,andy ,hobbs        ,,the ,,restoration 
,,of ,,the ,,gospel   ,,by ,,osborne ,j4
 ,p4 ,,widtsoe1 ,a4 ,m4  ,principal of  
the ,latter-day ,saints' ,high ,school  
,salt ,lake ,city1 ,utah   ,,an         
,,introduction ,,by ,,joseph ,f4        
,,smith1 ,,jr4  ,of the ,quorum of      
,twelve ,apostles   ,,salt ,,lake       
,,city1 ,,utah  #aiab   ,,to ,,my ,,dear
 ,,mother1 ,,who ,,led ,,me ,,to ,,the  
,,land ,,of ,,the ,,restoration1 ,,this 
,,book ,,is ,,affectionately            
,,dedicated4    ,,foreword4  ,the       
following chapters on the subject of the
 ,restoration are the outcome of an     
invitation to write1 during the winter  
of #aiaj-aa1 a series of lessons for the
 ,young ,ladies' ,mutual ,improvement   
,association4 ,chapters two to nineteen1
 inclusive1 were written for the        
,association and were printed1          
substantially as they appear in this    
book1 in the ,young ,woman's ,journal4  
,chapters one1 twenty1 twenty-one and   
twenty-three1 were prepared especially  

for this volume4 ,chapter twenty-two    
appeared as an independent article in   
the ,improvement ,era some years ago4   
,the brief treatment of the ,restoration
 of the ,gospel herewith presented to   
the public is not intended to be in any 
wise a history of the ,church of ,jesus 
,christ of ,latter-day ,saints4 ,it is  
at most a story of the ,restoration4 ,it
 presumes at the outset that something  
has been restored4 ,it relates how this 
something was restored4 ,every          
missionary of the ,church of ,jesus     
,christ of ,latter-day ,saints has met  
these two questions when he has preached
 abroad the ,gospel of the              
,restoration3--,what was restored8 ,how 
was it restored8 ,these two questions   
the following chapters attempt to answer
 in part4 ,they consider the actual     
restoring of the necessary priesthood   
and authorities to officiate for ,god1  
in ,god's stead2 they consider the      
organizing of the ,church1 of the       
quorums of the priesthood1 of the       

auxiliary associations1 and of community
 and family life4 ,indeed1 these        
chapters are essentially the story of   
the restoration of divine authority and 
correct organization4 ,with these things
 restored1 it became necessary to set   
the world right in its knowledge of     
,god1 and in its conception of the      
duties of man1 and his relationship to  
the kingdom of ,god4 ,but these         
questions concern another phase of the  
story of the restoration and must be    
left to a later book4  ,it is with      
pleasure that ,i acknowledge here my    
grateful appreciation of the            
encouragement and assistance given me by
 my friends4 ,the ,general ,board of the
 ,young ,ladies' ,mutual ,improvement   
,associations and the ,guide ,committee 
read the original manuscript4 ,elders   
,rulon ,s4 ,wells and ,joseph ,w4       
,mc,murrin1 the ,journal ,committee     
appointed by the ,first ,presidency1    
also read and criticized the original   
manuscript4 ,finally1 ,elders ,charles  

,w4 ,penrose1 ,george ,f4 ,richards1 and
 ,joseph ,f4 ,smith1 ,jr41 read1 by     
appointment of the ,first ,presidency1  
the complete manuscript as it was       
prepared to appear in book form4 ,i wish
 to thank all these brethren and sisters
 for their generous assistance and      
invaluable suggestions4 ,but while these
 committees have read the manuscript and
 have passed favorable judgment upon it1
 it must be remembered that the author  
alone is responsible for all errors here
 to be found4 ,finally1 ,i wish publicly
 to acknowledge my gratitude to my      
brother4 ,dr4 ,john ,a4 ,widtsoe1 and to
 my mother1 ,mrs4 ,anna ,k4 ,widtsoe1   
for much valuable help2 and to my wife  
for her untiring devotion and zeal in   
reading and correcting and perfecting4  
,were it not for the encouragement of   
these many friends1 ,i should not dare  
venture to put forth the following      
chapters in book form4  ,o4 ,j4 ,p4 ,w4 
,salt ,lake1 ,utah4 ,jan4 #ba1 #aiab4   
,,contents4  ,foreword  ,introduction   

,i4 ,a ,religious ,revival  ,,ii4 ,a    
,vision of the ,father and the ,son     
,,iii4 ,seven ,marks of the ,great      
,apostasy  ,,iv4 ,the ,restoration      
,predicted  ,v4 ,an ,angel ,flying      
,,vi4 ,hidden ,gospel ,records  ,,vii4  
,the ,lesser ,priesthood  ,,viii4 ,the  
,higher ,priesthood  ,,ix4 ,the ,church 
of ,jesus ,christ  ,x4 ,the ,gospel     
,ordinances  ,,xi4 ,the ,plan of        
,government  ,,xii4 ,the ,spiritual     
,gifts  ,,xiii4 ,sacred ,writings of    
,old  ,,xiv4 ,a ,sacred ,book of ,today 
,,xv4 ,the ,keys of ,gathering  ,,xvi4  
,the ,fathers and the ,children  ,,xvii4
 ,the ,gospel ,brotherhood  ,,xviii4 ,a 
,new and ,everlasting ,covenant  ,,xix4 
,the ,vision of ,glories  ,,xx4 ,in the 
,mouths of ,witnesses  ,,xxi4 ,further  
,witnesses to the ,restoration  ,,xxii4 
,the ,test of ,section ,sixty-seven     
,,xxiii4 ,the ,testimony of the         
,martyrdom    ,,introduction4  ,was     
there any need during the early part of 
the nineteenth century of the ,christian

 era for a restoration of the ,gospel8  
,was there at that time any need for a  
re-establishment of the ,church of      
,jesus ,christ8 ,these are vital        
questions that mean everything to the   
people of the world4 ,if the ,gospel1 as
 it was established by the ,son of ,god1
 remained on the earth from that day    
until the present1 there was no         
necessity for1 and there could not have 
been1 a restoration4 ,if the ,church of 
,jesus ,christ remained on the earth    
intact from the days of the ,savior's   
ministry when ,he commissioned ,his     
,apostles and sent them into all the    
world to preach the ,gospel1 until the  
present day1 it could not have been     
reestablished4 ,if the ,church did      
remain1 undefiled--the guardian and     
advocate of the ,gospel--then there was 
no need of the so-called reformation of 
the middle ages4 ,if the ,church was    
taken away from the earth1 and the      
,gospel replaced by another which was a 
perverted1 defiled1 and man-made system1

 nothing short of a restoration would   
bring back to mankind that which was    
lost4 ,protestantism and the reformation
 did not and could not remedy the evil4 
,that there was a need of a restoration 
of the ,gospel and a re-establishment of
 the ,church1 with the accompanying     
,priesthood and power1 is attested both 
by the pages of history and the         
doctrines and practices of the religious
 world2 for these things point          
unmistakably to the fact of a universal 
departure from the ,gospel and the      
,church established by the ,redeemer4   
,that such a condition would be1 was    
clearly pointed out by many of the      
ancient prophets1 who also foretold the 
restoration that should take place      
previous to the second coming of the    
,son of ,god4 ,how any intelligent      
person can read and reflect upon the    
many events that have taken place since 
the days of the establishment of the    
,church by our ,lord1 to the present    
time1 and not fully realize that there  

was a universal departure from the true 
faith1 is a mystery4 ,the strife1       
bloodshed1 murders1 bigotry and         
superstition1 that prevailed in the name
 of the ,christian religion1 point      
conclusively to a departure from the    
faith4 ,the pomp1 the pride1 the        
improper exercise of authority1 the     
changed ordinances and the weaving of   
pagan philosophy into the religion of   
the people1 the creation of new offices 
in the ministry1 and a thousand and one 
other things in the practices and       
worship of those who professed to be    
followers of the ,lord1 prove beyond    
reasonable question1 the departure from 
the ,gospel that has been established by
 our ,savior in the days of his         
,apostles1 and the absolute necessity of
 a restoration4  ,for many ages         
following the departure from the ,gospel
 as it was introduced by the ,author of 
our ,salvation1 the world was under the 
bondage of sin4 ,all mankind1 both      
clergy and laity1 were united in the    

fallacious belief that the canon of     
scripture was full and complete2 and1   
notwithstanding the predictions of those
 scriptures to the contrary1 had        
declared that there was to be no more   
revelation1 neither ministering of      
angels nor other heavenly manifestation 
of divine will4 ,such things1 said they1
 were no longer needed and had been done
 away4 ,the people1 surrounded by       
spiritual darkness1 were dependent upon 
the dead letter or the written word1 as 
that word was interpreted by            
man-appointed and worldly-taught        
priests4 ,men who denied the authority  
and power of the holy ,priesthood had   
taken honor unto themselves1 changing   
the law and ordinances to suit their own
 convenience4 ,there was no vision1 and 
the people were perishing because none  
were sent with authority to teach them  
the order of heavenly things4 ,the ,holy
 ,spirit that was promised the true     
disciples by the ,lord1 as a guide into 
all truth and which should show them    

things to come1 and would testify of the
 ,father and the ,son1 had been         
withdrawn from mankind because of       
iniquity and transgression4 ,spiritual  
darkness was supreme4 ,pernicious       
superstitions and false traditions      
possessed the hearts of the people4 ,for
 a long time1 principally during the    
dark ages1 individuals were forbidden   
even on pain of death1 the sacred and   
divine right of free thought and action4
 ,they were even denied their inherent  
right to approach the throne of grace1  
read the scriptures1 or give vent to    
their heartfelt desires before the ,lord
 in any manner not approved by the      
ruling power that had fettered all men  
with its chains4 ,the least expression  
of free thought1 of suspicion1 of       
heretical belief1 even if it was without
 foundation in fact1 was sufficient to  
commit the offending person to the      
torture of the rack or perchance the    
burning stake4 ,thousands upon thousands
 died martyrs at the hands of bigotry   

and superstition1 wrongfully in the name
 of the ,christian faith4 ,secret and   
individual prayers offered in a way not 
prescribed by the priests of religion   
who controlled absolutely in such       
things1 were considered a menace to the 
welfare of the ,church4 ,for there was a
 church2 one of great wealth and        
splendor that held sway over all the    
,christian world4 ,rulers of powerful   
nations paid homage to it1 and at times 
were publicly humiliated by its head    
whom they had angered1 for by him kings 
were made or dethroned at will1 so great
 was his worldly power4 ,but this church
 was without divine authority4 ,it had  
no divinely appointed ,priesthood4 ,its 
doctrines were perverted1 and before it 
the people bowed in submission in fear  
and trembling4  ,this awful state of    
affairs brought about the reformation1  
when the ,lord raised up courageous men 
to shatter these fetters of bondage1    
that freedom might be given to the      
people and the way prepared in part for 

the re-establishment of truth1 when the 
proper time should come4 ,but ,luther   
and the other reformers were without the
 power and authority to act in the name 
of the ,lord4 ,they1 themselves1        
interpreting the scriptures according to
 their human understandings1 fell into  
many grievous errors and established    
conflicting creeds until the world was  
filled with churches and with priests   
who drew near to the ,lord with their   
lips1 but were far removed from ,him in 
their practices4  ,this was the         
condition of the religious world early  
in the nineteenth century when the ,lord
 revealed ,himself to the youthful      
prophet1 ,joseph ,smith4  ,joseph ,smith
 did not come into the world merely as a
 reformer of false religious forms and  
practices4 ,he came in fulfilment of    
prophecy1 as a restorer of the true     
faith and worship of the ,master1 and to
 prepare the way before ,his second     
coming4 ,he came to usher in the        
glorious dispensation of the ,fulness of

 ,times2 that dispensation of the       
,gospel spoken of by the prophets of old
 as the time of restitution of all      
things4 ,the time1 as ,paul said to the 
,ephesian ,saints1 when ,he the ,lord   
might gather together in one all things 
in ,christ both which are in heaven and 
which are on earth even in ,him4 ,he    
came to organize the ,church with the   
same officers1 power1 gifts and         
blessings that it possessed in the      
primitive days4 ,he came to prepare the 
way for the millennial reign of         
universal peace by establishing anew the
 ,holy ,priesthood with all its offices 
and powers--that authority by which men 
officiate in the name of the ,lord and  
their acts are valid in the heavens4    
,for1 unlike the reformers1 he was duly 
commissioned with this authority which  
he received under the hands of heavenly 
messengers who rightfully held it and   
were sent to bestow it upon his head4   
,like the ancient prophets1 he had the  
right to point out flagrant and         

persistent errors in the doctrines of   
the churches1 and the power to teach    
them the true form of worship4 ,he was  
commanded of the ,lord and commissioned 
to preach the ,gospel and baptize the   
repentant believer for the remission of 
his sins4 ,he came as a new witness for 
the ,father and the ,son1 and testified 
afresh to all the world that ,jesus was 
the ,christ1 the only begotten ,son of  
the eternal ,father1 who came to redeem 
the world from sin4 ,for he beheld the  
,father and the ,son1 and was commanded 
to bear witness that they live4 ,he     
shattered the notion which universally  
prevailed that the ,father1 the ,son and
 the ,holy ,ghost1 constitute one being1
 without body1 parts or passions4 ,he   
taught man that he was formed in the    
image of the ,father1 and that the      
,father and the ,son were personages    
with bodies that were as tangible as    
man's4 ,he destroyed the falsehood that 
little children were not redeemed       
through the blood of ,christ without    

baptism and went to eternal torment if  
they died without being christened by a 
minister4 ,he taught the world that     
infants were without sin4 ,he taught    
that baptism was for the remission of   
sins and was immersion in water1 and to 
be valid must be performed by one who   
was properly commissioned to administer 
that sacred ordinance4 ,he overthrew the
 prevalent belief that sprinkling or    
pouring of water on the head was        
recognized by the ,lord as baptism4 ,he 
taught that a man could not be saved    
without repentance--that confession of  
belief in the ,savior was not enough to 
save him4 ,he1 with others1 received the
 keys of authority held by all the      
ancient prophets in their various       
dispensations1 by the laying on of their
 hands1 in fulfillment of the promise   
that there should be a restoration of   
all things4 ,among these prophets of old
 who came to him was ,elijah1 who       
committed unto him the keys of his      
dispensation as spoken of by ,malachi1  

to turn the hearts of the fathers to the
 children1 and the hearts of the        
children to their fathers1 lest the     
whole earth be smitten with a curse at  
the coming of the great and dreadful day
 of the ,lord4 ,thus was introduced into
 the world again the doctrine of        
universal salvation--the doctrine that  
the dead also may hear the truth and be 
redeemed from sin on condition of their 
repentance and acceptance of the        
ordinances performed by the living in   
their behalf4 ,he taught the eternity of
 the marriage covenant1 and the         
perpetual union of the family in the    
,celestial ,kingdom of our ,father1 when
 the contracting parties are sealed by  
the spirit of promise by one holding the
 divine authority to officiate in these 
sacred ordinances4 ,he taught the       
literal gathering of ,israel and the    
restoration of a remnant of the ,jews to
 their promised land and the rebuilding 
of ,jerusalem as a holy city4 ,he gave  
to the world the ,book of ,mormon1 a    

sacred history of the ancient           
inhabitants of ,america1 which contains 
the everlasting ,gospel as it was taught
 to them4 ,he overturned the            
long-cherished error that the heavens   
were as brass and no more revelation was
 to be received from on high4 ,many     
other marvelous truths he taught to     
mankind as he received them through     
divine revelation1 correcting false     
beliefs and placing again in the reach  
of the people the means of escape from  
their sins and the judgment to come on  
condition of their repentance4 ,great   
was the work that he performed under the
 direction and inspiration of the ,lord 
who commissioned him and ordained him to
 stand at the head of the ,dispensation 
of the ,fullness of ,times1 holding the 
keys of power and authority on the earth
 to officiate in ,jesus' name4  ,he     
should have been heralded by all the    
world as its greatest benefactor since  
the days that redemption was made by the
 ,son of ,god4 ,for he did more for the 

salvation of men in this world than any 
other man1 save ,jesus only4 ,yet he was
 reviled1 persecuted1 and finally       
martyred by wicked men and sealed his   
testimony with his blood which testament
 is of force and will stand against all 
who reject his message1 at the last day 
at the judgment bar of ,god4            
,notwithstanding the opposition that was
 made against him and his work and the  
persecution he received from bigoted    
men1 his teachings and the work that he 
accomplished still live and are         
triumphant over every opposition and    
attack that has been made against them4 
,it must be so1 for it is the truth from
 heaven that he established1 and it will
 prevail and flourish until it conquers 
all things and fills the earth to the   
universal praise and glory of the       
,father4  ,this book1 prepared by ,elder
 ,osborne ,j4 ,p4 ,widtsoe1 dealing with
 the important subject of the           
restoration of the everlasting ,gospel1 
should be read and its contents         

carefully considered by those who are   
seeking after truth4 ,it treats the     
restoration clearly1 and places before  
the people many things that have not    
been generally considered heretofore4   
,it will be a means of strengthening the
 faith of the youth of ,israel and will 
impart information that is invaluable4  
,may the spirit of truth accompany the  
work and rest upon all those who        
diligently read it with a desire to     
learn of and profit by the restoration  
of the ,gospel6  ,joseph ,f4 ,smith1    
,jr4    ,the ,restoration of the ,gospel
    ,i4  ,a ,,religious ,,revival4  ,the
 ,smiths little thought when they moved 
in #ahah to the township of ,manchester1
 that their name would soon become known
 for good or for ill the world over4    
,the years before had been years of     
honor and distinction in the community  
where they had lived4 ,robert           
,smith--the first of the family in      
,america--had emigrated from ,england in
 the year #afch2 and for four           

generations his posterity lived in the  
little town of ,topsfield1,a            
,massachusetts4 ,they tilled the soil   
with faithfulness and prospered1 and    
were respected by their neighbors4 ,all 
of them were patriots1 devoted to the   
cause of ,american liberty2 some of them
 served with courage and distinction in 
the great ,war of ,independence4 ,but   
when the war was over1 they retired to  
their farms--to their daily1 honorable  
toil4 ,the head of the ,smith family in 
#ahah was born in ,topsfield1 too1 in   
the year #agga4 ,when a young man1      
however1 he moved with his father to    
,tunbridge1 ,vermont4 ,there1 young     
,smith acquired a farm of his own1 and  
married4 ,there1 through the trickery of
 his associates in a commercial         
enterprise1 he failed4 ,but he paid     
honestly every debt4 ,he sold his farm2 
he sold his horses and his cattle2 he   
sold all that he had1 and set out       
empty-handed for ,palmyra1 ,new ,york1  
to start life anew4 ,two hundred acres  

of forest land he cleared and put under 
cultivation4 ,then1 in common with many 
others who were pioneering in ,new      
,york1 ,smith lost the newly broken farm
 because he could not meet the final    
payment4 ,nothing daunted1 however1 ,mr4
 ,smith moved with his family to        
,manchester township4 ,there he secured 
a comfortable farm of sixteen acres1 and
 prepared to continue the quiet life of 
honest toil and prosperity that had     
characterized his family since ,robert  
,smith first set foot on ,american soil4
 ,there was nothing about the ,smiths in
 #ahah to indicate that their name would
 ever become known beyond their         
immediate neighborhood4  ,footnote ,a3  
,robert ,smith purchased two hundred    
eighty acres of land partly in ,boxford 
township1 partly in ,topsfield4 ,for    
this reason he was called ,robert ,smith
 of ,boxford4  ,in the spring of #ahbj1 
however1 ,manchester1 with other parts  
of western ,new ,york1 was swept by a   
wave of religious revival4 ,religious   

revivals were not uncommon in the       
century that is past4 ,the people of the
 ,christian world were then more        
susceptible to religious emotion than   
they are today4 ,those of the ,american 
frontier were especially very generally 
devoted to the cause of religion4 ,they 
read the ,bible prayerfully1 and they   
attended to the worship of ,god on the  
,sabbath day4 ,but they did not1 of     
course1 understand perfectly the ,gospel
 of the ,lord ,jesus4 ,disputes arose   
often among them--disputes on questions 
of doctrine between the votaries of the 
various denominational sects4 ,for then1
 as now1 there existed an unauthorized  
number of differing creeds4 ,and these  
disputes led often to unfortunate       
defections4 ,truly1 the house of ,god   
should not be a house of turmoil2 when  
strife and confusion arose1 it is no    
wonder that many1 who looked for peace  
and order1 should become indifferent to 
the affairs the ,church4 ,when there was
 but one accepted ,christian church1 and

 that one universal in its authority1 it
 was still sufficiently difficult to    
secure faithful observance of church    
ritual4 ,when the ,christian world      
became broken into hundreds of          
contending sects--and no one of them    
nearly universal in its authority--it   
became measurably more difficult to hold
 the religious interest of the people4  
,it was1 then1 when there occurred a    
kind of apostasy from spiritual things  
that religious revivals were held such  
as that which came to ,manchester in the
 spring of #ahbj4  ,the revival movement
 of that year seems to have originated  
with the ,methodists in the winter of   
#ahai4 ,rapidly1 however1 it spread from
 sect to sect1 and from village to      
village1 until every denomination in    
western ,new ,york was affected by it4  
,the ministers--most prominent among    
whom were the ,reverend ,mr4 ,stockton  
of the ,presbyterian church and the     
,reverend ,mr4 ,lane of the ,methodist  
church--united in the effort to bring   

about a spiritual awakening4 ,they did  
what lay in their power to do to inspire
 religious enthusiasm4 ,they professed  
that they cared not with what sect a man
 might later ally himself1 so only he   
got religion and became converted4      
,thus1 the ,methodists1 the             
,presbyterians1 the ,baptists1 and all  
other denominations there represented1  
seemed to co-operate unitedly1 and in   
love1 to bring about the greatest good  
for the people concerned4  ,and the     
people responded encouragingly to the   
efforts of the ministerial body4 ,those 
who lived in the cities attended the    
revival meetings in throngs2 those who  
lived far away flocked to the larger    
centers to take part in the spiritual   
awakening4 ,the leaders preached        
eloquent1 emotional sermons4 ,they      
marshaled their arguments with masterly 
skill4 ,they wrought upon the fears of  
the people till they became stirred to  
the very depths of their souls4 ,often  
these revival meetings were productive  

of marvelous manifestations4 ,the great 
revival of ,kentucky1 in #ahjj1 seems to
 have been in a way the beginning and   
inspiration of a long series of revivals
 in following years4 ,the meetings held 
there were typical of the revival in    
general2 we turn to descriptions of them
 to learn how they were conducted1 and  
how they were characterized4 ,professor 
,j4 ,b4 ,turner of ,illinois ,college   
says1 ,the people were accustomed to    
assemble1 sometimes to the number of ten
 or twelve thousand1 and they often     
continued together1 in devotional       
exercises1 for several days and nights4 
,here the people were sometimes seized  
with general tremor1 the pulse grew     
weaker1 their breathing difficult1 and1 
at long intervals1 their hands and feet 
became cold1 and finally they fell1 and 
both pulse and breath1 and all symptoms 
of life forsook them for nearly an hour1
 during which time they suffered no     
pain1 and were perfectly conscious of   
their condition and knew what was       

passing around them4  ,at one time      
during service1 several shrieks were    
uttered1 and people fell in all         
directions4 ,not less than one thousand 
fell at one meeting4 ,their outward     
expressions of devotion consisted in    
alternate singing1 crying1 laughing1    
shouting1 and every variety of violent  
motion1 of which the muscular system is 
capable4 ,these violent motions they    
soon became unable to resist4 ,they were
 violently thrown upon the ground by the
 convulsions1 where their motions       
'resembled those of a fish upon land4'  
,this disease lasted through several    
years1 in some cases1 and propagated    
itself by sympathetic imitation1 from   
one to another1,b with astonishing      
rapidity2 in crowds1 and often in small 
assemblies4,c  ,footnote ,b3 ,the       
italics are the present writer's4       
,footnote ,c3 ,turner1 ,mormonism in    
,all ,ages 7#ahdb71 pp4 #bgb1bgc4       
,another professor1 writing of the same 
remarkable phenomena1 says1 ,it happened

 that in the summer of #agii two ,mc,gee
 brothers1 ,william1 a ,presbyterian1   
and ,john1 a ,methodist1 when crossing  
the pine barrens in ,ohio1 determined to
 turn aside and visit a sacramental     
solemnity at ,red ,river4 99 99 99      
,several preachers spoke4 ,first ,john  
,mc,gee1 the ,methodist1 and never1 as  
he says himself1 did he preach with more
 light and liberty4 ,then his           
,presbyterian brother and the ,rev4 ,mr4
 ,hodge spoke with much animation and   
power4 ,while the latter was            
discoursing1 a woman in the east end of 
the house1 unable to repress the        
violence of her emotions1 gave vent to  
them with shoutings loud and long4 ,at  
the close of the sermon the other       
ministers went out1 but the two ,mc,gees
 and the people seemed loath to depart4 
',william felt such a power come over   
him that he quit his seat and sat down  
on the floor of the pulpit1 ,i suppose  
not knowing what he did4 ,a power which 
caused me to tremble was upon me4 ,there

 was a solemn weeping all over the      
house4 ,at length ,i rose up and        
exhorted them to let the ,lord ,god     
,omnipotent reign in their hearts1 and  
submit to ,him1 and their souls should  
live4 ,many broke silence4 ,the woman in
 the east end of the house shouted      
tremendously4 ,i left the pulpit and    
went through the audience shouting and  
exhorting with all possible ecstasy and 
energy1 and the floor was soon covered  
with the slain4' 99 99 99 ,upon the     
return home1 they rushed into the arms  
of their friends1 shouting and telling  
what wonderful things ,god had done for 
their souls4,d  ,footnote ,d3           
,davenport1 ,primitive ,traits in       
,religious ,revivals1 pp4 #fi1          
#gj--,resume of a letter written by     
,john ,mc,gee4  ,it was such a revival  
movement as this that came to ,palmyra  
and ,manchester in #ahbj4 ,the          
seriousness began at ,palmyra1 we are   
told4 ,the youth and children seem to be
 roused up to enquire1 ,what must we do 

to be saved8 ,a few drops from the cloud
 of glory have fallen upon ,pittstown4  
,there is uncommon attention to public  
worship in ,canandaigua4 ,it has been   
difficult during the winter to get      
places large enough to accommodate1 or  
even contain the people4 ,the           
countenance of many show how anxious    
their minds are to know how they may    
flee from the wrath to come4,e          
,footnote ,e3 ,j4 ,h4 ,hotchkin1 ,a     
,history of the ,purchase and           
,settlement of ,western ,new ,york1 pp4 
#cf1 #cg4  ,and thus the revival        
progressed from day to day1 the         
ministers working harmoniously together 
in the common purpose of waking the     
spiritual interests of the people4      
,when1 however1 the time came for those 
who had experienced religion to profess 
their party allegiance1 it became       
apparent that the seeming good-will     
between the sects did not extend below  
the surface4 ,the ministers began then  
to contend one with another4 ,the noise 

and confusion of the sometimes fanatic  
gospel meetings had been great2 but the 
confusion that followed now was greater 
and of a more serious kind4 ,standing in
 their tent-doors1 as it were1 the      
ministers cried to the sorely perplexed 
new converts1 ,lo1 here is ,christ6 ,lo1
 here4 ,the ,reverend ,mr4 ,stockton 99 
99 99 insisted that the work done was   
largely ,presbyterian work as he had    
been a dominating influence in the      
movement1 and presided at the meetings4 
,the ,reverend ,mr4 ,lane of the        
,methodist church preached a sermon on  
the subject1 ',what ,church ,shall ,i   
,join8' ,he quoted the golden text of   
,james1 ',if any of you lack wisdom1 let
 him ask of ,god1 that giveth to all men
 liberally1 and upbraideth not2 and it  
shall be given him4',f ,and to the      
confusion of the scene was added        
bitterness2 for1 not only did the newly 
converted not know with what church to  
associate themselves1 but the           
pseudoministers of ,god strove among    

themselves1 the one maligning the other4
 ,from a well-meant spiritual revival1  
begun in religious zeal and conducted   
apparently in brotherly love1 there     
resulted finally bitterness and         
contention because there was no unity   
among the professing followers of       
,christ4 ,the newly converted were      
hardly better off after their conversion
 than they were before it4  ,footnote   
,f3 ,b4 ,h4 ,roberts1 ,history of the   
,mormon ,church1 in ,americana4 ,vol4   
,,iv1 ,no4 #f1 p4 #fad4  ,meanwhile1    
there was present during this strenuous 
religious revival in ,manchester1 a     
rather serious-minded boy of some       
fourteen years of age4 ,he was the      
fourth child of the ,smiths4 ,the       
,smiths themselves were in the main     
attracted by the doctrines of the       
,presbyterians4 ,but ,joseph did not    
know what he should do4 ,he attended the
 revival meetings4 ,he witnessed the    
violent manifestations of religious     
emotion4 ,undoubtedly1 he was deeply    

affected at times by the excessive      
demonstrations of his associates and    
friends4 ,but through it all1 he        
maintained a perfect self-control4      
,never once was he so overcome by his   
emotions that he took part in the       
excitement of his friends4 ,he stood    
calmly1 thoughtfully by--a spectator1   
puzzled1 perplexed4 ,during this time of
 great excitement1 he wrote in his      
manhood1 my mind was called up to       
serious reflection and great uneasiness2
 but though my feelings were deep and   
often poignant1 still ,i kept myself    
aloof from all these parties1 though ,i 
attended their several meetings as often
 as occasion would permit4 ,in process  
of time my mind became somewhat partial 
to the ,methodist sect2 but so great    
were the confusion and strife among the 
different denominations that it was     
impossible for a person young as ,i was1
 and so unacquainted with men and       
things1 to come to any certain          
conclusion who was right and who was    

wrong4 ,my mind at times was greatly    
excited1 the cry and tumult were so     
great and incessant4 ,the ,presbyterians
 were most decided against the ,baptists
 and ,methodists1 and used all the      
powers of both reason and sophistry to  
prove their errors1 or1 at least1 to    
make the people think they were in      
error4 ,on the other hand1 the ,baptists
 and ,methodists in their turn were     
equally zealous in endeavoring to       
establish their own tenets and disprove 
all others4,g  ,footnote ,g3 ,history of
 the ,church1 ,vol4 ,i1 pp4 #c1d4       
,under such conditions it is hardly to  
be wondered at that the boy was troubled
 in mind4 ,the wonder is that he1 too1  
was not overcome by the emotional       
excitement of the day4 ,perhaps no fact 
of psychology is better established than
 this1 that the mental and nervous      
organizations of like-minded people     
respond in like ways to the same        
stimuli4 ,with the religious folk of the
 ,manchester revival this boy was       

undoubtedly sympathetically like-minded4
 ,yet1 he did not yield to the emotional
 impulses that seized upon his friends2 
and that1 too1 in spite of the fact     
further asserted by psychologists and   
sociologists1 that sympathetically      
like-minded people are not likely to    
have their primitive and instinctive    
nervous tendencies and mental traits    
under the governance of the higher      
inhibitory centers2 and that the        
nervously unstable1 the suggestible1 the
 inexperienced,h are affected by the    
highly emotional revival earlier than   
the dignified and intelligent people of 
judgment and standing4,i ,this boy of   
fourteen years was inexperienced2 his   
standing in the eyes of the world was   
nil2 yet1 his primitive and instinctive 
tendencies and mental traits seemed to  
be well under the governance of the     
higher inhibitory centers4  ,footnote   
,h3 ,italics are present writer's4      
,footnote ,i3 ,davenport1 ,primitive    
,traits in ,religious ,revivals1 pp4 #b1

 #c4  ,professor ,frederick ,morgan     
,davenport1 whom ,i have already quoted1
 says further in his treatise of the    
primitive traits of religious revivals1 
that1 we must bear in mind constantly   
that the effect of a sympathetic        
religious movement is greatly increased 
by the massing of men and women in a    
psychological 'crowd1' a camp meeting   
for instance4 99 99 ,the natural result 
of the assembling of men in crowds1     
especially when skilful speakers engage 
their attention and play upon the chords
 of imagination and emotion1 seems to be
 the weakening of the power of          
inhibition in each individual1 and the  
giving of free reign to feeling and     
imitation4 99 99 99 ,this will be most  
in evidence among primitive1            
superstitious and unlettered people1 of 
course1 for civilization shows itself in
 nothing more clearly than in the       
growing capacity for individual         
self-control1 but they will also appear 
in the relatively high stages of culture

 and experience if the combination of   
conditions1 physical1 mental and social1
 is strong enough to develop them4 ,in  
fact there is no population1 there are  
comparatively few individuals in any    
population who cannot be swept from the 
moorings of reason and balanced judgment
 if brought under the mysterious and    
potent influence of the psychological   
'crowd4' ,j  ,footnote ,j3 ,davenport1  
,primitive ,traits in ,religious        
,revivals1 pp4 #i1 #aj4  ,the boy1      
,joseph ,smith1 was present in the      
massing of men and women1 in a          
psychological crowd1 so-called1 in a    
camp-meeting even4 ,there were skilful  
speakers present to engage the attention
 and to play upon the chords of         
imagination and emotion4 ,while he was  
neither wholly primitive1 nor very      
superstitious1 he was1 to be sure1      
unlettered4 ,he had certainly not passed
 through the higher stages of culture   
and experience4 ,indeed1 there was      
present in him a combination of         

conditions--physical1 mental1 and       
social--that would lead one to expect in
 him the usual display of emotional     
excitement in a sympathetic religious   
movement4 ,yet1 he displayed unusual    
self-restraint through it all4 ,he was  
not brought under the mysterious and    
potent influence of the psychological   
'crowd4' ,he confesses to experiencing  
feelings both deep and poignant1 and to 
becoming excited at times2 yet he kept  
himself aloof from all the contending   
parties4 ,he seemed to possess a        
strongly developed capacity for         
individual self-control4 ,he became     
somewhat partial to the ,methodists2 but
 since he could not determine1 amid such
 scenes of confusion and strife1 whether
 or not they were wholly right1 he      
refrained from allying himself with any 
sect4 ,while his friends and associates 
lost themselves in a kind of religious  
frenzy1 this boy1 scarce fourteen years 
of age1 asserted his independence of    
thought and feeling1 and held himself   

aloof from the religious excitement of  
his day4  ,however1 it must not be      
forgotten that his mind was exercised   
over religious conditions4 ,he longed to
 know the truth4 ,he sought earnestly to
 find it out4 ,and in a condition of    
calmness1 clearness of vision and       
perfect self-control--perplexed in mind1
 but not weakened by emotion or         
excitement--,joseph ,smith1 ,junior1    
sought the ,lord in prayer4  ,from that 
moment1 almost1 the name of the ,smiths 
became known the world over for good or 
for ill4    ,,ii4  ,a ,,vision ,,of     
,,the ,,father ,,and ,,the ,,son4  ,it  
was a clear1 beautiful morning in the   
early spring4 ,joseph ,smith1 the boy1  
awoke from his slumbers with an         
insistent desire to know what church he 
should join4 ,the revival was drawing to
 a close4 ,if he were to be converted   
during the progress of the revival1 he  
must get religion soon4 ,yet1 he could  
not determine which of the contending   
sects was right4 ,only one thing seemed 

indelibly impressed upon his mind4 ,it  
was the sermon of his friend1 the ,rev4 
,mr4 ,lane of the ,methodist church1 and
 the golden text of ,james4 ,that1      
especially1 seemed to weigh upon him4   
,he found the text in his own ,bible1   
and read again the golden words1  ,if   
any of you lack wisdom1 let him ask of  
,god1 that giveth to all men liberally1 
and upbraideth not2 and it shall be     
given him4  ,the words sank deep into   
the boy's heart4 ,he pondered them      
earnestly4 ,surely1 he lacked wisdom2   
for he did not know what he would best  
do to serve the ,lord4 ,then1 if the    
,lord gave freely to those who asked1   
and upbraided not1 why should he not    
ask8 ,the question recurred again and   
again4 ,at length1 he determined that he
 must forever remain ignorant of the    
truth1 or he must seek the ,lord in     
prayer according to the admonition of   
,james4 ,on this beautiful morning in   
the spring of #ahbj1 then1 ,joseph      
,smith retired into the nearby wood to  

pray4 ,it was the first time in his life
 that he had made such a venture4       
,amidst all my anxieties1 he wrote in   
the story of his life1 ,i had never yet 
made the attempt to pray vocally4,a     
,footnote ,a3 ,pearl of ,great ,price1  
p4 #hd4  ,what followed in the sacred   
grove is best described in the          
,prophet's own words3  ,after ,i had    
retired to the place where ,i had       
previously designed to go1 having looked
 around me1 and finding myself alone1 ,i
 kneeled down and began to offer up the 
desires of my heart to ,god4 ,i had     
scarcely done so1 when immediately ,i   
was seized upon by some power which     
entirely overcame me1 and had such an   
astonishing influence over me as to bind
 my tongue so that ,i could not speak4  
,thick darkness gathered around me1 and 
it seemed to me for a time as if ,i were
 doomed to sudden destruction4 ,but1    
exerting all my powers to call upon ,god
 to deliver me out of the power of this 
enemy which had seized upon me1 and at  

the very moment when ,i was ready to    
sink into despair and abandon myself to 
destruction--not to an imaginary ruin1  
but to the power of some actual being3  
from the unseen world1 who had such     
marvelous power as ,i had never before  
felt in any being--just at this moment  
of great alarm1 ,i saw a pillar of light
 exactly over my head1 above the        
brightness of the sun1 which descended  
gradually until it fell upon me4  ,it no
 sooner appeared than ,i found myself   
delivered from the enemy which held me  
bound4 ,when the light rested upon me ,i
 saw two personages1 whose brightness   
and glory defy all description1 standing
 above me in the air4 ,one of them spoke
 to me1 calling me by name1 and said1   
pointing to the other--  ',,this ,,is   
,,my ,,beloved ,,son1 ,,hear ,,him6'    
,my object in going to enquire of the   
,lord was to know which of all the sects
 was right1 that ,i might know which to 
join4 ,no sooner1 therefore1 did ,i get 
possession of myself1 so as to be able  

to speak1 than ,i asked the personages  
who stood above me in the light1 which  
of all the sects was right--and which ,i
 should join4 ,i was answered that ,i   
must join none of them1 for they were   
all wrong1 and the personage who        
addressed me said that all their creeds 
were an abomination in ,his sight3 that 
those professors were all corrupt2 that 
'they draw near me with their lips1 but 
their hearts are far from me2 they teach
 for doctrines the commandments of men1 
having a form of godliness1 but they    
deny the power thereof4' ,he again      
forbade me to join with any of them3 and
 many other things did ,he say unto me1 
which ,i cannot write at this time4     
,when ,i came to myself again1 ,i found 
myself lying on my back1 looking up into
 heaven4 ,when the light had departed1  
,i had no strength2 but soon recovering 
in some degree1 ,i went home4 ,and as ,i
 leaned up to the fireplace1 mother     
inquired what the matter was4 ,i        
replied1 ',never mind1 all is well--,i  

am well enough off4' ,i then said to my 
mother1 ',i have learned for myself that
 ,presbyterianism is not true4'  ,such  
was the first vision--a vision of the   
,father and the ,son4 ,it was the first 
act in the great drama of the           
,restoration4 ,of course1 ,joseph's     
friends could scarcely believe that     
anything so wonderful had happened to   
him4 ,he related the strange experience 
to the ministers2 but they scoffed at   
the suggestion of a new revelation4     
,moreover1 they became suddenly         
possessed of a bitter and inexplicable  
hatred of the young seer4 ,they made him
 a public butt of ridicule2 they        
maligned him in their discourses2 and   
they persecuted him when he came among  
them4 ,for having exercised a remarkable
 capacity for individual self-control2  
for having sought from the ,lord        
,himself to know the truth2 for         
testifying that he had received the     
truth in a vision--the boy seer was cast
 off by his fellow-men and doomed to    

stand alone4 ,but ,i had actually seen a
 light1 he wrote in after years1 and in 
the midst of that light ,i saw two      
personages1 and they did in reality     
speak to me2 and though ,i was hated and
 persecuted for saying that ,i had seen 
a vision1 yet it was true2 and while    
they were persecuting me1 reviling me1  
and speaking all manner of evil against 
me falsely for so saying1 ,i was led to 
say in my heart4 ,why persecute me for  
telling the truth8 99 99 99 ,for ,i had 
seen a vision2 ,i knew it1 and ,i knew  
that ,god knew it1 and ,i could not deny
 it1 neither dared ,i do it1 at least ,i
 knew that by so doing ,i would offend  
,god1 and come under condemnation4,b    
,footnote ,b3 ,history of the ,church1  
,vol4 ,i1 pp4 #f-h4  ,and what really   
was the significance of this first      
vision8 ,of what consequence was a boy's
 prophetic sight that the world should  
take cognizance of it8 ,what great      
far-reaching truths did the vision      
contain1 that the religious world should

 still writhe under it8  ,in the first  
place1 the experience of the boy-prophet
 demonstrated the fact that the word of 
,god is good2 it holds for anyone who   
approaches ,him in faith4 ,the sectarian
 world had come to look upon the ,holy  
,bible as little more than any other    
book4 ,it was to be read1 but not to be 
believed1 so to say4 ,but ,joseph took  
seriously the word of ,god as announced 
by the prophet ,james4 ,the boy prayed  
earnestly and honestly2 and in answer to
 his prayer came the glorious vision of 
the ,father and the ,son4 ,the word of  
,god is truth1 not fiction4  ,secondly1 
this first experience of the prophet    
revealed the fact that spiritual gifts  
may be enjoyed even in this day by those
 who seek the ,lord in truth4           
,anciently1 men dreamed dreams1 saw     
visions1 spoke in tongues1 healed the   
sick1 and did many other strange things 
by the power of the ,lord4 ,just such   
things may men do now by the exercise of
 proper faith4 ,it was thus that ,joseph

 gained the spiritual blessings of the  
first vision4  ,then1 in this vision was
 first announced the fact of the great  
apostasy4 ,jesus ,himself denounced all 
the denominations of the world1 saying  
that they worshiped ,him with their lips
 but their hearts were far from ,him4   
,he admonished the young boy who had    
sought ,him in prayer to join no one of 
them4 ,moreover1 it appears on analysis 
of the vision1 that ,jesus could accept 
none of the ministers who purported to  
serve ,him4 ,they taught for doctrine   
the precepts of men4 ,they held no      
authority from ,jesus4 ,and to preach in
 ,his name1 surely the preacher should  
hold authority from ,him4  ,then1 this  
glorious first vision demonstrated the  
fact of the personality of ,god4 ,two   
heavenly beings appeared before the     
prophet4 ,they were in form and bearing 
like men4 ,the one raised ,his hand and 
pointed to the other and spoke4 ,the    
other instructed the boy1 as a tutor    
might instruct his pupil4 ,moreover1 in 

this same vision was clearly            
demonstrated the fact that the members  
of the ,godhead are separate and        
distinct persons4  ,finally1 the vision 
established the fact that ,god can and  
will speak to man whenever ,he chooses  
so to do1 in any age4 ,indeed1 when the 
,church of ,christ is upon the earth1   
there must also be revelation1 or       
communication with ,god4 ,when          
revelation ceases1 the true church also 
ceases1 for it drifts like a rudderless 
ship from its course4  ,these points1   
then1 are demonstrated by the first     
vision of ,joseph ,smith3--the word of  
,god is to be relied upon2 spiritual    
gifts will attend the faithful even at  
the present day2 the ,christian churches
 of the world are without authority2 the
 ,god of heaven is a ,god of personal1  
tangible form2 the members of the       
,godhead are separate and distinct in   
person2 and1 finally1 the ,church of    
,christ must be favored with continued  
revelation1 else it must suffer         

spiritual death4 ,but all these points  
were contrary to the doctrines of both  
,catholic and ,protestant churches4 ,in 
upholding them1 the boy-prophet aroused 
against himself the opposition of the   
whole religious world4 ,is it a matter  
of wonder1 then1 that the name of       
,joseph ,smith is known the world over  
for good or for ill8 ,is it a matter of 
wonder that the religious world should  
take cognizance of the boy's prophetic  
sight1 or that it should writhe under   
the arraignment of the first vision8 ,is
 it not rather a matter of wonder and   
admiration1 that the boy1 scarce        
fourteen years old1 evilly spoken of and
 persecuted1 should still persist in his
 testimony that he had seen a vision8   
,and from that first vision what further
 has grown adds further to the wonder   
and admiration of the boy selected to   
usher in another dispensation4    ,,iii4
  ,,seven ,,marks ,,of ,,the ,,great    
,,apostasy4  ,perhaps the most important
 count in the arraignment of ,joseph    

