I will read a portion of a prophecy, written in the Book of Mormon, in
the third chapter of the second book of Nephi. The Prophet who spoke
the words I am about to read, and who also quoted the words of another
Prophet, was named Lehi; he lived about six hundred years before
Christ.
"For behold, thou art the fruit of my loins; and I am a descendant of
Joseph who was carried captive into Egypt. And great were the
covenants of the Lord, which he made unto Joseph. Wherefore, Joseph
truly saw our day. And he obtained a promise of the Lord, that out of
the fruit of his loins the Lord God would raise up a righteous branch
unto the house of Israel; not the Messiah, but a branch which was to
be broken off, nevertheless, to be remembered in the covenants of the
Lord that the Messiah should be made manifest unto them in the latter
days, in the spirit of power, unto the bringing of them out of
darkness unto light—yea, out of hidden darkness and out of captivity
unto freedom.
For Joseph truly testified, saying: A seer shall the Lord my God raise
up, who shall be a choice seer unto the fruit of my loins. Yea, Joseph
truly said: Thus saith the Lord unto me: A choice seer will I raise up
out of the fruit of thy loins; and he shall be esteemed highly among
the fruit of thy loins. And unto him will I give commandment that he
shall do a work for the fruit of thy loins, his brethren, which shall
be of great worth unto them, even to the bringing of them to the
knowledge of the covenants which I have made with thy fathers. And I
will give unto him a commandment, that he shall do none other work,
save the work which I shall command him. And I will make him great in
mine eyes; for he shall do my work. And he shall be great like unto
Moses, whom I have said I would raise up unto you, to deliver my
people, O house of Israel. And Moses will I raise up, to deliver thy
people out of the land of Egypt. But a seer will I raise up out of the
fruit of thy loins; and unto him will I give power to bring forth my
word unto the seed of thy loins—and not to the bringing forth my word
only, saith the Lord, but to the convincing them of my word, which
shall have already gone forth among them. Wherefore, the fruit of thy loins shall write; and the fruit of the loins of Judah shall
write; and that which shall be written by the fruit of thy loins, and
also that which shall be written by the fruit of the loins of Judah,
shall grow together, unto the confounding of false doctrines and
laying down of contentions, and establishing peace among the fruit of
thy loins, and bringing them to the knowledge of their fathers in the
latter days, and also to the knowledge of my covenants, saith the
Lord. And out of weakness he shall be made strong, in that day when my
work shall commence among all my people, unto the restoring thee, O
house of Israel, saith the Lord.
And thus prophesied Joseph, saying: Behold, that seer will the Lord
bless; and they that seek to destroy him, shall be confounded; for
this promise, which I have obtained of the Lord, of the fruit of my
loins, shall be fulfilled. Behold, I am sure of the fulfilling of this
promise; And his name shall be called after me; and it shall be after
the name of his father. And he shall be like unto me; for the thing
which the Lord shall bring forth by his hand, by the power of the Lord
shall bring my people unto salvation. Yea, thus prophesied Joseph: I
am sure of this thing, even as I am sure of the promise of Moses; for
the Lord hath said unto me, I will preserve thy seed forever. And the
Lord hath said: I will raise up a Moses; and I will give power unto
him in a rod; and I will give judgment unto him in writing. Yet I
will not loose his tongue, that he shall speak much, for I will not
make him mighty in speaking. But I will write unto him my law, by the
finger of mine own hand; and I will make a spokesman for him. And the
Lord said unto me also: I will raise up unto the fruit of thy loins;
and I will make for him a spokesman. And I, behold, I will give unto
him that he shall write the writing of the fruit of thy loins, unto
the fruit of thy loins; and the spokesman of thy loins shall declare
it. And the words which he shall write shall be the words which are
expedient in my wisdom should go forth unto the fruit of thy loins.
And it shall be as if the fruit of thy loins had cried unto them from
the dust; for I know their faith. And they shall cry from the dust;
yea, even repentance unto their brethren, even after many generations
have gone by them. And it shall come to pass that their cry shall go,
even according to the simpleness of their words. Because of their
faith their words shall proceed forth out of my mouth unto their
brethren who are the fruit of thy loins; and the weakness of their
words will I make strong in their faith, unto the remembering of my
covenant which I made unto thy fathers."
Corresponding with this prophecy, I will read a few verses in the 37th
chapter of Ezekiel, commencing at the 15th verse.
"The word of the Lord came again unto me, saying,
"Moreover, thou son of man, take thee one stick, and write upon it,
For Judah, and for the children of Israel his companions: then take
another stick, and write upon it, For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim,
and for all the house of Israel his companions:
"And join them one to another into one stick; and they shall become
one in thy hand.
"And when the children of thy people shall speak unto thee, saying,
Wilt thou not shew us what thou meanest by these?
