THE
I

THEIR

R E L I G I O N , H I S T O R Y , COND I T I O N AND D E S T I N Y
A good tree cannot bring- forth evil fruit, neither
can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.—Matt.
vii, 18.

SALT LAKE CITY :
Bureau of Information and Church L i t e r a t u r e .
1902.

L

Dear

Reader:
We

respectfully

thoughtful

request

considération of the

your
following

pages,
The history
Church of Jésus
Saints

are briefly

and further
tainedfrom

and doctrines
Christ

of

referred

information

of the

Latter-day
to
can

herein,
be ob-

the
BUREAU OF INFORMATION
AND CHURCH LITERATURE
S ALT LAKE CITY, UTAH

Office, 214 Templeton

Building

THE

CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST
OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS.
Its Religion, History, Condition
and Destiny,

JAMES H. ANDERSON
OF SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH.

A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can
a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.—Matt. vii, 18.

SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH.

Bureau of Information and Church Liturature,
1902.

INDEX.
Introductory
Articles of Faith
The Godhead
Men Judged by their Works
The Atonement
The Gospel Ordinances—Faith
Repentance
Baptism
Baptism for the Dead
The Holy Ghosfc
Divine Authority
Officers
Spiritual Gifts
The Apostasy
The Book of Mormon
Révélation
Restoration of the Gospel
Other Doctrines
A Glance at History
Présent Condition
Future Destiny
The Gospel Message

,.

...

3
5
8
11
13
16
18
19
23
27
29
31
33
35
38
46
48
50
52
59
60
62

THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF
LATTER-DAY SAINTS.

(~\F THE religious dénominations now in
^ - ^ existence among men, none hâve attracted such attention from the others as thé
organization known as THE CHURCH OF JÉSUS
CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS, the members

of which are popularly, though erroneously,
called " Mormons," because of their beîief in
the divine authenticity of the Book of Mor
mon, a record of the ancient inhabitants of
America. In every nation where the famé of
this Church has spread, and where its Elders
hâve appeared to teach their faith, one feature
which stands pre-eminent is the bittetness
with which they are opposed, without even
the opportunity of being heard, principally
by professed believers in Christianity.
Some there are who are practical in their
adhérence to the doctrine of religious toleration, and whose expansive minds lead thein

4

THE LATTER-DAY SAINTS.

to refrain from passing judgment till they
hear the case fairly stated. They hesitate
to follow popular clamor, preferring to ascertain the truth for themselves, rather than
give assent to the voice of préjudice and
bigotry which demanded the life of Jésus of
Nazareth because He claimed to be the Son
of God. But thèse are the exception ; the
rule has been to accept without question assertions made against the Latter-day Saints,
and to décline to listen to anything in the
way of déniai or justification. With this
prominent fact before us, it is beyond dispute
that to this organization above ail others in
this génération must be applied the saying,
"For as eoncerning this sect, we know that
everywhere it is spoken against."
Doubtless much of this antagonism is due
to ignorance of the true belief, aims and condition o*J ^è Latter-day Saints. Certainly it
is large]y because of gross misrepresentations
by those who hâve constituted themselves
their enemies. The reason for assuming this
position can be left for explauabion to those
who occupy it. The purpose of the présent
occasion is not to consider that branch of the
subject, but rather to présent the doctrines
believed in by he Latter-day Saints, and the
reason for that belief. The limited time at our

THE LATTER-DAY SAINTS.

•

disposal will admit of only a brief exposition
of those doctrines ; ail who are desirous of
more élabora te explanation may obtain it f rom
the published works of the Church, and from
its Elders, who will be pleased to présent to
investigators the Gospel message which they
are proclaiming to the world. Thé présent
opportunity is sufficient for but an abridged
statement, in plain and simple language,
of the religious System under considération.
This Church présents no formula of religious dogmas. Its creed is : The direct révélation of God to His children. As He is
without variableness, and is no respecter of
persons, so His laws are unchangeable ; and
whatsoever He gives by the voice of révélation is a law unto the Saints. The organization of this Church was effected at Fayette,
New York, on Sunday, the sixth day of
April, 1830. Shortly after this event, its presiding Apostle and Prophet, Joseph Smith,
was asked for a concise statement of what he
and his people believed, and in reply he wrote
the following :
ARTICLES OF FAITH OF THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST
OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS.

L We belieye in God, the Eternal Father, and in
His Son, Jésus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost

6

T H E LATTER-DAY

SAINTS.

2. We believe t h a t men will be punished for their
own sins and not for Adam's transgression.
3. We believe t h a t through the atonement of Christ,
ail mankind may be saved, by obédience to the laws
and ordinances of the Gospel.
4. We believe t h a t the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are : First, F a i t h in the Lord
Jésus Christ ; second, Repentance ; third, Baptism by
immersion for the rémission of sins ; fourth, Laying
on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost.
5. We believe t h a t a man must be called of God by
"prophecy, and by the laying on of h a n d s , " by those
who are in authority, to preach the Gospel and administer in the ordinances thereof.
6. We believe in the same organization t h a t existed
in t h e primitive Church, viz : Apostles, Prophets, Pastors, Teachers, Evangelists, etc.
7. We believe in the gift of tongues, prophecy,
révélations, visions, healing, interprétation of tongues,
etc.
8. We believe the Bible to be the word of God, as
far as it is translated correctly ; we also believe t h e
Book of Mormon to be the word of God.
9. We believe all t h a t God has revealed, ail t h a t He
does now reveal, and we believe t h a t He will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to
the Kingdom of God.
10. We believe in the literal gathering of Israël and
in the restoration of the Ten Tribes. T h a t Zion will
be built upon this continent. That Christ will reign
personally upon the earth, and t h a t the e a r t h will be
renewed and receive its paradisic glory.
11. We claim the privilège of worshiping Almighty
God according to the dictâtes of our conscience, and

THE LATTER-DAY SAINTS.

7

allow ail men the Rame privilège, let them worship
how, where or what they may.
12, We believe in being aubjeet to kings, présidents,
rulers and magistrates, in obeying, honoring and sustaining the law.
13. We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevoent, virtuous, and in doing good to ail men; indeed
we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul,
• We believe ail tliings, we hope ail things," we bave
endured many things, and hope to be able to endure
ail things. If there ia anything virtuous, lovely or of
good report or praiseworthy, we seek after thèse things.

The position taken by the Prophet Joseph
Smith and those who hâve given heed to the
doctrines he presented is that they hâve no
new system of religion to ofîer to the world,
but that their message is the fulness of the
e ver! as tin g Gospel ; the Gospel which Paul
said was " the power of God unto salvation,
to every one that believeth ;" the Gospel of
which the Bible bears record, and which the
Lord Jésus Christ and His disciples taught as
the commandment of God to His children,
While they testify that it is a new révélation to them in this dispensation, " t h e
latter days," and that they received through
heavenly messengers sent from the throne of
the great Jehovah ail the knowiedge they
possess of the plan of salvation, and also the
authority to pieach the Gospel and admin-

8

THE LATTER-DAY SAINTS,

ister in its ordinances, they point ont t h à t it
is the same Gospel and divine message that
was revealed to man in ancient days ;, the
"one faith" of which Paul spake to the Ephesians ; the Everlasting Gospel, the plan instituted by God for the salvation of His
children—unchangeable, eternal, and transcendently perfect.
Upon this présentation of the case, then,
are they to be judged. They thus place
every principle or doctrine within the field
of comparison with the Holy Scriptures, both
in the Old and the New Testament.
THE GODHEAD.

The first of the Articles of Faith déclares
a belief "in God' the Eternal Father, and in
His Son Jésus Christ, and in the Holy
Ghost." That is, that the Father is a personage of spirit, glory and power, possessing
ail perfection and fulness ; the Son a personage of tabernacle also, who is the express
image of His Father, and possesses the same
fulness with the Father, in whose image also
man is created ; and the Holy Ghost, that
which bears record of the Father and the
Son, the life-giving élément in ail nature, the
agent of God's power, by which, through
faith, ail things are controlled. Thèse three

THE LATTER-DÀY SAINTS.