,smith's first vision is that the       
,christian world has departed from the  
simple ,gospel of the ,lord ,jesus4     
,they draw near me with their lips1 but 
their hearts are far from me2 they teach
 for doctrines the commandments of men3 
having a form of godliness1 but they    
deny the power thereof1 the ,lord said  
to the prophet in speaking of the       
,christian denominations4 ,and1 surely1 
the tumult1 the strife1 the confusion of
 such religious revivals as that of     
#ahbj1 are sufficient evidence that the 
words of the ,savior were true4 ,one    
,lord1 one faith1 one baptism,a had been
 the doctrine of ,jesus and the         
apostles4 ,in #ahbj1 there were many    
faiths1 and many baptisms4  ,footnote   
,a3 ,eph4 #d3a-ac4  ,that this condition
 should exist in the religious world of 
the nineteenth century1 was only a      
natural consequence in the course of    
history4 ,jesus and the apostles had    
taught in early times the ,gospel in its
 pure simplicity4 ,soon after the       

passing of the apostles1 however1 the   
,christian church had departed from the 
orthodox doctrines of the ,lord1 and had
 become corrupt in many ways4           
,persecution1 waged by both the ,jews   
and the ,gentiles1 was in part          
responsible for the great apostasy2 but 
possibly prosperity1 and the adoption of
 ,christianity as the state form of     
worship1 were even more productive of a 
general abandonment of the religious    
doctrines taught by ,jesus and the      
apostles4 ,in a general way1 there are  
seven points in which the apostasy of   
the early ,christian church is marked4  
,in the first place1 the doctrine of the
 ,godhead became greatly changed soon   
after the apostolic age4 ,it had been   
taught that man was made in the image of
 ,god2 that1 therefore1 ,god was a      
person of body and parts4 ,jesus1 the   
one perfect man to take upon ,him flesh1
 was in the express image of ,god the   
,father4,b ,there soon grew in the      
church1 however1 diverse opinions of the

 nature of ,god4 ,he became an          
inconceivable immateriality with        
boundless power4 ,the result in modern  
doctrine is a kind of divine nonentity1 
everywhere present yet nowhere to be    
found--an impossible being with neither 
shape nor dimension1 with neither parts 
nor passions1 but who1 nevertheless1    
abides in an undefined place called     
,heaven1 and loves the children of      
earth4 ,moreover1 the doctrine of the   
unity1 or the trinity1 of the ,godhead  
also became perverted in the early      
church4 ,it had been taught that there  
were three beings in the ,godhead--the  
,father1 the ,son1 and the ,holy ,ghost2
 separate and distinct in person1 but   
one--that is united--in purpose and     
action4 ,after the passing of the       
apostles it was taught that these three 
were only one3--the ,father is ,god1 the
 ,son is ,god1 and the ,holy ,ghost is  
,god1 and yet they are not three ,gods  
but one ,god4,c  ,footnote ,b3 ,gen4    
#a3bf1 #bg2 #e3a-c2 ,heb4 #a3a-c4       

,footnote ,c3 ,athanasian ,creed4  ,in  
the second place1 the doctrine of the   
necessity of divine authority became    
wholly ignored4 ,the men of old         
understood that they might not assume of
 their own accord to officiate in the   
things of ,god4 ,jesus stated the       
doctrine tersely when ,he said to ,his  
apostles1 ,ye have not chosen me1 but ,i
 have chosen you1 and ordained you4,d   
,in later times1 however1 it became     
popular for men to elect the office of  
priest or minister4 ,at the present time
 men choose the calling of preacher as  
they do that of lawyer or doctor4 ,they 
seek positions that confer upon the     
holders worldly recognition and riches4 
,footnote ,d3 ,heb4 #d2 ,,ii ,pet4      
#a3ba2 ,john #ae3af-ai4  ,in the third  
place1 the organization and government  
of the primitive church became          
corrupted4 ,in the church of ,christ    
there had been apostles1 prophets1      
evangelists1 seventies1 elders1 bishops1
 priests1 teachers1 and deacons4,e      

,these officers were maintained as long 
as the apostles lived2 there are many   
references to them during the first     
century of the ,christian era4 ,soon    
thereafter1 however1 many of these      
officers were dropped as unnecessary4   
,today1 there is not a denomination     
descended from the old ,catholic church 
that maintains in its organization all  
the officers provided by the great      
,master2 nor does the ,catholic church  
itself do so4 ,and with the church      
organization corrupted1 it follows that 
the church government must be incomplete
 and inadequate4  ,footnote ,e3 ,eph4   
#d3aa ff2 ,i ,cor4 #ab3ab-bi4  ,in the  
fourth place1 it was not very long after
 the passing of the apostles1 before the
 outward ordinances of the church became
 changed to suit the convenience of men4
 ,baptism had been administered by      
immersion1 as the word indicates4,f ,the
 custom arose1 however1 merely to       
sprinkle the applicant for baptism2 or1 
at most1 to pour a little water on him4 

,furthermore1 while the ordinance was   
meant only for adults1 or for young     
people that had reached years of        
accountability1 it was applied1 after   
the time of ,christ1 to babes1 who could
 neither know nor confess ,him4 ,the    
sacrament of the ,lord's supper1 too1   
was burdened with ceremony1 and changed 
materially4,g ,the ordinance of         
administration to the sick was dismissed
 as useless4,h ,in fact1 there remains  
in the churches today hardly an         
ordinance that has not been changed to  
suit the whims of men4  ,footnote ,f3   
,matt4 #c3ac-ag4  ,footnote ,g3 ,luke   
#bb2 ,matt4 #bf2 ,i ,cor4 #aa3bc-bf4    
,footnote ,h3 ,jas4 #e3ad1 #ae4  ,in the
 fifth place1 the church ritual became  
perverted under the administration of   
those who professed to follow after     
,jesus and ,his apostles4 ,nothing could
 be simpler or purer than the church    
service instituted by the ,savior4      
,after the third century1 the simplicity
 was gone forever4 ,to gain the good    

will and the favor of the pagans1 many  
of their customs and ceremonies were    
adopted by the ,christian church4 ,so   
far was this done that the ,christian   
worship of today is sometimes more      
nearly akin to the pagan worship of old1
 than it is to the simple worship of the
 ,church of ,christ4  ,in the sixth     
place1 the spiritual gifts--so common in
 the days of the apostles--became wholly
 lost to the later ,christian church4   
,prophecy1 healing1 speaking in tongues1
 and other marvelous blessings1 are     
enumerated by the ,apostle ,paul4 ,he   
makes clear the fact that these gifts   
will be manifest whenever the authorized
 church operates4 ,unfortunately1 belief
 in the spiritual gifts is rare in the  
modern ,christian church4  ,finally1 the
 body of church doctrine became         
corrupted in the third1 fourth1 and     
fifth centuries4 ,to consider all the   
changes in church doctrine would require
 more space than can be allowed in this 
brief summary4 ,suffice it to say that  

besides the changes in doctrine already 
named1 there was departure from the     
truth in many essential ways2 as1 for   
example1 the introduction of the        
doctrine that infants if unsprinkled    
would be eternally damned2 that         
condemnation for sin meant eternal      
condemnation1 without hope of relief1   
worlds without end2 that there may be   
two standards of morality in this life1 
and so forth4 ,in short1 though it may  
appear to be a bold and a very general  
statement1 it seems to be true that only
 a few doctrines concerning the         
salvation of man1 from the time of his  
advent into this world to the time of   
the great judgment1 remain today as they
 were taught by ,jesus4  ,from these    
seven points1 then--the corruption of   
the doctrine of ,god and the ,godhead2  
the rejection of the doctrine of ,divine
 ,authority2 the distortion of the      
doctrine of church organization and     
church government2 the changing of the  
outward ordinances2 the perversion of   

the simple church ritual2 the loss of   
spiritual gifts2 and the corruption of  
the body of church doctrines1--from     
these seven points1 it is indisputably  
evident that the great apostasy from the
 primitive ,christian church is an      
accomplished fact4 ,although there      
followed in the middle ages a period of 
reformation--or revolution--yet there   
was effected no return to the primitive 
faith4 ,there came no new revelation1   
and therefore there could come no       
authorized church4 ,the churches of the 
,protestants were merely broken off from
 the mother ,catholic church1 which they
 themselves believed to be apostate4    
,each new religious teacher as he arose 
placed his own personal interpretation  
upon the word of ,god4 ,thus there came 
to be many creeds2 and since these      
creeds differed materially in essential 
points1 contention and strife became    
inevitably common among the sects4      
,such was the condition of the world in 
the spring of #ahbj4 ,although1 for the 

purposes of a revival meeting1 the      
ministers of the ,protestant churches   
might unite for a time in a general     
effort to waken the people to spiritual 
life1 yet there lay beneath the surface 
feelings of antagonism and bitterness   
the one toward the other4 ,the seven    
marks of the apostasy make them alien to
 ,christ4,i  ,footnote ,i3 ,for a full  
consideration of the apostasy and the   
so-called reformation1 see ,b4 ,h4      
,roberts' ,outlines of ,ecclesiastical  
,history1 and ,j4 ,e4 ,talmage's ,the   
,great ,apostasy4    ,,iv4  ,,the       
,,restoration ,,predicted4  ,the great  
universal apostasy we have thus briefly 
described was foretold by many of the   
ancient prophets4 ,in both the ,new and 
the ,old ,testament may be found        
pertinent references to a general       
falling-away2 for the prophets of       
old--specially chosen men who spoke as  
they were moved by the ,holy            
,ghost--foresaw clearly that even the   
simple words of ,jesus would become     

corrupted1 though the fact of ,his      
ministry might be accepted4  ,and just  
as the prophets of old foresaw the      
falling away1 so1 too1 they foresaw and 
predicted the glorious restoration4 ,the
 blissful condition to be desired at the
 time of the restoration was described  
by the ,lord to ,jeremiah4 ,the ,lord   
,god would make a new covenant with ,his
 people4 ,it was to be a time when the  
law of the ,lord should be put in the   
inward parts of the people1 and they    
should teach no more every man his      
neighbor1 and every man his brother1    
saying1 ,know the ,lord2 for they should
 all know ,him1 from the least of them  
to the greatest of them4,a ,how far we  
are in the modern religious world from  
realizing the condition here described1 
it is needless to say4 ,the promised new
 covenant has certainly not been        
generally accepted4 ,the time remains   
yet to come when creeds shall cease     
contending one with another1 saying1    
,know the ,lord4 ,the time is not yet to

 come1 however1 when the new covenant   
shall be introduced4 ,it is here4       
,footnote ,a3 ,jer4 #ca3ca-cd4  ,king   
,nebuchadnezzar had one night a         
wonderful dream4 ,he saw standing before
 him a great image of excellent         
brightness1 but terrible form4 ,the head
 of the image was of gold2 the breast   
and the arms were of silver2 the belly  
and the thighs were of brass2 the legs  
were of iron2 and the feet were part of 
iron and part of clay4 ,as the image    
stood before the dreamsight of the king1
 there appeared a stone cut without     
hands1 which smote the feet of the image
 and broke it to pieces4 ,the clay1 the 
iron1 the brass1 the silver1 the gold1  
of which the image was made became like 
chaff and were scattered in the winds of
 heaven2 but the little stone became a  
great mountain and filled the whole     
earth4  ,to the ,hebrew prophet ,daniel 
was given the interpretation of         
,nebuchadnezzar's dream4 ,the four parts
 made of gold1 and silver1 and brass1   

and iron1 represented1 he said1 four    
great world kingdoms that should arise4 
,in fact1 the first of them--that       
represented by the head of gold--was    
,nebuchadnezzar's own1 the kingdom of   
,babylon4 ,after it should arise another
 inferior to it--the kingdom of the     
,medes and ,persians--typified by the   
breast and arms of silver4 ,there should
 come in succession two others--the     
kingdom of ,alexander1 a kingdom of     
brass to bear rule over the whole earth2
 and the empire of ,rome1 an empire of  
iron1 strong1 to break in pieces and    
subdue all things4 ,finally1 after the  
fall of these four world empires1 the   
earth should be divided into many       
kingdoms1 some strong and some weak1 as 
the feet and toes of the image were part
 of iron and part of potter's clay4     
,then1 in the days of these kingdoms1   
said the prophet ,daniel1 shall the ,god
 of heaven set up a kingdom which shall 
never be destroyed3 and the kingdom     
shall not be left to other people1 but  

it shall break in pieces and consume all
 these kingdoms and it shall stand      
forever4,b  ,footnote ,b3 ,dan4         
#b3ca-de4  ,plainly1 the stone cut      
without hands stands for the ,church of 
,christ1 the ,kingdom of ,god4 ,in the  
day of the petty governments that sprang
 from the ruins of ,rome1 the stone     
should appear4 ,at some time after the  
fall of ,rome1 the kingdom of ,god      
should be established4 ,but that day and
 time are modern day and time2 and      
modern time is now4 ,in our day1 then1  
according to the vision of ,king        
,nebuchadnezzar1 interpreted by the     
prophet ,daniel1 the ,god of heaven     
should establish ,his kingdom among men4
 ,here is a clear prediction of the     
restoration of the ,church of ,god4     
,again1 in the book of the prophet      
,malachi1 occur passages that point     
unmistakably to a time of restoration4  
,the ,lord promises to send a messenger1
 before ,he shall come suddenly to ,his 
temple4 ,then only the righteous shall  

stand1 for ,he shall be like a refiner's
 fire1 and like fuller's soap4,c ,again1
 before the great and dreadful day of   
the ,lord--when all the proud and all   
that do wickedly shall burn as          
stubble--the ,lord promises to send     
,elijah1 to turn the heart of the       
fathers to the children1 and the heart  
of the children to their fathers1 that  
the earth may not be smitten with a     
curse4,d ,these1 too1 are clear         
predictions of a restoration1 setting   
forth some things to be accomplished4   
,and it is evidently then--for it has   
not been before--that the mountain of   
the house of the ,lord shall be         
established in the top of the mountains1
 and the nations shall come to it to    
learn of the ways of the ,lord4,e       
,footnote ,c3 ,mal4 #c3a-c4  ,footnote  
,d3 ,mal4 #d3a-f4  ,footnote ,e3 ,micah 
#d3a-b4  ,now1 it may be objected that  
these prophecies were all fulfilled in  
the ministry of the ,lord ,jesus4 ,the  
objection is1 however1 untenable4 ,the  

conditions described in the predictions 
did not exist at the time of ,christ4   
,in the first place1 that was not the   
great and terrible day of the ,lord1    
when the proud and the wicked should    
burn as stubble4 ,next1 the ,lord did   
not then come suddenly to ,his temple2  
nor did ,he sit as a refiner and        
purifier of silver4 ,furthermore1 at the
 time of ,christ1 ,rome was still in her
 glory4 ,the feet and toes of           
,nebuchadnezzar's image had not yet     
grown forth4 ,it was too soon for the   
stone to roll forth from the mountain4  
,then again1 it was predicted by ,daniel
 that the kingdom of ,christ which he   
saw established should never be         
destroyed nor given to another people4  
,jesus ,himself1 however1 said to the   
people of ,his day1 because of their    
unbelief1 ,the kingdom of ,god shall be 
taken from you1 and given to a nation   
bringing forth the fruits thereof4,f    
,if1 therefore1 the kingdom of ,god     
typified by the stone were established  

in the days of ,jesus1 then either      
,daniel or ,jesus must fall as a false  
prophet4 ,since1 however1 both were holy
 men of ,god--and one a ,god            
,himself--it must be that ,daniel's     
prophecy remained yet to be fulfilled4  
,examine the scriptures from any point  
of view1 the conclusion remains the     
same3 ,although ,jesus established ,his 
,church while upon the earth1 yet it was
 not the establishment that should never
 be changed nor be given to other       
people4 ,in the economy of ,god1 there  
remained yet another period when ,his   
kingdom should be established for the   
last time1 when the righteous should    
gain the victory over sin1 and when the 
,god of ,glory should finally come as   
,king of kings to rule over ,his own4   
,footnote ,f3 ,matt4 #ba3db1 #dc4  ,that
 other period was seen in splendid      
vision by the beloved disciple of       
,jesus4 ,john was on the ,isle of       
,patmos4 ,it was long after the ,lord   
had been crucified4 ,the falling-away   

had already begun4 ,in terrible vision1 
,john had been shown how the ,church    
should be persecuted by its enemies1 and
 how1 finally1 it should flee into the  
wilderness to be seen no more for a long
 period by man4 ,then1 after the        
apostasy had been fully accomplished1   
and the world had been prepared1 should 
come the restoration4 ,six mighty angels
 had ,john seen1 each with his special  
mission to perform4 ,then there appeared
 the seventh4 ,of him ,john writes3     
,and ,i saw another angel fly in the    
midst of heaven1 having the everlasting 
gospel to preach unto them that dwell on
 the earth1 and to every nation1 and    
kindred1 and tongue1 and people1 saying 
with a loud voice4 ,fear ,god1 and give 
glory to ,him2 for the hour of his      
judgment is come3 and worship him that  
made heaven1 and earth1 and the sea1 and
 the fountains of waters4,g  ,footnote  
,g3 ,rev4 #ab1 #ac1 #ad chapters4       
,naturally1 if there had been no        
apostasy1 there would have been no need 

of another angel flying in the midst of 
heaven to restore the gospel1--neither  
to a community1 nor to every nation1 and
 kindred1 and tongue1 and people4       
,naturally1 too1 since this condition   
was seen in vision by ,john while on the
 ,isle of ,patmos1 it could not have    
been fulfilled in the ministry of the   
,savior4 ,it belonged to a future time1 
to a time subsequent to that of ,john4  
,it confirms the prediction of ,daniel1 
that the kingdom of ,god should be      
established at some time after the fall 
of ,rome4 ,and it reveals the manner of 
the restoration3 there should come an   
angel flying1 having the everlasting    
gospel to preach to them that dwell upon
 the earth4  ,in conclusion1 it may be  
observed that the restoration was1      
according to the prophets1 to be a      
restoration in very deed--a restitution 
of all things4 ,in the sermon delivered 
on ,solomon's porch1 ,peter predicted   
the time of restitution of all things1  
which ,god hath spoken by the mouth of  

all his holy prophets since the world   
began4,h ,peter understood that there   
must be a period of restoration before  
the end of the world--before1 indeed1   
,jesus the ,christ could come again4    
,undoubtedly1 it was the same thing     
,jesus had in mind1 when ,he said1 ,and 
this gospel of the kingdom shall be     
preached in all the world for a witness 
unto all nations3 and then shall the end
 come4,i  ,footnote ,h3 ,acts #c3ba4    
,footnote ,i3 ,matt4 #bd3ad4  ,the      
restoration was1 then1 a part of the    
general plan1 as well as the apostasy4  
,it must of necessity follow after the  
apostasy4 ,not only the great           
falling-away1 but the splendid          
restoration also1 was clearly foreseen  
and predicted by the ancient prophets4  
,the time of the restoration was to be  
the time of the kings that should follow
 the fourth great world-empire--that is1
 it was to be modern time4 ,and the act 
of the restoration was to come through  
no human means1 but should be like a    

stone cut out of the mountain without   
hands4 ,it was to be brought about by   
the ministry of angels4    ,v4  ,,an    
,,angel ,,flying4  ,three and a half    
years passed silently by after ,joseph  
,smith received the vision of the       
,father and the ,son4 ,during that time 
there was no further communication from 
heaven4 ,that he had received one       
vision1 ,joseph stoutly and fearlessly  
maintained4 ,neither persuasion nor     
persecution could break the testimony he
 had borne1 nor dispel the knowledge he 
had divinely gained4 ,the vision he had 
seen was real2 the knowledge he had     
gained was real4 ,he could not deny it4 
,for three and a half years after this  
vision1 however1 he was apparently shut 
out from the presence of ,god4 ,the     
young seer was left to himself4 ,it was 
a period of silence4  ,two things are   
notable in the conduct of ,joseph's life
 during these years4 ,first1 he         
manifested the same self-control and    
absence of emotion or excitement1 that  

he possessed when he went into the wood 
to pray4 ,had he been a victim of the   
potent influence of the psychological   
'crowd',a he would undoubtedly have     
suffered from the religious disease and 
fanaticism common to revival movements4 
,the excitement of the revival would    
have remained with him--as it did with  
everyone else--for an extended period of
 time4 ,with the conviction of the      
glorious vision of the ,father and the  
,son upon his mind1 the boy would       
undoubtedly have felt still further     
emotional excitement1 and would have    
been led to see further visions after   
the first one4 ,moreover1 had he become 
subject to any derangement of mind1 or  
diseased condition like epilepsy1 as has
 been claimed by some of his defamers1  
he would have become even more liable to
 visionary manifestations4 ,it was not  
so1 however4 ,his health was perfect2   
his self-control1 complete4 ,for three  
and a half years the heavens were shut  
above him4 ,for three and a half years  

the ,god of heaven spoke no further word
 to him4 ,for three and a half years he 
was left alone to ponder what he had    
seen1 and to bear persecution unaided   
for testifying to truth4 ,always he was 
calm1 unruffled1 unaffected by religious
 passion or frenzy4  ,footnote ,a3 ,the 
term psychological crowd is used in this
 chapter and elsewhere in the sense in  
which it is used by ,prof4 ,davenport in
 the quotation in the first chapter of  
this book4  ,next1 ,joseph ,smith       
manifested no desire1 even though he had
 seen and talked with ,god ,himself1 to 
arrogate to himself any authority       
whatsoever4 ,many others in the history 
of the world claim to have seen visions4
 ,mohammed1 when forty years of age1 saw
 in vision--he says--the angel ,gabriel1
 and was commanded to preach a new      
religion4 ,the authority to do so1 he   
assumed at once4 ,joan of ,arc1 in      
response to the alleged heavenly voice  
which spoke to her1 hurried to the side 
of the dauphin of ,france4 ,emmanuel    

,swedenborg1 after years of scientific  
activity1 began suddenly to herald a new
 church1 and to interpret the word of   
,god in a score of theological          
works--for1 he claimed1 the ,lord had   
appeared to him in vision4 ,with ,joseph
 ,smith1 however1 it was different4     
,while he maintained stoutly1 against   
the ridicule of friends even1 that he   
had beheld a vision of the ,father and  
the ,son1 he did not presume therefore  
to promulgate a new doctrine1 or to     
establish a new church4 ,he continued in
 the routine of his daily labor4 ,he    
meditated what the ,lord had said to    
him4 ,he had been told that the         
sectarian churches of the world were    
wrong4 ,he might have proceeded to      
establish a church that should be right4
 ,but ,joseph had not yet received a    
full commission4 ,he did not presume to 
do what undoubtedly he would have done  
had he been merely a victim of the      
psychological crowd4 ,for three and a   
half years1 he waited for further       

instructions from the ,god of heaven4   
,on the evening of the twenty-first of  
,september1 #ahbc1 ,joseph ,smith       
approached the ,lord ,god again in      
secret prayer4 ,this time it was in his 
private chamber4 ,fearing that he had   
offended ,god1 that he had not walked so
 circumspectly as he should have done in
 the light of the revelation he had     
received1 the youth1 now in his         
eighteenth year1 besought the ,almighty 
for forgiveness of sin1 and for a       
manifestation that he might know his    
standing before ,god4 ,in his own       
account of what happened there1 ,joseph 
says1  ,while ,i was thus in the act of 
calling upon ,god ,i discovered a light 
appearing in my room1 which continued to
 increase until the room was brighter   
than at noon-day1 when immediately a    
personage appeared at my bedside1       
standing in the air1 for his feet did   
not touch the floor4 ,he had on a loose 
robe of most exquisite whiteness4 ,it   
was a whiteness beyond anything earthly 

,i had ever seen2 nor do ,i believe that
 any earthly thing could be made to     
appear so exceedingly white and         
brilliant4 ,his hands were naked1 and   
his arms also1 a little above the wrist2
 so also were his feet naked1 as were   
his legs1 a little above the ankles4    
,his head and neck were also bare4 ,i   
could discover that he had no other     
clothing on but this robe1 as it was    
open1 so that ,i could see into his     
bosom4 ,not only was his robe           
exceedingly white1 but his whole person 
was glorious beyond description1 and his
 countenance truly like lightning4 ,the 
room was exceedingly light1 but not so  
very bright as immediately around his   
person4  ,when ,i first looked upon him1
 ,i was afraid2 but the fear soon left  
me4 ,he called me by name1 and said unto
 me that he was a messenger sent from   
the presence of ,god to me1 and that his
 name was ,moroni1 that ,god had a work 
for me to do1 and that my name should be
 had for good and for evil among all    

nations1 kindreds1 and tongues1 or that 
it should be both good and evil spoken  
of among all people4 ,he said there was 
a book deposited1 written upon gold     
plates1 giving an account of the former 
inhabitants of this continent1 and the  
source from whence they sprang4 ,he also
 said that the fulness of the           
everlasting ,gospel was contained in it1
 as delivered by the ,savior to the     
ancient inhabitants2 also1 that there   
were two stones in silver bows--and     
these stones1 fastened to a breastplate1
 constituted what is called the ,urim   
and ,thummim--deposited with the plates2
 and the possession and use of these    
stones were what constituted ',seers' in
 ancient or former times2 and that ,god 
had prepared them for the purpose of    
translating the book4,a  ,footnote ,a3  
,history of the ,church1 ,vol4 ,i1 pp4  
#aa1 #ab4  ,there followed then further 
instructions based upon the ,holy       
,scriptures4 ,the angel read and        
explained portions of the third and     

fourth chapters of ,malachi4 ,the third 
chapter predicts the sending of a       
messenger to prepare the way of the     
,lord when ,he shall come suddenly to   
,his temple4 ,the coming will be        
attended with much glory2 and the ,lord 
,himself shall purify ,israel1 and purge
 it of iniquity4 ,the time of the       
fulfillment of this prophecy1 said the  
angel1 was at hand4  ,the fourth chapter
 of ,malachi1 is particularly           
interesting as quoted by the angel4 ,the
 first verse he rendered thus3  ,for    
behold the day cometh that shall burn as
 an oven1 and all the proud1 yea1 and   
all that do wickedly shall burn as      
stubble1 for they that come shall burn  
them1 saith the ,lord of hosts1 that it 
shall leave them neither root nor       
branch4  ,the fifth and sixth verses1 he
 read thus3  ,behold1 ,i will reveal    
unto you the ,priesthood1 by the hand of
 ,elijah the prophet before the coming  
of the great and dreadful day of the    
,lord4 ,and he shall plant in the hearts

 of the children the promises made to   
the fathers1 and the hearts of the      
children shall turn to the fathers2 if  
it were not so1 the whole earth would be
 utterly wasted at his coming4  ,these  
predictions1 too1 said the angel1 were  
about to be fulfilled4  ,moroni then    
quoted the eleventh chapter of ,isaiah4 
,it predicts a day of peace and         
righteousness1 when an ensign shall be  
set up for the ,gentiles1 and when the  
,lord shall set ,his hand again the     
second time to gather ,his scattered    
people4 ,this time was at hand1 and was 
about to be fulfilled4  ,next the angel 
read from the sermon of ,peter on       
,solomon's ,porch3  ,for ,moses truly   
said unto the fathers1 ,a prophet shall 
the ,lord your ,god raise up unto you of
 your brethren1 like unto me2 him shall 
ye hear in all things1 whatsoever he    
shall say unto you4 ,and it shall come  
to pass that every soul which will not  
hear that prophet shall be destroyed    
from among the people4,b  ,footnote ,b3 

,acts #c3bb1 #bc4  ,this prophecy1 also1
 was about to have a complete           
fulfillment4  ,finally1 among many other
 scriptures1 the angel quoted from the  
great prophecy of ,joel4 ,before the    
great and terrible day of the ,lord1    
according to this wonderful prediction1 
the old men shall dream dreams1 and the 
young men shall see visions1 and wonders
 shall appear in the heaven and the     
earth4 ,the sun shall be turned into    
darkness1 and the moon into blood2 but  
whosoever shall call upon the name of   
the ,lord shall be delivered4,c ,this   
same prophecy was referred to by ,peter 
on the day of ,pentecost1 and was       
possibly in part accomplished then4 ,but
 the prediction refers unmistakably to  
the last days--before the great and     
terrible day of the ,lord4 ,now is the  
day of ,joel's great prophecy1 and now1 
said the angel ,moroni1 it is about to  
be fulfilled4  ,footnote ,c3 ,joel      
#b3bh-cb4  ,thereupon1 the vision was   
closed4 ,gradually the light assembled  

from the room about the person of the   
angel4 ,then he disappeared into heaven1
 leaving the room in total darkness4    
,the youth to whom had been given this  
marvelous manifestation lay wide awake  
on his bed4 ,sleep was driven from his  
eyes4 ,he was filled with amazement at  
the singularity of the vision1 and at   
the doctrines that had been explained to
 him4 ,then suddenly1 in the midst of   
his wonder and meditation1 the heavenly 
messenger appeared again4 ,he stood     
again in the air by the bedside1 and    
repeated minutely all the instructions  
he had given before4 ,he added          
predictions concerning the great        
judgments that should come to the earth1
 with desolations by famine1 sword1 and 
pestilence--and all these things should 
come during the present generation4     
,again the vision closed4 ,again the    
light centered in the angel as he       
disappeared and left the room in        
darkness4 ,the youth lay again wondering
 at the marvelous vision1 when1 to his  

astonishment1 the same divine messenger 
appeared the third time1 and repeated   
all that he had said before4 ,after this
 third visit1 writes the ,prophet1 he   
again ascended in heaven as before1 and 
,i was again left to ponder on the      
strangeness of what ,i had just         
experienced2 when almost immediately    
after the heavenly messenger had        
ascended from me the third time1 the    
cock crowed1 and ,i found that day was  
approaching4,d ,thus ended the second   
act in the great drama of the           
,restoration4  ,footnote ,d3 ,history of
 the ,church1 ,vol4 ,i1 p4 #ad4  ,now1  
what is the significance of this second 
vision--or of this series of visions8   
,of what importance is it in the story  
of man's relationship to ,god8 ,what    
bearing has it on the story of the      
,restoration8  ,first1 it was declared  
that the ,lord ,god had a work for      
,joseph to do4 ,in the first vision     
nothing is recorded of the boy's future 
mission4 ,he had been told merely to    

join none of the contending churches    
striving to win his favor4 ,they were   
corrupt4 ,now1 the life-work of the boy 
is briefly outlined4 ,he is to raise an 
ensign to the nations1 and become an    
instrument in the hands of ,god in      
bringing about the gathering of ,israel4
 ,god is to set ,his hand a second time 
to recover ,his people4 ,moreover1      
,joseph is to become a prophet to reveal
 the word and the law of the ,lord4 ,his
 name1 therefore1 shall become known for
 good or for evil the whole world over4 
,next1 a book1 written in a strange     
tongue on golden plates1 is to be       
delivered to the boy for him to         
translate4 ,this book contains the      
history of the inhabitants of the       
,american continent1 and will reveal the
 mysteries of the origin of the         
,american ,indian1 and of the relics of 
ancient civilization4 ,moreover1 this   
book of golden plates contains the      
fulness of the everlasting ,gospel as it
 was taught to the ,nephites4 ,it was   

taught by ,jesus ,himself to the ancient
 inhabitants of this continent4 ,now1   
when the world has departed from the    
truth1 it is to be restored by an angel 
to a divinely chosen prophet of ,god4   
,then the priesthood is to be revealed  
to ,joseph ,smith by the hand of        
,elijah4 ,the keys of the dispensation  
of turning the hearts of the fathers to 
the children and the children to the    
fathers are to be committed into the    
hands of the ,prophet ,joseph4 ,this    
work of which ,elijah appears to be the 
director1 is of a particular kind4 ,he  
shall plant in the hearts of the        
children the promises made to the       
fathers1 and the hearts of the children 
shall turn to their fathers4 ,if it were
 not so the whole earth would be utterly
 wasted at the coming of the ,lord4     
,again1 wonderful signs shall appear in 
heaven and in earth in the days of these
 things4 ,dreams and visions shall be   
given to the old and to the young4 ,the 
earth shall be troubled1 and the sun    

shall be darkened1 while the moon shall 
be turned to the color of blood4 ,blood1
 and fire1 and pillars of smoke1 shall  
come to plague2 but whosoever shall call
 upon the name of the ,lord shall be    
delivered4 ,finally1 great judgments    
shall come upon the earth--judgments of 
sword1 and of famine1 and of pestilence4
 ,and all these things shall come in the
 present generation4  ,in this          
remarkable vision1 then1 are revealed   
again seven remarkable truths3--a great 
work is appointed for the young man1    
,joseph ,smith1 to do1 and his name is  
to become known the world over for good 
or for ill2 a book of golden plates     
containing an account of the ancient    
inhabitants of ,america is to be given  
him to translate2 this book1 moreover1  
will contain a fulness of the           
everlasting gospel which he will be     
required to teach to the nations2 the   
priesthood will be revealed to him by   
the hand of ,elijah1 the prophet2       
through the operation of the power thus 

to be committed to the ,prophet ,joseph1
 the hearts of the children will be     
turned to the fathers2 in these days1   
strange signs will appear in heaven and 
in earth2 and1 finally1 the great and   
terrible day of the ,lord will then     
speedily come1 when judgments of sword1 
and of famine1 and of pestilence1 shall 
visit the earth4  ,thus did the angel   
bear a wonderful message to the         
eighteen-year-old boy1 and thus was the 
great prediction of an angel flying1 in 
part fulfilled4,e ,the far-reaching     
character of the visions will appear as 
the story proceeds4 ,already the boy has
 received in brief something of most of 
the great saving principles that        
distinguish the ,gospel of ,christ4     
,footnote ,e3 ,rev4 #ad3f1 #g4    ,,vi4 
,,hidden ,,gospel ,,records4  ,on       
,monday1 the twenty-second of           
,september1 #ahbc1 ,joseph ,smith was   
weary from the vigil of the night       
before4 ,he went into the field to work 
with his father1 but was too nearly     

exhausted to carry on his part of the   
labor4 ,the father observed that ,joseph
 was ill1 and advised him to return to  
the house to rest4 ,on the way1 however1
 while climbing a fence1 the boy fell   
helpless to the ground1 and remained so 
for some time4 ,the first thing that ,i 
can recollect1 wrote the ,prophet later1
 was a voice speaking unto me1 calling  
me by name4 ,i looked up1 and beheld the
 same messenger standing over my head1  
surrounded by light as before4 ,he then 
again related unto me all that he had   
related to me the previous night1 and   
commanded me to go to my father and tell
 him of the vision and commandments     
which ,i had received4,a  ,footnote ,a3 
,history of the ,church1 ,vol4 ,i1 pp4  
#ci-db4  ,joseph obeyed4 ,he returned to
 his father and related the whole matter
 to him4 ,joseph ,smith1 ,sr41 was      
himself a serious and spiritual man4 ,he
 recognized the ring of truth in the    
words of his son4 ,it is of ,god1 he    
said2 and thereupon he advised his son  

to go and do as the angel commanded him4
 ,immediately1 therefore1 ,joseph       
departed for the sacred hill that had   
been shown him in vision4  ,not far from
 the town of ,manchester1 ,new ,york1   
stands a hill of considerable size4 ,it 
is the largest elevation of the kind in 
the neighborhood4 ,the north end of the 
hill rises abruptly from the plain to a 
height of some one hundred fifty feet4  
,the southern end1 however1 rises       
gradually from the plain near           
,manchester1 and ascends by easy grade  
until it meets the high elevation of the
 north4 ,it was in the west side of the 
hill1 not far from the top1 that the    
golden plates were hidden4 ,so          
distinctly had the ,prophet seen the    
place in vision1 that he recognized it  
the moment he reached it4 ,the top of a 
rounded stone was exposed to view4 ,when
 the earth was cleared away1 the stone  
proved to be a kind of convex cover1    
thick through the middle1 thinner at the
 edges1 and flat underneath4 ,with a    

lever1 the ,prophet pried off this lid4 
,there1 under the cover1 was a box made 
of slabs of stone laid in cement4 ,and  
there1 in the box1 resting on           
cross-pieces of stone1 lay the golden   
plates1 the ,urim and ,thummim1 and the 
breast-plate4  ,it is perhaps impossible
 to imagine the exhilaration of soul    
experienced by the young ,prophet at    
that moment4 ,the ,father and the ,son  
had deigned to appear to him and speak  
to him personally4 ,an angel from heaven
 had appeared to him four times in      
succession1 had given him great         
promises1 and had instructed him in a   
life-work for which he had been chosen  
by the ,god of heaven ,himself4 ,now he 
stood before the visible1 tangible      
evidence that what he had seen and heard
 was no delusion4 ,before him lay indeed
 the golden book4 ,there1 too1 were the 
sacred interpreters by means of which he
 should be able to translate it4 ,there1
 undoubtedly1 lay the ,scripture        
containing the fulness of the ,gospel4  

,enraptured--filled with the ecstasy of 
supreme joy--the boy reached forth his  
hand to take the sacred relics from     
their hiding-place4  ,but the hour had  
not yet come when these things should be
 revealed to the world4 ,as ,joseph     
stretched forth his hand to take the    
sacred plates1 the holy angel appeared  
again1 the fifth time1 and forbade his  
touching them4 ,he explained to ,joseph 
that the time was not yet ripe for      
bringing the records forth4 ,four years 
were yet to pass before the plates could
 be delivered to him4 ,during those four
 years1 ,joseph should come to the      
sacred hill on each succeeding          
twenty-second of ,september4 ,the angel 
would meet him there and give him       
needful instruction for the consummation
 of his great life-mission4             
,accordingly1 as ,i had been commanded1 
writes the ,prophet1 ,i went at the end 
of each year1 and at each time ,i found 
the same messenger there1 and received  
instruction and intelligence from him at

 each of our interviews1 respecting what
 the ,lord was going to do1 and how and 
in what manner ,his kingdom was to be   
conducted in the last days4,b  ,footnote
 ,b3 ,history of the ,church1 ,vol4 ,i1 
p4 #af4  ,it is remarkable how          
deliberately the acts of the            
,restoration were brought about4 ,in the
 spring of #ahbj1 in answer to the boy's
 prayer1 the great ,god of heaven and   
earth appeared ,himself with ,his ,son1 
,jesus ,christ1 to the ,prophet ,joseph 
,smith2 but that glorious vision bore no
 further immediate fruit than the       
restraining of ,joseph ,smith from      
joining any of the denominations then   
contending for new converts4 ,for three 
and a half long years1 he held no       
further converse with heaven4 ,he was   
nearly eighteen years of age1 and he    
knew no more of many of the purposes of 
the ,lord than did those who persecuted 
him for his testimony4 ,then a special  
messenger from heaven appeared to him4  
,three times during the night1 and twice

 the following day1 did the angel visit 
the boy and instruct him4 ,those        
instructions1 it would seem1 covered the
 ground of the purpose1 the mission1 and
 the government of the ,kingdom of ,god4
 ,surely now1 the young man was prepared
 and might be sent forth to accomplish  
the work divinely appointed him4 ,but   
no2 yet another period of four years    
must pass--a period of careful          
preparation--before the sacred record   
containing the fulness of the ,gospel   
could be delivered to the young prophet4
 ,even then1 after four years1 with the 
golden book in the ,prophet's hands1 the
 time would not yet be fully come1 as we
 shall see1 for the restoration of the  
,church of ,christ4  ,the four years    
passed quickly by4 ,it was the          
twenty-second of ,september1 #ahbg4     
,joseph ,smith1 now a young man of      
nearly twenty-two1 stood once more      
before the uncovered stone box in which 
lay the sacred treasures of a former    
people4 ,the angel1 too1 was there4 ,the

 young prophet's four-year course of    
training was ended4 ,the angel took the 
sacred plates1 and the ,urim and        
,thummim1 and the breast-plate1 and     
delivered them to the ,prophet enjoining
 him to be careful of them4 ,if he      
should let them go carelessly1 or should
 lose them through any neglect of his1  
he should be cut off2 but if he would   
use every endeavor to preserve them till
 the angel should call for them1 they   
should be protected4,c ,and so the ninth
 vision of the angel ,moroni closed4    
,holding the sacred records carefully in
 his arms1 the ,prophet returned to his 
home1 elated1 thrilled with joy at the  
confidence reposed in him by his ,god4  
,footnote ,c3 ,history of the ,church1  
,vol4 ,i1 p4 #ah4  ,the work of         
translation proved a long and difficult 
task4 ,the golden book was engraved in  
ancient ,egyptian1 ,chaldaic1 ,assyriac1
 and ,arabic characters4 ,two men came1 
through the providence of ,god1 to the  
assistance of the ,prophet ,joseph3     

first1 ,martin ,harris2 later1 ,oliver  
,cowdery4 ,these men acted as scribes1  
while the ,prophet read them the        
,english translation of the strange     
engravings on the plates4 ,joseph ,smith
 was far from being a scholar4 ,he knew 
but little about his own mother-tongue1 
let alone the ancient languages4 ,it is 
not to be wondered at1 then1 if the     
labor of translation became at times    
tedious1 even with the help of the      
inspiration of the ,lord4 ,the method of
 translation1 as explained to ,oliver   
,cowdery1 is thus described by the ,lord
 ,himself3  ,behold1 ,i say unto you1   
that you must study it out in your mind2
 then you must ask me if it be right1   
and if it is right ,i will cause that   
your bosom shall burn within you2       
therefore1 you shall feel that it is    
right2 but if it be not right1 you shall
 have no such feelings1 but you shall   
have a stupor of thought1 that shall    
cause you to forget the thing which is  
wrong3 therefore you cannot write that  

which is sacred1 save it be given you   
from me4,d  ,footnote ,d3 ,doc4  ,cov4  
#i3h1 #i4  ,the translation of the      
sacred record was spread over the better
 part of two and a half years4 ,the     
whole book was written out in long-hand2
 and a copy was carefully made1 before  
any of it was sent to the printer4 ,as  
the young boy had been persecuted for   
asserting that he had beheld a vision of
 the ,father and the ,son1 so now he was
 persecuted for asserting that he had in
 his possession a sacred record of an   
ancient people1 and that he had         
translated the record through the       
inspiration and power of ,god4 ,many    
attempts were made by the ,prophet's    
enemies to steal the plates2 but they   
were protected and preserved as the     
angel had promised4 ,when the           
translation was finished1 the enemies of
 the ,prophet tried again to destroy his
 work4 ,they secured from the printer   
advance sheets of the printed work1 and 
published garbled versions of it4 ,in   

this1 however1 they were finally        
restrained by fear of the law4 ,joseph  
,smith had secured a copyright of the   
book before he sent it to the press4    
,trial and persecution did not cease1   
however1 but grew rather greater and    
more severe4 ,yet1 the work of printing 
went steadily on1 and was finally       
completed4 ,in the early part of the    
year #ahcj--ten years after the first   
vision--the inspired translation of the 
ancient record was published under the  
title ,the ,book of ,mormon4 ,thus was  
accomplished another act in the great   
drama of the ,restoration4  ,and what is
 the ,book of ,mormon8 ,first1 it is an 
abridgment of certain extensive records 
made by the ancient civilized peoples of
 ,america4 ,the abridgment was made by a
 prophet called ,mormon1 hence the name 
,book of ,mormon4 ,the people to whom   
,mormon belonged are known in the book  
as ,nephites4 ,the record is1 then1     
mainly the story of the ancient         
possession of ,south and ,north ,america

 by the ,nephites4 ,besides1 the book   
tells of the ,lamanites--the            
brother-descendants of the ,nephites who
 remain to the present as the ,american 
,indians2 the ,mulekites1 a colony from 
,jerusalem that became afterwards merged
 with the ,nephites2 and the ,jaredites1
 a company of people led by divine power
 to the promised land of ,america from  
the ,tower of ,babel4 ,the ,nephites    
themselves1 whose history forms by far  
the greater part of the book1 were      
descended from an ,israelitish family   
led from ,jerusalem by the prophet      
,lehi1 #fjj years before ,christ4  ,but 
the ,book of ,mormon is more than       
history4 ,the angel that ,john the      
,revelator saw fly in the midst of      
heaven1 had the everlasting gospel to   
preach to every nation1 kindred1 tongue1
 and people4 ,that is why the ,book of  
,mormon is more than history4 ,it       
contains the fulness of the everlasting 
,gospel as delivered to the ,nephites4  
,it is so simple that the child will    

read its pages with interest1 yet it    
contains a profound treatment of the    
philosophy of the ,gospel4 ,in the      
restoration of this sacred record1 the  
prediction of the ,apostle ,john was    
indeed beautifully fulfilled4 ,besides  
the ,holy ,bible1 there was now given to
 man another volume of ,scriptures      
equally sacred--a monumental volume1    
free from the doctrines of men1 in which
 the ,gospel is treated fully and       
simply4  ,this sacred book could not be 
a product of religious frenzy4 ,ten long
 years passed by after the vision of the
 ,father and the ,son1 before the ,book 
of ,mormon was given to the world4      
,those ten years were years of          
simplicity of life4 ,there was no       
psychological crowd1 or other emotional 
excitement to disturb the quiet of the  
,prophet's life4 ,whatever deep and     
often poignant feelings he may have     
experienced during the spring of #ahbj1 
had certainly passed away during the ten
 years that followed4 ,the ,book of     

