb without spot or blemish who made himself a redemptive sacrifice, to mend the broken law. pay the debt to justice, repose the unbalanced scale, and restore the equilibrium of right. Christ, the world deliverer, was as a greater Moses, leading an enslaved universe out from the

Egypt of sin, out from the bondage of death. The principle of obedience. In return for this mighty deliverance, and in order to perfect his work, to save and glorify what he died to redeem, Our Lord requires from us obedience, the great fundamental principle upon which all blessings are predicated, and upon which alone they can be obtained. This principle redeemed Adam from the fall. It is the only way whereby man can be redeemed.

There is but one path to God, and it is open to the peasant as well as to the king. All secure salvation upon the same terms. There's no royal road to heaven, no favoritism. There is nothing so absolutely democratic as the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Every man may share it, but he must help to save himself. He is in a pit and must come up out of it. A ladder has been provided and let down to him, and he must climb that ladder, or he will never rise above his fallen state, never re-enter the presence of God.

Round by round. The first round of salvation's ladder is faith in Jesus' Christ. The second, repentance, or turning away from sin. Third, baptism by immersion for the remission of sins, and fourth, the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands of men having divine authority. But there are other rounds to the latter, other principles to be obeyed by those who would attain the fullness of God's glory. These principles have been revealed to man many times, but there is a proneness in human nature to depart from the truth and turn to fables, the natural man being an enemy to God, and this has rendered necessary the various restorations of the gospel.

All in one. In order to understand Mormonism aright, one must grasp the idea of a series of gospel dispensations, interrelated and connected like the links of a mighty chain, extending through the whole course of time. The dispensation of the fullness of times proposes to bring together and weld into one the broken links of the gospel chain. This was the dominant thought in the mind of the prophet Joseph Smith as his last day on earth drew near. He expressed it in these words. It is necessary in the ushering in of the dispensation of the fullness of times that a whole and complete and perfect union and welding together of the dispensations in keys and powers and glories

should take place and be revealed from the days of Adam even to the present time. Not only this, but things which never have been revealed from the foundation of the world, but have been kept hid from the wise and prudent, shall be revealed unto babes and sucklings in this the dispensation of the fullness of times. Mormonism is all comprehensive. It claims the past and lays its hand upon the future. A past is necessary to explain the present in the future. What is cannot be clearly understood without some knowledge of what has been and what will be.

Accordingly, the spirit of truth, manifesting the things of God, brings things past to remembrance and shows things to come. End of the Strength of the Mormon Position by Elder Orson F. Whitney, part one of three. The Strength of the Mormon Position by Elder Orson F. Whitney Part 2 of 3 This is a Libravox recording. All Libravox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer,

please visit Libravox.org. Read by James Bleckley. The Mission of Elijah Mormonism signifies the restitution of all things. It stands for law and order, a place for everything and everything in its place. This is the significance of the mission of Elijah, the turning of the hearts of the children to the fathers,

lest the earth be cursed and smitten at the Savior's coming. Past and present are related. It is the relationship of parent and child, and they must be joined in order that perfection may reign. We cannot be made perfect without our ancestors, nor can they be made perfect without us. consequently temples are built by God's people and work done in them, vicarious work for and in behalf of the departed. Baptisms, endowments, marriages for eternity, in person or by proxy are prominent features of this sacred labor.

Joseph Smith received the keys of Elijah and ministered for the sealing of the present to the past, the union of the living and the dead. It was the beginning of the restitution of of all things. Many gospel dispensations. Mormonism is the religion that saved Adam. Adam, therefore, was the original Mormon. His religion was also that of Enoch, of Noah, of Abraham, of Moses, and Aaron, and of the apostles upon both hemispheres.

And it has come back in this final dispensation to bring together all things that are Christ's. In the Pearl of Great Price, one of four doctrinal standards with the Latter-day Saints, the other three being the Bible, the Book of Mormon, and the Doctrine and Covenants, we are informed that Adam, after his fall, was divinely commanded to build an altar and offer a lamb thereupon, typical of the Lamb of God, who was to take away the sin of the world. Already slain theoretically in the heavens, where he had been chosen for his earthly mission, he was yet to be slain literally upon this planet, and Adam was told to look forward to that sacrificial event,

and in the light of it, to practice the principles of salvation. And thus the gospel began to be preached from the beginning, being declared by holy angels, being sent forth from the presence of God and by his own voice, and by the gift of the Holy Ghost, and thus all things were confirmed unto Adam by a holy ordinance, and the gospel preached, and a decree sent forth that it should be in the world until the end thereof, and thus it was, amen.

Joseph Smith saw Adam in the valley of Adam on the Ahman, that is, he beheld him in a vision retrospectively. Bowed with age, the great patriarch blessed his posterity, for telling what should befall them to the latest generation. It was the mightiest patriarchal blessing ever given. Joseph affirms that Adam will come again, will come as the ancient of days, and call his children together at that very place, Adam Andi Ahman, and hold a council to prepare them for the coming of the Lord.

Thus is indicated the relationship between the first and the final dispensations. Adam presides over all the dispensations, and all must be bound together in the great day of unity and restoration. In Enoch's day, the gospel was preached with such power and success that his city became sanctified and was translated or taken into heaven, a symbol of foreshadowing of the greater Zion of the last days, which is to prepare the way for the Lord's glorious Advent. As part of the universal restitution, that ancient city will return,

Zion from above will meet and blend with Zion from below, and a social order prevails similar to that which characterized Enoch's commonwealth, concerning which it is written, and the Lord called his people Zion, because they were of one heart and one mind, and dwelt in righteousness, and there was no poor among them. Such a condition must again be realized before the Lord comes. This is Zion, the pure in heart, every man seeking the interest of his neighbor and doing all things with an eye single to the glory of God. Next we reckon with the dispensation of Noah.

He preached the gospel for 120 years, but saved only eight souls, including his own. All the rest were swept away by the deluge, their disembodied spirits being shut up in the prison house to await the due time, of their deliverance. The Savior said regarding that dispensation, as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. In the days of Noah, this planet was baptized with water. In a day to come it will be baptized with cleansing fire. Its elements will melt

with fervent heat. It will die and be resurrected or converted into a celestial sphere, an abode of the righteous forever. Such is the destiny of Mother Earth. Mormonism will not have accomplished its mission until it has made of earth a heaven and of man a god. The House of Israel. Abraham held the keys of a dispensation,

and Elias delivered those keys to Joseph the prophet. Abraham is the father of the faithful. Through Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, those great progenitors of the House of Israel, the world had been sprinkled with believing blood, and spirits answering to that blood have been sent through their lineage to minister for the salvation of mankind. This is the reason, the main reason,

why Israel was dispersed among the nations, and why he still suffers persecution. Through that chosen seed comes salvation, and it comes by no other root. It is the lineage of the one and only, They who have scattered Israel and trampled him in the dust are dependent upon him for their eternal welfare. Christ himself is the model. He died that the human race might live. Greater love than this hath no man that he will lay down his life for his friends.

More than man is he who lays down his life for his enemies. The Son of God died not only for his friends, but for his foes, that salvation might come to all. In a lesser degree, the House of Israel has been martyred for a similar purpose, that the whole world might be blessed. The latter-day saints are numbered among Abraham's descendants. The first to embrace the restored gospel were called out from the nations because they had his blood in their veins. Joseph Smith lifted the ensign for the gathering of scattered Israel, but lived only long enough to assemble a portion of the half-tribe of Israel. Ephraim, to which he belonged. The work that he commenced, however, will go on until all the tribes of Israel are gathered and the way prepared before the coming of the Son of God.

The shoulders of the Philistines. Ephraim, in ancient times, mixed himself among the people. Consequently, the latter-day saints, who are mostly of Ephraim, also have Gentile blood in their veins. Gentile is not a term of approach with us. It springs from Gentilis, meaning of a nation, and was used anciently to designate those nations that were not of Israel. Japheth, son of Noah, is the sire of the Gentile race, while Abraham and his seed are descended from Japh's brother Shem. We Mormons have no quarrel with the Gentiles. They are virtually our co-laborers in this great work of preparation. We cannot do it alone. It is too

vast, too arduous. We need the help of the Gentiles, their wealth, their power, their wonderful insight into and command over material things, their intelligence and skill in manipulating temporalities. We need their means of rapid transit

and communication. We could not gather God's people without the aid of the Gentiles. They shall fly upon the shoulders of the Philistines towards the West. So wrote Isaiah concerning Israel, with prophetic eye upon this very period. The shoulders of the Philistines are the ships and railroads of the Gentiles. Our friends on the outside, our fellow Gentiles, shall I call them, have not always understood

us, nor have we always understood them. There has been much bitterness and estrangement between the two classes. I am convinced that if the Gentiles knew it, us better than we more fully realized our relationship to them, all would feel kinder and more charitable. We would recognize that we are engaged in the same great cause, for so we are in a general way, and that we have no right to hate each other, no right to work against each other, that is, when in the line of our duty, doing what God has given us to do. The Gentiles have not the fullness of the gospel, nor the powers of the priesthood. They are not the oracles of God, nor the ministers of salvation.

These are prerogatives of the House of Israel. But the children of Japheth doubtless have their special mission, and it is a part of the divine plan for human progression. This is God's work, and he's doing it in his own way. He has instruments outside as well as inside the church. Whether men know it or not, they are working out the ends he has in view. He may not always notify them of their appointment. serve him, nor does he ask permission to use them, but he uses them just the same.

We are here not only to act, but to be acted upon. The Lord put his spirit upon Columbus and impelled him across the great waters to discover the land of Zion. He nerved the arm and fired the soul of Washington when he and his ragged regiments were fighting for freedom, for independence, for the founding of a government, though they knew it not under which God's work could come forth and not be crushed out by the tyranny of man. The God of Israel was with those Gentiles, the founders of the American Republic, who were probably mixed lineage, having much of the blood of Israel in their veins. And he is with all good and great men whose hearts are set to do right and to uplift humanity. He is with them, whether they recognize it or not,

their strength is part of his omnipotence. and the gathering. Moses, who let Israel out of Egypt, held the keys for the gathering of God's people, and those keys had to be restored, that they might be a greater gathering, of which the Egyptian Exodus was typical. Moses, as a ministering angel,

delivered to Joseph Smith the keys of the gathering. But for this, the children of Ephraim, such as our now Latter-day Saints, would still be in Babylon, many of them in distant lands from which they have come like sheep at the call of the shepherd. Moses had a dispensation of the gospel and sought to sanctify his people that they might look upon the face of God as he had done. But they were not prepared for it, and so Moses was taken with the Melchizedic priesthood and the fullness of the gospel. And Israel was left for

15 centuries under the erroneic priesthood and the lesser law, which Paul likened unto a schoolmaster to bring them to Christ. In due time came the Savior and the Meridian dispensation. 12 apostles were chosen upon the Eastern Hemisphere and 12 upon the Western, and sent forth to preach the gospel as a witness before the end. And the end came, the end decreed at that time the downfall of the Jewish Commonwealth and later the destruction of the Nephite nation. Those terrible calamities were typical of one more terrible still, the downfall of all wickedness, the approaching end of the world. And now, after a lapse of nearly 2,000 years, the gospel and the priesthood have come back again. Once more, the pure word of God is going forth this time as the immediate forerunner

of the decreed consummation. Mormonism means far more than the restoration of the gospel at the beginning of the 19th century. Such a definition, such a presentation of the subject would be manifestly imperfect. Ignorant indeed would be that

Mormon who confined his thinking to so narrow a field. Mormonism is not a mere sect among sects, one more broken off fragments of a degenerate and crumbling Christianity, it is the pure, primitive Christianity restored, the original faith, the root of all religion, and it was not accident, but design, that gave it the strength of its position.

Alma's aspiration. Let me now quote a passage from the Book of Mormon, the words of the Nephite prophet Alma, who lived about 75 years before the birth of the Savior. Oh, that I were an angel, and could have the wish of mine heart, that I might go forth and speak with the trump of God, with a voice to shake the earth, and cry repentance unto every people. Yeah, I would declare unto every soul, as with the voice of thunder, repentance, and the plan of redemption, that they should repent and come unto our God, that there might not be more sorrow upon the face of the earth. But behold, I am a man, and do sin in my wish. For I am. ought to be content with the things which the Lord hath allotted unto me.

I ought not to harrow up in my desires the firm decree of a just God, for I know that he granteth unto men according to their desire, whether it be unto death or unto life. Yeah, I know he alloteth unto men according to their will, whether they be unto salvation or unto destruction. Yeah, and I know that good and evil have come before all men. that knoweth not good from evil is blameless, but he that know

if good and evil, to him it is given according to his desires, whether he desireth good or evil, life or death, joy or remorse of conscience. Now seeing that I know these things, why should I desire more than

to perform the work to which I have been called? Why should I desire that I was an angel, that I could speak unto all the ends of the earth? For behold, the Lord doth grant unto all nations of their own nation and tongue to teach his word. Yeah, in wisdom all that he see of fit that they should have, therefore we see that the Lord doth counsel and wisdom, according to that which is just and true.

I know that which the Lord hath commanded me, and I glory in it. I do not glory of myself, but I glory in that which the Lord hath commanded me. Yeah, and this is my glory. that perhaps I may be an instrument in the hands of God, to bring some soul to repentance, and this is my joy. Does that sound as if Mormonism took no cognizance of what's going on in the outside world? How can any intelligent reader arise from a study of the Mormon religion honestly convinced that the latter-day saints are interested in nothing beyond the bounds of their own system?

that one passage from the Book of Mormon suffices to refute this false notion of their own nation and tongue. God's truth has been taught all down the ages by men bearing the priesthood, the authority to represent deity. But other men, not bearing that authority, wise and worthy teachers, have been raised up in various nations to give them that measure of truth which they were able to receive. Hence, men such as Confucius, the Chinese stage, Zoroaster, the Persian, and Gautama of the Hindus, men not wielding divine authority, not empowered to present the gospel, nor to officiate in its ordinances, but nevertheless endowed with wisdom, with profundity of thought and learning, to deliver each to his own people that portion of truth which the all-wise dispenser sees fit that they should have. people who, if given a fullness of the truth, might trample it underfoot to their condemnation.

Therefore, they die without law, that is, without the higher law, the gospel, which, however, will reach after them in a future life. The world's poets and philosophers, artists and musicians, scientists, discoverers, warriors, and statesmen, good and great characters in general, all have their work and mission under an overruling Providence. If some of God's children are not worthy of the fullness of truth and would not make a wise use of it where it sent to them, that is no reason why they should not be given as much truth as they can wisely use. The Case of Islam. Carlisle, in splendid phrasing, presents this view most strikingly in his vivid portrayal of the coming of Mahomet to the Arabs, who were thus converted from idolatry, the worship of sticks and stones, to the worship of one God, Allah, with Muhammad as his prophet. To the Arab nation, it was as a birth from darkness and

light. Arabia first became alive by means of it. A poor shepherd people roaming unannounced in its deserts since the creation of the world, a hero prophet was sent down to them with a word they could believe. See, the unnoticed because of the world. See, the unnoticed because world notable. The small has grown world great. And within one century afterwards, Arabia is at Granada on this hand and Delhi on that. Glancing in valor and splendor and the light of genius, Arabia shines through long ages over a great section of the world. Belief is great, life-giving. The history of a nation becomes fruitful, soul-elevating, great, so soon as it believes. These Arabs, the man Muhammad, and that one century, is it not as if a spark had

fallen, one spark, on a world of what seemed black, unnoticeable sand? But lo, the sand proves explosive power, blazes high heaven from Delhai to Granada. I say that the great man was always as lightning out of heaven. The rest of men waited for him like fuel, and then they too would flame. Heroes and hero worship. Lecture 2, page 306. President Smith's pronouncement. President Joseph F. Smith, until recently,

the head of God's Church on Earth, touched in a discourse the general theme here under consideration. Said he, knowledge is increasing throughout the world, with reference to material things, and all this knowledge that has been restored to the world through science has been inspired of God. The men who are led to wonderful discoveries are inspired by the spirit of understanding

that cometh from God, that giveth them light and knowledge. So Latter-day Saints acknowledge those men who discovered how to control the lightning, how to control and utilize the power of steam that prevails so universally among men today, and all those who have discovered all the other secrets of nature, like the telegraph, the telephone, and all other means of communication. All these discoveries are by the promptings of the Spirit of God that giveth to the mind and spirit of men understanding. President Smith, however, drew a distinction as to all Orthodox preachers of Mormonism, between the light that illuminates in greater or less degree every soul that comes into the world, and the Holy Ghost as a personage, the third in the government.

Godhead. He also differentiated the universal divine spirit, enjoyed to some extent by all men from the gift of the Holy Ghost, a special endowment reserved for the members of the Church of Christ. The Poet's Mission An American poet, Dr. J. G. Holland, had this to say of the poet and his mission. The poets of the world are the prophets of humanity. They forever reach after and for see the ultimate good. They are evermore building the paradise that is to be, painting the millennium that is to come. When the world shall reach the poet's ideal, it will arrive at perfection, and much good will it do the world to measure itself by this ideal, and struggle

to lift the reel to its lofty level. In light of such a noble utterance, how Paul treat the ordinary concept of the poet as a mere verse builder. His true mission is to live up the ideal and encourage the reel to advance towards it and eventually attain perfection. The poet in this age of money worship is often ridiculed as a dreamer, but this ridicule, when applied to a genuine son of song, is pointless. The poet is a dreamer, but so is the architect and the projector of railroads. If there were no dreamers, there would be no builders. If there were no poets, there would be no progress. Poets are prophets of a lesser degree, and the prophets are the mightiest of the poets. They hold the key to the symbolism

of the universe, and they alone are qualified to interpret it. There are plenty of rhymesters who are neither poets nor prophets, and there are poets and prophets who never build a verse nor make a rhyme. Rhyme is no essential element of poetry. Versification is an art employed by the poet to make his thought more attractive. The rhyme helps the sentiment to reach the heart. A musical instrument, say, a piano or an organ is painted and gilded, not to improve its musical powers, but to make it beautiful to the eye. Poetry is paint or gold leaf to the organ or piano, and no more. The essence of poetry is in its idealism. God has built his universe upon symbols, the lesser suggesting and leading up to the greater,

and the poetic faculty possessed by the prophet in fullness recognizes and interprets it. All creations testify of their creator. They point to something above and beyond. This is why poetry of the highest order is always prophetic or infinitely suggestive, and that is why the poet is a prophet, and why there is such a thing as poetic prose. A thing is poetic when it suggests something greater than itself. man, fashioned in the divine image, suggests God, and is therefore a symbol of God, as Carlisle affirms. But Joseph Smith goes further. He declares God to be an exalted man. To narrow minds, this is

blasphemy, but to the broad-minded it is poetry, poetry of the sublimest type. In the sacraments of the Lord's Supper, what is there of sacred efficacy in the bread and water taken alone. There is not enough water in the ocean, nor bread enough in all the bakeries of the world, to constitute the Lord's Supper. All that makes it effective as a sacrament is the blessing pronounced upon it by the priesthood, and the symbolism whereby those elements are made to represent something greater than themselves, namely the body and blood of the Savior. What is done then becomes a holy ordinance, full of force and effect, a poem in action. The same is true of baptism.

Jesus said, Except a man be born of water and the spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. He meant baptism, which symbolizes birth or begetting. The priest, when baptizing, performs in a mystical or spiritual way the function of fatherhood. Motherhood is symbolized by the baptismal font.

Children of my begetting is a phrase used by the ancient apostles to kill. characterize their converts, who are also referred to as babes in Christ, fed upon the milk of the word. Paul says, concerning baptism, we are buried with him by baptism into death, that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in the newness of life. This shows that baptism, when properly administered, is a symbol of burial and resurrecting. Rebirth. But the symbolism must be perfect, or the ordinance is void. To sprinkle or pour water upon the candidate for baptism destroys the symbolism or the poetry of the ordinance.

It does not represent a birth, a burial, and a resurrection. When the body is immersed, however, and that is the meaning of the Greek term to baptize, descent into the grave is typified, and when the body is brought up out of the water, birth, or coming forth from the grave is symbolized. To be baptized or resurrected is equivalent to being born again. The soul cleansed from sin is typical of the soul raised to immortality, such as the poetry of baptism and the resurrection. Jesus Christ, the greatest of all prophets, was likewise the greatest of all poets. He comprehended the universe and its symbolism as no one else ever did, and he taught in poetic parables,

taking simple things as types and teaching lessons that lead the mind upward and onward towards the ideal, towards perfection. We must not despise poetry. It is indispensable even in practical affairs. The Gospel of Christ is replete with poetry. None but the ignorant pass it by as a thing of naught. End of the Strength of the Mormon Position. By Orson F. Whitney, part two of three. The Strength of the Mormon Position by Elder Orson F. Whitney,

Part 3 of 3. This is a Libravox recording. All Libravox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit Libravox.org. Read by James. Bleckley. What of philosophy? Philosophy is the account which the human mind gives to itself of the constitution of the world. So says that great modern philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson. Here is a passage

from Plato, the Greek, as translated by Emerson the American. Let us declare the cause which led the supreme ordainer to produce and compose the universe. He was good, and he who is good has no of envy. Exempt from envy, he wished that all things should be as much as possible like himself. Whosoever, taught by wise men, shall admit this as the prime cause of the origin and foundation of the world, will be in the truth. Representative Men, lecture 2. Very similar to this, is that utterance of Joseph Smith's giving the origin and purpose of the gospel. But Joseph, Joseph, did not get his philosophy from Plato, he had it directly from God, the source of Plato's inspiration. There is no plagiarism in this semi-paralleling of a sublime thought. Confucius taught

in a negative way, the golden rule afterwards taught affirmatively and more fully by Jesus of Nazareth. Truth is truth where tis found on Christian or on heathen ground. And whether uttered by an ancient sage or by a modern seer, it is worthy of all acceptance. I've mentioned Emerson, here is a sample of that great writer's wisdom. Our strength grows out of our weakness. Not until we are pricked and stung and sorely shot at, awakens the indignation which arms itself with secret forces. A great man is always willing to belittle. While he sits on the cushion of advantages, he goes to sleep. When he is pushing, he is pushing. tormented, defeated, he has the chance to learn something. He has been put on his wits, on his manhood.

He has gained facts. Learned his ignorance. Is cured of the insanity of conceit, has got moderation and real skill. Blame is safer than praise. I hate to be defended in a newspaper. As long as all that is said is said against me, I feel a certain assurance of success. but as soon as honeyed words of praise are spoken for me, I feel as one that lies unprotected before his enemies. In general, every evil to which we do not succumb is a benefactor. The history of persecution is a history of endeavors to cheat nature, to make water run uphill to twist a rope of sand.

The martyr cannot be dishonored. Every lash inflicted is a tongue of flame, Every prison a more illustrious abode. Every burned book or house enlightens the world. Every suppressed or expunged word reverberates through the earth from side to side. The minds of men are at last aroused. Reason looks out and justifies her own, and malice finds all her work vain. It is the whipper who is whipped and the tyrant who is undone.