9

constitute the Suprême governing power, the
Godhead, and are one—above ail, and in ail,
and through ail—omnipotent, omniscient and
omniprésent.
The idea thus set forth is that in form man
is the image of his Creator. The Bible contains no suggestion of a similarity in form
with any of the other créations of the
Almighty. But with respect to man it is
distinctly expressed in Genesis i : 26, 27 :
"And God said, Let us make man in our own
image, after our likeness, and let them hâve
dominion over the fish of the sea, and over
the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and
over ail the earth, and over every creeping
thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God
created man in His own image ; in the image
of God created He him ; maie and female
created He them."
Paul, in writing of God, says that Jésus
was the " express image of His person "
(Hebrews i : 3), being "in the form of God"
(Phil. ii : 6). In the record which Matthew
has made of the Lord's baptism, he describes
the action of the three who constitute the
Godhead : Jésus receiving the baptism of
water, the " Spirit of God descending like a
dove and îighting upon Him," and a voice
—the voice of the Father—uttering from

10

THE LÀTTER-DAY SAINTS.

heaven, "This is m y beloved Son, in whom
I am well pleased" (Matt. iii: 16, 17). The
Redeemer of the world Himself testifies o£
their individuality : u F o r as the Father hath
life in Himself ; so hath He given to the Son
to hâve life in Himself ; and hath given Him
authority to exécute judgment also, because
He is the Son of man" (John v: 26, 27);
"Ye hâve heard how I said unto you, I go
away, and corne again unto you. If ye loved
me, ye would rejoice, because 1 said, I go unto
the Father : for my Father is greater than
I " (John xiv: 28); "Nevertheless, I tell
you the truth ; it is expédient for you that I
go away : for if I go not away, thé Cornforter will not corne unto you ; but if I depart, I will send him unto you " (John xviii :
7 ); " But when the Comfôrter is corne, whom
1 will send unto you from the Father, even
the Spirit of Truth, which proceedeth from
the Father, He shall testify of m e " (John
xv : 26).
In the solemn prayer offered up béfore His
betrayaî, the Divine M aster besought His
Father, in behalf of His disciples, "That
they ail may be one ; as Thou, Father, art
in me, and I in Thee, that they also may
be one in us : that the world may believe
that Thou hast sent me. And the glory

THE LATTER-DAY SAINTS.

11

which Thou gavest me I hâve given them;
that they may he one, even as we are one"
(John xvii : 21, 22). The unity of purpose
and action in ail things constitutes the oneness. This union Jésus sought to bn'ng to
His Apostles, that, each having his distinct
personality, they might be one, "even as we
are one."
MEN JUDGED BY THEIR WORKS.

"We believe that men will be punished for
theîr own sins, and not for Adam'3 transgression."
By this transgression death came into the
world, that men might gain the expérience of
a mortal probation. But that man should be
held responsible for an act in which he had
no agency would evidently be an injustice.
Our Father, being a just God, must therefore
deal justly with His cbildren. What is the
doctrine of the Scriptures respecting the responsibility of men ? In Jeremiah xvii : 10, it
is announced : " I the Lord search the heart,
I try the reins, even to givre every man according to his ways, and according to the
fruit of his doings." As the laws of truth
and justice are inflexible in their opération
and effect, judgment as certainly follows evil
as blessings resuit from good oeeds.

12

THE LATTER-DAY SAINTS.

The beÏDved Apostle, in recording his vision
of the judgment, tells u s : "And I saw the
dead, small and great, stand before God ; and
the books were opened : and another book
was opened, which is the book of life : and
the dead were judged out of those things
which were written in the books, according
to their works. And the sea gave up the
dead which were in i t ; and death and hell
delivered up the dead which were in them :
and they were judged every man according
to their works " (Rev. xx : 12, 13). Language
can be no plainer to inform mankind of the
évidence that will be adduced for or against
them at the judgment-seat of Christ. I t will
be their deeds ; and from the judgment they
will make no appeal, for they cannot but
realize its justice.
By the divine law, man is answerable for
his own sins. He is not compelled to bear
the wrongs of another in the reward which
he will receive at God's judgment. The transgression of Adam was not ours, and can hâve
no ill effects upon us ; it rather becomes a
blessing by the mercy of Jehovah. The Latter-day Saints believe that, as by Adam death
came into the world, without our action, so is
life the free gift to ail men, through the atonement of the Lord Jésus. This is the doctrine

THE LÀTTER-DÀY SAINTS.

13

of the Bible. Paul expresses it thus : " Wherefore, as by one raan sin entered into the world,
and death by sin ; and so death pasaed upon
ail inen, for that ail hâve sinned : therefcre
as by the offence of one judgment came upon
ail men to condem nation ; even so by the
righteousness of one the free giffc came upon
ail men unto justification of life" (Romans
v : 12,18). The Lord has petnr'tted no doubt
to remain respecting the sin s for which men
will be punished and the good for which they
will be rewarded. His word is : " For the
Son of man shall corne in the glory of His
Father with His angels ; and then He shall
reward every man according to his works v
(Matt. xvi : 27). The testiinony which He
gave to John the Divine on the Isle of Patmos
was : " I will give every one of you according
to your works " (Kev. ii : 23 ); "And behold,
I corne quickly ; and mj reward is with me,
to give every man according as his work shall
be " (Rev. xxii : 12).
THE ATONEMENT.

"We believe that through the atonement
of Christ ail raankind may be saved, by obédience to the laws and ordinances of the
Gospel"
By this atonement is brought the victory

14

THE LArTBR-DÀY SAINTS.

over death ; the résurrection of the body to
life ; the raising of man to a position where
he is not subject to death. But it goes farther in the article of faith read. I t brings
salvation by obédience to the Gospel. Salvation, then, is more than a rédemption from
the fall. The latter cornes to man without
his agency, so far as the mère restoration
to life is concerned. That is the doctrine
which the Apostles taught : " For since
by man came death, by man came also the
résurrection of the dead. For as in Adam ail
die, even so in Christ shall ail be made alive "
(1 Cor. xv : 21, 22). Since the Savior brought
to pass the résurrection and the life, His
atonement has a universal application, and
" there shall be a résurrection of the dead,
bothof the just and unjust" (Acts xxiv: 15).
Does the atonement do more ? The Latterday Saints reply in the affirmative." Matthew
(chap. i: 21) records that the angel declared
to Joseph, when foretelling the birth of the
infant Jésus, " For He shall save His people
from their sins." The Apostle Peter says :
" Neither is there salvation in any other : for
there is none other name under heaven given
among men, whereby we must' be saved"
(Acts iv : 12). By obédience to the laws and
ordinances of the Gospel, salvation cornes to

THE LATTER-DAY SAINTS.

15

man ; it is that which is added to the children of men by the atoning blood of the Redeemer, when the requirements of His Gospel
are complied with. Until tins is done, there
is no salvation from sin. The Apostle John
makes tins unequivocal déclaration : " This
then is the message which we hâve heard of
Him, and déclare unto you, that God is light,
and in Him is no darkness at ail. If we say
that we hâve fellowship with Him, and walk
in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth ; but
if we walk in the light, as He is in the light,
we hâve fellowship one with another, and the
blood of Jésus Christ His Son cleanseth us
from ail sin " (1 John i : 5, 7). If we would
be cleansed from ail sin by the blood of Christ
Jésus, the condition is that " we walk in the
light as He is in th^ light." If this be not
our course, the Apostle says " we lie, and do
not the truth." To thèse teachings is placed
the seal and testimony of the Divine Master
Himself, in His sermon on the mount : " Not
every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord,
shall enter into the kingdom of heaven ; but
he that doeth the will of my Father which is
in heaven" (Matt. vii : 21). " I n vain do ye
worship me," said He to those who followed
the tradition of men mstead of keeping " the
commandaient of God " (Mark vii : 7, 8),

16

THE LATTER-DAY SAINTS.
THE GOSPEL ORDINANCES—FAITH.

"We believe that the first principles and
ordinances of the Gospel are: First—Faith in
the Lord Jésus Christ."
The principle of faith is the moving cause
of ail action in intelligent beings. Faith in
the Lord is the fundamental principle leading
to obédience to His will. It is .the assurance
which we hâve of unseen things. By its exercise we are alone able to approach the throne
of grâce. "Without faith it is impossible to
please Him; for he that corneth to God must
believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder
of them that diligently seek Him." (Heb. xi:
6). It is not a mère passive belief; but being
a principle of action and power, it inculcates
works in harmony with itself. The Savior
says: "Let not your heart be troubled; ye
believe in God, believe also in me. Verily,
verily, I say unto you, he that believeth on
me, the works that I do shall he do also; and
greater works than thèse shall he do, because
I go unto my Father" (John xiv: 1, 12).
It is the belief of the Latter-day Saints that
the Gospel is the working law of Christ; that
faith in Him, to hâve life, must be accompanied by works in accord with the mental
exercise of faith. As the Apostle James says:
"But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers
only, deceiving your own selves" (1: 22). This

THE LÀTTKB-DÀY SAINTS.