,mormon1 then1 came not as a result of  
the religious frenzy of #ahbj4  ,nor is 
the assertion tenable that ,joseph      
,smith was an epileptic1 as has been    
asserted by some would-be scientific    
investigators1 or an hypnotic1 or a mere
 impostor4 ,in the first place1 the book
 which he translated and gave to the    
world is wholly consistent and credible 
within its covers4 ,anyone who has      
endeavored to write a book1 or even a   
magazine article1 can testify how the   
problem of consistency often stares one 
out of countenance4 ,but here is a book 
which purports to be a sacred record--a 
book1 inspired by the ,spirit of ,god4  
,it contains prophecies and it relates  
history of war and of peace2 it expounds
 the simplest and the profoundest       
principles of human salvation2 it       
records the very words of the           
,lord1--yet it does not once contradict 
itself1 nor is it once inconsistent with
 itself4 ,surely1 this is a condition of
 fact that epilepsy1 or mere imposition 

could not achieve4  ,moreover1 the      
history of the ,american continent as   
set forth in the ,book of ,mormon is    
corroborated by all that has been       
discovered of ,american archaeology4    
,before #ahcj1 little was known of the  
ancient inhabitants of ,america4 ,it was
 not until several years after the      
appearance of the ,book of ,mormon1 that
 ,american archaeologists began to      
determine matters of great moment4 ,and 
from the first to the last1 the         
discoveries of ,american archaeology    
have not only not conflicted with the   
statements of the ,book of ,mormon but  
have borne them out in a remarkable way4
 ,even the most recent researches in    
,american antiquities serve only to     
strengthen faith in the divine          
authenticity of the ,book of ,mormon4   
,such harmony1 again1 imposition could  
not achieve4  ,furthermore1 the ,book of
 ,mormon is a far greater work than the 
native ability and education of a boy   
like ,joseph ,smith could have produced 

unaided4 ,he was not yet twenty-five    
years old when the book was published4  
,he was not ignorant2 but he was1 at    
that time1 untrained in the wisdom of   
the world4 ,he could read1 and write1   
and cipher2 he had a good mind1 and he  
could think hard and long2 but he knew  
little of languages1 or of history1 or  
of philosophy1 or of science1 or of any 
learned branch of the world's knowledge4
 ,he did not possess1 in short1 the     
information and the training to write   
unaided such a book as the ,book of     
,mormon4 ,yet1 he produced a book that  
is above criticism even from a sane and 
catholic literary point of view4 ,once  
more1 such an achievement1              
imposition--or frenzy--could not have   
accomplished4  ,finally1 the ,book of   
,mormon is one of the best authenticated
 books known to the world4 ,the angel   
,moroni delivered the plates of the book
 to ,joseph ,smith and instructed him4  
,but the angel did not appear to him    
only4 ,some time in ,june1 #ahbi1 the   

same heavenly messenger appeared to     
three other men1 with ,joseph ,smith1   
turned the metal leaves of the golden   
book before their eyes1 explained to    
them what the book was1 and bore        
testimony to its divine nature4 ,none of
 these three men was related in any way 
to ,joseph ,smith4 ,they all joined the 
,church when it was founded2 but they   
all left the ,church4 ,yet no one of    
them1 at any time1 whether while he was 
in the ,church or out of it1 could be   
made to deny the testimony which he bore
 after the visit of the angel4 ,this    
testimony is found in every copy of the 
,book of ,mormon1 and reads thus3  ,be  
it known unto all nations1 kindreds1    
tongues1 and people unto whom this work 
shall come1 that we1 through the grace  
of ,god the ,father1 and our ,lord      
,jesus ,christ1 have seen the plates    
which contain this record1 which is a   
record of the people of ,nephi1 and also
 of the ,lamanites1 their brethren1 and 
also of the people of ,jared1 who came  

from the tower of which hath been       
spoken2 and we also know that they have 
been translated by the gift and power of
 ,god1 for his voice hath declared it   
unto us2 wherefore we know of a surety  
that the work is true4 ,and we also     
testify that we have seen the engravings
 which are upon the plates2 and they    
have been shown unto us by the power of 
,god1 and not of man4 ,and we declare   
with words of soberness1 that an angel  
of ,god came down from heaven1 and he   
brought and laid before our eyes1 that  
we beheld and saw the plates1 and the   
engravings thereon3 and we know that it 
is by the grace of ,god the ,father1 and
 our ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 that we      
beheld and bear record that these things
 are true2 and it is marvelous in our   
eyes1 nevertheless the voice of the     
,lord commanded us that we should bear  
record of it2 wherefore1 to be obedient 
unto the commandments of ,god1 we bear  
testimony of these things4 ,and we know 
that if we are faithful in ,christ1 we  

shall rid our garments of the blood of  
all men1 and be found spotless before   
the judgment-seat of ,christ1 and shall 
dwell with him eternally in the heavens4
 ,and the honor be to the ,father1 and  
to the ,son1 and to the ,holy ,ghost1   
which is one ,god4 ,amen4  ,,oliver     
,,cowdery1 ,,david ,,whitmer1 ,,martin  
,,harris4  ,besides the testimony of    
these three men1 there is also the      
testimony of eight others4 ,to the eight
 the plates of the ,book of ,mormon were
 shown by the ,prophet himself4 ,they   
all handled the plates and examined     
them4 ,many of them afterwards forsook  
the ,prophet and his teachings2 but no  
one of them ever denied the testimony he
 had borne4 ,this testimony is also     
found in every copy of the ,book of     
,mormon and reads as follows3  ,be it   
known unto all nations1 kindreds1       
tongues1 and people unto whom this work 
shall come1 that ,joseph ,smith1 ,jun41 
the translator of this work1 has shown  
unto us the plates of which hath been   

spoken1 which have the appearance of    
gold2 and as many of the leaves as the  
said ,smith has translated1 we did      
handle with our hands2 and we also saw  
the engravings thereon1 all of which has
 the appearance of ancient work1 and of 
curious workmanship4 ,and this we bear  
record with words of soberness1 that the
 said ,smith has shown unto us1 for we  
have seen and hefted1 and know of a     
surety that the said ,smith has got the 
plates of which we have spoken4 ,and we 
give our names unto the world1 to       
witness unto the world that which we    
have seen2 and we lie not1 ,god bearing 
witness of it4  ,,christian ,,whitmer1  
,,jacob ,,whitmer1 ,,peter ,,whitmer1   
,,jun41 ,,john ,,whitmer1 ,,hiram       
,,page1 ,,joseph ,,smith1 ,,sen41       
,,hyrum ,,smith1 ,,samuel ,h4 ,,smith4  
,thus far in the story of the           
,restoration two important facts appear4
 ,nothing is done in haste2 the acts of 
the restoration are brought about in a  
slow1 deliberate manner4 ,there is no   

excitement1 no frenzy1 at any moment4   
,moreover1 this third1 important        
step--which confirms the two before     
it--is attested by eleven reputable     
witnesses4 ,their testimony has never   
been impeached4 ,many of them died      
outside the pale of the ,church4 ,yet1  
on their death-beds1 they affirmed      
stoutly as ever that their testimonies  
were true4,c  ,footnote ,c3 ,for a      
further discussion of the testimony of  
the witnesses see chapter ,,xx4         
,,vii4  ,,the ,,lesser ,,priesthood4    
,when ,martin ,luther1 after years of   
serious meditation in the monastery1    
became convinced of the doctrine of     
justification by faith1 he proceeded to 
promulgate that doctrine among his      
countrymen4 ,when1 later1 he became     
aroused by the monstrous traffic in     
indulgences1 and through the indignation
 then aroused1 finally led in a general 
revolt against the ,catholic church1 he 
proceeded with his friends to organize a
 new church4 ,a large part of ,teutonic 

,europe came under the influence of     
,luther's teaching4  ,it is noteworthy1 
however1 that ,martin ,luther did not   
receive1 nor did he apparently expect to
 receive1 revelation from ,god4 ,after  
years of the severest rigor1 he came    
finally no longer to rely on his own    
good works1 but to trust in             
justification by faith alone4 ,yet1     
there had been given--either to him1 or 
to another--no revelation revising or   
changing the well-known doctrine that   
faith without works is dead4 ,through a 
righteous indignation at the reckless   
claims made by the hawkers of           
indulgences1 ,luther was led to protest 
against the wicked practice of the      
,catholic church1 and finally to        
establish a church of his own4 ,yet1 he 
had received no special commission to   
institute the ,church of ,christ4 ,his  
protest against the ,catholic church was
 unquestionably well taken2 but he had  
received no appointment to establish a  
new church4 ,the only authority he      

possessed was that bestowed upon him as 
a priest by the church from which he    
seceded4 ,the church bearing his name is
 therefore man-appointed4  ,so it is    
also with all the ,protestant creeds4   
,as with ,martin ,luther1 so it was with
 ,john ,calvin1 and the ,presbyterian   
church2 so it was with ,henry ,,viii41  
the ,english ,pope1 and the ,church of  
,england as by law established2 so it   
was with ,wesley who organized the      
independent sect of ,methodists2 and so 
it was with all the religious reformers 
from the first to the last4 ,they       
recognized evils in the mother church4  
,they appreciated the necessity of      
reform4 ,but no one of them received    
divine appointment to accomplish the    
work they endeavored to do4 ,indeed1    
they held no authority whatever1 except 
such authority as had been conferred    
upon them by the church which they      
declared to be apostate1 and that       
authority certainly could not be called 
divine4  ,judging then1 from the many   

examples set before the time of ,joseph 
,smith1 we are justified in saying that 
he1 too1 might have organized an        
independent church of his own4 ,he1 too1
 recognized the evils in the ,christian 
sects4 ,he1 too1 felt the need of       
reform4 ,moreover1 he had received      
divine manifestations2 he had been told 
that the churches of the world were all 
corrupt1 and he had translated by divine
 inspiration a volume of sacred records 
attested by eleven men of good repute4  
,and moreover1 still1 the heavenly being
 who had visited him had specifically   
told him that ,god had a great work for 
him to do4 ,notwithstanding these many  
manifestations1 however1 ,joseph ,smith 
made no attempt to establish a new      
church1 or to reform those churches     
already established4 ,he had received no
 commission so to do4 ,as yet1 he had   
been given no authority to act in ,god's
 stead4  ,it was1 not until the         
fifteenth day of ,may1 #ahbi1 that the  
young ,prophet received authority to    

officiate in some of the ordinances of  
the ,gospel of ,jesus ,christ4 ,joseph  
,smith and his scribe1 ,oliver ,cowdery1
 had been engaged as usual on the       
translation of the sacred plates4 ,on   
that day1 they happened upon a passage  
referring to baptism4 ,since they knew  
nothing of the ordinance they became    
eager to understand4 ,they went out into
 the wood to pray for light4 ,together  
they knelt upon the sod4 ,united in     
their one great desire1 they pleaded    
with the ,god of heaven to give them    
understanding4 ,while we were thus      
employed1 writes the ,prophet in his    
simple way1 praying and calling upon the
 ,lord1 a messenger from heaven         
descended in a cloud of light1 and      
having laid his hands upon us1 he       
ordained us1 saying3  ,upon you my      
fellow servants1 in the name of         
,messiah1 ,i confer the ,priesthood of  
,aaron1 which holds the keys of the     
ministering of angels1 and of the gospel
 of repentance1 and of baptism by       

immersion for the remission of sins2 and
 this shall never be taken again from   
the earth1 until the sons of ,levi do   
offer again an offering unto the ,lord  
in righteousness4,a  ,footnote ,a3      
,history of the ,church1 ,vol4 ,i1 p4   
#ae4  ,the messenger who appeared thus  
to ,joseph and ,oliver said that he was 
,john the ,baptist1 and that he held the
 keys of the ,aaronic priesthood from   
the dispensation of ,christ4 ,he        
explained further that this priesthood  
had not the power of laying on hands for
 the gift of the ,holy ,ghost4 ,he      
commanded them to baptize each other1   
and to re-ordain each other after the   
pattern set them by him4 ,immediately   
,joseph and ,oliver went to attend to   
the holy ordinance4 ,first the ,prophet 
baptized ,oliver1 then ,oliver baptized 
the ,prophet4 ,the ,prophet then laid   
his hands upon ,oliver's head and       
ordained him to the ,aaronic priesthood2
 and afterwards1 ,oliver ordained the   
,prophet4 ,both of them received        

thereupon glorious manifestations from  
heaven4 ,they prophesied of things that 
were to be4 ,they were filled with the  
,holy ,ghost4 ,and thus was consummated 
another act in the story of the         
,restoration4  ,and what was this       
,priesthood restored by the heavenly    
messenger1 ,john the ,baptist8          
,priesthood is the authority to act in  
,god's stead4 ,since the powers of ,god 
are infinite1 so also must ,his         
priesthood be infinite4 ,therefore1 what
 a man may or may not do in representing
 ,god1 will depend upon the degree of   
authority he has received from the      
,great ,master4 ,one who has been       
commissioned with great authority may   
undertake great responsibilities for    
,god2 whereas one who has been          
commissioned with but little1 can do but
 little4 ,the principle of authority    
will not permit a man to attempt        
responsibilities greater than his       
priesthood1 though he may feel himself  
otherwise competent to do them fully as 

well as does the man who holds the      
necessary authority4 ,thus divine       
authority--or priesthood--becomes a     
power highly to be respected4  ,now1 the
 ,holy ,priesthood has two              
divisions--the ,lesser and the ,greater4
 ,it was the ,lesser ,priesthood that   
,john the ,baptist conferred upon       
,joseph ,smith and ,oliver ,cowdery4 ,it
 is also called the ,aaronic ,priesthood
 since ,aaron was the great             
representative of old bearing this      
authority4 ,the powers and limitations  
of this division of priesthood--or      
,divine ,authority--are indicated in the
 words of ordination and the            
instructions of ,john the ,baptist to   
,joseph ,smith and ,oliver ,cowdery4    
,first1 the ,priesthood of ,aaron holds 
the keys of the ministering of angels4  
,one who has received this degree of    
authority has the right to receive      
revelation and instruction from the     
angels of heaven4 ,they may minister to 
him1 inspire him1 and guide him1 in his 

labors4 ,moreover1 the authority of this
 priesthood may call down upon man the  
ministration of holy angels when it     
shall be necessary so to do4  ,secondly1
 the ,priesthood of ,aaron holds the    
keys of the gospel of repentance4 ,one  
who holds this degree of authority may  
cry repentance to his fellowmen4 ,he may
 preach the ,gospel of ,jesus to them   
that they may follow in ,his ways4      
,moreover1 the ,priesthood of ,aaron    
holds the keys of baptism by immersion  
for the remission of sins4 ,the         
preaching of one having authority may be
 effective4 ,those hearing it may be    
converted4 ,they may confess their past 
sins and repent of them with a ,godly   
sorrow4 ,it becomes necessary then to   
administer the ordinance of baptism to  
them4 ,this1 one who holds the authority
 of the ,aaronic priesthood may do4 ,by 
virtue of the delegated power which he  
holds1 he may lead the candidate for    
baptism into the water1 and immerse him 
in the name of the ,father1 and of the  

,son1 and of the ,holy ,ghost4          
,finally1 the ,priesthood of ,aaron may 
be said to hold the keys of all temporal
 ministrations4 ,those holding this     
authority may look after the needs of   
the poor1 and the afflicted4 ,they may  
care for the temporal welfare of the    
,church4 ,they may attend to such duties
 as will make for the peace and comfort 
of worshipers4 ,and they may attend to  
the sacred ordinance of the sacrament1  
or the ,lord's ,supper4  ,now1 what is  
the significance of this glorious vision
 of ,john the ,baptist8 ,it means1      
first1 that man must have authority to  
act for ,god2 secondly1 that the        
religious world in the time of this     
vision had no authority to act for ,god4
 ,it is unreasonable to suppose that any
 one should presume1 without authority1 
to take another's place in the business 
affairs of this world2 or that any one  
would1 without protest1 permit another  
to usurp his place and authority in the 
business transactions of this world4    

,and if this is so with finite men1 how 
much more unready will the ,god of      
heaven be to approve ,his creatures'    
usurping ,his power and authority8 ,how 
displeasing will it not be to him that  
one to whom ,he has never delegated     
authority of any kind or degree1 shall  
presume to represent ,him1 and officiate
 in ,his name8 ,certainly ,god will no  
more recognize the acts of men who      
arrogate authority and dominion1 than   
will an earthly monarch4  ,but the      
,priesthood held by men of old is not   
possessed by the sectarian churches of  
today4 ,the ,lesser1 or ,aaronic1       
,priesthood finds no place in their     
creeds4 ,john the ,baptist would have   
had no need to ordain ,joseph and       
,oliver1 had the ,aaronic ,priesthood   
been held by anyone on earth4 ,all those
 who assumed1 then1 to organize         
churches1 both before and after the     
appearance of ,john the ,baptist in this
 age of the world1 did so without the   
necessary authority4 ,these two         

men--,joseph ,smith and ,oliver         
,cowdery--were the only mortals on earth
 at that time who held any degree of    
,priesthood--,divine ,authority--from   
,god4 ,and the priesthood that they held
 did not yet give them power to organize
 the ,church of ,christ or to confer the
 ,holy ,ghost4  ,these facts are        
apparent1 then3 ,in answer to earnest   
prayer1 a heavenly being giving his name
 as ,john the ,baptist appeared to      
,joseph ,smith and ,oliver ,cowdery2 he 
conferred upon them the ,aaronic        
,priesthood1 which holds certain        
definite keys1 or powers2 the possession
 of ,priesthood--or ,divine             
,authority--is absolutely necessary to  
one who would officiate in ,god's stead2
 the religious world at large has lost  
entirely the ,aaronic ,priesthood2 with 
this order of ,priesthood conferred upon
 them ,joseph and ,oliver became        
authorized to perform certain duties for
 ,god2 but even now they could not      
officiate in the higher ordinances of   

the ,gospel1 therefore they could not   
yet establish the ,church of ,christ    
with authority4    ,,viii4  ,,the       
,,higher ,,priesthood4  ,in the days of 
,abraham1 there lived in ,palestine a   
great king and priest of the most high  
,god1 named ,melchizedek4 ,melchizedek  
was king of ,salem4 ,to him ,abraham    
paid tithes of all that he had4 ,now1   
,melchizedek was approved of ,god1 and  
was ordained a high priest after the    
order of the ,son of ,god2 which order  
came1 we are told1 not by man1 nor the  
will of man2 neither by father nor      
mother2 neither by beginning of days nor
 end of years2 but of ,god4,a ,and ever 
afterwards1 ,melchizedek was            
distinguished as a great high priest4   
,footnote ,a3 ,holy ,scriptures1        
,inspired ,version1 ,gen4 #ad3bh2       
,compare ,heb4 #g3a-c4  ,in after years 
the ,priesthood after the ,order of the 
,son of ,god--the ,priesthood that      
,melchizedek held as a great high       
priest--came to be named after          

,melchizedek4 ,in the one hundred tenth 
psalm1 ,king ,david bursts forth in     
triumphant praise of the ,lord who is to
 come4 ,the ,lord hath sworn1 he says1  
and will not repent1 ',thou art a priest
 forever after the order of             
,melchizedek4',b ,again1 a thousand     
years later1 ,paul revives the memory of
 ,melchizedek in a remarkable argument  
for the saving power of the ,lord's     
high-priesthood4 ,though he were a ,son1
 writes the great apostle1 yet learned  
he obedience by the things which he     
suffered2 and being made perfect1 he    
became the author of eternal salvation  
unto all them that obey him2 called of  
,god an high priest after the order of  
,melchizedek4,c ,so1 from generation to 
generation1 among the ancients1 an order
 of priesthood called the ,priesthood   
after the ,order of ,melchizedek was    
undoubtedly well-known4 ,it was this    
priesthood--or ,divine ,authority--by   
virtue of which ,jesus ,himself         
operated4 ,it represented the power     

delegated to ,him from ,god the ,father4
  ,footnote ,b3 ,psalms #aaj3d4         
,footnote ,c3 ,read ,hebrews1 chs4 #e1  
#f4 #g4  ,moreover1 it was the authority
 of this same priesthood by virtue of   
which the apostles of ,jesus1 and all   
the divinely-appointed disciples1       
officiated in ,jesus' name4 ,at some    
time during the second year of ,his     
public ministry1 ,jesus went up into a  
mountain1 and called to ,him certain of 
,his disciples4 ,he ordained twelve to  
be ,his apostles and special witnesses1 
and gave them power similar to ,his     
own4,d ,when the labors of the ministry 
became too extensive for the twelve     
alone1 the ,lord appointed other seventy
 and sent them two and two into every   
city4,e ,the authority of judgment was  
committed to the ,son2 and ,he appointed
 to ,his disciples a kingdom1 as ,his   
,father had appointed to ,him1 that they
 might judge the twelve tribes of       
,israel4,f ,to one of the apostles the  
,savior gave the keys of the kingdom of 

heaven1 that whatsoever he should bind  
on earth should be bound in heaven4,g   
,afterwards1 he gave the same binding   
and loosing power to all the twelve4,h  
,then1 after ,his crucifixion1 the ,lord
 appeared again to the eleven and       
conveyed to them a commission similar to
 that on which ,he ,himself had acted3  
,footnote ,d3 ,mark #c3ac-ad4  ,footnote
 ,e3 ,luke #aj4  ,footnote ,f3 ,luke    
#bb3bi-cj4  ,footnote ,g3 ,matt4 #af3ai4
  ,footnote ,h3 ,matt4 #ah3ah4  ,as my  
father hath sent me1 even so send ,i    
you4,i  ,footnote ,i3 ,john #bj3ba4     
,but the power and priesthood of ,jesus 
was unquestionably that known by the    
name of ,melchizedek4 ,he was called of 
,god1 says ,st4 ,paul1 to that order of 
priesthood2 he was appointed of ,god a  
priest forever after the order of       
,melchizedek4 ,then1 when ,he imparted  
to ,his chosen disciples the authority  
that ,he held ,himself1 it cannot be    
otherwise construed than that ,he       
conferred upon them the ,holy           

,priesthood after the order of          
,melchizedek4  ,what became of that     
priesthood after the passing of the     
apostles8 ,during their ministry we have
 repeated references to the officers    
divinely appointed to carry on the work 
of the ,church4 ,the apostles           
themselves1 as they traveled from church
 to church1 ordained elders and set     
apart officers for the continuance of   
the great gospel work4 ,and1 of course1 
they could impart only what they had    
received4 ,they had received the ,holy  
,priesthood called after the name of    
,melchizedek2 this priesthood1 then1    
they conferred upon those appointed to  
preside and to labor in the ,church4    
,indeed1 it follows but naturally that  
one could not rightfully officiate in   
the ,church unless he had been divinely 
called and appointed by this priesthood4
  ,after the passing of the apostles1   
however1 the ,priesthood after the      
,order of ,melchizedek1 like that of    
,aaron1 became lost4 ,the officers of   

the priesthood dropped out one by one4  
,at the present day1 neither the        
,melchizedekian nor the ,aaronic        
,priesthood is recognized in the        
sectarian world as having existence     
even1 let alone their being essential to
 the complete organization of the       
,church4 ,in a time of the restitution  
of all things1 then1--such as was spoken
 of by the holy prophets--the priesthood
 after the order of ,melchizedek as well
 as that of ,aaron must be restored to  
the earth4  ,john the ,baptist had      
promised that the ,higher ,priesthood   
should be restored to ,joseph ,smith and
 ,oliver ,cowdery4 ,not long after his  
own visitation the promise was          
fulfilled4 ,joseph and ,oliver were in  
the wilderness on the ,susquehanna      
river4 ,to them appeared the ancient    
apostles ,peter1 ,james1 and ,john1 who 
declared that they possessed the keys of
 the kingdom1 and of the dispensation of
 the ,fulness of ,times4 ,they laid     
their hands upon ,joseph and ,oliver1   

conferred upon them the ,holy           
,priesthood after the order of          
,melchizedek1 ordained them to be       
apostles and special witnesses of ,jesus
 the ,lord1 and bestowed upon them the  
keys of power which they themselves     
possessed4,j ,therefore1 ,joseph and    
,oliver became known as ,apostles of    
,jesus ,christ1 the first and second    
elders of the ,church4,k ,in after      
years1 the ,prophet ,joseph wrote       
ecstatically of the event1 saying3      
,footnote ,j3 ,history of the ,church1  
,vol4 ,i1 pp4 #dj1 #da4  ,footnote ,k3  
,doc4 and ,cov4 #bj3b1 #c2 #ah3i4  ,and 
again1 what do we hear8 ,glad tidings   
from ,cumorah6 ,moroni1 an angel from   
heaven1 declaring the fulfillment of the
 prophets--the book to be revealed4 ,a  
voice of the ,lord in the wilderness of 
,fayette1 ,seneca ,county1 declaring the
 three witnesses to bear record of the  
book4 ,the voice of ,michael on the     
banks of the ,susquehanna1 detecting the
 devil when he appeared as an angel of  

light4 ,the voice of ,peter1 ,james and 
,john in the wilderness between         
,harmony1 ,susquehanna county1 and      
,colesville1 ,broome county1 on the     
,susquehanna river1 declaring themselves
 as possessing the keys of the kingdom1 
and of the dispensation of the fulness  
of times4,l  ,footnote ,l3 ,doc4 and    
,cov4 #abh3bj4  ,and ,oliver ,cowdery1  
too1 bears record of the same marvelous 
event4 ,he says in a signed statement3  
,john the ,baptist1 holding the keys of 
the ,aaronic ,priesthood2 ,peter1 ,james
 and ,john1 holding the keys of the     
,melchizedek ,priesthood have also      
ministered for those who shall be heirs 
of salvation1 and with these            
administrations1 ordained men to the    
same ,priesthood4 ,these ,priesthoods   
with their authority1 are now and must  
continue to be in the body of the       
,church of ,jesus ,christ of ,latter-day
 ,saints4 99 99 99 ,accept assurances1  
dear brother1 of the unfeigned prayer of
 him who1 in connection with ,joseph1   

the ,seer1 was blessed with the above   
administrations4,m  ,footnote ,m3       
,history of the ,church1 ,vol4 ,i1 p4   
#db1 footnote4  ,this statement was     
written in #ahdi1 nearly twenty years   
after the event1 and nearly five years  
after the martyrdom of the ,prophet4    
,and so was consummated another act in  
the great drama of the ,restoration4    
,the chosen prophet1 ,joseph ,smith1 and
 his divinely-appointed associate1      
,oliver ,cowdery1 possessed now the     
higher order of priesthood--the         
,priesthood after the ,order of         
,melchizedek4 ,after many centuries the 
priesthood of the great king was        
restored again to the earth finally1    
never again to be taken away while the  
earth shall stand4  ,how does this      
,higher ,priesthood differ from the     
,lesser8 ,briefly1 the difference is    
mainly one of degree4 ,both are         
divisions of the great ,priesthood after
 the ,order of the ,son of ,god4 ,but   
the ,lesser ,priesthood deals with      

lesser1 and temporal things2 whereas the
 ,higher ,priesthood deals with         
spiritual things4 ,says the ,lord in a  
revelation to the ,prophet ,joseph3     
,the power and authority of the ,higher1
 or ,melchizedek ,priesthood1 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 unto them--to commune with the   
general assembly and ,church of the     
first born1 and to enjoy the communion  
and presence of ,god the ,father1 and   
,jesus1 the ,mediator of the new        
covenant4,n  ,footnote ,n3 ,doc4 and    
,cov4 #ajg3ah1 #ai4  ,it appears1 then1 
that one holding the ,priesthood of     
,melchizedek may lay on hands for the   
gift of the ,holy ,ghost2 he may        
administer to the sick that they may be 
restored2 he may rebuke evil and cast   
out devils in the name of ,jesus the    
,christ2 he may bless1 and confirm1 and 
anoint with holy oil2 he may1 in short1 

call down the richest blessings of      
heaven in his administration1--for he   
holds the keys of all the spiritual     
blessings4  ,he may possess the rights  
and powers of revelation1 to learn the  
mysteries of heaven1 to look into the   
heavens themselves1 and to commune with 
heavenly beings4 ,he may enjoy the      
communion1 and the very presence of ,god
 the ,father and of ,jesus ,christ4     
,moreover1 one holding the ,higher      
,priesthood has power and authority over
 all the lesser offices of the ,church4 
,these are great and wonderful          
blessings4 ,yet1 they are really no     
greater than one should expect to find  
operative in the true ,church of        
,christ4 ,for how can a church fulfill  
the measure of its existence unless it  
possess the very powers here ascribed to
 the ,priesthood after the order of     
,melchizedek8  ,it is really a matter of
 wonder that ,joseph ,smith1 an         
unlearned youth--for he was less than   
twenty-four years of age at the time of 

the restoration of the ,melchizedekian  
,priesthood--should have felt himself   
unauthorized fully to represent ,god    
until the two orders of priesthood were 
conferred upon him4 ,the so-called      
reformers were nearly all learned men4  
,they knew the scriptures not only in   
translation but in the original tongue4 
,they knew1 too1 the history and the    
customs of ,israel and surrounding      
nations4 ,of most of these things1      
,joseph ,smith as a young man was       
ignorant4 ,yet1 the ,protestant         
reformers never once recognized the     
necessity of possessing the old order of
 ,divine ,authority4 ,they read the     
scriptures and claimed to understand    
them2 some even translated the ,holy    
,bible2 yet1 not one of them seemed to  
comprehend the meaning of ,priesthood1  
nor the necessity of ,divine ,authority4
 ,to ,joseph ,smith alone1 of all the   
modern religious leaders1 belongs the   
credit of waiting till he was           
commissioned before he attempted to act 

in ,god's stead4 ,it is a striking      
testimony of his divine inspiration4    
,,ix4  ,,the ,,church ,,of ,,jesus      
,,christ4  ,empowered with the authority
 of both the ,lesser and the ,higher    
,priesthood1 ,joseph ,smith was in a    
position to act in all things for the   
,great ,giver of that authority4        
,indeed1 it would appear that there was 
nothing1 in righteousness1 that ,joseph 
,smith might not do as the              
representative of ,god4 ,yet1 he waited 
patiently1 always1 to receive ,god's    
word before he ventured to act in any   
important matter4 ,during these early   
days of his experience1 enemies         
continued to array themselves against   
him1 and persecution waxed fiercer and  
more frequent4 ,but the young ,prophet  
was not required to stand absolutely    
alone4 ,not only enemies1 but friends   
also increased in numbers4 ,it was very 
generally known1 long before the        
publication of the ,book of ,mormon1    
that ,joseph was engaged in the         

translation of such a book4 ,many men   
whose curiosity1 and interest1 had been 
aroused1 sought out the ,prophet1 and   
learned from his own lips the nature of 
his strange message to the world4 ,these
 men remained in most cases among the   
,prophet's staunchest friends4 ,they    
could not doubt the sincerity of that   
testimony which alone withstood         
maligning and persecution4 ,they could  
not break the impregnable testimony to  
the divine authenticity of the ,book of 
,mormon4 ,they could not controvert the 
sober affirmations of the two men who1  
without worldly gain in view1 declared  
that they had received by special       
ordination divine authority from heaven 
to re-establish the ,church of ,jesus   
,christ4 ,and1 fortunately for the young
 seer1 his own family were among those  
who began early to repose faith in him4 
,his brother ,samuel ,h4 ,smith was1    
according to the recorded history1 the  
third person in this dispensation to be 
baptized2 and shortly thereafter ,hyrum 

,smith1 another brother1 also accepted  
the truth4 ,thus1 the followers of the  
,prophet increased in number1 and his   
friends multiplied4 ,there was1 however1
 no organization by which they were     
bound together4  ,near the middle of the
 year #ahbi1 before the ,higher         
,priesthood was restored1 the ,prophet  
and his friends became anxious to effect
 a permanent organization4 ,the heavenly
 messengers that had visited the        
,prophet had promised him that the true 
,church of ,christ should be establised 
in due time4 ,and it was expedient--even
 necessary--that there should be an     
organization effected4 ,it may be urged 
that a person can be as good out of an  
organization as in it1 and that the mere
 fact of organization can produce no    
improvement either spiritually or       
otherwise4 ,but there can be no system  
where there is no organization4 ,there  
can be no one particularly to look to1  
where there is no organization4 ,there  
can be no division of responsibility    

where there is no organization4 ,there  
can be no order where there is no       
organization4 ,order1 it has been said1 
is a fundamental law of heaven4 ,but    
organization means order4 ,we have not  
space here to delve into the philosophy 
of organization2 but it is surely       
evident to every one that if we had not 
organization1 the world--physically1    
spiritually1 mentally1 socially--would  
still be in the same chaotic condition  
it was in when ,god first said1 ,let    
there be light4 ,in order to accomplish 
the purposes of ,god1 then1 it was      
necessary to do more than merely to     
restore the authority to act in ,his    
name4 ,it became necessary to effect an 
organization4  ,near the middle of the  
year #ahbi1 the ,prophet and his friends
 became anxious to realize the promise  
of ,john the ,baptist that they should  
receive the ,higher ,priesthood1 and to 
effect a permanent organization4 ,they  
assembled in ,peter ,whitmer's house to 
beg of the ,lord what they so earnestly 

desired4 ,and here1 writes the ,prophet1
 to our unspeakable satisfaction1 did we
 realize the truth of the ,savior's     
promise--',ask1 and it shall be given   
you2 seek1 and ye shall find2 knock1 and
 it shall be opened unto you'--for we   
had not long been engaged in solemn and 
fervent prayer1 when the word of the    
,lord came unto us in the chamber4,a ,it
 is undoubtedly this manifestation that 
the ,prophet has in mind when he writes 
in an address to the ,church1 ,and again
 what do we hear8 99 99 99 ,the voice of
 ,god in the chamber of old ,father     
,whitmer1 in ,fayette1 ,seneca          
,county4,b  ,footnote ,a3 ,history of   
the ,church1 ,vol4 ,i1 p4 #fj4          
,footnote ,b3 ,doc4 and ,cov4 #abh3ba4  
,the voice of the ,lord in this assembly
 gave to the ,prophet many important    
directions as to how he should proceed  
in organizing the ,church4 ,he was      
instructed to ordain ,oliver ,cowdery an
 elder in the ,church of ,jesus ,christ4
 ,then1 ,oliver ,cowdery should ordain  

,joseph2 and afterwards they should     
ordain others1 as they should be        
directed by revelation4 ,these          
ordinations1 however1 were to be        
deferred until such time as all those   
who had been baptized could be assembled
 in a general meeting4 ,and even then1  
the young ,prophet1 to whom these great 
revelations had been made1 should not   
force himself upon his followers2 but   
they were to show by free and voluntary 
vote whether or not they were willing to
 receive him as their spiritual teacher 
and leader4 ,after the vote had been    
taken1 these first ,elders of the       
,church were to bless bread and break it
 with those assembled1 and bless wine   
and drink it with them4 ,then1 such as  
should be indicated by the ,spirit of   
,god should be ordained to the          
priesthood1 and those who had been      
baptized should be confirmed by the     
laying on of hands for the gift of the  
,holy ,ghost4,c ,in order further to    
instruct his servants1 the ,lord gave in

 addition a revelation to ,joseph       
,smith1 ,oliver ,cowdery1 and ,david    
,whitmer1 explaining further the nature 
of their calling to the priesthood1     
making known that there should be twelve
 apostles called at some future time1   
and imparting other instructions        
relative to the building up of the      
,church of ,christ1 according to the    
fulness of the ,gospel4,d  ,footnote ,c3
 ,history of the ,church1 ,vol4 ,i1 p4  
#fa4  ,footnote ,d3 ,doc4 and ,cov4 sec4
 #ah4  ,not very long afterwards1       
another revelation was given specifying 
the day on which the organization should
 be effected1 and outlining the duties  
of ,church members4 ,the ,lord1 in this 
revelation1 says3  ,the rise of the     
,church of ,christ in these last days1  
being one thousand eight hundred and    
thirty years since the coming of our    
,lord and ,savior ,jesus ,christ in the 
flesh1 it being regularly organized and 
established agreeable to the laws of our
 country1 by the will and commandments  

of ,god1 in the fourth month1 and on the
 sixth day of the month1 which is called
 ,april4,e  ,footnote ,e3 ,doc4 and     
,cov4 #bj3a4  ,then the revelation      
proceeds to explain doctrine1 and to    
define the duties of those holding the  
priesthood1 also of lay members4 ,thus  
was the day fixed by divine revelation  
when the ,church should be organized4   
,accordingly on ,tuesday1 the sixth of  
,april1 #ahcj1 ,joseph ,smith and his   
friends met at the house of ,peter      
,whitmer1 ,sr41 in ,fayette ,seneca     
,county1 ,new ,york4 ,the laws of the   
,state of ,new ,york required that there
 should be at least six members of any  
religious body to effect an             
organization4 ,there were already more  
than six baptized followers of ,joseph  
,smith4 ,since1 however1 no more than   
six were required1 only six were chosen 
for the purpose of organization4 ,they  
were1 ,oliver ,cowdery1 ,joseph ,smith1 
,jr41 ,hyrum ,smith1 ,peter ,whitmer1   
,jr41 ,samuel ,h4 ,smith and ,david     

,whitmer4,f ,the ,prophet writes3       
,footnote ,f3 ,history of the ,church1  
,vol4 ,i1 p4 #gf1 footnote4  ,having    
opened the meeting by solemn prayer to  
our heavenly ,father1 we proceeded1     
according to previous commandment1 to   
call on our brethren to know whether    
they accepted us as their teachers in   
the things of the kingdom of ,god1 and  
whether they were satisfied that we     
should proceed and be organized as a    
,church1 according to said commandment  
which we had received4 ,to these several
 propositions they consented by a       
unanimous vote4 ,i then laid my hands   
upon ,oliver ,cowdery1 and ordained him 
an ,elder of the ',church of ,jesus     
,christ of ,latter-day ,saints2' after  
which he ordained me also to the office 
of an ,elder of said ,church4 ,we then  
took bread1 blessed it1 and brake it    
with them2 also wine1 blessed it1 and   
drank it with them4 ,we then laid our   
hands on each individual member of the  
,church present1 that they might receive

 the gift of the ,holy ,ghost1 and be   
confirmed members of the ,church of     
,christ4 ,the ,holy ,ghost was poured   
out upon us to a very great degree--some
 prophesied1 whilst we all praised the  
,lord1 and rejoiced exceedingly4,g      
,footnote ,g3 ,history of the ,church1  
,vol4 ,i1 pp4 #ge-gi4  ,while the       
members were thus enjoying the          
manifestations of the ,holy ,ghost1     
another revelation pertaining to the    
organization of the ,church was given to
 the ,prophet ,joseph4 ,it is preserved 
in the ,book of ,doctrine and ,covenants
 as section twenty-one4  ,we now        
proceeded to call out and ordain some   
others of the brethren to different     
offices of the ,priesthood1 according as
 the ,spirit manifested unto us2 and    
after a happy time spent in witnessing  
and feeling for ourselves the powers and
 blessings of the ,holy ,ghost1 through 
the grace of ,god bestowed upon us1 we  
dismissed with the pleasing knowledge   
that we were now individually members   

of1 and acknowledged of ,god1 ',the     
,church of ,jesus ,christ1' organized in
 accordance with commandments and       
revelations given by ,him to ourselves  
to the order of the ,church as recorded 
in the ,new ,testament4,h  ,footnote ,h3
 ,history of the ,church1 ,vol4 ,i1 p4  
#gi4  ,thus was accomplished1 fully ten 
years after the glorious vision of the  
,father and the ,son1 the organization  
of the ,church of ,jesus ,christ of     
,latter-day ,saints4 ,it was the        
consummation of another great act in the
 drama of the ,restoration4 ,gradually1 
the story has been building up to this  
climax4 ,gradually1 the chosen servants 
of ,god have been trained1 and prepared 
for the great responsibility of         
organization4 ,gradually1 the marvelous 
work and a wonder has itself grown and  
made friends1 that it might bear fruit  
in membership4 ,and now the number of   
those who can testify to the divine     
origin of the great work is materially  
increased4 ,it is not ,joseph ,smith    

alone2 nor is it he alone with his      
associate ,oliver2 nor is it they alone 
with the three witnesses2 nor yet is it 
they alone with the eight witnesses4 ,it
 is now the ,church membership4 ,on them
 was poured the abundance of the ,holy  
,ghost this momentous day4 ,and though  
there were but six in the legal         
organization1 all those assembled       
experienced the rich blessings of the   
,spirit4 ,moreover1 from that day forth1
 the ,church began to grow rapidly4 ,on 
that very day1 indeed1 many became      
converted and were baptized1 among      
others the father and the mother of the 
,prophet4 ,at about the same time1      
,martin ,harris1 also1 and ,orrin       
,porter ,rockwell received baptism4 ,and
 thus the ,church has increased from six
 to tens2 from tens to tens of          
thousands1 and from tens of thousands to
 hundreds of thousands1--all bearing    
witness that ,joseph ,smith received    
divine authority and special appointment
 to establish anew the ,church of       

,christ upon the earth4    ,x4  ,,the   
,,gospel ,,ordinances4  ,in the         
preceding chapter it was said that order
 is a fundamental law of heaven4        
,without order there is no system4      
,without order there is no method4      
,without order1 in short1 chaos is come 
again4  ,having then1 organized the     
,church--and organization1 it was said1 
means order--the ,god of heaven would   
certainly require that all things       
pertaining to ,church membership and to 
,church ritual should be done in an     
orderly way4 ,he would certainly restore
 the ancient rules and ordinances for   
the accomplishment of certain ends--not 
that obedience to the rules1 nor the    
performance of the ordinances1 would    
alone bring salvation2 but that the     
required observance of the prescribed   
word would establish order4  ,there is a
 right way and a wrong way to do all    
things4 ,it is the following of the     
right way that brings reward4 ,for      
example1 a company of soldiers is       

ordered by their captain to charge up   
the steep side of a hill and engage with
 the enemy at the top4 ,any other side  
of the hill is more easy of ascent than 
the one designated by the captain4 ,in  
fact1 that particular one seems almost  
inaccessible4 ,the soldiers1 therefore1 
act upon their own judgments and        
desires4 ,they scatter1 and charge up   
the hill from all sides4 ,of course1    
they may all come finally to the top of 
the hill2 but they come in broken line  
and are easily repelled4 ,the day is    
lost to them4 ,but why8 ,is not one     
ascent as good as another8 ,surely1 when
 one is climbing for pleasure4 ,but when
 one is acting under organization1 there
 can be but one ascent4 ,the soldiers   
who chose the other way1 reached the    
summit of the hill1 but in disorder1    
broken1 and disunited4 ,moreover1 by    
choosing their own road1 they missed the
 very point and purpose for which the   
captain ordered them to charge together 
up the steepest way4 ,and what was even 

worse1 by breaking to follow their own  
desires1 they brought confusion1 chaos  
even1 into their ranks4  ,it may be that
 the appointed way will not appear to be
 our way4 ,but it is for the ,master of 
the organization1 for ,him who has      
established order1 to say how we shall  
proceed1 that order1 peace and harmony  
may persist4 ,with a ,church            
organization restored we should expect  
to find restored also the ordinances and
 ceremonies divinely prescribed for the 
continuance of the organization4        
,first1 then1 to belong to the ,church  
of ,christ1 it becomes necessary to make
 covenant with ,him in ,his chosen way4 
,that way is baptism4 ,it is the outward
 ordinance in covenant of the new       
condition existing between the ,savior  
and the saved4 ,this it was that ,paul  
had in mind when he wrote to the        
,romans3 ,know ye not1 that so many of  
us as were baptized unto ,jesus ,christ 
were baptized unto ,his death8          
,therefore we are buried with ,him by   

baptism into death3 that like as ,christ
 was raised up from the dead by the     
glory of the ,father1 even so we also   
should walk in newness of life4 ,for if 
we have been planted together in the    
likeness of his death1 we shall be also 
in the likeness of his resurrection4,a  
,and again he wrote to the ,galatians3  
,for ye are all the children of ,god by 
faith in ,christ ,jesus4 ,for as many of
 you as have been baptized into ,christ 
have put on ,christ4,b ,it is evident1  
then1 that baptism is the ordinance of  
initiation into the ,church of ,christ2 
and further1 that that ordinance must be
 by immersion since it is in the        
likeness of the burial of ,christ4      
,footnote ,a3 ,rom4 #f3c-e4  ,footnote  
,b3 ,gal4 #c3bf1 #bg4  ,when ,john the  
,baptist1 in the glorious appearance to 
,joseph ,smith and ,oliver ,cowdery1    
restored to them the ,priesthood of     
,aaron1 he explained that it held the   
keys of baptism by immersion for the    
remission of sins4,c ,with this         

priesthood conferred upon them1 ,joseph 
and ,oliver became endued with authority
 to baptize in the name of the ,father4 
,john the ,baptist instructed them to   
baptize each other4 ,afterwards1 as we  
have already learned1 they were         
instructed that they should baptize all 
who wished to join with them in the     
,church of ,christ4 ,before the day the 
,church was organized1 further specific 
instructions were given concerning the  
sacred ordinance of baptism4  ,footnote 
,c3 ,doc4 and ,cov4 sec4 #ac4  ,and     
again1 by way of commandment to the     
,church concerning the manner of        
baptism1 we read in an early revelation1
 all those who humble themselves before 
,god1 and desire to be baptized and come
 forth with broken hearts and contrite  
spirits1 and witness before the ,church 
that they have truly repented of all    
their sins1 and are willing to take upon
 them the name of ,jesus ,christ1 having
 a determination to serve him to the    
end1 and truly manifest by their works  

that they have received of the ,spirit  
of ,christ unto the remission of their  
sins1 shall be received by baptism into 
his ,church4,d  ,footnote ,d3 ,doc4 and 
,cov4 #bj3cg4  ,baptism1 says the ,lord 
further1 is to be administered in the   
following manner unto all those who     
repent3--,the person who is called of   
,god1 and has authority from ,jesus to  
baptize1 shall go down into the water   
with the person who has presented him or
 herself for baptism1 and shall say1    
calling him or her by name--,having been
 commissioned of ,jesus ,christ1 ,i     
baptize you in the name of the ,father1 
and of the ,son1 and of the ,holy       
,ghost4 ,amen4 ,then shall he immerse   
him or her in the water1 and come forth 
again out of the water4,e  ,footnote ,e3
 ,doc4 and ,cov4 #bj3gb-gd4  ,after     
being baptized1 the new convert received
 anciently the gift of the ,holy ,ghost4
 ,men and brethren1 cried the assembled 
,jews on the day of ,pentecost1 what    
shall we do8 ,peter answered1 ,repent   

and be baptized every one of you in the 
name of ,jesus ,christ1 for the         
remission of sins1 and ye shall receive 
the gift of the ,holy ,ghost4,f ,and    
this gift of the ,holy ,ghost was       
conferred by the laying on of hands of  
those having authority so to do4 ,at one
 time1 when the apostles at ,jerusalem  
heard that the people of ,samaria had   
received the ,gospel they sent to       
,samaria ,peter and ,john4 ,these two   
apostles prayed with the new converts   
that they might receive the ,holy       
,ghost4 ,then they laid their hands on  
them1 and they received the ,holy       
,ghost4 ,there was present one ,simon1 a
 magician4 ,and when ,simon saw that    
through laying on of the apostles' hands
 the ,holy ,ghost was given1 he offered 
them money1 saying4 ,give me also this  
power1 that on whomsoever ,i lay my     
hands1 he may receive the ,holy ,ghost4 
,but ,peter said unto him1 ,thy money   
perish with thee1 because thou hast     
thought that the gift of ,god may be    

purchased with money4,g  ,footnote ,f3  
,acts #b3cg-ci4  ,footnote ,g3 ,acts    
#h3ad-bj4  ,it was to be expected1 then1
 that1 having restored the proper form  
of baptism1 the ,lord would restore also
 the proper way of conferring the gift  
of the ,holy ,ghost4 ,accordingly1 the  
word of ,god declares1 in the revelation
 given during the organization meeting  
of the ,chuch1 that--,an apostle is an  
elder1 and it is his calling to baptize4
 99 99 99 ,and to confirm those who are 
baptized into the church1 by the laying 
on of hands for the baptism of fire and 
the ,holy ,ghost1 according to the      
scriptures4,h ,and again1 the ,lord says
 to ,his elders3 ,ye shall remember the 
church articles and covenants to keep   
them2 and whoso having faith you shall  
confirm in my church by the laying on of
 the hands1 and ,i will bestow the gift 
of the ,holy ,ghost upon them4,i        
,footnote ,h3 ,doc4 and ,cov4 #bj3ch-da4
  ,footnote ,i3 ,doc4 and ,cov4 #cc3ad1 
#ae4  ,thus were the essential          

ordinances of baptism by immersion for  
the remission of sins and the laying on 
of hands for the gift of the ,holy      
,ghost restored in this dispensation4   
,baptism1 however1 is applicable only to
 those who have reached years of        
accountability4 ,it may be administered 
only to those who are capable of        
understanding1 of believing1 of         
repenting1 and of confessing4 ,this1    
little children cannot do2 nor have they
 need so to do1 for little children are 
without sin4  ,once1 the devoted parents
 of ,israel brought their children to   
the ,master1 that ,he might touch them4 
,the disciples1 careful of their beloved
 ,master1 rebuked the parents2 but ,he  
said in ,his divine way3 ,suffer the    
little children to come unto me1 and    
forbid them not for of such is the      
kingdom of ,god4 ,verily ,i say unto    
you4 ,whosoever shall not receive the   
kingdom of ,god as a little child1 he   
shall not enter therein4 ,and he took   
them up in his arms1 put his hands upon 

them1 and blessed them4,j  ,footnote ,j3
 ,mark #aj3ac-af4  ,these1 then1 who    
were young and without sin--like whom   
are those in the kingdom of ,god--the   
,master did not lead into the waters of 
baptism4 ,he took them in ,his arms and 
blessed them4 ,and in accordance with   
this pattern1 the following instructions
 were given to the ,prophet1 respecting 
the manner of receiving little children3
 ,every member of the ,church of ,christ
 having children1 is to bring them unto 
the elders before the church1 who are to
 lay their hands upon them in the name  
of ,jesus ,christ1 and bless them in his
 name4,k  ,footnote ,k3 ,doc4 and ,cov4 
#bj3gj4  ,again1 in the same            
comprehensive revelation given at the   
organization of the ,church1 the ,lord  
gave specific directions for the        
administration of the sacrament4 ,as ,he
 ,himself did when ,he met with ,his    
disciples at the ,last ,supper1 so ,he  
would have ,his people continue to do4  
,the ,lord says in the modern           

revelation3 ,it is expedient that the   
church meet together often1 to partake  
of bread and wine in remembrance of the 
,lord ,jesus2 and the elder or priest   
shall administer it--he shall kneel with
 the church and call upon the ,father in
 solemn prayer1 saying--',o ,god1 the   
eternal ,father1 we ask thee in the name
 of thy ,son1 ,jesus ,christ1 to bless  
and sanctify this bread to the souls of 
all those who partake of it1 that they  
may eat in remembrance of the body of   
thy ,son1 and witness unto thee1 ,o     
,god1 the eternal ,father1 that they are
 willing to take upon them the name of  
thy ,son1 and always remember him and   
keep his commandments which he has given
 them1 that they may always have his    
,spirit to be with them4 ,amen4'        
,afterwards the wine should be          
administered in the following way3 ,he  
shall take the cup also1 and say--',o   
,god1 the eternal ,father1 we ask thee  
in the name of thy ,son1 ,jesus ,christ1
 to bless and sanctify this wine to the 

souls of all those who drink of it1 that
 they may do it in remembrance of the   
blood of thy ,son1 which was shed for   
them2 that they may witness unto thee1  
,o ,god the eternal ,father1 that they  
do always remember him1 that they may   
have his ,spirit to be with them4       
,amen4',l  ,footnote ,l3 ,doc4 and ,cov4
 #bj3ge-gi4  ,not only1 however1 was the
 manner of performing the ordinance thus
 explained1 but important instructions  
were given also to the saints that they 
should not partake of this ,holy        
,sacrament unworthily4 ,for1 as said the
 ,apostle ,paul1 whosoever shall eat    
this bread1 and drink this cup of the   
,lord1 unworthily1 shall be guilty of   
the body and the blood of the ,lord4,m  
,moreover1 the ,lord gave directions    
also as to what should be used in the   
ordinance4 ,the ,prophet ,joseph was on 
his way1 one evening1 to purchase wine  
for the sacrament4 ,suddenly1 he was met
 by a heavenly messenger1 and received  
the following instructions3  ,footnote  

