As the time remaining is so short, I think I could not do better than
devote it to continuing the subject dwelt upon by Brother Cannon.
The Doctrine and Covenants, as well as the Book of Mormon, contains
indisputable evidence of the divine calling and mission of Joseph
Smith. For instance, I will refer the congregation to the revelation
given Dec. 25th, 1832, in relation to the great war of the Rebellion,
with which all are more or less familiar. A portion of that revelation
has been literally fulfilled, even to the very place indicated in the
prediction where the war should commence: which, as was therein
stated, was to terminate in the death and misery of many souls. Again,
in the revelation given in March, 1831, to Parley P. Pratt and Lemon
Copley, the following remarkable prediction is found:
"But before the great day of the Lord shall come, Jacob shall flourish
in the wilderness, and the Lamanites shall blossom as the rose. Zion
shall flourish upon the hills and rejoice upon the mountains, and
shall be assembled together unto the place which I have appointed."
Who, let me ask, unless he was inspired of the Lord, speaking by the
gift and power of God, at that remote period of the Church's history,
when our numbers were few, when we had no influence, name or standing
in the world—who, I would ask, under the circumstances in which we
were placed when this prediction was made, could have uttered such
words unless God inspired him? Zion is, indeed, flourishing on the
hills, and is rejoicing on the mountains, and we who compose it are
gathering and assembling together unto the place appointed. I now ask
this congregation if they cannot see that this prediction (which was
made many years before the idea prevailed at all among this people
that we should ever migrate and gather out to these mountain valleys),
has been and is being literally fulfilled? If there were no other
prophecy uttered by Joseph Smith, fulfillment of which could be
pointed to, this alone would be sufficient to entitle him to the claim of being a true Prophet.
Again, in the revelation given Feb. 24th, 1834, this remarkable
promise and prophecy is found:
"But verily I say unto you, I have decreed a decree which my
people shall realize, inasmuch as they hearken from this very hour
unto the counsel which I, the Lord their God, shall give unto them.
Behold they shall, for I have decreed it, begin to prevail against
mine enemies from this very hour. And by hearkening to observe all the
words which I, the Lord their God, shall speak unto them, they shall never
cease to prevail until the kingdoms of the world are subdued under my
feet, and the earth is given unto the saints, to possess it forever
and ever."
Is there a person within the sound of my voice, or anywhere else upon
the face of the wide earth, who can say that this promise has failed,
that this prediction is not founded in truth, that so far it has not
been fulfilled? I stand before this vast congregation, and am at the
defiance of any human being to say, that this was not pronounced by
the spirit of truth, by the inspiration of the Almighty, for it has
been fulfilled, and is being fulfilled, and that, too, in the face of
opposition of the most deadly character: and what remains will be
fulfilled literally and completely. And it is the fear in the heart of
Satan that this will be the case, that causes him to stir up his
emissaries to oppose the Kingdom of God and seek, if possible, to
destroy this great and glorious work. For it is a living fact, a fact
that fills the hearts of the righteous and Godfearing with
unspeakable joy and the hearts of the wicked and ungodly with
consternation and jealous fear, that this work of God, this work of
re demption and salvation in which we are engaged, is moving forward
and is destined to continue in its onward march until the kingdoms of
the world shall be subdued and brought under the law of Almighty God.
And that this will come to pass, I can assure you, the enemy of all
righteousness comprehends as well as we do. Yes, he knows that this
will eventually be the case, better than many who profess to have
received the Holy Spirit in their hearts; and, therefore, he is
diligently seeking to stir up the hearts of the wicked to fight
against the Saints of God, until they are discomfited, and Zion is
free.
These predictions concerning the triumph of the cause of God over
wickedness, and the triumph of the Saints of God over the wicked who
contend against them, were uttered by Joseph Smith in his youth, in
the early rise of the Church when, to all human appearance, their
fulfillment was absolutely impossible. At that time there were but few
who could believe, that dared to believe the truth of these
predictions. The few, comparatively, that did believe when they heard,
were those whose minds had been enlightened by the Holy Spirit of
promise and who, therefore, were prepared to receive them. As these
predictions have been fulfilled, so those not yet fulfilled will come
to pass in the due time of the Lord; and as this latter-day work has
so far grown and assumed force and power in the earth, so it will
continue to do, and there is no power beneath the Celestial Kingdom
that can prevent its growth, or the consummation of all that has been
predicted concerning it.
I do not wonder that the enemies of righteousness are stirred up about
this matter. I am not surprised that the wicked rage and the
heathen imagine a vain thing. I am not astonished when certain men get
mad, or that their souls are vexed within them, that their minds are
perplexed, and that they feel wrought up with anger against a people
who have never injured them or theirs. One thing I am surprised about
in relation to this matter is, that the Latter-day Saints themselves
should not be as strongly aroused in the interest of the Kingdom of
God, as the enemies of truth are against it. When I contemplate the
situation as it is presented to my mind, I am astonished that so many
of the Latter-day Saints should be so indifferent and neglectful of
duty that they cannot, apparently, appreciate the importance of living
their religion. I am surprised that there should be any necessity for
reformation among the Latter-day Saints, that is, if I should be
surprised at all; though surprised is not the appropriate word to use,
the word grieved, perhaps, might be used with greater propriety in
this sense. If I would allow myself to indulge in a feeling of sorrow,
I might indeed feel grieved that any of us should find ourselves in a
condition to require reform in our lives. It certainly cannot be in
consequence of the lack of evidences of the divinity of the work in
which we are engaged, as there are so many such evidences transpiring
every day in our experience; in fact the whole spectacle of this
latter-day work is overwhelming in undeniable proof to the people of
God, at least, that it is His work; while the whole world, on the
contrary, are arrayed against it, because they cannot see the light.