"Say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I will take the stick
of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel
his fellows, and will put them with him, even with the stick of Judah,
and make them one stick, and they shall be one in mine hand.
"And the sticks whereon thou writest shall be in thine hand before
their eyes.
"And say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I will take the
children of Israel from among the heathen, whither they be gone, and
will gather them on every side, and bring them into their own land:
"And I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of
Israel; and one king shall be king to them all: and they shall be no
more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms any
more at all."
I have read these two prophecies; one, recorded in the Book of Mormon,
delivered by Joseph in Egypt, written upon brass plates and brought by
the descendants of Joseph from the city of Jerusalem, about six
hundred years before Christ, with their colony that came from
Palestine and were located on the western coast of South America,
having crossed the mighty waters under the direction of the Almighty;
the other, and corresponding prophecy, was written by Ezekiel the
Prophet, a short time after this colony left the city of Jerusalem.
Ezekiel informs us in this chapter, that prior to the great
restitution of the House of Israel, never to be scattered or divided
into two nations again, the Lord would bring forth the stick of
Joseph, written upon for the tribe of Joseph, and the other, written
upon for Judah, and cause them to grow together in His hand, and when
this great event should take place, it should be the period when he
would take Israel from among the heathen, whither they be gone, and
gather them on every side, and bring them into their own lands, and
when he had accomplished this work, he would make them one nation upon
the mountains of Israel, and they should no more become two nations,
neither should they, from that time forward, be two kingdoms any more
at all.
It is very evident to every person who believes in the Scriptures of
truth that, so far as the gathering of Israel and their becoming one
nation in their own land are concerned, this prophecy has never yet
been fulfilled, it is therefore among those great events which the
Lord has decreed and determined to bring to pass in a period of time
yet in the future; and he has pointed out, in this chapter of Ezekiel,
the manner and method in which he will commence the great work of the
restitution of Israel. A great deal has been done by the religious
world, so far as dollars and cents, and the formation of societies are
concerned, for the amelioration of the condition of the scattered
Jews. But what are the results of all the labors of the various
Christian sects in this direction? Have they succeeded in gathering
the Jews from the nations of the earth? Not at all. A very few Jews at
the present time are residents of Palestine, and they are not
converted to the truth. They believe in the religion of their ancient
fathers, and all of them who dwell there are very poor, many of them
are what may be termed beggars, being sustained principally by the
charity of travelers and other visitors to that land, and by donations
from charitable Christians and Jews abroad. But all the Jews dwelling
in Palestine are but a very small handful, compared with the
immense numbers of their brethren who are scattered to the four winds
of heaven. Then, besides the Jews thus scattered, there are the ten
tribes, who are not called Jews, who were led away out of the land of
Palestine about seven hundred and twenty years before Christ, and who
have never dwelt in that land since. They were taken captive by the
king of Assyria and taken to his dominions, and never since the day of
their captivity, now almost twenty-six centuries, have they or their
descendants had a residence in the Promised Land.
Prior to their captivity the House of Israel were divided into two
kingdoms; one, called the Ten Tribes, who had their capital city in
Samaria, north of Jerusalem. Numerous kings reigned over them, from
the days of Rehoboam, son of Solomon, until the time of their
captivity. They were a separate and distinct nation from the Jewish
nation, which consisted of the tribes of Judah and Levi, a very few of
the remnants of Joseph, and a portion of the tribe of Benjamin, who
were not taken away with the ten tribes. About a hundred and thirty
years after the ten tribes were taken from Palestine, the Jewish
nation were taken into captivity by Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon,
and they dwelt in Babylon seventy years, after which they returned to
Palestine, rebuilt their capital city and its walls, and
reestablished their Temple, and continued to dwell in the land of
their fathers until the coming of Christ, and for about seventy years
after his coming; and then, in fulfillment of a certain prophecy, the
Jewish nation were scattered by the Roman army under Titus. About
eleven hundred thou sand Jews perished by the sword, and, according to
history, about ninety-seven thousand were dispersed among the nations.
This great calamity happened to the Jewish nation in fulfillment of
many prophecies, among which I will quote one by our Savior, recorded
in the 21st chapter of Luke. Says our Savior—"For there shall be great
distress in the land, and wrath upon this people. And they shall fall
by the edge of the sword, and they shall be led away captive into all
nations, and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles until the
times of the Gentiles are fulfilled." That portion of this prophecy,
concerning the Jews perishing by the edge of the sword, and their
being scattered among all nations, and Jerusalem being trodden down
under the feet of the Gentiles, has had a literal fulfillment; but
there is one saying of our Savior that has not yet been
fulfilled—"Jerusalem shall be trodden down by the Gentiles, until the
times of the Gentiles are fulfilled." That the times of the Gentiles
are not yet fulfilled is proven by the fact that Jerusalem is still in
possession of the Gentiles, and under their control. When the time
shall have arrived for the fulfillment of the prophecy recorded by
Ezekiel the Prophet, when the Jews and the ten tribes shall return and
they shall no more be divided into two kingdoms, Jerusalem will be
redeemed from the hands of the Gentiles, and it will be again
inhabited by the Jews as a nation; not by a poor miserable remnant,
dependent upon the charity of foreign nations for subsistence, but
hundreds of thousands of the twelve tribes will return to Palestine,
and their capital city will be Jerusalem, not Samaria.