17

Àpostle writes, " F o r as the body without
the spirit is dead, so faith without works is
dead also f and in the second chapter of his
epistle (verses 14—24) he states : " What doth
it profit, my brethren, though a man say he
hatli faith, and hâve not works f Can faith
save himî If a brother or sister be naked,
and destitute of daily food, and one of you
say unto them, Départ in peace, be ye warmed
and fi lied ; notwithstanding ye give them not
those things which are needful to the body ;
what doth it profit f Even so faith, if it hath
not works, is dead, being alone. Yea, a man
may say, Thou hast faith and I hâve works :
shew me thy faith without thy works, and I
will shew thee my faith by my Works. Thou
believest that there is one God; thou doest
well : the devils also believe, and tremble. But
wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is deadî Was not Abraham our
father justified by works, when he had offered
Isaac his son upon the altar î Seest thou how
faith wrought with his works, and by works
was faith made perfect ? And the scripture
was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed
God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness : and he was called the Friend of God.
Te see then how that by works » man is justified, and not by faith only."
S

18

THE LATTER-DAY SAINTS.

The Lord said, " Thou shalt love the Lord
thy God with ail thy heart, and with ail thy
soûl, and with ail thy mind. This is the ûrst
and great commandaient " (Matt. xxii : 37,
38). Ile also explains what it is to love God :
*' Ile that hath ray commanclments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me : and he that
loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I
will love him, and will manifest myself to
him" (John xiv 21). This is faith in and
love of God : keeping His commandments
BEPENTANCE.

" Second—Repentance."
To those who, on the day of Pentecost, believed on the Apostles' words, and had awakened within their hearts faith in the Lord
Jésus, Peter gave the law of the Gospel :
" Repent, and be baptized every one of y ou in
the name of Jésus Christ for the remission of
sins, and ye shall receive the gif t of the Holy
Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to
your children, and to ail that are afar ofï, even
as many as the Lord our God shall eall*
(Acts ii : 38, 39). This law was universal in
its application. I t was " to ail that are afar
off, even as many as the Lord our God shall
call."
When John the Baptist came in the wiider

THE LATTER-DAY SAINTS.

19

ness of Jùdca, as the messenger before the
Lord, preaching " the beginning of the Gospel
of Jésus Christ, the Son of God," he proclaimed, "Kepent ye, for the kingdom of
heaven is at hand " (Matt. iii : 2). Of those
who presented themselves for baptism he required conformity to the doctrine which preceded it. If they had not repented, the ordinance of baptism was refused to them. When
many of the Pharisees and Sadducees came,
he called them a " génération of vipers," and
demanded that they "bring forth therefore
fruits meet for repentance" (Matt. iii: 7, 8).
God "commandeth ail men everywhere to
repent "—to turn from evil and walk in righteousness, for therein only is salvation. The
Lord says, "Except ye repent ye shall ail
likewise perish " (Luke xiii ; 3).
BAPTISM.

" Third—Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins."
To the repentant believer this is the
"baptism of repentance for the remission
of sins " taught by John the Baptist (Mark
i ; 4). , On the day of Pentecost, Peter pointed
the way to salvation, "Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jésus
Christ for the remission of sins " (Acts ii : 38),

20

TH1 LÀTTER-DÀY SAINTS.

When the jailor sought to be saved, Paul and
Silas " spake unto hina the word of the Lord,"
and he " was baptized, he and ail his, straightway " (Acts xvi : 30—33).
So important is this ordinance for admission into the Church of God, that the Lord
Jésus insisted on receiving it at the hands of
John the Baptist, who was authorized to administer it. John had preached that there
should corne after him One who should baptize 4<with che Holy Qhost and with fire,"
and when Jésus presented Himself on Jordan's banks, the Prophet recognized that
mightier One. He felt his own weakness in
the présence of the Son of God, and said, " I
hâve need to be baptized of Thee, and comest
Thou to mel" But Jésus knew the law of
God. He knew that it was necessary for
even the Son of Man to enter at the door, and
obey the ordinance which His Father had appointed. Therefore He answered John, " Suffer
it to be so now, for thus it becometh us to
fulfil ail righteousness " (Matt. iii : 15). Then
the Savior of the world went down into the
river Jordan, and was baptized of John.
When He came out of the water, there was
given that glorious manifestation of the approval by His Father of the act of submission
to the divine law, "and lo, the heavens were

THE LATTER-DAY SAINT».

2î

opened unto Him, and He saw the Spirit of
God deseending like a dove, and lighting
upon Him : and lo, a yoice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am
well pleased" (Matt. iii : 16, 17).
If it was necessary for the Son of God, the
Red eemer of the world, to receive the ordinance of baptisra at the hands of one having
authority to administer it, that He might
"fulfil ail righteousness," wherein can sinful
man hope to enter by any other way î And
when that act of obédience to law on the part
of the Divine Master was signalized by the
glorious descent upon Him of the Holy Ghost,
and brought forth from the Eternal Father
the solemn déclaration that He was well
pleased with the Son who had just passed
through the baptism of water, who among
men dare say that the ordinance is vain, and
useless, and non-essential ; that it is not of
paramount importance to those who would
do the will of the Father î
The Lord also declared that the baptism of
John was " t h e counsel of God"—this ordinance that was a t h e baptism of repentance
for the remission of sins." Said Jésus : " Ail
the people that heard him, and the publicans,
justiiied God, being baptized with the baptism
of John ; but the Fharisees and lawyers re-

22

THE LATTER-DÀY SAINTS.

jected the courisel of God against themselves,
being not baptized of him " (Luke vii : 29, 30).
As the Lord went forth in His ministry,
preaching the Gospel of the kingdom, there
came to Him Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.
To him Jésus said : " Except a man be born
again, he cannot see the kingdom of God"
(John iii : 3). Nicodemus did not fully comprehend this saying, and made further inquiry, receiving a reply in language that none
need misunderstand : " Verily, verily, I say
unto thee, except a man be born of water and
of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God" (John iii : 5). Therefore, when
the Master commissioned His disciples and
sent them out, after they had been " endowed
with power from on high,"the command which
they received and obeyed was : " Go ye, therefore, and teach ail nations, baptizing them in
the name of the Father, and of the Son, and
of the Holy Ghost : teaching them to observe
ail things whatsoever I hâve commanded you :
and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the
end of the world " (Matt. xxviii : 19, 20).
In this labor of the ministry, to which they
had been called and ordained of the Lord, He
fulfilled His promise, and was with them :
" And they went forth and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them, and con-

THE LATTEB-DAY SAINTS.

83

firming the word with signs following " (Mark
xvi : 20). The Apostles taught : " Repent f
and be baptized every one of you in the naine
of Jésus Christ for the rémission of sins"
(Acts ii : 38) ; u Know ye not, that so many
of us as were baptized into Jésus Christ were
baptized into His death ? Therefore we are
buried with Ilim by baptism into death: that
like as Christ was raised up from the dead by
the glory of the Father, even so we also should
walk in newness of life. For if we hâve been
planted together in the likeness of liis death,
we shall be also in the likeness of His résurrection" (Romans vi : 3—5); "Buried with
Him in baptism, whereim also ye are risen
with Him through the faith of the opération
of God, who hath raised Him from the dead "
(Col. ii : 12). Hère, then, is the Gospel doctrine : Baptism by immersion for the rémission of sins, performed by one having authority ; tîie birth, the burial, the planting in
the watery élément, without which ordinance
the Lord has said that no man can enter the
kingdom of heaven.
BAPTISM FOR THE DEAD.

I t may be suggested that there are millions
of the human family who hâve not had the
opportunity of receiving of the baptism of re-

24

THE LATTER-DAY SAINTS.

pentance by one having divine authority—
millions who ne ver even heard of the name of
Jésus Christ. The Latter-day Saints believe
that the Gospel provides for ail ; that there
is and can be no exception ; that every one
who will may partake of the waters of life
freely; that God is no respecter of persons,
but judges men by their works. A plan of
salvation that is adapted to the few, that does
not open the door to every being within the
great brotherhood of man, is unworthy of the
Creator and God of the universe. The Gospel
of the Lord must be perfect, even as He is
perfect, and reach to ail humanity.
The query is made, How did the thief who
died on the cross enter the kingdom of heaven ;
there is no record of his baptism î Let the
Scriptures give the answer: "And he said
unto Jésus, Lord, remember me when Thou
comest into Thy kingdom. And Jésus said
unto hiin, Verily I say unto thee, to-day shalt
thou be with me in paradise " (Luke xxiii :
42, 43). The Lord did not say he could enter
His kingdom, for He told Nicodemus that to
do that it was necessary to be " born of the
water and of the Spirit f but He promised
the pénitent thief that on that day he should
be with Him in paradise. Is that not heaven ?
Let us examine and see. for on the proper

TH1 LÀTTER-DÀY SAINTS.