Such also is the natural history of calamity. The changes which break up at short intervals, the prosperity of men, are advertisements of a nature whose law is growth. Evermore, it is the order of nature to grow. We cannot part with our friends. We cannot let our angels go. We do not see that they only go out, that archangels may come in. We are idolaters of the old. We do not believe there is any force in today to rival or recreate that beautiful yesterday. And yet the compensations of calamity are made apparent to the understanding also after long intervals of time. A fever, a mutilation, a cruel disappointment, a loss of wealth, a loss of friends, seems at the moment unpaid loss and unpayable.

But the sure years reveal the deeper medial force that underlies all facts. The death of a dear friend, wife, brother, lover, which seemed nothing but privation, somewhat later, the aspect of a guide or genius, for it commonly operates revolutions in our way of life, terminates an epoch of infancy or of youth which was waiting to be closed, breaks up a wanted occupation or a household or a style of living, and allows the formation of new ones more friendly to the growth of character. It permits or constrains the formation of new acquaintances and the reception of new influences that prove of the first importance to the next years,

and the man or woman who would have remained a sunny garden flower with no room for its roots and too much sunshine for its head, by the falling of the walls and the neglect of the gardener, is made the banyan of the forest, yielding shade and fruit to wide neighborhoods of men. SA3, Compensation Poetry and philosophy appeal to some, when the gospel in its fullness might offend,

the meat of the word being too strong for them. The plain brunt messages of the man of God who comes proclaiming, Thus saith the Lord, antagonizes many. They turn from it, but we'll listen to the philosopher with his clear, delightful reasoning, or to the poet with his apt and appealing illustrations.

All kinds of teachers go before the prophet, preparing his way, or come out, him confirming his testimony, and the sum of it all will be the betterment and eventual salvation of the race. The power of music, singing for oneself. Music softens the heart, and helps men and women to receive the gospel. Tourists come in a constant stream to listen to the wonderful tones of the great organ and the singing of the splendid choir in the Salt Lake Tabernacle. The gospel is not always preached. to them, they do not always want the gospel, but they are mellowed by the music, and they go away

with kinder feelings toward, and a better understanding of, the people who built such instruments, who organize such choirs, and rear such structures. Their works speak for them. Grapes are not gathered from thorns, nor figs, from thistles. Depraved wretches, such as the Mormons are falsely represented to be, do not love music, poetry, and philosophy, do not love music, poetry, and philosophy, cultivate the arts and sciences, do not turn deserts into gardens nor rear tabernacles and temples unto God. I well remember when President Grant came to Utah, the first president of the United States to set foot within the territory, now a state. It was at a time when all over this broad land, the bitterest prejudice prevailed against the Latter-day Saints, and it was freely asserted that

the man who had finished with the South would make sure. short work of Utah and the Mormons. Among the places visited by the President and his party while in Salt Lake City was the Tabernacle, where they heard the Great Organ. I do not know what he thought of it, but Mrs. Grant, her face streaming with tears, turned to Captain Hooper, who had been Utah's delegate in Congress and said with deep feeling, I wish I could do something for these good Mormon people. The music had touched her heart, and perhaps the heart of her noble husband, for General Grant was noble, though yielding at times to strong prejudice.

Before reaching the tabernacle, he had passed up South Temple Street, lined on both sides with Sunday school children, neatfully and tastefully attired, waving banners and mottoes of welcome to the nation's chief. Riding in an open carriage and running the gauntlet of applause and cheers, the honored guest turned to Governor Emery, who sat at his side and inquired concerning the juvenile host, What children are these?

Mormon children, replied Emery, Grant was silent for a moment, and then was heard to murmur, I have been deceived. But he never was deceived again, not in the same way. He could trust his eyes when he looked upon those beautiful children. They were not the product of crime and depravity,

nor the offspring of savages and criminals. He could trust his ears, too when he heard that choir in Oregon. No one could make him believe, after that, that the Mormons were as black as they had been painted. No substitute for the gospel. There is more than one way to reach the human heart, and God has legitimate use for everything good, wise, virtuous, and praiseworthy.

Let it not be supposed, however, that music, poetry, painting, sculpture, philosophy, science, or anything else, can take the place of the divine plan whereby he proposes to save this world, as he has saved millions of worlds like it. He will use everything good and true and beautiful to melt the hearts of his children and prepare them for salvation. But salvation itself comes only by one root, the Lord Jesus Christ. This is the great ideal, and it must be honored as such.

In dealing with it, no pro-Christian process, permissible. It must not be chopped off because men think it too long, nor stretched out because they deem it too short. God did not send his truth into the world to be mutilated. Men's theories, however plausible, cannot supersede divine revelation. The gifts of God, however precious, are no standard by which to judge the giver. The truth as heaven reveals it is the standard, and the opinions and theories of men must give way. There is no substitute for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Propositions to be reconciled.

Referring now to a passage previously quoted, concerning the days of Adam when a decree went forth that the gospel should be in the world until the end thereof, I was once asked to reconcile that passage with the idea of a new dispensation, the question coming in this form. If the gospel was to be in the world from the days of Adam until the end, what was the need of restoring it, bringing it back again? There are two ways of reconciling these propositions.

They do not really contradict each other. The gospel has been in the world, from the beginning, by a series of dispensations, reaching through the entire range of human history. Our finite minds are prone to tangle themselves up in little details that cause endless quibbles and often give us a great deal of trouble. But God sweeps the whole universe with his infinite gaze, and what seem mountains to men are less than mole hills in his sight. The gaps between the gospel dispensations are not so wide to deity as they are to us.

The Lord has found it necessary at different times to temporarily withdraw the gospel and the priesthood from the midst of men, and yet by repeated restorations forming a continuous chain of dispensations, he has kept them in the world from the beginning down to the present, thus making good his ancient decree. A two-fold creation. But there is more to this argument. God's works are twofold, first spiritual, secondly temporal,

and the most important part of creation is the spiritual part. Man and woman were made first as spirits, and the same is true of earth and all that it contains. Beasts, birds, fishes, trees, plants, and flowers, and short, all created things. Given bodies, they become souls. Not all human souls, but souls nevertheless. For the spirit and the body constitute the soul. It is the soul that is redeemed and glorified. The spirit alone cannot advance that far. It can live without the body, but the body without the spirit is dead. Evidently, therefore, the spirit is the more important. What wonder? God created the spirit, but when it came to creating the body, bodies in general, he delegated

to man that portion of his work. Man can make the body of man and can destroy it, but cannot destroy the spirit. It is beyond his power. Now the planet upon which we dwell has a spirit, hence there is a spirit world, and there the gospel has been preached for ages, so that the dead or the departed, for they are no more dead than we are, might have opportunity to embrace it and be judged according to men in the flesh. And the withdrawal of the gospel from the temporal world would not necessarily involve its withdrawal from the spiritual world. Thus the divine decree that the gospel should be in the world until the end thereof receives additional vindication. God's word cannot fail. The world of spirits. The spirit world, says Parley P. Pratt, is not the heaven where Jesus Christ, his father, and other beings dwell,

who have, by resurrection or translation, ascended to eternal mansions, and been crowned and seated upon thrones of power. But it is an intermediate state, a probation, a place of preparation, improvement, instruction, or education, where spirits are chastened or improved, and where, if found worthy, they may be taught a knowledge of the gospel. In short, it is a place where the gospel is preached and where faith, repentance, hope, and charity may be exercised. A place of waiting for the resurrection or redemption of the body. While to those who deserve it, it is a place of punishment or, purgatory or hell, where spirits are buffeted till the day of redemption. As to its location, it is here, the very planet where we were born.

Joseph Smith tells us that our departed friends are very near to us. We need not sail off into space to be in the spirit world. We have only to pass out of the body. For the spirit world is right around us. Partly continues, The earth and other planets of a like order, have their inward or spirit spheres, as well as their outward or temporal. The one is peopled by temporal tabernacles and the other by spirits.

In this spirit world, there are all the varieties and grades of intellectual beings which exist in the present world. For existence, Jesus Christ and the thief on the cross both went to the same place and found themselves associated in the spirit world. Jesus, it will be born in mind, had been crucified between two thieves, one of whom derided him, insulting his dying agonies. The other, being penitent, prayed, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.

To him the Savior said, Today thou shalt be with me in paradise. Because of his utterance, well, meaning though uninspired minds, have jumped to the conclusion that the penitent thief was promised immediate heavenly exultation for repenting at the last moment and professing faith in the Redeemer. And this notion is still entertained. The criminal who has forfeited his life and is under sentence of death because unfit to dwell among his fallen fellow creatures is made to believe that by confessing Christ even upon the scaffold, he is fitted at once for the society of God

and angels and will be wafted to eternal bliss. Jesus, Jesus, never taught such doctrine, nor did any authorized servant of God. It is a man-made theory based upon faulty inference and misinterpretation. The Bible plainly teaches that men will be judged according to their works. It was best for the thief, of course, to repent, even at the 11th hour, but he could not be exalted until prepared for it if it took a thousand years. Jesus Christ and the thief both went to the world of spirits, a place of rest for the righteous, a place of correction for the wicked. Parley goes on to say,

But the one was there in all the intelligence, happiness, benevolence, and charity which characterized a teacher, a messenger anointed to preach glad tidings to the meek, to bind up the broken-hearted, to comfort those who mourned, to preach deliverance to the captive, and open the prisoners, to those who were bound, or, in other words, to preach the gospel to the spirits in prison, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, while the other was there as a thief, who had expired on the cross for crime, and who was guilty, ignorant, uncultivated, and unprepared for resurrection,

having need of remission of sins, and to be instructed in the science of salvation. In the world of spirits there are apostles, prophets, elders, and members of the Church of the saints, holding keys of priesthood, and the power to teach, comfort, instruct, and proclaim the gospel to their fellow spirits, after the pattern of Jesus Christ. In the same world, there are also the spirits of Catholics and Protestants of every sect, who all have need to be taught and to come to the knowledge of the true unchangeable gospel in its fullness and simplicity, that they might be judged the same as if they had been privileged with the same in the flesh. There is also the Jew, the Mahometan, the infidel, who did not believe in Christ while in the flesh.

All these must be taught, must come to the knowledge of the crucified and risen Redeemer, and hear the glad tidings of the gospel. There are also all the varieties of the heathen spirits, the noble and refined philosopher, poet, patriot, or statesman of Rome or Greece, the enlightened Socrates and Plato, and their like, together with every grade of spirits down to the most uncultivated of the savage world. All these must be taught, enlightened, and must bow the knee to the eternal king, for the decree hath gone forth, that unto him shall every knee bow and every tongue confess.

Oh, what a field of labor, of benevolence, of missionary enterprise now opens to the apostles and elders of the Church of the Saints. As this field opens, they will begin to realize more force. fully the extent of their divine mission and the meaning of the great command to preach the gospel to every creature. Parley P. Pratt, a modern apostle, was a friend and follower of Joseph Smith. He sat at the feet of Joseph as Paul at the feet of Gamaliel. These are Joseph's doctrines, the doctrines of Mormonism, which stands for the gospel in all the ages, and for the salvation of the living and the dead. God will judge no man for an opportunity that he never possessed. Faith and repentance are just as possible and just as effectual in the spirit world as they are in this sphere. But the

ordinance of baptism, immersion in the water for the remission of sins, and the laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost, with other sacred ceremonies, must be done here, in places dedicated for the purpose. This vicarious work is absolutely essential in order that the the departed may be duly admitted into the Church of Christ and share in all its blessings. The Hell of Dante. In the 13th century, a great Italian poet, the immortal Dante, produced a wonderful work La Divina Comedia, the Divine Comedy. In one part of the poem, the author represents himself as passing through Hades or Hell.

In the first circle of the infernal depths, a region called Limbo, which a footnote in my copy of the poem describes as a place containing the souls of unbaptized children and of those virtuous men and women who lived before the birth of our Savior, he meets some of the noble characters whom the Apostle Parley mentions is inhabiting the spirit world. And the guide says to him, Inquirest thou not what spirits are these which thou beholdest, ere thou pass farther I would thou know that these of sin were blameless, and if aught they merited it profits not, since baptism was not theirs. The portal to thy faith, if they before the gospel lived, they served not God or right, and among such am I, for these defects and for no other evil we are lost, only so far afflicted that we live desiring without.

hope. Hell, Canto, 4, lines 29 to 39. And this was all that 13th century theology could save for such men as Homer, Virgil, Plato, Aristotle, and others, the best and brightest spirits of their times. According to their works, was it not imperative that the heavens should open again and God's word go forth once more upon its mission of justice and mercy? The Gospel of Christ is consistent and reasonable. It does not prejudge men, nor save, nor damn them, regardless of merit or demerit. Rewarding all according to their works, it gives to every creature, living or dead, a chance to accept or reject it, before final judgment.

Is it not evident that Joseph Smith and Mormonism were indeed a necessity at the dawn of the 19th century when even the Christian world had lost the knowledge of the true God, proclaiming him either a non-entity, incapable of act or utterance, or a monster, merciful and unjust? Sons of perdition God is not trying to damn the world, but to save it. All will be saved except the sons of perdition, those who have had every opportunity to be saved,

yes, saved and exalted. They who have known God, and have tasted of the powers of the world to come, and then have thrown it all away, trampling upon the truth as a thing of not, denying the Holy Ghost and crucifying the Lord afresh. These cannot be saved, for salvation is predicated upon repentance, and such have sinned away the power to repent. This is what makes their case hopeless. But comparatively few go that far.

All the rest will be saved and eventually glorified. different degrees of glory There are different degrees of glory A glory of the sun, a glory of the moon, and a glory of the stars. So Paul taught, and Joseph Smith taught it even more plainly. They who inherit celestial glory, of which the sun and the firmament is typical,

are they who receive the gospel in this life, and are valiant for it and endure to the end, giving to God the fullness of their obedience. They who inherit terrestrial glory, which differs from the celestial as the moon differs from the sun, are they who receive not the gospel here, but afterwards receive it. Souls not valiant, and who therefore win not the crown. The inheritors of telestial glory typified by the stars are they who are thrust down to hell, where they pay their debt to justice, after which mercy claims its own,

and they are ushered into a light and freedom greater than the finite mind can comprehend. Such as Mormonism's astounding declaration, the only religion on earth that dares to say the damned can be saved. Yes, anyone can be saved who will repent, even in the depths of hell. But why go there to repent? Why not make peace with heaven here? A nautical illustration. I was crossing the Atlantic on an ocean liner.

I was a first cabin passenger, and besides myself, there were upwards of a hundred others in that part of the vessel. The second cabin had about twice as many passengers, and in the steerage were several hundred more. The first cabin berths were not only the best furnished, but the most favorably situated for comfort, convenience, and safety. Every courtesy was shown to the passengers. The captain and other officers were their associates. Their food was of the choicest, and they had the full freedom of the ship. They might go down into the second cabin or lower down into the steerage, and return without hindrance or question.

They had paid for these privileges and were therefore entitled to them. But it was different in the second cabin. There the food was not so good. The berths were less comfortable, and the privileges fewer. Passengers might descend into the second cabin. the steerage, but were not permitted upon the upper deck. In the steerage, conditions were even less favorable. The food was still poorer, and the restrictions were more rigid. The occupants of that section were not allowed even in the second cabin. Having paid only for

steerage accommodations, these were all that they could consistently claim. Viewing the situation, I said to myself, what a striking analogy to the final destiny of the human race, as set forth in the revelations of God. All men rewarded according to their works, saved according to their merits in the eternal mansions of the Father, and I resolved anew that I would be a first cabin passenger over the ocean of life into the heaven of celestial glory. Mormonism's magnanimity. Joseph the Seer, after gazing upon the glories of eternity, outlining the ultimate destiny of the human race, had another vision in which he beheld that all children who die before they arrive at the years of accountability are saved in the celestial kingdom. He also saw his father, his mother,

and his brother Alvin in that kingdom. His parents had received the gospel, but Alvin died before it came. He was a good man, however, and had faith in what the prophet told him. He simply had not been baptized. Nevertheless, Joseph beheld him in celestial glory, the highest glory of all, and it caused him to marvel. Then fell this word from heaven. All who have died without a knowledge of this gospel, who would have received it if they had been permitted to Terry, shall be heirs of the celestial kingdom of God. Also all that die henceforth without a knowledge of it, who would have received it with all their hearts shall be heirs of that kingdom, for I the Lord will judge all men according to their works, according to the desire of their hearts. Could justice, mercy, magnanimity, go further?

And yet there are people who imagine Mormonism to be something small, narrow, and illiberal. By the contrary, it is broad, generous, and charitable, as all its teachings testify. The source of its strength. Mormonism's strength is not in the number of its adherents who are comparatively few, nor in the sagacity of its leading men, who are only

mortals. Rather, does it reside in the fact that every worthy man and woman connected with it is entitled to and receives a personal, direct testimony of its truth. The Church of Christ is founded upon this rock, the rock

of Revelation, against which the waves of sophistry, the billows of bigotry, the breakers of persecution, beat and dash in vain. All who fight the truth are foredoomed to defeat. The gates of hell cannot prevail against it. Mormonism is strong because God is its author, the engineer directing its course, and all the might of omnipotence is behind it, impelling it on to its destiny. It is the everlasting gospel, the saving, glorifying power of God, the power by which he carries on his mighty and marvelous work, bringing to pass the immortality and eternal life of man. Published by the missions of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the United States.

End of the Strength of the Mormon Position by Elder Orson F. Whitney, part three of three. The Vitality of Mormonism, an address by James E. Talmich, Part 1 of 2. This is a Libravox recording. All Libervox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit Libravox.org. Read by James Bleckley The Vitality of Mormonism Why does Mormonism persist? Determine attempts were made,

both openly and by stealth to strangle the system at its birth, to destroy the mustard seed at the time of the planting, and as the fact of its survival has become prominent, the certainty of its impending demise has been announced time and again, the fall of the unbrageous tree, amidst whose branches the birds of search continue to find food and shelter, has been off predicted. On the 6th of April, 1830, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was organized as a body corporate at Fayette in the state of New York,

and the names of but six persons are of record as those of actual participants. True by that time, a few times six had identified themselves with the new and unprecedented movement, but as the laws of the state specified six as the required number of inquiries, corporators, only that number took part in the legal procedure, and they, save one, were relatively unknown and in fact obscure. The name of Joseph Smith had already been heard beyond his home district. He was at the time a subject of rapidly spreading notoriety, if not of enviable fame, the Book of Mormon purporting to be a record of the Aboriginal peoples of the Western continent, particularly in account of the dealings of God with those people. In short, the scriptures

of what came afterward to be called the New World had already been published. It was in reference to the title page of this work that the Appalachian Mormon, first given in derision as a nickname, was fastened upon the members of the church. Such a beginning as that of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints may seem to afford little ground of either hope or fear as to future developments. Nevertheless, the newly established church was made the subject of assault from its inception. What was there to cause hostile concern over the voluntary association of six men and a few of their friends in an organization of openly expressed purpose, and that purpose, the peaceful promulgation of what they verily believed to be the uplifting religion

of life, the gospel of Jesus Christ. Whatever may be the answer to the query, the fact that the Church met determined opposition, increasingly severe from the beginning, is abundantly attested by history. While active persecutors and openly avowed assailants were comparatively few, the majority of those who gave any attention to the matter treated Mormonism with aggressive disdain, and contempt in the affairs of human endeavor has not infrequently proved itself a more effective, weapon than physical assault. In this instance, violence and outrage resulted. I invite your attention to the vitality of Mormonism under a convenient classification, though as will be seen,

the divisions are interrelated and merge intimately together. Let us consider, first, facts attesting the vitality and virility of the church. Second, some causes thereof. some of the results. First, facts attesting the vitality and virility of the church. Today, the Mormon Church is known by name, at least throughout the civilized world,

as well as among most of the semi-cultured peoples, in the remoter parts of the earth and on the islands of the sea. Since 1830, every year has witnessed an increase in membership and an extension of Mormon propaganda. The six

have increased to over half a million adherents. In Utah and adjacent states in Canada and Mexico, between 70 and 80 stakes of Zion have been established, each stake comprising several wards, of which there are now over 750. And the greater part of North America outside the established stakes, as also many foreign countries are covered by well-organized mission branches, with its component conferences and branches. The growth of the church is apparent to even the poorly informed, but the church has not only grown, it has developed. Between growth and development, there is a difference of the most essential kind, and not a few of the grave mistakes of men, even in everyday affairs, in business and politics, in statesmanship, are traceable to our

confusing and confounding the two. Growth alone is the result of a crucial of a crucial, the accumulation of material, the amassing of stuff. Development involves an extension of function, a gradation of efficiency, a passing from immaturity to maturity from infancy to manhood. Growth produces big things, and not only things of this sort but men. Between bigness and greatness, however, there is a distinction of kind, not alone of degree. Growth is a measure of bulk, of quantity. It is defined as so many or so much.

Development is a gradation of quality. Its terms are so good or so bad. America boasts of a continually increasing host of big men. The great men of the land may be more easily counted. And as with men, so with institutions. Dead things may grow. as witnessed the tiny salt crystal in its mother brine, at the first a microscopic cube, then a huge hexahedron limited only by the size of the container or other external conditions.

Development, however, is the characteristic of life to which mere growth is essentially secondary and subordinate. The acorn holds in potential reserve all the possibilities of the stately oak. Within the tiny egg of the butterfly lies the future caterpillar and the hidden glory of the immature Imago. The vital character of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was evident from the first. In masterly parable, superb inconception and application, the kingdom of heaven has been likened unto leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal, and behold from it the mass became leavened.

I make bold to affirm that the leaven of Mormonism is leavening the world and its theology. The most objectionable feature of Mormonism today appears to be its name. The fundamental principles of the system, its revealed truths, are more readily accepted when unlabeled. Every studious reader of recent commentaries on the Holy Scriptures and of theological treatises in general is aware of a surprising progressiveness in modern views of things spiritual, amounting in many instances to an abandonment of what were once regarded as the fundamentals of orthodoxy. In the new theology, Mormonism has pioneered the way. I admit that so radical insertion calls for evidence, and in its support I shall ask your unbiased consideration

of a few illustrative instances. As the examples to be cited, however, must have place in any exposition of the causes to which the vitality of the Mormon system of religion is to be ascribed, and as I assume that the actuality of the growth and vitality of Mormonism will not be contested, I pass in the interest of brevity to the second division. Second, some causes to which the vitality of Mormonism is due. Mormonism is definite and incisive in its claims. It speaks to the world in no uncertain tone. Its voice is virile. Its activities are strong.

It presents an unbroken front and is unafraid. Its attitude is not tile. Nevertheless, it is strongly aggressive. Its methods of work are those of reason and persuasion, coupled with a fearless affirmation of testimony as to the surpassing importance of its message, which message it labors to convey to every nation, hundred tongues and people. Mormonism lives because it is healthy, normal, and undeformed.