This fulfillment of the times of the Gentiles is something to
which I wish to call the special attention of my hearers this
afternoon. In what manner will the Lord fulfill this work among the
Gentiles, that the fullness of their times may come in? We have a
little information on this subject, recorded in the eleventh chapter
of Romans, which makes the subject very plain in regard to the two
great classes of people—the Jews and the Gentiles. They are spoken of
in that chapter under the figure of two olive trees, one—the house of
Israel—being represented by a tame olive tree, and the other—the
Gentiles—by a wild olive tree. Paul, in speaking of the branches of
Israel, says—"If some of the branches be broken off and thou, (the
Gentiles) being a wild olive tree, wert graffed in among them, and
with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree, boast
not against the branches. But if thou boast thou bearest not the root,
but the root thee. Thou (that is the Gentiles) wilt say then, the
branches were broken off that I might be graffed in. Well; because of
unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not
highminded but fear, for if God spared not the natural branches, take
heed lest he also spare not thee. Behold therefore the goodness and
severity of God on them (meaning Israel) which fell, severity; but
towards thee (the Gentiles), goodness, if thou continue in his goodness:
otherwise thou also shalt be cut off. And they also (the house of
Israel), if they abide not in unbelief shall be graffed in again, for
God is able to graft them in again. For if thou (the Gentiles) were
cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature and wert graffed
contrary to nature into a good olive tree, how much more shall these,
which be the natural branches, be graffed into their own olive tree?
For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery,
lest ye should be wise in your own conceits, that blindness in part is
happened to Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in. And
so all Israel shall be saved. As it is written, There shall come out
of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob.
For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.
As concerning the Gospel, they are enemies for your sakes; but as
touching the election they are beloved for the fathers' sake." Again
he says in the 30th and 31st verses—"For as ye in times past have not
believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief, even
so have these now not believed, that through your mercy they also may
obtain mercy."
We can see from the instructions that Paul has given, in this chapter,
that the Gentiles were grafted in instead of the House of Israel; in
other words, the Jews were broken off, as our Savior predicted to
them. Said he—"Therefore say I unto you that the kingdom of God shall
be taken from you, and shall be given to a nation bringing forth the
fruits thereof." That is, it should be taken from the Israelites, and
delivered over into the hands of the Gentiles. The kingdom that was
thus rent from the Jews and transferred to the Gentiles may be called
a spiritual kingdom, inasmuch as the Saints, to whom the kingdom was
given in that day, did not form any particular constituent portion of
the nations of the earth, but here was a branch, and there was a
branch, one in one place and another in another; having received the
blessings of the fullness of the Gospel, the blessings of that
spiritual kingdom which was built up in their midst, they partook of
the fatness of the olive tree, though they were wild branches. But by
and by we find the Gentiles following after the same example of
unbelief; they to whom the kingdom had been transferred from Israel
got into darkness, unbelief and apostasy, the same as the Jews had
done before them. Paul further warns them in this chapter not to
boast. Says he—"Boast not against the branches, but if thou boast thou
bearest not the root but the root thee. Thou wilt say then, the
branches were broken off that I might be graffed in. Take heed,
therefore, lest you also shall fall after the same example of
unbelief."
Have they taken heed? No, they have not. Where is that kingdom that
was transferred to the Gentiles, that had inspired Apostles and
Prophets in it? That kingdom upon which the Lord shed forth the Holy
Ghost and all its gifts—the gift of revelation, discerning of spirits,
seeing angels, healing the sick, foretelling future events, visions
and all the other gifts which came through the operation of his Spirit
upon the wild branches of the olive tree, after they were grafted,
through obedience to the Gospel, and became partakers of the root and
fatness of the tame olive? Where is that kingdom? In other words,
where is the church? It is said by some that the church has continued
from the Apostolic period down until the present century of the
Christian era. But if it has, I cannot find it, the researches I have
made give me no indication of the existence of the kingdom that was
transferred to the hands of the Gentiles. I know of no way to
distinguish the church of God, only by comparing it with the pattern
given in the New Testament. Can I find among any of the Gentile
nations a church with inspired Apostles in it? If I cannot, I have no
authority to pronounce any such church the church of God. Its members
may believe in the Bible, and they may be honest, we do not dispute
the honesty of men; but unless they have this distinguishing
characteristic of the Church of the living God, we have no right to
suppose them to be the real, true Christian church. Let us hear what
Paul says in the 12th chapter of Corinthians in relation to the
organization of the church of Christ. We there find that the church
have placed within it, first, Apostles, secondarily, Prophets,
thirdly, Teachers, after that working of miracles, healing the sick,
speaking with divers tongues, interpretation of tongues, &c., and all
these were helps, governments, gifts, blessings, authorities and
powers that served to characterize the true kingdom or church of God
from all those that were destitute of this power and authority. Did
this authority, these gifts and blessings exist towards the close of
the second century of the Christian era? No. What had become of them?