15

aacertainment of this fact dépends a gre&t
principle of truth.
The body of Jésus was three days in the
tomb, when the spirit again entered into it.
When the Redeemer had risen, Mary came to
the sepulchre and found that the body of her
Master was not there. She began to inquire,
when she heard a voice which she recognized
as that of the Lord, to whom she turned.
" Jésus saith unto her, Touch me not, for I am
not yet ascended to my Father: but go to
my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend
unto my Father, and your Father ; and tb my
God, and your God " (John xx : 17). Hère is
the testimony of Jésus Himself, that during
the three days subséquent to His crucifixion,
while His body lay in the tomb, His spirit did
not go to heaven or the présence of His
Father. Logically, it must follow, neither
did that of the thief.
Where, then, did he go t As Jésus was not
in His Father's présence during thèse three
days, where was He? The Scriptures hâve
not left us in doubt upon this point. Jésus
transferred to Peter the keys of the kingdom
of heaven. and placed him at the head of the
Twelve Apostles. Surely he is a compétent
witness ; he says : 4< For Christ also hath once
suffered for sins, the Juat for the unjust, that

26

THE LATTER-DAY SAINTS.

He might bring us to God, being put to death
in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit : by
which also He went and preached unto the
spirits in prison " (1 Peter iii : 18,19). During
thé time of His absence from the body He
Was preaching " u n t o the spirits in prison"
—the place where the thief also went.
This doctrine of preaching the Gospel to
the dead was taught by the Lord to His
Apostles, just previous te His crucifixion :
"Verily, verily I say unto you, the hour is
coming, and now is, when ihe dead shall hear
the voice of the Son oï. God : and they that
hear shall live. Marvel not at this : for the
hbur is coming, in the which ail i îat are in
the graves shall iiear His voice (John v :
25, 28). On the same subject, ihe chief
Âpostle says : * For., for this cause was the
*
Gospel preached also to them that are dead,
that they might be judged according to men
in ihe flesh, but live according to God in the
spirit " (1 Peter iv : 6).
The dead are to be "judged according to
men in the flesh ;" and, as the Lord bas declared that "except a man be born of the
water and of the Spirit " he cannot enter the
kingdom, what shall thé dead who hear the
voice of the Son of God " do ? Is the Gospel
plan imperfect in thaï it does not provide a.

THE LATTER-DAY SAINTS.

27

way for those who hâve had no opportunity
to receive that birth î God forbid. Such an
injustice cannot be. Paul, writing to the
Corinthians respecting the résurrection, says :
" Else what shall they do which are baptized
for the dead, if the dead rise not at ail ? Why
then are they baptized for the dead ?" (1 Cor.
xv : 29). The answer is complète : The dead
may be officiated for by those who dwell in
the flesh.
This is the doctrine of salvation for the
dead, an important part of the glorious Gospel that is as broad as the universe, and from
everlasting to everlasting. By receiving the
baptism for the dead, those who hâve passed
into the spirit world hâve opened to them t h e
door of the kingdom of heaven. " B u t one
man cannot act in the place of another," is
the suggestion that cornes. The objector has
surely forgotten, or has not contera plated the
great truth that the whole Gospel plan taught
in the Scriptures rests upon the vicarious
atonement of the Lord Jésus Christ.
THE HOLY GHOST.

* Fourth—Laying on of hands for the gift
of the Holy Ghost."
When the Apostle Peter preached to those
who sought salvation, he said : " Repent, and

28

THK LÀTTER-DÀY SAINTS.

be baptized every one of you in the name of
Jésus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye
shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For
the promise is unto you, and to your children,
and to ail that are afar off, even as many as
the Lord our God shall call " (Acts ii : 38, 39).
Hère is the offer to ail of this blessed boon,
the gift of the Holy Ghost, after baptism for
the remission of sins. It was to them, and
their children, and to ail that are afar off.
There was no exclusiveness in this ; the Gospel was open to ail. By conforming to its
laws, men receive the benefits of their own
obédience. It is the f^eat natural order of
cause and effect. Compy with the conditions,
the resuit niust follow. The sincerely repentant believer, baptized in the proper manner, and by an authorized servant of God, is
entitled to the gift of the Holy Ghost as a
matter of right.
How is he to receive it t Just as did the
baptized believers under the ministry of the
Apostles : " Now, when the Apostles which
were at Jérusalem heard that Samaria had
received the word ot God, they sent unto
them Peter and John : who, when they were
corne down, prayed for them, that they might
receive the Holy Ghost : (for as yet fie was
fallen upon none of them: only they were

TH* LATTIÏK-ÈAY SAINTS.

29

baptized in the name of the Lord Jésus.)
Then laid they their hands on them, and they
received the Holy Ghost" (Acts viii: 14—17);
"through laying on of the Apostles' hands the
Holy Ghost was given" (v. 18.) The Ephesians also " were baptized in the name of the
Lord Jésus. And when Paul had laid his
hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on
them ; and they spake with tongues and
prophesied " (Acts xix : 5, 6).
Of the office of the Holy Ghost the Lord
says : " Howbeit when he, the Spirit of
Truth, is corne, he will guide you into ail
truth : for he shall not speak of himself ; but
whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak :
and he will show you things to corne. He
shall gîorify me : for he shall receive of mine,
and shall shew it unto you " (John xvi : 13,14).
Hère is the promise of guidance and révélation by the Holy Ghost. Its gifts are wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, working of
miracles, discérnment of spirits, divers kinds
of tongues, etc. (1 Cor. xii: 4—11). Whereever the Holy Ghost is bestowed, there are its
gifts and grâces manifest.
DIVINE ATJTHORITY.

" We believe that a man must be called of
God, by * prophecy, and by the laying on of

30

THE LATTER-DAY SAINTS.

hands,' by those who are in authority, to
preach the Gospel and administer in the
ordinances thereof."
The testimony of Scripture upon this is
that Jésus "ordained twelve, that they should
be with Him, and that He might send
them forth to preach, and to hâve power to
heal sicknesses, and to cast out devils "
(Mark iii: 14,15), To His Apostles Fie said:
" Ye hâve not chosen me, but I hâve chosen
you, and ordained you, that ye should go and
bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should
remain : that whatsoever you shall ask of the
Father in my name, Ile may give it you"
(John xv : 16) ; and of them, in praying to
His Father, He testified : " As Thou has sent
me into the world, even so hâve I also sent
them into the world " (John xvii : 18). His
Father had sent Him and had "given Him
authority," and in like manner He gave
authority to His Apostles. They in turn conimissioned others to act in the ministry—
" they ordained them Elders in every church "
(Acts xiv: 23). As Paul has said, " N o man
taketh this honor unto himself, but he that is
called of God, as was Aaron " (Heb. v : 4).
Aaron was called by the voice of God, through
Moses (Exodus i v 14, 15).
The.acts of those who are authorized to

TH1 LATTEK-DAY SAINTS.

31

officia te in the ordinancea of the Gospel—to
whom are committed the keys of the kingdom—are recognized by the Lord, and are
given full force. "Whatsoever thou shalt
bind on earth shall be bound in heaven ; and
whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be
loosed in heaven " (Matt. xvi : 19). But those
not authorized reçoive no such récognition.
OFFICEES,

" We believe in the same organization that
existed in the primitive Church, viz. : Apostles, Prophète, Pastors, Teachers, Evangelists,
etc."
The Apostle Paul taught that there was
tc
one Lord, one faith, one baptism," and said
of the Redeemer, "Wherefore He saith, when
He ascended up on high, He led eaptivity
captive, and gave gifts unto men. And He
gave some, Apostles; andsome, Prophôta; and
some, Evangelists ; and some, Pastori and
Teachers" (Eph. iv: 8,11). He also preached:
* Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular. And God hath set some
in the Church, first Apostles, secondarily
Prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments,
diversities of tongues " (1 Cor. xii ; 27, 28).
God set thèse in the Church, ia the

32

TH1 LÀTTÏR-DAY BAIKTi.

Apostle'a testimony. Shall man say that
they are not propert The Lord has never
changed the organisation; on the oontrary,
thèse officers were given " for the perfecting
ôf the Saints, for the work of the ministry,
for the edifying of the body of Christ : till we
ail corne 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" (Eph. iv :
12—14).
Is there work for the ministry! Are the
Saints yet to be perfected 1 Are we still far
from the unity of the faith? Are we less than
the stature of the fulness of Christ in the
knowledge of God t With the présent spectacle of jarring sects, religious discords, and
disputationa of doctrines, no intelligent peraon would venture to giv© other than an
affirmative reply to thèse inquiries. There
ia evidently abundant work for the ministry, and therefore a necessity for Apostlea,
Prophète, and ail the officers that God has
set in His Church. Wherever that Church ia
organized upon the earth, there will thèse

THE LATTER-DAY 8AINT8.

33

oflîcers be found, with ail the authority, gifts
and powers that accompany the offices. The
ohurch which has them not is not the Church
of Christ, accord in g to the évidence presented
by the word of God.
SPIRITUAL GIFTS.

