Scrap Book of Mormon Literature (Vol. 1 of 2) / Religious Tracts

by Unknown

HISTORY.

In the spring of 1820, God the Father and his Son Jesus Christ appeared in vision to Joseph Smith, at Manchester, Ontario County, New York, while he was praying for wisdom. During several years following he enjoyed the ministration of angels, and received from them much instruction in the things of God.

On the 22d of September, 1827, an angel of the Lord delivered into his hands the metal plates which contained the ancient record known as the Book of Mormon, engraved in reformed Egyptian characters, and hid in the earth by divine direction about fourteen hundred years ago. In 1829 the plates were shown by an angel to three witnesses. Afterward eight witnesses saw them, and handled some of them. The testimony of these eleven witnesses is published with the Book of Mormon. With the plates was found a Urim and Thummim, consisting of two transparent stones set in the rim of a bow fastened to a breastplate, by means of which Joseph Smith translated the record into English by the gift and power of God.

On the 15th of May, 1829, John the Baptist appeared to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery, laid his hands upon them, and ordained them to the Aaronic Priesthood, in the following words: "Upon you, my fellow servants, in the name of Messiah, I confer the Priesthood of Aaron, which holds the keys of the ministering of angels, and of the gospel of repentance, and of baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; and this shall never be taken again from the earth, until the sons of Levi do offer an offering unto the Lord in righteousness."

The same year the ancient apostles, Peter, James and John appeared to them and ordained them to the apostleship of the Melchisedek Priesthood.

On the 6th of April, 1830, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was organized, with six members, at Fayette, Seneca County, New York, by Joseph Smith, then twenty-four years old, who was instructed and empowered to that purpose by revelation from God. The Book of Mormon was printed at Palmyra, New York, and published the same year.

The Church rapidly increased in numbers and many located at Kirtland, Ohio.

In 1831, a settlement was made at Independence, Jackson County, Missouri, and in a few years in several other counties in that State.

On February 14, 1835, the first council of the Twelve Apostles was chosen. On the 28th of the same month the first council of Seventies was selected.

After being mobocratically driven from county to county, the Latter-day Saints were finally expelled from Missouri in 1838.

Many of them soon after found a refuge at Commerce, (afterward named Nauvoo) and vicinity, in Illinois, which speedily became a comparatively large and prosperous city. But persecution of the Latter-day Saints was shortly recommenced, and on the 27th of June, 1844, when under the express pledge of Thos. Ford, Governor of the State, for their safe keeping, Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum were shot and killed, and John Taylor was severely wounded, at Carthage, by a mob with faces blackened. At the time of his death Joseph Smith was President of the Church, and Hyrum Smith was Patriarch.

On the death of Joseph Smith, the council of the Twelve Apostles, with Brigham Young as their president, became the presiding council in the Church.

In consequence of continued mobocratic outrages and threats, the Church determined to leave Nauvoo and go west to some far distant place where they hoped to be permitted to live in peace. Brigham Young and one thousand families left Nauvoo in February and the early spring of 1846, arriving at Council Bluffs, Iowa, in July of that year, where the Mormon Battalion of five hundred men was called for by the Federal Government, and raised to aid in the war against Mexico.

In September following, the Latter-day Saints remaining in Nauvoo, including the aged, infirm, poor, and sick, were attacked by an armed mob, despoiled of most of their property, driven across the river, and otherwise outrageously and inhumanly abused.

In the spring of 1847, Brigham Young and a company of pioneers (one hundred and forty-three men, three women and two children) started across the great plains and the Rocky Mountains. They arrived in Salt Lake Valley July 24th, of the same year, and immediately founded Great Salt Lake City, now Salt Lake City, subsequently making other settlements and building cities all over the Territory of Utah and extending into the Territories and States adjoining.

The pioneers were followed by seven hundred wagons in the fall of the same year, and by many emigrants of Latter-day Saints every year since.

On the 27th of December, 1847, a First Presidency was accepted, consisting of Brigham Young, president, with Heber C. Kimball and Willard Richards, counselors.

In 1857, in consequence of false and malicious reports, President Buchanan sent an army to Utah to operate inimically to the inhabitants. But the army was unable to enter Salt Lake Valley that year.

In the spring of 1858, the people of Salt Lake City and the country adjacent left their homes, with the view of burning them, and traveled southward. But amicable arrangements were soon made, most of the people returned to their homes, and the army found itself with nothing to do, until the secession of the Southern States, when its commander and other officers took the side of the south, and the rank and file were sent to fight on the side of the north. The army came to Utah to despoil and destroy, but God overruled things and caused it to greatly aid the people, materially and financially, to build up and develop the Territory, and they have prospered ever since, although some federal officials and other unprincipled characters have many times endeavored to oppress them and accomplish their overthrow.

On the 29th of August, 1877, Brigham Young died, and the direction of the Church fell upon the council of the Twelve Apostles, with John Taylor presiding.

On the 10th of October, 1880, a First Presidency of the Church was accepted, consisting of John Taylor, president, and George Q. Cannon and Joseph F. Smith, his counselors.

On the death of President Taylor, which occurred July 25, 1887, the Twelve Apostles, with Wilford Woodruff as president, became the presiding council in the Church. On April 7, 1889, another First Presidency was accepted, with Wilford Woodruff as president and George Q. Cannon and Joseph F. Smith as his counselors.

On the 14th of March, 1882, incited by most abominable lies and slanders, Congress passed the unconstitutional and infamous Edmunds bill, destroying the liberties of the people of the Territory and putting all registration and election and many appointive matters in the hands of an oligarchal commission or returning board, consisting of five irresponsible appointees of the President, at a cost to the country of much more annually than the appropriation for the Territorial legislature biennially.

On the 19th of April of the same year, the House of Representatives refused to permit the legally elected delegate from Utah to take his seat, and declared the same vacant.

On the 5th of August following, in consequence of representations made by the three federal judges of the Territory, Congress passed a law authorizing the Governor to appoint men to fill vacancies resulting from the failure of the August election, which fell through because of the passage of the Edmunds bill. The actual vacancies under this law were very few, yet Governor Murray, with his characteristic unscrupulousness, resolved to wrest the law so as to make a fell swoop of nearly all the offices in the Territory, and thus wrench them out of the hands of the people and their lawfully elected officers and representatives, and give them into the hands of his own partisans, the bitter enemies of the people. Consequently, he arbitrarily interpreted the new law to vacate nearly all the offices of the twenty-four counties in the Territory, said offices numbering between two and three hundred, besides some other local and some Territorial offices, and proceeded, by and with the advice and consent of nobody, probably, but his own prejudiced and wicked self, to make appointments to fill these offices, thus despotically assuming to exercise a far greater stretch of power than is exercised by the President of the United States, and correspondingly despoiling the people of their constitutional, organic, lawful, and vested right to official representation.

This same Governor Murray, in direct violation and open defiance of the law, had previously refused to count eighteen thousand lawful votes for the people's candidate for delegate to Congress, in order that he might illegally give the certificate of election to one of his own partisans, who received less than fourteen hundred votes, and thus corruptly and ruthlessly deprive the eighteen thousand citizens of their right of suffrage. Congress refused to sanction this outrageous tampering with the ballot box, this wholesale spoliation, and rejected the bogus certificate. Yet the unprincipled Governor, who attempted this iniquitous tampering and spoliation and gave the certificate to the man who was not elected, but refused to give one to the man who was elected by an overwhelming majority, was sustained in his partiality, presumption and wickedness by no less than three several presidents of these United States, and consequently the longsuffering people of the Territory had to endure the incubus of his unwelcome and pernicious presence and the aggravated infliction of his usurpative and demoralizing gubernatorial rule.

In the second full week in September of the same year, the five federal commissioners had a registration of voters throughout the Territory, expurging from the old lists the names of all those who did not appear and be re-registered, and of others who did appear. Many Latter-day Saints, men and women of excellent character, peaceable, industrious, order-loving, and law-abiding citizens, some of them three or four score years old, and who had been accustomed to vote unchallenged from their youth up, were not allowed to be re-registered, though eligible under the law, and not liable to any legal punishment in any court in the country, because no crime of any kind could be lawfully charged against them. On the other hand, adulterers and libertines, well known and acknowledged to be such, married men who confessed to living with other women, and notorious public prostitutes were freely registered.

The same week a number of rabid anti-Mormons conspired to overthrow the right of women to be registered and to vote. Such an obnoxious character had Governor Murray obtained among the people, that he was almost universally believed to be one of the chief of the conspirators and instigators in this ungallant, unmanly, and ineffably mean spirited attempt to abolish woman suffrage in Utah. But the judges in all the district courts in the Territory decided that the woman suffrage law was valid.

In March, 1886, Governor Murray, for his unreasonable and obstructive conduct, was virtually removed from office by President Cleveland, or, in other words, was invited to resign. During his whole gubernatorial term he had persistently shown his prejudice against and enmity towards the Latter-day Saints, and had sought to deprive them of their liberties, rob them of their rights, and create a conflict between them and the federal government, which last the people had sufficient good sense to prevent, notwithstanding the many aggravating provocations. He was succeeded by Caleb W. West, not much of an improvement on his predecessor.

Governor West commenced by offering amnesty to all the prisoners in the penitentiary, under the infamous Edmunds law, who would "promise to obey the law as interpreted by the courts," an insulting and degrading offer that was respectfully declined, as they could not bind themselves to accept all the partisan and persecutive vagaries of the courts.

Governor West was succeeded in 1889 by A. L. Thomas, who soon announced himself as decidedly in favor of still further restricting government of the people, by the people, for the people, by recommending that more local officers should be appointed "by some federal agency," instead of continuing to be elected by the people.

The last eight, and especially the last six, years have been chiefly notorious for the outrageous and desperate attempts of the anti-Mormon party, through congressional legislation and the courts, to crush and destroy the church, and persecute, distress, and despoil the members thereof. The details are too profuse to be related here, and therefore must be referred to but briefly and mostly in a general way.

It seems to have been a settled leading idea of most, yet not quite all, of the federal officers appointed and sent to Utah, that the almost sole purpose of their appointment was to destroy the church as a religious body, and especially the political power of the members, and to despoil them in every possible way, preferably under some sort of color of law. A strange thing in a free country, in this much vaunted land of liberty and equal rights par excellence.

In regard to federal officials, or to officials appointed by "some federal agency," the usual course is to select and appoint those who are prejudiced and who cherish animosity against the Latter-day Saints, and who antagonize them on all possible occasions. If by any fortunate accident a fair-minded man is appointed, he is either so badgered and worried by the anti-Mormon element as to cause him to resign in disgust, or every effort is made to effect his early removal from office, so that the courts and all offices under federal or anti-Mormon influence become mere partisan machinery for oppressing and despoiling the Latter-day Saints.

The Utah Commission, that costly superfluity, which probably causes the country an expenditure of $50,000 per annum to enable the commission to supersede local self-government so far as it can, makes its annual report to the federal government in which one thing is surely manifest—the attempt to increase its own powers and to secure further legislation restrictive of the privileges, powers, rights, and liberties of the people. Under such circumstances the commission is entitled to no more respect than the law demands. There really never has been any more use for such a commission than for the fifth wheel to a wagon; not so much, for an extra wheel would come in useful if one of the four was broken, but the Utah Commission has been from the beginning absolutely of no necessity nor utility whatever. It has been an extravagant and criminal waste of the people's money, an excrescence on the body politic, a libel on popular government, a disgrace to American liberty. Some of the unrighteous decisions of the commission have been virtually reversed by the Supreme Court of the United States, though even that august tribunal can not be said to be forward in doing even and exact justice towards the Latter-day Saints. Indeed in all the courts under federal jurisdiction, or under anti-Mormon influence, the justice that is done to the Latter-day Saints is such as can hardly be avoided under the law, and even the law is frequently so one-sidedly construed and technically twisted and distorted as to become a mere mockery of justice, which, on the contrary, should be the foundation, spirit, substance, object, and end of all law.

