Now, to what man might we expect an angel would bring such a message of vast importance? A great and wise man, or obscure and ignorant, or an old or young man? If we look at the past, we shall find that John was a boisterous fellow, from the wilderness, that had no fellowship for any existing religion whatever. He struck the axe deep at the root of every religious organization, notwithstanding there were, probably, some good men in every sect, but they were in error. This man, sir, was first and chief pioneer to the Lord of life.
And who comes next to receive a message for all nations, and hold the keys of revelation for all nations? Now, reverend sir, fix the eye of your mind steadily upon him. And who is he? An honest, hardy, illiterate, bold, rough fisherman, that perhaps never saw the inside of a gentleman's drawing-room. Here, sir, is the wisdom of God and confusion for man. But to return. Who is the man, to whom the angel shall give the gospel message of all nations, in the last days, according to the vision of John, the revelator? Let God, the Holy One of all the earth, speak in this matter, and let all the ends of the earth believe HIS holy word.
The Lord God of all flesh, sir, by the mouth of his servant Zechariah, tells us precisely what kind of man this angel would speak to, and give the gospel, in the last dispensation. Speaking of the two great events (the building of Zion and Jerusalem, in the last days), Zechariah, with his ear open to the revelation of the same great event as John's was, says he heard the mandate of the Almighty to the angel, saying, "Go and speak to that young man."
Here we have it, sir, in the language and testimony of God himself, by the mouths of his two servants, John, the revelator, and Zechariah. John saw, after much inquiry before God about the restoration of the gospel to the earth, in clear vision, the angel in his downward flight through the heavens to earth, and also heard him proclaim his errand, and the message of joy and wo to the nations of the last days. The other servant of God, Zechariah, like John, equally intent to know whether the true gospel ever would triumph in all the earth, and wickedness come to an end, had the happiness to see the angel, at the end of his downward flight, place his feet upon the earth, and witness the finger of God raised, and pointing the angel to a young man, saying, "Go speak to that young man."
Now, sir, that you may be convinced beyond controversy, I will beg your attention to the marvellous coincidence between the matter of fact, as related by a guileless young man, and the declaration of John and Zechariah; but first, you must readily admit, that according to the testimony of two prophets of God, an angel must come down through the midst of heaven to earth, in some period of the last days, subsequent to the lifetime of John, with such a gospel as was not on the earth; and that angel must communicate his gospel message to some certain young man which the finger of God should point out to the angel.
Now, was the young man Joseph the man, or look we for another? His testimony concerning the angel that he saw, and the message that he received, if you will read it, coincides perfectly with what the two prophets had long since declared should take place. He was, indeed, an illiterate and obscure youth of seventeen, of humble parentage, from the mountains of Vermont; but was he any less fit to receive such a message than any other youth, because he was illiterate or poor, or obscure, or rough and vulgar? This simple country youth told a tale of what he had seen and heard, in the face of all the broad blazing science and christianity of the nineteenth century; but was he any less likely to be the youth that the prophets saw and spoke of on that account? Was it a marvellous tale that he told? so likewise was the tale that the Virgin Mary told about her offspring as begotten of God the Father. Did the message that Joseph received, lead him to disfellowship all the religious systems of the day, as incompatible with the primitive pattern? so did Jesus, with the religions of his day. But lest some lingering doubt should remain upon your mind, whether the young man Joseph was the identical youth spoken of by the prophets just named, you shall have other proofs until reason is satisfied.
The prophet Daniel being greatly beloved of God, and of great faith, saw this scene of the visitation of the angel to the young man, and the laying of the corner-stone of a millennial kingdom, and the time of its organization, and calculated the same, to a day, as will be developed in due time. Job wished that his words, or revelations and history, were written with a pen of iron (the engraver's tool) and laid in a rock. Now many of the prophets that lived and suffered on the American continent, and settled that continent about the time of the destruction of Jerusalem under Zedekiah, also wished their words written and laid in rock or stone. By great faith they obtained permission to have their records and prophecies laid up in stone, being neatly engraved with a pen of iron, on plates of the most enduring metal. Daniel saw this stone that contained the records, and spoke of it. Now this stone, containing the words of these prophets of that "other fold" spoken of by Christ, had been buried about fourteen hundred years previous to its discovery, probably to a considerable depth in the earth, in what was then called the mountain of Cumorah. Daniel's language is very remarkable in regard to the manner in which this stone, with its contents, and connexion with the angelic message, should come forth "out of the mountain without hands." The stone probably, in consequence of the wear of the elements upon the earth under the guidance of God, was gradually resurrected from the depths of its burial, until it was literally out of the mountain, and visible without the aid of hands.
Oh! how marvellous, literal, and exact the fulfilment of Daniel's prophecy! THE MOUNTAIN! THE VISIBILITY OF THE LONG BURIED STONE WITHOUT HANDS! The contents of this stone, long harped upon by commentators, joined with the whole of the angelic message foreseen by John and Zechariah, were to lay the foundation of a kingdom that should extend over the whole earth, and break in pieces all others, and never be thrown down. Daniel not only saw the stone, and mountain, and young man, and the whole beginning of this latter-day work, and calculated the precise year and day of the month when the kingdom (not the coming of Christ) should be set up; but he describes the small and weak governments into which the four great universal governments should be divided and subdivided. The governments that should exist on the earth when this stone should be brought to light, would be, in comparison with the four universal and potent governments of previous ages, as the numerously divided toes of a man's feet in magnitude to his body.
When Jesus Christ came to organize the kingdom, the Romish government was universal, and all the world were required to be taxed for its support; consequently Daniel did not speak of his organization, which all the apostles saw and declared would be overcome. But he saw that the kingdom which Christ would never take from the earth would be set up, when the image of great kingdoms would be reduced to the simile of mere toes, or petty kingdoms, just such as exist all over the earth now—weak and small, and huddled together as thick as some of the supernumerary toes of the feet of some ancient prodigies.
The kingdoms of this world, just precisely like the religions of this world, are small, very numerous and contentious—all the present governments of the earth being based on mixed, heterogenous, and discordant principles, will readily crumble, like dry clay, before the march of truth, until the dust thereof is carried away, and these kingdoms and diversified religions are known only in the past. You, sir, know very well whether the signs of the times fully indicate the tottering state, and general disruption of all the governments of the earth. But before I close this part of my subject, I will still multiply the testimony of the prophets even further upon it.