In general, a healthy organism is assured of life barring destruction from external violence or deprivation of physical necessities, whereas one that is abnormal and sickly is doomed to decline. Opposition to the church, the pitiless maltreatment to which its people have been subjected comprising mobbing, driving, spoilation, scourging, assassination, and murder, marked by every conceivable accompaniments of barbarity, have operated to strengthen the church, body, and soul. True, the heat of persecution has scorched and withered

a few of the sickly plants, such as had no depth of sincerity, but the general effect has been to promote a fuller growth, and to make richer and more fertile the Garden of the Lord. Mormonism thrives and is extending its influence, leavening the thoughts of men because its distinctive doctrines are those of progression, in accord with the better manifestations of the spirit of the times, best adapted to meet the vital needs of the age. The timeliness of its establishment is significant

and largely explanatory of its success. The seed of the restored gospel was planted by the divine husbandman only after due preparation of the soil. The place of planting was no less carefully selected than the time of seeding. In the economy of God, America, which is veritably the land of Zion, was a four-time consecrated as the home of a free and independent nation. Only in such soil could the germ of the gospel of true liberty sprout and thrive. Mormonism lives because its claims are consistent and its position impregnable. It affirms the literal fulfillment of scriptural predictions of a great falling away from the truth, a cessation of spiritual gifts and divine authority, in short, a worldwide apostasy from the church established by the Lord Jesus Christ in the meridian of time.

This condition of apostasy is that pictured by Isaiah. The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof because they have transgressed the laws, change the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant. Isaiah chapter 24, verse 5. And by Amos, in his fateful utterance, Behold, the days come, sayeth the Lord God that I will send a famine in the land,

not a famine of bread nor thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord. and they shall wander from sea to sea and from the north even to the east. They shall run to and fro to seek the word of the Lord and shall not find it. Amos chapter 8 verses 11 and 12. The certainty of a general declension in spirituality among men, the rise of false Christs and prophets of mystic and deceiving voices from the desert and from secret chambers was foretold by Christ himself.

Matthew chapter 24, verse 4 and 5, verse 10, 13, 25, and 26. So avowed also the Apostles Peter, 2nd Peter, Chapter 2, verse 1 through 3, and Paul. Acts chapter 20, verse 29 and 30, 1 Timothy, chapter 4, verse 1 through 3, 2 Timothy, chapter 4, verse 1 through 4, 2 Thessalonians, chapter 2, verse 3 and 4, Jude, verse 17, and 18, and John. Revelation, Chapter 13, verse 4, verse 6 through verse 9. The apostate condition of Christendom has been recognized and affirmed by high ecclesiastical authority. Let a single citation suffice. The Church of England thus proclaims the fact of degeneracy, as set forth in her homily against the peril of idolatry, published about the middle of the 16th century, and retained to this day as an official declaration.

So that laity and clergy learned and unlearned all ages, sects and degrees of men, women and children of whole Christendom, an horrible and most dreadful thing to think have been at once drowned in abominable idolatry, of all other vices most detested of God and most damnable to man, and that by the space of 800 years and more. No less definite than the prophecy of apostasy is the scriptural prediction of a restoration in the last days. 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, saying with a loud voice, fear God, and give glory to him, for the hour of his judgment is come, and worship him that made heaven and earth and the sea and the fountains of waters. Revelation 14, verse 6 and 7

Mormonism affirms that the everlasting gospel has been restored to earth in the manner specified that is by angelic ministration. The necessity of a restoration postulates the prior removal of the thing restored, and the

restoration of the gospel is proof of the precedent apostasy of mankind. But it may be asked, had we not the Holy Bible, the scriptural repository of the gospel record? The letter, yes, but surely the gospel is more than a book. The Holy Bible prescribes administrative ordinances as essential to salvation, baptism by water, and the bestowal of the Holy Ghost by the authoritative imposition of hands, the rebirth of water and of spirit, without which,

unless the Lord Christ spoke to Nicodemus falsely, No man can enter the kingdom of God. Who will venture to affirm that a possession of a copy of the Holy Bible, or even a letter-perfect memorization of the contents thereof, can give to men the right to administer in the ordinances therein prescribed? The angel, seen by the revelator while on Patmos, was to restore not the letter of requirement as to baptism and other essentials, for this the world had,

but he was to bring again to earth the commission to officiate in those saving ordinances, that is, to restore the authority of a holy priesthood. Mormonism affirms that on the 15th of May, 1829, a heavenly messenger descended in light and glory, and laying his hands upon Joseph Smith and his companion in the ministry Oliver Cowdry, bestowed upon them the lesser or erotic priesthood, saying, Upon you, my fellow servants, in the name of Messiah, I confer the priesthood of Aaron, which holds the keys of the ministering of angels and of the gospel of repentance and of baptism by immersion for the remission of sins.

The angelic personage announced himself as John, known of old as the Baptist, and declared that he acted under instructions from Peter, James, and John, who held the presidency of the higher or Melchizedek priesthood in the apostolic dispensation of old. At a later date, Joseph Smith and his fellow laborers were visited by Peter James and John, who ordained the two to the priesthood after the order of Melchizedek, which comprises all the authority operative in the Church of Jesus Christ. Whatever criticism may be offered, exception taken, or denial asserted against these solemn declarations, the consistency of the claims themselves must be admitted.

Authority to officiate in the ordinances of the gospel was brought by angel messengers, and they the very ones in whom were vested the powers of the respective order of priesthood in the earlier gospel dispensation. This same strict consistency appears in subsequent manifestations. Thus Moses appeared at the temple at Kirtland, Ohio, and conferred the keys of the gathering of the tribes of Israel after their long dispersion, which work is abundantly predicted in ancient scripture as a characteristic feature of the latter days, the time immediately precedent to the glorious advent of the son of man. Elijah the prophet, in literal fulfillment of Malachi's prediction, Malachi

chapter 4, verse 5 through 6, has brought and committed to the modern prophet, and the authority of vicarious labor in behalf of the dead, by which the hearts of the departed fathers are turned to their living posterity, and the hearts of the yet mortal children drawn to their progenitors in the spirit world. True to this particular commission, the restored church rears temples to the name and service of the living God, and in those sacred structures carries forward vicarious service for the redemption of the uncounted dead, who have passed away, in ignorance as to the necessity of compliance with the laws and ordinances of the gospel, without which compliance no man may see the kingdom of God. Such facts as those cited attest the consistency of the distinctive claims of Mormonism, and consistency goes far to establish genuineness. Mormonism would long since have gone the way of all false creeds and systems,

had its precepts been inconsistent, incongruous, or unscriptural. Mormon doctrines are characteristically advanced and progressive, and herein lies a further explanation of the virility of the system. While in no respect at variance with earlier scriptures, Mormonism carries principles forward, and many of the obscure passages of ancient writ are illumined by the rays of modern revelation. As stated, Mormonism leads the way to higher truths. Now, by way of a few examples, as promised.

The unscriptural and repellent dogma of inherent degeneracy and the contaminating effect of original sin, by which every child is born vile in the sight and judgment of God, long cast its dark shadow over the minds of men. From this conception sprang the practice of infant baptism, and the perverted doctrine of assured damnation for all innocent babes who die unbaptized. Even the Catholic Church has modified its teaching on this subject, and today permits its members to believe that children who die without baptism

pass to a state of partial happiness and content, though forever denied the supreme blessing of the beatific vision of God. It is conceded, of course, that no dictum, dogma, or doctrine of men can determine the fate of souls, infant or adult, in the hereafter. Nevertheless, theological teachings have direct effect upon the thoughts and lives of mankind. It is cheering to know that practically all Christendomden today repudiates the frightful heresy of the eternal condemnation of babes who die without baptism. Here now the word of Mormonism on the matter, and note the time of its enunciations.

In 1830, the Book of Mormon was given to the world. Therein we read, in an epistle of the ancient prophet Mormon, to his son Moronai, Listen to the words of Christ, your Redeemer, your Lord, and your God. Behold, I came into the world not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. The whole need no physician, but they that are sick. Wherefore little children are whole, for they are not capable of committing sin. wherefore the curse of Adam is taken from them in me, that it hath no power over them, and the law of circumcision is done away in me. After this matter did the Holy Ghost manifest the word of God unto me, wherefore my beloved son, I know that it is solemn mockery before God that you should baptize little children. Behold I say unto you that this thing shall ye teach, repentance and baptism,

unto those who are accountable and capable of committing sin. Yeah, teach parents that they must repent and be baptized and humble themselves as their little children, and they shall all be saved with their little children. And their little children need no repentance, neither, baptism. Behold baptism is unto repentance to the fulfilling the commandments unto the remission of sins. But little children are alive and cruel. Christ even from the foundation of the world.

Moroni chapter 8, verse 8 through 12. In the revelations of the current dispensation, we read that children are accounted innocent before God until they come to the age of understanding and accountability, and that baptism is required of all who have obtained that condition. Thus we read, all those who humble themselves before God, and desire to be baptized and come forth with broken hearts and contrite spirits and witness before the church that they have truly repented of all their sins, and are willing to take upon them the name of Jesus Christ, having a determination to serve him to the end, and truly manifest by their works that they have

received of the Spirit of Christ unto the remission of their sins, shall be received by baptism into His Church. Doctrine in Covenants, Chapter 20, verse 37. End of The Vitality of Mormonism and Address by James E. Talmage, Part 1 of 2. The Vitality of Mormonism and Address by James E. Talmage, part 2 of 2. This is a Librevox recording. All Libravox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visitlibrovox.org, read by James Bleckley. The one time general conception of heaven and hell is regarded today as antiquated, unreasonable, unscriptural, and untrue.

I speak of the heaven and the hell once thought of as the only places or conditions prepared for the souls of men, to one or the other of which states every being that has or shall have tabernacled in the flesh is to be consigned, perhaps on a very narrow margin of merit or dessert. True, the support of scriptural warrant was lacking for the churchly dogma, but many centuries were required for the world to discover the fact. Paul, writing to the Corinthians in the long ago, said, there are also celestial bodies and bodies terrestrial, but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another. There is one glory of the sun and another glory of the moon and another glory of the stars, for one star

differeth from another star in glory. So also is the resurrection of the dead. 1 Corinthians chapter 15, verse 40 through 42. To this pretentious scripture, a very narrow exposition was accorded in the dogmatic exegesis of the earlier commentaries, and the dictum of a heaven and a hell was scarcely shaken thereby. Belief in graded conditions in the hereafter is widespread today, and in this rational substitution of ennobling truth for degrading error, Mormonism is again the world's teacher. Joseph Smith avowed that in February 1832,

he received a divine revelation in which conditions in the hereafter were shown to be the direct result of the individual life in mortality, and by which the existence of distinct kingdoms of glory, each with its own numerous gradations, was made plain. These are called, in descending order, the celestial, the terrestrial, and the telestial. Far below the lowest of these is the state prepared for the hopelessly unregenerate, those who have sinned against light and knowledge, and those who, having learned the laws of righteousness and having received the testimony of the Christ have ruthlessly trodden the priceless pearls into the mire.

Those few who are fit companions for the devil and his angels throughout eternity. Those who are known by the awful name, sons of perdition. Of them, the last revelation referred to a verse, Thus saith the Lord concerning all those who know my power and have been made partakers thereof, and suffer to themselves through the power of the devil to be overcome, and to deny the truth and defy my power. They are they who are the sons of perdition, of whom I say that it have been better for them never to have been born, for they are vessels of wrath, doomed to suffer the wrath of God, with the devil and his angels in eternity,

concerning whom I have said there is no forgiveness in this world nor in the world to come, having denied the Holy Spirit after having received it, and having denied the only begotten son of the Father, having crucified him unto themselves, and put him to an open shame. These are they who shall go away into the lake of fire and brimstone, with the devil and his angels, and the only ones on whom the same,

second death shall have any power. Yeah, verily the only ones who shall not be redeemed in the due time of the Lord after the sufferings of his wrath. Doctrine in Covenants 76 verses 31 through 38. In immeasurable contrast is the state of those who attain not only salvation, but exaltation in the celestial kingdom. We read, They are they who received the testimony of Jesus, and believed on his name and were baptized after the manner of his burial, being buried in the water in his name, and this according to the commandment which he has given, that by keeping the commandments they might be washed and cleansed from all their sins, and receive the Holy Spirit by the laying on of the hands

of him who is ordained and sealed unto this power, and who overcome by faith and are sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise, which the Father sheds forth upon all those who are just and true. They are they who are the Church of the Firstborn. They are they into whose hands the Father has given all things. They are they who are priests and kings, who have received of his fullness, arid of his glory, and are his priests of the Most High, after the Order of Melchizedek, which was after the Order of Inoch, which was after the order of the only begotten son. Wherefore, as it is written, they are gods,

even the sons of God, wherefore all things are theirs, whether life or death or things present or things to come, all are theirs, and they are Christ's, and Christ is gods, and they shall overcome all things. Wherefore, let no man glory in man, but rather let him glory in God, who shall subdue all enemies under his feet. These shall dwell in the presence of God and His Christ forever and ever. These are they whom he shall bring with him, when he shall come in the clouds of heaven

to rain on the earth over his people. These are they who shall have part in the first resurrection. These are they who shall come forth in the resurrection of the just. verses 51 through 65. Of those who attain the lesser glory of the terrestrial it is written, and again we saw the terrestrial world, and behold and lo, these are they who are of the terrestrial, whose glory differs from that of the Church of the Firstborn, who have received the fullness of the Father, even as that of the moon differs from the sun in the firmament. Behold, these are they who died without law, and all,

Also, they who are the spirits of men kept in prison, whom the son visited and preached the gospel unto them, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, who received not the testimony of Jesus in the flesh, but afterwards received it. These are they who are honorable men of the earth, who were blinded by the craftiness of men. These are they who receive of his glory, but not of his fullness. These are they who are not valiant in the testimony of Jesus, wherefore they obtain not the crown over the kingdom of our God. Versus 71 through 76 and 79. And of the inhabitants of the Telestial. And again, we saw the glory of the Telestial, which glory is that of the lesser, even as the glory of the stars differs from that of the glory of the moon in the firmament. These are they who received not the Gospel of Christ, neither the testimony of Jesus.

These are they who deny not the Holy Spirit. These are they who are thrust down to hell. These are they who shall not be redeemed from the devil until the last resurrection, until the Lord, even Christ of the Lamb, shall have finished his work. And the glory of the Telestule is one, even as the glory of the stars is one, for as one star differs from another star in glory, even so differs one from another in glory in the telestial world. For these are they who are of Paul and of Apollos and of Cephas.

These are they who say they are some of one and some of another, some of Christ and some of John and some of Moses and some of Elias, and some of Issyas, and some of Isaiah, and some of Enoch. But received not the gospel. neither the testimony of Jesus, neither the prophets, neither the everlasting covenant. Last of all, these are all they who will not be gathered with the saints to be caught up into the Church of the Firstborn and received into the cloud. These are they who are liars and sorcerers and adulterers and whoremongers and whoever loves and makes a lie.

These are they who are cast down to hell and suffer the wrath of all my people. mighty God, until the fullness of times when Christ shall have subdued all enemies under his feet, and shall have perfected his work. But behold, and lo, we saw the glory in the inhabitants of the telestual world, that they were as innumerable as the stars in the firmament of heaven, or as the sand upon the seashore, and heard the voice of the Lord, saying, these all shall bow the knee, and every tongue shall confess to him, who sits upon the third, and the third, throne forever and ever, for they shall be judged according to their works, and every man shall receive according to his own works, his own dominion, in the mansions which are prepared,

and they shall be servants of the Most High, but where God and Christ dwell, they cannot come worlds without end. Verses 81 through 85, 98 through 103, 106, and 109 through 112. Mormonism proclaims the possibility of eternal advancement within the several kingdoms provided in the hereafter, and teaches that even repentance is possible beyond the grave. It utters solemn warning, however, against procrastination and willful neglect here, holding that this life is strictly a probationary period given unto men for repentance and valiant service, and that to neglect is to lose the ability to repent. It repudiates what it regards as a strained and irrelevant exposition

of a certain isolated passage from the preacher of old if the tree fall towards the south or toward the north in the place where the tree fall if, there it shall be. Ecclesiastes chapter 11 verse 3. This we do not believe was ever intended to mean that as the man is, where he dies, so shall he be eternally, nor do we admit that the tenor of holy writ supports any such inference. Neglect, willful procrastination, evil life here shall surely be a handicap to eternal progress. But however far behind his more faithful fellows a sinner may fall,

he shall yet advance if he will but repent and try. Is it empty as sense? Is it empty as to say that such a doctrine is this, given to the world through the Book of Mormon in 1830, is more vital than the dogmas of never-ending torment and eternal damnation. See, it was long taught that the body is a hindrance in a burden to the spirit, a thing to be contemned and despised. Carried to its inevitable extreme, this belief led to the abnormalities of asceticism. monastic isolation, celibacy, and resultant evils. The spirit of this age impels to healthful living,

to the preservation of the body and the conservation of its God-given functions, to the prudent observances of sanitation and hygiene, to abstinence from intoxicants, narcotics, and stimulants generally. As early as February, the Lord gave a revelation to the Church touching matters of hygiene and diet. The word of wisdom it has been rightly called, and its precepts are now proclaimed by the teachers of men. Hear it. That inasmuch as any man drinketh wine or strong drink among you, behold, it is not good.

Neither meet in the sight of your father only in assembling yourselves together to offer up your sacraments before him. And behold, this should be wine, yeah, pure wine of the grape of the vine, of your own, make. And again, strong drinks are not for the belly, but for the washing of your bodies. And again, tobacco is not for the body, neither for the belly, and is not good for man, but is an herb for bruises and all sick cattle, to be used with judgment and skill. And again, hot drinks are not for the body or belly. And again, verily I say unto you, all wholesome herbs God hath ordained for the constitution, nature, and use of man. Every herb in the season thereof, and every fruit in the season thereof, all these to be used with prudence and thanksgiving. Yeah, flesh also of beasts

and of the fowls of the air, I the Lord, have ordained for the use of man with thanksgiving. Nevertheless, they are to be used sparingly. And it is pleasing unto me that they should not be used only in times of winter or of cold or famine. All grain was ordained for the use of man and of beasts to be the staff of life, not only for man but for the beasts of the field and the fowls of heaven and all wild animals that run or creep on the earth. And these have God made for the use of man only in times of famine and excess of hunger. All grain is good for the food of man, as all also the fruit of the vine which yieldeth fruit, whether in the ground or above the ground. Nevertheless, wheat for man and corn for the ox, and oats for the horse and rye for the fowls and for the swine,

and for all beasts of the field and barley for all useful animals, and for mild drinks as also other grain, and all saints who remember to keep and do these sayings, walking in obedience to the commandment, shall receive health in their name, and marrow to their bones, and shall find wisdom and great treasures of knowledge, even hidden treasures, and shall run and not be weary, and shall walk and not faint, and I the Lord give unto them a promise, that the destroying angel shall pass by them, as the children of Israel, and not slay them. Amen. Doctrine and Covenants E9 v. 5 through 21.

Hot drinks against which the people are warned have been and are understood to include tea and coffee, and the inhibition was preached and published prior to the discovery by chemists that thine, caffeine, and kindred alkaloids are of pronounced dilaterious and actually poisonous effect. Here again has Mormonism as a living teacher led the way to the paths of a better life, not for the hereafter alone, but for this world. The most potent of all forces operating to maintain the vitality of Mormonism is found in the divine source of its powers and authority.

It teaches the actuality of present-day revelation as the needs of the church require. The system lives and shall never die because it is imbued with the spirit of eternal life. Men cannot destroy the divine, the mortal is impotent, in assault upon the immortal. The finite is powerless to prevail against the infinite. Third, some of the practical results. Had Mormonism died in its infancy, the splendid results of its effects upon mankind would be unknown even as history. To the vitality of the system, to its inherent virility, is due the development at which today the world marvels. Among the practical results of Mormonism are the following. A. A. A system of church organization

unknown since the disintegration of the primitive church through apostasy. This organization comprises all the essential offices and officers of the old and church, apostles, high priests, 70s, elders, bishops, priests, teachers, deacons. The religion of Mormonism is practical. Dealing with the spiritual it is true, but also in a prominent degree with the essentials of everyday life. B. An effective missionary system by which the gospel message is proclaimed throughout the world, and that message of salvation is delivered without money or price. Elders and missionary women are sent out into the several fields, bearing their own expenses except so far as they may receive assistance through the generosity of the people amongst whom they labor.

C. A coherent and mutually helpful body, in which the ties and prejudices of diverse nationality and of varied tradition are swallowed up in the common love for the gospel and in the individual testimony of its genuineness. When one of the early presiding officers of the church was asked by an earnest investigator wherein lay the secret of the marvelous influence by which so great an aggregation of foreign and otherwise diverse peoples were governed, the answer was, we teach them correct principles, and they govern themselves. This effect of the gospel is apparent in the happiness and satisfaction manifest among those who have become members of the church after real repentance. Apostasy from the church is a rare

phenomenon. Even excommunication for failure to live a right is more common, and be it known that the Lord's revelation to the Church provide that transgressions, if not followed by sincere contrition and earnest effort to make amends, is to be visited by disfellowshipment. Every Latter-day Saint is expected to be true to the sanctity of his individual testimony. He is directly answerable to his God. As to his conviction that the gospel taught by the church is genuine, he is held to have undergone the test prescribed by the Christ of doing the will of God and thus learning for himself that the doctrine is true. The peace and satisfaction evinced by converts to Mormonism well-nigh surpasses human belief. D. A self-supporting organization not dependent on the gifts of

a wealthy few, but upon the proportionate giving of all. In the material support of the church as a human institution, the widow's penny is as acceptable as are the gold pieces of the millionaire. The system of tithe paying has been a success in the church from the first. Every member should consider it a duty to pay a tenth of his income, whether that tenth for any given period be a dime or a thousand dollars, but no payment is arbitrarily exacted. For compliance with the law of the tithe to be acceptable before God must be voluntary and willing. The people are taught that while the Lord needs their tithes and offerings, their need to be tithed is many times greater. Besides the tithing, other free will offerings are made.

On the monthly fast day, each family is asked to contribute the cost-economic cost-eastern, equivalent of the meals from which the members have fasted, and the means so obtained is administered by the bishops for the relief of the deserving poor. Special offerings are called for, and willingly given as occasion requires. A recent request for aid to the war, sufferers, resulted in the voluntary and eager giving of over $30,000 in a single day, and this amount was forwarded and distributed without diminution for commission or other than, administrative expense, the church organization proving ample for the purpose. E, a series of auxiliary associations which operate as helps in government.