Utah and Idaho are disgraced with religious test oaths, through federal and anti-Mormon agency. Arizona had such a law, but to her credit be it said that she repealed it, though some Mormon-eaters want another enacted. Nevada made a law disfranchising the Latter-day Saints, but the Supreme Court decided that it was unconstitutional. In Idaho a Latter-day Saint is debarred, because of his religion, from voting or holding office, and the new state constitution prohibits him from sitting on juries. In Utah the federally appointed judges have decided that an alien Latter-day Saint cannot be naturalized, solely on account of his religion. The appointment of the chief justice who concurred in that decision, was afterwards confirmed by the United States Senate, the Senate thus sanctioning persecution for religious and conscience' sake. The attempt is also made to prohibit even native-born Latter-day Saints from taking up land, and threats are freely made that disability to hold real estate will follow. Then perhaps the right to live will be denied, as in the case of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

The law known as the Poland bill gave federal and local agency equal power in arranging the jury list, but that show of justice is now gone, and all jurors are chosen by federal agency, resulting in jury lists and juries from which Latter-day Saints are excluded, so that they are tried, not by juries of their peers, but by juries of prejudiced, political and religious partisans and open and avowed enemies. What confidence can any man have in getting justice from a court where judge and juries and prosecuting and executive officers are well known to be unscrupulous partisans and bitter enemies of the accused?

Among the judicial infamies perpetrated against the Latter-day Saints was the diabolical Dickson-Zane doctrine of segregation, by which a man charged with a misdemeanor could be kept in prison all his life. This doctrine, as well as its near akin doctrine that the same misdemeanor could be divided into two or more offenses, with two or more different sentences of punishment, was overthrown by the Supreme Court of the United States.

In the administration of recent federal law, the courts in 1887 took possession of the Latter-day Saints' Perpetual Emigrating Fund, a charitable institution for the assistance of worthy emigrants, and seized real and personal estate belonging, or supposed to belong, to the Church, and estimated to be worth about a million dollars. Some of its own property was then rented to the Church, the federal agency requiring and receiving the rent. Now, if the federal government sets the demoralizing example of robbing the people of their property, what else can be expected than that the people will follow the example of the government and freely rob one another, until this will become a nation of sixty or a hundred million people, mostly thieves? If the Latter-day Saints are to be robbed, then why not the Catholics, Episcopalians, Baptists, Methodists, Presbyterians, or any other religious society? If any religious society, why not any civil society, until theft becomes common business throughout the land? For, do it under cover of law, or call it confiscation, or by any other name, it will smell as bad, it will still be theft in every essential element.

Much more might be said of the endless persecutive enormities perpetrated through federal agency toward the Latter-day Saints. But the subject grows with the handling, and time and space would fail for an adequate portrayal of the facts, the disfranchisement of all women, and of those men who had more than one wife; the numerous day and night raids of peaceable towns and settlements; the vexatious arrests; the frivolous and spiteful charges preferred; the outrageous bonds required in cases of misdemeanor, running from $1,000 to $10,000, and even to nearly $50,000; the multitude of convictions, numbering between one and two thousand, some without any and many with very slight evidence; the high penalties inflicted in most cases, with regrets at the inability of the court to inflict still higher; the dragging of delicate women into court and compelling them to testify against their husbands, and sending them to prison for refusal; deputy marshals with impunity shooting at and even killing men only charged with misdemeanor; straining the law so that a man could safely live in the same house with a whore, but not with his reputed wife, nor could hardly look over the fence at her house or her garden, or sit on the fence while she passed by; refusing to prosecute lewd and lascivious anti-Mormons, but imprisoning Latter-day Saints who informed on them; the voluntary exile for years of many who had no confidence in the justice of the courts; the enormous expense, amounting to millions of dollars, incurred, in one way or another, in these persecutive proceedings, all wrung from a sober, industrious, God-fearing, but abused, slandered, and persecuted community, and wholly, solely and entirely on account of their religion.

For a time the plea was put forth by their persecutors that plurality of wives was the only cause of the enmity against the Latter-day Saints. Now that plea is being withdrawn, and it is shamelessly declared that nothing short of the destruction of the church and the abandonment of their religion by the persecuted, will satisfy the ungodly and tyrannical demands of their oppressors.

It is shocking to have such a tale to tell in this everywhere and all the time boasted land of liberty, in this last quarter and almost last decade of the nineteenth century. But the worst thing is yet to be said, and that is, that the tale is true, every word of it. It is a sad, a discouraging commentary on the much be-lauded civilization of this latest age, which has been the hope, but which promises to be the disappointment, of all the ages. When justice fails, and fails so grievously, the heavens mourn. For all this has not been happening in Dahomey, or Timbuctoo, or Persia, or Turkey, or Russia, or in any country in the old and effete eastern hemisphere, but, let it be reiterated, in these United States of America, in this new and progressive world, in this free and happy land, at this late date in the world's history. Sackcloth and ashes ought to be in brisk demand, for a long time to come, in this highly favored nation. That is the fitting garb, and should be the only wear, in memory of strangled Liberty.

During the last twenty-eight years, about four thousand missionaries, and previously, since the organization of the church, probably about one thousand five hundred more, have been sent to the various nations to preach the Gospel, besides hundreds of native Elders, traveling and preaching more locally in the several missions thus established. Missionary Elders went to Canada as early as 1833; England in 1837; Wales, Scotland, Isle of Man, Ireland, Australia and East Indies in 1840; Palestine in 184l, Elder Orson Hyde passing through the Netherlands, Bavaria, Austria, Turkey and Egypt, on his way; Society Islands in 1844; the Channel Islands and France in 1849; Denmark, Sweden, Italy, Switzerland and the Sandwich Islands in 1850; Norway, Iceland, Germany and Chili in 1851; Malta, the Cape of Good Hope, Burmah and the Crimea in 1852; Gibraltar, Prussia, China, Ceylon and the West Indies in 1853; Siam and Turkey in 1854; Brazil in 1855; the Netherlands in 1861; Austria in 1864; Mexico in 1877; the Samoan Islands in 1888.

Previous to the settling of the Church in Salt Lake Valley, about five thousand Latter-day Saints had emigrated from Europe to America, mostly to Nauvoo. Since that time the emigration of Latter-day Saints from Europe has amounted to nearly eighty thousand souls, making an average of nearly two thousand annually, most of them coming to Utah.

The Book of Mormon was published in England in 1841; in Danish in 1851; in Welsh, French, German and Italian in 1852; in Hawaiian in 1855; in Swedish in 1878. Several years ago it was translated into Hindostanee and into Dutch. In 1875 portions of it were published in Spanish, and the whole of it in 1886. Last year it was published in the Maori language.

The Book of Doctrine and Covenants of the Church, in addition to numerous editions in English, in America and England, was published in Welsh in 1851, Danish in 1852, German in 1876 and Swedish in 1888. Many regular periodicals, advocating the doctrines of the Church, have been published in America, England, Wales, Denmark, Sweden, France, Germany, Switzerland, Australia and India. Hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions, of other books and tracts have been published by the Elders in various languages in the different quarters of the globe.

The following temples to the Lord have been built by the Latter-day Saints:

Kirtland, Ohio, 80 by 60 feet; corner stones laid July 23, 1833; dedicated March 27, 1836.

Nauvoo, Illinois, 128 by 88 feet; corner stones laid April 6, 1841; dedicated October 5 and November 30, 1845, and February 8 and April 30 and May 1, 1846; burned by an incendiary November 19, 1848.

St. George, Washington County, Utah, 142 by 96 feet; corner stones laid March 10, 1873; dedicated January 1, 1877.

Logan, Cache County, 171 by 95 feet, with an annex to the north 88 by 36 feet; corner stones laid September 17, 1877; dedicated May 17, 1884.

Manti, Sanpete County, 172 by 95 feet, with an annex to the north 85 by 40 feet; corner stones laid April 14, 1879; dedicated May 21, 1888.

The temple at Salt Lake City, 186 by 99 feet, is unfinished; corner stones laid April 6, 1853.

The site for a temple was dedicated at Independence, Jackson County, Missouri, August 3, 1831.

The corner stones of a temple, 110 by 80 feet, were laid at Far West, Caldwell County, Missouri, July 4, 1838.

PLAIN TALK TO PARENTS.

PARAGRAPHS TAKEN FROM THE WRITINGS OF APOSTLE ORSON PRATT, IN THE SEER, 1853.

Let that man who intends to become a husband, seek first the kingdom of God and its righteousness, and learn to govern himself, according to the law of God; for he that cannot govern himself cannot govern others. Let him dedicate his property, his talents, his time, and even his life to the service of God, holding all things at His disposal, to do with the same, according as He shall direct through the counsel that He has ordained. In selecting a companion, let him look not wholly at the beauty of the countenance, or the splendor of the apparel, or the great fortune, or the artful smiles, or the affected modesty of females; for all these, without the genuine virtues, are like the dew-drops which glitter for a moment in the sun and dazzle the eye, but soon vanish away. But let him look for a kind, amiable disposition; for unaffected modesty; for industrious habits; for sterling virtue; for honesty, integrity, and truthfulness; for cleanliness in person, in apparel, in cooking, and in every kind of domestic labor; for cheerfulness, patience, and stability of character; and above all, for genuine religion to control and govern her every thought and deed.

You should remember that harsh expressions against your wife, used in the hearing of others, will more deeply wound her feelings than if she alone heard them. Reproofs that are timely and otherwise good, may lose their good effect by being administered in the wrong spirit; indeed, they will most probably increase the evils which they are intended to remedy. Do not find fault with every trifling error that you may see, for this will discourage your family, and they will begin to think that it is impossible to please you; and, after a while, they will become indifferent as to whether they please you or not. How unhappy and extremely wretched is that family where nothing pleases—where scolding has become almost as natural as breathing.

Let each mother commence with her children when young, not only to teach and instruct them, but to chasten and bring them into the most perfect subjection; for then is the time that they are the most easily conquered, and their tender minds are the most susceptible of influences and government. Many mothers from carelessness, neglect their children, and only attempt to govern them at long intervals, when they most generally find their efforts of no lasting benefit; for the children having been accustomed to having their own way, do not easily yield; and if peradventure they do yield, it is only for the time being, until the mother relaxes again into carelessness when they return again to their accustomed habits; and thus by habit they become more and more confirmed in disobedience, waxing worse and worse, until the mother becomes discouraged and relinquishes all discipline, and complains that she cannot make her children mind. The fault is not so much in the children, as in the carelessness and neglect of the mother when the children were young. It is she that must answer, in a degree, for the evil habits and disobedience of the children. She is more directly responsible than the father; for it cannot be expected that the father can always find time, apart from the laborious duties required of him, to correct and manage his little children who are at home with their mother. * * * Some mothers, though not careless, and though they feel the greatest anxiety for the welfare of their children, yet, through a mistaken notion of love for them, forbear to punish them when they need punishment; or if they undertake to conquer them, their tenderness and pity are so great that they prevail over the judgment, and the children are left unconquered, and become more determined to resist all future efforts of their mothers, until, at length, they conclude that their children have a more stubborn disposition than others, and that it is impossible to subject them to obedience. In this case, as in that of neglect, the fault is the mother's. The stubbornness of the children, for the most part, is the effect of the mother's indulgence, arising from her mistaken idea of love. By that which she calls love, she ruins her children. Children between one and two years of age are capable of being made to understand many things; then is the time to begin with them. How often we see children of that age manifest much anger. Frequently by crying through anger, they that are otherwise healthy, injure themselves. It is far better in such instances, for a mother to correct her child in a gentle manner, though with decision and firmness, until she conquers it, and causes it to cease crying, than to suffer that habit to increase. When the child by gentle punishment has learned this one lesson from its mother, it is much more easily conquered and brought into subjection in other things, until finally, by a little perseverance on the part of the mother, it learns to be obedient to her voice in all things; and obedience becomes confirmed into a permanent habit. Such a child trained by a negligent or over-indulgent mother, might have become confirmed in habits of stubbornness and disobedience. It is not so much in the original constitution of children as in their training, that causes such wide differences in their disposition. It cannot be denied that there is a difference in the constitution of children even from their birth; but this difference is mostly owing to the proper or improper conduct of parents, as before stated; therefore, even for this difference, parents are more or less responsible. If parents, through their own evil conduct, entail hereditary dispositions upon their children, which are calculated to ruin them, unless properly curtailed and overcome, they should realize, that for that evil they must render an account. If parents have been guilty in entailing upon their offspring unhappy dispositions, let them repent, by using all diligence to save them from the evil consequences which will naturally result by giving way to those dispositions. The greater the derangement, the greater must be the remedy; and the more skillful and thorough should be its application, until that which is sown in evil is overcome and completely subdued. In this way parents may save themselves and their children, but otherwise there is condemnation. Therefore we repeat again, let mothers begin to discipline their children when young.