The people had entirely apostatized from that ancient order of things.
There were no doubt many who were very zealous and who professed
Christianity, and claimed to be the church of God, but where were
their Apostles? Nowhere to be found among men. Where were the Prophets
in what was called the Christian church towards the latter part of the
second century? Nowhere upon the face of the earth; the spirit of
prophecy was entirely rooted out, and the Gentiles, through apostasy
and unbelief, had fallen as the Jews had done before them.
Again, where were the healing of the sick, opening the eyes of the blind, unstopping deaf ears, and the lame leaping like a hart?
Where were all those ancient gifts, such as speaking with tongues,
interpretation of tongues, beholding angels, discerning spirits and
the things of God as did the church of Christ in the first century?
Nowhere to be found; but instead of this we find the people called
Christians, spreading and increasing in the second, third, fourth and
fifth centuries, but destitute of the spirit, power and gifts which
characterized the ancient church, so much so that they even denied
that there could be any more revelation, and instead of there being
Prophets to give revelation day by day, week by week and year after
year from one generation to another, they were obliged, at the Council
of Carthage, held at the close of the fourth century of the Christian
era, to gather up such fragments of the ancient revelations as they
could find, here and there, scattered in manuscript among the various
nations, sit in judgment upon them, without any spirit of revelation
to designate to them whether they were true or false; and they
compiled them together, and pronounced the canon of Scripture full.
Now, if they had had the ancient Christian church, there would have
been revelations during all of the second century as well as the
first, and there would have been revelations in the third century, and
in the fourth century, and in all the subsequent centuries down to the
present period of time, and there would have been no such doctrine
promulgated among the children of men as the canon of Scripture being
full. It is one of the most false doctrines ever advanced among the
children of men. God never yet had a people on the face of the earth
in any age of the world from the creation down through all the
dispensations, without having inspired men among them, who could call
upon God and receive revelations, and their revelations were just as
sacred as those which had preceded them, and that had been bound into
volumes; hence the canon of Scripture would have been enlarged every
century down to the present time had the Church of God continued on
the earth. But like the ancient Jews, the Christians of the second and
following centuries had apostatized, and were entirely destitute of
the Spirit of God. The Jews had apostatized before Jesus came among
them to that degree, that there were sects and parties among them,
just as we find in the Christian world since; and these Jewish sects
were destitute of the spirit of prophecy which their ancient fathers
had; they were destitute of the ministration of angels, and scarcely
one feature existed which was among their fathers in the days of their
righteousness. It was because of this that the Jews were broken off,
and the Gentiles were grafted in, and were made partakers of the
riches, blessings and glories formerly enjoyed by the ancient Jews.
"Well," says one, "am I to understand from your remarks that there has
been no real Christian Church on the earth, for a great many centuries
that are passed?" These are my views, and these are the views of the
Latter-day Saints—we believe that, so far as the eastern hemisphere is
concerned, there has been no true Christian Church for some seventeen
centuries past. I say the eastern hemisphere, for we believe that
there was a true Christian Church on this continent, which continued
for nearly four centuries after Christ; but so far as the eastern
hemisphere is concerned, it ex isted in name only, with some
few of the ordinances administered by persons without authority. We
read in the works of the early Christian fathers, so called, when they
found themselves destitute of all power to get new revelation from
God, that they tried to persuade, and did finally persuade, the people
that the canon of Scripture was full, and that God did not design to
give his people any more revelation, and that wicked delusion
continued for a great many generations. It was necessary to form some
excuse, for those few among the people who had the privilege of
reading the Bible would naturally see the distinguishing
characteristics between the ancient Church and that with which they
were connected, and unless there had been something to quiet their
consciences they would have been continually asking the question—"Why
do we not have Apostles? Why do we not have Prophets? Why do we not
have the gifts which characterized the ancient Church?" and hence the
religious teachers of those days, as in ours, were compelled to tell
the people that the canon of Scripture was full, and that the ancient
Scriptures and the traditions of the Church were their only guides.