"We believe in the gif t of tongues, prophecy,
révélation, visions, healing, interprétation of
tongues, etc."
Thèse are the gifts of the Spirit, which
Christ promised should follow the believers.
They are the signs which confirméd the
preachihg of the Gospel by the Apostles:
"And He said unto them, Go ye into ail
the world, and preach the Gospel to every
créature. He that believeth and is baptized
shall be saved ; but he that believeth not
shall be dàmned. And thèse signs shall follow them that believe : In my name shall
they cast out devils ; they shall speak with
new tongues; they shall take up serpents;
and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall
not hurt them, they shall iay hands on the
sick, and they shall recover. So then after
the Lord had spoken unto them, He was received up into heaven, and sat on the right
hand of God. And they went forth and
preached everywhere, the Lord working with

34

TUE LA.TTER-DAY SAINTS.

theni, and confirming the word with signs
following " (Mark xvi ; 15—20).
Of thèse are the miracles wrought hy our
Lord and Savior. God hath set in the Church
"miracles, gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tangues" (1 Cor. xii:
26), Never at any time has Ile said they
should be done away. He is an unchangeable being, a God of miracles to-day as much
as at any period of the world's his tory. He
cannot be otherwise and, still occupy His
exalted position. He cannot be shorn of His
power to manifest the gifts of His Spirit
among the chiidren of men, when the latter
comply with His laws. His arra is not
shortened, or His power to save diminished.
If miracles, and healings, and prophecy, and
the other gifts of the Spirit do not exisfc
among men, it is for the same reason that in
ancient days the Lord Jésus, in "His own
country," "could do no mighty work, save that
He laid His hands on a few sick folk, and
healed them," namely, " because of their unbelief"(Markvi: 6,7).
Those who dwell on the earth to-day are
equally the chiidren of our Father with those
who lived nineteen centuries ago, and hâve
an equal cîaim on His blessings if they observe His laws and exercise the same faith in

THE LATTER-DAY SAINTS.

35

Him as did His disciples anciently. " F o r
the promise is unto you, and to your children,
and to ail that are afar offj" said Peter, in his
proclamation of the Gospel, of which Paul
said, " B u t though we, or an angel from
heaven, preach any other Gospel unto you
than that which we hâve preached unto youf
let him be accursed " (Gai. i : 8).
THE APOSTASY.

The Latter-day Saints believe that but for
the apostasy of the primitive Christian
Church, it would hâve remained with the
same organization, powers and ordinances ;
with Apostles, Prophets, healings, miracles,
and ail the gifts of the Spirit, up to the
présent time. That thèse ceased to exist
among men is proof that there has been a
departure from the Gospel. If the organization had remained it would hâve been in the
same form as God placed it, and the true successors to the Apostles would hâve followed
their example when they filled the vacancy
made in the Twelve by Judas's apostasy—by
selecting Matthias to be numbered with the
Apostles (Acts 1: 26). But there was no succession to the Twelve through the générations which succeeded them, therefore the
organization ceased to exist among men.

36

THE LATTER-DAY SAINT».

If there was to be an event of such importance in the world's history as a great
apostasy, surely the disciples would hâve had
an intimation of it through the inspiration of
the Holy Ghost. By référence 'to their writings we fmd that they had this knowledge,
and prophesied concerning it. Paul wrote to
Timothy that the time would corne when men
would not endure sound doctrine, but would
heap to themselves teachers, and turn away
frorn the truth. (2 Tim. iv: 3, 4). He also
taught that in the last day s péril ous times
should corne, when men should be "lovers of
pleasure more than lovers of God ; having a
fora» of godliness, but denying the power
thereof"(2Tim. iii: 1—5).
To the Thessalonians was borne this testimony respecting the great apostasy: "Now
we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of
our Lord Jésus Christ, and by our gathering
together unto Him, that ye be not soon shaken
in niind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor
by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the
day of Christ is at hand. Let no man deceive
you,-by any means: for that day shall not
corne, except there corne a falling away first,
and that man of sin be revealed, the son of
perdition ; who oppose th and exalteth himself
above ail that is called God, or that is wor-

THK LATTER-DAY SAINTS.

37

ahipped ; so that he as God sitteth in the
temple of God, shewing himself that he is
God. Remember ye not, that, when I was
yet with you, I told you thés© things t And
now ye know what withholdeth that he
might be revealed in his time. For the mystery of iniquity doth already work : only he
who now letteth wili îet, until he be taken
out of the way " (2 Thess. ii : 1—7). The "mystery of iniquity" was making its influence
felt at that early day. Paul had*warned the
people of what was coming ; as he says,
" When I was yet with you I told you thèse
things."
I n the record of the vision given to the
Apostle John, which he says was " the révélation of Jésus Christ," we are informed that
John was shown " things which shall be hereafter." Of one of the beasts which he saw as
typical of a power which should rise up in
the earth, it is said, " And it was given to him
to make war with the Saints, and to overcoroe
them: and power was given him over ail
kindreds, and tongues, and nations" (Rev.
xiii : 7).
This is some of the scriptural évidence concerning the great power which was to deceive
the nations of the earth and pervert the
Gospel by teaching men and women that

38

THE LÀTTER-DAY SAINTS.

Apostles and Prophets were not necessary,
and that the gifts of the Holy Ghost were
done away, till Christendom has been brought
to the apostate condition in which it is today. So complète was the work of this "mystery of iniquity," of the bëast that " made war
with the Saints and overcame them," that it
was necessary for an angel to be sent from
heaven with the Gospel message for mankind. John says of this event : " A n d I saw
another angel fly in the midst of heaven,
having the everlasting Gospel to preach unto
them that dwell on the earth, and to every
nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people"
(Rev. xiv : 6).
THB BOOK OF MORMON.

"We believe the Bible to be the word of
God, as far as it is translated correctly ; we
also believe the Book of Mormon to be the
word of God."
For people who believe the Bible to be the
word of God to also believe that another
record is His word, the two must be consistent
with each other. There can be no conflict between them. For both to be the word of
God, fchey must be divinely inspired, and
their teachings be in perfect harmony. While
it would by no means be certain that a record

THE LATTER-DAY SAINTS.

39

which has passed through so many hands as
hâve the Bible manuscripts, with a loss of
soine,v at least, of the sacred writings, would
contain a référence to another record which
was to be made by a separate branch of the
House of Israël, yet it would not be unreasonable to hope that possibly an allusion to it
might be found in some of the prophétie
writings
This hope is not without foundation with
respect to the Book of Mormon, which is a
history of a part of the House of Israël, on
the American continent. The Prophet Ezekiel says : " The word of the Lord came again
unto me, saying, Moreover, thou son of man,
take thee one stick, and write upon it, For
Judah, and for the children of Israël his
companions : then take another stick, and
write upon it, For Joseph, the stick of
Ephraim, and for ail the House of Israël his
companions : and join them one to another
into one stick : and they shall become one in
thine hand. And when the children of thy
people shall speak unto thee, saying, Wil't
thou not show unto us what thou meanest by
thèse î Say unto them, Thus saith the Lord
God : Behold, I will take the stick of Joseph,
which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the
tribes of Israël his fellows, and will put them

40

THK ilAïTER-DAY SAINT8.

with him, even with the stick of Judah, and
they shall be one in mine hand" (Ezekiel
xxxvii: 15—19).
The " stick of Judah n is the record which
we hâve of the Jéws—the Bible ; the "stick
of Ephraim " is the other record, which we
hâve in the Book of Mormon; and both records hâve become one in the hand of the
Lord. Hosea says that to Ephraim had been
written the great things of the law (Hosea
xiii: 12), and the Savior informed His disciples of others that He must visit: "And
other sheep I hâve, which are not of this
fold : them also I mu»t> bring, and they shall
hear my voice ; and there shall b© one fold,
and one shepherd " (John x : 16) Thèse other
sheep were to hear His voice—to receive a
Personal visit from Him.
The history of the coming forth of the Book
of Mormon is, briefly stated, that its existence and whereabouts were revealed to the
Prophet Joseph Smith by an angel sent from
heaven. This angel said his name was Moroni,
and that in the year A.D. 420 he had buried
the sacred record in the hill Cumorah, which
is loeated in the northern part of the State of
New York. After Joseph had received several
visits and had been instructed by the heavenly
messenger, the plates were entrusted to his

THE LA.TTER-DÀY SAINTS.