These include the Relief Society, the Sunday School Union, the young men's and the young ladies mutual improvement associations, the primary association, and the religion classes. The purpose of these is in general indicated by their names. Church schools are maintained for such members as preferred denominational to secular education, and these institutions range from the kindergarten to the normal school and the college. We believe that true education comprises the development of body, mind, and spirit, and facilities for this symmetrical training are provided. To Mormon pupils in the public schools of both common and secondary grades, instruction in religion and ethics is given through the religion classes, which are

conducted outside the regular school hours and as a supplement to the secular curriculum. This instructional feature, now advocated by eminent educators for all public schools, has been in successful operation among the Latter-day Saints for over a quarter of a century. F. A community whose vital statistics tell of prolonged life, high birth and low death rates, high marriage rate, few divorces, and general material prosperity. I present to you a few comparisons of data obtained from the presiding bishopric of the church showing the condition of Latter-day Saints in the organized stakes of Zion for the six-year period, ending with the year 15th.

as contrasted with the latest reports for such states of the Union as maintain statistical bureaus and are classed in official reports as the registration area. Birth rate per 100,000, among the Latter-day Saint residents in the Stakes, is 39, in the country at large so far as reported, is 25. Death rate per 1,000 among the Latter-day Saints is 8.7, in the country at large, 14.1. Marriage rate per 100,000 among the latter-day Saints is 16, in the country at large, 13. Divorces per 100,000 among the latter-day Saints is four, in the country at large, 10. Average age at death among the latter-day Saints is 38, in the country at large, 32. The statistics

of infant mortality are strikingly significant. Deaths from all causes among children under one year of age averaged for these three years, ending with 1915, fewer than 59 per thousand births in Mormon families, while the latest report from the United States registration area shows 249 deaths per thousand. Deaths of children under five years of age, including those who die under one year, separately reported,

average 82 per thousand births among Mormons, and 349 for the country at large. A letter from the presiding bishopric to the author, accompanying the statistical report from which the foregoing items have been called, contains the following statement. A detailed record is kept of all the causes of death among Latter-day Saints in the Intermountain Region. This is carefully supervised by local officers and compiled,

and we think it even more accurate than are the average statistics of the best regulated states of the Union. Details concerning any group of causes of death under the international classification are on file subject to examination by any who may be interested. One of the certified causes of death in which Mormons lead the country is old age. In Latter-day Saint communities, the family owning their own homes constitute 75% of the whole number of families. Think what

this means the absence of rent-collector or landlord, whose shadow too often converts the home into a dreary house. Yes, Mormonism is alive. The world is better for its presence. It extends to all peoples the invitation to come, to drink at its fountains, to partake of its fruits, and to rejoice in the countless blessings offered by the restored gospel of Jesus Christ, our Lord. Articles of faith of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day's Saints 1. We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost. 2. We believe that men will be punished for their own sins and not for Adam's transgression. 3. We believe that through the atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the gospel.

4. We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the gospel are, first faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, second repentance, third, Babbage, by immersion for the remission of sins, fourth laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost. 5. We believe that a man must be called of God by prophecy and by the laying on of hands by those who are in authority to preach the gospel and administer in the ordinances thereof. 6. We believe in the same organization that existed in the primitive church. church, namely apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers, evangelists, etc. 7. We believe in the gift of tongues, prophecy, revelation, visions, healing, interpretation of tongues, etc.

8. We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly. We also believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God. 9. We believe all that God has revealed, all of God. that he does now reveal, and we believe that he will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the kingdom of God. 10. We believe in the literal gathering of Israel and in the restoration of the ten tribes, that Zion will be built upon this continent, that Christ will reign personally upon the earth, and that the earth will be renewed and receive its peridicical glory.

11. We claim the privilege of worshipping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience and allow all men the same privilege. Let them worship how, where, or what they may. 12. We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law. 13. We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men. Indeed, we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul. We believe all things, we hope all things, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report, or praiseworthy, we have endured, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, we will,

We seek after these things, Joseph Smith. End of the Vitality of Mormonism and Address by James E. Talmage, Part 2 of 2. Items on the priesthood presented to the Latter-day Saints by President John Taylor, Part 1 of 3. This is a Libravox recording. All Libravox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit Librevonks.org, read by James Bleckley.

As there is more or less uncertainty in the minds of many of the bishops and others in regard to the proper status and authority of the bishopric and what has denominated the erroneous or Levitical priesthood, I thought it best to lay before the brethren a general statement of the subject as contained in the Bible and the book of doctrine and covenants. With this view, I have made copious extracts from both of the above's sacred records, and so arrange them that they can be readily comprehended by those who hold the priesthood and are conversant with the Holy Order of God, adding only such remarks for explanation as the plain statements warranted, preferring to give generally the simple quotations

and to let them speak for themselves. In the elucidation of this subject, I have necessary, had to refer, more or less, to the Melchizedic priesthood, as the two priesthoods are inseparably united, the one with the other. I have also given a brief scriptural synopsis of the Levittical priesthood, as recorded in the Old Testament. The following views have been submitted to the Council of the Twelve, and have received their sanction. They were also laid before the priesthood meeting at the semi-annual conference held in the Assembly Hall, Salt Lake City, 9th, AD 1880, and were unanimously accepted by the large body of priesthood present on that

occasion. The Aronic Priesthood, as contained in the Bible. First, the Aronic, or Levitical Priesthood spoken of in the revelations as being lesser than the Melchizedek. Aaron was made the mouthpiece of Moses, while Moses was as a god to Aaron. the Lord, having called Moses to deliver Israel, the prophet realized his weakness and pled to be excused. We quote from the scriptures. And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses, and he said,

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 thou shalt speak unto him, and put him. words in his mouth, and I will be with thy mouth and with his mouth, and will teach you what ye should do. And he shall be thy spokesman unto the people, and he shall be, even he shall be to thee instead of a mouth, and thou shalt be to him instead of God. Exodus chapter four, verse 14 through 16. It would seem from the foregoing that the Lord was angry with Moses, because

he doubted the ability of God to sustain him and to enable him to speak. And the Lord said unto him, Who hath made man's mouth? Or whom maketh the dumb or deaf or the seeing or the blind? Have not I the Lord? Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth and teach thee what thou shalt say. And he said, O my Lord, send I pray thee by the hand of him whom thou wilt send. Exodus chapter 4 verse 11 through 13. The Lord further says, And thou shalt take this rod in thine hand, wherewith thou shalt do signs.

Exodus chapter 4 verse 17. And the Lord said to Aaron, Go into the wilderness to meet Moses. And he went and met him in the mount of God and kissed him. And Moses told Aaron all of the words of the Lord who had sent him and all the signs which he had commanded him. Exodus chapter 4, verse 27 through 28. These are that Aaron and Moses, to whom the Lord said,

bring out the children of Israel from the land of Egypt according to their armies. These are they which spoke to Pharaoh, king of Egypt, to bring out the children of Israel from Egypt. These are that Moses and Aaron. Exodus chapter 6, verse 26 and 27. And the Lord spake unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt. Exodus chapter 7 verse 1. It may be noticed that Aaron was with Moses, that God called him and spake to him in Moses,

and that he assisted in bringing the message to Pharaoh, and was a prophet to Moses before he held the Aaronic priesthood, or before that priesthood known to us as the Aronic or Levitical priesthood was given. But it would seem also that the Lord spake to Aaron himself. How and on what principle? The Lord also said to Moses, I will be with thy mouth and with his mouth, and will teach you what ye shall do.

And Aaron spake all of the words which the Lord had spoken unto Moses and did the signs in the sight of the people. The Lord had before spoken to Moses on this subject, he now spake to Aaron. Hence Paul says, No man taketh this honor unto himself, but he that is called of God as was Aaron. What did the Lord say to him? Go into the wilderness to meet Moses.

And then Moses told Aaron all the words of the Lord who had sent him. Moses was thus his instructor and guide, or in other words, acted as a god to him. Thus, Aaron being selected to assist Moses and to be his mouthpiece, went with him to Egypt, and was with him in his intercourse with Pharaoh, and in the deliverance of the children of Israel from Egypt. But Moses always took the lead, and when Moses's father-in-law, Jethro met him, Moses sat to judge the people, not Aaron, and the people stood by Moses from the morning unto the evening. And when Jethro saw the excessive labors of Moses,

he counseled him, if God should command him to choose able men to be rulers of thousands of hundreds of 50s and tens, to judge the smaller cases, while Moses should have charge of the most important. Thus Moses and not Aaron was the most prominent personage in these matters. We further find that Aaron was permitted to go up to Mount Sinai. And the Lord said unto him, that's Moses, Away, get thee down, and thou shalt come up thou and Aaron with thee.

But let not the priests and the people break through to come up unto the Lord, lest he break forth upon them. Exodus chapter 19, verse 24. It may be here asked, who were these priests? for the Aaronic priesthood, as we know it, was not then introduced. But Moses was his leader, and it was he who obtained the word of the Lord, and it was he with whom the Lord conversed. For we find, and Moses went up unto God, and the Lord called unto him out of the mountains,

saying, Thus shalt thou say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel, and the Lord came down upon Mount Sinai on the top of the Mount, and the Lord called Moses up to the top of the mount, and Moses went up. And the Lord said unto Moses, go down, charge the people lest they break through unto the Lord to gaze, and many of them perish. Exodus chapter 19, verses 3, 20, and 21. Moses always took the lead, and he said unto Moses, come up unto the Lord, thou and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, and worship ye afar off. And Moses alone shall come near the Lord, but they shall not come nigh.

Neither shall the people go up with him. Exodus chapter 24, verses 1 and 2. They saw God and did eat and drink, and upon the nobles of the children of Israel, he laid not his hand. also they saw God and did eat and drink. Verse 11. And afterwards, Moses was with the Lord 40 days. And Moses went into the midst of the cloud and get him up into the mount. And Moses was in the mount 40 days and 40 nights, verse 18. By what power did Aaron see God?

May we not suppose it was by the power of the Melchizedic priesthood? For without that, no man can see the face of God and live. It, the Melchizedek, holds the keys of the mysteries of the kingdom, even the key of the knowledge of God. Doctrine and Covenants, Section 84, page 290. Moses had these keys, but Aaron also saw God as well as the 70 elders of Israel, and the people saw his glory and heard his voice. Exodus 20, verse 22, Deuteronomy, chapter 4, verse 36. It would seem that Aaron and the 70 elders of Israel then had the Malkisidic priesthood,

and the Arronic was about being combined with it, as we have them now. Moses held the keys of the Malkisidic priesthood and presided over the whole. Aaron was then in possession of the Malkisidic priesthood, but another or lesser priesthood was about to be conferred upon him, which was done soon after. We quote, And take thou unto thee, Aaron, thy brother, and his sons with him, from among the children of Israel that he may minister unto me in the priest's office, even Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, Elieazar, and Ithamar, Aaron's sons.

And thou shalt make holy garments for Aaron thy brother for glory and for beauty. Exodus chapter 28 verses 1 and 2 Does it not seem probable that Aaron when he received this lesser priesthood was in the same position as to priesthood that our presiding bishop is, holding the Melchizedek and lesser priesthoods, but presiding over the latter, and Moses presiding over all the Melchizedek as well as the Aronic or Levitical, the latter being an appendage to the form. for we read that the law was added because of transgressions. Added to what? Was there anything but the gospel to add it to? The children of Israel at this time had the gospel and the pattern of the ark, and the commandments were given under its auspices.

And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, And look that thou make them after their pattern, which was showed thee in the mount. Exodus chapter 25 verse 40 see also the whole chapter and further the word of the Lord the book of the covenant or law of the Lord were given under the gospel see Exodus chapter 24 verses 1 through 8 and the sacrifices and burnt offerings were also performed under the gospel and as the great presiding high priest Moses gave directions concerning the sacrifices and sprinkled him half of the blood upon the altar and put half into basins. Hence we have the following. And Moses took half the blood and put it in basins, and half of the blood he sprinkled on the altar. And he took the book of the covenant and read in the audience of the people, and they said,

All the Lord hath said will we do, and be obedient. And Moses took the blood and sprinkled it on the people, and said, behold the blood of the covenant, which the Lord hath made with you concerning all these words. Exodus chapter 24, verse 6 through 8. Moses was with the Lord 40 days in the mount receiving these things, that is, the laws and covenants, the pattern of the ark and tabernacle, and the tables. See Exodus chapter 24 through 32. We here have a statement of the manner in which Aaron and his sons were set apart to administer in the erronic priest's office, while yet under the gospel. For we read, and Aaron and his sons shalt bring unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and shalt wash them with water, and thou shalt take the garments and put upon Aaron the coat, and the robe of the Ephod, and the breastplate, and gird him with the curious girdle of the ephod,

and thou shalt put the mitre upon his head, and put the holy crown upon the mitre. Then shalt thou take the anointing oil, and pour it upon his head and anoint him. And thou shalt bring his sons, and put coats upon them, and thou shalt gird them with the girdles, Aaron and his sons, and put the bonnets on them. And the priest's office shall be theirs for a perpetual,

statute, and thou shalt consecrate Aaron and his sons. Exodus 29, verse 4 through 9. Further, and thou shalt anoint them, as thou didst anoint their father, that they may minister unto me in the priest's office, for their anointing shall surely be an everlasting priesthood throughout their generations. Exodus 40, verse 15. We find that in all this Moses was the chief actor. Sometime after, for certain reasons specified, Aaron was to be gathered to his people and not be permitted to enter the land, as stated,

Aaron shall be gathered unto his people, for he shall not enter into the land which I have given unto the children of Israel, because he rebelled against my word at the water of Maraba. Take Aaron and Eliezer his son, and bring them up unto Mount Hore, and strip Aaron of his garments, and put them upon Eleazar his son, and Aaron shall be gathered unto his people,

and shall die there. And Moses did, as the Lord commanded, and they went up unto Mount Hore, in the sight of all the congregation, and Moses stripped Aaron of his garments, and put them upon Eleazar his son, and Aaron died there in the top of the mount, and Moses and Eleazar came.

came down from the Mount. Numbers chapter 20, verse 24 through 28. What the sin was that Moses and Aaron committed does not distinctly appear, except it was in taking glory to themselves instead of giving God the glory. For God had commanded Moses to take the rod, he and Aaron, and smite the rock, which he did. In doing this, however, Moses said, here now ye rebels, must we fetch you water out of this rock? And the Lord spake unto Moses and Aaron,

Because ye believed me not to sanctify me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore ye shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them. Numbers chapter 20 verses 10 through 12. This is the water of Meraba, or strife, because the children of Israel strove with the Lord, and he was sanctified in them. David, in referring to this, says, They angered him also at the waters of strife, so that it went ill with Moses for their sakes,

because they provoked his spirit so that he spake unadvisedly with his lips. Paul 56, verses 32 and 33. The same judgment afterwards overtook Moses, and also for the same reason. For the Lord said unto Moses, get thee up into this Mount Abarim, and see the land which I have given unto the children of Israel. And when thou hast seen it, thou also shalt be gathered unto thy people, as Aaron thy brother was gathered. For you rebelled against my commandment in the desert of Zin,

in the strife of the congregation, to sanctify me at the water of my water. before their eyes, that is the water of Miraba in Kadesh in the wilderness of Zim. Numbers 27, verses 12 through 14, and Deuteronomy 32, verses 48 to 52. Moses pled with the Lord to have his sentence reversed, but the Lord would not grant his prayer. He said, I pray thee, let me go over and see the good land that is beyond Jordan, that goodly mountain and Lebanon. But the Lord was wroth with me for your sakes and would not hear me,

and the Lord said unto me, let it suffice thee. Speak no more unto me of this matter. Get thee up unto the top of Pisgah, and lift up thine eyes westward and northward and southward and eastward, and behold it with thine eye, for thou shalt not go over this Jordan. Deuteronomy chapter 3 verse 25. through 27. And when Moses found that the Lord would not permit him to go to the goodly land, he still felt interested about the welfare of the people. For we read, and Moses spake unto the

Lord saying, let the Lord, the God of the spirits of all flesh, set a man over the congregation, which may go out before them, and which may go in before them, and which may lead them out, and which may bring them in, and the congregation of the Lord, be not a sheep which have no shepherd, and the Lord said unto Moses, take thee Joshua, the son of none, a man in whom is the spirit, and lay thine hand upon him, and set him before Eliezer the priest, and before all the congregation, and give him a charge in their sight, and thou shalt put some of thine honor upon him, that all the congregation of the children of Israel may be obedient. And he shall stand before Eliezer the priest,

who shall ask counsel for him after the judgment of Urim before the Lord. And his word shall they go out, and at his word shall they come in, both he and all the children of Israel with him, even all the congregation. And Moses did as the Lord commanded him, and he took Joshua and set him before Eleazar the Lord, priest and before all the congregation, and he laid his hands upon him and gave him a charge,

as the Lord commanded by the hand of Moses. Numbers 27, verses 15 through 23. In his day, Moses was the lawgiver and the leader of the children of Israel. When he died, some of Moses's honor was conferred upon Joshua, not all. Joshua then was to be under the priest's direction of Elyazer, the son of Aaron, who was to ask counsel for him after the judgment of Urim. Thus the lesser priesthood began to bear rule in the person of Elyazer, the son of Aaron, although in operation it did not bear rule in Aaron's time. And while the keys and powers of the Melchizedic priesthood were withdrawn in the person of Moses, the erronic priesthood was maintained in all its powers in the person of Elyazer.

Joshua indeed led the people, but had not the gifts and powers of the priesthood which Moses had, holding indeed the Melchizedic priesthood, but possessing only some of Moses's honor. Moses died, according to the chronological records of the Bible, in the year BC 1451. Upwards of 300 years afterwards, we find Eli officiating his priest, although he was a good man, he did not control his sons, nor stop their iniquitous practices, for which he and his sons were approved by the Lord. And Samuel took his place, he selected and anointed soul, who had, as Joshua, part of Moses's honor. And the erroneous priesthood continued to exercise its priestly power, more or less, until Christ.

Of which, as appears, John, was the last legitimate. high priest. In the new translation, the removal of the Melchizedic priesthood is clearly defined as follows. And the Lord said unto Moses, Hugh thee two other tables of stone-like unto the first, and I will write upon them also the words of the law according as they were written at first on the tables which thou breakest. But it shall not be according to the first, for I will take away the priesthood out of their midst. Therefore, my holy order, or the Melchizedic, and the ordinances thereof shall not go out before them, for my presence shall not go up in their midst lest I destroy them, but I will give unto them the law as at the first, but it shall be after the law of a carnal commandment,

for I have sworn in my wrath that they shall not. not enter into my presence, into my rest in the days of their pilgrimage. Exodus chapter 34, verses 1 and 2. The Lord said into Moses, thou canst not see my face at this time, lest mine anger is kindled against thee also, and I destroy thee and thy people, for there shall no man among them see me at this time and live, for they are exceeding sinful. And no sinful man hath at any time, neither shall there be any sinful man at any time that shall see my face and live.

New translation Exodus 33, verse 20. He did, however, place him in the cleft of a rock, and covered him with his hand, and permitted him to see his back parts, but not his face. A little while before this, Moses and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and 70 of the elders of Israel, saw God and did eat and drink. Exodus chapter 24, verses 9 through 11. But now Moses even could not see his face, nor any of the people go near him. And when Moses had been a second time on the mount and his face shone so that they could not look upon him,

Moses had to put a veil on his face. Exodus chapter 34 versus 29 through 35. Paul, in referring to this, says, And not as Moses which put a veil over his face that the children of Israel could not steadfastly look to the end of that which is abolished, but their minds were blindfolded. For until this day remaineth the same veil untaken away in the reading of the Old Testament, which veil is done away in Christ. But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the veil is upon their heart. Nevertheless, when it shall turn to the Lord, the veil shall be taken away. 2 Corinthians chapter 3, verse 13 through 16. From the foregoing and from the whole history of the Aaronic priesthood until the coming of Christ,

it appears that, with the exception of some prominent prophets who held the Melchizedek priesthood, as a direct gift from God, without it would seem the power to confer it upon others, not having an organization, there was very little of the manifestation of the gift and power of God among the people of the Jews, so that it might truly be said there arose not a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face in all the signs and wonders which the Lord sent him to do in the land of Egypt to Pharaoh, and to all his servants, and to all his land, and in all that mighty hand, and in all that great terror, which Moses showed in the sight of all Israel. Deuteronomy, chapter 34, verses 10 through 12.

From the foregoing it is evident, first, that the Malkisodic priesthood was greater than the Arronic, and that while it ruled, it controlled all matters pertaining to the government and instruction of the people, and that it organized and directed the erronic priesthood, which was, in reality, an appendage to the greater. Second, that when the Melchizedic priesthood was in a great measure withdrawn, as there was no regular organization of that priesthood, it was left to a great extent to the guidance and direction of the Lord, who, from time to time, inspired different men as prophets,

who came to the people with the word of the Lord, receiving their inspiration and calling directly from him, as Ezekiel, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel, and others. But that a portion of Moses's spirit rested upon Joshua, upon the 70 elders of Israel, upon the prophets in the days of Elijah, Elisha, and others. Third, that the erotic priesthood continued in its full force, having a complete organization which it received under the hands of Moses, or through the Melchizedic priesthood. Fourth, that the Aaronic priesthood being continued, it held the Urim and Thumim, and gave direction to Joshua, who was set apart by Moses, and to Saul, David Solomon,

and others, who were anointed and set apart to their kingly power, and to rule over and to lead and direct Israel, and that this state of things continued until Christ. The high priests of the Aronic priesthood being the acknowledged representatives of God, holding the priestly power, whilst the kings were anointed by them, or by their priestly authority, and the kings and rulers had to get the word of the Lord from the Aronic priesthood, or through the Urim and Thumum. Fifth, it is further evident that this priesthood became, in many instances, very corrupt, and incurred the displeasure of God, and that many of the kings also, though anointed, perverted their office and calling, and instead of being the protectors and saviors of Israel, helped to lead

them astray. Sixth, it is evident that all the erroneous priesthood did not have the Urim and Thumim, nor did they call anoint and direct kings or bear rule in the nation. But only the high priest, one man, and that one man presided over and directed the action of the kings, telling them when to go out to war and when not to go, and giving unto them the word of the Lord through the Urim and Thumum. Seventh, that they only had one tabernacle, one Ark of the Covenant, or one temple at one time, and not as we, many stakes, many temples, and many services. But then they, when Moses left, were under the Aronic, and we are under the Melchizedic priesthood. They were under the law and the mosaic dispensation. We are under the gospel and in the dispensation of the fullness of time, and have consequently labors and duties to perform, which did not belong to them.

It may be proper here to remark that there was a council called a Senate of the Children of Israel, Acts chapter 5 verse 21. The high priest called this council together. The council, it is said, was composed of 70 men or judges, and to have taken its rise from the installment of the 70 elders spoken of in Numbers, Chapter 11, verses 16 and 17. They were to be known by Moses to be elders of the people and officers over them. Abelmen, such as fear God. God, men of truth, hating covetousness. A portion of Moses' spirit was to be given unto them, and they were to help him to bear the burdens of the people. As Saul was anointed by Samuel to be captain over the Lord's inheritance, and the spirit of the Lord was to come upon him, and he

was to prophesy and be turned into another man, see 1st Samuel 10, verse 6, and God gave him another heart, and all the signs came to pass that day, and he prophesied. This senator council was known by the name of the Sanhedrum, and it is said sat in the form of a half-moon. This council is spoken of in John, chapter 11, verses 47 through 52, then gathered the chief priest and Pharisees in a council, and one of them named Caiaphy, the high priest said, It is expedient for us that one man should die for the people. And this spake he not of himself,

but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus should die for that nation, and not for that nation only, but that also he should gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad. Now Caiaphas was he which gave counsel to the Jews, then it was expedient that one man should die for the people. John chapter 18, verse 14.