Perhaps you may think I am misrepresenting this matter; if you do, go
and read the works of the Roman Catholic Church written before there
were any Protestant seceders from it, and you will find that this
doctrine is universally inculcated therein. I should like to know, and
I will ask the question, how it would be possible to transfer the
Christian ministry from generation to generation, and from one century
to another, without revelation? It could not be done; it would be an
utter impossibility. A true Christian ministry must be called of God
as Aaron was called, so says the Apostle Paul in writing to the
Hebrews. He declares that "no man taketh this honor unto himself, save
he be called of God as was Aaron." If we turn to the fore part of the
Bible, we shall find that Aaron was called, not by revelation given to
his ancient fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, not to Joseph in Egypt,
to Noah or to Enoch, who lived before the flood; none of the
revelations given to those ancient servants of God called Aaron to the
ministry, but he was called by new revelation, direct from heaven to
Moses, his brother, commanding Moses to set apart Aaron to the
ministry; giving him directions respecting his duty; and God spake to
both Moses and Aaron. That was the way Aaron was called. Now look at
the ministry from the first century down to the present time. All its
members have denied new revelation, and have declared that the canon
of Scripture was full. Who, among the whole of them, was ever called
by new revelation? Why, if a man made any such pretence he was
excommunicated from the Church unless he repented of the sin, as they
called it. To believe that God would again speak and call men by new
revelation, as Aaron was called, was in their idea a heresy, and they
were not to believe in anything except it was bound in their ancient
books. We will take, for instance, the highest authority in the Church
of Rome. The members of that church say that the right to sit in the
papal chair has been handed down in unbroken succession from the
Apostle Peter. Now, take away new revelation, and how could you choose
from among the millions who professed Christianity the one that should
sit in that chair? There is no means whatsoever of distinguishing him,
unless he was called of God as was Aaron, and this would
introduce new revelation, and hence, when it ceased, the real
authority ceased, and the Pope had no more authority than a heathen
priest, neither could he confer authority upon a second man, neither
could the church itself give authority without new revelation from
God. The Bible could not give this authority, for there is not a word
said in all the Old or New Testament that such and such a man, by such
a name and at such a period in the future, should occupy the chair of
St. Peter; hence, without new revelation, the selection of the
successive Popes would be mere guess work.
How is it with the Protestants? Let us come down to the Waldenses, to
Luther, Calvin, Henry the Eighth, and those who dissented from the
Catholic Church; have they authority? Let us inquire a little into
their belief and views. Did those I have named believe there was any
later revelation than that which was given on the Isle of Patmos? No,
in this respect the Protestants followed after the same heresy as the
mother church; she had taught for many generations that the canon of
Scripture was full, and those who dissented and came out from her
declared the same thing, and the people believed it, and finally the
Church of England incorporated it into their thirty-nine articles of
faith, and no person, according to their creed, was to receive
anything as a part of his religious faith, except that which was
contained in the books they called the canon of Scripture, which they
said was full and complete. They never have found, in any revelation
which God has given, that no more revelation or Scripture was to be
given so long as there was a Christian Church on the face of the
earth. These Protestants, then, were excommunicated from the mother
church, were they not? I have heard some say, when asked about their
authority to baptize and preach, and to administer the Lord's Supper,
"We do it by the authority of our priesthood and of the office we
hold." "Who gave you that office and authority?" "Such a man." "Where
did he get it?" "He got it from another, who preceded him." "And,
pray, how far back can you trace your priesthood?" —We can run it back
to Martin Luther, John Calvin, Henry the Eighth, or some of those
reformers who came out from the Roman Catholic Church," "Where did the
first ones whom you call reformers get their priesthood from, inasmuch
as they denied new revelation, and were not called of God as Aaron
was?" "Oh, they got it from the mother church, the Roman Catholic
Church." "But what do you Protestants say about the Roman Catholic
Church?" "Why, we say that she is that great and abominable power that
is called the mother of harlots and Mystery Babylon the Great, that
she is one of the most corrupt powers on the face of the earth, hence
the Protestants, who could not endure all this corruption, came out
from her." "And yet you get your priesthood from this source." Do you
not see, at once, the dilemma into which they fall, when they attempt
to run their priesthood back? In one of the homilies of the Church of
England, it is stated that for eight centuries the whole Christian
world, every man, woman and child therein, were in the depths of
idolatry, so that there was no individual, during that long period,
who had any authority whatever. But supposing that you grant that the Roman Catholic Church, which the Protestants denounced as
so corrupt, had power to hand down authority, and that, by the
authority which they held they ordained Martin Luther, John Calvin and
others of those early reformers, they had power to take their
priesthood from them, had they not? Certainly, if they could bestow
authority they could take it away again. Did they do that? Yes. Read
the declarations of the Roman Catholic Church respecting these
Protestant leaders, and see if they did not cut them off from
everything that was ever conferred upon them in that church, every
office, every authority and all power, and then denounced them to the
very lowest abyss of hell; consequently, if you should even pretend
that authority could be transferred to the Protestants, it was taken
from them. Says one, "Do you mean to unchristianize not only the Roman
Catholic and Greek Churches, but also all those Protestant
denominations who have sprung from them?" Certainly I do, and it is in
fulfillment of that which was spoken of by Paul in the 11th chapter of
Romans, where he declares that if they do not continue in the goodness
of God, they also shall be cut off, that is, cut off from all those
blessed privileges and spiritual gifts which characterized the Church
of Christ whilst it was on the earth.