,m3 ,i ,cor4 #aa3bg4  ,listen to the    
voice of ,jesus ,christ1 your ,lord1    
your ,god1 and your ,redeemer1 whose    
word is quick and powerful4 ,for1       
behold1 ,i say unto you1 that it        
mattereth not what ye shall eat1 or what
 ye shall drink1 when ye partake of the 
sacrament1 if it so be that ye do it    
with an eye single to my glory2         
remembering unto the ,father my body    
which was laid down for you1 and my     
blood which was shed for the remission  
of your sins3 wherefore a commandment ,i
 give unto you1 that you shall not      
purchase wine neither strong drink of   
your enemies1 wherefore you shall       
partake of none1 except it is made new  
among you2 yea1 in this my ,father's    
kingdom1 which shall be built up on the 
earth4,n ,for this reason1 water came to
 be used by the saints in the ordinance 
of the sacrament1 and has been in       
general use ever since4  ,footnote ,n3  
,doc4 and ,cov4 #bg3a-d4  ,finally1 we  
may notice one other important ordinance

 restored through the ministry of       
,joseph ,smith4 ,anciently1 the ,apostle
 ,james wrote to the saints ,is any sick
 among you8 let him call for the elders 
of the church2 and let them pray over   
him1 anointing him with oil in the name 
of the ,lord3 and the prayer of faith   
shall save the sick1 and the ,lord shall
 raise him up2 and if he have committed 
sins1 they shall be forgiven him4,o     
,footnote ,o3 ,jas4 #e3ad1 #ae4  ,in    
like manner1 the ,lord directed the     
latter-day ,prophet1 on the ninth of    
,february1 #ahca1 in the presence of    
twelve elders of the ,church4 ,said the 
,lord in revelation3 ,whosoever among   
you are sick and have not faith to be   
healed1 but believe1 shall be nourished 
with all tenderness1 with herbs and mild
 food1 and that not by the hand of an   
enemy4 ,and the elders of the church1   
two or more1 shall be called1 and shall 
pray for and lay their hands upon them  
in my name2 and if they die they shall  
die unto me1 and if they live they shall

 live unto me4,p ,hence1 it is the      
custom in the ,church to pray for the   
sick1 and to administer to them1        
anointing them with oil1 and laying     
hands upon them in faith2 and many      
thousands bear witness that the promises
 of the ,lord have been bountifully     
fulfilled in this modern age4  ,footnote
 ,p3 ,doc4 and ,cov4 #db3dc4  ,thus1    
through the organization of the ,church 
of ,jesus ,christ of ,latter-day        
,saints1 the essential outward          
ordinances of the ,gospel1 lost long ago
 through the great apostasy1 were       
restored for the blessing and the       
salvation of the children of men4       
,,xi4  ,,the ,,plan ,,of ,,government4  
,at the organization of the ,church of  
,jesus ,christ of ,latter-day ,saints1  
on ,april #fth1 #ahcj1 the ,prophet     
,joseph ,smith and ,oliver ,cowdery were
 accepted and unanimously sustained as  
the spiritual teachers and leaders of   
the ,church4 ,it appears that there was 
no further attempt at that time to      

perfect the organization4 ,indeed1 while
 the ,church numbered but few members it
 was unnecessary to have more officers  
than those indicated4 ,the few members  
were banded together for mutual benefit2
 and for the time being1 a leader was   
all they needed4 ,in the revelation     
given during the organization meeting1 a
 recorder is also named1 and the        
official position of the young ,prophet 
is pointed out4 ,the ,lord declares3    
,behold1 there shall be a record kept   
among you1 and in it thou i4 e41 ,joseph
 ,smith shalt be called a seer1 a       
translator1 a prophet1 an apostle of    
,jesus ,christ1 an elder of the church  
through the will of ,god the ,father1   
and the grace of your ,lord ,jesus      
,christ1 being inspired of the ,holy    
,ghost to lay the foundation thereof1   
and to build it up unto the most holy   
faith4,a  ,footnote ,a3 ,doc4 and ,cov4 
#bb3a1 #b4  ,it was not long1 however1  
before the ,church grew to such         
proportions that more working officers  

were needed than those two or three     
first appointed4 ,as it was in the days 
of the ,savior1 when ,he called the     
twelve1 and the seventy1 and other      
workers1 so it was in latter days4 ,the 
phenomenal growth of the ,church        
demanded the completing of the          
organization4 ,and completing of the    
organization is all that was needed4    
,the nature and extent of the           
organization were themselves already    
made plain4 ,in the invaluable          
revelation on ,church government1,b the 
officers of the priesthood are named in 
order4 ,there the ,lord speaks of       
apostles1 high priests1 elders1 bishops1
 priests1 teachers1 deacons1 high       
councilors1 and so forth4 ,at an earlier
 date even than that of the revelation  
on ,church government1 the ,lord made   
known to the ,prophet ,joseph ,smith1   
,oliver ,cowdery and ,david ,whitmer1   
that there should be in due time twelve 
apostles4,c ,but the plan of ,church    
organization and government was         

perfected gradually as the growth of the
 ,church demanded4  ,footnote ,b3 ,doc4 
and ,cov4 sec4 #bj4  ,footnote ,c3 ,doc4
 and ,cov4 sec4 #ah4  ,at a conference  
of the ,church held at ,amherst1 ,ohio1 
,january #be1 #ahcb1 and again at a     
general council held at ,independence1  
,missouri1 ,april #bf1 #ahcb1 the       
,prophet ,joseph was acknowledged and   
sustained as the ,president of the ,high
 ,priesthood4 ,the ,presidency of the   
,church of ,jesus ,christ of ,latter-day
 ,saints1 consisting of three members1  
was not effected1 however1 until ,march 
#ah1 #ahcc4 ,ten days before1 on ,march 
#hth1 the ,prophet had received a       
revelation in which it was commanded    
that he should continue in the ministry 
and the presidency4 ,moreover1 the ,lord
 said3  ,verily1 ,i say unto thy        
brethren1 ,sidney ,rigdon and ,frederick
 ,g4 ,williams1 their sins are forgiven 
them also1 and they are accounted as    
equal with thee in holding the keys of  
this last kingdom4 99 99 99 that through

 your the ,prophet's administration they
 may receive the word1 and through their
 administration1 the word may go forth  
unto the ends of the earth1 unto the    
,gentiles first1 and then1 behold1 and  
lo1 they shall turn unto the ,jews4,d   
,footnote ,d3 ,doc4 and ,cov4 #ij3f-i4  
,accordingly1 on the eighteenth of the  
month1 ,sidney ,rigdon and ,frederick   
,g4 ,williams were ordained to be first 
and second counselors to ,president     
,joseph ,smith4 ,thus was the earthly   
presidency of the ,church established in
 the dispensation of the fulness of     
times4  ,other quorums and positions of 
presidency were likewise organized as   
need demanded4 ,on ,december #ah1 #ahcc1
 ,joseph ,smith1 ,sr41 father of the    
,prophet1 was ordained patriarch of the 
,church1 by the ,prophet ,joseph1       
,oliver ,cowdery1 ,sidney ,rigdon and   
,frederick ,g4 ,williams4 ,and less than
 two years later it was decreed in a    
special revelation on ,priesthood       
that--,it is the duty of the ,twelve1 in

 all large branches of the church1 to   
ordain evangelical ministers            
7patriarchs7 as they shall be designated
 unto them by revelation4 ,the order of 
this ,priesthood was confirmed to be    
handed down from father to son1 and     
rightly belongs to the literal          
descendants of the chosen seed1 to whom 
the promises were made4,e  ,footnote ,e3
 ,doc4 and ,cov4 #ajg3ci1 #dj4  ,little 
less than two years after the           
organization of the ,presidency of the  
,church1 the promise that there would be
 appointed a quorum of twelve apostles  
was fulfilled4 ,it was ,sunday1         
,february #h1 #ahce4 ,brigham and       
,joseph ,young had come to visit the    
,prophet4 ,they sang to him1 and        
worshiped together4 ,the ,spirit of ,god
 was poured out upon them1 and the      
,prophet declared that he wanted to see 
together the brethren who had gone to   
,missouri the summer before in ,zion's  
,camp4,f ,he had a blessing for them1 he
 said4 ,accordingly1 a meeting was      

appointed for ,saturday1 ,february #ad1 
#ahce4 ,when the men of ,zion's ,camp   
were assembled1 the ,prophet addressed  
them at length4 ,he declared that there 
was a divine purpose in the trials and  
hardships endured in the march to ,zion 
and return4 ,in the afternoon session of
 the meeting1 the ,prophet directed that
 the three witnesses to the ,book of    
,mormon should proceed to select twelve 
men to be ordained apostles of the ,lord
 ,jesus4 ,accordingly1 ,oliver ,cowdery1
 ,david ,whitmer1 and ,martin ,harris   
were blessed by the presidency of the   
,church4 ,then they proceeded to select 
from among the men of ,zion's ,camp     
twelve men to be ordained apostles of   
the ,lord ,jesus4 ,the twelve men were  
named in the following order3 ,lyman ,e4
 ,johnson1 ,brigham ,young1 ,heber ,c4  
,kimball1 ,orson ,hyde1 ,david ,w4      
,patten1 ,luke ,s4 ,johnson1 ,william   
,e4 ,m',lellin1 ,john ,f4 ,boynton1     
,orson ,pratt1 ,william ,smith1 ,thomas 
,b4 ,marsh1 and ,parley ,p4 ,pratt4 ,the

 first three named were then ordained to
 the apostleship that same day1         
,february #ad1 #ahce4 ,the next six were
 ordained the following day1 ,sunday1   
,february #ae4 ,parley ,p4 ,pratt was   
ordained on ,february #ba4 ,and ,orson  
,pratt and ,thomas ,b4 ,marsh1 who were 
absent on missions1 were ordained in    
,april1 #ahce4 ,thus was the quorum of  
,twelve apostles--like that appointed by
 the ,savior during ,his personal       
ministry--again organized in this       
dispensation4,g  ,footnote ,f3 ,zion's  
,camp was the name given to a company of
 volunteers who set out from the        
,eastern ,states to carry assistance to 
the ,saints in ,missouri4 ,in the fall  
of the year #ahcc1 the ,saints who lived
 in ,jackson county1 ,missouri1 were    
driven from that county by a lawless    
mob1 and all their lands were           
confiscated4 ,the exiles found refuge in
 ,clay county4 ,from there1 ,parley ,p4 
,pratt and ,lyman ,wight were sent to   
,kirtland to report to the ,prophet the 

condition of the ,saints in the ,west4  
,the ,prophet was distracted by the     
news4 ,he enquired of the ,lord to learn
 how ,zion might be redeemed1 and       
received a revelation in which he was   
instructed to call for volunteers from  
the strength of the ,church--young men  
and middle-aged--to march to ,zion to   
redeem it4 ,this band of volunteers was 
not to exceed five hundred1 nor was it  
to consist of fewer than one hundred    
7,doc4 and ,cov4 #ajc74 ,immediately the
 brethren in ,kirtland began to prepare 
for the work of redemption4 ,recruiting 
officers and solicitors were sent to all
 the branches of the ,church4 ,by the   
latter part of ,april1 #ahcd1 volunteers
 began to assemble in ,kirtland4 ,on    
,may first1 the first advance was made  
in the eventful thousand-miles march4 ,a
 little more than twenty men1 with four 
baggage wagons1 proceeded from ,kirtland
 to ,new ,portage4 ,not many days later1
 the ,prophet with the rest of the      
recruits at ,kirtland1 joined the camp  

at ,new ,portage4 ,there the now famous 
,zion's ,camp was organized into        
companies of twelve1 with a suitable    
division of responsibility for a long   
march4 ,from there the march proceeded  
through the states of ,indiana and      
,illinois1 picking up recruits on the   
way1 until there were in the company two
 hundred five strong and faithful men1  
with twenty-five baggage wagons4        
,naturally1 such a march of a thousand  
miles was full of trial and hardship4   
,it was a march well designed to test   
the faith and the characters of those   
who made it4 ,some were found wanting in
 the sterling qualities necessary for   
the leaders of a ,chosen ,people4       
,others never lost sight of the noble   
purpose of their mission1 and therefore 
retained their spirits unruffled till   
the last4 ,it was fitting that such men 
as theses should be chosen later to lead
 ,zion4 ,zion's ,camp was disbanded     
,june twenty-fifth1 #ahcd1 at ,rush     
,creek1 ,clay county1 ,missouri4        

,footnote ,g3 ,at a grand council held  
,may second1 #ahce1 the newly chosen    
apostles were arranged according to     
seniority4 ,the official organization of
 the first quorum of apostles was then  
as follows3 #a ,thomas ,b4 ,marsh #g    
,parley ,p4 ,pratt #b ,david w4 ,patten 
#h ,luke ,s4 ,johnson #c ,brigham ,young
 #i ,william ,smith #d ,heber ,c4       
,kimball #aj ,orson ,pratt #e ,orson    
,hyde #aa ,john ,f4 ,boynton #f ,william
 ,e4 ,mc,lellin #ab ,lyman ,e4 ,johnson 
,at some time before the calling of the 
,twelve1 the ,prophet had seen in       
vision1 not only the organization of the
 quorum of apostles1 but also the       
organization of the quorums of          
seventies4,h ,the ,church had made such 
phenomenal progress1 and the missionary 
labor was so extensive1 that more busy  
workers were needed even after the      
calling of the ,twelve4 ,therefore1 on  
the #bhth of ,february1 #ahce1 the      
,church assembled in council1 began to  
select from the faithful ones left from 

the ,zion's ,camp expedition1 certain   
men to become ,seventies4 ,seven men    
were ordained presidents of the quorum1 
and sixty-three others1 members4 ,these 
,seventies1 said the ,prophet1 are to   
constitute traveling quorums1 to go into
 all the earth whithersoever the ,twelve
 ,apostles shall send them4,i  ,footnote
 ,h3 ,history of the ,church1 ,vol4     
,,ii1 pp4 #bjb1 #ahb4  ,footnote ,i3    
,history of the ,church1 ,vol4 ,,ii1 p4 
#bjb4  ,the quorums of authority thus   
far re-established may be considered1 in
 a way1 as dealing primarily with the   
spiritual affairs of the ,church4 ,even 
the ,first ,presidency1 while they may  
advise in temporal matters1 and take    
active part in them1 seem to have it as 
their first duty to stand between ,god  
and the ,church1 administering in       
spiritual things4 ,it was not the       
intention of the ,lord1 however1 to     
provide only for the spiritual welfare  
of ,his people4 ,the temporal welfare of
 the people was also necessary to the   

satisfactory fulfillment of their       
missions upon the earth4 ,therefore1 the
 ,lord restored also the authorities    
whose principal duty it is to take care 
of temporal affairs4 ,in a revelation   
given ,february #d1 #ahca1 while the    
,prophet was visiting in ,kirtland1     
,ohio1 the ,lord said3  ,i have called  
my servant ,edward ,partridge1 and give 
a commandment1 that he should be        
appointed by the voice of the church1   
and ordained a bishop unto the church1  
to leave his merchandise and to spend   
all his time in the labors of the       
church3 to see to all things as it shall
 be appointed unto him1 in my laws in   
the day that ,i shall give them4,j      
,footnote ,j3 ,doc4 and ,cov4 #da3i1    
#aj4  ,edward ,partridge was a          
prosperous merchant of ,kirtland4 ,the  
,prophet said of him1 ,he was a pattern 
of piety1 and one of the ,lord's great  
men1 known by his steadfastness and     
patient endurance to the end4,k ,elder  
,partridge accepted the call of the     

,lord1 forsook his merchandise1 and was 
ordained on the very day of the         
revelation1 the first bishop of the     
,church4 ,and in the following          
,november1 several elders came to the   
,prophet seeking to know the will of the
 ,lord concerning them4 ,the ,prophet   
received for them a revelation1         
containing not only instructions to     
them1 but also certain items 99 99 in   
addition to the covenants and           
commandments4 ,there1 among other       
things1 the ,lord says3 ,there remaineth
 hereafter1 in the due time of the      
,lord1 other bishops to be set apart    
unto the church1 to minister even       
according to the first4,l  ,footnote ,k3
 ,quoted by ,roberts in ,outlines of    
,ecclesiastical ,history1 p4 #caf4      
,footnote ,l3 ,doc4 and ,cov4 #fh3ad4   
,the following month1 ,newel ,k4        
,whitney was called by revelation to be 
bishop over the ,church in ,kirtland4,m 
,since that day1 other bishops have been
 called as need has arisen1 until there 

are in the ,church at the present       
writing more than seven hundred acting  
bishops4  ,footnote ,m3 ,doc4 and ,cov4 
#gb3h4  ,thus the quorums of authority  
and presidency in the ,church were      
restored as the growth of the ,church   
demanded4 ,each one in turn was         
appointed by special revelation1 until  
the organization was completed4 ,besides
 the important revelations on ,church   
government already noted1 two other     
revelations were given dealing          
particularly with the history and duties
 of priesthood4,n ,from these we learn  
that twelve deacons constitute a quorum 
of deacons2 twenty-four teachers a      
quorum of teachers2 and forty-eight     
priests a quorum of priests2 that the   
bishop1 besides presiding in a general  
way over the district where he is       
appointed1 presides particularly over   
the ,lesser or ,aaronic ,priesthood4    
,from these1 also1 we learn that        
ninety-six elders constitute a quorum of
 elders2 seventy seventies1 a quorum of 

seventies2 and all the high-priests of a
 district the quorum of high-priests in 
that district4 ,thus1 from the ,first   
,presidency to the deacon1 the          
organization of the ,priesthood is      
complete and perfect in its operation4  
,footnote ,n3 ,doc4 and ,cov4 secs4 #hd1
 #ajg4  ,besides this perfect           
organization of the ,priesthood1 there  
are other helpful divisions and         
organizations that have been called     
forth by the growth of the ,church4 ,the
 most we can do with them here1 however1
 is merely to mention them in closing4  
,first is the territorial division of   
the ,church4 ,for convenience in        
government1 the ,church is divided      
territorially into stakes1 wards1       
branches1 missions1 and conferences4    
,kirtland was undoubtedly the first     
stake of ,zion to be appointed in the   
history of the ,church4 ,concerning     
,kirtland1 the ,lord said in #ahcb3     
,for ,i have consecrated the land of    
,shinehah 7,kirtland7 in mine own due   

time for the benefit of the saints of   
the ,most ,high1 and for a stake of     
,zion4,o  ,footnote ,o3 ,doc4 and ,cov4 
#hb3ac4  ,in the dedicatory prayer      
offered in the ,kirtland ,temple1 #ahcf1
 the ,prophet ,joseph ,smith said3  ,we 
ask thee to appoint unto ,zion other    
,stakes1 besides this one which thou    
hast appointed1 that the gathering of   
thy people may roll on in great power   
and majesty1 that thy work may be cut   
short in righteousness4,p  ,footnote ,p3
 ,doc4 and ,cov4 #aji3ei4  ,other stakes
 were appointed4 ,today1 the ,church    
numbers more than sixty stakes1 each    
presided over by a presidency of three  
high priests1 and a high council of     
twelve high priests1 with several       
alternate high councilmen4  ,as the     
,church is divided into stakes1 so the  
stakes are divided into wards1 each     
presided over by a bishop and two       
counselors4 ,and the world at large1 not
 included in the boundaries of the      
organized stakes1 is divided into       

missions1 each presided over by a       
president4 ,the missions in turn are    
divided into conferences1 presided over 
by conference presidents1 and the       
conferences are divided into branches1  
likewise presided over by branch        
presidents4  ,the ,church grew rapidly  
to such dimensions1 however1 that it    
needed even more assistance than these  
organizations and divisions could       
render4 ,there has grown up in the      
,church1 therefore1 a number of         
auxiliary associations4 ,the ,relief    
,society1 an organization of women1 was 
organized under the direction of the    
,prophet ,joseph ,smith in #ahdb4 ,the  
,sunday ,school was organized under the 
patronage of ,brigham ,young in #ahdi4  
,the ,young ,ladies' ,mutual            
,improvement ,association was organized 
as a retrenchment society1 under the    
supervision of ,president ,brigham      
,young in #ahfi4 ,a similar organization
 of the young men was effected in #ahge1
 though there had been such an          

organization in ,nauvoo4 ,the ,primary  
,association for children was organized 
in #ahgh4 ,the ,religion ,class was     
organized in #ahij4 ,all these auxiliary
 organizations serve to lighten the     
labors of the priesthood1 and of the    
home1 in instructing the children of the
 saints4  ,gradually1 then1 another act 
in the great drama of the ,restoration  
was accomplished--an act of many scenes4
 ,but the achievements of the act have  
aroused1 and continue to arouse1 the    
wonder and the admiration of the        
civilized world4 ,in the ,church        
organization every point is carefully   
wrought out1 from the highest and most  
important office to the lowest and      
least4 ,indeed1 the perfection of the   
institution precludes the thought that  
it was devised by man alone4 ,not       
another so nearly perfect organization  
is to be found in the history of the    
world4    ,,xii4  ,,the ,,spiritual     
,,gifts4  ,less than a month after the  
organization of the ,church in #ahcj1   

there happened at ,colesville1 ,new     
,york1 one of the most remarkable       
manifestations in the history of the    
modern world4 ,joseph ,smith had gone to
 ,colesville to visit at the home of    
,joseph ,knight4 ,the ,knights were     
,universalists4 ,they were interested1  
however1 in the message of the young    
prophet4 ,one of them1 particularly--a  
son named ,newel ,knight--seemed to be  
much affected by the ,prophet's         
teachings4 ,says the ,prophet in his    
simple narrative3  ,he and ,i had many  
serious conversations on the important  
subject of man's eternal salvation4 ,we 
got into the habit of praying much at   
our meetings1 and ,newel had said that  
he would try and take up his cross1 and 
pray vocally during meeting2 but when we
 again met together1 he rather excused  
himself4 ,i tried to prevail upon him4  
99 99 99 ,he replied that 99 99 99 he   
would wait until he could get into the  
woods by himself1 and there he would    
pray4 ,accordingly1 he deferred praying 

until next morning1 when he retired into
 the woods2 where1 according to his own 
account afterwards1 he made several     
attempts to pray1 but could scarcely do 
so1 feeling that he had not done his    
duty1 in refusing to pray in the        
presence of others4 ,he began to feel   
uneasy1 and continued to feel worse both
 in mind and body1 until1 upon reaching 
his own house1 his appearance was such  
as to alarm his wife very much4 ,he     
requested her to go and bring me to him4
 ,i went1 and found him suffering very  
much in his mind1 and his body acted    
upon in a very strange manner2 his      
visage and limbs distorted and twisted  
in every shape and appearance possible  
to imagine2 and finally he was caught up
 off the floor of the apartment1 and    
tossed about most fearfully4  ,his      
situation was soon made known to his    
neighbors and relatives1 and in a short 
time as many as eight or nine grown     
persons had got together to witness the 
scene4 ,after he had thus suffered for a

 time1 ,i succeeded in getting hold of  
him by the hand1 when almost immediately
 he spoke to me1 and with great         
earnestness requested me to cast the    
devil out of him1 saying that he knew he
 was in him1 and that he also knew ,i   
could cast him out4  ,i replied1 ',if   
you know that ,i can1 it shall be done2'
 and then almost unconsciously ,i       
rebuked the devil1 and commanded him in 
the name of ,jesus ,christ to depart    
from him2 when immediately ,newel spoke 
out and said that he saw the devil leave
 him and vanish from his sight4 ,this   
was the first miracle which was done in 
the ,church1 or by any member of it1 and
 it was done not by man1 nor by the     
power of man1 but it was done by ,god1  
and by the power of godliness2          
therefore1 let the honor and the praise1
 the dominion and the glory1 be ascribed
 to the ,father1 ,son and ,holy ,spirit1
 for ever and ever4 ,amen4,a  ,footnote 
,a3 ,history of the ,church1 ,vol4 ,i1  
pp4 #hb1 #hc4  ,concerning the truth of 

this ungarnished account there can be no
 doubt4 ,it has appeared in print for   
many years1 and has never been called in
 question4 ,moreover1 the miracle was   
witnessed by several adult persons1 and 
was strongly attested by ,newel ,knight 
himself4 ,without question1 then1 with  
the very beginning of the ,church1 the  
gifts of healing1 so common with ,jesus 
and ,his disciples1 were restored to    
those holding the ,holy ,priesthood4    
,not more than a year and a half after  
the performance of this remarkable      
miracle1 there was performed another    
which the ,prophet passed over in his   
narrative with scarcely a notice4 ,he   
says1 ,about this time 7,september #ab1 
#ahca71 ,ezra ,booth came out as an     
apostate4 ,he came into the ,church upon
 seeing a person healed of an infirmity 
of many years' standing4,b ,that is all4
 ,fortunately1 however1 there is        
preserved for us an account of this case
 of healing2 and it is the more valuable
 because it is written by a ,campbellite

 historian1 who did not accept the      
message of the ,prophet ,joseph ,smith4 
,the historian says3  ,footnote ,b3     
,history of the ,church1 ,vol4 ,i1 p4   
#bae4  ,ezra ,booth1 of ,mantua1 a      
,methodist preacher of much more than   
ordinary culture1 and with strong       
natural abilities1 in company with his  
wife1 ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,johnson1 and some 
other citizens of this place ,hiram1    
,ohio visited ,smith at his home in     
,kirtland1 in #ahca4 ,mrs4 ,johnson had 
been afflicted for some time with a lame
 arm1 and was not at the time of the    
visit able to lift her hand to her head4
 ,the party visited ,smith partly out of
 curiosity1 and partly to see for       
themselves what there might be in the   
new doctrine4 ,during the interview the 
conversation turned on the subject of   
supernatural gifts1 such as were        
conferred in the days of the apostles4  
,some one said1 ',here is ,mrs4 ,johnson
 with a lame arm2 has ,god given any    
power to men now on earth to cure her8' 

,a few moments later1 when the          
conversation had turned in another      
direction4 ,smith rose1 and walking     
across the room1 taking ,mrs4 ,johnson  
by the hand1 said in the most solemn and
 impressive manner3 ',woman1 in the name
 of the ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 ,i command
 thee to be whole1' and immediately left
 the room4 ,the company were            
awe-stricken at the infinite presumption
 of the man1 and the calm assurance with
 which he spoke4 ,the sudden mental and 
moral shock--,i know not how better to  
explain the well-attested               
fact--electrified the rheumatic         
arm--,mrs4 ,johnson at once lifted it up
 with ease1 and on her return home the  
next day she was able to do her washing 
without difficulty or pain4,c  ,footnote
 ,c3 ,hayden's ,history of the          
,disciples1 pp4 #bej1 #bea2 quoted in   
,history of the ,church1 ,vol4 ,i1 pp4  
#bae1 #baf1 footnote4  ,we can easily   
believe that the company was amazed at  
the manifestation of such power4 ,it was

 not the will of ,god1 however1 that the
 great ,prophet alone should possess the
 gift to heal the sick4 ,on the         
contrary1 it was bestowed through faith 
upon many others4 ,from the first the   
elders had practiced the order of       
anointing the sick and praying for them4
 ,but in #ahcb1 a little more than two  
years after the organization of the     
,church1 the ,lord gave a revelation in 
which ,he declared to the elders that   
certain signs should follow the         
operation of faith4 ,the words of the   
,lord are these3  ,as ,i said unto mine 
apostles ,i say unto you again that     
every soul who believeth on your words1 
and is baptized by water for the        
remission of sins1 shall receive the    
,holy ,ghost2 and these signs shall     
follow them that believe3  ,in my name  
they shall do many wonderful works3  ,in
 my name they shall cast out devils2    
,in my name they shall heal the sick2   
,in my name they shall open the eyes of 
the blind1 and unstop the ears of the   

deaf2  ,and the tongue of the dumb shall
 speak2  ,and if any man shall          
administer poison unto them it shall not
 hurt them2  ,and the poison of a       
serpent shall not have power to hurt    
them4,d  ,footnote ,d3 ,doc4 and ,cov4  
#hd3fc-gb4  ,thus wonderfully did the   
,lord repeat the promise made to the    
apostles of old2,e and the promise has  
been fulfilled in an equally wonderful  
manner4 ,the number of miraculous       
healings since #ahcb is far too large to
 bear detailing here4 ,but from that day
 to the present1 there have been        
wonderful healings1 wherever the ,church
 has been established4 ,and hundreds of 
thousands testify that the gift of      
healing is indeed operative among the   
,latter-day ,saints4  ,footnote ,e3 ,see
 ,mark #af3af-ah4  ,the gift of healing 
is not the only divine gift1 however1   
that has been restored in latter days3  
,about the #hth of ,november1 writes    
,joseph ,smith1 ,i received a visit from
 ,elders ,joseph ,young1 ,brigham       

,young1 and ,heber ,c4 ,kimball of      
,mendon1 ,monroe county1 ,new ,york4    
,they spent four or five days in        
,kirtland1 during which we had many     
interesting moments4 ,at one of our     
interviews1 ,brother ,brigham ,young and
 ,john ,p4 ,greene spoke in tongues1    
which was the first time ,i had heard   
this gift among the brethren3 others    
also spoke1 and ,i received the gift    
myself4,f  ,footnote ,f3 ,history of the
 ,church1 ,vol4 ,i1 pp4 #bif1 #ig4  ,so 
briefly does the ,prophet mention the   
reappearance of the strange gift of     
tongues4 ,fortunately1 however1 we have 
again another and fuller account4       
,writing of the same incident1          
,president ,brigham ,young says1 ,a few 
weeks after my baptism ,i was at        
,brother ,kimball's house one morning1  
and while family prayer was being       
offered up1 ,brother ,alpheus ,gifford  
commenced speaking in tongues4 ,soon the
 ,spirit came on me1 and ,i spoke in    
tongues1 and we thought only of the day 

of ,pentecost1 when the apostles were   
clothed upon with cloven tongues of     
fire4  ,in ,september1 #ahcb1 ,brother  
,heber ,c4 ,kimball took his horse and  
wagon4 ,brother ,joseph ,young and      
myself accompanying him1 and started for
 ,kirtland to see the ,prophet ,joseph4 
,we visited many friends on the way1 and
 some branches of the ,church4 ,we      
exhorted them and prayed with them1 and 
,i spoke in tongues4 ,some pronounced it
 genuine and from the ,lord1 and others 
pronounced it from the devil4  ,we      
proceeded to ,kirtland and stopped at   
,john ,p4 ,greene's1 who had just       
arrived there with his family4 ,we      
rested a few minutes1 took some         
refreshment1 and started to see the     
prophet4 99 99 99  ,in the evening a few
 of the brethren came in1 and we        
conversed together upon the things of   
the kingdom4 ,he called upon me to pray2
 in my prayer ,i spoke in tongues4 ,as  
soon as we arose from our knees the     
brethren flocked around him1 and asked  

his opinion concerning the gift of      
tongues that was upon me4 ,he told them 
that it was the pure ,adamic language4  
,some said to him they expected he would
 condemn the gift ,brother ,brigham had1
 but he said1 ',no1 it is of ,god4',g   
,footnote ,g3 ,millennial ,star1 ,vol4  
#be1 p4 #dci2 also quoted in part in    
,history of the ,church1 ,vol4 ,i1 p4   
#big1 footnote4  ,since the incident    
here related1 many hundreds of the      
,saints of ,god have been blessed with  
this divine gift4 ,some are given to    
speak in tongues and others to          
interpret4 ,the miracle comes to those  
who have faith1 to strengthen their     
faith4 ,again1 however1 the number of   
these miraculous manifestations is far  
too large to be considered here4        
,hundreds of thousands bear witness to  
the restoration of the marvelous gift4  
,and it is the fact of restoration about
 which we are most concerned4  ,besides 
the gift of performing miracles and of  
healing1 and the gift of speaking in    

tongues and of interpreting tongues1    
there are yet other divine gifts        
restored in this dispensation4 ,to      
,joseph ,smith was given very early the 
gift of prophecy4 ,in the book of       
,doctrine and ,covenants may be found   
many remarkable predictions made by him4
 ,all these predictions have been       
literally fulfilled1 in so far as the   
time has come for their fulfillment2 and
 the fulfillment happened in many cases 
long after the martyrdom of the great   
,prophet4 ,not only ,joseph ,smith1     
however1 but many others in the ,church 
have been blessed with the same gift of 
prophecy4 ,all the presidents of the    
,church have displayed the divine gift4 
,many men in exalted position1 and many 
men of low degree1 have likewise        
manifested the prophetic inspiration of 
the ,holy ,ghost4 ,the gift of prophecy 
is common among the restored gifts of   
the ,church4 ,so also is the gift of    
discernment1 and the gift of wisdom1 and
 the gift of knowledge1 and the gift of 

faith4 ,indeed1 through the ministry of 
the ,prophet ,joseph ,smith have been   
restored to man all the spiritual gifts 
known to the saints of old4 ,to the     
great modern ,church of ,christ have    
been given the things enumerated by the 
,apostle ,paul4  ,now concerning        
spiritual gifts1 brethren1 ,i would not 
have you ignorant1 wrote ,paul to the   
,corinthians4 ,ye know that ye were     
,gentiles1 carried away unto these dumb 
idols1 even as ye were led4 ,wherefore  
,i give you to understand1 that no man  
speaking by the ,spirit of ,god calleth 
,jesus accursed3 and that no man can say
 that ,jesus is the ,lord1 but by the   
,holy ,ghost4 ,now there are diversities
 of gifts1 but the same ,spirit4 ,and   
there are diversities of                
administrations1 but the same ,lord4    
,and there are diversities of operations
 but it is the same ,god which worketh  
all in all4 ,but the manifestation of   
the ,spirit is given to every man to    
profit withal4 ,for to one is given by  

the ,spirit1 the word of wisdom2 to     
another the word of knowledge1 by the   
same ,spirit2 to another faith1 by the  
same ,spirit2 to another the gift of    
healing1 by the same ,spirit2 to another
 the working of miracles2 to another    
prophecy2 to another discernment of     
spirits2 to another divers kinds of     
tongues2 to another the interpretation  
of tongues3 but all these worketh that  
one and the selfsame ,spirit1 dividing  
to every man severally as he will4,h    
,footnote ,h3 ,i ,cor4 #ab3a-aa4        
,,xiii4  ,,sacred ,,writings ,,of ,,old4
  ,the ,inspired ,version4  ,in         
,december1 #ahcj1 the ,prophet ,joseph  
,smith received a revelation in which   
was contained an important promise      
pertaining to the sacred records of the 
,church4 ,the ,church had been in       
existence little more than six months4  
,during those months it had grown       
phenomenally in numbers4 ,and during    
those months1 too1 many discussions had 
been inevitably provoked concerning the 

infallibility of the scriptures4 ,the   
,prophet who lived and moved among them1
 the saints accepted as the living      
oracle of ,god2 and when they thirsted  
for the ,water of ,life1 he was         
abundantly able to give it them4 ,but   
the sacred writings of the ,jews--the   
,bible--had not the power so to satisfy 
them as had the quick word of the       
,prophet4 ,some of the words of the     
ancients were not clear4 ,it seemed that
 there were mistranslations1 omissions1 
and even interpolations in the ,holy    
,book4 ,moreover1 some valuable         
scriptures seemed to have been lost4    
,they appeared in the ,book in name     
only2 their invaluable contents were    
unknown4 ,in view of these conditions1  
it is not surprising that the young     
,church should desire to know how much  
of the ,sacred ,word of ,god1 as it had 
been preserved to them1 might be        
accepted with authority4 ,and what they 
longed to know was divinely given to    
them4 ,in a revelation received by the  

young ,prophet in ,december1 #ahcj1 the 
,lord said to ,sidney ,rigdon1 ,a       
commandment ,i give unto thee1 that thou
 shalt write for him i4 e41 ,joseph     
,smith2 and the ,scriptures shall be    
given1 even as they are in mine own     
bosom1 to the salvation of mine own     
elect4,a  ,footnote ,a3 ,doc4 and ,cov4 
#ce3bj4  ,this promise1 with            
commandment1 evidently signifies that   
the ,lord purposed to make clear dark   
sayings of ,scripture1 which some of the
 saints were questioning4 ,in support of
 this fact may be cited another         
revelation1 given only two months later1
 in which the ,lord renews the promise4 
,thou shalt ask1 ,he said to the        
,prophet ,joseph1 and my scriptures     
shall be given as ,i have appointed1 and
 they shall be preserved in safety4,b   
,footnote ,b3 ,doc4 and ,cov4 #db3ef4   
,already1 however1 six months or so     
before the promise was made in          
revelation1 the ,lord had prepared for  
its fulfillment4 ,in ,june1 #ahcj1 only 

two months after the organization of the
 ,church1 the ,prophet had received the 
revelation known as the ,words of       
,moses4,c ,it is a kind of introduction 
to the book of ,genesis2 it tells how   
,moses came to know the story of the    
creation1 and the relation of man to    
,god4 ,no finer introductory chapter to 
the book of beginnings could possibly be
 conceived4 ,again1 in the same month in
 which the revelation with promise was  
given1 the ,lord revealed certain doings
 of olden times1 from the prophecy of   
,enoch4 ,d ,much conjecture and         
conversation frequently occurred among  
the ,saints1 writes the ,prophet1       
concerning the books mentioned1 and     
referred to1 in various places in the   
,old and ,new ,testaments1 which were   
now nowhere to be found4 ,the common    
remark was1 ',they are lost books2' but 
it seems the ,apostolic ,church had some
 of these writings1 as ,jude mentions or
 quotes the prophecy of ,enoch1 the     
seventh from ,adam4,e ,to the joy of the

 congregation1 extracts from this       
prophecy of ,enoch were revealed to the 
,prophet ,joseph1 and added to the      
growing treasure-house of scripture4    
,already1 too1 the ,prophet had begun to
 make a revision of the ,bible4 ,before 
the close of the year #ahcj1 this       
revision was well under way4  ,footnote 
,c3 ,pearl of ,great ,price4  ,footnote 
,d3 ,history of the ,church1 ,vol4 ,i1  
p4 #acc4  ,footnote ,e3 ,history of the 
,church1 ,vol4 ,i1 p4 #acb4  ,before the
 close of the year1 however1 the        
,prophet was commanded to desist from   
further translating until he should go  
to ,ohio4,f ,again1 in ,december1 #ahca1
 the ,prophet and ,sidney ,rigdon were  
commanded to go upon a mission preaching
 the gospel4,g ,of necessity1 the work  
of revision must rest while the ,seer   
and the scribe were about these other   
duties4 ,except for such interruptions  
as these1 however1 the revision of the  
,bible made fair progress4 ,and in      
addition to the textual translation1    

there were received by the ,prophet     
other revelations bearing upon the ,holy
 ,word4 ,thus1 in ,january1 #ahcb1 there
 was received an explanation of ,i ,cor4
 #g3ad4;,h ,in ,february1 of the same   
year1 there came to the translators1    
while they were engaged with the ,gospel
 of ,st4 ,john1 a wonderful vision of   
the glories hereafter4,i ,the following 
,march1 the ,prophet received           
explanations of some parts of the       
revelation to ,st4 ,john4,j ,one year   
later1 there came a revelation on the   
authenticity of the ,apocrypha4,k ,thus1
 by the spirit of inspiration and       
revelation1 the sacred records of old   
were made plain4 ,the mistakes of men   
were corrected2 and important words that
 had been lost1 were supplied4 ,the     
first revision of the ,new ,testament   
was finished ,february #b1 #ahcc1 and   
that of the ,old ,testament1 ,july #b of
 the same year4  ,footnote ,f3 ,doc4 and
 ,cov4 #cg3a4  ,footnote ,g3 ,doc4 and  
,cov4 #ga3a-aa4  ,footnote ,h3 ,doc4 and