This council had not the power of death, verse 31. See also Acts chapter 4, 5, and 6. About this Samhedrim, there is little or nothing said in the Old Testament, nor of the organization of this court. It is thought by some it existed after the captivity, or in the days of the Maccabees only. There is another remarkable thing about the Aaronic priesthood, or at least about the early action of Aaron as an associate of Moses.

When Moses was first called upon to deliver Israel from Egyptian bondage, he told the Lord that they would not believe him, nor hearken under his voice. And Moses was told to cast his rod upon the ground, and it became a serpent, and he fled from before it. But when the Lord told Moses to take it by the tail, he caught it, it became a rod again. Then the Lord told him to put his hand into his bosom, and when he took it out it was lepros.

He was told to put it into his bosom again, and it was restored and like other flesh. Still, Moses was unconvinced and said, Oh, my Lord, I am not eloquent. neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant, but I am slow of speech and of a slow tongue. And the Lord said unto him, Who have made man's mouth, or who maketh of the dumb or death,

Or the seeing or the blind? Have not I, the Lord? Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, And teach thee what thou shalt say. Exodus chapter 4, verses 10 through 12. Yet Moses was not satisfied and shrank from his mission, and said, O my Lord, send I pray thee by the hand of him who thou will set. And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses, and he said,

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 in his heart. his mouth, and I will be with thy mouth and with his mouth, and will teach you what ye shall do, and he shall be thy spokesman unto the people, and he shall be, even he shall be to thee instead of a mouth, and thou shalt be to him instead of God, and thou shalt take this rod in thine hand, wherewith thou shalt do signs. See the whole of chapter four Exodus.

from the above it would seem that if Moses would have done as the Lord requested him, Aaron would not have been called. Moses shrank from the responsibility, and though the Lord was angry with him, yet he gave unto him a helper in Aaron. A revelation through the prophet Joseph Smith says, Now this Moses plainly taught to the children of Israel in the wilderness and sought diligently to sanctify his people

that they might behold the face of God. But they hardened their hearts and could not endure his presence. Therefore, the Lord in his wrath, for his anger was kindled against them, swore that they should not enter into his rest while in the wilderness, which rest is the fullness of his glory. Therefore he took Moses out of their midst, and the holy priesthood also, and the lesser priesthood continued, which priesthood holdeth the key of the ministering of angels and the preparatory gospel,

which gospel is the gospel of repentance and baptism, and the remission of sins, and the law of carnal commandments, which the Lord, in his wrath, caused to continue with the house of Aaron among the children of Israel until John, whom God raised up, being filled with the Holy Ghost from his mother's womb, for he was baptized while he was yet in his childhood, and was ordained by the angel of God at the time he was eight days old unto this power, to overthrow the kingdom of the Jews, and to make straight the way of the Lord, before the face of his people to prepare them for the coming of the Lord, in whose hand is given all power.

Doctrine in Covenant Section 84, paragraphs 23 through 88, pages 290 and 291. Again, Paul says, If therefore perfection were by the Levitical priesthood, for under it the people received the law, what further need was there that another priest should arise after the order of Melchizedek and not be called after the order of Aaron? For the priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity a change also of the law. Hebrews chapter 7 verses 11 and 12, see also chapters 8, 9.

and 10. John the Baptist came as the forerunner of Christ and baptized him as stated. Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan under John to be baptized of him. But John forbade him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me. And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now, for thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness, Then he suffered him. And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water,

and lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the spirit of God descending like a dove, and lightning upon him, and lo, a voice from heaven saying, This is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased. Matthew chapter 3, verses 13 through 17. On inquiry being made, Jesus said of John the Baptist, Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women, there have not risen a greater than John the Baptist,

notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. Matthew chapter 9, verse 11. And again Jesus said, If ye will receive it, this is Elias, which was for to come. He that hath ears to hear led him here, verses 14 and 15.

But they would not receive it. They beheaded John and crucified Jesus, hence the restoration. The mission of Elias was postponed until he appeared to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdry in the Curtin Temple, Doctrine and Covenant Section 110, page 405. At which time Elijah came,

as Malachi says, Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord, and he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children and the heart of the children to the fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse. Malachi, chapter four, verse five, and six. It seems from the foregoing that Moses had the greater, or Melchizedic priesthood, that when he was taken, the keys went with him, that the Aaronic priesthood ruled until, Christ, and that the people were under the law. That when Christ came, he introduced a better

covenant and restored the gospel, and that the bishop was, and the Aaronic priesthood is under the Melchizedic, and an appendage there too, as are also all elders appendages to the Melchizedic priesthood. And it is also evident that the presidency of that priesthood presides over all, as did Melchizedic, Moses, Joseph Smith, and with Jesus at the head as the great presiding high priest. But if, as Paul says, the priesthood being changed, then is made of necessity a change also of the law, or in other words a change from the law of carnal commandments and ordinances to the law of the gospel. Yet the erronic priesthood, as the Melchizedek, is an everlasting priesthood,

as before exhibited, and continueth forever as an appendage to the Melchizedic priesthood, and hence, in the old apostolic days, when, under an organization of the Melchizedek, the latter is the most prominent, and very little is said about the Levitical or Aronic, probably on account of the peculiar traditions and superstitions of the Jews, which made it almost impossible for them to comprehend the greater or Melchizedek. Yet the Ironic cannot be ignored, and in the dispensation of the fullness of times it again comes forth as one of the grand aids or appendages to the Melchizedic priesthood. And hence, in the ushering in of this dispensation, John the Baptist appears on the stage and confers the Aaronic priesthood upon Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdrey. Having therefore traced out these two priesthoods, principally from the old scriptures,

We now turn to the revelations given by Joseph Smith in the introduction of the priesthood as revealed by the Latter-day Prophet in the ushering in of the dispensation of the fullness of times. End of items on the priesthood presented to the Latter-day Saints by John Taylor, Part 1 of 3 Items on the Priesthood, presented to the Latter-day Saints by John Taylor. Part 2 of 3 This is a Libravox recording. All Libravox recordings are in the public domain.

For more information or to volunteer, please visit Libravox.org. Read by James Bleckley. Principally, on the Aaronic Priesthood or Bishopric, the Aronic Priesthood conferred. Words of the angel, John the Baptist, spoken to Joseph Smith Jr. and all of Vercoudry as he, the angel, laid his hands upon their heads and ordained them to the Arronic priesthood in harmony, Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania, May 15th, 1829.

Upon you, my fellow servants, in the name of Messiah, I confer the priesthood of Aram, which holds the keys of the ministering of angels, and of the gospel of repentance, and of baptism by immersion for the remission of sins. And this shall never be taken again from the earth until the sons of Levi do offer again an offering unto the Lord in righteousness. Doctrine in Covenant, Section 13, page 108. We quote from some of the first revelations

given to the prophet Joseph Smith upon this subject, every president of the high priesthood or presiding elder, bishop, high counselor, and high priest, is to be ordained by the direction of a High Council or General Conference. Presiding elders, Traveling Bishops, High Counselors, High Priests, and Elders may have the privilege of ordaining where there is no branch of the Church. Doctrine and Covenant Section 20, paragraphs 67, 66, page 127. At this time, presidents of the High Priesthood,

presiding elders, bishops, high counselors, and high priests were placed on the same footing. It may be observed that traveling bishops are here referred to. These were given for the regulation of the newly organized branches or churches. From the above we learn that before the appointment of bishops, there were revelations given and arrangements made for this office, whilst the following teaches us that certain men among the saints should be appointed by the voice of the church to look after the poor and needy, and to govern the affairs of the property of the church. And now I give unto the church in these parts a commandment that certain men among them shall be

appointed, and they shall be appointed by the voice of the church, and they shall look to the poor and the needy, and administer to their relief, that they shall not suffer, and send them forth to the place which I have commanded them. Section 38, paragraphs 3435, page 163. The place referred to at that time was Curtland, Georga County, Ohio, paragraph 32. Edward Partridge was ordained a bishop, the first bishop in the church,

and was called February 4, 1831. He was to spend all his time in the labors of the church, we quote, And again, I have called my servant Edward Partridge and give a commandment that he should be appointed by the voice of the church, and ordained a bishop unto the church to leave his merchandise and to spend all his time in the labors of the church, to see to all things as it shall be appointed unto him in my laws in the days that I shall give them.

Section 41, paragraphs 9 and 10, page 168, he was to see to all things as it shall be appointed unto him in my laws. Who was to give these laws in the day that I shall be appointed unto him in my laws? give them. Newell K. Whitney was the second bishop called to be a bishop December 4th, 1831. And now, verily, I say unto you, my servant, Newell K. Whitney is the man who shall be appointed and ordained unto this power, even so, amen. Section 72, paragraph 8, page 257. And again, I say unto you that my servant Edward Partridge shall stand in the office where, wherewith I have appointed him, and it shall come to pass, that if he transgresses, another shall be appointed in his stead.

Even so, amen. Section 42, paragraph 10, page 169, February 9, 1831. Property was to be consecrated for the poor and laid before the bishop and his counselors, who are to be two elders or high priests. See Section 42, paragraphs 3,000. 31, page 171. The residue was to be kept in a storehouse for the poor and needy, as shall be appointed by the High Council and the Bishop and his counsel, and for purchasing church lands, building houses of worship, building up the new Jerusalem. Of course, he was to act as a general bishop of the church. He was not confined to a ward to receive and distribute property, appoint stewardship, etc. It will be perceived. that the High Council then had a voice in these matters. It is written, And inasmuch as ye impart of your substance under the poor, ye will do it unto me, and they shall be laid before the bishop of my church and his counsellors, two of the elders or high priests, such as he shall or has set apart for that purpose.

And it shall come to pass that after they are laid before the bishop of my church, and after that he has received these testimonies concerning the consecration of these properties of my church, that they cannot be taken from the church agreeable to my commandments. Every man shall be made accountable unto me, a steward over his own property, or that which he has received by consecration inasmuch as is sufficient for himself and family. And again, if there shall be properties in the hands of the church or any individual, of it more than is necessary for their support. After this first consecration, which is a residue to be consecrated unto the bishop, it shall be kept to administer to those who have not, from time to time,

that every man who has need may be amply supplied and receive according to his wants. Therefore, the residue shall be kept in my storehouse to administer to the poor and the needy, as shall be appointed by the High Council of the Church and the Bishop and his Council, and for the purpose of purchasing lands for the public benefit of the Church, and building houses of worship, and building up of the New Jerusalem, which is hereafter to be revealed. Section 42, paragraphs 31 through 35, pages 171 and 172. The bishop was to receive his support and also his counselors,

or a renumeration for services. We read, And the elders or high priests who are appointed to assist the bishop as counselors in all things are to have their families supported out of the property which is consecrated to the bishop for the good of the poor and for other purposes, as before mentioned. Or they are to receive a just remuneration for all their services, either a stewardship or otherwise, as may be able to be. be thought best or decided by the counselors and bishop, and the bishop also shall receive

his support or a just renumeration for all his services in the church. Section 42, paragraph 71 through 73, page 175, see also page 257. And unto the bishop of the church, and unto such as God shall appoint and ordain to watch over the church, and to be elders unto the church, are to have it given unto them to discern all those gifts. Section 46, Paragraph 27, page 193. Certain gifts were here referred to. Not only bishops, but elders were to have this power. We further find that Edward Partridge was to appoint unto this people their portion, every man equal, giving him a writing, and every man was to deal honestly, and be and receive alike. One church,

must not use the money of another church without making arrangements to pay it. A storehouse was to be appointed. The bishop was to receive unto himself and family what was needed for his wants and for those of his family. This was to be an example unto Edward Partridge and to all churches. And let my servant Edward Partridge, when he shall appoint a man his portion, give unto him a writing that shall secure unto him his portion. And let that which belongeth to this people not be taken and given unto that of another church,

wherefore, if another church would receive money of this church, let them pay unto this church again according as they shall agree, and this shall be done through the bishop or the agent, which shall be appointed by the voice of the church. And again let the bishop appoint a storehouse unto this church, and let all things both in money and in meat, which is more than is needful for the want of this people, be kept in the hands of the bishop, and let him also reserve unto himself for his own wants, and for the wants of his family, as he shall be employed in doing this business. And thus I grant unto this people a privilege of organizing themselves according to my laws, and I consecrate unto them this land for a little season, until I the Lord shall, provide for them otherwise, and command them to go hence, and the hour and the day is not given unto them, wherefore let them act upon this land as for years, and this shall turn unto them

for their good. Behold, this shall be an example unto my servant Edward Partridge in other places in all churches." 51 paragraphs 4 and 10 through 18 pages 203 and 204. First, from the above we find that bishops were spoken of as early as April 1830. See section 20, page 121. Second, certain men were to be appointed to look after the poor and administer to their relief and govern the affairs of the property of the church. See section 38, paragraphs 34 through 36, page 163, January 2, 1831. Third, Edward Partridge was called to be the first bishop.

See, Section 41, Paragraph 9, page 168, February 1831, and to spend all his time in the labors of the church. Fourth, that Newell K. Whitney was called and appointed to this office as the second bishop of this church. Fifth, after this, beside Bishop's agents, there were other bishops appointed. George Miller was appointed to the bishopric, and had it sealed upon his head.

I therefore say unto you, I seal upon his head the office of a bishopric, like unto my servant Edward Partridge, that he may receive the consecrations of mine house, that he may administer blessings upon the heads of the poor of my people, saith the Lord. Let no man despise my servant, George, for he shall honor me.

Section 124, Paragraph 21, page 431. Also, he who is appointed to administer spiritual things, the same is worthy of his hire, even as those who are appointed to a stewardship to administer in temporal things. Section 70, paragraph 12, page 254. There seems to be a difference in the duties of bishops. Brother Millers was to be like Edward Partridges, whose duties are distinctly marked out as follows.

And again, verily I say unto you, My servant George Miller is without guile. He may be trusted because of the integrity of his heart, and for the love which he has to my testimony, I, the Lord, love him. Section 124, paragraph 20, see also paragraph 21, page 431. At the same time and in the same manner, Vincent Knight, H. Smith and Shadrach Roundy were appointed to preside over the bishopric.

And again, I say unto you, I give unto you Vincent Knight, Samuel H. Smith and Shadrack Roundy, if he will receive it, to preside over the bishopric. A knowledge of said bishopric is given unto you in the Book of Doctrine and Covenants. Section 124, paragraph 141, page 446. Vincent Knight was a bishop, the two others were of course his councillors. We find from the foregoing and from what follows that there were several kinds of bishops, as well as bishop's agents. Bishop Edward Partridge was appointed to preside over the saints in Zion, to purchase lands, divide inheritances, and sit as a judge in Israel,

as a general bishop to that district of country, and he had a special agent to assist him, that is Sidney Gilbert. Bishop Whitney was appointed bishop in Curtland, Ohio, yet he had charge of all the churches in the eastern country as a general bishop. Neither of these at that time were presiding bishops over the bishopric. George Miller was appointed to fill the place of Edward Partridge and officiate in the same order of bishopric. Vincent Knight was appointed to preside over the bishopric.

bishopric with Samuel H. Smith and Shadrach Roundy for councillors, and at the same time that George Miller was appointed to take the place of Edward Partridge. Then there were Alanson Ripley and others. Sidney Gilbert was to be an agent unto this church in the place that shall be appointed by the bishop. Section 53, paragraph 4, page 209, and let my servant, Sidney Gilbert, stand in the office which I have appointed him, to receive monies, to be an agent under the church, to buy land in all the regions round about, inasm as much as can be in righteousness, and in wisdom shall direct. And again, verily I say unto you, let my servant, Sidney Gilbert plant himself in this place and establish a store, that he may sell goods without fraud, that he may obtain money to

buy lands for the good of the saints, and that he may obtain whatsoever things the disciples made need to plant them in their inheritances. Section 57, paragraph 6 and 8, pages 215 and 216. The Lord says Edward Partridge was also to stand in the office, which I have appointed him to divide the saints their inheritance, even as I have commanded, and also those whom he has appointed to assist him. Section 57, paragraph 7, page 215. Let the bishop and the agent make preparations for those families which have been commanded to come to this land as soon as possible and plant them in their inheritance.

Section 57, paragraph 15, page 216. I have selected my servant Edward Partridge and have appointed unto him his mission in the land, but if he repent not of his sins, which are unbelief and blindness of heart, let him take heed lest he fall. Behold his mission is given unto him, and it shall not be given again, and whoso standeth in his mission is appointed to be a judge in Israel, like as it was in ancient days, to divide the lands of the heritage of God unto his children, and to judge his people by the testimony of the just, and by the assistance of his counselors, according to the laws of the kingdom which are given by the prophets of God. for verily I say unto you, my law shall be kept on this land. Let no man think he is ruler, but let God rule him that judgeth, according to the counsel of his own will, or in other words, him that counseleth or sitteth upon the judgment seat.

Section 58, paragraphs 14 through 20, page to 18. Let the residue of the elders hold a conference, and Edward Partridge was empowered to direct the conference, which should be held by certain elders. Section 58, paragraphs 61 and 62, page 222. And let my servant Edward Partridge impart of the money which I have given him, a portion unto my elders who are commanded to return. Section 60, paragraphs 10 and 11, page 226.

If not able, they were not required to return it. Let my servant Newell K. Whitney retain his store, or in other words the store yet for a little season. Nevertheless, let him impart all the money which he can impart to be set up unto the land of Zion. Behold these things are in his own hands. Let him do according to wisdom. Verily, I say, let him be ordained as an agent unto the disciples

that shall tarry, and let him be ordained unto this power. Section 43, paragraphs 42 through 45, pages 23 and 236 and 2. It would seem from the above that Bishop Whitney was not yet a bishop when he was ordained to be an agent. And even the bishop, who is a judge and his counselors, if they are not faithful in their stewardship, shall be condemned, and others shall be planted in their stead. Section 64, paragraph 40, page 243. We find from the following, that bishops must be selected from the high priests and be set apart to the bishopric. There remaineth hereafter, in the due time of the Lord, other bishops, to be

set apart unto the church, to minister even according to the first, wherefore they shall be high priests who are worthy, and they shall be appointed by the first presidency of the Melchizedic priesthood, except they be literal descendants of Aaron. And if they be literal descendants of Aaron, they have a legal right to the bishopric. If they are the first born among the sons of Aaron, for the firstborn hold the rights of the presidency over this priesthood and the keys or authority of the same. No man has a legal right to this office to hold the keys of this priesthood except he be a literal descendant and the firstborn of Aaron, but as a high priest of the Melchizedic priesthood has authority to officiate in all the lesser offices, he may officiate

in the office of bishop when no literal descendant of Aaron can be found, provided he is called and set apart and ordained unto this power under the hands of the First Presidency of the Melchizedic Priesthood. And a literal descendant of Aron also must be designated by this presidency, and found worthy and anointed and ordained under the hands of this presidency. Otherwise, they are not legally authorized to officiate in their priesthood, but by virtue of the decree concerning their right of the priesthood descending from Father to Son, they may claim their anointing if at any time they can prove their lineage, or do ascertain it by revelation from the Lord under the hands of the above-named presidency. And again, no bishop or

high priest who shall be set apart for this ministry shall be tried or condemned for any crime, save it be before the first presidency of the church, and inasmuch as he is found guilty before this presidency by testimony that cannot be impeached, he shall be condemned. Section 68, paragraphs 14 through 23, pages 249 and 250. We may here notice, as elsewhere referred to, that it is the presidency of the erroneous priesthood that is above spoken of, that it must be set apart by the first presidency and also tried by them, whether of lineal descent or high priests. Newell K. Whitney was appointed and ordained a bishop.

See Section 72, Paragraph 8, page 257. Let my servant Newell K. Whitney and my servant Joseph Smith, Jr., and my servant Sidney Rigdon, sit in council with the saints which are in Zion. Section 78, paragraph 9, page 281. Thus it seems that though Bishop Whitney was Bishop of Kirtland, he sat in council with the saints which were in Zion, associated with Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon, thus showing that he was not a ward but a general church bishop. Therefore, verily I say unto you that it is expedient for my servant Alam, and a Hashida,

Newell K. Whitney, Mahalalalalil and Pelagaram, Sidney Rigden, and my servant Gazalam, Joseph Smith, and Hora, Oliha, Oliver Cowdry, and Shalmanasa, and Mahemsam, Martin Harris, to be bound together by a bond and covenant that cannot be broken by transgressions, except judgment shall immediately follow, in your several stewardship to manage the affairs of the poor and all things pertaining to the bishopric, both in the land of Zion and in the land of Chehenna, Kirtland. Section 82, paragraphs 11 and 12, page 286. This proves that President Joseph Smith and his counselor Sidney Rigdon were authorized to supervise temporal matters in the church as well as the bishop or with him.

Here, the Melchizedic priesthood is united with the erronic to manage the bishopric in both lands. We continue our quotations, every man seeking the interest of his neighbor and doing all things with an eye single to the glory of God. Section 82, Paragraph 9, page 287. Which Abraham received the priesthood from Melchizedek, who received it through the lineage of his fathers, even till Noah, and from Noah till Enoch, through the lineage of their fathers, and from Enoch to Abel, who was slain by the conspiracy of his brother, who received the priesthood by the priesthood by his father,

the commandments of God, by the hand of His Father Adam, who was the first man, which priesthood continueth in the Church of God in all generations, and is without beginning of days or end of years, and the Lord confirmed a priesthood also upon Aaron and his seed throughout all their generations, which priesthood also continueth and abideth forever with the priesthood, which is after the holiest order of God. and this greater priesthood administereth the gospel and holdeth the keys of the mysteries of the kingdom

even the key of the knowledge of God. Therefore, in the ordinances thereof, the power of godliness is manifest, and without the ordinances thereof and the authority of the priesthood, the power of godliness is not manifest unto men in the flesh,

for without this no man can see the face of God, even the Father, and live. Now this Moses' plainness, taught to the children of Israel in the wilderness and sought diligently to sanctify his people that they might behold the face of God. But they hardened their hearts and could not endure his presence. Therefore the Lord in his wrath, for his anger was kindled against them, swore that they should not enter into his rest while in the wilderness, which rest is the

fullness of his glory. Therefore he took Moses out of their midst and the Holy Priesthood also. Paragraphs 14 through 25, pages 290 through 291. We have already shown that there was a priesthood conferred upon Aaron and his seed throughout all their generations. It becomes a question what priesthood Aaron had before he had bestowed upon him what is termed the erronic priesthood when he administered with Moses. The greater priesthood administereth the gospel and holdeth the keys of the mysteries of the kingdom, even the key of the knowledge of God. Frederick G. Williams was called and appointed a high priest and counselor to Joseph Smith. His call reads as follows. Verily, verily, I say unto you,

my servant Frederick G. Williams, listen to the voice of him who speaketh to the word of the Lord, your God, and hearken to the calling wherewith you are called, even to be a high priest in my church, and a counsellor unto my servant Joseph Smith, Jr., and to whom I have given the keys of the kingdom, which belongeth always under the presidency of the high priesthood. Therefore, verily, I acknowledge him, and will bless him, and also thee, inasmuch as thou art faithful in counsel, in the office which I have appointed unto you in prayer always vocally,

and in thy heart, in public and in private, and also in thy ministry, in proclaiming the gospel in the land, of the living and among thy brethren. Section 81, paragraphs 1 through 3, page 284. From the following, we find that God took Moses from the midst of the children of Israel, and also the holy or Melchizedic priesthood, leaving the lesser, or the Aaronic priesthood. Therefore, he took Moses out of their midst, and the holy priesthood also, and the lesser priesthood continued, which priesthood holdeth the key of the ministering. of angels and the preparatory gospel, which gospel is the gospel of repentance and baptism,

and the remission of sins, and the law of carnal commandments, which the Lord in his wrath caused to continue with the house of Aaron among the children of Israel until John, whom God raised up, being filled with the Holy Ghost from his mother's womb, for he was baptized while he was yet in his childhood, and was ordained by the angel of God at the time he was eight days old unto this power, to overthrow the kingdom of the Jews, and to make straight the way of the Lord before the face of his people, to prepare them for the coming of the Lord, in whose hand is given all power. And again, the offices of elder and bishop are necessary appendages belonging unto the high priesthood. Section 84, paragraphs 25 through 29, page 291. From this,

it would seem that the law of carnal commandments was a curse. Paul said that the law was added because of transgression. It was added because of transgressions till the seed should come to whom the promise was made, Galatians, Chapter 3, verse 19. And that it was a yoke which neither they nor their fathers were able to bear, and that Christ came to fulfill the law and introduce the gospel which was greater, a higher law and a greater priest. that is the Melchizedek. Both elders and bishops are appendages to the high priesthood.