Do not correct children in anger. An angry parent is not as well prepared to judge of the amount of punishment which should be inflicted upon a child, as one that is more cool and exercised with reflection, reason and judgment. Let your children see that you punish them, not to gratify an angry disposition, but to reform them for their good, and it will have a salutary influence. They will not look upon you as a tyrant, swayed to and fro by turbulent and furious passions; but they will regard you as one that seeks their welfare, and that you only chasten them because you love them, and wish them to do well. Be deliberate and calm in your counsels and reproofs, but at the same time, use earnestness and decision. Let your children know that your words must be respected and obeyed.

Never deceive your children by threatenings or promises. Be careful not to threaten them with a punishment which you have no intention of inflicting, for this will cause them to lose confidence in your word; besides, it will cause them to contract the habit of lying. When they perceive that their parents do not fulfill their threatenings or promises, they will consider that there is no harm in forfeiting their word. Think not that your precepts concerning truthfulness will have much weight upon the minds of your children, when they are contradicted by your examples. Be careful to fulfill your word in all things in righteousness and your children will not only learn to be truthful from your example, but they will fear to disobey your word, knowing that you never fail to punish or reward according to your threatenings and promises. Let your laws, penalties and rewards be founded upon the principles of justice and mercy, and adapted to the capacities of your children; for this is the way that our heavenly Father governs His children, giving to some a Celestial, to others a Terrestrial, and to others still a Telestial law, with penalties and promises annexed according to the conditions, circumstances and capacities of the individuals to be governed. Seek for wisdom, and pattern after the heavenly order of government.

Do not be so stern and rigid in your family government as to render yourself an object of fear and dread. There are parents who only render themselves conspicuous in the attribute of justice, while mercy and love are scarcely known in their families. Justice should be tempered with mercy, and love should be the great moving principle, interweaving itself in all your family administrations. When justice alone sits upon the throne, your children approach you with dread, or peradventure hide themselves from your presence and long for your absence that they may be relieved from their fear. At the sound of your approaching footsteps they flee as from an enemy, and tremble at your voice, and shrink from the gaze of your countenance, as though they expected some terrible punishment to be inflicted upon them. Be familiar with your children that they may delight themselves in your society, and look upon you as a kind and tender parent whom they delight to obey. Obedience inspired by love, and obedience inspired by fear, are entirely different in their nature. The former will be permanent and enduring, while the latter only waits to have the object of fear removed, and it vanishes like a dream. Govern children as parents, and not as tyrants; for they will be parents in their turn and will be very likely to adopt that form of government in which they have been educated. If you have been tyrants, they may be influenced to pattern after your example. If you are fretful and continually scolding, they will be very apt to be scolds too. If you are loving, kind and merciful, these benign influences will be very certain to infuse themselves in to their order of family government; and thus good and evil influences frequently extend themselves down for many generations and ages. How great, then, are responsibilities of parents to their children! And how fearful the consequences of bad examples! Let love, therefore, predominate and control you, and your children will be sure to discover it, and will love you in return.

Let each mother teach her children to honor and love their father, and to respect his teachings and counsels. How frequently it is the case when fathers undertake to correct their children, mothers will interfere in the presence of the children. This has a very evil tendency in many respects. First, it destroys the oneness of feeling which should exist between husband and wife; secondly, it weakens the confidence of the children in the father, and emboldens them to disobedience; thirdly, it creates strife and discord; and lastly, it is rebelling against the order of family government established by divine wisdom. If the mother supposes the father too severe, let her not mention this in the presence of the children, but she can express her feelings to him while alone by themselves, and thus the children will not see any division between them. For husbands and wives to be disagreed, and to contend, and quarrel, is a great evil; and to do these things in the presence of their children is a still greater evil. Therefore, if husband and wife will quarrel and destroy their own happiness, let them have pity upon their children, and not destroy them by their pernicious examples.

MY REASONS FOR LEAVING THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND AND JOINING THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS.

(R. M. BRYCE THOMAS, LONDON, ENG.)

Previous to my visiting Salt Lake City, Utah, in the months of July and August, 1896, I knew nothing of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints beyond the fact that it was commonly known as the Mormon Church.

During my stay of nearly a month in Salt Lake City I heard from those quite unconnected with their Church that the so-called Mormons, but whom I shall hereafter designate as "the Latter-day Saints," were the most peace-loving and quiet of people, honest, thrifty, well behaved and good citizens, and exceedingly kind to their poor, who were so well looked after that public begging was not known among them.

I found that this people possessed a beautiful Temple and a very fine Tabernacle, with grounds prettily laid out and well cared for; their houses, too, were neat and picturesque, with nice gardens attached to them, while they could boast of a Tabernacle Choir of about 600 men and women, the best that I have ever heard. Everything to do with this people appeared to be most excellently managed and looked after, while their missionaries were preaching the Gospel in most parts of the world, having gone out altogether at their own cost, and at a very great sacrifice of self in all cases. The Church organization of the Saints, too, appeared to be complete and effective, and it became evident to me that they were a very interesting and extraordinary people, and I therefore decided to secure some of their books, especially the Book of Mormon, in order to learn more of their character and doctrines.

This I did, and after I had read some of their publications a light seemed to dawn upon me, and I commenced to wonder if we were living in the times of the great apostasy which had been predicted in so many parts of the inspired scriptures. I quote a few references to these predictions in the note below,^[A] but these are by no means all. My mind expanded still more when I had carefully read through the Book of Mormon, a book which I found to be replete with divine truths and elevating principles, and which bore the very strongest testimony to the truths contained in the Bible, both in the Old and in the New Testament; a book, too, which made plain and easy of understanding so many parts of the Bible that appear at present to be vague, or regarding which the numerous sects of Christendom have set themselves against each other in argument and dispute. In that book (Book of Mormon) it was clearly stated that the great apostate church would be upon the earth when the book itself would come to light. In Revelation St. John spoke of the apostate church of the latter days as "Babylon,"^[B] and as "Mystery, Babylon the great, the mother of harlots and abominations of the earth,"^[C] and he added that this apostate church was to rule peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues,^[D] which would make it almost if not quite universal.

[Footnote A: Isaiah 24: 1-5; Matthew 24: 4-31; Acts 20: 29, 30; II Thess. 2: 3, 8, 9, 10; I Timothy 4: 1-3; II Timothy 3: 1-5; II Timothy 4: 3, 4; Revelation, chapters 1, 2, and 3; Revelation 17: 2-5.]

[Footnote B: Rev. 14: 8.]

[Footnote C: Rev. 17: 5.]

[Footnote D: Rev. 17: 15.]

Now the question which concerned me was whether the Church of England, of which I was a member, was a portion of that church to which the Bible predictions in respect to the great apostasy referred, or whether the church of Rome or some other Christian church, was the only one alluded to. That it was a Christian church to which the texts in the Bible referred is not, I think, likely to be denied by any one; and indeed we know that even in as early days as those in which John the Revelator himself lived, he discovered the commencement of apostasy in the seven truest churches of Christians among those then existing.^[E] The other branches of the then Christian church would appear to have gone altogether wrong, for these seven were, it seems, the only ones worth divine mention, and they too were becoming so corrupt even in those early days that God threatened them with complete rejection.

[Footnote E: Rev. chaps. 2, 3.]

In order to enable me to arrive at a just and proper conclusion, it was necessary for me to turn to the Bible as my guide, and to ascertain therefrom what constituted the primitive Church of Christ, and what were the exact doctrines and ordinances as laid down by Him and as taught and practiced by His Apostles. Having ascertained these facts, I had then to compare them with the constitution of the Church of England and with the doctrines and ordinances as taught and practiced by her. It appeared to me to be quite evident that if the primitive church as planted by Jesus Christ and built up by His Apostles and servants, with all its organization and powers, had not been maintained in its completeness and perfection, or if any of Christ's doctrines had been altered, or His ordinances changed in any one respect without due authority, this could only have come about through false teachers arising in the church, as St. Paul had predicted would be the case after his days.^[A] I felt that I should then be compelled to admit that the Church of England had fallen into error, and that therefore the texts in the scriptures regarding the latter day apostasy could not but refer to her as well as to the other churches of Christendom which were teaching and practicing a gospel not in accordance with that found in the Bible. And further that the following inspired prophecy of Isaiah pointed to her equally as much as to the other churches: "The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant,"^[B] (or in other words apostatized). One of the Latter-day Saints has very appropriately written the following words in this connection: "It is contrary to scripture and to reason to suppose that Christ would set up two or more discordant religious systems to distract mankind, and cause strife and contention. God cannot create confusion. His mind is one, the minds of men are various, so that when we see various opposing religions in Christendom, it is conclusive evidence that men have been engaged in their invention, and that they have established but very imperfect imitations of the true church of Christ."^[C]

[Footnote A: II Tim. 4: 3, 4.]

[Footnote B: Isaiah 24: 5.]

[Footnote C: See Mormon Doctrine, 6th leaf.]

The true church must always conform to the pattern of the primitive church of Jesus Christ and His Apostles in every respect, unless there is clear and undisputable authority in the scriptures for a divergence in any particular, and I have not been able to find any such authority in any portion of the New Testament. So that if the Church of England (for that is the only church with which I am concerned at present) is dissimilar in her organization or in her doctrines and ordinances from the primitive church, she can be but a very imperfect imitation of that church at best.

Well, on turning to the Bible I found that the church which Jesus Christ planted on earth consisted of "First apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues."^[A] Elders, too, were ordained in all churches.^[B] Then again evangelists and pastors are mentioned.^[C] We further read why all these inspired apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers were absolutely necessary in the church, namely, "for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ."^[D] St. Paul in writing to the Corinthians very clearly described the church of Christ, and he showed that not one of its members could be dispensed with without thoroughly disorganizing the body. He was then specially speaking of the various gifts of the Holy Spirit of God, which were considered so essential to the maintenance of the true church of Christ, and it will be seen that He practically forbade any one of the members of the church (Christ's body) to say of those miraculous gifts "We have no need of thee."^[E]

[Footnote A: I Cor. 12: 28.]

[Footnote B: Acts 14: 23.]

[Footnote C: Eph. 4: 11.]

[Footnote D: Eph. 4: 12.]

[Footnote E: I Cor. 12: 21-28.]