This being the condition of things no wonder that God has left on
record, in this good old book, that in the latter days he would again
restore the kingdom to the earth; as there has been no Christian
Church, with divine authority, in the four quarters of the globe for
many centuries past, it is no wonder that the ancient Prophets saw a
period of time when God would restore to the earth the true Church.
Hence, we find, in the 14th chapter of the revelations of St. John,
that among the things which he saw, which were to transpire in the
future, was the restoration of the everlasting Gospel to earth by an
angel flying through the midst of heaven. It seems then, that, at the
eleventh hour, the last period of time, God would again visit the
inhabitants of the earth by sending a messenger from the courts above
with glad tidings of great joy, not for a few people dwelling in some
particular corner of the earth, but for all people—every nation,
kindred and tongue upon the four quarters of our globe. Go and ask any
of these fallen churches—go to the oldest among them, the Roman
Catholic, or the Greek church, and ask them if God has sent another
angel with the everlasting Gospel to be preached to all nations, and
has committed it to them, and they will tell you no, they do not
believe it is ever to be sent in that manner, but that it has
continued on the earth from the time it was introduced by the Savior,
and consequently there is no need of any such restitution, there is no
need of any angel coming to restore it, for they have it already.
They will tell you that they have the good word of God, which already
contains the everlasting Gospel; but if they have the word of God, I
think I have proved to my hearers this afternoon, that they have not
the authority to administer it, and that makes all the difference.
They may have the word, but the Bible itself says that the letter
killeth. The word is not calculated to save unless we can obey it. Can
I be baptized if there is no man on the earth authorized to baptize
me? No. He that is not born of the water and of the spirit can in no
wise enter into the kingdom of God. How can I partake of the
emblems of the broken body and shed blood of our Lord and Savior
Jesus Christ, unless there is some man on earth authorized to
administer that ordinance? I cannot do it. How can I receive the
baptism of fire and the Holy Ghost if there be no person on the earth
who has the authority to lay on hands in the name of the Lord Jesus to
confer that blessing, the same as the apostles did in ancient times?
How can I obey any institution that belongs to the Christian Church,
wherein authority is necessary, unless such authority be on the earth?
Consequently if they, in their zeal towards God, say that they have
the Gospel, I will admit it so far as the letter of the word is
concerned, but they have not the authority to administer its
ordinances, having lost it, because they have lost the power of
revelation, and the power of the Priesthood.
Well then, what are we to look for and expect? We are to look for the
Lord to restore it. In what manner? Just as he has predicted through
the mouths of his servants. If Joseph Smith had received the Book of
Mormon without the ministration of an angel, and pretended that it was
a revelation from God, every person acquainted with the Scriptures
would have known that he was an impostor. How would they have known
it? Because the Bible says that when the everlasting Gospel is
restored it shall be by sending another angel flying through the midst
of heaven, with the joyful message to be preached to all the
inhabitants of the earth, to all nations, kindreds, tongues and
people; therefore, if Joseph Smith had come pretending that no angel
had revealed this to him, but that he was inspired from on high to
bring forth the re cords called the Book of Mormon, we should have set
him down at once as one of the basest of impostors, because it would
have been contrary to the Scriptures.
Again, supposing that Joseph Smith had neglected to organize the
Church of Latter-day Saints according to the ancient pattern, leaving
out Apostles and inspired Prophets, as all the sects have done, all
sensible men who believe in the Bible would have been compelled to
come to the conclusion that in its organization this Church was
defective, and did not agree with the ancient pattern, and they might
have said—"You have no Prophets, you have no Apostles, and hence we
reject you Joseph Smith, and your Book of Mormon; for if you were an
inspired man, sent of God to raise up and establish his latter-day
Church and kingdom upon the earth, you would have among you inspired
Apostles and Prophets, and your Church would have agreed in all
respects with the ancient pattern." But although Joseph Smith was but
a farmer's boy, and had but a very limited education when the Lord
called him, we find nothing lacking in the organization of the Church,
we find that it agrees in every respect with the Church as organized
anciently by the Savior. God even told him the very day on which it
should be organized, and also named the various offices that should be
contained therein, and he also gave him revelation concerning the
names of the individuals who should be ordained, from time to time,
until there were twelve Apostles and until the Priesthood was restored
in all its branches. And when we compare the Gospel taught by this
young man we find that it agrees in every particular with the ancient
Gospel, as re corded in the New Testament. He preached faith in
the Lord Jesus Christ, just as the ancients did, also repentance of
all sins, as the ancients did; be baptized by immersion in water for
the remission of sins in the name of Jesus Christ, just as the
ancients did; God commanded him to lay hands upon those who believed,
repented and were baptized for the remission of their sins, that the
baptism of the Holy Ghost might be given to them, just as the ancients
did. God promised, in this last dispensation, that the Saints should
enjoy all the gifts enjoyed by his people in ancient days—that they
should lay hands upon the sick and they should recover; that in the
name of Jesus they should cast out devils, open the eyes of the blind,
unstop deaf ears, cause the lame to walk, and that through them, God
would show forth his power in this latter-day Church and kingdom as he
did in the former-day Church and kingdom. These promises were made to
the believers in our day; and moreover Joseph Smith declared that when
he obtained the plates of the Book of Mormon, it was by an angel
flying through the midst of heaven, who directed him by vision to the
place where these plates were deposited—the hill Cumorah in the State
of New York. He was also commanded of the Almighty to translate the
contents of these plates by the aid of the Urim and Thummim, which
were found deposited with the plates, and he translated them according
to God's command.