41

oare, with a Urini and Thummim for their
translation. Each plate was six inches wide
and eight inches long, and not quite as thick
as comraon tin. They were filled with engravings in Egyptian characters, and bound
together in a volume, as the leaves of a
book, with three rings running through the
whole. The volume was something near six
inches in thickness, a part of it being sealed.
The characters on the unsealed part were
small and beautifully engraved. The whole
book exhibited many marks of antiquity in
its construction, and much skill in the art of
engraving. The Urim and Thummim consisted of two transparent stones set in the
rim of a bow fastened to a breastplate. The
unsealed portion of the plates was transiated,
and the whole were again taken charge of by
the angel. The part which had been translated was published early in 1830, as the Book
of Mormon, according to the command of
God. I t is an abridgment made by the
Prophet Mormon, father of Moroni, from the
records of his forefathers. On the title-page
is this statement:
Wherefore it ia an abridgment of the record of the
people of Nephi, and alao of the Lamanitea ; written
to the Lamanites who are a remnant of the house of
Israël ; and also to Jew and Gentile : written by way

42

THE LÀTTER-DAY SAINT»

of commandment, and also by the Spirit of prophecy
and of révélation. Written and sealed up, and hid up
unto the Lord, that they might not be destfoyed ; to
corne forth by the gift and power of God unto the interprétation thereof : sealed by the hand of Moroni,
»nd hid up unto the Lord, to corne forth in due time
by the way of Géntile ; the interprétation thereof by
the gift of God.
An abridgment taken from the Book of Ether also;
which is a record of the people of Jared; who were
scattered at the time the Lord confounded the language of the people when they were building a tower to
get to heaven ; which is to shew unto the remnant of
the House of Israël what great things the Lord hath
done for their fathers ; and that they may know the
covenants of the Lord, that they are not cast off forever ; and also to the convincing of the Jew and Géntile that JESUS is the CHRIST, the ETERNAL
GOD, uianifesting Himself unto ail nations. And now
if there are faults, they are the mistakes of roen :
wherefore condemn not the things of God, that ye may
be found spotless at the judgraent-seat of Christ.

Several persons were permitted to view
the plates, among the number being the
" Three Witnesses," who thus testify of what
they saw and heard :
THE TESTIMONY OF THREE WITNESSES.—Be it known
unto ail nations, kindreds, tongues, and people unto
whom this work shall corne, that we, through the
grâce of God the Father, and our Lord Jésus Christ,
hâve seen the plates which contain this record, which
is a record of the people of Nephi, and also of the

THE LÀTTEB-DÀY SAINTS.

43

Iiamanites, their brethren, and also of the people of
J a r e d , who came from the tower of which h a t h been
spoken ; and we also know t h a t t h e y hâve been transl a t a i by the gift and power ©f God, for H i s voice h a t h
declared it unto u s ; wherefore we know of a surety
t h a t the work is true. A n d we also testify t h a t we
hâve seen the engravings which are upon the plates ;
and they hâve been shewn unto us by the power of
God, and not of m an. A n d we déclare with words of
eobernesa, t b a t an angel of God came down from
heaven, and he brought and laid before our eyes, t h a t
we beheld and saw the plates, and the engravings
thereon ; and we know t h a t it is by the grâce of God
the F a t h e r , and our Lord Jésus Christ, t h a t we beheld
and bear record t h a t thèse things are true ; and it is
marvellous in our eyes, nevertheless the voice of the
Lord commanded us t h a t we should bear record of it ;
wherefore, to be obedient unto the commandments of
God, we bear testimony of thèse things. A n d we
know t b a t if we are faithful in Christ, we shall rid our
garments of the blood of ail men, and be found spotless
before the judgment-seat of Christ, and shall dwell
with H i m eternally in the heavens. A n d the honor be
to the F a t h e r , and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost,
which is one God. Amen.
OLIVER COWDERT,
DAVID

WHITMER,

MARTIN HARRIS.

From that testimony they ne ver varied.
They were separated from the Lattér-day
Saints, having departed from the Chureh,
to which they belonged for a time after its
organization. But nothing could induce them

44

THS LATTBR-DAT SAINTS.

to change their statement. I t was true, and
they knew it. I n their old âge Oliver Cowdery and Martin Harris returned to the
Church. David Whitmer never did. He was
the last to survive, his death having occurred
in January, 1888, at Richmond, Missouri.
When on his deathbed he called his family
and friends around him, and made to them a
solemn déclaration t h a t he knew the Book of
Mormon, and his testimony thereto, to be true,
Eight others also testify as follows :
THJS TESTIMONT OF EIGHT WITNESSES.—Be it known
unto ail nations, kindreds, tongues, and people unto
whom this work shall corne, tbat Joseph Smith, Jun.,
the translator of this work, bas shewn unto us the
plates of which hath been spoken, which hâve the
appearance of gold ; and as many of the leaves as the
said Smith bas translated, we did handle with our
hands ; and we also saw the engravings thereon, ali of
which has the appearance of ancient work, and of
curious workmanship. And this we bear record with
words of soberness, that the said Smith has shewn unto
us, for we hâve seeu and hefted, and know of a eurety
that the said Smith has got the plates of which wt
hâve spoken. And we give our names unto the worlcL
to witness unto the world that which we hav« seen;
and we lie not, God bearing witness of it.
CHRISTIAN WHITMER,
JAOOB WHITMER,
PETER WHITMER, Jun.
JOHN WHITMÏR,

HIBAM PAGE,
JOSEPH SMITH, Sen.
HTRUM SMITH,
SAMUEL H SMTTH

THE LATTER-DAT SAINTS.

4fi

Like the three, they néver faltered in maintaining that what they had subscribed to respectmg the Book of Mormon was the truth,
and was with them an absolute knowledge.
Of further évidence concerning the authenticity of the Book of Mormon, there is in t h k
sketch an opportunity of saying but little.
Begarding the external proof, it must suffice
to merely call attention to the developments
of archœologiçal research on the American'
continent. When the Book of Mormon was
first published it was the accepted theory of
the civilized world that America was not
peopled by any nation of ancient times
which had made marked progress in civilization But subsequently, from the appearance
of Captain Dupaix's book in 1834-5, foliowed
by the évidence of Lord Kingsborough,
Stevens and Catherwood, Powell, and other
well-known archseologists and explorers, a
changé came with respect to this matter,
until now there is no doubt of the advanced
position reached by ancient American civilisation, as well as of the great antiquity of the
native American races. The ruined temples
and crumbling palaces of the ancient cities of
Uxmal, Copan, Palenque, Quiche, and scores
of others, whose architecture rivais that of
any contemporaneous cities of the Old World,

46

THE LÀTTEB-DA.Y SXINTS.

bear silent but incontrovertible testimony to
the historical truth of the Book of Mormon.
With internai évidence of its divine authenticity, the volume is amply provided. It présents a code of ethics whose purity and godliness are unexcelled by any publication that
has seen the light of day. In its pages there
are no anachronisms and no contradictions.
The various writers are in perfect accord.
Compared with the great truths of science
and nature, there are no absurdities and no
inconsistencies. Between it and the Bible
there is complète harmony in doctrine and in
prophecy. It is a book that would be profitable reading to any thoughtful person. No
intelligent, honest and sincère seeker after
truth can give it thorough examination and
considération, with an understanding of the
circumstances under which it was brought
forth, without being convinced that in giving
to the world the Book of Mormon, God has
wrought one of the greatest miracles of any
âge or time.
BKVBULTIOK.
M

We believe ail that God has revealed,
ail that He does now reveal, and that He will
yet reveal many great and important thinga
pertaining to the kingdom of God.w

THE LATTER-DAY SAINTS.

47

When the Lord promised His disciples the
Holy Qhost, He informed them that it would
teach them ail things (John xiv: 20); "He
shall receive of mine, and shall show it unto
you" (John xvi: 14). This was a direct
promise of révélation through the médium of
the Holy Ghost ; therefore belief in révélation is a scriptural doctrine. It is the communication to men of knowledge from God :
*'Howbeit, when He, the Spirit of Truth, is
corne, He will guide you into ail truth : for Ho
shall not speak of Himself; but whatsoever
He shall hear, that shall He speak; and He
will show you things to corne " (John xvi : 13).
This is the word of the Lord—that the Holy
Ghost should reveal things to corne. The
saine condition which caused the withdrawal
of the other gif ts of the Spirit also caused the
withdrawal of the gift of révélation. It was
because of the apostasy—the unbelief of man.
Never has the Lord said that He would reveal
no more to the children of men. But He has
forbidden men to add to or take from that
which He reveals (Rev. xxii: 18, 19). When
ever the Almighty has authorized servants
upon the earth, there is with them the gift of
révélation. "Surely the Lord God will do
nothing, but He revealeth His secret unto
His servants the Prophets" (Amos iii: 7).

48

T H I LATTER-DAY SAINTS.

The Apostle says that if a man lacks wisdom, and asks in faith for God to bestow
it on him, He will do so liberally (James i :
f 6).
REST0RAT10N OP THÉ GOSPEL.