And again, the offices of teacher and deacon are necessary appendages belonging to the lesser priesthood. Section 84, paragraph 30, page 291. Thus, elders and bishops are appendages to the high priesthood, while teachers and deacons are appendages to the lesser, which lesser is an appendage to the higher or Melchizedek. Therefore, as I said concerning the sons of Moses, for the sons of Moses and also the sons of Aaron shall offer an acceptable offering and sacrifice in the house of the Lord, which house shall be built unto the Lord in this generation upon the consecrated spot as I have appointed. Section 84, Paragraph 31, page 291. When both of these priesthoods are carried out and united in their purity, glory of the Lord will be manifest upon Mount Zion, in the Lord's house, both operating according to

their callings, position, and authority, for it is written, and the sons of Moses and Aaron shall be filled with the glory of the Lord upon Mount Zion, in the Lord's house, whose sons are ye, and also many whom I have called, and set forth to build up my church, for whoso is faithful unto the obtaining of these two priesthoods, of which I have spoken, and the magnifying of their calling, are sanctified by the spirit unto the renewing of their bodies. They become the sons of Moses and of Aaron, and the seed of Abraham, and the church, and the kingdom, and the elect of God, and also all they who receive this priesthood receiveth me, saith the Lord. For he that receiveth my servants, receiveth me, and he that receiveth me, receiveth my father,

and he that receiveth my father, receiveeth my father's kingdom, therefore all that my father hath shall be given unto him, and this is according to the oath and covenant which belongeth to the priesthood. Therefore, all those who receive the priesthood receive this oath and covenant of my father, which he cannot break. Neither can it be moved, but whoso breaketh this covenant, after he hath received it, and altogether turn therefrom, shall not have forgiveness of sins in this world, nor in the world to come, and all those who come not unto this priesthood which ye have received, which I now confirm upon you who are present this day, by my own voice out of the heavens, and even I have given the heavenly hosts and my angels

charge concerning you. Section 84, paragraphs 32 through 42, page 292. And let all those who have not families who receive monies, send it up unto the bishop in Zion, or unto the bishop in Ohio, that it may be consecrated for the bringing forth of the revelations and the printing thereof, and for establishing Zion. Section 84, Paragraph 104, page 298. In the same revelation, unto Joseph Smith Jr. and six elders, it is written, therefore, take with you those who are ordained unto the lesser priesthood, and send them before you to make appointments, and prepare the way, and to fill appointments that you yourselves are not able to fill. Behold, this is the way that mine apostles in ancient days built up my church unto me. Also, the body hath need of every member that all may be edified together, that the system may be kept perfect.

Section 84, paragraphs 107 and 108, page 299. Footnote A, why should not this be the way now? End of items on the priesthood, presented to the latter day saints by John Taylor, part two of three. Items on the priesthood presented to the latter day saints by John Taylor, part three of three. This is a Libravox recording. All Libravox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit Libravox.org. read by James Bleckley

We further quote For the body is not one member But many And the eye cannot say unto the hand I have no need of thee Nor again the head to the feet I have no need of you 1 Corinthians chapter 7 verses 14 and 21

And the bishop Newell K. Whitney also Should travel roundabout And among all the churches searching after the poor to administer to their wants by humbling the rich and the proud, he should also employ an agent to take charge and to do his secular business as he shall direct. Section 84, Paragraphs 112, 113, page 299. Thus, high priests, 70s, elders, bishops, and all men holding the priesthood

were to be actively engaged in magnifying their priesthood. It is the duty of the Lord's clerk, whom he has appointed to keep a history, and a general church record of all things that transpire in Zion, and of all those who consecrate properties and receive inheritances legally from the bishop, and also their manner of life, their faith and works, and also of all the apostates who apostosize after receiving their inheritances. It is contrary to the will and commandment of God, that those who receive not their inheritance by consecration, agreeably to his law which he has given, that he may tithe his people to prepare them against the day of vengeance and burning, should have their names enrolled with the people of God. Neither is their genealogy to be kept or to be had where it may be found on any of the records or history of the church.

Their name shall not be found, neither the names of their fathers, nor the names of the children written in the book of the law of God, saith the Lord of hosts. Yeah, thus saith the still small voice, which whispereth through and pierceth all things, and oftentimes it maketh my bones to quake while it maketh manifest, saying, And it shall come to pass that I, the Lord God, will send one mighty and strong, holding the scepter of power in his hand, clothed with light, for a covering, whose mouth shall utter words, eternal words, while his bowels shall be a fountain

of truth to set in order the house of God, and to arrange by lot the inheritances of the saints whose names are found, and the names of their fathers and of their children, enrolled in the book of the law of God, while that man, who was called of God and appointed, and put it forth his hand to steady the ark of God, shall fall by the shaft of death. like as a tree that is smitten by the vivid shaft of lightning, and all they who are not found written in the book of remembrance shall find none inheritance in that day, but they shall be cut asunder,

and their portion shall be appointed them among unbelievers, where are wailing and gnashing of teeth. These things I say not of myself, therefore, as the Lord speaketh, he will also fulfill. And they who are of the high priesthood, whose names are not found written in the book of the law, or that are found to have aposticized, or to have been cut off from the church, as well as the lesser priesthood, or the members in that day, shall not find an inheritance among the saints of the Most High.

Therefore it shall be done unto them, as unto the children of the priest, as will be found in the second chapter, and 61st and second verses of Ezra. In 185, pages 300 through 302. And let the bishop search diligently to obtain an agent, and let it be a man who has got riches in store, a man of God and of strong faith, that thereby he may be enabled to discharge every debt, that the storehouse of the Lord may not be brought into disrepute before the eyes of the people. Section 90, paragraphs 22 and 23, page 325. Nevertheless, I am not well pleased with many things, and I am not well pleased with my servant William E. McClellan, neither with my servant Cygne Gilbert and the bishop also, and others have many things to repent of, but verily I say unto you that I, the Lord, will contend with Zion, and plead with her strong ones,

and chasten her until she overcome. and is clean before me, for she shall not be removed out of her place. I, the Lord, have spoken it. Amen. Section 90, paragraphs 35 through 37, page 326. My servant, Newell K. Whitney, also a bishop of my church, hath need to be chastened and set in order his family, and see that they are more diligent and concerned at home, and pray always, where they shall be removed out of their place.

Section 93, Paragraph 50, page 332. Therefore, let my servant, Newell K. Whitney, take charge of the place which is named among you, upon which I designed to build mine holy house, and again let it be divided in lots, according to wisdom, for the benefit of those who seek inheritances, as it shall be determined in counsel among you. Section 96, paragraphs 2 and 3, page 337. And again, I say unto you, it is contrary to my commandment and my will that my servant,

Sidney Gilbert, should sell my storehouse, which I have appointed unto my people, into the hand of mine enemies. Let not that which I have appointed be polluted by mine enemies, by the consent of those who call themselves after my name, for this is a very sore and grievous and against me and against my people in consequence of those things which I have decreed and are soon to befall the nations. Therefore it is my will that my people should claim and hold claim upon that which I have appointed unto them, though they should not be permitted to dwell thereon. Section 101, paragraphs 96 through 99, pages 358 and 359, footnote B on Sidney Gilbert.

This was the bishop's agent. There are, in the church, two priesthoods, namely the Melchizedic and Ironic, including the Levitical Priesthood. Why the first is called the Melchizedic priesthood is because Melchizedek was such a great high priest. Before his day it was called the Holy Priesthood after the Order of the Son of God. But out of respect or reverence to the name of the supreme being, to avoid the too frequent repetition of his name,

they, the Church, in ancient days, called that priesthood after Melchizedek, or the Melchizedic priesthood. All other authorities or offices in the church are appendages to this priesthood. But there are two divisions or grand heads, One is the Melchizedic priesthood, and the other is the erotic or Levitical priesthood. The office of an elder comes under the priesthood of Melchizedek. The Melchizedic priesthood holds the right of presidency, and has power and authority over all the offices in the church in all ages of the world

to administer in spiritual things. The presidency of the high priesthood after the order of Melchizedek have a right to officiate in all the offices in the church. Section 107, paragraphs 1 through 9, pages 383 and 384. Thus, the Melchizedic priesthood holds the right of presidency, and has power and authority over all the offices in the church to administer in spiritual things, while the presidency of the high priesthood has a right to officiate in all the offices of the church. This is the duty of a bishop who is not a literal descendant of Aran, but has been ordained to the high priesthood after the order of Melchizedek.

Thus shall he be a judge, even a common judge among the inhabitants of Zion, or in a stake of Zion, or in any branch of the church where he shall be set apart unto this ministry, until the borders of Zion are enlarged. and it becomes necessary to have other bishops or judges in Zion or elsewhere. Section 107 paragraphs 73 through 75, page 391. See all of this section. He was to be a common judge among the inhabitants of Zion, or in a stake of Zion, or in a branch of the church, when he shall be set apart unto his ministry. His bishopric is sufficient for any of these places,

when set apart, and he can only fill those offices for which he is set apart. But a literal descendant of Aaron has a legal right to the presidency of this priesthood, to the keys of this ministry, to act in the office of bishop without counselors, except in a case when a president of the high priesthood is tried. We have the following on tithing. Verily, thus saith the Lord, I require all their surplus property, to be put into the hands of the bishop of my church of Zion, for the building of mine house, and for the laying of the foundation of Zion, and for the priesthood, and for the deaths of the

presidency of my church, and this shall be the beginning of the tithing of my people. And after that, those who have been thus tithed shall pay one-tenth of all their interest annually, and this shall be a standing law unto them forever. For my holy priesthood, sayeth the Lord, verily I say unto you, it shall come to pass that all those who gather unto the land of Zion shall be tithed of their surplus properties, and shall observe this law, or they shall not be found worthy to abide among you. And I say unto you, if my people observe not this law to keep it holy, and by this law sanctify the land of Zion unto me, that my statutes and my judgments

may be kept thereon, that it may be most holy. Behold, verily, I say unto you, it shall not be a land of Zion unto you, and this shall be an ensemble unto all the stakes of Zion ever so, amen.

Section 119, pages 418 and 419. A revelation, making known the disposition, of property tithing. Verily, thus saith the Lord, the time is now come, that it shall be disposed of by a council composed of the first presidency of my church, and of the bishop and his counsel, and by my high counsel, and by mine own voice unto them, saith the Lord, even so, amen. Section 120, pages 419 through 420, and that when he shall finish his work, I may receive him,

unto myself, even as I did my servant David Patton, who is with me at this time, and also my servant Edward Partridge, and also my aged servant Joseph Smith, Sr. who sitteth with Abraham at his right hand, and blessed and holy is he, for he is mine. Section 124, paragraph 19, page 431. First, we find from the above that there are two distinctive general priesthoods, namely, the Melchizedic and Aronic, including the Levitical Priesthood. Second, that they are both conferred by the Lord, that both are everlasting and administer in time and eternity. Third, that the Melchizedic priesthood holds the right of presidency,

and has power and authority over all the offices in the church in all ages of the world to administer in spiritual things. Fourth, that the second priesthood is called the priesthood of Aron, because it was conferred upon Aran and his seed throughout all their generations. Fifth, that the lesser priesthood is a part of, or an appendage to the greater, or the Melchizedic priesthood, and has power in administering outward ordinances. The lesser or Aronic priesthood can make appointments for the greater in preaching, can baptize, administer the sacrament, attend to the tithing by lands, settle people on possessions, divide inheritances, look after the poor,

take care of the properties of the church, attend generally to temporal affairs, act as common judges in Israel, and assist in ordinances of the temple under the direction of the greater or Melchizedic priesthood. They hold the keys of the ministering of angels and administer in outward ordinances the letter of the gospel and the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. 6th. There is a presidency over each of these priesthoods, both over the Melchizedic and the Aronic. Seventh, that while the power of the higher, or Melchizedek, is to hold the keys of all the spiritual blessings of the church, to have the privilege of receiving the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, to have the heavens opened to them, to commune with the General Assembly and the

Church of the Firstborn, and to enjoy the communion and presence of God the Father and Jesus, the mediator of the New Covenant, and to preside over all the spiritual officers of the church, yet the presidency of the High Priesthood, after the Order of Melchisnich, have a right to officiate in all the offices of the Church, both spiritual and temporal. then comes the high priesthood, which is the greatest of all, wherefore it must needs be that one be appointed of the high priesthood to preside over the priesthood, and he shall be called president of the high priesthood of the church, or in other words, the presiding high priest over the high priesthood of the church.

Section 107, paragraph 64 through 66, page 390. It is thus evident that this priesthood preside, over all presidents, all bishops, including the presiding bishop, over all councils, organizations, and authorities in the whole church in all the world. That the bishopric is the presidency of the Aronic priesthood, which is an appendage to the greater or Melchizedic priesthood, and that no man has a legal right to hold the keys of the Aronic priesthood, which presides over all bishops and all the lesser priesthood, except he be a literal decision. descendant of Aaron. But, as a high priest of the Melchizedic priesthood has authority to officiate

in all the lesser offices, he may officiate in the office of bishop, if called, set apart, and ordained unto this power by the hands of the presidency of the Melchizedic priesthood. We may here notice that John the Baptist conferred this priesthood upon Joseph Smith, and that therefore, as he held it, he had the power to, to confer it upon others. 8th. There are bishops holding different positions. Bishop Partridge was a general bishop over the land of Zion,

while Bishop Whitney was a general bishop over the church in Kirtland, Ohio, and also over all the Eastern churches until afterwards appointed as presiding bishop. That there are also ward bishops whose duties are confined to their several wards, and that there are also bishop's agents, such as Sidney Gilbert and others. That the position which a bishop holds depends upon his calling and appointment, and that although a man holding the bishopric is eligible to any office in the bishopric, yet he cannot officiate legally in any except by selection, calling, and appointment. Ninth.

That the power and right of selecting and calling of the presiding bishop and general bishops is vested in the First Presidency, who also must try those appointed by them in case of transgression, except in the case of a literal descendant of Aaron, who, if the firstborn, possesses a legal right to the keys of this priesthood. But even he must be sanctioned and appointed by the First Presidency. This arises from the fact that the Arronic is an appendage to the Melchizedic priesthood. That the presiding bishop, who presides over all bishops, and of the lesser priesthood, should consult the first presidency in all important matters pertaining to the bishopbrick. 10th, that in regard to the appointment and trial of ward bishops, it appears that they stand in the

same relationship to the president of stakes as the early bishops did to the first presidency, who presided over the stake at Kirtland. But that, that, those presidents should consult with the first presidency on these and other important matters and officiate under their discretion in their several stakes. That in regard to the office and calling of bishops, it is very much like the office and calling of high priests. All high priests are eligible to any office in the church when called, ordained, and appointed to fill such office. The first presidency are high priests, the twelve are high priests, high-counciles, High counselors are high priests, presidents of stakes are high priests, and all their counselors.

Bishops and their counselors are high priests, but it does not follow that all high priests are first presidents, members of the Twelve Apostles, Presidents of Stakes, High Counselors, Bishops, or Bishops' counselors. They only obtain these offices by selection and appointment from the proper source, and when not appointed to any specific calling, they are organized in a stake quorum. under a president and council. So although the bishopric is eligible to fulfill any office to which they may be appointed, all are not presiding bishops, all are not general bishops, or special bishops, or ward bishops, or even bishops agents.

They occupy their several offices, as do the high priests by selection appointments as well as ordination, and that the presidency of the Malkysidic priesthood presides, presides, over, calls, directs, appoints, and councils all. It is further evident that as the Melchizedic priesthood holds the keys of all the spiritual blessings of the church, and that the presidency thereof has a right to officiate in all the offices of the church, therefore that presidency has a perfect right to direct or call set apart and ordain bishops, to fill any place or position in the church that may be required for that ministry, to be perform in all the stakes of Zion or throughout the world. Thus, after going through the whole

matter, we come back to a term frequently used among us, obey counsel, the Levittical priesthood. As the Levittical priesthood is referred to in the Old Testament scriptures, as well as in the Book of Doctrine and Covenants, the following quotations and remarks may throw some light upon the subject. Levites and the Levittical priesthood. And the Lord spake unto Moses saying, Bring the tribe of Levi near and present them before Aaron the priest, that they may minister unto him,

and they shall keep his charge in the charge of the whole congregation before the tabernacle of the congregation to do the service of the tabernacle, and they shall keep all the instruments of the tabernacle of the congregation, and they shall keep all the instruments of the tabernacle of the congregation, and the charge of the children of Israel to do the service of the tabernacle. And thou shalt give the Levites unto Aaron and to his sons, they are wholly given unto them out of the children of Israel. And thou shalt appoint Aaron and his sons, and they shall wait on their priest's office, and the stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death. Numbers chapter 3, verses 5, and 10.

Aaron and his sons held the ironic priesthood, and the Levites were given unto them to minister unto them to keep his charge, the charge of the congregation, to do the service of the tabernacle, keep the instruments of the tabernacle, and the charge of the children of Israel. And I, behold, I have taken the Levites from among the children of Israel, instead of all the firstborn that openeth the matrix among the children of Israel, Therefore the Levites shall be mine, because all the firstborn are mine, for on the day that I smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, I hallowed unto me all the firstborn in Israel, both man and beast. Mine shall they be, I am the Lord. Numbers chapter 3, verses 12 and 13. All the firstborn the Lord claimed as belonging to him,

because when he destroyed the firstborn of the Egyptians, he spared the firstborn of the Israelites. But the Levites were appointed to fill the place of the firstborn of all Israel, and they were commanded to be numbered, that is, all the mails from a month old and upward, to assist Aaron and his sons in the service of the tabernacle. At that time there were 22,000 of them. Same, verse 39. And the Lord spake unto Mawain. Moses, saying, take the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the children of Israel,

and the cattle of the Levites instead of their cattle, and the Levites shall be mine. I am the Lord. Versus 44 and 45. The remainder of the Israelites had to redeem their firstborn, and the money for the redemption was given by Moses to Aaron and his sons, according to the word of the Lord. Verse 50 and 51. They seemed to have been an appendage to the erroneous priesthood to assist in the service of the tabernacle and other duties. Aaron and his male descendants were selected for the priesthood and the other Levites as assistants, or an appendage. The Levites had 48 cities, and their suburbs provided for them from among the possessions of the other tribes. First came by lot the children of Aaron. And the children of Aaron the priest, which were of the Levites, had by lot out of the

tribe of Judah and out of the tribe of Simeon and out of the tribe of Benjamin 13 cities. Joshua 21, verse 4. See the whole chapter for a division of cities to the remainder of the Levites, or the tribe of Levi, who were thus provided for as distinct from the other tribes. all the cities of the Levites within the possession of the children of Israel were forty and eight cities within their suburbs. Joshua chapter 21 verse 41. In May here be observed that both Moses and Aaron belonged to the tribe of Levi, and that the Levites had a tithing given to them. And the Lord spake unto Aaron, thou shalt have no inheritance in their land, neither shalt thou have any part among them. I am thy part and thine inheritance among the children of Israel.

And behold, I have given the children of Levi all the tenth in Israel for an inheritance for their service which they serve, even the servants of the tabernacle of their congregation. Numbers, Chapter 18, verses 20, and 21, see also the chapter. There is a peculiarity about this tithing, for while one-tenth was given to the Levites, they the Levites were commanded to give one tenth of the tithe to Aaron. And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Thus speak unto the Levites, and say unto them, When you take of the children of Israel the tithes which I have given you from them for your inheritance,

then ye shall offer up an heave offering of it. For the Lord, even a tenth part of the tithe, and ye shall give thereof the Lord's heave offering, to Aaron the priest. Numbers, chapter 18, verses 25 through 28. It would seem that while the Levites were called to do the

service of the tabernacle of the congregation, verse 6, and that the priest's office belonged especially to Aaron and his family. The Lord, in speaking to Aaron, says, and I behold, I have taken your brethren the Levites from among the children of Israel, to you they are given as a gift for the Lord.

Lord to do the service of the tabernacle of the congregation. Numbers chapter 18, verse 6. It appears that while the Levites were given to Aaron, that Aaron and his sons were to hold the priest's office. Therefore, thou and thy sons with thee shall keep your priest's office for everything of the altar, and within the veil, and ye shall serve. I have given your priest's office unto you as a service of gift, and the stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death. Numbers 18, verse 7. In the case of Cora, Dathan, and Abiram, whom the earth opened and swallowed up for assuming the

priest's office, Moses said unto Cora, here I pray you, ye sons of Levi, seemeth it but a small thing unto you that the God of Israel has separated you from the congregation of Israel, to bring you near to himself to do the service of the tabernacle of the Lord, and to stand before the congregation to minister unto them, and he hath brought thee near to him, and all thy brethren the sons of Levi with thee, and seek ye the priest to it also. Numbers, chapter 16, verses 8 through 12, and also the whole chapter, in which is depicted the terrible judgment of God upon them

for assuming the priest's office. From the above, it would seem, first, that the Levites were selected in the place of the firstborn whom the Lord called his own. Second, that they were given to Aaron to assist him in the minor or lesser duties of the priesthood, but that Aaron and his sons officiated in the leading offices of the priesthood and not the Levites.

Third, that there was a tithing paid to them by the whole House of Israel for their sustenance. Fourth, that they paid a tithe of this to Aaron. Fifth, that on assuming the higher duties of the priesthood of Aaron, the judgments of God overtook them. Sixth, that their priesthood was only an appendage to the erroneous priesthood, and not that priesthood itself as held by Aaron and his sons. Sons. End of items on the priesthood, presented to the Latter-day Saints by John Taylor, part three of three.