God raised up, before this Church was organized, three other witnesses
and they beheld an angel in his glory and power; they saw him descend
from the heavens, and heard his voice, and they heard the voice of the
Lord testify unto them that the translation by this young man, from
these plates, had been given by the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, and
they were commanded to bear record to all people, nations and tongues
to whom this work should be sent. In all of these respects, there is a
perfect correspondence between this latter-day work of God and the
Bible.
Now let us come to those passages of Scripture which I read at the
commencement of my discourse. The thirty-seventh chapter of Ezekiel
informs us that before God should restore the House of Israel to their
own lands he would bring forth the stick of Joseph, written upon for
Joseph, and put it with the stick of Judah, written upon for Judah,
and that he would make these two records one in his own hands; and
then, for fear the children of Israel would not understand what
Ezekiel meant by writing upon one stick for Joseph, the stick of
Ephraim, and then writing upon the second stick for Judah, he was
required to hold up these two sticks, after having joined them in one
before the children of Israel, and then says the Lord—"When the
children of thy people shall speak unto thee, saying, Wilt thou not
show us what thou meanest by these two sticks, written upon for these
two tribes, say unto them, thus saith the Lord God, Behold I will take
the stick of Ephraim, the stick of Joseph, and I will put it with the
stick of Judah, and they shall become one in mine hands; but the
sticks whereon thou writest shall be in thine hands before their
eyes;" showing that that which was in Ezekiel's hands was to typify
that which the Lord said should be in his own hands.
Now you see that this record of the tribe of Joseph, called the Book of Mormon, agrees in all its particulars, so far as doctrine
is concerned, with the record of the tribe of Judah; hence the
testimony of two nations should be a witness to all people, nations
and tongues respecting the truth of Christianity: and instead of doing
away with Christianity, the Book of Mormon—the record or stick of
Joseph, is an additional testimony to the great and important truths
contained in the Bible; it is a testimony against the corruptions that
have been introduced into the world under the name of Christianity.
Had we time we might refer you to many other prophecies that have been
given and written in the Jewish record concerning the coming forth of
the record of Joseph in the latter days, just prior to the gathering
of the House of Israel. The Christian world may use all the exertions
they are capable of, and spend all the money they please, to bring
about the gathering of the Jews in the land of Palestine, never to be
divided again, but they cannot accomplish it. Why? Because God has his
own way to fulfill and bring about his purposes, and they must be
accomplished as he has decreed in order that the prophecies may be
fulfilled. Read the 29th chapter of Isaiah. Nearly the whole chapter
speaks of future events, declaring how another book should come forth,
and that before it was translated the words of the book, not the book
itself, should be delivered to the learned, saying, "Read this, I pray
thee;" and he replied, that it was a sealed book, and he could not
read it. Then the book is delivered to him that is not learned, and he
is requested to read it, but he replies, "I am not learned." The next
passage says—"Forasmuch as this people" —the people to whom the book is
revealed—"draw near to me with their mouth, do honor me with their
lips, and their hearts are removed far from me, and the fear of the
Lord is taught to them by the precepts of men, behold I will proceed
to do a marvelous work, even a marvelous work and a wonder; the wisdom
of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent
men shall be hid."
All this was fulfilled when the Lord brought forth the Book of Mormon.
According to the prediction of Isaiah, a copy of some of the words or
characters on the plates was sent, by him who found them, to the city
of New York, and were presented to the learned for translation, but
they could not translate them. They were the inscriptions of the
ancient fathers of the Indians, and the learned knew nothing about
them; they were as a sealed book to them. Then the Lord commanded this
young man to translate the book, not by learning, but by inspiration,
and in that respect the wisdom of the wise and learned did perish, and
a marvelous work even a wonder was accomplished. In the same chapter
it says that, "in that day shall the deaf hear the words of the book."