Now I vainly look for a church of this pattern in the Church of England or in any of the other churches in Christendom, except in that of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints I can find no apostles, no prophets, no workers of miracles, no discerners of spirits, no gifts and no interpretations of tongues; but I find popes, cardinals and archbishops. By what authority then was the organization of Christ's church altered, and her most important members lopped off? For I have already made mention of the reasons given by St. Paul why inspired apostles, prophets, and the wonderful gifts of the Holy Spirit, were absolutely necessary in the church of Jesus Christ as founded by Him. And I fail to discover any good reason why the church should now be able to get on without them any more than it found itself able to get on without them in former times. On the contrary, I am clearly of opinion that they must be just as essential now as in days of old, and that to their absence must be attributed all the discord, ill-feeling, and confusion that reign supreme in and between the very numerous sects in Christendom, all of which profess themselves to be members of the true church of Jesus Christ. All these different sects or churches, if I may so call them, are admittedly without the miraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit spoken of by St. Paul, for they do not teach nor do they appear to allow that gifts of prophecy and miracles are actually necessary in these days. Indeed, they apparently consider that these gifts are not needed at all; the very thing which St. Paul forbids them to do when he says that, in respect to the Spirit's wonderful gifts, no member of Christ's church must say, "We have no need of thee."^[A] So that prophets and workers of miracles have altogether ceased to be, although I can find no authority whatever in the Bible for their ceasing to exist. Inasmuch as they were necessary "for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ,"^[B] how can saints now be perfected or the work of the ministry be efficiently and satisfactorily performed, or the body of Christ (the true church) be edified in these days? The Bible shows us that it was always through prophets that God revealed His will, commands, and instructions to His church under all the changing and trying circumstances through which she has had to pass since the world commenced. And it seems to me to be altogether opposed to scripture and to reason to conclude that in these admittedly evil days it is unnecessary for Him to intimate His will and commands, and to instruct His people in exactly the same way, in order that His church may continue to be guided through the great difficulties and trials that must beset her. For the teachings of Jesus Christ and His Apostles I prefer to go direct to the Bible and be guided thereby, than to go to any of the churches of Christendom which teach doctrines not in accordance therewith. For instance, Jesus Himself said that miraculous signs should follow believers,^[C] but the churches do not teach this doctrine. Then again St. Paul, writing under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, recorded that apostles and prophets were necessary in the church, not only for his days, but "till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: that we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive."^[D] How different this appears to be from the teachings of the various churches and sects in Christendom! In this passage of scripture which I have just quoted, St. Paul not only tells us how long apostles and prophets would be necessary in the church of Jesus Christ, but also how the church would be affected if prophecy ceased. As inspired by God, he distinctly asserts that apostles and prophets would be required till we attain to perfect men, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ. I think it will be admitted that we have not reached this perfection as yet. Again, St. Paul showed that if we had no apostles and prophets, the church would be tossed to and fro, and carried about with every kind of doctrine, etc. What do we see in the churches of Christendom but this very result, when we contemplate the numerous discordant and opposing religious denominations and sects, all teaching divers doctrines and ordinances? Thus it seems evident to me that a church, devoid of inspired prophets and the miraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit, all of which played so very important a part, in the opinion of the apostles of Christ, in the primitive church, cannot possibly be anything but in error. This view is strengthened by the words of St. Peter, who tells us that the Spirit would continue to manifest His marvelous powers in the true church while the world lasted, if the people would submit themselves to the ordinances of the gospel, and obey God's commandments. He was preaching on the day of Pentecost, just after the Holy Ghost had fallen upon the assembled disciples, and had sat upon each of them in the form of cloven tongues like as of fire,^[A] and he called upon all his hearers to repent, and to be baptized for the remission of their sins, and he promised them the gift of the Holy Ghost. Then he went on to say that this promise was not for those people only, but unto them and their children, and also to all who were afar off, even as many as the Lord our God should call.^[B]

[Footnote A: Cor. 12: 21.]

[Footnote B: Eph. 4: 12.]

[Footnote C: Mark 16: 17, 18.]

[Footnote D: Eph. 4: 13, 14.]

[Footnote A: Acts 2: 3.]

[Footnote B: Acts 2: 38, 39.]

Now in view of all this that I have culled from the scriptures, I cannot understand how any one has authority to say that in these days we have no need for inspired Prophets, and for those wonderful gifts of the Spirit, without which, we are told by the New Testament writers, we cannot reach to the perfected man, and to the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ.

It appears therefore quite evident to me that if I in all humility and sincerity accept the teachings of God, as made clear in the Bible, it becomes impossible for me to admit, or to flatter myself as a member of the Church of England, that any church of professing Christians on the earth, which denies the urgent need of inspired prophets and apostles, and the glorious and miraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit, can be the church which Jesus Christ founded and His Apostles built up in the first days of Christianity. In fact it seems to me that where there is not sufficient faith to obtain new revelation and the ministry of angels, all of which are promised under the true Gospel, there cannot possibly be the true church of Christ. The scripture also, which is given for our instruction, tells us "Where there is no vision the people perish."^[A]

[Footnote A: Prov. 29: 18.]

It is also logical to suppose that a church which denies the need of the miraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit cannot well have that Spirit guiding it, for the whole history of the primitive church shows us that wherever the Holy Spirit was poured down upon any one and especially on the apostles and prophets and the other ministers of Christ, He manifested Himself in prophesyings, healings, tongues and other ways. God no doubt speaks to all His children throughout the world in some measure by His Spirit, the still small voice of conscience, but the Holy Spirit in His full and wonderful manifestations, that spirit of knowledge, and wisdom, and of revelation, is only to be found where there is the true church of Christ. Again, Jesus Himself tells us that "When that spirit of truth is come, he will guide you into all truth, for he shall not speak of himself, but whatsoever he shall hear that shall he speak, and he will show you things to come."^[B] This is the gift of prophecy. Do we see anything of this kind in the Church of England, or in the church of Rome, or in any of the numerous denominations of Christians anywhere—church and denominations which by their dissensions and different teachings go far to distract mankind and confound the earnest seekers after truth? It is when this spirit of prophecy, of healings, and of tongues is wanting that people are led by the teachings of men, darkness overspreads the world, errors begin to multiply, heresies to spring up, and nothing but a form of godliness remains while its powers are denied.

[Footnote B: John 16: 13.]

Again, where the Holy Spirit manifests Himself there must of necessity be unity and peace, for He is a Spirit of Unity, and Jesus Himself prayed that all His children might be one, even as He and His Father in Heaven were one.^[C]

[Footnote C: John 17: 11, 20 to 23.]

Peter Young, an English writer, records the following comment on this prayer: "Our Lord seems to have a vision, if we may venture so to speak, of His church as one body, penetrated with the Divine Spirit, radiant with the brightness of His presence, its members living together in faith and love, the kingdom of heaven upon earth, exhibiting such a spectacle of love and holiness, that the world might be led to acknowledge that they were the special objects of the Father's love." We can thus see what it is that Jesus earnestly desired and prayed for. There were no divisions and dissensions, but all were to be of one faith and doctrines as taught by Him, and one in all love and holiness of life; and a perusal of a part of the 16th chapter of St. John's Gospel will show that, just previous to His uttering this desire of His heart, Christ had promised His disciples to send them the Comforter to guide them into all truth, for, said He, "He shall receive of mine and shall show it unto you."^[A] Now does it seem possible to suppose that this Spirit of Unity, this Comforter, whom Jesus Christ was to send in order to show His followers how to grow like Him, and to to guide them into all truth, can be guiding the numerous contending discordant churches of Christendom, who exhibit toward each other bitterness and hatred, which not so many years ago culminated even in the shedding of human blood! The Church of England, with which I am at present concerned, is split up into Ritualistic, High, Broad, and Low Church, all at variance more or less in their ceremonies and ordinances, and in their very teachings. Surely it would rather seem as if the church were moved upon by a spirit of discord, confusion, and evil passions than a spirit of unity, peace, and love; for if this glorious Spirit whom Jesus sent down after His ascension into heaven, were really permeating the church, we could not but clearly discern His presence in His wonderful manifestations as of old, and in the unity of faith, that the word of God leads us to expect would always prevail till the end of time, when we all should reach perfection, even to the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ,^[B] and so long, too, as there remained any on earth whom the Lord our God should call.^[C] Why then has the Spirit now ceased to manifest His presence? Well, it appears to me that the reason may be found in the fact that both teachers and people have drifted into error, and have set up ordinances and doctrines which do not resemble those of Christ's primitive church, or have rejected some of those formerly practiced and taught by that church. What! some ask, do you mean to say that the Church of England is practicing and teaching erroneous doctrines and ordinances? If so we should like to know wherein the errors lie. Yes, I reply, such seems to be the case, and I shall now proceed to point out the errors.

[Footnote A: John 16: 7-14.]

[Footnote B: Eph. 4: 13.]

[Footnote C: Acts 2: 39.]

In the primitive church existed the ordinance of anointing the sick with oil and praying over them with mighty faith. Is this practiced now in the Church of England, and if not, why not? If the faith of the early Christians (and very strong faith, such as honors God, was required) existed in these days, would not the church continue to use this same wonderful power for good as of old? It is however cried down now, and this ordinance is altogether rejected and considered too ridiculous for these enlightened days, though perhaps good enough for those poor creatures who lived in the benighted past. Where also is the ordinance of laying on hands for the reception of the Holy Ghost with all His gracious gifts? This was evidently a most important and necessary ordinance in the teachings of the Apostles of the primitive church, and invariably followed that of baptism. And the New Testament is replete with instances of the wonderful way in which the Holy Spirit used to manifest Himself among those converts, who had obeyed the teachings of the Apostles, and had humbly and faithfully submitted themselves to both these ordinances. He still manifests Himself in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, as very many can testify; but such manifestations are not taught or looked for in the Church of England, even in the ordinance of confirmation, and therefore they could not occur for want of faith if for no other reason.

Next I will take the ordinance of baptism. Is there any similarity between that practiced in the early church of the days of the Apostles and that practiced in the Church of England at the present day? None that I can see. In the first place, the form of baptism is not the same. Baptism by immersion is that to which the Lord Jesus submitted Himself in order to fulfill all righteousness,^[A] and to become obedient in all things, and thus it behooves us to become obedient also. He was baptized by immersion as an example to us, and this is the baptism taught and practiced by His Apostles and servants.^[B] It was not until the third century, after very many and gross errors had crept into the church, as I shall presently try to show, that the form of baptism was altered, the first case being that of a man named Novatian, who, being very ill, was baptized in bed by infusion or pouring of water.^[C] Schaff says that even down to the close of the thirteenth century baptism by immersion was the rule, and sprinkling or pouring the exception.^[D] There are many other respectable authorities who show clearly that baptism in the early church was by immersing the whole body in water, and I name some in the note below.^[E] Baptism is a word derived from the Greek "bapto," meaning to immerse, and there is no doubt in my mind that this is the meaning intended wherever the word is used in the New Testament. Calvin says, "The word baptize signifies to immerse, and the rite of immersion was observed by the ancient church," while John Wesley says, "Buried with him—alluding to the ancient manner of baptizing by immersion." Jeremy Taylor writes, "The custom of the ancient churches was not sprinkling, but immersion, in pursuance of the sense of the word in the commandment, and the example of our blessed Savior." We are taught that baptism is meant to symbolize a death, a burial, and a resurrection,^[F] and also a birth.^[G] Immersion does this, but sprinkling does not, therefore baptism by sprinkling is erroneous. Then again, the Bible teaches us that baptism had for its object the remission of sins, and that that ordinance invariably followed upon faith and repentance. But the Church of England does not appear to baptize for the remission of sins at all, the ordinance being considered as only an outward sign of an inward grace, something which appears to me to be altogether different from the idea of baptism as taught and practiced in the primitive church of Christ.^[H] That church laid down that when a person had faith (and we are told that faith comes by hearing), and had fully and truly repented of his sins, he was to undergo the ordinance of baptism for the remission of those sins,^[I] and that then he would receive the Holy Ghost through the laying on of hands by authorized men.^[J] The Church of England, which claims to be led in her doctrines by the very same Spirit that guided the primitive church in the days of the Apostles, teaches quite another law of baptism, and even demands the baptism of innocent little infants in arms, who can exercise no faith or repentance, and who have no individual sins to repent of. Is not this a transgression of the law in this respect? The primitive church and the Church of England cannot both be right, and therefore the same Spirit cannot have permeated both, for, unless we admit this, we must admit that the same Spirit dictates two distinctly opposite laws of baptism unto salvation.

