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Joseph Snith As a Prophet

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Joseph Snith As a Prophet 7 ID 1_S _J AS A PREDICTIONS 'UTTERED BY HIM AND THEIR SIGNAL FULFILMENT. His Prophetic Power Established by the Scriptural Rule. A Lecture delivered by Elder Andrew Jenson before the Students' Society in the Social Hall, Salt Lake City, Friday Evening, January 16,1891, INTRODUCTORY. nances of the same; that he received I will take for my text the following from the angel Moroni certain gold words of the Prophet Moses spoken to plates that had been hi iden in the the children of Israel while they were earth for fourteen hundred years, and journeying in the wilderness of Ara- that he translated the engravings upon these plates into the English language bia. by the gift and power of God, the re- "The prophet who shall presume to sult of which was the' Book of speak a word in my name which I have Mormon. We further claim that not commanded him to speak * * * he organized the Church of even that prophet shall die. And if thou Christ once more upon the earth, say in thine heart: How shall we know the word which .he Lord hast not spoken? and that he received by direct reve- When a prophet speaketh in the name of lation a code of laws and command- the Lord, if the thing follow not, nor ments by which to govern the affairs come to pass, that is the thing which the of that Church, according to the Lord ha h not spoken; but the prophet original pattern given by Jesus and hath spoken it presumptuously; thou His Apostles eighteen hundred years shalt not be afraid of him." Dent. xviii: ago. We further claim that it is of the 20-22. utmost importance for all people who The passage which I have read may desire eternal salvation to know be taken as a key by which to distin- whether these things are true or not. guish a true prophet from a false one. If Joseph Smith is what he professed The first definition of the word to be: A true Prophet of God, no one prophet, according to the standard dic- can reject his testimony without being tionaries is, "one who prophesies; one condemned; while on the other hand, who foretells future events; a predicter; if he was an impostor, or a false proph- a foreteller; a seer." In this light we et, we can reject him without fear of shall proceed to test the claims of Divine punishment, and the condem- Joseph Smith, whom the Latter-day nation will rest upon the man who as- Saints claim to be the great Prophet sumes to speak in the name of the of the Nineteenth Century. We claim Lord presumptuously. In this lecture for him that he was visited by holy be- I shall confine myself to his prophetic ings, who restored to him the fulness and inspired utterances by proving of the gospel of Jesus Christ, with their fulfilment and truthfulness authority to administer in all the ordi- mostly from a historic standpoint. 2 JOSEPH SMITH AS A PROPHET. JOSEPH SMITH AS A PROPHET. of sufficient importance to attract the at- after attending the different revival' of New York, and was shown the JOSEPH'S FIRST VISION. meetings without being able to con- tention of the great ones of the most popular sects of the day, so as to create in plates, which were delivered to him One of the first declarations made by elude which of the denominations was them a spirit of the hottest persecution four years later and froth which he Joseph Smith, when he was only a boy the right one for him to join, went and reviling. But strange or not, so it translated the Book of Mormon. While between fourteen and fifteen years of into the woods to pray to the Lord for was, and was often cause of great sorrow standing on this historic hill, with the age, was, that the whole Christian that wisdom which the Apostle James to myself. However it was, nevertheless, angel at his side, he again received world ha I gone astray, and that the promises shall be given the honest a fact, that I had had a vision. I glorious instructions and warnings,and true Church of Christ was not to be believer. The result was an attack of have thought since, that I felt much among other things was told that when found upon the earth. What a start- the power of darkness which threatened like Paul when he made his defense he should bring forth the Book of Mor- ling declaration! Could anything be him with destruction, then a light far before King Agrippa, and related the ac- mon, the workers of iniquity would more presumptions on the part of a above him in the sky, then an evelop- count of the vision he had when he saw a seek his overthrow. Says the angel: light and heard a voice; but still there common uneducated farmer's boy than ment in that light which descended were but few who believed him; some "They will circulate falsehoods to de- such an assertion? Preachers of the upon him, then a vision of two glori- said he was dishonest; others said he was stroy your reputation, and also will seek various denominations in the neighbor- ous personages standing above him in mad, and he was ridiculed and reviled; to take your life; but remember this, if hood where the boy resided became the air, one of whom speaking to him, but all this did not destroy the reality of you are faithful, and shall hereafter con- exasperated and at once denounced while pointing to the other, said: "This his vision. He had seen a vision, he knew tinue to keep the commandments of the him as an impostor or a fraud. A. boy is my beloved son, hear him." Here, he had, and all the persecution under Lord, you shall be preserved to bring who had seen nothing of the world, then, was Jesus Christ being in- heaven could not make it otherwise; and these things forth; for in due time he will save the tract of country in Vermont, troduced by His Father to Joseph though they should persecute him unto give you a commandment to come and where he was born, and the western Smith, the praying boy. who next was death, yet he knew, and would know un- take them. When they are interpreted, wilds of the State of New York, where informed by the Great Redeemer Him- to his latest breath, that he had both seen the Lord will give the holy Priesthood to a light and heard a voice speaking to him, some, and they shall begin to proclaim he now resided with his parents. A self, that all the sects of the day were and all the world could not make him this Gospel and baptize by water, and boy who had perhaps never been even wrong, that all their creeds were an think or believe otherwise. after that they shall have power to give introduced to any of the prominent abomination in His sight, that the "So it was with me; I had actually seen the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands. divines of the day, who had never cross- modern professors and teachers taught a light, and in the midst of that light I Then will persecution rage more and ed the threshold of any important for doctrine the commandments of saw two personages, and they did in more; for the iniquities of men shall be institution of le arning, who had never men, having a form of godliness, but reality speak unto me, or one of them revealed, and those who are not built thoroughly examined the creed of any denying the power thereof; that he did; and though I was hated and perse- upon the rock will seek to overthrow the one denomination, much less having a (Joseph) should join none of these cuted for saying that I had seen a vision, Church; but it will increase the more op- posed, and spread further and further." knowledge of them all, who had churches, but that the true church 1 yet it was true; and while they were per- never crossed the ocean to acquaint should be revealed to him at some fu- . secuting me, reviling me and speaking The angel further told him: himself with the great learning of ture time. This, then, was Joseph's au- against me, falsely, for so saying, I was led to say in my heart, Why persecute "Your name shall be known among Europe, with its thousands of preach- thority. Jesus Christ himself, the Re- the nations; for the work which the Lord deemer of the world, the Son of God, for telling the truth? I have actually ers and its universities and institu- seen a vision, and who am I that I can will perform by your. hands shall cause tions of learning. What did he know He that was crucified and put to death withstand God? Or why does the world the righteous to rejoice and the wicked to about the creeds and organizations ex- on Mount Calvary, but who arose tri- think to make me deny what I have ac- rage; with the one it shall be had in isting among the millions of Christians umphant from the grave, the founder, tually seen? For I have seen a vision. I honor and with the other in reproach." in Europe and America, thus to de- the organizer, the head, the President knew it, and I knew that God knew it, (Historical Record: page 362.) nounce them all without further cere- of the Christian Church, explained to and I could not deny it, neither dare I do These prophetic sayings have had so mony.
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