 ,cov4 sec4 #gd4  ,footnote ,i3 ,doc4   
and ,cov4 sec4 #gf4  ,footnote ,j3 ,doc4
 and ,cov4 sec4 #gg4  ,footnote ,k3     
,doc4 and ,cov4 sec4 #ia4  ,the inspired
 revision of the ,hebrew ,scriptures was
 not published during the lifetime of   
the ,prophet ,joseph ,smith4 ,he        
intended to continue the work of        
revision1 by going over the entire work 
again1 before it should be given to the 
world4 ,in the year #ahdj1 he expressed 
a desire to shift much of the arduous   
responsibility resting upon him to the  
shoulders of the ,twelve and other      
officers1 that he might resume the work 
of translation and revision4 ,in a      
memorial presented ,june #ah1 #ahdj1 the
 ,prophet wrote1 ,the ,church have      
erected an office where he ,joseph      
,smith1 the memorialist can attend to   
the affairs of the ,church without      
distraction1 he thinks1 and verily      
believes1 that the time has now come1   
when he should devote himself           
exclusively to those things which relate

 to the spiritualities of the ,church1  
and commence the work of translating the
 ,egyptian records1 the ,bible1 and wait
 upon the ,lord for such revelations as 
may be suited to the conditions and     
circumstances of the ,church4,l ,up to  
the time of his martyrdom1 however1 the 
,prophet found no time in which fully to
 carry out his design4 ,therefore1 the  
inspired version of the ,holy           
,scriptures1 a manuscript copy of which 
is preserved in the ,historian's ,office
 at ,salt ,lake ,city1 has never been   
given to the world by proper authority4 
,a volume purporting to be the inspired 
version has appeared on the public      
market2 but it is not recognized by the 
,church of ,jesus ,christ of ,latter-day
 ,saints1 because it has never received 
the careful revision intended by the    
,prophet4 ,the authorized version of    
,king ,james remains the standard ,bible
 of the ,church4  ,footnote ,l3 ,history
 of the ,church1 ,vol4 ,,iv1 p4 #acg4   
,the ,book of ,abraham4  ,in ,july1     

#ahce1 there came into the hands of the 
,prophet1 ,joseph ,smith1 other         
invaluable records of the times of the  
patriarchs4 ,it appears that in the year
 #ahbh1 a ,french explorer named        
,antonio ,sebolo1 secured permission    
from ,mehemet ,ali1 the viceroy of      
,egypt1 to explore for antiquities4     
,three years later1 in #ahca1 ,sebolo   
entered some catacombs near the place   
where stood formerly the ancient city of
 ,thebes4 ,eleven of the mummies1 found 
in a perfect state of preservation1 he  
carried away with him to ,paris4 ,on the
 way to the ,french capital1 however1   
,m4 ,sebolo put in at ,trieste1 where he
 died after an illness of several days4 
,the mummies were then directed to a    
nephew named ,chandler4 ,mr4 ,chandler  
lived in ,philadelphia1 ,pa41 though it 
was supposed that his home was in       
,ireland4 ,after a devious course1 the  
mummies came finally to ,new ,york1     
addressed to ,michael ,h4 ,chandler4    
,there the caskets were first opened1   

and the contents examined4 ,on opening  
the coffins1 the ,prophet tells us1 he  
7,mr4 ,chandler7 discovered that in     
connection with two of the bodies1 was  
something rolled up with the same kind  
of linen1 saturated with the same       
bitumen1 which when examined1 proved to 
be two rolls of papyrus4 ,these rolls of
 papyrus were beautifully written with  
black1 and a small part red1 ink or     
paint1 in perfect preservation4,m       
,footnote ,m3 ,history of the ,church1  
,vol4 ,,ii1 pp4 #cdh-cej4  ,a stranger  
standing near at the time of the        
discovery recommended to ,mr4 ,chandler 
that he seek out the ,mormon ,prophet1  
,joseph ,smith1 as probably the only man
 who could render a correct translation 
of the ancient manuscripts4 ,mr4        
,chandler1 however1 began to exhibit the
 mummies in the larger cities of the    
,united ,states4 ,they very soon became 
objects of peculiar interest4 ,mr4      
,chandler was assured by the learned men
 of the land that both mummies and      

papyrus were genuine4 ,indeed1 from some
 he received certificates testifying to 
the genuineness of his display and to   
the characters of the papyrus4 ,it was  
not until ,july #c1 #ahce1 that ,mr4    
,chandler reached ,kirtland with the    
,egyptian mummies4 ,immediately1 it     
appears1 he sought out the ,prophet     
,joseph ,smith4 ,there were four human  
figures1 the latter writes in his       
history1 together with hieroglyphic     
figures and devices4 ,as ,mr4 ,chandler 
had been told ,i could translate them1  
he brought me some of the characters1   
and ,i gave him the interpretation1 and 
like a gentleman1 he gave me the        
following certificate3  ',kirtland1     
,july #f1 #ahce4 ',this is to make known
 to all who may be desirous1 concerning 
the knowledge of ,mr4 ,joseph ,smith1   
,jun41 in deciphering the ancient       
,egyptian hieroglyphic characters in my 
possession1 which ,i have1 in many      
eminent cities1 showed to the most      
learned2 and1 from the information that 

,i could ever learn1 or meet with1 ,i   
find that of ,mr4 ,joseph ,smith1 ,jun41
 to correspond in the most minute       
matters4  ',,michael ,h4 ,,chandler1    
',traveling with1 and proprietor of     
,egyptian mummies4',n  ,footnote ,n3    
,history of the ,church1 ,vol4 ,,ii1 ,p4
 #bce4  ,soon after receiving this      
certificate from ,mr4 ,chandler some of 
the ,saints in ,kirtland purchased from 
him the mummies and the papyrus4        
,thereupon1 the ,prophet1 with ,william 
,w4 ,phelps and ,oliver ,cowdery as     
scribes1 began to translate the strange 
hieroglyphics4 ,to their infinite joy1  
they found that one of the rolls        
contained writings of ,abraham1 whereas 
the other contained writings of ,joseph1
 who was sold into ,egypt4 ,the first of
 these the ,prophet translated1 in part4
 ,it recounts the trials of ,abraham in 
the idolatrous home of his fathers1 and 
his miraculous deliverance4 ,it tells   
also of the creation of the world1 and  
of the spirits before1 and reveals the  

system of astronomy understood by the   
ancient patriarch4 ,the ,book of        
,abraham1 an invaluable and truly       
authentic record translated by divine   
inspiration1 forms now an important part
 of the ,pearl of ,great ,price4  ,it   
appears that the papyrus-roll containing
 the writings of ,joseph was never      
translated4 ,the ,saints retained       
possession of the mummies1 and carried  
them along in their wanderings1 until   
they became settled in their new        
home--,nauvoo1 the ,beautiful4 ,there1  
the mummies were displayed in the       
,nauvoo ,mansion1 built by the ,prophet4
 ,after the death of the ,prophet1      
however1 the mummies and the            
papyrus-rolls fell into the hands of the
 ,prophet's family1 and were sold4 ,for 
some time they were exhibited by a      
syndicate in ,st4 ,louis4 ,thence1 they 
were sold to a museum in ,chicago4 ,when
 the great fire swept ,chicago in #ahgj1
 the museum was destroyed2 and with it1 
presumably1 the historic mummies and the

 sacred records of old4 ,all that we    
have preserved to us1 then1 of these    
interesting papyrus records is contained
 in the ,pearl of ,great ,price4  ,thus 
the knowledge of the ,saints was        
extended1 the hand-dealings of ,god with
 ,his ancient people were made known1   
and many sacred writings were added to  
the scripture already possessed by the  
,church4 ,the ,king ,james version of   
the ,bible was already accepted as far  
as it was translated correctly4 ,the    
,book of ,moses deals with the          
beginnings--with the fundamentals4 ,it  
reveals how man came first to know of   
,god1 of ,his ,son1 ,jesus ,christ1 and 
of the divine plan of salvation4 ,it    
supplies the living truth of man's      
relationship to ,god1 which the         
,authorized ,version--through the       
interference of the opinions of         
men--states but obscurely4 ,it looks    
hopefully forward to the future1 when   
the ,king of glory shall come in4       
,without that portion of inspired       

scripture contained in the ,book of     
,moses1 we should lack much in our      
knowledge of the history of ,god and of 
man4  ,in like manner1 the ,book of     
,abraham supplies valuable information  
concerning the wonderful works of ,god4 
,independent of the ,book of ,moses1 it 
corroborates all that is taught there4  
,and it goes further4 ,from it we learn 
important truths concerning a           
pre-existent state2 and from it we learn
 more fully1 too1 of the worlds1 and the
 creation of worlds4 ,the science of    
creation is perhaps nowhere else so     
fully explained as in the ,book of      
,abraham4 ,there1 too1 are outlined some
 of the important principles of the ,new
 ,astronomy1 principles fast coming to  
be recognized as true by scientific men4
 ,without this record we should lack    
much in our knowledge of the history of 
,god and of man4  ,another act1 then1 in
 the great drama of the ,restoration has
 been accomplished4 ,to knowledge has   
been added knowledge4 ,to the sacred    

record contained in the ,bible was added
 that of the ,book of ,mormon4 ,and now1
 to both of these1 are added two others1
 briefer than either of the first1 but  
wanting nothing in significance to the  
people of ,god4    ,,xiv4  ,a ,,sacred  
,,book ,,of ,,today4  ,when the ,lord   
,god called ,miriam and ,aaron to task  
for speaking against their brother      
,moses1 ,he said to them1 ,hear now my  
words3 ,if there be a prophet among you1
 ,i the ,lord will make myself known    
unto him in a vision1 and will speak    
unto him in a dream4 ,my servant ,moses 
is not so1 who is faithful in all mine  
house4 ,with him will ,i speak mouth to 
mouth1 even apparently1 and not in dark 
speeches2 and the similitude of the     
,lord shall he behold2 wherefore then   
were ye not afraid to speak against my  
servant ,moses8,a  ,footnote ,a3 ,num4  
#ab3a-h4  ,so it was also with the      
,prophet ,joseph ,smith4 ,from the day  
of the first splendid vision of the     
,father and the ,son1 the ,lord spoke   

often to the young prophet1 and clearly4
 ,particularly close was the communion  
of the ,prophet with his ,god after the 
re-establishment of the ,church upon the
 earth4 ,as often as he felt the need of
 direction or encouragement1 so often   
did the young man seek ,god2 and ,god   
always answered him1 and spoke to him1  
and gave him what was needful for him in
 that hour4 ,it happened1 then1 that in 
a very short time the ,prophet had      
accumulated a fairly large number of    
revelations4 ,for each time the ,lord   
spoke to him1 either he himself or one  
of his scribes recorded the revelation  
as it was given4 ,afterwards1 copies    
were made and circulated among the      
,saints that were most nearly concerned4
  ,if we had lived with the ,saints in  
,kirtland1 in the year #ahcb1 we should 
have been thrilled with them when the   
,prophet received the momentous         
revelation now numbered eighty-eight in 
the ,book of ,doctrine and ,covenants4  
,this remarkable and important          

revelation was circulated among the     
,saints in manuscript form4 ,it came to 
be called the ,olive ,leaf4 ,and the    
,olive ,leaf is an example of how the   
revelations were first circulated among 
the ,saints4 ,of course1 the method was 
very unsatisfactory in a day of modern  
advancement4 ,the people began soon to  
desire the word of ,god1 as given to    
them directly1 in printed form4 ,indeed1
 so early did this desire manifest      
itself that in ,july1 #ahcj1 only three 
months after the organization of the    
,church1 the ,prophet ,joseph ,smith was
 already engaged on the compilation of  
the revelations4,b ,this was the        
beginning of the book of modern         
scripture4  ,footnote ,b3 ,history of   
the ,church1 ,vol4 ,i1 p4 #ajd4  ,the   
work of compilation seems1 however1 to  
have progressed slowly4 ,somewhat over a
 year after the task was begun1 a       
special conference was convened in      
,hiram1 ,ohio4 ,this was ,november #ast1
 #ahca4;,c ,the conference was called to

 consider the publication of the        
revelations received by the ,prophet    
,joseph ,smith4 ,it was decided to issue
 an edition of #aj1jjj copies2 and      
during the afternoon of the first day of
 the conference1 the ,prophet received  
by inspiration1 the preface to the      
proposed book4 ,it appears now as       
section first in the ,book of ,doctrine 
and ,covenants4 ,it is a model of       
literary construction4 ,the same        
afternoon1 too1 the brethren assembled  
bore testimony to the divine inspiration
 of the revelations4 ,brother ,joseph   
,smith1 ,jun41 we read1 said that       
inasmuch as the ,lord had bestowed a    
great blessing upon us in giving        
commandments and revelations1 he asked  
the conference what testimony they were 
willing to attach to these commandments 
which would shortly be sent to the      
world4 ,a number of the brethren arose  
and said that they were willing to      
testify to the world that they knew that
 they were of the ,lord4,d  ,footnote   

,c3 ,history of the ,church1 ,vol4 ,i1  
p4 #bba4  ,footnote ,d3 ,history of the 
,church1 ,vol4 ,i1 p4 #bbb1 footnote4   
,on the second day of the conference1   
the revelation 7of the evening before7  
was read by the moderator 7this was     
,oliver ,cowdery74 ,the brethren then   
arose in turn and bore witness to the   
truth of the ,book of ,commandments4    
,the elders present at this special     
conference were ,joseph ,smith1 ,jun41  
,oliver ,cowdery1 ,david ,whitmer1 ,john
 ,whitmer1 ,peter ,whitmer1 ,jun41      
,sidney ,rigdon1 ,william ,e4           
,mc,lellin1 ,orson ,hyde1 ,luke ,johnson
 and ,lyman ,e4 ,johnson4  ,with the    
confidence and the testimonies of the   
elders thus expressed1 ,joseph ,smith   
proceeded further to prepare the        
revelations for publication4 ,it was    
decided by the conference that ,oliver  
,cowdery should carry the commandments  
and revelations to ,independence1 ,mo41 
where the printing press of the ,church 
was located4 ,the ,prophet should       

prepare and arrange the revelations by  
the time ,elder ,cowdery left--which was
 to be by--or1 if possible1 before--the 
#aeth of the month 7,november74,e ,in   
due time1 the work of compilation was   
accomplished2 the volume of modern      
scripture was dedicated by prayer to the
 service of the ,almighty1 the ,prophet 
himself performing the ordinance2,f     
,john ,whitmer was appointed to         
accompany ,oliver ,cowdery through the  
wild frontier to ,independence2 and the 
sacred record was sent on its way to    
,zion4  ,footnote ,e3 ,history of the   
,church1 ,vol4 ,i1 p4 #bij4  ,footnote  
,f3 ,history of the ,church1 ,vol4 ,i1  
p4 #bcd4  ,the printing of the sacred   
book did not progress rapidly4 ,on the  
twenty-fifth of ,june1 #ahcc1 more than 
a year after the holding of the special 
conference1 ,sidney ,rigdon wrote a long
 letter1 in behalf of the ,presidency of
 the ,church1 to ,w4 ,w4 ,phelps and    
others in ,zion4 ,we have received your 
last1 he writes1 containing a number of 

questions which you desire us to answer4
 99 99 99  ,first as respects getting   
the ,book of ,commandments bound we     
think it is not necessary4 ,they will be
 sold well without binding1 and there is
 no book-binder to be had that we know  
of1 nor are there materials to be had   
for biding1 without keeping the books   
too long from circulation4  ,later in   
the same letter1 the writer says1 ,we   
have received some revelations within a 
short time back1 which you will obtain  
in due season4 ,and a little later1     
still1 in the same letter1 the writer   
calls attention to some typographical   
errors in the fortieth and forty-fourth 
chapters of the forthcoming book4,g     
,evidently1 then1 the work of printing  
the sacred book had progressed so far   
that preparations had to be made for    
binding the book2 yet1 there was still  
time apparently to add new revelations  
and to make corrections4  ,footnote ,g3 
,history of the ,church1 ,vol4 ,i1 pp4  
#cfb-cfd4  ,a little less than a month  

after writing the letter mentioned      
above1 ,sidney ,rigdon wrote another in 
behalf of the ,presidency4 ,in the      
latter letter he writes1 ,consign the   
box of the ,book of ,commandments to ,n4
 ,k4 ,whitney  ,co41 ,kirtland1 ,geauga 
,county1 ,ohio1 care of ,kelly and      
,walworth1 ,cleveland1 ,cuyahoga        
,county1 ,ohio4,h ,evidently1 the first 
edition of the ,book of ,commandments   
was nearing completion4 ,the ,sacred    
,book of today was soon to be sent out  
into the world4  ,footnote ,h3 ,history 
of the ,church1 ,vol4 ,i1 p4 #cfi4      
,unfortunately1 however1 the shipment   
was never made4 ,on ,july #bjth1 #ahcc1 
a mob collected near the ,church        
printing office in ,independence1 and   
demanded that the printing office and   
the store be closed1 and that all       
mechanical labors cease4,i ,the ,church 
leaders in ,zion refused to comply with 
these unreasonable demands4 ,thereupon1 
the mob rushed upon the building1       
destroyed papers and publications1      

seized materials of value1 turned the   
family of ,wm4 ,w4 ,phelps out of doors1
 and razed the building to the ground4  
,only a few copies of that edition of   
the ,book of ,commandments as far as    
printed were saved from destruction4,j  
,footnote ,i3 ,history of the ,church1  
,vol4 ,i1 p4 #cij4  ,footnote ,j3       
,history of the ,church1 ,vol4 ,i1 pp4  
#daa1 #dab4  ,somewhat over a year      
later1 the ,church prepared again to    
publish the revelations4 ,a printing    
house had been established in ,kirtland1
 ,ohio4 ,the conditions seemed favorable
 for the putting forth of the ,book of  
,commandments4 ,on ,september #bd1      
#ahcd1 at a meeting of the ,high        
,council1 at ,kirtland1 a committee was 
appointed to arrange the items of the   
doctrine of ,jesus ,christ1 for the     
government of the ,church of ,latter-day
 ,saints1 which ,church was organized   
and commenced its rise on the #fth of   
,april1 #ahcj4 ,these items are to be   
taken from the ,bible1 ,book of ,mormon1

 and the revelations which have been    
given to the ,church up to this date1 or
 that shall be given until such         
arrangements are made4 ,president       
,joseph ,smith1 ,jun41 ,oliver ,cowdery1
 ,sidney ,rigdon1 and ,frederick ,g4    
,williams were appointed the            
committee4,k  ,footnote ,k3 ,history of 
the ,church1 ,vol4 ,,ii1 p4 #afe4  ,this
 committee1 it seems1 worked with energy
 at the task of compiling and printing4 
,on ,august #ag1 #ahce1 a little less   
than a year after their appointment1 the
 committee finished their appointed     
labor1 and a general assembly of the    
priesthood was called to accept the     
volume of sacred scripture4 ,in the     
afternoon session of the assembly       
,oliver ,cowdery introduced to the      
priesthood the ,book of ,doctrine and   
,covenants of the ,church of the        
,latter-day ,saints4 ,william ,w4       
,phelps and ,john ,whitmer voluntarily  
testified to the divine authenticity of 
the new volume of ,scripture4           

,thereafter1 the presidents of the ,high
 ,councils of ,kirtland and ,missouri1  
and the presidents of the several       
quorums of the priesthood bore testimony
 that the revelations in the book were  
true and that the book should become a  
law and a rule of faith and a practice  
to the ,church4 ,finally1 the general   
authorities and the whole assembly      
accepted the book by unanimous vote as  
the doctrine and covenants of their     
faith4 ,william ,w4 ,phelps read also   
the following testimony of the twelve   
apostles to the truth of the ,book of   
,doctrine and ,covenants3  ,the         
testimony of the ,witnesses to the ,book
 of the ,lord's commandments1 which     
commandments ,he gave to ,his ,church   
through ,joseph ,smith ,jun41 who was   
appointed1 by the voice of the ,church1 
for this purpose4  ,we therefore feel   
willing to bear testimony to all the    
world of mankind1 to every creature upon
 the face of all the earth1 that the    
,lord has borne record to our souls1    

through the ,holy ,ghost shed forth upon
 us1 that these commandments were given 
by inspiration of ,god1 and are         
profitable for all men1 and are verily  
true4 ,we give this testimony unto the  
world1 the ,lord being our helper2 and  
it is through the grace of ,god the     
,father1 and ,his ,son ,jesus ,christ1  
that we are permitted to have this      
privilege of bearing this testimony unto
 the world1 in the which we rejoice     
exceedingly1 praying the ,lord always   
that the children of men may be profited
 thereby4,l 7,signed7  ,,thomas ,b4     
,,marsh1 ,,david ,w4 ,,patten1 ,,brigham
 ,,young1 ,,heber ,c4 ,,kimball1 ,,orson
 ,,hyde1 ,,wm4 ,e4 ,,mclellin1 ,,parley 
,p4 ,,pratt1 ,,luke ,s4 ,,johnson1      
,,william ,,smith1 ,,orson ,,pratt1     
,,john ,f4 ,,boynton1 ,,lyman ,e4       
,,johnson4,m  ,footnote ,l3 ,history of 
the ,church1 ,vol4 ,,ii1 pp4 #bdc-de4   
,footnote ,m3 ,in this testimony of the 
,twelve to the ,book of ,doctrine and   
,covenants1 as published in the ,history

 of ,joseph ,smith in the ,millennial   
,star1 the names of the ,apostles were  
not appended1 but it is thought proper  
that they should be inserted here in the
 order in which they stood in the       
quorum4 ,the document was undoubtedly   
prepared before the departure of the    
,twelve for the ,east1 as it was well   
known that the work of the committee on 
selection and compilation would present 
the ,doctrine and ,covenants to a       
general assembly before the ,twelve     
would return4--,history of the ,church1 
,vol4 ,,ii1 p4 #bde1 footnote4  ,thus   
was the ,book of ,doctrine and          
,covenants accepted by the ,church as a 
divinely inspired work4 ,and what is the
 ,book of ,doctrine and ,covenants8     
,first1 there appears in the book a     
series of seven ,lectures on ,faith1    
prepared during the year #ahce4 ,they   
are not to be regarded1 we are told1 as 
of equal authority in matters of        
doctrine with the revelations of ,god in
 the ,doctrine and ,covenants1 but as   

judiciously written and compiled1 and as
 profitable doctrine4,n ,there follow   
one hundred thirty-six sections1 or     
chapters1 of the book proper4 ,one of   
these1 section #acf1 is a revelation to 
,brigham ,young4 ,nine others1 sections 
#ajb1 #aba1 #abc1 #abg1 #abh1 #acj1     
#aca1 #acd1 and #ace--;are not direct   
revelations in the usually accepted     
sense1 but are minutes of important     
meetings1 prayers and prophecies1       
addresses to the ,saints1 letters1      
instructions1 and so forth1 containing  
important doctrines4 ,the rest--one     
hundred twenty-six sections in all--are 
revelations from the ,lord through the  
,prophet ,joseph ,smith to the ,church1 
or to individuals in the ,church4 ,in   
these one hundred thirty-six sections   
may be found instructions that pertain  
to the organization of the ,church and  
to the doctrines of the ,church4 ,while 
there have been many revelations        
received since the first ,book of       
,doctrine and ,covenants was            

published--while1 indeed1 the ,church   
leaders today are prophets1 seers1 and  
revelators--yet the early revelations   
are so replete with doctrinal           
instruction1 that we may find there     
sufficient directions for the           
establishment and the building up of the
 ,church of ,christ4  ,footnote ,n3     
,history of the ,church1 ,vol4 ,,ii1 p4 
#agf4 footnote4  ,the ,doctrine and     
,covenants meets conditions1 not of two 
thousand years or more before ,christ1  
but of the present day4 ,it gives       
specific directions for the establishing
 and the maintaining of the ,church of  
,christ1 not among an oriental people in
 a primitive age1 but among an active   
people in a progressive age4 ,the living
 oracle of ,god is of far more value    
than the breathless letter4 ,the living 
prophet is the oracle of ,god2 and the  
,book of ,doctrine and ,covenants--the  
,sacred ,book of today--is the record of
 the revelations received today for the 
people of today4    ,,xv4  ,,the ,,keys 

,,of ,,gathering4  ,sunday1 the #crd of 
,april1 #ahcf1 was a momentous day in   
the history of the ,church4 ,since the  
day of its organization1 the ,church had
 increased and had prospered in all     
things4 ,the first conference of the    
,church was held ,june #ith1 #ahcj4 ,it 
is estimated that the membership then   
was twenty-seven4 ,on the twenty-sixth  
of ,september of the same year1 the     
second conference of the ,church was    
held4 ,there were then sixty-two        
devotees of the restored ,gospel4 ,in   
,january of the following year1 #ahca1  
the ,prophet moved to ,kirtland1 ,ohio4 
,his followers then could not have      
numbered more than eighty1 since he     
wrote in the previous month that the    
,church from ,colesville to ,canandagua1
 ,new ,york1 numbered about seventy     
members4 ,in ,kirtland the restored     
faith soon took root and grew rapidly4  
,a conference was held there from the   
third to the sixth of ,june1 #ahca1 and 
the congregation at this conference     

numbered two thousand souls4 ,thus the  
,church increased in membership from    
year to year until it soon numbered ten 
thousand and more4 ,but it was not in   
increased membership only that the      
,church showed prosperity4 ,in temporal 
matters the blessings of the ,lord soon 
became abundantly manifest4 ,the ,saints
 acquired lands1 and built houses2 and  
they began to take possession of the    
promised land of ,zion4 ,in spiritual   
matters1 too1 the ,saints were made to  
feel that the ,lord was near at hand4   
,many revelations were given to them    
through the ,prophet ,joseph ,smith4    
,and in the year #ahcf1 a ,temple was   
completed in ,kirtland4 ,it was eighty  
feet long1 sixty feet wide1 fifty feet  
high to the top of the walls1 with a    
tower one hundred ten feet high4 ,on    
,sunday1 ,march twenty-seventh1 this    
temple was dedicated to the ,lord2 and  
one week later1 ,sunday1 ,april #crd1   
there were given to ,joseph ,smith and  
,oliver ,cowdery some of the most       

glorious manifestations recorded in the 
annals of history4  ,the day had been   
devoted to service in the ,lord's       
,house4 ,joseph ,smith had taken part in
 the ceremonies of the day1 and had     
listened to discourses delivered by the 
brethren4 ,after the administration of  
the ,lord's supper in the afternoon     
service1 ,i retired to the pulpit1      
writes the ,prophet1 the veils being    
dropped1 and bowed myself1 with ,oliver 
,cowdery1 in solemn and silent prayer4,a
 ,after rising from prayer1 the visions 
of heaven burst open before these       
divinely appointed men4 ,first appeared 
to them the ,lord ,jesus ,himself4 ,he  
stood upon the breast-work of the       
pulpit4 ,under ,his feet appeared a     
paved work of pure gold in color like   
amber4 ,his eyes shone like a flame of  
fire4 ,his hair was white1 like pure    
snow4 ,his countenance was more radiant 
than the sun4 ,his voice was like the   
rushing of great waters4  ,footnote ,a3 
,history of the ,church1 ,vol4 ,,ii1 p4 

#dce4  ,i am the first and the last1 he 
said1 ,i am he who liveth1 ,i am he who 
was slain1 ,i am your advocate with the 
,father4 99 99 99 ,behold1 ,i have      
accepted this house1 and my name shall  
be here1 and ,i will manifest myself to 
my people in mercy in this house4 99 99 
99 ,yea1 the hearts of thousands and    
tens of thousands shall greatly rejoice 
in consequence of the blessings which   
shall be poured out1 and the endownent  
with which my servants have been endowed
 in this house2 and the fame of this    
house shall spread to foreign lands1 and
 this is the beginning of the blessing  
which shall be poured out upon the heads
 of my people4 ,even so4 ,amen4,b       
,footnote ,b3 ,doc4 and ,cov4 #aaj3a-aj4
  ,in this wise did the ,lord ,jesus    
accept the work of ,his servants4 ,in   
this wise did ,he appear personally     
before them4 ,and in this wise did ,he  
inaugurate marvelous manifestations     
fraught with blessings to the ,saints4  
,twice before in this dispensation it is

 recorded that the ,lord manifested     
,himself in vision to ,his chosen       
,prophet4 ,once ,he had appeared        
together with the ,father in answer to  
the boy's earnest prayer4 ,again ,he had
 appeared to the ,prophet and his       
associate1 ,sidney ,rigdon1 to declare  
the glories of the world to come4 ,and  
now ,he comes again1 to approve the     
labor accomplished by ,his servants1 and
 to inaugurate the actual work of       
redemption for both the living and the  
dead4  ,immediately after the vision of 
the ,savior there opened to the seer    
another vision of heaven4 ,ages before1 
the ,lord ,god had selected the children
 of ,israel to become ,his chosen       
people4 ,the divine plan of salvation   
for the human race anticipated a fall   
from grace and an atonement4 ,through   
the fall came death to all men2 and     
through the atonement came eternal life4
 ,as the fall came through the sin of   
one1 so the atonement came through the  
voluntary sacrifice of another4 ,but    

that this ,savior might become the      
living hope of the world1 it became     
necessary to designate the people--even 
the family--from among whom ,he should  
spring4 ,hence the ,chosen              
people--,israel--to whom the promise of 
,messiah was made4 ,all might have been 
well with ,israel had they not been a   
stiff-necked people4 ,but through their 
perverseness of heart1 they called down 
upon them the wrath of ,god4 ,along with
 promises of deliverance and salvation1 
came predictions of evil to follow      
disobedience4 ,and ,israel was          
disobedient4 ,finally1 when the ,savior 
had come as predicted to redeem the     
world1 and the iniquity of ,israel was  
full1 the ,chosen ,people was broken2   
the nation to whom the ,savior had come 
became scattered1 and was sifted like   
dust among the peoples of the earth4 ,it
 was the punishment foretold4 ,to       
consummate the plan of salvation1 must  
come a gathering of the dispersed tribes
 of ,israel4  ,accordingly1 the vision  

that followed upon that of the ,savior  
on the memorable #crd of ,april1 #ahcf1 
revealed to ,joseph and ,oliver1 ,moses1
 the ,prophet of the deliverance of old4
 ,after this vision was closed1 we read1
 the heavens were again opened unto us1 
and ,moses appeared before us1 and      
committed unto us the keys of the       
gathering of ,israel from the four parts
 of the earth1 and the leading of the   
ten tribes from the land of the north4,c
  ,footnote ,c3 ,doc4 and ,cov4 #aaj3aa4
  ,the nature of this commission is     
plain4 ,first1 the great ,prophet       
,moses1 to whom had been committed the  
authority of restoring once before a    
captive ,israel to their promised land  
and freedom1 now commits those keys of  
gathering and restoration to the        
,prophet ,joseph ,smith and his         
associate ,oliver ,cowdery4 ,then1 with 
the power of this authority conferred   
upon them1 ,joseph and ,oliver may      
commission others2 the story of the     
restoration of the ,gospel may be       

carried to the scattered house of       
,jacob2 the actual work of redeeming    
,israel may be begun4 ,this1 as the     
,lord had said in the vision before1 was
 the beginning of the blessing which    
should be poured out upon the heads of  
,his people4  ,but it was not the house 
of ,israel alone that should profit by  
the restoration of the ,gospel4 ,even   
before the twelve sons of ,jacob had    
been chosen to become the fathers of the
 twelve tribes of ,israel1 the ,god of  
heaven had promised that the blessing of
 a ,savior should attend all the        
children of the world4  ,i will make of 
thee a great nation1 the ,lord had said 
to ,abraham1 and ,i will bless thee1 and
 make thy name great2 and thou shalt be 
a blessing3 and ,i will bless them that 
bless thee1 and curse him that curseth  
thee3 and in thee shall all families of 
the earth be blessed4,d ,not only to the
 children of ,abraham1 then1 should the 
,gospel be preached1 but to all people1 
and through obedience to the ,gospel    

they should become the children of      
,abraham4 ,if the restored ,gospel were1
 then1 to become the power of ,god unto 
salvation to all the earth-children of  
,god1 there must needs be a restoration1
 not only of the authority to gather and
 to redeem ,israel1 but also of the     
authority to preach the ,gospel to the  
world at large4  ,footnote ,d3 ,gen4    
#ab3b1 #c4  ,accordingly1 after the     
vision of ,moses was closed1 there      
appeared another glorious vision to the 
two young chosen prophets4 ,after this1 
we read1 ,elias appeared1 and committed 
the dispensation of the ,gospel of      
,abraham1 saying1 that in us1 and our   
seed1 all generations after us should be
 blessed4,e  ,footnote ,e3 ,doc4 and    
,cov4 #aaj3ab4  ,the nature of this     
commission1 too1 is plain4 ,it becomes  
the sacred mission of the ,saints to do 
all in their power1 not to save ,israel 
alone1 but to become a blessing to all  
generations of all men--to cry the      
,gospel of repentance to the world1 that

 all men1 whether ,jew or ,gentile1 may 
hear it and obey it4 ,elias--a prophet  
of whom we know but little,f--apparently
 held last the keys of the dispensation 
of the ,gospel of ,abraham4 ,in proper  
time he comes1 in harmony with the      
divine plan1 and commits those keys to  
the men who are to carry off the labors 
of the dispensation of the fulness of   
times4 ,this1 again--as the ,lord had   
said in the vision before--was the      
beginning of the blessing which should  
be poured out upon the heads of ,his    
people4 ,and thus was consummated       
another act in the great drama of the   
,restoration4 ,the authority for        
accomplishing the salvation of the      
living was restored in full4 ,the story 
of the restoration of the authority for 
the salvation of the dead we must leave 
for another chapter4  ,footnote ,f3     
,doc4 and ,cov4 #bg3f1 #g4    ,,xvi4    
,,the ,,fathers ,,and ,,the ,,children4 
,the glorious visions in which had      
appeared ,moses and ,elias were closed4 

,joseph and ,oliver stood before the    
pulpit of the temple waiting4 ,but why  
should they wait for further            
manifestations8 ,what more could they   
now expect8 ,or1 what more1 indeed1     
could now be given them8 ,all the living
 children of the world were provided    
for4 ,authority to preach and to baptize
 ,joseph and ,oliver had held before the
 appearance of ,moses and ,elias4 ,but  
,israel was a special people4 ,upon     
,israel had been passed a special       
sentence4 ,moses was the great lawgiver 
and deliver of ancient ,israel4         
,therefore1 that everything might be    
done in order1 ,moses came to restore   
the special authority of redeeming and  
gathering the chosen people4 ,in like   
manner1 ,elias was he who held          
particularly the authority of the       
dispensation of the gospel of ,abraham4 
,accordingly1 in the last days1 that    
everything might be done in order1 the  
authority of the dispensation of the    
gospel of ,abraham was restored by him  

who held it to the great ,american      
prophet1 though he held already the full
 authority of the ,priesthood of the    
,son of ,god4 ,thus1 the redemption and 
the salvation1 not of living ,israel    
alone1 but of all the living human      
family were provided for4 ,what more    
could the ,prophet and his companion    
await8  ,it is said in the ,jewish      
,scripture that every tongue shall      
confess that ,jesus ,christ is ,lord1 to
 the glory of ,god the ,father4,a ,but  
the very fact that the keys of authority
 are restored to preach the gospel to   
the living presupposes a loss of that   
authority1 and a departure from the true
 doctrine of the ,christ4 ,there have   
died many hundreds of thousands who have
 not confessed ,jesus4 ,indeed1 even at 
the present time1 there die daily in the
 best ,christian lands thousands of     
persons who have never heard the joyful 
sound of the ,gospel of the ,lord4 ,yet1
 only through obedience to the ,gospel1 
may mortals be saved4 ,the living may by

 good chance hear it2 but what provision
 has been made for the dead8  ,footnote 
,a3 ,phil4 #b3aa4  ,during the visions  
of the night of ,september #bast1 #ahbc1
 the ,angel ,moroni read to the ,prophet
 ,joseph these words of ,malachi3       
,behold ,i will reveal unto you the     
,priesthood1 by the hand of ,elijah the 
prophet1 before the coming of the great 
and dreadful day of the ,lord2 and he   
shall plant in the hearts of the        
children the promises made to the       
fathers1 and the hearts of the children 
shall turn to their fathers2 if it were 
not so1 the whole earth would be utterly
 wasted at its coming4,b  ,footnote ,b3 
,doc4 and ,cov4 sec #b4  ,the words of  
the prophet predict undoubtedly a plan  
for the salvation of the dead4 ,and that
 the unconverted dead shall have the    
opportunity of being saved becomes      
absolutely necessary to the             
accomplishment of the great scheme of   
redemption4 ,the ,gospel was not        
designed to save only a few4 ,the whole 

human family1 both the living and the   
dead--and those yet to be1 as well--may 
gain eternal life through obedience to  
the ,gospel4 ,the world hereafter will  
be a kingdom of glories1 and a glory of 
kingdoms4 ,each one who has lived upon  
the earth will be awarded the degree of 
exaltation he merits4 ,the children of  
the great ,father of all will be        
assigned in ,his kingdom of glories to  
places they have earned2 and each in his
 place will inherit1 to the glory of the
 ,father1 a position equal to his       
earthly achievement4 ,all this seems    
simple enough4 ,but the kingdoms of the 
,father will include all ,his           
earth-children2 and the more that have  
proved themselves worthy of exaltation  
and blessing1 the greater will be ,his  
eternal joy4 ,so also with each of the  
children1 in turn4 ,in the celestial    
glory each one's kingdom will comprise  
those of one's own family2 and thus the 
glory of kingdoms will increase from    
generation to generation1 each bound to 

the other--and all to the great         
,father--by the ties of kindred4 ,the   
perfecting of the ties of kindred       
through a work done by the living for   
the dead1 is undoubtedly what ,paul had 
in mind when he said1 speaking of the   
fathers of ,israel1 that they without us
 should not be made perfect2,c and      
again1 for to this end ,christ both     
died1 and rose and revived1 that he     
might be ,lord both of the dead and     
living4,d ,hence1 it becomes a matter of
 first importance to provide for the    
salvation of the dead4 ,hence1 too1     
,joseph and ,oliver might well wait1    
after they had been commissioned with   
authority to save the living1 to learn  
if the ,lord had further keys of        
authority to confer upon them4          
,footnote ,c3 ,heb4 #aa3di4  ,footnote  
,d3 ,rom4 #ad3i4  ,and the ,lord had    
further authority to confer upon them4  
,after the vision of ,elias was closed1 
the promise given nearly thirteen years 
before was fulfilled4 ,another glorious 

vision opened before the seers4 ,for    
,elijah1 the prophet1 we read1 who was  
taken to heaven without tasting death1  
stood before us and said3 ,behold the   
time has fully come1 which was spoken of
 by the mouth of ,malachi1 testifying   
that he 7,elijah7 should be sent before 
the great and dreadful day of the ,lord 
came1 to turn the hearts of the fathers 
to the children1 and the children to the
 fathers1 lest the whole earth be       
smitten with a curse4 ,therefore the    
keys of this dispensation are committed 
into your hands1 and by this ye may know
 the great and dreadful day of the ,lord
 is near1 even at the doors4,e ,thus1   
the necessary authority for performing  
saving ordinances for the dead was      
restored in this dispensation by him who
 held it4 ,another important act in the 
drama of the ,restoration was           
accomplished4  ,footnote ,e3 ,doc4 and  
,cov4 #aaj3ac-af4  ,during the years    
following immediately upon the vision of
 ,elijah1 not a great deal was          

accomplished in the great work of       
salvation for the dead4 ,in after years1
 however1 the subject grew on the       
,prophet's mind4 ,it was ever present   
with him4 ,he wrote about it1 and he    
spoke about it4 ,in #ahda1 in a general 
conference of the ,church held at       
,nauvoo1 he said1 ,there is never a     
time1 when the spirit is too old to     
approach ,god4 ,all are within reach of 
pardoning mercy1 who have not committed 
the unpardonable sin1 which hath no     
forgiveness1 neither in this world1 nor 
in the world to come4 ,there is a way to
 release the spirits of the dead6 that  
is by the power and authority of the    
,priesthood--by binding and loosing on  
earth4 ,this doctrine appears glorious1 
inasmuch as it exhibits the greatness of
 divine compassion and benevolence in   
the extent of the plan of human         
salvation4  ,this glorious truth is well
 calculated to enlarge the understanding
 and to sustain the soul under troubles1
 difficulties1 and distresses4 ,for     

illustration1 suppose the case of two   
men1 brothers1 equally intelligent1     
learned1 virtuous1 and lovely1 walking  
in uprightness and in all good          
conscience1 so far as they have been    
able to discern from the muddy stream of
 tradition1 or from the blotted page of 
the book of nature4  ,one dies and is   
buried1 having never heard the gospel of
 reconciliation2 to the other the       
message of salvation is sent1 he hears  
and embraces it1 and is made the heir of
 eternal life4 ,shall the one become the
 partaker of glory and the other be     
consigned to hopeless perdition8 ,is    
there no chance for his es cape8        
,sectarianism answers 'none4' ,such an  
idea is worse than atheism4 ,the truth  
shall break down and dash in pieces all 
such bigoted ,pharisaism2 the sects     
shall be sifted1 the honest in heart    
brought out1 and their priests left in  
the midst of the corruption4  ,this     
doctrine presents in a clear light the  
wisdom and mercy of ,god in preparing an

 ordinance for the salvation of the     
dead1 being baptized by proxy1 their    
names recorded in heaven and they judged
 according to the deeds done in the     
body4 ,this doctrine was the burden of  
the scriptures4 ,those ,saints who      
neglect it in behalf of their deceased  
relatives1 do it at the peril of their  
own salvation4,f  ,footnote ,f3 ,history
 of the ,church1 ,vol4 ,,iv1 pp4 #dbe-f4
  ,again1 in ,september of the year     
following1 while he was in hiding from  
his enemies who pursued him without     
cause1 the ,prophet wrote two epistles  
to the ,church4,g ,in these he confesses
 that the subject of salvation for the  
dead is uppermost in his mind4 ,he gives
 detailed instructions for the proper   
recording of the vicarious work of those
 who have gone before4 ,he shows by     
scriptural evidence why it is necessary 
to preserve an accurate record of all   
that is done upon the earth4 ,he reviews
 with spirit the whole of the sublime   
doctrine of the salvation of the dead4  

,and1 finally1 he bursts into a         
beautiful modern psalm,h praising the   
,king ,immanuel1 who ordained before the
 world was a means whereby the          
uninitiated dead might be redeemed4     
,footnote ,g3 ,doc4 and ,cov4 secs4     
#abg1 #abh4  ,footnote ,h3 ,doc4 and    
,cov4 #abh3bb-bd4  ,it is sufficient to 
know1 he says1 discussing the prediction
 that ,elijah should come1 that the     
earth will be smitten with a curse1     
unless there is a welding link of some  
kind or other1 between the fathers and  
the children1 upon some subject or      
other1 and behold what is that subject8 
,it is the baptism for the dead4 ,for we
 without them cannot be made perfect2   
neither can they without us be made     
perfect4 ,neither can they or we1 be    
made perfect without those who have died
 in the gospel also2 for it is necessary
 in the ushering in of the dispensation 
of the fulness of times2 which          
dispensation is now beginning to usher  
in1 that a whole and complete1 and      

perfect union and welding together of   
dispensations1 and keys1 and powers1 and
 glories should take place1 and be      
revealed from the days of ,adam even to 
the present time4,i  ,footnote ,i3 ,doc4
 and ,cov4 #abh3ah4  ,the restoration of
 the special authority to perform       
vicarious work for the dead occurred1 it
 will be remembered1 in the ,kirtland   
,temple1 ,april #crd1 #ahcf4 ,in the    
,kirtland ,temple there were no         
provisions made1 however1 for performing
 ordinances for the dead4 ,it was not   
erected for that purpose4 ,during the   
years1 then1 before suitable            
accommodations were provided in the     
,temple1 the saving ordinance of baptism
 for the dead was performed1 in         
compliance with instructions received by
 the ,prophet1 in the ,mississippi      
river4  ,but in a revelation given      
,january #aith1 #ahda1 the ,prophet     
,joseph was commanded to build the      
temple at ,nauvoo4,j ,for this temple   
the ,lord made known by revelation what 

was necessary for performing the great  
work of redeeming the dead4 ,moreover1  
the ,lord declared that the ordinance of
 baptism for the dead belongs to ,his   
,holy ,house1 and cannot be acceptable  
to ,him when performed elsewhere1 except
 during the days of poverty of the      
,church4 ,an appointed time was named2  
and if you do not these things at the   
end of the appointment1 i4 e41 perform  
the work for the dead1 ye shall be      
rejected as a ,church1 with your dead1  
saith the ,lord your ,god4,k ,the period
 of the appointment expired1 it would   
seem1 the same year2 for at the         
conference held ,october #bnd1 #ahda1   
the ,prophet announced1 ,there shall be 
no more baptism for the dead1 until the 
ordinance can be attended to in the     
,lord's ,house2 and the ,church shall   
not hold another ,general ,conference   
until they can meet in said house4 ,for 
thus saith the ,lord4,l  ,footnote ,l3  
,history of the ,church1 ,vol4 ,,iv1 p4 
#dbf4  ,footnote ,j3 ,doc4 and ,cov4    

sec4 #abd4  ,footnote ,k3 ,doc4 and     
,cov4 #abd3cb4  ,since that day1 the    
great work of salvation of the dead has 
been performed in specially built       
temples1 or houses of the ,lord4        
,,xvii4  ,,the ,,gospel ,,brotherhood4  
,there is a very interesting kind of    
community life mentioned in the book of 
the ,acts of the ,apostles4 ,on         
,pentecost1 after the resurrection of   
the ,lord1 ,peter preached a powerful   
sermon to the ,jews assembled in        
,jerusalem from all parts of the world4 
,the hearts of the multitude were       
touched4 ,men and brethren1 they cried1 
what shall we do8 ,peter instructed     
them4 ,there were added to the ,church  
in that day about three thousand souls4 
,and all that believed were together1 we
 read1 and had all things common2 and   
sold their possessions and goods1 and   
parted them to all men1 as every man had
 need4,a ,again1 not very long          
thereafter1 ,peter and ,john were       
imprisoned for preaching of ,jesus in   