[Footnote A: Matt. 3: 15.]

[Footnote B: Romans 6: 3, 4, 5.]

[Footnote C: Eusebius Eccl. Hist., Book vi: Ch. 43. See also Cyprian's Epistles, Letter 76.]

[Footnote D: Schaff, an eminent Swiss theologian.]

[Footnote E: Mosheim's Eccl. Hist., vol. I, page 120. Bossuet, a celebrated French Bishop. Bishop Jeremy Taylor. Robinson, the great Biblical scholar and philologist. Calvin. John Wesley.]

[Footnote F: Romans 6: 3, 4, 5.]

[Footnote G: John 3: 5.]

[Footnote H: Mosheim's Church History, 3rd Ed., vol. I, pp. 87 and 137.]

[Footnote I: Mark 1: 4. Luke 3: 3. Acts 12: 16.]

[Footnote J: Acts 2: 38.]

This leads me to the question of infant baptism. Dr. Neander, a great German scholar, tells us that Christ did not ordain infant baptism, and that not till so late a period as Irenaeus does any trace of infant baptism appear. This was in the third century. Curcellaeus writes that baptism of infants in the first two centuries after Christ was altogether unknown. Bishop Jeremy Taylor says, "Christ blessed infants and so dismissed them, but baptized them not, therefore infants are not to be baptized." Martin Luther says, "It cannot be proved by the sacred scriptures that infant baptism was instituted by Christ, or begun by the first Christians after the Apostles." Tertullian, one of the Latin Fathers, wrote, "Let them therefore come when they are grown up, when they can understand, when they are taught whither they are to come. Let them become Christians when they can know Christ. Why should this innocent age hasten to the remission of sins? * * * * If persons understood the importance of baptism they will rather fear the consequent obligation than the delay."

The Church of England, of which I was a member, baptizes infants in arms, who, as I have already said, cannot have faith, nor can they repent, and indeed they have no sins to repent of. I have been told that there is the taint within them of the original sin of Adam, but it seems to me that an infant is perfect in Jesus Christ. No one but Adam committed the original sin for which, in God's righteous justice, the sentence was death, and this death passed upon all Adam's descendants. But God, whose very attributes are justice and mercy, made a way for Adam's posterity to escape from the consequences of a sin that not one of them was guilty of. So, in order that His justice should not be cruel, our good Father in Heaven sent His only begotten Son Jesus Christ to the earth to atone for all sins, not only for our own individual sins, but for the sins of our common father Adam. Thus the world was relieved of the curse passed upon Adam; for "as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous."^[A] The salvation is just as universal as the punishment; and we have nothing to do ourselves to obtain this salvation from the consequences of Adam's transgression, for which we were in no way responsible. Christ's atonement fully met God's righteous justice, and justice having been satisfied, mercy was able to step in between it and ourselves and to claim her own. For our own individual sins we are of course responsible. We shall reap as we sow, and we shall be judged according to our works, whether they be good or bad, but we shall not be judged for Adam's sin. This is, I think, evident from the scriptures quoted in the foot note.^[B]

[Footnote A: Read carefully Rom. 5: 12-19.]

[Footnote B: II Cor. 5: 10. Rom. 2: 6. Gal. 6: 7. Eph. 6: 8. Col. 3: 24, 25. Rev. 22: 12. Matt. 16: 27.]

Children, then, up to the age at which they can clearly distinguish between right and wrong, and can receive the commandments and laws of God, are without sin, for sin is the transgression of the law, known to be God's law. Thus little children have no sins to be repented of and to be remitted, and therefore do not need baptism. Baptism is an ordinance by which we witness to God, that we have repented of our past misdeeds and have taken upon ourselves the name of Christ; that we intend, by being buried with Him in the waters of baptism, and by rising again from that watery grave, to die unto sin, and to rise again to a new life of holiness and good works, in thankful remembrance of Christ's great love in saving us from the dreadful consequences of our own wicked acts. Baptism cannot therefore be necessary until we raise our wills against God and disobey what we clearly know to be His righteous commandments. To say that an infant requires baptism appears to be not only unscriptural but equivalent to denying the tender mercies of Christ. Little children are perfect in Him, and thus He was able to say, "Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not, for of such is the kingdom of God."^[C]

[Footnote C: Matt. 19: 14. Mark 10: 14. Luke 18: 16.]

Thus I have tried to show how, in my opinion, the Church of England has turned aside from the early church teachings, and has transgressed this law of baptism, which the Bible instructs us has for its object the remission of sins;^[D] has changed the ordinance by substituting sprinkling for immersion, and has broken the everlasting covenant by practically denying the all-sufficiency of Christ's atonement, in holding that an innocent infant cannot belong to Christ's fold unless it is baptized into it; forgetting that it is only after we have arrived at years of discretion and understanding that we wander away from Christ's fold, and that we are required to pass through the waters of baptism in order to get our sins washed away, and to re-enter that fold. The prophecy of Isaiah, which I have already quoted,^[E] thus seems to be applicable to the Church of England in respect to this subject of baptism, if in respect to no other ordinance.

[Footnote D: Mark 1: 4. Luke 3: 3. Acts 2: 38. Acts 22: 16.]

[Footnote E: Isaiah 24: 5.]

The next ordinance that I would draw attention to is that of baptism for the dead. This has been altogether done away in the Church of England, though it was extensively practiced in the primitive Church. St. Paul in writing to the Corinthians says: "Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all? why are they then baptized for the dead?" ^[A] This baptism for the dead is one of the most glorious subjects belonging to the everlasting Gospel, because, in order to prove good our title to the kingdom of heaven, we who have sinned are told that we must have the three great witnesses to adoption: namely, the Spirit, the Water, and the Blood.^[B] We know by scripture that the Gospel is preached to the dead,^[C] and the reason is that the dead are to be judged as men in the flesh, and live according to God in the spirit.^[D] Hence the necessity of baptism for those of them who had not during this life been baptized by immersion for the remission of their sins. The dead rely upon us who are living for the performance on their behalf of this ordinance. This is the work that children must do for their progenitors, and on learning this, the hearts of the children are turned to their fathers, and the fathers in the spirit world, learning that they are dependent upon the action of their posterity for the performance of this ordinance of salvation, turn their hearts to their children, or in other words look to them for the necessary performance. This was the work predicted in the scripture by the Prophet Malachi, "Behold I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord: and he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse."^[E]

[Footnote A: I Cor. 15: 29.]

[Footnote B: John 5: 8.]

[Footnote C: I Peter 3: 19, 20, 21.]

[Footnote D: I Peter 4: 6.]

[Footnote E: Mal. 4: 5, 6.]

This baptism for the dead was an old doctrine taught in the primitive church, and it is evident that St. Paul spoke of a baptism which a living person receives in place of a dead one.^[F] This vicarious baptism for the dead was practiced among the early Christians for some two or three centuries after Christ, and Epiphanius, a writer of the fourth century, speaks of this ordinance when referring to the Marcionites, a sect of Christians to whom he was opposed.^[G] The view that St. Paul spoke of a baptism that a living man receives in place of a dead one, is upheld by many respectable authorities, among them Erasmus, Scaliger, Grotius, Calixtus, Meyer, and De Wette.^[A] Then again if we look at the proceeding of the Council of Carthage held A. D. 379, it will be seen that baptism for the dead was being practiced among some at least of the Christians as late as that year, for the council's sixth canon forbids any longer the administration of baptism and holy communion for the dead.^[B]

[Footnote F: Biblical Literature (Kitto).]

[Footnote G: Heresies 23: 7.]

[Footnote A: Roberts' Outlines of Eccle. Hist. Note 3 to sec. 10 of part 4.]

[Footnote B: Roberts' Gospel (1893) p. 290.]

The beauty of this doctrine is that it very clearly indicates that there cannot be a never-ending punishment for those who die unconverted, as taught in the churches of Christendom. On the contrary, after they have been judged according to their works in the body, and have undergone such punishment as the perfectly righteous God adjudges, there will be a salvation for all, except the sons of perdition; and eventually Jesus Christ will present to His Father His completed work of redemption. Else what are the meanings of such texts as the following? "Verily, verily, I say unto you, the hour is coming, and now is when the dead shall hear the voice of God: and they that hear shall live."^[C] "I the Lord have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles; to open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house."^[D] Isaiah also, after he had described the judgments that would attend the coming in glory of Jesus Christ, and the punishments that should overtake the ungodly, wrote as follows: "And it shall come to pass in that day that the Lord shall punish the host of the high ones that are on high, and the kings of the earth upon the earth. And they shall be gathered together as prisoners are gathered in the pit, and shall be shut up in the prison, and after many days shall they be visited."^[E]

[Footnote C: John 5: 25.]

[Footnote D: Isaiah 42: 6, 7.]

[Footnote E: Isaiah 24: 21, 22.]

Thus the Gospel has to be preached to the spirit world, and those who then hear it in its purity for the first time, as it was preached in the first days of the church of Christ, will look anxiously to their living descendants to perform for them the outward ordinances of baptism, or the birth of water, without which one of the three earthly witnesses to adoption into God's kingdom (water) will be wanting in their case. For one of the requisite ordinances of the Gospel will not have been complied with by them while on earth, namely, baptism by immersion for the remission of their sins.

That this doctrine of baptism for the dead, which of itself is clear evidence of the loving, merciful, and long suffering character of our Heavenly Father, was forbidden at the Council of Carthage, is scarcely to be wondered at when we study the history of the church and the character of her ministers in the fourth century. For it was a time when the priesthood was steeped in iniquity, and the church dreadfully tainted with Arianism and Pelagianism, while the corrupt doctrines of the Nestorians and Eutychians infected both the priests and the people of the Christian world. Indeed, when we look into the early history of the mother church of Rome from the third century, we can see how, even in those early times, the church had become practically a motley mass of heathens. From A.D. 66 to A.D. 312 the primitive church was repeatedly under general persecutions, which almost destroyed it, and during this time many who had professed Christianity apostatized. At the same time gross errors began to creep into the church, particularly the teachings of the gnostics, who formed abominable tenets by mixing heathen philosophy with the Gospel of Christ. In the fourth century, however, with the accession of Constantine to the imperial throne of Rome in A.D. 323, all persecutions ceased, and peace was assured to the church, and even more than peace, for Constantine favored the Christian cause, and did what he could to suppress the pagan religion. The ministers of the Christian church were honored in every way, and wealth and position conferred upon them, so that it is not a matter of wonder that thousands of converts immediately afterwards joined the church and Christianity soon became the national religion. All this, however, instead of being fortunate for the church was disastrous to the purity of Christ's religion. In the fourth century lordly bishops, archdeacons, canonical singers, etc., were introduced; candles were lighted by day; incense burnt; abstinence from marriage was esteemed a high degree of sanctity; prayers were made to departed saints; pretended relics were held in high estimation; images of Christ and of saints were set up; the clergy commenced to officiate in canonical robes which they held to be sacred; prayers were made for the mitigation of torments to the damned; pilgrimages were started to certain shrines; and a monkish retirement from fellowship with mankind was considered a devotion. By the end of the sixth century the doctrines of the church were deeply infected with Pelagianism (the Pelagians denied the necessity of Christ's righteousness for our justification or of His Spirit's influence to regenerate the heart), and discipline had become corrupt, remiss, and partial, while the principal concern of the leading clergy was who should be the greatest. Then followed the notion of purgatory, and the worship of the Virgin Mary and of the martyrs, while Gregory the Great, bishop of Rome, added new canons of mass, his canticles and antiphons and many new ordinances concerning litanies, processions, lent oblations for the dead, pontifical robes, consecrations, and relics. About the year A. D. 606 or 608, Phocas, a monster of cruelty and treachery, who had murdered his worthy master Mauritius and family, became emperor of the East, and Boniface III, the bishop of Rome, by fulsome flatteries, obtained his imperial appointment to be the universal bishop of the Christian church,^[A] and thus became the so-called vicar of Christ on earth.