What book? Answer, the book that was previously spoken of. "The eyes
of the blind shall see out of obscurity and darkness, the meek also
shall increase their joy in the Lord, and the poor among men shall
rejoice in the Holy One of Israel."
Would you like to know who it is who have settled this Territory, and
built up between one and two hundred towns and village's now existing
within its borders? It is the poor among men. The rich and great, the
highminded and noble have despised the work of the Lord; but the poor
among men, from many nations, have received the message and testimony
which God has re vealed by the ministration of an angel flying
through the midst of heaven. They have left their native countries,
and have gathered here, and here they are in the possession of a rich
country and they have been made to "rejoice in the Holy One of
Israel."
And then again, what does the Lord say about the gathering of Jacob,
when this book shall come forth? Read a little further on in the same
chapter and you will find these words—"Therefore thus saith the Lord,
who redeemed Abraham, concerning the house of Jacob. Jacob shall no
longer be made ashamed, neither shall his face wax pale, but when he
seeth his children, the work of my hands, in the midst of him, they
shall sanctify the Holy One of Jacob, and shall fear the God of
Israel." No longer be made ashamed! Why? Because the book that Isaiah
speaks of, that should come forth, should be the means of gathering
them and restoring them to their own land, and they should never
become two kingdoms and two nations any more at all. Inquires one—"Why
do you not go to the House of Israel, what have you Latter-day Saints
been doing for forty years past? Have you gathered Israel?" No, we
have not; if we had the Scriptures would not have been fulfilled. Why?
Because the times of the Gentiles must first be fulfilled, and
Jerusalem must be trodden down by them, until their times are
fulfilled. What do you mean by their times being fulfilled, and the
fullness of the Gentiles coming in? I mean just what the Lord means,
that this Gospel, which God sends by the ministration of "another
angel" from heaven, must be preached to all nations, kindreds, tongues
and people, to the Gentiles first; and when they get through with
them, it will go to Israel, for the times of the Gentiles will then be
fulfilled; in other words, when God shall speak to his servants, and
say unto them—"It is enough, you have been faithful in your ministry,
you have warned the nations, kindreds and tongues of the Gentiles
sufficiently, now I call you to a still greater work, and will give
you a new mission, not to go and preach to the Gentiles, but go to the
remnants of the House of Israel wherever they can be found, and let
your testimony be to them. Hunt them up from the four quarters of the
earth, gather them out with a mighty hand and with an outstretched
arm, and bring them back to their own land." When that time shall come
Israel will be gathered and not till then.
Inquires one—"How long will the Gospel still be preached to the
Gentiles?" I do not know; I can give you certain limits, but within
those limits I cannot decide. God told us in the early days of this
Church, by new revelation, that the times of the Gentiles would be
fulfilled in the generation then living upon the earth. Forth-three
years of that generation have already gone by. How many more years it
will be before their times are fulfilled I cannot tell; but I know the
day is not far distant when young men, now living in these mountains,
will be commissioned to go, not to the Gentiles, for their times will
be fulfilled, but the Lord will say to them—"Go forth and fish and
hunt up Israel in the four quarters of the earth. Go to the remnants
of Joseph that are in South America, and scattered over this vast
continent from the frozen regions of the north to Cape Horn in South
America; go and teach them the Gospel, for they are a remnant of the
tribe of Joseph: and his arm will be made bare in that day in such a manner that they will not reject the truth, and they will be
grafted in again into their own olive tree, and become a righteous
branch of the house of Israel.
That is the destiny of our Indian tribes. Many may yet suffer and
perish, but when the time of their tribulation is past, when the Lord
has rewarded unto them double for all the sins that were committed by
their ancient fathers in their apostasy, and when he has visited them
in judgment according to the prophecies that are contained in this
Book of Mormon, and the times of the Gentiles who now occupy this
land are fulfilled, then the Lord will make bare his arm, and he will
redeem these remnants of Israel, that they may inherit the blessings
promised to their ancient fathers.
I do not know that I have time to say anything more on this subject.
To those who are unacquainted with the vast amount of testimony in the
Scriptures in relation to this work, I say, read the ancient
prophecies, Isaiah especially; read the Psalms of David, those which
speak of the events which are to precede the second coming of Christ;
read the prophecy of Daniel, about the setting up of the latter-day
kingdom, whose beginning should be like a little stone cut out of the
mountains without hands, rolling forth and becoming a great mountain
and filling the whole earth, not like the destiny of the ancient
kingdom, to be destroyed out of the earth through apostasy. The
latter-day kingdom is to increase in greatness, power and glory, until
the kingdom and dominion under the whole heaven shall be given into
the hands of the Saints of the Most High, and the wicked shall be
entirely swept from the face of the earth. Read all these prophecies,
and when you have read and understood them, you will know what the
Latter-day Saints believe, and what are their views in relation to the
future. Amen.