,jerusalem4 ,since1 however1 there was  
no charge against them on which they    
might be punished1 the apostles were    
released4 ,then they returned to their  
own company and united with them in     
prayer4 ,and this company of believers  
had all things common4 ,neither was     
there any among them that lacked1 for as
 many as were possessors of lands or    
houses sold them1 and brought the prices
 of the things that were sold1 and laid 
them down at the apostles' feet1 and    
distribution was made to every man      
according as he had need4,b  ,footnote  
,a3 ,acts #b3da-de4  ,footnote ,b3 ,acts
 #d3ca-ce4  ,this custom of having all  
things common was by no means original  
with the ,apostolic ,church4 ,thousands 
of years before a similar principle had 
been observed in a select patriarchal   
community4 ,enoch1 also1 organized those
 who followed him into a kind of united 
order4 ,they had all things in common1  
and finally were translated as a        
community because of their              

righteousness4,c ,thus ,enoch 7the      
seventh from ,adam7 instituted an order 
of things among his people1 in their    
business and financial relations1 which 
so revolutionized their temporalities   
that they had no poor among them1 and   
all rejoiced together in equal hope of  
the life and exaltation offered to them 
in the ,gospel of ,jesus ,christ1 the   
,only ,begotten of the ,father4,d       
,footnote ,c3 ,pearl of ,great ,price4  
,footnote ,d3 ,compendium1 pp4 #bfc1    
#bfd4  ,this order of life did not      
persist1 however1 after apostolic times4
 ,it was wholly unknown to the          
,christian churches of the nineteenth   
century4 ,since1 however1 it was one of 
the governing principles of the ,church 
of ,christ1 we should look to see it    
restored in the ,dispensation of the    
,fulness of ,times4  ,the ,prophet      
,joseph ,smith received1 as early as    
,january second1 #ahca1 some            
instructions concerning the united order
 of community life4 ,this was only about

 nine months after the organization of  
the ,church4 ,wherefore1 says the ,lord 
in a revelation given then1 for this    
cause ,i gave unto you the commandment  
that ye should go to the ,ohio2 and     
there ,i will give unto you my law4,e   
,by the law is meant undoubtedly the law
 of consecration1 which is the basic    
principle of the ,united ,order4        
,accordingly1 only one month later1 on  
,february #ith1 #ahca1 the ,lord gave to
 ,joseph ,smith1 at ,kirtland1 ,ohio1   
another revelation1 explaining this law 
of the ,church4 ,twelve of the elders of
 the ,church were present when this     
revelation was received4 ,in it the     
members of the ,church were instructed  
to consecrate of their properties for   
the support of the poor1 and for the    
purchasing of lands1 the building of    
temples and houses of worship1 and the  
establishing of the ,new ,jerusalem4    
,the method of consecration is outlined 
in a general way4,f  ,footnote ,e3 ,doc4
 and ,cov4 #ch3cb4  ,footnote ,f3 ,doc4 

and ,cov4 #db3cj-ci2 read the whole     
revelation4  ,after this1 the prophet   
received several revelations on the     
subject of the ,united ,order1 or the   
,order of ,enoch1 explaining the        
principle more fully4 ,he was instructed
 to organize the ,saints by a bond or   
everlasting covenant that cannot be     
broken1 for the benefit of the ,church  
of the living ,god1 that every man may  
improve upon his talent1 that every man 
may gain other talents1 yea1 even an    
hundred fold1 to be cast into the       
,lord's storehouse1 to become the common
 property of the whole ,church4,g ,he   
was given by revelation the rules       
governing the assigning of              
stewardships4,h ,twice he received      
specific commandments and directions for
 organizing the principal communities of
 the ,church into suitable orders for   
the care of the poor2 for establishing  
equality among the rich and the poor2   
and for securing the independence of the
 ,church upon the earth4,i ,he was told 

what provision should be made for widows
 and orphans4,j ,he was directed to     
appoint clerks and treasurers1 and have 
their duties specifically defined4,k ,he
 received special revelations on the    
subject for the enlightenment of certain
 persons4,l ,he was told what should be 
the punishment of those not enrolled in 
the book of remembrance4,m ,and in      
frequent inspired communications he     
received instructions that the          
commandments which had been given       
concerning ,zion and her law should be  
executed and fulfilled4,n  ,footnote ,g3
 ,doc4 and ,cov4 secs4 #gh1 #hb4        
,footnote ,h3 ,doc4 and ,cov4 #ea3a-bj4 
,footnote ,i3 ,doc4 and ,cov4 secs4 #gh1
 #hb4  ,footnote ,j3 ,doc4 and ,cov4    
#hc3a-f4  ,footnote ,k3 ,doc4 and ,cov4 
#he3a-e2 #ajd3a-hf4  ,footnote ,l3 ,doc4
 and ,cov4 #ib3a-b2 #if3i4  ,footnote   
,m3 ,doc4 and ,cov4 #he3i-ab4  ,footnote
 ,n3 ,doc4 and ,cov4 #aje3cd4  ,in a    
measure1 some of the ,saints of the     
early days of the ,church endeavored to 

carry out the commandments concerning   
the ,united ,order of community life4   
,as soon as the principles of the order 
were thoroughly understood1 some of the 
members of the ,church were organized   
according to them1 and each person      
belonging to the organization           
consecrated his property to the ,order4 
,the law of consecration and stewardship
 requires that the person who wishes to 
comply with it shall transfer his       
possessions to the bishop of the        
,church4 ,the transfer shall be by deed 
and covenant that cannot be broken4 ,in 
order that the person so consecrating   
his properties shall have claim upon the
 bishop for a stewardship1 the          
consecration must be full and complete4 
,there must be no part of the property  
withheld4  ,thereafter1 the steward is  
held accountable for his stewardship4   
,the surplus income--all over and above 
what he needs to support himself and his
 family--is consecrated to the general  
storehouse of the ,lord1 as was all his 

property at the first4 ,each steward has
 a common claim on the general          
storehouse for all that he may need2 and
 as long as he proves a faithful        
steward1 the treasurer of the storehouse
 must honor his demands4  ,the          
successful operation of such an order as
 this is predicated1 of course1 upon    
obedience to specific laws4 ,any        
violation of the basic principles of the
 law must necessarily bring             
disorganization to the order4 ,the law  
of ,consecration1 or the ,united ,order 
of ,god1 was observed for a while in    
both ,kirtland and ,independence4       
,indeed1 the acquiring successfully of  
the lands of ,jackson county depended   
upon the righteous fulfillment of the   
principles of the ,united ,order4 ,for  
,i1 the ,lord1 we read in one of the    
revelations1 have decreed in my heart1  
that inasmuch as any man belonging to   
the order1 shall be found a             
transgressor1 or1 in other words1 shall 
break the covenant with which ye are    

bound1 he shall be cursed in his life1  
and shall be trodden down by whom ,i    
will4,o ,but the people of ,zion did not
 hearken altogether unto the precepts   
and commandments which ,i the ,lord gave
 unto them4,p ,their enemies came down  
upon them and drove them from the lands 
they had purchased1 and the homes they  
had provided by tireless labor4 ,twelve 
thousand or more1 in number1 they were  
forced out of the country of their      
desire4 ,four years before their        
banishment the ,lord had said in        
revelation3  ,footnote ,o3 ,doc4 and    
,cov4 #ajd3e4  ,footnote ,p3 ,doc4 and  
,cov4 #ajc3d4  ,behold1 ,i say unto you1
 were it not for the transgressions of  
my people1 speaking concerning the      
,church and not individuals1 they might 
have been redeemed even now1 but1       
behold1 they have not learned to be     
obedient to the things which ,i required
 at their hands1 but are full of all    
manner of evil1 and do not impart of    
their substance1 as becometh saints1 to 

the poor and afflicted among them and   
are not united according to the union   
required by the law of the celestial    
kingdom2 and ,zion cannot be built up   
unless it is by the principles of the   
law of the celestial kingdom1 otherwise 
,i cannot receive her unto myself4,q    
,footnote ,q3 ,doc4 and ,cov4 #aje3b-e4 
,in this way was revealed another act in
 the drama of the ,restoration4 ,since  
the time of the revelation quoted above1
 the ,united ,order has never been      
successfully practiced in the ,church4  
,but the fault lies with the ,church    
members1 not with the revelation4 ,to   
meet our lower possibilities1 there must
 be given a lower law to train us to the
 higher4  ,the lower law revealed to    
succeed the law of consecration is the  
law of tithing4 ,it cannot take the     
place of the higher law4 ,that law is   
eternal2 and will supersede the lower   
law when we shall become prepared for   
it4 ,like the law of ,moses1 the law of 
tithing is a schoolmaster to lead us to 

,christ4 ,this law was revealed to the  
,prophet ,joseph ,smith ,july #h1 #ahch1
 and requires that every ,church member 
shall pay into the storehouse of the    
,church one-tenth of all his interest   
annually4 ,the revelation on tithing    
reads as follows3  ,revelation given    
through ,joseph1 the ,prophet1 at ,far  
,west1 ,missouri1 ,july #h1 #ahch1 in   
answer to the question1 ,lord1 show unto
 thy servants how much thou requirest of
 the properties of the people for a     
tithing8  ,verily1 thus saith the ,lord1
 ,i require all their surplus property  
to be put into the hands of the bishop  
of my ,church of ,zion1 for the building
 of mine house1 and for the laying of   
the foundation of ,zion and for the     
,priesthood1 and for the debts of the   
,presidency of my ,church2 and this     
shall be the beginning of the tithing of
 my people2 and after that1 those who   
have thus been tithed1 shall pay        
one-tenth of all their interest         
annually2 and this shall be a standing  

law unto them for ever1 for my holy     
,priesthood1 saith the ,lord4  ,verily  
,i say unto you1 it shall come to pass1 
that all those who gather unto the land 
of ,zion shall be tithed of their       
surplus properties1 and shall observe   
this law1 or they shall not be found    
worthy to abide among you4  ,and ,i say 
unto you1 if my people observe not this 
law1 to keep it holy1 and by this law   
sanctify the land of ,zion unto me1 that
 my statutes and my judgments may be    
kept thereon1 that it may be most holy1 
behold1 verily ,i say unto you1 it shall
 not be a land of ,zion unto you2 and   
this shall be an ensample unto all the  
,stakes of ,zion4 ,even so4 ,amen4,r    
,footnote ,r3 ,doc4 and ,cov4 sec4 #aai4
  ,it will be observed that this        
remarkable revelation provides two      
things3 ,first1 all those who gather    
unto the land of ,zion shall be tithed  
of their surplus properties2 secondly1  
those who have thus been tithed1 shall  
pay one-tenth of all their interest     

annually4 ,the fund so established is   
the revenue of the ,church4 ,with it the
 expenses of ,church organization are   
met2 ,church schools are maintained2    
lands are purchased for the public good2
 public buildings are erected2 temples  
and meetinghouses are built2 the borders
 of ,zion are extended2 the wants of the
 poor are supplied2 and the ,gospel is  
published abroad among the nations of   
the earth4  ,but the law of tithing1    
like the law of the ,united ,order1 is  
not original with the ,church of ,jesus 
,christ of ,latter-day ,saints4 ,it was 
practiced by holy men of ,god in very   
ancient times4 ,for example1 we read in 
the ,hebrew ,scriptures that ,abram paid
 ,melchizedek tithes of all that he     
had2,s that ,jacob covenanted with his  
,god to pay ,him a tenth of all his     
increase2,t and that even the ,scribes  
and the ,pharisees in the days of ,jesus
 knew and practiced the law of          
tithing4,u ,moreover1 it is quite       
evident that the law of tithing was     

considered a sacred commandment with a  
promise4 ,said the ,lord1 through the   
prophet ,malachi1 ,bring ye all the     
tithes unto the storehouse1 that there  
may be meat in mine house1 and prove me 
now herewith1 saith the ,lord of hosts1 
if ,i will not open you the windows of  
heaven1 and pour you out a blessing1    
that there shall not be room enough to  
receive it4 ,and ,i will rebuke the     
devourer for your sakes1 and he shall   
not destroy the fruits of your ground2  
neither shall your vine cast her fruit  
before the time in the field1 saith the 
,lord of hosts4,v ,on the other hand1   
disobedience to the law of tithing was  
known to arouse the righteous           
indignation of the ,lord4 ,said the     
,lord again1 through the prophet        
,malachi1 rebuking the disobedient      
children of ,israel1 ,will a man rob    
,god8 ,yet ye have robbed me4 ,but ye   
say1 ,wherein have we robbed thee8 ,in  
tithes and offerings4 ,ye are cursed    
with a curse3 for ye have robbed me1    

even this whole nation4,w  ,footnote ,s3
 ,genesis #ad4  ,footnote ,t3 ,genesis  
#bh3bb4  ,footnote ,u3 ,matt4 #bc3bc4   
,footnote ,v3 ,malachi #c3aj1 #aa4      
,footnote ,w3 ,malachi #c3h1 #i4  ,so1  
also1 in the ,dispensation of the       
,fulness of ,times1 the law of tithing  
is a sacred commandment with a promise  
and a penalty4 ,behold1 now it is called
 today 7until the coming of the ,son of 
man71 and verily it is a day of         
sacrifice1 and a day for the tithing of 
my people6 for he that is tithed shall  
not be burned at ,his coming4,x         
,moreover1 in the revelation on tithing 
itself1 the ,lord declares that if ,his 
people observe not this law to keep it  
holy1 and by this law sanctify the land 
of ,zion4 99 99 99 it shall not be a    
land of ,zion unto them4 ,obedience to  
the law of tithing is therefore required
 of every member of the ,church4 ,a man 
cannot be in full fellowship with his   
,god and with his fellow-worshipers if  
he neglects to observe the law4 ,while  

the living of any one law of the gospel 
adds to one's power to live and enjoy   
every other law1 the living of no one   
law will secure salvation4 ,faithful    
tithe-paying makes the humble wage      
earner and the drawer of large          
dividends1 equal on the ,lord's ledger4 
,each has fulfilled the law2 neither has
 done more4 ,while tithe paying alone is
 not sufficient to keep a man in the    
,church1 yet he cannot retain his       
standing to the end without it4,y       
,footnote ,x3 ,doc4 and ,cov4 #fd3bc4   
,footnote ,y3 ,george ,h4 ,brimhall1    
,tithing1 p4 #c4  ,the paying honestly1 
then1 into the storehouse of the ,lord  
of one-tenth of one's interest annually1
 is a sacred duty not to be considered  
lightly4 ,until we shall have reached a 
stage sufficiently near perfection to   
enable us to live the higher law of the 
,united ,order1 we are under divine     
command to observe the lesser law of    
tithing4 ,it1 too1 is a means of        
establishing the eternal brotherhood of 

man4    ,,xviii4  ,a ,,new ,,and        
,,everlasting ,,covenant4  ,it is a     
remarkable feature of the message of the
 ,prophet ,joseph ,smith1 that1 it is   
broad and comprehensive in its purpose  
of saving the human race1 yet it is     
applicable to the struggling life of the
 poorest of ,god's children4 ,indeed1   
therein lies in part at least the       
superiority of the restored ,gospel over
 every other creed or system of         
philosophy known to man4 ,it does not   
center its efforts toward reform in the 
community at large1 though its          
principles of reform comprehend the     
community2 but it strikes at the        
individual and sets him right1 knowing  
that with the individual right the      
community cannot be wrong4 ,this1 ,i    
take it1 is the basic principle of the  
,gospel ,brotherhood of the ,united     
,order of ,god4 ,to collect a number of 
unrepentant sinners and convicts2 to    
organize them into an ideal brotherhood2
 to hope that they will learn as a      

community to know the ways of ,god--is  
indeed ,utopian4 ,the hope cannot be    
realized4 ,but to convert the           
individual2 to gather the converted     
individuals1 to organize them in a      
,united ,order2 to hope then that there 
will develop an ideal community--is     
anything but ,utopian4 ,when the        
individual is right1 the community must 
be right4 ,if the community fails1 the  
fault lies with the individual4  ,it    
becomes of first importance1 then1 in   
the ,church of ,christ1 to inspire every
 member of it with ideals of purity1    
honor1 and integrity4 ,for that reason1 
the new revelation taught faith in ,god 
and in ,his ,son ,jesus ,christ2 a      
sincere repentance1 or turning away from
 evil2 baptism by immersion for the     
remission of sins1 in token of one's    
humility and integrity of purpose2 the  
imposition of hands by those holding    
divine authority1 to confirm the        
candidate a member of the ,church and to
 entitle him to the presence and the    

inspiration of the ,holy ,ghost2 and1   
ever afterwards1 a careful observance of
 the great commandments1 ,thou shalt    
love the ,lord thy ,god with all thy    
heart1 and with all thy soul1 and with  
all thy mind4 99 99 99 ,thou shalt love 
thy neighbor as thyself4,a ,thus the    
proper spiritual condition of the       
individual was well provided for4 ,it is
 only because the love of self remains  
stronger than the love of ,god and the  
love of neighbor1 that the perfect law  
of the ,order of ,enoch fails in its    
operation4  ,footnote ,a3 ,matt4        
#bb3cg-ci4  ,but the individual seldom1 
if ever1 lives alone4 ,while it is true 
that the individual must be right if the
 community is to be right1 yet the      
individual is after all not the center  
of influence in community life4 ,that   
center is to be found rather in the     
home4 ,there1 two are bound together by 
sacred ties of love and worship2 and    
others1 by endearing bands of kinship4  
,in the home1 the spiritual conditions  

of the father and the mother--the       
directing individuals of a community in 
miniature--determine in large measure   
the lives of the children4 ,as these    
children are trained in the home--nay1  
as the father and mother hold sacred the
 marriage relation--so will the family  
wield an influence for good or evil in  
the whole community life4 ,this truth   
was recognized by the prophets of old4  
,and when the ,gospel came to be        
restored1 we should expect to find      
revealed wonderful1 sublime truths      
concerning the sanctity of the family   
relationship4  ,it is not to be wondered
 at if ,joseph ,smith began early to    
consider the question of family life and
 marriage4 ,in the years #ahcj and      
#ahca1 very soon after the ,church was  
organized1 he began the inspired        
translation of the ,scriptures4 ,he met 
there the histories of the ancient      
patriarchs and prophets4 ,he observed in
 these histories--as in that of ,jacob  
and his twelve sons1 for example--how   

the family life was held sacred1 and the
 family relationship in honor4          
,naturally1 in this case as in so many  
others in the story of the ,restoration1
 questions were aroused in the mind of  
the ,prophet4 ,what is the nature of the
 marriage relationship in the sight of  
,god8 ,what will be the condition of men
 and women in the future life8 ,of what 
importance is the family relationship   
either here or hereafter8  ,there is    
abundant evidence that the ,prophet     
,joseph ,smith received probably as     
early as #ahca revelations on these     
important questions4 ,because1 however1 
the people were not yet prepared to     
receive the great truths that had been  
revealed to him1 the revelations were   
withheld for many years4 ,in a          
revelation of the year #ahca1 the       
,prophet said only1 concerning marriage1
 that whoso forbiddeth to marry is not  
ordained of ,god1 for marriage is       
ordained of ,god unto man2 wherefore it 
is lawful that he should have one wife1 

and they twain shall be one flesh1 and  
all this that the earth might answer the
 end of its creation4,b  ,footnote ,b3  
,doc4 and ,cov4 #di3ae-ag4  ,it was not 
until ,july #ab1 #ahdc1;,c that the     
glorious truths concerning the sanctity 
and eternity of the marriage            
covenant--long before revealed to the   
,prophet ,joseph ,smith--were committed 
to writing and read by his friends4     
,even then1 not all that had been given 
to him was revealed to his followers4   
,but in the publication of as much as he
 gave1 another step in the great drama  
of the ,restoration was enacted4 ,owing 
to the persecutions to which the early  
,saints were subjected1 the revelation  
was not officially published until      
#aheb1 five years after the wearisome   
tramp across the plains to the ,rocky   
,mountains4  ,footnote ,c3 ,at the      
conference held ,august #ag1 #ahce1 in  
which the ,book of ,doctrine and        
,covenants was adopted1 an article on   
marriage was read by ,william ,w4       

,phelps4 ,this article was accepted by  
the vote of the conference and was      
printed in the ,book of ,doctrine and   
,covenants4 ,the article was not a      
revelation1 however1 nor indeed was it  
so received by the general assembly of  
the ,priesthood4 ,the ,prophet ,joseph  
,smith knew nothing of the article4 ,he 
was absent1 in ,canada1 when it was     
accepted by the conference4  ,and what  
is this famous ,section #acb of the     
,book of ,modern ,scripture8 ,on        
analysis the revelation falls into      
twelve distinct parts1 as follows3  7a47
 ,the introduction4 ,the revelation is  
given in response to inquiry4 ,the ,lord
 is about to reveal a new and           
everlasting covenant4 ,verses #a to #f4 
7b47 ,the ,new and ,everlasting         
,covenant is defined4 ,marriage is not  
only for time but for all eternity4     
,verses #g to #ad4  7c47 ,an            
illustration4 ,the condition of those   
married by civil authority only1 is     
explained4 ,verses #ae to #ah4  7d47 ,an

 illustration4 ,the condition of those  
married by the authority of the ,holy   
,priesthood1 is explained4 ,verses #ai  
to #bj4  7e47 ,a warning4 ,those who do 
not observe this law of the ,priesthood 
cannot attain a fulness of ,god's glory4
 ,the unpardonable sin is defined4      
,verses #ba to #bg4  7f47 ,the acts of  
,abraham and other patriarchs of old are
 justified4 ,verses #bh to #ci4  7g47   
,the sin of adultery is defined4 ,verses
 #dj to #de4  7h47 ,the sealing power of
 the ,priesthood is explained4 ,verses  
#df to #ej4  7i47 ,special instructions 
are given to ,emma ,smith1 the wife of  
the ,prophet4 ,verses #ea to #eg4  7j47 
,the law of the ,priesthood respecting  
plurality of wives is stated4 ,verses   
#eh to #fd4  7k47 ,the duty of the      
husband to the wife1 and the wife to the
 husband in this law of the ,priesthood 
is explained4 ,verses #fd to #fe4  7l47 
,conclusion4 ,more will be revealed     
hereafter4 ,verse #ff4  ,it will be     
observed that the basic thought in this 

revelation is that marriage shall be1   
not only for a time1 but for all        
eternity4 ,this is the principle of the 
,new and ,everlasting ,covenant4 ,all   
covenants1 contracts1 bonds1            
obligations1 oaths1 vows1 performances1 
connections1 associations1 or           
expectations1 that are not made1 and    
entered into1 and sealed1 by the ,holy  
,spirit of promise1 of him who is       
anointed1 both as well for time and for 
all eternity--are of no efficacy1 virtue
 or force in and after the resurrection 
from the dead2 for all contracts that   
are not made unto this end1 have an end 
when men are dead4,d ,applied to the    
doctrine of marriage1 this statement    
means that when two are united in       
marriage outside of the authority of the
 ,church1 their union can last only till
 death parts them4 ,they are then not   
bound by any law when they are out of   
the world4 ,and in that other world     
which is to come1 they will be appointed
 angels1 or ministering servants1 to    

those who are worthy of a greater glory4
 ,the marriage ceremony belongs to this 
earth and must be accomplished here4    
,footnote ,d3 ,doc4 and ,cov4 #acb3g4   
,if1 however1 a man marry a wife by the 
new and everlasting covenant--and is    
sealed to her and she to him by the     
authority of the holy priesthood--the   
covenant and contract between them will 
be of force worlds without end4 ,death  
may part them for a passing time1 but it
 cannot separate them4 ,in the          
resurrection they will meet again4 ,in  
the life to come they will resume their 
happy1 sacred relations as husband and  
wife4 ,they will inherit the thrones and
 kingdoms1 principalities and powers1   
promised to the faithful4 ,and they will
 pass by the angels1 and the ,gods1 who 
are set there1 to their exaltation and  
glory in all things1 as hath been sealed
 upon their heads1 which glory shall be 
a fulness and a continuation of the     
seeds for ever and ever4,e  ,footnote   
,e3 ,doc4 and ,cov4 #acb3ai4  ,it must  

be remembered1 however1 that these      
promises can be claimed only on the     
evidence of unimpeachable faithfulness4 
,the blasphemy against the ,holy ,ghost1
 says the ,lord in one part of the      
revelation on marriage1 which shall not 
be forgiven in the world1 nor out of the
 world1 is in that ye commit murder1    
wherein ye shed innocent blood1 and     
assent unto my death1 after ye have     
received my new and everlasting         
covenant1 saith the ,lord ,god2 and he  
that abideth not this law1 can in no    
wise enter into my glory1 but shall be  
damned1 saith the ,lord4,f  ,footnote   
,f3 ,doc4 and ,cov4 #acb3bg4  ,by the   
word of the ,lord ,himself1 then1 murder
 is placed as the most awful crime that 
a man who has entered into this covenant
 can commit4 ,and coming close after it 
is the sin of infidelity to the marriage
 covenant4 ,the new and everlasting     
covenant prescribes a perfectly moral   
and faithful relationship in marriage4  
,the ,lord defines the sin of adultery1 

and condemns it4 ,nor does ,he allow in 
the least a double standard of morality4
 ,the new and everlasting order of      
marriage prescribes purity of the home1 
and sacred fidelity to the marriage     
covenant4 ,the great promises of future 
glory can be realized only through a    
faithful observance of the new and      
everlasting covenant4  ,no more sublime 
principle has ever been given to man    
than this of the sanctity and eternity  
of the marriage contract4 ,through it1  
the home becomes more than ever the     
center of community life4 ,the father   
and the mother1 if they continue        
faithful1 are bound together by         
everlasting ties4 ,and their children1  
too1 become theirs throughout eternity4 
,death can have no fears for them4 ,the 
grave has lost its victory4 ,for they   
know they shall rise again from death   
and the grave2 and then they shall      
mingle again as father and mother and   
children1 and the relations so happily  
begun here will be continued forever    

there4 ,in such a home may be found true
 happiness4 ,but to gain such happiness1
 both parties to the marriage contract  
must have faith in the divine ordinance2
 it must be performed by the authority  
of the priesthood of ,god4 ,if the      
ordinance be not so performed1 neither  
the man nor the woman can attain the    
fulness of the glory of ,god4 ,in the   
celestial glory there are three heavens 
or degrees1 we read in the revelation   
numbered section #aca2 and in order to  
obtain the highest1 a man must enter    
into this order of the ,priesthood      
7meaning the ,new and ,everlasting      
,covenant of marriage74,g  ,footnote ,g3
 ,doc4 and ,cov4 #aca3a1 #b4  ,it will  
be observed1 further1 that the          
revelation on marriage contemplates a   
plurality of wives4 ,the practice of    
plural marriage brought bitter          
persecution upon the ,church1 however4  
,the ,congress of the ,united ,states   
took action against the practice and    
demanded that it cease4 ,accordingly    

every effort has been put forth1 and    
that strenuously1 to suppress plural    
marriages4 ,the solemnization of plural 
marriage in the ,church has been        
entirely discontinued4 ,the ,lord has   
said that when we strive to do ,his will
 and our enemies prevent us1 ,he will   
accept our endeavor4  ,meanwhile1 the   
basic principle of the sanctity and     
eternity of the marriage covenant       
remains unimpugned4 ,it is still        
fundamental in the social organization  
of the ,church4 ,while the world goes on
 marrying and divorcing1 and committing 
a thousand violations of the laws of    
both ,god and man1 the children of the  
,latter-day ,saints are born in purity1 
reared in holiness1 and trained in the  
fear of ,god4 ,they are taught that     
marriage is a sacred relationship2 that 
the ordinance of uniting two in marriage
 should be performed in a sacred place  
with the sanction and by the authority  
of ,almighty ,god2 that then the        
marriage relationship does not end with 

this life1 but continues through the    
countless ages yet unborn4 ,how can     
children so reared look with the least  
degree of favor upon the social         
evil--divorce8 ,how can they wink at    
even the mildest forms of immorality and
 vice so common in the world today8     
,their watchword is evermore3  ,for ,i  
the ,lord cannot look upon sin with the 
least degree of allowance4,h  ,footnote 
,h3 ,doc4 and ,cov4 #a3ca4    ,,xix4    
,,the ,,vision ,,of ,,glories4  ,it is  
related by the ,venerable ,bede that1   
when ,king ,edwin became persuaded by   
the ,christian missionary1 ,paulinus1 to
 adopt the new faith of the ,christ1 he 
called a council of his wise men and    
asked of every one what he thought of   
the new doctrine4 ,one of the king's    
chief men1 approving the king's actions1
 as also his words1 said3  ,the present 
life of man1 ,o king1 seems to me1 in   
comparison of that time which is unknown
 to us1 like to the swift flight of a   
sparrow through the room wherein you sit

 at supper in winter1 with your         
commanders and ministers1 and a good    
fire in the midst1 whilst the storms of 
rain and snow prevail abroad2 the       
sparrow1 ,i say1 flying in at one door1 
and immediately out at another1 whilst  
he is within1 is safe from the wintry   
storm2 but after a short space of fair  
weather1 he immediately vanishes out of 
your sight1 into the dark winter from   
which he had emerged4 ,so this life of  
man appears for a short space1 but of   
what went before1 or what is to follow1 
we are utterly ignorant4 ,if1 therefore1
 this new doctrine contains something   
more certain1 it seems justly to deserve
 to be followed4,a  ,footnote ,a3       
,bede's ,ecclesiastical ,history1 bk4   
,,ii1 ch4 #c4  ,certainly1 ,christianity
 had something more satisfying          
concerning both the herebefore and the  
hereafter than had the pagan worship of 
the barbarous tribes of ,england4 ,those
 tribes became ,christian1 therefore2   
and as they became ,christian1 so the   

whole civilized world has become        
,christian4  ,but the question raised by
 the king's chief man of old is little  
better answered now than it was then4   
,to a multitude of ,christian men1 life 
is still as the flight of a sparrow from
 the outer storm and darkness1 through a
 lighted hall1 and out into the         
unknowable darkness again4 ,true1       
,christianity explained originally both 
what was before and what was to come4   
,but much of what was first taught has  
been lost4 ,the word of the ,lord to    
,jeremiah1 ,before ,i formed thee in the
 belly ,i knew thee1 and before thou    
earnest forth out of the womb ,i        
sanctified thee2 ,i have appointed thee 
a prophet unto the nations1,b--is a dark
 saying to the world4 ,so also is the   
word of ,jesus1 ,in my ,father's house  
are many mansions3 if it were not so1 ,i
 would have told you2 for ,i go to      
prepare a place for you4,c  ,footnote   
,b3 ,jeremiah #a3e4  ,footnote ,c3 ,john
 #ad3b4  ,these questions are now again 

clearly answered in the story of the    
,restoration4 ,as early as ,june1 #ahcj1
 only two months after the ,church was  
organized1 the question of the previous 
state of man was clearly answered by the
 ,prophet ,joseph ,smith4 ,it was then  
that he received the revelation known as
 the ,visions of ,moses4 ,the ,prophet  
was told that ,god created all things   
spiritually before they were formed     
naturally upon the earth2 that the      
spirits of all men were present with    
,god from the beginning1 and convened in
 council with ,him to consider the      
creation of the earth2 and that the     
children of ,god shouted for joy when   
the earth was formed1 and given shape1  
and appointed to become the home of     
man4,d ,in like manner1 the ,book of    
,abraham1 translated by the power of    
,god1 teaches the same divine truths4   
,there1 too1 ,god is represented as     
standing in the midst of the spirits of 
heaven4 ,some of them are great and     
noble4 ,these1 the ,father selects to   

become prophets1 kings1 and leaders to  
him1 in the earth-life4,e ,thus1 are the
 dark sayings of the ,jewish scriptures1
 referring to a pre-existent state made 
plain4  ,footnote ,d3 ,pearl of ,great  
,price1 ,book of ,moses1 chs4 #a-e4     
,footnote ,e3 ,pearl of ,great ,price1  
,book of ,abraham1 chs4 #c1 #d1 #e4     
,the earth-life1 then1 is no longer like
 the flight of a sparrow from an unknown
 outer darkness into a lighted hall4 ,we
 know whence we came4 ,our advent here  
is but the process of graduation1 or    
promotion1 from a lower life to a       
higher4 ,there1 we had progressed in the
 experience of the spirit4 ,to advance  
further1 we must pass from the spiritual
 state to the temporal state1 and gain  
experiences unattainable there4 ,the    
present life is in continuation of the  
life before4 ,and there is yet to come  
in continuation a life hereafter4  ,as  
the ,prophet ,joseph ,smith revealed the
 condition of man in the life before    
this1 so he revealed also the condition 

of man when this life shall be ended4   
,early in the year #ahcb1 the ,prophet  
had attended a conference of the ,church
 held at ,amherst4 ,on his return home  
from that conference1 he resumed the    
translation of the ,scriptures1 which   
had occupied him for nearly two years4  
,undoubtedly1 many questions arose in   
his mind as the work progressed4 ,among 
others came to him also the question of 
man's future state4  ,from sundry       
revelations which had been received1 he 
writes1 it was apparent that many       
important points touching the salvation 
of man1 had been taken from the ,bible1 
or lost before it was compiled4 ,it     
appeared self-evident from what truths  
were left that if ,god rewarded every   
one according to the deeds done in the  
body the term ',heaven' as intended for 
the ,saints' eternal home1 must include 
more kingdoms than one4,f  ,footnote ,f3
 ,history of the ,church1 ,vol4 ,i1 p4  
#bde4  ,on ,february #af1 #ahcb1 the    
word of the ,lord came with power4      

,joseph was accompanied this time by    
,sidney ,rigdon4 ,suddenly the visions  
of heaven opened before them1 and they  
were permitted to see both the damnation
 and the exaltation of men hereafter4   
,they were commanded to write the vision
 as they saw it4 ,it forms now ,section 
#gf of the ,doctrine and ,covenants4 ,as
 a revelation1 it is one of the noblest 
sections in the sacred ,book of ,today4 
,analyzed1 the section falls naturally  
into eleven parts4  #a4 ,the            
introduction4 ,the ,lord will reveal    
,his mysteries to the faithful4 ,verses 
#a to #aj4  #b4 ,explanation4 ,the      
circumstances under which the vision was
 given are stated4 ,verses #aa to #ah4  
#c4 ,the beginning of the vision4       
,joseph and ,sidney behold the glory of 
the ,son on the right hand of ,god4     
,verses #ai to #bd4  #d4 ,lucifer1 a    
,son of the ,morning1 is cast out of    
heaven4 ,the ,elders are commanded to   
write the vision4 ,verses #be to #cj4   
#e4 ,the vision of the sons of          

perdition4 ,they are they who crucify   
,christ unto themselves4 ,the special   
mission of the ,christ is explained4    
,verses #ca to #di4  #f4 ,the           
resurrection of the just4 ,the condition
 of those who come forth in this        
resurrection is explained4 ,the         
celestial glory4 ,verses #ej to #gj4    
#g4 ,terrestrial world4 ,the condition  
of those who attain the second glory is 
described4 ,verses #ga to #hj4  #h4 ,the
 glory of the telestial4 ,the condition 
of those who attain the telestial is    
described4 ,verses #ha to #hi4  #i4 ,a  
summary4 ,the degrees of glory are      
compared4 ,verses #ij to #ih4  #aj4 ,the
 glory of the telestial4 ,the condition 
of those who attain the third glory is  
further described4 ,verses #ii to #aac4 
#aa4 ,conclusion4 ,many things revealed 
which cannot be written4 ,verses #aad to
 #aai4  ,it appears from the doctrine of
 this revelation that all ,god's        
children will ultimately be saved1      
except the sons of perdition4           

,fortunately it is not easy to become a 
son of perdition4 ,to become a son of   
perdition1 one must deny the fulness of 
the light of the everlasting ,gospel    
after having experienced it2 one must   
defy the power of ,god after having     
known it and partaken of it2 one must   
deny the ,holy ,spirit after having     
received it2 one must consent to the    
crucifixion of the only ,begotten ,son  
of the ,father1 and to the putting of   
,him to open shame4 ,on such a one only 
shall the second death have power4 ,for 
all the rest shall be brought forth by  
the resurrection of the dead1 through   
the triumph and the glory of the ,lamb1 
who was slain1 who was in the bosom of  
the ,father1 before the worlds were     
made4,g  ,footnote ,g3 ,doc4 and ,cov4  
#gf3ci4  ,however1 all the rest shall   
not come forth to equal glory4 ,as there
 are three degrees of brilliancy in the 
heavens1 represented figuratively by the
 sun1 the moon1 and the stars1 so there 
are three degrees of glory in the future

 life2 and as the stars in heaven differ
 in magnitude1 so do the degrees of     
exaltation within the glories differ the
 one from the other4 ,in my ,father's   
house1 said ,jesus1 are many mansions4  
,each of the children of ,god will be   
assigned in the future life to the      
mansion for which he has qualified4 ,in 
other words1 men will be judged by the  
deeds done while in the body1 and will  
be rewarded according to their works4   
,thus1 those only will attain the       
celestial glory who have been faithful  
in all things4 ,they have kept the      
commandments of ,god1 and have been     
sealed by the ,holy ,spirit of promise4 
,they are the ,church of the ,first     
,born2 they are priests and kings who   
receive of the fulness of ,his glory4   
,they are ,gods1 even the sons of ,god  
and shall dwell in the presence of ,god 
and ,his ,christ for ever and ever4     
,the terrestrial world1 however1        
consists of those who have not been     
valiant in the testimony of ,jesus1 as  

have those of the celestial4 ,they are  
those who died without law1 who received
 not the testimony of ,jesus in the     
flesh1 but afterwards received it4 ,they
 are honorable men of the earth1 who    
could not see the light for the         
craftiness of men4 ,they are men who    
were not valiant in the testimony of    
,jesus2 therefore1 they could not obtain
 the crown over the kingdom of ,god4    
,these receive the presence of the ,son1
 but do not receive the fulness of the  
,father4  ,finally1 even those who have 
violated the commandments of ,god will  
be saved in the telestial glory1 so only
 they have not committed the            
unpardonable sin4 ,these are men who did
 not receive the everlasting ,gospel    
when the opportunity was at hand1 but   
who did not deny the ,holy ,spirit4     
,they are sinners and breakers of the   
law1 and are cast in punishment to the  
depths of hell4 ,thence they can be     
redeemed only at the last resurrection4 
,but in the end they will be saved1 and 

exalted according to their merits1 in   
the telestial kingdom4 ,there they do   
not receive the administration of the   
,father or the ,son1 but of the ,holy   
,spirit through the ministration of the 
terrestrial4 ,theirs is the lowest order
 of salvation4  ,every man1 then1 will  
receive the reward for which he         
qualifies4 ,either we shall be lost1    
with the sons of perdition1 or we shall 
be saved in one of the kingdoms of      
glory4 ,and if we are saved we may      
continue further to grow4 ,as in this   
life we must go either forward or       
backward1 so in the future life1 we must
 either advance or retrograde4 ,there is
 no such thing as standing still4 ,there
 is no level plain1 the summit of all   
things1 above which ascend no heights4  
,there is no end to advancement4        
,eternal progression is the principle   
upon which the gospel is based4 ,eternal
 progression was an active principle    
when the words began2 it is active      
still2 it will continue to be active    

worlds without end4 ,when we shall be   
graduated1 then1 from this life into the
 future one1 we shall not pass merely   
from a field of endeavor and profitable 
activity into one of lethargic idleness4
 ,there will be work for us still to do4
 ,we shall find our time happily        
occupied4 ,the principle of eternal     
progression will require of us all      
eternal1 ceaseless activity4  ,these    
principles1 together with those in the  
previous chapters1 are among the most   
noble ever given to man4 ,the           
announcement of them places ,joseph     
,smith far and away above the heads of  
the philosophers of the world4 ,it is a 
crowning act in the great drama of the  
,restoration4    ,,xx4  ,,in ,,the      
,,mouths ,,of ,,witnesses4  ,it is      
wonderful how the ,lord of heaven has   
safe-guarded every act in the story of  
the ,restoration1 that there may be no  
question as to its actuality4 ,that     
,joseph ,smith was a great prophet there
 can be no question4 ,he will remain    

forever the divinely appointed leader of
 the dispensation of the fulness of     
times4 ,his work is sufficient to       
establish his claim as a prophet4 ,the  
far-reaching results that have followed 
his ministry are sufficient evidence of 
his divine inspiration4 ,founded in the 
midst of the age of science and         
progress1 the system he introduced is a 
marvelous work and a wonder4 ,there are1
 however1 enemies innumerable to the    
restoration who do not hesitate to cast 
doubt upon it4 ,how shall we know1 ask  
the opponents of the ,prophet1 that he  
really saw a vision1 or that he received
 authority from heaven8 ,is it not      
possible that he was himself deceived   
about those things8 ,or is it not       
possible even that he lied deliberately 
about them8 ,the word of the ,prophet   
alone may be sufficient for you who have
 been converted to believe in him2 but  
to us who do not believe in him1 what   
evidence can be given to us that we may 
know that he was neither deceived nor   

deceiving8 ,the question is fair1 and to
 it can be made a fair answer3--,not a  
single important step in the progress of
 the restoration was taken without      
corroborative testimony or the presence 
of witnesses4  ,this assertion may seem 
both broad and rash4 ,on that beautiful 
morning in the early spring of #ahbj1   
when the boy1 ,joseph ,smith1 went into 
the grove to pray1 he went alone4 ,he   
took no boon companion with him1 nor did
 he even reveal to his mother the       
purpose of his visit to the grove4 ,and 
when the ,father and the ,son appeared  
to him in glorious vision1 he was still 
alone4 ,no other mortal was present     
during that wonderful appearance4 ,how1 
then can anyone bear corroborative      
testimony of the actuality of that      
vision8  ,joseph ,smith claims to have  
seen no further visions for some three  
and a half years4 ,but when he retired  
on the evening of the twenty-first of   
,september1 #ahbc1 he prayed earnestly  
to the ,lord to vouchsafe him some      

further word as to the nature of his    
mission upon earth4 ,joseph ,smith was  
alone then4 ,he had no friend with him  
in his room4 ,he sent for neither       
father1 nor mother1 nor brother1 nor    
sister4 ,in the privacy of his own      
chamber he prayed1 pouring out his heart
 to his ,god4 ,and in answer to the     
fervent prayer1 an angel of heaven      
appeared in another glorious vision4 ,it
 was ,moroni1 a ,nephite1 a resurrected 
being4 ,three times he appeared to the  
boy that night and once in the forenoon 
of the following day4 ,four times1 then1
 in about twelve hours1 the angel       
,moroni--so the ,prophet                
claims--appeared to him1 and each time  
the boy was alone4 ,no other living     
mortal was near4 ,again it may be asked1
 ,how can anyone bear corroborative     
testimony to the actuality of these     
visions8  ,on the day following the     
visions of the night1 ,joseph told his  
father what he had seen4 ,the father    
believed the story told by his son4 ,he 

counseled the boy to do whatever the    
angel had commanded him to do4 ,now1 the
 angel ,moroni had shown ,joseph1 in    
vision1 a low hill not very far from his
 own home4 ,in that hill were buried the
 sacred records of the ,nephites1 and   
,joseph was required to visit the hill  
to see the sacred treasure4             
,accordingly1 following his father's    
counsel1 ,joseph ,smith set out near    
midday of ,september twenty-second1     
#ahbc1 to visit the hill1 ,cumorah1     
shown him in vision4 ,but he went alone2
 he took no companion with him4 ,when he
 had reached the place of the vision1   
and had uncovered the golden plates1 the
 angel ,moroni appeared again1 the fifth
 time4 ,he instructed the boy in his    
life-work1 and required that he should  
return to the hill annually1 on the same
 day of the month1 for four years1 that 
he might be further instructed in the   
work he had to do4 ,accordingly1 ,joseph
 ,smith went to the same place on the   
hill1 ,cumorah1 on the twenty-second of 

,september1 for four consecutive years4 
,each time he went alone4 ,he was       
accompanied by neither friend nor foe4  
,and each time the angel1 ,moroni1      
appeared to him and instructed him4 ,the
 last time1 ,september twenty-second1   
#ahbg1 the plates of the ,nephite record
 were delivered to the young man1 and he
 was commanded to translate it4 ,thus1  
the ,prophet claims that the angel1     
,moroni1 appeared to him five different 
times on the hill ,cumorah1 and         
instructed him in his work4 ,but each   
time the ,prophet was alone4 ,how1 then1
 can anyone bear corroborative testimony
 of the actuality of these visions8 ,ten
 visions the ,prophet saw alone1 at the 
beginning of his very interesting       
career4 ,never was he accompanied at any
 of these visions by mortal man4 ,it    
seems then that the assertion must fail1
 that not a single important step in the
 progress of the restoration was taken  
without corroborative testimony or the  
presence of witnesses4  ,however1 the   

work of the young prophet went steadily 
on4 ,by #ahbi the ,nephite record was   
translated1 and during that year it was 
published under the caption1 ,the ,book 
of ,mormon4 ,before the book was given  
to the world the ,lord had said in      
revelation that there should be three   
special witnesses to the book4,a ,in the
 book itself1 too1 three witnesses were 
predicted4,b ,moreover1 it was further  
said that there should be other         
witnesses--a few according to the will  
of ,god1 to bear testimony to ,his word 
to the children of men4,c ,in ,june1    
#ahbi1 the three special witnesses were 
appointed by revelation4,d ,and some    
time afterwards1 eight others were      
selected to bear testimony to the fact  
that ,joseph ,smith was in actual       
possession of the plates of the ,book of
 ,mormon4 ,it will be interesting to    
examine the testimonies of these eleven 
men1 to learn how they affect the early 
visions of the ,prophet1 as well as the 
book itself and the later work of the   