[Footnote A: The above has been taken from a short view of the Geography and History of Nations by the Rev. John Brown.]

In the face of this condition of the church, it is not a matter for astonishment that the pure and unadulterated Gospel became lost to the world, and that the manifestations of the Holy Spirit, which the primitive church so freely enjoyed, were no longer to be seen.

Later on, in A. D. 1517, Zuinglius in Switzerland, and Luther in Germany, shocked with the blasphemous manner in which papal pardons of, and indulgences in, sin were exposed for sale, openly declared their detestation of them. The result was the rebellion against the Romish church, commonly known as the Reformation, which brought in its train persecutions, massacres, wars, blasphemies, scandals, and the prohibition of certain books. That the reformers in separating themselves from the Church of Rome did immense good, there can be no question; and this good has been going on ever since in the way of preparing men's hearts to accept the simple truths of the pure Gospel of Jesus Christ. But they could not have brought out of that church what I believe it could not possibly have possessed at the time, having lost it through the infidelity which has been so clearly described by Wesley, and also in the second homily of the Church of England;—namely, divine authority to administer in the holy ordinances, and to confer the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands. For, as I have before said, the Holy Ghost had for some centuries ceased to manifest His presence as in the first days Christ's church, while the Bible very distinctly shows us that where God's Spirit has been given to His church and people, He has invariably manifested Himself in many miraculous ways. Thus it seems to me that these reformers, good men as they were, had not the authority to introduce into the world a gospel that had been practically lost, the only gospel on earth at the time being one in a very mutilated and changed form indeed. The true Gospel, with its organization and all its mighty powers of prophecy, healing, and other miracles, could not be brought again to the earth except by the hand of an angel of God. That this was to be the case we read in the writing of John the Revelator,^[A] where it is distinctly shown that the Gospel once delivered to the saints was to be taken away from the earth. Otherwise there would apparently have been no object in the Gospel being sent again from heaven in the last days, when the hour of His judgment would come, with the object that it might be preached, not to a few people only, but to them that dwell on the earth; to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people. No one is excepted, for in God's plan of life and salvation for mankind all on the earth are to hear and receive or reject this pure Gospel. Direct communication from heaven to earth had ceased for many centuries, resulting in the numerous schisms, the various doctrines, and the many unhappy dissensions and quarrels which have broken up the church and led so greatly to the increase of that atheism and materialism which are now everywhere apparent in the world. The result of the falling away, of which the churches of Christendom have been guilty so long, is appalling, and God's judgments in wars, pestilence, and famines, have been continued, in order to warn and to bring men to repentance and to draw them back to the true faith.

[Footnote A: Rev. 14: 6.]

The remarks of John Wesley will give some idea of the dreadful condition into which the churches of Christendom had fallen. He said that the reason why the extraordinary gifts of the Holy Ghost were no longer to be seen was because the love of many had waxed cold, and Christians had turned heathens again, and had only a dead form left.^[B]

[Footnote B: Wesley's Works, vol. 7, sermon 89, pp. 26, 27.]

Read also what the Church of England herself admits in her homily against perils of idolatry:

"Laity and clergy, learned and unlearned, all ages, sects, and degrees, have been drowned in abominable idolatry most detested by God, and damnable to man, for eight hundred years or more."^[A] Such being the case, how can anyone suppose for a moment that divine authority could possibly have been conferred on the priesthood by the laying on of hands of men who, in this homily, are included among idolaters. On the contrary, it would be more probable that this fallen condition of the church would have closed the heaven to all direct communication with the earth. And this seems to have occurred, for, for centuries past, prophecy has ceased, God no longer calls men directly by His voice as He did Moses, Samuel, and Paul; angels do not now deliver heavenly messages to men, and miracles and signs are no longer made manifest through the power of God as of old. And what is the result? It is, so it seems to me, that, for lack of the spirit of revelation and prophecy, which alone could declare God's will to His church, and which could predict with certainty coming events, and so warn the church of impending dangers and guide her into all truth, the ministers of the churches of Christendom have been thrown back upon their own ingenuity to teach men the fear of the Lord by human precepts. Thus is fulfilled Isaiah's prophecy regarding the latter days of the earth, "Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honor me, but have removed their hearts far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men," etc.^[B] It is evidently altogether due to the precepts of men that there are so many and different doctrines taught, and that so much uncertainty and doubt, coupled with dissensions, disputes, and ill will, are rampant in the churches of Christendom, instead of unity, love, brotherly kindness, sympathy, and peace. The Church of England, too, is divided against herself, and has split up into High, Broad, and Low church, all more or less in discord, and each teaching doctrines with which the rest have no sympathy; some teachers urging the necessity of confession, and of prayer for the dead, while others view all such doctrines as "popish," and as emanating from the evil one; some believe in the doctrine of transubstantiation, while others altogether reject it; and some again consider it necessary to introduce into their worship much pomp and ceremony, with genuflections and incense, while others will permit of only the simplest forms of worship possible, viewing with distaste the gorgeous displays and robes used by the ritualistic members of the church.

[Footnote A: Church of England homily against perils of idolatry.]

[Footnote B: Isaiah 29: 13.]

In the midst of all this confusion one could only ask, Which is right and which is wrong? or are they all wrong together? I looked for the fruits of the spirit in the different parts of the church, but found the laws transgressed and the ordinances changed, and I could see only dissension in place of unity, and disputes instead of peace. Thus it became impossible for me to continue to give my adherence and support to any branch of the church in which I had been brought up. It was difficult to break away from all old associations and from a church in which I had long reposed the fullest faith and confidence, but it was impossible for me to continue one of the members, as soon as it had become quite patent to my mind that she was advocating and teaching a perverted gospel; and when I clearly saw that she was in error in denying the necessity of Apostles and Prophets, and the miraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit, as essential portions and adjuncts of the church of Christ on earth in these days.

While pondering over these matters the meaning of the following prophetic words of Jeremiah became clear to me, words, be it remembered, which the Gentiles were to say in the latter days of the earth, at the time when God had commenced to take in hand His work of gathering together the dispersed children of Israel: "Surely our fathers have inherited lies, vanity, and things wherein there is no profit."^[A] This prophecy is being fulfilled, for thousands of converts have already said these words in their hearts, if not actually with the lips, and I among them, and thousands yet will say them before the end comes. In this connection another scripture has greatly impressed itself upon my mind, namely, the words addressed by St. Paul to the Galatians, when warning them against some who had perverted the Gospel of Christ even in those early days of the church. He said, "But though we or an angel from heaven preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, if any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed."^[B]

[Footnote A: Jer. 16: 19.]

[Footnote B: Gal. 1: 8, 9.]

Thus I lost all confidence in the Church of England, and as I fully realized that I had a soul to be saved, regarding which I was naturally anxious, and as I was at the same time well assured in my mind that there could not possibly be more than one true plan of life and salvation, and that one the pure Gospel as had been taught by Jesus Christ and His Apostles, I turned about to find a church that taught that Gospel, as laid down in its simplicity in the good old book. A church organized as was the primitive church, with Apostles, Prophets, etc., which the inspired writers of old taught as being absolutely necessary, and a church which enjoyed the promised gifts and powers of the Holy Spirit. Such a church I found among the Latter-day Saints, one similar in all ways to the primitive church, with her divine authority, and the marvelous manifestations of the Holy Spirit as promised by Messiah to all true believers, manifestations to which thousands of good, earnest Christian men and women can bear the most direct and truthful testimony.

On studying the history of this church, I was greatly struck with the wonderful faith displayed by the Latter-day Saints, during the dreadful persecutions through which they have had to pass, and the trials, and hopes, and sufferings which they have had to endure; with the beautiful spirit which manifested itself in the martyrs, and with the marvelous manner in which God sustained the Saints in their ejection from the circle of all civilization, and throughout their march of fifteen hundred miles through the wilderness into the wilds of the Rocky Mountains, to a place of which they had absolutely no previous knowledge, but to which He led them in safety. The truth, for which this people suffered, and even accepted martyrdom, now floats over the world, and converts are multiplying rapidly. No one who will read the whole history of the Latter-day Saints with a truly honest and unprejudiced heart, and look upon the blessings of prosperity which they at present enjoy, can for a moment doubt that they are members of a church which is under the direct guidance of God through new revelation. The only religion as taught in the Bible [but which churches that profess to believe in that Bible seem to deny] is the faith of visions, miracles, angels, revelations, and prophets. The ancient saints believed such a religion, as all their teachings very clearly show us, and looked for and expected to enjoy immediate intercourse with God and angels. The Latter-day Saints believe in such a religion too, and are greatly blessed with such intercourse so long as they are faithful and live up to their glorious privileges, and endure as seeing Him who is invisible. Thus they are in direct enjoyment of that pure Gospel which was to be brought down again to earth by the hands of an angel as seen by St. John in his vision in the Isle of Patmos.^[A] This vision had reference to the bringing again to earth of the Gospel long after the days of our Lord, for St. John saw it many years after Christ had died, risen from the grave, and ascended into heaven, that is to say long after Jesus had Himself brought the Gospel to the earth; and this restoration of the true Gospel to every nation and kindred and tongue and people would not have been necessary if the Gospel in its perfection had not been lost. St. John also clearly tells us that this restoration was to be in the last days of this world, for he writes that the angel, in bringing down this Gospel, would point out that the hour of God's judgment had come, and he adds that another angel would immediately follow saying, "Babylon is fallen."^[B] Thus he refers clearly to the last days of this probationary time on earth, and there are many things which indicate to believers that we are living in these latter days, when the hour of God's judgment has come, and when we may expect soon to see Christ making His promised appearance in glory. We ought not therefore to be astonished to find that God, in His mercy and goodness towards the children of men, has at last sent that very Gospel to the earth as He had revealed His purpose to St. John the Revelator.

[Footnote A: Rev. 14: 6.]

[Footnote B: Rev. 14: 7, 8.]

This Gospel would naturally have to be committed to some chosen human being, for it is always through some selected one of His creatures that God has sent to the people of the earth His warnings, reproofs, instructions, threatenings for evil, and promises for righteousness, and why should He not have chosen young Joseph Smith to receive the restored Gospel as well as any other individual? He at least is the only one who claims to have received it as it was to come from the hands of an angel, and I am quite sure that any one who will read with a fair and unprejudiced mind the teachings of Joseph Smith cannot but conclude that he must have been inspired. Especially will this appear when they consider the fact that all the great and marvelous work which he performed before his martyrdom was accomplished while he was still a young man, and that he, like the Apostles of old, had never enjoyed the privileges of education or experience. I think, too, that those who will, with honest hearts, ponder over the present dark condition of the world, where anarchism, materialism, and atheism are spreading themselves as a pall over the earth, and hiding the light as a cloud hides the sun, will admit that it is quite time that the pure Gospel of Jesus Christ should again be restored to the earth, especially when they compare the true doctrines and ordinances of that Gospel with the varied and contradictory doctrines and ordinances of the numerous churches and sects of Christendom, so patent in the present day. The history and the teachings of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ought to forcibly impress any and all earnest inquiring souls, who study them without bias, and I would strongly recommend to the attention of such persons a book called "A New Witness for God," by Elder B. H. Roberts.^[A] There are other publications of the Latter-day Saints, too, which explain their teachings much more fully and lucidly than I have been able to do in this short exposition of my reasons for leaving the Church of England and joining their church. I shall be glad to lend these books to or to procure new ones for, those of my relatives or friends who may desire, in their anxiety for their souls welfare, to investigate the doctrines further. I can only say that there is that now within me which enables me to add that I know that the establishment of this church is of divine origin, and that it will extend its borders and stand forever.

[Footnote A: "A new Witness for God," by Elder B. H. Roberts.]