The tidings which the Latter-day Saints
bear to the world are, that the Gospel has
been restored to earth in this dispensation ;
t h a t the présent is the time of which Paul
wrote, " t h a t in the dispensation of the fulness of times He might gather together in one
ail things in Christ, both which are in heaven
and which are on earth ; even in Him " (Eph.
i : 10). I t is this restoration which John the
Revelator saw in vision on the Isle of Pat"
mos, and of which he says: "And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having
the everlasting Gospel to preach unto them
that dwell on the earth, and to every nation,
and kindred, and tongue, and people, saying
with a loud voice, Fear God and give glory to
Him ; for the hour of His judgment is corne :
and worship Him that made heaven, and
earth, and the sea, and the fountains of
waters" (Rev. xiv: 6, 7).
The Latter-day Saints testify that this
angel has appeared, and has restored the
Gospel, which is now being preached to the

THE LATTER-DAY SAINTS.

49

nations. I t is the same now as anciently, with
ail the gifts, powers and blessings. Nothing
is lacking. I t is presented to ail people
for their considération. The most thorough
investigation is invited. There is nothing to
conceal or hold back. I t is not the province
of the Gospel to put its light under a bushel,
but to entreat ail men to come forward and
test its truth. " Prove ail things ; hold fast
that which is good," was the admonition of
the Apostle Paul; the same invitation is extended to-day.
Men are given intelligence; they are in
possession of reasoning power. It is an insuit
to Deity to say that He forbids us to use thèse
in seeking for knowledge. He asks for intelligent conformity to the eternal laws of
truth, not for blind obédience to the dogmas
of men. He has given to man his free agency.
As expressed in the hymn:
" K n o w this, t h a t every soûl is free
To choose his life and what he'll be ;
For this eternal t r u t h is given,
T h a t God will force no m a n to heaven.
" He'11 call, persuade, direct aright—
Bless him with wisdom, love and light—
I n nameless ways be good and kind,
B u t ne ver force the human mind.
4

50

THE LATTER-DAY SAINTS.
"Freedom and reason make us men ;
Take thèse away, what are we then*?
Mère animais, and just as well
The beasts may think of heaven or hell."

This free agency was recognized by the
Divine Master who said to the Jews, "Search
the Scriptures; for in them ye think ye hâve
eternal life: and they are they which testify
of me." (John v: 39). To this testimony and
counsel of the Lord the Latter-day Saints
direct attention.
OTHER DOCTRINES.

Of the other principles believed in by the
Latter-day Saints there is not upon this
occasion opportunity to speak at length.
Thèse are:'The gathering of Israël; the Restoration of the Ten Tribes; The support of
Earthly Governments for the Protection of
Hnman Rights; the Building up of Zion and
Re-building of Jérusalem; the Résurrection;
the Second Corning of Christ to reign as
Lord of lords and King of kings—ail of which
are doctrines of the Bible, as clearly maintained in its teachings as those which hâve
been spoken of.
The Latter-day Saints believe—indeed testify that they know that they are fulfilling the
predicted gathering of Israël in the last days
by the command and power of God; that their

THE LATTER-DAY SAINTS.

51

gathering on the American continent is upon
the land of Zion, the land of Joseph, whose
blessings hâve prevailed "unto the utmost
bounds of the everlasting hills" (Gen. xlix:
26); that the mountain of the house of the
Lord is "established in the top of the mountains" (Micah iv: 1). With implicit faith
that the Lord will confirm their testimony,
they déclare that He has sent His messenger
before Him in latter days, to prépare the way
for His coming (Mala. iii: 1).
I t may be well to ref er to their ordinances of
marriage, of which there appears to be such
a misunderstanding in the world. This can
be briefly stated. The Latter-day Saints belle ve that marriage is ordained of God; that
He has revealed to them its everlasting covenant; that when the ceremony is performed
by His authority, the union of husband and
wife is eternal—that it is bound on earth and
bound in the heavens. "And they twain shall
be one flesh; so then they are no more
twain, but one flesh. What therefore God
hath joined together, let not man put asunder" (Mark x: 8, 9). It is a covenant that is
entered into voluntarily by the parties; there
can be no compulsion in this, or in any of the
ordinances of the Gospel.
With the Latter-day Saints the principle of

52

THE LATTER-DÀY SAINTS.

celestial marriage is the union of husband and
wife for time and eternity. They believe the
family relation exists in the celestial kingdom of God. They also hâve pronounced
views upon the purpose of the union of the
sexes. They do not believe that its object is
the gratification of passion, but that such an
idea is wicked in its inception and damning in
its practice. They believe that a departure
from the paths of virtue is punishable by the
severest pénal ties, and that the violation of
the marriage covenant is au offense which
ranks next to the crime of murder.
A GLANCE AT HISTOBY.

The Prophet Joseph Smith was born afc
Sharon, Windsor County, Vermonfc, U.S.A.,
December 23, 1805, his father being a farmer.
In the spring of the year 1820, when Joseph
was a little over fourteen years of âge, he becamedeeply interested in religious matters.
He read the passage in James i: 5 : "If any
of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that
givetb- ,to ail men liberally, and upbraideth
not, and it shall be given him." With full reliance upon that promise in the Divine Word,
this humble lad prayed to God and received
the heavenly manifestation. He continued
foithful and was instructed by messengers

THE LÀTTER-DÀY SAINTS.

&&

from heaven, and received and brought forth
the Book of Mormon. When thèse facts became known to the people in the vicinity of
where he resided, he was made the object of
false and slanderous reports, and severe persécutions. Many attempts were made to kill
him, and every device was used to get the
plates from him ; but the Lord protected him,
and people began to believe bis testimony.
I n 1829, John the Baptist came and ordained
him to the Aaronic Priesthood ; in the same
year the Apostles Peter, James and John ordained him to the Apostîeship.
I n obédience to the command of God, the
Church of Jésus Christ was once more organized on the earth, with the promise from
the Lord that it would never again be
taken from among men ; that it was restored preparatory to the ushering in of
Christ's millennial reign on earth. Some of
its members were ordained and sent out
to preach. Those who received their testimony and were baptized were filled with the
Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands, and
the word was confirmed with signs following.
The Church rapidly increased in membership, and branches were organized in many
of the States. A Temple was erected in Kirtland, Ohio. The State of Missouri became

54

THE LATTER-DAY SAINTS.

the principal place for the gathering of the
people ; but because they would not join in
the practices of the lawless élément there,
and were believers in an unpopular religion,
an organized mob drove them from their
habitations, contrary to law, justice and humanity, to wander on the bleak prairies, in
wintry weather, till they left the tracks of
their bleeding feet on the frozen ground.
Men, women and children were subjected to
the most fiendish outrages—starved, tortured,
butchered. This was in a land that boasted
of religious freedom and tolérance !
Finaily, about twelve thousand who had
escaped the exterminating order of Missouri's
mob found a resting place in Illinois, and
built up the beautiful city of Nauvoo. But
the refuge was only temporary, for the bigot
and the criminal united in a relentless and
bloody warfare upon them. Less than six
years after their expulsion from Missouri,
their Prophet was assassin a ted in Carthage
jail, while in the hands of the officers of the
law, and under the pledged protection of the
governor of the State, Thomas Ford. This
was on June 27, 1844. Joseph Smith had
committed no offense ; he was guilty of no
wrong. "The law cannot reach him, but
powder and bail shaii !" was the cry of his

THE LATTEK-DAY SAINTS.

55

murderers. The blood of the martyred
Prophet aud his fellow-religionists stiii cries
to God for vengeance !
The enemies of the Saints, however, were
doomed to disappointnient, for the death of
the Prophet did not stop the work, or break
up the Church organization. The leadership
devolved on the Twelve Apostles, with
Brigham Young as their Président ; even
gréa ter energy was displayed than before,
and the Temple at Nauvoo was soon completed. Fiendish plots were laid, and barbarous plans adopted to blacken the character
of the " Mormon " people, and make them appear abominable in the eyes of the public.
Numerous atrocities were committed by the
mobocrats, who falsely attributed them to
the Saints, and thus aroused public indignation against themr
Hoping to secure immunity from thèse unjustifiable attacks, they consented to move
from the State, the mob agreeing to allow
them to remain in peace a given time, so the
exodus could be accomplished. This agreement was soon disregarded by. the persecutors, who were reckless, and impatient to despoil the Saints. When a portion of the latter
had left Nauvoo, the remnant was attacked
%by an armed force, and driven into Iowa in

66

THE LATTER-DAY SAINTS.

a destitute condition. General Thomas L.
Kane, of Philadelphia, who passed that way
a few days afterward, related his expérience
in a lecture before the Historical Society'of
Pennsylvania, The foUowing is an extract
from his addi ess : " Dreadful, indeed, was
the suffering of thèse forsaken beings ; bowed
and cramped by cold and sunburn, alternating
as each weary day and night dragged on, they
were, almost ail of them, the crippled victims
of disease. They were there because they had
no homes, nor hospital, nor poor house, nor
friends to offer them any. They could not
satisfy the feeble cravings of their sick ; they
had not bread to quiet the f ractious hungercries of their children. Mothers and babes,
daughters and grandparents, ail of them alike,
were bivouacked in tatters, wanting even
covering to comfort those whom the sick
shivers of fever were searching to the marrow. Thèse were Mormons, famishing in Lee
County, Iowa, in the fourth week of the month
of September, in the year of our Lord 1846.
The city—it was Nauvoo, Illinois. The Mormons were the owners of that city, and the
smiling country around. And those who had
stopped their plows, who had silenced their
hammers, their axes, their shuttles, and
their workshop wheels; those who had put

THE LÀTTER-DÀY SAINTS.