,church4  ,footnote ,a3 ,doc4 and ,cov4 
#e3aa-ae4  ,footnote ,b3 ,,ii ,nephi    
#aa2 ,ether #e3d4  ,footnote ,c3 ,,ii   
,nephi #bg3ab-ac4  ,footnote ,d3 ,doc4  
and ,cov4 #ag4  ,the three witnesses    
called by revelation to testify to the  
divine authenticity of the ,book of     
,mormon were ,oliver ,cowdery1 ,david   
,whitmer1 and ,martin ,harris4 ,all     
three men became associated with the    
,prophet soon after he began the        
translation of the ,nephite record4     
,martin ,harris and ,oliver ,cowdery had
 acted as scribes for the ,prophet2 and 
,david ,whitmer had rendered much       
material assistance and encouragement4  
,it was many days after the receiving of
 the revelation that named the three    
witnesses that they agreed1 with the    
,prophet1 to retire to the wood1 and try
 to obtain1 by fervent and humble       
prayer1 the fulfillment of the promises 
given in the 99 99 99 revelation--that  
they should have a view of the plates4,e
 ,accordingly they retired to a grove   

near ,david ,whitmer's house and began  
their supplications to the ,lord to     
fulfill the promise made to them4       
,footnote ,e3 ,history of the ,church1  
,vol4 ,i1 p4 #ed4  ,it seemed at first1 
however1 that their prayers were        
ineffectual4 ,the heavens were as brass 
above their heads4 ,no manifestation of 
divine favor appeared to encourage them4
 ,each one of the four prayed earnestly 
and fervently1 as his turn came1 but    
without avail4 ,a second time they      
prayed in rotation1 but still without   
result4 ,what could be the matter that  
their prayers were not answered8 ,some  
time before this1 ,martin ,harris had   
prevailed upon the ,prophet to allow him
 to take a number of pages of the       
manuscript translation of the ,nephite  
record to show them to certain members  
of his own family4 ,harris had bound    
himself by sacred covenant not to exceed
 the privilege specified1 and to return 
the manuscript uninjured4               
,unfortunately1 however1 ,martin ,harris

 had lost the manuscript entrusted to   
him4 ,the loss had caused great         
embarrassment to the ,prophet1 and had  
brought upon ,harris for a time the     
disfavor of the ,lord4,f ,when now the  
fervent prayers of the ,prophet and the 
special witnesses remained unanswered1  
,martin ,harris suggested that he would 
perhaps better withdraw1 since          
undoubtedly it was because of his       
presence that their efforts were        
fruitless4  ,footnote ,f3 ,history of   
the ,church1 ,vol4 ,i1 p4 #ba4  ,the    
three remaining ones then knelt again in
 prayer4 ,we had not been many minutes  
engaged in prayer1 writes the ,prophet1 
when presently we beheld a light above  
us in the air1 of exceeding brightness2 
and behold1 an angel stood before us4   
,in his hands he held the plates which  
we had been praying for these to have a 
view of4 ,he turned over the leaves one 
by one1 so that we could see them1 and  
discern the engravings thereon          
distinctly4 ,he then addressed himself  

to ,david ,whitmer1 and said1 ',david1  
blessed is the ,lord1 and he that keeps 
,his commandments2' when1 immediately   
afterwards1 we heard a voice from out of
 the bright light above us1 saying1     
',these plates have been revealed by the
 power of ,god1 and they have been      
translated by the power of ,god4 ,the   
translation of them which you have seen 
is correct1 and ,i command you to bear  
record of what you now see and hear4',g 
,footnote ,g3 ,history of the ,church1  
,vol4 ,i1 pp4 #ed1 #ee4  ,the vision was
 ended4 ,david ,whitmer and ,oliver     
,cowdery had obtained their desire4     
,they had beheld the plates in the hands
 of an angel2 and they had heard the    
voice of the angel1 and another voice   
from heaven declaring the correctness of
 the translation made by the ,prophet4  
,it was a marvelous manifestation2 these
 men could not but testify of what they 
had seen and heard4  ,in the meantime1  
,martin ,harris was in another part of  
the wood pleading with the ,lord4       

,earlier in the day1 the ,prophet had   
said to him solemnly1 ,martin ,harris1  
you have got to humble yourself before  
your ,god this day1 that you may obtain 
a forgiveness of your sins4 ,if you do1 
it is the will of ,god that you should  
look upon the plates in company with    
,oliver ,cowdery and ,david ,whitmer4,h 
,but ,martin ,harris had not            
sufficiently humbled himself4 ,the      
testimony from heaven was not given     
until ,martin had withdrawn from his    
friends4 ,he began then more fully to   
appreciate his unworthiness4 ,he retired
 some distance from his brethren1 and   
began there to supplicate the ,lord1    
striving earnestly so to abase the pride
 of his spirit that he might receive the
 divine favor4  ,footnote ,h3 ,lucy     
,smith1 ,history of the ,prophet ,joseph
 ,smith1 ch4 #ca4  ,it was in this frame
 of mind1 and thus occupied1 that the   
,prophet found him at the close of the  
angelic visit4 ,the spirit of ,martin   
,harris was thoroughly humbled4 ,he     

besought the ,prophet earnestly to join 
him in his supplications4 ,he craved    
earnestly the sublime testimony that had
 been given his associates4             
,accordingly1 the ,prophet knelt again  
with him in prayer4 ,and ultimately we  
obtained our desires1 writes the        
,prophet1 for before we had yet finished
 the same vision was opened to our view1
 at least it was again opened to me1 and
 ,i once more beheld and heard the same 
things2 whilst at the same moment1      
,martin ,harris cried out1 apparently in
 an ecstasy of joy1 '',tis enough2 'tis 
enough2 mine eyes have beheld2 mine eyes
 have beheld2' and jumping up1 he       
shouted1 ',hosanna1' blessing ,god1 and 
otherwise rejoiced exceedingly4,i       
,footnote ,i3 ,history of the ,church1  
,vol4 ,i1 p4 #ee4  ,the three chosen    
witnesses to the ,book of ,mormon had1  
then1 all received their testimonies by 
divine manifestation4 ,the fact that    
,martin ,harris experienced considerable
 difficulty in obtaining the testimony1 

and that he overcame that difficulty is 
significant4 ,it adds materially to the 
reality and the value of the testimony1 
that the three1 though separated in the 
actual seeing of the vision1 can yet    
bear testimony to the same manifestation
 in every detail4 ,and all three did    
bear testimony4 ,just after the         
title-page1 in the ,book of ,mormon1    
appears ,the ,testimony of ,three       
,witnesses4,j ,this testimony is        
declared with words of soberness2 and   
those who gave it to the world never    
once faltered in its defense4  ,footnote
 ,j3 ,see ,chapter ,,vi4  ,besides these
 three1 there were others also who were 
favored to see and handle the original  
plates of the ,book of ,mormon4 ,these  
others1 however1 were not shown the     
plates by divine manifestation4 ,it was 
soon after the testimony of three       
witnesses had been obtained through the 
ministrations of an angel4 ,the         
,prophet1 ,joseph ,smith1 had gone from 
,fayette to ,manchester to arrange for  

the printing of the ,book of ,mormon4   
,he was accompanied by ,hiram ,page1 and
 several of the ,whitmers4 ,at          
,manchester1 he was joined by ,joseph   
,smith1 ,sr41 ,hyrum ,smith1 and ,samuel
 ,h4 ,smith4 ,the company thus consisted
 of the ,prophet1 with ,christian       
,whitmer1 ,jacob ,whitmer1 ,peter       
,whitmer1 ,jr41 ,john ,whitmer1 ,hiram  
,page1 ,joseph ,smith1 ,sr41 ,hyrum     
,smith1 and ,samuel ,h4 ,smith4 ,the    
,prophet himself showed to the eight    
witnesses the original plates of the    
,nephite record4 ,it was a plain1       
matter-of-fact exhibition4 ,the         
witnesses not only saw the plates1 but  
handled them1 and examined the          
engravings on them4 ,and with words of  
soberness they1 too1 testified of what  
they had seen4  ,it is small wonder     
that1 in the light of the evidence here 
presented1 it is asserted that the ,book
 of ,mormon is the best authenticated   
sacred record of which the history of   
the world can boast4 ,eleven witnesses1 

on their honor1 testify that they have  
seen and examined the plates from which 
the translation was made4 ,three of them
 testify further that an angel appeared 
before them and assured them that the   
translation of the engravings on the    
plates was accomplished by the power of 
,god1 and was correct4 ,what better or  
stronger testimony could be required8   
,in the case of the ,book of ,mormon1 at
 least1 the assertion is true1 that not 
a single important step in the progress 
of the restoration was taken without    
corroborative testimony or the presence 
of witnesses4  ,it will be interesting  
now to return briefly to the first ten  
visions1 and learn what effect the      
testimonies of the eleven witnesses have
 upon them4 ,unquestionably1 the nine   
visits of the angel1 ,moroni1 looked to 
the translation of the sacred plates as 
well as to the restoration of the       
fulness of the gospel4 ,on the first    
night of his appearance to the          
boy-prophet1 the angel showed the boy in

 vision the hill ,cumorah1 and the place
 where the plates were hidden4 ,the next
 day he met the boy on the sacred hill4 
,once a year for four years thereafter1 
the angel and the boy met at the place  
where the plates lay concealed4 ,and at 
every meeting of the two1 the theme     
between them was largely the coming     
forth of the ,book of ,mormon4 ,it is   
true that at each ministration of the   
,angel ,moroni1 ,joseph ,smith was alone
 with him4 ,there were no eyewitnesses4 
,yet1 in the light of the testimony     
borne by the three1 there can be no     
doubt that the angel did visit the      
prophet2 and in the light of the        
additional testimony of the eight1 there
 can be no reasonable doubt that the    
plates were delivered to him4 ,the      
testimony of the eleven witnesses       
confirm the story of the visits of the  
angel ,moroni4 ,in this case1 too1 then1
 the assertion holds3 ,not a single     
important step in the progress of the   
restoration was taken without           

corroborative testimony or the presence 
of witnesses4  ,in a similar way1 the   
testimonies of the eleven witnesses     
corroborate the story of the first      
glorious vision of the ,father and the  
,son4 ,it was in that vision that the   
boy-prophet first received his call4 ,it
 was then that he learned that the      
religious world had gone astray1 and    
that the ,god of heaven had a great work
 for him to do4 ,that work was to       
restore the fulness of the ,gospel4 ,but
 the restoration of the ,gospel involved
 the revelation of the ,book of ,mormon1
 and the translation of the sacred      
record4 ,neither the revelation of the  
book nor the translation of it1 could   
have been accomplished had the first    
vision been a delusion4 ,in fact1 the   
full subsequent history of the          
restoration depends upon the            
authenticity of that vision4 ,it is not 
too much to say again then1 that in the 
case of the first vision also1 the      
assertion is establised1 that1 not a    

single important step in the progress of
 the restoration was taken without      
corroborative testimony or the presence 
of witnesses4  ,great weight is thus    
laid upon the testimonies of the three  
and the eight4 ,their solemn            
declarations confirm the words of the   
,prophet concerning the opening acts of 
the restoration4 ,now1 there are those  
who question the value of the           
testimonies of these eleven men4 ,they  
assert that the witnesses were under the
 influence of the young                 
,prophet--hypnotized by him2 or that    
they were themselves parties to a       
tremendous fraud4 ,it will be           
interesting to consider briefly what    
became of each one of these eleven men1 
and to learn how they viewed in later   
life the testimonies they had published 
to the world4  ,oliver ,cowdery was born
 at ,wells1 ,rutland ,county1 ,vermont1 
in ,october1 #ahje4 ,he met the         
,prophet1 ,joseph ,smith1 ,april #eth1  
#ahbi1 became his scribe during the     

translation of the ,book of ,mormon1 and
 was baptized with the ,prophet in      
,june1 #ahbi4 ,oliver ,cowdery rose to  
great prominence in the new ,church4 ,it
 appears1 however1 that he was possessed
 of serious weaknesses4 ,in #ahch1      
certain charges were preferred against  
him before the ,high ,council at ,far   
,west4 ,some of the charges were        
sustained1 and since he did not make    
satisfactory amends1 ,oliver ,cowdery   
was excommunicated from the ,church4 ,he
 went thereupon to ,michigan to practice
 law4 ,once1 a fellow practitioner said 
to him1 ,mr4 ,cowdery1 ,i see your name 
is attached to this book the ',book of  
,mormon'4 ,if you believe it to be true1
 why are you in ,michigan8 ,after       
reading the names of the witnesses1 he  
continued1 ,mr4 ,cowdery1 do you believe
 this book8  ,no1 sir1 responded ,mr4   
,cowdery1 quickly4  ,but your name is   
attached to it1 protested his           
fellow-lawyer1 and you declare here that
 you saw an angel1 and also the plates  

from which the book purports to be      
translated2 and now you say you don't   
believe it4 ,which time did you tell the
 truth8  ,my name is attached to that   
book1 and what ,i there have said is    
true1 replied ,oliver ,cowdery with     
emphasis4 ,i did see this2 ,i know ,i   
saw it1 and faith has nothing to do with
 it1 as a perfect knowledge has         
swallowed up the faith which ,i had in  
the work1 knowing1 as ,i do1 that it is 
true4,k  ,footnote ,k3 ,historical      
,record1 pp4 #bjj1 #bja4  ,and so it was
 always3 ,oliver ,cowdery never wavered 
in his testimony4 ,surely1 if he had    
been under the influence of ,joseph     
,smith at the time of the angelic       
ministration1 he was from under it now4 
,or if he had connived with ,joseph     
,smith at a monstrous fraud1 he was not 
concerned in it now that he had been    
cast off by the ,church4 ,this one bit  
of unwilling testimony is alone         
sufficient to establish the truth of the
 whole testimony of the three4 ,oliver  

,cowdery repented and joined the ,church
 again in #ahdh1 during the troublous   
days of the expulsion of the ,church    
from ,nauvoo4 ,it is worthy of note that
 these were days of severe tribulation  
to the ,church4 ,oliver ,cowdery could  
gain nothing by rejoining it then4      
,moreover1 the ,prophet was dead4 ,what 
,oliver ,cowdery did in #ahdh1 he did   
because of the deep conviction of his   
own soul1 and not because of the        
influence of ,joseph ,smith4 ,oliver    
,cowdery died in #ahej4 ,his dying words
 were a changeless testimony of the     
divine truth of the ,book of ,mormon4   
,david ,whitmer1 too1 testified         
unchangeably to the truth of the        
testimony he had signed and given to the
 world4 ,david ,whitmer was born near   
,harrisburg1 ,pa41 ,january #gth1 #ahje4
 ,he was baptized1 ,june1 #ahbi4 ,like  
,oliver ,cowdery1 ,david ,whitmer rose  
to prominence in the ,church4 ,like     
,oliver ,cowdery1 he became estranged   
from the ,church4 ,on ,april thirteenth1

 #ahch1 several charges were preferred  
against him and sustained4 ,accordingly 
he was excommunicated from the ,church4 
,david ,whitmer never at any time       
returned his allegiance to the ,church4 
,yet1 he bore an unchangeable1 undying  
testimony to the divine truth of the    
,book of ,mormon4  ,in #ahha1 one ,john 
,murphy asserted that ,david ,whitmer   
had denied his testimony as one of the  
three witnesses to the ,book of ,mormon4
 ,david ,whitmer immediately published  
in the ,conservator of ,richmond1       
,missouri1 a refutation of the lie3     
,that the world may know the truth1 he  
wrote1 ,i wish now1 standing as it were 
in the very sunset of life1 and in the  
fear of ,god1 once for all to make this 
public statement3  ,that ,i have never  
at any time denied that testimony or any
 part thereof1 which has so long since  
been published with that book1 as one of
 the ,three ,witnesses4 ,those who know 
me best1 well know that ,i have always  
adhered to that testimony4 ,and that no 

man may be misled or doubt my present   
views in regard to the same1 ,i do again
 affirm the truth of all my statements  
as then made and published4,l  ,footnote
 ,l3 ,quoted in ,historical ,record1 pp4
 #baj1 #baa4  ,the ,prophet1 ,joseph    
,smith1 had been dead nearly forty years
 when this renewed testimony was        
published by ,david ,whitmer4 ,it would 
be the grossest kind of folly to assume 
that after more than forty years of     
independent life and thinking--apart    
from the ,church founded by the         
,prophet1 with the ,prophet himself     
removed--,david ,whitmer was still under
 hypnotic1 or other1 influence of the   
,prophet4 ,with his testimony so firm   
and unshaken1 after so many years1 it   
would be the height of folly to assume  
that ,david ,whitmer was under any      
psychic subjection to the ,prophet even 
at the time of the angelic ministration4
 ,and other false reason for subscribing
 to such a testimony there could be     
none4 ,david ,whitmer was not related to

 ,joseph ,smith4 ,he was not interested 
with him in any business venture4 ,he   
received no worldly benefits from his   
association with the new ,church4 ,in   
short1 there was no reason under heaven 
why he should have abetted fraudulent   
purposes of ,joseph ,smith1 had he been 
an impostor4 ,david ,whitmer's          
testimony1 then1 like ,oliver           
,cowdery's1 must remain forever         
unimpeached1 the stronger for the reason
 that it remained as firm1 as steadfast1
 after ,david ,whitmer left the ,church1
 as it ever was before4 ,whitmer died at
 ,richmond1 ,mo41 ,january twenty-fifth1
 #ahhh4 ,on his deathbed he bore a last1
 irrefragable testimony to the divine   
authenticity of the ,book of ,mormon1   
and the truth and integrity of the      
,testimony of the ,three ,witnesses4    
,martin ,harris was one of ,joseph      
,smith's earliest and closest friends4  
,yet1 his relations to the ,prophet1    
like those of ,oliver and ,david1 became
 strained before the martyrdom of the   

,prophet4 ,martin ,harris was born at   
,easttown1 ,new ,york1 ,may eighteenth1 
#aghc4 ,he met the young ,prophet for   
the first time in #ahbg1 soon after the 
,prophet had received from the angel the
 plates of the ,book of ,mormon4 ,he was
 baptized soon after the organization of
 the ,church1 in #ahcj4 ,martin ,harris1
 too1 was honored in the new ,church4   
,he held several positions of           
distinction1 and as long as the ,saints 
lived in ,kirtland1 he was active in the
 performance of his duties4 ,when1      
however1 the ,saints moved to ,missouri1
 ,harris remained in ,ohio4 ,rumors     
spread that he had apostatized4 ,martin 
,harris never wavered1 however1 in his  
testimony to the ,book of ,mormon4      
,after the martyrdom of the ,prophet1   
,martin ,harris came under the influence
 of the apostate leader1 ,james ,j4     
,strang4 ,while under that influence1 he
 went to ,england1 in #ahdf1 ostensibly 
to oppose the ,mormon elders laboring   
there1 and to misrepresent the ,church4 

,it seems1 however1 that he did no harm 
to anyone4 ,in #ahgj1 ,harris came to   
,utah1 and located in ,smithfield4 ,five
 years later1 in #ahge1 he died at      
,clarkston1 nearly ninety-three years of
 age4  ,thirty-one years had passed     
since the ,prophet was slain1 and       
forty-six years had passed since the    
miraculous manifestation in which       
,martin ,harris saw the angel and the   
plates4 ,many things had happened during
 the long life4 ,while ,martin ,harris  
had never actually left the ,church1 he 
had become estranged1 and was not in    
full fellowship for many years4 ,yet1 in
 spite of his varied experiences1 his   
testimony never faltered4 ,and like     
,oliver ,cowdery and ,david ,whitmer1   
his dying words were in confirmation of 
the testimony he had given forty-six    
years before4  ,martin ,harris was taken
 sick a week ago yesterday1 writes      
,martin ,harris1 ,jr41 under date of    
,july ninth1 #ahge1 with some kind of   
stroke1 or life became so weak and      

exhausted1 that he has no use in his    
limbs4 ,he cannot move1 only by our aid4
 99 99 99 ,he has continued to talk     
about and testify to the truth of the   
,book of ,mormon1 and was in his        
happiest mood when he could get somebody
 to listen to his testimony2 if he felt 
dull and weary at times1 and some one   
would come in and open up a conversation
 and give him an opportunity of talking1
 he would immediately revive and felt   
like a young man for a little while4,m  
,in this mood he passed away1           
brightening the last moments of his long
 life with the fervor of his testimony  
to the truth of the ,book of ,mormon4   
,footnote ,m3 ,quoted in ,historical    
,record1 p4 #bad4  ,all three of the    
special witnesses to the divinity of the
 ,book of ,mormon1 became estranged from
 the ,prophet and his work4 ,in spite of
 all estrangement1 however1 and even    
bitterness1 they were steadfast to the  
last in affirming the truth of their    
great testimony4 ,not one of them       

wavered2 not one of them weakened2 not  
one of them gave that testimony the lie1
 either while in the ,church or while   
out of it4 ,and as the three were true  
to the last1 so also were the eight4    
,christian ,whitmer died ,november      
twenty-seventh1 #ahce1 in full          
fellowship in the ,church4 ,jacob       
,whitmer withdrew from the ,church in   
#ahch1 and died ,april twenty-first1    
#ahef1 without returning to it4 ,peter  
,whitmer1 ,jr41 died ,september         
twenty-second1 in full fellowship in the
 ,church4 ,john ,whitmer was            
excommunicated from the ,church ,march  
tenth1 #ahch4 ,he died out of the       
,church ,july eleventh1 #ahgh4 ,hiram   
,page withdrew from the ,church in      
#ahch4 ,he died outside of the faith    
,august twelfth1 #aheb4 ,joseph ,smith1 
,sr41 died in full fellowship in the    
,church ,september fourteenth1 #ahdj4   
,hyrum ,smith died a martyr to the cause
 of ,truth ,june twenty-seventh1 #ahdd4 
,samuel ,harrison ,smith died in full   

membership1 ,july thirtieth1 #ahdd4     
,three of the eight witnesses left the  
,church and died out of it4 ,it is a    
remarkable fact1 however1 that not only 
the five who remained true to the       
,church1 but the other three also1      
remained true to the testimony they had 
borne to the ,book of ,mormon4 ,no one  
of them ever denied a word of that      
testimony4 ,most of them survived the   
,prophet many years4 ,whatever influence
 he had exerted over them in life was   
surely removed by death4 ,but after his 
death1 as well as during his life1 these
 eight witnesses were firm in their     
assertion that they had seen the plates 
of the ,book of ,mormon1 and had        
examined them4 ,no amount of persecution
 ever made them swerve from that direct 
truth4 ,no amount of temptation ever won
 them to a denial of the testimony4     
,that one truth was so fixed in their   
minds that they could never deny it4    
,and each one1 as his turn came to meet 
grim ,death1 testified to the last that 

what he had said and affirmed so long   
was verily true4  ,the testimonies of   
the eleven witnesses have never been    
broken4 ,these testimonies never can be 
broken4 ,in the wisdom of the ,lord the 
testimonies have been strengthened by   
the very defections revealed in the     
lives of the witnesses4 ,by their lives 
and their testimonies they bear witness1
 not only to the truth of the ,book of  
,mormon and the actuality of the visions
 that inaugurated the great latter-day  
work1 but also to the truth of their own
 testimonies4 ,it is really remarkable  
that the three special witnesses to the 
,book of ,mormon became estranged from  
the ,church1 and that three of the      
eight--making six out of eleven--forsook
 the ,church4 ,the testimonies of those 
who left the ,church were made stronger 
by their apostasy4 ,had there been      
delusion or fraud about the restoration1
 these men would have revealed it4 ,not 
one of the witnesses who apostatized was
 related to ,joseph ,smith4 ,in their   

positions as apostates1 therefore1 they 
added testimony to their own testimony1 
as well as to the divine authority of   
the ,prophet ,joseph ,smith4 ,even in   
the case of the witnesses themselves1 it
 may be re-affirmed with assurance1     
that1 not a single important step in the
 progress of the restoration was taken  
without corroborative testimony1 or the 
presence of witnesses4    ,,xxi4        
,,further ,,witnesses ,,to ,,the        
,,restoration4  ,the ,latter-day ,saints
 lay claim to so much1 and there are so 
many impostures in the world1 that it is
 more than fortunate to have the mission
 of the ,american prophet attested1 not 
only by the marvelous results of his    
works1 but also by the words of         
witnesses4 ,it is asserted by the       
,latter-day ,saints that they1 and they 
alone of all the religious denominations
 in the world1 possess the gospel of the
 ,lord ,jesus in its purity and in its  
fulness4 ,the sects may promulgate small
 portions of the law of liberty2 they   

may teach truth in part4 ,it is not     
claimed by the ,latter-day ,saints that 
they have a monopoly of ,truth4 ,indeed1
 every sect that survives the           
vicissitudes of time must possess some  
of the fabric of truth in its structure4
 ,no organization can persist on a      
foundation of absolute falsehood4 ,but  
whereas the sectarian creeds present the
 power of ,god unto salvation in part   
only1 the ,mormon creed presents it in  
full1 in its natural simplicity1 and not
 perverted by the doctrines of men4  ,it
 is asserted by the ,latter-day ,saints 
that they1 and they alone of all the    
religious denominations in the world1   
possess a correct ,church organization1 
patterned after that of the primitive   
,church of ,christ and the apostles4    
,other ,church organizations retain     
parts of the original form4 ,but each   
one has lost some part or other of the  
perfect body4 ,one member has wasted    
away from disuse here and another there1
 until the process of atrophy has left  

but few of the original officers and    
duties of the ,church4 ,the ,church of  
,jesus ,christ of ,latter-day ,saints1  
however1 has a perfect organization4    
,all the officers of the primitive      
,church may be found in it1 and their   
several duties are thoroughly           
understood4  ,moreover1 it is asserted  
by the ,latter-day ,saints1 that1 not   
only do they alone possess the ,gospel  
in its fullness and the correct ,church 
organization1 but they alone have       
authority from heaven to officiate in   
the ordinances and ceremonies of the    
,church4 ,other preachers1 pastors1 and 
ministers may presume to present        
themselves as servants of the ,most     
,high4 ,but they possess no divine      
appointment2 they have received no      
ordination by divine authority4 ,the    
,elders of the ,church of ,jesus ,christ
 alone are endowed with the divine right
 to preach the ,gospel and to administer
 in its ordinances4  ,few things about  
,jesus are more striking or             

unquestionable than his sense of        
authority1 says a noted theological     
student4,a ,to ,latter-day ,saints this 
statement is of peculiar interest4 ,they
 believe that a man must be called of   
,god1 by prophecy1 and by the laying on 
of hands1 by those who are in authority1
 to preach the ,gospel and administer in
 the ordinances thereof4,b ,a ceremony  
performed by a man not so called and    
ordained can be of no authoritative     
effect4 ,the sense of authority1 then1  
found so strikingly present in the      
ministry of ,jesus1 is but the divine   
appreciation and the divine             
manifestation of the necessity of       
authority4 ,i am not come of myself1,c  
,he was wont to say2 ,i am come in my   
,father's name1 and ye receive me not3  
if another shall come in his own name1  
him ye will receive4,d ,that            
appreciation of the necessity of divine 
authority was so strongly marked in the 
ministry of ,jesus1 that ,he called     
attention to it even in the sending     

forth of ,his apostles4 ,it was not     
enough that ,he should be called of     
,god2 they1 too1 must receive the call  
and be ordained4 ,ye have not chosen me1
 ,he said1 emphasizing the fact that a  
man cannot choose of himself to become  
an apostle of the ,lord1 but ,i have    
chosen you1 and ordained you1 that ye   
should go and bring forth fruit2,e for  
as my ,father hath sent me1 even so send
 ,i you4,f ,and the apostles in their   
turn learned so well to understand the  
principle of divine authority that they 
challenged the ministry of any man who  
was not authorized by ,jesus4 ,a man can
 receive nothing1 explained ,john the   
,baptizer when his disciples complained 
that ,jesus drew all men to ,him1 except
 it be given him from heaven4,g ,and    
,paul explained that no man can take the
 honor of the priesthood to himself1 but
 he that is called of ,god as was       
,aaron4,h  ,footnote ,a3 ,prof4 ,samuel 
,dickey1 ,the ,significance of the      
,baptism of ,jesus for ,his ,conception 

of ,his ,ministry1 in ,biblical ,world1 
,june1 #aiaa4  ,footnote ,b3 ,fifth     
,article of ,faith4  ,footnote ,c3 ,john
 #g3bh4  ,footnote ,d3 ,john #e3dc4     
,footnote ,e3 ,john #ae3af4  ,footnote  
,f3 ,john #bj3ba4  ,footnote ,g3 ,john  
#c3bg4  ,footnote ,h3 ,heb4 #e3d4  ,this
 appreciation of the necessity of divine
 authority was not peculiar to ,jesus   
and ,his apostles4 ,holy men of ,god    
have felt it in every age4 ,only those  
who have been divinely called have been 
qualified to speak in the name of the   
,lord4 ,this statement is as true for   
the modern ,prophet as it is for the    
prophets of old4 ,for it may be said    
with truth1 that few things about       
,joseph ,smith are more striking or     
unquestionable than his sense of the    
necessity of authority4 ,he had seen the
 ,father and the ,son in vision2 he had 
been visited repeatedly by an angel of  
heaven2 he had translated a sacred      
record by the power of ,god1--yet1 he   
did not presume to promulgate the       

restored ,gospel1 or to send others to  
do so1 or to organize a ,church4 ,he    
felt that he had not yet divine         
authority to do these things4 ,he waited
 till authority should be given him4    
,was he an impostor8 ,had he been so he 
might easily have assumed authority4 ,he
 might have proclaimed to the world that
 he had received authority1 and trusted 
that the world would believe his        
statement4 ,certainly1 had he been an   
impostor1 he would have called in no man
 to witness the imposture he was        
foisting upon the world4 ,what did      
,joseph ,smith do8 ,in the previous     
chapter1 we have learned how the opening
 visions of the ,new ,dispensation--the 
revelations that form the foundation    
stone of the ,church--are attested by   
the testimony of witnesses4 ,it has been
 said that the ,latter-day ,saints lay  
claim to so much1 and that there are so 
many impostures in the world1 that it is
 more than fortunate to have the mission
 of the ,american prophet attested1 not 

only by the marvelous results of his    
work1 but also by the words of          
witnesses4 ,it will be interesting now  
to recall the way in which ,joseph      
,smith received authority from heaven4  
,it will be interesting further to learn
 whether or not there were witnesses to 
the fact4 ,it will not be too much again
 to assert that not a single important  
step in the progress of the ,restoration
 was taken without corroborative        
testimony or the presence of witnesses4 
,the ,prophet ,joseph ,smith1 teaches   
that there are two divisions of the     
priesthood of ,god2 and he asserts that 
he received the authority of both       
divisions by the direct ministration of 
heavenly beings4 ,he does more than     
assert that he received the ,holy       
,priesthood by divine ordination4 ,an   
impostor might do so much4 ,joseph      
,smith describes the manner in which the
 priesthood was conferred upon him2 and 
he provides a witness who1 after many   
years confirms by his solemn testimony  

the words of the ,prophet4 ,such a      
procedure is contrary to the methods of 
an impostor4  ,the ,aaronic             
priesthood--the lesser division of the  
priesthood of ,god--was restored through
 the ministration of one heavenly being4
 ,it appears that ,john the ,baptizer   
was the man of presiding authority to   
hold that division of the priesthood    
during the dispensation of the ,meridian
 of ,time4 ,when it became necessary to 
restore the ,aaronic ,priesthood1 in the
 new ,gospel dispensation1 ,john the    
,baptizer came to perform the important 
ceremony4 ,joseph ,smith relates how    
this great forerunner of ,messiah came  
down from heaven1 and in awe-inspiring  
words1 conferred upon him the ,holy     
,priesthood after the order of ,aaron4  
,the relation is plain1 ungarnished4    
,there is no comment2 there is no       
argument2 there is no embellishment2    
there is no ecstatic eloquence4 ,it is a
 matter of fact that has happened1 and  
the ,prophet states it in his usual1    

simple1 matter of fact way4 ,the ,holy  
,priesthood after the ,order of ,aaron  
had been restored1 ,may fifteenth1      
#ahbi4  ,but the ,aaronic priesthood did
 not endow the ,prophet with full       
authority to establish the ,church of   
,christ1 or even to officiate in the    
higher ordinances of the ,church4 ,the  
authority of the ,higher ,priesthood was
 still necessary to the full            
accomplishment of the mission of the    
,prophet4 ,that authority was not long  
in coming4 ,less than two months after  
the appearance of ,john the ,baptizer1  
,peter1 ,james and ,john appeared on the
 banks of the ,susquehanna river1 and   
conferred upon the ,prophet the         
,priesthood after the ,order of         
,melchizedek4 ,peter1 ,james1 and ,john 
constituted the presidency of the       
primitive ,church after the crucifixion 
of ,jesus4 ,they formed the presidency  
of the ,priesthood after the ,order of  
,melchizedek before the dispensation of 
the fulness of times4 ,when it became   

necessary in the new dispensation to    
restore this ,priesthood1 ,peter1       
,james1 and ,john attended personally to
 the holy ordinance4 ,again the         
narrative is plain and simple4 ,the     
,prophet1 however1 comes nearer to      
ecstatic utterance in speaking of the   
sublime manifestation than is customary 
with him4 ,yet1 it is after all a       
matter-of-fact narration of a matter of 
fact4 ,the ,holy ,priesthood after the  
order of ,melchizedek was restored      
through the ministration of ,peter1     
,james1 and ,john4  ,can ,joseph ,smith 
be believed in these assertions8        
,fortunately1 he was not alone in these 
two marvelous manifestations1 as he had 
been in those earlier visions that laid 
the foundation for the superstructure of
 the ,church4 ,when ,joseph ,smith went 
into the wood to pray on ,may fifteenth1
 #ahbi1 that he might get light on the  
ordinance of baptism1 ,oliver ,cowdery  
was with him4 ,when ,john the ,baptizer 
appeared1 it was not ,joseph ,smith     

alone who saw him4 ,oliver ,cowdery saw 
him as well4 ,and when the ,baptizer    
restored officially the ,aaronic        
,priesthood1 it was not ,joseph ,smith  
alone whom he ordained4 ,oliver ,cowdery
 received the same ordination with the  
,prophet4 ,and ,oliver ,cowdery has     
described the event in words of power   
and vividness4  ,these were days never  
to be forgotten--to sit under the sound 
of a voice dictated by the inspiration  
of heaven1 awakened the utmost gratitude
 of this bosom6 ,day after day ,i       
continued1 uninterrupted1 to write from 
his mouth1 as he translated with the    
,urim and ,thummim1 or as the ,nephites 
would have said1 ',interpreters1' the   
history or record called ',the ,book of 
,mormon4'  ,to notice1 in even few      
words1 the interesting account given by 
,mormon and his faithful son ,moroni1 of
 a people once beloved and favored of   
heaven1 would supersede my present      
design2 ,i shall therefore defer this to
 a future period1 and1 as ,i said in the

 introduction1 pass more directly to    
some few incidents immediately connected
 with the rise of this ,church1 which   
may be entertaining to some thousands   
who have stepped forward amid the frowns
 of bigots and the calumny of           
hypocrites1 and embraced the ,gospel of 
,christ4  ,no men1 in their sober       
senses1 could translate and write the   
directions given to the ,nephites from  
the mouth of the ,savior1 of the precise
 manner in which men should build up    
,his ,church1 and especially when       
corruption had spread an uncertainty    
over all forms and systems practiced    
among men1 without desiring a privilege 
of showing the willingness of the heart 
by being buried in the liquid grave1 to 
answer a 'good conscience by the        
resurrection of ,jesus ,christ4'  ,after
 writing the account given of the       
,savior's ministry to the remnant of the
 seed of ,jacob1 upon this continent1 it
 was easy to be seen1 as the prophet    
said would be1 that darkness covered the

 earth and gross darkness the minds of  
the people4 ,on reflecting further it   
was easy to be seen1 that amid the great
 strife and noise concerning religion1  
none had authority from ,god to         
administer the ordinances of the        
,gospel4 ,for the question might be     
asked1 have men authority to administer 
in the name of ,christ1 who deny        
revelations1 when ,his testimony is no  
less than the spirit of prophecy and    
,his religion based1 built1 and         
sustained by immediate revelations in   
all ages of the world when ,he has had a
 people on earth8 ,if these facts were  
buried1 and carefully concealed by men  
whose craft would have been in danger if
 once permitted to shine in the faces of
 men1 they were no longer to us2 and we 
only waited for the commandment to be   
given ',arise and be baptized4'  ,this  
was not long desired before it was      
realized4 ,the ,lord who is rich in     
mercy1 and ever willing to answer the   
consistent prayer of the humble1 after  

we had called upon ,him in a fervent    
manner1 aside from the abodes of men1   
condescended to manifest to us ,his     
will4 ,on a sudden1 as from the midst of
 eternity1 the voice of the ,redeemer   
spake peace to us1 while the vail was   
parted and the angel of ,god came down  
clothed with glory1 and delivered the   
anxiously looked for message1 and the   
keys of the ,gospel of repentance4 ,what
 joy6 what wonder6 what amazement6      
,while the world was racked and         
distracted--while millions were groping 
as the blind for the wall1 and while all
 men were resting upon uncertainty1 as a
 general mass1 our eyes beheld1 our ears
 heard1 as in the 'blaze of day2' yes1  
more--above the glitter of the ,may     
sunbeam1 which then shed its brilliancy 
over the face of nature6 ,then his      
voice1 though mild1 pierced to the      
centre1 and his words1 ',i am thy       
fellow-servant1' dispelled every fear4  
,we listened1 we gazed1 we admired6     
',twas the voice of an angel from glory1

 'twas a message from the ,most ,high6  
,and as we heard we rejoiced1 while his 
love enkindled upon our souls1 and we   
were wrapt in the vision of the         
,almighty6 ,where was room for doubt8   
,nowhere2 uncertainty had fled1 doubt1  
had sunk no more to rise1 while fiction 
and deception had fled forever6  ,but1  
dear brother1 think1 further think for a
 moment1 what joy filled our hearts1 and
 with what surprise we must have bowed1 
7for who would not have bowed the knee  
for such a blessing87 when we received  
under his hand the ,holy ,priesthood as 
he said1 ',upon you my fellow-servants1 
in the name of ,messiah1 ,i confer this 
,priesthood and this authority1 which   
shall remain upon earth1 till the sons  
of ,levi may yet offer an offering unto 
the ,lord in righteousness6'  ,i shall  
not attempt to paint to you the feelings
 of this heart1 nor the majestic beauty 
and glory which surrounded us on this   
occasion2 but you will believe me when  
,i say1 the earth1 nor men1 with the    

eloquence of time1 cannot begin to      
clothe language in as interesting and   
sublime a manner as this holy personage4
 ,no2 nor has this earth power to give  
the joy1 to bestow the peace1 or        
comprehend the wisdom which was         
contained in each sentence as they were 
delivered by the power of the ,holy     
,spirit6 ,man may deceive his           
fellow-man1 deception may follow        
deception1 and the children of the      
wicked one may have power to seduce the 
foolish and untaught1 till naught but   
fiction feeds the many1 and the fruit of
 falsehood carries in its current the   
giddy to the grave2 but one touch with  
the finger of his love1 yes1 one ray of 
glory from the upper world1 or one word 
from the mouth of the ,savior1 from the 
bosom of eternity strikes it all into   
insignificance1 and blots it forever    
from the mind6 ,the assurance that we   
were in the presence of an angel2 the   
certainty that we heard the voice of    
,jesus1 and the truth unsullied as it   

flowed from a pure personage1 dictated  
by the will of ,god1 is to me past      
description1 and ,i shall ever look upon
 this expression of the ,savior's       
goodness with wonder and thanksgiving   
while ,i am permitted to tarry2 and in  
those mansions where perfection dwells  
and sin never comes1 ,i hope to adore in
 that ,,day which shall never cease6,i  
,footnote ,i3 ,times and ,seasons1 p4   
#bja4  ,this description and fervent    
testimony was written in #ahcd4 ,four   
years later1 however1 ,oliver ,cowdrey  
was excommunicated from the ,church4 ,he
 left the state where the ,church was   
located1 and never again returned to the
 ,saints during the lifetime of the     
,prophet ,joseph ,smith4 ,but he        
remained true to his testimony to the   
last4 ,there was no doubt in his mind as
 to the reality of the vision he had    
beheld4 ,he had felt the hands of the   
angels upon his head2 there was no      
denying the fact that had taken place4  
,his steadfastness in this testimony    

included also the ministration of       
,peter1 ,james1 and ,john4  ,oliver     
,cowdery returned to the ,church at     
,kanesville1 ,iowa1 in #ahdh4 ,he had   
been out of the ,church for eleven      
years4 ,on his re-admittance into the   
,church1 he delivered a public          
discourse1 in which he said1 ,i was     
present with ,joseph when an holy angel 
from ,god came down from heaven and     
conferred on us1 or restored1 the lesser
 or ,aaronic ,priesthood1 and said to   
us1 at the same time1 that it should    
remain upon the earth while the earth   
stands4 ,i was also present with ,joseph
 when the higher or ,melchizedek        
,priesthood was conferred by the holy   
angels from on high4 ,this ,priesthood1 
we then conferred on each other by the  
will and commandment of ,god4,j ,less   
than three months later1 under date     
,january thirteenth1 #ahdi1 ,oliver     
,cowdery gave a signed statement to     
,samuel ,w4 ,richards4 ,in that         
statement ,cowdery said1 ,john the      

,baptist1 holding the keys of the       
,aaronic ,priesthood2 ,peter1 ,james1   
and ,john1 holding the keys of the      
,melchizedek ,priesthood1 have also     
ministered for those who shall be heirs 
to salvation1 and with these            
administrations ordained men to the same
 ,priesthood4 ,these ,priesthoods1 with 
their authority1 are now1 and must      
continue to be in the body of the       
,church of ,jesus ,christ of ,latter-day
 ,saints4 99 99 ,accept assurances1 dear
 brother1 of the unfeigned prayer of him
 who1 in connection with ,joseph1 the   
,seer1 was blessed with the above       
administrations4,k  ,footnote ,j3       
,history of the ,church1 ,vol4 ,i1 p4   
#da1 footnote4  ,footnote ,k3 ,history  
of the ,church1 ,vol4 ,i1 p4 #db1       
footnote4  ,thus did ,oliver ,cowdery   
testify to the last--as he did to the   
testimony of the ,book of ,mormon--that 
he was with the ,prophet when the ,holy 
,priesthood was restored1 and shared the
 restoration with him4 ,it is certainly 

significant that the great              
manifestations in which ,john the       
,baptizer1 and the apostles1 ,peter1    
,james1 and ,john1 appeared to restore  
the ,holy ,priesthood1 did not happen to
 ,joseph ,smith alone4 ,a mere impostor 
would undoubtedly have had them so      
occur4 ,oliver ,cowdery also received   
the ,aaronic ,priesthood4 ,he1 too1 was 
ordained an apostle4 ,he became the     
second elder in the ,church--almost a   
joint president with the ,prophet       
himself4 ,although he became estranged  
from the ,prophet1 he remained true to  
his testimony2 and at the last1 he      
returned to the fold4 ,not a single     
important step in the progress of the   
,restoration was taken without          
corroborative testimony or the presence 
of witnesses4,l  ,footnote ,l3 ,since   
these chapters were written1 the        
following invaluable testimony has      
appeared in the ,improvement ,era1 for  
,march1 #aiab4 ,the testimony was       
written by ,jacob ,f4 ,gates1 of ,salt  

,lake ,city1 whose father1 ,jacob       
,gates1 was in his day a member of the  
,first ,council of ,seventy3  ,my       
father1 ,jacob ,gates1 while on his way 
to ,england1 in #ahdi1 stopped at the   
town of ,richmond1 where lived at that  
time ,oliver ,cowdery4 ,hearing that    
,oliver was in poor health1 and wishing 
to renew old acquaintance as they had   
been friends in earlier days1 father    
called on him at his home4 ,their       
conversation1 during the visit drifted  
to early ,church history1 and to their  
mutual experiences during the troublous 
times in ,missouri and ,illinois4       
,finally father put this question to    
him3 ',oliver1' said he1 ',i want you to
 tell me the whole truth about your     
testimony concerning the ,book of       
,mormon--the testimony sent forth to the
 world over your signature and found in 
the front of that book4 ,was your       
testimony based on a dream1 was it the  
imagination of your mind1 was it an     
illusion1 a myth--tell me truthfully8'  