Before concluding, I would wish to add a few lines pointing out the manner in which the pure Gospel has been brought again to the earth, and to refer to a few texts in scripture which appear to me to bear directly on the establishment of this great work that has been accomplished On the earth in these latter days. I do not purpose lengthening out my remarks by giving a history of the youth of Joseph Smith and the revelations enjoyed by him, inasmuch as there are several books and pamphlets which deal fully with these matters. I will content myself with saying that an angel of God, Moroni by name, appeared to Joseph Smith and showed him a place up in a hill called "Cumorah," in which he would discover certain plates of gold with inscriptions upon them. Joseph Smith went to the hill and found these plates, but did not remove them, as the angel Moroni again appeared and told him that it was not yet time to do so; but on the 22nd of September, 1827, the angel again met Joseph Smith at the hill of Cumorah, and delivered into his hands all the plates, and a curious instrument called the Urim and Thummim,^[A] which was also found in the stone box together with the plates. Joseph Smith subsequently translated through this instrument such portions of the plates as were not sealed, and this translation is now known as the Book of Mormon. This book contains the history of a colony of Israelites of the tribe of Joseph (Ephraim), who left Jerusalem 600 years B.C., and came to America, and who afterwards multiplied very rapidly, and grew into two great nations called the Nephites and the Lamanites. The latter, after many years of warfare, eventually exterminated the former, owing to the fact that the Nephites had departed from the commandments of God, but the Lamanites had themselves become, even before they had destroyed the Nephites, a dark and benighted people under a curse from God on account of their gross iniquities and infidelity.^[B] This destruction of the Nephites took place about 400 years after Christ, so that the Book of Mormon gives the history of the tribe of Joseph (Ephraim) for just 1,000 years, written from time to time by their prophets and seers. It also contains the Gospel of Jesus Christ in all its simplicity and purity, and makes plain some portions of the Bible which, owing to the originals having been lost, and to the numerous translations made from time to time, are now interpreted in different ways by the different denominations in Christendom. Thus it is that the Gospel, as it was in the days of Jesus Christ and His Apostles, and before its doctrines had been tampered with by man, has again been brought to the inhabitants of the earth, as shown in the vision of John the Revelator.^[C] The scriptures, too, speak of a sealed book ^[D] which would be delivered to one "that is not learned," and of a nation which should speak out of the ground with a voice as of one that had a familiar spirit.^[E] We who have read the Old and New Testaments seem to be quite familiar with the teachings contained in the Book of Mormon, and the voice speaks to us as one that hath a familiar spirit. Daniel clearly pointed to the setting up of God's Kingdom in the last days, when he made known and interpreted the dream of King Nebuchadnezzar regarding the image which the king had seen in his sleep. For he explained that a stone, cut out of the mountain without hands, would destroy the iron and clay feet of the said image,^[F] and he further interpreted this stone as being a kingdom, which God would set up on the earth in the days of the ten kings, which kingdom should never be destroyed, but which should break and consume all the other kingdoms, and would itself stand forever.^[G] This kingdom God has now set up upon the earth, for these are the days of the kings referred to, and it will and must grow, and do what God said it would do, for Daniel was inspired when he interpreted the dream, and so he was able to add, "The dream is certain and the interpretation thereof sure."^[H]

[Footnote A: This instrument consists of two transparent stones, clear as crystal, set in the two rims of a bow, and was always used in ancient times by persons called seers, and through it, they received revelations of things past and to come. See also Glossary of Antiquities, etc., at pp. 386 and 387 of Helps to the Study of the Bible.—Oxford press.]

[Footnote B: These Lamanites are the American Indians, and belong to the tribe of Ephraim, and are therefore Israelites.]

[Footnote C: Rev. 14: 6.]

[Footnote D: Isaiah 29:11.]

[Footnote E: Isaiah 29: 4.]

[Footnote F: Daniel 2: 34, 35, 45.]

[Footnote G: Daniel certainly speaks of the latter days, for the ten kings he alludes to represent the ten toes of the image which were to come after the falling to pieces of the fourth kingdom, or Roman Empire. Christ was on the earth during the time of the kings mentioned by Daniel as representing the ten toes of the image, so this kingdom, which God was to set up, and which was to grow and stand for ever, was a kingdom subsequent to the days of Christ upon earth—Read carefully Daniel 2: 31 to 45.]

[Footnote H: Daniel 2: end of verse 45.]

God moves, we are told, in a mysterious way, His wonders to perform, and so when He brings to pass His strange act,^[C] all are solemnly warned not to make a mock of His wonderful work "lest your bands be made strong,"^[D] (band means affliction and troubles, a metaphor taken from the fetters or bands put upon prisoners). We should always remember that God's course is usually very different from that which the wisdom of the world would mark out for Him, and that He, by His acts, destroys the wisdom of the wise, and brings to nothing the understanding of the prudent.^[E] So we should be very careful indeed before we reject that which we do not understand, or which does not exactly fit in with our views of what things ought to be. The voice of the ancient prophets and seers of the tribe of Ephraim (the Lamanites or American Indians) has now at last spoken out of the dust,^[F] in the discovery of their writings on the plates of gold, which had been buried in the hill Cumorah, and they testify to Christ and His pure Gospel plan of life and salvation. They also inform us that Christ visited the Nephites after His resurrection in Jerusalem and His ascension into heaven, and thus were fulfilled His words to the Jews that He had other sheep which were not of that fold with which He then was, and that they also were to hear His voice.^[G] Some of the prophets of the Bible speak of Ephraim also, and I think that their words have been fulfilled in the discovery of the Book of Mormon as written on the plates of gold. For instance the prophet Hosea, speaking under divine inspiration, says, "I have written to him the great things of my law, but they were counted as a strange thing."^[H] Here is a clear statement that God's laws were given in writing to the tribe of Ephraim, and that they would be considered a strange thing. There is also a prophecy of Ezekiel, referring clearly to the latter days, when the time of the gathering together of Israel was to arrive, and when they were soon to become one nation again under one king. He speaks therein of the stick of Judah (the Bible) and the stick of Ephraim (Book of Mormon), being joined together and made one stick.^[A] It should be understood that ancient writings used to be rolled on sticks, and that they are consequently frequently termed sticks in the Bible. It was when this Book of Mormon (so called because the last of the ancient prophets of the Nephites named Mormon compiled it, 400 years after Christ, from the writings of the former prophets and leaders of the people), was to be discovered engraved on plates, and was to be translated; that it and the Bible were to become one in their testimony. And it seems evident to me that some passages in the Bible, not very easy to understand, are now made plain by the Book of Mormon. Thus truth has sprung out of the earth, and righteousness has looked down from heaven.^[B]

[Footnote C: Isaiah 28: 21.]

[Footnote D: Isaiah 28: 22.]

[Footnote E: I Cor. 1: 19.]

[Footnote F: Isaiah 29: 4.]

[Footnote G: John 10: 16.]

[Footnote H: Hosea 8: 12.]

[Footnote A: Ezek. 37: 15 to 28.]

[Footnote B: Psalm 85: 11.]

If more evidence is necessary to show that the Book of Mormon is of divine origin, one has only to read its account of the destruction and burial of old cities, and to compare these with the great discoveries made on the continent of America by travelers and antiquarians, that have excited the curiosity and wonder of the world.^[C] These discoveries, I need scarcely add, were made long after the Book of Mormon had been translated and published to the world, and relate to the destroyed cities spoken of therein. There can, I consider, be no doubt whatever that the Book of Mormon is equally as much of divine origin as is the Bible, and I believe that all unprejudiced minds, after a careful study of it, will readily arrive at the same conclusion. Does any one suppose for a moment that an individual, not divinely inspired, could possibly sit down and write the Old and New Testaments exactly as they are, in full harmony with each other and dealing so minutely, as they do, with all matters necessary for the salvation, justification, and sanctification of mankind? Neither is it possible for an uninspired person, however good, earnest, and God-fearing such person may be, to write such a book as the Book of Mormon. I bear this testimony that that book came from God (just as I know that the Bible did), and that, in this last dispensation of time, He has committed to the Prophet Joseph Smith the pure Gospel, as it once had been delivered to the saints in the primitive church, and that Christ's kingdom, the same kingdom as that of which Daniel wrote,^[A] has been set up upon the earth for the last time.

[Footnote C: Spencer's Letters, Letter 7: p. 81.]

[Footnote A: Daniel 2: 44.]

I think I have now sufficiently explained my reasons for leaving the Church of England and joining what I know to be the only true church of Christ on earth. I willingly admit that in the Church of England, and also in the other churches and sects of Christendom, there are thousands of good, earnest souls seeking after God, and living up to what they believe to be the truth, and God is always faithful to remember all such, and to lift them up. Indeed Christ will, I believe, eventually redeem mankind (except the few sons of perdition who commit the unpardonable sin), but I would add that there is but one plan of life and salvation that will exalt us into the highest or celestial kingdom of the Father, and that plan includes true faith and repentance, followed (as taught by Christ and His Apostles) by baptism by immersion for the remission of sins, and by the laying on of hands of those in authority from God, for the reception of the Holy Ghost. I need scarcely add that we have after this to "work out our own salvation with fear and trembling," as St. Paul wisely warns us,^[B] and also to "purify ourselves even as God is pure,"^[C] and further to remember Christ's own words, "But he that endureth to the end shall be saved."^[D]

[Footnote B: Philippians 2: 12.]

[Footnote C: I John 3: 3.]

[Footnote D: Matt. 10: 22.]

The Bible teaches us that there are different degrees of glory hereafter, and also different resurrections (see notes below)^[E] and we should therefore all strive to be among those who will take part in the first resurrection, and be exalted into the highest or the celestial glory, which is much greater than the terrestrial one, as much so as the terrestrial glory is greater than the telestial. God's plan is plain, and is recorded in the Bible, so that all can run and read, therefore there cannot possibly be any excuse for those who have the opportunity placed before them of enquiring into and studying the Gospel for themselves, if they fail so to do.

[Footnote E: John 14: 2. I Cor. 15: 22, 23; I Cor. 15: 40 to 44; II Cor. 12: 2; I Thess. 4: 16, 17; Rev. 20: 5, 6.]

I have written this article, if I may so term these explanatory remarks, for the information of my family, and of those who may in any way be interested in me, because I have been asked many questions on the teachings of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and some have doubtless wondered what there was in that church which could have influenced me to desert the Church of England and throw in my lot with the Saints. To all such I would reply in all humility, that the teachings of the Latter-day Saints, and their ordinances, are in all respects thoroughly scriptural, and strictly in accordance with those of the primitive church established by Jesus Christ Himself, while the Church of England does not appear to me to be correct or scriptural in many of her teachings and ordinances. I have taken the Bible, and the Bible alone, as my guide, and I most assuredly would not have become a Latter-day Saint had I not found the doctrines and practices of this people to accord with those of the New Testament, or had I found the church to be wanting in any of these principles which the Bible tells us are absolutely necessary to make up the true Church of Jesus Christ on earth. What some of these essentials are I have already endeavored to show, to the best of my ability, in these pages, and I am convinced that without them there can be no true Church of Christ anywhere, otherwise I altogether fail to see the use of our taking the word of God, as the Bible admittedly is, as a guide to the truth. If we admit that God's word is inspired, then it is not within the authority of any mortal man to alter any part of it, or to spiritualize or explain away any of the many plain commandments that are in the book. There is but one Gospel for our salvation, with its ordinances, its commandments, and its marvelous and powerful gifts, very clearly laid down in the Bible, and no church, which does not practice and teach the same plan of life and salvation, can possibly be right. Indeed, we know that in the very early days of the Christian church, when false teachers had commenced to pervert the true Gospel, and to teach a gospel which contained some errors, St. Paul denounced them in his letter to the Galatian Christians in the strongest terms of condemnation, saying: "But though we or an angel from heaven preach any other Gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed."^[A] This ought to be to us a very great warning, coming as it does from the pen of an inspired writer and apostle, and we would do well, believe me, to take it to heart and consider it.

[Footnote A: Galatians 1: 8.]