You who have obeyed the requirements of the everlasting Gospel, and
have been chosen out of the world, having received the gift of the
Holy Ghost, through the laying on of hands, it is your privilege to
receive the witness of the Spirit for yourselves; it is your privilege
to discern the mind and will of the Father respecting your own
welfare, and respecting the final triumph of the work of God. Why,
then, should we be told that "Mormonism" is true? Why should we need
any further proof that Joseph Smith was a true Prophet, or that his
predictions are being fulfilled? Why should it be necessary to prove
that the word of God has come to the world through him, and that that
word is indisputable, that the world cannot gainsay it? The doctrines
and revelations believed in by the Latter-day Saints have now been
before the world for 54 years, and during that time what the world has
been pleased to call "Mormonism" has been to them an unsolved problem.
The sound of the Book of Mormon has rung in the ears of the civilized
world since the year 1830, when it was published, and the report of it
had gone forth and was being agitated some time before that; and
during the 54 years that that book has been made public to the world,
there has been no stone unturned by the most learned men of the age to
disprove it, and make it appear a delusion and imposition. In this,
however, they have signally failed, not being able to produce a single
argument that cannot be successfully met by even the boys of this
community. This may seem a broad assertion, but it is nevertheless
true. Our Elders have been sent out as missionaries to the different
nations now for the last 50 years, during which time they have
testified to the truth of the Book of Mormon, and have invited
investigation of its pages. And although many in their day and time
have arisen either to ridicule or disprove the truths it contains, their efforts have been futile, resulting only in their own
dismay. It cannot be disproved, for it is true. There is not a word or
doctrine, of admonition, of instruction within its lids, but what
agrees in sentiment and veracity with those of Christ and His
Apostles, as contained in the Bible. Neither is there a word of
counsel, of admonition or reproof within its lids, but what is
calculated to make a bad man a good man, and a good man a better man,
if he will hearken to it. It bears the mark of inspiration from
beginning to end, and carries conviction to every honest-hearted soul.
And because the Book of Mormon is a true and authentic record of a
people who once lived and flourished on this American continent—and
because God Himself has undertaken, through us, His weak and erring
children, to establish His rule and government on the earth in answer
to the prayers of His Saints, ancient and modern, and according to the
counsels of His own will—because it is verily so, devils rage and the
willfully wicked are angered and seek the life and liberties of the
Saints, and the destruction of the work of the Lord; but in the name
of Israel's God, they never will be able to accomplish their purposes
against us. As I have often said, so I repeat, the best time the world
ever saw, or ever will see, to destroy "Mormonism," was on the 6th day
of April, 1830. But they did not do it then, and so they let the
opportunity slip: and have ever since been blindly struggling in the
hope of doing something towards it. But the more they struggle, the
wider of the mark their efforts will be. This is my testimony. If I
had the power, and was called upon to do it, I would go to the ends of
the earth and would lift up my voice in testimony of this fact to
every nation, tongue and people, for I know that it is true.
Before I close I want to say a word to our young men who are called as
missionaries. When a man is called to go on a mission, and a field of
labor is assigned him, he should, I think, say in his heart, not my
will be done, but thine, O Lord. We find it a little difficult
sometimes to get the right men to go to certain distant lands to
preach the Gospel. It is sometimes thought, especially among our young
Elders, that Great Britain is the finest field of labor in the world; and,
consequently, they want to go there. They do not like to go to the
Southern States; they do not much fancy the Northern States; they do
not care to go to New Zealand, or to the Sandwich Islands. When we
call men to go to Great Britain, it is gratifying for them to respond
cheerfully to the call; and when we call others to go to the Northern
States, to New Zealand, or to the Sandwich Islands, we do not want any
to come and say, they want their field of labor changed to England. We
expect every man to be on hand to go wherever he may be called, and
then he may expect the blessing of the Lord to attend him in his
labors. I have been thankful only once since I went to the Sandwich
Islands on my first mission, and that has been ever since.
Soon after I was sent, there was a very bright, intelligent man called
to go to the Islands, and it was one of the causes of his apostasy.
"What," said he, "send me, a linguist, a man well read, an educated
man, and an Englishman at that, to preach to heathens?" He felt that
he was not looked upon with that consideration and respect that his
scholarly attainments commanded; he felt that he was
slighted; and apostatized, and returned to his native land, where he
wrote a book against us, and has since died. When Brother George Q.
Cannon was called to go to the Islands, he had no such feelings. He
learned the language, and translated the Book of Mormon into the
Hawaiian language. He performed a glorious mission, and is now one of
the First Presidency of the Church. And singular as it may appear, out
of the number of Elders that have been on missions to the Sandwich
Islands, I can count more Apostles, more Presidents of Stakes,
Bishops, and leading men, than can be found in the same number that
have gone to any other country. Why is this? Perhaps it is because
they manifested their willingness to descend below all things, that
they might rise above all things. If a man in this Church would be
exalted, let him humble himself; and he that would exalt himself, God
will abase.
God bless Israel, and pour out His Spirit upon the household of faith,
and strengthen us to do the labors required of us, in the name of
Jesus. Amen.
- Joseph F. Smith