,to question him thus seemed to touch   
,oliver very deeply4 ,he answered not a 
word1 but arose from his easy chair1    
went to the book case1 took down a ,book
 of ,mormon of the first edition1 turned
 to the testimony of the ,three         
,witnesses1 and read in the most solemn 
manner the words to which he had        
subscribed his name1 nearly twenty years
 before4 ,facing my father1 he said3    
',jacob1 ,i want you to remember what ,i
 say to you4 ,i am a dying man1 and what
 would it profit me to tell you a lie8  
,i know1' said he1 'that this ,book of  
,mormon was translated by the gift and  
power of ,god4 ,my eyes saw1 my ears    
heard1 and my understanding was touched1
 and ,i know that whereof ,i testified  
is true4 ,it was no dream1 no vain      
imagination of the mind--it was real4'  
,then father asked him about the angel  
under whose hands he received the       
,priesthood1 to which he made answer    
thus3 ',jacob1 ,i felt the hand of the  
angel on my head as plainly as ,i could 

feel yours1 and could hear his voice as 
,i now hear yours4'  ,then father asked 
this question3 ',if all that you tell me
 is true1 why did you leave the         
,church8' ,oliver made only this        
explanation2 said he3 ',when ,i left the
 ,church1 ,i felt wicked1 ,i felt like  
shedding blood1 but ,i have got all over
 that now4'  ,state of ,utah1 ,county of
 ,salt ,lake1  ,jacob ,f4 ,gates1 of    
,salt ,lake ,city1 being first duly     
sworn1 deposes and says that he is a    
citizen of the ,united ,states1 of the  
age of fifty-seven years1 and that he is
 the son of ,jacob ,gates1 who1 prior to
 his death1 related to affiant a        
conversation which he had with ,oliver  
,cowdery1 at the town of ,richmond1     
,state of ,missouri1 and that the above 
and foregoing is a true and correct     
statement of said conversation as given 
to aim by his father4  ,,jacob ,f4      
,,gates4  ,subscribed and sworn to      
before me this #cjth day of ,january1   
#aiab4  ,,arthur ,,winter1 ,notary      

,public4 ,my commission expires         
,december #c1 #aiae4  ,the ,gospel      
restored through the ministry of the    
,prophet ,joseph ,smith was not only for
 the living1 but also for the dead4     
,those who had passed away before the   
,gospel was restored must also have the 
privilege of obeying it4 ,the first     
great message of the ,angel ,moroni to  
the young ,seer1 was that the fathers   
can not be made perfect without the     
children1 nor the children without the  
fathers4 ,even after receiving the ,holy
 ,priesthood1 then1 it became necessary 
further to receive divine commission to 
promulgate the ,gospel among the        
living--among both ,jew and             
,gentile--and divine authority to       
officiate vicariously for the dead4     
,joseph ,smith tells in revelation that 
both commission and authority to perform
 these duties were conferred in a divine
 manifestation in ,kirtland temple4     
,moses committed the keys of the        
gathering of ,israel2 ,elias committed  

the dispensation of the gospel of       
,abraham2 and ,elijah restored authority
 to perform vicarious work for the dead4
 ,moreover1 ,jesus ,himself appeared in 
the holy house1 and commended the work  
of ,his servant1 the ,prophet4 ,that    
these holy men did actually appear and  
commit the keys of authority to perform 
special labors1 ,joseph ,smith affirms  
in all seriousness4,m  ,footnote ,m3    
,doc4 and ,cov4 #aaj4  ,happily1 again1 
,joseph ,smith was not alone in         
receiving these divine manifestations4  
,oliver ,cowdery was once more with him4
 ,and once again1 ,oliver ,cowdery bears
 corroborative testimony4 ,more than    
that1 he was an eyewitness and a        
partaker of the blessings4 ,he bears    
direct testimony to the reality of the  
visions4 ,and as with the ,testimony of 
,three ,witnesses1 and the visits of    
,john the ,baptizer1 and ,peter1 ,james1
 and ,john1 so also now1 ,oliver        
,cowdery bears his testimony faithfully 
to the last4 ,not a single important    

step in the progress of the ,restoration
 was taken without corroborative        
testimony or the presence of witnesses4 
,the chain of evidence is thus complete4
 ,the authority necessary for the       
promulgation of the ,gospel and the     
establishment of the ,church1 and all   
the working principles of the ,gospel1  
have been restored4 ,every important act
 of restoration is attested by          
belief-worthy witnesses4 ,these         
witnesses are eleven in number1 eight of
 whom are not in any way related to the 
,prophet4 ,their testimony has never    
been impeached4 ,if such an array of    
evidence and worthy testimony were      
presented in a federal court1 the jury  
would hardly need to retire for         
consultation4 ,they might hand in a     
unanimous verdict at once4 ,yet1 the    
evidence here presented for the reality 
of the divine acts of the ,restoration  
is often called into question4 ,the     
student at school accepts with perfect  
faith principles of science that he     

cannot himself demonstrate1 and is      
willing almost to lay down his life in  
defense of those principles4 ,he is     
told1 for example--for he cannot prove  
it himself--that there is an attractive 
or repulsive force operative in the     
universe1 and that that force varies    
directly as the product of the masses   
between which it is operating1 and      
inversely as the square of the distance 
between them4 ,this is the law of       
gravitation1 laid down by ,sir ,isaac   
,newton4 ,the student believes it1 as he
 believes a thousand other principles   
presented to him in more or less        
arbitrary fashion4 ,yet1 many of the    
established principles of science are   
not half so well authenticated as are   
the acts of the ,restoration of the     
,gospel in the ,dispensation of the     
,fulness of ,times4 ,in ,his divine     
wisdom1 the ,lord ,god has wonderfully  
safeguarded every act in the story of   
the ,restoration1 so that there can be  
no reasonable question as to its        

reality4 ,says the ,apostle ,paul1 ,in  
the mouth of two or three witnesses     
shall every word be established4        
,note3--,there is still another         
important witness to the reality of the 
revelations of the ,prophet ,joseph     
,smith4 ,this witness does not testify1 
however1 to the restoration of any      
authority of the ,gospel4 ,section #gf  
of the ,book of ,doctrine and ,covenants
 relates the wonderful vision of        
glories4 ,joseph ,smith was accompanied 
in this vision by ,sidney ,rigdon4      
,sidney ,rigdon was excommunicated      
,sept4 #h1 #ahdd4 ,like the other       
witnesses1 however1 ,rigdon remained    
true to the testimony that he had seen a
 vision4 ,sidney ,rigdon died out of the
 ,church4 ,his son ,john ,w4 ,rigdon1   
testifies as follows3--,when ,i went to 
father just before his death1 and told  
him that if he knew anything regarding  
the coming forth of the ,book of        
,mormon1 that had not been told1 he owed
 it as a duty to himself and his family1

 to tell it1 he reiterated that he had  
but one story to tell1 and that was the 
story told him by the ,prophet1 ,joseph 
,smith1 that the records from which the 
book was taken were engraved on gold    
plates4 ,father then testified to me    
that ,joseph was a prophet of ,god1 and 
that an angel had handed him the plates 
from which was taken the ,book of       
,mormon 7,improvement ,era1 ,vol4 ,,iii1
 p4 #fig74    ,,xxii4  ,,the ,,test ,,of
 ,,section ,,sixty-,,seven4  ,whatever  
,joseph ,smith was or was not1 he was   
certainly fearless in all his assertions
 of divine inspiration4 ,we have learned
 that1 at a time when high religious    
excitement proclaimed belief in an      
immaterial ,god1 and in the actual unity
 of an immaterial trinity1 the          
boy-prophet declared that he had beheld 
a vision in which the ,father and the   
,son1 had appeared to him1 as two       
separate beings1 and as beings of       
tangible existence in the form of man4  
,greatly elated over this incomparable  

vision1 the young boy hastened to       
communicate the things he had learned to
 a distinguished friend1 a sectarian    
minister2 but to his utter astonishment1
 the boy was ridiculed and called a     
fool1 maligned and persecuted4 ,yet he  
had seen a vision1 and fearlessly he    
remained true to that assertion4        
,again1 not many years after1 an angel  
visited him4 ,angels were1 in ,christian
 theology1 however1 supernatural beings 
of a bygone age4 ,no one believed in    
them when ,moroni came to ,joseph4 ,yet1
 ,joseph declared in soberness that an  
angel had visited him1 and had restored 
the gospel of ,christ4 ,and for that    
fearless assertion1 the young man was   
further persecuted4  ,then ,joseph      
published a book in his young manhood4  
,he called it the ,book of ,mormon1 and 
said it was a translation of certain    
ancient ,american records1 revealed to  
him by divine power4 ,the world stood   
aghast at his audacity4 ,it tried to    
prove the book of spurious workmanship4 

,it tried to prove the book merely a    
feeble effort of a literary quack4 ,it  
tried in every way to throw discredit   
upon the book4 ,but ,joseph ,smith      
remained undaunted4 ,the world could not
 intimidate him1 and so it persecuted   
him4  ,then1 in his maturity1 this      
remarkable man declared himself to be a 
prophet of ,god4 ,he claimed to hold    
divine communion with the ,creator of   
the world1 and issued revelation upon   
revelation to the ,church and to its    
individual members4 ,unbelievers laughed
 in derision2 enemies protested         
indignantly against such blasphemy2 and 
even some followers of the daring       
prophet began to doubt his inspiration4 
,but intrepid as ever1 the prophet      
maintained that he was divinely called1 
and fearlessly gave to all the world an 
infallible test by which his revelations
 could be tried to the uttermost4  ,it  
was in the year #ahca4 ,a conference had
 been convened to consider the          
advisability of compiling and publishing

 the numerous revelations--professedly  
given by ,god to ,joseph ,smith--which  
had hitherto been preserved only in     
manuscript form4 ,the conference deemed 
it proper1 and even necessary1 to       
publish these revelations2 but a        
discussion arose concerning the language
 in which they were expressed4 ,joseph  
,smith was not a master of elegant      
,english4 ,his education had not trained
 him in artistic expression4 ,there were
 some men in the ,church far better     
educated than the ,prophet4 ,they       
criticized his language1 and thought1   
apparently1 that the revelations ought  
to be revised and couched in a more     
nearly correct1 and certainly a more    
lofty1 style4 ,then the ,prophet again  
declared that he had received divine    
direction from ,god4  ,and now ,i1 the  
,lord1 said the great ,i ,am1 give unto 
you a testimony of the truth of these   
commandments which are lying before you4
 ,your eyes have been upon my servant1  
,joseph ,smith1 ,jr41 and his language  

you have known1 and his imperfections   
you have known2 and you have sought in  
your hearts knowledge that you might    
express beyond his language2 this you   
also know4 ,now seek ye out of the book 
of commandments1 even the least that is 
among them1 and appoint him that is the 
most wise among you2 if there be any    
among you that shall make one like unto 
it1 then ye are justified in saying that
 ye do not know that they are true2 but 
if ye cannot make one like unto it1 ye  
are under condemnation if ye do not bear
 record that they are true4,a  ,footnote
 ,a3 ,doc4 and ,cov4 #fg3d-h4  ,it was a
 daring revelation to give to a body of 
enlightened followers4 ,it was even a   
hazardous thing to throw such a gauntlet
 before men like ,oliver ,cowdery1      
,sidney ,rigdon and ,william ,e4        
,m',lellin4 ,think of ,joseph           
,smith--the poor son of an impoverished 
farmer1 who had learned in school little
 more than to read common print and to  
write his own name--daring4 ,william ,e4

 ,m',lellin--who had taught school      
successfully in five states of the      
,union1 and who was noted for a ready   
flow of good language--to write a single
 section like the least of the          
revelations in the book of commandments6
 ,was it unparalleled conceit and       
presumption that prompted such          
fearlessness1 or was it implicit        
confidence in the unique quality of the 
revelations dictated by divine          
inspiration8 ,would not so bold a       
declaration tempt even men of superior  
wisdom to pit themselves against the    
reputed man of ,god8 ,certainly1 one    
man1 at least1 was brought low in the   
dust of humiliation because he presumed 
to apply the test and write a revelation
 in the name of the ,lord4  ,after the  
foregoing was received1 writes the      
,prophet1 ,william ,e4 ,m',lellin1 as   
the wisest man1 in his ow estimation1   
having more learning than sense1        
endeavored to write a commandment like  
unto one of the least of the ,lord's1   

but failed2 it was an awful             
responsibility to write in the name of  
the ,lord4 ,the ,elders and all present 
that witnessed this vain attempt of a   
man to imitate the language of ,jesus   
,christ1 renewed their faith in the     
fulness of the ,gospel1 and in the truth
 of the commandments and revelations    
which the ,lord had given to the ,church
 through my instrumentality2 and the    
,elders signified a willingness to bear 
testimony to their truth to all the     
world4,b  ,footnote ,b3 ,history of the 
,church1 ,vol4  ,thus was the test      
applied in the lifetime of ,joseph1 and 
thus was his declaration of divine      
inspiration vindicated4 ,no one since   
the day of ,william ,e4 ,m',lellin has  
seen fit to make an attempt like his4   
,yet1 the test was not for ,m',lellin's 
day only4 ,when the book of ,doctrine   
and ,covenants was finally printed1 in  
#ahce1 the revelation prescribing the   
divinely appointed test was included as 
,section ,sixty-seven4 ,and the section 

has retained its place from that day to 
this4 ,not a word has been changed2 not 
one element of the meaning has been     
altered4 ,as a test1 it is just as      
applicable at present1 and just as      
forceful1 as in the time of ,william ,e4
 ,m',lellin4 ,any one who doubts may    
apply the test today1 tomorrow1 or at   
any time2 though1 some one has very     
wisely said1 it is a most dangerous     
thing to do4  ,as a revelation          
containing an applicable test1 section  
sixty-seven is1 then1 of especial       
interest and value to us4 ,the value is 
evident and important1 even without     
making an actual application of the     
test4 ,let us suppose for a moment that 
,joseph ,smith was never at any time    
divinely inspired--that he was nothing  
better than an unscrupulous impostor4   
,it must be conceded then that he was a 
man of remarkable ability1 though his   
education was limited4 ,the ,book of    
,mormon alone is a monumental work4 ,in 
all its pages1 from the lesser plates of

 ,nephi1 from ,mormon's abridgment of   
the greater plates1 from the record of  
,zeniff1 from the story of ,jared and   
his brother1 and from other interpolated
 parts1 to the end1 there is not a      
single contradiction1 not a single      
absurd doctrine or conclusion4 ,on the  
other hand1 the book shows a steady     
growth and development of the story2 it 
reveals a philosophic system of         
theology2 it displays perfect harmony   
between it and the ,holy ,bible4 ,again1
 in the many revelations contained in   
the book of ,doctrine and ,covenants1   
there are no contradictory statements1  
there is no obscuration of the doctrine 
of the ,christ1 there is no confusion in
 the duties of officers or members4 ,on 
the contrary1 the book is so clear that 
the whole ,church is built up after its 
directions4 ,there is no essential point
 of ,church doctrine that was not       
revealed by ,joseph ,smith2 there is no 
point of ,church organization or        
discipline that was not provided for by 

,joseph ,smith4 ,certainly then1 if he  
were an impostor1 he must have been a   
man of clear insight1 of remarkable     
analytical power1 of wonderful executive
 ability4  ,now1 if an impostor         
possessed the capability of successfully
 producing a work so complicated as the 
,book of ,mormon1 and of foisting upon  
the world a system of philosophy so     
nearly perfect as ,mormonism1 and       
further1 of effecting a ,church         
organization far more perfect than that 
of the ,german army1--is it credible    
that he would throw into the face of the
 world a test of his labors so simple1  
and yet so infallible1 as that contained
 in section sixty-seven of the ,doctrine
 and ,covenants8 ,consider again the    
fact that ,joseph ,smith was an         
unlettered man1 that he had little skill
 in literary art4 ,remember further1    
that many of his followers1 in his own  
day1 were far more highly gifted in the 
way of the world than he4 ,would he then
 dare these men of superior literary    

ability to write a single revelation    
equal to the least of his8 ,remember    
also that we of today have better       
educational advantages than even the    
most favorably situated of ,joseph's    
day4 ,would then an impostor1 so        
farsighted as ,joseph ,smith seems to   
have been1 have left on record a        
challenge for all succeeding generations
 to write a single revelation equal to  
the least of his8 ,would not1 rather1 an
 intelligent impostor refrain from      
calling undue attention to his purported
 revelations8 ,would he not certainly   
exercise the utmost care not to         
prescribe any test whereby those        
revelations might be detected as false8 
,and if by chance some foolish test had 
been allowed to creep into the would-be 
sacred word1 would not the impostor or  
his friends eagerly seize the first     
opportunity to expunge that test1 and   
even the whole revelation in which it   
was contained8 ,certainly1 a man who had
 planned his work so well as ,joseph    

,smith--were he an impostor--planned    
his1 would not be guilty of so gross an 
oversight as to leave among his printed 
revelations so easy a test as that in   
section sixty-seven4  ,the conclusion of
 the whole matter has1 of course1 been  
long self-evident4 ,we are grateful to  
,joseph ,smith for fearlessly giving the
 unbelieving world a test that may be   
applied to his work at any time4 ,but   
the fair-minded man will see that an    
application of the test is unnecessary4 
,the very fearlessness of ,joseph's     
assertion that no uninspired man can    
write a revelation equal to the least of
 his1 is evidence of his good faith and 
of his divine assurance4 ,no mere       
impostor would dare place so unqualified
 a challenge before all the world4      
,,xxiii4  ,,the ,,testimony ,,of        
,,martyrdom4  ,thursday1 the            
twenty-seventh of ,june1 #ahdd1 was a   
day of gloom for the ,church of ,jesus  
,christ of ,latter-day ,saints4 ,less   
than a quarter of a century had passed  

since the boy-prophet1 ,joseph ,smith1  
had seen his first vision in the ,sacred
 ,grove4 ,scarce twenty-one years had   
passed since the angel1 ,moroni1 had    
first appeared to him4 ,only fourteen   
years had passed since the ,church of   
,jesus ,christ of ,latter-day ,saints   
had been organized4 ,yet1 during those  
few years1 how much had been            
accomplished6 ,and during those few     
years1 too1 how severe had been the     
persecution to which the ,prophet and   
his followers had been subjected6 ,since
 the day that he had first divulged the 
fact that he had seen a vision1 the     
,prophet had known hardly a moment of   
peace4 ,he had been evilly spoken of    
even by those who had been numbered     
among his friends4 ,he had been haled   
before courts of law near half a hundred
 times on the foresworn oaths of men who
 themselves should have been condemned  
by law4 ,he had been thrown vilely into 
prison1 and had endured all the         
indignities of the common felon4 ,he had

 been hounded from cover to cover1 as   
the fated stag is hunted by unleashed   
dogs4 ,his devoted followers had been   
ruthlessly driven from their homes to   
build anew in the wilderness and in the 
desert4 ,always1 however1 the courts had
 been forced to admit1 that1 while the  
,prophet and his friends were compelled 
to pay much more than a reasonable      
penalty for the offenses of which they  
were accused1 yet they were in every    
case perforce dismissed as innocent4    
,not a single charge could be sustained 
against them4 ,but now1 at last1 the    
malignant hatred of his enemies         
prevailed against the ,prophet4 ,on     
,thursday1 the twenty-seventh of ,june1 
#ahdd1 the ,prophet ,joseph ,smith1 and 
his brother1 the patriarch1 ,hyrum      
,smith1 were brutally mobbed and shot to
 death1 in the upper room of the old    
jail1 at ,carthage1 ,illinois4  ,no more
 flagrant act of mob-violence can be    
shown in the history of the modern      
religious world than this which brought 

,joseph ,smith to a brutal and untimely 
death4 ,it would not be appropriate1    
however1 to take up here a detailed1    
critical study of the events that led up
 to the martyrdom4 ,we need to know the 
sad story only in its outlines4 ,on     
,friday1 the seventh of ,june1 #ahdd1   
there appeared in ,nauvoo the first and 
only number of a weekly periodical      
called the ,nauvoo ,expositor4 ,the     
,expositor had been founded1 according  
to its own prospectus1,a for the avowed 
purpose1 amongst others1 of advocating1 
through its columns1 the unconditional  
repeal of the ,nauvoo city charter1 and 
of instigating the people of ,nauvoo and
 adjacent parts to unite in persecuting 
the ,prophet ,joseph ,smith and his     
friends4 ,the first and only number of  
the ,nauvoo ,expositor was true to the  
promises of the prospectus4  ,footnote  
,a3 ,history of the ,church1 ,vol4 ,,vi1
 pp4 #ddc1 #ddd4  ,it is needless to say
 that the people of ,nauvoo resented the
 vicious slanders published in the      

,expositor4 ,they resented1 moreover1   
the unrighteous purposes for which it   
was founded4 ,the matter of this new    
periodical1 the ,nauvoo ,expositor1 was 
brought to the attention of the city    
council of ,nauvoo4 ,after several days'
 careful investigation1 the council     
passed an ordinance declaring the       
,nauvoo ,expositor a nuisance1 and      
issued an order to the mayor1 ,joseph   
,smith1 to have the nuisance abated4 ,on
 the night of ,monday1 ,june tenth1     
#ahdd1 the city marshal1 accompanied by 
the major-general of the ,nauvoo ,legion
 and the members of the ,legion1 carried
 the press1 the type1 the printed paper1
 and the fixtures of the ,nauvoo        
,expositor1 into the street and         
destroyed them4  ,this summary action of
 the city council of ,nauvoo against the
 ,nauvoo ,expositor was the beginning of
 the final trouble that led to the      
martyrdom of the ,prophet ,joseph       
,smith4 ,there was raised such a hue and
 cry by the apostate publishers of the  

short-lived ,nauvoo ,expositor1 that the
 whole state of ,illinois was roused to 
attention4 ,mass-meetings were held in  
which the action of the city council of 
,nauvoo was denounced4 ,joseph ,smith   
was arrested for riot4 ,his case was    
heard before a non-,mormon justice4 ,on 
,june twelfth1 he was acquitted4 ,but   
the enemies of the ,prophet had become  
thoroughly aroused4 ,they banded        
themselves together1 and determined to  
do him to death4 ,he was arrested a     
second time for the ,expositor affair1  
and was again acquitted4 ,but the       
disturbance continued to grow worse4    
,the spirit of mobocracy took possession
 of the defamers of the ,prophet4 ,they 
began to clamor for his blood1 and for  
the blood of those that should dare to  
remain loyal to him4 ,their frenzy had  
grown to such uncontrollable proportions
 that nothing short of the shedding of  
blood could satisfy them4 ,the ,nauvoo  
,expositor1 though dead1 was bringing to
 pass the very results for which it was 

first given life4  ,it was with the     
affair reduced thus to utter            
hopelessness1 that the ,prophet decided 
finally to try to save the situation by 
taking himself away from the seat of    
trouble4 ,it was the evening of         
,saturday1 ,june twenty-second1 #ahdd4  
,the ,prophet had met with several men  
in an upper room of his house4 ,the     
subject of discussion was naturally the 
serious difficulties that had grown out 
of the destruction of the ,nauvoo       
,expositor--an act that had been twice  
justified by properly constituted courts
 of law4  ,brethren1 said the ,prophet1 
here is a letter from the ,governor     
which ,i wish to have read4  ,the letter
 was read4  ,then the ,prophet spoke    
again1 sorrowfully1 ,there is no        
mercy--no mercy here4  ,no1 replied his 
brother ,hyrum2 ,just as sure as we fall
 into their hands we are dead men4      
,yes1 said ,joseph2 what shall we do1   
,brother ,hyrum 8  ,and ,hyrum answered1
 ,i don't know4  ,then suddenly1 with   

the light of inspiration brightening his
 countenance1 the ,prophet exclaimed1   
,the way is open4 ,it is clear to my    
mind what to do4 ,all they want is      
,hyrum and myself2 then tell everybody  
to go about their business1 and not to  
collect in groups1 but to scatter about4
 ,there is no doubt they will come here 
and search for us4 ,let them search2    
they will not harm you in person or     
property1 and not even a hair of your   
head4 ,we will cross the river tonight1 
and go away to the ,west4  ,the plan    
seemed to be good4 ,it was accepted by  
the men assembled4 ,the ,prophet gave   
several instructions for carrying the   
plan into effect4 ,then he recorded1 as 
the last words in his own simple1 direct
 narrative of his life these words3 ,i  
told ,stephen ,markham that if ,i and   
,hyrum were ever taken again we should  
be massacred1 or ,i was not a prophet of
 ,god4 ,i want ,hyrum to live to avenge 
my blood1 but he is determined not to   
leave me4,b  ,footnote ,b3 ,history of  

the ,church1 ,vol4 ,,vi1 pp4 #ede1 #edf4
  ,with this complete appreciation of   
the seriousness of the situation1 and   
with this sentence of death passed upon 
his own head1 in case he should ever    
again be taken by the mob1 ,joseph      
,smith set out with his brother1 ,hyrum1
 for the ,rocky ,mountains4,c ,had he   
been permitted to go he might possibly  
have lived many years more to bless his 
people4 ,but undoubtedly his days's work
 was done4 ,he was called now to bear   
testimony to his great life-work with   
his blood4 ,joseph and ,hyrum1 with a   
few friends1 had proceeded only as far  
as ,montrose1 ,iowa1 when messengers    
reached them from the wife of the       
,prophet4 ,the people had become alarmed
 in the absence of their leader4 ,they  
entreated him to return to them4 ,they  
expressed their fears that if he did not
 return to ,nauvoo-and1 of course1 to   
imprisonment--the city would be guarded 
by troops till he was found1 if it took 
three years to do it4 ,several of the   

brethren assembled at ,montrose joined1 
too1 in the plea that he should return4 
,they accused him of cowardice1 saying  
that it was now as in the fable3 when   
the wolves came the shepherd fled from  
the flock1 and left the sheep to be     
devoured4  ,footnote ,c3 ,history of the
 ,church1 ,vol4 ,,vi1 p4 #edg4 ,the     
thought of going to the ,rocky          
,mountains was not a new one with the   
,prophet ,joseph ,smith4 ,nearly two    
years before this1 in ,august1 #ahdb1 he
 made the following entry in his        
journal3--,i prophesied at ,montrose1   
,iowa1 while conversing with several    
brethren that the saints would continue 
to suffer much affliction and would be  
driven to the ,rocky ,mountains1 many   
would apostatize1 others would be put to
 death by our persecutors1 or lose their
 lives in consequence of exposure or    
disease2 and some of you will live to go
 and assist in making settlements1 and  
build cities and see the saints become a
 mighty people in the midst of the      

,rocky ,mountains4 ,in ,february and    
,march1 #ahdd1 a company was actually   
organized to explore the ,rocky         
,mountain region1 and ,congress was     
memorialized to assist in the           
exploration of the ,west4 ,when1 a few  
months later1 it became necessary for   
the ,prophet to seek a place of refuge1 
it was but natural that he should turn  
his eyes in the direction of his great  
prediction4  ,the ,prophet1 it need not 
be said1 was sorely hurt4 ,if my life is
 of no value to my friends1 said he1 it 
is of none to myself4  ,thereupon he    
turned to ,porter ,rockwell1 and asked1 
,what shall ,i do8  ,rockwell answered1 
,you are the oldest1 and ought to know  
best2 and as you make your bed1 ,i will 
lie with you4  ,still perturbed in mind1
 the ,prophet turned to ,hyrum and      
asked1 ,brother ,hyrum1 you are the     
oldest1 what shall we do8  ,and ,hyrum  
counseled1 ,let us go back and give     
ourselves up1 and see the thing out4    
,it was a serious step to take4 ,this   

was a question of life and death4 ,the  
,prophet considered the counsel awhile1 
then said1 ,if you go back ,i will go   
with you1 but we shall be butchered4    
,no1 no1 cried ,hyrum2 let us go back   
and put our trust in ,god1 and we shall 
not be harmed4 ,the ,lord is in it4 ,if 
we live or have to die1 we will be      
reconciled to our fate4  ,these were    
brave words4 ,they revealed the fearless
 heart of the trustful man of ,god4 ,but
 ,joseph was not deceived4 ,he knew that
 if he returned to ,nauvoo1 he should be
 slain4 ,yet1 after considering the     
question again for awhile1 he turned to 
,reynolds ,cahoon and instructed him to 
have a boat ready that evening to take  
them back over the river4 ,the ,prophet 
had decided to return to his fate4      
,perhaps nothing is more striking in the
 events of the next few days than the   
,prophet's foreknowledge that he was    
going to a violent death4 ,on the way   
from ,montrose to the river he fell     
behind the company with ,porter         

,rockwell4 ,those in advance shouted to 
them to hurry4 ,but ,joseph answered1   
,it is of no use to hurry1 for we are   
going back to be slaughtered4 ,at       
five-thirty the company re-crossed the  
river and entered again the city of     
,nauvoo4  ,early on ,monday1 ,june      
twenty-fourth1 the ,prophet and his     
company started for ,carthage1          
,illinois4 ,when the company reached the
 ,nauvoo ,temple1 the ,prophet paused4  
,he looked with admiration at the       
,temple1 then at the city of ,nauvoo1   
the ,beautiful1 nestling in the bend of 
the river below them4 ,the beautiful    
morning view seemed to affect him4 ,he  
became again oppressed with the         
foreknowledge of certain death4 ,this is
 the loveliest place and the best people
 under the heavens1 he cried2 little do 
they know the trials that await them4   
,and as the company passed out of the   
city limits1 the ,prophet called on     
,daniel ,h4 ,wells4 ,squire ,wells1 said
 the ,prophet1 on parting1 ,i wish you  

to cherish my memory1 and not think me  
the worst man in the world either4 ,four
 miles west of ,carthage1 the ,prophet's
 company met ,captain ,dunn1 who had    
been sent to take possession of the arms
 of the ,nauvoo ,legion1 with sixty     
mounted militia4 ,some of the ,prophet's
 associates seemed to become alarmed at 
the sight of the soldiers4 ,but ,joseph 
quieted their fears with the rather     
doubtful comfort1 ,do not be alarmed1   
brethren1 for they cannot do more to you
 than the enemies of truth did to the   
ancient ,saints--they can only kill the 
body4 ,and only a few moments later1 he 
made the startling statement1 ,i am     
going like a lamb to the slaughter1 but 
,i am calm as a summer's morning4 ,i    
have a conscience void of offense toward
 ,god and toward all men4 ,if they take 
my life1 ,i shall die an innocent man1  
and my blood shall cry from the ground  
for vengeance1 and it shall be said of  
me1 ',he was murdered in cold blood 6',d
  ,footnote ,d3 ,history of the ,church1

 ,vol4 ,,vi1 p4 #eee4  ,and that there  
was real cause for anxiety was proved by
 the testimony of ,abram ,c4 ,hodge4    
,while the arms of the ,nauvoo ,legion  
were being collected at ,nauvoo for     
,capt4 ,dunn1 ,hodge had been sent to   
,carthage by ,hyrum ,smith1 to learn    
what was the situation there4 ,at       
,carthage1 ,hodge met a ,rev4 ,mr4      
,dodge1 a friend of ,hyrum's4 ,he warned
 ,hodge that if ,joseph and ,hyrum came 
to ,carthage they would be killed4      
,hodge also met ,hamilton1 the          
innkeeper1 who pointed out the ,carthage
 ,greys and said1 ,hodge1 there are the 
boys that will settle you ,mormons4     
,returning from ,carthage1 ,hodge met   
the ,prophet and his friends4 ,hodge    
reported what he had heard at ,carthage1
 and said1 ,brother ,hyrum1 you are now 
clear1 and if it was my duty to counsel 
you1 ,i would say1 do not go another    
foot1 for they say they will kill you1  
if you go to ,carthage4  ,but ,hyrum and
 ,joseph were both possessed of a       

splendid courage4 ,there was only one   
thing now to do to save ,nauvoo from    
massacre by a lawless mob4 ,the ,prophet
 and his brother continued fearlessly on
 their way to ,carthage--into the very  
arms of death4 ,indeed1 perhaps equally 
striking with the ,prophet's            
foreknowledge of certain death was his  
unflinching courage in facing that      
death4 ,it was just a little before     
midnight1 on the twenty-fourth of ,june1
 that the company reached ,carthage1 and
 put up at ,hamilton's tavern4 ,the     
temper of the mob-militia assembled at  
,carthage was displayed by the outcries 
of the ,carthage ,greys and the general 
mob while the ,prophet and his friends  
were passing the public square4  ,where 
is the damned prophet8  ,stand away1 you
 ,mc,donough boys1 and let us shoot the 
damned ,mormons4  ,clear the way and let
 us have a view of ,joe ,smith1 the     
prophet of ,god4 ,he has seen the last  
of ,nauvoo4 ,we'll use him up now1 and  
kill all the damned ,mormons4  ,if the  

mob had hoped to daunt the noble spirit 
of the ,prophet by this manifestation of
 insatiable1 bloodthirsty hatred1 they  
were sorely disappointed4 ,joseph ,smith
 continued calmly1 fearlessly on his    
way4 ,he knew that he was going like a  
lamb to the slaughter2 but his spirit   
was1 as he had said1 calm as a summer's 
morning4 ,there was no thought of fear  
in his heart4 ,there was no thought of  
wavering there4 ,he had set his hand to 
the plow2 he did not look back4  ,it is 
needless to follow in detail the        
shameful proceedings of the next few    
days at ,carthage4 ,joseph ,smith and   
,hyrum ,smith were again arrested on a  
charge based on the destruction of the  
,nauvoo ,expositor4 ,they were violently
 dragged to prison by the ,carthage     
,greys1 without examination1 on an      
illegal mittimus prepared by ,justice   
,robert ,f4 ,smith4 ,the next day they  
were dragged forth from the jail1 again 
by the ,carthage ,greys1 though the     
mittimus had ordered that they should   

remain imprisoned until released by due 
course of law4 ,and again1 without      
examination1 they were returned to the  
jail and thrust into close confinement4 
,there was no attempt at a fair1 legal  
trial4 ,on the contrary1 every effort   
was made to pervert the courts1 to      
detain the witnesses for the defense1 to
 delay proper proceedings1 and otherwise
 to divert the course of justice4 ,the  
mob leaders declared openly1 ,the law is
 too short for these men1 but they must 
not be suffered to go at large--if the  
law will not reach them1 powder and ball
 must4 ,in short1 ,joseph ,smith and his
 brother1 ,hyrum ,smith1 were overcome  
finally1 not by the just decisions of a 
properly constituted court of law1 but  
by the bloodthirsty passion of an       
infuriated mob4 ,as with the lowly      
,nazarene1 so with the humble ,american 
,prophet1 the law would have washed its 
hands of the case1 for it found in the  
,prophet an innocent man void of        
offense2 but the lawless1 passion-ruled 

mob would not have it so4 ,they set     
aside the decisions of the courts4 ,they
 revolted from the mild governance of   
the chief executive of the state4 ,the  
final scene in the drama of the         
,restoration is a scene of mob-violence 
and murder4 ,it occurred not long before
 sun-down on the eventful twenty-seventh
 of ,june1 #ahdd4 ,true to the threats  
that had been uttered2 true to the      
determination that had been formed2 true
 to the bitter1 though unjust1 hatred   
that had been aroused against the       
,prophet1--a mob of frenzied1 lawless   
men rushed upon ,carthage jail to fulfil
 their predictions of violence4 ,when   
they fled precipitately into the woods a
 few minutes later1 terrified by the    
grossness of their own brutality1 they  
had accomplished their murderous        
resolve4 ,the ,prophet1 ,joseph ,smith1 
and the ,patriarch1 ,hyrum ,smith1 lay  
dead4  ,three points are clearly        
manifest3 first1 the ,prophet and the   
,patriarch were brutally mobbed1 and    

murdered1 without justifiable cause2    
second1 the ,prophet foreknew1 by the   
spirit of inspiration1 that he was going
 to a violent death2 third1 in the face 
of the violent death which he knew to be
 coming to him1 the ,prophet displayed a
 never-failing fearlessness--a complete 
reliance upon the righteousness of his  
cause4 ,while his sworn enemies were    
seeking to destroy him1 he was himself  
giving proof1 by his humility and his   
uprightness1 by his courage and his     
manliness1 and by his unswerving        
devotion to his trust1 that he was far  
and away removed from guilt1 and that he
 was indeed a prophet of the living     
,god4 ,before he was committed to       
prison1 several of the officers of the  
troops at ,carthage1 curious to see the 
,prophet1 visited him in his room at the
 inn4 ,the ,prophet asked them if they  
could detect anything in his appearance 
that would indicate that he was so      
desperate a character as his defamers   
represented him to be4  ,the visitors   

replied1 ,no1 sir2 your appearance would
 indicate the very contrary4 ,general   
,smith1 but we cannot see what is in    
your heart1 neither can we tell what are
 your intentions4  ,very true1          
gentlemen1 returned the ,prophet1 you   
cannot see what is in my heart1 and you 
are therefore unable to judge me or my  
intentions2 but ,i can see what is in   
your hearts1 and will tell you what ,i  
see4 ,i can see that you thirst for     
blood1 and nothing but my blood will    
satisfy you4 ,it is not for crime of any
 description that ,i and my brethren are
 thus continually persecuted and        
harassed by our enemies1 but there are  
other motives1 and some of them ,i have 
expressed1 so far as relates to myself2 
and inasmuch as you and the people      
thirst for blood1 ,i prophesy1 in the   
name of the ,lord1 that you shall       
witness scenes of blood and sorrow to   
your entire satisfaction4 ,your souls   
shall be perfectly satiated with blood1 
and many of you who are now present     

shall have an opportunity to face the   
cannon's mouth from sources you think   
not of2 and those people that desire    
this great evil upon me and my brethren1
 shall be filled with regret and sorrow 
because of the scenes of desolation and 
distress that await them4 ,they shall   
seek for peace1 and shall not be able to
 find it4 ,gentlemen1 you shall find    
what ,i have told you to be true4,e     
,footnote ,e3 ,history of the ,church1  
,vol4 ,,vi1 p4 #eff4  ,the events of the
 next two days proved that the          
,prophet's declaration of what was in   
the hearts of his1 visitors was right4  
,and the visitors had not long to live  
after the martyrdom of the ,prophet to  
see a terrible fulfillment of all that  
he had predicted in the name of the     
,lord4 ,the hearts of many of them were 
rent at the scenes of distress1 of      
desolation1 and of blood1 that they     
witnessed before they were themselves   
taken away4  ,at the prison1 the        
,prophet and his friends manifested the 

same fearless spirit1 the same degree of
 divine inspiration1 and the same       
devotion to the cause of ,truth4 ,joseph
 ,smith1 and ,hyrum ,smith1 and their   
associates1 took turns preaching to the 
guards4 ,these noble men explained to   
their keepers the true nature of their  
missions upon earth1 and bore           
irrefragable testimonies to the truth of
 the ,gospel that they preached4 ,now1  
the guards were themselves poisoned by  
bigotry1 by prejudice1 by bitter hatred4
 ,many of them belonged to the          
mob-militia that was sworn to murder the
 ,prophet4 ,yet1 some of them were so   
affected by the preaching of the        
prisoners that they asked to be relieved
 before their watch was out4 ,many of   
them admitted freely that they had been 
imposed upon4 ,frequently1 one of them  
was heard to call to the others1 ,let us
 go home1 boys1 for ,i will not fight   
any longer against these men4 ,so       
evident was the innocence of the        
prisoners1 that1 had they been given a  

fair1 legal trial1 the court would have 
acquitted them without question1 and    
would have given them1 moreover1 the    
full protection of the law4 ,it was the 
knowledge of this fact that led the     
,prophet's persecutors to say1 ,if the  
law will not reach them powder and ball 
must4  ,during the last night in        
,carthage jail1 the brethren testified  
again of the divinity of their missions4
 ,there were present in the prison that 
night ,willard ,richards1 ,john ,taylor1
 ,john ,s4 ,fullmer1 ,stephen ,markham1 
,dan ,jones1 ,hyrum ,smith1 and ,joseph 
,smith4 ,elder ,john ,taylor prayed4    
,after the prayer1 ,patriarch ,hyrum    
,smith read from the ,book of ,mormon4  
,he selected certain passages relating  
cases of imprisonment of the servants of
 ,god for the ,gospel's sake1 and       
telling how they were miraculously      
delivered4 ,evidently1 ,hyrum still     
entertained hope that he and his brother
 would be delivered from their enemies4 
,when ,hyrum had finished his comments  

on the passages he had read1 the        
,prophet himself addressed his friends  
and the guards4 ,this address in        
,carthage jail was in the nature of a   
sermon--the last sermon delivered by the
 ,prophet in mortal life4 ,he bore a    
powerful testimony to the divine        
authenticity of the ,book of ,mormon4   
,he testified to the actuality of the   
restoration of the ,gospel1 with all its
 authorities and blessings4 ,he alarmed 
solemnly that the restoration of the    
,gospel had been effected through the   
ministration of angels4 ,he declared    
that the kingdom of ,god was again      
established upon the earth4 ,he claimed 
that it was for the ,gospel's sake that 
he was imprisoned1 and not because he   
had violated any law either of ,god or  
of man4 ,thus devotedly1 fearlessly1 did
 the great ,prophet1 with the certain   
foreknowledge of death in his heart1    
testify to the divinity of his mission  
to earth4  ,on the day that he was      
foully murdered1 it was reported to the 

,prophet that the mob had solemnly      
determined to kill him before sundown4  
,he retained1 however1 his serene       
composure4 ,above all1 he remained to   
the last true to the trust ,god had     
reposed in him4 ,it did not once occur  
to him that he could save his own life  
by denying his claims to divine         
inspiration4 ,on the contrary1 on this  
last day of their life upon earth1 with 
the certainty of death apparent         
undoubtedly to both of them1 ,joseph and
 ,hyrum bore a faithful testimony to the
 ,latter-day work1 and the coming forth 
of the ',book of ,mormon1' and          
prophesied of the triumph of the ,gospel
 over all the earth1 exhorting the      
brethren present to faithfulness and    
persevering diligence in proclaiming the
 ,gospel1 building up the ,temple1 and  
performing all the duties connected with
 our holy religion4,f ,almost with his  
dying breath the ,prophet testified to  
the truth4 ,and when he fell1 it was    
with a cry to his ,god1 who had         

appointed him to labor and to suffer4   
,footnote ,f3 ,history of the ,church1  
,vol4 ,,vi1 p4 #faj4  ,it was           
undoubtedly in the wise economy of ,god 
that ,joseph ,smith was called upon to  
sacrifice his life4 ,the ,prophet was   
tried to the uttermost4 ,let us suppose 
again for a moment that ,joseph ,smith  
was an imposter--that he was trying to  
foist upon the world a monstrous fraud4 
,undoubtedly he would have been willing 
to endure much for the success of his   
undertaking4 ,he might have yielded     
willingly to imprisonment1 and might    
have paid gracefully any penalty1 short 
of death1 imposed by courts of law4 ,but
 it is only fair to assume that life    
would have been as dear to him as to    
anyone else4 ,it is not probable that he
 would have laid down his life for a    
mere imposture4 ,it is not probable that
 he would have been willing to make so  
rich a sacrifice1 had it been possible  
for him to recant--to deny what was an  
untruth anyway4 ,more probably1 if he   

had been an imposter1 ,joseph ,smith    
would have saved his life1 at the last1 
by avowing the imposture he had         
attempted to establish4 ,but ,joseph    
,smith did not deny his divine1         
prophetic calling4 ,on the contrary1 in 
the very presence of death1 he testified
 to the divinity of the great latter-day
 work which he had inaugurated4 ,neither
 death nor the fear of death could break
 the assertion he had made many years   
before1 ,i had seen a vision2 ,i knew   
it1 and ,i knew that ,god knew it1 and  
,i could not deny it1 neither dared ,i  
do it4 ,this fact forms another link in 
the chain of cumulative evidence4 ,it   
does not prove that ,joseph ,smith was a
 prophet of ,god2 but it does prove that
 he was sincere1 that he was no mere    
imposter4 ,added to what has gone       
before1 it strengthens the evidence that
 there was something more than earthly  
inspiration in the life-work of ,joseph 
,smith4  ,moreover1 through the         
martyrdom of ,joseph ,smith1 the world  

is left without excuse4 ,if the         
,prophet's mission had run smoothly2 if 
there had been no opposition2 if there  
had been no persecution2 if there had   
been no imprisonments2 if there had been
 finally no martyrdom1--then the world  
might have justly derided the claims of 
the ,prophet4 ,he could then never have 
been tried2 his own conviction of his   
divinely appointed mission could never  
have been tested4 ,it could not then    
have been known how the fervent         
testimonies of either the ,prophet or   
his followers would have withstood trial
 and tribulation4 ,but the mission of   
the ,prophet did not run smoothly4      
,opposition began immediately when he   
revealed the fact of the first vision1  
and followed him to his death4          
,malignation and persecution pursued him
 relentlessly4 ,mobs wreaked vengeance  
upon him for his ,godliness1 in acts of 
violence4 ,perjured judges committed him
 to prison1 not for any criminal act1   
but for testifying of the ,lord ,jesus4 

,finally1 he sacrificed his life1 not   
for any offense small or great against  
the law of the land1 but for being a    
prophet of the living ,god4 ,he sealed  
his testimony with his blood4 ,is there 
left to the world any excuse for not    
accepting his testimony8  ,it appears   
then1 that1 throughout the terrible     
strain of those last days of his life1  
,joseph ,smith had a strange            
foreknowledge of the coming martyrdom4  
,throughout those days1 he faced        
fearlessly the death he knew to be      
awaiting him4 ,in the presence of that  
violent death1 he bore an unwavering    
testimony to the divine authority of the
 ,church he had been appointed by ,god  
to establish4 ,he saw the chief         
executive of the state of ,illinois     
become faithless to his pledge of       
protection4 ,he saw the mob rush upon   
the prison where he was lodged4 ,he saw 
his devoted brother1 ,hyrum1 fall dead  
before him4 ,he knew what death was4 ,he
 knew that he had no power against      

it--unless it were to declare himself an
 imposter and to deny his divine        
calling4 ,this he could not do4 ,through
 all the years his testimony had not    
been broken4 ,it was not broken now even
 by the fear of death4 ,could he have   
been an imposter8  ,no6  ,the fame of   
him has spread the world over4 ,his     
followers are numbered by the hundreds  
of thousands4 ,everywhere he is spoken  
of for good or for ill4 ,gradually his  
friends are increasing4 ,the good that  
is said of him is growing2 the evil is  
diminishing4 ,already many declare that 
he was murdered in cold blood4 ,the     
evidence of his great life-work is fast 
establishing him in the hearts of men as
 a true ,prophet of ,god4