Oration delivered by Mr. Sidney Rigden on the 4th of July at Far West, Caldwell County, Missouri, by Sidney Rigden. This is a Libravox recording. All Libravox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit Librovocs.org. Read by James Bleckley. Friends and fellow citizens. By your request, I'm called upon to address you this day under circumstances novel to myself,

and I presume as much so to the rest of you. For however frequently, we may have met with our fellow citizens in times past, in the places of our nativity or of our choice to mingle our feelings with theirs and unite with them in grateful acknowledgments to our divine benefactor on the anniversary of our national existence, but not before have we been assembled by reason of our holy religion, for which cause alone a very large majority of us is here this day. But though our residents here is far from the sepulchres of our fathers and from the lands of our nativity, and former choice, and our association here as novel and as strange to ourselves as it could be

to any portion of our fellow men. Still, we hail the return of the birthday of our liberties with no less feelings of joy and gratitude, nor no less desire for the prosperity and continuance of the fabric of our national government, inspires our breasts this day, then when we met in the mixed assemblies of all religions, as in times passed in the lands of our nation's. our nativity. Nor indeed could it otherwise be. From our infancy, we've been traditionated to believe ours to be the best government in the world. Our fathers, our neighbors, and our associates in life have extolled its excellence to the highest pinnacle of fame in our ears, even before we were capable of judging of its merits for ourselves or able to form an estimate of its worth. As we

advanced in life, we heard nothing else from our statesmen and heroes but the perfection and excellence of our political institutions, and the superiority of our government over all the governments of the world, whether they existed in former or latter times. It is the government under which we were born and educated, or else we exchanged another for it, with whose form we were not satisfied and in our hearts gave this the preference, and sought by removal to enjoy its benefits. We've been taught from our cradles to reverence the fathers of the revolution, and venerate the very urns which contain the ashes of those who sleep, and every feeling of our hearts

responds in perfect unison to the precept. Our country and its institutions are written on the tablet of our hearts, as with the blood of the heroes who offered their lives in sacrifice to redeem us from oppression. On its towers, the flag of freedom waves and invites the oppressed to enter and find an asylum. Under the safeguard of its constitution, the tyrant's grasp is unfastened, and equal rights and privileges flow to every part of the grand whole. Protected by its laws and defended by its powers, the oppressed and persecuted saint can worship under his own vine and under his own fig tree, and none can molest or make afraid. We've always contemplated it and do now as the only true fabric of freedom and bulwark of liberty in the world. Its very existence has taught the civilized world lessons of freedom afar surpassing those of a pit, a Wilberforce, a canning, or a gray, and has cast all their efforts in the shade forever.

It has stood and now stands as the arbiter of the world, the judgeer of the nations, and the rebuquer of tyrants. Throughout the world it is this standard of freedom, both civil and religious. By its existence, the fears of the superstitious have been removed, and the pretexts of tyrants have been swept away as a refuge of lies, and the rights of men have been restored, and freedom, both political and religious, have been made to triumph. Our government is known throughout the civilized world as the standard of freedom, civil, religious, and political.

By it are the acts of all nations tried, and it serves to expose the frauds, the deceptions and the crafts of the old world in attempting to pawn upon the people, monarchy, and aristocracy for republicanism and freedom. So powerful has been its influence that the hand of the oppressor,

even in the old world, has been lightened. Tyrants have been made to tremble, and the oppressors of mankind, have been filled with fear. Thrones, if they have not been cast down, have been stripped of their terror, and the oppressed subject has been measurably

delivered from his bondage. Having been rocked in the cradle of liberty and educated in the school of freedom, all our prejudices and prepossessions are deeply rooted in favor of the superlative excellence of a government from

which all our privileges and enjoyments have flown. We have been a very are wedded to it by the strongest ties, bound to it by cords as strong as death. To preserve it ought to be our aim in all our pursuits, to maintain its constitution unviolable, its institutions uncorrupted, its laws unviolated, and its orders underranged. There is one thing in the midst of our political differences, which ought to create feelings of joy and gratitude in every heart, and in the bosom of every well-wisher to mankind, that all parties in politics express the strongest desire to preserve both the Union and the Constitution unimpaired and unbroken, and only differ about the means to accomplish this object, so desirable as expressed by all parties.

And while this indeed is the object of the parties in this Republic, there's nothing to fear. The prospects for the future will be as flattering as. the past. In celebrating this, the anniversary of our independence, all party distinctions should be forgotten. All religious differences should be laid aside. We are members of one common republic, equally dependent on a faithful execution of its laws for our protection in the enjoyment of our civil, political, and religious privileges. All have a common interest in the preservation of the Union and in the defense and support of the Constitution. Northern, Southern, and Western interests ought to be forgotten or lost for the time being in the more noble desire to preserve the nation,

as one whole, for on this depends the security of all local and sectional interest, for if we cannot preserve them by supporting the Union, we cannot by rending it in pieces. In the former, there is hope in the latter fear, in one piece. in the other war. In times of peace, it ought to be our aim and our object to strengthen the bonds of the Union by cultivating peace and goodwill among ourselves. And in times of war, to meet our foes sword in hand and defend our rights at the expense of life. For what is life when freedom has fled? It is a name, a bubble, far better to sleep with the dead than be oppressed among the living. All attempts on the parts of the religious aspirants to unite church and state ought to be repelled with indignation, and every religious society supported in its rights and in the exercise of its conscientious devotions.

The Mohammedan, the pagan, and the idolater not accepted, and be partakers equally in the benefits of the government. For if the union is preserved, it will be by endearing the people to it, and this can only be done by securing to all their most sacred rights. The least deviation from the strictest rule of right on the part of any portion of the people or their public servants will create dissatisfaction. That dissatisfaction will end in strife, strife in war, and war in the dissolution of the Union. It is on the virtue of the people that depends the existence of the government, and not on the wisdom of legislators. Wherefore serveeth laws, it matters not how righteous in themselves, when the people, in violation of them, tear those rights from one another, which they, the laws, were designed to protect.

If we preserve the nation from ruin and the people from war, it will be by securing to others, what we claim to ourselves, and being as zealous to defend another's rights as to secure our own. If on this day the fathers of our nation pledged their fortunes, their lives, and their sacred honors to one another, and to the colonies which they represented to be free, or to lose all earthly inheritance, not life and honor accepted, so ought we to follow their example, and pledge our fortunes, our lives, and our sacred honors, as their children and successors in maintaining inviolable what they obtained by their treasure and their blood.

With holy feelings, sacred desires, and grateful hearts to our divine benefactor, ought we to perform the duties of this day and enjoy the privileges, which as saints of the living God we enjoy in this land of liberty and freedom, where our most sacred rights, even that of worshipping our God according to his will, is secured unto us by law, and our religious rights so identified with the existence of the nation that to deprive us of them will be to doom the nation to ruin and the union to dissolution. It's now three-score in two years since the God of our fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob

caused the proclamation to go forth among the people of the continents, that the people of this nation should be free, and that over them kings should not rule and princes decree authority. And all this preparatory to the great work which he had designed to accomplish in the last days, in the face of all people, in order that the Son of God, the Savior of the world, should come down from heaven and reign in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem and before his ancients gloriously, according to the testimony of all the Holy Prophets since the world began. And it is eight years, two months and 28 days, since this church of the last days was organized

by the revelations of that same Jesus, who is coming to reign before his ancients gloriously, then consisting of six members only. At its first appearance, excitement began to prevail among the people where it made its appearance, and as it increased in numbers, the excitement, excitement increased. The first attack made upon it by its enemies was by false representation, foul slander. By this engine it was assailed from every quarter, and by all classes of men,

religious and unreligious, misrepresentation followed misrepresentation. Falsehood after falsehood followed each other in rapid succession, until there must have been multitudes of them created in a minute by those employed in it, or else they could not. have gotten so many put in circulation. This scheme not succeeding, the enemies had recourse to prosecutions, which were multiplied continually, apparently with determination to destroy every person who united to aid and assist in bringing forth the work of the Lord. But all of this not succeeding, according to the expectations of the persecutors, they united to all this power, that of mobs, driving men

women and children from their houses, dragging them out in the dead hours of the night, out of their beds, whipping, taring, and feathering, and otherwise shamefully treating them. Nor were those means the only ones resorted to in this work of persecution, but being determined to put an end to the church forever, they added to all the rest of the means used stealing the property of saints, also burning houses and charging it on there, the saints' heads, in order to raise public indignation against them. As also false swearing, and indeed we may add all other means which the adversary had in his power to use, nothing seems to be left undone that could be done by men and demons in order that the

purposes of God might fail, but still the object, so much desired by many, has not yet been obtained. Under all this fire of persecution, the cause has rolled on with a steady course. The increase has been gradual, but constant, and the church at this time numbers many thousands. Some in the old world have become obedient to the faith multitudes in the Canada's, as well as in most parts of the United States. During these scenes of persecution, a number of the saints have lost their lives, and others are missing. And it is unknown what has become become of them, but the presumption is that they have been secretly murdered. No country of which we have any knowledge has offered so fair an opportunity for determining

the great hostility which exists naturally in the human heart against God and against his work as this one. In other countries, persecutions were carried on under pretext of law, but in this country where the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of every state and the Union guarantees unto every person the rights of conscience and the liberty of worshiping as he pleases to witness such scenes of persecution as those which have followed this church from the beginning in despite of law, justice, equity, and truth, and at war with the very genius of our republican institutions, and contrary to the spirit and design of our government, surely evinces the depravity of the human heart and the great hostility there exists in

the heart of the human family against the work and purposes of God, and most fully confirms the Apostles saying that the carnal mind is enmity against God. But notwithstanding all this violence, we can say, as Paul did to the Corinthians, we are troubled on every side, yet not distressed. We are perplexed, but not in despair. Persecuted, but not forsaken. Cast down, but not destroyed. We have until this time endured this great fight of affliction and kept the faith. If the ancient saints had to endure as seeing him who is invisible, so have we. If they had to suffer the contradiction of sinners against themselves, so have we. If they had to undergo fears within and lightnings without, so have we. If they had to suffer stripes and imprisonments for their

and sake, so have we. If they were often in journeyings, in perils of water, in perils among robbers, in perils among their own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren, in weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness. So are we. If they had to commend themselves to God in much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses, in stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labors, in watchings, in fastings, by pureness, by knowledge, by long-suffering, by kindness, by the Holy Ghost, by love unfeigned,

by the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armor of righteousness on the right hand, and on the left, by honor and dishonor, by evil report and good report, as deceivers and yet true, as unknown and yet well known, as dying, and behold, they lived, as chastened and not killed, as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing, as poor yet making many rich, as having nothing, and yet possessing all things, so have we. If they went up through much tribulation and washed their, robes and made them white in the blood of the lamb. So have we to go up through as great tribulation.

And we trust in so doing, we will also wash our robes and make them white in the blood of the lamb. One cause of our heavy persecutions is the influence which those have in the world, whom we have separated from the fellowship of the church for their wickedness, who attempted to gratify their vengeance on us, and also to hide their own shame by foul slanders and base calumny. We were at one time represented by them as having all things in common, and another as being enemies to the government,

and in other places we were reported to be abolitionists, and indeed anything they thought best calculated, to stir up the public mind and to excite popular indignation, and if possible, put an end to the work by sacrificing some of those who were considered as most active in supporting and defending the cause. But through the mercy of God, we are still in existence, and have the opportunity of joining with you and the privileges of this day. In assembling on this occasion, our object is not only to comply with the the custom of our nation in celebrating the birthday of our liberties, but also to lay the

cornerstones of the edifice about to be built in this place of honor of our God, to whom we ascribe the glory of our national freedom, as well as our eternal salvation, and whose worship we esteem of more consequence than we do the treasures of Missouri, ready at all times to offer under him the sacrifice of our first fruits, and by untiring perseverance, patience, industry and faithful devotion to the cause of our God rear this building to his name, designed for the double purpose of a house of worship and an institution of learning. The first floor will be for sacred devotion, and the two others for the purpose of education. The building to be 110 feet by 80, with three floors, and not far from 30 feet between the floors,

all to be finished according to the best style of such buildings in our country, the entire expense calculated it not far from one hundred thousand dollars all when finished to stand as a monument of the power of union of effort and concert of action. Next to the worship of God, we esteem the education of our children and of the rising generation. For what is wealth without society or society without it? intelligence. And how is intelligence to be obtained? By education. It is that which forms the youthful mind. It is that alone which renders society agreeable and adds interest and importance to the worship of God. What is religion without intelligence, an empty sound? Intelligence is the root

from which all true enjoyments flow. Intelligence is religion, and religion is intelligence, if it is anything. Take intelligence from it is what is left. A name, a sound without meaning. If a person desires to be truly pious in the sight of God, he must be purely intelligent. Piety without intelligence is fanaticism, and devotion without understanding is enthusiasm.

The object of our religion is to make us more intelligent than we could be without it. Not so much to make us acquainted with what we do see as with what we do not see. It is designed to evolve the faculties, to enlighten the understanding, and through this medium, purify the heart. It is calculated to make men better by making them wiser, more useful by making them more intelligent, not intelligent on some subjects only, but on all subjects, on which intelligence can be obtained. And when science fails, revelation supplies its place and unfolds the secrets and mysteries of the unseen world,

leads the mind into the knowledge of the future existence of men, makes it acquainted with angels, principalities, and powers in the eternal world, carries it into heaven in heavenly places, makes it acquainted with God, its Redeemer, and its associates in the eternal mansions. So that when science fails and philosophy, vanishes away. Revelation, more extensive in its operations, begins where they, science and philosophy, ends, and feasts the mind with intelligence, pure and holy, from the presence of God. Tells of eternal mansions, of immortal glories, of everlasting dominions, of angelic throngs, of heavenly hosts, of flaming seraphs, of crowns of glory, of psalms of victory,

eternal triumph through a glorious resurrection, of songs of everlasting joy, of God the Father of all, of Jesus, the mediator of the new covenant, and of the blood of the sprinkling, which speaketh better things than that of righteous Abel. It not only acquaints us with these eternal things, but it makes known unto us the future history of man in time, of the purposes of God, which have to be accomplished before, the end of all things comes. It warns and forewarns of the wars, the pestilences, the famines, the earthquakes, and the desolations which are coming on the earth.

The rising and falling of nations, and also the desolation of the earth itself, the falling of the mountains, the rising of the valleys, the melting of the rocks, the purifying of the elements by fire, of the suns veiling his face, the moons turning to blood, the stars of heaven falling, of the heavens rolling away as a scroll, and of Christ descending from the heavens in a cloud, with the shout of the archangel and the trump of God, and of the wicked's fearing and trembling, of their faces gathering blackness, and of their seeking a refuge under the mountains, and of their calling upon the rocks to hide them from the face of him that siteth upon the throne, and from the wrath of the lamb. For the great day,

of his wrath has come, and who shall be able to stand? All this mass of important intelligence, together with the final end of all thrones and dominions and principalities and powers and governments, which nothing else but revelation could make known, for science with all her powers, could never declare it, neither could philosophy with her utmost stretch reach it, we obtain by our holy religion, for this is her province. It is the theater where she acts. It is the business we have for her. It is to tell us things which nothing else could tell. It is to fill us with that kind of wisdom which cometh down from above and which is alone obtained by revelation and by the powers which our holy religion

confers and by nothing else. In view then of what we have already obtained and of what there is to be obtained, we've assembled ourselves together in this remote. land to prepare for that which is coming on the earth. And we have this day laid the cornerstones of this temple of God and design with as little delay as possible to complete it, and to rear up to the name of our God in this city, far west, a house, which shall be a house of prayer, a house of learning, a house of order, and a house of God. Where all the sciences, languages, etc., which are taught,

in our country, in schools of the highest order, shall be taught. And the object is to have it, on a plan accessible to all classes, the poor as well as the rich, that all persons in our midst might have an opportunity to educate their children, both male and female, to any extent they please, so that all the talents in our midst may be called forth in order that we may avail ourselves of all the means God puts into our hands, and put it into the power of all, to deliver themselves from the impositions and frauds which are practicing upon the more illiterate part of the community, by those who have had superior advantages, or as far at least as learning can go to obtain this object. One part of the house shall be set apart for a place of worship, where we shall invoke our God for revelations,

when we have gone as far as human learning can carry us, that by revelations, visions, et cetera, that we may fill the vacuum still left after science and philosophy have done all they can do, so that we may have that understanding and that wisdom which brings salvation and that knowledge which is unto eternal life. That whether there are wars or famines or pestilences

or earthquakes or distress of nations or whatever may come according to the purpose, of our God, that we may know it beforehand and be prepared for it, so that none of these things shall overtake us as a thief in the night, and while we are crying peace and safety, sudden destruction come upon us. The Savior of the world himself, while he was here with his disciples, said that as it was in the days of Noah, so should it be at the coming of the Son of Man. They were eating, they were drinking, they were marrying, they were married, and and giving in marriage, and knew not till the flood came and swept them all away,

so shall it be at the coming of the Son of Man. And Paul declared to the saints of his day, that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night, that when the people are crying, peace and safety, then sudden destruction cometh upon them, and they shall not escape. And that wicked men and seducers would wax worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived, They will, says Peter, say, where is the promise of his coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation. Such is to be the state of the world, at the most important period in the existence of man's earthly residence.

The description given by Isaiah is tremendous in the extreme. Behold, the Lord maketh the earth empty, and maketh it waste, and to be it waste, and turneth it upside down, and scattereth abroad the inhabitants thereof. 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, so with the giver of usury to him, the land shall be utterly emptied, and utterly spoiled, for the Lord hath spoken this word. The earth mourneth and fath away, the world languisheth and fadeth away, the haughty people of the earth do languish.

The earth is also defiled under the inhabitants thereof, because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinances, broken the everlasting covenant. Therefore hath the cursed, devoured the earth, and they that dwell therein, are desolate. Therefore, the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men are left. The prophet Malachi, describing the same scene and the same period of calamity, says, For behold, the day cometh that shall burn as an oven, and all the proud, and all that do wickedly shall be stubble, and the day that cometh shall burneth them up, saith the lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.

The psalmist David, in the majesty of his prophetic power, has left us a warning also when he says, The mighty God, even the Lord hath spoken, and called the earth from the rising of the sun to the going down thereof. Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty God hath shined, Our God shall come, and shall not keep silence, A fire shall devour before him, and it shall be very tempestuous round about him. He shall call to the heavens from above and to the earth that he may judge his people.

Gather my saints together unto me, those that have made a covenant with me by sacrifice, and the heavens shall declare his righteousness, for God is judge himself. Having the knowledge of these things, and the voice of God being unto us, taken together, and making a covenant with our God by sacrifice, we have given heed thereunto, and Frey here this day is witness for God, that he has not spoken in vain, neither has he said in vain, but the day and the hour of his judgment sleepeth not. Neither do they slumber, and whether men believe or do not believe, it alters not the word which God has caused to be spoken, but come it must, and come at will, and that to the astonishment, the confusion,

and the dismay of thousands who believe not. Neither will they regard until overtaken by it as a thief in the night, and sudden destruction come upon them, and there be none to deliver. Knowing, therefore, the terrors of the Lord, we warn our fellow men, not only by precept, but example also, by leaving our former homes, to which we were bound by the strongest ties, suffering a sacrifice of the greatest share of our earthly possessions. Many of us in times past were rich, but for Jesus' sake, and at the command of our God we have become poor, because He, Christ, became poor for our sakes. So in like manner we follow his example and become poor for his sake. And as Moses left Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king and refused to be called the son of

Pharaoh's daughter, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, then enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season, having respect to the recompense of reward, so do we? We choose to suffer affliction with the people of God, rather than enjoy the flatteries of the world for a season. It is not because we cannot, if we were so much. disposed enjoy both the honors and flatteries of the world, but we have voluntarily offered them in sacrifice, and the riches of the world also, for a more durable substance. Our God has promised us a reward of eternal inheritance, and we have believed his promise, and though we wade through great tribulation, we are in nothing discouraged, for we know he that has promised is faithful. The

promise is sure, and the reward is certain. It is because of this that we have taken the spoiling of our good. Our cheeks have been given to the smiters and our heads to those who have plucked off the hair. We have not only when smitten on one cheek turned the other, but we have done it again and again, until we are wearied of being smitten and tired of being trampled upon. We have proved the world with kindness. We have suffered their abuse without cause. We have suffered their abuse without cause. with patience, and have endured without resentment until this day, and still their persecutions and violence does not cease. But from this day and this hour, we will suffer it no more. We take God and all the holy angels to witness this day, that we warn all men in the name

of Jesus Christ to come on us no more forever, for from this hour we will bear it no more. our rights shall no more be trampled on with impunity. The man or the set of men who attempts it does it at the expense of their lives. And that mob that comes on us to disturb it, it shall be between us and them a war of extermination. For we will follow them till the last drop of their blood is spilled, or else they will have to exterminate us. For we will carry the seat of war to their own houses,

and their own families, and one party or the other shall be utterly destroyed. Remember it then all men. We will never be the aggressors. We will infringe on the rights of no people, but we shall stand for our own until death. We claim our own rights, and are willing that all others shall enjoy theirs. No man shall be at liberty to come into our streets to threaten us with mobs, for if he does, he shall atone for it before he leaves the place.

Neither shall he be at liberty to vilify and slander any of us. For suffer it we will not in this place. We therefore take all men to record this day, that we proclaim our liberty on this day as did our fathers, and we pledge on this day to one another, our fortunes, our lives, and our sacred honors, to be delivered from the people. persecutions which we have had to endure for the last nine years, or nearly that. Neither will we indulge any man or set of men in instituting vexatious lawsuits against us to cheat us out of our just rights. If they attempt it, we say, woe, be unto them.

We this day then proclaim ourselves free, with a purpose and a determination that never can be broken. No, never. No, never. No, never. End of the oration, delivered by Mr. Sidney Rigden on the 4th of July at Far West, Caldwell County, Missouri. By Sidney Rigden. General Smith's views of the powers and policy of the government of the United States by the prophet Joseph Smith. This is a Libravox recording.

All Libravox recordings are in the part. public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit Libravox.org. Read by James Bleckley. General Smith's Views Born in a land of liberty and breathing an air uncorrupted with the Sorocco of barbarous climes, I ever feel a double anxiety for the happiness of all men, both in time and in eternity. My cogitations, like Daniels, have for a long time troubled me when I viewed the condition of men throughout the world, and more especially in this boasted realm where the Declaration of Independence holds these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by

their creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness. But at the same time, some two or three millions of people are held as slaves for life, because the spirit in them is covered with a darker skin than ours, and hundreds of our kind of for an infraction or supposed infraction of some overwise statute have to be incarcerated in dungeon glooms or suffer the more moral penitentiary gravitation of mercy in a nutshell. While the duelist, the debauchee, and the defaulter for millions and other criminals take the uppermost rooms at feasts, or, like the bird of passage, find a more congenial climb by flight.