57

oùt their fires, who had eaten their food,
spoiled their orchards, and trampled under
foot their thousands of acres of unharvested bread—thèse were the keepers ôf
their dwellings, the carousers in their Temple, whose drunken riot insulted the ears
of their dying."
Out into the trackless American wilds, into
an Indian country, the " Mormons " wended
their way, weary and destitute, for more than
fifteen hundred miles, their pathway being
marked by the graves of their dead. The
history of their privations and sufferings is
harrowing in the extrême. The lives of not
less than a thousand of their number were
sacrificed in the relentless persécutions connected with the exodus from Illinois. But
God opened their way, and as a resuit of
their unity, humility and faith through severe
tribulations and deep sorrows, they were
guided to a refuge in the valley of the Great
Sait Lake. Three years later, in 1850, Congress created the Territory of Utah. Under
the territorial form of government, the
governor, secretary, judges, marshals, postmasters, élection and other territorial officers, are appointed by the Président of the
United States,
In their new home, the Saints increased in

58

THE LATTER-DAY SAINTS.

numbers and were beginning to enjoy some
of the comforts of life as a reward of their
toil, when, in 1857, t h e national government
was induced, t h r o u g h the misrepresentations
of some of its officiais, to send an army
against t h e "Mormons," who prepared for
another exodus, and to défend themselves.
B u t the time required in such an undertaking gave the government an opportunity
to discover t h a t it h a d been misled and to
change its course. T h e record of the expédition, with its expenditure of twenty millions
of dollars, stands as a m o n u m e n t of the folly
of judging a matter hastily.
The current of popular opinion, however,
had set in strongly against t h e Saints, and it
is difficult to change it; b u t the majority of
those with whom they are now in contact are
not the lawless élément of Missouri and
Illinois, so t h a t t h e violence of former times
is no longer used against t h e body of the
people where they are known. B u t the adverse feeling caused législation hostile to
them. They bowed to t h e law, content to
leave the issue between those who raised
their h a n d s against t h e m and t h e God of
Israël, in whose justice, mercy and omnipotence they hâve perfect confidence.
Their
hurch property was seized by the govern-

THE LATTER-DAY SAINTS.

5Ç>

ment—property which was the voluntary
gift of Chureh members, for the support of the
poor, the building of Temples* and similar purposes. But with a better understanding of the
motives and lives of the Saints, the gover'nment recognized the great wrong done, and
sought to right it. The forfeited property not
wasted in litigation was restored, adverse
législation ceased, friendliness superseded an
unjust, mistaken antagonism, and in 1896
Utah was admitted to statehood.
PRESENT CONDITION.

The results of the industry, integrity and
thrift of the Saints, as shown by their présent
condition, are a complète réfutation of the accusations of evil made against them. A corrupt tree cannot bring forth good fruit. Utàh,
the chief centre of their gathering place, has
a population of 270,000, seventy-five per
cent, being "Mormons." Ninety per cent, of
the heads of families live in their own houses
and on their own lands. The fruitful
orchards, rich fields and farms, successful
industries and beautiful cities, towns and
villages, présent to the view a paradise upon
earth; while the vigor and cheerfulness of
old and middle-aged and young betoken the
health, prosperity and happiness which are
God's own gifts to this people, in whose
hearts dwells more abundantly than in those

60

T H E LATTER-DAY SAINTS.

of any other community t h a t love of God and
of their fellow men which is t h e fruit of a
p u r e and noble life in t h e service of t h e great
Creator.
Not alone in U t a h do t h e L a t t e r - d a y Saints
find a home. Their h u n d r e d s of settlements
bedeck t h e m o u n t a i n valleys from the province of Alberta, in Canada, t h r o u g h Montana,
Oregon, I d a h o , Nevada, Wyoming, U t a h ,
Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico, in t h e
United States, to C h i h u a h u a , in Old Mexico,
on either side of a line which reaches fifteen
h u n d r e d miles along t h e backbone of t h e
American continent.
As an ecclesiastical organization, t h e first
ofîicers in t h e C h u r c h are divinely commissioned Apostles of t h e Lord Jésus, and divine
authority is possessed by t h e whole body of
Priesthood, down to t h e office of Deacon.
Almost t h e entire maie membership of t h e
C h u r c h is included in t h i s classification;
while there are organizations for t h e women
and children. Over four h u n d r e d districts,
or wards, are u n i t e d in larger organizations
called Stakes of Zion, ail combining in a perfect System.
FUTURE

DESTINY.

T h e Saints hâve an abiding faith in t h e

THE LATTER-DÀY SAINTS.

61

future glorious destiny of the work in which
they are engaged. From its inception there
has been steady and rapid progress. Its
Elders bave carried the glad tidings to the
nations as God has given them strength.
They hâve not preached for money nor
divined for hire. Freely they hâve received ;
freely they give. Persécution has followed
those who hâve obeyed the Gospçl, just as
it did anciently. But with each wave of
ad ver si ty the Church has grown stronger,
and its opponents hâve been restricted in
their ability to inflict injuries on its members. Each successive blow of its foes has
fallen more lightly than the one which
preceded it ; while the Saints hâve been
brightened and made better by the expérience gained in drawing nearer to the
Lord. No Latter-day Saint has any doubt
of the ultimate triumph of the principles
ne has received in the Gospel. They form
the plan of life, the power of God unto
salvation. The Church is organized never
again to be overcome. Its destiny is to
continue to increase until its Founder and
Head, the Lord Jésus Christ, will establish
His eternal kingdom, and righteousness shall
rule from the rivers to the ends of the
earth.

62

THE LATTER-DAY SAINTS,
THE GOSPEL MESSAGE.

The purpose of the Gospel is to lead us
back to God, improved by the knowledge
and expérience we hâve gained. There is
no truth in any départaient of life that is
without its pale ; no knowledge that is beyond its reach. Its truth is the sum of ail
existence, the knowledge of things that hâve
been, that are, and that will be. God is
truth, and His Gospel is the plan whereby
we may be saved in His présence. This
is the doctrine that our Lord and Savior
taught; this is the message given to the
Latter-day Saints, and which they proclaim to the world. They call upon ail men
to repent and do the will of God. They
invite sincère seekers after truth everywhere. They présent to the world an example of the marvelous power of the Gospel
they hâve obeyed. By their fruits they show
its effects. They hâve solved the problem
of a happy, prosperous and contented life,
free from sin and sorrow, from poverty and
idleness, from hatred and hypocrisy. They
présent to the rest of mankind the example
of a people who put into practice their belief in being honest, industrious, true, chaste,
benevolent, and in doing good to ail men.
If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of

THE LATTER-DAY SAINTS.

63

good report, or praiseworthy, they seek after
those things.
Tô ail men they bear the message of the
Gospel which has made them thus. They
leave no room for deceit and delusion. They
claim to hâve divine authority and divine
principles, and they offer the proof, which is
in the reach of every true, honest, virtuous
man and woman. I t is the test which the
Lord has commanded them to proffer to mankind, the saine that He applied to Himself:
"My doctrine is not mine, but His that sent
me. If any man will do His will, he shall
know of the doctrine, whether it be of God,
or whether I speak of myself" (John vii:
16, 17).
There can be no mistake about it, for if it
be not of God, He will not give the knowledge. But tens of thousands of Latter-day
Saints bear witness that they hâve received
the testimony from Him. I t is true, and we
bear y ou witness now of its truth. Hereby
we know that we know Him, that we keep
His commandments. The Apostle John says :
"Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not
in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He
that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he
hath both the Father and the Son. If there
corne any unto you, and bring not this doc-

64

THE LATTER-DAY SAINTS.

trine, receive him not into your house, neither
bid him God speed: for he that biddeth him
God speed is partaker of his evil deeds"
(2 John: 9—11).
That we do bring this doctrine, and that it
is true, is the testiinony which we now give,
and which we will meet before the pleasing
bar of the Great Jehovah, the eternal Judge
of both quick and dead. And may the grâce
of God the Father, whose throne is high in
the heavens, and the Lord Jésus Christ, who
sitteth on the right hand of His power until
ail things shall become subject unto Him, be
and abide forever with those who seek te
serve Him in spirit and in truth. Amen,

Should you wish further information concerning
our doctrines, address
BUREAU OF INFORMATION
AND CHURCH LITERATURE
214 Templeton Bldg.

Sait Lake City, Utah