In conclusion I would advise those who may read these pages to think well over their contents, and to ask God to show them how far there is His truth in the doctrines and ordinances of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, doctrines and ordinances which I have tried to show are in strict accordance with the Gospel of Jesus Christ Himself. The Apostle James tells us that God will always give wisdom to all that ask Him for it in true and in faithful prayer, for he writes as follows: "If any of you lack wisdom, let Him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him; but let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like the wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive anything of the Lord."^[A] This scripture shows us that we should pray in the fullest confidence that God is only waiting to be gracious to us, and that He does not make a promise that He cannot or will not perform, but His ears will ever be open to true and faithful prayer; and we know that He is always more ready to hear than we are to pray, and to give us more than we are at any time deserving of.

[Footnote A: James 1: 5, 6, 7.]

"I will give unto you one of the keys of the mysteries of the Kingdom. It is an eternal principle that has existed with God from all eternity: That man who rises up to condemn others, finding fault with the Church, saying that they are out of the way while he himself is righteous, then know assuredly that that man is in the high road to apostasy; and if he does not repent will apostatize as God lives."

—Joseph Smith.

THE EARLY CHRISTIANS

LETTER WRITTEN TO THE EMPEROR TRAJAN BY PLINY THE YOUNGER WHILE HE WAS GOVERNOR OF BITHYNIA. It IS THE FIRST CONNECTED ACCOUNT OF CHRIST'S FOLLOWERS THAT HAS COME TO US FROM A PAGAN SOURCE.

(From December, 1907, Scrap Book.)

Pliny the Younger was a typically cultivated Roman of the first and second centuries, Anno Domini. Overeducated, self-conscious, and very firmly convinced of his own importance, he was none the less an amiable and well-meaning man. Whenever he wrote a letter, he wrote it with the intention of publishing it at some future time; so that the collection which we now have of his epistles is an amusing example of literary pose. Nevertheless, the letters are full of interesting sidelights upon the times in which Pliny lived. As a boy, he witnessed from a distance the destruction of Pompeii, in which his uncle perished. He beheld the awful excesses of some of the Roman emperors. He observed much of human life, and he tells many an interesting tale, ranging from ghost-stories to narratives of historical value.

The Emperor Trajan gave Pliny an official appointment as governor of the province of Bithynia. In that office Pliny first heard of the new sect called Christians. He was told that the Christians in reality formed a political organization, masking treason to the emperor under the guise of religion. This was, in fact, the prevalent belief in official circles; and the meetings of the Christians were viewed very much as a Russian bureaucrat views any private gathering of men and women for an unknown purpose. Having made an investigation, however, Pliny discovered nothing to justify this feeling; and he wrote a letter to the emperor asking how the Christians should be treated. This letter, which is given here, is interesting because it is the first connected account of the Christians which we now possess from a pagan source.

It is my habit, your majesty, to refer to you all matters concerning which I am in doubt. For who can better direct my hesitation or inform my ignorance? I have never been present at any trials of Christians; therefore I do not know in what way and to what extent it is customary to question or punish them. And I have felt no little hesitation as to whether some allowance should be made for age or whether the weak and delicate should be treated exactly like the more robust, whether pardon should follow retraction, or whether the renunciation of Christianity should be of no avail to him who has once professed it; and whether the name of Christian itself, without any violation of the law, should be punished or whether violation of the law is considered as inhering in the name. Meanwhile, in the case of those who have been accused to me as Christians, I have pursued the following plan. I have asked them personally whether they were Christians. If they confessed it, I asked them a second and a third time, with the threat of punishment. If they still persisted, I ordered them to suffer the penalty, since I am very sure that whatever it was that they were confessing, stubbornness and unyielding obstinacy ought to be punished. There were some afflicted by this madness who, because they were Roman citizens, I remanded to Rome.

Presently, under this treatment, as is generally the case, the charge began to spread and they were led into more overt acts. Anonymous accusations containing many names were sent me. As for those who denied that they either were or had been Christians, when at my instigation they called upon the names of the gods and offered wine and frankincense to your statue (which, anticipating this emergency, I had caused to be set up with the images of the deities), and in addition to that had abjured Christ—none of which things, they say, those who are really Christians can be made to do—I thought that they ought to be let off.

Some, whose names had been given to me by informers, said that they were Christians and then denied it; that they had once been, but had ceased to be. Certain of them said that they had ceased to be Christians three years before, others more than that, a few even as long as twenty years ago. All these, too, worshiped both your statue and the images of the gods, and abjured Christ.

They declared moreover that this was the sum of their fault or error; that they had been accustomed to meet on a stated day before dawn, and to sing responsively a hymn to Christ as to a god, and to bind themselves by a solemn sacrament—not to any crime, but that they should commit no theft, nor adultery, that they should not bear false witness or refuse to give up a trust when it was demanded. When this ceremony was over they said that it had been their custom to depart and to assemble again for the breaking of bread, a common and harmless practice among them.

They further said they had ceased to do even this after my edict, by which, following your commands, I had forbidden all formal assemblies. Wherefore I considered it the more necessary to try to get at the truth by torture from two women who were called deaconesses. I found nothing further than a perverse, widespread superstition.

Having postponed action, I hastened to seek counsel from you, for it seemed to me that the matter was worthy of consideration, especially on account of the number of persons involved. For many of all ages, of all ranks, and of both sexes even, are under suspicion and will hereafter be under suspicion. The contagion of this superstition has spread, not only in cities but to villages even and farms, though I think that it can be checked and prevented. At any rate, it is pretty evident that the temples of the gods, which were deserted up to a short time ago, have begun to be thronged, the customary sacrifices, long interrupted, to be renewed, and also the pasturing of victims for these sacrifices which had been almost discontinued. From all of which it is my opinion that this body of men can be made to see the error of their ways, if only a chance is given them.

"The Lord has sent angels to men at different times since the creation of the world, but always with a message, or with something to perform that could not be performed without."

—Wilford Woodruff.

"Earthly riches are only little things, in comparison to the great principles of eternal lives and exaltation in the Kingdom of God; these are the riches of eternity."

—John Taylor.

REORGANIZATION WEIGHED.

PRESIDENCY PERMANENCY.

"If any man thinks he has influence among this people to lead away a party, let him try it, and he will find out that there is power with the Apostles which will carry them off victorious through all the world and build up and defend the church and the Kingdom of God."

There is in existence, with headquarters at Lamoni, Iowa, an organization known as "The Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints." Joseph Smith, the eldest son of the Prophet Joseph Smith, is the president of this organization (1909). One of the main reasons for its existence lies in the belief of its adherents; that "young Joseph" should have succeeded to the presidency of the church. They claim:

I.—That it is his right by appointment of his father.

II.—That it is his by lineage; that is, that the office of president of the church should descend from father to son.

III.—That he was properly ordained by those holding the authority.

In this little tract we can but briefly state the facts in the premises, that the reader may draw a reasonable and intelligent conclusion. We do not hope to silence those who have schooled themselves "even though vanquished, to argue still," but for the general information of the honest in heart.

I. APPOINTMENTS.

LOCAL REVELATIONS FOR SPECIAL NEEDS.

It is claimed that according to the revelations, the prophet Joseph was to choose his successor. First let us examine the ground upon which this claim is made. A number of revelations concerning the perpetuation of the prophetic office were received in the early history of the church. The first one was to Oliver Cowdery, September, 1830 (Doc.& Cov., D&C 28:2-7; Reorganized edition, sec. 27:2.) The second came in December, 1830 (Doc. & Cov., sec. 35:17-19, Reorganized Edition, sec. 34:4.) The third in February, 1831 (Doc. & Cov., sec. 43:1-4; Reorganized Edition, sec. 43:1-2.) The conditions which brought forth the above revelations were as follows:

While the prophet was in Fayette, N.Y., with the Whitmer family, he discovered "that Satan had been lying in wait to deceive and seeking whom he might devour." Brother Hiram Page had in his possession a certain stone, by which he claimed to have obtained certain "revelations" concerning the upbuilding of Zion, the order of the Church, etc., all of which were entirely at variance with the plan of our Father in Heaven. Many believed in these spurious revelations, especially the Whitmer family and Oliver Cowdery. Under these circumstances the Prophet received the following revelation to Oliver Cowdery:

"And if thou art led at any time by the Comforter to speak or teach, or at all times by the way of commandment unto the church, thou mayest do it. But thou shalt not write by way of commandment, but by wisdom; and thou shalt not command him who is at thy head and at the head of the church, for I have given him the keys of the mysteries, and the revelations which are sealed, until I shall appoint unto them another in his stead."

Again in December, 1830, Sidney Rigdon came to visit the Prophet at Fayette, N.Y., to inquire of the Lord concerning his duties, and possibly for instruction and encouragement from the Prophet. Shortly after his arrival the following revelation was received:

"And I have sent forth the fullness of my Gospel by the hand of my servant Joseph; and in weakness have I blessed him, and I have given unto him the keys of the mystery of those things which have been sealed, even things which were from the foundation of the world and the things which shall come forth from this time unto the time of my coming, IF HE ABIDE IN ME, AND IF NOT, ANOTHER WILL I PLANT IN HIS STEAD. Wherefore, watch over him that his faith fail not, and it shall be given by the Comforter, the Holy Ghost, that knoweth all things."

Also, in February, 1831, a woman by the name of Hubble made great pretensions of receiving revelations. She professed to be a prophetess of the Lord and claimed that she should become a teacher in the church. She deceived some who were not able to detect her in her hypocrisy. That the saints might not be deceived, the Lord gave the following revelation:

"O harken, ye elders of my church, and give an ear to the word which I shall speak unto you; for behold, verily, verily, I say unto you, that ye have received a commandment for a law, unto my church, through him whom I have appointed unto you, to receive commandments and revelations from my hand. And this ye shall know assuredly that there is none other appointed unto you to receive commandments and revelations until he be taken, if he abide in me. But verily, verily, I say unto you, that none else shall be appointed unto this gift except it be through him, FOR IF IT BE TAKEN FROM HIM, he shall not have power except to appoint another in his stead; and this shall be a law unto you, that ye receive not the teachings of any that shall come before you as revelations or commandments; and this I give unto you that you may not be deceived, that you may know they are not of me."

From a careful reading of these revelations and in the light of the circumstances arising, we draw self-evident conclusions as follows:

lst.—Some of the saints were being deceived by spurious revelations.

2nd.—It was necessary that the saints know that the Prophetic office and the keys of the priesthood could be held and perpetuated only through him who had received that power.

3rd.—That in case of transgression or unfaithfulness he would retain the power to appoint his successor.

Thus the wisdom of the Lord in providing against the weakness of men.

All of these revelations were given before the quorums of the priesthood were organized and before the Prophet had proven himself faithful or in the days of his "preparation and qualification." During all the trying scenes of life the Prophet did not transgress, but proved his worthiness before God; therefore, there was no necessity for him to confer upon his successor the Keys and Authority of his office on account of any transgression during this early period before the various quorums of the Priesthood were organized as we have them today. Our Reorganization friends admit this to be the fact. We read in the Saints Herald of August 18, 1888 (this being the official organ of the Reorganized Church), the following:

"Joseph Smith was taken away, dying a martyr, of which death he was conscious, and made preparations before it occurred. HE WAS NOT ACCUSED BY THE LORD OF TRANSGRESSIONS, AND THE GIFT THAT HAD BEEN CONFERRED UPON HIM TAKEN FROM HIM; NOR WAS THERE A COMMAND GIVEN HIM TO APPOINT ANOTHER IN HIS STEAD, BECAUSE HE HAD BEEN UNWORTHY, AND THE LORD PROPOSED TO DEPOSE HIM FROM HIS OFFICE. IT WAS ONLY IN THE EVENT OF THE GIFT BEING TAKEN FROM HIM, THAT HE WAS TO SO APPOINT ANOTHER. THIS EVENT DID NOT OCCUR." (Volume 35, No. 33.)