The wisdom, which ought to characterize the freest, wisest, and most noble nation of the 19th century, should, like the sun in its meridian splendor, warm every object beneath its rays. And the main efforts of her officers, who are nothing more nor less than the servants of the people, ought to be directed to ameliorate the condition of all, black or white, bond or free. For the best of books says, God hath made of one blood all nations of, men for to dwell on the face of the earth. Our common country presents to all men the same advantages, the same facilities, the same prospects, the same honors, and the same rewards, and without hypocrisy, the Constitution, when it says

we, the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, ensure tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity do ordain and establish this constitution for the United States of America meant just what it said without reference to color

or a condition adfinitum the aspirations and expectations of a virtuous people environed with so wise so liberal so deep so broad and so high a charter of equal rights as appears in said constitution ought to be treated

by those to whom the administration of the laws are entrusted, with as much sanctity, and the prayers of the saints are treated in heaven that love, confidence, and union, like the sun, moon, and stars, should bear witness. Forever singing as they shine, the hand that made us is divine. Unity is power, and when I reflect on the importance of it to the stability of all governments, I'm astounded at the silly moves of persons and parties to foment discord in order to ride into power on the current popular excitement. Nor am I less surprised at the stretches of power or restrictions of rights, which too often appear as acts of legislators to pave the way to some favorite political schemes,

as destitute as intrinsic merit as a wolf's heart is of the milk of human kindness. A Frenchman would say, Prisketaut aimer riches et povoire. Almost all men like wealth and power. I must dwell on this subject longer than others. For nearly 100 years ago, that golden patriot, Benjamin Franklin, drew up a plan of union for the then colonies of Great Britain

that now are such an independent nation, which among many wise provisions for obedient children, under their father's more rugged hands, thus they have power to make laws, and lay and levy such general duties, imports, or taxes as to them shall appear most equal and just, considering the ability and other circumstances of the inhabitants in the several colonies, and such as may be collected with the least inconvenience to the people, rather discouraging luxury than loading industry with unnecessary burden. Great Britain surely lacked the laudable humanity and fostering clemency to grant such a just plan of union, but the sentiment remains like the land that honored its birth as a pattern for wise men to study the convenience of the people more than the comfort of the cabinet. And one of the most notable fathers of our freedom and country's glory, great in war, great in peace, great in the estimation of the world,

and great in the hearts of his countrymen, the illustrious Washington, said in his first inaugural address to Congress, I hold the surest pledges that, as on one side, no local prejudices or attachments, no separate views or party animosities will misdirect the comprehensive and equal eye, which ought to watch over this great assemblage

of communities and interests. So, on another, that the foundations of our national policy will be laid in pure and immutable principles of private morality, and the preeminence of free government be exemplified by all the attributes which can win the affections of its citizens and command the respect of the world. Verily here shines the virtue and wisdom of a statesman in such lucid rays that had every succeeding Congress followed the rich instruction in all their deliberations and enactments for the benefit of the,

and convenience of the whole community and the communities of which it is composed. No sound of rebellion in North Carolina. No rupture in Rhode Island. No mob in Missouri expelling her citizens by executive authority. Corruption in the ballot boxes, a border warfare between Ohio and Michigan.

Hard times and distress. Outbreak upon outbreak in the principal cities. Murder robbery and defalcations. Scarce. of money and a thousand other difficulties would have torn asunder the bonds of the Union, destroyed the confidence of man, and left the great body of the people

to mourn over misfortunes in poverty brought on by corrupt legislation in an hour of proud vanity for self-aggrandizement. The Great Washington, soon after the foregoing faithful admonition for the common welfare of his nation, further advised

Congress that, Among the many interesting objects which will engage your attention, that of providing for the common defense will merit particular regard. To be prepared for war is one of the most effectual means of preserving peace. As the Italian would say, Buono Aviso, good advice. The Elder Adams, in his inaugural address, gave national pride such a grand turn of justification

that every honest citizen must look at, look back upon the infancy of the United States with an approving smile and rejoice, that patriotism in the rulers, virtue in the people, and prosperity in the Union, once crowned the expectations of hope, unveiled the sophistry of the hypocrite, and silenced the folly of foes. Mr. Adams said, If national pride is ever justifiable or excusable, it is when it springs not from power or riches, grandeur or glory, but from conviction of national innocence, information, and benevolence.

There is no doubt such was actually the case with our young men at the close of the last century. Peace, prosperity, and union filled the country with religious toleration, temporal enjoyment, and virtuous enterprise. And gradually, too, when the deadly winter of the Stamp Act, the Tea Act, and other close communion acts of royalty, had choked the growth of freedom of speech, liberty of press, and liberty of conscience, delight liberty and loyalty flourish like the Cedars of God. The respected and venerable Thomas Jefferson, in his inaugural address, made more than 40 years ago,

shows what a beautiful prospect and innocent, virtuous nation presents to the sage's eye, where there is space for enterprise, hands for industry, heads for heroes, and hearts for moral greatness. said, a rising nation, spread over a wide and fruitful land, traversing all the seas with the rich productions of their industry, engaged in commerce with nations who feel power and forget right, advancing rapidly to destinies beyond the reach of mortal eye. When I contemplate these transcendent objects and see the honor, the happiness, and the hopes of this beloved country committed to the issue and the auspices of this day, I shrink from the contemplation. and humbled myself before the magnitude of the undertaking.

Such a prospect was truly soul-stirring to a good man, but since the fathers have fallen asleep, wicked and designing men have unrobed the government of its glory, and the people, if not in dust and ashes, or in sackcloth, have to lament in poverty her departed greatness, while demagogues build fires in the north and south, east and west, to keep up their spirits till it is better times. But year after year has left the people to hope

till the very name of Congress or state legislature is as horrible to the sensitive friend of his country as the House of Bluebeard is to children or Crockett's Hell of London to meet men. When the people are secure and their rights properly respected, then the four main pillars of prosperity, that is agriculture,

manufactured, navigation, and commerce, need the fostering care of government. And in so goodly a country as ours, where the soil, the climate, the rivers, the lakes, and the sea coast, the productions, the timber, the minerals, and the inhabitants are so diversified that a pleasing variety accommodates all tastes, trades, and calculations. It certainly is the highest point of supervision to protect the whole northern and southern, eastern and western, center and circumference of the realm by a judicious tariff. It is an old saying and a true one. If you wish to be respected, respect yourselves. I will adopt in part the language of Mr. Madison's inaugural address. To cherish peace and friendly intercourse with all nations, having

correspondent dispositions, to maintain sincere neutrality towards belligerent nations, to prefer in all cases amicable discussion and reasonable accommodation of differences to a decision of them by an appeal to arms to exclude intrigues and foreign partialities, so degrading to all countries and so baneful to free ones, to foster a spirit of independence too, just to invade the rights of our lives, others, too proud to surrender their own, too liberal to indulge unworthy prejudices ourselves, and to elevate it, not to look down upon them in others, to hold the union of the states as the basis of their peace and happiness, to support the Constitution, which is the cement of the

union, as well in its limitations as in its authorities, to respect the rights and authorities reserved to the states and to the people, as equally incorporated with and essential to the success of the general system. To avoid the slightest interference with the rights of conscience or the functions of religion, so wisely exempted from civil jurisdiction, to preserve in their full energy the other salutary provisions in behalf of private and personal rights and of the freedom of the press. As far as intention aides and the fulfillment of duty are consummations too big with benefits not to captivate the energies of all honest men to achieve them, when they can be brought to pass by reciprocation, friendly alliances, wise legislation, and honorable treaties. The government has once flourished under the guidance of trusty servants, and the Honorable Mr. Monroe to this day, while speaking of the Constitution, says, our commerce has been wisely regulated with foreign nations, and between the states, new states,

have been admitted into our union. Our territory has been enlarged by fair and honorable treaty, and with great advantages to the original states. The states, respectively, protected by the national government under a mild paternal system against foreign dangers, and enjoying within their separate spheres by a wise partition of power, a just proportion of the sovereignty, have improved their police, extended their settlements, and attained a strength and maturity which are the best proofs of wholesome law well administered. And if we look to the conditions of individuals, what a proud spectacle does it exhibit? On whom has oppression fallen in any quarter of the union? who has been deprived of any right of person or property,

who restrained from offering his vows in the mode which he prefers to the divine author of his being, it is well known that all these blessings have been enjoyed in their fullest extent. And I add, with peculiar satisfaction, that there has been no example of a capital punishment being inflicted on anyone for the crime of high treason. What a delightful picture of power, policy, and personal picture of power, policy, and prosperity. Truly, the wise man's proverb is just. Sedoaka teromain goi, Vakaseade leumim come out.

Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people. But this is not all. The same honorable statesman, after having had about 40 years experience in the government under the full tide of successful experiment, gives the following commend. of the efficiency of the Magna Charter to answer its great end and aim to protect the people in their rights. Such then is the happy government under which we live, a government adequate to every purpose for which the social compact is formed, a government elective in all its branches under which every citizen may, by his merit, obtain the highest trust recognized by the Constitution, which contains within it no cause of discord,

none to put it variance one portion of the community with another, a government which protects every citizen in the full enjoyment of his rights, and is able to protect the nation against injustice from foreign powers. Again, the younger Adams in the silver age of our country's advancement to fame, in his inaugural address, 1825, Thus candidly declares the Majesty of the Youthful Republic in its increasing greatness. The year of Jubilee, since the first formation of our Union has just elapsed, that of the Declaration of Independence is at hand. The consummation of both was affected by this Constitution.

Since that period, a population of four millions has multiplied to 12. The territory, bounded by the Mississippi, has been extended for. from sea to sea. New states have been admitted to the Union in numbers nearly equal to those of the First Confederation. Treaties of peace, amity, and commerce have been concluded with the principal dominions of the earth. The people of other nations, the inhabitants of regions acquired, not by conquest, but by compact, have been united with us in the participation of our rights and duties, of our burdens and blessings. The forest is fallen by the acts of our woodsmen. The soil has been made to teem by the tillage of our farmers.

Our commerce has whitened every ocean. The dominion of man over physical nature has been extended by the invention of our artists. Liberty and law have walked hand in hand. All the purposes of human association have been accomplished as effectively as under any other government on the globe. At a cost little exceeding in a whole generation, the expenditures of other nations in a single year. In continuation of such noble sentiments, General Jackson, upon his ascension to the great chair of the chief magistracy, said, As long as our government is administered for the good of the people and is regulated by their will, as long as it secures to us the rights of person and property, liberty and conscience, and of the press,

it will be worth defending, and so long as it is worth defending a patriotic militia, will cover it with an impenetrable Aegis. General Jackson's administration may be denominated the Acme of American Glory, Liberty, and Prosperity. For the national debt, which in 1815, on account of the late war, was $125 million, and lessened gradually, was paid up in his golden day, and preparations were made to distribute the surplus revenue among the several states. and that August patriot, to use his own words in his farewell address, retired, leaving a great people prosperous and happy,

and the full enjoyment of liberty and peace, honored and respected by every nation in the world. At the age then of 60 years, our blooming republic began to decline under the withering touch of Martin Van Buren. Disappointed ambition, thirst for power, pride, corruption, Party spirit, faction, patronage, perquisites, fame, tangling alliances, priestcraft, and spiritual wickedness in high places, struck hands and reveled in midnight splendor. Trouble, vexation, perplexity, and contention mingled with hope, fear, and murmuring,

rumbled through the union, and agitated the whole nation as would an earthquake at the center of the earth. the world, heaving the sea beyond the bounds and shaking the everlasting hills. So in hopes of better times, while jealousy, hypocritical pretensions and pompous ambition were luxuriating on the ill-gotten spoils of the people, they rose in their majesty like a tornado and swept through the land, till General Harrison appeared as a star among the storm clouds for better weather. The column came, and the language of that venerable patriot in his inaugural address, while discanting upon the merits of the Constitution and its framers, thus expressed itself.

There were in it features which appeared not to be in harmony with their ideas of a simple representative democracy or republic, and knowing the tendency of power to increase itself, particularly when executed by a single individual, predictions were made that, at no very remote period, the government would terminate in a virtual monarchy. It would not become me to say that the fears of these patriots have already been realized, but as I sincerely believe that the tendency of measures and of men's opinions for some years past has been in that direction, it is I conceive strictly proper that I should take this occasion to repeat the assurances I have heretofore given of my determination to arrest the progress of that tendency, if it really exists, and restore the

government to its pristine health and vigor. This good man died before he had the opportunity of applying one balm to ease the pain of our groaning country. I'm willing the nation should be the judge whether General Harrison, in his exalted station, upon the eve of his entrance into the world of spirits told the truth or not, with acting President Tyler's three years of perplexity and pseudo-wig Democrat reign to heal the breaches or show the wounds, secondum artum, according to art. Subsequent events, all things considered,

Van Buren's downfall, Harrison's exit, and Tyler's self-sufficient turn to the whole, go to show as a Chaldean might exclaim. claim, Beram etai, elau, besmayao, gawha, raozin. Certainly, there is a god in heaven to reveal secrets. No honest man can doubt for a moment, but the glory of American liberty is on the wane, and that calamity and confusion will sooner or later destroy the peace of the people. Speculators will urge a national bank as a savior of credit and comfort, a hireling pseudo-prudipers, Christhood will plausibly push abolition doctrines and doings and human rights into Congress and into every other place, where conquest smells of fame or opposition swells to popularity.

Democracy, wiggery, and clickery will attract their elements and foment divisions among the people. To accomplish fancied schemes and accumulate power while poverty driven to despair like hunger for you. its way through a wall will break through the statutes of men to save life and mend the breach of prison glooms. A still higher grade of what the nobility of nations call great men will dally with all rights in order to smuggle a fortune at one fell swoop, mortgage Texas, possess Oregon, and claim all the unsettled regions of the world for hunting and trapping, and should an humble, honest man, red, black, or white, exhibit a better title, these gentry have only to clothe the judge with richer ermine

and spangle the lawyer's fingers with finer rings to have the judgment of his peers, and the honor of his lords is a pattern of honesty, virtue, and humanity, while the motto hangs on his nation's eschutian, every man has his price. Now, oh, people, turn unto the Lord and live and reform this nation. Frustrate the designs of wicked men. Reduce Congress at least one half.

Two senators from a state and two members to a million of population will do more business than the army that now occupy the halls of the national legislature. Pay them two dollars and their board per diem, except such. Sundays that is more than a farmer gets, and he lives honestly. Curtail the offices of government in pay, number, and power, for the Philistine lords have shorn our nation of its goodly locks in the lap of Delilah. Petition your state legislatures to pardon every convict in their several penitentiaries, blessing them as they go, and saying to them, in the name of the Lord, go thy way and sin no

more. advise your legislators when they make laws for larceny, burglary, or any felony to make the penalty applicable to work upon roads, public works, or any place where the culprit can be taught more wisdom and more virtue and become more enlightened. Rigger and seclusion will never do as much to reform the propensities of man as reason and friendship. Murder only can claim confinement or death. Let the penitentiaries be turned into seminaries of learning, where intelligence, like the angels of heaven, would banish such fragments of barbarism. Imprisonment for debt is a meaner practice

than all the savage tolerates with all his ferocity. Amor Vincent Amnia, love conquers all. Petition also, you goodly inhabitants of the Slave states your legislators to abolish slavery by the year 1850, or now and save the abolitionist from reproach and ruin, infamy, and shame. Pray Congress to pay every man a reasonable price for his slaves out of the surplus revenue arising from the sale of public lands and from the deduction of pay from the members of Congress. Break off the shackles from the poor black man and hire him to labor like other human beings.

for an hour of virtuous liberty on earth is worth a whole eternity of bondage. Abolish the practice in the army and navy of trying men by court-martial for desertion. If a soldier or marine runs away, send him his wages with the instruction that his country will never trust him again. He's forfeited his honor. Make honor the standard with all men. Be sure that good is rendered for evil in all cases, and the whole world. whole nation, like a kingdom of kings and priests, will rise up with righteousness and be respected as wise and worthy on earth, and as just and holy for heaven by Jehovah, the author of perfection.

More economy in the national and state governments would make less taxes among the people. More equality through the city's towns and country would make less distinction among the people, and more honesty and familiarity in societies would make less hypocrisy and flattery in all branches of the community. An open, frank, candid decorum to all men in this boasted land of liberty would beget esteem, confidence, union, and love. And the neighbor from any state or from any country of whatever color, climb, or tongue, could rejoice when he put his foot on the sacred soil of freedom and exclaim, The very name of American is fraught with friendship. Oh, then create confidence, restore freedom, break down slavery, banish imprisonment for debt, and be in love, fellowship, and peace with all the world.

Remember that honesty is not subject to law. The law was made for transgressors, wherefore a Dutchman might exclaim, A good name is better than riches. For the accommodation of the people of every state and territory, let Congress show their wisdom by granting a national bank, with branches in each state and territory where the capital stock shall be held by the nation for the mother bank, and by the states and territories for the branches,

and whose officers and directors shall be elected yearly by the people, with wages at the rate of $2.00.000, per day for services, which several banks shall never issue any more bills than the amount of capital stock in her vaults and the interest. The net gain of the other bank shall be applied to the national revenue, and that of the branches to the states and territories' revenues, and the bills shall be par throughout the nation, which will mercifully cure the fatal disorder known in series as brokerage, and leave the people's money in their own. pockets. Give every man his constitutional freedom, and the president full power to send an army

to suppress mobs, and the state's authority to repeal and impugn that relic of folly, which makes it necessary for the governor of a state to make the demand of the president for troops in case of invasion or rebellion. The governor himself may be a mobber, and instead of punished, as he should be, for murder and treason. He may destroy the very lives, rights, and property he should protect. Like the Good Samaritan, send every lawyer as soon as he repents and obeys the ordinance of heaven to preach the gospel to the destitute without purse or scrip, pouring in the oil and the wine. A learned priesthood is certainly more honorable than an hireling clergy.

As to the contiguous territories of the United States, wisdom was. would direct no tangling alliance. Oregon begongs to this government honorably, and when we have the red man's consent, let the union spread from the east to the west sea. And if Texas petitions Congress to be adopted among the sons of liberty, give her the right hand of fellowship and refuse not the same friendly grip to Canada and Mexico.

And when the right arm of free men is stretched out in the character of a navy for the protection of rights, commerce and honor, let the iron eyes of power watch from Maine to Mexico and from California to Columbia, thus may union be strengthened and foreign speculation prevented from opposing broadside to broadside. Seventy years have done much for this goodly land. They have burst the chains of oppression and monarchy and multiplied its inhabitants from two to twenty millions. With a proportionate share of knowledge, keen enough to circumnavigate the globe, draw the lightning from the clouds, and cope with all the crowned heads of the world.

Then why? Oh, why, will a once flourishing people not arise, Phoenix-like, over the cinders of Martin Van Buren's power, and over the sinking fragments and smoking ruins of other catamount politicians, and over the windfalls of Benton, Calhoun, Clay, Wright, and a caravit, of other equally unfortunate law doctors, and cheerfully help to spread a plaster and bind up the burnt bleeding wounds of a sore but blessed country. The southern people are hospitable and noble. They will help to rid so free a country of every vestige of slavery

whenever they are assured of an equivalent for their property. The country will be full of money and confidence when a national bank of 20 millions and a state bank in every state with a million or more gives a tone to monetary matters and makes a circulating medium as valuable in the purses of the whole community as in the coffers of the speculating banker or broker.

The people may have faults, but they should never be trifled with. I think Mr. Pitt's quotation in the British Parliament of Mr. Pryor's couplet for the husband and wife to apply to the course which the King and Ministry of England should pursue to the then colonies of the now United States, might be a genuine rule of action for some of the breath-made men in high places to use towards the posterity of this noble, daring people.

Be to her faults a little blind, be to her virtues very kind. We've had Democratic presidents, Whig presidents, a pseudo-democratic Whig presidents, a pseudo-democratic Whig president, and now it is time to have a president of the United States, and let the people of the whole union, like the inflexible Romans, whenever they find a promise made by a candidate that is not practiced as an officer, hurl the miserable sycophant from his exaltation as God did Nebuchadnezzar, to crop the grass of the field with a beast's heart among the cattle. Mr. Van Buren said in his inaugural address that he went into the presidential chair the inflexible and uncompromising opponent of every attempt on the part of Congress to abolish

slavery in the District of Columbia against the wishes of the slave-holding states, and also with a determination equally decided to resist the slightest interference with it in the states where it exists. Poor little Maddie made the this rhapsodical sweep with the fact before his eyes that the state of New York, his native state, had abolished slavery without a struggle or a groan. Great God, how independent! From henceforth, slavery is tolerated where it exists. Constitution or no constitution. People are no people, right or wrong. Vox Matty, vox Diabloi. The voice of Matty, the voice of the devil, and peradventure, his great sub-treasurer scheme was a piece of the same mind.

But the man and his measures have such a striking resemblance to the anecdote of the Welshman at his cart-tongue that when the Constitution was so long that it allowed slavery at the capital of a free people, it could not be cut off. But when it was so short that it needed a sub-treasurer to save the funds of the nation, it could be spliced. Oh, Granny, what a long tail our pusses got. As a Greek might say, Hysteron prateron, the cart before the horse, but his mighty whisked through the great

national fire for the presidential chestnuts burnt the locks of his glory with the blaze of his folly. In the United States, the people are the government, and their united voice is the only sovereign that should rule, the only power that should be obeyed, and the only gentleman that should be honored at home and abroad. on the land and the sea. Wherefore, were I president of the United States

by of the voice of a virtuous people, I would honor the old paths of the venerated fathers of freedom, I would walk in the tracts of the illustrious patriots who carried the arc of the government upon their shoulders with an eye single to the glory of the people, and when that people petitioned to abolish slavery in the slave states, I would use all honorable means to have their prayers, and give liberty to the captive by paying the southern gentleman or reasonable equivalent

for his property that the whole nation might be free indeed. When the people petitioned for a national bank, I would use my best endeavors to have their prayers answered and established one on national principles to save taxes and make them the controllers of its ways and means. And when the people petitioned to possess the territory of Oregon or any other contiguous territory, I would lend the influence of a chief magistrate to grant so reasonable request that they might extend the mighty efforts and enterprise of a free people from the east to the west sea, and make the wilderness blossom as the rose. And when a neighboring realm petitioned to join the

union of the sons of liberty, my voice would be, come. Yeah, come, Texas, come Mexico, come Canada, and come all the world. Let us be brethren. Let us be one great family and let there be universal peace. Abolish the cruel custom of prisons, except in certain cases, penitentiaries and court-martials for desertion, and let reason and friendship reign over the ruins of ignorance and barbarity. Yeah, I would, as the universal friend of man, open the prisons, open the eyes, open the ears, and open the hearts of all people to behold and enjoy freedom, unadulterated freedom. And God, who once cleansed the violence of the earth with a flood,

whose son laid down his life for the salvation of all his father gave him out of the world, and who has promised that he will come and purify the world again with fire in the last days, should be supplicated by me for the good of all people. With the highest esteem, I am a friend of virtue and the people, Joseph Smith, Norville, Illinois, February 7, 1844. End. Of General Smith's views of the powers and policy of the government to the United States

by the prophet Joseph Smith.